Hidden Mist Village.
Yuki Clan.
"Brother! Brother!"
A young girl with a sweet, delicate appearance ran toward him, her face bright with excitement.
"What is it, Haku?" the young man asked, smiling gently as he looked at his clan sister.
"I—I think I awakened our clan's ability!" Haku said, her cheeks flushed red, her eyes wide with excitement.
"You awakened it?"
"The Ice Release Kekkei Genkai?"
Haku nodded vigorously.
"Yes! Look, brother!"
She softly extended her small hand, refined her chakra, and released it.
In the next instant, a tiny sphere of ice formed in her palm.
Clear as crystal. Piercingly cold.
The young man felt a mix of emotions and forced a smile. He reached out and gently patted Haku's head.
"Haku, you're amazing."
Her face turned even redder, her heart overflowing with joy.
"Thank you! Brother Chiba, you'll definitely awaken your ability too!"
The young man named Chiba let out a bitter smile.
He was not originally from this world.
He had transmigrated here.
But not to Konoha, where most transmigrators seemed to gather.
He had arrived in the Hidden Mist Village—and worse, as a member of the Yuki Clan.
A clan capable of awakening the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.
And on top of that, he had become the older brother of Yuki Haku.
What shocked Chiba most was that, in this world, Yuki Haku…
Was truly a girl.
And she was extremely close to him.
Looking at her flushed, excited face, Chiba felt happy for her—but…
When he thought of the Yuki Clan's fate, he could not truly smile.
Where was this place?
The Hidden Mist Village.
And what era was this?
The era of the Bloody Mist.
The darkest, bloodiest, and most brutal period among the Five Great Ninja Nations.
After the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, fell under the genjutsu control of Uchiha Obito, the Hidden Mist descended even further into madness.
Ninjas slaughtered one another. Uprisings were constant.
Externally, the village became closed and oppressive.
Internally, its terror was beyond imagination.
Countless ninjas defected.
Those who stayed were dragged into endless internal conflicts and frequent coups.
Above all, the Hidden Mist feared and despised those who possessed Kekkei Genkai.
And it was precisely because of this that the Yuki Clan would be wiped out.
"Power… in the end, power is still necessary."
"In a village like this, in a world like this, only strength can solve anything."
Haku looked at Chiba's face, puzzled.
"Brother Chiba, why do you look unhappy?"
Chiba smiled faintly and ruffled her long, soft black hair.
"It's nothing. Go play, Haku."
"Okay!"
Haku left cheerfully, carefree and innocent.
She was eager to boast to her mother about awakening Ice Release.
Chiba watched her retreating figure and sighed.
He wanted to protect that adorable sister—to protect the entire Yuki Clan—but unfortunately…
He lacked power.
At that moment—
Ding!
"Congratulations, Host. The Deduction System has been successfully awakened."
Chiba froze for a moment—then overwhelming joy surged through him.
His cheat had finally arrived.
"System, explain your abilities."
"As the name suggests, this system can deduce and develop any ability possessed by the host to its ultimate limit."
"Naturally, the final ceiling depends on the host's creativity and cultivation."
Chiba nodded.
"So it's a Deduction System…"
"As long as I possess an ability, I can push it to the extreme."
"But I still need to actively cooperate in its development."
He smiled.
"In this world, who could possibly surpass me in development potential?"
He was not boasting.
He possessed deep knowledge of every ability in the ninja world.
And even abilities from countless other worlds.
In terms of imagination, creativity, and deduction—
He truly had no equal.
"As the host has just awakened the system, a Beginner's Gift Pack has been granted."
"Would you like to receive it now?"
Chiba's heart stirred.
A beginner's gift…
What kind of reward would it be?
"Yes. Receive it now."
"Congratulations, Host. Beginner's Gift Pack opened successfully!"
"Congratulations, Host. Ice Release Kekkei Genkai awakened!"
"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a Devil Fruit: the Ice-Ice Fruit (Logia)!"
…
Chiba stood stunned—then burst into ecstasy.
This beginner's gift was outrageously powerful!
Not only had it awakened Ice Release—
It had even granted him the Ice-Ice Fruit!
The power once wielded by Aokiji, one of the greatest Admirals of the One Piece world.
A fruit that allowed complete elemental transformation, immunity to nearly all physical attacks,
And absolute freezing power capable of annihilating any enemy.
Once awakened, it could permanently alter terrain and climate.
A single Ice Age could freeze entire oceans.
Compared to this, the Yuki Clan's Ice Release was insignificant.
Even Haku, in the future, would only reach mid-chūnin level at best.
With the Ice-Ice Fruit, the Deduction System, and his own unparalleled development ability…
This ninja world would be nothing more than something to trample underfoot.
With a thought, the Ice-Ice Fruit appeared in his palm.
Without hesitation, he took a bite.
"Puh!"
"This tastes awful!"
…
Chiba froze for a moment—then a surge of wild exhilaration rushed through him.
Wasn't this beginner's gift far too powerful?!
Not only had it awakened his Ice Release Kekkei Genkai—
It had even granted him the Ice-Ice Fruit!
This was the power of Aokiji, one of the Navy's highest combat forces in the One Piece world.
A power that allowed complete elemental transformation, granting immunity to nearly all physical attacks.
A power that could freeze and shatter any enemy through absolute cold alone.
An unbearably foul taste exploded across his tongue.
Fortunately, a Devil Fruit only needed a single bite to take effect.
After that, no matter who ate the rest, it would be useless.
With that in mind, Chiba casually tossed the remaining Ice-Ice Fruit into the system space.
At that moment—
He suddenly felt a change within his body.
"Hm?"
It was as if all one hundred and thirty trillion cells in his body were stirring at once.
An unfamiliar, bone-chilling cold began to seep from deep within his flesh.
Hah.
He exhaled lightly, and the moisture in the air instantly condensed.
It even crackled with sharp, icy sounds.
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, Chiba released the cold outward.
In an instant, the fallen leaves and wild grass around him froze solid, merging together and forming a crystal-clear, razor-sharp blade of ice.
The Ice-Ice Fruit ability—
Ice Blade.
Gripping the frozen blade, Chiba swung downward in a decisive arc.
Crack!
A small tree ahead of him was cleanly severed at the waist.
"So sharp… So powerful!"
Joy surged through Chiba.
After that, he calmly began manipulating the Ice-Ice Fruit's power even further.
It was time for his first attempt at elementalization.
With a mere thought—
Half of his body transformed into solid ice.
In this state, any physical attack was utterly meaningless.
Even if pierced through or shattered, his body would instantly regenerate and restore itself.
This was exactly how Admiral Aokiji had fought during the Summit War, enduring even Whitebeard's overwhelming assaults.
Another thought crossed Chiba's mind.
His body returned to its original form.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Among all Devil Fruits, the greatest advantage of a Logia in the ninja world was elemental transformation itself.
With this power, he was immune to most physical damage.
And ninjas, by nature, possessed terrifying offense but fragile defenses.
Even someone as powerful as Uchiha Madara could be slain by Senju Hashirama's blade.
But now—
Chiba's defensive capability and margin for error had already surpassed nearly every ninja alive.
Beyond that, he also sensed the awakening of the Yuki Clan's bloodline within him.
A Kekkei Genkai—
Ice Release.
Though in terms of raw, ultimate power, it still fell short of the Ice-Ice Fruit…
However, Ice Release also had its own advantages.
For example, it could be used to perform various secret techniques unique to the ninja world.
It could also be combined with other ninjutsu to greatly amplify their power.
Of course, Chiba could now fully merge Ice Release with the Ice-Ice Fruit,
developing both simultaneously and pushing them to their absolute limits.
When that happened, just how terrifying the result would be was impossible to imagine.
"System, display my current status."
Ding!
Name: Yuki Chiba
Age: Fifteen
Identity: Genin of the Hidden Mist Village, member of the Yuki Clan
Abilities:
Three Basic Techniques LV10 (100,000 / 100,000) — Maxed
Shuriken Technique LV8 (29,402 / 80,000)
Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique LV3 (4,215 / 30,000)
…
Ice Release Kekkei Genkai LV1 (1 / 10,000)
Ice-Ice Devil Fruit (Logia) LV1 (100 / 10,000)
Natural Elementalization LV5 (100 / 50,000)
Ice Blade LV1 (100 / 10,000)
Ice Sphere LV1 (100 / 10,000)
Frozen Space-Time Capsule LV1 (100 / 10,000)
Ice Spear LV1 (100 / 10,000)
Pheasant Beak LV1 (100 / 10,000)
Ice Age LV1 (100 / 10,000)
Points: 0
Chiba nodded in satisfaction.
Before awakening Ice Release, he had trained relentlessly in every other area.
The Three Basic Techniques, shurikenjutsu, and the Water Release techniques mandatory for all Land of Water shinobi—
All of them had reached a remarkably high level.
Now, although both Ice Release and the Ice-Ice Fruit were still only at level one,
Their boundless potential alone was enough to allow Chiba to surpass anyone.
He had already grasped the basics of the Ice-Ice Fruit's various abilities.
Of course, this was only a beginner's level.
It was nowhere near Aokiji's power to freeze entire seas in an instant.
But Chiba possessed the Deduction System—
And the true limits of his abilities would far exceed Aokiji's.
As for the points displayed at the bottom of the system panel, they could be obtained through combat or by completing various tasks.
They could be used to strengthen abilities, converted into deduction points for development,
Or even used to unlock the system shop and draw even more powerful abilities.
…
Chiba closed the system interface, a confident smile spreading across his face.
Although he was still officially a genin,
His true strength had long since surpassed that of ordinary jōnin.
If a real battle were to break out, relying solely on the Ice-Ice Fruit's unique properties,
Even elite jōnin might not be able to defeat him.
At last—
He had obtained the power to rise in this world.
Just then, Chiba saw Haku appear once more, skipping toward him cheerfully.
Beside her walked another woman.
It was Yuki Yuki, Haku's mother.
"Brother Chiba! I told Mom that I awakened Ice Release!"
Haku said happily, her smile bright.
Yuki Yuki's expression, however, was complicated.
Chiba understood her concern.
The Hidden Mist Village had always suppressed bloodline clans and Kekkei Genkai users.
Haku awakening her power at such a time was not necessarily a good thing.
Looking at the beautiful mother and daughter before him, Chiba could not help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder Haku was so snow-pure and delicately beautiful—
She had clearly inherited her mother's looks.
Haku was still just a child.
But Yuki Yuki carried the graceful charm of a mature woman.
Her figure and features alike were flawless.
"Chiba… Haku awakened Ice Release. Is that really a good thing?"
Yuki Yuki asked hesitantly.
Chiba smiled lightly.
"What a coincidence. I woke up today as well."
He extended his hand, and an ice sphere instantly formed in his palm.
At once, both mother and daughter were shocked.