DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

Bit of a shorter one here, as it's mostly a filler type of thing. Still some important events, but not a lot of action. The lull between arcs, as one would say. Anyways, read, review, and as always, enjoy!

Chapter 9 - Mission Complete

It had been a monotonous last couple of weeks. The four ninja spent the time rotating between protecting Tazuna and training. Naruto and Sasuke were always paired together, and Obito accompanied Sakura. At this point, they knew that it was just a simple formality, a type of insurance, for there was no longer a threat to Tazuna's life.

News had reached them quickly of the collapse of Gato's entire organization. The businessman himself had been found in two separate places, his head having been detached. The rest of his low-level thugs and everyone on his payroll had also been systematically wiped out, and all Obito could think of was how well Zabuza did his job. Was the Demon of the Hidden Mist so scared of Obito that he would go to all these lengths just to ensure his own life?

It wasn't like it mattered now, anyways. Obito was too lazy to hunt the missing-nin and his little sidekick. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't just leave three little Genin on their own in a foreign land, no matter how skilled they really were. Skills only go so far when not accompanied by maturity and experience.

With regards to said Genin, their training was progressing rather well. Naruto and Sasuke had mastered water walking in a mere two days, and had moved on to incorporating their newfound chakra control into their jutsu. The results were almost instantaneous. Naruto, even with his vast pool of chakra, found himself commenting that the Flying Raijin no longer took up so much of said chakra. Sasuke also commented that the chakra required by his Fire Style had been reduced as well, leaving more room for the sharingan to be active.

Obito had simply spread his hands, as there was no need to thank him. He was only responsible for that, no thanks necessary. The sarcasm evident there had still not garnered a thanks from either of the two of them. The only person who seemed to actually respect Obito as a teacher was Sakura. The other two only saw him as the big brother figure that they knew growing up, even if he wasn't much of a big brother.

Sakura's chakra control was off the charts. She showed the aptitude to be even more of a refined genjutsu user than the Genjutsu Mistress herself, Kurenai Yuhi. Obito made a mental note to ask Kurenai to tutor Sakura privately, as Obito was useless when it came to traditional genjutsu. He didn't even need to wield any hand signs for his sharingan's genjutsu, so teaching Sakura was out of the question, as they weren't even remotely the same.

Obito had made it a point to refine Sakura's support skills, such as her shuriken jutsu and kunai throwing, so that she would better be able to support her teammates. Molding her into a frontline combat type simply wouldn't be wise, considering the three males on the team were already those types.

Putting the genjutsu training on hold, Obito had been instructing her on the usage of Earth Style, which she found that she had an affinity for. Rather than trying to teach her offensive jutsu, he started simple, with the Mud Wall. It was a technique that he'd copied during the Third Ninja War, and it had yet to fail him. She picked it up quickly, the chakra cost being next to nothing thanks to the jutsu's low-level and Sakura's refined chakra control.

She already felt more confident than previously, and she'd only learned one jutsu. Obito had been strengthening her usage of it, as well as her reaction times by sending small fireballs her way, forcing her to block them with her mud wall. He reflexes had improved considerably since the beginning of this training, and that was only after one jutsu. Perhaps she wouldn't take as long to catch up to the others as she thought.

Currently, the pair of them were taking a break under the shade of a large tree. Scorched grass and ten-foot walls of mud littered the clearing in front of them. Sakura was breathing heavily as her limbs and chakra pool started their recovery process, and Obito was lightly snoozing with his back against the tree. At least that's what it looked like to Sakura. Sometimes, she was fairly certain that Obito never slept.

"Sensei?" she asked lightly after her breathing leveled out.

Obito opened one sharingan halfway, raising his eyebrow in response. Sakura looked down and picked at the grass with her fingers. "Um, I was wondering...what's a kekkei genkai?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I heard Naruto and Sasuke talk about it when they were fighting Haku, but I didn't get a chance to ask them about it. Seems like they always know stuff before I do," she said.

Obito closed his eye and leaned back, his head resting against the tree. "Well, that's to be expected. They've both been raised by prodigious shinobi. You weren't. It's only natural that you'd have more questions than them."

"So you'll tell me?"

Obito nodded without looking at her. "You at least know of the five chakra natures, correct?" he asked, continuing when Sakura hummed in affirmation. "One person is born with a specific nature, and that is usually their primary choice of jutsu. For instance, I have a Fire Nature, so all Fire Jutsu comes more easily to me than it would to someone with a different nature."

"Is that how you got your nickname?" Sakura asked eagerly.

Obito faltered in his speech. While everyone in the village knew his name, as well as his nickname, there were few that actually knew how he obtained it. His Genin probably wouldn't look at him the same if they knew the real reason.

"Yes," he said quietly, figuring that was easier than telling the truth.

Sakura beamed, proud of herself for guessing correctly. "But that still doesn't answer what a kekkei genkai is."

"A kekkei genkai occurs in someone that is born with two chakra natures. They are able to fuse these two natures to create a whole new jutsu. Haku, for example, combined wind and water to create ice. There are other examples of this, such as the Wood Style of the First Hokage. He combined water with earth to create wood."

"So since I'm only born with earth, I can't use any other elements?" Sakura asked, suddenly sad that she would never be able to use water or fire. Earth just seemed so dull to her.

Obito shook his head. "That's not true. Earth is simply the element that is easiest for you to use. Using other natures is possible, but it requires more concentration, as well as an increased chakra cost. I can actually use four of the five natures."

"Which one can't you use?" Sakura asked.

"It's not that I can't, I just won't," Obito revealed.

Sakura seemed confused by that. "Which one don't you want to use?"

"Lightning," Obito said as the air seemed to darken around them. His face became shrouded in darkness as a weight seemed to press against Sakura's chest.

She felt like she was going to suffocate until Obito finally regained his composure and opened his eyes, red sharingan looking her up and down. "Does that answer your question?"

Sakura nodded, suddenly fearful of her own sensei. Normally, Obito was quiet, reserved, and lazy, but if you said the wrong thing, you could suddenly find yourself being terrified by his massive killer intent. The man was a walking enigma.

Deciding to change the subject, Sakura's mind wandered to her two teammates. "So what about Naruto? I know Sasuke has a fire affinity, but what about Naruto?"

"You're wrong. Sasuke actually has a lightning nature," Obito said. Upon hearing that word again, Sakura was afraid that Obito would be set off again, but he remained calm. Seriously, an enigma. "As for Naruto, he has a wind nature."

"If Sasuke has lightning, then why does he always use fire?"

Obito shrugged his shoulders. "All Uchiha take to Fire Style. We invented it, after all. Anyways, once you master your element, most high level ninja like to invent their own jutsu. It's not easy, and most often fails, but if you succeed, it's fulfilling."

Sakura brought her knees to her chest, a soft grin forming on her face. Conversing with Obito like this felt nice, as if she were seeing another side of him, even if he was still being his usual emotionless self.

"Have you ever invented a jutsu, sensei?"

Obito dipped his head once in a small nod. "A few. My Bomb Blast Dance is one."

"Do you think I'll ever be able to?" Sakura's eyes shone with dreams of her inventing a new jutsu.

Obito exhaled sharply through his nose, the closest he would get to open laughter. "I suppose it's possible. But you're nowhere near where you need to be for that to happen, so focus on the present."

Sakura bowed her head, secretly smiling at Obito's encouraging words. "Thank you, sensei."

"Don't thank me yet. Now get up, it's time for round two."

It was their final night of the mission, and Naruto was thankful. One more day of this, and he would have grown restless beyond comprehension. He readied himself for bed, eagerly anticipating the journey home. He had missed his father, this mission being the longest he's ever been away from him.

As these thoughts ran through Naruto's head, he managed to catch a glimpse of Inari sitting on the dock in his usual spot. He sounded to be crying, as sniffles reached Naruto's ears. He smiled sadly, stepping outside and seating himself next to the young boy.

Inari quickly wiped the tears away from his eyes and nose, then shot daggers at Naruto for interrupting his quiet time. "What do you want?"

"Just couldn't help but notice that you were crying. Would be rude not to ask why," Naruto shrugged.

Inari scoffed. "You must think you're some kind of noble hero."

There that word was again. The boy had used it during his first conversation with Obito, and now he was using it again. At first, it had seemed like the boy was averse to ninja, but now it seemed that it was just the idea of heroes.

"What do you have against heroes?" Naruto asked.

Inari looked down. "They're not real. They always seem so happy, but none of it's real."

"What are you talking about? I know plenty of happy heroes!" Naruto smiled widely.

Inari looked at him with harsh, disbelieving eyes. "Really? Like who?"

"Bis Sis Rin, Big Bro Itachi, Big Bro Obito," Naruto began to list, but quickly shook his head. "Okay, maybe not Big Bro Obito. But my dad is one for sure!"

"Your dad?" Inari asked skeptically.

Naruto nodded. "That's right. The Hokage. He's a hero to the whole village!"

"He sounds like my dad," Inari sniffled, his hard exterior finally breaking.

Over the next few minutes, Naruto listened as Inari spilled the story of his own father, and his death at the hands of Gato. "And that's why I didn't like heroes anymore, because they let me down."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that bad guy Gato anymore," Naruto assured. "Your dad sounded amazing. Wish I could have met him. From how you describe him, he sounds a lot like my dad."

"R-really?" Inari asked, the tears now fully streaming. "Why is your dad a hero?"

"He saved the village from an attack by a demon. Though it still killed my mom. I don't remember her. But he still saved all of those people, and he's a hero because of it!" Naruto said, his right hand subconsciously moving to hover over his stomach, and the seal that he knew was there.

"Anyways, if my dad can do all of that and still be a hero, then yours was, too!"

Inari's eyes widened at Naruto's words. Suddenly, he felt the most shame he'd ever felt in his life. His head bowed as the tears renewed themselves. Naruto left the boy on the dock, sliding the door shut behind him to muffle the sounds of sobbing.

The return journey was completely boring, which was how Obito liked it. Naruto, on the other hand, was practically begging for someone to ambush them so he could see some action. Little did he know that Obito had plans to give the blonde all the action he could possibly hope for.

"Go home, get some rest for yourselves. I need to report back to the Hokage. Take a rest day, then meet me on the usual training ground the day after. Eight a.m. sharp," he told his three Genin when they passed through the village gates.

Since his dad would be working for most of the day, Naruto had some time to himself, so he convinced Sasuke to meet him at Ichiraku's after they dropped their stuff of at home. Sakura was invited, and she graciously accepted. Oddly, she no longer felt the same little girl's crush on Sasuke that she had in the past. That last mission had changed her. She knew that being a shinobi came first and foremost. That still didn't prevent her from tagging along for his sake, though.

While the three Genin enjoyed their meal, Obito strolled into the Hokage's office, his horrible posture a welcome sight for Minato's sore eyes. The Hokage rose from his desk and walked around it to embrace Obito tightly. The Uchiha allowed it, even if he didn't return the gesture.

"Glad you're back safe. I take it the mission went well?"

Obito shrugged lightly. "We ran into a little trouble early on, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"I see. And how are the kids?" Minato asked. He really only wanted to inquire about Naruto, but that wouldn't be fitting for the leader of the entire village, so he expanded the question to encompass the entire team.

"They're fine."

Minato nodded, a light smile gracing his lips. "Well, you can write up your report later. Go get some rest, Obito."

The Uchiha bowed sloppily and turned on his heel. He had another destination in mind, rather than his apartment. He knew that sleep would not come easily, it never did, so he would rather drink. The Rusty Kunai was a familiar sight, and Obito was content once he felt the burning sensation of alcohol run down his throat.

At least, he was until he found himself choking on it when a strong arm slapped him on the back. "Dammit, Guy!" he cursed, knowing full well who it was without having to look.

"Back in the village, my rival? I heard you ran into some trouble along the way. Your flames of youth kept you alive, didn't they?" the taijutsu master asked, eyes and teeth glimmering.

Before Obito could answer, Asuma and Kurenai appeared on his other side, leaning over the bar to look at him like they always did. The Uchiha placed his head in the palm of his right hand. "Do you people just wait for me to show up so you can blindside me when I'm trying to drink alone?"

"Guilty," Asuma chuckled. "But seriously, we heard that you tangled with Zabuza Momochi. He's a heavy hitter, how'd you handle him?"

"Clearly you're still alive, but is he?" Kurenai asked with an amused twinkle in her eyes.

Obito sighed, his sharingan taking in the faces of his three friends. Minato's words came back to him as he remembered their conversation in his dark apartment.

"...but try and make an effort to enjoy yourself with your friends, okay?"

"I only scared the shit out of him, it's not like I killed the guy," Obito admitted, his eyes finally showing hints of emotions that had been absent for years.

Asuma whistled in surprise. "Did you hear about Gato? The Gato? Apparently, someone murdered him and took down his entire operation. The guy was into some shady stuff. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

"Guess Zabuza was so scared of me that he would rather take down an entire organization of criminals," Obito shrugged, the same amusement behind his eyes.

His three friends burst out laughing, Guy's obnoxiousness drowning out the other two. "Just what I'd expect from my rival! I'd better not get too comfortable, or you'll be forever out of my reach!"

"I already am, Guy."

Guy placed a hand on his chest and stumbled backwards, sputtering nonsense to himself. "Tha-that is not true! You take that back right now! Better yet, let's arm wrestle!"

The taijutsu user slammed his elbow down on the bar, nearly denting the wood. His fingers twitched as he beckoned for Obito to take the bait. The Uchiha raised one eyebrow, then turned back to his drink to fill another cup. "Pass."

Guy grinned, standing up straight again. "My flames of youth will not be denied! One of these days, I will get you with a challenge, Obito Uchiha!"

As Kurenai and Asuma laughed and shook their head at Guy's antics, a mane of brown hair appeared in Obito's peripheral. Rin had plopped herself down on the stool next to Guy with a tired huff. She smiled apologetically down the line at everyone.

"Sorry I'm late! Choji won a bet and I had to treat the whole team to barbecue. My wallet is hurting right now," she giggled.

Rin didn't miss the fact that Obito remained rooted to his stool. Perhaps he really wanted to drink and didn't feel like moving, but she had to believe in her heart that it was something else, something that had to do with her recent attempt at reconnection. Well, there's no better way to find out.

"Hey, Obito, you're back! How was the mission?" she beamed.

The Uchiha downed another shot of sake. "Fine," he said flatly.

Well, at least he responded. It was a step in a positive direction for Rin, and she was going to take it and run with it. "Luckily, I haven't had to go on any missions as long as that one with my team yet. What about you, Kurenai?"

The Genjutsu mistress shook her head. "Me neither. Some of them might have lasted a week if Kiba didn't know every shortcut in the Land of Fire because of the walks he and Akamaru go on."

"Lee and I often see young Kiba leaving with his dog early in the mornings! Our workouts have always just finished when he leaves the village," Guy nodded in recognition.

Obito facepalmed at the ridiculousness of the taijutsu user. "Only you would finish a workout before the sun comes up, Guy."

Guy felt attacked on a personal level. "Don't say that and act like you haven't done the same thing, my rival! I've seen you practicing your fire style in the small hours of the morning! It's what motivates my flames of youth to wake up early as well!"

"The difference is, I never went to sleep in the first place, Guy," Obito muttered.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at that. "You have trouble sleeping, Obito?"

The Uchiha's sharingan suddenly widened when he realized that he let it slip that he doesn't sleep. "I have somewhere to be," he says abruptly, rising to his feet. He turns on his heel and leaves the bar, forgetting to pay in his haste.

The bartender opens his mouth to yell after Obito, but a hand stops him. "I've got it," Rin says, digging into her wallet and passing the money to the man.

Four pairs of eyes linger on the doorway, hoping that Obito comes back, but knowing that he won't. "I wonder what that was about," Asuma scratches his head.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kurenai asks innocently.

Rin and Guy don't respond. A look passes between them, as they know perfectly well why Obito left. The taijutsu master moves to follow Obito, but Rin's delicate hand stops him. Her eyes tell enough, and she follows after her former best friend.