Yuffie sprinted through the winding streets of the Sector 7 slums, her breath hitching with every sharp turn. The bag of stolen materia bounced against her hip, the precious orbs inside rattling like some dark, gleeful melody. It was a typical heist, or at least it was supposed to be. Sneak in, grab what she could, and get out. But this time, the stakes were higher—the warehouses were crawling with Shinra troops, and one particular piece of materia seemed to be heavily guarded.

That only made her more eager to take it.

She clutched it tightly now, its smooth, translucent surface shimmering in the faint moonlight that slipped between the towering steel structures. The Shinra soldiers were gaining on her, their footsteps a storm of heavy boots, the gleam of their weapons catching the corner of her vision.

Gotta move faster, Yuffie, she thought, teeth gritted in determination.

Ahead of her, the alley stretched out like a trap—narrow and closed in by tall walls. No escape. She skidded to a halt, her eyes darting upward for a window ledge or fire escape, but there was nothing she could reach. The sound of marching boots filled the space, echoing off the steel and concrete. She turned slowly to face them, her heart hammering.

There were fourteen soldiers, each fully armored and equipped with rifles. Their leader, a broad-shouldered man with a cold gaze, stepped forward. His weapon was aimed squarely at her chest.

“Drop the materia.” he ordered. His voice was calm, but the threat was clear. “Now.”

Yuffie hesitated, fingers twitching against the orb’s surface. She had no idea what this materia could do, but she was out of options. A bead of sweat trickled down her brow as she focused on the strange, unknown power humming within the orb. She took a deep breath and raised it high, a silent prayer forming in her mind as she channeled whatever energy she could muster.

The air around her pulsed, a low hum that grew louder, more intense. A brilliant, eerie light burst from the materia, flooding the alleyway. The soldiers staggered, momentarily blinded by the flare. Then, something happened that made Yuffie’s eyes widen in shock.

The soldiers began to shrink.

Their bodies seemed to warp, collapsing in on themselves as they shrank smaller and smaller. First, their heads dipped below her chest, then her waist, until they barely reached her knees. Within seconds, the once-threatening Shinra soldiers were reduced to the size of bugs, no bigger than the palm of her hand. Their voices had become high-pitched, frantic squeaks as they looked up at her in sheer terror.

For a long, drawn-out moment, Yuffie just stood there, her pulse pounding in her ears, as she took in the absurdity of it all.

Did that just—?

Her thoughts stumbled over themselves. She glanced at the glowing materia still clenched tightly in her hand, then back at the tiny soldiers at her feet. The reality of what she had done, of the power she now held, settled over her like a warm, intoxicating rush. Slowly, a wicked grin crept across her face, her surprise giving way to an exhilarating surge of adrenaline and glee.

“Well, well, well.” she drawled, stepping forward as the miniature soldiers scattered like panicked ants. "Looks like things just got a lot more fun."

Her boots—now towering behemoths to the shrunken soldiers—thudded against the pavement, causing small tremors with every step. The soldiers scrambled in all directions, their tiny legs pumping furiously as they tried to escape the shadow of her looming figure. Some dove behind bits of debris, but the cover that once seemed insignificant to her was now an insurmountable fortress for them.

Yuffie laughed—an almost maniacal sound that echoed off the alley walls—before lifting one boot high and slamming it down on the nearest soldier with a satisfying crunch. The soldier’s tiny scream was cut off mid-cry, his body flattening instantly under the weight of her boot. She twisted her heel slightly, grinding his remains into the dirt as her laughter echoed through the alley. When she lifted her foot again, there was nothing left of him but a red smear on the pavement.

Her heart raced with a mix of adrenaline and glee. It was...thrilling, to have these once-imposing Shinra soldiers reduced to nothing more than playthings. She savored the moment, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she lifted her boot again, this time slowly, giving the others a chance to see what was coming.

“Oh, don’t run!” she teased, stalking toward another soldier who had scrambled behind a discarded soda can, his tiny body pressed tight against the cold metal in a desperate attempt to stay hidden. “I’m not done playing yet!”

Her boot nudged the can aside with a casual flick, sending it clattering across the alleyway. The soldier was exposed, his eyes wide with fear as he tried to scramble backward on hands and knees. His tiny legs pumped furiously, but it didn’t matter—Yuffie was on him in an instant.

She raised her foot slowly this time, savoring the look of terror in his eyes. The soldier let out a desperate, squeaking cry as her boot hovered above him, casting a dark shadow over his quivering form. With a gleeful laugh, she brought her heel down in one swift motion, ending his escape with another sickening crunch. The sensation of his tiny body being crushed beneath her sent a shiver of excitement up her spine, and she couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across her face.

Two soldiers huddled together in the shadow of a cracked brick, their tiny forms trembling as they held their weapons in shaking hands. Yuffie crouched down to their level, resting her chin on her hand as she regarded them with an almost mockingly sympathetic expression.

“Aww, are you scared?” she cooed, her voice dripping with false sweetness as she tapped her fingers on the ground beside them. The ground shook slightly from the simple gesture, causing the soldiers to flinch and huddle closer together. “You Shinra goons are all the same. Big and tough when you’re wrecking villages or threatening people, but now? Not so much.”

She paused, letting her words sink in, watching with satisfaction as they lowered their tiny weapons in hopeless defeat. Then, with one last playful wink, she stood to her full height.

The two soldiers bolted, their small forms darting across the pavement in a desperate bid for survival. Yuffie didn’t rush after them—instead, she took her time, each step deliberate, savoring the sound of her boots thudding ominously against the ground as they tried to flee. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt a giddy rush with every step.

One of the soldiers tripped, sprawling face-first onto the rough concrete. Yuffie grinned down at him, her shadow looming large over his trembling body. She took a slow, exaggerated step toward him, letting the weight of her presence hang in the air for a long, torturous moment.

The soldier squirmed, trying to crawl away, but Yuffie’s foot hovered directly above him. She relished the way his tiny form writhed beneath her sole as she brought her foot down with deliberate slowness. The helplessness in his tiny, frantic movements was intoxicating. She felt him struggle, and then—crunch.

Yuffie stood over the squirming remnants of the first few soldiers, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement. The rest of the tiny Shinra troops were scattering across the alley, their desperate movements erratic and disorganized. Yuffie’s grin widened, her heart thumping with the thrill of what was to come. She wasn’t in a rush. No, she wanted to enjoy this.

“Running won’t save you.” she called out, her voice light and teasing, but with an unmistakable edge of menace. She strolled forward, each step deliberate and heavy, her boots thudding ominously against the pavement. She could feel their panic, sense their tiny hearts racing as they scrambled for safety. But safety was a distant dream now.

Her eyes locked onto two soldiers who had made the mistake of running in the same direction, straight for a pile of loose crates. Their tiny forms disappeared behind the wooden barricade, clearly thinking they were hidden.

Yuffie chuckled, her fingers tapping idly on the glowing materia as she walked up to the crates. “You think I can’t see you?” she cooed, her voice sing-song and mocking. She didn’t bother crouching down this time—she simply lifted her boot and kicked one of the crates aside, sending it skidding across the alley. The two soldiers were exposed, their tiny faces contorted in terror as they looked up at her looming form.

Before they could react, Yuffie’s boot came down fast, squashing both of them in one go. Their screams were cut off instantly, the sound barely a squeak. The ground beneath her foot was slick with their remains as she twisted her heel, grinding their tiny bodies into the dirt with a satisfied sigh.

“Oops.” she said, mockingly wiping imaginary dust from her boot. “That was too easy.”

She took a moment to glance around, spotting another soldier dashing behind a pile of garbage bags. This one was smarter, using the cluttered alley to his advantage. He ducked and weaved, crawling under a discarded piece of metal, trying to stay out of her line of sight.

Yuffie stalked toward him with slow, measured steps. She could hear his tiny, frantic breathing, could see the way his movements grew more desperate as he realized she was getting closer. With a playful hum, she crouched down near the pile and spotted him wedged beneath the rusted sheet of metal. His face was pale with terror, his tiny hands gripping his rifle like it would somehow save him.

She giggled, reaching down and easily flipping the metal sheet aside. The soldier was exposed, sprawled on his back, staring up at her like a cornered animal. “Found you!” she chirped, raising her hand to wave at him.

Before he could even react, Yuffie brought her hand down and slapped him with her palm. The tiny soldier let out a pathetic squeal as her hand crushed him into the pavement, his body squished flat beneath her palm. She lifted her hand to inspect her handiwork, noting the red smear left behind with a smirk. “Guess that wasn’t so bad, huh?”

Her attention shifted to a group of three more soldiers who were attempting to climb a nearby stack of crates. They were halfway up, clearly hoping to reach a higher vantage point where they might signal for help—or at least put some distance between themselves and Yuffie’s boots. But it was futile.

“Oh, trying to get away, huh?” Yuffie said with a mock pout. “That’s cute.”

She moved quickly, kicking the bottom crate out from under them with a powerful swing of her leg. The crates toppled, sending the soldiers tumbling down, their tiny forms crashing into each other as they fell. The three of them landed in a heap, groaning in pain as they struggled to untangle themselves.

Yuffie stepped over them, her shadow swallowing them whole as she loomed above. She bent down slightly, her face hovering close to their trembling bodies. “How about we make this a little more fun?” she teased, standing back up and giving them a head start.

One soldier took off running, his two comrades limping after him, but it didn’t matter. Yuffie gave chase, her boots thudding loudly behind them. She could see the fear in their tiny movements, could hear their frantic, high-pitched cries for help.

The first one didn’t make it far. Yuffie casually lifted her foot and stomped down on him, her boot coming down with a satisfying thud. She felt his body crunch beneath her sole, the resistance of his form quickly giving way to nothing but a wet smear.

“Too slow.” she remarked, barely suppressing a giggle.

The second soldier tried to veer off into a narrow crevice between two walls, but Yuffie wasn’t about to let him get away. She swung her foot sideways, the edge of her boot catching him mid-run. His tiny body flew across the alley, slamming into the far wall with a sickening crunch. He fell limp to the ground, motionless.

Only one soldier from the trio remained now. He was on his knees, panting and shaking as he looked up at her, clearly too terrified to move. Yuffie grinned down at him, relishing the power she held over him. Without a word, she lifted her foot and slowly lowered it onto his trembling form. She felt him squirm, heard his tiny voice squeak out a plea for mercy, but Yuffie only pressed down harder, feeling his fragile body compress under her weight. His movements grew weaker until, with a final twist of her heel, he was nothing more than a stain on the pavement.

Her gaze flicked to the last few soldiers. There were four left now, huddled together behind a fallen steel beam, their tiny forms trembling as they witnessed the brutal fates of their comrades. Yuffie could practically taste their fear in the air—it was palpable, hanging over the alley like a thick fog. The sight of their wide, terrified eyes sent a jolt of adrenaline through her veins. Her fingers drummed excitedly against the glowing materia still clutched in her hand, its light dimming but still throbbing with residual power.

They had been watching the carnage unfold, powerless to stop her as she picked off their unit one by one. Their faces were pale with horror, their once-determined expressions now reduced to nothing but sheer panic. Yuffie wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, her grin widening as she took in the scene. This was too much fun—almost too easy.

“Four of you left, huh?” she taunted, her voice dripping with playful malice. Her heart raced in time with the thud of her boots as she stalked toward them, each step slow and deliberate, building the tension. “Let’s make this quick, shall we?”

She stopped just shy of the beam, towering over them like a predator savoring the moment before the kill. The soldiers were trembling, their minuscule bodies pressed against the cold steel, as if it could somehow protect them from what was coming. One soldier, braver or perhaps just more desperate than the rest, made a break for it, darting out from behind the beam in a wild attempt to escape.

Yuffie’s eyes flashed with amusement. “Oh, you’re not getting away that easily.” she purred.

In a single swift motion, she kicked out, her boot connecting with the tiny soldier’s body mid-sprint. The force of the blow sent him flying through the air, his arms flailing helplessly. His tiny scream was cut short as he slammed into the side of a nearby dumpster with a sickening crunch. The impact left him a limp, crumpled heap at the base of the metal, his broken form twitching once before going still.

Yuffie didn’t even bother looking back at the mangled body. Her attention was fully on the remaining three soldiers, who had now resorted to clinging to each other in a pathetic attempt to find strength in numbers. Their weapons had long been discarded, forgotten in the face of sheer terror. Their tiny, wide-eyed expressions reminded Yuffie of frightened mice, cornered by a cat.

But Yuffie wasn’t feeling particularly merciful today.

She took a step forward, casting a shadow over the trio as she loomed above them. Her grin widened into something almost feral as she raised her boot. “Sorry, boys.” she said, her tone mockingly sweet. “It’s time to end this little game.”

Without giving them a chance to react, Yuffie brought her foot down in a swift, decisive stomp. The two soldiers closest to her were crushed instantly, their bodies flattened beneath her boot with a wet crunch that sent a shiver of satisfaction up her spine. The ground beneath her foot was warm and slick, and when she lifted her boot, only a pair of crimson smears remained where the soldiers had once been.

The last soldier, now all alone, had collapsed to his knees, his tiny form wracked with sobs. His hands were raised in a pitiful gesture of surrender, his voice barely a squeak as he pleaded for mercy. Tears streamed down his face, leaving streaks across the dirt and grime that clung to his uniform.

Yuffie crouched down, her face hovering inches from his tiny, tear-streaked one. Her gaze was cold, but her lips curled into a wicked grin as she watched his tiny body tremble in fear.

“Sorry.” she said softly, her tone dripping with mock sympathy. “It’s nothing personal.”

She stood back up, towering over him like a goddess of death. The soldier’s sobs grew louder, his tiny hands still raised in a futile plea, but Yuffie didn’t hesitate. With a final, satisfying stomp, her boot came down on the last soldier, snuffing out his life with a soft, almost delicate crunch. His tiny form was reduced to nothing, just another red stain on the alley’s grimy pavement.

Yuffie sighed, a long exhale of satisfaction as the adrenaline began to fade. The alley was silent now, the only sound the faint hum of the city beyond. She glanced down at the materia in her hand, its glow dimmed slightly, but still pulsing with energy. A shiver of excitement ran through her as she slipped it back into her pouch. The potential of this newfound power was intoxicating, and she couldn’t help but imagine the possibilities that lay ahead.

“I could get used to this.” she muttered, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she cast one last look at the crushed remains of her pursuers.

With a jaunty wave, as if bidding farewell to the fallen soldiers, Yuffie turned and darted back into the night. Her heart was lighter than it had been in weeks. Shinra had underestimated her, and now she had a new weapon—one they would never see coming.

The Wutai ninja vanished into the shadows, leaving behind nothing but the remnants of crushed soldiers and the faint echoes of her victorious laughter. Whatever came next, Yuffie was ready for it, armed not only with her skills but with a dangerous new power that made her unstoppable.