Just as the kunai in Rasa's hand, gleaming with cold light, was about to pierce Kakashi's heart—
A figure appeared between them in an instant!
With his right arm wrapped around Kakashi's waist, Mitsuki spun his body, pulling Kakashi away from the lethal strike. At the same time, his left hand turned into a knife-hand strike, landing precisely at Rasa's wrist joint.
The kunai clattered from Rasa's grip, and in the same motion Mitsuki shifted, grabbed hold of him, and executed a crushing shoulder throw.
Rasa was hurled through the air, tumbling across the ground before crashing hard into a jagged slab of ruined stone, sending up a cloud of dust.
Carrying the chakra-drained Kakashi, Mitsuki used the Body Flicker to reappear beside Tsunade.
"Mitsuki!" Rin gasped in relief the moment she saw him appear, saving Kakashi from certain death.
"You couldn't have come at a better time!"
Obito shouted, unaware how close he had just come to awakening his Sharingan. Now that the immediate crisis had passed, the blood-red in his eyes faded quickly.
"Thanks to you, Mitsuki" Kakashi muttered, before pulling two soldier pills from his pouch and swallowing them quickly. He had to recover as fast as possible. That enemy was far too strong—Mitsuki might still need his support.
"Mitsuki?" Supported by Shizune, Tsunade managed to stand, though barely.
Looking at the exhausted Sannin, Mitsuki's emotions tangled together—gratitude, guilt, regret… but above all, relief.
From the very beginning, Mitsuki's dream had been simple: to become family with Rin, and live happily every day alongside Kakashi, Obito, and their other friends.
But in this cruel shinobi world, even the most ordinary dream was nearly impossible.
Without Tsunade exhausting nearly all of her chakra to save them… without Minato's timely teleportation… Mitsuki would have already lost the future he longed for.
"Thank you, Tsunade-nee."
Unlike the teasing tone he usually used, this time he spoke the word nee-san with absolute sincerity.
Tsunade knew Mitsuki's strength well, and reassured him:
"Mitsuki, just hold him off for now. Give me a little time to recover my chakra."
"There's no need, Tsunade-nee. You just rest."
Seeing Rin and everyone else alive lifted the heavy weight that had been pressing on Mitsuki's chest. But that didn't mean his anger had vanished. On the contrary—his rage was burning hotter than ever.
By now, Rasa had already gathered the scattered golden sand back to himself, regaining his stance. His earlier tumble looked clumsy, but in truth he hadn't taken much damage. His body was always coated with a thin layer of sand armor, blunting the impact.
"Rin, protect Tsunade" Mitsuki instructed calmly.
Then he began walking toward Rasa—not with Body Flicker speed, but one deliberate step at a time.
Clapping his hands together, Mitsuki invoked a jutsu he hadn't yet revealed.
"Rasen Orb!"
Nine glowing spheres of blue chakra, each the size of a fist, materialized around him, revolving in a graceful orbit before settling, suspended, behind his back.
Rasa's eyes narrowed. According to his intel, Mitsuki had only ever displayed a Rasenshuriken. Whatever these floating chakra orbs were, they were something new.
Not daring to underestimate, he commanded his golden sand forward in a storm.
"Gold Dust Rain!"
From above, a torrential rain of glimmering senbon-like needles fell, threatening to engulf Mitsuki entirely.
But with a mere thought, one of the chakra orbs behind him turned a dark, burning violet. It expanded outward instantly, transforming into a massive shield that cloaked Mitsuki.
Formed from fire chakra, the shield radiated such searing heat that the very air warped around it.
Before the golden needles could even touch it, they melted into liquid gold, dripping uselessly to the ground.
Rasa prepared to shift his sand around for a rear assault, but two of the hovering orbs shot forth from behind Mitsuki.
Buzz…
One orb swelled larger, spinning violently until it sprouted four deadly blades—none other than the Suna's most dreaded sight: the Rasenshuriken.
It tore through the air toward Rasa with unstoppable momentum.
At the same time, the second orb dissolved into a storm of jagged lightning, surging across the ground. In a flash, it outpaced the Rasenshuriken, crawling up Rasa's legs and paralyzing him completely.
"Too fast!"
Rasa couldn't even react before the Rasenshuriken filled his vision, its deadly blades expanding in his eyes—
"Boom!"
The explosion roared. A massive sphere of blue chakra erupted, filled with raging gales that shredded everything into fine dust.
The golden sand storm ceased instantly. Mitsuki let the violet fire shield fade away.
As the violent winds of the Rasenshuriken died down, Kakashi and the others strained their eyes to see the outcome.
There lay Rasa, face-down on the ground, drenched in blood. His trembling arms tried to lift him, but each attempt failed.
He had tried to shield himself by encasing his body in a sphere of gold dust. But against wind chakra refined to its ultimate form—every grain of sand was carved apart, no matter how many times he reassembled it.
It was sheer willpower, and the massive drain of chakra, that kept him alive. Barely. His entire body was carved with countless fine lacerations, blood streaming from every inch of his skin. His limbs twitched in shock from the blood loss—standing was impossible.
The fight was decided.
"So… so strong…" Shizune gasped, her hand covering her mouth as disbelief filled her eyes.
She knew Mitsuki was a genius. But she had already seen how terrifyingly strong this enemy was—possibly stronger even than Tsunade.
And yet Mitsuki, from the moment he appeared, had rescued Kakashi and defeated Rasa in just three exchanges.
Of the nine orbs he had summoned, he had only used three.
The surreal, dreamlike power of it left Shizune speechless.
Rin, hearing her quiet words, lifted her head proudly and said with certainty:
"Of course. You can always believe in Mitsuki."