Konoha’s Black Plague

Easy Advancement

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Yuyan darted forward, eyes locked on her opponent, Mitarashi Anko. In her Byakugan-enhanced vision, the Eight Trigrams diagram manifested itself beneath them. She fluidly moved into position, easily evading the kunai Anko had hurled at her.

In a blink, Yuyan closed the distance and struck Anko's lower abdomen with a tilted palm, sending her opponent airborne from the sheer force. What followed was a blur: Yuyan danced around Anko midair with precise, flowing footwork, her palms landing rapid strikes in a perfect rhythm.

By the time she retracted her final blow, Anko's chakra points had been thoroughly sealed. Her body collapsed to the ground, immobilized, her expression dazed from the barrage of Gentle Fist strikes.

---

Elsewhere, Yue stood calmly, facing Anko's two teammates—Kōnya and Genbu. Despite being outnumbered, she fended them off using only taijutsu, not bothering with high-level ninjutsu.

"Earth Style: Core Tremor!"

Sensing that Yuyan had finished her fight, Yue flung a spread of shuriken to force her opponents back, then rapidly weaved hand seals. Slamming her palm into the ground, a tremor rippled out from the point of impact.

The earth beneath Kōnya and Genbu cracked and suddenly gave way, forming a sharp-edged pit beneath their feet. With no time to react, the pair tumbled into the trap.

At the same moment, Yue began forming another set of seals—the signature Tiger Seal of the Fireball Jutsu. She inhaled, chakra condensing behind her teeth as her chest swelled.

"Team Hizashi wins!"

The examiner raised his hand and interrupted. The situation was clear; there was no need to continue. The moment the match was called, Yue dispersed her chakra. The looming threat of the Great Fireball faded, and her face returned to calm.

---

Bai Ye had remained a bystander the entire fight. Yuyan had explicitly warned him at lunch not to interfere—so he chose to be the "quietly handsome man" on the sidelines.

"You hit me way too hard. What if I can't move tomorrow?"

Anko groaned dramatically as Yuyan helped her off the field. With her tenketsu sealed, she felt like her limbs had been drained of all strength.

"Hehe… I couldn't help myself," Yuyan said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. Truthfully, Bai Ye's teasing that morning had left her itching to show off the Gentle Fist she'd only recently mastered.

"She's so mean. She bullies me all the time," Yue chimed in with a smirk, raising the battlefield's sunken terrain again with another Earth Style technique as she jogged over to join them.

The Earth Style jutsu she used was her third chakra nature, developed after considerable training. Yue had taken a keen interest in mastering various ninjutsu, following the path of a versatile shinobi—like the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Alright, alright, you two have gotten way too full of yourselves lately."

Yuyan, still supporting Anko, suddenly shoved her into Yue's arms. Before either could react, she pounced on them, sending all three tumbling into a heap.

Yue sighed in resignation as she ended up pinned beneath the others, wearing the expression of a "bullied housewife." Anko, however, fumed with embarrassment. Usually she was the one roughhousing—being on the receiving end for once left her flustered and speechless.

"I'm leaving. You maniacs have your fun."

Bai Ye, rubbing his temples, decided he wanted no part in their nonsense. He slipped away without another word.

---

"I'm back."

Bai Ye rarely announced his return home, but tonight felt different. Might Duy wasn't away on a mission for once.

Despite both being Genin, Duy seemed significantly busier than Bai Ye. When asked, the man would only smile and deflect the question. The scroll containing the secret of the Eight Gates had already been returned—though Bai Ye had long since memorized the method for opening them.

Mastering the gates required inhuman physical conditioning. The first three gates—Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, and Gate of Life—were already under Bai Ye's control. But the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain, still placed tremendous strain on his body. He could use it—but only briefly and as a last resort.

Even with accelerated regeneration techniques from his Bleach-based heritage, Bai Ye could only maintain that state for thirty seconds. Any longer, and his body risked collapse. It was reminiscent of Rock Lee's battle against Gaara, where he had opened five gates but paid dearly for it.

Unlike Lee, however, Bai Ye could recover after a period of rest. The true cost of the Gate of Pain wasn't chakra, but cellular damage. It remained his trump card—reserved for life-or-death moments.

---

"No one's here?"

Despite the sun already setting, the house was empty. Bai Ye shrugged and made his way to their usual training grounds. Sure enough, there he found them.

Might Duy stood at the center, shrouded in a shimmering green aura—the telltale steam of the Eight Gates. It lit up the twilight like a flame in darkness.

"This is it..." Bai Ye thought.

He immediately understood: Duy had finally mastered the Gate of Death. More importantly, he had deemed Guy ready to begin formal training in the Eight Gates. This was a significant deviation from the original timeline. In canon, Duy only taught Guy after fully mastering the final gate—and even then, not until Guy was older.

Apparently, Bai Ye's presence had accelerated the timeline.

Bai Ye himself had already begun internalizing the Fourth Gate, but could not yet master it. It remained his ultimate move, too costly for prolonged use—even with spiritual healing techniques.

---

"Bai Ye! You're just in time. Come join us—Guy is ready to begin his Eight Gates training!"

Duy had sensed him from afar, even before Bai Ye said a word. He deactivated the Gate of Death, and the green mist around him dispersed. The swaying leaves, caught in the earlier air pressure, settled.

It was clear now: Duy believed Guy had met the prerequisites to begin. In the original story, Guy didn't become a Chūnin until age eleven—delayed in part by Duy's overprotectiveness and his own emotional burdens.

But now? With Bai Ye around… the wheel of fate was already shifting.