At home, Ryosuke rummaged through his memories and found medicinal liquor in the living room. Then he took off his shirt and started rubbing it on his bruises.
Sure, getting stronger felt great—but this Auto-Cultivation System only upgraded him when he got his ass beat.
Might as well rename it the "Pain Makes You Buff" system or the "Masochist Mode" system.
As he rubbed it on his face, he couldn't help but cry out in pain.
"Damn, that hurts."
Guy really didn't hold back—dude was pure muscle and zero hesitation.
That was probably why his taijutsu was so god-tier.
Well, Ryosuke did ask for it. No room to complain now.
Just then, someone walked in.
Seeing Ryosuke's bruised face and him applying medicine, the man's face twisted in fury.
"Ryosuke, what happened?"
"Who hit you?"
"Tell Grandpa—I'll get revenge for you!"
There's no way his grandson ended up like that from just tripping.
This was his only family left—who dared to lay hands on him?
Ryosuke was touched—but worried his grandfather might go after Guy, like those hotheaded Uchiha.
He quickly explained.
"I was just sparring with Might Guy—not a real fight."
Gray-haired Uchiha Makoto calmed down a bit hearing that, but still looked unhappy.
"Even so, wasn't that a bit excessive?"
Ryosuke gave an awkward laugh.
"Well, I asked for it."
"At first, he didn't even want to go all out."
"But how else can I grow stronger if it's not a real fight?"
Makoto sighed.
Since it was his grandson's request, he couldn't stay mad at Guy.
"But why'd you ask to spar with that guy?"
"Because his taijutsu is amazing," Ryosuke answered instantly.
He didn't mention that getting beat up made him stronger.
Makoto felt a bit helpless hearing that.
At least the kid wanted to improve. He bent down and took the medicine bottle from Ryosuke's hand.
"You're growing up. Got your own ideas now."
"But be careful, okay?"
"Here—let me do it. You missed some spots."
Ryosuke sat obediently.
Makoto applied the medicine and massaged him, making Ryosuke feel warm all over—the pain eased quite a bit.
Makoto said while rubbing:
"You gotta massage hard so the blood circulates properly. That's how the bruises go away and the pain fades."
"Got it," Ryosuke said gratefully.
This grandpa really cared about him.
He definitely wasn't going to let him walk down the same path as in the original story.
Meanwhile, inside the Uchiha Police Department—an imposing building with a massive fan symbol—
A few Uchiha clansmen entered Captain Uchiha Fugaku's office.
One of them reported the whole thing about Might Guy sparring with Ryosuke, making the clan lose face.
Then he asked:
"Ryosuke humiliated the Uchiha. How should we punish him?"
Fugaku lowered his head, deep in thought.
Punish what? That's Uchiha Makoto's grandson.
Touch Ryosuke, and Makoto would be banging down his door.
He'd be the one embarrassed then.
Besides, it was a sensitive time—the Uchiha's relationship with Konoha's top brass was growing tenser by the day.
The higher-ups didn't trust them, and many in the clan had stopped trusting the higher-ups.
"It was just a spar—don't make a big deal out of it."
"The village is tense right now. Let's not create more trouble over something so small."
The officers didn't agree with him, but didn't argue.
Fugaku was a decent leader—but too soft.
The Uchiha were the top clan in Konoha now—the Senju were basically extinct.
They didn't appreciate being pushed around by the Konoha higher-ups.
They wanted to restore their pride and respect.
Still, since Fugaku had made the call, they dropped it.
He was the clan head, after all.
Meanwhile, news that Ryosuke had scolded the Uchiha Police spread fast.
It soon reached the ears of the Third Hokage.
Of course he remembered Ryosuke—the punk who publicly embarrassed his son Asuma, made him look like a clown, and hurt his image as Hokage.
And now? Got beat up by Guy in a spar, bruised all over.
The Uchiha even tried to arrest Guy for it.
Uchiha weaklings, seriously.
Guy had only been chosen because the Hokage wanted to look good—not because he believed in Guy's potential.
The public saw Guy as a joke.
As Hokage, he had to appear open-minded.
So he gave Guy a shot at the Ninja Academy.
And to be fair, Guy didn't let him down. He became a chunin and didn't tarnish the Hokage's reputation.
But putting him in ANBU? No way.
Guy couldn't use ninjutsu—what missions could he even do?
At one point, the Hokage had been worried Ryosuke might steal Asuma's girl.
What a joke.
No way Kurenai would like a loser like that.
That evening at Kurenai's house, her mother had already made dinner.
Soon after, Kurenai came home tired and sat down to eat.
Her mother chatted casually as they ate.
"Something rare happened today. An Uchiha actually acted strangely."
"Instead of siding with his clan, he scolded them."
Kurenai paused mid-bite.
"Who?"
Her mom replied:
"That guy who ruined things between you and Asuma last time? I think his name was Uchiha Ryosuke."
"He sparred with Might Guy and got beaten up bad—made the clan look weak. But then scolded the Police Force for trying to take Guy in."
Kurenai was speechless.
Her mom really wanted her to be with Asuma.
But nothing had even started between them.
She had a terrible impression of Asuma.
She asked curiously:
"Don't you think Ryosuke was right? It was a spar—why did the clan want to arrest Guy?"
Her mom explained patiently.
"To a normal person, sure. But from the clan's perspective, it's different."
"Our Yuhi clan was once powerful. If one of us got hurt in public, it would've been shameful."
"Of course we'd want to restore our name—especially a clan as big as the Uchiha."
"So this kid really is odd. Doesn't seem to care about the clan's pride."
Kurenai asked:
"So you actually like this guy?"
She found Ryosuke pretty easy on the eyes—handsome, seemed her age, and didn't act stuck-up like most noble kids.
Unlike Asuma, who was all brawn and bluster.
Her mom said:
"Wouldn't say I like him—but he's definitely the kind who's willing to do things for the village."
"Don't forget—Uchiha Kagami, one of the Second Hokage's bodyguards, was also an Uchiha. He sacrificed himself to protect the Second, just like your father died protecting the village."
"People like that deserve respect."
That made Kurenai pretty happy.
At least her mom didn't hate Ryosuke.
Maybe there really was hope for them to get along in the future.
Still, her mom trying to ship her with Asuma was a headache.
If she had been harassed like that when she was younger, she'd be pissed too.
Why couldn't her mom understand her a little better?
Forget it—time to focus on eating.