Time continued its ceaseless flow—never stopping, never yielding.
Day by day. The priestesses continued to travel the land of iron, helping hearts and guiding in dreams more people to the white space where a choice was given to them.
Month by month. Hinata continued with her traditional letters to his teammates from team 8, all with their own personalities and different stories to tell, ones that Hinata longed to find every month when the new answers arrived. She always told a different story to each one, hoping that they would share some of them with each other.
Six months have passed since Hinata last departed these lands to heal, and now she has returned, transformed in ways the eye could not fully see.
Hinata arrived in the land of rice cloaked, seated atop Kuro—who now towered with the stature of a war beast. The wolf moved with the silence of drifting fog, her black fur streaked with living shadow, red eyes alert yet calm.
The shinobi who barred the road were strangers—bandaged figures in Sound headbands, with gaunt expressions and wary chakra. One of them stepped forward, hand on a weapon, but paused upon recognizing her face... and the monstrous mount beneath her.
"You... Kabuto-sama mentioned that you would arrive soon... You are Hinata Gin, correct?," he whispered. The cloaked Hinata just smiled and nodded... they both understood the consequence of that statement.
Silent echoes spread across the land of rice, the ninjas of Otogakure knew how to communicate over long distances using their secret techniques.
No one blocked her path again.
The gates of Otogakure stood unchanged. Crooked towers rose above sulfur-stained stone, and the air still carried the tang of metal and snake musk. Summer had painted the land in golden heat, but inside these walls, it always felt like dusk.
She passed through the gates in silence. Kuro's steps echoed like distant thunder.
Inside the central compound, Kabuto was waiting with surgical precision, but for a moment, Hinata hesitated. Her thoughts drifted back—to a conversation held in the Silver World not long after the battle with Sasuke.
<<<< o >>>>
In the stillness of the Silver World, atop the highest platform of the Crystal Tower's observatory, Hinata stood barefoot, her feet touching the cool glass floor that shimmered with starlight. Michel waited near the railing, his form outlined by the swirling mists that drifted like memory across the endless sky.
"You saw it, didn't you? Sasuke," Hinata had said softly.
Michel gave a faint nod. "His soul flared like a tempest during your duel. Conflicted. Driven. Dangerous. But surprisingly not beyond reach."
"He's walking toward a cliff. And he might pull the world with him," she whispered.
Michel turned to her. "Then intercept him where blood can't follow. What if the battle between Sasuke and Itachi didn't happen in the waking world—but here? In the realm of souls."
Hinata blinked. "Make him believe it happened here... that Itachi gave him closure. His eyes. His blessing."
Michel nodded. "And then Tsunade heals what remains. A different truth. Same weight. Less scar."
"Or speak to Itachi before the storm. Try to change him. Convince him not to die."
Michel's smile was solemn. "Redemption is not weakness. But it takes more courage than sacrifice."
Hinata touched the railing of the bridge. "Do you think it's possible?"
Michel: "You changed your own fate. Why not theirs?"
<<<< o >>>>
A voice snapped her back to the present.
"You're late," Kabuto said with faux politeness. "Lord Orochimaru is waiting."
Hinata exhaled slowly, her eyes narrowing beneath the hood. She was no longer the girl who had walked these halls afraid.
"Then let's not keep him."
Together, she and Kuro stepped into the depths of Otogakure once more.
Hinata turned to Kabuto with quiet curiosity. "How has Mitsue been during these six months?"
Kabuto, unusually animated, pushed his glasses up his nose. "Fascinating, honestly. She hasn't moved from her chamber since the last procedure. Her size has steadily decreased—she's now barely half of what she was before. And yet, her musculature... it's not decaying. It's condensing. Almost as if she's cannibalizing and reshaping herself. It's been a constant source of both headaches and inspiration for Orochimaru-sama and me."
Hinata nodded thoughtfully. "And Sasuke?"
Kabuto rolled his eyes slightly. "Ah yes, the Uchiha. He's asked about you. I heard he was on his way to this facility the moment he learned you'd arrived. No doubt he'll find some excuse to request Orochimaru's attention while sneaking in a visit. Speaking of which—"
They reached a broad chamber filled with towering scroll racks and faded diagrams. Orochimaru stood there, poring over scrolls like a scholar dissecting forbidden knowledge.
"So, you've returned safely, little Hinata," Orochimaru said, not looking up yet. Then, as he turned and spotted Kuro looming behind Kabuto, he chuckled. "Ah, and your companion too. Loyal as ever. With your father absent, I suppose you've brought another chaperone?"
Kuro growled low, her one eye fixed on him with feral disgust.
Hinata, by contrast, remained composed. Her spiritual senses recoiled at the grotesque soul stitched together by Orochimaru's forbidden technique.
Orochimaru smiled thinly. "I'm well aware of the impression I've left on you. Perhaps this treatment will remedy that. But before anything else, we need to confirm your body is ready."
He gestured for Kabuto to begin, and soon Hinata found herself subjected to an array of uncomfortable tests—chakra responsiveness, reflex stimulation, and circulatory evaluations. Kuro sat silently in the corner, vigilant.
Once finished, Orochimaru, clearly satisfied.
"It appears everything is in order. We'll begin the ritual in a few days. In the meantime, you'll receive intravenous supplements to fortify your system for the strain ahead."
He turned to Kuro with a half-smirk. "And as for your guardian... she'll need a full cleansing. If she's to be present in the operation chamber, I require sterile conditions."
Kuro's lip curled, her tail bristling. She knew this, Michel, once mentioned the same. She didn't like the mention of it, she didn't like it at all.
Orochimaru's voice remained infuriatingly calm. "Don't take offense. Even beasts of legend carry dirt. I won't allow external contamination in my lab. Understood?"
Kuro watched Hinata for a moment, then lowered her head in defeat.
<<<< o >>>>
The next morning, the air in the subterranean wing of the complex was surprisingly cool and still. Steam drifted lazily through vents in the ceiling as Hinata stood in one of the tiled washing chambers, dressed in a light linen kimono. A silver IV pole rolled beside her, delivering a steady stream of clear fluid into her arm—a preparation compound that kept her strength from fading.
Two maids from the compound assisted her, their hands precise and practiced, though one kept sneaking glances at the large creature growling softly in the shallow basin. Kuro, slick with soap and dripping water, shifted uncomfortably.
"She really doesn't like the smell of this soap," one of the maids whispered. "And I'm fairly sure she understands everything we say."
"She does," Hinata said, gently brushing suds from behind Kuro's ear. "She's just being dramatic."
Kuro gave a low huff, her expression somewhere between betrayal and sulking.
That was when another voice echoed from the corridor.
"I imagined a dozen different scenarios for our next meeting," Sasuke said dryly, stepping into view. "This wasn't one of them."
Hinata turned her head slightly, her hand still on Kuro's neck. "Well, I wasn't expecting visitors during bath time either."
Sasuke crossed his arms, observing the scene: the once-feared beast flinching from bubbles, Hinata calm and composed despite the surreal image.
"You look different," he said at last. "More grounded. And yet…" He studied her more carefully. "There's something distant in your gaze. Even though I know you don't see, I feel that you do."
Hinata rinsed her hands and straightened. "That's not entirely inaccurate."
Sasuke tilted his head. "Back then… during our fight. You were holding back."
"I didn't need to win," Hinata replied. "Only to reach you. And that's unfair and you know it! You were holding back too."
His eyes narrowed slightly at that, conflicted.
Hinata stepped out of the wash area, drying her hands with a cloth as she added, "You came all this way to see me, didn't you?"
"I came to this complex to discuss matters with Orochimaru." Hinata saw his soul, he was clearly telling half-truths. "When I heard you were here I decided to pay a visit." Sasuke admitted.
She looked up at him, voice soft. "Thank you for coming. The procedure... It frightens me more than I expected. But knowing you're nearby makes the weight easier to bear."