After successfully completing the escort mission, Kiyohara's team safely returned to the rear logistics base.
The sunset dyed the tents in the camp with a layer of golden light. Ninja squads trickled back in groups of twos and threes, and the once quiet camp regained a touch of warmth and life.
After a simple dinner, Kiyohara made his way to Rin Nohara's medical tent, as promised.
The tent smelled faintly of herbs. Neatly arranged scrolls and medical supplies lined the space, everything meticulously clean and in order.
"Kiyohara, you came."Rin greeted him with a smile and gestured for him to sit.
"Sorry to intrude, Rin,"he replied politely.
She nodded slightly. They had already agreed she would teach him the basics of medical ninjutsu. For her, this was a good chance to reinforce her own knowledge, and boosting a teammate's capabilities was a win for everyone.
"Medical ninjutsu requires tremendous patience and fine chakra control—especially the manipulation of Yang chakra. Tonight, let's begin with the basics…"
Rin launched into a detailed explanation of the principles behind healing techniques.
Kiyohara listened intently. Ever since merging with the rogue-nin version of himself, his mental energy had grown significantly—bringing with it a drastically improved capacity for memorization and theoretical retention.
By the time Rin finished her explanation the first time, he had already remembered nearly everything.
"You memorized it all?"Rin blinked, surprised after quizzing him with a few rapid questions.
"Just one more review and it'll stick."
Kiyohara scratched his head. His brain almost itched from absorbing knowledge so quickly.
"Wow, that fast?"She was genuinely shocked.Back when she'd learned this, it had taken weeks of memorization.
"Alright, let me go over it again."
She did—and once again, he nailed every answer without hesitation.
"Maybe you've got a natural talent for medical ninjutsu, Kiyohara…"Rin smiled wryly.
A breeze swept through the tent flaps, gently stirring her soft brown hair across her cheeks—framing her in a moment of unintentional cuteness.
After the theory, she introduced him to a basic technique:
"Patient Extraction Jutsu" —used to cut away and remove necrotic or poisoned tissue when detoxification is too slow to save the area.
"Too bad we don't know if you have Yang chakra,"Rin added, a little regretfully.
Chakra paper could only detect the five elemental natures—Yang and Yin required more specialized tests.
"Who knows…"Kiyohara shrugged, keeping things vague.
He tried to perform the jutsu she'd demonstrated… but nothing happened.
Just as expected.
He was mentally sharp—but lacked the necessary chakra affinity.
He knew his current affinities were Wind and Lightning, and thanks to the rogue-nin fusion, his Yin chakra had grown stronger—but Yang still remained a question mark.
'Maybe someday I'll get a future me who trained as a medical ninja.'He mused.
If so, he could inherit everything: skills, insight, and chakra control—saving himself twenty years of detours.
"Don't worry,"Rin reassured him gently."It takes time. Medical ninjutsu is harder than standard techniques—it demands precision."
She didn't want him to get discouraged. After all, even she had needed months before getting the hang of it.
"What matters is having a solid foundation. The rest comes with practice."
"Got it. Thanks, Rin."
Kiyohara's eyes glimmered.
If he completed Future Kiyohara's second wish, the resulting fusion would likely boost his Yang chakra or even grant innate control.
And all this knowledge? Would immediately bear fruit.
He didn't need to have Yang affinity now—his future self could provide it later.
Night fell. An oil lamp flickered softly inside the tent as they continued reviewing material.
But outside…
A white silhouette silently emerged from the ground, observing them.
Then—just as silently—it vanished.
No sound. No trace.Not even a footprint in the dirt.
Except—Future Kiyohara noticed.
Hovering in spirit form like a ghost, he crouched in front of the intruder. The creature couldn't see him, of course.
"Huh… why do all the White Zetsu have green hair?"He pondered idly as he watched the thing burrow away again.
Once the coast was clear, Future Kiyohara floated back to his "host."
"Movement?"
"Yeah. A White Zetsu. Likely sent by Uchiha Madara."
"Madara…"
Kiyohara went still.
This had to be part of the setup. Madara was watching, waiting—crafting a narrative to push Obito into darkness.
"We need to sell the loot tomorrow. Get that sword forged."
Kiyohara made the call.
Meanwhile — at the Mountains' Graveyard
Beneath the towering Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Uchiha Madara sat in silence, listening as White Zetsu relayed fresh intel through the living network of plant roots and subterranean veins.
Even deep underground, nothing in the ninja world escaped his eyes.
"Hey, Madara! How much longer? Let me go back! I have to go back!"
Obito, half-covered in bandages, one side of his body reconstructed by Zetsu matter, struggled on the medical cot.
His lone visible eye burned with worry—for Rin, for Kakashi.
Madara didn't answer. Eyes still closed, he seemed lost in thought.
Obito turned toward the just-returned Zetsu.
"You—white thing! What were you just telling Madara?!"
Time had lost all meaning down here. Obito had no idea if it was night or day, how long he'd been gone, what had happened on the surface.
All he wanted… was to hear something about Rin. Or Kakashi.
"Hmm… Obito, I saw one of your old teammates learning medical ninjutsu."
"Medical ninjutsu?"
His face lit up.
"Old teammate" + "medical ninjutsu" = Rin, obviously!
'Rin…'