Upon hearing these words, Matsuake widened his eyes in surprise.
Beyond the arrogance and disdain contained in the statement, what surprised him more was how perfectly it fit the mold of a stereotypical villain’s speech.
Who exactly is the one with the cheat here?
How can you be so arrogant?
If you keep this up, I’ll know exactly where to find my next mission.
“The Hyūga Clan is nothing special.
I really don’t understand why anyone would compare the Uchiha Clan to the Hyūga Clan!” Following the voice, one could see that the speaker was a boy with a haughty expression.
He wore a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, and the biggest difference between him and his classmates was the Uchiha clan emblem—a fan pattern—printed on the back of his clothes.
Before the establishment of Konohagakure, especially during the era of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, the Senju and Uchiha clans were evenly matched, while other ninja clans, including the Hyūga Clan, fell short of the two.
However, in the years since Konohagakure’s founding, the Hyūga Clan’s Byakugan had demonstrated excellent supportive abilities, earning them a consistently favorable reputation in the village.
In contrast, the Uchiha Clan, due to the inherent arrogance and difficulty in getting along with some of its members, had seen a decline in their reputation.
The Byakugan and the Sharingan, the Hyūga and the Uchiha—as the two prominent ocular jutsu clans of Konohagakure, they were naturally often compared.
“Uchiha Suke, you…” Hearing these words, even Tsukuyomi, who was usually gentle-tempered, flushed with anger, her face turning red.
However, her well-mannered upbringing left her momentarily at a loss for how to retort.
Since Tsukuyomi had always been on good terms with him, Matsuake did not hesitate.
Walking over to the girl’s side, his red eyes directly met those of Suke, who had just spoken.
“As far as I know, in the previous class of trainees, no one from the Uchiha Clan passed the early graduation exam, while one member of the Hyūga Clan did.” Instead of retaliating with insults, Senju Matsuame calmly stated this fact.
Upon hearing this, Suke’s haughty expression instantly stiffened, and his face darkened.
This was indeed a fact, making it difficult to refute.
Although all the Uchiha Clan trainees from the previous class had applied for the early graduation exam, the number who ultimately passed was zero.
Among them, aside from some who were merely filling the numbers, there were indeed those who had reached the standard of a Genin.
However, the shortcoming was that none had shown any outstanding qualities.
At present, Konohagakure was not in urgent need of Genin, and the policy for early graduation was being tightened.
To protect the fledgling ninja, the village was not indiscriminately approving early graduations.
In contrast, one Hyūga Clan trainee from the previous class, due to exceptional skill in using the Byakugan and demonstrating preliminary tactical awareness in teamwork, had passed the early graduation exam.
In simple terms, this was the difference between ordinary talent and exceptional talent.
However, while Matsuake understood the intricacies behind this, the young ninja trainees, who were not yet mature in age, could not grasp the full picture.
Thus, Suke was left speechless for half a minute, unable to think of a rebuttal to Matsuake’s words.
Seeing the other party stunned, Matsuake shook his head and continued.
“While pursuing strength, one should also recognize their own limitations.
Otherwise, not only will you harm yourself in the future, but you may also put your companions in danger.
Assessing your own level before deciding whether to take the exam is a wise move—there’s nothing shameful about it.” These words were not only directed at Suke but also clearly reached the ears of everyone in the classroom, which was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
As a descendant of the Senju Clan, having grown up under the influence of Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and others, he also felt a sense of responsibility toward this village.
Among the classmates present, only a few would become Jōnin, while the rest would either spend their lives as Chūnin or Genin or leave the ninja ranks to join other professions.
But no matter where they shone or contributed, they would ultimately be the future of Konohagakure, serving the village in their own ways.
Therefore, Matsuake did not want anyone to suffer irreversible losses during the graduation exam or their subsequent ninja careers due to misjudging their own abilities.
Hearing these words, some who had been struggling with whether to apply for early graduation relaxed their brows, their expressions softening noticeably.
As if struck by a thought, Suke, who had been wearing a stiff expression, suddenly smiled.
“Spouting so much nonsense—could it be that you’re also afraid to apply for the graduation exam and are just making excuses for your own cowardice?” Matsuake crossed his arms and looked at the other, shaking his head.
“No, I will apply to take the graduation exam.” Upon hearing this, Suke sneered.
“Good.” “Matsuake, don’t think that just because you’ve been ranked first in the Ninja Academy this past year, you’re actually something special.” “To accommodate these commoners, the first-year practical exams at the Ninja Academy are like child’s play.
But the graduation exam won’t be like that.” Suke picked up a kunai from his waist pouch, his dark eyes and the sharp blade both pointing toward Matsuake.
“I’ll make you understand that ninjas, in the end, speak with strength.” Just as his words fell, two prompts suddenly appeared in Matsuake’s mind, one after the other.
[C-Rank Mission Issued: Defeat Suke in the Ninja Academy graduation exam and show him who truly speaks with strength.
Reward: 50 points!] [C-Rank Mission Issued: Pass the graduation exam.
Reward: Points will be awarded based on final performance!] After processing this, Matsuake raised an eyebrow, his sharp eyes growing even more intense.
The long-awaited missions had finally appeared—and two at once.
Just the first mission alone offered a reward of 50 points, and while the reward for the second mission was unclear, it likely wouldn’t be less than the first.
Combined, the rewards from these two missions already matched what he had accumulated over more than a month.
For a moment, Matsuake’s gaze toward Suke softened considerably.
When I beat you in the graduation exam, I’ll go easy on you… “In that case, I accept the challenge.
I hope you’re not all talk,” Matsuake said, his gaze sharpening as he spoke with seriousness.
Staring into those red eyes fixed on him, Suke, who had always prided himself on being a descendant of a clan renowned for its ocular techniques, felt an inexplicable flicker of apprehension.
Afraid of losing face, he withdrew the hand holding the kunai, averted his gaze, and instead scanned the others in the classroom.
“The graduation exam is a one-on-one elimination match.
These trash won’t be able to stop me.
I hope you don’t get eliminated halfway through.” Suke’s words clearly provoked widespread anger, drawing furious glares from the other commoners and clan members.
But unfortunately, what he said was indeed the truth.
Although his personality was irritating, Suke’s strength was indeed among the top of his generation.
During daily practical assessments, which were usually conducted with restraint, he often fought aggressively and injured his classmates.
“Hmph!” After glancing at Matsuake and Tsukuyomi standing beside him, Suke snorted coldly and turned to leave.