Gaara means a lot to Naruto...Chiyo-baasama knows this now. The bonds between Sunagakure and Konohagakure are only becoming stronger. I hope for everyone's sake, we make it on time...

Kakashi stopped in his tracks. He yelled out for everyone to stop, and thrust out a hand protectively beside him, signaling to Chiyo-sama, Naruto and Sakura to come to a halt.

Itachi.

He felt his blood run cold, and mentally froze. He had known Itachi when they served together in the ANBU, but looking at him now in his red-splotched black Akatsuki cloak, he felt the memories of knowing him as a former comrade fade away. The memories were replaced with a sudden horror. Their fight in Konoha came flooding back to him, temporarily blinding him in pain. He fought the urge to grab his torso as he felt the katanas pierce deep into him. That was only an illusion...Tsukiyomi. It was much worse than any nightmare. Your brain was at least wired to forget those...but a genjutsu of such of level...it was impossible to simply forget. For a whole month... he had been unconscious, locked away into that world. If three days in that world equated to just one second in real life...

Guh...

He didn't even want to think about how long it had really felt in there, being continuously stabbed with katanas. Hundreds of himself tied up and suffering, but thousands of his assailant. Stabbing...and stabbing...and the pain. Once he'd thought it was over, the cycle would just repeat. Itachi's passive face, and Kakashi's endless agony. It was the single most distressing experience he'd dealt with, after the deaths of Obito and Rin.

Get a grip! That had all been two and a half years ago...more than enough time to recover from some genjutsu! Some genjutsu? he thought bitterly to himself. Who was he kidding? Kakashi was indeed very strong...he'd withstood the attack and came out of it psyche unscathed, but lasted for mere moments longer as he tried to fulfill his duty and get as much information as possible, in the process disturbing Itachi and Kisame of his own knowledge of their organization. At that moment Itachi had decided to take him in for interrogation, but less than a second later, Gai had come to help. Completely drained and feeling somewhat secure by Gai's arrival, Kakashi could no longer keep himself above the water. His chakra ceased to support him and he collapsed beneath the water's surface. If it wasn't for Gai, he might've drowned; Asuma and Kurenai couldn't take the risk of saving him, plus they didn't fully know what was going on. Ugh... Still, he was surprised he hadn't had a mental breakdown under the constant torture. But even right now, face to face with Itachi, he was paralyzed in fear.

...Fear?

Kakashi had long forgotten what that felt like. For others, sure, but he hadn't had to truly fear for himself in a very long time. He didn't fear the man, but looking at Itachi... all Kakashi could feel was excruciating pain. Everywhere he looked, he could only see the colors inside the illusion's world. He blinked several times to clear his vision, but it would not disappear. As long as he kept thinking of the trauma, the PTSD he was experiencing would not go away. He felt his heart beat faster and faster, but his breathing remained slowed. He had to bring himself back to balance...

He mentally slapped himself. His dark eye visibly narrowed. He had to remain strong. His dear students were behind him, relying on him! And he didn't know if Chiyo-baasama could take on Itachi, either. But he knew one thing for certain. He could not let any of them fall under Tsukiyomi...no matter what! That would be the end of it all. Feeling his courage return, his resolve hardened and his heart steadied, and he regained the composure that nobody could tell had ever wavered.

Without moving his head, he glanced in the direction of his comrades.

He sighed. Let's get this over with.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are highly appreciated. I might add to this scene in additional chapters the perspectives of Sakura, Chiyo, and/or Naruto, if anyone would like. Just let me know and I'll have it up sometime.

Also, I'm in the process of writing two more oneshots, so check back within a few days for anything new, or just hit follow! Again, thanks for reading :3