The colossal wall of fire surged forward, its blistering heat painting the sky a bloody crimson. Silhouetted against the inferno, Mikami appeared as a vengeful fire deity, his form a stark, dark cutout against the roaring hellscape. The scale was immense, like a wildfire summoned to scour the desert itself.
"Hot Fire Extinguishes? The hell it does!"
One of the four surviving Suna Jonin gaped, disbelief warring with terror. "That's supposed to be an A-rank technique! What he's wielding… that borders on an S-rank catastrophe!"
"Who the fuck cares what rank it is?! Don't just stand there—counter it!"
Acting in desperate unison, the four ninjas formed seals, their voices rising in a synchronized chant.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Twin torrents of water, B-rank techniques meant to quell flames, roared forth to meet the oncoming sea of fire. The collision was titanic, a furious hiss of steam erupting as opposing forces vied for dominance, blanketing the battlefield in a thick, obscuring mist.
Just a little more… we can hold it—
"Tch!"
Their hope shattered as a telltale golden radiance pierced the white fog. The faces of the four Suna-nin fell, a unanimous wave of despair hitting them. It felt as if a murder of crows cawed a dirge overhead.
"That brat's using that speed again! Damn it, isn't that just cheating?!"
One of them spat in furious frustration. Had they not witnessed the horrific aftermath of Mikami's passes, they'd have sworn it was a Space-Time Ninjutsu. By the time you saw the gleam, it was already too late. At that speed, even forming a single hand seal was a luxury. From the very first beam of light, this battle had been grotesquely one-sided.
"You could surrender and accept interrogation. I'd be merciful. Leave you in one piece. Your families might even thank me when they come to collect the bodies."
Mikami's voice, calm and clinical, seemed to come from all directions. Driven to the brink of madness, the ninjas whirled around—only for the ghostly gleam to manifest beside them once more.
Pew! Pew!
"Laser."
Twin beams of condensed light lanced from his fingertips, precise and pitiless, punching clean through the chests of two Jonin.
Thud. Thud.
"Hmm," Mikami mused, scratching his head with an air of faint apology as he regarded the fallen men. "My apologies. I truly intended to leave your corpses intact. I didn't mean to make such… perforated messes. That promise wasn't intentional."
It was a mercy that the two slain ninja had already closed their eyes for the final time. To hear such words in their dying moments might have been enough to summon their spirits back from the Pure Land for a final, futile act of vengeance.
The last two Suna-nin stared, their rage a palpable heat. Ten thousand profane thoughts stampeded through their minds. Hand seals? Why bother? By the time they finished the sequence for any meaningful jutsu, this demon would have danced around them a dozen times and carved them into pieces. Their only remaining chance—flawed as it was—was to close the distance.
With guttural roars, they abandoned all pretense of ninjutsu and charged, chakra enhancing their limbs for a desperate, close-quarters assault.
"Smart," Mikami conceded with a slight nod. Against his absolute speed, most conventional ninjutsu were meaningless. Only direct physical engagement stood a slim chance of touching him. Yet that path, too, was destined for despair.
"Your minds work quickly. A pity your opponent is me, Uchiha Mikami."
As he spoke, the light constituting his body intensified into a blinding, solid rectangle of brilliance. Mistaking this for his telltale high-speed movement, the two charging ninjas poured on even more speed, fists and blades leading.
A smirk touched Mikami's lips, invisible within the glare. "Fools. You think speed is my only weapon? How naive. You make it too easy."
The rectangular mass of light didn't move. Instead, its radiance spiked to an unbearable degree.
"GYAAAAAH!"
"IT BURNS! DAMN IT ALL!"
Their screams were cut short. The limbs that first made contact didn't just burn—they sublimated, vanishing into motes of light and ash. The brilliant rectangle pulsed once, its area expanding momentarily to engulf both men completely. When the light receded, no trace of them remained. Not even bone.
"Pitiful insects," Mikami murmured, his form condensing back into a humanoid shape of subdued radiance. A glance confirmed the area was clear. He had simply raised the intrinsic temperature of his light-form to its maximum. Melting human flesh and bone required far less heat than melting steel.
"Now to regroup with Sui—"
RUMBLE!
A roar of pure, seismic fury split the air, crashing over the dunes like physical thunder. The voice dripped with killing intent and a hatred so deep it felt cold.
"YOU! You're the mastermind behind this ambush! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
Mikami turned.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Burial!"
The very desert behind him rose, not as mere sand, but as a glittering, metallic tsunami. Countless granules shone with the unmistakable luster of suspended gold, a deadly, beautiful, and utterly terrifying cascade descending to crush him into nothingness.