AN: Hello again.

Things got a little serious in that last chapter and that will continue for a little into this one as well. Last time I got to tell the full truth about the Uchiha Incident as it happened in this version. The biggest difference was Shisui's role in things, as his plan was different from what it was going to be in Canon before Danzo's betrayal. I think we can just call that another ripple in the AU, but not one necessarily caused by Obito's actions.

Just something I had wanted to address and clear up.


Obito

Chapter 4 - Predator


For the first time in over a week I found myself once again stuck outside the door to Rin's home.

Why was it that I found it so hard to muster up the courage every time I came over here? To be fair, I had a pretty good reason this time. The fight with Naruto had been all my fault. There was a very good chance he wasn't even going to want to talk to me. And an apology probably wasn't going to be enough to make everything go back to the way it had been between us before now.

Even so, I owed it to him and to myself to try. While I was at it, I should probably apologize to Rin for being so distant upon my return. I'd been putting her through so much for a long time now, and it only seemed to have gotten worse since I got back. Realizing that only doubled the pressure and I was starting to debate about doing this tomorrow instead.

It was already late, after all. The sun had set and they were probably tired. Giving Naruto a good night's sleep would also be a good idea. Might make him more receptive to an apology that way. Yeah, I found myself nodding along to myself at this sudden inspiration. Nevermind the fact that I knew it was really just me chickening out for the moment. Merely pushing back the inevitable, if you will.

Just as I settled on giving up for the day and running away, I heard a small shuffling sound on the other side of the door. Someone was preparing to leave. If I used my Dojutsu, there was plenty of time to get out of there without being caught. Yet I think deep down a part of me wanted to be discovered and I froze in place, unable to come to any kind of real decision long enough for the door to swing open.

"Obito!" Rin gasped the moment she saw me. I wasn't exactly sure what kind of face I was expecting her to make, but relief certainly hadn't been one of them. Anger and disappointment would have been much higher on my list, yet there wasn't even a trace of that. That relief did give way to concern, however, when she glanced around me and seemed to notice something was missing. "Where's Naruto?" She asked.

"You mean he hasn't come back yet?" I couldn't help but be surprised myself. I knew the revelation I didn't want to become Hokage and the subsequent fight had been something of a shock to him, but I didn't think it had been a big enough deal that he wouldn't come home. This was bad, the other possibility being he hadn't been able to come home for some reason. "I'll go look for him," I turned to leave and do just that, but Rin suddenly caught me by the wrist.

"Wait, tell me what happened first. Why isn't he with you?" She asked, pulling me back as if to drag me into her apartment. Despite the fact she could have only been leaving to go look for him herself just now. I resisted her pull, trying to snap my wrist free but she had an iron-grip. I wasn't getting out of this unless I decided to use my Dojutsu to slip through her touch. Or tell her the truth.

"Do we really have the time for that?" I asked, not committing to either of those choices. "Naruto could be in trouble right now. Even if it's nothing, after everything that has been going on do you really want to leave anything to chance?"

"Obito!" Rin yelled, the anger I had been looking for this whole time finally surfacing. "Talk to me, dammit! Don't just keep shutting me out! You're hurting and hurting, yet you keep hiding it from me and pretending like I can't see it. You promised me you wouldn't hide your wounds, don't you remember?" Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and I realized just how much her emotions had been bubbling up inside. For how many years had she been holding onto that one, I couldn't help but wonder.

It was true that I needed to find Naruto. However, it would appear that I needed to prioritize Rin for now. I had been hurting her for far longer than I had been needing to apologize to Naruto, after all. He could probably wait a little while longer.

"You're right, I'm sorry." I relaxed my wrist in her hand and took a step forward. As kids we were always about the same height, but as adults I towered over her petite frame. "Can I come inside? There's… probably a lot we have to talk about."

Rin simply nodded and the two of us entered together, closing the door shut on our way in. The whole time she never let go of my wrist, even as we moved to the living area and sat down on the sofa side-by-side. I'm not even sure she was aware she was still holding onto me. Or maybe she was afraid I would try to bolt the second she let go. Either way, such proximity to her would normally leave me a nervous and babbling mess. Right now just didn't feel like the time for that and there were far more pressing matters on my mind.

"...Naruto and I got into a fight." I finally told her what happened, deciding to just start from the most recent of events. "He found out about how I'd given up on becoming Hokage and well, I probably don't need to tell you, but he got pissed." I almost laughed in self derision. "I didn't handle myself any better and lost my composure. After that he just went storming off… this was around noon."

"And after that?" Rin asked. I didn't realize it, but at some point she had started running her hand gently through my hair. It made me realize how much like a real mother she had become. There was no doubt she did this exact same thing for Naruto whenever he was down. What I felt like she didn't do was rest her head on his shoulder, which she had also just started doing with me.

"I went back home." I said. Since when did I start coming to think of the Clan Estate as home, I wasn't sure. Yet it was undoubtedly the closest place to home that I could give the word to. "While there I had a chat with Itachi and… well, let's just say he talked a little sense into me. I came here to apologize to Naruto… and to you."

"Me?" Rin asked, lifting her head and looking up at me with her brown eyes. She must have known I had a mountain of things to apologize to her for, but it would seem she had given up on expecting any kind of apology from me on any of those things.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I made you wait a long time to hear this, but I'm sorry." After all this time I finally said it. "That promise I made to you… it looks like I won't be able to keep it." One day, I was going to become Hokage and save the world. I always used to say this, but no one ever believed me back then. Rin was the only one. As if to honor that, I promised her I would definitely fulfill that dream. She knew without me saying it that this was the promise I was talking about. She just had to.

Yet for some reason she smiled and then shook her head. "No, Obito. You don't have to apologize for that. Haven't you been giving it your best?" It wasn't so much a question she asked, but more of an affirmation. As if she legitimately thought I was giving it my best the whole time. I opened my mouth to refute her, but she kept going.

"I've been watching you all along!" She proclaimed. "It looks like you've gotten a little lost along the way, but that's how you've always been… There's still time, Obito. Your promise to me hasn't been broken. It's from here on out that you can continue to reach for it!" The whole time she continued to smile at me in that same way that she always did. In that way that told me more than words ever could how much she believed in me, even when I never did anything to give her such a reason to.

"Now come on," She stood from the sofa, pulling me up with her. "Let's go apologize to Naruto!" Up until this point I was unable to get in a word edgewise. As she began to pull me towards the door, however, I remained rooted in place. She looked back at me curiously.

"Rin, do you mind waiting just a little longer?" I couldn't help but ask. She tilted her head, not yet understanding what I was talking about. "I can't become Hokage, not like I am now." I clarified. She looked like there was something she wanted to say, but she kept quiet. She must have realized I wasn't done. "I do think that maybe... I'm a little closer than I was before. I still feel like I'm a little lost, but I think I might have found the path back to the main road again? So… just a little while longer is fine. Please wait for me." For the first time in a long time, I felt glad to have come back to the Leaf again.

"Geez…" She moaned, before then letting out a soft giggle. "Even if you didn't ask it's obvious I would. I'm the one always stuck waiting for you, dummy." Despite saying that, she didn't seem to mind at all. If anything, she looked only all too happy to be stuck having to wait for me. Damn it, I was reminded all over again why I kept falling for her time after time. "We shouldn't keep Naruto waiting though." She then added as an afterthought. "He's not nearly as patient as I am."

I scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding." This was a huge relief though. With Rin by my side, I had a feeling we could convince Naruto to hear me out somehow. He might not like to hear everything I have to say, but I had to at least believe it would go better than our last talk. "Hold on tight." I warned, the shape of my Sharingan changing as I activated my Mangekyo. "We're gonna change locations."

"Okay," She nodded, suddenly pressing her whole body against mine. I hadn't meant that she had to do that, and I thought she was aware that my ability didn't need us to be this close to properly use. As we had been would have been fine. Still, I wasn't about to clear up the misunderstanding either. With a slight smile and blush tinting my cheeks, the world around us bent away. It wasn't actually the world, but us getting pulled into a vortex with my eye at the center of it.

An instant later and Rin's living room turned into a view of our village from atop the Fourth's head. That was the true power of my Mangekyo, able to jump to any place I had seen or been before by accessing a separate dimension. I referred to this miniature pocket space that I used to get around as Kamui, and it was the same name given to my Jutsu as well. As for why atop the Hokage rock, well there wasn't any better place to search for Naruto than from a high vantage point. It had nothing to do with our previous conversation, I swear.

"Cold!" Rin shivered, pressing her body a little more closely against mine as a powerful gust of wind battered at us. Even at the height of summer, it was expected for the sudden altitude shift to cause us to be a little chilly. Being the dead of night didn't help anything either.

"Just bear with it for a minute." My Sharingan eye was already scanning the village for any traces of Naruto's chakra signature. It shouldn't be hard to find, considering how much of it he freaking had. Not to mention having the Fox sealed inside him gave it a distinct color that made it all too discernable from all other chakra.

Despite being night, the entire village was awash in the light of a full moon. The busier sections of the village benefited less from this natural light, those parts already glowing like beacons. However, the forests and more residential parts of the village were also much easier to view now thanks to the moonlight. As it was, I shouldn't have to strain my Sharingan too much, even smaller chakra signatures more distinct to me. I was reminded of something that man once said, about how our eyes were directly linked to the moon itself. Which made me wonder if this was part of what he had meant.

A sudden flicker caught my eye and my Sharingan focused on that. As it did, my brain tried to determine what part of the village that was. I soon recognized it as the designated area for foreign diplomats, as well as any Shinobi that had some kind of connection to the exams. I was about to move on from that area, figuring any kind of flare of chakra was just because some of the contestants were training or practicing their moves. However, just before I did, one of the flaring chakra signatures looked familiar to me.

I couldn't say who it was, but that was definitely a Shinobi of the Leaf. Just as I focused in on that flare, it went dark. Not in a natural way, as in they were no longer utilizing their chakra. No, even then there was a signature. This kind of sudden drop in chakra could only mean one thing… death.

"Rin." I said, my voice grave. Her hold against me tightened and brown eyes hardened in resolve. I had to say nothing more than that for her to know we were about to jump into danger. We had faced life and death together numerous times already. So it was easy to recognize when one of us sensed a possible battle.

I activated Kamui, the two of us being pulled into the vortex of my Mangekyo Sharingan. The world once again twisted and bent away, only to come back into focus with us much lower to the ground, standing on a rooftop nearby where I had just seen the chakra signature flicker out. We both glanced around, on guard for any sudden attack as well as looking for anybody in need of saving.

"Hayate-kun!" Rin suddenly yelled, breaking away from me and sprinting over to a body cast aside on the very same roof we were standing on. I immediately knew now why the chakra signature had been familiar. It was yet another former classmate of mine. Although he was barely recognizable to me now, so it was incredible that Rin figured out who it was so fast. Just with a single glance no less.

My eye wasn't even immediately drawn to his face, but rather the egregious amount of blood that was around him. His Chunin vest was shredded to bits, as if thousands of tiny blades had dug into him all at once. They didn't just stop at the vest, having tore into his chest cavity and exposing his internal organs, the shiny red, still pulsating innards clearly visible in the moonlight. Even with Rin's advanced Medical Ninjutsu skills, I knew he was beyond saving. That didn't mean Rin wasn't going to try anyways.

"Hayate-kun, stay with me!" She called out to him again, dropping to her knees right down next to him. She didn't even care that she was getting covered in his blood. Her hands were immediately alight in a soft-greenish glow. I didn't linger on the sight much longer, instead turning my back to them while scanning for any sign of the fleeing perpetrator. Even if they were lying in wait for us, I should be able to pick up on a trail of their chakra. This fight had only just ended, so there was no way they could suppress their battle spirit that quickly.

Found him! My Sharingan locked in on movement over half a kilometer away. Someone jumping from roof to roof. Any kind of physical characteristics were impossible to discern from here, but that wouldn't matter once I teleported to him. "Rin! I'm heading out in pursuit-" Just as I started to shout this, a new surge of chakra caught my attention.

"Wha-!?" Not just mine, but Rin's too. This surge of chakra was completely unlike the previous battle, which had been so subtle it could only be detectable by either someone with a powerful Dojutsu like my own or a sensory-type Ninja. No, this was much different. This chakra had an actual shape, taking the form of a giant scaly tail.

"Obito! It's Naruto!" Rin suddenly shouted, having not let up on her emergency healing for even a second despite what was happening. For a split moment, I thought she was referring to the tail itself, but that couldn't be right. I had seen the tails of the Nine-Tailed Fox in person. This was nothing like that, although it did feel similar.

No, it wasn't the tail itself that was Naruto. The tail had come out in response to Naruto. I could see it clearly now. On the roof several blocks away were two chakra signatures. One of them was the source of this sudden monstrosity. The other… was Naruto. He was in danger. I had a split second choice to make; pursue the entity that had just done in Hayate… or give up on that and protect Naruto.

It wasn't even truly a choice.

"I'm on it!" My Dojutsu was already active, transporting me as I assured Rin that I was going to save her adopted son. The world collapsed around me, the massive tail large enough to block out the moon going from a distant image to something so close it could squish me at any second.

"Obito-senpai!?" Naruto was directly to my left, butt planted firmly on the roof, eyes gazing up at the tail the same as I was. "What are you doing here?" Even in danger and he managed to sound angry at me. Forget the fact I was here to rescue his sorry ass.

"That's my question, you idiot!" I snapped back at him, not in the mood for any games. On the other side of the roof was the source of the tail, a cocoon of sand with a small boy encased inside. Gaara of the Desert. My one eye widened as all the pieces clicked into place.

"...I don't know!" Naruto yelled, and I believed him. "I was just wandering around after our fight and then I came across this guy…" He didn't finish the statement but I had enough information to know what had happened. Our fight had trapped Naruto in a sea of negative feelings and emotions. I knew this because it was the same for me. However, unlike me, Naruto had a Tailed Beast inside him to feed on these feelings of hatred, sadness, and betrayal. That, temporary as it may have been, increased the connection to the fox which then guided Naruto here.

He might have thought he was wandering aimlessly but his chakra had synced with Gaara's without him knowing. That was because Gaara was also a Jinchuriki. The two had been brought together by a connection they didn't even know they shared. This also explained the single tail and why it felt so similar to the fox's despite being different.

The why was irrelevant for now, despite having figured it out. What was more important was getting us both out of here. I wasn't about to engage in direct combat with a Jinchuriki of a foreign village and contestant in the exams. The number of reasons why that would be a bad idea was too long to list in the limited time I had.

Too bad I wasn't given any kind of say in the matter.

The reason I knew it was Gaara trapped inside that cocoon of sand with a tail growing out of it was because there had been a hole about the size of his face when I first arrived here. That hole had been constantly shrinking until it was no bigger than the size of an eye socket. It should have been impossible for a jutsu to come out from a hole of that size, especially one as massive as the one that did.

In a split second, an arm the size of the tail emerged from that hole and began barrelling towards us. The shingles of the roof were blown away, creating a ruckus loud enough to wake the entire block. Not that it would alert anyone in time to save us.

It would be easy to dodge the attack by myself. I could just use the second ability of my Mangekyo Sharingan to slip through the attack and I would be fine. This wouldn't save Naruto, however. And I couldn't use both abilities at the same time, which means I couldn't just dump Naruto safely into the Kamui dimension either. Not at the speed at which this thing was approaching. My Jutsu would be too slow. There wasn't even enough time to form hand signs to launch a Jutsu to counter-attack. So I was just going to have to use a Jutsu that didn't require hand signs.

"Bakufu Ranbu!" Unlike other Fire Release Jutsu, this one was unique to me, a technique I had invented myself by combining my Uchiha born fire manipulation with the power of Kamui. I spit out a wave of pure fire that encased a massive area, while at the same time using Kamui to twist that fire as it was coming out, creating a vortex that drilled through anything in its path.

My powerful fire jutsu collided with the massive sand-arm of the Tailed Beast. Our attacks immediately cancelled each other out, my fire-based Jutsu being smothered by the layers of sand and the tip of that arm being burnt to a stubby crisp. It would regenerate soon enough, but that wasn't of consequence to me now. I didn't need to win, I just needed to grab Naruto and escape. That was victory enough for now.

"We're leaving!" I don't even think Naruto fully grasped the sequence of events in the order in which they had taken place. From my arrival to now, less than ten full seconds had passed. Catching him up to speed could come later, I decided. I reached down, grabbing him by the shoulder all while activating Kamui in one motion.

Naruto had all the time to blink and the two of us were next to Rin, sitting in a pool of Hayate's blood that immediately soaked into Naruto's orange pants, dying them a terrible dark shade. "Naruto!" Rin threw herself onto him, wrapping her adopted son in a hug so tight it looked like she was trying to crush him.

I didn't even need to ask about Hayate. If Rin wasn't trying to heal him anymore after such a short span of time then he was already gone. No matter how much she cared about Naruto, she wouldn't have abandoned the effort to save someone's life if they had been savable.

"...What the fu-?" Naruto didn't even seem to realize what was happening right now. Not that he had been teleported or that his beloved big-sister figure was holding onto him. The only thing he could do was stare at the blood that had stained his palms after I dropped us off in a pool of it. "Obito-senpai…?" He looked up at me, tears threatening to fall from his eyes at any moment. He was confused and wanted answers.

"It's alright, Naruto. You're safe." I had yet to remove my hand from his shoulder. A roar from several blocks over commanded all our attention. The Tailed Beast was retreating back into the cocoon, but it was screaming wildly as it did. For now it would really appear we had made it out of danger, but that didn't mean we could stick around here much longer either. If we did, too many questions were going to end up being asked. "We're leaving now." I stated simply.

Keeping one hand on Naruto's shoulder, I reached down with my other and grabbed onto Hayate's calf. Rin was still clinging to Naruto like her life depended on it, linking all four of us together. One instant we were in the darkness with only the moon to give us any light, the next and we were directly in the middle of the lobby at the village's largest hospital; Where Naruto and I first met upon my return.

Screams suddenly cried out from all around us, the true extent of Hayate's injuries clear for anyone to see. Rin was on her feet in an instant, shouting orders and making demands. The immediate chaos around us was completely brought under control by her quick and authoritative actions. While Rin worked, I guided Naruto over to some chairs placed against the wall.

"Isn't that the proctor for the final exam…?" Naruto's eyes were nearly vacant, and I was surprised to hear he was capable of taking in any of his surroundings at all. I traced his gaze over to Hayate and realized in that moment that he was the one Naruto was talking about. Apparently he had been in charge of monitoring the fights, which meant he would have met Naruto during the preliminaries. Although it looked like they were going to need a replacement now.

"Naruto, I need you to listen to me." I said, using my most authoritative voice. For a second it didn't even look like he heard me, still staring at Hayate as he was loaded onto a stretcher to be taken away. Finally, he seemed to focus back in on me. If he was still angry from earlier, he was incapable of showing it right now. I would guess he was in shock.

"Rin is going to have to perform an emergency autopsy so she's going to be busy for the next few hours, you understand what I'm saying?" I asked. Several agonizing seconds passed but he eventually nodded. "Good. Rin isn't going to leave the hospital, that means you aren't going to either. Just sit here. If you need anything… anything at all… even just someone to talk to, call one of the nurses, okay?"

Truthfully speaking, I didn't want to leave Naruto like this. He needed someone he knew and could trust to decompress with. This might very well be the first death of an ally he had ever witnessed. If we didn't handle that right, the trauma could mess with his psyche for years to come.

"You're leaving?" Naruto asked, his little hand grabbing onto the cuff of my jacket sleeve as if asking me not to go. Our earlier fight was truly the last thing on his mind right now. I hated to disappoint him, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"Naruto." I spoke his name gently, reaching a hand up and rubbing his blond locks. "I have to tell Hokage-sama what happened. He needs to know immediately or there might be more people put in danger. More innocent people could end up like the proctor if I don't go right now. You understand that, right? I have a job to do as a Shinobi of the Leaf."

Naruto slowly nodded. "I understand." He was so completely unlike himself that it was tearing me up inside. Was this what Gai was talking about earlier when he said that he couldn't accept me as I was now? Had I become some hollow thing, incapable of being like my old self?

"When I come back, you and I are going to talk about that fight we had, okay?" Bringing that up seemed to make some of the light return to Naruto's eyes. "I have a lot of things I need to say to you, but for now just know that I'm sorry. I was wrong about most of what I said."

"Most?" Naruto asked, at least trying to sound joking about it.

"Don't push it, brat." I ruffled his hair a little harder before standing up and taking a step back. "I'll see you, if not again tonight then first thing in the morning at Rin's place. It's a promise."

"Yeah." Naruto nodded, looking at least a little more chipper than before. It wasn't much, but it was going to have to be enough for now.

I activated my Jutsu and the sight of Naruto distorted and twisted before vanishing completely as I once again changed locations, this time to the Hokage's place of residence.


"I see." The Third Hokage nodded as I finished recounting the events of what had just transpired. Several long and agonizing moments after that followed as he leaned back in his chair, taking a long drag on his pipe. He then let out the smoke and my one eye followed it as it drifted to the ceiling and then spread out across the room, before finally disappearing.

In consideration for me and the fact that I had just been involved in a fight, he had instructed me to take a chair and sit down across from him at his desk. I assumed it was just a courtesy as it was only the two of us and no one was there to see me. Usually I would be required to stand at attention in front of my boss. I didn't think it was because he was expecting this meeting to go on for some time.

Yet even though I had finished my report, it didn't seem like he had any intention of dismissing me for the moment. I didn't want to urge him to get a move on either, but I really wanted to get back to Naruto and Rin while there was still time tonight. If this meeting went on for too long, I was going to have to go over in the morning after all. Nevermind we should all be in bed already anyways.

"So tell me Obito, what do you make of all this?" He suddenly asked, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Umm… sir?" I couldn't help but ask back. I had already given him my report as accurately as I recalled it happened. Was he asking me to give it again… or…?

"I'm asking Obito, that if you were in my position, what would be your plan of action? How would you handle this?" He clarified, but that explanation only left me with more questions than answers.

"In your position? Are you asking me if I was the Hokage right now? What would I do?" He couldn't possibly mean that, but there weren't many other interpretations when you considered the options.

"That's exactly what I mean." The Hokage said as if his patience was running thin, completely ignoring the fact it had been him dawdling up until now.

"Right…" I dragged out the end of my word, trying to buy myself even a couple seconds of time. I hadn't come here with the expectation I was going to have to think about things. It was supposed to be a just tell him what happened and then leave kind of thing. Of course, it wasn't like I didn't have thoughts of my own.

"For starters, it does seem suspicious. That the Hidden Sand would bring a Jinchuriki to the Chunin Exams of a foreign village. Normally, they would have him take the exams when it was hosted within their own borders. Not to mention, the timing just seems to line up too well. Orochimaru targets the Sharingan, a Dojutsu capable of manipulating Tailed Beasts, in the same exam that Sand brings their own? It's dubious at best."

The Hokage nodded to what I was saying, still smoking his pipe the whole time. "So you would say that I disqualify this Gaara? Am I understanding that correct?"

"Well, no not exactly." There were no easy solutions here as far as I could tell. "Just because the timing looks suspicious doesn't mean there's any actual proof of a connection. Going by the state of Hayate's wounds, it would seem a Futon Jutsu had caused them at first glance, but I need to wait for Rin's autopsy report to know for sure. If it was a Futon Jutsu, however, that would make the likelihood that it had been a Sand Shinobi from the Land of Wind quite high. Since I failed to catch the perpetrator, we again have no proof, but wanting us to suspect the Sand might also just be one of Orochimaru's schemes. If he can drive a wedge between us and our allies, it would only strengthen his position."

This time the Hokage nodded and I could have sworn I saw the ghost of a satisfied smile. "So for the time being we can do nothing against the Hidden Sand village. If anything, it sounds to me like you would wish to strengthen ties?" To this I could only nod. War was something I had seen enough of in my life. One of the reasons I had wanted to become Hokage was to be able to end them. Even if I didn't necessarily still aim for the title of Hokage itself, there was no way I would ever stop desiring an end to war.

"That still doesn't bring up the question of the Hidden Sound village itself." The Hokage continued, taking his pipe from his mouth and pointing it at me. "What would you have me do about them? Unlike with the Sand, we have actual proof that at the very least the Genin team infiltrated the exams under Orochimaru's orders."

Now he was asking me about questions no longer related to my report. This had involved Gaara and one unknown assailant. There was no proof it had been someone from the Sound either, yet I was being questioned about it. There was no choice for me but to play along with his games for now. He was my boss, after all.

"Let's assume the worst case scenario and the Hidden Sound village is here under Orochimaru's direct orders for some kind of invasion." Again, this was the absolute worst case scenario and not what I necessarily believed to be true. "Orochimaru is originally a Shinobi from our village, your own student no less. If we reveal he is the one behind the scenes of this new village, it just makes us look bad and weakens our standing. So again, it's more a matter of just heightening security and letting what will play out, at least until we can find any direct proof of their plans or a way to stop them."

"Even if this means running the risk of getting the other countries and Shinobi villages involved in our war?" The Hokage asked. "Three other countries will have their diplomats and leaders in attendance during the exams. You would ask that I put them in danger?"

"No! That's not what I'm saying!" I started to rise from my chair, voice climbing with me. I caught myself just in time, clearing my throat and sitting back down. "My point is, we can't just go picking a fight, even if it looks like Orochimaru is trying to start one with us. If we take his bait and strike first without proof or show discrimination against his Shinobi who fought to be in these exams, then we're proving him right. Even if we save lives this way, we'll lose the moral battle. And I… well I'm not sure, but that doesn't feel like Lord First's Will of Fire."

"You don't desire revenge for Gekko Hayate? Or at the very least to know who it was that killed your former classmate?" Now that he asked that, I realized how numb to his death I had been until now. Despite the fact that we used to see each other everyday at the academy. That we had fought side by side in war together. His death in my mind had just been another one in the long list of them.

"I've seen where revenge gets you. Most of all when it is an Uchiha seeking it." It was the only thing I could possibly say. That man had wanted revenge against me for not saving him after he had been the one to save me. My clan then wanted revenge against the village when they were blamed for the attack he caused to get that revenge. Their own search for revenge caused them to get wiped out from within. So yeah, I was pretty much over the whole revenge schtick by this point in my life.

"I see." The Hokage said again, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was disappointed in me. Instead, he nodded a moment later as he came to some decision. "I've made up my mind. It shall be you that escorts me on the day of the final exams."

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, his words confusing me slightly. I had a pretty good idea of what he was asking of me, but there was just such a gap from what we had been talking about to that statement just now. So of course my mind couldn't keep up.

"The day of the tournament I will be sitting at the highest seat in the stadium to observe the fights and give speeches." He said, starting from the most obvious. "Next to me will be the village leaders of the other fours nations who have Shinobi represented at this exam. This means the Kazekage of the Sand along with the heads of Rain, Waterfall, and Sound." Although no one knew who the head of the Hidden Sound truly was, it couldn't be possible Orochimaru himself would show up in person? "All of us will have one guard allowed to stand by us at all times during the processions." The Hokage said, pointing at me again with his pipe. "You will be that one I have by my side. I have use for your keen eye. If there is any sign of trouble during the exam, I want you by my side to help me deal with it. At the moment, there is no one I trust more in the village who has all the information about what is going on."

"Right." I nodded, finally starting to understand this for what it really was. For a moment there I had almost gotten my hopes up, so it was a good thing I kept my expectations in check. "You just need me because I'm the only one that knows about the Tailed Beast then." While it was true a few others such as Naruto and Rin knew, they couldn't be by his side for obvious reasons. Naruto because he was a Genin fighting in the tournament and Rin as Naruto's guardian.

To my surprise though, the Hokage then shook his head. "No, that's hardly it at all. I would also like you to get to meet some of the other leaders. My ears are starting to go in my old age you see, I might need you to talk to them for this old man." He laughed at his own joke. "Let's not even mention these darned eyes of mine. I can barely see the fights from so high. You'll need to be the one to judge the participants for me, see who is worthy of promotion or not."

"Umm…" I cleared my throat, not sure how to say it exactly. No, the problem was I knew exactly how to say it. I just didn't want to word it that way. But upon seeing no other choice, I said it plainly, "It sounds to me like you're asking me to do your job, Sir."

The Hokage paused for a second, blinking several times. Then he burst out into laughter. "Does it now?" He asked, as if the thought had only just occurred to him. "Well now maybe that wouldn't be so bad, actually. I've been thinking of retiring for a while now."

"Please do not joke about that, Sir." I said, sounding more concerned than scolding. "This village still needs you." I still needed him as well. For my whole life he had been the Hokage. It was him I saw in person and with his stone face up there on the Hokage monument. If he disappeared like Minato-sensei had, I don't know what I would do anymore.

"Well, let's not worry about such things as that for the time being, shall we?" He must have noticed my distress, because he gave a big smile as if to show how healthy he still was. "All I'm really asking of you is what I would have anyone else do if they were standing up there with me. Try not to think too hard about it." I voiced my agreement and he then let out a loud yawn. "Now then, I think it's time I get these old bones of mine to bed. Sorry to have kept you so long, Obito."

"No problem at all, Sir!" I jumped to my feet, taking a rigid stance in front of him. "If that is all, I will take my leave first. Forgive my rudeness." I said, bowing to him as the words left my mouth.

"Give my regards to Naruto and Rin for me when you see them." As expected, but he knew exactly why I was in such a hurry to get out of there. With one final word of goodbye, I used Kamui to warp out of the office.

Only the place I went wasn't the hospital. Instead I once again returned back atop the stone ahead of the Fourth Hokage, my former teacher, Minato-sensei. The wind-chill had dropped even further since I had last been up here and I found myself tugging at the zipper of my jacket to make sure it was pulled up as far as possible.

I slowly walked to the edge of the rock, glancing over the ledge and directly below. The Hokage tower where I had just been was clearly visible. After that, I confirmed that there were no further signs of the Tailed Beast from earlier. It looked like it had been taken under control for the time being. That was a good sign. I don't think the Sand intended for it to get out that they had brought a Tailed Beast here with them. So it would have been impertinent to cover it up the moment they saw it begin to go rampant.

To my knowledge, no one had seen us but I hadn't been subtle with that flame attack. If anyone was watching, my fire would have lit up my whole face. Not to mention Naruto. Neither one of us were exactly the type to easily blend into a crowd, so it wouldn't take much digging to find us if they wanted. This meant I was going to have to keep an even closer eye on Naruto than before. I needed to start watching my own back as well. As such, I had a feeling I was about to be making much greater use of my Sharingan for the remainder of the month.

Speaking of Naruto, I turned my gaze back to the hospital. It would seem neither he nor Rin were located inside the building anymore, as I couldn't make out any sign of their unique chakra signature. That meant they must be on their way back home. If Rin was with him there was nothing to worry about for the time being. She was strong and more importantly, smart enough to realize that she needed to be on guard. After what had just happened, we couldn't be too careful anymore.

For me, all these threats had just seemed like whispers in the wind. But no longer. With tonight's experience, I had felt for myself the terrible grip of the unseen hand moving in the shadows.

"This job never gets any easier, does it Sensei?" I don't know why, but I felt like speaking to the rock whose head I now stood on top of. Another chilly gust of wind caused me to think about going back down to a warmer altitude, but I decided to endure it a little longer. It had been a long time since Minato-sensei and I had a chat, after all.

So I sat down, getting as comfortable as I could on the cold rock. "I've been hanging out with your son, you know? Although he certainly takes after you in the looks department, he got all your wife's terrible personality habits… I would appreciate it if you didn't tell her I said that though." That woman had been scary. Unlike Rin, she had a hell of a temper and wasn't above smacking you a good one if she felt you deserved it. Kakashi and I had both been on the bad end of that several times.

"Anyways, I'm trying my best to get along with him. To be a good teacher for him and to guide him. I think a lot about the things you used to do for me lately. I think you probably know this, but I wasn't really able to appreciate what an amazing teacher you had been at the time. Teaching Naruto made me realize how much of a pain in the ass I must have been. Yet… you never showed it. Not even once. Even when you were strict I always remember that you were fair. I'm… not sure I've been able to live up to that." I sighed.

"We got in a pretty nasty fight today. Don't worry, I think he and I are going to be able to work it out. We kinda talked about it a little after. It's just that… I don't know what to do. I was kind of hoping by talking to you now that I might be able to figure it out. You see, the thing is… it feels like everyone in the village is trying to push me into becoming Hokage ever since I came back." Rin, Kakashi, Itachi, Gai, Naruto, and now even the Third himself. It felt like no matter where I turned, every sign was pointing to my face getting put up here alongside my teacher's.

"I know you and I always used to talk about becoming Hokage one day. You would even humor me and say things like 'We'll both become Hokage' and that made me really happy. Aside from Rin, you were the only other one to believe in me. So I know that you would tell me now that you want me to take the position, but…" It felt like something got caught in my throat. I reached up with my right hand, clutching at the cloth of my jacket right over my heart.

"Hey, Minato-sensei-" I choked back tears, touching the cold stone of his carving with my left hand. Anything to make him feel closer. To somehow get him to talk back to me.

"What in the hell am I supposed to do?"