Chen was a man past his prime. His dread-locks were held up in a high ponytail gray with age. Dressed in a Bruce Lee-Esque yellow jumpsuit with black lines, a green sweatband, red square-framed sunglasses, and bright purple open-toed sandal, the Taijutsu master was somehow even more of a fashion disaster than Gai. He was also missing an upper right tooth and sported a Manchu mustache and trimmed chin-beard.

"Huh? What the..? Are you alright there little girl?"

He was also understandably confused as to why this little girl who has been leaving him delightful riceballs every day for the past year at his grave suddenly shouted when she saw him. She asked him to wait for her and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to come barreling through the bushes on the other side of the clearing moments later looking as if she had been chased by wolves or something.

"Hello, Master Chen!"

"Oh? Do you know who I am? I suppose my great reputation precedes me! Hohohoho!"

"Yes! You're the great Taijutsu master, one of the heroes of the Third Shinobi war."

"Hero, you say? Well, I wouldn't do that far, but I suppose I've become rather famous since my "death"? How interesting!"

The man had a happy grin on his face at learning even little kids as young as Julia knew of his deeds, munching on the offered riceballs while using his gravestone. He was under the wrong impression of the girl's actual age. Julia was only 6 years old but already over four feet tall, compared to the man's relatively short 5 feet stature.

"Of course everyone knows of your great accomplishments in battle. In the academy, you are a role model for every kid," A blatant lie, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him. "Which is why... I have come to request you please take me as your disciple! Please!"

Kneeling on the ground, Julia lowered her head in a show of respect to the prideful martial artist. However whatever joyful ambiance in the atmosphere instantly died out. She still remembered the episode so she already knew the man was bitter over his student's death. Even over 12 years later he would still refuse to acknowledge Lee until the boy bested his secret move in the Fourth Shinobi War, to say the least of how he'd feel now only a mere year since his beloved pupil's death.

"No. Is this why you've been visiting every day? If so I regret to inform you that you've wasted your time and need not come by anymore. The Leaf Dragon God shall die with me, I will never take another disciple again. I suggest you run along home little girl, the life of a shinobi is a harsh one."

"Master Chen, please reconsider!"

"I said no little girl. Stop being stubborn and leave already. There are plenty of other qualified teachers in the Academy. Seek out one of them for further training if you wish, but I'd rather be left alone."

"It's true there might be plenty of talented Shinobis in Konoha, but none are as well versed as you in Taijutsu. I wish to become a Taijutsu Master, I beg of you please lend me your aid and guidance."

"Taijutsu..? What good is Taijutsu? A fancy punch or kick doesn't mean anything. In the world of Shinobi, what use is a fist against the might of the Elements? Listen to me kid, this is a friendly tip from your elders, stick to Ninjutsu or hell even Genjutsu. Only a fool would walk the path of Taijutsu, and it'll only lead you to an early grave..."

The boisterous tone in his voice as he was bragging about his martial arts seconds ago was now nowhere to be seen, his eyes grew dim and hollow. It was as if he had rapidly aged decades within seconds and it was clear that he was a man haunted by regrets.

"Then so be it. I'll take gladly take on that title, hell, I'll be the biggest damn fool on the planet if that's what it takes. Please teach me so I can be The Greatest Taijutsu Master."

"...The youth these days, so insistent. Listen, kid, I like you. Really, I do, and it may sound harsh but you need to wake up. Dreams are for you're sleeping and chasing impossible ones will only end with you getting hurt."

The old man gave a long-suffering sigh as he saw earnest blue eyes peering up at him. This little brat was a troublesome one that didn't seem to know when to quit it seems. It reminded him of another certain young lad with the same look who also came to him for training.

"Listen up, I'll tell you a story, and perhaps by the end you'll finally see reason. Once upon a time, there was a young boy not much older than you in fact. He was an untalented loser, stupid, and bullheaded. Just like you in fact."

There was a soft laugh but they lacked any mirth as the owner was lost in reminiscence.

"Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, hell even Taijutsu, he couldn't do a single thing right. Which was why he did the only thing he could. He trained. Day and night he could be found in the training grounds punching and kicking away at a wooden post, until his small face was red as a tomato, until he was soaked in sweat, until his skin split and his knuckles bleed. He never once stopped. Upon a strange quirk of fate, a young, handsome, and incredibly talented master had wandered by the field in happenstance. He observed the boy for some time before being moved by his sheer determination to make something of himself with only Taijutsu."

Julia already knew the backstory of "The Character" Chen, but listening to "Chen the Person" and his tale of his first meeting with his student and knowing the ending already, it was absolutely heartbreaking. The raw emotion, the guilt, the beaten old man who had given up on his life and was content to shut himself away from his friends and family, the very world itself, and falsify his death. Another victim of the Shinobi System.

"They trained, and every day changed from one of pain and hardship to ones of fulfillment and reaching new heights. The master-" Chen decided to drop the pretense at last with a shuddering breath as if to brace himself to face his sins. "I, trained him with everything I had and in return, Hu gave me everything he had every session. He was a bit dimwitted, but he had a bright future in front of him with his guts and determination. At least, that's what I thought. Genin, Chunin, even Jonin, Hu showed everyone who doubted him that he was something special but being special wasn't enough. The Third Shinobi War... So many had died, but never in my wildest dream did I imagine he would be one of them. All because I taught him Taijutsu and helped him. Do you understand now, girl?"

Chen didn't wait for her to reply before continuing.

"It wasn't by my hands, but it was my fault. I gave him the tools he needed to run around playing Ninja when he had no right to be one. I pushed him to keep going further, never knowing how to stop. I killed him. Someone who can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu has no place being a Shinobi, and I have no right to have anyone call me their master. I'm a sham and should've never gotten a disciple in the first place."

Julia couldn't see his eyes through his sunglasses, but she could see the trail of tears flowing down his sunken face, his white knuckles and shaking fists.

"Do you really mean that..?"

"Of course I do. Look at me, sitting up here and eating rice balls when it should've been me instead, not him. Six feet under in the cold hard ground, wasting away when he had his entire future ahead of him!"

To her eyes, it seemed as if it was the old man who was wasting away. His body may have been fine but his spirit was slowly rotting in despair and guilt. She finally got up and walked closer to the old man.

"Do you think so little of Hu and the time you've spent together?"

"Wha-"

"I said do you really look down on your own student that much? From what you told me, he seemed like a great man. I didn't know he was such a useless punk as to be scared of something so pathetic like death. Shinobi are those who endure. I am sure he died for a great cause and did so with pride, yet here you are blabbering and crying like a little girl. Man up and stop belittling his death! You don't get the right to decide how he lives his life, he made the choice to live his life his way and we should respect that."

Suddenly a tiny fist darted out and sucker-punched the man in the face. He was caught off guard and sent rolling across the field.

"Now, how about you shut up and stop feeling bad for yourself. If I was Hu I'd be rolling in the grave embarrassed to death to call such a sorry sight of a man my master. He might be dead but his dream isn't. His and mine are one and the same, so help me. Pass on your legacy and leave everything to me, I won't die so easily and I'll make sure to achieve it for the both of us! I'll be the greatest Shinobi using Taijutsu!"

If Anime and Shounen ever taught her anything it was that there was nothing like a good old fashion beat down to sort out your feelings after all.

"His... Dream? You'll carry it..?" The man was obviously dazed, whether it was from her words or the knock to the head was up in the air. "Don't make me laugh. A little girl like you wishes to carry such a heavy burden?"

"It's not a joke you shitty old man. I'm strong, and I'll only become stronger. I'll prove it to you right now, show me your Leaf Dragon God, I'll break through it and maybe get through to your thick head!"

Perhaps it was an act of anger, or maybe his pride compelling him, but Julia liked to think that hope wasn't completely dead inside his heart as the old man rose to her challenge. He hopped onto his feet with the grace of a man half his age. With a slow and deep inhale he spun around in a spinning hook kick towards the air. The seemingly simple movement caused air to rapidly gather around him before condensing into gale-force winds.

Within moments Julia was facing a tangible spinning mass of razor shape wind in the shape of an eastern dragon with long whiskers. Maybe it was because of his far younger age, or maybe because the old man wasn't showing his full might in the episode but the dragon she saw was far larger than the one Lee had faced. She was a bit nervous even if she knew the "weakness" of the technique and its counter.

"Leaf Dragon God!"

Ok, calm down, it's alright. You can do this Julia! All you need to do is enter the sky scrapper sized dragon's mouth, avoid turning into minced meat by the wind blades inside, spin fast as fuck clockwise to counter the rotation in the eye of the dragon, and reach the ground. All without turning yourself into a paste. No problem, easy peasy. Lee managed to do it on his first try, so why can't I?