Chapter 5: Rin Nohara's Lesson
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that, Rin?"
Seiji replied with a slight smile, slinging his pouch over his shoulder as he walked to the classroom door.
From there, he caught a glimpse of Kakashi already walking far ahead, his figure merging into the crowd. Obito was still near the school gate, as if waiting for someone.
"Didn't we agree I'd teach you ninjutsu?" Rin asked as she approached.
"I see," Seiji nodded calmly.
Whether Rin had stayed because of her promise, or Kakashi had left for other reasons, made no difference to him. He felt no emotional stir. The love triangle between Rin, Obito, and Kakashi was… well, a bit dramatic.
From the fact that Rin once gifted Kakashi a custom-made medical pack with a handmade charm inside, it was clear where her heart lay.
But Obito liked Rin. And Kakashi and Obito were best friends.
"Shall we go then?"
"Okay," Rin nodded and followed Seiji.
By now, Kakashi was completely out of sight, swallowed up by the bustling street traffic.
"Rin, are you seriously going to teach this guy ninjutsu?" Obito called out, clearly unhappy.
He didn't want Rin and Seiji to be alone. If anyone was going to get one-on-one training time with Rin, it should be him!
"Seiji came to Konoha all by himself. We should help one another," Rin answered simply.
"Fine..."
Seeing her insist, Obito backed down, though he sulked as he followed behind them.
Eventually, the three of them arrived at one of Konoha's many training grounds.
The village had over fifty training areas, each with different terrain and layouts. Some were even used for the Chūnin Exams.
Although the trio were still students and not official ninja yet, simply enrolling in the academy made them "provisional genin," giving them access to these facilities. Even if a student had to repeat a year, mastering the basic Three Techniques could guarantee graduation eventually.
Training Ground Three.
"Looks like no one's using it right now," Rin said after surveying the area.
She cleared her throat lightly and turned to the boys.
"Obito, you should pay attention too. At this rate, you won't pass the graduation exam."
"Hehe, got it, Rin!" Obito scratched his head sheepishly.
His Three Techniques were… mediocre at best. That's why he had a reputation as a bottom-tier student.
"But I'm still better than this guy," he added, pointing at Seiji.
Obito was full of confidence. Say what you will, he had at least received formal education in the village. Seiji, on the other hand, was self-taught, practically illiterate when it came to chakra theory. No way he could outperform him!
Besides, Obito had heard from his grandmother about Seiji—a "half-blood" Uchiha brought in from the Land of Lightning. And right now, the entire clan was watching him closely.
Konoha's relationship with the Land of Lightning was tense. The Second Hokage had died at the hands of Cloud ninja. The war had only ended a few years ago. Hatred like that didn't just vanish—and Obito's own parents had died in the war.
That was the reality of being a ninja: not noble warriors, but mercenaries dancing on a blade's edge, never knowing if tomorrow would come.
"Obito," Rin frowned. "That's not something you should say to a classmate."
"It's alright. Please go ahead and start, Rin," Seiji said, ignoring Obito completely.
Whether or not Obito had already come under Uchiha Madara's influence was unknown. But Seiji had no interest in gambling on it. He just wanted time—to get stronger.
As long as he bore the Uchiha name, he would always carry the clan's burdens. The Night of the Uchiha Massacre, Danzo's obsession with the Sharingan... Seiji would have to face all of it eventually.
And he didn't have much time. After graduating, the Third Great Ninja War would soon begin—one of the bloodiest conflicts in history, where even children carried kunai to the battlefield.
"Alright then. If you want to learn ninjutsu, the first step is chakra control—tree climbing," Rin began her lesson.
In the manga's Land of Waves arc, Kakashi had explained this to Team 7, but Rin's explanation was even more detailed.
Seiji listened attentively and asked questions when something wasn't clear.
"You need to gather just the right amount of chakra and focus it into the soles of your feet," Rin explained, removing her shoes to demonstrate. Her pale toes, neatly aligned like crescent moons, pressed lightly against the ground as she activated the technique.
She showed Seiji how to use the minimum amount of chakra to maintain adhesion, then put her shoes back on. She formed the Ram hand sign—left thumb over right—and casually walked up the tree trunk as if it were flat ground.
Seiji watched as she climbed all the way to the upper branches. She waved down from above, signaling them to give it a try.
"This is easy!"
Obito quickly mimicked her hand sign. He had already learned this at school. Gathering chakra into his feet, he confidently stepped onto the tree.
When his first foot stuck, he grinned and brought the second up—then began climbing.
"Good thing I studied this already," Obito muttered.
Smug, he turned to see Seiji fail in front of Rin—only to lose focus and fall flat on his back.
"You can't lose focus when controlling chakra," Rin said, shaking her head.
Obito winced, rubbing his spine. He stood up and said, "Alright, Seiji, you're up."
"Alright," Seiji nodded and began his first attempt.
Just like Obito, he failed—only reaching about a meter up before falling.
He tried again. And again.
Obito, seeing this, got back to training too. He now regretted not paying more attention to chakra control theory during class.
Time passed. Two hours later, the golden light of dusk filtered through the leaves, casting long beams across the clearing.
Rin's expression slowly shifted to surprise.
Seiji was learning fast.
At first, Obito could climb about two meters. Now, after two hours, he could barely manage three and a half.
But Seiji?
He had already climbed over five meters—just a few steps away from reaching the canopy.
Just then, a notification sounded in Seiji's mind as the system updated:
You have unlocked the trait: [Muscle Memory (White)]
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