Devil's Horn

Bang.

With a dull thud.

In an instant, Might Guy felt as if he had kicked a slab of iron, his entire lower leg aching intensely.

"Hah!"

Unwilling to give up, he landed and gathered his strength once more, throwing a punch with the force of a bamboo-splitting strike that caused the air to crackle, aiming a heavy blow at Dan's back.

Even if his opponent possessed a Steel Muscles and Bones body, Might Guy was determined to send him flying.

But the result was unexpected.

Clang~

As Might Guy's fist struck Dan's back, not only did Dan remain completely unmoved, but a melodious bell-like chime resonated from within his body.

His body seemed to have transformed into a giant bell; no attack could shake him in the slightest, leaving only a clear, beautiful chime lingering in the air.

Endless and continuous.

This was the Golden Bell Shield Body, the manifestation of Dan having cultivated his physical strength to its peak.

What is going on?!

Might Guy had thrown his punch with full force, yet he was the one sent reeling back, half his body briefly numbed, his footsteps unsteady as he nearly lost his balance.

Just then.

Dan turned like a ghost, lowered his center of gravity, and taking advantage of Might Guy's opening, pressed a palm against the latter's chest like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Might Guy was instantly lifted off the ground, sent flying backward.

Thud!

Might Guy collided with the wall, but the scene of gore and carnage he had anticipated did not occur; instead, he slid down the wall slowly, like a painting peeling off.

"Are you alright?"

Kakashi hurriedly helped Might Guy up, discovering that the latter had only sustained minor injuries and was in no serious danger.

Clearly, Dan had held back, controlling the force of his strike perfectly.

Ever since he had accidentally crushed the head of an Amegakure spy by using too much force, Dan had been practicing his strike control for the past few days, and he had made some small progress.

This brief exchange.

Was enough to show that Dan's strength was far above Might Guy's.

"I lost."

Might Guy said these three words to Dan with a bitter expression, finally lowering his head.

In truth.

He still had the forbidden technique, the Eight Inner Gates, passed down to him by his father. He could currently open the sixth gate, the Gate of View, to gain power several times his own for a short period.

But as far as Might Guy knew.

Dan had also received the training method for the Eight Inner Gates from his father, and his mastery was likely even greater than his own.

"Do you know why you lost?"

Dan suddenly asked, walking over step by step, his massive frame radiating a suffocating sense of pressure.

Facing Dan's approach.

Kakashi raised his left hand in high alert, ready at any moment to lift his forehead protector and reveal his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

But Dan ignored Kakashi entirely.

He looked down at Might Guy and said to him:

"Running hundreds of laps around Konoha every day, doing ten thousand push-ups, ten thousand crunches, ten thousand Barbell Squats... this kind of training method might look passionate, but in reality, it is just a waste of time.

It is inefficient and unscientific.

Fitness isn't just about relying on a burst of enthusiasm; it requires constant learning, thinking, and improvement. Only then can you climb to the peak of physical perfection.

Watch closely, this is what real muscle looks like."

As he finished speaking.

Dan raised his hands, gripped the black kimono at his chest, and pulled it apart, letting his top slide off his shoulders down to his waist.

Revealing a perfectly sculpted upper body.

Under the suspicious and astonished gazes of Kakashi and Might Guy.

"Hiss."

Dan inhaled, expelling all the air from his abdominal cavity, causing his abdominal muscles to contract and pull upward, making his entire midsection look as if it had been hollowed out, his waist becoming incredibly slender.

Vacuum Abdomen.

At the same time.

Dan turned slightly to the left, raised his upper arms to shoulder height, bent his elbows, and squeezed his forearms inward from both sides, causing the peaks of his biceps to rise.

This pose was a Schwarzenegger-style front double biceps.

But it was not over yet.

Building upon the front double biceps, Uchiha Dan further raised his hands, curled his fingers inward, and at the peak of the movement, rotated his palms outward.

At this moment.

Swish.

The light in the Meditation Room seemed to converge entirely upon Uchiha Dan, cascading down from above his head to outline the perfect light and shadow of his muscle definition.

Uchiha Dan's gaze was devout, his face tilted toward the sky, his two monstrous, sinewy Giant Arms held high, resembling—

A pair of Devil's Horn.

Seeing this scene.

Thump, thump.

The hearts of Kakashi and Might Guy hammered violently, their pupils dilated simultaneously, and their minds were struck by an inexplicably intense impact.

They were not bodybuilding enthusiasts, and they had no interest in a man's muscles, but at this very moment, they felt a sense of...

Unprecedented power and beauty radiating from the man named Uchiha Dan.

For a time, both of them stood frozen in place.

It was not until Uchiha Dan lowered his arms and turned to leave that they finally snapped out of their trance.

"Show them out," Uchiha Dan said, returning to his cushion and sitting cross-legged once more.

Creak.

The door opened in response. Samui stood at the entrance, gestured again, and said coldly, "Please."

Kakashi took one last deep look at Uchiha Dan.

Then, supporting the soul-crushed Might Guy, he slowly walked out of the Fitness Gym.

Samui watched the retreating figures of the two defeated men, then looked back at Uchiha Dan, who was sitting in silent meditation, and couldn't help but mutter:

"The Gym Director seems to be getting more and more terrifying..."

After leaving the Physical Transformation Department.

Kakashi finally remembered that he had come to investigate the destruction of the surveillance cameras.

He had originally intended to confront Uchiha Dan, but in the end, Might Guy had been beaten up, while Kakashi hadn't said a single word or even lifted a finger the entire time.

He had been nothing more than a bystander.

Thinking of this, Kakashi felt a twinge of guilt. He patted Might Guy on the shoulder, comforting his friend:

"Don't be discouraged. I'll treat you to ramen. Only with a full stomach will you have the strength to train and continue challenging Uchiha Dan in the future, don't you think?"

"Kakashi!"

Might Guy burst into tears instantly, hugging Kakashi tightly and sobbing like a child.

"Enough, let go..."

Kakashi looked helpless, terrified that someone might pass by and see this scene—two men hugging in a small alleyway would be too embarrassing if word got out.

Fortunately, this area was very secluded.

It wasn't until evening.

That Kakashi finally strolled back to the Surveillance Post.

"Senior, where on earth did you go? You disappeared for the better part of the day."

Tenzo complained while applying eye drops. He had been staring at the screens monitoring the Uchiha clan without blinking, and after a full day, his eyes were nearly going blind.

"Tenzo, don't take the work so seriously. Just doing enough is fine."

Kakashi tapped Tenzo on the head, earnestly teaching his subordinate the importance of slacking off.

Itachi frowned slightly.

The surveillance outside the Fitness Gym had still not been repaired, and Kakashi had taken so long to return, which meant something must have happened.

Sure enough.

"Itachi, the Third Hokage has something to discuss with you. He wants you to go to his office right now," Kakashi said suddenly.

"I understand." Itachi was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

Half an hour later.

Itachi walked out of the Hokage Building with his head drooping, looking somewhat dazed.

Just now.

The Third Hokage had personally assigned him a mission: to monitor his Uncle, Uchiha Dan.

Captain Kakashi had a conflict with Uncle, leading the Anbu to raise the alert level regarding him. Is that why the Hokage decided to send me to monitor my own Uncle?

Itachi speculated in his heart.

He did not like this mission, but he could not refuse the Hokage's orders.

What troubled Itachi was that he didn't know how to get close to his Uncle; after all, Uchiha Dan didn't seem to like him, his Nephew, very much.

"Sigh."

He let out a sigh and walked alone toward the Clan Compound under the glow of the Setting Sun.