Graduation Exam Begins

Time flew by, and more than half of the graduation exams had already been completed in order.

Hyuga Kazuya's classmates were of average strength, not much different from Ninja Academy graduates of previous years.

After all, this class had neither the young clan heads from those major families nor anyone who would shine brilliantly in the future storyline.

The vast majority were merely cannon fodder ninja who would die in the Third Shinobi World War a few years later.

Among the short, he stood tallest. With an adult's self-discipline from his previous life, his yearning for extraordinary power, and a slight advantage in intelligence, Hyuga Kazuya had naturally become the top student of this class.

Even Hyuga Kazuya, a bottom-ranked student in his previous life, got to experience what it felt like to be treated as a genius.

Watching his classmates undergo their exams back and forth on the field before him, Hyuga Kazuya secretly felt rather pleased with himself.

His uncle, Elder Yang, had said that as long as he, the "Hyuga Clan's greatest genius," could make the Hyuga Clan look good today in front of Konoha's many important figures, high-ranking officials, and the Hokage, he would receive the Chakra Metal he had long coveted, along with a substantial cash reward.

"Hehehe."

Without realizing it, Hyuga Kazuya imagined the qualitative leap in strength he would undergo after obtaining Chakra Metal, and a foolish grin spread across his face.

Just then, Hyuga Kazuya felt someone secretly poking his side with a finger. He turned his head and asked,

"What is it, Sister Momona?"

"Big Brother, stop smiling. Elder Yang just looked over at you."

Hyuga Momona lowered her head and spoke softly, her face flushed red from the sun.

"What? Elder Yang was looking?"

Hearing Hyuga Momona's words, Hyuga Kazuya was startled. Although Elder Yang was his uncle, he was also the one who provided for him. He absolutely could not let him see such an embarrassing sight.

What if Elder Yang—the provider of his food and clothing—got unhappy and deducted some of the Chakra Metal he had promised? He would have nowhere to cry.

After all, Chakra Metal was a metal that could conduct chakra with virtually no loss and possessed exceptional durability. Every ninja dreamed of wielding weapons made from such metal.

It went without saying that in the ninja world, it was priceless and unavailable.

Thinking this, Hyuga Kazuya reined in his thoughts and stopped letting his imagination run wild. With a serious, focused expression, he carefully watched the classmate across from him take the graduation exam.

Chunin Kanishi Tokushi, as Hyuga Kazuya could tell through his Byakugan, clearly possessed strength that met the standards of a Chunin.

He had dabbled in ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and genjutsu, but had mastered none of them. Perhaps it was precisely because Kanishi Tokushi had some knowledge in every area that he had been selected as the graduation examiner.

From the surname Kanishi, one could tell that this Chunin instructor was likely a civilian ninja from a civilian family.

Perhaps that was exactly why he had been unable to establish a specialized fighting style, leaving him in his current state: versed in many areas, yet proficient in none.

After all, civilian ninja had an extremely difficult time obtaining high-level ninjutsu. Rather than that, when they had resources and merits, it was better to exchange them for techniques that could make up for their weaknesses.

The one currently fighting examiner Kanishi Tokushi was a civilian ninja from the class named Gisra.

Kanishi Tokushi held the students' examination roster in one hand while casually blocking Gisra's all-out assault with the other.

With ease, Kanishi Tokushi saw through and predicted every one of Gisra's Taijutsu moves. After a few exchanges, he kicked Gisra several meters away.

Kanishi Tokushi then scribbled something on the roster in his left hand. He had probably given the ninja named Gisra a huge failing mark.

With Hyuga Kazuya's eyesight, he could naturally see the foolishness of Gisra's actions.

Among the class, Gisra's Taijutsu was clearly quite average, while his talent for ninjutsu was around the middle of the class. Yet he had still chosen to attack with Taijutsu, which could not possibly inflict any substantial harm on Chunin instructor Kanishi Tokushi.

He would have been better off trying his best to display the ninjutsu taught at the academy during the exam. Even if he could not land an attack, he could still graduate as long as the examiner approved of him.

As long as he could remain calm under pressure during a fight, form hand seals without being disrupted, successfully cast a ninjutsu, or demonstrate superb Shuriken throwing skills and a certain degree of combat intelligence,

he would naturally pass the graduation exam.

However, Hyuga Kazuya knew that only applied to ordinary Ninja Academy graduates.

For himself, he had his own standards and goals.

In order to obtain the Chakra Metal and money promised by Elder Yang of the Clan, he had decided to reveal a bit of his strength today.

He would defeat the examiner before him and prove the title of "the Hyuga Clan's greatest genius."

Judging purely by his measurable abilities and his observations through the Byakugan, Hyuga Kazuya believed that he, the "Hyuga Clan's greatest genius," was stronger than Chunin examiner Kanishi Tokushi.

The only thing he lacked was combat experience. Judging by his age, Chunin Kanishi Tokushi should have been on the battlefield before. Even if he had not, his many years as a Chunin meant that his combat experience was not to be underestimated.

Meanwhile, Hyuga Kazuya was merely a Branch Family member of the Hyuga Clan who had grown up in Konoha. The biggest and most difficult fights he had ever experienced were sparring sessions with Clan elders, so he lacked combat experience.

Therefore, Hyuga Kazuya needed to make full use of the graduation examiner's contempt for graduating students.

He would strive to take him down in one blow and unleash his ultimate move the moment he stepped onto the field.

He would leave an unforgettable impression on every Konoha higher-up watching the graduation exams at the Ninja Academy today.

While Hyuga Kazuya was formulating his plan, several more classmates had already taken their graduation exams. Although all of them were easily defeated by examiner Kanishi Tokushi, their performances differed: some had commendable moments, while others could not put up any resistance at all.

Overall, however, the majority still managed to graduate successfully.

After all, aside from those with mental problems, students who believed they could not bear the profession of a ninja had long since dropped out after six years of ideological education at the Ninja Academy.

Those who remained had all made some degree of mental preparation. They might not have been completely familiar with this type of sparring battle, but they had encountered it often enough.

Thus, they could generally perform at their normal level.

"Next, Hyuga Kazuya."

Examiner Kanishi Tokushi's voice carried over from the large field ahead.

Hearing the instructor call his name, Hyuga Kazuya quickly stepped forward, slowly walked up to the examiner, and bowed.

"I am Hyuga Kazuya. Instructor Kanishi Tokushi, please guide me."

Kanishi Tokushi looked at Hyuga Kazuya before immediately focusing on the Byakugan in his eye sockets. Seeing that he was a member of the Hyuga Clan, he quietly took several steps back. As a Konoha ninja, he naturally knew that it was best not to engage a Hyuga Clan ninja at close range.

Then he found himself somewhat amused. What kind of strength could a little brat who had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy possibly possess?

"The exam begins. Start."