Yue vs. Yuyan
"I didn't just imagine that, did I?"
"I think I might still be dreaming..."
"Wait, Bai Ye is that strong? Why has he always been ranked last all these years?"
The students on the training field rubbed their eyes, stunned, as if questioning reality itself.
"Did you see what his last move was?"
"Yeah, barely..."
Yuyan, who was supporting Yue to the side, had veins bulging around his eyes—his Byakugan still active. Yue, held in his arms, had her single tomoe Sharingan visible.
"Well... after seeing that, I suppose I have no choice but to acknowledge his strength."
With the match decided, both deactivated their dōjutsu.
Yue looked fondly at Bai Ye, who was performing the Seal of Reconciliation with Zhiyi and the others. She recognized the last technique he'd used—it was the same one that had saved her life that night.
"I underestimated him. That last sword technique—did he invent it himself? I've never seen such variations in standard kenjutsu."
After the match, Zhiyi took Bai Ye's Zanpakutō and inspected it carefully, but found nothing that marked it as a chakra-forged blade or any sort of special ninja tool.
"It's something I've been working on recently," Bai Ye replied casually. "Though honestly, it requires the Zanpakutō to perform. Without understanding the underlying principles, it's hard to teach. It's different from techniques like Hadō or Bakudō, where the structure is more defined."
"I'll pass," Zhiyi replied bluntly. "These things don't suit our clan. Better to create something aligned with our own strengths than waste effort on techniques with no long-term value."
"Suit yourself." Bai Ye shrugged. He wasn't bothered. He had once reported methods related to Hadō and Bakudō to the Academy—specifically the First Incantation of each—but no one had taken the time to learn them. Without the skill to cast without incantation, such techniques were only practical for ambushes or support. Their power didn't match up to standard ninjutsu.
Suddenly, Bai Ye heard his name called.
"I choose Bai Ye!"
Confused, Bai Ye turned to look toward the training field.
"Ahem," the instructor coughed awkwardly, "Yuyan has selected you as her sparring partner."
"Huh? Can I refuse?"
"No."
"Then I refuse."
"You—!"
Since his polite refusal failed, Bai Ye declined more forcefully. "Then I definitely refuse."
Yuyan stomped her foot in frustration, fuming. She looked moments away from launching into a full Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms combo.
"Yue!"
Yue, who had been smiling just a moment ago, flinched at Yuyan's tone. She looked over, startled and wronged.
"What did I do now?!"
"You're sparring with me."
Yue blinked. Relief washed over her. She had expected Yuyan to fight Bai Ye this time. They usually sparred with each other, after all.
"Hmph. What's so great about that guy anyway?" Yuyan grumbled as Yue approached. "I just thought his taijutsu looked decent, so I wanted to test it myself."
Yue only smiled knowingly but said nothing. After all, she could guess Yuyan's true thoughts. She performed the Seal of Opposition and activated her Sharingan.
Yuyan, still grumbling, activated her Byakugan and fell into the Gentle Fist stance.
"I wonder if Lady Yuyan will finally break her 45-match losing streak."
"I doubt it. Lady Yue's too strong. No way she loses."
"Hey, don't be so sure! Lady Yuyan isn't weak! This time, she's got it!"
"Didn't you say the same thing for all forty-five previous matches?"
Before the fight even began, the spectators were already arguing.
Yue made no move to rush in—despite being an Uchiha, she avoided close combat with Yuyan when possible. Gentle Fist gave too much of an advantage in melee. Although Yue had always won their spars, the difference between them was razor-thin. A moment's laziness could tip the scales.
The pressure weighed on her. Despite their close friendship, she carried the name of the Uchiha. Losing wasn't an option. She trained relentlessly, never allowing herself to ease up, especially before matches.
Yuyan had her own reasons to fight. She wanted to surpass Yue—not just as a rival, but as a stepping stone to changing the Hyūga clan's rigid traditions. Every loss stung, but she never gave up. If she couldn't even defeat Yue, how could she expect to change centuries of dogma?
Both held firm to their own ideals. They were friends—but also each other's greatest rival. That's why they always stood atop the class rankings, first and second.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Yue attacked first. After forming the seals, she expelled a flurry of small, flame-like projectiles—each resembling the seeds of an impatiens flower—toward Yuyan.
But Yuyan had anticipated this. The instant Yue began the seals, she jumped back, widening the distance. The attack was hard to control at range, and Yuyan's swift reaction allowed her to evade cleanly.
Yue kept her distance and hurled shuriken to pressure Yuyan, who began closing in.
In such a close match, range mattered. If Yuyan couldn't close the gap, Yue had the upper hand.
Though most of the wires were severed with Gentle Fist strikes, two slipped through and wrapped around Yuyan's legs.
"Damn it—!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Yue followed up immediately, breathing out a massive fireball. The flames chased along the wire, homing in on the immobilized Yuyan.
Yuyan focused chakra to her palms and used Eight Trigrams Air Palm strikes to disperse the flames. After seven or eight hits, she blew a hole through the fireball just large enough for her to pass through—though she still took minor burns from the heat.
Inside the inferno, she struck twice with Gentle Fist, severing the wires on her legs.
Yue advanced behind the fireball and, stopping a few meters away, quickly formed another set of hand seals.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust followed the fireball. The combined force formed a flaming vortex at Yuyan's location.
Caught off guard and unable to dodge, Yuyan released chakra from all her tenketsu and began spinning—a partial Kaiten. It wasn't perfect, but it softened the damage.
Yue didn't let up. While the vortex still raged, she scattered more shuriken around the perimeter. The moment the flames died down and Yuyan emerged, wires tightened around her from all sides.
Before she could react, Yue yanked the lines and held a shuriken to her rival's neck.
Yuyan was clearly exhausted—face flushed from heat, chest rising and falling as she panted for breath. But she had no serious injuries.
"I'm going to beat you next time, just watch!"
"Yeah, yeah. But first, let me help you with some burn cream. You've got some minor injuries."
"Hmph! Why are you so ruthless?"
"If I wasn't, I'd be the one eating dirt. Getting slapped by your Gentle Fist isn't exactly pleasant."
Carrying her rival on her back, Yue left the training field—still bickering as always.