Rin Nohara: No, Obito, You Don't Understand

The free practice session passed quickly.

The Chunin instructor clapped his hands, signaling everyone to stop.

"All right, come up one at a time in order for the test. Each person gets five Shuriken and five Kunai, for a total of ten throws."

"Two points for hitting the bullseye, one point for hitting the target, and zero for missing."

He pointed at the row of brand-new wooden targets along the edge of the field.

"A perfect score is twenty points."

The first person called was Kakashi.

Kakashi swiftly took five Shuriken from the ninja tool pouch that had been handed out.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The five Shuriken flew out almost simultaneously, the sounds of them piercing the bullseyes blending into one continuous burst.

Before anyone could react, Kakashi took out Kunai with his left hand.

Another five dull thuds rang out.

Every single ninja tool hit the bullseye.

"Perfect score."

The Chunin instructor wrote down the score on his clipboard, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

The White Fang's son really was impressive.

Thinking of Hatake Sakumo's heroic figure, the Chunin instructor felt that any achievement Kakashi attained was perfectly natural.

"Well done, Kakashi."

Kakashi merely nodded slightly and stepped aside.

"Next."

The Chunin instructor was about to call the next name.

"Me, me!"

Obito eagerly raised his hand, nearly jumping up.

He was always the most enthusiastic about anything that let him show off.

The Chunin instructor nodded for him to come forward.

Obito puffed out his chest and deliberately glanced toward Rin Nohara, only to find that Rin had turned sideways and seemed to be talking to Qingyu.

His heart skipped a beat, but before he could think further, the test had already begun.

Obito took a deep breath and drew five Shuriken.

The first hit the bullseye.

Great!

Obito rejoiced inwardly and sped up his movements.

Unfortunately, he missed the target four times in a row afterward.

Sweat began to bead on Obito's forehead.

His Kunai throws were no better. Only two of the five Kunai struck the target, while the other three all missed.

The Chunin instructor looked at the target.

One bullseye and two hits on the target.

He wrote down a score on the clipboard.

"Four points. Good job, Obito. You've improved compared to yesterday."

Obito froze for a moment, then scratched the back of his head and chuckled foolishly.

"Of course! I'm from the Uchiha clan!"

He turned around proudly, ready to bask in Rin Nohara's admiring gaze.

Then he saw Rin turned sideways, seriously saying something to Qingyu.

She had not looked at him at all.

Obito's smile froze on his face.

At that instant, he felt as if someone had secretly stolen the thing he cherished most, leaving him surrounded by ruin.

In truth, Rin Nohara had indeed failed to notice Obito's brilliant performance.

She was talking to Qingyu.

"Qingyu, are you interested in Medical Ninjutsu?"

Hearing the question, Qingyu was somewhat surprised and turned his head toward her.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because Lady Tsunade is very famous."

Rin Nohara blinked, her tone filled with longing.

"She's Konoha's greatest medical ninja. Since Qingyu lives with Lady Tsunade, you must have picked up some things from her, right?"

Qingyu stroked his chin and did not answer immediately.

She certainly was one of the best.

That was probably how outsiders saw Tsunade.

But as for what he had picked up from her...

What came to Qingyu's mind was not Tsunade using Miraculous Hands Rejuvenate at a patient's bedside, but Tsunade sprawled across the sofa with her legs propped up, betting slips and empty bottles scattered over the coffee table while she occasionally ordered him and Shizune around.

If he had picked up anything from her, it was probably gambling.

In fact, Qingyu was quite skilled at gambling.

Perhaps watching Tsunade's miserable losses at the casino had given him a cautionary example, or perhaps luck itself was on his side. In any case, he learned quickly. He had even once gambled in Tsunade's place and won quite a bit.

Of course, he had no intention of telling Rin Nohara about that.

Then another thought surfaced in his mind.

Although Rin Nohara looked like a civilian ninja, she possessed a rather terrifying talent for medical treatment.

In the original story, she had neither a Kekkei Genkai nor secret ninja scrolls passed down through a clan. Relying solely on the Ninja Academy's basic education and Konoha Hospital's training, she later mastered the A-rank Medical Ninjutsu, the Mystical Palm Technique.

How impressive was that?

For comparison, Haruno Sakura had studied under Tsunade for a full three years before learning the Mystical Palm Technique.

And Sakura herself was already a ninja whom Tsunade had praised for possessing "exceptionally outstanding talent in chakra control."

Rin Nohara's talent for medical treatment was only stronger, not weaker.

If Kakashi was a well-rounded Talented Player, then Rin Nohara was undoubtedly a Talented Player specialized in the medical field.

The Talented Player trait might drop from one of those two.

As for everyone else...

Qingyu swept his gaze across the group. Uchiha Tekka, Hyūga Natsu, Hyūga Tetsu, and the others were decent enough, but they still fell short of being Talented Players.

With that in mind, Qingyu spoke.

"I'm actually quite interested in Medical Ninjutsu."

Qingyu spoke very sincerely.

Because he truly was interested.

It was an incredible life-saving skill. In a crisis, he could even heal himself.

At higher levels, the ability to recover from injuries was practically essential for everyone.

Rin Nohara's eyes lit up.

"Every war causes many ninja to die. If possible, I want to save those injured on the battlefield. That's my dream."

Qingyu spoke.

Those words had actually been Rin Nohara's dream in the Book of Formations, only now they came from his mouth.

Hearing Qingyu's words, Rin Nohara felt that she had found someone like-minded.

Even Qingyu's handsome face seemed a little more handsome to her.

Because among everyone she knew, she had been the only one with such thoughts, all alone.

Whether it was Kakashi or Obito, neither of them had shown any interest in this, and Rin Nohara had not known who to talk to about it.

But now, it turned out Qingyu felt the same way.

In an instant, it felt as though her loneliness had been washed away.

"Then, Qingyu, have you already learned Medical Ninjutsu?"

"I have."

Qingyu nodded.

"That's amazing."

Rin Nohara let out a soft cry of surprise.

After all, Medical Ninjutsu was far more difficult than ordinary ninjutsu.

"If you're interested, Rin, we can exchange ideas sometime."

Qingyu said.

The best way to get close to someone was to start with their interests.

The more he interacted with Rin Nohara, and the more knowledge he helped her acquire in advance, the greater the chance of the Talented Player trait dropping.

"That's wonderful, Qingyu."

Rin Nohara nodded.

"Next, Qingyu."

The Chunin instructor's voice interrupted Rin Nohara.

Qingyu stood up, nodded slightly at her, and walked toward the testing area.

Obito stood nearby, watching Qingyu pass him. The sour feeling in his heart only grew stronger.

"Rin, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Obito said.

Though he did not know what Rin and Qingyu had been discussing, Obito remained confident. At worst, he could go back and study harder.

With the Uchiha clan behind him, Obito actually had plenty of resources.

"No, Obito, you don't understand."

Rin Nohara shook her head.

Obito's expression stiffened.