"Naruto! Your Six Styles' Tempest Kick is incredible!"
Lee's eyes sparkled with admiration as he watched Naruto launch wave after wave of cutting air from his kicks.
With the ANBU no longer monitoring him, Naruto's training had grown bolder. As a result, his progress with the Six Styles—once slow and steady—began to accelerate rapidly.
Of course, the biggest factor was his cheat-like ability: Heaven Rewards Diligence. To Lee, it only looked like Naruto was a genius who picked up everything with ease.
"My Shave still hasn't even reached beginner level..." Lee muttered, a bit dejected.
Naruto hadn't bothered to give the Six Styles a fancy name like "Marine Six Styles." He simply called them the Six Styles—straightforward and clean.
"You're already doing great, alright?" Naruto shot him a glance, rolling his eyes.
After all, he had a literal cheat ability helping him along, while Lee was relying entirely on sheer effort and talent.
In terms of taijutsu, Lee was now at the level of an average Genin. Combined with the basics of the Six Styles he had learned, his combat ability was actually quite decent.
They were both still in the foundational stage. Even Naruto himself estimated his current strength was only around Special Jonin level at best.
"Lee, spar with me."
With his training going well, Naruto was in an especially good mood.
"Perfect! I've been wanting to test my current level too!" Lee grinned. His bushy brows lifted with enthusiasm. Though they called it sparring, it was usually Naruto guiding him.
What Lee didn't know was that every time Naruto fought, a familiar voice echoed in his mind:
"Combat experience +5, Six Styles +2!"
It was this system that allowed Naruto to grow so quickly.
Heaven Rewards Diligence gave him the means to become stronger, but that strength still required constant polishing through effort and repetition.
Naruto sparred with Lee regularly to accumulate battle experience. Occasionally, he even invited Uzuki Yūgao for more serious training, though he always kept his Kagura Mind's Eye active just in case.
Lee took his stance: one arm extended, the other tucked behind his back—just like in the original series.
The two locked eyes. A faint pressure rose between them.
In the next instant, Lee vanished from view. His feet left a trail of blurred afterimages—it was Shave!
"Tempest Kick!"
Naruto leapt into the air, kicking out a series of crescent-shaped air blades toward Lee.
Lee dodged skillfully, weaving through the airwaves. While he hadn't fully mastered the Tempest Kick yet and couldn't launch vacuum blades, he had learned to amplify his leg strength using its principles.
Relying on the burst speed granted by Shave, Lee closed in quickly and lashed out with a powerful kick, mimicking the Tempest Kick's motion.
"Iron Body!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lee's kicks crashed against Naruto's torso, sounding like fists pounding steel.
"Iron Body proficiency +2!"
Naruto's mouth curved into a slight grin. He vanished using Shave and reappeared beside Lee. Sensing danger, Lee quickly crossed his arms to guard his head.
Naruto's heavy kick slammed into Lee's defense, sending him skidding back. A deep five-meter gouge was carved into the ground by his retreating feet.
Lee shook out his numb arm, then activated Shave again. His speed surged as he twisted in the air, using rotational momentum to add power to his next strike.
Naruto's eyes flashed with approval.
Using spin for added force? Not bad.
He smiled and threw an upward punch to meet Lee's descending kick.
Boom!
The collision created shockwaves that rippled through the air.
Lee flipped backward, landed, and launched himself forward again without hesitation.
The two clashed furiously, exchanging blows at a dizzying pace. Within moments, dozens of rounds had passed.
Lee was panting slightly now. Naruto, in contrast, was still moving with the same speed and power as when they began.
"Iron Body!"
Lee used the technique defensively—but his proficiency was still lacking. Naruto's next strike sent him flying.
Lee, who had been sent flying, lay on the ground panting heavily.
"You did pretty well this time—you lasted two minutes longer," Naruto said with a grin, walking over and offering his hand.
Lee took it and stood up, giving a firm thumbs-up. "This is youth!"
Naruto couldn't help but think that if Lee ever endorsed toothpaste, it would definitely sell out.
"Tomorrow's the day the Chief Student gets decided, right?" Naruto asked, his voice carrying a subtle undertone.
Lee didn't catch the nuance and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! The annual Chief Student battle is about to start again!"
It was similar to final exams in Naruto's previous life. In this world, they also held regular assessments, and the student who topped their class would earn the title of Chief Student.
"Anyone notable in your class?" Naruto asked casually.
Lee's eyes lit up. "Yeah! There's someone really strong—a genius!"
When Lee said the word genius, his tone remained calm, without the usual frustration or envy. To him now, geniuses weren't anything to be overly concerned about.
"There's a guy named Hyūga Neji. His taijutsu is really strong. He's from the Hyūga Clan," Lee explained slowly.
If this had been earlier, Lee might have spoken of Neji with some inferiority or even resentment. But after experiencing Naruto's absurd strength firsthand, even Hyūga Neji didn't seem that extraordinary anymore.
In fact, at this point, Lee was already stronger than Neji.
Though Neji was talented, he was from the branch family, and the Hyūga Clan didn't invest many resources into him. If Neji had been raised as part of the main family and trained accordingly from the beginning, he might have reached Jōnin level even before the original story began.
After all, Hyūga Neji was the first among the Konoha 12 to be promoted to Jōnin—and the only one among them who died in battle.
Naruto couldn't help but sigh as the memory surfaced—Neji had died protecting him in the original timeline. And for what? Just to protect the so-called "hope" of Konoha?
He was just another tool to be used. He must have been so disappointed...
Naruto made a mental note to find a chance to talk to Neji. But the real issue was the Caged Bird Seal. If that couldn't be removed, Neji's full potential would never be realized.
Looks like he'd need to prioritize Fūinjutsu—the art of Sealing Techniques.
As Naruto lost himself in thought, he casually walked around the training field, filling in the pits and craters from their spar.
He used an Earth Release jutsu he'd learned from Uzuki Yūgao. After successfully "persuading" her into his camp, Naruto had gained quite a few benefits.
Though Yūgao didn't know a wide variety of ninjutsu, her chakra nature was Wind and Earth, and she primarily specialized in Kenjutsu.
Still, Naruto managed to copy several of her jutsu:
Wind Release: Wind Cutter
Wind Release: Gale Palm
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
All of them were standard C-rank Wind Release techniques.
But there was one notable B-rank technique:
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere, an upgraded version of Vacuum Sphere, which had been used by Danzo in the original timeline. Its power was decent, but still inferior to something like the Rasengan.
Now that the threat of ANBU surveillance had passed, Naruto had eagerly picked up the jutsu—its training method had even appeared in the original work.
He had also learned a few Earth Release techniques:
Earth Release: Earth Wall
Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique
Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears
Earth Release: Fissure Turn Palm
All of them were relatively common and practical.
No wonder Yūgao focused on the sword. Her signature move, Crescent Moon Dance, was powerful—probably on par with an A-rank technique.
...
TN:
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