Over the next few days, Ryousuke trained solo, sticking to the One Punch Man regimen.
Each day, he gained 1 point in strength, 1 in speed, and 1 in endurance.
He tried ramping up the intensity, but the gains stayed the same.
Not nearly as efficient as sparring and getting smacked around.
Might Guy had been out on a mission and only returned after seven days.
Once he was back, Ryousuke immediately challenged him to spar again.
A full month passed just like that.
Today, they were once again in a quiet little forest clearing on the outskirts of Konoha.
The village was surrounded by forests, and this spot was secluded—perfect for uninterrupted training.
Guy, Lee, and Uchiha Ryousuke met up here for another session.
Naturally, Ryousuke was eager to go another round with Guy.
Guy looked at Ryousuke in surprise.
He could clearly feel it—Ryousuke's strength and speed had noticeably improved.
Guy had gotten stronger too, but Ryousuke's growth was more obvious.
Ryousuke's current level meant he had to start taking things seriously.
Facing him, Ryousuke took a ready stance.
"Let's go."
He slowly activated his Sharingan.
With it, he could track Guy's movements and copy his techniques.
Wasting the Sharingan would be criminal.
Seeing Ryousuke ready, Guy charged in without hesitation, throwing a punch.
But Ryousuke didn't dodge. He met it head-on with a punch of his own.
He wasn't the weakling he used to be.
Their fists collided—but unlike before, Ryousuke didn't budge an inch.
Guy wasn't surprised. He'd seen it coming—Ryousuke had gone from getting launched by a single punch to now tanking his blows head-on.
This much growth in taijutsu in such a short time was impressive.
Guy kept up the pressure—a single punch didn't prove anything.
Ryousuke sidestepped the next strike and went on the offensive.
This hit had real weight behind it—he wasn't holding back.
He'd been beaten up by Guy long enough. Sure, the stat gains were great, but being a punching bag still sucked.
He wasn't some masochist who enjoyed getting whooped—this was one reason he didn't intentionally take hits.
As his fist neared Guy, the latter leapt back just in time, eyes wide.
If he hadn't been a taijutsu expert with insane reflexes, that hit would've landed.
Time to get serious. He rushed at Ryousuke again, no longer taking him lightly—like he would when sparring Kakashi.
The two clashed hard for over ten minutes.
They traded blows—Guy landed a few, but Ryousuke hit back just as often.
Eventually, they separated.
This wasn't a death match, so they avoided critical hits—nothing to the heart or vital organs.
Ryousuke was feeling damn good. He'd copied Guy's taijutsu with his Sharingan and returned every blow.
It was the first time he'd ever landed three solid hits on Guy.
That meant his battle sense and technique were finally up to par.
He was becoming a legit taijutsu specialist.
Even now, Guy was technically just a Chūnin, but his taijutsu was on par with Jonin—and in the future, he'd be one of the best among them.
The fact that they just went toe-to-toe left Guy genuinely stunned.
He hadn't held back at all.
Ryousuke matched him in speed, strength, and even technique—clearly copied through the Sharingan, since it looked so much like his own style.
Off to the side, Lee was already completely blown away.
He knew how powerful Guy-sensei was—after all, that was why he followed him. He wanted to learn taijutsu and fulfill his dream of becoming a ninja.
But what shocked him was Uchiha Ryousuke.
Just a month ago, Ryousuke was no match for Guy. Lee clearly remembered how he got floored by one punch in their first spar.
The dude was basically a pushover.
Now, he was going even with Guy?
How could Lee not be shook?
Was Guy-sensei right? Did getting beat up really make you stronger?
Lee had tried that too these past weeks, going head-to-head with Guy-sensei.
Guy had been serious each time—he didn't go easy on him. Lee got beat up a lot, even if not seriously hurt. It hurt like hell, though.
If not for the potions Ryousuke sold, his training would've been crippled.
Ryousuke's stuff really worked.
Then it hit him—maybe he hadn't gotten beaten up enough. Not hard enough?
After all, taijutsu growth was about repetition—quantity leads to quality.
That was the only explanation he could come up with. The strength Guy used on Ryousuke was way more intense.
Once he realized that, Lee got fired up. It was like he'd seen the path to glory.
He stared at their sparring match with renewed excitement.