Chapter 2
When he regained consciousness, Obito found himself shrouded by warmth.
The black, bloodied robes he wore had been changed. Beneath him was a sturdy bed, and he was buried under silken quilts. It was quiet despite the low murmuring of voices and footsteps, which seemed to be muted by a wall, muffled.
Faint smell of antiseptics wafted through the air. Obito's eyelids quivered once before he cracked them open slowly, taking in the blurry, white ceiling and—
"Obito! You're awake!"
A heavy weight launched itself onto Obito and before he could react, fiery red hair had taken up his entire vision. The person latched themselves onto him, clutching with an unrivalled fierceness, as if he would disappear the second they let go.
"You're alive… you're alive! That's– that's wonderful!" The always bright, unwavering redheaded kunoichi in his memories was, at that moment, bawling like a small child. "When Minato came back with you guys… I tho-thought…! You're finally back, I finally… I actually get to see you again!"
The arms encircling him were warm, and it burned his skin. The heart so close to his own was racing, tugging his own pulse along. The voice that cracked with tangled emotions of grief and joy was sincere, and the sincerity shook him. An unstoppable stream of scalding tears slid down and dripped onto Uchiha Obito's face, and onto Uchiha Obito's heart– the heart that had been sealed with ice upon Rin's death.
Maybe the negligible kindle of temperature wasn't enough to warm his entire heart, but maybe, Obito thought, it burnt away just a small fraction of the despair that was tearing his chest apart, eating him alive.
How long… how long has it been, since he felt another person's warmth? How long… since he was embraced like this, with all the love someone had to offer?
"Ku…shina…" Obito gasped out weakly. His lips were dry and cracked, and his voice was no better, "You're… crushing me… c-can't breathe…!"
"Ah!" Uzumaki Kushina yelped in surprise, hurriedly leaping off him. She offered a small, embarrassed smile before turning away and wiping furiously at puffy red eyes with the back of her hand. "Sorry, Obito… I'm just… just too excited. When I heard about Kannabi Bridge… I thought I'd never… never…" her breath hitched as she trailed off, looking away and tightening her grip on Obito's hand.
"I'm back in Konoha?" Obito strained to turn his head, taking in an empty hospital bed across from him, followed by wide open windows and outside those windows– shrouded in the faint light of dawn, the achingly familiar Hokage Monument.
"Yeah. You're back."
Another voice echoed from the foot of his bed. Obito turned again, blinking at the sight of Namikaze Minato. The Yellow Flash was still clad in his jonin uniform and flak jacket, posture speaking of weariness and exhaustion. He offered a relieved, gentle smile at Obito's stare; it barely concealed the grief held in those sky blue eyes.
"It's over, Obito. There's… there's no one that can hurt you anymore."
Yeah, it's over. Obito echoed numbly. Rin wouldn't be hurt again– she's already dead. I won't be hurt again– there's nothing worse in this world than her death.
And Kakashi…
The sluggishness of fainting affected his brain like rust corroding the cogs of a machine. As his mind whirled to life again, Obito finally recalled what had happened before he passed out.
Kakashi. Where's the Kakashi from twenty years into the future?
Obito whipped his head around, craning his neck to take in his surroundings, attempting to spot the silver haired man.
"Obito… are you looking for Rin?" Minato obviously misunderstood his actions, looking sorrowful. "Sorry, but… you can't see her yet."
"Why not?" The apology caught Obito's attention. He frowned across at the man standing at the end of his bed.
Minato flinched imperceptibly, startled at Obito's harsh tone.
"You aren't familiar with what happened… even I only just got informed by the autopsy report." The Yellow Flash lowered his head, "Rin was captured by Kirigakure, who sealed the Sanbi into her. Though the seal wasn't complete– the Sanbi was still under Kiri's control. I'm afraid their goal was to wait until Rin got back to the village then release the tailed-beast in order to destroy Konoha. When Rin… died, the Sanbi most likely died along with her. But just in case, there are some tests they want to perform before she can be buried."
Rin became a jinchuuriki.
Rin became Kiri's weapon against Konoha… the news hit Obito like a hammer to the heart.
Something about Kirigakure's experiments… I'm not too sure either. Obito recalled the white spiral patterned Zetsu's words on their way to the border of Water.
Then, is that the reason of Rin's death?
Is it that Kakashi had rather kill her himself, than let Konoha be destroyed?
Obito's heart clenched at the thought. In that moment, a crushing weight bore down on his chest. He couldn't breathe. Conflicting thoughts battled in his head, neither side willing to back down.
Maybe that's the truth. He heard himself sneer in cold contempt. After all, Kakashi's father killed himself after his choice of saving his comrades backfired on the village. Kakashi wouldn't want to follow that path.
But he came back– at Kannabi Bridge, he came back for us. The other him argued. It was much weaker than the first, but it stubbornly refused to go away, to disappear. He even sacrificed his left eye. For me.
Yeah, left eye. The reason Kakashi was hit in his blind spot, the reason I saved him with my life, the reason I gave him my eye.
The eye he abandoned twenty years later.
"Obito." A hand grasped his under the covers, gently but firmly prying open his clenched fist. Like Kushina's, the hand held onto Obito's. Calloused fingertips caressed angry red lines where Obito's nails had dug into his palm. Tangled train of thoughts interrupted, Obito stared blankly into the pair of shocking blue eyes.
"I know, you're not fit to answer anything right now." Minato held his gaze, concern swimming in his eyes, though it was shadowed by unwavering determination. "Everything else can wait, but this can't. I need an answer now."
"The person that went to rescue Rin was Kakashi; but by the time my team arrived, the only people I saw were you and Rin. The wound in Rin's chest…" Minato hesitated. The hand holding Obito's tightened minutely, "It was caused by Chidori."
"Obito, did you witness Rin's death? Where did Kakashi go?"
"I…" I saw it. It was Kakashi, he killed her. With his own hands. Tore right through her chest like the cold blooded trash he is, Obito wanted to say. He should say that. It was the truth; when he opened his mouth, the Uchiha choked on nothing. Not a single word would come out.
"I said, you can say whatever you want."
Another voice rang out in the room. Obito jerked his head around to stare at Hatake Kakashi, perched on the window sill, morning light casting his face in shadows. He was wearing a slightly different version of the Konoha issued uniform and the wound on his left shoulder seemed to have been dealt with crudely. His clothes were still torn and streaked with dried blood, dishevelled and a mess.
His gaze had fastened on the back of Minato as he spoke, expression a mixture of yearning and sorrow.
"Tell them, I was the one that killed Rin." He finally pulled his gaze from Minato-sensei. "As to the reason, whatever you believe… Tell it as the truth." The man shrugged, "As you can see, they can't see me. Or hear me. I won't be able to argue."
"Regarding thirteen-year-old me, even if he does come back, whatever you have said would have been taken as the truth. Hatake Kakashi's hands are dyed with Nohara Rin's blood." The silver haired man rubbed at his eye. "That's a truth no one can deny. Whatever he says, no one would believe it."
Why? In front of Minato and Kushina, Obito could hardly speak with Kakashi. He tried to pin the man through his eyes. Why don't you deny it? Why won't you explain anything?
"Obito?" Kushina called worriedly. Maybe he had been staring at the empty window sill for too long.
"…I'm alright." Obito mumbled. He dragged his gaze back to the pair. After a moment of silence, he replied in a low voice, "I don't know. When I got there, everyone was dead… including Rin."
"The entire time… I never caught sight of Kakashi."
Hearing his words, Minato didn't reply. He just stared at his student. A beat later, the Yellow Flash heaved a sigh.
"Is that so. Alright, have a good rest. Kushina and I'll go back first, we'll see you later in the afternoon." He retracted his hand, giving Obito a smile and tucked the corners of his covers in gently.
"I'll bring you Kushina's homemade Kitsune no Ramen!" The redheaded kunoichi winked at Obito, standing up and tucking him in as well. She shared a glance with Minato, nodded, and headed towards the door.
Minato trailed after his wife. Before he could close the door, he paused.
"Obito…" The blonde hesitated. His voice was low, so low and light, as if that could suppress the trembling laced with pain. He didn't turn around.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't able to save you at Kannabi Bridge, and this time… I wasn't able to save Rin. Now, even Kakashi…" Fingers tightened around the doorframe, and white knuckles stood out against the grey material.
In that moment, Namikaze Minato was not the Yellow Flash. He was not Konoha's elite jonin leader, nor a feared shinobi. He was simply a teacher who had lost his students, heart wracked with guilt and grief.
"I'm sorry," his voice cracked, "I'm such a terrible sensei." The shards cut into Obito's heart. "I'm so sorry."
When the hospital door swung softly shut, the room fell into silence. On the window sill, Kakashi curled in on himself, burying his head between drawn up knees.
For a long time, there was no sound. Until Kakashi looked up, lost, at the faint rustle and took in Obito's struggle in hauling himself upright.
"Obito!" He exclaimed, hopping off the window's ledge. The silver haired man didn't slow down even as he stumbled, jarring his shoulder with a pained grimace, and beelined for the raven haired boy's bed, reaching out in concern, "You should lie do–"
Slap!
The hand that was swatted harshly away and the cut off sentence both hang in the air. Obito glared at Kakashi who was staring at him as a flash of hurt he couldn't conceal disappeared behind the pair of black orbs. A heartbeat later, the Hatake dragged his gaze away and walked off, hands flying through seals and pressed his palm onto the clinical, white hospital wall.
Veins of blue light spread out from his palm, rippling outwards like water in a pond before fading. A sound barrier, Obito recognised, dazed.
When Kakashi returned, sitting on the empty bed, Obito stubbornly turned away, refusing to look at the silver haired man's miserable expression.
"Tell me, what happened after I lost consciousness?" The Uchiha ordered.
"After you fainted, White Zetsu wanted to take you back, but Minato-sensei's team was already arriving. He had to leave with the other Zetsu that was attached to you." Kakashi answered in a low voice, "Then Minato-sensei brought you and Rin back to Konoha."
"Then what the hell's up with you?"
"That's… a long story. Anyways, a small accident occurred in my world which caused me to switch places with the me here. This is the mark of the space-time jutsu." Kakashi rolled up a sleeve. Obito couldn't help but turn around to glance at the marking on the pale wrist – it was like a watch face, the clock hand pointing between '卯' and '辰'*.
"The jutsu should last twenty-four hours." Kakashi pulled down his sleeves, "When time is up, him and I should swap back to our original timeline. Of course… that's provided both of us are safe and sound during this time."
"What do you mean?" Obito frowned at the implication.
"What I mean is, if one of us died, then, the jutsu would be broken. We'll be unable to return to our respective dimensions." Kakashi gazed at him calmly, "In other words, if you kill me now then in the future, no matter which Kakashi, both would be gone from your world forever."
"You don't have to see me again… the me that killed Rin would be gone forever."
"You…" Obito froze.
Kakashi undid his shinobi pouch, placing it on Obito's bed. Swiping a smear of blood from the wound on his shoulder, the man lifted his shirt, drawing a seal onto the lean stomach.
"This time I really won't fight back. If you don't believe me, transfer you chakra into this seal – it would suppress my chakra, and only you would be able to unlock it. I won't be able to perform jutsu without chakra, thus won't pose a threat to you. You can kill me anytime before the twenty-four hours are up."
When Obito didn't move, he strode over and grabbed one of Obito's hands, pressing it towards the seal.
Fingers came into contact with warm skin, and Obito jumped. He snatched his hand back like he was bitten by a snake. "Li-like hell I'll do what you say! Isn't it mercy if I kill you? I should let you live– let you live crushed with guilt! That's the better punishment!"
Obito only realised what he had said after he blurted out the words. Instinctively, he looked up. The silver haired man smiled, expression twisting into the one from when Obito had claimed that he shouldn't have saved him, should've left him to the rocks— the same unbearably bitter smile.
"True." He even nodded, "I suppose you're right."
"What are you planning?" Obito demanded, incredulous. He wrestled down the rising unease in his chest. "You really want to die by my hand that much?"
"I just want…" Kakashi trailed off. He didn't continue, just shook his head and lowered his shirt, sitting back down. "No. Nothing."
Obito glared at him. Compared to the silver haired teen Obito knew, this older Kakashi was even harder to read, thoughts sequestered behind countless veils.
"Forget about it then. I'll change my question." He cleared his throat, voice deep and demanding. "How did Rin really die? I want to know the truth."
"That question is meaningless." Kakashi's eyes flashed, a bone deep exhaustion carved into them. "In the end, it's because I failed to protect Rin that Kiri got hold of her. Her death is my responsibility. The process… is not important."
"Then why did you stop me!" Obito growled, it rumbled low and savage in his throat. He slammed his fist into the headboard. If the sound barrier wasn't in place, the crack would have certainly attracted the nurses' attention. "That's right, the process isn't important, what's important is that Rin died. By your hand! That's why I'm going back to Madara, to create a world where she's alive… but you destroyed everything!"
"Obito, do you really think that would work?" Kakashi gazed sadly at him, "Rin already died, you know that better than anyone else; genjutsu is just an illusion, as an Uchiha you can't not understand that…"
"No!" Obito waved his hand wildly, cutting Kakashi off. The despair temporarily subdued by Minato and Kushina reared it's head in a wave, his breathing coming out rapid, chest rising and falling abruptly. "I can't acknowledge that! Rin can't die, only a living Rin is real! And you— you're a fake too… the Kakashi I knew would never kill Rin! He would never be the trash that abandons his comrades!"
In the face of his accusations, Kakashi was as calm as ever— as if he was used to that kind of verbal onslaught. It only took him one sentence to stifle Obito's wild fury:
"What if I said… Even the Infinite Tsukuyomi was a lie?"
"…What… what did you say?" Heavy, rapid breathing screeched to a halt. Obito stared at Kakashi uncomprehendingly, as if he was speaking in gibberish. "You… how do you know…"
Kakashi sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head.
"I took you back to Konoha, hoping that with a different environment, away from Madara, you would stop thinking about these things. But I guess if I don't explain everything now, I won't be able to leave without worrying."
He lowered his arm, lifting his eyes to meet Obito's.
"I don't know what result revealing the future could cause. But if it could stop you, make you abandon that ridiculous thought… I guess I'm willing to try."
—
It's ridiculous, Obito thought.
The ancient past, the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the God Tree. Kaguya, the Mother of chakra, the Hagomoro and Hamura brothers. The Sage of Six Paths, the birth of tailed-beasts, the Juubi. The tampered inscriptions on a monument deep underground – a secret stronghold of the Uchiha, right under the Naka Shrine he had passed by time and time again – and Uchiha Madara, manipulated by Black Zetsu but never realising.
Characters from stories– tales told as myths and legends – becoming real, living people? Isn't that even more absurd than the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
However, even if Kakashi had wanted to spin a lie for him to give up, a small voice insisted, with all the man's genius, why would he fabricate such a ridiculous story— unless. Unless it was the truth.
"…That's what my two students told me." When recalling the end, Kakashi had said. "They were like Madara and the Shodaime Hashirama– sons to the Sage of Six Paths, the reincarnation of Indra and Ashura. It was the Sage of Six Paths himself that told them this. I saw Black Zetsu manipulate and betray Madara with my own eyes, as well as the revival of Kaguya." He admitted, "I was right in the thick of it, fought in the battle to seal her. I can swear on my life– the title of Rokudaime Hokage, my honour as a shinobi… it's all real."
"I don't believe it… I don't believe it!" Obito slumped on the bed, curling in on himself. He buried his head in both hands. "It's all fake! You made it up! You made it up to trick me!"
"Even though you say that, but deep down you're wavering, aren't you?" Obito could feel Kakashi's gaze on him, full of unspoken sadness and pity.
Obito couldn't refute him.
A new wave of despair crashed into his entire being, sweeping him away in its swirling storm. It was different from before; the fight that had sustained him, that ambition to change the world had crumpled, leaving just hollowness and desolation.
This kind of world… what's the meaning in continuing to live? Obito thought numbly.
Uchiha Obito's world is big. He wants to become Hokage, to help and to protect everybody; Uchiha Obito's world also so, so small, he wants to protect Rin with Kakashi. The three of them together, forever. Team Minato forever, never separating.
But that world has crumpled. It's ashes blew in the wind– Rin died, Kakashi became the one that killed her, and Obito's world had died with her.
If that's the case, if that's the ruthless reality he has to face… why couldn't he have just died under that rock?
Talking about dying…
Obito relaxed, but didn't lift his head.
"Kakashi." He rasped, "In your timeline… the me that followed Madara, what happened to him?"
There was no reply. The air seemed to freeze in that moment, solidifying and pressing down on them.
"You saw me again, right? Did I… die again?"
The room was deathly silent.
"Madara was tricked by Black Zetsu. I was tricked by Madara." He clenched his fist, slinging an arm across his eyes. Obito tried not to choke on broken sobs. "When I died… I must've been a pathetic clown."
"No."
Along with the firm word, a warm hand rested gently on his head.
Obito lowered his arm, staring up blankly. Tears had obscured his sight, hiding Kakashi's expression. For some reason, he felt like the silver haired man was crying, just like himself.
Even if no one could see it, the tears were undeniably there.
"You died, yes." He heard Kakashi say, voice soft but steady, allowing no room for argument. "But you died as a hero. You helped us save the world."
Then the hand moved away. Obito stayed in the same position, unmoving. Footsteps walked towards the window.
"Too many things happened today. You need to rest. I… I won't be leaving, just outside on the roof. I'll come back when you wake up again. Also…"
Kakashi paused. After a long stretch of silence, he spoke again with a low voice.
"Obito, there's one thing you need to know. No matter how you change, what kind of person you become… in my heart, whether I'm thirteen or thirty-three, you have always, always been a hero."
A/N: *卯 and 辰 are two of the twelve Chinese zodiac symbols/earthly branches used to represent time (both as the twelve months and as 24hr cycle) and different elements. 卯 is the fourth of the twelve, represented by the rabbit and in 24 hour time-wise, 5-7am. 辰 is the fifth of the branches, represented by the dragon and time-wise, 7-9am. The Japanese had also adopted this Chinese timekeeping and symbolism system into their culture, which is why the ninjutsu would show time as these symbols, rather than Roman numerals or what not.
(Some of my mumbling which was also translated by lovely kanoven:)
Personally, I think young!Obito is much easier to convince than adult!Obito in the Fourth war. Obito did say that he saw more of the world's darkness on is travels with Madara, and that made him believe even more firmly that the world is hell. At that time, adult!Obito had already murdered a whole host of people too, so he probably acknowledged that it was too late to turn back.
The change of environment played a part, too. Away from Madara and White Zetsu's brainwashing, back in the arms of Minato and Kushina along with all the people he had helped in Konoha plus Rokudaime Kakashi's explanation of the future and the fact that young!Obito-chan hadn't yet become a psychotic murderer… well, it's much easier to turn back, isn't it?
Thank you for R&R!
