Nothing More Than a Little Hardship

Black-haired, thin, as if he were malnourished.

"He doesn't look anything like the Kumogakure from the rumors."

Shizune thought to herself.

As far as she knew, those Kumogakure shinobi were all powerfully built, with arms thicker than a person's thighs.

And they all had the standard sausage lips.

"Will he look like that when he grows up?"

Shizune examined him carefully and found that Kiyoshi's lips were perfectly normal—if anything, rather thin.

"Penlight."

Tsunade spoke.

"Ah... yes."

Shizune hurriedly snapped back to attention, took the tool from her Ninja Tools Pouch, and handed it to Tsunade.

She looked up and discovered that the Uchiha she had been staring at had even given her a smile.

Shizune's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head.

She knew Kiyoshi had caught her looking him over, and that it was very rude.

"An Uchiha who likes to smile is a rare sight."

Tsunade raised a brow.

Was this what one should expect from someone brought back from outside the village?

He was completely unlike the proud and aloof Uchiha in Konoha.

To be honest, if this incident had not caused such a stir, and if the old man had not forced her to come take a look...

She, who suffered from hemophobia, would never have come no matter what.

"Because Lady Tsunade, your eyes are beautiful. They look as though they hold stars."

Kiyoshi said.

"Oh?"

Tsunade subtly clenched her hand.

If this Uchiha could not give a proper explanation, she would definitely punch him hard and teach him that not everyone could be joked with.

"While Lady Tsunade was examining me, I could feel how dedicated you were through your eyes. Your status is so noble, while I am merely an ordinary Uchiha."

Kiyoshi paused, then continued:

"I have read many storybooks. Lady Tsunade, you must be the kind of renowned healer in those stories who saves the world with a hanging pot."

"Tsunade is one of the Sannin and Konoha's finest Medical Ninja. Of course she's a renowned healer."

Mikoto, who had been waiting nearby, let out a chuckle.

She felt that Kiyoshi was still a boy at heart—truly simple and innocent.

Hearing that answer, Tsunade relaxed her clenched hand.

So he had been praising her Medical Arts.

This kid was quite good with words.

"If I could learn Medical Arts like that, I could help others too. I really hope I can become like Lady Tsunade."

Kiyoshi said.

"Medical Ninja need Chakra with Yang Release. If you do not have it, you cannot become a Medical Ninja."

After saying that, Tsunade stood up.

She told Mikoto that she would look through some records after returning to learn more about this condition.

Then she would have another outstanding Medical Ninja, Yakushi Nonō, come and examine him.

Shizune immediately followed Tsunade out.

"Kiyoshi, get some proper rest for now. We'll arrange for you to enroll in school after some time."

Mikoto soon left as well.

The room, which had previously been fairly lively, was left with only Kiyoshi.

"Figures. I'm not Uzumaki Naruto, blessed by fate."

Kiyoshi shook his head.

Naruto had even managed to persuade Tsunade, who had been away for years, to return and take up the responsibility of becoming Hokage.

Tsunade's refusal had been within Kiyoshi's expectations.

If Tsunade had been interested, she would have taken the opportunity to check his Chakra nature. With Tsunade's ability, she could easily have learned the result.

Unfortunately, Tsunade had not.

In the end, he was an Uchiha.

Nine times out of ten, life did not go as one wished.

Kiyoshi had no intention of being discouraged. Instead, he thought of Yakushi Nonō.

Tsunade had said Yakushi Nonō would come next time.

If he handled it well, Kiyoshi could use this connection to learn Medical Arts.

The Uchiha Clan had no highly skilled Medical Ninja.

Because once any Uchiha graduated from the Ninja Academy, they would be assigned to the Konoha Military Police Force.

They only learned some rudimentary Medical Arts at the Ninja Academy.

Usually serving as guards in peacetime and vanguards in war, few Uchiha pursued further training.

Madara Uchiha's Medical Arts might actually have been the best in the Uchiha Clan.

He could perform eye-transplant surgery anytime, anywhere, at a moment's notice.

The reason Kiyoshi cared so much about Medical Arts was that this was a world of glass cannons.

Even Sasuke's Six-Tomoe Rinnegan could be stabbed blind by an ordinary kunai. If he had received emergency treatment with Medical Arts immediately, perhaps it could still have been saved.

In the brutal wars of the future, who could guarantee that they would never be injured or lose an arm or a leg?

Not just anyone could receive a prosthetic made from Hashirama Cells.

Besides, Kiyoshi had at least learned some basic Chakra extraction methods. He had spent more than half of his meager savings hiring shinobi to test his Chakra nature.

The result was that he possessed Yang Release.

Not everyone possessed Yang Release. For example, Sasuke's databook had no "Yang," while Naruto's databook had no "Yin."

Although Chakra nature transformation could be acquired through training, it would ultimately take a great deal of extra time.

Usually measured in years.

Shinobi born with Yang Release inherited naturally would find it easier than those without it to master the corresponding ninjutsu.

Thinking of this, Kiyoshi rose from the tatami.

Without realizing it, he had walked to the window, so he casually pushed it open.

A steady drizzle beat against the trees in the courtyard, and the leaves rustled softly.

A bleak autumn wind rushed into his face.

Rainy days always made people feel cold.

Kiyoshi suddenly smiled.

"Nothing more than a little hardship."

He had already come up with a plan for how to attract Yakushi Nonō.

Yakushi Nonō would become the director of an orphanage in the future. For the sake of those children, she would even rejoin Root after having already left it.

In this vast world, people's preferences came in all forms.

Some craved power even in old age, while others regarded power as dirt and wanted only immortality.

And Yakushi Nonō liked... children.

The next day.

Ninja Academy.

"This is our new classmate, Kiyoshi Uchiha."

The chunin instructor had Kiyoshi write his name on the blackboard.

Kiyoshi picked up a piece of white chalk and wrote his name.

He glanced down and saw quite a few familiar faces: Obito, Kakashi, Rin, Shiranui Genma...

"Your handwriting is beautiful."

Rin Nohara praised him.

"Hey, Rin, I heard that guy came from the Land of Lightning."

Obito whispered to Rin.

Everyone from the Land of Lightning is a bunch of brutes. Rin, don't let his appearance fool you.

Obito thought.

"Please take care of me, everyone."

Kiyoshi gave a gentle smile and, under the chunin instructor's arrangement, took a seat by the window in the back row.

"Alright, class begins."

The instructor cleared his throat and began explaining the lesson.

The village's opinion of the Uchiha had not been very good lately, but teachers like them still quite liked Uchiha students.

There was no other reason—they were easy to teach.

Under the normal process, there should have been an entrance test to assess the most basic genjutsu and ninjutsu. In truth, it was merely a simple test of one's Chakra reserves and whether one could control the Chakra within one's body.

As long as one met the standard, one passed.

Kiyoshi was an Uchiha transfer student, and even as a transfer, he could keep up with the curriculum.

The ninja clans privately gave their members additional instruction.

Soon, it was time for a break between classes.

"I heard Kiyoshi came from the Land of Lightning?"

Kiyoshi's seat happened to be close to Rin Nohara's, so she walked over to ask.

"That's right."

"Can you keep up with what's taught here? You transferred in, didn't you?"

Rin Nohara asked curiously.

Before graduating from the Ninja Academy and receiving the Ninja Headband that proved one had become a ninja and a genin, students were not qualified to leave the village.

Shinobi needed permits to enter and leave the village, with only certain special shinobi exempt from this rule.

"Well... I'll do my best."

Kiyoshi closed his book, picked up another one, and began flipping through it. He slightly raised his eyes and said:

"Rin Nohara, could you teach me Konoha's ninjutsu?"