Konoha’s Black Plague

The Grand Battle Begins

"This round will be the final round."

Orochimaru paused deliberately at the key point. Had the contestants been capable of overpowering him, they would've already stormed the stage, weapons drawn, to put an end to his antics.

"The next round will be a free-for-all. The eleven participants who advanced will now take the field together."

"There are no special restrictions for this match. It will continue until only one contestant remains."

Seeing that he now had everyone's full attention, Orochimaru chose not to prolong the suspense. After a brief rundown of the rules and precautions, he vanished in a blur of motion.

"Sharp blades."

As Orochimaru disappeared, Bai Ye spoke these two cryptic words before calmly returning to the field.

"Bai Ye, what the hell was that? You just dropped a random line and walked off!"

Obito grumbled, irritated and confused. His mental gears ground to a halt as he tried to process it.

"Idiot."

Kakashi's blunt remark was all he offered before following Bai Ye onto the battlefield.

"Kakashi! Don't you dare run away from me!"

Obito shouted after him, slamming a fist against the railing in frustration. It was rare that he even realized he was being insulted.

"Obito, honestly… Kakashi's right this time."

Asuma gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, as if deeply concerned for his long-term cognitive development.

Now Obito was thoroughly thrown off, beginning to wonder if he was actually stupid.

"Um… Bai Ye meant those petals floating around him are made of sharp blades."

Rin gently tugged on Obito's sleeve and whispered the explanation.

If Bai Ye had seen this scene, he might've seriously considered whether unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan had some kind of IQ-boosting side effect—especially given how Obito turned into a manipulative mastermind in the future. Right now though, he looked more like a clueless side character.

---

Soon, all eleven contestants had taken their positions around the field. Kakashi, arriving last, deliberately avoided standing near Bai Ye.

Among the competitors, aside from the familiar chubby Kazuhiro, there was another large boy wearing traditional Akimichi garb, the character "food" (食) emblazoned across his chest. Clearly, another member of the Akimichi Clan.

Unusually, no Hyūga had advanced this far—likely due to a recent restructuring in the clan's Genin training pipeline. By contrast, the Uchiha, whose dojutsu was equally famous, still had a senior Genin, Uchiha Shō, in the final round, despite both Obito and Yue having been eliminated earlier.

The remaining participants were: Bai Ye, Kakashi, Masayuki, Kazuhiro, Akimichi Kazuo, Uchiha Shō, and four apparent civilians with no recognizable clan affiliations.

---

"Kakashi, let's join forces."

Bai Ye rolled his eyes nonchalantly, raised a hand in greeting, and approached Kakashi with a seemingly relaxed gait.

Despite Bai Ye's casual invitation, Kakashi's expression didn't change. However, the other contestants' faces darkened.

They had already considered Kakashi and Bai Ye as dangerous individuals on their own—seeing them team up confirmed their worst fears. No one expected Kakashi to reject the offer either; from their positions in the observation stands, it was clear they weren't enemies. Eliminating others first just made tactical sense.

Seeing this, some of the other participants began making discreet eye contact with their allies, nodding subtly to signal temporary alliances.

"Ninjas will do anything to fulfill their mission, Kakashi."

Smiling, Bai Ye placed his right hand on Kakashi's shoulder… and suddenly, without warning, drove his clenched left fist straight into Kakashi's abdomen.

The unexpected blow knocked the air out of Kakashi's lungs. He gagged, and a spray of bile erupted from his mouth as he crumpled over Bai Ye's shoulder, wide-eyed in disbelief.

"That bastard Bai Ye! He's turned into such a backstabbing creep!"

Obito shouted furiously from the stands, completely forgetting that just moments ago, he was cheering for Kakashi to get taken out early.

If Kakashi were eliminated like this, it could seriously jeopardize his Chūnin prospects—regardless of his actual strength.

The rest of the field hesitated, glancing uneasily at one another. Those who had just made silent pacts now found themselves suspicious of betrayal. Was their own partner about to pull the same move?

---

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

(Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!)

While everyone was still focused on Bai Ye's "betrayal," a shout came from Kazuhiro's direction.

In the next moment, only his head remained above ground, sticking out with a dazed expression. He clearly had no idea what had just happened.

"One down," Kakashi muttered, crouching nearby.

There were now two Kakashis visible on the field.

The Kakashi who'd been hit by Bai Ye vanished in a puff of smoke—revealing it had been a Shadow Clone (Kage Bunshin no Jutsu) all along.

With the clone drawing attention, the real Kakashi had used the chaos to sneak underground and take out Kazuhiro cleanly.

Realizing this, the crowd's eyes widened. It had all been coordinated from the start. Kakashi and Bai Ye had premeditated the entire act—the fake betrayal, the clone, the target selection.

Kazuhiro's face twisted in despair. It was the second time today he'd been blindsided by the same person. He couldn't help but suspect that Kakashi had it out for him specifically. As his head stuck out of the dirt, he silently swore to become more cautious in the future—or at least learn a few anti-earth-style counters.

---

"Ugh…"

Obito slumped in his seat. He'd just defended Kakashi—and now he'd been publicly humiliated by a perfect setup. He glared at Bai Ye and Kakashi, wounded pride flaring.

"Why do I get the feeling Bai Ye actually meant to kill Kakashi?"

Yuyan muttered with a conflicted look. With her Byakugan-level perception, she had noticed a faint sigh from Bai Ye—he genuinely seemed disappointed that Kakashi wasn't eliminated for real.

Regardless of what anyone thought, the dynamics on the battlefield had shifted.

The five civilian-nin, clearly aware of their relative disadvantage, banded together quickly after Kazuhiro's defeat, forming a small defensive perimeter. Their goal was obvious—safety in numbers.

Meanwhile, the more dangerous Genin, like Bai Ye and Kakashi, remained scattered, watching the group of five with predatory intent. It was likely they planned to eliminate the weaker ones first.

---

"Orochimaru, are you really just going to let them change the rules like this?"

Jiraiya asked, visibly uncomfortable. He watched poor Kazuhiro's head sticking out of the ground with a sympathetic wince.

"Isn't it fun this way? One-on-one matches are boring," Tsunade replied, clapping a firm hand on Jiraiya's shoulder—hard enough to make him wince again.

"Besides, it was a majority vote. Two to one. Don't forget what sensei said—majority rules."

Currently, the oversight for this round had been delegated to Orochimaru's team by the Third Hokage, giving them temporary authority to modify the format. The results? Total chaos—and a much more unpredictable Chūnin selection round.