Kakashi watched Tobi with a spyglass as he made his way to the hospital, Itachi was watching with him. Kakashi was thinking about their conversation just a moment ago. Itachi revealed everything he knew about Tobi or Madara, as he was.

Kakashi was very quiet, probably because he too was fearful of just the name. But it made sense logically speaking, Tobi had fire and wood styles on top of Itachi having bore witness to Madara's Sharingan. It lined up perfectly, but there was one thing that bothered Kakashi. If Tobi was Madara then why was he so reckless? He also spoke in a way that hinted at his suffering loss when he was young, though it did fit Madara's history, it didn't seem to line up based on Tobi's personality. Though it was a cover-up personality, it seemed too much for someone like Madara. But Tobi was an Uchiha that was certain because only an Uchiha could deactivate a Sharingan. So Tobi had to be a rouge or presumed dead Uchiha, but even Tobi's skill was higher than that of any ordinary Uchiha. Every time Kakashi thought he was close to uncovering Tobi's identity other things contradicted who he could be.

But there was one other thing that bothered Kakashi, Tobi's hair. It was shorter than usual, he wondered why. "Was it because of Konan's comment this morning?" He thought to himself.

Itachi asked, "Captain Kakashi, what are we going to do once we uncover Tobi's identity?"

Kakashi put down his spyglass, "That's to be determined. First, we have to know who he is before we do anything. But if we get the chance to talk to him privately then we'll take it."

Obito made his way to the hospital, though he didn't exactly feel the need. Because of course, he could regenerate the damage done. But it was more of a formal visit than anything.

Obito felt something was odd, there was nothing but silence. Not around him physically, it was almost entirely because Madara hadn't appeared to remark anything since he jumped in to save Naruto. "I suppose he's mad." He walked into the drab and depressing hospital and was escorted to a room for a simple checkup. He sat up on a table after taking off his shirt and flak jacket.

But the checkup soon took a turn when his doctor was a Hyuuga, but what made it worse was that his doctor was a woman, "Alright, Mr. Tobi. First, let me do an internal check." The doctor activated her Byakugan and looked throughout Obito's body. A trickle of sweat dripped down the doctor's cheek, "Um Mr Tobi, do you have any problems with your heart at all?"

Obito nodded no, "Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

The doctor seemed more concerned, "Well, it's just that there's a tag of some kind on your heart."

Obito gripped his fists, he knew exactly how it got there. "Madara..."

He asked the doctor, "Can you tell what type of tag it is?"

"It has the kanji for curse, what it does is beyond my knowledge." She said.

Obito stood up, "Thank you doctor, but I feel I've taken enough of your time."

"Hey wait! Don't you want to get the tag removed? I can get you scheduled to have surgery."

Obito imagined the process of surgery and the only way it could happen was for him to take his mask off for it, which was not happening, even if his life was on the line. "No thank you, doctor. If it hasn't killed me already then I doubt it will in the foreseeable future." He picked up his tattered shirt and flak jacket, putting them on. He walked out of the room.

On Obito's way out of the hospital, he saw Madara's reflection in his place in the window. Obito blinked and saw his own reflection, he sighed and moved along. He just needed some rest and then he could have a nice long anger-less conversation with Madara.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Konan's help was no longer needed moving debris. She thought about going to her apartment and resting but she wanted to find out who was under Tobi's mask. Konan traveled to the Konoha archives, it was a surprisingly small building for what it should hold. She walked to the front desk and rang a bell. A few moments passed and nothing, Konan thought that no one was stationed here today for it to be the case. Konan looked around and saw that there were aisles and aisles of books and scrolls, there was a clan name on each row. They were in alphabetical order, unfortunately. So Konan had to walk to the very back of the building to find the Uchiha aisle.

Konan searched for a record of all Uchiha born in the last twenty-five years, she hoped that Tobi's identity would be among them.

She went through most of the records and noticed that surprisingly very few Uchiha hadn't had children or died. It was strange but she supposed that the Uchiha were more fortunate than most. There were zero missing Uchiha as well, she assumed it meant that they were very loyal to the Leaf, how wrong she was.

However, one page caught her eye, not because the boy had anything unique about him, but rather because of who he was associated with. "Obito Uchiha." There was a picture with a young boy clad in blue wearing goggles, he had a big smile. She read about him, being orphaned at a young age and being fostered by an old woman. Training to be a Shinobi and being put onto the same genin team as Rin Nohara and Kakashi Hatake.

Just the mention of Kakashi made her think about how Tobi's body language was around Kakashi, he usually was sharper, and angrier. And on top of that there was the early morning when Kakashi shouted the name Obito as he awoke. If Tobi was Obito then it made sense but she needed to read more.

"Obito Uchiha was eventually given the rank of Chunin, but he did not exhibit any signs of awakening the Sharingan. This ultimately proved his downfall when he was assigned a sabotage mission with his fellow Chunin and Jounin captain, Kakashi Hatake. Obito awakened his Sharingan after Kakashi lost his left eye, but it didn't matter when he was crushed underneath a boulder. Though the left side of his body was unharmed. Obito then gifted Kakashi Hatake his left Sharingan. Obito was then promptly killed by an earthquake jutsu soon after. At the age of twelve, he was more resolute and brave than most grown men." There was nothing left for Obito's record.

Konan felt like there were too many similarities between Obito and Tobi, though it might have been a wrong guess. But Konan wondered what could've caused the nice, happy-go-lucky goggled boy to turn into the masked man with no heart. What happened for him to hate the world so much? Did Madara mess with his mind somehow? There were just so many questions and the only person who could give her answers was Tobi himself, whether he gave them was a different matter entirely.

Konan looked at the picture of Obito again and felt like he looked like Yahiko if his hair was black, it made her heart throb thinking about her younger days. And it caused her to think of Nagato and Yahiko's dreams. Konan never really had any dreams of her own. It made her question why she wanted to be here in the first place. Was she too selfish to want some normalcy when Nagato's dream for peace was grander?

She closed up the record book and placed it back where it was. Konan thought to herself, "I feel as though I'm being too selfish. I can't fall in love with Tobi, not right now, there's no room in my heart."

On Obito's way to his apartment, he picked up some paint, the perfect shade for his skin color. Though no one was vocal about it, Obito felt self-conscious about his Hashirama cell side. He wanted to at least look normal when he wasn't wearing a shirt.

When Obito got back to his apartment he went immediately to his bedroom, he discarded his torn shirt and took off his flak jacket. He fell onto his bed, still with his mask on. The only thing on his mind was sleep. Though there was something that ate at him, Rin spoke to him. It felt genuine like her spirit actually talked to him. Was it real or was it his imagination? And if so why did she speak to him? Why now? Was she watching him? Was she disappointed? He had too many questions to think about now, for now, he would just fade into the deep dark void.

In the deep dream of Obito, he found himself on a mission with Konan and Rin. It was a mission to stop a bunch of bandits from terrorizing a small village. Obito was excited to have some alone time with Rin while Kakashi wasn't in the picture, and Minato-Sensei was on a mission with Kakashi, Nagato, and Yahiko.

Obito felt important because he was the designated close-range fighter, and it also meant that if he got hurt Rin would heal him.

After fighting the bandits Obito wasn't that injured, he was lucky he only had a couple of scratches. But he was even luckier that Rin was healing him. Her heart-warmed smile could disperse fog if needed. That was how she was.

They returned to the Leaf and were awarded some money for their services. Which Obito was thinking of spending on flowers for Rin. Especially cause a special party for the younger kids of the village was being held in the afternoon. Though Obito had to find something formal and yet something that screamed "I'm Obito" for the occasion.

He shopped at a nice clothing store and saw an Uchiha robe that was purple, and it was the right size for his young twelve-year-old self. It was perfect. All he needed now were flowers.

On his way to the annual kid's dance, he grabbed some flowers from the Yamanaka's. He was about to step into the building when he looked through the window and saw Rin, wearing a white shirt and a beautiful plaid skirt. But she was dancing with Kakashi. They were having fun, they were smiling, they were laughing.

"Even in my dreams she always chooses Kakashi." Obito was about to walk away.

"What's wrong Obito? You haven't even gone in." Konan spoke with genuine curiosity. She wore a sleeveless black dress with clouds on it that sparkled. Konan noticed the flowers Obito was holding and put two and two together. "Oh, they're for Rin aren't they?"

Obito looked down at the flowers, "Yeah. But she's already got a partner."

Konan looked through the window and saw Rin and Kakashi together, she felt bad for Obito. "I'm sorry. I suppose she just doesn't see you for who you truly are."

Obito looked up from the ground, he didn't understand what Konan meant. Konan stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek, Obito was left red with embarrassment. She backed away bashfully. Pushing her hair back she looked away from Obito, "Sorry, I just..." She looked him in the eyes, "I like you, Obito."

Something inside Obito awakened, what it was he didn't know. All he knew was that he had just been kissed by a girl who was two years older than him. And now he was looking at her for the beauty she was. He smiled, "I..."

Konan stopped him, "You don't have to say anything. Let's just go in there and have fun." She dragged him into the building and onto the dancefloor.

Obito woke up slowly from his dream, a small smile carved on his face. He looked around the room slightly, it was pitch black inside and out.

Obito sighed, his smile now gone. "I guess I'll get up now." He rose and walked to his dresser, he opened a drawer and was greeted with nothingness. He forgot to do laundry this week. Obito let out another sigh, "Never mind then." Obito walked to the front door and grabbed a black cloak off of his coat rack before he exited.

Obito walked through the late-night village, making his way to the top of Mount Hokage. He sat down near the edge, looking over the village. It was beautiful and calm, something he'd never seen the village be. He hoped the view would soothe his troubled mind, but it didn't, couldn't. Obito's mind was something that not even he understood.

And it made it worse when he did things without thinking, things he knew he shouldn't do but did anyway. He was a protector and an aid to those in need when he was a young Shinobi, even at the cost of his time, the little he had. He wondered why he was so selfless but an answer never came.

But when he was the masked man who initiated the nine tails attack and killed Minato and Kushina, it was for the sake of peace, for the infinite Tsukoyomi. The eternal dream. But it wasn't his dream, was it? It was Madara's. Though Obito wanted the infinite world of dreams because he had nothing, he had always had nothing. That's why he wanted to become the Hokage. But that was taken from him at the cost of his body. And Rin... Her death was what broke his spirit. He was only a husk afterward, with only one thing on his mind, hatred.

However over the past few weeks, Obito has felt himself smiling often, he was happier than he'd been for a long time. He assumed it was because he loved to do the Tobi persona. After all, it gave him a chance to act childish again. But after his countless dreams, he wondered if there was another reason. Was there a star that lit his dark and gloomy world? He thought there wasn't but if so then what caused him joy? But the more he thought about it the more it escaped him.

He continued to look at the village, the village that never did anything for him, the village he attacked, the village that let him grow up and meet friends. Obito always looked on the downside of everything his entire life, but there was someone who always looked on the bright side. Rin always saw things for the positives they bore. Not the negatives they could have. Obito wished he had just an ounce of her positivity.

"Who am I?" That was a question he hadn't asked before. He spoke to himself. "What do I want?" Hoping for an answer but naturally, none was given. "Am I Obito, or am I Madara?"

Late in the night, the quiet streets of Konoha were nearly empty. All was quiet except for a few moving about in the night, one such was an ambassador from Kumogakure. He'd been originally assigned to capture a Hyuuga that did not possess the curse mark that destroyed the Byakugan upon removal. But his objective changed when he received orders to find and reobtain the Cloud's scroll of forbidden techniques. There was only the slightest bit of intel on its whereabouts, the orange-masked man named Tobi knew where it was. As a Cloud Shinobi witnessed him give the scroll to a black and pale white being that sprouted from the ground. Finding the accomplice to Tobi's actions was impossible as the Shinobi that witnessed them could not sense the creature's chakra, so only Tobi would know where the scroll would be by association or could contact the creature. But Tobi's classification of danger was unknown as he seemed to be a newer Leaf Shinobi, and after hearing that the Mist Shinobi performed two high-level forbidden jutsus was stopped by Tobi who performed wood style.

The Cloud Shinobi posing as an ambassador wondered what he could do exactly to retrieve the scroll, blackmail was high on his list. But how to do so would be difficult to know. He wondered about interrogating Tobi but that would almost always result in Tobi killing him. So the next option was going after something he loved, a loved one, or even a pet.

The ambassador was on his way to Tobi's residence when he saw a blue-haired woman standing outside Tobi's residence. She held her hand toward the door but she hadn't knocked yet, she seemed uncertain if she should knock.

The ambassador approached slowly, he assumed she was a girlfriend of Tobi's making a late-night visit. The ambassador had a knockout agent splattered onto a rag just for an opportunity like this. While the woman was preoccupied in her mind the ambassador came up from behind and held the rag over the woman's mouth, she struggled for a moment but the knockout powder kicked in, causing her to go unconscious. The ambassador slumped the woman over his shoulder after he checked to see if she was unconscious. He wrote a note and placed a kunai through it on the door. The ambassador began his escape from the village to a safe house five hundred meters outside the village, where a group of Cloud Shinobi awaited him and the scroll. Though they'd have to wait longer for the scroll.

After introspecting with himself, Obito decided to choose Madara over himself. He believed that if he wanted redemption it wouldn't be possible. No matter what no one would forgive him. He would leave the Leaf village in the morning, with or without Konan.

Obito walked up the steps of his apartment and finally reached his floor. He noticed that there was a kunai on his door, which caused him to be on guard. He approached his door and read the note, "We have the blue-haired woman, and if you want to see to her safety then bring the Hidden Cloud scroll of forbidden techniques to a hut to the far east near a river. Come alone."

Panic enveloped him, Obito rushed to Konan's apartment door and kicked it off its hinges. He ran inside and looked for Konan but to his sadness, she was not here. Obito balled his hands in anger, he slammed his fist into the nearby wall.

Someone rushed to the noise and saw Obito standing in the darkness, "What's going on?" A boy around fourteen asked.

Obito turned around, "This is none of your business."

The boy stood firm, his eyes began glowing red. "As a member of the police force, it is my business."

Obito tried relaxing himself but failed, the fate of Konan worried him. "So you're a member of the police force." He said. "Fine, I'll tell you but you can't help me."

The boy eased himself and deactivated his Sharingan, "I'm Shisui Uchiha by the way."

"Well Shisui, my friend was kidnapped by someone wanting a scroll from me. They want me to give them the scroll in exchange for her life." Obito explained.

Shisui nodded, "I'll notify the police force and-"

Obito cut him off, "No. They want me to go alone. And I will comply." He headed out of Konan's apartment. "Forget this happened." He said as he walked past Shisui.

Obito made his way into his apartment, took the cloak off, and grabbed a long black-sleeved shirt. He put his Jounin vest back on, even if it was still a little singed from the Phoenix.

Obito felt as though he was ready, he was going to save Konan and then kill those who dared try to harm her. Obito left his apartment to see Kakashi was waiting outside with Shisui and Itachi. Kakashi heard what Tobi said to Shisui, "You seem in a rush, are you planning to save her by yourself?"

Obito pushed Itachi out of the way and went on his way to the stairs.

Kakashi hadn't seen Tobi like this, Tobi was only focused on one thing and one thing only, that which he could lose. "So Itachi's right, he is an Uchiha." Kakashi thought to himself. Kakashi spoke loudly, "So what'll you use to save her, wood style or your Sharingan?"

Shisui seemed confused and out of the loop, "What?"

Obito stopped in place, he slowly turned his head until he looked at Kakashi. "Itachi..." Obito gripped his fists and turned away, "Whatever this is about can wait. I need to save Konan."

Kakashi walked forward, "Why not? I see no better time for a man to show his true colors than when he's in a hurry."

Obito grit his teeth, "Stop..."

Kakashi asked, "Is it true that you've killed the previous Fire daimyo and the Fourth Hokage? Is it?"

"It doesn't matter," Obito said lowly.

Kakashi pressed, "So their lives didn't matter? Okay, then neither does Konan's. Or yours. Or mine. Is that what you're saying?"

"I don't care," he replied.

"Well, you care about Konan, so much so that you're willing to walk into a trap. That even a blind squirrel can see."

"I don't," it was less for Kakashi and more for himself.

Kakashi knew that Tobi was trying to lie to himself, and he knew that if he kept pressing then Tobi would slip up. "Why are you denying your feelings for her? I thought all Uchihas had hearts."

"I have no heart. Not anymore." The memory of that day started replaying in his head, and then he started imagining Konan meeting a similar fate.

"Then give up. Turn yourself in." Itachi said.

"I can't."

Kakashi was within arms reach of Tobi, "If you have no heart then why bother continuing? There's no point to continue on if you have no heart."

"You..." Obito said, letting his real voice seep out, "It's because of you that she's gone." He turned around, his Sharingan blazing crimson. He no longer cares about keeping his identity hidden, he had too many emotions swirling around.

Kakashi wasn't fearful, but curious. "Have we met before? Or are you referring to Konan?"

Obito pointed a finger at Kakashi. "It's because of you and your Chidori that Rin's gone!" He yelled.

Itachi and Shisui looked to Kakashi, hoping for an answer.

Kakashi felt shockwaves go through his body, "Obito?!"

Obito ignored Kakashi and turned around, "Don't follow me." He began walking down the stairs, he tried calming himself down but nothing worked, all he was thinking about was Konan and her bright smile being snuffed out of this world. "Hold on Konan, I'm going to save you."

Kakashi was frozen in place, he remembered his previous confrontation with Tobi and how different it was to now. Last time it was almost like Tobi was acting the whole time, but this time there was only pure emotion. Kakashi fell to his knees realizing that Obito was there on that day, witnessing the death of Rin at his hands. Realizing that Obito fought and killed Minato-Sensei and Kushina. Realizing that Obito released the nine tails on the village, killing hundreds of people. Realizing that Obito was still alive, battered and broken. He'd wish he knew sooner but it wouldn't have changed anything. "He's alive..."