Uchiha Akihiko lay flat on the rough training ground, staring blankly upward as he tried to understand exactly how he had been defeated.
Throughout the sparring session, he had been the one controlling the pace.
Yet when he launched his final move—aiming a strike at Ryo’s back to finish the match—everything had suddenly reversed.
Ryo had somehow caught his wrist with uncanny precision.
In the same instant, he drove his body forward, slamming into Akihiko’s chest.
His elbow dug sharply beneath Akihiko’s ribs before rolling upward in one fluid motion and crashing into his jaw.
Since the match had been limited strictly to taijutsu, with both genjutsu and ninjutsu forbidden…
The outcome had been decided right there.
With a look of disbelief, Akihiko sat up from the ground.
“Be honest with me.
Are you actually blind?” Nearby, Ryo was feeling around for the walking cane he had set aside before the fight began.
Hearing the question, he smiled helplessly and pointed toward the scar crossing his face.
“With wounds like this, even an eye transplant from another clan member wouldn’t be possible.
What do you think?” “Then how did you react so accurately?” Akihiko climbed to his feet, retrieved the cane, and placed it back into Ryo’s hand.
“The angle I attacked from wasn’t exactly easy to predict.” “Thanks.” Ryo accepted it and turned in his direction.
“If you’d used a spear-hand strike, I probably would’ve missed it entirely.
But since it was a palm strike, I could roughly track it through the movement of the air.
Catching your wrist was mostly luck.” “The movement of the air…” Akihiko brushed the dirt from his clothes.
“So you’ve been training your hearing?” “More or less.” Ryo nodded.
“I practiced locating targets through sound before, so it seemed like the fastest way to adapt.
“Besides…
after losing my eyesight, the entire world feels different.
Things I used to ignore have become incredibly clear.” Akihiko’s expression darkened.
“Maybe I should start blindfolding myself during training too.” He looked genuinely depressed.
“How is it possible that the gap between us got even wider after you lost your eyes?” Ryo chuckled.
“At least you don’t have to worry about me ever surpassing you in genjutsu now.” “Tch.” Akihiko snorted.
“You couldn’t beat me in genjutsu before either.
Blind or not, that wasn’t changing.” Then a smug grin appeared on his face.
“Though one day I’ll definitely surpass you in ninjutsu.” Ryo paused thoughtfully before nodding.
“You might be right.
“Just maintaining chakra perception to compensate for my blindness already drains a significant amount of chakra.
Dividing my focus further by investing heavily in ninjutsu probably isn’t the smartest choice.” Akihiko: …
Fine.
Keep acting like a monster.
Naturally, he kept that thought to himself.
Instead, he noticed Ryo hesitate briefly before confidently heading in the wrong direction.
Without hesitation, Akihiko grabbed him by the shoulder and redirected him.
“Wrong way.” Then he suddenly asked: “Why haven’t you signed a summoning contract yet?” Ryo stopped.
Akihiko continued walking beside him.
“You’ve got enough talent that you’ll probably adapt sooner or later and regain your full combat ability.
“But even then, are you planning to spend the rest of your life relying entirely on yourself to get around?
“There are always situations during missions where teammates split up.” Ryo fell quiet.
Akihiko wasn’t wrong.
Even if he could continue fighting and completing missions, his biggest obstacle remained the limitations imposed by his blindness.
After a moment, he smiled helplessly.
“Maybe eventually.
“For now, most of my chakra reserves are already tied up maintaining my combat performance.
I don’t really have much left to spare.
“And our clan’s alliance with the Ninja Cats is still relatively recent.
It’s only been a little over ten years.
Our ties aren’t deep enough for me to confidently pass their trials.” “Do you at least have money?” Akihiko shrugged casually.
“The last time I visited, I met a cat whose entire personality revolved around money.
“It doesn’t care who signs the contract.
Whoever pays more gets priority.
“Current rate is one thousand ryō per hour.” Ryo blinked.
“No matter how I think about it, a summon that accepts contracts from anyone and chooses clients based on who pays the most seems a little…” “Better than having nothing.” Akihiko waved away the concern.
“Oh, and Yugo’s been raising crows recently because he’s allergic to cat fur.
“You might want to talk to him.” “Crows?” Ryo considered the idea carefully.
“They’re extremely intelligent.
“With chakra training, some of them can even learn human speech.” After a brief pause, he nodded.
“Thanks.
I’ll ask him about it later.” Then he turned toward Akihiko.
“By the way, have there been any updates from the battlefield?” “There have.” Akihiko slowed his pace.
“I’ll explain while we walk.” However, as he relayed the latest information, Ryo’s expression gradually tightened.
“The elders have approved a flanking operation?” “That’s right.” Akihiko nodded.
“The target is one of the Senju forward positions.
The objective is to eliminate their sensory and medical personnel.” “Is the intelligence trustworthy?” Akihiko nodded instinctively before remembering Ryo couldn’t see him.
“Uncle Kenji brought it back at the cost of his life.
“The Senju team chasing him was wiped out afterward, so the information should be reliable.
“And to avoid losing the timing advantage, several assault teams are scheduled to leave tonight.” He frowned.
“Why?” Ryo suddenly stopped walking.
“You should volunteer.” Akihiko raised an eyebrow.
“Try to secure command of one of the strike teams.” He remained silent, signaling for Ryo to continue.
“Based on previous encounters, the Senju usually establish a secondary camp roughly ten to thirty miles from their primary position.
“Those camps are generally staffed by sensory shinobi and younger members gaining battlefield experience.
“You should personally participate in the reconnaissance mission assigned to investigate it.” Akihiko smirked.
“What, you want me farming easy achievements?” “No.” Ryo shook his head.
His voice turned cold.
“I want you prepared in case it’s a trap.” The smile immediately disappeared from Akihiko’s face.
Ryo continued.
“You said the intelligence was obtained through Uncle Kenji’s sacrifice.
“But the Senju and Uchiha have fought each other for decades.
“Both sides understand each other’s habits far too well.
“This wouldn’t be the first time someone used that knowledge to bait an ambush.” The chill in his voice deepened.
“Unlike us, the Senju pride themselves on concepts like love, sacrifice, and devotion.
“If someone warned that outpost ahead of time, you won’t be attacking a vulnerable target.
“You’ll be facing warriors fully prepared to throw away their lives for their clan and for what they believe is the greater good.” Ryo paused briefly.
“I don’t care what ideals the Senju choose to follow.
“But I refuse to watch Uchiha die because they underestimated the schemes of an enemy we’ve fought for generations.
“If you’re willing, I’ll explain my reasoning in detail and leave the response in your hands.
“If not, I’ll go directly to the elders and find someone else.” All traces of Akihiko’s earlier playfulness vanished.
“…I understand.” His expression hardened.
“Let’s continue this conversation somewhere private.”