The Substitute

Uchiha Dan was a transmigrator.

It was a little embarrassing to talk about.

In his previous life, he had been a fitness fanatic, a "legend" in the bodybuilding community. Then, after an intense workout meant to push his limits, he suffered cardiac arrest and died suddenly.

When death came, Dan had no regrets. He only realized, with sorrow and bitterness, that

there were limits to what humans could do.

Or so he thought.

After his death, Dan unexpectedly transmigrated into the Naruto world and was reborn as a member of the Uchiha Clan, becoming Uchiha Mikoto's younger brother.

Since he knew a little about the Naruto storyline, he had known from childhood that

he would one day have a brother-in-law named Fugaku, the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan. He would also have two genius nephews named Itachi and Sasuke.

The Uchiha were Konoha's foremost noble ninja clan.

And Fugaku's family were central figures in the Uchiha Clan.

However,

Dan felt nothing about his background. What truly thrilled him to the point of making his soul tremble was something else.

That was,

the humans in this world had 1.3 quadrillion cells, three times as many as humans on Earth. Through training, they could extract Chakra from their cells and further strengthen themselves.

The strong could fly through the skies and burrow through the earth, move mountains and fill seas.

There were no limits.

Because of this, Uchiha Dan firmly believed that the great Muscle God had bestowed this second chance at life upon him.

So

he embarked on the path of bodybuilding once again, without hesitation.

It was worth mentioning that

although Dan pursued strength and longed to become powerful, he had absolutely no interest in becoming a Konoha Ninja.

Because he knew

Konoha was a military organization with a terrifying nature. It even trained children of only a few years old to become killing machines, then sent them to the front lines.

The Will of Fire? Give me a break.

Dan felt no attachment to Konoha, and he certainly wasn't going to risk his life on the battlefield for a village like that.

So,

when he was six, he made his choice. Relying on the strong body he had built through training since childhood, he came up with an excuse and beat up his tall, burly Chunin teacher from the Ninja Academy.

Dan lost his chance to become a ninja, but he also avoided being sent to war.

From then on,

he immersed himself in his own world, living a quiet life of training, and before long, he had reached his second zodiac year.

Then something unexpected happened.

Half a month ago, after Dan finished a day of training and pushed his body to a new peak, he...

awakened a Stand.

After 24 years in this world, he had finally received his long-awaited "cheat."

Turning off the shower, he dried himself with a towel.

Dan turned sideways and looked in the mirror at the star-shaped mark on his left shoulder.

He had known since childhood that he had this birthmark, but had never thought much of it. It wasn't until he awakened his Stand, "The World," that he remembered.

It was the Joestar family's hereditary birthmark from the JoJo manga series.

The World was the Stand awakened by the main antagonist, Dio, after he stole Jonathan Joestar's body.

So,

the Muscle God had given him a revelation long ago.

With a clatter,

Dan pushed open the bathroom door, put on a loose black kimono, and walked straight into the kitchen.

He opened the refrigerator and saw that they were running low on food.

He stocked up on some fast-digesting carbs and vegetables, ate 20 egg whites, then downed a bottle of chicken-breast juice.

"Sorry for the trouble, Gym Director. I'll go out and buy some groceries right away."

Samui walked over, bowed to Dan, and apologized.

Besides working at the front desk, she was practically Dan's part-time housekeeper. She usually handled some of the laundry and cleaning, as well as buying groceries and cooking.

However, Dan ate so much that sometimes Samui would look away for a moment and find the refrigerator empty.

"I'll come with you. We might as well buy extra beef today," Dan said.

And so,

the two of them locked up the Fitness Gym, left the alley together, and headed for the market.

Uchiha Itachi walked through the streets of Konoha with a pale face.

He could feel many passersby watching him. Their gazes held some curiosity, but mostly disgust and fear.

The reason was the Gunbai crest of the Uchiha Clan on his back.

Ever since the Nine-Tails' Attack a few years ago, the villagers had grown increasingly hostile toward the Uchiha Clan.

And under pressure from the Konoha high command, the Uchiha Clan had been forced to move to the Village Outskirts, where they were completely isolated.

Usually, Itachi spent every moment thinking about the problems between his clan and the village. But today, all the way home, he had been frowning as he thought about his uncle, Uchiha Dan.

Before he knew it, he had arrived home.

"Big brother!"

Sasuke, playing in the yard, ran over on his little legs as usual and threw himself into Itachi's arms.

"Ah." Itachi couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath as a spasm seized his abdomen.

"Big brother, what's wrong?" Sasuke noticed something was off and looked up at him curiously.

"I'm fine, Sasuke."

Itachi endured the pain and forced a smile. Then he patted his little brother's head and led him inside by the hand.

In the dining room,

Uchiha Mikoto, wearing a beige apron with her long black hair, was busy setting the carefully prepared dishes on the table.

"Itachi, you're home."

When Mikoto saw her eldest son, a smile appeared on her face. Then she asked, "Where's your uncle?"

"Sorry, Mother. Uncle... had something come up, so he probably can't make it."

Itachi hesitated. He didn't tell his mother the truth, but instead made up a well-intentioned lie.

After all, if his mother found out that Dan didn't like her cooking, she would surely be hurt.

"If he can't make it, then we don't need to wait for him."

A deep, resonant voice rang out. Uchiha Fugaku emerged from his study and waved a large hand, signaling that dinner could begin.

And so,

the family of four sat around the dining table.

The meal was silent.

"Don't talk while eating or sleeping." It was a family rule.

Itachi took a few bites, chewing as he looked at his family.

His father was stern and upright, his mother gentle and virtuous, and his little brother innocent and adorable. They were the perfect family, the sort anyone would envy.

Unfortunately,

the only flaw was that he and Sasuke had an eccentric, odd-tempered uncle.

Thinking of Uchiha Dan made Itachi lose some of his appetite.

"I'm full."

He put down his chopsticks and stood up, bowing to his parents. "Father, Mother. I'm a little tired, so I'll go back to my room and rest."

With that, he left the table as the Fugaku couple watched in surprise.

"Was the food not good today?"

Mikoto murmured, thinking her eldest son had disliked her cooking. But when she glanced at her younger son, Sasuke was eating happily, like a little pig.

Fugaku also furrowed his brow. Itachi seemed a little strange today, unlike himself.

Could it be because he had just joined Anbu and wasn't used to it?

Thinking this, he decided he would find time to have a proper talk with his son and fulfill his responsibility as a father.

Creak.

Itachi gently closed the door.

He took off his shirt, revealing a large bruise on his lower abdomen. It was clearly from a punch, and it still burned painfully.

After applying ointment to the bruise, he lay down and slowly closed his eyes.

Itachi went over and over in his mind how he had lost to Uchiha Dan, but he couldn't figure it out.

So,

he didn't know his uncle at all.

Perhaps he could ask Shisui about his uncle.

"I'll take this bull."

Uchiha Dan pointed to a yellow bull weighing more than 500 kilograms in the pen and said to the vendor, "Same as usual. Please butcher it and deliver the beef to my Fitness Gym."

"Sure, sure."

The vendor hurriedly replied with a broad grin.

Other people bought beef by the jin, but Mr. Dan bought it by the whole animal. He bought three to five bulls every month, making him a major customer.

After seeing this, the other customers at the market couldn't help quietly discussing Dan behind his back:

"No wonder he's so strong. He must eat beef instead of regular meals."

"He's terrifyingly built. I feel like I can't breathe just standing in front of him."

"But the woman beside him is really beautiful. Like Lady Tsunade, she's blonde and busty."

"..."

Samui shook her head slightly.

If these customers knew that the Gym Director sometimes ate more than ten meals a day and went to the bathroom once every hour, their jaws would probably hit the floor.

That should do it.

Dan and Samui left the market. Besides beef, they had bought a huge amount of vegetables, dairy products, and eggs, filling several large bags.

"Phew~"

Samui panted and rolled her shoulders, feeling a dull ache in them.

It wasn't just because she was carrying two large bags of groceries. More importantly, her breasts were getting bigger and bigger.

As she grew older, her chest had become incredibly large by the time she turned nineteen. Even loose clothing couldn't hide it.

Lately, whenever she walked down the street, she could feel quite a few men giving her strange looks. Luckily, the "behemoth" Dan was walking beside her; otherwise, the men would have swarmed over to hit on her.

Ugh, why did I have to bear this burden?

Samui lowered her head, unable to see her toes, and sighed in frustration.

"Give it to me."

Dan noticed the sweat on her forehead and reached out to take one of the bags, easing her burden considerably.

"Thank you, Gym Director."

Samui's face flushed slightly as she spoke softly. Any man who saw her shy, charming expression would feel an intense urge to protect her.

It looked as if she had feelings for Dan.

The truth was,

she deliberately acted as if she admired Dan in order to hide her identity as a spy, hoping to let her guard down and fool him.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Dan remained unmoved by Samui's charms and never took the bait.

This left Samui feeling defeated, and for a while, she even wondered if she simply wasn't attractive enough.

But eventually, she realized the problem might not lie with her.

It lay with Dan.

This man had nothing but muscles on his mind. Women didn't even register.

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