This time, with the boost from the "Berserk" buff, Ryosuke's speed increased noticeably. Though he still couldn't keep up with Guy, he could at least dodge his attacks.
Guy was surprised too, but under the influence of the Eight Inner Gates, his reason was gradually being overtaken by excitement.
Before long, Guy kicked Ryosuke in the back, sending him flying.
Then he launched him into the air with an upward strike.
For a while after that, Ryosuke didn't come back down.
If not for the massive boost to his physical abilities in the "Berserk" state, along with High-Speed Regeneration repairing his body, he would probably have been knocked unconscious in no time.
Ryosuke managed to withstand Guy's relentless, tide-like assault.
Half an hour later, Guy was the first to run out of steam.
The Eight Inner Gates didn't consume chakra, but they did consume stamina.
Guy was panting heavily, and the green aura around him grew thinner and thinner until it disappeared completely.
Ryosuke sat on the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Teacher Guy, you're taking this way too seriously, aren't you?"
Panting, Guy gave him a thumbs-up. "You've got an incredible constitution! That was a blast. Let's do it again tomorrow."
"Again? With these injuries, I doubt I'll recover even after a full day in bed."
Ryosuke said with a wry smile.
"What's the problem? I'll take you to the rest area now, then teach you a Meditation Breathing Method."
Guy carried Ryosuke into the rest area.
And so, Ryosuke spent the entire day at Guy's Dojo.
It wasn't until evening, when little Sasuke arrived at the dojo, that Ryosuke remembered the Uchiha Clan had a gathering that night.
He explained the situation to Guy, who seemed a little disappointed.
Still, he let Ryosuke leave.
Ryosuke had gained a lot from the day.
The Taijutsu moves went without saying; his greatest gain was, of course, the Eight Inner Gates.
He still couldn't bring out its full power, though. He would need to improve his physical fitness first.
Guy had also taught him the Meditation Breathing Method.
It turned out that Guy could maintain intense training without harming his body because he had a family breathing technique for recovery.
Now that Ryosuke had learned it too, that was another considerable gain.
Ryosuke took little Sasuke home.
Then he stayed for dinner at Sasuke's house, but still didn't see Itachi.
After dinner, Fugaku took Ryosuke to the Uchiha Clan's Ise Shrine.
Along the way, they ran into quite a few clan members, all of them from the Konoha Military Police Force.
They had stern expressions and only gave Fugaku a slight nod in greeting.
This made a faint sense of unease rise in Ryosuke's heart.
They soon arrived at the shrine.
The shrine was brightly lit inside and out.
The Uchiha had gathered outside the shrine to wait for Fugaku.
"Is everyone here?" Fugaku nodded to them, then asked an elderly man.
"Reporting to the clan head: all forty-one members of the Police Force are present," the old man replied.
Fugaku nodded again. "Leave two people outside. Everyone else, come in."
He took Ryosuke through the crowd and led the way.
Soon, Fugaku entered the shrine.
He sat beneath the statue of Izanami.
The other Uchiha sat in six rows before him, all with their heads bowed.
Fugaku picked up a file and began reading.
Ryosuke glanced at it. It contained information about the younger generation of the Uchiha.
Sanhe and Miyuki were among them.
"Only one clan member awakened the Three-Tomoe this month? That's too slow," Fugaku said sternly after reading the file.
"Clan head, the conditions for awakening the Sharingan are too demanding. It's even harder now that we're in peacetime," the old man from earlier said first.
The others nodded in agreement.
Fugaku said, "Cloud Ninja have been making frequent moves along the border lately. It seems they're planning something. If the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning really do go to war, it'll be an opportunity for our Uchiha Clan."
The crowd grew restless, their faces alight with fervor.
Ryosuke furrowed his brow. It seemed the Uchiha really were warmongers.
Just then, Fugaku glanced at Ryosuke before addressing the others. "This is Ryosuke. He has already awakened two Tomoe, and he's currently Shisui's student. His talent is nearly on par with Itachi's. I plan to have him join the Police Force once he becomes a Chunin."
Everyone's gaze shifted to Ryosuke.
Some looked surprised, others uncertain, and a few even jealous.
It seemed that even within the Uchiha, Itachi's reputation as a genius was well known.
Then the old man spoke again.
"Clan head, I don't think that's the best plan."
"Oh? Keita, do you have a better suggestion?" Fugaku's tone clearly held a note of displeasure.
But the old man, Keita, acted as if he hadn't heard and continued, "Ryosuke isn't even ten yet, is he?"
Ryosuke nodded. "I'm eight."
Keita continued, "Konoha is even more wary of us now. We have Shisui and Itachi providing us with information, but that's still far from enough. We're especially worried about their attitudes toward Konoha."
"What is there to worry about? Itachi is my son. He would never do anything to betray the Uchiha."
Fugaku cut Keita off.
"But how long has it been since Itachi last gave us information about Anbu?" Keita continued.
This time, Fugaku fell silent.
Keita was right. Not only that, Itachi had been coming home less and less often lately.
"Then what do you suggest?"
Fugaku sighed.
"I want Ryosuke to join Anbu, like Itachi. That would give us another source of information, and we could keep an eye on Itachi at the same time," Keita explained.
"But Ryosuke is also an Uchiha, and Konoha..."
"The clan head's concerns are valid, but Ryosuke is still a child. Konoha won't pay special attention to him. Besides, I can tell that Ryosuke is better than Itachi in one respect: he won't be influenced by the Third Hokage."
Keita spoke with absolute certainty.
His words startled Ryosuke. What's with this guy? Does he have some kind of mind-reading ability? Is that the power of his Sharingan?
Fugaku fell silent.
"Ryosuke, what do you think?"
"Me? I'll follow the clan head's arrangements."
Ryosuke lowered his head as he spoke.
"Good. Then I'll give you a goal. Become a Chunin as soon as possible, then ask the Third Hokage to let you join Anbu. Understood?"
"Yes."
Ryosuke lowered his head and answered.
"Everything is for the revival of the Uchiha Clan."
"Uchiha!"
"Uchiha!"
A chorus of fervent shouts rang through the shrine.
And in a tree not far from the shrine,
Itachi stood with one hand on the trunk, his Sharingan activated as he watched the shrine.
"Father still managed to get to him first... Ryosuke, what will you decide?"
Before you continue