AN: Get hyped, y'all, for I am learning how to draw. I'm hoping that by the time we reach Stage 3 of the Chunin exam arc I'll be good enough to draw out some of the battle matchups 333
Also, thanks so much to Karamidori for beta'ing!
"I don't know who you are, but you'll be handing over that old man right now... If you know what's good for you." Perched on his giant sword half-way up a tree, Zabuza towered over the Konoha shinobi intimidatingly. Obito could tell that this guy was on a different level than the Demon Brothers who ambushed them earlier. Though he knew Anko was a powerful shinobi in her own right, Obito felt on edge, as though he needed to be ready to run at a moment's notice.
"Well, you see, I'm not someone who knows 'what's good for me'," Anko grinned devilishly. Zabuza's response was to leap towards the nearby water, leaving his sword impaled in the tree. He began visibly channeling chakra, and water rose to spiral around him. Rather than try to interfere, Anko began issuing orders to the genin as quickly as she could, before the world around them went white.
Day One
The creaky door to Tazuna's home swung open, and Team 6 were greeted by a gasp from the dark-haired woman within. Obito registered the woman's reaction to their entrance, but deemed it unimportant in the current situation, instead choosing to keep his focus on the body of his unconscious sensei. Her weight was being supported by Sasuke and Hinata and her legs dragged against the ground as they walked. Obito followed less than a single pace behind, his green-glowing hands pressed firmly over a deep red gash that coloured the skin above her waist.
Anko's body was gently lowered onto a large mat that covered the wooden was finally able to assist Obito in attending to their sensei's wounds. With their combined efforts, they were able to clean and dress the wound after repairing what damage they could. They were both still medical trainees, which was made clear by their inability to completely heal the wound. This meant that Anko would need to rest for up to a day before doing anything physical, else risk reopening the wound.
When Hinata and Obito emerged from the room they were treating Anko in, Obito finally took in the scene around him. The dark-haired woman seemed to be more relieved than anything to see Tsunami, and had pulled him into the kitchen where she was flitting around constantly whilst preparing some form of feast. Obito's heart sank at the sight, knowing full well that the people of Wave were not well off and likely had little food to spare. Sasuke was standing with his back to a wall off in the corner, a troubled look marring his face.
Tazuna seemed to notice Hinata and Obito emerge from the side room they had rushed into, and turned his attention towards them. "How is she?"
"She will need to rest a while, but Anko-sensei will make a full recovery," Hinata responded clearly, in the tone Shizune had once taught them to use when addressing the comrades and family members of patients.
"...That's good, at least. In the meantime, why don't we make introductions? Everyone, this is my daughter, Tsunami. Tsunami, this is Sasuke, Hinata and Obito - three of the shinobi who are here to guard me. You'll also get to meet my grandson, Inari, when we sit down to eat. So... What now?"
The three genin exchanged glances at Tazuna's question, Hinata and Sasuke both looking expectantly at Obito. "Anko probably won't wake until tomorrow, and we need to act sooner rather than later. That person who intervened in our fight was wearing the mask of Kirigakure's Hunter Shinobi. But... Kiri's Hunters usually destroy the corpses of their targets immediately, and this person took Zabuza's body away. Something wasn't right about that, and so I doubt we've seen the last of Momochi Zabuza.
"We're in enemy territory with little information to work with, and unknown enemies. Our most powerful team member will be incapacitated for at least a couple of days, so we cannot afford to be in the dark. Until we have Anko back, or at least a better picture of what we're up against, I don't think that Tazuna should return to the bridge."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" A deep voice sounded out hesitantly. "I mean, shouldn't we at least wait until Anko-sensei wakes up?"
"We need to get the lay of the land here, Sasuke," came a softer, higher pitched reply. "I'm sure Anko will understand. Besides, I have the perfect skill set for this kind of espionage. If my cover gets blown, I can escape within seconds."
The two transformed shinobi walked towards the bar that Tazuna had told them about, trying to act as though they belonged. Once they neared the establishment, Sasuke peeled off to look for a good vantage point to hide, leaving Obito to go in alone. Looking around, Obito was easily able to identify his choice of targets. Most of the people within were lifeless, devoid of any of the spirit typical of people winding down with a drink after a hard day at work. Obito would have expected a combination of those who were ready to let out pent up energy, and those who just wanted to drink and relax. The atmosphere, however, was nothing short of tense. The only outliers were the two armed men who seemed to be enjoying harassing a mild-mannered man behind the counter.
Bingo, thought Obito as he approached the counter. A few sweet words sufficed to lure one of the men outside and into an alleyway beside the bar - a promise of an evening together in the enticing confines of 'her' empty home. Once Obito and his target were well into the alleyway and out of site, he turned to face the thug with a smile. A line of shock crept into the man's face when he noticed that the smile was not one of lust. No, it was a smile of satisfaction that betrayed deception. Two fingers and the thumb of each hand joined to form an open circle pointed directly at the thug, and Obito enunciated the words "Mind Body Switch Technique" before collapsing to the ground.
Even with his body transformed, Obito wasn't used to the unsettling sensory transition. It was fast enough that he could watch his own body fall to the ground. There was a nagging discomfort in his mind; one that knew that this wasn't his body. Obito gave the long, dangly arms a shake to acclimatise, accidentally knocking the sword at the body's hip. He performed a few routine stretches, buying some time - after all, the other thug wouldn't expect his return so soon.
A short while later, Obito walked out of the alleyway and let out a haphazard whistle - a cue for Sasuke. Still under the transformed disguise of a stubbly worker, Sasuke crossed Obito's path and into the alleyway. "Be careful, okay?" Obito allowed himself a subtle nod at Sasuke's words, and returned to the pub whilst his teammate collected his real body.
"Oh, man," Obito exclaimed boldly as he walked back into the pub, stretching his arms up into the air. "I really needed that!"
The genin tried to keep his expression and body language casual, masking the worry that he would blow his cover. Sliding into the seat next to the other thug, Obito grabbed a half-empty drink and raised it to his lips. His 'friend' gave him an odd look, and Obito struggled to parse the meaning behind it. Was he acting out of character, or perhaps was the other guy envious of the attention he believed his 'friend' to have gotten?
"Damn, Zori, that was fast. Where's the chick?" The thug grunted, gazing with disappointment at his empty glass.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Obito put on a smirk. He knew he had to keep his wording vague at first, until he'd gotten a good read on how to act.
"Tch, you were never one to share. Drinks ran dry, we should head back." The thug lazily pushed himself up off his stool, knocking his glass to the floor. He seemed entirely unfazed by the panicked reaction of the barkeep, or the many shards of glass now scattered across the floor. Obito got up again with a 'Hmph', and followed the man out of the bar.
Though the island of Wave was small, it was still disconcerting that the walk to what appeared to be Gato's headquarters took less than ten minutes - having the enemy practically on one's doorstep was not remotely conducive to relaxation. Obito kept up the chatter with his 'comrade', slowly getting a feel for the personality of 'Zori' and becoming more confident in his facade. The headquarters were guarded by a pair of burly men with spiked clubs. They greeted 'Zori' and the other man, whose name was apparently 'Waraji' with distaste, stepping aside to allow Waraji to push open the doors.
Obito tried as discreetly as he could to look around, trying to find out as much as he could about enemy territory. At this time of night, it was reasonably quiet - a few armed individuals were lounging about on various pieces of furniture. A sound of heavy footsteps crescendoed as a short, pudgy man in a suit paced angrily down a hallway towards Obito and Waraji. He seemed to be looking directly at Obito. The genin's breath caught, a lapse in judgement allowing him to fear that he'd been caught out.
"Zori! I have a job for you to do right now!" The man spat aggressively, still pacing towards Obito with fury.
"Sir," Obito intoned flatly, not quite sure how to address this man who he suspected was Gato himself.
"You're going to go to that bastard shinobi Zabuza and his tag-along bitch and give them a message. You tell them that if they don't deal with that damn builder and his guards within a week, they're FIRED! Darn shinobi talks big, but can't walk the fucking walk."
"Sir." Obito nodded, realising instantly that he didn't know where to go. "Are they in..."
"That fucking icebox, yes. Go, NOW!" Gato roared, and Obito set off. Icebox, huh? Probably someplace cold. Obito's extrapolation turned out to be reliable. Waraji didn't follow, so he was free to roam the corridors in search of a drop in heat that would betray the location of Zabuza.
The sought-after drop in room temperature was quite noticeable, as Obito began seeing condensation from his breathing. He moved in the direction of the cold, eventually being led to a room at the end of a winding hallway. Cautiously, Obito raised a hand to knock at the door. Before even reaching the door, a wave of malice burst towards him, making him flinch away. The door opened, revealing a deceptively gentle figure. The gentle face with long, neat hair and a tidy kimono were betrayed by eyes that glared daggers at Obito. They spoke of a person who had one sole purpose, and refused to be slowed down by anyone or anything. "What?" The figure spat.
Obito coughed, trying to regain his composure so that he could stay in 'character'. "The boss says that you have seven days, or you ain't getting paid."
"You can tell Gato that we will get the job done. On the seventh day, we will finish this. You can also tell him that I will personally kill anyone he sends to do the job in our place. Now leave! My master needs his rest." The words came in a tone that wasn't quite venom - there was hardly any anger. Just crystal-clear resolve.
Obito gulped, sneaking a glance through the partially open doorway. He could see part of a body stretched out on a bed, and a familiar mask on a small table beside the bed. Huh, so we were right. The supposed 'Hunter' is allied with Zabuza. But why the deception, why not just join forces to take us out at the beginning?
The door slammed shut in Obito's face, and he realised he'd been staring. Reminding himself that he was still in enemy territory and needed to focus on learning what he could, Obito turned and set off down the hallway to find Gato.
Passing doorway after doorway, Obito eventually heard Gato's voice from within one of the rooms. Though a misguided natural instinct wanted to complete the 'task' he was assigned and deliver the return message to Gato, Obito caught himself and stopped by the door. Electing not to press his ear to the gaps incase someone did walk by and blow his cover, Obito simply stood and listened.
"Are you sure, sir? Double-crossing him doesn't seem wise." One voice advised with a mild tone of panic.
"You fool! Gah, I'm stuck with such idiots everywhere! We'll let Zabuza and his bitch fight it out with those Konoha shinobi. Once they've killed each other off, the survivors will be too tired to resist, which is when we strike. As if I'd pay that bastard a single coin when I can just use him and kill him after. This is why I'm in charge, and not you, you fucking fool!" Gato's voice snarled.
The plot thickens, Obito mused to himself. Hearing footsteps approach the door from within, Obito quickly stepped back and raised a fist as though about to knock. The door opened to reveal Gato's small, angry form. "Well? What did they say?"
"Sir, Zabuza appears to be injured. The kid said they'd take out the bridge-builder in seven days. Uh... Also, that if you sent anyone to fulfil the mission in his place, the kid would..." Obito forced a gulp.
"Would what, Zori? What happened to you that you're afraid of a little girl? Ah, I don't care! Report back in the morning, we have shipments to collect." Gato rested his hands on a cane, upper lips raised into a frustrated snarl.
Obito realised that he'd probably broken character, and shouldn't take any more risks. Having been dismissed, he found a private place within the building and pressed his hands together, releasing his jutsu. A powerful tug yanked at his consciousness, and Obito found himself staring up at the wooden ceiling of Tazuna's home. It had gotten quite late, and Obito had confirmed that they were not in any immediate danger. Feeling the enticing pull of fatigue, Obito allowed his eyes to close as he drifted off to sleep.
The following morning, Obito was woken early once again by the sound of clattering objects nearby. Reminding himself that he was far outside of Konoha, and so was Naruto, and therefore this could not be Naruto, Obito pushed himself up to go and investigate. Following the source of the sound in the still somewhat unfamiliar house, Obito arrived in the spacious kitchen. Unfolding before him was a familiar scene - Anko was haphazardly tossing things about, apparently attempting to make food.
"Um... sensei? What are you doing?" Obito asked tentatively, partly concerned with respecting the home they were staying in and partly concerned with Anko's healing injuries.
"Eh? Making breakfast, obviously. I just can't seem to find a darned pot amongst all these frying pans." Anko replied casually.
"Do you even know where you are?" Obito checked, now wondering if Anko had sustained a head injury that he and Hinata had failed to notice.
"Yeah, we're in Tazuna's home. Nice job on the healing, by the way. And I suppose the salve was Hinata's?" Anko praised, rifling through a cupboard until she finally found a large cast iron pot.
"Are you not worried about... you know... waking everyone up?" Obito groaned, a judgy tone creeping into his voice.
Anko stared at him, as though she hadn't even considered the possibility. "Oh! Ah well, at least there'll be food. Geez, I'm starving!"
Obito had never seen this seemingly careless side to Anko before, and his worries that Anko took a hit to the head grew larger. "Are you feeling alright?"
"What? Never better! So, give me an update - what did I miss?" A trout had somehow materialised itself in Anko's hands, and she got to work cutting it apart and deboning it with a kunai.
Obito sighed, his fears realised as a dazed Tsunami emerged from the nearby staircase. She took in the scene around her, panic growing rapidly on her now-alert face. "Wha?" She sputtered, looking as though she'd never seen her kitchen in this state before.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll clean it all up when I'm done, don't you worry!" Anko tried to placate Tsunami, who huffed before leaving to go back up the stairs. Obito sighed again, wondering how such a composed, cunning shinobi could devolve into... this. "So, Obito? You gonna fill me in, or what?"
Day Two
"So," Anko began, now sitting cross-legged with food in front of her. "We have six more days, huh? At least, if they're trustworthy."
"But this all begs the question - if Gato is paying Zabuza and that fake Hunter shinobi to kill Tazuna, why didn't they just finish the job yesterday?" Obito pressed "I... I know it's probably naive and optimistic, but I have a feeling that this doesn't have to end in bloodshed between shinobi. If Zabuza is getting played, why don't we try and prove it to him and join forces to deal with Gato?"
Anko's eyes set into a piercing gaze focused on Obito's own. "Damn right you're being naive. Momochi Zabuza has no reason to trust us, and we can't take chances here. Going up against shinobi like him, it's kill or be killed."
Obito gulped, feeling somewhat suffocated by the intensity of Anko's glare. He wanted to be right, wanted to find a way to resolve this without having to fight Zabuza again. Obito definitely didn't want to fight the kid who was looking after him either. Anko then ate in silence, sitting opposite Obito. One by one, the rest of the team trickled in, along with Tazuna and a still-grumpy Tsunami.
"Alrighty, the whole gang's here!" Anko exclaimed, once everyone was seated around the table with their food. "We're expecting a rematch with Momochi Zabuza in six days, according to Obito's intel. Until then, each day one of you will go with Tazuna to the bridge and stay on guard, and the other two will come with me to train in the forest."
"Sensei? I think it would make more sense for me to stay on guard the whole time. If we're anticipating a trap, it would make more sense for me to go and set up some traps of our own. Besides, I stand to gain the least from a week of training out here." Obito suggested matter-of-factly.
"Sure, that's fine by me," Anko agreed. "We'll start today. Sasuke, Hinata, finish eating and get your stuff."
"Wait... Why don't we just take the fight to Gato? Zabuza is injured, right? Surely now is the time to strike!" Sasuke proposed insistently. "Why wait?"
"I... I think that..." Hinata started, struggling with her words. Obito had noticed that Hinata rarely stammered or stuttered anymore, and it only happened when she was surprised or talking about something very personal. "I think we shouldn't attack now. We're on Gato's home ground. Maybe we can win, but Gato might have allies who would take revenge... Or maybe... maybe people here won't know what to do with Gato gone. Then they could... they could become resentful."
"Hinata is absolutely correct. With limited information about the state of Wave country, we're better off just fulfilling our mission for now." Anko agreed, to which Sasuke seemed to flinch a bit, electing to stare downwards at the table.
Orochimaru-sensei, I think it may be time to make good use of your generous gift...
Day Three
The following day, Obito made sure to wake up earlier than the rest. Just because he wasn't training with his team didn't mean that he wasn't training at all. And this was a kind of training that he had to do alone, in secrecy. If word got back to Konoha that he was doing this without supervision... Jiraiya would be upset and Orochimaru disappointed. But Yamato... Yamato would be furious. The poor guy went through so much because of the twins, and this was probably sullying the spirit of his efforts. People say that Orochimaru is scary, but those people haven't met Yamato.
Obito quietly crept out of the house, making his way to the forest under the cover of early morning darkness. Once he had found a peaceful spot amongst the trees, Obito sat himself down cross-legged. He opened his right hand, splaying his fingers and allowing an intricate flow of chakra to flow to each fingertip. One by one, the fingertips became shrouded with the blue light of chakra, dancing like flames in a gentle wind. With his left hand, Obito raised his top to expose his abdomen. Obito pressed the chakra-coated fingers to his belly and twisted, loosening his seal ever so slightly. Then, with focus and intent, Obito closed his eyes and welcomed the sensation of falling as he entered his mindscape.
"You again," Kurama snarled, acknowledging Obito's presence outside his cage. "When will you stop coming to pester me?"
"Don't act as if you don't enjoy our conversations, Kurama. I can't imagine it's terribly exciting in here, all on your own," Obito teased back. After many, many conversations with the fox, Obito had grown far more comfortable conversing with him. He knew, not only from the vague memories of a past life, but from his own experience, that Kurama the evil beast others made him out to be. Kurama responded to Obito's teasing with a "Hmph" that the boy chose to ignore.
"Things have gotten pretty interesting out here. We're on our first mission outside of Konoha, and Anko took a heavy injury fighting one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I did some scouting, and it turns out there's a fair bit of foul play going on amongst our enemies, which I fully plan to exploit. Sound interesting?" Obito sat cross-legged, facing the fox, his arms on the ground behind him supporting his weight as he leaned back.
Silence stretched out a while, until Kurama finally spoke again. "Tell me about these enemies of yours."
"Well, we're in an island country called Wave, on a mission to guard a man who wants to build a bridge that will connect Wave to Fire. There's a shady businessman named Gato who runs a shipping company here in Wave. He has financial control over the country, and doesn't want this bridge to get built. So, he's hired shinobi to assassinate the builder, Tazuna. When I say hired, I mean he's promised the shinobi money, but plans to betray them. Honestly, he seems arrogant and impulsive, and it wouldn't be hard to topple his little empire if not for the shinobi he has 'working' for him," Obito explained. "The troublesome part is that one of these shinobi seems to be stronger than Anko."
"Interesting. How do you plan to survive this?" Kurama asked, his common grumpiness replaced with mild intrigue.
"I want to get the ear of these shinobi Gato has hired, and prove to them that he's planning to double-cross them. If I can convince them to betray him, we won't have to fight. They can just take the money they were supposed to be paid, and be on their way." Obito answered.
"And what of the money here in this 'Wave'? You humans can't go on without your systems of money being stable, and removing a wealthy controller will surely bring great instability. Have you even thought this through?" Kurama scoffed, trying to act dispassionate. Ever since Kurama had started opening up to conversation a week ago, Obito became more and more sure that the fox just wanted something novel in his life.
"Of course, what do you take me for? If I can, I'd like to convince Zabuza, the swordsman, to leave some of Gato's money to be used as a stimulus fund for the people of Wave. Rather than giving it out to all of them, we could suggest they use the money to order a shipment of food and supplies. With the supplies, they can begin producing things to sell, and with the bridge being built they can engage in trade to revive their economy. It will be slow, but it should work in their favour." Obito smiled excitedly. He didn't have anyone to talk about his plans and ideas with outside of Konoha other than Kurama, and so he revelled in the opportunity. Kurama was clever, and often asked tough questions that Obito enjoyed pondering.
"And what if you cannot convince this swordsman to ally or truce with you?" Kurama prodded.
"Then, we fight. I don't want to pressure you, but I could use your help if it comes to that." Obito requested carefully, wanting to stay true to his words about not pressuring the fox - he was worried his tone or request would come across otherwise.
Kurama hummed contemplatively, and then spoke. "You have it. You may have my aid."
"I... what?"
"You heard me, brat. Don't make me change my mind. I won't be lending you more of my chakra than this seal allows you to pull, but I will be granting you an ability of mine. None of my jinchuriki before you have been able to use this ability; they were all far too focused on frontal assaults to even realise the power I could give them."
"Power?"
Kurama sighed. "Only half of my power is sealed within this prison you call a body. But that half possesses a certain ability. With my blessing, your genjutsu will alter the reality of its victims. If they believe themselves to bleed, they will bleed. If they believe themselves to heal, they will heal."
"Excuse me, WHAT?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, brat. Like all things, this ability has its limitations. I will not make your genjutsu more powerful, and a weak genjustu will be just that; weak. I have no intentions to willingly give you more of my chakra as of yet - I do not trust you quite so much. You are still far too much of a child. Now, begone, before I change my mind and withdraw my blessing."
Dazed by the fact that Kurama actually agreed to lend power to Obito, it took him a few dangerous moments to process that he was back in the world outside his mind, and that he was not alone. His vision still blurry as he adjusted to the transition, Obito could only vaguely make out that there was a figure standing over him. As his sight sharpened, he made out the gentle face of Zabuza's assistant peering at him with a kindly look. Obito's breath caught, but he noticed that there was no malice to be found in this person, and so he relaxed.
"You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here," advised their enemy's underling.
"It's alright, I've only been here..." Obito looked up at the sky. "Less than an hour? Just taking a short rest. I'm Obito. And you are?"
"Haku," the figure responded, gracefully bouncing back to allow Obito space to sit up. "You're a shinobi?"
"I am. Of Konoha, as you can see," Obito pointed at his hitai-ate. "What brings you to these parts, Haku?"
"These forests are known for their medicinal herbs. I am gathering them for my master, who recently sustained an... injury." Haku declared. "He is a callous man, but I think of myself as his son. After all, he has looked after me since I was an orphaned child."
"Haku..." Obito frowned. He knew that there was a kind humanity to this boy, and he wanted to bring it to the fore, hoping to negotiate with this boy who was at present his enemy. "What is Zabuza like outside of his work as a shinobi?"
Suddenly, the world felt like it was turning upside down. Obito looked down, trying his best to remain calm despite the senbon levelled directly at his throat. Haku had closed the gap with such speed that Obito didn't even notice him move. If the boy wanted Obito dead, Obito would be dead. He was still alive, so it was likely that his gambit would pay off.
"Do I look in any way aggressive?" Obito intoned cautiously. "I'm not here to fight you."
Haku glared at Obito, the resolution he'd seen yesterday returning in full to the boy's eyes. "How do you know of my connection to Zabuza?"
"I'll answer your question if you answer mine. Deal?" Obito offered firmly, hoping to create some kind of dialogue. At Haku's nod, he continued. "Zori, last night? Did he mention anything about how he woke up in a supply closet? I thought that was a... tasteful place to leave his body when I was done with it. Now your turn."
"Very well," Haku responded as he stepped away, retracting the threatening senbon from Obito's throat. "Master is... He acts as though he feels nothing, but he's taken me in. He's clothed me, fed me, trained me, and acknowledged me in a way that nobody else ever has. He has made a great many sacrifices in recent years, just to help others who suffer."
"That sounds... I can understand why you care for him. May I ask you another question, Haku?" Obito asked, wanting to gain the boy's trust by giving him the power to control the flow of the conversation.
"We're enemies. Why are you acting so... friendly?" Haku scowled, a mix of confusion and frustration dominating his expression.
"Why didn't you kill us earlier when you had the chance?" Obito shot back, hoping sincerely that Haku would give him something concrete that he could relay to his team to convince them of his plan.
Unfortunately, Haku turned away. "We're done here," the boy announced harshly before grabbing his basket of herbs and taking off. Tch, damn, Obito thought, disappointed that Haku didn't give him some kind of answer. He wasn't sure, but he suspected that Haku preferred not to kill, and he needed hard evidence. Realising that time was escaping him, Obito rushed back to Tazuna's house, hoping that he could get in before the others woke and wondered where he was.
Day Six
Knowing that they only had one day left until Zabuza and Haku would make their move only served to heighten Tazuna's anxiety. Some of the other workers left after seeing how jumpy Tazuna became. Each of them had apologised profusely, explaining that they didn't want to throw away their lives for this bridge. Obito had watched each time as Tazuna somberly dismissed them, reaffirming each deserter that he understood and didn't blame any of them.
Over the past few days, Obito and Tazuna had discussed a range of topics regarding how Wave's economy would be revitalised - what they would buy and sell, how they would encourage foreign workers and traders to come and set up shop, and even ways that Wave could build a further relationship with Konoha. Today, though, there was little by way of conversation - mostly due to the anxiety and anticipation of the inevitable rematch with Zabuza who would almost certainly be accompanied by Haku.
The genin decided to spend a good deal of their last day of peace compulsively checking over the various seals he'd placed across the bridge and the surrounding area, ensuring that they were intact and functional. The majority of the seals were part of a larger barrier network, which could be activated from any one tag in the network by connecting it to a 'key' seal that Obito had in his possession. His plan was to use the barriers to trap people in or out of the bridge as needed, to try and avoid getting caught in Gato's trap.
With time in the day to spare, Obito elected to work on a project that had come to mind earlier. Back when they encountered the Demon Brothers, Obito had realised that relying on his kenjutsu alone for close quarters defense was more than foolish. He had all of this fuinjutsu knowledge staring him in the face and hadn't thought to build seals into his swordsmanship. Rather than focus on building an offensive close-quarters arsenal, Obito needed to be able to create space.
His initial idea seemed rather straightforward - create a seal that would repel an attacker on contact with the wakizashi. However, as with most fuinjutsu, the implementation was particularly complex. Obito knew the seals required to create a repulsion force, but they weren't the problem. The issue was in feeding enough chakra into the seals so they could operate. Since the sword itself didn't conduct chakra, Obito would have to use more seals as chakra transport instead.
After some further thought, Obito arrived at the idea of incorporating chakra battery seals with a maximum capacity, so that the sword didn't break from chakra overflow. Then, he brought chakra to the tip of his forefinger and got to work.
Half an hour later, Obito looked at the wakizashi in his lap and sighed. The seal was functional, but markedly imperfect. His chakra flow circuitry was still imperfect and lossy, which not only made the repulsion force less efficient, it would expose the sword to more wear and tear from the runoff. Hayate-sensei would probably berate him sorely for it, but Obito much preferred being alive. As the sun had begun to set, Tazuna dismissed the one remaining worker with gracious thanks to the woman for being the only one to stay.
Day Seven
Obito knew that the timing was poor; Zabuza and Haku were almost certainly going to strike today. And yet, he also knew that the relationship he was fostering with Kurama was equally as important. The fox did deserve better than being locked away in darkness indefinitely, and perhaps it was the boy's more impulsive side that decided to not let another day go by without upgrading Kurama's living conditions. Besides, it was only right to give Kurama a gift in return for the power he had bestowed upon Obito.
So, knowing full well that he didn't have long before his team was due to escort Tazuna to the bridge, Obito touched a finger to his belly and directed his focus inward. The world around him began to shift, and Obito once again found himself within the increasingly familiar sewers. "Good morning, Kurama!"
The deep red eyes emerged from the darkness, followed by the rest of the fox. "Ugh, what do you want now?"
"Don't you think it's a little bit stuffy in here? An open window would make such a difference!" Obito bantered. "How else are you supposed to eavesdrop on all of your neighbour's juicy gossip?"
Kurama snorted and turned to face away from Obito, as though to suggest that the boy was wasting his time. "Don't test me, brat. What I've given, I can just as easily take away."
Knowing that an explanation of Obito's intent would be met with more irritance and perhaps even ridicule, the boy chose silence. He stepped up towards the tag binding the bars of the Kyuubi's jail shut, inspecting it closely. Though already intimately familiar with the script upon this seal, Obito knew that the smallest of mistakes would cost him everything, and so he had no room for error.
Once Obito had identified the parts of the seal governing what could and could not flow in and out of Kurama's cell - at the moment just limited amounts of chakra - he pricked a finger and began writing with it.
"When I gifted you part of my power, I thought you were a child with real sense who would put it to good use," Kurama scoffed mockingly. "You're sorely mistaken if you think I won't break free of these confines the moment you ruin that hideous lock!"
Ignoring Kurama's remark, Obito continued focusing on his work. The failsafes he had to configure were obscenely complex, given the numerous ways the addition to this seal could be exploited by such a powerful entity as the fox contained within. Once they were in place, Obito could finally incorporate what he had intended - an extra group of symbols that would allow visual and auditory information to be carried into Kurama's cell. Moreso, Kurama would now be able to see what Obito saw and hear what Obito heard, whenever he wanted. "See? Window. When I told you that I don't like keeping you shackled here so tightly, I actually meant it. Anyway, I'd best be off now. Toodloo!"
Noting how the position of the sun had changed, Obito realised he'd taken much longer than he'd hoped. The others were probably already at the bridge - Obito could only hope that he'd make it in time to stop people from needlessly killing one another. A shriek caught Obito's attention, and he sprung into action. Bounding down the stairs, the boy found the source of the shriek. Two armed thugs had broken into the house, and one had taken Tsunami hostage with a sword pointed to her throat.
"You better come quietly, you dumb bitch!" One of the thugs barked. "You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to that precious son of yours, would you?"
The fact that Gato's lackeys were already on the move meant that Obito didn't have time to mess around, so he stepped into view of the thugs, ready to resolve the current hostage situation and get to the bridge as quickly as he could. Obito's entrance didn't go without notice, and the one holding Tsunami lifted his blade towards her throat.
"You want to know something interesting?" Obito stared down the thugs with an expression of smug calm. "As it turns out, I'm the weakest fighter on my team."
The thug holding Tsunami inched his blade closer to her throat, as though to reassure Obito of the current threat. Tsunami let out a muffled scream through the hand covering her mouth, eyes wide in rapidly growing fear. "The fuck are you talking about, brat?"
"I mean, I spent a whole month rigorously training under one of our village's most skilled swordsmen and I'm still hopeless. And yet," Obito's expression gradually shifted into a confident grin. "And yet, I'm still the most dangerous. I mean, you didn't even notice the hand seals I've been performing as I spoke, for one. Besides, you're not going to hurt anyone with that fish you're holding."
The thug looked at the sword in his hand. His wrist jerked, and the sword went flying across the room. Tsunami used the chance to break free, running to the other side of the room. The other thug made a start towards her before tripping and landing on his face.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have forgotten to patch that hole in the floor, whoops! Anyway, I've got places to be now. I hope you understand, but I'm going to have to break your arms now." Obito made a polite nod towards the thugs before turning to face Tsunami. As he turned, there were a few loud snapping noises, and the thugs fell unconscious.
The look of horror on Tsunami's face was understandable, but Obito didn't have time to deal with it. Of course she was terrified, having been an attempted hostage victim and then rescued in an unsettling fashion. "Tsunami, I know you're scared, but I need you to hang in there. I'm going to put up a barrier so that nobody can get in and out, and you'll be safe."
Once the barrier was in place, Obito crouched to the ground and fished a kunai from his pouch. After gently pricking the tip of his left thumb, he performed the full sequence of hand seals for the Summoning Technique, and put a good deal more chakra than usual in. There was a puff of smoke, accompanied by several attention-seeking honks. A squadron of four amusingly outfitted geese posed with outstretched wings appeared as the smoke dispersed, before all turning their heads to face their summoner. Each of them wore a different accessory on their heads - from left to right, a straw hat, floral crown, headband and sunglasses.
Obito took a sheet of paper out of his pouch and unfolded it to reveal a map. "I need you four to follow this map to the marked location and run rampant." The genin then performed the hand seals for the Transformation technique and morphed into the appearance of Gato, as he had seen the man on the night they arrived. "When you find this man, bring him alive to the big bridge."
Instead of taking the map and leaving, one of the geese honked expectantly at Obito. "I don't have anything for you now, but I'm sure you'll find a variety of valuables that take your fancy at the place I need you to go. Whatever you want there is yours, do we have a deal?"
Straw hat honked and picked up the map with its beak. The geese turned and set off at a run.