Chapter 11

Chunin exams with allied villages were a relatively new thing that had only been introduced a year and a half ago. The rules were always changing and they depended, it seemed, on whichever proctor was overseeing the examination.

The examiner for the tournament was grizzled man, marked by a jagged scar across his face, who told them in a stern voice that they were to wait in the small room inside the back until they were called forwards for their fight.

"In real life you will not know what your opponent's abilities will be," the proctor, Morino Iwao, told them. Rin didn't exactly agree with his reasoning for this situation but she'd never argue with a heavily built, six-foot jonin.

The silence in the room was taut with apprehension as the genin sat in uncomfortable plastic chairs. It didn't help that the Kusa boy, Hara Dai, was sharpening a vicious looking scythe. Rin glanced at the ashen-faced Ebisu who was sitting the corner with his two teammates. She didn't fancy his chances, especially with that recently recovered leg, though his courage for participating was admirable.

Rin squirmed in her seat as she thought of Obito. Though she had full confidence in her teammate's determination, his punctuality was a completely different matter. She wrung the bottom her shirt with shaking hands. Obito will turn up. Sure he was hopelessly disorganised but he would turn up to the final exam. He had to. This exam meant a lot more to Obito than it did to Rin. Though she'd be gutted not to become a chunin after all the hard work, she knew the exams were a bi-annual event so she could always re-enter. Anyway, there were other ways to becoming a chunin.

Though he never spoke about it, the clan pressures on Obito were obvious from his determination to get the sharingan. Not to mention his rivalry with Kakashi. Obito's desperation to prove himself made Rin's chest ache. His sheer willpower was something she found herself aspiring to. It was weird… But without the strange friendship of Team 7, Rin doubted she would have come as far as she had now.

Biting her lip, Rin glanced over at Obito's opponent, Ryuu, who appeared to be fairly relaxed. Though it was hard to tell since he was leaning against the wall with his straw hat pulled over his eyes. His clothes were of the traditional Kusa style, with the ochre tunic and a mesh shirt beneath. With his calm demeanour he already looked what Rin imagined an experienced Kusa nin to look like.

"Maito Gai and Hyuga Ko," the examiner appeared at the door, jerking Rin from her thoughts.

Gai leapt from his seat with an enthusiastic grin as if Morino Iwao had just offered him a free meal. Ko dragged himself up with a terrified face. Clearly he was not nearly excited as his teammate was. Though Rin didn't blame him. She recalled that though Gai had received the same marks as Obito in his written assessments, when it came to taijutsu Gai was a genius.

Genma who was nervously chewing on a senbon, nodded at his teammates as they disappeared through the door and into the dark corridor.

Feeling slightly sick, Rin closed her eyes in the attempt to regulate her frantic heart. There was a muffled roar from the crowd outside, signalling that the battle had begun.

Kushina's technique had been extremely difficult to master though her mentor had assured her that it'd be one of those 'alright on the night' type of things. Rin wasn't so sure. Whilst training with Kushina she had also continued working at the hospital and reading about medical techniques, since they could help her out of a tight corner.

"Relax," a friendly voice said next to her. Rin jumped in her seat and glanced round at Aoba who offered her a smile.

"Just focus on the fight once you're out there," Aoba told her. "Ignore the crowd." Rin gave him a weak nod as she remembered that Aoba had lost to his teammate, Namiashi Raido, last year in the final exam.

Aoba tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner and Rin wondered what look he was giving her behind those tinted sunglasses of his. Evidently he had taken a leaf out of Obito's book and over the recent month it appeared that Aoba had purchased them to prevent any future attacks on his eyes.

It was hard to pull off red rimmed, tinted shades but Aoba somehow managed it. Perhaps it was the scruffy hair or the lopsided smile.

"Worried about Obito?" He asked.

Rin couldn't help but give him a shaky smile. Aoba was so kind; she couldn't understand why Obito and Kakashi seemed to dislike him. Well Kakashi didn't particularly like anyone other than Team 7 or Kushina but surely Obito would've made friends with Aoba?

"He'll turn up," Rin answered.

The wooden door was abruptly flung open and Gai stepped in accompanied by the examiner. Ko was nowhere to be seen.

"That was quick," Aoba muttered. Rin nodded. Gai couldn't have been out there for more than three minutes.

"Sarutobi Asuma and Ohayashi Mio," Iwao said.

Asuma stood up with a pale but resolute face and he walked out into the corridor. The Kusa girl followed just as her teammate with the scythe snickered "Beat him to a pulp, Mio."

Rin chewed her lip. Above their heads they could hear the shouts of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd. Then the sharp hammering of what sounded like pebbles sounded from outside. Rin glanced up the ceiling and frowned. Rain? The clouds had looked pretty ominous this morning. Hopefully luck was on her side.

After a tense seven minutes that was filled with explosions and screams from the crowd, Asuma limped through the door with gash across his forehead and charred clothes. Like Ko, the Kusa girl was nowhere to be seen.

Asuma squelched to his seat and he shook his wet hair so he resembled a bedraggled dog. Rin's guess was correct. It was raining out there and heavily, judging by Asuma's dripping clothes.

As the examiner, Iwao, entered Rin gulped. This was it.

Aoba gave her a reassuring smile as she stood up, her knees shaking slightly. She stared at the concrete floor, not wanting to look at Kurenai.

Iwao turned on his heels and the two girls followed. It would be wrong to say that the light of the arena shone at the exit of the tunnel. No, instead a washed out grey met Rin's eyes and the wind wailed outside.

As soon as she stepped out into the arena cold pellets of water assaulted Rin, soaking her in seconds. The arena was littered with small craters from the two previous rounds and already the ground was starting to turn slick with mud.

Luckily the rain had turned the crowd's noise into a muffled buzz and Rin felt as if she was underwater. She didn't dare look up at the masses of people above.

Instead Rin decided send a burst of warm chakra through her body, so her muscles wouldn't become stiff from the cold. She squinted against the rain at Kurenai, who had her dark hair sensibly tied up in a ponytail. Already her opponent was standing opposite her.

Rin shifted into her taijutsu stance, an evolved version of the academy one. It hadn't just been Whirlpool techniques she'd been learning over the past month. Rin had also sparred with Kushina. Though Kushina'd been almost brutal and unrelenting, Rin had unconsciously absorbed some of the Whirlpool taijutsu style every time her new tutor corrected her stance.

"Nohara Rin versus Yuhi Kurenai," Morino Iwao yelled over the rain. "Start!"

The examiner leapt away and Rin jumped into action.

She rushed at Kurenai and sent out a spinning kick. Kurenai ducked, aiming a right cross at Rin who blocked it with her forearm. She suddenly grabbed Kurenai's wrist, twisting it in a brutal fashion that she had learnt off Kushina, causing the other girl to wince.

Wanting to end this quickly, Rin seized the advantage and aimed a punch to Kurenai's nose but stopped in mid air.

Her eyes glazed over and she stared in fascination. The rain… It was so beautiful. Each droplet sparkled before Rin's eyes and fell with a wonderful grace. Water… Had it always been this entrancing? Every colour imaginable glinted in each jewel like drop.

Rin jerked, gave her head a violent shake and cried, "Release!"

She glanced around, water wildly flicking from her hair. Where was Kurenai? She was just-

Bam. An acute pain slammed into Rin's shoulder and she reeled back as Kurenai appeared before her with a kunai in hand.

Rin clutched her wound as the blood mixed and diluted with the rain. "I thought you were supposed to be good at illusions?" Kurenai called.

Ignoring her goading, Rin drew a kunai with her right hand. The pain was bearable and since healing techniques used up a lot of chakra, Rin decided to conserve her energy.

Pushing her sopping fringe from her eyes, the two girls circled each other. Rin's clothes were drenched and the sodden fabric clung to her skin, weighing her arms down. Explosive tags would be useless in this weather and the water would just wash smoke bombs away.

There was nothing for it. She would just have to make an opening and use Kushina's technique.

Rin reached into her weapons pouch and hurled a handful of shruiken. The small blades bounced off Kurenai's kunai, but not wasting a moment Rin charged at her.

The sudden force of Rin's attack surprised Kurenai and she wildly parried but Rin had seized the upper hand. In a swooping arc Rin reversed the kunai and slammed the butt into Kurenai's stomach.

The other girl groaned, doubling back as she clutched her belly. As Kurenai struggled to regain her breath, Rin raised her hands to form a seal but she suddenly faltered. It seemed unfair to use the Whirlpool technique against Kurenai while she was helpless like that. After all this was a friendly match.

But Rin's momentary compassion was a mistake. Kurenai slammed her hands together into a flurry of seals and she wheezed, "Demonic illusion: Possessed forest technique."

Rin's eyes widened as she found herself inexplicably rooted to the spot, the kunai slipping from her hand. She gazed down and her mouth turned dry with horror.

Both her sandals and mud caked toes were slowly turning green and mottled. Soft green moss sprung from underneath her toenails and her skin transformed into hard, withered bark. Rin glanced back up but Kurenai had melted away and grass began to sprout from the mud.

Her head whipped to the side as the stadium walls groaned and cracked. Gnarled trees broke through the concrete until a forest surrounded her

Rin could no longer feel the rain; all she was conscious of was the slow loss of sensation as the disease travelled up her ankles.

For a moment, she was the same timid girl from almost a year ago who had fallen for her sensei's simple illusion. Then, through the panic, intellect kicked in. "Release!" Rin cried, raising her hands as her knees solidified into wood.

Nothing. The terrifying scene remained the same. A small, dainty branch sprouted from where Rin's kneecap used to be.

Rin closed her eyes and focusing her chakra she repeated, "Release!"

It was no use. Kurenai's illusion was too strong and she didn't know an illusion powerful enough to counter this.

Think! Rin thought as her thighs transformed into wood. There are three ways to combat illusions… If I can't dissipate it or counter it then I have to-

Rin's eyes widened with realisation and she grabbed a kunai from her weapons pouch. Gritting her teeth, she slammed the blade into her shoulder wound.

Pain made her gasp, crystallising her senses and the illusions washed away. The rain returned, as did the crowd, and Rin found herself kneeling in the mud.

Kurenai was standing a few metres away from her and she appeared miffed that her illusion had failed to work.

Breathing hard Rin slowly staggered to her feet and tenderly eased out the kunai, throwing it aside. Blood sluggishly poured out, mixing with the rain and dirt. Her head spinning, Rin focused healing chakra into her right hand. Dimly she heard a faint 'ooh' from the crowd.

Despite the cold, the wet, the pain and the exhaustion, Rin wasn't going to give up. She'd spent too long with Obito and Kakashi to abandon this match.

The blood began to clot in her shoulder and the pain eased into a dull throbbing. Seeing that her opponent was healed, Kurenai leapt at her with a kunai but Rin dove to the side. Channelling chakra to her feet, she sprinted away from Kurenai and jumped up onto the stadium wall.

I only have enough chakra for one shot, Rin thought as Kurenai stared up at her from below.

Breathing in a deep breath, Rin clapped together some seals and the curtain of rain falling before her began to swirl into a spiral. "Secret Whirlpool arts: Water style: Ocean's Torrent!"

A whirlpool, smaller than the one in Kushina's demonstration, but still, a perfectly formed whirlpool span in front of Rin. All Kurenai could do was gape in horror as the mass of water tore down the wall and engulfed her. After a faint scream the technique dissipated, flooding the stadium and Kurenai was left lying face first in the mud.

Rin dropped to the ground with a squelch and her vision swam. She hadn't intended to hit Kurenai so hard…

The examiner who'd appeared from nowhere and was now expecting Kurenai didn't appear to be perturbed however. Instead he raised an arm and shouted, "Nohara Rin, Winner!"

There's a brief pause as the crowd processed what'd just happened. Then… There was a resounding cheer. Medics rushed out to attend Kurenai and Mornio Iwao ushered Rin towards the tunnel.

Exhausted, she glanced up and as she blinked against the rain Rin spotted a bright red head that shone through the weather like a flame. Though she couldn't exactly make out the person next to the red head, Rin knew whom it was. With a small tired smile upon her face, Rin's energy was slowly rejuvenated as she stepped into the shelter of the tunnel.


As soon as Rin and the examiner had left earlier, a small commotion had occurred in the waiting room. The wooden door was flung open and a tall man with hair brighter than the sun stood in the doorway. The genin gaped at him, wondering if this part of the final exam.

"Rin already out there?" The man asked and they weakly nodded.

"Sensei," a loud voice complained and the jonin was pushed aside. "Stop making an entrance." A boy with dark messed up locks walked into the room. Immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to the bright orange goggles strapped over his eyes.

"So you finally dragged yourself along," Asuma grinned from the corner. "Took your time, Obito."

Obito rumpled his hair and laughed, a mannerism that he had gained after training with Minato.

"I'm going to watch Rin now," Minato said to him and he smiled. "Remember all the things I've told you. It's not just about winning. Good luck!" He body flickered away leaving Obito.

Despite his confident appearance, Obito was pretty nervous. It was just he was one of those types of people who hid their nerves behind a loud personality.

"New goggles," Aoba nodded at him.

"New sunglasses," Obito nodded back approvingly, as he sat next to him on his right. Though sunglasses were no way near as cool as goggles, at least Aoba had the sense to keep his eyes protected.

Obito had spent most of his saved up wages on these goggles. Hand made by the Uchiha opticians, the tinted plastic visor was reinforced to withstand most attacks with an added scratch resistant coating. The strap was adjustable for when he grew older and this pair had extra ear protectors. The goggles were obviously orange, just because orange was an obviously awesome colour. Obito had put a lot of thought into designing the goggles.

Genma, however, snorted from the corner but then that boy had no fashion taste.

Though Obito hadn't realised it, his presence had relaxed the genin, although the two Kusa boys refused to talk. He was just one of those people who were gifted with the ability to break the ice without even knowing it.

Rin's battle took around ten minutes and before Obito knew it a scary looking examiner threw the door open with a bedraggled girl behind him.

"I knew you could do it Rin!" Obito grinned as she stepped inside.

The examiner glanced at him with a slightly bemused look. "Uchiha Obito," he said. "How kind of you to grace us with your presence."

Missing out on the sarcasm Obito smiled back, "That's alright!"

The proctor snorted in disgust and said, "Hara Dai and Mizushima Ebisu, follow me."

"Finally," the Kusa boy stretched and slung his scythe over his shoulder. Ebisu looked positively petrified as he followed his opponent and the examiner to his fate.

Rin gingerly sat down on Obito's right. A disgusting mixture of blood, water and mud dripped from her clothes and her usually shiny hair had turned into ropy rats' tails. Obito didn't care. He was just proud that Rin had managed to defeat Kurenai.

"How'd it go?" Obito asked keenly as Rin leaned back in her seat. "What's it like out there?"

Rin however was unable to answer his questions. She'd fallen asleep, with her mouth hanging slightly open.

Obito jiggled in his seat with a combination of excitement and nerves. The past month had been a difficult one. For weeks Obito had stayed up all night trying to master the summoning technique. Luckily his chakra control was now half-decent. The problem had been summoning a toad that was actually useful in battle.

For a second a cloud of doubt shrouded Obito. What if the battle actually went well but the clan hated his summoning anyway? He'd tried so hard to tell Mikoto but every time he tried it was either an inappropriate moment or the words just dried away. The sad truth was that each time Obito imagined Fugaku's reaction he wanted to vomit. It was better this way. At least then he could show them without any clumsy words.

I want them to recognise who I am, Obito told himself firmly and as he had been doing for last weeks, he shoved the worry to the back of his mind.

The door suddenly opened again and the Kusa boy stormed back in with a furious face. "Can't believe he gave up in the first two seconds," he scowled as he slouched back in his seat. His teammate, Ryuu, just ignored him.

"Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba," the examiner jerked his thumb towards to tunnel.

"Good luck," Obito said to Aoba who smiled grimly at him. Though Obito wasn't keen on seeing people from Konoha being beaten to a pulp, he hoped Aoba smashed Genma.

Obito studied his toes for a moment as he heard the crowd cheer. For a brief moment he wondered how many clan members were out there. Probably not many seeing as he was the clan's dead-last. He scowled. He'd prove them wrong. He had to prove them wrong.

Genma and Aoba's battle took around twelve minutes but eventually Iwao appeared with Aoba.

He gave Obito a massive grin, despite the fact several senbon were embedded in his shoulder. "Good luck," Aoba said as Obito jumped up.

"Shibata Ryuu, Uchiha Obito," Iwao said. The Kusa boy dragged himself up and slouched after Obito and the examiner.

As they trudged down the dark tunnel Obito gulped. This was it. He just hoped that his over-active tear ducts wouldn't betray him. At least he had some eye drops on him just in case… Though Obito seriously doubted he would have time to use them. But you could never be too careful about your eyes. After all it wasn't as if people freely handed them out.

Behind his goggles, Obito's eyes narrowed as he stepped out into the stadium. The ground had been churned up from the previous fights and it now resembled a bog rather than an arena. Fortunately, the rain was beginning to diminish into a depressing drizzle. Even so Obito knew he had a disadvantage and his mind furiously began to work out a plan.

As Ryuu and he faced each other, Obito couldn't help gaze up at the hoards of people above them. With the fading rain, the volume of the crowd had increased causing Obito's nerves to triple. He hadn't realised that this many people would be watching him. Obito felt slightly dizzy from the sheer number staring at him. Heck even the Hokage and the leader of Kusagakure were watching, Obito could just make out their tiny forms sitting on the designated platform.

The proctor cleared his throat and Obito jerked his head to face his opponent. "Shibata Ryuu versus Uchiha Obito. Begin!" Iwao leapt away, leaving the two boys.

Shifting himself into the Uchiha taijutsu stance, Obito was slightly peeved to see that Ryuu hadn't bothered to move. The Kusa opponent just stood there with his hands in his pockets and his hat shielding his face. Obito's first reaction was charge at him but Minato's number one rule held him back. Think before you act.

Instead he distanced himself and began to circle Ryuu, waiting for him to make the first move. Then, he heard Ryuu sigh, "Guess I should probably do something then."

Obito scowled. This boy was obviously an insufferable genius like Kakashi. Insufferable geniuses always had the tendency to underestimate him.

Lazily, the Kusa boy removed his hat revealing a hawk like face. Obito's annoyance only increased. With his tamed dark hair and snotty air, Ryuu looked more like an Uchiha than he did.

But Obito's attention was suddenly riveted, as Ryuu flung his hat high into the air. The hat spun in the air and suddenly a shower of senbon rained down on Obito.

Acting fast, he skidded back and drew a kunai. Frantically Obito parried the needles as they thudded into the mud beneath his feet.

Just as Obito was about to glance at his opponent, he was suddenly thrown backwards and an agonising pain filled his left leg. Breathing hard, he struggled up to see a vicious meteor hammer wrapped around his left shin. This was no trainee meteor hammer. Instead of being made of rope with round monkey-fisted knots at the end, a heavy metal chain connected two iron cast balls at the end. Clearly, the Kusa boy was no beginner.

Hissing with pain Obito slowly unwrapped the weapon from his leg, biting his lip. He lurched up, clutching the weapon.

Taking a deep breath, Obito shot out a burst of laughter causing a look of mild surprise on Ryuu's face. "Ha ha!" He forced a smile. "I have your weapon now!"

Obito lifted the meteor hammer then thought better of it. He had no idea how to use it other than swing it around like a giant yo-yo. Dropping the weapon into the mud, he limped to the side. Forming a couple of seals, Obito shot a jet of flames at Ryuu.

His opponent didn't bother to move as fire engulfed him. As the smoke cleared away, all was left on the ground was a pile of steaming mud.

"A clone?" Obito said, confused. Suddenly he heard a whooshing sound and if Obito had ducked a second later the meteor hammer would have smashed his skull.

Immediately he heard one of the deadly metal heads swing towards his other side and Obito leapt back. Ryuu stood before him as he twirled the meteor hammer in a mesmorising circle.

Sweating, Obito drew a kunai and all he could think was, how the hell am I supposed to get close enough to attack?

Suddenly Ryuu advanced, the metal heads spinning in a vertical downwards strike at him. All Obito could do was be pushed further and further towards the stadium wall. Sadly, at that moment, Obito was stuck by one of his all too frequent moments of idiocy. With a war cry he skirted to his left and charged at Ryuu.

Immediately the Kusa boy shifted his grip on the chain and grabbed one of the hammer's heads. Obito dodged the metal ball and lunged at Ryuu's apparently unprotected left. There was a sharp clang of metal and Obito's kunai ricocheted high into the air as Ryuu used the metal head in his hand as a shield. Behind his goggles, Obito's eyes dilated as chain bounced from Ryuu's right side and the second head came swinging round in a brutal riposte.

Instinct saved Obito as he ducked.

This is useless, Obito thought as he weaved and dodged the meteor hammer's blows. His movements are too unpredictable. No way can I land a hit like this.

But instead of wishing for the sharingan, a plan began to form inside Obito's mind. He turned and, just as Rin did before him, Obito used chakra to propel his feet to sprint up the stadium wall.

The crowd jeered at him but Obito ignored them, as he watched Ryuu approach. At least he was out of the meteor hammer's range now.

"Hey," Ryuu called as he swung the weapon with ease. "If you're just going to sit there, you might as well give up."

"Shut up!" Obito shouted in response. Reaching into his weapons pouch he hurled two smoke bombs at his opponent. Not wasting a moment, Obito drew five kunai and one by one he threw the blades down into the arena at different angles.

As the smoke was washed away in the drizzle there was an audible gasp from the audience. A head from Ryuu's meteor hammer was caught between a web of ninja wire that was attached to Obito's well-planted kunai.

The Kusa opponent was well and truly aggravated by this and he tugged the chain but it was useless. The meteor hammer was jammed and it would take too long to disentangle it.

Obito grinned but he remembered Kakashi's words. Don't get over confident just because you have the advantage. Instead Obito leant back onto his haunches, waiting for his opponent to make the next move.

Ryuu dropped the meteor hammer with a resounding thud and he stepped out from the wire maze. Suddenly his hands moved into a whirl of seals and the mud in front of him began to bubble.

In a clear voice he said, "Kusagakure mud possession technique!"

Obito stared with slow horror as the mud bubbled into a giant mound, which was over six feet tall. Slowly, with a sickening squelching sound, the mud began form into a giant tiger… Or was it a leopard? Either way Obito didn't care, because the giant cat charged at him.

He sprinted to the right. Running along the stadium wall was disorientating with the mud filled arena on his left and the sky to his right.

Thinking fast, Obito took the risk. Biting his thumb, he skidded to a halt and slammed his palm to the wall crying, "Summoning technique!"

The noise from the crowd grew deafening at this point and through the smoke appeared… A tadpole.

"Damn it!" Obito yelled, as the tadpole wriggled and dropped into the mud below. Then he heard the sound of thundering footsteps approaching.

With a cry, Obito dove off the wall just as the giant animal slammed into the concrete. He skidded on the mud and sprinted to the other side of the arena.

Concentrate! Concentrate! Obito thought and he forced his muscles to relax. The first time had just been nerves. Focusing his chakra, Obito channelled at much as possible into his next attempt.

"Summoning technique!" He shouted. Obito bit his lip and waited… Then he gave a triumphant cheer.

A toad, a modest sized one around six feet high, stood with it's back facing him. The noise from the spectators descended into a loud buzzing.

Staring at the toad's orange back that had a spattering of red, Obito wondered if the correct etiquette was to introduce himself.

The toad turned it's head and said in a mildly confused voice, "Huh… Someone actually summoned me?" His eyes fell upon Obito and he cried, "Cool! I got summoned!"

"He he," Obito grinned, and then a loud squelching interrupted their conversation. Ryuu's giant mud cat had managed to remove itself from the wall.

"You want me to fight that?" The toad said incredulously as he stared at the snarling animal. "Ha ha."

"What the hell?" He yelled as the cat pounced. Obito launched himself onto the toad's back. Effortlessly, the toad dodged the animal's attack and with one clean sweep he smashed the cat with a powerful kick.

Ryuu was standing on the other side of the stadium with a dumbfounded face. Obviously he was now realising it was a mistake to underestimate the dead-last.

"Wow!" Obito grinned as mud showered him. "What now? Should-"

The words died away as suddenly the examiner, flanked by a group of ANBU, appeared at the centre of the arena. Obito, the toad and Ryuu stared at them.

"This match has been officially cancelled and the exam has been indefinitely postponed!" The proctor announced with clear, authoritative voice.

"Damn it," the toad sighed. "Just when I was actually summoned…" The summon vanished and Obito fell onto the ground.

"What!" Obito cried, as he picked himself up. "No way!"

The examiner gave him a cold look and said, "Hokage's orders." Despite the crowd's anger, despite Obito's continued protests, and despite the fact no explanation was offered, the match was cancelled. The Hokage's word was final.


By the time Minato entered the Hokage's office, twenty minutes after the shocking announcement, he could hear loud voices discussing within.

After a brief knock on the door, Minato turned the handle and stepped inside to find the Hokage and the leader of Kusagakure. Three of the Kusa equivalent of ANBU, hid in the shadows and Minato could sense Konoha ANBU lurking around somewhere too.

"Our alliance will remain strong Sarutobi," the Kusa leader shook hands with the Third. "That I can guarantee. My party will leave tonight. I need to be with my village."

"I wish you good luck," the Hokage nodded, grimly. "I'll send you a platoon as promised, as soon as I can assemble the forces."

"Thank you," the Kusa leader said. "Good luck too, Sarutobi." Ignoring Minato, the Kusa leader strode out flanked by his ANBU.

"Hokage-sama?" Minato said as he approached the Third.

"Minato," the Third said. No pleasantries. No smiles. Things must be serious. "It's just as we've feared. War has broken out."

Minato's spine grew cold. War? But if Iwa and Suna had declared war on each other already Konoha wouldn't be taking action like this already.

The Hokage ground his teeth together and explained, "Apparently the Kazekage went missing a week ago. Not only has Suna invaded the Stone Country to find him but they also launched an attack on the outpost bordering the Land of Rivers."

"How many?" Minato asked.

"Twenty dead and around fifteen injured," the Third told him. "They took the outpost by surprise."

Minato bit his lip.

"That's not it," the Third continued with a pained face. "Iwa have taken the opportunity to seek revenge and today of all days they destroyed the Konoha outpost in the Land of Grass. They've probably been planning that for years."

Minato's eyes widened. He knew what it was like to grow up during wartime. The bloody second war had lasted for too long and countless of good men and women had been slaughtered on all sides. Now it was happening all over again.

Minato sincerely hoped his students didn't pass the exam. Though the Hokage would try not to send out chunin who were still children, it was hard not to if forces were stretched. Kakashi would most certainty be sent out.

"Minato I want you to assume command at the central outpost on the Land of Rivers border," the Hokage said. "Reinforcements will accompany you and you'll leave at 0600 hours tomorrow."

"Yes Hokage-sama," Minato nodded, the weight of responsibility pressing on his shoulders. This was it. War had broken out and no one knew how long it could last for. As the Hokage continued to brief him on the details Minato couldn't help but worry about his students. Obito and Rin had done him proud today, but in a warzone anyone was fair game.


When Uchiha Fugaku was annoyed he would merely stare at the person as if they had just crawled out from beneath his shoe. Anger would result in a few short, sharp words that would annihilate any pride you had. Fury however… When Fugaku was furious he could send fully grown ninja running home crying.

"That," Fugaku said as he slid the door shut behind him. "Was not a good idea. Was it?"

With the village in uproar Mikoto, Shisui and Obito had hurried home. The journey had been a strained one. Mikoto's enthusiasm for Obito's efforts had been a little toostrained. Obito had overheard people talking about a war breaking out but somehow, he got the feeling this was to do with something else. Especially when Mikoto told him to wait at her house until Uncle Fugaku returned home. Shisui had also been ushered away to their small apartment. Oh, Obito definitely knew what this was about.

He had waited for hours as slow cold dread piled up in his stomach. This was about the summoning technique.

As Obito stood anxiously in the clan head's living room, Fugaku walked around him with the authority of a lawyer interrogating the accused.

"Well?" He said, his monotone voice not even breaking. That was the scary thing about the head of the Uchiha clan. He never raised his voice. It just remained a soft, liquid sound and the silent threats poured over Obito.

He stared at his bare feet; his toes were still caked in dry mud. Suddenly Obito became very aware of just how filthy he was as he stood in Fugaku's pristine house.

"I… I," He struggled as Fugaku's stare bore into him. Inhaling a deep breath Obito finally managed, "I needed to get strong. I just wanted to make the clan proud."

"Would it not have been more in keeping with the clan law to work on activating your sharingan?" Fugaku cut in, his icy words freezing Obito blood.

He couldn't say it. The desire to tell Fugaku everything was so great, Obito almost confessed. But the power of speech escaped him and forming a simple sentence was impossible.

"This was a violation of clan law," Fugaku continued. "If you do something like this again, you're out. Understand? Your parents would be ashamed."

That hurt. It stung Obito so badly his eyes watered. Clenching his fists he whispered, "I'm sorry." Though Obito wasn't entirely sure whom he was apologising to.

Either way Fugaku batted Obito's words away and said, "This was a humiliation to the clan. I've already warned Namikaze."

"This wasn't Minato-sensei's fault!" Obito blurted out. "It was mine. Please don't blame him." It was true. He had been the one who'd lied. This was all down to his childish stupidity.

Fugaku gave Obito a cold look and said, "To be expected." The head of the Uchiha clan turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Obito miserably dragged himself out of Fugaku's house and walked back to his apartment. As he trod down the street he realised that he could have asked Mikoto to teach him a technique. The realisation tastes bitter in Obito's mouth. Yet again he'd acted rashly.

Obito stopped suddenly and stared at the wet pavement. What was he supposed to do? The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky into a deep vermillion. The compound was stained in a bloody glow and several clan members rushed past him.

Sighing, Obito trudged up the steps to his apartment and pulled the key out of his pocket. As he unlocked the door a small, uncharacteristically timid head peered around the corner.

"Obi-nii?" Shisui said as Obito detached his feet from his disgusting sandals.

"Hey Shisui," Obito attempted a smile but it turned into more of a grimace. "I'm going have a shower and then I'll make some thing to eat."

Shisui nodded, his usually happy smile missing. Obito wearily trod towards the bathroom but just as his hand touched the door handle Shisui suddenly called, "Obi-nii."

Obito turned his head to look at his younger cousin. "Yeah?" He sighed.

Suddenly Shisui's face split into a massive grin that lit up the entire room. "Your fight was awesome today," he beamed.

Obito's exhausted eyes widened and he choked, "Really? Even though I didn't use the clan summoning?"

Shisui shrugged and smiled, "Well obviously you're going to get the sharingan. But you were so cool! I want to be that cool when I grow up. One day I'm going to have a technique that makes me unique too!"

Pressure built up behind Obito's eyes but his mouth was pulled into a small smile. He looked at the five year old and said softly, "Thanks… Shisui."

Suddenly everything was crystallised. The clan, the clan, clan. With the Uchihas it was always about the clan. Never the village. Their lives appeared to revolve around the sharingan and things that were unique to their lineage. But Obito loved Konoha. Why couldn't he learn techniques from others in the village too?

Obito stared at his hand. Perhaps… It was time to find a new dream.


By five-thirty the next morning Minato was ready. In his backpack were the few essentials he needed while posted away. He gazed around his tiny apartment. Minato wouldn't miss it that much. He barely spent any time there and in all honesty it had never really felt like home. He'd already slipped a letter underneath his landlady's door with this month's rent and note saying she was free to rent the place out.

Minato closed the door, locking it and slipped the key underneath the doormat. It'd been hell yesterday trying to get everything organised. He had sent letters to Obito, Rin and Kakashi informing them he'd been sent out on a mission and it would be a very long time before he returned. Each letter contained words of encouragement to his students and promises that he'd write as frequently as possible. His letter to Jiraiya had turned into a five-page essay.

Kushina? God Kushina… Minato couldn't bring himself to write a letter. There'd been too much to say. Instead he had bought a small, ornate hairclip that was made from a rare blue slate only found in the Wave Country. It'd cost five month's worth of wages but Minato could just imagine it in her beautiful hair. While Kushina and Kakashi were still out, Minato had slipped into the house and left it on her dressing table. It was unashamedly cowardly indeed. But Minato just couldn't do it. He didn't want to say goodbye to her. Years without Kushina yawned at him. It was just too unbearable to say goodbye.

Minato strolled through the village and as he passed each building he carefully imprinted it into his memory. Ninja walked past him; hurrying to the Hokage tower and he wondered if the Third slept at all last night.

Finally he reached the main gates and already most of the small force had assembled. "Oi Minato!" He heard Inoichi's voice break through the morning air. "You took your time, Commander!"

Minato waved as the group turned. Among them were the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. He was glad to see they were coming with him. Not only would they be great assets but also it would be good to have friends there.

There were some other unfamiliar faces but Minato had taken care to memorise names last night. The smallest and youngest at the age of twelve was Namiashi Raido.

As Minato stepped out to greet them a loud, terrifying voice shouted, "Namikaze Minato!"

Minato turned to see Kushina stomp up to him, her face contorted with rage and her hair flew in a crimson banner. The early morning light bounced off her hair and Minato's breath caught in his throat.

"You," Kushina spat, coming to a halt. "You." Hearing the 'dattebane' infect the end of her sentence Minato knew he was in trouble.

"So… You liked the hairclip?" Minato smiled weakly, as he glanced up at the little slide that had clipped back her fringe.

For a moment Kushina looked like she was about to punch him. Instead, with her eyes blazing, she stated, "You're leaving."

"Hokage's orders," Minato nodded, keeping a calm face.

Kushina gave him an unfathomable look. Then she whirled around, her hair flying through the air as she began to walk away.

Minato couldn't help it. Without even thinking he reached out and, with his inhuman reactions, he grabbed the end of one of Kushina's locks.

"Minato!" Kushina yelled, as she was pulled back and she clutched her head.

Minato wasn't listening. So not to hurt to Kushina he took a step towards her so the hair was no longer taut. Then, he began to examine the hair.

It wasn't soft and silky smooth like you'd expect. Instead it was thick and coarse. Minato had never seen this kind of texture in his life.

Kushina watched with stunned face as Minato lifted the lock so the light hit it. He tried to count all the colours there but it was impossible. There were just too many.

"I didn't want to say goodbye," Minato said as he began to carefully separate each hair. "Because that would imply that I may never see you again." He lowered his hand and smiled, "And we will see each other again, Kushina. I promise."

"Idiot," Kushina mumbled as her face flushed a deep magenta. "Don't go making promises you can't keep."

Minato gazed down at her and he couldn't help but compare to the small angry girl who'd beaten up every boy in academy. When he had saved her from the Kumo nin nearly nine years ago everything had slid into place.

"You're so weird," Kushina muttered, pulling her hair from his grip. She stared at the tips for a moment, and then suddenly a sliver of metal flashed in the air.

Before Minato could protest Kushina sliced off the lock of hair. Replacing the knife back into a pocket she curled the lock of hair into a knot. "Here," She offered it to Minato. "Since you like my stupid hair so much…"

Overwhelmed and slightly scandalised, Minato took the lock from her and carefully slipped it into his flak jacket pocket. Smiling, he suddenly hugged her. Beneath his arms he felt Kushina stiffen as his men hooted and jeered.

Then, she slowly relaxed. "Calm down," she said. "It's just a lock of hair… It's not like we're saying goodbye or anything."

"Oi just kiss already!" Inoichi shouted.

The two jumped apart and Minato coughed, "So, um, this is it."

Kushina rolled her eyes, "Of course it's not. Just get going already."

Minato took one last look at her then, he turned away and walked to his men. "Now Minato's said goodbye to his girlfriend, let's go!" Inoichi said.

"Isn't Minato the one in charge?" Shikaku reminded him and several people sniggered. As the group began to walk away from the village, Minato turned his head.

Kushina was still standing there, with a sad smile upon her face. When Minato had made his promised, he'd meant it. They would never have to say goodbye because even if he died he would find a way to be with Kushina again.


The village had lulled into a strangely organised chaos, as jonin and chunin were sent out to various different outposts either in the Land of Rivers, the Grass Country or the Waterfall Country. Genin were working overtime as their missions doubled with the absent chunin.

A week after the war had been declared; Kakashi found himself sitting in the Hokage's office. The Third shuffled some papers and peered at him over his spectacles.

"You're ten now, correct?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes Sir," Kakashi nodded. He knew what he'd been summoned for. The Hokage was going to send him out. Kakashi hoped it would be with Minato-sensei.

It was strangely exciting being sent out somewhere where he could be posted for years. This was it, a chance to live up to his father's name. Although it was bitter to Kakashi that Sakumo's heroic sacrifice to prevent a war had only postponed it for two years. Kakashi was desperate to go out there and make a difference. He had no idea what he could do, but it was better than being stuck here in the village.

"Hmm," the Third sighed. "Reinforcements are needed in the Land of Waterfall. Orochimaru is the current commander there, I think you'll be a great help."

Kakashi's head jerked. Orochimaru?

Mistaking his reaction the Third said, "You cannot be posted out with Minato, I'm afraid. You have to learn how to work with different people, Kakashi. After all you will meet all sorts as a ninja."

"I understand," Kakashi said, maintaining what he hoped was an impassive face.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow morning with the other reinforcements at six," the Hokage told him sternly. "Good luck, Kakashi."

Kakashi stood and said, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

As he left the office and began to make his way out of the building Minato's warning about Orochimaru echoed around his mind. How was he supposed to stay away from him if he was his commander? Inwardly, Kakashi shuddered at the thought of being posted out in the same camp with the Sannin for years.

I'll be careful Sensei, Kakashi silently vowed. He would tread very carefully at the outpost, keep his head low and stay away from Orochimaru as much as possible. That was the only thing he could do.

As he walked down the stone steps a small voice called, "K-Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi gazed down to see Rin standing at the foot of the staircase. In her hands she was clutching a small package.

Walking down to join her Kakashi said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you…" Rin smiled.

Only yesterday the Third had announced who had been promoted from the chunin exams, though understandably there'd been no ceremony. Due to the war more people were needed so from Konoha, five genin had been promoted. Maito Gai, Sarutobi Asuma, Yamashiro Aoba, Rin and Obito.

Obito and Asuma had already set off to Grass Country this morning with their team. Kakashi had received Obito's extremely scruffy letter last. Rin, however, was ordered to remain behind at the hospital for the moment as they were horribly short staffed.

"You're going away?" Rin asked.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "Waterfall Country. I'll probably be away for a while."

"I thought so," Rin mumbled. "So I… I made you this." She offered the package with a tense face.

Kakashi took the small pack from her and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It's a medi-pack," she explained quickly. "J-just in case… I made one for Obito too…"

Kakashi's stomach tightened and he said softly, "Thanks Rin."

Rin's cheeks heated up and she explained, "Everything you'll need for basic first aid is in there."

Beneath the soft lid of the medi-pack Kakashi felt something sharp prod him. Frowning, he found there was a pocket in the lid and he pulled out small photograph.

Rin stared at the floor as Kakashi studied the photo. It was the photo of Team 7 that was taken after the bell test. He stared at the Obito and Sensei's beaming faces, Rin's small smile and his completely blank eyes. Behind his mask, Kakashi smiled.

Both Obito and Rin's fights in the arena had impressed Kakashi, and Hatake Kakashi was not one who was impressed easily. It'd then hit him home how much he had begun to care for his teammates.

"Obito promised me that he'd write if he ever got hurt," Rin said, wording her words carefully. Kakashi knew exactly what she was implying.

"I will too," he promised. "Take care Rin."

Rin bit her lip but gave him a brave nod.

Clutching the medi-pack Kakashi resumed his journey. Suddenly the war didn't seem so exciting anymore. He may never see his team or Kushina again.

Kakashi stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the three Hokage that guarded the village from the cliff face. How many years would it be before he saw those familiar stone faces again?

I promise, Kakashi thought as he stared at the monument. I promise that I'll do my best to make a difference in the war you died to prevent, Dad. I promise.


A/N: I'm sorry about the slow development of this story, I have been dragging my heels a bit. The first two parts were really more to lay down the foundations of the plot and to develop the characters. Things will be speeding up because otherwise it'll be ridiculously long... Also in the next 'arc' things will be drifting even further away from the canon. I hope that's ok.

Due to exams I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be but I'll try my best to update because I want to keep the story flowing.

Thanks for sticking with this so far and I hope you liked the chapter!