After saying goodbye to Guy and Lee, Uchiha Ryosuke naturally headed home.
His exhausted body drew the attention of many clansmen. Some even came over out of concern.
"Ryosuke, are you okay? Want me to get you some medicine?"
Feeling genuine kindness rather than mockery, he responded politely.
"Just a minor injury. I'll put on some ointment myself when I get home."
Hearing that, the gathered clansmen visibly relaxed.
Only a few Uchiha shinobi watching from a distance wore sour expressions.
They suspected these injuries came from another sparring match with Might Guy.
If that was the case, it would be disgraceful for the Uchiha. After all, Might Guy was just a regular chunin. Even if his taijutsu was solid, under the Sharingan, a taijutsu user's every move should be crystal clear.
As long as your body can keep up, you're pretty much invincible by default.
Ryosuke was also a chunin. Weaker, sure—but he had a Sharingan. Even a one-tomoe Sharingan should dominate the same rank.
So him losing was basically dragging the Uchiha name through the mud.
Especially now, when relations with the Konoha leadership were strained, this just made the clan look weak.
Naturally, Ryosuke noticed their stares.
They were clearly pissed, thinking he was embarrassing the clan.
But what they didn't know was that his sparring with Guy was his way of trying to save the Uchiha.
Sure, they were arrogant, but they didn't have the strength to back it up.
They had almost twenty jonin and over a hundred chunin, yet all got wiped out by just two traitors.
Thinking about that made Ryosuke angry instead.
These stuck-up underachievers.
He shot them a contemptuous glance, then walked off before they could respond.
The few clansmen saw him glaring at them.
One of them immediately scowled.
"Inaho, did that punk just glare at us? Got a death wish or what?"
"Why don't we rough him up a bit? Knock some sense into him and make sure he stops humiliating the clan."
Long-haired Inaho snapped, annoyed.
"Don't forget who he is. The elder's temper may be calm, but if we beat up his only grandson, we'll be the ones thrown into the jail next door."
Konoha Prison was right beside the Uchiha compound, run by the Uchiha Police Force. It held over 200 criminals.
From rogue shinobi to thugs and vagabonds.
The one who suggested the idea paled slightly at the thought, but still grumbled.
"So we're just supposed to sit here and watch this brat ruin the Uchiha name?"
Uchiha Inaho thought for a second, a spark flashing in his eyes. Then he smirked.
"I've got an idea. Ryosuke likes sparring with Guy, right?"
"The elder hasn't said anything, so if we challenge him too and go a little hard, there shouldn't be any issues."
The others grinned instantly.
"Leave it to Inaho to come up with something."
"Yeah, if he gets hurt in a friendly match, the elder can't blame us. We're just helping train the kid."
One of them added:
"Ryosuke's only in the Police Force 'cause of connections. The rest of us had to bust our asses to get in."
"Raihō, why don't we challenge him tomorrow after our shift?"
But Inaho waved it off, giving them a meaningful look.
"I'm confident I can totally crush him now, but that won't prove Guy's training is useless."
"If we let him train a while longer, then beat him down, he'll realize taijutsu is worthless."
"Basic taijutsu is enough. We should be focusing on developing our Sharingan."
The others chuckled, nodding.
"Smart thinking as always, Inaho."
This plan would definitely make Ryosuke face reality.
They didn't hate him personally.
But watching someone ignore the potential of the Sharingan to train in taijutsu—it made no sense to them.
Meanwhile, Ryosuke got home and obediently started applying ointment all over his body.
Right then, the clan elder walked in and saw him.
His brows furrowed again. With only one grandson, how could he not worry?
"What happened to you this time?"
Seeing his grandfather's concerned face, Ryosuke quickly replied:
"It's nothing serious."
Sure, he hurt all over, but with his current healing, he'd probably be fine by tomorrow.
The elder knelt down, carefully examining the wounds.
Though bruised and battered, it was all superficial. He finally relaxed.
"Training with that Guy kid again?"
"Yeah."
Ryosuke didn't hide it and held up the bottle of ointment.
"Grandpa, how's our stock of this stuff? I want to sell some to Might Guy."
He hadn't forgotten his promise.
The elder looked intrigued.
"This ointment's rare, but we've got plenty if you need it."
"You want to sell it to Guy? Trying to make friends?"
Ryosuke beamed. As long as there was enough supply.
"Exactly. He's gonna be Konoha's number one taijutsu master someday."
Sure, the guy was just a chunin now, but Ryosuke saw the potential.
The elder looked long and hard at his excited grandson. There wasn't a hint of insincerity in his face.
Guy's father, Might Duy, had unlocked the Eight Gates during the Third Great Ninja War and killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Gained strength dozens of times his own—at the cost of his life.
Clearly, Ryosuke was drawn to that power and wanted to learn it.
The elder didn't know what to feel.
"You're not thinking of learning the Eight Gates, are you?"
"That technique is insanely dangerous."
Ryosuke saw his grandpa's furrowed brow and the deep concern in his eyes.
He smiled.
"You're sharp as ever, Grandpa. I do want to learn the Eight Gates."
"Yeah, it's dangerous—but as long as I don't open the Eighth Gate, my life's not at risk."
He had no plans to open the final gate. He wasn't ready to die.
Unless his body someday grew strong enough to handle it without dying.
Hearing his promise, the elder eased up a bit. As far as he knew—
Might Duy only died because opening the Eighth Gate made red steam pour out of his body.
If Ryosuke avoided that, the technique was still dangerous—
But if it could save his life in a crisis, then the risk was worth it.
Besides, with the village's relationship with the Uchiha worsening, knowing this jutsu would give Ryosuke a real shot at survival.
That, at least, was some comfort.