No Quarter

The moment Uchiha Kou launched his surprise attack, Funeno Daikoku, who had been standing by the sidelines like a wooden mannequin for a long time, instantly moved.

"Earth Style - Earth Flow Wall!" he roared.

A barrier of earth and stone several meters high suddenly rose in front of Morino Kei, shielding the young man securely.

"Screeeech~" The Great Fireball collided with the Earth Flow Wall, emitting a piercing shriek before dissolving into smoke and dust in the air.

"What the heck!?" The students below were startled by the sudden turn of events.

The instant Funeno Daikoku moved, another person also sprang into action. However, while Funeno Daikoku went to protect Morino Kei, Uchiha Kai directly targeted Uchiha Kou.

"Buzz—"

The blade let out a hiss as it sliced through the air, transforming into a white rainbow that approached the despicable coward.

"What are you doing!" Uchiha Kou roared, seeing the blade at his neck.

"What am I doing? You're asking me what I'm doing?" Uchiha Kai's rage turned into a laugh, clearly shocked by his opponent's refreshingly naive thought process.

"We're both members of the Uchiha Clan, why are you siding with an outsider! What are you doing, Uchiha Kai!" the stray dog who attacked his comrade continued to bark.

"Bang!" He was met with a head-on blow filled with anger.

Uchiha Kai swung the hilt of his blade, smashing it without hesitation into Uchiha Kou's jaw.

"Ah!" Uchiha Kou wailed in pain, his mouth full of blood and several teeth knocked out.

"You dare mention the Uchiha?!" the young man was furious.

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

"You're a disgrace, you don't deserve to mention the Uchiha! The family's reputation is ruined by trash like you!" the young man cursed, yanking Uchiha Kou's hair so their eyes were level.

"...He's just a... a commoner ninja with no background, why did he defeat me, a member of the Uchiha Clan... aren't you making outsiders look down on our clan by doing this." Uchiha Kou's mouth was crooked, but he still stubbornly argued.

"...You look disgusting like this, like a broken-backed stray dog gnashing a mouth full of rotten teeth..." the young man looked at Uchiha Kou as if he were garbage.

The next moment, he made a move that no one present expected.

The young man forcefully pulled off Uchiha Kou's outer robe, used his blade to cut off the Uchiha clan's fan-shaped crest on it, and then threw the tattered clothing in Uchiha Kou's face.

Funeno Daikoku, who had been watching for a long time and intended to see what the young man would do, was stunned.

"This... do I still need to do anything? This kid did it all." Funeno Daikoku muttered.

"Hahaha... the passion of youth, very good..." Orochimaru, who hadn't moved an inch the entire time, praised leisurely.

Mitaraishi Anko, standing beside him, also stared intently at the young man in the arena with a strange look. The scene of Uchiha Kai leaping forward and drawing his sword moments ago was deeply imprinted in her mind, seemingly triggering something.

"You... how dare you... how can you tear up my clan crest! I'll kill you! Ahhhhh!" The stray dog began its useless barking again.

The young man ignored him and said coldly, "I will truthfully report your actions today to Lord Yashiro. You should think about how you're going to explain yourself first."

"...I..." Hearing this, Uchiha Kou was instantly speechless, losing even the courage to argue.

After all, as a member of the Uchiha Clan, he knew Uchiha Yashiro's temper all too well. If he found out what he had done today, he would lose a lot of skin, if not his life.

"Gulp..." Realizing the consequences, Uchiha Kou swallowed, cold sweat streaming down his face uncontrollably.

"Truly ugly."

"You look like a coward who fears power but not virtue. The Uchiha are shamed by you, a weakling." Uchiha Kai's cold gaze fell on Uchiha Kou, as if he were carving his flesh with a steel knife.

Uchiha Kou lowered his head, no longer daring to meet those sharp eyes.

"Get down yourself, you're an embarrassment." The young man impatiently urged.

Uchiha Kou shakily got to his feet and limped towards the sidelines, like a puppet whose soul had been drained.

The next moment, the young man turned and bowed slightly to the crowd below.

"I apologize for disturbing everyone and disrupting the exam. I am very sorry." The young man's expression was serious and his tone sincere.

"Teacher Funeno, please handle the scene. I apologize for the commotion that has already occurred."

"Ah... ah, that's fine, it's not your fault, Kai. It's also not the Uchiha Clan's fault; it was purely Kou's personal action. I will deal with it strictly according to the regulations." Funeno Daikoku scratched his head, somewhat flustered.

He had been very angry just moments ago. Such a serious accident had occurred during the graduation exam he was presiding over: a defeated student ambushing a classmate.

This was an incident that could create a huge public outcry, let alone the fact that the attacker was from the Uchiha Clan. It concerned the relationship between a great clan and commoners, and could easily ignite bigger problems if handled improperly.

"Such decisive action, this kid is truly a born ninja. Now I can't say anything..." Funeno Daikoku muttered inwardly.

"This Uchiha Kou, I really didn't see it. I used to think he was just petty, but I didn't expect him to be purely malicious!"

"Yeah, yeah. He lost, yet he still ambushed. If people like him become ninja, how can we feel at ease?"

"I'm afraid that if he doesn't die at the hands of the enemy during a mission, he'll stab us in the back first..." The students below whispered amongst themselves.

"Look at Uchiha Kai, upright and strong."

"And he's so handsome~ I wish I could be in the same class as him."

"Dream on! Whether you can even graduate is another question!" Several girls chattered.

Uchiha Kou, hearing this, buried his head even lower, his bloodshot pupils filled with malice, yet he dared not reveal it. He could only steal glances at the teenager from afar, like a rat in a deep ditch.

"Alright, settle down! Settle down!" Funeno Daikoku began to control the order of the scene.

"The exam isn't over yet! Everyone quiet down. Anyone who causes more trouble will have points deducted at my discretion!"

Upon hearing this, the originally rowdy crowd completely calmed down, and the scene instantly became silent. After all, no one wanted to have graduation points deducted for a ridiculous reason like making noise.

Soon, order was restored to the scene with Funeno Daikoku's support, and the previous small interlude seemed to have passed.

"Next group, Jinbu Shin versus Inaka Ichiro."

"Next group, Ishida Hideichi versus Kusano Hai."

"Next group, Tobitake Souta versus Asuka Hikaru."

As Funeno Daikoku called out names one by one, groups of members stepped forward to compete. They fought with all their might, solely seeking victory. The battles weren't exactly spectacular, but they were full of spirit.

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

They were not the tide of the era; they were just pieces of stubborn stone of various shapes, unnoticed by many. But when they gathered together, they converged and forged a solid foundation.

They were a microcosm of the countless ordinary people in the Ninja World, vividly displayed before Uchiha Kai's eyes at this moment, constantly reminding him that this was a real world.

"Hoo~ This is great." The teenager said happily, his eyes fixed on his peers on the field, who were shrouded in mist.

"Hm? What's great? This kind of childish battle, are you interested too, Kai? It's full of openings." Hyuga Rei asked, puzzled.

"Ha... That's not what I meant." Uchiha Kai's lips curled into a smile.