Ryosuke and Kurenai walked side by side through Konoha's glowing evening streets.
Her faint, clean fragrance drifted in the breeze—subtle, soothing, and far too easy to get addicted to.
Kurenai didn't cling to his arm the way she had the night before.
There were too many people around, and she was far too shy for public affection.
Ryosuke understood.
He didn't push; unnecessary attention was the enemy of peace.
But as the lanterns grew sparse and the crowds thinned, Kurenai's hand slowly slipped through his arm once more.
After a moment of hesitation…
she gently guided his hand toward her chest.
Ryosuke froze—just for a heartbeat—before warmth spread across his expression.
The softness beneath his palm made him forget every drop of pain from his Eight Gates training.
Kurenai's face flushed crimson.
Even after everything they shared last night, letting him touch her there still made her heart leap.
She worried he might think she was being too bold…
But when she saw the gentle smile in his eyes, her anxious heart softened.
Her steps turned lighter, almost floating.
They slipped into the quiet forest path Ryosuke preferred—dim, secluded, wrapped in soft moonlight.
Here, he leaned closer.
She tilted her head up instinctively.
The kiss came naturally.
Kurenai didn't resist at all.
In truth, she had been mentally preparing herself for this ever since she left home.
Ryosuke kissed her deeply but didn't push further.
Partly because his body was still recovering from the Eight Gates…
and partly because he preferred their relationship to grow steadily and naturally.
A girl as warm and brave as Kurenai—
she wouldn't slip away.
As he held her close, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
Ding—
"Your emotional and physical stimulation has reached an enhanced state.
Chakra +0.1 Kakashi."
Ryosuke nearly stumbled.
0.1 Kakashi?!
That was almost a tenth of Kakashi's entire depleted adult chakra reserve.
A single night with Kurenai gave him that much?
Then if he did this a thousand times…
+100 Kakashi.
A Nine-Tails level chakra pool.
At that point, ninjutsu would be cheaper than breathing.
A thousand times?
Once per day would take about three years.
Perfectly achievable.
After several warm, quiet hours together, Ryosuke escorted her home.
Then he returned to the Uchiha compound, humming faintly.
Three Days Before the Duel
The next morning, Ryosuke woke feeling miraculous.
Clear-headed.
No dizziness.
No pain.
Even though yesterday's Eight Gates training had left him nearly unconscious, he felt nothing now—like a new body had been swapped in overnight.
His ever-increasing Constitution was the reason.
As his stats rose, so did his recovery speed—skyrocketing to absurd levels.
He now understood why so few shinobi ever attempted the Eight Gates.
The technique itself wasn't secret.
The reason was much simpler:
No ordinary person could survive the pain long enough to learn them.
And even fewer could recover from the training.
Only someone with ridiculous toughness—
like Guy or someone with a cheat-like system—
could push forward without crippling themselves.
After polishing off the largest bowl Teuchi had ever served at Ichiraku (to the chef's great amusement), Ryosuke headed toward the small forest near the Uchiha compound for his morning routine.
He had no idea an ANBU operative was hidden in the shadows.
The operative had watched him obsessively train every morning for a full month.
Strange behavior—too strange not to report.
After the Nine-Tails incident, surveillance over the Uchiha clan never truly ended.
And now…
an Uchiha focusing on taijutsu, of all things?
Definitely suspicious.
Hokage's Office
Sarutobi Hiruzen listened silently to the ANBU report, pipe in hand.
His brows furrowed.
Uchiha Ryosuke…
Wasn't that the boy who clashed with Asuma?
And now he was training with Might Guy?
What could he possibly gain from associating with Guy?
Guy had no political power, no clan influence—
only taijutsu.
Taijutsu…
A memory flickered in Hiruzen's mind.
Might Duy.
Four years ago, a mere genin who—after opening the Eight Gates—single-handedly wiped out four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Even the Professor himself, the God of Shinobi's last student, would have to be cautious facing the Seven Swordsmen.
Escaping after killing one or two would already be a miraculous feat.
But Duy had killed four.
That power…
surpassed the Hokage.
Was Ryosuke trying to learn that?
Hiruzen dismissed the idea almost immediately.
Impossible.
The Eight Gates took decades of dedicated training.
The low-level Gates weren't impressive on their own.
And the pain was beyond what most men could tolerate.
Even Hiruzen had given up attempting it in his youth.
A boy like Ryosuke?
He would cripple himself long before he got anywhere.
Hiruzen exhaled, shoulders relaxing.
He had overthought it.
Only Might Duy had ever mastered the full Eight Gates.
Nobody else—not even elite jonin—had the resolve or body to handle it.
What concerned him more wasn't Ryosuke…
…but the Uchiha Clan itself.
The conflict with the Hidden Cloud had just calmed.
Peace was returning.
And once peace settled…
the village leadership would finally have the time to deal with the increasingly restless Uchiha.
A cold light flickered in Hiruzen's eyes.
The Uchiha had always been troublesome.
Ambitious.
Defiant.
And lately…
far too bold.
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