It was a gloomy and rainy day in Konohagakure. The village was solemn as the rain poured. Most stayed in their homes to wait for the downpour to relent, all except for one person. A boy no older than twelve trained with shurikens, kunai, and even taijutsu. The boy was unrelenting in his training, even at the cost of his health.

As the boy trained he sneezed, a sign of catching a cold. He knew he should return home but he needed to stay out to ensure he was ahead of his rival. He would never live himself down if that "gutter trash" surpassed him.

But finally, the rain let up and the boy continued training even then, but his body was starting to feel fatigued. His knees gave out and he fell over onto his back with heavy breaths.

Someone walked by and sighed, they walked back and stared down at the boy. "What's wrong with you? You could kill yourself for being out in the cold for so long."

The boy looked up and saw a boy wearing goggles staring down at him, he sat up. "I was just training. It doesn't matter how the weather is, a Shinobi can't slack, even for a moment."

The goggled boy scoffed, "Whatever, it just sounds like an excuse to push away anyone who wants to be in your life."

The masked boy turned away from the goggled boy, "I don't need anyone. I'm not weak like you, I don't need to rely on others. All they'll do is bog me down."

The goggled boy stormed off, "Y'know, Kakashi, someday you'll need to rely on someone else. But with how you are now, you'll only ever find yourself alone."

Kakashi was irked, he had no more words to say. It was as if his "friend" struck a cord within him.

"Alone..."

Kakashi awoke slowly, he felt a blanket over him and a mattress below him. He looked around and saw Jiraiya sitting in a chair next to the bed.

Kakashi sat up, still checking his surroundings. "How long have I been out?"

Jiraiya answered promptly, "An hour or so. Konan and Tobi left to investigate the town more about our target. They should be back soon."

Kakashi remembered how he'd fallen unconscious, he swore he saw Rin just before he passed out. Why was he hallucinating again? Was he losing it?

Jiraiya may not have known Kakashi much but he'd seen people think about their closeted skeletons enough to know what it looked like. "You alright? Cause you look like you've taken quite the tumble."

Kakashi nodded, "My head's banging like someone hit me with a sledgehammer."

"Well, you might not be too far off with how I found you. Though it didn't seem like you were hit, more as if you fell over of your own volition."

Kakashi understood what that meant, "Just like Konan did."

Jiraiya nodded, "Exactly. Whatever jutsu was used on Konan was also used on you. Tobi and I believe that it's a genjutsu that shows you your loved ones. To what end we don't know."

Kakashi thought about it, "Why would someone use a genjutsu like that?"

Obito was splashed with water, his clothes soaking wet. He'd launched a fireball to combat Yahiko's water bullet, but he'd been overpowered. Nagato and Konan cheered for Yahiko's victory, while Rin consoled Obito's defeat.

Kakashi didn't care, he was definitely bored. Probably because he saw Obito was as weak as ever.

Yahiko walked over to Obito and helped him up, "Hey, you're pretty good. If you continue training then you'll be one of the strongest Shinobi ever."

Obito was surprised that even as a victor somebody could be so... Generous.

Obito wished he was half the person Yahiko was, but Obito was inherently selfish. Maybe he could follow in Yahiko's footsteps to make a better world.

Jiraiya and Minato congratulated Yahiko on winning their sparring match, and they also applauded Obito for trying his best.

Obito couldn't help but feel weak. He announced loudly, "I'll surpass you one day, Yahiko. And then I'll find a way to secure peace, even at the cost of my happiness!"

Everyone was surprised by Obito's declaration, though most felt that the scrawny Uchiha would never surmount to anything, but Minato saw a fire alight in Obito's soul and knew that he wasn't boasting.

Yahiko walked back to him and said, "Well, then let's push each other to be better, Obito Uchiha. And one day let's have a rematch, and then let's find peace together." He held out his hand.

Obito took a moment before accepting the handshake, "Alright, I'll hold you to that." Obito smiled.

But Obito saw that old man again in the distance with crimson eyes, glaring at him. Obito knew it was time for him to wake up, but he couldn't help but hope that this was his reality and eventually it could be.

Meanwhile, Kiyomi had ordered some of the villagers to drag the orange-masked man to a house to be tied up and strung up. She awaited the man to awake so she could make sure he was under her control. But whilst she waited she asked his partner questions and Konan answered everything she could, including the "Identity" of the masked man being Madara Uchiha.

Kiyomi was now quivering in fear, just the name alone made her second-guess herself. If the man in front of her was indeed the real Madara then Kiyomi's jutsu couldn't last very long or it would be less potent. Even if Konan was wrong about the man being Madara Uchiha, Kiyomi saw the red eye that was rumored to be a Uchiha jutsu of some kind. The red eye bore into Kiyomi's soul, if it weren't for her jutsu then she would have most likely died to him.

Kiyomi sighed, "Please leave." She said to those under her control. They did as they were told and left.

Kiyomi stood up from her seat and walked up to the masked man. "Let's see who's under the mask." She lifted the orange mask off of the man's head and was face to face with the man who'd gotten the drop on her. "He's... ...handsome?!" She thought with her cheeks flushed red.

The man had a rough scar on the right side of his face, it seemed like they were stretch marks. He looked young yet grizzled and hardened. Kiyomi touched the man's face to get a sense of who he was.

Obito jolted awake at the cold touch on his face, he looked straight ahead and saw the woman who had the forbidden jutsu. Obito was uncomfortable as his face was exposed for this woman to see, there was no doubt about it that she was dead. "It seems you plan to hold me prisoner but to what end I wonder?" He spoke with his Madara impersonation. But the woman turned into an adult version of Rin, it left Obito shocked for a moment but he quickly ignored it and remembered that it wasn't real.

Kiyomi was startled by the man's sudden reawakening, she worried about the man's eyes so she said to him. "Close your eyes."

And what Obito heard was the voice of Rin speaking to him about closing his eyes, it was strange as Obito felt compelled to listen. He shut his eye and could only sense and hear his surroundings. Obito was unsure if he was going insane but then he remembered the woman's forbidden jutsu. "So your jutsu can even affect me. How fascinating."

Kiyomi was curious, "You're not fully under my control? So what the woman said was true, you are the legendary Shinobi."

Obito smirked, "So, this is your first time activating your jutsu on another Shinobi?"

Kiyomi wished he didn't realize that so soon, "No, I've used it on many. You're just a unique case with that eye of yours." She lied.

Obito chuckled, "Is that so? Well, from what I hear, you only recently stole that scroll of forbidden jutsu. My compatriot Konan was susceptible to you but you clearly waited to test it on Konan by forcing her to ask such a novel question. It's quite sloppy work."

Kiyomi cursed herself but kept her cool, "What's sloppy was you trying to attack me head first whilst knowing my jutsu."

Obito's smirk was replaced with an emotionless expression.

"The girl is right, it was quite foolish." Obito heard the words echo in his mind.

"Shut up, old man."

Madara chuckled, "What? It was a dumb mistake that resulted in this current predicament."

Kiyomi spoke in a seductive voice, "Will you escort me to the Hidden Leaf village, please?"

Obito heard the same words in his mind but in Rin's voice, Obito couldn't refuse. "I suppose I could." Obito grit his teeth afterward. He didn't want to agree but he couldn't will his body or mind to do what he wanted. He felt like a bystander in his body with the forbidden jutsu user around.

Kiyomi looked at Madara up and down, gauging if he was under her control psychically. She needed to make sure, "If you are Madara Uchiha then did you bare any children?"

Obito heard the question again with Rin's voice, he answered honestly for himself and for Madara. "No. I've never even interacted with a woman romantically." It was embarrassing to say out loud to a woman.

"You could have lied, you know," Madara said, slightly annoyed.

"I physically can't. It's like she has a stranglehold on me that I can't do anything about." Obito replied.

Kiyomi knew that a question like that could never be answered in the way Madara did, so that meant that he was made aware of everything Kiyomi was doing to him. Though Kiyomi wasn't cruel like most members of the Mist, she still wondered what it was like to bed someone against their will. Did it make her inherently cruel? Perhaps, or perhaps not.

"Help me get your third ally under my control," Kiyomi said.

Obito begrudgingly nodded his head, "Fine."

Kiyomi undid the restraints on Madara's arms, she looked at him as he struggled to pick up his mask as he still had his eye closed. She sighed, "You can open your eye but you are not to look at me with your red eye."

He opened his eye and saw the mask on the ground and reapplied it onto his face. Obito began walking out the door, "When your control over me is gone, I will burn the image of my face out of your mind. And afterward, I will send you back to your village in a shoebox."

Kiyomi felt a shiver go down her spine, Madara Uchiha was someone not to trifle with. Because she believed that Madara would do exactly as he said, and there would be nothing she could do if he broke free.

Obito walked down the street with Kiyomi walking by his side, and Konan followed behind them.

Kiyomi wondered, "So, how is it that Madara Uchiha is working for the Leaf village?"

Obito heard it as Rin's voice, though he didn't even bother turning, "My compatriot Konan. She grew up poor and orphaned in a wartorn land, the only thing she had was her two friends. I assume when the Leaf offered to give us a home she wanted to know what it was like to live in one of the five great villages."

Kiyomi had forgotten about the smaller countries around the world, the people there mattered but they didn't have a voice to be remotely significant to the wider world. It made Kiyomi sad knowing that there were people who were forgotten and abandoned but she was only one person and she couldn't do anything to change the world and its functions.

"Obito, what do you think of this woman?" Madara asked.

"Hmm. I would say inexperienced and skittish, but the use of this forbidden jutsu helps with her weaknesses."

"Quite right. But every jutsu has a weakness, all you have to do is wait and exploit it at the right time."

Obito smirked, "I know."

Kiyomi watched Madara, she knew she had to be cautious or else he'd keep his word. She had to continuously pump chakra into her jutsu if she was near Madara. She was truly terrified of him.

When Obito and Kiyomi arrived at the hotel where Kakashi and Jiraiya were Kiyomi ordered Konan and Obito to head inside like nothing had happened. Obito hated being subjected to Kiyomi's will, like a leashed dog. But he couldn't do anything about it, not now at least.

Konan knocked on the door due to Kiyomi's orders. Kakashi opened the door and seemed bored, "Oh, you're back. Then you found something about the scroll?"

Obito nodded, "Yep, Tobi found the person. She was very nice to Tobi." He, of course, spoke as Tobi.

Jiraiya came to the door, "You interacted with our target... And they're a woman?" He seemed curious, mostly because it could be great material for his books.

Obito was confused, he didn't see Jiraiya but instead, he saw and heard his sensei, Minato. Obito knew this to be a part of the genjutsu, but why now? He saw the caster as Rin but everyone else was normal. Obito couldn't worry about it now, he had to continue being Kiyomi's puppet. He nodded, "Yep. She gave Tobi some candy."

Jiraiya chuckled nervously, "Either Tobi is lying or he's not the brightest." He thought to himself. "Well, I suppose we should figure out a way to avoid getting caught in her genjutsu. Or we could try having Kakashi use that Sharingan of his to incapacitate her." He turned to Kakashi.

Kakashi felt a warm sensation on his right hand, it was strange. "Kakashi. Kakashi!" Kakashi heard a voice echo in his mind, "Tell Jiraiya that the two of you should try to capture your target."

Kakashi felt that Rin's voice was something he had to listen to, without reason. "Jiraiya, maybe we should give them a break and go after the target just us two."

Jiraiya turned to Kakashi, "Hmmm, it's risky." He turned back to Konan and Tobi, "Alright, you two stay here and rest up since the two of you have been out there for at least an hour."

Obito didn't realize that he'd been asleep and captured by that woman for over an hour. Tobi saluted to Jiraiya, "Okie dokie."

Jiraiya looked at Konan, he felt like she seemed like she wasn't there like she was somewhere else. "Konan, are you alright?"

Konan stared for a moment before she nodded, "Of course, I'm just still feeling the effects of the genjutsu. It's hard seeing Tobi as Yahiko."

Obito just by listening to Konan knew that she was free but had no memory of their puppeteer. "Curious..."

Jiraiya understood, "Alright, then just rest. We'll come back with the scroll." The pair left through the door.

Obito was left alone with Konan, he looked at her and noticed something he hadn't before. Obito saw Konan's hair changing to brown, and soon purple lines appeared on her cheeks. Obito now saw Konan as an older Rin, and it left him silent as he already thought it before. He looked away, hoping he wouldn't think about it.

Konan noticed Obito's sudden change in his demeanor and asked, "What's wrong, Yahiko... I mean Lord Madara? Did I do something wrong?" She feared she had done something wrong somehow.

Obito was silent, he didn't know exactly how to respond. Hearing Rin's voice but knowing it was Konan just gave him a weird feeling. She must've been the same way, hearing Yahiko's voice instead of his own.

But maybe he didn't have to continue masking his voice, at least for now, he decided to use his own voice, "It's nothing, Konan. I just..." he looked at the floor, "The more I see you in the Jounin uniform, the more I think of someone else." He lied.

Konan was curious, but not enough to press him further. She felt that the whole dynamic with Madara looking like Yahiko was not something she ever imagined herself seeing. But regardless it was nice.

Obito decided to say something else, "I fell under the same genjutsu, but I'm not affected in the same way." He said quickly.

Konan was not expecting that "Wait, you're under a genjutsu? How is that possible?"

Obito walked to the window of the hotel room, "I attempted to capture the one who placed you under genjutsu but I myself was placed under it. However, I retain all cognitive awareness while she's in control."

"While she's in control?" Konan asked.

"Yes. When she says something to you, you hear the voice of a loved one and you can't help but do as they say. Like puppets on strings." Obito elaborated. "I assume my genjutsu resistance is what keeps me aware."

It was something that Konan didn't think possible, Madara or at least his pupil being caught in a genjutsu with his mastery over the Sharingan. But it also raised a question Konan thought about, "Who do you see with the genjutsu?"

Obito was silent, the question wasn't surprising. It was only natural for Konan to ask, "Just a girl from my past."

"Do you see me as that girl?" She asked.

Obito sighed, "If you must know... Yes. I do see you as the girl I cared for."

Konan always wanted to learn about the man behind the mask, but she sensed his annoyance.

Obito stared out the window and saw Jiraiya and Kakashi bump into the forbidden jutsu user, Jiraiya soon began coughing and fell down. "She's gotten what she wanted and we'll be on the move soon." A thought popped into his mind and he acted upon it. He activated his Sharingan and looked at Konan, "Look into my eye."

Konan was scared, but she had to listen. She stared deeply into the crimson tomoe of the Sharingan. Her mind started to feel like it was scrapped against her skull. But when she blinked Madara no longer looked like Yahiko, but just himself. "What did you do?"

Obito eyed her up and down, "Just trying to fight fire with fire. I've overridden her genjutsu over you, it will at least give you a chance to blindside the woman when she least expects it." He spoke again with his Madara impression.

Konan understood what he meant, "I'll do my best, my Lord."

Obito looked back at the window, "You better, or else she'll get to the village and who knows what type of havoc she'll cause there. Well maybe I don't really care for that." Obito had one more idea, "I'll be back in a moment, I need to fetch something." He disappeared in a swirl, leaving Konan to her own devices.

"Well, at least he's got other attributes than just being scary and handsome." She said to herself.