Hey, everyone.
I'm afraid there's no chapter this week. I've been fighting off pneumonia all week so let's just say my ability to do…well…anything has kinda been affected.
Just gonna say, pneumonia sucks big time. It sucks a lot.
If it was a person, I would be tempted to repeatedly punch it in the face over and over again.
Anyway…the chapter will be up next week…
Until then, so I don't leave you empty-handed, here's a preview of next week:
Obito's plan to distance himself from Naruto as quickly as possible got off to a shaky start.
He hadn't realized just how integral the kid had become in his day-to-day life.
It took a great deal of awareness and control not to shoot Naruto a smirk as he passed his cubicle, or kidnap him from his work with the excuse that he needed help- though Obito Uchiha didn't need help and everyone knew it- just because the company was worthwhile. It wouldn't have been so bad, if it wasn't for the downtrodden and crushed expression that plagued Naruto's face every single time Obito brushed him off. Like a disappointed child. Or a kicked puppy.
But it was for the best.
He knew Naruto looked up to him, respected him, idolized him and now loved him. It had all started off because the kid was starved for mentorship and guidance, having received no attention, growing up without any description of a role model- but now it had developed into something more. It was a possibility that he would have clung to any man who had appeared in his life the way Obito had. It was a possibility that his love was just a reaction to being accepted. In that case, what did it really mean?
How much of it really had to do with Obito himself?
The fact was Obito wasn't dependable.
He changed his mind. He got bored. He moved on.
And, even if the thing between them that he had never wanted to admit was a thing didn't end because of him, what would happen if he lost the court case? He could confidently claim that he would win with ease, but he couldn't ignore the fact that his defense had gotten absolutely nowhere.
Being carted off to jail was still a likely possibility.
And, if that happened, how much would Naruto suffer?
The best thing, for both himself and for Naruto, would be for Obito to cut the kid off entirely.
Yes, it would hurt Naruto to be pushed away like that, but the pain would be considerably less than if they grew closer and closer, only to be ripped apart in the end. Because Obito really did care. That was the sad thing. Naruto had never had anyone in his life except for that Jiraiya- who had died- so Obito's presence was only going to complicate things, especially if he lost his case.
The thought of the look on Naruto's face if he were sentenced to jail was much more painful than the kicked puppy look the kid kept shooting him.
It was for the best.
For both of them.
The most important thing is to gaze into the future and assess things according to their long-term results. That is how people truly succeed. With that logic, no one in their right mind could ever determine their relationship to be anything but a train headed for wreckage.
Obito had made his decision, no matter how painful, and had resigned himself to it.
But, with Naruto now pushed away and Zetsu giving him an unbearably accusatory look at every turn, Obito was feeling more lonely than he ever had before.
It was a feeling sickeningly similar to the one that had numbed him during his recovery from the trauma of Rin's death.
But it was definitely for the best.
No doubt.
That's all for now.
Until next week!