Chapter 32 – Before the Fights Begin

The tower was still.

After the chaos of the Forest of Death, its silence felt unnatural. The long corridors echoed with footsteps, and the dull throb of distant voices barely broke the hush. Stone walls swallowed sound, and Michel—hovering just behind Hinata as she stepped into the central atrium—felt the difference instantly.

This place is sealed, he thought. Isolated. Not just from the world... but spiritually, too.

Hinata looked around quietly. The other teams had arrived earlier, scattered in various corners of the hall. Some slept. Some whispered. Others sharpened weapons, rested their heads on packs, or stared at nothing with hollow, calculating eyes.

Team 8 moved as one. They found a bench along the side wall. Kuro and Akamaru curled up together like they had done since the Academy. Kiba slumped beside them with a yawn. Shino, of course, remained standing, arms folded, observing.

Michel watched Hinata sit, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. Despite the exhaustion, he could sense something blooming beneath her skin.

A new kind of readiness.

<<<< o >>>>

The next few hours passed in tense waiting.

Hinata crossed paths briefly with Naruto when she went to refill her canteen. He grinned wide, looking beat up but energized.

"Hey, you made it too!" he said. "That's awesome, Hinata!"

She smiled, shyly lowering her head. "I… I'm glad you're okay."

He didn't notice the way her fingers tightened slightly around the bottle.

A few steps away, Ino raised a hand as she passed. "Not bad, Hinata. You look like you actually made it through alive."

There was a teasing edge in her voice, but Hinata answered with a quiet, "You too, Ino," and kept walking.

Michel noted the subtle shift in posture. She wasn't hiding anymore. Just moving carefully. Thoughtfully.

<<<< o >>>>

That night, they were allowed to rest in assigned rooms within the tower.

Kuro curled at the foot of Hinata's bedding. Shino and Kiba fell asleep quickly. Michel remained close as Hinata slipped into slumber.

The Silver World accepted her like breath.

There, under the flickering silver sky, Hinata trained. Michel guided her through feints and counters, false steps and misdirections. She moved faster now. She anticipated him.

Her balance was cleaner.

She continues to improve, Michel realized. Even after so much time in this place—where time flows twice as fast as the real world—she still grows, as if every movement is the first. He knew he could accelerate the flow further, but he wouldn't. Not until both Hinatas were one.

He said nothing. But hope stirred in his chest.

<<<< o >>>>

In the early morning, Hinata stood in front of a small cracked mirror.

Her reflection looked tired. But not afraid.

The band that covered the Branch Family seal pressed faintly against her forehead.

She leaned in.

For just a second, she thought she saw another self behind her eyes—

The Hinata that spun with the staff in her hands. The one who deflected kunai in a spiral of motion.

A whisper touched the edge of her mind.

She blinked. It was gone.

<<<< o >>>>

The teams assembled in the main chamber not long after sunrise.

The Third Hokage stood at the front of the room, flanked by Anko and Ibiki. His presence, calm and resolute, cut through the chatter.

"You've all made it through the second phase," he said. "But there are too many of you for the final exam."

Gasps and murmurs followed.

"There will be preliminary matches—one-on-one. Those who prove themselves here will advance."

Michel felt the shift immediately. The weight in the room condensed. Souls tightened. Eyes sharpened. Even the light seemed harsher.

He turned his gaze to the two proctors.

Ibiki's aura was tightly wound, coiled in discipline and scars. Anko's was wild—burning with an edge of danger Michel recognized instantly. Both of them bore spiritual wounds like carved stone. Survivors.

This world carves power from pain, Michel thought.

He felt the hum of energy crackle faintly around Hinata.

She wasn't afraid.

<<<< o >>>>

Names were drawn. One by one.

The pairings began.

Kabuto excused himself almost immediately, claiming his wounds needed treatment. Michel followed his movements with narrowed eyes.

Not injured, he thought. Reporting.

And then—

Hinata felt it before her name was even called.

From across the room, Neji looked at her. Cold. Unflinching.

The way the Branch Family looked at the Main.

The way he had looked at her since they were children.

Michel felt the pressure in her soul shift.

A storm waiting to be named.

<<<< o >>>>

That night, Michel sat alone in the Silver World. Hinata was still resting, her spirit calm, her breath even.

He closed his eyes, letting the silver threads hum through the infinite fabric of that place.

"You've grown far, little one," he whispered.

He felt the pull. The moment nearing.

"And I can't protect you from what comes. Not directly. But I'll walk beside you, as far as I can."

The tower stood quiet in the real world.

But in the Silver World, the wind began to rise.