Warning: SPOILERS for Naruto: Konoha's Story - The Steam Ninja Scrolls
The new Naruto sequel, Konoha's Story - The Steam Ninja Scrolls, explains the shocking (and ridiculous) reason behind the strength of one of the series' favorite characters, Rock Lee. Fans of Naruto knew that Lee faithfully follows the teachings of his master, Might Guy, but they had no idea of just how crazy his training could get.
Rock Lee represents a stereotype that is pretty common in shonen manga: a character without natural talent who makes it up with pure effort and determination. Unlike other shinobi, Lee can't use ninjutsu (special Ninja techniques that allow control and manipulation of natural elements) or genjutsu (illusion techniques), so he specializes in taijutsu (martial arts). For this reason, Lee trains his body to the extreme, following the teachings of his master, Guy, who is also a master of taijutsu who achieved unbelievable power through years of hellish training.
In Konoha's Story - The Steam Ninja Scrolls, Guy and his best friend (and rival) Kakashi leave the village of Konoha for a secret mission, which is however an excuse for a vacation. Mirai Sarutobi, a young and promising kunoichi and the daughter of Asuma Sarutobi, accompanies them as their bodyguard. In chapter #3, after they arrive in a small resort town, Kakashi gets excited to the point of the tears because they are in one important location in his favorite series of adult novels, Make-out Paradise. When Mirai asks to read the novel, naively thinking that the story is actually instructive, Guy instead suggests she reads his own book, a guide for exercising for 24 hours straight. When Kakashi points out this is impossible to do, Guy replies that Lee has actually been using his guide every day.
Rock Lee's New Training Regime Is On a Whole Other Level
Lee and Guy's hellish training regime was a recurring gag in Naruto. The couple would use any excuse to train, using things such as push-up sets or running laps both as punishment and reward for their actions, following a philosophy called "Power of Youth". Despite their often ridiculous antics, Guy and Lee's devotion to training their bodies has yielded incredible results. Lee's battle against Gaara in the Chunin Exam is one of the most appreciated in the entire Naruto series. Guy actually became so strong over the years that, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, he was able to fight on par for a while against the strongest shinobi, Uchiha Madara as the Ten-Tails jinchuriki, even if this had terrible aftereffects on Guy's body (who is still on a wheelchair in Konoha's Story). Lee also played a part in that epic battle, proving that he put his master's teaching to good use.
Rock Lee has sadly not enjoyed a lot of attention in the main Naruto sequel, Boruto, so it's impossible to know how strong he became after all those years. However, if he is still following his master's crazy teachings, including training for 24 hours straight for several days, Rock Lee could be one of the strongest shinobi in Naruto, and it's all thanks to the Power of Youth.
The latest chapter of Naruto: Konoha's Story - The Steam Ninja Scrolls is available through Viz Media.