A/N: [*] Word count is ~7.3k.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 27 - Engulfing Darkness

Obito walked west to the outskirts of Konoha's territory, knowing that his two clones had yet to leave to their assigned task.

He didn't like it, how obvious it was. How clear his hesitance was, to the point that even his clones that knew his thoughts hovered and waited, as though wondering if the original would change his mind. He could still feel their eyes—his eyes—on his back, waiting for the order to disperse, waiting for him to cancel his order. As if.

The hands on the straps of his pack tightened, and it was at that moment he felt the clones disappear. They had finally decided to leave, it seemed.

Earlier, after he left the village to meet with his team, Obito had detoured off of the road to create two Kage Bunshin with the task of tracking down the Ame Orphans—the current Akatsuki. Due to the nature of the self-imposed mission and the importance of the delivery, instead of sending a single clone, he had sent two in case one started running low on chakra or they ended up in a confrontation that could not be avoided. From where he was it was a couple days travel to Ame and despite the fact it would have made more sense to make the Bunshin when they were closer to Kusa, Obito couldn't chance any of his teammates finding out about his little mission.

He also didn't want to give himself more to worry about, not with this mission already on the forefront of his mind.

The time traveler shook his head, jumping from the road to the trees to hasten his pace. He could feel it, the steadily building anxiety forming within him, his mind teetering on the edge of sanity and his own, personal brand of madness. Obito had little worries about him snapping at his teammates and harming them—he knew for a fact that he would sooner turn his attacks on himself than harm them, even in the worst state—but he was worried about leaving them privy to his current state of mental and emotional instability.

Minato, who already knew about the fact that he was not the thirteen-year-old boy he seemed, would be quick to realize that this mission held some weight to Obito. Knowing the blonde, the chances of him calling off the mission or accompanying them were high, but Obito needed things to go similarly to how they went last time.

If Minato decided to join them, he would have a difficult time slipping away from them without the ruse of "death-by-falling-rocks"—which he knew would not occur under the watchful eyes of Namikaze Minato. If the mission was canceled, then obviously his chances of slipping away were even slimmer.

There was, of course, always the option of just saying "fuck it" and telling them everything. Considering Madara was, at this point, nothing more than a decrepit old man, he might've considered it had he been more… Stable, and in-control. However, the fact that Madara was not alone prevented him from falling back on this alternative to a degree, almost as much as his own compulsions to keep silent were due to guilt.

Obito snorted derisively at himself, watching the horizon as his teammates' figures became visible. 'I'm a sorry sack of shit.'

The time traveler plastered on a genial smile as he approached his team, watching humorously as Rin and Kakashi turned around with varying levels of surprise. "Hey guys! Ready for the mission?"

"… You're on time," Kakashi stated quietly in a monotone voice, but the slight widening of his eyes betrayed his true thoughts on the matter.

Obito rolled his eyes, grinning somewhat more genuinely. "Wow, I'm hurt, Kakashi. I know how to be on time when it's important, y'know."

"Maybe you should do it more often, then?" Minato suggested lightly, humor lacing his tone. "Well, I'm glad we won't be waiting for an hour before this important mission."

The Uchiha internalized his flinch. If only Minato knew.

Rin discreetly nudged Obito's ribs, making a quiet "psst" sound that wasn't as inconspicuous as she believed. "Hey, Obito, did you remember?"

In response he raised an eyebrow, staring at Rin with barely concealed pain. 'Yes,' he thought quietly, 'I remember.'

"Ah, that's right," Minato began happily, withdrawing one of his Hiraishin kunai. "As of today, Kakashi is a Jōnin just like me, and we'll be splitting into two teams for efficiency." He turned to Kakashi with a smile. "Here, Kakashi. It's custom made for myself, and it's a little heavy and oddly shaped, but I'm sure you'll be able to make the most of it with time. Congratulations."

The silver-haired Jōnin caught the kunai as the blonde tossed it to him and nodded. "Aa. Thanks, sensei."

"I have something, too!" Rin chimed in, withdrawing a small package from her bag and presenting it to Kakashi. "A personalized medkit! I know you don't like impractical things, Kakashi, so I figured this would be the best thing for me to get you. I adjusted some things to make it quick and easy to use, even in tight situations."

Kakashi stared at his two gifts for a moment, muttering a quiet, "thank you" before storing them in his pouch. He turned to his last teammate and held his hand out expectantly.

Obito had spared the exchange a disinterested look, but truthfully he had been watching, cataloguing every minute movement and interaction. It was such a light-hearted and happy situation, and he almost wanted to activate his Sharingan to keep it immortalized in his memory.

Outwardly, of course, he placed a faux confused and disgruntled look on his face as he glanced down at Kakashi's hand. "What?"

In response, Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Obito," Rin spoke quietly, a nervous smile on her face. "Kakashi was promoted, and yesterday we said we'd get him presents… Didn't you get him something?"

Obito turned away and closed his eyes, his hand automatically drifting to the left side of his face.

He had to. For his plans to work, to ensure that nothing would befall his loved ones… He had to.

Kakashi, meanwhile, stared at the back of his teammate with incredulity. Of all things, he couldn't help but think. Obito had forced him to open up, to accept his past, to accept the fact that they were a team and that they had to rely on each other.

But here was Obito, rejecting everything, everyone. Rejecting his team. He had been for a while, and even though Minato had told Kakashi to allow Obito to deal with things on his own, even though Kakashi had listened and refrained from prying further, it still bothered him. He had already accepted the fact that he cared for Minato, the man he looked up to and respected. That he cared for Kushina, the woman he saw as an almost-sister that teased him happily. That he cared for Rin, who was once a blithering fangirl but had become a competent medic through hard work and could be trusted on the battlefield. That he cared for Obito, the boy that suddenly became inexplicably precocious yet was still an idiot that refused to tell any of them anything.

Yes, Kakashi had once been in a position that warranted no judgement or reprimands from him, because he had kept everything to himself. He still did, to a degree, but he understood now that teammates were there to help, and pushing them away earned him nothing. Obito had been the one to teach him that. And here they were, Kakashi trying to reach out to his teammate and Obito refusing to open up, in a sickening reversal of their interactions over half a year ago.

It wasn't as if he really need a physical gift from the boy. Sure, it hurt, the idea that Obito had forgotten, but if he had given his usual sheepish smile and apologized, Kakashi would have been able to brush it aside as one of the idiot's idiosyncrasies. But he didn't even offer that much.

After the silence stretched for a minute, Kakashi closed his outstretched hand and allowed it to drop to his side, his fists clenching in a faulty attempt to tell himself that it didn't matter, because he knew that it did. It did matter.

Obito finally sighed. He had remained silent out of hesitation, but he had to get this done at some point.

"… Kakashi," he called out quietly, still facing away. "You sure you want it now?"

He couldn't see them, but he could practically feel the confusion radiating off of his teammates. He took a steadying breath and nodded to himself. "… It would make more sense to give it to you now, when we can prepare."

He turned around, opening his eyes to reveal the red of his Sharingan, and ignored the looks of veiled alarm his dōjutsu brought. "This," he muttered quietly, his hand pointing to his left eye as he stared at Kakashi with grave solemnity. "… Is my gift to you."

Rin gasped as Kakashi and Minato stiffened. Apparently, they knew the gravity of what he was offering. Instead of acknowledging their surprise, hesitance, and possible disgust, he waited patiently for anyone present to speak, and for Kakashi to accept his gift.

"… Obito," Minato stated quietly, gaze sharp and measuring. "You… Do you understand what it is that you are saying?"

The time traveler locked eyes with the blonde, a silent battle waging between them. 'More than anyone, even you,' his eyes said. But he only verbalized a quiet yet firm, "yes."

"But… But Obito!" Rin exclaimed, eyes wide with worry and brow furrowed in confusion. "You can't do that! I mean, I don't know a lot about your family personally, but—everyone knows that your clan won't—"

"It's not the clan, but their ideals," Obito snapped, not necessarily at Rin, but at himself. Ire rose quickly as he recalled his recent interactions with the Elders. "And you know what? I don't give a damn about their prideful, destructive ideals. The esteemed Elders can all fuck off an die for all I care. That clan… It's full of pompous, mentally-skewed freaks that would be doing the world a favor if they all just disappeared."

He turned away from his team slightly, giving a hard stare in the direction of the village. "There are select few in that clan that can actually handle the blood, handle the dōjutsu that they claim is a gift from the gods. But they are few in hundreds, and those of Uchiha blood are cursed to fall to power-hungry depravity that leads to nothing but meaningless death."

Obito flexed his hands, forcing his animosity to die down.

He had an utterly vile sense of anticipation, dread, regret, and anger roiling within, and his unequivocal hatred towards even the Uchiha Elders was misplaced to a degree. The anticipation that started ever since he had found out that the Kannabi Bridge mission was approaching had been mounting for the past couple of days, and it was something he had to control.

… No. Even before then, he had been slipping, losing his grasp on his determination ever since he realized he was in the past. Despite Naruto's methods of showing him the truth, the boy's miracle therapy had only managed to haphazardly put his shattered mind back together in a feigned mirage of normality. He was unstable—it was something he could easily admit to, especially now—and subconsciously, he wondered if he was already past instability, and if he was as insane as he felt.

Obito shook his head. It wasn't the time to be losing himself, he needed to keep a level head.

Without a second thought, his left hand darted to his eye and gouged it out without hesitance, and he felt the familiar warmth of blood trickle down his face and arm. He turned to a clearly stricken Kakashi, ignoring the way Rin flinched and Minato grimaced from the morbid action.

He stared down at the extricated eye with his right, before looking back up at Kakashi and shoving it in the boy's direction. "So. Take it."

Kakashi stumbled backwards, staring at the bloodied eye in the Uchiha's hand with undisguised horror. "… What… I, Obito," the Jōnin breathed out shakily, eyes wide as he glanced between Obito and his outstretched hand. "I can't just—I can't just take your eye! That's—It's just not—"

Rin rushed over to Obito's side, her own eyes riveted to his blooded palm and the organ resting within. "Obito, I-I'll help you, so please," her voice trembled, and the time traveler could see her hesitance to force him to replace his eye. "Please, put your—your eye back in its socket."

He felt a small twinge of guilt at the fact that he had likely traumatized her, but he pulled away, turning back to Kakashi with a steely gaze. A morbid part of him found it humorous that, no doubt, his bloodied visage probably gave his gaze a stronger level of severity than what would have been possible before, in his current form.

He supposed that it made sense they would be worried, scared, even, about this—if not just because the concept of removing one's perfectly healthy eye was questionable, then because it was an Uchiha doing so. But Obito was never the conventional Uchiha, and Kakashi needed to take it. For his plans to work, at least one of his eyes had to survive—especially his left.

And who better to safeguard his eye than the man he had entrusted it to in the first place?

"If you don't take it," he began in a monotonous voice. "… Then I'll crush the eye."

Rin took a hesitant step back towards Minato, who watched the exchange silently. Kakashi's eyes remained riveted to Obito's disembodied eye, but slowly, the tension and nervousness surrounding the Hatake eased out of his frame as his usual, calculating reason took over.

After a few moments of silence, Kakashi looked up, a searching look in place. "… Why?"

His voice was quiet—almost a whisper—and toneless, but Obito knew that whatever Kakashi was feeling was not nearly so bland. The Uchiha offered a casual shrug. "Your lightning ninjutsu thing leaves you open for attacks. You won't be able to use it if you don't have the eye." The silver-haired Jōnin's eyes widened in question, but Obito glared half-heartedly at him and barreled on. "Bakashi, just accept my gift gratefully, you jerk."

The wary, hesitant look returned to Kakashi visage, and they stared at one another in a battle of wills. If he were to be perfectly honest, Obito didn't know why his teammate wasn't jumping at the opportunity—even if he didn't know anything in-depth about the Sharingan, many knew the basics at least. Kakashi knew the perks to the dōjutsu, and it would undoubtedly make him stronger, almost unrivaled. Seeing his clear hesitance was unnerving to Obito as a result, to say the least.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Kakashi looked at Rin.

He nodded.

The healing process was quick.

Rin had given token resistance, perhaps in the hope that the two of them would change their minds, but Obito could see it—she already understood that the two of them had made their decisions. She could have tried to reason that such a change right now before a pivotal mission was foolish, or she could have lied and said that it wasn't possible for her to make a clean transplant (which was a bold-faced lie that Minato and Obito knew). But she only looked at them once before shaking her head solemnly. It was a formality out of worry and knowing what was (likely) better for the both of them, at best.

Obito watched as Rin checked Kakashi's transplanted eye for the fifth time, ensuring that the dōjutsu had successfully been transferred and their efforts not wasted. The Hatake was deathly silent, grave as he was years ago—as Obito recalled when he himself was mentally a child—as he gazed unseeingly at the grass over Rin's shoulder.

He knew. Obito knew that his "gift" wasn't truly a gift, but rather, a curse he was bestowing on his friend and teammate. Even if he hadn't had memories from a future Kakashi that once was, he would've known after seeing the corruption within his clan, coupled with the knowledge of the Sharingan itself. But this was what he needed. His Sharingan needed to continue to exist, and however much guilt he felt about forcing his friend to go through this—again, and by his own urging no less—Kakashi was the only one he knew he could trust unequivocally, only emphasized by the intense loyalty and devotion the Kakashi he knew had shown in the future-past.

Obito watched Rin flinch out of the corner of his eye as Kakashi passed something to her, and she turned to him with shaking, bloodied hands. Her eyes were steel, but hesitant. "O-Obito, I'm sorry."

He stared at her hands.

"It's—I couldn't… The optic nerves on—it—aren't…" Her eyes glanced to the hand holding the destroyed eye and Obito's empty eye socket. "… I can't…"

Obito inclined his head after glancing to the spinning, red eye in Kakashi's left eye socket—verifying that she was indeed speaking about the Jōnin's previous eye. He had, in truth, expected and hoped for this outcome. He didn't need the eye. "It's alright, Rin, I can adapt with one eye. Is Kakashi doing alright?"

After a moment, the medic stepped aside and glanced to Kakashi, whose eyes were still riveted to the ground before him, shell-shocked. It could have been from the sudden clarity the Sharingan offered him, or the thought and realization that it was his friend's eye that he was seeing through, the latter being more probable.

Obito realized with apathy that the whole premise was rather macabre, but there was no time for frayed nerves and injured morals.

"Keep your left eye closed for now," he spoke loudly, stirring Kakashi from his daze. He snapped up to look at Obito. "Since you aren't an Uchiha by blood, the chakra drain will be substantial—I know you can and will learn how to navigate with one eye quickly, but for now, keep it covered."

Minato, who had been silently observing his students the entire time, spoke. "Are we ready to leave?"

He gazed over them before locking eyes with Obito, his gaze searching and stern. The Uchiha nodded as Kakashi and Rin gave affirmatives. Minato's gaze lingered for a moment before turning west, his eyes narrowing. "We will continue traveling together until we enter Kusa, where we will split up. I will head to the front while you three will head towards the Kannabi Bridge to complete your objective."

The blonde received three more affirmatives in understanding, and with a signal, they all leapt to the trees.

Minato watched his team from the back of the group. Kakashi was at the front, the designated leader of the team, while Rin, the medic, was in the middle with Obito trailing behind her.

It was a well-chosen formation, however basic, and it was with a certain level of pride that he noted they had assumed their positions without preamble or dissonance—as natural as breathing.

His eyes slid to Obito, who remained ever vigilant. Though he could not see his face, Minato knew that the boy's Sharingan was activated (the chakra Minato could sense focused around the Uchiha's eyes attested to this) and he could detect the nervousness surrounding the boy like a shroud.

Had Obito truly been the thirteen-year-old, un-bloodied Chūnin Minato had though he was a few months ago, then he might have dismissed this behavior as shaken nerves over a high-ranked mission. But he knew that Obito was not as he appeared, and that the "boy" had experienced horrors unknown to many.

He didn't know exactly what, and for all he knew, this immensely changed Obito he now knew was all of three years older than he appeared—or in contrast, decades older. Minato didn't know. But the fact that Obito, who was apparently from the future, displayed such worry over a mission such as this… It was worrying.

Minato had seen and catalogued Obito's initial reaction to finding out about this mission. As soon as he had explained the mission parameters, his eyes had focused on Obito, watching for a reaction—and a reaction he got.

Earlier, the Uchiha's fervor in giving his eye to Kakashi had been observed and catalogued as well. Deep down, Minato had wanted to stop the exchange—the psychological, not to mention political ramifications given to Kakashi upon their return to Konoha would be substantial, and Minato could easily see how the event had shaken his usually controlled, level-headed student and medic. And despite everything, it seemed that, at this point, Kakashi and Rin had both reached a level of trust and understanding in Obito similar to Minato's own, even without knowledge of the truth the "boy" held, if their quiet acceptance of the previous situation was anything to go by.

Still. While Minato trusted and cared for the Uchiha, there were simply too many cues to dismiss.

Without a sound, he darted to Kakashi's side and glanced behind them. Kakashi, at first confused, nodded hesitantly and signaled for the other two to stop. Everyone except Obito halted their travels and landed on the next branch available, but he continued on, his red eyes darting around.

Minato had waited. Whatever happened during this mission was critical, and despite his hesitance to push the time traveler, he had waited long enough. All of them had.

His mouth set in a grim line and he called out to his student.

"Obito."

The addressed time traveler abruptly halted, almost stumbling over the branch he had just made contact with. He turned around and his eyes widened as he noted that it wasn't just Minato behind him, but Kakashi and Rin as well—apparently, they had been signaled to stop.

Inwardly berating himself for hyper-focusing on everything except his teammates (such a blunder could earn him dead teammates) he leapt back to them, joining the group.

"Minato-sensei," he started, before shaking his head and turning to Kakashi. He was the leader of the mission at the moment, after all. "Kakashi, why'd we stop—"

"Obito, I think we should talk," Minato interrupted.

Hesitantly, the time traveler turned to the blonde. His sensei looked normal enough, but… "… Talk about what?"

Minato smiled. "Well, you've been awfully jumpy for a while, now, and earlier was somewhat concerning." The corners of his eyes creased as though amused, but actually looking revealed that the man found the situation humorless. "I think it's about time you tell us everything, wouldn't you agree?"

Like before, the two locked gazes and exchanged a silent battle. It took Obito only a second to realize that, unlike before, he would not be getting his way again—Minato was adamant, and it seemed he had already caught on to Obito's worry. The signs he had given were telling, and Namikaze Minato was not the type to allow things to slide if there was even the slightest chance of those he cared for being injured.

On the side, Kakashi and Rin observed the exchange silently, understanding the severity of the situation on an intrinsic level, even without knowing the full truth.

Obito felt his jaw tighten. There was really no way out of the situation, nothing he could do short of outright treason—and he didn't want that. He didn't want to be remembered as a traitor, however selfish the notion seemed. Besides, he reasoned with himself, if Kurama came through for him, they would likely find out anyway…

"… Fine," Obito sighed quietly, feeling less guilt and more relief than he would have ever expected from the decision. He sat on the branch he was perched atop, allowing his legs to swing slightly as he looked expectantly at his team.

Minato blinked. He blinked again. Rin and Kakashi stared at Obito.

However amusing he found the situation (apparently they had been expecting more resistance—which was understandable, considering all of his griping and duplicity prior), Obito wanted to tell them before he changed his mind. He rolled his eyes and grumbled half-heartedly. "Do you want to know or what? Sit down, I'm not talking up to you guys."

His two teammates sat as told, clearly trying to understand exactly what was going on, and Minato, with his knowledge of Obito's status as a time traveler was understandably hesitant. He sat down eventually anyway, eyeing Obito expectantly.

"First," the time traveler stated when they were all eye-level, "you need to keep any questions and inquires until the end. Regardless of this, other than what I tell you I will not elaborate—it's up to you to make your own inferences. Also, I'm only going to tell you once, because we're short on time."

Rin and Kakashi nodded. Minato continued staring expectantly.

"… Well then…" Obito began, scratching the back of his head as he contemplated his next course of action. He couldn't, wouldn't tell them everything point blank for many reasons, one of the most prominent being that it would take too much time that they didn't have, not even counting the endless questions the truth would no doubt bring forth. But if he could tell them the truth without making it obvious, giving them something to think about…

He nodded to himself, and then turned to his team. This was stupid and he felt stupid for this, but he honestly couldn't think of anything else. He wasn't a storyteller, that much would be made obvious, but it would serve well in confusing them.

"… Once upon a time," he began, watching with half distaste at himself and slight amusement as Kakashi's eyes narrowed, Rin's brow furrowed, and Minato restrained the disappointment in a grimace. Out of everyone, Minato would be the one to take the most out of what he was about to say—that disappointment wouldn't last for long. Obito turned his attention back to his "story" and smiled. "… There was a boy. A boisterous, mischievous little tyke, who was always smiling and laughing."

Obito closed his eyes, remembering the few times he had observed a younger Naruto during his "visits" to Konoha. He drew from the memories he had gained from the boy during their pivotal exchange, as well.

"He… He was hated by his village. They were fearful of him, bitter, and spiteful. Because he contained something that had caused their pain, their suffering, even second-handedly. They believed this boy to be a monster, the epitome of evil, and though they never lashed out out of fear, they avoided him. However silly and ignorant the boy behaved, he noticed this—he heard the whispers, the barely concealed glares and fear in their eyes. He didn't understand, why they treated him like this, and he didn't have anyone. No friends. No family. No allies." A memory flashed through his mind, of Naruto sitting forlornly on his battered swing, staring with ill-concealed yearning as he observed the children with their families. "He was alone. He was born, had the love of his parents for all of half an hour, and was then left in a village that hated him, hated the power inside of him, and he lived alone."

His nindō.

"… But he never gave up. His dream was to become kage of his village, to earn the recognition of the people, and to be loved. So he didn't give up. Even when placed on a team of a survivor with a vendetta, a fangirl, and a mourner, he never gave up. Even when the odds seemed to be at their worst, he never gave up. Even when he lost one of the few he looked up to, he continued on his path."

"Is the boy you?" Kakashi questioned abruptly, his brow furrowed in confusion. Rin nudged him as Obito gave him an unimpressed look. Remembering what the raven had said earlier, the silver-haired Jōnin turned away with a mumbled apology before turning back to listen.

Obito smiled wryly. Without even knowing it, Kakashi had asked a very loaded question.

He shook his head, deciding he had given enough of Naruto's backstory. "Anyway… This boy was a key player to the plans of another." His expression darkened, his eyes flashing red. "Years before the boy was even born, a foolish, stubborn idiot lost himself to darkness after the death of a loved one."

His team tensed at his change in demeanor.

"He allowed his grief to blind him, and as such, ended up becoming a willing servant of a controlling, manipulative individual, being one of the few with a darkened heart to rival the other. His ancestor. Under the spell of insanity his ancestor had woven over him, the fool took the lives of the boy's parents, leaving the innocent child unprotected against his burden and the village. Time and time again, the fool interfered with the boy's attempts to save his loved ones, keep them happy, and achieve happiness himself. The fool even started a war in an effort to kill the boy, take his power, and chase after—" he hissed, his fists clenched tightly and bleeding. "—after a convoluted dream."

Obito relaxed almost immediately, his face taking on an impassive look again, but his eyes showed remorse. "… And still, the boy persevered, fighting not only against the fool's attacks and darkness… But against the hatred he had always lived against. Soon, he had gathered the trust and bonds of many from across the nations, unknowingly being the link that joined the once-disagreeing leaders together. When the boy and the fool fought in a final clash, that was the biggest difference: where the boy had the wills and support of thousands… The fool had none. He had killed the people he had loved, and betrayed the few that still lived. He turned to the darkness, foolishly clinging to a hopeless ideal to reclaim what he once thought lost—what he had destroyed himself."

The time traveler leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together tightly. "It was… It was then, that the fool finally looked. Finally opened his eyes and saw the boy, the young man who had gone from a pariah and image of scorn to what he was then. Despite all that he had experienced… He had continued. When the fool had told him that he didn't have to walk a steep path, that he could take a shortcut, that a kage's goal should be to bring peace to this world…" He paused and swallowed, his voice wavering. "Do you know what he said?"

The boy looked up and glared, his eyes full of determination. "… I don't want to know an easy shortcut. I want to know how to walk down a steep path."

Obito gave a quiet, tremulous chuckle as he shook his head. "He said that he didn't want to know how to take a shortcut, but how to brave the impossible."

The boy walked closer, his voice rising slightly with anger. "Who determines if a path is 'steep'? Someone must have the courage to walk down and find out. A Hokage is one who withstands the pain, walking in front of the others—the people, the village. It's someone that breaks through a dead end so that everyone else can tread forward without risk, without fear."

"He said that… That the Hokage is the one to determine if a path is steep or impossible. A kage must have the courage to go forward and lay out the path for everyone else, for the village."

He halted before the man, glaring. "There are no shortcuts to protecting those we care about, and there are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage! Once you become Hokage, you can't ever run away!"

"The boy who went through hell and back. He lost his parents. He lived a life of scorn because of a power he never wanted. He wanted, wished for recognition and respect, despite his life. He lost his friend and was always looked down on. He lost the only family member he ever truly had, even if it was not a connection by blood. He watched as everyone he cared about died. And yet, through it all, he managed to do the unimaginable. The unexpected. Through it all, he still managed to remain unwavering with his morals. He refused to take a shortcut, for he wanted the pure, earned respect and acknowledgement of everyone. He turned the hearts of many. Acquired the support and love of many. Continued improving and gaining power, all in order to protect his friends. Most importantly, he never gave up."

His hands tightened. "… Even as he faced the man, the one who could be said to have been responsible for all of his hardship, he still managed to reach out to him. The fool. To offer the man salvation, a chance to redeem himself. The boy started his life in a way that was not dissimilar to the man's. And yet, they had ended up on two different sides of the battlefield. The man lived his life in the darkness, accepting it, living it, as he was convinced his only light had been snuffed out. The boy lived his life without looking back, deciding to move forward and to strive for his goals. For his bonds. For the people he loved."

The Uchiha took a breath, blinking down at his bloodied hands before releasing them; he hadn't realized he was clenching his hands with so much pressure. He shook his head.

"… He was determined. Where the fool made a crucial mistake in a pivotal moment, where he ran away—the boy remained. He never ran away, and continued forging on, no matter the stakes. No matter the risks. All for the sake of what he thought was right."

Obito cracked a pained, reminiscing smile. "… The boy, using his experiences, his words—his bare fists—managed to convey his pain and understanding. Even the the blind, idiotic fool had seen it. The boy liberated the fool, acknowledging him, forcing him to accept a name he had long since abandoned." He paused, his eyes glazing over in memory. "… All, of course, didn't end there, as the ancestor still lived. But that was not it, for even the ancestor was not the crux of their problems. A legend, a mythical being, a god, a demon—it materialized before their eyes in place of the ancestor, exhibiting such overwhelming power. It was something even more wicked, tainted and corrupted, and it was strangely fitting to the fool that the ancestor had been betrayed by a being that was the corrupt will of origin itself."

"The fool… He knew he had to do something. For the boy was not strong enough to take on the monster, so he had decided that he ought to stop acting as a fool: he sacrificed his life to save an old friend he had betrayed, the last of his loved ones, and the boy who had liberated him."

Obito bowed his head, closing his eyes. "… He died. He died, and he went into the afterlife to join his loved ones while the battled the corrupt origin with his own friend, his brother in arms. The fool, though his sins were far too many to be repented through such a simple act, was…" He swallowed, his hands tightening into fists. "… He was happy."

A tense, hesitant silence descended around them as Obito gathered himself. When he was finally certain his appearance alone wouldn't garner questions, he looked up at them with a smile, eyeing each of his team. "Well, then. That's it."

"… I don't get it," Rin started quietly, solemnly, eyes on her hands. "Who… Who is the boy? The fool? And… And what does this have to do with you, Obito…?"

The Uchiha shook his head. "I told you. It's up to you to figure out what I said."

His two teammates looked disgruntled, but seemingly understood that the topic should not be pursued. Obito glanced to his sensei, silently hoping he hadn't affected one of his unreadable masks.

Minato had a thoughtful, almost sorrowful look on his face.

When they entered a very familiar area of the forest, Obito withdrew his mask from his jacket.

"Obito?" Rin questioned, tilting her head as she slowed down slightly to walk with him. "What's that for?"

Kakashi glanced back at them and stared.

"Hn." Obito smiled and cocked his head to the side, even though his expressions were hidden by the mask. Behind it, he activated his Sharingan once again and allowed the menacing killing intent he had been reigning in show on his (thankfully) covered face. He hadn't been late to meet them earlier that day, but thanks to the few… Setbacks, they ended up arriving in this area around the same time they had previously. That Iwa Shinobi wouldn't stand a chance, this time around.

He watched as Kakashi paused for a brief moment before continuing to walk, glancing to Minato. The blonde nodded. "Follow me," the Hatake motioned to his two teammates and they darted to a fallen tree for cover.

"One," he informed them quietly. "High Chūnin, possibly Jōnin. I'll take care of this."

Kakashi motioned through the required handseals for Chidori with speed and within seconds, his hand was engulfed in bright, volatile lightening chakra.

Before he could dart out and attack the enemy in the trees, Minato held out his hand, staring off into the shade. "Don't be hasty, Kakashi. You haven't use this technique in battle yet, have you?"

Kakashi shook his head, opening his left eye. "Obito gave me his eye for this technique."

Minato's eyes widened slightly, before he turned to Obito. The time traveler only inclined his head, expression unseen.

"… Still," the blonde began, turning to a worried Rin. "You only just received the Sharingan. It's still healing, and you probably shouldn't use it without traini—"

"I'm the captain right now," Kakashi interrupted. "I can do this." Without preamble, he darted forward with the sound of crackling lightning filling the air.

The events played out much like last time. Obito could tell that, despite being more nervous than usual (no doubt a result of the events from earlier) Kakashi would be able to kill the Jōnin this time, and that Minato would still interfere to ensure that his student would not be injured.

'Sorry sensei, Kakashi,' Obito thought quietly as his Mangekyō spun. 'But this kill is mine.'

He darted forward in a Shunshin as Minato grabbed Kakashi a split second before the boy connected, the both of them jumping back with wide-eyes. The Iwa Shinobi's eyes widened as Obito ducked from the swing of his katana and reached up to grab the arm.

Blink.

… And it was gone.

The Jōnin stumbled backwards, staring at the stump where his arm used to be, eyes wide and dilated, breathing labored. "Y-you—my arm! My arm!" He collapsed onto the ground as he clutched his bicep with his remaining arm and glared up at the time traveler, seething. "You b-bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

"Aw~," Obito cooed, weaving side to side with a lazy gait as he approached the shinobi, head tilting with his movements. "Does it hurt? Is Iwa-nin-chan hurt? Tobi is sorry! So, so sorry!"

He was suddenly kneeling in front of the shaken and fearful shinobi, whose matted hair clung to his face from perspiration. Obito chirped happily, "Here, let me help you~!"

The man watched, this time, with a morbid fascination as the space around his arm twisted and a sickening, muffled crunch was emitted by his limb. He let out another scream.

Obito stood up with his fists on his hips, chest puffed out proudly. "There~! Now you're even! Tobi did a good job, right?" He tilted his head to the side. "Hmm… Yeah, Tobi did a good job. Tobi is a good boy!"

"M-monster!" The Iwa-nin cried out, tears streaming down his face as he kicked away. Without the use of arms, it was a rather clumsy endeavor. "Y-you, you're a MONSTER! Get away, GET AWAY!"

Obito crossed his arms and huffed. "That's not very nice of you. Not-nice people need to be punished~!"

He walked up to the armless shinobi and knelt, placing his hands on the man's legs. The legs went. Obito absently hoped the bloodied limbs were transported somewhere distant from his usual landing point. It'd be gross to land in his dimension and land on deteriorated, rotting limbs, after all.

The man's screaming increased in volume, coherency and clarity replaced with mind-numbing fear. The limbless creature was nothing but a feral beast with the most base of instinctual fear, and the inability to protect himself.

Slowly, languidly, Obito reached over to place his hand on the man's head, causing the screams to increase in volume. His voice calm and measured, cool and callous like steel unlike his Tobi persona's. "Shut up."

The screeching abruptly cut off with a gurgling hiss as the shinobi's severed windpipe was revealed, along with the red flesh surrounding it. Blood gushed from the newly created orifices, and the time traveler moved back in a fluid motion to avoid the warm spray.

As Obito stared at the misshapen torso, he let out an aggrieved sigh. He didn't have to deal with it so… Messily. Not to mention dementedly. But he would be lying if that loss of inhibitions didn't alleviate some of the looming anxiety, and true insanity from earlier.

He just had to wait. Once Madara was gone, once Kaguya's messenger was dealt with, he could relax.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and he snapped around, blinking at the worried look Minato had—and the pale and shocked looks his teammates wore. They didn't look quite as bad as they had the first time, but…

"Obito." His eyes slid back to Minato, knowing the unspoken words—'what happened? Are you alright?'—just from the look in the blonde's eyes.

He removed his mask, revealing the dead look in his eye and a strained smile. "I will be alright, Minato-sensei." He stood up as Minato's hand fell, and replaced his mask over his face. He turned to Kakashi. "Let's go, captain. We don't have much time."

Unseen by him, Minato reached out to the time traveler. His hand hovered indecisively a few inches away from Obito's shoulder before retracting. "… Alright," Minato intoned, turning to Kakashi. "We'll split up here."

Rin and Kakashi turned to look at him simultaneously, shocked. "Wha—sensei!" Rin shouted with wide-eyes. "You're really going to just… Obito, he—he should get rest! Or, something, we don't—we can't just—"

"Is Obito fit for duty?" Kakashi questioned, apparently having recovered slightly from his initial shock. He turned to Obito with a critical, yet worried, eye, and the time traveler knew the boy's inquiry was not disparaging. "This is an important mission with high stakes. Is it wise for you to leave him with—"

Minato cut Kakashi off with a pained look. "Kakashi. You are the team leader, and the three of you are perfectly capable of handling this mission on your own."

Kakashi's expression pinched as his trained formality faltered. "But Obito isn't… He just killed—"

The blonde turned away, facing Obito with hardened eyes. "I know the three of you can do this. I'm sure that nothing bad will happen in the immediate future." His voice fell below a whisper, and held a vague threat. "I'll trust you, Obito."

The Uchiha nodded, and the unspoken words in the blonde's eyes, "I will trust that you will protect them," were not missed by him.

It was a promise easily kept, for Obito.