Early the next morning, Ryosuke woke up feeling completely refreshed. He shrugged his shoulders a few times—no pain at all.
Muttering to himself, he said,
"Looks like it's time to go get beaten up again."
At this point, he had truly grown fond of getting beaten. Not only could it increase his physical attributes, but it also helped sharpen his taijutsu combat skills. A day without a solid thrashing felt like something was missing.
After a quick wash, he headed over to Ichiraku Ramen and devoured a hot bowl of noodles. Once done, he immediately went in search of Might Guy.
But after searching the entire Leaf Village, he realized he couldn't find him anywhere.
Only then did it hit him—Guy must be out on a mission.
Unlike Ryosuke, who avoided joining the Uchiha Police Force thanks to his connections, Guy was a civilian ninja. If he didn't do missions, how would he make a living?
Resigned, Ryosuke returned to the Uchiha clan district and slipped into the nearby grove.
With no one to spar against, he could only train alone. He certainly wasn't foolish enough to provoke other ninjas—unlike Guy, not everyone would hold back. Random shinobi might actually injure him for real, and that'd just be asking for trouble.
Even if solo training didn't boost his stats much, some gain was still better than nothing.
He started with a run around the grove. Each lap was roughly 300 meters. After 33 laps, he'd clocked 10 kilometers—great for building endurance and cardio.
Next came 100 push-ups to strengthen upper-body muscles and enhance explosive power.
Then 100 sit-ups, to train abdominal muscles and stamina.
Finally, 100 squats, to build leg strength and improve endurance and lung capacity.
This, of course, was the training method used by Saitama—the One Punch Man.
Perhaps in his original world, such a regimen wouldn't make someone all-powerful. But in the world of Naruto, where chakra amplified physical prowess, it might just lead him to Saitama-level strength.
After all, Might Guy had already displayed near-invincible force when he opened the Seventh Gate.
Even his technique Daytime Tiger was like a long-range shockwave, resembling ninjutsu.
And Ryosuke? He had a Sharingan. As long as he kept leveling it up, he could eventually see through almost all genjutsu. Combine that with insane physical stats and he'd become a truly well-rounded warrior.
In this world, where ninja were glass cannons—high offense, low defense—his tankiness and recovery speed would become deadly assets.
Even someone as powerful as Uchiha Madara, a man who rivaled the Sage of Six Paths, had died to a kunai through the heart. If Ryosuke could just endure a few more hits than others, trading blows would become a winning strategy.
While lying on the ground catching his breath, drenched in sweat, he heard the mechanical voice of the system:
"+1 Strength, +1 Speed, +1 Stamina."
Ryosuke beamed with satisfaction. Though it was only one point each, he could feel his muscles strengthening.
A warm current surged through his body, soothing the soreness in his limbs. With feedback this concrete, it proved that even solo training could help him reach "One Punch Man" levels of power.
He knew how Saitama could release shockwaves with a punch. And in Naruto, Guy could do that with Daytime Tiger. If Ryosuke could achieve that kind of force without even using chakra, he'd truly be in a league of his own.
If he could overcome genjutsu with his Sharingan and develop physically to such a level, he'd become a nightmare to deal with.
Especially in this world, where one solid hit could mean death, Ryosuke was building a defense that could turn fights in his favor.
Just then, two figures emerged from the woods nearby: Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi.
Izumi had invited Itachi out to practice kunai-throwing after school.
Though Izumi already had a two-tomoe Sharingan, her throwing skills were still far behind Itachi's. With about a year left before graduating from the Academy, she needed to hone every skill she had to be battle-ready.
Chatting and laughing, she spotted Ryosuke and ran over cheerfully.
"Ryosuke-nii, you're training here too?"
Ryosuke nodded and glanced past her at the familiar figure behind—Itachi.
There he was again… the traitor.
The two of them truly were childhood friends.
Ryosuke's thoughts drifted for a moment.
What was so precious in this village that made Itachi betray his own clan?
What was worth protecting?
The last time he met Itachi, he had been a little too aggressive. After all, the Uchiha Massacre hadn't happened yet.
But maybe, just maybe, Itachi still had time to be steered away from his fatal mistake—maybe Ryosuke could prevent him from being brainwashed by the so-called Will of Fire.
Because in Ryosuke's view, no one in Konoha was worth protecting.
Not Hiruzen Sarutobi, and especially not Danzo Shimura—two scheming old snakes.
They single-handedly dragged Konoha into ruin.
Despite winning in the Third Great Ninja War, where the Fourth Hokage slaughtered Iwagakure forces at Kannabi Bridge, Hiruzen still signed an unequal treaty with them to "maintain peace"—and that cost Konoha war reparations. That was part of the reason he stepped down.
Then there was the Hyuga Incident.
When a diplomat from Kumogakure attempted to kidnap Hinata Hyuga, the Hyuga clan head fought back and killed the intruder. Yet Hiruzen, under the guise of diplomacy, sacrificed Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi, to appease the enemy.
That betrayal caused even the once-loyal Hyuga clan to lose trust in the Hokage.
As for Danzo?
This man bullied the entire village from the shadows, using his position as an advisor to seize control of talented ninja from all the major clans. Aburame, Yamanaka, even Hyuga—all forced to serve under Root.
And what did he use that power for? Internal power grabs.
It was Danzo who ultimately gave the order for Itachi to carry out the Uchiha massacre.
How could Itachi, born into the Uchiha clan, obey someone who openly called them evil?
Ryosuke simply couldn't understand.
But maybe there was still time. Maybe Itachi could be saved. If so, then maybe—just maybe—the massacre could be stopped.
And if Ryosuke could recruit Itachi, they could take back the village that was originally founded by both the Senju and Uchiha clans.
If the Senju weren't going to step up anymore…
Then maybe it was time for the Uchiha to retake their rightful place.