Chapter 20: Springtime of Youth

A - Intervene. Shinji needs some mules to take the burnt of any monstrous Genin.

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Chapter 20: Springtime of Youth

***

-Yamato POV-

Within the podium where Lee and Sasuke were fighting, I and a couple of my fellow Jonins were stealthily hiding, observing our students from one of the corners.

When Guy saw that Lee was about to use the primary lotus, he frowned, muttering. "That silly boy. Letting his youth get the better of him. But then again, I can understand where he is coming from."

It was unclear whether Guy was disappointed or encouraging Lee. Maybe both? But now it has become clear that this should be stopped before any of our students get hurt before the exam.

But before Guy could intervene, Shinji had jumped between them, with incredible strength and speed, surprising even Lee, and catching him off guard.

"C'mon now, we can't go around being so harsh to fellow Konoha Genin," Shinji smiled nonchalantly. Whether it was easy for him, or it was to unnerve his opponent, I didn't know for sure.

Lee frowned and was about to kick him out of the way, but while midair the maneuverability was limited and Shinji threw some shuriken, which grabbed into Lee's bandages and pinned them to a wall, tugging Lee away and making him lose balance.

But Shinji wasn't finished as he grabbed Lee by his shirt and threw him towards the wall like a ragdoll before the kick could land on him. He also made sure to deliver his own kick, to add to the momentum of pushing him away.

Baam!

Lee smashed into the wall with surprising force, cracking the hard concrete behind him, as a small drop of blood dripped down his lip. The young Genin had a frown on his round eyes. But Shinji didn't pay attention to him any longer, and instead grabbed Sasuke by the back of his shirt, like a cat, and made a water clone to use as a foothold to jump down faster than gravity could take hold.

Good, being mid-air if Lee had decided to attack again would be a bad idea. The clone was destroyed due to being used as a foothold, and Shinji had kicked off it hard enough to land on the ground faster, turning the water clone into a small drizzle of water.

Sasuke had been stunned as his body still shook due to the aftershock he took from the initial kick Lee landed on his chin. I couldn't blame the young boy for being physically unable to move, I can only imagine the power behind that kick. Lee had probably trained that same kick hundreds of thousands of times, Sasuke stood no chance.

"Hey, pinky," Shinji called over Sakura, the casual and gentle smile never leaving his face. "Come and take care of your teammate," he glanced at Sasuke for a second. "Also be careful when picking your fights next time, because this is the Chunin Exam and there are many people stronger than me."

Well, he might not know that, but I doubt there are many people stronger than you. Shinji had just shown just how easily he handled Lee, even I am surprised he did so easily while showing very little about himself. As expected of him. Still, Shinji had the habit of underestimating his abilities sometimes. This is likely due to a life of mediocrity, where he wasn't special in any way.

"Just from seeing the technique once, he figured out a way to cancel the primary lotus. Using a projectile to tug away the bandages that are used to wrap around the opponent," Guy didn't seem mad at his technique being seen through so easily, instead, he had a wide smile, which showed his glistening teeth. "Lee will have a fine rival."

Of course, Shinji is my amazing student. One day he will surpass Tobirama Senju, who took 20 S Rank Ninja to kill. But my student will overcome that and become stronger.

I felt a burst of pride sprout through my heart and had to try my best to control a giggle escape from me. Yes, he will one day make the whole world know his name, and who he is. That's my belief in Shinji, and that's something I believe in so much, I'm willing to put my life on the line for it.

"That guy is something else," even Kakashi, who was reading his Icha Icha Book while his student was getting beaten, commented on Shinji. Pulling up his headband, the Sharingan was in full view. "He has grown again from the last time I saw him."

YES! I know! Your students are all trash in front of him! Even Sasuke Uchiha, who is said to be talented, seemed like a weak academy student in front of Shinji!

Okay, maybe I should tone it down and make sure Kakashi doesn't notice. But Shinji was humble enough for both of us. Turning towards my colleague, I saw Kakashi's lone Sharingan staring right at me. Did he see through my calm demeanor?

"Your heart rate is increasing," was all Kakashi said, before turning back toward Shinji. Oh right, I doubt Lee will take this lying down. Tch, I will need to make sure that Shinji gets out of this in a condition that doesn't ruin his chances during the Chunin Exam, if Guy and Kakashi have anything to say about it, then I don't care.

Lee landed on the ground and peered at Shinji, looking a little annoyed. "Why did you interfere?"

"Because you were going to use a dangerous move. Could have killed him, the last Uchiha. This wasn't done just to save him, but you too. After all, as a Konoha ninja, killing Sasuke Uchiha in such a place, you would likely be met with extreme punishment for your deeds." Shinji explained his reasoning in detail and made sure to not leave anything behind.

Lee's frown slowly turned into a smile and gave Shinji a thumbs up. "I see, then I am thankful for your worry! But I wasn't going to kill a comrade either and would have held back."

"Oh, I didn't know that. From the way I saw it, you could have taken him out without using such a dangerous technique," Shinji stated his observations, which were true as it was clear Lee was leaps and bounds above Sasuke during the whole fight.

I can't help but smile at Shinji showing his compassionate side, which he didn't usually do unless it involved his teammates. He made friends with everyone. Even that hard-headed Eagle, which is known to be a very unfriendly Anbu, only had praises for him.

Still, how will Shinji handle this? From the way, he went, and physically interfered, making sure to stay outside of the view of Sasuke's Sharingan, it seems like he didn't want his moves to be copied. Nor reveal too much of what he was capable of.

As expected, Shinji was cautious, so this wasn't a surprise. But how will he deal with this now? Fight Lee and have Sasuke copy his moves? Or maybe try and use water-style jutsu? After all, Sasuke likely had Fire Affinity like most Uchiha, and using water-style jutsu with a Fire Affinity wasn't a good idea as it wastes too much chakra. Maybe knock Sasuke out? But that would earn the ire of the person he saved.

C'mon now Shinji, this is your challenge. How will you handle it? Will you end up using Jutsu, or truly not show anything and intentionally lose, or retreat? Impress everyone here like you usually impress me. Show everyone that you aren't predictable!

As if hearing my thoughts, Shinji crouched down, very low, and Lee ran towards him at incredible speed that had no place belonging to a Genin. Hell, even a Chunin normally wouldn't be that fast.

His speed was something incredible, and he could likely keep it up for long amounts of time too as he had the stamina.

But Shinji did something unexpected and jumped up. The smile on his face was plastered like always, and it undoubtedly unnerved his opponents by how casually he acted, even if the situation was dire.

But why did he jump mid-air, where he wouldn't be able to move away from an attack? Did he panic and make a mistake? But I thought that by now he wouldn't let his nerves get to him, but again, he is just a recently graduated Genin. Or maybe this is part of some bigger plan.

Lee gave chase, jumping up and within an instant being in front of Shinji. Showing that he was still faster than him, but contrary to his situation Shinji wasn't panicky, and just calmly stared at his opponent. "Bad move," he muttered. "You should remember one crucial detail about Genin, we are…"

At first, Lee was confused about what he meant by that. But the confusion didn't last long, as he got his answer.

"...always a three-man team," this time the voice came from above, finishing Shinji's sentence.

Kota had pulled out his sword, and Sayuri's eyes widened to an unnatural degree with an eerie atmosphere around her, as a strange chakra formed around. Lee winced, having forgotten about Shinji's teammates for a split second.

Well, I don't blame him, I had forgotten too. Shinji wasn't here to fight fairly, but to get this over with while differing minimal or no injury or waste chakra.

Kota Kicked off the ceiling he was standing upside-down on, gravity helping him speed up, and he was in front of Lee within a split second. His sword swing was like formless water. Showing that even without Shinji directly saying anything, they made sure to not reveal their moves or anything.

Clang!

Lee was barely able to take out a kunai to stop the sword, but he was still pushed back from the surprise attack. At the same time, Sayuri landed in front of Sasuke, obscuring his view of the battle. It seemed like she had also understood what needed to be done for Kota and Shinji to fight a little more freely.

"I think you should go to the Chunin Application Room, or you will be late," the sweet smile on Sayuri's face made it seem like this was a choice she was giving them but the eerie aura around her said something different. It made Sakura pale and nod rapidly, poor girl, she probably hadn't even heard what Sayuri said and just agreed due to fear.

I couldn't help the smile on my face that slowly widened. Such perfect teamwork, not even a word had been exchanged between them, yet they all knew what to do.

For a split second, even I had forgotten that both Sayuri and Kota are talented ninjas too. They usually just get overshadowed by Shinji. But both of them were amazing in their own right.

Since Sayuri had blocked Sasuke's view, Shinji, without even needing to look, seemed to have understood what the plan was and what she had done. Kota, using his sword as a baseball bat, and Shinji's foothold, shot teammate toward Lee at breakneck speeds as the air seemed to scream as he shot through it.

Lee tried to react, but this time it was too late, he had been on guard against Sayuri, and during that split second to see what she was doing, Shinji's knee had sunk into his stomach. Grabbing into his shoulders, for extra damage too. He could feel Lee's sturdy ribs brush against his knee.

But even with the pain of being hit, Lee grabbed his opponent's leg. Taking a breath, it seemed like a burning blaze had been lit up inside his eyes.

<First Gate: Gate of Opening… OPEN!>

Shinji's eyes widened, and I was surprised too as Lee's strength seemed to have increased 5x as he clenched down, Lee's fingers clenching around his leg so tight that it was painful. And then he was thrown to the side like a rag doll.

Fwosh!

But mid-air Shinji was able to maneuver himself and land on his feet side-ways into the wall, using chakra to stick to it.

Baam!!

Still, his place of landing cracked all around him like a spider web. "What was that?" muttered Shinji, strangely he didn't seem to be afraid at all. Instead, the look in his eyes only showed curiosity.

That was the Eight Gates… one of the most dangerous Jutsu out there, both to the opponent and the user.

At the same time, Kakashi whispered, his Sharingan glancing at Sayuri. "Yamato, that female student of yours. Her Chakra Network is-"

"Yes, I know."

Sayuri's chakra network was a little… strange for her age. But that isn't all there is to it, her learning of Genjutsu was quite fast. Of course, whether it was really "learning" or maybe just using what she already knew was something debatable. My specialty might not be torture and interrogation, but I knew when to spot something obvious.

She had her secrets, which I didn't pry into. Maybe she was part of some clan, with a Kekkei Genkai, but just like my Wood Style, I am willing to keep this secret of hers. Though if she had a Kekkei Genkai, or it was just some mutation that weakened her Chakra, it was unknown.

My team has shown talent, and I will do everything in my power to make them shine brightly. Whether it's Shinji with his unbreakable will and ambition, or Kota with his dream of becoming an S Rank.

Even Sayuri, wanting to live her life freely, without the attention of the world on her, and just spend time with Shinji. I will support them all. It's my duty as their Jonin teacher, mentor, and as someone who cared about those little talented misfits.

"Guy, shouldn't you stop this?" Said Kakashi suddenly, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Not yet," Guy smiled widely. "I want both Lee and Shinji to see that there is a wide world out there. Also, Lee will have to be punished for using the Gates."

I somewhat understood his reasons too. In the Forest of Death we won't be able to protect them, so at least this way they'll get an understanding that enemies can be very dangerous.

"For now their flames of Youth must burst through!" Guy's yell was thankfully nullified by a quick noise-canceling Jutsu from Kakashi.

***

Shinji was surprised, he had expected Lee to have some secret technique. But he hadn't expected him to use it right now.

'Damn it, why is he taking this so seriously? The exam hasn't started yet and I was almost injured. Still, that technique should also have some major drawbacks. Increasing the body's power so much is unnatural. So maybe waiting this out and just dodging might be the best until those drawbacks sink in.'

But at the same time, the last thing he wanted was a drawn-out fight. His stamina couldn't keep up, but the same was for Lee too. How long could this technique last? Something increasing its user's strength so drastically most likely had very heavy drawbacks. But Shinji didn't know the specifics of it, maybe it would take days for the major drawbacks to show, and he still had an exam to take in about 25 minutes.

"Oy, oy, oy. Lee, do you want to end the Chunin Exam before it even starts," he could think of many ways to offset the sudden boost Lee got in his physical might. But Shinji was reluctant to do so, and found it very regretful, having to waste Chakra before the exam even began for real.

"Sorry! But as my rival, I have to give it my all or it will be disrespectful to the effort you have put in."

'No, please disrespect me. I wouldn't mind. That way I wouldn't have to even fight here at all.'

Shinji felt like crying, as the sight of Lee charging towards him was the same as seeing every one of his plans shatter like glass. Still, there wasn't anything he could do about it and didn't dwell on the situation for longer than a second. He couldn't afford to do so, even if he wanted to.

Lee was fast, still, monstrously fast, but still not fast enough to stop Shinji from pulling out a scroll.

*Poof*

A scroll as big as his body came out of that smaller one. Now it was time for him to use his ultimate technique and take care of Lee. Something that Shinji has prepared as his ultimate strategy.

But Lee himself wasn't a slouch and could tell that he would be at a disadvantage soon. "As expected of my rival. I can't go easy on you."

'Go easy on me! I don't fucking mind, nor would I be offended if you did. Also, when did I become your rival?!'

"Let us show each other our overflowing YOUTH!" Lee yelled out, as the flame in his eyes seemed to burn ten times brighter.

<2nd Gate: Gate of Healing, OPE->

'Shit!'

Shinji bit his finger, drawing some blood.

[Summon-]

Fwish!

Baam!

Both were interrupted as Yamato appeared and grabbed Shinji's hand, stopping him from using that technique.

"Lee!! You fool!!" Guy on the other hand had used a more drastic method of stopping his student. By kicking him in the face, having him harshly land on the ground. "How dare you use a technique I forbid you to use! Also, are you trying to ruin your chances and Shinji's by tiring yourself out before the exam! Think! You fool!!!"

Youthful tears came out of Guy's eyes, as he went and hugged the downed Lee. "Letting your YOUTH cloud your thoughts and youthfully having you find an eternal rival."

Shinji decided to dodge that scene by scurrying to the sidelines with Yamato. Kakashi was there too and seemed to be consoling Sasuke about something. The Uchiha had been done in by only one attack. Sayuri, who was obscuring his view, saw that the battle was over and scurried toward Shinji with a happy smile on her face. "You were so cool back there~"

At the same time, Yamato handed Shinji a small pouch. "Since Guy has taught Lee that technique. You'll need a little help too."

Opening the pouch, Shinji winced at the sour smell. But he caught sight of something that surprised him inside.

'Soldier Pills!'

He was surprised by the contents. This wasn't something someone could get their hands on easily, especially a while pouch of them. There were at least 30 of them there.

Soldier Pills are special pills that nourish the body and can replenish one's chakra. It is made up of powerful stimulants and nutrients that are near-instantly absorbed into the intaker's body and said to allow the user to keep fighting for three days and three nights without rest. At the end of the three days effect, the user is brought to the point of complete and utter exhaustion.

A dangerous substance with drastic side effects, but could help someone massively in a desperate situation.

"Woah! Yamato -sensei is giving us drugs?" Kota exclaimed in surprise, which earned him a bashing atop his head. "Ow! Sorry, sorry, I was just joking around."

While walking away, as soon as Yamato noticed that no one was around he started speaking in a low voice where only his students could hear him. "Be careful in this exam. If you need to take the Soldier Pills, make sure to take them when you're at least on the brink of chakra exhaustion. That way you can gain the most out of the regenerating chakra. Also, against the Sharingan, the Hidden Mist technique is quite effective. Also, Shinji, what Lee used is the Eight Gates technique, and what you saw just now was barely the tip of the iceberg. So be careful."

After saying that, Yamato walked off nonchalantly as if he hadn't shown very clear favoritism towards his students. While technically he didn't break any rules, what he did would be considered to the brink of breaking rules. Especially giving information on how to combat against the Sharingan.

"You know, unlike what most people would assume from his usual demeanor, Yamato -sensei can be surprisingly corrupt," Sayuri commented, with a small smile on her face.

When corruption was done to impede you, then you would be hateful. But what if that same corruption and favoritism were done to help you? Well, that changed the situation, also the Chunin Exams were a matter of life and death. Yamato simply didn't want to see his students die.

Shinji also learned something new during this battle. 'Lee is going to be one of the biggest obstacles against me during this exam. Maybe the biggest.'

But on top of all that, what had caught Shinji's eye was another thing. The Eight Gates technique. Of course, he made sure to not have his greed show outwardly and didn't know the exact side effects of the technique. But Shinji wanted to learn the technique, it wasn't a matter of whether it was useful or not either, but as a Jutsu enthusiast, a technique like that was fascinating. He had never seen something like it before, maybe the Body Flicker, but that worked under completely different rules.

…

After dividing the soldier pills amongst themselves, with ten each, Team 13 went towards room 301 and entered. Shinji was glad to not have arrived at the same time as Lee, as he didn't want to meet his new rival for a long while.

But when he entered the room, it was filled with Ninja. At the doorway, there were also nine of his classmates. With a lanky, white-haired man that seemed some years older than them, and with round glasses explaining to Naruto and the others about the Chunin Exams.

Sayuri gave a silent signal to be careful against the white-haired man and Shinji understood that he wasn't as simple as he seemed. Though that seemed already quite obvious. As he reminds me of Mizuki, the slimy bastard. But still, as the man, Kabuto, introduced himself he offered everyone some free info on an individual of their choice.

"Rock Lee, Gaara of the Sand, and Shinji," Sasuke said, without missing a beat.

"Oh? You already know their names? That makes it too easy," Kabuto chuckled good-naturedly. Then he started with Lee, but Shinji somewhat knew already that Lee was good at Taijutsu, because that was all that the info card said. The Mission record wasn't that important.

With Gaara, Shinji found another person he should keep an eye on. A very dangerous person who even went into a B Rank mission and came out of it uninjured.

Shinji immediately assumed that he was either very good at the replacement jutsu or maybe had some defensive jutsu that hardened his skin. Still, he made sure to keep an eye out for that.

Then, your card was about to be read. "Oh, this is an interesting one," said Kabuto, a smile slowly coming to his face as he glanced toward Shinji. No, Shinji felt like he was glancing at the one next to him, Sayuri. "Information on him is very scarce. Especially due to a certain someone."

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[CHOOSE ONE, and white it down in the comments below:]

A - "Stop," Shinji decides to verbally stop him. Make it as threatening as possible in case he still tried to reveal it. Shinji didn't know what the man was thinking, or how strong he was. But if he was playing a persona, then he had to keep to that person and back off.

B - Throw a kunai at the card. Shinji didn't want anyone to read it, and this will destroy the card. This might annoy Kabuto. Let's see just how much he can control his emotions, or maybe show an opening.

C - Cast a Genjutsu on the card. Make it show something else.

D - Let it happen. It doesn't matter anyway, as Shinji doubted anyone was able to reveal anything people didn't know. From what he saw from Lee's Card, only what he was good at was revealed, and nothing about the Eight Gates.

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A/N: For every 100 Power Stones, Shinji gets a re-roll in a bad dice roll. (which determine luck-related events).

Join discord where I post the dice rolls of the chapter and their effects. And discuss with other readers about plans for Shinji:

https://discord.gg/wbwRTqd7jr