Chapter: The Ice Island

Half an hour passed, and two figures could be seen sitting at a table nearly devoid of dishes, as if a fierce battle had been fought between them and hunger.

Hyojin looked at the small child in front of him, amazed at his ability to keep up with his appetite despite being just a child. He knew that ninjas required more food than regular humans due to their energy consumption when producing chakra.

He temporarily dismissed the matter and focused on the question that had been on his mind from the start.

"Kid, what's your name? Are you a boy or a girl?"

The child raised his head from rubbing his full stomach, as if he had suddenly realized Hyojin's presence, straightened his posture, and answered respectfully:

"I'm a boy, and my name is Haku, sir."

Hyojin nodded. Just as I expected... He continued with his questioning, trying to confirm some things he already knew.

"Can you tell me about your childhood?"

Haku hesitated a bit, but perhaps because he had eaten well, he didn't refuse to answer. His voice was slightly uncertain, but he continued speaking:

"I'm from a village about two weeks' walk from here. I lived happily with my mom and dad, but six months ago, everything changed... One day, I discovered that I could control water, and I was happy about it, so I went to show my mom my achievement... But her reaction wasn't what I expected... She started hitting me and crying... I didn't understand why."

Haku paused for a moment, as if drowning in memories, then continued in a quieter voice:

"That day, my father came home with some men from the village... They killed my mom in front of me... and they tried to kill me too."

Hyojin remained silent, waiting for the child to continue. He already knew this story, but he wanted to hear it directly from him.

"After that... I don't know what happened. Suddenly, I found that the whole place had frozen, and the men who tried to kill me... and my father... were all frozen. I didn't understand what happened, but I ran away... I wandered between villages and cities for half a year, looking for food and shelter... and that's how I ended up here."

Haku finished his story in a calm voice, but there was no need for further explanation. Hyojin had already understood what had happened. In a moment of despair, Haku had awakened the ice element, and without realizing it, he had killed everyone.

It was easy to imagine how much this child must have suffered, witnessing his mother's death before his eyes, and then being the one to kill his father and the rest of his village. Even if he didn't admit it aloud, there was no doubt that he understood the truth deep inside.

But what truly bothered Hyojin wasn't just Haku's suffering. It was...

"He resembles my mother's face."

It was an unsettling thought, almost inexplicably so. Even though they were from the same clan, the resemblance between them was striking, except for the differences in eye and hair color. In fact, Haku seemed more like her son than me...

He made his decision.

"Kid, your name is now Yuki Haku, and from this moment on, you'll follow me. I will be responsible for your food and drink. Do you understand?"

Haku didn't respond, merely staring at him with wide eyes. Hyojin ignored it, placing some money on the table before leaving.

As expected, Haku hesitated but followed him.

---

After leaving the restaurant, Hyojin decided that the first thing he needed to do was buy new clothes for Haku. Although he had washed his face and hands at the restaurant, his clothes were still dirty.

He headed to the nearest clothing store, and as soon as he entered, the shopkeeper greeted him as usual:

"Hello, sir, how can I help you?"

Hyojin pointed to Haku behind him and said calmly:

"I need some good clothes for this child."

"Yes, sir, just a moment."

---

The next morning, Hyojin left with Haku, heading towards a distant island covered in snow and ice. The journey was long, taking a week to reach it, as Hyojin had rented a small boat to get them to the island.

The small boat stopped in front of a medium-sized island covered in snow and ice, looming on the horizon like a world completely different from the lands they had passed through.

Hyojin opened his eyes, which had been closed, and looked toward the island before turning to the civilian boatman who was steering the boat.

"Wait for me here for a day. I'll be back."

The man nodded quickly, though he wanted to leave immediately. He didn't dare refuse the request, having seen others try to deceive this boy, thinking he was just a rich child, only to end up struck to the ground when they discovered that the boy was a ninja.

"Okay, sir, as you say... I'll wait for you."

He had no other choice. If he disobeyed, he might find himself and his family in trouble when the ninja returned and discovered that he hadn't kept his promise.

As the man sat in the boat, he watched Hyojin and Haku walk toward the snow-covered island, where some surprises awaited them.