"Uchiha Obito," Deidara says.
"Yes," Obito answers, turning Deidara's forehead protector in his hands.
"I thought someone murdered all of you, hm," Deidara says.
"Don't be crass," Obito grunts. "Who taught you your manners?"
"Sorry," Deidara says, not sorry at all. "Killed. Is that better?"
"Not really," Obito says, though he doesn't care. "But yes, the Uchiha are all massacred, save for less than a handful."
"Doesn't that mean you're not all killed, hm?"
Obito sighs, digging into his pocket for a kunai. He feels Deidara tense at that and then relax when he digs the sharp tip into the metal of the forehead protector, dragging a line across the imprint of Iwagakure's symbol.
"It does mean we are not all killed," Obito says. "But it doesn't mean that the number that made us scary is gone."
"You weren't that scary," Deidara says.
"Are you sure?"
"A little bit scary," Deidara corrects himself. "But I always wanted to fight one of you, hm! Then when I win, I'll have something else to shove into Onoki's face!"
"You're a million years too young to even think about winning a fight against me," Obito scoffs, putting the kunai away and then tossing Deidara's forehead protector up and down. The score is deep and cuts right through the logo. His nods at his handiwork and tosses it back to Deidara.
It doesn't seem like the kid is expecting it because he squeaks when the band hits his arm and then it clatters to the ground. Obito turns his head to him.
"What! I wasn't ready, hm," Deidara says, taking the forehead protector to look it over. "Ugly," he comments but puts it on anyway.
Obito doesn't even bother responding to that. He stands and heads over to the counter, rewrapping his bandages.
"Hey, hey, Mr. Obito, do you know any Uchiha other than you?"
Obito sighs, hands stilling.
"Don't call me that," he says.
"So do you, hm?" Deidara asks, suddenly at his leg.
Obito shrugs.
"You do!" Deidara laughs.
"It's none of your concern at the moment," Obito says, leaning down to pick Deidara up.
The boy is obedient and remains still as Obito adjusts him on his hip, arms wrapping around his shoulders. He's small enough for his age for this to still be comfortable.
Deidara reaches his hands out to run through Obito's hair, petting him until he figures out what he's going to say.
"Where are we going?" Deidara asks.
Sometimes it's nice to have an easily distracted partner.
"Up to you," Obito says. "We can go to Amegakure or Kirigakure. Which one do you prefer?"
"Amegakure, yeah?"
"It's a hidden village in the rain," Obito replies. "It's very hard to get in. You need special permission, so it's considered the safest village in the land."
"You have the special permission to get in?"
"Of course I do," Obito says. "I'll make sure you do, too."
"Okay!" Deidara says, throwing his hands up, tugging at his hair. The kid conveniently ignores his complains of pain. "I've never really heard of Amegakure before, yeah!"
"That's why it's safe," Obito says, reaching down to pick up Deidara's pack. He has filled it with numerous things – including his new clothes and clay pouch – since Zetsu got it for them. He hoists it over his other shoulder and begins to head toward the door.
Before they can, though, Deidara begins to thrash in his hold and Obito is forced to put the child down, watching as he scrambles back into the hotel room to rifle through his rolled up futon.
"Hurry up," Obito says. With the kid by his side, Obito can no longer travel quickly. Their only bet is a boat leaving for the port of Amegakure in less than twenty minutes.
"Yeah, yeah," Deidara says, flopping on top of the futon as he digs his arm deeper into the mattress, clearly trying to reach for something.
Obito leans against the wall, arms crossed as he waits for him.
"Got it," Deidara says, stumbling back to hold up a tiny clay bird. "I got the idea last night, hm!"
"Can it fly?" Obito asks.
"Uh, yeah," Deidara says, sounding extremely unsure of himself.
"Make one that can fly," Obito says, waving his hand. "Then make one big enough for people to sit on it. If you do that, then we won't need to hurry."
Deidara blinks at him.
"Come on," Obito says, stern.
Deidara jumps and then rushes out of the room. Obito follows him out, shutting the door behind him and heads down the stairs. He nods at the receptionist – notably not the same old man – and then hands him to key to their room. He writes something down and then thanks Obito for their stay.
Obito waves at Deidara again, finding the kid staring at some artwork they have hanging on the wall. He places a hand on his shoulder and leads him out of the hotel.
It's still a little too early for the rest of this lazy village to start moving, but Obito can already see signs of people milling about. They're not doing anything particularly productive, just some janitors sweeping the streets, or some farmers slowly setting up their stalls.
"That wasn't real art, hm," Deidara suddenly says, bringing Obito out of his thoughts.
"What was?"
"The thing they have on the wall," Deidara says. "It's not real art."
"Let me guess," Obito says, guiding Deidara toward the port, "your art is real art."
"Of course it is!" Deidara exclaims, reaching up to grab Obito's arm. "I will show the world!"
"Okay," Obito laughs.
"I will!" Deidara says. "Then people will cower in fear at the mere mention of my name! They will know the true meaning of my art, hm, they will know it by the singeing of their skin!"
"Alright, you pyromaniac," Obito says, ruffling Deidara's hair. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself."
Deidara falls quiet, looking down at something.
"Make it fly?" Deidara asks suddenly.
"Make it fly," Obito says after a few moments.
At the sound of the cargo ship tooting, Deidara perks up and begins to bound ahead, shaking off Obito's hand on his shoulder. "Are we taking that, yeah?" he asks but then runs off before Obito can even answer him.
Obito sighs. Zetsu appears beside him.
"Are you babysitting?" White Zetsu asks.
"I think this classifies as raising a child," Obito says.
"Isn't he too old to be raised?"
"Zetsu," Obito says, "if he's not a second older than eighteen, taking care of him classifies as raising him."
"Why are you raising him?"
Obito sighs again. He's not entirely sure.
"Do you want me to tell Pain?"
"Please," Obito says.
"Oki-doki," White Zetsu sing-songs and then sinks back into the earth.
"Come on!" Deidara shouts, turning back to him and waving his arms above his head.
Obito watches him for a moment before he jogs toward the port, following Deidara when the kid heads over to the ship.
"Be careful," Obito says when he catches up to Deidara, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're stowaways."
"Oh," Deidara blinks. "Are we not allowed to be on this ship?"
"No," Obito says, glancing at the sailors. They seem to be too preoccupied with the last of their shipment to be able to pay attention to them. "Now be quiet if you don't want to be caught, else you might be forced to be a cabin boy for twelve years."
"Twelve years?" Deidara echoes, eyes wide.
"Yes, or more," Obito says, nodding toward the end of the ship. When he sneaks toward it, Deidara follows silently. "I've seen it myself. Some stowaways get too bold and try to steal bread off of the sailors' tables. When they get caught, the captain orders them to be tortured just to make sure they're not a spy sent from an enemy village.
"See, these sailors are neutral and if the villages they work for think they're betraying them, then they'll lose all of their income. They're very protective of their jobs and status of being neutral. When the stowaway is deemed not a spy, they'll make them work for the crew without paying or feeding them. They usually die afterward, or get released if the particular captain is kind enough, but not before the stowaway has worked for at least ten years."
"I don't want that," Deidara mumbles.
"Neither do I," Obito says, "so you know what to do?"
"Be quiet?" Deidara asks.
"Yes," Obito nods. "Now close your eyes."
"What?"
"Close them."
Deidara closes his eyes.
Obito glances at the wooden hull of the ship. There are people on board already and it's too risky to try and cling to the side. He activates Kamui and takes hold of Deidara, letting the two of them dematerialize from the real world. He steps through the side of the boat and when the two of them emerges at the other side, Obito glances around to make sure no one is around before he deactivates his eye.
"Alright," Obito says, patting Deidara's head. "You can open your eyes."
Deidara blinks open his eyes and he gasps, clinging to Obito's side.
"What happened?"
"Remember what I said to do?"
"Be quiet," Deidara mumbles. "What happened?" he asks again, but this time keeping his voice low.
"We got on the ship," Obito replies, sitting down behind the crates with a sigh.
"Yeah, but–"
Obito reaches out to press his palm against Deidara's mouth. A moment later, two sailors walk by.
"I swear I heard something," one of them says.
"Probably just some rats," the other one replies.
"It was definitely not rats," the first one says. "You can't say we have rats."
"Oh," the second one says, clearly dumbfounded. "I thought the boss will just get us some cats to deal with it."
"If you want cats, you're better off keeping them as pets at home," the first one says. "Boss is allergic."
"Man," the second one says and then the crate Obito is leaning against creaks. The sailor is sitting on it.
"Besides," the first one says, sounding too close for comfort, "we're moving food this time. We can't have rats or that stupid 'god' and his 'angel' will kill us."
"That's stupid."
"It is. Can you believe the guy? Calling himself a god. If he's a god, I'm the goddamn Kraken."
The two of them laugh and then a voice calls from above the deck.
"Well, it's not rats," the first sailor says.
"Yeah," comes the reply, "It's probably just the people talking outside. These walls are deceptively thin."
A series of footsteps leading away from them can be heard.
When there's nothing more than the echoing slosh of seawater gently caressing the side of the ship, Obito lets go of Deidara's mouth.
"Wow," Deidara comments.
"Wow, indeed," Obito says. He leans back against the crate, grunting until he finds a comfortable spot against the hard wood. He closes his eyes, intent on sleeping the entire trip, but Deidara seems to have other plans.
"How did you know they were coming?" Deidara asks, poking his side.
"I'm a sensor-type," Obito opts to say, shoving Deidara's hand away.
"Cool," Deidara says.
He gets about a minute of silence before Deidara speaks up again.
"Are these people ninjas, yeah?"
"No," Obito responds, "but they probably have shinobi parents, or parents that have chakra."
"So, they have chakra?"
"Yes."
"But why aren't they shinobi?"
"Sometimes people don't want to be shinobi," Obito says.
"But why, yeah? It's so cool to be a shinobi."
"Being a shinobi means you and your loved ones are always at a higher risk of being in danger," Obito says, folding his hands on his stomach. "Some people don't want that and opt to live a quiet and honest life."
"Sounds boring," Deidara says.
Obito hums but doesn't respond.
He feels Deidara move and then a weight presses up against his side, burrowing closer as a lithe arm lays across his chest.
Obito doesn't know if he's okay with this position. He's not the kid's dad, nor does he want to admit that he's his guardian. He wants to say that he's the kid's mentor and someone who will look after him, but the kid seems content with just laying there so Obito refrains from commenting.
The boat begins to rock wildly; loud shouting can be heard from above the deck. Obito keeps an ear out for the instructions the captain is shouting at his crew, but since they're just general ones – and it seems like they will be making a straight shot to Amegakure – Obito doesn't bother with the rest of the monologue and settles back into his relaxed position.
With a final rock, the ship becomes steady once more, swaying with the motions of the sea.
Obito keeps his eyes closed until he feels something move on his stomach.
He cracks open his right eye, peering down on his stomach only to find Deidara moving his fingers. It's hard to tell what the kid is doing but he eventually notices the same pattern. He's trying to scratch the mouth.
"Are your palms okay?" Obito asks.
"Huh?" Deidara speaks up, startled. He takes a while to realize what Obito is saying. "Oh," he says when he comes to his senses, "yeah, I guess, hm. They're a bit itchy."
"Let me see," Obito says, sitting up and causing Deidara to have to move away.
The kid shuffles to sit on his legs and then holds his hands out, staring at them as they open and close on their own as if trying to get something out of their teeth without the help of his fingers.
Obito holds his hands, pretending to know what he's doing. He presses a thumb near the lip of one of the mouths and Deidara winces, letting out a yelp.
He scoffs.
"It almost feels like it's a wound and you're scabbing," Obito says.
"It does, hm," Deidara says.
"Ignore it," Obito says. "It will go away on its own."
"Are you sure?"
"Hey, I'm not the one who stole Iwagakure's kinjutsu. I'm just going on my knowledge on common wounds."
Deidara pouts.
Obito sighs, glancing up at the ceiling as he debates with himself. Eventually, some part of him wins the argument and he lets go of one of Deidara's hand, putting his now-free one on top of his right palm.
"This might hurt a little bit," he says and then applies the medical ninjutsu he had copied from Rin years ago.
"Whoa," Deidara says.
Obito looks up to watch his expression, finding his wide blue eyes shimmering underneath the gentle green glow. Everything about him lights up, just like it does when he creates new sculptures, but not as brightly as when he sets them off. It's one of his more insightful expressions, rather than a wild, wild emotion.
"Did you copy it?" Deidara asks.
"Yes," Obito responds, impressed that the kid knows.
"From who?"
"From someone who healed me a long time ago."
Deidara looks up at him and his eyes are scanning. Obito thinks he's searching his face, despite his mask being in the way. It lasts for a while before Deidara looks back down, wriggling his fingers.
"I feel better, hm," he says.
"Other hand," Obito says, ceasing the jutsu and letting go of Deidara's right hand.
Deidara immediately replaces it with his left hand and he repeats the process, watching as the mouth stops its irritated mouthing and relaxes into a lazy, toothy grin.
"There," Obito says when it looks like Deidara is no longer in any discomfort.
Deidara takes his hand back, examining them this way and that, holding them gently.
"Thank you, Mr. Obito," Deidara says, giving him a boyish grin.
"I said not to call me that," Obito mumbles and then leans back against the crate. He watches as Deidara scrambles back to be by his side, looking up intently at his mask.
"I suggest you better rest up," Obito says when Deidara opens his mouth to speak, shutting him up. "It's a long way to Amegakure and we're not taking any stops."
Deidara shuts his mouth, sporting a face of deep thought and then he opens his mouth again, "How long does it take for us to go to Amegakure?"
"At most a day, if we don't encounter anything on the way, judging by this ship's speed," Obito says.
"That's so long," Deidara complains.
"Can you fly?" Obito shoots back.
Deidara mumbles something underneath his breath and Obito sits up, raising a hand. Deidara winces and then apologizes.
Obito stares at him for a long time before leaning back down, shifting minutely to get back into the perfect position. He folds his hands on his stomach once more and closes his eyes.
He feels Deidara's eyes linger on him until he nuzzles up against his side again, resting his head on his chest and his arm draping across his torso. About two minutes later, the kid is out like a light.
Obito sighs through his nose and moves an arm – it jostles Deidara but the child doesn't awake from it – to wrap it around Deidara's shoulders, keeping him close. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
At the second horn of the ship, Obito blinks open his eyes. There's a subtle change in the air around him. It's a lot more humid and everything feels grimmer. He's arrived.
He moves to sit up but the weight on his chest reminds Obito that he's not alone.
Obito moves his arm and nudges Deidara gently. The kid doesn't budge, mumbling something in his sleep and then nuzzles himself deeper into Obito's side. He'd find it cute if they aren't on a time limit. Pain would not like it if he's late.
"Deidara," Obito says, keeping his voice low as the crew members begin to buzz into activity, shouting orders here and there.
Deidara hums and then he peers up, eyes barely open as they are still crusted shut with sleep. His face looks dopey and Obito weakly suppresses a smile.
"We're here," he says and then Deidara bolts up, rubbing at his mouth and glancing around the boat. He sighs and sits up, placing a hand on Deidara's frantic, golden head.
"Calm down," he says. "We're not off the boat yet. They're docking."
"Oh," Deidara says, blinking as if he had just been caught trying to count his fingers.
Obito ignores that and listens out to the sounds around them. People are frantic, shouting above the wind that is beginning to pick up and commenting on the light drizzle that always covers the land. Obito sits up straighter when he hears the captain shout and the sound of an anchor falling.
A few moments later, the ship gives a loud groan and the crew members begin to patter around the deck, probably loading off the immediate supplies. It won't be long until they move on to the lower deck.
"Okay," Obito whispers, nudging Deidara's shoulder. "Close your eyes."
"Are you going to do the magic again?" Deidara asks.
"It's not magic, now close your eyes."
Deidara does as he's told.
Obito takes hold of Deidara, hugging him close, and then steps through the side of the ship once more. They appear on the other side, landing on the port, and when the coast is clear, Obito allows the two of them to materialize once more.
The moment the rain makes contact with him, lightning flashes in the sky and thunder rumbles immediately after.
"Whoa," Deidara says. He didn't listen to Obito's prompting and already has his eyes open, looking around the village. Immediately to their left, there are already numerous shops lined up along the shoreline, the only thing preventing them from falling into the sea is an old and rickety looking wooden boardwalk that leads up to the port.
"Now be careful," Obito says and then Deidara runs off.
"Damn it," he mumbles to himself, hurrying after Deidara. He catches the kid before he is able to get any further, fingers gripping his collar so tightly that it might rip that piece of fabric off of his shirt.
"Listen to me," Obito grunts out, pulling Deidara close to him. Deidara turns and looks up at him, hair already turning wispy from being in the rain.
"But it's a new village!" Deidara exclaims.
"Be quiet," Obito chides him. "You have to listen to me if you want me to still take care of you."
Deidara pouts and crosses his arms but otherwise, he becomes obedient once more.
Obito shrugs off the little backpack and unzips it, taking out a robe similar to the one he's wearing and hands it to Deidara.
"Put this on," he says, "and keep the hood up."
Deidara takes it from his hand and unzips it, swinging it over his shoulders in a dramatic display and wraps himself in it. He shoves his arms through the sleeves and then reaches back to put on the hood. It's a bit too big on him but as Deidara peers up at him from under the rim of his hood, Obito finds that he doesn't mind it at all.
"Alright," he says, handing Deidara his pack. "Now follow me."
Deidara stumbles to keep up with him as he leads the kid through the streets of Amegakure. A lot of people cast suspicious glances at them but none of them make a move to stop them. They're all under the belief that their god would protect them, ever since his debut.
Obito stops when they arrive near the foot of Pain's tower. He refuses to let Deidara get roped in on this whole Akatsuki business, so he turns and leans down to get closer to Deidara, talking into his ear.
"Go to the restaurant over there," he says, shoving a string of coin into Deidara's hands. "Get whatever you want. I'll be there later."
Deidara glances at him and then looks up at the towering skyscrapers around them. He looks intimidated. Nodding, Deidara takes the coins and hurries toward the restaurant that Obito pointed at. He doesn't turn to leave until he sees Deidara getting escorted in.
Zetsu pokes his head from the wall beside him.
"Watch over him," Obito says, not bothering to turn to Zetsu. "Make sure he's safe and no one hurts him."
"Okay," White Zetsu says.
"Pain has already been informed of his presence," Black Zetsu adds.
Obito nods once and Zetsu does as he's told.
He turns and looks up at the tower, grimacing as he activates Kamui. It takes him mere moments to appear inside of the tower, materializing right beside Konan.
If the woman is startled by his sudden appearance, she doesn't show it. Instead, she sports her usual indifferent expression, turning her head just a fraction to address him.
"He's waiting," she says, deadpan.
Obito nods once and walks into the room she's guarding.
Nagato looks up from his position, looking as lively as he did the day Yahiko died. He tries not to recall that day fondly.
"I have gathered some information on the new recruits," Nagato rasps, not bothering to beat around the bush. He nods toward the pile of files resting on the table beside them.
Obito heads over to the table, leafing through the files and nodding approvingly at most of the selection. There are some who he has never heard before, he isolates their folders.
"Do you approve of them?" Nagato pipes up.
"Sasori and Kakuzu," Obito says, picking up the files for those who he does not recognize the names of.
Nagato nods, looking mighty pleased with himself for someone who is strapped to a giant machine. "They are a fine choice," he says, sounding awfully like he's patting his own back. "What about the rest?"
"I don't recognize their names," Obito says, opening one at random. "Are they supposed to be their partners?"
"Kakuzu has voiced his desire to work alone," Nagao says. "Sasori doesn't seem like the kind to like a partner either."
"We have to work as two-man cells," Obito says.
"I know," Nagato says. "I told them as much and these are the ones that I have available for work. Sasori doesn't have any comments but Kakuzu…"
Obito nods, glancing down at the folders.
"I'll test these people," he says. "Tell Sasori and Kakuzu that they're clear to start whenever they can."
Nagato nods. He looks as though he's expecting Obito to leave.
Obito glances down at Kakuzu's file again.
"Assign the group's financial situation to Kakuzu," he says, looking up at Nagato. "And let Sasori manage our network of spies."
"That…" Nagato tries to begin but Obito raises a hand.
"They must stay," Obito says. "They're prominent names and their powers are undisputed. Their abilities are much appreciated."
Nagato nods.
"Sasori's ability to keep people loyal to him is well-known and how are we on finance again?" he asks and Nagato doesn't answer. "It won't hurt to have someone with experience to oversee our entire financial situation. They will benefit us tremendously."
Nagato breathes heavier than before and Obito can tell that he's upset, but knows that the man will not disobey him.
"Yes, Madara," Nagato says.
Obito nods at him and tucks the three folders into his robe.
"May I ask you about something?"
"Don't waste my time," Obito warns.
"Who is the kid?"
Obito tenses, which in turn makes Nagato freeze.
"That is none of your concern," Obito hisses.
"I was just wondering if we were recruiting him," Nagato says carefully, "because, if we are, we will need to make a new uniform and if he's still young–"
Obito lifts his chin and then Nagato cuts himself off.
"Yes, Madara," Nagato says after, sounding shaky.
"I'll report to you afterward whether or not to hire these people," Obito says, patting the folders hidden in his robe and then he activates Kamui, disappearing from Nagato's room, but not before hearing him call out for Konan.
He appears in front of the tower again, partially hidden from prying eyes by staying near the wall. Obito turns and finds Zetsu's head by his side.
"He's fine," White Zetsu says.
Obito nods and heads out, walking toward the restaurant.
It doesn't take him long to find Deidara sitting by himself. He nods to the waitress – he's visited here multiple times – and then heads toward the booth Deidara occupies.
"Hey," Obito says, announcing his presence before he slips in, sitting opposite of the kid.
Deidara jumps at his voice but he quickly calms down, grinning wide and pushing a plate of dango toward him.
"Hi!" Deidara says. "What did you do, yeah?"
"Some adult stuff," Obito says.
"Oh," Deidara says, blinking.
"Not that kind of adult stuff," Obito says.
Deidara giggles and then shoves a Bakudan roll in his mouth. Obito uses this time to finish the plate of dango – it's gone a little cold but it's still delicious.
When Deidara looks up again, he looks like he's been punched by someone and glares at his mask. The kid throws a silly tantrum on his own, refusing to look at Obito immediately, turning to look at the rest of the restaurant instead.
Obito lets the kid have his fun before he pats the folders in his robe, making a sound that attracts Deidara's attention.
"We have something to do," he says.
"We?" Deidara echoes.
"Yes, you and I," Obito says.
Deidara perks up, leaning forward to try and snatch the folders from Obito's robes. "What is it?" he asks.
Obito reaches out to keep Deidara steady, not wanting the kid to lose his balance and fall on the table to end up with a chest full of Bakudan rolls and dango sauce. Eventually, his struggling proves to be a little too much.
"We'll be testing out some people and their abilities," Obito says as he hoists Deidara over the table, letting the kid sit on his lap. Deidara reaches out to pat at his chest, trying to fish the files out of their hiding spots. "Your bombs will come in handy."
Deidara stops his groping and looks up at Obito, eyes widening and the blue of his eyes becoming impossibly bright.
"Really?" he asks, breathless.
"You said you can be useful," Obito smiles, reaching out to comb Deidara's hair back.
"I can, yeah!" Deidara jumps, reaching up to wrap his slim arms around Obito's neck.
Obito laughs and returns the hug, patting his back reassuringly.
"Come on, then," Obito says but Deidara squirms in his grasp.
"Wait!" Deidara says, climbing off of his lap and heading back to his side of the table. He quickly finishes his Bakudan rolls and downs his tea.
Obito waits patiently until he's done and when Deidara slides off of the couch, he moves to grab the bill, but Deidara's small hands are somehow faster, taking the slip of paper from underneath Obito's hand and hurrying to the counter.
He watches him, amused, knowing that Deidara will just use Obito's money to pay for it, but finds the action endearing nonetheless. He heads over to the kid and pats his head when Deidara hands him the change.
"How nice," Obito says, pocketing the coins and leading Deidara out of the shop. "Let's get out of here."
55
As they wander the plains of the field, Deidara is suspiciously quiet. Obito turns to find him – not for the first time today – lagged behind, staring off into the bushes like he's studying some sort of great art.
Then again, Obito thinks, he probably is.
Obito gives up on snapping Deidara out of it, noticing that he's holding the same little bird that he fished out earlier today. He heads over to the kid instead, leaning down to slot his hands underneath his arms. Deidara blinks up at him, surprised, but doesn't complain as Obito hoists him over his shoulders, letting Deidara sit as he does the walking for the two of them.
Obito can feel Deidara's hands rest on the top of his head, shifting occasionally. He wonders what modifications he's making to the bird.
A moment later, as he begins to actually pick up the chakra signature of one of the people from Nagato's folders – he doesn't remember their names. Why would he remember their names if they're not going to be useful? – he notices that there's a distinct flapping sounding on top of his head.
He blinks and then it moves to fly ahead of him.
Deidara is laughing.
"You did it," Obito comments, looking at the small clay bird. It acts just as a normal bird would, flapping its wings as it hovers in the air, doing a flip mid-air when Deidara makes a whoop.
The bird eventually flies back and lands on top of Obito's head – besides Deidara's hands – and Obito feels Deidara rest his chin on him too.
"Congratulations," Obito says, patting Deidara's thigh.
"I think I can make more models," Deidara says mostly to himself. "I have so many ideas right now, hm!"
"Do you?" Obito asks but then he stops walking, looking further away into the woods. He furrows his eyebrows and leaps up into the trees, kneeling on one knee as he looks down on the dirt road. Deidara seems to sense the sudden change and falls silent, too.
There are fresh tracks on the ground.
"He's near," Obito whispers and he feels Deidara nod.
Obito leaps from one branch to the next, following the tracks. They disappear after a few meters but it's enough for Obito to track down his exact position. Obito activates his Sharingan to scan the area further, pinpointing the tell-tale blue chakra in the distance.
He takes one final leap and lands silently on a tree just a few feet away from the man of the hour.
"There," Obito whispers to Deidara. Deidara peers down, having the height advantage now, and he hears him scoff.
"What's the point of this again?" Deidara asks.
"We need to test if he's strong or not," Obito says.
"If he's strong or not," Deidara parrots and the bird he made earlier hops happily on Obito's head.
Without another word, the bird flies toward the man, flapping its wings happily to create the illusion of it being a friendly bird, rather than a threatening bomb, just as Obito anticipated it would. The man notices it right away, raising a hand toward it.
Deidara's made for being stealthy, Obito realizes. While his bombs aren't exactly perfect for silent killings, the fact that he's a long-range fighter with the ability to disguise his bombs as harmless forest animals make it so Deidara can get away with almost everything, as long as he can stay far enough away.
Obito nods to himself, glad. As long as the enemy is clueless of all the species of animals or lack half a brain, they would foolishly be in the belief that it's an actual animal rather than –
An explosion sets off and Obito barely registers it, staring blankly at the ball of fire rolling on the spot where the man was originally standing on. When the thick black smoke fades away and the smoldering flames die down to tiny patches, there's nothing left of the man other than a few pieces of singed cloth fluttering about in the air.
"Well," Obito says, scanning the area for any chakra signatures. "It seems like he's not that impressive after all. Good work, Deidara."
Deidara makes a sound and then he grunts when he feels a heavier weight on his head, arms wrapping around him.
"I told you I can do it, yeah!" he says. "Aren't you glad you took me in?"
It seems like an odd way of saying 'thank you' but Obito takes it, nodding along to Deidara's words.
"Yes, yes," Obito says, patting Deidara's leg. "You're real great, after all."
Obito glances at the burning pit, nodding to himself once more. Yes, at this rate, Deidara will surely become a force not to be reckoned with.
55
Obito appears beside Konan again. With his Sharingan activated, he catches a slight movement of her shoulders when he appears from the shadows. He deactivates it when Konan addresses him.
"Madara," she says with a softer voice than usual. "He's waiting."
Obito nods and heads inside the room, already fishing out the folders he took with him yesterday.
Nagato moves to greet him, a bunch of metallic clinking sounds with every movement of his.
"Madara," Nagato says, "you have returned with news."
"They're trash," Obito says, tossing the folders back on the table. "Only one of them is still alive."
Nagato seems surprised to hear this but he doesn't say anything to address that. Instead, he glances down at the folders spread out across the table, noticing the marks that Obito has made on the covers.
"The remaining one might be worth our time," Obito says, flipping open his folder. "Pair him up with Kakuzu."
"But–"
"With Kakuzu," Obito repeats himself.
"Yes, Madara."
"I want a new batch by the end of this month," Obito continues to say as if Nagato has not said anything. "Has Kakuzu and Sasori been informed of their new positions?"
"Yes," Nagato says. "Zetsu has already met with Sasori and he's willing to bring in his existing network of spies for our use if Zetsu agrees to work with him too."
"Granted," Obito says after a few seconds of thinking. "And Kakuzu?"
"More agreeable than when we first met with him," Nagato replies. "I think the prospect of being able to hunt those who have large bounties on their heads excites him."
"As it should," Obito responds and then he turns to leave, but not before reminding Nagato firmly in his rumbling voice, "and a new batch by the end of the month."
"Yes, Madara," Nagato says and then Obito swirls out of reality.
The next time Obito materializes back in reality, he stands in the middle of the cheap hotel room that he rented for the two of them in some poor village. He keeps his footsteps quiet as he walks toward Deidara to ensure he's still asleep. The boy is snoring softly. He heads to the opposite side of the room and faces the wall. Zetsu appears a moment later.
"Yes?" White Zetsu whispers.
"I approve of Sasori's request," Obito says in a hushed tone.
"He wants all of our information," Black Zetsu says.
"Be quiet," Obito hisses and the three of them remain silent until Deidara's snoring returns. "I want him to think you are working for him," Obito says. "Do not reveal any information too sensitive, but feed him anything you deem necessary to keep him happy. He doesn't need to know everything right now – and when he's fully incorporated into the team, he will be too busy trying to gather information for us to be able to get anything from you."
"How long do you think that would take?" White Zetsu asks.
"At most two weeks," Obito replies. "Sasori is not known for his willingness to wait."
"He doesn't have a partner yet," Black Zetsu points out, notably quieter this time.
"He doesn't need one at the moment," Obito says. "He can use this time to torture a few of the couriers we have captured. I don't care what happens to them, I just want names."
Zetsu nods and sinks back into the wall.
Obito sighs heavily, reaching up to tug his mask over his head and runs a bandaged hand across his face, rubbing soothing circles at his temples. This plan needs to set off soon, he thinks to himself, lest he loses himself in all of this insanity.
He heads back to the middle of the room, unfurling a futon set to the side and then he hears Deidara mumble in his sleep. He turns to watch the kid, heart feeling heavy.
He watches Deidara, wondering what it could be that is driving him to look forward to each day. He wants to show off his powers, Obito thinks to himself, but is that all he wants?
He reaches out to soothe Deidara's hair, pushing rebelling strands away from his face.
Maybe there is more. Maybe he's just too blind to see it now.
Hey guys, Red here!
Beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN (was Kate_Black14).
NOTE: Obito can still pick Deidara up because Deidara is considered small for his age and sex. He barely reaches Obito's chest at this point and while it's difficult to pick him up, for sure, Obito is strong enough to do it. Also, I don't think it's ever stated when Sasori and Kakuzu joined the Akatsuki so I made it up here, but if it is, please tell me. I'll find a way to edit it into the semi-canon timeline this is on. Whether or not I'm successful, I'll edit this to let you all know.
I am putting the estimated amount of chapters for this fic as seven. Originally, it was five, but halfway through this chapter, I realized it was getting too long to fit everything I wanted, so I split it. Whilst on my way home from work, I got an idea, which I wrote down once I'm home - which lead to me realizing that it would be too sudden for both scenes to be together, so I split those too.
Taking a page off of LipsOfFrost's book.
Hopefully, this would be the final amount of chapters and I don't add too many. It might go out of hand and I won't be able to rein it back in. We all want this to have a happy ending, right? :)
FIRST YEAR (STILL):
Deidara is aged TWELVE (12).
Obito is aged TWENTY-THREE (23).
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