Akazo

Project Eyes of Immortality

   After about twenty minutes or so, Itachi slightly opened his mouth as his body twitched. He didn't open his eyes as he already sensed Gyatsō's presence in the room.

   It feels like something is tied around me. It's sealing my chakra, too. That shinobi, Hikari Notori, must have brought me here, he realised.

   "I hope you enjoyed your nap, Itachi," said Gyatsō.

   Itachi gasped and quickly opened his eyes, lifting his body to see a masked Gyatsō. After staring at him for a few moments, Itachi slightly frowned.

   "So... you must be the one known as Gyatsō Mataba," said Itachi.

   "Yes, I am Gyatsō. And you, my friend, better not even think of escaping. That rope around you seals chakra. You can't even activate your full Sharingan," said the white-haired male as he began to walk towards Itachi. The dark-haired shinobi lightly smiled at him.

   "You underestimate me, Gyatsō. Before I break free, there's one thing I'm not sure of," he said.

   "Oh?"

   "Yes. Why do you wear that mask? One of the Akatsuki's members, Madara Uchiha, used to wear it. I don't believe you have any connection with Madara, so why are you wearing it?" the Uchiha clan member asked.

   "What a stupid question. All masks are worn to protect one's identity, it's no different for me. In this mask, I am Atsu Tsukino, a Kumogakure shinobi who fled from his home village due to civil war," Gyatsō explained.

   Itachi's smile then turned into a smirk.

   "If that's your reasoning, then take it off. Show me the face of the man who claims he's going to defeat me," he said.

   Gyatsō stopped walking. He was a few feet from Itachi's bound body.

   "Hmph... I won't do it because you asked, I'm doing it to show you the source of my power."

   Gyatsō would then slowly raise his hand to the mask, unhooking it before tossing it to the side. Itachi's eyes widened as he studied Gyatsō's young face, staring mostly at his peculiar eyes. He gasped in shock as he realised what they were.

   Those eyes.... those eyes! How could it be that he possesses the Shaolin?!

   Gyatsō smiled at him. His irises were red, with four short black lines on the top, bottom, left, and right of the iris, which formed an incomplete cross.

   "Those eyes of yours-"

   "I know you saw them before, Itachi. When you were a child. In the war, one of the men you saw die was a Taisega clan member. The Taisega clan's kekkei genkai, or at least one of them, died with him. That was his Shaolin. You never forgot the pattern of his eyes, did you?" asked Gyatsō.

   Itachi gritted his teeth as he stared at Gyatsō.

   "You must have good sources to be able to recall my own childhood."

   Gyatsō chuckled at Itachi's comment as he began to walk again. His Shaolin gleamed off of the light from the room as he looked down to male, smiling widely.

   "Before you die, I should inform you that these eyes are stronger than the Mangekyou Sharingan and the Rinnegan... combined. I suppose you can think of it as another reason why your Sharingan won't save you."

   "I see that they're quite powerful, if you aren't bluffing, that is. What do you wish to accomplish with those eyes?" asked Itachi.

   "All of my life's work has been dedicated to something I call... Project Eyes of Immortality. Due to my research, I learned that members of the Taisega clan are identical to those of the Senju clan."

   "What do you mean?"

   "The Taisega clan also originated from the sons of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths. Once the power of the Taisega clan merges with the Uchiha's, a new dojutsu will be unlocked. I named this dojutsu as the moonless eye of Shaolin, or rather, the Mūgetsu Shaolin. One of Osore's members, Zuko Taisega, can possess these eyes only when the full power of his curse mark is released," explained Gyatsō.

   "And to get that power at your full disposal, you plan on using me for my Mangekyou Sharingan," said Itachi.

   "That's right. I'll take your Mangekyou Sharingan to obtain the Mūgetsu. I will destroy the Five Great Nations and unify the world by forcing it into submission."

   "If all you need is me and my Mangekyou Sharingan, why did you form the Osore? What is their true purpose?"

   "The Osore's objective is simple, to serve me in any way for the upcoming war. Anything less is immediate death, to which they're aware of. They wish to end the suffering caused by the current system of shinobi and would gladly die to help me build a new world," the white-haired male replied.

   So they're personal bodyguards then, Itachi thought. No different from Orochimaru's Sound Ninja Five.

   "Including you as their leader, what is the Osore's plan? What does this organisation wish to accomplish?" he asked.

   "To create a new world order. With my Mūgetsu Shaolin, I'll kill every Kage and rule the world as a god of war. Of course, we'll also take control over the smaller countries bordering the Five Great Nations... but to achieve all of this, I'll first be taking your power," said Gyatsō.

   Suddenly, Gyatsō's vision turned to black and white. Swarms of black crows flew around him, squawking loudly.

   "So, it appears that the Shaolin isn't immune to genjutsu," said one of the crows voiced as Itachi. Gyatsō chuckled to himself once more as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.

   "Leave it to an Uchiha clan member to break a chakra sealing jutsu," he sighed out.

   "Do you really think I'll allow you to destroy my home village?" asked the crow.

   Gyatsō opened his eyes and smirked as he performed a single hand seal. The genjutsu deactivated immediately after.

   Itachi was free from the rope and charging his chakra reserves, preparing for the inevitable battle that was about to unfold.

   "Have it your way, Itachi Uchiha. Let's see if you can manage to escape from me," said Gyatsō. The lines across his Shaolin extended so that they formed a perfect cross, indicating it was now at its second and final stage.

   Itachi's own eyes changed into the Sharingan before evolving into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

   "Very well... Amaterasu!"