Suke was clearly in no condition to form the Seal of Reconciliation now.
After Suke was carried off by medical personnel, another Ninja Academy teacher stepped forward to repair the arena.
Generally, during Graduation Exams, most participants were only at Genin level and wouldn’t cause significant damage to the arena.
It was rare to see something like Matsuake punching a deep crater into the ground just moments ago.
Once the arena was restored, it was time for the second match between Tsukuyomi and Go.
Go was a twelve-year-old boy, so he appeared noticeably taller and larger than Matsuake and the others.
And just as his name suggested, he had a robust and imposing appearance.
If Hiruzen resembled a monkey, then Sarutobi Go was more like a gorilla.
Moreover, Matsuake had paid attention to the previous matches.
It was clear that Go’s strength was not far from Chūnin level, already surpassing that of an ordinary Genin.
As for why he hadn’t graduated early, perhaps it wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he didn’t want to.
For most people, facing such an opponent in the Graduation Exam would mean very low odds of victory.
However, Tsukuyomi was not an ordinary person.
Having already awakened the Byakugan and skillfully integrating it with the Gentle Fist, she couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards.
A fierce battle was expected between Tsukuyomi and Go, but the outcome remained uncertain.
“Tsukuyomi.” Matsuake didn’t say much, just patted Tsukuyomi’s shoulder and gave her an encouraging look.
For some reason, Tsukuyomi, who had been somewhat nervous, visibly relaxed.
After responding to Matsuake with a faint smile, she turned and walked toward the center of the arena.
Seeing this, Go also stepped into the center of the arena with a serious expression.
During the previous rounds, he had noticed this girl who was much younger than him but possessed formidable strength.
A member of the Hyūga Clan with an awakened Byakugan was indeed a troublesome opponent.
However, he didn’t believe he would lose.
In terms of age, he was five or six years older than Tsukuyomi.
Though it might sound somewhat shameless, this was his greatest advantage.
“Both sides, form the Seal of Confrontation!” After forming the Seal of Confrontation as usual, the battle between the two began immediately.
At the start of the fight, Go seemed intent on subduing Tsukuyomi before she could activate her Byakugan.
However, for a Hyūga Clan ninja proficient in the Byakugan, the time needed to activate it was almost negligible.
After Go’s strategy fell apart, the two engaged in a back-and-forth battle.
Just as Matsuake had predicted, they were evenly matched.
Tsukuyomi’s Byakugan and Gentle Fist posed significant challenges for Go.
But Go was self-aware, knowing he couldn’t immediately unblock the chakra points sealed by the Gentle Fist on his own.
Thus, he tried his best to avoid the Gentle Fist strikes, and when evasion was impossible, he used less critical parts of his body to take the hits.
At the same time, he disrupted Tsukuyomi’s attacks with Shuriken, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu.
As a member of the Sarutobi Clan, Sarutobi Go had a much broader repertoire of Ninjutsu compared to his peers.
At the very least, Sasuke and others watching from the sidelines were satisfied with his performance.
Although Go wasn’t a prodigious genius, his future as a Jōnin was all but assured.
And whether for a ninja clan or the village, Jōnin were already the backbone of strength.
Soon, more than ten minutes had passed.
Although both sides had tried to conserve as much as possible, their Chakra reserves were nearly depleted.
For a Graduation Exam, this battle had already lasted quite a long time.
It was likely that victory or defeat would be decided within the next few minutes.
Knowing this, neither Tsukuyomi nor Go in the arena dared to attack recklessly.
“I thought I had already taken her seriously enough, but I still underestimated her.
Truly worthy of the Hyūga Clan’s Byakugan,” Go sighed inwardly.
By this point in the battle, several of his chakra points had been struck by the Gentle Fist.
The obstruction to his Chakra flow made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Moreover, it also made many of his Ninjutsu techniques feel awkward to execute.
“But if this is all she has, then this victory will be mine!” With that thought, Go reached out and threw three Shuriken toward Tsukuyomi.
At the same time, he drew a Kunai and followed closely behind, hoping to catch Tsukuyomi off guard under the cover of the Shuriken.
Based on their previous exchanges, he could roughly estimate her speed.
If she tried to dodge the Shuriken, Tsukuyomi would have no choice but to face his Kunai head-on.
In a rushed situation, being able to assume a defensive stance would already count as a quick reaction, let alone executing the Gentle Fist in response.
If he weren’t facing the Gentle Fist, Go believed he wouldn’t lose.
However, the course of a battle could sometimes be unpredictable.
When both sides were giving their all, the one with more hidden cards would have the greater chance of winning.
Before this, Tsukuyomi’s only hidden card was the Byakugan.
Relying on the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist, she possessed an advantage over her peers.
Whether she would continue to excel or fade into mediocrity in the future depended on her personal opportunities and development.
But now, under the influence of Matsuake, her hidden cards were no longer limited to just the Byakugan.
In the blink of an eye, Sarutobi Go felt his vision blur.
A white figure flashed past in front of him, disappearing from his sight in an instant.
“What!?” Realizing what had happened, Go felt a chill run down his spine.
Whirling around, what appeared in his line of sight was a pair of petite fists.
…
This was the last thought that crossed Go’s mind.
What followed were precise strikes from the Gentle Fist, landing on multiple chakra points across his body.
“I lost.” Collapsing weakly to the ground, Go smiled bitterly.
“Both sides, form the Seal of Reconciliation!” Seeing the match had concluded, the proctor announced loudly.
Outside the arena, Matsuake, who had been intently watching the match, also let out a sigh of relief.
The battle between the two was the most thrilling kind of match.
Both sides were evenly matched, exchanging blows back and forth, neither giving an inch, locked in an intense stalemate.
Fortunately, for Tsukuyomi, it ended with a good result.
After both contestants left the arena, the two who had drawn the number three simultaneously stepped up to fight.
Compared to the second match, the third battle concluded even faster, with a result within five minutes.
Thus, only Matsuake, Tsukuyomi, and the winner of the third match advanced through the third round of eliminations.
“Sorry, I don’t have any strength left to participate in the next round of the exam.” Tsukuyomi looked somewhat embarrassed as she raised her hand and addressed the proctor.
During the previous match, not only had her Chakra been nearly exhausted, but she had also sustained some minor injuries.
The reason she was able to suddenly erupt and win in the end was thanks to the Breathing Technique that Matsuake had taught her during this period.
However, her progress in the Breathing Technique was not fast, and she could only maintain it for an extremely short time, while also placing a significant burden on her body.
Thus, she had no strength left to continue.
At this point, the pressure shifted to another person.
After glancing at the calm-faced Matsuake, the graduating student immediately raised his hand and said: “Sorry, I was also injured just now.
I won’t be able to continue with the next assessment either.” In truth, he still had some strength left.
However, after witnessing Matsuake’s fight earlier, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated.
Just a few punches were enough to knock down an Uchiha who had performed quite well in the previous rounds.
Who could withstand that?
Hearing this, Matsuake was slightly taken aback.
So I’m the first now?