After a few minutes of wandering, Ryuku arrived at his house, followed by Sasuke.
However, before they even stepped inside, the Shadow Clone had already finished cleaning up the mess and dispelled itself, grinning upon noticing the identity of the guest.
On the outside, Ryuku closed his eyes and quietly withstood the sudden tinge of pain in his mind.
Once the four hours of memories settled in, his eyes glinted with an evident look of surprise.
Finally, some progress in Flying Thunder God...
Casting his joy aside, Ryuku signalled the black-haired boy to come inside. "Don't forget to take your sandals off," he said jokingly.
Sasuke gave an annoyed look but complied.
Once they were in the living room, Ryuku and Sasuke sat down on either side of the table. A glass of mixed juice was served by the former out of formality.
"Ask whatever you want now," Ryuku said, looking at the boy who seemed uncomfortable.
He's only a twelve-year-old kid, after all...
While having such a thought, however, he couldn't help but wonder:
Why does the village treat its Jinchuriki and the only Uchiha member like some ordinary civilian? Shouldn't they be given top-class education and private tutoring by one of the most capable ninjas instead? Since Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki was already known from the beginning, why didn't Hiruzen personally take care of him within his own mansion? He neither let Mikoto raise Naruto nor gave him to any of the other ninja clan members who were once trusted friends of Minato.
As for Sasuke, he was the only Uchiha Clan survivor for Hagoromo's sake, a clan that founded Konohagakure together with the Senju Clan... Why was he not given a proper instructor after his clan's massacre? He should have been assigned a powerful teacher who would slowly brainwash him to serve Konoha with loyalty so that the village could once again have the Uchiha Clan devoted to it in the future. Yet instead of doing any of that, why the hell was Sasuke not even assigned a surveillance ninja? What kind of joke was this?
Ryuku was utterly shocked by the revelation.
He had thoroughly scanned his surroundings using his sensory technique and found out that there was not a single ninja hiding in the shadows for the sake of protecting the sole Uchiha of the village.
Hiruzen has gone senile, I suppose... No wonder he couldn't even guess his own student Orochimaru's identity, despite sitting next to him during the Chūnin Exam for such a long time...
Sasuke stared at the juice, gulped secretly, but ultimately forced himself back.
"What you said to me in the morning," he began, looking deeply at Ryuku, "what did you mean by that?"
Ryuku replied casually while sipping his juice, "Be more specific, Sasuke. What words exactly...?"
He wasn't going to answer his questions so easily. First, Ryuku intended to drop Sasuke's guard gradually, to let him grow more curious about the mystery behind the Sharingan. Only then would he begin revealing the real answers, while also setting the stage for the true reason he brought Sasuke to his house.
---
POV {Sasuke}
Upon being asked to be more specific, Sasuke felt a bit frustrated and turned his head to the side.
"About flowing chakra into my eyes..." he mumbled quietly, feeling it was beneath him to seek assistance from someone like Naruto.
This will be a waste if he knows nothing and is just wasting my time... If he really knows nothing, I swear this won't end with just a few broken bones...
His ego was clearly hurting. He had no choice but to rely on a nobody to learn more about the Sharingan.
Although he knew what the Sharingan was—the bloodline limit of his clan, the enhanced vision it granted upon awakening, the ability to predict movements and see through Genjutsu—he had no further knowledge beyond that.
Was he supposed to train forever to unlock it?
To throw fireballs and kunai endlessly until one day he awakened it by coincidence?
Then how did that guy awaken his Sharingan at just seven years old?
Did that guy start training from the moment he was born?
Was that it?
The more Sasuke thought about it, the darker and more bitter his thoughts became.
How long was he supposed to wait? He was already twelve years old.
A delay of five years was already killing him slowly from the inside.
Then, Ryuku's voice reached his ears.
"Did you do it? Flow chakra into those eyes of yours, that is?"
Sasuke turned his head to look at him and gave a slight nod.
"I've been doing it for years... What? Don't tell me you brought me here just to confirm that?"
Are you kidding me? Was that the only reason for his confidence? To awaken the Sharingan by flowing chakra into my eyes...!?
Sasuke was at the point of snapping. But he kept his cool like always and reluctantly waited for Ryuku to answer, hoping he was wrong.
He saw Ryuku put down the empty glass and calmly reply,
"So that's the only option we have, huh..."
...?
"W-What option?" Sasuke asked in confusion.
He noticed the change in Ryuku's demeanor—and in the air—before hearing his words:
"You do know that I'm a Medical Ninja, right?" Ryuku said with a strange smile.
Sasuke flinched under his gaze.
"S-So? What are you getting at?"
Though he said that, his hand was already reaching for his ninja pouch in secret.
The casual moment had somehow turned tense.
Instead of answering, Ryuku kept smiling, staring directly into his eyes.
Then, it happened.
He disappeared.
Shit...!
Sasuke panicked. Within a second, he took out his kunai and dropped into a defensive stance.
Where is that bastard—
Above...!
He turned his head upward, but only barely caught a vivid image of Ryuku sticking to the ceiling before it turned into a blur.
Damnit, he's using that movement technique...
Just as he thought that, a sharp voice came from behind.
"Behind you."
Before he could turn around, a powerful force slammed into his back, smashing him to the ground and leaving him gasping for air.
"Y-You b-bastard... You w-will pay—" he muttered, glaring at the gray-haired boy, who was much taller than him.
My... my chakra... I can't control it... What technique did this bastard use...!?
Sasuke panicked. He was struggling to breathe, and now, he couldn't even use chakra.
His mind spun with chaos. Intense rage boiled within him, and a helpless feeling of pathetic weakness brewed alongside it.
The memories of the past flashed through his mind in an instant.
Foolish little brother... If you want to kill me, despise me, hate me, and live in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life... You're not even worth killing... Foolish little brother...
Live in an unsightly way... Run, run, and cling to life... Run...
"Argh—" Sasuke tried to shout, but his voice caught in his throat—gripped tightly by someone.
"Still not enough, huh..."
That same soft, yet terrifying voice reached his ears.
His body was suddenly lifted from the ground by his throat, mercilessly.
"Waaa—"
His voice couldn't even escape his mouth.
Eyes widening in despair, he noticed Ryuku's hand, where a blade-like blue thing was dangerously approaching his chest.
No, no, no, no, no... I don't want to die!
Father, Mother, help me...!!!
"Relax. I can recover your heart in seconds, even if it gets destroyed... probably."
Hearing that voice, tears started to fall from his eyes, one after another.
Why...
What did I do wrong...?
Out of utter anguish, his mind brought forth the faces of his dead parents—and the man he needed to kill, even if it cost him his life.
No...!
Not yet... not like this!!!
A flame of fury ignited in his heart as the world around him seemed to slow down.
Yet, a powerful impact landed again—this time on his gut—pushing him to the brink of unconsciousness.
He tried to focus his eyes on Ryuku, but saw something strange.
Why... why are his eyes closed?
Even as that thought passed, another punch slammed into his stomach.
This time, his consciousness faded. The last thing he saw was Ryuku sighing—
And then, everything went dark.
W-What just...
----
That was nerve-wracking...
Ryuku sighed in exhaustion and gently laid Sasuke's body on the sofa.
Looking at his tear-soaked face one last time, he gradually began the healing process nonetheless.
The damage was minimal, but because the impact had landed on his liver and lungs, the pain—and its effect—had been far more intense than the other technique.
At least he managed to reawaken his Sharingan...
Ryuku had realized the real issue with Sasuke's Sharingan long ago. It was like not using your arms or legs for years—when you tried again, they'd barely respond.
The best comparison was someone who'd been in a coma for years. Unless their muscles were stretched regularly, the aftermath would be devastating.
Within seconds, all the damage was healed by Ryuku.
Although his chakra was nearly depleted, he stood up regardless and moved on to the true reason he brought Sasuke here.
Will a litre of blood suffice? he grinned slightly, heading above to take out the blood pouch and extraction instrument he had prepared long ago.
---
A few hours passed in the blink of an eye~
Sasuke's eyes opened groggily. Noticing the unfamiliar surroundings, he tensed and tried to get to his feet—
But a wave of weakness swept over him, leaving his body sluggish and powerless.
Where—wait, this is that bastard's house...
....I'm alive!?
Looking around in surprise, he didn't see Ryuku anywhere. No signs of a fight. No damage to the ground or the furniture.
Where is he...?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a familiar voice called out from the other room:
"Try not to move. Awakening the Sharingan left you weakened..."
It's him—!
No, wait... What did he just say?
Sharingan!?
"I awakened the Sharingan?" he muttered in disbelief.
Yet he clearly remembered that feeling from earlier...
Before he could think further, Ryuku entered the room, holding dishes in both hands.
"Do you like deer meat?" he asked with a polite smile—one Sasuke had never seen before.
"..."
Kakashi told us not to eat...
But maybe it was the delicious smell wafting from the plates—or maybe he was just that hungry—
Either way, Sasuke nodded at last, face flushed in embarrassment.
"What are you waiting for, then? Go wash your face and hands."
"..."
This crazy bastard...
-----
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