Uncle

Konohagakure.

Uchiha Itachi walked into a secluded, deserted alley and arrived in front of a gym at the end of the lane.

He looked up.

What caught his eye was a striking plaque with five large red characters carved into it:

Physical Transformation Department.

Itachi shook his head, his gaze filled with helplessness.

He did not like running errands to deliver messages, especially since the person he was about to see was not a very likable guy.

But as it happened, that guy was his uncle.

"Hoo~"

Taking a deep breath, Itachi pushed open the gym doors and walked inside.

At the front desk, a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes was resting her chin on her hand with a lazy expression, yawning out of sheer boredom.

Itachi remembered the woman's name.

Samui.

This older sister was fair-skinned and beautiful, and her large chest was particularly eye-catching.

However, even such a beautiful receptionist could not save this gym from its consistently dismal popularity.

A place like a gym.

He had heard it was quite popular in the northern Cloud Hidden Village, but here in Konohagakure, it clearly had no market.

"Itachi, are you here to see the Gym Director?"

Samui noticed Itachi as well and greeted him with some surprise.

Itachi nodded.

The Gym Director she referred to was his uncle—Uchiha Dan.

"The Gym Director is training in the equipment area; I'll show you the way." As Samui spoke, she stepped out from behind the counter, as she was bored anyway.

"There is no need to trouble you; I will head over myself."

Itachi said calmly, bowing politely to Samui.

Watching Itachi's retreating back, a strange glint flashed in Samui's sea-blue eyes.

She had come to Konohagakure three years ago, ostensibly working at this gym, but in reality, she was a spy for the Cloud Hidden Village.

According to the intelligence Samui had gathered.

Uchiha Itachi was the son of the clan head of the Uchiha Clan, Konohagakure's premier noble family, and had participated in and passed the Chunin exam alone at the age of only 10.

Not long ago, Itachi had made history once again by becoming the youngest member in the history of the Konohagakure Anbu at the age of 11.

Such a genius was one of the key subjects of Samui's observation.

Having finally found an opportunity to get close to Itachi, as a spy, how could she easily let it slip by?

Thus, she followed him without a sound.

The vast training area.

Looking around, it was filled with a dazzling array of equipment: a Power Rack, a Bench Press, a Chest Press Machine, a Seated Row Machine... as well as sets of dumbbells and barbells, all of which gleamed with a cold, metallic luster.

It was dizzying.

Itachi had once heard his mother mention that his uncle had specifically traveled to the Cloud Hidden Village three years ago to import this equipment, spending quite a lot of money and effort.

Unfortunately.

In contrast to the luxurious equipment was the extremely desolate popularity; for instance, at this very moment, there was not a single customer.

Honestly.

Opening a shop in such a remote location, it would be strange if there were any customers.

Itachi could not help but recall his father's assessment of his brother-in-law:

Dan, that guy, has no talent for being a ninja or for doing business.

Just then.

He suddenly heard a sound coming from the depths of the gym.

That was...

The low, rhythmic grunts of a man.

At first listen, it sounded like the low growl of a dangerous beast, filled with a warning that kept strangers at bay, echoing throughout the gym.

Itachi remained expressionless, his footsteps steady as he walked through the equipment area, gradually approaching the source of the sound, until—

A towering, shirtless back appeared in his line of sight.

It was his uncle, Uchiha Dan.

Itachi stopped in his tracks, his pupils constricting.

At this moment, Dan was sitting on a dumbbell bench with his back turned, legs spread wide, lifting a pair of dumbbells of unknown weight in a shoulder press.

The reason Itachi was stunned was that this was his first time seeing a human back with such visual impact:

The majestic latissimus dorsi muscles, like a sprawling mountain range, rose and fell with the man's rhythmic pressing motion.

A spinal erector muscle, thick as a giant python, ran down the center of his back, with muscle striations spreading outward to connect with highly defined, full muscle groups, looking like a Christmas tree laden with heavy fruit.

Even the notoriously difficult-to-train lower back muscles were as clearly defined as his abdominals.

Itachi suddenly had an illusion.

What he was seeing was not a human back, but a devil's face formed by a mass of fused muscle.

That's right.

Especially beneath the shoulder blades, where the teres major, teres minor, and infraspinatus muscles were extremely developed, writhing and squeezing against each other.

At a glance, they looked like a pair of demonic eyes.

Staring at Itachi with pure malice.

It sent a wave of inexplicable palpitations and pressure through him.

If there was anything soft to be found on this "fierce and menacing" demon back.

It was only the purple pentagram birthmark located where his thick neck connected to his left shoulder.

Itachi quickly regained his composure, his expression returning to normal.

Although he had already spotted his uncle, he did not immediately state his purpose, instead standing quietly in place, patiently waiting for the latter to finish his training.

Finally.

With a loud "thud."

Dan dropped the pair of behemoth dumbbells onto the floor, and the entire Gym floor seemed to shudder violently.

His muscles, fully worked and engorged with blood, were flushed red, and a large amount of sweat even formed white steam that rose in curling wisps.

Samui stepped forward at the right moment, handing him a white Towel to wipe away his sweat.

Only then did Itachi speak:

"Uncle, my mother wants you to come to our house for dinner tonight."

"I'm busy."

Dan didn't turn around, refusing without a moment's hesitation, his low, cold voice conveying a sense of detachment.

Itachi frowned slightly at these words.

The response was exactly as he had expected.

However.

"Itachi, you must make sure your uncle comes."

Thinking of his mother's earnest request before he left, Itachi held his ground and spoke again:

"Mother said there is something important to discuss with you, so please, you must come with me."

Although he used the word "please," Itachi's tone had unconsciously taken on a hint of firmness, just like an Anbu ninja interrogating a suspect.

Hm?

Noticing the change in Itachi's tone, Dan finally stood up, turned around, and walked over to stand before his Nephew, looking down at him.

He didn't say a word.

Itachi didn't flinch, looking up to meet his uncle's gaze with a calm expression.

The man in his eyes had short, sharp black hair, sword-like brows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and facial features as if carved by a knife, giving off a cold and resolute impression.

Dan was also very tall.

Standing nearly two meters tall, his shoulders hung on his frame like two tires, his pectorals were as thick as a door panel, and his entire person cast a heavy shadow like a small mountain, enveloping Itachi.

If one were to judge solely by appearance, Uchiha Dan's face seemed to be written with two words:

Invincible.

But Itachi wasn't nervous at all.

Because he knew that his uncle was nothing more than a man who looked strong on the outside but was hollow on the inside.

Uchiha Dan, 24 years old this year, was the younger brother of Itachi's mother, Uchiha Mikoto.

As far as Itachi knew, his uncle had shown no talent for ninjutsu since childhood; when tested with Chakra paper, there had been absolutely no reaction.

Of the five Chakra natures—Water, Fire, Wind, Lightning, and Earth—Uchiha Dan possessed none, making him a natural—

Ninjutsu Insulator.

His only redeeming quality was that his body was relatively strong.

According to my mother, when my uncle was attending the Ninja Academy, he once beat up a teacher in public with his own two fists simply because the teacher "spoke rudely" to him.

The result.

He was expelled after only three days, becoming the number one delinquent in the history of the Ninja Academy.

He also permanently lost the qualification to become a glorious Konoha ninja.

A few years later, my uncle had a falling out with the clan members, and after my older sister Mikoto got married, he moved out of the Uchiha Clan Compound entirely.

He opened this deserted Gym in this Alley, looking as if he wanted nothing to do with his kin for the rest of his life.

More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Nowadays, aside from our own family, almost no outsiders know that the man before me, named Dan, once carried the Uchiha surname.

In short.

This troublesome uncle caused my mother Mikoto a great deal of worry, and also made the precocious Itachi look down on him from the bottom of his heart.

Inside the Gym.

Uncle and nephew stood face to face, eyes locked.

"So, if I don't go, what do you intend to do?"

Uchiha Dan crossed his arms over his chest, looked down at his tiny nephew, and asked nonchalantly.

"As far as I know, Father wants to arrange for you to work in the Police Force this time. If I were you, Uncle, I wouldn't refuse such a good opportunity."

Itachi responded bluntly, his tone growing increasingly firm.

The night before last, he had accidentally overheard a conversation between his parents in their room.

His mother was a "brother-obsessed" woman who had put in many good words for Dan, finally causing his father—who was always strict about separating public and private matters—to soften his heart and agree to let his brother-in-law work in the Police Force.

That was an iron rice bowl; the pay was high, and it was a prestigious position.

In Itachi's view, his uncle was old enough that he should have learned to be sensible by now, no matter what.

But to his disappointment.

"If I heard you correctly, you're telling me how to do my job."

Uchiha Dan not only failed to appreciate the gesture, but his gaze turned cold, and he slightly deepened his tone.

"That's right."

Itachi sighed, his voice icy.

His limited patience had been exhausted.

As a genius who went to the battlefield to kill enemies at the age of four and could think about problems from the perspective of the Hokage at the age of seven, Itachi's mind was filled with the major affairs of the Village and the clan.

Therefore, he did not want to waste too much time on such trivial matters.

Sure enough.

Itachi's response completely infuriated Uchiha Dan.

His eyes flashed, he lowered his right arm, and clenched a fist as large as a sand pot, seemingly intending to teach this nephew a lesson.

And Itachi, too, silently raised his hands.

It was time to let this uncle see exactly how big the gap was between a real ninja and a muscle-head who spent his days lifting iron in a gym.

At the moment of high tension.

Samui hid to the side, feigning a panicked appearance, though deep in her eyes, she hid a sense of anticipation.

She had worked here for three years and had never seen Uchiha Dan make a move, but looking at that terrifying physique, his strength certainly wouldn't be small.

How would Itachi, who bore the name of a genius, defeat this opponent?

Samui was very curious.

But soon, something she never expected happened.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound, the noise of a fist striking a human body heavily.

Before Itachi could react, his vision went black, and a sharp pain erupted in his abdomen, forcing him to drop to one knee. His internal organs felt like they were churning, and finally—

With a retch, he vomited up the breakfast he had eaten.

"Why did you suddenly throw up? Is your stomach feeling unwell?"

Dan asked with feigned surprise, even crouching down to reach out and ruffle Itachi's hair, appearing very concerned about his nephew's health.

Itachi's face was deathly pale, and he was in too much discomfort to speak or answer.

He could only let Dan mess up his hair.

Having had his fill of fun, Dan stood up and instructed Samui, who was to the side: "Get my dear nephew a bottle of water, and bring the mop over to clean up the floor while you're at it."

"...Oh."

Samui snapped out of her daze and responded with a look of shock and suspicion.

What exactly just happened?

From her perspective as a bystander, Uchiha Dan had clearly stood in place the entire time without moving a single finger, yet Itachi had inexplicably collapsed to his knees.

It was simply inconceivable.

Half a minute passed.

Itachi clutched his stomach and struggled to look up at Uchiha Dan, the calm on his face replaced by sheer terror.

He certainly wasn't suffering from a sudden physical ailment; he had been struck by a solid, heavy punch.

But the terrifying part was that, just like Samui, Itachi hadn't seen how Dan had made his move at all.

Was it Genjutsu?

Or was it that Dan's striking speed had reached a level invisible to the naked eye?

Regardless of which possibility it was.

Itachi had to admit that Uchiha Dan's strength far surpassed his own.

Only now did he realize that his uncle, who appeared to be nothing more than brawn, had been hiding his true depth all these years.

The clown had been himself all along.

"Go back and tell my sister that her cooking really doesn't suit my taste. And don't come looking for me again."

Dan glanced at Itachi, finished his two sentences, and waved him away.

He then picked up a Towel and walked toward the bathroom.

"..."

Itachi watched his uncle's retreating back with a complex gaze, endured the abdominal pain to stand up, and walked out of the Gym hunched over.

Samui hurried over with a mop.

"Gym Director..."

She hesitated for a moment before she couldn't help but ask Dan about the doubt in her heart, "Do you... really dislike Uchiha Itachi?"

The observant Samui could naturally tell that during the clash between Uncle and Nephew, Dan's hostility from beginning to end hadn't been directed at Itachi's parents.

It was directed at Uchiha Itachi himself.

Facing Samui's question, Dan didn't answer immediately, but instead asked her in return, "Then what do you think of my Nephew's character?"

"Well... Uchiha Itachi is a genius. He has a calm and mature personality, he's polite, and both his appearance and his conduct are very cool."

Samui said truthfully.

In her view, having such a cool, pride-worthy nephew should make the Gym Director happy, shouldn't it?

To her surprise.

"You, don't be fooled by that kid's harmless appearance.

Mustelids are the most cruel and heartless creatures; they take pleasure in slaughter, killing far more prey than they need, and even... they don't spare their own parents."

As Dan spoke, he raised two fingers and poked Samui's smooth forehead.

It was deeply meaningful.

Afterward, he left Samui stunned in place and went into the bathroom alone.

Splash.

In the bathroom, hot water poured down from overhead, washing over Uchiha Dan's imposing physique amidst the swirling white steam.

He glanced into the mirror.

In the reflection.

Behind Dan, unbeknownst to anyone, a humanoid phantom over three meters tall had eerily appeared.

Like Dan, the phantom possessed a body as strong as steel, deep cyan skin, wore gray-white armor, and a metal helmet that obscured the upper half of its face.

In reality.

That phantom was formed from Uchiha Dan's spiritual energy, a type of existence known as a "Stand," named—

The World.

When Dan confronted Itachi, he had activated his Stand's ability, pausing time for the entire world for one second, allowing him to strike his nephew without anyone noticing.

Of course, he had pulled his punch significantly.

Otherwise, Itachi would likely be a dismembered corpse by now.

ps: For readers who haven't seen JoJo or don't understand the setting of Stands, just think of it as a guardian spirit capable of stopping time.