"Uchiha Kiyoshi, you're from the Uchiha clan—haven't you learned ninjutsu?"Nohara Rin asked curiously.
Although Kiyoshi had come from the Land of Lightning, he was an Uchiha by name.
The Uchiha were one of Konoha's great clans, holding exclusive authority over the Konoha Police Force. Without exaggeration, they were the aristocracy of the village.
"Just because you're an Uchiha doesn't mean you can learn whatever ninjutsu you want."Obito rushed over the moment he saw Rin talking to Kiyoshi right after class.
"To prevent clan members from misusing ninjutsu or becoming too ambitious, everything requires approval from senior clan leaders."Obito explained proudly, as if reciting something important.
Otherwise, wouldn't everyone just pick the strongest ninjutsu from the start?
"So that's how it works."Rin nodded. Her short hair swayed gently, a few strands falling over the purple markings on her cheeks.
As someone born a civilian, she didn't know much about clan politics.
"So, Nohara Rin… could you teach me?"Uchiha Kiyoshi asked, his dark eyes meeting hers.
Her reflection was clear in his pupils. Perhaps because late autumn was approaching, Rin wore several layers, giving her a gentle, warm presence.
Rin was valuable. Learning from her would allow Kiyoshi to improve faster.
After all, Rin was a medical genius. Anyone who could perform the Mystical Palm Technique as a mere Chūnin spoke for itself.
What level was the Mystical Palm Technique?
Rank A.
One rank below S-Class. And medical ninjutsu was even more difficult than ordinary ninjutsu.
It relied on extremely delicate chakra control—a small deviation could mean disaster.
This alone showed Rin's talent.
And learning an A-Rank medical jutsu was absolutely not something one could casually acquire.
Tsunade's proposal to include dedicated medical-nin in every squad—and to build a full medical-nin training system—had only been established during the Second Shinobi World War.
It had only been a few years since that war ended. Much of the system was still developing.
Rin's rapid mastery could only mean her talent had already caught the attention of Konoha's Medical Corps.
Had she not died young, she might have become as famous as Tsunade or Sakura in the future.
"Mm, I can."Rin thought for a moment, then nodded.
"But in school, the only ninjutsu allowed are E-Rank. So I can only teach you those."
"Then I'm in your care, Nohara Rin."Kiyoshi gave a gentle smile. "That would help me so much."
"It's no trouble—we're classmates."Rin said with a shake of her head.
Obito, meanwhile, felt like he had shot himself in the foot.
If he'd known Rin would agree… he never should have explained anything!
"Rin, teach me too!"Obito pleaded, unwilling to let Rin teach only Kiyoshi.
But the bell had already rung, and Obito had no choice but to return to his seat.
Staring at the chalkboard crammed with writing, Obito spun his pen between his fingers, drifting into a daydream.
"Heheh… once Rin gives me special training too, I'm gonna show that smug Kakashi."
Obito fantasized vividly, occasionally peeking at Kakashi or Rin.
Uchiha Kiyoshi, however, continued to study.
This knowledge was basic—but precious.
Within the Uchiha clan, he would always be an "outsider."
Would anyone actually guide him? If so, to what extent?
All unknowns.
Kiyoshi couldn't rely on luck or illusions—he couldn't expect the Uchiha to assign some powerful mentor to train him privately.
He understood himself perfectly:
A half-blood Uchiha, picked up from the outside.
The only reason he received any attention was because the clan feared more cases like him might exist elsewhere.
And with only one Sharingan awakened, some people might even see him as "foreign trash" from the Land of Lightning.
Kiyoshi's request to Rin wasn't random; he had chosen carefully.
There was another genius in the class—Hatake Kakashi.
Kiyoshi glanced ahead, where a white-haired boy with a black mask sat.
But Kakashi would never be as approachable as Rin.
Soon, the death of Sakumo—Konoha's White Fang—would cause Kakashi's personality to shift drastically, making him cold, numb, and forcing him to request early graduation.
The "tool" side of being a shinobi would manifest perfectly in him.
After a brief thought, Kiyoshi continued reading.
No matter what, increasing his own strength was the correct path.
Before long, the day passed.
Kiyoshi had begun adapting to life here.
The Ninja Academy's curriculum could roughly be divided into five categories:
Theory, Physical Training, History, Shinobi Skills, and Practical Combat.
In simple terms:
Theory covered ninjutsu, hand seals, and basic physics and mathematics
Training built physical strength and basic taijutsu
History introduced the great figures of Konoha and the ninja world
Shinobi Skills covered experience—reconnaissance, assassination, codes, intel handling—and kunoichi-specific training
Practical Combat was sparring and real application
But the Academy lacked one crucial aspect:
Thought and morality.
The purpose of the Academy was to produce shinobi—not enlighten students.
The most obvious example: the daimyo.
In a world where individuals could destroy mountains and reshape landscapes, the rulers were still ordinary people.
Even in Boruto, Naruto—the Seventh Hokage—remained constrained by the daimyo.If the daimyo cut Konoha's funding, he could only silently endure it.
"I'm thinking too far ahead."
In the empty classroom—everyone else already gone—Kiyoshi opened his translucent Entry Panel.
Through testing, he confirmed that no one else could see it.
Today's lessons had been heavy on history and cultural subjects, probably because of his arrival.
[Entry: Reading Absorption (White)][Requirement: Read 10 articles and complete detailed notes.][Progress: 50%.][Effect: Slightly increases the speed at which you absorb written information; comprehension improved by 10%.][Note: Further advancement possible.]
Kiyoshi looked at the second entry.
[Entry: Basic Memory (White)][Requirement: Memorize 5 selected biographies of notable shinobi.][Progress: 40%.][Effect: Slight improvement to short-term memory; words and phrases can be memorized faster, with memory efficiency increased by 5%.][Note: Further advancement possible.]
"Learning academic subjects should become much easier."
Kiyoshi thought.
These were only the beginning—White entries were the lowest grade and the easiest to obtain.
So far, every entry he'd gained included the note "Further advancement possible."It was very likely that meeting certain conditions would evolve them.
"Basic Memory" and "Reading Absorption" were exactly what he needed—To become a medical ninja, he would need to memorize vast amounts of knowledge.
"Uchiha Kiyoshi."
Kiyoshi closed the panel and was packing his things when a voice called from the doorway.
"Why are you still here?"
Nohara Rin poked her head in, her eyes filled with curiosity.