Chapter 26 – Before the Storm

The wind was gentle that morning.

In a small clearing on the eastern side of Konoha, Team 8 stood together one last time before the Chūnin Exams.

Kurenai stood with her arms crossed, her expression composed but attentive.

Hinata held her quarterstaff across her back, her posture steady. Kiba rolled his shoulders, Akamaru wagging excitedly beside him. Shino simply stood still, silent as ever, but calm.

They had already trained, already pushed themselves. Now they waited—not for orders, but for words.

Kurenai finally spoke. "You've all come far."

She looked at Kiba. "Your instincts have sharpened. You're faster. More aware."

Kiba grinned. "I've been chasing bugs and quarterstaffs all month. Better be."

She turned to Shino. "You're reliable. Tactical. I don't need to tell you what to do. You already know."

Shino gave a respectful nod.

Then her gaze landed on Hinata.

"You've changed," she said. "You're not who you were when we started."

Hinata bowed slightly. "Thank you… Kurenai-sensei."

There was something else she wanted to say.

But the moment asked for silence, not words.

<<<< o >>>>

Later, after the others had left, Hinata remained.

Kurenai sat nearby, resting under the shade of a large tree. She motioned for Hinata to join her.

Hinata hesitated for only a moment, then took a seat across from her. Kuro settled beside her without a sound.

"I wanted to thank you," Hinata said softly.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For teaching me to walk on water," she replied. Then added quickly, "And trees. I mean… both. I know it's something basic for genin, but… no one in my clan ever taught me."

Kurenai's expression darkened, just slightly. "They should have."

Hinata nodded, gaze low. "If I hadn't learned that from you, I wouldn't have been able to practice the genjutsu you gave me. It… would've been impossible."

"I'm glad I did, then."

Silence stretched between them for a few seconds. Not uncomfortable—just present.

Hinata continued, more hesitant now. "I've always felt like I had to catch up. But with this team, with you… I feel like maybe I'm not so far behind."

Kurenai smiled softly. "You never were behind, Hinata. You just started your own path. That's different."

Hinata nodded. Then added, almost in a whisper, "Sometimes I hear a song when I'm deep in focus. A melody I can't name. When I hum it… I cry. But I don't know why, like it belongs to someone I loved but never met."

Kurenai's eyes softened. She didn't ask more. Instead, she reached forward and rested a hand lightly on Hinata's shoulder.

"Some things live deep in us," she said. "When they rise, they don't always need an explanation. Just space."

Hinata smiled through the tears she didn't quite let fall.

<<<< o >>>>

That afternoon, while walking back through the village, Hinata passed near the training fields.

She paused behind a fence.

Across the yard, Naruto Uzumaki trained alone—shadowboxing with passion, his movements wild and uncoordinated, but full of life. He tripped, stumbled, shouted something she couldn't hear, then laughed at himself and kept going.

Hinata watched for a moment, her heart beating faster.

She didn't wave. Didn't speak. Just… watched.

He never gives up, she thought. Not even when no one is watching.

And maybe… I won't either.

Not this time.

She turned away quietly, her steps lighter.

From the shadows, Kuro followed.

The little dog tilted her head, one ear twitching in amusement. Not bad, she thought with a glint in her eye. She's learning the art of sneaking quite well.

<<<< o >>>>

That night, Michel stood at the edge of the rooftops in the Silver World, watching the mirrored reflections of Konoha flicker beneath the moonlight.

He didn't speak.

He didn't need to.

Hinata was asleep. Her soul quiet, her pulse steady. The silver threads pulsed faintly, in rhythm with her dreams.

He could feel it.

She had grown.

And though the seal still slept on her forehead, though the marks of Shikashi's interference still lingered beneath the surface, there was something else now too—something pushing back.

Light.

Hope.

Michel exhaled slowly. "She's ready."

And in the Silver World, the wind shifted—soft, circular.

As if the world itself agreed.