The Gathering of the Old Bastards
"Well, isn't Kazuhiko the biggest threat now?"
Masayuki, who had previously defeated Yue, took the lead among the five and naturally assumed the role of spokesman.
"Even if you're Bai Ye, you shouldn't be able to perform that kind of large-scale ninjutsu again."
Masayuki, watching Bai Ye and his allies warily, wiped the sweat from his forehead. His voice was steady, but his body betrayed his nerves.
Despite their group having the advantage in numbers, Masayuki feared a direct clash. If they pushed too hard, they might not live to regret it.
As he continued trying to reason with them, Bai Ye's expression hardened. Without a word, he rushed forward, blade in hand—but noticeably slower than before.
"S—Shit."
Masayuki cursed under his breath. His mouth had run ahead of his brain again, and now he had provoked the worst possible person.
"Don't panic! It's just him alone."
Seeing only Bai Ye make a move, Masayuki quickly tried to calm his teammates, who were already preparing to scatter. The last thing he wanted was to be picked off while they were disorganized.
He signaled for two teammates to intercept Bai Ye, while the remaining three kept their distance and watched the others—especially the four who hadn't moved yet.
This time, Bai Ye didn't use any flashy techniques. He relied purely on kenjutsu—his swordplay—which, to Masayuki's growing dread, was more than enough to hold off both attackers.
"Yue... when did Bai Ye's swordsmanship get this good? It almost feels like I'm watching Kakashi fight."
Obito scratched the back of his head, second-guessing his own sanity.
"I don't think... that's Bai Ye."
Yue's brows furrowed as she studied the battlefield. Something about him was off—the rhythm of his movements, even the sense of life she usually felt from him... it was gone.
People usually ignored Obito's ramblings, but Yue's insight made them all pause and watch more closely.
"Wait—"
Swift, activating her Byakugan, seemed to catch something, but quickly went silent, covering her mouth. She pretended not to notice anything—whatever she saw, she didn't want to reveal it just yet.
"Is he weakening too fast? Did he overexert himself?"
Bai Ye, who had been dominating with pure swordsmanship, was suddenly faltering. The momentum had shifted, and now he was on the defensive.
Kakashi, unable to watch any longer, began moving to assist him.
Clang!
A shuriken struck Kakashi's blade mid-step, forcing him to halt. More shuriken littered the path ahead—someone was actively trying to prevent him from interfering.
Looking toward the source, Kakashi saw Uchiha Shō standing ready, his Sharingan active, his hand poised inside his ninja pouch.
Clearly, if Kakashi moved again, Shō would respond instantly. But it was equally clear Shō wasn't eager to start a fight either—his position had shifted slightly back.
"So... they're more wary of me and Bai Ye than the others."
Kakashi quickly deduced Shō's intentions. But even as he considered this, he felt another gaze—hot, heavy, and full of killing intent.
Akimichi Kazuo.
Neither of them planned to let Kakashi act freely. Their strategy was obvious: use this skirmish as an opportunity to take Bai Ye out first.
Bang!
Bai Ye, after holding his ground for so long, finally slipped up. A kunai slashed across his waist. But instead of blood, there was only a puff of white smoke.
A Shadow Clone.
"Fire—Magic Gun, shoot him!"
A low voice rang out from the shadows. Before anyone could react, a beam of white light burst forth from beneath the second floor, slicing cleanly through Kazuhiko's side in an instant. The blast was so fast, it left no sound trail, only shock.
From one of the second-floor beams, a blade—absurdly long—protruded from behind the support frame. It was this blade that had pierced Kazuhiko the moment he let down his guard.
So fast, in fact, that Kazuhiko hadn't even tried to dodge.
There was no blood on the silver blade—perhaps due to the sheer speed of the strike—and it gleamed coldly under the lights.
"Does Bai Ye not know how to use normal ninjutsu?"
Obito, ever clueless, once again voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"The clone just now—it was Kakashi's. He used the Transformation Technique."
Yue's tone sharpened with clarity. It all made sense now. She turned to Obito—and the others—as realization set in.
If she hadn't figured it out, others might have assumed the clone had been Bai Ye's all along.
"But when did they coordinate that?"
Yuyan spoke up, confused. Everyone had been together earlier—there had been no chance for Kakashi and Bai Ye to discuss any secret plan. And the rules of the third round hadn't been announced until just before the match.
Just as everyone thought the tide had turned and Bai Ye and Kakashi had outwitted Kazuhiko, something unexpected happened.
From the wound in Kazuhiko's shoulder, a mass of black insects began to crawl out, quickly spreading along the blade and devouring it.
At the same time, his entire body began to rot and dissolve, turning black and grotesque. Within seconds, he was nothing but a writhing nest of parasites.
"Tch. That cunning bastard was never there to begin with."
Bai Ye's face darkened. He had kept a close eye on Kazuhiko since the match began—he didn't believe someone that slippery could vanish unnoticed.
The only possibility: just like Kakashi, Kazuhiko had sent out a decoy.
Bai Ye realized something was wrong the moment his blade pierced the man—there had been no resistance, no weight to the body. It had been a shell.
He had wasted precious chakra maintaining the ruse.
"Just as I thought. Leave a weakness dangling in front of him, and he bites."
Hidden in the shadows, the real Kazuhiko wore a smug grin. Watching his trap play out exactly as planned filled him with twisted satisfaction.
Before the match had even started, he'd secretly placed bugs on everyone in the arena. He knew their movements, their whispers, their tricks.
He had seen Bai Ye and Kakashi's sleight of hand. He chose not to stop them—instead, he played along. Waiting for the right time.
His plan had been to let them take each other out. He hadn't expected to become the second target—but once he did, he used it to draw them out.
"I feel like I've wasted my whole life training."
Masayuki and his remaining allies were stunned, watching the clash of tactics unfold. All the experience they had taken pride in felt meaningless before these veterans—the "old bastards"—who made war look like a game of shogi.
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