High above the battlefield, seated apart from the others in quiet observation, Shino Aburame adjusted his glasses with a slow breath. The combat had ended, but its echoes remain—etched not just in the field, but in his thoughts.
He had watched every movement. Every illusion. Every moment of strain.
Shino already knew Kiba had grown stronger—he had sparred with him, seen his progress, his discipline. But even he had not expected the ferocity of that transformation with Akamaru. That form, that synergy… it had caught him by surprise.
Yet it was Hinata that truly unsettled him. The gap between the girl he once stood beside during the Chūnin Exams and the being who had just fought was… staggering. As if he were watching a myth come to life. He struggled to reconcile the memory with reality.
Not just in strength, but in form. In presence. There was something spectral about her now—something otherworldly. Even her kindness, once soft and uncertain, now radiated with unshakable purpose.
But the truth was clear: she had nearly been overwhelmed. Had it not been for her Mirage Breath—barely held together by instinct—and her spiritual reflexes, Kiba might have brought her down. The technique itself was disturbing in its elegance—an illusion made real. Shino had seen the difference: her clones struck with tangible force, blades that weren't supposed to exist, cutting as if they were physical. And yet… she could only sustain a few. Three, perhaps. That was the limit. Beyond that, even she began to fade.
And there was another thing. She had not used lethal force—not with Shinsei, nor when she destroyed Kiba's clone. Even her most devastating techniques had a kind of mercy woven into them. That, too, was a vulnerability. One that seemed woven into her very style—a refusal to kill, even when the opportunity presented itself. It was admirable, but also predictable. And if she refused to confront it, he would have no choice but to expose it. Not out of cruelty, but because mercy, too, must be tested—so she could learn its price.
Shino folded his arms. Soon, it would be his turn.
He did not fear defeat. But he was no longer certain he knew who Hinata really was.
And that, perhaps, was the most dangerous thing of all.
<<<< o >>>>
After a few hours of rest, Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru had all recovered. While she now stood poised to fight again, Kiba and Akamaru had taken a place on the sidelines, eager to witness what Shino would bring to the arena.
Shino had remained silent throughout the recovery period, his posture unmoving, his thoughts flowing. Beneath his glasses, behind the collar that veiled his mouth, a storm of analysis brewed. Every movement of Hinata's previous battle had been studied. Every pattern, cross-referenced. Every possibility, mapped.
Shino Aburame vs. Hinata Gin
Hinata and Shino stepped onto the field together.
"If you don't give everything from the beginning… you'll lose," Shino said, his voice calm, absolute.
Hinata paused. She felt it—not arrogance, but certainty. His words carried the weight of recognition. Another test. Another confirmation of theory.
He was already playing mind games. And he knew she'd notice. He wanted to push her into an early frontal attack—or, perhaps, had planned for that exact contingency.
Hinata smiled. "Very well," she replied, her voice melodic, warm, and sincere.
Once again, a stone was thrown into the air. As it struck the ground, the battle began.
They breathed in unison.
Hinata's hand rested on the hilt of Shinsei. The ground beneath her cracked violently as she launched forward like a silver missile. Two mirrored images flanked from the sides, and a fourth image trailed behind her like a ghost.
Shino exhaled. His breath pulled his body downward, heavy and still. His chakra made him dense—one with the earth.
From his hands and feet, kikaichū swarmed outward, all responding to the same cadence of breath. His seals activated, and two clones formed beside him—each one a writhing pillar of insects molded into a humanoid shape.
The first clone formed a seal and slammed the ground: "Earth Style: Stone Wall!" A barrier surged upward.
The second moved with synchronous grace: "Earth Style: Earth Spikes!"
Hinata, guided by her World of Intent, sensed the strike pattern beneath her. But this time, the ability was strained—overwhelmed by the chaotic surge of hostile intentions radiating from thousands of kikaichū. Her perception flickered under the noise, momentarily dulled. Even so, her overhuman reflexes, coupled with a microboost and the proximity of the attack, allowed her to react just in time. She twisted midair, evading the deadly trajectory—though not without cost. One spike tore through the side of her kimono, a reminder of how close she'd come.
She was already upon the wall. Her hands inverted Shinsei.
"Kata of the Blooming Flame – Second Form."
The reversed blade sliced through the earth with impossible speed. Fire ignited along her arc, swallowing the area in swirling flame. The two clones were consumed—or so she thought.
One of them bled.
Her blade paused. The bleeding one wasn't a clone. It was Shino.
The illusion shattered.
"You see?" came his voice, as his hand drifted over the bleeding wound in his abdomen. "You truly can't tell which is the real me when I hide within the swarm."
The bleeding Shino dissolved into a cloud of insects.
In that moment of distraction, the clone she had ignored pounced over her from behind—kunai in hand.
Hinata's body moved before her mind. Shinsei arched back in a cut—only for the insect clone to scatter another cloud of kikaichū across her body.
The swarm began to drain her chakra.
No time.
A spiritual thread erupted from her side, spiraling outward. She spun, solidifying the thread with her own life force.
The detonation was like a silver typhoon.
A dome of rotating force exploded outward, tearing through a quarter of the battlefield. Stone cracked, earth split, her illusions scattered, and insects were flung.
For the first time, her world of intent was clear of the noise of thousands of insects... even so, her senses were focused on Shinsei, still with Shino's blood on her sword.
And then—she felt it. Her chakra is draining. Again. All the insects on the battlefield disappeared and even if I tried now it made itself felt.
Shino's plan became clear.
On the field, Fuinjutsu had been drawn, seeded by the insects. Hidden seals, now active.
And Shino? Gone too. Vanished beneath the earth.
Everything stilled. A moment of concentration and the Genjutsu was broken
Then—
A world of insects.
Then— Gone again.
Then back again.
An unbreakable Genjutsu loop, cast not by illusion but by layered Fuinjutsu seals powered by kikaichū.
Her senses were crashing. Her chakra is rapidly decreasing.
With extreme speed. She vanished.
With Boost in her legs and Mirage Breath guiding her flow, she blitzed to the center of the arena, cutting through the haze.
Still—the drain persisted.
The drain lessened. Her burst of speed had left many of the silent invaders in her wake.
There was only one option.
She summoned all remaining threads, forming a spiral. More energy than before. A true storm.
The explosion engulfed the arena.
Walls cracked. Seals shattered. The Genjutsu field collapsed.
And then—
From the fractured earth beneath her, Shino emerged.
Kunai at her neck.
Shinsei, reversed edge, resting at his throat.
"Shall we call it a draw?" Hinata asked, still catching her breath.
"Given that you're using the correct side of your blade… I suppose so," Shino replied, his tone dry—but beneath it, she sensed a genuine smile.
They both fell to the ground, exhausted.
"Fuinjutsu always seemed terrifying," Hinata admitted. "What you did to the field in such little time… impressive."
"You could do it too," Shino said. "You have the intellect."
"I've tried. I don't really have a gift for it."
"I understand. I only got into Fuinjutsu because I wanted to replicate the Flying Thunder God… but spatial manipulation wasn't for me. Still, I was drawn to the seals."
Hinata hesitated. "Sorry… for cutting you."
Shino shook his head. "You're kind. That's not a flaw. It brings people peace in a world where death is always near. But you must know when to use your strength decisively. That's why this was a draw, and not my victory."
Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Shino. I learned a lot today."
"As did I," he replied.
"As did I."