At that moment, he understood.
He understood everything.
There had been no misunderstanding, no making friends, and certainly no asking for advice about Medical Ninjutsu. Nebula Kotetsu! That bastard! He'd been after Rin from the very beginning!
He instinctively clenched his fists, not caring that the wounds might reopen.
Fortunately, the wounds had already begun to close under the Mystical Palm Technique he'd just learned to use. Nebula Kotetsu stood up at that moment.
He didn't look at the injured Obito, but turned to Rin Nohara.
"All done, Rin."
"It doesn't look serious. Go to the hospital later and have a doctor take a look."
Rin Nohara nodded dazedly. "Huh?... Oh, okay."
"Got it. Thanks... Nebula."
Nebula Kotetsu smiled at Rin, then walked over to Might Guy and patted him on the shoulder.
"Told you it was fine."
"I'm here, after all."
Before Might Guy could thank him, a teacher called him away.
Ten minutes later, Nebula Kotetsu's voice came from the Ninja Academy office.
"Right, right."
"Yes."
"Teacher, my ninjutsu talent is so poor that I decided to learn about Medical Ninjutsu so I could help my teammates."
"The Third Hokage taught us that we must care for our teammates."
"The Will of Fire has always had a profound influence on me. With the teachers' encouragement, I never gave up on myself!"
"Dating? Oh, that's just because the pressure of training is so intense. Some girls are simply concerned about me."
"We're all good friends."
"That's right, it happened recently. Maybe it's because I'm growing up, but my chakra has been increasing rapidly. Learning the Mystical Palm Technique was just a coincidence—a very, very unlikely coincidence..."
Only after half an hour of detailed explanations about how he'd taught himself from a training journal his father had happened to obtain, and how he'd made such rapid progress, did Nebula Kotetsu finally escape the teachers' interrogation.
He felt even more exhausted than after training with Might Guy.
The questioning was over, and the morning sparring class was drawing to a close. After school, Nebula Kotetsu ignored the girls chattering away and went straight home.
The afternoon was set aside for the Three Basic Jutsu exam.
With his greatly increased chakra, Nebula Kotetsu didn't run into any trouble this time and passed without a hitch.
As he walked out of the exam room, Nebula Kotetsu knew that his eight-year career at the Ninja Academy had finally come to an end.
Walking down the school corridor, he looked at the empty classrooms and, for a moment, found himself reminiscing about his school days.
The hostility of his male classmates.
His defeats in sparring class.
The contemptuous looks from the teachers.
And all the feelings and knowledge he'd shared with older and younger girls from every grade—in classrooms, the library, the lounge, and even the stairwells.
As he was thinking about it, the library door beside him suddenly opened.
A beautiful woman with delicate features stepped out.
Kaede Hyuga.
An outstanding Chunin, and the exemplary senpai of every student.
The moment he saw her, Nebula Kotetsu smiled politely.
"Long ti—" He'd barely gotten two words out when a slender, fair hand suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the collar. Before he could react, she swiftly pulled him into the library.
"Bang!" The door slammed shut.
Nebula Kotetsu's voice came from inside.
"Wait!"
"Hold on!"
"What are you doing?"
"I have a date later!"
Kaede Hyuga's melodious voice rang out. "When?"
Nebula Kotetsu: "After school."
Kaede Hyuga: "There's time. Let's discuss what we've learned. It won't take long."
Nebula Kotetsu: "No! We're at school! We—"
"I have a soundproofing barrier." As Kaede Hyuga's voice rang out, everything fell silent. Not another sound came from the library.
Ten seconds later, a male teacher hurried out from the end of the corridor, calling as he ran.
"Nebula?"
"Nebula Kotetsu?"
"Nebula Kotetsu?"
There was no answer. The male teacher scratched his head in confusion. "He was just here. Where'd he go?"
"The Uchiha absolutely cannot be trusted!" Outside the Hokage's office, the on-duty ninja listened to the voices coming from within. His heart tightened as his keen eyes swept constantly across the surroundings, keeping every living thing away.
"Danzo, you're too extreme!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang out. "The Uchiha are also our village's comrades."
"Comrades can't be trusted either!"
"Have you forgotten Lord Tobirama's instructions?"
"With you being so weak, how can I trust the village's future to you?"
"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted. "The village's future isn't yours to decide!"
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
"Danzo, I'm the Hokage."
The voices inside fell silent for a moment. Hearing footsteps approach, the on-duty ninja immediately stood ramrod straight, staring straight ahead.
"Creak—bang!" From the corner of his eye, he watched Elder Danzo's defeated figure disappear from view once again and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Inside the office.
After his old friend slammed the door and left again, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened. Then he slowly sat down in his thoroughly ordinary Hokage chair.
He looked at the stack of documents before him and took a long drag on his pipe.
"Knock, knock!" "Come in."
The on-duty ninja opened the door and reported, "A teacher from the school said Nebula Kotetsu disappeared after school. They've already sent people to look for him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand.
"Never mind."
"Tell them not to look. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
"Yes." "Creak..." The visitor withdrew, closing the creaking door behind him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a plume of smoke. A moment later, he muttered, "Time to replace the door."
"Take the cost out of Root's budget."
An hour later.
The Ninja Academy library was in disarray.
Book after book had fallen from the shelves onto the floor.
A few strands of Kaede Hyuga's hair clung to her flushed, delicate face. Looking three parts languid and seven parts alluring, she sat atop a pile of Konoha Taijutsu Compendiums and gazed at Nebula Kotetsu before her with watery eyes.
"How have you been lately?"
Nebula Kotetsu, exhausted from turning pages, spread his hands and sat on the floor.
He replied irritably, "Don't you think it's a little late to ask me that now?"
Kaede Hyuga chuckled.
"What does it matter if it's late? I wanted to ask, so I did."
Nebula Kotetsu replied helplessly, "I'm the same as ever."
"Nothing's changed."
"Nothing's changed?" Kaede Hyuga said.
"You don't seem like your old self to me."
"The Mystical Palm Technique, tsk, tsk..."
"For someone your age to master the Mystical Palm Technique—you're no dead-last. You're a genius."
"When they assign teams after graduation, a famous Jonin will probably be leading yours. You have a bright future."
Nebula Kotetsu could only give an awkward smile. "It was a coincidence."
"Purely a coincidence."
Kaede Hyuga gave him a knowing smile.
She didn't believe a word he said, but couldn't be bothered to get to the bottom of it. Compared with the Mystical Palm Technique and the like, there was something else she cared more about.
"How many girlfriends do you have left now?"
Nebula Kotetsu's heart tightened. "W-why are you asking?"
Kaede Hyuga smiled seductively. She slowly leaned closer to Nebula Kotetsu. As he tensed up, she murmured, "What?"
"As one of your girlfriends, am I not allowed to ask about your relationship status?"
Nebula Kotetsu replied helplessly, "Could you act normal?"
"Not that many. Just around twenty."
Before you continue