Konoha’s Black Plague

Hyuga Hizashi

"Teacher, why am I grouped with two girls? Is this a mistake?"

Bai Ye frowned upon hearing the team assignments. Something didn't feel right, and he couldn't help but try one last time to change it.

"Bai Ye! Are you looking down on me? You should feel honored that someone like you—the last-ranked—gets to be teamed up with us!"

Yuyan snapped. Furious, she slammed her foot on the desk in front of Bai Ye, pointed a finger at his nose, and let loose, unloading all her frustrations—past and present.

"Teacher, look—our team dynamic is already strained. This kind of tension can't possibly be good for teamwork."

Bai Ye seized the opportunity to protest again.

"You...!"

Yuyan couldn't hold back. She aimed a kick at Bai Ye's face, but he calmly raised his right arm—the weight-training bands softening the blow—and blocked it effortlessly.

"Ow—what the...! You...!"

Yuyan recoiled in pain. She felt like she'd kicked solid steel. Caught off guard, she looked down to find her little toe swelling. With tears in her eyes, she plopped down, puffing air onto her foot while glaring daggers at Bai Ye.

"Haha, resolve your differences on your own. You're teammates now—there's no need for bloodshed," their academy teacher said helplessly. The groupings weren't her decision anyway. Better to leave quickly and let their new jōnin instructor deal with the fallout.

"Tch…"

Bai Ye sighed as he watched Yuyan sniffle. She had been so excited to be on the same team as Yue—until he came along and ruined her good mood.

"Okay, that's enough."

Yue stepped in, scooped Yuyan up from the desk, and carried her away before she could launch another attack.

"You didn't even help me! What's so great about that jerk? He actually dared to look down on us!"

Yuyan pouted and squirmed on Yue's lap, looking betrayed.

"I did help. I stopped you from hurting yourself more. I even rubbed your poor toe. What more do you want?" Yue murmured, her cheeks slightly red as she gently massaged the injured foot.

"Hmph. Traitor."

Yuyan bumped her chin against Yue's forehead as a teasing punishment, then reached out and ruffled Yue's hair, her irritation fading.

"Do your best not to get outshined by the girls. I'll support you—in spirit," Zhiyi whispered from the side with a smirk. If not for the grin he tried to hide, Bai Ye might've taken him seriously.

"Right. You said you wanted to be teammates yesterday. But today? Gone. Some friend you are," Bai Ye muttered, shooting him a look.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A voice interrupted them as the classroom door opened.

"I'm Yuan Feiyushu, your instructor for Team 5. Senju Yui, Aburame Zhiyi, and Nara Shikako—come with me."

The man had a thin mustache like the Third Hokage and a cigarette dangling from his lips—unlit.

"Later. Good luck surviving, Bai Ye," Zhiyi said with a wave as he left without another word.

Soon, only Bai Ye, Yue, and Yuyan were left in the classroom. Bai Ye, now the only boy, watched the two girls laughing and playing across from him. As he expected, he was excluded—there was no way for him to join in naturally.

Yue, catching his gaze, suddenly looked awkward. The room fell into a strange silence.

"Ahem... alright, I'm sorry. I went too far earlier," Bai Ye admitted, sensing the mood shift. Since they were going to be teammates, harmony mattered more than pride.

"Hmph," Yuyan turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge him. She still thought he was annoying.

"What's wrong? Who upset our precious Yuyan?"

The voice from the door made all three of them turn.

"Uncle Hizashi!"

Yuyan's face lit up with joy as she dashed across the room and jumped into the arms of the newcomer.

"You're our instructor, aren't you?"

She looked up at him with bright eyes, already certain of the answer.

Bai Ye hadn't expected Hyuga Hizashi—younger brother of the Hyuga Clan Head—to be their jōnin leader. He thought they'd be stuck with some retired, obscure ninja like most new genin teams.

"Behave yourself, or I'll send you back to the Academy," Hizashi said playfully, ruffling Yuyan's hair. Unlike his canon depiction—where he rarely wore a headband to hide the Caged Bird Seal—here he wore it firmly across his forehead.

"You two must be Uchiha Yue and Bai Ye." Hizashi turned to them. "I'm Hyuga Hizashi. Unless something changes, I'll be your team's instructor. Let's find somewhere else to talk."

As Hizashi walked ahead with Yuyan clinging to his side, she made a smug face at Bai Ye over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out before skipping off.

"Don't mind her," Yue said gently, clearly concerned. "She's just... like that. But she's kind. Really."

Bai Ye shrugged. "It's fine. I did provoke her first. Honestly, I think her fire's kind of charming. But... I have to ask—how are you two so close? Your personalities are polar opposites."

As they followed behind Hizashi and Yuyan, it felt like the team had naturally split into two pairs.

"When I first entered the Academy, the other girls avoided me," Yue said softly, looking at the floor. "Yuyan originally just wanted to beat me. But then... she started sticking close to me every day. She's my only real friend."

There wasn't much emotion in her tone—just quiet acceptance. Clearly, she was used to it.

"They were probably just jealous," Bai Ye said honestly. "You're gentle, quiet, and talented. That makes people uncomfortable, especially when they feel inferior. But hey—you got one thing wrong. I'm your friend now too, aren't I?"

He extended a hand toward her.

Yue hesitated, her face reddening slightly. Then she reached out and shook his hand—briefly lost in the moment. When he let go, she felt a strange wave of disappointment.

Up ahead, Yuyan secretly glanced back and frowned. She'd been watching. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath. "Should've held on longer."

Even Hizashi, who had quietly activated his Byakugan to observe the situation, sighed.

"So this is what it feels like to be single," he thought, mildly bitter.