"You have obtained a new trait: [Apprentice Medical Ninja (White)]."
A semi-transparent panel appeared before Kiyoshi.
[Trait: Apprentice Medical Ninja (White)]
[Requirement: Use a basic medical ninjutsu]
[Progress: Completed]
[Effect: Your medical ninjutsu training speed increases by 10%]
[Note: Can be further upgraded]
Kiyoshi closed the panel.
Simply separating coffee and milk
Was already considered using the Poison Extraction Technique.
No wonder it was called
The foundation of all foundations.
Its difficulty probably lay somewhere above E-rank,
Yet not quite reaching D-rank—
A middle ground.
"Make sure you study these books carefully."
Yakushi Nono handed him a stack of books.
For a medical ninja,
Precise chakra control alone wasn't enough—
Extensive knowledge
Was equally essential.
Kiyoshi carefully stored them away.
These materials were indeed important.
More importantly,
This meant he had successfully established a connection with Yakushi Nono.
Which would allow him
To continue developing in the future—
Whether in medical ninjutsu
Or other aspects.
After explaining some additional basics,
Yakushi Nono let him leave.
"Alright."
Kiyoshi nodded.
He walked downstairs,
Returning to the first floor of Konoha Hospital.
The place was bustling—
People constantly coming and going.
There,
He ran into a "familiar face."
"Hazuki, thank you so much this time. I'll repay the money you covered for me soon."
Yamada Daiyu said,
His arm wrapped in a cast.
In front of him stood
A delicate-looking woman.
"Daiyu, just be more careful next time."
Uchiha Hazuki waved it off,
As if it were nothing.
Although medical expenses in Konoha were high,
She was still a ninja—
She could afford it.
Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes slightly,
Watching from a distance.
According to what he knew,
Uchiha Hazuki would later marry an outsider
And give birth to Uchiha Izumi.
After the Nine-Tails incident,
That outsider would die,
And Izumi would return to the Uchiha clan with her mother.
As for the Uchiha clan's stance on intermarriage—
Neither support nor opposition.
"…Hazuki."
Kiyoshi glanced at her meaningfully,
Before blending into the crowd with his books.
Perhaps…
It was time to collect some interest.
After all,
Quite some time had passed
Since she had treated him poorly.
"What's wrong, Hazuki?"
Yamada Daiyu asked.
Hazuki looked around,
The beauty mark beneath her eye shifting with her gaze—
Yet she couldn't find the source of that stare.
As a Chunin,
Her strength wasn't weak.
But she clearly felt
Someone watching her.
"…Forget it. Let's go pick up the medicine. The sooner you take it, the better."
Holding a stack of prescriptions,
She assumed she was just being overly tense.
Daiyu nodded,
A warm feeling rising in his chest.
If she weren't an Uchiha,
He would have already proposed.
After all,
He was just a civilian ninja.
"Hurry up."
After walking a few steps,
Hazuki turned back to call him.
Under her green flak jacket,
Her black chainmail accentuated her figure.
"I'm coming."
Daiyu quickly followed.
Secretly resolving
To make a name for himself—
So he could one day marry a woman like her.
…
After returning home
And training for several hours,
Kiyoshi received an invitation.
"I am Uchiha Inabi. Lord Fugaku has asked me to inform you to attend tonight's gathering at Naka Shrine."
Uchiha Inabi said.
Unlike most Uchiha,
His hair was slightly brown rather than pure black.
"I understand."
Kiyoshi was slightly surprised
At how fast the news had spread.
He had only just passed the exam
And received his forehead protector.
He still needed to take a photo tomorrow
To officially register his graduation.
Yet already,
The Uchiha clan knew—
And had invited him
To their secret gathering,
Which only ninjas were allowed to attend.
After delivering the message,
Inabi offered a few polite congratulations
Before leaving.
Kiyoshi's house
Was located on the outskirts of the Uchiha district.
Most clan members
Lived deeper within.
He watched Inabi leave,
His thoughts drifting.
Inabi was a member of the Konoha Police Force.
In the future,
After Shisui's death,
He would monitor Itachi's increasingly suspicious behavior.
Even confronting him
Alongside Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Tekka.
After a moment,
Kiyoshi closed the door.
He removed his shirt,
Revealing a well-built physique,
And began training.
Crackle—!
Lightning surged beneath his skin.
The Lightning Release: Iron Body
Continued to temper his physique.
At first,
Only faint currents
Flowed through his limbs and torso.
But now—
He could guide that electricity
To areas he previously couldn't reach.
Such as—
His face
And scalp.
Originally,
This technique didn't include those areas.
After all,
It was designed as a D-rank taijutsu—
For genin-level control.
Anything involving the head's chakra network
Required extreme caution.
But with his talent
And the support of his trait panel,
Kiyoshi could now attempt it.
If not for how thin the eyelids were—
And the risk of electricity damaging the eyes—
He would have trained that area as well.
After all,
The muscles around the eyes
Were the fastest in the human body.
A single blink
Took only 100 to 150 milliseconds.
If someone attacked the eyes,
The eyelids could serve as defense.
Because—
The evolution of the Sharingan
Did not enhance the eye's physical durability.
Even beings like Otsutsuki Momoshiki
Could have their Rinnegan destroyed.
"…Almost there."
Kiyoshi murmured.
Enhancing his eye power
Was the fastest way for him to grow stronger.
It would synchronize his physical strength
With his mental power—
Improving chakra reserves, control,
And overall ability.
This, in turn,
Would help him obtain more traits—
Creating a positive feedback loop.
And the fastest way
To increase eye power was—
"Experiencing beautiful things."
Last time,
Nohara Rin had stimulated his eye power,
Awakening his Sharingan in his right eye.
So this time…
…
Night fell.
Kiyoshi made his way
Toward Naka Shrine.
Hidden behind rows of Uchiha residences,
The shrine's vermilion gate
Gleamed faintly under the moonlight.
Inside,
The wood had already begun to fade with age.
Clan members
Gathered one after another.
To outsiders,
This place was merely a shrine.
But beneath it—
Lay secrets unknown.
By the time Kiyoshi arrived,
Most people were already there.
Some glanced at him—
Clearly aware
That he had become a ninja.
Following the others,
Kiyoshi entered a hidden passage.
At the end of it
Was a spacious underground chamber,
Covered with tatami mats.
— End of Chapter —