"Phew..."
Samui took a deep breath, gripped the barbell with both hands, and slowly bent her knees, lowering herself until her thighs were parallel to the floor. Then she straightened her legs by contracting her quadriceps.
She held the peak contraction for two seconds.
Just like that, she completed one proper barbell squat.
Throughout the exercise, Dan squatted and stood in sync with Samui, ready to spot her.
A 500-kilogram squat.
In Dan's previous life, that figure would have been a world record.
But in the Naruto world, where people had 130 trillion cells on average, this level of strength wasn't particularly astounding.
Dan remembered...
There was a woman named Tsunade who could even swing the "short sword" in Gama Bunta's hand, which weighed more than ten tons. Her strength was simply unbelievable.
Once, twice, three times...
Samui maintained a steady rhythm, repeatedly squatting and standing.
"Try to rely on your body's strength as much as possible. Don't cheat by using Chakra," Dan reminded her.
Gradually,
Samui began to falter. The muscles in her legs trembled, and she struggled to keep her balance.
On the final repetition,
she lowered herself, but even after two seconds, she couldn't stand back up. Her face twisted with pain, and she was on the verge of failing from exhaustion and being crushed beneath the thousand-jin barbell.
Just then,
Dan wrapped his large hands around the sides of Samui's chest and ribs, helping her keep her torso upright and giving her the support she needed to complete the final squat.
"Thud."
Samui put the barbell back on the squat rack with a look of relief and panted heavily.
"You've improved. But remember, don't push yourself that hard next time. You could get hurt." Dan looked serious as he warned Samui not to overexert herself during training.
"I'm sorry, Gym Director. I won't do that again."
Samui bowed in apology and brushed aside her sweat-dampened blonde hair, her face flushed.
The two of them inevitably had physical contact like that during training, and the contact had been with one of the more sensitive parts of a girl's body. Samui felt a little embarrassed.
Today, she wore a white, form-fitting sports T-shirt and pink yoga pants, which perfectly accentuated her impressive figure.
"Congratulations. You're looking better and better."
Dan assessed Samui's figure with the professional eye of a judge.
Her figure was curvy and full, yet still had a powerful look to it. If he had to sum it up in four words—
Plump but not greasy.
The pinnacle of the slightly plump look.
"Thank you, Gym Director."
Samui was delighted by Dan's praise, a sense of accomplishment welling up inside her.
She could finally understand why the Fourth Raikage was so obsessed with working out, lifting weights whenever and wherever he could to sculpt his muscles.
So...
Working out really was addictive.
Seeing that Samui had rested enough, Dan handed her a Resistance Band and instructed her:
"One last set. Kneeling Side Leg Raise, to tone your glutes."
At his words, Samui expertly fastened the Resistance Band, then knelt on the Yoga Mat with her palms on the floor, her backside naturally raised.
She began the exercise.
"Keep your back straight. Your form has to be precise. Have you ever seen a dog pee?" Dan sat on the Dumbbell Bench beside her and coached her with a series of gestures.
"Yes."
Samui tried to imagine herself as a little dog peeing and imitate the pose. Before long, she found the right muscles to engage.
Just as the master and apprentice were in the middle of an intense workout,
"Excuse me. Have I come at a bad time?" a cold voice called from the doorway.
It was Uchiha Inohi.
He entered the Fitness Gym and saw the two of them exercising. His brow furrowed slightly.
"Keep going. Don't stop."
Dan said this to Samui, then stood and walked over to Inohi. "What are you here for?"
He'd thought the matter with the spy was already settled.
"Don't worry. I'm not here on behalf of the Police Force today. I'm here to invite you as an ordinary member of the Uchiha Clan."
Inohi got straight to the point. "Lord Yashiro sent me to ask you to come back to the Clan Compound for a talk."
Oh?
Dan was a little surprised.
Yashiro.
He'd heard the name before. Apparently, Yashiro was second-in-command of the Police Force, with power and prestige in the clan second only to Clan Head Fugaku.
He was also the leader of the Uchiha Radical Faction.
Did Yashiro want to meet him because he'd seen Dan's strength and wanted to recruit him?
"I heard you've always resented your sister marrying Clan Head Fugaku, so you moved out of the Clan Compound in a fit of pique. The truth is, you're not the only one who's dissatisfied with the Clan Head.
"Dan, for your sake and your sister's future happiness, I advise you to come with me."
Seeing that Dan said nothing, Inohi delivered the carefully prepared speech he'd brought with him, offering some earnest advice.
If Dan still refused, Inohi wouldn't force him.
After all,
he couldn't beat Dan.
Dan didn't need much time to consider Inohi's invitation before giving a brief reply:
"Sure."
He'd expected someone to come looking for him. He just hadn't known whether the Moderate Faction or the Radical Faction would make the first move.
Honestly,
as a transmigrator rather than a native Uchiha, Dan didn't particularly care whether the Uchiha Clan survived.
At least for now,
he had no intention of saving the Uchiha Clan.
Still,
Dan did want to see with his own eyes how these Uchiha managed to destroy themselves.
The Kaguya Clan of Kirigakure had also rebelled, but at least its members had stood together. In the end, Kirigakure had wiped them out with the combined strength of the entire village. They'd gone down in a blaze of glory.
But the Uchiha, Konoha's most prestigious clan, had been wiped out by their own people without even making a ripple.
What an utter failure.
With that in mind,
Dan turned and told Samui, "That's enough for today. I have somewhere to go. Don't forget, stretching after your workout is important too."
"Mm."
Samui stood and gave a small bow, watching as Dan and Inohi left.
She had sharp ears and had heard every word of their conversation. She'd also figured out that Uchiha Inohi had come to deliver a message from the clan's opposition.
They wanted Uchiha Dan to join their side and betray Uchiha Fugaku as his brother-in-law.
How would Dan respond?
He'd accepted the invitation so readily. Had he already decided to join the opposition?
Samui rubbed her chin with her right thumb and forefinger, lost in thought.
Whatever the case,
the Uchiha Clan's affairs seemed to be getting more and more interesting.
Half an hour later,
Dan followed Inohi back to the Clan Compound, which he hadn't visited in a long time. They wound through the streets before finally reaching a stately mansion and entering.
Creak.
As the two of them entered the courtyard one after the other and the gate closed behind them, a figure suddenly appeared beneath a cherry tree at a nearby street corner.
He was a poker-faced man with an imposing presence.
Uchiha Fugaku.
"As expected, Yashiro and the others have their eyes on Dan. They're planning to bring him over to their side."
The Uchiha Clan Head murmured to himself.
He hadn't approached Dan before Inohi and the others because he wanted to know if Dan truly hated him as a brother-in-law.
If Dan was determined to oppose him and joined the Radical Faction without hesitation, then Fugaku would have nothing more to say to his brother-in-law.
Only disappointment would remain.
Thanks to "Never judge another's kindness when you haven't suffered their hardships" for the 200 Qidian Coins tip!
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