Eldest Branch Meeting!

Uchiha Mei walked to the space between the six Eldest Branch Jonin seated in two opposing rows.

Tang Ping silently walked behind her and knelt as well.

He knew his place and understood his standing within the Uchiha Clan.

Even so, someone still spoke up.

"Mei, why did you bring him here?"

The burly Uchiha Jonin seated at the head of the right row spoke, his presence intensely oppressive.

Uchiha Shota!

He was also an Elite Jonin and the current leader of the Hawkish Faction.

"Uncle Shota, Tang Ping is supposed to be my 'fiancé.' Isn't it perfectly normal for him to attend the Eldest Branch Meeting?"

Uchiha Mei spoke as though she were not talking about her own fiancé.

Without blushing in the slightest!

Everyone in the Uchiha Clan knew about their engagement. The old clan head had arranged it to pave the way for his granddaughter's future.

Only by not marrying out could she have a chance to rise in status. At the same time, there was no need to worry about authority falling into her husband's hands. If he married into the family, none of those concerns existed.

A tool!

That was also why the original owner had been so determined to escape this relationship.

After Tang Ping took his place, though, he found this cushy life incredibly satisfying.

Before transmigrating, he could never have hoped to live off such a super-rich, beautiful woman. Yet the moment he transmigrated, someone was already feeding him with a spoon. Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.

If he had refused this cushy life, he would have starved to death long ago, much less attended the Jonin Academy.

Now that this tool was being allowed to attend the meeting, Uchiha Shota had voiced his doubts. It was not because he held any grievance.

"But you two aren't married yet, are you?"

Another Uchiha Jonin spoke up.

His words sounded no different from Uchiha Shota's, but his tone carried a hint of provocation.

The Branch Head could be replaced, after all, and he had his eye on that position.

However, more Eldest Branch clansmen supported Uchiha Mei. Only by continuously undermining her prestige could he have a chance to rise.

Now it was clear why this Jonin named Uchiha Xiu was so hostile toward her.

"Today's meeting concerns him!"

Uchiha Mei swept her gaze across the six clansmen before her.

Though she was only thirteen, she did not yield in presence before these Eldest Branch Jonin.

Her domineering aura spilled forth!

Impressive, Tang Ping assessed from his seat in the back.

Although he had transmigrated two and a half years ago, he rarely saw his fiancée. Most of what he knew about her came from others. He only knew that she was a "genius," and nothing else.

Only now did he gain some understanding of her.

Strong-willed and overbearing!

"Alright, Mei. You summoned all of us so urgently. Did something happen?"

The only female Uchiha among the six Jonin spoke.

Uchiha Shizuka!

She also had another identity.

She was Uchiha Mei's mother's best friend and an absolute member of the Mei Faction.

It was precisely because she and Uchiha Shota firmly supported Mei that the position of Branch Head had not fallen into someone else's hands.

"It's because of this..."

Uchiha Mei took out the undiluted original solution.

An ordinary Healing Potion was not worth having them directly withstand the pressure from the village for Tang Ping's sake.

After hearing the explanation, all six wore extremely exaggerated expressions.

Their faces were filled with disbelief.

They had all been watching Tang Ping, Uchiha Mei's "fiancé," so they naturally knew how he had performed at school.

Trash, dead last... those nicknames had not been given without reason.

They had never expected him to create something like this.

It was similar to the Secret Pills of the Akimichi Clan, but it had a far wider range of uses.

They definitely had to hand it over.

Unlike Secret Pills, it was neither rare nor required a secret technique to bring out its effects. Anyone could use it directly. It was too important to the village for them to keep.

But how they handed it over mattered greatly.

If Tang Ping had been an ordinary Ninja Academy Student, preserving the Healing Potion would have been impossible. He would have been fortunate just to retain his freedom.

But if the Uchiha Clan stepped forward to negotiate, they could obtain greater benefits, and Tang Ping would not have to worry about himself.

Did he think the darkness of the ninja world was fake?

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage himself, had Root shoulder the darkness. That showed just how dark the ninja world truly was.

In the end, the Eldest Branch Jonin reached an agreement.

The Healing Potions could be handed over in batches.

However, the village had to compensate the clan. Tang Ping would receive ten percent of that compensation, while the Uchiha Clan would bear the pressure.

Did that sound like a loss?

Only those who understood the darkness of the ninja world would know that these terms were already quite good.

That was because Tang Ping had White Thighs to cling to.

Otherwise, he would definitely have been dragged into Root, brainwashed, and turned into their tool.

It was precisely because he realized this that he had revealed his value.

Of course, Tang Ping had already told Uchiha Mei what he needed, so it would be included in the deal.

That ten percent of the profits would all be exchanged for experimental equipment, materials, knowledge, and so on.

Quite a few of those things were objects of his deepest desire.

So not only was he dissatisfied with this deal, he was immensely looking forward to it.

After the discussion ended, Tang Ping returned to his room.

Since only the two of them lived in the courtyard, his room was enormous. They had even cleared out a basement for him to use as a laboratory.

The next day!

Tang Ping got up early in the morning.

It was not to go to school, but to attend the team assignments.

After graduation, students would form three-man squads and operate under the guidance of an instructor.

Only after being promoted to Chunin or Jonin could they possibly operate separately.

If not for yesterday's unexpected incident, Tang Ping would definitely have continued lying flat and living as a Salted Fish today.

But after defeating Kakashi, the Son of White Fang, there was no way he could fail to graduate. He had now become a Registered Ninja, albeit one without a base salary.

It was not impossible to receive a salary, but he needed an official position.

For example, the Military Police Force controlled by the Uchiha Clan was tightly held not only because it represented power, but also because it provided a stable "salary."

Registered Ninja without positions in the village, on the other hand, had to earn their pay by carrying out missions.

Take note: Tang Ping did not even have the option of refusing to be enlisted.

Why?

Because he was a Ninja Academy Student.

He was a ninja trained by the village, so he had no way to refuse.

If he had been a ninja trained by the Uchiha Clan itself, then he could refuse enlistment as an active-duty village ninja and become part of the clan's private forces.

The reason the Sarutobi Clan in the anime could hide several thousand ninja troops was because of this regulation.

Otherwise, if they had truly been trained by the Ninja Academy, they would have been required to enlist as active-duty ninja and accept the village's assignments.

Tang Ping understood this system, which was why he had chosen to slack off rather than withdraw from school.

Because while alive, you belonged to Konoha as a ninja; when dead, you belonged to Konoha as a ghost. There was simply no other choice.

Only if the village directly gave up on training him would he have the chance to retire on the spot.

That was also why he had been slacking off ever since transmigrating.

Unfortunately, all his efforts had gone to waste.

Unless the village had lost its mind, there was no way it would refuse to let him graduate and become an official Registered Ninja.

The moment Tang Ping left the clan district, he swiftly dodged to the side.

It was not because someone had attacked him, but to avoid the figure rushing out from behind him.