The Dark Side of Akatsuki. Chapter 28

The screams began shortly thereafter.

-The Mind's Eye-

-Sasuke's Bedroom-

Sasuke had been inside the world of the Tsukuyomi for just over one full day when he felt it. There was a flickering at the edge of his vision, as if he were seeing more images overlaid upon the first. As the minutes passed, the effect grew more pronounced. The Tsukuyomi was supposed to last for three days, but it seemed as though it was ending early. That was concerning.

Soon, the door to his room opened, and Itachi stepped over the threshold, closing it behind him.

"Apologies for keeping you in here. Honestly, I'd rather you never have to participate in that kind of thing. Unfortunately, I can't appear to help you in this way again."

Sasuke shook his head. "What's going on?"

Itachi paused, his eyes evasive for a moment. "The technique was improperly activated. Time in here runs differently, but it still only alters our perceptions. In the fraction of a second since you forced eye-contact with Danzou, something has started to block your line-of-sight." He paused for a moment, frowning, as if he wanted to say more.

"You mean I screwed up." Sasuke stated, already certain of the answer. "It's going to keep getting worse in here until I lose eye-contact completely."

Itachi nodded. "We have another few minutes at most before it all ends. What's worse is that Danzou knows it, too. I don't think he's been broken enough to give you the advantage you need, so you'll need to run the instant the technique ends."

Sasuke nodded, expectations glum. For a moment, Itachi's face seemed dead, completely emotionless, before returning to normal.

"I have some things I need to tell you. Danzou wasn't as tight-lipped as he could have been, but his body's image of itself was even more revealing than what he said."

"I'm… listening. What was it?" asked Sasuke.

"Even though this is an illusion, the Tsukuyomi takes place as much in the target's mind as it does in yours. He has an image of his self that controls the shape his body takes in here. That's why I looked at his eye. Behind the bandages on his eye was one of ours. A Mangekyou Sharingan."

Sasuke blinked in confusion. "Last time we talked, you said Danzou had taken a special eye from your friend, Shisui. It's that one?"

Itachi shook his head. "Did we? Oh, yes… I have a hard time remembering anything from other instances I may have appeared to you. You refer to the Kotoamatsukami. Still… no, I don't recognize it. I've never seen that pattern before, not even in the books, and I didn't have time to get the secret out of him."

"That's… bad," said Sasuke.

"That's not all. Something very strange was on his shoulder. A face, warped and twisted, as if it were growing underneath his flesh."

"Bleh," Sasuke said, then added, "Nothing in its eyes?"

"I couldn't tell. They were closed, and I couldn't do anything to affect it. It was as if there was one part of his body that remained impervious, even in here. The Kotoamatsukami that he took from Shisui gives him a powerful and undetectable mind-altering genjutsu, and I can't rule out that he's hiding it inside that mask of flesh."

The flickering in his vision was growing quite pronounced now, and Sasuke could clearly make out bits and pieces of the real world starting to intrude. Sasuke took a deep breath, let it out, then nodded reluctant agreement, before Itachi continued.

"When this is over, get out, quickly. I can't say what that unknown Sharingan is capable of, but one thing is for certain." He met Sasuke's gaze. "Danzou is confident. I don't know what he has up his sleeve, but he feels as though he has the entirety of Akatsuki handled. He honestly thinks this will result in a change for the better for Konoha, and I believe he plans to somehow return as Hokage. The only good thing about all of this is that you don't have to be anywhere near him when he does it."

Suddenly, Itachi smiled, his face full of warmth. Sasuke blinked back a moment's confusion.

"Sasuke. I'm jealous, you know. I wanted to go out to sea, but I knew I would never get that chance. I can tell that it's happening now. The world's opening up, just like Roger said it would. You can see it all in my place. I know it." Then, as quickly as before, Itachi's eyes grew serious. "Don't get involved in something that's not your responsibility."

Sasuke swallowed reflexively, then nodded again.

With that, Itachi turned to leave.

"I have one last chance to throw Danzou off-balance before this ends. Goodbye, little brother."

The door closed, and Sasuke stood alone once more.

"Goodbye, big brother."

- Urasoe no machi -

- Port -

-At That Exact Second-

Luffy flew through the night, fueled by rage. He'd had a worried moment when the man on the ship had tried to cut his hand off, but he'd been saved by Robin. Now, Luffy drew nearer and nearer, and his target had been ready to attack once more. Then, at the last second, the man seemed to freeze in place, eyes locked with the black-haired boy below him. Oh well, not his problem.

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