Chapter Thirteen: Mind Wars

(Mindscape)

"The pain...," Itachi said coldly before stabbing Ino through the back, with his blading coming out of her chest. She coughed blood from her mouth as he pulled his katana out of her. Ino fell dead to the ground of the Hokage office.

"STOP!," Naruto cried in terror.

"The misery...," he now went over and slit Hinata's throat with a swift sweep with his katana before the girl fell to her knees holding her bleeding slit throat before she totally fell forward and died.

"STOP IT!," Naruto cried with tears falling down his face.

"Above all," Itachi said coldly before decapitating Shizune. Her body fell backwards as her head fell off. Itachi went over and kicked her head away from him and over to Naruto.

"PLEASE!," Naruto begged as he cried.

"The hate," he went over and gutted Tsunade with the utmost cruelty with her mutilated body, blood and torn organs littering the floor. Naruto screamed in anguish before a gloved fist with brass knuckles collided with his face and silenced him.

"Just a few of the many things my former clan suffered just before I killed them," Itachi said cruelly. Naruto was suffering through Itachi's Tsukuyomi jutsu. It's been what felt like six hours in his mind as the slaughtering of Tsunade, Shizune, Hinata and Ino repeated themselves continuously while the beatings he's been suffering didn't stop nor did his screams for that matter either.

"Naruto," Itachi said, "Now you understand why the clan of Uchiha was feared and reputed to be unmatched. The Sharingan…The Bloodline Limit's true power. I consume a lot of chakra using the Tsukuyomi but it'll be more than enough to cripple you. Still, you have another forty-two hours go."

The mental torturing continued without relent and Itachi showed no signs of showing mercy or stopping what he was doing. Another three hours of cruelty have already gone by in Naruto's mind. Something had to be done and fast!

'Naruto!,' Minato called out.

Father, Naruto called out in his mind weakly. Surprisingly and thankfully, Itachi wasn't able to hear this.

'Listen to me,' Minato said, 'This is all in your mind! None of this is real nor is it actually happening!'

But it hurts so much, Naruto replied back with a hint of fear in his voice, He's so strong! And the pain feels so real!

'Naruto,' Minato stated, 'I taught an Uchiha back in my days and I learned a few things about the Sharingan while training Obito. This genjutsu Itachi is using against you with his bloodline limit is an illusion world created in your mind! Itachi is using and manipulating your mind against you! He's making your mind believe that everything you're seeing, experiencing and all that's happening is real! You must break out of this!'

How can I, Naruto cried with tears running down his face, Itachi is stronger and more experienced than me. I can't beat him! I can't!

'NARUTO,' Minato said sternly with the utmost seriousness, 'That kind of thinking will be your downfall! You worked too hard and came too far now to be taken out by an S-class traitor! You weren't raised and brought up be to a quitter and failure the moment things got unexpectedly harder for you to handle! If you seek to surpass me and Tsunade as you declared to everyone, then FIGHT! Fight as hard as you can with all of your will and spirit! Remember all of the training Tsunade, Jiraiya-sensei and I put you through! You have to be strong Naruto! Not only for yourself but for everyone who'll ever rely and count on you, and the precious people in your life you'll have to protect! Fight and defeat this illusion! I know you can beat him Naruto! You have to believe that because I believe in you! NOW FIGHT!'

In his mind, Naruto struggled to focus his strength into himself while undergoing the mental abuse from Itachi. After a while Naruto started pulling on the chains that bound him to the cross until they started breaking.

"What," Itachi said in disbelief, "Impossible! There's no way for you to do this!"

"Don't underestimate the power of one's mind," Naruto retorted before completely breaking from from his confinement and off from the cross. When that was done, he materialized a katana and speedily killed the three Itachis in front of him. The remaining Itachi looked on in disbelief. Shizune, Tsunade, Ino and Hinata vanished, leaving only Naruto and Itachi in the Hokage office.

"This can't be possible," Itachi said, "No one can overpower the Tsukuyomi!"

"It's possible if one's mind is strong enough to! And speaking of one's mind, you're trespassing!"

Itachi vanished and reappeared behind Naruto before delivering a solid punch to the back of his head. Naruto fell to the ground but not before another Itachi materialized and kicked him hard out through the wind of the Hokage office and down into the streets. The young eleven-year-old hit the ground hard after dropping the katana that was previously in his hand. Itachi appeared in front of him with his own katana in his hand.

Itachi was about to drive the sword into the boy's head when Naruto rolled to the side avoiding the blade. Picking up his katana, Naruto got back up and took a fighting stance.

"You wish to do combat," Itachi asked.

"Only to kill you," Naruto replied.

"You're a fool to challenge my power!"

Itachi rushed at Naruto who in turned charged at him. Meeting each other, the two of them engaged in a fierce sword combat. Naruto and Itachi exchanged clashes with their katanas as they struggled to gain dominance over the other.

Itachi pulled away and pulled out three shurikens from his pocket before throwing them at Naruto. Speedily Naruto deflected the shurikens only to have a kunai pressed against his back with another Itachi holding it up against him.

"This is pointless Naruto-kun."

"Shut up," Naruto just before Itachi rammed the kunai into his back. Naruto screamed in pain from the blade shoved into back before turning and attempting to deliver a kick to Itachi's face. Seeing the attack coming, Itachi dashed away speedily away from Naruto. Falling to his knees, Naruto struggled to grab and pull the kunai from out of his back. Reaching the kunai, Naruto pulled it out with a scream of pain and some blood escaping his mouth. The pain soon disappeared before he rose off the ground. After wiping the blood from off his mouth, he scanned and looked around for Itachi but found him nowhere in sight.

"Where are you Itachi-teme?! Show your stupid face!"

Naruto's ears twitched upon hearing something making its way to him fast. Turning he hurriedly dashed out of the way as shurikens came raining down on him. Some of these shurikens made contact on his body inflicting additional injuries on him. After dodging the shurikens, he now had to deal with flying kunais being thrown at him from all directions. Like the shurikens, some of the kunais succussfully managed to cut and slash him.

"Damn it," Naruto cursed with pain coursing through his already injured body, "Where the hell are all these shurikens and kunais coming from?!"

"Naruto-kun," Itachi stated as he reappeared in front of Naruto again with his katana in his hand, "This is an illusion world of my creation. I can control all mass and laws of matter in this universe! Here, I am god."

"Fuck you," Naruto cursed as he aim his katana straight at him, "You may have invaded my mind and my body but no one is god in my mind but me! Now get out of my head!"

Itachi and Naruto engaged in another sword fight with each other. This time however, Naruto fought more fiercely and carefully against the former ANBU captain. Itachi was surprised to see Naruto giving him some problems now. However the situation changed again when another Itachi appeared and slashed and stabbed Naruto from behind. Naruto screamed in pain as another Itachi appeared and stabbed him from the left and another from the right. The young fighter found himself in a most unfavorable situation as the main Itachi stepped forward.

"You've put up a good resistance against me Naruto, but your level of power and mine are far too different."

With that Itachi shoved his katana straight into Naruto stomach, causing the boy to yelled out in immense pain. Naruto head limped down seemingly as though his defeat was eminent. A couple of moments later however, Naruto remembers his father's words, 'Itachi is using and manipulating your mind against you! He's making your mind believe that everything you're seeing, experiencing and all that's happening is real!'

If he can shape and manipulate my mind into whatever he likes, Naruto contemplated, Then maybe I can as well. I just have to find some way of tapping into my mind's abilities.

Closing his eyes, Naruto focused his thoughts and power on one objective. Itachi looked on at Naruto momentarily with a wondering expression.

"What are you up to," Itachi asked as he continued looking on at Naruto for the next couple of minutes, "Whatever you're planning it won't wor-"

Itachi was unable to finish his statment when suddenly…

"RASENGAN!"

Itachi turned in time to be blasted away by a mighty chakra spiral ball. Three more like the previous spiral ball appeared and blasted away to the other three that were at Naruto's sides. The katana embedded into Naruto were pulled away before he fell forward. Before hitting the ground, an arm came and held him up, keeping him on his feet as he gave Naruto time to recuperate.

Meanwhile, Itachi rose up from the ground to see from whom the attack come from. His eyes widen upon seeing the attacker who aided Naruto.

"Yondaime!?"

"Uchiha Itachi," Minato said venomously, "You're a disgraceful and dishonorable testimony to everything that the shinobis of Konohagakure No Sato stands for! And you made an even worst mistake coming here to torture Naruto! For your crimes, you will suffer my wrath!"

"You died years ago Yondaime," Itachi stated, "There's no way you should be here!"

"Be that as it may," Naruto said, "But in my mind, I can bring back whomever I choose! And since I'm very familiar and well versed with Yondaime Hokage's legacy, I have the ability to mentally create the perfect replica of him. In my mind, he's as real and as strong as the original."

"This shouldn't be possible! How are you able to resist and fight against my Tsukuyomi?"

"Like I'd tell you! Yondaime, let's show this traitor never to underestimate us!"

Minato nodded as both he and Naruto turned to face him. Before Itachi could do anything, he found himself kneecapped hard to his guts by Minato who speed dashed at him like the wind, complemented with Naruto delivering a solid blow to the back of his head with his right leg. As Itachi doubled over, Minato grabbed and threw him across the streets of Konoha, before creating another Rasengan and speedily charging at him with it, driving it into his stomach. Itachi gave out a scream of pain as the spiral ball drilled its way through him before exploding on him, blasting him further back away from Minato. As Itachi was sent flying backwards, Naruto performed the Shunshin No Jutsu and teleported some distance behind Itachi, with a tri-pronged kunai in his hand. He threw the specially made kunai Minato gave him towards Itachi in time for a yellow flash to appear with a kunai slashed against Itachi's throat. Those were last things Itachi saw and experienced before being forced fiercely out of Naruto's mind…

(Back In The Real World)

Kakashi was standing next to Naruto just before Itachi fell to his knees while holding his head. The Akatsuki nin winced and grimaced from the massive pain his head was in. Naruto was breathing hard as though nearly ten hours have passed by when merely a second went by in the real world. The effects of the Tsukuyomi were having their affects on him.

"Itachi," Kisame called out as he went over to his partner. Kisame was surprised to see blood trickling down from Itachi's nose (A/N: Not in the 'being a pervert' sense in this situation). The injury that Itachi suffered from his mental battle with Naruto proved to be more damaging than expected. From the look on Itachi's face, the sixteen-year-old Uchiha was not happy at how a seemingly mere eleven-year-old not only defeated his Tsukuyomi, but also caused him to bleed his own blood.

"This Naruto is not an ordinary kid," Itachi voiced lowly, but enough for Kisame to hear, "We came ill-prepared to face him Kisame, that we did."

Kakashi was speechless at the turn of events. He was almost certain that Naruto was a goner the moment he fell into Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan. The ANBU captain was amazed that Naruto somehow managed to overpower and defeat it.

This Naruto is truly my sensei's son, Kakashi thought to himself with a grin hidden underneath his mask. Naruto fell to his knees and hand before Kakashi hurried to him and held him up, with a kunai pulled out and held in his hand ready to protect Minato's son.

"Tell me Itachi," Naruto asked weakly, "There's something I want to know...Why did you slaughter your own clan? For what purpose was it?"

"…I wanted to see what I was capable of," Itachi replied coldly, "It was important for me to know and to advance to higher levels."

"You ruthlessly murdered and slaughtered your own clan and family for that reason," Naruto asked in disbelief.

"My former clan held me back from my advancements. I have no regrets."

After hearing his answers, Naruto felt more disgusted at the Uchiha in front of him, "You're inhuman! You have no conscience!"

"I sense your hatred me of Naruto," Itachi said with a small cruel grin on his face, "That's good. Hatred gives us shinobis our power and strength, something my foolish little brother lacks, which makes him so weak. Your hatred must be far stronger if you were able to hurt me this much. In some ways you remind me of myself."

"Where are you getting at," Naruto asked cautiously.

"You and I are like in some ways Naruto," Itachi continued, "We both have the uncanny capacity to advance to higher levels and will do what we must to attain it, regardless of the sacrifices to be made, even if it's at personal loss. I made many sacrifices to achieve my goals and I know you will as well. This is the kind of life that shinobis like ourselves live through Naruto. And as shinobis, we can never show any emotions for the decisions we make or the people we kill, young or old, male or female. Our hatred when strengthened drives us to new peaks and survival against the enemy. (Smiled coldly) We have the same blood in our veins you and I. In time, if you're allowed to live long enough, you'll in turn out like me, bred to be a powerful and effective killer."

Kakashi and Minato saw how Itachi was trying to warp and manipulate Naruto. Minato and Kakashi were about to say something to Naruto when…

"Don't spew me such bullshit," Naruto interjected with righteous indignation, "The very thought of you comparing us to each other offends me! I was raised and trained to aid and protect those who'll be in need of my help! I was also brought up to help and protect everyone who are precious to me with my life! And I always keep my word to do my utmost to fulfill my promises to my family, friends, teachers and myself! That's my shinobi way! I'm NOTHING like you! And I'd rather die a horrible death knowing that I lived and died by my shinobi way before I become a vicious monster like you!"

"That can be properly arranged for you, gaki," Kisame smiled toothily as he pulled out his Samehada, "After the Akatsuki is finish with you."

Naruto, although weakened, was about to stand back up and fight again when Kakashi held him back.

"Sit this one out Naruto," Kakashi advised, "I'll take him on."

"Hn," Kisame said, "This ought to be fun!"

Kakashi stood up and lifted his head protector away from his left eye, fully exposing his Sharingan eye…

Naruto endured some heavy mental and verbal beatings from Itachi but managed to break free after receiving Minato's motivational speech. With the fight between Naruto and Itachi done, it now looks like Kakashi is stepping up to the front against Kisame. How will this fight turn out? Find out next time.