It didn't take Obito long to fall asleep after a day combing the town for clues about Tsunade's whereabouts, then meeting the Sannin herself. After Tsunade left and the team settled down, the exhaustion quickly set in.

When the team set out, Obito hadn't thought twice about camping out with them. Since losing the Book, he was too busy—or too preoccupied—to worry about visions of the Sanbi. And the dreams had become less frequent lately.

When he found himself looking up at a clear blue sky, Obito sensed he was dreaming, but it was in a vague, far-off sort of way. The familiar scenery was laced with just a faint hint of unease, like the smell of incoming rain.

It was a lazy, peaceful day, one of many spent training or tracking Akatsuki in the other time. The brilliant colors and giant plants of Mount Myoboku were as real as real life.

They lay side-by-side on the grass under the shade of an overlarge fern.

Obito had his arms crossed behind his head, nearly dozing. The toads refused to teach him Frog Kumite because he didn't have a contract with them, but they were always willing to spar. Even when he got kicked around, it made for a useful experience.

"'Should ask tou-chan if you can join the contract," Naruto said, punctuating it with a yawn. "I asked these guys, but Boss Toad said it's better to have it on your own side."

"I'll ask him after the war," Obito said.

A cloud high above them moved, and he blinked slowly in the light filtering through the giant frond.

"We helped Lava Lady find the Rokubi, but now we can't go after the other bijuu until Akatsuki does. It's so annoying! All because nobody wants to listen to us!"

Obito turned his head to look across at Naruto. He was staring up at the underside of the leaf, brows scrunched determinedly.

"They're out there in danger," Naruto continued. "I can find them no problem with my Sage Mode. But if we take them away now and people find out, it'll look like Konoha is going around stealing bijuu. That'll only make them turn to Akatsuki faster. There could even be another war."

Obito rolled onto his side. He grabbed a fistful of grass, digging his fingers into the soft earth. "About that. I… kind of had an idea."

"Really? What?" Naruto sat up on his elbow quickly.

"It's a little out there. I don't think Jiraiya-sama would like it."

Naruto grinned. "Come on, what is it?"

Obito smiled. "I've been talking to Tobi, trying to find out anything I can about Akatsuki. He says that, aside from the leaders, they don't know him very well. If we use the seals…"

Obito paused, confused. A nagging feeling told him that plan wasn't possible, that something about the whole thing was off. But what?

The pressure in the air dropped. Obito looked up into the sky. Dark clouds were moving in at an unnatural pace. He jumped up and raised his arms to guard against a sudden gust of wind.

Rain started to fall and quickly became a torrent, rolling off the great ferns and stalks, making their heads bob.

The smell of atmosphere fell heavy over him. Lightning flashed, then thunder rolled over the landscape.

Mist rose up into a dense wall. A shadow loomed inside of it.

The air cracked again, this time with an enraged roar that shook the ground.

Obito whirled around, eyes wide. But Naruto was gone.

He turned again and dove into the forest of grasses and stalks, pushing his way through, shoving toward the great shadow. The grasses picked and pulled at his clothing.

Please don't go.

All this could be reversed. He only needed to reach in time. To stretch out the space between just a little farther.

Reach and move forward. Reach and move forward.

A giant spiny tail slammed to the ground in front of Obito and he was thrown backward. He rolled onto the grass, air knocked clear from his lungs. He sat up and couldn't breathe. He put a hand to his throat, straining for breath. It came away trembling, slick with blood.

"Obito!" Kakashi said.

Someone was shaking his shoulder.

Obito gave a start, sucking in a long breath like he'd forgotten how breathing worked. He sat up and put a hand to his throat. It was whole and dry.

"Are you okay?" Rin whispered. Kakashi pointed back over his shoulder. Obito saw Tsunade there, slumped with her arms crossed over the table. But she didn't move.

"I'm fine. Sorry," Obito whispered.

"I woke up because you bumped into me. Then I thought you were choking," Kakashi said.

"It was just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rin was sitting up attentively, but her eyes were laced with sleep. Kakashi's, too.

Growing slowly more conscious, Obito felt red embarrassment creeping up to his ears. He was grateful it was dark. "It was just—the Sanbi. It was terrifying. If you ever met an angry bijuu, you'd understand."

Kakashi looked hesitant when he said, "I thought I heard you say, 'don't go'."

Obito drew his knees up to his chest and pressed a hand over his face. He felt sure it must be a beacon by now. "I'm getting better at using kamui with one eye," he said, voice muffled. "Can't we go after the book now and worry about healing later?"

Rin made a small sound like a question. Obito looked up in time to see Kakashi's shrug in response.

"I don't know," Kakashi said. "Don't you need both Sharingan to break in to other dimensions? Unless you heal, you won't be able to use the book even if you find it. Or am I wrong?"

"No, you're right." Obito crossed his arms loosely over his knees. "But I want it back, even if I can't use it. I've already failed so many times."

"Don't say that—"

"It was my idea to go after the Sanbi. Fugaku got everything in motion, but it was my idea. I didn't know it already had a host. When Kiri saw what we were doing, they cut the man down. I was right there, but I couldn't stop it. Then Minato-sensei got hurt, and now the book is gone. It's just like my right side."

"It… is?" Rin was clearly trying to follow his line of thought, but got lost along the way.

Obito hesitated. Tsunade seemed unconscious, but he couldn't explain in front of her. Even if he wanted to. "Sorry. What I mean is, sometimes it feels like I'm on a set path, no matter how hard I try to get away from it. I know you guys don't get it. But the book—"

"We know. It's important, and we will get it back. We will," Kakashi said.

Rin nodded. "Once we know where it is, getting it will be the easy part. If your kamui works the way it's supposed to."

"Wait." Obito sat up more fully, waking up. "Kakashi, you're right."

"Yes. About what?"

"I need to heal before I can travel to other dimensions. But if I do, there's one I can reach without the book, because my kamui is the pathway."

"Is that helpful in some way?"

Obito made his voice barely audible. "The Hokage on that side is strict when it comes to dimensional travel. But I just realized, we don't need his help. Another version of Naruto lives there. I've never met him before, but… he should be a Sage, too. We could find the book in no time, and have some good backup."

"Is that really a good idea?" Kakashi asked immediately. "If you've never met him, how do you know he has that ability? Or that he'd want to help us? Or that he's even on our side?"

"Just trust me on that, okay? He would help us. I'm sure of it."

"If we need backup, what if we ask ourselves, too?" Rin said. "You brought your older self back to help."

Obito gave a soft whine and rubbed his head. "That's completely different. I can't explain right now."

"Okay… but it still means you need to get your power back," Rin pointed out.

"Right. We'll figure it out later. If you can, try to catch a few more hours of sleep. I know I don't want to be the one to wake her up." Kakashi shifted back over to his sleeping spot and lay back down.

Obito gave a nod, and Rin moved back, too.

Obito lay down. He was fully awake now.

He'd almost forgotten that Naruto existed in the far future timeline as well. The only person he interacted with from that time was Kakashi.

But he'd already gone behind the Rokudaime's back once in order to drop Sasuke into that world.

Sasuke hadn't asked for help finding his older self, and Obito never offered, so his experience of that dimension was still very slight. Kakashi never revealed much about it, not even about his students or the village. The safe house where they hid the jinchuuriki was in a remote, mountainous area within the Land of Fire.

Obito rested a hand on his chest, where the crystal would be if he hadn't stored the necklace in kamui. The thought of meeting a different version of Naruto sent a spike of nerves through him. Would there be differences, like between him and Tobi? Would the other really be willing to help?

Could he keep it together if they met?

He had to, that was all. For the sake of finding the Book.

Obito craned his head to watch Tsunade's barely visible outline. As usual, Kakashi was right. Waking her would not be smart. It might not even get them back on the road faster.

Because now he was convinced, even if Rin and Kakashi weren't. With Naruto's ability to find anything, and his ability to go anywhere, they could solve this in under a day.

They just had to convince Tsunade first.

Obito had every intention of laying awake until Tsunade got up. But it was as if he blinked, then woke up with his limbs sprawled out and cheery morning sunshine filling the small hut.

He sat up quickly. Rin was sitting at the small table, looking put out. Kakashi sat leaning against the back wall.

"She snuck out on us," Kakashi said when he saw Obito awake. "Leave it to a Sannin. I didn't notice at all."

"What?" Obito was up on his feet in a second.

"I think she'll be back eventually. Her things are still here. And she left this note." Rin held up a scrap of paper. "It says: 'Don't go back into town. There is an outhouse behind the building. Figure out your own food or go home.'"

"What does that mean?"

Rin frowned. "She isn't kicking us out, but it doesn't seem like she wants to help us, either."

"We made ourselves too conspicuous in town. Either Konoha shinobi aren't that welcome here, or someone caught wind of a huge bounty walking around." Kakashi looked at Obito.

"Maybe not," Obito said halfheartedly. "What if it's just a ploy to keep us from following her? She might've been drunk, but she saw enough to realize you'd stop us from going, Kakashi."

Kakashi raised a brow. "Maybe you're right. But it's a risk that won't be useful to us. She has to come back here sometime. We should wait."

"For all we know, the stuff is a decoy too. She might've skipped town already and did all that to slow us down."

"If she ran away, then there's even less point. We'd be better off going home."

Rin placed her palms flat on the table and stood, interrupting their argument.

"I'm less famous than either of you. I can alter my look a little without anyone noticing. I'll go listen in town and bring us back some extra food."

Kakashi blinked in surprise. "If that's the case, I can disguise myself too—"

"What if you have to enter a gambling house? You know they use jutsu detection seals or sensor-types to make sure no one's cheating. Besides, even if you manage to fool the sensors, do you think you can convince Tsunade-sama to come back here?"

Obito shook his head. "You shouldn't go alone. You're a girl—" Rin shot him a sharp look that made him change track. "I mean, we're kids, so we stand out in this town no matter what. That's why we decided not to split up in the first place."

Rin's shoulders relaxed. "Alright. We all agree, then. It's better to wait here than risk going into town."

"Wh..." Obito paused, wrong-footed.

The crease at the corners of Kakashi's eyes showed he was smiling. Rin smiled a little, too. She cast Obito an apologetic look. "So that's the best thing to do right now. We couldn't find her even when we combed the town. But she'll be back here eventually, and this time we'll convince her for sure."

Tobi looked surreptitiously back and forth as he made his way through the village toward the front gate. There was no doubt about it. The air was full of joyous reunions and celebration.

The Third Shinobi World War was officially over.

He took back streets through the village to avoid meeting anyone who might slow him down by trying to have a chat. Even after all these years, he still remembered how to navigate Konoha's many sidestreets and tree-shaded alleys perfectly.

Tobi slowed as he approached the enormous green gates. He flattened himself against the side of a building and craned his head to see around the few shopping stalls lining the front plaza.

It looked like most of the crowd had already dispersed, individual squads released to return to their homes and families to rest. What remained were uniformed medics helping to move the wounded and dead along to where they needed to go.

Tobi tensed when he spotted Minato. He was still in full field gear and looked tired, but happy. He spoke to a couple of medics, and they dipped their heads and gestured, as if to refuse any further offers of help.

Minato nodded. Then he looked around the plaza.

Tobi knew he might very well sense the Hiraishin mark on him already. Backing away now would cause more trouble than it was worth. He walked out into full view.

Minato's face brightened when he saw him. "Obito!" He trotted up to meet him, then looked around a little more. "Thank goodness we made it back without any problems. Where are Rin and Kakashi?"

Tobi knew he wouldn't be able to muster the enthusiasm his younger self should have about the end of the war. He settled on a mood that was somewhere between happy and exhausted. "They're not here right now. Sandaime-sama let them leave to go look for Tsunade-sama. We didn't know you'd be back this soon."

"Tsunade…?" Minato examined Tobi's disguised face, including the eye patch he wore, and gave a short nod. "I heard about what happened. I wanted to come home as soon as we found out the village was attacked. But we were ordered to press on. In the end, that turned out to be for the best. We'd have played right into their hands if we retreated then."

"It's a long shot, but they wanted to find out if she could heal me," Tobi said. "The hospital is going to be backed up for a while. They'll definitely want to come back now that you're here, though. We should send them a message."

Minato looked back at the medics, the last few of them escorting injured shinobi down the main road. "Maybe… I don't know if they can get through to her. Sandaime-sama must believe they have even a slim chance. Or maybe he wanted to give them something to do. Either way, I don't mind waiting for them to return on their own. I have plenty of catching up to do here."

"There's something else," Tobi pressed. He both did and did not want to clue Minato in to the kids' plans. On the one hand, they were playing a dangerous game that went far above their heads. On the other, it was simply their choice. His freedom was at stake.

Minato read his hesitation with a furrowed brow. "What?"

"I don't want to say it out here. But Kushina-san knows. I can explain the rest of it later."

Minato glanced up as if checking the sun. "Alright. Sandaime-sama wants to meet with me as soon as possible, and I have other things to take care of. Have you recovered enough to meet me on top of the Monument?"

"Yes," was all Tobi could think of to say.

"Good. Be there this afternoon. I don't know exactly when. I'll try not to keep you waiting."

"Okay."

Minato gave him one last glance, then trotted forward to catch up with the medics.

Tobi's gaze strayed to the far-off Monument. He gave a tsk under his breath. He'd always known it, but this was going to be tricky.

Tobi stood in the plaza a while longer, until Minato and the medics were out of sight. Everyone else was too busy to pay him much attention.

He wasn't particularly interested in fighting Minato under these circumstances. Whatever happened later, he wanted to live long enough to find a way out of this.

Revealing his identity was out for now. When it came to gathering information, there were other ways. But everything was that much harder without kamui.

Looking up, Tobi set off walking down the main street. Familiarizing himself with the village once again wasn't a bad way to fill time.

Tobi's step faltered just a little when he approached the top of the Monument and saw that Minato was already sitting there. Minato looked back at him and nodded in acknowledgment.

Instinct warned him not to get close. But he still had a part to play, and play it well. Tobi continued forward and sat beside Minato on the stone.

"Kushina told me about the Book. You were right not to mention it out in the open." Minato looked out over the horizon.

"We have to get it back," Tobi said firmly. "Maybe Rin and Kakashi can convince Tsunade-sama to come home. But even if they don't, we can't let Kiri have it. We shouldn't wait. We should do something now."

Minato continued to gaze over the village, wind lightly tossing the ends of his hair, looking every bit the new Hokage. He also looked younger than seemed possible. In hindsight, it was obvious he'd died before even reaching the peak of his abilities. That was reason enough to be wary of the future.

Tobi pushed through the silence. "Well? What're we going to do?"

"I haven't had time to learn all the details," Minato said. "But right now, it seems the small group of ANBU who tracked the intruders out of the village has gone missing. I know how you feel, but I don't want you pursuing this in your condition. I will take over the search from here."

"But—why? I can help! I'm the one who messed this up! You have enough to—"

"And so do you. It's better to stay in the village and rest until you're healed. We don't need to lose you, too." Minato looked back at him regretfully.

Something didn't feel right. Minato was hiding something. But what? Was he referring to Obito's Bingo entry? Or something else?

"Then..." Tobi cast around for the right words. "Then you can keep looking. Fine. But if they bring Tsunade-sama back before you find it—when it's time to go after them, I want to go too."

"We'll see. I'll let you know." Minato gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "That's all I wanted to say. I know it's disappointing, but this is too important."

Tobi got the sense that he was dismissed. He stood up on the rock. Something was missing from his understanding. But as his younger self, all he could do was protest about being excluded. That wouldn't get him anywhere.

What would Minato want to keep from Obito? Had he found out something that would make Tobi's younger self act impulsively?

There had to be a way to get at the truth.

"Okay. I'll be at home helping out Hina-baa. Let me know if anything changes."

Minato nodded, then turned back to the view over the village. Tobi's sandals scritched the dirt as he turned away

After all, there were other ways to find information.