Chapter 14 – Team Eight Assembles

The announcement came with little ceremony.

Three genin stood together on the familiar grounds of the training field, their names read aloud in neutral tone by an instructor who had already moved on to the next file.

Team Eight.

Kiba Inuzuka and his ever-energetic partner Akamaru.

Shino Aburame, quiet and unreadable behind dark glasses.

And Hinata Hyūga—soft-spoken, quarterstaff on her back, eyes hidden beneath her dark bangs, with Kuro seated loyally by her feet. The black dog was calm, scarred, and alert.

Michel stood beside her, unseen, but ever present.

He had been with her since birth.

And though he could now leave her side briefly thanks to the refinement of his Breath of the World, he rarely did. Especially not now.

Today was a step forward. And Hinata would not take it alone.

<<<< o >>>>

Their new jōnin instructor arrived shortly after.

Kurenai Yuhi. Graceful, quiet, but sharp-eyed.

She looked at each of them without a smile, but also without judgment.

"You are Team Eight," she said calmly. "You've been chosen not for raw strength, but for potential. For what you bring together."

Kiba grinned confidently. "Sounds like we're gonna be trackers."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed with faint amusement. "Exactly."

<<<< o >>>>

The training field was familiar, but the air was different.

There was no classroom now. No desks. No scrolls.

Just space, grass, and expectation.

Kuro and Akamaru exchanged greetings—mutual tail wags, short sniffs, a few soft growls. They had known each other in the academy, had even played together before… but now there was a quiet mutual understanding in their movements.

Michel watched their body language and made a note.

"Even the animals are beginning to synchronize."

<<<< o >>>>

Kurenai stood before them, arms crossed.

"You're a reconnaissance unit. That means stealth, observation, tracking, and capture. Tomorrow, we begin a formal evaluation to see how you operate—individually and as a team."

Her tone didn't invite discussion.

"You'll need to locate me in an assigned sector. Once you find me, you'll need to subdue or contain me, using teamwork. If you can't do both, you fail."

Shino simply nodded.

Kiba smirked. "This'll be easy."

Hinata bowed lightly. "Y-yes…"

Kurenai's eyes lingered on her.

Not disapproving. Just curious.

<<<< o >>>>

The rest of the afternoon unfolded without drills.

Kurenai watched them move—observed their instincts.

Shino kept to the shade, always calculating.

Kiba raced ahead, impulsive but reactive.

Hinata walked at the edge, listening more than speaking.

Kuro matched Akamaru's pace easily, but when a squirrel darted too close, she lunged with sudden speed—only to stop herself before striking.

Michel saw that moment.

Felt it.

"She's refining restraint."

<<<< o >>>>

That evening, while Kiba and Shino argued mildly over formation strategies, Kurenai called Hinata aside.

The girl approached hesitantly, adjusting the cloth band over her forehead to ensure the seal remained hidden.

Kurenai's gaze, for once, softened.

"I saw how you moved today."

Hinata blinked. "Was… it wrong?"

"No," Kurenai said. "It was different. Your staff technique—where did you learn it?"

Hinata hesitated, thinking of blurred dreams she didn't quite remember, of movements her hands knew even when her mind didn't.

"I practiced a lot," she said quietly. "It's… the most gentle weapon I could find."

Kurenai tilted her head.

"Gentle?"

Hinata nodded. "It doesn't cut. Or stab. It listens. It lets me push without breaking. Like I wish others would."

The older kunoichi was silent for a moment.

"Most would call that weak."

Hinata didn't answer.

"But I don't," Kurenai added. "I think it's honest."

She stepped a bit closer.

"How's your chakra control?"

Hinata fidgeted. "It's… decent. Not bad. But others in my class are better."

"Sometimes, when I try too hard… it slips. Like my energy is heavier than theirs. Or slower. Like it wants to go somewhere else."

Kurenai studied her a moment longer.

"I'd like to teach you something. Genjutsu."

Hinata's eyes widened. "I-I thought that was…"

"Only for specialists?" Kurenai smiled faintly. "Maybe. But you understand movement. Timing. Intent. That makes you a candidate."

She placed a hand gently on Hinata's shoulder.

"You don't have to match their path. You just have to know your own."

Hinata nodded slowly, a hint of a smile forming.

"…Thank you."

<<<< o >>>>

That night, in the Silver World, Michel stood beneath the shifting trees of the dream dojo.

Hinata trained alone, blindfolded, her quarterstaff cutting clean arcs through the mist.

Kuro mirrored her movements—not as imitation, but as resonance. Two spirits dancing the same rhythm.

Michel watched the girl she would one day become… and thought of the one the world saw now.

She was still quiet. Still gentle.

But in her spirit, he saw fire.

"Let them underestimate you," he whispered.

"They won't see you coming. Because you were never behind them. You were always somewhere else entirely."