Warning: malexmale, dub-con and probably a few more issues. Like daddy issues. Also, anti-ending.


"I'm on my hands and knees.

I want so much to believe." (Nine Inch Nails, Terrible Lie)


Suigetsu and Juugo find Sasuke in the cave, lost in thoughts near Kabuto's statue-like body. They free Orochimaru, who decides to help his former pupil. They head for Konoha where the sannin summons the four past Kage who narrate the origins of their village and the ideals behind it.

Nobody understands that the one beside them is not Sasuke but a Zetsu, with a copy of Madara's Rinnegan.

Not even Karin can tell them apart, as she soon falls into a post-hypnotic suggestion specifically designed for chakra sensors.

Sasuke joins the battlefield announcing that he wants to become Hokage now. Team Seven is together again, no longer as inexperienced genin but as sannin disciples. They fight against the Ten Tails, unleashed by Obito and Madara after the latter defeats the Five Kage.

The Uchiha patriarch tries to bring on his side his descendant who refuses, as he's set on destroying the past and build a new future.

Nobody understands that the one fighting beside them is not Sasuke but a Zetsu.

Nobody understands that the one they are fighting is not the real Madara but a Kage Bunshin.


Before his rebirth Madara revered Rinnegan. Now his eyes are just another part of his body, like his arms and ears. He doesn't see them as sacred anymore, just like he doesn't feel the same urgency.

He is not the same person he used to be, neither in body nor in mind.

The new Madara Uchiha is immortal, the strongest warrior in a world of weak fighters and big talkers.

There is a worldwide war going on yet for him there is no war at all.

He already won against death: the shinobi alliance is nothing, compared to it.

He can easily tell that it's not a real cooperation. Even if they were to win they wouldn't be able to fix their system. They wouldn't be able to live in peace for long, before someone would stake their arbitrary claims.

Although peace is still his final goal, immortality grants him a different perspective -a divine standpoint- which begets an insatiable curiosity. That's why he devises a new plan.

No one will notice that Sasuke has been replaced by a Zetsu, able to replicate the young Uchiha's powers and even develop abilities from the copy of Madara's Rinnegan.

No one even remembers Sasuke's full powers and his personality has always been misunderstood, in case the human plant should act out of character, but just as expected he is good at acting; his interpretation is dramatic and intense.

Just as arranged, he fights alongside his comrades all the while causing more ruckus, keeping the simpletons around him entertained and distracted while setting the stage for the astonishing turn of events: the mastermind behind every influential event in the shinobi world betrayed by his subordinate, whose true identity is the emissary of a goddess from another planet.

Never in his own time a shinobi would have believed to something similar to the stories grandmothers used to tell children as a warning to never lose track of their arrogance no matter how strong they are, or they would end up like that warrior, believing he was in control when he was controlled instead.

It's absurd that Madara would be defeated so easily and it's laughable that a whole army believes it.

There is no satisfaction in winning over them: people who believe in anything they see, regardless of logic, deserve to be fooled and need to be controlled, for their own good, so that they won't destroy themselves and the world as they sway like seaweed misled by dangerous waves in an ocean of ideas.

There is no harm in keeping them safe while entertaining himself in the process.

His new plan is even better than the previous one, just like his new protégé is better than the previous one.

Madara doesn't take Obito's change of mind as a personal offense.

He didn't really chose him, after all. He just took advantage of the opportunity when the boy stumbled upon his hideout, many years before.

It took time to tear his defenses down, so that a young shinobi devoted to his friends and loyal to his village would accept his vision; there was a reason why, in his original plan, Obito was supposed to never come in contact with Kakashi again.

He should have controlled Nagato into using Rinne Tensei to revive him but after having talked to the Kyuubi vessel the man used it to revive the victims of his attack, before dying for the exertion.

For the Uchiha patriarch Naruto's words are platitudes that only a child could spit out without being ashamed of his own stupidity; another proof of how different their generations are.

Madara's generation was openly cruel.

Their actions were justified as necessary to win a war that no one truly wanted to end.

Children were sent to war as soon as they could use a weapon. It was customary to use them as decoys to distract and weaken the enemy, like his father and Hashirama's did.

This generation's cruelty is hypocritical and coward, with no one taking responsibility for it, from using orphans and discarding them before they can even defend themselves, to secretly commanding to annihilate a clan from its village. They were cowards and hypocrites, forcing subordinates to dirty their hands in their place and never taking responsibility for their actions.

Madara never wanted peace to save people; most of them didn't even deserve to live.

To him peace was the right thing for the world, part of which was the human race.

Everyone changed their mind after speaking with that Nine Tails' boy; Nagato and Obito were no different.

Everyone but Sasuke.

Even though Naruto's speech was unexpectedly inspired, he didn't budge. Madara saw it through Zetsu, just like he saw the boy killing Danzo, who ordered the massacre of their clan, just like he saw the massacre itself, and the child facing his brother who had been forced to become a murderer, just like he saw his sharingan activating when said brother left him alone and desperate.

Finally Madara found someone with no devotion to friends and village.

Only to one, which means to him as well, for he is the only one who can give Sasuke what he wants.

Which means that he can fix any price for it.


Madara has always been indifferent to most people.

If possible he would have done everything by himself, as every time he relied on others, no matter how loyal, he found only obstacles on his path.

He loved Izuna but he needed to protect him.

His brother's death left a hole in his soul that weakened him, paving the way to confusion and mistakes.

He loved Hashirama but his need for the man's acknowledgment was so strong that he felt betrayed when the other put the village above him.

He liked Obito even if he was just a mean to his end, but he worked hard to change his mind so that he would become his tool.

Sasuke is different. Madara doesn't feel any obligation to protect him or need to obtain his approval. He doesn't have to change the boy's mind either, since he willingly followed the elder.

The boy has only one wish and Madara intends to keep his promise. In due time.

Madara likes Sasuke.

He considers him an interesting creature, full of contrasts.

He likes his pale complexion, similar to Izuna's. He is a lunar creature indeed, no matter how long he stays in the sun it never seems to reach his skin.

He likes his high cheekbones, his thin nose, his elongated eyes and his mouth, constantly turned downwards. Compared to Izuna's delicate features, the boy's are sharper, carved by pain and anger.

He likes his lack of manners.

He learned how rude the boy could be during their first encounter, when he realized that he didn't respect age or rank.

Only strength, and he is the strongest one.

As days go by he gets to know that Sasuke is unexpectedly easy to live with: he keeps to himself most of the time, taking long walks in the woods, dozing -Madara wonders if he sleeps so much to dream of his brother- or training.

When asked why he still trains so diligently the boy doesn't reply but it's not a rude gesture.

He truly doesn't know. It's an ingrained habit that started when he was a child, desperately trying to become strong like his big brother.

He likes how Sasuke seeks him out to learn anything his progenitor can teach him, from history to Uchiha customs, from fighting to falconry.

Madara is not surprised by the affectionate, trusting and respectful side he only shows to animals. He figures that the boy trusts animals better than humans because people betrayed, lied and manipulated him. A part of him hopes that it's also because these animals belong to him.

He likes how he doesn't need to hold back whenever they spar. Sasuke doesn't want him to; he knows that he's no match against Madara, the immortal, the strongest of this era.

No one is.

Except for Itachi, for Sasuke is unable to imagine that anyone is better than his brother.

Not even the powerful immortal that will bring him back.

He likes how the boy doesn't protest when he examines his body after his wounds are healed with Zetsu's Senju chakra, the right amount to close bleeding gashes and fix broken bones, but nothing more than that.

He wants Sasuke to adjust to his time-ignoring pace: recovering from injuries is the most effective way to slow him down.

Madara could leave his descendant in Zetsu's care but he considers it as a duty, to tend to what he broke. Which is a lot, for he hits hard and fast.

Never the boy looks afraid or even worried for any damage he sustains. He doesn't care much about himself, that is obvious. Probably he trusts that his only relative won't hurt him too much.

Maybe because every time they come home after training, no matter if he's wounded or not, Madara examines his slender appearance, so much smaller than his own, even thinner than Izuna yet taut and firm.

He used to say he was fine at first, that he didn't need anything, but the elder insisted, reminding him that applying bandages is easier if done by someone else. That he certainly won't bother treating his bruises with salve, unless someone else will.

Sasuke always complains that his bandaging is too tight. Such compression prevents the wound from reopening, and from hurting more, he says, stroking the area to prove his point, indifferent to the boy's glare, the same as when he runs his balm coated fingers from his back to his shoulders, from his prominent collarbone to his chest, from his abdomen to his hipbones and long legs, holding him still by his thin wrist -so easy to break if he wanted- because the boy flinches when his strokes are too heavy on his healing wounds or other parts.


Sasuke doesn't care about people.

Only about one.

Although he tried to do everything by himself he knew he needed others to reach his goals, so he discarded those who hindered his progress and chose ones who could be useful. Despite his initially opportunistic reasons he did think well of them.

Madara is no exception. He wouldn't say that he likes him but he doesn't dislike him either.

He doesn't dislike his strong features, his look, that exudes confidence, his warrior-like posture.

Something in him reminds him of his father, although they're nothing alike.

It must be because as a child he saw his father, the clan leader, as the personification of power.

Fugaku looked ordinary while his ancestor's features are striking, the kind that can't be easily forgotten.

He doesn't dislike listening to him. His speech is vivid, eloquent but not it is history or a new technique he is unexpectedly patient, no matter how many questions he asks.

This the first time someone explains teacheshim with such dedication. Sasuke knows it's because Madara has all the time in the world while Itachi couldn't waste time with him, being forced to spy on Konoha and their clan at the same time.

He doesn't dislike when Madara joins him during his walks.

There are no people in the hidden Uchiha territory. Only animals. For him it's much better.

Animals don't lie. They don't pretend. They don't manipulate. They don't judge.

When the elder notices his fondness for them, he offers to teach him horse archery and falconry, the latter especially because he saw through Zetsu's eyes how good he is with his summon hawk.

He doesn't mind losing against him every time; he knows he's learning from the best.

Madara likes to fight for real, no limits or restrictions, be it with weapons, ninjutsu or taijutsu. When it's over, Sasuke is on his hand and knees, unable to stand up, chakra completely drained. Sometimes his breathing is laboured and uneven because his ribs are cracked under the elder's powerful kicks. Sometimes he feels lightheaded for the blood profusely oozing out of various cuts.

Unlike his father, the elder never belittles him. In fact, he compliments his techniques.

He doesn't even tease him as they spar, instead he incites the boy to enjoy fighting. He is no longer a shinobi bound to his village, he says. Fighting is not just enduring pain to defeat an opponent. It's also a matter of focusing on the tactile impressions of each punch and kick and gash, both given and received.

A truly strong shinobi must revel in those sensations for they are proof that he is alive.

That they both are.

He doesn't mind the elder's tall, muscular body hovering over him as he examines him after they spar. Sometimes Sasuke tries to squirm out of his care but then his wrist is locked in his grip and he's pulled back against the wall or a bed or anything that blocks him.

Relax, boy, Madara says, chuckling because he makes more fuss when he's being treated than when he's being beaten up. His grip barely loosens up though, reminding him of Itachi's.

He doesn't really mind his hands roaming over his body even if he hates being touched.

He is used to having his personal space invaded. Besides, Madara is only tending to his wounds and applying salve.

And tracing his chest and stomach and hips with his palms and fingers, pushing on his bruises and wounds and complimenting his high tolerance to pain.

That, too, is something no one ever told him.


Madara knows that Sasuke is torn between hate for Konoha and confusion, because Itachi protected it until the end.

He doesn't just teach him things. He also asks him things. His life, his family, his brother, anything he remembers about the clan.

Sasuke answers readily, precisely, expressing his feelings and thoughts bluntly, as mere facts, without shame or embarrassment.

He was never asked anything about his past when he was in Konoha. Then he was too set on his goals to spend time talking about it.

Once Madara mentions that when he was sixteen he won a crucial battle against a neighboring clan. Noticing the younger's thoughtful look he said:

"I made it because I had my whole clan to back me up. I had my brother to support me. Your brother has been forced to kill everyone and run away, leaving you alone, and yet you have avenged him. You have been brave and strong, like a true Uchiha."

Every time the elder mentions their clan, Sasuke, who stopped caring about it after being told the truth, even feels the same admiration towards he felt as a child, the same pride for being a part of it, even as the sole survivor.

Every time the elder mentions their clan, he, who stopped caring about it after being shunned by its people, pushes back the memories of the white and red fan on his dying brother's clothes. The kage bunshin killed by his best friend and rival wore that crest in his place, for the last time.

The elder replies to the question the boy has been thinking about since Itachi left him alone in that cave.

A village is a place where different clans unite their strengths and cooperate to achieve long-lasting peace.

A shinobi is the strongest soldier, trained to endure all sorts of hardships in order to protect the ones they swore allegiance.

These magnificent concepts animated him and Hashirama. Too bad that ideals can only function with ideal people, as real people distort them and use them to their own advantage.

In a village there are stronger and weaker parties. The weaker ones should support each other to counterbalance the majority, so that every voice is equally heard, but in reality they end up supporting the stronger ones thus suffocating minorities.

Just like it happened to him, silenced by the very people he brought together in the very village he founded.

To be completely loyal shinobi are discouraged from thinking independently. They become blind followers of corrupt leaders, enforcers of wrongful laws that they'll execute in the name of the village, while for the few ones still capable of reasoning with clarity their role becomes a trap.

Just like it happened to their clan, erased because of a corrupt evil man who used Itachi's loyalty as a justification and his love for Sasuke as a leverage.

Just as Madara expected his truthful words, devoid of any rhetoric, have a big impact on Sasuke.

"I don't care about them," Sasuke replies once, to Madara's satisfaction, when asked if he ever thinks about leaving the Uchiha lands and fight alongside his comrades, to protect the village Itachi defended so strenuously.

His hate towards the village must be kept alive, not extinguished.

It's a precaution, should Itachi promote protecting Konoha again, once back.

It's a further precaution, for he wouldn't find what he expects anyway.

Madara assures Sasuke that he never planned the clan's extinction.

When he was younger and angrier he would have fought his clansmen indeed. A glorious battle, in the open, in daylight.

As he got older and his plan was taking shape he stopped thinking about them. The ones he loved were dead since decades, everyone else didn't matter.

When he threatened to destroy Konoha it was an act to motivate Hashirama to kill him; albeit for different reasons Itachi too orchestrated Sasuke's life so that he would kill him.

"It's different. My brother did it to save me. You did it to save yourself."

The boy replies, without mincing words, as always, especially when Itachi is mentioned.

Madara doesn't mind his rudeness. He likes it, in fact.

"From a different perspective both of us reacted to injustice in our own way. Just like you killing Danzo. Your brother saved you and sacrificed himself. I saved myself and envisioned a way to achieve peace and save more people in the future."

Using Itachi to fuel Sasuke's hate, at the same time elevating his position in the boy's eyes, to be seen as someone -the only one- he can relate to.

The elder hands Sasuke his falconry glove, to graciously dismiss him. The hawks need some exercise, just like the horses, he says, heading for the stables.

It's better to be alone while processing what he just learned, because those information, along with the trees and streams and ancient constructions, ghosts of the life of the Uchiha clan, could suggest what the boy's life could have been without injustice and death.

It's better for him to entrust his secret tears to the birds who won't judge him weak or childish.

"You are used to being the last Uchiha alive, but you're no longer alone."

Madara tells him, just about he's going out of the room, making sure the boy knows he won't judge him weak or childish either.


After three years with Orochimaru and months with Obito, who forgot him in a hideout when the war started, the boy learned to be patient. The Uchiha patriarch is a better company than both of them, and a better mentor, who doesn't treat him like a part of his collection, envisioning the time when he'd become an empty vessel, and he doesn't look down on him like a nuisance he can't get rid of because it would be disrespectful to Itachi's memory.

Nevertheless one day said patience grows thin.

During a solitary walk, passing through the trees, he is attacked by a flock of crows; as happened when he was chasing after Itachi in the woods.

"Itachi...brother..."

He whispers, his heart racing because this could be the day he can have his brother back.

The birds attack him one more time before he sees it: a young crow hopping on the ground, flapping its wings, trying to fly under the watchful eyes of its parents, perched on the nearest branches, ready to chase the intruder again.

It's only natural to confront Madara when he returns.

He is cultivating Itachi's cells with Sasuke's blood, the same process that he followed for Hashirama's statue. That statue wasn't sentient though; he didn't have Rinnegan back then, now things should be easier and faster.

"...Or maybe what you did to Anko was an elaborate genjutsu?"

He taunts the other even if he doesn't really thinks so. Despite having used them rarely he's an Uchiha, brother of the best genjutsu user, whose Tsukuyomi he managed to dispel. He knows how to defend himself from an illusion.

Madara listens attentively, arms crossed over his chest. Immortality and solitude endured for too long make him extremely patient, especially with someone whose reactions amuse him so much.

Yet he decides that it's better not to spoil the boy.

That it's time to fix a price.

He explains that Rinne Tensei needs a proper body to be effective. Anko's was still warm when he brought her back, just like Nagato's victims.

His brother's was not only dead since a long time; it had been scavenged without respect by the gloomy snake man, and before that by Obito, who took his eyes for Sasuke to be spared from inevitable blindness and activate Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Has Sasuke forgotten that? Does he want his beloved brother to return into a patched up body missing random parts?

Creating cells, then organs, then a whole human being takes time. He knows, what he's doing.

With the same technique he might bring back his brothers back, after. Repopulate the Uchiha land.

"I am doing you a favor, boy. I could think about myself and my own brothers, instead I'm working for you."

Madara feigns a dignified look that reminds him of Tobirama's entitled attitude.

"What are you doing for me, instead?"

"Then let me do something!"

The boy cried out.

"Let me help."


In the past there was no Academy, no grades, no genin teams. According to the elder, the bond between student and teacher was special. It was him who chose his pupil, who left his family to live with him, growing up under his wing, constantly learning through studying, exercise and even menial tasks.

Knowing that his mentor was wiser it was natural for the disciple to trust him completely, even for the rare moments when, once grown up, the younger disagreed with him.

Since Sasuke wants to be involved in developing Itachi's body, Madara takes samples of his tissues and organs to add to his cultivation, starting from his eyes. Itachi's eyes.

The boy doesn't budge when told that each taking will hurt and that there will be no way of dulling the pain, or the samples will be polluted.

Madara likes to see Sasuke strapped by his ankles and wrists to the rudimentary operating table, agony written all over his face, muscles twitching as needles probe him.

When the spasms are too strong the elder climbs on the table and straddles his waist, strokes his shoulders and chest, to make him feel something other than the needles, speaking slowly and firmly so to reach to the boy's clouded mind. Focus on me, boy. Focus on my weight. Focus on my hands, can you feel them? He repeats, caressing him.

Sasuke endures the discomfort of being tied up and the pain, refusing any comfort or distraction at first, because he's not that weak, but there are times when his body can't help but cling to Madara's warm touch, while his mind projects Itachi's image before his eyes, until the commanding yet soothing voice of the imposing Uchiha replaces him, bringing him back to reality.

"Now you understand why I didn't involve you, boy."

He says every time it's over, hard eyes slightly softer, voice as low as a whisper, and Sasuke is too tired and weakened to do anything other than nod, and shake his head when asked if he wants to stop, to Madara's satisfaction.

He would hate to be denied that pleasure, now.

Knowing that he owed everything to his mentor it was natural for the disciple, once grown up, to give him everything he had in return. Especially his body, as a young life with unpolished skills doesn't have much else to offer.

Sasuke is not surprised when Madara suggests him how to prove his loyalty.

The old Uchiha is not surprised at the boy's lack of indignation.

He can tell that he knows how the world works, unlike Naruto, whose constant bragging about ninja way was closer to a childish tantrum than integrity.

Besides, for someone like Madara, never making compromises means lacking the willpower to achieve a goal.

He made a compromise when he first required Hashirama to kill his own brother then he stopped his friend before he could decide.

He made a compromise when he didn't punish the clansmen who didn't support him as Hokage.

He made a compromise when he didn't kill Hashirama, bestowing him a long fulfilling life, once that Izanagi rewrote his reality. Future peace was more important than his pride, he used to think.

For Sasuke it's the same: achieving his goal has always been the most important thing, no matter how he did it, no matter what price he had to pay.

That's why Madara chose him, he says. The strongest mentor always chose the strongest pupil.

"Then get on your knees."

It's time to play a different game.

He has been taken every kind of samples already, there is nothing he can do to help with the growth of Itachi's body. He can only be grateful to his mentor and benefactor.

He can only help him with everything else.

"Now pleasure me."

How interesting, for Madara, that the young Uchiha submitted first, obeying to his command, and defied him later, threatening him with a glare as he's on his knees.

"...and prove that you truly are the last Uchiha. Show me your gratitude and your determination. Show me how strong is the willpower that makes you different from the ones you left behind, because you couldn't become as strong as you needed, and achieve your goal, amongst them."

Madara's words strike the right chord once again.

"You are talented, boy," the elder told him once, "You must be tired of hearing people say it."

"I don't care about weak people."

Sasuke replied, half arrogant and proud of his ability, half naive because he admitted that he valued the man's opinion. He didn't seem to care. He was thinking about someone else already.

"Itachi did...He said I have become strong."

He didn't mention his father instead.

Madara is not surprised; even before becoming an orphan the boy must have been ignored in favor of his older brother. It wasn't strange for him, who was born in times of war, when fathers trained their firstborn sons more thoroughly, for they would have guided the clan.

Sasuke needs to have Itachi back, just like he needed to become stronger back then.

Refusing is not an option. He never cared about others' opinion of him anyway, or about morals; to him, just like Madara, both are just self-imposed limitations, excuses that weak people use to justify their lack of determination.

Besides, he already did questionable things. He witnessed Orochimaru's experiments, never torturing or killing anyone but never helping them either, for his goal was more important than anything and anyone, even though there were nights that he couldn't sleep because of the screams coming from their cells.

Kabuto used to scold his lack of respect for the sannin but other than his language and his detached attitude the boy obeyed to everything he was told, well knowing that he had no other choice if he wanted to acquire the strength to defeat Itachi.

Karin and Suigetsu used to joke about their former master. It was their way of downplaying their past.

Once they mentioned him as his favourite; the undertones were clear. When Sasuke eyed them icily they apologized. They were just curious, Suigetsu said, since he had a better treatment compared to everyone else.

No one really envied someone destined to become the scientist's new body, yet before that happened everyone did envy Sasuke because he wasn't locked in a tank or in a dark cell or surrounded by prisoners ready to slaughter him, not caring that their guardian was a victim too.

Karin added that there was nothing to be ashamed of. It was a well-known fact that their former master liked to mark his younger and most attractive property, before experimenting on them.

Even Juugo nodded. He too, and Kimimaro.

After a long silence Sasuke admitted that he was asked to touch him.

His refusal angered the sannin who gave him a good beating. When Kabuto came to heal him, he said that if he didn't do what Orochimaru wanted he would be imprisoned until his body would become the sannin's vessel, without a chance to find his brother, so when the man asked again he obeyed.

He didn't have to do much; the snake guided his hands. He didn't trust the boy's angry mouth, and he didn't like his impassive expression. Hoping for something more exciting from such pretty boy, the disappointment was so strong that it never happened again.

Sasuke wonders where his comrades might be. Once again he left everything and everyone behind to achieve his goal.

He reassures himself that he won't think about them anymore once he'll have Itachi back.

He explains himself that he only thought about them because he remembered their inappropriate jokes.

How could they even joke about such things?

He feels vulnerable at first, being on his knees before the older man who opens his mouth with two fingers and instructing him to lick them, but Madara's tone, just like his demeanor, isn't different from when they spar.

He makes it seem more like a new jutsu to learn, than a degrading act.

He's demanding and nonchalant at the same time, even when he pulls his length out and commands the boy to lick the tip then swirl his tongue over it.

His calm is warm, just like his skin; he says good, good boy, I knew it, you learn fast, I knew you had the Uchiha determination in you, as he runs his fingers through his hair.

Why does Sasuke think about his father and his cold, uninterested calm? Fugaku never said he was good at anything, no matter how hard he studied and trained.

Maybe it was because despite his good grades he didn't learn as fast as he does now.

It's just a brief thought in the back of his mind though, for his ears are overflowing with Madara's voice and his skull is locked under the elder's long fingers and his mouth is full with Madara's cock pushing deeper and deeper.

Karin said she used to feel dirty and ashamed after she did that thing to Orochimaru.

Sasuke doesn't. He's not ashamed of doing what he has to do, to bring his brother back.

Besides, he should care about himself to feel that way.


Sasuke remembers team Taka again the second time Madara demands the same display of gratitude.

From the third time on he doesn't think about them anymore.

They are laying on the grass. The elder told him about the ancient gods the clan used to worship before they adopted the Will of Fire. Traces of their old religion could be found in their names.

Except for Sasuke's, named after the Third Hokage, as if he was destined to be separated from them.

Madara stands up, takes a few steps then returns, his feet at sasuke's sides, looming over him, breeze sweeping his long messy hair.

Without a word he kneels, thighs brushing Sasuke's waist. His look, demanding yet dispassionate, is eloquent enough for him to know what he wants.

"It's not bad if you do it to someone you love," Juugo said, to everyone's stupor.

"It's amazing, in fact.You are the one who gives them pleasure. You are the only one who sees them in a way they won't show to anyone else."

Sasuke wonders what it would be like to do it someone else.

It's just a brief thought in the back of his mind, before he props himself on his elbows and drives himself to focus on the task, because bringing Itachi back is the only thing that matters. He can't have Madara go back on his word because of his negligence, even though the elder is praising his newly acquired skills. Just like he would if they were sparring.

That's my boy, yes, good boy, Madara keeps saying every time his mouth takes him deep and Sasuke can't help but think about his father again, no matter how different the context is, because those are the words that Fugaku only told him once.

Madara likes Sasuke, a creature full of contrasts.

He likes his determination, his lack of moral inhibitions to achieve his goal, the same willpower that turned him into an immortal, the strongest of this era.

Sasuke's persistence and disregard of common morality are even stronger than Madara's.

He spared Izuna's killer because he was his best friend's brother. Obito and the very brother he wanted to avenge, indirectly, stopped him from killing his friend, who represented everything Konoha stood for.

He likes his confusion, bridled with aloofness, because he knows orders and he knows compliments but he doesn't know them together.

He likes his rude and disrespectful mouth, that he trained to pleasure him.

"You're taking advantage of this, aren't you?"

He says sometimes, before submitting to Madara's desire, and the elder smirks because he has a reason to punish his lack of respect and he enjoys that.

He likes the curve of his pale neck, arched backwards under his punishing grip, and his guttural moans -sometimes he can't tell if they're moans of pleasure or pain and that fascinates him- when he touches him.

Madara shows him what pleasure feels like; having him focus only on his long term prize would be boring.

After a sparring session he lays Sasuke on the bed to apply his usual balm on his bruises, only this time he lies beside him. He takes control of his pale chest, getting closer with each touch until he's almost on top of him, paying particular attention to his nipples, that he teases and pinches, until the boy arches his back, gasping.

Madara can feel him hardening under him; he rubs it with his muscular thighs, as he licks and bites his pale throat for the first time. When he frees Sasuke's length and strokes it, slowly at first, then faster and firmer, the boy bites his arm, muffling his moans.

It's a shame that he doesn't like to be vocal, Madara thinks, anticipating the moment that he will make him scream.

He likes his young pliable body, that he bends and stretches to impossible angles just to enjoy the view before taking him.

Madara takes his time before fucking the boy.

There's no rush, and there are a lot of things the younger can learn before that.

When the time comes he gives Sasuke the same advice he gave for fighting, to focus on sensations, no matter if it's pain or pleasure, because each sensation is a proof that he is alive. That both are.

Being penetrated hurts more than the boy would have imagined; only thinking about the time he'll have his brother back makes it bearable.

The elder knows, that's why he makes it harder for him to dream of the future. He brings him back to the present moment by pounding him harder and harder.

Madara likes Sasuke indeed and he likes their relationship, so different from every other.

It's not like having a lover, who would demand more.

It's not like having a whore, who would be servile and aware of the intricacies of sex.

It's not like having a slave, who would be afraid of him.

It's more like having a son, an apprentice, a little brother all at once.

It's more like having a pet.


In the meantime, outside the Uchiha hidden territory, Sasuke threatened to destroy the old corrupt world and build a new one. He fought against Naruto, offering his life to his late brother, role model and ideal of what a real Hogake should be, only to be defeated and unexpectedly change his mind because of the other's words.

Nobody understood that the one who fought Naruto was not Sasuke but a Zetsu, with a copy of Madara's Rinnegan, who didn't care about any brother, who didn't care about being Hokage and changing the world, who didn't listen to a single word his opponent said because his only purpose was fulfilling the mission he was assigned.

The shinobi who left Konoha to walk a path of revenge returned only to leave it soon, on a journey of redemption, as suggested by Kakashi Hatake, who accepted to become Hokage to honor his friend, Obito, died in battle, fighting by his side. As Sasuke is about to leave, a woman asks him to come along, rejected.

Nobody understood that the one who smiled and poked Sakura's forehead was not Sasuke but a Zetsu, with a copy of Madara's Rinnegan. Not even her, because somehow, the creature who plays the role of her childhood crush treats her more gently than the original ever did, thus fueling her hopes for a future together.

Zetsu is good at acting indeed, but he can't stay in Konoha for long periods.

He needs to be alone so he can be himself.

He needs to connect with his fellow other Zetsu and to meet his maker.

He needs to feed, not the useless human food he ingested so far but what carnivore plants feed on: humans. His instinct tells him that there is plenty of travellers on the way to the Uchiha territory.


A/N:

One of the most satisfying things for me is to come up with the perfect scenario for a rare ship to happen.

Here Sasuke has been left by Itachi, the questions he started to develop, that later would be answered by the past Kage, have been answered by Madara instead, so he is still in a "destroy Konoha" mode. No rebuilding it. He just hates them for what they did to Itachi and took Madara's side who promised to bring Itachi back.

Unlike Orochimaru, who soon told Sasuke that he wanted his body as a vessel, Madara didn't say anything. He just let things evolve, Sasuke's trust evolve as well, before demanding something. His manipulation is smarter. There is a sort of affection too, anyway, because Sasuke is an Uchiha like him. Also, Madara is now immortal, so his priorities changed. His curiosity is more important now, his amusement even. He still wants peace and so on, but he is also a sort of trickster. I loved writing him. I reread the old manga chapters and he's definitely my favourite Naruto villain. He's really charming.

It is said that his hobby was falconry, and Sasuke likes animals and has a summon hawk so they surely would bond over them. And other things, because Sasuke respects strength and Madara's going by his own rules. He goes by his own rules too.

I think that Sasuke would do anything for Itachi. He was willing to give up his body to Orochimaru to defeat him, to have him back he would do even more. Also, I don't think that he would be ashamed or shy, he would do whatever it takes, as a task to be completed. Here he is mentally unstable and his "daddy issues" come to surface unexpected. Because yes, I think he has daddy issues.

And he's masochistic, not like he actively seeks pain or is an emo or anything like that, he's too pure for all that, but I think that his pain tolerance is higher than average. Not to mention physical pain is a way to numb the real inner pain he feels, just to name a few reasons. It's my own interpretation, I don't mean to impose it and I don't accept anyone saying it's wrong, being this a fanfiction.

Speaking of daddy issues again, Madara's canon quote when he stabbed Sasuke"In order to protect something one must sacrifice something else. Be it a friend, sibling or even my own child" takes a new layer of meaning here, I guess.

Also, there is some anti-ending in this fic. I can't help but think of alternate universes where canon has an explanation. This is one. I am a sci-fi fan and my favourite movies/books are those where reality itself is questioned because there are parallel universes/different timelines overlapping/ different realities/reality is just a projection or anything similar. I wrote about something similar for my fic In Dreams, this is another attempt.

(Oh, I implied Orosasu. It's almost canon for me. Like DanzoxItachi happening at least once. That was the subject of my fic The Will of Fire)