I Was Here First

Forbidden jutsu?

Hearing this, Sasuke Uchiha's eyes brightened slightly, but Itachi Uchiha saw through his thoughts at a glance.

"Sasuke, are you thinking that as long as you master forbidden jutsu, you can become stronger?"

"Isn't that the case?" Sasuke's reply carried the self-evident certainty of a young man, "The reason forbidden jutsu are called forbidden must be because they are too powerful to be easily mastered."

Itachi Uchiha sighed softly, his gaze sweeping over the four people in front of him: "It seems I need to explain the classification of ninjutsu to you all first."

"Ninjutsu is generally divided into six grades: E, D, C, B, A, and S. However, the standard for this classification is not the power of the jutsu, but its level of difficulty. For example, E-rank is the most basic ninjutsu, such as the Three Body Technique. D-rank is slightly more complex, covering some simple elemental and taijutsu techniques. Ninjutsu of C-rank and above requires higher chakra control and deeper chakra reserves; it is also the starting point for most genjutsu."

Sasuke asked eagerly: "Then what about forbidden jutsu? What rank are they?"

"Forbidden jutsu are not a rank," Itachi looked at Sasuke, his tone becoming serious, "Forbidden jutsu refers to techniques that cause severe harm to the user or violate ethical and moral standards. For instance, some forbidden jutsu require consuming the user's life force, some require sacrificing the lives of others, and others cause irreversible damage to the user's body—the Multi Shadow Clone Technique is one such example."

"The reason forbidden jutsu are prohibited is not because they are too powerful, but because the price of using them is too heavy. Some forbidden jutsu are indeed astonishing in power, but using them once could cost you your life. Such power is not worth pursuing."

Sasuke lowered his head, lost in thought.

In other words... as long as I can pay the price, forbidden jutsu can also be used by me?

Itachi Uchiha watched his younger brother with his head bowed in thought, assuming he had already grasped his meaning.

"So, Sasuke, do not blindly pursue powerful jutsu. A true powerhouse is not defined by how many forbidden jutsu they have mastered, but by their ability to push ordinary ninjutsu to their absolute limit. The Great Fireball Technique is only C-rank, but the reason it is so renowned is because the user is an Uchiha."

Sasuke thought about it seriously; the Uchiha's greatest strengths were Fire Style and the Sharingan, so he dismissed his desire for forbidden jutsu.

"I understand."

Itachi Uchiha nodded, then looked at Kiyonari: "Kiyonari-kun, the Shadow Clone Technique is a B-rank ninjutsu. I need to verify your chakra control. How about this, try climbing a tree first."

"I can do that."

Kiyonari walked to a tree and concentrated chakra into the soles of his feet, forming a thin layer of adhesive force.

He then lifted his foot, stepped onto the trunk, and rushed up in a few strides. His speed was astonishing, and he reached the top of the tree in no time. He stood on the treetop and looked down, hearing a chorus of "wow" from below.

"Is this okay?" he shouted.

"Your speed was too fast just now," Itachi signaled for him to come down, "I need you to go up slowly, step by step. Don't rush; you must precisely control the amount of chakra in your soles to form a stable adhesive force."

"I understand."

Kiyonari jumped down from the tree and tried again.

The first step was a success.

As he took the second step, his entire body was firmly adhered to the trunk, almost parallel to the ground.

Then came the third step, which was still quite effortless.

Kiyonari continued to climb, but when he reached the halfway point, he suddenly felt the adhesive force at his soles weaken. His body swayed, and he fell from the tree.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, Itachi rushed over and caught him steadily.

Sasuke watched this scene, especially Kiyonari lying safely in his brother's arms, and a surge of indescribable bitterness welled up in his heart.

Clearly... clearly I was here first! I have to be on guard against Shisui at the clan's training ground, and now that I'm here, I have to be on guard against Kiyonari too!

Oh, why are they so mean!

Itachi Uchiha set Kiyonari on the ground: "If it's just for practicing the Shadow Clone Technique, this is enough. Try using it once; let me see."

Kiyonari took a deep breath and formed the hand seals.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

With a poof, two identical Hyuga Kiyonari appeared from the smoke.

Itachi Uchiha used his Sharingan to observe the flow of chakra within him, then said: "You allocated too much chakra; it's a bit wasteful. It would be better if you could control it more precisely. Now, try again."

"Okay."

Kiyonari nodded, dispelled the shadow clone, and formed the seals again.

"Still too much. Try reducing the chakra by another half-percent."

"That's very good now. Remember this amount of allocated chakra. Next, try creating two shadow clones?"

In the time that followed, Kiyonari practiced the Shadow Clone Technique repeatedly under Itachi's guidance, increasing the number from one to three—his current limit.

Moreover, the memories of the shadow clones would return to the original body upon the technique's dispelling. If used in combat, it was best to only create two shadow clones. Of course, this number could be gradually increased through constant practice.

He didn't know if Senju Tobirama had done it on purpose, but the shadow clones' durability was not high, likely to prevent the clones from taking too much damage and affecting the original body. Even so, the memories returned when each clone was destroyed would still leave the original body feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.

It was only thanks to Naruto Uzumaki's thick-headedness, combined with the dual protection of the Uzumaki physique and the Nine-Tails' chakra, that he could stack enough buffs to summon thousands of clones for battle on his first try. Anyone else would have died on the spot.

"Well done." Itachi looked at the sky, "Alright, let's end today's training here. I'll treat everyone to dango for a break."

"Yay!"

Ino cheered immediately; she had been worrying about not finding a reason to stay. As for Sakura, she naturally followed her friend, and besides, she could spend more time with Sasuke.

But there was no joy on Sasuke's face. He stood where he was even after they had walked out of the training ground, a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

Sasuke grabbed Itachi's clothes: "Brother, why did you have to bring them along?"

Itachi looked at his younger brother, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes: "Sasuke, you should also make more friends. They are all excellent people, no worse than you. After all, I cannot always stay at home to accompany you."

Sasuke felt somewhat unwilling: "But... it was not easy for me to come out with you, Brother, and you are going to be busy again tomorrow."

Itachi was silent for a moment, then pressed his index and middle fingers together against his forehead: "Forgive me, Sasuke, perhaps next time."

He watched the back of Hyuga Kiyonari, recalling the casual chat he had with Father last night.

"Perhaps... my work will not be so busy in the future."