Uchiha Itachi's form shook his head, an almost imperceptible sigh escaping his lips. Speed of Light… a formidable power, yet its weakness is as plain as day. Light travels in a straight line.
His gaze turned glacial, deep-set eyes chilling the very air as he stepped forward. Though he possessed neither the Pika Pika no Mi's power nor the Flash's innate speed, "Uchiha Itachi" moved with a grace that left no trace, matching Mikami's velocity with unsettling ease.
This damned spirit is clearly tapping into power beyond Itachi's own!
Seeing the spirit keep pace, Mikami clicked his tongue in irritation, a sharp exhale escaping him. Yet the corner of his mouth quirked upward. He came to an abrupt halt, his handsome face twisting into a cold, devilish smirk as a brilliant golden light solidified around his calf.
"Yata no Kagami… Kick!"
BOOM!
A straight-line beam of light erupted from his powerful leg, shooting toward "Uchiha Itachi" and detonating in a violent, blinding explosion. The shockwave tore through the clearing, igniting the surrounding trees, their bark instantly blackening as hungry flames began to consume them.
A substitution jutsu…?
A cold prickle ran down Mikami's spine. His Sharingan whirled violently, the three crimson tomoe spinning as he processed every minute shift in the wind, every tremor in the ground.
SHIIINK!
The sharp whistle of tearing air snapped his focus. A volley of kunai, gleaming with deadly intent, shot toward him from the treeline. His Sharingan tracked their trajectories with contemptuous ease.
"Hmph. Child's play."
With a cold sneer, Mikami's hand flashed to his weapon pouch and back. Several of his own kunai sliced through the air, their paths perfectly calculated.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks erupted mid-air as the projectiles collided and clattered to the forest floor, a discordant symphony of steel.
"You think such pitiful tricks can touch me, Spirit?"
"Is that so?"
Ignoring the taunt, "Uchiha Itachi" emerged silently from the shadows in front of him. As he moved, the three tomoe in his eyes twisted and morphed violently, reforming into a sinister, distinct pattern—the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Mikami's vision locked with Itachi's. The world seemed to warp. Within the intricate design of the kaleidoscope, he could see a swirling, irregular black halo, a darkness so profound it seemed to burn the very soul.
Damn it, he's actually using that!?
A sensation of absolute, inescapable lock-on seized him. A heat that scorched the spirit, not the body, made his soul tremble.
"Amaterasu!"
"Don't you dare underestimate me!"
Mikami roared, his eyes widening. A massive surge of chakra exploded from his pores, enveloping his body in a thick, visible aura just as the black flames of Amaterasu manifested around him. The hellfire licked at his chakra shield, sizzling and roaring, but could not penetrate.
With a fierce grunt, he dispelled the clinging black flames, his gaze never leaving the spirit's form. "Amaterasu is called the strongest physical attack," he declared, his voice ringing clear. "But there are many ways to counter it. Even without the Logia's elemental intangibility, I can still repel your heavenly fire!"
He took a ready stance, chakra crackling around him. "Now… my turn!"
His hands flew through a series of seals with blinding speed. His cheeks puffed, and he unleashed a torrent.
"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!" (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)
A tidal wave of flame, far surpassing the scale of a standard Grand Fireball, roared forth, devouring the space between them, its heat warping the air.
Facing the inferno, "Uchiha Itachi" remained calm. His own hands formed a counter-seal.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)
An enormous cascade of water erupted from his mouth, a crashing wave that met the advancing wall of fire head-on.
HISSSSS—BOOM!
The collision of opposing elements filled the battlefield with a thick, billowing veil of scalding steam, reducing visibility to zero.
Now!
Seizing the cover, Mikami moved. Even a stealthy approach betrayed him, as activating the Pika Pika no Mi's power caused his body to erupt into dazzling golden light—a brilliant streak cutting through the mist like a divine arrow.
"HAAAAH!"
A sword of condensed light formed in his grip. In the final instant before reaching "Uchiha Itachi," he brought it down in a slash meant to cleave a mountain.
CLANG—!
A numbing shock ran up Mikami's arm. His blade had connected, but the sensation was all wrong—like striking immovable, primordial stone. His eyes widened as he looked at the spirit within the mist.
A terrifying, viscous crimson chakra was erupting from "Uchiha Itachi's" body. The malevolent energy coalesced with shocking speed, first forming a massive, rib-like skeleton that effortlessly cradled the spirit within, then fleshing out further into a formidable, armored torso. The skeletal arm of the construct had simply lifted to block his light-sword with its forearm.
This is—!
Mikami flash-stepped back, putting distance between them. His Sharingan analyzed the terrifying chakra construct rapidly.
The crimson energy solidified further, its ribs thickening, a spectral spine forming, encasing the spirit in a fortress of pure power.
"Susanoo…" Mikami breathed, a growl of frustration edging his voice. "To resort to this… how utterly shameless!"
Susano'o was the pinnacle of raw, overwhelming defense and power. He was a speedster, a precision fighter, not a titan like Senju Hashirama who could trade blows with such a behemoth. The sheer disparity in scale alone put him at a brutal disadvantage.