Moving in with Sasuke

"This barbecue is way too expensive. It cost a whole thousand."

Ryosuke counted the money in his hand, the corner of his mouth twitching.

He'd originally wanted to buy some ninja tools, but it looked like that wouldn't be possible now.

Besides, ninja tools were usually even more expensive. He was a ninjutsu-type ninja, and since he couldn't improve his Taijutsu much in the short term, ninja tools wouldn't be of much use.

What's more, he already had a decent Ninja Blade.

Thinking of this, Ryosuke took out the "gift" Shisui had given him.

It was a short sword about a foot and a half long.

It didn't look particularly remarkable, but its greatest value lay in how well it conducted chakra.

Ryosuke currently only had Fire Release chakra.

Ordinary ninja tools simply couldn't withstand the heat of his chakra.

By comparison, Wind Release and Lightning Release Chakra were the best matches for ninja tools.

But that was only true of ordinary ninja tools.

A Ninja Blade like the one in his hand could withstand his Fire Release chakra.

Ryosuke tried transferring chakra into the blade.

With a sudden hiss,

a layer of red flame appeared along the Ninja Blade.

"As expected, this is a good one. If that's the case..."

An idea suddenly flashed through Ryosuke's mind.

Could he achieve chakra shape transformation right now?

Thinking this, he continued channeling chakra into the Ninja Blade.

But the flaming long sword he'd imagined never appeared.

Instead, the hilt became so hot that he nearly dropped it.

"Looks like I was oversimplifying things. If I get the chance, I should ask Teacher Shisui for advice."

In fact, the Uchiha Clan's specialty, Fire Release, was the easiest to use for shape transformation.

From the Great Fireball to the Fire Dragon Technique and then the Phoenix Sage Technique, Ryosuke saw them all as examples of shape transformation.

It was just that Fire Release techniques were too easily countered, so no one had pushed their development in this area to the extreme.

Thinking this, Ryosuke headed home.

As he reached the entrance to the Uchiha village, he suddenly noticed something wriggling by the roadside.

"Pesquisa!"

Ryosuke immediately activated it.

"Little Sasuke?"

When he saw the shadow, he couldn't help calling out.

"Brother Ryosuke, you're back?"

Hearing his voice, Sasuke stood up and ran over to Ryosuke.

"It's so late. What are you doing here? Is no one home?"

Ryosuke gently rubbed his head, feeling a pang of sympathy.

He'd almost forgotten what Sasuke would be like in a few years.

"No. Father told me to wait here for you to come home. If you didn't show up, I wasn't allowed to go back either,"

little Sasuke said, lowering his head.

Was Fugaku using Ryosuke and Sasuke's relationship for his own ends? What kind of father would do something like that?

Ryosuke felt furious.

"All right, let's go back together. Have you eaten? I still have a bento with me."

"Let's eat together when we get back," little Sasuke said, tugging at Ryosuke's hand.

Ryosuke sighed inwardly. It seemed King Jin wouldn't be able to train after all.

Before long, the two of them arrived at Sasuke's home.

"Father, Mother, Brother Ryosuke and I are back," little Sasuke called from the doorway.

The lights inside came on at once, and Fugaku was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"Clan Head," Ryosuke said immediately when he saw Fugaku's stern expression.

"Ryosuke, I heard you did very well on your mission this time?"

Fugaku spoke without even opening his eyes.

Ryosuke said nothing, but little Sasuke was delighted.

"Really? Brother Ryosuke, you're amazing!"

"If there's nothing else, I'd like to rest."

Ryosuke didn't want to talk about it, nor did he want to know who had told Fugaku about it.

"Brother Ryosuke, you can sleep in my room."

Hearing this, little Sasuke began pulling Ryosuke upstairs.

"Wait, Ryosuke. Tomorrow evening is the Uchiha Clan gathering. You're to attend this time. It'll be held at Ise Shrine."

Ryosuke froze for a moment, but still nodded.

He wasn't in a position to object to any of Fugaku's arrangements.

"Father, can I go too?"

Little Sasuke asked Fugaku quietly.

"Maybe after you graduate from the Ninja Academy."

After saying this, Fugaku got up and returned to his room.

Little Sasuke looked rather dejected.

Ryosuke could only comfort him. "You're doing so well at school. I'm sure you'll graduate soon."

"Yeah!" Little Sasuke nodded earnestly.

Just then, little Sasuke's mother, Uchiha Mikoto, came out of the kitchen.

"You must be Ryosuke. Have you two eaten? I saved some dinner for you."

Without waiting for an answer, she led them into the kitchen and set two plates of curry in front of them.

The corner of Ryosuke's mouth twitched. His stomach was already full.

But seeing the expectant look on Uchiha Mikoto's face, he could only do his best to finish everything on his plate.

Unlike Fugaku, Mikoto was very kind and gentle.

She asked all sorts of questions about little Sasuke and Ryosuke's school lives and missions.

And little Sasuke talked nonstop.

Half an hour later, she finally let the two of them return to their room.

Ryosuke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd gotten used to living alone over the past few years, so this felt rather strange to him.

Especially since Fugaku seemed to have other plans for him.

Ryosuke helped little Sasuke with his homework for a while, and then the two of them went to sleep.

Early the next morning, which was supposed to be Ryosuke's day off,

he still took little Sasuke to school first, then went to the training ground outside the village.

Sanhe and Miyuki weren't there, but Shisui Uchiha was sitting there reading.

"Icha Icha Paradise? Teacher Shisui, I didn't know you liked reading this kind of book."

Ryosuke stared in surprise at the book in Shisui's hands.

"Ah, no, someone gave it to me as reference material. I was just looking it over since I had nothing else to do. By the way, it's your day off. What brings you here?"

Shisui hurriedly stuffed the book into his ninja pouch.

Ryosuke's mouth twitched, but he didn't press the matter.

"Teacher Shisui, this mission made me realize how much I still lack. I want to use this time to train. Could I ask you to help me?"

"Training? But you only have seven days. That's far too short. Still, since you have the motivation, I certainly won't refuse. What do you want to train in?"

Shisui looked at Ryosuke in surprise, but just as Ryosuke had expected, he didn't turn him down.

"Taijutsu and ninjutsu shape transformation."

Ryosuke had already decided on this.

"Looks like you already have a plan. Improving your Taijutsu won't be easy, of course, you can use it to copy some powerful Taijutsu moves."

Shisui pointed to his eyes. The Sharingan was an advantage of the Uchiha Clan, and there was no reason not to use it.