Obito and Rin

Stepping out of the clan meeting hall, the afternoon sun was a little glaring.

Lan narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

This clash with Fugaku had been both expected and unexpected.

He knew refusing Orochimaru would draw the clan's displeasure, but he had not expected Fugaku and the others to react so fiercely.

He remembered what Orochimaru had said when he left: "One day, you will kneel and beg me. When that time comes, I will give you an opportunity you 'cannot refuse.'"

Lan clenched his fists.

Power. Only power mattered most.

Only with absolute power could he break free from these sickening restraints and truly control his own fate.

Over the next few days, the clan was indeed calm and peaceful.

No one mentioned Orochimaru again, and no one came to force him to apologize.

Lan guessed this had to be because Fugaku had issued a gag order.

After all, if word got out that he had refused Orochimaru, it would do no good for the Uchiha clan's reputation.

The elders who maintained a dovish stance toward the Hidden Leaf Village's higher-ups were displeased, but under Fugaku's suppression, they did not dare openly come trouble him.

As for the hawkish elders, what dissatisfied them was his unconventional training method and fighting style of "not relying on the Sharingan and overemphasizing taijutsu," which they believed had strayed from the proper path of the Uchiha and tarnished the glory of the Uchiha.

The result was that before Lan could properly enjoy the clan resources being tilted his way, he was once again restored to a state where no one gave a damn about him.

Lan did not care at all. He continued doing as he pleased, plunging into that secluded training ground at the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound every day after school, persisting with Vegeta-style Special Training that could only be called self-abuse.

"Lan! Wait for us!"

That afternoon, Lan had just walked out of the Ninja Academy's gates when Obito's noisy voice rang out behind him.

He frowned, but his steps did not stop.

These past few days, Obito and Rin had always been like tails he could not shake off, running over to watch whenever he trained.

At first, that guy Obito had mocked him, saying he was "an idiot who only knew how to brute-force things," but after watching for a while, somehow he seemed to get "infected" too, and started doing push-ups and squats beside him in a passable imitation. Even when he was exhausted like a dead dog, he refused to give up.

Rin, meanwhile, sat quietly to the side, holding some fish in her hands as she practiced her family's healing ninjutsu, or went over to help Obito treat his sprained wrists and ankles when he collapsed from exhaustion because his movements were not standard.

As for these two uninvited "spectators," though Lan said nothing, he did not really drive them away.

Having two such "oddballs" occasionally barge into his world was not something intolerable.

At the very least, they were much easier on the eyes than the guys who went looking for trouble all day.

"Lan, are you going to that place to train today too?"

Rin jogged after him, a gentle smile on her face. She was also carrying a small basket with a few bottles of water and some rice balls inside.

"Mm."

Lan answered curtly, his pace still not slowing.

"You're really amazing, Lan," Rin said with heartfelt admiration. "You work so hard every day. No wonder your strength has improved so much."

Obito also caught up, panting. Hearing Rin's words, he immediately puffed out his chest and said defiantly, "Hmph! I work really hard too! One day, I'll defeat Lan and become the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village! When that time comes, I'll definitely protect you, Rin!"

Lan glanced at him, the corner of his mouth curving in disdain. "You? Try beating Kakashi in taijutsu class first, lower-class warrior."

"What 'lower-class warrior'? I'll say it again, I'm a ninja!" Obito instantly bristled. "I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"

"Oh? The Hokage's... 'man'?" Lan stopped, turned around, and looked Obito up and down, the contempt in his eyes undisguised. "I don't think Lord Hokage has any interest in bottom literature."

"You!" Obito's face turned bright red with anger, his fists clenched tight. "I'll prove it to you!"

After saying that, he seemed to throw a tantrum, quickening his pace and running ahead, starting to do high-knee lifts.

Rin smiled helplessly and said to Lan, "Can't you two just talk properly?"

Lan neither agreed nor disagreed. He started walking again, heading toward the training ground.

Looking at the two stubborn backs ahead of her, Rin sighed softly, then followed along as well.

When they arrived at the training ground, Lan immediately took off his jacket, revealing his sharply defined upper body.

After this period of insane special training, his body had become even sturdier, his muscle lines even more distinct, filled with an explosive sense of power.

He ignored Obito, who was competing with him off to the side, and directly began today's training.

First, he ran fifty laps around the field while carrying weights. Then came one thousand push-ups, one thousand squats, one thousand sit-ups...

Every movement he made was standard to the extreme. Every burst of strength squeezed his body's potential to the limit.

Sweat slid from his forehead like rain, soaking the ground, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and the gasps coming from his mouth were like the low growls of a beast.

Saiyan blood boiled within his body.

Obito watched from the side. At first, he still wanted to compete with Lan and see who could do more, but before long, he was intimidated by Lan's terrifying training volume and focus.

He gritted his teeth and held on for a while, but in the end he still collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily.

Rin hurried over, taking out water and a towel to wipe away his sweat and check whether he was injured.

"Obito, you're pushing yourself too hard," Rin said, a little distressed.

Obito waved his hand and panted, "I'm... I'm fine... I... I can't lose to that guy..."

The way he looked at Lan was filled with complicated emotions: defiance, jealousy, but even more than that, an indescribable yearning and... admiration?

Time passed little by little. The setting sun sank in the west, dyeing the sky orange-red.

Lan finally finished today's training. His whole body was soaked with sweat, as if he had been fished out of water, but his eyes remained as sharp as a hawk's.

He walked to the side, picked up a towel and wiped off his sweat, then chugged more than half a bottle of water.

Just then, he suddenly sensed a faint feeling of being watched.

Someone was hiding nearby!