Fiancée!

"Wait!"

The sudden voice made the Anbu ninjas who were preparing to forcibly take Tang Ping away stop.

Because the speaker's identity was anything but ordinary.

He wore a loose Blue Kimono, with a Ping-Pong-Sized Red-and-White Clan Crest on his back. His face was stern and resolute, but his eyes were exceptionally fierce.

Uchiha Fugaku, the "Fierce Eye."

He was also the Young Clan Leader of the Uchiha Clan.

The Uchiha were a Noble Clan of the ninja world, so their status went without saying.

A big shot like him certainly had the standing to make the Anbu show some respect.

"Uchiha Fugaku!" Danzo walked over. "Your Uchiha have gone too far. How dare you strike so viciously at someone from the same village!"

What did it mean to falsely accuse the victim?

This was exactly that.

Danzo had always operated by the principle of I don't care what you think. What I think is what matters. Even though he had ordered Kakashi to make the first move, he was the one who had nearly been killed in the end, so naturally it was the Uchiha's fault.

If the outcome had been reversed, he would definitely have worn a completely different face.

Truly. Double Standard.JPG

Of course, Uchiha Fugaku could see what had happened just now.

But some things were better left unsaid.

Even though he knew full well that Danzo had made a move against the Uchiha Clan, he could not say it outright.

"It was merely an accident, and Kakashi is unharmed!"

Uchiha Fugaku had no intention of backing down either.

If he allowed them to take away an Uchiha clansman right in front of him, it would deal no small blow to his prestige as Young Clan Leader.

"Whether it was an accident can only be confirmed after an Anbu investigation."

Danzo delivered his verdict decisively.

"Investigating such matters is the duty of our Military Police Force. There is no need to trouble Elder Danzo!"

Uchiha Fugaku refused to yield an inch.

Just as Danzo was preparing to forcefully order the man taken away—

"Danzo, stand down. This was merely an accident!"

After having Kakashi taken away, Hiruzen Sarutobi came over to smooth things over.

As Hokage, he naturally could not allow Danzo and the Uchiha to tear into each other here.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

Danzo turned and left resentfully.

But before leaving, he gave Tang Ping—who stood obediently in place, as though frightened by the accident—a deep look.

He had not expected the boy to have concealed himself so deeply.

Even if Tang Ping had not truly fought.

The C-rank Summoning Technique alone was not something an ordinary Ninja Academy Student could master, much less a Dead last.

"Thank you, Hokage!"

Uchiha Fugaku thanked the Third Hokage.

Without his intervention, Danzo would not have given up this opportunity so easily.

"The Uchiha are also part of the village. There is no need to thank me for something like this!" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tang Ping with a gentle tone. "Not bad. Being able to defeat Kakashi in this assessment shows that you, Tang Ping, at the academy..."

If it had been any other child, being praised so highly by the village's "supreme" Hokage would have sent them floating into the clouds. They would have wanted to bare their heart and soul to him immediately. (A certain Great Filial Son with Hokage Thinking gave this a thumbs-up.)

Only now did Tang Ping understand why there would be so many Rebels among the Uchiha in the future.

Facing a Third Hokage whose PUA skills were maxed out, anyone would be numb.

Yet Uchiha Fugaku not only failed to realize this, but even agreed with visible excitement.

It was over!

This guy was done for.

Seeing his Young Clan Leader like this from the corner of his eye, Tang Ping knew that the man had long since been molded into the shape of the Third Hokage.

Perhaps he had also been brainwashed by the Will of Fire since childhood.

In any case, judging from the future timeline, it was under his leadership that the Uchiha would receive their extermination package—like lambs awaiting slaughter, without putting up the slightest resistance.

"Hokage, the reason I was able to learn the Summoning Technique was entirely due to the inspiration of the Will of Fire. Wherever leaves dance, the fire burns on without end..."

Tang Ping's face reddened.

Like a fervent young fan seeing his idol, he loudly extolled the Will of Fire and declared that its encouragement was precisely why he had learned the Summoning Technique.

Full marks!

Listening to Tang Ping's understanding of the "Will of Fire," the wariness in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart gradually faded.

Anyone who could comprehend the Will of Fire could not be a bad person.JPG

"Very good. I'll go check on Kakashi first. Don't take today's matter to heart!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi left in high spirits.

After he was gone, Uchiha Fugaku left behind a single sentence.

"Mei is back!"

Then he left directly.

Though he was extremely curious about the Summoning Beast called Taiyi, their awkward relationship made it difficult for him to ask.

After he left, Tang Ping felt a burning sensation on his back.

He turned around!

Two of his close friends were staring at him intensely, while everyone else looked at him with a mix of curiosity and shock.

It could not be helped. Kakashi's reputation was simply too great!

As the strongest genius in the village, he had now been defeated by a "Dead last." How could that not leave people shocked and curious?

It was over!

Faced with a group of classmates whose curiosity had exploded, Tang Ping felt that today would be hard to get through.

The facts proved him right.

Just dealing with all the questions took quite a bit of time.

In the end, he used the excuse that the Summoning Beast had been given to him by his family.

By the time he left the academy and returned to the Uchiha district, it was already dusk.

Once he entered this area, the flow of people dropped sharply.

A closer look would reveal that, aside from members of the Uchiha Clan, no one else entered this area.

Even though it was located in the center of the village.

There was no helping it.

The Uchiha kept to themselves, so naturally they were excluded by the rest of the village.

That was why their future extermination had not caused chaos within the village for no reason.

Tang Ping headed toward a certain place with a natural expression.

He normally would not come here.

But today was different.

Because his White Thighs had returned.

She was also the one who had helped him enroll in the Ninja Academy.

Otherwise, as an orphan whose Father and Mother had both died, with no younger sister, no house, and mediocre talent to boot, how could he possibly have entered the ninja academy?

Before long, he arrived at a detached courtyard located in a corner of the clan grounds.

Creak!

He pushed open the wooden gate and entered the courtyard, which covered nearly several thousand square meters.

In any other place—

Let alone several thousand square meters, even something larger would be nothing special.

But this was Konoha!

It was like the central district of Mo Du before Tang Ping had transmigrated. Owning a courtyard spanning several thousand square meters was not merely a matter of money; one also needed status.

The Uchiha Clan's future relocation was also because the land occupied by their clan grounds was too valuable. It was not simply about the threat of rebellion.

The land was just too valuable!

Upon entering the courtyard—

The first thing he saw were two enormous mulberry trees that blotted out the sky, entwined and supporting each other. Nearly the entire courtyard lay beneath their shade.

Beneath the trees stood an Artificial Hill, a pavilion, a Flower Garden, and a pond, creating a refreshing and elegant atmosphere.

By comparison, the two-story wooden house that occupied less than a few hundred square meters seemed rather inconspicuous.

Without exaggeration, this courtyard alone was an invaluable treasure.

Even the residence of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the "Strongest Hokage," was nowhere near comparable to this place.

From that perspective, it was no wonder the major clans excluded the Uchiha.

You bastards occupied too many benefits. If they did not bring you down, how else could they divide up all this stuff?

Just look at what happened to the Senju Clan. Their interests had all been carved up by the major clans, which was why they ended up with such a good reputation.

A fallen Noble Clan was a good clan.

Before Tang Ping could look around any longer, he spotted a slender, tall figure walking out.

Her waist-length black hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing a bright and exquisite little face with fair, tender skin. Her charm was simply astonishing.

Especially those pale pink, icy eyes, which seemed capable of drawing in one's soul.

Uchiha Mei! (No horns at this stage.)

She was also Tang Ping's "Fiancée," as well as his White Thighs.

Though she was only a year older than him, making her thirteen, she had already graduated four years ago.

Students could apply to take the Ninja Academy's early graduation examination, though its difficulty far exceeded that of normal graduation.

In other words, she had graduated during her third year at the academy.

That was enough to call her a genius.

Someone like Kakashi, who had applied for early graduation in his very first year, was absolutely a super genius. No wonder he had drawn the attention of countless high-ranking village officials.

It was only because he had encountered an anomaly like Tang Ping. Otherwise, with his strength, even Chunin might not necessarily have been a match for him.

But it was precisely because of his terrifying talent that Danzo had set his sights on him and gone to every length to drag him into darkness.

"Move back in."

Uchiha Mei spoke in an indifferent tone as she approached.

"Alright."

Tang Ping nodded lightly.

If not for what had happened today, he naturally would not have returned.

But now that Danzo, that LYB, had his eye on him, he did not dare continue living alone outside the clan grounds. That would be tantamount to courting death.

That place might have been convenient for research, but it was also more likely for him to "disappear."

All he could say was that only he could see the concern behind her domineering-CEO-like command.

If it had been the original owner of this body before his transmigration, he would not only have failed to appreciate it, but would have become even more resentful.