A/N: Word count is ~8k.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Ramen. But I wish I did.

Chapter 15 - Silent Shift

"Shinobi Kumite… Hajime!"

Immediately, the two opponents darted forward at the signal, meeting each other in the center for an exchange of blows.

Kakashi ducked as Obito sent a punch towards his head, and quickly reversed the other's weight, forcing the raven to topple over him. Obito recovered, however, and spun around to reorient himself to send a disarming kick at the Hatake's knees.

The attack was halted, as Kakashi grabbed the raven's ankles and twisted—once again, using Obito's own momentum against him. Kakashi used that moment of surprise to his advantage, and aimed to kick down on his opponent's unprotected diaphragm.

Obito reacted right at the last moment, shielding himself from the blow with his arms and rolling out of the way before he made full contact with the unforgiving ground. He leapt back up to his feet just as Kakashi darted after him, watching as the silver-haired Chūnin ducked to the ground and switched on his heel, readying an upwards kick. Obito shifted with the intention of dodging the incoming attack, stepping into an ill-placed divot in the ground—

A small miss-step.

Obito was sent flying after a kick was delivered to his jaw, and he just barely managed to recover himself before landing on the ground in a heap, instead landing on his feet—shakily, but on his feet regardless. He scowled at Kakashi, wiping away the blood that dripped down his chin before flinching at the obvious injury. "Tch… Damnit."

The two Chūnin reengaged in their hand-to-hand spar upon locking eyes, both unyielding to the other. A peculiar glint, unnoticed by most present, shone in Obito's eyes… One that looked strangely similar to hesitance. Fear. But not in being defeated.

Minato knew that it was not proper practice to focus on a single student when proctoring a sparring match, as favoritism was looked upon with distaste as a general rule. But he had a logical reason behind his focus. His eyes were riveted to Obito, looking for each of the boy's quirks, watching his movements, the minute differences that set him apart from his teammates. The way Obito's eyes darted full seconds quicker than Kakashi's. The way his hands would sometimes twitch unconsciously for a kunai but would be left alone at the last second, before the raven reciprocated an attack. The way he would seemingly strain himself from not reacting automatically to certain attacks. The way he seemed to simply know what his opponent would do, despite his Sharingan being inactive—either speaking of amazing foresight, or adaptability.

It was something that Minato had noticed almost immediately, upon calling the match. Something that he berated himself for not being sharp enough to catch before.

Obito was holding back. And it wasn't just "slightly," either.

It was all subtle, however, and the blonde had no doubt that neither Kakashi or Rin could tell. Even Minato might not have noticed, had he not been specifically looking for the cues. He certainly hadn't noticed before. In fact, it was highly likely that Obito had been holding back all this time, for an unknown amount of time prior to now, and with that possibility…

Minato frowned minutely as his thoughts trailed. When he had mentioned to his team about their renewed eligibility to take on C-Ranks… Kakashi and Rin had reacted as expected; the Jōnin had no small doubt that his Team was, at this point, absolutely sick of menial D-Ranks no matter how much they helped the local economy. However, Obito hadn't reacted as he expected—in fact, there was a distinct lack of reaction, discounting the exceptionally dark look that passed over his countenance.

At the time, Minato had wondered what had the boy looking so haunted; was Obito worried about encountering "Kaguya?" Maybe the boy was worried about the war. Or… Or was it something else…?

Uchiha Obito… Had been acting strangely, as of late. This was a fact that Minato couldn't refute, couldn't turn a blind eye to—no matter how much he may've wished to. Somehow, he knew about Kushina's status as the Kyūbi Jinchūriki. For some reason, Danzō was interested in him, and Hiruzen was suspicious.

And of course, what transpired at the library.

Minato's heart sank.

He could admit that he was wavering. That his mind was unable to make the clear, concise judgments it was usually capable of, and he was lost—he didn't know what to do with Obito. The blonde grit his teeth as his thoughts trailed back to Danzō—

"Are your attachments and weak heart clouding your vision, boy?"

—And yes. Minato was man enough to admit that they actually were, able to admit that his doubts yet care for Obito were confusing him. To be fair, however, there was nothing directly incriminating that could state something was terribly wrong. Obito, besides burning down an apartment complex, had done nothing to outwardly harm or threaten any citizen of Konoha… Which would have been enough to save the boy, if Shinobi life were so simple.

Obito had become stronger, impossibly so. He had activated his Sharingan, up to the Mangekyō which most likely was a level that very select individuals knew about. He had a darkness in his eyes, something unreadable and inexplicable, labeling him as an unknown—a possible threat. Obito hadn't done anything. And yet, precisely because of that… Precisely because Minato could see that the boy was hiding something, refusing to divulge the truth, these minute, yet weighted hints were left. And with years of training and experience in the Shinobi war, these piled hints meant one thing to Minato.

But what was he supposed to do? Was it acceptable to interrogate the boy for answers? But what if it turned out to be something ridiculous, something that actually could be explained? And… What if it wasn't? What if, kami forbid, something much more sinister was afoot… Involving his student? Involving Uchiha Obito, a boy Minato practically raised?

Was he truly prepared for the actions he may be forced to take…?

Minato could admit, it was much more preferable to remain ignorant. It would be much simpler to turn a blind eye, to pretend that he hadn't caught onto the more obscure clues. But he couldn't. He had been running from it for a while, and he knew it. As a Jōnin of Konoha, he still had an obligation—and he had vowed, to the Hokage, that he would deal with the situation on his own should it escalate to such a point.

Thud.

With a start, the blonde turned his attention outwards and scanned the clearing. Obito was on the ground face-down, subdued, with Kakashi hovering over him—keeping the Uchiha pinned to the ground, his arms held securely behind his back. The younger Chūnin turned a disinterested gaze over to Minato.

"Call the match, sensei. I won—"

Suddenly, a determined, powerful look took residence in Obito's eyes, replacing the uncertainty and slight fear that had been there earlier. Minato couldn't help but compare the look to what he had seen in Hiruzen's and Jiraiya's eyes before, in the moments they prepared for particularly significant battles.

"I don't think so," he muttered quietly, before wrenching his arm away to elbow Kakashi in the stomach and twisting, flinging the silver-haired Chūnin to the ground in a reversal. Obito sat on top of the now dumbfounded Hatake, grinning cheekily as he gave a thumbs up. "I did it, Minato-sensei! Rin!"

The blonde couldn't help but smile back as he nodded, signaling the two to form the seal of reconciliation. He… He couldn't see the darkness in Obito, that oppressive, malevolent darkness that he had seen that day the boy woke up in the hospital. There was no absence of it, but no more than the average Shinobi harbored, and… And Minato could take solace in that.

Obito's devotion to his team was no fluke, it wasn't fake. And it abated the heaviness of Minato's heart. But only slightly.

"So what're we doing next, sensei?" Obito asked with a curious lilt, gazing up at the blonde.

He felt a bump to his shoulder and glanced, seeing a disgruntled-looking Kakashi. "… That didn't count. You cheated."

Obito lifted an eyebrow. "Cheated? I didn't use any techniques or weapons Bakashi."

"You used your elbow!"

"And how is that cheating, teme?"

"Using your elbow isn't in any real kata, dobe."

"Now now, you two," Minato chided calmly, patting the both of them on the shoulders. "I didn't actually announce a winner, if you recall. That was a draw."

Obito stared incredulously at his sensei, feeling somewhat scandalized—of course, he had been holding back, but… But he was an S-Ranked Shinobi. How could he tie with an adolescent Kakashi?

"How was that a draw?" Kakashi asked quietly, his brow furrowing all the while. "I successfully subdued him, and—"

"And let your guard down," the blonde interrupted. "I hadn't yet called the match, which meant that Obito was still allowed to attack. He used your lack of attentiveness to his advantage."

The Uchiha frowned. "… Then why was it a tie?" He was feeling eerily similar to how he once was when he was truly thirteen.

Minato smiled, ruffling his two male students' hair as he did so. "Because, like Kakashi said, you used your elbow. Certainly, in a real battle what matters is whatever leaves you the victor, but Shinobi Kumite is for refining katas in formal sparring. Senseless brawls have no place in the traditional spar, one would think."

Yeah. He definitely felt like he was thirteen again.

"Anyway," Minato began as he sat down, gesturing to the grass around him. "Gather around."

The three Chūnin complied immediately, but not without questioning looks. Rin was the first to ask. "… What's going on, sensei?"

Strangely, the blonde man sheepishly scratched the back of his neck in response. "Er, well… I want to tell you guys something. Honestly, it's so sudden and unexpected for me, that I'm still coming to terms with it…"

Obito raised an inquisitive brow. First Kushina, and now Minato? "… And? What happened, sensei?"

"Well, see… I was called to the Hokage's office this morning before I came here, and…" The Jōnin heaved a deep sigh, before meeting the gazes of his students. "… I've been nominated as a candidate for Yondaime Hokage."

Silence. For a moment, the three Chūnin would swear that they could hear nature.

Kakashi's jaw had drooped, and it was visible even through his mask. Rin's eyes were wide, and her mouth was agape.

And then, a few moments later, they snapped back to life, showering their sensei with congratulations(Kakashi) and excited words of praise(Rin). It was certainly an occasion to be celebrated, and being the man's students, they were well within their rights to be bristling with joy for the man.

Obito remained where he sat, knowing that he should congratulate his sensei, but his mind was occupied with questions. Questions that presented the problem of keeping a straight face, because he felt the urge to give a deadly scowl to no one in particular.

Last time, there was no announcement of candidacy. Minato had been announced as the acting Yondaime shortly after Rin had died, if Obito recalled correctly, and there hadn't been this preliminary stage. So why was Minato only a candidate?

The Uchiha had to repress a growl. The Sandaime… He wasn't actually thinking of letting Orochimaru take the position, was he? Had Orochimaru done something to gain the man's trust, this time around…?

Obito severely hoped that Tsunade returned soon—it was less of a hope now and more of a, "she better get back here and incriminate the snake so sensei can become Yondaime"—because he would not stand for it if his sensei was beaten out by Orochimaru of all people for the title. Obito was fairly certain he would sooner torch the village himself than let the snake become Hokage.

The paranoid soul he was, he couldn't help but wonder if his early confrontation with Orochimaru somehow played a role in all of this. Maybe, after meeting "Uchiha Madara," Orochimaru had become more cautious with his experiments and ceased operations in Konoha for the time-being, at least until he could gain a solid foothold as the Yondaime. Obito liked to think he was simply over-thinking this at the moment, but he knew the snake rather well, and if the situation called for it…

"Oh yeah, you wanted to be Hokage too, right Obito?"

Obito's started slightly as he turned to Kakashi, who looked… Less curious, and more accusatory…? Rin was quiet, and Minato was—

Ah. He'd zoned out, again. He really had to stop doing that in the presence of his team.

"… Uh, well," he began eloquently, trying to remember what his teammate had said while turning back to face Kakashi. "I… guess so? I mean, kinda, but not anymore—"

"You didn't really think you'd be able to beat Minato-sensei to the position, did you?" Obito raised an eyebrow and Kakashi huffed, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Minato-sensei is arguably the best Jōnin in Konoha, in all of Hi no Kuni. It makes sense that he'd be a prime candidate, so stop acting like that."

Obito was about to retort, saying that Kakashi was making stupid assumptions and that he actually wasn't stewing on the concept of Minato being Hokage—… Okay, he was, but not in the sense that Kakashi believed—but a hand landed on his shoulder, and he heard a surprised chuckle.

"Well, I apologize Obito, but it seems I made it before you did." Startled, Obito turned to Minato, who seemed to have true mirth shining in his eyes. "Maybe next time, hm?"

Next time? Next time? For a reason Obito could actually place, for once, those words struck a chord with him. 'No,' he wanted to say, 'there is no next time, not for me.' This is no "next time" for him, who wasn't supposed to have a second chance. He had done little good, and so, so much evil. And it was almost disgusting, the idea of him ever even entertaining the idea of becoming anymore than the shadow he was. The idea of him thinking himself more important than what he truly was.

Uchiha Obito. Destroyer of nations. Murderer of the people he loved. Traitor to Konoha. Hokage?

What a sick joke.

The raven shook his head sullenly, shoving away his darker thoughts. "… I don't want to be Hokage."

Rin's eyes widened, and Kakashi's flickered with imperceptible hurt; neither of these reactions caught by the Uchiha. "… Why?" Rin asked, unsure. "Being… Being Hokage used to be your dream! You—you said, you said that you wanted to—"

"I will never be Hokage. It's as simple as that," Obito stated with a small, resigned sigh.

Hokage wasn't… That position wasn't something that he coveted any longer, and if he were to be honest, he had almost forgotten about his childish yearning, until the subject was brought up in the current conversation. Less-than-happy thoughts aside, the plain truth was that there were far more fitting individuals to take up the mantle, and even if he wasn't the S-ranked missing-nin threat that he was in the future… That didn't mean that all of that didn't happen. It wasn't a great loss, no, he had just… Moved on.

Maybe he felt guilty, or maybe he simply had lost interest. Guilt was the more likely truth, considering his occasional self-deprecating thoughts—or rather, the anger he directed at his past, foolish and disillusioned counterpart. Regardless, the fact remained that he was not the type of person who should inherit the esteemed position, the person who should guide the younger generation—not with his hands, that had worked for the darkness in his heart for the better part of his life.

Uchiha Obito's dream, to be Hokage, had disappeared long ago. But in its place was left a much simpler wish.

"You didn't answer her question," Kakashi interrupted Obito's musings unrepentantly. "Why?"

The raven smiled slightly. "Because it's not what matters to me. What matters to me, I can achieve… Without the position, and the expectations that come along with it."

Rin cocked her head to the side. "… What matters to you?"

"Yeah," Obito murmured, tilting his head slightly in a nod. "… To protect the people important to me. They are few and far between, and it's difficult enough protecting them. I wouldn't do well, needing to protect an entire village."

Silence pervaded as Obito stared at the grass beneath his feet, feeling the uneasiness and worry his answer brought out from his fellow teammates. He could guess why.

"… But," Rin hesitated, trying to find the right words. "As Shinobi, it's our duty to protect the village. To only protect the people we want to, isn't that kind of…"

"Selfish?" Obito supplied, and by the way Rin and Kakashi flinched away, that was what they believed. Or maybe they were just shocked by his sudden pragmatism, bordering pessimism. Minato merely stared at the exchange with a look of reticence. "Yes, it is selfish, but that's how people are, right? Only the most giving of individuals can grieve for fallen enemies—even the ones that fell by their own hands. The strong can do that, face each life they took with unwavering spirit, knowing who they had killed, knowing that their victim had a family that would grieve them, continuously carry on the burden, and yet, still move on for the sake of the village."

He turned to Minato, a look of determination and respect in his onyx eyes. This man, he was able to do it. Obito never understood, never knew how his sensei managed to go through each battle, remembering the faces of his victims and the curses hurled at him and his kin… And yet, still be able to smile at the end of it all. And it wasn't a demented, "I've lost my mind" sort of acceptance either. It was a true, understanding, "I know your pain" acceptance, and Obito… He never understood it. His sensei. Naruto. They truly understood, and were the metaphorical light in the midst of particularly dark battles. "I… am not like that, and though I would like to be, I am not a saint. I am not someone qualified to be Hokage, for I am one of the thousands of other human Shinobi in the world. I prioritize, I look for what benefits my precious people and I the most, looking for the way that will incur the least destruction for my side—not paying any mind or particularly caring about the other, as long as what is important to me is safe. Selfish, sure, but…"

Obito sighed, cutting himself off before he spouted more introspective nonsense that could potentially set his teammates on edge—could they be more on edge than he had already made them?—and turning away to shake his head.

"… Never mind, I'm just rambling. I'm sorry, Minato-sensei. I didn't mean to put a damper on your announcement, I really didn't, I just don't think—I know that I am not fit for the title of Hokage." He turned back to the blonde, a fond smile in place. "You, on the other hand… I know for a fact that Sandaime-sama is making the right choice in nominating you. But I have to ask, if you are only nominated, who else is in the running?"

Minato blinked a few times, the reticent mask quickly falling away(to Obito's immense relief) and the man smiled wryly. "I do not know that," he stated, "but it is of high opinion that the other candidate is Orochimaru-sama."

Obito was unable to hide his visible distaste for the idea, though he was truly glad that his sensei was showing more than just a blank look now. "… Ugh. I think… I'm pretty sure you're still gonna get the position, sensei. That bas—Orochimaru is kinda… Creepy."

Any remaining tension from the previous topic dissipated immediately as the blonde responded with a chuckle. "I suppose so, but it still isn't in good spirits to say something like that about a fellow Konoha Shinobi, Obito."

"I agree with Obito," Kakashi muttered out with his arms crossed. "Orochimaru… I don't like the way he looks at some people. It isn't a look that people give to other… People."

Rin nodded solemnly. "He's… Visited the hospital a few times, and it's always to check on the blood storage. He's…" The brunette shivered, looking paler than usual. "… I get weird shivers whenever he's nearby."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling rather famished," Minato suddenly cut in, sending a quick glance towards Obito. "I think we should all have a talk, maybe at Ichiraku's."

It was a completely innocent glance and there was no ill-intent, but Obito felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end anyway. He couldn't help but wonder exactly why Minato-sensei was so focused on him—it wasn't a, "I didn't do anything wrong" sort of wondering, though, and more of the, "what of the many fuck-ups does he want to discuss with me now" kind. Regardless, he wasn't ready for that conversation(that may turn into an interrogation), and he was thanking whatever kami existed that he had prior arrangements to attend to.

"Er, sorry, I can't go," he replied quickly, earning an unimpressed look from both Kakashi and Minato. They probably didn't believe him.

Rin gave him a questioning frown. "Why not? We haven't gone out to ramen together as a team in a while… It's kinda weird, because you were always the one that would make sure that we went."

"Eheh," Obito responded with a pathetic chuckle. "Well, I really do want to go, but I have to go train Itachi today."

Simultaneously he watched as eyebrows shot up to hairlines, and his team exchanged a few looks. "… Itachi?" Minato repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Fugaku's son?"

The raven nodded. "Yeah. Remember the time Fuga—Uchiha-sama came over to your house, and we talked privately?" The blonde nodded. "Well, he said that he wanted me to train Itachi when he turned four. He's four now, so I began training him."

Minato frowned, clearly unhappy, but acquiesced anyway. "… I see. Well, it's a pity that you'll miss ramen, but I doubt Fugaku would appreciate you skipping out on his son's training for food."

Obito's eye twitched. He doubted anyone would find it particularly acceptable if their child's trainer decided to skip out on a session in favor of ramen. "I agree. I'm pretty sure the fall-out wouldn't be pretty, either." He shook his head. "Anyway, I'll see you guys later. Have a good time at Ichiraku's!"

And with that, he darted off in the direction of the Uchiha compound, glad to escape the assessing and minutely suspicious gazes of his team.

"… He's different."

Minato turned to Kakashi and Rin, both of them wearing looks of solemnity, staring off in the direction that their third teammate had run off to.

"… I don't get it," Rin mumbled quietly, kicking at the grass. "What… What exactly happened? And why won't Obito tell us…?"

The blonde observed the two as he heard the wavering lilt in his team's medic's voice and saw the way Kakashi's fists clenched painfully.

They remained silent as they stood, even after falling into a silence that couldn't be broken. Even after thirty minutes of contemplation. Even as they headed off in opposite directions—the prospect of lunch long-forgotten.

Obito's eye twitched as he looked down at Itachi, whose face looked disarmingly frustrated for a four-year-old. His brow was furrowed to such a degree that stressed folds formed above his nose, his eyes focused(yet not) on the dirt before him, for all the world seeming as though the ground had done him some grave misdeed.

The time traveller coughed, deciding to try again. "Itachi. Did you hear me?"

No response. Itachi continued his one-sided glaring-contest with the ground.

"… Damnit," Obito sighed, raking a hand down his face before crossing his arms. "You know," he drawled forcefully in a sterner tone, "it's rather rude if you don't talk when others address you."

Itachi flinched, eyes darting left and right before settling on Obito with a look of surprise. Apparently, whatever had the younger Uchiha so occupied required a great deal of concentration, for Uchiha Itachi to be unable to split his attention.

The boy, after a moment, nodded meekly with apprehension. "I apologize, Obito-san. I was just thinking."

Obito blinked a few times. He had heard Itachi speak before, but it had been just a few words most of the time, and the one time he had spoken a full sentence was at a low volume, almost mumbling. The way the Uchiha heir spoke just now, however, made Obito briefly forget that he was in the past. "You… How can you speak so clearly?"

He received no response, as Itachi had taken to staring at him with a freakishly impassive look. Obito shook his head exasperatedly. "… Right. Uchiha Itachi, genius extraordinaire. I get it."

Itachi was still staring.

Obito frowned as a thought occurred to him. "… By the way, don't call me 'Obito-san,' either. It's weird. Just call me Obito if you have to."

Stare.

Obito's eye twitched twice before he threw his arms up in the air with extreme exasperation. "I give up. I've never understood the prodigious type, and I doubt I ever will. Let's just start training." His voice fell to a mumble as he walked away. "I know that's one way future you managed to communicate."

When he was about five meters away, he turned on his heel to face Itachi. "Now then. Last time, I had you work on a few katas as a change of pace from throwing shuriken and kunai. With that in mind…" He shifted his stance to a defensive one and eyed the younger Uchiha. "… Try to land a hit."

Obito felt his brow furrow as he observed Itachi, who had made no move to attack and was… Staring at the ground in front of him, again. With the same concentration as earlier.

Alright, Obito knew that something was wrong. Ignoring him for the sake of ignoring, he could understand, but Itachi never shirked on training—he always treated it as something sacred(and whether or not that was his actual a belief or a product of being the heir to the "prestigious" Uchiha clan was debatable).

Now somewhat worried, Obito walked back over and tilted his head to the side to observe the young prodigy. Did… Did Itachi forget to train? To practice the katas? No, that couldn't be, but… Then again, Obito hadn't known him at this age. Maybe, as a child, Itachi was much more scatterbrained than people thought, and it was through the harsh regimen of his clan that ultimately turned him into the prodigy that Obito knew.

"Itachi," he called out, tapping the boy on the shoulder to gain his attention. "Did you not train? It's okay if you forgot, we can figure out something else to do in the meantime."

In response, Itachi shook his head, looking up at Obito with a furrowed brow. "… No, I did train. I was just… Thinking."

The older raven smirked slightly, happy for the response. "Thinking about what?"

Itachi's brow furrowed deeper. "… Obito-san, what exactly do you mean by 'future you'?"

Obito froze.

Immediately, his mind was whirling with the past conversations he had had with the boy in front of him, of the multiple times he had slipped up—damn himself for being so lax just because Itachi was a kid now; he thought he knew not to underestimate the child prodigy—before he abruptly halted his thoughts to scan the area. No other chakra signatures within the vicinity.

He pinned Itachi with a serious gaze that made the boy flinch minutely and spoke sternly. "Itachi, please be honest with me. Did you tell anyone about what I said?"

"… No," the younger replied after a moment, brow no longer furrowed. He shook his head to punctuate the answer.

For a few moments, Obito stared into Itachi's eyes, searching for a hint of a lie or fabricated truth. When he saw none, he allowed himself to relax a smidgeon before stepping back, carding a hand through his unruly hair. "… Kami, I know you're a genius… But you were always a precocious little tyke, weren't you?"

The boy kept his impassive stare, and Obito grimaced. "Stop that. I thought you were weird before, but now…" He shook his head as he turned around, mumbling. "… Now, you're just a creepy little fucker." Itachi was always sharp, always a bit on the creepy side, and a complete enigma. An intimidating unknown factor to even the most experienced and powerful of Shinobi, and his piercing gaze that gave the victim a sense of being laid bare before a scientist didn't help. It was worse, now, that he was a child.

"Fucker?"

…

'... Shit,' Obito thought quietly, turning around slowly and mechanically—inwardly hoping that that innocent voice that had repeated that word hadn't come from Itachi—

The boy's head was tilted to the side, an almost adorable look of confusion on his face. "What is fucker?"

The action was so damn innocent and everything about the current Uchiha Itachi literally screamed innocence, and if Obito hadn't heard the words himself… Hadn't heard that familiar voice say it, and then watched as Itachi spoke the word like some sick joke of a dubbing, he would swear the young heir had instead said something like, "butterflies" or "rainbows."

As it was, Obito paled a deathly shade and grabbed the young four-year-old by the shoulders, sufficiently startling the boy. "I—Itachi, promise me—promise me, that you will never, ever say that word again." He grimaced. "Especially not in front of Uchiha-sama or Mikoto-bachan."

Stare.

Within his mind(and he was very careful to make sure of this), Obito cursed a string of expletives that hadn't ever been spoken before.

Rin breathed a heavy and suffering sigh.

After Team Seven had met up for more training in preparation for the war, they had… Talked, a little, before going their separate ways.

Minato had suggested ramen to them, but when Obito left the idea seemed to float away with the wind—and now, Rin had to go find herself some lunch. But the topic of food and nourishment wasn't what weighed so heavily on her mind, at the moment.

'What happened?'

Another sigh, and Rin let her gaze drift up to the clear blue sky. She honestly didn't know what to do anymore. She had, at first, backed off somewhat from her friend and teammate in the hopes that he would open up to her and the rest of the team on his own. That was almost five months ago, and though Rin had made subsequent attempts to "test the waters" and see if she could pull the truth out of her teammate then… Well, she didn't want to keep waiting anymore. And she knew Kakashi felt the same, based on his own individual attempts to get Obito to tell them, albeit less… Gently.

She still didn't know why Obito had begun acting so differently to begin with, why Obito was suddenly so much stronger, why and how he had activated his Sharingan… And now, why his dream, something that he had always wished for—stated with the conviction of a true Shinobi when he had proclaimed his dream to her that memorable day—was now nothing to him.

Rin frowned, pausing in the middle of the street, before slapping her two hands on either side of her face. She shook her head and continued walking, not minding the odd looks the impromptu action earned her.

There was no time for moping around like this. Sure, her teammate was different now, but… He was still her teammate. And technically speaking, he was doing much better than he had before. Rin's entire team was doing well.

Obito was actually a teacher, now, and to the Uchiha Clan's heir, no less. Minato had been announced for candidacy as the Yondaime Hokage(Hokage! Her sensei might actually become Hokage!), and Kakashi was always excelling as the genius of their year.

And once again, as always, Rin was left behind in the dust, forced to watch the steadily advancing forms of her teammates' backs.

She had stated to herself, multiple times, that she would not allow herself to fall behind anymore, that she would not be the weak link in her team. But, no amount of determination or perseverance could make up for what was undoubtedly a natural, physical hindrance that she had.

Her frown deepened as she felt emotions of gross inadequacy grip her again.

"… No," she stated quietly, picking up her pace as she shook her head. "No, I won't pity myself, not now. I just… I need to get stronger, so I can keep up with them. So I can stand by them instead of behind them."

'But how?' A treacherous voice, her doubt, called out in her thoughts. 'How am I supposed to, when everything seems to be failing? I've tried everything; I go to the hospital and volunteer to work on my chakra control and familiarity with the way the facility works, I immediately head to the training grounds to train afterwards to work on my Taijutsu all the way until late dinner time—and that's on days I don't have a team meet. The schedule is even tighter those days!'

By now, Rin was outright scowling as she fisted her hands in the skirt of her outfit. No matter what she did, she just couldn't get stronger, not as strong as she needed to be. Her stamina, both physical and regarding chakra, was terrible. She had great control, sure, but what did that mean if she didn't have anything to use to begin with? What was she supposed to—

"TSUNADE-SAMA!"

Immediately, Rin halted to an abrupt stop and turned her head to the source of the voice, eyes wider than saucers. '… Was…? No way, is she…?'

"Tsunade-sama, please wait!" A young thirteen-year-old girl with pitch-black hair, wearing a simple kimono blouse jogged down the street towards Rin. She was unable to see the person accompanying the young teen. "Tsunade-sama, shouldn't we check into a hotel first? If you're going to be—"

"No, we need to go now. And I don't intend on staying in Konoha for very long." A woman's voice, but it cut like steel—powerful, commanding, and brittle—and then, Rin saw.

Her eyes widened even further, if that was possible.

There, walking towards her at a hurried pace, was her idol. Her dream. The person she wished to be like, the woman that could match her teammates strength and stand alongside them, with them, in the heat of battle.

Tsunade of the Sannin.

The raven-haired girl pouted. "Tsunade-sa—"

"TSU-TSUNADE-HIME-SAMA!"

Immediately, the bustle in the streets quieted and many—it felt like hundreds—of eyes fell on Rin, who struggled to not crumble within herself at the sudden attention. Tsunade stood but 3 meters away where she had stopped, eyeing the brunette with a raised eyebrow that all but verbally asked, "what the hell do you want, brat?"

Oh. Maybe she said that out loud.

"I-I," Rin started, inwardly hating her stutter. "I would like to…" She closed her eyes tightly, grimacing. Damn it! This was her chance, she couldn't mess this up! She had to… She would be accepted as Tsunade's apprentice, it was what she had to do!

She took in a deep breath and aimed her gaze just above the slug Sannin's head, not quite brave enough to stare down the woman's eyes. "I WOULD LIKE TO BE PLACED UNDER YOUR TUTELAGE, TSUNADE-HIME-SA—"

"Tch, stupid brat," the blonde dismissed, briskly walking past a dumbfounded Rin. "I don't have time for dream-chasers like you who fancy power. I have important matters to deal with."

Inwardly, Rin fumed. Over what, she wasn't yet sure, but… But she couldn't give up. This was her chance, and if anyone would be able to show her the path to becoming strong—to becoming an equal to her teammates, it was Tsunade.

She spun on her heel and darted after the woman, jumping and snagging onto a leg. It was ungraceful, unladylike, but at the moment? She couldn't care any less.

"O-OI!" She heard the woman above her yell, but she only tightened her grasp. "Let go of me, you little—"

"PLEASE!" Rin yelled over the blonde, closing her eyes shut as she felt a few punches directed at her head. "I-I don't want to be useless anymore! I want to help them, to protect them! I can't always be the one to be protected, I want to proudly stand by my teammates' sides as—as their EQUAL!"

Abruptly, the barrage ended, and Rin cautiously opened an eye. And then the other. She looked around her and saw civilians crowded around in a circle, with disapproving looks and anger—she flinched, apprehensively drifting her gaze up to the Sannin to whom she clung so dearly to.

Tsunade looked down at her with a twitching eye. "… You… Are a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"I'm sorry!" Rin squeaked as she quickly let go of the woman's appendage and leapt to her feet, bowing profusely a few times. Then, she turned to the crowd and bowed to them, as well. "I'm sorry for the disturbance! I really, truly am!" By the heat of her cheeks, she was probably an inhuman shade of red, and the thought only made her flush darker out of shame and embarrassment. She was certain that, any chances she had, were now irrevocably crushed into dust and thrown to the wind—

"Stop bowing and apologizing like a wimp!" Rin flinched at the booming voice of Tsunade, who was now looking at her with barely concealed anger. "What the hell? You go from showing spitfire and determination that I've only seen a few times before, to a sobbing, sniveling, red-faced mess!? And you say you want to be strong!? Grow a damn backbone—"

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama," the raven-haired girl called out, tugging on the Sannin's sleeve. Rin followed her gaze and watched the surrounding civilians—oh, they weren't looking at her disapprovingly, but at… Tsunade…?

"Tch." Rin turned back to the two and suddenly found herself hauled up onto the woman's shoulder. Rin squeaked(again, to her discomfort) and struggled to gain her freedom. Her feeble attempts weren't even noticed by the slug Sannin. "What's your name?"

The brunette froze, turning to look at the scowling visage of her idol. She gulped. "… Ah. I'm Nohara R-Rin, Tsunade-hime-sa—"

"Stop that already," Tsunade growled, walking away from the crowd that was giving the three of them looks. "Just… Call me Tsunade-shishou, if you have to, but none of that hime-sama crap. I have a perverse teammate that does that enough."

Rin paused for a moment, not quite catching onto what the Sannin had said. And then…

"… TSUNADE-SHISHOU?!" She expounded almost disbelievingly, eyes sparkling happily. "Thank you! Oh kami, I am so happy! I might actually be able to improve to the point of helping them, now, and I'll be able to—"

"Calm down Rin, let me finish speaking." She promptly shut up, so quickly in fact that the slug Sannin looked at the girl warily for a moment. "… I haven't made my decision yet. I might take you under my wing if you impress me enough, or I might not—it's too early to say, and I don't know your abilities. First, I have to go to see the Hokage, and we can talk afterwards. Don't be disappointed if you don't make it, I'm a tough proctor."

Rin only nodded happily—the fact that she was given a chance was enough, and that was what mattered. If things went well, she would no doubt be on her way to excellence, just like the rest of her team… And she could proudly say that she was Nohara Rin, teammate of Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and student to Namikaze Minato. No longer would she be "the tagalong."

Tsunade sighed, eye twitching at the way the brunette's eyes glistened like stars.

"If I ever find that masked man," the blonde growled lowly, a silent promise of retribution in her tone. "… I'm going to make him wish he hadn't confronted me."

"Hokage-sama…"

Hiruzen's pen stilled and he looked up with an eyebrow raised at his assistant, who looked strangely… Frazzled. Distantly, he could hear muffled shouts and yelling from the floor below, and he sighed, placing his pen down and crossing his fingers.

"What is it? Is it another Genin team, rioting about the influx of D-Ranks?"

"Er, no," the woman stated hesitantly, her hands wringing in a nervous fashion. "It's—actually, there is someone—"

"MOVE IT!"

The doors slammed open and the assistant jumped, darting out of the way of the now-broken door. Hiruzen's eyes widened when he recognized the blonde hair and amber eyes of his female student.

"Tsunade," he stated quietly with a nod, absently shooing the assistant out of the room(she happily acquiesced, no doubt fearful of incurring the slug Sannin's wrath). "To what do I owe the—"

"Sarutobi-sensei, I have news," she stated breathily—she looked like she had run a marathon before storming into his office. The aged Hokage inwardly mourned whatever expensive objects happened to have fallen in her path of destruction up to his office.

"News?" He parroted, brow furrowing. Jiraiya was Konoha's self-appointed spymaster, and Tsunade had all but severed ties with the village after the deaths of her brother and lover, refusing to take on any responsibility as both a Sannin and as Hiruzen's student. So what 'news' would have her return to Konoha in such a hurry? "What exactly have you found out, Tsunade?"

She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breathes before opening them again. A strange, determined look glinted in her eyes, and it was a welcome change to the sullen and near-dead look they had when she initially departed. "I… I encountered a masked man," she began quietly, seemingly gauging the Hokage's reactions. "The mask was orange, and it was a spiral pattern leading to the right eye. He wore a cloak so I couldn't see his hair or skin color." A pause. "He… He knew. About why I left Konoha, about why… Why I'd begun living like… This," she finished, her eyes darting to the side as she cleared her throat.

Hiruzen remained stolid, letting out a thin plume of smoke from his mouth.

"And…" She bit her lip, turning back to Hiruzen with a sharp gaze. "… First. I want to know if you have sent any emissaries from Konoha for me."

The Sandaime's mouth thinned at the accusation. "… No, I have not. Even though Jiraiya has continuously insisted that I try to bring you back, I have respected your wishes to be left alone as best I can, Tsunade."

Instead of the relief he had expected, Tsunade cursed a few expletives under her breath before turning back to him. "Then he was not a Konoha Shinobi… This is bad. Very bad. You might not believe me, but he also said these exact words: 'The people of Konoha are powerful, and it is from the people they connect with, the people they wish to protect, that their power is drawn. However, what happens when the enemy is the very person you rely on and trust? Snakes are rather good at playing possum.'"

Hiruzen's pipe fell, and he just barely caught it before the ashes hit his pristine white robe. He stared uncomprehendingly at his student for brief moments. "… What?"

"You heard what I said," Tsunade stated grimly. "What… What has he been up to, lately? I was practically drowning in sorrow the time I left, but I'm still a Shinobi of Konoha—I could tell that… Something was off about him—"

"Tsunade." She stopped her words at the cold, reprimanding tone her old sensei spoke her name with. His eyes glinted with cold, unyielding promise. "You know nothing of this man, and he even wore a cloak and mask to conceal his identity, which is highly suspicious. What kind of ally would hide themselves so adamantly? What he said are very well likely lies, and yet you would trust some stranger's words instead of your own teammate—"

"Damn it, Sarutobi-sensei! I wouldn't have come here if it was as simple as that; the man knew! He knew about the Konoha ideal, knew about my situation! You know as well as I do that what happened during the Second War wasn't exactly advertised around the damn world!" She slammed a hand down on his desk, considerably light, considering it only formed a few cracks. "There was just… Something distinctly Konoha about him, and I didn't know what to make of it—especially since you say that he wasn't sent by you."

She was stressed, and he could see it in the way the corners of her eyes creased with frustration. The man knew better than to take his student's words lightly, and the fact that she actually had returned to Konoha spoke volumes of her worry on the subject.

Hiruzen leveled a deceptively impassive stare at his student. "… Do you trust him?"

"No I don't," the blonde quickly bit out, irate. "Of course I don't. But his words… Held truth. And the reason why I came here was to simply inform you, not make your decisions. Whether or not Orochi is a threat or not, this masked individual is someone that could be a threat to Konoha."

Inwardly, Hiruzen contemplated the sparse facts Tsunade had given him, along with… Other things. His first instinct, of course, was to defend his student, who was the second candidate for the position of Yondaime Hokage. He couldn't immediately claim that Orochimaru was free of all blame, however, because he couldn't confirm it—ever since he had announced that Minato was his chosen candidate, Orochimaru had become increasingly withdrawn. It was, nowadays, a rare occurrence whenever he saw his student or even heard from him; strange, considering all missions C-Rank and up had to go through the Hokage… And he severely doubted Orochimaru would take on menial D-Ranks.

The Sandaime frowned.

Now that he thought about it… In-between missions, where exactly did Orochimaru go? Hiruzen had noticed the rather prolonged absences his student had begun taking, but hadn't attributed it to anything. But with this recent revelation(or rather, subjective and therefore likely biased information, but still noteworthy), that… Did not work in Orochimaru's favor.

Trust Orochimaru. Give credit to what this supposed masked individual had said.

Hiruzen knew what he wanted to do, which was defend his student's innocence in the matter, hunt down this suspicious masked-figure and leave him in the kindly hands of the T&I Department. But as Hokage, it was his duty to make sure that everything was orderly and safe for his citizens—even if it meant suspecting his student. Besides, it was still highly likely that this was only conjecture, an unfounded accusation.

"Tsunade?" The blonde looked at him, blinking a few times, as though she had been in her own thoughts as well. He sighed. "Am I correct in assuming that you will be leaving, after this?"

Surprisingly, she shook her head—it seemed his female student was rather full of surprises, today. "No. I… I have a bit of an obligation to attend to," this was stated almost petulantly, reluctantly, "… But I do intend on leaving within the month. I am not staying in Konoha."

Hiruzen smiled. "Could I perhaps convince you to head down to the hospital, in your month-long stay? It has been running… Adequately, but I am sure that you could help shape them up where they need it." At her look of protest, he added, "you wouldn't need to go near the patients, you would just be conducting a sort of evaluation. So, no blood."

Tsunade clicked her tongue and sighed, nodding defeatedly. "… Fine. But keep me updated on… What I told you."

The aged Hokage nodded, feeling about twenty years older than he truly was.

"Of course."

Omake - Uchiha "Revenge"

It was a bright and sunny morning in the Uchiha compound, and the main family sat at their breakfast table eating their breakfast.

Itachi went about eating as usual, but he was not ignorant to the hesitant glances his parents would share—and sometimes direct towards him. He might've inquired to the nature of their glances, but decided to wait.

He didn't need to wait long.

"… Itachi-kun," Mikoto began, somewhat hesitantly. "How would you feel about a sibling?"

Itachi blinked. Then, he placed his chopsticks down with minimal noise, and stared at his two parents. "… Would my sibling look like me?"

Neither Mikoto nor Fugaku were expecting that question, and as a result turned to each other with questioning looks. They supposed they should have been used to their son's strange and abnormal tendencies, though.

Confused, yet smiling nonetheless, Mikoto turned back to her son. "I would assume so, yes."

The young raven nodded. "Creepy little fucker."

Silence.

"… Itachi-kun," the Uchiha matriarch began in a deceptively sweet tone. "Where… Did you hear that?"

Lifting his eyes up from his meal, Itachi remained placid. "Obito-san."

Fugaku sighed, inwardly berating himself for not having predicted this. He knew that there would be some setbacks with having Obito teach Itachi as his mentor—the clan head would only hope that reconditioning Itachi once the mentorship was over would be a relatively simple task.

Suddenly, a wash of Killing Intent flooded the room and Fugaku braced himself, expecting an attack—until his eyes fell on the source. Mikoto placed her chopsticks down and stood up abruptly.

"… Mi-Mikoto? Where are you going?" Fugaku couldn't see her eyes, but he could feel the oppressive air about his wife—and it was not friendly. Should he pay for the hospital bills?

As soon as he started balancing the pros and cons of paying for Obito's no-doubt pricey hospital bill, however, the Uchiha matriach sat back down and the dangerous aura disappeared—leaving only a pleasant smile on her face.

"Itachi-kun, I want you to promise me three things. You will never repeat those words, no matter the situation."

He nodded.

"If Obito ever says anything else you don't know, file that away as words you should never say." Fugaku felt an unbidden shiver ghost up his spine at the return of the Killing Intent. An eerie look glinted in Mikoto's eyes, despite the fact that she was still smiling.

"… And be sure to bring him here, to me."

Itachi nodded, either not knowing the hell that would befall his new mentor should he follow the last instruction…

Or not caring.

A/N: Yes, this happened, but I couldn't find placement for it in the story, so… Omake. In all my years of having Asian friends and being Asian myself, I have never seen a through-and-through, "kind, meek, Asian mother." Hence, my head-canon that all Asian mothers are dragon ladies.

Run Obito, run away while screaming like a little girl. Because your life depends on it. Forget Madara and Kaguya, Mikoto is who you have to worry about.