The night was not yet over. Once their emotions had settled, Hinata returned to her seat at the crystal table. Her expression softened, and a gentle curiosity sparked in her eyes.
She smiled, tilting her head slightly. "I've been wondering… you once mentioned something about the stages of the soul. How do I compare to you?"
Michel leaned back, thoughtful. "You, like all the people, possess what I call a Spiritual Soul. It's the natural state for ordinary humans. I believe that the state in which I arrived in this world is one that I called a Grey Soul—partly for its color. Finally, I reached what I call a Silver Soul—when I merged my Grey Soul with natural energy."
He paused for a beat. "I still don't know if there are other stages between the Spiritual and the Grey. That part remains a mystery to me."
Hinata blinked, absorbing the information. Then, with a faint smirk, she asked, "So… does that put you on the same level as someone like the Hokage?"
Michel burst into laughter, his voice echoing warmly across the chamber. "Hardly! In my world, there was no chakra, no special powers. I had to prepare myself to protect and guide you without any of that. If I ever had to fight someone like the Third Hokage, my only real chance would be to cheat."
Hinata chuckled softly and rested her hand on the table. "Then let's keep going, Grandfather."
Michel let the silver threads slip from his fingers, their glow dancing across the crystal. "I know exactly what to show you next."
Michel watched from a distance as four-year-old Hinata stood quietly, her gaze lingering on the other children playing within the Hyūga compound. Children, he had learned, could be even crueler than adults. They didn't include her. They mocked her. Laughed in hushed tones. It was baffling—no spiritual threads formed between them and Hinata. Nothing. As if her soul existed in a separate world.
He observed as Hinata once again turned away, retreating in silence, her head lowered while laughter echoed from afar—Neji, Hanabi, and others, unaware or uncaring. But today was different. Today, she didn't linger. She walked straight past the playground and made her way to her father.
Michel's eyes followed her, and he couldn't help but reflect.
Hinata's strength had returned over time. Her body now moved with steadiness and confidence. The silver fragments Michel had carefully woven into her soul—infused with natural energy through the Breath of the World—had transformed her. Under his guidance, they flowed within her like a gentle current of moonlight, calming her spirit, stabilizing her body.
She no longer fell ill with the change of seasons. No longer cried herself to sleep. Her soul had begun to thrive. But the Byakugan remained in a strange flux even without chakra.
Yet Michel had seen it—each time his silver threads brushed against the hidden eye, it responded. Not with rejection, but with hunger. It drank in the silver energy. It was not inactive—it was suppressed.
This year, the Hyūga had initiated her into their meditative rites. They burned incense steeped in clan tradition, passed down for generations. And still, nothing. The scandal among the elders had been immediate.
He remembered Hiashi's voice echoing in defiance, standing before the elders' judgment.
"I know Hanabi has already awakened her chakra and her Byakugan, but Hinata was born sick, and now she's healthy—just like any other child. It's true her chakra hasn't surfaced yet, but it will. She just needs time."
Michel agreed, but understood something deeper. The Hyūga's training wasn't failing Hinata out of neglect—it simply didn't suit her. Their rigid system required coaxing chakra into a balanced alignment with the body. But Hinata's soul, refined and radiant, threw off that balance.
Her chakra could only awaken when her body and spirit were more in tune, when her body was more mature, perhaps when she was already in the shinobi academy.
At the far end of the hallway, a door waited. Behind it, her father.
As she approached, a calm voice called, "Come in."
Inside, Hiashi sat in perfect posture, legs folded beneath him. His eyes met hers, sharp and unreadable.
"You've grown stronger," he said at last.
Hinata bowed, a faint light dancing behind her eyes.
He nodded toward her. "I promised we'd leave the compound today. I have matters to discuss with the Inuzuka clan. Would you like to come with me?"
Hinata sat quietly, the soft glow of the crystal table reflected in her eyes.
"Now that I have chakra… is my Byakugan still reacting the same way?" she asked.
Michel nodded slowly. "Yes. It still draws from the same well. It drinks deeply from your soul… but gives nothing back."
Hinata looked down, her voice tinged with sorrow. "It's hard to believe my father ever paid attention to me. Now I only see him from a distance."
Michel exhaled, his tone understanding. "He's a man of structure. He doesn't know how to express his feelings—he's spent too long suppressing them."
Hinata's gaze turned distant, thoughtful. "Seeing how the other Hyūga children treated me… it helps me understand why I prefer the academy. Even if I don't always know what to say to the others, at least I can connect with them. What I do there… it matters."
Michel gave a soft smile. "I know. But even back then… you made an important connection. Do you really think I chose that day by accident?"
Hinata's eyes brightened with realization. She turned and looked at Kuro, who sat patiently beside her. With a quiet smile, she placed one hand on the crystal table… and the other on Kuro's head, gently stroking his fur as she leaned into her touch.
Then came the visit to the Inuzuka clan.
Michel felt the shift as soon as they stepped into the compound:
wild energy everywhere—unrefined, instinctual, alive.
A place of smells and motion, where barking was a greeting and laughter echoed alongside snarls.
Hinata stood close to her father, overwhelmed.
Children with wild hair ran barefoot, rolling in dirt and shouting commands to dogs larger than themselves.
Training areas were littered with half-chewed weapons and muddy paw prints.
Hiashi moved with quiet dignity. Hinata followed, holding him by his sleeve.
Then came the crash.
A blur of black fur. Paws too big for her frame. A bark that pierced the air like an explosion.
The pup came tumbling through a rack of training gear, skidded on her belly, flipped over a bench, and landed at Hinata's feet.
Silence. Then a tail wag. Hinata blinked. The pup tilted her head.
Michel, intrigued, leaned in spiritually. The dog's chakra was erratic, but vibrant—pure instinct and mischief. It wasn't trained, but it was true.
She stood, padded closer, and nuzzled Hinata's leg. The handlers arrived in a rush.
"I'm sorry, that one's—she's not suited for pairing. Too unpredictable."
"She's a disaster," said another. "We're considering removing her from the breeding line."
But the pup wouldn't leave Hinata's side. Even when pulled, she scrambled back. Whined. Whimpered.
Hinata knelt and extended a hand, hesitant. The pup licked it once, then curled beside her.
Michel hesitated. Then… gently… he extended a single silver thread—not into the dog, but through Hinata, into the bond that had sparked between them.
The result was instantaneous. A warmth. A pulse. A connection stronger than anything he had ever witnessed between living beings.
Not crafted. Not commanded. Just… revealed.
They left the compound. The pup was contained. Or so they thought.
That night, Hinata slept soundly.
Michel drifted into the Silver World, watching her play among glowing stepping stones and clouds of dancing dust.
But something new stirred. A scent. A shape. A shadow not of his own making.
The pup. Somehow… she had followed.
When Hinata awoke the next morning, the little black dog was curled beside her, tail wagging, eyes wide.
She squealed with joy. Servants panicked. No one could explain it.
"She got past the compound walls. Past the barrier seals. Past our guards…"
Michel chuckled from within.
Hiashi stood at the door, watching. He said nothing for a long time.
Then finally: "If she is yours… she may stay."
Hinata hugged the pup tightly. "Her name is Kuro," she said with a big smile.
Hinata knelt down and wrapped her arms tightly around Kuro, burying her face in her fur.
"You're the best companion… the best friend in the world."
Michel smiled warmly. "She truly is. It was a blessing that she escaped and went searching for you in the Hyūga compound."
Hinata looked up, her voice tinged with amazement. "It's incredible that my father allowed me to keep her."
"He definitely saw how isolated you were from the other children," Michel replied. "When he witnessed that strange bond between you two… he didn't question it. He accepted it. In his place, I would have done the same."
Hinata's expression softened. "I guess… he just had a different way of showing affection."
Michel nodded slowly, a hint of wonder in his voice. "But the real surprise came later, when she entered the Silver World with you."
Hinata smiled fondly and stroked Kuro's head. "She's special like that… Was it because you nurtured the spiritual thread between us with your power?"
Michel hesitated for a moment. "It's possible… but honestly, I don't know for sure, the only other connection you had was with your father and I didn't want to risk it."