"Seiji, you're from the Uchiha Clan. Haven't you already learned those techniques?"
Rin Nohara asked curiously.
Even though Seiji had come from the Land of Lightning, his surname was Uchiha.
The Uchiha were one of the great clans of the village. They even held exclusive control over the Konoha Military Police Force in Konohagakure.
Calling them Konoha's elite nobility was no exaggeration.
"It's not like you can learn any ninjutsu you want just because you're an Uchiha."
Seeing Rin come talk to Seiji the moment class ended, Obito Uchiha immediately rushed over.
"To prevent clan members from abusing ninjutsu or aiming too high, everything has to be approved by the senior members who manage these things."
Obito explained confidently.
Otherwise, wouldn't everyone just choose the strongest techniques right away?
"I see."
Rin nodded, her short hair swaying slightly. A few strands of black hair brushed against the purple markings on her cheeks.
She came from a civilian family, so she didn't know much about these clan matters.
"So, Rin Nohara… could you teach me?"
Seiji asked, his dark eyes looking directly at her.
Her figure was reflected clearly in his pupils. With late autumn approaching, the clothes she wore had grown noticeably thicker.
Rin had value.
Learning from her could help him grow stronger much faster.
After all, Rin was a medical prodigy.
The fact that a chūnin like her could use the Mystical Palm Technique already proved it.
And what rank was that technique?
A-rank.
That was already just one level below S-rank in terms of difficulty.
Medical ninjutsu was often even harder to master than ordinary ninjutsu.
It required extremely precise chakra control. The slightest mistake could lead to failure.
This alone showed Rin's talent in the field.
And an A-rank medical technique like the Mystical Palm Technique wasn't something people could casually learn.
During the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade had proposed that ninja teams should include medical ninja and that a proper training system for them should be established.
Only a few years had passed since that war ended.
Many systems were still incomplete.
For Rin to learn an A-rank medical technique so quickly, her talent must have caught the attention of the village's medical corps.
If she hadn't died so young, she might have become as famous a medical ninja as Tsunade or Sakura Haruno in the future.
"Sure, I can."
Rin thought about it for a moment before agreeing.
"But the ninjutsu taught at the academy are only E-rank techniques. That's all I can teach you."
"Then I'll be counting on you, Rin Nohara."
Seiji smiled slightly.
"You're really helping me a lot."
"It's nothing. We're classmates, after all."
Rin shook her head.
Meanwhile, Obito suddenly felt like he had just shot himself in the foot.
If he hadn't mentioned those things earlier, Rin wouldn't have gotten involved!
"Rin, you should teach me too!"
Obito quickly added.
He didn't want Rin teaching only Seiji.
Unfortunately, the bell rang for the next class, and Obito had no choice but to return to his seat.
Looking at the blackboard covered in dense writing, Obito began spinning his pen around his fingers, quickly losing focus.
"Hehe… once Rin gives me special training too, I'll definitely show that stuck-up Kakashi Hatake who's boss."
Obito drifted into a pleasant fantasy, occasionally glancing at Kakashi or Rin.
Seiji, meanwhile, continued reading.
The knowledge taught here was basic.
But it was also valuable.
Within the Uchiha clan, he was still an outsider.
Would someone guide him?
If so, to what extent?
Those were all unknowns.
Seiji refused to rely on luck or imagine that the Uchiha would assign some powerful ninja to personally train him.
He understood his position clearly.
He was simply a mixed-blood Uchiha who had been brought back.
The only reason the clan paid attention to him was because they feared there might be other cases like his.
And since he had only awakened one Sharingan, many people might even consider him some kind of "imported trash" from the Land of Lightning.
Seiji hadn't randomly chosen Rin.
There was another genius in the class.
He glanced toward the front.
There sat a boy with messy white hair and a black mask.
Kakashi Hatake.
But Kakashi was nothing like Rin.
Soon the death of Sakumo Hatake, the legendary White Fang of Konoha, would occur.
That event would completely change Kakashi's personality.
He would become cold and emotionless, eventually applying to graduate early.
The side of a ninja as a mere tool would be displayed perfectly in him.
After a brief moment of thought, Seiji continued studying.
No matter what, increasing his personal strength was the right path.
Soon, the day ended.
Seiji had already begun to adapt to life here.
The curriculum of the Ninja Academy could roughly be divided into five parts.
Theory, training, history, experience, and practice.
Theory covered ninjutsu, hand seals, and basic subjects like math and physics.
Training focused on strengthening the students' bodies and teaching basic taijutsu.
History introduced important figures of Konoha and the shinobi world.
Experience covered practical ninja knowledge, such as espionage, assassination, codes, intelligence gathering, and concealment. Female ninja also received specialized training.
Finally, practice involved sparring battles between students.
But one crucial thing was missing.
Moral and ideological education.
The academy existed to produce ninja.
It had no interest in shaping the students' beliefs.
The simplest example was the Daimyo.
In a world where individuals possessed the power to destroy mountains and rivers, political authority was still held by ordinary humans.
Even in the era of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, when Naruto Uzumaki became the Seventh Hokage, he still had to answer to the Daimyo.
Even when Konoha's funding was cut, he could only accept it silently.
"Thinking about that is still too far away."
Looking around the empty classroom, Seiji realized he was the only one left.
He opened the semi-transparent panel again.
After testing it many times, he had confirmed that nobody else could see it.
Because he had joined the class today, most of the lessons had focused on history and culture.
A panel appeared before him.
[Trait: Reading Absorption (White)]
Requirement: Read 10 articles and complete detailed notes.Progress: 50%
Effect: Your absorption speed for written information increases slightly. Your comprehension is 10% faster than normal.
Note: Can evolve further.
Seiji then looked at the second trait.
[Trait: Basic Memory (White)]
Requirement: Memorize 5 selected biographies of famous figures from the shinobi world.Progress: 40%
Effect: Your short-term memory improves slightly. Your efficiency in remembering words and phrases increases by 5%.
Note: Can evolve further.
"Studying cultural subjects should become much easier."
Seiji thought.
This was only the beginning.
The white traits were probably the lowest quality and the easiest to obtain.
So far, every trait he had obtained included the note that it could evolve further.
That likely meant they could be upgraded once certain conditions were met.
"Basic Memory" and "Reading Absorption" were exactly what he needed.
If he wanted to become a medical ninja, he would need to memorize enormous amounts of medical knowledge.
"Seiji."
Just as he closed the panel and packed his things, a voice came from the door.
"Why are you still here?"
Rin poked her head inside the classroom, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at him.
(End of Chapter 4)