Silence. Silence is tonight's Cambridge.
Sasuke Uchiha stood frozen in place, his shoulders trembling slightly. He was clearly wrestling with an intense inner struggle. Several times, he tried to speak, but it was as if something blocked his throat, and no sound came out.
Itachi Uchiha stood quietly to one side. He said nothing, merely watching Sasuke in silence and waiting for him to make his own decision.
Time passed second by second, but Sasuke remained silent. Watching him squirm like this, Hyuga Kiyonari suddenly felt a mischievous urge.
"Sasuke," Kiyonari said soothingly on purpose, "it's all right to feel embarrassed. It was only a verbal agreement, so we can pretend it never happened."
He paused, then continued, "And honestly, I don't care that much about the bet either. You don't have to take it so seriously."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke ground his teeth. "Are you looking down on me?"
Kiyonari hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no. I just think..."
"Enough!"
Sasuke rudely cut him off. "I, Sasuke Uchiha, am not the kind of person who goes back on his word! A bet is a bet. You have to accept defeat when you lose!"
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his cheeks turning bright red. Then, under Hyuga Kiyonari's eager gaze, Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes and shouted with all his might:
"When it comes to archery, I, Sasuke Uchiha, acknowledge you as the strongest!"
His voice boomed through the training ground like a clap of thunder, startling the birds roosting in the trees.
After shouting those words, Sasuke seemed to have used up all his strength. He dropped into a crouch and buried his face in his arms. From the little bit of his profile still visible, he was red as a ripe tomato.
"Sasuke, you..."
Kiyonari was trying to hold back a laugh and was about to say something to comfort him when laughter came from the bushes nearby.
There was someone even better?!
Sasuke's body stiffened at once. He whipped around, fixing a sharp stare on the bushes.
"Who's there?" His voice held a trace of anger, and... embarrassment.
"Come out," Itachi said calmly. "Hiding there and spying isn't a good habit."
There was a rustle in the bushes. Then two girls parted the branches and emerged.
One was a girl with long blond hair and an awkward smile. The other had short pink hair and a bow-shaped hair ornament. She kept her head down, hiding behind the first girl.
Hyuga Kiyonari recognized them: Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno.
Ino brushed the grass off herself and smiled awkwardly. "Um... sorry, sorry. We weren't spying on purpose. We just happened to pass by, saw you competing, and couldn't help stopping to watch for a bit."
Sasuke's expression darkened even further, his eyes practically spitting fire.
"How much did you hear?" Sasuke asked, each word deliberate.
"Hear what? We didn't hear anything." Ino blinked, but the smile she could barely suppress gave her away.
Sakura hid behind Ino, but kept sneaking glances at Sasuke. His expression was terrifying, but to Sakura, it only made him look even more handsome.
That cold side of him was exactly what made a girl's heart flutter.
"All right, Sasuke." Itachi had no choice but to step forward and offer a few words of comfort.
Ino smiled, her gaze shifting back and forth between Kiyonari and Sasuke. A flash of excitement gleamed in her eyes.
They're both so handsome... One's a cool, aloof boy, and the other's a gentle, handsome guy. If only they both tried to win me over...
At the thought, Ino covered her face without thinking and fell into a strange fit of embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed, though the corners of her mouth kept rising.
Sakura noticed that Ino was acting strangely and asked in confusion, "Ino, what's wrong?"
Ino snapped out of her daydream and hurriedly waved her hands. "N-nothing! I just suddenly thought of something."
Itachi's words usually worked on Sasuke. He had stopped being angry, but he still wasn't exactly fond of the two girls who had suddenly appeared.
He didn't like being watched, especially since they'd overheard what he had just said... He should never have suggested a competition!
"You two, leave," Sasuke said coldly.
A wave of disappointment washed over Sakura when she heard him, but she obediently nodded and prepared to go. Ino, however, wasn't nearly so compliant. She took Sakura by the hand and headed toward them instead.
"Wait, Ino!" Sakura said in alarm. "We should just leave..."
"Why leave?" Ino said with a smile. "I want to get to know them."
She led Sakura over to the three of them. "Hello, I'm Ino Yamanaka, and this is my friend, Sakura Haruno."
Dragged along by Ino, Sakura didn't dare look at them. She only managed a quiet, "H-hello."
Sasuke ignored them, clearly still dwelling on what had just happened.
"I'm Hyuga Kiyonari."
"I'm Itachi Uchiha, and this is my younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha." Itachi patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "You all look about the same age. Maybe you'll end up in the same class once you start school."
Ino's eyes lit up, and she blurted out happily, "That would be wonderful!"
At the same time, she didn't forget to give her best friend a little nudge, discreetly tugging at Sakura's hand.
Then Sakura took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and looked toward Sasuke. "Um... Sasuke-kun, you're really good at archery."
A hint of discomfort crossed Sasuke's face. He turned away. "Not good enough. I lost to Hyuga Kiyonari."
Although Sasuke's manner was still cold, Sakura's heart fluttered at his reply.
Hyuga Kiyonari caught Sakura's secretly delighted expression and could almost guess what she was thinking. He quietly took half a step back.
Just as expected, Sakura at this age... Her emotional intelligence was exactly like those people who genuinely believed, "If my goddess hasn't blocked me, she must like me." No wonder she'd come up with that classic line back when she was on Team 7.
Fortunately... she wasn't interested in me. Terrifying.
Kiyonari immediately changed the subject. "Itachi-senpai, could you teach me the Shadow Clone Technique now?"
Itachi Uchiha gave a slight nod. "The Shadow Clone Technique only requires the Ram hand seal. The difficult part is dividing your chakra. Each additional shadow clone requires you to divide your chakra evenly among them... As a member of the Hyuga Clan, you shouldn't have trouble controlling your chakra precisely. You just need more practice. I'll demonstrate now."
"What about the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?" Kiyonari asked curiously. "If the regular Shadow Clone Technique can already create multiple clones, why is there a separate Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?"
Itachi Uchiha explained, "The Shadow Clone Technique first divides your chakra evenly, then creates tangible clones. The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique skips the chakra-dividing process."
"If a user has enough chakra to create only three shadow clones, then trying to create a fourth will fail. But the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique removes that restriction. The number of clones depends only on the user's will. If they exceed what the user can handle, it will drain their chakra or even push them past their limits."
"That's why this technique is classified as a forbidden jutsu."
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