You two, come at me together!

Seeing that Noji Daishi had lost his composure and was speaking in a manner far beneath his station, Takizawa Dan couldn't help but offer a cold smile, then poured more fuel on the fire.

"Mr. Noji, you said that when facing a comrade, one should know how to hold back. I actually agree with that sentiment. But in specific situations, one must also consider who they are dealing with!"

"I wonder if you've considered this, Mr. Noji: if I hadn't possessed a bit of skill myself just now, the one lying on the ground right now would be me!"

"Your son's life is a life, but is mine not? In your eyes, should I have just stood there, doing nothing, waiting for your son to break my arm and knock me unconscious?!"

Facing Takizawa Dan's rapid-fire, barrage-like verbal assault, Noji Daishi gritted his teeth in frustration and lowered his head.

"I understand... I accept the Hokage's ruling. My son's skills were inferior; he deserved it!"

Noji Daishi's fists were clenched tight, then they hung limply at his sides.

He knew he had thoroughly lost today.

In terms of strength, his own son had been pinned to the ground and rubbed into the dirt by his peer, Takizawa Dan, and beaten until he was knocked cold!

In terms of logic, he had been rendered speechless in public by a thirteen-year-old boy and forced to concede!

Could it be that he, a dignified Jonin, was actually planning to attack a junior who didn't even have chakra, right in front of the Hokage and the high-ranking officials of Konoha Village?!

Noji Daishi was no Miki Ichiro; he still cared about his reputation and couldn't afford to lose face like that!

"Very well, this matter should have been judged this way from the start." Takizawa Dan nodded, completely unbothered.

Old man, you want to twist the truth just because you're a Jonin with seniority?

It's not going to be that easy!

"Hmph!"

Noji Daishi let out a cold snort, etched Takizawa Dan's face into his memory, and then turned to leave.

He understood that this was no longer the time to press the issue. He had already missed the best opportunity to deal with Takizawa Dan, and if he kept this up, he would be the one to suffer in the end!

He's just a Genin, anyway. Even if he passed the Chunin Exams, he's nothing but a weakling. It will be simple enough to find an opportunity to manufacture an 'accident' for him...

Just as Noji Daishi was secretly calculating his future plans, a calm voice rang out from behind him.

"My business with Nochi Yoshino is finished. But how are we going to settle things between you and me?"

"You..."

Noji Daishi turned back in surprise, only to see Takizawa Dan standing in the center of the training ground, staring at him with eyes filled with murderous intent!

That gaze made him feel as if he were being watched by the Grim Reaper, leaving him chilled to the bone!

How is this possible? As a Jonin, I've been on countless dangerous missions and have walked the line between life and death many times, yet I've never encountered someone with a gaze as terrifying as Takizawa Dan's!

"This was supposed to be a normal Chunin Exams match. Once Nochi Yoshino and I decided the victor, the matter should have ended there, with no further consequences."

"But you, Mr. Noji, repeatedly humiliated me first, interfered with the exam, were dissatisfied with the result, and wanted to vent your anger for your son. Even after the Hokage and the high-ranking officials made their ruling, you still kept your sights set on me."

"Even a clay figure has a temper. Therefore, this is no longer just about the Chunin Exams; it has turned into a personal vendetta between you and me! Today, there must be a battle between us—either you die, or I do!"

The entire crowd was shocked!

Takizawa Dan, who had only just obtained his Genin qualification, was publicly challenging Noji Daishi, a Jonin!

No matter how you looked at it, this behavior was simply outrageous!

"Takizawa Dan! You only managed to get your Genin qualification by luck, and you don't even have chakra in your body. You don't actually think you can challenge a Jonin, do you?"

"Exactly! There are thousands of ninja in our Konoha Village, but those who can become Jonin are a mere fifty or sixty! They are the elite of the elite; how could you possibly handle one?"

"Tsk tsk... He achieved a tiny bit of success and already forgot his place..."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the examinees present began to curse and jeer at Takizawa Dan!

In their eyes, Takizawa Dan's behavior was far too arrogant and overreaching.

"This kid..."

Tsunade was also stunned for a long moment before she let out a wry smile and shook her head repeatedly.

Even though she had admired Takizawa Dan before, a sense of helplessness rose in her heart.

It was good for a young person to have spirit, and Noji Daishi had indeed gone too far, but did that mean Takizawa Dan could just challenge anyone he pleased?

Why had she spoken up for Takizawa Dan earlier? Wasn't it because she wanted to use her own influence to suppress the matter for him?

And yet, this kid not only failed to appreciate it, but he also intended to challenge Noji Daishi himself!

For a moment, Tsunade began to hesitate whether such an impulsive temperament was truly suitable for her to take him on as a disciple.

"Are you... intending to challenge me?"

Even Noji Daishi was dumbfounded when he heard Takizawa Dan's demand.

He had considered that Takizawa Dan might use some tricks to deal with him, and he had filtered through every possibility in his mind.

But the one thing he never expected was for Takizawa Dan to challenge him to his face!

Because that option was simply impossible! Not to mention a mere Genin, even a Chunin would be guaranteed to lose against him.

Doing this was no different from suicide!

"Yes, I am challenging you!" Takizawa Dan said loudly. "I just saw the look in your eyes. After what happened today, you clearly hate me to the core. If I don't find a way to kill you today, then one day, I will be the one who dies!"

"In that case, I would rather settle this with you right here and now!"

"Absurd!!!"

At this moment, another jonin responsible for maintaining order could no longer hold back; he leaped out and bellowed at Takizawa Dan.

"Kid, who do you think we jonin are? Are we people you can insult at will, or challenge whenever you please?"

His name was Kameda Hironori, and he was cut from the same cloth as Noji Daishi. The two of them usually operated as a duo, running rampant throughout Konoha Village and leaving countless people seething in silence.

Seeing his close friend being humiliated by a mere junior, Kameda Hironori lost his composure.

It was absolutely outrageous. In this day and age, even a lowly genin dared to challenge a jonin. If he didn't crush this brat in front of everyone today, wouldn't jonin lose all respect in the future?

Yet, facing the furious Noji Daishi and Kameda Hironori, Takizawa Dan merely offered a disdainful smile before saying something that made everyone's eyes pop out of their sockets:

"Both of you, come at me together!"