Chapter 38: The Last of the Yuki
The door creaked open a sliver, revealing a single, wary eye. It belonged to a woman, her face etched with exhaustion and a deep-seated fear.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Her voice was a strained whisper, barely audible.
Uchiha Raizen bowed slightly, keeping his movements slow and non-threatening. "My name is Uchiha Raizen. These are my companions. We are envoys of the Uchiha clan. We mean you no harm. We wish only to speak."
"The Uchiha?" The woman's eye widened in fresh terror. "We have nothing for you! Please, just leave us be!" She tried to shut the door, but Uchiha Raizen gently placed his foot in the way.
"Please," he implored, his voice soft but firm. "We are not here to fight. We know of your clan's... sacrifice. We know of the Ice Release. We may be able to offer you an alternative to a slow extinction."
The word "extinction" seemed to suck the remaining strength from her. The pressure on the door vanished. After a long moment, it opened fully, revealing a gaunt woman and, huddled behind her, a young boy with strikingly beautiful, androgynous features and eyes full of a quiet sorrow. The boy couldn't have been more than five years old.
Uchiha Raizen's breath caught. Haku.
The single-room house was barren, containing only the barest essentials for survival. Two other figures—an older man and a teenage girl—watched them from the shadows, their postures tense and defensive.
"I am Yuki Aki," the woman said, her arms wrapped protectively around the boy. "This is my son, Haku. You speak of an alternative. What could the mighty Uchiha possibly offer a dying clan like ours?"
Uchiha Raizen knelt, bringing himself to eye level with the young Haku. He ignored the nervous shifting of his friends behind him. "Sanctuary," he said, his gaze moving from Haku to Aki. "Protection. A place where your son won't have to learn a technique that ends with him turning to ice. A future where he can live, not just survive until his final moment."
Yuki Aki's composure broke. A single tear traced a path through the grime on her cheek. "Live? You think we haven't dreamed of that? But the world hunts us for our bloodline. They fear it. They want to control it or eradicate it. Your clan is no different."
"We are different," Uchiha Raizen stated, his conviction absolute. "I am different. I do not seek to control your power. I seek to preserve it. To let it flourish under the shield of the Uchiha. No one will hunt you while you are under our protection. You will have a home. A real one."
The older man in the corner spoke for the first time, his voice a dry rasp. "And the price? There is always a price."
"The price," Uchiha Raizen said, rising to his feet, "is your loyalty. Join the Uchiha as an affiliated clan. Your strength will become our strength, and in return, our strength will become your shield. You will not be slaves. You will be allies."
Silence descended upon the cramped room, thick and heavy with the weight of a decision that would determine their very survival. The young Haku stared at Uchiha Raizen, his large, dark eyes seeming to look right through him, as if searching for the truth behind his words.
Yuki Aki looked at her son, then at the desperate faces of the few clansmen she had left. They were teetering on the brink of annihilation. This Uchiha boy, with his strange confidence and direct offer, was the first flicker of hope they had encountered in years.
"Give us... give us the night," she whispered, her voice trembling. "We must discuss this."
"Of course," Uchiha Raizen agreed. "We will camp nearby. We await your answer at dawn."
As they turned to leave, Uchiha Raizen's system pinged. On the floor, almost invisible, was a single, glimmering orb.
[Ice Release Affinity Fragment detected. Pick up?]
He willed it into his storage. He hadn't come here seeking to steal their power, but he wouldn't refuse the tools that would make him strong enough to keep his promises. The fate of the Yuki clan, and perhaps the future of a boy named Haku, now hung in the balance.