Chapter 22 Rival AppearsBefore Naruto could even speak, Sakura, her face darkening, refused, "Absolutely not! Your eyebrows are too thick."
Just thinking about living with a boy like that sent chills down Sakura's spine. No way! Absolutely not! If she had to choose, this guy was worse than Naruto.
Even Sakura herself didn't realize that she'd unconsciously started comparing other boys to Naruto.
Hearing Sakura's resolute rejection, Naruto felt a surge of satisfaction and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Lee, on the other hand, was deeply hurt, hanging his head, as if the sky had lost its color.
Just then, Neji and Tenten walked over. From a distance, Neji called out to Naruto and Sasuke, "Hey, you two over there, give me your names."
Although Naruto sympathized with Neji's predicament, he still felt annoyed by the latter's bossy attitude and didn't want to answer.
Sasuke, without much hesitation, retorted, "When asking someone's name, shouldn't you give them your name first?"
"Looks like you're a newbie. How old are you this year?" Neji asked knowingly.
"I have no obligation to answer you," Sasuke replied coldly.
"What?"
Neji was annoyed and wanted to say something.
"Naruto, Sakura, let's go."
But Sasuke didn't give him the chance, turning and walking away with Naruto and Sakura.
"Hey, you guy with the fierce eyes, wait a minute."
The three of them had walked halfway when a familiar voice called out to them. Turning around, they saw it was Rock Lee with the thick eyebrows.
"The fierce guy? Who's that?" Sakura looked around, while Naruto pointed at Sasuke.
Sakura was speechless, completely stunned. Although Sasuke was always cold and aloof, he wasn't some vicious guy; he was quite handsome, wasn't he?
"Hmm?" Sasuke looked at Lee with disdain.
"Now, want to have a duel with me?" Lee said, leaping off the platform.
"My name is Rock Lee. You said that when asking someone's name, you should first state your own: Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "Didn't you already know? You want to duel me here?"
"I want to duel you, to duel with you, from the strongest ninja clan, to see how far my techniques can go, and..."
Lee's face flushed as he spoke, and he gave Sakura a flirtatious wink. He genuinely wanted to test his techniques, but he also intended to impress the goddess. Ultimately, he was quite confident in his abilities; after all, they were the result of hard work.
Sakura was terrified by Lee's actions, thinking he was a creep, and quickly hid behind Naruto.
Naruto, who was about to explode, couldn't help but feel smug seeing Sakura's reaction. He put his hands on his hips, smiled, and raised an eyebrow at Lee, as if to say, "Did you see that?"
"Well, there's no need to be so afraid of me, is there?" Lee looked at Sakura innocently, as if something had shattered within him.
"Hmph."
Sasuke laughed, "You know I'm from the Uchiha clan, yet you still dare to challenge me. Do you know what that means? Thick eyebrows!"
The implication was that challenging the Uchiha had serious consequences; he should be prepared to be badly beaten.
"Please fight me!" Lee had already taken his stance.
Just as Sasuke was about to step forward, an arm blocked his way.
"Wait a minute, leave this duel to me."
It was Naruto who spoke. Although Lee was nominally challenging the Uchiha, he might also be trying to impress Sakura, which Naruto couldn't ignore.
Besides, Sasuke was no match for Lee right now. Despite his prestigious family background and early awakening of the Sharingan, Sasuke hadn't received much training or special instruction from his clan. After the clan's destruction, all resources and secret techniques were confiscated, leaving Sasuke with nothing.
To put it bluntly, besides the Sharingan, Sasuke only received the Fireball Jutsu from his clan. The Konoha Ninja Academy focused more on building a foundation, so Sasuke didn't have the opportunity to learn any truly remarkable ninjutsu.
But Rock Lee is different. While he may be slow in some areas, his taijutsu talent is considerable. He was spotted by Might Guy early on and received special attention. Now, Rock Lee's taijutsu skills are comparable to some Jonin, and he's a year older than Sasuke. Don't underestimate that year; because of Konoha's current education system, it can be crucial, as many skills and combat experience are accumulated after graduation.
Perhaps Sasuke, at the same age, could easily defeat Lee, even crush him. But right now, every time Sasuke makes a move, he's destined to lose. It's this repeated setbacks, built on moments of overconfidence, that led Sasuke to recklessly pursue power. Therefore, from any perspective, Naruto will never let Sasuke fight.
"They're after me," Sasuke said calmly.
"They're after Sakura."
Naruto's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unwavering determination, stunning Sakura and Sasuke behind him.
The implication was clear: Naruto liked Sakura, and she liked her too and was relentlessly pursuing him, so a fight was the only option. Sasuke's willingness to fight meant he also had feelings for Sakura; otherwise, he should step aside.
They're after Sakura? So that's how he's going to make his move? Sasuke didn't try to compete further, but a pang of jealousy lingered in his heart.
Compared to Sakura, who was more like a mascot, Sasuke actually valued Naruto more. In his eyes, Naruto was not only strong but also responsible, even willing to risk his life for his comrades.
What truly made Sasuke jealous was that since they were comrades, Naruto was willing to stand up for Sakura, so why didn't he stand up for him when Thick Eyebrows provoked him? Naruto had shielded him from a thousand swipes of ink in the Land of Waves! Shouldn't he have stepped forward then and said, "If you want to duel Sasuke, you'll have to get past me first!"
Seeing Sasuke silently retreat, and then a short, seemingly weak-looking man stepped forward, Lee asked seriously, "Who are you?"
"Listen carefully, my name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Stop fighting, Naruto! There are only 30 minutes left to register!" Sakura instinctively grabbed Naruto's hand, saying anxiously.
She wasn't just worried about missing the exam, but also about Naruto getting the short end of the stick. That guy with the thick eyebrows, though ugly, looked intimidating and was a full head and a half taller than Naruto.
"Don't worry, Sakura, I won't lose."
Naruto turned and gave Sakura a carefree smile, then held up five fingers.
"What do you mean?"
Lee was confused, and the others were also taken aback.
Naruto's tone was calm, but his words were certainly surprising.
"Ah, I mean 5 minutes, I'll take care of you in 5 minutes!"