Heya! This story is slightly AU. Meaning Obito is still alive. It is set after the Kyuubi attack and before the Uchiha massacre. There will be no pairings. It is already basically written, but any suggestions are welcome.
So, I hope you enjoy it! And please review!
Chapter 1
A
true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are
half-cracked. Author Unknown
Green leaves, damp with early morning dew, rustled softly as a figure brushed past them. Several droplets of water landed on the bright orange goggles of the teenager, but he did not bother to wipe them away. Stealth was of the essence.
Uchiha Obito crept silently through the underbrush of the forest, doing his best to breathe silently and tread softly, fingering the shuriken holster strapped to his calve as he neared his target.
His prey wasn't visible, but Obito knew he was there. His blood-red eyes marked with three black pupils stayed locked on telltale pulse of chakra that marked where his opponent was. And there he was, the thick tree on the left, behind the trunk, third branch up.
Obito neared the base of the tree and pulled out two kunai, attaching long metal wire to the ends of each. With a swift flick, he sent them in a lazy curve around the trunk. They circled around the tree several times, and the wire effectively trapped his prey against the bark.
Confident in his success, Obito stood up and jumped towards his catch. The grin was soon wiped off his face, however, as he realized that the wire held empty air.
Damn! He got away! And, now his position was revealed.
Before Obito could escape, a heavy body slammed into him from behind. He hit the branch hard, pinned under his attacker's knee. A cold, metal point was pressed into his temple, drawing a speck of blood. His opponent grabbed his arm, pulling it up painfully behind his back.
"Once again, I win. You better step up your game, Obito," a low voice spoke from behind. The kunai was withdrawn, and Obito felt the pressure on his back disappear. He spun his head around to give his rival a cold glare, the Sharingan gone from his eyes.
"It's sad, you know?" The silver-haired teen said. "Even with your Sharingan, I still manage to beat you. Again. What was that you once said? I will surpass you, once I awaken this Sharingan!"
"Shut up, Kakashi," Obito grumbled. "I'll beat you next time…"
"Sure you will." Kakashi reached down and pulled Obito up. Together, they leaped through the forest and landed on the edge of the training grounds.
Both approached a coal black stone situated in the middle of the field. The two stood silently in front of the memorial for a moment, lost in thought. Obito reached out a hand and brushed his fingers past a name.
Rin.
Two young Leaf shinobi landed in front of the Rock ninja.
"Where's our teammate?" The black-haired one demanded, pointing a kunai at the enemy.
"The little girl?" The Rock nin snorted in disgust. "I expected her to give easily, but she wouldn't talk. Useless. You want to see her?"
The second Leaf shinobi, his left eye wrapped in bandages, did not like the look on the ninja's face. He felt dread flood his nerves.
"Give her back now!" Obito practically screamed, fearing the worst for his female friend.
"Whatever you say," the Rock ninja shrugged. He stepped aside, letting the duo see what was behind him.
Obito inhaled angrily, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes, and Kakashi's face stiffened, hiding the intense pain and regret he immediately felt inside.
Rin lay facedown in the dirt, blood pooled under her, and a painfully obvious gash in her neck confirmed that she was dead. Her once glossy auburn hair was dirty and mussed, falling over her face and concealing those deep brown eyes that would never hold the sparkle of life again.
"You bastard! You killed her!" Obito fought to choke back his sobs. "How could you, she was young and - "
"She's an enemy." The shinobi cut him off. "So are you two, and that means you're going to have to follow in her footsteps." The shinobi leered at the two as more Iwa ninja materialized from the cave walls around them. Obito and Kakashi moved back-to-back, prepared to fight till the end.
Obito's Sharingan spun wildly in his eyes as he launched several kunai at the enemy. Kakashi pulled out his father's white chakra blade and lunged at a nearing Rock nin. To his surprise, the blade entered the enemy's chest with difficulty.
He's using some kind of jutsu that turns different parts of his body to stone, Kakashi realized. He tried to pull his blade out, but it wouldn't budge.
He heard a chuckle and looked up at the Rock nin. "That's not gonna work, brat." The ninja swiped at Kakashi, who leaped away nimbly. The ninja pulled Kakashi's blade out of his chest and threw it to the floor. Advancing on Kakashi, he crushed it under his foot, snapping the blade.
Kakashi withdrew the special kunai Minato had given him, and shot a quick look at Obito. Neither of them was faring well, as they were both up against three or more ninja. Kakashi faced his opponents with a steely determination, wanting to take down as many as he could for Rin's sake.
With that, he launched his kunai. As the Iwa ninja neared, Kakashi felt a strong rush of air fill the cave, and then everything went black.
Kakashi and Minato sat side by side on a large boulder. Obito, who was still out from when Minato had intervened, lay behind them on a blanket.
"Sensei, I'm sorry I was so stupid before this whole mission. I didn't realize how much you guys actually meant to me, and I let Rin down because of my stupid idealisms."
Kakashi drew his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them, looking much more like a frightened child then a newly advanced jounin.
"We have to learn to live side by side with death, Kakashi. I know you may see Rin's death as your fault, but it's not. I'm just glad that you've come to realize what is more important in life." Minato smiled at his student.
"Kakashi…" A quiet voice spoke. Kakashi and Minato turned to see Obito sitting up.
"Obito! Are you okay?" Kakashi asked in concern.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Obito tried to smile, but the sadness in his eyes made it look more like a grimace. "I'm sorry for our fight earlier, Kakashi. I was being such an idiot."
Kakashi shook his head. "No, I was, Obito. I'm sorry for not caring about what happened to you guys. That's all changed now, though."
Obito smiled again, this time managing to dispel some of the sadness that hung in the air. He shuffled over to sit beside Kakashi, and the three Leaf ninja sat in silence, watching the sunset as they paid silent respects to their fallen teammate and friend.
"Rin would be proud of you, Kakashi," Obito said quietly.
"She is proud of both of us, Obito."
Hatake Kakashi was a much-changed person from the time that mission had gone horribly wrong. His argument with Obito and failure to save Rin in time had made him much more lax about rules and stirred in him a powerful will to always put his teammates first.
Obito had also changed, though not quite so drastically. He was quieter, and had lost some of his obnoxiousness. He too held a deep care for comrades, but was still cheerful and always full of life.
Kakashi and Obito had grown extremely close since that mission, and with the passing of Rin, and more recently, their sensei, Minato, during the Kyuubi attack, had become an extremely powerful and unstoppable duo on missions. Both were partners in ANBU, Wolf and Lion, and had been for four years.
Kakashi, aged 18, was still considered a genius shinobi. His silver hair stood full upon his head, and the ever-present mask covered his nose and lower face. His Leaf hitai-ate kept his bangs out of his eyes. His left eye had been lost saving Obito, and all that remained was a long, red scar running from his brow to below his mask. Dressed in a dark, sleeveless, skin-tight top and baggy pants, he looked the typical ninja. A loose jacket was draped across his shoulders to keep out the morning dampness.
Obito, aged 17, had definitely improved his skills over the years. He excelled in Katon jutsu, as well as genjutsu, thanks to his Sharingan. If possible, his head of spiky black hair had grown even spikier. He wore a loose, black short-sleeved top with the hems edged in orange, and pants similar to Kakashi's. His bright orange goggles were ever present underneath his hitai-ate, but he removed them when on duty as an ANBU.
"How about we grab some breakfast, Kakashi?" Obito turned to his friend.
"Sure, but you're paying," Kakashi agreed, and started off down the path, leaving a desperate Obito to search for his wallet.
"Ohayo, Uchiha-san," Kakashi bowed in respect to the man in the doorway.
Uchiha Takeshi, father and only parent of Obito, glared down at the last remaining member of the clan he detested. Ever since Hatake Sakumo had disgraced himself and the village, Takeshi harboured a strong hatred against all the Hatake. The fact that his son's best friend was one did not help.
Kakashi straightened. "Is Obito home? The Hokage has summoned some ANBU for a briefing, and I was asked to collect Obito. If you could tell him to get his gear together…"
"Yes, he's here," Takeshi said coldly. He closed the door in Kakashi's face. The insulted shinobi could hear him yelling to Obito from outside. Kakashi accepted Takeshi's hatred of him; it did not bother him much. What did bother him was his treatment of Obito.
Takeshi was not what one would call a caring father. He was strict and extremely demanding of his only son. He was always telling Obito to grow stronger, more powerful. He wanted his offspring to be one of the best Uchiha in the clan, but his son did not share his same views. Kakashi knew Obito and Takeshi did not get along well; their relationship was not very strong, and Kakashi even felt that Obito was slightly afraid of his almost abusive father. Against his father's wishes, Obito continued to hang out with Kakashi, and did not devote all of his time to becoming stronger. Kakashi did not try to interfere with their relationship, but prayed that someday the two would reconcile their differences.
"Hey, Kakashi, how's it going?"
Obito's voice drew Kakashi from his thoughts. Obito stood in the doorway, completely decked out in his ANBU uniform. Jet-black pants and a sleeveless, skin-tight top contrasted brilliantly with the bone-white arm guards and chest plate, and showed off the red ANBU tattoo on his left arm. A katana sheath was strapped to his back, as well as a supply pack, and several weapon pouches hung from his hip. His mask, portraying a lion, was tilted on the side of his head. His hitai-ate and goggles were gone, but Obito still wore his cheerful grin.
Kakashi was dressed very similarly to Obito; the only difference being his mask, a wolf, and his top covered his neck to join with his mask.
"Ready to go?" Kakashi asked, pushing his mask to cover his face.
"You betcha," Obito said, also adjusting his mask. The two nodded at each other, and then leapt onto the rooftops, headed for the Hokage Tower.