Owl had set his heart on "marrying" into wealth, never realizing that Zhang Miao was not the son of any daimyo and simply could not provide the lavish benefits of the Daimyo's Mansion.
Therefore, his burning passion was destined to be poured into Konoha's sewers.
Of course, Zhang Miao knew none of this. By then, he had already led Might Wei down a long street and arrived at a clan settlement on the very edge of the village—
The Uchiha Clan's settlement!
Looking at the familiar Fan Emblems above the settlement gates, Zhang Miao shrugged and tilted his head toward Might Wei.
"This is the place. Let's go in!"
With that, he took the lead through the gates of the Uchiha Clan settlement.
After entering, Zhang Miao noticed people wearing clothes emblazoned with Fan Emblems on their backs everywhere along the street.
When those people saw Zhang Miao and Might Wei, they all revealed surprised expressions.
The Uchiha Clan's poor standing among Konoha's residents was nothing new, especially after the Nine-Tails incident. Normally, outsiders would not come here.
Neither Zhang Miao nor Might Wei had Fan Emblems on their clothes, making it obvious that they were not members of the Uchiha Clan. That made the two of them particularly conspicuous.
Before long, a man with the Leaf Village Security Force insignia on his armband approached them and frowned at Zhang Miao and Might Wei.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Zhang Miao immediately frowned at the man's stiff attitude.
What was this guy's problem?
At that moment, Zhang Miao really wanted to point at the man's nose and ask—this was Konoha. Did he need this guy's permission to go wherever he wanted?
They even dared to create a "country within a country" in Konoha. Did they really think the Uchiha Clan stood above Konoha?
Only then did Zhang Miao understand that the Uchiha Clan's current predicament—the suspicion and alienation they faced from the other Konoha residents—had much to do with their own lofty attitude.
But when he thought of the Uchiha Clan's eventual fate, Zhang Miao immediately lost interest in arguing with him.
Was there any point in arguing with someone who would be dead in a few years?
With that in mind, Zhang Miao stopped Might Wei, who was about to speak, then gave the Leaf Village Security Force member in front of him a slight smile.
"Big brother, I'm here to see Uncle Fugaku. Could you tell me where his house is?"
Looking at Zhang Miao's innocent face, the Security Department member who had been scowling froze for a moment.
"You know the captain of our Security Department?"
"Yes!"
The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Miao nodded at once and gave him an adorable smile.
"A few days ago, Uncle Fugaku said he hoped I could become friends with his son, Brother Itachi. I came to see Brother Itachi today. Big brother, could you tell me where Uncle Fugaku's house is?"
Zhang Miao was clearly pretending to be childish, but his words conveyed one piece of information to the Security Department member before him.
He not only knew Fugaku Uchiha, but knew him well.
Anyone capable of becoming a member of Konoha's Security Department could not possibly be brainless. The moment Zhang Miao finished speaking, the man's attitude toward him changed completely—becoming warm and friendly.
"Hehe, so little brother, you're here to see our captain. That's easy. I'll take you there right now. My name is Uchiha Ike. What's your name, little brother?"
Zhang Miao naturally had no interest in striking up a friendship with such a minor character, so he casually answered.
"My surname is Shoot-Your-Teeth, and my name is One Yama!"
"Oh! So you're Shoot-Your-Teeth One Yama! Ah, what a good name, what a good name!"
Zhang Miao: "..."
He had practically said "shoot you right in the face," and this idiot still called it a good name. His intelligence was truly something else!
The two chatted idly as they walked. Before long, they arrived at the entrance of a large residence. Uchiha Ike stopped, then smiled and nodded at Zhang Miao.
"This is Captain Fugaku's home. I'll go knock on the door for you!"
Hearing that, Zhang Miao immediately shook his head.
"No, no, there's no need to trouble you with such a small matter. I'll do it myself!"
"Oh, little brother, you're far too polite!"
As he spoke, Uchiha Ike went ahead and knocked on Fugaku Uchiha's door without waiting for Zhang Miao's agreement.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Please wait a moment!"
A woman's voice came from within the courtyard. Soon, the gate opened, and a woman who looked to be in her twenties emerged.
The instant he saw her, Zhang Miao recognized who she was—Mikoto Uchiha!
Mikoto Uchiha was Fugaku Uchiha's wife and the mother of Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha. Not only was she gentle and kind, but she also treated others with great warmth.
When she opened the door and saw Uchiha Ike, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh my, isn't this Ike? Are you here to see Fugaku?"
"No, no, no!"
Hearing her question, Uchiha Ike immediately smiled and waved his hands.
"Actually, this child is the one who came to see the captain. He said he knows the captain, so I brought him here. His name is—"
Seeing that Uchiha Ike was about to say that name, Zhang Miao panicked. Before he could finish, Zhang Miao stumbled forward and rushed to stand in front of Mikoto Uchiha.
"A-Aunt Mikoto, Uncle Fugaku said... said I could come play with Itachi. S-Sorry to bother you!"
After saying that, Zhang Miao gave Mikoto Uchiha a deep bow.
He looked exactly like a child who was so nervous that he became fidgety and clumsy.
Seeing Zhang Miao like that, Mikoto Uchiha was stunned at first, then covered her mouth and laughed. As she laughed, she waved at him.
"You don't need to be so polite, little one. But Itachi hasn't returned from school yet. You can go inside and wait for him first. I'll prepare some snacks for you right away!"
"Thank you, Aunt Mikoto!"
Seeing that Mikoto Uchiha showed no suspicion, Zhang Miao finally breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, secretly pleased with his superb acting skills.
Life really was a play, and everything depended on acting!
Naturally, Mikoto Uchiha had no idea what Zhang Miao was thinking. After hearing him, she smiled and nodded again before turning to Uchiha Ike.
"Ike, come in as well!"
"No, since everything is fine here, I should head back. Please give the captain my regards!"
Hearing her invitation, Uchiha Ike smiled and shook his head, then turned and left directly.
Watching his departing back, Mikoto Uchiha smiled and nodded again.
"Ike really is such a warmhearted person!"
Zhang Miao: "..."
What warmhearted person? He was clearly just a bootlicker!
But there was no way he could say that to Mikoto Uchiha. Since he had already pretended to be young, he could not expose himself so easily.
With that in mind, Zhang Miao put a finger in his mouth and looked timidly at Mikoto Uchiha.
"Aunt Mikoto, do you have any Mitarashi Dango at home?"
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