Chapter 4: Studying

[Stamina: 50%]

Sitting in the corner of the classroom during their lessons at the Shinobi Academy, Lee couldn't help but listen to what their teacher, a non-affiliated Chunin with a light fringe and a forehead protector, was saying. After all, he wanted to personally immerse himself in the atmosphere of training future ninjas, rather than relying solely on the remnants of someone else's memory or the cut-down versions from anime episodes that didn't capture the full scope of what would be his lifelong journey. Besides, they were reviewing important basics because, in a month's time, each of the students, including Lee, would be taking the Genin exam.

However, a pressing question arose: how could he become a Genin when he didn't have the talent to work with chakra and use it beyond his body? He simply couldn't perform Ninjutsu and Genjutsu for the three fundamental techniques required for the exam.

"Sigh, ridiculous... I'll probably have to negotiate with the teacher or even approach the academy director, whom I haven't even met within these walls... However, I believe that if I show them my superior Taijutsu skills compared to the other academy students, there should be no doubts about my competence!" Lee resolved, deep in thought, as he clenched a pen in his hand and scribbled down everything that would be useful for the theoretical part of the Genin exam.

Finally, the long-awaited break arrived, and Lee was able to relax and take a break from the tedious note-taking. However, things don't always go as planned...

Under the weight of various curious glances from his classmates, Lee's thick eyebrows furrowed for the first time. It felt like everyone had put aside their important tasks just to stare at him and perhaps even gossip about him. There was a vague and indistinct murmur in the air, undoubtedly related to him in some way, but the boy with round eyes chose to ignore it, refusing to stoop to the level of petty children.

He will definitely become a master of martial arts, and until that moment, he absolutely cannot tarnish his warrior's honor with quarrels with overconfident fools!

"Hmm... Haven't you guys noticed something about Lee?" one of the students remarked. "I think there's something different about him today."

"Yeah? Well, now that you mention it, he's strangely quiet today," another student added.

"And not only that. Lee seems unusually serious, don't you think? It's like his always energetic aura has changed," another chimed in.

"What are you guys even talking about? To me, he looks like the typical Lee; he's probably just feeling down because the Genin exam is next month, and he still can't pass it!" argued a classmate, dismissing the observations of others.

This was what some of the students whispered about, and it was something Rock chose to not hear. It turned out that they had stopped approaching him and making fun of his "weakness" because they felt, on a psychological level, that Lee had changed so dramatically. However, they quickly brushed this aside and decided not to provoke the heavily-built boy with his stern look and intimidating aura on that particular day.

As for Lee's thick black eyebrows, if before, the twelve-year-old children found them amusing and silly, now they genuinely felt subconscious fear and nervousness whenever Lee moved them and put on a grimace of iron determination.

"Neji, do you think this loser, Lee, can become a Genin?" one representative of a prominent clan arrogantly asked another.

"I don't care. He's just ordinary trash from a small family, and there's no way for him to escape his pitiful fate as a weakling," Neji, the one with dark chestnut hair that fell to his shoulders and entirely white eyes with a slight lavender tint, responded with an emotionless and indifferent tone.

He was the possessor of the Byakugan, or more precisely, the extraordinary Dojutsu, known even beyond the borders of the Fire Country. It was a privilege available only to members of the prestigious Hyuga clan, which held the greatest influence in Konoha, rivaled only by the now-extinct Uchiha clan.

...

[Stamina: 80%]

It was time for practical training. The teacher gathered everyone in the academy courtyard and subjected them to a series of physical exercises for the next half-hour under the scorching sun of warm Konoha. Running, squats, pull-ups, stretching, and core exercises – everyone participated, regardless of gender. However, the best performer, by far, was Rock Lee, the seasoned expert in physical training.

Neji Hyuga, with a result slightly below what was expected, took second place. His elegant visage darkened considerably after the exercises. He, a member of the Hyuga clan, couldn't fathom how this "loser" managed to train so efficiently. However, Neji quickly regained his smile when the teacher announced that they would move on to shuriken and kunai exercises.

"He will definitely fail at this, too, and is unlikely to succeed as he did before... Utter incompetence. With the Byakugan, it's effortless for me to hit the target accurately," Neji thought with a hint of arrogance, feeling a slight pang of pride being hurt by Lee. After all, he had previously claimed that he couldn't care less about Lee and his achievements. Apparently, he had lied to himself.

Nevertheless, Rock indeed completely failed at Bukijutsu.

Unlike the other successful students, Lee had been an ordinary person until just a day ago, only dabbling in karate and other martial arts. He had never held cold weapons in his hands, and even muscle memory didn't help. Rock was well aware of this and wasn't disheartened. On the contrary, he became even more determined and promised himself that he would learn to throw shuriken and kunai!

"Alright! Well done, everyone! Let's take a break for a couple of minutes and then move on to sparring!" the teacher clapped his hands, smiling, and nodded toward a specially marked circle in the clearing where the students' battles would take place.

Rock Lee's classmates were naturally excited, and the boy with round eyes felt a slight thrill. After all, it was his first battle in this new world, and on the very first day after awakening and realization! How could he not be nervous? Finally, Rock would have a chance to see how his Earth Karate worked within the framework of a Shinobi's physical abilities.

"The original Lee often lost in sparring because he behaved extremely clumsily and held back. But I have no intention of holding back! Let even a Hyuga face me; I won't hesitate to take on anyone!" he thought with a strong determination to win.

After a while, the teacher rose from the grass and began giving instructions. At his loud call, two named students entered the circle. Forming the Confrontation Seal, they engaged in combat until one of them emerged victorious. The conclusion was sealed with the Reconciliation Seal.

Rock's class had a mix of clan-affiliated students and those without clans, offering a diverse range of opponents. The Akimichi faced members of the Aburame clan, one of the Sarutobi fought a non-clan student, Neji Hyuga easily defeated a fair-haired boy from the Yamanaka clan, and the sweet and diligent Tenten was pitted against a dark-haired girl from the Nara clan.

Of course, the well-trained children fought each other with confidence, displaying a rather impressive level, even by Genin standards. And as for Rock...

"Get ready for a beating, loser!" sneered an Inuzuka clan member, a proud boy who was clearly the aggressor, flexing his fingers with a dramatic cracking of joints.

Surprisingly, no one in the class wished Lee good luck, except for Tenten, who watched him with a hint of concern, strangely not feeling the need to see him beaten for the crowd's amusement...

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