On the Sky Screen, accompanied by narration, the subsequent footage of Kakashi battling Itachi appeared.
Kakashi ordered Asuma and Kurenai to close their eyes to avoid falling under Itachi's Genjutsu. But he himself kept his eyes open, watching Itachi warily.
His three-tomoe Sharingan gave him a measure of confidence.
"Both of you, absolutely do not open your eyes... It's all over if your eyes met now."
"Only people with Sharingan can have a go with that technique."
Itachi paid no mind to the struggles of Kakashi and the others, even finding the leisure to explain things to Kakashi.
"A Sharingan can indeed resist the Mangekyō Sharingan to some extent."
"However... this particular Mangekyō ability—the Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi, Nightmare Realm, is unbreakable."
"The only person who can bring me down is someone using the same Kekkei Genkai, a Sharingan user..."
Under the harsh sunlight, Kakashi couldn't make out Itachi's expression. Then, his pupils suddenly dilated—his consciousness spun—and he found himself in a black-and-white spiritual world.
Kakashi was now bound to a cross, while Itachi stood opposite him, a long blade in hand, staring at him coldly.
"I wonder how much you can take without the Kekkei Genkai?"
Before the words had fully faded, Itachi drove the sword into Kakashi's body. The excruciating pain caused Kakashi to lose consciousness immediately.
However, when he opened his eyes again, he was still hanging on the cross, completely unharmed, as if everything just now had been an illusion.
Yet Itachi showed no mercy and stabbed him again.
"In the world of Tsukuyomi... space, time, and even mass are all under my control. For the next seventy-two hours, I will continue to stab you, again and again, without end."
After countless rounds of torment, Kakashi opened his eyes once more—still bound to the same cross.
Itachi repeated his words, continuing to erode Kakashi's spirit, his long blade still piercing Kakashi's body.
'Stay calm… this is just Genjutsu…'
It must be said that the life Kakashi had led in the first half of his life had truly made his spirit incredibly strong; even in such a state, he was still able to think calmly.
"It's best not to be optimistic and think it's just an illusion. This pain is not an illusion. This pain is absolutely no different from reality."
"How long will your mind hold out?"
Without a shred of pity, Itachi stabbed him again.
Even more terrifyingly, under the illumination of the blood-red full moon, countless copies of Itachi appeared in the Tsukuyomi space, swords in hand, all bearing down on the countless copies of Kakashi bound to crosses.
"There's… seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds left," Itachi reminded him coldly.
'Wha…? S-Since then…?! That's all the time that has passed?!' The searing pain left Kakashi no time to think, as countless swords pierced him from all directions.
For a moment, in that black-and-white spiritual world, only the full moon remained, hanging high above.
After what felt like an eternity, the screen went dark, then lit up again—the Tsukuyomi had finally ended.
Kakashi returned from the endless nightmare to reality. He gasped for air, his eyes pitch-black, as if he had endured unspeakable torture. Then, he collapsed limply onto the water surface.
"What's wrong, Kakashi? Can we open our eyes yet?" Kurenai asked upon hearing the commotion.
Kakashi panted and answered between ragged breaths: "N-no… not yet…"
Asuma also sensed that something was wrong: "What happened?! Just as that guy finished speaking, you suddenly fell over!"
Kakashi struggled to remain half-kneeling, thinking to himself: 'Three days in that world is less than a moment in the actual world, huh…'
'But… why didn't he kill me? If he wanted to, he could've easily done so…'
In that moment, countless questions surged through Kakashi's mind.
"Oh? You haven't mentally broken down even after taking that Jutsu. But Itachi-san… it's also dangerous for you to overuse those eyes," Kisame said.
Itachi's face twitched slightly—as if confirming Kisame's words with a silent expression.
[Speaking of which, Kakashi really suffered from the disadvantage of being caught off-guard. Tsukuyomi looks powerful, but in reality, it has many restrictions: eye contact is required, and it only works within five meters. If Kakashi had known about the Mangekyō Sharingan back then, he wouldn't have stupidly locked eyes with Itachi. Everyone knows the Uchiha's ocular Genjutsu is famous—who in their right mind would look an Uchiha in the eyes during a fight?]
[And with that intel, the second time he faced Itachi, he fared much better—he used a Shadow Clone to tank Tsukuyomi.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves]
Beneath his mask, the corners of Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly, but he also felt a sense of relief in his heart.
'Indeed!'
'There's no invincible Jutsu—only invincible people.'
'So the Mangekyō's abilities aren't unsolvable after all.'
'Hmm... that makes sense. During the Nine-Tails incident, when Obito ambushed Minato-sensei, sensei had figured out his ability in one exchange and hit him hard with a Rasengan.'
Though he wasn't as good as his teacher, now that he had learned this crucial intel about Itachi, he won't be foolish enough to look him in the eyes in the future. So in that case, Itachi wasn't impossible to deal with.
'Using a Shadow Clone to tank Tsukuyomi—that's a good tactic.'
Kakashi made a note of it.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Beside him, Sasuke had already burst into manic laughter.
He now had crucial intel on Itachi—his chances of revenge had grown significantly.
Kakashi reached out and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke, calm down. Knowing something and winning the fight are two different things. Itachi's strength isn't limited to Tsukuyomi."
Sasuke's laughter stopped abruptly.
"I know."
He took a deep breath, "That's why I won't be foolish enough to look him in the eyes—unlike you."
"Thanks, Kakashi."
Kakashi's face stiffened beneath the mask.
[Come to think of it, the context for Itachi's return to Konoha was after the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, had died in battle. Itachi came back to send a warning to Konoha's higher-ups—not too big, not too small, but enough to make Danzō think twice.]
[To be honest, no one really knows what Itachi accomplished as a spy in the Akatsuki. As Konoha's intelligence on the organization remained almost zero—the only information about Pain came at the cost of Jiraiya's life.]
[No wonder Konoha's leadership didn't trust him later on.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Akatsuki Hideout]
'Hmm?'
Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara, Sasori, and others all turned to look at Itachi, even Kisame narrowed his eyes. Only Zetsu reacted a beat slower.
Deidara was the first to speak: "Itachi is a spy?"
But Itachi didn't offer any explanation. He simply watched the screen calmly, as if those dangerous looks didn't exist.
Hidan hoisted his scythe. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. A Konoha spy? No wonder you never say anything, always looking so preoccupied. And you even attacked me before!"
Pain and Konan, however, didn't make any moves.
Just as the Akatsuki members were starting to grow restless, Pain's voice rang out.
"I've said it before—as long as you support the organization's plan, I don't care what other motives you harbor."
"And besides… Itachi, you did well. You didn't leak any of the organization's intel."
Itachi finally spoke as well, "I harbor no malice toward the organization."
Pain looked at him, without saying anything.
Kisame quietly moved his hand away from Samehada and grinned. "Itachi-san… you sure hide that well."
*****
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ReduxMagister