Tsukuyomi, Ruined

One tall and one short figure walked slowly down the road, moving as sluggishly as if they were afraid of stepping on the ants beneath their feet.

The two had just left the bounty exchange and shared an unspoken understanding.

After all, if they hurried back, the next mission would be waiting for them.

They were not idiots. Why would they do something so exhausting with no benefit?

Itachi did not know what Juzo was thinking.

What Itachi was thinking about was what sort of intelligence he, as Konoha's spy, should send back.

After all, Sasuke was currently staying in Konoha like a hostage.

He still had to put on a symbolic show.

"What are you thinking about, kid?"

Juzo, who was walking ahead, was getting a little hungry. He had turned around to discuss what they should have for lunch.

Only to find Itachi staring blankly into space, deeply absorbed in thought.

That was why he asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking about something."

Juzo's question quickly brought Itachi's pupils back into focus, and he casually came up with an excuse to brush him off.

"What are we having for lunch?"

Juzo casually tossed Itachi's explanation to the back of his mind.

He asked softly.

He was not that curious about other people's secrets.

"Uh, barbecue?"

Hearing Juzo's abrupt question, the explanations Itachi had prepared went unused.

"Barbecue sounds good. Let's have barbecue, then. Since we just finished a mission, I've got a bottle of good liquor here. Want to have a drink with me?"

Juzo spoke softly as he looked at the somewhat absentminded Itachi.

Though he did not know what Itachi was thinking about.

He could roughly guess.

After all, Itachi was still young. No matter how strong he was, he would surely think of his village from time to time.

And now that the tense, exciting mission was over and his mind had gone idle, he would inevitably think about such things.

Just like when Juzo had first defected from his village.

The two found some small animals, cleaned them up, and enthusiastically gave them a bath.

Itachi also found some plants and gave them a massage.

Then they gave them a round of fire therapy.

Juzo took out a bottle holding over a pound of liquor, along with two small cups.

It really had not been easy for him to carry that thing around.

Before long, a rich fragrance filled the air.

To thank them for their service, the little animals enthusiastically offered the meat on their bodies as the two men's lunch.

It perfectly illustrated the meaning of returning a favor.

Itachi was somewhat reluctant to drink.

But he could not withstand Juzo's enthusiasm, so he symbolically took a small sip.

After all, they were still out in the wilderness. Getting drunk would not be a good idea.

More importantly, his alcohol tolerance in his previous life had been rather poor.

He was not afraid of drunkenly saying something he should not. He was simply afraid of getting drunk.

But after taking a sip, his eyes brightened slightly.

The liquor was not harsh. Instead, it carried a fruity aroma and a faint sweetness.

Paired with grilled meat, it was an excellent match.

"How is it? Good, right...?"

Seeing Itachi take a light sip before downing the rest in one go and continuing to eat the barbecue.

Juzo smiled and gently refilled his cup.

"This liquor is quite good. It tastes great..."

Itachi softly answered Juzo and gave it an approving evaluation.

Hearing Itachi's affirmation, Juzo felt a burst of comfort in his heart.

Through his actions, he was telling the boy that the gloom in his heart was nothing and could easily be washed away by what was in the cup.

Thinking of that, even the liquor and meat in his hands seemed to taste better.

When Itachi drank his second cup, he slowed down again.

He perfectly demonstrated the meaning of enjoying wine without indulging in it.

After all, no matter how good liquor tasted, it was still liquor.

And liquor could easily go to one's head.

Juzo had no intention of urging him to drink. He simply drank cup after cup while eating grilled meat.

Sitting beside him, Itachi could feel the heavy sorrow and melancholy emanating from him.

It was clear that this man was also full of bitterness.

The atmosphere gradually became quiet and oppressive.

Only the sound of Juzo drinking remained, along with the occasional crisp crackle of burning branches from the fire in front of them.

Itachi gently chewed his grilled meat without making a sound. He did not want to disturb Juzo's silent release.

He did not know what was wrong with the man.

Whether he had been suppressing himself for too long and was now venting.

Or whether he had recalled unpleasant memories and was using alcohol to find relief.

Good grief, trying to help him only got himself drunk...

Looking at Juzo asleep against a tree in broad daylight, Itachi felt rather helpless.

But he did not say anything.

He gently took the bottle from Juzo's clenched hand.

He held it near his ear and lightly shook it, discovering that quite a bit remained.

Then he found the cap Juzo had tossed aside on the ground. Itachi gently picked it up, wiped away the dust, and sealed the bottle.

He placed it beside Juzo.

A series of snores rang out, snapping the absentminded Itachi back to his senses.

Then Itachi smiled helplessly.

He softly teased.

"Like a child..."

Though he said that, he had no intention of continuing to daydream.

Instead, he lightly dug a pit beside the fire and swept the unburned branches into it.

Then he covered them with soil and lightly tamped it down with his feet.

After finishing, Itachi found a tree some distance away from Juzo.

A great deal of sunlight spilled across the tree.

The temperature was not high today. The sun was warm, not scorching.

Itachi sat on a branch with his back against the trunk.

He planned to bask in the sun, get rid of the bacteria on his body, replenish some calcium, and take a nap.

The sunlight plated young Itachi in a golden halo.

One of Itachi's hands slipped out from his sleeve and mischievously emerged from his chest.

It lazily hung over the buttons of his outer robe at his chest, while part of the mesh undershirt beneath was exposed to the sunlight.

His beautiful collarbones were revealed as well.

It painted the image of a handsome young man.

Compared to his usual gloomy melancholy, he now seemed filled with sunshine...

Whether it was the sunlight at work or the slight buzz from a few cups of liquor, his true nature had been revealed.

The pleasant moment did not last long. Before Juzo woke up.

Itachi abruptly sat upright.

He subconsciously wanted to take off his outer robe and free his body from its discomfort.

Then he remembered the Akatsuki's terrifying curse that anyone who took off their robe would die, and he hurriedly stopped.

His heart trembled with lingering fear.

The hand inside his sleeve moved slightly.

White mist rose.

A Shadow Clone lightly leaped to the ground and stood guard some distance from Juzo.

The original body also rose to his feet, bent his knees slightly, and sprang into the air in one smooth motion.

Displaying an almost exaggerated burst of power.

After several leaps, Itachi's hand that had been hanging over his chest slipped back into his sleeve.

He now stood atop a tree, looking down below with an air of dominance.

His sharp gaze and confident bearing made him appear imposing.

"Come out..."

Itachi spoke indifferently, looking toward the place he had sensed.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes slowly revolved around their central red dots.

After speaking, Itachi's aura changed completely. His former confidence vanished from his expression and gaze.

His eyes became placid, like a deep pool.

His voice was detached, devoid of any emotion and incomparably cold.

"Itachi Uchiha!"

A voice sounded from behind the tree, and a figure slowly emerged from the shadow beneath its canopy.

He stepped into the golden sunlight.

The owner of the voice was around five feet seven.

He wore a ninja forehead protector that Itachi did not recognize, carried a short sword on his back, and had a ninja tool pouch strapped to his thigh.

He was dressed like a standard ninja.

"Approaching so sneakily. What is your purpose?"

Itachi looked at the unremarkable face illuminated by the sunlight and spoke calmly.

"An S-Rank Rogue Ninja, a brat from the Uchiha Clan. Why don't you guess?"

Itachi's lamb-like gaze displeased the newcomer, so he replied with a mocking tone.

"Oh..."

Itachi spoke calmly and made no movement.

But in the man's eyes, the small figure on the branch rapidly grew larger. Soon, he crushed the tree beneath him and became a giant dozens of meters tall, stomping down at him with terrifying force.

The man's eyes nearly split apart at the sight.

"A monster? No! This is Genjutsu!"

Seeing the enormous sole descending upon him, terror seized his heart, and he instinctively wanted to flee.

But the impossibility before him gave him the answer.

He formed hand seals and disrupted the chakra within his body.

"The Sharingan, said to be invincible in one-on-one combat, is nothing special?"

The giant figure before him twisted and dissipated. Nothing in the outside world had changed. The boy still stood upon a thin branch at the top of the tree, like an immortal cast down from the heavens.

Though the man sounded frivolous, thunder roared in his heart.

The calm youth before him made him feel a deadly threat.

Especially those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything, making him feel as if he had fallen into an abyss.

That was right. From beginning to end, the newcomer had not avoided Itachi's eyes. He had stared directly into them without the slightest reservation.

As a Jonin not yet twenty years old, he had his own pride.

Though he also knew the rumor that one should never look directly into the Sharingan.

But inwardly, he dismissed it with disdain.

What was there to fear from a mere illusion technique?

Besides, now that he knew the other party's method was to cast illusion techniques, all he had to do was stay on guard.

How could he possibly give the other party an opening?

"So, you're pretty brave, huh?"

Hearing the man's words, the corners of Itachi's lips lifted slightly, forming a captivating smile.

Though he was a young man.

That gentle smile seemed to steal the radiance of the sun and moon, seizing center stage.

It made the golden sunlight seem dim and reduced it to mere backdrop.

"Heh!"

The man inwardly sighed. What a refined, beautiful young man...

Shaking away the pointless thought, he feared he would get goosebumps if he kept thinking about it.

He let out a scornful snort.

The man had no intention of continuing the conversation.

His hands flew through seals so quickly they seemed to leave afterimages.

It was clear that his fundamentals were exceptionally solid.

Itachi watched coldly from the side, quietly waiting for him to finish forming seals.

A hand emerged from his sleeve, revealing slender, delicate fingers...

It was a hand more refined than a woman's...

Itachi formed an eight with his thumb and index finger, curled his other three fingers into a fist, and casually pointed his index finger at the man.

He made a gesture any modern person would understand.

It left Akai Sanjin somewhat baffled.

Waves of irritation gnawed at his heart.

Itachi Uchiha was looking down on him too much.

It was as if Itachi did not even see him as a person...

"Kid, you've completely enraged me..."

Akai Sanjin did not make any threats, yet it felt as though he had said plenty.

"Are you done forming seals yet?"

Itachi did not respond to Akai Sanjin's gritted-teeth words.

His tone was simply mocking, pushing the taunt level to the limit and messing with the other man's mindset.

"Fuck! Fire Release: Great...??"

Itachi's attitude completely enraged Akai Sanjin. The seals in his hands stopped, and a vast amount of chakra began to boil...

But just as he was about to release it, the scene before his eyes changed, making his mind freeze for a moment.

The warm sunlight had somehow become a blood moon...

The young man was no longer standing atop the tree.

Instead, he floated in midair, overlapping with the crimson full moon.

The sight left Akai Sanjin at a loss, unable to understand what had happened.

Could it be a ninjutsu?

But he had clearly been guarding against Itachi Uchiha, and his chakra had been circulating the entire time...

He was in the middle of casting a ninjutsu. Was this some kind of joke?

Countless thoughts raced through Akai Sanjin's mind as he kept raising questions, only to reject them himself.

"What is this?"

"In the world of Tsukuyomi, space, time, even mass—all of it is under my control!"

Before Akai Sanjin could finish speaking, Itachi's Sharingan had somehow changed into Mangekyo Sharingan.

His tone was somewhat excited at that moment.

Of course it was. This was his first time personally using Tsukuyomi and truly experiencing the feeling of controlling everything.

Akai Sanjin did not know when it had happened, but his body could no longer move.

Moreover, the strange hand gesture in the young man's hand had vanished, replaced by a bizarre, pitch-black object?

Before he could figure it out.

Bang, bang, bang...

A series of dull, beastlike sounds echoed through the space.

The sounds were muffled, yet they filled Akai Sanjin with an inexplicable sense of dread.

But before he could figure out what was happening.

Several holes appeared in the ground beneath his feet...

This terrified him beyond measure...

That kind of destructive power...

"Sorry, it's my first time using it. My aim was off..."

As though he had found a fun new toy, Itachi spoke excitedly. He raised the black object in his hand and lightly blew on it.

Yet unlike Itachi.

Akai Sanjin felt that the young man before him was a devil, and the young man's voice was like a devil's murmur.

Especially when that strange object in the other party's hand was aimed at him again.

It made every hair on his body stand on end, filling him with terror.

At that moment, Akai Sanjin was like a prisoner about to be executed by gunfire.

That alone would have been bad enough.

But the other party was still a beginner...

Constantly tormenting his mind...

But what he did not know was that something even more terrifying was yet to come...

"Bang, you're dead..."

Like a devil, Itachi spoke playfully...

At that moment, he was overcome with the urge to play.

It was as though he wanted to vent the frustration in his heart on the other man.

"Damn it, this has to be an illusion technique... But... how did I fall under an illusion technique... This is fake... It's all fake..."

Akai Sanjin's mental state was starting to collapse. He kept muttering under his breath as though chanting a mantra.

"Hehe, if an illusion technique could be broken so easily, what kind of illusion technique would it be?"

Itachi narrowed one eye as he took aim, his index finger lightly pulling the trigger...

He would not do this in reality. If he did, it would feel somewhat perverse, and there would not be much time on a battlefield to torment someone anyway.

This was an illusion technique space. The purpose was to break the other party's spirit through torment and thus shatter their will.

So he felt no pressure at all.

After all, this was his trump card. Every use would bring backlash upon himself as well.

If he did not take the chance to crush the other party, would it not all be for nothing, destroying his own advantage...