Konoha’s Black Plague

Bloody Flash

Bai Ye immediately sensed danger when the enemy began forming hand seals. Without hesitation, he lunged toward Zhiyi, trying to pull him out of harm's way.

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

A massive sphere of high-pressure wind shot out of the enemy's mouth. From afar, it appeared at least ten meters in diameter, tearing through the forest as it barreled toward Bai Ye's hiding spot.

Every tree in its path was shredded like paper, and the very earth was carved into a deep trench nearly two meters wide. Nothing survived its passage—only devastation remained.

Realizing the sheer power of the jutsu, Bai Ye's pupils contracted. That level of destruction… he's definitely a jōnin, he thought grimly. Those two idiots dared to pick a fight with this guy? They must have a death wish.

The wind sphere drew closer. Bai Ye, still dragging the unconscious Zhiyi, was running at full speed, but the added weight made escape impossible. They were seconds from impact—and still within range.

Just half a meter short of safety, Bai Ye made a snap decision. With a grunt, he shoved Zhiyi forward with all his might, barely getting him out of the blast zone. Then, he turned—gambling everything on his unusual physique.

Because of that final push, Bai Ye's body lagged. The high-pressure wind struck him squarely along his right side.

It was like being flayed alive.

Countless micro-lacerations tore into his flesh. At first glance, it didn't seem deadly—but the wind blade effect continued to grind away at him, attempting to strip his body of all skin and muscle. His vision blurred, but he had shifted his head just in time to avoid a fatal blow to the brain.

His appearance became horrific. The entire right side of his body was skinned raw, exposing bone in some places. Flesh clung to his frame in bloody, torn ribbons.

The blood that should have poured from his body had already been swept away by the gale, leaving the ground beneath him eerily clean.

Despite his fading consciousness, Bai Ye never loosened his grip on his Zanpakutō. Even within the storm, he clutched it tightly with his tattered right hand.

The once-polished blade now resembled a shattered relic, chipped and cracked—barely holding together.

"Damn it!"

Zhiyi stared, wide-eyed and trembling, as Bai Ye collapsed, gravely wounded for his sake. Fury surged through him, but he kept his cool. Instead of charging in recklessly, he crouched and focused his chakra.

He summoned a massive swarm of kikaichū parasites and supplemented them with wild insects drawn from the forest. The thick cloud of insects formed a living wall between them and the enemy.

The attacker began forming hand seals again—this time slower, more methodical. Zhiyi could tell: It's Fire Release. He's switching to a technique that counters insects directly...

Insects began to combust as the heat intensified. Still, Zhiyi didn't budge. He dared not move Bai Ye, afraid of worsening his already critical condition. All he could do was stall and pray for support.

Unbeknownst to him, something within Bai Ye began to stir.

A strange, white substance started oozing from the mangled half of Bai Ye's body, rapidly enveloping him. It crept upward, forming a sleek, bone-white mask on his face—devoid of features, except for two crimson tear lines running from the eyes.

His black hair slowly turned blood-red, lengthening until it flowed down to his waist.

Then, Bai Ye opened his eyes.

The once-dark pupils had become a gleaming blood-red, with the sclera turned entirely white—eerily luminous. The change was complete.

He raised his now pale, hollowed arm. At the tip of his index finger, a crimson sphere of energy began to condense.

A Cero.

The light condensed, vibrated, and then fired—slicing through the insect barrier like it was nothing.

"No—!"

The enemy, still performing a Fire Release jutsu, froze. His instincts screamed danger. He tried to abort the technique and dodge, but it was far too late.

The blood-red beam pierced his chest in a flash, narrowly missing the heart but blasting a gaping hole straight through. It didn't stop—it tore through the forest, striking a distant hill.

A moment later, the sphere expanded violently into a massive explosion.

The sky above turned red. The hill disintegrated. The earth quaked under the pressure of the detonation.

When the smoke cleared five seconds later, nothing remained but a colossal crater.

Back at ground zero, just before the explosion, Zhiyi had turned toward Bai Ye.

"Bai Ye…? You're awake!"

He could feel the chakra shift from within the swarm. Though Bai Ye now looked inhuman—clad in white, hair blood-red—his eyes were open. Alive.

Relief flooded Zhiyi's chest. But before he could speak, Bai Ye collapsed again, falling forward like a puppet with its strings cut.

Zhiyi caught him just in time. He was stunned to find that Bai Ye's body, though cracked, was somehow whole beneath the white armor.

The strange substance began to flake away with each tremor, revealing perfectly healed skin underneath. The massive wounds were gone, as if they'd never existed.

Though unconscious, Bai Ye seemed stable now. Zhiyi couldn't make sense of the transformation—but guessed it must be some unknown kekkei genkai or dormant ability.

Then he noticed something else.

The enemy's fire technique had stopped.

No more insects were dying. No further attacks were coming.

"Did he flee…?" Zhiyi wondered aloud. "Was that explosion… his doing?"

With no chakra left to spare on reconnaissance insects, he had no idea that Bai Ye had annihilated their pursuer in a single, overwhelming blow.

Still cautious, Zhiyi kept the swarm up.

He had no intention of lowering his guard until he was certain the threat had been neutralized.