Disclaimer: not mine

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!

This chapter has taken so long and been a pain cause Kakashi doesn't want to cooperate!

Chapter 7

Kakashi eyed the two figures, more wary than usual after the mess of their mission. One looked around his own age maybe, the other was a teenager. Both looked a mess, the boy in better condition and neither in shinobi clothing. And…the older was staring at him, not too surprising given he was well known throughout the nations.

"Bakashi?" a shaky voice asked, and Kakashi took several seconds to realise what he'd just been called but…that wasn't possible.

He stared at the man, scanning his body…a missing eye, black hair…it wasn't possible. He was long dead, buried in the collapsing cave. And yet…he could see it, he could see Obito in this man.

"We…we made it?" the man whispered, swaying. The clothing was rough, torn and dirty, and…yeah, those were bandages.

The teen was watching them all with wide green eyes, letting the man lean on him. He was a little cleaner, his clothing too big but less damaged and only a visible bandage on his arm.

"Do you know them Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto called, drawing attention to him.

A dark eye widened as the man took Naruto in. "Minato-sensei?" the man whispered, looking utterly confused.

"Who's that?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Team, keep going," he ordered firmly.

"He's an Uchiha," Sasuke murmured.

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke who was staring at the Obito look-alike. And before he could say anything, Sasuke flashed through hand signs…but not for a jutsu or the standard signs used for silent communication. The man stared at Sasuke and then slowly he smiled, his hands moving in response. The two held a silent conversation and then he was shocked when Sasuke actually smiled.

"I'm not the last," he whispered in shock.

"Sasuke…the boy who called me that died during the last war when we were children. He was crushed to death."

In answer, the man turned his head, revealing the badly damaged skin, lifting his sleeve to show it went down his body. He staggered slightly and the teen adjusted his grip, wavering himself.

"The war…did we win?" the look-alike asked. "Is it over?"

"The war ended just over a year after Obito died," Kakashi answered since that was general knowledge.

The boy appeared totally unarmed but the man had pouch strapped awkwardly to one leg. They looked like they'd been on the run for a while. Even if Obito had survived somehow, all surviving POW's had been exchanged at the end of the war. And yet…he knew whatever Uchiha hand signs Sasuke had used and…even with the scars, he looked like Obito, just grown up. But it wasn't possible. And he could have learnt those signs before the massacre from an Uchiha prisoner or even…Itachi, was he trying to get to Sasuke? That would suggest he was keeping very close watch on his brother somehow since the odds of them showing up on their first mission away from the Village?

"Can we sit please? He's not exactly light," the boy finally spoke up, his words heavily accented but not one Kakashi recognised.

Kakashi waved at them to sit, it'd be harder for them to attack from a seated position, not by much for a shinobi but even a split second could make a difference in a fight. The boy struggled to ease the larger man down without either of them falling and Kakashi gripped Sasuke's shoulder to keep him from trying to help. Thankfully, Naruto and Sakura were remaining quiet, for the moment anyway.

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Hiro drank in the sight of a tiny Sasuke, tiny compared to his memories of him anyway. Straight from Fourth year of Hogwarts, Hiro wasn't much bigger than the three twelve-year-olds. He hadn't hit his growth spurt for a few more years last time but this time, he'd already started on the necessary potions to help undo the years of malnutrition. Who knew, maybe he'd be taller when he finished growing than he was last time.

It was hard to not just stare at him, but Kakashi was suspicious and on edge enough already. He wanted to be alone with Sasuke, to talk to him, hold him, but who knew when they'd get the chance. It would take time for Harry to be trusted, he knew that, also knew that showing up with Obito might mean it tool longer. And he'd never met the Sandaime, the man had been dead when he came to Konoha the first time, but he'd seen and heard enough to know he was not an effective Hokage anymore. He never should have taken the hat back after Minato's death but there hadn't really been any other candidates.

He could tell Sasuke wanted to come to him but with Kakashi's hand on his shoulder that wasn't possible. Even without his hand, Sasuke knew he had to remain with his team. They had a cover story and they all needed to stick to it, no matter how much it hurt to stay apart.

Being able to sit was a relief, Obito was a lot heavier than the runic array had him looking to others. As the one to create the arrays, they had no effect on Hiro so he was fully experiencing Obito's full weight when letting him lean on him.

Hiro settled on the grass, legs crossed, leaning back against the tree. He was apparently unarmed and he wouldn't seem like a threat with his current chakra levels. They'd decided to make him as civilian appearing as possible, so Obito had the only visible kunai pouch. Obito slouched beside him, leaning heavily on the tree, carefully stretching his legs out. Hiro had to bite back a smile when Sasuke slipped free of Kakashi to sit on the grass but out of reach to keep his sensei happier.

His two teammates were more hesitant but joined him, Kakashi hovering. Seeing them so young and innocent… seeing Naruto alive…his eyes bright and inquisitive…innocent… it hurt. There was no way he was dying this time around! Sakura still had her sights set on Sasuke, that was obvious, but this wasn't the broken young woman he had last seen. He would definitely not be dating her this time around and hopefully she could find happiness with someone without all that trouble.

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Naruto stared at the two strangers, they looked bad. He wanted to shove all his ramen and rations at them plus whatever medical supplies they all had. And…the older one was an Uchiha, that meant he was Sasuke's family! That…that was great! It was. It was good that Sasuke wouldn't be alone anymore. Though, who was Minato and why had he called Naruto that? Maybe…maybe this guy had known one of Naruto's relatives?

"Ask whatever you want, Kakashi," the man told sensei, looking utterly worn out.

Naruto grabbed his canteen and held it out in offering. The Uchiha blinked at him and then smiled slightly at him so Naruto tossed it gently.

"Thanks kid."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he introduced himself.

"Uzumaki huh? Why do you have Kushina's name and not Minato-sensei's?"

What? He looked over to see the grimace on Kakashi-sensei's face. "Sensei?" he demanded.

"I can't speak of it Naruto, I'm sorry. You'll have to speak with the Sandaime. Who is your companion?"

"Potter Harry," the teen introduced himself. "I'm looking for family. Obito said they're from Konoha so I stuck with him after we got out. And he'd fall over without help."

"Brat," Obito grumbled, swiping a weak hand through messy black hair. They seemed close which was nice.

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Sasuke wanted to throw himself at Hiro, to hold him and have solid proof he was really there. No…Harry, he was Harry at the moment. That made sense, if they contacted the Outside, like Tsunade had, then they would quickly find out his birth name and that would raise questions. Still, it sounded strange since he'd been Hiro as long as Sasuke had known him. He'd been Umino Hiro for over a decade after all, so it had to be strange to have to be Harry again.

He wasn't sure what Hiro had been through since their return but…he had to be fourteen which meant the Tournament and Riddle's return. But when exactly had they returned, before or after the Graveyard? That would make a big difference to future events. He wished he could have spoken with them before this but it had been too risky for Obito to make contact once they left on the mission.

He didn't really listen to Kakashi drill Obito, since he had his memories of the past it was fine. Not like Kakashi would ask about the timeline that would never exist again. And... oh! he was an idiot, between Hiro's mental abilities and the Sharingan…he met his eyes and Hiro blinked before realising.

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Obito felt the flare of magic, saw the two boys staring into each other's eyes, and mentally rolled his own. Well, that was them out of the conversation for at least a minute, good thing time could pass quicker in the mind. Which left him dealing with a suspicious and protective Kakashi.

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Hiro wrapped his arms around Sasuke, relieved that in their minds they looked their true ages. "Thought I'd lost you," he whispered.

Sasuke chuckled. "Same here," he admitted, leaning in for a soft kiss.

"You're such a cute kid," he teased, getting a mild glare.

"You're not that much taller," Sasuke grumbled.

"I was so scared you wouldn't know me, then Obito showed up and freaked me out. Turns out my magic imprinted his memories when he died, and somehow the imprint went to the him in this time. The soul is all this period though, so if anything happens to affect his memories…"

"Great."

"I'm working on it. Got some runes for you too, keep a certain snake off your neck."

"Thanks," Sasuke murmured before kissing him again, arms wrapped tightly around him.

The runes would ensure the curse mark couldn't take and had a nasty surprise for Orochimaru embedded as well. He knew Sasuke would fight the effects of the mark if it was given this time around, but better he didn't have to do it. It would take precious energy he could use to focus on his training. He trusted Sasuke to fight it but he would also do anything to protect him. He would protect all of Team 7, even if he never ended up a member of the team this time. He would keep his family safe, they all would.

"We should go, don't want Kakashi to notice," he finally said, staring at the familiar form, wondering how differently Sasuke would grow this time.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed.

They kissed one last time and then the connection broke.

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Kakashi didn't know what to think. The man had answered every question about Obito's life, there had been some hesitations…but that was to be expected after over twelve years of captivity. The boy with him was interesting, an Outsider who had come looking for family only to be captured. And despite everything…the kid had fallen asleep against Obito, showing he trusted him.

"He's a good kid," Obito, or the look-alike, looked down at the sleeping teen. "When they tossed him in the cell…I thought he was an Uchiha," he admitted. "Till he woke up and I saw his eyes. He could speak our language but not as well as he does now. He was self-taught. I did what I could…to teach him to fight." He drank from Sasuke's canteen for a few moments.

"I…I'd given up," he whispered, staring at the ground. "Don't know how long they had me…but Harry…he's a force of nature. And he refused to let them beat him down. I'd still be there if not for him."

Kakashi forced his face to remain still as he took in the others' words. The idea that Obito would ever give up but…over a decade in captivity would change a person, even a few months could. Even, even if the impossible were true and this really was Obito…he still couldn't trust him. The odds of him not turning, willing or unwillingly after so long a captive…he could be a spy and not even know it.

"And you can't trust me because I was there so long. I don't even know who had me," he admitted, offering the ghost of his old grin. "They never wore anything identifiable, kept their faces covered. I can point you in the direction we came from but that's it. Little pyromaniac decided to blow the place up to make sure we weren't followed. Smart but not sure how much is left. It was underground though," he shrugged slightly.

The kid blew the place up? How? His chakra felt mostly untrained, reserves bigger than the average civilian, maybe on par with normal genin (he couldn't really use his team as the standard given Naruto and Sasuke). "How'd he blow it?"

"They left some chemicals around; he had fun breaking everything and then lit it on fire. He'd fit right in with the clan even with the green eyes. When he said family, I was sure it would be us."

"Did he tell you who?"

"Yeah, that's part of why he's with me. Unless they left…not sure if you know them, the Umino family?"

Kakashi froze. Umino? What were the odds? They were so careful. But either the real Obito or a look alike and a kid saying they were related to the Umino? You couldn't get more perfect for finding their team. He went to speak but stayed silent as the kids returned, Sasuke hushing the other two when he saw Harry was asleep.

They quickly got to work preparing the food they had gathered and caught, not bad considering the disaster on the way to Wave. The mission had been a great learning experience for them…hopefully Iruka wouldn't kill him for how wrong it had gone. They woke Harry once the food was ready, the two ex-prisoners being given the blandest of the food and small portions so as not to upset their stomachs. His eye narrowed when Harry leant forward, oversized shirt slipping to reveal old scars on his back. Those were not the kind of wounds gained in a fight, but they also looked years old.

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Sakura kept quiet and just listened to everything, not sure what she could do even if she did speak up. Obviously, the man was saying he was an old friend or comrade of Kakashi-sensei, one who died in the last war. And he'd given enough correct information to have sensei listening and not just…killing him as a spy or something. The other, the boy with the strange name, he didn't seem like a shinobi but not a civilian either. She'd read about the Outside but there really wasn't much information, just that there was more to the world than their nations and that they didn't really interact. So, what was his life there like that he'd risk everything to come here to find family?

Of course, it could all be one big enemy trap but she hoped not. Sasuke looked so…happy, for him at least, at the idea of having family again. He deserved to have family. If this really was Uchiha Obito…did he even know about the massacre?

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He stirred in his cage, sensing…something…something new and yet old…strange…but he was tired from forcing the boy to use his power and not die in that fight. There was no threat at the moment, he would rest and recover till there was.

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They moved on in the morning, Sasuke and Naruto helping Harry along while Kakashi used a clone to help the possible Obito. Several of Naruto's clones were spread out around them serving as lookouts. In another day, they'd reach Konoha and it would be up to the Hokage what happened to the two.

TBC…

Should I let Obito have some happiness this life and do Iruka/Kakashi/Obito?