AN: Again this took longer than I would have liked mostly due to a mixture of hospital time and graduating from my certification and getting a job. Hopefully I'm back on the right track. This chapter took about two weeks once I got back around to it. I rewrote every scene at least once at some point it seems like. In other news I'm interest in taking on a beta reader to bounce ideas off of and correct my horrible prose. So let me know if interested. Please review if you enjoy!
Chapter 5: A New Day and Nostalgia
It's another week, and two more interviews before Inoichi can manage to get Tobi released with no restraint or other hindrance. The Yamanaka heir waits outside the hospital with a grin on his face, even if the other man won't be able to see it. It grows when the clear doors push open to reveal the newest addition to their village being guided by a young medic nin who probably isn't above chunnin level. A small and dainty thing who looks as if he can barely support the blind man he's leading. Thankfully a walking stick seems to be in the mixture as well.
Inoichi meets them halfway and holds a hand up in a short wave at the medic. "Yo! How's our friend here doing?"
The medic opens his mouth only to be cut off by his patient. "How about you ask him since he's right in front of you?" Tobi's eyes are hidden by rows of bandages down to the tip of his nose that he can smell the heavy medicinal balms from just the few feet away he's standing. He crosses his arms, the plain shirt they gave him hanging off of his thin frame. A coma isn't ideal for keeping up one's physique apparently.
"My apologies," Inoichi brushes the other's brisk tone off with a laugh. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm blind, have a face full of scars, my hair is growing too long and making the back of my neck itch, and this gel they rubbed on my bandages stinks," Tobi says removing his weight from the medic and supporting himself. "I've been worse."
"Fair enough," Inoichi shrugs. "You worked on how you'll get around."
"We've been showing him-"
"Shut up and let me answer!" Tobi snaps again as he slams the walking stick on the ground right in front of the boy. It's a pretty effective way to show the now cowering medic how he feels about his help. The boy takes a step back and removes his hands from anywhere near him.
He turns back to Inoichi. "Let's take a walk, I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. You can lead me wherever you want and I'll answer you."
He doesn't argue, places a hand on the man's back and pushes him forward to lead him. The medic wisely doesn't follow after or comment. Inoichi waits until they're decently far away before he bothers to bring up their conversation again. About halfway down the dirt path leading from the hospital to the markets he speaks up.
"So what was that poor kid trying to tell me before you bit his head off?"
Tobi scoffs. "He's been like that for days, following me around everywhere and treating me like a child."
To his credit Inoichi can see how that would be annoying, though it doesn't make the man's grumpy nature any less amusing.
"And they've been instructing me in minor sensory techniques," Tobi remarks. "Applying chakra to my ears, and my nose to increase my other senses, or sending out small waves and sensing the outlines." Which looks to be working well for him so far. Inoichi is glad he fought the old coot for loosening the chakra seals for this. Even if it means some lackey being thrown on Tobi in the near future. He expects that to go over about as well as the poor medic they left cowering behind them.
The man pauses and his head tilts to the right, if Inoichi didn't know better he'd think the man was turning towards someone. A smug smile his face and he gives a small laugh. "And I do have a few of my own tricks for these sorts of things."
Questions seem to follow the man's presence ever his he was first brought into the village. Inoichi can't honestly say he's any closer to answering any of them then he was a week ago either. He gives a short hum in response and they continue their walk.
The leaf shinobi makes sure to walk close to his charge, hand loose and ready to step in and guide the man if needed. Yet he seems to be doing surprisingly well. No true sense of direction and more following Inoichi, but even as they start to wander from the more sparse path and blend into the crowds. It's not as high traffic as midday, with still a few hours to go before then, but enough where one would expect a newly blinded man to have trouble weaving through it with barely any guidance.
Was Tobi skilled in sensory techniques before this? Clearly he had some sort of ability involving his eyes that was exhausted. Or did this innate sense have something to do with the abnormalities in his chakra?
More questions to add to the list.
Inoichi is so lost in his quiet analysis he almost misses the shift in Tobi's movement. The man's body is tilting over and his foot doesn't quite manage to hold it's ground against the fall. The Yamanaka reaches out and quickly shoves his arms behind Tobi and pulls his back to his chest. The position let's the other man have a chance to regain his own footing and help Inoichi get him standing again.
"Bastard watch where you're going!" Tobi snaps once he's standing. The man straightens his back and glares to their left, where Inoichi assumes the cause of his sudden fall is.
"My, my how clumsy of me," a voice like a whisper and nails screeching on a chalk board combined somehow speaks up. It's a voice that Inoichi recognizes, and never fails to send chills up his spine. "You have my apologies...I'm sorry but I'm unsure what to call you. I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."
Orochimaru stands close enough for either of them to reach out and touch that cold looking pale skin. Dressed ready to go in for the kill in a shinobi uniform that has seen countless battles made all the more bloodier just by this one man being there, and his golden eyes as piercing as ever. This may be the only situation Inoichi thinks Tobi is better off being blind rather than looking at this man who gives the aura of a demon off to anyone who looks for more than a passing glance.
"It's a large village," Tobi retorts after a moment. The man stands relaxed and head held up, not impressed by the intimidating figure of one of the legendary sannin in the slightest.
Inoichi isn't sure if that's bravery or ignorance.
"You have a rather distinctive presence," Orochimaru muses and eyes Tobi like a particularly fascinating pet or insect. "I think I would have recognized it if I had run into it before, or had it described to me."
Before the pounding of Inoichi's heart can grow any louder he steps up. "Yo Orochimaru-sama!" He chirps out with a smile. "Nice to see you out in the village, I heard you were assigned a long term mission outside of Kumo for the time being?"
The snake like man barely tilts his head in Inoichi's direction and raises a brow. "Long term for someone less skilled certainly. The situation was little more than a minor annoyance."
"Ah yes well we've all had those haven't we?" Inoichi laughs loud and boldy.
People start to slow as they walk around them and stare. Good. Orochimaru isn't the sort to enjoy mass attention, especially not when around someone acting in a way that annoys him. The man scrunches his nose and glares at them both. His attention turns past them in the direction of the hopisital and he starts to move forward.
"I have no time for useless small talk today," it's as much of permission to leave as they'll get and Inoichi is already guiding Tobi away in a manner he hopes appears casual.
He feels frozen when the man moves against him and turns around. "Hey creep." Inoichi is embarrassingly tempted to punch a blind man out and drag him through the streets in that moment.
Orochimaru stops, not turning around but taking note he assumes.
Tobi snorts. "Ask around about me all you want, you don't scare me."
Of course that's when Tobi becomes fine with the direction Inoichi was leading him in. "Oi are we going to get food or not? I want to go somewhere with dango."
Inoichi gapes at this candid and blunt handling of being a hair's breadth away from one of the most feared men in the village not only without even a flinch but actually talking back to him. He decides that he'll buy Tobi as many damn sticks of dumplings as the man could ask for out of sheer respect and claps him on the back.
"Sure, I know a great stance a few minutes from here that serves hanami year round," something about the way Tobi lights up makes him feel like the other man was somehow hoping he'd say that.
"Then what are you waiting for? Lead the way."
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Obito makes his way down the path following the sounds of violent grunts, and heavy impacts against something breakable. He walks through the thin tree line to hide behind a wide trunk and watch. The side of his face with his good eye on it peeks out from behind the tree and catches sight of Kakashi. Repeatedly kicking and striking at a larger tree that looks to be quite old and sturdy.
The boy is sweaty and panting as he removes the wraps from around his hands. At least Obito won't have to worry about helping him with splinters. Rin had given him a set of tweezers now pointlessly sitting in his pocket just in case before sending him here. His other teammate somehow always manages to pull off a perfect mixture of exasperation and fondness. Especially when it comes to the two of them. Unfortunately thinking about her at the moment isn't helping him stay focused on his friend.
"Obito I'm flattered, really, but I just don't…"
He should probably step out and stop Kakashi from slowly deforesting the area with his bare hands. Obito hardly feels like robbing the other boy his time to vent out his frustrations though. He understands disappointment quite well at the moment. Rin having something to do with both of their letdowns is no fault of her own, but Obito is still grateful that she had stayed behind to let him handle the volatile boy on his own.
Beautiful brown eyes looking at him sad and regretful. A soft frown on her pretty face. "You're my best friend, and I do love you. Just not like that."
Not like that.
Three words to match the ones he had finally found the courage to say to her just moments before. Three words that had hurt much less than he would have thought before. Then again, being grinded down by rocks might skew your view on manageable amounts of pain.
It felt like a kunai being pulled out after being twisted in his gut over and over than. The pain was already there and you expected it to get worse, and it did for one excruciating moment before dulling down and leaving only echoes of that pain and a soft soreness to bother you. He wondered if Kakashi had a similar feeling at the moment.
He realizes he's spent more time than he thought in the background when he sees Kakashi step away from the tree. The shimmer of sweat is no longer a thin gleam and is obviously soaking down his shirt and hair. Even from this distance Obito can see how much heavier his chest pushes up and down with every breath. The younger boy sways over to a tiny creek a few meters from his wooden abuse outlet and plops down. His shoes are kicked off and pale, bruised feet are placed in the running water.
Obito sees his chance to make an entrance without Kakashi being able to easily run away. Avoidance is a tempting short term solution, but brambles and pebbles stabbing your feet while you run barefoot through the woods isn't going to be anyone's first choice. He steps out plastering a grin on his face and waving his arm dramatically.
"Oi Bakashi!" Kakashi doesn't move or acknowledge him even as Obito jogs closer. "What were you saying earlier about going off on my own into the woods?"
He stops right in front of him and bends down so his face hovers upside down over the other boy. Kakashi stares off blankly, his eyes lifting slightly to glance at Obito.
"I'm not injured," he says with no emotion. He turns his gaze away and goes back to staring off at nothing. There's no argument or anything aside from a passive dismissal.
Obito firmly decides this is unacceptable and far too close to before everything happened. He glares at Kakashi and huffs.
"You're not well either," he says.
Kakashi makes a point of not looking at him still and that just pisses him off. Does he really have to make even helping him difficult?! He unbends his back and stands behind him.
"You want to talk about what happened with you and Rin earlier?"
Silence.
"Yes, no...whatever?"
A small twitch in his brow but no words.
"Oi! Say something!"
Still nothing.
"Bastard, I'm talking to you!"
Kakashi turns his head slightly towards Obito with no expression. "Go away."
Obito is fuming, and suddenly cares very little about being delicate about Kakashi's stupid feelings. He also has more than a small inclination to pay him back one for being an unreasonable brat. If Uchiha are good at anything, it's grudges and spite.
Obito is very much an Uchiha and steps over Kakashi, turning around, and dropping down in one quick motion. His face is nose to nose with teammate and the small preteen yelps as Obito's full weight unexpectedly drops onto his thighs. A dark eye goes wide, and intelligible sounds escape a hidden mouth. Eventually he gets actual words out.
"What are you doing?! Get off me you idiot!"
"No."
"..." Kakashi stares at him utterly stunned and Obito can make out the outline of his mouth dropped open in an O.
"When you stop being a broody pain in the ass and actually talk to me I'll consider it," he says firmly.
"I can throw you off."
"Well have fun explaining to sensei and Rin what happened when I get put back in the hospital. Don't want to stress my body right now, remember?" It's a dirty move, using his physical condition to get what he wants, and Kakashi knows it from the scowl in his face.
"You don't think it's a bit weird to be literally sitting on me?" He fires back.
"What's a little friendly lap sitting to build trust between comrades?" His grin from before returns and twists into something wicked. "I feel closer to you than ever, and hey maybe we could even add a little cuddling."
The expression of pure horror that his mask is powerless to hide may as well be Kakashi's white flag of surrender. He crosses his arms between them but doesn't manage to push Obito any further away with the move. He if anything is left with his lean arms crushed between them in what is probably a very uncomfortable angle.
Obito almost laughs at the obvious posturing, but shoves it down in favor of being more serious for once. "So you ready to talk, or is this whole acting your age phase staying for now?" He may be failing just a bit in that goal so far.
Kakashi snarls at him and casts his gaze down. He's silent for a few seconds before he apparently relearns how to communicate like a normal human.
"Why did you two even bother with this?"
His voice is coming out forceful, and yet shaking. Obito's playful expression fell and he stilled on the other boy.
"Why did you push yourselves on me these past few months if it was just going to end when we went back to the village?" He grows more demanding with each word, to where his bordering on shouting by the end.
Obito slowly lifts his hands up to lay them on two bony shoulders. He grips them tight with his nails barely digging into them.
"Bakashi," he scoffs.
Kakashi yelps as his body is being embraced by Obito's arms. The older boy despite the weight lost from his hospital stay is still big enough to easily overpower the younger boy when caught off guard. He lunges forward with his arms around Kakashi until the two of them are on the ground with him holding onto his teammate in a near crushing hug. Kakashi stills beneath him. Obito almost laughs at how ridiculous they must look. Laying around in the wet grass with Kakashi's bare feet hanging over the edge of the creek.
"That's not how friends work moron," and with that he does laugh. Full force and body quivering with it.
"I don't understand," Kakashi says his voice quieter than before.
"I guess you wouldn't huh?" Obito may not be Rin, but he's certain he managed an appropriate level of fondness in the statement.
"She said that earlier."
He pushes off of the other boy and sits up next to him. Kakashi stays there laying on his back and staring up at the sky.
"Kakashi," Obito starts. "I know you haven't had a lot of time to experience the whole 'my teammates are more than just people to throw at enemies and get in my way' thing, and it's scary to think about things changing again so soon."
"I don't-"
"Let me finish brat!" Obito cuts him off and gives his a mock glare. He chuckles at the huff the other boy gives.
"What we've been through, that means something," Obito continues. "We all survived this because of each other, you have a literal part of me inside of your skull put in there by Rin!"
He shakes his head. "How much more connected do we need to be for you to realize this isn't going to end?"
Kakashi sighs. "Can you really promise that? That when Rin is busy out in the field holding people's lives in her hands and you and I are out on separate missions for weeks at a time, that those bonds won't fade?" Obito isn't sure how, but he hear the vulnerability and sadness in Kakashi's voice. "Everything ends eventually, and when life goes forward things get left behind."
People get left behind. It's a hard concept for Obito to swallow. So he does the easiest thing for him and stomps down that concept.
"You didn't leave me behind," Obito says firmly. "So I promise, I won't leave you either." He can see Kakashi's chest go immobile at the declaration. "If I have to drag you and Rin through the streets every time I'm back in the village to keep us together I will. Even after you're sick of me and I starting getting on your nerves again I won't leave you alone. I won't let you be alone anymore Kakashi!"
In that moment, something changes. Obito doesn't know what, but he can feel it at his core. Maybe it's in the way Kakashi's body falls lax, all the stiffness he's come to associate with the other boy vanishing in an instant. Or maybe it's how the very air around them seems lighter somehow. He doesn't know what to expect at that moment.
"Do you have to be so dramatic? It's annoying." Kakashi says with no real malice. "You're not going to start crying are you?"
Obito laughs and lunges back on top of the other boy who shrieks loud enough for half the forest to hear. For once everything is good.
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If Obito could give one word to describe his current feeling, it would probably be along the lines of; heaven, or no...euphoria. He sighs around another piece of dough soaked in syrup like dressing and slides it off the stick whole in his mouth. The soft slightly sticky texture, the sweet and grainy flavors mixing in his mouth. When all else in the world failed him, dango never seemed to disappoint. He doubts the three sticks of mitarashi and two of hanami gifted to him on Inoichi's dime will even be enough to satisfy his insatiable craving.
"I can't believe I'm jealous of dango. I knew I hated sweets for a reason."
His eye twitches from under the bandage. As grateful as he is to the Kakashi, he'll be damned if a ghost in his head is going to ruin his first time having dango since he happened to run across that shop with that brat Deidara a few years back.
"You invaded my mind and gave me a guilt complex that caused me to try and rewrite time and become blind in the process," He thinks to Kakashi's spectre while chewing the piece of mitarashi in his mouth. "Dango just lets me eat it and be happy. The dumplings win asshole."
It's right as he's swallowing that Inoichi speaks up.
"You enjoying that Tobi-san?" Inoichi chuckles. "You haven't spoken since the plates came out, and you look about ready to go into a haze."
He lifts the stick back up and gives his first genuine smile while conscious in a while. "I haven't had proper dango in years. Considering what I've been through, I think I deserve to indulge a bit." Another bite and another wave of bliss as he fills his cheek with the dumpling.
Inoichi has certainly gained standing in the former criminal's eyes if for no other reason than for choosing his favorite dumpling store from when he was a child. It's a wave of nostalgia and enjoyment of the flavor that have his spirits lifted higher than they've been in years. The creaky wood that he thinks would probably be the same ashen color he remembers sounds as rickety as ever. The seats around the stand full enough to make one feel comfortable, but enough empty to not feel smothered as at least half the customers take their orders to go. Then the soft lull of the crowds behind them mixing with the young woman who own's the stands - Aika-chan - sweet melodic voice as she laughs and speaks excitedly with her customers.
He may not be able to see any of it, but he recognizes it all the same. He knows not to rub his hand on the counter or risk splinters, or to not lean over the counter to far and risk throwing the owner off balance as she absent mindedly moves around. It causes a strange warmth to spread in his chest. Almost enough to squash the twist in his stomach.
He wonders if there were even any planks of the stand left in his future after the final attack on Konoha. Or if Aika-chan had managed to be one of the lucky ones to escape or ended up just another corpse; perhaps buried under the remains of her little dango stand.
"It's so much easier when they don't have a face," he mutters out loud half on accident and half wanting to express his grief vocally. He's turning into a masochist apparently.
"Hm?" Inoichi makes a muffled noise followed by a few smacks. Digging into his own treats finally. Three sticks of anko if he remembers right. A wave of chakra flows out bouncing off the outlines around him.
He can feel the uneven shape of the counter and the shapes of the five people at the bar all at least three seats away from him. Aika-chan is sauntering over to the left side with a full plate of something, and Inoichi is crudely rubbing his face with his sleeve. Such a peaceful scene.
"Just something I noticed as a shinobi over the years," He's holding his dango up for another bite, but can't bring himself to take it yet. He has this sickening need to explain himself. To be able to sit here and eat his favorite food with a smile on his face like a child again without being burdened by his own guilt.
It's a selfish wish, but damn if he hasn't made enough unselfish ones lately to warrant it. "It's easier to let people die, or kill them when they're just a faceless figure. They're more like a concept at that point. The collateral for achieving your goal."
"Obito...this isn't the time...we can talk later."
He ignores the spirit only he can hear and keeps talking. Half to him, and half to the living and breathing man next to him who for some reason has been nothing but kind to him so far. He takes in a deep breath and catches the smell of the dumplings near his face in the process. The syrup still smells sweet, but he won't risk it tasting bitter until he finishes.
"It's so easy to forget that they're a person with a full life, hopes, dreams, and as far as they knew a future," he muses. He hears the clink as Inoichi sets his skewer down onto the plate. "Until it's thrown in you're face and you're reminded that every life you take is a human being, and that somewhere...someone is hurting because you destroyed that life, and everything it stood for."
"That wasn't just you. Don't hate yourself for being like every other shinobi."
He almost scoffs outloud, before thinking back, "I was the one who claimed to be better than every other shinobi. A hypocrite as well as a murderer."
"Is that what did it for you?" Inoichi says. Another wave tells him that he's leaning towards him with his elbows on the counter. "You realized you couldn't be that person anymore?"
"No," Obito answers honestly. He brings the dumpling up to his mouth. "I killed the man I loved." He had let Kakashi become collateral right up until he'd held the man's still beating heart in his hand and crushed it without mercy.
Thankfully the mitarashi tastes just as good as the last one before his guilt set in, and his body feels lighter as whole. There's a warm air against his side, and the next wave of chakra he sends out picks up a mass of something shaped like a spiky haired figure leaning into him. The warmth spreads over his hand that's resting on the counter and Obito relaxes into it.
"Yeah, that'll change a man," Inoichi comments before taking another bite he suspects and let's silence fall between them. He has a good idea that the other man knows when to take a victory and not push his luck.
They keep eating in a comfortable quiet occasionally interrupted by senseless small talk about how he's feeling and then Inoichi telling him things about his life and the village Obito pretends not to already know. It's a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere that Obito is quite fond of. So naturally it's fated to die and leave him miserable right as he has it in his grasp.
A loud voice booms through the closed off area of the stands as the curtains are pulled open so fast they practically produce a breeze. "Ha! Thought I recognized you. If it isn't Inomaki's brat and...welll aren't you an interesting one?"
Fuck his life and the luck that comes with it. Obito goes stiff as a statue as the second of the legendary sannin he's had the misfortune of running into today stomps over and sits on the stool between him and Inoichi. The nice personal space bubble he'd been enjoying gone and Jiraiya the toad sage replacing it.
As if the snake hadn't been bad enough, now this one! Which in hindsight is far likely worse. Orochimaru need to wear other people's faces and have an army to hide him in order to gather information and perform espionage. Jiraiya can do it while being as loud as rooster at the crack of dawn and walking around in bright red robes. Obito's guard has no intention of dropping anytime soon.
"Please be careful."
It's unneeded but appreciated warning.
Obito sticks out his hand. "Tobi, I'm new to the village."
"I noticed," Jiraiya says not even a moment after. "Quite the stir you've roused up Tobi-san." The way he says his name with a hint of a laugh and a snort. Fuck. He's doomed.
"Try to leave, get Inoichi to take you somewhere else."
"Uhm Jiraiya-sama," Inoichi comes to his rescue. "We were having a conversation. Not that you're company isn't welcome-"
"Oh trust me I don't want to be here either," Jiraiya retorts. "But the geezer says I owe him for, well, let's just call it past indiscretions. So for now we're just all going to have to play nice with each other until the crippled blind man is no longer on a watch list."
"What?" Inoichi says.
"What?" Obito repeats.
"Oh boy."
Jiraiya gives a hearty laugh and claps a large hand on Obito's shoulder. "Let's just say you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together for now." He stool squaks as he turns it toward the bar. "Ah, lovely Aika-chan! Some of that beautifully made hinami of yours along with your sweet smile if it's available?"
He drowns out the sound of Aika-chan and Jiraiya's laughter blending together in favor of staring blankly. Ignoring even Kakashi's pitiful reassurances. Staring at the splintered counter he does the only thing that makes sense to him anymore and slams his head onto it.