There's an entire ANBU war squad guarding Nagato and Konan. The pair have been separated, and Toru goes to meet with Konan first. As far as he's seen, she appears to be his guard, (but she's clearly not just a guard; there's something to be said about the person who protects another). However, Toru has an inkling that's not exactly true.
Amegakure is hard to get into, but it's also a rather poor village. It's militarised, yes, trying to make its name as a ninja village and well-known for being difficult to infiltrate. That is, of course, for ninjas. Civilians, on the other hand, come in and out like the refugees they are—and civilians form up much of Uzushio's infiltration system.
In the end, Tomoe had gotten enough information on Amegakure that almost no one else would have. The leadership system is a rather secure thing, hard to find information on, with the leaders being hailed as divine beings. Still, Uzushio had managed to learn that it was Konan that the general population usually dealt with, as opposed to Nagato. Thus, it made sense that Konan was the true leader of Amegakure, especially if Nagato was the leader of the Akatsuki. It meant that tasks could likely be divided neatly.
"Konan-san," Toru says as he takes a seat across from Konan. She's cuffed and sealed, arguably no danger. The same, of course, could be said for any ninja. Cuffs and seals don't make someone completely useless. Konan could still fight, could still cause problems, if she wanted to. Toru doesn't think she will though. "I'm Toru, Uzushio's Kage. I have reason to believe you are the leader of Amegakure."
Konan lowers her eyes. "I'm afraid you have the wrong person," she says demurely. "I am only a loyal soldier of Amegakure. Nagato is the person you wish to speak to."
"I don't think I am wrong," Toru says. "Nagato might help you and might lead the Akatsuki, but it is you who leads Amegakure. It is you the people of Amegakure look up to. If I am figuring out the terms of surrender, I wish to speak to the person who protects Amegakure and her people. Am I wrong to come to you?"
"No," Konan says, finally lifting her gaze and meeting Toru's eyes. "You're not. How are you planning to go about this, Toru-san? I am completely at your mercy and Uzushiogakure's might is clearly superior to Ame, not to mention your allies would likely join you. You could incite war again."
"I could," Toru says. "But myself and Uzushio are done with war. This is a new period, a new era. This is a world where peace is a possibility and a strong one. I am more than willing to try and achieve it. Already we are proving that peace is possible, one alliance at a time. I have no plan to point Uzushio in the direction of a war, not when we have just found our feet.
"This is, perhaps, besides the point. What I wish to do right now is complete a few points of surrender that you, and Amegakure and the Akatsuki through you, will agree to. Then, we will let you return to Amegakure and decide further peace talks from our respective villages. Potentially meeting to sign agreements but when we're on equal ground, rather than in our current position."
Not to say that it'd be a much better position. Uzushio has the upper-hand which Toru is thankful for and, technically, he can strongly govern the terms of any treaties simply because he has reason to attack Amegakure and Amegakure likely doesn't want that happening.
That said, Toru is himself and no one else. He has no plans to strong-arm Amegakure into doing anything. Today, if anything, has proven that fear is not the answer. Uzushio refused to be cowed, (Uzushio's refugees ran with fear in their heads and in their minds, but that didn't stop them surviving).
(In the end, Toru craves peace. A peaceful world for Uzushio, a place for them all to be happy and safe. But he also knows that he, alone, cannot keep peace.)
Konan doesn't ask him how she can take him at his words, (she's too good of a ninja for that—only time will tell if Toru is being truthful). "Then, what are you terms here and now?" She asks instead. "What will happen to me and Nagato and those we came with?"
"Of the Akatsuki, only you, Nagato, and Kisame are still alive," Toru says and he is not apologetic. They attacked Uzushio and his people fought back. They couldn't expect anything else. "Kisame has mentioned a preference to join Kirigakure and has surrendered on those terms. You speak now only for yourself, Nagato, and Amegakure."
Konan doesn't respond, only inclines her head. Toru briefly wonders what she thinks of the Akatsuki and how they have died. He wonders if she'll mourn any of them. However, technically there is another Akatsuki member still alive. "The masked-nin who came with you," he continues slowly, "is under a slavery seal that we are dealing with. Uzushio will identify who placed such a seal down. Upon finding who did it, we will hunt them down and destroy any information about such seals."
"I don't-" Konan shudders and Toru becomes aware of the killing intent that's rolling across his skin. He breathes in slowly, steadying himself, and lets go of the killing intent. "We wouldn't do such a thing," Konan says, and she's a ninja, so she's a liar, but Toru is willing to believe her here. "We wouldn't, really. Ame- Before, we were under Hanzō's leadership, we were little more than street rats, just trying to get by. But Hanzō was a harsh leader and so we stood up against him, because he tried to keep us down and- and it wasn't right. We wouldn't keep anyone controlled by a slavery seal. And how we do such a thing anyway? We're not the fūinjutsu masters here. When we first met him, however, he introduced himself as Madara Uchiha."
There's a lot to unpack there, but Toru takes into consideration the final bit there. Madara Uchiha. It's not… It's not impossible that Madara is still alive. None of the hidden villages are that old, though it has been generations. Not to mention, keeping yourself alive and in good shape is possible, especially when one considers all the jutsus dealing with minds and Orochimaru's body swapping and so many other things.
Except who would put a slavery seal on Madara Uchiha? Toru is maybe starting to feel a little bit out of his depth here.
(He is Uzushio's and so he will not falter, he will not fall. And if he does, he will get back to his feet with his people helping him.)
In the end, he simply nods and moves on. "In regards to terms, they will be fairly simple for now. You'll leave Uzushio without attacking our people, including those who live in Uzu no Kuni. In return for this, you will leave Uzu no Kuni in the same state you are now, and we will unseal your chakra at our borders. The only other term is to agree to peace talks with Uzushio, with the aim of creating a treaty."
"And how will these peace talks occur?"
"We will create drafts and make amendments through messengers," Toru says. "And, if needed, we can meet on neutral ground with a mediator."
"The terms are acceptable," Konan says, at long last. She, like Toru, knows that there's no better deal to be offered. Even ignoring that Toru has the upper-hand, this is a fantastic deal just in general. It places both parties on relatively equal ground and shows that Uzushio is already partially trusting Konan and, as a result, Amegakure. "Thank you."
Toru inclines his head and stands. "I look forward to talking to you in the future," he says. "For now, you will remain here for the night with Nagato, and then I will have an escort prepared to take you to the borders of Uzu no kuni."
The door shuts softly behind him and Toru moves on. There's no time to doubt his actions, there is no time for doubt, (there is no time to think of Sasuke and Naruto in Uzushio and Toru not being there).
"Thank you, Zebu-san," Toru says when he finds the ANBU and a Mizushima ninja waiting for him outside the room.
Zebu salutes and then disappears to the naked eye, though Toru can trace the journey the ANBU takes, heading towards the actual ANBU HQ.
"Uzukage-sama," the Mizushima ninja says, bowing slightly. "I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Kenzo Mizushima."
Kenzo's face is familiar, a half-memory of a seal back when Uzushio had only just called her people back. "I do somewhat," Toru says. "Haruko-san sent you to help me out?" He pauses, uncertain what Haruko told her clan member.
"Haruko-sama spoke of a slavery seal," Kenzo says stiffly, angry more than anything else. Horrified like Toru had been.
(Slavery seals should not exist. They should never have been thought up. The thing about slavery seals is that they take control and the person never truly knows what the seal did and what they did. Sometimes, they don't even know about the seal at all. There are different levels of slavery seals, some stronger than others. Toru had hoped they'd all been lost.)
"Yes," Toru says. He turns on his heel, Kenzo at his side. "The seal has been laid down on this ninja's heart. I laid down a Five Elements Seal, which seemed to stop them from fighting against all of us and focussed on a specific opponent instead. I don't know enough about slavery seals to go about deconstructing it, and I don't particularly want to work on a seal laid directly on the heart."
Kenzo nods in understanding. "I can imagine," he says. "Is the ninja unconscious at the moment?"
Toru knows there's a fine line he's walking. While it's understandable that he wants to remove the slavery seal, he's taken any possibility of consent that the masked-nin could offer. But, in the end, this is Uzushio and Uzushio was attacked and Toru will take whatever steps he must to protect Uzushio.
(In this, Toru doesn't care about consent. He will do what he must. Besides… This is a slavery seal that Toru wants to remove.)
"They still are," Toru says. "But not for much longer I reckon, and-"
An ANBU leaves the shadows and Toru pauses, glancing at them. "What's the problem?" He asks. The ANBU is looking worried, not that anyone but Toru and other ANBU would be able to see. It's just a slight tension held in their body, a shift in their stance.
"The Konoha-nins from the Uchiha Clan are saying that the masked-nin is one of them."
That's… true, possibly. Then again, Kakashi also has the Sharingan and he isn't an Uchiha.
"Tell them to wait until we deal with the seal," Toru decides. "Once we deal with that, we'll see what the situation is. Remind them that there's a chance that the masked-nin isn't an Uchiha and has a stolen eye. They won't like it, but it's still true."
The ANBU nods. "Understood," they say, and then they're gone.
"Anyone losing a slavery seal is going to need some serious therapy," Kenzo says, but nothing else.
Toru hums in agreement. "We'll see what they want," he decides and hopes that the masked-nin will be able to decide. There's a chance that they'll be too damaged by the seal. A chance that they'll keep fighting. Some seals increase the chances of such things happening and Toru's not certain about this one.
The door is silent as he opens it. The masked-nin is laid out over what works as a bed in here. It's not made to be one and is really only a metal table with a thin mattress over the top. The masked-nin is no longer masked and Toru knows his ANBU would've taken the ninja's weapons along with cuffing the ninja for safety reasons.
Seeing the masked-nin now, Toru notices how young the ninja looks. Despite the scars that cover half their face, they look closer to Toru's teammates age rather than those like Michi, (who had lived in Uzushio once and then come back, grey hair and wrinkled and much older, but alive nevertheless).
"Let's see what we're working with," Kenzo says aloud. "What ink did you use?" The cloak is peeled away, revealing the dried ink seal.
"Blood-based," Toru answers. "One that's not overly potent as it has been stored in a storage seal. It'll come off with alcohol."
Kenzo nods and gets to work. He pulls out a seal kit and wipes the seal away with alcohol wipes. Toru tenses, chakra flickering at his fingertips, he knows that the masked-nin is unconscious, but there's still something worrying. The chance of the masked-nin waking up and attacking immediately are low, but it's not impossible—and Toru has already seen the damage they can do.
(Toru will not see his people dead by his actions. Kenzo should be safe here. They're not in the middle of a war or a fight or anything, this is what comes after. This is when they should be safe to fall apart and come together and mourn, as well as celebrate the fact they are still alive.)
"Do you know any of the details of the seal?" Kenzo asks.
Toru shakes his head. "I know it's on their heart." The flash Uzushio had shown him, a split-second glimpse of a seal, had been there and gone far too quickly to remember any details. Not to mention, Toru didn't know he needed to remember anything.
"Well," Kenzo says. "This could be interesting then. You might want to get a medic-nin ready. I'll see if I can pull the seal to his skin and actually see the details of it. I'm worried, though, that we won't be able to see the seal without actually seeing his heart."
"Which would require surgery," Toru says understanding. He doesn't want to call any of the medic-nins for this. There are people far more important who need help—his people. Now it's Toru's decision. Does he get a medic-nin for backup and potentially leave his people wounded and suffering, or does he hope that Dai and him can manage without another medic-nin?
In theory, Dai is a classified ANBU team medic even though she's not a proper medic-nin. Toru also has some knowledge, though his skills are much more limited. In the end, the choice is between Toru's people and his maybe-enemy, even a slavery seal can't change Toru's mind. "Dai," he calls quietly, "be ready."
He catches Dai's shift of position and then he returns his gaze to Kenzo, who hasn't stopped working. The fūinjutsu master sketches out a basic seal that Toru knows, made to unlock more complex seals so you could see them in full detail.
There's a flicker of light from the chakra flare and Toru watches with narrowed eyes as dark lines appear on the masked-nin's skin. For a second, it looks like Kenzo's first attempt is going well, but then the seal—the slavery seal—flares as it's automatically activated, likely due to some failsafe, and the ninja gasps, muscles tightening.
"Erratic heart," Kenzo reports, fingers resting on the ninja's neck.
Toru steps forward, Dai with him, and his hands glow green. He gets maybe a second of information before the jutsu collapses, something fighting him. Rather than push through it, Toru cuts off the jutsu. He's not skilled enough to know why the jutsu is acting that way and he'd prefer not to blow his hands off accidentally.
On the other hand, Dai frowns but rests her green-glowing hands over the unconscious ninja's chest. "Heart problems," Dai says. "I think it's the seal fighting us. I don't…" She trails off, uncertain. Toru glances over at Kenzo.
"We're going to need to deal with the seal itself," Kenzo decides. "Can you manage that?"
Dai nods. "Yes," she answers, and there's no hesitation as she cuts open the chest in front of her. It's an absolutely awful idea. It's the only thing they can do.
While Dai does that, Kenzo lays down a Stasis Seal, slowing the ninja's bodily functions and hopefully keeping them from bleeding out. In a few minutes, Dai manages to reveal the heart and nods at Kenzo.
"Shit," is Kenzo's only statement when he manages to look at the seal. "The best thing to do would be to remove the seal. It's going to take too long to undo properly and the seal is fighting us, forcing his body into lock down from the looks of things."
Toru considers the options here. There are a few ways to remove a seal. One is to burn the seal off, the most frequent option, and remove any sign that the seal was there in the first place. The second option is to change the seal so that it becomes a different seal that can then be removed.
"Is our only option burning it off?" Toru asks, and already he knows the answer.
"It is," Kenzo says. "If it wasn't dangerous to keep their chest open, I'd advise otherwise. We don't have that time though. They're already fighting for their life."
"Dai?" Toru asks, watching his teammate who's fully focussed on keeping the person in front of her from dying.
"Not going to be able to help," Dai says with gritted teeth.
There might be someone nearby with medical expertise, but there's no time. Instead, there's Toru. "Kenzo-san, start burning the seal off," Toru decides. "I'll deal with healing the heart. Dai, keep them alive if you can. The moment we're done, we're going to get to work closing their chest up."
"Got it," Kenzo says, while Dai remains quiet and focussed, but Toru had expected that.
He calls the green glow of medical chakra to his hands and Kenzo gets to work. There's almost no space, squished between Kenzo and Dai, one of which has his fingers touching the same heart that Toru's trying to heal.
It's hard work. Toru's barely aware of the chakra running through his veins, the sweat slipping down his face, the way his fingers are beginning to shake as he tries to keep someone from dying.
"Done," Kenzo says, hours or minutes later, Toru isn't certain.
Toru checks over the heart once more, but it seems healthy and whole and steady, he drops the jutsu and steps back. Sora is at his side, providing subtle help and he leans against her. Healing is far more exhausting than fighting and such tricky work had been mentally tiring too.
Meanwhile, Dai is closing the ninja's chest. Souma is right beside her the moment she finishes and he looks like he's holding her up.
"Good job," Toru says, surveying the group. Dai and Kenzo look tired, the former more so than the latter. But they're all alive and the slavery seal has been dealt with. He considers the masked ninja and…
And he can kind of see how they look like an Uchiha. The hair and the skin, adding in the Sharingan. However, Toru can't be sure. "Get the Konoha-nins," Toru decides, glancing at one of the hidden ANBU. "Preferably one of the Uchihas. Say we might have an Uchiha who's been a… POW for a while. We need to see if they can recognise them."
"Hai," the ANBU says before disappearing in a blur.
Toru should probably have a medic-nin look over the maybe-Uchiha too. However, his people are busy and Toru's not going to call a medic-nin. Not until his people are safe and his medic-nins have rested. He's the Uzukage and his people come first, always.
There are only a few minutes before a flare of chakra announces the ANBU's return with two others in tow. Toru knows who he requested, knows that there's a chance it'll be Sasuke and Itachi appearing, (Sasuke, who he loves and left with only a letter; Itachi was should be family but Toru never gave him the chance to be family). It's not the kind of reunion he wants, (he doesn't know what he wants), but it's the only thing he'll get.
No steady breathing will save him here, but Sora presses against him for a second, comfort and love all at once, before stepping away. They all know he has to appear strong here. He is Toru, yes, and knows them, but he is the Uzukage and so he must appear strong, even when his concentration is fading and the long battle is starting to weigh on him, (and to think he hasn't even gotten the casualty numbers yet).
Like him, Dai also stands up properly, but she fades into the shadows like the rest of Toru's teams. They are his guards, not his teammates—not to those Toru faces, (not until he knows he can trust them entirely and he wants to trust them, but it's not just him he's trusting them with, but also Uzushio).
Thankfully, it's not Sasuke who enters. A line of tension fades from Toru's shoulders. That is a reunion that will wait longer. Rather, it's Itachi and Kakashi who enters. Someone who is family and someone who had been a friend—a friend that Toru had left behind without a thought, (he is selfish, but he has always been selfish; he's a ninja after all). Itachi looks settled, but he's always been hard to read.
Kakashi, even masked, is slightly easier to read—simply because Toru knows him, (knows and betrayed). There's a stiffness in his shoulders, likely a snarl behind his mask. And, facing him, Toru knows that he will not apologise. Toru regrets the consequences of his actions, not the actions themselves. He will not give Kakashi an undeserved apology, Kakashi deserves better.
So he will not apologise, he will simply do his best. It's all he can ever do.
"We removed the slavery seal on them heart," Toru says. "When the opportunity comes, I'll have a medic-nin look them over too. At the moment, though, I can't do that. Do you recognise him at all?"
After a heartbeat, Itachi shakes his head softly. "I'm afraid I don't. He does, however, look like an Uchiha."
Toru goes to reply and-
"Obito?" Kakashi's voice is fragile, wavering. He's not staring at Toru or Itachi, but his gaze is focussed on the masked-nin's face. "I- That's Obito."
The hope, the relief, is clear in Kakashi's voice and Toru swallows in the face of it. It's strong and dangerous and Obito, if it is Obito, (he remembers Kakashi's story), attacked them. Whether that was because of the slavery seal remains to be seen.
Toru doesn't ask if Kakashi is certain. Clearly the shinobi is, otherwise he wouldn't bring it up. They can't really confirm anything until Obito wakes. Then again… He could be around the right age, is missing an eye, has the Sharingan. It could be Obito, but it might not be.
The Stasis Seal has been gone for a while now and Toru has a feeling that it won't be long until Obito wakes. If it is Obito, then someone from Konoha should be here because Obito is Konoha's—or had been, at least. Not to mention, Obito had been an Uchiha and Kakashi's friend, (and it is kinder to let them see him wake, see how he is, rather than Toru hiding it).
Obito's breathing increases and his eyes begin flickering beneath his eyelids. Toru signs at his team to be ready. They've resealed Obito's chakra as it's too dangerous to do otherwise, not when he might still attack, (not when it's Uzushio on the line). There are ANBU around too, tense and ready to act with or without Toru's orders, (they will protect him; he is theirs in every way).
Obito comes to rapidly, throwing himself away from the group and rolling against the ground. He places himself in a corner and snarls at them. He looks like nothing more than someone trying to protect himself. Far from the ninja he'd appeared to be earlier, all danger and kunai-sharp.
After a battle, though, so many of them lose that sharpness. The exhaustion weighs on all of them, though they can try to keep it at bay for some time.
"Obito?" Kakashi says. His voice seems to get through Obito's haze, and the other snarls.
"You killed her!" Obito screams and he lunges for Kakashi. Kakashi pauses, clearly uncertain what to do from here. The others are all tense but it's Toru who moves first.
Blurring with speed, he clashes against Obito. Obito is stronger, older, but he's not more experienced and he doesn't have chakra to draw upon on while Toru does, even tired as he is.
Obito doesn't fight against him, just aims for Kakashi. Toru could take him down, could easily slit his throat, but he doesn't do that, just bars the way and watches with narrowed eyes.
Behind him, Itachi's chakra rises with some jutsu and Toru doesn't flinch, (not because he trusts Itachi, but because his team is there and they'll protect him), and Obito falls still. Cautiously, Toru steps back and Obito remains standing and alone.
"You will no longer stand against us," Itachi says, voice strong and certain. And…
(If Toru closes his eyes and senses not Itachi but Shisui behind him, no one has to know. If, for a second, he basks in that familiar chakra signature, there is no one but him who will know. Shisui is dead and there is only a grave for him, but Toru lives on and he carries Shisui with him. He's not the only one who does so.)
Obito looks frozen, like a puppet, and Toru judges it safe enough to step backwards. Angling himself so he can see both Obito and Itachi, Toru asks, "What did you do?"
(Itachi and Toru never spoke about Shisui, not really, not in depth. They'd mentioned him, briefly, acknowledged their connections to him and his importance in their life, but not touched on much more. Perhaps they should have, maybe it'd have made their ties stronger. But there is just this that lies between them: a wealth of stories untold and Shisui lost amongst them.)
Still, Itachi pauses, gaze flickering to Toru briefly, (perhaps he sees Shisui standing there, or maybe he just sees the shadow of Shisui that lingers in Toru's face). "Shisui left me an eye," he says, "to protect Konoha. It is only fitting that it be used now."
Toru's breath doesn't catch in his throat, even though he feels like it should. The number of times Shisui has saved him, even after death, is more than it should be. There are the big things, like ROOT, and smaller things too. However, his question hadn't been whose eye, though it does explain the crow sitting on Itachi's shoulder with a spinning Sharingan, (and the familiar chakra signature that Toru had almost forgotten—or maybe he did forget, maybe what he remembers is only a figment of his imagination). "What did you do?" He repeats, voice softer than it perhaps should be, but then again Shisui is involved so perhaps it can be forgiven.
"He will no longer fight against us. His willingness to do so has been… decreased is perhaps the best word to use. He will remember his actions and why he took them, but he won't want to keep fighting. It is a genjutsu that becomes real life."
Itachi's explanation leaves a bit to be desired. The exact intricacies are still unknown, but there's no evidence. They will only see in time. "Very well," Toru says. Itachi nods, graceful as ever, and Obito moves, actions stuttering.
"I don't-" His voice breaks. "I can't stop fighting," he says, even as he remains still, shoulders high and body tense, but not making a single move to continue fighting. "If I stop—if I stop there's nothing more!"
(If he stops, he will have wasted years and years and decades all for nothing. If he stops, everything he's done will have been for nothing. If he stops, all the pain he's caused is inexcusable.)
"You had a seal on you," Toru says, words harsh. There's no one to gentle them, no way to make this kinder. He will say the truth and Obito will have to hear it. "It was a slavery seal that influenced your decisions and directed your actions. There's nothing compelling you to do anything now."
But, Toru knows, that does not mean the compulsion won't still be there. It'll be habit for Obito to fall into certain thought patterns, to place the blame in certain directions. But the lack of the slavery seal paired with Shisui's genjutsu… That might be enough to break it down.
Obito blinks, long and slow, and he falls into himself. "What did I do?" He asks, words something horrified and awful and directed at himself. "I don't-" He chokes. "What did I do?"
"What you were forced to do," Toru says and it's not enough, will never be enough, (and he doesn't know when Obito got the seal or how many of his actions had been his, but he will be kind and not blame him as best he can).
"Come home," Kakashi says, (and they are so old and so young and none of them have ever gone through any of this; a friend long gone and dead returned to you—how does anyone react?).
"No," Obito spits out, fierce and wild and wide-eyed. "No! Konoha—Konoha let Rin die." He laughs, ragged and hurting, and so, so young. "Konoha is not my home. Perhaps it never was."
Toru doesn't know any stories of Obito beyond what Kakashi shared with him. Toru doesn't know Obito, not at all. But Obito had been an Uchiha and had died, left behind and been a prisoner of war. Knowing that and being a ninja, Toru can read a story there, (and maybe he sees things he wants to see, but everyone is fallible and Toru is only human, grieving and aching like all the rest).
Obito is no longer the Uchiha boy who was a genin who died. The memories of Konoha, the ones about the boy who always came late, the boy who was dead-last, they are not Obito as he now stands. Konoha and all the memories the village hold will not help Obito, not as he struggles to re-find who he is. And, perhaps, Konoha is to blame for some of the pain Obito went through. Konoha is the one who set him into the war, (Konoha who had Danzō and had so many dark shadows and traps and no one looked out for them; Konoha is easy to love, but Konoha can just as easily hurt you—perhaps that's the nature of love).
"You don't have to go there," Toru says. After all, this won't be the first time Uzushio has held a potential enemy. Perhaps, like there was with Orochimaru, they can do something here. Help Obito somehow. "You are welcome to stay here, but you will be treated by my people for a period of time."
There are many things Toru leaves unsaid. He makes no promises, doesn't mention freedom. In the end, Uzushio's a village largely unknown by the world as it stands today. Their past reputation is behind them. Uzushio is, above all else, a village of unknowns. Yes, reputations and stereotypes are frequently wrong, (and every ninja worth their chakra knows that villages hide things), but that doesn't mean Uzushio is the worst place to be either.
Regardless, it'll be a leap of faith for Obito. Toru makes no promises about releasing him. In fact, he doesn't mention whether Obito will be considered a prisoner or not.
Despite this, however, Obito simply jerks his head in a rough nod. "Yes," he says, (and he looks so lost, so angry, so defeated).
Toru nods. "For now, your chakra will be contained," he says. "You will be given everything you may need for the next days, including meals at the right time. The moment we can, I'll have someone discuss everything in detail."
"You have things to do first," Obito says and he's correct, so Toru simply inclines his head. There's nothing else for him to do, nothing else he can do.
(Here is what Toru did not say: we are family, you and I, by blood. Blood, after all, means nothing. In the end, it has always comes down to choices. Now is Obito's chance to choose.)
The terms of surrender are discussed for multiple parties. And, ever so slowly, healing begins to happen.
Not gonna lie, I didn't realise this was going to be a Kage!Konan fic until I started writing it and realised how much sense it made. It makes so much sense for Konan to be the Kage.
Not sure whether I liked how the whole Obito & slavery seal bit worked out, to be honest. But I've gotten this far and I also can't simply delete Obito from the whole story, though it would make a better story I would argue.
Not much to say for this chapter, so I might leave it off here. After all, very little happened, it was just long.
Hope you're all doing well!