Author's Notes: I own nothing except Klaxon.
Chapter 24: Rin meets Tobi and Journey to Hidden Rain
Small Village Six Miles South of Whirlpool...
Rin Nohara was walking towards her house inside the small village she resided in ever since...that day. She shuddered at the thought of that day, when she was run through by Kakashi's Lightning Blade to stop the release of the Three-Tails inside her home. She was in utter shock when she found herself inside a hospital in the Leaf and still alive despite the gaping hole in her chest which was now nothing more than a scar. She was horrified when she also learned that the Three-Tails was still inside her but the Three-Tails never tried to escape afterwards or caused her any trouble. It would occasionally contact her but it never did much else. Her friendship had grown strained with Kakashi after that, not because she was pushing him away but because he was pushing her away although she figured it was because he saw her as a monster due to the beast sealed inside her. He would occasionally send her letters about how he was doing but he had suddenly stopped over the last three years and she figured he had either died or ended his friendship with her. The only ones who knew about her tenant were Minato-Sensei before his death and then the Third Hokage before he too died.
Her mind then wandered to the Shinobi she had recently met and the boy reminded her of her dead teammate, Obito but the boy was somewhat stuck up unlike her teammate. She sighed sadly at the thought of her dead teammate. Due to her mind wandering she bumped into a person and the two fell to the ground and she dropped the medical supplies she had recently gotten and the man was suddenly picking the supplies up.
"Tobi is so sorry! Tobi not watch where he was going! Tobi help pretty lady!" said Tobi as he picked up the supplies and then helped Rin to her feet and Rin stared in shock at the masked man in front of her. He had a Jonin Vest and the headband for Whirpool wrapped around his left arm, an orange spiral patterned mask covering his face, his right eye visible. The man also had spiky black hair.
"Oh, Tobi forget to introduce himself. My name is Tobi, what's yours?" said Tobi tilting his head as he held the medical supplies in one arm and the other was extended for a handshake.
"R-Rin, Rin Nohara." said Rin nervously as she shook his head hesitantly.
"Rin...what a pretty name you have." said Tobi eye-smiling.
Rin blushed heavily at the compliment and Tobi giggled childishly.
"Lead the way Rin." said Tobi bowing.
Rin takes the lead with Tobi following behind her with her supplies in one hand and she feels strangely...at ease with this man near her but she can't figure out why. After walking for a while the two come upon a small house, isolated from the rest of the village but surrounded by trees and a small pound.
"You live here?" said Tobi tilting his head as he looked at the lone house and Rin nods, "Seems lonely..."
"I get by, its rather peaceful out here."
"Tobi don't want to intrude but...why are you no longer with the Leaf Village? Your headband has no symbol..." said Tobi.
"I retired from Konoha's Shinobi Force before the end of the Third Shinobi War for...reasons I can't explain." said Rin.
"No need to tell Tobi, Tobi not put his nose in other people's business. Well, I said I'd help you out, now I have to leave. Oh, Tobi almost forget, pretty flower for Rin!" said Tobi handing Rin a rose, the thorns completely removed.
"Thank you." said Rin taking the flower.
"No problem Rin." said Tobi, his voice no longer childish before his eye changed from onyx to the tell-tale red-black of a Sharingan and then to an all too familiar Mangekyou and then the masked man disappeared in a vortex originating from his eye leaving Rin alone and the former ninja stares in shock at the space the man was formerly occupying when the wind blows sending chills up Rin's spine and she heads into her house unaware of the masked man watching her from a nearby tree and the man sighs.
"You know, you should just talk to her." came Kakshi's voice behind Tobi and he jumped.
"AH! Kakashi?! Don't sneak up on me like that teme!" snapped Obito.
"It helps keep your skills sharp though." said Kakashi with an eye-smile.
"Still, I hate it. Why didn't you tell me Rin was alive?"
"It was an SS-Rank Secret. I couldn't tell you even though you were my teammate."
"Still, no reason to keep me in the dark."
"Well, now you know and you can go reveal who you were to her."
"I don't think I can, not after watching her die...even though she didn't..."
"Fine then. I'll force you to, but first your mask has to go." said Kakashi advancing towards Obito and the Copy Nin reached for Obito's mask.
"No wait! Kakashi, don't!" said Obito before they fell out of the tree with a resounding 'crash!' and Rin came out of her house and saw the two Jonnin wrestling in the dirt and Rin clears her throat and Tobi kickes Kakashi off and the masked man runs and hides behind Rin.
"Rin, save Tobi from mean Copy Nin! He wants to remove my mask and reveal my hideous face to the world!" cried Tobi as he shook in fear.
"Tobi, remove your mask, NOW!" said Kakashi narrowing his eye at the masked man.
"You remove yours first." said Tobi.
"Sorry, not happening." said Kakashi with a slight eye twitch.
"Then I'm not removing mine." said Tobi turning around and crossing his arms.
"Would you two stop fighting?!" yelled Rin and Tobi cringed back.
"Pretty lady is also scary lady!" said Tobi.
"Tobi, tell her who you really are, NOW." said Kakashi.
"Okay, you win Kakashi...again." said Tobi and Rin looks confused as to how the man seems to have two personalities or...does he?
"Okay Rin, question for you: do you recognize Kakashi's Sharingan?" said Tobi walking over to Kakashi's left side and putting his arm on the Copy Nin's should much to the man's chagrin.
"Yes." said Rin calmly.
"Do you recognize his Mangekyou?"
"Yes."
"Do you recognize mine?" said Tobi activating his Mangekyou.
Rin mentally looked at the two activated Mangekyou Sharingans before she put them together and...
"How'd you get Obito's Sharingan?!" snapped Rin drawing a kunai.
"Eep! Not the answer I was looking for Rin!" said Tobi backing up but tripped over a rock and fell backwards, knocking his mask askew and Rin dropped her weapon in shock.
"Obito?" said Rin in shock.
"Um...surprise?" said Obito with a nervous grin and scratching the back of his head nervously.
Meanwhile; Gates of Hidden Rain...
"Nagato, remind me why you asked for me to accompany you to Hidden Rain and why you left Konan behind." said Jiraya as he walked next to Nagato as the two approached the gates of the village that was constantly plastered with never ending rain.
"I asked you to accompany me because...um...Konan has a...um...thing...to deal with." said Nagato blushing lightly.
"You two hit it off didn't you?"
"Um...yes?"
"Lucky bastard..." muttered Jiraya under his breath as he crossed his arms and pouted and Nagato chuckled.
"Naruto's right, you are a Pervy Sage."
"Little traitor that brat is...So, why are we here?" said Jiraya turning serious and looking at his former student.
"During my absence and after I was given the ability to walk again, I had my Paths guard Hidden Rain. I would occasionally check up on the village through their eyes but last week I lost my chakra connections to them and all communication from the village itself via Konan's paper butterflies. I wanted to see what was wrong. Strange...there's no one guarding the gates." said Nagato as they approached the gates to the rainy village and saw no one standing guard.
"Something's amiss." said Jiraya.
The two enter the village to see bodies of both civilians and shinobi lining the streets, blood everywhere despite the rain and the smell made them both gag.
"Who could have done this?" said Nagato looking over the massacre.
"I did." said a dark voice behind the two and they whirl around to see a man wearing old looking armor, his face obscured by the black hood he was wearing but two red eyes were visible, "None of them were very good dancers though. Let's see how well you dance."
Jiraya and Nagato got into stances while the hooded man stood straight up, arms crossed across his chest before his hands shot up and he made rapid hand signs.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!" yelled the man before a wall of searing heat exploded from his mouth and shot towards the two at an alarming speed.
END CHAPTER
Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to read, review, follow, and/or favorite.
Also, I hope those who read this caught the subtle hint about Nagato and Konan's relationship.
I've also given several hints in a past chapter as to who made Obito "betray" the Leaf and release the Nine-Tails on Naruto's birth-day.
Also, for those wondering, yes Tsunade did bet against Jiraya returning to Whirlpool when he and Nagato left for Hidden Rain.
Next Chapter: Death of Kakuzu