Stop Shisui?

Inside Guy's Dojo.

Guy and Ryosuke had already started sparring.

Ryosuke had become quite proficient at using the Taijutsu he'd copied with the Sharingan.

He could even counterattack Guy once in a while.

That made Guy even happier.

But suddenly, just as Ryosuke was about to use the Hidden Lotus, his body went limp, and he fell straight toward the ground.

And Guy, that big scatterbrain, didn't notice at all.

"Haha, I caught you off guard!"

Not only that, he even gave Ryosuke a flying kick to help him along.

Thud!

Ryosuke landed headfirst in the floor.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Guy waited a long time, and when Ryosuke didn't move at all, he finally realized something was wrong.

"Whoa, my floor! It's going to cost a fortune to repair this."

Guy's first concern was actually his floor.

Only after that did he pull Ryosuke out.

That was already enough time for Ryosuke's wounds to heal.

But he still felt somewhat exhausted.

That was mainly because the fatigue of a Shadow Clone returned to him when it was dispelled. Of course, the same went for anything that happened to the clone.

"Teacher Guy, couldn't you pay a little more attention? If that had been someone else, your kick would've sent them straight to the hospital."

Ryosuke stood up, wiped the dust from his face, and complained.

"Haha, of course I know that. It's just that you're built differently, so I can really let loose when I hit you."

Guy clapped Ryosuke on the shoulder and accidentally let his true feelings slip.

Ryosuke's mouth twitched. He finally understood that Guy had been using him as a human punching bag.

"What happened just now?"

Guy took a bottle of water from nearby and handed it to Ryosuke as he asked.

"Nothing. I just got distracted for a moment."

Ryosuke didn't want to explain the Shadow Clone to Guy.

But Guy said, "I figured it out. It was because of your Shadow Clone, wasn't it? You actually used a Shadow Clone to take care of something else while you were training."

Ryosuke looked at Guy in surprise. He couldn't even use ninjutsu, so how had he figured it out?

As if he could see Ryosuke's confusion, Guy said proudly, "Kakashi used that trick in front of me once, but I gave him a thorough beating."

So that was why.

Ryosuke nodded.

"Teacher Guy, let's call it a day. I need to go home and recover."

Ryosuke pointed to his wound, which had already healed.

"Isn't it already healed?"

Guy scratched his head and asked in confusion.

"Teacher Guy, you should know when to keep quiet. Could you at least pay attention to how people say things?"

Ryosuke said with a pained expression.

"Ahaha, all right. I've had about enough training for today, anyway. I might as well go challenge Kakashi with the time I have left. I've had some new insights these past couple of days, so maybe I can beat him."

Guy clenched his fist as he spoke.

He never seemed to get discouraged.

"Good luck."

Ryosuke took a shower in the dojo and then left.

From the conversation between his Shadow Clone and Danzo, he could tell that the old fox coveted the Sharingan.

His talk about protecting the village was probably just an excuse.

But how could he prove his worth to Danzo and infiltrate Root?

Then he could keep track of Danzo's movements.

Maybe it would never be possible. After all, he was a member of the Uchiha Clan.

Had Danzo already approached Shisui and Itachi by this point?

Right, Shisui.

Ryosuke suddenly thought of something and immediately ran toward the training ground outside the village.

Because of him, the course of events had already started to change.

Ryosuke couldn't just stand by and let Danzo take Shisui's eye again.

But when he reached the training ground, he didn't find Shisui.

"Teacher Shisui, where are you?"

Ryosuke walked over to the wooden post, looking for clues.

"What is it, Ryosuke? Were you looking for me?"

Shisui suddenly appeared on top of the post. Could he really turn invisible?

[ Ding, B-rank Ninjutsu detected: Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique. Recorded.]

This was another technique Ryosuke had never heard of. It had only been recorded, though, and because he didn't have Water Release chakra, he could use it only once.

"Teacher Shisui, you know Danzo, right?"

Ryosuke quickly refocused and asked Shisui.

"Lord Danzo? What about him?"

Shisui's expression turned serious, which was unusual.

"Nothing. I just wanted to hear what you think of him, Teacher Shisui."

Ryosuke explained.

"Lord Danzo was a student of the Second Hokage and is in charge of Root, a branch of the Anbu. He's devoted himself to the village, though some of his methods aren't exactly aboveboard."

Shisui didn't want to say much more.

Ryosuke nodded. That was more or less what he already knew.

Shisui had once gone to Danzo because he wanted to stop the Uchiha Clan from rebelling, only to have one of his Sharingan stolen.

That was because he thought Danzo could resolve the matter.

"Teacher Shisui, if the Uchiha Clan and the village turned against each other, which side would you choose?"

Ryosuke suddenly asked.

"Ryosuke? Do you understand what you're saying?"

Shisui's gaze turned stern.

"I do. I'm a child, but I can still feel it. The children and adults in the village look at me—or all the Uchiha, really—differently. And yesterday, I attended the clan's meeting at the Naka Shrine."

Ryosuke didn't back down in the face of Shisui's attitude.

Shisui sighed and placed a hand on Ryosuke's shoulder.

"You've had a lot to deal with. But you have to trust the Third Hokage and Lord Fugaku. They'll resolve this. And it's our duty to protect the village's peace. You just need to grow up happily."

Shisui spoke gently.

Ryosuke didn't dare say any more. He was genuinely a little worried that Shisui might use Kotoamatsukami to change his mind.

"I understand, Teacher Shisui."

"All right, then. Let me see how your training with Teacher Guy has been going these past couple of days."

Shisui took out a Kunai and smiled.

Ryosuke nodded, and the two of them clashed in midair.

Later that afternoon.

Sanhe and Miyuki arrived at the training ground.

"So they really are here. They're training even on their day off. They must be trying to kill themselves," Sanhe complained.

"Sanhe, didn't you come here too? I guess you still can't forget that Ryosuke saved you," Miyuki said with a smile.

"Enough, Miyuki. I really wish I could sew your mouth shut."

Sanhe finished speaking, tied on his Forehead Protector, shouted, "I'm coming!" and joined the fray.

But soon he was tossed out, his face bruised and swollen.

"Man, those two are monsters. How are their moves so fast? Even my Sharingan can't keep up."

Sanhe covered his face and complained.