Eyes

The night sky stretched over Konoha like a dark canvas, dotted with faint stars. A thin layer of mist clung to the village rooftops, while the air carried the crisp bite of autumn. The streets were quiet, only the sound of the occasional flicker of lantern light swaying in the gentle breeze could be heard. 

Nyx wandered through the streets, her white hair flowed elegantly against the soft breeze, she also wore a white scarf around her neck. 

Though, it was not like she was affected by the cold. She was basically the embodiment of ice itself. 

Her presence, as cold as the night itself, went unnoticed by most. A thin layer of frost formed beneath her feet with every step, leaving an icy trail behind her as she made her way toward the outskirts of the village. 

Nyx reached the training ground where she had been coming every night since they had settled in Konoha. It was remote, tucked between thick trees, away from the prying eyes of the village. She wasn't one to sleep easily, not when there was so much uncertainty lurking in the future. The Uchiha's fate, Danzo's machinations, and her own mission weighed heavily on her mind. But tonight, the weight was different. Tonight, she wasn't alone.

Rina had been waiting, sitting cross-legged under a large oak, her dark eyes focused intently on the kunai she had been practicing with. The girl had grown since their first meeting—her strength and resolve deepening with each passing day. But Nyx could still sense the uncertainty in her chakra, the faint tremor that betrayed her nervousness.

"You're late," Rina said, a small grin on her lips, though she didn't look up from the kunai.

Nyx's expression didn't change as she came to a stop in front of her. "And you're impatient."

Rina finally looked up, her grin widening. She stood quickly, dusting off her clothes. "Impatience leads to improvement, right? Isn't that what you said?"

Nyx's gaze softened ever so slightly. "It leads to mistakes if not tempered with control."

Rina's smile faded slightly, her face growing serious. She straightened her posture. "I've been practicing, like you told me. I want to get better. I want to be strong."

Nyx studied her for a moment, her piercing blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. She could sense Rina's desire, her burning need to prove herself. It was a feeling Nyx had once known all too well, though now it was buried beneath layers of cold resolve. Without a word, she stepped back, gesturing toward the empty field.

"Show me."

Rina nodded, gripping the kunai tightly as she moved into the clearing. The cold breeze swept through her hair as she fell into a fighting stance, her eyes focused, her chakra steady. Nyx watched her closely, arms crossed, her expression as composed as ever.

The young girl dashed forward, her movements swift and determined. She threw a series of precise strikes, aiming at the wooden targets set up around the field. One kunai hit its mark dead-center, while another grazed the edge of a target, embedding itself in the wood with a dull thud. Rina's form was good, but there was still hesitation in her movements—small moments of doubt that Nyx could see as clearly as the frost beneath her feet.

"Your aim is improving," Nyx said calmly, her voice cutting through the night air. "But you're still holding back."

Rina frowned, glancing down at the kunai in her hand. "I'm trying… I just… I don't want to make a mistake."

Nyx stepped forward, her cold aura wrapping around them both like a shroud. "Fear of mistakes will only make you hesitate. You must trust your instincts. When the time comes, hesitation will cost you everything."

Rina looked up at her, the weight of Nyx's words sinking in. She tightened her grip on the kunai, nodding once. "I understand."

Nyx gave a slight nod in return, then gestured toward the targets again. "Again. But this time, do not think. Act."

Rina's eyes narrowed with determination. She took a deep breath, calming her mind, and then launched forward once more. This time, her strikes were sharper, more precise. The kunai hit their targets with satisfying thuds, and the hesitation that had once plagued her movements was gone.

Nyx watched with approval, though her expression remained unreadable. Rina was improving—slowly but surely. The girl had potential, and Nyx knew that with the right training, she could become someone formidable. Someone strong enough to survive in the harsh world they both inhabited.

As the training session came to an end, Rina wiped the sweat from her brow, her breath coming in short gasps. She looked over at Nyx, a faint smile on her lips. "I'll get better."

Nyx turned her gaze toward the horizon, where the first light of dawn was beginning to break. The village was quiet, still lost in the early hours of the morning. She could feel the weight of their mission looming ahead, the shadow of the Uchiha's fate drawing closer with each passing day. But for now, there was peace—a fragile peace that she would protect, if only for Rina's sake.

"You will," Nyx said softly, her voice carrying a rare note of reassurance. "But only if you continue to push yourself."

Rina nodded as she prepared to head back into the village, towards their home. 

"Aren't you coming as well, Nyx?" Rina asked. 

Nyx shook her head, "Not yet, I have something to take care of. Why don't you head back first? I'll be there in a bit." 

Rina nodded her head, she didn't question what Nyx had to do. Whatever it was, it wasn't something she should meddle with. 

Nyx's gaze fixed onto the dark forest, her piercing blue eyes like frozen lakes, cold and unyielding, locked onto a single tree.

"I know you're there," she said, her voice calm yet edged with ice. "Come out. Hiding is pointless."

A low, amused chuckle echoed from behind the tree. A figure emerged—a shinobi clad entirely in black. His attire bore no markings, no sign of allegiance to any village.

"I'm impressed," the man said, stepping forward with a smirk. "Not many can sense me that easily."

Nyx's expression didn't change. Her eyes flickered with disdain as she replied, "Then it sounds like you've only been fighting children. How pitiful."

The rogue shinobi's smirk faltered for a moment, his pride wounded by her words. He forced himself to remain calm, pushing down the irritation bubbling within him. His mission was clear: eliminate the girl in front of him and bring back her head. The thought of his reward was already filling his mind, visions of the riches he'd receive for completing this task.

"No point wasting words on a little girl," he sneered, pulling a kunai from his pouch. "Say goodbye."

Before he could make his move, his body froze. A wave of dread swept through him, instincts screaming at him to flee, to escape whatever monstrous force stood before him.

For the first time, he hesitated. His hand trembled as he tightened his grip on the kunai, his mind racing.

'Dangerous…?'

Then he saw it—her eyes. The once vibrant blue had shifted, an unnatural, chilling power radiating from them. The temperature around them seemed to drop instantly, the air growing colder, heavier. It was as if he stood on the edge of a frozen abyss.

Her iris had turned into a crystalline, icy blue, resembling the reflective surface of a frozen lake. They radiated a cold, ethereal glow, almost as if light is reflecting off frost. The pupil extended slightly, taking on the shape of a sharp, vertical slit, much like a predator's. 

Around the iris, intricate frost-like patterns spread out, resembling cracks in a frozen surface. These delicate yet jagged designs form in concentric circles, shimmering faintly as if the frost is alive, moving subtly as she channels her power. Subtle, thin veins of white and silver extend from the edges of her iris into the sclera, creating the illusion of frost creeping across the surface of her eyes. 

Yet still, his pride refused to let him be frightened by a mere girl. Gritting his teeth, the rogue shinobi charged forward, kunai in hand, aiming for the gap he thought he saw in her defense. His movements were swift, driven by arrogance and desperation, his grip tightening around the weapon as he prepared to strike.

But just before he could close the distance, he heard a faint murmur escape her lips.

"Frozen Flow Perception."

Nyx's eyes glimmered with a frosty light as her Kōrimeigan activated, granting her the ability to see the very flow of chakra within her opponent. It was as if the rogue shinobi's body had turned into a transparent map, every vital point, every weakness exposed to her. With chilling precision, she pinpointed the exact spot in his chakra flow, the vulnerable point where she could disrupt it.

In the blink of an eye, the shinobi's body seized up. His muscles locked, his momentum halted mid-charge, and he collapsed to the ground, paralyzed. The kunai slipped from his fingers, clattering uselessly to the frozen earth. His eyes, wide with panic, darted around as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Fear, raw and unfiltered, filled his gaze.

"W-Wait! Please, wait—!" The words tumbled out of his mouth, desperate and pleading, as his pride crumbled into fear.

Nyx stared down at him, her face expressionless, cold as the winter air around them. She had no interest in his pleas. There was no hesitation, no sympathy in her gaze. Her voice was steady, emotionless as she responded, "Goodbye."

With a fluid motion, she unsheathed her short blade, the frost-encrusted edge glinting under the pale moonlight. One swift, precise swing, and the shinobi's head separated cleanly from his body, rolling away into the snow. Blood stained the white ground for only a moment before Nyx extended her hand, her chakra molding the air around the corpse.

Ice quickly encased both the severed head and the body, crystallizing them into solid blocks. With a flick of her wrist, the ice shattered, scattering into thousands of tiny fragments. The rogue shinobi was gone, reduced to nothing more than dust, untraceable by anyone. In a matter of moments, it was as if he had never existed at all.

Nyx stood still for a moment, her breath visible in the cold night air. She glanced down at her blade, the reflection of her own eyes caught in its icy surface. Her once vibrant blue irises had transformed, the Kōrimeigan gleaming back at her. The intricate patterns within her eyes captivated her for a brief moment, an almost unsettling sense of vanity creeping into her thoughts.

Her heart beat faster as she studied her reflection, mesmerized by the power contained within her gaze. It was strange—how something so dangerous could be so alluring.

It was like she was captivating herself. 

She shook her head, snapping herself out of it.

"What nonsense am I doing..." she muttered to herself, sheathing her blade. The cold air seemed to grow even stiller around her as she turned away from the scene, her mind already pushing the events behind her as if nothing had happened.