Author's Note: Phew, first four chapters done, and decently into the history. Let me know what you guys think!
Chapter 4: Midara's Story: Daylight, Part 3
Obito stretched his arms over his head and let out a long yawn.
"It's so good to be back home." the Uchiha boy said, practically prancing through the front gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. "I can't wait to sleep in my bed instead of a bumpy forest floor."
"No sleeping until you hand over your reports." Minato admonished. "Lord Hokage will have my head if they're late again. I'm still missing your reports from the last mission."
"I finished them!" Obito defended.
"Then where are they?" Rin challenged.
"U-uh…at home."
"Then let's go get them right now." Kakashi stated plainly, making his way to the Uchiha District.
"R-right now? But—"
"Save it, Obito. You brought this upon yourself." Rin chided playfully.
"Aw man, I just wanted to take a nap first…." Obito pouted, following his teammates to his small house. Obito fumbled a bit with the key before opening his door and letting the team in. Rin had seen the place before, but Minato had never been inside. Kakashi only saw Obito's room when he would creepily appear in his window to remind him of training obligations. They had never been here together like this. But Obito didn't mind. He liked seeing the cramped living space stuffed full of people. It was a nice change from how lonely and quiet home usually was.
"How is your house so clean?" Kakashi asked, running a finger across the dustless furniture. "We've been away for a month."
"He asked Midara to keep it clean for him while we were away." Rin explained.
"Midara?" Kakashi asked.
"You haven't heard of her, Kakashi?" Minato chimed in. "I'm surprised. You two are the only ones in the village to start the academy at the age of four. If she graduates this year, you'll both be tied for youngest graduates at five."
"Never heard of her." Kakashi replied, unimpressed with the new name. "Where are the reports?"
"On my desk." Obito said, motioning upstairs. "I'll get them." He had only taken a few steps into his room before he saw the small child fast asleep in his bed. "Huh? Midara?" Obito reached over and slowly rubbed the girl's back until her eyes began to flutter open.
"Obito!" she exclaimed, immediately jumping into his arms. "I missed you!"
"What are you doing here, Midara?" Obito asked, embracing her just as wholeheartedly.
"Papa said you were coming back today, but I didn't know when. So, I waited here all day, and I laid down and…." Midara explained while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"You're so cute, Midara!" Rin squealed out, unable to keep herself from hugging the child.
"Rin!" Midara returned the young woman's affections. Her onyx eyes then fell on the two strangers in the room. A boy with silver hair and a man with golden hair.
"O, Midara," Obito stood when he noticed her curious gaze, "this is my teammate Kakashi," he pointed to the silver-haired boy, "and my sensei, Minato."
"Minato…." Midara searched her mind for where she had heard that name before. "The Yellow Flash!"
"Ah, so you've heard of me." Minato said with a small laugh. "I'm honored to be recognized by such a promising cadet."
"Not a cadet." Midara quickly corrected. "I graduated! I'm a genin!"
"Graduated!? When!?" Obito demanded, shocked that he had not been invited to the ceremony.
"Three weeks ago!" Midara stood from the bed and made her way to a small bag that lay in the corner of Obito's room. She dug out her headband and handed it to Obito. "Papa said an older sibling who graduated from the academy can put it on you during graduation."
"But you already graduated…." Obito said, accepting the headband from her hands.
"But I waited!" Midara replied with a cute smile.
"You've been waiting this whole time for Obito to put it on you?" Rin asked, overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness. "You didn't wear it at all?"
"Nope! I wanted my big brother to put it on!"
"Looks like she'll be giving you a run for your money, Kakashi." Minato whispered to the young chūnin. Kakashi stared at this small girl that held such deep adoration for a goofball like Obito and wondered how powerful she could really be. Was this child really someone he needed to keep an eye on?
"What will you do now that you've graduated? Have you been placed on a team?" Rin asked.
"No, Lord Hokage said to train for the chūnin exams next year." Midara replied. "With the Sannin."
"Ah, Master Jiraiya was my sensei when I first became a genin. I'm sure you'll love training with him as much as I did." Minato said. "Have you met any of them yet?"
"Just Lady Tsunade. She took care of me when I was sick." Midara said. "Are they all nice like her?"
"Y-Yea…." Minato forced a smile, thinking of Orochimaru's unpleasant disposition. He opted to change the subject before anyone could call him out on his lie. "You know, Rin and Obito have to retake the chūnin exams next year as well. Maybe you three can form a team."
"Really?" Obito and Midara yelled out in unison, clearly ecstatic about the idea.
"I'd have to get approval, but I don't see why not." Minato encouraged.
"O!" The young Uchiha girl suddenly turned to her male counterpart. "Obito! You have to come see him!" Obito's jaw hung open.
"He's here?! Aw man, everything happens when we're gone on missions!" Obito bemoaned.
"What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked as he watched his teammates rush down the stairs after Midara.
"Midara has a new little brother. C'mon, Kakashi. Don't you want to come see the baby?" Rin said over her shoulder.
"N-no…I think I'll go with Minato-sensei to turn in the reports."
"Suit yourself!" Obito called out, rushing out of the door. "What's his name?"
"Itachi! He's so cute!" Kakashi heard Midara's voice fade off into the distance as she talked about her baby brother.
"You didn't want to go with them?" Minato asked.
"Is she really that powerful? She's just a child." Kakashi ignored the question and offered one of his own.
"She's quite possibly the youngest Uchiha ever to activate her Sharingan, and her chakra reserves were so large when she was born that they threatened to snuff out her life." Minato's tone became more serious. "Lady Tsunade said it was comparable to only one other ninja…. I have no doubt she'll live up to her namesake."
"Madara Uchiha." Kakashi whispered, suddenly recognizing the connection in their names.
"She may even surpass him."
Midara stared up at the imposing man before her. His golden, snake-like eyes bore down into her.
"You're not serious, are you?" Tsunade finally chimed in through the awkward silence that had settled in the Hokage's office. "Orochimaru is going to be her mentor?"
"I've made my decision." Hiruzen replied. "Learning summoning and sword work from Orochimaru will best serve Midara. When Orochimaru is out on missions or otherwise disposed, Tsunade, you will work with her on chakra control. Since Jiraiya can't seem to keep his feet in the village, Midara will train with him the least. Whenever he is around, Midara will work on nature chakra control with him."
"That's an awfully full schedule." Tsunade grumbled, uncomfortable with how much responsibility was being placed on such a young girl.
"Then let's not waste any time. Let's go, Midara." Orochimaru stood, motioning for the girl to follow him.
"Yes, sensei!" Midara replied happily. She ran to his side and grabbed his hand. The gesture caught Orochimaru off guard. He looked down at her, waiting for her to release him, but she just smiled back at him, bright-eyed and bushytailed.
"What are you doing?" the snake-eyed man finally asked. Midara stared back in confusion. "Why are you holding my hand like a child?" he clarified.
"She is a child." Tsunade retorted.
"I think it's cute." Jiraiya said through a laugh. "Maybe she can get you to loosen up a bit." The two teammates chuckled at their comrade's visible discomfort.
"Tsunade, Jiraiya! That's enough." Hiruzen reprimanded. Though the old man had to admit the truth to himself: he had chosen Orochimaru to be Midara's primary mentor in the hopes of softening his former student's heart. For all his genius, Orochimaru had lacked real love in his life. No matter how desperately Hiruzen tried to provide him with it, it had never quite reached his pupil's heart. Yet fate had placed the responsibility of Midara in Hiruzen's hands. This prodigious child, who seemed to hold a bottomless reservoir of love for all she came across, was perhaps the cure to what had ailed Orochimaru all these years.
"Ninja don't hold hands." Orochimaru's stern voice brought Hiruzen out of his thoughts. The man pulled his hand away from the small girl, who looked wholly disappointed in his rejection.
"Go easy on her, Orochimaru. Do not let her latent abilities blind you to her age." Hiruzen warned.
"I'm okay, Lord Hokage." Midara spoke out in defense of her mentor. She forced a smile, and when Orochimaru turned to leave, she followed behind him, secretly holding onto the edge of his flak jacket. Tsunade scoffed at the display.
"Tell me honestly, old man." She crossed her arms. "Why stick a sweet kid like that with him?"
"Maybe she can bring out him of what I never could." Hiruzen responded.
"And you're willing to put her at risk for a chance?" Tsunade accused.
"Hey now," Jiraiya intervened, hoping to lower the temperature, "Orochimaru might act all aloof, but it's not like he doesn't have feelings. He won't hurt her."
"Whatever." Tsunade rolled her eyes and headed for the door. "I'm going to keep a close eye on that psycho."
Orochimaru watched the young girl playfully kicking her legs as she sat on the stone bench. The park was unusually quiet for such a warm, sunny morning, making it the perfect spot for some preliminary training.
"What kind of ninja do you want to be, Midara?" he asked, trying to assess her intellect.
"I want to be a sword master! Just like Madara Uchiha!" Midara said excitedly.
"Just like Madara?" Orochimaru repeated. "And who do you think Madara copied to be as great as he was?"
"Um…." The girl thought for a moment, trying to draw parallels between her life and her long-gone ancestor. "Maybe his papa? Or his brothers?"
"No." Orochimaru corrected. "Madara did not copy anyone. A great ninja does not simply copy another, they incorporate aspects of various other great ninjas into their technique and make it their own." The girl tilted her head, confused by his explanation. Orochimaru sighed and leaned down closer to the girl until they were eye level. "Find the greatest thing in every strong ninja, not just one, and take it for yourself." A smile spread across her cute face, and she nodded, fully understanding what he meant.
"What's the greatest thing about you, sensei?" The sannin was taken aback by her question. He had always been described as a genius, but Orochimaru had never stopped to consider how he would describe himself. He let out a breathy laugh, suddenly understanding Hiruzen's plan in placing this girl with him. Yet another of the old man's attempts to ground his former pupil in the Will of Fire—something to hold close in the village. A makeshift family of sorts. Orochimaru stood from his kneeling position before the girl, having no interest in any such thing.
"That's for you to decide."
"Midara, will you hold Itachi for me?" Mikoto asked, handing the infant to her daughter. The busy mother made her rounds in the kitchen, trying to quickly serve breakfast before her family's day began.
"Itachi!" Midara cooed, planting kisses on the happy baby. Midara picked his rattle off the kitchen table and handed it to him, but Itachi was far more interested in the book his sister had been reading. He reached his hands over to the pages and began to grab at them. "You like that, huh?"
"Are you still studying?" Fugaku asked, motioning to the book. "You already passed the chūnin exams. Why don't you take a break?"
"This isn't for the exam, papa!" Midara said, adjusting Itachi on her lap.
"No, then what for?" Fugaku leaned over to lift the edge of the book and read the title. "Seven Swordsmen of the Mist: History of the Hidden Mist's Mythical Blades…."
"Oro-sensei said I have to study all the great swordsmen if I want to be as strong as Madara."
"'Oro-sensei…'" Fugaku let out a small chuckle, "I've never heard anyone refer to that man so affectionately."
"He's really nice, papa." Midara defended.
"Nice isn't the term that comes to mind." Mikoto admitted. "Is he coming to your celebration today?"
"No," Midara shook her head, "I don't think he likes Minato-sensei…."
"What makes you think that?" Fugaku pried, hoping to get some insight into the Leaf's current internal politics. The selection of a new Hokage was nearing.
"Well…" Midara brought her finger up to her lips in thought, "he never refers to him by name. Just calls him the Yellow Trash." Fugaku nearly spit out his coffee trying to abstain from laughter.
"That's…not nice." Mikoto said, holding her hand in front of her mouth, desperately trying to keep a straight face.
"Well, at least you'll have Obito and Rin there." her father changed the subject, clearing his throat.
"And Kakashi!" Midara hopped off the kitchen chair with Itachi and handed the baby to her father. "I have to go."
"O, already?" Fugaku checked the clock. "When you come back, I'll take you to the Uchiha Supply Base, and you can pick out a proper sword."
"Really?" Midara asked, excitedly throwing her arms around her father. "Can we see the new kittens?"
"Sure." Fugaku agreed, patting the young girl on the head.
"I can't believe how much you ate…" Rin whispered, disgusted by Obito's display of pure gluttony in such a public setting.
"I—" Obito belched, unable to finish his sentence. "Unh…." The boy leaned back in the restaurant booth, nearly falling asleep. Midara giggled as she poked at his protruding stomach, causing poor Obito to belch or groan in discomfort with each jab.
"Rin, will you make sure he gets home safely?" Minato asked, assessing the check. He had known it was going to be expensive to take his students out for a celebratory lunch for passing the chūnin exams, but he had no idea how much of an appetite the young Uchiha had worked up. "I don't make enough money for this…."
"You should've seen this coming." Kakashi muttered, wiping up the pieces of food that had been thrown around the table during Obito's onslaught.
"Midara, are you headed home after this?" Minato asked, choosing to ignore Kakashi's rightful condemnation.
"No, papa is taking me shopping for a sword. I have to meet him at the gate." Midara replied, taking a break from tormenting Obito.
"Kakashi, you should walk her to the gate." the blonde-haired man suggested.
"What? Why? She's a chūnin now." Kakashi argued.
"She's still only six, Kakashi." Rin said.
"And?" Kakashi shot back.
"And there have been a string of kidnappings recently! We wouldn't want anything to happen to Midara!" The brunette wrapped her arms around the young girl and held her tight. "There are all kinds of sickos out there!"
"There are." Minato agreed. "You all heard about what happened in the Hidden Mist Village, didn't you?"
"The Hidden Mist?" Midara tilted her head, her curiosity piqued.
"No, what happened?" Kakashi asked.
"The Hidden Mist Village is known by another name—" Minato began.
"The Blood Mist Village." Midara recalled from her history book.
"That's right. Do you know why they call it that, Midara?"
"Their genin exams are a battle to death." the young girl explained solemnly.
"What does that mean, sensei?" Rin asked.
"Their academy's graduation exam pits cadets against each other. It's kill or be killed. The survivors go on to become genin, and those that are exceptionally ruthless become prime candidates to replace one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. This year, however, a nine-year-old boy—who wasn't even a cadet—walked into the graduation exam and killed every single student."
"No way…." Rin's jaw hung open in shock. Kakashi remained silent, wondering if he could commit an act like that. He was the same age, but walking into an academy and slaughtering his classmates, no matter how little he thought of them, seemed like an impossible task. He had trained with these people, grown up with them; what kind of a monster could sever those ties so completely?
"They must be pretty twisted." Kakashi concluded, standing up from the booth. He glanced over at the young Uchiha girl, and a sudden wave of fear passed over him. Was life really so fragile? Would a moment of absence be the difference between his comrades' safety or death? "Let's go, Midara. I'll walk you to the gate." The Uchiha girl opened her mouth to object, but Kakashi cut her off. "There are all kinds of sickos out there. You shouldn't go alone." Midara gave a small nod before crawling over Obito's comatose body and following Kakashi out of the restaurant. She kept her hands firmly at her side, afraid he would reject her the same way that Orochimaru had on their first meeting. After a few minutes of walking in complete silence, she opted to be honest with him.
"You don't like me."
"Hm?" Kakashi looked down at the sad girl by his side. "I'm protecting you, aren't I?"
"You don't like Obito, either." she accused.
"He's annoying." Kakashi muttered as they reached the gate.
"Protect Obito, too." She didn't look at him again as she ran to meet her father at the gate, and Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of the conversation. It was strange, but nothing more to him at the moment. Of course, Kakashi had no way of knowing that this conversation would replay in his nightmares for years to come. That it would be the source of his undying guilt.