Endless crimson filled his vision.
Dark soil, blood-red light… the world was painted in layers of murky, ink-like hues, a surreal and eerie landscape stretching as far as the eye could see.
Utterly silent. Utterly unnatural.
When Logan opened his eyes again, this was the sight that greeted him.
'...So this is Tsukuyomi?'
His mind cleared quickly. Remembering what had happened, Logan shook his head, surprised that he felt none of the usual disorientation of being trapped in a Genjutsu.
"Senpai."
Footsteps echoed softly as Itachi stepped into view, his expression unreadable.
"Itachi? You actually tricked me, and now you have the nerve to show your face…" Logan began, his voice sharp, then paused. He looked down and realized he was tightly bound to a wooden cross.
A warning bell rang in his mind. He scanned his surroundings… flat, barren earth stretched endlessly, devoid of grass or flowers.
The entire world was a desolate wasteland, empty save for the blood-red moon hanging in the sky.
"...Tch." Logan steadied himself, 'This is his domain.'
"This is the Tsukuyomi World." Itachi said calmly, watching Logan from a distance, "Here, time, space, and even mass are under my complete control. No matter what you do, resistance is futile."
Logan knew Tsukuyomi's horror from the original work. He never imagined he'd experience it firsthand.
"For the next seventy-two hours, I will torture you. Stab you. Burn you." Itachi's voice was cold, detached, like an executioner delivering his verdict, "But don't worry. No matter how much pain you endure, you won't die."
The blood moon cast its eerie glow. A sword materialized in Itachi's hand, as if summoned from the void itself.
Tsukuyomi's space was similar to Kamui Dimension… yet fundamentally different.
Seeing Logan's silence, Itachi added, "Don't waste your energy trying to break free. No matter how long passes here, only an instant will have passed in the real world. Tsukuyomi is inescapable."
"...Is that so?" Logan smirked. Genjutsu had always been his weak point, let alone the pinnacle of Dojutsu. He truly had no counter, "So you're going to start now?"
"Yes."
Itachi paused. "To ensure you don't interfere with my battle against Sasuke."
"You're really stubborn, even now…"
"Because it's come to this, I can't afford to stop halfway."
The rough texture of the ropes, the unyielding wood against his back… everything felt unnervingly real. Logan didn't know what to say.
He had always believed Itachi was a man of principle. Yet here he was, resorting to deception to trap him in Tsukuyomi.
'Of course, Ninja do whatever it takes to achieve their goals… but to use it on me?'
Just as Itachi raised his sword, Logan suddenly spoke, "Hey, wait!"
Itachi hesitated, "What?"
Wary of Logan's usual unpredictable remarks, Itachi narrowed his eyes, refusing to let his guard down.
"Before we fight… I need to ask. Are you really okay? Was that earlier weakness an act, or…?" Logan's tone was genuine.
Itachi froze. After a long moment, he exhaled, as if releasing some hidden tension, "My condition is… manageable. What I showed you earlier was an act."
"Good." Logan nodded slightly. "Then I won't have to hold back."
"What?"
The illogical response made Itachi frown. He opened his mouth to correct Logan's misunderstanding, but then stopped.
"Did you forget something?" Lightning and flames erupted around Logan's body, the violent energy shattering the eerie silence of the barren world. The ropes and cross disintegrated into nothing. He flexed his wrists and pointed at his eyes, "I'm still in Sage Mode."
Without another word, he kicked.
Bang!
Like a truck hitting at full speed, Itachi was sent flying, nearly vanishing into the horizon.
'...Breaking free of the restraints… Is it because Sage Mode enhances mental energy?'
Tumbling across the ground, Itachi quickly pieced it together.
There were two ways to resist Tsukuyomi: possessing a Sharingan with greater Pupil Power than the caster, or an exceptionally strong will. Logan barely qualified for the latter.
Whoosh!
Logan didn't give him time to recover. He lunged forward, fist slamming down.
Boom!
The earth shattered. The impact sent tremors rippling outward.
But Itachi was already gone.
"Even if you managed one cheap shot due to my carelessness…"
The voice echoed from nowhere. Suddenly, steel rods erupted from the ground, piercing Logan's body in an instant.
Crunch.
Agony flooded his senses. Blood filled his vision. Gritting his teeth against the pain that would've rendered any normal person unconscious, Logan forced his Senjutsu Chakra to erupt, blasting the rods away.
"...Even if Sage Mode grants you some resistance to Tsukuyomi's restraints." Itachi reappeared in the distance, raising a hand. A single sword floated behind him, then ten, a hundred, a thousand…
An endless sea of swords materialized, forming an impenetrable wall of gleaming steel.
Logan swallowed, "Uh… hey…"
"I already told you, Senpai. Here, 'everything' is under my control. You stand no chance."
Itachi's hand swept down.
The swords descended like a storm.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
…
Weakness flooded his mind. Logan should have died in that onslaught, yet he opened his eyes again.
Bound to the cross. Itachi before him. The world reset as if nothing had happened.
"Tsukuyomi has only just begun, Senpai."
Only minutes had passed. Far from over.
Logan gritted his teeth and broke free again.
Itachi watched, shaking his head, "What's the difference? You're only choosing a different kind of suffering."
The phantom pain of countless swords still lingered. Logan felt his mental energy weakening. He stared at Itachi.
'Right. Trying to brute-force my way out of Tsukuyomi is hopeless.'
But he wouldn't give up. As long as there was even the slightest chance, he had to keep fighting.
"Enough talk." Logan's voice was low, "Bring it on."
Swords shot toward him, grazing his cheek… This is Itachi's answer.
Logan burst forward, closing the distance in an instant, only for Itachi to vanish, reappearing hundreds of meters away.
Taking a deep breath, Logan cloaked himself in crackling lightning. Flames wrapped around him, burning away the crimson haze, purifying the air around him.
Distance meant nothing. Their gazes locked… Logan's resolve clashing against Itachi's.
Both understood each other's reasons.
Memories flashed, laughing together in the long nights, trading jokes as if the weight of the world had never fallen on their shoulders.
They remembered how things used to be.
They knew each other. Had helped each other. Understood the burdens they carried and the paths they had chosen.
And yet here they were, friends, perhaps even close ones, preparing to tear each other apart.
Lightning surged. Flames roared.
Logan charged.
Boulders crumbled before him. A storm of shuriken rained down, each deflected in a blur of motion.
Earthen walls erupted, only to be shattered by a Chidori's piercing force.
Through the chaos, through the illusions, Logan's eyes never left Itachi's.
He saw the Uchiha Clan's compound, a young Sasuke kneeling silently in the corner as strangers came and went. He saw the boy sweeping the entrance alone, no mention of his only family in the years Logan had taught him.
And in Itachi's eyes, he saw their farewell seven years ago, a quiet 'Take care', so similar to now.
Logan wasn't just a witness. He was part of this story.
He pushed faster.
Itachi must have been thinking of something too.
In this crimson world, neither would yield. This was an unfair battle… a war of attrition.
But as they closed in, words became unnecessary. Only their fists could convey what needed to be said.
…
Three days in Tsukuyomi was but an instant in reality.
Its 'inescapable' nature lay in that single moment… giving the victim no time to react before the damage was done.
Yet Tsukuyomi had its price. For the caster, those three days of mental strain were just as real.
On the rooftop, Itachi and Logan stood frozen, then…
Thud.
Thud.
They collapsed, one after the other.
The battlefield fell eerily silent.
From the sidelines, a battered Sasuke stared in confusion.
'What… just happened?'
One moment, the two men were talking… the next, they were down. Sasuke's mind raced.
Itachi struggled to his knees.
He had fallen second. Pressing a hand to his eyes, he inhaled sharply, fighting through the agony. His body trembled before finally steadying.
His vision blurred further with each blink.
'...It's worsening.'
The overuse of his Mangekyo had pushed his blindness to the brink. But it didn't matter anymore.
He glanced at Logan's unconscious body, Sage Mode had undoubtedly faded.
In their mental battle, Itachi had won… but at a cost far greater than expected.
'It'll last until the end. It has to.'
Silence settled over the rooftop, broken only by ragged breathing.
"What… happened to you two?"
Sasuke's voice cut through the stillness. He stood now, half-crouched, watching them warily.
That voice, his little brother's, ignited the last embers of Itachi's strength. He steadied himself and smirked, "Nothing. I merely removed an obstacle."
"With him here, I couldn't very well take your eyes, could I?"
Sasuke's gaze darkened, "Is that so? Then I should thank you… I've recovered enough Chakra." His eyes flicked to Logan's motionless body, "I don't know why you fought, but since you're offering yourself up, I won't hold back."
"Foolish little brother. Even in this state, do you truly believe you can defeat me?"
Two figures. Two directions.
They rose slowly, facing each other once more.
A sword was picked up. A kunai retrieved. Chakra stirred.
Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi… their fated battle resumed.