As Itachi opened his eyes he found himself standing in a wide open world filled with soft green grass and a few scattered trees that stretched toward a clear blue sky.
The air felt fresh and the ground under his feet was firm and real even though he knew the entire place existed only inside the genjutsu.
He looked around for a moment and then spoke his first need out loud in a calm practical voice.
“I would need a water body too if I want to practice water style jutsu and learn how to fight while standing on the surface of water.
Solid ground alone will not teach me everything I need.” With nothing more than a focused thought a large lake appeared at the edge of the grassy field.
He turned his attention inward and spoke the next goal that had brought him into this long training.
“Now it is time to see what this chakra is all about.
I have read the memories and felt the flow inside the body but I need to shape it with my own will and watch what it can become.” He formed a series of hand signs with smooth speed and a perfect copy of himself appeared.
The copy was not an ordinary illusion.
It was a shadow clone that looked and moved exactly like him.
Even after seeing the technique in the memories he still found it hard to believe that something so complete could be created from chakra alone.
He stepped forward and shook hands with the clone.
The grip felt solid and warm.
The clone nodded once in silent agreement and then both of them jumped backward to create open space between them.
They began to weave hand signs at rapid speed.
Each chose one of the two chakra natures that the body held in natural affinity.
Itachi finished his seals first.
‘Fire release: Fireball Jutsu.’ A huge ball of roaring flame burst from his mouth and raced straight toward the clone.
The clone answered at once by sending a powerful stream of water from its own mouth.
‘Water Release: Water Wall jutsu’ The water rose and formed a thick wall in front of its body.
The fireball crashed into the water wall with a loud hiss.
Steam exploded outward in every direction and filled the air with a white cloud that hid both fighters from sight.
Inside the thick steam both the real Itachi and the clone opened their Sharingan at the same moment.
Through the eye of insight ability of the Sharingan Itachi could see chakra itself.
The energy appeared in clear colours that showed its composition and its source.
They granted the ability to watch the flow and the nature of chakra even when the air was filled with steam.
The vision was not as complete as the Byakugan of the Hyuga yet it could still pierce many ordinary barriers, smoke or mist.
The steam was only normal water vapour and not the special chakra mist that a master of hidden mist jutsu would create like Zabuza.
Kakashi was unable to see through Zabuza’s mist because the mist was made of chakra, this steam was not.
Because of that the Sharingan still found the bright flow of energy that marked the clones position.
Itachi moved toward that flow at once and the clone did the same.
They met in the middle of the white cloud.
A hard punch crashed against a sharp kick and the sound of the impact rolled through the steam.
The fight that followed became a pure contest of taijutsu that tested every lesson the body had ever learned.
Itachi stepped in low and drove an elbow toward the clones ribs while the clone spun away and answered with a heel kick aimed at the side of the head.
Both fighters flowed from one stance to the next without pause.
Fists met forearms.
Knees met thighs.
Each time one of them found an opening the other closed it with a block or a counter that came only a fraction of a second later.
They moved across the grass and onto the edge of the new lake never losing balance even when the ground changed under their feet.
The speed of their exchanges grew higher with every breath until the air itself seemed to shake from the force of the blows.
Because the rules of the Tsukuyomi world had been set with care, the shadow clone did not vanish after a solid hit to the stomach.
Inside this place the clone was as durable as the real body and carried the same endless supply of chakra.
It could also perform every technique that the original could perform even those that a normal shadow clone was never meant to use.
The two fighters therefore treated each other as true equals.
They leapt high and met in the air with crossing kicks.
They dropped back to the ground and rolled through a series of sweeps and throws.
Sweat began to form on both brows yet neither slowed.
Each strike carried the full weight of years of muscle memory and each defence showed the clear reading of movement that the Sharingan provided.
Itachi decided to raise the level of power once more.
He wrapped pure chakra around both of his fists until the knuckles glowed with faint light.
The clone mirrored the action at the same instant.
When the two enhanced fists met in the centre of the field the resulting shock wave blasted the remaining steam away in every direction.
Both fighters were thrown backward by the force and slid across the grass until they found their footing again.
Without waiting Itachi pulled several kunai from his pouch and filled each blade with fire nature chakra so that the metal glowed red with heat.
He threw the superheated kunai in a tight spread.
The clone drew its own kunai and managed to deflect the first few blades but the intense heat of the fire chakra melted straight through the defending steel.
One glowing kunai sliced across the clones shoulder and a thin line of blood appeared on the skin.
The attack was not finished.
Thin ninja wire that had been hidden behind the flying kunai wrapped tightly around the clones arms and chest.
Itachi formed a single handed seal while the wire was still in contact with his mouth and used the next technique.
‘Fire style Dragon Flame Jutsu.’ Fire raced along the wire as if the metal itself had become a fuse.
The flames reached the clone in a heartbeat and erupted into a wide explosion that covered the area in bright orange light and rolling heat.
When the fire finally died down and the smoke began to clear Itachi saw a flock of black crows rising from the place where the clone had stood.
The birds circled once and then vanished.
“A crow clone huh?” Itachi muttered as he watched the last feathers disappear into the air.
A moment later his true shadow clone appeared again standing calmly at his side as if the entire exchange had been only a light exercise.
The clone looked at him with the same red eyes and asked a simple question in a steady voice.
“Shall we stop for now and reflect on what we have learned from this first battle?” Itachi answered with a short nod and a clear word.
“Yes.” ——-Author Notes——– Thankyou The King, Chafe for supporting me!