A/N: Trigger warning for the chapter: This contains blood/gore and character death, so be wary when reading Kakashi/Rin's part. If you want to skip, when you read "I'm sorry Obito, my darling..." skip to the end. I hope you enjoy.


"SASUKE!" Sakura was screaming, racing through the damaged halls and swerving past debris in the smoky chaos. "Sasuke, where are you? We need to get outta here! SASUKE!"

She skidded around a corner, into the open doorway onto a balcony leading to the heavily-gutted west towers. A choked gasp escaped her lips as she spotted Sasuke locked in combat with a certain someone - a certain someone whose malevolent aura she had felt for a while now.

He was losing badly, taking hit after hit from the masked man. His Sharingan was whirling desperately as he tried to regain his footing, but 'Madara' wasn't letting him do anything. Though something didn't seem quite right about his eyes… they held a strange pattern that she couldn't quite pinpoint, glaring with anger at the taller, cloaked form.

"Sasuke!" She screamed, catching their attention. "Get away from him, you bastard!"

Sasuke's eyes widened and his lips parted to say her name before he realized where he was and snapped back to attention, but it was slowly enough for 'Madara' to get in a good cuff to the side of his cheek, sending him skidding across the room and into the wall.

"Well!" Said the cloaked man. "If it isn't the lady. I didn't expect to see you so soon."

She turned helplessly to where Sasuke was struggling to rise before glaring up at the older man. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked coldly.

"I could ask you the same," he responded in the same tone. "Here I thought we'd flushed every bit of rebellion out of Konohagakure, yet I find you in opposition."

"Stuh- stay out of this, Shien!" Sasuke exclaimed with a wheeze, thrusting out an arm as if to protect her. "He'll kill you too!"

"You'd be wise to listen," 'Madara' mocked with a chuckle, raising his arms. "Though I'm in a hurry, I could still end this in an instant."

"You'll do… no… such thing!" The teenage prince grunted, wobbling on his feet. One of his knees was bent slightly, and he winced when his weight increased on his right side. "Agh-!"

"I'm not letting you get hurt, dammit!" She exclaimed. "Just- trust me!"

She flew through hand signs and before either man could react, she slammed her palm on the ground and vines began to emerge from the floor around Sasuke.

The prince gasped audibly at them as they created a cage around his fallen form. "Wh- what the hell- ?!"

"That technique…!" The masked man uttered in surprise, turning to face her. "So you are a disciple of Tsunade! I knew I felt something different about you!"

"Tsunade?" Sasuke questioned, craning his neck to see.

"Leave us," She threatened with narrowed eyes. "I won't hesitate to kill you."

He barked a laugh, raising his hands. "That temper is truly hers. Alright, I'll let you by… for now. But I will be back."

Before their eyes, the masked man disappeared in a swirl of black smoke.

As soon as she felt his presence totally disappear, Shien slumped to the ground long enough to catch a relieved breath. She retracted the vines and shambled over to him, grinning weakly.

"Are you alright?" She asked, extending a hand to help him up.

He ignored it, staring at her incredulously. "You wield the Mokuton? All this time, you were a Wood Release?"

Shien felt her smile fade, and she sighed. "Sasuke, I did what I had to do to protect myself."

"You should have told me! I wouldn't have revealed you for something like that!" He exclaimed. "I trusted you! And you… you lied to me?"

"You know I couldn't tell you! Not with that… that freaky guy running around!" She gestured wildly to where he was standing. "Look, long story short, I'm not just Water Release, but I'm Earth too, and Wood Release is a side-effect of that. I've hidden my abilities so that I don't get hunted down and experimented on by the person I'm pretty sure is behind everything happening here. Can we please go find Naruto?"

For several seconds, Sasuke was silently staring at her.

Then he closed his mouth and nodded with a grim look. "Fine. We go find Naruto, and then you owe me a real answer."


Meanwhile, Naruto was groggily awakening a few rooms away.

He groaned, cradling his pounding head in his hands, He was slumped uncomfortably in a chair with no recollection of how he'd gotten there.

"What the hell happened…?" He mumbled. "Let's see… I was walking to go get Hayashi-chan for her rehearsals with Sasuke… and…"

Suddenly he gasped, straightening up. "Oh shit! I have to warn her about Aunt Mikoto!"

He slipped out of the chair and wobbled around the table as his head suddenly panged with dizzying pain. He groaned again and clutched at his forehead. "Shit… I can't remember what she shot me up with…"

"Naruto! Naruto!" He could hear Shien's voice ringing out from the hallway.

A grin broke out on his face despite the pain and he hollered back. "In here!"

Rapid footfalls echoed in the hall and as he went to the doorway, Sasuke and Shien skidded to a stop before him.

"You're okay!" She exclaimed, sweeping in and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank the gods! I was worried!"

Naruto's face heated up and he shot a grin at Sasuke over her shoulder, but it faded when he saw the incredulous and sour look from his best friend.

"You okay?" He questioned, squeezing Shien for a second before letting go and taking a step towards him. "You look… I don't even know how you look. Constipated?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the claim and pointed a thumb at Shien. "Show him."

The blond wrinkled his nose in confusion as he turned to Shien.

She sighed wearily. "Sasuke, I told you I had to-"

"Just show him the thing." He interrupted in a snappy tone.

"Show me what?" Naruto questioned. "What are you talking about?"

Shien sighed again, heavier this time, and extended a hand. Before either could say anything, she concentrated and a minty glow arose from her palm.

"What, that hea-" He was cut off when he saw a flower bud begin to grow from her hand, and his eyes bugged out when the bud began to bloom into a little white daisy. "-eeeeaaaaaaAAAAA WHAT."

"Naruto," she began in exasperation, "can you keep a secret for me?"

"That- that- what the hell is that?" He spluttered, pointing at the daisy. "What- you- can- flowers-?!"

"Calm down, idiot," Sasuke snapped, chopping him upside the head.

"Oww! Careful, my head's killing me!" Naruto hissed, covering his head with his hands. "But- Shien, how can you do that? Why can you do that? Isn't that-?!"

"I'm not just Water Release," she got out in a rush, interrupting what he was going to say. "I'm also Earth Release, and somehow they both unlocked Wood Release. I've kept it a secret since I was a child because of the lackluster human trafficking laws in this country."

"And… and you…" Naruto trailed off, eyes wide. "Whoooooa. That's why I got such a familiar vibe from you. You feel kinda like Granny used to!"

"Granny?" She asked, turning to the younger teenager for an answer.

"Senju Tsunade," Sasuke explained quietly.

"Ohhhhhh…"

"And you… oh shit, Aunt Mikoto!" He slapped his forehead, taking a moment to wince in pain. "You guys need to watch out for her! She's gone crazy!"

"What?!" Sasuke abruptly exclaimed. "What did that crazy bastard do to Mom?"

"Where'd she go?" Shien added, eyes wide.

"How do you think I know? She knocked me out."

"Did she say anything weird? Did she say where she was going?" Sasuke asked quickly.

"Whoa whoa whoa, dude!" Naruto raised his hands in defense. "Again, how do you think I know? I barely remember what I was doing before she knocked me out."

"We need to go, we can't spend all our time trying to figure out where she is." Shien spoke, glancing towards the windows. "I need to find Ino. She's looking for Hi-" she winced before trying again, "She's looking for a mutual friend so that we can get out of here."

"We need to find my mom," Sasuke retorted. "What if the rioters get to her?"

"If she knocked out Naruto, there's a good chance that something worse got to her first!" She exclaimed. "She's all but lost, Sasuke. We can't waste time when she'll come to us."

"What is with you today?" He demanded, eyes flashing an angry red and his hand raising in preparation to attack. "First I find out you've been lying to me this entire time, and now you don't give a shit about my mom? I thought you two were close!"

"We are! That's why I'm saying it's not the right time to look!" She raised her arms in defense.

"Oh, and suddenly you know everything that's best for us?" He yelled, grabbing her collar. "You aren't the Sakura I know! You're just an offensive mockery of the one I wanted! If you really cared about any of us-"

"Sasuke, that's enough!" Naruto barked, getting in between them both and slapping him hard enough to wrench his head around. "We can talk about our feelings later. For now, we need to escape!"

He stood stock-still for a few moments, with an aura as dangerous as a hungry leopard. His haunches were raised, his nostrils flaring with every breath he took. For a tense few moments, she was afraid that he would attack her for real.

Finally, he gave a terse nod. "Fine. I'm only doing this for the person I love. You try anything, I don't care who you are anymore, I'm killing you on the spot."

"That's... kinda the spirit!" Naruto grinned, bringing them together with an arm slung around each shoulder. "So what's the plan? How we getting outta here?"

Sakura looked around, seeing a familiar face in the gardens below. Ruby eyes glinted in the sunlight up at her, and she smiled. "I have a way."


"We lost Naruto." Rin's eyes anxiously darted back and forth for any sign of the patriarch. "Where's that damned Uchiha?"

"He's near," Kakashi warned, flipping up his headband to reveal Obito's eye. "Be on your guard."

"Be on your guard indeed," Fugaku's voice came from the smoky hallway in front of them. Faster than Rin could react, a kunai was sent flying towards her body. Had Kakashi not pulled her away in time, she would have been skewered through the chest.

Anger bloomed through her chest as she turned to glower at his shadowy figure before them. Her fists clenched at her sides, trembling with rage. Obito's happy face flashed through her mind.

Kakashi glared at the calm king, readying his weapons. "We meet again, Fugaku."

"Hatake," Fugaku greeted almost boredly. "I hadn't the slightest inkling that you'd betrayed us. It's a pity I have to kill you."

"You'll never get the chance, you son of a bitch," Rin snarled, cracking her knuckles.

"Oh? And who might you be?" The king's dark eyes shifted to her, then widened. "Wait, could it be...?!"

"It's a pity," she mocked, strapping her gloves tighter, "I have to kill my dear uncle-in-law."

"Rin? Nohara Rin ?" He gasped, his face blanching for a second. "But- but how ? You died!"

"I lived," she corrected, squaring her shoulders and regarding him with a raised chin. "Unluckily for you, I've come back to finish what we should have long ago!"

"I can't- I can't kill you," he tried to explain, kneeling where he was. "If I harm you, then he'll...-"

" He ? Who's he? Madara ?" Rin challenged, taking a step forward. "You think I'm scared of the husk of a dead man, Fugaku? You took my best friend away from me! I'm pretty sure facing a coward's puppet is way easier than that!"

"Please don't do this," he pleaded quietly, staring at her with his eyes activated. If one looked closely, they could see the tears dotting the crimson.

"Perhaps I'll give the queen a taste of what it feels like to lose your soulmate far too soon!" She yelled, charging up a chakra-laden fist and charging at him.

He clenched his eyes shut and bowed his head, waiting for her to kill him.

"Rin, stop!" Kakashi shouted, yanking her back by her arms. "Don't kill him!"

"AND WHY SHOULDN'T I KILL THE BASTARD THAT RUINED MY LIFE?!" She screeched at him, twisting and writhing in his arms.

"Don't let your anger blind you, he's not the real target!" Kakashi argued. "I can feel the presence of the-"

In a split-second, figuratively cutting Kakashi off and very, very literally cutting off Fugaku, a sword appeared from seemingly nowhere and decapitated the king, sending his head flying towards the wall in a fountain of crimson blood.

Both Kakashi and Rin stopped in their tracks in abject horror at what they'd just witnessed.

The righteous, glowing-hot rage drained from her like the chakra scalpels from her fingertips, her hands hanging limply at her side. Her face blanched; had she not been desensitized to gore, her stomach would have rebelled against her. Even now, it churned uncomfortably at the fallen body.

"That's the problem with too many puppets," a deep voice drawled from the doorway of the chapel's back room, a man with an orange swirled mask stepping from the shadows. He grabbed the fallen sword and sheathed it again, not caring about the ribbons of Fugaku's blood that coated the silvery blade. "Eventually, the strings get too tangled to function, and you have to sever a few to keep playing."

He stopped short of the body, facing the two of them. Kakashi dropped Rin's arms and his eyes widened. His Mangekyou throbbed in unison with the masked man's visible one. "No," he thought in despair, clenching his fists. "We... we were too late..."

"Wh- what?" The man breathed in disbelief. He took a step backwards, as if Rin would jump at him. "Y- you... you're alive ?"

"Okay, look, I don't know who the hell you are, but you just fucking ruined my moment. " Rin gestured broadly to the toppled body, whose blood was slowly creeping along the floor, her expression turning to stone as she glared at the figure, readying her stance. "I'm only going to give you one chance to answer before I fire: Who the hell are you?"

He stayed perfectly still.

Then he began to chuckle.

It started low, but gradually it grew in volume until he was howling with laughter, his head raised to the ceiling as his mad cackling echoed around the chapel.

Once his fit had subsided, he reached out to the duo.

"Don't you remember me?" He growled, amusement coating his voice. "After all, you only have half of my pair of eyes... old friend."

...

"Wait, what?"

Her eyes widened as his words sank in.

"He didn't mean…!"

Rin's head jerked around to stare, horrified, at Kakashi, who was rooted in his spot in despair.

"N- no," he denied, his fists clenched. "No, it's impossible. He died in the explosion, you're not him! I watched Obito die in my arms! Impostor!"

"Am I?" His voice was dangerously lilting, sing-song even as he reached up to grab the bottom of the mask. "Am I really ?"

As he slipped the mask off of his face, all color drained from Rin's.

The kunai she was gripping fell, clattering, to the ground.

Her heart skipped a beat, then began to pick up the pace until it was pounding against her ribcage, as if trying to break free to join her figurative heart already shattered on the floor in a thousand unfixable shards.

"H- huh?" She breathed numbly, her eyes wide at the imposing figure before them.

An older, scarred face, a familiar face, smirked back at them. Mismatched eyes, one blood red and the other a ringed pale pearl, flashed in the light.

"My dear, sweet, beautiful bride," he cooed, reaching for Rin. "It appears you're not the only one to have been brought back from the dead!"

Her legs began to shake. She tried to will them to move, but her body wasn't responding.

Beside her, Kakashi brushed the tears from his eyes, let out a cry of anguish, and darted forward to attack.

The Uchiha's eyes widened a fraction before they narrowed dangerously.

"You absolute fool !" Obito seethed, striking Kakashi down with one swipe of his leg.

The gray-haired nin wheezed as he hit the ground hard, before Obito stomped down on his ribs. His screams echoed around the room, and Rin couldn't even tear her eyes away.

Her breathing was harsh, ragged, and it was difficult to find the air to take into her lungs. Her vision blackened at the edges until it tunneled, and all she could see was who claimed to be her dead husband stomping her best friend into the floor.

"I'm- I'm having a panic attack," she weakly recognized. She tried to will enough strength to move her hand, but she failed. "C'mon, get a grip!"

"You promised me!" Obito roared, bringing his foot down once more. Another sickening crack was heard, and Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut and screamed, his throat raw from the effort. "You promised me that you would protect her!"

"P- please," Kakashi whispered hoarsely, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I t- tried-"

"YOU MADE HER JUMP OFF A CLIFF!" Obito's voice hardly sounded like his own anymore. It came out as a demonic, guttural growl as he lifted Kakashi from the ground by the collar of his shirt. His sword was in his hand again, poised at the man's abdomen.

"You took her away from me that day," the man snarled, harshly prodding at Kakashi's midsection in emphasis. "Now it's time to take back what's mine!"

Kakashi choked on his gasps of air. "O- Obi- to- please...!"

A droplet of sweat slid down her face. Every worst nightmare she'd ever had suddenly came rushing back to her, and she could hardly recognize the man in front of her in her abject consternation.

"This... this man isn't my husband... this isn't Obito!"

Just as Obito was about to plunge the sword into Kakashi's stomach, Rin found her voice and called out. "Anata!"

Beat.

He froze, and both men turned their heads slowly to see her approaching.

A disarming, wary smile was on her face, her arms outstretched.

"Obito, sweetheart, please let him go." She pouted at him, wrapping her arms around his. "We can escape this palace together, don't you see? You don't have to kill Kakashi!"

"Rin, oh Rin ," he mumbled, his eyes glazing over as he dropped Kakashi unceremoniously to the ground. He ignored the cry of pain as he scooped her into his arms. He stroked her cheek with his hand, taking in her appearance as if she were water in the desert. "You have no idea how long I've been dreaming of this moment."

"As have I," she sweetly replied, her eyes half-lidded as she took in his face. Even though it was marred and aged, she could still see what remained of Obito, her Obito, underneath. "Please, enlighten me to your desires. I want to feel you close to me again."

"You don't mind my hideous body?" He asked, self-loathing twisting his face into a frown.

Her heart ached at that, and she tenderly caressed his scarred half with a crooning, "Of course I don't mind! You're still the man I love, Obi. I would love you even if you were disfigured and limbless."

He looked like he was going to break down for a moment before he rested his forehead against hers. Her eyes trailed over to Kakashi and she made a signal with her hand behind Obito's back.

Kakashi weakly nodded and struggled to get up quietly.

"Rin, my Rin," he murmured, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. "So many nights have I dreamt of you... holding you, touching you, kissing you..."

This man made a pang of sadness course through her body. No matter how much he looked like Obito, sounded like him, even fought like him, the boy she'd fallen in love with, the man she married, was gone . The only thing left was this soulless husk that desecrated his memory more and more with each trembling breath he took. She wanted to believe this was her impish husband, with the boyish grin he often got when teasing her, or the way he and Kakashi could laugh together for hours. She wanted Obito back, not this heartbreaking imitation.

Nevertheless, she knew what had to be done. Her eyes grew misty for a split second before she willed the tears down.

"We are together once more," she implored, meeting his crazed eyes with her own. "Please remind me of how in love we were."

"I want nothing else," he replied, before leaning forward and kissing her desperately.

His lips melded to hers, his tongue prodding at her teeth. When she granted him access, it slipped into her mouth and found her own tongue, swirling around and around it in a sort of discordant tango.

She could feel his chakra, siphoned from his core through her fingertips, and the darkness that shrouded it made her shiver with fear. He took that as a shiver of delight and gently cradled the back of her head in his hand, his gloved fingers threading through her soft brown hair. This... this madness that perverted his chakra... Her stomach swirled with nausea, and she fought the urge to vomit. It was too much to bear. Dark memories fluttered through her mind's eye, memories that weren't her own. What had he gone through in the past seven years to distort his mind in such a way?

Her throat began feeling constricted by emotion, and she felt a tear slip down her cheek.

His guard was down. As exhausting as it was to sap away his chakra, she could feel his reserves growing low. It was the perfect opportunity.

"I'm sorry, Obito, my darling..."

The second she felt something heavy in her hand she reached around and speared him through the back, the blade poking through the front of his cloak. She had taken to carefully siphoning in minuscule amounts so that he wouldn't notice in time. Now that he only had a third of it left, she took what else she could as she kissed him hard.

He gagged and choked against her mouth, his scream of agony muffled by her lips. A dark mist seeped from his nostrils as he tried to breathe. He ripped away from her and it expelled from his mouth like smoke, his eyes darkening in rage for a second before she cupped his cheek.

Her eyes were watery and though she smiled, it didn't reach them. "Obito..."

"Rin..." he choked, grasping her face desperately. "Wh- why ...?!"

"Forgive me, my love." She took in a shuddering breath. "I have no other way to stop you."

"We could've been happy!" Obito protested, clenching his teeth as a new wave of pain ripped through his body. "We could have escaped this foul place. We could have settled down... had a family together...! We could finally have a son!"

She let out a laugh at the bitter irony, but it sounded more akin to a sob.

"For seven long, miserable years have I mourned your loss, my love," she cooed, stroking his shaggy, black hair. "There was nothing I wanted more than to have you back in my arms again."

She tugged the necklace from under her shirt, showing him with a teary grin. "See? I kept your present."

"The necklace..." he gasped, gingerly taking the strand of stones in his trembling fingers. "I had no idea that you'd..."

"Please do not forget, Obi," she pleaded, grasping his hand tight in hers. "I love you with all my heart."

"My life is incomplete... without you," his voice was hitched. The blood that soaked through his clothes had begun to stain the front of her shirt, but she didn't care. "You are my... only light in this world..."

"And you are the only one I could see myself loving," she pledged, letting out a small sob as she wiped away some of her tears.

Kakashi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, gazing at Obito's dying body with sad eyes.

"Ka- kashi," Obito gasped, grinning weakly at his old friend as the darkness slowly faded from his tired eyes. "I don't- blame you for what happened..."

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, gripping the man's shoulder. "I never wanted it to end like this."

"You... think I did, either?" Obito chuckled painfully. "Please, Ba- k-kashi, take care of... Rin... for real this time..."

"I promise, I'll never let harm come to her again." He pledged firmly, nodding to Rin as she wept quietly. "You have my word. Not as a comrade, but as a- as a brother."

"Rin..." Obito was fading fast, a tired smile on his face as he pressed his lips to her knuckles. "I... love you... always..."

"Always and forevermore," she recited, taking his head in her hands as his eyes slowly fluttered shut.

When his hand fell limp at his side and the breath left his agape lips did she break.

She lost track of how long she spent on the cold floor, shrieking wails bouncing off of the walls as Kakashi held her, her husband lying cold in her arms.

She chanted his name like a prayer to the gods, hysterically clutching at his face and hiding her face in his chest.

She'd lost Obito again.

Somehow this time it hurt even worse.