Four Years After, Almost

Tobi stumbled across the marvel that was Sasuke Uchiha entirely by accident.

He'd always known that Sasuke existed, of course. He just hadn't been particularly inspired by anything that his presence implied. The boy had been too young when the massacre occurred, barely having developed any desirable skills before Danzo locked him away. Not that the boy didn't have promise — had he been able to progress another year or two, Tobi may have thought he was worth acquiring. As it stood, though, the boy was only useful insofar as Itachi cared for him. If you had the boy, you had Itachi.

And Tobi wanted Itachi. Badly.

The prodigy's reputation preceded him in nearly every continent. The boy with death's eyes, he was oft called. Tobi only wished it was the truth — he'd watched Itachi for years, and he realized quite quickly that for all the genius' skill and lethality, he had an irritating aversion to killing. Which didn't entirely fit well with Tobi's plans.

But then he had remembered Sasuke, the long lost Uchiha locked away in a far off cabin in the woods. Itachi could surely be persuaded if Tobi was able to get his hands on Itachi's dear little brother; the shinobi's track record under Danzo all but proved it. All he would have to do is slip by Danzo and his Foundation and take the boy for himself.

He started to monitor the hideout Sasuke was being kept in immediately, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. He would have the boy, and then he would have Itachi. If it worked for Danzo, it would surely work for him.

But then — the wrench.

It had been a clear night. The sky was brimming with stars, the forest a deep shadow on the Earth below. Tobi had taken his place along the perimeter of Sasuke's outpost minutes ago, continuing to watch silently and piece together his plan.

And then they had come.

The leaves on the trees barely rustled as dozens of shinobi descended upon the outpost. Five silently entered the abode. The struggle began shortly thereafter.

Harsh thumps and bangs echoed throughout the forest. Tobi imagined the ninja ruthlessly ripping Sasuke from his slumber, the boy violently lashing out in confusion as he attempted to defend himself. The noises soon ceased and the Uchiha was unceremoniously shoved out of the front door. Tobi watched the boy crash to the ground, watched as his shoulder skid painfully along the rocks.

The assault was clean and methodical — the ninja were trained, used to working with one another. Tobi stiffened, activating his Sharingan as he realized that he was going to have to act quickly if he was going to take the Uchiha brat. He paused as his eyes made out the chakra infused masks every last one of the shinobi was wearing.

The Foundation.

The technology was not uniquely Danzo's, but Tobi recognized the chakra pattern of the fabric immediately. And since no Root member would ever disobey Danzo (while the man was deplorable, Tobi would admit he commanded an impressively loyal following), Tobi had to conclude that whatever...this was, it was something Danzo himself had ordered.

Tobi fell deeper into the shadows, cocking his head as he watched the peculiar scene unfold. Sasuke was pinned to the ground by three masked shinobi. A fourth put restraints on him. The boy was thrashing wildly, trying to escape the hold of his captors to no avail. Tobi could hear his skin scraping against the dirt, hear the dull thud of skin as his limbs flailed against anything close by. The boy didn't cry out a single time.

A muting jutsu, then, Tobi mused.

Once Sasuke was sufficiently contained, his eyes concealed by a chakra suppressing mask and his hands pressed tightly into metal sheaths, the ninja hauled him to his feet by the back of his shirt and roughly forced him forward and away from the compound. Tobi followed silently behind them, mild alarm beginning to prickle at his skin. The boy had never been ill treated by Danzo since the massacre — the Hokage's agreement with Itachi depended on it. To see Sasuke being handled in such a way meant only one thing: Itachi had fucked up, and Sasuke was going to pay for it.

Tobi continued to trail the group, his interest piqued. If Danzo did something untoward to the boy, if he harmed him in any conceivable way, Itachi wouldn't stand for it. At that point, it would be far too easy to persuade Itachi to join Tobi's cause. To save your brother, of course, Tobi would promise. But if we're going to save your brother, I'm going to need you to complete just a few small tasks...

Tobi felt a smile form on his face as the group came to a sudden halt. Sasuke was still writhing as the shinobi led him to the center of a shadowed clearing. A sharp kick was swiftly delivered to the back of his legs, forcing him to his knees.

Tobi's smile turned into a grin when one of the shinobi wrenched the boy's head back and put a sword to his throat.

Kill him, Tobi urged, lightheaded as his Sharingan spun rapidly. Kill him and Itachi is mine.

Except they didn't. Or couldn't, Tobi should say. Because the old snake Sannin picked that moment to show up and fuck his entire plan.

• • •

Tobi only found consolation in the fact that Danzo was pissed as well. He might have respected Orochimaru's maneuver more if he knew that the man was playing the same game he and Danzo were. But no, he didn't want Sasuke because the boy was the key to controlling Itachi — he wanted Sasuke for Sasuke. Or, more precisely, for his Sharingan. Because the Sannin had some disgusting, insane delusion that he could live forever and learn all of the secrets the world had to offer by shedding his body every few years and putting on a new one.

Which really just fucked up everyone's plans. Because, now, Itachi was not bound to either Tobi or Danzo. He was a free agent, solely focused on rescuing Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches.

Tobi supposed that he could try and kidnap the boy from Orochimaru, then use him the same way Danzo did to command Itachi. Really, though, attempting to get Sasuke back from the snake would involve a great amount of effort, and Tobi wondered whether he could just skip that step entirely and go straight to Itachi, offering the Uchiha revenge against Danzo for attempting to murder his brother. After all, Tobi knew for a fact that Orochimaru had just recently switched bodies, so there was time before Sasuke could be used as his next vessel.

Tobi shook his head, knowing it was a fruitless strategy the second he thought of it. Itachi was motivated by love and compassion, not revenge. The boy would never pause in his quest to save his little brother. Unfortunately, this meant that Tobi still had to try and acquire the young boy.

So he bid his time and waited.

Orochimaru was protective of the Uchiha, not allowing him out of his compounds alone for any length of time. A year passed, then two. Danzo made no move to try and retrieve Sasuke, and Itachi, surprisingly, kept his distance as well, though Tobi knew he was monitoring the situation closely. Tobi himself only saw Sasuke in flashes, witnessing the stark jumps in his growth on the few occasions the boy was permitted to go outside. Sasuke had left Konoha small and lanky, but now, he was finally growing into his strength. The first notable change was his height, the Uchiha having added inches to his frame the first time Tobi laid eyes on him after he was taken by Orochimaru. Then came his build: the boy had more muscle every time Tobi caught sight of him, the bulk transforming his entire stature. After a few months, he was almost mildly impressed by the Uchiha's growth. But though the littlest Uchiha appeared to be going through a metamorphosis of sorts under Orochimaru, there was one thing that never seemed to change, much to Tobi's delight.

His eyes.

Tobi had only seen them briefly during the struggle outside Konoha. But they were wild, wild and violent and hateful.

The boy with death's eyes.

That was when he started to believe that Itachi wasn't his only hope.

• • •

Six Years After, Almost

Tobi approached Sasuke in the dead of night. He warped his way into Orochimaru's hideout, transporting himself silently until he finally found the Uchiha's dormant chakra signature.

The boy sensed his sudden appearance.

"What do you want?" Sasuke drawled, his back turned to the masked man.

Tobi felt a grin beginning to make its way onto his face.

"I have a proposition for you, Sasuke Uchiha."