Chapter 1: A Story
Obito Uchiha skulked along in the evening moonlight, surveying the place he once called home, but now loathed with every fiber of his being. Despite his best efforts to keep quiet, his feet crunched over leaves shaken loose by the breeze. He followed a newly fallen leaf's dance through the air, watching it float past him toward a dock overlooking a pristine lake. A child seated at the water's edge piqued Obito's interest; the black-haired boy known as Sasuke Uchiha was staring off into the distance.
Rather than approach, Obito tugged at the hood of his cloak, making sure his face wasn't visible. He continued along, not reacting when the boy eventually turned to observe him. The sidelong glance he directed at Obito was devoid of any light, any shred of hope or warmth.
I may be able to use that, the cloaked ninja mused. Sasuke lost interest in a matter of seconds and turned to stare at his own reflection in the lake instead.
Later, at the foot of a grave outfitted with a ring of flower bouquets, Obito hung his head in silence. A raindrop hit his shoulder, but he paid it no mind. Even as the rain began to fall in thick sheets, drenching him beneath his cloak, he refused to move from his spot. He knelt to brush his fingers across the name engraved into the wet stone.
"Rin Nohara."
Having done all that he came here to do, Obito called forth a portal to transport himself away from this hell. However, something in the distance caused him to dispel the technique and go over to investigate. Obito descended the cemetery steps and approached a blond boy nestled into the crook of an aging tree. He slept soundly, his clothes tattered and damp.
Pathetic.
Obito ground his teeth. This was Naruto Uzumaki, the boy he'd once tried to kill for no other reason than to gain an advantage against his parents, Kushina Uzumaki and The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He did not care for Naruto, nor did he particularly hate him. Back then, the child had been nothing more than a means to an end.
Soft snores penetrated Obito's stream of thoughts. He looked down at the boy and felt his blood beginning to boil. This wasn't the first time he'd spotted the kid all alone, looking after himself. Many times, when sneaking into the village to visit Rin's resting place, he noticed Naruto wandering the streets or sitting by himself on a swing across from the ninja academy, not a soul by his side. Why was Obito's former sensei's son, the previous Hokage's son, left to fend for himself like a wild animal?
The Uchiha's thoughts drifted to his past teammate, Kakashi Hatake, then to the current Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, Tsunade of the Senju Clan, and countless others. One would expect at least one of them to step in and give this boy a better life than that of a street rat. Obito had cast aside his attachment to this world and deemed it worthless long ago. The treatment of the child in front of him further cemented his beliefs.
"Hypocrites," Obito seethed, backing away from the boy and conjuring another portal. "Hypocrites, all of you. None of you keep your word."
Nothing mattered in this world. No one could see what he perceived with such clarity. They all continued to fight meaningless battles for empty causes, leaving innocents like Naruto to fall through the cracks of society, or to become pawns in some larger scheme.
Why should one care about a world like this?
Obito landed with a soft tap on a cube inside of his personal dimension, thinking back on all that led him to his current convictions. He would make them see. First Sasuke and Naruto, then, in time, everyone would know true despair. Everyone would understand the futility of fighting against the inevitable.
He removed the mask that hid his face and stared at it for a long moment. Its swirl pattern drew his focus to the single eyehole. What he saw there was all too familiar. Darkness. Emptiness. That was all that awaited him inside of that void.
Of course, he wasn't the only one. Loss and pain followed Sasuke and Naruto everywhere they went. They were both victims of multiple tragedies, and were being used for others' benefit. The difference between them and Obito was that unlike the boys, he was in total control. He possessed the knowledge and power to bend reality to his will. In time, he would give them that, too.
Time to get to work, he thought with a chuckle.
First came knowledge.
Naruto backed away from the masked person looming over him, stopping when one of his heels bumped against the wall of a nearby shop. The masked man made no move to follow. Grunting, Naruto eyed the empty shop fronts that surrounded them and realized they were alone here. That meant no one was coming to save him. Not that this was anything new.
In all honesty, he wouldn't have found it that surprising for someone to see what was happening and do nothing about it — after all, the villagers treated him horribly on a daily basis. When they weren't ignoring his existence, they were shouting at him or calling him a freak. Why they treated him this way was anyone's guess.
"Did you hear me?" the masked stranger's gravely voice said as he stared down at Naruto. "I said I want to tell you a story, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Yeah, I heard ya!" Naruto said with a glare, trying to hide his fear. Sweat beaded and ran down his back. "Why should I listen to you? And why aren't you ignoring me like everyone else?"
This guy couldn't be good news. If living in The Leaf Village had taught Naruto anything, it was that no one cared to communicate with him unless they absolutely had to, like at school or when he pulled pranks. Even though his pranks managed to piss some of the teachers off, their anger only lasted a short while. Then they proceeded to act like he was never there. So why did this weirdo who wouldn't even show his face want to speak to him, of all people? It was unusual at best, but the skeptical boy leaned toward suspicion.
"Because you deserve to know the truth, young Uzumaki. The truth about why you are treated with such disdain."
Naruto froze. He tried to speak, but his lips trembled and refused to cooperate. Something about this man's words chilled him to the bone. He didn't exactly know what 'disdain' meant, but he could put two and two together.
"Whatever!" Naruto forced out. "Why should I trust you?" He stood stock still, staring into the endless black void in the spiral-themed mask.
"Well," the man said, "that is an excellent point. Come. I'll tell you everything and, well...if you don't believe my words, then I'll show you undeniable proof as well."
A distortion in the air formed as a vortex sucked Naruto and the stranger into it before the frightened blond could reply. Falling flat on his butt, the Uzumaki swept the area. They were in a new location, standing on top of a large blue cube that appeared to float on air. Many similar cubes of varying sizes dotted the vast emptiness around him, all defying gravity. There was no earth, no sky; only the ocean of cubes everywhere he looked. Naruto saw the masked man staring at him and gasped, hurrying to his feet before stumbling backward. He realized he was about to fall over the edge of the cube and flapped his arms wildly, trying to shift his weight. The man who brought him here sighed, reached out, and with an effortless tug, pulled him by the shirt to safety. Landing on his knees with a hard thud, Naruto panted, relief coursing through him.
"What's wrong?" the masked man asked in a sarcastic tone. "Don't get out of the village much?"
"Don't give me that. What the hell is this place?" Naruto demanded to know once his heartbeat had returned to normal. It felt a little wrong to use that kind of language, which would normally get him a slap on the wrist in class from Iruka-sensei, but something told him this was the right time.
"I brought us someplace we can talk in private. Listen closely, Naruto. This is the reason why you are the target of The Leaf's hate."
Gulping back his hesitation, Naruto nodded. He'd hear this guy out first and decide if he believed him later. After all, he wasn't about to tick off the only one who could get him out of this freaky place!
"In order to tell this story, I must first go back. Back to the very beginning. Your parents were a woman named Kushina Uzumaki, and her husband, Minato Namikaze. The Fourth Hokage."
Everything about the world around them was drowned out as Naruto processed the man's words. His impossible words.
"The Fourth...Hokage?"
Sasuke turned to observe the cloaked figure approaching from the other end of the dock. He hardened his stare, seeing that it was no one he recognized. His cheeks were still sore from the pressure of maintaining his Fireball Jutsu, but he did his best to show no weakness.
"That's quite a good sized fireball, Sasuke," a filtered voice said. The masked person gave slow, mocking applause that the boy saw through.
"Who are you?" Sasuke snapped. He wasn't in the mood for games.
"Quicker to anger? No surprise. I suspected you'd give me a much tougher time than he did, and I was right."
"I asked you who you are." The Uchiha glared, waiting for an answer.
"Calm down, child. I am someone you can trust."
Sasuke scowled, his hand creeping toward a weapons pouch on his waist. However, he stopped when a bright red eye appeared from within the emptiness of the hole in the man's mask. The pattern inside his iris made Sasuke's breath hitch. Three tomoe ringed the pupil of what was undoubtedly a Sharingan.
"What?" Surprise morphed into rage in an instant. "Where did you get that eye?!"
"Shhh," the stranger whispered. He splayed his arms. "I am a pure-blooded Uchiha, like yourself."
Sasuke gasped, shaking with disbelief. "But h-how? Everyone's been…"
"If you want to know more, just come with me."
Sasuke stared at the weathered wooden dock beneath his feet, mulling the choice over. Then, without a word, he walked toward the unknown man. Something warped the space around them and deposited them in a different location. Everything looked new and unusual, jarring Sasuke into a defensive reaction. He retrieved a kunai and assumed a combat stance, scanning for threats and finding none. His gaze snapped to the man in front of him.
"What is this?" he asked, his head on a constant swivel. "Where are we?"
"This is a place where no one in the village can interrupt us."
Obito gestured to the realm around them, where floating cubes hung in midair like clouds in the sky. Then, with an almost deliberate slowness, he raised a hand and removed his mask. Sasuke examined the face of the fellow Uchiha, dropping his kunai in stunned silence.
"I assume you have plenty of questions. I can give you the answers you seek, Sasuke. But first, tell me something."
The boy stiffened in anticipation.
"How much do you know about a man named Danzo Shimura?"
Naruto stepped onto the grass around the corner from his house, then turned back to the masked individual who brought him here. He gave the man a shrewd stare, cocking his head to one side.
"Why should I believe any of this, huh?" he challenged, tapping a foot. "You probably hate me like everybody else!" He flared his cheeks, distrust flashing in his eyes.
"If I 'hated' you, then I would have simply left you in my dimension until you starved to death." Obito wagged a finger. "Besides, you don't need to take my word on any of this. If you want proof, meet me in the forest outside of the village at midnight. Oh, and not that it should be all that hard for you," he added with a chuckle, "but do come alone."
Having said his piece, the man warped away through another spiral portal. Naruto stuck out his tongue in defiance.
What a jerk.
Sasuke stood motionless in the street amidst a light rain that grew more intense by the second. Conflicting thoughts swirled around in his head as he tried to make sense of everything he was told by Obito Uchiha. That was the name the man had given him during his lengthy story. That's all it was for now — a story. What reason did Sasuke have to buy into any of what he said?
Raindrops burst against Sasuke's skin, but they were nothing more than background noise against his deafening inner thoughts. He plodded along the damp dirt path back home, reflecting on the night he lost everything. The next thing he knew, he was staring at the front door to his apartment. He absently let himself in and slipped off his shoes.
Sasuke spent most of the evening trying, and failing, to get his mind off of what Obito shared with him. It couldn't be true, could it?
That's when he remembered something. Something new.
He wasn't sure when or how the memory was triggered, but in that moment, he knew. Ever since that night, he'd told himself he must have imagined it, because that was simpler than accepting the reality. A reality that refused to be ignored now.
Deep in his bones, Sasuke knew Obito's words were true. One small detail hadn't sat right with him ever since the night of the massacre. Everything Itachi said, everything he did, made what Sasuke saw back then impossible. And yet…
That night, as he looked back at his little brother one last time, Itachi cried.
Naruto reached the forest on the outskirts of the village and leaned against a sturdy tree, staring up at the starry sky above. He let out a breath, wondering if he made the right decision coming here or not. What if he was right to be suspicious? It could all be some big joke just to make him wait out in the cold all night. Or maybe that masked weirdo and some of his friends were gonna ambush Naruto here and beat him up. A tense feeling in his chest kept him from doing the smart thing and going back home.
Sure, leaving made the most sense, but…
No matter how shady the man seemed, he had done one thing Naruto still couldn't get off of his mind.
He had acknowledged him.
This guy came to the village looking for him. While it wasn't exactly the same as needing him or wanting to be his friend, it still made Naruto feel good inside. A smile worked its way onto his lips as he thought back on their conversation. The man approached Naruto all on his own, and he never treated him like a bother. Whether all the stuff he said about Naruto's parents was true or not, it didn't really matter.
Someone finally saw him.
The eerie sound of a portal forming nearby cut his thoughts short.
"Well, well. You actually showed up, eh?" The cloaked stranger stood obscured by shade under the tall trees.
Naruto huffed, ignoring the man's teasing tone. "So what's this proof you were telling me about earlier?"
"Tonight, you'll get all of the answers you're looking for, Naruto Uzumaki. We're going to take a trip into the building where The Leaf keeps its restricted records."
"Wha-what?" Naruto said, recoiling in surprise. "That place has a ton of Anbu guards and barriers around it. How will you-"
In response, the man conjured a portal small enough for his gloved hand to fit through. Naruto gasped when he felt fingers clasp the back of his collar. He turned to see that the weirdo's missing hand was sticking out of another portal over his shoulder.
"That's how," the cloaked guy said with another one of his annoying chuckles. Naruto slapped his hand away. "Shall we get going?"
Naruto was surprised to find all of the half dozen guards surrounding the record keeping facility knocked unconscious and dumped in a pile outside its perimeter by the time he arrived. What was even more shocking was that he never noticed his guide wasn't beside him anymore. Instead, he'd been more worried about getting caught out here in the middle of the night.
"That's the last of them," the hooded man said before nodding toward the building. He summoned a portal that sucked the guards in, then gestured for Naruto to approach him. When he obeyed, a second portal swallowed the two of them up, then deposited them inside of the room that housed numerous scrolls full of secrets.
Standing in the middle of the dark room, Naruto marveled at the rows and rows of restricted information. He couldn't believe he and his partner now had full access to this place for as long as they wanted. It was crazy, and yet here they were.
The man's Sharingan gleamed as he performed a weak fire style technique to light a few torches on the wall. He turned to observe the young Uzumaki who still had not moved a muscle. "Aren't you going to take a look? After all, that's why we're here."
Naruto shook himself back into focus. "Uh huh, I'm ready! So, which one is it?"
He followed the direction the man pointed, took a breath, and gently pulled a scroll free from one of many small holes in a shelf laid against the wall. The cloaked stranger made a hand sign, and Naruto felt something pass through the scroll he held. Almost dropping it out of fear, he stumbled, then looked down at the paper. Nothing was different about it, but he could sense that the jutsu the man cast did something that he couldn't see with his eyes.
Looking up with a brow raised, the blond asked, "Hey, what did you-"
Anticipating Naruto's question, Cloaked Guy said, "I removed the sealing jutsu on that scroll to allow you to open and read it. If you had tried on your own, nothing would have happened."
"Oh. Uh…thanks?"
The man nodded, then fell into a casual pose against the wall while Naruto unfurled the scroll to read its contents. His eyes scanned every detail on the aged paper, hungrily devouring every word and illustration. He may not have understood some of the bigger words, but he knew enough to get the general meaning of what was there. Minutes later, he dropped the scroll, lips quivering as he processed everything he just read. His accomplice narrowed his one visible eye.
"Well?" the man asked in a slick tone. "Do you believe me now, Naruto Uzumaki?"