Don't own Naruto.
There is Strength in Love
Despite what people believe, Iruka wasn't the first person to offer Naruto love and comfort. No; the first person to do that met him in the orphanage he had been handed to. The guy had appeared one night, silent and invisible. The man's presence had startled Naruto awake, the then three year old already wary of people approaching him in the night.
The suspicious blonde scrutinized the man. He appeared to be in his late teens, with black hair grown into a shaggy mane stopping just below his ears. He had on a red cloak that went to his ankle, black flames emblazoned on the bottom. Orange goggles hung around his neck with his forehead protector strapped in its proper place. His eyes were what really fascinated the young Uzumaki though. One eye was a solid black, like a shard of obsidian, while the other was a clear blue-grey.
The man smiled at him and Naruto felt a warm feeling go through his mind and chest, and eagerly he smiled back. The brunette reached down and drew Naruto closer, picking him up and cradling him in his arms.
Naruto didn't hesitate to hug back, placing his small head on the teen's chest and listening to his heart before he frowned. The man's heart was really weird; it sounded as if it was only an echo of the real thing, since it was so quiet.
The two sat in the silence for a while, the young blonde enjoying how cool the man's skin was to the touch, before the man spoke. "Hello, Naruto-kun. I am sorry it took me so long to visit."
Naruto hugged the man more tightly and shook his head. "It's okay," he said, before pausing. "Who are you?"
The man smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair. "I am many things," the man began. "I am a prankster; I am a teenager; I am an Uchiha; I am a friend. For now, you can call me Ghost. Once you're older, I'll tell you my real name."
"Okay, Ghost-niichan!" The blonde chirped happily, before pausing and staring at the teen's eyes. "Ghost-niichan, what happened to your eyes?"
"I went on a mission a few years ago with my teammates. One of them had hurt his eye helping me so, to show I was sorry, I traded eyes with him."
"Didn't it hurt?"
Ghost gave him a sad smile. "Yep, it hurt a lot, but that's what made me giving him my eye so important." The rest of the night was spent with Naruto listening to the ghost as he told him amazing stories, the blonde falling asleep as the brunette told him about the adventures of a fox and a dolphin.
"What kind of fighting style did you want me to have, Obito-niisan?"
The two where standing together in one of the training fields that were scattered throughout Konoha, the six year old jinchuuriki looking up at the early-twenties chuunin in front of him.
It was easy enough for the young boy to understand that Obito could look as old as he wanted for some reason (the man proving this by shifting into his younger self right in front of Naruto), but it had only been recently that Obito had told Naruto his real name; he had been afraid the boy would randomly shout his name out, leading to who knew what problems.
The brunette grinned at Naruto and crouched down, his form resembling that of a large cat. "I call it beast-style, but everyone else I know calls it Inuzuka-style. It's pretty much where you fight with any body part you can, and is the best for mobility."
Naruto looked at his father-figure closely before slowly copying his stance. "Like this?"
"Yeah, that's perfect. To be fair, there is no true form for beast-style; you could fight any different way, and be a different animal."
"Oh…it actually feels natural."
Obito grinned at this and nodded, his goggles swaying slightly at the movement. "That means you're meant to fight this way."
Naruto grinned back, his sharper canines peeking out, before narrowing his eyes and learning how to run on all fours.
Naruto, now seven, sobbed as a rock shattered his window, and gripped Obito more tightly. Obito, in response, cradled the blonde closer to his chest and draped his cloak around them.
The shirt the Uchiha wore was a dark blue one with orange spirals on both sleeves, his fondness for orange still showing through. His pants were a simple black, orange lining the pockets and stitching.
Naruto buried his face into his father-figure's shirt as the shouting continued outside.
"Destroy the demon!"
"It killed my husband!"
"Send it back to where it came from!"
"Let's give it a birthday no one will forget!"
The blonde whimpered before looking up at Obito. "Did I really kill someone? Am I a monster?"
The tangible ghost frowned before firmly pressing his forehead to the boy's. "You're not a monster, Naruto-kun," he said. "And you never will be."
"But these people –"
"Are angry and hurt and blaming you for things you've never done. You're stronger than any demon."
Naruto shot the raven-haired man an incredulous look. "I am? How?"
Obito smiled at him gently, the noise outside growing as the people began to defy the Anbu stationed to protect Naruto to get to the boy. "You're stronger because you don't truly hate these people. Trust me, Naruto-kun, a strong person is not the one who forgives others, but the one who forgives those who've wronged him. And as long as you keep forgiving them, you'll be the strongest person I'll ever meet."
"Do I want to be strong?" Naruto whimpered. "They hurt me too much."
"I think you want to be strong. True strength comes from love, and I know you want love. Look at the Hokage; he's the strongest shinobi in the Land of Fire, and that's because he has people that love him."
Naruto gazed up at Obito, the two finally tuning out the chaos and hatred below them. "Then I'll become Hokage," Naruto declared. "That way everyone will know that I have people who love me and want me to be stronger."
Obito nodded with a small smile. "Sounds like a plan to me."
"I had my first day at the Academy today!" Naruto crowed, swinging his feet happily on a tree limb.
Obito, leaning casually against the tree Naruto was perched on, looked up at the sunny blonde and grinned. "Awesome! How'd it go?"
The eight year old seemed to think about it for a moment. "It was good, I guess. My sensei's name is Iruka, and he seems kinda cool. He doesn't hate me like all the other adults do, and that nice to feel."
Obito nodded before remembering something and brightening. "Hey, I have a gift for you. For beginning the Academy."
Naruto lit up at the thought of a gift and hopped down from the limb, his eyes trained on Obito who seemed to be searching his pockets.
"Ah, found it! So, what do you think?" The blonde stared at the item in the ghost's hands before throwing himself at the spirit, babbling his thanks excitedly. Obito chuckled then helped the jinchuuriki put the accessory on. "Now we match," the brunette joked.
Naruto, brand new goggles gleaming proudly on his head, nodded.
"…And then I summoned a bunch of clones and beat up Mizuki-sensei –" A pause for breath, "– and then Iruka-sensei gave me his hitai-ate so now I'm a ninja!" Naruto looked at Obito and adjusted his headband nervously. "What do you think?"
"I think that's incredible, Naruto-kun!" Obito grinned. "Now you have proof that there are people out there that love you, and their love let you learn a kick-ass new jutsu. Now you're a genin, and things will get a little harder, but I know you'll be amazing."
Naruto blushed at the other's sincere praise before frowning a little. "You make it sound like you're leaving."
The ghost chuckled sheepishly. "My bad. It's just that I know all of your training and missions will take time, and eventually you'll forget me."
"What!" Naruto squawked. "I would never forget you! Never!" Obito only smiled, his mismatched eyes dim.
"After that I eventually got the mission to Wave, then the chuunin exams, all of that Sasuke stuff, and then I left with Ero-sennin for three years. When I got back, Obito-nii was gone."
Gaara blinked calmly back at him as they sat together at the blonde's favorite ramen stand. "So…a ghost is what helped you keep your faith in humanity."
Naruto gave a small grin. "Yup. Iruka-sensei and Jii-san helped, but they couldn't always be there for me like Obito-nii was."
"But still…for a ghost to help you trust the living…"
Naruto's grin grew a little foxier at that. "That's just how Obi-nii was. He lived his entire life and after life as a contradiction. It's just the way he was."
Gaara resisted the urge to point out that people often said the same thing about Naruto, and paid the bill. "Do you think he's passed on, then?"
"Nah," the blonde dismissed, pausing to drink the ramen broth before continuing. "I think he just found someone else that needs a person to love them." As he said this, Naruto looked over his shoulder and watched a genin team walk by.
In the far back was Hinata's younger sister, her head turned to listen to the teen beside her as he described something he once saw. The teen was easy to miss, his hair a slightly shaggy mane of black and his skin a healthy tan next to his dark blue shirt and black pants.
As if sensing the scrutiny, the boy turned and looked at Naruto. A pair of mismatched eyes brightened as they met sky blue, and the ravenette waved at Naruto before turning to Hanabi once more.
Around his neck, a pair of orange goggles swung gently from the momentum.
Naruto has gained many loved ones in his life, and he will easily cite each one if asked who acknowledges him.
But the first one to see him for who he was, the very first one, was a black sheep Uchiha with orange goggles, mismatched eyes, and a love that truly knew no bounds.
So...I like it! It probably seems weird to some people, so I'll try to clarify:
Obito's Apparent Aging: I think that, since death only involves the body, you would technically see a person's soul if they appear as a ghost. As such, a person could then choose whatever age they want to physically appear to others. I also thought it would help Obito as some children don't respect teenagers as they get older, and if Obito aged with him, Naruto would be more inclined to respect him.
Obito's Grey Eye: Again, this is more head-cannon. I feel that, when Rin switched Kakashi's eye with Obito's, she transplanted Kakashi's blind eye into Obito, because the idea of simply taking her teammate's eye without remorse would bother her. He can see out of it as a ghost because he's already dead, so the physical properties that require sight will be void as a spirit.
How Naruto Saw Obito at the End: Obito can basically appear to anyone who's seen him as a ghost before, and to anyone who truly needs him. Kakashi can't see him because he's gained people he loves over the years, and Obito isn't inclined to appear before him because he's afraid it would do more harm than good.
I tell you, the thing that was the hardest to decide on for this was Obito's cloak. That thing went through so many color changes it's honestly kinda sad. I finally decided on red and black because I saw that this was the color scheme for Naruto's cloak when he was in Sage mode.
If anyone here reads my other fics that I haven't finished, I am truly sorry, but I can't really control the muses as they lead me. I can only hope you'll remain patient with me.
Please review.
Ja ne!