Teacher's competence

[*starfruits*]

The air was warm, heady and rich with the scent of apple blossom as two lone genin trudged their way to their respective shanty homes after a brisk, brutal reprimanding report from the buxom, yet ill-tempered Gondaime Hokage, Tsunade.

Rock Lee?s dark eyes were narrowed towards the ground on which he walked, his manner unusually wordless as he bit his lip in recollection of the weighty red markings which soiled his mission papers, which were suggestive for his and Uzumaki Naruto?s colossal failure of the B-Rank, and to this, the youth felt his stomach turn about in a confused combination of indignity, irritation and melancholy.

The fault of this failure had rested upon the fox-whiskered blond who idly trudged behind him in grudging solitude, occasional griping about the old woman?s choice of wording in her ?thorough appraisal? of their wrongs, and the raven-haired youth felt his temperate blood burn his cheeks at that recollection. It was all because Naruto did not think they should have followed up a lead simply due to the fact that the source of said necessary information had resonated from Lee?s adored sensei, Maito Gai. The dishonor had proved true as the essential points were missed by both boys, due to Rock Lee?s having spent all his available time attempting to convince Naruto of his sensei?s total and utter competence despite his usual manner, and Naruto for having dismissed it in the first place.

[Hrtofdrkns]

"Ne fuzzy-brows, this is all your fault." Naruto said casually, not really caring that much about what had just happened.

[*starfruits*]

The dark-featured genin twitched at that, before puffing out his cheeks in a vain effort to keep himself calmed, and he soon swiveled on his heel, stamping a foot steadfastly into the ground and pointing a dogged stare at the other youth, ?What was that?!?

Biting his lip, the genin trembled, though soon regained his composure, battling his youthful, hot-blooded urge to punch the other boy in the face, ?Naruto-kun, please don?t say things like that when you know they?re not true!?

[Hrtofdrkns]

"Yeah it's true." The kyuubi-container said. "If you had just admitted that your sensei doesn't know what he's talking about, we won't have gotten in trouble."

[*starfruits*]

?Please don?t talk about my sensei like that!!? Lee barked, his chest heaving with repressed rage as a bandaged fist clenched before him. He chewed on the inner flesh of his bottom lip, before exhaling and proceeding on, ?Ne, you KNOW that Gai-sensei was right! We found out the lead, but we had MISSED it because YOU wouldn?t listen!?

Having finally released what he had wanted to say from the very beginning, the hot-blooded youth swallowed, and pressed his lithe palms to his hips, as they soon ascended back up to his chest as his fa?ade became ever-more fretting, as he added with vague afterthought, ?What will Gai-sensei say when he finds out I failed a ?B? Rank for the first time???

[Hrtofdrkns]

"Probably something about youth or discipline." Naruto casually remarked, walking right past Lee.

[*starfruits*]

?Ne, and what will Kakashi-sensei say to you, Naruto-kun?? Lee began as a come-back as the fox-whiskered genin sidled past him irritably, swelling with confidence that his sensei?s rival would have choice words to say to the blond in addition. Without knowing much at all. He was clutching at straws, but? there was something about the Uzumaki boy?s whole attitude that was beginning to rile him.

[Hrtofdrkns]

"Eh, he won't care." Naruto brushed off Lee's worry. Why would Kakashi care? Nobody cared about Naruto, so why should he care about anything?

[*starfruits*]

Lee studyed the slightly-younger genin?s fa?ade for a long moment, moving towards the blond, and he understood. He and Naruto were not so different, after all. Both childhoods had been bereft, both sought for attention, and equally, both had dangerously naive wills. There was only one difference that cut their complete, unparalleled similarity. Once reaching the other boy, the raven-haired shinobi voiced softly, yet resolutely, ?I care, Naruto-kun.?

He rose his lithe, bandage-clad arms and fixed his hand about Naruto?s right wrist, and began to drag him off to the side, to the deserted park where Konoha?s memorial stone resided, ?I don?t want to have this trouble on our next mission together? ne, do you understand, Naruto-kun?? Lee uttered conversationally as he reached a stilted wooden bench, and he soon directed his strong-willed dark eyes to the other boy in fair question.

[Hrtofdrkns]

"Wha...what are you doing fuzzy-brows?" Naruto asked, getting a bad feeling. Usually when he pissed someone off they yelled at him and he soaked up the attention, but this time felt different.