A Kunoichi At Heart

Chapter 55: Unsuspected Ally

You shook Kiba's hand off your arm in annoyance. Those insolent missing-nin. You didn't care if they were dangerous, you were going to kick their butts!

In hindsight, you realized it had probably been practically a suicidal move, but in the heat of the moment, you didn't know and couldn't care less what the two were capable of.

You flicked two kunai into your hand and charged at them, intent on running them through with your weapons. Kiba cried out in warning, but you ignored him. When the blades were inches from their unprotected backs, Itachi suddenly turned around, his dark, steely gaze piercing yours with disconcerting intensity. Your limbs froze of their own accord and your kunai clattering to the ground. The noise sounded hollow to your ears, and you suddenly felt faint and dehydrated.

"Using that technique so soon?" Kisame's voice echoed unnaturally loudly in your head as you fought against the paralyzing jutsu Itachi seemed to be using on you. Itachi didn't reply, still gazing intently at you with those sinister crimson eyes. "Mangekyou Sharingan," he intoned, and your world suddenly lurched uncomfortably. You collapsed to the floor. When you lifted your head, you saw that the lighting had changed. Your vision had darkened into a strange reddish colour, as if you were viewing the world through a filter. You rubbed your eyes, but it was no use. Itachi stood before you, a katana that had appeared out of nowhere poised at your throat.

You gazed at him in mute terror as he traced a straight line along your collarbone with his blade. You smelled the rusty tang of your own blood and heard the involuntary whimpering escape your throat. He dug the sword deeper into your skin, causing you to choke.

"It's just a genjutsu," he assured you. You did not feel reassured in the least by his words. Suddenly, the cold, steely pressure on your neck subsided and Itachi pierced your abdomen with his sword.

"Gah!" you cried, doubling over in pain. Why…genjutsu…why did it seem so real? You supposed that was what made it so effective. You crumpled, watching as Itachi advanced with his glistening katana, dripping with crimson blood…your blood.

-:-

The scene dissolved, reforming almost instantly. The colours were still off, the sky still tinged with an unnatural rusty orange. Your hand flew to your unblemished neck. Your fingers traced the places on your chest that should have been bleeding copiously, yet were whole and undamaged. The smell of blood lingered in your nostrils, but you couldn't see any, not even pooled on the floor. You could still sense his presence, however. Your eyes flickered unwillingly to the man standing before you.

Itachi explained that you would be trapped in this…thing, called the Tsukuyomi for seventy-two hours. You blanched and tried to cover your ears. He proceeded to show you your worst fears, portrayed in the most horrid, ghastly manner. It was as if he could read your darkest secrets and bring them to life. The only comfort was that none of this was real, but it was nightmarishly authentic. It was enough to drive what little sanity you had left out of your mind and elicit an unearthly scream from your lips.

After what seemed like an eternity, you collapsed to the ground, shivering uncontrollably. You hugged your knees, unable to stop your teeth from chattering.

"W-why…?" you asked, gazing at him with shattered, (e/c) orbs.

Itachi gazed at you almost in pity. "Danger is…approaching your village, [Name]-san. It is better if you were, ah…out of commission for a while."

"W-what do you m-mean…?"

"My Tsukuyomi incapacitates the victim for an extensive period of time. It will keep you safe from the peril that threatens Konohagakure."

"Why?" you uttered tonelessly. "Why me?"

"It was for a mere convenience, nothing more," he said easily. His eyes had returned to a more ordinary colour, a shade of black dark as night and smouldering with a strange, unreadable expression. "I could sense that it needed to be done, that is all. It was nothing special."

You had no idea what Itachi was going on about. Your body finally stopped shaking and you curled up into fetal position, waiting for the three days of Tsukuyomi to end.

"It has already been seventy-two hours," Itachi said quietly, as if he could read your thoughts. "But in the mortal world, a measly three seconds have elapsed. Time works in strange ways doesn't it? Farewell, [Name]. May we meet again."

Your eyes fluttered open to a scene of strange colours that seemed too abundant in blue and green hues. You gazed into the bright, colourful world at the blurry form of two black-clad figures growing smaller and smaller in the distance.

Read Chapter 23, then go to Chapter 86.