The first thing he felt was the sensation of a cold and hard cobblestone pathway on his back. Faint rumbles of thunder and the whisper of the wind were in his ears. As Itachi struggled to open his eyes, he was confronted by the sight of storm clouds in the sky above. However, they were not normal storm clouds; they all seemed to have a hint of crimson to them, and the occasional flash of lighting in the distance was the same color.
"Where am I?" he murmured as he climbed to his feet.
Patting himself down, he didn't find any sign of injury. His sword was at his side, and his student robes did not appear to be damaged. Looking around, he found himself in a world unlike any that he had ever seen before.
In addition to the oddly colored storm clouds and flashes of lightning in the sky, there appeared to be a faint red light that was mostly obscured by said clouds. For a moment Itachi thought it might be the sun, but after a few seconds he realized that it was actually the moon. What surrounded him on the ground was no less strange than the alien sky. While the pathway that he was on looked like many others that he had seen both in the Shinobi World and the Soul Society, the long rows of stone lanterns that flanked it on either side each housed an eerie blood-red flame. Beyond the lanterns were trees as far as the eye could see, twisted and withered without a single leaf on them, and the color of the bark looked uncomfortably similar to that of dried blood.
This is not the Soul Society, he thought, and it certainly isn't the world I inhabited while I was still alive. So what is this place?
With no other landmarks in sight, Itachi decided that the simplest course of action for the time being would be to follow the path before him. After several minutes of doing so he spotted what looked like a large rock jutting out of the path in the distance. Picking up his pace, he peered closer and spotted what looked like a person sitting atop the stone outcropping.
As he drew near he was able to identify the figure… or at least, to a certain extent. He had no idea who they actually were, but he could at least tell that it was a woman.
A woman unlike any that he had ever seen before.
Her midnight hair flowed well past her waist, its lustrous sheen amplified by what little crimson moonlight managed to filter through the clouds above. Her eyes were scarlet gems, and as they cast their gaze upon Itachi he could see a piercing light in them. Her pale skin was a sharp contrast to the tattered black robe she wore. At least, Itachi thought it was a robe at first, but upon closer inspection he realized that it was not one in the traditional sense. What he had assumed was normal fabric appeared to be something else. For a moment Itachi thought it was feathers, but then his eyes widened as he saw it flicker and ripple, and he began comprehend what it really was.
The black flames of Amaterasu.
As he came to a stop at the foot of the rock, the woman stretched out her arms, gesturing to the strange land that surrounded them. "What do you think of my realm, Itachi Uchiha? Actually, I suppose our realm would be a better way to put it."
Itachi looked around for someone else, only for the woman to shake her head. "It's just you and I here, Itachi. No more, and no less."
"You have me at a disadvantage, miss…" he said.
The woman's lips moved, but Itachi could not hear what she said. After a moment she repeated herself, but again Itachi heard naught but silence. Even lip-reading was to no avail; a strange flicker of light obscured Itachi's gaze just enough so that he could not grasp enough detail to tell what she was saying.
A few seconds later the woman shook her head. "I should've expected this. After all, this is only the first time we've met. Truth be told, we were not supposed to meet for quite some time to come, but certain circumstances forced my hand. Had I not acted in this manner, there is a good chance that we might never have had the chance to meet at all."
"What are you talking about?" asked Itachi as he looked around, "What is this place? Who are you?"
The woman smiled. "Surely you can figure that out. Consider your education carefully, Itachi. You may only be a few months into your term at the Academy, but you have already learned all you need to divine the nature of both myself and this realm."
His eyes narrowed as he studied her with great intensity. They had never met before, but now that he thought about it there were certain aspects of her appearance that were familiar. The black flames of Amaterasu that made up her clothing were obvious enough, but there were also her eyes; though they lacked the signature orbiting tomoe, her irises were the exact same shade of red as that of the Sharingan. There was also the fact that he had been unable to hear her name when she had uttered it, and some mystical force had prevented him from divining it by lip-reading. That was all he needed for the pieces to fall into place.
"This is my inner world," he said, "and you are my Zanpakutō."
She gave him an approving nod. "Very good. That was much quicker than I had anticipated. I'm pleased to see that the soul fracture has not impacted your wits."
Itachi raised his eyebrow. "Soul fracture? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"The event that forced my early awakening," the woman replied, "Tell me, Itachi; what do you know about resurrection jutsus?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "That they're very rare… and very dangerous. They are also twisted, at least in the opinion of the majority."
"There is plenty of reason for that opinion," said the woman, "That does not change the fact that such techniques still exist, and that one has been used on you. Had your death only been a day or so ago, it would've brought you back in your entirety. However, since you have been in the Soul Society for some time now…"
"My spirit had acclimated to the new environment, and so it split when the resurrection jutsu was performed," Itachi finished for, his mind already following the evidence and implications to their logical conclusions, "If that is the case and part of my soul has returned to the Shinobi World, it would stand to reason that the rest remains in the Soul Society. Why am I here, then, instead of the Seireitei?"
The woman nodded. "A good question. The answer is rather complicated."
Itachi looked around. "I don't see any other pressing matters to attend to here, so I have time for an explanation."
"Very well, then," said the woman, "To begin with, I believe that the part of your spirit that remains in the Soul Society is still in the Seireitei. When the soul fracture began, I awakened and opened your inner world so that I might attempt to anchor you and prevent you from being lost entirely. However, you were most fortunate to be sparring with the swiftest Soul Reaper in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads at the moment the fracture occurred; if my guess is correct, I believe Yoruichi has taken you to the Squad Four barracks. The portion of your spirit that remains in the Soul Society will be under the care of Captain Unohana and her subordinates until the resurrection jutsu comes undone and the pieces of your soul are reunited. However, your awareness, your consciousness, for the part of you that remains in the Soul Society, is now here."
"What about the part of my soul that went back to the Shinobi World?" asked Itachi, "Can you tell me what is happening there?"
The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid that's beyond my power. Once the pieces of your soul are reunited, the memories of the portion that went back to the living realm will merge into those that you already possess and will answer your questions. I do not reside with that portion of your soul, though, so I cannot see into the realm that it inhabits now."
Itachi nodded. "I understand. Do you at least have a sense of how long this may last?"
"No," the woman replied, "In that, I am as much in the dark as you are. That is why it is best that we do not spend this time sitting idly; I would hate for you to lose your sanity due to boredom before your spirit is whole again."
"That makes two of us," Itachi quipped, "So how do you propose that we pass the time? I didn't see a library or teahouse on my way over here."
The woman gave him a mischievous smile. "Oh, don't worry. I have something far more exciting in mind than books or tea."
She held out her right hand, and a pillar of black flames came forth. A moment later the flames dissipated, revealing a sword unlike any that Itachi had ever seen before. From handle to guard to blade, the weapon was almost entirely black. It was a straight sword, and on closer examination it wasn't a completely solid blade; there was a thin gap in the middle that ran from the base to the end, resulting in two points that were very close together. The handle and the guard were different from the traditional ones that Itachi was used to; the guard was ornately carved and looked like a pair of raven's wing pointed downward. Where the wings met was the only part of the weapon that wasn't black. There was a crimson eye set right in the middle, and it was the exact same shade of red as the iris of the Sharingan.
"You will take time to rest while you are here, Itachi," said the woman, "but when you are not resting, you will be training. You will be training with me for as long as you are here. Perhaps days, perhaps weeks, perhaps months, or perhaps years. It matters not. We will train together… and I shall forge you into a swordsman without equal."
The woman raised her blade in salute, an eager smile on her face. "Shall we begin?"
Itachi nodded as he drew his sword. "Ready when you are."
Her smile became a hungry grin. "Good."
Then she was on him like a demon from the deepest pits of Hell.