Chapter 16: A Researcher Must Be Bold
"I... I'm not as amazing as Rasa-kun or Pakura-san..."
Perhaps having never received such a direct 'compliment,' Karura immediately shrank back, whispering softly.
She seemed to be the type of person who habitually praised others; if not, she probably wouldn't have struck up a conversation with Hiiro Rinko, who had just 'offended the masses.'
"I said you are, so you are. Denying it isn't humility—Select C."
After committing those two names to memory, Rinko retorted. Without missing a beat, he stood up and answered a question from the teacher, then sat back down and continued, "On the contrary, you're just questioning my sensory abilities."
"You're so confident, Hiiro-kun..."
Karura was dumbfounded by his seamless volume control and ability to carry on two conversations at once. She blinked and stared at him, but because her distraction was so obvious, the teacher called on her for the next question.
"Eh..."
"B."
"Oh... Select B."
Just as Karura was at a loss, Rinko's voice drifted into her ear.
After the 'crisis' was averted, Karura let out a long sigh. Just as she was about to thank Rinko for saving her, she heard another string of 'instructions.'
"Turn your head forward, bend down, and pretend you're thinking."
"Hm? Oh."
Karura subconsciously followed Rinko's words, only to realize a second later that these must be his tricks for spacing out in class.
She felt that her new deskmate wasn't as cold as he first appeared; he just lacked any desire to proactively socialize. See? When she spoke to him, he was actually quite talkative.
His expression still hasn't changed, though.
"You really trust me, huh? Weren't you afraid I was tricking you?"
Having switched his finger-dexterity training tool to a pencil, Rinko found it spun much more smoothly. This was a small habit he used to relieve stress when he got stuck on an experiment report, but here, it could be considered basic training for practicing hand seals.
"Because Hiiro-kun immediately pointed out the two most amazing students in class."
Karura, drawn in by Rinko's movements but not daring to turn her head openly, kept sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye. Her hesitant appearance was adorable, like a curious little hamster peeking out of its tunnel.
"Oh, that. I actually just asked around before enrolling."
"Eh? I-is that so?"
"I'm kidding. I just sensed it."
"Jeez… you're so mean..."
Karura's voice drew out in a long pout. Even without looking, he could imagine her dissatisfied expression.
He decided to take back his earlier thought. The Shinobi Academy was actually quite interesting.
Although the curriculum was boring, it was making up for the fact that he'd never attended elementary school, and he was enjoying the regretful lack of teasing little girls his 'own age.' Even better, since he didn't have to listen in class, he could do it all day.
This was different from when he was traveling with Chiyo. He didn't engage with her chatter because the gap in their knowledge and experience was too vast. He was willing to chat with Karura now for the exact same reason: the gap in their knowledge was vast.
Researchers like him were just like that: if you don't know, shut up and listen; in your own field of expertise, you must be bold in your judgments.
As for his current research projects—Cursed Energy, advanced Sealing Jutsu, Barrier Techniques—none of them were things he could solve in class just by thinking. He had to find some fun to pass the time.
"Besides, in this entire class, apart from you three, there aren't many others who can even refine Chakra smoothly. So, it's not wrong to say only you are worth paying attention to."
Casually flipping the textbook to a new page, Rinko steered the topic back to their original conversation.
"Forget those with no foundation, but if someone has a shinobi for a relative and still can't even maintain stable Chakra refinement, you can only say their talent is limited."
"That's an exaggeration… We've only been in school for two months."
Karura didn't feel the same way. In her eyes, everyone in the class was amazing.
"Two months is more than long enough. How long did it take you, from learning about it to successfully refining Chakra?"
"Um… two days? No, wait, maybe one day?"
The sand-brown-haired girl counted on her fingers. She had learned the refinement method from her family in the evening and had wanted to practice, but somehow fell asleep. The next day, she played with her friends for a while and only went home to practice in the afternoon.
Calculated that way, it really didn't take her long at all.
"See?"
Rinko turned his head slightly, giving Karura an 'I-told-you-so' look.
"For people with talent, this kind of thing doesn't take long at all."
"Um..."
Unable to find a way to refute Rinko, and seeing he had no intention of continuing, Karura wasn't sure how to keep the conversation going.
She puffed up her cheeks, slowly blowing the air out of her mouth, making a series of soft popping sounds. Then, as if she'd thought of something, she stealthily nudged Rinko's arm with her elbow again.
"So, Hiiro-kun, what did you mean earlier when you said you 'like techniques'? Did you mean like, powerful ninjutsu?"
This wasn't just idle chatter; Karura was genuinely curious.
Normally, people would say they like doing something, or eating something, right? Using a word like 'technique' as a 'hobby' sounded rather strange.
"It's the literal meaning. Not just ninjutsu, but mechanics, cultivation, breeding, forging… I like all techniques."
"...So, Hiiro-kun, are you planning to become an artisan or a pharmacist?"
Karura nodded with a vague understanding, her face a mask of confusion.
"Hmm… It's not that I like a technique because of what it can do. I just purely like the 'technique' itself."
"If I had to put it in words… mastering this crystallized wisdom, accumulated and passed down from generation to generation, and then innovating on it—that act itself is just fascinating."
"Ooh… that's so deep..."
Even with Rinko's explanation, she was clearly even more confused.
However, watching Rinko's previously dull, gray eyes visibly light up, she felt that it must be a truly wonderful thing.
"That's so nice. I don't even know what I really like yet…"
"Hmph? You don't need to be in such a hurry. After all, we're still just kids. We haven't seen much of the world. It's perfectly normal not to know what you like yet."
As the teacher announced the end of class, Rinko stood up, stretched, and casually patted Karura on the head.
The girl's soft hair felt surprisingly nice. He suddenly understood why Chiyo was always so fond of ruffling his hair.
"Mhm!"
A blush creeping onto her cheeks, the girl's eyes seemed to light up. She looked up at Rinko and nodded emphatically.
Although she was shy from the sudden, intimate contact, Karura felt another, indescribable impulse stirring in her heart, deeper than simple emotion.
It was a premonition, as if she had just 'encountered destiny.'