"You're just talking about us, why don't you go and compete with Shisui? Shisui has already earned the title of Shisui of the Body Flicker on the battlefield and become a Jonin," retorted Hagane Kotetsu.
"Kotetsu, that's not how you should say it. Being first in the grade also has its differences. Some people are first because of their unmatched strength, while others are first because they've outlasted people stronger than them," Kamizuki Izumo seemed to be speaking up for Anko.
Seeing Anko's cheeks gradually turn rosy, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu seemed to hear a warning sounding from the void.
At this time, the preparatory bell for the exam rang, and another proctor entered the classroom.
Mokgetsu looked toward the door; it was the class head teacher and director Shimotsuke Hisanobu.
"Mokgetsu," Shimotsuke Hisanobu greeted with a smile.
Before coming here, Shimotsuke Hisanobu had thought about how to address Mokgetsu.
Vice Principal Mokgetsu? It sounds plain and not very pleasant. Removing the "Vice" and directly calling him Principal won't work either, since the position of Principal is special and held by the current Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, so the title of Principal cannot be used casually.
Shimotsuke Hisanobu thought about it over and over and finally decided it's best to just call him Mokgetsu.
After all, he's considered to be a senior to Mokgetsu and has been Mokgetsu's superior for quite some time; calling him by name is no big deal.
"Senior Hisanobu," Mokgetsu responded with a smile.
Shimotsuke Hisanobu quickly walked into the classroom and announced this year's graduation exam topic to the students.
"The topic for the graduation exam is the Transformation Jutsu."
The students below looked calmly at Shimotsuke Hisanobu. Whether it's the Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, or Substitution Jutsu, they are all highly proficient in them, so they can handle any Ninjutsu with ease.
"The graduation exam officially starts. The students whose names are called will proceed with us to the next classroom to take the exam." As the exam bell rang, Mokgetsu announced the official start of the exam.
"Mitarashi Anko."
Upon hearing her name, Anko immediately hummed a little tune and followed Mokgetsu to the next classroom.
"You have three minutes to observe the photo details and then use the Transformation Jutsu," Shimotsuke Hisanobu handed a photo to Anko.
Anko took the photo, glanced at it casually, and immediately started forming hand signs.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
A puff of white smoke flashed, and the next moment, a person identical to the one in the photo appeared in front of Shimotsuke Hisanobu.
This came as no surprise to Shimotsuke Hisanobu. Mokgetsu's Class 1 was the strongest class, and Anko was the strongest student since Shisui graduated, so she naturally had this level of skill.
Shimotsuke Hisanobu gave Anko a perfect score on the grading sheet and handed her a forehead protector.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, is there any dango if I do well in this exam?" Anko asked eagerly, looking at Mokgetsu rather than leaving right away after receiving her forehead protector.
"Yes," Mokgetsu nodded.
"Yay!" Anko cheered as she skipped out of the classroom.
"Miguri Asa."
"Kamizuki Izumo."
As time passed, one by one, the students of Class 1 completed the exam.
"If you don't take on a class in the future, Mokgetsu, this might just be the strongest class in Ninja Academy's history," Shimotsuke Hisanobu remarked as he looked at the high scores on the sheet.
Since he joined the Ninja Academy, it was the first time he'd seen a class as strong as this one.
The strength of Class 1 didn't lie in having a super genius like Shisui; it was that none of the students were weak—all of them were excellent.
Even those ranked at the bottom of Class 1 would be top-tier students in other classes.
"Future generations will bring forth more outstanding individuals," Mokgetsu didn't believe that this title of strongest could be maintained forever.
With the progress of time, there might be things he couldn't understand appearing in a few hundred years' time, and at that time, students surpassing those of the old era would naturally not be a problem.
"Hagane Kotetsu."
Shimotsuke Hisanobu and Mokgetsu awarded the final perfect score and handed out the last forehead protector, marking the end of Class 1's graduation exams.
[Under your diligent guidance, the students of Class 1 have made significant progress in their knowledge and skills after three years of hard work, successfully graduating to become Genin, earning you a reward—a new disciple slot +1]
Seeing the sudden popup message, Mokgetsu was slightly stunned.
He had expected some sort of reward settlement, but he hadn't anticipated it being so good.
He originally thought it would be a few thousand Chakra and maybe one or two Master Level Ninjutsu, but it turned out to be a new disciple slot.
For Mokgetsu, a disciple slot was the best reward, even better than a Perfect Level skill.
Because with a new disciple slot, there would be more opportunities to hone skills, and the speed of accumulating Chakra would also increase.
"I'll use it on Yamato tonight," Mokgetsu thought to himself.
Yamato was currently the most suitable person to become his disciple.
Firstly, Yamato possessed Hashirama Cells, endowing him with an impressive Chakra talent, and increasing his Chakra Amount has always been Mokgetsu's top priority.
Furthermore, Yamato was four years younger than Kakashi and was only seven years old now, so there was plenty of room for development, and the chances of triggering rewards were higher.
Lastly, Yamato already had quite a favorable impression of Mokgetsu, making it easier to raise his trust level.
With the graduation exam concluded, Mokgetsu stepped out of the classroom and was immediately surrounded by the students of Class 1 who had been waiting outside.
The students led Mokgetsu back to Class 1's classroom and placed him on the podium.
Each student neatly donned their forehead protectors and adjusted their attire. Finally, everyone stood in their positions and bowed to Mokgetsu, saying in unison:
"Teacher Mokgetsu, thank you for your guidance over the past three years!"
A natural smile appeared on Mokgetsu's face.