Ryosuke listened to Might Guy's words and was momentarily stunned.
"Why do you say that?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
He hadn't heard any rumors about the Uchiha Clan planning a coup, and even among the more radical elements like Uchiha Fugaku, no such plans had been discussed. As someone living deep within the Uchiha compound, Ryosuke knew very well that if anything that serious were brewing, he'd be among the first to know. After all, his presence had become one of the clan's pillars in recent times.
Guy observed Ryosuke's face and realized the confusion was real. That sense of unease in his heart deepened into a quiet guilt.
"This rumor has already spread throughout the village," Guy admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "A lot of people believe the Uchiha are preparing for a rebellion—trying to overthrow the Third Hokage by force."
Now Ryosuke couldn't help but let out a sigh, followed by a hint of amusement. "Relax," he said firmly. "I can guarantee you, the Uchiha Clan has no intention of launching a coup against the Third Hokage. Not now, at least."
Ryosuke paused.
The truth was, a coup was always an option in the background. He certainly had the power to initiate one, especially now that his strength surpassed nearly every shinobi in the village. But the cost would be too high—an all-out conflict would inevitably result in bloodshed on an unimaginable scale. To completely overthrow Konoha's leadership, one would have to eliminate not just enemy shinobi but their families—civilians, children, the elderly. It would have to be a clean sweep, like what Danzo once orchestrated in the original timeline, massacring the entire Uchiha Clan to "preserve the peace."
And Ryosuke wasn't ready to become that kind of monster.
Even if he could eliminate his enemies with ease, the resentment such an act would breed would eventually come back to haunt him. Revenge was a powerful motivator, and in the world of shinobi, it was often the very spark that birthed new prodigies. He wasn't about to sow the seeds of future nightmares.
He genuinely believed there was a better way. If the Uchiha wanted to live within the Leaf Village, then burning every bridge was not the answer. Peace—though fragile—was still an option.
Guy relaxed visibly at his words. Though he had his own grievances with the Third Hokage—especially due to Danzo's horrific experiments with Sharingan and his collection of Uchiha eyes grafted onto his arm—Guy still didn't want his friend to start a civil war.
He saw great promise in Ryosuke. He hoped the young man would become a hero of the village, not the villain of a tragic tale.
"There's another reason I came," Guy said, shifting gears. "You wanted to learn the Eight Gates, right?"
Ryosuke nodded.
"Well, funny enough, I started using your… uh, 'beatdown training method' recently," Guy said with a laugh. "It hurt like hell at first, but I stuck with it. Honestly, it helped. My body feels stronger than ever."
Ryosuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had originally developed that masochistic "get-punched-until-you're-stronger" method using his system's ability to passively improve stats through pain and battle damage. He never thought someone else could benefit from it.
Then again, Guy was basically the poster child for body-hardened insanity.
"Now that I've gotten used to the pain," Guy continued, "I think my body is ready to challenge the Sixth Gate. So let's train together!"
Ryosuke didn't hesitate to agree. In truth, he had been curious about the Eight Gates since Guy first introduced the concept. His Sharingan could track high-speed movement, and his chakra control was already masterful. But he lacked the specialized knowledge of the Eight Gates' internal chakra paths.
Together, the two of them found a clearing and prepared for training. Guy took his usual wide-legged stance—horse stance, fists clenched tightly at his sides. His body tensed as thick green chakra steam erupted around him like a storm. That was the power of the Fifth Gate: the Gate of Limit.
He focused, channeling chakra toward the next barrier in his body—the Gate of View, the Sixth Gate.
But no matter how much he pushed, the internal gate wouldn't budge. It was like slamming into an iron wall. The pain surged through his nerves like fire, and he had to stop to catch his breath, his body trembling.
While he recovered, he glanced toward Ryosuke—and what he saw left him utterly speechless.
Ryosuke had also opened five gates, but the chakra aura around him wasn't just green—it was a deeper, more intense green-blue, almost turquoise. The pressure emanating from him was several times greater than Guy's. Dust and small rocks swirled outward, repelled by the sheer kinetic force of his energy.
Guy's jaw dropped slightly. Same Five Gates, different universe.
How the hell could one man be a taijutsu genius, a ninjutsu prodigy with Mangekyō Sharingan, and still be humble enough to learn from others?
But then it got worse—or better, depending on the perspective.
Ryosuke began focusing his chakra into the sixth inner gate, gathering pressure to break through it. The shockwave from his power condensed into a spiral, creating a localized wind vortex as he attempted to open it.
BOOM.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as chakra surged through his meridians.
But he didn't succeed. Not yet.
Still, Ryosuke wasn't discouraged. In fact, he seemed... pleased.
"The pain's manageable," he muttered to himself. "Definitely not as bad as I expected."
And that was the truth.
Ryosuke's body, hardened through relentless training, combat, and system-aided enhancements, had become exceptionally resistant to pain and internal damage. Compared to the agony he had braced himself for, the effort to open the Sixth Gate was surprisingly tolerable.
That meant one thing—this training would not take him long. The gate would open, and soon.
After a short rest, he began again. And again. And again. His persistence was almost mechanical—driven, calculating, but not reckless. He wasn't just brute-forcing his way through; he was feeling out the path, adjusting his chakra flow, learning the rhythm of the gate's resistance.
Guy watched from a distance, a mixture of admiration and envy in his eyes.
It took me ten years to reach the Fifth Gate, he thought. And this kid is about to surpass me in days.
But there was no bitterness in his heart—only pride. If someone had to inherit the legacy of the Eight Gates, Ryosuke was the best possible candidate. He had the heart of a warrior, the wisdom of a leader, and the raw power of a monster. He could become a symbol—not just of strength, but of discipline.
And deep down, Guy hoped Ryosuke would use that strength for the good of the village.
Read ahead with 90+ chapters now and daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus