I Cherish My Life, You Know

Tsunade hurried away.

Hyuga Kiyonari had intended to ask for advice regarding the Shadow Clone Technique, but she left in such a rush that she only left behind the words, "Leave the bowls for Shizune to wash."

Forget it, he would just have to figure it out on his own.

But looking on the bright side, at least he didn't have to wash the dishes.

Kiyonari turned and headed toward the village training grounds. He was accustomed to using a secluded public training ground when working out; it was quiet and sparsely populated, making it perfect for focused practice.

When students graduated from the Ninja Academy, they were required to have mastered the Three Basic Techniques.

These were the Clone Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the Substitution Technique. Among them, the clone created by the Clone Technique had no physical form; it was merely an illusion.

The Shadow Clone Technique gifted to him by the Third Hokage was quite special. It had been created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who drew inspiration from Senju Hashirama's Wood Clone to develop a technique for creating physical clones. Shadow Clones possessed independent thought and the ability to act, could use ninjutsu, and would return their memories to the original body once dispelled.

As Hyuga Kiyonari walked into the training ground, he discovered it wasn't as empty as usual. In the center of the field, two people were practicing shuriken throwing.

It was Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.

Sasuke noticed someone approaching and turned his head, a flash of surprise crossing his black eyes.

"It's you," Sasuke said, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance, "Hyuga Kiyonari."

Kiyonari raised a hand in greeting: "Sasuke, and Itachi. What a coincidence, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Itachi Uchiha responded politely: "Hello, Kiyonari-kun."

"I didn't actually want to come to this training ground. The Uchiha have our own, but my brother insisted on dragging me here." Sasuke spoke as if he were deliberately trying to explain something.

The corners of Kiyonari's mouth curled up slightly: "Sasuke, do you know the idiom 'the more you try to hide, the more you expose'?"

"I am not!"

Sasuke's face flushed slightly. If Shisui hadn't been constantly whisking his brother away, he never would have come here!

Just then, as if remembering something, Sasuke hurriedly shouted: "Hyuga Kiyonari, I want to challenge you to an archery contest."

Kiyonari found it troublesome and waved his hand to decline: "I've already seen your archery skills, Sasuke. I'm no match for you; I concede defeat. Besides, I came here today to practice the Shadow Clone Technique."

"Stop pretending!" Sasuke looked completely unconvinced. "My brother already told me. That arrow that hit the wild boar was shot by you, while mine missed the target."

Kiyonari was silent for a moment before he had to admit it: "I shot it. But that was just luck."

"Luck?" Sasuke clenched his fists, the young boy's flushed face betraying his intensity. "I don't believe it!"

"To hit a wild boar in the eye from that distance and angle is definitely not just luck. Since that day, I've been training hard at home, waiting for this very moment. I must compete with you again."

"If you can win this match, I'll have my brother teach you the Shadow Clone Technique."

However, even with the stakes raised this high, Kiyonari still shook his head and refused: "No."

"Why?" Sasuke was somewhat puzzled. "Don't you want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique?"

"The one competing with me is you, but the price would be paid by your brother. In that case, how would you compensate Itachi?"

These words left Sasuke stunned. He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Itachi Uchiha looked at Kiyonari, a glimmer of appreciation flashing in his eyes.

He was not constrained by the gains or losses of his clan, nor by his own interests, and he even considered the efforts of others. This way of thinking was rare among his peers... no, it was rare among everyone he knew.

Kiyonari... truly lived up to the high regard held by the Hokage and Tsunade.

Sasuke lowered his head in shame: "I, I didn't think that far."

However, Itachi spoke up then: "Kiyonari-kun is right. However, I am also very interested in you."

"Therefore, I will personally propose that you compete with Sasuke. Regardless of who wins or loses, I will teach you the Shadow Clone Technique. This is not a wager, but a sign of my appreciation for you."

"Since that's the case..." Kiyonari pondered for a moment. "Sasuke, let's add a wager. If you lose, you have to agree to do one thing for me, and vice versa."

"What thing?"

Kiyonari grinned and leaned in to whisper two sentences in his ear. In an instant, the tips of Sasuke's ears turned a deep shade of red.

"No... no way!" He reacted as excitedly as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

However, Kiyonari managed to handle him with a single, airy sentence: "Could it be... that you think you'll lose?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Sasuke pulled out a bow and arrow and pointed at the target they had been using for shuriken practice: "We'll step back another fifty paces, for a total distance of one hundred paces. Three arrows each. The center ring is ten points, with each ring outward decreasing by one. We'll compare the final total score, how about it?"

Kiyonari nodded: "Fine."

Sasuke went first. He drew the bowstring, aimed at the target, and released.

Whoosh—

The arrow cut through the air and struck the eighth ring of the target with precision.

But Sasuke frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the result. He took a deep breath and fired the second arrow.

Whoosh—

This arrow hit the center of the target, and the third arrow was even better, also striking the bullseye.

Itachi nodded: "A total of 28 points. Sasuke, well done."

Sasuke turned his head to look at Kiyonari, his eyes filled with a challenging glint: "Your turn."

Kiyonari walked to the starting line, drew an arrow, and nocked it onto the bowstring. He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and felt the direction of the wind and the flow of the air around him.

Then, he opened his eyes and pulled back the bowstring.

"Whoosh—"

The first arrow struck the bullseye. Sasuke's eyes widened, but what surprised him was yet to come.

Kiyonari did not pause, firing the remaining two arrows in quick succession. The second arrow split the shaft of the first and hit the bullseye; before the trembling tail of the arrow could even settle, the third arrow struck, split it, and embedded itself into the center.

Itachi looked at the arrows on the target, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Truly remarkable archery," Itachi couldn't help but exclaim. "With this level of precision, you would have few rivals even within the Anbu."

Sasuke bit his lip; he hadn't just lost, he had been utterly defeated.

"I accept your praise."

Kiyonari handed the bow and arrow back, though he left one thing unsaid: Don't challenge my livelihood with your hobby.

Before his system awakened, Kiyonari had practiced archery day in and day out.

It wasn't just to hunt and supplement his living; more importantly, if he could master archery to a supernatural level, he could rightfully hide and fire cold arrows once he reached the battlefield. Why bother using Gentle Fist to engage enemies in close-quarters combat?

For this reason, the moment he refined his first wisp of chakra, he went to purchase chakra test paper to determine his affinity.

His chakra attribute was—Wind.