A/N: Hello reader! I was inspired to write this after reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's not a 1:1 parallel, but you might notice some influences. Enjoy!
"Masster," said Zetsu, "I have found you a corpsse."
Madara Uchiha awakened slowly. His Rinnegan eyes fell on his servant and the wrapped bundle Zetsu had laid at his feet. "An Uchiha?"
"Yesssss Massssster," said Zetsu. "Fresssshly killed. Hisssss name isssss Obito."
"Let me see him," ordered Madara.
"Yessss Masssster," said Zetsu. Zetsu unwrapped the corpse, and when it was revealed, Madara and Zetsu recoiled in disgust. Half of the boy's body was crushed in an amorphous blob of flesh and blood. "Ohh no," said Zetsu. "I am ssssssorry, Massster. Thissss one will not do."
Thunder rumbled outside. Madara considered. "We must act now," he declared. "Prepare the corpse."
"But Masssster!"
"I said," Madara repeated sternly, "prepare the corpse." Zetsu placed Obito at the base of the Gedo Statue. Madara weaved some hand signs, and the portion of Obito's body that was crushed became wrapped in the same substance that made White Zetsu. Madara focused his energy into his Rinnegan and held a hand sign over Obito. Lightning struck the Gedo Statue, and Zetsu leapt backwards in shock. Madara fell to the ground. They stared at the corpse and waited.
"I'm ssssssorry, Masssster," said Zetsu. "The jutssssssu hasssss failed."
"Pity," said Madara. "We must find a more complete corpse next time."
A moan came from the Gedo Statue.
"Wait," said Zetsu, "what wasssss that?"
The moan increased in volume. Madara slowly rose and looked at the corpse. With a violent wail, the corpse popped upright and grasped Madara.
"IT'S ALIVE!" Madara shouted. "IT'S ALIVE! OBITO UCHIHA IS ALIVE! Speak to me, Obito! Speak to me, my son!" Obito gazed blankly at Madara and grunted. He touched Madara's face and hair like a baby encountering the world for the first time. "Obito," Madara said, "speak to me."
"Ehhhhh?" Obito muttered. He looked at the Gedo Statue and flinched at the horrific sight.
"It's okay, Obito," said Madara, trying to comfort the boy, but Obito pushed Madara backward in fright. Obito stood up and ran away from the Statue, but he screamed when he saw Zetsu, then stumbled over his own feet and fell. Obito wailed and cried on the floor, clutching his own body.
"He issssss ssssssscared," Zetsu said.
Madara scowled down at the boy. "He is a mewling baby," said Madara. "He's useless to our cause. The experiment is a failure. Take him outside."
"But Masssster," said Zetu, "he will die on hisssss own."
"That's the point, Zetsu," said Madara. "Look at him. Death is a mercy for the likes of him."
"Yessssss, Massssster," said Zetsu.
Obito shivered and cried in the rain. A rabbit approached him with a cautious sniff, then skittered away in horror when he spoke. Obito watched the odd creature through his one functioning eye. He slowly pushed himself off the ground and looked up, trying to find the source of the water. A drop landed in his eye, and he grunted, rubbing the water off his face. He licked his hands, and the water tasted good, so he continued licking himself, and trying to catch the drops in his mouth. A laugh bubbled out of him, and he clapped his hands over his mouth in fear of it, then laughed again. He decided being alive might not be so bad after all. He walked on.
The rain stopped, and Obito looked up in distress. He held out his hands to the sky as if he could will the rain to return. He saw the stars and the moon. The moon enchanted him. It was a full moon, perfect and round and shining in the sky. He sat on the wet grass and stared at the moon. He heard frogs and crickets singing, and sang along with them. Fireflies appeared, and Obito longed to catch the little floating lights and keep them forever. He clapped his hands around one, and the palm of his hands glowed for a moment. He frowned and clapped his hands around another. He moaned in despair. Why wouldn't the light stay?
Laughter met his ears, and his heart leapt. He followed the sounds of people's voices to a place where water fell in droves from rocks into a pool, and in the pool were people. The people had long, flowing hair and soft, curvy bodies. They were beautiful. Obito longed to be near them. He walked out of the trees and waved. They looked at him and shrieked.
"A BOY!" they cried.
"UGHHHHHHHH, PERVERT!"
"OHHHHH EWWWW, JUST LOOK AT HIM!"
"HE'S HIDEOUS!"
"A MONSTER!"
"Huhhhh?" Obito said, watching them run away. He tried to follow but tripped into the pool. Water started filling his lungs, and he flailed and coughed, until a hand pulled his head out of the water.
"What's the big idea?" the man asked. He was an imposing figure with long, shaggy white hair and skinny red marks running down his cheeks like blood.
"Ehhhhhhhh?" Obito coughed. "Ahhhh!"
The man slapped him on his back, and water flew out of Obito's mouth. Obito pushed the man away and scooped water out of the pool to drink.
"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you," said the man.
"Ehhhhh!" Obito protested.
"Geez," said the man, "what happened to you?"
"Eh," said Obito.
"Can you talk?" asked the man.
"Eh," Obito repeated.
"Weird," said the man. "I wonder if you even understand me. Where did you come from? Can you point to where you come from?" The man made a pointing gesture, and Obito mimicked it, and touched fingers with the man. Obito smiled. "Well, at least you're friendly," said the man. "My name is Jiraiya. Nice to meet you." Jiraiya extended his hand, took Obito's, and shook it. Obito laughed.
"Errrrr-ahhhhh-yahhhhh," said Obito.
"What's that now?"
"Er-ah-yah," Obito repeated.
"Er-ah-yah. Jiraiya! Yes, my name is Jiraiya! You're smart too!"
"Er-ah-yah. Er-ah-yah," said Obito.
"Now, what should I call you? You must have a name, but I doubt you could tell me it. Say, let me look at that eye of yours. It looks like it's full of blood." He leaned in closer to Obito and gasped. "It's a Sharingan!"
"Ahhhh-ing-gahhhhn," said Obito.
"Come with me, Sharingan, let's get you some clean clothes," he said. "You've got guts, coming out of the woods. You're a man who sees what he wants and goes for it. I admire that. Might have overdone it a bit, but I admire that." Jiraiya bit his thumb and weaved some hand signs. "Summoning jutsu!" he declared, slamming his hand against the ground. A large toad materialized. Obito screamed. "It's alright. This toad is my friend."
"End," said Obito.
"And I'm your friend too, Jiraiya."
"Er-ah-yah. End," said Obito. "Ah-ing-gan, Er-ah-yah, end."
"Smart boy," said Jiraiya. "I'll have to get you back to the Hidden Leaf village where you surely belong. Geez, how'd you get all the way out here, I wonder? So far away from home. Unless," Jiraiya thought to himself, "maybe you don't have a home. Maybe you were disowned. Poor guy." Jiraiya took a map out of his bag and unraveled it. "Sharingan, look. This is the Hidden Leaf village." He pointed to the Leaf symbol on the map. "Does this symbol look familiar? Do you know what this is?" He tapped his finger on the symbol.
Obito touched the symbol. "Er-ah-yah?" he asked.
"Hidden Leaf," said Jiraiya. "Home?"
"Ome," repeated Obito. "Ih-hen eaf. Ome." He scrunched his face in confusion.
Jiraiya rolled up the map. "Those words don't mean anything to you, do they?"
"Ome," repeated Obito.
Jiraiya sighed. "Come on, Sharingan," he said sadly, taking Obito's hand and pulling him onto the toad's back. He saw the Uchiha crest on the back of the boy's jacket and gasped again.
Obito patted the toad. "Eh?" he asked.
"Toad," said Jiraiya.
"Oah," repeated Obito. "Oah end?"
"Yes, this toad is our friend," said Jiraiya. "Now, hang on."
The toad carried them to the nearest village. Obito looked around the village with wide eyes. "Ehhhhhh?" he asked.
"Village," said Jiraiya.
"Ome?" asked Obito.
"No, this isn't home," said Jiraiya. "Come on."
"Come on," Obito repeated.
"Oh," said Jiraiya, "you're speaking better."
"Suh-suh-suh-peak," Obito said. "Speak."
"Speak," Jiraiya said, nodding, gesturing out from his mouth.
"Speak," Obito repeated. Jiraiya helped him off the toad and ushered him towards a shop. The toad disappeared.
"Ehhhhhhh?!" Obito shouted, pointing to where the toad had been.
"It's okay, Sharingan," said Jiraiya. "The toad went home."
"Home," said Obito. "Go home?"
"Can you tell me where your home is?" asked Jiraiya.
Obito furrowed his brow. "Home," he repeated at a loss.
"Okay," said Jiraiya sadly. "Come on."
Jiraiya bought Obito some clothes that fit him, a simple brown shirt and black pants and sandals. He took the dirty blue and orange Uchiha jacket and carefully wrapped it in a scroll, along with Obito's smashed goggles, headband, and pack of shuriken. Jiraiya's stomach tightened when he realized this boy had been a Hidden Leaf genin. He decided he better alert the Hokage. He got them some food and a room at an inn, then when Obito fell asleep, sat down to write a letter.
