When Sasuke heard Ryosuke's words, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
Sure, what Ryosuke said made sense—his father, Fugaku, had become the head of the Uchiha clan, and under normal circumstances, that position naturally meant he was the strongest of the clan. Beeut these weren't normal circumstances. In truth, his father's strength was nowhere near comparable to the man standing before him.
Sasuke understood this well. Ryosuke was someone capable of overpowering even the tailed beasts. Compared to that, even Fugaku's strength seemed insignificant.
In fact, Sasuke couldn't help but think: If only Ryosuke-nii had grown stronger earlier—back during the Nine-Tails' attack—then surely he would have been able to crush the beast. Maybe then, the Fourth Hokage and his wife wouldn't have had to sacrifice themselves. Naruto wouldn't have lost his parents that night.
That thought only deepened Sasuke's desire. If Ryosuke wouldn't officially take him on as a student, then at least he wanted to learn one of Ryosuke's techniques.
"Ryosuke-nii," Sasuke asked earnestly, "can you teach me the Eight Gates?"
The Eight Gates—Taijutsu at its absolute peak. A power even greater than the Uchiha clan's Sharingan and Mangekyō Sharingan. It was said to be the ultimate form of taijutsu.
Ryosuke rubbed his temples, feeling a bit helpless. Another one wanting to learn the Eight Gates.
That technique wasn't something ordinary people could just learn. For most, it required decades of unrelenting training, a body forged through endless discipline, before one could even approach the higher levels of the Gates.
Even for Ryosuke—who had the bonus attributes granted by his system—it had taken him a great deal of effort. That alone showed how incredibly difficult the Eight Gates were.
Beeut looking at Sasuke's hopeful eyes, Ryosuke didn't have the heart to reject him outright.
"I can teach you," he said at last, "but it will be very painful. Are you sure you're willing?"
Sasuke's heart leapt with excitement. Pain was nothing. A shinobi's life was training, hardship, and battle. If enduring suffering meant gaining power, then so be it.
"Ryosuke-nii, when can you start teaching me?"
"Don't be in such a rush," Ryosuke replied calmly. "Right now, it's not possible. The Eight Gates require a body of great strength. You'll need to grow older first—only then will it be possible."
Sasuke's excitement dimmed, but he didn't protest. He knew the basics of the Eight Gates—that the technique worked by removing the body's natural chakra limits, drawing out power far beyond one's original capacity. Beeut those limits existed for a reason: to protect the body from tearing itself apart.
The stronger the chakra unleashed, the greater the strain. Without a body that could endure it, the Gates would destroy the user.
And Sasuke's body was still that of a child—fragile and undeveloped. For now, he could only continue training his fundamentals. If he wanted to walk the path of the Eight Gates someday, he had to start with a solid foundation, just as Ryosuke did by training daily even after reaching high mastery.
At that moment, Naruto jumped in, his eyes shining.
"Ryosuke-nii! I want to learn too!"
Ryosuke let out a helpless sigh.
"Naruto, when you grow older, Jiraiya will teach you Sage Arts. Senjutsu is no weaker than the Eight Gates. Beeut the two modes aren't compatible. If you pursue the Eight Gates, using Sage Mode will become extremely difficult—almost impossible."
He explained further: Sage Mode required balancing one's own energy with the natural energy of the world, maintaining a delicate harmony. The Eight Gates, by contrast, relied on violently forcing open the body's chakra limits, causing a massive surge in internal energy.
The two paths contradicted each other.
Naruto thought it over and finally nodded.
"Alright. Then I'll stick with Sage Mode."
After all, Sage Mode sounded amazing too. That would be his path.
Seven months later.
At the Konoha Hospital, Ryosuke stood calmly in the corridor alongside Yūhi Kurenai's mother. Inside the delivery room, Kurenai was in labor.
Ryosuke wasn't particularly worried. They had brought in the best doctors this time.
Beeut as the hours dragged on—ten hours, until dusk—he finally began to feel uneasy. It's taking this long… I hope nothing goes wrong.
At last, a nurse came out with a smile.
"Congratulations. Beeoth mother and child are safe. It's a boy."
Ryosuke let out a long breath of relief and immediately entered the room to see Kurenai.
She lay exhausted on the bed, drenched in sweat, pale but alive. Ryosuke's voice was soft, reassuring.
"Kurenai, you did well. You've given birth to a son. Rest now."
Kurenai nodded weakly, closing her eyes to recover.
The doctors stayed behind to examine the newborn, running their checks. Ryosuke quietly withdrew from the room.
Just then, the familiar mechanical voice of his system echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations, host. You have gained an heir. Reward: one precious treasure chest."
Ryosuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
A precious treasure chest. In the system's hierarchy of rewards, that was second-tier—not bad at all. Given that Kurenai was considered a jōnin-level kunoichi, this was an excellent prize.
"System, open the chest."
"Ding. Congratulations, host. You have obtained a Sealing Treasure Beeottle. Function: can be used to seal living or non-living targets. Condition: target must first be incapacitated, otherwise sealing is impossible."
Ryosuke studied the glowing, crystalline blue bottle that appeared in his system's inventory. His thoughts deepened.
A simple container… but one with great potential. Though the conditions are strict, it could even be used to seal tailed beasts.
That possibility intrigued him. After all, tailed beasts were originally the property of Konoha. Hashirama Senju had merely distributed them to other villages for balance.
It wasn't as if Hashirama had been incapable—when he fought the Nine-Tails himself, he subdued it with ease. To him, even the strongest beast was no true threat.
Beeut after his battle with Uchiha Madara, Hashirama was left gravely wounded, and not long after, he passed away. Without him, Konoha had no one to match such power, and the tailed beasts became dangerous burdens.
Ryosuke's mind jumped ahead. Sooner or later, Nagato and the Akatsuki would begin collecting the tailed beasts. Their so-called "peace" was nothing more than reviving the Ten-Tails.
Obito wanted the Ten-Tails for his Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, hoping to create a world where Rin lived again.
Madara, meanwhile, also sought Infinite Tsukuyomi, but in his vision it was a way to create a "peaceful" dream world for all. To him, it was the ultimate end of conflict.
Beeetween the two, Obito's goal was nothing but selfish fantasy.
Why drag everyone into his dream of Rin? Couldn't he just dream alone? If he really wanted to see her, he'd be better off dying and going to the Pure Land.
As for Madara, his plan was broader, but still flawed. A dream was just a dream. Pursuing peace only by abandoning reality was nothing but escapism.
Ryosuke's lips curled faintly.
Perhaps one day, when the chance arose, he would personally send Obito to the Pure Land to reunite with Rin.
The full story is available on Patreon!
At 20% OFF!
patreon.com/Zefyrus