A/N: Word count is ~5k.

Rating: T for dark themes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 4 - Responsibility

Minato stood in front of the grand gates and was more than a little lost. And not in the traditional sense.

It had been only a handful of days from the fire incident, and when Obito woke up, all hell broke loose. Quite literally, if one were to consider the flames that suddenly burst forth like a damned hell threat.

Was it so strange that he had frozen up and lost all coherent thought for a full minute? Kakashi had ended up in a similar state, Rin had gone into hysterics, and Obito remained unconscious. It was already a shock when Obito's Sharingan had activated, and he had no doubt that he wasn't the only one in the room with the question, "when did that happen?" upon seeing the sight.

And then, as things escalated, the Sharingan bled into something… Different. As far as Minato knew, three tomoe was the most advanced stage of Sharingan, and that was exactly what Obito had when it activated. But then, the three tomoe swirled into an odd pinwheel shape—befitting the dōjutsu's namesake—and that was when the black flames burst forth, only to die out almost immediately after the boy lost consciousness.

Despite everything, the most prominent thought on Minato's mind was, "what the hell happened to him?"

Certainly, he didn't know much about the Sharingan, aside from the information that was passed around and known to the public. It could predict the future to a certain extent, it allowed the user a photographic-like memory, there were three stages, the purer the Uchiha blood the more likely the activation, and over-use could lead to eye strain. Most importantly, initial awakening required great emotional and mental strain to the user. He knew from past cases that it needed to be rather extreme, as quite often, Fugaku had come to him with worries about the clan's younger generation. Most of the time, trauma accompanied the activation of the powerful dōjutsu, and it was a growing problem.

Hence his worry for the boy. The very fact that he had activated his clan's famed eyes to three tomoe—and whatever the hell that pinwheel stage was—meant that he had experienced something truly horrific. Minato was terrified for his student, and the words the boy spoke didn't help either.

He had mentioned that he "wasn't supposed to be here." The most incriminating evidence was the fact that he had explicitly stated, "Let me die. Just let me fucking-die." Minato felt his shoulders sag slightly at the thought. What had he done wrong? How could the bright, boisterous boy change so much in a mere couple of days? He had given Team Seven two days to take a break and recover from the C-Rank they had attempted prior, and then suddenly, Obito was…

But no. There was more information, and something just wasn't right.

Obito had mentioned that they were "imposters," and he yelled a name—Minato, for the life of him, could not remember it—while saying that everything was an illusion.

'A Genjutsu, then?' Minato pondered. It was likely and very well possible. But there were few Genjutsu specialists that could overpower an Uchiha with one, dōjutsu activated or not. The clan was well-known for their prowess with Katon jutsu, but their focus was typically Genjutsu(which allowed them to maximize the usefulness of their Sharingan). Being the focus, it was not off the mark to say that the Uchiha had an almost ingrained resistance to most Genjutsu, Sharingan-induced or otherwise, thanks to their history in the subject.

The blonde shook his head. He didn't have enough information to draw solid conclusions. Not yet.

With a steadying breath, he knocked on the foreboding doors of the Uchiha Compound. He'd get his answers, and there was only one person he could trust with information on the recent developments. He wasn't going to abandon his student, not now, not when the boy needed him.

"What!?" The booming voice cut through the usually calm ambience of the room; challenged in volume only by the clatter and subsequent shattering of porcelain.

Minato's eyes widened as Fugaku leapt from his seated position, his teacup nothing more than a few shards on the floor—it had been flung to the side and burst into fragmented shards upon impact with the wall—and the man was seething.

The blonde had never seen the Uchiha clan head so disheveled and emotional.

"… You heard what I said," Minato stated simply, not wanting to add to the man's growing frustration. Over what, he didn't know, not yet. "Why is it so worrisome, though? You hadn't reacted to the situation until I mentioned the black flames." Though stated with calmness and deceiving nonchalance, the blonde struggled to keep his eyes from narrowing as he observed his friend for any hints.

Fugaku eyed the blonde—it was no surprise to Minato that the man had caught his slightly measuring look that followed the statement—and then sighed defeatedly as he sat back down. "Describe his eyes."

Minato blinked. "What?" He had been shocked for a brief moment, not having expected a question(more like a demand) in reply to his mild prodding.

"His eyes," Fugaku ground out. "They weren't the normal tomoe, were they?"

"Ah. No, they weren't." At Fugaku's frustrated growl, Minato knew that his suspicion was correct. There was indeed something else going on, and whatever he had seen was a secret of the clan that no one else knew.

For a few moments, Fugaku seemed to debate whether or not to speak, yell, send the blonde away, or crawl into a hole. Eventually, he lifted his gaze to look at Minato, his eyes cold and hardened. "… What you saw, Minato, is the Mangekyō Sharingan. It is the most advanced stage of the Sharingan, and the black flames that you saw engulf your student—that, is Amaterasu, one of the techniques that accompany the advanced stage. At the moment, there are very few Uchiha that have achieved this stage."

Minato, though surprised at the almost ingenuous trust the clan leader was displaying through the divulgence of the dōjutsu's information, only narrowed his eyes. He could appreciate Fugaku's frankness later, he had come for a reason. "I know that the Sharingan is activated when the user is put under emotional duress. How does one activate the Mangekyō?" He was almost hesitant to hear the answer. If the Sharingan followed the "stress-to-advance" logic, then the possibilities of what it took to activate the most advanced stage… Most Jōnin, and many Chūnin-level Uchiha had three tomoe, or at least two for their Sharingan. With so few for the Mangekyo…

Fugaku seemed to understand Minato's train of thought. "You are a smart man, Minato. You've most likely already realized that, whatever the requirement is to activate the Mangekyō, it is something of great impact." He grimaced faintly. "And you are right."

The blonde's already tense muscles contracted further in effort to remain still, and he felt irritation slowly overtake his worry. He didn't know if Fugaku was prevaricating because he was still undecided about how much he could reveal to an outsider, or because he was trying to spare Minato some stress. Regardless, he needed answers. "Fugaku." His eyes flashed dangerously, and his voice was a low warning. If Fugaku was offended or taken aback by his friend's display, he did not comment on or outwardly show it.

The man simply gave a resigned sigh. "… To activate it, the user has to witness the death of someone important, usually the most important individual in his or her life. It is the only way to activate the Mangekyō."

Minato felt his throat close up as he lost his ability to speak. 'The death of the most important individual…?' His thoughts automatically trailed to Kushina—her bright red hair, which shimmered with life and swayed with her spry but elegant gait. Her eyes which shone with life and fervor… He couldn't imagine watching the life drain from her eyes, her body grow cold and her hair fall still. The very thought of needing to bare witness to something so horrible caused his heart to constrict, and the man struggled to maintain a steady breath.

'What a horrible dōjutsu…' He might've felt ashamed at thinking something about his friend's clan's eyes, but he didn't care. It truly was horrible. Something that could only grow more powerful at the loss of loved ones? It went against the blonde's very principles. The people in their lives were meant to be protected, cherished, and loved, not to be killed for the evolution of a damned technique.

Thankfully, Fugaku seemed to sense Minato's damning thoughts and graciously brought the man out of his slowly increasing depression. "It is a truly terrible requirement for the ultimate level of power, I know, and I understand your worry. Whatever is the case, it would appear that the boy had experienced something of the sort. There is no other way to awaken the Mangekyō to my knowledge."

"… How?" Minato finally managed to croak out. "That isn't… Obito hasn't experienced that! There have been no deaths this past week, not that I know of!"

"I wouldn't know. I do not know Uchiha Obito personally like you do."

Minato was about to say something else when another thought occurred to him, the very topic he had been turning over in his mind before he entered the compound. His eyes drifted to the side and he crossed his arms, deep in thought. "… Genjutsu," he mumbled.

The Uchiha's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Genjutsu," Minato repeated, louder. "Is it possible for the Mangekyō to be activated if a particularly powerful Genjutsu is used?"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"An illusion, perhaps one showing the victim the death of their loved ones," Minato murmured, "I remember Obito saying that 'everything is an illusion' and he also called us 'fakes'." He looked up at Fugaku. "Do you think…?"

The clan head rubbed his chin in thought. "… I suppose it isn't impossible, but it is highly unlikely. Even though the boy himself isn't the most… Stellar, of individuals to come out of the clan, he is still an Uchiha and therefore has the resistance to Genjutsu in his blood." Sensing the slightly offended air that the blonde exuded, Fugaku continued. "However, if it truly is possible, I would appreciate it if you kept this information between us." Fugaku shook his head as he scowled. "I'd hate to see how far the elders go in search of the strength promised by the Mangekyō."

The two allowed the idea to process and they simultaneously shivered. Power-hungry elders was not a fun concept to entertain, be they Uchiha or Uchiha-wannabes.

"I must go inform the clan elders about this."

The blonde shot up in alarm, astounded at the fact that his friend could go from acknowledging the corrupt ways of the elders and still end up deciding that. "Wait! You won't tell them everything, right? Obito, he…" Minato didn't want Obito to be treated like an asset, a weapon to be used. Most likely, if the clan elders were to hear about the boy's new ability, they would be less likely to treat him as a human—a child—and would immediately jump to the conclusion of "powerful weapon" to advance their own prideful ambitions. "I just… I don't think—"

Fugaku raised his right hand, calming the steadily growing nervousness that Minato was battling with. "Don't worry, Minato, I won't tell them everything. Not yet. Perhaps you could speak to Obito and ask him what he thinks on the matter." Minato felt a small flare of chakra before Fugaku's eyes darted to the sliding door to his right. "Nanami."

A muffled and quite obviously female voice called out. "Yes, Fugaku-sama." Minato glanced warily at the door that kept the girl hidden. He had felt the shift of chakra that had taken place before the Uchiha leader spoke. Fugaku had momentarily canceled out the privacy seal, but the blonde still felt uncertain.

"You are to inform the elders about Uchiha Obito's Sharingan, which has been advanced to stage three."

A quiet, "hai" was heard before the small chakra signature receded down the hall.

Minato turned to his friend, who seamlessly re-activated the hidden seal. "… Anyway, about Obito… I think you should probably talk to him personally. It would be best if he heard about this from a fellow Uchiha, since I'm pretty sure he doesn't know much about the Sharingan…" He trailed off at Fugaku's accepting nod.

"Speaking of," Fugaku started, "Considering the fact that he had apparently only recently achieved the Mangekyō, his proficiency over it seems rather… Strange."

The blonde tensed. "… What do you mean?"

"The Amaterasu is a dangerous technique for a reason—the black flames do not behave like normal flames. They cannot be extinguished, and continue to blaze bright until the victim burns to ashes."

Minato's eyes widened and he gaped. "But—the flames vanished, and Obito was completely unharmed! Only the blankets were slightly singed!"

Fugaku nodded. "Yes. That means that he had not only used the Amaterasu in a controlled fashion, which is very rare for new users, but he also managed to extinguish the flames, which requires even more strength and control. It was most likely by accident, but it was done nonetheless."

"He extinguished them? Himself?" Minato's brow furrowed. "But… Why?"

"I wouldn't say that the boy is a hidden prodigy, not with his rather… interesting past," Fugaku murmured, "which is why I'm fairly certain that the flames were extinguished by pure will alone."

At Minato's confused look, the Uchiha sighed. "It was a survival instinct. Obito didn't really want to die, Minato."

The blonde went wide-eyed and stared at Fugaku, who only offered a small—and rather rare—smile. "… Oh." An immense wave of relief flooded through Minato. The young boy he knew apparently was still somewhere in there, underneath the layers of hurt and darkness. It wasn't much, but the fact that Obito still had the desire to live at all was enough for the blonde to feel at ease.

"We should go soon," Fugaku noted, bringing the blonde out of his thoughts. Minato nodded dully and walked over to Fugaku, preparing his Hiraishin.

"… Fugaku?"

"Hn."

Minato paused for a moment, and allowed a smile to creep onto his face. "… Thanks."

When the two had arrived in Minato's apartment, Obito was still unconscious, so they had decided to resume their conversation.

"Were there any indications that he had awoken the Sharingan? Perhaps he had activated it a while ago."

Minato considered the idea, and then shook his head. "Before the incident, Obito was completely normal. I'm not sure about him now, but I'm rather certain that before, he would make absolutely certain that everyone knew he had the Sharingan."

Fugaku tapped his finger on his leg. "What exactly was it that happened prior to the hospital incident? What resulted in him being admitted?"

"Oh." Minato sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Apparently, he had forgotten to add that bit of information… "Well, a week ago my team and I had a C-Rank mission to replace a scouting group near the border. Obito was late, more so than usual, so we doubled back to see what was up… Only to find that his apartment was on fire. I retrieved him; he had been on the floor, curled up with our team picture in his hands. We brought him to hospital, and when he woke up… Well, that was when he started talking about how he didn't belong there, how everything was an illusion. He also mentioned a name…" He bit his lip. "… And then he said he wanted to die. That was when the black flames burst forth. I don't—"

The blonde paused, causing Fugaku to raise an eyebrow. Minato stood and motioned for the Uchiha to follow. "Obito's awake."

A small nod was given. "Ah."

When they entered, Minato wasn't expecting Obito to be sitting up. He wasn't expecting Obito to suddenly turn to face them, either. Most of all, he hadn't expected the boy's Sharingan to suddenly activate, as though they were potential threats. Beside him, he felt Fugaku tense.

For a while, the two only observed the boy. Minato watched as Obito's blank eyes occasionally flickered with emotion, only to be replaced with a void once again. It was painful, watching the eyes of his usually bright student look so… Dead.

After a while, Minato realized that a few minutes had passed. He discreetly coughed, hoping that Fugaku would start on what he was there for.

"Uchiha Obito." Minato repressed a wince at the harsh tone Fugaku had decided upon.

Obito's eyes slowly slid to Fugaku, the redness fading. "Uchiha-sama."

Another tense silence passed, and Minato grimaced. He missed Obito's old demeanor. Never was the blonde well-versed in the habits and silent language of the Uchiha, and he never intended on learning. Whatever was exchanged between the two raven-haired individuals in the room might very well be a mystery to him for the rest of his life.

With a small cough, he once again reminded Fugaku that he had come there for a reason.

"… I heard that you have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan." Minato wanted to sigh. For all the intelligence and genius the man was known for, let it be known that Uchiha Fugaku wasn't exactly the most tactful or emotionally savvy.

The blonde tensed slightly when he felt Obito's gaze fall on him, and he sent an apologetic smile his way. A wave of relief washed over him when understanding flickered through the boy's otherwise blank eyes.

"Yes. I have." Obito answered plainly.

"… When did you activate your Sharingan, and how did you awaken the Mangekyō?" Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "You do not know, but the only way to awaken the—"

"Actually, I do know how to awaken the Mangekyō, Uchiha-sama." Minato froze. How did Obito know?. "I suppose it was gradual. I've been having dreams… Nightmares, about being put in certain situations. Certain situations that threatened the lives of citizens, the clan, and my team. I guess the Mangekyō awakened recently, when I had a nightmare about everyone on my team dying." Minato was not convinced, and a quick glance to his side told him that neither was his friend. At this point, even the Genjutsu theory was more believable, but why would Obito feel the need to lie? The blonde also absently noted the strange change in Obito's diction. He was… Oddly fluent.

The Uchiha clan head crossed his arms. "The Mangekyō cannot be awakened in that manner. A simple dream would not be enough to awaken it, and if you knew half as much as you claimed then you would know this." Minato raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't know much about the dōjutsu, but was it really so impossible? Sure, he wasn't exactly believing Obito's story either, but he was still open to the idea, whether it be because of ignorance on the subject or a naturally flexible mindset. Honestly, he liked the idea of it being nightmares over a Genjutsu more. It meant that his student hadn't encountered a possibly A or S-Ranked individual.

Obito's stare could only be described as bored. As much as Minato was worried about the boy, he found his nonchalance regarding the clan head amusing. At least that didn't change; Obito's blatant disrespect and lack of care for those of politically higher standing than him. "Uchiha-sama, the Sharingan isn't magic. Its activation isn't spurred on by the death or sacrifice of people. It's by the emotional and mental trauma induced by whatever the host experiences. My dreams were uncannily real, even more so than lucid dreaming. That's probably how I activated my Sharingan."

When Obito held a hand up to silence Fugaku from interrupting, Minato almost gaped. The clan head's mouth shut with an audible click, and the blonde was shocked at the display of confidence and power that Obito demonstrated. "How else do you explain, then? I have these eyes, fully matured. I haven't killed anyone close to me, nor have I witnessed the deaths of anyone precious. You can probably see that, as my team is still alive. There is no other explanation, and quite frankly, I think it makes sense, if only because there simply isn't any other explanation."

Minato saw the slight slump the elder Uchiha's shoulders took and felt a small twinge of guilt form. His friend was essentially stuck between a rock and a hard place due to the elders' outdated ways, and Obito wasn't exactly making it easier for him. "… Regardless," Fugaku began in a tone that indicated his exasperation, "the fact remains that you've activated the Sharingan, and advanced it to full maturity. The clan will want to know how, and I doubt they will accept such an answer from someone who supposedly didn't have it but a week ago."

"… I understand that, but I wish to remind you that it was the clan that abandoned me, not the other way around. I have no intention of returning simply because I have the most advanced level of the Sharingan, and therefore suddenly have worth." The barely concealed bitterness in his voice did not go unnoticed by the two adults.

Suddenly, Minato found himself the center of attention as Fugaku turned to him. "Minato, can you leave for a moment? I apologize, but I believe that what is about to be said is best kept to the Uchiha."

Minato stared at him for a moment. "Right," he murmured quietly, before retreating from the room. He walked away with a slump to his shoulders, unbefitting the "most promising Jounin" of Konoha, but he cared little about that.

What he cared about, what he wanted, were the answers to his questions. Though Obito could be a handful at times, Minato still cared greatly for the boy and missed his presence on Team Seven. Obito with his smiles, his constant challenges against Kakashi, his late-excuses which actually weren't lies…

When the blonde reached the living room, he sat down on his couch and intertwined his fingers while he leaned back to think. There was no way that what Obito had experienced was a dream, of that, Minato was certain. No dream would make a twelve-year-old boy want to kill himself.

There was also the look that he had given Minato and the rest of Team Seven, when he had first woken up. If he truly was beset with debilitating nightmares that forced him to play observer to the deaths of his make-shift family, he would've been elated to see their faces. But no, when Obito had woken up, it was not the tearful relief that should've been there. Instead, the boy had seemed to reject the very idea of them being there, of him being there, with them.

'And of course, the name he shouted.' Minato's eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips, trying to remember the name. Yes, that was possibly the most incriminating evidence of all; Obito had said the name with such vehemence, and the statement that followed it hinted at the perpetrator having done something to Obito—most likely showed him an illusion, a Genjutsu.

But for the life of him, Minato could not remember the name. It was a simple, three-syllable name, one that had significant meaning in a few old and forgotten scriptures that he had read in the past.

'Kagura?' The blonde frowned. That wasn't it. 'Sakuya? Sakura?' Wrong, again, though it felt closer. The combination of a-u-a vowels was correct—at least, Minato felt like it was correct—but what was the exact name? "Ka-" sounded correct, so it most likely started with that character. 'Kazura? Kazuma? Kakusa? Katsura?'

Okay, now he was just getting silly. Minato let out a frustrated groan as he fisted his blonde hair in his hands. Never, in all of his years as a Shinobi, had Minato had such difficulty remembering important information—especially when it concerned the well-being of his friends. Even though he had, at the time, been more focused on the fact that Obito seemed to think he was supposed to be dead, remaining calm in harrowing situations was something that the blonde had become a master of. At least, he was supposed to be.

The light shuffling of feet alerted Minato of the new presence in the room and he whipped his head around, looking worriedly at his friend. "Fugaku?" He inwardly cursed the slight wavering of his voice. "What happened? What did you talk about?"

Fugaku released an exasperated sigh as he walked around the couch to face the blonde. "He wishes to remain independent from the clan. I cannot blame him for it, either."

'Obito wants to remain independent from his clan?' It was strange, as the boy usually would stop at nothing to make sure that everyone knew he was an Uchiha. Minato would've thought that Obito would've taken the chance to be reintegrated into his family, but if not… "In that case, let me watch over Obito." Minato was practically beaming. "I had already spoken to Hokage-sama about it, and he said that it's fine as long as I gain the Uchiha clan's consent."

At Fugaku's look of frustration, Minato chuckled. The clan leader allowed his eyes to close and he rubbed at his temples. "The matter of the child's Mangekyō will remain a secret amongst your team and I. Make absolutely certain that your students keep this under-wraps, as I doubt the resulting fall-out would be pleasant."

Minato nodded affirmative and gave a mock salute. "Of course."

Fugaku sighed(the man must've dearly wanted to go home and ignore the world) as he walked towards the door, and Minato followed to act the gracious host. "Thanks, Fugaku. I really don't know what I would've done without you."

The Uchiha waved a hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it. Even if the boy doesn't want to have any ties to the Uchiha any longer, he is still an Uchiha by blood and as such is my responsibility as clan head." He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. "And I'll make certain that the elders don't think to use him."

Minato smiled. "Alright, and I'll do my best to take care of him."

"I do not doubt that."

He had been worried.

He wanted to trust Obito, but at the same time, he found—with no small amount of horror—that he couldn't, he simply couldn't.

When Minato had re-entered the guest room where Obito was, he had offered to go shopping for new clothes with the boy since nothing had survived the fire. When the young Uchiha had said that he needed time alone, and kami, when Minato had actually let him, the blonde found himself beset with all the terrible scenarios that his trained-and-efficient mind could conjure.

Needless to say, when Minato had detected the familiar warm(yet, it had a cold edge to it that wasn't there before) chakra of his student, he made a mad-dash to his door and flung it open, fearing the possible injuries the boy could've gotten. To his relief and slight surprise, the boy didn't have a single scratch on him. In fact, Obito even looked… Brighter, and more like his usual self; the shadows that lurked in his eyes previously had ebbed away and receded from view—of course, Minato wasn't a fool to think they were gone for good. They were most likely buried in the darker recesses of the Uchiha's mind, waiting to spring up again.

"Minato-sensei?"

Minato blinked and brought his gaze to meet Obito's, whose eyes held clear suspicion. He let out a strained chuckle. "Ha, sorry about that. I was just a little… Dazed, is all."

When Obito's suspicious gaze didn't go away, the blonde sighed. "… Can we talk?"

His only reply was a one-armed shrug as Obito walked over to the couch to sit down. Minato followed and sat across from him, his hands held securely in his lap in an effort to hide his worry. 'How am I supposed to ask?' He wondered silently, admittedly unnerved by the blank yet assessing stare of his student. 'How do you ask someone that is potentially suicidal about why they tried to kill themselves?'

Minato was considered a wise, attentive, and outstanding Jounin in the ranks; people often lauded him for his accomplishments and abilities out in the field. However, it was moments like these where Minato knew just how wrong those very people could be. Namikaze Minato was somewhat above average, sure, and with all of his hard-work he would certainly hope so. But by no stretch of the imagination was he a genius; everything he had achieved didn't come naturally as most assumed and he had, in fact, had to work his way up to his current position through blood, sweat, and tears.

That was precisely the reason why he didn't know what to do in his current situation.

Inwardly, he laughed. It was oddly similar to how nervous he had been when he had started courting his wife; he had no prior experience in the area, and everything was completely new—made quite obvious by the stumbling and fool-making he did throughout the entire process. Minato was never one particularly good with dealing with his emotions, because he never felt the need to. He was a Shinobi, and when he married Kushina, that was supposed to be it. She was his second half that made him whole, and she empowered him.

"It's about the suicide attempt, right?"

The blonde flinched at the bluntness of his student. Apparently, Obito had gotten tired of waiting and decided to start the inevitable conversation himself. Minato felt somewhat guilty at the fact. Obito was clearly in a weakened state, haunted by whatever Genjutsu or nightmare the boy had experienced, and yet he still seemed to have the strength to try and recover.

Minato was no genius, so he didn't miraculously know how to deal with every situation he was thrust into. He could craft scenarios and pick out the one with the highest success rate, but that was it, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to chance using something so indefinite on his potentially suicidal student. And he couldn't simply wait and rely on Kushina to help him with this; he could ask her for help, but Obito was his student and his responsibility, one that he had thrust upon himself.

Resolve made, the blonde locked his azure eyes with his student's onyx. "… Obito, I want you to be completely honest with me. Is there anything that you want to talk about?"

The boy looked at his sensei incredulously, and Minato inwardly groaned. 'Of course he wouldn't want to talk about it,' he thought with frustration. "… Let me rephrase that. You don't have to talk about it in detail, but I would appreciate it if you told me at least a little of what is going on. I'm your sensei, yes, but I think of Team seven as my family." A pained smile made its way onto Minato's lips. "I want you to trust me."

Minato found himself on the receiving end of Obito's blank stare, and forced his nerves to remain calm. A single, painful thought rushed through his mind as he held the impassive gaze. 'When did Obito lose his ability to smile?' Almost immediately after he thought that, he noticed that Obito's shoulders were trembling faintly, but before he could do anything, Obito's unsteady voice called out.

"… Can I see your hand, sensei?"

The blonde's brow furrowed as he halted the almost automatic response. He silently questioned the reason behind Obito's request, but decided to simply trust the boy. He resumed his previous action and held his hand out to the boy, watching with quiet amusement as Obito inspected the hand as though he had never seen the appendage before.

'He seems so young and innocent,' Minato thought offhandedly, before adding with bitter resentment, 'and broken. Obito… just what happened to you?' Whoever had caused the rather prominent change in the boy's demeanor had better be doubly attentive to remaining hidden, because if Minato ever got ahold of the idiot who thought it was alright to harm one of his students—

Damp droplets fell into to Minato's palm, causing him to blink at his hand. When he noticed the silent tears that began flowing down Obito's cheeks, his mind began working overtime to keep his muscles from tensing and possibly startling the emotionally fragile boy. Whatever was happening to Obito was important; the fact that he had begun crying was enough to indicate as such.

Whatever was the case, Minato pulled the young boy into his arms and smoothed down his dark, spiked hair, only tightening his hold when he heard audible sobs come from the Uchiha. The blonde rested his head on top of Obito's head and smiled faintly when the boy's grip tightened.

It was truly an odd sensation, seeing him in such a state. It wasn't bad, but it certainly was eye-opening. Uchiha Obito wasn't known for being an overly emotional or thoughtful person, as he almost always exuded energy and childish ambition. However, even though he always kept up a smile and was outwardly friendly with most, Minato had noticed that it was the boy's way of distancing others from himself. Always afraid, afraid of getting close and being rejected, just as his family had once done. So no, it wasn't a negative reaction that Obito had given, and it was oddly gratifying to know that the boy trusted Minato enough to literally cry in his arms.

Well, Minato would make certain to never betray that trust. No longer was his care based on a responsibility of rank or stature. The blonde stared ahead at an unseen force, visualizing whatever darkness it was that currently gripped the boy in his arms like a curse.

'It's a promise.'