Clang.
The doors to the Fitness Gym swung open, and the lights inside came on.
Dan carried the unconscious Samui back to her bedroom and laid her on the bed.
However.
Just as he was about to go rest himself, he suddenly noticed that the door to the Meditation Room had been opened.
Dan's gaze sharpened as he entered the Meditation Room.
"So you're Uchiha Dan. Tsk, tsk, you really are as fierce as a tiger and as strong as an ox."
The Masked Man spoke first. He rubbed his chin with a finger, looking Dan over with interest.
"Who are you?"
Dan asked calmly. In truth, he had recognized the other man at a glance.
Obito Uchiha.
Dan wasn't surprised by his appearance; he just hadn't expected him to seek him out so soon.
Obito was the heir Madara Uchiha had groomed, one link in the Original Work's chain of bosses: "Nagato—Obito—Madara—Kaguya."
"Who I am doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I support your Shattered Jade Plan and am willing to lend you a hand."
Obito got straight to the point and extended an offer to Dan. He even pointed out, "For instance, there are two Konoha Anbu secretly watching outside this Fitness Gym right now. So, how about it? Want me to take care of them for you?"
"I don't like dealing with people who hide their faces. Get lost."
Dan wasn't swayed. His refusal was blunt.
"Oh, my, you really are unruly. Looks like I'll have to show you what I can do."
Obito sighed helplessly and stood up.
With a clatter,
he shook both hands, and a long, thick iron chain slipped from his sleeve, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.
Obito thought Uchiha Dan would make a good dog.
To tame a good dog, you first had to put a leash on it and become its master.
That way, the dog would obey, biting whoever it was told to bite.
Was he going to make a move?
Dan saw Obito reveal the chain, but his expression remained as still as a well. Only a faint trace of killing intent flickered deep in his eyes.
He would give it everything he had.
At that moment,
the air in the Meditation Room seemed to grow heavy, and the atmosphere became unbearably oppressive.
A great battle looked about to erupt.
Knock, knock, knock.
A series of knocks shattered the silence.
"Gym Director, are you in there? I... have something I want to say to you." Samui's voice came through the door.
"What a nuisance. This is such a buzzkill."
Hearing Samui's voice, Obito shook his head in annoyance, then left Dan with a parting remark. "If you want to know who I am, come to Naka Shrine tomorrow night at eight."
With that, he put away the chain. His body twisted into a swirling distortion once more, and he vanished into the void right in front of Dan.
"Come in," Dan said after Obito disappeared.
Creak.
Samui gently pushed the door open and walked in with small steps. She stopped three meters from Dan and bowed to him.
Then she asked nervously,
"Gym Director, tonight at Clan Head Fugaku's house, he suddenly showed me his Sharingan and made me pass out. Could you tell me... what was going on?"
"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 on his behalf. He hopes you won't take it to heart."
"Oh, I see."
Samui didn't dare move, forcing a smile.
"If there's nothing else, get some rest." Dan removed his hand from her shoulder and left the Meditation Room.
"Phew."
Samui let out a long breath. Her tense, rigid body finally relaxed.
For a moment just now,
she had thought Dan was about to strike her, smashing her shoulder with a single slap and leaving her seriously injured and disabled.
Samui didn't believe Dan.
She knew she must have given something away. Perhaps Fugaku and Dan had already uncovered some clues and were starting to suspect her identity.
In other words,
she was in grave danger. The wisest thing to do was to withdraw as soon as possible and flee Konoha before Dan caught on.
But
the night before, Samui had received a letter from Cloud Hidden Village ordering her to steal Dan's workout and diet plans. The mission had been specifically assigned by the Fourth Raikage.
So she couldn't leave yet. She had to stay and complete the mission!
The night passed without incident.
The next day, everything went on as usual.
The Fitness Gym was the same as ever, with hardly any customers. Dan and Samui trained and ate together as usual, passing a peaceful day.
At dusk,
Itachi came straight to the Fitness Gym after finishing his shift with Anbu.
He had no desire to see his uncle, Uchiha Dan. But the Third Hokage had ordered him to keep an eye on Dan, and his father had told him to get along with Dan.
He had no choice but to come.
"Can I help you with anything?" Itachi asked as soon as he entered and saw Samui cleaning.
"I can handle this."
Samui wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and said to Itachi, "The Gym Director is waiting for you. It seems he has something to discuss. Go on in."
Oh?
Itachi was taken aback. He went into the lounge and saw Dan sitting on the sofa.
"You're here."
"Yeah, Uncle."
The uncle and nephew exchanged brief greetings, one line each.
"Are you free tonight? Come with me somewhere." Dan got straight to the point.
"Where?" Itachi asked.
"Naka Shrine. Someone asked to meet me there, but I'm not very familiar with the area," Dan said casually.
He had originally planned to stand Obito up, but considering the other man's personality, he figured Obito would keep pestering him. So he decided to deal with the matter after all.
"Uncle, can I ask who invited you?"
Itachi was surprised. He asked tentatively.
"A guy wearing a Tiger Mask. I don't know his name yet." Dan shook his head.
A Tiger Mask?
Itachi pondered this, feeling as if it reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite grasp what.
Night fell, and the moon rose.
With Itachi leading the way, Dan entered the forest of the Uchiha Clan. They followed the Naka River downstream to the riverbank, where the outline of a shrine came into view in the distance.
It stood solemn and dignified in the night.
Someone was there.
Itachi had sharp eyes. He immediately spotted a figure in the woods beside the shrine, standing with his back to them and his hands clasped behind him.
"Uncle, that person seems to have been waiting for a long time," Itachi said.
"That's because we're late. He's the one who wants to see me, so making him wait a little longer is only fair." Dan glanced at Obito's back and spoke to his nephew.
Itachi: "..."
As expected of his uncle. Even being late, he managed to sound so self-righteous.
As they spoke, the uncle and nephew entered the woods and stopped five or six meters from Obito.
"Uchiha Itachi, we meet again."
Obito turned around. Instead of speaking to Dan first, he greeted Itachi.
"You're..."
The instant Itachi saw Obito, his pupils contracted and his body tensed. "The one from three years ago... the Masked Man."
His expression was grave and shocked, and his eyes abruptly turned crimson, revealing three tomoe.
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