"It appears that we must move quickly; the Akatsuki group has been accelerating their movements in the wake of the … event at Taki and here." Yami stated a week later to the assembled group in the Hokage's office.

Uchiha Itachi had, very recently, been cleared of all charges concerning the Uchiha Massacre as the Goudaime, with the help of a Sai secretly freed from Danzo and his curse seal, unlocked the journals of the Sandaime which detailed everything, with evidence enough to clear his status. Of course, this clearance wasn't publicly announced, although it did mean that Itachi was still under ANBU surveillance. By virtue of the ANBU, the Konoha Council couldn't interfere, and Tsunade further took the opportunity to strip more power from them and, in proxy, the ignorant fools who nearly insulted Ryou and, in proxy, would have earned Bakura's wrath.

She also had the feeling that they should have killed Kisame soon and that keeping him in ANBU incarceration was an exercise in futility, but then she had the same feeling about Itachi's situation as well, so it was pretty even.

Except for when Sasuke kept shooting looks at Itachi, who impassively sat by the group.

"Taki has sent us a letter of censure," Tsunade resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Concerning the Nanabi. There should not be any major diplomatic incident from this, but we may expect tensions between Konoha and the two northern villages, Iwa and Kumo to rise."

"I see," Yami nodded. "However, there should be no problem moving from Konoha to the Swamp Country, correct?"

"No," Tsunade shook her head. "The village is not charging for such a mission, given the apparent sensitive nature of it." Silence hung behind expectantly as she looked at Yami.

"However, you would require due compensation," Yuugi understandingly supplied. "We are currently studying the various seals used to Uzumaki Kun to seal the Kyuubi no Yonkou. Upon breaking the seal, we will return the demon and gift him what we gave to Sabaku no Gaara..."

An explosion sounded over Suna as a clay bird flew overhead. "Oi, un," Deidara called. "Is Sabaku no Gaara down there, un?"

Said shinobi was standing in wait upon the far wall of the village, Temari standing beside him. Both wore identical expressions on their face. Back to back, Kankuro had his puppets out against Sasori and the scorpion-tail puppet, Hiruko.

"Is there a problem?" Gaara monotonously replied.

"Yeah, we'd like you to come with us, un," Deidara yelled, preparing more explosive animals.

"My apologies, but I am dealing with the mortal enemy of every higher-rank ninja at the moment," Gaara replied. "However..."

He slammed his left hand, which bore a blue swirl tattoo, upon the ground. Shadows erupted from it, which quickly shifted to firm ground and reformed itself to one of the legendary nine that came from the primordial beast of the Sage of the Six Paths.

"Good afternoon~" Ichibi no Shukaku sang, its claws clicking as if readying to punch something. "You know, I don't appreciate that opinion of yours."

"What the–?" Deidara was snatched off the skies by the giant tanuki's claws and crushed in one sand encrusted claw. At the same moment, one giant foot landed on Hiruko. It didn't matter what the puppet was made of; about five thousand kilograms of demon just crushed it.

The claw exploded, but Shukaku tightened its grip, Deidara rapidly turning blue from lack of oxygen.

"You want him, don't you?" Gaara said in the same flat monotone. "You can have him. If you beat him first."

"Sweet revenge," Tsunade gasped, trying not to laugh. "Instead of dealing with the Jinchuuriki, they have to fight the much stronger bijuu if they come after Gaara. Absolutely vicious."

"Cool," Naruto gasped, doubling over. "How do the Akatsuki bastards like that now?"

"Hn," Sasuke stated, though a corner of his mouth lifted. Itachi quickly turned a look at his brother, who averted his eyes.

"Very poetic," Sai agreed, wondering how to obscure this knowledge from Danzo later.

"Indeed," Kakashi answered, slightly nervous. Dealing with experienced, powerful Jinchuuriki were bad enough. Dealing with canny, experienced, and powerful demons who had not survived centuries for nothing could only be worse. The Akatsuki had no idea what was waiting for them...

"Worse than the Shadow Realm?" Malik pseudo-innocently asked.

Kakashi outright shivered. "Hell no. Nothing is worse than that."

Itachi blinked. "We will need an explanation later. I propose we move to the next order of business after the four of you leave the room."

"Shimura Danzo," Yami stated immediately. "Oh come on, Malik can read minds. It's not that hard, you know."

This news was received by silence.

"Yes, it is immediate," Yami impatiently replied. "Oh, and, Hokage Sama. This news might be better received outside Sai's field of hearing as well as Naruto's. This concerns their clan alone."

"You heard him," Kakashi gravely nodded to Sai, who dejected strolled out, Naruto immediately following out of some twisted sense of friendship. Good for Sai anyway.

"You might want to be aware that Elder Shimura has something called the Sharingan implanted in his eye and right arm." Bakura took it up from there once the door closed and Tsunade activated the privacy seals.

"Not only that, but he planned out the Uchiha Massacre," Marik added.

"And he ripped out another eye and implanted it in his head..." Malik continued.

Itachi was gripping the table so hard that the wood grain under his fingers cracked.

Sasuke immediately focused on him. "What are you not telling me?"

"'How did they know? It was supposed to be a secret...?'" Malik quoted. "Oh, now you're thinking of seven different things at the same time! How original! Shimura Danzo stole the eyes of your clan for their power, was it?"

"Stop it," Itachi growled.

"The family might not hold my loyalty, but..." Sasuke shook his head. "I cannot believe that anyone would do this."

"ROOT is still in effect, and Sai was one of its members," Ryou shyly added.

"Until we got the seal off," Yuugi cheerfully continued.

"And threatened him," Yami added. "What?" he replied indignantly to all the looks.

"ANBU," Tsunade barked. Four masked men appeared. "Put Shimura Danzo under house arrest in suspect for high treason against the Hokage. Send Ibiki on him soon after."

"Yes!" the ANBU disappeared to follow their orders.

"Next order of business?" Yami asked.

"We're done," Tsunade shook her head. She sighed once they had left her office and considered.

People with unusual summons were nothing new. People with powers over the shadows were nothing new, as were people who could control the bijuu were nothing new . People who could read minds were nothing new as well. But those who could do it the moment they were in the presence of the target was the best spy and interrogator in the world. No secret, no misleading word, no half-truth could evade someone who could read your mind immediately and completely like the blonde had.

Konoha had just discovered something nations would kill to control.

It was a long while, in fact, all the way until sunset, when the Yuugioh pair finally stopped at a swing set, Yami leaning on the steel frame as he turned around.

"Can I help you?" he asked their stalker for the last few hours.

"Perhaps," the man replied. "You have seen him today. Sasuke is not himself; I suspect that this other self has already surfaced. You can help me."

"Play a game with me," Yami replied slyly.

"Yami..." Yuugi started.

"Hush, my light. The Dark Game is used for judgement, after all." Yami softly replied, turning back to see Yuugi perched on a swing. "We must test his mettle if he truly wants our help."

"Very well," the man nodded. "We must hurry, though. The ANBU watch us."

"It is a riddle game," Yami started. "The rules are, each time you ask a question, I will answer with a riddle, which you must solve before I confirm your answer. Game start!"

"What is this darkness?" he started.

"In your future and in your past, I come and go so senseless and fast, my purpose is unknown to all, remembrance seems to drift then fall, I travel by night and fade by day, because that is my common way." Yami smiled.

It was a long silence before the man answered: "Dreams."

"You have answered your question," Yami replied. "The darkness is a dream of what we wish to be, a form of the id given shape in the mind of the original."

"Is Sasuke in danger?"

"The more you have of it, the less you see."

"Darkness?"

"Tell me, is the darkness of the mind a danger?" Yami rhetorically asked.

"Ah. Then he is still my brother?"

"It stands alone, with no bone or solid form, adamant, it prospers never wrong, though hurt it may. Twistable, malleable, might it be, but always straight as an arrow it flies."

"The truth?"

"Do you wish for the truth?"

"Of course."

"Never mistake a darkness for the original," Yami shook his head. "A darkness is the demons of oneself. Some are noble, some are cruel, some are vindictive. Nothing changes the fact that a darkness and light cannot naturally live in one mind." His face twisted. "When a darkness takes over, they essentially steal the years of life given to the original. It is, in other words, like possession by a demon."

"What?"

Yami smiled. "There's someone that I'm always near, Yet in the dark I disappear. To this one only I am loyal, though in his wake I'm doomed to toil. He feels me not, we always touch, if I were lost, he'd not lose much. And now I come to my surprise, For you are he – but who am I?"

"... Shadow."

"Correct. The darkness of our minds is only a shadow of our selves. And it is this shadow that seeks to rule our minds and drown us in the dark memories of our selves as they take over our lives and essentially kill what we once were. And soon, they degenerate without the original." Yami sighed, crimson eyes glimmering in what little light there was. "They drown in madness and die soon after. Whether or not you believe me is up to you, but right now, Uchiha Sasuke is in danger from within." Crimson eyes turned flat. "Before you is a threat to your brother that you can do nothing against, for it is himself that he is fighting now. When you planned, you forgot to take into account the adverse effects of what you did, and the proof is in play right now. It is up to you now, Uchiha Itachi, to decide what you would do. Demons and rogues know nothing else, save starlight."

And they left him there until the sun fell over the horizon.

A clang alerted Hoshigaki Kisame to the opening of his cell doors. "Time to escort me to my execution?"

"No," the too-young voice replied. Kisame opened his eyes.

"Well now," the Swordsman said. "To what did I merit Itachi's little brother visiting me?"

Cerise eyes met small piggy black ones. The smirk died as Kisame blinked. "You're not him."

"I am he. Or at least, I was." a corner of his lips lifted. "It took me a while to sneak in here. Sasuke might have the ninja skills, but definitely not the creativity to avoid ANBU. I am going to set you free, Hoshigaki San, in exchange for a favour."

The Kiri nuke-nin was intrigued. "What?"

"Get Uchiha Itachi out of here." A distinct frosty tone took over the too-high voice. "I need him alive to gain more power, enough to live without fearing for my life. As long as Uchiha Itachi lives, I gain power, and no one else will ever think that I am not Sasuke."

"But you're not." Kisame pointed out. The Akatsuki member was lifted by his collar and slammed into a wall by the twelve-year-old.

"I don't need you to point that out," the boy growled, eyes Kisame had seen before in the face of dead men walking staring out at him from the young face. "What I need you to do is the obvious thing and run, and take Itachi with you out of the village. Do you want it?"

"And what if I refuse?" Kisame countered. "I'm wearing restraints here, and you're not."

The boy extracted a set of keys from his pocket, jingling them. "Well? And I have your sword hostage by the village gates as well."

Kisame now growled. "And what makes you think that I can't kill you here?"

"Then you'll never get Samehada back. Care to risk it?"

The Kiri nuke-nin smirked. "You have wits and balls, I'll give you that. Not like what I saw last time."

"Thank you," the boy murmured. "Do you accept?"

"I'd like that if I didn't know that someone already offered me a proposition," Kisame smirked.

"I thought so," Bakura's drawl issued at the doorway, the boy turning to see Bakura smirking and leaning on the iron frame. "The keys are easily stolen, Malik is retrieving the sword you absconded with, Yami is already coming here with Itachi, and you're right here. Now, Uchiha Sasuke, or whatever you call yourself, because you're definitely not him, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"How did you know?" the boy growled. "Not, wait, the one called Yami no Yuugi."

"Nah," Bakura snorted. "Per-Aa didn't need to tell us. Dark recognises dark, you know. Unique mental condition my ass; I can tell a yami apart immediately. Per-Aa is going to blow it..."

"No," Yami's voice carried down here. "We saw it just fine." The strongest of the darks walked down, followed by an impassive Itachi.

"Yami San?" the boy blinked, letting go of Kisame. "Are you here to question him?"

"No," Yami shook his head. "But we have questions for you, starting with where is Uchiha Sasuke."

"What are you doing?" Kakashi snarled as Yami tightened the chains. "That's my student!"

"That's not Sasuke," a small voice sounded behind him.

'Sasuke' stopped struggling. "Naruto?" Relief was evident in his voice.

"Where's the real Sasuke?" Uzumaki Naruto demanded, walking into the interrogation room Yami had managed to wheedle off Ibiki (the very threat of a bijuu ensured immediate compliance).

The brunette blinked. "I am Uchiha Sasuke, why would there be another?"

"You're not Sasuke," Naruto nodded seriously, more convinced than ever. "Sasuke doesn't pass up the opportunity to insult me. Sasuke isn't nice enough to explain chakra theory when I ask him. Sasuke especially doesn't treat anyone, especially the one he calls Dobe to ramen. I can also see your eyes, and you're not Sasuke."

The brunette blinked. "Oh." What else was there to say anyway?

"Don't 'oh'!" Naruto yelled. "Where's Sasuke?"

"He's here," the boy grinned weakly, entreatingly. "He's right here. We're the same, after all. He's in my mind..."

Kakashi sighed. "We'll have to hypnotise him. Naruto, hold him still."

"No!" he began struggling against his bonds. "No, I won't go back there, I won't go back there, no!"

The room practically vibrated with killer intent, the boy intent on escape. Kakashi paused immediately.

"I kept my promise," Yami shrugged. "Yuugi never asked."

"And this is our problem," the doppelgänger nodded, still struggling against his binds.

"True," then Yami smiled. "Did you hear that?"

"Everything," Itachi's impassive voice filled the room as he came in, grabbed the other chair, and sat in front of him.

"No," the brunette shook, closing his eyes. "No..."

"Hold still, Sasuke," a soft voice murmured. "Aniki is coming."