After being sent flying five times, Ryosuke's entire body throbbed with pain—but inwardly, he was elated.
Hearing the system's repeated notifications of attribute boosts was like music to his ears.
Each stat increase came with a warm current flowing through his body, easing some of the pain.
Although he wasn't fully recovered, he was in much better shape than before.
If his body could handle it, he wouldn't have minded staying longer to keep sparring.
But there was no rush—after all, sheep must be sheared slowly to get the most wool.
Slowly standing up, Ryosuke looked at Might Guy and sincerely said,
"Thank you for your guidance today."
Guy, seeing Ryosuke's bruised and swollen face, felt nothing but admiration.
That burning gaze during their battle… it had pushed Guy to go all out.
Such perseverance and drive from someone of the proud Uchiha clan truly impressed him.
"No need to thank me," Guy replied earnestly.
Just then, several Konoha shinobi wearing standard flak jackets stepped forward from the gathered crowd.
They had been patrolling the village when they noticed the growing audience.
Coming over to investigate, they were stunned by what they saw.
Might Guy—a taijutsu-only ninja—had beaten the Uchiha elder's grandson, Ryosuke, black and blue.
Their anger boiled over.
Although Ryosuke wasn't known for his strength, his parents had sacrificed themselves for the clan.
How could they tolerate this kind of public humiliation?
A furious Uchiha stepped forward.
"How dare you, Might Guy! Attacking an Uchiha is an offense against the clan. Come with us to the Konoha Police Force for disciplinary action!"
The surrounding crowd, though aware this was a sparring match, didn't dare speak up.
No one wanted to be dragged into an investigation by the Uchiha-run police force.
Even if Ryosuke had initiated the sparring, Guy had beaten him badly.
Guy's face showed concern as he quickly explained,
"This was just a friendly match—we agreed to it beforehand. It wasn't an assault."
But the Uchiha shinobi weren't having it.
As far as they were concerned, the clan had been disgraced. Unless they punished Guy, how could they maintain their pride?
They began to surround him.
Guy stood frozen, unsure what to do.
He had hit an Uchiha—and badly. It was reasonable for him to face consequences, wasn't it?
Just then, Ryosuke barked out angrily,
"What do you all think you're doing?"
"This was a mutually agreed sparring session between me and Guy!"
The Uchiha Police officers paused, startled.
"Ryosuke," one of them said, "this isn't just about you anymore."
"He beat you up. That shames the clan. If we don't respond, how will we show our strength?"
Ryosuke's expression turned cold.
"That's laughable. Is this what you call the Uchiha clan's pride? Sounds pretty cheap to me."
"Pride should be earned, not flaunted by bullying others under the guise of law enforcement."
"This ends here."
The officers hesitated, clearly wanting to argue more, but Ryosuke's glare kept them in check.
"…We'll report this to the Captain."
Ryosuke didn't even flinch.
Go ahead and tell Fugaku, he thought.
If this is how the police force acts, no one's going to respect us.
A true law enforcement unit should act by the rules.
And surely those rules didn't say "punish anyone who injures an Uchiha in a fair fight."
After the patrol left, Ryosuke turned to Guy and said apologetically,
"Sorry. That probably left a bad impression of my clan."
Guy simply waved it off.
"It's fine."
From a young age, he had been mocked by countless people for being unable to use ninjutsu.
He had developed thick skin.
Besides, he had suffered no real loss today. If anything, the Uchiha Police had misunderstood the situation.
He looked at Ryosuke.
So this guy is "Uchiha Ryosuke," huh? That's what those officers called him.
"It's okay if I call you Ryosuke, right?" Guy asked.
"Of course," Ryosuke said with a smile. "Actually, I prefer it."
The friendlier we get, the easier it'll be for me to learn the Eight Gates technique…
"I'll call you Ryosuke from now on then. You can just call me Guy—my friends do," Guy replied, smiling warmly.
Ryosuke nodded.
He must be talking about Kakashi.
Back in the day, Guy had no talent for ninjutsu, and most of his peers looked down on him.
Kakashi, for various reasons, had become his only true friend.
In fact, Kakashi's later mastery of the Eight Gates had to be thanks to Guy's teaching.
If Ryosuke could get on Guy's good side, learning the Eight Gates wouldn't be an issue.
And beyond that, Ryosuke genuinely admired him.
Here was a man with no special lineage, no bloodline limits, no protagonist's fate—just grit and youth.
Yet he still rose to become one of the strongest shinobi in the world.
Sure, his "burn bright and fade fast" moment with the Eighth Gate was short-lived…
…but that brilliance was unforgettable.
After saying farewell to Guy, Ryosuke returned to the Uchiha district.
His body was too sore to wander the streets any longer.
Rest, medicine, and preparation were now the priority—he needed to heal and get back to training.
The stronger his body became, the more benefit he'd gain when he finally learned the Eight Gates.
With better endurance, even the sixth or seventh gates wouldn't be too risky.
But those later gates didn't just strain the body—they could shorten his life.
And Ryosuke, with two cheat systems (including the Many Children, Much Fortune system), had no plans of dying early.
He had to live a long life. A very long life. There were rewards to reap and children to father.
Maybe… if his body grew strong enough, unlocking the seventh gate would make him as powerful as "Evening Elephant Guy" from the original timeline.
But… how many attribute points would that take?