World and The World

"You guy, how are you talking to the captain? Watch your attitude!"

Seeing Uchiha Dan being so arrogant, a Police Force member could no longer stand it, immediately pointing a finger at Dan and sternly rebuking him.

Hearing this, Dan merely glanced at the man with a blank expression.

Swish.

The man's face instantly turned ashen, and he felt a strong sense of suffocation, as if Dan's gaze had turned into a blade ready to slit his throat.

"Ah!"

He couldn't help but scream, clutching his throat as he stumbled backward, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Was it a Genjutsu?

Uchiha Inohi felt a jolt of shock in his heart upon seeing this scene.

No, it wasn't a Genjutsu, but... presence.

Dan hadn't revealed his Sharingan, nor had he activated any Genjutsu; he had managed to seize a person's soul simply through his own mental presence and a single look.

He had even scared the man out of his wits.

"Let's go!"

Inohi snorted coldly, gave Dan a deep look, and then ordered his team members to take the spy's corpse and the intelligence, turning to leave in a hurry.

"Let's head back too."

Dan said this to Samui, then set off, walking toward home.

"...Oh." Samui hurriedly picked up the bags and trotted to catch up.

In the distance.

On the roof of a building, two Anbu ninja wearing animal masks watched the whole scene with cold eyes.

They had arrived at the scene almost at the same time as the Police Force.

In Konohagakure, besides the Police Force managed by the Uchiha Clan, there was also the Anbu, which was directly under the Hokage.

Due to unclear divisions of authority.

Personnel from these two departments often had verbal or even physical conflicts during the course of their duties.

In recent years.

As the Konoha high command further suppressed the Uchiha Clan, these conflicts had shown a trend of intensifying.

Just now.

The two Anbu had originally intended to intervene, but they hadn't expected Dan to unexpectedly finish off all the spies before they could act.

"Who is that guy?"

"He seems to be from the Uchiha Clan as well. It would be best to investigate this matter and report it to the Hokage."

After a brief discussion, the two silently followed behind Dan and Samui.

Ten minutes later.

Dan and Samui returned to the gym and opened the door.

He glanced back at the empty alley, withdrew his gaze, and entered the house with Samui.

Were we discovered?

The two Anbu appeared on the roof and exchanged a look.

They noted down the name of the gym—Physical Transformation Department.

Afterward, one remained to continue the surveillance, while the other activated the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared, heading in the direction of the Hokage Building.

Inside the gym.

"Director, thank you for saving my life today."

As soon as she returned, Samui bowed deeply to Dan, unintentionally revealing the cleavage on her chest.

Bottomless.

"You're covered in blood, go take a shower first."

Dan dropped this sentence, carried several large bags of groceries, and turned into the kitchen.

Samui looked at Dan's back with a complex expression, bit her lip subconsciously, and then walked into the bathroom, where the sound of rushing water soon followed.

Bang.

Dan stuffed the food into the Refrigerator, closed the door, and then walked out of the kitchen toward the Meditation Room.

Cultivation requires a combination of movement and stillness.

This gym that Dan had built himself included not only a Strength Training Area and an Aerobic Training Area, but also a quiet and elegant Meditation Room.

Upon entering, one could see a massive Yin-Yang Tai Chi pattern on the floor.

He casually lit a stick of sandalwood incense, and the curling smoke made one feel refreshed and relaxed.

Uchiha Dan walked to the center of the room, sat cross-legged on a cushion, and slowly closed his eyes, quickly entering a state of deep meditation.

His Stand, The World, also quietly manifested behind him, its tall frame sitting on the ground, entering a meditative state alongside Uchiha Dan.

Over these past few days.

Uchiha Dan had often pondered a question:

Why was the Stand he awakened The World, rather than Star Platinum, which was of the same type but possessed superior stats?

One had to know, Star Platinum was hailed as the strongest, invincible Stand in history, and the ultimate nemesis of The World.

Could it be...

That it was because he lacked the aura of a protagonist and, like Dio, was destined to be a villain?

But that was fine, too.

Fortunately, his Stand wasn't Hermit Purple; after all—that old man's Stand was the most useless one of all.

In reality.

In the half-month since awakening his Stand, after familiarizing himself with how to use The World and gaining a preliminary grasp of the time-stop ability.

He gradually realized.

The World might be more suitable for him than Star Platinum.

According to the lore, while a Stand is a manifestation of one's mental energy, a formidable physical body also provides a positive boost to a Stand's capabilities.

In the JoJo manga.

Dio, left with only his head, forcibly took over Giorno's body, and the two merged into one, giving birth to the Stand known as The World.

Later, when Dio fought Kujo Jotaro, he absorbed Joseph's blood, which not only strengthened his own body but also extended The World's time-stop ability to nine seconds.

Uchiha Dan believed this was another revelation given to him by the Muscle God: the stronger the body, the stronger the Stand.

There was evidence to support this theory.

Kujo Jotaro, with his Stand Star Platinum, stood 195cm tall but weighed only 82kg, a "skinny dog" whose physique relied entirely on his expensive school uniform to look imposing;

Giorno (Dio), with his Stand The World, stood 195cm tall and weighed 97kg, making him the physically strongest individual in the history of the Joestar family;

And Uchiha Dan, who also possessed the Star Birthmark.

He stood at the Joestar family's ancestral height of 195cm, but thanks to the 130 trillion human cells of the Ninja World, combined with twenty years of unceasing, grueling training...

Uchiha Dan's weight reached a staggering 150kg.

Because of this, the Stand The World that Uchiha Dan awakened was a size larger than Dio's, standing over three meters tall.

Actually.

The Stand's stat sheet meant nothing to Uchiha Dan.

Because—

Whether it was The World or Star Platinum, their power could not compare to Uchiha Dan himself.

What truly concerned him were the abilities of these two Stands: they could both stop time.

The difference lay in the duration.

Star Platinum could stop time for a maximum of five seconds, while the limit for The World was nine seconds.

Almost double the duration.

Based on this alone.

The World was enough to surpass Star Platinum, rightfully earning its title as the true strongest Stand.

That said.

After awakening his Stand, Uchiha Dan's mindset had undergone some subtle changes compared to before.

Many transmigrators suffered from a self-important savior complex.

Becoming Hokage at six, unifying the Ninja World at eight, defeating the Otsutsuki clan at ten, and incidentally forcing Kaguya to take maternity leave.

Uchiha Dan was different.

He never thought about being any kind of savior.

Saving the world or whatever—that was a job for guys like Uzumaki Naruto. As an Outsider who didn't belong to the Ninja World in the first place, why should he bother?

The greatest joy in his life was physical training, breaking through the limits of the human body time and time again, and enjoying that sensation.

That was why Uchiha Dan had turned a deaf ear to the world outside, quietly cultivating for twenty-four years.

If there was anyone left in this world that Uchiha Dan cared about, it was only his older sister, Uchiha Mikoto, who had grown up with him since childhood.

He also knew that two years after Itachi joined the Anbu, the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall would arrive.

Itachi and Obito, those two Madmen, would slaughter the entire Uchiha clan with the cooperation of the Konoha high command.

Before this.

Dan had no intention of wading into these muddy waters.

Although he possessed a formidable physique and mastery of taijutsu, facing Obito and Itachi, along with the Konoha high command lurking in the shadows, was still too much of a stretch.

His current body had not yet been cultivated to a state of perfection and could not afford to sustain any damage.

Therefore.

Dan's original plan was to find an opportunity in the near future to take his older sister Mikoto and leave Konoha together to fly far away.

He hadn't expected that at this very moment, his Stand, Za Warudo, would awaken.

This new power gave Dan wings, meaning that from now on, he could live with much more ease in this world fraught with danger.

Even when facing the near-bug-like, unsolvable Kamui of Obito, his Za Warudo would definitely have the strength to put up a fight.

This time.

Dan had exposed a portion of his power in public, which would surely attract the attention of certain people.

Since that was the case.

He might as well stretch his muscles a bit.

After all, Dan had also realized that by working behind closed doors, his progress over the last few years had become slower and more difficult; he had reached a bottleneck.

Perhaps at this time, engaging in some high-intensity combat was the only way to continue stimulating his body.

People say that the more a tool is used, the sharper it becomes, and if left unused, it grows dull.

The human body is the same.

After organizing his thoughts.

Dan ended his meditation, stood up, and walked out of the Meditation Room.

It was already the hour of the Setting Sun.

The sun was about to dip below the horizon, and the afterglow of the sunset slanted through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the Gym, coating the floor in a layer of gold.

Creak.

The bathroom door was pushed open from the inside, and Samui walked out after her shower.

She was wearing a tight white tank top and blue athletic shorts, her damp blonde hair draped messily over her shoulders, with a few water droplets still clinging to her collarbone.

"Are you alright? If you were frightened, I can give you a few days off," Dan said, being very considerate to his employee.

Upon hearing this, Samui quickly replied, "There's no need, Gym Director, I'm already fine."

"That's good."

Dan nodded, glanced at the sky outside the window, and instructed, "It's getting late, let's close the gym early and rest today."

"Gym Director, what would you like to eat tonight? I'll go make it right away." As Samui spoke, she didn't even have time to dry her hair before heading toward the kitchen.

Dan called out to stop her:

"No need. Let's eat out tonight; let's go to that Yakiniku Q from last time. My treat."

"Really? Thank you, Gym Director."

Samui couldn't help but brighten up, revealing a smile.

Naturally cold in temperament, she rarely smiled in front of others, and a smile from her Inner Heart was even rarer. But at this moment, her smile was genuine.

Because the prices at Yakiniku Q were very high, but the food was truly delicious.

Thus.

While Samui was drying her hair, Dan also took a shower, changed his clothes, and then the two of them headed out once more.

Just as Dan had expected, his display of power today had attracted the eyes of many.

Hokage Building.

The 62-year-old Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was sitting at his desk, one hand holding a pipe and puffing away, while the other flipped through the documents that had just been delivered.

The file in his hand contained the Intelligence regarding Uchiha Dan.

As he read, the Third Hokage's brows furrowed, and even his movements of smoking slowed down.

"That brat who beat up his Chunin Teacher back then has grown up so much before I even realized it."

He slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking at the imposing figure of Dan in the photograph, and sighed with emotion.

The Third Hokage did have an impression of Dan.

After all.

For a six-year-old child just entering the Ninja Academy to be able to pin a Chunin Teacher to the ground and beat him with sheer brute force—such a bizarre tale was enough to alarm him, the head of the Ninja Academy.

It was the Third Hokage himself who had issued the order to expel Uchiha Dan from the Ninja Academy back then.

Since then, he had heard nothing more of Dan's exploits.

He had assumed the kid had long since faded into obscurity, but he hadn't expected Dan to live a low-key life for nearly twenty years, only to reveal his power once again and cause a minor stir.

What a pity.

The Third Hokage set down Dan's file and let out a sigh.

If only he hadn't rashly expelled Dan back then, but had instead carefully guided him with the spirit of the Will of Fire to help him turn over a new leaf, how much better things would be.

In that case.

Dan could have become a ninja much earlier and contributed more to the Village; perhaps he could have even shone brightly on the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War, just like Shisui Uchiha.

But now.

The Uchiha Clan had gained yet another headache-inducing fellow.

In the eyes of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Uchiha Dan would surely harbor resentment toward him, the former headmaster, for being expelled from the Ninja Academy all those years ago.

Furthermore, since the other party was an Uchiha, this resentment would never fade with the passage of time; instead, it would only continue to grow.

This was the nature of the Uchiha Clan.

Thinking of this.

The Third Hokage looked up at the young man standing across from his desk and asked, "Shisui, how much do you know about Uchiha Dan?"

The young man carried a short blade on his back and had a baby face; although his signature bulbous nose affected his looks, it also gave him a gentle, honest, and trustworthy air.

Uchiha Shisui.

He was a descendant of Kagami Uchiha, nicknamed "Body Flicker Shisui," the strongest of the current Uchiha, and one of the rare few in the Uchiha Clan who deeply believed in the Will of Fire.

Facing the Third Hokage's inquiry, Shisui shook his head, trying his best to recall:

"I don't know much about Dan. I only saw him from a distance a few times when I was a child. Later, I heard he moved out of the Uchiha Clan Compound, lived alone, and kept to himself..."

Is that so.

The Third Hokage nodded slightly to show he understood; he believed Shisui would not hide anything from him.

"Just an hour ago, Uchiha Dan killed five Amegakure spies single-handedly. His speed was very fast, and he was able to knock back multiple enemies in an instant. His attainments in the field of the Body Flicker Technique might be no less than yours."

As the Third Hokage spoke, he handed Dan's file to Shisui.

"There is always someone better; my Body Flicker Technique has always been overrated."

Shisui was very humble and did not show any signs of competitiveness because of the Third Hokage's words.

The Third Hokage was silent for a moment before waving his hand and instructing Shisui: "Alright, you may go now."

After Shisui left.

"Include Uchiha Dan's Gym in the scope of priority monitoring," the Third Hokage said.

"Yes." An Anbu appeared silently, acknowledged the order, and retreated.

At the same time.

At the Police Force building, in the captain's office.

Uchiha Fugaku listened to Inohi's report, a look of astonishment appearing on his face.