The door to the Principal's Office opened.
Principal Sarutobi Wu, much like the Third, was small in stature, and he looked up to see a tall Military Police Force ninja from the Uchiha Clan with a student following behind him.
He glanced at the student first; this was the Top of the Grade, suppressing all of his peers with undisputed strength.
Even Asuma Sarutobi, the Second Young Master of the Sarutobi Clan, had a miserable time in front of him.
As for the tall Military Police Force ninja from the Uchiha Clan, Sarutobi Wu had also dealt with him before—he was a deputy captain in the Military Police Force.
"Captain Jing, you should knock."
"Oh, I forgot. I was too furious and didn't think to knock."
Uchiha Jing wore a grave expression, frowning as he looked down at Sarutobi Wu in the chair:
"Principal, I heard my younger brother is going to graduate early?"
Sarutobi Wu looked displeased: "The Third Shinobi World War is so intense that sixty-one students have already graduated early from the Ninja Academy. Whether Uchiha Ling graduates early is a recommendation made by the Teaching and Research Group after review. What is it you want to say?"
Uchiha Ling felt secretly anxious. The principal of the Ninja Academy managed the future of Konoha, served as a confidant to the Hokage, and was also a core figure in the Sarutobi Clan.
Sarutobi Wu's words were completely airtight, leaving no procedural issues whatsoever with Uchiha Ling's early graduation.
Uchiha Jing said: "The Military Police Force cannot interfere with your decision, but this is a warrant from the captain of the Military Police Force and patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, Lord Fugaku.
Principal, take a look. We, the Uchiha Clan, do not agree to a second-year Uchiha child graduating early. If you insist on having him graduate early, the Uchiha Military Police Force will take him in."
After saying that, Uchiha Jing glanced at Uchiha Ling to signal him not to be afraid and that everything was fine.
Uchiha Ling breathed a sigh of relief.
He performed very well at school, which not only attracted the attention of the school's upper management, but also caught the eye of his family.
Uchiha Fugaku was a few years older than Minato Namikaze, and at twenty years old, he was already the patriarch.
He had not expected a young Uchiha Fugaku to be so tough, directly interfering with the Ninja Academy's decision.
Patriarch Fugaku hadn't explicitly opposed the school's decision; if they wanted Uchiha Ling to graduate early, then Uchiha Ling would simply go to the Military Police Force.
The Ninja Academy had no procedural grounds to object. The First Clan of Konoha, combined with the Military Police Force, held immense clout.
Sarutobi Wu looked at the warrant, frowned in thought for a few seconds, and said: "Then let's ask for Uchiha Ling's opinion. Uchiha Ling, do you want to join a ninja team or enter the Military Police Force after graduation?"
Uchiha Ling said: "Can I choose neither? Can I continue staying in school?"
His classmates were nice and sweet-talked well; he had no desire to leave this place at all.
Uchiha Jing thought the same way. He was far too young—what graduation?
Sarutobi Wu said: "Very well. Since you don't want to graduate, we will do as you wish."
Arranging for Uchiha Ling to graduate early only for him to be claimed by the Uchiha Military Police Force in the end would cause too much loss of face, so it was better to let Uchiha Ling stay in school.
Uchiha Jing nodded: "Good, then it's settled. We'll talk about Ling graduating whenever he wants to."
After leaving the Principal's Office, Uchiha Ling was in a fantastic mood.
The Uchiha Clan could not be wiped out; absolutely not. Who would care about him if the clan was destroyed?
After going downstairs, Uchiha Jing said: "Ling, come find me if anything happens in the future, and I'll sort it out for you.
The family has been keeping an eye on your performance at school, and they are extremely satisfied with it.
The Uchiha Clan should be the Top of the Grade, and should surpass everyone else by a wide margin.
Captain Uchiha Yashiro said that with your current performance, even if Kakashi Hatake hasn't graduated, he is no match for you."
"No, no, Second Brother, Kakashi is still very formidable. I'm at most the person closest to Kakashi."
"You have no ambition whatsoever!" Uchiha Jing gave Uchiha Ling a knock on the head and said:
"Train properly and keep pressing down on the Sarutobi Clan, the Nara Clan, and those other civilian ninjas!
Make them fear the Uchiha from a young age, and tremble the moment they see an Uchiha!"
The Uchiha Hawk Faction was domineering, and this domineering air came from their formidable one-on-one combat prowess. Whether inside or outside the village, anyone facing an Uchiha would be stripped of a layer of skin.
Uchiha Ling asked: "Second Brother, am I going straight into the Military Police Force after graduation?"
"Not necessarily. Patriarch Fugaku wants the newcomers to join ordinary Konoha teams. Once the Shinobi World War begins, the patriarch wants to take the opportunity to expand the clan's influence. It's up to you; I'll arrange it for you when the time comes."
"Alright, Second Brother!"
"Go on, back to your class."
When Uchiha Ling returned, he saw Kurenai Yuhi sparring with Rin Nohara.
Both girls excelled at precise Chakra control; one would eventually become a Genjutsu-type ninja, and the other a medical ninja.
However, because Kurenai Yuhi had trained with Uchiha Ling for a long time, her movements were clean and decisive, carrying a bit of the sharpness a ninja ought to possess.
Rin Nohara could not parry it and was forced into a continuous retreat.
Uchiha Ling observed Kurenai Yuhi's arms and calves. The obvious muscle lines provided her with formidable strength and confidence.
In the original story, within the team of Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara, Rin Nohara held everyone back every single time, getting kidnapped either by Stone Ninja or Mist Ninja.
Much of that team's tribulation stemmed from Rin Nohara's inability to handle enemies independently, requiring Kakashi to clean up her mess every time.
Kurenai Yuhi did a much better job in this regard, as Taijutsu was not her weak point.
After a dozen moves or so, Kurenai Yuhi used a Sweeping Kick to knock Rin Nohara down. She smiled and said to Rin Nohara on the ground:
"Rin, why don't you train with me? You're the Top of Theoretical Classes, and your Transformation Technique is precise, but your physical constitution is a bit weak."
Rin Nohara got up in vexation and said: "Fine, I'll train with you, but aren't you training with that person?"
"What do you mean by 'that person'? You can just call him by his name. Uchiha Ling... he—he just has a vicious tongue, but his heart is actually really good."
"How can someone with a vicious tongue have a good heart?"
Kurenai Yuhi didn't bother explaining. She figured Rin Nohara would come to enjoy training with Uchiha Ling.
All the exams concluded.
Uchiha Ling was still the undisputed first place.
As he walked out of the classroom first, Uchiha Ling turned his head to look at all the classmates seeing him off.
"Dear classmates, I almost graduated early just now. That was so close; I'd never get to see my lovely classmates again.
Without you guys, where would I ever find my sense of superiority? See you next semester!"
Nara Saku's vision went dark, and Akimichi Takashi's vision went dark twice over.
"Saku! Didn't you say you'd already arranged for him to graduate early?"
"I don't know! I even saw Uchiha Ling's early graduation review form! The principal signed it."
After school, Nara Saku hurriedly came to the Principal's Office to inquire about the ins and outs of the matter.
The patriarch of the Uchiha Clan had actually paid attention to Uchiha Ling and forcefully intervened.
Upon returning home, Uchiha Ling couldn't wait to begin researching the Multi-Size Technique.
Good stuff. This was definitely good stuff.
Before you continue