Konoha’s Black Plague

Questioning

"Hey, why did you stop?"

Not long after, Yuyan and Yue flashed through the trees and landed beside Bai Ye, who was hiding on a branch.

"Can you try using your brain next time? If we ever have to split up during a mission, your impulsiveness is going to get us killed."

Bai Ye stretched out a finger and tapped it against Yuyan's forehead, frowning.

"Hmph!"

Yuyan jerked her head back, then impulsively bit the hovering finger above her like a reflex.

"Ow—enough already. Focus on the situation inside the hideout. We need to plan our next move."

Bai Ye looked at the bite mark on his finger and gave it a little shake. Yuyan blushed and spat his finger out, only for Yue to bite his shoulder from the other side in solidarity.

"You two are definitely descended from the Inuzuka clan."

Bai Ye didn't react this time. His earlier flinch was purely instinctual. But deep down, he sighed—sometimes, being on a team with girls was exhausting.

"There are fourteen people inside," Yuyan reported, her Byakugan scanning through the walls. "From their body proportions, they're all children. No chakra signatures suggesting shinobi training. Most likely civilians. Should we go in together?"

"Fourteen…" Bai Ye muttered. "That matches the number of missing villagers, if we exclude Gu Bin. Could they all be like him—abnormally strong or altered?"

He tugged Yue gently by the cheek to move her aside, then sat cross-legged on the branch in a thinking pose reminiscent of Shikamaru. Whether or not it actually helped him think better was anyone's guess.

"I think it has to do with this hidden base," Yue said, rubbing her cheek. "These kids are probably the missing ones. That part seems confirmed."

"The issue is that a base like this couldn't have been built overnight," Bai Ye said, frowning. "We can rule out the possibility that those brats built it themselves."

"Maybe they stumbled on it recently," Yue suggested. "But I don't understand why they've been hiding here instead of going home."

"If Gu Bin's physical fitness really did spike so drastically, then the answer might lie in this base." Bai Ye's voice lowered. "Still, who has the capability to construct something like this—undetected—so close to Konoha?"

"In any case, we can't just rush in. Our mission is to rescue the missing villagers, not assault them," Yue added.

Watching Bai Ye and Yue discuss tactics back and forth, Yuyan suddenly felt left out. She started doubting herself. Was her intelligence actually below average?

"Yue, you'll burn away the vines blocking the entrance. Yuyan, as soon as the path is clear, target their tenketsu. Disabling chakra points might prevent any unknown outbursts."

Bai Ye made the call to go in directly. Even if there was a secret exit, it would take time to find—and time wasn't a luxury they had. If the people inside were just children, this wouldn't be difficult.

"Ah—right," Yuyan said, snapping out of her spiral and mentally preparing. She had already marked out her targets with her Byakugan. Even if my brain's no good, I'll just work harder, she resolved.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!"

"Bakudō #4: Hainawa (Crawling Rope)!"

Yue unleashed a fireball to incinerate the vines at the entrance. As the flames lit up the area, Yuyan dashed through them, striking her targets with precise palm hits. At the same time, Bai Ye completed his incantation and launched a rope of light that bound the remaining targets in an instant.

With his Kidō successfully restraining them, Bai Ye yanked the two bodies from the flames and quickly dragged them out with Yue and Yuyan's help. They hid them in the bushes behind the tree.

"They haven't raised an alarm yet," Yuyan reported, landing beside Bai Ye as he tied the two captives to a nearby tree. "We need to move fast."

"Your technique is surprisingly convenient," she added, watching the glowing ropes slither like snakes.

"If you want to learn Kidō, I'll teach you once we get back. For now, stop staring and release their tenketsu."

He waved a hand in front of Yuyan's face, trying to snap her out of her daze.

"You damn Konoha rats! You won't get away with this!"

One of the captured teens—a boy—snapped at them, thrashing as much as the ropes would allow.

"Tch. Keep barking. We moved you far enough that no one's gonna hear you scream."

Bai Ye squatted in front of him, completely unfazed.

"Don't touch me!"

The boy tried to spit at Bai Ye, but the glowing rope constricted around his mouth.

"Clearly not the talkative type. Let's try the girl."

Bai Ye glanced at the timid girl beside him—silent, frightened, and unmoving. He gave Yue a meaningful look. Yuyan stepping in would only make things worse.

"Hey there, what's your name? Don't be scared. We're here on the village chief's orders to find you."

Yue gently pulled on the rope while Bai Ye released part of the seal. Both he and Yuyan stayed alert in case of a sudden outburst.

"I'm actually older than you… so you have to call me Sister Qinqin."

The girl leaned into Yue, seemingly soothed, though her statement was odd.

"…Alright, Sister Qinqin," Yue replied after a short pause. "Can you tell us what's going on here?"

"Well… it's all because of Brother Gu Chen."

From Qinqin's story, the three finally pieced together the full picture.

Gu Bin's older brother, Gu Chen, discovered the base over a month ago. It was abandoned but structurally intact. He led the other children to clean it up and repurpose it as their secret hideout.

But inside, they found a hidden chamber containing a strange machine that produced a mysterious clear fluid. Gu Chen tasted a bit of it and immediately warned everyone to never touch it, saying it was dangerous and possibly lethal in large amounts.

Soon after, Gu Chen left for Konoha, his talent securing him a place in a Chūnin team. The remaining kids stayed behind, proud of Gu Chen's achievements and treating the base as a sort of clubhouse.

Then, a week ago, tragedy struck—news came from Konoha that Gu Chen had died in action while covering for his team. His body was never recovered.

Gu Bin, devastated, changed completely. And shortly after, he became the first person—besides Gu Chen—to consume the strange liquid.