p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Obito sprinted across the rooftops of the compound, buildings blurring underneath his feet. Once he makes it over the gates he takes to the trees, rocketing down the side of the hill to the outskirts of the main part of the village. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Everything is in chaos, civilians and ninja alike running rampant, screams and shouts filling the air. Those in uniform are trying to evacuate civilians into the shelters on the mountain, those not in uniform screaming and sprinting to and from homes, searching desperately for family members and loved ones. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Obito doesn't stop, he can't. He has to get as close as possible, because that is where sensei and Kushina will be, and doubtlessly Kakashi as well. He is going full speed when he is grabbed by a Hyuuga branch member./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""All shinobi in your age group are being gathered. I must ask you to gather with the rest of your class year immediately."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The man didn't stick around to see if Obito was following his orders, and Obito certainly was not. He had never been the most order-oriented guy, and certainly not when it involved people he cared about. That was why he went back for Rin on the Kanabi mission, and that was why he was going to go after his team mates now. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He took care to dodge anyone who would know where he needed to be, and continued at full speed towards the fox. He was only a few hundred meters out when suddenly there was a huge orange paw slamming into the ground directly in front of him. He was knocked backwards, hitting the ground hard on his back. Lying there trying to suck the air back into his lungs, another roar filled the air, this one even more bone rattling then the others, probably because he was right underneath the fox./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Shit, he was right underneath the fox. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He scrambled to his feet, and began sprinting away from the foot, on his way into the forest. He could go around, while it was distracted./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He tried not to think about all the lives and homes that were what was distracting it. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He could hear screams and shouts behind him and he should have been stopping, should have been fighting, but all he could do was keep going forward, trying to get to the only team he had left. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Just then an explosion burst out, and Obito was knocked to the ground. He must have blacked out for a while, at least a couple minutes, because when he woke up the area was empty, and there was an eight inch long gash running down his left arm. He moved it and winced, a small yelp coming from his lips. Tearing off a piece of his sleeve, he gingerly wrapped it around the wound. It wasn't bleeding badly enough to warrant any more time then absolutely necessary./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Suddenly there was a column of blue light shooting from the ground about a hundred feet to his left, just barely visible through the trees. In Obito's experience, if one was looking for either Minato or Kakashi and some weird light appeared, there was a great chance that one or both of them would be the source. It seemed like as good a lead as any./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Obito took to the trees again. If there was someone still there who meant the village harm, a surprise attack was his best option./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"See, who said he had never taken Kakashi's advice. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"It was a quick dash to the source of the light. It was quickly evident, however, that he was not the only one who had come to find the source. Opposite him, about a hundred meters away, the fox was approaching. It was so fast, so huge. Obito felt himself freeze under its shadow, his limbs numb and mind blank. God, it was huge. Its fangs were bared, it' eyes glowing blood red./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"How could Kushina have contained this?/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Obito could see the dots of ninja running at the fox, being thrown down or crushed in the tens. By the night's end, if the village was still standing, the standing army would be down a hundred people or more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"If the village was standing. They had only just made it through the war, and now this. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"They had to make it through the night./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Shaking his head to clear it, Obito continued at full speed, running towards the light, which seemed to have become a lower block, glowing blue. In less than a minute he was in the trees above the light. Inside were Minato, Kushina, and a small bundle./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Their child. That was their child down there. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Before Obito could really register this information, two thing happened at once. The fox picked up speed towards the square of light (a barrier, Obito realized. One encompassing the whole area). Then, a flash of silver, and a familiar scream sounded from a little ways away. Kakashi. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Obito jumped down, and sprinted to his left. Kakashi came into view, pounding on the wall of the barrier, his voice crying out hoarsely./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Sensei! Kushina! Let me in, what are you doing! It's coming! It' coming for you! Get out of there!" Kakashi pounded on the wall, crying out, his voice ragged and pained. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Kakashi!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Kakashi's head whipped to face Obito. His mask had been torn off, and there was a jagged gash running over the right corner of his mouth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Kakashi, what's going on? What happened?" Obito asked, grabbing Kakashi's shoulder. "Kakashi, talk to me!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Suddenly there was a shout from the inside of the barrier, and Obito turned to look inside. His eyes widened, and his grip tightened on Kakashi's shoulder. Minato and Kushina were still inside, but there was a stone alter in the centre of the field. The baby was on it, naked and crying. In an instant the fox's shadow overtook them both, and Obito was helpless to do anything but stare up at it in horror, fingers digging into Kakashi's shoulder. The fox's massive paw descended into the barrier, moving like lightening to impale Minato and Kushina, who were clutching at it desperately to try and stop it from reaching the baby. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Kakashi let out a hoarse scream, and all Obito could think was that he had to get inside, they needed him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He felt a sharp pain in his head, and suddenly it felt as though his body was being lifted and twisted, everything around him clouded and grey. Before he knew it the world returned, but he realized he was no longer next to Kakashi, but next to the stone alter. Without thinking he dove down and grabbed the baby, clutching it to his chest as he rolled away. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He jumped to his feet and turned around, the swaddled baby clutched to his chest. He felt the air leave his body all at once, his hands go cold and clammy. Minato and Kushina were slumped like puppets on the fox's claw. Kushina's eyes were glassy and blank. She was gone. Minato looked up on him, and smiled at him through bloody teeth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Obito couldn't hear him through the gurgles of blood and wracked lungs, but he read his lips with his Sharingan. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Take care of him, Obito./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"As quickly as it had come, the fox disappeared, seeming to erode into the air. Minato and Kushina's bodies feel to the ground into a pool of blood, and the surrounding barrier went down. Obito sprinted towards them and kneeled next to his sensei's battered, lifeless form. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He wanted to cry out, to say something, anything, but he couldn't. For once in his life, he couldn't speak a word. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Minato and Kushina were dead. Their newborn child was wrapped in Obito's arms, a mere foot above its parent's corpses. Cradling the baby to his chest with one arm, he reached out with the other and lightly pushed his palm against Minato's face. His skin was cold, and ghastly pale in the moonlight. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Sensei?" Obito whispered, voice hoarse, barely audible. "Minato sensei?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"There was no response. There was a zapping sound, and suddenly the barrier was gone. Obito heard multiple footsteps rushing towards him. He recognized Kakashi's chakra as he skidded to a stop next to him. With a choked off breath, the other boy fell heavily to one knee./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Sensei?" Kakashi leaned forward, reaching one hand to Minato's chest and one to Kushina's shoulder, lying on her side behind her husband. "Kushina?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Kakashi shook them both roughly. "Sensei? Minato sensei? Kushina?" Kakashi continued to shake the limp bodies, but to no avail. Minato and Kushina were gone; the prime examples of Konoha's shinobi and the will of fire, the Third Hokage and the greatest Leaf kunoichi of her age both dead, extinguished. Just like Rin, just like Obito's unknown parents. Next to him Kakashi had finally stilled and ceased shouting. He turned to meet Obito's eyes, him own visible one wide with fear. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Before either of them could speak, half a dozen ANBU had surrounded them. In front of them was the Third Hokage. Obito and Kakashi looked up into the solemn face of Sarutobi Asuma. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"By his sides, all six of the ANBU agents drew into a tight salute. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The Fourth Hokage is dead. Long live the Fourth Hokage!"/span/p
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