Master
Master.
Someone to admire, to follow...
An important person to lead one down the right path.
But there comes a time when every student strives to surpass their master.
Report Card
A practical skills test instead of a regular exam, huh?
The format of the test is up to each team's jonin, too.
What're you gonna do, Kakashi?
I'll pass them if they can beat me in rock-paper-scissors.
Ah, very nice!
All right, I'll pit all four of us against each other,
in a no-holds barred battle royale until only one remains!
That's overdoing it!
Plus only one person could pass.
Back in the day they were so hopeless,
but they've truly become strong.
Speaking of which,
I hear Naruto's really something else these days.
Yeah...
He's left me in the dust.
So the student has surpassed the master.
It's a little frustrating,
but he can't be my student forever.
Don't go crazy with this, okay?
Right.
Student vs. Master! Rock Lee vs. Might Guy!
What do you think he called us for?
He's probably thought up another ridiculous training method.
Sounds good!
If I'm gonna be come a splendid ninja like Guy Sensei,
I have to go full tilt, no matter what he makes me do!
Yadda yadda yadda...
And so, for our team's test you will
each have to fight against me and win!
He's too excited...
No complaints!
Come at me in any order you want!
You're amazing, Guy Sensei, giving us the chance to face you directly!
Good lord...
Way too excited.
Good!
Eight Trigrams Air Palm!
You pass!
It's finally my turn.
Here I come, Guy Sensei!
Give it your all, Lee.
Yes!
Leaf Un, Deux, Trois!
It'll take more than that!
I should've expected that from you, Guy Sensei.
But...
The Eight Gates?!
No way, that stance is...
Morning Peacock!
Sensei... Why...
Lee, I warned you to take this seriously.
But it's just a test!
Yeah, that was way too harsh!
The format of the test is completely up to me.
And Lee is a ninja who can only use martial arts.
I'm grading him with different criteria.
I'm told Naruto has already overtaken his master, Kakashi.
You can have a one-week extension.
If you can't win a match against me by then,
I'll have you demoted to genin!
Don't let it get you down.
Maybe he's just in a bad mood.
I've never seen Guy Sensei like that.
Even when I went to his house and ate the curry he'd been saving...
When did you do that?
Or when I farted in the elevator...
He had no escape?!
Or when I stayed in the bathroom reading an entire Shonen Jump,
even though I knew he had to go really bad...
And entire issue? That's just cruel!
Of course he got angry with me, but today was different.
Yeah, for him to use the Morning Peacock against us...
Maybe hearing that Naruto had surpassed Kakashi Sensei...
...made him get fed up with me for
failing to improve after all this time.
Don't act so depressed!
You just need to beat him next week, right?
We'll help you train!
Let me think about it.
Lee...
I heard what happened.
Guy really put you through the wringer.
I want to prove that you can be a great ninja...
...without being able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu.
I've felt like that ever since the Academy.
Effort, guts, passion...
I gave everything I had.
Everything, everything, everything!
Every bit, every bit,
every bit, every bit!
All to become like my hero, Guy Sensei.
Whoa, wrong kind of hero.
Let's forget about the Hanazono Rubgy Stadium for now.
But it looks like Guy Sensei has finally given up on me.
I wonder.
That move is a double-edged sword that hurts its user, too.
If he resorted to using it...
You must understand why he was so strict.
I'm sorry. This is all I can do...
You fool!
I'm only being strict because I believe in you!
No.
He's trying to make me improve.
But Guy Sensei's so strong...
I can't hope to beat my master with just hand-to-hand combat...
There's no point to working hard if you don't believe in yourself!
That's what he always says, right?
Kakashi Sensei...
Students surpassing their masters is one of the...
...never ending cycles of life, and it's a good thing.
Guy feels that you're ready to take that step.
See ya.
Lee?
Please help me!
I must defeat Guy Sensei!
We start with basic forms. Fight!
Leaf Whirlwind!
If you can't stand up to Neji's and my strongest attacks,
you'll never beat sensei!
I understand.
Your strikes have gotten much more precise.
Thank you.
But this isn't enough.
The Morning Peacock problem, huh?
It destroys the opponent with flame and shock waves.
Creating a move to counter it will be a Herculean effort.
What if I come up with my own special shock wave, too?
Like that one legendary fighter!
Of course!
We'll get in a ton of trouble if you use that!
Oh, yeah...
Still, I need to think of a counterattack!
Morning Peacock...
I wonder, why morning?
Right!
To completely understand my opponent,
I must exhaustively research the Morning Peacock!
Morning...
Hurry up, Nejimi!
Why are you washing your hair in the morning?
I need to use the sink, too!
Did we just start a skit?
And anyways this is a morning shampoo!
I can't help it...
My hair will be a mess unless I wash, rinse, and repeat.
You should get up early in the morning, too, Leeko.
So it's stuff that you do in the morning, huh?
Anyway, you two, come finish your morning coffee and morning breakfast!
Don't bother! You're too ugly, Nejimi!
I'm nothing compared to you, you super-hyper-ultra pig.
Hey!
Takes one to know one!
Stop! Cut it out!
Knock it off, the both of you!
Ouch!
That hair... It's just like a peacock!
Bingo, that's the secret behind the Morning Peacock!
That makes no sense!
And if I'm a peacock, you're a chicken!
Well, we connected the morning to the peacock,
but it seemed kind of pointless.
So what now?
If we don't figure out the Morning Peacock he can't win.
There's only one option left.
Take it head on and overcome!
I will Surpass Guy Sensei!
One week later.
Lee faces his beloved teacher in a showdown.
Today's the day.
By the way, why are you all here?
It sounded fun.
To cheer for Lee!
I felt responsible.
I did egg him on a little.
I wondered who'd win between...
...Turd-Brows and Super Turd-Brows.
Sai, please stop coming up with nicknames.
Lee, this is a serious fight!
I'm sure you're aware that if you don't win against me,
you'll be demoted to genin!
I'm fully aware.
I will win...
...and surpass you, Guy Sensei!
T-This is kinda scary.
I've never seen them like this.
What's gonna happen?
Ready... fight!
Leaf Whirlwind!
They both started with the same move!
What a shock wave!
Who's kick landed?
Jeez, they both bashed their shins together!
This time I'll use a new move you don't know, Sensei!
Lee's got a new move?
When did he have the time?
The Leaf Whirlwind, the Leaf Violent Wind...
Leaf Whirlwind Leaf Violent Wind
I've learned many techniques from you with "wind" in the name, Sensei.
This is the move I created from following that rule!
He's spinning fast!
Leaf Gentle Breeze!
Oh, tee-hee...
Ew, that jutsu's gross!
The green reminds me of a kappa... and a big kappa?
Sai, are you still trying to come up with nicknames?
That's just the beginning.
The next one's even better!
That's some serious pressure!
Is he going to do something for real this time?
Here goes!
Leaf Naughty Wind!
For this move I rotate at high speed,
generating a naughty wind that blows up the skirts of any nearby girls!
That's just another dumb, perverted jutsu!
Sakura wears spandex shorts underneath her skirt,
but you still risked using that move anyway!
You're one heck of a guy, Bushy-Brows!
Don't be silly, Naruto.
What man wouldn't want a glimpse of those plump spandex―
What do you mean "plump?!"
Sakura, I understand how you feel,
but they're in the middle of their match!
Fine, on to the next move!
Leaf Snack
Leaf Snack, Octopuffs!
Octopuffs
That wasn't wind. It wasn't even a jutsu!
The soy sauce base is combined flawlessly with the octopus flavoring!
Neji?!
No, there's more...
The perfect level of crispiness...
Even my Sharingan can't fully comprehend it!
Why is everyone analyzing this stupid snack so seriously?
And you all eat way too fast!
Well played, Lee.
I love these for a snack, too!
Not you, too, Guy Sensei!
And are you taking damage?
The time for goofing around is about to end...
Here comes Guy!
Hey, he ate the whole bag!
Lee...
Have you exhausted all your new moves?
Now it's my turn to take the offensive.
I warned you I'd be attacking seriously. Prepare yourself!
He's opening the eight gates.
Then Guy Sensei's about to use it...
I've seen the Morning Peacock countless times.
That's why I'm going to―
Lee!
I'm sorry, guys...
You did so much to help me...
So good. The barbecue flavor's just as tasty—
Can't you wait till later to eat those?
You trained with me all that time...
Lee, forgive me.
Lee!
Thank you both so much.
It's because of you that I found my answer.
Guy Sensei, you're incredibly powerful.
But I won't let our fight end yet!
They've both opened the eight gates.
What's he thinking?
Come on, Lee!
Our training gave me a hint.
The Morning Peacock is a high-speed,
wide-range, multiple-strike attack.
The only way to counter it is to be even faster!
Faster... Much faster...
My jutsu that's even faster than a Morning Peacock!
Morning Chicken!
Huh?! Why a chicken?!
Morning Peacock!
This is getting crazy!
I see. He thought this through.
The chicken wakes up before the peacock.
That's how it can beat the peacock!
That has nothing to do with this!
You think you're faster than my Morning Peacock?
Gotcha!
Wow!
What... was that?
I'm just... getting started...
I will... surpass... Sensei...
Lee!
I'm so pathetic.
Sensei unleashed the Morning Peacock because he believed in me,
but I couldn't do it.
I guess I'll lose my rank as a chunin.
Oh, no...
Then he's going to call me a fool.
Indeed,
you are a huge fool.
No matter how many times I punch you,
you keep getting up, training like a man possessed,
and now you're starting to overtake me.
On that last exchange, your attack was faster.
Seeing that proved to me that you will become...
...a splendid ninja who will definitely surpass me.
A splendid fool of a ninja!
Then, I...
You just barely pass!
Thank you very much!
But be ready.
I'm going to work you to the bone until you surpass me for real!
Lee...
I'm so proud of you!
Guy Sensei...
Guy Sensei!
Lee!
They're expressing their love in a weird new way...
It's like two roosters crowing!
Look, it's finally over. That's good enough, right?
Okay!
How about chicken-kappas?
You're still working on that?!
It looks like Lee has a ways to go before overtaking his master.
But maybe the day isn't so far off!
Okay, let's train you to improve on that nice new move you developed!
Yes, Guy Sensei!
Morning Fried Chicken!
growl
This jutsu makes me hungry.
Can we get away from the morning stuff, please?
growl
Tenten, give me some of that!
growl
No way.
Come on!
No!
What's wrong with you two? You want to get in on this?
Cock-a-doodle-do!
Next week's title is "I Want my Popularity Back!"
I Want My Popularity Back! Death!
And "Death!"
That second title's creepy!
There's no way it'll be serious!
It's the story of a script writer who collapsed with a sudden illness,
but as the deadline approached, despite spewing bloody vomit,
he mustered the strength to pick up his pen
and then snuck out of the hospital while he was still admitted
and made it to the meeting.
His burning passion and willingness to die are contained within this title.
That was quite a back story.
Script writers have it rough.