Chapter 40 【Sparring】

  After a te - night commotion, the Uchiha medical department finally managed to initially treat the injuries of the two. However, due to the severity of their wounds, both had to stay in the medical department for a short - term observation.

  Uchiha Akihiko already had pre - existing injuries. The intense battle further depleted his energy and worsened his condition. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious. Once his condition stabilized, he could go home for self - recuperation.

  However, Uchiha Ryo's situation was far from optimistic. Multiple muscle tears across his body were actually the easiest injuries to handle. The most severe [Monda was that the lightning - attribute chakra Ryo used to strengthen his body didn't calm down after the owner lost consciousness. Instead, it became even more active and strongly resisted the healing chakra of the medical ninjas.

  After exhausting six medical ninjas, Ryo's condition finally began to stabilize. But since he was still unconscious, a medical ninja had to stay close by to watch over him and be ready for treatment at any time.

  Ryo's unconsciousness also made Uchiha Akihiko, who was staying in the same ward, receive many [Byakugan (cold gres)] from Izuna. Especially the next day, when Madara returned from a [mission] to the [cn] and came to visit after learning about the incident, Uchiha Akihiko felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped by two degrees.

  This situation didn't end until the third day after the duel when Ryo regained consciousness. However, Uchiha Akihiko, who was hospitalized together, still often got the [Byakugan] treatment from Madara and Izuna.

  Seeing that Ryo had successfully regained consciousness and started to cooperate with the treatment, Uchiha Akihiko decided not to stay any longer. He applied for discharge to go home for recuperation. But before leaving, he couldn't help but compin to Ryo about the cold gres and [Byakugan] he had received from Ryo's two younger brothers in the past few days.

  "Hey... You can't bme Madara and Izuna for this. After all, it was a family dinner that day, and Izuna was really looking forward to it." Ryo was sitting on the hospital bed, wrapped in bandages all over his body. "As for Madara, he was just normally angry."

  "It's all your fault for going too far..." Uchiha Akihiko pouted. "Couldn't you just say you couldn't hold on?"

  "Haha... It's been a long time since I fought with all my might, so I got a little excited." Ryo chuckled softly. "After you recover from your injury, let's have another spar. This time I've gained some experience. If it's still as hard as before, I'm confident I can cut through it in one strike."

  "No, thanks. I don't want to get the [Byakugan] again. If it weren't for the fact that the Uchiha cn doesn't have the [Ice Release Kekkei Genka, Madara would have frozen me into an ice block long ago."

  Hearing this, Ryo couldn't help but ugh again. But after ughing, his expression became serious. "Alright, enough chitchat. Now, it's your turn to talk about your [Monda.

  Akihiko, I'll say it again. You can use the power of the [Kekkei Genka, but you can't let it control you."

  Looking at Ryo's serious expression, Uchiha Akihiko clicked his tongue. "Don't worry. You've knocked some sense into me. I won't misuse this [Strength]... And you should worry about yourself more than me, right?"

  "Don't worry. Although I still can't move freely, I'm in great shape right now.

  Uchiha Ryo lifted his hand, a faint arc of electricity leaping from his fingertips. "Maybe it's a blessing in disguise."

  "What a crazy guy... I'm going home then. Although my family has buried Akihiko's remains, I haven't had the chance to add a handful of soil to his grave..." Uchiha Akihiko drooped his eyebrows, his voice a bit downcast. "Tomorrow is that kid's birthday. I promised to take him to the Festival in the Land of Flowers... But now I can only send him a white flower."

  "... Which ninja did this?"

  "Those crazy guys from the Hyuga cn were cutting down anyone they saw. Don't worry about it. I'll handle it myself."

  Uchiha Ryo nodded and made a mental note of it. "Okay, just ask if you need help. I won't need long to recover from my injuries."

  This time, Uchiha Akihiko just grunted softly and walked towards the door without saying a word. But at the door, he met Madara and Izuna who came to visit Uchiha Ryo. Immediately, he received two disdainful looks.

  Uchiha Akihiko: … Forget it. Don't be angry with kids.

  Izuna pouted and stared fixedly at Uchiha Akihiko's departing figure. Only after he turned the corner and disappeared did he give a very forceful snort and followed Madara into the ward.

  "I heard the voices," Uchiha Ryo said with a smile, turning towards the door of the ward. "Is it Madara and Izuna? Sorry to make you worried again."

  Upon hearing this, Izuna immediately puffed up like a pufferfish. "It's all his fault! He said he 'wouldn't take long,' but in the end, he even got Aniki hospitalized with him. We didn't even have our family reunion dinner - I'll never trust him again! Big liar!"

  "Well, Akihiko has his own difficulties. And Aniki is completely okay. Izuna, don't bme him too much." Uchiha Ryo opened his arms with a gentle smile. "Okay, okay. Come to Aniki for a hug and stop being angry, okay?"

  Hearing Uchiha Ryo's smiling voice, Izuna immediately defted. He silently walked to the bedside, grabbed the edge of the bed, and then put his head under Uchiha Ryo's hand, looking dejected. "I'll never forgive that guy..."

  "Oh dear..." Uchiha Ryo lowered his hand and gently ruffled Izuna's hair, looking helpless. "It seems Izuna was really worried about Aniki, huh? Well, Aniki will pay more attention to the intensity when sparring next time. Just let it go this time, okay? Our Izuna is the kindest, right?"

  "Sparring? Aniki, do you really think that kind of fight that almost killed both sides is sparring?" Madara put the food box he brought on the table beside him and snorted. "If that's the case, next time I meet Kazuhiko, I'll also have a [good sparring match] with him."

  【There is important plot-reted information in this chapter. Check the afterword.】