Chapter 2

Kakashi suppressed the urge to fidget.

As soon as they had gotten to friendly forces, both of his teammates had been spirited away for their respective "treatments". Rin was with Minato and some other sealing experts. The initial speculation had been iffy, but with a genuine master at sealing on hand, hope was not in too short a supply on her end.

Obito, on the other hand, after some brief medical attention, had been taken in for interrogation. His survival and absence had propped him to the top levels of suspicion. And that was before the accounts of the battle had come in. The origins of his new techniques were another source of concern.

No one since the Shodiame had been able to use wood techniques, and as far as Kakashi knew, Obito had no shared blood ties to him or his descendants. Yet he had seen Obito clearly using Mukton techniques with abandon, and to great effect. His display with the Sharingan was also rather breathtaking. Kakashi had counted almost fifty enemies, even after he had exhausted himself fighting. To see all of them go down in a couple of minutes, to techniques he had never seen with his own eyes or even heard of before. In fact, the only technique he recognized was one of the Uchiha staples, the grand fireball.

Now that Kakashi had time to review the day's events, he realized that Obito had only once signed and incanted. For that one move.

It was going to be hard to be seen as the best of his class once word of that got around.

A familiar visage and blond hair stepped through the tent flaps where Rin was being held.

"How does it look, Sensei?" Kakashi asked.

"Kushina is touching up the seals right now. Rin needs some rest from the ordeal, but apart from the overhaul on her chakra network, which is not a life-threatening concern right now, she is well on the road to recovery."

"What about Obito?"

"I wish I knew. Interrogation still has him. Knowing those guys, they'll be grilling him for a few hours or more before they let up. Inochi will probably have a verdict by tomorrow morning, though."

Minato managed to force a smile. Strenuous as the circumstances were, he had gotten one of his students back. If nothing else, they would at least have some closure.

"Captain Minato," a Hyuga called, landing next to man in question.

"Yes, Hizashi?"

"Inochi called for you. We have some...troubling intel we need to run by you."

Kakashi tried not to let his apprehension nor his exhaustion show. Not until he knew how Rin and Obito were. Minato, however, picked up on it anyways.

"Get some rest, Kakashi." He said, placing a calming hand on the young jonin's shoulder. "You look like a stiff wind will knock you down. I will make sure you get as full a story as possible in the morning."

[NRE]

Obito wanted to fall asleep. He felt immensely tired, but sleep seemed to be far off. Minato-Sensei had been checking him for anything the old freak might have left on him, but, to their mutual relief, Obito was cleared…for now. The subsequent interrogation he had gone through had been grueling, so many questions with no answer he could give or an answer that he could not properly explain. His ancestor being alive was one that troubled them the most. The fact that he was sporting an organic prosthetic and an esoteric elemental release were just as perplexing to the interrogators.

He thought back to a few days earlier. A field of gore, broken bodies, and burnt remains. The whole thing was both horrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Even Kakashi had been impressed. Or at least, Obito hoped he was. He was definitely surprised, something that he had only accomplished once before. Rin had been too tired to judge her reaction, but hopefully neither of them would be scared of him.

Dang it! He thought, slamming a closed fist into the ground. I want to sleep!

Rest eluded him throughout the night. Aggravated, he got out of bed and walked out onto the dewy ground, finding a nice place to sit and watch the sunrise. He could tell people were watching him as he walked through the camp.

They're waiting for me to betray them.

Someone cleared their throat behind him, causing him to jump. When he saw it was Kakashi, he relaxed. That cave was way too quiet.

"Hey, Kakashi!" Obito said.

"Hey," Kakashi replied. Obito frowned. Something was weighing on his teammate's mind.

"In case you were wondering," Obito said, hoping to ease the tension, "I don't need to take that eye back. It was a gift, and it looks like you've been making good use of it so far."

"That wasn't what I was going to ask, but...thanks."

"No problem! So what were you going to ask me about?"

"Just curious as to how you're doing."

"All things considered, I feel pretty good. Glad to have some good company again."

"Nice hair, by the way."

"Really? It's longer than Rin's now, isn't it." Obito paused and looked at Kakashi. "You're joking."

"That wasn't joking," Kakashi replied.

"Compared to the way you normally are, you're joking. You're always so grim and serious. This has to be breaking several universal laws." Obtio grinned at the young jonin, but quickly sobered. "So, how's Rin?"

Kakashi tensed, but relaxed. "She's going to be fine." Obito sighed.

"What happened since...?"

"The war is still going, as you probably guessed. I'm not sure how much longer it's going to be though."

"Are you two…you know?"

"We're…working on that."

Obito blinked. "Oh."

"I-"

"Don't," Obito said, waving. "Why should I begrudge your happiness? You all had every reason to think I was dead." Mollified, Kakashi relaxed again. "Just remember that if you do anything to break her heart, I'll be sure to break yours." Kakashi nodded his acknowledgement.

"It's good to have you back, Obito."

[NRE]

Obito blinked owlishly in beginnings of morning light. He still had trouble adjusting to the day/night cycle again after having been underground for so long. His eyes adjusted just fine, but the presence of things besides cold cavern walls was refreshing as it was alien to him.

Getting to his feet, he donned the spare set of clothes that had been laid out for him and joined the others in breaking down camp. Orders were ferried up and down the encampment as they prepared to move out again.

It had been weeks of sporadic operations before Obito and Rin were to be sent back home after their…misadventures. As luck would have it, Minato's squad was to cycle out with another unit before their deployment to another theater of operations. A scout had already alerted them of their relief's approach.

"Thank you." He turned to where his student was practicing running up a tree. "Hear that, Obito?"

Obito finished his climb, scrambling to the nearest branch before answering. "Yes, Sensei."

"Good. That should cover things for now. If you feel dizzy or fatigued, let us know."

A part of him wanted to protest the treatment, but he bit his tongue and nodded. Minato smiled and went his way, leaving Obito to drop down to the ground.

"At least you aren't going to have to be carried," Rin said, looking up from her spot on the trunk.

"Yeah," Obito grumbled.

Rin smiled and stood up. "Come on."

Joining the rest of their traveling party, Kakashi glanced back at them, giving them a nod while Kushina hefted Rin up.

"Alright, everyone," Minato said. "Move out!"

[NRE]

The familiar gates of rose up along the horizon, the white walls of the Hidden Village of the Leaf a nostalgic balm for fading memories. Obito made a series of hops until he was standing on top of a building overlooking the village. Wind blew his hair wildly, but he couldn't find himself to care as he took in the view of his home.

"It's good to be back," he said with a sigh.

Kakashi landed next to him. "Well, there'll be plenty of time to reminisce after you get settled back in."

"I know. I just thought I would never see it again."

"Hey," Rin hollered up at them. "We have business to take care of."

"Right!"

The two boys jumped back down to the street and caught up with the medic. While he was distracted, Kushina tugged him in for a hug.

"Glad you're home," she said, tussling his hair, and for once, Obito did not protest.

[NRE]

The Sandiame was grim-faced as Minato relayed his report, chewing his pipe thoughtfully. Nothing had been put to paper, and probably never would

"This is a rather disturbing turn of events," the Hokage finally said. "But not a complete catastrophe. You should be proud of your team."

"Yes, sir," Minato replied. "Do you think Kiri will make a play to retrieve the Three-Tails?"

"Perhaps. If they admit to this blunder, the current Mizukage would lose considerable face among the other villages. I doubt it will happen before this war is over, that is if they even know we're the ones who currently have it. Your students were certain that there were no survivors among the enemy combatants?"

"Yes, and I had a team sweep the area. The bodies were undisturbed. Even recovered a few of them. They've already been turned over to R&D."

"Good work. I'll make sure we keep our eyes and ears open for future developments."

[NRE]

Escorted into Torture & Interrogation, Obito was surprised to find himself directed to a pleasant office space. Soothing colors, wooden furniture with cushions, book cases. All in all, a rather relaxing atmosphere. If you ignored the metaphorical shadow T&I typically cast over everything.

Norio Yamanaka was much like others of his clan. Blond, pale, pupilless, teal-green eyes. Beyond those features, he resembled Inoichi more closely than others from their clan. The shrink looked up from the report he had in his hand.

"Ah, you're here," he said. "Don't worry, this isn't your usual interrogation." He gestured for Obito to sit. "While you were debriefed, there are still other things to consider. Namely, your rehabilitation."

"I'm fine," Obito replied. "I've already fought in a battle since I've returned to action."

"But you still need to be psychologically evaluated. And even though you have proven more or less functional, you were lethargic for an extended period. I assume that was from recovering from your injuries."

"Really, I'm-"

"Let me finish. It's nothing more than we do for any others who are wounded in the line of duty or captured. The main point of concern is that there may be lingering trauma that could be repressed and later resurface at a time of inconvenience. So, while you're in recovery, or however long is necessary, we'll have monthly meetings to ascertain your progress. Do you understand?"

"I think so."

"Excellent. Let's get started."

[NRE]

Reemerging from, Obito let out a quiet sigh. The sun was already beginning to drift beneath the horizon. As he went further into town, he could see shops closing for the night. Some restaurants were still busy from the dinner traffic.

"It's time to go home," he murmured.

Entering the Uchiha District, he took in familiar sights and smells.

I never thought I would miss it all this much, he thought.

He made his way down familiar streets until he came to his front door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on it twice. Silence reigned for a minute before he tried again.

"Grandma. I'm home."

No answer.

"That's strange."

Testing the door, he found it unlocked, opened it, and entered.

"Grandma?"

The house was dark, with no trace of the usual warmth anywhere. Coverings had been draped over the furniture, some of which had been removed. Seeing the faint layer of dust, he rushed back outside and breathed heavily.

"Obito?"

Obito looked down the walkway where a woman was staring at him in shock, clutching her two children close to each other.

"Hey, Aunt Amaya," Obito replied. He really wasn't sure how he was related to the woman, but she had served in that role for as long as he could remember. "What's up?"

"They said that you were killed in action," she said, voice far off. "We thought you were dead."

"To be honest, everyone else did," he replied, chuckling weakly. "Hey, um, could you tell me where my grandmother is? I thought she would be in, but…"

Amaya frowned and looked away. "Masumi died little more than a month ago. I'm sorry."

Obito stood still, all feeling leaving as he processed the words.

"No…"

"I can take you to the memorial, if you would like."

He nodded dumbly and followed at a sedate pace, not paying attention as Amaya led the way. It wasn't until she had stopped that he finally focused on his surroundings again.

They were standing in the cemetery, rows upon rows of headstones marking those who had died outside of service. Masumi had only served as a shinobi briefly before Obito's father had been born, and left her headband in storage for as long as Obitio could remember, and presumably until the end of her days. Like every other clan member, her earthly remains had been reduced to ash before her burial.

Obito said nothing as he stared at the marker, barely noticing one of Amaya's children holding his hand.

"I can't tell you how many days she sat on the porch," Amaya said, rousing him from his thoughts. "She was certain that you would come back, strolling down the walkway like usual."

"Thanks, Aunt Amaya," Obito said. "I can handle myself from here."

She hesitated, but gathered her children. "Alright, then. If you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."

Obito hummed absently in reply, waiting until they were gone. Once he was alone, his remaining self-control withered and he broke down sobbing. By the time he had finished, dusk had already come.

Regaining his composure, he held up his artificial hand, growing a flower out of wood, then set it on the headstone. It was a rough looking thing, but it was the most he could do at the moment, so he silently promising to bring a proper bouquet at a later date, then made his way back to his empty house.

A/N: After… *checks story stats* …exactly three years, Reunion (redubbed as Naruto: Re) has finally moved out of the station. There are some minor changes to the first chapter, but not much (the future segment was removed, and some of the initial chapter is now part of this chapter). Feel free to go back and see for yourself.

In any case, a little bit of jumping and some minor angst. Thankfully, there are therapists for that, and the feelings will be healthily managed in time.

Speaking of which, Norio Yamanaka is an original character I developed for the purposes of this story. Amaya Uchiha is also an OC, but mostly because it's kind of hard to work with a nameless character in the narrative.

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.