Elsewhere, in the woods where they often trained together, Ryosuke found Might Guy. Guy was practicing alone, hammering his fists into a wooden post, strike after strike. It looked like his strength had improved as well.
Sensing someone behind him, Guy turned—and broke into a smile when he saw his close friend Uchiha Ryosuke. Ryosuke hadn't come to spar in quite a while; Guy wondered if he'd started to look down on his weaker skills. But before that, he had good news to share.
"Ryosuke, the village is preparing to negotiate peace with the Cloud Village. Have you heard?"
Ryosuke actually hadn't. He wasn't even involved with the Police Force. Still, he knew Cloud wasn't only coming to make peace—they were also after Hinata's eyes. Thinking of the Cloud Village, he remembered that his father had died at their hands. Time to claw back a little interest.
Seeing Ryosuke's look, Guy frowned. "Ryosuke, what's wrong? Are you not happy about this?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ryosuke laughed. "I'm just wondering why the talks are in the Leaf Village instead of on the Land of Fire's border."
Guy mulled it over and came up empty. Ryosuke could tell Guy wasn't a schemer.
"Forget it," Ryosuke said. "Guy, I'm here to learn how to open the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates."
Guy froze. "You're saying you're ready for the Fifth Gate?"
"Yeah. I'm already comfortable with the first four," Ryosuke replied.
The real difficulty of the Eight Gates was in the opening itself: once you adapted to the pain, it stopped hurting—rather like a woman's first time. After that, it came down to the body's endurance. A powerful body could maintain the Gates without issue.
Guy sucked in a breath. If Ryosuke was ready for the Fifth Gate, he'd be catching up to Guy's level. It had taken Guy ten years to reach it; Ryosuke had done it in just over three months. He'd expected Ryosuke to improve fast, but this was almost unbelievable.
Even so, Guy decided to teach him. As usual, he demonstrated once, and Ryosuke opened his Sharingan to copy the process, then made small adjustments—after all, everyone's meridians and chakra limiters differ slightly. When those three tomoe flared, Guy couldn't help admiring the talent—on the Sharingan alone, Ryosuke could have been a formidable shinobi. Among the Uchiha, he was the real deal.
After replicating Guy's method with the Sharingan, Ryosuke opened the first four Gates of the Eight Gates, then drove his chakra toward the Fifth Gate—the Gate of Limit. The familiar pain crashed over him. It wasn't just pain—there was a prickling thrill that made him blurt, "Refreshing."
He immediately stopped. He only wanted to feel the Fifth Gate, nothing more. Besides, he'd already drawn the attention of the village leadership—he'd refused the Hokage's invitation to join the Anbu and had even been meeting with Naruto. The Hokage—and other Kage—might well make a move against him. Training the Fifth Gate carried risks; even if he wasn't afraid of the pain, accidents could happen—he might even black out. If that happened, his eyes might not be safe.
Off to the side, Guy was stunned.
He remembered clearly what it felt like the first time he opened the Fifth Gate—like his nerves were tearing. And here was Ryosuke calling that pain "refreshing." People really couldn't be compared; maybe that was why Ryosuke could advance through the Eight Gates so quickly.
Ryosuke wanted to go home and practice more—in private. "Guy, I'll head back for now."
He turned to leave, but Guy hesitated a moment and called out, "Ryosuke, want to spar with me?"
Maybe Ryosuke now found his level too low; he hadn't come seeking matches like before.
Ryosuke stopped and smiled. "Of course."
He was still very interested in sparring with Guy. He snapped open his three-tomoe Sharingan and lunged, whipping a kick toward Guy. Guy hadn't expected him to move so fast; Ryosuke's power had grown again. The strike was all too familiar—Leaf Whirlwind. Guy raised his leg in answer, colliding with Ryosuke mid-kick—and immediately felt the difference. Ryosuke's thigh was like a solid oak beam, the force heavy enough to make his face tighten. That body had become fearsomely strong.
Shock gave way to a second surprise as Ryosuke posted a hand to the ground and chained a follow-up kick. Guy tried to track it, but he was a beat too slow. He couldn't guard in time and took the hit first, tumbling away and slamming into the ground.
Ryosuke hadn't gone all out, but he hadn't held back much either—otherwise the spar would be pointless.
Gritting through the pain, Guy climbed to his feet again. Ryosuke had grown incredibly strong—but Guy wasn't about to concede. When he'd first entered the Ninja Academy, he'd had no talent for ninjutsu, and even taijutsu lagged behind Kakashi's. But with sheer effort, he'd eventually caught up. He believed he could catch up to Uchiha Ryosuke the same way.
He charged and drove a fist at Ryosuke's chest—only for Ryosuke to catch it one-handed. Guy followed with his left; Ryosuke caught that one too. The gap was clear. Two attacks, no effect. Guy kicked again—Ryosuke's foot shot out first and booted him away.
Flat on the ground, Guy felt his fighting spirit flare even hotter. Beating someone stronger—that was meaningful. The bout went on, Ryosuke blasting Guy off his feet again and again. Ryosuke had improved a lot, but Guy had progressed too—just not as much. The man was stubbornly tenacious.
If this kept up, Guy would get hurt. "Guy, let's end it here," Ryosuke said.
Lying there, Guy knew that even if he could stand, pushing on would only mean real damage. He hadn't expected that in just a few months Ryosuke would become this strong. He might never catch up; as he advanced, Ryosuke would advance even faster. The gap would only widen. It was even possible Ryosuke would become the strongest taijutsu user in history.
Still, he wasn't discouraged—he was happy for Ryosuke's strength. Sparring with someone this powerful was the fastest path to growth. With that thought, he asked, "Ryosuke, you won't mind if I keep coming to spar, will you?"