The White Space was a realm of breathless calm. A field of endless white stretched in every direction, unbroken by shadow or horizon. In this place, even sound seemed to hesitate, as if uncertain whether it belonged.
This place where Hinata brought those she would invite to her own World, a place of choice, on this occasion she used it in another way and yet she intended to maintain its purpose, choice.
The six shinobi of Iwagakure stood suspended in thought and form, their bodies seemingly frozen, their minds caught between heartbeat and understanding.
And before them stood Her.
The Silver Lady, High Priestess of the Moon Cult.
Clad in flowing silver-white, her feet hovered just above the smooth white surface. A mask concealed her face, but the presence behind it was overwhelming—serene, ancient, unmovable.
She regarded them for a moment, then spoke. Her voice was clear and commanding, yet soft as snow.
"You came to question one of the priestesses of the moon cult. She, in her kindness, chose not to resist. She even offered to open the path so that I might answer what she could not."
Her silver eyes flashed beneath the mask.
"But when your intentions turned to force... when the blade followed the question... my beast acted."
A tremor of energy pulsed through the White space, as if in affirmation. Somewhere distant, the echo of a growl reverberated.
"You are fortunate I arrived before anything truly unfortunate occurred."
She began to slowly walk around them, barefoot over the impossible floor, her presence trailing soft ripples behind her.
"This place is beyond your world. Here, truth clings closer to the soul. I offer only clarity."
She stopped, facing Kozan.
Kozan could not comprehend what he saw. The stillness, the vastness, the sheer impossibility of the space they stood in. His instincts screamed that this could not be genjutsu—no Jutsu felt like this. Yet, reason clawed at his thoughts, desperate to make sense of it.
His body would not move. His voice refused him. And yet, the Silver Lady walked freely, her silver eyes gleaming with an almost amused curiosity.
Then she raised a single hand.
The world shifted.
Suddenly, the rules of their own world returned—gravity pressed down, chakra flowed again, and breath filled their lungs. They could feel themselves again, as though their bodies had been on pause and now rushed to catch up. Kozan, like the others, instinctively tried to disrupt his chakra to dispel a possible illusion—but nothing changed. It was not Genjutsu.
When Kozan looked again, an enormous silver-leafed tree had sprouted in the heart of the white space. Its trunk was wider than any monument he had seen, its roots flowing into pools of luminous water that shimmered like starlight. The Silver Lady stood near it, mask still in place, observing them with something between curiosity and grace.
"So now, speak," she said again, her voice echoing through the sacred stillness. "What truly brought you to my lands? Curiosity? Orders? Fear?"
Suiren found her voice first. "Are you truly the Silver Lady the villagers speak of?"
The Silver Lady tilted her head with a smile and nodded.
Kozan answered slowly, his tone heavy with unease. "Orders. We were sent to investigate... the cult. When your priestess refused to answer, we... saw an opportunity." Part of the truth flowed out without his real consent, Kozan was disturbed by this revelation.
"Thank you for your honesty," the Silver Lady said gently. "Do not worry. I will not force your lips again. No harm was truly done, yes? And now I am here to answer your questions instead."
Yura, steadying his hand on his fan, asked, "What is this place?"
"A thoughtful question!" she replied, pleased. "This is the threshold to my world. When my priestesses invite someone here, they are offered a choice: to return to their world, or to visit our world. This world is entered through sleep. Once chosen, the visitor may come and go freely. Those we bless will remember what they experience there. It is a place of peace—of healing. A world where the soul may grow before returning to the burden of the real."
Ichise frowned, his voice gravelly. "Why is this hidden? How is something so... vast, not more widely known?"
She laughed softly. "Because it arrives in dreams. Many wake thinking it was only that. But the soul remembers and that gives them strength for their daily lives."
Then, before each of them, two doors appeared—only visible to the one who stood before them. One blue. One red.
"Before you now are two doors," she said. "Blue will return you to your world. Red will bring you to mine. But because of the fear you brought upon my priestess... you will not remember what you choose. Consider it my... little vengeance."
The Silver Lady smile was enigmatic.
Masari and Tenga remained silent throughout the conversation, yet they listened intently, watched intently, and their souls trembled, just like their companions.
Now both mesmerized by the choice before them, just like the rest of their companions.
And the silver world waited.