Co-written with ISpeltEclipseWrong, in which Obito makes a mistake while checking in on his old teammate. Set in the first few months of the year Naruto was born, about two years after Rin dies. POV is omniscient third person.
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Kakashi slowly opened the door to his darkened apartment with a weak arm. The man was pretty much dead on his feet, still dressed in his ANBU Captain's uniform but with his Hound mask pushed up into his hair instead of covering his face. There were visible bags under his eyes, one black and the other bright red. Usually, they had to change out of their uniforms at the ANBU headquarters, but he was bleeding out from a slash in his arm and really didn't want to deal with fussing medical staff today. Besides, it had been easier just to sneak up to his apartment even with legs that wobbled and threatened to go out from under him.
He squeezed around the barely opened door and closed it with a soft 'click' behind him, plunging the man back into complete darkness cut off from the light outside. His hand reached out after a moment and flipped the light switch, bathing the hallway in yellowed light. Black spots had to be blinked from his vision and he walked down the hall as if he was in a daze.
He pulled off his mask and threw it into his bedroom via the open door, the porcelain landing softly on his bed. He stopped into his bathroom and pulled the First Aid kit out of his medicine cabinet. He went into the kitchen and sat at the table, opening it in front of him. After a moment, he decided it could wait since it wasn't bleeding that badly. He left the kitchen and went to go sort out his things for the next week-long mission he'd beg for.
Darkness hung over the village as one ex-Konoha ninja slipped through the cracks in the defenses, made easier by his steadily progressing skills as a shinobi. It wasn't the first time he had done this. Actually, it was the fifth time since the new year had started. His training master had passed away not long ago, leaving him and his most loyal friend, a strange plant man named Zetsu, to care for themselves... and to continue the plot for world peace-via-domination, but that was another story.
The young man, one Obito Uchiha, darted silently through the shadows as his destination came into view. The newly sixteen year old made a single jump up, landing without a sound on the balcony of the apartment he had targeted. His single eye closed to prevent any counter surveillance and sights that weren't his started to flicker into being until they grew crystal clear.
The first thing he noticed was the blood. The second? The fact that the blood was still flowing, and the third thing he noticed was that nothing was being done to stop it.
The boys jaw clenched tightly and he hissed through gritted teeth. What was wrong with Kakashi?
Kakashi was too absorbed in his packing to be aware of much of anything at the moment, and that was exactly how he liked it. He pulled a shift from his closet, folded it, and put it into his travel bag. Repeat as necessary for the length of the mission and space available. He pulled out a pair of trousers from his dresser, setting them on top of the mission's supply of shirts. Repeat. This allowed his mind to be focused on the task, but utterly blank as the task required no thought. A respite.
Every time the ninja walked across his bedroom floor, from closet to travel bag, dust from lack of use was kicked up. Kakashi was hardly aware that every now and then he'd cough. Other than that, the rooms of his apartment were sparce and clean; the bed was made and, in fact, unslept in, Kakashi survived mostly off ration pellets so his kitchen was clean and bare, and he was hardly at home so there were little to no personal artifacts about.
The deep slash across Kakashi's arm was starting to clot, with no help from the ANBU, but blood still trickled down his arms. He was ignoring it, the warm buzz of pain firmly in the background. It was always like this.
For a very long time he just watching, slowly growing more frustrated until Obito's own eye snapped open without his knowledge and he started seething. He had taken a boulder to the right side for this boy, and here was acting like a moron. That wound should have been sealed by now, clothes should have been unpacked for a few days off, and there should not have been that much dust.
Obito spun around to glare at the glass window of the sliding door and promptly stuck his mask covered face to its surface, creating a slight 'clink'. The mask was a new addition, a private joke between him and Zetsu to mock the ANBU of the various villages. Through the crack in the curtains he could see a pristine couch and a useless kitchen. It took him a few minutes to realize that the eye connection probably went two ways.
When that realization struck he reacted more than thought, leaping back across the street and out of the range he had carefully tracked.
Of course, by that time, it was already too late. Kakashi stood stock-still in front of his travel bag, which was still open and sitting on his unused bed, a black long-sleeved shirt in his hands. He had recognized that house, the living room behind the blinds, as his own. The vision had been dark around the edges and spotty, but it had been there.
He dropped the shirt, scooping his mask off the bed and sliding it back onto his head. Once the mask was settled firmly on his face, he unsheathed his sword and marched out of the room. He had no idea what that was, why he had a vision of his own home from outside, but something was up. The window opened and the boy jumped out and onto the roof, keeping low and looking around.
Obito stood on the roof opposite of the ANBU's home, watching him come out with weaponry drawn. That had been a stupid mistake, one he had thought he had trained himself out of, but one that he could not take back. So, when his old friend came out and jumped up onto the roof across the alleyway, Obito stayed still; watching and waiting.
He didn't try to hide himself; it was a village of ninja, who would notice one more? He even kicked the tiling below his feet, trying to gain the stupid-acting shinobi's attention. He had known that Kakashi had been beating himself up over incidents in the past, but he hadn't known it had gotten so far he would ignore such a blatant injury. Something had to be done, so he was doing it. Just in case of attack he gripped a kunai.
The ANBU captain looked up, seeing the man on the rooftop across the street. He put his sword back into its scabbard cautiously, and then leaped across the building. Kakashi putting away his weapon while engaging a possible enemy was more than stupid, but his rationalization was that he 'didn't know if he was an enemy yet'. It was enough to fool himself.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low and rough. He was 'The Hound' right now; the ANBU, not the man behind the mask, "Were you the one who sent me that vision? Why are you outside these apartments?"
At first he didn't say anything, but saw himself as Kakashi saw him. It was logical to assume the same was happening with the other eye as well. He hadn't planned on this happening, hadn't planned on anything even remotely close to this happening in fact, and his mind was scrambling to come up with a solution that wouldn't end badly. In the end, he started rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah, that was me," he admitted. He would be surprised if Kakashi recognized him with the mask on. His hair was longer, almost to his shoulders, and puberty had finally caught up to his voice.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the other man, the Hound mask obstructing his vision at this point was not even a hindrance for the ninja. He could see himself, along with the other man... The double vision, the two perspectives, were unsettling.
"Why? And how are you sending me information from your own point of view?" The Hound demanded, taking a step closer but not yet taking out his sword. "I have to take you in for questioning."
"Whoa!" he stepped back, holding up his hands up as a shield in front of him, "No, not happening. Sorry Kakashi, but I've got other plans and Ibiki isn't in any of them."
That was, perhaps, not the best thing to say. The lack of threatening metal helped, and he had stowed his own defensive weapon by then. The shared vision was warped slightly, disturbing his sense, but not enough to hinder him any if it came to blows.
Kakashi's eyes widened and he took another step forward, this time his fist clenching around his sword's hilt. He tensed up the muscles on his arm without thinking, the action splitting the rapidly forming scab on his gash and the blood started flowing again.
"How do you know my name?" Kakashi demanded, "Who are you?"
"Ah, funny story…" he drawled, letting his arms drop down as he took a step back, hitting the top of the roof and balancing there. His eye was drawn to the now-reopened cut on the boy's arm and he scowled beneath the mask.
"Damn it! I didn't take a boulder so you could let yourself fall apart!" he exclaimed.
Kakashi was taken aback by the man's words. His gaze flicked from his arm to the man again.
"My arm? But... Wait, a boulder?! Who are you?" Kakashi took another few steps closer, pulling out his sword. He refused to be mocked by some stranger, not with that as the subject at least. The people of the village already called him Friend Killer, wasn't that enough?
Obito rolled his eye and reached up, unclipping the orange mask. He was starting to miss the simplicity of goggles.
"I thought you were supposed be a genius." he muttered, holding the mask in place for a moment. "Alright, I'm going to take this off. But you have to promise not to freak out, okay?"
Kakashi shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, the double-vision and strangeness of this all putting him off. He nodded, absently picking at his bleeding arm.
"Yes, I promise I won't 'freak out'." he promised, trying to keep his voice even.
"You are so going to freak out," he deadpanned, and finally removed the mask from his face. The hand holding it dropped to his side and he stood there, the moon choosing that moment to come out and illuminate his form.
Obito raised a hand in greeting, a nervous half-smile forming. "Hey. How've you been?"
A clatter rung out through the entire empty street as Kakashi let go of his sword, his hand falling limply to his side directly after his grip gave out. Behind the delicate porcelain mask, the boy's expression morphed into shock and his eyes widened.
He lifted his other hand to his face carefully, pulling off his mask and letting it hang around his neck. The double vision intensified and he took a few steps forward, gaping like a fish.
"Obito?" Kakashi asked softly in disbelief.
The smile turned into a grin, but the nervous aspect remained. Well, that was one way to tell your best friend you were still alive.
"I though you said you wouldn't freak out," he teased lightly. His expression dropped into something more serious and he braced his feet, staying where he was.
"It's me," he confirmed, watching himself and Kakashi through both of his eyes. Wow, the scars looked much worse in this lighting.
Kakashi's eyes were drawn to the scars. He looked at his friend's face, down the side of his body that was crushed, and down at his own hand. He swallowed thickly, unable to raise his eyes back up to his friend and look at him again.
"Am I dead?" he asked, softly. He wondered if his careless actions had finally done him in. In this life, would he get to hang out with Obito again? Would this fantasy of his friend always bear the scars of Kakashi's failure?
Obito stared at him blankly. He had anticipated a lot of reactions, but that was not one. It was worrying that that would be the first conclusion made. "That's it?" he asked, "'Am I dead?' No, you moron, but you will be soon if you don't start taking care of yourself!" He stomped forwards suddenly.
It was perfect. He would be a ghost. Yes, the perfect plan. "What is that?" he barked, pointing to the open wound, "You're bleeding, you look like a damn raccoon, and when's the last time you've used that kitchen? Well?"
Kakashi jumped a bit when Obito approached him, yelling. He didn't lash out, just shrunk back like a wounded animal or scolded child. He shrugged his shoulders at Obito's questions, looking away.
"I 'unno... It's not that bad. I just don't feel tired, and ration pellets are more convenient." Kakashi listed quickly, the last two were the usual excuses he used with the Hokage.
"Why...How are you here, Obito? You're dead. I let you die, I felt so... I just... Never mind. What's going on?"
"An intervention is what's going on," he retorted hotly, walking straight through Kakashi. It was a trick he had recently unlocked, one he was now putting to very good use. He paused when he hit the edge of the rooftop and turned to look back at his friend impatiently.
"Come on. Bad excuses are my thing," he allowed his hard, annoyed expression to soften a bit, trying to get the other to follow. He was going to make him take care of himself if he had to.
Kakashi gasped as Obito walked right through him, feeling nothing. His hands came up to touch his chest and he swallowed heavily. An illusion? No. A specter?… Kakashi crouched to pick up his sword, sliding it back into its scabbard, and turned to face Obito.
He followed after the other man as they jumped across the roofs and into his apartment.
"An intervention?" Kakashi asked.
Obito nodded. He walked through the door instead of opening it, mostly for show. No matter how serious this may have been, it was still something he was going to enjoy. After all, how many people could say they came back from the dead?
"Yes, an intervention. You're acting like an idiot. Rin and I didn't do what we did so you could throw away your life on missions, or ignore your body's basic needs," that might be a cruel thing to bring up, it was still an open wound for Obito too, but it would get the point across.
"Oh..." Kakashi trailed off, looking down at his feet. Kakashi thought to himself; 'Am I in shock? Yes, I'm probably in shock'. This was all a little much to take in at once...
"So, you really are dead then?" Kakashi asked softly before trailing off yet again, "Of course you are, I failed. I'm so sorry, Obito, sorry for you and Rin both. If I wasn't so stupid, or if I was stronger I could have gotten us all out of that cave and kept Rin safe... I broke my promise to you. I'm so, so sorry." Kakashi was just rambling now.
The other boy stopped and turned to look at his friend, sighing softly. He couldn't let him keep feeling guilty, and therefore he couldn't keep being a ghost, as fun as it was.
"I'm not dead... And you didn't do anything wrong, except neglect your own health and wallow in guilt and self pity."
He stepped closer, holding out his hand once he had removed the gloves, "See? I'm here."
Kakashi carefully approached Obito like the other was a wild animal, reaching out his own hand to touch Obito's palm. Solid. He was really there. Warm. He was really alive.
"Why?" was all the ANBU could ask. Why lie? Why come back now? Why not tell him beforehand? Why forgive him? Why?
"I told you earlier it was a funny story," he murmured, quieter than he ever had been around Kakashi. It was harder to be infallibly cheerful these days, especially regarding his old teammates.
His fingers curled around the other boy's and he gave a slight tug, dragging him over to the medical kit. "It can wait until you've got this injury taken care of. Wrap it up, and I'll go see I can get take out this late." He let go and turned to leave, honestly intending to return.
Kakashi had been comforted briefly through being able to hold Obito's hand again. Alive, he was alive. He sat down in front of the First Aid kit when prompted, but when Obito turned to leave Kakashi reached out and grabbed his arm with both hands.
"No! Nonononono!" He said quickly, all in one breath, and gave Obito's arm a little tug. "No. Stay, please."
Surprise colored the other boys face as he turned to look at his former teammate, the grip on his arm tight. Aside from sparring matches, had they ever been that close before?
"Alright," his voice came out thick and Obito cursed himself for it. With his free hand he covered one of Kakashi's, trying to smile as easily as he used to. "I'll stay for a while."
He couldn't stay forever, he had plans for the future after all.
Kakashi nodded slowly and bit by bit released his grip. The 'a while' part confused him, because why would Obito return to Konoha just to leave again? It didn't make sense. He decided to let it go for now though, turning to face front in his chair.
He opened the medical kit and pulled out some anti-septic, pouring it over his arm and hissing when it burned. "Thank you," he said, using a cotton ball to clean away the blood.
Obito hummed in response, watching the silver haired boy treat his wounds with less care or experience than was preferable, but at least he was doing it now.
"You do need more than ration pallets, you know that, right? I can't believe Minato-sensei is still letting you take missions. Maybe I should fill out an anonymous report and get him to make you stop..." The last part was quieter, more to himself than Kakashi.
Kakashi looked down at the now-clean gash in his arm, thankfully not deep enough to require stitches. Obito would flip if he saw how badly Kakashi did stitches. He pulled out a roll of bandages and started to wrap up his arm, on the very edge of being too tight.
Kakashi shrugged as he finished tying his arm. "They provide all the necessary calories, vitamins, and other nutrients. Plus, they're convenient. I don't see the need to eat anything else." At Obito's next words, he looked up at the other sharply. "What else am I supposed to do if I'm not on missions? Sit around and be useless?"
Obito snorted, scowling at the sudden defensive tone. "Try getting a life. Find a hobby, take on genin, and don't you have an 'eternal rival' somewhere?" What was he supposed to do? What a stupid question. "Heck, find a medic and learn how to actually take care of yourself if you hate hospitals so much."
Kakashi could do whatever he wanted with his life, and this was he chose? An empty apartment and no sleep?
Kakashi sighed heavily as he packed away his medical supplies, shaking his head slowly more to himself than to Obito. "Yeah. Sure." he stated blandly.
"How are you alive? Why are you here? You said you'd tell me."
The answer wasn't satisfactory, but it would do. The question was one he had foolishly hoped would be dropped. Now, he could either lie or tell the truth. He had never lied to Kakashi before, why start now?
Obito took in a slow breath and began. "I'm alive because a plant man found me and saved my life by bringing me to Madara Uchiha for medical treatment and training. I'm here because I wanted to make sure you were okay."
Kakashi just stared at him in surprise for a few moments. Madara Uchiha? The insane man that had tried to take over Konoha with a tailed demon and was killed by the First Hokage, over a hundred years ago no less? A plant found him?
Kakashi stood up suddenly, walking over to Obito and placing the back of his hand against his friend's forehead. "Obito, are you feel okay?" he asked, concerned.
Obito shook his head, caught between being annoyed and amused. He had known it would sound crazy, but as far as Kakashi was concerned half the reasons he was always late were made up too.
"I'm fine," he stated, not removing the hand from his forehead. It actually felt nice, "I'm telling the truth. Zetsu is mostly plant, he found me and got me out from under the rock. Madara is the one who made him and he fixed me and taught me more than Minato-sensei ever tried to."
"Okay. I've seen or heard about odder things than a plant chimera, but Madara Uchiha is supposed to be dead, isn't he? If you were alive, why wouldn't you try to come back to the village?" Kakashi asked and shook his head, sighing.
"We're all so sad about your passing, Obito, you didn't think to let us know you weren't really dead?"
"I was in recovery for months," he stated dryly, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "When I finally had enough strength to move, I started walking around. We were in a series of underground caves. I... You and Rin were in one of them." The floor was suddenly very interesting and his shoulders suddenly very tense. That was true…mostly, at least.
"I...Oh," that was all Kakashi could say after that. He apparently shared Obito's sentiment about the floor, as he looked down as well. He rubbed his arm up and down in an attempt to calm his churning stomach.
"You saw... Oh, Obito. I'm so sorry. Her death... It was my fault. All my fault."
At Kakashi's words, Obito's leg struck out and connected with the other boy's shin.
"Stop that," he snapped, harsher than first intended, "I was there too, I should have got there sooner, and maybe I could have helped, but I was too slow and you were too weak. Is that why you've been pushing yourself like this?" He really hoped not.
Kakashi flinched a bit at Obito's tone, but made no move to avoid the hit even though as an ANBU he was completely able to. Kakashi shrugged at Obito's words and sighed. He paused for a few minutes before saying anything.
"Not... just that..." he winced a bit, knowing that Obito would be angry. Why he'd be angry? Kakashi had no idea. It was all his fault, after all. "You didn't have to do anything for Rin, Obito, it was my responsibility to protect her. You were for all intents and purposes dead, we didn't expect anything from you. I was the one who got you 'killed' in the first place, and then I couldn't even keep my promise to protect the girl you liked!"
Obito quieted at his words, hands twitching subtly as he reigned in his emotions. He was getting too worked up here, and making too many mistakes. He should have already been gone.
"We're both at fault for mine and Rin's death," his words were blank, masked in a way that hadn't existed three years ago, "I made the choice to get you out of the way, that incident was on me. Rin knew what she was doing, even when she shouldn't have had to make that decision."
"After you passed out, I took out the Kiri nin, took care of Rin's body, and made sure you would be found by Konoha." The Mist ANBU had gotten what was coming to them, as far as he was concerned.
Kakashi nodded slowly. There was still blame on him, but not as much. He couldn't help this sinking feeling that if he'd only been better... No, don't think like that right now. Later, but not now. Obito was here now.
"Are you staying, now that you're back?" Kakashi asked.
That was at least a simple answer.
"No."
He still had other things to attend to. Yagura was under his control now, and he had a lot to do with him. What could Konoha offer him now?
"What?" Kakashi asked, eyes widening a bit. "What do you mean 'no'? Everyone still thinks you're dead and... Well, you're not! What about sensei and me? Your... uh... friends and family? What's more important than that?"
A single brow rose in question as Obito met Kakashi's gaze evenly. Nothing about the expression was even remotely like the Obito that had once existed.
"You didn't pay a lot if attention when we were teammates, did you?" He knew the answer; no.
Kakashi knew how weak the last two points had been, and shrugged after a moment. "Still. Konoha is your home."
He shook his head. "The Great Uchiha Clan never had room for a deadlast... I'm not 'crybaby Obito' anymore; This place has nothing left for me," except... "You and Rin were the only friends I actually had. She's gone and if you keep going like this you will be too, Kakashi."
Kakashi shook his head, but he knew it was true. A few minutes ago he'd assumed he was dead before anything else; either from insufficient nutrients, improperly cared for or ignored injuries, or just getting killed on a mission. Kakashi sighed and looked back down to the floor.
"There isn't much left here for me either, Obito."
Obito shook his head, sighing softly. "I should have been back by now. Zetsu is going to have a heart attack." The boy pushed off the wall trying to sort through his thoughts as he did so.
"Come on. While I'm here you're going to have a decent meal."
Kakashi nodded and followed after his friend. This conversation had left him with more questions than answers, and he was still frustrated that Obito wouldn't stay, but this was the best he could get right now.
"Okay."
"Do you have anything in your kitchen?" Obito asked, looking around the space for any signs of use. There were none at all, which did nothing to improve his thoughts on Kakashi's ability to care for himself.
Kakashi scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "No. Sorry."
Obito's hand struck out, revealing more of his speed than intended as it connected with the back of Kakashi's head. "I thought you were smarter than this," he chided, disappointment and concern clear in his voice. It was a good thing he had come to check on him
Kakashi winced and rubbed the back of his head. "Ow!" he grumbled, glaring a bit at the other man. "It's not like I was starving myself... I always have plenty of ration pellets." The excuse was weak, and the ANBU knew it.
For a moment he almost hit the other boy again before he shook his head, sighing in exasperation. What could they get this late? "Do you still like Miso? I think we can get some of that, you used to put eggplants in yours right?"
Kakashi nodded a bit, hating to admit that Miso sounded good right now. He frowned when his traitorous stomach growled. "Yeah."
Obito grinned, poking his friends stomach playfully. "See? Your body knows you need something. Are you going as ANBU or do you actually own regular clothes?"
Kakashi smiled a bit at seeing his friend grin, his hand coming up to cover his stomach where Obito had poked.
"Yeah, yeah. I have regular clothes.. Give me a second..." Kakashi disappeared, and when he came back he looked more or less normal with baggy pants and a T-shirt. His mask was still firmly in place, however.
"You're still wearing that thing?" he questioned, smiling still. Even the few times he had visited and Kakashi had been looking in a mirror the thing was in place. Did he bath with it or something? At least some things hadn't changed.
"Hm?" Kakashi asked, his hand coming up to touch his mouth. Oh, that. The black cloth stretched over his mouth and nose was hardly noticeable to him anymore. "Yeah, why? Does it bother you? I can take it off if you'd like, no one would recognize me anyway."
"What?" he looked startled, not expecting him to volunteer to take it off. He was just so used to it being there his curiosity had faded into simply noticing its existence.
"You don't have to. It's just... it's been three years, I didn't think you still wore it all the time is all," Obito shook his head, unclipping his mask from his belt and laying it on the kitchen table, "It doesn't bother me."
Kakashi shrugged. "Old habits die hard, I suppose. I'm just used to it, and it helps not having people know what I look like if I ever need to hide."
Kakashi watched Obito set the mask aside on the table with little interest, bringing his hand up to his own mouth as he did so. He shrugged again and tugged the cloth down to bunch around his neck. "What's the deal with your mask, anyway?"
Obito hadn't looked up from his orange concealing agent, shrugging a bit. "I dunno. I beat a bunch of ANBU before, Zetsu thought it would be funny, and I figured why not? It's not like I need people to actually know who I am anymore." It would actually be better if no one did.
He looked up and stopped, eye locking on the newly revealed face of his friend. "You look a lot like-" he cut himself off, not wanting to say anything overly stupid about the clear resemblance with Konoha's White Fang.
"Are you in hiding, then? If what you say is true, you're being trained not only by someone who should be dead, but by a criminal..." Kakashi trailed off, trying to put the pieces of this picture together in his head. What was Obito getting into, if he couldn't return home and let everyone know he's alive?
Madara... was he up to something, and tricking Obito into something as well? He'd try to get more information out of him.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Obito's next aborted comment. "I look a lot like who?" he asked, curious.
"Oh! Madara is dead. He died a few months ago, once he thought my training was far enough along I could get by on my own," he explained, not thinking much about that fact that Madara was one of the most infamous criminals in Konoha history. It wasn't relevant to him in current context anyway.
At the second question the Uchiha shrugged, "Like your dad I guess. Or pictures of him at any rate."
Kakashi supposed the news of Madara's death was good news, so that at least he wasn't going to be coaching Obito any time soon. Still, 'get by on my own' was worrying. "What did he even teach you down there?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly, not a note of his tone revealing anything but idle curiosity.
Kakashi paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I do."
Obito shrugged once more, something he seemed to be doing a lot. "He taught me more than I ever thought I could learn. I'm faster and stronger than a lot of people, my fire jutsu is better, and I've mastered Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan, among a bunch of other things."
He couldn't say too much, because he wasn't sure how much he wanted Kakashi to know, but the old rivalry required that he brag just a little bit.
"Oh? Does that mean you can finally beat me now?" Kakashi teased, leaning his hip against the kitchen table and folding his arms over his chest. He enjoyed poking fun at Obito, just like old times, but also was trying to egg him on to get more information.
He took the teasing with a stride, a confident grin sliding into place. "Probably, yeah. Actually, if Madara was right, I could give Minato-sensei a run for his money soon enough."
He would have to if the plan was going to work. He didn't want to hurt the Fourth, no, but it would be necessary that he could go toe to toe with him when the time came.
"Oh yeah? I never knew you could get that strong so soon. What's the rush, though?" Kakashi asked.
"Things to be done," he replied flippantly, waving his hand in dismissal.
"What things?" Kakashi asked, pushing off the table to go grab some money to buy food. "So important you couldn't tell me you were alive earlier?"
"Just that Madara gave me some ideas and I want to see where they go," Obito explained, "I wasn't actually planning on telling you I was alive," he admitted, starting for the door.
"What ideas? And what the hell!? What do you mean you weren't planning on telling me!" Kakashi shouted, following close behind.
"When did you get so loud?" he asked, rubbing a hand over his ear. "And I mean he just had some ideas for the future I'm going to try and see how they pan out."
Obito kicked at the stairs as they went down them, "And I mean what I said. I was just here to see if you were okay, I was planning on leaving after that. You weren't supposed to find me or know I was alive. Ever."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, looking incredulous. "A man who killed his own brother to steal his eyes and gain more power, who was so insecure and unbalanced that when the people voted and he wasn't their choice he thought the acceptable course of action was to summon a demon and attack them? That's who's plans you're following? I know I've not been making very good decisions lately, but wow. Pot to kettle, Obito."
"Why didn't you want me to know? Does it have something to do with the 'plans' Madara told you about?"
"Look; I'm doing important things, okay? Not all of his ideas involved the death of hundreds. You know the sudden change in Kiri's training policy? Not just because some kid went crazy."
They hit the road and Obito looked around, trying to remember where he was going.
"And you don't think he could have, you know, been lying to you?" Kakashi questioned, "Evil people tend to do that, Obito. He wanted power, and after not getting it from Konoha he held a grudge. He tried to destroy Konoha, failed, and now here you are. Honestly, is there any part of the plan that involves attacking Konoha? Probably all he wanted, and the rest is just to get you to agree."
Kakashi directed Obito in the right direction, leading him to the nearby shops. "That was you? Well... Maybe you are doing some good but that's you, not him. Why don't you come back and just fulfill the good parts of the plan, and not the Madara-driven-forward-by-crazy parts?"
Obito shook his head, walking close to his friend to avoid being over heard even though there was next to no one else out that late at night. "What needs to be done can't happen when I'm restricted by being a part of Konoha, by being Obito. Yes, he wanted to destroy this place, but he's dead for now and I'm not going to do that. If you look at the reports from the Mist, or the Rain, I've been involved there a lot. I'm trying to end war, Kakashi. Kids like us shouldn't have been out there, I want to make sure they don't end up there again."
"Then don't come back officially, but at the very least let the people who care about you know you're alive," Kakashi said, and shook his head, "I'm sure the Fourth won't keep you here if you didn't want to be. Yes, ending war is a noble cause, I have no problem there, but how exactly are you planning on going about it?"
"Tell me what your plan is, maybe I can help. Promise you won't attack Konoha."
"I have to do this on my own. There are too many variables for other people to get involved right now. I need to be in Ame by the day after tomorrow so I don't have a lot of time to spend here," he stepped into the shop, a late night convenience store that clearly catered to ninja. Extra first aid packs, whetstones, and instant food made up most the shelves.
"I do promise, though."
"Don't pull that bullshit with me, Obito. Whatever you're planning sounds like it's going to need a lot of people. Why aren't you giving me straight answers?" Kakashi questioned, grabbing some food and supplies down from the shelves, even his medical kit had been getting low lately.
"It will need a lot of people," he conceded, standing to the side and throwing in a pack of dried vegetables. He hated them, Kakashi probably did to, but they were healthy. The clerk, a girl about their age, kept staring at them from behind the counter.
"Then let me help. Tell me what's going on." Kakashi said, a note of desperation in his voice.
"I can't tell you everything. I can't tell you anything here," he muttered, and plastered a cheerful smile on his face when they reached the check out, greeting the girl with bright enthusiasm that seemed to throw her for a loop.
Kakashi sighed before doing something similar, the entire check-out process remarkably painless. Soon they were taking the bags back to Kakashi's apartment. "Tell me when we get back, then."
"We'll see," he muttered, leading the way back to the building. He couldn't tell him everything. In fact he probably couldn't tell him much, but he owed the other boy at least a few answers.
"Oh," a thought occurred to him as they reached the front door and he turned to look at the other, "I almost forgot; thank you."
Kakashi didn't like the 'we'll see', but it was the best he was going to get. He raised his eyebrow at Obito's next comment. "What do you mean thank you? What did I do?" Kakashi asked.
"You went back for her," he explained, taking the bags from Kakashi and going to put everything away. He had meant to mention it earlier, but the conversation has shifted before he got the chance.
"Oh, that..." Kakashi trailed off before nodding. "Of course I did. What else would I have done?"
"Put the mission first?" Obito offered, putting soup into the microwave. It had been what Kakashi would have done back when he was on the team.
"I couldn't do that. I promised to protect her." Kakashi said. Obito smiled at that and leaned on the counter as the appliance went off. Kakashi went over and took the soup from out the microwave. "Alright, now tell me everything you can."
"Well… There's an organization in Ame I'm trying to put in charge of the region, I control the Mizukage, and Danzo isn't abiding by a lot of laws." If the information Zetsu had come up with was anything to go by the old man was either going to pose a problem or help things along.
Kakashi nodded, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Obito was almost in charge of two shinobi villages. "What's the Ame organization called?"
Obito lifted himself up to sit on the counter, tapping his heels against the wood. "It's called the Akatsuki. The three leaders were trained by Jiraiya."
Kakashi nodded. "And putting these people in charge... It will help stop war? I don't see how."
"Have you ever heard of the Rinnegan?"
"Yes. The sage of Six Paths apparently had it."
"Well, it's actually an advanced form of the sharingan. Madara unlocked it and gave it to one of them," he explained, "If he can find the right motivation and unlock it's full potential that guy can dominate the region."
"Dominate? That doesn't sound good. What exactly are your goals, Obito?"
"I already told you my goals. It's just a figure of speech, the point being that he could take control. His heart is too soft right now, especially for someone who's already lived through one war. When it comes down to a real fight with Hanzo, he should be able to draw on the power. Hopefully, his friends don't die before then."
But if they did all the more reason for Nagato to take control right?
"...That doesn't sound very good. I thought you said you didn't want any more suffering, why would you want him to close up his heart? For more power? Don't you think that will backfire when it finally comes down to it, like he could be too greedy or cold to actually help?"
"I don't want him to close up his heart, but the Sharingan and it's later forms rely on a certain drive to get better, or to get revenge, and can only really be unlocked in a highly emotional life or death situation. It's like our Mangekyo was unlocked when Rin died because of the emotional trauma and the exertion we both put out."
"If it doesn't work out I can always take the Rinnegen back and give it to someone else, but that part of the plan has been in motion for a long time and it would add decades to the time line." Obito gave a casual shrug, "If worse comes to worse I can go in and force him to activate it, but it looks like things will progress in that direction without my direct interference." He had no idea how un-Obito like he sounded right then.
Kakashi's eyes widened as Obito went on, shocked by the implications of what Obito was saying and just how he was saying it. He swallowed hard, pushing aside his half-empty bowl of soup and shook his head slowly. "That's terrible. You're... You're treating people like pawns, like they're nothing. Madara really must have gotten to you, because you aren't the boy I remember."
Obito stopped talking, looking at Kakashi oddly. He knew he wasn't the same kid he had been; he had grown physically and mentally. All he was trying to do was keep more tragedies from befalling the future generation. To make an omelet one must crack eggs and all that.
"Isn't that what they are? Isn't that what we were? Every mission, every war, every order was given by someone who viewed the world in moves and pieces. Time changes people, Kakashi, look at yourself."
"No, you look at yourself." Kakashi snapped, standing up and knocking back his chair. "I thought you'd be different, Obito, there surely must be a way to solve this problem without stooping to their level. How exactly is this grouping going to bring around peace when this man gets the Rinnegan, Obito? What's your plan?"
The other boy looked surprised for a second before an expression of apathy took over. He had been warned before Madara's death not to talk to many people about his plans. This was probably why. "You don't really want to know that," he stated, sure of the answer. He had had the same reaction before his eyes had been opened.
"No, I really do. Tell me." Kakashi pushed.
"The end result will be that no one suffers. That's all you need to know," he had made a mistake coming here. With a grunt he hopped off the counter and started for the door, "I need to get going, I'll be late if I stay longer."
Kakashi reached out, grabbing Obito's arm. "Wait! Don't leave, just... Tell me, please."
He didn't pull out of the others grip, and when he spoke it was in a dull voice that didn't fit who he used to be. "Stop it, Kakashi. If you keep asking me I'm going to tell you, and I don't want to lose your friendship yet. Please let go, I have to leave," Obito reached for his mask, picking it up and looking down at the inside, fit to the contours of his face.
Kakashi straightened up, looking over the man that had once been his best friend. The using people like pawns, uncaring about their lives, the flimsy ideal (what did he consider 'peace'?), the following of a now-dead madman, the secrecy... He let go of Obito's arm, letting it drop.
"I'm not friends with you," Kakashi stated coldly, stepping back and away. "I'm friends with Obito. I have no idea who you are. Get out of my house."
Obito flinched, shocked. His chest constricted and his lungs emptied as if he had been punched. Tears threatened to appear before he violently crushed the urge to cry again. He was done with that. Something hard curled around his heart and he regarded Kakashi with a stare that gave no emotion.
"He was right. I should have stayed away. Well... no matter now."
The boy stepped away, pulling his mask up to his face and activating his Sharingan, "I don't need to be Obito anymore. Madara gave me his name, so I'll be that person instead." The window was still open, and it was out that way he went, crossing the balcony and leaping into a free fall to the earth.
Kakashi felt bad when he saw his friend... ex-friend... flinch and turn away from him. He regretted every word. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have let his tongue speak without his brain's permission. It was too late now, it no longer mattered. He was angry with Obito, and scared for Obito, and hurt, and disgusted all at once.
Kakashi walked up to his window as Obito left. Would he go through with this plan? If he did, Kakashi knew it was his job to stop him even if it meant killing him. "Goodbye, Uchiha Madara." He said out into the night, knowing that Obito would hear him. "The next time we meet again won't be so pleasant."
He heard him, it would have been impossible not to. The last sight through their shared vision would be Kakashi, blurred with tears, and the flash Madara's mask before he was gone.
