I, Sasuke Uchiha, Declare You the Strongest

Silence, silence is the Cambridge of this evening.

Sasuke Uchiha froze in place, his shoulders trembling slightly; clearly, he was undergoing an intense internal struggle. He tried to speak several times, but his throat felt blocked, unable to produce a sound.

Itachi Uchiha stood to the side, saying nothing, merely watching him quietly and waiting for him to make his own decision.

Time ticked away second by second, and Sasuke remained silent. Watching this awkward display, a sudden impulse for mischief welled up in Hyuga Kiyonari's heart.

"Sasuke," Kiyonari said, deliberately adopting a consoling tone, "it's alright to feel embarrassed. After all, it was just a verbal agreement; it doesn't have to count."

He paused, then continued, "And to be honest, I don't really care about this bet. You don't need to take it to heart."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hearing this, Sasuke gritted his teeth until they clicked. "Are you looking down on me?"

Kiyonari waved his hands hurriedly. "No, no, I just thought—"

"Enough!"

Sasuke rudely cut Kiyonari off. "I, Sasuke Uchiha, am not the type to welch on a debt! A bet is a bet; it is only right to honor it!"

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and his cheeks flushed a deep red. Then, under Hyuga Kiyonari's expectant gaze, Sasuke snapped his eyes open and shouted with every ounce of strength in his body:

"In terms of archery, I, Sasuke Uchiha, am willing to call you the strongest!"

The voice echoed through the training ground like a thunderclap, startling the birds resting in the woods.

After shouting those words, Sasuke seemed to have exhausted all his strength; he suddenly squatted down and buried his face deep into his arms. Judging by the sliver of his profile visible, he was as red as a ripe tomato.

"Sasuke, you..."

Kiyonari was stifling a laugh, preparing to say something to comfort him, when a burst of laughter drifted from the bushes not far away.

There's another expert here?!

Sasuke's body stiffened instantly. He whipped his head around, his gaze sharp as he glared toward the bushes.

"Who is there!" His voice carried a hint of irritation, and... shame.

"Come out," Itachi Uchiha said calmly. "Hiding there and eavesdropping is not a good habit."

A rustling sound came from the bushes, and then two girls pushed aside the foliage and crawled out.

One was a girl with long blonde hair, wearing an awkward smile. The other was a girl with short pink hair, wearing a butterfly-like hair accessory, who kept her head down and hid behind her friend.

Hyuga Kiyonari recognized them: Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno.

Ino patted the grass clippings off her clothes and laughed awkwardly. "Um... sorry, sorry. We didn't mean to eavesdrop. We were just passing by, saw you two competing, and couldn't help but stop and watch for a while."

Sasuke's expression turned even uglier; his eyes looked as if they were about to spit fire.

"You two... how much did you hear?" Sasuke asked, enunciating every word.

"Hear what? We didn't hear anything." Ino blinked, but the laughter she couldn't suppress betrayed her.

Sakura hid behind Ino, her gaze secretly fixed on Sasuke. Although Sasuke's current expression was terrifying, Sakura felt he was even more handsome.

This cold, aloof side was the most effective at stirring a young girl's heart.

"Alright, Sasuke." Itachi had no choice but to step forward and offer a few words of comfort.

Ino smiled, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Kiyonari and Sasuke, a glimmer of excitement flashing in her eyes.

Both of them are so handsome... one is a cold, beautiful boy, the other is a gentle, dashing guy. If both of them were to pursue me...

Thinking of this, Ino couldn't help but cover her face, falling into a state of inexplicable shyness. Her cheeks flushed, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

Sakura noticed Ino acting strangely and asked in confusion, "Ino, what's wrong?"

Ino snapped out of her fantasy immediately and waved her hands. "No... nothing! I just suddenly thought of something."

For Sasuke, Itachi's words still carried weight, but while he was no longer angry, he still didn't find these two suddenly appearing girls particularly pleasant.

He didn't like being watched, especially since they had overheard what he just said... If only he hadn't brought up that competition!

"You two, leave here at once." Sasuke coldly shooed them away.

Hearing Sasuke's words, a sense of loss welled up in Sakura's heart, but she nodded obediently, preparing to leave. However, Ino wasn't so compliant; she grabbed Sakura's hand and walked toward them instead.

"Wait, Ino!" Sakura said, somewhat panicked. "Let's just go..."

"Go where?" Ino said with a smile. "I still want to get to know them."

She pulled Sakura in front of the three boys. "Hello, my name is Ino Yamanaka, and this is my friend, Sakura Haruno."

Sakura was dragged over by Ino, but she didn't dare look at them, only whispering, "H-hello."

Sasuke ignored them, clearly still dwelling on what had just happened.

"I am Hyuga Kiyonari."

"I am Itachi Uchiha, and this is my younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha." Itachi patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "You all look to be about the same age. Perhaps... you will be in the same class when you start school."

Ino's eyes lit up instantly, and she blurted out happily, "That would be wonderful!"

At the same time, she didn't forget to give her best friend a nudge, tugging on Sakura's hand without a trace.

Sakura then took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and looked at Sasuke. "Um... Sasuke-kun, your archery is very impressive."

Sasuke's face flashed with a hint of discomfort at these words, and he turned his head away. "It's not enough. I lost to Hyuga Kiyonari."

Although Sasuke's attitude remained cold, Sakura felt a sweetness bloom in her heart at his response.

Catching a glimpse of the secret joy on Sakura's face, Hyuga Kiyonari could almost guess what she was thinking, and he retreated half a step without a sound.

Sure enough, Sakura at this age... her emotional intelligence was exactly like those guys who firmly believe that "if a goddess hasn't blocked me, she must like me." It was no wonder she could utter that classic line back in Team 7.

Fortunately... she didn't take a liking to me. Terrifying.

Kiyonari immediately changed the subject: "Senior Itachi, may I ask for instruction on the Shadow Clone Technique now?"

Itachi Uchiha nodded slightly. "The Shadow Clone Technique only requires the Ram seal; the difficulty of the jutsu lies in the distribution of chakra. For every additional shadow clone created, you must divide your chakra equally... As a member of the Hyuga Clan, precise chakra control should not be difficult for you; you only need to practice more. I will demonstrate it now."

"What about the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?" Kiyonari asked with curiosity. "Since the ordinary Shadow Clone Technique can also create multiple clones, why does the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique exist as a separate jutsu?"

Itachi Uchiha explained, "The Shadow Clone Technique divides chakra equally before creating physical clones, whereas the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique skips the process of equal division."

"If a practitioner only has enough chakra to create three shadow clones, they will fail when attempting to create a fourth. However, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique removes this restriction; the number of clones depends only on one's will. Once it exceeds the practitioner's capacity, it will lead to chakra exhaustion or even overdraft."

"Therefore, this jutsu is classified as a forbidden technique."