The Windmill Turns Both Ways

Rain

Itachi walked for what felt like a very long time.

It was too dark to see anything, but he was able to keep himself oriented by stretching out his arm to touch the wall. He kept his guard up. With Orochimaru's interference, there was no way to predict where this would lead, or what the darkness would contain.

It was gradually getting dimmer. Itachi still couldn't see anything, but instead of being pitch-black, his surroundings were turning brown. Eventually the brown got lighter and had a reddish tinge to it. Itachi could see the walls and floor again.

He stepped out of the shadows and paused.

This was odd. He was in the same place as before.

The same darkness concealed the ceiling and passage behind him. The Kyuubi lifted its head to stare at him, and its gleaming eyes narrowed.

Yet—one thing was very noticeably different. The cage barring the tailed beast was red, not gold. And there was no paper tag or residual energy covering the gates' lock. Itachi walked closer with caution.

"Where the hell did you come from?" the Kyuubi asked rudely, intruding on his observations. "Don't tell me this is thanks to that crow of yours."

This place did feel subtly different. And the beast mentioned his crow... the crow he left with Naruto, containing Shisui's Sharingan.

"You're the other one," Itachi said. "The one from this time."

The great fox stared at him for several moments. Then it lifted its head and growled, deep and low. "Naruto."

Itachi looked up curiously when he heard Naruto's voice echo around the room.

"I told you, I don't have time to talk right now. I'm going to help out the war, and I don't care if you think it's stupid! We can talk later."

"It's not that!" the Kyuubi barked. "We have a guest."

Naruto, the older Naruto, appeared beside Itachi suddenly, his arms crossed and a stubborn look on his face.

"What are you talking abou—eh?! Itachi? What are you doing here? You're—" He jumped back with his arms thrown up defensively, looking nervous. "You're like those other zombie guys. How the hell did you get in here?"

"Yes, I am an Edo Tensei summon. But I am no longer under anyone's control. I'm not sure how I got here." Itachi quickly answered his questions. "It seems the two of you are connected somehow. I came from the other side." He motioned toward the expanse of darkness behind him.

"The other side?" Naruto echoed, squinting into the darkness. "I never noticed that before... what is going on, Itachi?"

"It's the other me," the Kyuubi growled, its tails waving behind it agitatedly. "It's as the Uchiha says—we must be connected. I've been able to feel his power coming from there more strongly than I can feel it outside."

Naruto looked up at the fox in surprise. "I guess that would explain why I was able to feel it more easily when I was meditating, too, but... are you seriously saying there's a whole other you out there?"

"It isn't just the Kyuubi, Naruto," Itachi said. "There is another you, as well."

"Another... me?" Naruto said uneasily. He didn't exactly look surprised. Just unnerved.

"Yes. It was part of Orochimaru's plan—though we don't know what, if anything, it has to do with him choosing to participate in this war. He summoned a version of your soul from four years ago, attaching it to a body that seals the Kyuubi so effectively no one can draw it out."