Supreme Kai robes came with a built-in function: they automatically resized to match the wearer's body. Ino's frame had shrunk dramatically, but her clothes still sat perfectly on her — simply scaled down in proportion.
The only thing that felt truly off was her hair. Her signature high ponytail and angled bangs were completely gone, replaced by a short, ear-length cut that left her looking like a completely different person.
She studied the big loli in front of her without letting anything show on her face.
The colors and embellishments were slightly different, but the style was unmistakable — a blouse, outer coat, and sash. Standard Supreme Kai attire. The modern Supreme Kai robes all had pauldrons of varying sizes, but this big loli wore a black blouse, a sapphire-blue off-shoulder coat trimmed in gold, and a sash adorned with red wheat sprigs. The whole ensemble was noticeably more elaborate than anything the current generation of Supreme Kais wore.
"Nice hat," Ino said, putting on her best wide-eyed newcomer expression, pointing admiringly at the big loli's crown — an archaic-looking gold piece mounted with a miniature clock.
In truth, her honest assessment was that the combination of that outfit and such an oversized headpiece made the wearer look like their head was enormous and their body tiny. It was a perfectly acceptable proportion for the world of Detective Conan, but here it struck her as just a little... off.
She unconsciously reached up to touch her own neck and head. I'm not going to end up looking like that too, am I?
The big loli tilted her chin upward with the haughty air of a third-grader about to put a first-grader in their place. "Country bumpkin. What you're calling a 'hat' is the Crown of Time — the exclusive regalia of the Supreme Kai of Time."
Ino played along. "So... you're the Supreme Kai of Time?"
The big loli gave her a look that said at least you're not completely hopeless and nodded lightly. "That's right."
"Young Supreme Kai, do not believe her lies. She used treachery to steal the Crown of Time — that sacred artifact does not belong to her." A clear, bright voice rang out from slightly above and to Ino's side. Still not quite used to her current height, Ino had to tilt her head back to look.
What she found was a small loli with chestnut-colored short hair who looked to be around eight years old.
Ino made a quick internal calculation. Let's see: I'm seven. Chestnut-hair is eight. Blue-hair over there is nine. First grade, second grade, and third grade — the whole set is here.
What a magnificent clash of titans.
The big loli let out a cold laugh and gestured toward the chestnut-haired small loli, her tone imperious. "Junior, join forces with me. We take this hypocrite down together. Once I reclaim the throne of Supreme Kai of Time, I'll appoint you as its future successor."
The chestnut-haired small loli shot back, "Senior Aeos, you're lying again. All you want is to seize more Time Power — to stand at the apex of time itself and claim dominion over past, present, and future. You deceived me once before, promising that if I named you Supreme Kai of Time of the Past, you would stand down. And what did you actually do?"
She turned to face Ino. "I can see that your heart is full of goodwill. You are a lawful Supreme Kai. I am willing to engage with you in an honest competition — but please, do not accept Aeos's terms. That path leads only to ruin. Trust me: as the current Supreme Kai of Time, I can see far more of the river of time than either of you."
The blue-haired big loli — Aeos — curled her lip in undisguised contempt. "Kuronoa. That pitiful, innocent little act of yours genuinely turns my stomach. If I hadn't chosen you as my successor back then, you would have crumbled into bones alongside all the other Supreme Kais of your era! I was the one who taught you, step by step, how to wield Time Power. I was the one who revealed to you the true laws governing the universe. And how did you repay me? The moment you became Supreme Kai of Time, you kicked me — your teacher — straight to the curb. Former Supreme Kai of Time?" She let out a scornful laugh. "Do I look like I need your charity?"
The two lolis — one big, one small — began jabbing their fingers at each other's noses, trading insults at full volume.
Ino stood to the side and watched with great enjoyment, munching on metaphorical popcorn.
Without question, the former Supreme Kai of Time and the current one were at each other's throats. Ino's arrival as a third party had thrown an already impossibly tangled situation into complete chaos.
She turned her attention inward, scanning the energy within her body. The extraordinarily dense Time Power saturating this place had compressed her to her limit — her physical form had shrunk, but her battle power hadn't dropped by a single point. On the contrary, she felt as though she could achieve some kind of "release" here. Release of what, exactly? She wasn't sure. But she knew that if she did release it, someone like Cell would go down in a single move.
If that was true for her, it was almost certainly the same for the two across from her.
The difference in their apparent ages was likely a reflection of how completely each of them had mastered Time Power. At her current seven-year-old state, Ino was unquestionably the weakest of the three.
Should I just start fighting?
The thought flickered through her mind for only an instant before she dismissed it entirely.
If she fought now, she had zero chance of winning.
Some background information on the current Supreme Kai of Time was not exactly classified knowledge.
Kuronoa was a contemporary of the Seventh Universe's Old Kai. Counting from when the Old Kai had been sealed inside the Z Sword by Beerus all the way to the present-day Shin, the Seventh Universe had already cycled through fifteen generations of Supreme Kais. Just imagine — how long had the current Supreme Kai of Time actually been alive?
Calculated along a single timeline, her age had certainly crossed the hundred-million mark. Factor in multiple timelines, and that number multiplied several times over. Compared to this woman, Shin was practically an infant.
And the blue-haired big loli was another matter entirely — she was a Supreme Kai from an even more ancient era. One look at that puffed-up, indignant expression and that nine-year-old face, and it was obvious she could throw down with the best of them. A nine-year-old going up against her seven-year-old self? That wasn't a fight — that was a stomping.
Ino was in completely unfamiliar territory. Her grasp of this so-called "release" was vague at best. She was in no position to take either of them on right now.
The current Supreme Kai of Time, Kuronoa, looked perfectly friendly — but was she actually? It wasn't as though Ino had never encountered a white-lotus-flower type of female Supreme Kai before...
The former Supreme Kai of Time, Aeos, seemed aggrieved — but was she actually? That whole performance had "act" written all over it.
Ino cleared her throat. Both bickering figures turned to look at her simultaneously.
"Pardon the interruption. First things first — a self-introduction. My name is not 'junior.' It is not 'young Supreme Kai.' My name is Ino Yamanaka." She produced the Time Token. "In accordance with the most ancient laws of time, I hold the right to compete for the position of Supreme Kai of Time. I now require a full explanation of the competition's process and specific terms. That is my right."
"Hmph. You haven't earned the right to have your name remembered by me just yet — but I'll admit I'm tired of waiting." Aeos said with imperious disdain. "Kuronoa, you are the temporary master of the Time Nest. You explain the competition rules."
Kuronoa looked toward Ino. "As the current Supreme Kai of Time, I accept your challenge in accordance with the ancient laws of time, Ino Yamanaka... However, the method of competition is mine to decide."
Ino nodded. That was indeed the current Supreme Kai of Time's prerogative. As the challenger, she had to play by the other's rules — and win within them. Only then could she become the new Supreme Kai of Time.
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