Ninjutsu Acquired!

Shinji held both palms above the crucian carp, a faint fluorescent green Chakra glowing in his hands.

He focused and held his breath, controlling the output of his power with utmost concentration.

Suddenly, his right hand trembled slightly, and the Chakra instantly overflowed in excess.

The crucian carp's belly on the scroll immediately turned scorched black. Its mouth, which had still been faintly opening and closing, went completely still.

"Damn, failed again. Medical ninjutsu really isn't that simple."

Shinji shook his head lightly, raised a hand to wipe the thin sweat from his brow, and looked helplessly at Rin.

Nohara Rin hurriedly waved her hands, her tone carrying a hint of excitement. "Don't say that, Shinji. You've already improved very quickly."

"It won't be long before you officially get the hang of the Mystical Palm Technique."

She was genuinely astonished.

Shinji's talent was better than she could have imagined. Even she could not help feeling envious.

Shinji smiled and patted her arm. "That's only because Teacher Rin teaches so well."

He had not been weak to begin with, and with the Sharingan allowing him to clearly see the flow of Chakra, learning ninjutsu naturally took half the effort for twice the result.

It felt as easy as a graduate student taking a middle school final exam while being allowed to use a phone.

Flattered by his praise, Nohara Rin clasped her hands behind her back and laughed, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Thanks for your hard work tonight, Shinji."

"I'll have to trouble Teacher Rin to teach me more from now on."

Shinji looked into her eyes, his tone exceptionally earnest.

He glanced at the table again. None of the three crucian carp had made it.

In the cage beside them, three white mice had thick bandages wrapped around their limbs, tails, and eyes.

They were experimental subjects Rin had deliberately cut apart and sewn back together to demonstrate transplant surgery for him.

A thought quietly surfaced in his mind:

Looks like there would be quite a few little animals to sacrifice next.

"Sure." Nohara Rin nodded readily. "As long as you need me, I can help anytime."

Just then, the clock in the living room suddenly chimed.

"Dong—dong—dong—"

They both looked up at the same time.

"Ah, it's already eleven!" Nohara Rin panicked slightly. "How did it get so late?"

She had not gone home after leaving the hospital today, nor had she told her family. Her parents were definitely going to worry.

"It's so late. Stay here for the night," Shinji said on impulse. "I have a spare room."

"Huh?!"

Nohara Rin jolted in shock and frantically waved her hands. "No, no, I have to go back. How could I stay at your house?"

"Wouldn't that... that be like, like living together?"

Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red, and her heart began pounding wildly.

The next second, she realized it. She abruptly looked up, understanding that Shinji was teasing her.

"Shinji, you're joking again!" she said, shooting him a reproachful glare.

A mischievous smile curled across Shinji's lips.

He was not joking either.

He had lived alone for too long. He truly hoped there could be one more person by his side.

"Then I'll walk you home."

"Okay."

As he pushed open the front door, Shinji extended his hand toward her.

Nohara Rin instantly understood what he meant. She gently bit her lower lip and placed her hand in his.

Their fingers interlocked.

The two walked side by side toward Rin's home.

They deliberately slowed their steps. The streetlights stretched their shadows long and close together. Every few steps, they would unconsciously glance at each other, unspoken smiles hidden in both their eyes.

Three days later.

The unrest within the Uchiha continued.

Because they had never managed to catch the true culprit—Shinji himself—the Police Force grew increasingly irritable, becoming harsher than usual even while carrying out official duties in Konoha.

On the streets and in the alleys of Konoha, quite a few residents were being deliberately harassed and provoked for no reason by certain members of the Uchiha Police Force.

Either trivial matters were nitpicked to death, or people passing through normally were forcibly stopped.

The little goodwill Shinji had painstakingly built up for the Uchiha Clan was gradually slipping away.

A faint, almost imperceptible trace of embarrassment crossed his mind as well.

After all, he had made the entire Uchiha Clan take the blame for him. Watching the clan's reputation decline, and even seeing its members harass ordinary villagers, he could not help feeling somewhat guilty.

But that guilt vanished in an instant. He knew perfectly well that no matter what, he could never step forward and turn himself in.

Moreover, whenever he went out recently, he could always sense several vague gazes following him.

Using Transparent Release to conceal himself, Shinji had secretly investigated the source of those gazes and discovered that not only Anbu, but also Root operatives, were watching him.

They had deployed a large number of people to closely monitor every move of the Uchiha Clan. Some were even keeping watch on him personally.

"Are they guarding against the Uchiha, or looking for me?"

Shinji frowned slightly and casually glanced toward the blind spot beneath a distant roof beam.

Two Anbu shinobi were hiding there, silently lying in wait.

For the moment, he could not discern their true purpose and could only endure it for now.

"I should head to the Police Force first."

Shinji turned and headed toward the center of the clan compound, temporarily pushing the matter of the surveillance to the back of his mind.

He had arranged to meet with Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Yashiro today.

The Uchiha Police Force headquarters had always carried an air of cold severity and authority.

A vermilion torii towered into the sky, while stone pillars engraved with the clan crest stood on either side. Faint traces of chakra still lingered on their surfaces.

After entering the Police Force and stating his purpose, the clan members on duty immediately pointed him in the right direction.

Shinji went straight up to the second floor, walked along the corridor to the room at the very end, and raised his hand to knock.

"Come in."

Fugaku's usual authoritative voice came from within.

Pushing open the door, Shinji immediately saw Fugaku Uchiha seated in the center. Elder Yashiro sat to one side, while a young man named Yakumi Uchiha sat on the other.

He was Fugaku's direct subordinate and the current captain of the Police Force, known within the clan for leaning toward the moderate faction.

After briefly exchanging greetings with the three of them, Shinji got straight to the point.

"Clan Head, Elder, has my application been approved?"

Two days earlier, Shinji had personally approached Fugaku to apply to learn the two medical ninjutsu, Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel.

At the time, Fugaku had not agreed outright, only telling him to return to the Police Force today. That was why he had come now.

"Hmph!"

Elder Yashiro had already been thoroughly irritated these past few days. His subordinates, Tekka and Inabi, had failed so badly that someone had broken into the sacred grounds of Naka Shrine, and they had ultimately failed to capture the intruder. It had caused him to lose all face within the clan.

He had originally intended to win over the young man before him, but Shinji was stubbornly devoted to medical ninjutsu.

They were Uchiha.

How could they, like Tsunade of the Senju Clan, devote themselves to researching medical ninjutsu?

In Yashiro's eyes, this was neglecting one's proper duties—practically betrayal.

"If the clan refuses to give you these two ninjutsu scrolls, what do you intend to do?" Yashiro asked in a deep voice.

Fugaku sat with his arms folded and his eyes closed, saying nothing, clearly leaving Yashiro to speak. Yakumi, meanwhile, kept his head lowered the entire time and paid Shinji no attention.

Shinji frowned slightly.

"My application wasn't approved? That shouldn't be possible."

Judging from Yashiro's attitude, the clan clearly possessed these two ninjutsu scrolls but simply did not want to give them to him.

Ignoring his muttering, Yashiro flicked his wrist and tossed out two scrolls.

"I'll give you a mission. Consider it your contribution in exchange for these two ninjutsu."

Shinji hurriedly caught them and opened them to check. They did indeed contain the Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel.

Delight rose in his heart. He had finally obtained the ninjutsu, and he could not be bothered to argue over Yashiro's attitude any longer.

"What mission?"