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." Kurenai answered proudly.
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, and I'm watching you mature into a fine Kunoichi."
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 >>>>
The day of the beginning of the Chūnin exams arrived.
The building loomed like a fortress. Cold walls. Narrow windows. The entrance itself felt like a gate not to a hall, but to a proving ground.
Hinata stood at the threshold, quarterstaff slung across her back, Kuro pressed against her leg. Kiba and Shino flanked her. Around them, the presence of other genin squads buzzed like hornets—dozens of competitors from Konoha and beyond, all gathered for the same goal.
Michel hovered just behind her shoulder. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. Her heart, though quiet on the outside, thundered like a war drum.
As they approached the second floor, a strange sight halted them.
Two older genin stood before the stairwell, arms crossed. "Second floor's off limits," one said. "The third floor's the one you want."
Michel narrowed his senses. Something shimmered unnaturally in the air.
Kiba frowned. "You sure?"
"Rules changed," said the other. "Don't question it."
Hinata's eyes flicked to the plaque above the door. Room 301.
Something was wrong. She inhaled slowly. Not through her lungs—through her soul. And the Genjutsu, elegant to the eye, shattered like ego before truth.
She blinked. The illusion melted. They were still on the second floor. Without a word, she stepped forward.
Kiba grabbed her shoulder. "H-Hey, what are you—?"
But she kept walking. And Kiba's eyes widened as the truth unraveled around him. The Genjutsu had fooled him completely. Even so, he trusted his companions.
Shino, naturally, had sensed it too. He nodded once, calm.
Michel almost smiled. That's it, he thought. She's learning to trust what she feels—not just what she sees.
<<<< o >>>>
Kuro trotted along silently, casting an amused glance up at Hinata.
Breaking illusions with one blink, she thought. Not bad for someone who used to flinch at shadows.
The group climbed the proper staircase. More genin now flooded the halls, tension rising with every footstep.
Inside Room 301, it was chaos. Dozens of teams filled the wide hall—whispers, threats, light scuffles.
Eyes turned to them as they entered. Few lingered on Kiba or Shino. But several paused on Hinata.
A whisper passed between two genin near the back. "That's her," one murmured. "The fallen princess of the Hyūga."
Michel watched from his vantage near the ceiling. His spiritual perception flickered across the room, noting threads of chakra, flickers of hostility, and something far more unsettling—a heavy spiritual pressure emanating from a trio in dark grey uniforms.
"The Sound Village," he murmured to himself.
One of them, tall and masked, leaned against the wall with practiced stillness. Another tapped his foot with agitation. The third fiddled with a metallic device on his wrist.
All three radiated an aggression that didn't match their age.
Michel narrowed his focus. No… not aggression. Testing. They're hunting already.
<<<< o >>>>
"Hey, hey, there you are!" Naruto's voice broke through the noise.
Hinata stiffened. He bounded up to them, grinning, followed closely by Sakura and Sasuke.
"You guys ready for this?" Naruto asked, hands behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world.
Kiba nodded, grinning back. "I was born ready."
Shino adjusted his glasses. "Confidence is useful. Overconfidence is not."
Naruto blinked. "Was that a joke or a warning?"
"Both." Sasuke's gaze swept across Team 8 with casual indifference. His eyes stopped momentarily on Hinata, then passed on without a word.
Sakura gave Hinata a polite nod, which Hinata returned.
Kuro watched the blonde boy curiously. He smelled like trouble. But he also smelled like loyalty, determination, and ramen.
That was good enough.
<<<< o >>>>
Later, as the crowd swelled, a new figure stepped forward. Silver hair, glasses, a calm demeanor. "Kabuto Yakushi," he introduced himself. "Been through the exam seven times. I've gathered a few… insights."
He laid out a set of info cards with details on other teams—rankings, village of origin, and fighting styles.
Michel moved closer. Too polished, he thought. Too helpful.
Kabuto presented it as camaraderie. But every word he offered served two purposes: impress and intimidate.
When someone asked about Gaara of the Sand, Kabuto's hand visibly trembled. "He's… dangerous," he said.
Michel followed his gaze.
Across the room, Gaara stood with his siblings. His eyes were distant. His aura was wrong. Not bloodlust. Not hatred. Just… absence. As if something inside him had replaced the need to be human. Like something inside him fed on the idea of violence.
Michel withdrew. Michel knew this story, if someone could change so much, this world still had hope.
<<<< o >>>>
Before the exam began, a voice thundered. "Shut up, all of you."
Ibiki Morino entered the room with the weight of a guillotine. Bald head, trench coat, an aura of command.
He stood at the front, arms crossed. "This is your first test," he said. "You will sit. You will listen. And if you think this will be easy, leave now."
No one moved. Kuro sat beside Hinata's feet, ears twitching.
Michel floated near the ceiling, watching Ibiki's chakra spiral downward like a trap tightening.
Hinata took a breath. Her fingers curled lightly around her staff. This wasn't fear. This was readiness.
And Michel, watching the stillness in her posture, the strength in her spirit, could only think:
Let the test come.