Obito woke up between Rin and Madara. "Hello, Obito," said a voice.
"Who's that?" asked Obito with a start. "Father?"
"Over here," said the voice.
"Where's 'here'? Everything is dark," said Obito. His heart was thumping out of his chest.
"You can't see me? I thought Sharingan users had the sharpest eyesight. Of course, I suppose, you do have only one," said the voice. "Oh well. No matter. Obito, I am your father."
"But, the white man...," Obito started.
The voice stopped him. "No, not him," it said. The voice sounded male, Obito decided. He looked around again, and finally, his eye discerned a dark shadow in the already dark cave. A dark shadow in the shape of a man with two bright eyes. "I am the one who really revived you, Obito. I chose you."
"Why?" asked Obito. "What am I to you?"
"My son, of course," said the shadow. "This white man, as you call him, Madara, was my first choice, but he proved disappointing. He was old and weak, unable to survive outside of this cave. But in you, I perfected my jutsu. I produced a fully functioning reanimated corpse. There was the little hiccup, of course, of your memory and that, but look at you now! You are as good as new."
"Piss off," said Obito. "I'm not your experiment, and I'm not your son. I'm leaving now."
Obito turned away from the Shadow, but the Shadow was suddenly on the other side of him, so close he could almost touch it. "And where, dear child, will you go?" the Shadow hissed. Obito punched, and the Shadow dissipated and reassembled. "Your village despises you. You're a grave-robber. A criminal. A monster."
"No," Obito said, trembling, trying to slash the Shadow with his kunai. "Minato-friend is in charge. Minato would never. Minato-!"
And the Shadow wrapped itself around Obito. Obito nearly slashed himself trying to stop it, then he clawed at his face trying to pull it off, but the Shadow couldn't be removed. And visions involuntarily passed through Obito's mind. Visions of Minato ordering the ANBU to hunt Obito down, of Jiraiya admitting he needed a break, of the Uchiha clan shouting for his death, of Orochimaru's experiments, of Rin and Kakashi. There were things Obito didn't even remember, like a very young Kakashi telling Rin how useless Obito was, and Kakashi abandoning Rin on a mission, and of Rin ripping out Obito's eye.
The Shadow's voice hissed in Obito's brain. "Nobody loves you!...Nobody ever loved you!...They are happier with you gone!...You know it's true, that's why you came back here, Obito, my son!"
"It's not true!" Obito sobbed, smacking himself. "Get out, get out, please, leave me alone!"
"But Obito, Obito, Obito...I am all you have now, and I only desire one thing, Obito, and that is for you to prove them wrong! You, the lowest of them all, will be the greatest shinobi!"
"How?" Obito asked feebly.
"First," said the Shadow, "you must take back your eye."
Kakashi opened his eyes in a bright hospital room.
"Kakashi!" exclaimed Might Guy. "Oh, Kakashi! I was so worried!"
"We were so worried," corrected Kurenai. "How are you feeling, Kakashi?"
Kakashi moaned. "Ugh...it's so bright. How long was I out for?"
"Only about 12 hours," said Kurenai.
"Twelve miserable hours!" Guy moaned.
"Calm down, Guy, you're freaking him out," said Asuma.
"Do they know what happened to me?" asked Kakashi. "Am I sick? Injured? Parasite? Bad sushi?"
"Mangekyo Sharingan," said a deep voice in the doorway. The classmates all looked over to see Fugaku Uchiha. "You have a awakened a rare gift, Kakashi Hatake. Only about 1% of Uchiha achieve what you have. Well done, lad." There was a coldness in his voice that made Kakashi feel as if Fugaku meant exactly the opposite of "well done."
"What is it, and how did I awaken it?" asked Kakashi.
"It's an enhanced version of your standard Sharingan," said Fugaku, stepping into the room. "The abilities can vary from person to person, although you only have one, so don't get your hopes up. It can perform enhanced genjutsu, produce black flames that burn for days, protect your entire body in a chakra titan, and even transport you between space itself."
"Woah!" Guy gasped. "Kakashi has gained so much more power! I MUST TRAIN HARDER! Don't go anywhere, my rival! I'll be ready for you when you leave the hospital!" He opened up the window and left. Kurenai and Asuma shook their heads.
Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "What fool is that who thinks he can face the Mangekyo Sharingan in battle?"
"A fool, a fool," laughed Kakashi. "But Fugaku, please, how did this happen?"
"The Mangekyo Sharingan emerges under only a very special circumstance. When you kill your best friend," said Fugaku.
"Kill your best friend? But I did...oh," Kakashi stopped. "Rin," he whispered. "But I didn't mean...and that was over a week ago."
"A Mangekyo is massively powerful. It takes time to mature," said Fugaku simply. "But like I said, as you are not of the Uchiha, and only have one, I doubt it will be of much use to you. In fact," he said, "the Mangekyo can be dangerous if not properly cared for. It can damage your eye entirely. Many who wield it eventually go blind. Perhaps it would be best if you did not have it at all."
The room was silent as Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi processed the information. Fugaku sat patiently, expectantly.
"Thank you, Fugaku," Kakashi finally said. "I will be sure to take good care of it."
Years passed, and the strange incident of Obito Uchiha was all but forgotten. The Great Nations were at peace. The people of Konohagakure were generally happy. It was a solemn day for Kakashi, though. The anniversary of Rin's death. Kakashi knew it to the hour. And at that hour, he went to lay flowers on her grave.
"Why did you do it, Rin?" Kakashi whispered. "Wherever you are now." He started to cry softly and sat beside the stone.
"I could ask you the same question, Kakashi," whispered a voice in his ear. He started and turned around, but nobody was there. Then, out of the corner of his Sharingan, he saw a figure emerge out of nothingness: a familiar face, a black and red cloak, and a kunai.
He turned on a dime. "Obito!" he exclaimed. Obito slashed at him with the kunai, and Kakashi ducked. "Obito, what the hell? It's me, Kakashi!"
Obito kept slashing, and Kakashi kept dodging. "Oh, I know. I know all about you, Kakashi. Is that a Mangekyo Sharingan, I see? I have one too, but I'd rather have Rin!"
Kakashi dodged another slash and punched him, but as if Obito were made of air, Kakashi fell straight through him. "What the?" Kakashi muttered. Obito was on top of him, holding him down. "CHIDORI!" Kakashi cried, and Obito disappeared. One moment he was there, and then in a blur, he was gone again. Kakashi sprang to his feet. "OBITO!" he shouted. "Come back, you bastard, and explain yourself!"
"Ohhh, now you want me, hmmm?" Kakashi grabbed his katana and slashed madly behind him toward the source of Obito's voice. "Nobody ever wanted me before. I often thought, perhaps, it might be better for everyone if I disappeared. So I did." In a blur, Obito disappeared again.
"This isn't funny, Obito! What's your game?"
"Game? I don't have a game," said Obito, reappearing.
Kakashi fired up his chidori. "I don't want to hurt you, Obito. I just want to know what happened to you. You're different. You're not making any sense, and this new power of yours, however you're doing that, is bullshit."
"Bullshit?" asked Obito. "Why, I'm not doing anything you couldn't do. Are you happy with your Mangekyo, Kakashi? Was it worth it?"
"Worth it?" Kakashi asked, befuddled.
"You can't play dumb with me, Kakashi, not anymore. I'm not a little boy anymore. I know everything now, including how this works," he said, pointing to his eye. "I know how you get it. How you got it. So was it worth it? Was it worth Rin's life to wield this power?"
"Worth Rin's life? ARE YOU INSANE?! You think I did this ON PURPOSE?!" Kakashi rushed at Obito, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to hit him. "SCREW YOU, YOU COWARD! FIGHT ME LIKE A REAL SHINOBI!"
"Oh, Kakashi, you know me. I've always been a lover, not a fighter," Obito laughed. "So, we can do this the hard way or the easy way, Kakashi. You have something that doesn't belong to you. I'd like it back, please."
"What?"
"DON'T PLAY DUMB! Your eye, Kakashi. Your precious Mangekyo Sharingan. It's mine, and I want it back!"
"Oh, screw you, is that all?" Kakashi said. "You petty asshole. You have the nerve to disturb me here, on today of all days, and that's all you want? Fine. You can have the damn thing back. It hasn't done me any good anyways."
"You always were the smart one, Kakashi," said Obito, raising his kunai.
Kakashi's stomach lurched. "What are you going to do with it?"
"Why, all the better to see you with, my dear," Obito said with a chuckle.
"KAKASHI! DON'T WORRY, I'M HERE!" cried Might Guy. "LEAF HURRICANE!"
"What?!" Kakashi exclaimed, looking around for his foolish green friend. "Guy, NO!"
Guy landed on top of Obito. "I was taking a couple hundred midnight laps around the village when I saw you locked in fierce combat with this rogue. Where'd he go?" Two arms and a kunai wrapped around Guy's neck. Guy froze. "Kakashi?" he said weakly.
Kakashi choked up. "Obito, please," he begged. "Don't do anything stupid. We're your friends, Obito. You remember Might Guy from the Academy?"
Obito cocked his head. "No," he said truthfully. "I don't."
"Oh, right," said Kakashi.
"And you keep calling me Obito. You know that's not my name. Obito Uchiha is dead, Kakashi. My name is Tobi."
He sliced. Blood splattered, and Guy fell face down on Rin's empty grave.
"OBITO!" Kakashi screamed.
"Now where were we?" asked Obito.
Kakashi fell to his knees beside Might Guy, and Guy wheezed in pain. A unit of ANBU guards arrived around the scene. "Who are you?" they asked.
"Oh, bother," said Obito. "I guess that's all, folks," He disappeared.
"What?" the ANBU asked. "Where'd he go?"
"I can't sense his chakra anywhere!" a Hyuuga exclaimed.
"Nor can I smell him," said an Inuzuka.
"He disappeared," said Kakashi coldly. "He's a dead man. A ghost."
"Kakashi, was that Obito Uchiha?" asked the unit commander.
"No," said Kakashi. "His name is Tobi. I know him not. But never mind him now. Please, my friend needs help."