His name was Obito Uchiha, a former shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and he was meant to be the savior of this world of death and despair. He was sure of all of these facts until tonight. Now he stood before his surviving cousin, Itachi, facing off across through the trees surrounding the abandoned, unkempt Uchiha shrine, and as before, the rain was coming down in sheets, reminding Obito of the sinful nature of his past terrors and the exact reason why this conversation would be critical to his survival.
If this had happened before any other night, he would have been loyal to his cause and fought the other Uchiha right off the bat, but now he couldn't feel it in him. All this time, he had been guided by Madara's word, in fealty of his love for Rin and his team. They deserved better; they deserved a hero and he wanted to be that hero. He wanted to be a savior of the world and bring back hope and goodness and their long-lost loved ones so that he could stay by Rin's and Kakashi's side for all of time, but now things weren't so simple.
His time with Kakashi had changed him. And although the man had interrogated him and put the fear of death in him, he no longer desired to be loyal to the Moon's Eye Plan or carry it out. Sure, this world sucked. Child soldiers found death on the battlefield, scared and alone, and heroes were ridiculed for their heartfelt deeds, but it would change some other way. It was hardly his problem if he abandoned Madara's plan. But if he truly believed that, he wouldn't have found himself in such a deadlock.
Itachi looked at peace and undisturbed by Obito's dreary thoughts as rain fell around them in the dimly lit forest. There was only starlight to see by with a distant glow of lights from the main part of the Hidden Leaf Village beyond. Droplets plucked softly against Itachi's straw hat before trailing down the cloth shading his eyes. Obito himself had forgone that part of the uniform and showed up how he was in his dark outfit with armor-paneling on his upper arms and thighs. The rain melodically beat against the plates and his mask, dipping into the design and sending a stream down his neck.
"I know about your visits with Kakashi Hatake," the younger Uchiha stated after a long silence. "So tell me, Obito, what do you plan to do with him?" Just like with the beginning of Kakashi's interrogation, he was calm and keen to hear answers. It only showed that the Uchiha was prepared to kill him just as he had been when they had first met to annihilate the clan. Ah, nostalgia.
"Nothing," Obito answered in his normal voice. "There is nothing I plan on doing with him and to be clear, nothing I plan on doing with his students either." He wasn't lying per se, but it would be the right thing to say and do. If he let them all be, just like everything else, life would be better for them. At least subjectively. But saying it out loud, however, made him feel empty. Raw, even though it felt like a weight off his shoulders. This had been his life for years; collecting subordinates to carry out Madara's dirty work. So what was he supposed to do now?
Itachi looked to be pondering something similar as he gazed at him through the rain and Obito became thankful for the mask concealing his face. He was beginning to lose his resolve even more.
"What about the Akatsuki? What are your plans for the organization?" the younger Uchiha pressed further.
"The Akatsuki?" Obito scoffed half-heartedly before continuing, "I hardly care what happens anymore. My only mission is to abandon those ideals and create new ones for myself to bear. Pein and the Akatsuki can do whatever they wish for all I care."
The other Uchiha shifted to take him in more easily, narrowing his eyes at the masked man trying to gauge something, anything from him. It was futile. Itachi was neither a sensor or an empath and with the mask in place, he could hardly see what expression lay upon his face.
"Why the change of heart? Is it something your former teammate said?" Itachi asked before giving a pause, making Obito scowl at him for bringing up the infuriating man once more. "Or maybe it's because you want to protect him. Is that it?"
"Maybe it is. I'd hardly tell you that, now wouldn't I?" Obito answered with a wide, indifferent shrug before crossing his arms over his chest. "As I said before, I couldn't care about him if I tried."
Obito had to keep up the charade. Kakashi was a liability and the sooner he played him off as not being so, the sooner he could slip into the shadows like he wanted to become just another ghost among the people. He turned to stride away in dramatic fashion, further into the woods before casting Kamui, just in case Itachi had something more to say.
"Is that so?" the younger Uchiha asked. And without a moment to spare, a wall of a man was in front of him, a large bandaged sword placed on Obito's shoulder, draining him of his chakra. Kisame. He turned on him. Now their conversation was proving even more amusing.
Itachi had been a spy for years, in fact, Obito still suspected him of being a spy for the Leaf Village in a way. Kisame was someone who hated liars and had grown rather close to him since their first meeting over a year ago. He could confide his true plans in him, but for them to be teaming up together to rebel against him? Itachi must have told him everything and Kisame had to have put all his faith in him. Very interesting. Was his relationship with Kakashi really that threatening to the other Uchiha?
"Oh, I see you're in on this too, Kisame. So pray-tell, what had you convinced to side with Itachi?" Obito asked curiously, looking up at the hyper-focused beady eyes and large, toothy grin that seemed more intimidating than friendly.
"Heh, well I smelled blood in the water, and after what Itachi told me," the giant of a man replied with a horrible, all too vicious grin, "I couldn't resist." So it seemed Itachi did tell him everything. Obito was in even more danger now. Either one of them he could handle, but both? Certainly not.
Nonetheless, the masked man scoffed at him, but knew his place, keeping quiet and patient in the former Mist shinobi's presence. He was treading on thin enough ice as it was.
"What do you think Kisame?" Itachi asked the sword-wielding shark. "Is he telling the truth?" Kisame laughed heartily, tearing up under his straw hat, before wiping away tears with his free hand. That was an even worse sign.
"Definitely not!" he answered with a chuckle after laughing for several long moments. It made Obito want to die. "He reeks of sex, even in the rain! There's no way he's telling the truth and is that strawberries I smell?" his grin stretched even further if that was possible while he taunted the oldest Uchiha. He had forgotten that the beast of a man could scent him. Obviously, he should have come more prepared or taken precautions before leaving Kakashi's home. But all that translated to was annoyance and spite towards the man.
Obito scowled up at Kisame behind his mask. "Do you mind not smelling me? Thanks." So what if he reeked of Kakashi? That still didn't mean he cared about him - even if he did.
"Mind running your intentions by us again, Obito?" Itachi asked again just as calmly and cautiously.
"Alright," the masked man said seething, "So what if I do have intentions with him? It's still hardly your business. Do you mean to threaten him to bend me to your will?" His body began to tense as he urged himself to stay stock-still as to not give anything else away, but by the gods, did he want to glare at the other Uchiha and show him just how pissed he was. Obito may not care about seeing Kakashi again, but he'd be forced to kill if something happened to the stupidly infuriating idiot.
"Only if I have to," Itachi answered.
"Then what is it you want with me? Do you need my word once more that I'll keep my hands off that brother of yours? Then done. You have my word that I won't touch a single hair on his lovely, little head," Obito sneered spitefully, suppressing his urge to fight even further down.
He had to keep his cool. Here, between the two other Akatsuki members, he had no advantages and would be out of his depth with how sore and mentally exhausted he was beginning to feel. Having all this drama heaped on his shoulders did him no favors.
"Although I will accept your word, that's not it either," Itachi said before taking a few casual steps forward until he was just out of range of the older Uchiha. "I want you to correct the situation in Rain and Mist and reform the Akatsuki."
Obito couldn't help it. Reform the Akatsuki? Overthrow the reign of the current Mizukage? End the fear of the people after ages of war in Rain? Madara would never allow that and he began to laugh unrestrained at the idea. He couldn't get a single word in during his "Reform the Akatsuki? Fix Rain and Mist? You must be joking," he commented simply. "Do you really think it's possible to do any of those things?"
"I'd like to think that they are," Itachi answered once more, without a trace of dishonesty in his being. His voice was hopeful and soft as though he truly believed in such idealistic things.
"Then you're a fool and-"
Kisame prodded him closer with Samehada. "You should show some manners when negotiating with us," the former Mist shinobi reprimanded, turning the edge of the blade into his covered throat, the scales covered by the bandages sticking to the cloth there. "Otherwise, my hand might slip." Obito would have to change his tactics if he didn't want to have his final act here.
He glared from behind the comfort of his mask, his abysmal gaze bearing its weight on the younger Uchiha. "What do you plan to do to change these things? It's not just me pulling the strings, after all. I can't simply snap my fingers and alter the future," he chuckled brittly. "Even the god of shinobi couldn't change the world; not fully."
"You may not be able to change it alone, but you can start; the rest will follow," Itachi pointed out.
"Just where would you like me to start?" Obito hissed. "And what good can anything like this possibly do in this world? Even if those things are fixed, that doesn't guarantee peace. It just means it'll be easier for those like M-" he hesitated a moment. Why was he so intent on bringing up Madara? He had hardly ever mentioned the old man being the mastermind behind this before rather than his own persona of him. Weird. He tried again, "It would be easier for people like me to take the reigns back up and do as they wish."
"Then we'll combat them with the reformed Akatsuki as they come up. With all of us on the same side, and the countries out of the disarray, we stand a better chance of obtaining world peace than any generation since the Sage," Itachi pointed out matter-of-factly. Obito had to admit it was an attractive offer, but he hardly wanted to be manipulated by anyone else any longer.
Obito chuckled darkly. "World peace? Now you're sounding like a particularly dull child rather than a shinobi," he teased the younger Uchiha. "You idealism disgusts me…" He took a moment's pause before grinning wryly behind his mask. He liked a challenge, even if he hated the person giving it. "So when do we start?"
"There's no time like the present," Kisame said his toothy grin in place.
"Indeed, but before we get started, there are a few things we'd like to find out about your plans," Itachi added, his eyes still burning into the other Uchiha.
"Do you intend to leave me curious as to what those questions are, or are you going to reveal to me your grand intentions," Obito spit sarcastically. Kisame's blade pressed that much closer as the shark-like shinobi chuckled mirthlessly. The edge of Samehada began to bite into his skin, pricking into him and drawing small dots of blood from wounds that sluggishly closed around it. Obito grimaced in disgust. He wasn't looking forward to being freed from Kisame's hold now.
"We want to know more about the Eye of the Moon plan. I assume that's why you wanted to gather the bijuu, isn't it?" Itachi asked, waiting patiently for a response. Obito didn't reply, mindful of Samehada and its wielder. "How did you plan on casting it once you obtain them?"
Obito hummed thoughtfully. "Have you read the tablet left by the Sage? I would hazard a guess to say that you have," he assumed aloud.
"Tablet?" Kisame echoed, curious.
Itachi nodded. "I have."
"Then you should already know of Infinite Tsukuyomi's existence," Obito pointed out to the other Uchiha. Then he looked up to Kisame. "There is an ancient, stone tablet left by the Sage of the Six Paths to tell the Uchiha about the history of the world and the Sharingan. Its knowledge is illegible to anyone without the gift of the Uchiha clan and it lies in the temple just beyond these walls," he informed him.
"Heh. Of course, Itachi would have been able to read it then," the former Mist shinobi pointed out with a frown.
Obito huffed and tilted his head slightly, the small, almost invisible teeth protruding from the wrappings around Samehada pulling out of his neck with a soft, squelch. "Yes, of course, but there is still a catch. You see, you can only read so far with the Sharingan and then with the Mangekyo Sharingan, which both Itachi," Obito hissed the other Uchiha's name, "and I have. There's still more to the tablet than that and another stage to the Uchiha clan dojutsu."
"Oh?"
"The Rinnegan - or rather, the Samsara Eye - is the final stage with its current holder being our precious Akatsuki leader," Obito pointed out.
Kisame chuckled in amusement. "Ah, but Pein isn't an Uchiha... is he?"
"But the one that gave him the Rinnegan was," Itachi mused, having come to the conclusion Obito had been hoping for.
"Right."
The shark-like shinobi grimaced, as he glanced between his partner and the masked man. "Someone implanted the most powerful dojutsu of your clan into someone outside the Uchiha? Why would they do that? Am I missing something? 'Tachi?" Itachi didn't answer, still waiting for the rest of Obito's reluctant explanation.
"The eyes themselves belonged to an Uchiha, but require Senju DNA to activate. Pein happened to have the secondary prerequisite, so he was given the eyes without his knowledge, as a small child," Obito continued once again.
"I assume they aren't yours then?" Itachi inquired.
"No. They aren't, but I would have been the one retrieving them had I followed through with this now-pointless plot," Obito scoffed, shifting his weight as he shuffled away from Kisame. The shark-like shinobi allowed it without question, letting Obito turn to finally face his kin.
"So what's the point? Why give someone else the eyes when you could keep them for yourself?" Kisame asked, growing more frustrated and inquisitive.
"The Rinnegan can control the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Itachi answered his partner, his Sharingan still focused on Obito.
"Right again, but that's not the only reason for leaving the Rinnegan in Pein's possession," the masked man vaguely stated.
"Then what is?"
"Because like everyone else here, he is a pawn," Obito replied. "A powerful pawn, but still a pawn." Silence befell them. Obito's lips twitched in both annoyance and amusement. He had to keep Itachi in the dark enough to save his own skin if worst came to worst. If Zetsu found out, he'd just play it off as Itachi and Kisame telling each other what they knew and deciding to team up against them. That'd work and be passable. Together they were able to see most of the picture anyhow.
Itachi's tenseness faded away and he gazed thoughtfully into the distance. "When was the last time you played shogi or chess?" He asked, awaiting Obito's answer, only to receive more of the same silence. "The turn of the game can rely on a single pawn. With it, the game can either be won or lost; they are the life of the game. I'm certain that now that we are aware of what tactic is being used we can win this game and bring an end to it."
Kisame nodded approvingly at that answer and grinned once more. Obito crossed his arms over his chest and began to tap his fingers against the damp, metal plates covering his bicep. Itachi's optimism was astounding, but he supposed he could roll with it. It'd make his deception to Madara easier to play down and he wouldn't have to worry about Pein trying to hunt him down for his lies. This change in plans didn't sound so bad now after all.
"I'll get to work on the Mist tomorrow. Is there anything else you wanted or anything else you want to trouble me with?" Obito sneered, keeping up his charade. It wasn't hard with how bitter he was about being called out so unmercifully by his kin.
"There is one thing you could do, since it would inconvenience us as well as you," Itachi began.
"And what would that be?"
"Stay out of the Hidden Leaf and away from the Leaf's Team 7. This includes Kakashi Hatake. Their involvement would prove disastrous to what we're attempting," Itachi answered. Anger bubbled up once more but cooled when Obito realized that Itachi was keeping tabs as well. He could use that.
"Ah, that's too bad then, isn't it, Obito," Kisame commented, replacing the greatsword into the holster on his back. "Looks like your boyfriend will have to wait for a while before you see him again." Both of the Uchiha ignored the taunt, although Obito certainly didn't miss it.
"Is that acceptable?"
"Perfectly acceptable; they aren't important or necessary to me anyhow. That is, unless you betray me first." Obito replied.
Itachi nodded in understanding and the two locked eyes, their Sharingan blazing into each other's sharp, deadly gaze. They were both treading in dangerous waters now and it wouldn't take much for them to be swept away by the current to drown in their mistakes. Hopefully, this wasn't a mistake.
When Obito was finally allowed to head back to his part of the Akatsuki headquarters, the Uchiha almost collapsed with the stress on his shoulders. Reform the Akatsuki? Fix the nations? Bah! He'd make an attempt, just as he agreed, but after he did the bare minimum and once he knew Kakashi was safe, he'd vanish among the other shadows that walked the earth. It wouldn't make a difference anyhow. Obito just wanted this entire night to be over. Hell, he might just sleep this evening so the time would just pass by him more quickly and without harm.
But first, he was in desperate need of a bath, especially after the humiliation he received from Kisame. Not only did the shark betray him by attacking him rather than Itachi, but he blatantly revealed Obito's sex life to someone he regarded as a disposable pawn, who now held him in the palm of their hands.
Damn that Itachi!
He should have got rid of him before, but nothing could be done about it now.
The masked Uchiha sauntered into his private bath and carelessly stripped himself bare, letting his clothes fall to the floor. The only tenderness he took in that was in setting his mask gently upon a shelf. Everything else was abandoned and strewn about carelessly as he made his way across the spacious room to the showering station to wash away all the evidence of his earlier coupling with the man he loathed the most.
The soap and hot water easily washed away the dried come that had adhered to his skin as though it had never happened. It almost made him sad, but he averted his mind away from it. This was his personal time and he wouldn't let sentimentality get in the way of that. Besides, there wouldn't be another time with Kakashi and he simply needed to get over it.
It didn't take long before he was cleansed of the Kakashi's essence and had meticulously scrubbed every inch of himself. So he shut off the stream and moved on the large, steaming tub. It was about the same size as those that one would find in a bathhouse, but the Uchiha had it all to himself. He preferred it that way, as bathing was one of his favorite pastimes when he found himself unable to sleep - which was fairly often. He only needed sleep to recover chakra, which he rarely used much of, to begin with.
The Uchiha carefully stepped into the tub and seeped himself in the relaxing herbal water, pulling a rumbling groan from his throat. His stress and tension seemed to melt immediately and the soreness in his muscles and lower back began to dissipate. For all of the reasons he wanted to leave and forget about the Akatsuki and keeping Kakashi safe, having his own private bath the size of a small swimming pool would keep him here to consider it.
Although none of this would have happened if Kakashi hadn't corrupted him in such a way. From the moment Kakashi had touched him that first time to the moment he had first penetrated his inexperienced body, he was lost and now there was no going back. The mere thought of Kakashi using him and bringing the two of them pleasure managed to stir his cock to life. He really was damned, but that didn't stop him from caressing the furled tightness of his entrance, thinking back to earlier that evening.
Kakashi was infuriatingly talented when it came to playing Obito's body like a marionette. Everything he did brought with it a wave of bliss and new experience, and he couldn't help but to want more. It made Obito even angrier. Kakashi wouldn't be so content if Obito was the one using him and driving into him!
"Damn you, Kakashi!" he hissed and grabbed the closest thing he could find to throw it across the water, sending a toy ship hurling with a small splash before floating back up on the surface. Obito couldn't recall why he found himself so amused with such a childish toy, but he watched it for a few moments as he zoned out to imagine what it'd be like to fuck Kakashi instead. He wouldn't be gentle, that was for sure. No, he'd bring himself off and make Kakashi suffer and beg beneath him, quivering in lust and discomfort for a release that would only be given if Obito himself was feeling particularly merciful. It wasn't likely, but it made for a lovely picture in his mind.
But just what would it feel like to have Kakashi like any of the number of women Obito had had in a visceral sense? Kakashi was the same sex and didn't have wide hips like that of a woman. From what Obito had felt, Kakashi had narrow hips and a lithe, muscular body, both well-trained and beautifully sculpted from his life as a shinobi. That'd be a lot different than some woman, especially being that none of those women were who he really wanted. Kakashi wasn't who he really wanted either, but he was far less of an obligation. Having sex with him and the power-play that seemed to occur between them made it far more entertaining and enjoyable than with anyone else. Then again, the thing Obito enjoyed most was when Kakashi had his gifted Sharingan eye active, drinking in the sight of him being debauched.
His cock twitched once more at the memory, almost rigid with arousal now. Just what would Kakashi think of that? That every time Obito saw or thought of the way Kakashi watched him like a beast ready to devour him, his cock would throb and ache for release. Would he be amused? Guilty? Aroused as well? All three crossed his mind, but then again, Kakashi wouldn't actually turn him down. Obito was certain of that.
Because the fool loved him.
Kakashi was truly an idiot for that. There was no way Obito could ever feel affection or sympathetic to Kakashi's feelings after Rin's death. He was too far gone, at least, that's what he believed. But enough about that. Kakashi was an utter bastard for getting him into this mess from the very beginning; for getting him caught up in Itachi's plan to reform the Akatsuki organization, for making him go back on his word to Madara, and for making him feel whatever it was that he felt for the idiot. It still didn't matter, because regardless of what Obito chose to do, whether he sided with Itachi or not, he was screwed, either by Madara's will implanted inside of him or by the rest of the Akatsuki. By proxy, Kakashi was too.
Whatever the case, it was still Obito's personal time and he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy it, even if that meant pleasuring himself to the thought of Kakashi mounted on his cock. What a lovely sight he would make, sitting sultry and moaning like a whore, grasping at Obito's shoulders. He enjoyed the thought of forcing Kakashi to take him, in fact, he relished it. The fully-erect member between his legs seemed to feel the same.
"Fucking Bakashi," he growled in a low voice, gritting his teeth in a snarl as took his rebellious cock in hand. It seems satisfaction wasn't an option when it came to Kakashi. His body was still wanton for him after their tryst only hours before. Perhaps his third time tonight would be a charm and he could sleep away his foul mood without any further distractions.
Obito caressed and teased at the sensitive head with his thumb. It was beginning to feel like a burden, being aroused so easily by someone he had despised for so long, but he persisted. He leaned back more fully in the bath, parting his legs more fully, before letting his hand glide over his cock beneath the warmth of the water.
"Mmmm… Fuck, Kakashi," he purred, reacting to his own ministrations. It wasn't enough to bring him off, but for the moment, it was pleasurable and got his mind off of his problems for a while at least. A rumbling groan bubbled from deep in his belly as he hazarded a hand between his legs to fondle his balls on the way to his entrance. He blamed Kakashi for this - for needing to finger himself whenever he pleasured himself. Obito grimaced through the discomfort as he pressed two fingers inside of him, angling them up to search out his prostate. Much better.
The stimulation urged him to let his hand fly faster over his cock, pulling a few more delicious sounds from his throat. He kept at it for a short while, stroking himself to the memories of before, of Kakashi swallowing his cock and of his former teammate thrusting inside of him, his calloused hand wrapped around Obito's twitching member. But when he thought of that, he thought of Kakashi's infuriating playfulness both this evening and all those years ago, when Kakashi had his way with him for the first time. The infuriating bastard truly was a god of sex and moonlight and Obito loathed him for it, even as come dispersed through the water and over his hand, making it disgustingly tacky.
What a mess. Damn you, Kakashi! Why couldn't I have just ignored you?
Obito wasted no time cleaning himself up after that, but he was entirely bitter about the whole business. He shouldn't be so turned on by Kakashi and that wasn't just because of his gender. That didn't matter at this point, but because Kakashi was Rin's killer and had practically violated him. By all reason, Obito should hate him, however, he couldn't. There was absolutely no way Obito could hate Kakashi entirely. Rin's death… it had to have been an accident. Kakashi wouldn't have done that on purpose, not with the way he cried over him at Kannabi. He would never have done it, would he?
No.
Obito shook his head to dispel the thoughts. No, Kakashi murdered Rin, regardless of the circumstances and she wasn't coming back unless it was in this 'eternal dream' the old man was so enamored with. He needed to stop thinking about Kakashi and figure out a way to forget about the plan, hopefully, a way that would get rid of Zetsu and the cursed seal over his heart.
He slipped his hand into the alcove beside the bath again, pulling out a trinket to amuse himself with. A stream of bubbles blew across the room with an iridescent shine. They were lovely and sent him in a state of euphoria as nostalgia took over. It was yet again a guilty pleasure; something from his childhood that he had thought he'd outgrown that he'd dragged back towards him to keep some sense of humanity.
A few bubbles were a nice luxury to have around - on top of the other more obvious luxuries Obito kept stowed away - to help brighten up such a dark and joyless life. Constant despair was not a good state to be in, not around other equally dangerous pawns in this game.
Obito blew another stream of bubbles as he lay laxly seated in his tub, watching them dance through the steam. It was mesmerizing, but something to his left caught his attention.
"I thought I told you not to bother me here," he grumbled at the intruder, blowing another stream of bubbles in the humanoid's direction. It was as good as sending a rude gesture, not that Zetsu would understand that anyhow.
"We don't care about your privacy," Dokuzetsu hissed in return. Only the Zetsu's head and upper chest was visible, their plant-like covering parted to show their face.
"Well, this was pretty important, Tobi, and I'm sure you'll want to hear this," Jozetsu explained hurriedly. "Orochimaru just defected after trying to steal Itachi's Sharingan."
He had to scoff at that as it brought a smile to his face. Even one of the legendary Sannin couldn't take down such a powerful Sharingan user. Humorous, yet unnerving to his own sense of self-preservation. "I'm not surprised," Obito answered, settling down further in his bath.
"Pein wants to see you."
"It's not something that can't wait until morning," Obito murmured, considering options.
"Now," Dokuzetsu demanded.
"Yes. He was very adamant about it," Jozetsu affirmed.
"Very well. I'll be there momentarily," he offered. That was good enough for the Zetsu as it slipped away, disappearing into the floor seamlessly. Obito's stress from this evening settled back onto his shoulders. Itachi wouldn't have already told Pein, would he? He'd never know unless he went to speak to the man, but he mentally prepared himself to flee as soon as possible. Who knew what could happen, and not for the first time tonight, Obito wished today would be over.