Eventually, Rin made her way toward the dōjō without any trouble.
She found herself standing before a neglected building. The sight brought a smile to her face—despite its dilapidated appearance, there was something she admired about whoever took the time to build it.
With a casual push, she opened the door and stepped inside.
"Ah! I have been waiting!" an exuberant voice immediately said. Rin took in the sight of a boy with a bowl cut, bushy eyebrows, and a bright green jumpsuit. "You have accepted my challenge! Good! You may attack me from any direction!"
Rin couldn't help but feel stunned at first before letting out a small chuckle. Rock Lee had a certain vigor reminiscent of Might Guy—a fellow Genin of hers in the past that she knew quite well.
Memories of her late sensei, Minato, then flashed in her mind, juxtaposed against the figure of Lee, who stood there, ready for combat.
"Are you by any chance Might Guy's son?" she asked, stepping further.
Lee's stance broke at the mention of his sensei.
"I am not Guy-sensei's son," he replied, "but I do honour him with… Wait. How do you know Guy-sensei?"
Rin smiled, her heart warming upon seeing that Might Guy had moved forward in his journey as a shinobi, now serving as a Jōnin.
"You act just like him," she commented in admiration.
Lee's face lit up with a bright smile as he said, "Thank you! I love Guy-sensei, for he is the best sensei in all of the Leaf Village!" But just as quickly as the pride shown itself, he snapped back to focus, remembering that this was a challenge. "Because you know my sensei, I will go all out in this match!"
Without further warning, he charged at her with exhilaration. Rin had been taken slightly off guard, still waking from her reminiscence.
As he sped toward her, a kick aimed her way, she managed to step back just in time, the force of his attack missing her by a hair.
Quickly recovering, he unleashed a flurry of jabs, which Rin, now alert to the battle, deflected with ease. Each punch was thrown violently, but she felt herself still somewhat lost in her memories, caught in the past of those familiar faces.
"Try this!" Lee yelled, going for a dropkick.
As she pushed herself from her daze, she focused her chakra and snapped back into the present, pushing Lee back with both hands before the kick could land.
Surprised by her unexpected strength, he stumbled slightly before seeing just how formidable she was.
"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized, having used too much chakra in that attack. "I didn't mean to catch you off guard. I wasn't ready and was just going to warm up first."
Lee, now attentive and recovering from her sudden push, nodded appreciatively.
"No need to apologize!" he announced, "I, too, am just warming up. Let us start again!"
Before they could reset, the door to the dōjō swung open, and a familiar group entered—William, Alice, Naruto, and Sakura all walked in, chattering that pricked Rin's curiosity even further.
"I told you we were late," William remarked, waving a hand over his face. "Alice is always right when it comes to things like this."
Sakura huffed, irritation clear on her face as she said, "Not everyone is a good sensor like her!"
"It was inevitable," Alice said, trying to stay humble. "I actually didn't expect anyone to be here."
Rock Lee, whose energy had only heightened upon the entrance of his friends, now beamed with enthusiasm.
"You all came to participate?" he exclaimed, practically vibrating with joy. "This is so great! Thank you for being here!"
But then, as if suddenly understanding something, he paused and said, "Wait! I am still in the middle of a match with…" His words trailed off as he turned to Rin, hesitating because he hadn't even asked for her name.
Rin was equally caught off guard; in her daze of admiration for the newly arrived guests, she had forgotten to come up with an identity to share. Awestruck by Naruto's uncanny resemblance to Minato, the thought of him threw her further off balance.
Yet, a name popped into her head.
"Rose," she blurted out with red cheeks due to the lie.
"Rose!" Lee repeated, clapping his hands together. "Yes! Rose! You are indeed a worthy opponent, and I cannot wait to go all out!"
Alice gestured apologetically and said, "We're sorry for interrupting your match, you two, but we'll be sure to wait for our turn."
"Oh, no," Rin quickly insisted, shaking her head. "The match just started! It would be fair to create a system so we can all fight!"
Naruto considered that for a moment before pumping his fist to say, "Hey, that sounds like a great idea! I'm so ready to get in on this!"
"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "We can just make this like a small tournament between just us."
Arthur, observing the growing scene, noted this interaction. It was clear that William and Alice didn't recognize Rin; they likely had no idea who she was or why she had entered their midst.
To them, she was just another kunoichi who appeared out of the blue.
As for Naruto, the main character seemed to be acting just like he did after Sasuke departed. Or rather, there was this strange level of power that could be seen in the boy.
'Could the dismissal of Nanfushi have indirectly led to this?' Arthur wondered.
Naruto looked practically ready to be the first fighter.
"Let's figure out the order!" he announced. "I wanna get started as soon as possible!"
Sakura shook her head.
"All right, Naruto," she said. "Just don't get too ahead of yourself."
While the boy seemed to have grown, he was still the same Naruto everyone remembered. Only, a little more on his Shippuden personality—mature and excellent at fighting.
As they formed a loose circle around the fighting space, William pulled out a small notepad and began jotting down names.
"Okay, okay! Here's what we'll do: everyone who wants to fight writes down their names, and we'll figure out the order! Lee, you should definitely be the first fighter since you're the one who started this."
With the others excitedly chatting about their upcoming matches, Rin was filled with an indescribable emotion. Although she had initially come to the dōjō to test herself against Lee, the connectivity and friendship that filled the air reassured her that maybe she was not an outsider.
As she watched the collaborative spirit, she could feel it having a profound impact on her resolve. Being here, surrounded by skilled shinobi of the next generation, felt monumental.
It was like a pronounced sense of normalcy, and she wanted to immerse herself in it, even if only temporarily.
Rin took a step forward and added, "We should set some rules so we don't blow this place up!"
"Absolutely!" Lee beamed, brimming with excitement now that he had an audience.
"Yeah," Alice commented. "That's a great idea, Rose."
Sakura, arms crossed, smirked at Rin and said, "The fact you were holding your own against Lee tells me that you two really would blow this place up."
Rin couldn't help but smile and laugh at Sakura's response. The whole room engaged in laughter, causing her heart to slightly buzz.
"You might want to watch out for me!" she joked, feeling lighter than she had in weeks.
Naruto and William couldn't help but see how her personality meshed so well with the group. They had only met for less than ten minutes, and already it was as if Rin was already friends with everyone.
As the group settled, creating a temporary tournament-style setup, William began to organize the participants while Alice stood nearby, quietly observing Rin. There was something about her demeanor that intrigued Alice, though she couldn't quite place it.
Rin herself had fully accepted Naruto as Minato's one and only son. Arthur had told much about the boy and how he not just carried the Nine-Tails but had also tamed it.
If only she could have a little more time in the village to interact with Naruto. There's so much that she wants to share with him, having foreknowledge of the impending war that might still take place.
Then there was the fact that Kakashi, her former friend and teammate, was also Naruto's sensei. Something like this was only ever mentioned in stories—it was almost too good to be true.
"Alright!" William triumphantly announced, "We've got our order set. The first match is Rock Lee versus… Rose!"
Rin pushed aside any nerve-bending emotions., remembering that she was still on a mission.
As Lee and her prepared for the match, Arthur watched with an acute sense of understanding. The bonds being formed right in front of him mapped out a potential for new connections.
That was assuming the revived girl played her role right.
Rin exhaled slowly, mentally steeling herself before stepping onto the center. She knew that Arthur was watching and that he had also sent her here to test her. She had to prove herself at all costs.
"Is everyone ready?" Sakura asked, being the referee.
"I am always ready!" Lee answered, placing one hand forward and another behind his back.
"Yes," Rin affirmed, her own spirit igniting with determination.
The instant the match began, Lee charged at her. He switched stances multiple times in an instant. To almost everyone's surprise, including her own, she found herself matching his agility and speed.
Every punch and kick Lee aimed at her was met with a counter, and soon they were locked in a dance of dodges, blocks, and strikes. Rin had trained hard, but she couldn't deny that Lee's attacks were formidable for a Genin.
It was exhilarating, pushing her to the edge of her comfort zone.
"Hey, cuz?" Naruto said, looking at William. "Don't you think Bushy Brow should take off his weights?"
"Ugh… cuz," William said, scratching his temple, "he did before they started."
"Wait, what!"
The match escalated quickly, each exchange breaching the limits of friendly sparring until one punishing punch connected. With a that hit, Lee found himself crashing through the wall of the dōjō, debris settling around him like confetti.
The room became silent before it erupted into excited chatter.
"That was wow!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Someone in the village actually beat Lee in taijutsu?!" William blurted out.
Many of them, including Alice, had been in disbelief. Lee, usually the paragon of physical prowess, had been bested by this newcomer, a character in which no one had either heard, seen, or read about.
After they helped Lee up, the congratulations began pouring in.
Rin felt an unease settle in her gut. Sakura's, Naruto's, and William's questions flooded her ears—"What's your rank? When did you graduate the academy? What team are you in? Who's your Jōnin instructor?"—each one a reminder of the lies she would have to create, choking her sense of belonging.
Alice, noticing Rin's growing discomfort, stepped in smoothly to diffuse the situation.
"Hey, everyone," she called out, "let's not crowd Rose with questions right now. She's a bit pessimistic and not much of a people person, if you couldn't tell."
Leave it to Alice to save the day.
Sakura's eyes softened with understanding as she nodded, "I'm sorry, I didn't see that; we just wanted to know more about you after that incredible fight!"
Naruto chimed in, "Yeah, sorry too! I get too carried away sometimes."
Rin graciously accepted their apologies, but her heart felt both gratitude and sadness. As she smiled in appreciation, her expression slowly faltered, and an unexpected tear slipped from her eyes.
Surprised, she quickly wiped it away and shook her head, softly saying, "I—I don't know where that came from."
Her attempts to mask the vulnerability seemed believable, yet that wasn't enough to fool the more attentive ninjas.
Alice stepped closer with concern and asked, "Are you okay, Rose?"
"I'm fine," Rin replied, forcing a smile that didn't quite match.
Sakura approached her with a warm and gentle voice, saying, "If you're feeling hurt, you can always talk to us about anything. We're friends."
Hearing Sakura's words caused Rin's heart to swell. She did a fine job maintaining a smile.
In a soft voice, she said, "I really value what you all have offered me… As long as you promise to stay friends, I'll be happy too."