The training yard had long since emptied.
The Academy's lights faded one by one.
Students returned home.
Instructors finished paperwork.
Kirigakure settled beneath its eternal blanket of mist.
Haruki, however, wasn't heading back to the orphanage.
Not yet.
Instead, he moved through the quiet streets toward one of the abandoned sections of the village canals.
A place few people visited.
A place hidden from curious eyes.
A place where mistakes could remain secrets.
At least that was the hope.
The canal water flowed quietly beside him.
Moonlight reflected off its surface.
The night air felt colder than usual.
Haruki sat near the edge and removed his sandals.
Then he pulled his father's compass from his pocket.
The familiar object rested in his palm.
A ritual.
A reminder.
A promise.
One day, he would become strong enough that nobody could take away what mattered to him again.
One day.
But not today.
Today he needed to train.
His hands came together.
Tiger.
Rat.
Bird.
The hand signs for the Water Bullet Technique flowed more smoothly than ever before.
Months of practice had refined the movements.
Chakra gathered.
Water responded.
A small projectile launched from the canal.
It struck a nearby wooden post.
Thwack.
The impact left a shallow dent.
Haruki nodded.
Better.
Not impressive.
Not powerful.
Better.
Again.
Tiger.
Rat.
Bird.
Water gathered.
Released.
Another impact.
Another mark.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His chakra reserves slowly dwindled.
Sweat formed on his forehead despite the cool night air.
The repetition felt familiar.
Comforting.
Progress always came through repetition.
His father had taught him that.
After nearly an hour, Haruki lowered his hands.
His breathing had become heavier.
His arms felt tired.
He should stop.
Return to the orphanage.
Sleep.
Instead, his gaze drifted toward the water.
Toward the strange phenomenon he had witnessed several times now.
The frost.
Tiny traces.
Brief moments.
Always accidental.
Always disappearing.
Haruki frowned.
What exactly was happening?
The Academy had discussed chakra natures.
Water.
Fire.
Wind.
Lightning.
Earth.
Nothing about freezing things.
Nothing about frost appearing from nowhere.
He looked down at his hands.
His father's warnings echoed in his mind.
Hide it.
Never reveal it.
Not until you're strong enough.
The memory made his stomach tighten.
If his father had feared it that much...
Then whatever it was mattered.
Haruki inhaled slowly.
Then formed a single hand sign.
Nothing happened.
He formed another.
Still nothing.
Frustration crept into his thoughts.
He wasn't even sure what he was attempting.
The frost had always appeared unintentionally.
Trying to force it felt impossible.
Still, he continued.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Minutes passed.
The canal flowed quietly beside him.
Nothing changed.
Then—
A sudden chill spread through his fingertips.
Haruki froze.
Literally and figuratively.
The sensation felt different from normal chakra.
Sharper.
Colder.
Instinctively, he directed it toward the water.
The surface rippled.
Then a thin layer of ice appeared.
No larger than a dinner plate.
Haruki's eyes widened.
The ice lasted only a second.
Then cracked apart and melted.
Gone.
As if it had never existed.
Silence filled the canal.
Haruki stared.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
He had done that.
Not accidentally.
Not unconsciously.
Intentionally.
For the first time.
He immediately looked around.
Nobody.
No footsteps.
No observers.
Nothing.
Relief washed over him.
Then excitement followed.
Then fear.
A dangerous combination.
His father had hidden their heritage for a reason.
People had died because of bloodlines.
Haruki knew that.
He had seen the consequences.
Yet staring at the water, he couldn't deny what he felt.
Curiosity.
The desire to understand.
To learn.
To master it.
Was that wrong?
Maybe.
But he couldn't stop wondering.
The next hour passed in experimentation.
Careful experimentation.
Haruki didn't attempt large techniques.
He wasn't foolish.
Instead, he focused on repeating the result.
Tiny patches of ice.
Again and again.
Most attempts failed.
Some produced nothing.
Others created little more than cold water.
But occasionally—
A small layer of frost formed.
A thin sheet of ice.
Proof.
Proof that it wasn't his imagination.
Proof that his father had been telling the truth.
Proof that something unusual lived inside him.
The realization changed everything.
Eventually exhaustion won.
Haruki collapsed onto the grass beside the canal.
His chakra felt nearly depleted.
The training had accomplished almost nothing.
The ice remained tiny.
Unstable.
Weak.
Yet he couldn't stop smiling.
Because now he knew.
He truly knew.
There was something hidden inside him.
Something connected to the warnings.
To the attack.
To his parents.
To the name Yuki.
The name he wasn't supposed to remember.
The name he could never forget.
Clouds drifted across the moon.
The canal darkened.
Haruki slowly stood.
His legs felt heavy.
His body ached.
But his thoughts raced.
Questions filled his mind.
Questions with no answers.
Not yet.
As he prepared to leave, he glanced back at the water one final time.
A thin layer of frost remained along the canal's edge.
Barely visible.
Gone moments later.
Leaving only ripples behind.
Haruki adjusted the compass in his pocket.
Then turned toward the orphanage.
Unaware that every answer he sought traced back to a clan that most of Kirigakure believed had vanished.
And unaware that the secrets buried within his blood would one day place him directly in the path of the Hidden Mist's darkest era.