Chunin Challenge: Rock Lee vs. Sasuke!

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Chunin Challenge: Rock Lee vs. Sasuke!
Premiere date:	6 March 2003
Episode Length:	24.5 minutes
Episode Code:	022
Episode Airdate:	6 March 2003 18 October 2006
Manga Arc:	Chunin Exam

Chunin Challenge: Rock Lee vs. Sasuke! (Japanese: 気合い120％　ナウでロックな挑戦状！, - Kiai hyaku-nijū pāsento Nau de rokku na chōsenjō!) is episode 22 of the anime series Naruto. The episode's storyline is from the Chunin Exam manga arc.

[edit] Plot

Team 7 has gone off to register for the Chunin exams. Neji realizes after Sakura calls Sasuke and Naruto by name as they leave that he's probably of the Uchiha clan. Team Guy is about to leave too, but Lee declares that he needs to take care of something and that Neji and Tenten go on ahead without him.

Team 7 is still on their way when Lee confronts them. Naruto's surprised, Sakura's horrified, and Sasuke's annoyed. Lee formally introduces himself and challenges Sasuke to a fight, letting him know he knows he's from the Uchiha clan. He claims he's the strongest Konoha Genin and he wants to test his skills against someone of the great Uchiha clan and then promptly looks at Sakura. He tells her he loves her, but she freaks out over his appearance. He sends a heart at her, but she dodges it. He send multiple hearts at her at once, but she dodges all of them and flips out at him. He's hurt over her anger and Naruto's fuming over Sasuke getting so much attention.

Sasuke says he doesn't want to fight and that Lee doesn't know the true power of the Uchihas. Lee still takes up a fighting stance anyway. Naruto yells that he wants to fight Lee, but Lee isn't interested. Naruto stills jumps at him, but Lee does his Leaf Whirlwind that sends Naruto crashing into the wall. After seeing this, Sasuke is interested and agrees to Lee's challenge. Sakura notices they have less than a half hour left to register, but Sasuke confidently tells her it'll be over quick.

Lee and Sasuke engage, but Lee quickly gains the upper hand with his agility. Sasuke decides to pull out his trump card with his Sharingan, but this ability proves useless because though he can see what moves Lee is about to do next Lee is just too fast for him. Lee pummels him with move after move and starts to set up for the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, involving the removal of his tape. But a flying pinwheel pins the end of the tape to the wall and a turtle is shown, telling Lee to stop it. Lee lands in front of the turtle, but Sasuke can't manage to make it out of his fall and Sakura catches him. All of Team 7 is stunned by what just occurred.

Lee starts talking to the turtle like he would any normal person and Naruto deduces that the turtle must be his sensei, especially after Lee starts fearfully apologizing to it. Naruto ponders if a turtle could become a sensei much to Sakura's annoyance and Sasuke's furious he lost to someone like Lee. The turtle asks if Lee's ready for his punishment and when he says yes the turtle calls forth Might Guy, Lee's sensei and someone who looks exactly like Lee. His sudden outrageous appearance freaks out all of Team 7, by screaming simultaneously. including Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura makes comments about Guy's appearance, inciting Lee's wrath. But Guy tells him not to bother with it and promptly punches him in the face, freaking out Team 7, again by screaming simultaneously.

Lee is sent flying and Guy approaches him again. The pair immediately start sobbing hysterically and hug each other with the background of a setting sun and a huge wave. Team 7 watches on in horror and Sasuke ponders how he could lose to someone like Lee. Guy and Lee are still clinging to each other and the turtle is crying too. Naruto comments that it's kind of sweet and Sakura flips out on him. Guy tells Lee that it's all right that everyone makes mistakes. He then points into the setting sun and tells Lee to do 100 laps on the training grounds.

As they leave, Naruto and Sakura stop them to remind them of the Chunin exam. Guy reprimands Lee again and tells him after the exam he will have to 500 laps. Naruto and Sakura look on in disbelief while Sasuke wears the same pissed off look throughout the scene. Guy looks at them, musing about them being Kakashi's team which freaks Sakura out. Guy asks about Kakashi and declares that Kakashi and him are eternal rivals. None of them believe him until Guy appears behind them quickly and reveals his win/loss record, which he claims is one point better than Kakashi. Team 7 looks at him in disbelief. He apologizes for Lee and tells Lee to go with them for registration. He frees Lee's tape from the pinwheel and the turtle and him teleport out of there. Naruto notices the state of Lee's hands as he wraps them back up.

Lee tells Sasuke that he lied before about himself being the strongest Konoha Genin. He says the strongest Genin is in fact on his team (Neji) and he is his true target, not Sasuke. He leaves Team 7 alone and Sasuke is positively furious.

Naruto only fuels his anger and Sakura's when he talks about how weak Sasuke really is. He points out the state of Lee's hands and mentions how he must've trained every single day up to the exams and that he trains harder than Sasuke. Sasuke transfers his anger into something else; excitement. He mentions how exciting the Chunin exams are and Team 7 goes off to register.

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