"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that, Nohara Rin?"Uchiha Kiyoshi replied as he finished packing his things into a cloth bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he walked toward the door.
Looking outside, he could already see Kakashi disappearing into the distance.Obito, meanwhile, stood not far from the school gate—apparently waiting for someone.
"Didn't we agree that I'd teach you ninjutsu?"Rin said.
"I see."Kiyoshi nodded slightly.
Whether Rin had stayed because she had promised to teach him, or because Kakashi had left early and she simply lingered, made no difference to him.
The love triangle between Rin, Obito, and Kakashi… could only be described as dramatic.
Rin liked Kakashi—anyone could tell from the personalized medical kit she made for him, complete with a hand-stitched protective charm inside.
But Obito liked Rin.And Kakashi and Obito were best friends.
"Let's go then."
"Okay."Rin nodded and followed Kiyoshi outside.
Kakashi had long disappeared, swallowed by the bustling crowd.
"Rin, don't tell me you're really going to teach this guy ninjutsu?"Obito complained as he caught up.
He obviously didn't want Rin and Kiyoshi alone together. Such an opportunity, in his mind, should belong to him.
"Kiyoshi came to Konoha all alone. We should help each other,"Rin said.
"Fine…"Seeing her resolve, Obito couldn't argue further.
Thick-skinned, he followed them all the way to one of Konoha's many training grounds.
Konoha had over fifty such fields—facilities where shinobi trained, gained experience, or took exams. Their shapes and layouts varied. Some were even used as exam sites—like the Chūnin Exams, which selected venues from among them.
They weren't full-fledged shinobi yet—just Academy students—but they were allowed to use these grounds.The moment a child's name was entered into the Academy roster, they became a "pre-genin."
Even if a student repeated grades, as long as they eventually mastered the basic Three Body Techniques, they could graduate and become a genin.
They arrived at Training Ground Three.
"No one's here—perfect,"Rin said after looking around.
She cleared her throat gently.
"Obito, you need to listen carefully too. At this rate, you won't pass the graduation exam."
"Hehe, I know, Rin."Obito scratched his head and grinned.
His Three Body Techniques… were indeed terrible.His reputation as "the dead last" was not undeserved.
"But I'm definitely better than him."Obito pointed at Kiyoshi confidently.
In his mind, no matter how bad he was, he had received proper shinobi education.
Kiyoshi, on the other hand—just some half-trained stray who knew only crude chakra refinement. How could he compare?
Obito had heard a lot from his grandmother about Uchiha Kiyoshi.
At the moment, countless eyes within the clan were focused on Kiyoshi.
The Uchiha held nothing but distrust toward the Land of Lightning.
The Second Hokage had died at the hands of Kumo shinobi; their war had ended only a few years ago, and the hatred had hardly faded.Obito's own parents had died on the battlefield as well.
Many Uchiha families shared similar stories.
Shinobi were never a noble profession—just mercenaries dancing on the edge of a blade.No one knew if they would see tomorrow.
"Obito."Rin frowned slightly. "That's not how you speak to classmates."
"It's fine. Nohara Rin, please begin your explanation,"Uchiha Kiyoshi said calmly.
He didn't bother responding to Obito.
Whether Obito had already fallen under Uchiha Madara's secret surveillance or not was unknown.
Kiyoshi had no intention of gambling.He wanted to keep his distance and buy time—to grow stronger.
So long as he bore the name Uchiha in Konoha, he carried original sin.
Itachi's night of massacre…Danzō's obsession with the Sharingan…
All of these were threats Kiyoshi would eventually face.
And he didn't have much time.After graduating from the Academy, the Third Shinobi World War would erupt shortly after.
It would be the bloodiest war in history—children barely older than toddlers would be fighting with kunai.
"Alright. If you want to learn ninjutsu, the first step is tree-climbing training,"Rin said, beginning her explanation.
In the original manga's Land of Waves arc, Kakashi had explained this to Team 7—but far less thoroughly than Rin did now.
Kiyoshi listened carefully, occasionally asking questions when something was unclear.
"Gather a suitable amount of chakra… channel it into the soles of your feet. This will create adhesion at the bottom of your feet."
To demonstrate, Rin removed her shoes.
Her pale feet touched the grass, toes arranged neatly like little crescents, her soles flushed pink.
She explained where to focus chakra to maximize adhesion with minimal output.
Then she put her shoes back on, pressed her thumbs together, left thumb on top, forming the Ram seal, and stepped lightly onto a thick tree trunk—walking upward as if it were flat ground.
Kiyoshi looked up as Rin reached near the tree's crown. She waved down at them, signaling that they should try as well.
"This is easy!"Obito immediately copied her, forming the seal—something he had learned at school.
He refined some chakra, felt confident, and directed it to his feet.
He placed one foot on the tree—and didn't fall.Encouraged, he lifted the other… and began climbing.
"Good thing I practiced this,"Obito thought proudly.
Then he turned, eager to watch Kiyoshi embarrass himself in front of Rin.
The very next second—
WHUMP!
He fell straight off the tree.
"You can't lose focus while controlling chakra,"Rin said, shaking her head.
Obito groaned, clutching his back.
He forced himself upright."Next is Kiyoshi's turn, right?"
"Alright."Kiyoshi nodded.
He began practicing.
The first attempt—he fell, just like Obito.He climbed only one meter—far from the crown.
Then Kiyoshi immediately attempted a second run.
Seeing this, Obito hurried to start practicing again too.
He finally understood the meaning of "Regret when you need the skill you never studied."He wished he had paid more attention in chakra control lessons.
Two hours passed quickly.
Golden dusk spilled through the trees, scattering warm flecks of light across the forest floor.
Rin's expression slowly shifted to astonishment.
Because she realized—Kiyoshi was learning at incredible speed.
With Obito as the control group, the difference was obvious.
At first, Obito could climb about two meters. Now, after two hours, he managed only around three and a half.
But Kiyoshi?
He was already five meters up—just a few steps from the tree's crown.
Kiyoshi listened quietly as the familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
"You have obtained the Entry: [Muscle Memory (White)]."