After Fugaku was carried back to the bedroom by the combined efforts of the two brothers and Mikoto, he lay bedridden for quite some time.
When he finally woke up, he kept muttering things like "unfilial son," "the Uchiha are finished," and "damn brat."
It was obvious—Fugaku had been genuinely pissed beyond measure.
Honestly…
If Ryan had merely tried to stop him or said something misguided, Fugaku could have comforted himself with "he's still young, kids say stupid things."
But opening his mouth and declaring he wanted to destroy the world…
That was basically asking for the Uchiha clan to die faster.
Mikoto, worried her husband would actually get sick from anger, directly sent the two children out, saying that Fugaku was still furious and it was best they didn't appear in front of him for a while.
Otherwise, she was genuinely afraid the kids might get beaten.
Ryan thought that made sense and dragged Sasuke straight out of the house.
Before they left, their mother even warned them specifically not to provoke the village's ninken again.
At a time like this…
If Fugaku heard any more bad news, he might actually lose it.
But three whole days passed—and the two kids showed zero intention of going home.
By the riverbank, Ryan flicked his fishing rod lightly.
The transparent fishing line whistled through the air, the float splashed into the water, and everything fell silent as he waited for a bite.
Splash—
Water erupted as Sasuke fell in again during his water-walking practice.
He flailed for a moment before scrambling ashore, soaked and miserable.
"Ryan," Sasuke complained impatiently, "are you sure training like this actually makes you stronger?"
He honestly didn't feel any dramatic improvement from repeatedly failing tree-climbing and water-walking.
Right now, his mind was full of one thing only—
The scene where Ryan had defeated their father.
All he wanted was to learn that strange clone technique.
Ryan didn't even glance at him. Still fishing, he casually said something that completely baffled Sasuke.
"There are ten lotus flowers in the pond. I picked one…"
Sasuke wrung out his shirt, eyes full of confusion.
He hesitated, then tried replying, uncertainly.
"I… pick nine?"
"What does that even mean?"
Ryan nodded in satisfaction and calmly rephrased it for him.
"If you're weak, then train more."
"Ryan! That's too much!"
Sasuke exploded, hurling his freshly wrung shirt at Ryan.
Ryan merely shifted his butt slightly.
The attack missed—and the shirt plopped straight back into the river.
Sasuke rushed to the water's edge, completely numb.
He was about to jump in after it, but when he glanced at Ryan, his eyes suddenly spun with a new idea.
"Uchiha Ryan."
"Hypothetically—just hypothetically—if Itachi and I both couldn't swim…"
"And we fell into the water at the same time…"
"And you could only save one of us…"
"Who would you save?"
Ryan paused mid-cast.
He turned and studied Sasuke carefully, then began thinking very seriously.
Unlike Itachi, who loved dodging questions, Ryan genuinely thought about things like this.
"Hmm…"
He pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Drowning occurs because a person can't breathe and inhales too much water, leading to suffocation."
"Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen."
Knowledge entered Sasuke's brain in the most underhanded way imaginable, forcibly lodging itself there.
Of course, he still had no idea what that had to do with the question.
"So…"
"If I release a large-scale Lightning Release into the river, I can decompose the water, produce oxygen, and save both of you at once."
Sasuke's eyes went wide, every hair on his body standing on end as he vividly imagined being electrocuted to death in the water.
"Uchiha Ryan! Are you a demon?!"
"We're brothers!"
Ryan shrugged and glanced at him sideways, silently sighing.
Nice try.
Sasuke's scheme failed. After calming down a bit, he pressed on stubbornly.
"Then tell me—between Itachi and me…"
"Who would you choose?"
This time, Ryan answered without hesitation.
This question had never been a choice for him.
Sasuke froze for several seconds.
Then he crept closer to Ryan and whispered almost inaudibly,
"Then… Can you teach me how to clone?"
That name finally broke Ryan.
Without restraint, he planted a hand on Sasuke's back and shoved him straight into the river.
"Practice water-walking properly!"
"If you don't get it today, no dinner for you!"
Sasuke popped his head out of the water, gritting his teeth furiously.
"Ryan, you lied to me!"
"I'll never believe you again!"
He'd actually been happy for a moment after Ryan chose him.
And then this bastard turned around and pushed him into the river.
Uchiha Ryan…
Cold-blooded. Heartless.
Sasuke declared that from today onward, he would not speak to Ryan again.
"Hey! You two!"
"This is my territory!"
At that moment, a blond kid suddenly burst out of the bushes, pointing at Ryan and Sasuke as he shouted.
A crude, battered fishing rod rested on his shoulder.
Compared to the specialized gear Ryan had bought from a shop…
It looked downright pitiful.
A worn bucket dangled from his hand, its condition somewhere between "barely usable" and "about to fall apart."
Whether it leaked or not was anyone's guess.
After yelling, the blond kid noticed Ryan's fishing rod and bucket.
Then he looked at Sasuke splashing in the river.
The two boys looked about the same age.
A wave of inferiority quietly welled up in his chest.
Family… huh.
The blond boy awkwardly hid his rod and bucket behind his back, yet still shouted stubbornly,
"This is my turf!"
"If you want to fish—go upstream!"
"There are more fish there anyway!"
Sasuke immediately bristled.
At home, he bickered with Ryan and acted spoiled with his brother.
Outside?
He gave no one a good face.
Sasuke sprang out of the water, lightly stepping twice and standing firmly on the surface.
He quickly put his shirt back on, patted the inconspicuous Uchiha clan crest on his chest, then tilted his chin toward the blond kid.
With a nostril-pointing, arrogant posture, he asked,
"Kid, who do you think you are?"
Showing the clan crest was a flex of background.
Standing on water was a subtle display of strength.
The arrogant question was a direct counterattack.
But Ryan could tell—
Sasuke didn't dare move.
One wrong step and he'd fall straight back into the river.
"That's enough, Sasuke."
"Pack up. We're going home."
Ryan stood up, brushed off the dirt, deliberately placing the fishing gear and bucket of fish at his feet.
Then he grabbed Sasuke and pulled him off the water, saving him from embarrassing himself in front of an outsider.
Sasuke snorted disdainfully and followed Ryan home.
Only after they'd walked ten meters away did the blond kid snap out of it.
He hurriedly lifted the heavy bucket and that expensive-looking fishing rod, stumbling as he chased after them.
"Hey! Wait!"
"You forgot your stuff!"
Ryan raised a hand and gently waved back.
"Don't want it. If you want it, take it. If not, throw it away."
The moment those words left his mouth—
The system's voice rang out at the exact same time, nearly making Ryan stumble.
[Quest Triggered: The scholar that you are encounters a fox spirit in distress...]
...
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