Chapter 200: Ino vs. Yugito Nii
Wood Release wasn't just effective against the Nine-Tails; it countered all Tailed Beasts, and the Two-Tails within Yugito was no exception. After acquiring Ashura's chakra, the power of Wood Release naturally carried the properties of the God Tree. If it were combined with Hashirama's immense chakra, suppressing the Nine-Tails would be effortless. Ino wasn't that strong yet; her Wood Release level and chakra reserves were lacking. The faint trace of Ashura's chakra within her couldn't compare to the First Hokage's power in his prime. However, Wood Release was still Wood Release. Flower Release and Grass Release were both variations of it. The starting point might be different, but the endpoint was the same – the ability to suppress Tailed Beasts remained.
The plants on the small island began to grow wildly, decades of growth condensed into mere seconds. Ino's Flower World Descent further conjured a large number of flowers out of thin air.
Driven by the life force converted from a massive amount of chakra, flowers as large as wagon wheels and as small as fists blanketed the battlefield. With a gust of wind, a large amount of pollen spread throughout the area.
Yugito felt Ino suddenly become hazy in her vision, thinking she had fallen under a genjutsu.
The Two-Tails within her spoke up, reminding her, "It's the effect of the pollen."
"Pollen?" Yugito exclaimed in surprise. A Bloodline Limit ability? And it looked like Wood Release? This opponent was stronger than she had imagined.
Growing stronger in the face of a powerful foe, her fighting spirit surged. "Interesting. A descendant of the Senju clan of the Leaf Village? Matatabi, lend me your power!"
"Alright."
Yugito dropped to all fours, her pigtails completely unraveling. Like a Saiyan transformation, her hair flowed freely, and a large amount of cat-like demon patterns of chakra surfaced on her body. Her eyes turned white, and then she let out a sharp roar. Relying on a feline's keen senses, she pinpointed Ino's location amidst the swirling pollen.
Her afterimage still lingered in place as her body covered over ten meters in an instant, unleashing a claw strike towards Ino's position.
"Hmm? Not affected?" Seeing her opponent enter a semi-Tailed Beast state with speed as fast as flight, Ino didn't dare to engage in taijutsu anymore. Like Mario diving into a pipe, she leaped into a nearby flower bud. By the time Yugito tore apart the flower and its stem, Ino was already a hundred meters away.
The battlefield was covered in flowers. Using the ninjutsu characteristics of her Flower World and the pollen's visual obscuring effect, she continuously shifted her position among the numerous blooms.
Pollen fell on Yugito like snowflakes. Even a fool could tell that this stuff wasn't good for the body. She immediately surrounded herself with a chakra-infused flame shield.
Ino created vines to entangle and slow her down, but Yugito's sharp claws and fangs became deadly weapons. She also spat out a large number of mouse-shaped chakra blue fireballs that circled around her, burning away the vines.
"Fire Rat Jade!"
Blue flames rapidly burned through the vegetation. The fire rats scurried about, carving dozens of fiery paths within Ino's Flower World. Not only did they burn quickly, but they also lasted for a long time.
That's the Two-Tails' chakra! Ino thought calmly.
Countless vines erupted from the ground, wave after wave, tightly binding the fire rats released by Yugito before dragging them into the earth, forcibly absorbing and sealing them.
Suppressing and absorbing the chakra of a Tailed Beast – these were all capabilities of Wood Release.
Ino didn't obstruct her vision, and the Two-Tails didn't sense anything amiss even as its chakra was being drained bit by bit. It still thought Ino was weak. The First Hokage back in the day... tsk tsk, those were memories best left untouched.
"Yugito, I'm giving you all my power. Defeat the Leaf Village ninja."
"Got it!"
Yugito, relying on her own consciousness to control the Tailed Beast chakra, transformed into a giant cat covered in blue demonic markings. Her two long tails whipped around rapidly, causing a series of explosions in the air.
Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage were both tense. The battle was far more intense than they had anticipated.
"Steam Explosion!" Even with her Wood Release suppressing the Tailed Beast, Ino still felt the terrifying pressure emanating from it.
You've gone full Tailed Beast mode, then I won't hold back either.
She summoned Gamabunta's son, Gamakichi, in his chameleon form, allowing the summon to revert to its beast form and activate its camouflage ability. Then, she released a Fat Ino.
Before she could even say "Ka," a loud "boom" echoed. Yugito's intuition was astonishing; she preemptively tore apart Fat Ino with a claw strike. However, she underestimated the power of the technique.
Even though the steam hadn't fully accumulated, the hot oil from the explosion still splashed all over her, and the massive shockwave sent her flying dozens of meters away, smashing her hard into the side of a small mountain.
She was injured.
Countless vines wrapped around her again, but she forcefully broke free.
Fat Ino quickly reformed and then exploded twice in succession, but Yugito Nii ly dodged both times.
Ino kept unleashing powerful attacks, and a third of her chakra vanished in the blink of an eye.
She didn't want to compete with the Tailed Beast in terms of chakra reserves. She continued to increase the output of her Flower World Descent. Densely packed, vines like countless snakes tightly constricted Yugito's legs. Gamakichi revealed himself, his massive tongue wrapping around Yugito's right arm. The largest flower on the battlefield, also the one with the strongest suppressing power, the King Flower, unfurled its vibrant petals. Countless white hyphae pierced into Yugito's body. Then, the petals closed, firmly securing her left arm and a good portion of her torso.
Ino, having used Steam Explosion consecutively, was also extremely weakened. She emerged from Gamakichi's body and delivered a powerful kick to the groin of the now giant demon cat.
This time, she used the power of Tsunade's Heavenly Foot of Pain. The demon cat let out an involuntary yelp, sounding like it was in considerable discomfort.
Ino had no regard for the feline's dignity. Her right hand spread open, aiming at its stomach, preparing to use the Five Elements Seal.
"Pfft!" Suddenly feeling a chill in her lower abdomen, she looked down to see Yugito had exited her Tailed Beast transformation. As if slipping off a sleeve, she allowed the King Flower to devour the Two-Tails' chakra from one arm, restoring her human arm. With a sharp claw, she pierced through Ino's lower abdomen, the five blade-like claws going straight through and twisting clockwise.
"Ugh!" Ino spat out a mouthful of blood. She hadn't expected her opponent to be so ruthless, discarding the chakra of a Tailed Beast's arm without hesitation.
Ino's right hand landed on Yugito's left wrist. Countless vines wrapped around the wound. Her opponent tried to struggle, wanting to inflict more damage, but the King Flower sensed Ino's intent. White hyphae densely pierced through her back. These hyphae continuously absorbed her stamina and injected toxins. As a Jinchuriki, her body was growing weaker and weaker.
Neither of them retreated, nor did they utter any words of surrender.
They looked at each other, both determined to see who could last the longest.
The blood flowing from Ino's lower abdomen had stained the grass beneath her feet red, but she still held tightly onto her opponent's hand. Yugito first withdrew from her semi-Tailed Beast state, then gritted her teeth and unleashed a Fire Rat Jade, forcing Gamakichi to retreat and freeing her right arm.
Her stamina was nearly depleted, making it impossible to form sharp claws. She could only take out a kunai, slowly raising her arm to aim it at Ino's eye.
Ino raised her other hand, allowing the kunai to pierce through her palm. Then, she spread her fingers and grabbed her opponent's fist.
They stood facing each other, then headbutted simultaneously, their faces covered in blood.
"I am a Jinchuriki. I will endure until the very end. You cannot defeat me and Matatabi," Yugito said, having long since discarded the thought of it being shameful to fight against a junior. Her mouth was full of blood as she gritted her teeth, using words to apply psychological pressure.
Ino remained unfazed. "Big sister, my chakra reserves are quite substantial. I can keep going for a whole day!"
The truth was, they hadn't even lasted ten minutes.
Apart from the inappropriate atmosphere, their posture resembled bowing in a wedding ceremony. They slowly knelt down facing each other, remained locked in that position for several more minutes, and then, their stamina completely exhausted, they collapsed simultaneously. Neither of them could stand up.
This battle had no victor. Both of them had fallen.
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