Chapter 45: The Challenge
"Alright, alright. I have something to tell you. Let's go somewhere else."
After saying that, Kakashi glanced at the crowd around them.
Naruto and the others nodded.
Just as everyone was about to leave, a passionate shout suddenly interrupted them and called out to Naruto:
"Wait a moment!"
Naruto and the others paused.
Rock Lee ran over to Naruto and the others in a hurry and stopped them with his hand.
Then Lee's eyes filled with fighting spirit. He stared at Naruto with burning intensity and said passionately:
"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?"
Naruto paused.
Sasuke and little Sakura also looked at Lee curiously.
Then Naruto nodded.
Seeing Naruto nod, Lee grew even more excited. He quickly said:
"I heard Mighty Guy talk about you. He said you're a very skilled ninja—stronger than the Uchiha genius."
When Sasuke heard Lee's words, a vein appeared on his forehead.
Even though he admitted that fact, hearing Lee say it right in front of him still made him a little uncomfortable.
But the eager Lee didn't seem to notice. After speaking, he continued:
"Please fight me. I really want to fight you."
As soon as Lee finished speaking, everyone's attention was drawn to him.
Neji, Tenten, Gaara, and Temari all looked over.
After hearing Lee's words, Naruto paused for a moment, slightly surprised.
He had been thinking just now that Lee actually knew his name. And Lee had stopped them so suddenly, probably because he wanted to fight.
And now, Naruto's guess had been right. This was exactly what Lee wanted.
Seeing Lee's intense and excited appearance, so eager to fight Naruto, Neji and Sasuke immediately became interested.
Kakashi couldn't help but look at Lee with great interest, as if remembering something. He said with a smile:
"Is this Guy's favorite student?"
Lee didn't seem to hear Kakashi's words. He only had eyes for Naruto.
Naruto exhaled, feeling troubled. He glanced helplessly at Kakashi. Clearly, the reason Lee knew about him must be because Kakashi had told Guy, and Guy had told Lee.
Sensing Naruto's gaze, Kakashi shrugged innocently.
Then Kakashi said with great interest:
"Naruto, accept the challenge. Have a match. Let me see your progress during this time. Besides, I and his teacher Guy are lifelong rivals. You two are each other's disciples."
"Your fight will also affect our victory or defeat. Go on. Let him see your strength."
Kakashi said to Naruto with a smile.
Hearing what Kakashi said, Naruto exhaled and nodded. He said:
"Alright. Let's have a match."
"Thank you!"
When Lee saw that Naruto had agreed, he immediately exclaimed and thanked both Naruto and Kakashi.
After the two exchanged polite gestures, they stepped apart and each took their positions.
The others quickly moved out of the way and gathered around to watch the battle closely.
It was clear that everyone was very interested in this fight.
Especially Gaara's team. Just now, Temari and Kankuro had seen that Lee wasn't injured when he clashed with Gaara's sand.
That exchange had surprised both Lee and Neji.
But it had surprised Kankuro and Temari just as much.
As Gaara's siblings, they knew very well how terrifying Gaara could be. They also knew how cold and cruel he was.
Every time Gaara made a move, he didn't hold back.
Although the sand attack had blocked Lee's strike, it had also been meant to crush Lee's leg.
But after Lee blocked the sand, he hadn't been hurt at all.
That alone showed that Lee's strength was also very impressive.
That kind of terrible sand wasn't something an ordinary genin could block.
So they also wanted to see what would happen in the fight between Lee and Naruto. They wanted to see what kind of strength Naruto—the one Lee valued so highly—actually had.
The same went for Neji and Tenten.
During their daily training, Guy told them every day that Kakashi had such an outstanding student. He urged them to train harder and surpass Kakashi's students. Those words had worn on their ears.
Now, they could finally see the person Guy was always talking about. They were full of interest.
As the two faced off, little Sakura asked with a puzzled expression:
"Kakashi-sensei, who is this 'Mighty Guy' he mentioned? Is he their instructor?"
Kakashi nodded and said:
"Yes, that's right. A very powerful guy. He's Konoha's Green Beast."
Little Sakura was slightly surprised and asked:
"Then the students he teaches must be very good too?"
Kakashi smiled and said:
"Of course. And Lee is Guy's most proud student."
Hearing Kakashi's words, little Sakura felt slightly worried. But Sasuke didn't share that concern. Instead, he watched Naruto and Lee more intently, wanting to see just how strong Naruto really was.
Just as everyone was discussing and speculating about the outcome of this sparring match—
The battle between Naruto and Rock Lee was about to begin.