It's getting colder every day.
Has anyone out there gotten sick yet?
What's the matter, Lee?
I think...
I'm getting a cold.
That's weird. You seemed fine yesterday.
Didn't you eat two bowls of ramen,
a plate of fried rice, and grilled liver yesterday?
I, uh...
Then you took a nap and did a thousand sit-ups after you woke up.
You see...
Last night I was training by eating ice cream naked under a waterfall.
Why would you do that at this time of year?!
It's probably because I peed on a worm on the way home...
Worms have no effect on training or health!
Regardless, my cold is only getting worse!
I need to lie down in a warm, sterile doctor's office and rest up!
Well...
I suppose...
Sakura's My Nurse!
I apologize for taking time away from your training.
But I should be fine now.
Tenten, please, go back and keep practicing.
Don't worry about it!
I came all this way. I'd be happy to stay with you.
No! Training time is much too valuable,
I couldn't bear to impinge on it!
Is there some reason you don't want me to be here?
Oh no.
Of course not.
Then what's the big deal?
I'll go get you checked in, be right back!
Exam Room
Next patient!
Oh, Lee and Tenten!
Sakura? What're you doing here?
Lady Tsunade's out today,
so I'm working as the nurse on duty in her place.
Oh?
Sakura!
What's wrong, Lee?
Well...
As you can see, I've caught a bad cold.
I see... You, too, huh?
Too?
Naruto?
Hey, Bushy-Brows.
Bushy-Brows, are you faking just to hang out with Sakura?
Naruto, how could you even say that?
I would never!
Are you suggesting that I sat naked under a waterfall eating ice cream,
and went out of my way to pee on a night crawler?
And when I woke up the next day still feeling perfectly healthy,
was left with no choice...
...but to skip out on training and fake being sick in...
...a last-ditch effort to have Sakura care for me?
Is that what you're saying?
You totally just confessed.
Oops!
Great minds think alike.
So you're faking, too?
Maybe.
What're you two chatting about?
Nothing!
Tenten, shouldn't you get back to your training?
Am I getting in the way here?
O-Of course not!
We're in trouble, Naruto.
I think Tenten suspects we're not really sick.
If the truth comes out, we're toast.
We have to keep up the act!
No matter what it takes!
Let's see if you've got fevers.
Time to take your temperature!
Temperature?
Faker's Highway Checkpoint
We will now take your temperature!
Those with normal temps will be taken for questioning!
Here it comes, the first checkpoint on "Faker's Highway."
Body temperature!
Many who attempt to travel down Faker's Highway meet their end here.
36.2?
You simpleton!
None with a normal temperature may pass!
One needs to be at least at 37 degrees...
...before they may even glimpse the promised land!
We can't let our ruse be exposed yet!
Ninja Art, Thermometer Friction Fire!
We've all done this at least once, right?
All done!
37.8...
Yep, you're a little feverish.
You're next, Lee.
Did you see my amazing ninja technique, Bushy-Brows?
What've you got?
I won't give up that easily!
Nice, Bushy-Brows!
You raised your temperature with pure burning passion!
A fever like that is much more than a common cold!
Hey, guys, how you feeling?
We're here for a visit.
This melon looks delicious!
You shouldn't have!
I didn't want to, it was pretty troublesome.
But Choji wouldn't take no for an answer.
I thought we'd all split it.
Don't mind if I do!
What's this?
Hm, you guys are looking pretty healthy to me.
Oh, you've definitely got an appetite, too!
Crap.
Factitious Labyrinth, a maze many heroes have entered, never to return.
Within lies a trap of epic proportions, the Friendly Visit!
When you reach for the yummy melon...
If you're that eager to eat you've gotta be faking!
How troublesome!
If our illusion is revealed, it's game over!
Shikamaru's a genius with an IQ of 200.
Flimsy lies won't work on him!
We'll just have to endure.
But then...
Ah, if you're not hungry, we'll just have to eat it.
Don't wanna let that baby go to waste.
...Choji will eat the whole thing!
Well, uh...
I want a piece.
Bushy-Brows?
Stop! It's too dangerous!
Oh, so you do have an appetite?
Not really, no.
But I want to get over this cold as soon as possible,
so I need to get proper nourishment!
You do?!
Now, give me the melon!
My melon...
Oh, stop crying.
Yup, gotta stay nourished,
even when you don't wanna eat!
Indeed.
I have zero appetite,
but the body needs nutrients to heal itself!
Is it just my imagination,
or do they both seem just fine?
Actually, there's something I want to confirm, too.
I think we're in the clear, Naruto.
Yeah!
Now we just need to wait and let Sakura wait on us hand and foot.
How're you two doing?
All better?
We're in no condition to be out and about yet.
We need Sakura to nurse us back to health.
Oh?
Well, if you want to get better,
you need your shots.
Sh-Shots?!
It won't hurt... much.
Wh-Wh-Wh-What do we do?!
The jig is up, we gotta confess!
Please stay calm, Naruto.
If we back down now,
all our hard work will have been in vain!
But we're up against needles!
I know.
But even when facing a needle,
if we don't stick out, we won't get stuck.
What'd you say?
Who knows the answer?
Me! Me!
Man, I have no idea.
But if I don't raise my hand, I'll stick out and she'll pick me.
And if I do raise it she could pick me anyway―
Bushy-Brows?
Whoa!
He's got his hand at just the right height. I can't tell if he's raising it or not!
There's no way she'll pick him.
If we don't stick out, we won't get stuck.
Brilliant. I'm in.
How about Hinata?
Yes!
I see, if we don't get picked...
...we don't get sticked!
Makes sense.
Good plan.
Like that would ever work!
Faking sick properly is a difficult challenge.
Kids, be good and don't imitate these two!
Everyone's seen a display like this before, right?
Yes, these are campaign posters!
Looks like the Hidden Leaf's having an election, too.
Voting for the Leaf Village Popularity Contest takes place tomorrow!
Leaf Village Popularity Contest
Our network took a poll of likely voters to see where everyone currently stands.
Pre-Vote Data
Popularity
Likability
We asked 1000 random people.
More than my partner
Friend
Cousin
Friend of a friend
Meh
Who cares
In first place, with a commanding lead over the second-place candidate...
Sasuke Uchiha
956 votes
Mr. Sasuke!
There's no doubt he'll place high in the actual voting tomorrow.
What the heck?!
I'm the main character, and Sasuke's been...
...shown like two times! Why is he in first place?!
Well, I guess it's because he's just that cool?
Fine, what place did I come in?
Didn't rank
You didn't rank.
I-I...
I didn't rank?!
One Vote for Rock Lee!
All-Night Debate
I call to order the traditional meeting...
...of experts on the night before voting day.
Sasuke Uchiha placing first is a problem, no?
Sasuke hasn't been a resident of our village for some time now!
This is a popularity contest.
There's no rule stating the candidates have to live here.
What about the rumors Orochimaru is running?
Rock Lee didn't even rank. That's a huge issue!
I can't believe the main character's this unpopular...
Rock Lee
I will surpass any genius through hard work! It's time to train!
Perhaps it's time we considered replacing him.
I concur.
That's too rash.
He doesn't take his position seriously enough!
No, no―
This is awful.
At this rate, I'll lose my job!
I agree that not even ranking is a bad sign.
How long a show lasts is tied directly to the main character's popularity.
Why am I so unpopular?
Wait...
Does my campaign poster look stupid?
What is this monstrosity?!
They couldn't take a better picture?
The flashes were so bright
I couldn't help but squint the whole time.
This was the best one they got.
You should've kept them shut.
Hey, Tenten, your picture...
...looks a lot prettier than in real life.
Now that you mention it...
Was this picture...
...shopped?
Wh-What if it was?
I'm a girl. I'm allowed a few digital enhancements, aren't I?
It's not like I'm completely unrecognizable...
A few?
Oh shut up, leave me alone!
They made your Leaf symbols bigger, that must be it.
They didn't edit that!
And your hair buns are smaller, too.
That's not it either!
Tenten, are you aiming for first place so you can take my job?
No, of course not―
Ding ding ding!
Naruto!
Every character wants the lead role!
No... You, too, Naruto?
Wait, are you in danger of losing the lead role in the main series?
Kakashi Sensei's really popular nowadays.
Itachi, too.
Don't say any more!
I'm here to take over this show, too!
Keep the seat warm for me until tomorrow!
I have to come up with a way to win this contest!
And the next morning, voting began.
Naruto Uzumaki! Cast your votes for Naruto Uzumaki!
Very flashy. That's just like him.
So that's his game, huh?
If Naruto's gonna be flashy,
I'll fight back by relating to the common man!
That'll be 530 yen.
Um...
Huh?
Uh, just a second...
Can you hurry it up?
What's going on?
Sorry!
There it is. I have a coupon.
Sorry, that coupon expired yesterday.
That is a common occurrence, but it's got nothing to do with the contest!
Then I'll compete on policy.
Policy?
Yeah!
When I'm voted most popular character,
I'll increase ratings to 200%!
That's mathematically impossible!
I'll make the comic a bestseller,
and win the Akutagawa Award, the Naoki Award,
and the Nobel Prize!
Those are all for novels!
Comics don't qualify!
All DVDs of the show will be free!
That's definitely not happening.
You're just making a bunch of promises you can't possible keep.
I thought that's what everyone did.
If any actual politicians heard that, they'd be pretty miffed.
Voting Update
We're here in front of the polling station with our first report.
Early Tally Currently 5% of the vote is in.
Wh-What's going on?
The picture shrank.
Early Tally
We're using this ticker to report the results as fast as possible.
So no matter what show is airing, people can see who's winning, huh?
That's neat and all, but don't you think it's too cramped?
You're not supposed to be on that side!
Candidate Lee is in a real pinch.
Neji Hyuga
We're getting an update!
The results are in already?
W-Wow!
We are predicting that Candidate Neji Hyuga will take fourth place!
That was fast!
Hyuga Campaign HQ
Fourth place... Sounds about right.
How can they confirm all those votes when the polls just opened?
Could it be possible...?
Fire SP The Mystery of the Early Voting Results!!
Behold! The secret of the network's ability...
...to apparently predict the winners of elections is revealed!
We're here to prove the rumors that the...
...TV station is in possession of a time machine!
Time machines don't exist!
And stop rifling through people's drawers!
Actually, they perform complicated analyses...
...of entry and exit polls, and―
I get it.
Basically, they round up the money they get over the holidays,
and plan out what they can buy with it.
That's easy to understand, but I think it's a little off...
Naruto's popularity is shooting way up!
It is?!
You shaking in your boots yet, Bushy-Brows?
I'd expect nothing less from the main show's main character.
Yeah, same here.
Is this one of your fliers?
Bikini girls?
So this is the secret to your popularity!
Does that really sway anyone?
I'm sure there's a sizable demographic who'll vote for stuff like this.
However!
You may win their votes, but you won't win their hearts!
Lee...
Bushy-Brows...
I want to win supporters honestly, by being myself!
Let's see what you've got, then!
You talked a big game. Do you have a plan?
You bet I do.
Rock Lee!!
For a bright future!
Look at this flyer!
I got coupons for some of the major village shops.
The people will love me for this!
There's not an honest fiber in those coupons!
That flyer's totally against the rules!
Well said!
You fool!
Guy Sensei...
Lee, why did you become a ninja?
Have you forgotten?
A ninja lives in the shadows.
Even completely unseen,
his worth is measured by
his ability to complete the mission.
Guy Sensei... I was wrong!
I'll never be a great ninja if I run around worrying about popularity contests!
Lee!
Guy Sensei!
And so, Lee forgot about the vote and went back to training.
Popularity Contest
Confirming the results!
#10 - #2
But the contest continued.
We're here with somewhat bittersweet news for places 3 through 10.
Miss Katsuyu, anything to say about your placing 6th?
Why did I rank below a slug?!
We've just tallied the last votes for Candidate Rock Lee.
He ranks...
First! Incredible!
You did it, Lee!
Way to go!
Congratulations #1!
Why'd his popularity shoot up so much?
Why do you think?
The sight of Lee working so hard to better himself moved the people.
Let's hear from the voters.
"Lee training in the background was impressive!"
Scandal for General Election Candidate!
Akamaru caught urinating in public!
"He looked really cool flitting in and out of the shot!"
"We heard similar things from many others."
So you were trying to be popular after all!
Nice job, Lee!
Thanks, Guy Sensei!
Breaking news.
Breaking Election News
Regarding the tally for Rock Lee...
It seems there was an error.
The correct results are now in, and first place...
Candidate Sasuke Uchiha!
Sasuke wins the contest!
Um...
I was so low...
Rock Lee ranked...
Er, he didn't rank.
U-Unranked...
Another mystery of election predictions!
Sometimes, they mess up!
Kids, when you're old enough,
make sure you get out and vote!
Should the moral be that serious?
Next week is "Might Guy - A Story of Love and Hair!"
Might Guy - A Story of Love and Hair! Substitute Narrator!
and "Substitute Narrator!"
The narrator's got a tough job.
You've gotta be able to recite your lines quickly and smoothly.
I've been doing practice exercises!
Peter Piper peck―
Peeper―
You're hopeless.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers!
Wow, Neji's way better at this than you!