Rewritten and edited 2.17.20
WARNINGS: Language, blood, violence, dark themes, mental illness, character death, time travel, blind!psychosis!Obito, unstable!immortal!Kakashi, artificial!Naruto, MinaKushi, one-sided!KakaObi, and mentioned!SasuSaku. TRIGGERS? THEN PLES! DON'T READ!
(an) it me, i back after about 4 years of absence. might not stay, might stay. am getting back into the groove. i lost the original shikketsu. i just decided to go with what ive already written, which wasnt a whole lot. i had no plans with this story, but i do admit i remember clearly loving this idea and discontinuing it b/c i got little to no feedback, just numbers.
pre-edit word count: 4.2k~
post-edit word count: 4.8k~
Chapter 1: Ketsuban
Politics were ridiculous. Absolutely infuriating to Uchiha Obito in every single way possible.
Yes. He dealt with politics in his time manipulating the Mizukage. But never directly. Every meeting was always intense—always. It did not matter if it was over a flower, a child, a god damn tea cup, or a stupid chunk of land. It was all about deception, do's and don't's.
Tell them this but don't reveal the truth. Guarantee that but don't back it up. Don't talk about it. Don't think about it. Don't react to it. Don't bother with it. Don't, don't, don't.
Do tell a lie. Do deceive them. Do bluff. Do intimidate. Do make people agree. Do talk. Do make threats. Do stall. Do talk, constantly. Do only tell half-truths. Do, do, do.
This specific debate was over who would seize the statue. The plan was to extract eight of the nine bijū from Naruto—forcibly, if needed—and return them to their respective spots or to a new jinchuuriki. But, of course, Tsunade and Gaara disagreed and went against it. A didn't care. He just wanted B out of his coma. Mei was a bit more grey, but sided a little bit more with Ōnoki and A. However, she also agreed with Tsunade and Gaara. It evened out the field, but didn't relieve any tension.
Obito was just a bystander—somebody to look at for opinions and information. He had no real power. There were so many errors; ten years of isolation in a jail cell made him realize that. And the time spent in there made him psychotic, having received no help for his issues. Only Minato and Kakashi knew of that and it was to stay that way. No one else needed that information.
"Uchiha," he heard A snap.
He turned his head towards the Raikage from his spot by a pillar of the Gokage's meeting room. He was completely blind, Kakashi losing his eye to Madara and Obito giving his remaining optic up to the Hatake. He lost his Rinnegan to Madara, who is in the wind, and Kuro Zetsu, who disappeared.
He did not speak. But he rarely spoke now. He only spoke when necessary.
"The Rinnegan—you know how to unlock it," A continued gruffly. "How?"
Obito cocked his head slightly, his expression flat and his voice even flatter. He made even Gaara nervous. He made sure his stoic attitude and lack of caring was visible and true. "It is not a force any of you could handle," he simply said. "Even if you acquired it, it will be by the end of your life time—when you're eighty, if you ever get to that age."
"Please don't be difficult," Mei stated.
He chuckled. "I am just hinting that the only reason I could take the density of that chakra is because I know how to control the Senju cells. That took me nearly one and a half decade."
"So Senju cells create the Rinnegan?" A asked hastily.
"No," Obito snapped, his bitter amusement fading in under a nanosecond. "Combining Senju and Uchiha cells do, but even then there is only a five percent chance it will work because of the conditions it would need to spawn. There is a reason as to why only two Uchiha naturally have the Rinnegan." He paused thoughtfully, "…Even if you gain the necessary cells, Madara did not unlock it until he was in his seventies, post-three decades of the cell implantation. Control was no better."
"Can we use Tsunade?" Ōnoki questioned.
"That will lower the chances to mere baby decimals," he replied. "She is half Uzumaki, half Senju. One must be the incarnation of Indra in order for it to work."
"That's one hell of a downfall," Tsunade commented quietly. "So what will you do now, A?"
"…What of Naruto?" the Raikage questioned, disregarding what he had said about Indra. "He has artificial flesh like you, and that artificial flesh branched off from Hashirama."
Obito allowed himself a grin that guaranteed a suspicious or fearful glint in everyone's expression. He knew that they would disregard the incarnation thing, though, so he just went along with what they thought would be the best route from this point on. "He is not a descendant of Hashirama. He is Mito's great, great nephew, yes, but he is nowhere near a Senju. He is Uzumaki through and through." His grin widened further as he continued. "Even if you were to somehow acquire the statue, do you honestly believe that Uzumaki Naruto would lay down and obey? To just sit down and shut up? I don't. Besides, he is willing to cooperate. He would fight even after he got decapitated."
A's fist slammed onto the table, jolting out of his seat. His anger spilled as the wood cracked and the chair fell back. "B is in a coma! He could die! I refuse to lose another family member!"
Obito scowled, not even bothering to fight back. The maliciousness was half-assed compared to what Madara trained him to focus and convey. He walked up to the table, his sensory chakra pulsing and blanketing his surroundings in order to sense. He pressed his palms on the surface, his expression solid and stoic as usual. He felt his rage and disdain sink in, he really didn't care about their feelings. Their feelings were useless in making this decision. He stopped caring years ago.
"He was gonna die of bijū extraction anyway," he pointed out calmly. He was standing next to Tsunade, who had stiffened when he said that. He almost smirked. She was glaring a warning at him, one he ignored. "You honestly thought that he'd stay a jinchūriki for all eternity? That he'd live until the end of time? You know better than that. The next jinchūriki would've been chosen sooner or later if he remained, war or not. The exact same thing would've applied to all of the jinchūriki—from Gaara to Naruto. Their usefulness is vital to your pathetic system, and when their usefulness expires, barely any of us would hesitate to find a new jinchūriki regardless of feelings."
Tsunade visibly winced. She felt the faint flicker in everybody's chakra system, and she knew instantly that Obito had shot an arrow through a sensitive spot. Each Kage had either been extremely close to the jinchūriki or been an actual jinchuuriki at one point, herself and A especially. Mei was close to Yagura, and Ōnoki had been friends with Han and Roshi once upon a time. Just before their defects and deaths.
Everybody was quiet until Mifune finally decided to speak, "I think it's best if we all just walk our different ways for a little bit. Lunch sounds good, no?"
Silence was his answer, but it was whisked away by Ōnoki. "That sounds wonderful," he said. He stood, Mei and A following abruptly. Mifune and Gaara took their leave; Minato, Kakashi, Obito, and Tsunade remained.
Minato was still an Edo Tensei, and all four past Kage had stuck around after learning the hand seals and the jutsu from Obito. He had both of his arms, curtesy of changing bodies. Tobirama and Hashirama were fixed up as well. Hiruzen hadn't really been damaged during the war. These zombies were faded, though. They rarely interacted. They were shells of which refused to move on. Fair enough, though, considering the circumstances. Minato was the only one full of vigor, and it has been speculated that it's because of Naruto. Just like everything else.
Kakashi was just silent, mostly in his own world. Six months ago, he was injected by Madara with an odd substance that completely merged with his chakra and cells, causing constant cell division and DNA healing. It was an unknown factor as to how it worked, but he was literally immortal at that point, as stated by Tsunade. Why Madara chose Kakashi of all people was jarring and a stump to all kind of reasoning. Obito knew, though, and has always known that Madara does things for a reason. Something like this was dangerous and going to be damaging.
The war is a weight on everyone's mental health. Kakashi, especially, has felt the toll. His PTSD has become almost irreversible in the sense that there was far too much to heal from, and the amount of trauma has caused Kakashi to have an identity disorder. The psychosis he goes through on a daily basis was taxing, and the constant state of anxiety he was in has proven to be crippling in anything beyond the battle field. It became apparent and known very well when those before have passed away.
"You seem to have…experience in the line of politics," Minato commented lightly and sheepishly.
The Uchiha turned his head towards his former sensei. "No, they're just all idiots," he replied bluntly.
The Namikaze chuckled sheepishly. "I was trying to be polite…"
Tsunade sighed and scowled, getting out of her chair. The trio followed her out of the room, the lights flickering off as they stepped out. "It's ridiculous," she said. "A is being greedy, Ōnoki is paranoid, Mei has no idea what to do and Gaara is borderline ready to murder everybody. The war isn't helping, and it's making things complicated."
Obito stumbled a little, slightly leaning on Kakashi as he scowled at his clumsiness and the overall situation. But he didn't voice his opinion. The only reason things were complicated was because they were making it as such by wishing for bijū extraction ASAP. B was in no imminent danger; he'd most likely wake up eventually. He probably won't be able to move for a bit, but it's better than dying. But it was still an if.
"Everybody is just stressed out," Kakashi stated. His tone of voice made it seem like he was talking to himself more than others. "The war is no longer a war. It's more like an slaughter, really."
The three silently agreed with each other, the Uchiha just brushing it off. He knew the difference between a slaughterhouse and a war. Minato sighed. "A-dono and Ōnoki-dono are making things complicated by wanting this."
Obito almost sneered with disgust. If he wasn't blind, and if he had his Kamui, then he'd gladly beat some sense into the five Kage who couldn't seem to open their eyes to the errors. He has found more than a few spies in their midsts. Their intel was being sabotaged, of course, but he can't stop ten espionage enemies. He couldn't really do much about it, they were people with families and he would be killed on the spot if he was caught stopping them. His word would be taken with a grain of salt. It already has, and it is being taken with a grain of salt right now.
He was vulnerable. Not necessarily weak, but vulnerable.
"We have to fix this," Tsunade remarked as they entered the section made for Konoha shinobi. Their temporary HQ was divided into sections made for all ninja villages, ranging from Taki to Kiri and everything in between.
The blind white haired man couldn't stop the scoff towards the remark.
"Is there something you need to say, Obito?" Minato asked.
"Hn. I shouldn't have to say anything," he murmured bitterly.
Tsunade sighed heavily. The disgust and stress in her voice didn't go unheard, "Unlike you, Uchiha, we can not work under these kind of circumstances. The last time I was under this much stress was never, and Madara still being out there is not helping."
Obito snorted. He was only called "Obito" by Kakashi, Minato, and Sasuke these days. He wasn't content with it, but he tolerated it regardless. His bitter expression faded into a flat, relaxed one that didn't give away his thoughts. "Kage's endure pain," he stated pointedly. "We're failing, Tsunade, since we're fighting amongst ourselves over a little gash. We're falling into step of Madara's plan by doing so, and thus, these circumstances. Stress is the result of all these childish quarrels. B is in no imminent danger. You know this."
His response was silence, and he knew that he won the argument before it could happen. Tsunade stopped walking, sighing again. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and enjoy what little peace we have left."
The clicking of her heels faded as she walked down an apparent hallway. If Obito was correct, it lead back to the Hokage's room. He did not know what it looked like, but his sharp sensory chakra picked up the lights on the ceiling that extended about ten meters out before being smuggled by a wall of security chakra.
It was all generated by chakra. Hell, the entire electro system was generated by a closed system of chakra. The base wasn't a target, though. Fūinjutsu scattered the outer and inner walls, compressing, preserving and providing chakra in an infinite loop.
Kakashi's arm brushed against Obito, helping him down the rest of the long hallway. Minato followed, their travels leading them to a turn and another hallway
The Uchiha was guided down said stretch of domestic structure. In the silence, his thoughts began to trail towards a certain seal he requested from Naruto. It was a blood and chakra seal. It was a seal that ripped the current of the living—disturbed it and made the "natural" feel disoriented. This was, of course, to be safely supported by Ketsuban's power.
They eventually reached a lounge reserved mainly for what remained of Team Seven. Initially it was not meant for Obito, but the Uchiha stayed there regardless. He was getting no complaints, too, so he safely concluded it to be no problem.
The doors opened up, closing behind Minato's heels as the trio walked in.
"Yo!" Naruto called from the living room floor. "Where have ya'll been dattebayo? I had to deal with Rīsentosutaira-hiko for five hours straight!"
Obito crossed his arms, his lips pressed together in disdain. But Kakashi spoke up instead, "Another Kage meeting."
"Again?" Sasuke grumped. He scoffed as well. "Hn, this is getting pathetic."
The Hatake chuckled uneasily, his arm shifting and rubbing his face. "No kidding."
Obito uncrossed his arms, reaching a hand out and grabbing the arm rest of a nearby chair. He moved and sat down, sinking into the cushion with a deep sigh of agreement. The air flowed in and out of his nose exclusively, and his fingers pressed against his temple as he tilted his head.
"Kosha-jiji," Naruto said, inclining his head towards Obito. It was his nickname for the elder Uchiha.
Said Uchiha scoffed. "Hn?"
Naruto disregarded it. "I probably should've told the Gokage, but I sensed a disturbance in Madara's chakra a few hours ago. Do you think he's gonna attack?"
Minato visibly winced and grimaced. "Probably?"
"What? I'm feeling very uneasy around them!" Naruto defended. "More than half of them want me dead, dattebayo!"
"It's not impossible," Obito cut in. "He hasn't made a move in six months and we've been hiding in this pathetic cave we call home base for a good ten years. He found us the moment we started using chakra to generate our power system. Considering you sensed it a few hours ago…I'd say he's already here."
Minato's eyes scorched into his face. "How do you know?"
"There are flies everywhere," Obito replied. "There have been for eight years now, seven willings and three unwilling."
"You can't confirm that, 'ttebayo," Naruto snapped defensively.
The elder Uchiha's lips curved up in a grim smile. He chuckled. "You all seem to forget that I worked under Madara for a period of time. I can spot his subordinate, secret or not, a kilometer away. Whether they're willing ones or not doesn't matter."
His response was silence. He sensed movement approaching the hall, so he activated Kenchiki Jutsu to identify who it was. Said jutsu enhanced his small portion of Rikudō chakra using more senjutsu chakra, albeit it wasn't much, in order to "see" for him.
He sensed Tsunade's weak signature running towards them. His brow furrowed. Why is it so weak…?
His answer was given when the building shook. Almost all of the chakra signatures in Taki, Kiri, Kumo and Tetsu disappeared or weakened significantly. But the most noticeable one among them all was Madara's—it was thick with killing intent and power, enough to choke a jōnin to death due to the sheer pressure.
The only reason any of the five shinobi in the room could stand it was because each had a portion—if only a tiny amount—of the Rikudō's chakra. But even then it would be difficult to move under the absolute weight of the chakra.
Obito's lips quirked up slightly. He stayed in his spot as Minato poked his head out, his sensory chakra flcikering and reaching. The zombie backed up as an injured Tsunade barged in. She had a hole in her clothing right over her torso, blood decorating the light green cloth and skin. The usual rhombus on her forehead was gone, and she had rubble dirt all over her. Her teeth clenched as she caught her breath, her frantic body language reflecting everyone else's anger and panic.
Her eyes landed on Obito. "He's…he's after you—specifically you. Again," she panted. "Why?"
The Uchiha stood up and shrugged, his fingers staying on the arm rest. He turned his head towards her, his expression flat as usual. "How should I know?"
Madara had went after him six months prior to the current attack. Two rather vital deaths followed, and said dead people had died protecting him.
"I don't know!" she snapped. "Nearly everything that has happened in the past thirty years have been your fault specifically! I swear to the deities above, Uchiha, if we lose another significant life—"
"If that happened," Obito sharply cut in as another large explosion shook the HQ, "what do you want me to do about it?"
Rage made her chakra boil, trained and sharp and aiming at him. He didn't move though. He couldn't. He just didn't show it like the professional he was. She growled. "Be thankful, dammit!" she shouted.
A second later, a string of explosions raced down the hallway. Tsunade dove into the lounge, landing in a roll. She quickly got to her feet. Naruto and Sasuke summoned up their Rikudō chakra, Minato went into bijū mode and Kakashi pulled his headband up to reveal the Sharingan. Obito pulled out duo-kunai, the gudōdama that coated his hands disguised as gloves reformed into a standard ball. They loomed over both of the back of his hands as means of power and protection.
Another explosion shook the building—only it was much closer. Obito clenched his jaw. He could fight perfectly well, he just couldn't do a full out ninjutsu match because he needed his chakra to use Kenchiki Jutsu. Without it, his panic and extreme anxiety would kick in due to the fear of being completely blind. He would basically become fifteen year old Uchiha Obito—the one who never kept his guard down, even when in safety, and the fear would impede his ability to fight.
A third explosion destroyed the wall, gudōdama racing in towards the six. Obito deflected the ones that went after him, Tsunade falling back and the rest masterfully dodging.
He heard a dark chuckle, foot steps echoing as the one and only hated Uchiha Madara emerged from the smoke and rubble. His skin was pale—nearly white—and he had white hair. A grey horn-like appendage grew out of his left temple, an extra thick layer of material spreading out across his forehead that marked the power the Shinju had over him.
He had a white robe with magatama decorating the back and the edges of his clothing, underneath it being a full-body black garment. It had pants, gloves and boots. Gudōdama floated behind his back as they retired from shooting at the other six shinobi. Only one was missing—and it formed a Rikudō shakujō, the one that was in his hand.
His Rinnegan eye landed spitefully on Obito, a dark look casting over his pale face upon seeing the forty-three year old. He scowled. "To think that someone like you could hide Ketsuban…"
Obito would've glared if he had eyes. Ketsuban was a twelve-ringed shakujō that descended from the Shinju itself. It was fact. Hamura wielded it up until he gained the Tenseigan, soon discarding the weapon and hiding it. Eventually Obito found the locator Hamura created, and found it himself—but that was nearly twenty years ago. In time, Obito learned how to wield it; knew its techniques, prowess and power scale. Unfortunately it was too strong for anybody to handle without the power of the Jūbi. A mortal could, of course, but at a cost. Ketsuban was and always will be dangerous for the cost it pushes onto its mortal wielders.
Madara has always wanted the weapon, and with him having tons of Rikudō chakra, it was a dangerous match made in hell.
There was a reason why the khakkhara was called Ketsuban.
Obito's eye brows pinched together instead, his face grim as he felt five pairs of eyes on him—and all of them demanded an explanation that would waste too much time. "I never intended on giving Ketsuban to you," he stated calmly. "You won't be laying eyes on it as long as the world exists."
He had hid it deep within the Earth, below the magma and in the heart of the land they fight on. Kamui worked magic. The only way to reach it was a modified version of Kuchiyose no Jutsu. But nobody needed to know that.
Not yet, anyways.
Naruto had said that the requested fūinjutsu was completed just yesterday, and that the scroll the blonde had given him before he left for the damnable political meeting was the seal's transcription. But the seal had a hole in it—it was unstable and wouldn't actually work on its own. Thus, Ketsuban. It would work with the weapon's help. He intended on using the seal within the week, but this was getting ridiculous. It was starting to look like he needed to act sooner rather than later.
A considering thought crossed his mind, and his face internally scrunched up. It was a risky new plan, but one that would have to work. If he waited any longer, the world would rip itself apart even further. That was an unacceptable outcome.
"Ketsuban?" Kakashi murmured. "What is that?"
"A weapon," Obito answered.
"One wielded by Ōtsutsuki Hamura," Madara continued. The hunger in his voice didn't go unnoticed. He sounded mad, and the malice that was spilling from him wildly didn't help to slow his craze. "He only wielded it for a handful of years before gaining a new dōjutsu and hiding it away. An extremely small number of people have only heard of it, and even fewer have seen it. My sweet Uchiha there is one of the two people who have legit wielded it, and I have full intentions of being the third."
Tsunade's silence started scaring the other shinobi. By now she would've spoken up, voiced her anger and frustration, perhaps stall and monologue while allowing somebody to land a hit.
She walked up to Obito's side, her breathing shaking with anger and her chakra mixing with her hatred. "You mean to tell me…" she whispered, her voice trembling with enmity that could bash a mans skull in with looks, "…that Sakura…and Shizune died…for a pathetic fucking weapon?!"
Everybody winced at her tone. Sakura and Shizune did, indeed, die. They were the two vital lives that protected Obito six months ago; Sakura died of chakra exhaustion while Shizune died of internal wounds due to having a gudōdama crushing her from the inside out. Sasuke and Naruto had been busy fighting Madara, while a Rinbo: Hengoku clone attacked Sakura, Shizune and Obito. Everybody else was busy with the Edo Tensei Madara had brought into the world, and there was no back-up. In fact, Obito, Sakura and Shizune were considered the back-up.
Obito had been thoroughly beaten up. He lost his artificial arm, shattered his left leg, and was borderline dead because of the resulting severe chakra exhaustion. His right lung had collapsed, and his liver had been impaled. He also had harbored a collarbone wound, which led to major blood loss because it was left unattended for a unhealthy amount of time.
To say the least, Kakashi's stability did not do any better after.
The forty-three year old Uchiha snapped out of his memory when Tsunade screamed in rage, all of her remaining chakra charging up in her fists. She rushed towards the Uchiha, leaping up and aiming for his head in a blur of speed.
"Baa-chan!" Naruto shouted. He quickly made his way towards the last breathing Senju, not even bothering to attempt stopping her. He, instead, created a shell around her fists, his gudōdama looming only a centimeter over her skin. It protected her from breaking her hands in the very least.
Senjutsu chakra appeared in Minato. Obito blanched. That was not very good. The battle was escalating way too quickly for his liking. This would end in gore and loss. He just had to get Tsunade's blood…
"Kakashi," he heard Minato murmur towards the Hatake, "stay back and keep Obito out of trouble."
"Already devised a plan," Kakashi replied as Tsunade's fists and Naruto's gudōdama collided with Madara's shakujō
"And keep Tsunade back," he added silently. The zombie teleported away, grabbing Tsunade as soon as she was finished. He landed back to his original spot next to Kakashi. He made sure his voice is heard by at least one of trio, and the next thing they knew, they were all the way in the back of the lounge. "Stay safe. Please."
Then, the Namikaze was gone.
Obito sighed, pulling out a scroll, unravelling and laying out the paper. He kneeled down, Kakashi sitting on his knees as he examined a shaking and crying Tsunade. The Uchiha grabbed Tsunade's hand. It makes her flinch violently. But he ignored it, nicking her hand and letting the blood drip onto the paper. He smeared it into the Uzumaki fūinjutsu swirl, gaining a questioning look from Kakashi.
"What are you doing?" he asked skeptically.
"Saving everyone's asses," Obito responded. "This world is being ripped apart from the inside out—" Tsunade's sob made him stop, so he just settled for something simple, "It's falling apart…"
"Obviously," the Hatake retorted.
"Which is why we're doing something about it," the Uchiha continued. He performed the rat, hare and tiger hand seals, his chakra flowing out of his right index and middle finger. He put out the two fingers, swiping them and leaving behind the blue streak of chakra.
And then a shakujō appeared in a poof of smoke.
It was black and standard, but the twelve rings were made of platinum. At the butt end of the rod was a swirl—it was a deep red, and could only be spotted because it had chakra incorporated into it. Kakashi's eyes narrowed in observation. What the hell was that thing?
Obito grabbed the levitating shakujō, forming the dog hand seal with it in his hand. Chakra started forming, and it turned a bright yello as it molded in-sync with the shakujō itself.
"Ketsuban!"
The middle aged Uchiha ignored the one-hundred-year old golden legend, continuously charging up chakra. He changed his hand signs and turned it into the tiger hand seal, the shakujō still in between his fingers and palms. It continued to glow yellow as more chakra was charged up. Not too much longer after that he stabbed the staff into the ground, right in the middle of the blood-made Uzumaki fūinjutsu seal.
"Ketsuban!" Madara shouted again. This time, the man did break through everyone, position and power disregaded, as he was rushing towards Obito in the blinding blur of black and white. Somewhere along the way, his gudōdama formed into a sharp and thin object, much like a senbon, and was headed straight for Obito's chest.
Obito grinned darkly, putting his right index and middle finger up. The mystical yellow chakra pulsed, and instantly gravity was manipulated. Everyone was slammed onto the ground, smoke dispersing and structures groaning with the sudden weight. Everybody but Obito, the wielder and performed, was affected by the jutsu. He started performing one-handed seals, his brow creaed with focus and power. "Jikan no Fūin," he whispered.
More of the strange, yellow chakra pulsed. It flucuated, and shimmered, and created a meta-explosion of power. It pulsed one last time, and then it was gone. But this pulsation was different: Naruto, Sasuke, Minato, Kakashi and Madara's own chakra pulsed. Obito's disappeared.
They all disappeared. Their absences were replaced by raging fires, devastating ice storms, blasting winds, lightning, thunder, tornados, tsunamis, hurricanes, blizzards, snow, heat waves, plant undergrowth, animal devolution, organism devolution, a meteorite, a devastating explosion—
And then there was nothing.
"Ketsuban": "Blood Seal";"Sealing of one's blood"
"Kenchiki Jutsu": "Sensory Technique"
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu": "Summoning Technique"
"Jikan no Fūin": "The Time Seal"
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