"Bang, bang, bang—!!!"
"Nine hundred eighty-one!"
"Nine hundred eighty-two!"
"Ah~!"
Lee slipped and fell flat on his face.
"Damn it!"
"Again!"
"Bang—"
"One!"
"Bang—"
"Two!"
...
Watching that diligent figure,
the little ones were all moved.
Tenten shook her head.
Lee was in her class.
A few days ago, while training in the back mountains, Tenten suddenly thought of Lee; he also seemed to like training in the back mountains.
And then, to Tenten's surprise, these younger students basically ran to the back mountains every day.
Whether it was training, picnics, fishing, or other activities,
they never once ran into Lee.
It was only because she remembered that there was such a person in her class that the little ones met.
Naruto-kun immediately invited Lee.
In Lee, he saw a diligent genius.
At first, Lee was very touched, but after being touched, he was unwilling to join the small group, afraid of dragging them down.
Because he couldn't control Chakra, his fate was basically sealed.
But Naruto-kun did not look down on him or mock him because of this.
He even comforted him, saying that no one ever said that you couldn't become a Ninja without Ninjutsu.
To give Lee confidence,
Naruto-kun looked at the several thick logs around them that Lee had kicked apart and said,
"Lee, you truly are a genius!"
The little ones were all stunned.
Without Ninjutsu… whether he could even become a Ninja was a question, so why would Naruto-kun call him a genius?
Sasuke secretly clenched his fists.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, he had yet to be called a genius by Naruto-kun, while a bowl-cut kid, who might not even become a Ninja, was praised by Naruto-kun before him.
"Naruto… you don't have to comfort me…" Lee lowered his head slightly.
If it weren't for Naruto-kun still wearing a gentle smile,
Lee would have thought Naruto-kun was being sarcastic and mocking him.
However, Naruto-kun shook his head.
He said, "Lee, be confident!"
"Do you know that your talent is truly strong?"
"Your training method, all of us can do it."
Hearing this, Lee became even more confused.
That's right, everyone can do it… so why call himself a genius?
Shikamaru, however, reacted immediately.
At this moment, Shikamaru also became serious.
He carefully observed Lee.
It was no longer something that could be simply described with just the word 'diligent'.
The others didn't react as quickly as Shikamaru.
Although they trusted Naruto-kun, if they were to forcefully say Lee was a genius…
Soon, everyone was moved by Naruto-kun's explanation, and their gazes towards Lee also changed.
And Lee himself also realized it, somewhat disbelieving.
"But," Naruto-kun's mouth curved slightly, pointing at the scarred logs Lee used for training, and said,
"None of you can do what you do, day after day, performing such inhumanly high-intensity training."
"It's not just because of willpower."
"There's also an inherent, undeniable… talent."
"Such high-intensity training, even for the Hyuga clan, who are proficient in Taijutsu… um, standing in front of you is Hinata, said to be the most talented Hyuga in the past hundred years~"
Naruto-kun pulled Hinata over, and Hinata stood shyly beside him.
"Hinata, demonstrate."
"Mhm~"
Hinata nodded obediently.
Then she came to the log Lee used for training.
She took a deep breath, preparing her starting stance.
Instantly, Hinata's entire demeanor changed, like a drawn sword.
Lee felt it very clearly.
Although the others didn't have such a direct feeling,
just looking at Hinata's stance and starting posture, they knew this little girl was terrifyingly strong!
Because Naruto-kun had spoken,
Hinata had no intention of holding back.
"Buzz—"
After her Chakra climbed to a certain critical point,
Hinata's aura became even more intense.
Tiny blood vessels bulged around her eyes.
Her purplish-white eyes became even deeper.
"Haa~!"
With a delicate shout, Hinata thrust out a palm.
"Bang—!!!"
Everyone was stunned, mouths wide open.
Naruto-kun had expected it, but was still startled by the sight.
The log, scarred by Lee's kicks but still standing firmly on the ground,
was actually broken clean in half by a single palm strike from five-year-old Hinata!
Not only were the little ones stunned,
everyone in the Ninja World was shocked.
Even though the narration on the big viewing screen had mentioned Hinata's achievements and talent several times,
that kind of impact was clearly not as direct and violent as what they were seeing now.
"Gulp—"
The little ones all swallowed simultaneously.
Sasuke's eyes were wide, looking at the usually gentle and weak girl with disbelief.
Fierce! Brutal! Powerful… these words flashed through Sasuke's mind.
Lee was so scared he made an emoji face.
Having kicked so many logs, how could he not understand their strength?
"Um… Naruto-kun…"
Hinata came before Naruto-kun, unsure if what she did was right.
Naruto-kun reached out, gently stroking Hinata's small head, and softly said, "Well done, Hinata is very diligent~"
"Mhm~!" Hinata's eyes lit up, and she rubbed against Naruto-kun's hand, blushing.
"So cute, so cute~" Ino rubbed Hinata's little head, teasing.
As expected, Hinata blushed bright red again.
"Ino~"
However, Hinata had clearly grown a bit and wasn't flustered to the point of 'smoking' by Ino's words.
Seeing this, Tenten also joined in rubbing Hinata's little head.
Honestly, the feel was good; this shy girl was quite fun.
Wait a minute~!
The feeling of hugging her…!
No wonder Ino always stuck close to Hinata; it felt so good!
"Hinata, tell Lee."
"And everyone."
Naruto-kun looked at the little ones, and then at Lee.
"If you were to train using Lee's method, could you last a day?"
The answer was, of course, yes.
"How about three days?"
At this, besides Sasuke, who was stubbornly trying to save face, only Hinata nodded.
Naruto-kun himself shook his head.
Of course, he was doing so out of protection for his body.
"A week, a month?"
As his words fell,
everyone already understood what Naruto-kun meant.
Sasuke no longer dared to be stubborn.
Looking at the bloodstains remaining on each log, the little ones gasped.
"Day after day, year after year, rain or shine."
"A normal person's body couldn't handle it."
"Even a Ninja couldn't do it."
"And you, Lee, you did it, and you've kept it up until now."
Shikamaru took a deep breath and added, "If you didn't have a medicinal bath to go with it… I'll tell you this, you are a genius!"
"Of course, I'll go back and consult my father about this; he definitely knows what kind of medicinal bath is needed for training of this intensity… Lee, don't doubt it, you truly are an out-and-out genius!"
Ino nodded, exclaiming, "Now that you put it that way… I don't think Lee is a genius, he's a monster!"