Obito took a shuddering breath. He winced as the action caused pain in his lungs―lung. Only in his right one, he couldn't feel his left one. Actually, he couldn't feel much of anything on his left side. He tried breathing slowly and shallowly in an effort to soothe the pain.
He doesn't usually get emotional. But, at that moment he wanted to cry. He never thought he would end up here, that crushed under a boulder was how Uchiha Obito would die. And just when he was starting to understand Kakashi too. The more he got to know him, the more he realized he wasn't all trashy, just...misunderstood.
And Rin. He never got to tell her how he felt. That's what hurt him the most. More than the pain in his eye, and more than the rib in his liver. He would give anything to see her again, or even just make sure she got home safe.
His musings were cut short when he felt a very small chakra signature on the edge of his senses. He would be the first to admit that he wasn't a sensor. He thought he might've mistaken it for a rabbit or something.
"Hello?" he called out, hoping to scare it away. But he didn't expect the chakra to fluctuate similar to a human being's.
Immediately, dread filled him. What if it was Iwa reinforcements? His team didn't leave too long ago. What if they go after them? They could definitely catch up with the state Rin and Kakashi were in. He had to do something; give them more time somehow to escape.
"Wh-who are you?" He tried to keep the fear out of his voice.
The signature seemed to hesitate a bit. But after a moment, they forcefully exhaled and came closer.
"...I'm a ghost," they said.
Obito could feel them more clearly now that they were nearby. He noticed that they had small chakra reserves, and coupled with the feminine voice, he figured it was a little girl.
The dread of it being an enemy left him. Instead, his heart grew heavy at the idea of someone so young wandering alone on a battlefield.
"Ehhh, seriously? Are you here to haunt me?" He went along with the joke.
"...That depends. Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Uchiha Obito! The most badass shinobi in Konoha!" He tried to proclaim with as little pressure as possible on his lungs. But it didn't help as a coughing fit wracked him. He could feel the blood make its way to his mouth and spill over the side of his face.
He hoped he didn't frighten the child.
"You're trapped under a rock," she deadpanned.
"Urk―minor setback," he said as he gave a trembling smile that she didn't seem scared. Though he wasn't sure how comforting that could be seeing as there was blood pooling in his eye-socket and some streaming from his lips.
"That's―" the girl started to say, but stopped as another coughing fit tore through Obito. This one lasted longer than the last, and he felt even worse.
"You're going to die at this rate."
"Heh," he said once he caught his breath. "Don't suppose you can help out?"
"...I cannot fully heal you." She sounded a little sad. But what was he expecting from a child?
"Figures," he sighed. "I doubt anyone can."
"But I can help you."
"Wha―" he managed to say before he heard the familiar shiiing of a blade being drawn from its sheath.
"I hope you stay dead, Uchiha Obito." He felt the air shift around him as she raised her sword.
"No, no no no wait―!"
"Rest In Peace."
The blade came mere inches to his face before it stopped with a low thunk.
"Wait indeed," said another voice. This one sounded like a man's. But where had he come from? Obito couldn't feel him at all.
The girl gasped and jumped outside of his sensing range. The man was seemingly gone too.
He was left alone in the darkness once again.