As for other Ninjutsu, even the basic Five Great Nature Transformations had limited channels for civilians to learn.
The young Naruto used to buy many scrolls to study, keeping them in his training room.
Unfortunately, they were all useless, making up the numbers without any real benefit.
This was the information barrier and lack of personal connections that ordinary civilians faced; even spending money, they couldn't buy good Ninjutsu, only a lot of trouble.
Occasionally, they might get lucky and find something good, but the probability was no different from winning the lottery.
"You're right, this is my first time visiting." Hazuki Uchiha stood at the door, frowning slightly.
This Kiyoshi Uchiha was simply too impolite.
As soon as she arrived, he just stared at her blankly, apparently lost in thought.
"Please come in." Kiyoshi slightly moved aside, gesturing for her to enter.
Hazuki Uchiha stepped into the courtyard, her gaze slowly sweeping the surroundings.
The grass in the courtyard seemed not to have been trimmed in a while, with many weeds growing.
She thought that perhaps Kiyoshi had recently participated in the Chunin Exams, leading to the neglect of the yard.
The exterior walls of the house were similarly weathered; the originally dark wood had turned grayish-white, and the tiles on the eaves were covered with a thin layer of dust.
After pushing the door open, the inside was much like the outside.
It all looked quite rundown.
A flicker of concealed distaste passed through her eyes.
However, there were many scrolls inside.
The living room even had a makeshift bookshelf piled high with various scrolls, including many medical books.
This slightly changed Hazuki Uchiha's perception of Kiyoshi.
He was diligent in his studies.
"Please have a seat. I'll go make some tea." Seeing Hazuki Uchiha looking around, Kiyoshi smiled slightly. He wasn't in a hurry.
Sometimes, letting the prey relax more made their muscles just tight enough when they were hunted, at that sudden moment of change.
Kiyoshi went to the kitchen to prepare tea.
Now, he no longer needed to stand on a stool to reach things and could easily make tea.
Hazuki Uchiha continued observing, catching a subtle movement on the floor out of the corner of her eye.
A white snake slowly slithered out from a gap in the tatami mat, its movements calm and languid. Its snow-white scales reflected a faint, cool luster in the dim light.
It seemed to sense Hazuki's gaze, raising its head slightly. Its cold serpentine eyes met hers for an instant before it quickly disappeared, hiding in the shadows deeper inside the room.
Hazuki Uchiha knelt before the low table, surprised that Kiyoshi actually kept a Summoning Beast.
Who taught him such a C-rank Ninjutsu?
Hazuki Uchiha recalled that it was probably Nonō Yakushi.
Fugaku had mentioned it when Kiyoshi first attended the meeting beneath the Naka Shrine.
"The captain of the Medical Corps, huh." Hazuki Uchiha mused.
She only hoped that the ten sets of chainmail would satisfy Kiyoshi's appetite.
A sense of regret surged in her heart. She shouldn't have treated Kiyoshi that way and delayed taking him to receive his Ninjutsu for a whole month.
Sensing Hazuki Uchiha's slight unease outside, Kiyoshi's Dōjutsu power reacted.
This helpless and regretful expression was quite amusing.
Before long, Kiyoshi brought a cup of tea and placed it in front of Hazuki Uchiha.
Hazuki Uchiha looked at the teacup.
It was obviously a cheap teacup bought from some place, already showing a few black spots.
She wasn't sure if it was tea stains from frequent use or something else.
Hazuki Uchiha, already troubled by the matter of Kiyoshi, was in no mood to drink tea now.
She looked up at Kiyoshi and said:
"These are ten sets of chainmail." Hazuki Uchiha took out a sealing scroll. "I'm giving you this scroll as well."
"Oh my, then I should thank Hazuki-nee for being so generous." Kiyoshi smiled faintly.
Hazuki Uchiha's subtle actions since entering had not escaped Kiyoshi.
"Since you're being so generous, giving me a few Genjutsu scrolls shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"!" Hazuki Uchiha widened her eyes.
She had anticipated that Kiyoshi would be overly demanding, but she hadn't expected him to be truly shameless.
She had learned Genjutsu through the credentials gained from executing many mission commissions.
Kiyoshi hadn't done anything, and yet he wanted the fruit of her labor?
"Kiyoshi, you've been here long enough, you shouldn't be ignorant of the rules." Hazuki Uchiha said, parting her red lips.
"Heh, but Hazuki-nee doesn't understand the rules of being a guest either. You find this place quite distasteful, don't you?"
"How could you say that, Kiyoshi." Kiyoshi's counter-question made Hazuki Uchiha's heart skip a beat, and she quickly denied it.
"If you don't want to be here, why force yourself? Please leave." Kiyoshi's tone turned cold, issuing an order to leave.
The white snake seemed to sense the abrupt change in atmosphere, slowly coming out to coil at Kiyoshi's feet, flicking its red tongue.
"Kiyoshi, I…" Hazuki Uchiha's fingertips curled slightly, faintly turning white. A thin layer of sweat had already seeped into the palm of her hand beneath her sleeve.
"Please leave." Kiyoshi's tone was calm, his pace unhurried, as if he genuinely was concerned for her well-being.
Hazuki Uchiha looked up at his irritating, indifferent expression, and a sudden urge welled up in her heart.
She wanted to stand up immediately, decisively turn, and leave.
However, her reason firmly pinned that impulse down.
Offending Kiyoshi like this was not rational.
It was her fault that this whole thing started.
Seeing that Hazuki Uchiha neither left nor spoke, Kiyoshi slowly opened his mouth after a moment:
"By the way, Hazuki-nee, I heard you have a very nice male friend named Daiyu Yamada?"
Hazuki Uchiha's heart gave a violent tremor.
How did Kiyoshi know about this?
She wanted to ask.
Then she realized this wasn't exactly a secret within the clan.
It was just rare for an Uchiha to marry an outsider, which had sparked some discussion.
"Marrying an outsider is quite uncommon for the Uchiha, isn't it… Although the clan doesn't object, it's rare nonetheless." Kiyoshi's tone remained steady and unhurried.
If he showed his strength in the Chunin Exams, the Uchiha clan would certainly value him more in the future.
Kiyoshi had realized this.
Hazuki Uchiha had realized this too.
Sure enough, Kiyoshi chuckled softly and said slowly:
"I am confident in achieving excellent results in the third stage of the Chunin Exams… At that point, Lord Fugaku should value me even more, shouldn't he?"
"Stop, I'll give them to you." Hazuki Uchiha took a deep breath, not wanting to argue with Kiyoshi, only wishing to leave quickly.
Kiyoshi's lips curved slightly upward.
His gaze dropped slightly, settling on the teacup on the table. He casually picked it up, his fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the porcelain cup, and took a sip.
The temperature was just right.
Kiyoshi slowly set the cup down, his finger tapping the rim. His eyes, bearing an unknown meaning, looked toward Hazuki Uchiha.
"Hazuki-nee, the tea is well made; the temperature is perfect."
Then, he smiled faintly, pushed the tea cup he had just drunk from toward her, and said, "Why don't you take a sip too, Hazuki-nee?"
***
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