“Asuma, why didn’t you go talk to Kurenai today?”
Obito lay bored across his desk.
Rin Nohara was carefully organizing her notes beside him, and he felt too embarrassed to bother her, so he could only find someone nearby to pass the time.
Asuma Sarutobi crossed his arms and said casually, “I need to study.”
“Who are you trying to fool?”
Obito exposed him without mercy.
During class just now, he had noticed Asuma sneaking glances at Kurenai Yuhi the entire time.
There was not a single word written in his notebook.
Now that he had been exposed, Asuma stopped pretending and snorted irritably.
After a brief observation, Asuma had concluded that Obito was a complete simp.
How could a man spend all day circling around a girl?
Pathetic.
Unlike him.
He only asked Kurenai to walk home with him every day.
“You…”
Obito nearly choked at Asuma’s shameless logic.
He had only started talking to Asuma because he sensed that Asuma also liked someone a lot and thought they might have something in common.
In the end, this brat had started acting all noble.
Obito turned away and stopped talking.
Asuma ignored him as well, though the corner of his eye kept watching Kiyohane, who was currently talking with Kurenai Yuhi.
The two stood very close.
Their voices were not loud, but judging from their expressions and gestures, the topic they were discussing was clearly very technical.
Asuma pricked up his ears and listened.
He did not understand a single sentence.
Asuma silently looked away.
Damn it.
The topic is too advanced.
I can’t get a word in.
If they were discussing Fire Release or taijutsu, he could at least say a few things.
The Sarutobi clan had always been famous for Fire Release, and their taijutsu inheritance was not weak either.
He had trained plenty since childhood.
But genjutsu…
He had absolutely no connection to that.
Asuma suddenly felt a little regretful.
Back when Hiruzen Sarutobi had offered to hire him a genjutsu tutor for early training, he had found it troublesome and refused.
…
Soon, the day’s lessons came to an end.
After school, Kiyohane found Rin Nohara.
“Rin, do you want to go to Konoha Hospital together?”
“Konoha Hospital?”
Rin paused.
“What are you going there for?”
“Konoha Hospital sometimes holds training sessions to screen students with aptitude for medical ninjutsu,” Kiyohane explained.
This system would only become standardized decades later during Boruto’s era, at Sakura’s suggestion.
At this point in time, it was still only a semi-official interest activity.
After all, many things in this era were still underdeveloped.
There was not even a department for diagnosing children’s mental health.
And yet Ninja Academy graduates, on average, were sent to the battlefield at twelve years old…
“There’s something like that?
This is the first time I’ve heard of it!”
Rin agreed without hesitation.
Kiyohane also called Shizune along.
Tsunade had been the one to tell him about this.
She had told him to visit Konoha Hospital more often when he had nothing to do, so arranging an internship later would feel natural.
“Where are you going?”
Obito rushed over and called out to Rin just as she was about to leave.
“Kiyohane-kun said Konoha Hospital has medical ninjutsu training.
I’m going to take a look.”
After Rin finished speaking, she waved at Obito and followed Kiyohane and Shizune toward the school gate.
Obito instinctively wanted to follow, but someone pressed a hand onto his shoulder.
“Don’t go.”
Tekka Uchiha patted his shoulder.
“We Uchiha don’t have medical-nin.”
They were a clan that lived for battle.
What reason would they have to learn medical ninjutsu?
Obito opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then realized that what Tekka Uchiha said seemed to be true.
In his memory, he really had never heard of anyone in the clan becoming a medical-nin.
When an Uchiha was injured, they went to Konoha Hospital and had medical-nin from other clans treat them.
Obito stood there, watching helplessly as the three of them disappeared into the sunset.
…
Konoha Hospital.
The three of them walked through the entrance.
“What a handsome child.”
The moment Kiyohane entered, he heard someone whispering.
Several older nurses stood to the side, their gazes fixed warmly on him.
Two of them were even whispering to each other with smiles on their faces.
Kiyohane continued walking forward without changing expression.
Right now, without having grown up yet, even if he had the heart, he lacked the ability.
Not even his Senju bloodline could carry him through that.
It was better to be a sigma male.
Shizune led the way.
She was already quite familiar with Konoha Hospital.
They passed through the corridor, turned two corners, and stopped in front of an office with a sign that read Medical Corps Captain’s Office.
Shizune knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
When they pushed the door open, a woman in a white coat was sitting behind the desk, flipping through medical records.
She looked about thirty-five or thirty-six.
“Ah, you must be Kiyohane?”
Michiko Matsuzaka raised her head, her gaze lingering on Kiyohane for a moment before shifting to Shizune beside him.
“And the one behind you is Shizune.
I recognize her.”
She smiled.
“Lady Tsunade told me about you beforehand.”
“Hello, Michiko-nee,” Kiyohane said.
Although she was old enough to be his aunt, Kiyohane wisely chose to call her “nee” instead.
The smile on Michiko Matsuzaka’s face instantly brightened several times over, and even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes seemed to relax.
“My, what a sweet-mouthed child.”
She stood up happily, then her gaze landed on Rin Nohara with a hint of hesitation.
“And you are…?”
“My name is Rin Nohara.
I’m Kiyohane’s classmate,” Rin quickly introduced herself.
“I’m very interested in medical ninjutsu, so I came along to take a look.”
“I see.
Welcome, welcome.”
Michiko Matsuzaka did not ask too many questions.
She turned toward the door and called for a medical-nin to bring three cups over.
Kiyohane looked at the crowded training classroom out in the hallway.
It was filled with young people who had come to listen to the lesson, with some even forced to stand in the last row.
“Do we not need to attend with everyone outside?” he asked.
“No, no.”
Michiko waved a hand and gestured for the three of them to sit on the sofa in her office.
“You were introduced by Lady Tsunade, so I’ll teach you separately here.
The class outside has too many people, and the material is too shallow.
It doesn’t suit you.”
She sat back down in her chair, folded her hands on the desk, and smiled at Kiyohane.
Lady Tsunade had specifically instructed her to look after these children.
Especially Kiyohane.
He was Lady Tsunade’s clansman, after all.
Seeing this, Kiyohane could only nod.
Even so, he still stood a little closer to the door.
His biggest purpose in coming here was to see whether he could pick up any traits.
As Kiyohane waited, three lines of text suddenly appeared at the edge of his vision.
[Collectible trait detected: Simple Bandaging.]
[E-rank Trait: Simple Bandaging.]
[Effect: Wound bandaging speed increases by 10%.]
As expected, I just need more people around.
Kiyohane rubbed his chin.
He did not know who had dropped this trait.
Either way, it was his now.