Yatsushiro was still puzzled. Ryosuke had just awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan, and his eye power was undeniably strong—definitely a genius. But what was up with that taijutsu?
"Raihō, how did you lose in taijutsu?" he asked.
To be fair, taijutsu wasn't the mainstream in the ninja world, and Raihō was a few years older than Ryosuke. He shouldn't have lost.
Raihō recounted what had happened during their match.
"At first, we were evenly matched in taijutsu. Then I used the Fireball Jutsu to attack him, but secretly cast the Clone Jutsu, leaving a clone in place while I hid my real body."
"Just as expected, he engaged the clone, giving me the perfect opportunity to take him down."
Yatsushiro nodded in approval. It was a solid tactic. But he still didn't understand.
"With a setup like that, you shouldn't have lost."
"I didn't expect to lose either," Raihō admitted. "But Ryosuke suddenly got much faster and blocked what should've been a guaranteed kick. I remember seeing the veins bulging on his forehead, and his skin turned darker."
"Elder Yatsushiro, what kind of clan technique is that?"
Yatsushiro frowned in thought. The Uchiha did have some taijutsu, but nothing that could boost physical ability like that.
There were some body-enhancing techniques in Konoha, like the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique. But none of those matched the sudden speed burst Raihō described.
"I've never heard of anything like that," Yatsushiro said.
Raihō looked a little disappointed. He had hoped it was a clan technique he could learn to boost his own power. But if it wasn't, then what was it? How had Ryosuke learned it?
"Yatsushiro-sama, do you know someone named Might Guy? Ryosuke has been training with him recently."
At the mention of that name, Yatsushiro's brows furrowed. He had heard of someone—Might Duy.
"You're from the younger generation, so you probably don't know him. But that man was a true taijutsu genius," Yatsushiro explained.
"During the Third Great Ninja War, he fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by himself. Defeated them. Only three of them escaped."
Raihō's eyes widened in shock.
"That strong? How did he not become famous?"
"Because he was just a genin," Yatsushiro replied. "No one paid attention to his achievements."
"A genin?" Raihō was stunned. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were all at least jōnin-level. A genin not only fought them but killed four of them?
"How can a genin be that strong?"
"Through the Eight Gates," Yatsushiro answered. "A forbidden taijutsu technique that unlocks the body's full potential."
Raihō suddenly perked up with interest.
"Elder Yatsushiro, does our clan have that technique?"
"Of course not," Yatsushiro snapped. "Don't get any ideas. The Eight Gates are extremely difficult to master. No one in Konoha currently knows how to use it, as far as I know."
"Plus, it's incredibly dangerous. Opening all eight gates leads to certain death. Even the earlier gates damage the body. Without an extraordinarily strong physique, you won't survive the training."
Raihō's excitement quickly deflated. So no one in the village even practiced it anymore. He had hoped it could help him improve.
Yatsushiro then made a guess.
"Might Guy is probably Might Duy's son. If that's true, Ryosuke may have learned the Eight Gates technique from him."
"If Ryosuke's sudden speed boost came from that, then he really is a taijutsu genius."
"Bring him here. I want to see if we can recruit him to our side."
Though the technique was dangerous, someone who could use it would be a massive asset in battle. Even if the power was time-limited, during that time it would offer overwhelming dominance.
Raihō agreed and left the office, heading straight to Ryosuke's house.
At that moment, Ryosuke had just left Kurenai's place—her mother was about to return.
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The whole thing felt like an illicit affair. A bit thrilling.
Back home, he had planned to rest and then get back to physical training. But then Raihō showed up.
"What are you doing here?" Ryosuke asked.
Raihō bowed slightly and said with respect, "Elder Yatsushiro wants to see you at the police headquarters."
Ryosuke thought for a moment. Yatsushiro—wasn't he the leader of the Uchiha radicals?
His grandfather and Uchiha Fugaku were more neutral in stance.
Still, Ryosuke was curious about what the man wanted, so he agreed to go.
On the way, Ryosuke suddenly stopped. His attention was caught by a boy in an orange tracksuit with spiky blond hair.
That had to be Naruto Uzumaki—the Child of Prophecy.
Seeing him made Ryosuke freeze for a moment.
Raihō also stopped and followed his gaze, then sighed with a helpless look.
That kid was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—a fact that had spread throughout the village. Everyone except the younger children probably knew by now.
Naruto walked into a shop, trying to buy some snacks.
But the moment the store owner saw him, his face twisted in anger.
That brat was the Nine-Tails' reincarnation. He had lost loved ones the night of the Nine-Tails attack, and his shop had suffered severe damage.
Even if he needed the money, he wasn't about to take it from someone like that.
He stormed out from behind the counter and shoved Naruto out the door.
Naruto, being just a kid, couldn't resist the adult's strength and was thrown out easily.
With a confused face, he asked, "Why, boss? I just want to buy something. I have money."
The shopkeeper glared at him in disgust.
"I don't care if you have money. I won't take your business. Now leave. Don't bring your bad luck into my store."
Naruto's expression soured, but he had no choice. He headed to another shop, only to be thrown out again—this time with the owner cursing at him.
"Damn fox! Get out of my store!"
Ryosuke watched, expressionless.
Naruto's childhood was worse than he imagined. Despite being the son of a hero, he was treated like a monster. It made Ryosuke feel cold inside.
What the hell was Konoha's leadership doing?
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
Naruto eventually disappeared down the street. No shops were willing to serve him. Some even had signs banning him from entering.
Ryosuke was speechless.
Clearly, the villagers knew he housed the Nine-Tails.
But how did that get out?
Even though the Anbu were supposed to be protecting him, they let him suffer this kind of emotional abuse. Weren't they worried he might snap?
Raihō noticed Ryosuke's expression and asked, "Do you feel sorry for the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?"
Ryosuke nodded. Of course he did. He was the son of a hero and yet treated like this. What was wrong with the village leadership?
Raihō sighed.
"He's a pitiful child. He didn't ask to have the Nine-Tails sealed inside him. To me, he's a hero of the village."
"If our Uchiha clan had been allowed to fight during the Nine-Tails attack, we could've repelled the beast. The Fourth Hokage might not have had to die."
"Maybe Naruto wouldn't have had to become the jinchūriki either."
"Let's go. Elder Yatsushiro is waiting for us."
There was nothing else they could do.
Before leaving, Ryosuke glanced at the villagers once more.
They knew the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Naruto, but still treated him as if he was the beast itself.
No matter how you looked at it, none of this was Naruto's fault.
The villagers were hopelessly ignorant.
Soon, Raihō brought Ryosuke to Yatsushiro's office.
Yatsushiro signaled for Raihō to step out—he wanted to speak to Ryosuke alone.
After Raihō left, Yatsushiro studied Ryosuke closely. Strong body. Skilled in taijutsu.
He looked completely different from before.
Ryosuke looked back at the stern, small-eyed, short brown-haired elder.
"Elder, why did you call me here?"
Before inviting him into the radicals, Yatsushiro wanted to test his thoughts on the clan's relationship with Konoha's leadership.
"What do you think of the current relationship between our clan and the Konoha leadership?"
Ryosuke answered candidly.
"The current relationship is extremely strained. But the fault lies not with the Uchiha, but with the village leadership."
"They even forced us to relocate to the outskirts—that's a disgrace to our clan."
"It's not just an insult. It's a deliberate effort to push the Uchiha out of the power center. At this rate, we'll become a marginalized clan."
Yatsushiro was very pleased with the answer. Ryosuke wasn't just strong—he was sharp.
He seemed like a natural radical.
Given the current situation, Konoha had clearly made it impossible for the Uchiha to coexist with the higher-ups. That's why the radicals considered a coup.
Yatsushiro smiled.
"Ryosuke, you see things more clearly than most of our clan."
"The Konoha leadership wants to completely push us Uchiha out of the center of power. But Konoha was founded by both the Uchiha and the Senju. We must launch a coup and reclaim the honor that rightfully belongs to our clan. Are you willing to join our radical faction?"