Tōma couldn't recall ever seeing Rock Lee like this.
In his memories, Lee was always burning with passion, sprinting forward nonstop. But most of those memories were from after Lee graduated. As for his childhood… there didn't seem to be much recorded at all.
Was it never shown? Or had Tōma skimmed past it without noticing? The thought gave him a mild headache. Either way, he decided to wait one more day. Might Guy had already followed Lee earlier. If Lee was still like this tomorrow, Tōma would ask directly.
If he could help, he would.
After all, a reliable sparring partner was a valuable resource. Not that Tōma was just using Lee, they pushed each other forward. But someone who could keep up with him, even in pure taijutsu, wasn't that easy to find.
Taijutsu might not be the core of Tōma's combat plan, but that didn't mean he underestimated it. The reason it wasn't prioritized was simple. With limited time, he couldn't reach the top level of taijutsu fast enough. That was all.
Decision made, Tōma didn't waste any more time thinking. Although he'd spent time probing the state of stillness earlier, that session had actually let his body recover quite a bit. He hadn't used Shadow Clones today, and his chakra reserves were still high.
So he trained chakra shape control for a while longer.
The next day, things didn't improve.
They got worse.
Lee stopped training early and sat there in a daze, staring off into nothing.
Tōma didn't hesitate anymore.
"Lee," he said, walking over. "Did something happen? You look completely drained. This really doesn't seem like you."
"Ryu… no, Tōma…" Lee looked up, his face full of gloom. "I think… I can't become a ninja."
Tōma frowned. "Can you tell me what's going on?"
"The instructors taught us the basic three techniques," Lee said quietly. "But no matter how I try, I can't feel my chakra change at all. I can't even start. No matter how hard I train, there's no progress."
He looked at Tōma, eyes filled with envy.
"You use them so easily. We're about the same age, but I can't even see the entrance."
Tōma understood immediately.
So this was that moment.
He vaguely remembered it now. He'd just never paid attention to when it happened. In a way, his own smooth use of the three techniques had probably made the contrast hit Lee sooner.
But even without him, this wall would have appeared eventually.
Also… something still felt off.
"When did we become the same grade again…?" Tōma thought silently.
Then it clicked.
It was Lee. Academic details were never his strong suit. On top of that, Tōma was taller, more developed, and already using basic techniques with ease. It wasn't strange for Lee to lump them together.
Still, after training together for years, not even noticing the grade difference was impressive in its own way.
Good thing Lee's future team leader would be Neji.
"That's how it is," Tōma said calmly. "In that case, there's something you should know."
Lee snapped to attention.
"Even if you can't use ninjutsu, you can still become a ninja."
"Really?!" Lee stared at him, eyes blazing with sudden hope.
"Really," Tōma nodded. "I read in the village library about an old 'eternal genin'. A taijutsu specialist. He was incredibly strong. On one mission, he crossed a massive distance alone and wiped out an elite squad from the Mist to rescue Konoha shinobi."
"As for who those enemies were," Tōma added smoothly, "let me explain—"
He didn't actually remember the exact details. He'd skimmed that material while looking up Guy-related records. But right now, dramatic emphasis mattered more than historical accuracy.
By the time Tōma finished, Lee was staring at him like he'd just witnessed a revelation.
Good. It worked.
"And that's not all," Tōma continued. "I also know of someone in the village right now. Hardly uses ninjutsu at all. Still became a jōnin."
"A jōnin?!" Lee gasped. "That's really possible?!"
"Of course," Tōma said firmly. "So even if you only walk the path of taijutsu, you can still reach that level. It'll just be harder."
"I'm not afraid of hardship!" Lee shouted.
"It'll be painful."
"I'm not afraid of pain!"
"And it'll be incredibly difficult to keep going."
"I'll keep going," Lee declared, fire blazing in his eyes. "Until I become the strongest taijutsu ninja!"
"Then don't stay down," Tōma said. "Keep moving forward."
"My youth—burn brightly once more!" Lee roared, leaping back into training with even more intensity than before.
Tōma finally relaxed.
Good. This was Rock Lee. Straightforward. No endless overthinking.
Still, Tōma sighed internally.
Lee was different from Guy. Guy struggled with ninjutsu, but he could still use some basic techniques. Lee, on the other hand, truly couldn't use any at all. Graduation wouldn't be an issue with Guy backing him, but his long-term growth would almost certainly hit a ceiling below Guy's.
But that was a future problem.
Tōma had no right to worry about someone else's road when his own wasn't fully paved yet.
From the shadows, Might Guy also let out a quiet breath.
He'd been preparing to intervene, but Tōma had already resolved the issue. And the examples Tōma used felt… familiar.
Because the "eternal genin" was his father.
And the taijutsu jōnin was himself.
That didn't bother Guy. If anything, it gave him a strange sense of closeness.
Still, Lee's situation required close observation. No one knew better than Guy how brutal the pure taijutsu path truly was.
And more importantly, even a taijutsu specialist didn't abandon ninjutsu entirely. Guy certainly never taught that. Doing so would border on cruelty.
Guy didn't know that Tōma avoided encouraging ninjutsu training precisely because he remembered Lee's future and didn't want him wasting effort on something impossible for him.
As Guy reflected, Tōma suddenly spoke again.
"So you're Might Guy, right? Konoha's taijutsu jōnin," Tōma said politely. "Could you help us look over our physical training? Just the intensity and limits."
"No," Guy replied instantly.
Tōma blinked.
"It violates protocol," Guy continued, serious now. "And taijutsu training at the higher levels isn't suitable for children yet."
Ah. That was on him.
"I'm not asking to learn taijutsu techniques," Tōma clarified quickly. "Just guidance. What level of training is appropriate, how far to push safely."
Guy hesitated.
He looked at Lee. The thick eyebrows. The fierce determination. The burning effort that mirrored his own childhood.
After a long moment, Guy nodded.
"…That much is fine."
Tōma's eyes lit up.
Whether it was for Lee or not didn't matter. Being included was more than enough.
With Guy's guidance, physical training would no longer be guesswork.
Now the only question left was—
What exactly had happened to Lee before today?