English is not my main language but hopefully this story would still be enjoyable. And I do not own NARUTO.
01
A peaceful and cheerful evening once again graced Konohagakure that had just recently recovered from their losses. The nightmare of the Third Shinobi World War had finally ended, and their most outstanding hero had been chosen as the new Hokage during the aftermath. Every sane person would not doubt the famous Yellow Flash's capacity to lead the village and protect them if somehow another war occurred. The ones who knew Minato personally even had faith that with his charisma and talents, any pointless conflicts that always loomed over the shinobi world could be prevented. However, there were also select few individuals who opposed him, and they had one strong point to question his competency to lead.
Regardless how acceptable the excuses were, how could a man who had 'failed' his students be trusted to protect the well being of one major ninja village?
Standing alone in the cemetery was the Yondaime's last remaining student. The young teen had indeed survived the war, but what remained of him was just an empty shell. His lone opened eye hadn't moved its soulless gaze away from the recently added tombstone in front of him. The sweet girl he had sworn to protect, but in the end died by his hand was buried in that grave.
How was that fair? She was the kindest and sweetest person he had ever known, but what did she get in return for the warmness she blessed the world around her with?
The memory of her eyes losing their usual brightness as she exhaled her last breath would never leave his mind, tormenting him... just as it should be. His hatred for this unfair world was beyond belief, but it still couldn't compare to his hatred for his own worthless self. And at that moment, he was seriously contemplating to do what his father did in the end.
"I know how worthless I am. But if you and Obito still consider me as a friend, and are still willing to welcome me, I really wish to follow the both of you..."
A kunai was at the ready in his right hand. The sharp tip already pierced through his grey vest, and would end his beating heart in any second.
CLANG!
Out of nowhere, a perfectly thrown pebble forced the deadly weapon to fall off the wielder's hand just a second before it could fulfill its purpose. Then a figure came out of the shadow, followed by a familiar voice.
"Geez, looking back at how popular you were as a kid, I thought you would spend a nice evening like this with a girl or two instead of doing… whatever it is. Seriously Bakashi, has your brain finally overheated or something?"
Kakashi convinced himself that it was just a hallucination, but deep inside even if it wasn't real, he desperately hoped he could choose it over the reality.
"O- bito? Is that... really you?"
"Oh? You remember that awesome guy? I wish I could say that I am still him, or maybe I have become even more awesome!" Suddenly, the playfulness was gone as he let out a tired sigh. "Things have changed, Kakashi. I don't even give a damn about who I am anymore."
As Kakashi took a closer look at the damaged but still familiar face, he noticed how unusually serious the other boy had become. He couldn't help but jumping to conclusions then.
"I get it. You didn't mean to stop me, did you? You merely want to bring justice onto me with your own hand. Go ahead then. I don't mind - no. I would be grateful, Obito."
Said boy looked at his friend in bewilderment for a second. He briefly wondered if he had said something wrong before shaking his head. No matter.
"As what you've most likely suspected already, yes, I know what happened to Rin. I was there, Kakashi. I was late as usual, but I knew you did all you could. It wasn't your fault. In fact, that cruel twist of fate is what finally opened my eyes. Err, I only have one eye, but that's not the point. I saw it as the ultimate prove of how horrific this world is." There was not even the slightest doubt in his mind that his best friend would ever intentionally hurt Rin.
"What are you saying? I have no excuse! She died by my hand… I killed her!"
In utter distress, Kakashi frantically picked up the kunai before shoving it into the other boy's hand. But without a second thought, Obito threw the kunai away, and quickly grabbed the front of his friend's shirt.
"It. Was. Not. Your. Fault. You hear me?!"
"If you say so..." The boy could only nod weakly after seeing the pure resolve in his former teammate's eyes.
Seeing this, Obito smiled slightly in relief as he backed away a bit. But then, he felt rather awkward when the other boy stayed silent. He cleared his throat.
"Now, I'm sure you're dying to know how a dying boy who was crushed under a giant boulder could stand here. For now, I'll just tell you that I was saved by a funny white 'alien' who then brought me to a very old and creepy gramps. They took care of me for a while... Anyway, how about you?" His eyes widened comically as he finally noticed the standard Anbu uniform. "Holy shit, you're an Anbu now?! Geez, you make me feel even lamer, you know?!"
"Yeah. Minato-sensei advised me to join a while ago to help me focus my mind again... or just to forget."
As he watched his friend idly inspecting his new Anbu mask, Obito could see a trace of doubt in his that was just what he wanted to see.
"I won't disagree completely, but that sounds not much different than running away, don't you think? We must deal with our self conflicts, Kakashi. No matter how fucked up our life is, we must deal with it. And one day perhaps we could do something with this even more fucked up world too."
"You're right. If only I'm not this pathetic. I wish I had the power to make things right, to... make a better world."
And that was what Obito wanted to hear. A grin appeared on his face. He would not miss this chance.
"Then join me if you feel that way. Together we can reshape this world, Kakashi. It would be a long way to go for sure. But we're gonna make it no matter what it takes." To him, it was a fact that the two of them together were unstoppable.
With that, Obito offered his right hand to his friend, waiting for him to make up his mind and take it. But Kakashi's nonexistent self worth prevented him from accepting the welcoming hand, no matter how much he wanted to.
"Don't be silly, Obito. What can I do really? You know how useless I am..."
"Damn, I can't believe this... Looking at how pitiful you are now make me wonder what happened with the 'walking Shinobi rules book' I used to know so well." Really, for a second he missed the stuck up jerk.
"Shut up, idiot. Seriously though, I do want to help you, Obito. I just..." He finally sighed in defeat. "Just tell me what I can do."
"Just be what you always mean to be, Kakashi. The perfect shinobi."
And at last, their hands finally met. Close to them, their beloved friend's gravestone acted as the sole witness of this monumental handshake.
After deciding to not tell their sensei since it would surely be very complicated now that he had become a Hokage, the two didn't waste time to depart from their home village for what probably be the last time. With the help of Obito's new unique Sharingan ability, they could bypass the securities with super ease. However, since he had only discovered it a while ago, he was still far from mastering it. So they continued their journey by foot.
Along the way, Obito talked about the details of his story, and explained their goal to revolutionize the world. It was truly interesting, especially the part about a certain 'old geezer' who just happened to be the Uchiha's great ancestor.
"Seriously, Obito. It's hard to picture the legendary Uchiha Madara as an old geezer..."
"Whatever. The old man was kinda pathetic in my opinion. He was just insanely butthurt that his rival always beat him all his life. Okay. I was too each time you beat me, Kakashi. But at least I always saw my defeats as a motivation to get better instead of a reason to avoid my friend."
Kakashi couldn't help but smile. His friend was truly admirable. But it was still hard to believe that the Uchiha didn't worship his great ancestor.
"You don't like him, or trust him at the very least?"
"I owed him my life, and he had opened my eyes, I won't deny that. But somehow, I feel like he was just trying to use me as a pawn to fulfill his ambitions. And you know me, Kakashi. I won't let that happen. This grand plan of ours is to save the world, so there's no room for selfish goals."
Seeing how mature and wise his friend had become, Kakashi felt more confident of the path they took. Still, from what he could summarize from Obito's story, he couldn't help feeling suspicious about one thing.
"I'll trust your judgment, Obito. But I think we should keep an eye on Zetsu from now on if you don't trust Madara that much." It was only logical really.
"Right... I'm an idiot. Whenever I thought of Zetsu, the first thing that crossed my mind always the silly white one, I almost forget the creepy black one. Honestly though, I don't have that much knowledge about them. And now that you say it, the black ugly thing does seem like a convenient tool for the old geezer to manipulate me."
"Well, it's too soon to worry about it, anyway. Speaking of knowledge, I have a question. It might be important." He hesitated for a bit. "So... Is it possible for this borrowed eye to also have a similar ability like its counterpart?"
Obito could clearly see how uncomfortable his friend was about this topic. It was understandable, even though to him Kakashi was being silly.
"Of course. In fact, it was actually you who awakened them, Kakashi. You see, if a Sharingan user regardless intentionally or not ended their loved ones' life, the eyes would evolve, their Mangenkyo Sharingan would awaken. Now, I'm sure just like me you would never ever trade Rin's life for such cursed eyes, but what's done is done. To deny its usefulness is in a sense like disrespecting her sacrifice. At least that's what I've been trying to convince myself..."
"And you're not wrong, my friend... Anyway, I've done some research myself on your clan dojutsu. And I couldn't help but think that space manipulation ability is actually your eyes unique trait, instead of the basic ones of the Mangenkyo Sharingan. If so, what are those then?"
"Man, you're still that smart, aren't you? Okay. The basic ones are Tsukuyomi the absolute genjutsu, Amaterasu the black flame thingy, and finally Susanoo the huge battle 'robot'! I'm optimistic that we should be able to use the first two, but as far as I know, it's pretty much impossible to do the last one without a matching pair of eyes."
Kakashi suddenly stopped walking. He still appeared bored like usual, but somehow his determination was so apparent as he looked at his friend pointedly.
"That should be a great reason for me to return your gift then. It's not like I could use it well enough without being left ridiculously weakened afterwards." Seriously, so far the eye felt more like a burden to Kakashi.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Kakashi? You should know by now if there's someone who can do the impossible it would be me! Besides, that eye has become yours the moment I gifted it to you. So be a bit more grateful, would you? I promise we will become the strongest Sharingan users ever!"
"Fair enough. But if there come a time that requires you to use both eyes, it would be my turn to give you a gift." And he would not accept no for an answer.
And the two continued their walk. But the air between them felt much lighter than a second before as the came to an understanding.
"Whatever you say, Kakashi. But I would first make sure you get a cool enough replacement before that happened."
"You should prioritize in getting a temporary replacement of your own instead of just using those bangs as covers. It looks kinda cool though, I admit. That longer hairstyle makes you look a lot less like an idiot."
"Ha ha, thanks. You also look a bit less like an asshole with your hair down. Seriously, I cringed every time I pictured you with your old ever standing hair that seemed to have superiority complex or something. I always thought you were trying to compensate for your inferior height compared to me." However, he then noticed that they both were almost at the same height to his annoyance.
"Now I wish I brought my headband with me so you would feel inferior again." Besides, having to consciously keep his borrowed eye closed like this was kinda annoying.
"Trust me you don't want to do that. Surely, plenty of girls already told you how attractive you are with your hair down, right? Or maybe not... Man, you always chased them away with your perma-bored look." It was such a shame.
"They're all just annoying and childish little girls anyway, never turned me on even one bit. And for the record, I am perfectly straight."
Obito stared at his friend for a moment in thought. Despite their past conflict, he never thought this boy to be gay, not even once. It just didn't make sense at all. For years, he simply considered Kakashi to be asexual. But perhaps there was something he missed all along...
Then he gasped in sudden realization.
"I'm really an idiot. Why didn't I figure it out sooner?! You, Kakashi Hatake is actually into older women! Oh my, it all makes sense now. The only time ever you forgot your bored look was that one time when Tsunade-sama bent over you to check on your fractured head." He could still remember Kakashi's disturbingly blissful expression despite his injury as his face was only a few inches away from the Sanin's massive breasts.
Kakashi gave his friend an unimpressed look as if he had already expected to hear such idiocy.
"It doesn't necessarily mean I'm into older women just because I have a crush on her -" In pure horror, the boy immediately covered his mask-covered mouth as he realized his mistake.
"HOLY SHIT, KAKASHI! She's old enough to be your mom, man! You totally are into older women!" Obito had never felt this hilariously surprised.
Quickly, the poor boy tried to think of something, anything to save what remained of his reputation. And he found a good one.
"Your hypothesis is weak. I've never shown any interest toward Kushina-nee despite how pretty she is." The Uzumaki woman's behavior was even worse than those of little girls' in Kakashi's opinion, and surely many people would agree with him.
"Hah. You've never shown it, but you do have a bit interest in her, don't you? You're just afraid to disappoint Minato-sensei since you're his favorite student and shit" Now that he thought about it, his friend had always been well behaved around their sensei's girlfriend despite how annoying she was.
"Another poorly thought assumption won't save your face from your idiotic theory, Obito." To be honest, his own desperate denial made him anxious that the idiot could be right.
Unfortunately, it seemed like Obito had become so smart all of sudden. It was impressive how he could easily think of a counter argument.
"How about this then? That one evening I saw you suspiciously 'walking' around Uchiha district. I thought you were just being weird like usual, training your stealth skill with an Uchiha as a target practice. But looking back into it, the Uchiha was a she..." Then he gasped in shock. "She was Mikoto-san! Kakashi you sick bastard! She's a married woman with a child!"
"Is it so wrong if I find them attractive?! It's not like they would ever take me seriously anyway... At best I would just end up like Jiraiya-sama if I'm lucky to live long enough." He felt defeated now after his sudden outburst, and could only accept the newfound fact about him.
"Don't worry. I would beat your ass if you ever show the sign that you're about to follow that rotten pervert's footstep. C'mon cheer up, man! Trust me, one day you would find the right older woman for you, and have many babies with her!"
That sounded too good to be true, but it was exactly what Kakashi secretly dream about. And well, a boy could dream, right? So, he supposed there was no harm to talk about it a bit, but still...
"I doubt I would ever find one. You see, I dream for an attractive, and of course curvy, mature woman with blue hair… But no one has blue hair, Obito! I would forever be alone." He failed to notice how uncharacteristic it was for him to openly talk about women like this.
And Obito found it beyond amusing to see his normally stuck up friend behaving so silly. He would not point it out to him though. Hell no. Instead, he would play along to drag this out as long as possible. This was just too priceless.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Kakashi! You will find her in no time. Wait a sec, Mikoto-san's hair has slightly blue tint on it. Is that why you were stalking her?!"
"Not really, the black hue of her hair is far too dominant. I'm talking about a real blue here." Though he got to admit that the Uchiha woman's hair did look really nice regardless the color.
"Technically everyone can dye their hair blue easily. You just need to ask the girl you like to do that, you know?" Automatically, Obito entertained an idea of 'asking' a random prostitute or something to dye her hair and seduce his silly friend.
"It has to be natural, Idiot. I very much prefer completely natural women. I don't particularly mind if they're second-had goods, but they got to be all natural."
Well, that was one interesting information. But as hilarious as it was to listen to his friend talking about his preferences in women, Obito began to feel kinda irritated of his fussiness.
"Geez, I've never thought you could be so picky! Still, I believe you will find her sooner or later, Kakashi."
"How can you be so optimistic? Just forget about it, it's not like I need a woman in my life anyway."
And that was that. It was surprising how nice it was to see his friend back to his normal self. It was still a shame that it had ended so soon though.
"Hey, let's make a bet! If we meet a blue haired woman once we got to Ame, you have to confess to her in public. If we don't, I'd dress up as a girl and then kiss the fattest dude there." He was so going to carry out his brilliant idea once they got to their destination.
Fortunately, Kakashi had already suspected his friend's ridiculous plan. He was just too smart to not notice how the idiot's mind worked.
"Very well, you've got a deal."
"I can't wait to get to Ame now." Oh, how Obito wished he had mastered his space manipulation technique.
"We're going to Ame? What are we going to do there?"
"To further our plan, we're going to recruit the guy who has the Rinnegan and hopefully his cool little gang too."
"A gang huh?"
"Yeah, the Akatsuki. They're all grown-ups from what Zetsu told me. Hopefully, you'll find plenty of older women to choose from there!" He then wondered if he could bribe one of the ladies to dye her hair blue...
"Seriously? Your girly teasing only makes you sound more like a dumbass, Obito."
"So be it! Oh yeah, Kakashi. Can you not call me Obito in public? People are supposed to think I'm Madara." He didn't like the old geezer all that much, but he still found the name somewhat cool.
"Do you seriously think people would believe that a stupid kid like you could be Madara Uchiha who must be the world's oldest man if he's still alive?"
"What would you call me then, asshole?"
"Hmm... How about Tobi?" It was actually a name that Kakashi had considered for one of his new ninken, but he found it suited the idiot more.
"Geez, can you be even less creative? The name sounds lame anyway." He would never admit that he just thought about using that very name just before the asshole said it out loud.
"So, Tobi it is then. Let's get going, Tobi. Anyone would surely know that you're Obito Uchiha if you are late."