"You know Guy-sensei?"
"And how did you know I wanted to challenge you?"
Rock Lee blinked, his thick eyebrows furrowing in genuine confusion. But figuring it out was too much trouble, so he quickly gave up. He leaped down from the second-floor corridor, landing in the lobby below with a soft thud.
"Wait for me a moment," he called up. "I have something to do before we fight."
With that, Lee swayed seductively in front of Sakura Haruno. He flashed a thumbs-up and a confident, toothy grin, even throwing in a wink for good measure.
"Sakura, please go out with me! I, Rock Lee, will protect you to the death!"
Sakura stared. "???"
"Ugh—No! Absolutely not!" She recoiled, feeling increasingly nauseous. "Your expression is too greasy, your eyebrows are too thick, and don't get me started on that droopy eyelash! And what is with that shiny watermelon head?! Absolutely not!"
She bent over, dry-heaving for a second before quickly turning her head to glare at Menma and Sasuke Uchiha. It was like she was trying to cleanse her eyes with their handsomeness.
Lee, completely unfazed by the rejection, just turned his gaze to the boys beside her. He held his bandaged hand up, palm out.
"I get it! You only rejected me because of them, right?" He pointed at Menma and Sasuke. "If I beat them all down, please agree to date me afterwards!"
Sakura was furious. She crossed her arms into an 'X' sign in front of her chest and roared, "Hey! Listen here! We're impossible, absolutely impossible, got it?"
Lee nodded solemnly. "I know. I'll definitely defeat them, and then I'll date you!"
"Aaaah!" Sakura clutched her head in frustration. Inside her mind, Naruto Uzumaki was losing it, too.
Menma, please! You have to beat this thick-browed guy up! Sakura is mine! I absolutely can't let him win and take her away!
Menma shook his head, unbothered by Naruto's inner tantrum. He was about to step forward, but Sasuke beat him to it, his face eager.
"He's not worth your time," Sasuke said, eyes fixed on Lee. "Leave him to me. His strength is perfect for testing my training."
Seeing Sasuke step up first, Lee's expression turned serious. "Your first opponent is the Uchiha? The clan known for its geniuses?"
He grinned. "That's just right. I'll defeat the weaker one first, then challenge the guy behind you."
Sasuke's face darkened instantly, his eyes flashing with killing intent. "The weaker one?"
He was about to retort when a chilling aura rose from behind him.
"Come back, Sasuke. I don't want to waste time."
Without giving the Uchiha a chance to refuse, Menma vanished, instantly appearing in front of Lee.
"So fast!" Lee was stunned for a split second before reacting instantly. He launched himself into the air, twisting his waist to swing a leg upward. A whistle cut through the air.
"Leaf Whirlwind—"
Boom!
Lee's shout was drowned out by a deafening crash of flesh hitting the floor. Before he could complete his move, a powerful force slammed him into the ground. The wooden floor dented and cracked beneath him, sharp splinters pointing outward.
"A one-hit kill!" Sakura cheered, jumping up and down. "Menma is still as powerful and cool as ever!"
Standing nearby, Sasuke clenched his fists, his face etched with disappointment. Damn it. I trained so hard for two months, and without my Sharingan, I can't even see his movements clearly...
Menma felt nothing at the instant defeat. He scanned the hall, using the Nine-Tails' malicious chakra perception to sense for ambushes. Unfortunately, Might Guy meant him no harm, and Menma couldn't tell if he was watching from the shadows.
On the floor, Lee clutched his abdomen, grimacing in pain. He struggled to his feet, looking up at Menma.
"You're strong," Lee admitted, breathing hard. "But I won't abandon Sakura. I'm going to use my full strength now. Please be careful."
He grabbed the weights on his wrists and ankles, untied them in one swift motion, and tossed them to the floor.
BOOM!
The heavy weights hit the wooden floor with an impact that felt like a meteor strike, creating a crater and a deafening thud. Dust and wood chips kicked up, obscuring their view.
"Those weights are insane!" Sakura exclaimed. "Is that guy a monster?"
Sasuke's brows furrowed. He immediately activated his Sharingan.
Just as predicted, Lee vanished from the dust cloud with incredible speed. The next second, he reappeared in front of Menma's feet, crouching low and unleashing a spinning low kick.
"Leaf Coiling Whirlwind... BOOM!!!"
The massive impact rang out again. The scenario was largely the same as before: Lee was effortlessly slammed to the ground. This time, however, a foot was pressing down on his head.
"Another one-hit kill!" Sasuke gasped, barely able to track the movement even with his Sharingan. Lee's current taijutsu skills surpassed his own, yet he couldn't withstand a single move from Menma. Their strength was on completely different levels.
"I haven't lost yet!" Lee roared, struggling against the foot pinning him. "I still have my secret technique! For Sakura, I'll fight to the very end!"
Menma glanced at the system panel. The Corruption Points had stopped increasing. He decided he was done playing around.
He raised his head and shouted at the empty space around him. "Might Guy! Come out! Let me see just how powerful Kakashi Hatake's so-called best friend and rival really is!"
Silence.
Hiding behind the corridor, Guy clenched his teeth. He desperately wanted to run out, strike a pose, and declare himself Kakashi's eternal rival. But the green-clad ninja remembered Hiruzen Sarutobi's order not to provoke a Jinchuriki, and Kakashi's warnings about Menma's unstable nature. Ultimately, Guy chose to play it safe. He'd just have to swallow his pride to avoid causing trouble.
He clearly didn't understand Menma's unbridled nature.
Seeing that Guy refused to show himself, Menma raised his foot high, aiming it directly at Rock Lee's right leg. His voice was just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I wonder if you can continue training in taijutsu with a crippled leg."
Whoosh!
Bang!
Dust billowed, debris flew everywhere. Menma's foot slammed into the wooden floor, carving out a massive crater.
Not far away, Rock Lee was swept out of danger, held in the arms of Might Guy, who appeared in a flash of green. Guy placed Lee gently onto the back of a nearby summoning turtle, then turned to face Menma. He flashed a thumbs-up and a blindingly bright smile.
"Really! You really are as impetuous as Kakashi said! Young and sharp-tongued—your sharpness is frightening!"