Black hair, gaunt—he looked almost malnourished.
"He doesn't look at all like the rumors of Kumogakure."Shizune thought to herself.
From what she'd heard, people from Kumogakure were all robust—arms thicker than another person's thigh.
And they all had the signature sausage lips.
"Will he look like that when he grows up?"
Shizune stared closely and found that Kiyoshi's lips were perfectly normal—if anything, thin.
"Flashlight."Tsunade said.
"Ah… yes."Shizune snapped back to attention and hurriedly pulled tools from her ninja pouch, handing them to Tsunade.
She looked up and realized the Uchiha she'd been staring at had given her a smile.
Shizune's heart skipped; she quickly lowered her eyes, suddenly aware that scrutinizing Kiyoshi had been rude.
"You're a smiling Uchiha—that's rare."Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
Was it because he'd been found outside the village?
The proud Uchiha in the compound were entirely different.
To tell the truth, if the matter hadn't been this big, the old man wouldn't have forced her to come.
Hemophobic as she was, Tsunade would never have shown up otherwise.
"Because Lady Tsunade, your eyes are so beautiful—like they hold stars."Kiyoshi spoke.
"Oh?"Tsunade tightened her grip slightly.
If this Uchiha couldn't give a straight answer, she was ready to give him a good punch—teach him that not everyone tolerated jokes.
"When Lady Tsunade examined me, I felt the dedication in your eyes. Even though your status is noble, I am only an ordinary Uchiha."
Kiyoshi paused, then added,
"I've read many stories—Lady Tsunade must be the healer in those tales."
"Tsunade is one of the Legendary Sannin—the village's finest medical ninja. Of course she's renowned."
Mikoto, who'd been waiting nearby, let out a soft laugh.Kiyoshi was still a youth at heart—so unsullied and innocent.
Tsunade relaxed her tightened hand when she heard that praise—so he was complimenting her medical skills.Not a bad talker, this one.
"If I could learn medical ninjutsu like that, I could help others too. I really hope I can be like Lady Tsunade,"Kiyoshi said.
"Medical ninjas need Yang-affinity chakra. Without that, you can't become a medical ninja,"Tsunade replied, standing up.
She told Mikoto she'd go back and look through records to better understand the situation.
Then she would send another excellent medical ninja—Yakushi Nonou—to take a look.
Shizune immediately followed Tsunade out.
"Kiyoshi, rest for now. We'll arrange your enrollment soon,"Mikoto said, and left as well.
What had been a lively room was now empty—only Kiyoshi remained.
"That's true. I'm not Naruto Uzumaki, blessed by fate."Kiyoshi shook his head.
Naruto had convinced Tsunade—who'd been away for years—to return and shoulder the Hokage's responsibilities.
Tsunade's refusal was exactly what Kiyoshi expected.
If she'd wanted to, she would have checked his chakra nature on the spot—her skill would have easily revealed it.
But she didn't.
After all, he was still an Uchiha.
Life rarely goes the way you want.
Kiyoshi wasn't discouraged; he thought of Yakushi Nonou.
Tsunade had said Yakushi Nonou would come next time.
If he played his cards right, Kiyoshi could connect with her and learn medical ninjutsu.
The Uchiha clan didn't have advanced medical ninjas.
Once Uchiha graduates left the Ninja Academy, most were assigned to Konoha's police force.
They only learned superficial medical techniques at the academy.
In peacetime they served as guards; in wartime they were frontline soldiers—few Uchiha sought further medical study.
Uchiha Madara's medical ninjutsu might actually be the best among the clan.
Eye-transplant surgery could be done anytime, anywhere.
The reason Kiyoshi cared so much about medical ninjutsu was simple: this was a world of glass cannons.
Sasuke's six-tomoe Rinnegan could be blinded by a single ordinary kunai—if immediate medical treatment were available, he might have survived.
In the brutal wars to come, who could guarantee they wouldn't lose an arm or a leg?
Prosthetics grown from Hashirama cells weren't for everyone.
Besides, Kiyoshi had learned a few rudimentary chakra-refinement techniques and had spent most of his meager savings having shinobi check his chakra nature.
The result: he possessed Yang Release.
Not everyone had Yang; for example, Sasuke's official databook doesn't list Yang, and Naruto's doesn't list Yin.
Chakra nature change can be learned through training, but it takes years and a lot of time.
Those born with Yang find it far easier to master corresponding ninjutsu.
Thinking this through, Kiyoshi rose from the tatami.
Without noticing, he had walked to the window and casually pushed it open.
A steady drizzle beat against the trees in the courtyard, the leaves whispering with wet, pattering sounds.
A chilly autumn wind swept in.
Rainy days always brought a coldness.
Kiyoshi suddenly smiled:
"Just a little hardship."
He already had a plan to attract Yakushi Nonou.
Yakushi Nonou would become the orphanage director in the future—and for those children, she had even joined Root, which she later left.
In a world so vast, people's tastes were strange and varied.
Some craved power their whole lives; others scorned power and only sought immortality.
Yakushi Nonou's preference was…children.
…
The next day.
Ninja Academy.
"This is our new classmate, Uchiha Kiyoshi."
The Chūnin instructor asked Kiyoshi to write his name on the blackboard.
Kiyoshi picked up a piece of white chalk and wrote his name.
Looking down, he saw many familiar faces: Obito, Kakashi, Rin, Genma Shiranui…
"Your handwriting is lovely."Rin exclaimed.
"Hey, Rin, I heard that guy's from the Land of Lightning,"Obito whispered.
Kumogakure's people are all brutes—Rin, don't be fooled by appearances, Obito thought.
"Please take care of me,"Kiyoshi said with a gentle smile, and—under the Chūnin instructor's arrangement—took a seat in the back row by the window.
"All right, class will begin."
The instructor cleared his throat and started the lesson.
Lately the village reputation of the Uchiha hadn't been great, but teachers still liked Uchiha students for a simple reason: they were easy to teach.
Typically, there would be an entrance test—basic genjutsu and ninjutsu—but really it was just a simple check of chakra reserves and control.
As long as one passed, they passed.
Kiyoshi was a transfer Uchiha, but even as a transfer he could keep up.
Clans often privately tutored their members.
Soon it was break time.
"I heard Kiyoshi is from the Land of Lightning?"Kiyoshi's seat happened to be near Nohara Rin, who came over to ask.
"That's right."
"Are you keeping up? You transferred in, right?"Rin asked curiously.
Before graduating from the Ninja Academy and receiving the headband to become a genin, students weren't allowed to leave the village.
Right to enter and leave the village required a pass, with only a few special shinobi exempt.
"I'll do my best."Kiyoshi closed his book, picked up another volume to read, and slightly raised his eyelids.
"Nohara Rin, could you teach me Konoha's ninjutsu?"