Ryosuke knew Guy meant well, but he still insisted.
"It's fine. My body can handle it."
And he wasn't lying. No matter how severe the pain was, after a night's rest, his body always healed completely.
Guy was visibly moved by the young man's resolve. He had never imagined such strong willpower. Despite still being worried, he had no choice but to respect Ryosuke's decision.
Perhaps Ryosuke really could endure it.
And even if something went wrong, Guy would be there to rush him to Konoha Hospital and prevent any lasting damage.
That entire afternoon, Ryosuke trained relentlessly to open the Gate of Rest.
Guy remained at his side, watching silently. Ryosuke's dedication was so intense that Guy forgot his own training altogether.
Eventually, Ryosuke collapsed, head spinning and face against the dirt.
Guy knelt beside him, concerned.
"Ryosuke, do you want me to carry you home?"
He was genuinely worried. If Ryosuke passed out on the road, that would be dangerous.
Still lying on the ground, Ryosuke felt the pain gradually fade. His mind was hazy, but he knew that a short rest would bring him back to full clarity.
He waved a hand weakly.
"Just give me a bit. I'll be able to walk home on my own."
Seeing that, Guy decided not to press it further.
After some time passed, Ryosuke felt significantly better.
Guy, reassured, took his leave.
Once he was gone, Ryosuke stood atop the Hokage Rock, gazing up at the clear blue sky. His mood was light.
He had become accustomed to the pain of opening the Gate of Rest. Though he hadn't fully opened it yet, he had managed to unlock half of it—a small but meaningful success.
He believed it wouldn't be long before he could open it completely, just as he had with the First Gate, further boosting his strength.
A gentle breeze swept through, and Ryosuke savored the stillness of Konoha.
How peaceful it felt.
If only this peace were real.
But he knew better. The tension between the Uchiha clan and the village leadership was impossible to resolve.
Understanding between people was a rare thing.
That was why he had to grow even stronger—to protect the ones he cared about.
Though he had improved significantly, the lingering pain led him to cancel his date with Kurenai that evening. After a quick meal and wash, he fell straight asleep.
The sixth and seventh days of his challenge against Uchiha Raihō passed with his usual routine: morning physical training following the One Punch Man regimen to build attributes, and solo training in the Eight Gates every afternoon.
No dates with Kurenai during those days.
Because under his ruthless, pain-defying training methods…
He had finally succeeded in opening the Gate of Rest.
As Guy had explained, the Gate of Rest released the limits on fatigue, overdrawing energy to restore stamina and counter the exhaustion caused by the First Gate.
Ryosuke already had plenty of stamina, but the Gate of Rest made him even more enduring.
Now he was genuinely looking forward to his match with Uchiha Raihō.
Raihō might be a jōnin, with undoubtedly jōnin-level taijutsu…
But Ryosuke, with the First Gate activated, had already surpassed his normal strength by 1.5 times.
With the Gate of Rest, he doubled it.
That kind of leap was the true mark of the Eight Gates—its power equal to its pain.
Determined to face Raihō properly, Ryosuke opted for a good night's rest to prepare for tomorrow's fight.
That fool had dared to mock him for training taijutsu with Guy, calling it shameful for an Uchiha.
But tomorrow, he'd teach him a lesson.
And besides, he wasn't in a rush to meet Kurenai tonight.
Tomorrow, he'd have all the time he needed—with her. Tomorrow was the night they'd truly come together.
The next morning, Ryosuke arrived early as usual in the small forest near the Uchiha compound, training alone.
Waiting for Uchiha Raihō to arrive and get his beating.
Just over a month ago, he had still been a mere chunin, but now his taijutsu felt solidly at the jōnin level.
Guy was also a jōnin-level taijutsu user—not at his peak, but still strong.
Maybe Ryosuke had just arrived too early, as there was no sign of Raihō yet.
So he continued his physical training, focusing on increasing his stats.
Before long, Raihō showed up as promised, accompanied by several Uchiha clansmen.
They saw Ryosuke still training and didn't think much of it.
Just a chunin, training taijutsu under Guy? At most, it would make him more muscular—no match for them.
They were the elite of the Uchiha clan, after all.
Raihō stepped forward, grinning.
"Are you ready? I'll make sure you lose fair and square."
The other Uchiha wore smug expressions, clearly not taking the fight seriously.
They had only come to watch the show. What could a taijutsu regimen with Guy possibly accomplish?
If Ryosuke weren't the grandson of the Great Elder, he would've already been taught a harsh lesson. Now Raihō could do it under the guise of a spar.
Ryosuke stared at Raihō, already itching to wipe that grin off his face.
He beckoned with one hand.
"Come on."
At the same time, he slowly activated his Sharingan—two tomoe spinning in each eye.
He had grown used to pairing the Sharingan with taijutsu in combat. It greatly enhanced his combat effectiveness.
Raihō noticed Ryosuke's eyes and was surprised.
Hadn't he only had one tomoe before? When did he evolve to two?
Still, he scoffed.
"Only two tomoe? That's pathetic."
He and the others behind him all had three tomoe—they were the true elites of the clan.
The difference in ocular power between two and three tomoe was vast.
The power of the Sharingan's genjutsu directly correlated to ocular strength. The stronger the eyes, the stronger the illusion.
Ryosuke was just about to respond when suddenly, a voice rang in his mind.
『Your Sharingan has been scorned. In anger, it has evolved to the Three Tomoe state.』
At that moment, a third tomoe appeared in each eye.
He immediately felt a surge of power from his Sharingan.
A teasing smile tugged at Ryosuke's lips.
"My eyes now have three tomoe too."
The earlier mockery had annoyed him—but he hadn't expected that it would actually reward him.
Now that he'd unlocked the Three Tomoe Sharingan, the next step would be the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He was half-tempted to let them keep mocking him—maybe it would evolve even further.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was the eye of the true Uchiha elite, imbued with unique visual powers in both eyes.
Like Uchiha Itachi's—his left eye held Tsukuyomi, his right eye Amaterasu.