"Sen Senju!"
"Get out here!"
The crash of the gate being kicked open exploded through the quiet courtyard.
Sen had been reclining in his chair, pleasantly tipsy, when that roar sent his head buzzing.
He fought back the urge to slap the intruder straight into the ground.
With extreme care, making as little noise as possible,
he slowly straightened Kurenai, who was sleeping soundly against his shoulder.
He settled her against the back of the wicker chair.
Then he tucked the Wood Release blanket around her.
Only after all that did Sen stand up.
He rubbed his shoulder, which ached from supporting her, his expression dark enough to promise a storm.
His wooden clogs made a muffled rustling sound against the lawn.
He walked to the gate.
Sasuke stood outside.
On his face, still swollen from the beating Sen had given him at the Valley of the End,
two crimson two-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in the darkness like ghostly flames.
He stared daggers at Sen.
He gripped two kunai, the veins bulging on the backs of his hands.
"Instead of sleeping, you came here in the middle of the night to tear down my gate?"
Sen glanced at the footprint on the solid wooden gate, a dangerous green gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Was the bed in solitary not hard enough for you, or were the knots I tied last time not tight enough?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his chest heaving.
Of course he hadn't forgotten the humiliation of being subdued by this monster with one hand at the Valley of the End.
But what he found even harder to stomach was this kid's constant air of superiority, the way he treated Sasuke like trash!
"I came here to tell you!"
Sasuke's voice was hoarse, as though it had been