Early the next morning, Ryosuke woke feeling completely recovered.
He rolled his shoulders left and right—no pain at all.
Muttering to himself, he grinned:
"Looks like it's time to get beaten up again."
He'd come to love the pain. Every punch, every bruise meant stronger stats and sharper skills. Missing a day of beatings almost felt unbearable.
After a quick wash, he stopped by Ichiraku Ramen for a steaming bowl, then set out to find Guy.
But after combing the entire village, there was no sign of him.
It dawned on Ryosuke—Guy must be out on a mission. Unlike Ryosuke, who could skip Police Force duty thanks to his connections, Guy was a civilian ninja. Missions were his livelihood.
Disappointed, Ryosuke returned to the Uchiha compound and slipped into a nearby grove.
With no sparring partner, he'd have to train alone.
He didn't dare provoke other shinobi—unlike Guy, they wouldn't hold back. That was asking for real injuries.
Training alone wasn't as effective, but it was still progress.
So, he started running laps around the grove. Each circuit was about 300 meters. After 33 laps, he had run 10 kilometers—boosting his stamina and lung capacity.
Next, he dropped to the ground for 100 push-ups, strengthening his muscles, endurance, and explosive power.
Then, bracing his legs, he cranked out 100 sit-ups, honing his abs and core strength.
Finally, he finished with 100 squats, working his legs and cardiovascular endurance.
This was none other than the training method of Saitama from One Punch Man.
Back in his old world, such a routine wouldn't create a monster. But here, in the world of Naruto, it might just turn him into something terrifying.
After all, Might Guy himself, when opening the Seventh Gate, exuded the same overwhelming aura of invincibility. His "Morning Tiger" technique was a taijutsu strike so powerful it rivaled ninjutsu, capable of hitting from a distance.
Collapsing onto the ground, Ryosuke lay drenched in sweat, chest heaving.
The system's mechanical voice chimed in:
"Strength +1. Speed +1. Endurance +1."
His lips curled into a satisfied smile. Even one point each was progress. He could feel his muscles filling out, his body stronger, his fatigue eased by the familiar warm current.
If training gives feedback like this, then maybe I really can reach the level of a One Punch Man…
He thought of Saitama hurling shockwaves with a barehanded punch—and remembered Guy's Seventh Gate, releasing strikes that split the air.
If he could master both physical might and the Sharingan, no genjutsu could trap him. Against those two traitors, he could crush them outright.
Here in this world, where shinobi fought with high offense but fragile defense, his durability would be his greatest weapon.
Even someone as mighty as Uchiha Madara—hailed alongside Hashirama as a god of shinobi—had once been felled by nothing more than a kunai.
If Ryosuke could withstand even a few extra blows, he could trade injuries for victory.
As he rested, two figures approached the grove.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi.
Izumi had dragged Itachi out after class to practice kunai throwing. Despite already unlocking her two-tomoe Sharingan, her accuracy was still far below his. With graduation a year away, she needed the practice.
The two were chatting lightly when Izumi spotted Ryosuke collapsed among the trees.
Her face lit up, and she jogged over.
"Ryosuke-nii, you're training here too?"
Ryosuke nodded, though his gaze flicked past her—to the boy standing behind.
That traitor again. Childhood sweethearts, side by side.
Ryosuke's thoughts darkened. What could possibly make Uchiha Itachi value this rotten village over her? Over the clan? What in Konoha is worth more than family?
The last time he'd seen Itachi, he'd almost lost his temper. But the massacre hadn't happened yet. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance to pull this fool back from the brink—before the so-called Will of Fire poisoned him completely.
Because Konoha wasn't worth protecting.
Not Sarutobi Hiruzen, not Danzō.
Hiruzen had dragged the village into endless decline. After Minato's victory against Iwagakure, he'd still signed humiliating treaties, throwing away the fruits of triumph.
Later, when the Cloud attempted to kidnap young Hinata, it was Hyūga Hiashi who killed the intruder—yet Hiruzen, cloaked in "peace," handed over Hizashi to die instead. The Hyūga never forgave him.
And Danzō… he was worse. Exploiting his position as elder, extorting elite shinobi from every clan for Root—only to waste their talent in his endless power games.
He was the one who ordered the Uchiha massacre.
For someone like Itachi to follow him? To protect them? Unthinkable.
But maybe Itachi wasn't yet lost. Maybe Ryosuke could reach him. Convince him.
If Itachi could be turned, his strength could help the Uchiha reclaim Konoha itself.
After all, this was the clan's village as much as the Senju's.
And if the Senju no longer vied for control—then truly, the Uchiha were its rightful rulers.