Achievements

Uchiha Zhuang finished his meal in silence and returned to his room to cultivate. Genmu and Meiko were discussing in the living room. "I have already reported Dazhuang's situation to the clan head and the elders. They have unanimously decided to focus on nurturing Uchiha Zhuang, and that secret treasure, the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Body Tempering Technique, has already been deposited into the clan vault. This will add significant merit to Dazhuang's record." "Then, does that girl from the Hyuga clan know about the situation?" "The specifics are clear now; she is the daughter of the current clan head and possesses high talent. It is said she could already use the Byakugan at just five years old. Furthermore, the clan head has no son, so it is possible this main branch daughter will be married off within the clan." "Ah! So that is the result for the girl Dazhuang is so set on? You should go ask the clan head and the elders for their opinions again!" "It's useless; I have already pleaded with them. They sent signals to the Hyuga clan long ago, but there has been no response from that side." While the two were worrying, Uchiha Zhuang was unaware of any of this, fully immersed in his chakra perception.

In class the next day, Akihime had dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept well. She was also giving Uchiha Zhuang the cold shoulder. Uchiha Zhuang was completely baffled, and Akihime wouldn't say a word. At lunch, Akihime just ate from her own small bowl. Uchiha Zhuang realized things were getting serious; something must have happened with the Hyuga family, and he would have to ask when he got home that night. The chubby boy behind him and the others who had participated in the siege yesterday were now terrified. Every time they saw Uchiha Zhuang, their hearts would tremble, hoping he wouldn't notice them and would treat them as if they were invisible. Uchiha Zhuang really didn't have the time to deal with the brats today; he even turned down a fight invitation from some upperclassmen. Of course, when school ended, those few upperclassmen were still knocked to the ground by Uchiha Zhuang in a few moves, unable to even get up, without having had the time to weave a single hand seal. Uchiha Zhuang hurried home, looked at Genmu, who was reading the newspaper with his legs crossed, and Meiko, who was cooking in the kitchen, and asked, "Something is wrong with Akihime, isn't it? Did something happen to the Hyuga clan?" Genmu glanced at Uchiha Zhuang without speaking and continued reading his paper. Meiko said, "Nothing is wrong; I haven't heard of anything happening to the Hyuga clan." "Then why wouldn't Akihime talk to me today, and why are her eyes so dark?" Genmu said, "She might have learned of her future fate, which is why she is like this. Her father is the current Hyuga clan head. The clan head has no sons, only one daughter, so she will likely be married to a member of her own clan." Uchiha Zhuang felt stunned for a moment, a feeling as if he had lost something very important—hollow and filled with unwillingness. Why! I am a transmigrator; my life shouldn't be this ordinary! After letting out a roar of impotence, Uchiha Zhuang calmed down. In the end, it was a lack of strength. The Hyuga family must be wary of the attitude of the Konoha high-ups! If two major clans were to form an alliance, it would undoubtedly be a nightmare for the higher-ups.

After some thought, Uchiha Zhuang decided to remain still and focus on developing his strength. Seeing the worried expressions of the two, Uchiha Zhuang smiled and said, "It's nothing. The most important thing now is to develop myself. Only when I am strong will I have the right to speak and the ability to act." After dinner, Uchiha Zhuang returned to his room, pondered for a while looking at the pitch-black scenery outside the window, and then left the house to enter the clan forest. At the top of a tree, he activated Echo of the Distance and vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was already far away, speeding toward the border town. Uchiha Zhuang felt uncertain; he didn't know if Hanako and the other women could handle the task well.

It was deep into the night when the forest was silent and the crescent moon hung high that Uchiha Zhuang finally arrived at his detached house base. After checking the perimeter for a while and confirming there were no mechanisms or trap markers, he snuck in through the back door. Entering the courtyard, he saw that the house was dark and quiet. Uchiha Zhuang walked gently to the front door and slid it open. Instantly, a dagger was thrust from inside, aiming straight for his throat. Uchiha Zhuang calmly seized the wielder of the dagger—a skinny little girl with large eyes, messy purple hair, and a slightly sallow complexion. Looking at the girl subdued in one move, Uchiha Zhuang said, "Let Hanako come out; the master has returned." This sentence stopped the girl, who was gathering strength for a second strike. "Master, you have returned. These children I took in are ignorant and offended you; please punish them as you wish, Master!" Hanako said fawningly. Though slightly surprised inwardly, Uchiha Zhuang remained calm and nodded, saying, "This little girl is not bad. Where are the others?" As he spoke, he walked upstairs toward his master bedroom. Hanako followed behind, saying, "Ootama and Tsugutama are looking after a dozen or so little girls, and I have been waiting for you day and night here, Master." Deliberately ignoring Hanako's overly exaggerated acting and coquettishness, Uchiha Zhuang reached the master bedroom and took a deep breath. Hmm, no other scents; it's acceptable. Hanako looked at the silent Uchiha Zhuang, feeling very uneasy. She had taken tens of millions of ryo from him (gold converted into the ninja world's currency), yet in over a month, she had only taken in a dozen girls and expanded one base. The rest of the money had been quietly transferred by her through Tanba's Old Turtle into a new account under her own name, hoping to escape Uchiha Zhuang's control.

Uchiha Zhuang sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and said, "You are hiding something from me, aren't you?! Let me guess: you want freedom? You want to control your own destiny and never be controlled by others again, right? Or is it that you've gotten close to Tanba's Old Turtle and want to kick me to the curb and run away with the money I gave you? Hmm! Your eyes are flickering between surprise and panic, which means I've guessed most of it correctly. Having such thoughts the moment I leave is very dangerous, Hanako. Where are Ootama and Tsugutama? Don't force me to find them myself!" The threatening words struck Hanako directly. Her face turned pale, and she lowered her head even further. She remained silent, offering no rebuttal. The little girl beside her just stood there, staring straight at Uchiha Zhuang without moving.

Uchiha Zhuang slowly paced over to Hanako and helped her up. Looking at Hanako, who was sobbing silently beneath her exquisite makeup, Uchiha Zhuang said softly, "Why are you making such a face?! After all, I'm not a bad person! How bad could I be?" Smiling, Uchiha Zhuang continued, "I told you all before I left: if you want to leave, just say so clearly, instead of playing these little tricks—taking the money and doing some work, but planning to grease your feet and slip away! That makes things very difficult for me! Fujiwara Kobayashi sold you to me completely, you know!" Hearing that name, which had been sealed away for so long and which she never wanted to recall again, those years of hellish life seemed to be beckoning to her, drawing ever closer. Countless starving villagers stretched out their withered hands, trying in vain to grab onto something!

Hanako seemed to have had a switch flipped; she bowed her head and wept bitterly. Her arms were held firmly by Uchiha Zhuang, and her face shifted through expressions of pain, shame, regret, and jealousy. After a long while, unable to bear the tidal wave of emotions, Hanako fainted. Putting away his Sharingan, Uchiha Zhuang looked at the expressionless little girl nearby. "Which country are you from? The Land of Rivers?" "The Land of Snow. Setsuna."