Chapter 17 – Fallen Princess

Morning in the Hyūga compound was always quiet.

But the kind of quiet Hinata woke to was not peace—

It was absence.

Her room was small and well-kept, but cold. No windows faced the gardens. No flower petals scented the air. The cushions were too stiff, and the air held no warmth.

No soft laughter drifted in from the hallway.

That had disappeared years ago.

She sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Kuro stirred beside her, one good eye blinking open.

"Another day," Hinata whispered.

She moved carefully through her morning routine. The scroll Kurenai had given her—the genjutsu—lay folded beneath her pillow. She tucked it into her sash.

As she left her room, she paused beside the old teacup shelf near the door. Her hand brushed across the top, where dust had begun to settle. She used to leave fresh leaves there. Her mother would brew tea every morning.

But no one had touched the cups in years.

<<<< o >>>>

Voices echoed in the corridor.

"...Poor thing," one branch family servant whispered as Hinata passed. "She used to be the heir."

"Now she's just a ghost. You know what they call her, right? The fallen princess."

Hinata froze for a second.

She didn't look back. She didn't say anything.

Just lowered her gaze and kept walking.

Outside, the sun was rising.

She didn't notice its warmth.

'Fallen princess.'

As if they expected her to shatter.

But all she ever did was fall… and land quietly.

<<<< o >>>>

The training fields buzzed with energy.

Team 10 was already assembled—Ino stretching dramatically, Shikamaru half-asleep under a tree, and Chōji munching quietly on a rice ball. Asuma leaned nearby, arms crossed, chatting with Kurenai.

Hinata arrived with Team 8. Kiba was already grumbling about being late. Shino gave a subtle nod.

Kuro trotted beside her, tail calm, ears alert.

"Team 10 and Team 8 will train together today," Kurenai announced. "First, observation drills. Then sparring."

Michel stood quietly at Hinata's side, invisible to all but her.

"They're watching," he thought. "Let them see."

<<<< o >>>>

The observation drills came first.

Hinata noticed the smallest details—Ino favoring her right foot, Chōji's breathing pattern, the subtle tilt of Shikamaru's posture even when 'sleeping.'

Kuro caught scents before Akamaru did.

Shino's kikaichū mapped wind patterns around the trees.

Asuma raised an eyebrow. "This is a solid group."

Kurenai nodded. "They're starting to move with instinct, not instruction."

<<<< o >>>>

Then came the sparring rounds.

Hinata stepped forward when her name was called.

Her opponent: Chōji.

He smiled kindly and bowed. "I'll be gentle."

She bowed back. "I'll try my best."

<<<< o >>>>

The match began.

Chōji opened with a slow, grounded approach. His strength wasn't speed—it was power and stability.

Hinata circled, keeping her distance, quarterstaff held low.

Then a flicker—an illusionary clone appeared to his left.

He turned.

A substitution burst—a piece of cracked wood exploded in her place.

She reappeared behind him, staff swinging low—Chōji blocked it with a quick pivot.

"Fast," Michel noted. "But she overcommitted."

Chōji narrowed his stance. "Alright… let's see if I can catch you."

His right arm suddenly expanded—massive, fast, a wall of force aimed to intercept her feint.

Hinata ducked under it, but the air burst from the motion knocked her back two steps.

"Partial Expansion," Michel murmured. "He's trying to box her in."

Chōji pressed forward. Hinata created a flickering clone, dashed left—

Chōji didn't wait. He spun, tucked his limbs, and turned into a rolling blur of chakra.

The earth trembled under him.

She jumped back, barely missing the blow—but the pressure left her winded.

"You're good," Chōji grinned, coming to a stop. "But I'm not slow."

Hinata nodded, panting lightly. She landed between two more clones, seemingly blinking into them as they vanished.

Then… she activated the genjutsu.

Chōji's vision blurred.

Sounds warped.

Scents intensified.

His hand twitched, confused.

And Hinata didn't strike—she moved, reappeared to his side, and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

The genjutsu dropped.

Chōji blinked. "Wait… what?"

He didn't understand.

She hadn't outmatched him in power or speed—she'd disappeared in rhythm.

She didn't dominate the field. She slipped through it.

Like fog, like breath, like thought.

<<<< o >>>>

On the edge of the field, Asuma whistled. "That's… not a style I've seen before."

"She's not strong yet," Kurenai said, "but she's clever. Her control is improving. Now she's using clone and substitution without the need for hand seals""

Michel crossed his arms, watching with a mix of pride and caution.

"Still unrefined," he thought. "But each movement has purpose now. She's learning rhythm."

<<<< o >>>>

Chōji scratched his head. "I didn't see half of what you did."

Hinata bowed, cheeks flushed. "Thank you… for the match."

<<<< o >>>>

Under the tree, Shikamaru stirred.

Kuro had snuck beneath him and snorted loudly in his ear.

He bolted up. "What the—?"

Ino giggled. "She's got good timing."

Shikamaru frowned. "Figures. Even Hyūga dogs are troublesome…"

Kuro sat proudly beside Hinata.

Michel laughed softly.

"Good girl."

<<<< o >>>>

After the match, Hinata sat under a tree with Kuro curled at her side.

Ino walked over, holding a bottle of water.

"You know… I never figured you for a quarterstaff kind of girl," Ino said.

Hinata smiled faintly. "I… didn't want to hurt people. It's… gentler. But that doesn't mean I won't fight. It just means I'll fight… differently."

Ino paused, then nodded. "That's kind of cool, actually."

<<<< o >>>>

As the sun dipped lower, the teams began to disperse.

Asuma lit a cigarette, Kurenai waved her students off with a short speech. Kiba and Akamaru raced ahead, arguing over a bone. Shino disappeared in the direction of the insect hives.

Hinata lingered.

Kurenai approached her quietly.

"You did well today."

Hinata hesitated. "Do you think… I can really become stronger? Even like this?"

Kurenai smiled. "You already are."

Hinata looked down. "They call me the fallen princess."

Kurenai didn't flinch. "Then rise as something no one expects."

<<<< o >>>>

Later that night, back in the Silver World, Hinata trained in silence.

Clones, substitution, staff flow—Kuro watching closely, then joining in the motion.

Michel observed from the edge of the dojo he built for her.

"There's still pain," he thought. "But she's learning to move with it."

She paused, looked at him, and smiled.

"Thank you," she said.

He said nothing.

But smiled back.

This wasn't just a place to train.

It was where her true self rehearsed.

So that in the waking world, she could begin to live it.

<<<< o >>>>

In the real world, she sat alone on her futon.

Kuro nuzzled close, warm and silent.

Hinata hummed a few notes of the song she'd once remembered in Kurenai's presence.

She didn't cry this time.

Just placed her hand on Kuro's head…

…and closed her eyes.