Indeed, emotion is a strange thing. When you cling to it, it feels priceless, irreplaceable by anything in the world. But once you cast it aside, that once-sacred sentiment becomes utterly worthless.
Watching the fist Tsunade had thrown in a blind rage, Mikami merely chuckled, his face etched with sarcasm. The tomoe in his eyes swirled, shifting into the complex pattern of the Mangekyō.
A golden, viscous chakra began to rise around him, and a sinister aura descended, wrapping him in layers of protective energy.
BOOM!
Mikami didn't dodge. He didn't need to. Tsunade's fist, carrying the explosive force of a crashing mountain, slammed directly into the form of Susanoo that had materialized around him. The Hokage's office didn't just shudder—it disintegrated. Walls, desks, and scrolls were swept away in an instant, the space around them cleared and flattened.
Protected within his golden sanctuary, Mikami was unharmed. Unfortunately, the Third Hokage's office was now a memory.
"Tsunade, have you lost your mind?!"
Orochimaru and Jiraiya wore expressions of profound annoyance. Tsunade's strength was no joke; a single blow from her could turn a small hillside to dust.
"Relax, I held back."
Tsunade shot a glance at Orochimaru and Jiraiya, then swept her gaze over the collapsed rubble before turning a frosty, unreadable look toward the Third, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. The coldness radiating from her pretty face was rare—a clear sign she was genuinely furious.
"Held back? That's… considerate of you." Mikami's voice, laced with contempt, cut through the settling dust, accompanied by the cracking of splintered wood. "But let's be clear. Do you think a single full-strength punch from you could finish me? Or that what you just saw was my full strength? Or that an Uchiha's Susanoo would crumble under one of your blows? How naive, Tsunade."
A golden figure began to resolve from within the swirling dust and debris, the visibility less than five meters but the shimmering chakra unmistakable.
"It's truly surprising," Mikami's voice continued, calm and clear. "I never expected the first person to make me use this would be you."
As the dust settled, the figure became clear: Mikami, standing unscathed within his Susanoo, the golden chakra cloaking his body dense and pulsating with power.
"You'll need to do better than that to break through, Tsunade. At this level… it's far from enough." His whisper was a cold pronouncement, his eyes fixed on Tsunade's livid face.
During the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Tsunade had shattered one of Madara's Susanoo clones. But that was just a clone, and it had required her full, unrestrained power.
"You two," the Third Hokage said, massaging his temples. "Seal off the perimeter. Don't let anyone approach. Say it's my direct order."
He looked at Orochimaru and Jiraiya. The stubbornness of Tsunade and Mikami was remarkably similar—neither was the type to back down once they'd set their minds to something.
"I'll stay and watch. To ensure they don't go too far."
Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged a silent, loaded glance. Too far? The Hokage's office was already a crater. Wasn't that far enough?
"Let's go, then," Orochimaru said with a shrug, nudging Jiraiya. If the Third was taking responsibility, any further fallout wasn't on them.
---
"You're a hypocrite."
Mikami's words, aimed at Tsunade's killing-intent-filled visage, were abrupt and jarring.
"What did you say?!"
Tsunade's face tightened, a flush of anger rising. As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, a princess recognized by all of Konoha, to be called a hypocrite—and by an Uchiha, no less—was a sting that cut deep, given the ancient rivalry between their clans.
"What do I mean?" Mikami's expression remained blank, a scornful smirk tugging at his lips. "If you hate schemers so much, why remain in a place rotting from its very foundation? If I'm not mistaken, the death of your brother, Nawaki… has more than a little to do with Shimura Danzō."
The decay and darkness within Konoha's roots were infamous.
"You—!"
Tsunade's delicate fists clenched until her knuckles turned white, her glare burning into Mikami.
"What do you know?! You know nothing! I stay in Konoha to protect the legacy my grandfather left behind! That's all!!"
Her eyes darted away from Mikami's penetrating gaze. Though her tone was defiant, her reddening ears and the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her. She sounded less like someone stating a fact and more like someone trying to convince herself.
Hearing this, Mikami simply shook his head, his eyes holding a trace of pity. Forget about deceiving others—he doubted she could even fully convince herself.
"If that's the case… then allow me to show you the true nature of this world."
His scarlet Kaleidoscope Sharingan locked onto Tsunade's eyes. The corner of his mouth curled into a strange, arcane smile as a dark, crimson hue—saturated with every manner of negative emotion—seemed to bleed into the very air.
Seeing his Mangekyō aimed directly at her, Tsunade's eyes widened in instinctual fear, and she began to shut them.
But it was too late.
"Mangekyō Sharingan: Tsukuyomi."
---
Author's Note: Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider leaving a like, comment, or rating. Your support is my motivation! One more chapter coming after this, as I'm in a writing frenzy. All kinds of support are welcome!