I do not own Naruto or any other references that someone might see in this fic. What IS mine will probably been seen as someone else's anyway, and I'm not exactly hurt by that.
"Word" = People talking
...Word... = Quotes and past words
'Word' = Key, significant or unknown words
'Word' = People thinking
"Word" = Demon, beasts, monsters and the overpowered talking
WORD = Dramatic or epic occurrences and sounds
WORD = violent or disturbing occurrence and sounds
"Word" = Spiral the plant man.
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Chapter 2.
'What the hell is he talking about?' Thought a currently heavily damaged and bandaged Obito. His head was spinning, he didn't know where he was and he had no idea what was going on. Looking around the place he had awoken in, it was dark, damp and only enough light to reveal a single, white haired, old man standing before him. Looking at the elder he didn't seem out of the ordinary for an old man wearing what looked like a cloak.
'Wait...'
"Your eyes!" he said to the old man realising the pattern and colour of his eyes. "It can't be? Old man, you're also an Uchiha?" he questioned not moving from his position.
The wrinkled, thin, old man stared. "I wonder about that myself..." He responded stoic as if unsure of the fact himself.
Obito's head started darting around in confusion, his sharigan activate unknowingly to him. 'Did he save me..? But...'
"You said in between this world and the next. Where is that exactly?" he asked unsure of what the statement even meant. "I can't see well because it's dark...and gramps! Who in the world are you?" he asked quickly full of questions before the man could respond to the first. "HAH! You couldn't possibly be a grim reaper, right?" he continued asking as the man remained stoic and impassive. "Don't tell me you're going to take me to heaven or hell..." Obito commented, smiling again not really thinking about his current situation.
'Hm, what's that?' Obito thought to himself seeing a strange cane being used by the man.
...
'Children are so annoying.'
SCHLING
A shine of the sickle that the man was using as a cane, reflected with the man's annoyance.
'Huh?'
Obito single remaining eye widen in fear with a single tear following. "NOOO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE YET! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" He screamed at the top of his lungs panicked. "I SAW YOUR SICKLE SPARKLING! YOU'VE GOT TO BE A GRIM REAPER! A GRIM REAPER WHO TAKES UCHIHAS AWAY!" he stated seeing how the unemotional Uchiha man remain unfazed by his words.
'He's not denying it!' Obito thought letting his fear of dying surface and takeover. "I've lived my life following my motto "help the elderly"! I may have broken a few rules and done a few bad things, but I think I've at least broken even with the good!" he pleaded still not thinking clearly, presenting his personality in a very lame way. "PLEASE anywhere but hell!" he pleaded again pathetically.
'What a pathetic, cowardly child. What has the Uchiha come to?'
"OW!" Obito yelled in pain suddenly realizing that his body had been bandaged heavily and that most of his body was receiving a vibration of pain, shooting through his body. It wasn't as painful as it looked to him though.
"When you fell pain.." the man started gaining his attention."...you know that you are alive."
'Huh? Pain.' Obito wondered.
The old man continued speaking with a stoic, unemotional face. "The fact that you're alive could be called a miracle. It's amazing how you weren't washed away with the rubble. Almost as if you slipped right through it..."he muttered cryptically, more to himself than Obito.
'Washed away with rubble? Slipped right through? What does that mean?" Obito questioned wondering what the old man's words could mean. Truthfully though, he wasn't paying a lot of attention to the comments feeling they were too vague. He didn't really care about it in the end. All he wanted to know was clearly where he was and what had happened.
"Where...Was I?" Obitio asked hoping to gain more info on what had happened.
The old man sighed, breathing out and beginning to talk again. "You were collapsed in the underground passages I made next to a crumbled rock. Even though I gave you medical treatment.." he paused seemingly having trouble breathing. "...half of your body remains crushed..."
'Is-is this old man alright?' Obito questioned again losing focus on what the man was saying from his trouble with simply breathing. Really though, it was to be expected looking at the decrepit man. He looked like he was going to expire at any moment.
Obito shook the thought from his head. 'My body was crushed? Is that possible?' He questioned not really sure of what it meant, not even believing such a thing. If he had been he should be dead, not lying in a bed bandaged, fine and alive. But one thing was certain at this point.
"Old man, you saved me?" he asked concluding as much. The man nodded still using the sickle to stand.
Obitio was silence a moment. "Thank you." He responded honestly.
Instead of been happy at the gratitude, the man face seemed to scold the thanks. 'Hmm, kids got half his body crushed, should have died and is faced with a man with a shining sickle. Most people's minds would go into a sociological shock. Clueless idiot.' The old man thought, thinking most would go on the defensive side, denying everything. A logical reaction when first waking up to such a condition and situation.
"It's too early to thank me." the old man answered back regaining the boys focus. "I'll have you slowly pay off this debt. Wasn't "helping the elderly" your motto?" he said turning Obito's words against him.
This caught Obitio of guard. He hadn't expect the old man to use his own words against him. "That's true...but...What do you need? Me to take care of you?" he asked feeling that taking care of the old man was strange as he was the one who had saved him.
'He's a little guarded. Still though, willing to trust and help a stranger who he just met. Such foolishness in this generation. Still...he shows promise.'
Obtio deadpanned. "You don't need help getting to the toilet do you?" he casual, yet so sarcastically, asked with a poker-face.
'. . . . . . fuck you and die.'
The older of the two shrugged and shook his head, not just as an answer. "...not really..." he responded in a way to say there was something that Obito could do for him.
Obito shook his head realizing so. "Sorry, but I can't stay here too long. If I'm alive then I need to go back to the Konoha! There's a war going on now and I finally awakened the sharingan. Now I'll be able to protect my friends." He finished trying to sympathise with his fellow clan man, plus being simply happy to be alive.
The old man however remained unmoved by the boy's intentions. "Protect your friends, Huh?" he noted as if recalling something.
'..What..?' Obito thought truly unsure of what the old man was playing at. The man seemed to be judging him while being allusive with his answers, confusing Obitio. It was strange to Obitio that another of clan would do such. But then again, most his clan didn't really talk to him, except for one of the elders, Kagami.
The man shook his head. "With that body, you can't continue being a shinobi boy." The old man continued uncaring of the opinion of Obito.
Obitio paused processing the information. Thinking about it now, he could now remember clearly what had happened before awakening.
Attacking an enemy base against the commands of the mission in order to save the girl he loved with all his heart. Fighting alongside his once hated and annoying team mate to defeat the odds. Running for the exits of the collapsing cave with his saved love, Rin, and new rival and friend, Kakashi. Grabbing said new, wounded friend and throwing him out of harm's way as a boulder fell on top of himself instead. Crushing him.
He had died, scarifying himself for his friend's survival. In that moment he thought it was really over. Dreams, desires, hope, possibility and life was finished to him.
No.
In his final moments, he had wished to live a little longer.
And somehow it was granted.
His second chance.
He couldn't allow anything to deny that.
"No..." he responded lowly before escalating. "No...NO! I've-I've finally awakened these eyes! I'm confident that we can work better together. Now I can become a shinobi who can protect his friends." Obito argued trying to justify his desire.
'Children. Such naive creatures. Seems he's no exception.'
"Look at reality!" The old man responded forcefully and sternly surprising Obito of the seriousness that he was displaying. "The world is full of things that won't go the way you wish. The longer you're alive; you'll realize that this world has nothing but pain, suffering and emptiness."
Obtio frowned not expecting such as dark response. 'What's with this old man..?' he wondered. Such a response to his words and having just woken up had Obitio confused and uncertain of what was happening. The old man words and opinion were concerning and not something Obito wanted to deal with.
"Listen, in this world there is Light and with it Darkness. As long as the concept of "Winner" exists, there will continue to be a "loser". The selfish desire of wanting to preserve peace causes wars. Hatred is born of the desire to protect loved ones. It's a casual relationship that can't be avoided or separated." He seemed to conclude before lastly adding a word that struck weird to Obitio from his understanding of the conversation. "Normally..."
Obito deadpanned at the topic that had arisen. 'His switch's been flipped and he's so focused.' He thought unable to take the man seriously. 'I bet this is gonna be long.' He continued, the man's words reminding him of the time he had help the elderly, listening to them talk about the past. Some of which were very unkind to his clan which he simply ignored. Though, such things didn't bother him at the moment. 'So, where am I again?!' He concluded looking around the room, seeing no point in listening to another elder's rant of problems in the world.
The old man's face twitched slightly completely unnoticed. 'He's motto is to help the elderly yet he shows completely disrespect when talking to one.' The old man thought. 'I don't like playing games with kids.'
The old man raised his voice. "Because you were wounded, others were saved? True? Or am I wrong?" he questioned wanting the boy to respond and with it, reveal an opening to manipulate. After all, a new tool would be really good in his current predicament; you know being stuck permanently in a cave and all.
Obtio frowned at what the man was getting at, as his revived memories fueled his anger. Gritting his teeth and shooting up from the bed in irritation he shouted back. "SHUT UP! I don't want to stay here any longer!" he said not liking how the old man was basically saying that he was a meat shield. "Just-UGH!" he flinched as a sharp pain flowed through his chest stopping him from moving any further.
"You may leave if you wish. That is if you can move." The old man pointed out not at all moved by the boy. He slowing began to walk away, evidently slowly with his age.
'Wait.. isn't this a bit strange. Why is an old man with a sharingan here alone?' Obitio questioned finally thinking about him situation. 'Now that I think about it. I know all of the elderly in Konoha. I've never seen this guy before.' He continue suspiciously, coming to his own conclusion as the old, white haired man walked way to sit somewhere in the darkness. 'That means that he's no longer a shinobi from Konoha.' he guessed now carefully watching the man.
Still not convinced by his thoughts, Obito dug deeper with his questions, though doing so idiotically, asking a rather stupid question in a not so casual manner. "So...Old man...are you...a missing nin?" he asked seeing that man in the dark distance. He got no answer, only the slight image of white, plant-like flesh sticking from the man's back before he took a seat. ". . Who are you!?" he asked more forceful becoming concerned.
'Kid is really asking me upfront if I'm a missing-nin. What idiot in his condition would ask another if they're a missing-nin?'
Obitio's eyes then adjusted to the darkness allowing him a full view of what he was dealing with. The man sat in an earth throne surrounded and appearing to be connected to a giant flower easily bigger than an akmichi clan member using the super expansion jutsu, almost reaching 70 metres. Within the centre, surrounded with its petals sat a massive statue, most of its body hidden by said petals. From branches extending from the stem, white un-moving bodies could be seen hanging in all manners of ways.
"!" Obtito glimpsed, squinting at the man and statue thinking for a moment that he was seeing things in the shadows. That whatever he was seeing was just a result of recovering from his injury.
"I am...a ghost of the uchiha." The old, white hair man responded.
"!?" Obtito froze in realization, eyeing the sight alarmed, surprised, and on guard as much a cripple could be. He couldn't, wouldn't and wasn't sure what he should do or how to react, so much so that his sharigan flared redder to find if what he was seeing was real.
'THIS IS REAL! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING? WHO IS THIS MAN?'
"Madara Uchiha." the man said stoic and simply, seated and looking like some dark ruler that would be unfazed by the problems of humanity, which was true to a degree.
'Ma...Madara..!?' Obitio thought hearing the Uchiha ancestor yet unable to look away from the monstrous statue's head peering from over and within the petal.
He trembled staring at it. This was wrong. So wrong. Not in manner of good or bad, but in a manner of power. This was serious, dangerous and threatening. Neither the plant nor statue before him were going to be moving anytime soon yet they were menacing and scarring in simply image.
Obito was no sensory shinobi so had no clue how much or how dangerous the chakara from the sight was, but with his sharigan active he could at least see that they were leaking chakara all over the area. The ground, earth and stone structure around them was drenched in chakara of black, green and red energy signatures. It even entered the air surrounding him like an odour. Was that even possible?
He went silent, slowly trying to process the information of being alive, a giant statue and flower of chakara, a few hundred bodies and the legendary Madara Uchiha.
Was he actually dead? No the pain proved that false enough.
Was he in a coma? Possible considering what he was seeing?
Genjutsu? Most likely.
Gone insane?
. . . .
Very possible but still not what he wanted.
What if this is real?
. . . . .
Then, he could very well be either the most fuck over person in the world or the most unfortunate. Yes unfortunate, not fortunate.
Obito a least had an idea that things could go south very quickly, illusion or not. However being who he was he didn't back down. He focused on what he was seeing, what he was told and what he knew, because there really wasn't any other way to look at it.
'Has he finally realised the situation he is in?
"You said Madara? As in my ancestor, Madara Uchiha!?" He questioned rhetorically not expecting an answer. He shifted from his position not believing the old man's words. "Madara uchiha has to dead by now!" He shouted in response, knowing exactly who Madara was not just from being a member of the Konoha but also as an Uchiha.
'Quiet aggressive, ignorant, clueless and dense. A lot of emotions but no control. How are shinobi made today with such results?'
Madara Uchiha, the co-founder of Konoha along with greatest and strongest shinobi ever to live, the god of shinobi Hashirma Senju. Madara Uchiha, one of the greatest clan leaders of the Uchiha clan to have existed. Madara Uchiha, considered to be one of the greatest criminals of the world, a conqueror of minds, a perfectionist in Ninjutsu, a Biju tamer, a legendary warrior of combat and...a god-complex monster.
He had no real nickname like many other shinobi and legends. He didn't need it. His name was his title, and it was enough to put even Kages on edge. Everyone feared him and detested him to the point that even shamed the Uchiha to be of the same blood as him.
But...he lived almost a century ago, and was recorded as dead, killed by the God of shinobi long before Obito's time.
'That man is dead.' Echoed inside Obtio's head disbelieving it.
"It's impossible for him to be alive! He's history in some far away era!" he shouted again not believing the claim.
Madara's straighten and glared in anger at the shouts of the boy. "So for you, it would be easier to believe if I said I was death?" he questioned gaining no response.
'My legend stays strong.' Madara pondered on the inside actually pleased with the small piece of information. "I see...I guess I could be known as death." He continued using it to his advantage as he did easily with most things. Obito remained quiet in question, wondering what he meant yet presenting himself in a more serious fashion.
"Because this reality is hell." Madara said.
Obito didn't respond staring at madara hard and cold-heartedly, obviously not pleased with the man's words. He didn't need to speak for the Uchiha legend to understand.
'Wants a answer, huh? Fine, at least he's not cowering like before.'
Madara nodded in the dark accepting the boy's reaction. "I escaped death." He started. "The statue you see behind me supplies me with chakara to absorb, sustaining my life. I would drop dead instantly if I lose my connection to it." He said in complete confidence and honesty. Even in his current state being unable to fight in close combat, he could more than hand an elite Jonin with ease. Shinobi really did have all manners and forms of combat to fight with after all. The brat before him knowing such wasn't going to change a thing.
Obito gritted his teeth and clenched his remaining arm in disguise. 'Of all the people to attain immorality it had to be this power hungry, insane, monster!' He looked at the image of Madara and his throne again. 'I have had enough of this madman's views! I am not going to sit here and listen to this bullshit! He thought crawling forward on of bed to the edge.
'He's not going to? Is he?'
THUD! Obtio landed of the ground. "I'm going home!" He shouted again panting very heavily as he tried to crawl away.
'Idiot. Idiot. Idiot! He would be screaming in pain, begging for me to end his life if it weren't for my jutsu holding back the pain. Using this one as tool is going to require force at this rate. God I hate children!'
Madara didn't move from his seat, as if uncaring of the boy. "Stop this." He started, Obito continuing to grunt and pant in his effort. "Give it up there is no exist!" he continued, being ignored again. "Neither you or I are going to be leave this place with either of our current body's." He continued sounded somewhat defeated.
"URGH!" Obito grunted in pain again feeling shock waves from his wound shoot through his body.
'Crap that one was painful!' Obitio thought struggling to move from just the pain he was feeling. 'My left leg won't stop shacking but my chest hurts the most though.' He thought scanning his own body for its damage. 'The centre of my chest and back hurt like hell but most of my body and waist down are numb. I can move my legs but...Arrrgghh, why did he bandage my right arm to my body?' he asked himself not sure what to do, not fully taking into account Madara's earlier statements or even considering that it was gone.
Madara's only visible eye twitched. 'Just a quick thought and he could be begging to be killed. No, can't do that. I need him functioning...I think.'
Madara sighed. "If you keep moving, Hashirma's artificial body that I stuck to you with tear off. Do you want to die?" He questioned not really wanting such to occur.
'Ugh, Hashirama? Artifical body? What does he even me—URRGGGAAAHHH!'
Obitio eye widen, clenching his teeth and single hand in fright as the pain cutting through his chest intensified to a degree that forced him to stop moving. In several areas both on a microscopic and visual view, the attached fresh snapped and tore from the stress of the body movements.
Madara's eyes widen slightly. 'Oh, that's strange. I haven't released the jutsu yet and yet he is in pain. No, nowhere near the pain he could be in.' He pondered focusing on the moving corpse infront of him. 'Hashirama Senju. I never once was able to make you or any of the other senju submit to me. And even now nearly 100 years later, reduced to bone and dust in a grave and clumps of white parasites, you refuse to allow me full control.'
From his research over the years Madara had come to learn many of the secrets that even the public weren't aware of such as the research conducted on the new jinchurki weapons made after his supposed demise. They were no threat of course and they weren't going to be problem in his plans but the understanding of how they functioned and how they worked did bring some merits to his own research into the Senju clan.
If removing the will from the chakara was the way to control the Biju in a Jinjuriki, then the same principle should have worked much the same when removing the chakara or cells from the will of a human. This idea hadn't worked as much as he had hoped with his research controlling Senju DNA for 3 reasons.
If the will and chakara weren't able to reunite or if they remained in a close proximity to one another, 3 things would occur. 1, the cells and charka would fade away and die, 2, they would latch on to the closest will, or 3, the chakara or cells in this case would begin to create a will to follow, not completely identical to the original.
The later of the 3 reasons being a result of one of his somewhat successful experiments leading to the creation of Zetsu, the white parasitic clone of Hashirama. Although, laughably, nowhere near as powerful as the original it did have features and abilities that made it useful as well as its own individuality that made it unique to his plans.
With that reason tested with some success, and no possible good results from the 1st reason, it would be quiet useful to create a tool that was successful with the second reason, being the boy infront of him. Having the power of a Senju under ones complete control would be a weapon of ultimate use. He had some idea of what the boy would soon be capable of from experiments done on his own body. Because of this, having the potential power of his rival brake off the kid, killing him because of his own foolishness would be very taxing to his research and plans.
Looking at the boy infront if him trembling and shaking in pain, he couldn't let him die. Not yet. This is what he had and he was going to use it.
"There are quite a few things I want you to do for me from this point. After all, I did go through the trouble of saving you." Madara said confidently. "Don't be so eager to hasten your death." He finished smirking from Obito's blind spot.
However Obtio seethed at the man's words practically feeling the smirk of confidence. 'Oh this is bullshit!'
"What do you want?!" he shouted from the dirt in anger, his sharigan clear as day. "What could a decrepit old man want with a crippled boy?" he questioned turning so he could see the man, knowing that if what Madara said earlier was true then he really was no use to the carcass of a legend.
"To change the world." Madara growled in a frown, offended that the boy would react in such distastes.
'Don't say that with a straight face.' Obtio thought not believing that the old legend still had plans for world domination.
"Change its fate." He continued staring and in complete solemnity.
'Is he serious with me?'
"Break this endless cycle of hate. Make a world of winners."
'For the love god, please stop.'
"A world of peace. A world of love. To make a world of all these properties." Madara announced, finishing his preaching.
"I couldn't care less about what you want or the state of the world!" Obtio shouted out not caring what so ever. "I just want to go home, back where all my friends are, where everyone is!"
The relationship between the two present hadn't changed as Madara became infuriated at the answer. "Things won't go as you wish! I've told you this already." Madara growled, retaliating in silence anger. "You'll realize what I'm talking about one day." He continued in annoyance.
Madara couldn't fathom the disrespect and naivety the boy showed to him. Him, Madara Uchiha. It was just like trying to talk to an 'all powerful' senju in his youth. The arrogant, manipulative, racists they were infuriated him to the ends of the world. It only made it worst that people would blend to there will through there lies and empty speeches of peace and equality. The only real reason they ended up ruling Konoha and became known as the strongest, was due to universe deciding that the only exception to this facts was born in there clan.
At least his rival was honest and respectful to the values of others. At least he made an effort to understand the pain and hate of others. At least he understood the time to be serious and focused.
At least he made a small difference to the world.
For a short time.
From the looks of it though, the disrespectful, idiot in front of him wasn't going to change anything or even find a use in the world.
"Fine then. You can die for all I care." Madara said willing to accept a small change to his plan. Death would leave him a new tool if necessary anyway. "Go ahead, I'll just take your Sharigan when you're gone." He stated still feeling the same way about telling the truth.
Obitio stopped trying to move, hearing the words that seem to repeat the same thing to him. "Why do you want my Shargain? You have your own!" Obito shouted back not liking the idea and crap that was being said to him.
Obitio hated the way Madara, no, the 'old man' seem to treat him and the world. Acting as if the world and everything in it was both his to claim and judge. What was he expecting from Obitio when giving that crap of a speech about what hate and love are? Was it understanding, sympathy, or maybe even pity.
"Selfish desire of peace". What Madara stated and wanted seemed to contradict his wishes in Obitio's mind. Madara words instead sounded like a selfish desire of taking the world for himself and remaking it in his own image. Even the slight hint of wanting to make everyone a winner, which peaked Obitio interest, was completely overshadow by the older man's attitude, selfishness, and expectation of respect from Obitio.
Obitio tried to move again, understanding that although he didn't want to know the man he didn't have a choice but to listen. It was too silent to hear anything else.
Madara continued to explain himself. "No, I have entrusted my real eyes to another." He said answering Obitio's question. "This is just one of the my spares I have implanted. Stocking up on a few more wouldn't be a bad thing for me." He said moving his hair revealing the fact in memory of the eye removed. "I still haven't chosen a right eye, and I need both eyes to awaken and unleash my full, true potential." Madara stated confidently remembering the power his eyes had.
Obitio looked away, turned back around on the ground trying to leave again. Although, finding that having nothing to else to listen to suddenly became interesting to him.
"Then that means..." he muttered under his breath understanding what Madara had said moments before. "I can become stronger with Kakashi and we can both protect Rin." He said understand that although Madara had been a dick to him so far, he did have some use to Obito in the end.
"I won't waste my time here. Wait for me Kakashi, Rin. I'm Alive!"
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