Hello! I have good news! I'm ahead on chapters and I'd like to offer a little incentive to the readers.
So, I'm going to propose something. I'll continue releasing one chapter per day, but I'll add one more chapter for each review you post.
Also, for every 30 Power Stones the story earns, I'll release an extra chapter.
This isn't unlimited. I'm willing to release up to 10 extra chapters. This offer will continue until next Sunday.
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Michel could not understand what was happening. Hinata had begun taking her first steps toward finding the Breath of the World, meditating simultaneously in the Silver World and in the physical realm. It was something she had been doing consistently since her recovery. Now that she could feel the natural energy of the world, she was cautiously attempting the next steps. It was expected that she would hit a blockage of some kind, a natural result of any deep process. But it was a great surprise when that obstacle vanished just as quickly, swept away by a moment of inspiration. The girl, seized by a flash of brilliance, had leapt into a sea of unknown depths.
The consequences were immediate.
The Silver World trembled. Subtle shifts became violent ruptures. Conceptual elements twisted and fell apart like pieces in an unraveling dream. The first tree—Hinata's very first creation as a child—was among the first to be flung into a fissure.
Michel tried to wake Hinata from her meditation. It was impossible. Any attempt to approach her directly was repelled by the silver threads enveloping both her and the tree where she sat. With no other option, Michel concentrated all his power to stabilize the collapsing world. But for that, he needed to stabilize Hinata first. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if her representation in the Silver World was consumed by one of those cracks.
So he sought the most stable place he had ever created: the library. His gift to her from a time when he still held his full power. With painstaking effort, Michel relocated the meditating Hinata, tree and all, to the peak of the great library. As she approached, the library shifted—becoming more solid, more physical. The Tower of Dreams transformed into a crystal skyscraper, like the ones from Michel's original world.
There, Michel could begin anchoring the Silver World. With the stability of the library, he calmed the quakes, sealed the deepest fissures, and began rebalancing the conceptual chaos.
But then came another change.
Silver threads rose from Hinata and reached toward the sky, weaving themselves into a moon that hovered above the Silver World. From that moon, more silver threads descended, nourishing and subtly reshaping the realm. The transformation was more graceful, more sustainable.
Yet the tree's roots extended into the depths of the library. Through them, Michel felt Hinata's experiences, memories, fears, and joys. One root, drawn like a will of its own, slithered toward a vault of crystals containing the memories of spiritual combat Michel had recorded when observing and testing the shinobi of Konoha. The root reached a specific crystal—Hiashi Hyuga's.
Michel watched in disbelief.
From a strange combination of black and silver threads, a creature emerged. It looked identical to Hiashi—but twisted, cruel. A nightmare born from the deepest fears of a small child. A Nightmare Hiashi had manifested in the Silver World.
Michel knew he couldn't stop what was coming. He couldn't leave Hinata. The stabilization wasn't finished. If she lost control now, the consequences for her soul—and perhaps her life—would be irreversible.
Desperate, he slowed time itself in the Silver World, hoping beyond hope that someone else—Kuro, maybe even Takama—could arrive in time.
<<<< o >>>>
Kuro had noticed something unusual when she returned to Hinata after playing with Rin. There was a stillness to her—an odd but peaceful aura, like Hinata and the world had begun to truly merge.
Curious and cautious, Kuro entered Hinata's dream, the way she always did—emerging from her shadow.
There, she found chaos.
Michel stood at the top of a towering crystal spire, one hand raised to shield Hinata with a trembling silver barrier, the other pressed to the floor, struggling to contain the fractures in the realm below. And bearing down on him—on them—was Nightmare Hiashi, his form cloaked in darkness and jagged lines of corrupted light.
Kuro didn't hesitate.
With all her cunning and stealth, she moved through the Silver World's shadows, appearing in the Nightmare Hiashi's blind spot. Even the famed Byakugan had its weakness.
Michel's eyes widened as he saw her.
With immense strength, Kuro lunged at the monster, slamming into him with all her force. Together, they tumbled off the side of the tower.
<<<< o >>>>
Takama felt his heart stop the moment he saw Hinata petrified in the garden. Her skin had the texture of stone, and Kuro lay unconscious at her side.
He reached out to touch her—but pulled back at the last second, fearing he might break her.
Then he looked at Kuro again. A thought hit him like lightning.
They're in the Silver World.
Something had gone wrong. Something serious.
Takama dropped to a crouch, closed his eyes, and let go of everything. He emptied his mind. He slowed his breathing. Minutes passed.
Then, he crossed the threshold.
The Silver World had changed.
Once, it was a land of concept and mist, shaped by dreams and emotion. Now, it felt real. The sky bore clouds. A silver moon shone overhead like a second sun. Snowflakes landed on his skin. He felt cold.
He stood in what looked like Nanagasa—but empty. Silent.
Beyond the village lay a vast forest, its trees taller and more ancient than any in the real world. And at the center of it all stood a tower of crystal, enormous and gleaming.
From the moon, a massive silver beam poured into the tower's peak. Threads radiated outward, reshaping the Silver World with every pulse.
Takama did not linger.
He ran.
He could feel it in his bones—something was happening up there. Something dangerous.
And if he didn't reach it in time, he would break the promise he had made.
To protect her.
At any cost.