Boom.
With a muffled thud, Kai felt as if he had kicked solid iron. A sharp, searing pain shot through his calf.
"Hah!"
Refusing to concede, he steadied himself and threw another punch, his fist slicing the air with explosive force, aimed squarely at Duan's back.
Even if the man was forged from steel, Kai was determined to blow him away.
But the result defied all expectations.
Clang~
Kai's punch landed with a metallic chime. Duan didn't budge an inch, and from his body rang out a resonant bell tone—ethereal and deep.
It wasn't just his physique.
His body had become a golden bell—a symbol of absolute mastery over physical strength, a defense born of relentless tempering.
What is this?!
Kai's blow had bounced off. His arm went numb, his stance faltered, and he nearly stumbled back.
In that moment—
Duan turned with spectral fluidity, lowering his center of gravity. Spotting the brief opening in Kai's stance, he extended his palm and tapped Kai's chest with a featherlight strike.
A watermark slap.
Crash!
Kai was lifted clean off the ground and flung backward. He slammed into the wall—yet, no blood, no broken bones. Instead, he slid down slowly, like a scroll painting falling off its frame.
"Are you okay?"
Kakashi rushed over, helping Kai up. Aside from minor bruises, Kai was largely unharmed.
It was clear—Duan had pulled his punch perfectly.
After that Yūgakure spy incident, where he'd crushed a man's skull by accident, Duan had rigorously trained to better control his strength. This gentle slap reflected that evolution.
Even in this brief exchange, it was unmistakable:
Duan's power far eclipsed Kai's.
"I lost."
Kai bit out the words, lowering his head.
Truth be told, he hadn't even used the Eight Gates technique passed down from his father. He could open the sixth gate—the Gate of View—granting him terrifying speed and strength for a limited time.
But…
He knew.
Duan had received the same training in the Eight Gates from Maito Dai—and likely took it even further.
"Do you know why you lost?"
Duan asked suddenly, stepping forward. His towering frame emitted an almost tangible pressure.
As Duan advanced, Kakashi subtly raised his left hand—ready to lift his headband and reveal the Sharingan at a moment's notice.
But Duan didn't spare him a glance.
Instead, he looked down at Kai:
"Running hundreds of laps around Konoha, 10,000 push-ups, 10,000 crunches, 10,000 squats... It looks passionate, but in reality, it's inefficient and crude.
Not enough science. Not enough strategy.
Physical training isn't just about passion. It demands constant learning, analysis, and refinement. That's the path to peak performance."
He paused, then smirked.
"Take a look—this is what real muscle looks like."
With that, Duan reached up and pulled his black kimono apart, letting it slip from his shoulders to his waist.
Revealing a body like a living sculpture.
The musculature—defined and perfectly balanced—was carved like stone. Yet it pulsed with heat and life.
Under the stunned gaze of Kakashi and Kai—
"Haa..."
Duan exhaled slowly, contracting his abdominal cavity. His stomach hollowed inward dramatically, his waist narrowing like a vacuum seal.
Empty Stomach Breathing.
Then, he turned slightly left, raised both arms to shoulder height, bent at the elbows, and compressed his forearms inward—his biceps bulging skyward.
A pose straight out of Schwarzenegger's prime.
And still—it wasn't over.
Duan raised his fists higher, hooked his fingers, and twisted the knuckles outward in a final flourish.
In that moment—
Shua!
The meditation room's dim light seemed to converge on him, highlighting every contour and cut of muscle across his chest and arms.
With his head tilted back, arms raised like a ritual offering, Duan's silhouette formed—
A pair of devil's horns.
Kakashi and Kai stared—hearts thumping, pupils dilated. They felt an instinctive, primal awe.
They weren't even bodybuilders. They had no interest in men's muscles.
But this?
This was power made manifest. Raw, terrifying, beautiful.
They stood rooted, frozen in reverence.
Only when Duan lowered his arms and turned his back did they snap out of it.
"See the guests out."
With those cold words, Duan returned to his futon and resumed meditation.
Creak.
The door opened. Samui was already standing there. She gestured firmly:
"Please leave."
Kakashi cast one last glance at Duan.
Then, helping the stunned and speechless Kai, he walked silently out of the dojo.
Samui watched the two departing figures, then looked back at Duan, still deep in meditative stillness.
She murmured under her breath:
"The curator… is becoming something terrifying."
---
Outside, as they walked away—
Kakashi remembered his actual mission: to investigate the surveillance camera disruption. He had intended to interrogate Uchiha Duan.
But then...
Kai got beaten to a pulp. Kakashi had stayed silent the entire time, never even activating his Sharingan.
He might as well have been background noise.
Feeling a bit guilty, he patted Kai on the shoulder and consoled him:
"Don't be discouraged. I'll buy you some ramen. A full stomach builds strength—you'll get another chance to challenge Uchiha. Right?"
"KAKASHI!"
Kai burst into tears, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Kakashi.
"Enough—let go."
Kakashi squirmed, glancing around nervously. If anyone saw two grown men hugging in a back alley, he'd never live it down.
Thankfully, the area was deserted.
---
Later that evening...
Kakashi returned to the monitoring post.
"Senpai! Where were you?! You've been gone forever!"
Tenzo complained, eyes red from staring at surveillance feeds all day. He was squeezing in eyedrops while flipping switches.
"Tenzo, don't be so uptight."
Kakashi flicked him on the forehead. "You gotta learn to slack off sometimes."
Meanwhile, Itachi, standing nearby, frowned faintly.
The surveillance around Duan's gym was still down, and Kakashi's unexplained absence meant something had definitely gone down.
And sure enough...
"Itachi. The Hokage wants to see you in his office—immediately."
Kakashi's tone was serious.
"Understood." Itachi gave a small nod and left.
---
Thirty minutes later.
He emerged from the Hokage's office, expression grim.
Just now, the Third Hokage had personally assigned him a mission:
Surveillance. Of Uchiha Duan.
Apparently, Anbu had raised Duan's threat level after the incident with Kakashi and Kai.
And now—they wanted Itachi to watch his uncle.
"So… Kakashi's conflict with Uncle Duan prompted this."
He didn't like the assignment. But orders from Hiruzen Sarutobi could not be ignored.
"How am I supposed to get close to Uncle? He doesn't even seem to like me..."
Itachi sighed quietly as the setting sun cast long shadows over the clan compound.
And walked on—alone.