"Shouldn't I be the one asking that, Rin?"
Kiyoshi replied.
He packed his belongings into a cloth bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked toward the classroom door.
Looking outside, he could see Kakashi already walking far away in the distance.
Not far from the school gate, Obito seemed to be waiting for someone.
"Didn't we agree that I would teach you some ninjutsu?" Rin said.
"I see."
Kiyoshi nodded slightly.
Whether Rin stayed because she had made a promise, or because Kakashi had something to do and left early, it didn't matter much to him.
The relationship between Rin, Obito, and Kakashi was nothing more than a rather dramatic love triangle.
From the fact that Rin once gave Kakashi a special medical kit—with a charm she had personally sewn inside—it was clear that she liked him.
But Obito liked Rin.
And Kakashi and Obito were close friends.
"Let's go then," Kiyoshi said.
"Okay." Rin nodded and followed him outside.
Kakashi had already disappeared into the crowd, completely out of sight.
"Rin, you're not seriously going to teach this guy ninjutsu, are you?" Obito asked.
He clearly didn't like the idea of Rin being alone with Kiyoshi.
An opportunity like that should belong to him.
"Kiyoshi just arrived in Konoha alone," Rin said gently.
"We should help each other."
"Fine..." Obito muttered.
Since Rin insisted, he couldn't really argue.
Instead, he shamelessly followed the two of them as they headed toward a training ground.
In Konoha, there were more than fifty training fields used by ninjas to practice and gain combat experience. Each one had a different size and terrain.
Sometimes they were also used as examination venues. For example, the Chunin Exams were often held in selected training fields.
Although Kiyoshi and the others were still academy students rather than full ninjas, they were allowed to use these facilities.
Once a student registered at the Ninja Academy, they were technically considered a ninja trainee.
Even if someone repeated a year or two, as long as they could perform the most basic Three Body Techniques, they could eventually graduate and become a Genin.
Training Ground No. 3
"Perfect. There's no one here," Rin said after looking around.
She cleared her throat lightly.
"Obito, you should listen carefully too. At this rate, you might not even pass the graduation exam."
"Hehe, I know, Rin."
Obito scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
His proficiency with the Three Basic Techniques…
Well, it really wasn't great.
That was exactly why he had the reputation of being the dead last.
"But I'm definitely better than this guy," Obito said confidently, pointing at Kiyoshi.
His confidence was overflowing.
No matter how bad he was, he had still received formal ninja education.
Kiyoshi, on the other hand, was just some outsider who had learned chakra extraction on his own.
How could he possibly compare?
Obito had heard many stories about Uchiha Kiyoshi from his grandmother.
Right now, countless eyes within the Uchiha clan were watching him.
After all, people in Konoha didn't exactly have a good impression of the Land of Lightning.
The Second Hokage had died at the hands of Kumogakure ninjas, and the war with the Land of Lightning had ended only a few years ago. The hatred hadn't faded yet.
Obito's own parents had also died on the battlefield.
Many other clan members had similar experiences.
Ninjas had never been noble heroes.
They were simply mercenaries dancing on the edge of a blade, never knowing whether they would live to see tomorrow.
"Obito."
Rin frowned slightly.
Speaking about a classmate like that wasn't appropriate.
"It's fine," Kiyoshi said calmly.
"Please continue the explanation, Rin."
He ignored Obito entirely.
At this point, Kiyoshi didn't know whether Obito had already been secretly noticed by Uchiha Madara.
He had no intention of gambling on that possibility.
Keeping a respectful distance and focusing on becoming stronger was the safest path.
As long as someone carried the Uchiha name in Konoha, they bore an invisible original sin.
The Uchiha massacre led by Itachi in the future…
Danzo's obsession with the Sharingan…
These were problems Kiyoshi would inevitably have to face.
And time was not on his side.
Soon after graduating from the Ninja Academy, the Third Great Ninja War would erupt.
It would become the most brutal war in history.
Even children only a few years old would be forced to take up kunai and fight.
"Alright," Rin said.
"If you want to learn ninjutsu, the first step is tree-climbing training."
She began explaining the technique carefully.
In the original manga during the Land of Waves arc, Kakashi had also explained this method to Team 7—but Rin's explanation was far more detailed.
Kiyoshi listened attentively, occasionally asking questions about parts he didn't understand.
"You gather an appropriate amount of chakra… and guide the extracted chakra to the soles of your feet," Rin explained.
"This will create an adhesive force that allows you to stick to surfaces."
To demonstrate, Rin removed her shoes.
Her fair feet were revealed, her toes neatly aligned like crescent moons, the soles slightly flushed.
She pointed out exactly where the chakra should be concentrated to achieve maximum adhesion with minimal chakra consumption.
After putting her shoes back on, she formed a hand seal.
Her thumbs overlapped—left thumb on top—forming the Ram seal.
Then she stepped onto a thick tree trunk.
She walked up the tree as if walking on flat ground.
Kiyoshi looked up.
Rin climbed almost to the top of the tree and waved down at them.
It was their turn to try.
"This looks easy!"
Obito immediately copied Rin's actions.
He formed the hand seal. This was something he had already learned at the academy.
He refined a portion of chakra and guided it to his feet before cautiously stepping onto the tree.
When he realized he didn't fall, his confidence surged.
He placed his other foot on the trunk and began walking upward.
Good thing I learned this before, he thought proudly.
Then he turned around to see Kiyoshi embarrass himself in front of Rin.
But the next moment—
He lost focus and fell straight down.
"Don't get distracted while controlling chakra," Rin said, shaking her head.
Obito rubbed his back painfully as he stood up again.
"Well then… it's your turn now, Kiyoshi," he said.
"Alright."
Kiyoshi nodded.
He began his attempt.
The first time, he fell—just like Obito.
He had only managed to climb about one meter.
Still far from the top.
He tried again.
Seeing this, Obito quickly resumed training as well.
Now he truly understood the phrase:
"You only regret not studying when you actually need the knowledge."
If he had paid more attention to chakra control techniques before, this wouldn't be so difficult now.
Two hours passed quickly.
Golden sunset light filtered through the forest, creating scattered beams of warm light between the trees.
Rin's expression slowly changed to one of surprise.
Because she realized something.
Kiyoshi was learning very quickly.
If he were practicing alone, it might not have been obvious.
But with Obito as a comparison, the difference became immediately clear.
At the beginning, Obito could walk about two meters up the tree.
Now, after all this time, he could only reach three and a half meters.
But Kiyoshi?
He had already climbed five meters.
Only a few steps away from the treetop.
Kiyoshi silently listened as a notification echoed inside his mind.
"You have obtained the trait: Muscle Memory (White)."