"Have you heard…?"
"They say the Uchiha clan head's twin sons have been chased all over the village by dogs?"
"Hahahahaha—this is killing me!"
"The so-called genius clan of Konoha actually produced kids like that!"
"They've completely disgraced the Uchiha name."
"Exactly! Sons of the clan head, no less. Compared to Uchiha Itachi, they're miles apart."
Recently, rumors had been spreading nonstop through Konoha about how Uchiha Fugaku's twin sons were being chased around the village by dogs day after day.
For a time, it became the village's favorite joke.
Tap tap tap… tap tap tap…
At this very moment, two small figures flashed across Konoha's streets at speeds nearly invisible to the naked eye.
They leaped from rooftops, bounced off walls and utility poles, weaving and twisting through the air.
Despite their embarrassed appearance, they still carried that distinct Uchiha composure—like dancing on a blade's edge.
If not for the large ninja dogs pursuing them from behind, the villagers might not have realized these two were the "embarrassments" of the Uchiha clan everyone had been gossiping about.
Only one man watched the scene with tears streaming down his face—Might Guy, who happened to be in the middle of his daily training.
"This… this is youth!"
"Young men! I never imagined that even members of the Uchiha clan could burn with such passion!"
"Oho! Today I must run one hundred laps around the village!!"
His bizarre outburst instantly made everyone nearby uncomfortable. One by one, they distanced themselves from the strange green-clad man.
After all, no one wanted their children's future ruined by exposure to that.
Meanwhile, the two being chased ignored the villagers entirely—including a certain green melon—and continued sprinting forward.
Sasuke swung his arms wildly, his legs moving so fast they nearly left afterimages.
Suddenly, from a rooftop to his side, two large ninja dogs pounced out, attacking from both left and right.
Sasuke stomped hard, twisting his waist and leaping into the air. Both legs shot out at once, landing solid kicks to the dogs' faces and sending them flying.
The dodge and counterattack were pure instinct.
At the same time, he roared furiously toward the figure ahead of him.
"Uchiha Ryan!!"
"I hate you!!"
Ryan panted heavily. With one hand braced against the ground, his body rebounded like a spring. He slipped past the lunges of four ninja dogs, twisted midair, and flicked out four small stones.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Each stone cut through the air and struck a dog square in the mouth.
"Just tell me—haven't these past few days made your taijutsu stronger or not?!"
It had to be said: the boost to taijutsu gained under real life-and-death pressure was terrifying.
Not to mention, Ryan was still carrying that absurd 200% cultivation boost.
Now, even running twenty laps around the entire village only left him slightly winded.
And Sasuke, forced along under this brutal pressure, was improving just as quickly.
Ryan roughly estimated that these three days of "life-or-death training" had given Sasuke gains equivalent to at least half a year of normal practice.
Throughout the process, they had to evade packs of dogs while already exhausted, dodging every single attack from the ninja dogs.
From being covered in wounds on the first day to handling things with ease now—the improvement was undeniable.
Of course…
If he had any other choice, Ryan absolutely wouldn't have trained taijutsu like this!
He'd much rather apply that 200% boost to ninjutsu or chakra training.
But the moment he equipped the title [Enemy of Heaven-Rending Demonic Dogs], every dog in the village went berserk, like they'd been hit with a taunt—eyes red, charging straight at him.
It was unbelievably frustrating.
Sasuke fell silent for a moment. He wanted to vent all his pent-up grievances, but he couldn't deny that his progress was far faster than when he trained alone.
Still…
This wasn't the kind of strength he wanted at all!
"You… I…"
"When does this end?! If we keep running, we'll be home already!!"
Having a brother who specialized in dog-based special training was honestly driving him insane.
"Just hang on a bit longer!"
Ryan spoke while still moving. He dashed straight into the pack, grabbed one ninja dog by the scruff, and slammed it down with a clean over-the-shoulder throw.
He tilted his head back to dodge another attack, then drove a flying knee into a second dog, sending it crashing away.
"Awwooo… awwooo…"
In just a few breaths, the dogs around Ryan yelped and fled.
Seeing how terrifying this kid's combat strength was, the remaining ninja dogs halted, baring their teeth from a distance, clearly already thinking about retreat.
[Congratulations, Host. New Achievement Unlocked!]
[Enemy of Heaven-Rending Demonic Dogs → Fear of Heaven-Rending Demonic Dogs]
[Fear of Heaven-Rending Demonic Dogs: You have thoroughly beaten all Heaven-Rending Demonic Dogs around the village. You are now an unforgettable nightmare in their hearts.]
[While this title is equipped, shouting "What are you barking about?" allows you to swap positions with any Heaven-Rending Demonic Dog within a 500-meter radius.]
Ryan stared at the new achievement effect, rubbing his temples hard. He took several deep breaths just to suppress the urge to curse.
Fine.
Fine!
The system was abstract enough already—and now even the achievement titles were this abstract?!
Looking at the phrase "swap positions with a dog", Ryan inexplicably thought of the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God.
So the question was…
What the hell was he supposed to call this technique in the future?
Dog Thunder God?
Flying Thunder Dog?!
And before using it, he'd have to shout at the enemy—
"What are you barking about?!"
Wouldn't that just slap them with rage, berserk, and pain-immunity buffs all at once?!
For a brief moment, Ryan genuinely felt this evolution was worse than the original cultivation bonus.
Forget it…
He'd make do with it. Setting aside the requirement of needing a "dog" within 500 meters, at least it counted as a life-saving ability.
After the title evolved, the ninja dogs stopped chasing them and fled the area entirely.
Ryan and Sasuke tidied up their disheveled appearance outside their home, then quietly pushed the door open and crept inside.
After spending so much time around dogs, they reeked of dog smell. A proper wash was unavoidable.
Tiptoeing through the house like thieves, their sneaking was flawless—until they reached the living room.
There sat Uchiha Fugaku.
Their father sat cross-legged before the tea table, arms folded, his expression so stern it could scare ghosts. The wrinkles on his face practically radiated killing intent.
It was obvious he'd been waiting a long time. That serious expression screamed one thing—
They were about to get it.
Sasuke instantly shrank into himself. The moment he saw Fugaku, he turned into a quail, head buried in his chest, nervously rubbing his hands together.
He looked utterly helpless.
"F-Father…"
Fugaku nodded but said nothing. He glanced at the two boys, frowned, then calmly picked up his tea and took a sip.
He did nothing else—yet the air in the room froze solid.
Ryan stood to the side, chin slightly raised, wearing the calm composure of a seasoned old fox. He faced Fugaku without the slightest trace of panic.
Fugaku set the teacup down and drew a deep breath.
"Didn't I tell you… just a few days ago…"
"To stop provoking those ninja dogs?"
Sasuke's face turned deathly pale. Under his father's gaze, he didn't dare lift his head, his body unconsciously leaning toward Ryan.
Seeing this, Fugaku's disappointment deepened.
He slammed his hand onto the tea table with a thunderous bang, shouting sternly at both of them—
"Tell me why you did this!"
...
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