"Thanks, Rin."
Under Nohara Rin's guidance, Kiyohara finally mastered the Detoxification Technique, something he had almost grasped already.
"I didn't think you'd be interested in this kind of thing too, Kiyohara."
Rin smiled in surprise. Besides herself, Kiyohara was the only one here who knew any medical ninjutsu.
"Did you apply to become a medical ninja at the Konoha Hospital too?" she asked curiously.
"Not really."
Kiyohara shook his head and explained that he learned these techniques directly from Lady Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade?!"
Rin gasped softly.Anyone studying medical ninjutsu knew of Tsunade.She was the pinnacle of the field and Rin's personal idol.
Seeing Rin's awestruck eyes, Kiyohara instantly realized—'she has no idea what Tsunade is really like.'He decided not to shatter her illusion.
"By the way, Rin, which chakra points do you release from when using the Detoxification Technique?"
Controlling chakra to flow from specific tenketsu was no easy task. Even most jōnin could only manage it from their hands, feet, or mouth.That's why ninjutsu typically emerges from the mouth or hands. You rarely see someone shoot a fireball from their forehead, knee, or...
The Uchiha's Sharingan, in a way, acted as another release point for techniques.
Only Hyūga clan members with the Byakugan could truly emit chakra from every point on their bodies.That's why techniques like "Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation" were unique to them.Without a Byakugan, most shinobi used raw physical strikes—not Gentle Fist, but Hard Fist.
"Um, I use these points…"
Rin held out her hand to show Kiyohara the exact tenketsu she used.
Kiyohara listened attentively, but hearing alone wasn't enough—he was still confused.So he gently took Rin's hand and began pressing on her palm with his fingers to better understand.
Rin's heart skipped a beat when he grabbed her hand.'Kakashi is still here!'
But seeing Kiyohara completely focused, she realized she was overthinking it.'Doctors treat all patients the same,' she reminded herself.Gender didn't matter when discussing medical ninjutsu.
Still, Rin could feel the strange sensation of his fingers on her palm. But she continued her explanation nonetheless.
"What are you two talking about over here?"
Obito, having noticed Rin talking to Kiyohara for quite a while, couldn't take it anymore and jumped in.
"We're discussing technical theory. You wouldn't get it, Obito," Rin said lightly.
Obito puffed up."What do you mean I wouldn't get it?"
Why could Kiyohara understand something he supposedly couldn't?Once he awakened the Sharingan, he'd be unstoppable!
"Huh?"
Only now did Obito notice—Rin's hand was in Kiyohara's!
"Rin! Why are you holding hands with Kiyohara!?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Obito," Kiyohara said calmly."We're learning medical ninjutsu. It's like studying a foreign language."
Obito looked stunned.'Who learns medical ninjutsu by holding hands!?'
Even if he wasn't good at theory, he knew this wasn't normal!
"Idiot," Kakashi muttered."Kiyohara's observing her chakra points."
'Seriously,' he thought. 'How did the elite Uchiha clan end up producing a guy like Obito?'
"Yeah, Obito. What are you thinking?" Kurenai chimed in, confused.
Kiyohara looked so serious—clearly, he was learning something.How could Obito think anything else?
"Sensei, I…" Obito turned to Minato helplessly.
"They're telling the truth, Obito," Minato confirmed.
Obito stared blankly.'Am I really the one who misunderstood?'
"Alright, time to move out."
After a brief rest, Minato stood.In war, every second mattered.
"Yes!" everyone echoed, standing and packing up.
Only Obito seemed absentminded, still sulking.'Rin's soft, fragrant hands... even I haven't touched them yet,' he thought.'Kiyohara, you bastard! It feels like someone took my bike and rode off with it…'
"I'll walk with you a little further," Minato said."Once we reach the border zone, I'll split off to support the frontlines. Kiyohara, you'll lead the decoy team. Kakashi, your team continues with the mission."
He was clear in his arrangement.Kiyohara had better sensing ability than Kakashi, ideal for early detection and diversion.
"Understood," Kakashi replied.
The group continued forward.
About half an hour in, Kakashi suddenly halted and signaled everyone to stop.
Kiyohara watched calmly—this was just as it played out in the original story.
They had encountered Iwagakure's recon jōnin, Mogari.
Mogari specialized in kenjutsu, was extremely fast, and could use the Shadow Clone Technique.
'So it's Mogari…' thought rogue Kiyohara, gazing at the man in the distance.
"What is it?"
Kiyohara glanced at his future self in his mind.
"I've fought him before. In my timeline, he survived this encounter and I eventually killed him," rogue Kiyohara said."Unfortunately, I never managed to force out his sword techniques."
"I see."
Mogari's kenjutsu, huh?
Kiyohara wasn't very interested in swordsmanship right now.Even with guidance, it would take too long.Better to invest time into ninjutsu or shurikenjutsu—higher ROI.
"Huh… they noticed me?"
Behind a tree, Mogari narrowed his eyes.Two of the enemy shinobi had already steadied their breathing—classic signs of preparing for combat.
He carefully peeked out.
One was a handsome black-haired boy.The other, a white-haired boy with a short sword on his back.
"Wait a second… no way…"
Mogari looked at their squad leader—cold sweat trickled down his face.