Natsuro furrowed his brow as he observed Lee wincing in pain, contemplating the reason behind it.
When performing the Lightning Release massage on Lee, it required him to externally manipulate his lightning chakra, significantly reducing his control over it.
Given the previous improvements from the Void State, he assumed his control would of been good enough, basing his body as a reference, so it was surprising that Lee's reaction was more severe than anticipated.
So, what could be the difference between his body and Lee's?
While Lee's physical strength was undoubtedly superior, the issue likely laid with chakra. Since it was his chakra he was using, it might not be compatible with Lee.
But that didn't seem right.
Natsuro's lightning chakra hadn't even entered Lee's body, yet Lee was already crying in pain.
"So what was going on?"
He felt like his knowledge on the matter seemed too limited. Aside from their different bloodlines, which were not significant here, both were ordinary individuals. The difference couldn't lie there.
Another factor was that Lee couldn't use chakra. Yet, that shouldn't matter for the massage, as chakra cooperation was not actively required during the process.
Deep in thought, he noticed the electrical arcs dancing across his body. These arcs were barely perceptible to him, so he decided to try again causing Lee to instinctively recoil from the electricity.
Noticing Lee's reaction, he had a sudden realization and said, "Lee, come over and touch this, then describe what you feel."
Lee hesitated, but trusted Natsuro's intention and touched the arcs then quickly withdrew his hand.
"How does it feel?" Natsuro asked.
"It's a bit painful," Lee responded.
This confimed his suspicions, Lee's reaction was due to the properties of his chakra. Since Natsuro's chakra contained innate lightning attributes, he only felt a tingling sensation which was even pleasant at times.
Though Lee's physical strength was greater than Natsuro's, he felt pain due to the absence of lightning attributes in his chakra. This lack of affinity made him far less resistant or compatible with lightning compared to Natsuro.
"This was likely the reason" Natsuro thought. He couldn't be 100% certain, but it seemed highly probable.
"It's okay. It must be because I can't use chakra, it's not your fault," Lee said, though he sounded disappointed. He thought Natsuro was blaming himself and tried to comfort him.
"No, it's still my fault," Natsuro replied, taking a deep breath.
"This has nothing to do with you, it's clearly my…" Lee began to say.
"It's my problem. My control over chakra is not refined enough," he explained. If his control was finer, he could use more delicate lightning chakra to assist Lee.
While the effect wouldn't match what he experienced, it would certainly be better than the current situation.
Ultimately, it was his lack of control over external chakra that was the issue.
Natsuro continued, "So, from now on, I'll continue to help you every day. Although the effect might be minimal, it's still something, plus it will also help me practice chakra control."
Lee looked at Natsuro, his eyes welling up with tears, and hugged him tightly, constantly expressing his gratitude.
"There's no need to thank me so much. I mentioned it would help me practice too," Natsuro said, feeling somewhat helpless. He felt he had found a way to test his chakra control, which seemed like a win. He was trying to break free from Lee's hug but the futile due to Lee's strength, making him feel more helpless.
Despite his reassurances, Lee didn't believe that simply practicing chakra control was enough repayment. Even if it helped his training, Natsuro didn't neccesarily need Lee to accomplish this, so he was at a loss on how to repay Natsuro kindness.
Looking at Lee, Natsuro realised that Lee probably hadn't accepted his explanation, but he felt no guilt. Even minimal assistance was still assistance to him.
He began sensing his chakra levels after his attempt at giving Lee a Lightning massage. He was surprised that he had some remaing chakra, he expected not have enough chakra to give a Lee a full Lightning massage in the first place, but since there was still some left, he decided to head home early.
"Lee, I'm heading home now. You should go back early too," he said.
"Alright, I'll finish my training and head back," Lee replied earnestly.
Natsuro knew Lee would likely train for a while longer, but he said nothing and left.
Later, as Lee was about to finish, Guy arrived, having just finished his own tasks, and encountered Lee.
"Hey, are you done with today's training?" Guy asked, looking at the sky, pleased with Lee's dedication.
"Yes, Guy-sensei," Lee responded brightly. He had learned from Natsuro that Guy was a jōnin who excelled in taijutsu, and he saw him as a role model.
"Mmm, I suppose you've tried Natsuro's massage by now? Did it help?" Guy asked eagerly.
Lee's expression darkened. He felt weak and unable to endure both Guy's and Natsuro's help.
Lee recounted the situation with a somber tone.
"I see," Guy said, understanding the situation. It wasn't surprising; if it were that simple, then all lightning chakra users would of used this method.
"Since that approach doesn't work, let's train harder. If the shortcut doesn't work, then we must use our youth and effort to bridge the gap. I believe in you!" Guy's big white teeth shone as he spoke passionately.
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee's eyes sparked with renewed determination, and Guy saw the fire in Lee's eyes rekindled.
"Guy-sensei, I have a question!" Lee shouted with fervor.
"Go ahead!" Guy responded loudly.
Though it was just a conversation, it was filled with enthusiasm and this level of intensity would have been too overwhelming for Natsuro if he had been here.
"I want to help Natsuro, but I'm not sure how. Can you tell me what I should do, Guy-sensei?" Lee asked.
Guy fell silent, thinking about Natsuro. Even though he didn't pay much attention to details, Guy was aware of his incredible talent.
Natsuro's talent was probably was probably on par with Kakashi's and, in fact, surpassed Kakashi in terms of effort. To surpass someone like that was incredibly difficult.
But youth can overcome any obstacle!
"Are you ready?" Guy asked after a deep breath.
"I'm ready!"
"Even if it means injuring yourself?" Guy continued.
"Even if it means injuring myself!"
"Then, train even harder!" Guy looked at Lee as if seeing himself. To surpass those talented individuals with taijutsu, the only way was to push their body to its limits. This was the only way to have a chance. The only path and opportunity for Lee.
"Okay!!" Lee shouted, feeling a surge of energy.
And all of this went unnoticed by Natsuro, who had already returned home.