As they spoke, the three of them walked together toward the Ninja Academy. Their footsteps echoed loudly on the wooden staircase.
Yuuma kept glancing around at the people from various Ninja Villages, their unfamiliar faces overwhelming her senses.
But most of these outsiders wore fierce expressions. Compared to Konoha, their village had been far too peaceful. Nearly everyone participating in the Chunin Exams had previously experienced life-or-death battles.
Except for rare prodigies, it was unusual for freshly graduated Genin to take the Chunin Exams so soon. This also explained why Konoha hadn't seen any new Genin participating in the Chunin Exams in four years.
So in reality, this year's Chunin Exams would be filled with true monsters.
Shiki pondered slightly and before he realized it, he had walked up to the "third floor." Actually, this genjutsu didn't simply create a visual illusion, making people believe an originally "201" marked door became "301." It also deceived other senses through the barrier, convincing people they had truly climbed up to the third floor.
Otherwise, quite a few people probably would have noticed immediately.
Looking through the crowd, Shiki spotted two Genin standing at the center position. They appeared extremely strong, while Lee lay injured on the ground, supporting himself with his hand, looking painfully at the "room 301" entrance being guarded.
Shiki knew that Lee's undercover strategy had already been set in motion. This approach of pretending to be weak to avoid others' attention was likely something only Lee could pull off.
In truth, Lee still suffered from excessive self-doubt. Even though he possessed strength surpassing many others, he always believed himself inferior to those true geniuses.
While others wanted to show off their abilities proudly to win glory for their respective villages, he instead attempted to hide his strength and win battles through the safest methods possible.
Of course, Shiki already knew how this would play out, which was why he advised Tenten not to follow Lee's approach.
When Lee saw Sakura, this hidden mindset would vanish instantly. He'd be overcome with the instinct to show off in front of his beloved girl.
Biologically speaking, this was a classic example of male rivalry triggered in the presence of a female during mating season.
Sure enough, Sasuke immediately saw through the genjutsu and couldn't help but compliment Sakura briefly afterward.
The Genin blocking the doorway said it wouldn't be that easy, then launched a lightning-fast kick.
Sasuke reacted immediately, preparing to block the strike.
However, the fight that should've occurred between these two was interrupted by Lee.
Neji scolded Lee for breaking his promise, but Lee completely ignored him. Instead, he walked toward Sakura, revealing his dazzlingly white teeth while giving a thumbs-up.
"Sakura! Nice to see you again! Please go out with me! I swear on my life, I'll protect you!"
Because of Shiki's influence, Lee and Sakura had already met before. Although Lee initially showed clear romantic intentions toward Sakura, he spent most of his time training while Sakura remained attending classes at the Ninja Academy. As a result, they didn't really get to know each other.
But this time, Lee's bold move left many people awkwardly speechless.
"I knew this would happen." Tenten sighed helplessly. She had long become accustomed to feeling exasperated by Guy and Lee.
Meanwhile, Neji Hyuga fixed his gaze on Sasuke Uchiha and asked him for his name.
Shiki had absolutely no interest in listening to these two so-called "geniuses." He directly called out to Tenten, "Hey, Tenten."
Tenten's eyes lit up when she saw Shiki. "Shiki, you came really late. But you were right—you definitely shouldn't listen to Lee's strategy of hiding his strength."
As they spoke, both glanced at Lee. He was still staring intently at Sakura Haruno, determination etched across his face, as if he was set on winning her approval.
Sakura, however, gave him a clearly disgusted look, rejecting him without hesitation.
"With how Lee is, it's only natural he'd throw everything into trying to impress Sakura," Shiki said.
Tenten nodded first, then watched as Sakura grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's hands and ran off.
"Now that the genjutsu has been dispelled, let's leave too."
Yuuma Akimoto, standing quietly beside Shiki, obediently nodded. "Okay, Tenten-nee."
"Hey, Lee, time to go."
"No, you guys go ahead. I still have something important to do," Lee replied gloomily.
Truthfully, Shiki already knew—Lee was just caught up in that whole youth thing again.
Thinking about it, Shiki could only say, "Alright then, don't be too harsh on Sasuke."
"Huh? How do you *know* I can beat Sasuke? I just wanted to see if my taijutsu could actually match up against those so-called geniuses!" Lee hurriedly defended.
Shiki shook his head. "Come on, after training with you this long, did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? Would you have gone against Master Guy's orders without Sakura being involved?"
Lee blushed slightly but then shamelessly admitted, "I didn't expect you'd see through me again."
"Wait. Are you saying Lee will definitely defeat that guy?" Neji asked coldly.
Truthfully, Neji hadn't interacted much with Shiki and had never followed any of Shiki's other friends to visit his house.
So currently, Neji barely knew anything about Uzumaki Shiki. However, he might have heard the name from Lee and Tenten before.
"Of course. Lee will definitely defeat Sasuke."
"Perhaps. Right now, maybe Lee can beat him because of their age difference. But when it comes to a true genius, he can easily close the gap with sheer talent alone."
Neji said coolly, and yet his words made it clear—he acknowledged Lee's strength.
He also couldn't bring himself to deny someone who carried the same kind of hatred he did.
"Is that so? Then let's continue watching. Whether it's now or even one year, two years, ten years later—I believe in Lee."
Shiki placed his trust entirely in Lee, though in the original story, even during the Great Ninja World War, Lee had only managed to open the [Sixth Gate].
However, with Shiki as both a rival and friend constantly acting like a whetstone to sharpen him, it's hard to tell just how far Lee will eventually go.
Chapter 119: Promise
Lee didn't listen to the conversation between Shiki and Neji, directly jumping down nimbly.
A sudden "thump!" echoed through the vast training ground, instantly drawing the eyes of the three figures there.
"My name is Rock Lee! Don't you think you should introduce yourself first before asking someone else for theirs?"
Excitement lit up Lee's face. Underneath his green jumpsuit, those taut muscles hinted at explosive strength.
Because of him, both Sasuke and Lee are noticeably stronger than they were in the original story.
Sasuke had always wanted to chase after him, but once learning that his talent was gone, this mentality weakened.
As for Rock Lee, Shiki had consistently trained and fought with him. Rock Lee's strength has improved visibly compared to the original tale.
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