Nohara Rin

Nohara Rin chose to stay behind on a whim, her curiosity getting the better of her.

She wanted to see what exactly Qingshui was doing.

Kakashi had been mentioning Uchiha Shimizu constantly lately; it seemed Kakashi was quite curious about him.

Because of this, Nohara Rin had developed a curiosity of her own. She wanted to see why Kakashi cared so much about Qingshui.

"Ah... I see... Then I'll head back on my own."

Obito lowered his head, his face full of sadness.

But he quickly cheered up. Rin had accompanied him to Konoha Hospital today and they had spent so much time together; he should know when to quit while he was ahead.

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

Once Obito had completely departed, Nohara Rin walked toward the room Qingshui had entered.

The door to the room was not closed, leaving a wide gap.

Nohara Rin quietly observed the situation inside through the crack.

She saw a pale green light emanating from Qingshui's hands as he treated a patient's injuries.

Nonou Yakushi stood to the side, occasionally offering guidance and teaching Qingshui the tricks of the trade.

As for the patient, he was still unconscious.

He had no idea that the person treating him was a six or seven-year-old child; if he knew, he would likely demand a different doctor.

"Qingshui is truly amazing."

Nohara Rin's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Qingshui to be able to use medical ninjutsu to help others.

No wonder Qingshui always kept to himself; he must have been studying diligently in private.

"Your friend?"

Nonou Yakushi suddenly spoke.

She had keenly sensed Nohara Rin observing her and Qingshui a long time ago, and now that she was peeking from outside the door, she couldn't be fooled.

"Mm, yes."

Qingshui glanced toward the door and, seeing the familiar purple markings on her face, recognized Nohara Rin.

The two spoke in very low voices. Nohara Rin, standing at the door, did not know she had already been discovered, assuming the two were simply engaged in an academic discussion.

Nohara Rin's arrival did not affect Qingshui; he methodically finished his work.

He stopped the bleeding at the incision, sutured it, used medical ninjutsu to accelerate the healing, and stabilized the blood vessels around the wound.

Once everything was complete, Qingshui asked Nonou Yakushi to wait for him a moment while he went out to deal with the matter of Nohara Rin.

"Classmate Nohara Rin, is there something you need?"

Watching Nohara Rin, who was pretending to walk down the hallway and was already nearing the corner, Qingshui called out.

"Oh... I was just passing by."

"Is that so?"

Qingshui's tone was flat as he walked quietly up to Nohara Rin.

Nohara Rin didn't dare to meet his gaze. Regardless of the reason, what she had done was improper—sneaking around and spying on someone.

"It's just... I was curious about the fact that you know medical ninjutsu, Qingshui. If it's possible, could you teach me?"

Nohara Rin took a deep breath and said slowly.

She was born into an ordinary family; her father was a civilian genin and her mother was a commoner.

To this day, her father still suffered from a disability he had unfortunately sustained during the wars.

That was why Nohara Rin was determined to become a ninja—she wanted to save those injured on the battlefield.

"Hey, Rin, I left without taking the medicine!"

In the silence between the two, Obito's voice suddenly rang out from a distance.

Uchiha Obito ran until he was out of breath, panting heavily.

He had only realized halfway there that he had been so focused on talking to Rin that he had forgotten to pick up the medicine.

Fortunately, Rin had said she wanted to look around the hospital, so he still had a chance to get it.

When Obito ran closer, the first thing he saw was Nohara Rin. At that moment, he felt quite good; he wouldn't have to go searching everywhere for her.

The second thing he saw was Uchiha Shimizu standing beside her, and his heart instinctively felt that something was wrong.

He had invited Rin earlier, and she had rejected him.

Could the reason be Uchiha Shimizu?

Obito found it hard to accept this fact and frantically searched for excuses in his mind.

It couldn't be like that. Rin wasn't that kind of person.

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

Uchiha Obito desperately wanted to force a smile, but because it concerned Rin, his expression remained incredibly strained.

If it had been that guy Kakashi, he might have let it slide; although Kakashi was pretentious, Obito inexplicably didn't actually dislike him.

But if it were Uchiha Shimizu, who was equally fond of putting on airs, Obito simply couldn't accept it.

He held no affection for Uchiha Shimizu, largely because Qingshui rarely interacted with him and sometimes looked at him with a gaze so unsettling it felt as if he had committed some grave error, which made Obito's skin crawl.

As time went on, Obito grew to dislike Uchiha Shimizu even more.

"Hello, classmate Obito."

Qingshui offered a polite, professional smile.

"Hmph, I'm not doing well at all."

Obito looked huffy and annoyed.

The moment he turned around, he saw his crush with another man; it would be a miracle if he were in a good mood.

"Obito, Qingshui is our classmate, we should get along."

Nohara Rin said, handing the medicine to Obito.

She had accidentally forgotten to give it to him earlier, so now was the perfect time.

"I know, Rin."

Obito took the medicine, though he still didn't give Qingshui a pleasant look.

He felt that Qingshui was a romantic rival and he had to be on guard to prevent him from whisking Rin away.

"You two go ahead and talk. Regarding our business, come find me at this location tomorrow morning."

Qingshui rattled off a series of landmarks, instructing Nohara Rin to meet him there, before walking straight into the room where Nonou Yakushi was still waiting for him.

"Okay!"

Nohara Rin agreed happily.

Not being rejected meant there was hope.

"Rin, what is this about?"

Obito asked, full of curiosity.

"It's about some medical matters."

"Oh."

Obito nodded, secretly planning to tag along and see for himself tomorrow.

Watching Qingshui walk further away, Obito whispered:

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

"Obito, chakra doesn't define a person. Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, appears cold and his chakra is also quite chilling, but there is no denying that he is a hero of Konoha."

Nohara Rin shook her head.

Whether one's chakra felt warm or cold only reflected a person's nature, not their character.

"Aiya, Rin, let me tell you, the way Qingshui looks at Aunt Hazuki isn't right either. He's definitely a total pervert."

Obito began listing the various "crimes" Qingshui had committed in the Uchiha Settlement, hoping to convince Nohara Rin.

As they talked, the two walked further and further away.

Walking with his back to them, a cold smirk tugged at the corner of Qingshui's mouth.

His control over his chakra was no longer what it used to be; by concentrating it in his ears to sharpen his hearing, he had easily overheard the whispers between Obito and Nohara Rin.

Judging by their conversation, Obito was very repulsed by him, likely because from his perspective, Qingshui was getting too close to Nohara Rin.

It was no wonder that in the original story, Obito only got along well with the members of Team Minato.

It seemed only those in Team Minato could truly earn Obito's trust.

Qingshui wasn't annoyed, though. If he hadn't obtained the Simulator, he might still have been wary of Obito.

This was also the reason why he had rarely spoken to the female students in his class before.