Obito's Dog Leash

Clang.

The doors of the Fitness Gym swung open, and the lights inside flickered to life.

Uchiha Dan carried the unconscious Samui back to her bedroom and laid her on the bed.

However.

Just as he was preparing to head off to rest himself, he suddenly noticed that the door to the Meditation Room had been opened.

Dan's gaze sharpened as he stepped into the Meditation Room.

"You must be Uchiha Dan. Tsk tsk, you really are as fierce as a tiger and as sturdy as an ox."

The Masked Man spoke first, rubbing his chin with his fingers while eyeing Dan with great interest.

"Who are you?"

Dan asked calmly. In reality, he had recognized the man's identity at a single glance.

Uchiha Obito.

Dan was not surprised by this person's appearance; he simply hadn't expected him to track him down so quickly.

Obito was the successor cultivated by Uchiha Madara, a link in the "Nagato-Obito-Madara-Kaguya" nesting doll of bosses from the Original Work.

"Who I am isn't important. You only need to know that I support your Shattered Jade Plan and am willing to lend you a hand."

Obito got straight to the point, extending an olive branch to Dan, and added a specific reminder: "For instance, right now, there are two Konoha Anbu secretly monitoring this Fitness Gym from outside. How about it? Do you want me to take care of them for you?"

"I don't like dealing with people who hide their heads and show their tails. Get lost."

Dan remained unmoved, his refusal crisp and direct.

"Oh my, truly unruly, aren't you? It seems I have no choice but to let you witness my power."

Obito sighed helplessly and stood up.

Clatter.

With a flick of his hands, a long, thick iron chain slid out from his sleeve, gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

Obito believed Uchiha Dan was a good dog.

To tame such a good dog, one had to first leash it and become its master.

Only then would this dog be obedient, biting whoever it was told to bite.

So, it was time to make a move.

Seeing Obito brandish the iron chain, Dan's expression remained as calm as an ancient well, though a trace of imperceptible killing intent flickered deep within his eyes.

He would strike with all his might.

At this moment.

The air in the Meditation Room seemed to grow heavy, the atmosphere becoming incredibly oppressive.

A great battle was on the verge of erupting.

Knock, knock, knock.

A series of knocks on the door shattered the silent atmosphere.

"Gym Director, are you in there? I... have something I want to tell you." Samui's voice drifted in from outside the door.

"Interrupted. What a buzzkill."

Hearing Samui's voice, Obito shook his head in annoyance and threw a final sentence at Dan: "If you want to know who I am, come to Naka Shrine tomorrow night at eight."

As his words fell, he retracted the chain, his body once again rippling with a vortex-like distortion, and he vanished into the void right before Dan's eyes.

"Come in." After Obito disappeared, Dan spoke.

Creak.

Samui pushed the door open slightly and stepped inside, stopping three meters away from Dan and bowing to him.

Then, she asked with a look of trepidation:

"Gym Director, tonight at Clan Head Fugaku's house, he suddenly revealed his Sharingan and caused me to pass out. May I ask... what exactly was that about?"

"It was a misunderstanding."

Dan walked over to Samui and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "My brother-in-law asked me to apologize to you on his behalf. I hope you won't take it to heart."

"Oh, I see. So that's how it is."

Samui didn't dare move, forcing a smile.

"If there's nothing else, go get some rest." Dan removed his large hand from her shoulder and walked out of the Meditation Room.

"Whew~"

Samui let out a long breath, her body, which had been stiff with tension, finally returning to normal.

For a split second just now.

She had truly believed that Dan was going to strike, to crush her shoulder with a single blow and leave her severely injured and crippled.

Samui did not believe Dan's words.

She knew that she must have exposed something; perhaps Fugaku and Dan had already uncovered some information and were suspicious of her identity.

In other words.

Her current situation was dangerous, and the wisest course of action would be to withdraw early and flee Konoha before Dan could react.

However.

Last night, Samui had received a letter from the Cloud Hidden Village, ordering her to steal Dan's fitness and diet plans, a mission specifically emphasized by the Fourth Raikage.

Therefore, she could not leave just yet; she had to stay and complete the mission!

The night passed without incident.

The next day, everything was as usual.

The Fitness Gym remained the same, with few customers, and Dan and Samui spent a peaceful day training and eating together as always.

At dusk.

After finishing his shift at the Anbu, Itachi came straight to the Fitness Gym.

He did not want to see his Uncle Uchiha Dan at all, but he was caught between the Third Hokage ordering him to monitor Dan and his father urging him to get along well with Dan.

He had no choice but to come.

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help with?" As soon as Itachi entered, he saw Samui cleaning and took the initiative to ask.

"Leave these things to me."

Samui wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and said to Itachi, "The Gym Director is waiting for you; he seems to have something to discuss with you, so go ahead."

Oh?

Itachi was taken aback by these words. He walked into the lounge area and saw Dan sitting on the sofa.

"You're here."

"Yes, Uncle."

The uncle and nephew exchanged a brief opening.

"Are you free tonight? Accompany me to a place," Dan said, getting straight to the point.

"Where?" Itachi asked.

"Naka Shrine. Someone asked to meet me there, but I'm not very familiar with the way," Dan said casually.

He had originally intended to stand Obito up, but thinking about the latter's personality, he knew he would surely keep harassing him, so he decided to go and resolve the matter.

"Uncle, may I ask who asked to meet you?"

Itachi was somewhat surprised and asked tentatively.

"A guy wearing a Tiger Mask; I don't know his name yet," Dan shook his head.

Tiger Mask?

Upon hearing this, Itachi became thoughtful, feeling as if he remembered something, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

Night fell, and the bright moon rose.

Guided by Itachi, Dan walked into the forest of the Uchiha Clan, followed the Naka River to the lower reaches of the riverbank, and saw the silhouette of a shrine in the distance.

It stood in the night, solemn and dignified.

There was someone there.

Itachi had sharp eyes and immediately spotted a figure in the woods next to the shrine, standing with his back to them, hands behind his back.

"Uncle, that person seems to have been waiting for a long time," Itachi said.

"That's because we're late. Since that person is the one who wants to see me, it's only right to make him wait a little longer," Dan glanced at Obito's back and said to his nephew.

Itachi: "..."

As expected of his uncle, he could be so righteous even about being late.

As they spoke, the uncle and nephew walked into the woods and stopped at a distance of five or six meters from Obito.

"Uchiha Itachi, we meet again."

Obito turned around. Instead of speaking to Dan first, he greeted Itachi.

"You are..."

The moment Itachi saw Obito, his pupils constricted sharply, and his body tensed up. "The... Masked Man from three years ago."

His expression was grave and shocked, and his eyes suddenly transformed into the scarlet Three-Tomoe shape.