The next morning, Ryōsuke slowly opened his eyes, joints cracking as he stretched.
The soreness from yesterday had completely vanished.
He'd been beaten black and blue—literally—yet now he moved as if nothing had happened.
Honestly, with injuries like those, he shouldn't have been walking for days.
But this was the combined effect of his fast-rising physical stats and the Uchiha clan's premium medicinal liniment.
A prestigious clan's medicine was not something ordinary villagers could even dream of owning.
He washed up, sat for a moment to clear his head, then prepared to head out.
He had one mission today:
Find Might Guy.
Get beaten again.
His expression even showed… anticipation.
Just then, a small figure dashed into the room.
"Ryōsuke-nii! I heard you got beaten really badly yesterday, so I brought fruit to visit you!"
She plopped down beside him, placing a basket of fresh fruit on the low table.
Ryōsuke blinked.
Uchiha Izumi.
Cute, petite, soft-spoken… and very much alive—for now.
He frowned teasingly.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class today?
Visiting me is nice and all, but don't skip school."
Izumi puffed her cheeks.
"It's the weekend! The Academy is closed!"
Ryōsuke stared at her small pout and felt his heart melt a little.
What a sweet, adorable little beauty.
Letting a girl like this die in the massacre would be a crime against the entire ninja world.
He couldn't resist—he reached out and gently squeezed her cheeks.
Izumi froze, stunned.
Her face instantly turned red.
Ryōsuke-nii… how could he treat a proper young lady like this?!
But… it felt strangely comforting.
Ryōsuke admired her cuteness while his thoughts drifted off.
He remembered another petite beauty from the anime—Hinata.
Small and shy as a child, but later… a full-blown bombshell.
Petite or busty?
Hard choice.
If only he could have both…
Saving innocent girls was practically his sacred duty at this point.
All the more reason to get stronger quickly.
Letting beauties die was a loss to mankind.
After a while, Izumi finally felt her cheeks sting.
"Ryōsuke-nii, you're so mean… Anyway, I'll leave the fruit here!"
"Eat them properly! I'm heading back."
Still red-faced, she hopped up and hurried away.
"And take care of your injuries!"
Ryōsuke watched her leave, secretly reluctant.
Cute, sweet, thoughtful…
Already showing wife-material tendencies.
He grabbed a fruit and bit into it.
Washed, fresh, and still glistening with droplets.
Yep. He liked this little girl more and more.
After a quick breakfast at Ichiraku—fast, clean, reliable—Ryōsuke wandered through the village searching for Guy.
Eventually, he found him on the outskirts, running laps with Lee.
Guy spotted him first and came to a stop.
"Ryōsuke! Your recovery is remarkable. The bruises on your face are almost gone."
Ryōsuke grinned.
"All thanks to the clan's medicine. You two out training?"
Guy nodded.
"We're preparing to run twenty laps around Konoha."
Then his expression turned unexpectedly serious.
"Ryōsuke… your clan's medicinal liniment. Could you sell me some?"
Ryōsuke blinked.
Guy continued earnestly:
"Lee and I rely completely on physical training. Every day we push ourselves to the limit.
Hidden injuries are common. If we had medicine like yours, it would speed up our recovery greatly."
For a normal Uchiha, Guy wouldn't dare ask.
The clan's medicinal supplies were extremely valuable.
But Ryōsuke wasn't the typical arrogant Uchiha.
Ryōsuke didn't hesitate.
"No problem. I can give you some. If you need a lot, I'll ask my grandfather."
Considering how much he gained from Guy—and how much more he planned to gain—the least he could do was help him.
But Guy panicked immediately.
"No, no! I can't accept such precious medicine for free!
Let me pay. I've saved money for years. And Lee and I will need a large amount."
Ryōsuke understood.
Guy lived by hard work and pride.
Receiving things for free would only embarrass him.
"Alright, I'll ask my grandfather tonight."
Then Ryōsuke raised a hopeful eyebrow.
"Since you're both training… can I join?"
If getting beaten increased his stats, then surely exhausting physical training would help too.
Guy blinked.
Lee blinked.
Two stunned bonsai heads stared at him.
Guy scratched his cheek.
"Are you sure? Training with us might… disgrace the Uchiha clan.
People laugh at our training style."
Running laps instead of practicing ninjutsu was considered the peak of stupidity.
And just yesterday, the Uchiha Police nearly dragged Guy away.
Ryōsuke shrugged.
"It's fine. My grandfather is the Uchiha clan elder.
The Police Force can't do anything."
Guy was startled.
A big-shot's grandson?
So Ryōsuke was like Kakashi—someone born into a respected lineage.
Guy's grin spread wide.
"Then I welcome you with open arms!
If you're willing to run with us, how could I refuse?"
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