Myaah! plasticapplex3, you are completely right. I hadn't even noticed how short my updates had become. D; I'm going to make this one much longer, and dedicate it to you. n3n

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or else Tobi would have glomped Sasuke when they met.


Obito lay on a large mat, staring at the wall, as the early morning sunshine warmed his skin. He glanced over his shoulder at Rei, who slept on the other edge of the mat at a respectful distance.

Yesterday, Rei explained to him that his soul had started to detach from his body due to an abnormality in his bodily functions. Of course, she had to rephrase it in simpler terms, since he wasn't up for thinking too much at the time, but he had gotten the point. He could also remember the other half of her explanation, which embarrassed him greatly.

'The usual slight elevation in heart rate that can occur when a person sees, hears, or comes in contact with another person that they find very attractive, like when Rin embraced you, was the aforementioned abnormality.' Rei sounded as if she were reciting something she had memorized from a scroll. "Therefore, you are not allowed to see Rin for the next few days, as to prevent any more difficulties. Furthermore, I was going to let you sleep in your own room, but I can't let you sleep by yourself until I'm sure you'll be okay. So, we're room mates now!'

At the time, all Obito had thought was 'Too many big words', since he was still a bit out of it, but now it finally hit him. He couldn't see Rin. One of the three people he had waited years to see again. Someone he hadn't honestly thought that he would see again. One of his best friends! And he couldn't even talk to her when he needed her most!

He flung the blanket from his body and stood up angrily. He stomped, as softly as he could, across the room, and opened the door with more force than was necessary. He emerged into the hallway, and headed to where he thought Rei had said the bathroom was when she had given him a tour the day before. He hadn't really been paying much attention. It was early morning, and he could hear only the muffled movements of people and dogs behind closed doors. The clan was beginning to wake. Luckily, Obito found the bathroom and was slightly surprised at the blue color of the walls. Everything else in the house was either wood or a warm color like red, orange, and yellow. After shrugging it off, he used the facilities and moved to the sink. After washing his hands, he noticed the mirror above the sink. His jaw dropped slightly.

I'm gorgeous.

Obito had never been one to brag, but the fact was undeniable. The last time he had seen himself, he had been an average teenager in the middle of puberty. He was awkward in his ever-changing body, like anyone his age was, which really didn't help his need to be fast and precise like the shinobi he hoped to be. His features had been soft, retaining their childish charm, and he had been of average height.

But, now, he was tall and muscular. Not rippling muscle, mind you, but the kind of muscles that suited his occupation. His face now had a more defined shape; his jaw line stood out more, he felt his nose was actually the perfect size, as compared to being too large in his opinion, and his cheek bones were more accentuated, tying his whole face together. He had no scars or anything of the like from his death.

"She...must've aged me somehow. That, or this is a completely new, perfect body." Obito spoke his thoughts allowed. But as he continued to gaze at his reflection in the mirror, he decided that the former was correct. This body just...felt like his. That was the best way to explain it. He giggled cheerfully as he continued to think. His body was past the most confusing part of life. He had gone through nearly all of puberty without the acne, the worries about how his body was changing, or the awkward moments with the opposite sex. Obito coughed. That wasn't entirely true. He was still going to have awkward moments with females. In fact, he already had.

"What happened with Rin." He spoke to himself, before a voice made him jump.

"The body has aged but the mind has not." Rei added, as Obito turned to her.

"How did you...?" He began, but she waved a dismissive hand at him, and Obito added 'How did she know what I was thinking?' to his mental list of questions. He guessed that he had at least a hundred questions he needed answered by now. At least it seemed like that many. Everything was just too confusing.

"I'm leaving for training in a little bit. I just wanted to let you know, Tobi-kun." Rei turned to leave, but Obito grabbed her arm, forcing her to look back at him.

"Please take me with you!" He pleaded, but she only looked at him deplorably.

"I'm sorry, but you know I can't." Her tone was gentle, and Obito let go of her arm. She had a calm assertiveness that made him believe her, as annoyed as he was about the whole situation.

"Fine, but only if you promise to answer any questions I have when you get home." Obito didn't look Rei in the eyes, because he wasn't sure if she would agree. Relief showed across her face as she nodded. The kunoichi was a little surprised that he didn't try to force her to take him with her. Perhaps he actually had matured.

"That seems fair enough. So that I'm not late, I'll be off now. I'll make sure to send Gai-kun here in a few hours to cheer you up!" Rei agreed before she disappeared from the doorway. Obito moved into the hallway to watch her retreating form. At the same moment, his stomach complained to him loudly.

"Oh, alright, tummy. I'll go get you some food." Obito spoke to his abdomen as he walked towards the kitchen. When he got there, he was a little surprised at how big it was.

It looks like the whole clan could fit.

An abundance of tanned people and dogs sat along the elongated table conversing idly. An array of breakfast food was set up buffet-style down the center of the table. At the far end, Obito spotted a pair of familiar faces, and moved toward them.

"Obito-san! Sit down and dig in!" Tsume called to him and placed a clean plate in front of an empty seat next to her. He sat down as she piled food onto it, and he finally realized how hungry he was. Without pausing to chat, Obito started to eat. Somehow, he used what self control he had and ate calmly, although quickly. Across from Tsume and him sat Kiba and a young girl, who looked to be a few years older than the aforementioned five-year-old. She was paler than most of the people he had seen, but she had the same dark hair, even if it was braided instead of sticking out at odd angles like Tsume's, along with the same red triangular tattoos that every Inuzuka seemed to have. Tsume introduced them.

"Obito, this is my other daughter, Hana. Hana, this is Rei's friend Obito." Hana extended a hand to Obito, and he reluctantly put down his fork to shake it. But, after that, she said nothing as her mother and brother conversed next to them. Hana stared at Obito while he ate until she finally stood up and left the table with her plate. Kiba instantly moved into her seat, since it was across from Obito.

"So, Rei-nee-chan actually left you here?" Kiba asked, giggling slightly, and Obito nodded as he chewed, a saddened look on his face. The shinobi-in-training silenced his laughs at the reaction he received. "Well, then, I suppose I should go. Kakashi-sensei should be here in a few minutes." And with those words Kiba left the table. The Uchiha finished eating and turned to Tsume.

"Tsume-san, may I asked you something?" Obito questioned innocently, and she turned and smiled, her pointed teeth just barely visible. He took this as a yes.

"Why did you only have Rei with Yondaime-sensei, and Kiba-kun and Hana-chan with someone else?" Obito wasn't quite sure how to phrase his question. Tsume was caught off guard, but she regained her composure rather quickly.

"The marriage was arranged by Hokage-sama, who thought it best for him to have something to focus on. He had always been somewhat wild and relatively carefree, despite his position, and the Hokage thought that, if he had someone to worry and care about, Yondaime would come back down to earth. As for my feelings, The Fourth was a good friend, but I didn't love him as a husband. After Rei was born, we mutually decided that we wouldn't be able to raise her together as a family. So, we separated." Tsume paused and took a deep breath, exhaling with a sigh. "He asked that Rei take on my clan's name, since I had never changed my own to Uzumaki, and that she live here. We were both shinobi, but his clan had dwindled to only himself and a few distant relatives he didn't even know, so if anything were to happen to him, Rei would have no one. And, she wouldn't be allowed here after that, as were the rules of the clan leader at the time. But, if she were an actual Inuzuka and something happened to me, she'd have every single person in this clan to take care of her. It was in Rei's best interests, so I agreed."

Tsume stopped talking. Just as Obito thought that the story was over, she began speaking again. "I did love the Fourth as a father, though. When he was around Rei, he was so gentle. He had never been particularly ferocious like me, but he became calmer and relaxed around our little ball of sunshine. The Hokage's plan had worked. In my opinion, Rei is how she is today because of the Fourth. She gets her temper from me, though." She chuckled, and it made Obito nervous. "Eventually, I remarried and had Hana-chan and Kiba-chan. The Fourth visited Rei whenever he could right up until the Kyuubi attack.

"I was there when he sealed the Kyuubi. And, because of that, I felt I had to tell Rei that her father was gone myself. I have always been a blunt person, but, even if I had been more tactful, that little girl would have cried her eyes out anyway. It was heart breaking. I was the only one to see her sob like that; she had hardly cried as a child. Whenever anyone else mentioned her father, she took it with quiet dignity. I'm honestly amazed by Rei-chan. For her to have come this far..." Tsume jumped a bit, after realizing that someone was actually listening to her story. "Sorry about that. I can't help but get lost in my train of thought sometimes." Tsume chuckled nervously. Obito stood up and pushed his chair in.

"I don't mind. It was a very interesting story. Thank you for telling it to me." Obito spoke honestly and Tsume took his empty plate. "Well, I'm going to go back to my room now. I'll see you later, Tsume-san." He waved and exited the kitchen, easily making it back to his and Rei's room. As he closed the door behind him, a ball of fur wiggled on the mat across the room. It stood up and barked, showing Obito that it was Kimaru, and not some sort of pillow. Obito wasn't sure of what to do. Kimaru didn't look ferocious but-

"YOSH, OBITO-SAN! REI HAS SENT ME TO CHECK ON YOUR YOUTHFUL SELF!" The door opened and a booming voice yelled into his ear. Obito swung around, only to come face to face with none other than Maito Gai. Gai squeezed Obito in an unbreakable bear hug and lifted him off of the ground.

"It's so great to see the fruits of Rei's labor! And you're such a youthful product. I absolutely MUST get you a green jumpsuit to wear." Gai rambled slightly as Obito shook his head and put his hands up nervously once he was safely returned to the ground.

"No, no. It's alright. I quite like the clothes I already have." Obito explained. He was still wearing his pants and undershirt from the day before.

"NONSENSE! I shall give you one the next time you come to training!" Gai assumed his well-known good guy pose, and Obito only paused slightly at the sourceless sparkles.

"Speaking of training, don't you have to get back?" Obito wasn't really trying to get Gai to leave. Not consciously, at least.

"YOSH! YOU ARE RIGHT, OBITO-SAN! I'll make sure to tell Rin that you're doing fine!" Gai's tone became as loud as it had when he entered, and he started down the hallway.

"Gai, wait! I need to ask you something first!" The jubilant shinobi stopped and turned his head slightly, showing that Obito had his attention. "Has Rei ever…broken someone?" Obito just couldn't give up this opportunity.

There was silence for a few seconds. "There are some things you really shouldn't know. But, I'm not going to lie to you, she has. I wouldn't dare ask her about it. It's a sore spot for Rei-chan."

With that ominous explanation, Gai continued down the hallway. Obito slid the door shut and, after turning to face the now-sleeping Kimaru, slid into a sitting position. Obito sat there thinking about what Gai had said for hours until Rei finally came home.

The kunoichi opened the door, only to have Obito fall towards her. His head landed softly on her feet. Obito could have looked up her skirt from this angle, but he instead made an effort not to while blushing brightly.

"It's answering time." Obito spoke, his head still on her unmoving feet as he kept his attention focused on the door frame. Rei sighed as she nodded and ushered him into the room.


I hope that clears a few things up. If there are any questions about the Tsume/Yondaime relationship, feel free to contact me so I can try to clear up any confusion you might be experiencing. I'm almost at ten chapters! n3n

There are two new artsies for the ficcy. Links to them are in my profile. Check 'em out. :D

The reviewers own you:

Sakra-chan – Aww, I should be thanking you. n3n That's really what I try to do for my readers. I mean, If I did disappoint them, it wouldn't really be worth updating, right? Thank you lots for reviewing.

plasticapplex3 – Thank you for telling me. I really have to make my updates longer, or else this story would end up with, like, a hundred chapters when it should really only have twenty. D: It's reviews like yours that help me make my ficcy as good as it possibly can. I mean, compliments and praise are nice, but when someone tells me that something is wrong/not up to par, it's more helpful in the long run. n3n Thank you so much for your review.

On a completely unrelated note, you changed your username, right? O.o It confused me for a little bit when I tried to figure out who you were. XD

Chosha Kurenai – XD The first part made me giggle. Now I keep imagining Yondaime as Doctor Evil from Austin Powers with a mini!Kyuubi instead of a cat. XD I love writing Gai scenes, and if this wasn't supposed to be a sort of serious chapter, I would have put in lots of Gai happiness. I guess I'll just have to wait and put it in future updates. n3n I really don't like Fugaku at all, especially after how he showed favoritism toward Itachi and ignored the adorable Sasuke. I would honestly kill him off as soon as possible were it not for the fact that he died in the massacre. But, yes, Itachi shall appear soon. Not in the next chapter, since that's going to be full of explanations, but most likely the one after that. Thank you for reviewing all of my chapters. It really makes me happy. n3n

Sorry for the long review responses. XP I feel very chatty today.