"Seiji, aren't you from the Uchiha clan? Haven't you learned any ninjutsu?"
Rin Nohara asked curiously.
Although Seiji came from the Land of Lightning, his surname was Uchiha.
The Uchiha were one of the great clans of the village and even held exclusive authority over the Konoha Military Police Force.
To put it bluntly, they were practically Konoha's nobility.
"You can't just learn any ninjutsu you want, even within the Uchiha clan."
Seeing Rin approach Seiji right after class ended, Obito quickly ran over.
"To prevent clan members from abusing ninjutsu or becoming overly ambitious, everything needs approval from the elders who manage such matters."
Obito explained confidently.
Otherwise, wouldn't everyone just choose the strongest techniques right from the start?
"I see."
Rin nodded.
Her short hair swayed slightly, a few strands brushing against the purple markings on the sides of her cheeks.
She came from a civilian family, so she didn't know much about these matters.
"So, Rin Nohara… could you teach me?"
Seiji asked.
His dark eyes quietly focused on her.
Her figure was reflected in his pupils. With late autumn approaching, her clothes had become noticeably thicker.
Rin had value.
Learning from her would allow Seiji to grow stronger faster.
After all, Rin was a medical prodigy.
You could tell from the fact that she, as only a Chunin, had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique.
And what level of ninjutsu was that?
A-rank.
That was already just one level below S-rank techniques.
Medical ninjutsu were often even harder to master than ordinary ninjutsu.
They required extremely precise chakra control—even the smallest mistake could cause total failure.
From this alone, it was clear that Rin had talent in this field.
Moreover, an A-rank technique like Mystical Palm was not something one could learn easily.
During the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade had proposed the idea of adding medical ninjas to every mission team and establishing a training system for them.
Only a few years had passed since the war ended.
Many systems were still being perfected.
It was very likely that Rin's talent had attracted the attention of Konoha's medical division, allowing her to learn such advanced techniques so early.
If she hadn't died young…
She might have become a medical ninja as famous as Tsunade or Sakura in the future.
"Hmm… okay."
Rin thought for a moment before agreeing.
"But the only ninjutsu we learn in school are E-rank techniques. That's all I can teach you."
"That's more than enough. I'd really appreciate it."
Seiji smiled gently.
"You're helping me a lot."
"It's nothing. We're classmates, after all."
Rin shook her head.
Meanwhile, Obito felt like he had just shot himself in the foot.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have explained those things to Rin!
"Rin, you should train me too!"
Obito immediately requested.
He didn't want Rin teaching only Seiji.
Unfortunately, the class bell rang, forcing Obito to return to his seat.
Staring at the densely written blackboard, Obito began spinning his pen between his fingers while letting his mind wander.
"Hehe… once Rin starts giving me special training, I'll definitely show that smug Kakashi who's boss!"
Obito drifted into a pleasant fantasy, occasionally glancing at Kakashi or Rin.
Seiji, meanwhile, continued reading.
The knowledge here might be basic, but it was valuable.
Within the Uchiha clan, he was still an outsider.
Would someone be assigned to guide him?
And if so, how much would they actually teach him?
All of that was unknown.
Seiji couldn't afford to rely on luck and imagine that the Uchiha would assign some powerful figure to train him personally.
He was very clear about his current status.
A mixed-blood Uchiha who had been picked up from outside.
The only reason the clan paid attention to him was because they feared there might be other scattered Uchiha bloodlines like him.
And since he had awakened only one Sharingan, some people might even consider him nothing more than "foreign trash" from the Land of Lightning.
Seiji hadn't chosen Rin randomly.
There was another genius in the class—Hatake Kakashi.
Seiji glanced forward.
There sat a boy with spiky white hair and a black mask covering his face.
But Kakashi wouldn't be as approachable as Rin.
Soon, the tragedy of the White Fang of Konoha would occur.
That event would drastically change Kakashi's personality, making him cold and indifferent, eventually leading him to apply for early graduation.
The philosophy that "ninja are tools" would manifest strongly in him.
After thinking briefly, Seiji returned his attention to studying.
No matter what, improving his own strength was the only true path.
Soon, the day came to an end.
Seiji had already begun to adapt to life here.
The Ninja Academy curriculum was roughly divided into five categories:
Theory
Training
History
Experience
Practice
Theory covered ninjutsu, hand seals, and basic subjects like mathematics and physics.
Training focused on developing students' physical abilities and basic taijutsu.
History taught about Konoha and the great figures of the ninja world.
Experience involved ninja survival knowledge—espionage, assassination, secret codes, intelligence concealment, and similar skills. Female ninjas also received special training.
Finally, there was practical combat training.
However, one crucial element was missing.
Moral and ideological education.
The Ninja Academy existed to produce ninjas, not to enlighten their minds.
The most obvious example was the Daimyo.
In a world where individuals possessed power capable of destroying mountains and rivers…
The ultimate authority still belonged to ordinary humans.
Even in the era of Boruto, Naruto—despite being the Seventh Hokage—was still constrained by the Daimyo.
Even when Konoha's funding was reduced, he could only accept it silently.
"Thinking about this is still too far away."
Looking around the now-empty classroom, Seiji realized he was the only one left.
He opened the translucent trait panel.
After testing it, he had confirmed that no one else could see it.
Today's lessons had mostly focused on history and culture, probably because he was a new transfer student.
Trait: Reading Absorption (White)
Requirement:
Read 10 articles and write detailed notes.
Progress: 50%
Effect:
Your speed of absorbing written information is slightly improved.
Your comprehension is 10% faster than the average person.
Note:
Can be upgraded later.
Seiji then looked at the second trait.
Trait: Basic Memory (White)
Requirement:
Memorize 5 selected biographies of famous figures from the ninja world.
Progress: 40%
Effect:
Your short-term memory is slightly improved.
You can remember words and phrases more easily, with 5% higher memory efficiency.
Note:
Can be upgraded later.
"Studying cultural subjects should become much easier."
Seiji thought.
This was only the beginning.
White-level traits were likely the lowest rank, and therefore the easiest to obtain.
So far, every trait he had acquired contained the phrase "can be upgraded later."
This meant that once certain conditions were met, the traits could evolve.
Both Basic Memory and Reading Absorption were exactly what Seiji needed.
To become a medical ninja, he would need to memorize a massive amount of medical knowledge.
"Seiji."
Seiji closed the panel and began packing his things.
Just as he was about to leave his seat, a voice came from the door.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Rin poked her head into the classroom from outside, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at him.
(End of Chapter)