"Seijiro-san is from the Uchiha clan. Haven't you learned it?"Nohara Rin asked curiously.
Although Qingsi was from the Land of Lightning, his surname was Uchiha—a name known by all.
The Uchiha clan wasn't just the largest in the village; they also controlled the Konoha Police Department. It wasn't an exaggeration to say they were the most powerful clan in Konoha.
"You can't just learn ninjutsu whenever you want if you're in the Uchiha clan."Obito suddenly cut in, hurrying over the moment he saw Rin talking to Qingsi after class.
"To prevent clan members from abusing ninjutsu or becoming too ambitious, you need approval from the elders for everything."
He spoke confidently, pleased with himself.
After all, if that weren't the case, wouldn't every Uchiha child just pick the strongest jutsu from the start?
"So that's how it is…"Rin nodded thoughtfully, her short black hair swaying, a few strands brushing over the purple markings on her cheeks.
As a girl from a civilian family, she didn't know much about the inner workings of noble clans.
"Then, Nohara Rin—can you teach me instead?"Qingsi asked, his calm eyes fixed on her.
Her image was clearly reflected in his pupils. With autumn approaching, she was bundled in thicker clothes than usual.
Rin is worth approaching.Learning from her could help him grow stronger, faster.
After all, Nohara Rin was a prodigious medical ninja—something evident from her mastery of the Mystical Palm Technique at the Chunin level.
And that was no ordinary feat.
Mystical Palm Technique was an A-rank jutsu—second only to S-rank in difficulty. Medical ninjutsu in particular required even finer chakra control than most techniques. A slight error could lead to disastrous consequences.
This meant Rin had both natural aptitude and advanced training.
During the Second Ninja War, Tsunade had advocated for medical ninjas to be integrated into every squad, and a formal training system had only recently begun to take shape. Rin was likely among the earliest successful candidates of this initiative.
Had she not died young, she might have become a legendary medical ninja like Tsunade or Sakura.
"Sure, I can help,"Rin said after a moment's thought, smiling warmly."But in school, we only learn E-rank ninjutsu. That's all I can teach."
"That's more than enough. I'm grateful, Nohara Rin-san."Qingsi gave a slight, polite smile."That's really kind of you."
"Don't worry about it—we're classmates, after all."Rin replied modestly.
Meanwhile, Obito stood awkwardly nearby, feeling like he'd just shot himself in the foot.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have explained so much to her…"
"Rin, teach me too!"Obito blurted out, not wanting to be left out or let Qingsi have her attention all to himself.
But before Rin could respond, the class bell rang.
Obito reluctantly trudged back to his seat.
He stared at the dense writing on the blackboard, absently twirling his pen and drifting into daydreams.
"Hehe… Just wait. Once Rin gives me special training, I'll beat that arrogant Kakashi for sure."
Obito glanced between Kakashi and Rin from time to time, a grin forming on his lips.
Qingsi, on the other hand, remained focused on his studies.
He was under no illusions.
Within the Uchiha clan, he was still an outsider.
Would they assign someone to guide him? Maybe—but how skilled would that person be?
It was all uncertain.
Qingsi couldn't afford to rely on luck. He understood his standing clearly: a half-blood Uchiha picked up from the outside.
If he hadn't awakened the Sharingan, perhaps no one would have cared at all.
And with only one Sharingan eye activated, many might already consider him a "foreign reject" from the Land of Lightning.
He hadn't asked Rin for help randomly.
There was another genius in class—Hatake Kakashi.
Qingsi looked ahead at the white-haired boy sitting quietly, half of his face hidden behind a mask.
But Kakashi wasn't approachable like Rin.
Soon, Kakashi's father—White Fang—would die, and Kakashi's entire demeanor would shift. Cold, numb, and devoted solely to missions, he would seek early graduation.
Kakashi would become the embodiment of a tool—a perfect shinobi.
Qingsi chose to turn back to his reading.Improving his strength was the only path forward.
By the end of the day, Qingsi had already begun adjusting to academy life.
The Ninja Academy curriculum was divided into five general sections:
Theory: Ninjutsu principles, hand seals, and foundational knowledge like physics and mathematics.
Physical Training: Building stamina and learning basic taijutsu.
History: Learning about the great shinobi and wars of the past.
Shinobi Tactics: Espionage, tracking, assassination, ciphering, and covert ops. Female students received some gender-specific training.
Practical Combat: Sparring and mock missions.
However, one important area was missing:Ethics and ideology.
The Ninja Academy wasn't designed to raise philosophers or idealists. It was made to create weapons.
And it showed—even the village's most powerful ninja were ruled by ordinary people.
Even in Boruto, when Naruto became the Seventh Hokage, he still had to answer to the daimyo. When Konoha's funding was cut, he could only endure it in silence.
"No point thinking that far ahead."
The classroom was empty now—Qingsi was the only one left.
He opened his translucent Entry Panel.
After some trial and error, he confirmed that only he could see it.
Today's classes focused heavily on history and culture, so unsurprisingly, new entries appeared:
[Entry: Reading Absorption (White)]
Requirement: Read 10 texts and complete detailed notes.
Progress: 50%
Effect: Text comprehension and retention speed increased by 10%.
Note: Can be advanced later.
[Entry: Basic Memory (White)]
Requirement: Memorize 5 biographies of historical shinobi.
Progress: 40%
Effect: Improved short-term memory. Memory efficiency increased by 5%.
Note: Can be advanced later.
"This will make studying a lot easier,"Qingsi thought to himself.
These were likely low-level entries, with "White" representing the most basic tier. But every one of them was labeled "can be advanced later."
That meant there was room to grow.
For a future medical ninja, entries like Reading Absorption and Basic Memory were invaluable—he would need to memorize vast amounts of knowledge and apply it under pressure.
Just as he turned off the panel and began packing up—
"Kiyoshi-san!"
A familiar voice called from the doorway.
Qingsi looked up.
Nohara Rin was peeking her head in, a curious look on her face.
"Why are you still here?"She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with genuine concern.