A/N: Double Update pt 2.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 24 - Dwindling Promises

"How do you feel about being the last Uzumaki?"

Obito watched as Kushina turned around to him, eyes wide, her hand frozen mid-stir.

He had been rather thankful when he had seen a return of the homely normalcy he associated with living there, but he couldn't afford to dawdle more than he had before. He had no idea when the Kannabi Bridge mission would come up; he remembered the exact date it had before, but it was possible that the date changed this time around. There was an even higher possibility that their team wouldn't even receive the mission, a worry he found his mind revisiting often, to his irritation.

'I'll just find another mission close by,' he reminded himself constantly. He could figure something out to get them close to Madara's hideout to infiltrate, or he could fake his death in the case of it being another mission. He had to get there before Madara somehow found someone else to carry out his plans. Before Black Zetsu made its move, if it hadn't already done so—and as the day crept closer and closer, Obito found himself cursing himself for never questioning the being whenever it went off on its own. He had so foolishly assumed once before that, because it was Madara's will, it wouldn't do anything that wouldn't coincide with their plans.

But it isn't Madara's will.

No. For now, his priority was Madara. There were few individuals who could successfully become the Jinchūriki of the Jūbi, him being one of them—as long as Madara was taken out of the picture, not only would Black Zetsu's plans be halted for a good while, but Madara wouldn't be able to find some progenitor to carry on his goal of gathering the bijū. Entering Madara's hideout, killing the man and storing away the Gedō Mazō statue in his Kamui dimension. That was the plan.

Obito turned his attention outwards again, watching Kushina as she blinked in confusion and grasped for words.

His question had a reason behind it. His plan had been in the works for a while, but he had finalized it recently—only, there was a certain detail he had yet to determine, one that would be decided depending on Kushina's reply.

He could store the Gedō Mazō statue in his dimension, and he would be relatively safe from anyone using the husk for nefarious purposes.

But Nagato still had Madara's Rinnegan.

Ideally, it would be easier to kill the boy and destroy the eyes or simply extract the Rinnegan to destroy them and leave the red-head blind, and then Obito's only gamble would be on the off-chance someone else later on manifested the dōjutsu. But he had found out about Naruto's compassion towards the two Ame-nin, towards Nagato, who held Uzumaki blood as strong as Naruto's. If only because that boy had been the one to save him, Obito would give the red-head a chance.

And now, Nagato's fate was held in the hands of a relative that didn't know he even existed.

Kushina's mouth set in a grim line and she turned back to her pot of soup stock, her eyelids weighing heavily. "I… It's just…" She released a disgruntled sigh, pulling her hair out of her face with a hairband in a quick movement. "I'm over it. Really, I am. Uzushio will always have a place in my heart, but Konoha is my home now."

She resumed her stirring, a tad bit over-zealous, a frown marring her features. Obito watched as her shoulders eventually relaxed, and she paused, reaching out for a container of spices.

Eventually, she sighed. "… Both Minato and I are orphans, as you know." He nodded, eyes never leaving her as she continued to absently put together the night's dinner. "I know I shouldn't wish for it. I know it's stupid to continuously grieve over what happened years ago, but… But I just wish that Minato and I had more family, y'know? But being orphans, we kinda don't. I mean, you guys are like family, but… It sucks, 'ttebane."

"Why?" He prodded, watching as Kushina's movements gradually stopped to a complete halt.

She turned to him, a sad smile on her face. "Because… I know what it's like, not having a family. Minato knows this, too. Even though we'll be there… It just won't be the same. Because one day, when we have a kid…"

It had a bit of a twisted gamble, one with fixed stakes, on his part. He already knew what Kushina's answer would be, as it was natural for the sole survivor of a massacre to wish to family again. Perhaps he had wanted verification for this act, so he couldn't forgive himself.

He inwardly shrugged. Nagato got to keep his life.

A timer dinged, a high-pitched bell, and Kushina's eyes widened as a grin split her face. "Done!" She quickly turned off the fire and placed a lid over the bubbling soup stock, glancing to the wall clock.

Obito was still in his thoughts. There was something else he needed to discuss with Kushina, but he didn't quite know how to breach the subject. It would certainly be suspicious if he simply went and said, "let me speak to the Kyūbi again because I have a deal with him that needs to be completed!" Yeah, no, he didn't think so.

"… Um, Kushina-neesan?" He started, watching her turn to him curiously.

"Yes?"

His brow furrowed. He was a veritable master of lying, if he were to say so himself, but for some reason he couldn't quite get the appropriate amount of true worry and nervousness required for this. Though he considered it a weakness, he supposed it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that he couldn't find it within himself to completely lie to the woman.

"… I think… I should check your seal again, just in case." She blinked, and he quickly rushed his next words. "I'm worried, I wasn't sure what I did last time and even though you've been healthy lately, I just want to make certain, and—"

Her laughter cut him off, and she plopped down on the chair across from him with mirth in her eyes. "I'm fine, Obito… But I know that's not what you're really thinking about. You want to talk to the Kyūbi again, right?"

Obito froze, but Kushina just continued to smile. "Just because I'm not the best Jōnin in the village or a member of the Sannin doesn't mean that I'm ignorant, Obito. And I'd appreciate it if you treated me at least like an equal—not as some damsel that needs to be protected, dattebane." She flicked him on the nose, her smile growing slightly mischievous. "I couldn't hear what you two were conversing about, but I could sense you in my seal that time. You should've used a better Genjutsu, Obito-kun."

The Uchiha held a hand over his nose, eyeing the red-head warily. She didn't say she had seen him, but… "… You're not surprised, or suspicious? That I want to talk to the Kyūbi?"

Kushina snorted, waving her hand as though batting away a fly. "Please. I wanted to talk to him too. There is something very different about it… Him. He's a lot more amicable than a supposedly hateful spirit is supposed to be."

Obito's eyes threatened to pop out of his eye sockets. "Y-you SPOKE to him!?" He knew there was no threat, knowing that the Kyūbi wanted to make sure Naruto actually existed this time around. It would be kinda shitty for the fox to kill his first friend's mother, after all, especially when said first friend hadn't even been conceived yet. Still, the fact that Kushina had spoken to him and seemingly resurfaced with a casual demeanor as though she had a chat with any other human in Konoha…

Kushina nodded. "Yep. So did Minato and Jiraiya. But anyway, you have something important to discuss with him, right?"

The time traveler nodded, still somewhat flabbergasted. "Er, yeah. Thanks for understanding."

"Sure," she replied easily, but something strange glinted in her eyes. "But I expect an explanation at some point. I don't like being left out of the loop, 'ttebane."

Obito hid a grimace with a smile, knowing that it was a promise he couldn't exactly keep.

He nodded.

His eyes flickered from the expanse of darkness to the bright beacon of burning, raw energy.

"Kyūbi."

The beast remained silent, though a single, crimson eye met his gaze. He drew himself up, rolling his shoulders and yawning as he reoriented himself. It was almost amusing how domestic the great, formidable fox seemed, and it was all due to Naruto's tempering.

"It's about time, Uchiha."

Obito inclined his head. "… Yes. I had to be certain that the treatment worked, and though I cannot use Mokuton at the moment, the cells have worked to bolster my Sharingan. I ran into a few complications as well, hence, my absence even after I was certain the treatment was a success."

"A few complications?" The fox echoed, gaze never leaving the man. "I assume they are dealt with, considering you are currently here."

The time traveler smiled ruefully. That certainly was one way of putting it; it wasn't as if any amount of words could aptly describe what had transpired in the past week to begin with. "I suppose you could say that." He paused as his thoughts trailed, realizing that he shouldn't allow himself to be distracted. "… That's besides the point. I wanted to ask you for a favor. I don't particularly care when, as long as it isn't immediately, but I would appreciate it if you told Minato-sensei and Kushina-neesan what you know about the future."

The Kyūbi lifted an eyebrow. "And you are incapable of doing so because?"

After a moment, Obito offered a noncommittal shrug. "I might forget. Besides, I can admit that I'm hesitant about facing them and telling them the truth." He looked up at the fox. "You know what I did. Of course I'm going to be scared about repercussions."

He watched as twin slitted-eyes narrowed, speculatively. "… You are lying."

"Why? Is this your distrust of Uchiha speaking? Humans are ants to you, weak creatures that don't know much. Selfish, weak-minded, fools." Obito crossed his arms. "Isn't that right? Whether or not you believe me or not is inconsequential. Can you do it?"

Nine, glowing tails flicked back and forth in the darkness, the only noticeable movement. The bijū released a humorless snort. "… Hmph. If I find it necessary, then I shall. It was not part of our deal, after all."

"Speaking of which, do you have it?" Obito questioned, feeling vaguely as though he were making a deal in the shadows. In the metaphorical sense. Because it certainly was dark in the confines of the seal.

The Kyūbi nodded, and reached out with clawed hand. Obito abruptly jumped out of the way when said hand slammed down on the ground where he had been standing.

"What the hell!?" He spat, glaring up at the fox. "Is this your way of saying that the deal is off?"

The nine-tailed beast only stared at him with a slitted gaze. "… No. It was a test."

Obito stared at him, incredulity plain to see. "A test for what, exactly?"

His question received him an amused snort. "It does not matter. Get back over here, I'll give you the chakra." When the Uchiha did not move, he snarled. "There is no cage keeping me at bay. If I truly wished you dead, human, then you would've departed from this plane long ago."

Obito couldn't argue with that logic. He leapt back over to the fox, still observing it with keen eyes as it reached over to him once again. He closed his eyes when felt the vaguely familiar sage chakra engulf him as the transfer took place.

"… You had been right, to a degree." The time traveler cracked one eye open to watch the fox. "You were correct, that I had residual traces of the Rikudō chakra, but you were wrong regarding where it came from. Any that had been absorbed by me from interactions with Hagoromo would have dissipated after so many years. However, I could still feel residual traces of when I had been merged with the other bijū to become the Jūbi."

The Uchiha started. "So it's chakra from an event that hasn't occurred yet? We can assume that you're the Kyūbi from the future, then, right?"

The fox blinked owlishly. "… I had thought that particular subject was to be forgotten."

Obito opened his mouth to reply, but paused. The bijū had a point; now was not the time to be discussing theories on time travel and the like. He coughed into his fist. "… Right. Anyway, if the chakra is from when you were the Jūbi, can't you create your own Six Paths Sage chakra, then? What makes the individual bijū incapable of producing it if the complete Jūbi could?"

The fox shook its head. "I wouldn't know, and I don't care to find out. I trust few to handle that chakra, and I myself am not one of them—my own chakra is volatile enough."

"… And you trust me?" The question was stated with minimal, but still present, skepticism. His reply was a not-quite-derisive scoff.

"Not exactly, no, but there are worse individuals that could handle it." He withdrew his hand, and stared at the raven-haired man. "… Well?"

Obito performed a quick scan of his coils and frowned. The lack of the Rinnegan did not go unnoticed by him, either. "… I do not feel different, and I don't have the Rinnegan. What is going on?"

"Even Madara was not able to activate the dōjutsu immediately. It is impossible to know when, and if, the legendary eyes will ever form."

Obito scowled, flexing his hands. "That is… Fine, then. Not optimal, but I can live with this."

The fox took on a contemplative expression. "… This is what I had meant by 'other factors' the last time we spoke. It is likely that the small portion of sage chakra I've given you isn't enough. There is something else you're missing, that your 'vessel' is lacking in."

"You mean, Madara's chakra."

The Kyūbi nodded, but Obito had already fallen into his thoughts. He had subjected himself to the cell treatment, and thanks to the Six Paths Sage chakra, it was highly likely he could use Mokuton again. He could feel the slight difference in the lingering chakra within his coils, and he could only attribute it to the present sage chakra. Of course, he wouldn't be able to actually test whether or not he had access to the Mokuton for a while, not while he was still in Konoha. Regardless, the point was that the Rikudō chakra was currently present in his system. With that in mind, with Madara's chakra potency, he should be able to…

He shook his head, looking up at the fox. It wouldn't matter, even if it did succeed. Because his chances of survival were slim to none after the encounter.

The time traveler shrugged, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he regarded the beast. "Well. Thanks for the chakra, but you only finished half of your side of the deal."

The fox went wide-eyed for a split second before hiss hackles rose, a sneer left prominent on his vulpine features. The beast's volatile chakra flared, blanketing the dark expanse with its suffocating malice. "… I should have known. I should have expected this, that you are just as vile a human as you were before." Teeth, yellowed and menacing were bared in a snarl. "I should kill you where you stand, and let your left-over body rot without the presence of a mind."

Obito waved a hand dismissively, realizing that he perhaps went a little too far with his comment. "I was kidding. As in, a joke."

Silence.

They stared at each other for a few tense moments, Obito with an impassive look, and the Kyūbi frozen with a gleam of confusion in his eyes. The fox's snarl slowly disappeared as a bland, unimpressed look took place. "… Your humor is severely lacking."

The time traveler wanted to say that he actually had the best sense of humor out of the entire Akatsuki, but that wasn't exactly something spectacular, by any standard. Instead, he smiled. "I know that Naruto is someone important to you, and he is someone that made a monumental change in my life. He is the Child of Prophecy, and befriending you is just something he is destined for." He grinned. "I know we don't have the best past, but thanks. You knew that I had planned on sealing you into Naruto anyway, because he needs you. And yet you still helped me with this."

He clapped his arms to his sides and bowed at the waist. "For that, you have my gratitude, Kyūbi-sama."

"… Stop that," the fox grunted in a decidedly unnerved tone, rolling its eyes as Obito straightened. "Even if it was sincere, I could only read sarcasm in your movements. Respect and humans like you simply do not suit each other." The Kyūbi paused, regarding the Uchiha with a curious gaze. "… You know."

Obito shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "Well yeah, you're a millennia-old beast that has observed humans for the majority of your life. It's obvious that you would realize that I was planning on having you sealed into Naruto, regardless of what you had said regarding out deal. You're not stupid and you know about the Sage's prophecies more than I do—"

"No," the bijū interrupted, earning him a raised eyebrow. He rolled his eyes, again, in response. "That is not what I meant. You know my name, so use it."

The time traveler stared. A smirk slowly crept onto his features, a teasing glint in his eyes. "… Huh. Naruto has really rubbed off on you. The great Kurama, the Kyūbi no Kitsune, deliberately making friends? Of his own accord?"

Kurama sneered, moving to flick the cheeky human, not caring when he dodged. "I do not befriend useless, human ants. 'Kurama' is my name and label, as much as 'Kyūbi'."

Obito knew that the fox wouldn't take kindly to most people knowing his real name, let alone saying it, but he decided not to voice his thoughts. "Alright, then, I'll take that as thanks for helping reacquaint you with Naruto in the future." He lifted his fist, earning him a raised eyebrow from Kurama. "You will be sealed back into Naruto. I promise."

The fox eyed him momentarily, before reciprocating the gesture with a grunt. "… Hmph. I don't doubt that…" His gaze hardened slightly. "… But I can practically smell the resignation resonating off of you." The Uchiha's brow furrowed as he looked up at the bijū with a questioning gaze. Kurama shook his head. "Nothing, it is inconsequential, at the moment. Now go away so I can sleep."

Obito stared at the fox for a moment before nodding. "… Alright. I'll see you later, Kurama."

He flickered out of existence.

Kurama gave a frustrated grunt to no one in particular, collapsing into the shallow water with his hands cradling his head. "… I can never understand that damnable clan. If they aren't foolish, idiotic avengers, they're foolish, fucking-idiot-martyrs."

Obito had once seemed to be the complete antithesis of Naruto… But it had been made apparent that, at their core, the two of them were more similar than many would have thought. The only true difference was that one gave up while the other didn't, and even then, the Uchiha had eventually picked himself up after Naruto "talked" with him.

Naruto was the type to never give up, and he always kept his promises. His "Nindō," the boy had always shouted proudly, and while he had once found his host's unnecessary loud tendencies annoying… Kurama had to admit that Naruto's way of the ninja was certainly honorable. From what he could glean, Obito was of a similar type, and though the man had entered the darkness once in his life, he had managed to escape it as well. It should be expected that Obito wouldn't fall back into it, not when he had finally escaped it.

But Kurama knew it was more than a simple feeling that was worrying at him, regarding the time traveler. It was more than a simple feeling that this would be what defined Obito and Naruto as two completely separate entities. And it wasn't a positive thought.

He sighed, replaying the previous conversation with the man-boy in his mind. "… Don't die before you're able to complete your end of the deal, Obito."

"You did say it would be you who would seal me into Naruto, after all."