Silence—silence was tonight's Cambridge.
Uchiha Sasuke stood frozen in place, his shoulders trembling slightly, clearly caught in a fierce internal struggle. He tried several times to speak, but it was as if something were stuck in his throat and no sound would come out.
Uchiha Itachi stood to the side without saying a word, simply watching him quietly, waiting for him to make his own decision.
Second by second, time passed. Sasuke still didn't speak. Watching him squirm like that, Hyuga Kiyonari suddenly felt a mischievous urge.
"Sasuke," Kiyonari said on purpose in a comforting tone, "it's okay if you're embarrassed. It was only a verbal agreement. It doesn't have to count."
He paused, then added, "And honestly, I don't care that much about the wager. You don't need to take it so seriously."
"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke ground his teeth so hard they almost cracked. "Are you looking down on me?"
Kiyonari hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, I just think—"
"Enough!"
Sasuke rudely cut him off. "I, Uchiha Sasuke, am not the type to back out! If you gamble, you accept the result—simple as that!"
He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, his cheeks burning red. Then—under Kiyonari's intensely expectant gaze—Sasuke snapped his eyes open and shouted with everything he had:
"In archery, I, Uchiha Sasuke, acknowledge you as the strongest!"
The voice exploded through the training ground like thunder, startling birds out of the trees.
And after he said it, Sasuke looked like he'd used up every last bit of energy. He dropped into a crouch and buried his face deep in the crook of his arms. From the little side of his face still visible, he was red as a perfectly ripe tomato.
"Sasuke, you—"
Kiyonari was holding back laughter and was about to say something to comfort him, when a burst of giggling came from the bushes nearby.
There's another expert?!
Sasuke's whole body went rigid. He whipped his head around, eyes sharp as knives as he stared into the grass.
"Who's there?!" His voice carried anger—and… humiliation.
"Come out," Itachi said calmly. "Hiding there and peeking isn't a good habit."
There was a rustling sound, and then two girls pushed aside the grass and stepped out.
One was a girl with long blonde hair draped over her shoulders, wearing an awkward smile. The other had short pink hair, a bow-like hair accessory on her head, and kept her head down, hiding behind the first.
Kiyonari recognized them: Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura.
Ino brushed leaves off her clothes and laughed awkwardly. "Uh… sorry, sorry. We weren't trying to spy. We were just passing by, saw you guys competing, and couldn't help stopping to watch for a bit."
Sasuke's expression darkened further, like fire was about to shoot out of his eyes.
"You… how much did you hear?" he asked, each word squeezed out.
"Hear what? We didn't hear anything at all." Ino blinked, but the laughter she couldn't quite suppress on her face sold her out immediately.
Sakura hid behind Ino, but she kept stealing glances at Sasuke. Even though Sasuke looked terrifying right now, Sakura somehow thought he looked even cooler.
That cold, ruthless side—that was what made a girl's heart flutter.
"Alright, Sasuke," Itachi had no choice but to step in and comfort him a little.
Ino smiled, her eyes darting between Kiyonari and Sasuke, a flicker of excitement flashing through them.
They're both so handsome… one is the cool, icy pretty boy, the other is the gentle handsome guy. If both of them tried to pursue me…
The thought made Ino cover her face without realizing it, slipping into a completely inexplicable wave of bashfulness. Her cheeks reddened, but her lips still curled upward.
Sakura noticed Ino acting strange and asked in confusion, "Ino, what's wrong with you?"
Ino jolted out of her daydream, waving her hands frantically. "N-no… nothing! I just suddenly thought of something!"
For Sasuke, Itachi's words were effective—he stopped being angry, but he still didn't like these two girls who'd appeared out of nowhere.
He didn't like being watched. Especially not when they'd overheard what he'd just— If he'd known, he never would've suggested a competition!
"You two—leave. Now," Sasuke said coldly, shooing them off.
Sakura felt a wave of disappointment at his words, but she still nodded obediently and prepared to go. Ino, however, wasn't nearly as compliant. She grabbed Sakura's hand and walked toward them instead.
"Wait, Ino!" Sakura panicked. "We should just go…"
"Go where?" Ino said with a grin. "I want to get to know them."
She pulled Sakura up in front of the three boys. "Hi! I'm Yamanaka Ino. This is my friend Haruno Sakura."
Dragged forward, Sakura didn't dare look at them. She only mumbled softly, "H-hi…"
Sasuke didn't respond, clearly still stewing over what happened.
"I'm Hyuga Kiyonari."
"I'm Uchiha Itachi, and this is my younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke," Itachi said, giving Sasuke's shoulder a light pat. "You all look about the same age. Maybe… once you start school, you'll be in the same class."
Ino's eyes instantly lit up and she blurted happily, "That would be great!"
At the same time, she discreetly tugged Sakura's hand, giving her a nudge.
Sakura took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and looked at Sasuke. "Um… Sasuke-kun, your archery is really good."
Sasuke's face flickered with discomfort. He turned his head away. "Not good enough. I lost to Hyuga Kiyonari."
Even though Sasuke's attitude remained cold, Sakura felt sweetness bloom in her chest just because he'd answered her.
Catching the look of quiet glee on Sakura's face, Kiyonari could practically guess what she was thinking. He took an unobtrusive half-step back.
Yep. Sakura at this age… her emotional intelligence was basically the same as those guys who genuinely believe "she didn't block me, so she likes me." No wonder she'd eventually say that legendary line back in Team 7.
Thank goodness… she didn't take a liking to me. Terrifying.
Kiyonari immediately changed the topic. "Itachi-senpai, may I ask you about the Shadow Clone Jutsu now?"
Itachi gave a small nod. "Shadow Clone requires only the Rat hand sign. The difficulty lies in chakra distribution. Each additional clone means your chakra must be split evenly… As a Hyuga, precise chakra control shouldn't be hard for you. You just need practice. I'll demonstrate."
"Then what about Multiple Shadow Clone?" Kiyonari asked curiously. "If the normal Shadow Clone can also create multiple clones, why does Multiple Shadow Clone exist separately?"
Itachi explained, "Shadow Clone first divides chakra evenly, then creates solid clones. Multiple Shadow Clone skips the 'evenly divide chakra' process."
"If a user only has enough chakra for three shadow clones, then attempting a fourth will fail. Multiple Shadow Clone removes that limit—clone count follows the user's intent. But once you exceed what your body can handle, you risk chakra exhaustion… even overdraw."
"That's why the jutsu is classified as a forbidden technique."
~~~
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