Disclaimer: Once again. I don't own anything but Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Café. Kei and her family belong to Lang Noi.

Themes are split between two songs: (1) Separate Paths, the track used as the opening theme for Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, and (2) No. 7, the opening to my new muse in the anime adaptation of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, originally performed by the "Jibaku Shounen Band." Let it be said that game soundtracks do the trick. And watching an anime about ghosts and the supernatural in relation to people. :p

Not all the bad luck was canceled, but that doesn't mean happy endings can't happen. Just, one quote to sum up the feelings this chapter gave me with all of the turbulent plot points: "War does not determine who is right — only who is left." From Riza Hawkeye. Enjoy the chapter. :)

TW: for explicit gore and violence. Just as a fair warning.

Chapter 27: Differing Wants

"Tomoko-chan?"

The call of my name barely registered in my head until a large hand rested gently on top of my hair, patting it. The feel immediately clued me in to how it wasn't Papa, and I looked up. The silver hair was unmistakable. "Oh. Hi, Sakumo-jichan."

"Hi, Tomoko-chan," he said gently, and it was hard to miss how he was wearing his old White Fang uniform. White and red-tipped sleeve poking out of his Konoha flak jacket and all. The only thing he was missing was the signature tanto that gave him the White Fang name. But that weapon was with…

Tomoko-chan, Hisako said softly.

I shook my head and looked into Sakumo-jichan's eyes.

Even with how foreboding the outfit looked, Sakumo-jichan had still taken the time to kneel to my height, a kind and tired smile on his face. If not for his posture, I would have taken him as a ninja about to leave in a day's time. "You're waiting out by the gates again?"

I glanced towards the horizon past the entrance and exit that marked the end of my home village before nodding. The Wayfinder around my neck felt heavier when thinking about it. "I… I don't know when they'll be back, Sakumo-jichan," I confessed, feeling inadequate and worried and all the other bad things that came with thinking about Kannabi Bridge. I knew I couldn't look into Sakumo-jichan's eyes when my heart wasn't with him right now. My heart was elsewhere. "I was thinking that I should wait here, so that they could see someone familiar when they got home."

Sakumo-jichan's gaze bore into my head for at least a few minutes before he sighed. "Tomoko-chan, I—" he paused. Then he chuckled softly. "You really do love my son and his friends, don't you?"

"It's how I knew I wanted to help you, Sakumo-jichan." I turned to him with a small smile of my own, even if it felt a little forced on my cheeks. "And being there for someone is the least I can do, right?"

I didn't say it aloud, but I couldn't help but add to myself in my thoughts, It helped Kei and you and everyone else, didn't it?

Sakumo-jichan blinked at me. I could see myself reflected in his eyes before he closed them and his hand wound around my shoulders. I wasn't expecting the sudden hug. "You… you silly girl," he mused above my hair. I was too frozen from the surprise to hug back. Sakumo-jichan was a lot like his son in how they both didn't always initiate acts of physical affection, especially in public. But something like this — what did I do?

"Putting yourself out here like this, waiting…" Sakumo-jichan shook his head, his long ponytail brushing my cheek with the gesture before he pulled back from the hug, raising a hand. "You silly, silly girl."

Oh.

I wasn't expecting him to gently flick my forehead with that same fond look in his eyes.

"Kyah!"

"But as your honorary uncle, I have to bring you home, Tomoko-chan." Sakumo-jichan's voice went a little stern, contrasting the hand that went up to smooth my bangs back from my forehead. The touch almost felt like he was feeling particularly regretful about flicking me. Huh? "Hikari and Miyako are waiting for you back home. And besides," he stood back up, offering his other hand to me. "Hayate needs some company too, doesn't he?"

I glanced back towards the gates one more time before considering his argument. Haya-kun definitely would be missing his sister too, and knowing him…

I turned back to Sakumo-jichan with a shy smile. "Okay," I said, taking his hand. "Let's go home, Sakumo-jichan."

Sakumo-jichan just smiled at me. I could already tell from the glint in his eye that he was grateful I wasn't commenting on his shinobi uniform.

That would not stop me from hugging him and wishing him luck later.

Once we started walking back, hand in hand, my thoughts turned back to them again.

Good luck, Team Minato.

Obito did his best to not blink as soon as the eyedrop came and fell on him as it usually did. Dry eyes sucked, and goggles could only go so far. Thankfully, he had his teammates to cover for him in case of an ambush, but he still found himself holding his breath.

"We should probably go along this route," Kei muttered over the map, and Obito didn't have to look behind him to know she was involving herself in some kind of plan with Kakashi. "We might avoid more enemies this way."

"I agree," Kakashi raised his head, and Obito put away his eyedrops just in time to see Kakashi's nose twitch. "The mission's been going a bit too smoothly. The scent of the enemy around here is too weak."

"So," Obito cut in, scooting over to look past Kei's shoulder, "Are you saying we should take a shortcut?"

"Not a shortcut, Obito," Kakashi shook his head, giving Obito a dirty look for half a second before turning away. "A roundabout." He proceeded to point to a different line on the map, leading to what looked like a circle around the bamboo forest. "By going this way, we'll probably see the least resistance rising up against us. Unless," Kakashi raised a questioning eyebrow at both Obito and Kei, "do you two have any objections?"

"Nope," Obito said immediately. It was a sound plan and for once, there was no preening. It worked out. "We're good."

Kei swiveled her head between the two of them before letting out a long sigh. "What the heck," she said finally, shaking her head. "We're already going into hell." She beat her fist into her open palm. "Let's do this."

Kakashi's eyes glimmered with what seemed to be pride. "Good."

A pause followed between the three of them. Once it became obvious no one else was willing to pitch in their thoughts, Kei immediately rolled up the map and Kakashi got to his feet. Obito gave himself a second to glance at the star sitting tied around his left hand.

"Scatter!"

Kakkō and Taiseki found themselves bored. Mahiru should have gone out to check the perimeter of their territory at least two days ago, but considering how he wasn't back yet—

"Mahiru's probably dead," Taiseki muttered, polishing a kunai. "It's not like him to be late."

"Who do you think killed him?" Kakkō replied around his canteen, swallowing the water in his mouth while doing so. "It can't be Suna or Iwa."

"Probably Konoha-nin, then," Taiseki said, his eyebrows furrowing under his hitai-ite. "We might have to expect company soon."

Kakkō found a grin forming on his face at the prospect. Finally something interesting would be happening. "Think we should ask them what happened to Mahiru?"

"Probably."

The sudden explosion meters away had both Taiseki and Kakkō jumping.

"No way—"

They both looked up to see smoke start to climb up towards the sky. Smoke coming from the same direction as Kannabi Bridge.

"We have to run."

"Yeah, no shit," Kei concluded flatly, getting up to her feet to whip her head in another direction. "We're going to get company any second now."

"Obito, clean the fuck up," Kakashi barked, and Obito couldn't even find it in himself to complain from the dire situation, throwing the nearest spool of ninja wire back into one of his pockets. "We have to go."

"You think I don't know that?!" Obito shot back, but he still took a breath and went through the hand signs for his go-to Jutsu in the Grand Fireball once some of the crime scene was already dealt with. "When are they coming?"

Kakashi made a small cut in his arm to draw blood, throwing his hand down with a sharp "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" as Kei raised her head.

"Not much longer when they're already here."

"What the hell — they're just brats!" Kakkō couldn't believe his eyes as soon as the trio left the smoking ruins via a quick run back into the nearby trees. "There's no way they could've destroyed our main supplier!"

"Tell that to the bridge that's crumbling behind us, Kakkō," Taiseki hissed, his fingers already in the hand sign that was telling of his Camouflage Jutsu. "Those kids have to pay for this."

Kakkō held back the first urge to go slash something to instead prepare his arm blades. "Let's give chase. They're just brats. We can catch up soon enough."

"Wait a second." Taiseki's image flickered in and out of reality for a moment, and Kakkō blinked at him. It wasn't like Taiseki to let his concentration slip. What the hell happened? "The two boys flanking the shinobi in the white and blue jacket — aren't they—"

Kakkō looked in the same direction as Taiseki and squinted. Silver hair, a red-white fan on the back of a navy blue jacket lined with orange — hey, why orange? "We're dealing with no ordinary kids, aren't we? I'm either dreaming or I'm seeing what looks like the White Fang's kid and an Uchiha brat. I thought they would've been with the Yellow Flash."

"Brats or not…" Taiseki turned his head just as he fully faded away from view, his voice giving away his grin. "Let's give them a warm reception for their intrusion into our turf."

Shit, shit, shit, shit, Obito thought, running faster as his legs could muster.

"They're catching up quickly," Kakashi cursed, leaping to the nearest bamboo spire as the ninken trailed behind him. "I can smell more than 10 of them."

"Might be 20-30 in the next few minutes," Kei muttered ahead of Obito, and Obito tried not to freeze. "They called in reinforcements fast." There was a muffled curse. All Obito could catch was, "—not supposed to be like this," before he refocused.

"Boss, we could try to distract them," Pakkun spoke up suddenly, barking an affirmative with the rest of his pack behind him. "The usual."

"Make sure to dispel yourselves once there's a killing strike, Pakkun," Kakashi said in haste, and the single response he got in return was a bark before the group became smaller. Obito tried not to focus on the pained yells behind him as he leapt forward. "Let's go, team!"

"Roger that!"

Kakkō took aim at the nearest brat with his right hand. The blade was simple enough to get out of his sleeve with a flick of his wrist, so it wouldn't take long. They were a lot smaller than the average shinobi, but for a second, one second, there was a tinge of regret running through his veins.

Were Konoha really weak enough to send kids to work in the war? Were they really that low on manpower? Hell, were they that desperate?

But once one of the kids turned and caught sight of him and his blades, he purged that regret as fast as it came.

This was war. There was no time for dilly-dallying.

Kill or be killed, was the unspoken rule. So, the kids had no one to blame but themselves. Kakkō swung his blade.

Die.

"OBITO, MOVE!" was all Obito heard Kei roar, and at that point, he could only thank instinct for doing so without question. The smallest tip of his hair was cut off as soon as he jumped to the side, and once the nasty grin of an Iwa nin came into view, Obito clenched his teeth. He could've sworn the bastard wasn't there a second ago, but knowing Kei, she must've sensed him. Thank god.

"Lucky shot," the nin muttered, and Obito got a glimpse of rugged dirt-colored hair and a wrinkly smile before he shimmered, and Obito felt his breath catch in his throat.

Kei just gave him a single look, and Obito already knew.

"Got it, Kei!" He screamed back, and quickly inhaled, making the hand signs again. Grand Fireball, he thought viciously just as the jutsu unleashed itself and Obito could've sworn he saw the grin on the fading Iwa nin's face turn upside down once the flames approached. Obito immediately turned his head away once it made contact, already hearing the explosion behind him slowly patter out thanks to increasing distance. "D-Did we get 'em?"

"I wish," Kei cursed, but she drew her kodachi anyways, not even flinching once she flicked the blade backwards. The hand of an incoming nin went flying almost immediately after the motion, and Obito's eyes followed the gorey projectile for a while before refocusing back on his teammate. "We have to keep moving. Can't let them catch up."

"Pakkun and the others should be able to hold off some of them for a bit longer," Kakashi added tersely, not even blinking as soon as horrified screams echoed behind him. Obito could guess it was the dogs, and he didn't want to know what else they were doing. Urgh. "We need to move. Kei, Obito, be prepared to fight back." He paused, having gone silent for a moment. It was long enough to make Obito feel weird until Kakashi said, quietly too, "If it gets bad, you two need to make it back first to Minato-sensei. I'll be the decoy."

The fuck. Obito could feel his stomach bottom fall out before his mind brought up the thought of a girl back home. "Wh-Where's Kashi?" echoed ominously afterwards in Obito's head. No. No way.

"No!" Obito found himself responding vehemently, and it was enough to startle Kei out of whatever quiet she had settled herself into. "No one is playing hero, especially not you, Bakashi! We're all getting through this shit, we're surviving, and we're going home!"

For once, Kakashi was thrown off, sputtering mid-run, "We have to consider the worst option in case we—"

"I DON'T CARE, KAKASHI!" Obito couldn't believe he was roaring, especially when they were on the run, but he was doing it and there was no taking it back. "Your dad's waiting! Tomo-chan's waiting! Everyone's waiting for us to come home!"

Kakashi blinked rapidly enough to make Obito feel weird.

"Stop giving me that blank look." Obito felt his own voice lower from frustration. "You can't play hero and die when Tomo-chan tells you as much as the rest of us that she doesn't want you dying. Not when your dad wants you to come back. We're completing the mission and we're going back to Konoha."

The declaration is enough to hasten Obito's speed. Kei, as usual, catches up to him, but Obito doesn't meet her eyes. He wasn't sure what else to say. With Kakashi left behind running in what was essentially Obito's dust, his eyes were staring into Obito's back enough for Obito to shake his head. He could apologize for getting out of formation later. There was a giant lug of an Iwa nin glaring beady eyes at him from afar, kunai in hand, and to be totally blunt, Obito was more than frustrated.

It didn't even take a second for Obito to reach for the star tied to his left hand to extend his chakra. The blade comes out in a fierce Whoosh of energy, and Obito aims without hesitation.

"Kei!"

It doesn't take long for the back of a sandal to tap his and Obito leaps forward to slice first. He doesn't even hesitate to aim for the jugular.

Wait for us, Tomo-chan. We'll see you soon.

"Get—" Shlick. "The fuck—" Snap. "Out of the WAY!" Slice.

Judai ignores the nearest pained cry of an Iwa nin to keep his tanto steady. His stomach doesn't falter at the newest spectacle of someone's intestines hanging out, instead using the disgust as a motive to propel his feet forward to the next mook. No time to think, just move.

"You're being surprisingly brutal, senpai," Wataru chirps, not even pausing in slapping an explosive tag on a nearby nin's face for good measure. Judai doesn't bother looking in that direction, merely sparing Wataru a glance before rolling his eyes. Despite the blood splatter on his cheeks and beard, Wataru looked surprisingly chipper. "Something flying up your ass?"

"Wataru, I'm not that old. You don't have to call me 'senpai.'" It doesn't stop Judai from stabbing the nearest enemy hiding in his blindspot with the blunt side of his tanto. There's a bloodied gurgle, and Judai sighs, ignoring the sound as best as he could. He doesn't bother listening more to the eventual dull thud that followed. He didn't need the clearest signal of a body meeting its end. "I just miss my wife and daughter," Judai admitted instead.

What he would give to be back home and not out on the job again. And to get a proper bath. Human guts were gross.

"Eh, been a senpai, always a senpai," Wataru mocked with the usual cheer, shrugging. "And sure, I miss Miyako-chan too, but we still have a job to do, remember?"

"Yeah yeah, I know," Judai drawls, flicking his tanto of blood before raising his other hand. Doing one-handed seals were a pain in the ass, but they got the job done. "Make sure the kids make it back home while we adults hold back the brunt of the force. It's a sound plan and I don't mind dying for it, but one problem is mindset." A bark of a laugh left his throat once he took the breath needed for the Jutsu he had in mind. "Because y'know what?

"What?" For some reason, Wataru decides to humor him, ninja wire in hand. Heh. Good man. Always has been. Always will be. Judai can tell the traps Wataru laid out are already ready to go.

Judai sighs again. "I'd just like to make it home."

Wataru immediately leapt up close to him and smiled wryly, pressing a palm against Judai's shoulder. "Don't we both, Judai. Don't we both."

No one in the vicinity flinched once the Grand Fireball Jutsu graced the bamboo forest. The resulting series of explosions from all the traps were ironically pleasing to the ears, for lack of better terms.

"Judai's overdoing it," Jim muttered, twirling his sickle. Still, once he let the weapon fly, it immediately sliced the throats of two opposing Iwa nin, just before they could supposedly ambush the other side where Wataru and Judai were. The last gurgles for air haunted his ears as soon as his sickle flew back into his hand, so Jim allowed himself a moment to look away and glance towards the sky. The large plumes of black smoke coming from the clearing where Judai was stood out the most. "He hasn't used that big of a Jutsu in years."

"Can't be helped," Sakumo quipped, flicking his own tanto to successfully impale a nearby Iwa nin. The nin coughs blood onto Sakumo's shoulder, gurgling in pain before falling towards the forest floor. Sakumo does his best to ignore the dull thud sound echoing through his ears. The weapon wasn't like the one that gave him his name, but it worked. He still sheathed it once he flicked the blood off it. Still didn't feel right, the grip. "We're cleaning up the house, Jim. Stay focused."

After all, it took all of Sakumo's willpower to stay here in the midst of bamboo branches and not rush out like a fool just to see his son safe.

Please, please, please, Kakashi, don't be reckless—

Sakumo clamped down on all of that. Hard. He had to trust his son who made Jounin, after all. Even if he still wanted to ask Hokage-sama why that was a good idea when Kakashi was still thirteen and not a full adult. But that was another issue, and he still had a battlefield to clean.

"I get that," Jim said with a dry smile, twirling the chain attached to his sickle. "Just, Hatake-san?"

Sakumo absently clicked his tongue. "Yeah?"

There was a long pause enough for the fighting to pause. Or at least, it felt like it. Sakumo blinked. "Jim?"

"…If I have to sacrifice myself today," Jim blinked his only blue eye at Sakumo with respect, "send my regards to Judai for me, will you?"

Sakumo's blood immediately runs cold. The cheery tone Jim used didn't help anything. "No," he replied fiercely, shaking his head. "No. I do not want to see another person near me die."

I can't lose anyone—

"You don't even know me that much, Hatake-san," Jim pointed out, using his free hand to adjust his hitai-ite to expose the bandages covering the right side of his face. Sakumo already knew there was nothing in the right eye socket that the bandages were covering. "And besides, I've lived a good life. Making a living outside of death and helping people. I already repaid my debt to Judai by making those stars for his little hime. So," Jim shrugged, letting his hand fall in exchange for his headband to fall back into place against his lost eye. "Sacrificing myself for the daughter of my best friend to live a happy life with her friends—" Jim laughed softly while tucking his sickle and chain away. "That'd be the greatest thing I could do. And besides, we both know that someone's going to die today."

No. Stop saying things like that. Not again. Please…

"What about Wataru?" Sakumo demanded, not even hesitating in impaling someone coming up on him from behind with the chakra sword his honorary niece gave him. The sword Jim made for his niece to give him. The nin gurgles from pain and falls like the previous one, this time vomiting blood and what may as well be stomach acid onto the back of his jacket in the process, but Sakumo doesn't care. He can burn the damn thing later. None of it mattered when there was someone suicidal here. Somehow. "What about Judai?"

It just didn't make sense. Why why why—

Jim still had a team. When Sakumo got disgraced, he had no one but Kakashi until the Hoshinos found him and nursed him up to a place where he could recognize that he wasn't alone.

So why—

Why give all that friendship up? Why give up your life?

At the sound of Judai's name, Jim pauses. He glances towards the horizon, where the smoke is still wafting into the sky, before his hands fly through hand signs. "Well," he says airily, the faintest hint of a crack in his voice, "I'll have to apologize to them myself if it comes to it. But that's not going to happen anytime soon. We're surrounded."

Wait, when—

Sakumo feels the lump surface in his throat once the crowd of angry nin made themselves known in the forest around them. Every single shinobi in the area was armed with explosives, kunai, and/or swords. If they were all here, hopefully—

"Kakashi…" Sakumo muttered.

The subsequent rumbling of the earth beneath the trees was enough to make Sakumo want to Body Flicker out of there. Sakumo only had a single moment to glance over his shoulder, and Jim simply smiled. His blue eye was closed and with the lack of his usual hat covering his spiky black hair, the forest lighting almost illuminated the warmth on his face. "Thanks for hearing me out, Sakumo. You really are a hero."

Sakumo doesn't even register Jim roughly pushing him out of the way before rocks sprout up between them.

"I'll send your regards to your wife if I ever see her on the other side, so don't worry. I'll open a path so the kids can come home. Just do me a favor and tell O'Brien, Wataru, and Judai when you get back home that I'm sorry, alright? Wataru will own the crafts shop, so it'll be okay."

I'm not worried about the shop, Jim—

Sakumo didn't get to voice the thought once the telltale sounds of multiple blades striking flesh echoed in the forest, past the rocks separating him from the battlefield.

"NO!"

"I'm always proud of you, Obi."

Obito couldn't help but question why he could suddenly hear Tomo-chan's voice play out in the back of his mind. But it was there no matter how much he tried to push it out, sounding so soft, high-pitched, and sweet. All of the things that made up Tomo-chan.

Was he that homesick?

You love her, his mind said. You miss her.

Obito exhaled. The answer took a long time to come to, but he knew it. Of course I do.

The pained yowl of an Iwa nin rang loud in his left ear once he stabbed in that direction with the Wayfinder blade, and Obito forced himself to keep moving once the gurgles telling of someone choking on their own blood echoed afterwards. Kakashi was still in the lead and he couldn't fall behind, enemies trailing or not. It didn't make him feel any better knowing that it wasn't the last time he'd be killing someone, but knowing that his teammates were around and still alive was a small reassurance anyways.

Kei was twirling on her feet, her kodachi shining in the forest lighting before it hit its newest target, and almost immediately, Obito ducked his head to avoid the newest flying projectile of lopped-off arm. It wasn't the newest feat of strength he had seen from his combat partner, but Kei was definitely a force to be reckoned with. The poor bastard who had his arm cut off let out a bellow akin to a wounded beast, but by then, Kei was slicing his neck with a chakra blade of her own. It would've been a scene that warranted a whistle of praise or some kind of clapping if not for the wet gurgles that was telling of the victim choking on blood.

So, in the end, going out by the loss of an arm and a nasty slash to the neck was not a pretty way to die. The exposed bit of bone showing in the guy's torso before he fell was not needed either.

Obito didn't bother looking in Kakashi's direction. With the number of dull metal clangs echoing amongst the trees and bamboo stalks, the resident team leader was doing his job flawlessly as usual. Normally, Obito would scowl. But right now, all he could hope for was that Kakashi could keep it up.

If anyone faltered, they were dead. And Obito already knew his monkey mind wasn't helping.

For yet another second, Obito thought of the girl waiting back home and her reaction to this whole mess and then immediately shook his head.

Not now, notnow, notnow.

No matter how he felt about leaving her back home, it was better that Tomo-chan was safe with her family than out here risking her life. With all the love she had in her heart, she deserved better than a place filled with nothing but blood.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" he bellowed, and by the time he was going through the hand signs for the Uchiha Phoenix Fire Jutsu, some Iwa nin had already lost the taunting grins on their faces.

Obito didn't have the time to taste the bead of sweat trickling into his mouth once he unleashed his pent-up chakra in the form of the so-called Phoenix Fire. The resulting explosion felt like he was in a factory for just a moment, and then a hand was grabbing his shoulder hard. Kei. She was still around. Good.

"I-I think that's the last of the bastards," he muttered to her, but Kei was still glancing around, alert with her kodachi held in reverse grip. "Unless—"

Kei's eyes narrowed elsewhere. With the same hand on his shoulder, she flicked two fingers towards him. Two enemies. But they had already gone through a swarm of them. The smell of blood and death wasn't easy to shrug off, anyways. Where did these two—

Kakashi was still in front of them both, a kunai and his own chakra blade in hand. "They're coming," he warned.

Who—

Obito stopped his train of thought once the team hit murky lake water, and it took a split second to remember to focus his chakra to his feet so that he wouldn't take a plunge face first. Kakashi, obviously, leapt forward for first blood, starting his own kind of sword dance atop the bamboo trees with the new bastard who decided to show up. The metal sparks from the clash fell back onto the water, creating ripples.

Okay then. So the two-blades-in-his-sleeves of an ass was still around and he wasn't dead yet. When did he catch up?

"Do you have time to focus on them?"

Shit. Someone else was still here. Obito turned around, making sure his back was to Kei's, before going through more hand signs with his eyes shut and closed. He knew that he didn't have to see the new enemy so long as Kei was still around. Their tag team fighting style was invincible.

"Kei!"

"Way ahead of you!"

Obito counted off the hand signs in his head. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. Kei leapt forward to act as the momentary decoy, the orange glint in his goggles preventing him from seeing what exact sword technique she was doing, but knowing his partner, it was probably a variation of the Gekkō-Style Earth Tiger Strike. She was bringing up the water as a diversion.

Just what he needed.

Once the wave fell and he saw a faint figure outlined by muddy water, Obito exhaled.

"Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

Out of anything in battle, Obito wasn't expecting the backlash from his favorite jutsu. He had been hurt by sparks of fire before, but this. Not this. The falling bamboo spires were burning and scalding on his face, and it took all he had to not yell out in pain. There was a trap. Someone set it off. But it wasn't Kei, so it must've been the Two Blades Guy or the Invisible Jerk—

The metal dance from above their heads had stopped. Why was it silent?

Where was Kakashi?!

Obito threw off his melting goggles, ignoring the sting in his eyes that came with the lack of protection before dunking his head in the water. He could faintly hear Kei's voice calling out for him, but then there was still a presence above them, and, wait.

Why could Obito faintly see fragments of Kei's kodachi in the water?

Someone was roughly pulling him out of the lake, making Obito feel the burn on his right cheek all over again, and something cool was pressing against his skin. He shut his eyes, taking in Kei's Diagnostic Jutsu before he could hear her tongue click. "It'll scar," she warned him, but the chakra still turned warmer with her transition to the Mystical Palm Jutsu. "At least it only got half of your face and your goggles."

"R-Remind me to not bring something that'll melt," Obito muttered back, but he still shot a kunai in a random direction without looking. Sure enough, it hit something as he heard a faint grunt and a splatter of something wet. "Did I miss?"

"No," and this time, Kei sounded faintly proud in spite of the tightness in her voice. "Obito—"

Obito opened his left eye to glance around. His right eye was still okay, but considering Kei's medical work, it was best to operate with half of his vision for now. The fighting had stopped. Maybe, maybe, maybe—

His heart immediately fell to the bottom of his rib cage once he caught sight of the metal black-silver star left on the lake shores. With the dirt haphazardly covering it, the Wayfinder could've been trash if Obito didn't know any better. His right cheek leading up to the top of his cheekbone where his goggles once were was still smarting from residual pain.

Kakashi's not here. He—He made himself into a decoy after all. The jackass—!

"Obito," Kei repeated, her voice fainter. Her hands, still on his cheek with the Mystical Palm Jutsu, were shaking. He decided not to comment on the remnants of her kodachi resting in the sheath strapped to her back. "They just…"

Obito took a deep breath. The team fucked up. Kakashi was gone. Obito's goggles and what remained of Kei's sword were already sinking to the bottom of the lake. But Kakashi's Wayfinder was still around, and knowing Team Awesomeness' luck, and their training—

I'm sorry, Tomo-chan. We fucked up. But, if you still have faith in us…

Obito shared a glance with Kei. "We'll get him back," he said, putting as much steel and strength into his voice as he could muster. "We'll save him, Kei. And then we'll all go home."

I'm really sorry, Tomo-chan. Wait just a bit longer. And then, when we get back, I'll tell you how I really feel.

Kei exhaled slowly. "Okay," she said, her voice coming out a bit louder with the admission. "Okay. Let's get our captain back."

Once the last key faded into the distance, I could hear the usual applause. Fanfare that, honestly, was pretty loud. All I did was play my piano as always, but these days, it was hard to miss how the crowds in the café were getting bigger.

It was personally…well, worrying. And embarrassing.

The breath left my mouth in a quiet whoosh, and once it did, I could feel the metal jingle against my neck before I could hear it. Looking down revealed my Wayfinder as the culprit of the feeling, and in spite of the comforting weight, the light reflecting off the colored panes seemed dimmer than usual.

The green and blue hues especially looked darker.

"Tomo-chan!"

The breath halted in my throat. I glanced around for just a second, but all that greeted me was the usual crowd. No friends. My family was around, but…

Tomoko-chan?

I-I just thought I heard…

I did my best to smile at my Nobody and the crowds around us, but inwardly, something felt wrong. Sure, I could see Hayate with Miyako-bachan at a nearby table, looking happier than they had been this morning, but what—?

Oh no, Hisako said before I could.

I couldn't voice it now. I knew I couldn't. All I could do was maintain the facade to the very best of my ability. After all, on the stage, I was the café pianist first, not the emotional crybaby. I had to keep up the smile. I had to not worry my family. Still, my heart was pounding against my ribs as I got up from my bench to politely curtsey towards the crowd. The stray thought didn't help.

What are you doing right now, Obi?

Author's Notes: Confirmed deaths so far include Jim, Taiseki, and Kakkō. Zetsu casualties are unknown. Final fights so far similar to CYB, but different in context of the timing and who participated. :p

On a more serious note. This is for my auntie who's leaving the physical world and going to wherever she pleases past the 7th gate this upcoming weekend as of this publication (June 25th, 2020). I love you, Di Thuy. Always. Rest well and have safe travels. I'll see you again one day, probably in another time, hopefully as your loving niece once more. I'll miss you.

Here's to the next chapter. I hope I can keep up the good work.