Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 339 Rock Lee, Kakashi, and the Byakugan.

After taking another sip of hot tea, Bane called out, placed a few banknotes on the table, stood up, and prepared to go for a stroll.

After leaving the Ichiraku Ramen food stall, Bane quickly blended into the crowd and went with the flow.

Although he had his own goals, Bane wasn't actually in a hurry.

He has plenty of time to travel all over Konoha, so whether he has a map or not is just a matter of convenience.

Passing by another barbecue stall, he casually bought some fried skewers, eating as he walked. He quickly crossed the commercial street, and after walking only a few steps away, his eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his lips.

After leaving the commercial street, it was obvious that the number of people around had decreased significantly.

At this moment, by the wall of this unknown street, a boy wearing a green bodysuit, with a watermelon-shaped haircut and thick eyebrows, was hopping forward along the street with his hands behind his back, using a frog-jumping motion.

Occasionally, passersby would see this scene. Some were so familiar with it that they didn't pay any attention, while others would stop and observe it with some curiosity.

It was obvious that those familiar with this scene were locals from Konoha, who were already used to it, while those who were watching like Bane were mostly tourists.

Even with many people staring at him with strange looks, the boy remained unmoved and continued doing frog jumps earnestly. No one was supervising him, and he didn't slack off or deceive himself because of it.

This boy is none other than Rock Lee, the "hard-working genius" among the Konoha Twelve.

"Heave-ho. Heave-ho!" Rock Lee jumped forward a dozen more times with his head covered, when he suddenly realized that a figure was blocking his way.

He didn't seem inclined to speak, as if he were quite used to this kind of thing. He simply adjusted his direction slightly and prepared to jump around it.

But before he could jump again, a voice reached his ears.

"Young man, you're full of energy!"

It was Bane who spoke first, his tone crisp and powerful, brimming with appreciation.

"Huh?" Lee Rock stopped his training after hearing the voice and looked up at the figure in front of him.

My first impression was how tall he was. Guy was already considered quite tall in Konoha, but this man in front of me must be over two meters tall, right?

The rather thick-skinned Rock Lee didn't think much of it. After inwardly marveling at his height, he immediately stood up, enthusiastically gave a thumbs-up, and flashed a bright smile revealing a row of white teeth, saying, "How can a ninja be without energy? I am Rock Lee, the beautiful Blue Beast of Konoha, full of energy every day!"

"Hahaha, that's quite an impressive self-introduction." Bane laughed twice, then said, "I'm a tourist visiting Konoha, but I'm a little lost. I just happened to see you. Judging from the headband on your waist, you're a Konoha ninja, right?"

"That's right!" The simple and enthusiastic Rock Lee nodded without hesitation. "I'm a genin from Konoha. Uncle, are you here to observe the Chunin Exams that are going to be held in two days? I'm also one of the participants in these exams. Please look forward to my performance!"

"Oh, not bad, not bad, very confident, young man. Congratulations in advance on your successful promotion to Chunin." Bane patted Rock Lee's shoulder forcefully.

After being slapped twice, Lee Rock almost lost his balance and fell. He looked somewhat surprised; this guy had a strong grip!

Although he was a very energetic young man, Rock Lee scratched his head slightly embarrassed after being praised by Bane, and then said, "It's not guaranteed that I'll become a Chunin."

"How can you say such discouraging things? Since you've taken this exam, you should approach it with the determination to give it your all, put in 100% effort, and definitely achieve excellent results!" Bane encouraged, looking like a passionate middle-aged man.

And sure enough, Xiao Li fell for it. Hearing this, he excitedly raised his arms and said, "Yes, I will burn my youth, risk my life, and give 100% effort to pass this exam!"

"Very good, it takes this kind of spirit to become a Chunin!" Bane gave him a thumbs up.

After saying that, Bane asked, "This is my first time in Konoha, and there are so many people that I got a little lost. Doesn't Konoha have any places that sell maps? I wanted to explore more."

"Map?" Lee Rock asked with a slight doubt. "There are tourist guides that hand out free maps at the entrance of the village, and there are also tourist guides in almost every commercial street. If you ask them for a map, you don't need to buy one; they'll give it to you for free."

"Huh?" Bane was taken aback for a moment, then recalled that there seemed to be such a person, but he had mistaken him for a salesperson promoting a product, so he hadn't gone over to him.

"Is that so? I knew it. How could such a big village like Konoha not have a map?" Bane smiled slightly awkwardly.

Li was still very enthusiastic and took the initiative to ask, "Uncle, where are you going? I may not be able to help you in other ways, but when it comes to finding your way, there isn't a single street in Konoha that I haven't trodden!"

"Not bad, that confidence. Looks like you had a very passionate youth!" Bane raised an eyebrow and praised.

"Of course, I am the Blue Beast of Konoha, burning with youthful passion!" Rock Lee said without hesitation.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Bane asked immediately.

These words completely stunned Rock Lee, who had been so full of enthusiasm just moments before. He stood there staring at Bane, unsure of how to answer the question.

"Ahem," Bane teased the young man, then chuckled, "You still need to work hard. Alright, let's not talk about that. I heard that Konoha has the former residence of the Uzumaki clan, the ninja of the former Uzumaki Village, so I'd like to visit it."

"The former residence of the Uzumaki clan?" Rock Lee nodded, then said, "Yes, it does, but it seems to be closed to the public."

"Is there anything inconvenient? If so, then forget it," Bane said at the opportune moment.

"There's nothing inconvenient about it. As long as we don't go inside, it's fine to just look around from the outside," Lee Rock said immediately.

The Uzumaki clan is a distant relative of the Senju clan. They once established Uzushiogakure (Hidden Whirlpool Village) in the Land of Whirlpools and were allies with Konoha. The two sides were very close. The wife of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was from the Uzumaki clan. They helped a lot in the early development and construction of Konoha. To this day, the Uzumaki clan's symbol is still clearly visible on the vests of Konoha ninjas, representing Konoha's gratitude to them.

Unfortunately, Uzumaki Village has been destroyed, and the Uzumaki clan has been scattered throughout the ninja world, no longer living together as a clan.

"Really? I'm just curious about the once powerful and mysterious Vortex Clan. I'd be happy just to see them from the outside, if it's convenient," Bane said.

"Convenient, training is the same no matter where we are!" Rock Lee immediately agreed. "I'll lead the way, Uncle, please follow me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guy did a handstand, supporting himself on his hands and swinging his legs in the air, leading Bane forward in this bizarre posture.

Bane didn't react to Rock Lee's strange behavior, and calmly followed beside him, chatting idly.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"You're working so hard, kid. Even though you're only a genin, your skills must be pretty good, right?" Bane lit his pipe and said as he walked.

"Not at all. Although I've tried my best, it seems I'm a bit... well, I have very poor control over chakra, and I can hardly use ninjutsu or genjutsu, so I can only work on taijutsu." Rock Lee openly discussed his shortcomings and flaws.

"Is that so?" Bane nodded slightly, then said, "Although I'm not a ninja, since taijutsu is ranked alongside ninjutsu and genjutsu as one of the three major schools of ninjutsu, it must have its own advantages. Perhaps an all-around ninja is very powerful, but a ninja who excels in a particular area should not be underestimated either. So don't lack confidence in yourself. In my opinion, you may not have talent in ninjutsu and genjutsu, but maybe you are a genius in taijutsu?"

"A martial arts genius!?" Rock Lee seemed to have never been analyzed and praised like this before. He paused for a moment, then a hopeful smile appeared on his lips as he asked, "Uncle, do you think I'm very talented?"

"Talent is hard to say, but I think you've worked very hard," Bane said, his tone slightly wistful. "My teacher once told me that most people's level of effort is far from enough to compete on talent, so as long as you can maintain this effort and carry it through to the end, you've already surpassed most people."

Of course, the second half of that statement is: "Only when it really comes down to talent will you experience what despair is."

However, in Bane's view, this despair is not a mockery of fate, because when you taste this despair, you have already defeated the vast majority of people. Afterwards, as long as you admit that you are not really that talented, you are actually good enough.

"The uncle's teacher?" Rock Lee was somewhat moved by these words and looked at Bane with a little curiosity.

However, his head-down position was rather strange. Bane didn't meet his gaze, but instead exhaled a puff of smoke and grinned, saying, "That's right, although I'm not a ninja, I should be able to call myself a martial arts master without any problem."

"A martial arts master?" Rock Lee seemed to have no knowledge of this, and after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Is it like the samurai of the Land of Iron?"

"Not quite. If I had to say, we're actually a bit similar to you taijutsu ninjas, except we don't rely on... well, I should say we don't rely entirely on chakra?" Bane pondered for a moment.

"I don't understand what you mean at all, Uncle," Lee Rock said casually.

"Hahaha. Just take it as my ramblings," Bane replied with a laugh.

On a rooftop not far from this street, Kakashi was leaning against the railing, holding a copy of "Icha Icha Paradise" and reading it carefully, as if it contained all the essence of his life.

But just then, he seemed to realize something, closed the book in his hand, looked downstairs, and saw Lee Locke walking upside down on the street, with a man wearing a dark blue feather robe and a bamboo hat beside him.

Although it was hard to hear clearly, judging from Lee Rock's beaming smile, the two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

"The Third Hokage ordered us to stand guard here and investigate any potential threats in the village, but you're here reading this kind of book. Be careful, or I'll report you, Mr. Kakashi," a ninja with Byakugan said with a smile as he walked up the stairs.

"You were clearly thirty seconds late. Logically speaking, this is your shift. I've already finished my shift, Tokuma," Kakashi said calmly.

Hyuga Tokuma shook his head helplessly upon hearing this, saying, "This morning, someone made me work an extra two hours using the excuse that 'I'm lost on the path of life,' and now they want to calculate these thirty seconds with me?"

"Hahaha," Kakashi laughed awkwardly upon hearing this, then changed his tone and said, "I have a feeling something's off about that guy. Why don't you come and take a look?"

At that moment, his finger pointed at Bane, who was chatting with Rock Lee.

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Tokuma also looked over.

(End of this chapter)