Tsunade hurried off.
Hyuga Kiyonari had wanted to ask her about the Shadow Clone Technique, but she had left in such a hurry that all she said was, "Leave the bowls for Shizune to wash."
Oh well, he would have to figure it out on his own for now.
On the bright side, at least he didn't have to wash the dishes.
Kiyonari turned and headed for a training ground in the village. When he worked out, he usually went to a quieter public training ground on the outskirts. It was peaceful and nearly empty, making it easier to focus.
When students graduated from the Ninja Academy, they were expected to master the Three Body Technique.
The three techniques were the Clone Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the Substitution Technique. The Clone Technique created an intangible duplicate, nothing more than a shadow.
The Shadow Clone Technique gifted by the Third was different. Senju Tobirama, the Second, had been inspired by Senju Hashirama's Wood Clone and created a technique that produced tangible clones. Shadow Clones had independent minds and could act on their own and use ninjutsu. When a clone dispersed, its memories returned to the original.
When Hyuga Kiyonari entered the training ground, he found it wasn't as empty as usual. Two people were practicing shuriken throws in the middle of the field.
They were Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.
Sasuke noticed someone approaching and turned to look. A flicker of surprise crossed his dark eyes.
"Oh, it's you," Sasuke said, sounding reluctant. "Hyuga Kiyonari."
Kiyonari raised a hand in greeting. "Sasuke, Itachi. What a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here."
Itachi Uchiha replied politely, "Hello, Kiyonari."
"I didn't want to come to this training ground. The Uchiha have our own, but my brother insisted on dragging me here." Sasuke sounded as if he were deliberately explaining something.
Kiyonari's lips curled slightly. "Sasuke, have you heard the saying 'the more you try to cover something up, the more obvious it becomes'?"
"I'm not covering anything up!"
Sasuke's face turned slightly red. If Shisui-nii didn't keep dragging his brother away, he wouldn't have come here!
Just then, Sasuke seemed to remember something and called out, "Hyuga Kiyonari, I want to challenge you to an archery match."
Kiyonari couldn't be bothered, so he waved him off. "I've already seen your archery, Sasuke. I'm no match for you. I concede. Besides, I came here today to practice the Shadow Clone Technique."
"Stop pretending!" Sasuke said, his face full of indignation. "My brother already told me. You shot the arrow that hit the wild boar, and mine missed."
Kiyonari fell silent for a moment, then admitted it. "I did shoot it. But I was just lucky."
"Lucky?" Sasuke clenched his fists, his face flushing red. "I don't believe you!"
"Hitting a wild boar in the eye from that distance and at that angle couldn't have been mere luck. I've been practicing hard at home ever since that day, waiting for this chance. I'm going to challenge you again."
"If you win this match, I'll have my brother teach you the Shadow Clone Technique."
Even with the stakes raised that high, Kiyonari still shook his head. "No."
"Why not?" Sasuke asked, puzzled. "Don't you want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique?"
"You're the one challenging me, but your brother is the one who'll have to pay the price. How would you make it up to Itachi?"
Sasuke froze. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Itachi looked at Kiyonari, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
He wasn't fixated on the interests of his clan or his own gain. He had even considered what someone else would have to give up. That kind of thoughtfulness was rare among his peers... no, among everyone he knew.
Kiyonari truly deserved the regard of Lord Hokage and Lady Tsunade.
Sasuke lowered his head, feeling a little ashamed. "I... I didn't think that far ahead."
But Itachi spoke up. "Kiyonari is right. Still, I'm interested in you, too."
"So I'll offer to have you and Sasuke compete. Win or lose, I'll teach you the Shadow Clone Technique. It isn't a wager. It's because I admire you."
"In that case..." Kiyonari considered it for a moment. "Sasuke, let's make a wager. If you lose, you'll do one thing for me. If I lose, I'll do one thing for you."
"What is it?"
Kiyonari grinned and leaned close to whisper in his ear. In an instant, Sasuke's ears turned bright red.
"N-no way!" He was as agitated as a cat with its tail stepped on.
But Kiyonari disarmed him with a single, casual remark. "What, do you think you're going to lose?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Sasuke took out a bow and arrows and pointed toward the target they'd been using for shuriken practice. "We'll move back another fifty paces, for a total distance of a hundred paces. Three arrows each. The bullseye is worth ten points, and each ring out is worth one point less. We'll compare our total scores. How's that?"
Kiyonari nodded. "Sounds good."
Sasuke went first. He drew the bowstring, aimed at the target, and released.
"Whoosh—"
The arrow sliced through the air and hit the eighth ring.
Sasuke frowned, clearly unhappy with the result. He took a deep breath and fired his second arrow.
"Whoosh—"
This time, it hit the center. His third arrow was even better and struck the bullseye, too.
Itachi nodded. "Twenty-eight points. Well done, Sasuke."
Sasuke turned to Kiyonari, his eyes challenging. "Your turn."
Kiyonari walked to the starting line and set an arrow against the bowstring. He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and felt the direction of the wind and the currents in the air around him.
Then he opened his eyes and drew the bowstring.
"Whoosh—"
The first arrow hit the bullseye. Sasuke's eyes widened, but the next part astonished him even more.
Without pausing, Kiyonari fired the other two arrows in quick succession. The second split the first arrow's shaft and struck the bullseye. Before the trembling arrow could settle, the third hit it, split it, and buried itself in the center.
Itachi looked at the arrows in the target, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"That's incredible archery," Itachi couldn't help praising him. "With aim like that, even few in the Anbu could match you."
Sasuke bit his lip. He hadn't merely lost; he'd been utterly crushed.
"Thanks for the match."
Kiyonari handed the bow back. There was something he didn't say: don't challenge someone's livelihood with your hobby.
Before the system awakened, Kiyonari had practiced archery every single day.
It wasn't just to hunt and help make ends meet. More importantly, if he mastered archery, then once he went to war, he could hide away and fire arrows from the shadows without anyone questioning it. Why use Gentle Fist to fight enemies up close?
That was why, as soon as he refined his first wisp of chakra, he went out and bought Chakra Paper to test his affinity.
His chakra nature was—Wind.
Before you continue