Most Wanted Man For Her!

by Nasha Rei-Kun

Obito had assumed living a new life to be a chance for an actual new beginning... Turns out, his beginnings were trash because he'd been born to a kingdom's worst mafia lord. Being notorious wasn't new because of that but due to meeting a special girl, who needed someone in her life, he'd become the Canopy Kingdom's Most Wanted Man...Depending on who he got close to at the time.

Yeah, this story is a kind of Three Choices thing.

Those options being Parasoul, Valentine (+ Hallow), and… ELIZA!

Still have no idea how I'd do that last one but it's so far away, I'll bench it.

In other idea news, Hellavu Boss and Killing Bites are on the chopping block of story ideas along with more of Ten Steps.

~NRK~

He smiled as he waited by the school's front, rolling his neck.

'What should we eat today?' he thought, his hand combing through his head of spiky black hair, his coal-black eyes looking out over the sea of teens leaving school. "... Ah, there she is," he waved down a girl who grinned as she saw him.

She and one other girl ran up to him, his white chef's coat open for his dark blue shirt to be seen as he leaned against the car behind him, his black slacks and black dress shoes hitched up.

"Obito!" the blonde said as she and her friend came to an end. "You came?" Her blue eyes looked confused.

She wore a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a blue bar that didn't meet at the middle of her stomach but rounded her back. She had on a dark blue skirt that led down peach skin to her thigh-high socks, leading to her black shoes.

Her platinum blonde hair fell down to her shoulders with a black hairband that kept her two, long, bangs to come down the sides of her face.

"Yes, your father was in the middle of a meeting with some fellow stockholders and Vitale, Filia," Obito said as the girl hummed.

"It must be another big hit," she said before turning to the girl at her side. "Carol, we've gotta finish our homework quickly before snoopin' on dad."

The girl next to her, wearing the same uniform as she but with a short-sleeved top, giggled, her brown hair falling down her back, not unlike Filia's, but only ending at her nape, the hair framing her face.

Her pink eyes gleamed with mirth as she answered. "Filia, we have an essay to do, I don't think we'd finish in time," Carol said with her hands behind her back. "Might need to shelve that idea for another day."

"Tsk," Filia snapped her fingers, no real fire in her tone, as she sighed. "I guess… Ya know, I'm completely sad, Obito, I might need comfort food to come out of this depression," Carol snickered.

Obito rolled his eyes before gesturing to the car. "We'll see what happens if you do enough of your homework."

Filia grinned as she got into the car. "Heck yeah!"

Carol giggled. "Thank you, Obito."

"No issue, Carol," Obito said as she got into the vehicle before he went around and got into the driver's seat. "Buckle up."

"Seatbelts are oppression, just saying."

"So is a car crash."

They took off after that exchange, Carol giggling before grinning at her friend.

"It is less oppressive, now that I think about it," she said as Filia pouted.

"One day."

They traveled through the city before the car took them a bit out of the main areas to one of the suburbs, Maplecrest, one of the wealthier ones in the city of New Meridian.

Finding his way to one of the homes, one of the larger ones, he got out in the driveway before going around.

"Nuh-uh!" Filia was out of the vehicle in seconds. "I can get out myself!" she said proudly.

Obito raised a brow as he opened the door for Carol. "Right…"

The blonde didn't look defeated in the least.

They made it inside of the two-story manor, Obito opening the door for the two girls.

Obito immediately went to the kitchen with the girls finding their positions in the large living room.

Obito entered the large kitchen, going to work over a large pan, heating it a good bit before throwing in some oil.

He then threw in some wine, the flames high and flaring before he started melting some cheese shreds within.

A boiling pot, that he'd left on a low simmer before getting Filia, was his next destination, his tongs pulling out al dente pasta noodles before adding it to his cheesy pan.

Mid-way to through explaining how essays weren't fair to children all over the world, Filia perked up, nose catching a whiff of the food in the kitchen.

"Let's put this on hold," she said immediately as she stood up, Carol snickering as she followed. "Let us EAT!" Filia announced as she led the way to the kitchen. "Obito, plate me up!"

"Hm, hm, yes, ma'am," the cook chuckled from the kitchen as the two came in. "Just sit at the table, I'll have you served in a few moments."

Doing as he said, the two fourteen-year-olds grinned as Obito served them, the food steaming in its freshly-baked state.

Filia smelled it and felt a good shiver run up her spine. "YES!" she cheered before taking the offered fork from Obito. "Thank you!"

Blowing on her food a little, she shoved it in her mouth before humming a happy tune as she tasted it all. Heck yes!

Carol smiled as Obito offered her some chopsticks, the female brunette grinning as she told him her thanks before digging in.

Blowing on it for thirty seconds, she placed it in her mouth and giggled as she chewed.

There were five clatters of steps coming down from upstairs.

"Is that food I smell?" Came a man's voice as five people came into view. "Hm, sorry, Filia, we were busy."

"It's fine, dad," Filia said as she ate. "Obito already made food!"

Filia's father was a well-built man who could normally be seen wearing a set of brown shoes, black slacks and suspenders, a blue dress shirt, and a tie on.

He had square, manly, features, bearing black hair that connected down to his chin with thick sideburns. His chin was left covered in stubble as his tan skin was slightly wrinkled with age.

Blue eyes peered through rectangular glasses as he smiled at the trio, two people of the group stepping up to his sides.

"I'm excited for your cooking, Obito," a woman said, her blonde hair and black eyes shifting as they looked into the living room. "Did you have homework to do?" she directed at Filia who swallowed.

"Uh, yeah, but Obito's cooking is the bee's knees, mom!"

Filia's mother rolled her eyes even as she chuckled a bit as she wore her usual long white skirt, a black top had long sleeves and a pearl necklace around her neck.

These two were Marcus and Amelia Medici, Amelia marrying in, both of them Filia's parents.

A stout man at Marcus's other side, opposite Amelia, smelled the air.

"Hmm, you've taken to your profession with ease and skill, Obito," he said as he adjusted his monocle, his skin a similar light tan to Marcus's and his hair as well, though the latter was more cleanly cut with his chin baring a square goatee instead of stubble. "I must say, you've certainly never disappointed."

His body was covered in a maroon suit which revealed his black shoes, white dress shirt, and black tie.

"Vitale," Obito nodded before tilting his head at the pan. "Are you all going to be eating with us today?"

"No, we'll be leaving," the two other men said with a nod to him. "It smells nice but our wives will handle our stomachs. Marcus, Amelia, Vitale, take care. We can talk at the annual meet and greet."

"Thank you, the same to you. Be careful out there," Marcus said as Amelia smiled at the two stockholders. "Will you be eating with us, Vitale?"

"Hmmm… Very well," Obito smirked at his answer. "Obito's cooking matches all the chefs in the compound, I'd be foolish to pass up one of his meals."

Marcus didn't look happy with the mention of the word 'compound' but he nodded. "Come along, let us partake in our brother's meals."

Yup, these two men were Obito's siblings, so he was named Obito Medici.

And oh boy, did that last name come with issues. Ever since being born to the most notorious man in the city, possibly the world, Obito wouldn't say he wasn't aware of how Lorenzo Medici was viewed.

The police were bribed by him, all lawyers dealt with, even the very military. All save for the princess had given up on fighting the Medicis.

Obito wasn't unused to being hated, his previous childhood and later war efforts made him very used to hate… But there was a really sad turn when, even as a kid, he'd be suspected and then feared of pulling a crime.

… There weren't enough words in the English alphabet to explain just how messed up that was.

So, yeah, Obito held no love for his father, even if he wasn't sure how old the man truly was.

Marcus had recently cut ties with the Medici some four or so years ago, leaving both Obito and Vitale in it.

Obito wasn't in it for the family so much as he just saw use in the organization. Had he killed people to get here? Sure but those same people were other mafioso, Obito had no qualms in killing those kinds of people.

And, anyone else, had him using a small liberal use of genjutsu to change goals. Not even Lorenzo was able to fight against his Sharingan.

So, yes, he and Vitale were still in the Medici mafia with Vitale taking more to the role with vigor compared to Obito and Marcus.

The family plus Carol ate before talking about simple matters.

"Filia, how has school been so far?" Marcus asked. "It's your first go-around in high school, isn't it?"

Filia, eating her second serving of her uncle's cooking, tilted her head at her dad before wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"It's fine, most of the subjects are kind of challenging, actually," she grinned. "That said, with a little studying, they're pretty easy."

"Is that what you said earlier?" Obito asked with a raised brow, sitting next to Carol who was next to Filia, leaving him next to Vitale. "I was shocked that the one who thinks essays are evil would say that."

"Of course they're still evil," Filia tutted her finger. "Just because I'm good at dealing with them doesn't make it not oppression against kids everywhere."

"What about people who like doing essays?"

"Uncle, those types we call 'the betrayers'," Obito shook his head as Marcus and Amelia laughed. "No one enjoys writing essays, that's why I can bet not even the princess writes her own speeches."

"Are you sure about that?" Amelia asked. "Princess Parasoul has been a rather all-arounder, as they say."

"... Eh," Filia seesawed her hand. "Fine, it's a maybe but I'm betting it's a hard maybe."

"Hm, hm," Obito shook his head before turning to Carol. "What about you, Carol? Is Filia rubbing off on you?"

The girl snickered. "No, not really. Though she is right that math is evil at times."

"Who in the world uses the Pythagorean Theorum?!"

"Filia," Marcus raised a brow.

"... Who uses it that I don't care about?" Filia corrected, getting a slight chuckle from her dad. "I mean, how many people do we, collectively, know who uses it?"

Vitale's face blank in thought.

"... Uncle, I know you can't. Especially not when you have sleazy guys like Riccardo around."

"Filia, if he does try something, I will literally traverse this city to deal with him," Vitale said with a huff. "That boy's hands are far too… willing if you will. He's supposed to be on a 'date'," he twitched his fingers. "But chances are high that this one will end all the same."

"Riccardo…" Marcus frowned as Obito shook his head.

"If I see him, I'll instill enough fear in him to scare him smart," Obito said with a shrug. "He's an idiot, Vitale. I don't see what you see in him."

"Mindless labor?"

"... That's one thing, I guess."

"Speaking of dates," Amelia turned to Obito with a smile as the hidden ninja Medici's eyebrow twitched. "Obito, have you met any nice women as of late?"

"... No?" he answered unsurely as Carol giggled and Filia smirked. "My love life is rather vacant… Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Marcus rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "It's just, well, the Denairs have been coming over and their eldest daughter has spoken some very good words about you," the blonde woman smiled.

Obito's did the same back but it was shaky and as unreal as Filia's love for homework. "How nice…"

"Come on, Obito, ya gotta strut yer stuff!" Filia said. "I bet that all you'd have to do is work out in front of him, the world is yours!"

"Odder words have never been spoken," Obito said as if she'd offended him.

"While not in so many words," Vitale spoke up, shocking Obito more than he could ever imagine. "You're young, powerful, and wealthy, securing a progeny is something I had expected of you a while ago."

"What?"

"Well that's certainly a motivator," Amelia said as Marcus's brow was raised. "Why, if even Vitale is saying you're in that time of your life, you should probably think about it."

Obito groaned.

---

He sat against the wall by his bed, eyes peering at the window across from him.

Dinner had gone well enough, Vitale having kept to his word of not mentioning the family business around Filia or her friend… Too bad that seemed to open the mobster's mind up to Obito's love life.

And, having said those two words earlier, Obito was stuck on them.

Love life. His own love life. God, saying those words had caused him more trouble than was worth.

When it came to love, Obito was easily able to admit, he was shit at it. Never mind, everything that was Rin in his life, he'd never been on a date or liked a normal woman before.

Notice that he said 'normal'. In the past couple of years, he'd only seen one woman who had managed to gain his respect and some of his attraction.

Princess Parasoul Renoir. He wouldn't say he was in love with her body, no, not really… It was her hair.

That bright red reminded him of someone he'd wrong so horribly in the past. One might think he should have been turned away from her with just that but he also knew that she wasn't Kushina… Who, as a kid, he'd had a slight crush on along with Rin.

Yes, Obito was a hopeless boy and now man. God, could his life get any more complicated?

He sighed before closing his eyes.

… Maybe he'd take Amelia up on her offer? It's not like he was drowning in women, after all.

… Or maybe not…

~NRK~

Close to half a year later and there'd been an incident with his father.

Obito and Vitale stood in the main elevator of the Medici Compound.

Obito, dressed in a three-piece dark blue suit, frowned as tied back some of his hair into a short, bushy, ponytail. Over his head was a similarly colored fedora with a black band.

"What happened?" Obito asked as Vitale growled.

"It seems that there have been a set of thieves out for the Life Gem," he said as the elevator doors opened up. "We're here, father," Vitale said as he and Obito walked into the highest floor of the compound.

The people Obito saw there wasn't surprising.

First, of course, was none other than Lorenzo Medici. Kingpin, underground king, mobster, all of it counted as a title with what he's accomplished.

Lorenzo was a tall man with a sharp chin and prominent nose. Bearing white skin, dark blue eyes, and neatly-combed light tan hair, and goatee, he presented himself as a man who had and wanted power. If it wasn't his clean, silky, light brown suit or the lavish red tassel over his shoulders, he had an image, Obito would admit.

Next to his seat, and probably the person Obito spent more time speculating about, was none other than Black Dahlia. The right-hand woman of his father and another person whose looks were a complete dissonance to her actual age.

She was tall and curvy, having a small waist and a perfect hourglass figure despite being in her 50s.

She wore a rich purple strapless dress that had a slit down her right leg side to reveal said limb and the garter hose on it.

Her shoulders were covered by a large white mantle that fell down to her backside at her back and just above her chest in front. Her most notable features, however, were the gun for an arm she had in place of an actual right arm.

Secondly was her face, which was to say, you couldn't see it due to a dark veil she wore over it that fed into a blue hat on her head with a jewel and feathers on it. The only part of her head actually being revealed was dark gray hair that was set in a small bun at the back of her head and two bangs falling down the sides of her face.

Next to the two were about ten of their underlings, nondescript individuals who Obito didn't bother remembering.

"Obito, Vitale, my sons," Lorenzo spoke, his voice silky but filled with conviction. "Hmm, sad to see your other siblings not being here but Marcus made his choice. For now, we have an issue," his smile turned into a frown. "There have been attempts on the Life Gem," he said as he removed an item from beneath his desk.

It was perfectly spherical and crimson red like blood.

The Life Gem, an artifact from back in the days of the Parasytes first started walking the earth.

There were many other such items like it, Obito would know, he'd found one and held onto it in secret.

"We've been informed," Vitale said as he adjusted his tie. "What is the plan of action-"

-V-Vitale!- the group heard from the second son of Lorenzo's tie.

"Cerebella?!" he said to it. "What's wrong?!"

-The Black Egrets are here!-

Lorenzo's eyes narrowed as Black Dahlia chuckled.

"It seems like the princess is here for you," she said, her tone mature and smooth. "Want me to go down there and…" she cocked her gun arm.

"... No, let's see how far they can come," he said with a smile. "Obito, I want you by my side for protection. Vitale, come and stand before me, keep me updated on the situation."

The two followed his orders, Obito standing at his father's left side with Black Dahlia on his right.

"Hm, hm, it's been a while, young man," she said to him and Obito nodded.

"Similar pleasantries, Ms. Dahlia," Obito responded respectfully.

"Oooooh, you haven't changed, that's good to see," she chuckled. "I'm glad to see my very first pupil hasn't gone off the deep end somewhere and somehow."

"I literally cook at my brother's place."

"Yes and yet you must be torn, watching him and his wife giggle, trade jokes, and the like," Obito was horribly confused. "We need to find you someone to settle down with soon enough, Marcus has already failed us and Vitale's son isn't… bright," she finished after some thought.

"Lawrence can be dense, at times, Black Dahlia," Vitale said with a sigh. "Of that, you will find no rebellion."

"We've all met Lawrence, Vitale," Lorenzo shook his head with a sigh. "For being gifted with a strong stature, it seems as if he traded away his intelligence," the kingpin turned his gaze to Obito with a smile. "But Dahlia is correct, you need to continue your family's legacy! Unless Vitale can add another offspring, it is up to you, Obito!"

"Kind of dramatic, father."

"Sometimes, it is necessary."

-T-They're c-coming… I'm sorry, I-I couldn't hold all of them off.-

"It is fine, my dear, find a place of retreat. We're already ready," Vitale turned off the mic as the elevator he and his sibling had just been in began to climb. "They are here."

"Hmm, remember to aim well, Obito," Black Dahlia said as she aimed at the door. "We must ensure a good end for a princess."

"I've heard that she's rather martially talented," Obito said as he removed a long dagger from a holster on his lower back. "Underestimating others is the first Black Rule, is it not?"

"Mmmm, oh, if I'd been capable of bearing children," Obito's brows furrowed in… well, not disgust but certainly displeasure.

He wasn't vain but she was too old for him… mentally. He didn't know what her face looked like but, if she was also making liberal use of the Life Gem like his father, she probably looked as young as her legs made one judge.

So, he wouldn't say he was disgusted but certainly not willing.

Vitale's eyebrows also furrowed as he formed a confused expression on his face while Lorenzo laughed.

"Goodness, I wish such was the case, Dahlia!" he chuckled. "Goodness, imagine students with physical abilities that aligned with an assassin's. It'd be a whole other branch for the family to have!"

Black Dahlia giggled as Obito kept a neutral expression, the elevator dinging as it finally reached their floor.

'Thank god,' he didn't want to have to try and navigate around not wanting to sleep with Black Dahlia.

He knew that she'd take such a challenge to come after whatever chastity he even had.

When the elevator opened, it revealed none other than the Black Egrets, their guns already pointed out at the group as is.

Then there was the sound of soft taps against the floor, Princess Parasoul Renoir coming through the sea of her soldiers.

Her black sweater + skirt combo hid enough of her and allowed for her long legs to be seen and used as weapons. Her feet were covered by reinforced ballet flats and, in her arms, was a Living Weapon.

A Living Weapon was kind of like a jinchuuriki but in an object that could use the skills the power in it had. Not just that but most had some form of compatibility to add on, so you couldn't just take and use one you stole from someone else.

And the one she held was one of the notable ones, Krieg, one of the four combat umbrellas of the Renoir family.

Being a purple color, it had several eyes on it that were yellow and dotted each side of the weapon evenly.

"Ah, you must be… Parasoul Renoir, yes?" Lorenzo smiled kindly at her, a snake in its dead skin. "How is the Royal Family doing these days, might I ask?" he grinned. "A little less cozy at home, I take it?"

"Death eventually comes for us all, Lorenzo," Parasoul said with a frown. "None of us can hide from it forever, no matter how tall your tower may be."

Vitale winced at that particular sore topic. "F-Father, perhaps it is not wise to antagonize-"

"Am I dead yet? No? Then seeing as it's MY city, I shall do whatever it is I damn well, please! Speaking of which," Lorenzo's eyes went flat. "WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?! Give these HAS BEENS the send-off they deserve!"

Obito grit his teeth before three knives were in the air in half a second, that large member of the Black Egrets blocked them with… the tanks on his arm?

Obito was left dumbfounded for a moment as gunfire rang throughout the area, flaming yes orbs, hand cannon fire, electricity?

… Well, in New Meridian, it wasn't that odd, was it?

He ducked as a stray orange 'tear' landed near him, his eyes narrowed as he and Black Dahlia jumped away from it, the woman carrying his father.

Rolling to a stop, Obito frowned as he considered what he needed to do.

He couldn't let the Black Egrets fall here, that was for sure. Obito held barely any love for his father and most of that had died when he saw everything that the Medicis had a hand in.

So, yeah, he didn't really care for them winning here at all.

So he did the smartest thing and approached the weakest members of the Black Egrets, running, dashing, sliding, and rolling until he was under, and in, the group's space. His knife was replaced in its holster, there was no need for the killing weapon.

He palmed the stomach of one of them before swinging around with a backhand at the face of another. Obito heard the one behind him and bent backward before pushing off in that direction.

The man lost his breath as Obito's hard head slammed into his chest before the Medici rotated and sent a kick to his temple, knocking him out.

This was the best way. If he faked handling all the small fry, that left the strongest of the militant's group alone to do as they pleased.

And, seeing as there were only ten goons and Black Dahlia was handling protecting Lorenzo, Obito grinned as he locked a man's head in his arm before, in an act of flexibility, brought his knee up to slam into his head.

He fell limp and Obito dropped afterward only to backflip as a hail of gunfire and bullets tore into his previous space.

Landing in a crouch, Obito frowned before sidestepping the large member of the Black Egrets' hammer fists, the earth where he'd just been cratering.

Obito leaped back before kicking off to the side as lightning sprung to life in his general direction.

'Huh,' he slid, hopped, rolled, and jumped over all the attacks with difficulty. 'These seals are a real pain in the ass.'

To keep his abilities a secret, Obito had to lock away his power, lest some random form of technology catch him unawares.

He grunted as he jumped onto the large Egrets' member's swung arm before shooting down the length of the limb to slam his feet into the large man's head.

---

Panzerfaust, the largest member of the Black Egrets since ever, saw stars for the first time in a long time.

He stumbled back but the blue-suited one followed him!

He swung out with a tank arm and the guy dodged it! It was crazy!

He clenched his fist before pointing his other tank arm at the Medici.

Panzerfaust shot out a tank shell but he missed!

Yeah! He knew! It was super crazy-

A foot found the side of his head, knocking his helmet a bit loose. No! That was his special helmet!

The guy landed in front of him, smirking as his cool hat sat upon his head.

"Panzer, move!" he heard behind him, simply taking a step to the right to allow the Medici guy to be seen.

Adam, his grey-haired friend, ran past and got into a fight with special suit Medici!

Panzer's world was turning upside down!

---

Obito palmed aside the military man's punch before kicking him in his shin and following up with a roundhouse that sent him sliding away just in time for the Medici-born Uchiha to see a glasses-bearing woman with an odd cannon in front of her.

"Eat SCIENCE!"

She pressed a button and his eyes went flat at the lightning that came out.

Obito dodged to the side before being set upon by the gray-haired one.

"Hm!" He blocked an overhead before jabbing the man in the face.

"Kough!" he was stunned before Obito landed a punch into his stomach. "Pueaw!"

Stepping in close, Obito grabbed the man before rotating to the side and then slamming him into the floor.

Looking at his downed opponent, he looked up to lock gaze with a cannon.

Well, at least he was being occupied-

The area rumbled in an instant, leaving all combatants to catch their footing.

"What now?!" Lorenzo shouted as the rumble came to a stop. "Wha-?!"

The windows on the floor broke apart as a floating figure appeared.

All eyes widened at the sight of her.

The Skullgirl.

This was Obito's first time seeing one in person and so he took her in.

For one, she couldn't have been older than thirteen, twelve max. Floating in the air, he could only guess she was five feet tall.

Her skin was a wicked white and her hair a pale blue set in a pair of pigtails tied off with skull bands.

She was dressed in a maid outfit… Yea, just… Just a maid outfit. The modest ones, that is.

It was a long black dress-like outfit with a white apron over top and white frills on the hem of the dress. It covered her entirely save for her back where pure bone could be seen.

Her legs were covered in white stocking and she had on black shoes with latches. All around her, Obito saw a glowing, flaming, blue aura that emitted from her back.

All in all, it was the Skullgirl in the flesh. No pun or joke intended.

Her glowing blue eyes looked down at the leader of the Medici family who sneered.

"Oh, the Skullgirl, is it?"

"Protect father!" Vitale ordered the recovering goons. "Tsk! Brother!"

Obito cursed as the Skullgirl's eyes turned on him-

Obito kicked the military man at his side before using that same move to jump back and away from the flame blast that devoured the space where the both of them had been.

Adam stared at the destruction before him, mouth dropped.

'He saved me?' he didn't understand whatever the hell had happened.

Was there another mole in the Medicis?

Obito, on the other hand, grit his teeth as the Skullgirl's eyes narrowed.

"You won't get away this time," she said, hand raised towards Obito. "Die."

Obito ran to the side, flaming bursts of energy at his trail.

'This was NOT part of the plan!' he told himself. 'Goddammit!'

He cursed in his head as he jumped up and over an enclosing ring of bones, skidding to a stop by the broken open windows.

"?!" Vitale's eyes widened at Obito's position, his hand ushering his father into a secret elevator. "... Tsk!"

Obito didn't mind as he bit his thumb, drawing blood, before running it down one of three rings on his wrist.

Chakra spiralled into his body, his eyes resolute in facing off against the Skullgirl.

Her eyes narrowed as he pulled out his knife only for her to be blindsided by an explosion at her side.

"AAAHHH!" she screamed as she hit the floor in front of Obito, trembling arms pushing her up as she glared to her left, Black Dahlia's smoking barrel of an arm greeting her sight.

The pigtailed girl grimaced as she looked at the up-the-ready Obito.

She'd gotten careless! She wanted to curse herself for doing that.

Sadly, there was no time for that as she formulated a plan.

Obito felt relieved as the Skullgirl was downed, thankful to not reveal any portion of his skills.

"Well this is disappointing," the veiled woman said with a sigh. "All that build-up and you end up being a pipsqueak," she shrugged. "Well, this will certainly be interesting to finish. I've never hunted a Skullgirl before."

"G-Grrr," the mangled-looking being growled as she floated unsurely. "You've not seen the worst of my wrath! H-Had I been able to draw more power from the Heart… So be it! I'll be back for you people!"

Obito had let his guard down, seeing her float away from them slowly but with her eyes on them all.

So, when her hand jutted out, flames blasting towards him, he'd jumped back on instinct.

That'd been a bad idea as the only thing behind him had been-!

He fell.

"NO!" Dahlia and Vitale shouted in unison before the former took aim at the cackling Skullgirl.

"I'm coming for the rest of you!" she said before disappearing into the sky, voice echoing for a moment before dissipating as well.

"Tsk!" Vitale grimaced before looking woefully at where his sibling had been. "That damn Skullgirl!" He turned to the military. "Tsk!"

Then there was the crunch of glass as a hand slammed into some of the shattered window pieces as Obito climbed back onto the floor.

"That damn kid," he said to himself as he stood up and brushed off his clothes.

"... Hmmm, I guess your reflexes have grown in your time away from me," Dahlia said with some relief before she reloaded her revolver of an arm. "Now, Ms. Renoir, I believe this is your exit strategy."

"Hmph," Lorenzo scoffed before grinning at the princess as well. "Hm, hm, hm! How anti-climatic for you, princess. Would you like leave now or try and test your luck?"

"I've seen all that I need to see," Parasoul said with narrowed eyes. "I've warned you, Lorenzo, death will come for you eventually," she said before Panzerfaust lifted her up along with many of the other important members of the Black Egrets. "I'll be back after dealing with this threat in the city."

There was a helicopter outside the tower, getting a raised brow from Obito who sweatdropped.

Wouldn't it have just been a better idea to kill Lorenzo with that thing?!

He sighed, looking up one last time at the Egrets only to catch gaze with Adam.

The military man looked confused but Obito closed his eyes and crossed his arms, turning away from him.

---

The car ride back to headquarters was certainly… chaotic.

Adam had informed the group of what had happened while Roxie and Molly provided their testimony.

Listening to it all, Parasoul's eyes narrowed as she cupped her chin.

"I'd be dead had he not have saved me," Adam admitted with a wince. "Apologies."

"No… This is good information to have," the princess said. '... It's not possible, is it?'

That man… Hadn't she met him before… Her eyes narrowed in thought.

If he was the brother of Vitale, that meant it could only be one of two people. And since Marcus Medici had cut ties with the Medici mafia some good years ago… Her eyes widened.

---

"I can't guarantee that I'm any good," he said with a shake of the head. "Just do what you've got to help this kingdom, Ms. Renoir."

---

No… It was that Obito, right? The one who'd been in Renoir Academy… She hadn't known that he was of the Medici?!

… His words made far more sense now than they had back then.

'You utter fool,' she thought with a mental grimace. 'You should have told me!'

But then, she asked herself, what would she have done? They'd been at war and, had she forced any amount of their forces to deal with the Medici back then, they'd be dealing with divided numbers and a Skullgirl.

"... Ma'am," Adam spoke up, taking her out of her reverie. "What do you think we should do with this information?"

"Sure we should do anything?" Came Molly's voice, a short woman with curly brown hair in a bun, a tan shirt, green skirt, and boots on. "This might have been one of those 'You only get one' type deals!"

"But then why would a Medici give us any kind?" Came the voice of Roxy, their mechanic, a sturdy black woman in a blue shirt and tan pants. "Adam, you didn't know this guy before, did ya?"

"Not that I can think of," Adam frowned. "It doesn't add up."

Parasoul cupped her chin. "... We've observed all the Medicis over time, we know where he is at all times, keep a closer eye on him for the foreseeable future."

The group nodded at that.

If there was a traitor in the Medicis… Well, that certainly wouldn't be the worst outcome.

~NRK~

It's been half a year before that event that had Obito blinking at the tail-wagging dog, Filia's assured smirk all he needed to see to know how this had gone down.

Carol wore an apologetic smile. "Um, Mr. Uchiha, do you think you could…"

Obito crouched next to the dog with a raised brow.

"You want to help them, right?"

"Yeah, Dog's cool and Samson's…?!" Filia's eyes widened as her mouth dropped. "W-What?!"

"H-How'd you know?!" Carol said in disbelief as the hair on the back of Dog shifted to reveal a face. "Samson!" she hissed quietly, the four of them in front of Filia's home.

"Nah, this guy… You could sense me, couldn't ya?" the aforementioned Samson asked, Obito raising a brow at the yellow eyes and mouth of hair.

"Well, yes, but that's not the only reason," Filia balked. "Filia's never liked dogs as is. I know she'd help one if it was hurt but… Pfft, Dog isn't," Obito said with a snort and a smirk as Samson grinned. "I can only assume there was something special about this one and spread out my senses."

"Damn you're good," Samson said with a sheepish grin. "Um, so uh… Ya know?"

Obito considered it.

In front of him was a Theon, one of those legendary creatures from back in the day that used to be worshipped as gods before people grew far too fearful of them and dubbed them with their new title, Parasite.

He'd read up on everything he knew about them and considered Samson some more. He'd have to look up this one.

"... Very well," Obito said with a sigh as the three… four cheered. "It's good to help people, Filia, no matter what they might be. That said, I'm keeping my eye on you," Samson nodded. "I don't mean to come off as harsh but I can only know what I've read about Theon."

"?" the girls tilted their heads.

"It's what we used to be called," Samson said to both of them, getting looks of understanding from Filia and Carol. 'This guy…' Samson had always had good intuition.

It was how Carol found him and had a friend, who had a relative, who was rich enough to house him and his hat-eating with no issues.

So, you can take his word for it, this man… he was strong. Like, 'don't screw with me and I won't destroy everything you love' strong.

This Obito guy must have had the chops!

~NRK~

He frowned at the distressed-looking Filia before him.

"I-I… She won't pick up," she said quietly as Obito placed a hand against her shoulder. "I… Uncle, I think something bad happened!"

Samson watched from in the middle of the two, a frown on his face.

Obito's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, when was the last time you saw her?"

"W-We were hanging out two days ago," Filia said with worry. "W-We were grouped up and me and Carol had separate groups for an assignment. And that's the other thing, the other girl also said she disappeared!"

"..." Obito's eyes closed before he nodded. "Very well, I'll go get her, alright?"

Filia and Samson blinked at the former's relative.

"Get her? U-Uncle?!"

"Wait, no, I didn't do anything!" Obito said with crossed arms. "I meant, I'll go and bring her back here. I can literally go and find her in an instant."

"So I was right," Samson said. "You are strong, aren't 'cha?"

"... Hmph," he smirked as he crossed his arms before opening one of his eyes.

Filia was gobsmacked as she watched her Uncle's eyes change.

Red irises, a black pupil, and three swirling commas greeted her, the three punctuation marks placed perfectly in a circle around his pupil.

"... Uncle?" she wondered only to have a hand ruffle her head of hair.

"I'll be right back," he said before turning to Samson. "Samson…"

"I'll protect her with our lives!" Dog barked along with his friend. "You go and grab Carol, nobody's gonna be touching Filia unless she wants them to!"

"SAMSON?!" the blonde burned bright red. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

"Uh… Wait, have you not had The Talk, yes?" the Parasite wondered as Filia balked. "You might want to hurry back, Obi, I'm not as good at this as I am at clobbering heads."

Obito snorted before swirling into his eye.

The three in the living room stared.

"... okay, so, let's start from the beginning," Samson said as Filia paled. "At first, there was a dude and a chick, they were naked, for some reason, but you get used to it. You guys all started wearing clothes or something…"

~NRK~

Listening in for a little bit at Samson's idea of what The Talk was, Obito shook his head before his expression became serious.

'Now…' he looked into the distance, eyes narrowed and burning red. 'Where are you, Carol?'

~NRK~

She sneered down at the downed goon.

'Goddess, can the Medici get any lower?' she wondered in disgust.

Kidnapping children? Valentine had many lines but this crossed damn near all of them.

And, yet, she hadn't been fast enough, had she?

Her sole, open to the world, red eye looked at the girl she'd covered with a cloth.

No, they could get lower, those sons of bitches had ruined this kid for the rest of her life,

Her lightly tan skin creaked as she clenched her gloved hands, kneeling in her ninja-nurse uniform to the harmed one.

"I…" she didn't have the words for the girl who was shakily standing there in her own blood, the only solace she'd been given was the cloak that Valentine had given her. "... Fuck," she pressed a button on an earpiece. "Christmas, how good is our surgery?"

-Why?- came a feminine voice over the earpiece. -Valentine… Were you injured?-

"No, not me," she whispered.

-... One second-

A few moments passed where Valentine of the The Last Hope looked at the damage with a grimace, a red-haired woman running up from behind, in a head nurse-ninja outfit with garter hose, only to come to a stop with a dropped mouth.

"What the fuck?" she asked in disgust. "WHY?!" Christmas hissed, her twin blade holsters shifting as she slid next to the covered 'child'. "..."

"... H-Hehh… N-Not so loud…" her voice was garbled, messed up, and overall just not worth using right now.

Valentine frowned at the tortured child before there was a soft tremble of steps ahead.

"Another refugee?" she wondered as she saw the girl and her uniform, both in disarray. "... Christmas I-"

"Go, check on her. She doesn't look much better than… Than at least the other refugees."

Valentine nodded before hurrying to the girl kneeling to the girl who didn't look all there.

'Please, for the love of the goddess, do not add sexual assault on this list,' she thought with ice in her veins.

She doesn't know what she'd do if the Medicis did… No, she did know.

Valentine would have gone ahead and went to kill Lorenzo himself just to end all this madness.

She held the girl's shoulder, confusing her as she looked at the hand with a vacant look.

'Drugs, they kidnapped a high school student?' she thought in disbelief.

But why? It didn't add up in their usual MO and, thankful, when she sniffed her, all she smelled was dirt. No off smells that might send her into a rage.

"M-Mr. Uchiha, I want to go home," she said quietly, confusing the nurse ninja. "Please… Please come and get me."

Valentine wiped her gloved hand against her shirt before wiping away the tears from the girl's face.

Whoever the hell this 'Mr. Uchiha' was, he was either her caretaker… Or the one who did this to her.

For his sake, she hoped it was the former.

She gently urged the girl to lay down, going through a bodily check to confirm everything she might have worried about.

When she was done, she let out a sigh of relief… But grimaced as she looked at a vial of blood from the now bandaged girl, Carol, she'd told her in her murmurs.

… She pressed her earpiece with a heavy weight on her heart.

Initiating secured Lab Zero Line Code: 36E-25-40

-Valentine, why did you use the secure line- Came the mechanical voice of a man, the tone confused but very curious.

"Brain Drain there was a civilian girl caught in the crossfire, she also seemed to be kidnapped along with the other refugees," Valentine explained with a sigh. "And… She matches the blood we were looking for."

-?!- the man's voice sounded shocked beyond reason. -Excellent! She'll have to suffice, we can't pass this chance up.-

"She's just a little girl," Valentine tried to reason. "I don't think she's cut out for this."

-I don't need to remind you, do I? The chances of finding someone with compatible blood, who is female, are astronomically low, we can't be picky… I know how this sounds but she was simply cursed with this blood, we all know that, had it been any of us, we'd have given ourselves up to securing an actual method to defeating the Skullgirl.-

He was right, she hated that but she knew that he also would have preferred someone other than some random kid who might have just been going to school one day.

Walking down a sidewalk…

Meeting up with friends…

Doing some homework…

And saying "good night" to her parents…

Valentine's eyes dimmed as her head fell, fists clenching at her sides.

Please, anyone, just take this kid away before she, Valentine, might very well need to take her life from her.

Pleas-

Her eyes widened as a swirl appeared in the air before her before depositing a man who landed in a crouch.

He stood up to his full height and Valentine saw burning red eyes with commas in them. His three-piece suit a dark blue against the entire area.

Wait… Her eyes widened as his gaze went to Carol-

"Carol?!" he was kneeling at her side the girl's head lazily turning in his direction, her own eyes widened.

"M-Mr. Uchia?" she messed up his name but he wasn't even remotely worried about that right now. "Y-You… Y-You're he-here?" Carol looked ready to cry as she reached a hand out towards the man before her.

Obito grabbed it before slowly sitting her up only to now notice Valentine.

His eyes flickered about her before red eyes met red eye.

"You have five seconds to tell me why I shouldn't kill you," Obito said to the nurse as the redhead behind them balked.

"Obito Medici?!" Christmas said in disbelief before holding onto the tortured girl in her arms. "I see…"

"... Do I know you?" Obito said in confusion before his gaze and Valentine's met once more. "Five-"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Valentine waved her hands about. "This is a whole misunderstanding!"

"Valentine!"

-Valentine!- She winced at the call over the earpiece. -Engage with the Medici and deal with them, we can't lose such a valual-

"I suggest you shut your mouth before I come and find you," Obito said as he leaned over Valentine's ear, seeming to just appear there with Carol in his arms, hot breath sending a shiver through the nurse's body. "Mmmm, ASG, huh? I'm sure I could go around and find all the hidden labs."

-?! Who the hell are you?!-

Obito stood up to his full height as the sound of running and… fighter jets… Yeah, those two things reached his ears.

-ASG soldiers move in!- Came the shout of the earpiece, getting a roll of the eyes from Obito. -One of the top Medici have found their way to the location!-

Obito looked down at Carol, their eyes locking.

"Go to sleep," he whispered and she went limp, soft snores against his chest. "... Where are we?" Obito asked Valentine, the nurse confused.

"This is one of your buildings," she said easily, standing up, their height the same, how interesting. "Last I checked," Valentine said as she jabbed a thumb towards the large towering spire. "It's kind of hard to not see."

Obito, on the other hand, found his rage building in such a way that he breathed in a hissing breath that's noise seemed to fill the area, Christmas, Valentine, and the rest of the Last Hope freezing as he did.

"... What was this mission of yours about?"

"... Rescue the kidnapped refugees," she had a feeling something interesting was about to happen. "This area is on the edge of the Canopy Kingdom…" Valentine's eyes widened in disbelief at what she said. "... All manner of crap goes on here from what we've found."

"Valentine!" Another nurse ninja shouted as her fellow nurse raised her hands in defeat. "He defeated you?!"

"Nothing like that… But I get the feeling he could kill me if he wanted to, Hallow!" she said back. "So, what are you going to do?" she asked with interest.

And then she watched his eyes change, two interconnected pinwheels taking the place of the three commas before his gaze turned back to the bui-

She and the others just… stopped. The ASG forces stopped.

All manner of noise in the area stopped as the building before them's upper half disappeared. Not just the main building either, the entire top of the three-building area just… stopped existing with just a look.

"Ssssss," Obito hissed before his eyes closed and opened once more, those first ones returning but blood falling from his eyeholes. "Hmmmm, I got too angry."

"... Exqueeze me?" Valentine just… stared at him in disbelief. "You got mad?"

"..." Obito held Carol with one arm as he used the other's hand to wipe away his blood from his eye's vision, his Sharingan staring at her as a landing happened behind them.

"What the hell happened?!" Came the sound of a large black man with the mouthpiece extension of a saxophone coming out of his back. "The whole damn building disappea-"

Obito opened his left eye and allowed it to transform once more before half a building reappeared some miles away in No Man's Land, high up in the sky.

It all then came crashing down as it fell towards the group before exploding on impact, a slight rumble passing by everyone's feet as they watched it happen.

Valentine blinked at that before turning back to Obito Medici.

His left eye was leaking some more blood and she did her best to shift a beaker justtt right underneath.

"Are you being serious?" Obito asked before his foot destroyed said beaker. "Have some self-control."

"Are you being serious?" Valentines asked in disbelief before Obito shook his head.

"Whatever, I don't really care," he said as all eyes landed on him. "I suggest you all work on getting places faster," Obito said before activating Kamui.

Once he did, the group of rescuers were left there by themselves as the third Medici brother disappeared from their sight.

"... What the fuck just happened?" Came the voice of a blonde young man as he stood next to the saxophone man. "I… I'm confused, Big B," he said.

"I don't know, Leduc," Big B, Big Band, said in confusion as one of his cymbal parts rubbed the side of his head. "All I know is that someone is keeping things to themselves. Otherwise, there's literally no way the Medici wouldn't be standing over the world at this point."

Many were in agreement even as Valentine did her best to capture as many samples of Obito's blood as she could.

Christmas walked up to her before doing the same. "What did he tell you?" she whispered.

"... If he was telling the truth," she said back. "Then he might be like Marcus Medici. This is all happening under Lorenzo's personal influence or Vitale's."

-I want you to find and keep an eye on that man- Came Brain Drain's voice. -He has to know where that girl went, we need her.-

Valentine sighed but she had some hope.

If this guy ended up being powerful enough to do all this, he could probably fend her off with ease.

Time would tell.

~NRK~

He finished texting Carol, the girl letting him know that she was fine.

Ever since that incident, he'd taken to talking with Filia and Carol more often. He'd also taken to training them as much as he could… Which was a lot actually, since he revealed, to them only, that he had a cloning ability.

Filia had been shocked beyond words before constructing an elaborate plan to try and get him to cook more for her, an idea he'd rolled his eyes at.

Carol, on the other hand, was a smart girl who expected what he'd been expecting him to offer one as her bodyguard.

Then he'd shown them his transformation ability and Carol had been all smiles as she'd taken to wearing an 'Obito' bracelet' for the past half-year.

Filia, cross her heart, had thought he could make a friend for Dog but he'd also explained that he couldn't understand Dog even if he transformed into him.

So, with those two reveals done, he'd been working as a bodyguard for both girls, for safety, and as their teacher.

Marcus and Amelia had been fine with that, learning of the Carol situation after they'd come back from their vacation. He'd thought about explaining what had truly happened but decided against it.

Never mind that Marcus wasn't affiliated with the Medicis anymore but they needed to seem normal and telling them this might make them act odd around Vitale.

So, he kept it to himself even as he felt the spies that had stayed on him three days after that incident.

Half a year later after the kidnapping, Obito was sure that today was full to the brim with bad omens. Dressed in a pair of black jogger's pants and a white under armor, sleeveless, hoodie, he tapped his ninja sandals against the wood of the home before heading out.

Today, he'd been volunteering at one of the retirement homes in New Meridian, near Maplecrest, currently helping an elderly fish man to his bed. And, all over, Obito had already seen several ceramic cups crack as he did.

When he cooked, he'd seen a black cat in the window.

When he did some of the laundries, he'd seen several vultures moving about.

Not circling but just moving around. Vultures, creatures that came from No Man's Land…

"Thank you, there, Bito. These old bones of mine simply can't do that much anymore," the fish-man said as Obito brought his comforter over him. "Thank you."

"It's no issue, Mr. Clemont," Obito said with a shaky smile, something the old man had focused on.

"Is everything alright?"

"It's… Yes, it's fine, just some superstition," Obito said with a less fake smile.

"... Hmm, which ones?"

"... Well," Obito sighed. "The cups cracking for no reason, a black cat in the window, and, weirdest and most worrying, I saw vultures moving in the sky above."

The man's eyes widened. "Obi, boy, as in they weren't circling?"

Obito found himself on edge as his hands clenched together. "No… They were simply moving around for a bit before moving on…"

"Obito, vultures are smart creatures," Mr. Clement said as the hairs on the back of Obito's neck stood up to no end. "If they're moving after something-"

"Mr. Clemont, I'll see you tomorrow!" Obito said as he wore a look of horror.

"Go, boy!"

Obito ran out to the receptionist who had a pale look on her face.

"What happened?!"

"T-The Skullgirl is here…"

Obito's heart froze.

~NRK~

She grimaced as she saw the news report.

"So it's making moves now," she said, biting her thumbnail in thought. "Adam!"

A grey-haired man with a square chin and blue eyes saluted.

"Yes, Princess Parasoul?!"

"I want all eyes on the Skullgirl. Find out why she's decided to move now!"

He nodded before running out of the conference room.

Princess Parasoul, a crimson-red-haired woman with worried yellow eyes, looked at the news report with trepidation.

'Why are you here, now, of all times?'

~NRK~

The group huddled around the doctor's computer, his worried expression telling them what was up.

"The Skullgirl," Big Band said. "She's showed up, hasn't she, Dr. Avian?"

"Yes, she has!" the now-named doctor said as he looked around the security cameras in the area the Skullgirl was in. "Why now, though? What happened?!"

"..."

"Peacock?" Big Band called after only to wince as he saw the horrid look on her face.

"... That dere dame ruined my hometown," she said with a frown as the others winced in sympathy. "Doc, I want to go out there!"

Big Band grimaced as he looked at her.

Ever since the incident half a year back, they'd taken in this little spitfire and the Doc did what he could.

Patricia Watson had decided to become Peacock, an Anti-Skullgirl unit.

She'd been filled with prosthetics to try and give her what she'd lost back and they'd gained a little troublemaker.

She was short for a teenager and bore orange hair that curled around her head. Her eyes were bright blue with no pupils.

This fact being something more shocking a few months ago but, as it seemed, their new friendly Medici was a bit more powerful than expected when he gave Peacock her true eyesight back.

---

"I can't do much. But I can, at least, make sure your life isn't in peril."

---

That said, she'd had a, somewhat creepy, obsession with holding them and had the Doc switch them out still. She had him holding onto them for the time being… Like he said, creepy.

That aside, she had lightly-colored complexion and sharp teeth. She wore a purple dress that flared out from the waist down with white frills on the ends. Underneath she wore what could only be called grannies' bloomers and had on black dress shoes.

She grinned as a bird popped out of the purple top hat she had on, it wearing a smaller version of Peacock's own attire.

Big Band sighed, his trench coat making a low whistle as he did. "You can't. The Skullgirl needs more than just a few players to handle her symphony. If I'm right, she's at the start of her 7 year cycle. That means she's had the Skull Heart for close to a year. While she's not at full mast, that doesn't mean she's weak."

"Hmm! Then what was the point of fitting me out?!"

"It's called saving your life and making sure you're ready eventually," Dr. Avian said, his gremlin-like face, wide yellow eyes, and grey hair, that gave him a widow's peak, turned to her. "We can't just send you out there to fight her. You're also still new."

"Hmph!"

~NRK~

She winced at the sight of Obito running down the streets of New Meridian.

Valentine grimaced before placing a finger to her ear. "He must have heard of the Skullgirl appearing."'

-Follow him and keep an eye out for the girl- Came Brain Drain's voice.

Any ideas of an attempt on the Skullgirl before today had been quickly dashed when a perfect subject was around.

They needed all of the Last Hope to handle Obito Medici if he was more powerful than just teleporting objects of any size.

Valentine had found this job a bit more fitting for her tastes as of late.

Watching him go about his days had been intriguing, she'd already informed Brain Drain of Obito's tutelage for Carol and Filia.

The idea had been, this was good. If he increased Carol's physical abilities, that'd make her a stronger ASG weapon.

Valentine was just happy that she didn't need to do anything, having set-up in an apartment nearby. She'd mostly been relearning some of her eastern hobbies.

Obito had looked eastern, now that she thought about it, maybe he knew some more from what she'd seen. He was good at calligraphy and bowed for his gratitudes and the like.

That was another thing, he seemed like he was just… A good person. That was odd but Marcus Medici was already a known quantity, this wasn't that big of a shock, she guessed.

He was known throughout the areas he went to, helping old people outside and at the retirement home, so him rushing down the way, far faster than any normal person, was cause for concern.

She leaped across buildings, following him as he made it to Maplecrest in record time.

~NRK~

Filia and Carol hadn't had a bad day, today. Obito had already trained them enough for the week and so had told them to enjoy themselves.

They'd just been playing games as Carol did Filia's hair when there'd been a commotion downstairs.

Running down with her hair up in a bun, with Carol, Dog, and Samson aty her side, Filia landed at the bottom of the stairs to see the entrance to the home destroyed and standing there…?!

Carol and Dog swallowed as they saw her, the Skull-themed girl of myths and rumors.

The Skullgirl had barged in and she didn't look happy.

"Filia! Go back upstairs!" Marcus had called out to her as the Skullgirl turned her gaze from him to his daughter. "Don't look at her, it's me you want, right?"

"Your relationship is all that matters," the skull-themed girl said as her eyes narrowed. "Your home, all this wealth, how many lives is this built on?"

"None!" Marcus called as Amelia hid by his side. "I cut all ties with my family over half a decade ago! I have nothing to do with you!"

The terror's eyebrows narrowed. 'Was… Was that true?'

It means nothing if it is true. Her powers' call spoke to her. They live only because lives were lost. They can play innocent all they wish but they are guilty.

Her blue eyes narrowed as Filia ran in front of her father along with Carol.

"L-Leave my dad alone!" she shouted at the Skullgirl, eyes trembling but her protective stance ironclad. "I-If you want a fight, I'll give it to you!"

Obito had trained them to know how to protect themselves if she gave up now, she'd basically be rolling over to die!

Samson's frown was there on his face… Until he grinned.

"I was gonna make sure you didn't do anythin'," he spoke, shocking the group. "Haha! But I guess it's not me who's gonna do it!"

The Skullgirl didn't have the time to process what he'd meant as a gloved hand grabbed her face.

Black eyes appeared in her vision.

"What the fuck do you think you're doimng?" he hissed at her and she growled, glowing brigh-

And then she was thrown out of the Medici home, sailing down the road.

Many were confused as they watched it happen but none more so than Filia's family.

"Obito?" Marcus asked as his brother turned to him. "... We need to leave-"

"Marcus," Obito spoke, getting his brother to stop. "It's fine, I'll handle this. Just focus on staying safe, I don't know what kind of potshots she's willing to take," he said before turning to Dog. "Samson."

"I'm here, bud," the hair Parasite said, confusing Marcus and Amelia. "Um, sorry for scarin' ya. I know this might seem weird but Imma a good guy!"

"Samson has been helping me take care of Filia and Carol," Obito explained. "He's a good… man?"

"The manliest around!"

"Yes, man. Trust in him, I wouldn't bring him here if he was a bad individual," Obito said as he turned back and walked away with a wave. "If nothing else, we'll talk about it after this."

Carol's breath hitch. "You promise, right?" she asked and Obito chuckled, head turning back to greet her stared. "Right?"

"I'll promise you something better," he said. "I won't get a single scratch on me," Obito boasted before going back down the steps to the home.

~NRK~

The entire city watched as a lone Medici walked down the steps before standing before the Skullgirl.

A day that would put to view just how big of a threat Obito Uchiha Medici was.

~NRK~

Standing across from her, he truly observed the flares of flames from the Skullgirl.

"I've always wondered just how powerful the Skullgirl was," he said as he adjusted his gloves. "I heard the previous was strong enough to require the many kingdoms to band together. I question how you stand up to that?" Obito wondered as he pulled off his glove and bit his thumb.

Swiping across the trio of chakra seals on his arm, the air around him distorted as he unleashed his ambient chakra.

She lunged from across twenty meters, up in his face in less than a second only to find a hand gripping her face from Obito being in her guard.

Her entire momentum was halted before brought her around and slammed her into the ground.

The results of which cratered the length of the street.

---

Valentine blinked thrice.

"Oh… Oh shit."

---

"That's awfully pathetic for a Skullgirl," Obito said.

The Skullgirl stared at him from her engravement in the ground before her eyes burned with fury.

Obito jumped back as flames exploded out of the crater she was in.

"Hmph."

She came soaring out before her hands lifted, blue power surrounding them.

Skeletons broke forth from the ground, the undead.

Obito hummed, he knew just how fragile these beings were. They could be destroyed in one go but they could just be reformed.

So he'd do one better, jumping further back before running through handsigns.

He molded fire chakra in his lungs, rotating it in his lungs as he noted the skeletons' formation.

While they came from all over, he noted how they didn't attack those on the streets… Save for a few that lunged for his home.

They were repelled easily by a black whip of some sort whose owner never came out.

'Good job, Samson,' Obito thought before he finished his mold.

He held the Tora hand seal.

"Katon:"

~NRK~

"What is he doing?" Christmas wondered.

Only to be answered a moment later when a veritable sea of flames surged out from his mouth.

"?!" Hallow blinked, hand frozen mid-stroke of one of her injectors.

"The fuck?!"

~NRK~

Watching his son destroy the undead army of the Skullgirl in one go caused Lorenzo Medici to do a double-take.

Vitale's mouth dropped.

Black Dahlia blinked at the flaming event taking place on the screen.

~NRK~

"Goka Mekyakku!" he spat out the most notable fire jutsu known in Konoha.

The flames surged across the road and slammed into the undead army as well as the Skullgirl.

His vision was taken over by orange and red for five seconds before he cut off the jutsu, the flames falling away to reveal an astonished Skullgirl with no minions to her name.

"Phew," he blew out some leftover smoke. "I didn't think it'd be that easy to deal with your army, Skullgirl," Obito snorted. "Pathetic."

The Skullgirl's eyes narrowed as she stared across-

Her vision shook as she flew forward and into the molten earth, Obito landing from his jump kick as she did.

She pushed off the floor in disbelief as she looked at him.

H-How had he crossed the distance between them with such ease?! Such speed shouldn't have been possible for a normal being!

She got up and stared across the smoldering road at Obito, the Medici walking towards her at a casual pace-

She barely saw it this time, bone encasing around her front to guard.

It barely mattered, his foot slammed through her bone wall and into her chest.

She flew back before being stopped by a kick to the gut and sent skyward.

She grimaced, vision flickering as she looked down at the empty space…?!

A presence made itself known behind her, her eyes widening.

"Pay attention," he whispered into her ear, leg raised back from his upside-down position behind her.

She sent soaring down towards the ground in an instant, crashing and causing a trail of dust clouds as Obito landed.

She had a large set of clawed bone hands stop her roll by digging into the ground but she breathed out breaths of confusion, head down.

She looked up-

He kneeled before her face to face, eyes burning red..

"I thought you were supposed to be strong," Obito said to her as she groveled before him.

W-What was this man?!

~NRK~

All mouths in the hose had already dropped but none more so than Peacock's.

"What the hell is going on?! Didn't you say she was some big threat I couldn't handle?!" she shrieked to the just-as astonished doctor.

"... D-Doc, what's going on?" Leduc asked, his yellow eyes wide beyond belief. "Big B?"

Big Band's eyebrows furrowed from their hairline-high state.

"... I don't know, we barely met this guy this year," he said. "I don't understand what's going on as much as you do. This is-"

~NRK~

"Unbelievable!" Brain Drain turned every knob, pushed ever lever, and pressed every button but none of it gave him the answers he needed.

He was a metallic man with glowing red eyes and his brain encased in a jar at the top of his head, his body covered by a long brown coat that was pushed to its limits as he moved about.

Christmas's blue eyes narrowed as she looked over all the information before them.

Obito Uchiha Medici shouldn't… No, he should never have been this powerful! They knew everything about the Medicis, so why?

No, where had all this power come from?!

~NRK~

She shot out of her seat, eyes wide.

"... Dude!" came a girl's call from her side. "Parasoul, he's so cool!"

"Umbrella, that's!" Molly tried to say something about the fact that their enemy(?) was the one beating around the Skullgirl. "You shouldn't be happy about this."

Umbrella, a small, lavender-haired, child who wore a yellow raincoat and wielded the Renoir family's second active Living Weapon.

"Hungern, isn't he so cool?!"

*wiggle*

"See, even Hungern thinks he's cool!"

Adam stared at the man who had saved his life in awe before he tried to figure out what he wanted.

What did Obito Medici want? Why was he so powerful?

… And, most importantly… Could he kill the Skullgirl? And, if he even could… What did that mean for the city?

A Medici, no matter how kind, saving the day wasn't exactly a mood booster.

~NRK~

Do something!

Her powers called and she answered, gritting her teeth.

"You people should be dead!" she said, an ethereal blue aura sinking into the floor.

Obito jumped back as blue veins took over the area around her.

"For all that you say that, you're not exactly a girl scout," he said back to her as black shadows in the shapes of humans slipped out of the ground. "Your nonsensical path against people who had nothing-" he jumped over a pair of those large, towering, shadows. "To do with you isn't making you out to be a hero!"

"It matters not!" she removed her hands from the ground before being enveloped in a glowing blue circle, a bone staff-broom now in her hands dual-wielding as it were. "Your cursed brood must all die!"

She lunged at him, her speed greater than before.

'Does its power feed on emotions?' he didn't know but his Sharingan shined and a kunai found themselves in his hands.

She swung out with the right staff and he blocked it with one of his kunai only to quickly smash together both to hold her off.

'Her strength, was it always like this?!' he didn't know. 'Or did she just get stronger?'

She grinned before swinging around with her other staff.

Obito disengaged and ducked under it only to have to contend with her other one once more.

So she was an avid dualist? Well, he was kind of impressed.

He slid past, chakra skirting off his feet as he got around her. He made to attack but grimaced before flipping backward as he saw one of those shadow entities slash past his previous location.

The Skullgirl turned around, eyes narrowed but a smile on her face as more of those shadow beings appeared, six in number.

Landing in a crouch, Obito considered the Skullgirl's entourage before standing up and holding his hand out.

His kunai were on the floor, chipped and broken.

He'd find no use in a normal weapon.

A swirl in the air dropped an item that gave the Skullgirl pause.

'A fan?'

~NRK~

"A fan?" Parasoul raised a brow at it. "... Wait, no, the fan's not important! Where'd he get it from!?"

The Black Egrets looked at one another as, yeah, that question came to the forefront.

"... With everything he's shown to be able to do… Can he also store objects somewhere?" Roxie wondered. "Man, that's gotta be so useful! I'd be able to carry so many tools with me!"

"All the inventions I could bring!" Molly said with wonder. "Hey, chief, you think you could bring him to our side?"

Parasoul raised a brow at that. "... I don't know… He seems so different from when we were kids…" she said aloud before turning to her mechanic. "... What?"

"You used to know him?!" The others shouted at her, getting a jump out of their princess. "WHEN?!"

"Um…" Parasoul placed a finger on the side of her forehead, tilting her head as she looked to her mind. "... Give or take, 9 years ago? We used to go to Renoir Academy together."

"H-Huh?!" Umbrella balked. "Sis! How couldn't you tell us?!"

"I haven't seen Obito in almost ten years, Umbrella," Parasoul said with a sigh. "I… While I want to say 'If I knew, I'd have approached him earlier'... I don't know what I'd do if I did know. Obito was… He was probably one of the most silent and yet kindest boys you ever could have known," she looked at the TV. "I don't know what happened in between then and now."

"..." Adam considered Obito on the TV, cupping his chin. "... I don't think he's changed all that much, then," he said, gaining his leader's attention. "I've looked into his history and, when it comes to activity within the Medici, the only situations he's been involved in were gang vs gang related matters. No extortion, bribery, murder, as I said, no outside of gang murders, drugs, or anything. He's only been involved in the fighting. Otherwise, he volunteers down at a few retirement homes…" his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Which is the odd part because the reports I've read he's been at all four at the same time."

Parasoul blinked before her eyes widened. "He either has clones of himself… Or-"

"He can clone himself?!" Molly looked eager about the idea. "Oooohh! If I could clone myself!"

"I know, right?!" Roxie agreed. "Ugh, we've gotta see if we can't turn him over to this side."

~NRK~

He brandished the Gunbai Uchiwa with a familiar flex of the wrist.

'It's been a while since I've used this.'

He'd had to recreate it, a process that took him about three months to do but with clones it was an easy matter.

"A fan won't save you," the Skullgirl said as she raised one of her staves. "Attack!"

The shadow beings surged forth before their master rushed in as well.

"Hmph."

Obito was already in front of one before he swung out with his fan, slamming the figure into the car at his side.

"Sorry!" he shouted to a citizen before leaning back and swinging up at another passing shade.

He sent it careening up before Obito returned to a standing posture and wound up.

He unleashed a harsh spin with his weapon held out.

The Skullgirl crossed her arms as turbulent winds assaulted her and her Skull Shades, a tornado rebuffing them.

She flew back to regain her composure only to find Obito before her, arm raised back.

She growled before swinging out with one of her staffs.

The weapons clashed, knocking both of them back.

'How strong is he?!' she thought in alarm. 'That's not what happened the first time!'

Was this a special weapon? Was that why he'd brought it out?

Ignoring its ability to make powerful winds, it hadn't broken in their clashes. It had to be an artifact of some sort but she couldn't figure out what because it wasn't in the Skull Heart's memories.

Where had he found that weapon?

Obito frowned before imbuing wind chakra into his fan and swinging behind him, a shade being bisected by the fanning weapon.

The Skullgirl grimaced as her three other Skull Shades came back to her before she raised both her staves.

Blue power built between them and Obito raised a brow before crouching low.

He couldn't handle this, could he? He shouldn't be able to! She'd seen her previous incarnation's attack like this one and it had torn through many of the old artifacts in the past.

He was dead!

~NRK~

"Which one is that one?" Brain Drain wondered as he looked through his database of all the old artifacts. "I… We don't have that one in our database."

"... Is that even possible?" asked a nurse-ninja who bore two large horns on the sides of her forehead, her blonde hair short and edged around her face. "I thought we had all the Living Weapons and artifacts in our data stuff," her purple eyes looking at the list of their database.

Christmas's eyes narrowed at that.

"I don't know, Patty. It seems like this Medici is hiding some things."

~NRK~

She'd been prepared for him to do a few things.

Run, strafe, try to stop her, defend, any of these.

So him running at her was within her calculations.

"DIE!" she released what could only be a flaming blue beam of destruction.

He couldn't dodge this in time, he could-

And, once more, she'd been proven wrong as he raised his weapon in front of him and the blast slammed into it.

It did not wilt, burn, or tear, no, it held up even as his feet were building troughs in the floor.

Then the attack ended, the only result being a molten line between her and him. The Medici unharmed along with his fan.

The Skullgirl stared in disbelief, something mounting in her mind as her hands trembled around their staves.

Then he turned the world around on her as his fan glowed.

"Uchihagaeshi." (Uchiha Return)

An impossible blast of wind arrived in her face too fast for her to respond.

The road was officially destroyed as a concentrated beam of wind tore through both the Skullgirl and her shadows.

~NRK~

Parasoul sat up. "I-Impossible!" No, there shouldn't have been any possible chance for any weapon to withstand the attacks of the Skullgirl on that level.

"Who is he?" Molly asked in disbelief. "N-None of my weapons can even handle a couple seconds against the faux Skullgirl test, h-how can…?"

Roxie considered the weapon on display.

"... Guys… I don't think that's an artifact… No, it's not an artifact of old," she said with slight awe and total disbelief. "Do you all think he… made that weapon?"

"NO!" Molly looked horrified. "That can't be the case! M-Maybe he found it and hid it away! Maybe it's a freak accident by the Medicis' science group! I refuse to believe that this one man could create a weapon like that!"

"Molly, stand down!" Parasoul ordered as the glasses-wearing woman slumped. "... I know how you're feeling but you can't get worked up by this."

"She's right, Molls," Roxie said with a grin. "Think about it, what if you could get him to teach ya how to make stuff like that on the regular?" Molly looked up a little. "If he joins us, you could learn techniques that just might not be known in this kingdom. You may even be able to replicate King Gilgamesh's Legendary Armor!"

The woman perked up at that, eyes wide. "... Y-You might be right!" Molly said in disbelief before her eyes became determined. "I will! Ma'am! We have to get your old boyfriend on our side!"

Parasoul's mind stuttered. "E-Excuse me?!" she shrieked a bit as Umbrella snickered behind her hands. "M-Molly! There was no such relationship!" she said with some red on her cheeks.

"Huh?"

~NRK~

When the smoke cleared, Obito sighed at the downed Skullgirl.

Walking up to her, he crouched down to her level, her body unmoving but he had a feeling that would change soon.

"You seriously need to learn to stop just throwing attack after attack at someone, you underestimate your opponents, far too much."

Her body shot up from the ground, her left arm nothing but bone as she growled at him.

Obito sighed before jumping away.

Her eyes glowed before she raised a hand and the reincarnated man saw a black circle form beneath him.

Obito frowned as he jumped up and above the lone shadow entity.

The Skullgirl grinned in grim satisfaction as she raised her staff and a large, bone, pillar with a demon's skull tore apart the space between them to slam into Obito.

Obito watched it mid-air before making a handsign.

The Skullgirl grinned as her attack slammed into something before her smug expression shifted into one of horror.

"Basic strategy is nice," Obito said from behind her, his back to hers, as a street bench fell apart from her totem's attack. "You're going to need way more than that to defeat Black Dahlia, though."

She swung out behind her only to miss as Obito flowed behind her, tags of some sort decorating her body.

Obito Shunshin-ed a bit away after her next swipe, hand held up in a hand seal.

"Katsu."

The Skullgirl's eyes widened one last time as the tags on her lit up.

---

The explosion that rocked the area certainly had her attention.

"Geez, you'd think a guy like him would love this kind of stuff," Valentine said to herself as she rode out the air ruptures. 'Still, where the hell is pulling all this power out from?'

She'd seen the tags covered in odd symbols but one part on it she could read.

'Baku' or 'explode' in normal language.

So some kind of 'explosive tags'? She had tags like those but she'd been debating how to craft them.

When the smoke cleared, Valentine felt a large sense of satisfaction as she looked at the chew-toyed form of the Skullgirl.

… He was going to be able to kill her, wasn't he? This Medici who seemed to be hiding more than anything else was going to end this rendition of the Skullgirl.

~NRK~

Filia's family hunched around the large TV in the upstairs game room, Obito's fight certainly giving them hope.

"Get her, uncle!" Filia cheered as the explosion happened on screen. "That's so sick! Think he could teach me how to do that?" she asked Carol who laughed nervously.

"Why?"

"Because then I could just blow up all that stupid trash in the park! Think about it! Trashless park, Carol~" Filia tried to mesmerize her friend.

"But then there'd be nothing but holes Filia."

"Filia, honey, no," Marcus said as his daughter pouted. "I'm wondering where all this is coming from still, I don't want to think about you having explosive paper."

"... Marcus, didn't you say that Obito had a different mother from your own?" Amelia asked, getting a contemplative nod from her husband. "Who was she?"

"... Hitomi Uchiha, I think her name was," Marcus recalled. "She met father one day and… I don't know much else about her. I've never even met the woman."

"That's… messed up," Filia said with a frown. "So I don't even know my great grand aunt?"

"Sadly, no," Marcus said as he turned his gaze back at the TV. "But that's never stopped Obito before. He's pushed forward on his own kind of power. He's more sure of himself than anyone else. Perhaps he'll know the answer to that question."

~NRK~

She'd only ever thought these words once in her life.

What could she do?

Those words filled with sadness, anger, helplessness, all things she hated, and… And yet…

Here she was, at the mercy of this Medici once more… How-

"Pathetic," Obito said with a shake of the head as he walked over. "Where's your conviction to grow stronger? You wanted to get your revenge so bad and you took the Skull Heart's chance for a wish that will bring you nothing but hatred and solitude."

She grit her teeth as he crouched down in front of her. "...!" Her fist clenched.

"No one to go back to, no home, no identity," Obito sighed. "Not even a name outside of 'Skullgirl', do you realize just how sad your existence is?" he asked her softly even as she struggled to push her body.

"I-I don't want to hear that from you," she said with as much hatred and power there was inside of her. "I… Lost… Everything!" the Skullgirl shouted at him. "Unlike you… I didn't have a family to leech off of! I had to cherish what I could!"

"And after losing all that where did it lead you?!" he shot back as she growled. "You can act as high and mighty as you want, you could become the worst devil, and I wouldn't care," Obito lifted her by her neck. "But you're worse than that. You're a goddamn hypocrite," he spat as she looked at him with confusion and rage.

"W-What?!"

"You want to kill the people that took everything from you?" Obito raised a brow. "Sure, the Medicis are horrid people with even worse morals," she looked like he'd slapped her. "But you went off your target. You've become someone who did what happened to you to everyone not involved."

Obito sent his gunbai fan away and raised a knife-hand back.

"It doesn't matter… I have nothing," she said simply after it all, not a single bit of hatred or power in her voice. "Just as you said, I have nothing and anything that comes after this won't matter."

Obito's face was neutral but his Sharingan blazed brightly. "... What is your name, Skullgirl?"

She looked shocked as he asked her this as if he'd just asked her what her favorite clown was.

"..." she bit her lip. "... Marie," she said completely defeated.

Her real last name should never see the light of day. Marie Korbel was forever dead.

"Very well, I'll remember that," Obito said as pinpricks rang throughout his body. "Goodbye, Skullgirl Marie."

His knife hand slammed into her chest and gripped tightly.

Mangekyo Sharingan blazed brightly as he wrought his hand out with a crackle of bone, a pulsing object within his grasp. A pulse of white running up his arm before dispelling against Marie.

He lowered the body of a shocked now-human girl.

"Welcome, Marie the human," Obito said with a smirk as he held the Skull Heart in his hands. "I hope you can learn under me how to not make a mistake like this again."

Spiky white hair greeted Marie's sight as she looked up at the man who'd defeated her so easily.

Scales decorated his cheeks in little blocks while his right arm was bone white.

"...?" she looked at him. "... What are you?"

"..." Obito cupped his chin in thought before snorting. "A shinobi."

She looked down at her hands. Her bone and flesh hands and slowly clenched them together.

She let out shallow breaths before swallowing. "Why?"

"Hmmm," Obito shrugged. "Because I know exactly what it's like, so seeing that happen again wasn't on my to-do list," he shook his head at her, his new features receding. "Now, to deal with this thing."

It throbbed in his hand angrily.

"Oh shut it," he told the cursed object before pulling off his glove with his teeth, depositing the item on the floor. "Let's deal with you once and for all," Obito said as he bit his thumb.

Blood flowed before he swiped it down his left arm, a sealing array on it.

What came out a moment later was an important jar.

~NRK~

"HOW DOES HE HAVE THAT JAR?!" Brain Drain screamed.

"Ah, honey, inside voice!" Christmas said with a wince along with the others. "What are you talking about?"

"That jar doesn't belong to Cannopolis!" Brain Drain said with anger and jealousy. "That's one of the few artifacts that were used against the Skull Heart in the past. The Doom Capsule, it's not supposed to be here. That's supposedly in the River Dragon King's possession! How did he get it?!"

"... Wait, so you're saying he's going-"

~NRK~

"To seal away the Skull Heart for good?!" Umbrella said in shock. "No, wait, that's a good thing."

"It is…" Parasoul said with some melancholy. 'So he has such a power as to return Skullgirls to normal?'

Oh, what she wouldn't have given to have him at the Royal Family's side back in the day. Perhaps the war from seven years ago wouldn't have needed to happen to bring peace.

"I'm honestly more curious about where he just took it from," Adam said as Molly nodded furiously in the background. "He drew blood and swiped it on his arm?"

"There was something there," Roxie noted. "It was the same thing with those tags of his. He has to know some kind of secret skill or something he's used it numerous times."

"Wait, didn't the fan thing come out of some swirl in the air?" Molly asked in confusion. "That wasn't a blood thing."

~NRK~

"... Holy shit," Big Band just sat there, stunned, as the doctor explained what that jar was. "And the River King had this the entire time?!" he wanted to go beat the royal bastard to a pulp!

WHY?! Why not help them solve this issue that has been around for millions of years!

"..." Peacock sat there, stunned, as Avery the Bird looked down at her worried. "S-She's human again? She's back to normal?"

He'd gotten all white-haired, and armed! What was that about?!

She recalled his words and felt her hate for the Medici rise further.

H-Had she been in better shape! Had she-

A soft cymbal pat her on the head, Avery sitting atop it, causing Peacock to look up.

"I get it," he said softly. "I know what you're thinking."

".. H-Heh, maybe he just has a thing for blue-haired g-girls?" she'd tried but Big Band pat her head some more.

"It's okay to be angry, trust me, none of us would want that any more than you do.

And so, Peacock, Patricia Watson, cried silent, angry, tears at the people who'd done this to her.

~NRK~

Ripping down the road, they had to get to him before his son did something rash!

"F-Father! The road!"

"I know what I'm doing, Vitale!"

~NRK~

Filia ran out of the house with Samson and Carol at her sides.

"Filia, wait!" Her father had said but she couldn't listen.

Her uncle might very well have beat a Skullgirl! How could she sit around?!

They ran out, never seeing the Medici car ripping down the way.

---

Valentine turned back to see an incident about to happen and moved.

She lunged before grabbing all three, both girls and the dog, and skid to a stop.

"Geez, do you kids not want to be alive or something?" she asked with annoyance at the stunned girls.

"... Oi, thanks, hot stuff," Valentine heard from the dog as she turned her head to see. "Uh… Name's Samson."

"... A Parasite?" she said in confusion as she turned her head to see two worried girls. "... Haaa, I'm not gonna do anything… I'm an… acquaintance of your uncle."

"... Really?" Filia looked unsure. "... Actually, that car that almost hit us."

"OBITO!? DON'T!" Came Lorenzo Medici as he ran up to his son in a hurry. "DON'T! Think of the possibilit-"

Obito kicked off the lid to the Doom Capsule and stuffed the Skull Heart in before replacing the top.

There was silence in the area as Obito placed seal tags on the artifact.

Sitting on it, one leg up on the lid, he looked his father in the eye.

"Ooops."

"MY SON, WHY?!" Lorenzo wanted to cry!

Sure, the Skullgirl had officially been dealt with but the possibilities of having a Skullgirl on his side were too big to ignore.

And then his son had trapped it! Why?! That shot to his heart had almost given him a heart attack.

And then Obito spoke the words that put him into a coma.

"I'm cutting myself off from the Medici family," he said cooly. "Apologies, father."

Lorenzo Medici fainted on the spot.

Marie stared at the knocked-out man before her, the object of her hatred was right in front of her-

There was a shot and a shwing, leaving Marie to jump as two halves of a hand cannon bullet slipped past her.

"... I see, so this is the choice you've made?" Black Dahlia said with some actual pain in her voice. "Obito?"

"I know this may seem painful but I know what I said," he answered. "That said, I won't be getting involved with any attempts on you all, you're family, I'll give you that much. But only that much," Obito grinned. "I'm sorry but I've made my decision."

"B-Brother?!" Vitale looked worried and scared. "Please! Think about this!"

"I did," Obito said as he got off the artifact and placed a hand on Marie's head. "And I've made another decision. If she wants, I will be adopting the former Skullgirl."

The silence that reigned couldn't be broken as Obito kneeled towards Marie.

"Well, I can't bring your previous life back, that's far beyond my powers," Obito said to the shocked girl. "But I can try and give you a new one. I don't see myself as a father figure, if I could I'd see if my other brother could adopt you, but I want to give you a home and people to come back to. What do you say?"

Marie bit her lip before grasping that hand with a nod.

"Alright then," Obito said as he stood up and picked up Marie before placing her under arm. "Welcome to the Uchiha family, now, I guess," he said with a shrug.

The Doom Capsule swirled away in less than a second, Dahlia's sigh Obito's result.

"You've taught me too well."

"Haaa, yes," she let her arm stay poised but didn't shoot. "I did. Vitale, grab Lorenzo, we're leaving."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Ms. Dahlia."

"... Do what you have to, that's another rule," she said as Vitale gave her Lorenzo, her non-gun arm's strength more than enough to lift him. "Good-bye."

Watching them leave, Obito sighed and ruffled his head of spiky black hair before wincing with a sharp intake of breath.

Marie looked up at her… 'Father'? That's what he'd said, right?

Back at the Rommelgard orphanage, it'd been her who took up the responsibilities of being the 'adult'. She'd worn adult clothes and everything!

So, she could be forgiven for not knowing how to address her new adoptive relative.

"Mmm," he shook his head. 'I've never used it for such a big alteration.' Obito thought as he ignored how his body felt like it was on fire.

It'd been a skill he'd attained ever since coming to this world, gaining a form of his old Jinchuuriki's powers.

Oh but it came with a wicked downside. His body, while bearing chakra, would get rushed with the alien power forcibly changing his entire body in seconds.

For as long as he held the form, he'd have no drawbacks other than a power drain. That said, once he was out of it, everything hit. The backlash, the rapid changes, and his body un-altering.

And he meant 'un' because it wasn't his body's natural ability and altering back, he was basically being cell-to-cell reconstructed, he felt.

So, yeah, right now, he was hurting something bad. He'd need to lay down after all this.

So, as he walked back to his home, his eyes caught sight of a familiar nurse-ninja and his personal people.

"It's you…" Obito said as he and Marie made it to Filia's group. "Am I to assume something?"

"No, just helping them out," Valentine said as she stepped aside to gesture to Filia, Carol, and Samson. "It's all you, I've gotten what I wanted out of all this?"

"?"

"Seeing the Skull Heart officially put to rest was more than, I bet, anyone was asking for," she said with a chuckle and then a salute. "Take it easy… Obito Uchiha, now, isn't it?" Valentine said with a grin.

Obito nodded. "Yes, it is. Take it easy."

She nodded before hesitantly looking back at Carol.

"And, uh, sorry," she said before disappearing, leaping away from the roof of the cut-off Medici home.

Obito watched her go before sighing and then looking at Filia.

"So how's it feel to be a hero, Obito?" she asked with a grin before turning to his… daughter, she guesses. "... And, uhhhh… Hi?" Filia said nervously as she saw Marie. "... You're not gonna try and kill me anymore, are you?"

"..." Marie was silent as she looked down from her position under her… Father's arm. "... Father said that my rage is unfocused," blue eyes locked onto blue eyes. "I will find out what he means… Though, being normal will make my goals difficult."

"I can train you," Obito said, surprising the former Skullgirl. "I may have taken your main source of power from you, I wasn't going to leave you helpless," he said as he suppressed a flinch that only Marie knew of because she felt him flinch. "Besides, a shinobi's… child, should know how to fight, no matter what?"

He'd said it full-on this time, 'child'. She was his 'child'.

That cemented her addressing nouns. "Yes, father."

Filia looked relieved as Carol smiled along with Samson.

Obito winced as he rolled his neck before looking at the broken front of Marcus's home.

"... I might need to fix that," Obito said with a sigh before gesturing to the home. "Come on, everyone, let's go, sit down, and actually talk about all this."

His life had just become more difficult now that his presence was fully, and truly, out in the open. His daughter was the former Skullgirl and he was now in the possession of the actual Skull Heart.

His life wasn't going to be quiet after this… But that was for later.

Now? He needed some sleep.

~NRK~

There's not much more to say, yeah?

I've got two other chapters of stuff to put out later today, promise.

Yeah, this is Obito in the Skullgirls universe wherein he has chakra, with a little extra, and is born of the Medicis. In lore, Lorenzo has three sons, actually. I don't know if that fact will ever get used down the line, they've recently added Annie and now Umbrella to the games later this year.

Enjoy this one, guys.

Ciao.

Words: 17.2k+

~NRK Out~