The next two days were filled with rainy conditions and fishing. It was foggy, but the open sea allowed us to fish to our hearts content. The majority of what we caught was released back to the ocean, but one or two salmon were caught, and we couldn't resist the sushi! The weather refused to clear and by day three the rain had only gotten heavier, and the waves were getting huge, so big that we had to all pitch in to keep the boat and cargo safe from being flushed out.

Yamato had sealed off the storage after moving some supplies inside in order to keep us fed and hydrated. The food was rationed, and the rest was stocked away with a very thick layer of wood protecting it.

Guy was suffering in his cabin, useless, unfortunately. Sasuke took turns tending to him and unflooding the cabins. Itachi had to navigate us since he could look around without needing eyes, having taught himself when he was blind. While doing this, I was maintaining the sails and shouting to Yamato any time something got damaged by a hard-hitting wave. I was at full strength again, so I didn't struggle as badly with the harder hitting waves. They still hurt, and my clothes got so soaked that I resorted to being barefoot with a pair of shorts on. No shirt or socks or anything else.

I was among the large number of clones on deck, pulling a rope taught in order to keep the sails up. Once we were over this wave, I'd have to close them and repeat the process as I've been doing. Itachi was navigating us on the safest waves, and my other clones shouted for repairs.

The ship faced upward, and if I wasn't using chakra to keep still, I would have fallen straight into the sea. I winced as I held onto ropes, trying not to let my grip slip by using chalra to cling to this, too. Every ounce of wood groaned lowly as we slowly leveled out. At this point, I shot forward, sweating but cooled by the salty spray and rain. The rope yanked the sail closed. As the ship dove down the wave, I flew forward off the ground and used my motion to wrap the thick rope around the sail and mast with four other clones, tying it up so we didn't have to open it again.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" I shouted over the roaring winds.

"YAMATOOO!" I heard my voice shout out somewhere. "THERE'S A CRACK!"

"COMING!" Yamato called from somewhere else.

I grunted when I hit the post, holding it as the ship rocked and leveled out. The swaying began to make me feel a little motion sick. I covered my mouth and drew in a few breaths before calming myself down. I landed on the deck and gave control to all of my clones before making my way over to where Itachi was focusing, steering the ship.

He was steering with his eyes closed, most likely, focused, and quiet. I moved beside him and leaned against the railing, holding on tightly as the ship swayed. I couldn't see his face due to the daytime outfit, but I was content with his presence.

He seemed a little different after the attack from Kisame. I couldn't quite place the difference, but he was definitely acting like he was hiding something. Maybe it was quilt? Or perhaps he just felt bad about killing a former partner in crime? He didn't say anything about the topic, so I didn't push an answer from him. On top of this, Yamato has been short with Itachi since he woke up and hasn't been interacting with him much. Itachi paid it no mind, but it was beginning to bother me immensely.

I was nervous, too, and uneasy, considering I hadn't had an episode since coming on this ship. I nearly did while fighting Kisame, but I couldn't pay a single mind to it at the time due to my life being on the line. It was a weird feeling of impending doom as I waited quietly for the next one to occur. I didn't speak about my uneasiness, but I had faith that my friends would prevent me from doing anything bad if I had one.

Itachi hasn't bitten me since before the fight with Kisame. That was a little over five days ago, and I was getting worried. I knew he could go a long bit before being driven mad, but at what point does he really start struggling? I don't know. When I knew him as Shi, I never saw him drink blood or struggle up until the trip to the land of iron. But when he had eaten before then, I had no clue.

We also never talked about it.

Damn, I'm not very attentive.

I frowned to myself as I watched Itachi focus. I feel guilty for not being able to understand him better than I already did. Maybe this trip can give us a chance to get closer. I set my mind on getting to know Itachi better at that moment, determined to better learn about his wants and needs, likes, and dislikes.

After roughly three hours of terrible storm, the ocean calmed down enough for us to retreat inside and dry off, hopefully for the day. I tiredly retreated into my room with Itachi following me closely. I grabbed a dry towel I threw on the bed and began to dry my sopping self. Itachi removed his outfit with a groan, his eyes slowly opening and looking at me as I dried off.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"I'm tired." He admitted aloud. "I expended my chakra during that storm. I'm ready to sleep and replenish myself."

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired too. I can still do stuff if needed, though, so I might stay awake. Just in case." I replied.

He frowned at me. "You need to sleep. You've been avoiding it other than short naps..."

He wasn't wrong. I didn't enjoy going to bed so much since the nightmares began. Sleeping was something I disliked entirely and never wanted to sleep again, not while these nightmares persisted. Some I remember, but most I forget. The ones I can recall are extremely unpleasant to think about.

"You know why..." I huffed lightly. "If I sleep, I don't want it to be within the same room. We've talked about it."

"We've argued about it." He corrected me, walking over and gently grabbing my arms. "You rest better with me present. You won't ever hurt me... I'll be okay. I know that the idea makes you feel uncomfortable. I'll even sleep on the floor if you don't want me in the bed." Itachi offered, kissing my forehead. "I'm not leaving you alone... not after what happened with Kisame."

Ah... that's it. He was guilty about what happened.

"Alright. But you don't need to sleep on the floor. I don't like it, but if that's what you want." I caved into his wishes, cupping his face.

"Thank you." He squeezed my shoulders with a grateful smile.

I huffed and threw my towel at him. "You need to dry off." I then moved to change into some pj pants to get out of the sopping shorts.

He dried himself off and watched me undress and change into them. I didn't care that he watched either. I mean, we were already having sex and he's seen me naked, so me caring about changing in front of him was long gone. He had also gotten into different clothes, and I made an effort to watch for ant signs of sensitivity or discomfort because him not eating in five days was worrying me greatly.

He looked exhausted.

"Hey, so, how's the hunger?" I asked finally as I got in bed.

He froze for a moment just before climbing in with me. He then smiled in the face of my worry and continued until he was under the covers. I raised an eyebrow at him, sitting up and folding my arms when he didn't immediately respond. Itachi sighed gently.

"It's okay." He answered me simply.

"...you haven't eaten in five days. I'm fully healed and plenty awake if you want to." I offered, tilting my head for emphasis.

"Thank you for the offer." He replied genuinely. "I'm quite well, though. I can go a little longer before eating again."

"If I'm sleeping, you are eating. Compromise with me." I stubbornly stated.

Itachi's eyes narrowed to my neck, in the space he usually bit. He seemed to think on the matter. His eyes then flitted to mine, studying my stubborn expression. I wasn't going to let this drop, no way. It he was starving himself, then I wouldn't sleep. If I don't sleep, he'd starve himself. This way, we can keep each other healthy.

"Alright. I'll hold you to it then." Itachi sighed softly and sat himself up, hand reaching out and rubbing my scar. "This scar is getting bigger and more visible."

"Well, it is the place you bite constantly. I don't mind it." I smiled and rubbed my neck gently. "As I've stated, I enjoy it when you bite me. You keep yourself healthy, and I can fall asleep faster due to the tiredness." I shrugged a shoulder. "It also feels good."

"Because I make it feel good." Itachi smirked to himself in pride. "It's weird, but I have the ability to manipulate your physical reaction to my bite. I can also sway you with words fairly easy. It makes convincing others extremely easy, but it's also kind of scary. I tried it on a random person when I first woke up. Worked like a charm up until I bit him."

My eyes widened a fraction. "Whoa, so like... hypnosis?"

"Yes, essentially." He shrugged a shoulder. "It doesn't feel right when I did it, so I choose not to. It doesn't feel fair."

"It could come in handy some day." I noted.

"Yes, yes, it could." He agreed, shifting to sit behind me, moving me back to lean against his chest. "Comfortable?"

"Hmm... very!" I grinned widely, scooting my legs a little to get them to rest limply without feeling awkwardly tangled in his.

"Good." He purred in my ear, making me involuntarily shiver as the breath hit my lobe.

He wrapped his arms around my chest slowly, holding me secure in his arms as he kissed the scar on my neck. I leaned my head to the side in a practiced manner, it becoming routine before he bit, giving him the room he needed to comfortably cradle his head. I shuddered when his teeth popped through the scar tissue and sunk into my skin. I grunted when he sunk his teeth all the way into my artery, closing his lips around the area.

With this sensation came a wave of love, pleasure, and bliss. I found my eyes sliding closed as he sucked on the skin, draining the blood from my body one individual gulp at a time, replacing the pain with anything good, soothing my brain in ways that were impossible to describe other than plain good.

"Hmn." I hummed softly, relaxing in his hold, feeling safe and secure in his arms. "Don't ever feel weird about telling me you're hungry, okay?" I asked gently, reaching and running my hand through his hair.

"Mhm." He hummed in response.

The pleasure his drinking gave me made it difficult to stay physically normal. I tried not to get aroused and hard, but I found myself struggling, panting heavily, face getting hotter and hotter as each pulse of pleasure grew stronger and stronger. I knew it was Itachi's way of erasing any and all pain and discomfort, but he was getting me hard with how much he was giving me. I began to squirm as a tent rose in my boxers. His hands rubbed up and down my abdomen and chest, tracing the muscles gently with his fingers.

"I-Itachi." I breathed out shakily. "You're getting me worked up." I mused to him, squirming my legs about as the tent grew painfully tight.

"Hn." Itachi moaned softly, hugging me tighter against him as he slowly gulped.

One of his hands slithered down into my pants, making me jump with oversensitivity, my mind growing foggy and clouded in a weird way as he began moving his hand up and down at a slow pace. I moaned and pushed against him a little before settling, grabbing ahold of his thighs. I felt him pull off of the wound and staunch the bleeding with his lips, covering the holes as my chalra kicked in to heal it like muscle memory.

He continued pumping me, and I continued moaning quietly, shivering as the waves of pleasure left me in a foggy headed state of mind. I only ever get like this when he bites me beforehand, as if he wills my brain to gloss over like this. It clouds my judgment and state of mind so much so that it feels hypnotic. I wonder if it was a form of that hypnosis trick he knows.

He grabbed a towel that was dampened and used that instead. I quickly covered my mouth, squeezing my eyes shut as he only stimulated the tip, sensitivity exploding through my nerves like unbearable torture I didn't prevent him from doing. My eyes rolled despite being closed as I came into the towel, moaning loudly but muffled into my hands.

"Good little toy." He whispered in my ear, making my heart nearly skip a beat at how hot he was.

I moved my hands as I fought to catch my breath, tiredly shifting as he discarded the towel somewhere and moved my boxers back into place. I didn't feel any hardness against my back, so I knew he wasn't physically turned on, but when I looked over at him, his eyes were full of satisfaction. He held my chin and kissed me, and I kissed back, tasting my own blood on his lips and tongue as he went exploring.

His eyes didn't close, and studied mine, peering into them and through to my soul, it seemed. They were red, Sharingan on full display and gazing at me. They were glowing dimly as they studied mine. They were beautiful and dangerous, an eye so powerful it could completely render me useless. It was death that stared at me, and I stared back without worry, no fear or anxiousness, only trust.

These eyes would never hurt me. They had too much love in them.

He pulled back and rubbed my chin, letting me lean into his touch. I relaxed against him for a moment before moving to lay down, feeling my heart race as I got ready for bed.

"Calm yourself, I'm right here..." Itachi smiled at me.

I settled down and got myself comfortable, tiredly resting my head on his shoulder as he pulled me close, settling down as well. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes, shivering at the idea of having another terrible nightmare. But, in his arms, I felt more and more soothed. I slowly felt my mind grow fuzzy, and soon, I was asleep against his body, snoozing into unconsciousness.

...

...

...

I was standing in a void, alone. The ground beneath my feet was like water, I didn't need effort to stand on it, but it was rippling as if wet. I looked around me, nothing, no end to the void above or around me. I could still see myself despite the complete lack of light, but that was it.

"What did I ever do...?" I heard a faint whisper from behind me.

I tensed and looked behind me to find a little boy in my shadow. He stared up at me, blonde hair matted with dried mud, blue eyes bloodshot from crying. He stood there fisting his shirt, shaking weakly with a look of loneliness and pure heartbreak. I frowned heavily, blinking and suddenly looking up at myself, frowning. I sniffled and realized I was now my younger self, filled to the brim with despair.  My older body slowly sank into the surface of the floor, eyes staring through me like daggers.

They slowly bled red as my mouth became covered. Eyes filled with rage glaring me down before vanishing with a ripple beneath the lightness wet void beneath. I let go of my tattered white shirt and began looking around for something, listening out for someone.

No one was there.

I sighed heavily and began walking forward, aimlessly traveling the void until my little legs grew tired. I then found myself wanting to lean on something, and a tree materialized beside me with a single swing. I climbed onto the swing and sat myself down, holding the ropes as the sound of rustling leaves filled my ears.

I was suddenly back home at school, sadly sitting under the shade as the sound of children playing filled my ears with none in sight. The building in front of me was gray and lifeless. No one around...

Alone.

"How will you go about creating peace?" I heard someone speak.

Pain stood beside me, looking straight at the gray building, which crumbled into rubble with countless limbs sticking out. I only stared at them with a growing sense of hopelessness.

"I don't know." I found myself saying, the tree gone and me standing beside him as we gazed at a destroyed village together.

"There's no such thing." I heard the voice of my father whisper.

"WHY WOULD YOU SEAL THE NINE TAILS INSIDE YOUR OWN SON!?" I heard my echoing scream as the image in front of me grew farther and farther away.

"You are nothing..."

Danzo.

"Loser..."

Sasuke.

"Idiot!"

Sakura

"MONSTER!"

The village.

"Jinchuriki..."

Akatsuki.

"I want to talk."

Madara...

The masked man.

A surge filled me then, a rage unlike anything I could place. An odd sense of hate that bubbled in the void I felt in my chest as he rose from beneath the rippling floor, casting a shadow over me as he held out his hand, his visible eye intensely wide with thrill, enjoyment, and sick pleasure. It was there mocking me, longingly gazing at me as he reached out, barely missing me.

He was frozen after that, and a kunai was placed in my hand by Danzo, looking at the man who stared back at me.

Begging me to try. He was daring me to go through with it.

"He is in my way. Finish this so we can proceed." Danzo instructed, and my mind listened like a machine.

Doing what he programmed me to do, I walked to Madara and stabbed the kunai straight through his chest. The Sharingan eye looked to me the entire time, glittering with bliss as he began to chuckle.

"My wonderful monster... " He whispered. "Oh, how far you've come."

"How will you go about creating peace?" Pain's voice echoed out as giant slitted eyes opened over us, dyeing everything red.

I was standing alone with Madara, hand around my neck, mine around his, both of us squeezing, but neither of us choked the other.

"First, I'll kill you and bring peace to my village and avenge my friends and myself." I hissed angrily.

Madara tilted his head. "And what about my pain? My friends? Do they not matter? Isn't my pain justified?"

"No." I growled and began to squeeze tightly. "No, it isn't."

"You really think you can kill me? You have miles between us, a whole war between us with armies you can't imagine. How will you get close enough to try?" Madara purred.

"Because you need to get close enough to capture me." I countered. "You need Kurama for whatever it is that you are planning. You will come to me... or I you. I doesn't matter because either way, I'll kill you." I promised him.

"You have darkness in your heart, boy." He spoke gently, and chains shot up and grappled my limbs, making me gasp as I was yanked to my knees. "I can't wait to have it in the palm of my hand."

Something is wrong.

"Naruto." Itachi's faint call burst through the area, making the world around us rumble.

I pulled against the chains when he cupped the side of my face, making me growl in disgust as Madara leaned forward, humming with delight. The red eyes above us shifted, one of them grew into a Sharingan eye, and the other spiraled into a purple glow rippling as it stared down at me intensely.

This doesn't feel like a dream...

"Thank you for letting me see your true self. The lonely child behind that optimistic shell. Let's talk more next time." Madara whispered to me, caressing my cheek. "Maybe then I can discover your deepest fears... secrets... and triggers to unlock that slumbering beast Danzo engraved into this brain of yours."

...

...

...

I jolted awake as a chill shot through my body. Itachi was at my side, cupping my cheek, staring at me with concern as I shakily stared back.

"Was it about the genjutsu?" Itachi asked me.

"For once, no." I immediately answered, shivering. "I think I'm stressed... it's bogging me down." I admitted, sitting up and rubbing my face, wide awake and alert. "That was very unpleasant."

That was extremely different from the dreams I usually had. It was extremely uncomfortable and vivid, more so than any other I've dreamt of before in the past for as long as I could remember. I've never heard those words from my father, nor did I ever hear those words from Madara. I've never heard them, and yet they spoke it so clearly.

Madara Uchiha...

Like acid pouring over my brain sizzling my flesh away, corroding the state if my mind as his masked face brought nothing but anguish and despair to my heart. The man that single handedly destroyed my entire life the moment I was born. I despised him, and I normally don't despise people. Orochimaru was one of them. Before Sasuke killed him, then there was Danzo, then there was Madara. I guess I did despise people, but never as strong as I do him. I hated him so much that my entire body burned hot.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Itachi asked me, rubbing my arm.

"Well, it's hard to really describe what it was about. It's was about everything, mainly, but each moment did have a cause and effect from one person." I described.

"Madara?" Itachi asked knowingly.

"Yeah, him." I narrowed my eyes u gim I felt his thumb caress my bottom lip.

"You have that look in your eyes again." Itachi spoke softer. "That dangerous stare you usually get when you're pissed."

"Yeah, I'm admittedly livid." I agreed with that observation. "It's just an extremely sensitive subject that masked Akatsuki."

"I can see that." Itachi nodded in agreement to my honesty and soothingly rubbed my arms with his ice-cold hands. "But, we can set aside our thoughts on him for now. We have a mission on this island we are sailing to. The more we feed the thoughts, the more they grow."

"The more you ignore them, the more they festure." I replied.

"I didn't say to ignore, merely to not give them a chance to bog you down and weigh heavier on your heart. It's hard to do and easily said than done, but the more you let them hurt you, the more you surrender yourself to hate. You need to accept things as they are now before getting there." Itachi explained his words better, making me stare at him with slight hope. "We have time. It's why we're here."

I slowly calmed down as the image of him faded from behind my eyes, letting go of the anger I held and gave a heavy exhale. I settled my nerves and nodded wordlessly, moving with him to get dressed for the day. It was while we were dressing that we heard a loud thud from down the hall.

"You mean we're finally there!? THANK GOD!" Guy's voice shouted with pained relief.

I perked up at hearing this. Then the door to our room was knocked on, and Yamato's voice could be heard.

"You both decent?" Yamato asked.

I looked to Itachi to find him half dressed and down at myself, having only pulled up my pants before shrugging.

"Yes." Itachi replied calmly as I continued to get my usual jumpsuit outfit on.

Yamato pushed into the room, and the two of them shared a loaded look before he spoke. "We arrived, and we are going to have company very soon. Meet me and Sasuke upstairs when you're both dressed. It's still rainy outside, but not nearly as foggy."

"Thank you." I smiled as I pulled my jacket on and zipped it closed, fishing around for my weapon pouch. "You can leave the door open."

"Right." Yamato huffed and left us alone.

I tied my headband on and looked over as Itachi pulled his vest on and strapped it into place, adjusting his sleeves and throwing the mask on. I continued to stare as he pulled his gloves over his hands and threw the socks and shoes on. Once he was wearing his hat, I led us out of the room and down the cabin halls to the deck.

The rain was heavy, I grunted and rubbed my eye after rain got into it, and the freezing salty drops shook through my core and made me cold. I blinked it off and looked around. However, noticing the fog did indeed lift enough to see a good way ahead.

I was intimidated.

The island we were steadily approaching was giant, covered with spiked protruding pillars covered in moss, vines, and other plant life. The rock looked fairly strange, and the sheer number of spiked jagged protrusions shielded us from seeing the contents of the island itself. I couldn't see the start or the end of it due to how close we were, and the spikes were casting shadows over the surrounding see, almost engulfing the ship in one too. My eyebrows shot up, and I cast a glance at Sasuke as he stared at something else other than the obvious.

"There are two of them on that boat. One is heavily ar- oh..." Sasuke winced visibly and backed away. "Yeah... that's the Jinchuriki."

"It's the perfect time to apologize when he gets on board." Itachi huffed. "The one next to him isn't carrying any weapons or a sense of malice with him. They both don't intend to harm us, but both are extremely strong."

"They know we are coming, though." I added in, looking for reassurance.

"Yes, the Rikage made sure of this. This island for you both was his and Tsunade's idea." Yamato stated.

Guy leaned sickly on the steps to the steering area, very pale and a little green in the face as the boat rocked forward on the rainy waves. He was toughening himself up, though, since we were about to have company. I cast him a look of pity before gathering my nerves.

I wanted to make a good impression on this other Jinchuriki, hoping to become friends with them. I felt the ship rocked slightly as something gently bumped it, and I looked up when I saw two men climb aboard. One was completely decorated with swords wearing all white and dark goggles. The other was also wearing white, but with a vest. Both had on similar armor, but they both had their own style.

"Welcome, leaf shinobi. We've been expecting your arrival these past few days. I take it the trip here wasn't an issue?" The spikey haired man had asked us.

My attention was on the other man. He was staring me down, I could feel his stare, and I could feel a weird stirring sensation in my gut, making me feel slightly nauseated. As Yamato greeted the other man named Motoi, the taller individual began forward, approaching me with a serious set to his face. Itachi turned his head as he followed. Sasuke made sure to keep his distance, and this man did even acknowledge Sasuke as he made straight for me and held out his arm to me, making a fist with his hand.

I looked down at it and raised my eyebrows in curiosity. I blinked slowly and extended my arm as well, and bumped our fists together. At first, nothing had happened, but after blinking again, I was suddenly in the area with Kurama's cage behind me... but... in front...

I tensed and stumbled backward, only to tense when Kurama let out a very angered growl, shaking the entire area around me and this giant creature towering over me, the size of Kurama

Eight tails...

Its head was like a bull's with one of its horns cut off. The body was buff and humanoid. Its body was buff, but its legs were eight tentacles that writhed slowly as it sat there, staring me down with intensity. There, on its snout, to me utter shock, was this man with the many swords, sitting there and completely at ease.

"Whoa..." I whispered out, but Kurama was having none of it.

"LEAVE!" Kurama snarled, clawing at the cage angrily, causing my ears to ring deafeningly.

"As I thought, he's the one, Bee." The giant purple beast spoke, smirking down at me curiosuly. "My senses never lie."

"Ya think he and I with see eye to eye? Get along and get him strong? Nah, I think this kid is a fool, ya fool! The look in his eyes has nothing but hate. Trust me, I've made no mistake!" Bee grunted and punched his fist on the Beast's snout.

I blinked rapidly and looked down, suddenly self-conscious. "S-Sorry about that, it's been a rough few weeks." I grinned nervously. "It's nice to meet you, ya know? The name's Naruto Uzumaki." I greeted, smiling at him.

"No! Not like that ya did it wrong, fool, ya fool!" The older man growled and slid off the snout of his tailed beast, it vanishing within him.

We were suddenly back on the ship, and he reached and grabbed my shoulders and shook me like a madman, making me yelp in shock.

"Ya can't just say hello! Don't act so mellow, ya brat! I'm a brat hatin' man you understand? Ya got to greet me by singing with me! Ya feel me? Rap!" Bee explained and let me go, shoving backward about four feet, making me stumble to catch myself. "Besides, I believe your friend owes me. Yes, and apologie!" He then pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke, who tensed and looked away from him momentarily. "Be Lucky that Killer Bee ain't beating his ass."

Sasuke winced and stepped forward. He looked Bee dead in the eye and then gave him a genuinely apologetic look.

"I'm sorry for trying to kill you." He said simply, but his words were loaded and made me straighten up a little.

"Very good." Bee huffed and turned back to me. "Now. The greeting." He folded his arms and tilted his head in waiting.

I felt my face heat up suddenly as the idea of rapping ridiculously like he did made me feel embarrassed. However, I sucked up my pride and gave him what he wanted.

I needed to learn how to control Kurama. I needed to get stronger. I needed to become reliable to my friends if I ever wanted to join the war.
"Yo! My name is Naru-To! Ya know! Ninja of the leaf, its Uzuma-ki! Pleasure to meet ya, Bee! Hope to find guidance in your Compa-ny!" I rapped, doing the weird dance he did with his hands, feeling my face burn as everyone stared.

Sasuke smirked and covered his mouth with his hand as genuine amusement struck him, stifling a laugh. Itachi tensed, and I could practically smell the amusement. Yamato cringed, and Guy looked weirdly inspired.

"Wow." Sasuke chuckled, and I shot him a death glare. However, Bee bumped his fist against my chest to get my attention.

"Very good." He nodded.

"Come, let's get to the island. This boat is protected here, and we will have it looked after. We will take ours." The other named Motoi spoke up.

"Right." Yamato nodded.

To move away from Sasuke, I moved to Guy's side to help him over to the new boat. Instead of letting him walk, however, I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulder like a sac of potatoes, grunting at his weight.

"Thanks, son! Your greeting was absolutely inspiring!" Guy smirked and gave me a thumbs up.

I felt my face heat up even more and didn't respond to his words. I instead climbed off the side of the boat and into the smaller one that Bee and Motoi arrived in. I set Guy down and gave him a bucket that was in the floor before awkwardly being squeezed between him and Sasuke, with Yamato and Itachi sitting behind me and the two others in front, staring me down as the boat moved seemingly on its own.

I felt oddly exposed under their stares. I could practically feel the dissection of my emotional state taking place. I could feel my innards stir as it made me nauseated. I hated staring people... it always made me feel like I'd done something wrong.

"You've failed me... you must be punished." A whisper echoed through my head, a new set of eyes boring into the back of my head.  "I had so much faith in your ability to follow through with simple tasks. Yet here you are, coming to me empty-handed, discovered, and beaten up."

I flinched as I felt searing pain across my back, eyes widening and pulse racing as the boat fell away from me, something wrapping around my body and holding me still as the shredding feeling returned again and again and again.

Leaving me numb in the face of my pain.