Only a few hours later, Jiraiya awoke to the sound of Obito pounding on the glass window.
"Ehhh? Ehhh ehhh ehhh!" Obito muttered.
"Hey, Sharingan," Jiraiya mumbled, pushing himself upright. "What's up?"
"Ehhhh!" Obito said, pointing outside.
"It's morning," said Jiraiya, looking at the sunrise. "That's the sun."
"Sun," Obito repeated. "Food?"
"You're hungry again?" Jiraiya asked.
"Food," Obito said confidently.
Jiraiya groaned. "Okay, we'll go get breakfast. But then I'm going back to sleep," Jiraiya said.
"Sleep," said Obito.
"Yeah, sleep, the thing I haven't gotten any of recently," said Jiraiya, getting out of bed and throwing on a shirt. "Alright, come on."
"Come on," Obito repeated. "Food."
They went to the shop next door for miso. Jiraiya ordered them each a bowl, and when the cook brought their food, Obito ripped it out of the cook's hand to start slurping it down.
"Ahhhh!" Obito cried, dropping the bowl and fanning his mouth.
"It's hot," said Jiraiya.
"Hot hot hot hot hot!" Obito repeated.
"What's up with him?" asked the cook.
"Not so sure, really," said Jiraiya. "I found him like this. I think he was in some sort of accident."
Obito was soaking up the spilled soup with a napkin and sucking the broth until the napkin dissolved in his mouth, and he ate it. He took a bigger wad of napkins and soaked it in his broth.
A small toad appeared beside Jiraiya.
"Toad!" Obito exclaimed gleefully.
"Message from the Hokage," said the toad, and he opened his mouth. A small scroll peeped out. Jiraiya pulled the scroll out of the toad and unrolled it.
Jiraiya,
The jacket and goggles belong to Obito Uchiha, a member of team Minato. Obito died on a mission last week. Please bring the boy you found to Konoha so we can assess him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi
Third Hokage of Konohagakure
Jiraiya crumpled up the scroll and put it in his pocket. He looked at his companion. "Obito?"
"Ehhh?" asked Obito.
"Obito. Is this your name?"
"Obi?" he asked.
"Toh," Jiraiya finished.
"Tohhhh-bee. Name?"
"My name is Jiraiya."
"Jiraiya," Obito repeated.
"And your name is?"
"My name...Tobi," said Obito.
"Tobi," Jiraiya said. "Maybe that was your nickname. Tobi?"
"My name is Tobi," said Obito confidently.
Jiraiya decided he'd take his time bringing Obito to Konoha. He thought that the more language Obito acquired, the more he might be able to learn about Obito. However, it became increasingly clear that Obito had no recollection of his past life and merely parroted everything Jiraiya said.
"Where do the toads go?" Obito asked one day when they'd arrived at a new town.
"They go home, to Mount Myoboku," Jiraiya answered.
"Home," repeated Obito. "I don't understand home. What is?"
"Home is where you live," said Jiraiya.
Obito furrowed his brow. "Live? I live here." He patted the ground.
"Well, yes," said Jiraiya, "but a home is a safe place you can always go, and where you keep all your stuff, and where you sleep at night."
"Home?" Obito asked, pointing at an inn.
"No," said Jiraiya. "A home is permanent."
"Permanent?" he asked.
"Home doesn't change," said Jiraiya. "Permanent. Doesn't go away, doesn't change."
"Toad not permanent," said Obito. "Home permanent. Toad go home. I have no home. Where is Jiraiya home?"
"The Hidden Leaf Village is my home. That's where we're going."
"Home. Be my home too?"
"Yes," said Jiraiya. "The Hidden Leaf can also be your home."
"Home," Obito said happily. "Jiraiya home is my home. Where Jiraiya go, I go. Jiraiya is my home."
Jiraiya's heart melted. He extended his arms to hug his strange little friend, when a kunai whizzed between them, grazing Obito's arm. Obito screamed and fell to his knees. Jiraiya turned to the attackers, a pair of black-cloaked ninja with most of their faces obscured by masks.
"We don't want you," said one. "We want the boy."
"What's he to you?" asked Jiraiya.
"He possesses a Sharingan," said the other. "Just hand him over, and nobody gets hurt."
"Well, then I guess someone's just going to have to get hurt," said Jiraiya. "RASENGAN!"
Jiraiya produced a ball of blue light in his palm and slammed it into the first ninja, knocking him out cold. The second tried to stab Jiraiya in the back with a kunai, and Jiraiya kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying across the street. They surrendered. Jiraiya returned to the crying Obito, who shrieked when Jiraiya approached.
"Don't hurt me!" Obito cried.
"No no no no no," said Jiraiya, "I would never hurt you."
"You hurt them," said Obito. "You hurt them with your ball of light. It was beautiful, but then you used it to hurt them."
"I hurt them because they hurt you," said Jiraiya. "They wanted to take you and hurt you more. I was protecting you. I will always protect you."
"Protect me? Hurting them protected me?" said Obito.
"Yes," said Jiraiya. "Come on, Tobi." He helped Obito to his feet.
"Are you going to hurt more people?" asked Obito.
"No, Tobi," said Jiraiya. "I don't want to hurt anyone. But sometimes I have to. That's the way this world works." He took out his first aid kit to tend to Obito's kunai wound. "I'm a shinobi, Tobi. A shinobi is someone who has special skills they use in combat to protect other people from harm. Because I have these skills, I have a responsibility to use them for good. Understand?"
Obito nodded, but Jiraiya saw the fear in his eye, a fear that never fully left him.
"Here we are, Tobi. The Hidden Leaf Village," said Jiraiya.
"Home!" Obito exclaimed.
"Yes," said Jiraiya. "You will be safe here."
"Village protect me?" asked Obito.
"Yes," said Jiraiya. "This is a shinobi village. It's full of other people like me."
"Shinobi village," repeated Obito. "Home."
Hiruzen had gathered Minato and some members of ANBU to be present when Jiraiya brought Obito into the Village. Jiraiya's toad transported them straight to the Hokage's office.
Obito whimpered and hid behind Jiraiya. "Don't be scared, Tobi. These people are our friends."
"Friends?" Obito said. "How friends? They wear masks. Look scary. Take my eye."
"Ohhhh," said Jiraiya. "We encountered some shinobi wearing masks who were after his Sharingan," he explained. "No, no, Tobi, nobody is going to hurt you here."
"You protect me?" he asked.
"Always," said Jiraiya.
"Okay," he said, coming out.
Minato stepped forward. "Obito?" he asked tentatively.
"My name is Tobi," he said.
"Was that a nickname?" asked Jiraiya.
"No," said Minato, "not that I'd ever heard before."
"After I got the letter from you, Lord Third, I tried to get as much information out of him as I could the more he started talking. He mispronounced some things, and so he latched onto Tobi instead of Obito," explained Jiraiya.
"My name is Tobi," said Obito, extending his hand to Minato. "Friend?"
Tears filled Minato's eyes as he took Obito's hand. "Yes, Tobi, I am your friend."
"So you are sure this is Obito Uchiha?" asked Hiruzen.
"Without a doubt," said Minato. "My goodness! His entire left side was crushed. How is this possible?" He stroked Obito's cheek. "What even is this? It's not flesh."
Lord Danzo stepped forward. "We ought to take him in for questioning and examination. There are too many unanswered questions about his appearance. I am not fully convinced that this even is Obito Uchiha. He could be an enemy decoy sent to fool us. I demand this creature be put under constant ANBU surveillance."
"With all due respect, Lord Danzo, this is a boy, not a creature," said Minato.
"Barely," said Danzo.
"The boy will remain under Jiraiya's protection," declared Lord Third. "Unless you have any objection, Jiraiya?"
"None at all," said Jiraiya. "I've grown quite fond of the little guy."
Danzo scoffed loudly.
"And what of his family, and his teammates?" asked Minato. "We have all been grieving Obito's passing. The news that he is still alive will be quite a shock."
"We should tell no one of this, until we understand it better," said Danzo.
"And just let them go on believing he's dead?" asked Minato. "I don't feel comfortable with that, Lord Third."
"So you're comfortable with putting this village at risk?" Danzo pressed.
"Enough," said Lord Third. "Minato and I will personally tell his teammates. Danzo, we will have constant ANBU surveillance of Jiraiya's home, and Obito will not leave without an escort. Agreed?"
"Fine," sneered Danzo. "Let's depart." He and his ANBU exited through the window.
"Gone!" Obito laughed, pointing. "Go home?"
"Yes, Tobi, let's go home," said Jiraiya.