The Enlightened One Ch.73 (Patreon)

— Lei Senju —

“The first match of the Preliminary Exams will be Rock Lee vs Neji Hyuga,” Hayate announced and looked up at the platform.

“Incredible…” I gasped, my eyes fixed on the two teammates who stood in tense anticipation. “The first bout, and it's this showdown? It's a clash that's bound to be legendary.”

“Agreed.” Kakashi eyed the two boys as they began walking down to Hayate. 

“My money’s on bushy brows!” Naruko gripped her hand on the railing with a grin. 

Satsuki remained quiet as she looked down at the battle, and as I glanced at Hinata, I could see she was indecisive about who would win.

“I’m not betting against Lee.” I closed my eyes, a smirk playing on my lips. “If he's set on victory, he’ll seize it. No room for doubt.” As I opened my eyes and glanced to my side, I caught everyone's gaze, their expressions a mix of curiosity and disbelief, prompting me to arch an eyebrow.

Did I say something weird?

“You think that goofball has a chance against a Hyuga?” Temari asked. I could see both Gaara, Kankuro, and Baki glaring at me as they waited for my answer.

I placed my hands on my hips and grinned at the Sand Kunoichi. 

“I don’t think, I know. In fact, of everyone here, I’d say Lee is the only one who can force me to go beyond my limits…”

My words were met with narrowed eyes of disbelief from the Sand Team and questioning looks from most other teams. I just waved my hand and decided not to pay them any mind. 

They could believe me if they wanted; ultimately, I knew I meant what I said. 

Sure, if I used Ninjutsu, I could beat Lee relatively quickly, but the thing is, I wouldn’t do so against him. 

No, I would want to test my taijutsu against his own; there is no other way! A fight between him and I would be one for the generations!

“Don’t believe me?” I asked, crossing my arms and smiling with child-like excitement as I looked at Lee and Neji drop into their stances. “Just watch.” 

— Rock Lee vs Neji Hyuga —

The two teammates locked eyes with one another—determination in Lee’s eyes and boredom in Neji’s.

Hayate glanced at both fighters and held his hand out. “Are you both ready?”

“Yes!” / “Let’s get this over with.” 

Hayate smiled as he raised his hand. The two opposing attitudes were refreshing, especially from Gai’s students.

“Begin!” Hayate’s hand struck down, and immediately Rock Lee rushed forward toward Neji, the Hyuga quickly activated his byakugan and slapped away at the punch Lee attempted to throw. Lee followed up with a back-kick, but Neji caught it. As Neji went to deal a juken strike to Lee’s back with the intent to end this fight now, Lee spun out of Neji’s grip and got some distance. 

As Lee faced Neji, the two began a long staredown as the bushy-browed boy began to plan, while the Hyuga looked angry. 

— On the Platform —

“You were saying?” Temari side-eyed Lei.

“The match literally just started. Are you seriously counting him out just because of one quick exchange?” Lei asked, looking dumbfounded that a Kunoichi would just come to such hasty conclusions. 

“The boy is a Hyuga,” Kurotsuchi said. “There’s no way he loses to some clanless weirdo.” 

“What the hell did you call bushy brow?!” Naruko clenched her fist and glared at the Stone Kunoichi.

“You heard me, dumb blonde!” Kurotsuchi shot back.

“Settle down.” Kakashi placed his hands on Naruko’s shoulders. “Why don’t we all just sit back and watch the fight. We wouldn’t want any trouble now would we?” 

Everyone above could understand the subtle threat in the Copy Ninja’s words. ‘Stay in line, or I’ll keep you in line.’ 

It was the job of the Jonin to keep unnecessary fights from breaking out, and surprisingly, Kakashi was actually doing his job.

Call it a Mid-Year Miracle. 

— Rock Lee vs Neji Hyuga —

“Neji!” Lee shouted suddenly, pointing at the Hyuga boy. “I will defeat you!” 

Neji’s frown grew as he got out of his stance. “Must I explain it to you again? You will never defeat me. Fate will not allow it.”

“I will defy fate!” Lee dropped back down into his stance with a look of determination.

“If you’re so obsessed with going against the natural order of this world, then cast ninjutsu.” Neji glared before crossing his arms. “You can’t. Just as you cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu, you cannot win here.” 

“We will see!” Lee shouted out with no small amount of belief in himself before rushing forward once more.

“These eyes of mine see all.” Neji dropped into his stance and pushed away the fist Lee threw, countering with a juken strike to Lee’s arm, making the bushy eyebrow boy wince as he launched another punch.

Neji narrowly managed to block the punch, but Lee followed it up again with a kick, sending the Hyuga back a few feet. 

“Tch!” Neji glared at the youthful fighter and dropped lower in his stance. “I’ll end this now!”

“No you will not!” Lee shouted as Neji moved forward this time, aiming precise juken strikes at Lee, which the boy avoided and deflected.

Neji struck his right hand out toward Lee’s stomach, and as Lee went to block it, Neji quickly switched off to left hand, hitting Lee in his side.

“Nngh!” Lee groaned, jumping backward to get some distance. He hadn’t been expecting the feint, and now it had cost him. Lee winced at the numbness he was feeling in his right side, but never kept his eyes off of Neji.

‘I’m not fast enough.’ Lee realized in the privacy of his mind. Neji was faster than him, and his strikes were very precise. At this rate, victory was simply unattainable. 

“Lee!” Gai shouted from the stands, earning the attention of everyone in the large room. “I give you permission, use that technique.” 

Lee’s eyes widened in shock as a massive smile tugged at his lips. 

“Yes, Gai-sensei!” Lee cheered, crossing his arms in the shape of an ‘X.’

“A technique?” Neji asked, confusion plaguing his tone. A frown grew on the Hyuga’s face as he crossed his arms. “No matter. Nothing will change the destiny that has been laid out for you.” 

“We will see, Neji!” Veins began to appear on Lee’s forehead from the sheer exertion of the technique he was about to unleash on his opponent, on his rival. 

‘Neji will be first, then Lei will be next!’ 

“First Gate of Opening, Open!” 

BOOM

The ground cracked beneath Lee’s feet as a green aura surrounded his body. His face had become noticeably redder, and his pupils had vanished.

— On the Platform —

“Holy shit!” Lei shouted in genuine surprise. “He’s using that already?!” 

“You knew?!” Kakashi’s gaze snapped over to his student. 

“He’s a taijutsu expert without ninjutsu or genjutsu, I’d be surprised if the Blue Beast of the Leaf didn’t teach his student the Gates.” Lei shrugged.

Kakashi’s eyes settled on Gai and his one visible eye narrowed dangerously. “Gai, what the hell were you thinking teaching him the Gates?!”

“Kakashi my friend-” Gai held his hands up in surrender with a nervous smile on his twitching face. “Lee has ambitions, dreams that can only be achieved through youthful training and techniques.”

“But the Gates?”

Gai looked down at Lee, who was dropping down into his stance once more, winding himself up for an attack on Neji. 

“Kakashi, this is not something you can understand. Lee is a boy with passion and youth. He will see his dreams fulfilled even if he lacks ninjutsu or genjutsu. I only gave him what he would have figured out independently.”

Kakashi clearly didn’t like Gai’s answer, but what’s done is done. 

“Go bushy brow, I have money on you!” Naruko cheered for her fellow Konoha shinobi.

“No one agreed to that!” Kurotsuchi shouted back. 

— Rock Lee vs Neji Hyuga —

“I am coming, Neji. Prepare yourself!” Lee called out as he crouched down low. Neji however had long since been ready for Lee to start his attack, and the moment Lee realized that-

BOOOM

The earth beneath Lee cracked as Lee shot forward toward Neji. 

A punch slammed across Neji’s face, forcing him to take a step back as Lee followed up with another. The Side Branch Member narrowly was able to block the attack, and as Lee threw another, Neji began to spin-

‘Rotation!’

Blue chakra erupted from Neji’s chakra points, hitting Lee away and keeping him back. 

As Neji realized Lee put some distance between the two, he stopped spinning only to see Lee was rushing him again. 

“Tch, persistent little-” His words were cut off as a knee slammed into his gut, making him lose the air in his lungs, and Lee followed up with a spin kick to the Hyuga’s head, sending him flying away.

BOOOM

Neji’s body slammed into the wall of the room, cracking it from the force as he dropped down to the ground. 

“D-Damnit!” Neji shouted/groaned in pain, pushing himself to his feet and glaring at Lee’s glowing green form. “You can’t win, I won’t allow it!”

Quickly realizing his emotions were controlling him, Neji took a deep, calming breath and dropped back into his stance. 

“Come Lee, show me your strength!” Neji goaded Lee, and the latter headed the challenge, launching forward as a small smirk tugged at Neji’s lips. 

‘You’re in range.’

‘Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!’

Lee continued pressing forward and Neji took his chance, moving forward and jabbing his fingers at Lee.

‘Two Palms’

The hits landed on his right shoulder as Neji readied the next set.

‘Four Palms’

Two more juken strikes landed at Lee’s sides.

‘Eight Palms’

Neji launched four more juken strikes, aimed around Lee’s chest area-

The hits were blocked by Lee’s hands going back into the ‘X’ sign, but no matter, those were four more chakra points dealt with in his arm-

“Second Gate of Healing, Open!” 

BOOOOOM

The force of the second gate opening sent Neji skidding back as he gazed at the aura flowing around Lee.

‘He can grow even stronger?!’ Neji questioned in sheer surprise. Never for a moment did he think that his foolish, dumb-looking teammate could be strong. Much less did he think Lee could be strong enough to push him back.

Neji was a prodigy born every one hundred years to the Hyuga clan. Everyday he trained, grinded with the intent of closing the gap between himself and the Main Branch, especially with its heir: Lady Hinata. 

He would win here and beat her and show the village that the Side Branch was superior to the Main Branch. 

He would-

*BANG*

A powerful uppercut connected with Neji’s gut, making him hack up a wad of spit and clench his stomach. 

BANG 

Another powerful uppercut to Neji’s chin sent him flying up in the air. 

Lee jumped up, rising above Neji’s body-

“Third Gate of Life, Open!” Lee shouted, doing a somersault in the air before launching a downward kick that connected with Neji’s gut, sending him crashing down to the ground. 

BOOOOOOM

A great cloud of dirt, stone, and dust erupted from the ground where Neji was launched, and a second later, Lee landed and took his fighting stance once more. 

As the dirt cloud cleared, it revealed Neji lying in a crater, unmoving.

Hayate stepped forward looking at the downed Hyuga for a moment before dropping to a knee and gently opening one of his eyelids.

“Yeah, he’s conked. The winner is Rock Lee.” 

— Lei Senju (After the fight) —

“What the fuck did I say?” I asked, outstretching my arms and looking at everyone on the platform. “Didn’t believe me, did ya, you punks?! The guy didn’t even take off his weights either, and he still destroyed Neji. Pay up!” 

“Yeah, pay up!” Naruko threw her fist into the air with a cheeky smile. 

The group of foreign shinobi was shocked, and many of the Konoha shinobi couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed.

Lee had completely overwhelmed Neji, and he hadn’t even been going all out. 

The guy hadn’t taken off his weights, and he had at least a couple more gates that he could have entered!

As I watched a group of medical-nin enter the room and take away Neji on a stretcher, a massive grin formed on my lips. 

Lee had grown strong, definitely stronger than he was in canon, that’s for sure. Just how much and how hard did he train?

My hands gripped the railing tightly as I imagined him showing his full strength against me. And when Lee turned his gaze at me and shot me a thumbs up a shiver ran down my spine. 

Oh, I definitely need to fight him!

“Who woulda thought.” Asuma took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew a puff of smoke. 

“Anyone who listened to me.” I snorted, earning a smile from the Sarutobi. 

“Yeah, yeah. You were right; we were wrong.” He chuckled. 

“Mhm, all of you!” I pointed at everyone, excluding Naruko. My eyes locked onto the Sand Team. “You especially!” 

“Whatever, we’d thought the Hyuga were a mighty clan; guess we were wrong?” Temari waved me off.

“Oh, and you think you can beat Lee?” Hinata spoke up for the first time, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she looked at Temari, which caused the girl to sweat slightly. 

“I definitely would have done a better job than him; he barely did anything.” Temari crossed her arms under her bust and averted her gaze.

“I told you all blondes are stupid,” Satsuki spoke up.

“Hey!” Naruko quickly shouted, offended by the Uchiha’s words. 

“I’m not apologizing.” Satsuki frowned. “I speak nothing but the truth.” 

“Yikes.” I glanced at Naruko. “Me personally, Naruko, I’d take that as fighting words.”

“Stop instigating, Lei,” Hinata demanded with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“...Yes, my love.” I quickly responded, making her cheeks grow red and the smile reached her eyes instantly.

Works every time. 

Once Rock Lee was on our platform, Hayate looked up at us and spoke.

“Alright, now for the next match.” 

The names again began to randomize, and everyone looked at it with anticipation for what great fight we’d be seeing next-

Until it stopped, and I deadpanned harder than I had in years.

Lei Senju vs Ino Yamanaka

Fuck me…

I glanced at Ino and saw her eyes were locked on the screen as a bead of sweat ran down her cheek.

Now I feel like an asshole for just existing.

“The next match will be-”

“Proctor, I surrender!” Ino called out, making my eyes widen in surprise. 

“Hey, don’t get hasty now, Ino. You can still be promoted even if you lose, so why not try?” I asked, hoping to at least give her a chance. 

Ino shook her head. “L-Lei…I don’t think that would work, especially if you let me try to show off.”

I frowned at that and looked down at Hayate. 

“This shit is rigged.”

“Think what you want; it’s completely random. Ino Yamanaka surrenders; the winner is Lei Senju.” 

Fuck me in the ass, and call me Sally! 

“Lei.” 

My gaze dropped down to see the old Hokage looking up at me.

“Would you mind joining me for a walk?” He asked, closing his eyes and giving me a smile.

I raised my eyebrows in slight surprise and confusion. 

Hiruzen was asking me to join him on a walk? No way it was that simple. He either had something he needed to tell me, or there’s something he needed to show me. 

“I wouldn’t mind at all.” I shook my head before turning to my girls who eyed me curiously. “Sorry about this girls, I’ll try to come back and catch your matches.”

“It’s fine, but you better be back!” Naruko leaned forward and placed her hands on her hips.

“Mhm, have fun.” Hinata smiled, wrapping her arm around my neck as I embraced her. 

Satsuki closed her eyes and smirked. “Take your time, it doesn’t really matter if you watch or not, the result will be the same.” 

I grinned at my Uchiha girlfriend. “I’ll come back anyway. I’d love to see who you fuck up.”

My grin grew when I saw all the other shinobi who hadn’t fought yet glare at me. 

“Good luck to the rest of you, and try not to embarrass yourselves.” I waved, hopping off the platform and landing next to old man Sarutobi. 

“Lady Elder, Lord Elder.” I greeted the two old Konoha elders with a playful smile, earning a small huff from Koharu. 

“Let us go, Lei.” Hiruzen chuckled, and we began to walk out of the room. 

As we walked, I noticed the elders watching me out of the corners of their eyes, even if they were doing it very minutely, barely giving me a chance to notice before looking away. Unfortunately for them, I have wood insects hidden cleverly just under my clothes, which allow me to get a better view of my surroundings in all directions. 

I wasn’t surprised that they wanted to get a better look at me, after all I am the reason Danzo decided to go batshit and take more drastic measures, while also being the boy the Hokage is spending so much time coaching, his successor in all but name. 

“Quite the interesting match there.” Hiruzen said, snapping me out of my thoughts as he continued walking while looking forward with a small smile.

“Oh yeah, it was great!” I grinned, throwing my hands behind my head and grinning at the sky. “Lee really grew strong, I can’t wait to fight him!”

“Indeed.” Gramps nodded. “Although, I’m surprised you’re not more disappointed about your own bout.”

“Believe me, Gramps, I am.” I shook my head. “I really wanted to fight and show those jackasses from the other villages just how strong I am.”

“Ehehe.” Hiruzen chuckled, looking back at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Now what a show that would be. I’m sure you’ll get your shot in the finals.” 

“Yeah, let’s hope I get someone strong, like Lee, or Gaara.” I smiled, looking up at the blue sky as we exited the building. 

“Mmm.” The old man hummed. “Let us return to my office.” His body flickered as he jumped up into the trees and toward the Village. The two elders and I followed after him, and for a moment, my eyes widened to see that they were actually keeping pace with us while simultaneously dodging obstacles. 

These elders…they might have more left in the tank than I thought. 

Within ten or so minutes, we made it back to the village and arrived at the Hokage mansion. We entered and made our way up to Lord Third’s office, and upon entering my eyes widened slightly, and a strong, wide grin tugged at my lips.

“You’re finally back, Sensei.” Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin chuckled, nudging the old Hokage as he walked past.

“Yes, we’ve returned.” The old man responded as he took a seat, immediately going into his drawer for his pipe. 

“How many times must I tell you to forego that blasted pipe of yours?!” Koharu shouted suddenly, crossing her arms under her saggy bust. “It is not good for the Hokage of the Village to kill himself with those fumes!” 

“I’ll quit when I’m dead.” Gramps replied, his wit as dry as ever when dealing with his decades long comrades.

“That’s what I’m trying to prevent!” 

“Calm down, Koharu-sensei.” Jiraiya held his hands up as he stepped in front of Hiruzen’s desk, shielding the old man from her wrath. 

Koharu let out an annoyed huff and walked to the side of the room, standing quietly.  Homura joined her a moment later, leaving only me standing in the middle of the room while Jiraiya stood just in front of the Hokage’s desk. 

Noticing a shift in the room, I started scratching my cheek with a frown as a bead of sweat fell down my forehead. 

“I had a feeling this wasn’t just gonna be some jolly walk.” 

“Sorry, Lei.” Hiruzen frowned, but I could see he truly meant his apology. 

“No problem, Gramps. Just tell me what’s going on.” I crossed my arms and braced myself for the absolute worst case scenario. 

“Believe it or not, this isn’t actually bad news.” Jiraiya stepped forward with a grin. “In fact, I’d say it’s good news.”

“Good news?” I pondered for a moment, wondering what the hell they had to tell me that could be good before my heart stopped beating. My eyes widened in pure shock and I dropped down to my knees. 

“Lei, my boy, are you alright?!” Hiruzen stood up, shocked and worry evident on his old features.

“This is…the best day of my life.” I whispered out just loud enough for them to hear. Any worry was immediately replaced with confusion.

“Did we miss something, kid?” Jiraiya asked, tilting his head.

“You’re finally releasing it, aren’t you?” I whispered out, rising to my feet. “The next edition of Icha Icha!” 

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Goddamn it Jiraiya, you corrupted the next generation, and worst of all: The Senju Head, Hashirama sensei’s successor, with your disgusting excuse for a book series!” Koharu shouted, veins popped at her forehead to show just how livid she was.

“Hey! It’s not disgusting! It’s art!” I loudly defended the pervy sage. As much as I loved my girls, this was the one hill I would die on against them for the rest of my life. Icha Icha was a series to be respected and admired! 

“Oh god, it’s worse than I thought!” Koharu facepalmed.

“Hey, that’s not my fault! I’m not the one who shoved the book in front of him-” Jiraiya quickly defended himself, but the scolding glare of the older woman who beat him way too many times in the past shut him up real fast. 

“Alright, I believe that’s enough.” Hiruzen waved his hand as a bead of sweat fell down his brow. “Lei, that is not the reason I have called you here. No, I believe it is time for my student, Tsunade, to return to her duties.” 

My mouth dropped open as the gears in my head started turning. 

Tsunade Senju, my only remaining family in this world, had been out of the village for nearly two decades at this point, and now…

She was coming back.

“Can I ask why, Gramps?” I asked with a small frown. I wasn’t disappointed, in fact I was rather excited to meet the Slug Princess, my second cousin, but this was the Third Hokage making the call, and I’d be dumb to assume there is no good reason for it.” 

The air of the room quickly grew serious as Hiruzen leaned forward, and I was quickly reminded of his lack of an arm. 

“You understand just how compromised we are, I’m sure.” Hiruzen started with slightly narrowed eyes. 

“I do.” I nodded quickly. Danzo knew this village like the back of his hand, and even if the security measures had been changed, there was no way to keep Danzo out if he wanted in. 

“Then you understand that we need more assurance. The next time either of those two try anything, I plan on putting them down for good. I believe Tsunade can help us.” 

“Are you sure?” I followed up after several moments of silence. “Last I recall, Tsunade left the village because of… personal reasons.”

“Yes, I am sure.” Gramps nodded with a stern face. “I have given her time to grieve and get her issues straightened out. At the end of the day, she is a Shinobi, one of the strongest our village has to offer, and I need her back.” 

Just judging by his face when he spoke, I could tell the old man wasn’t playing around. Tsunade was coming back whether she liked it or not. 

Hopefully, she did…

“Which is where I need you to come in.” Hiruzen spoke again, earning my full attention. “Tsunade has always been…headstrong and unbelievably stubborn. Getting her to return will be no small task, especially if she doesn’t wish to-” What does he mean by especially?! “-Which is why I need you to give her a reason. One that’ll make her not only return to the village, but resume her duty as a Konoha shinobi and medical-nin.” 

I soaked all of that in. Would I really be able to make a difference? 

I vaguely recalled the events of the Naruto canon and just how Naruto managed to get Tsunade to return to the village. Their fights with Kabuto and Orochimaru had left her a dead weight with her fear of blood, but Naruto’s fearlessness, and willingness to grow and protect her was one of the main reasons her tides shifted. 

I…I think I can do that much. Hopefully, the snake doesn’t show up and cause problems. 

Plus, I’m family, the only one each of us has left…that has to be worth something, right?

“Alright.” I breathed out after a long moment of thought, looking up at the old Hokage. “I’ll bring Tsunade back.” 

“Very good.” He smiled and closed his eyes. “You and Jiraiya will be departing in two days. Enjoy that time.”

“That’s right!” Jiraiya put up a peace sign and grinned, showing his shiny white teeth that sparkled in the light. “You will be accompanying the mighty, the sexy Ji-rai-ya!” 

“I need an adult.” I quickly spoke.

“I am an-”

“That he does.” Koharu cut off the white-haired man, who deflated at her words.

“You’re a traitor, kid. I thought you liked my books.” Jiraiya pouted. 

“I do.” I rubbed the back of my head and looked down at the ground. “But calling yourself sexy while planning to spend weeks with me, a teenager…you’re giving me Orochimaru vibes.”

“I’m not a pedophile!” Jiraiya quickly shouted.

Huh…so they are aware of that whole Pedomaru business. Good. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” I apologized with a frown. “Maybe watch your words next time, though.”

“...Yeah, okay.” Jiraiya returned my frown before crossing his large arms. “Man, you sucked all the fun out of this.” 

“Have you anything else to say, Lei?” Hiruzen asked, and I shook my head. My clone had pretty much already gone over everything that went on in the forest and that I needed to know going forward. “Then, enjoy the rest of the Preliminaries and your two days of rest.” 

“Thank you, Gramps.” I bowed and walked out of the room, leaving the old people to talk about old people shit. 

As I walked down the streets of Konoha, several thoughts filled my mind. One was Tsunade of course. Having her in the village would be a huge help, not just in terms of the village safety and mortality rate, but also the skills she possesses that no one else does.

If I could get on her good side, I could have her take on more than just Sakura as a student. Sakura’s chakra control is amazing, beyond almost everyone I know, barring Hinata. However, if I could get her to take on the likes of Ino, Satsuki, Hinata, and even Tenten (the fangirl) then we’d be in a much better place in three years time. 

We’d have a whole roster of Tsunade’s that can lay the smackdown and heal just as well. 

A small, dark frown tugged my lips down as I thought about Satsuki. 

Tsunade…she could perform the transplant for Satsuki as well. 

I didn’t know how I felt about that. I love Satsuki more than I love myself, and because of that, I don’t want to see her fall down into the curse of hatred as her canon counterpart did. But she needed to be stronger; she needed more power, and the best way of going about that was to implant the eyes of Fugaku Uchiha into her.

I just hoped it wouldn’t change her for the worse.

— Chapter End —

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