Nohara Rin

Nohara Rin had inexplicably chosen to stay. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

She wanted to see what Shimizu was up to.

Kakashi had been mentioning Uchiha Shimizu a lot lately. It seemed he was quite curious about Shimizu.

That had made Nohara Rin curious, too. She wanted to find out why Kakashi cared so much about Shimizu.

"Ah... I see... Then I'll head back by myself."

Obito lowered his head, looking dejected.

But he soon perked up again. Rin had come with him to the hospital, and they'd spent so much time together already. He should be satisfied with that.

Uchiha Obito said goodbye to Nohara Rin and left Konoha Hospital.

After Obito had gone, Nohara Rin walked toward the room Shimizu had entered.

The door wasn't closed, leaving a wide gap.

Nohara Rin quietly peered inside through the opening.

She saw Shimizu's hands glowing pale green as he treated a patient's injuries.

Yakushi Nonō stood nearby, occasionally guiding Shimizu and explaining the finer points.

As for the patient, he was still unconscious.

He had no idea that the person treating him was a child of six or seven. If he'd known, he probably would've demanded another doctor.

"Shimizu is amazing."

Nohara Rin's eyes widened. Shimizu could use Medical Ninjutsu to help people.

No wonder Shimizu was always on his own. He must have been studying hard in private.

"Your friend?"

Yakushi Nonō asked suddenly.

She had sensed long ago that Nohara Rin was watching her and Shimizu. She hadn't missed Rin peeking in from the doorway, either.

"Yeah."

Shimizu glanced toward the door and recognized Nohara Rin by the familiar purple markings on her face.

Their exchange was quiet. Nohara Rin, still standing by the door, hadn't realized they'd spotted her. She thought they were simply discussing their work.

Rin's arrival didn't distract Shimizu. He continued his work in a calm, orderly fashion.

He stopped the bleeding, stitched the incision, used Medical Ninjutsu to speed the healing, and stabilized the blood vessels around the wound.

When everything was done, Shimizu asked Yakushi Nonō to wait for him. Then he went out to deal with Nohara Rin.

"Is something the matter, Nohara Rin?"

Nohara Rin was pretending to walk down the hall, though she was already almost at the corner. Shimizu called out to her.

"Um... I was just passing by."

"Oh, really?"

Shimizu's tone was even as he walked up to her.

Nohara Rin didn't dare meet his eyes. No matter how she looked at it, she'd acted poorly by secretly peeking at him.

"It's just... I was curious that you know Medical Ninjutsu, Shimizu. If you don't mind, could you teach me?"

Nohara Rin took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

She came from an ordinary family. Her father was a civilian Genin, and her mother was an ordinary person.

Her father still suffered from a disability he'd been left with during the wars.

That was why Nohara Rin had resolved to become a ninja. She wanted to save those injured on the battlefield.

"Hey, Rin! I forgot to get my medicine before I left!"

Obito's voice suddenly rang out in the distance while the two of them stood in silence.

Uchiha Obito came running back, doubled over and panting.

He'd only realized halfway back that he'd been so focused on talking with Rin that he'd forgotten to pick up his medicine.

Luckily, Rin had said she was going to look around the hospital, so he still had a chance to get it.

When Obito got close, the first person he saw was Nohara Rin. He felt relieved that he wouldn't have to search everywhere for her.

Then he saw Uchiha Shimizu standing beside Rin, and his instincts told him something was wrong.

He'd just invited Rin along, and she'd turned him down.

Could it be because of Uchiha Shimizu?

Obito couldn't accept the thought and frantically searched for excuses.

It can't be. Rin isn't that kind of person.

"Rin, looks like you were right. Uchiha Shimizu really is here."

Uchiha Obito tried to force a smile, but when it came to Rin, it came out strained.

If it had been that guy Kakashi, fine. He could be such a show-off, but for some reason Obito didn't really dislike him.

But Uchiha Shimizu was another story, even though he was just as much of a show-off. Obito couldn't stand it.

Obito didn't like Uchiha Shimizu much. Shimizu rarely spoke to him, and sometimes he gave Obito such a frightening look, as if Obito had committed some terrible crime. It made him uneasy.

Over time, Obito had come to dislike Uchiha Shimizu.

"Hello, Obito."

Shimizu gave him a polite smile.

"Hmph, I'm not fine."

Obito looked grumpy.

He'd just left, only to find the girl he liked with another guy. Of course he wasn't going to be in a good mood.

"Obito, Shimizu is in our class. We should all get along."

Nohara Rin said, handing Obito his medicine.

She'd accidentally forgotten to give it to him earlier, too. Now was a good chance.

"I know, Rin."

Obito took the medicine, still giving Shimizu a frosty look.

He felt that Shimizu was his rival in love and had to be watched, lest he steal Rin away.

"You two can talk. As for what we discussed, come find me here tomorrow morning."

Shimizu gave Nohara Rin an address, then went straight back into the room. Yakushi Nonō was still waiting for him.

"Okay!"

Nohara Rin replied happily.

Shimizu hadn't refused, so there was hope.

"Rin, what was that about?"

Obito asked curiously.

"Something about medical treatment."

"Oh."

Obito nodded, thinking that he'd have to follow them tomorrow and see what was going on.

Obito watched Shimizu walk farther away, then whispered:

"That guy's chakra is so cold. Seriously, Rin, don't get involved with him."

"Obito, chakra doesn't represent everything. Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, seems cold and aloof, and his chakra is cold, too. But there's no denying that he's a hero of Konoha."

Nohara Rin shook her head.

Whether someone's chakra felt warm or cold could only hint at their personality. It didn't reflect their character.

"Come on, Rin, I'm telling you, Shimizu looks at Aunt Hazuki weirdly, too. He's definitely a pervert."

Obito listed one offense after another that Shimizu had supposedly committed in the Uchiha Settlement, hoping to convince Nohara Rin.

As they talked, they walked farther and farther away.

Walking with his back to them, Shimizu couldn't help but let a cold smile curl across his lips.

His control over chakra had improved tremendously. He concentrated it around his ears to sharpen his hearing and easily picked up Obito and Nohara Rin's whispered conversation.

From what they'd said, Obito seemed to dislike him. It was probably because, from Obito's perspective, he'd gotten too close to Nohara Rin.

No wonder Obito had only gotten along with the people on Team Minato in the original story.

It seemed only the people on Team Minato could earn Obito's trust.

Shimizu wasn't bothered. Before he'd gotten the Simulator, he would have been wary of Obito.

That was also why he'd rarely spoken to the girls in his class before.