Chapter 19: Obito's Leash

Clang.

The gym's front door swung open, and the lights inside flickered on.

Dan, carrying the unconscious Samui, returned to her bedroom and laid her on the bed.

However.

As he was about to rest himself, he noticed that the door to the meditation room had been opened.

His gaze hardened, and he walked into the meditation room.

"So, you're Uchiha Dan. My, my, as fierce as a tiger and as strong as an ox."

The masked man spoke first, rubbing his chin with his finger, sizing up Dan with interest.

"Who are you?"

Dan asked calmly. But in reality, he recognized the man's identity at a glance.

Uchiha Obito, code name "Tobi".

Dan wasn't surprised by Obito's appearance, only that he had found him so quickly.

Obito was the successor cultivated by Uchiha Madara, a link in the chain of bosses in the original story: "Pain - Obito - Madara - Kaguya".

"Who I am isn't important. You just need to know that I support your all-or-nothing plan and am willing to lend you a hand."

Obito cut to the chase, extending an olive branch to Dan, and even reminded him, "For instance, right now, there are two Leaf Anbu secretly watching outside this gym. How about it, want me to take care of them for you?"

"I don't like dealing with people who hide in the shadows. Get lost."

Dan remained unmoved, his refusal crisp and clear.

"Ah, as defiant as ever. It seems I'll have to show you my power."

Obito sighed helplessly and stood up.

With a rustle.

He shook his hands, and a long, thick chain fell from his sleeve, gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

Obito thought of Uchiha Dan as a good dog.

To tame this good dog, he had to first leash it, become the dog's master.

Only then would the dog obey, biting whoever he commanded it to.

Is he going to make a move?

Seeing Obito reveal his chain, Dan's expression remained as calm as ever, but in the depths of his eyes, a hint of barely perceptible killing intent flashed.

He would go all out.

At that moment.

The air in the meditation room seemed to become much heavier, the atmosphere unbearably oppressive.

A major battle was about to break out.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock at the door broke the silent atmosphere.

"Boss, are you in there? I... have something to tell you." Samui's voice came from outside the door.

"Interrupted by someone, how disappointing."

Obito heard Samui's voice, shook his head in displeasure, and left a message for Dan, "If you want to know who I am, come to Naka Shrine at eight o'clock tomorrow night."

With that, he put away his chain, his body once again distorted like a vortex, and he disappeared into the void right in front of Dan.

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

Creak.

Samui gently pushed the door open, walked in with small steps, stopped three meters away from Dan, and bowed to him.

Then, she asked nervously:

"Boss, tonight at the Uchiha clan leader's house, he suddenly revealed his Sharingan and I passed out. Can you... tell me what happened?"

"It was a misunderstanding."

Dan walked up to Samui, placing his large hand on her shoulder, "My brother-in-law asked me to apologize on his behalf, and hopes you won't take it to heart."

"Oh, so that's what happened."

Sam

ui didn't dare to move, forcing a smile.

"If there's nothing else, you should rest early." Dan removed his hand from her shoulder and left the meditation room.

"Huff~"

Samui let out a breath, her body, rigid from tension, finally relaxing.

For a moment there.

She thought Dan would strike, shattering her shoulder with a slap, leaving her severely injured and disabled.

Samui didn't believe Dan's words.

She knew she must have exposed something. Perhaps Fugaku and Dan had already found some information and were suspecting her identity.

That is to say.

Her current situation was very dangerous. The wisest course of action would be to withdraw as soon as possible and flee from the Leaf Village before Dan could react.

But.

Last night, Samui received a letter from Kumogakure, asking her to steal Dan's fitness and diet plans, and this mission was specifically instructed by the Fourth Raikage.

So she couldn't leave yet, she had to stay and complete the mission!

A night without words.

The next day, everything was as usual.

The gym was still the same, with few customers. Dan and Samui trained and ate together as usual, spending a peaceful day.

In the evening.

Itachi came straight to the gym after finishing his work with the Anbu.

He didn't want to see his uncle, Uchiha Dan, at all, but with the Third Hokage ordering him to monitor Dan, and his father reminding him to get along well with Dan.

He had no choice but to come.

"Is there anything I can help with?" As soon as Itachi entered, he saw Samui cleaning and immediately offered to help.

"You can leave these chores to me."

Samui wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and said to Itachi, "The boss is waiting for you. He seems to have something to discuss with you. Go ahead."

Oh?

Itachi was taken aback. He walked into the rest area and saw Dan sitting on the couch.

"You're here."

"Yes, Uncle."

A brief exchange between uncle and nephew.

"Do you have time tonight? Accompany me to a place." Dan got straight to the point.

"Where?" Itachi asked.

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

He originally planned to stand Obito up, but considering the latter's personality, he would definitely keep bothering him, so he decided to deal with this matter.

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

Itachi was somewhat surprised and asked tentatively.

"A guy with a tiger-striped mask. I don't know his name yet." Dan shook his head.

A tiger-striped mask?

Upon hearing this, Itachi seemed to recall something, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

As night fell and the moon began to rise.

Under Itachi's guidance, Dan walked into the Uchiha clan's forest, followed the Naka River downstream, and saw the silhouette of a shrine in the distance.

Standing solemnly in the night.

There's someone.

Itachi, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed a figure standing with his back to them in the woods next to the shrine.

"Uncle, it seems that man has been waiting for a while." Itachi said.

"That's because we're late. Since he wants to see me, it's only right that he waits a bit longer." Dan glanced at Obito's back and said to his nephew.

Itachi: "..."

True to form, his uncle was unapologetically late.

As they spoke, the uncle and nephew walked into the woods and stopped about five or six meters away from

Obito.

"Uchiha Itachi, we meet again."

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

"You are..."

The moment Itachi saw Obito, his pupils contracted, his body tensed, "The... masked man from three years ago."

His expression was serious and shocked, his eyes suddenly turning into the red three-tomoe shape of the Sharingan.