The two criminals stood calmly, silently waiting for the ninja who would be the first to learn of Naruto's absence.
Kisame smiled. "Here they come. We should have made a bet of who would show up first." Kisame said.
"That would be pointless because the bet would end in a tie. We both know who's going to arrive." Itachi said.
"Good point." Kisame laughed as he placed his right hand over his sword just as Kakashi leaped down from the forest trees.
Itachi smiled. "We meet again, Kakashi Hatake."
"I knew I'd find you two here." Kakashi said.
"Heh, if you're looking for Naruto, Kakashi, I'm afraid you're too late." Kisame said.
'Damn I knew it! I arrived a moment too late!' Kakashi thought.
"Don't look so down on yourself, Kakashi, you knew this would happen. Neither you nor Tsunade herself could have prevented this." Kisame said.
"I don't suppose you've taken him to a new hide out considering we already found your last one." Kakashi asked.
"You'll have to find that one out for yourself, Kakashi." Itachi said.
'It couldn't have been the two of them who took Naruto. No. If that was the case one of them wouldn't be here. But just to be safe…' Kakashi thought as he quickly lifted the portion of his head band covering his left eye, exposing his sharingan. He looked around the area. 'Just as I thought there was someone else with them because both aren't shadow clones and there aren't any hidden, so…' Kakashi narrowed his eyes. 'Just how many of them were there and are the rest coming back?'
Itachi closed his eyes. "It looks as though you've arrived ahead of your comrades, Kakashi. Not a very smart move for someone facing off with a legendary swordsman and a member of the Uchiha clan who possesses powers of the Mangekyou sharingan."
Itachi slowly opened his eyes. Kakashi panicked for a moment and jumped back.
"You won't trap me with that same move twice!" He said.
Both users' eyes changed at the same time as they cried "Mangekyou sharingan!"
The illusion of Tsukiyomi began once more as Kakashi found himself and a thousand other copies of his image once again perched upon a cross, victims of the many copies of Itachi's holding katanas, ready to plunge them deep into his flesh.
"Three days, fifty-six hours, fifty-six minutes and fifty-six seconds to go." Itachi said with a cold reminder of Kakashi's first encounter with his Tsukiyomi.
Kakashi's arms and legs quivered against the constricting ropes, desperately trying to free himself from his captor's deadly illusion.
"You that struggling will only make it worse." Itachi said as the mirrored illusions of himself plunged the katanas into Kakashi's side, twisting their blades as they dug deeper and deeper into his tissue.
The many Itachi's suddenly paused with their blades till imbedded into Kakashi. The real Itachi looked up and stared at Kakashi's blank face.
"I see. So you were able to avoid my Tsukiyomi and even control the outcome. I'm very impressed." Itachi said as he gazed back at the kunai Kakashi held against his jugular.
"I told you you weren't going to get me with that twice." Kakashi said.
"It's still going to drain your chakra much more significantly using sharingan compared to me, especially Mangekyou." Itachi said.
"You don't need to remind me." Kakashi said.
"So what happens now?" Itachi asked.
"I don't know, you tell me." Kakashi said.
Itachi smiled. "Very well, it's pointless holding this illusion anyway."
Within a second Itachi's Tsukiyomi illusion was dispelled and both stood once again safely on the forest floor.
"Well that wasn't very long at all. What happened?" Kisame asked.
"Kakashi managed to counteract my Tsukiyomi." Itachi said.
"Are you serious? I thought only a member of the Uchiha clan stood a chance against doing something as difficult as that. I guess I was wrong. Then again, I wouldn't have expected less from you, Kakashi." Kisame said with a smile.
"Why don't we stop wasting time and end this here and now?" Kakashi asked.
"Fine with me. What about you, Itachi?" Kisame asked.
"Do it quickly, we don't have much time left now." Itachi said.
Kisame was the first to charge while Itachi followed with his Mangekyou sharingan.
'I see. Kisame tries to distract me while Itachi tries to trap me in his illusion. Clever plan you two. I'll have to do my best and delay their departure until the others arrive. Hurry up guys.' Kakashi thought as he began dodging both Itachi's illusions and Kisame's sword.
A/N: Well once again it's been awhile. You've waited awhile and so I've decided to make two short chapters and split them up today so that you can read two chapters at once instead of waiting forever for a new long chapter! Believe it or not I wrote these two chapters on no sleep at all! I couldn't sleep so I began finishing writing where I left off with a few lines at about 4am after tossing and turning all night and finished at about 7:11 am this morning! So far so good! So I hope you all enjoy these two chapters and I may begin doing this as cutting a long chapter into two short ones so I can actually get the story updated more often and spend less time writing more! Well I hope you all are having a wonderful summer and hopefully you're having some nice weather!