Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
Thirteen years old Obito is hesitant to leave his home but the circumstances give him no options.
He is too young to live alone and his only cousin that he genuinely liked, Itachi, is too far away to reside in their place. That's the reason why his relatives decided he was going to be transferred to his Uncle Madara who lives alone in the opposite side of the country – the only kin nearest to him.
He steps out of his house for the first time since his parents' funeral and was met by a coal-colored, slick Lamborghini with a twenty-five (or so he thinks) year old man lounging on the side. The said man wore a red, long-sleeved dress shirt paired with black slacks and black leather shoes. His hair is ebony, unruly and tied in a really messy ponytail although Obito could admit it looks cool despite it being comparable to a witch's mane.
The intimidating man approaches him and impassively asks "Are you Obito?"
The boy nods twice and watches how the adult carried his bags to the trunk and gestured for him to enter the car. When he was comfortable sitting on the front passenger's seat, his uncle starts the engine and begins to drive.
The younger Uchiha stares at the window, observes how the house he used to live in for thirteen years slowly disappears from sight. He sighs, dejected. His home is a childhood memory now, sadly an abandoned one. He would make sure to never forget about it though and promises to come back once he's older, preferably when he starts settling down. It was a big house enough for ten people to inhabit and it would be a good place to start a family after all.
His uncle clears his throat to get his attention. "My brother said I'm not good in taking care of kids but I'll do my best," the older man states while turning on the windshield wipers as the rain starts pouring. Still depressed, Obito responds with a slight bob of his head. The fact that the weather seems to match his mood didn't help with his state of mind.
Finally noticing his melancholy, Madara clears his throat again; this time due to nervousness because his brother also claimed he wasn't good at consoling people. Let alone a little boy who's fresh from his parents' burial. He tried thinking of a way to start a conversation. "By the way, how's your school performance?" he questioned when no good topic came to mind.
The young boy mutters "terrible" and went back to being silent. Madara cringes. He was pretty sure no child would want to chat with any adult about school but he was getting desperate. Well, he guesses they could bond over tutoring? "How about your grades?" he asks.
"Awful," the boy says.
"Your PE class?" he tries again.
"Shocking… I even got into a fight in front of my Gym instructor once."
"…Even Home Economics?"
"My teacher claimed my attempt of cooking was 'appalling'."
"…At least you know a lot of words synonyms with 'horrible'."
Obito shrugs. "I learned those words when my teachers tried to explain my grades to… mom… plus, the same boy who I'd fought with in PE class kept repeating those words along with pathetic, pitiful and defeatist."
"How did that go?"
"My mother was a nightmare when the debriefing was over. As for the boy, we got into another fight... do I have to tell you what my parents' reaction was?" the kid answered monotonously.
Madara chuckled. It was a known fact the Uchiha family didn't take grades and behavior lightly. For the clan, having high marks, big salary, grace, class and ending up with an impressive job is equal to respect. One of the examples is him: perfected every exam, earned millions every year, CEO of a company, number one gentlemen claimed by a magazine and labeled as a role model inside the family circle. Doing the opposite would only land you the title of "black sheep" and a sneer. Perhaps he could guide the child into following his footsteps? The older of the two smirks. "Well, have good news for you then. Once I'm done training you at the age of sixteen, you're going to be a prodigy."
Obito turns to his Uncle with an anxious gaze. "Should I be worried?"
'Maybe' Madara thought, a sinister grin visible on his face. The poor kid starts sweating.
Madara's so called 'training' consisted of him being home schooled.
At the first up until the third month, he was thought Algebra, Literature, Science, Culinary, Self-Defense, Music and Arts. In the morning he would be tutored (tortured) by the best teachers in the country, and in the afternoon he and his uncle would play basketball and/or table tennis. There were no rest days. Apparently, it was for sissies.
The fourth to eighth month was filled with Trigonometry, Physics, Chemistry, Baking, Biology, more Music and Arts. Lectures would be on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Wednesdays are for table tennis competitions his uncle signed him up for, and Sundays are for relaxing (after complaining Physics and Trigonometry was making his head explode) and making pastry.
The last week of the eighth month was when he received his first golden medals. He won the competition in both table tennis and the cake making contest nearby. Also, it was the first time he could say he was proud of himself for once. Madara wouldn't admit it but he was too.
On the ninth to twelfth month, the subjects were about Business, Business Etiquette, Accounting, Basic Programming, Robotics, Carpentry, Martial Arts and a review of the first to eighth month subjects. It was the hardest phase of the training but it paid off when New Year's Day came and his Uncle told him they would change things a little bit.
The change was this: In a span of three months, Obito must learn a talent, master it and perform it on the very last day of the last week. Schedule of practice can only be on weekdays. Weekends are for reading and relaxing only. It was the strictest time of Obito's life but at least it wasn't as hard as the ninth to twelfth months last year.
He ended up learning parkour, all kinds and variations of dance, fire breathing with a mix of fire dancing (though he turned into a pyromaniac after those three months of practice. Who knew fire could be fun?), and acting.
Madara was impressed, although he banned Obito from the following: matchsticks, lighters, hairsprays, gasoline, gunpowder, fireworks, flares, wooden sticks and any kind of flammable matter. He even made the fourteen year old sign a contract saying he's "supposed to be flame-free twenty-four/seven when he's in the vicinity of Madara Uchiha's property."
When he reached fifteen, his uncle deemed him intelligent and talented enough to stop being tutored. All he did this year was review, research and read about anything to everything. He was honestly going insane with all the amounts of free time. He wasn't used to it anymore. It was a good thing there was music to at least distract him when he's getting bored. In fact, it was getting to the point where he's super attached to his Ipod.
Boredom is dangerous after all.
Boredom always equates to fire.
Once he arrived at the age of sixteen on the tenth of February, his Uncle called the training completely off but...
"I think it's time for you to boast what you've learned to the lower mortals. I signed you up to a regular school. Congratulations, Obito. You're a high school senior now."
The teenager stared at his uncle with intense exasperation. "… Uncle, sometimes I hate you."
Madara smirked. "I know you truly meant love."
08/21/15 - Edited