"Kiyoshi, aren't you from the Uchiha clan? Haven't you learned any ninjutsu?"
Rin Nohara asked curiously.
Although Kiyoshi came from the Land of Lightning, his surname was Uchiha.
The Uchiha were one of the great clans of the village and even held exclusive authority over the Konoha Military Police Force.
To put it bluntly, they were practically Konoha's nobility.
"You can't just learn any ninjutsu you want, even within the Uchiha clan."
Seeing Rin approach Kiyoshi right after class ended, Obito quickly ran over.
"To prevent clan members from abusing ninjutsu or becoming overly ambitious, everything needs approval from the elders who manage such matters."
Obito explained confidently.
Otherwise, wouldn't everyone just choose the strongest techniques right from the start?
"I see."
Rin nodded.
Her short hair swayed slightly, a few strands brushing against the purple markings on the sides of her cheeks.
She came from a civilian family, so she didn't know much about these matters.
"So, Rin Nohara… could you teach me?"
Kiyoshi asked.
His dark eyes quietly focused on her.
Her figure was reflected in his pupils. With late autumn approaching, her clothes had become noticeably thicker.
Rin had value.
Learning from her would allow Kiyoshi to grow stronger faster.
After all, Rin was a medical prodigy.
You could tell from the fact that she, as only a Chunin, had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique.
And what level of ninjutsu was that?
A-rank.
That was already just one level below S-rank techniques.
Medical ninjutsu were often even harder to master than ordinary ninjutsu.
They required extremely precise chakra control—even the smallest mistake could cause total failure.
From this alone, it was clear that Rin had talent in this field.
Moreover, an A-rank technique like Mystical Palm was not something one could learn easily.
During the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade had proposed the idea of adding medical ninjas to every mission team and establishing a training system for them.
Only a few years had passed since the war ended.
Many systems were still being perfected.
It was very likely that Rin's talent had attracted the attention of Konoha's medical division, allowing her to learn such advanced techniques so early.
If she hadn't died young…
She might have become a medical ninja as famous as Tsunade or Sakura in the future.
"Hmm… okay."
Rin thought for a moment before agreeing.
"But the only ninjutsu we learn in school are E-rank techniques. That's all I can teach you."
"That's more than enough. I'd really appreciate it."
Kiyoshi smiled gently.
"You're helping me a lot."
"It's nothing. We're classmates, after all."
Rin shook her head.
Meanwhile, Obito felt like he had just shot himself in the foot.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have explained those things to Rin!
"Rin, you should train me too!"
Obito immediately requested.
He didn't want Rin teaching only Kiyoshi.
Unfortunately, the class bell rang, forcing Obito to return to his seat.
Staring at the densely written blackboard, Obito began spinning his pen between his fingers while letting his mind wander.
"Hehe… once Rin starts giving me special training, I'll definitely show that smug Kakashi who's boss!"
Obito drifted into a pleasant fantasy, occasionally glancing at Kakashi or Rin.
Kiyoshi, meanwhile, continued reading.
The knowledge here might be basic, but it was valuable.
Within the Uchiha clan, he was still an outsider.
Would someone be assigned to guide him?
And if so, how much would they actually teach him?
All of that was unknown.
Kiyoshi couldn't afford to rely on luck and imagine that the Uchiha would assign some powerful figure to train him personally.
He was very clear about his current status.
A mixed-blood Uchiha who had been picked up from outside.
The only reason the clan paid attention to him was because they feared there might be other scattered Uchiha bloodlines like him.
And since he had awakened only one Sharingan, some people might even consider him nothing more than "foreign trash" from the Land of Lightning.
Kiyoshi hadn't chosen Rin randomly.
There was another genius in the class—Hatake Kakashi.
Kiyoshi glanced forward.
There sat a boy with spiky white hair and a black mask covering his face.
But Kakashi wouldn't be as approachable as Rin.