Naruto: Trinity of Bloodlines

A few days later...

As usual, Hyojin was training in his home's courtyard when he started feeling something strange in his body while practicing ninjutsu. The surrounding air was filled with energy, and his gray eyes followed the movement of chakra as he tried to control it. Suddenly, he felt something unusual seeping into his body. The air around him grew unnaturally cold, and the temperature dropped sharply.

"What's happening?" he whispered to himself, feeling an unfamiliar chill wrap around his limbs. The air became heavy, as if carrying an invisible frost. A strange transparency spread across his fingertips, and it felt as if the wind itself had turned to ice, swirling around him in sharp currents.

The chakra flowed more intensely, as if aligning with this mysterious change. His eyes gleamed with a flicker of shock and amazement as a streak of ice appeared before him, only to vanish moments later. A wave of confusion and unease surged through his body, but soon he felt something else—something deeper. It was as if the ice was flowing from within him. Suddenly, the surrounding air froze, and snowflakes scattered around him.

As he watched this unfold, a wave of internal shock gripped him. His heart pounded, and he felt an immense weight pressing against his chest, as though his chakra had transformed into a completely different force.

"Is this…?" he whispered, his eyes widening in astonishment.

Breathing slowly, he felt the coldness gradually fade. He quickly halted his chakra flow, cautiously looking around to make sure no one had noticed what had just happened. After a few tense moments, he let out a sigh of relief upon confirming that he was alone. The courtyard was quiet—nothing indicated what had just transpired.

"What just happened? How… how did this occur?" His voice wavered in the empty air. Entering his home, he paused for a moment, deep in thought about the bizarre experience.

"Am I really… an Uchiha?" he wondered, but quickly shook his head. "No, I can't be certain yet. Maybe my grandfather or mother was from the Yuki Clan."

His mind drifted to his parents and their marriage. He recalled how his mother always avoided discussing her family, her face shadowed with sadness whenever the topic arose, so he had stopped asking her about it.

"How did my father marry my mother? Why did she avoid talking about her relatives?" he questioned himself. But there were no letters or clues to lead him to the truth.

"I'll leave this matter for the future. Once I become stronger, I'll find the answers I seek."

After some contemplation, his thoughts returned to his new discovery.

"Now… I have the Ice Element. I'm no longer just an ordinary person. I possess a Kekkei Genkai, which means reaching Kage-level strength isn't impossible."

Then, he remembered Haku—the only character in the story known to use Ice Release. However, Haku never fully displayed his clan's abilities. Perhaps he hadn't inherited their true ninjutsu and had relied only on his own strength. Not to mention, he had died too early.

"My situation isn't much different from Haku's. In Konoha, there's no known Ice Release ninjutsu. Even this sudden awakening of my Ice Release is merely a rare bloodline inheritance from the Hidden Mist. That alone makes revealing it to others impossible. If someone were to discover the truth… I don't even want to imagine the consequences. Everything would turn upside down."

"But even if I try to develop this ninjutsu on my own, I'm not blind to the limitations ahead. It's not just a matter of training without guidance—it's a race against time, filled with risks and the constant fear of being exposed. In the end, individual effort alone can never compare to the Yuki Clan, who refined Ice Release over generations."

Then, a thought crossed his mind. "Maybe I should plan a visit to the Hidden Mist. But I don't know if the Yuki Clan was completely wiped out or not. I need to act before it's too late."

"But right now, I'm just a Genin. Getting the opportunity to travel to the Hidden Mist is nearly impossible."

"Maybe I should focus on completing C-rank missions to get a chance to participate in the Chunin Exams. In two months, we'll have the opportunity."

---

Two weeks later...

While Hyojin and his teammates waited for their instructor—who was, as usual, running late—he found himself growing bored. After a month and a half of working together, they had developed strong coordination. Missions that once took hours, like chasing runaway cats, were now completed in minutes thanks to their teamwork.

"It seems like Iyani is no longer acting as strangely as before, so I've started lowering my guard around her a bit," Hyojin thought as he observed his teammates.

At that moment, their instructor, Yuhi Shinko, arrived carrying a new mission.

"What's the matter, Sensei? You don't seem happy. Did something good happen?" Renji asked curiously.

Their instructor smiled. "Didn't you all request a C-rank mission? Because of your successful track record, the Fourth Hokage has decided to approve it."

"Whoa! Awesome!" Renji cheered, while Iyani and Hyojin exchanged satisfied glances.

"But… what is the mission?" Hyojin asked.

"The mission is to escort a trade caravan heading to the Land of Grass," Shinko explained. "Although it's classified as C-rank, it might be more dangerous than expected. The Land of Grass was a battlefield between the Stone Village and Konoha, and we can't be certain if there are any remaining Stone Village ninja there."

Everyone nodded seriously, understanding that this would be their first mission outside the village.

"Alright, meet at the village gates tomorrow at seven sharp. Bring only the necessary supplies—carrying too much luggage will slow us down," Shinko instructed, directing his gaze particularly at Iyani.

She scoffed and turned her face away.

After that, Hyojin went out to buy some supplies, though he realized that the money he had saved from previous missions was running out. Fortunately, he had another source of income.