Yuki Yuki gasped as she stared at the ice sphere dissolving in Chiba's palm, disbelief and shock written clearly across her face.
"Chiba… y-you awakened too?"
Beside her, Haku reacted in the complete opposite way. Pure, unguarded, and overflowing with joy, she clapped her hands and burst into laughter, her eyes sparkling.
"That's amazing, Brother Chiba! Now we can train together!"
Yuki Yuki let out a soft, almost helpless sigh, her emotions tangled.
"Ah… could this really be fate…?"
Chiba stepped closer, gently patting Haku's head with one hand while placing the other reassuringly on Yuki Yuki's shoulder. His touch was steady, his presence calm.
"Don't worry," he said quietly. "Everything will be fine."
Yuki Yuki froze. The young man's face was suddenly very close, his expression composed and confident in a way she had never noticed before. The calm certainty in his voice, the inexplicable sense of safety he gave her,it all made her heart tremble uncontrollably. Before she realized it, heat rushed to her cheeks, coloring them red.
"Chiba, you…" she began, her voice faltering.
He smiled faintly, his tone unwavering.
"I won't allow anyone to harm you. And I will never let the tragedy of the Yuki Clan happen again."
"Again…?" Yuki Yuki repeated softly, confusion flashing through her eyes. "What do you mean by that…?"
"It's nothing," Chiba replied smoothly.
But in his heart, the future he remembered was painfully clear. The Yuki Clan exterminated. Its members slaughtered without mercy. Yuki Yuki dying unjustly. Haku, still a child, left orphaned and wandering the streets,only to later meet Momochi Zabuza and become nothing more than a tool for killing.
That fate…
He would never allow it to repeat.
Yuki Yuki continued to look at him, an unfamiliar feeling stirring deep in her chest.
He really has grown up…
So calm. So reliable.
Someone you could truly depend on…
Her cheeks burned crimson.
What am I thinking…?
Startled by her own thoughts, she quickly stepped back, instinctively avoiding his touch. Chiba noticed her reaction and let out a quiet, almost amused breath, saying nothing.
Before either of them could speak again, a woman from the Yuki Clan hurried toward them.
"Yuki, Chiba,you're here as well," she said quickly. "The clan head has summoned everyone for a meeting. I heard envoys from Kirigakure have arrived."
Chiba's expression hardened instantly.
Envoys from Kirigakure…
So it had come to this.
Those who arrived without invitation rarely came with goodwill. Still, his eyes remained steady. He now possessed the strength to protect his clan.
"Then let's go, Yuki," he said calmly.
Hearing him address her so naturally, Yuki Yuki felt her face heat up once more, but she nodded softly.
"Yes."
She entrusted Haku to the woman and walked beside Chiba toward the clan's council hall. Along the way, her composure finally cracked, and her voice trembled with fear.
"Chiba… if Kirigakure has sent people, does that mean the Yuki Clan is in danger?"
"I'm afraid that's likely."
"T-Then what do we do?" she asked anxiously. "Our clan can't possibly oppose Kirigakure… Are we going to be wiped out like the other Kekkei Genkai clans?"
The thought alone made her eyes well with tears, especially when she imagined Haku's future. Chiba stopped walking. He reached out, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks before taking her hand in his. His grip was warm, firm, and unshakable.
"Didn't I tell you?" he said quietly. "I'm here."
"No one will harm you or Haku. And nothing will happen to the Yuki Clan."
Feeling the strength in his hand, Yuki Yuki hesitated for only a moment before stopping her resistance.
"…Mm," she answered softly.
Soon, they arrived at the council hall. The elders and elite shinobi of the Yuki Clan were already gathered, the atmosphere heavy with tension. At the front stood the clan head, Yuki Yoru,but the seat of highest honor did not belong to him.
Instead, two shinobi from Kirigakure sat there.
Two elite jōnin.
Two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
The wielder of the Executioner's Blade,Jūzō Biwa.
And the master of the Thunder Blade,Raiga Kurosuki.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Might Duy had slaughtered four of the Seven using the Eight Gates Formation. Only three had survived, left gravely wounded…
Jūzō Biwa.
Raiga Kurosuki.
And Mangetsu Hōzuki,the predecessor of Kisame Hoshigaki.
Of the three surviving members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, two had personally come to the Yuki Clan. The meaning behind such a lineup was unmistakable. This was not a warning, nor an act of intimidation.
It was extermination.
Chiba and Yuki Yuki took their seats among the clan elders. The atmosphere inside the council hall was suffocating, every breath heavy with unease. Once everyone had gathered, Yuki Yoru finally spoke, his tone cautious, almost trembling beneath forced composure.
"Honored envoys," he said slowly, "may I ask what brings you to the Yuki Clan?"
Jūzō Biwa idly rotated the handle of the Executioner's Blade, the massive weapon scraping faintly against the floor as he let out a low, cold chuckle. He made no effort to answer. Instead, it was Raiga Kurosuki who stepped forward, his voice sharp and authoritative.
"We are here under direct orders from the Mizukage."
His gaze swept across the room, lingering on each face like a blade testing flesh. When his eyes settled on Yuki Yoru, they hardened.
"We are searching for shinobi who have awakened Kekkei Genkai," Raiga continued. "The Yuki Clan possesses the Ice Release bloodline, does it not?"
The air seemed to freeze.
"Clan Head," Raiga said flatly, "hand over all shinobi who have awakened Ice Release."
Yuki Yoru's face drained of color.
"You,what are you planning to do?!"
Jūzō's laughter faded, replaced by a voice heavy with malice.
"Those who possess Kekkei Genkai are a threat to the Land of Water," he said coldly. "The Mizukage has ordered that they be rounded up and confined."
His lips curled into a cruel grin.
"And any resistance… will be met with execution."
Yuki Yoru felt his blood turn to ice.
Confined?
That was nothing more than imprisonment. And once imprisoned, death was inevitable. He had already heard the fate of other bloodline clans,how they vanished without a trace. Cold sweat poured down his face as panic threatened to overwhelm him.
"I… I cannot agree to this!" he shouted, forcing himself to stand. "As clan head, it is my duty to protect my people!"
Jūzō Biwa burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"Well said," he sneered. "At least you've got a spine."
Then his eyes narrowed, killing intent spilling freely into the hall.
"What a pity," he added, voice dripping with contempt, "you don't have the strength to back it up."
In the very next instant, the atmosphere exploded.
BOOM!!!
The Executioner's Blade and the Thunder Blade were swung at the same time, monstrous weapons descending in perfect unison. Without hesitation, without warning, they launched their attack inside the council hall itself,intent on turning the heart of the Yuki Clan into a slaughterhouse.