A/N: I know I already released a new fic, but I couldn't help but release this one aswell. I will not be doing daily uploads for this, since I don't have time, but depending on which story you guys like better I'll focus on that specific one. Anyway I'll be reasonable. Get this story to 50 powerstones by Sunday if you'd like me to continue this. This is for my Naruto lovers lol
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Lee could feel the sand tightening around his entire body. Every breath he took felt heavier than the last, and the sharp pain in his arm and leg reminded him they were already crushed. Moving was impossible, but that didn't stop him from trying.
'I've got to... I've got to get away!' Lee thought desperately, his working hand clawing at the ground as he dragged his body forward inch by inch.
The sand surged forward again, this time aiming to engulf him completely. His battered body trembled under the effort to escape, but it was hopeless. The gap in strength between him and his opponent was too great.
'Why...?' Lee's vision blurred with tears as the sand began wrapping tighter around him. 'I worked so hard... but the gap between us... it's—it's so huge!' He clenched his teeth, his heart breaking with each passing second. 'I wanted to be a splendid ninja. I wanted to show the world that hard work could beat talent! I wanted to beat Neji!'
The sand closed in, its grip firm and unrelenting. 'Was it not possible for me?' Lee thought, his breath hitching as he felt the crushing pressure around his chest. 'Did I not work hard enough?' It wasn't just his body the sand was crushing—it was his very spirit.
Darkness consumed him as the sand fully engulfed him. Lee's tears spilled freely now, blending into the suffocating void. 'I never stopped being a loser,' he thought bitterly. The pain became unbearable, and he screamed, his voice raw with anguish. 'They were all right about me...'
[They weren't.]
The voice rang clearly in the void, cutting through the crushing silence.
Lee's eyes snapped open, startled. The searing pain was gone, and in its place, he found himself surrounded by a strange blue light. Before him floated a glowing screen, its bold text reading:
"Welcome."
'What's going on?' Lee thought, his heart racing. "Who are you?!" he shouted.
[I am your guide. I am known as the system.]
"The system...?" Lee's brow furrowed. "Aren't I dead?"
[Yes. You died.]
Lee's head lowered as the weight of those words sank in. "So it wasn't a dream... I lost. Guy-sensei, Naruto, and the others... they must be so disappointed in me."
[The past is the past. You're being given another chance to prove that hard work can beat geniuses.]
Lee blinked, his gaze snapping back to the screen. "Huh...? Another chance? But how?"
[Reincarnation. You'll be transported to a new world—a world of heroes. You couldn't prove yourself in this life, so do it in your next.]
"Another chance..." Lee repeated softly. He hesitated, doubt clouding his mind. "But I failed already. What makes you so sure I can succeed this time? I deluded myself into thinking I could do it. Neji was right. Destiny can't be escaped."
[Neji didn't see that you would be reincarnated. Neither did he see how far you pushed yourself against Gaara—]
"But I lost, didn't I?!" Lee cut the system off, his voice trembling. "It doesn't matter if I put up a good fight. I still failed, and as a result, I'm dead. It doesn't matter if I'm reincarnated... I still failed!"
[Fine. You did fail.]
The system's blunt acknowledgment made Lee flinch.
[But what's stopping you from trying again? You've failed once, but now you have to train even harder. You're not a loser, Lee. You keep getting up even when you fall. Rock Lee isn't a quitter. The day you quit is the day you become a loser. And Rock Lee isn't the name of a loser.]
Lee's eyes widened as the words echoed in his mind. His chest felt tight, his heart swelling with determination.
'Rock Lee isn't the name of a loser,' he thought, clenching his fist.
The darkness around him began to recede as a brilliant light emerged in the distance, illuminating everything. Lee slammed his fist on the ground and pushed himself up.
'I was being so pathetic... I can't give up yet! No... not until I show the world what I can do. I'll prove them all wrong!' Lee shouted into the light as it engulfed him completely.
When the brightness faded, Lee found himself staring up at a large, unfamiliar face.
"Oh, he's so cute, dear!" said a woman with long black hair, her voice warm and soothing as she leaned over him.
"I know what I'll call him," the woman continued, her face brimming with affection. "His name will be Rock... Rock Lee."
A man with a thick mustache, bushy eyebrows, and short, spiky black hair appeared beside her, bursting into hearty laughter. "That's a great name!"
'He reminds me of Guy-sensei...' Lee thought, staring at the man he assumed was his new father.
As his gaze shifted to his own tiny hands, frustration bubbled up inside him. 'I have all this motivation! Why did I have to be reincarnated as a baby?! If I have to spend my days lying around, I'll lose my mind!'
[You're currently a baby. It will take some time before you're able to do anything.]
Lee's frustration only grew when a blue screen appeared with a countdown reading: 1 year.
'No. I cannot wait that long!' Lee thought. Summoning every ounce of his willpower, he tried to raise his tiny arm. It twitched slightly, moving just a few centimeters in an unintended direction.
"Oh, look, dear! He's trying to tell us something!" his new mother exclaimed, pointing at him.
'No, I'm not!' Lee thought, annoyed by the interruption.
"I think he wants milk!" his father said with a smile, poking Lee's cheek.
'Milk... No! I'm too old for this!' Lee panicked as his mother began to remove one sleeve of her blouse. 'No, no, no!'
Despite his frantic efforts, all Lee managed to do was wail, his baby body betraying his true intentions.
Four years later…
"Forty... forty-one... forty-two..." Lee's muscles trembled as he pushed himself off the ground.
"If I cannot do sixty pushups, I'll have to do one hundred and twenty squats!" he shouted, beads of sweat dripping down his face.
"Lee?! Are you working out in the garden again?!" his mother called from inside.
Holding his plank position, Lee replied, "Mother, I'm in the middle of training! I cannot stop to chat!"
"Today is the day of your quirk checkup! You can't afford to miss it if you're going to be a hero!"
Sighing, Lee responded, "Mother, you and I both know I'm quirkless. That's why I'm working on my body. I don't need a quirk to be a hero."
'Even in this world, I didn't end up with any gifts,' Lee thought, his resolve firm. 'My mission remains the same.'
Despite his protests, Lee finished his set with a triumphant yell. "Fifty-nine... sixty!" He collapsed onto his back, staring at the sky.
'Even in this world, there don't seem to be any quirkless heroes. But that isn't going to stop me from being the first.'
As Lee caught his breath, a familiar blue screen appeared before him.
[Congratulations. Training Complete. Physical Increase +0.007, Chakra Capacity Increased +0.004, Chakra Control Increased +0.007. Would you like to see your new stats?]
"Yes," Lee replied, wiping the sweat from his brow.
[New Stats:
Physical: Academy Student (4.411%)
Chakra Capacity: Academy Student (3.509%)
Chakra Control: Academy Student (3.905%)
Taijutsu: Academy Student (4.038%)
Skills: N/A]
"It feels good to know I am improving, even if it is little by little. But there is still so much more to go," Lee said, a satisfied smile creeping across his face.
[Lee...] the system began, but its words trailed off as Lee stood and stretched.
"Thank you," he said simply. "Now, let's get going."
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Reminder: Get this story to 50 powerstones by Sunday if you'd like me to continue this. Again, there will not be daily uploads for this, I'll just upload when I can!