So, this is half of another time travel idea I had, loosely based on the idea of a misfired jutsu. The other half is all bits and pieces that need to be sorted out, and even then, I need to do a whole heck of writing for the end game of this idea. But in the meantime, I thought you all might enjoy the first part of it. I rewrote the end, though, to give it a bit of a more 'finished off' feel. I hope.

Disclaimer that I don't own, and enjoy. :)

Wrong Spot

Stupid jutsu.

Obito scowled at the corpse before him as he cursed the inefficient jutsu that had him standing here, once again.

After everything that had happened with the Fourth Shinobi War, life hadn't exactly been ideal for him. Chucked into prison (not that he didn't deserve it, because he definitely did) with his only human contact being ANBU guards and sporadic visits from Kakashi, when the village could spare him. That happened more and more infrequently once his old friend took up the Hokage hat. Not that it was on Kakashi for the shortened visits, no. Obito knew that was on the council.

For five years …Maybe? Yes, five years… he sat in that prison, content with his fate, knowing he deserved it. He did the whole 'reflecting on his life' thing, going over his mistakes, and how he'd change things if given the chance. And it was that last bit that had him recalling a certain jutsu he'd heard of, one that Orochimaru had created. Obito remembered that the Sannin had started the research for it while he was in Akatsuki, and had heard over the years that he'd figured it out as well.

After some serious back and forth contemplation on the idea, Obito eventually decided that he would track down the snake and get the jutsu from him. He'd make sure to change things so thousands didn't lose their lives because of himself, Zetsu and Kabuto. That the jinchuuriki were never 'harvested' for their bijuu. And most importantly, that Kaguya was never resurrected.

It took a bit of time to track down the Sannin, but eventually Obito found him.

"Obito," he was greeted with that smooth, slightly creepy, voice. "I'd heard you'd run off. And you came here to me, I'm honoured."

"Cut the crap," Obito snapped. "I'm only here for that jutsu you created, the one for time travel."

A single eyebrow rose in what Obito was certain was mild amusement. "My jikandōrini ryokō suru jutsu?" he asked, his tone most assuredly amused, with a touch of intrigued. "And what exactly do you want with that?"

"I intend to go back and stop the war from ever happening," Obito said. "And other things that led up to it as well."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Such a noble pursuit," he mused. "I must admit, it's an intriguing idea. Just one of the reasons I created the jutsu in the first place. However, as enticing as it may seem, I was never actually tempted to use the jutsu myself. Too many uncertainties, not knowing what price I'd have to pay, and no guarantee that it would actually change anything in the end."

"What do you mean by that?" Obito demanded.

"Simply the fact that there's no way to know for certain what the effects and consequences will be," he was told. "For instance, you could end up creating an entirely new time line, which would leave the time you left behind still intact. Or you could indeed end up changing everything, destroying what had previously been instead. That also carries the risk of vanishing once something is changed, or even wiping yourself from the time line altogether. Not to mention the fact that if you go back to a point still in your lifetime, there's no way of knowing whether you'll go back as yourself, or end up in your younger body."

"Necessary risks," Obito decided to dismiss. "Even if I do not change this time line, things here are stable enough to move forward, and if I do disappear, well… It's not like this time line would be at a disadvantage without me."

Silence for awhile, and the two stared one another down. Finally, Orochimaru sighed, and said, "Never let it be said, anymore at least, that I'm never willing to help out. Very well, follow me."

He led Obito through his base to a secret room with scrolls lining a book case against two of the walls. "This is where I keep all of my more… interesting research, whether they're deemed useful, or not. Now, where is it?"

He strode along the shelves, searching until he came across one of the scrolls. "Ah, here it is," he murmured. "Jikandōrini ryokō suru. Roughly paraphrased, to Travel in Time."

"How exactly does it work?" Obito asked once the scroll was in his hands.

"The directions are simple enough to follow," Orochimaru spoke. "So long as one understands basic sealing and comprehends space time ninjutsu. Neither of which you should have a problem with. Once you activate it, you'll need to choose a destination, but be warned, the accuracy could use a little… fine tuning."

"Fine tuning?" Obito scowled.

"No need to worry," Orochimaru said. "It shouldn't put you off more than a few months. So you should make sure you leave yourself plenty of leeway."

No more than a few months, pfth! Obito glowered at the corpse before him… This was years off where he'd wanted to end up! Still, at least it solved one problem, even if it created more. He'd performed the jutsu perfectly, according to the instructions. It had taken almost all of his chakra, but he'd done it. Barely. But this time and place prevented him from saving the one person he'd wanted to save the most.

Undoubtedly this was the universe's way of punishing him for everything, and for violating the rules of time and space.

Rin was dead. Dead. He knew that, because right in front of him was Uchiha Madara's corpse. The old man had kicked the bucket, dying right in front of him after bestowing the name of Madara upon Obito, like it was some sort of honour. He sneered down at the corpse. Stupid fucker! He kicked the old man's leg.

Obito sighed, then reached down to take one of Madara's eyes. They were stolen sharingan already, his forefather having already pilfered them from some unknown Uchiha back when he'd had his own implanted into Nagato in preparation for his plans. Thanks to the combination of Senju and White Zetsu cells in him, it was easy enough for Obito to implant the sharingan into his left socket, along with using basic medical ninjutsu to aid the process.

Then he shot a katon jutsu at the old man's corpse and watched him burn, until not even Kabuto would've been capable of bringing him back.

Turning around, Obito searched out Black Zetsu with his senses, finding him some distance away. Using his current absence to his advantage, he activated his Kamui and transported himself to his other dimension, settling in to meditate so that he could accurately pinpoint the control seal that Madara had put on him. Once he had, he stood, focused his Mangekyou, then stepped to the right, feeling immensely satisfied to sense its absence from his body.

At least now Black Zetsu couldn't use it to control him.

Next came the White Zetsu attached to him. Obito forced them out of him, a much easier task than removing the control seal.

"Wh-what?" one spoke as three of them emerged from his body. "But how…?"

"Did you really think I hadn't noticed you there?" Obito snarled at them, pulling out a kunai. "Please. I'm not the naive boy you expect me to be."

In swift movements, he took them out. Once they were dead, he jumped back into Madara's base, and immediately headed off for the Gedo Mazo statue. Once he located it, he activated his Mangekyou, sending it to his Kamui dimension.

"Why did you do that?"

Obito turned to see that Black Zetsu had returned.

"Because I had a change of heart," he told him, obliquely referring to the control seal, then used the Mangekyou once more to sever Black Zetsu in half. He quickly followed up by sending the remains through to that acidic dimension that he'd discovered while searching for Sasuke during the war.

Once that was done, he had no trouble hunting down every last White Zetsu that existed, and once completed, he wondered what was next. Should he continue to find those who had contributed to war, however directly or indirectly, such as Danzou, Nagato, and others? Should he go back to Konoha? He found himself to be more than a little terrified of that last idea.

The Uchiha still lived. Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee were also still alive. Even though they all thought he was dead, how would they react to seeing him again? He knew that Kakashi had been devastated as he lost comrade after comrade. The old Obito thought he deserved it, for letting Rin die. But really, it was his own fault in the first place, blabbing to Madara all about Rin. Her death was on both their hands.

He was hesitant to return, worried about how he would be received, especially at this point. If it was known he was alive, well… Technically that would make him a nukenin. He supposed he could play the 'I was a prisoner' card, which wasn't all that far from the truth. He'd only gotten out in time to witness Rin's death because Madara and Zetsu had orchestrated it.

Feeling mentally and emotionally (and perhaps temporally) exhausted, Obito ended up deciding to sleep on it. Come morning, he would either return to Konoha, or continue working from the shadows, this time in order to prevent the type of war he'd waged the first time around.

So what did you think? Review please! :)