"Shouldn't I be asking Nohara Rin-kun that?"
Kiyoshi retorted, packing his things into a cloth bag, slung it diagonally across his body, and walking to the door.
Looking outside, he could see Kakashi already walking away.
Obito was not far from the school gate, seemingly waiting for someone.
"Didn't we agree to teach Kiyoshi-kun ninjutsu?"
Nohara Rin said.
"I see."
Kiyoshi nodded slightly.
Whether Nohara Rin stayed because of Cheng Ruo or because Kakashi had to leave, there was no particular reaction.
The love triangle between Nohara Rin, Obito, and Kakashi was undeniably melodramatic.
From the fact that Nohara Rin gave Kakashi a unique medical kit with a hand-sewn amulet inside, it was clear that Nohara Rin liked Kakashi.
But Obito liked Nohara Rin, and Kakashi and Obito were close friends.
"Let's go then."
"Okay."
Nohara Rin nodded and followed Kiyoshi outside.
Kakashi, already far away, had completely disappeared from sight, blending into the bustling crowd.
"Rin, are you really going to teach this guy ninjutsu?"
Obito asked.
He didn't want Nohara Rin and Kiyoshi to be alone; this was a good opportunity for him.
"Kiyoshi-kun came to Konoha alone; we should help each other."
"Alright."
Seeing Rin's insistence, Obito didn't say anything more.
He shamelessly followed the two to a training ground.
Konoha has over fifty training grounds for ninjas to train and gain experience, each with a different shape and size.
Sometimes they are also used as examination venues; for example, suitable locations are selected from these training grounds for each Chunin Exam.
They aren't ninjas yet, but trainees, yet they are qualified to use these facilities.
The moment you register your name at the Ninja Academy, you're already a prospective ninja.
Even with the system of repeating grades, you can pass the exam a few more times and become a genin once you can use the most basic Three Body Techniques.
Third Training Ground.
"It's just that there aren't many people here."
Nohara Rin looked around for a while and noticed that few people were here.
She coughed lightly and then said,
"Obito, you need to listen carefully. At this rate, you won't pass the graduation exam."
"Hehe, I know, Rin."
Obito scratched his head and laughed.
His Three Body Techniques skills were, well, really poor.
Hence his reputation as a bottom-of-the-class student.
"But I'm definitely better than this guy."
Obito pointed at Kiyoshi.
He was full of confidence; no matter how badly he was a bottom-of-the-class student, he was still someone who had received a systematic education.
Kiyoshi, a self-taught, semi-illiterate person who only knew how to crudely refine chakra, could he compare to him?
He was a member of the Uchiha clan and had heard a lot about Uchiha Kiyoshi from his grandmother.
Now, countless eyes in the entire clan were watching Kiyoshi.
People's impression of the Land of Lightning isn't exactly good.
The Second Hokage died at the hands of the Cloud Ninja, and the war with the Land of Lightning only ended a few years ago, not enough to heal the hatred. Moreover, Obito's parents also died on the battlefield.
Besides his family, many members of his clan suffered similar fates.
Being a ninja has never been a noble profession; it's dancing on the edge of a knife, and no one knows if they'll be a "mercenary" tomorrow.
"Obito,"
Nohara Rin frowned slightly; it wasn't good to talk about her classmate like that.
"It's alright, please begin your explanation, Nohara Rin."
Kiyoshi spoke, ignoring Obito.
Whether Obito was currently being secretly targeted by Madara Uchiha was unknown.
Kiyoshi didn't want to gamble; he only wanted to keep his distance and buy himself time to become stronger.
As long as one bore the Uchiha surname in Konoha, one carried the original sin.
Itachi's massacre of the clan, Danzo's covetousness of the Sharingan—these were issues Kiyoshi had to confront.
And he didn't have much time left. Graduating from the Ninja Academy, the Third Shinobi World War would soon erupt.
This was the most brutal war in history, so much so that even young children had to participate, carrying kunai.
"Alright, to learn ninjutsu, the first step is tree-climbing training,"
Nohara Rin began explaining the tricks to Kiyoshi.
In the Land of Waves arc of the original manga, Kakashi also explained "Team 7," but it wasn't nearly as detailed as Nohara Rin's explanation.
Kiyoshi listened, occasionally asking Nohara Rin questions about points he didn't understand.
"Gather a suitable amount of…extracted chakra on the soles of your feet, and you'll create an adhesive force."
To explain, Nohara Rin took off her shoes, revealing her fair feet, her toes neatly arranged like crescent moons, her soles rosy.
She told Kiyoshi where to gather the chakra to achieve absorption with minimal chakra.
Then she put her shoes back on, her thumbs pointing upwards and overlapping, her left thumb on top, forming the "未" hand seal.
Stepping onto a thick tree trunk in her ordinary little shoes, she walked as if on flat ground.
Kiyoshi looked up; Nohara Rin had reached almost to the treetop and waved down, signaling the two below to try it too.
"That's easy!"
Obito immediately imitated Nohara Rin's movements, forming the hand seals—something he had already learned at school.
After refining a stream of chakra, Obito felt it was about right, so he guided the chakra to the soles of his feet and tentatively stepped on it.
Finding he didn't fall, he gained confidence and began to place his other foot on the tree trunk, then started walking upwards.
"Luckily, I've studied this before,"
Obito thought to himself.
Then he turned his head, wanting to see Kiyoshi's embarrassed look in front of Nohara Rin.
But the next second, he fell down.
"Don't get distracted when controlling chakra,"
Nohara Rin shook her head.
Obito rubbed his back, which had hit the ground, in pain.
He stood up despite the pain and said,
"Next is Kiyoshi-kun, right?"
"Okay,"
Kiyoshi nodded.
He began to practice.
The first time, he fell down like Obito.
He only went a meter, far from the treetops.
Then Kiyoshi began his second practice.
Seeing this, Obito immediately began to practice as well.
He now understood what it meant to regret not having studied more when you need the knowledge; he should have learned more about chakra control techniques beforehand.
Soon, two hours passed.
The light of dusk shone through the forest, creating many dappled golden beams of light through the leaves.
Nohara Rin's expression gradually turned to surprise.
Because she realized that Kiyoshi's learning speed was very fast.
If it were just Kiyoshi alone, he wouldn't have noticed much, but with Obito as a comparison, the difference between the two became immediately apparent.
Initially, Obito could walk two meters, but now he could only manage three and a half meters at most.
But Kiyoshi?
He had already reached five meters, only a few steps from the treetop!
Kiyoshi listened quietly to the notification sound from the panel indicating the completion of the entry.
"You have mastered the entry: [Muscle Memory (White)]."
(End of Chapter)