Never Tolerate It

The instant Uchiha Ko sprang up to launch a sneak attack, Funeno Daikoku, who had been standing stiffly at the edge of the field like a wooden statue for ages, moved in a flash.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" he roared.

A several-meter-high barrier of earth and stone suddenly rose before Morino Kei, firmly shielding the boy.

"Screech—" The Great Fireball collided with the Earth-Style Wall with a piercing wail, then turned into smoke and dust that dispersed into the air.

"!What's going on!?" The students below the stage were startled by the sudden turn of events.

The moment Funeno Daikoku moved, someone else acted as well. Funeno Daikoku had moved to protect Morino Kei.

Uchiha Kai, meanwhile, headed straight for Uchiha Ko.

"Buzz—"

The blade shrieked as it tore through the air, becoming a white streak as it closed in on the despicable coward.

"What are you doing!" Uchiha Ko roared as he stared at the blade pressed against his neck.

"What am I doing? You're asking me what I'm doing?" Uchiha Kai laughed in furious disbelief, clearly stunned by the sheer absurdity of his thinking.

"We're both members of the Uchiha Clan, so why are you taking an outsider's side! What are you trying to do, Uchiha Kai!" The mongrel who had ambushed his companion was still barking wildly.

"Bang!" A furious blow answered him.

Uchiha Kai swung the hilt of his sword and smashed it into Uchiha Ko's jaw without hesitation.

"Ah!" Uchiha Ko let out a pained howl, blood filling his mouth as several teeth were knocked loose.

"And you dare mention the Uchiha?!!" The boy was beside himself with rage.

"Did the Uchiha Clan rules teach you to do something like this?! Do they allow clan members to launch a brazen sneak attack after losing? Do they allow you to ambush and harm your own companion?!"

"Trash like you thinks you deserve to mention the Uchiha! It's trash like you that ruins the clan's reputation!" The boy cursed as he grabbed Uchiha Ko by the hair and forced him to meet his gaze.

"Urgh... he's just... just a civilian ninja with no background. What right does he have to defeat me, a member of the Uchiha Clan... If you do this, won't outsiders look down on our clan?" Uchiha Ko's lips were crooked, but he still stubbornly refused to back down.

"...The way you look right now is truly disgusting. Like a stray dog with a broken spine, whimpering through a mouthful of rotten teeth..." The boy looked at Uchiha Ko as if he were garbage.

The next moment, he did something no one present had expected.

The boy reached out, forcibly tore off Uchiha Ko's outer robe, sliced the Uchiha Clan's fan-shaped crest from it with his blade, then hurled the tattered garment into Uchiha Ko's face.

Funeno Daikoku, who had been watching from the side to see what the boy intended to do, was dumbfounded as well.

"...So what am I supposed to do now? This kid's already done everything that needed doing," Funeno Daikoku muttered.

"Hahaha... Such spirit from a young man. Very good..." Orochimaru, who had not moved a single inch throughout the entire incident, praised him leisurely.

Mitaraishi Anko, standing beside him, also stared fixedly at the boy in the field with an unusual look in her eyes. The sight of Uchiha Kai leaping in and drawing his sword had been deeply etched into her mind, as though it had stirred something within her.

"You... how dare you... How could you tear off my clan crest! I'll kill you! Aaaahhh!" The mongrel began barking helplessly again.

Ignoring him completely, the boy said coldly, "I'll truthfully report everything you did today to Lord Yashiro. You'd better start thinking about how you'll explain yourself."

"...I..." Uchiha Ko was instantly speechless, no longer even daring to make excuses.

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, he knew Uchiha Yashiro's temperament all too well. If Lord Yashiro learned what he had done today, even if he did not die, he would lose a layer of skin.

"Gulp..." Realizing the consequences, Uchiha Ko swallowed hard as cold sweat streamed down his face.

"Truly ugly."

"You're nothing but a petty coward who fears power but not virtue. The Uchiha Clan is shamed by you, you weak piece of trash." Uchiha Kai's icy gaze fell upon Uchiha Ko like steel blades carving into his flesh.

Uchiha Ko lowered his head, no longer daring to look into those sharp eyes.

"Get lost. Stop embarrassing yourself," the boy urged impatiently.

Uchiha Ko shakily pushed himself upright and limped off the field like a puppet whose soul had been drained away.

The next moment, the boy turned and gave everyone below the stage a slight bow.

"I'm very sorry for disturbing everyone and affecting the examination. My sincerest apologies." His expression was solemn and his tone earnest.

"Teacher Funeno, please handle the aftermath. I deeply apologize for the disturbance that has been caused."

"Ah... ah, it's fine. This isn't your fault, Kai, and it has nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan. This was purely Ko's personal conduct. I'll deal with it strictly according to the regulations," Funeno Daikoku said, scratching his head in some confusion.

He had been furious just moments ago. Such a serious incident had occurred during the graduation examination he was overseeing: a student who had already lost had brazenly ambushed a classmate.

This was an incident capable of causing an enormous public uproar. And the attacker was from the Uchiha Clan, involving the relationship between a major clan and civilians. One misstep could ignite an even larger problem.

He acted so decisively. This kid really is a born ninja. Now I can hardly say anything more... Funeno Daikoku muttered inwardly.

"That Uchiha Ko... I really couldn't tell. I used to think he was just a little narrow-minded, but turns out he's rotten to the core!"

"Exactly! He'd already lost, yet he still tried to sneak attack someone. If a person like that becomes a ninja, how could we possibly feel safe around him?"

"What if we don't die during a mission at the enemy's hands, but get stabbed in the back by this guy first..." The students below began whispering among themselves.

"Look at Uchiha Kai. He conducts himself uprightly, and he's strong too."

"And he's so handsome~ I really want to be assigned to the same class as him."

"Keep dreaming! With your grades, it's questionable whether you can even graduate!" Several girls chattered excitedly.

Hearing them, Uchiha Ko lowered his head even further. His bloodshot pupils brimmed with resentment, yet he did not dare reveal it. He could only steal glances at the boy from afar, like a rat hiding in a deep ditch.

"Alright, quiet! Quiet!" Funeno Daikoku began restoring order.

"The examination isn't over yet! Everyone, settle down. Anyone who keeps causing trouble will have points deducted as appropriate!"

The previously noisy crowd immediately quieted down. The field fell silent in an instant, since no one wanted graduation points deducted for such a ridiculous reason as talking.

Soon, with Funeno Daikoku maintaining order, the scene returned to normal. That minor incident seemed to have passed.

"Next group: Mibu Nin versus Inoue Ichiro."

"Next group: Ishida Shuichi versus Kusano Hai."

"Next group: Hidetake Sota versus Asuka Hiko."

As Funeno Daikoku called out each pairing, groups of students stepped forward to compete, giving everything they had in hopes of securing victory. The battles were not exactly spectacular, but they were full of drive.

These ordinary people, who might not even have had names in the original story, interpreted their own efforts in their own ways.

They were not the tide of the era. They were merely stubborn stones of different shapes, unnoticed by many. But when gathered together, they formed a solid foundation.

They were the embodiment of countless ordinary people in the ninja world, vividly displayed before Uchiha Kai's eyes, constantly reminding him that this was a real world.

"Whew, this is really nice." The boy smiled happily, his eyes fixed on his peers fighting amid the rising dust on the field.

"Hm? What's so nice about it? Are you interested in this childish kind of fight too, Kai? They're full of openings," Hyuga Rei asked doubtfully.

"Hah... That's not what I meant." Uchiha Kai's lips curled upward.