Ino sprinted through the dark corridors, his mind sharp and focused. He had to get out.
Dark soldiers blocked his path, but he didn't slow down. He leaped forward, twisting his body mid-air—one powerful spinning kick.
CRACK!
The soldiers flew in all directions, crashing into the walls. Some groaned in pain, others didn't move at all.
Hook stood at the end of the hall, watching with a smirk. But deep inside, he felt uneasy.
"Tch… You're stronger than I thought," Hook muttered, wiping a trickle of blood from his lips after Ino's earlier attack.
"Where's your master?" Ino demanded.
Hook chuckled. "Oh, he's on an important mission… Just like you."
Ino narrowed his eyes. Den wasn't here. That meant he still had time.
More dark soldiers swarmed toward him, but Ino wasn't afraid. He moved like lightning.
One punch. One kick. Every movement was precise, deadly.
He broke through them with ease, their bodies falling around him. Hook watched silently. He knew Ino could kill him anytime.
"I need to escape and tell Luz," Ino thought, his breathing steady despite the fight. "Den must be stopped before it's too late."
He turned and ran toward the exit—but something was wrong.
No matter how fast he ran, the exit never got closer.
It was an illusion.
Ino stopped, scanning his surroundings. The hall stretched endlessly, the exit always just out of reach.
Hook chuckled from somewhere in the shadows. "You're fast, but you can't outrun my illusions."
Ino clenched his fists. He needed to think.
Suddenly, birds—**hundreds of them—**filled the hallway, diving at him. Sharp beaks. Red eyes. They weren't real, but they looked and felt real.
Hook was playing with his mind.
"I need to be smart."
Ino closed his eyes. The illusions weren't real.
"Focus. Feel the real enemy."
He sensed movement behind him—Hook's real presence.
In a flash, he spun around and kicked straight into the air.
BAM!
Hook coughed as he crashed into the wall, his illusion breaking apart.
"Tch… Annoying." Hook wiped more blood from his mouth.
Ino didn't waste time. He ran toward the exit again—this time, the real one.