Escape from Konoha.

Seeing the explosion, Ruri assumed that Shiraishi's experiment had failed.

"Well, you could say it was a failure, or you could say it was a success. I successfully guided the natural energy to fuse with ordinary chakra, but I didn't know the optimal ratio between them, or whether I needed anything else to promote the fusion, which caused this unexpected incident. After the natural energy neutralized the chakra and went out of control, it became even more violent than I expected..."

Shiraishi picked up the corner of a damaged research instrument and stood there thoughtfully, pondering something.

Liuli nodded in agreement.

Ordinary chakra, without the aid of techniques, does not possess this level of destructive power.

What do you need next?

For the first time, Ruri, who had never shown a strong interest in Shiraishi's research, had the idea of ​​supporting him.

"Money, lots of money! And even more solid space!"

Bai Shi didn't stand on ceremony.

In his view, it was fair that Liuli provided funding and space, while he was responsible for the research, and the two of them would share the final research results.

◎

Follow Liuli into the room upstairs.

"You live here?"

Shiraishi was somewhat surprised by the proposal that Ruri had suddenly put forward.

“That’s right, traveling back and forth is too cumbersome. Otherwise, you can only come on Sundays, which means you’ll spend too little time researching natural energy, and the results will be slow.”

"Won't this arouse suspicion?"

This is what Shiraishi is worried about.

“Not every maid in my household is from the Uchiha clan. I’ll just hire you with a formal employment contract. Besides, who would bother with a student from the Ninja Academy? Do you think the Hokage’s direct ANBU would deal with such trivial matters? Even if an investigation were necessary, that would be the job of our Uchiha Security Force.”

Bai Shi thought it made sense.

After all, experiments on natural energy cannot be conducted in his home.

His previous experiments were actually very legitimate and not dangerous. Even if they were accidentally discovered, he could have covered it up with words.

But natural energy experiments are not feasible.

Everything involved here is top secret and must be kept confidential.

If Liuli were to use an employment contract to have him work at her house, it would indeed be a good way to cover up their true intentions.

The Hokage's direct ANBU wouldn't be so leisurely as to monitor a ninja academy student, especially since Shiraishi hadn't shown any hostility towards the village.

He is the true successor to the Will of Fire.

Even if they happen to notice something is wrong, that's the job of the security team, and Ruri is a genius of the Uchiha clan, so she has powerful backers.

Most importantly, I am very poor.

There is no such thing as a child protection law in Konoha. When Shiraishi was six years old, he was kicked out of the orphanage and had to live on his own. It is perfectly reasonable for underage children to work and earn money to make a living!

Liuli hiring herself through an employment contract is also a form of help between friends.

After all, he and Liuli were almost inseparable, and in many people's eyes, they were very good friends.

It's normal for friends to help each other.

This gave him ample time to conduct experiments on natural energy, and sufficient secrecy.

"Speaking of which, how did you draw out natural energy?"

Liuli asked the question that concerned her the most.

The information on magic that she had given Shiraishi before was only superficial.

Liuli was very curious about how Baishi drew out natural energy.

"Didn't you read the previous notes? Actually, it's quite simple. I don't know how the First Hokage guided natural energy. I guided natural energy from the source of chakra and used the chakra source system to throw out bait."

"..."

"As for the specific source of chakra, it's actually related to our daily diet and condition. Physical strength cannot be separated from food intake, replenishing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, tartaric acid, etc. Spiritual energy is not only related to the soul, but emotions can also affect a person's mental state, or condition. Physical and spiritual strength ultimately come from these, undergoing a chemical-like reaction with the human body, and after fusion and extraction, it becomes chakra. Of course, this also involves a rather complex human body self-processing system. Different people have different physical qualities, which leads to... uh, do you understand?"

"..."

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Secret of Opening the Eyes

Since we are going to further study natural energy, the laboratory should naturally be set up to be more formal.

"What happens here cannot be known to outsiders, and the procurement of research equipment must also be carried out in secret."

Liuli's expression was very serious.

The matter of Sage Techniques is too important to be discussed with outsiders, and Ruri does not intend to reveal even a fraction of it to the Uchiha clan.

"But without the help of the maids, it will be very difficult for the two of us..."

Just as Shiraishi was about to face the challenge, Ruri put her thumb in her mouth and bit it, then began to form hand seals, finally slamming her palm onto the ground with a loud slap.

"Spiritual communication!"

With a bang, white smoke billowed out.

A dark black cat appeared in front of Shiraishi and Ruri.

It was about half the size of a person and wagged its tail at Liuli.

Liuli took out a list displaying the names of various research equipment.

"Buy everything listed above, and I'll inspect it in a day."

The black cat nodded decisively, then vanished into white smoke with a bang.

Shiraishi looked at the spot where the black cat had disappeared: "That's..."

“Our Uchiha clan and the ninja cat clan have always been on good terms. Before I started school, I signed summoning contracts with some of the ninja cats. This made it safe and discreet for them to carry out their tasks, so they could avoid being seen by the village.”

The Ninja Cat Clan operates in inconspicuous corners of the ninja world. Their presence can be found almost anywhere, whether they are gathering information or purchasing goods; their efficiency is top-notch.

For Ruri, the ninja cat with whom she had a summoning contract was undoubtedly her most capable assistant.

Bai Shi marveled at Liu Li's connections, noting the difference between the wealthy and ordinary people.

They not only have their own complete cultivation system, but also a variety of reference books and a wider network of connections than ordinary people.

◎

Staying at Liuli's house didn't cause any trouble; for the whole village, it was a trivial matter.

Now Shiraishi lives in a room comparable to a luxury hotel every day, sleeps on a luxurious and soft bed, eats a nutritious breakfast carefully prepared by the maids in the morning, and can take a walk in the yard or fish in the pond when he is tired. Although he is called a servant in the Ruri family, he is actually treated like a young master.

Life was dull and ordinary during his time living with the rich heiress.

Although he occasionally receives strange, disdainful looks from the maids in Ruri's household, Shiraishi remains indifferent to it.

He earned his position through hard work and real talent; what do these maids know?

Now, Baishi can only accompany Liuli to cultivate once in a while. As soon as school is over, he will rush back to the underground laboratory that Liuli recently bought for him to study and guide natural energy.

Only by successfully guiding natural energy can the next step of Sage Chakra fusion be carried out.

As a result, explosions frequently occurred underground at Liuli's house. Although the fluctuations were small, Liuli made the area around the laboratory even more stable in order to ensure complete secrecy, until the vibrations from the explosions could no longer be felt above.

These sophisticated experimental instruments, including the reinforcement of the laboratory environment, were made using protective panels imported from the Land of Iron.

According to Liuli, these expenses totaled 45 million taels, accounting for one-tenth of her pocket money in her bank account.

Shiraishi just wanted to know what kind of small business Ruri's parents were running that allowed Ruri to live such an ordinary life.

◎

On the last day of the first month living at Liuli's house.

After school in the afternoon, Shiraishi returned to the lab to continue his research on natural energy, while Ruri went to the Uchiha Naga Shrine to attend the monthly clan meeting.

The Uchiha members who attend the clan meeting are not ordinary Uchiha clansmen. Awakening the Sharingan is only one of the prerequisites. They are also required to be ninjas with the strength of Special Jonin or above, or geniuses like Ruri who are the focus of the clan’s training and have a high probability of inheriting the position of clan leader in the future.

Ruri is not only a genius of the Uchiha clan, but she is also being groomed as one of the candidates for the next clan leader.

Therefore, she was eligible to attend the monthly small clan meeting.

Nanga Shrine.

One by one, Uchiha ninjas gathered here. The sky was dark, but torches lit up the roadside, making the path leading to the shrine visible.

Upon arriving at the top of the Naga Shrine, they entered the shrine's buildings and used a jutsu to open the sealed stone slabs. The Uchiha ninjas then descended one after another.

In the empty basement, an ancient stone tablet stands, with flames burning on both sides, illuminating the dark basement.

There were more than twenty people gathered here, all of whom were special Jonin or Jonin who were currently staying in the clan's territory. There were also some Jonin who were absent because they were on missions elsewhere.

The monthly clan meeting didn't really have anything important to announce, and the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village's Hokage remained harmonious.

Aside from a few high-ranking individuals, there might be dissatisfaction or hostility towards the Uchiha clan.

But the Uchiha clan completely ignored those wary and disgusted looks.

As the strongest ninja clan in Konoha, they have this confidence.

Even the Hokage has to show them respect, let alone those higher-ups who are even weaker than the Hokage.

The clan meetings are mostly about handling trivial matters: which training ground is broken, whether there have been more complaints from Konoha villagers about the garrison lately, whether there are any new promising talents in the clan worth nurturing, how this month's expenses compare to last month, and whether the clan's business income has increased...

An hour later, the clan meeting ended in a long and tedious rhythm.

"Ruri, Fugaku, you two stay."

An elderly man with gray hair, over sixty years old, spoke, his face covered with wrinkles.

Uchiha Yomo.

He is the most prestigious elder in the Uchiha clan. Due to his advanced age, he has retired from his ninja career and now works in the rear, shouldering the important responsibility of cultivating the Uchiha clan's genius ninjas.

Along with Ruri, another Uchiha ninja, around seventeen or eighteen years old, was called over – Uchiha Fugaku.

He is handsome, and his face no longer shows any trace of his youth; he exudes a mature and composed demeanor.

Like Ruri, Fugaku is a genius ninja of the Uchiha clan. Last year, he passed the Jonin Exams and became an excellent and young Jonin.

In addition, his Sharingan is at the three-tomoe level, giving him a significant advantage when facing Jonin of the same level.