Naruto: Trinity of Bloodlines

At the start, the Jonin asked them to provide information about their mission in exchange for releasing Ayami.

Upon hearing this, Renji glanced back at Hyougen for a moment before speaking. "Do we really have to answer this?" he whispered into Hyougen's ear, with clear objection to the Jonin's request.

But Hyogen, who seemed calmer, replied quietly, "It seems like he wants information for his mission. I don't think we have a choice; if we refuse, we'll lose Ayami, and perhaps our lives as well. The teacher is busy with something else, maybe fighting with their comrades or perhaps has fallen into a trap, so I don't want to rely on him."

Renji inhaled deeply, knowing this went against the ninja laws, but he hesitated for a moment and realized he couldn't risk Ayami's life. Reluctantly, he agreed, and then Hyougen told the Jonin what he wanted to know about their mission.

The Jonin responded with a strange smile. "Oh, seems like I mistook you for someone else." He then approached and casually handed Ayami to Renji, while everyone lowered their guard.

In a sudden moment, Renji was instantly killed, as the Jonin struck him with a sharp sword to the neck, before delivering a fatal blow to Ayami. He then inflicted a lethal wound on her. Blood splattered on Hyougen's face as he met the Jonin's wild-eyed gaze.

At that moment, Hyougen froze in place for a few moments, before quickly regaining his focus. He grabbed a kunai and stepped back, eyeing the Jonin warily.

What was strange, however, was that the Jonin didn't attack him. Instead, he continued to gaze at him intently. Over time, his expression gradually shifted into anger, and then he suddenly screamed.

"Waste of time! You're talentless! You can't even awaken the Sharingan after your comrades die?! How can you be like this?! You've wasted my precious time!"

Upon hearing these words, which coincided with suspicions I had earlier, everything clicked. It seemed the Jonin had known my identity as an Uchiha from the start, when he saw the Uchiha clan symbol on my clothes. Then he likely tried to test whether I had awakened the Sharingan during the battle, not seeking revenge as I had originally thought.

And when he realized I hadn't awakened the Sharingan, he tried to use grief to awaken it, by killing my comrades to make me angry enough to awaken it. But it seemed like he was experienced enough to know such details—most people, even in Konoha, didn't know this.

His plan was good, but the timing of its execution worked against him. I, who had never awakened the Sharingan even after my father's death, let alone the two I didn't even consider friends, how dare he do this?

"Stop, you bastard!"

As I thought about how to escape, I heard an angry shout. I turned quickly to see my teacher, Youhei Shinko, who was furious but looked exhausted, which meant he had likely fought against more than one Jonin to look this way.

"Hyougen, steady yourself and go check Ayami's condition. As for me, I'll handle these ninjas."

Seeing Shinko, Hyougen decided to act solemnly, though he didn't lose his composure. He nodded as if the shock was overwhelming, and moved towards Ayami, covered in blood.

At that moment, Hyougen heard faint whispers from Ayami. He leaned his head closer, and she said, "Hyougen, it looks like I'm going to die today. There's something I want to tell you... I want to tell you that I love you. I can't explain it, but every moment I'm near you, every time I see you, I feel something deep inside. I truly love you, and you're the only one I want to be with."

In that moment, Ayami suddenly coughed up blood while speaking. And when Hyougen tried to tell her not to speak, she ignored him and continued: "I know you didn't love me, and you probably won't. Maybe my death now, next to you, is better than seeing you with someone else. Maybe this is cowardice, but that's how I feel. My only regret is that I won't be able to see you again."

Hyougen watched her with mixed emotions. He had suspected this relationship before, but he had also believed she might be a spy sent to observe the Uchiha clan through him, or there was some other agenda, so he felt ashamed.

Ayami didn't know what was on his mind, but she continued speaking in a faint voice, as if struggling to stay conscious: "And also... I want to warn you not to return to... the village... after I die, and also... you heard them... cough... traitor..."

Ayami's pulse suddenly stopped, and Hyougen looked at her with confusion and a bit of sadness, not fully understanding what her last words meant. But her words still echoed in his mind: "...traitor..."

Flashback: Ayami's Beginning of Love for Hyougen

A year and a half ago, Ayami was walking through the village streets when she noticed a group of her classmates gathered around someone. Out of curiosity, she approached to see what was happening, and when she got a clear view, she realized that the person surrounded by them was Hyougen.

The students were speaking about him with disdain, one of them said: "Why do you look at us like that?!" "You're acting like you're better than us!" "You never come to school, yet we have to endure your presence. Did you know the teacher always mentions you!"

Ayami wanted to ignore the situation and move on, but she suddenly stopped when she witnessed something that shocked her.

Without hesitation, Hyougen lifted his leg and kicked one of them hard in the stomach, causing him to stagger back in pain. He didn't stop there, he moved toward another and delivered a strong punch to his head.

Everyone saw this and attacked him together.

Ayami stood still, watching the fight in shock. She didn't expect anyone to initiate a fight against a group of people surrounding them. It would seem like madness, but she saw in him a bravery she didn't expect, bravery that didn't resemble what they taught in school. He fought with a resolve that couldn't be broken, as though he were a predator refusing to bow down.

When she looked into his eyes, she felt a shiver run down her spine, as if she was seeing something she hadn't realized before. Those eyes... they were full of unshakable determination, a determination that pierced through the very boundaries of reality itself, a determination that recognized no limits or failure. He looked at them as though they were mere obstacles in his way, obstacles that had to be crushed. His eyes were filled with the desire to destroy anyone who opposed him, as though death itself awaited anyone standing in his path.

In that moment, Ayami fell in love with those eyes, with that resolve.