Chapter 67: Tsukuyomi
"I don't know anything about bloodlines, and I don't know what the Nine-Tails is."
Naruto panted, his voice a little hoarse, but uncommonly firm. "All I know is, you want to hurt Pervy Sage, and you want to take me away. And I absolutely won't let you!"
Before his voice faded, the Adamantine Sealing Chains on his back suddenly extended, wrapping around Itachi's torso.
"Mr. Itachi, you look like you're in trouble. Need a hand?"
Kisame finally couldn't hold back anymore. He had been watching for too long.
He had been itching to join the fight, only holding back because of Itachi's earlier orders. Seeing Itachi restrained by the chains, he finally found his opening.
"Not necessary. I can handle it," Itachi's voice remained cold and rippleless, as if he weren't the one bound by chains.
Even with his arms wrapped in the sealing chains, his chakra flow restricted, those eyes still radiated a terrifying pressure.
As an Uchiha wielding the Mangekyo Sharingan, those eyes were his true weapon, his trump card.
"Tsukuyomi!"
Naruto felt the world spin. The street, the mist, Kisame—everything vanished, replaced by a blood-red space. Countless blades stabbed at him from all directions.
"Gah!"
Naruto was crucified on a wooden cross by dozens of swords, but the red in his hair only grew brighter.
He looked up, trembling, and saw blood leaking from Itachi's Sharingan.
"Seventy-two hours of mental torture. Here, I control time..."
Itachi's voice echoed in the crimson sky, but was suddenly interrupted by the clanking of chains.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains on Naruto's back had pierced through the Tsukuyomi space, wrapping around Itachi's ankle.
In the real world, only a split second passed.
Jiraiya only saw Naruto stiffen, then the Adamantine Sealing Chains began to crack, inch by inch.
He formed a seal instinctively. "Summoning Jutsu: Food Cart Destroyer!"
Gamabunta fell from the sky, forcing back a Kisame who was about to strike.
Jiraiya had no time to explain to Bunta. He leaped onto the toad's head, his gaze locked on Itachi.
The chains, which had started to crumble, suddenly surged, coated in a layer of red chakra, and plunged directly into Itachi's body.
Inside the Tsukuyomi world, a sudden change occurred. The moment the chains pierced Itachi, the blood-red world began to shatter.
Naruto's body on the cross turned transparent. The blades piercing his limbs faded, replaced by a cold, damp room.
A thirteen-year-old Itachi wore dark ninja gear, kneeling on one knee on the cold floor, his back rigid.
A bandaged figure stood before him, casting a shadow over the boy's face. "After tonight, you will be the most notorious rogue ninja in Konoha's history."
"Your clan, your family, will die by your hand. And you will live on, bearing the name of 'kinslayer'."
The scene shook violently, like a stone thrown into water. In the next second, it shifted to a dim cave.
Itachi knelt before Pain. "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is in Konoha. He is heavily guarded."
"I don't need reasons." Pain's voice held no warmth. "You only need to complete the mission. Remember, you are a member of the Akatsuki, not a Konoha shinobi."
"Is this... your memory?"
Naruto suddenly realized he had invaded Itachi Uchiha's mind.
Countless memory fragments floated in the darkness. Suddenly, a force pulled them together, reforming into Itachi's cold eyes.
The surroundings shifted rapidly, reassembling into the blood-red world, only this time, the cross was missing.
"Prying into another's heart comes with a price."
Itachi's voice wasn't an echo this time. It was right next to Naruto's ear.
Naruto spun around, only to see red mist coalescing into Itachi's silhouette behind him.
"You clearly... have reasons."
"Why do you work for the Akatsuki? Why did you hurt your own clan?"
"Reasons? In this world, reasons are worthless." Itachi raised his hand. The blades in the blood-red world suddenly turned, aiming straight for Naruto. "What you saw were merely fragments I allowed you to see. The real truth isn't something a brat like you can handle."
The moment the blade pierced Naruto's shoulder, intense pain shot through his nerves, worse than the first Tsukuyomi.
Naruto stumbled back, only to find his legs bound by chains. They wound up his ankles, quickly binding his legs tight.
He looked up at Itachi and saw the silhouette becoming clear. Blood was seeping from under Itachi's eyes, as if he were forcing the Tsukuyomi, enduring the backlash.
"You're pushing yourself." Naruto suddenly realized the strain this jutsu put on Itachi.
"You could have just ended the illusion. Why stay here?"
Itachi didn't answer. He just raised his hand to conjure more blades.
But this time, the blades paused in mid-air, as if blocked by something.
Cracks appeared at the edge of the blood-red world. Sunlight shone through, carrying the warmth of reality.
Naruto heard Jiraiya shouting, Gamabunta roaring, and Kisame's frustrated growls.
The battle in the real world was still raging.
"Remember," Itachi's voice suddenly dropped, losing its earlier coldness. "Don't believe the 'truth' anyone tells you. Including what you saw here."
He raised a hand, and the blood-red chains snapped. "Now, leave."
Naruto wanted to say something more, but a powerful force pushed him out of the red world.
His vision spun. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the street.
Gamabunta was still fighting Kisame, but Itachi's figure had already vanished at the end of the alley, leaving only a single word: "Retreat."
"Kid, you scared me to death." Jiraiya grabbed his shoulder. The warmth of his hand finally confirmed to Naruto that he was back in reality.
"I'm okay..." Naruto shook his dizzy head, suddenly grabbing Jiraiya's sleeve. "Pervy Sage! Itachi Uchiha, he..."
"I know."
"But..." Naruto tried to press on, but a loud crash cut him off.
Kisame exerted a burst of strength, forcing back Gamabunta's blade, then turned and retreated in the direction Itachi had gone. Before leaving, he flashed a cold grin at Jiraiya. "Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!"
Gamabunta moved to chase, but Jiraiya raised a hand to stop him. "Don't pursue. He slowed down on purpose to lure us away."
Jiraiya had a pretty good guess about what Naruto wanted to say.
It was likely that Itachi Uchiha wasn't what he appeared to be. As for Itachi's true identity, Hiruzen had explained everything to him upon his return.
He knew very well that Itachi was a spy sent by Konoha to the Akatsuki.
"Some truths are safer kept in the dark than spoken aloud," Jiraiya said finally.