Ino leaped back, observing Hinata with a serious gaze.
"You're leaving me no choice," she said, her voice cold and resolute.
She slowly removed her eye patch, revealing the Mangekyō Sharingan shining in its socket. The swirling patterns of the red eye seemed to pulse with energy.
Hinata stopped abruptly, her eyes freezing as she felt an odd sensation take hold of her mind. Her movements slowed, her body refusing to move.
"You're trapped in my Genjutsu," Ino stated calmly, advancing slowly towards Hinata. "Now, you'll kindly return to Konoha and answer all my questions."
She was convinced that Hinata had a connection to the mysterious KageYami, a man whose attacks had shaken every ninja village. His power was such that he had ended the war, and the new Uzushiogakure was too mysterious.
But as Ino drew closer, satisfied with the effectiveness of her Genjutsu, a strange energy suddenly emanated from Hinata.
A luminous blue pattern began to spread across Hinata's right arm, extending up to her face. The marks intertwined, pulsing with an alien energy. A horn appeared on her forehead, and her chakra exploded, pushing Ino back violently.
"What...?" Ino murmured, stunned by the transformation.
Hinata's eyes glowed with an otherworldly blue, her Byakugan amplified by this new chakra evolving into a Tenseigan. She broke through the illusion of the Mangekyō Sharingan as if it were nothing, her gaze fixed on Ino with a chilling coldness.
"You think you can stop me with illusions?" Hinata said, her voice deeper, tinged with a terrifying power. "You're only sealing your fate."
She disappeared in a flash of speed, reappearing behind Ino and striking violently with a palm charged with chakra. Ino tried to block with her tanto, but the impact sent her weapon flying and propelled her against a tree.
Ino struggled to her feet, a hand on her abdomen. "That chakra... it's not human," she panted.
Hinata advanced slowly, her steps heavy and menacing. "I won't let anyone stand in my way, inferior being."
Despite the pain, Ino refused to give up. She quickly formed hand seals and summoned a Giant Water Prison, surrounding Hinata in a swirling sphere of water.
"I'll stop you here and now," she shouted, concentrating all her chakra into the technique.
But Hinata, with her brute strength, shattered the prison in a jet of water, sending splashes everywhere.
"You're weak, pathetic creature," she said, advancing once more.
Ino gritted her teeth. She then used one last technique, creating water clones that surrounded her, all brandishing tantō. Together, they attacked Hinata from all sides, hoping to overwhelm her with numbers.
But Hinata dodged each attack with terrifying precision, striking the clones and destroying them one by one.
The two kunoichi faced off, their strength almost depleted. Ino charged with her tanto, using the Yellow Flash one last time to try and surprise Hinata.
Hinata, with her amplified Tenseigan, blocked the attack with her bare hands, breaking the blade in two. She then struck Ino with such force that she sent her crashing to the ground, unable to get up.
"It's over," Hinata said, approaching and raising her hand to deliver the final blow.
But she suddenly stopped, her eyes meeting Ino's. A glimmer of humanity crossed her gaze.
"It's not you, Hinata. It's not what he would have wanted."
Hinata, or rather what she had become, floated slightly above the ground. Her aura radiated a terrifying power, and her gaze, now adorned with golden floral patterns, seemed to pierce beyond reality itself.
She looked down at Ino, still immobilized by the gravity spikes.
"So? Any answers?" Hinata asked in an oddly calm voice, yet imbued with crushing contempt. "Or will your pathetic gasps be your last words?"
Ino grimaced in pain but remained focused. Despite the increased gravity crushing her, she used her substitution technique, swapping places with her tanto embedded in the ground.
In a flash, she reappeared behind Hinata, arming a deadly strike with a chakra-coated kunaï.
But Hinata didn't move an inch.
"Pathetic."
She grabbed Ino's arm with one hand, crushing her bones with disconcerting ease. Ino screamed in pain, but before she could react, Hinata placed her other hand on her abdomen.
"Soft Palm."
The strike was of inhuman power. Ino was propelled at an insane speed, crashing through several trees before crashing to the ground, spitting out a large amount of blood. Her face was pale, and her internal organs seemed severely damaged.
Hinata instantly reappeared in front of her, raising a hand ready to tear off her head.
"This is the end for you."