Sasuke had barely taken two steps when the voice behind him rang out. His stride faltered slightly.
The gloom weighing on his heart shifted the instant Ryan spoke.
But when he recalled the infuriating things that jerk had said earlier, Sasuke's anger flared right back up.
"My business has nothing to do with you!"
He said it stiffly, yet despite his words, his body—previously turned away from Ryan—had already rotated to face him. He even adjusted the little puppy in his arms, holding it more properly.
It was practically a greeting.
His tone gave nothing away, but the action itself clearly showed he was introducing his new "friend" to Ryan.
The Uchiha clan's reputation in the village was terrible. Villagers treated them like walking plagues. As a result, Uchiha children usually only played with other clan members—if that.
The clan married within itself.
Outsiders couldn't stand them, and they couldn't stand outsiders either.
Uchiha kids already had few playmates. Add to that the fact that their father was the clan head…
Within the clan alone, there were countless people who feared them, envied them, or only put on false smiles.
Fugaku not only taught the brothers to keep their distance from village children—he even warned them against mingling with kids inside the clan.
Friendless, Sasuke was lonely. He longed for companionship. Sometimes, when he saw other children laughing and chatting together, he couldn't help but feel genuine envy.
But with such a strict father constantly reminding him that every word and action must place the clan first, there was nothing he could do.
With no friends, all he could do was pick up a stray puppy by the roadside to keep himself company.
Sasuke had originally planned to ignore Ryan—after all, the guy had just exposed his weakness.
But when he noticed Ryan's gaze lingering on the puppy in his arms, a smug look crept onto his face.
"If you beg me…"
"I'll let you hold it."
Sasuke was clearly pleased with himself. He didn't mind sharing his newly acquired "friend" with his twin brother.
After all, as the older brother, taking care of his younger sibling was only natural.
Even if that guy always insisted on calling himself the older one.
"Take it back to wherever you picked it up."
Ryan's tone had never been this serious before. His stern expression startled Sasuke.
Ryan didn't care if Sasuke wanted to keep cats or dogs—but first and foremost, they were members of the Uchiha clan.
Ever since he became self-aware, Ryan had been observing the children of the clan. He noticed that many of them, at certain stages, would start keeping pets.
Cats. Dogs. Birds. You name it.
Without exception, every single one of those pets died.
And they all died brutally—right in front of the children.
Most of those children awakened the Sharingan because of it.
Ryan realized early on that this was deliberate.
The clan was intentionally provoking intense emotional fluctuations in the children, forcing the Sharingan to awaken early.
He found that practice utterly despicable.
There was no way he'd let his not-so-bright little brother go through something like that.
Sasuke was so furious his teeth nearly shattered. He glared at Ryan, said nothing, and turned straight toward his room.
But Ryan wasn't about to let him leave.
He reached out, grabbed Sasuke by the back of the collar, and yanked hard.
Caught completely off guard, Sasuke's vision spun as he toppled backward onto the ground.
Even then, his first instinct wasn't to fight back—but to protect the puppy.
"Hand it over."
Ryan tapped the numbing point on Sasuke's arm and casually pinched the loose skin at the back of the puppy's neck.
"Yelp… whimper—!"
The sudden pain made the puppy cry out. To Sasuke, the sound felt like glass shattering inside his chest. His rage exploded instantly.
"Let it go!!"
Sasuke flipped up from the ground, grabbed a small stone nearby, and hurled it straight at Ryan's hand.
Ryan merely shifted slightly, dodging the stone with minimal movement.
Without saying a single word to Sasuke, he darkened his expression and walked straight toward the gate. Along the way, he casually rubbed the puppy's head—then tossed it outside.
The entire sequence was smooth and decisive.
By the time Sasuke reacted and chased after him, he found Ryan leaning against the front gate.
From the look of it, Ryan had no intention of letting him go out.
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, glaring at Ryan with fury as he ground out each word.
"Ryan! I'm never talking to you again!"
But the instant he said it, Ryan's expression changed.
He spun around, flung the gate open, sprinted out, and grabbed the puppy—who hadn't run very far—by the scruff, hauling it back inside.
Staring at the system notification in front of him, Ryan once again fell into deep silence.
[Heaven-Rending Demonic Dog defeated. Quest progress: 1/10]
Heaven… Rending… Demonic… Dog?
Ryan lifted the puppy in front of his face and examined it carefully.
No matter how he looked, he couldn't find even the slightest connection between this little mutt and those four terrifying words.
Not even a bit.
"Whimper… woof!"
The puppy stretched out its limbs, eyes full of grievance. Even when acting fierce, it still looked oddly cute.
Taking advantage of Ryan freezing in place, Sasuke rushed forward, snatched the puppy back, and slipped into his room.
"I get it now!"
"This system definitely has some kind of cognitive disorder!!"
Ryan stroked his chin and reached a very serious conclusion.
Abstract as it was, this really did count as a newbie quest.
Ignoring the ridiculous name "Heaven-Rending Demonic Dog," all he needed to do was go outside and beat up a few dogs to finish it.
The difficulty was basically nonexistent!
With that thought, Ryan immediately dashed toward Sasuke's room.
If Sasuke could pick up a puppy outside, then he must know where to find more.
Pushing the door open, Ryan saw Sasuke crouched in the corner, feeding milk to the puppy.
Ryan waited at the doorway for a full five minutes. Only after Sasuke finished did he step inside, grab the kid by the arm, and pull him toward the door.
Sasuke shook his arm hard, breaking free, then put on his cold, aloof face—the one he used for outsiders—and started spouting harsh words.
"Let go of me."
"Uchiha Ryan! I'm telling you, from now on I'll never—"
Right at the critical moment, Ryan pulled out a bill and held it in front of Sasuke's face.
The sudden sight instantly lowered Sasuke's volume. By the end, he swallowed the rest of his words entirely.
He reached out reflexively, but Ryan lifted his hand just enough to make Sasuke grab at air.
"Keeping a dog is fine."
"Just don't keep it at home."
Sasuke thought he was being toyed with. Anger flared in his eyes, his furious expression already set.
But after hearing Ryan's words, it was like the breath he'd been holding surged up—only to be forcibly pushed back down.
Unbearable.
But…
Ryan agreeing to let him keep the dog was amazing!
After having just thrown out such harsh words, Sasuke felt it would be too embarrassing to back down now. He snatched the bill from Ryan's hand, smoothly tucked it into his pocket, and pretended not to care.
"I won't argue with you today."
"After all, I'm your older brother."
Ryan gave him a disdainful glance.
"I was born one minute earlier."
...
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