Chapter One: Death and Fate

Summary: After dying, Obito had the chance to watch the future take place from the point of his death to Konoha's complete destruction. The world ended, but Fate has a way of intervening. Obito has a very unusual chance to change the world. Will he succeed? AU.

"The tragedy of life is not death, but what dies inside us while we live." – Norman Cousins

Shimatta – Swear Word (Shee-mah-tah)

Iie – No (Ee-eh)

Baka – Idiot (Bah-kah)

Sensei – Teacher (Sehn-seh)

Nani – What (Nah-nee)

Shinobi – Ninja (Shee-noh-bee)

Hai – Yes, Affirmative (Hi)

Jutsu – Technique (Joo-tsoo)

Kuso – Swear Word (Koo-soh)

Konoha – Leaf (Koh-noh-hah)

Iwa – Rock (Ee-wah)

Genjutsu – Illusion (Gehn-joo-tsoo)

Kai – Undo (Kah-ee)

'Shimatta!'

Uchiha Obito leapt from branch to branch through the trees as fast as he could.

'…At this rate… I'll be killed!'

The Chuunin was running out of breath but he put on a final burst of speed as he neared his destination.

'Will I make it?'

As the dark-haired boy made a final leap his foot caught on a vine, causing him to flip forward and skid into the clearing ahead, grunting as he hit the ground.

Above, birds flew in the cloudy blue sky, switching from perch to perch and chatting with each other. Obito lifted his head, expecting the worst but keeping a remnant of hope as he stared at the figure in front of him, ignoring the two other people that stood farther off, and asked the fateful question:

"Did I make it just in time?"

"Iie, because you're late, Obito!"

The silver-haired newly-made Jounin known as Hatake Kakashi stared disapprovingly at his rambunctious, chronically late teammate.

Obito had never liked Kakashi's strict sense of rules. He had always known rules had a purpose and were helpful, but Kakashi just took them too far, following them to the letter. As expected, the Hatake started reprimanding him.

"What time did you think we were meeting? You baka! If you're a fully fledged ninja you should naturally follow the rules and regulations strictly!"

And to think the main reason the Uchiha was always late was in hopes of making Kakashi a little less strict. And to get more of the precious sleep he so desired.

So much for that idea.

At least he could still get the sleep.

'Why can't Kakashi just leave me alone? He's making me look bad in front of Rin! Well, time to defend myself…'

"You see, on the way, I had to show the way to an old lady carrying luggage… plus there was something in my eye…"

"What? That's a lie!"

Their golden-haired sensei decided to intervene, not wanting too many problems to form, also understanding each of the boys' reasons for acting the way they did.

"Hey! Don't talk like that, Kakashi! You went with the old lady, didn't you, Obito?" he said with a small smile on his kind face. Namikaze Minato had to admit he often enjoyed Obito's excuses.

The dark-haired Chuunin got out his eye drops and started dripping the liquid into his eyes. "I carried her luggage, too!"

Irritated and annoyed, the aloof Jounin turned on his sensei. "You're a real pushover. You should be getting angry at Obito… Every single time, those shinobi who don't follow the rules are called trash. That's how it is!"

Minato knew why Kakashi acted like that, but it didn't mean he knew what to do about it. Unsure how to reply to his student who was the same rank as himself, the future Hokage settled for laughing uncomfortably.

Unfortunately, unlike his sensei, the Uchiha wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Have you no kindness in you? It's always bout the rules! The regulations! Just shut up! The key point is your own self-control, not to follow rules to the letter!"

Not wanting to see a fight break out between her two teammates, the generally quiet girl named Rin decided to step in.

"Hey, hey, don't you two ever stop? You're in the same team, aren't you?

Calming down slightly, but still as cold as ever, Kakashi replied.

"Rin, you're too easy going towards Obito… this is a very important day for me."

The female of the group smiled shyly in remembrance.

"Yeah… Yeah, it is…"

'Nani?'

The fun-loving boy of the team was confused. Which, if you think about it, wasn't all that surprising.

"What was it again?"

As the team headed off on their way, Minato took pity on Obito and explained.

"Well, today, Kakashi is inaugurated as a Jounin, just like me. To make missions efficient, myself and his team will be split since the military power of Konoha has hit an all-time low now."

Obito started piecing together this new information.

"Split… then…"

"Yeah! That's right. Kakashi will become the commander of your three-man team, and I'll be on my own."

Rin glanced over her shoulder, "I told you before, Obito, to get Kakashi a present."

The Uchiha felt a little guilty, a fact which was probably influenced by his infatuation with the healer.

"Sorry… I wasn't listening."

The Namikaze walked up to where Kakashi was and held out a three-pronged kunai.

"I'll give you this! It's a special kunai! It's a little heavy because of its shape, but when you get used to it, it's easy to use. Take it with you on today's mission!"

Kakashi took the kunai and examined it.

"Thanks."

Rin fumbled in her bag for a moment before bringing forth a small pouch.

"This is from me! Here! A personal special medical bag… you've improved so much that it should be easy to use!"

The silver-haired Jounin received the pouch from his teammate.

"Thank you."

Kakashi then held out his hand toward Obito, shocking the Uchiha.

"Wha… What's with the hand? I didn't get anything for you! Absolutely nothing!"

"That's fine… make yourself useful, carry my stuff for me.

"It's a mystery how you ever became a Jounin!"

"I don't want to talk about it.

Obito dropped his head for a silent moment, firming his resolve.

"I am Uchiha Obito of the Uchiha clan! I will surpass you as soon as I awaken this Sharingan!"

The Hatake scoffed.

"The Uchiha clan are all elite shinobi, aren't they…? That's what I thought, but…"

Obito glared at his teammate, "What…?"

Once again, Rin stepped in.

"You guys, quit it!"

Taking advantage of this slight pause, Minato-sensei said something.

"Heeey… Can I explain the mission now? We're almost at the country's border."

The group settled beneath a tree and Minato took out a map. The two Chuunin and the rookie Jounin were paying close attention. The Namikaze pointed at a spot on the map.

"Currently the Earth Country is invading the Hidden Grass Village. That's this line. Of course, the enemy are Hidden Rock shinobi… We have information that there's already about a thousand ninja at the enemy's front line."

Obito glanced at his teammate and sensei, "If they keep advancing like this…"

Kakashi picked up the Uchiha's line of thought.

"Although the fire country also borders the Hidden Grass Village, if we wait too long it'll be too late."

Rin spoke up, "Looking at this advance… Their rear support should be smooth too, shouldn't it?"

Minato looked back down at the map pointing at a different location.

"Our current mission is here. We'd need a lot of ninja to hit the enemy's front line. Because of that, a few selected ninja must go and sabotage them."

Kakashi raised his head and looked at Minato. "The bridge… so it's an infiltration mission?"

"Yes. Team Kakashi, your mission is: sneak in behind the enemy and destroy the bridge that they need to receive supplies; then withdraw quickly."

"Hai!" was the group response shared by all three of Namikaze Minato's students.

"What about you?" Obito asked, looking at his sensei.

"I will engage the front line directly to divert them away from you. Right, this is Kakashi's first time as commander! We'll go together to the border, but from then on, the mission begins."

"Hai!"

Throughout their traveling, the scenery gradually changed until the group was walking in a forest of enormous trees with huge mushrooms growing on them. The forest floor that was not taken up by the roots of the trees was filled with knee-height grass. Kakashi lead the team, Obito, Rin, and Minato-sensei following behind him.

Suddenly Kakashi paused in mid-step, sensing that something was nearby. He stood absolutely still, listening and watching. Obito and Rin stopped as well, caught by surprise. Minato had noticed the presence too.

'Nice, Kakashi…' were Minato's appraising thoughts.

An Iwa shinobi was hiding behind one of the many huge trees. What area was previously occupied by light footsteps was now silent.

'I've been noticed..? This guy is formidable…'

Glancing around from behind the tree, the ninja's eyes widened in surprise.

'…He's… No… It can't be… But he looks like…'

Lightly touching his finger to the ground, Minato checked for other presences nearby.

'He's alone…? Hai!'

The Konoha team was hiding behind the giant root of one of the trees.

"Be careful, everyone. There's twenty enemies… maybe it's a Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Minato warned his students. (Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone)

"It looks like it… Sensei, I'll head in, please cover me."

Obito and Rin looked at their silver-haired teammate in worry. Minato-sensei answered his highest-ranked student.

"Don't be hasty, Kakashi. You should be the backup."

But Kakashi wasn't about to let this chance slip away.

"Sensei, I'm the commander today, right? This is an excellent time to try out my new jutsu…!"

The rookie Jounin performed a few quick hand seals and gripped his right wrist with his left hand. A moment later his right palm was shimmering with lightning.

"CHIDORI!"

The Iwa ninja looked from behind the tree, hearing a chirping sound. '…! Keep away from me!'

Obito looked in shock at his teammate and rival's new technique. 'What… What is that jutsu?'

Rin was stunned at the raw power contained in the technique. 'A… Amazing chakra…'

Minato watched gravely as his student prepared to attack the enemy.

"Let's go!" Kakashi was eager to test his lightning-based technique.

Minato stuck his arm out to stop his student before he could rush in for an attack.

But no way was Kakashi going to give up.

"Even if there are a lot of enemies, this jutsu can do it in a flash. It's the same as your nickname… besides… Now, I'm the commander. It's a rule that everyone follows the commander's instructions, isn't it…?"

Obito wasn't sure what to think. "Sensei!"

The Namikaze slowly withdrew his hand.

Kakashi thrust out his hand as he rushed forward; shattering the root they were behind.

The Iwa ninja smirked from where he was hiding higher up in a tree. 'Hah, plunging straight into it…'

He swiftly threw a group of kunai to his coming opponent, all of which were deflected by the still-hidden Minato.

"Eh…?"

It couldn't have been any better for Kakashi. 'With those kunai, everyone's whereabouts were confirmed for me. Let's go!'

Minato threw a kunai toward the enemy's position while Kakashi closed in. The Iwa shinobi saw his own death coming.

'That speed!'

The Hatake stabbed the enemy with his lightning-covered fist. The enemy ninja grunted in pain before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

'Kuso, a Kage Bunshin…! Alright, next one!'

Obito turned around in shock to see the Iwa shinobi emerging from the ground, positioned to attack.

Minato stabbed the enemy with a kunai, causing him to poof away. Kage Bunshin.

"Don't be careless!"

"Y…Yes…"

"Number eighteen!" Kakashi was nearing the end of his opponents.

"Don't push it, boy!" screamed the enemy shinobi, readying his sword.

Minato turned in shock, rushing to get Kakashi out of the way before the enemy killed him with a swipe of his blade. Grabbing the silver-haired boy by the waist with one hand, Minato pulled him backwards while holding the enemy's foot with his other hand.

The two Konoha shinobi reappeared behind the root where Obito and Rin were still standing.

"Kakashi!" Rin was worried if her teammate was okay, heading forward to heal the gash on her teammate's arm.

The Iwa ninja looked from where he was hidden behind a tree, panting from exhaustion, not noticing the tracking seal left on his foot from the future Hokage.

'At the last moment I was able to counter that kid, but… that blonde's movements…'

Minato slid the strap of his backpack off of his shoulder. Just as the Iwa shinobi saw the bag just a few inches from touching the ground, he felt a blade at his neck, and Minato was gone from where he was a second before, the pack just now hitting the ground.

Rin stared in shock at where her sensei was previously, the backpack that was falling to the ground, now without an owner nearby.

'Sensei's Shunshin no Jutsu… so fast!' (Shunshin – Body Flicker)

"It… can't be… you're…. Konoha's Yellow Flash?"

The silence confirmed the Iwa shinobi's question.

"Our Hidden Rock Village… We were taught by our commanders to escape if we saw that person… Now I know what they meant."

Minato swiftly killed him.

Rin was doing her best to heal Kakashi's shoulder when Minato returned to the area where they waited.

"Kakashi's injury isn't minor either…. For now we'll retreat back to the camp."

"I'm fine!"

Obito turned on his teammate.

"What do you mean "fine"? You selfishly went your own way against Sensei's orders and did something crazy!"

"I don't want to say anything to you. To the "Elite Uchiha", a coward and a crybaby."

"That… there was something in my eye and the tears were to get it out!"

"You know "Shinobi Rule 25"? That rule says that "a shinobi must never show his tears"!"

Rin couldn't take the arguing anymore.

"Hey… you two, quit it…"

The boys didn't look like they were about to quit, so Minato stepped in.

"Take it easy, you two… Kakashi… Of course the rules and regulations are important, but that's not all there is to it. I'll tell you… You must also be able to adapt to cope with the situation."

Kakashi looked down, understanding.

"Hah! Look!"

"Obito! As for you! You were wearing your goggles, so you couldn't have had something in your eye. If you don't control your mouth, not only your mouth but your mind will also become weak. And one more thing, Kakashi… That jutsu you used… you shouldn't use that jutsu again. A thrust all concentrated on one point… Of course, you have destructive power and speed, but because the speed of your movements is so fast, you can't see your opponent's counter. Because of that, it's an incomplete jutsu.

"Before we separate, I'll say it again. The most important thing to a shinobi is teamwork."

All of Minato's students looked down.

"Alright… Let's move out…"

The moon shone brilliantly as the group rested towards the edge of a large clearing. Three bundles could be seen sleeping at the base of a boulder, their sensei keeping watch at the top.

Obito couldn't sleep.

"Sensei…"

The Uchiha started as he climbed to the top of the boulder where Minato was.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

The black-haired Chuunin's goggles were back by his sleeping bag and his face was completely serious.

"I understand the importance of teamwork…. But… Kakashi's always making me out to be a lazy idiot… Ah… No. Though I'm called "elite" because I was born into the Uchiha clan, I'm a loser. I acknowledge that Kakashi's an amazing person, but…"

Minato thought for a minute.

"Hmm…

"Kakashi is the son of the genius ninja Hatake Sakumo, known as the "Konoha White Fang". His father had respect on the same level as the "Legendary Sannin". Because he spent his childhood with such a genius, sometimes, he may look at you guys and see you as unsatisfactory."

"White Fang… now that you mention it, I've heard of him too, a hero who died to protect the village. Kakashi never said a word about him."

"Everyone in the village… and of course, Kakashi, respected that magnificent person… Until that incident happened."

"…Incident?"

"I'm probably not supposed to talk about this freely, but since you're on the same team as Kakashi, I want you to know…."

"What happened?"

"Kakashi's father Sakumo was disgraced… and he committed suicide."

"Eh?"

"Five years ago… he was on a top secret mission, sneaking into enemy lands. He had to make a choice: the success of the mission, or his companions' lives. Of course, if he followed the village's rules, he couldn't go back on the mission… but he abandoned the mission to save the lives of his companions. But because of that, the Fire Country suffered a great loss and it and his comrades in the village blamed him. In the end, he was even disgraced by the companions he had saved. From that mission, his mind and body became weak. Sakumo then took his own… After that, Kakashi never spoke of his father, and he began his insistence on following the rules and regulations."

"…"

"Obito… understand him, even a little… don't bear a grudge towards him…"

The sun rose slowly, bringing morning to the team even in the midst of a painful war.

Rin was rewrapping Kakashi's wound. "It's pretty much healed completely now, but if you overdo it, the wounds will open."

"Alright."

Namikaze Minato looked towards his students. "Okay! Let's head off!"

"Hai!"

The Konoha team had come to a forest of towering bamboo stalks which shadowed their path.

Minato spoke a quick order and farewell to the younger teammates. "From here we split into two groups. Everyone, do your best. It was only by chance that the enemy yesterday was scouting alone. From now on, it'll be team battles. Take care."

All three younger shinobi had serious looks on their faces. Two of those looks soon turned to surprise when Obito said something to his silver-haired teammate.

"Let's get going… Commander."

Minato's face held a small smile, proud of the Uchiha. "Right… Let's go!" He said, raising his arm into the air.

"Hai!"

"Scatter!"

The three younger shinobi of Team Minato ran side by side, racing through the gigantic bamboo stalks.

The team took a quick break before walking along a small lake. Kakashi led, followed by Obito and Rin. Each step they took created light ripples on the surface of the water.

Two Iwa shinobi were hidden behind some boulders, watching the young Leaf nin. One had shaggy hair with a thin face and the other had straight hair and a stronger-looking jaw line.

The ninja with the messy hair spoke, "Oii… Mahiru still hasn't returned from scouting… He couldn't have been beaten by those brats though…"

The straight-haired shinobi brought his right hand up in half of a Tiger hand seal and his body started blending in with the surroundings, becoming invisible.

"I'll go ask them."

Kakashi brought his hand up in a sign for his teammates to halt. Sniffing the air and listening intently, the young Jounin was on guard for enemy shinobi.

All three Konoha ninja were on guard as bamboo spikes shot down from above. The Uchiha formed a few quick hand seals.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" (Goukakyuu – Great Fireball)

A flaming mass flew from Obito's mouth, burning the bamboo spikes before they could do any harm.

Behind Rin stood a half-visible Iwa shinobi while a dark-haired Rock nin with a light build came from the front to attack the boys. The Rock nin and Hatake locked in battle before a scream broke Kakashi's concentration.

The black-haired and silver-haired Leaf shinobi turned around to see an Iwa shinobi with a heavier build and straight hair holding an unconscious Rin under his arm.

"We'll look after this one."

"Guh!"

"Wait!"

The Iwa nin disappeared and Obito ran forward. "Kuso!"

"Obito! Don't go after them!"

The Uchiha turned to yell at his teammate.

"What? What the hell are you saying? Don't you get it?"

"Yeah… The two of us will resume the mission."

"Rin… what about Rin?" asked Obito, unwilling to leave the medic behind.

"Leave Rin for now; the enemy wants to know our aim, they won't kill her yet. Besides, luckily, Rin's a medical ninja. Even as a prisoner, she should be treated well as long as she looks after the enemy's casualties."

Obito was about to argue, but the Jounin continued on.

"More importantly, the issue is the enemy discovering our aim. If they find out, they'll go straight to prepare the bridge for an attack. If that happens, the mission will become too difficult."

Obito was angry, "What you're saying doesn't include Rin's safety! If those guys were just unthinking flunkies, what would happen then? More importantly than the mission, we have to rescue Rin!"

Kakashi was quiet for a moment before speaking, "As a shinobi… sometimes it's essential to sacrifice your companions for the accomplishment of the mission. That's a law. If the mission fails, war will continue and many more sacrifices may occur."

"That's just speculation! You'd simply throw away a companion who's been with you through thick and thin, just for that? When you and I were injured, she saved our lives with her medical jutsu! If she hadn't been there, we'd be long dead!"

The Hatake was unimpressed.

"…That was Rin's duty."

Obito rushed forward and hit Kakashi hard in the jaw. "I definitely can't stand you!"

"…Whether you hate me or not I'm still your commander. You must obey my instructions. No matter what happens, if the team is scattered, there's only one leader. Therefore you must follow the instructions of the commander. Obito, you haven't got any strength; because of that, I'm this team's leader."

Obito grabbed part of the front of the X strap which held Kakashi's sword to his back. "If that's the case, then why do you refuse to help Rin? Only you have the strength to save your companion!"

The Hatake was unimpressed and was getting very annoyed with his teammate.

"If you let your emotions run free and fail your mission, you'll regret it in the future. Because of that, the rule was decided that a shinobi must kill his emotions. You must understand that too."

"Rin… Rin gave you a medical pack out of concern for you! And she sewed a charm into it!"

"The medical pack and the medical jutsu were to increase the success rate of the mission. That is the brilliant system devised by Konoha. But yesterday, didn't I say 'if you receive unnecessary things they just become excess luggage'? The most important thing to a shinobi is to be a tool in order to complete the mission. Emotions are unnecessary things."

"Are you serious?" Obito asked, shocked, "Do you seriously think like that?"

"…Yes… I do."

"…Fine then… from the beginning, you and I were like water and oil. I'm going to rescue Rin!" Obito shoved Kakashi before heading away.

"You don't understand anything! What happens to those who don't follow the rules…"

Obito paused, "I believe that the 'White Fang' is a true hero…"

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock and Obito continued speaking, back still turned on his teammate.

"…Of course, those in the ninja world who break the rules and regulations are called trash… but…" Obito looked over his shoulder, "those who don't care about their companions are even worse than trash. Anyway, if I'm that kind of trash, I'll break the rules! If that's not being a true shinobi… then I'll crush that idea of a shinobi!"

Obito continued walking away and Kakashi turned his back to his teammate.

An explosion sounded, sending large chunks of rock into the air, some hitting four Leaf ninja who had taken cover. A blond-haired man with a Jounin vest appeared and relief crossed the faces of the four Konoha nin.

"You're here at last!"

"What's the situation?"

"There are around fifty enemies, but in comparison there are only four of us left alive…"

Minato set down some three-pronged kunai. "Everyone, throw these kunai at the enemy's side together. I'll handle it after that."

"That's crazy! How do you…" the Leaf shinobi was cut off by another.

"Shut up! Now, we get to see the fight of the "Konoha Yellow Flash"… Don't even blink, not for an instant."

Hatake Kakashi was on his way to complete the mission when stopped on a tree and grabbed his shoulder.

'…"It's pretty much healed completely now, but if you overdo it, the wounds will open."…'

'…"When you and I were injured, she saved our lives with her medical jutsu! If she hadn't been there, we'd be long dead!"... "More importantly than the mission, we have to rescue Rin!"…'

'…"Kakashi… Of course the rules and regulations are important, but that's not all there is to it. I'll tell you… You must also be able to adapt to cope with the situation."…'

'… "I believe that the 'White Fang' is a true hero…"… "Of course, those in the ninja world who break the rules and regulations are called trash… but…" Obito looked over his shoulder, "those who don't care about their companions are even worse than trash."…'

Uchiha Obito was crouched on a tree a good distance from a cave.

'Found them! Stay calm… I can do this!'

Obito closed his eyes and brought one hand to each cheek quickly creating a slight slap sound. He could do this, he could do this…

"..!" the messy-haired Iwa nin heard a sound outside the cave where they held the Leaf girl prisoner.

"I'll sort it out. In the meantime, continue with the genjutsu and get the information out of her quickly."

The straight-haired Iwa shinobi again activated his invisibility jutsu.

"Right… let's go!"

"To where?"

"!" Obito spun around quickly but he wasn't quick enough.

Fortunately for the Uchiha, his teammate was. Kakashi had cut the Rock nin's chest with a chakra blade.

"Ka…Kakashi… You… Why?"

"Hah! I can't leave it all to a crybaby like you when you alone!"

'…Kakashi…'

The Iwa nin stood up on the branch of a nearby tree.

"Silver hair and that white chakra blade… Impossible… you… 'Konoha's White Fang'?"

"This is a memento of my father."

'…"The most important thing to a shinobi is to be a tool in order to complete the mission. Emotions are unnecessary things."…'

"Kakashi… you…"

"I see… the 'White Fang's brat… There's no need to worry in that case. Ninpou! Meisaigakure no Jutsu!" (Ninja Art! Camouflage Concealment Technique!)

The Rock shinobi became invisible for the third time that day.

Kakashi sniffed the air.

'Of course…'

"His scent has been completely removed. I'll only be able to track him by movements in air currents and sound."

"Wh…Where is he?"

The silver-haired Jounin's ears picked up a light footstep.

"Obito! Behind you!"

The Uchiha wasn't fast enough and instead Kakashi got hit with the attack ending up with a vertical slash through his left eye.

"Gyaaah! My eye!" Kakashi crashed to the ground.

"Kakashi! Kakashi! Hey, Kakashi! Are you alright?"

"Guh… Yeah… The enemy… he's skilled… He's already quickly gotten rid of the kunai with the scent of my blood on it."

Obito was overwhelmed with guild; it was his fault Kakashi got hit. The Uchiha couldn't stop the tears from clouding his eyes.

"Dirt in your eye again? Shinobi don't cry… I'm not dead yet."

Obito lifted his goggles and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

'… "You were wearing your goggles, so you couldn't have had something in your eye. If you don't control your mouth, not only your mouth but your mind will also become weak."…'

'I'm always mouthing off… Everyone's always having to save me… I'm just a mouthing-off loser… But…'

Kakashi turned to his teammate. "Don't let your guard down!"

The Iwa nin got ready to attack again. 'Even if these brats are our opponents, I won't take any risk. I'll do it cautiously…'

The dark-haired Chuunin wiped his eyes one last time.

'… "I believe that the 'White Fang' is a true hero…" … "Those who don't care about their companions are even worse than trash."… Those words alone… I don't want them to be just mouthing off.'

"Die!"

Obito turned around and thrust a kunai with two hands, eyes red with the Sharingan.

"Obito… You…"

"H…how… I shouldn't be seen..." the Rock nin again became visible, "Wh…what? Those eyes…?"

Obito pulled out the kunai and the Iwa shinobi fell to the ground, dead.

"Now… I will protect my companions!"

"Obito… You… Those eyes…"

"Yeah… It seems like the 'Sharingan'… I can see the movement and flow of chakra."

Pain shot through Kakashi's ruined eye. "Guh!"

"Are you okay? Kakashi!"

"Yeah… it seems like my left eye is completely useless…" he lifted up his medical pack, "I have this that I got from Rin. With emergency treatment we can do it quickly. Let's go rescue Rin right away!"

"Right!"

"You're unexpectedly stubborn…" the Iwa ninja grabbed Rin's hair while she remained in a genjutsu.

The shinobi turned at the sound of footsteps to see the girl's two teammates standing there.

The Iwa nin hid his face in his hand. "Everyone's useless…"

Obito activated his Sharingan.

"Rin's chakra flow is irregular, completely different from mine and yours."

"She could have been put under some genjutsu. It was probably to get information out of her quickly."

"…Hm. Looks like you're no ordinary brats…"

Kakashi reached for his sword, "We've already beaten one, but… this one has high speed. Be careful."

"Right!"

The shinobi clashed, Obito's Sharingan saving him more than once. Kakashi and the Iwa nin both aimed to kill each other, but Obito stopped the Rock ninja with his legs so Kakashi could land the hit which slashed the nin's shoulder.

Kakashi went up to Rin, brought his hand into the half-Tiger seal, and brought her out of the genjutsu with one word.

"Kai!"

Rin took in her surroundings.

"Kakashi… Obito…"

Obito grinned, "We came to save you, Rin! It's alright now!"

"Right! We'd better get out of here fast," Kakashi didn't want to take any chances.

Rin smiled but all three Leaf shinobi turned at the sound of the Rock nin's voice.

"Indeed… that was a good combination. But you're still just brats. You're now right in my hands. Doton! Iwa Yado Kuzushi!" (Iwa Yado Kuzushi – Rock Lodgment Destruction)

The boulders that made up the roof started rumbling and shaking.

"Oh, damn!"

"Everyone, get out of here. Quickly!"

The team ran as the rocks crashed behind them.

I rock hit Kakashi in his left eye's blind spot causing him to stumble.

"Kakashi!" Rin saw her teammate fall and panicked.

"Guh!" Obito ran back and tossed Kakashi out of the way of a falling boulder.

The rocks fell.

The Iwa shinobi looked from afar, believing them all to be dead. "…they were awkward sources of information, but I didn't have a choice…"

"…Are you okay…? Rin… Kakashi…"

Said nin turned to see Obito mostly crushed under a large boulder.

"Obito!"

"Shit!"

"That's enough… It's okay… Kakashi… It looks like it's over for me… The right side of my body is almost smashed… there's no feeling in it…"

Rin's eyes clouded with grief, "…No… This… Why…?"

Obito coughed up blood.

"Obito…"

"Kuso! I… from the beginning, if I'd gone along with what you'd said and went with you to rescue Rin… something like this wouldn't have happened! …What kind of commander? What kind of Jounin…?"

"…Hey… no… forget it..."

Rin could no longer hold back her tears.

"I'm… the only one… who didn't… give you a present… at your Jounin celebration… right… Kakashi…? …What would be good? …I was thinking… and… now… I've come up with it… What…? Don't worry… It's not… excess luggage…"

Kakashi stared at Obito, unsure of what to think or do.

"It's… this Sharingan… of mine."

Rin and Kakashi stared at their dying teammate in shock.

"…The people in the village… what they must have been saying… that you're… a great Jounin… that's how I feel… Please accept it… Rin… with your medical jutsu… please take out my Sharingan… and implant it… into Kakashi's left eye…"

"..Kakashi, come over here…! So we can start quickly!" Rin tried to be strong since this was the last thing she would ever be able to do for Obito.

"…I'm already… going to die. But… I can become your eye… and from now on I will see the future…"

The Iwa shinobi was relaxing after he caused the cave-in when he heard an explosion behind him. The Rock ninja turned and saw the silver-haired Konoha nin, eyes closed, tears coming from his left eye.

"You're stubborn, aren't you…? You're still alive… But… you're still a brat. Shinobi don't cry… Come on, crybaby! I'll break you apart!"

Kakashi opened his left eye revealing the Sharingan and his eyes showed determination mixed with the need for revenge.

'That brat… he looks a little different from before…'

Kakashi reached behind to grab his sword. Below, through the hole in the rocks, Obito's voice came from where he lay mostly crushed, Rin kneeling next to him. "Kakashi… Take care… of Rin…"

The Hatake drew his sword. "Right…"

The Jounin shot forward and swung his sword down on the Iwa shinobi. The chakra blade broke and Kakashi immediately dropped it and started on hand seals. The Iwa nin had a blade on his arm and moved to stab Kakashi with it.

The silver-haired shinobi wasted no time in charging a Chidori.

Rin looked up when something thudded on the ground at the top of the hole she was in.

The face of the Iwa shinobi could be seen and Rin panicked.

"…Re…lax…. Rin…."

The Rock nin slumped lifelessly to the side and Kakashi looked into the hole at his teammates, panting.

"Kakashi… Take… take Rin… Hurry… get out of here… the… enemy's reinforcements are coming… for sure…"

Rin held onto Obito's hand, unwilling to leave. "Obito…"

The Uchiha pulled his hand away.

"…It's alright… Go…"

Kakashi reached his arm down for Rin to grab. "Rin…"

Kakashi turned to see a group of Rock shinobi who performed a jutsu at the same time.

"Doton: Tetsudo Tenshou!" (Tetsudo Tenshou – Splitting Earth Force)

The ground started cracking.

"Rin! Hurry, grab on!"

"Rin…"

Tears were streaming down the medic's face as she grabbed onto the Jounin's hand.

The Rock nin's jutsu caused rocks to fall, covering the already-dying Chuunin.

"Obito!"

'…Kakashi… even though we… finally became friends… I couldn't… finally admit it to Rin… I wanted… to be together with everyone longer…'

Darkness consumed Obito's mind.

Obito opened his eyes, or eye, to be more specific.

…Wasn't he dead?

White surrounded the Uchiha in all directions; no shadows, no shapes.

Yes, he was dead.

An image appeared in front of him. He looked closely. The image showed Rin, she was saying something, though nothing could be heard. The image shifted away from Rin and showed Rock ninja.

The image disappeared.

Time passed, the dark-haired Chuunin wasn't sure how much time. Time couldn't be measured in this emptiness. Eventually, though, the image reappeared. It showed his sensei's face; Namikaze Minato. Minato-sensei held up a three-pronged kunai, his finger through the ring on the end. He spoke, again Obito heard nothing. A finger was pointed and the image turned to show a girl standing, gazing at the stars. It was Rin.

Again, the image vanished.

The next time it reappeared, there was a shinobi from the Mist with dark hair and bandages covering his mouth. A large fight took place, there were clones and water dragons. There were also three kids; one had bright golden hair like Sensei's, whisker-like markings on his cheeks, and wore orange. Another had pale skin with dark hair and eyes, perhaps an Uchiha. The third was a girl with pink hair and a red dress. Was it a Genin team, perhaps?

As time passed, Obito saw people killed, battles fought whether lost or won, many jutsu performed; he saw many things.

He saw many things, including the complete destruction of Konoha.

That's where it all ended. Not just the images, but the white around him turned into black as he faded into unconsciousness.

Fate didn't like how things turned out, so she decided to change a few things. She wasn't done with Uchiha Obito just yet, and she was kind of partial to Konoha.

After thinking for a few moments, Fate knew just what she was going to do.

It wasn't technically breaking the rules.

Spirits were allowed to go back as long as they didn't speak or affect physical objects.

It wasn't her fault if one Hatake Kakashi happened to be able to hear Obito's thoughts.

No, it wasn't her fault at all.

Ah, the joys of loopholes.

After all, that's what rules were made for, in Fate's opinion: to give divine beings a game to play. What else would they do with all their time?

And there you have it, the prologue of Brotherly Soul. I don't normally write chapters this long; you just got lucky this time. Note that the style will be a little different because everything up to Obito's death was "copying from manga" style.