"Kakashi… Rin… If only I could have stayed with them for just… A little longer…"
Everything went black as rocks enclosed around Obito Uchiha, he felt a warm presence consume his being, and he fell into a comfortable and calming sleep…
Kakashi cried for the first time since his father died that night. He wept until black marks ran down his cheeks. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep. "It could have lasted longer." He thought. "Our friendship." Kakashi gripped his blankets until his knuckles turned white, a sobbing moan escaped from under his breath. "I was so stupid." He said aloud. "Obito was the smart one, and I always called him and idiot, but he was so much smarter than I was… And then, when everything counted and his life was on the line I failed him. I failed!" The young ninja kicked and squirmed, trying to release some of the cold anger burrowed inside of him.
Are you angry?
Kakashi's head jerked up instinctively and he grabbed the kunai Yamato had given him that very day. It was sitting on his wardrobe. "Who's there?"
You are alone.
"Who are you?"
You are in great sorrow… But why?
Kakashi paused, and sighed. "My friend died today." He said, not quite sure what he was doing, but no longer caring.
Your friend? But is he really your friend?
"Obito was more of a friend than anyone else I've ever known. He taught me something that I would have never found out by myself."
And is that what makes him your friend?
"…No… I suppose not. Obito is my friend because I cared for him and he cared for me… In the end, that is."
Why not before The End? Were you not friends before that?
"We were simply teammates. We weren't exactly 'best friends.'
What could possibly change that in so little time?
Kakashi faltered. "A principle, I suppose." There was a pause, as if the voice was waiting for something. "We had a common goal. We both wanted to save Rin. So we forced each other to team-up. Through that we learned more about each other, and came to respect one another. Then he sacrificed himself for me. How could I not call someone like that a friend, if not more than that?"
But what is a friend? What makes someone close to you?
"Friends are people who want the absolute best for one another, and will strive to reach that."
And how important is someone like that to you?
"In Obito's case, it made him the most important person in the world for me. If I could, I would go back and take his place under that boulder."
Yes, but your father laid down everything he had so his friends would have the best. And yet you despised him. Why is that?
Kakashi sat up and leaned his head against the head of his bed. He was still gripping the sheets. "Because I didn't understand what a friend was back then."
And now?
"And now I've come to a conclusion that satisfies me, and makes sense."
Good
"Where am I…? I can't see… I can't hear… I don't sense anything." Obito wondered.
"He's weak. It looks like those rain ninja did the job… However, they can't be allowed to live knowing what they do. Take care of them."
"A voice? Is somebody there…? I hear them, but I don't see them. They sound so far away, and yet I can hear them perfectly."
"Of course, Madara." A different voice said.
"Madara… Uchiha…? Is he here? What's happening?"
"Oh, and Nagato, try to be quiet. You don't need to go overboard. We can't let anyone know we're here." Madara added. Obito heard footsteps that quickened until they disappeared into a void of silence that Obito could not see or hear into. He did, however, still feel the presence of Madara. "Fellow Uchiha, you will be put to great use for the glory of the Uchiha clan. Do not feel useless."
"What are you talking about? Where are you, Madara…? What are you going to do to me?" There was no response. Then, suddenly, a red light burst and glowed like a flame in front of Obito. It exploded and rushed around Obito, pushing him backwards until he hit a wall. A cage closed in front of him, and a small paper was placed on the door of the cage. Fatigue consumed Obito, and he drifted off into a disturbed and fearful slumber.