Chemical Substance

Disclaimer: Never owned 'Naruto', never will…

Blurry

He tried to open his eyes. He really did. But it hurt so bad.

He could hear his breathing, the slow, raspy inhale and exhale of his strained lungs in the silence. Thump. His heart pumping rather loud in the quiet static of his mind. Thump.

He tried to raise an arm but felt nothing, not even sure if he had moved at all. Everything was numb, like the feeling you got when your limbs fell asleep. It felt like he would just fade, wither away and die. It was cold. And blurry.

Silence. Silence. Silence.

Slowly, Naruto opened one eye.

And cringed as light and pain assaulted his sensitive retinas. His eye watered as he blinked rapidly, adjusting as quick as possible to the sudden changes. His azure orb swiveled in its place, moving back in forth to regain mobility.

Beep. Drip. Beep. Drip.

He struggled to move his head, straining as hard as he could. Everything below his jaw was numb, so he reasoned that no pain was a good thing for now. Letting out a strangled breath, Naruto quit moving. Something was keeping his head in place, supporting it should he even try to move. He gave up.

His lungs pumped diligently, the life giving oxygen spreading throughout his body. Blinking as small drops of water dripped down his cheeks, he stared at the only thing visible to his one eye. The wall. In all its white and blank glory, standing before him like a quiet behemoth.

White. Cold. Unmoving.

Naruto's one eye slowly shut.

And he slept.

He thought he heard voices.

'…fox…'

But he wasn't sure.

'…survive…'

It could've all been a figment of his imagination.

'…maybe…'

An illusion of the highest degree.

'…shari…'

But he didn't know. It was all pretty vague. And at the moment, he didn't really care. His eyes hurt.

Itachi fell back into the peaceful embrace of sleep.

I hadn't really thought of what would happen if Orochimaru got to me. I didn't have the slightest worry. Afterall, Itachi would protect me. He would shield me from the blood and the carnage. The death and destruction. The pain. Itachi would do what others had failed to do.

He would protect me. That's what he said. I trusted him completely.

When the sounds of fighting stopped, I thought nothing of it. Itachi had won. It was over. It was safe.

And I walked out.

Yellow slitted eyes. A long tongue, rolling out and swaying side to side. Blood flecked lips morphed into a wide smirk. Peeling skin, half burned, flapping in their charred glory. Bony hands gripping a long blood stained blade.

Orochimaru the Snake Sannin in all his power. Itachi presumably defeated, possible dead, body laying in the carnage and destruction in the forest.

The reality of the situation had hit me then, bowling me over and leaving a sizable imprint in my head.

I was alone.

Itachi wasn't coming. For some unknown reason, he'd been beaten. Somehow. And I was left to fend for myself.

I was alone.

It was one of the few times in my life that true fear had gripped me and flung me with all its might. I was scared. So very, very scared. Terror was written all over my features. I must have looked like a scared puppy, tense and ready to bolt at any moment. Fear was a strong motivator and in light of the situation at the time, it was the only thing I had.

The snake must have seen it too, must have seen the fright etched into every nook and cranny of my posture, because the twisted grin on his face grew with each passing moment.

At the time, I didn't know of the snake's goals, or his needs or his desires. I didn't know his plans, and how he intended to achieve them. I didn't know what he wanted with Itachi, or me, or why he was even here.

All I knew then and there was that I was staring death in the face.

My adrenaline began to pump. Panick set it and a familiar yet unexplainable feeling welled up inside me, coursing through my veins.

I saw Orochimaru's blade rise and dozens of thoughts rushed through my head.

The best I could do was play keep away. Against someone like this…against this…this creature, it was clear I had no chance.

Steel flashed and I watched as blood slung from the tip of the blade.

I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could. And my pain festered inside me. He was supposed to protect me. He was supposed to be there. He wasn't supposed to be like the others. He wasn't supposed to leave me broken and alone.

Itachi wasn't supposed to fail. Not now, not ever.

It hurt. It hurt more than the steel tearing through me broken and weary body. More than the hand that slapped me away like a fly. More than the crunch and crack of broken ribs against chakaa enforced kicks. More than the blood pounding through my head as it met with the hilt of merciless blade. More than the splintering of shins. More than the shattering of my jaw.

More than I thought possible. To know that my last chance at life had been wiped away.

To know that my life was about to be wiped away.

Death had never seemed so close before. Never seemed so complete before, even through my blurry vision. And in a moment of lucidity throughout the pain, that familiar feeling welled up within me.

I saw the snake's blade thrust down.

The feeling swirled just below my skin. It itched.

Orochimaru's blade ripped through me.

My chakra lashed out.

A sickening ripping sound met my ears. Blood splattered over my hair, leaking into my eyes. I barely caught the shocked expression stamped on the snake's face.

A terrifying roaring soaked into my senses.

Something fell over my mind. Sweet, caressing, basking in warmth.

Darkness consumed me.

He saw it all happen. He didn't want to see it. Didn't want to acknowledge it. Acknowledge his failure. But he did.

The systematic slaughter.

The thrashing and beating, the shattering of bones and the crunching of mangled limbs.

He was helpless to stop it. He wasn't fast enough. Wasn't strong enough.

He could hear them, echoing through the treetops. They were constant. Every other second. Tearing through the air. The screams of agony as another bone was crushed and more blood was spilt. He staggered, hand leaning up against the trunk of a tree.

He was useless like this.

Red eyes spun.

A small figure held at arms length. A sick smirk. A long twisting tong. A hand clenching tightly around a small crushed throat. A long blade driving straight through the chest of a small broken body. Blue chakra lashing out, fading rapidly with each passing second. A sickening crunch. A limb falling uselessly to the ground in a spray of blood and gore.

A scream. Cold steel wrenching out with a twist. Poised for the kill.

He saw it all. He was too far away. He was useless.

Fear.

Black tomoe spun to a halt.

He blinked slowly.

Anger.

Ebony irises morphed.

Failure.

His right eye bled.

The world exploded into flames.

The drip of the IV was loud in the silent room.

The windows were open and the screens were ajar. A breeze drifted through, touching lightly on the drawn curtains. The sun lanced down, rays of light illuminating the surroundings in a healthy glow.

Drip. Beep. Drip. Beep.

Itachi was awake. Sitting up in bed, he was calmly taking in his surroundings, one visible eye swiveling in its socket. His right eye was covered, heavy gauze padded lightly over the orb. He was swathed in bandages, long strips covering him in most places. Some were gray, other were white, much like the sterile walls that surrounded him.

No doubt, Itachi was in a hospital.

Leaning back he contemplated in silence for the next few minutes, enjoying the relative quiet. His eye closed. He dozed off into sleep.

The door creaked opened and a uniformed woman walked in quietly, trying not to disturb the occupants. It was no use. Itachi's eye snapped open, black iris analyzing the nurse. Young, mid twenties perhaps. Hadn't worked long here by her posture and motions. She wore a standard white uniform. A loose blouse and a skirt not too long. Both were predictably white. He waited a few moments for her to notice his present state of consciousness.

She didn't. Staring at the ceiling he let out a quiet as the woman bustled around the room, adjusting things here or there. He broke the relative silence.

"Excuse me."

The nurse almost jumped in fright, whirling around with an expression of bewilderment on her face. She locked eyes on Itachi's upright form.

"Y-yes?"

The Uchiha prodigy noticed her stutter and ignored it. Information came first. He raised a hand, making a vague motion with his bandaged limb.

"Where are we?

The woman gave him a look that clearly said 'where do you think'.

"How di-"

The nurse gave him a look and Itachi was momentarily startled into silence by the action. For a moment he pondered the meaning. The nurse gave him one last glance before swiftly walking out the door. Itachi had no time to pursue his other questions. So instead, he opted for staring over at the small bed next to him.

He'd been broken first. His trust shattered into tiny little pieces. Itachi had only begun to piece it back together, had only begun to try to make him whole again. Now this. He'd been broken, battered, beaten. Mentally and physically. Torn, dirty, weary and hopeless.

Itachi felt true remorse. True regret.

For not being faster. Not being stronger. Not being smarter. Not being there for him.

His one visible eye watched over the motionless form of Uzumaki Naruto.

The blonde had suffered. More than Itachi could even fathom.

Orochimaru had utterly mauled him. And yet, he had still fought back. He hadn't given up. It was a testament to his will. To his strength.

With a start, Itachi realized one glaringly obvious thing.

Naruto had power. In spades.

And it was one like Itachi had never seen before. One he had never dreamed of being possible. A visible aura of chakra, able to easily sweep aside even the most powerful of foes. Hovering just below the surface of the body, bursting out at a moments notice. A writhing and teaming mass of blue energy, actively bending and shaping to the will of his wielder.

It had wrenched off the Snake Sannin's arm. Brutally tearing it from its socket and dropping it to the ground.

It was a power that needed to be honed and refined, sharpened to an immaculate point. Something like that could not be passed up. Could not be ignored. The blonde needed to learn to use it, to defend and to fight, to bring about the destruction of his foes in a timely manner.

He needed to learn how to use it to protect himself.

The fight with Orochimaru had proved that.

His fingers rose, touching his bandaged right eye.

Without a doubt.

Itachi gazed at the sleeping blonde.

Things had spiraled out of hand faster than he could have imagined. The threat of Orochimaru had been a complete blind side to Itachi, as no one had even so much as heard from the Snake Sannin in years. Their fight had showed him how much strength he still needed to acquire. Even at his level. Even when he could decimate a good portion of Konoha jounin. He still had room for improvement.

The snake was no fool, nor was he a weakling.

A Sannin, trained by the Sandaime, with years of experience under his belt. By no means an easy opponent. He was still a threat. He would be back.

Itachi needed to be better by then. He needed to be able to crush Orochimaru, not win by a small margin. He needed to succeed. For him and Naruto.

Shifting, the Uchiha prodigy blinked, his one eye taking in the heavily bandaged form of Naruto. He should've been up by now. Itachi didn't need the predictive qualities of the sharingan to know that the blonde would awaken soon. The healing properties of the Kyuubi no Kitsune were indeed formidable, no doubt they would pull through once again.

Naturally, he was right.

Twenty minutes of silence later, the small blonde child shifted, sleep beginning to lift its spell from his body. He was relaxed a moment or so before he stiffened, foreign environment causing him to tense. He was wary.

Naruto moved, the groaning and aching of and muscles ignored in favor of a more important topic. Two sky blue eyes opened. The name of a certain Uchiha burst from his lips.

"Itachi!"

The child turned, eyes wide.

"Don't worry Naruto, I'm here."

There was silence for a moment, while the blonde just stared at Itachi. Slowly, he opened his mouth, a tentative question barely held back. Itachi motioned for him to go ahead. Naruto paused for a moment and then asked.

"That snake guy…did I…is he…?"

He didn't bother finishing the question. Itachi waited a moment, his response thought out before he gave an easy concise explanation.

"No. Not yet at any rate."

Naruto looked confused. Itachi explained

"You did quite a number on him Naruto. But, he isn't dead. Gone, but not dead."

The blonde still looked confused.

"But…didn't your black flames…didn't they…kill him?"

It was the last thing he remembered seeing. The flickering blaze destroying everything in its path. Itachi absently touched his bandaged right eye.

"No. They were not enough to completely consume him. They managed to get his other arm. Nothing more."

"Oh."

Itachi paused for a moment, considering bringing up a touchy subject.

"Your chakra…"

Naruto flinched, turning his gaze away.

"…is a very dangerous weapon Naruto. Very. You need to learn how to control it, to wield it with precision and ease."

Itachi looked down at the child.

"You need to hone it, sharpen it, until it is a worthy tool, a worthy weapon in your hands."

He continued, watching the expressions on Naruto's face changed with each word. His power needed to be harnessed correctly. It needed to be controlled. If he could not teach Naruto how, then he'd find someone who could. Someone who was willing. Someone he knew wouldn't turn down a chance like this.

"There are ways to learn. People who can teach."

Naruto looked scared.

"But I don't want to be a ninja…I... I don't like ninja…"

He was afraid his statement would offend Itachi, seeing as the Uchiha prodigy was one of the best. But he was afraid of ninja. The had always been a part of his life. Uncomfortable memories of bad places. He didn't want to be one of them. But all his guardian did was stare, face blank.

"Naruto, who said anything about being a ninja?"

The boy looked up, startled.

"You mean…I can do all the stuff you do…without being a ninja?"

Itachi almost smirked. All attention was on him.

"That and much more Naruto. Much, much more. You can wield the skills of a ninja. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to be one. There are many more people who use chakra."

The smirk he was holding in threatened to grace his lips. The blonde looked so excited now. This was definitely going to be worth it.

"That chakra stuff, other people use it? Who are they? Can they summon animals too? And disappear? And use those ninjutsu? And walk on water? And throw kunai and-"

Itachi cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Yes Naruto. Some people can do all of those things. Some, only a few. You'll find out soon enough."

The blonde still had a lot to say, mouth opening and closing endlessly. Itachi massaged his temples, one hand brushing over his eyes.

Moving to stall another onslaught of questions, he placed a hand on Naruto chest, lightly pushing to small boy back onto the bed. He leaned back on his own, relaxing into the mattress and closing his eyes.

"Now rest. We'll talk about it later. Tomorrow we move on."

Naruto eyed Itachi, before he slumped in his white hospital covers.

Sleep sounded good.

Itachi was always thinking. Always. It was one of the things I respected so much about him. The wheels in his mind were always turning, always working to find some new development or some advantage he could exploit.

He was crafty. Intelligent. Manipulative.

Itachi prized knowledge above all else. Like a shinobi.

He planned for things well into the future and prepared for them with perfection. He saw deeper than anyone else. Farther than anyone else.

His plans were centered around me. Around us. His whole goal in life was to see me succeed. To see me reach the top. I went first. He wanted me to become stronger. Wanted me to become powerful.

I never intended to let him down. Never intended to fail him. He's the reason I am what I am today.

Back then, he led me to new heights, to new levels. Countries I never thought I'd go, we went. Things I'd only heard about in stories, we did. Places only talked of in legends, we explored. Itachi did everything for my sake.

By being there for me, he'd earned my trust. By trying to protect me, he'd earned my loyalty.

So when he'd said we needed to leave, I didn't question his judgment.

It was time for us to disappear he'd said. And we did.

In time it came to be something we did extraordinarily well.

AN: You cannot imagine how much trouble I had with this chapter. I wrote out a few different versions before deciding on the most well polished (and shorter) of the three. I had a hard time deciding on how I should approach it and all and it left me with a pretty bad case of writer's block. I think it turned out alright. As for Itachi's mangekyo sharingan, yes he does have it. As to why he didn't have it before…Shisui wasn't/isn't his best friend in this story. Even if he was, Itachi never had access to clan scrolls this time around. His next form was brought out by excruciating circumstances, i.e. guilt about not protecting Naruto.

In other news, looks like anyone with a missing eye has the sharingan. That said, here's hoping that Naruto loses one soon.