"Wow, it's huge!"
Nohara Rin's rosy lips fell open in amazement.
Of course, she was talking about Qingye's house.
Even from outside, Rin had thought Qingye's house looked huge, judging by the walls around the courtyard. But it was only after she stepped inside and saw the spacious grounds that she realized she'd still underestimated its size.
Beyond the entrance lay a short path paved with stones. A dark-brown wooden veranda stretched ahead, while the main part of the sprawling residence lay hidden behind it.
The bushes in the courtyard and the trees along the walls looked somewhat overgrown. It was obvious no one had been tending or pruning them regularly.
There was even a pond beside one of the paths in the courtyard.
The fish in the pond were ones Qingye had caught in the Naka River. A few wooden posts stood beside it, bearing the marks left behind by his past Shuriken-throwing practice.
A small black cat with fur as dark as night was sprawled lazily atop one of the posts, sunning itself as its gaze followed the fish swimming back and forth in the pond.
Two crows had also built a nest in the tallest tree by the courtyard wall.
"It really is huge..."
Rin couldn't help marveling again.
She'd been to Obito's house before.
It simply couldn't compare to a residence like Qingye's, which occupied several hundred square meters...
"It's all right. My parents left it to me."
Qingye shook his head. "Besides, I live here alone, so it makes no difference whether it's bigger or smaller."
"..."
Rin gave Qingye a reproachful look.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Rin?"
"I feel like I want to hit you for what you just said," Rin couldn't help complaining.
Damn it!
Was this the ugly attitude of the wealthy?
It really made her jealous!
"Hm? I just said it without thinking. Don't mind me." Only then did Qingye realize he'd unconsciously boasted about his wealth.
In this life, his parents—whom he barely remembered—had left him this house, along with an inheritance of over a million.
After all, they'd been elite Jonin, with his father serving as a squad captain in the Konoha Military Police Force. They'd managed to save up a fair bit.
To Qingye, the money was more important because he could use it to buy Explosive Tags.
As for the ninjutsu scrolls his parents had left behind, those didn't matter much. He could learn those within the clan anyway.
For the Uchiha Clan, as long as you were willing to learn ninjutsu, the clan was willing to teach you. There was no hassle of having to trade contributions for it.
"I didn't really mind."
Rin shook her head.
After all, she'd understood the difference between shinobi from a clan and those from civilian families ever since her days at the Ninja Academy.
"Speaking of which, there's something I'm not sure I can ask you for help with, Rin."
"Hm? Go ahead, Qingye. If it's something I can do, I'll definitely help!"
Rin's eyes lit up.
She'd been feeling that she had no way to repay Qingye.
Qingye got straight to the point. "I want to learn the technique for stopping bleeding."
Most Medical Ninjutsu relied heavily on a shinobi's talent.
For example, a technique like the Mystical Palm Technique was easier to learn if you had stronger Yang Release Chakra and better chakra control.
But simpler techniques, such as the one for stopping bleeding, required much less talent.
For Qingye, spending a lot of time learning the Mystical Palm Technique would be a poor use of his time. If he got injured on the battlefield, it would be enough to stop the bleeding and avoid losing too much blood.
"No problem! When do you want to start learning, Qingye?"
"Is now convenient?"
"Of course!"
"Nine Lives!"
Qingye waved to the black cat sunning itself nearby. "Go catch me a fish."
"Meow—"
Nine Lives let out a cry, leapt down from the post, and sprang onto the pond's surface. Ripples spread beneath its paws.
A moment later, it moved its paw and caught a small fish about the size of a hand.
"That's amazing!"
Rin stared in amazement at the adorable little black cat. "Qingye, your cat can even use Water Walking?"
Many Genin couldn't even use Water Walking, a chakra-control technique.
"It's a Ninja Cat. Nine Lives isn't very strong, though, so it's only mastered this little chakra-control trick. When I'm not home, it can use it to catch fish for itself."
"Meow!"
"Huh? Is it upset?"
Rin tentatively reached out to pet it, but Nine Lives swiftly drew back and dodged her hand.
It dropped the still-flopping fish from its mouth onto the wooden post, then hopped away and quietly crouched on a nearby post. It lay down with its front paws tucked under its chest and watched them in silence.
"Come on, let's get started."
Qingye drew his Kunai across the fish. Its sharp edge easily cut through the scales, and a stream of blood welled out, carrying a fishy smell.
"Try to make the cut shallow, so you can use the same fish a few times," Rin reminded him.
After briefly explaining the principles and techniques behind the bleeding-control method, she directed chakra toward her fingertips. A faint green glow appeared around her pressed-together index and middle fingers.
She ran her fingers across the wound on the fish. A thin layer of clotting formed over the spot where blood had been spurting out, and the bleeding stopped.
"Is that all there is to it?"
Eager to give it a try, Qingye drew his Kunai across the fish again, breaking open the clot, then tried the technique himself.
...Why was it still bleeding?
"Pfft!"
Rin couldn't hold back. She quickly covered her mouth, but her shoulders still shook with laughter. She struggled to keep her voice steady. "Ahem, I'm not laughing. I was the same when I first learned it."
"Go ahead and laugh."
Qingye waved his hand, not particularly bothered.
It seemed Medical Ninjutsu wasn't where his talents lay.
Learning to stop bleeding was enough to keep him from losing too much blood on the battlefield.
Rin gave a couple of light coughs, composed herself, and patiently explained the points where things could easily go wrong.
As their lesson continued, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard gate.
"Qingye?"
Yūhi Kurenai saw that the gate was open and poked her head inside. "I saw it was open, so I just came in... Rin, why are you here too?"
What were they doing?!
From where she stood, Qingye had his back to her and was reaching toward Rin, doing something she couldn't make out. It almost looked like he was about to hug her!
"I..." Kurenai had just stepped one leg inside. Now she felt awkward about coming in, but was reluctant to leave. "Did I come at a bad time?"
Qingye: "..."
What a weird thing to say.
"What are you two doing?"
Seeing that nothing like what she'd feared had happened, Kurenai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside. Then she spotted the fish on the wooden post, its wound still bleeding.
"I'm learning how to stop bleeding," Qingye said, then added, "What did you think?"
"Ah? I, uh, I wasn't thinking anything."
Kurenai's gaze wandered. She gave him a playful smile, trying to bluff her way out of it.
"So, Kurenai, did you come to see me for something?"
Can't I come see you if I don't have a reason?!
What a heartless man!
"I've recently learned a few more Genjutsu techniques from my dad, so I thought I'd come spar with you, Qingye," Kurenai explained.
Good thing she'd come prepared!
"I see... Why don't you wait a bit, Kurenai?"
Qingye looked down at the fish, which had stopped moving after losing too much blood, and waved to Nine Lives.
Nine Lives immediately jumped onto the water's surface. A moment later, it caught another fish and brought it over, then carried the dead fish away as a little extra meal for the day.
"Why does it feel like Nine Lives is just your ninja-practice cat?" Kurenai couldn't help complaining.
"Meow~"
Nine Lives nodded repeatedly from the side.
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