Naruto: Rise of the Fallen Princess

The top of the Crystal Tower in Yumegakure shimmered beneath the silver moonlight, the great Silver Tree rustling softly above as if listening. There, at the tower's summit, I found Michel already waiting, arms crossed, gazing up at the moon with a thoughtful expression.

"Some days when there are fewer people in Yumegakure, I come here to see the heartbeat of the world. It helps me put things into perspective." he said without turning.

"I needed to talk," I replied, stepping beside him. "About something that's been bothering me since my time in Otogakure... I need to create an offensive technique. Something decisive."

Michel finally turned to me. "You want destruction, Hinata?"

I paused. "Not want. But… I realize I have no way to control a battlefield if I'm overwhelmed. My encounter with Orochimaru made me realize that I should be willing to consider other possibilities, to be more prepared, even the ones I don't want to consider."

Michel nodded solemnly. "There are dozens of water and fire Jutsu that would suit you—many with crowd control potential, and some that could evolve into formidable masteries. I'd recommend learning them. Options are important in combat. Especially those that can affect groups or zones."

He looked at me with a more serious gaze. "But you already have one of the most dangerous area-of-effect abilities I've ever seen. You used it without fully understanding it… against Shino and Kiba."

I blinked. "The spiritual threads?"

Michel nodded. "You solidified your spiritual threads, extended them in all directions—and moved them at near-supersonic speed. You covered the entire arena. And you nearly destroyed it."

I went silent. The memory of that surge—the way the air had torn, the silence that followed—came back with eerie clarity.

"If you really pushed it," Michel said quietly, "if you truly embraced its limits… that technique could level a battlefield. You don't even know your upper bounds. That should terrify you more than it empowers you."

I stared into the distance, beneath the pale branches. A chill ran through me.

Michel placed a hand on my shoulder. "If you want to develop this safely—train it. Test its limits. Refine it. Make it yours before it becomes something that defines you by accident. And maybe… with enough mastery, you'll be able to use it more than once or twice per fight without tearing yourself apart. who knows, maybe you can even explore non-lethal uses."

In my mind's eye, I saw flashes—not of ninjutsu, but of weapons from Michel's old world. Artillery. Railguns. Bombs that could vaporize cities.

I whispered, "Those weapons… you said they were small, but they broke mountains."

Michel's voice was quiet. "Yes. And your threads, Hinata… they're no smaller in consequence."

<<<< o >>>>

That discussion with Michel left me deep in thought—truly thinking. Eventually, my path took me elsewhere, to a place where I had been requested. Reika and Kenshiro were waiting for me in their sealwork laboratory. Beside them was someone who looked strikingly similar to Kenshiro; I recognized him at once—their son, Shō Uzumaki, just as devoted to sealing arts as his parents.

"Hinata, it's so good to see you," Reika greeted warmly. "We can feel your absence in the Land of Iron… your father isn't quite himself without you around. But duty keeps him busy—and you're not here for family talk. We have news!"

Kenshiro stepped forward, while Shō stood nearby poring over a large sealing diagram. "Thanks for coming, Hinata. We're really excited about our latest breakthrough—we think it could benefit you and Yumegakure greatly."

Reika nodded. "Just like we created the life energy tanks, we thought… why not do the same for spiritual energy? It never hurts to have backups for emergencies. We've been working on it, and thanks to our son, we found the final piece we needed to safely contain something as volatile as spiritual power—without damaging what makes it special."

Shō approached and bowed respectfully. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Lady Hinata. I believe my parents have covered everything—now all we need is your permission. Perhaps your collaboration as well, to help us create these tanks. The idea is to mirror the number of physical energy reserves we've already built."

I paused, thoughtful. "It sounds like a good plan. I'd also like you to begin a new project: something similar to contain natural energy."

Once again, the Uzumaki Sealmaster Lab lit up with excitement—always alive, always in motion.

<<<< o >>>>

Once more, my steps drifted away into the subtle timelessness of the Silver Nodes. This time, however, my journey led me beyond them—to a place where I'd been asked to visit.

Kaito was waiting for me, his usual calm demeanor tinged with a quiet pride. Together, we departed the ethereal stillness and descended into one of the newly formed cities beyond the spiritual zones. What I found there was not the same Yumegakure I had once known.

The people, once reliant solely on chakra and instinct, had begun shaping the physical world with newfound ingenuity. Using Michel's legacy of knowledge—ideas passed down from another world—they had created a new kind of building material, forged from sand, water, and ash. Strong, durable, and efficient. With it came innovative city planning, underground piping for water and waste, and a sealed network of flowing systems.

Inspired by the energy storage tanks originally invented by Kenshiro and Reika Uzumaki—designs that may have drawn inspiration from Michel's stories—the villagers developed chakra tanks to pressurize water through these pipelines. A single samurai's daily chakra was enough to power clean water for an entire settlement.

Life had begun to change. Homes were warmer. Streets cleaner. Vertical construction made better use of space. It wasn't just spiritual advancement—it was civil evolution.

Kaito walked beside me, watching the people with a faint smile. "They're not all shinobi or samurai," he said. "But they're builders, thinkers… and now, innovators. Michel library may have shared the spark, but the flame belongs to them now."

I glanced sideways at him, thoughtful. "It's strange. I often think I'm the one moving forward. But maybe… maybe I've only been the beginning."

Kaito nodded. "This world is changing because you changed. Yumegakure was your answer—but for them, it became a canvas for reinvention. These ideas, these systems—they aren't just Michel's legacy. They were nurtured by the choice you made to give the world another shape. And now, others are starting to believe in it too."

He stopped beside a public well, where children filled water containers, laughing. "It's easy to overlook how much things grow when you're focused on your own transformation. But Hinata, what you touched has started turning, and everything it touches is beginning to turn as well. That's the beginning of a virtuous circle."

I let the silence stretch, watching the ripple of water, the ease in the people's motions. "One day, maybe this will reach the waking world. Maybe it will inspire people outside Yumegakure to believe change is possible."

"It already is," Kaito said. "And when that day comes, the people won't just say you dreamed it. They'll say it became real—because you believed it could be."

My heart swelled—not with pride, but with wonder.

Maybe Yumegakure was never just a sanctuary. 

Maybe it was the beginning of wonder waiting to be revealed.

<<<< o >>>>

My meeting with Michel had left me thinking about my capabilities—about what I might still be overlooking within myself. My meeting with Kaito offered a new perspective on the people who had embraced Yumegakure as their home. But there was someone else I was meant to meet that day… someone who didn't come often, and always with caution.

He had sent word through one of the samurai to meet atop a small hill, one overlooking a border village shaped in the image of the Land of Fire. There, bathed in moonlight, I took my form as the Silver Lady.

He was already there.

Itachi Uchiha sat silently on a high branch, gazing out at the village. His Sharingan was active, eyes scanning the evolving town—its new buildings, its conversations about opportunity.

"This world you created… it's beginning to grow," he said, without looking at me. "In the few times I've visited, I've seen the change. And I've seen echoes of this place bleed into the waking world. Did you know I remember what happens here? The samurai of the Land of Iron remember too—but you allow them that. For others like me, your method isn't perfect. These eyes reveal the cracks."

His words struck me deeply. That he could remember didn't seem impossible—but it meant something. And if he could, perhaps others could too. Perhaps I had been wrong to think of these memories as wholly ephemeral.

"Your family's legacy is strong," I said. "I appreciate that you're willing to admit what you remember. Tell me, then—what do you think of Yumegakure?"

"The name fits," he replied softly. "And the peace it offers… it gives hope." His tone carried a quiet sorrow, and his soul echoed with it. He didn't believe the peace could last—but he wanted it to.

"If you're here—and choosing to reach out—have you given thought to what we discussed last time?" I asked.

His memory carried him to that moment in the White Space, when Kisame had gone to fight one of my clones…

My voice had been different then. More direct.

"I know it's difficult to believe," I had said. "But I want to help prevent a tragedy. I know your intention is to die by his hand…"

He had gone still, suspicious. But I'd looked into him with silvered eyes.

"He doesn't need power. He doesn't need glory. He needs you. His brother. His family. Your death would only deepen his pain. It won't bring redemption."

"What do you know of what I seek?" he had asked.

"Only this: I believe there's a way for you to give your brother what he needs—and survive. To be there when he truly needs you. I'm not asking you to choose now. But the door will be open, if you ever wish to talk."

Back in the present, Itachi nodded. "I know you know more than you've said. But your desire to help feels sincere. I'm willing to listen."

"Don't insult your intelligence or mine," I said with quiet force. "You came here to accept help. You just want to know the price."

That caught his full attention. He turned toward me completely.

"I want information about Akatsuki—specifically when they begin targeting the bijū and their jinchūriki. And I want you to begin seeking treatment for your illness. At the very least, slow it down until you can see Tsunade."

For a long time, he stared at me with his Sharingan, searching. Finally, he nodded.

"Akatsuki has begun to move. They're targeting isolated areas first. Kisame and I are in search of the Three-Tails near Kirigakure. Another team has located the Six-Tails in the Land of Hot Water."

...

Time passed. I awoke later in my camp, the capital of the Land of Lightning a day away.

Kuro was curled at my side. I nudged her gently.

"Kuro… I'm going to send you and a spiritual clone back to the Land of Hot Water. We're going to try to change another fate. Will you help me?"

She looked up, bleary-eyed, and replied with her childish, drowsy voice, still too sleepy to deepen it as usual. "Yes… you can count on me."

With effort, my fourth spiritual clone manifested. I had grown used to maintaining three, but this pushed me. Still, I was ready for it. I placed the specially prepared amulet for the Six-Tails into her care, and together, Kuro and my clone sped off, returning to the Land of Hot Water.