Chapter 29: Fireflies and Festivals
...
"You've grown pale," said Itachi as we ate together in the small kitchen area.
He was right, of course. Nobody came to Ame to get a tan. Just about the only time I saw daylight was when I was performing the seal healing in the tower. The hospital had no windows and neither did Itachi's room. But even in the tower I'd never once seen what I would call a sunny day. At best there was simply a thick blanket of clouds stretching from horizon to horizon.
"It's been a while since I've gone outside," I said as I munched on the dango I'd made for Itachi's birthday. "Does the sun ever come out here?"
"Rarely," said Itachi. "Leader-sama influences the weather to summon rain. He will be gone for some time, so perhaps you will see the sun before his return."
I nodded because Nagato and Konan would be on a mission for an entire month. Before leaving, they swore me to secrecy regarding Pein's true identity. But obviously I'd told Itachi everything I'd learned at the first opportunity. Via genjutsu, naturally, because I wasn't that foolish. Itachi took the knowledge in stride, revealing nothing of his own thoughts or opinions as usual.
It didn't matter much, I supposed. Itachi would play the part of a loyal subordinate for as long as the organization protected me. And Nagato obviously trusted Itachi…somewhat. With Pein and Konan gone on a mission together, they'd needed someone powerful to act as guardian for the village. And they'd chosen Itachi. It was a parody of Itachi's dream to be Hokage, but as with all of his assignments, Itachi accepted it without complaint.
"I hope so," I said a little wistfully. "It would be nice to see the stars again too."
I'd never really been one to gaze up at the heavens, but there was something oppressive about the constant rain and clouds. It was so far removed from those clear nights where Team 7 camped out in the wilderness, and we could see every star.
"Stars, hm?" Itachi asked, his eyes narrowed in consideration. He closed them briefly, and when they opened, they were Sharingan red. "Allow me."
I blinked but allowed his chakra to flow into my eyes, melting away the small kitchen into a sea of darkness. Itachi held up a lantern, illuminating the illusion, the light from the small flame dancing across the waters of a vast marsh.
We stood atop a rocky outcropping where Itachi set down the lamp and took a seat. He patted the stone beside him, and I accepted the invitation. I looked up at the cloudless sky, each star bright and shining like diamond dust on satin.
"It's beautiful, Onii-chan," I said, smiling at him. But instead of the heavens, his eyes were focused on the water.
"Look," he said.
I looked.
And then I saw them.
"Oh!" I whispered.
Fireflies. Thousands of fireflies. Millions.
They danced among the long grass, and their lights reflected in the still water. A few even began appearing near the rock, popping to life like little sparks.
"I want to catch one," I said, overcome with the embarrassingly childish whim.
Warning given, I slid from the stone while bringing chakra to my feet so that I could stand easily on the surface of the water. The fireflies around me flickered into darkness at my sudden movement, and I stepped forward with all the silence and stealth of a trained kunoichi as I searched for a suitable target. I found one buzzing merrily and I gently closed my hand around it, careful not to crush the small insect. I held it as it bumped against my closed palm and brought it back to where Itachi was sitting.
I sat beside him again and held my hand closed until the firefly settled. Then I very slowly, very carefully uncurled my fingers. The firefly sat in my palm and began to glow. I grinned in triumph at Itachi only to find him watching me with a small smile, the kind I hadn't seen since before Shisui's death.
The firefly rose from my palm and fluttered away. I scooted over and wiggled under Itachi's arm, cuddling up to his side while we looked out across the water at the millions of dancing lights.
"Thank you, Onii-chan," I said, "for showing me the stars."
…
Since we had an entire month together, I managed to cajole Itachi into a bit of training. That alone was an accomplishment. Itachi was more of the forehead-poking/maybe-next-time type. But, yeah. Keeping my head down and staying out of trouble had worked reasonably well so far, but now I knew things. Secrets that Nagato wanted to keep. Right now he needed me alive, but when he was fully healed…?
Well, dead men tell no tales.
My only saving grace was the fact that Itachi's stated goal was to kill me, so Nagato might not see the need to do it himself. Although, if Itachi didn't kill me, Nagato would want to deal with me personally. And I had to be prepared for that.
We started with genjutsu training because Zetsu and Kisame were still in Ame, and Itachi couldn't be seen teaching me anything. Genjutsu wouldn't be very useful against a Rinnegan, but Pein wasn't the only threat within the Akatsuki. Besides, taijutsu and ninjutsu would have been too obvious, while genjutsu, especially Sharingan genjutsu, could be done in the comfort and safety of our room. As an added bonus, it didn't require a large investment in chakra. So we spent four hours training together each evening after my hospital shift. I made sure to tell Itachi about the Shadow Clone trick, so we both created half a dozen clones and paired off to practice. Our room became quite crowded, but we all managed to squeeze in somehow, even if half of the clones trained while stuck to the ceiling.
Although our time together was brief, Itachi had a way of making every moment worthwhile. The amount of insight he could provide when he put his mind to it was amazing. Until now, my genjutsu were fairly straightforward with simple things like the Blind Spot genjutsu or the paralysis genjutsu. But with Itachi's dedicated guidance, after only two weeks I was able to take complete control of my target's senses and craft complex illusionary worlds. It was mind-boggling to think that Itachi had reached this level of genjutsu mastery as a self-taught ten year old.
I used my new talents to give Itachi a tour of the house in Konoha and to introduce him to Haku and Karin. I also showed him the mission to Wave and the invasion. He complimented my use of the Hiraishin in the stadium and against Gaara. He even suggested that Sasuke had done well during his match against a jinchuuriki. My heart filled with pride at the praise, but I felt a small bit of sadness too. There was a time when Sasuke would have lived for Itachi's approval. But that was a long time ago.
After mastering the creation of genjutsu worlds, we spent the next two weeks sparring within the genjutsu. This had the dual benefits of being more combat-applicable and allowing me to practice ninjutsu and taijutsu where no one else could see. Itachi began by showing me Shisui's body-flicker clones and walking me through the process of creating them. It was no easy feat. Apparently Itachi didn't have the chakra control required to perform this jutsu in the real world. But that was the nice thing about genjutsu. As long as he could imagine the jutsu working, it didn't matter that he wasn't actually physically capable of doing it. Of course this also meant that learning it in a genjutsu didn't necessarily translate to being able to perform it in the real world either. What I really needed was a chance to train outside of the genjutsu. But that was impossible, at least for now.
We made good progress, but eventually Pein and Konan returned from their mission and Itachi had to leave again. Nagato, having been gone for an entire month, was eager to return to his healing. A quick diagnostic jutsu revealed why. He'd very clearly used quite a bit of chakra and his health had deteriorated a startling amount considering the relative brevity of his mission. The Rinnegan really was a double-edged sword, and it was no wonder that Madara had intentionally sought out an Uzumaki to keep it for him. I returned to healing Nagato, and just like that I reached the one year anniversary of my capture.
I was a little shocked that I'd actually managed to make it this far without any issues, unbothered by the one person I most wanted to avoid…
"Hey, hey, Kiyo-chan~~."
I jumped.
"T-Tobi-san!" I said as the older Uchiha materialized in front of my desk in the hospital. I cloaked my mind in a blanket of Positive Intent, carefully muting my natural fear response. I had no reason to be nervous around 'Tobi'.
"Yay, Kiyo-chan remembers Tobi!" he said in playful, childish tones. "Neh, neh, Kiyo-chan, what are you doing inside? Don't you want to go to the festival?"
Festival?
Oh, right. It was Obon, a festival dedicated to remembering loved ones who had passed on. Pein had mentioned it this morning when he gave me the night off, but in the general chaos of the day it had slipped my mind.
"I'll stay here in case anyone is injured," I said, giving 'Tobi' a small smile.
Pein might have given me the night off, but that didn't mean I was allowed to leave. Festivals were a security nightmare. Pein and Konan probably had their hands full already, and I did not need either of them hunting me down. Besides, festivals always invited all sorts of strange and interesting injuries. And I had a feeling that tomorrow's healing session would be well attended from the many hangovers.
"Work can wait," said Tobi. "Obon only comes once every year!"
That was…leading.
But why would he care about a festival? Only then did I notice that he was wearing a dark purple yukata with a white obi belt, definitely not a normal 'Tobi' outfit.
"I'm not sure if I'm allowed?" I said, half-questioning.
Tobi bounced on the balls of his feet, excited.
"Oh~, is that all?" he asked. "Leader-sama said you can go if you want to. Look, he even wanted you to have a bit of pocket money!"
Tobi produced a tiny coin purse and hefted it enticingly.
Pein wanted me to go to the festival?
"…Alright," I said, my confusion only mounting.
"Aww~, but Leader-sama didn't give any money to Tobi," said Tobi, feigning profound sorrow. "Leader-sama and Angel-sama are sooooooooo busy looking after the village that poor Tobi has no one to go with either. It's just too sad!" Then he bounced up. "Oh, I know, why don't we go to the festival together!"
And suddenly it clicked into place. Pein and Konan wanted me to be under watch because festivals were a security nightmare, and I was a huge flight risk. They were keeping me in line via their tracking devices, but if they were suitably distracted, I could theoretically slip away, divulge their secrets, and return before anyone noticed I was gone. With my knowledge about Pein's identity, they couldn't let down their guard for even a moment, and sending me to the festival gave Tobi's presence some semblance of legitimacy.
Relieved that it was something so simple, I gave Tobi a bright smile.
"That sounds nice, Tobi-san," I said, standing up. "I'd be happy to go with you."
As if I had a choice. It was better to attend the festival than to stay here with him alone.
"Yay!" Tobi cheered. "But you'll want to get dressed, right?"
"I don't have…Oh, wait, yes I do," I said, suddenly remembering the yukata that had been included with the other clothing I'd received almost a year ago. "Let me try it on."
Tobi waited for me outside my room as I changed. The yukata was lilac with red and white flowers along with a black obi belt and a pair of traditional wooden shoes called Geta.
"Oooh~~, Kiyo-chan just looks so cute!" said Tobi when I emerged.
"Thank you, Tobi-san," I said. "Um, I never had a chance to thank you before. Zetsu-san mentioned that you were the one to buy my clothes for me. So, um, thank you!"
I did a little twirl to show off the yukata. It really was quite pretty. There was a beat of silence before Tobi giggled again.
"Yep!" he said. "And there's no need to be so formal! We're buddies, aren't we? You can call me Tobi-chan! No, better, we'll have nicknames! How about To-To? No, To-chan! That's right. You can call Tobi 'To-chan'!"
I blinked.
…To-chan?
Tobi was obviously acting absurd and inappropriate for his Tobi-persona, but surely this level of ridiculousness was too much, wasn't it?
Then again…
To-chan was a homophone for Tou-chan, which meant 'Daddy'. Maybe he was worried about how it would look for a strange masked man to be walking around the festival with a young girl? Especially since I was at least somewhat recognizable as 'Angel-chan' while his membership in the organization was more secret. That reasoning felt weak. Why would Obito care what a few random Ame villagers thought of him? But I couldn't fathom why else he would make such a strange request.
"Oh, uh, well, if that's what you want, I guess it's alright…Tou-chan," I said hesitantly. Wow, that sounded so weird. But regardless of how I felt or what his reasons were, I wasn't about to get into a naming argument with Obito.
"Yay!" said Tobi, taking my hand and leading me out into the early evening. For once the sky was clear and cloudless, likely Pein's doing, and the moon was rising over the horizon. "Tou-chan and Kiyo-chan, off to the festival! Hey, hey, what do you want to do first?"
Good question. Ame didn't have what I would call big festivals. But this one was rather sizable, probably due to the large number of people who had lost loved ones in this war-torn nation. Near the center of the festival was a raised platform with people dancing in a circle. I watched the smooth motions, noting the obvious differences between civilian and ninja dancers.
"Hey, let's dance, Kiyo-chan~~!" said Tobi loudly, nearly making me jump.
"Oh, no, I'm not very good at dancing," I said hurriedly, and I immediately regretted my words because Tobi's head tilted so far to the side that it looked like it was nearly ready to fall off.
And, yeah, dancing wasn't that different from normal kata. Kunoichi also received dancing lessons during kunoichi classes. And on top of that, Uchiha with the Sharingan were always excellent dancers. Precision movements just came with the eyes.
"I feel like people are watching me, and I get nervous," I added.
"Oh ho!" Tobi laughed, bouncing into the dancing ring with an exuberant laugh. "C'mon Kiyo-chan~~! It's fun. Come dance with Tou-chan!"
His words were loud enough to attract a few stares, including some glances at me. He then leaned in with an exaggerated stage-whisper.
"I'll dance really badly to distract them so no one will look at you!" he said.
People were really staring now. My cheeks reddened as Tobi waved his arms, indicating that he had no intention of stopping or quieting down any time soon.
"Th-thank you, Tou-chan," I mumbled.
And I slipped past him into the dancing group, finding a place and following the smooth movements of the other dancers. He probably wanted to keep me distracted for the majority of the evening and was looking for activities to occupy my time. Tobi danced beside me, all exaggerated movements and a bit of comical flailing that garnered both smiles of amusement and some looks of disapproval.
I kept my focus on the dance.
It was rather nice, actually. There was something peaceful about moving to the beat of a drum. And because Tobi's antics were drawing so much attention, I was moderately sure that he wouldn't try anything.
So we danced together until the musicians needed a break at which point Tobi steered me away to browse various tents full of knick-knacks and games. Unsurprisingly, I recognized many people as we went out and about. I was doubly thankful for my Sharingan and my enhanced memory because it allowed me to recall names and faces when normally I would have been completely lost.
"Daichi-san, is something wrong with your hand?" I asked as I approached a ring-toss tent.
Daichi was the ninja I'd met on my first day at the hospital. He was a field medic, so he returned to the hospital frequently dragging half-dead ninjas in for healing. He leaned over the edge of the booth to peer at me.
"Angel-chan," he said, smiling. He held up his expertly bandaged hand. "Yeah, I cut my palm when setting up the tent this morning. It's no trouble, though. I've already stitched it up."
"May I see it, please?" I asked. He protested, but I insisted and closed the wound in an instant. "There, is that better?"
Daichi flexed his hand and his smile widened.
"Thank you, Angel-chan," he said. "Would you like to try the ring-toss? It's on the house. The blue rimmed jars will get you one of the small prizes, and the golden one at the center will get you a big one."
I was about to decline because it wasn't really fair. Even Academy students had the precision and dexterity required to win, and I didn't want to cost him anything. Most shinobi refrained from participating in these booths so that children and civilians could have a chance.
But then Tobi bounced up.
"Can I play too?" he asked, all earnest excitement.
"Five ryo," said Daichi.
Tobi deflated instantly.
"Oh man, I just can't catch a break," he said.
"It's okay, you can take my turn, if that's alright?" I asked Daichi.
Daichi shrugged and handed the rings to Tobi, who had abruptly re-inflated with enthusiasm. I watched carefully as Tobi took a throwing stance. Yeah, even with one eye and no depth perception he would have no problem landing the ri…
Tobi flailed his arms, tossing all three rings at once and missing each and every one.
"Aw, man!" said Tobi, slumping forward with disappointment.
I blinked, surprised and a little impressed. While Tobi's movement had seemed chaotic, the actual toss had been in perfect form, albeit with a gratuitous amount of flailing.
Which meant that he'd missed on purpose.
I pulled out the coin purse and paid Daichi 5 ryo. He tried to wave me off, but I insisted. He handed me three rings, and I passed them to Tobi.
"Here, try again," I said, mildly curious about how far he would take the act. "I believe you can do it, Tou-chan!"
I saw Daichi's eyebrows rise as he glanced between Tobi and me, but I tried to ignore it.
"Yeah, I'll get it for sure this time!" Tobi agreed.
He tossed the rings again, one by one, and I paid close attention to his form. Once again, it was perfect, though cleverly disguised as inept. The first two rings bounced off the jars, nowhere close to landing, but the third actually circled the rim several times before ultimately bouncing away.
Wow, he was good.
I paid Daichi 10 ryo, and he handed me six rings.
"Here, why don't you watch me?" I asked, holding up a ring. "And then you can try again, okay?"
Tobi bounced as he leaned over my shoulder, comically attentive. Having paid a fair amount to Daichi, I didn't feel bad about winning as I made a toss to one of the blue rimmed jars. It landed effortlessly, and Tobi made sounds of awe while Daichi cheered and handed me a stuffed…Konan? I stared at the toy and then glanced up at the others. Yep, it was a whole wall full of Konans, complete with her blue hair, Akatsuki cloak, and paper wings.
And the grand prize was a stuffed…
Me?
Yep, there was no mistaking the sliced Konoha forehead protector and the paper angel clip wrapped in blue ribbon, all of which was lovingly rendered in felt. He'd even added wings in sparkly white fabric to help complete the angelic look.
"Uh, eheh, can you do that again?" Tobi asked, scratching his head. "I had my eye closed.~~"
"Uh, sure," I said, hiding my embarrassment behind a smile.
"That was a great toss, Angel-chan," said Daichi. "Why don't you try for the golden one? It'll be a great advertisement for my booth if you're carrying around one of my prizes!"
Huh, I hadn't thought of it that way. But did I really want to carry around a giant plushie version of myself all night?
"Yeah, I believe you can do it, Kiyo-chan!" Tobi cheered. If I hadn't known any better, I might have thought he was mocking my previous encouragement.
"Oh, okay," I said. "Here, watch me, Tou-chan."
I tossed the second ring, and it landed smoothly on the golden jar.
"We have a winner!" Daichi shouted, loud enough to draw an uncomfortable amount of attention from passersby, which in turn drew a small crowd of curious onlookers. With great fanfare, he took down one of the enormous stuffed Kiyos and handed it to me. It turned out to be even bigger than it looked, almost life-size, though that was at least in part because I was so tiny. Tobi cheered and clapped.
"Okay, Tou-chan, your turn," I said, shifting awkwardly to hand him the remaining rings. He tossed them one-by-one, making a show of cracking under the pressure and going as far as bouncing the final ring off of Daichi's forehead before finally giving up with a morose cry.
"Aw, I guess I'm just not as talented as Kiyo-chan~," said Tobi.
There were a few giggles from the crowd. Some of the children were eyeing the booth, obviously intent on trying it. Now was the time to move on.
"Here, Tou-chan, you can have this," I said, struck with a convenient way to unload the cumbersome Kiyo-doll. I held it up to him, but Tobi shook his head emphatically.
"No, you worked so hard for it!" he said, obviously not wanting to be stuck with the absurd plushie either. But there was no way I was dragging this around all night.
I shoved the Kiyo doll into his arms.
"But you tried your very best, Tou-chan, and you deserve a prize for that too," I insisted with a smile. There was an 'Oh, how sweet' from a nearby granny. If only she knew…
Tobi remained still a moment longer before accepting the doll.
"Kiyo-chan is so sweet," he said. "But really—"
"Oh, let's try the goldfish catching!" I said, skipping away with my much smaller and more manageable Konan doll. Tobi followed along, with a huge sigh.
As it turned out, he was terrible at goldfish catching too. And yoyo fishing. And Katanuki, a candy-cutting game. We also sampled some of the festival food like yakitori and shaved ice between games. Despite my anxiety over 'Tobi', it was rather nice. It reminded me of times long gone when Sasuke, Itachi, and I would run around the Konoha Obon festival with our own pocket money.
It wasn't all fun and games, though. At least a dozen people stopped me to request minor healing, to which I happily obliged. And I helped a small, lost girl reunite with her mother. I gave the girl my Konan doll since she seemed so upset after her harrowing ordeal. Tobi decided to take advantage of the opportunity.
"Oh, no, you don't have any prizes left," he said. "That's so sad, but…"
He held up the giant Kiyo doll.
Oh no, he was not using this as a chance to foist it back onto me.
"That's okay, Tou-chan," I said brightly. "She needed it more. Besides, now I'll have two hands to use when sending the lantern down the river. Look, there's a stand selling them!"
And I dashed off before he could object.
The stall selling the lanterns came with large pens for writing notes and prayers for loved ones. I drew a neat Uchiwa fan and wrote a prayer for my clan. Then we headed down to the water where hundreds of lanterns were already floating away into the darkness.
"Don't you want a lantern too, Tou-chan?" I asked as I approached the water's edge. Surely he wanted one for Rin?
But Tobi merely shook his head.
"Eheh, nope!" he said, far too cheerfully as he sat on the shore, one arm braced casually on his knee. He was a picture of ease and contentment.
I blinked and looked down at the lantern in my hands. It represented everything I'd lost and my hope that somewhere beyond our world my family's spirits lived on and were still watching over me. I held up the lantern and whispered a prayer before bringing chakra to my feet and stepping out onto the water.
"Then...this will be our lantern," I said.
"Our lantern?" Tobi echoed, bemused. "Isn't that for your clan?"
"For my loved ones," I said. Those in this life and the one before. "And yours. Because I'm sure you have someone who cares about you very much and is watching over you right now."
Obito had given up on this world, but Rin had not given up on him. And at the end of it all, he'd be with her again. For a long moment, Tobi said nothing as we watched the lantern drift slowly down the river. In the distance, the sky bloomed with fireworks.
"First a prize and then a lantern," said Tobi with an exaggerated whine. "But I didn't get you anything."
"Don't be silly," I said, giving him a side-long glance and my best smile. "I'm really glad you brought me to the festival, Tou-chan. I had a chance to dance, to eat tasty food, and to play some fun games. I was even able to help a few people. So you gave me the best present of all: a happy memory! Things get lost or fade with time, but happy memories can stay forever."
Sometimes it felt like my happy memories were the only thing that kept me going. On a whim, I activated my Sharingan, etching this moment into my mind. No matter what was coming, it would be nice to remember Tobi sitting beneath the fireworks with that silly Kiyo doll at his side while people all around us enjoyed the festival.
"Kiyo-chan, you…" said Tobi softly, just as a firework illuminated the sky.
Just in time for a brief flash of light to shine directly onto his mask.
Directly onto his eye.
And my heart nearly skipped a beat. There was no mistaking that particular shade of Sharingan red. And suddenly he was not the immature Tobi. He was not a simple-minded fool. He was not my harmless companion.
He was the man who had murdered my family.
I'd known it from the beginning. He was playing a part just like me. But it was all an act, a show. We were audience to one another, putting our hearts and souls into the performance. But it was just that. A performance.
An illusion.
In that moment, my blanket of Positive Intent shattered, and I felt a dagger of fear slice through my heart. Obito stilled, frozen in a way that was unmistakably not something Tobi would have done. I snapped the blanket of Positive Intent back into place and turned away, all too aware of Obito watching me. His Sharingan was active. Why? There was no danger. Was he watching me? Testing me for my reactions? I was sure he'd caught my moment of panic, and I was just as sure that he could deduce the cause.
He'd seen right through me.
"You—," he began. There was something off about his voice.
"I think it's time to go back now, Tou-chan," I interrupted quietly.
It wasn't. The fireworks were still going off above our heads.
I waited for him to continue, but there was only silence.
And when I turned to look at him, he was already gone.
…
