"…Naruto. Naruto. Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open and closed with a wince. Loud, dark throbbing pulsed through him, overbearing and nauseating.

Everything fucking hurt.

Everything –

"Naru-"

A loud, sickening sound of one flesh colliding with another and then hushed, choked breaths. Sobbing. Sakura was sobbing –

Naruto grimaced and forced himself to open his eyes.

The world was out of focus, spinning and shifting – Naruto's chest heaved as he threw up. The sour, disgusting taste overpowered his senses. He coughed and gasped for air, vomiting until his stomach was empty and his throat was sore.

Someone scoffed. "Gross."

Naruto's face was pushed up by a cold hand with an iron grip. His mouth was forced open, and something even colder – water – was poured down his throat, choking him.

He tried to swallow, but the overpour flooded his throat – he tried to free himself, gurgling and drowning –

The hand released him. "As dumb as a dog, I see," the voice drawled. "Why would anyone fight for you, I wonder?"

Naruto tried to resist the convulsions shooting through him, his lungs burning and every cell yelling at him to get away to run to flee –

Though still lightheaded, he opened his eyes and glared at the blurry figure in front of him.

The world slowly settled down, and Naruto clenched his jaw and managed to balance his weight on his aching legs. He was held up – tied by his wrists to a wooden beam that passed right above his head. Sakura sat on the floor at the far end of the room, sobbing and bleeding as she cradled an eagle against his chest. From the way his wing was twisted, Naruto figured it was broken.

There were about ten, no, thirteen men still standing, holding various weapons and smirking at him. And in front of him…

Naruto bared his teeth and hissed, "Let my friends go, you fuck."

The man chuckled, but the sound was angry and humorless. He wore a mask and a black suit that looked oddly expensive. He held a taser in his right hand and an empty water bottle in the other. His black hair was messy and knotted, yet the same shade as Sasuke's. He was –

Quick. His hand dropped the water bottle and tangled in Naruto's hair, pulling it back. His grip was unforgiving – Naruto felt blood dripping down his scalp when the man's nails bit into his skin. "After you broke in here and killed my men? I'm afraid not. I'm going to punish them. And you." His hold tightened. "I will teach you your proper place, Senjo."

Naruto managed a small, raw laugh. "Well, sucks to be you," he spat. "That's not my name."

The man tilted his head. "Oh? He did not tell you?" The man practically purred. "Of course he didn't. Kakashi is so good at keeping secrets, after all," he growled softly.

Naruto's blood drummed against his throat. Sensei – Sensei knew? Knew something – about him? And didn't – And why, he thought, resisting his fear, did he growl like a dog? Like my dog? Why –

The man took off his mask. His face was pale and thin and, were it not for the brutal grin that twisted his features, might have been handsome. His right eye was as red as Sasuke's, blazing furiously.

His left eye socket was sickeningly empty.

It was the wrong eye, he reassured himself. It was the wrong eye. He could not have been his dog. He could not –

The man released him from the chains.

Naruto jumped into action – kicking, biting, trying to free his wrist from the man's grip using every technique Gai taught him –

It was like fighting an iron claw. The man would not budge.

He laughed, and his underlings laughed with him. "Weak," he growled. "So weak. The proper place of a Senjo is below an Uchiha." He twisted Naruto's wrist and forced him down. He stepped on his back, crushing him against the cold floor. "This is where you'll stay until you are useless to me. And when you are," he snarled and broke Naruto's wrist.

Naruto cried out and sank his teeth into his lip, drawing blood. The world darkened with pain, but he had to stay awake. He had to resist. He had to fight –

"I'll kill you."

He tightened his hold on Naruto's wrist and dragged him across the floor. A pained scream escaped his lips before he could stop himself. He tried to resist, infuriated by the gleeful satisfaction emitted from the man, but failed. The jagged agony clouded his vision with tears and spasmed through his skull, weakening any urge he had to fight, to –

A sharp growl tore through the pained haze that overtook him. A deep growl, raw and menacing, that vibrated through his bones and shook the walls and –

Naruto opened his eyes, blinking away the tears, and found himself face to face with a cage. And inside the cage, beaten bloody and furious, crouched his dog.

Naruto lifted his unbroken hand and tried to reach him – the dog barked, perhaps in warning, because a jolt of pain shot through his body, leaving behind painful contractions and searing flashes.

The cage was electric.

And too fucking small for the dog.

"No," he gasped. "No. No! Let him go! He's just a dog! He didn't do anything to you! He – "

"Just a dog?" the man repeated slowly, then laughed. His voice cracked with glee and madness. "Just a dog!" His hold of Naruto's wrist tightened as the man pulled him up, his red eye glaring. "That's a wolf, you dumb brat."

Naruto yelled, agony and anger shooting through him, but the man ignored him.

"Though I suppose it is good he never told you. Makes this," he muttered to himself as he waved his hand, "all the more surprising. Did you figure it out yet?" he said to the dog. "Hmm? Well, I suppose we'll never know. This cage is your coffin. Pretty fitting for you, I'd say, since you tried to use my powers against me."

He turned to glare at Naruto, his red eye wide and maddened. "He stole from me, you see. He'll tell you he didn't but he did. I know he planned it. I know he wanted it." His free hand covered his red eye. "And now you brought me both a Senjo and my eye. I can be whole again." He pulled Naruto's hair, forcing his head up. "Look at me, Senjo. See what your beloved Sensei did to me."

Naruto winced and looked away. He scanned the men, searching for a weapon – a key – a way out.

"I said." His pull tightened, tearing his hair from his scalp. "Look at me!"

Naruto managed to open one eye, rage and pain burning through his mind. He stared at the cavity where the man's left eye should have been and smirked. "All I see is a missing eye and a hideous face. Sorry to tell ya, but the mask was an improvement."

The man smiled back, mimicking him, and slapped him.

The simple gesture shattered Naruto against the cold floor. His dog barked and growled, but Naruto could not think coherently.

The man was absurdly strong. Almost as strong as –

He laughed. The sound was sharp and jagged, mutilated by years of disuse. "And look, I even have a witness for my victory. I can train you," he leaned closer to Sasuke, ignoring Sakura's whimpering as she hugged the eagle closer to her chest. "Out family could rise again. We will – "

The eagle cawed balefully, his cry sharp and dismissive, and the man's twisted smile turned into a snarl. "He trained you. Him?!" he growled, pointing at the wolf. "He is not one of us. He will never be one of us. I am the only true Uchiha here. Me!" His one eye burned red, bulging with rage. "Itachi and I made sure of that. Yes we did. We – " he stopped, then turned to face the eagle again. "Your…? Ha! Coward! Fool! Traitor!" His initial glee turned to rage. "He lied! He tricked me! He – " He howled, growling and heaving. "We made a deal, you see. My grandfather found a Senjo. He showed me – only me – how to break him. How to use his blood to heal him. Us. He gave the Uchiha his blood willingly, but his powers were weak. Grandfather was sick; we drank him dry." He snarled. "So grandfather sent me to find another Senjo. A young one. Make him suffer, you see, fill him with helplessness until he'll know nothing but gratitude. It was an easy task. I knew a Senjo, you see. I hid him here; and killed his parents."

Naruto struggled to get up, frenzied hate pulsing through him. "You!" he roared. "You! You monster! I'll kill – "

The wolf barked, almost as if trying to get his attention.

Naruto didn't care. All he saw was red; all he wanted was to tighten his fingers around the man's neck and watch as the glee bled away, curdling into fear –

His mind was suddenly filled with warmth and grief and agony, a choked fear and an overwhelming sense of protection. It felt… like a hug.

That odd sensation was enough to silence him. He stared at his dog – the giant wolf – and tried to understand what just happened.

The crazed man ignored them. He kept talking, despite getting no answer, "Itachi said, he said grandfather was wrong. He said we needed a bond for the blood to really work, and that a bond was personal. Once it was formed, a Senjo could only heal his Uchiha. He told me others would find out about it and try to steal the Senjo. He said we needed to get rid of them. So we did. I still remember the look on grandfather's face the day I unhooked him from that Senjo's blood. He called me a failure," he whispered as his hand rose, slowly clawing at his face, carving red paths into his skin, "but I won. I won. And then your stupid brother tried to kill me." He laughed, fangs bared, as blood dripped along the deep gashes that curled around his eye. "So I killed him first!"

Sakura wrapped her hands around the eagle as the bird struggled, screeching and clawing in an attempt to free himself –

"No! No! Don't listen to him! He's just a crazy man! He – "

The man crouched, his grin sharp, and slapped her. Sakura fell onto the floor, one hand hugging the eagle while the other reached to block her fall – and curled in an odd position, as if swooping something toward her chest.

The man didn't notice. His smirk widened. "You can't even protect your girl, can you? Although, now that you know, I bet you'll drop her, won't you? In a heartbeat. Just for a taste of blood. Just like your traitorous older brother – he was not!" the man growled as he stood up, roaring at the wolf's cage. "A good man?! A good man wouldn't kill his own parents! No. He wanted the blood all for himself and for his little brother!"

The wolf growled back, the sound ferocious, and the smile faded from the wounded man's face. "A crow, stop a wolf?" he hissed. "Stop the Uchiha? No. He never tried to stop us. He used my strength until he ran out of tricks. And now he's dead and I am here. With my prize."

He spun and turned to face Naruto. His eye was merciless. Blood dripped down his cheek, right below his eye. For one, twisted moment, it looked as if he was crying blood.

Naruto's veins turned to ice. He was scared.

He was almost too scared to breathe.

His hair was pulled again, forcing his head up. "I will teach you your place," a voice said, growling against his ear.

Fear pulsed through his body, but he had to help his friends. He had to pull himself together. "Release them," he snapped back, tasting blood. He could not see clearly. "And maybe I'll listen."

The man raised his hand again – Naruto winced – but felt no pain. Instead, the hand that cupped his cheek guided him to look up –

The red eye that gazed at him held nothing but cold fury and madness. "You are not in a position where you can make any demands, Senjo." And he bowed down, closing the distance between them, and licked the blood that trailed across his cheek.

Naruto's fear spiked. The wet sensation stirred something primal within him – he kicked and pushed and fought with every ounce of strength he had left –

And nothing. The man was built too strongly to be resisted. He huffed, licking his lips, and bared his teeth. "I'll make you mine, Senjo," he growled and sank his teeth into his own finger.

Naruto stared, eyes wide and horrified, as the man's mouth filled with blood which then dripped unto his clothes and his neck. He forced Naruto's jaw open and shoved his bleeding finger into his mouth. "Swallow, you cunt, or I'll break every bone in your pretty friend's body."

Naruto choked, repulsed by the warm, coppery flavor that was too salty and disgusting and wrong – by that finger that shoved itself so deep into his throat –

His eyes watered. He wanted to throw up.

The man looked up and indicated with his head for one of his men to move –

Naruto swallowed the blood and the bile, wishing he were anywhere but here, wishing that Sensei would come already and save him –

His dog roared. The deep sound failed to ease Naruto's frayed nerves. His panic shot through him – masking the pain – he fought and fought, trying to free himself with everything he had.

The man lifted his broken wrist and covered the limb with blood. He smiled.

"Stop. Stop!" Naruto stared, sickened to his very bones, and tried to pull away. "Lemme go! Lemme – "

Slowly, the glee faded from the man's one eye and blazed into fury. "It's not working," he muttered. "Why isn't – I did the rite. We exchanged blood. We – " He kicked Naruto away from him.

Naruto curled, trying and failing to breathe. His lungs collapsed.

"You!" the man roared. "You bonded with him, didn't you?!" he screamed at the wolf. "You fake – you hypocrite! You thief! I was supposed to find him!" he roared, chest heaving, rage all but foaming at his mouth. "It was my idea! Mine! I was supposed to save him from his pathetic little existence, weigh his thanks in blood!"

The man started pacing, still screaming at the caged wolf. His eye, red and deranged, bulged from its socket.

"When I first heard he hired a goon, I thought nothing of it. Nothing of it," he muttered, as if talking to himself. "I thought he needed a lesson, that's all. Yes. Yes. Just a lesson. But you are sneaky… yes… always were. There was a moment I thought you abandoned him, let him run by himself into the forest. Spread his scent all over the path of the big bad wolf." He snarled. "I should've killed you then. You were so busy treating his fucking knees – bandaging a Senjo – I should've ripped your throat." He sneered at the wolf, baring his fangs. "I had to take a more drastic measure, you see. Teach him what it means to play with fire." His eye darkened with spite. "But I played right into your hands. You used that chance," he spat, raising his voice, "to take him away! You thief! You take and you take and you –" And he kicked the cage.

The savage blow rattled the structure, forcing the wolf to stumble into the electrical bars. The wolf growled, but his eyes remained cold and calculative, betraying not an ounce of pain.

Naruto, slowly, started crawling away, despite the pain that meant his ribs were probably broken. Heart hammering, he kept searching for a weapon, any weapon, with which he could attack the crazy man while he was busy screaming at an animal. Animals don't understand human speech, asshole, he thought, remembering the time Sensei gave him a ride home…

He had to focus. He had to find Sensei. He had to save him.

The man stopped. He laughed. "But no more. You will die here, tonight. You – " He turned around.

Naruto looked up, eyes wide, and fear, raw and primal, shivered through him when his gaze was met with the man's crazed red eye.

A hand tangled in his hair and forced his head up. Again. "I told you," the man whispered, "what I'll do to you, if you're useless to me."

His eye burned redder –

The sound of a gunshot –

His dog jumped in front of him, lunged at the man's throat, and sank in his teeth –

The man screamed, gurgling blood, and punched the dog's nose. He stumbled away, clawing at his throat, while the dog – no, wolf – crouched in front of Naruto and bared his teeth.

Sasuke, now human, kept shooting while Sakura rushed forward and grabbed Naruto's arm, pulling him up. "Let's go, Naruto," she whispered, her face glistening with tears. "Let's go!"

The sound of growls and barks filled the room. Eight dogs – Sensei's dogs – rushed through the door and jumped on the men attacking them, teeth bared in a snarl as they sank their fangs into necks and limbs. The dogs closed around them, protecting them and trying to push them toward the door.

The same door Sakura was trying to lead him to. It took him a while to realize he was resisting her. "No," he choked. "Not without my dog – "

"Sensei said to get out," Sasuke snarled. "Shoot the cage and leave. We gotta leave, now, while he buys us time!"

"No," Naruto reached out with his hand – as Sakura pulled him away – "We gotta save my dog! We gotta find Sensei! We –"

Nothing made sense. Nothing Sasuke said made any sense.

There were too many of them. Too many men blocking the exit and the front and surrounding his dog –

The beast snarled and fought, sinking teeth and claws into necks and chests, shattering bones and tearing open muscle and flesh and always standing between them and the still gurgling man. The beast who had one red eye, just like Sasuke's…

"Where's Sensei?" Naruto whispered, pulling on Sakura's arm. "Where. Where…."

The look she gave him was far too knowing. She winced and bit her lip and led him away – two men appeared in front of them, holding up weapons and ready to fight –

A kick hit one of them in the back while a punch knocked down the other. A green blur joined the fight, punching and kicking and yelling…

Gai, Naruto thought, half dazed. Gai found them. Gai could save them. Gai –

Gai grabbed Sasuke and lifted him in his arms. "To the exit, you brash idiots! Get out!"

"N-no," Naruto gasped. "Gai! Sensei is still – "

"I got Yamato, don't you worry," Gai reassured him. "Let's go – "

"Not him, Kakashi!" Naruto yelled, pushing himself out of Sakura's grip. "We gotta find him, too!"

Gai hesitated. He turned back, glancing at the wolf. The wolf turned his head to face him and snarled.

"I don't think he wants our help," Gai muttered. "Let's get you out of here, and then I'll come back for him, all right? I promise, Naruto – "

"That's not good enough! I gotta – "

"He's right, you know," hissed a voice, deep and gravely and barely human. "When you come back, there'll be nothing for you to find." The man stood up, gripping at his throat. "Let me show you, Senjo, the real power of the Sharingan."

The man roared – his clothes tore – and where he stood, now crouched a giant wolf, as black as night.

He was bigger than the white wolf. His fangs were larger as were his claws. Saliva and blood dripped from his mouth. He pounced.

The white wolf shifted, evaded him, and clawed at his side. He jumped again, sinking his teeth into his neck –

The black wolf roared, shrugged, and knocked the white wolf against the wall. He sprinted and jumped on him, sinking his teeth into his throat –

"No!" Naruto yelled, running forward blindly –

But the white wolf snarled and clawed at the black wolf's remaining eye, causing him to stumble backward – and resuming his attack.

His white fur was mangled and bloody and his steps were hesitant. Despite the ferocious growl and his evasive moves, he was losing this fight.

Naruto picked up a gun with a shaky hand. He could not think. His heart pumped too quickly, his head swam, and his body trembled uncontrollably, but he had to – he had to –

"No! Naruto!" Sakura grabbed his shoulder. "We can't – "

"Naruto," growled Sasuke, still cradled in Gai's arms. "Naruto, listen to me. Just listen."

"No," Naruto breathed. He tried to lift the gun and aim, but his hand was too unsteady. "You don't understand. I can't let him kill my dog. I can't – "

"I know that!" Sasuke hissed furiously. "Put it down! You'll hurt Hata-you'll hurt your dog. Just listen," he ordered, his voice half a beg, "I figured it out. The Senjo part – I figured it out."

Sakura pulled on Naruto's arm and helped him up. Only then did he notice he was slowly sliding toward the floor. "What – what are you talking about, Sasuke?" she demanded.

"I'll explain later," the teen answered curtly. "Naruto, you must focus on your love – "

The black wolf closed his jaw on the white wolf's leg with a sickening crushing sound. The white wolf tore his ear open, biting where he could and trying to free himself, but the black wolf was relentless –

"Listen!" Sasuke shouted. "Naruto! Focus on your love for the dog – for Sensei – and touch the black wolf. You must think about how much you want to save him – you must be motivated by love."

Naruto stared, tears overcoming his better judgment. "But how – how –"

"It's the only way to undo the Sharingan," Sasuke muttered and pulled Gai's shirt. "Create a diversion for him. Now."

The man looked at him, conflicted –

Naruto had no time for that. He did not have to focus on something that became a part of him. He promised the dog he'd save him, and he still had to rescue Sensei… he ran.

The black wolf released the white wolf's leg – which he almost tore off – and pinned him down, growling at him, dripping blood unto his once white fur. He tore his ear with his claws and bared his fangs and –

Naruto grabbed the black, torn ear and tried to pull his head away by sinking his fingers into the holes the white wolf created. He wanted to hurt him; he wanted to tear him apart; he wanted –

But then the white wolf looked at him and his eyes, glazed with pain, suddenly widened with fear that seemed almost human. He was afraid for him, not for himself. The notion echoed within Naruto's chest, blooming within him like the sun, echoing the warmth he felt when he woke up after being burned by the flames and Sensei was there, caressing his hair…

Naruto felt hot. He closed his eyes and held on, hugging the black beast's head and trying to force him away from his dog's torn neck. I love you, he thought as he held on with everything he had. You were always there for me. I won't let you die. I love you. Images of Sensei flooded his mind, easing the pain that shuddered through him. The heat intensified, enveloping him in a strange cocoon of golden light, and all he could feel was Sensei. Sensei's voice encouraging him. His gentle fingers caressing his hair. His strong arms carrying him when he could not carry himself…

Something changed and shifted in his arms. He opened his eyes, and the golden heat faded away.

The black wolf's head shrank. It was no longer a beast but a normal-sized wolf. A wolf who was furious at having his torn ear mangled further by his fingers – he growled and bared his teeth, aiming for his neck –

The white wolf – no longer pinned down – clawed at his face and shoved him against the wall. He snarled – and the black wolf, now three times smaller than the white one, yelped and fled, his tail tucked between his legs.

Naruto, exhausted, fell to his knees. The adrenaline left him trembling and weak and pained, unable to stand. Pain pulsed through him, sinking his jagged teeth into his marrow with every beat of his trembling heart. Still, he lifted his hand as the world blurred again and caressed his wolf's fur.

His body stumbled forward, ready to crash onto the floor, but landed on something warm and soft.

The wolf caught him. He nuzzled at his neck and pulled on his shirt, trying to guide him to lean on his chest. He whined quietly as he licked his hair, easing the pain burning from his scalp.

Naruto grabbed his reddish fur with his fist and pulled himself closer to the wolf. "Told ya I'd save you," he mumbled. He snuggled in his lap and gripped the wolf's mangled throat, trying and failing to stop the flow of his blood. "Please don't die," he whispered as he buried his face in the wolf's fur. "Please. I need you."

He was too exhausted to cry. His wrist throbbed relentlessly and his ribs hurt and his heart beat too goddamn fast – he closed his eyes and breathed in the wolf's scent and, for a moment, allowed himself to feel safe.

The wolf dipped his paw in his own blood and awkwardly touched his chest and Naruto breathed deeper, easier, as his ribs ceased to burn. He leaned closer.

"Bleed on his wounds, Naruto," Sasuke commanded, his voice taut. "He won't make it if you don't."

Naruto opened his eyes and sat up – and his heart raced again when he noticed how glazed the wolf's eyes were. He bit his finger – until he drew blood – and held the wolf's mangled throat.

"Don't die," he choked, his voice broken and desperate. "Don't you dare, you hear me? Don't you dare."

The wolf glanced at him, his mismatched eyes both ardent and pained, and growled softly. He bowed his head and sank his teeth into Naruto's sleeve, lifting his broken hand as gently as he could. Naruto winced and cried out, shivering violently, so the wolf placed his broken hand on his paw and licked it, smearing blood on the purplish skin –

And Naruto stared, eyes wide with disbelief, as the wolf's blood turned to gold and his skin paled and healed. His hand no longer hurt.

"Are you," he asked quietly, hesitating when the wolf met his eyes, "magic, or something?"

The wolf rumbled. It almost kind of sounded like a chuckle. He guided his second hand away from his neck and tried to lick it, as well.

Naruto pulled his still bleeding hand away and gripped the wolf's torn paw that barely held on to the rest of his body. "I'm not done," he muttered. "I'll get you better." He hugged the wolf's head with his now unbroken hand, trying to soothe the weak, pained trembles that shook him.

He bit his hand again, drawing more blood, and dripped the red liquid directly over the torn limb.

The wolf lay his head on Naruto's thigh obediently and looked away. His breath quickened, so Naruto eased his hold. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

The rest of the dogs closed around them, whining and licking the wolf's many wounds. The wolf licked them back, greeting them with a soft rumble and a forehead touch.

Naruto caressed his bloodied fur. "You know Sensei's dogs?" he asked quietly, a soft smile dancing on his lips. "You never told me! The plan was to overtake the alpha spot, remember?" He hugged the wolf closer and summoned Bull with his free hand. "Hey, we need to find Sensei. Can you smell him? Tell me where he is?"

The dog tilted his head, then bowed it, sniffing the wolf. He did not move, just looked up questioningly. Pakkun barked and sat in the wolf's lap, licking his bleeding jaw.

A soft hand landed on his shoulder. "Naruto, we need to go," Sakura said. Her voice trembled. "Can you pick him up?"

Naruto shook his head. "We're not done," he objected, staring at the torn paw that somehow reattached to the wolf's leg. "We need to find Sensei. We came here to do that, and – "

"Naruto," whispered Sakura. "This…." She gestured at the wolf, who sat up, ears pulled down against his skull. "You're Sensei, right?" she asked the beast, her voice careful and hesitant.

Naruto stared at her instead. "Sakura," he said slowly. "That's my dog. Well, wolf, I guess. There's no way that – "

Sakura's voice was even slower. "The eye… That's the same as Sasuke's and that… that freak that ran to God knows where. And they… well, they transformed. And – "

"No," Naruto objected. His heart hammered painfully against his chest. "No. He would've told me." He ignored the bitter taste that flooded his mouth and sank into his marrow.

The look Sakura gave him was pitiful. He hated that look. He hated that foul, cold sensation that settled like frost within his chest.

He felt dizzy.

"No," he repeated quietly, as if to himself. "He would've told me."

The wolf got up, testing his newly healed leg, and Sakura jumped back when she realized how large he was. He closed his mouth around Naruto's fingers, licking the torn skin, and grumbled when the wound disappeared. He looked up.

"More are coming," Sasuke muttered suddenly, leaning against the wall, his hand tied in a makeshift cast Sakura must have made for him. "We need to go."

Gai nodded. "Kakashi, take the kids. I'll take care of the rest." He winced. "That is, if you don't mind lending me your dogs."

The wolf barked, and all eight dogs rushed to Gai's side.

Sakura ran to help Sasuke, wrapping his arm around her neck, but Naruto refused to move.

"No! We came to save Sensei! I'm not leaving – "

The wolf snarled, the sound rough and impatient, and sank his teeth into Naruto's sleeve, forcing him to stumble forward – and caught him with his back. He shifted and rose, balancing Naruto on his back, and ran out of the hideout.

His pace was not as fast as it was the last time Naruto rode on his back, and yet –

"Oi!" Naruto growled and pulled on his wounded ear, releasing a furious snarl from the beast. "I'm not leaving without Sensei! So you better stop!"

The wolf growled and kept running and did not stop. His teeth were still embedded in Naruto's sleeve, ensuring the teen had to ride close to his back.

Naruto wasn't having it.

He took off the shirt and jumped off, rolling on the floor – slick with blood – and tried to run back inside –

And ran into Sasuke and Sakura.

"Stop it, Naruto!" snapped Sasuke, glaring at him. "You're acting like an idiot." He removed his hand from Sakura's neck and gripped his hair instead. "I know you know," he muttered quietly. "Running around and getting yourself killed won't change that."

Naruto pushed him away. There were too many hands – too many people touched his hair today. His body ached with pain that throbbed deep within his chest when everything that did not make sense – everything he tried to pretend was just dumb luck or Sensei's insane observational skills or sheer coincidence – finally fell into place.

Everything, he realized, was one big fucking lie.

The world slowed down.

His senses, for a moment, ceased to work. He could not hear. He could not see. All he could feel was the beating of his heart, aching with rage –

Something nudged his shoulder, something soft and warm and wrong –

Naruto turned around, spinning in place, and punched the wolf's jaw as hard as he could. His chest heaved as he roared, furious and raging and –

Crying.

The wolf stumbled back, his eyes wide, and ran into the forest.

"Great," muttered Sakura. "You scared away Sensei." Her voice was quiet. "Why are you this upset, Naruto? You didn't even blink when Sasuke turned into an eagle. Why...?"

"Drop it, Sakura," mumbled Sasuke. "That's none of our business." He clasped Naruto's shoulder. "Get yourself together. We need to go."

Naruto nodded, wiping his eyes and screaming his rage through locked lips. He grabbed Sasuke's unbroken arm and wrapped it around his neck. "You and Sakura ride the bike. I – "

A car zoomed past and stopped in front of them.

A beaten-looking car that could go up to two hundred fifty miles per hour.

Sensei's car.

Sensei –

The man rushed out of the driver's seat and picked Sasuke up – despite the teen's protests – and placed him in the back seat. He called Sakura's name, and the girl ran to the other side, helping balance the teen against her.

He turned around and looked at him –

And Naruto could not breathe.

He wore a simple pair of sweatpants and nothing else. His body was dirty and beaten, purplish and black and bleeding. Deep claw marks tore his shoulders and ribs. His neck was bruised and swollen and covered with teeth marks that looked tender as if recently healed. Because they were recently healed.

He limped – clearly favoring his right – and one of his ears was bleeding. His silver hair was a mess as well, covered with crusted blood and knotted.

The right side of his jaw was bruised – right where Naruto punched him – and his eyes, both the red and the black, looked pained. And guilty.

Naruto's blood boiled. He turned around, stomping away from the car and the man he was, up until a few moments ago, willing to risk his life for. The man who was his everything. The man was –

Nothing but a fucking liar.

He picked up his shirt – the one with the torn sleeve – and donned it. For some reason, he felt ashamed.

A hand gripped his shoulder, the touch strong and familiar, and his rage burned into a panic. "No!" he screamed, using every ounce of his strength to free himself and blinking, almost surprised when it worked. His chest heaved as he looked up, meeting the man's wide eyes, and glowered in response. "Don't you dare use that-that Sharingan power on me. Don't you dare. You liar."

He knew he was crying again but could not bring himself to care. The man's eyes – full of pain and regret and shame – did not appease him.

"You fucking liar," he accused, but his voice came out broken and soft. He clenched his fists and refused to back down. "Take Sasuke to the hospital and fuck off. I'm not dealing with you ever again. You can take your fucking apartment and bedsheets and whatever and-and-and – "

"By staying here, you are risking your life and everyone else's," the man interrupted. His voice was raw and hoarse. "Get in the car, now."

The tortured sound almost made Naruto listen. Almost. "No," he snarled. "You can't make me – "

"I can, and I will." The man's voice was quiet, but his eyes – his eyes were a wall. Naruto could no longer tell what he was thinking. "Your life is more important than your anger, Naru-"

"Don't you dare." His voice displeased him. It was cracked and weak, not strong and commanding. He wiped his cheeks. "Don't you fucking dare."

The man raised his hand, his expression torn, but Naruto evaded his touch and entered the car. He crossed his arms and tried to stop his tears.

"Naruto…" Sakura started, but Sasuke silenced her.

Good. He did not want to talk to them. He did not want to talk to anyone.

The man entered the car and drove them away. He did not insist on a seat belt this time. "Sakura, do you need a ride home?"

Sakura gasped when she heard his voice. "N-no," she stammered. "I told my parents I'm sleeping at Ino's," she confessed. "I want to stay with Sasuke."

The man nodded and said nothing more. He parked the car near the apartment complex, exited, and picked Sasuke up in his arms, despite the teen's claims that he did not need help and that the man's limp made him dizzy.

The man did not let him go. He lowered him gently to the sofa, then grabbed his medical kit. He sat next to him and gave him a shot to ease the pain, then set his arm by wrapping it in a strangely smelling bandage that hardened over time.

Sakura rushed inside, quick to grab Sasuke's unbroken hand and hold it in her lap, but Naruto hesitated.

He glanced at his door and suddenly realized no one was waiting on the other side; his apartment was empty. Always was.

He clenched his fists. Waiting for him, running to the door when he came home… even that was a lie. No one ever waited for him.

Still, he slowly entered the man's apartment and closed the door behind him. His fingers trembled, torn between rage and helplessness. He edged toward the sofa, stubbornly refusing to glance in the man's direction.

"Shouldn't we go to the hospital?" Sakura asked quietly. "I mean, you're all in bad shape."

The man shook his head. "The X-ray will reveal his bones are weaker than those of a teen his age," he managed, his voice breaking at times. He handed Sakura a jar and a set of bandages. "For the bruises. Do you need help?"

Sakura shook her head. She accepted the jar, hesitating, and glanced at Naruto.

Naruto glared, anger seething from his very bones. "You knew," he accused. "You all knew."

Sasuke looked up, paler than usual. "Just me, Naruto. Stop freaking out."

Naruto saw red. Did he think it was some kind of a joke? Did the two of them just gossip about the rest of them clueless humans? Did he think it was fucking funny?! His fists tightened, knuckles white –

Sasuke swallowed. "Just – just listen. Don't – "

"I don't want to hear anything from you," Naruto roared, tense and ready to fight. "Let him talk. You owe me a fucking – you know what? No, I don't care," he bit. "Nothing could excuse what you did. You lied to me. You – "

"Well, he can't talk unless you choose to heal him," Sasuke intervened. "And he's not an Uchiha, so I bet even he doesn't know what happened tonight."

Naruto paced around the apartment, too furious to stand still. "What the fuck is so important about your last name, huh?" he snapped.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That's what I'm trying to tell you, you ass. The Uchiha are special because the Senju made them special."

Naruto gripped his hair and pulled. Anything to distract him from the feeling of the man's eyes focusing on him. "What. The fuck. Is a Senju."

"Your ancestors, apparently," Sasuke uttered. "Shut up and listen. I told you I did some reading, right? The Uchiha has an extensive library that explains who we are and how we got there."

"I don't care about your fucking history – "

"I said, shut up!" Sasuke hissed. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "About six hundred years ago, a Senju and an Uchiha fell in love," he snapped, his voice brittle with pain. "That was back in the Sengoku period, so they didn't have much hope of surviving together. Because of that, the Senju gave her Uchiha lover the power to turn into a beast, so he could protect them. They formed a bond – that way, they knew if one of them was in trouble and could heal the other if necessary. They used what was called the 'rite of blood.'"

Naruto swallowed. He stared at his newly healed wrist. "Like… like what that freak tried to do to me?" he mumbled. "But it didn't work. He just bled all over the place."

He remembered the sickening sensation of a finger being pushed where it did not belong, choking him with its blood and the cruelty of its touch –

He could feel the man's eyes shooting up and focusing on him, so he pointedly looked away and swallowed the bile in his throat. He did not want to throw up in front of him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That's why I told you to listen! The books – and that man – got it all wrong. I figured it out tonight. The book said that the Senju gave the Uchiha the power only in time of need, and they took it away any other time. My family thought the Senju tried to control the Uchiha that way – taking away their beast when it suited them – because they hated and feared the Uchiha. But that… that didn't work, did it?" He huffed. "If it did, you would have taken away that man's power when he touched you, or the bond would've formed because of the rite, regardless of your feelings. If my family were right and blood was all it took… why would the book mention the first Senju gave power to her lover?"

Naruto stared at the wall, his mind blank and his heart drumming painfully. His anger returned when Sakura gasped.

"Is this a guessing game or something?" he demanded, still furious, and refused to look at the man who suddenly got up and walked to the farthest end of the room.

Sasuke scoffed in frustration, so Sakura mumbled, "It was love, wasn't it?" She sat closer to Sasuke and caressed his hair. "I mean, who would've wanted to see the person they love become… anything like that man did today?"

Naruto snorted. "Cut the sappy bullshit," he muttered, his voice hollow. The sound rang foreign even to his ears. "I didn't bond with a fucking dog."

The dark-haired teen looked distinctly uncomfortable. His eyes flickered to the back, where that other man stood and kept his silence. "The book detailed various kinds of love," he coughed. "Parental… and step-siblings, and…."

"What about pets?" Naruto bit.

He knew he was cruel. He knew he wasn't fair. He knew they all knew how he truly felt… and that knowledge bled within him like molten lead. Every part of him hurt.

Sasuke didn't answer, which only pissed him off more. He glared at the wall, furious – and noticed the picture he drew. The one of a sunrise. The one that was his favorite –

He marched toward it, tore the frame from the wall, and snapped it against his knee.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried. "What are you doing?!"

Glass shards shattered all around him, but Naruto didn't care. He ripped the drawing out of the broken frame, bleeding fingers be damned, and shredded it again and again and again until nothing was left but bloody confetti. He roared, chest heaving, and looked up, facing a small crater he sure as hell didn't make.

He huffed, the sound bitter. "That's why you hung up my drawings," he said slowly, his voice dripping poison. "You just need something to cover up your shit."

The man still did not say anything.

Naruto could feel his eye – no, eyes on him – but refused to meet his gaze.

He walked to the next drawing.

"Naruto, stop!" Sakura ran and grabbed his hand. "I know you're upset now, but you'll regret it later."

Naruto freed his hand. His body shook with rage. "I'm not upset," he seethed, "and the only thing I regret is giving him – " His voice broke. He looked up – despite every fiber of his being telling him not to – and met the man's eyes.

The man looked pained, more pained than he had any right to be, as his breath shuddered across his lips. He swallowed with difficulty, clenched his jaw, and looked down.

He still favored his right.

Naruto scoffed and wiped his eyes in one furious gesture. Let him suffer. He did not deserve his blood. He did not –

Sakura balanced on her toes, wrapped one hand around his neck and another around his shoulders, and gently pulled him down, hugging him close. She was careful not to touch his hair.

Naruto closed his eyes and smelled her – copper and cherry – and held her just as tightly. She was covered in blood, he noted. And it was all his fault. If he hadn't insisted they'd go and save Sen-that man…

"Did you know?" asked Sasuke, his voice quiet. "About any of this?"

"I knew what a Senju was," rasped a hoarse voice that flashed within Naruto's body like lightning. "Itachi explained the basics. I did not know the rest."

"My brother?" Sasuke demanded. "Why – "

"He asked me to introduce you. Should I find someone like that."

Naruto's heart drummed hollow as he hid his face in the nape of Sakura's neck. So that was all that he was to him? Some chew toy to bring to Sasuke? Some fucking project –

"You didn't tell me," Sasuke objected.

"Some members of your family hunted the Senju. I thought it would be better to keep this a secret."

"Keep me for yourself," Naruto snapped, looking up and tearing into the man that stood as far away from him as he could. "You did the blood thing. S'probaly nice, right? To save up on all those hospital bills – "

The man's head jumped up as he met his gaze. His expression was hurt – which wasn't fair. He had no right to be hurt. After everything he did, he had no right –

"It was an accident," the man replied quietly. "I did not know about the blood ritual. It was never my intention – "

"Liar!" Naruto ripped himself free from Sakura's embrace and tried to close the distance between them, maybe even punch him, had Sakura not grabbed his hand and held on with all her might. "I never drank your blood! You did something! You – "

"We're not vampires," Sasuke interrupted, annoyed. "The blood rite talks about an exchange of blood. It's not… whatever that man did to you was just an interpretation. No one tried to bond with a Senju for centuries, so his guess was as good as any." He swallowed. "He was wrong, clearly."

Naruto clenched his bleeding fists and glared at the man. "It's all your fault," he rasped. "Sasuke thought you came here to save us. That it was too much of a coincidence that my family died and I ended up here, right next to the last Uchiha. And then you came along." Naruto looked up, furious. "Fighting a black wolf without a left eye." His voice simmered with rage. "What that man said – did you have a change of heart at the last moment? Did the two of you run some sort of long con, waiting for me to become desperate – "

"I did not know about his plan," the man snapped. His voice was cold and empty. He looked up – and his eyes stormed – the red and the black. "I do not know how you got here. I came to help Sasuke with his transformations. I told you, I thought you were dead –"

"Liar! Why should I believe any fucking thing that comes out of your mouth?! Even that-that man called you a liar!" Naruto cried, taking a savage delight as his blood spilled all over the place. He did not offer to give it to the man who needed it even once.

The man did not answer immediately. He raked his fingers through his blood-crusted hair. "That man, Obito, was supposed to be dead," he said quietly. His voice was still torn and broken. Blood trickled down his neck. "I witnessed his murder. I thought – "

He fell quiet.

Sakura released Naruto's hand and filled a glass with water. She crossed the distance to the man, slow and hesitant, and offered him the cup. "Who was he, Sensei?" she asked quietly.

Naruto scoffed, sneering at her words.

The man accepted the cup and drank. He coughed – and tainted the water pink.

Sakura turned to look at him, but Naruto did not move, so the girl faltered and did not ask.

"He was my friend," the man said quietly. "An Uchiha. I thought… I saw his grandfather kill him."

"That's how you got your eye?" Sasuke asked. His voice was strange, torn between accusation and understanding.

The man clenched his jaw. "I told you, I did not get the eye," he muttered. "I wasn't asked."

"But – "

The man's hand twitched, and the glass shattered in his palm. He looked up, and Sasuke fell silent.

Naruto bit his lower lip. He could feel the man's pain as if it was his own, emanating from his hunched muscles and tense shoulders – fuck him. He deserves that. "So how did that happen?" he insisted, digging into the man's suffering. "Was this like, an eye transplant gone wrong? Or – "

"They cut out my eye and transplanted Obito's instead," the man snarled. "They ripped it out of his skull to put it in mine. We were wide awake. Obito screamed and begged them to stop. His grandfather did not even flinch." His eyes, both of them, bore into Naruto's soul.

No. That couldn't be right. That couldn't –

He remembered all those times he avoided speaking about his past. His eye. He was probably barely ten years old when it happened. He always thought it was an accident. He never imagined –

He never imagined something this horrible as a man ripping out the eye of a child and replacing it with another. And the man said he was awake. He remembered.

The man clenched his fists. "Your father is the only reason he did not rip out my other eye." He swallowed with difficulty. "He saved me, but Obito's body was never found. We thought…."

Naruto stepped back, pinned against the wall by the man's anger. By his anguish.

He had never heard him open up and talk about his past; not like that, never like that. That was something he clearly kept to himself, his own silenced burden, his own form of torture.

His eyes penetrated him, wide and raw and raging and grieving, and Naruto realized, belatedly, that he was crying.

The man must have realized it, too, for he looked away and allowed Naruto the privacy he needed to wipe his eyes.

His own eyes shone, just for a moment, too brightly.

Sasuke hesitated, then uttered quietly, "I suspected it for some time now… that you were one of Madara's experiments. I read about them; he had a whole lab… filled with eyeballs. Everyone in the family followed him. Like a cult. That's why…." He looked away. "I bet that's why my brother did what he did. He tried to stop the cycle of violence."

Sakura gulped. "So why…." She stepped closer and held Sasuke's unbroken hand. "Why bring Naruto to you?"

Sasuke shrugged, then laughed. The sound was bitter and sharp. "Maybe to get the Uchiha out of me? All I know is what he recorded in the archives. He didn't leave any guidelines for the future."

Naruto scoffed and looked away. "Well, tough luck for you. I don't love anything right now," he muttered. He opened the door, walked outside, and shut it behind him.

He entered the apartment the man had given him.

He thought of that man – of his dog, who used to comfort him – of how much he knew and how much he did not tell him, collapsed against the wall, and cried.


Notes


Soo… yep. A lot of exposition – I hope I answered your questions! There are a few more loose ends I didn't explain yet, so if you still have any questions left, ask, and either I'll answer in a comment or, if I didn't answer it, I'll fix the fic to make sure the answer is there somewhere.

Two things I wasn't sure if they were clear or not – the first, Sakura grabbed the gun that freed Kakashi *clever girl* and the second – the Uzumaki mentioned in Obito's tale in Nagato. Figured I'd give him an indirect mention.

Speaking of awkward love confessions… I wanted to split them, but sadly Sasuke has all the info, and also I don't think anyone was truly surprised by that revelation. There will be more exposition (and lots of angst) in the chapters to come, but we're getting closer to the happy ending, I promise!

That's it! Hope you don't hate me and that I'll see you guys again next Friday!