Final Kill: Ice Dragon's Tail
"This match is terrible—can't see a thing with all those bugs flying around."
From the second-floor spectator gallery, the crowd could barely make out anything beyond the opening salvo—a large red fireball unleashed by Bai Ye. After that, a dense cloud of Kazuhiko had consumed the field, making visibility nonexistent.
"Note to self: don't fight an Aburame in close quarters. You won't even have room to dodge, let alone escape that insect cloud."
One genin hopeful, who had already passed the first screening, winced as he spoke. Clearly, he was praying he wouldn't face Kazuhiko in the next round—and he hadn't yet thought of any viable counter-strategy.
But winning wasn't the only goal here. The third round of the Chūnin Exams was about demonstrating your ability to the examiners. Losing to a powerful opponent didn't mean disqualification, as long as you could show skill, intelligence, or determination.
The problem with fighting Kazuhiko? No one would be able to see what you did. The moment the Kazuhiko swarmed in, you'd disappear from sight. And if no one could witness your performance, how were you supposed to pass?
Kazuhiko himself remained unaware of the growing resentment. From outside the field, many were silently praying he'd lose to Bai Ye quickly.
Bai Ye, meanwhile, had remained calm. Known for his taijutsu prowess, he initially thought he could outlast Kazuhiko. But he could feel the Kazuhiko steadily siphoning his chakra.
"Huh?"
Kazuhiko frowned after Bai Ye activated Senbonzakura. Something was wrong. His carefully bred Kazuhiko were dying en masse.
And it wasn't like the casualties caused by the earlier fireball. This was a systematic massacre. The cocoons couldn't hatch fast enough to replace the losses.
"Didn't expect it to be this effective..."
Bai Ye had only wanted to test his technique—he hadn't held high expectations. But he soon realized something critical: these insects were far more fragile than human opponents.
Senbonzakura's destructive capability exceeded his own predictions. Each petal-slash easily bisected a bug. And now that he could fragment his blade into thousands of pieces, the ground beneath him was already littered with tiny corpses.
Seeing this, Bai Ye dispelled his defensive barrier. There was no longer any need for it—none of the insects could even get close. In fact, he had enough energy left to manipulate his extra blades, hunting down stray Kazuhiko attempting to regroup.
Given a little more time, he could likely eliminate them all.
"Hm? Retreating?"
Until moments ago, the arena had been pitch-black due to the swarm. Now, light began to seep in. Bai Ye realized Kazuhiko was withdrawing his insects. The tide of black had receded.
"Haven't seen this move in a while... it's beautiful~"
Kazuhiko's temporary retreat gave the audience their first clear look at Bai Ye's condition. Among them, Uchiha Yue's eyes sparkled with admiration. Stars practically danced in her pupils, and her infatuation was clear.
"What is that technique? Did that force Kazuhiko to back off?"
Only Yue and Yuyan understood the power Bai Ye had just unleashed. To everyone else, the fluttering pink "petals" swirling around him were simply mysterious. They could only judge from Kazuhiko's reaction that it was no ordinary move.
"You're as strong as Zhiyi said."
Kazuhiko stepped forward as the insects regrouped around him, revealing his presence once more. He was in the same posture as at the start—whether this was the real him or a Kazuhiko clone remained unclear.
Bai Ye was about to respond, but Kazuhiko vanished again, as if delivering dramatic one-liners was his personal hobby.
Bai Ye scowled. Damn it. Can you say more than one sentence for once? He stomped forward, annoyed.
But Kazuhiko didn't disappear into the insect swarm again. Instead, he quietly repositioned near a wall where Bai Ye had previously left a deep crater.
"Secret Technique: Insect Tornado."
Kazuhiko's voice was low, almost a whisper. The Kazuhiko in the center stirred violently.
The bugs began spinning in tight, rapid formations, forming a vortex. A gust of wind emerged, gradually building momentum.
"Hnngh—"
As the rotation accelerated, the wind turned into a roaring gale. It whipped through the arena, tugging at clothing and accessories.
Yuyan's blue ribbon—usually used to tie her long black hair during battle—was ripped free and carried toward the vortex. Her waist-length hair flew wildly in the wind. She barely managed to clutch it against her chest with both arms.
"Got it~"
From beside her, Yue's hand shot out. With reflexes honed through countless battles, she caught the ribbon midair. In her other hand, she held a pink ribbon—one Bai Ye had given her when the three of them first formed a team.
Yuyan only wore hers during combat. Yue, by contrast, wore hers every day. It still looked brand new.
---
Down on the field, Bai Ye had already dispelled Senbonzakura and switched to Hyorinmaru.
He stood calmly, eyes closed, despite the roaring wind. His right hand hung loosely at his side, fingers curled around Hyorinmaru's hilt. The tip of the blade rested gently against the floor, radiating cold.
A thin sheet of ice crept outward from where the blade touched the ground, slowly but steadily freezing the floor, as if preparing the battlefield for something monumental.
The tornado above had reached its peak. Just as it began advancing, Bai Ye's eyes snapped open. He gripped his sword tightly.
"Ice Dragon's Tail!"
With a powerful sweep, Bai Ye drew the blade across the ground, leaving behind a glowing arc of frost. From the slash's wake, the icy head of a dragon erupted—its jaws wide, eyes glowing red.
The rest of the dragon's body trailed behind, emerging from the blade as if freed from centuries of imprisonment. It spiraled upward, majestic and terrifying.
The arena's temperature plummeted. Frost coated the floor where the dragon passed, forming a crystalline trail.
The dragon lunged toward the tornado's base. As it began to coil upward, the Kazuhiko tried to resist, their rotation attempting to strip the ice from the dragon's body.
But it was no use.
Each time a bug touched the ice, it froze instantly. The cold spread like an infection—bug after bug succumbing to the freezing touch. In mere seconds, the entire vortex solidified into an inverted ice cone.
Wrapped around it was the ice dragon, its coiled body like a serpent gripping its prey. Its head hovered at the top, facing Kazuhiko—its glowing eyes locked onto its next target.