Over the years, Lee and I have developed a rivalry exactly like the one that was between our sensei Gai and his longtime rival Kakashi. At first I tried to ignore the rivalry, but when Lee started to count all of the challenges that I had declined as his winnings, my pride won over I joined in on this foolish tradition. Every Thursday, Lee and I would meet at his dojo to establish and complete any challenges that the other suggests.
So now at the age of twenty-four, we are tied 47- 47, and it's Lee's turn to pick our challenge today. I just hope it doesn't involve 50-pound weights, flour, a bag of dead rotting fish, and the Curry of Life like last time.
Walking into his dojo, I am greeted by Lee, "SO! YOU HAVE COME, MY RIVAL NEJI!"
I sigh, "Don't I always?"
He grins madly and jumps down from the support beam that he had been dangling off of mere seconds ago.
"So, what's the challenge for today?" I ask. "Have you decided yet?"
His grin stretches to a size impossible to achieve by any normal person, then again Lee is far from normal.
"Well?" I ask. My patience is growing thin, and that grin of his makes me feel uneasy and queasy.
"I, ROCK LEE, CHALLENGE YOU, HYUGA NEJI, TO A HUNT FOR…"
"… For what?"
"A SHRUBBERY!"
"… Lee, you're an idiot."
"OHHHH! IS NEJI AFRAID OF THIS DIFFICULT CHALLENGE?"
"No."
"THEN LET US BEGIN! READY, GO!"
"Done," I say before Lee bolted out the door.
"WHAT?!"
"Lee, your dojo is surrounded by shrubbery," I sigh pointing out the window to said shrubbery.
"OH! I NEVER NOTICED!"
"Moron."
"WELL THEN, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE WON THIS ONE, NEJI!"
"Hn."
"SO, DO YOU HAVE A CHALLENGE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO OFFER ME RIGHT NOW?"
"No, let's spar. I'll come up with one after that."
"YOSH! WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL!"
After finishing our spar, I decided it would be best to refocus myself, so while I sat there meditating, Lee practiced his punches on one of the wooden dummies that filled a corner in his dojo.
It was peaceful. The only sounds were Lee's fists hitting the wood and our breathing. A wave of nostalgia hit me as I thought back to times when Team Gai was first formed. But something was missing, an element that would make our peaceful training whole. Tenten, if only she were…
Hmm… that's not a bad idea.
"Lee."
Startled by the sudden sound of my voice, Lee looked at me with a confused face.
"Hai?"
"I have a challenge." That certainly boosted his spirits.
"YOSH! WHATEVER YOUR CHALLENGE, I WILL FACE IT!"
"Very well, the first person to carry Tenten back here to your dojo wins."
"That's great girls, keep up the good work!" Tenten's voice rang across the training grounds.
Similar to how Shikamaru had to teach a class at the academy, Tenten was assigned to teach a self-defense class to the female citizens of the village.
"Excellent work, Ayame! That was perfect! All right, let's all gather around really quick so I can explain a couple more moves." As the girls started to form a semi-circle in front of Tenten, they were quite unaware of two certain Jounin hiding near by, one in a tree, the other in a bush with a fake bird on his head.
Seeing Lee with that ridiculous fake bird on his head made Neji roll his eyes.
'This should be entertaining,' Neji thought.
Slowly the bush with the bird perched atop it crept closer to Tenten. Finally when he was right behind her, he leapt up with arms, and wings, stretched out and attempted to grab the young woman.
'Almost got her…' Lee told himself.
BAM! Her elbow made contact with his stomach.
Lee emitted a low groan.
"And that is how you stop an attacker when he's coming from behind. Well, ladies, I think this end o our lesson today. See you all next week!"
As the girls start to depart from the training area, Tenten rounded on Lee.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I, uh, I was practicing my stealth skills?"
"Aww, why didn't you invite me?"
"Yes, well, that's why I am here! To pick you up so we can go back to my dojo and practice! COME LET US GO! I SHALL CARRY YOU!"
Leaping from his place in the trees, Neji "flew" at the two, tackling them down to the ground.
"Like hell you are!" Neji declared as he and Lee started wrestling. Tenten, who had crawled out of the fray, slowly started backing away. When she was about ten feet away, she turned around and ran for it.
Neji noticed first, "Tenten, wait!" then he too started running from the training area followed by a slightly bruised Lee.
Naruto sighed, after eating thirty-seven bowls of ramen, he was finally content. He was making his way down the street when suddenly her heard screaming. Curious, he looked around the corner only to see...
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
"NO! COME BACK TENTEN!"
"NEJI!!! I WILL NOT LOOSE TO YOU!!!"
"Man, I wish my team trained so intensely like that, dattebayo!"