Konoha’s Black Plague

Clearing the Field

"I was such an idiot to intercept…"

Shō, his hand still buried in his ninja pouch, had black lines pulsing on his forehead. He hadn't expected to play straight into Kakashi's setup so perfectly. His hand was fine—so why had he acted so rashly?

Akimichi Kazuo, standing not far off, looked at Shō with a gloating expression. Lucky this idiot jumped first, he thought. If I had gone in instead, I'd be the one humiliated—and my score in the examiner's eyes would've taken a dive.

Most of them were still stuck in the mindset from the previous exercise. Subconsciously, they assumed this round would also be a straightforward, head-on confrontation.

They conveniently forgot that this wasn't a one-on-one match anymore. The entire tactical dynamic had shifted.

"Tch. I picked two targets at random, but the ambush failed. Turns out those two are the hardest to deal with."

After releasing his Divine Spear state, Bai Ye casually swung his Zanpakutō twice. The sheer force of his movements flung off the tiny parasites clinging to the blade with ease.

"The real battle starts now."

He tapped his toes lightly and leapt onto the beam of the second floor, where he had been hiding in the shadows. Now fully visible, he gazed down at the chaos below with a relaxed smile.

After all, the same trick doesn't work three times in a row—not unless your enemies are fools. There was no longer any reason to remain hidden.

The only disappointment? He'd spent quite a bit of energy only to eliminate a harmless weakling.

"Hey, Masayuki, what should we do next?"

The atmosphere grew heavy once again. The five students being stared down felt cold sweat trickling down their backs.

If this standoff dragged on, they'd likely be the next to fall. Each of them silently regretted their earlier recklessness.

"Should we go on the offensive?" one of the Genin who had attacked Kakashi's shadow clone earlier asked. "Judging from what just happened, we should focus on eliminating a single opponent first. That way, others might not interfere."

The logic made sense—take one down and reduce the pressure. But everyone knew what came next: the remaining teams would descend on them like wolves.

"Still not moving, huh…"

Bai Ye rested his chin on his palm, watching Masayuki and the others thoughtfully. He figured they were the ones most likely to break the stalemate.

He and his team were applying psychological pressure in sync. If the opposing side didn't act soon, someone would snap.

Once their nerves broke, even a minor disruption could unravel everything—and they wouldn't get another chance.

"Move!"

Masayuki shouted, bolting from his position and forming hand seals as he ran.

"Earth Style: Yellow Springs Swamp!"

He slammed his palm to the ground mid-run, and a churning swamp materialized under Shō's feet.

"Finally, some action~" Bai Ye commented lazily from above, picking up another melon to snack on. To him, this fight was pure entertainment.

Masayuki looked like he was charging Kakashi, but his true target was Shō on the opposite side.

Shō, who had been spectating, sensed something off just before the ground beneath him turned viscous. He jumped back just in time.

Masayuki's team wasn't done.

The moment Masayuki crouched and activated his technique, the other four pivoted mid-run with near-perfect synchronization.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

One teammate had already prepared his seals. When Shō jumped as expected, the ninja slammed his hands to the earth.

With a rumble, three massive earth walls shot up around Shō—two on the sides and one behind—forming a makeshift trap with only one opening in the front.

Seeing this, Shō canceled the half-completed seal he was making and yanked two kunai from his pouch.

He hurled them into the side walls, hoping to use the rebound force to steady himself. He landed in a half-crouch on the rear wall, the single-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spinning rapidly, absorbing every detail around him.

He was on high alert—any misstep and he'd be finished.

"Shō! Your turn!" Kakashi, watching from a distance, crossed his arms and smirked. He looked completely unbothered, enjoying the spectacle.

He still hadn't forgotten how Shō tried to interfere with him earlier. This was karmic entertainment.

"I'll deal with you later," Shō muttered through clenched teeth. His fingers moved in a blur as he formed seals.

"Water Style: Toad Oil Bullet!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

Though Shō was quick, his opponents had already begun their seals moments earlier. He was a split second too late.

The combined ninjutsu erupted before him—a massive fireball nearly ten meters in diameter surged forward. The wind-enhanced flames blasted through the trap, igniting everything in its path.

And then—

From above, concealed earlier, a cluster of clay—presumably delivered mid-battle—fell directly into Shō's last potential escape path.

The hardened clay, combined with the massive fireball and the earth walls, formed a kiln-like seal. The trap became a literal furnace.

"These guys are ruthless. Shō might actually die," Obito muttered nervously from above, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.

Shō was no longer visible.

Masayuki's group, though triumphant, was clearly exhausted. The effort of two high-level coordinated battles had drained them.

Their chakra was nearly gone—unlike Bai Ye, whose freakish stamina seemed unaffected. Their movements grew sluggish, their focus waning.

But they were smiling. The strategy had been executed flawlessly. It would surely earn them praise.

Then—

"Did you forget we exist?"

Bai Ye's voice rang out behind Masayuki. A faint green glow faded from his form as he pointed his Zanpakutō at Masayuki's throat. The blade shimmered with killing intent.

Elsewhere, Kakashi had one opponent pinned, arm twisted behind his back, a short tanto pressed firmly against the spine.

Akimichi Kazuo wasn't far behind—his reinforced right hand clamped another enemy in an iron grip, knocking the Genin unconscious.

In the shadows, Kazuhiko's Aburame had already been deployed. The remaining two Genin, distracted and drained, were now being overwhelmed by the chakra-leeching swarm.

Everything had been timed perfectly.

Each member of Bai Ye's team struck when Masayuki's squad was at its weakest—spiritually and physically. They had used Shō as bait, with zero hesitation.

"I expected this outcome from the start," Masayuki muttered bitterly. "I just wanted us to lose with some dignity."

The entire plan had been his. He thought a well-executed strategy might still win points with the examiners.

It wasn't a mistake to ally temporarily—but being too obvious had doomed them.

"I might have to disappoint you," Bai Ye said with a faint, ambiguous smirk.