"Thank you, Rin."
Under Nohara Rin's guidance, Kiyohara, who had nearly mastered the "Detoxification Jutsu" already, successfully learned the technique.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of thing too, Kiyohara."
Nohara Rin remarked.
Aside from Kiyohara, who had only recently begun training in Medical Ninjutsu, she was the only one here who knew Medical Ninjutsu.
"By the way, Kiyohara, did you also register at Konoha Hospital to become a medical ninja?"
Nohara Rin continued.
"Not exactly."
Kiyohara shook his head and explained that he had learned his ninjutsu from Lady Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Nohara Rin let out a soft cry of surprise.
There was no medical ninja who did not know Tsunade.
Tsunade stood at the pinnacle of the medical field and was also an idol Nohara Rin admired deeply.
Seeing the worshipful look in Nohara Rin's eyes, Kiyohara immediately realized that she was the sort of person who did not know Tsunade's true nature.
After thinking it over, Kiyohara decided not to tell Nohara Rin that cruel fact, lest her image of her idol be shattered.
"Right, Rin, which chakra points do you release chakra from when using the 'Detoxification Jutsu'?"
Kiyohara asked.
Controlling chakra and releasing it through chakra points was not an easy task. Even Jonin could only release a portion of their chakra through their hands, feet, or other parts of their bodies.
That was why ninjutsu was usually released either from the mouth or from the hands.
It was rare to see someone release it from other places, such as suddenly firing a fireball from their forehead or knee...
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan could also be considered an additional outlet for releasing techniques.
Only ninjas with the Byakugan could release chakra from every chakra point across their entire bodies.
A technique like "Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin," which released chakra throughout the whole body and possessed formidable defensive power, was extremely difficult to perform without the Byakugan.
That was also why the Gentle Fist became the Hyuga Clan's exclusive technique. Ninjas without the Byakugan generally did not use the Gentle Fist, relying only on the Strong Fist.
"Um, these ones..."
Nohara Rin extended her hand and held it in front of Kiyohara, showing him which chakra points she used to release chakra.
Kiyohara listened from the side, but simply listening still left him somewhat uncertain.
So he took Nohara Rin's hand and touched her palm with his fingers.
When Nohara Rin's hand was taken, a flicker of panic passed through her heart.
Kakashi was still right here!
But as she looked at Kiyohara, who remained focused on listening to her explanation, Nohara Rin suddenly felt that she had overthought things.
In a doctor's eyes, patients were not divided by gender.
Then discussing Medical Ninjutsu should not involve gender either.
Suppressing the strange sensation of having her palm touched, Nohara Rin continued explaining.
"What are you two talking about over here?"
Seeing Nohara Rin constantly talking with Kiyohara, Obito finally could not sit still any longer and ran over to butt in.
"We're discussing some academic matters. You wouldn't understand, Obito."
Nohara Rin lightly shook her head, indicating that there was no way Obito could understand what she and Kiyohara were discussing.
"I... What is there that I wouldn't understand!"
Obito immediately became unhappy.
What could Uchiha Obito possibly fail to understand when Kiyohara understood it?
Was the gap between them really that wide?
Once he awakened his Sharingan, wouldn't learning anything be effortless?
"Hm?"
Only then did Obito notice that Nohara Rin, whose back was facing him, still had her hand in Kiyohara's grasp.
"Rin, why is your hand in Kiyohara's hand?"
Obito's eyes widened.
"Obito, don't misunderstand Rin and me. We're only learning Medical Ninjutsu."
Kiyohara said he was learning a foreign language, so Obito should not get the wrong idea.
The moment Obito heard that, disbelief filled his face.
No, what kind of Medical Ninjutsu required them to hold hands?
His theoretical knowledge might be poor, but it was not so poor that he lacked even basic common sense!
"Idiot. Kiyohara is examining Rin's chakra points."
Kakashi shook his head.
Obito was truly stupid. He did not know how the Uchiha Clan, which produced nothing but elites, had given rise to an oddball like Obito.
"Yeah, Obito, what are you thinking?"
Kurenai Yuhi also wore a puzzled expression.
Kiyohara looked utterly righteous. How could he possibly be feeling up Nohara Rin's hand?
He was examining her chakra points.
"Teacher Minato, I..."
Unable to decide what to believe, Obito cast a pleading look toward Namikaze Minato.
"Obito, they're right."
Namikaze Minato nodded.
Obito immediately began doubting himself.
Could I really have gotten it wrong?
That was what Obito thought.
"Alright, we should continue onward."
After the brief rest, Namikaze Minato rose to his feet.
At this time, every minute and every second was precious. They could not afford to waste any.
"Yes."
Everyone answered in unison and began packing up to leave.
Only Obito's response was somewhat absentminded.
Nohara Rin's soft, fragrant little hand—he had never even touched it himself.
Yet Kiyohara had gotten there first.
The more Obito thought about it, the more stifled he felt, as though someone else had stood up to pedal the bicycle he himself had been too reluctant to ride.
"I'll accompany you along the border for a little longer. After that, we'll split up to carry out our missions. I'll head to the front lines for support. Kiyohara and Kakashi will each lead a team. Kiyohara, your team will draw Iwagakure's attention. Kakashi, you'll be responsible for continuing forward."
Namikaze Minato made the arrangements and reiterated them once more.
Kiyohara's sensory abilities happened to be even better than Kakashi's. This way, they could detect the enemy's movements first and seize the initiative.
After disrupting the enemy, they could withdraw.
"Understood."
Kakashi replied.
Then everyone continued forward.
After walking for roughly half an hour, Kakashi suddenly stopped and made a gesture behind him, signaling everyone not to approach.
Watching this scene unfold just as it had in the original story, Kiyohara understood that they had encountered Mahiru, an Iwagakure Jonin stationed here for reconnaissance.
Mahiru excelled in swordsmanship, was extremely fast, and also knew the "Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Kiyohara analyzed Mahiru's information.
"Mahiru..."
Renegade Kiyohara looked at Mahiru ahead of them, seemingly recalling something.
"What is it?"
Kiyohara looked toward Renegade Kiyohara and asked him in his mind what was wrong.
"I fought Mahiru before. In that future of mine, he didn't die here. He survived by luck, only to be killed by me in the end. Unfortunately, I never managed to interrogate him about his swordsmanship."
Renegade Kiyohara said.
"I see."
Kiyohara nodded.
The swordsmanship of Iwagakure Jonin Mahiru?
Kiyohara currently had little interest in training in swordsmanship.
Even with Renegade Kiyohara's guidance, it would still be a long-term undertaking.
For the current Kiyohara, the return on investment was far lower than training ninjutsu or practicing Shuriken throwing.
"Two of them noticed us? They've got some skill."
Hidden behind a tree, Mahiru sensed that two ninjas had taken the lead in steadying their breathing.
That was a signal that they were preparing for battle.
So Mahiru quietly turned back for a look.
One was a handsome black-haired boy, while the other was a white-haired boy carrying a short sword.
"That person is... Impossible..."
Mahiru suddenly looked toward their leading Jonin, cold sweat running down his cheek.
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