AN: Big reveal time.

This is the chapter where I finally drop the main divergence point and what has mostly only been alluded to until now. I don't think the information is going to be ground-breaking and maybe it's kinda obvious what happened already, but it did need to get addressed eventually. I actually debated for a while where to stick this info-dump. At first, I was just gonna put it in the beginning of the story as a kinda prelude, but that didn't really feel like it fit. Eventually, I settled on this moment, for reasons I hope the chapter itself will make obvious.

I guess we'll find out.


Obito

Chapter 11 - Successor


My slow descent into Hell began a long time ago now.

If I had to pick an exact time… then yeah, it would be from the moment I had awoken my Sharingan on that fateful mission.

Rin had been captured by Hidden Rock Shinobi and after a heated debate about it, Kakashi and I had put the mission on hold in order to save her life. Because to me, my comrades were more important than the mission. Kakashi may not have agreed with me, but he came to help anyway.

And the reward he got for that was his left eye gouged out by the blade of an enemy. Despite his injury, the two of us were able to complete our objective: we successfully saved Rin from the hands of the enemy Rock Ninja. Only for their remaining member to cause a cave-in. Kakashi was hit in his new blind-spot by a piece of falling rock and in the heat of the moment… I threw him out of the way.

I was pinned beneath the falling stone. The entire right side of my body had been crushed, but my left was still intact. Knowing my life was already over, I offered my left eye to Kakashi- who had just lost his coming into a battle I insisted he be a part of in the first place. Using my freshly awakened Sharingan, Kakashi and Rin escaped and he would go on to be regarded as the Hero of Kannabi Bridge and a Sharingan Warrior.

And I was dead.

At least, I should have died as the rest of the cave fell in around me and buried my body completely. Maybe things would have worked out better for everyone if that had been the case? Regardless of things such as that, against all odds I had somehow managed to survive. The details were still kind of unclear. Had my Mangekyo awakened prematurely? Or was it some side-effect of my chakra nature? To this day I still have no idea, but survive I did.

Only to wake up in that nightmare. Under the care of that man.

Uchiha Madara.

Even now just thinking of his name was like calling out a curse to me. Despite the fact that I should be grateful to him as the benefactor that saved my life, there was no gratitude towards him to be found within my heart. This was because- until the end he tried only to manipulate me.

This is why I mentioned it would be better if I had died. Because at least then I wouldn't have been a tool for his evil machinations. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. That's right… If I had to tell things in order, I should start from the time I still felt something akin to gratitude for this Shinigami.

Because that was what I originally saw him as- A grim reaper come to take away the dead souls of young Uchiha children. Little did I know at the time he was a relic of a near-forgotten past. A corpse himself- clinging onto life by means barely within mortal understanding.

He called it the Gedo Mazo. It was a husk of a creature, once the amalgamation of all the The Tailed Beasts in a single being. But just because it was a dried up, rotting carcass didn't mean it wasn't without purpose. It was keeping Madara alive, after all. If only barely.

From that statue also came these zombie-like creatures known as Zetsu. That's right, the same Zetsu that had been attached to me. It was this that gave me wood techniques, but more importantly had kept me alive.

All at the whim of my gracious host: Madara.

Of course, he didn't do this for charity and had been upfront about such right from the beginning. Yet I had no idea how high a price he would demand until much later. I was still young and unbearably naïve at the time. My head was full of only one thing: Getting back to Rin.

Perhaps if I hadn't been so single-mindedly stupid focused on that then things would have been different. Instead I spent most of my free time in that place working on rehabilitation. During that time… I guess you could say I became friends with one of the Zetsu. He was a unique fellow, I called him Swirly because of the shape of his face, but the others all called him Tobi.

It's from Tobi that I learned all about my host- the man himself spending almost all his time sleeping. No- He hadn't been sleeping but manipulating things from the shadows. It just looked to me like he was sleeping, because I still didn't understand anything about the world or the true extent of his power. I just assumed he was a barely aware old man clinging to life.

Madara had awoken those cursed eyes- Rinnegan- on the verge of his death and it was these eyes that allowed him to summon the Gedo Mazo. That had only been the first part of his master plan, however, and he wasn't in condition to continue the rest. So he gave his eyes to someone, at the time I still had no idea who.

There was a lot I had no idea about. What I did understand from what Tobi said is that the final step was the ultimate Genjutsu: Mugen Tsukuyomi. An eternal dream for all of humanity. In Madara's words: A perfect world without war or strife or suffering. Just a peaceful sleep for all to enjoy.

Absolute insanity. That's what I thought it was. I don't even know if what he was talking about was possible, but Tobi seemed to believe it was, as did the Madara that was clinging to life. To accomplish this they still needed many things.

For some reason, one of those things: Was me.

Tobi took a massive gamble and confessed to me the truth of what Madara was doing. What he was hoping for. He intended to manipulate me by showing me true Hell. And to start? He was going to have Rin killed.

Upon discovering this, Tobi and I hatched a plan to escape from that place. Using the unique structure of Tobi's body I was able to ride inside him and essentially pilot him like some kind of combat suit. As a Zetsu, Tobi was able to move through the earth and so we used that to our advantage to slip out of the room I had been locked in.

Then with Tobi's help I infiltrated the Hidden Mist. At this point, he and I split up. He became the distraction and I moved to save Rin. It wasn't in time to stop her from forcibly becoming the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, but she was at least alive. Rin at first assumed I was some kind of Genjutsu or enemy manipulation. I don't think she trusted me even as we fled together, but then she had little choice at the time considering her dire circumstances.

While we tried to get out, we also ran into Kakashi who had been trying to get in. It was only when the two of us used our Sharingan in tandem that I was able to prove to both of them that I was the real genuine article. Not some fake, but the real Obito that had returned from the dead to be by their side.

Tobi's distraction was good… probably a little too good in hindsight. The three of us together managed to escape from the Mist without any kind of pursuers. When we sat down to talk, however, is when we ran into a different kind of trouble.

Rin wasn't just any ordinary Jinchuriki. She was a kind of bomb, her seal set to detonate when she reached certain geographical coordinates. The Three-Tails would be released inside of our home and she would be killed from the forced unsealing, taking with her the lives of so many of the people she had sworn to give her life to protect.

Her solution was to die, but cooler heads won out as we had the time to sit down and calmly discuss a solution: such as letting our Sensei's wife- a Jinchuruki and known seal expert take a look at it first. That decided, the next step was discussing what happened to me.

This is where I made my first mistake. I told them about Tobi… but not Madara. I kept his existence a secret, by only giving a half-truth. Because even if Madara had intended to kill Rin, he had still saved my life. So I mistakenly believed that by not telling them about him that I was somehow making us even. My second mistake was then returning to home at all.

If I truly loved the village I should have stayed away from it.

Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before all that, we ran into Minato-sensei not too long after. Like Kakashi, he had also been somewhere else on a separate mission when he heard the news and came running as soon as he could. As planned, he called on his wife and Kushina was able to properly adjust Rin's seal.

So we returned to the village hailed as heroes… is what I would like to say happened. The reality was much the opposite. Rin and I were both met with distrust and skepticism. For Rin, it was because she was now the Jinchuriki of a foreign Tailed Beast, which to many made her a traitor.

As for me, well it was more complicated than that. In my absence from the village, my grandmother- my only living family- had died. The news of my death had been too much for her heart… so even if indirectly, I had been responsible for her death.

As for the rest of my clan… well, they banished me. Apparently giving out my Sharingan when I thought I was going to die was something that they frowned upon, so for that crime I lost both my clan and my home.

Not for long, anyways. Minato-sensei and Kushina were pretty quick to take me in. It's also thanks to them that I managed to avoid any kind of harsh interrogations or deep mind dives from the Leaf Torture and Interrogation Forces. It was already pretty much decided at the time that Minato-sensei was going to become the Fourth Hokage and so he used that weight to protect me.

Considering what happened, this only makes me feel even more guilty about having lied to them. Yet even if most of them agreed to back off and believe my story, there were still those that wanted to know the secrets to my new body.

Orochimaru of the Sannin and Danzo of Root teamed up to kidnap me, desiring my Zetsu cells and perhaps more importantly- the knowledge of where they came from. Their plan was only momentarily successful and it was Master Jiraiya that came to my rescue. This was our first major interaction and it wouldn't be wrong to say this was where his interest in me began.

Orochimaru escaped from the village as his other illicit experiments came to light, but Danzo somehow managed to slip away and hold onto power for a little while longer. Of course, it wouldn't be the last time my path crossed with either man as you already know.

During this time is also when I got to know Izumi. I don't even remember when we first met, but she had taken an interest in me because we were the same- Uchiha that didn't have a place in the clan compound. At first I was weary of her… but over time I eventually came to view her as a little sister.

Things were nice for a time. I was living with Minato-sensei and Kushina, who were now expecting the birth of their own child. Kakashi and Rin started dating, which helped her get over the distrust she was experiencing from the other villagers.

We were all together and we were moving on… little steps at a time.

Until my past mistakes came back to haunt me for the first time.

That was the night of Naruto's birth.

The first sign that something was amiss was the odd chill in the air. That was the calm before the storm as the Nine-Tails appeared as if a maelstrom, bringing about the same destruction as an act of nature.

Only this was no coincidence or random event.

A Jinchuriki's seal is weakest during child-birth. However, the number of people that knew Kushina's expected due-date was on that day… it could be counted using the fingers between both hands.

I didn't know what to do, but I hedged a bet and went to the one place I thought might give me a chance to get involved. My bet paid off and I caught Minato-sensei just as he teleported into the nursery he, Kushina, and I had prepared together for the baby Naruto. In his hands was his dying wife… for no Jinchuriki could survive having their Tailed Beast removed.

Until the end though, Kushina truly was amazing, able to hold on for as long as she did. Minato-sensei placed her next to their sleeping newborn and together he teleported himself and I atop his head carved into the side of the mountain.

It was there that Minato-sensei revealed what I had feared. The one to attack them was Uchiha Madara… and he had been piloting Tobi the same way I had once used him to go save Rin. That was how he infiltrated the village undetected, using Tobi's ability to slip through the earth. All of these were things I had knowledge of and had I told someone maybe they could have taken precautions against this.

There was no time for me to weep or to apologize to my sensei, however. For the Nine-Tails had made it to the village. Minato-sensei teleported his attack away and moved us deep into the mountains where it was less likely to cause more harm to the village. It was here that Madara appeared before me again.

I declared my intent to be the one to deal with him… and despite having no reason to trust me anymore, Minato-sensei left that battle to me as he went to deal with the Nine-Tails. It was here that I learned the truth about being a Shinobi… and realized how much of a child I had been before that.

I thought Madara was angry at me and doing this out of revenge. No, he was anything but angry and it would be more accurate to say he was thankful. For he had been using the Zetsu cells he placed inside me to gather information on the village… and it was while monitoring this information that he found out about Kushina's expected childbirth.

That's right. The one that made all of this possible- the death of Kushina and all those the Nine-Tails would attack- was me.

If I had just told the truth earlier. If I hadn't been such a noble idiot, thinking that by not telling anyone about Madara that I was somehow returning the favor to him for saving my life. Now he was telling me it was fine, because the information I had given him was more than enough in exchange.

This revelation is what awoke my Mangekyo Sharingan.

If that ability hadn't awoken when it had I probably would have died too. Because it was only thanks to my new power that I survived the fight against Madara as long as I had. That's right, I was only able to survive. Because even in his weakened state and having forcibly taken control of Tobi, Madara was way too powerful an opponent for me.

However, the Gedo Mazo had been the thing keeping Madara alive. In exchange for disconnecting from that, he had switched to running on Tobi's life-force and the battle between us turned into one of attrition. Would I be able to utilize my freshly awakened Mangekyo long enough to survive Madara's skillful assault? Or would I slip up and get killed before he ran out of time?

A battle that I won as Madara used up all of his and Tobi's remaining life-force. Tobi wilted away into nothing, leaving behind the decrepit form of the old, withered Uchiha. Even as Madara died, however, he left me with one final message. A reminder that things weren't over. Because he had left two things behind.

His eyes and his will.

And he assured me that one day those things would allow him and I to meet again.

Something I really hoped would never happen.

After our fight, I threw Madara's corpse into Kamui for safekeeping and used my new ability to join with Minato inside the barrier he threw up for his fight against the Nine-Tails. Only by that time everything was already over. Naruto had been made the new Jinchuriki and both my teacher and his wife were dead.

All because of me.

Everything was all my fault.

Naruto became an orphan. Kakashi and Rin broke up, neither one able to find a healthy way to cope with the death of our teacher. The Uchiha Incident that followed only happened because the Uchiha were persecuted for the Nine-Tails attack. And now… Madara returned to torment me further, this time in the form of his successor, Nagato, who had his original eyes. Just like he had promised.

How many more lives were my mistakes going to continue to cost me? For how much longer was I going to allow this to continue? If I didn't put an end to this… how could I ever stand proud one day as Hokage?

"Obito! Wake up!" Kakashi's voice pulled me from my dream- no, my miserable recollection.

"Guh..." I let out a groan, my senses returning bit by bit as I collected my consciousness. Damn was I sore, just about every part of my body ached. Even my eyelid felt heavy, opening ever so slowly as the visage of Kakashi looking down from above me came into focus.

"Damn it, Obito. Now isn't the time for you to oversleep!" Kakashi pulled at my body, lifting me into a sitting position. As he did, it became apparent that I was no longer on top of the Hokage Monument. When I had been knocked out it was only early afternoon, the sun high in the bright blue sky, but now it was beginning to sink below the horizon, dying everything in orange.

The ominous lighting cast dark shadows over the devastated structures. Much of the debris around us had been brushed away and an emergency shelter constructed. Many of the injured appeared to have been brought here, myself included. However, most of their wounds were far more serious than mine. These must have been the people Rin either hadn't gotten to over the past five years to part her chakra with… or they were foreigners.

For it hadn't just been Leaf Shinobi and citizens in the village, but all kinds of spectators and even the invaders were all caught up in the attack along with us. I saw the headbands of Taki, Suna, and Oto Ninja alike all be treated with whatever medical equipment that could be salvaged. Regardless of the fact that they had just been our enemies. Now was a time for us to band together, which in a way had been what I think Yahiko wanted. Not that I could agree with their methods.

"The Kazekage…?" I wondered aloud. He had been trapped inside my Mokuton Jutsu and while our fight had taken place near the edge of the village…

"He's alive and in custody, along with Orochimaru, and Kakuzu." Kakashi answered, snapping his fingers in front of my face to draw my attention back to him. "Now we don't have time for that. Come on-"

"Naruto!" I said with a start. The moment Kakashi mentioned not having time is when it dawned on me. He was exactly right. We didn't have any time and needed to send a force to save him right away. Did they even know he had been taken? "Kakashi, Naruto was-"

"We know already, Rin told us." Kakashi hoisted me to my feet and started helping me to limp along. Whatever was going on, he seemed to be anxious and in a hurry, but not about Naruto? I thought to ask why, but there was another question on my mind first.

"But I threw Rin into-" The Kamui dimension to be safe, is what I meant to say.

"I pulled her out, along with those other two Jinchuriki you had in there." Kakashi interrupted, patting his covered left eye. "I've been working on controlling Kamui too, you know? Although unlike you, it comes with a pretty hefty toll when I use it." We made our way out of the shabby shelter and into the open street. If you could even call it that.

Practically the whole village had been gathered in this one spot and every single available hand was on deck. Clean-up, search-and-rescue crews, food distribution, and all kinds of other emergency task-forces had been created while I slept. Not just the Ninja, but even our civilians were being made to help. Rather, it looked like they had thrown themselves willingly into the workload. Every single person was fired up in a way I don't think I had seen in a long time.

"I see…" I said in response to Kakashi's earlier comment. "And where are we going?" It didn't seem like there was anything I could do to help at the moment. If anything, what I needed was a Medical Ninja to get me back to a hundred percent as soon as possible. That way I could set out in pursuit of those that had taken Naruto. If I left now, I might still be able to catch them so long as they were in Hi no Kuni. If they made it back to the Land of Borders then I wouldn't be able to chase them with Kamui as I had never entered the country before and as such had no markings there to link to.

It took me a couple seconds to realize Kakashi still hadn't answered me and seemed hesitant to do so. Now that I thought about it, his whole demeanor was just plain off. He kept telling me we needed to hurry, but he was making no indication as to why. In the first place, if there was nothing for me to even be doing, why had I been forcibly woken up in the first place, rather than allowed to heal and rest? Something was very wrong here.

"Kakashi…?" I asked again, fear straining at my vocal chords. This finally seemed to get through to him and we slowed to a stop. He seemed to glance around, as if making sure no one was listening in on our conversation. Nevermind they were all too busy doing their own things to pay attention to us.

It was only after we stopped I also realized where in the village we ever were. The Hokage Tower- or what was left of it- was the building directly in front of us. It had been reduced down to a single floor, but compared to everything else it was about the only structure that was still even remotely standing at this point. Two large men stood outside, no doubt members of the Akimichi clan, selected for their robust builds to guard the most important place in the village.

Even before Kakashi said anything I began to fear the worst, as there was only one reason he would have brought me here while being so secretive behind why we were coming.

"Hokage-sama…" Kakashi confirmed my fears, his own voice heavy and sounding as if he didn't believe it himself. "He isn't going to make it. I pulled Rin out of Kamui because she had the best chance of anyone at saving him, but her chakra reserves are too low and his injuries… they're too severe."

"But that's… how?" This didn't make sense to me. Rin had given everyone she had ever healed in the past five years a piece of her chakra. You mean to tell me in all the village one of the only people she failed to get to was the most important person, someone that should be protected above all others?

"It's not Rin's fault." Kakashi already knew what I was thinking and swiftly put an end to those thoughts. "Hokage-sama had his own special ANBU guard and medical squad. Even if they knew what Rin was doing… There's no way it would have been approved to place a piece of Tailed Beast chakra inside the Hokage. Old suspicions and all that…" He was right, of course. That didn't make it any easier to accept. That the Hokage was dying… all because people still couldn't trust a Jinchuriki after everything she had done for them.

"That's not all." Kakashi continued, clenching his fist and staring at our feet. Whatever happened, he was also blaming himself. "Orochimaru took advantage of the chaos to make one last strike… and stabbed Hokage-sama with the sword of Kusanagi. I'm afraid that blow is what's turning out to be the most fatal. We were able to subdue him after, but it was too late by that point."

"Damn it…" I cursed, too many emotions bubbling to the surface all at once. Just what the hell was I supposed to even say or do in this situation? The village had been flattened, Naruto was kidnapped, the Third was dying, Madara's eyes had been rediscovered in the hands of our enemy. There were too many things I had to do all at once and I had no idea how to organize it all in my head.

"Obito, you need to focus." Kakashi shook me in his arms, pulling me back to reality. "You must have figured it out by now, right? There's a reason I forced you awake despite the condition you're in. Do you understand?" He asked me like the answer was obvious, but I could only stare at him in silence. Of course I had no idea. There was no way this could just be to say goodbye. So many people deserved to have that honor, there was no reason to select me individually.

Kakashi seemed to sense my confusion or more likely just saw it in the dumb blank look on my face. He closed his one visible eye and sighed as he once again began to help me limp forward. Only once we were on the move again did he drop the bombshell that in hindsight I really should have known was coming.

"He's calling for you specifically, Obito." Kakashi deadpanned. "In ordinary circumstances he should have passed on already… but he's holding onto life with everything he's got, because there's something he needs you to hear."

No, no, no.

There was no way this was happening. Not right now of all times. Not in the middle of all… this. Yet there was no other explanation. And regardless of my wishes, things kept moving forward and I was already along for the ride.

The two guards didn't so much as hesitate to let us through. In fact, they only seemed to straighten out their posture as we passed. I could just barely hear their hushed whispers behind me after Kakashi and I entered the only standing floor of the Hokage Tower.

In ordinary circumstances this would have been the reception room for any important business you might have with the Hokage. Be that as a Ninja to accept a mission or a client to submit one, but now it was being used for nothing of the sort. Instead it had been turned into a gathering place for all the most important figures of our generation.

"Master!" The first one to catch my eye, having been seated right next to the entrance, was Jiraiya. He was conscious now… and better than when I had last seen him. Not much, but better. The black rods were still jutting out of his back and he had a team of medics behind him, seemingly to inspect the rods and determine if they were safe to remove. Judging by how deeply they were wedged into his back, I imagined taking them out would only result in expediting his death.

"Yo, Obito!" He held up a hand and smiled despite his busted lips. "You look like shit." He joked, looking far worse than me. He had numerous machines hooked up to him, running all kinds of other tests and his exposed upper body was littered in bruises and barely healed wounds. Yet despite all this he managed to sound this chipper, so I had to imagine it meant he was going to pull through somehow.

"Speak for yourself…" I tried to laugh at his dry humor, but I couldn't even force that. Not here, not with the heavy atmosphere permeating the rest of the room. The moment Kakashi and I had entered and every single eye in the room had turned to look at me. The tension was thick and I could tell they were all sizing me up.

I was by no means an unknown quantity in the village, but there was no doubt every single person here was now being forced to evaluate me by different standards than they had been using before.

"Sorry, Jiraiya-sama. Let's save it for after." Even the usually stoic Kakashi seemed to feel the pressure and he wasn't even the one it was focused on.

"Yeah, my bad." Jiraiya agreed, closing his eyes to lean back and allow his medical team to continue their work on him. It would appear he had already made peace with his Sensei and there was nothing left for him or the Hokage to say to one another.

So with that, Kakashi and I once more began to limp forward. Slowly but surely we made our way through the crowd of exceptional Ninja, every single one of them parting as we passed by to let us through and making a path that led to the Hokage. The Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, Sarutobi, Inuzuka, the head of all these clans and more along with the top Jonin of the village had all been called upon. Not a single one of them made a sound.

Finally we came to him. Sarutobi Hiruzen was laid out on top of a makeshift bed. Like Jiraiya, he had numerous machines hooked up to him and Rin stood over his barely breathing form. Sweat dotted her forehead as she continued to expunge what little chakra she had left. Anything to keep him alive just a couple seconds more.

"Rin, I…" It shouldn't have been my priority right now, but I had to apologize to her. For failing to save Naruto after she trusted me with her adopted son. She left everything to me and I only let her down. Yet the moment I started to say anything she shook her head.

Through the tears in her brown eyes I could see her fight to show me her resolve. To let me know that despite how badly her heart was hurting right now that she didn't blame me for what had happened. She knew I had given it my best. That was what Rin always said to me, even when I couldn't believe it myself.

Like with everything else, any further talk would have to come for later. The Hokage gave a ragged cough, his whole body heaving as if he was going into a seizure. Rin's chakra flared a little more brightly as she attempted to bring his condition back under control. For a moment I feared the worst as it seemed like this fit might be the thing to take him before he got to say his final words. Yet through some miracle and Rin's talent as a medic, he managed to pull through for a little while more.

"...Ah. Obito." He creaked one eye open, his lips parting in a strained smile. "So like you to be late."

"Really?" I asked him, tears beginning to build in my right eye. "You're going to start our last conversation by bringing that up again? You know the only reason I was ever late was because I was busy helping old people like yourself, right?" For some reason I got carried away and returned his joke with one of my own, as if I really was the old me again.

This seemed to please him, however, and he let out a cackling laugh that I almost mistook for another fit of coughs.

"I heard from Rin that you talked to my predecessors. It seems they already told you everything I wanted to say." His voice was wheezing now, every breath he took becoming more thin. It would seem any moment now might really be it.

"Yeah…" I nodded, but hesitated for a second longer. Was this really okay? I felt the last strings of doubt continuing to cling to my mind, like a thick spider's web that just wouldn't allow me to disentangle myself completely. As I looked up from the Hokage and at Rin, she smiled at me again and nodded as if to tell me it was okay. So I inhaled deeply and prepared myself for what it was to come. "...I'm ready." I told him with as much confidence as I could muster.

"Good, good." The Hokage barely whispered. He gave another cough as if to clear his throat, reaching deep into himself to summon whatever strength it was he had left. "Is everyone here then?" He asked.

"All the clan heads and the top Jonin. Just as you requested, Hokage-sama." It was Itachi that answered, stepping forward as representative of the Uchiha clan. He looked over at me and also nodded his approval, no doubt knowing himself what was coming.

"Then it is time." The Hokage no longer seemed to see anything, his eyes were open but they stared vacantly at the ceiling. It was like he was cutting off every other sense he had and putting everything he had left into his voice alone. All for his last official proclamation as the Third Hokage, the man that had served his village longer than any other Shinobi in our history.

"I hereby declare in front of you all, as my last command as the Hokage, that Uchiha Obito henceforth is to be the Fifth Hokage." His voice was as loud and full of charge as he could be. Which wasn't much, and yet every single person in the room felt the full pressure of his words. It was something everyone here knew was coming and yet the weight in which he made this proclamation sunk into our very core.

Following those words and the rise and fall of his chest ceased completely. Rin kept attempting to heal him a couple seconds longer, but her chakra too faded. Her work done, she was no longer able to support herself and collapsed against the bed that she had been standing over. Izumi was by her side a moment later, lifting Rin to her feet and supporting her in the same way Kakashi was still holding me.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was dead.

And in his place I had become the Hokage.

I had been standing closest to Hiruzen along with Kakashi and I could feel every other eye on my back once again. They were all waiting for me to say something. To follow up the Third's last words with my first words as the Fifth.

There was nothing to it. I had so many things I needed to do before this, but that list had only just gotten longer with all the responsibilities I just inherited. Yet this was no time to be weak, not in front of everyone when they were expecting me to be their leader.

So I pushed myself off Kakashi, unslinging my arm from his shoulder and standing up straight with my own strength. He let me go, knowing this was something I needed to do for myself. As he stepped away from me, he pulled the Hokage's ceremonial hat off a table that had been placed next to the Third's resting place. He then turned to me, offering the hat.

With trembling hands I took it and then turned to face all those who were now expecting so much of me. I saw in their individual eyes a myriad of conflicting opinions and emotions. Distrust, doubt, and uncertainty appeared to be in the majority. Yet that wasn't all there was.

Kakashi and Rin took their place beside me. My old team still had my back, ready to follow me into the depths of Hell if that's where my path as Hokage would take us. Izumi, my little sister, was with them as the one supporting my childhood friend.

Itachi may have been the head of a clan without any real power, but his opinion still meant the world to me and he was the one to tell me to take this role as atonement. The path to fixing the bridge between clan and village could begin now that we had taken the roles we were burdened to have.

Might Gai gave me a thumbs up and a bright smile that was only marred by the almost comic amount of tears that stained his whole face. Standing next to him was Hiruzen's own son, Asuma, who nodded at me in his own way of approval. My Master sat in the back with his eyes closed, but a knowing smile splitting his face.

To properly do my job as the Hokage I was going to need far more support than just that… but it was as good a start as I could ask for. Everything from here on out depended on my performance in the role that had been entrusted to me by the man I had respected most. I looked down at the hat, stroking the hand-woven material with my fingers and feeling the unexpected weight of it.

Then I returned my one eye back to all those who looked at me with distrust and malcontent. Simple words from one single speech wasn't going to win them over, so what I said right now didn't have to be deep or profound. The only thing I needed was to speak to them from my heart.

"Becoming the Hokage…" I said, voice coming out softer than I intended. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I started again louder this time and with as much authority as I had. "This was my dream for as long as I could remember. Minato-sensei- The Yondaime Hokage and I used to talk about this all the time. He… believed in me. As did the Third. Even when I wasn't able to believe in myself." I couldn't help myself, finding my eye drawn to Rin beside me.

She took my hand in hers, giving a slight squeeze and filling me with the courage to continue.

"In the same way I know many of you all don't believe in me now. I can't promise everything is going to go smoothly and I'm probably going to make some mistakes. But even so… I hope I can count on your support. Even more-so in times of crisis like what we're in right now." Having said that, I inclined my head and bowed in front of everyone that was before. "I'm in your care." I finished.

There was no immediate response at first. Just as I was beginning to fear my words hadn't reached them, I heard the sound of shuffling. At first just one or two people as they shifted little at a time. But then it would seem the rest all moved as one and when I lifted my head to look up every single Shinobi in my presence had dropped down to one knee, one forearm resting on the other knee as they bowed their heads in respect to me, the Fifth Hokage.

Then as one they all called out in agreement, accepting me as the one chosen by my predecessors. Not just the Third, but the First and Second as well.

My breath caught in my throat and it felt like my heart might stop at any given moment. Yet through it all I felt the warmth of Rin's hand as it continued to hold mine. Things weren't going to be easy… but I had a path to move forward now. However, there was another person I still had to give the news to before I could really feel like I had rightfully taken the position.

"...There is one other thing." I began lamely as everyone rose back to their feet, but before any other conversation could begin. Everyone regarded me curiously, wondering what more it was I could possibly say. "I know this is sudden, but Uzumaki Natuto- most of you probably know him as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki- was taken by Ninja from the Hidden Rain and the man that did this to the village. So my first act as Hokage is to go and bring him back."

Following my bombshell statement was a moment of silence.

Before all Hell broke loose as a million different opinions assaulted my ears at once.


Interlude


Uzumaki Naruto found himself awoken by the crackling of a nearby campfire.

With his senses dulled, it took him several moments to fully collect his thoughts and realize just what exactly his current predicament was. The last thing he remembered was Obito using the key to unlock the seal of the Nine-Tailed fox.

Everything after that was blank.

The only thing obvious to him now was that he was no longer in the Leaf. It wasn't the scenery that told him this; The only light provided was from a nearby campfire, which illuminated three figures he didn't recognize. No, it was because he could no longer smell the forests that were natural to his home. Instead he was assaulted by odors of damp rock and moss.

"Oi, Kur... you damn fox!" He called out in his thoughts. There was no answer. This wasn't exactly unusual, as the Nine-Tails spent most of the time napping. Ever since Rin had taught him to communicate with the fox, he usually spent the beginning of every conversation just waking it up. Yet something about the silence that greeted Naruto this time was different. It was almost like there was something inhibiting their connection.

It was as he came to this conclusion that he realized one other disturbing truth: He couldn't feel his chakra, like all of it had been drained from him completely. As he was now, there would be no way for him to perform any Jutsu even if he could somehow wiggle his hands free enough to perform the hand seals.

Unable to get free, he began focusing all his attention to his ears, willing himself to hear what it was his captors were talking about. The voices of those around him didn't seem to realize he was awake yet, but he had little hope to believe they were allies. After all, allies wouldn't have his arms and legs bound together like he was some wild hog.

"Are we really sure we should be stopping?" Konan asked, glancing back and forth between her two teammates. Nagato's expression was impossible to read behind his bangs and usual frown, nor did he offer any insight into his own thoughts.

"It's about time we finally get some answers." Yahiko replied, but it was impossible to tell who he was speaking towards. As far as Naruto could tell, there were only the three of them around the campfire. Although he couldn't discount the presence of something further into the darkness.

Yet there was only silence that greeted them.

"Now you decide to get shy on us?" Yahiko snarled impatiently, reaching up and grabbing his cloak as if he meant to tear it off. "We did what you said, didn't we? We went to the Leaf to see for ourselves if things have changed. And well, you were right. So we grabbed the Nine-Tails kid like promised. But that's as far as we go unless you give us the rest of the details."

There was another moment's silence and in that moment Yahiko began to pull at his cloak. The moment he did was when the long awaited answer finally came.

"...Do not misunderstand." The voice that answered him was deep and grave. It could only have belonged to something human, yet there was nothing remotely human about it at the same time. Simply a mere imitation, lacking any of the soul or nuance that could be conveyed by the real deal.

"The information provided to you is all in accordance with the constant shifting of conditions. It is impossible to read the future, even for us." The voice continued to speak, the source coming from nowhere and yet everywhere at once. "...Madara laid out many plans before his demise and each of his plans have numerous contingencies. Rest assured, no matter how today played out, we would have been able to proceed. All paths eventually lead a united world."

"United in pain?" Nagato asked, not even trying to disguise how bitter he was. "How much more pain do we have to cause before we reach the end? You mean to tell me crushing the village and leaving all those bodies behind wasn't enough?"

"...United in a single dream for all." It answered, although none of them truly understood what it was that it meant. "Or perhaps you have forgotten the pain that was caused to all of you. When all your other comrades died at Hanzo's hands. Or when-" The moment it said that and Yahiko gave a lurch.

He dropped to his knees, falling from the rock he had been sitting on and clutching at his chest. Sweat dotted his forehead and he gave a ragged gasp, as if all the air had suddenly been sucked from his lungs.

"Yahiko!" Konan and Nagato were on their feet a second later, but there was nothing either of them could do and they knew it. Yahiko's spasms lasted only a moment longer, but it was enough. As the distress subsided, the cloak around Yahiko's body fell away and his bare chest was exposed.

Naruto gasped, completely forgetting himself and that he had been trying to feign sleep. Yet he didn't even care, for this was no way he could have kept his composure.

Yahiko's chest had a terrible scar, as if a fist had punched through him. A wound that had never truly healed, leaving him with a massive hole. And in that hole where his heart should be was a black mass. Not just any mass, but one with a face. Big yellow eyes and a razor sharp smile.

"Dammit, Kuro-!" Yahiko gasped for breath, lungs desperately struggling for oxygen. "We get it already, okay?" He didn't say it out loud, but Naruto knew exactly what he meant. With a wound like that, Yahiko should be dead.

The fact that he wasn't... There was only one possible explanation. This thing- whatever the hell it was- it was keeping him alive. Understanding that alone, Naruto knew he had just gotten a valuable piece of information that he had to pass on. No matter what, he had to let someone know about this thing.

"Looks like our guest is awake." Too bad the jig was up for him, the terrifying, soulless yellow eyes of the face looking directly at him. As Yahiko rose to his feet, turning towards him, Naruto felt a fire of defiance burning in his stomach. Perhaps simply a reaction to fight down the rising fear or otherwise he didn't care.

"If y'all think Obito-senpai is gonna let things go as you please, you gotta 'nother thing coming, y'know!" He shouted as loud as he could, but his voice was hoarse and it was strained at best. "He's gonna come get me and he's gonna kick your asses doing it!"

If possible, the wide smile of the thing that Yahiko had called Kuro only grew wider. "We're counting on that," It promised.

"For your death is going to be what finally pushes him over the edge."


Interlude - End


"Well, I can't say that didn't go about as I expected." I collapsed in exhaustion onto a wooden chair, finally able to relax for a moment after kicking out everybody but those closest to me.

The only ones left aside from me now were Jiraiya, Kakashi, Rin, Gai, Itachi, and Izumi. Everyone here had a right to hear the conversation that was about to follow from here on out. Jiraiya had information I needed in order to take on his former students.

Kakashi, Rin, and Gai were going to be my team for the top secret mission I just barely managed to convince everyone was happening. The amount of resistance I had met was heavy, the conversation taking us far too long into the night. In the end this had been the best compromise we could come up with.

The force we sent to retrieve Naruto couldn't be too large. Not with every hand on deck needed right now in the village. The invasion seemed to be over for the moment, but who knew what else might come at us while we were already weakened.

Of course, that hadn't been the problem. No, convincing them to let the Hokage and the only other Jinchuriki of the village go right into the den of the enemy had been the major point of contention. Honestly, it was kind of hard to argue against their point. However, I had information about the enemy that no one else did. So it had to be me.

And if I was going it was only natural Kakashi should be with me as the other bearer of my Sharingan eye. Our true power came out when together, after all. There were Jutsu we could only use when together and unlike me, everyone trusted Kakashi's calm and analytical mind while out in the field. If it looked like we were in over our heads, it would be Kakashi's call to pull us out. Anything to make sure that I, as the Hokage, came back to the village alive.

Gai, not to be left behind while his two rivals charged into battle, was quick to volunteer himself to join us. He had worked with us as a team in the past and no one could deny that he was one of the strongest Jonin in the village. On top of that, he was perhaps the best Taijutsu expert in the world. And I learned from my last encounter with him, but Ninjutsu didn't work on Nagato. So it wasn't an exaggeration to say Gai might even be the lynchpin for this entire mission.

Rin was the tougher sell, and at first even I had been against it. But how was I supposed to reasonably tell her she couldn't come on the mission that was to rescue her adopted son when I had just as much right to be prohibited from it? Not to mention bringing a medical Ninja was fundamental in a mission such as this. And there was no one better or with as much firepower as Rin. So while it hadn't been easy, we had been able to argue the value of having her on the mission.

All in all it was a pretty big gamble we were taking. We were bringing the smallest force possible with the highest probable chance of success… but if things went wrong then it went without saying that the strategic value of those losses in this operation was going to be a huge detriment to the Leaf.

In the end, this also wasn't exactly a mission of logic. But one that was guided by emotion and a need to save someone dear to us. Which pretty much went against every single rule of what it meant to be a Ninja.

Certainly we could argue that there was strategic value in attempting to save the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the host of the strongest Tailed Beast in existence. But everyone here knew that wasn't what was really driving us forward. This was about as personal as it got and not just because Naruto was close to all of us.

Which is where Itachi and Izumi came into all this. Like me, they were Uchiha and as such they needed to hear what I had to say about the true nature of my relationship to Nagato. That and there was no one more capable of analyzing things rationally than Itachi. Then there was Izumi, who as my little sister had the best chance of anybody at being able to talk me down. They had basically been allowed to stay from the other clan heads with the expectation of perhaps talking me out of this suicide mission.

"Seriously…" Izumi groaned as she plopped down next to me. "And after you actually managed to give a decent sounding speech against all odds too." What the heck did she mean by against all odds? "You just had to go and mess it all up with that little curveball at the end, didn't you?" She continued to complain.

"I must admit," Itachi sat down opposite us. "Even I was taken aback by your sudden proclamation. I knew you had gotten close to Naruto over this past month, but this timing is about as ill-conceived as it could be." Coming from Itachi and I might have agreed, if not for the ridiculous shit I knew he would go through if this had been his little brother. I guess he and I were more alike than either of us had realized.

"Naruto is the son of our Sensei, after all." Kakashi was the only one to not take a seat, leaning against the wall next to the door and keeping an eye out to make sure no one else decided to eavesdrop on our private conversation. "Letting anything happen to him… that's something we absolutely cannot allow." This was perhaps the first time I ever heard him say something like this in regards to Naruto. I knew he must have felt his own share of responsibility, but he had done a pretty good job of not showing that until now.

"You have my full support in this endeavor!" Gai shouted at the top of his lungs, apparently having not gotten the memo that this wasn't exactly a conversation we wanted others listening in on. "Naruto is a fine young man and has been an excellent sparring partner for my Lee this past month! I will do whatever it is I can to make sure we succeed and that Lord Fifth returns with his head held high!"

"...Please don't call me that." I deadpanned. Nevermind the fact I had only been Hokage for a couple hours now, but I don't think I was ever going to get used to being addressed in any kind of formal manner. Even more so when it was coming from my peers.

"Anyways, for now what we need is to gather information and make a plan." Rin was perhaps the most conflicted of us all right now. There was no doubt she wanted to leave right this moment, but that went against every instinct she had that came from her years of experience as a medical Ninja. She knew as well as I did that we were actually the two holding this whole mission back. We both needed at least another day to fully recover, but by that point the enemy would have no doubt easily crossed beyond where I could follow with Kamui. By the time we caught up they would already be in their village which meant this was going to turn into an infiltration mission.

"Well, if it's information you want then I guess I had better start." Jiraiya was the only one of us not to move from the spot he was in. Although it would be more accurate to say he could no longer move on his own. Those rods in his back… they had crippled him beyond the point that Medical Ninjutsu could be used to recover his mobility. He would live, but would never walk again. Something he seemed to be taking in stride, so far.

Nevermind the implications this was going to have for his expansive spy network that had been invaluable to the village until now. He was no longer able to move as freely as he once did and his successor- me- had just become Hokage, meaning I wasn't exactly free to just up and leave the village whenever I wanted.

Just another problem I was going to have to add to my increasingly growing backlog of issues. For now, we had to focus on the matter at hand. Which was filling in the blanks on the past of those three Rain Ninja.

"They said that you used to be their teacher?" Rin asked. Unlike me, she had never even heard that Jiraiya had once taken in three disciples from another village. In the first place I don't think it was something he went around telling many people. What with considering that some might view it as treason and all. However, what he had told me about them was that they were already dead. He also failed to mention that one of them had the Rinnegan. Not that I was in a position to be casting stones.

"That's right. I was their teacher once, however when I first met those three..." And so Jiraiya's own tale of his hidden mistake began to unfold.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had appeared before the Sannin, just three hungry war orphans looking for something to eat. Jiraiya took pity on them and gave them food and decided to take them in for a while after Orochimaru had threatened to kill them. Yahiko demanded to be taught Ninjutsu but my Master initially refused.

It was only when a certain incident occurred and Nagato's Rinnegan were revealed that Jiraiya agreed to teach them. For Jiraiya had received a prophecy. That he would one day take on a student that would change the world. Believing that student to be Nagato… he trained them. However, the Leaf was involved in a war at the time. So he only spent as long as until they were able to defend themselves before he left them to their own devices.

In the years that followed he did keep tabs on them from time to time, but always kept his distance. Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan became big shots within their country, raising a force to rival even the Hidden Rain. However, his sources one day informed him that the organization they had formed had been wiped out and their revolution was a failure. This was what led him to believe he had been wrong about Nagato.

It was around this time that he had also come to meet me. An Uchiha child capable of Mokuton Jutsu. So Jiraiya did his best to put the past behind him and instead took me in as his disciple. Believing that maybe if it hadn't been Nagato… then perhaps I could be the one he had been looking for.

That was all it should have been. Until I met Nagato at the ramen stall earlier this month and Jiraiya learned that they might actually be alive. That was when all our stories began to intersect, resulting in the devastation that unfolded today.

"...Why would you train someone like that?" Izumi was the one that asked, most of us still in shocked silence as we absorbed all the information we had just received.

"I mean, he had the Rinnegan, you know?" Jiraiya tried to defend himself, holding up his hands as if to place a barrier between us and him. "The very same eyes as the Sage of the Six Paths who created all Ninjutsu and put the moon in the sky. If anyone was going to be the Child of Prophecy I was after then it had to have been him. Or so I thought."

"But then should you not have kept a closer eye on him?" Itachi pointed out, not missing the chance to poke a hole in my Master's logic. "Would it not have been better even to bring them to the Leaf?"

"Pfft," Jiraiya scoffed at the suggestion as if it was nonsense. "Their parents were killed by Leaf Shinobi. What makes you think they were going to come here willingly? And I would think you should understand, Itachi. You saw the horror of the Third Great Shinobi War, even if only on a single battlefield. I didn't exactly have the time to babysit them."

"No, but you did train three war orphans that already had anti-Leaf sentiments." Even Kakashi was getting in on the action of finding fault with what Jiraiya had done. "One of whom had the greatest, most powerful Dojutsu in Ninja history. So you can kind of see how it looks pretty damning when he comes back and drops a tactical gravity bomb that wipes out our village and kills our Hokage, right?"

"You brats don't think I realize that I made a mistake!?" Jiraiya huffed, getting red in the face as he gestured to his own back. "Look at what he did to me when I tried to stop him! I paid a nasty price for dropping the ball on this one. But what was I supposed to do? The Sage of the Six Paths was practically a god that founded Ninjutsu as we know it… I just thought maybe Nagato could do the same!"

"...You're being awfully quiet about this, Obito." Rin noted, having quit paying attention to Jiraiya and instead having taken notice of me as I interlocked my fingers and leaned forward. Like always, she was able to read me like an open book. She realized I was putting the pieces together in my mind, combining what I learned from Jiraiya's story and fitting it into my own narrative.

"That's because… my Master did make a mistake but it's not the one you all seem to think it was." I stated, choosing my words carefully and after much deliberation.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked, looking both betrayed that even I would accuse him of wrong-doing, yet he couldn't fight down the curiosity that my mysterious statement had generated.

"I'm saying that you mistakenly assumed Nagato's eyes to be the same Rinnegan that once belonged to the Sage of the Six Paths and made all your decisions based on that incorrect information." There was a beat, just a brief pause as I prepared myself to finally reveal my own secret. "However, had you known that the eyes once belonged to Uchiha Madara, then I'm willing to bet you would not have acted as you had."

"Uchiha…"

"...Madara?" Itachi started and Izumi finished that disgusting name, just hearing it again leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Having it only uttered twice changed the entire atmosphere in the room, things growing much more tense and the temperature dropping several degrees.

"...I don't understand." Jiraiya blinked several times, and I could see the gears in his brain turning a mile a minute. The thought-process of an experienced novelist allowed him to come up with dozens of scenarios a minute. Each one more preposterous than the last. Yet no matter what he thought of, nothing would prepare him for what I was about to say next.

I told them all about the recollection I just had after coming to meet Nagato and being knocked unconscious by his attack. The lies I told Kakashi and Rin came to light. The truth of our clan's demise became known to Itachi and Izumi. The reason the Fourth Hokage had left his son an orphan was plain for them all to see. It had all been my fault.

I prepared myself for the same criticisms that my Master had just received. No, I was prepared for far harsher punishment than that. Yet none of it came as they all sat in silence for longer than they had after listening to Jiraiya's tale.

Until Finally,

"If Uchiha Madara is really the one behind everything up until now then so much begins to make sense." Itachi mused, rubbing his chin as he stared at the ground in deep contemplation. "The Nine-Tails attack, Uchiha Incident, this Nagato character suddenly appearing; everything merely a prelude to his final goal. The Mugen Tsukuyomi."

"That's all the more reason why we need to go and save Naruto as soon as possible." Rin appeared to only be psyching herself up more for what to do. "If we delay too long then we're only giving him a chance to get closer to that objective."

"Yosh! A mission not just to save the Leaf, but the entire world!" Gai randomly started doing jumping jacks, as if that was going to somehow help him be any more prepared than he already was.

"Saying we're saving the whole world is a bit of a stretch…" Kakashi sweat-dropped, but couldn't help himself from chuckling. "After all, it sounds like Madara is still dead and the enemy mission is far from near its final stages."

"Either way, it doesn't seem like there's any talking you out of it if the mission has these kinds of stakes." Izumi sighed, patting me on the shoulder. "Jeez, Nii-san. You should have said something earlier!"

"...I don't understand." I mumbled. Why weren't they angry at me? If anything, they were treating this whole thing like it wasn't somehow my fault.

"Haven't you been blaming yourself enough this whole time?" Rin asked, her brown eyes staring at me gently. "Sure, it's frustrating to know that you've been bottling this up all along, just letting the guilt eat at you and tear you up on the inside. But we all know you didn't mean for any of this to happen… and we don't trust you any less either."

"Unlike me, at least you owned up to your mistake, you know?" Jiraiya crossed his arms and nodded to himself. "If anything, I should be the one taking lessons from you in this case."

"Do not believe for a moment that it is a coincidence that Uchiha Madara allowed you to leave that cave when you did." Itachi assured me, having already analyzed things this deeply despite just hearing my story. "He no doubt counted on you acting as you did and had you tried to tell, who knows what kind of counter measures he might have had in place for that."

"Exactly!" Izumi swung her arm, slapping me hard in the back, before then freezing up. "I just realized… is it okay for me to do that now that you're Hokage?" She asked, tilting her head and glancing around at everyone for confirmation.

"So long as it's just us, I don't see the problem." Kakashi shrugged, smiling at me from under his mask. "It's not like he feels like much of a Hokage yet, anyways."

"Jerk…" I grumbled under my breath, before a relieved chuckle immediately followed my insult. What the Hell was going on here? In the face of everything that happened and despite not knowing what might be waiting for us, we somehow were all able to just chat casually about such grand-scale things like they were nothing.

We hadn't even gotten into the real meat of our countermeasures against the Rinnegan yet. Not to mention there were all kinds of other things that still needed to be prepared. Yet for just this moment, I thought maybe it was okay to laugh a little bit and allow myself to relax.

The great burden of my heavy secret had finally been lifted, after all. And I had managed to keep my promise to Rin too. So many things had been taken from me today, but in exchange for those losses I had also gained some things.

Yet all of those things that I had gained today… I didn't feel like I could truly celebrate them.

Not until after I saved Naruto.