Mysterious Legend
"Ahem… how could Yuyan be so vicious?"
Obito, who had been drinking water, choked violently upon witnessing the scene before him. His chest tightened, and his thighs instinctively pressed together in sympathy.
"Do they have some kind of personal grudge?"
Most of the boys on the training field shared Obito's reaction, their expressions contorted in pain as a chill swept over their lower bodies. Unanimously, they swore to steer clear of Yuyan from now on.
Thus, a strange legend began circulating around Konoha—one that would eventually become the nightmare of all male shinobi.
The original rumor was simple, but it evolved quickly. The latest version claimed that a long-haired ghostly girl with no pupils would appear on the streets at midnight to obliterate a man's… dignity.
Yuyan laughed the first time she heard the tale—until she realized she was the model for the so-called ghost. Furious, she chased Bai Ye across half the village.
To be fair, the misunderstanding wasn't entirely the villagers' fault. Few knew about Bai Ye's abnormal regenerative abilities, and from the outside, the scene had looked far worse than it really was.
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The Incident
At the most critical moment of the match, Bai Ye had instinctively pushed forward with his right hand, just enough to widen the distance between them.
As Yuyan's knee strike came down, it narrowly grazed its intended target but failed to deliver the full force of the blow. Her gathered chakra remained unreleased.
The momentum from the failed strike sent her crashing into the gravel-strewn ground, pain shooting through her body, leaving her briefly paralyzed.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Ye pivoted, using his right hand to pull her left arm outward. Simultaneously, his left hand grabbed her limp right wrist and pinned both her arms against the ground.
His ten fingers were buried in the stone beneath them, locking Yuyan's wrists in place.
Unfortunately for her, she had just raised her right leg before the fall, and upon impact, her position froze. Bai Ye was now kneeling directly on her leg like it was a stool.
His knee also pressed against her lower abdomen, sapping her strength further. She felt a helpless soreness spread from her core.
"Hah… I almost became a eunuch…"
Bai Ye shuddered, cold sweat trickling down his back. If that knee had landed as intended, the pain would've been… unforgettable.
Yuyan's cheeks were flushed, though her pale lavender eyes still gleamed with defiance. She refused to surrender.
Summoning what little strength remained, she jerked her head upward in a last-ditch attempt to headbutt him.
However, with her lower abdomen pinned, she could only lift her torso slightly—her forehead struck his chest with a dull thump.
Bai Ye grimaced as his breath caught. Had his fingers not been anchored into the ground, he might have toppled over.
Desperate to subdue her, he lowered his head and butted hers in return, effectively canceling her next move.
Both of them felt the dizzying aftershocks of the collision. Yuyan, in particular, had taken two successive blows to the head. The world spun before her eyes like a constellation of tiny stars.
Despite the throbbing pain in his skull, Bai Ye clenched his jaw and used it to press down on her forehead, trapping her head against his chest.
Still unwilling to concede, Yuyan tried to lift her only free limb—her left leg—but the root of her thigh was firmly pinned under his right knee. She could barely twitch her foot, let alone mount an effective counterattack.
---
Observers
"So… does this mean Bai Ye wins?" Obito muttered, half in awe, half in disbelief.
"I suppose so," Shino's cousin Shou said, adjusting his sunglasses. "He's completely neutralized all of Yuyan's movements. By shinobi sparring rules, this qualifies as a win."
"Shh—"
Genma Shiranui subtly nudged Shou with his foot, shooting a glance toward the observing examiners.
"Ahem," Shou cleared his throat. "On second thought, maybe not. While Bai Ye's immobilization is effective, he can't launch any follow-up attacks from that position. Let's call it a draw."
"Since Lord Orochimaru hasn't given a verdict," Genma added quietly, "it likely means he's waiting for a definitive result."
Kakashi, standing beside them, raised an eyebrow. "You change your opinion fast."
Meanwhile, Orochimaru and his two assistants were deep in discussion, offering no decision yet. The match remained in stalemate.
---
Resolution
"Huh?"
Yuyan suddenly felt the pressure lift from her arms, abdomen, and leg. Reacting instantly, she rolled away and sprang to her feet, resuming her guard.
Bai Ye also backed off. He had only maintained the hold to buy time while his leg injury regenerated. Now fully healed, he knew clinging to a stalemate would squander his advantage.
While Bai Ye's full-body agility was exceptional, his limb-level reflexes weren't necessarily superior to Yuyan's. They were both taijutsu specialists, though they had diverged in style—hers rooted in precision and the Byakugan, his enhanced by chakra control and sheer explosiveness.
Of course, if Bai Ye were to open the Eight Gates, the difference would be overwhelming—but the cost was too high.
"Scatter—Senbonzakura."
Bai Ye, still haunted by the earlier exchange, now preferred ranged combat, even at the expense of chakra.
"I forfeit."
Yuyan sighed, raising her hand in surrender just as the wave of glimmering pink petals began to surge toward her. Her tone carried reluctant acceptance.
If Bai Ye had been willing to continue at close range, she might have stood a chance. But with him pulling back and relying on Senbonzakura's near-impossible-to-dodge assault, she knew she couldn't close the distance.
Rather than exhaust herself in vain, she chose to concede—allowing Bai Ye to preserve energy for the next round.
---
Post-Match Discussion
"What do those petals actually do?" someone asked in the crowd. "That's the second time he's summoned them, but no one's been hit yet."
"Maybe it's genjutsu?" another suggested. "Like Nirvana Jutsu—only with petals instead of feathers. Maybe he disguised a weapon as something pretty?"
In the back, Kurenai Yuhi overheard the theory and let out a small laugh before quickly covering her mouth.
The man who had suggested it noticed and began making his way toward her, displeased by the mockery.