It was early in the morning when a young girl headed over to the academy training grounds. The sun had just risen and the morning air was cool and crisp.

The girl’s hair, tied into two buns on the top of her head, was still wet from her morning bath. She appeared to be around eight or nine years old.

As she walked underneath the shaded canopy, the fresh scent of the forest tickled her nose. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrant, refreshing air. She really didn’t want to get up this early in the morning, but she couldn’t deny how invigorating it was.

She pushed aside a branch obstructing the well-trodden dirt road. A large clearing was revealed, populated with a-hundred-and-one different types of training equipment.

She couldn’t help but frown, her mood souring, when she spotted the only other occupant: an unkempt boy around her age who was currently traversing an obstacle course. He seemed to be struggling much more than normal for the rather basic activity.

She noticed that something had been tightly tied to his body. Looking more closely, they seemed to be cloth bags filled with sand. He was using them to increase the difficulty of the exercise, she concluded.

She kept an eye on him as she walked to a wooden training dummy. She started practicing, making loud banging noises as she did so.

He didn’t so much as glance her way, completely immersed in his own training.

She continued to watch as he went from one exercise to the next, increasing or decreasing his weights to make the exercises easier or harder.

She noticed two things: firstly, every exercise trained his skills, both movement and combat, while also strengthening his body.

Secondly, he was very organized. She doubted he came up with the regimen himself - he too stupid for that.

Tenten knew who Rock Lee was. They only had so many people in their class after all. She hadn’t spoken to him much, though.

He was… well, not particularly impressive. He didn’t belong to a ninja clan or anything like that. Neither did she, but at least her family had a history of producing capable ninja.

Her parents had passed away during the kyuubi attack seven years ago. She didn’t feel too sad about it as she didn’t even remember them. Now, she lived with her grandmother who owned a store.

She cringed when she thought back to the beating her granny had doled out when she broke a valuable piece of merchandise. Her butt was still sore from that. The old fossil had way too much energy for someone her age.

Anyway, she didn’t think Rock Lee even knew who his parents were. He moved out of the orphanage when he started at the academy, as far as she knew.

He was a training freak. He already practically lived at the training grounds, but it had gotten even worse during the past few months! Now the idiot was even training during their classes, squeezing some weird gadget with his hands or squatting with his butt an inch from its seat. It was ridiculous.

She’d been waiting for the teachers to call him out on his stupidity, but they never did! Couldn’t they see that he was distracting all the other kids with his dumb stunts?

Grumbling under her breath, she vented her frustrations on the dummy in front of her, her gaze not leaving the sweat-soaked boy.

Finally, it seemed that he’d finished his ridiculous routine. She watched as he practically collapsed underneath a tree, pulling a bento box from a hidden spot.

Her face scrunched up when he opened the lid to reveal… eggs! So many freaking eggs! They stacked on top of each other like some kind of poultry-pyramid.

He dug in with his hands, not even bothering to wipe the dirt and sweat from his scratched and bleeding fingers.

She had absolutely no idea how he managed to stuff them all down, but stuff them all down he did. However, his breakfast wasn’t finished yet. Underneath the eggs was a colorful mix of cooked vegetables interspersed with white, gelatinous cubes. Was that… animal fat? Disgusting.

She watched in horror as he devoured the abominable dish, not slowing for a moment. Finally, he arrived at the bottom, where a few balls of rice waited for him. How was he eating so much food?

She could eat one egg, maybe two, before she was completely stuffed! His training already made her eyes bulge, but the amount of food he ate was downright heaving-defying! She was sure if she piled all the food together, it would almost be the size of Lee’s head!

She watched, pale faced, as he vacuumed the last few grains of rice stuck to the bottom of the box. After that he stood up and left in the direction of the academy dorms, not noticing her presence at all. He never stunk of sweat in class, so she assumed he was going for a wash before school started.

Tenten shook her head while packing up her things. She suddenly wasn’t in the mood to continue training any longer.

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Hizashi Hyuga watched as his son left through the front door, his cousin Haru trailing sheepishly behind him. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. The two of them had been training together recently. While their relationship hadn’t become harmonious, it had improved. He felt terrible about not telling his son the truth. He desperately wished to do so, but he couldn’t share such sensitive information with a child.

The truth was, Neji wasn’t actually branded. The practice had been abolished in secret when his elder brother Hiashi became the head. Hiruzen-sama was the only other party that knew the truth. While Hizashi’s mark was functional, Neji’s was utterly fake. Hizashi didn’t mind his situation. Even without the mark, he would gladly offer his life for the clan as thanks for his son’s freedom.

There were many reasons for this secrecy, but the two most important ones were thus: firstly, they wanted to keep their enemies deceived. Information was power, and the longer they could keep the secret, the longer they could maintain an upper-hand.

The second reason was because of traditionalism. The Hyuga were an ancient clan, with practices dating back hundreds of years. In a culture that so revered history and ancestry, it was practically blasphemy to defy ancient laws.

Hiashi saw these practices as barbaric and immediately discontinued them upon becoming the head. Instead, they had been working on a different technique to avoid having the byakugan fall into enemy hands.

Hizashi thought back to the incident when Haru had almost been kidnapped. The ninja Hiashi’d killed had definitely been from Hidden Cloud village. It was impossible not to recognize him, as he was a prominent figure.

The hokage was disgusted by their shamelessness, to perpetrate such an act the day after signing a peace treaty with Konoha. They even denied the kidnapping accusations and blamed Hiashi for killing one of their Ninja, threatening war if Hiashi wasn’t handed over to them!

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What a farce.

Hiruzen-sama would, of course, never acquiesce to such an outrageous demand. He was a believer in the will of fire, that all of Konohagakure was one big family. Figuratively, he was their father and they were his children. What father would willingly sacrifice their own child?

If it was war they wanted, then it was war they would get. There were still outside forces that owed a debt to the Hidden Leaf. In their time of need, they would collect every favour they were owed.

In the end, the declaration of war never came. The Hidden Cloud couldn’t afford to weaken themselves with a war right now. They had other enemies waiting in the shadows, waiting to strike at the slightest opportunity.

However, they didn’t attempt to make peace with Konoha either. Hizashi thought it was only a matter of time before the conflict escalated.

He thought that the both the third Raikage and his son, A, were two-faced bastards. They pretended to be honourable warriors, earning the respect of many ninja and even befriending two of Konoha’s legendary sannin.

Hizashi knew it was all a façade, and he was sure Hiruzen-sama thought that as well. Both father and son were traitorous murderers who would stop at nothing in their quest for more power.

He sighed. What would come would come. For now, his priority was training the two children. The shinobi world was like a boiling pot, its pressure building and building.

One day it would explode. If it couldn’t be avoided, then at least he would make sure the Hyuga children were strong enough to survive.

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It was night when Maito Guy went to visit his old rival turned friend, Kakashi Hatake.

However, the person in question wasn’t at his house, nor was he at any of the other spots he liked to frequent.

Guy flickered all around town, trying to sense him. He had a rather important thing to ask his old friend. It was honestly a bit embarrassing, but he didn’t know who else to ask.

That was when he heard something – a low buzzing noise that made his teeth itch. He headed in the direction of the sound, hoping that it wasn’t anything serious.

He discovered soon afterwards that the noise was coming from the Uchiha compound. Frowning, his blurred form flashed from rooftop to rooftop leaving a high-pitched whistling noise in his wake.

He arrived on the roof of what looked like a storage shed where he spotted a familiar masked form, slumped on his back.

“Ma~, if it isn’t Guy-sensei.” Kakashi lifted up his headband from where it covered his face, revealing one eye to stare at Maito Guy.

Guy looked at the man in front of him, confused at his presence. However, he shook his head. Kakashi was always a little weird. Keeping an eye on the last Uchiha was far from the strangest thing he’d ever done.

Before he could state his purpose for coming here, he was briefly blinded by a bright flash of light. He turned in that direction, squinting at the oblivious boy standing beneath them.

“It’s giving me a headache. I wish he’d give it a rest already.” Kakashi pulled down his headband again, using it as a kind of sleeping mask.

Sasuke Uchiha was practicing what seemed like a stunning type jutsu. The attack emitted no force or heat, only a blinding white light. Guy thought that something like that could be very useful, although young Sasuke would have to be careful not to damage his own sensitive eyes.

He turned and looked toward the prone form of Kakashi. “I need you to do me a favor.” He had to stop himself from scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

“Mhm?” Kakashi didn’t even so much as lift his head where he lay.

Guy steeled himself before continuing, putting his palms together in a pleading posture. “Please loan me some money!”

Kakashi seemed a bit intrigued at the request, although he still didn’t sit up. “Why don’t you just ask for an advance?”

Guy became even more embarrassed at that and lowered his head. “I already got an advance.”

Kakashi snorted in amusement. “Haa… Well, I won’t ask what it’s for. We all have our vices.” His hand subconsciously went to the copy of Icha Icha at his waist. “I’ll give you the loan tomorrow. But you need to pay me back. The collector’s edition is coming out soon.”

Guy felt his cheeks turn red. “It’s nothing like that! It’s for my new pupil.”

Kakashi smacked his lips and rolled over on his side. “Kids these days, always wanting the newest ninja toys.”

“Why don’t you come take a look at the kid yourself? You’ll see what I’m talking about.” Guy said, becoming exasperated with the man in front of him.

Kakashi considered for a moment before rising to his feet. “I’ll admit, I’m a little curious about this kid that’s got you so invested.” He turned his still covered eyes to the boy training below them. Guy had no idea how he could see anything like that. “Young Sasuke over there probably won’t kill himself if I’m not here – worst case he’ll just turn blind.”

Like that, the two disappeared from where they were perched, leaving the flashing Uchiha compound behind them.

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A short while later, they arrived at the academy dorms. Things were winding down, the kids getting ready to turn in for the night.

The two jounin were hidden in the branches of a tree, observing an exhausted-looking young boy as he devoured his dinner.

Kakashi whistled at the sight in front of him. “I can tell the kid’s your student. I’ve never seen anyone but him swallow boiled eggs as fast as you do.”

Maito Guy crossed his arms over his chest. “They’re an excellent food for anyone trying to increase their strength.”

“So you tell me.” Kakashi replied, his eyes still on the boy in front of him. He raised one hand to his head, finally lifting the headband that had been covering his eyes until this point. His two eyes were revealed – one a natural brown, the other crimson red.

“Hm.” He hummed, his tone sounding a bit sombre. Then he glanced at Guy from the corner of his eye. He seemed to hesitate for a bit before he eventually replied. “You’re too sentimental.”

Guy couldn’t deny that. However, Rock Lee definitely wasn’t a pity project.

“This kid isn’t so simple. I’ve never seen anyone as hardworking as him. In fact, he’d still be training right now if I hadn’t explained that not getting proper rest was hindering his growth.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. He’d known Guy since they were kids. The man wasn’t the type to exaggerate about a student’s abilities. Still, he wasn’t completely convinced. “Guy…”

Guy interrupted him before he could continue. “I didn’t motivate him. He didn’t even know who I was before I met him a few months ago.”

The two stood in silence watching as the boy washed his dishes. Eventually, he turned in for the night. But…

“What the hell is he doing, Guy?” Kakashi asked his friend next to him. This was one of the most ridiculous things he’d ever seen.

Maito Guy chuckled ruefully, a drop of sweat sliding down his temple. The sight in front of them was truly ridiculous.

Rock Lee had fallen asleep, the act itself not out of the ordinary in any way. The only problem was where and how he’d fallen asleep.

He was completely naked in his bath, the tub filled to the brim with cold water. On top of that, he’d contorted himself into an incredibly uncomfortable looking shape.

“Is he really asleep? And how is he not drowning?” Kakashi’s tone was getting more confused by the moment.

Guy’d asked young Lee about this madness, of course. He was a little bit embarrassed to reveal that he’d been spying on the boy, and in the bathroom no less, but Lee didn’t seem bothered.

“It all started when I told Lee about how advantageous cold baths were for physical recovery…” Guy put his hands on his hips and stared up at the stars, his voice wistful.

Kakashi looked up at him, expression unamused. “I want the short version, Guy.”

Guy looked like someone’d just rained on his parade. “… Well, the short version is he’s doing this to prevent muscle stiffness and hasten his recovery. The stretches stop the cold water from giving him cramps.”

Kakashi’s expression made it clear that he wasn’t buying it. “It doesn’t work that way. At all. The kid is going to die in his sleep from hypothermia if he doesn’t drown first.”

Guy sighed, two palms going up to rub at his temples. “You think I don’t know that? I tried explaining it to the kid, but he won’t listen. He’s been doing this for months. I don’t know what’s crazier, that he’s willing to do this to himself or the fact that it’s actually working.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Maito Guy nodded his head, his expression completely serious. “He puts 110% in to every training session. And then he repeats it all the next day. Every. Single. Day. This crazy way of sleeping is helping him do that, at least in his own head.”

Kakashi pinched his eyes with an exasperated expression on his face. “I never thought I’d meet someone crazier than you.”

Guy smiled self-deprecatingly before looking at Kakashi. “Well, that’s what I need the money for. I’ve been getting him the best food and medicinal treatments I can. I’ll have to take some more missions in the future if I want to keep him from eating me out of my house.”

Kakashi shook his head, reached into his pocket and pulled out his checkbook. “Don’t lose it.”

Before Guy could reply, Kakashi turned around and left. “I never thought I could become this exhausted just from hearing about someone else’s training. I’m going to sleep.”

Guy smiled at his friend, truly touched by how much he trusted him. He turned around and looked at the awkwardly sleeping boy, lifting a thumb in his direction.

“Good luck, young Lee! We’re rooting for you!”

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