It didn't take long for both Mitsuki and Itachi to reach the village. As the village came into their view, Itachi activated his sharingan in the same time as Mitsuki extended her perception.
"I don't see Kina's soul anywhere within the village. Also, I can't see the soul's physical figure with my long range perception alone. Itachi-kun, can you find anyone who fits Reishi's description?"
"I found a few candidates, let's split up," Itachi instructed, briefly conveying the location of the suspects to Mitsuki as well as dividing their task afterwards.
Mitsuki's first target was not a hit. As she moved on to her second, briefly interrogating the suspect while keeping out for signs of lies in his expression and souls, Mitsuki heard a crow caw.
"Is that, Itachi-kun's crow?" she thought, as a crow circled her from above. As Mitsuki's and Itachi's crow's gaze intersect, Mitsuki nodded. Seemingly understanding her signal, the crow flew ahead, followed by Mitsuki.
Not long after, Mitsuki arrived at where Itachi was at. Somehow, Itachi seemed to be a lot more exhausted than he's supposed to be. Upon quick examination, Mitsuki saw that Itachi's mark had darkened again.
"Did you use Mangekyou's Jutsu?" Mitsuki yelled in panic as she dashed towards Itachi.
"There's no time, we don't know how much time had passed since they took Kina and what are they planning to do to him," said Itachi, slight panic spilled out from his voice despite his attempt to cover it up. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Mitsuki decided to drop the topic for then and focus on the issue at hand.
"He is an addict, and he was the one who lured Kina away, but he's also not sure regarding where those people take him to. I've checked with my Tsukuyomi," Itachi briefed the situation to Mitsuki.
"Itachi-kun, can you interject the senses in his memory and find out the last detectable location or general direction where they took Kina to?" Mitsuki asked briefly.
"Got it, let's go," said Itachi as he rushed out. It seemed like it took him only a fraction of time to do what Mitsuki had requested him.
As the pair dashed through the road, Mitsuki absorbed and built up the nature energy inside of her body in preparation of what was to come.
"This was as far as he could tell, heading to that direction," said Itachi as he pointed towards a cliff, his voice ladened with urgency.
"Noted," as Itachi briefed her, Mitsuki prepared to send her perception signal. During her whole travel lately, she had been trying her best to expand her perception using various tricks that she could think of. Hoping that the next thing she would do will work in her favour, Mitsuki focused her perception onto the sixty degree angle to the direction that Itachi pointed, believing that focusing her energy towards specific direction would allow her to send her detection further. Along with the directional precise control, Mitsuki made sure to send her detection in one big ripple as opposed to keeping a constant surveillance over a range of area. She had tried this method before during her own practice, and as for the result, even if it was not effective for keeping up with enemy's location, it was better suited to figure out someone's immediate position covering the long range. Focusing her concentration, Mitsuki executed her plan and send her energy rippling through the specified direction, as far as she could.
"Got it! It's about six kilometres ahead, let's move before they changed their position"
Mitsuki didn't have to tell Itachi twice. As soon as he saw the direction that Mitsuki pointed, he rushed ahead in his full speed.
"They're still there, thank goodness…" said Mitsuki, panting as she tried her best to keep up with Itachi's constant swift movement. They had been dashing with their full speed without a stop as soon as Mitsuki determined the direction of Kina's soul. As soon as they reached close enough range for Mitsuki to use her full perception, the pair stopped briefly to observe. With his sharingan activated, Itachi quickly scoured through the area and identified Kina's chakra. However the place was well guarded, way more than the warehouse hideout. "It seems like this is their centre of operation," said Mitsuki, unsure about the next action to take. In the other hand, without a word, Itachi blitzed and took out people on his path faster than they could comprehend. Seeing it, Mitsuki's eye twitched. As she grumbled inwardly upon Itachi's haste, Mitsuki followed on and took care of the leftover witnesses, sedating them with the combination of her weapon control and Kodon's concoction.
There was only one door to the location where they held Kina at. Knowing that any attempt of discrecy will be futile, Itachi blasted the door open in one strike instead, aware that it could have been a trap.
"Oh, here he comes!" said the man who sat in the middle of the room, Kina on his side, bound." I thought you would come after hearing about you from my underlings. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, the infamous criminal, Uchiha Itachi," the guy spoke without fear with the kunai in his hand aimed at Kina's throat, as soon as he saw Itachi entered his hideout. "And here I was still waiting for this boy to wake up to interrogate him,"
"Let that boy go, I have business with him," said Itachi with a calm but powerful tone. His sharingan glared at the guy with intensity. He thought about using his sharingan genjutsu on the guy, but their current position proved to be a disadvantage with the criminal's lackey surrounding him all around. If they saw anything wrong with their leader, they would likely go into an offense. He would be able to defend himself, but as for Kina who were right in the middle of the round room and considering the enemy's number, one stray kunai will be what it takes for everything to go wrong.
"How about we pay you double what the boy had paid you instead? Those robes are of Akatsuki, the mercenary group, right? I've heard about your organization."
Hearing the guy's word, Itachi's frown grew deeper.
"Our business is very profitable you know? It will be a fulfilling alliance," he continued. "Name's Jiryu Sendo, by the way," the man introduced himself.
Suddenly Itachi felt movement from his pocket, likely from Mitsuki's seed pouch that he still carried with him. Noticing the signal, Itachi suddenly fling countless shuriken upward as the both of them had practiced sometime during their training together.
"Where are you aiming?" Jiryu Sendo asked as he laughed.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! THUMP!
In the air, Itachi's shuriken hit the medicine laced needle that Mitsuki had secretly thrown and redirected them towards the enemy's army, hitting half of them and startling the rest, enough to delay their next movements.
However, as soon as Jiryu sensed something wrong, he quickly reacted and defended himself and Kina with his other hand and arm guard, evading the needles sent his way.
"Seemed like he was not merely all talk, after all," Itachi thought.
"If you do anything else, I'll slit this boy's throat for you!" He declared. Hearing his word, Itachi stopped his movement. "And tell your backup to reveal themselves and stand where I can see them!"
Frowning, Itachi nodded to signal Mitsuki to come out. Grudgingly, Mitsuki came out of hiding and stood beside Itachi.
"Haha, just the two of you? You thought you can stop us all? Even the genius Uchiha seemed to be overestimating himself," Jiryu laughed in pride once more as he locked Itachi's and Mitsuki's movement by taking hostage.
"Most of you are already on the ground tho," Mitsuki provoked, trying to stall time by keeping the enemy talking while glancing at Itachi, hoping that he would have a plan.
"So what, there's still more of us than there is more of you," said Jiryu with a grin. "Now, what shall we do about the two of you? Oh, how about we make you two taste Saigenzai as we capture you? How nice of us to give you free sample! If you like it, you can always buy more!" Upon hearing Jiryu's joke, the surviving crew member laughed.
"Mitsuki, sorry, but I'll use Tsukuyomi," said Itachi in a soft whisper.
"! Isn't there any other way?" Mitsuki turned her head towards Itachi in worry.
"Other genjutsu are too risky in case he has the ability to break through it, and we're short on time," Itachi whispered. "Don't worry, I don't intend to die. Not here," he added.
"Nuh-uh, you two should stop discussing or I'll slit this boy's throat," Jiryu said as he brought the kunai closer to Kina's throat, shifting his gaze between Mitsuki's and Itachi's expression.
"Tsukuyomi!" Itachi muttered inwardly as his line of sight intersected that of Jiryu's. In an instant, Jiryu lost control over his body and dropped his kunai as he lost the power in his arm.
"!? Where the hell is this?" Jiryu yelled as he realised himself standing in the middle of nowhere.
"Here is the world of Tsukuyomi," said Itachi as he emerged in the black and red world, surrounded by crows.
Suddenly, Jiryu had already shifted place once more, now with his limbs tied up upon thick, wooden planks.
"Everything in this world is under my control, even your senses and your being. And for your insolence, you will pay dearly," said Itachi as he approached Jiryu with his kunai.
"For the next 24 hour, you will undergo torture to pay for what you have done," Itachi whispered to Jiryu calmly, as he stabbed his Kunai unto Jiryu's liver, causing him to scream as Itachi twisted it. Before the pain fade, Jiryu noticed another instance of him and Itachi appeared beside him. Without a minute warning, Itachi's double stabbed Jiryu's double on his stomach, transmitting the pain towards the original. Immediately, the two instances of Jiryu screamed upon recognising the pain.
"This is what you get for insulting Uchiha's name, and.." One by one, another instances of Jiryu and Itachi appeared, filling the empty space.
"Know that Reishi and Kina Kodon are under mine, Uchiha Itachi's, protection. Hurt them, and I'll give you painful death beyond your imagination," Itachi said. One by one, his copy stabbed their own attended Jiryu's clone, making it as painful as possible by twisting the kunai within the newly inflicted wound. His ankle, his thigh, his lungs, all over Jiryu's body. All of the pain shared, searing within every single instances of Jiryu, causing him to scream endlessly in agony, wishing that he'd die so that his pain would end. But in the contrary, his wounds healed, preparing him to receive another attack from Itachi's copies.
Sweat trickled down Itachi's nape, however his expression remained calm, unreadable. Mitsuki felt her anxiety rising as she saw Itachi's mark darkened once more, and started pulsating. Trying her best to maintain her breathing, Mitsuki decided that it was time to end the whole thing. As the crew panicked over their suddenly collapsing leader, Mitsuki quickly pulled out her kunais and lathered it with the Kodon's medicine. Then guided by the vines under her control, Mitsuki lashed them to inflict light wounds on the enemies, one by one, letting the medicine do the rest of the work.
"Wait Mitsuki," said Itachi, stopping her from hitting her last target.
"You there," Itachi called towards the trembling, last standing member of the clan. "Take your leader away from here. I didn't kill him, but take this as a warning."
"The Kodon's are working for me, if I ever found them harmed, I'll see to your clan's end personally," Itachi said firmly as he directed his sharingan to meet the lackey's gaze. Struck by fear, the lackey nodded vigorously as he picked himself up and ran to take the leader away.
Seeing the lackey scrammed as he carried the leader, Itachi approached Kina's passed out figure and lifted him up.
"Let me, Itachi-kun," said Mitsuki, worried. The pulse on Itachi's mark hadn't stopped yet.
"I'm fine," Itachi said as he carried Kina out of the hideout. Unexpectedly, Reishi had been waiting in front of the hideout.
"Sorry I.. I can't just sit still so I've kept watch, and then I saw you guys running towards this direction," Reishi explained with trembling in his voice, ready to be reprimanded.
"It's fine. Perfect timing, please take care of Kina and take him to the shrine. I'll clean up here with Itachi-kun for a while," said Mitsuki, prompting Reishi to take Kina off Itachi's hand. Nodding, Reishi dashed through the pathway, taking Kina away to safety. Upon seeing Reishi's figure leaving the area, Itachi dragged his feet towards the forest.
"Itachi-kun, don't be stubborn, I think you need to rest now," Mitsuki stated with both concern and displeasure in her voice. It was very obvious to her that Itachi was pushing himself.
Ignoring Mitsuki's word, Itachi kept himself walking, before finally stumbling to the ground.
"Itachi-kun!?" Mitsuki dashed over the moment she saw Itachi stumbled, catching him with her body as they both fell to the ground.
"Itachi-kun, stay with me! Hold on!" Mitsuki exclaimed as she tried her best to prevent Itachi from passing out as she positioned his head on her laps.
"Huh, I think I'm more tired than I thought," said Itachi as he saw Mitsuki's worried face, smiling lightly.
The black mark pulsates.
"Don't worry, I don't intend to die here. There are still things I must do.." said Itachi, followed with a cough. Blood spurted from within his lung, dying his lips red with blood.
"M..maybe don't talk Itachi-kun, I'll.. I'll try something.." said Mitsuki as she shifted Itachi's body and laid him flat on the ground, taking his palm in hers.
"Everything inside him is a mess, he pushed himself too far again today.. At this rate.." Mitsuki thought as she let her energy circulate within Itachi's body. "I… what should I do?" she thought. Unconsciously, tears started to flood her eye. As her heart beated faster, and the breath turn ragged, Mitsuki could feel her blood draining away from her face, as if she would pass out anytime.
"I.. shouldn't pass out. If I collapsed, who will help him?" Mitsuki latched unto the last of her logic and dragged out her determination. However..
The black mark exploded into black flames.
Mitsuki eye widened upon the change. Shifting her gaze towards Itachi's face, she could see him slowly losing consciousness.
"NO! ITACHI-KUN, STAY AWAKE! PLEASE!" Mitsuki shouted with all her might. Futile as it was, she injected more of her energy inside him, in an attempt to quench his soul, in an attempt to regulate his body condition, but it won't stop. She could feel Itachi's body working against himself, damaging his organs further. "THE EYEDROP, WHERE'S THE EYEDROP?"
"It's ok Mitsuki, I just need.. some rest.." said Itachi, as he closed his eyes.
Author's Note:
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