DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

Chapter 16 - Emotions

The next match went by in a blur as the same thoughts continued to wrack Obito's brain. His senses had dulled, but at this point, he didn't care because what he he'd feared had come to pass. It was plain to him that Sakura was ill-prepared for any sort of situation as that. Not to mention that she had no business facing an opponent like that.

Furthermore, he couldn't help but worry for his student. He knew that she was in safe hands with Rin, as her medical skills would be able to aid greatly in Sakura's recovery process, but still. He couldn't help but wonder what she thought of him. Did she blame him for her injuries? For her lack of training?

Obito was only wrestled from his thoughts when Sasuke waved a hand in front of his face, causing his sharingan to read the movement. Focusing again, Obito raised an eyebrow at his younger cousin.

"Well? Aren't you gonna say something?" Sasuke asked.

"What are you talking about?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable."

The young Uchiha heir lightly clambered over the railing and disappeared over the side. A confused Obito had to refer to the screen above Itachi to realize that it was Sasuke's turn to fight. As it turned out, his opponent was one of the Kumo Genin, Z. If memory served, she was the bubbly girl that had befriended Naruto almost instantly.

When Sasuke landed, he couldn't help but remember what Obito had done to save Sakura. The spectral ribcage, the flaming hand, the sheer k amount of killing intent. It was a lot to take in, but it also presented multiple questions that Sasuke would need answered later.

As the two competitors walked towards the center, where Genma was waiting, their differences in personality were easily discernible. Sasuke was the quiet, brooding type, much like his older brother and his cousin. It really was a sharp contrast to how Sasuke was before that fated night when nearly the entire Uchiha Clan had been wiped out. The heir hadn't been the same since.

One could say that Z was somewhat of the polar opposite to Sasuke. Walking wasn't even the right word for how she approached, as she seemed to be skipping more than anything. She had a bright smile on her face and she clapped her hands together a few times out of sheer excitement.

"This is gonna be so fun!" she cheered brightly, causing Sasuke to raise an eyebrow.

"Fun?"

Z nodded vehemently. "Of course, silly! I have to prove that Kumo is no joke, and sparring matches are awesome!"

Sasuke deadpanned. This was hardly a spar, but he sensed that to try and explain that to her would be a futile undertaking, so he elected to remain silent. The pair nodded to Genma, who quickly raised and lowered his hand.

"Begin!"

Instantly, Sasuke found himself on the defensive. Z had unsheathed her sword almost faster than Sasuke's naked eye could discern, so he supposed that it was fortunate he had the sharingan. He could read her movements, but her technique was so flawless that it was hard to find an opening of even the smallest size.

She executed her moved with precision and accuracy, born of hours upon hours of dedicated training. As a whole, Kumo was know for its swordsmen. A common misconception was that Kiri had the superior swordsmen, but this wasn't the case. They simply had superior swords.

Even so, Sasuke managed to pull out a kunai to counter her attacks, countering with light jabs that forced her to step backwards. Sasuke took this opportunity to leap into the air, performing a backflip as he did so. Placing his right hand to his mouth, he pursed his lips and let loose a stream of flame towards Z, which grew until it became a fireball of large proportions.

The Kumo Genin dodged to the left, allowing the flames to scorch the area where she'd just been standing. She went airborne, meeting Sasuke in midair. The two exchanged blows as they fell, neither able to find a weakness in the other's defenses. Sasuke even had to note that Z was a completely different person. Her natural character seemed carefree and charismatic, but when a fight broke out, she was all business. Her signature wide smile that had reminded him of Naruto had been replaced by furrowed brows and a look of determination.

Sasuke disengaged and did several somersaults to create some distance between he and Z. He was banking on her lack of ranged jutsu to be her downfall. Producing four shuriken in each hand, Sasuke hurled them all at once, then signed with his hands. Those eight shuriken quickly multiplied to more than thirty-two, a number that would be impossible for Z to block all at once.

So instead of blocking, she dropped to her stomach, allowing them to pass overhead. But Sasuke had anticipated this. As Z stood back to her feet, the Uchiha pulled back on the strings that were wound through his fingers. The original eight shuriken changed their trajectory and flew back towards Z, wrapping the ninja wire around her, completely immobilizing her.

She managed to cut the wire with her sword by twisting her wrists, but it was too late. She already felt the cold metal of a kunai pressed against her neck. Sasuke looked at her with a neutral expression. "Well fought."

Z's face fell. She had clearly been expecting a more positive outcome, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Putting on her signature smile, she took Sasuke's hand. "Yeah! That match was awesome! You're crazy strong!"

"Runs in the family, I suppose," Sasuke shrugged as he placed his kunai back in his pouch. Z sheathed her sword as well, and the pair nodded to each other before turning away. Z resumed her skipping, while Sasuke was his usual stoic personality.

When he returned to the platform, he'd expected at least a few comments from Obito, but his sensei was far from in the moment. He was staring off into space again, which intrigued Sasuke, as he had never seen the sharingan so unfocused. Sighing to himself, he smacked Obito with the back of his hand, snapping the elder Uchiha out of his trance.

"Just go."

Obito raised an eyebrow. "Go where?"

"Go see Sakura. You clearly have some shit on your chest that needs to get off," Sasuke explained.

Obito stared at his younger cousin for a moment before shaking his head. "I have to make sure these assholes don't try any more shit. You go," he said lightly.

"Well that sure convinced me," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We'll both go, come on."

Under norma circumstances, Sasuke would never leave at a time like this. But at the same time, Itachi was still present, and he would be able to deal with any potential threat without issue. Especially if he was backed up by Genma.

So Obito relented, and followed Sasuke from the room, up the dark staircase, and out the tunnel.

Obito's first thought was that Sakura looked much better than he originally thought she would. Rin's medical treatment had worked wonders, and Sakura was already stable, conscious, and in a cast by the time that Obito and Sasuke arrived. Perks of medical ninjutsu he supposed.

After being led to her room by one of the staff members, Obito followed Sasuke in. He'd fully expected to see crying, anger, and yelling. Imagine his surprise when Sakura was conversing with Naruto, a smile covering her face. Her smile even brightened when she noticed that Obito and Sasuke had arrived.

"Sasuke! Obito-sensei!" she exclaimed happily.

Obito nodded to Naruto, recognizing that the blonde had lived up to hit task. He hadn't left Sakura's side. Sasuke nodded to Sakura, taking a seat on the other side of her from Naruto, while Obito simply leaned on the doorframe.

"Did you win? She asked Sasuke eagerly. The Uchiha nodded, a small smirk of pride upon his features. "What about the matches before you?"

"There was only one. Shino beat this guy named Hunto, an older student from Konoha," Sasuke explained.

Sakura frowned. "You didn't stay for the later matches? I wanted to see how Ino did."

Sasuke shrugged. "Figured it was more important to check on you."

Sakura made a mock pout but quickly got rid of it in order to find out more. "Who did you face?"

"Z," Sasuke said simply. "She was skilled, but I managed to defeat her in the end. But enough about my match, yours was incredible."

Naruto nodded furiously. "Believe it! You punched through his sand like it was nothing! I needed my Rasengan to break it! How'd you do that with your bare fists, anyways?"

Sakura blushed at the compliments. "Well, I remembered that Obito-sensei had mentioned that chakra could augment our physical abilities. We see it when we pump chakra through our legs and release it to jump, so I simply applied the same principle to my arms. I may or may not have been practicing on my own," she revealed with a bit of embarrassment.

"Are you kidding?! That's so cool! You should teach us how to do that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"She can't," Obito spoke up finally. "Her chakra control is miles better than either of yours. Even mine, as a matter of fact. To do the technique that she pulled off so easily requires immense amounts of concentration and extremely precise chakra control. I don't know if you've noticed, but none of us have any of those."

Naruto frowned at that, clearly upset by the news, but it would only serve to motivate him even more later, so Obito supposed that it was a good thing. When Obito had finished speaking, Sakura smiled softly at him, the gratitude evident in her face. "Thank you for saving me, Obito-sensei."

A pang of guilt ran through Obito's chest at her words. "Give us a minute alone," he said, never moving from his spot in the doorway.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a curious and confused glance, but complied with Obito's command anyways. They had learned long ago not to question Obito, much less when he was your actual sensei. When the pair had slipped past Obito, the Uchiha finally shifted from his leaning position to shut the door behind them. From there, he moved to sit in the chair on Sakura's right, where Sasuke had just been sitting.

"Did I do something wrong, sensei?"

"No. The opposite. You did everything right, I'm the one that failed."

"What are you talking about? You're the best sensei I could possibly ask for," Sakura countered.

Obito sighed, running a hand over his face, which briefly obscured his oddly emotion-heavy sharingan. "You and I both know that's not true. Sure, I can teach you basic combat techniques and I can give you a few jutsu, but I've always neglected you. Not consciously, of course, but I'm sure that you've had the same thoughts."

Sakura remained silent for a moment, considering her response. "I mean, sure, you focus on Naruto and Sasuke a bit more, but that's to be expected. I mean, they're the top two students in our class, and easily the best fighters."

"That's my point," Obito said quietly. "They're already the best, so why am I focusing on them? My focus from the very beginning should have been to get you caught up to their level, then decide where to go from there."

Sakura frowned. "Sensei, if I'm being honest, I don't really have any hope of ever catching up to those two."

Obito nodded. "I know," he said, causing Sakura to actually wince at the comment. She had said it herself, but it still hurt coming from someone else. "To be perfectly honest, Sakura, I'm the worst sensei you could have possibly ended up with in the entire village."

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed, shaking her head. "What are you talking about, sensei? You've done everything right from the very beginning. You got onto Naruto and Sasuke for leaving me behind in the bell test. You calmly and simply explained every little detail of every question that I've ever asked you. And you came to my rescue to prevent me from becoming even more seriously injured. I really couldn't ask for a better teacher."

Obito's head dropped, his sharingan now focusing on his lap. "That may be, Sakura, but I've already decided to bring in some help. I'm going to have my hands full for the next month training Sasuke, so I've arranged for you to have a private teacher that is more suited to your abilities."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but she was quickly silenced by Obito. "Enough. You've said your piece, but I've made up my mind. While I may have some free time to train you, it would be a waste when someone else could teach you much better than I ever could."

With that, Obito rose from his chair and exited the room without so much as another glance in Sakura's direction. Had he looked, he would have seen the tears streaming down her face.

Kakashi didn't enjoy the rain. It reminded him of the night that his father died. The night that the village betrayed him. The night he decided to betray them. But Ame was just depressing. He knew that it was called Amegakure for a reason, but it was impossible for it to rain all day every day. At least, he believed so until Orochimaru had told him that Pain himself was the one who controlled the weather.

His Akatsuki cloak keeping him somewhat warm and dry aside from his hair, Kakashi trudged along the damp and soaked streets, his destination in sight ahead of him. The largest tower in Ame would certainly be a fitting place for the leader of the Akatsuki. The entire village was on lockdown when it came to foreigners, requiring Kakashi to use less than conventional methods to gain access to the village. After all, he would much rather avoid the so-called welcoming party that Pain would have prepared for him.

Though Kakashi would certainly consider himself extremely powerful, he didn't have to meet this Pain in person to know thar he would be no match for him. Kakashi didn't know that for certain, but it never hurt to assume the worst.

As he approached the base of the tower, he heard the rustle of paper behind him. A woman who he recognized as Konan had materialized out of thin air, wings made of pure sheets of paper sticking out of her back.

"Why have you entered the city with no escort?" she asked simply.

Kakashi knew this was a test, but he honestly didn't care. "Not a fan of welcoming committees."

Konan's expression didn't change. "Regardless, you have kept Lord Pain waiting. Come."

The former Konoha Jonin followed her through the doors of the tower. After ascending several flights of stairs, they emerged into a large room with a low ceiling. It had several sofas and chairs arranged around a low table. The sounds of rain pouring could be heard from the open doorway that was on the far side of the room.

Outside, a figure in an Akatsuki cloak could be seen sitting on the balcony, his back to Kakashi and Konan. Kakashi waited for Konan to speak again, but she stared blankly at Pain's back, as if waiting for him. After a few minutes of silence, the deep, commanding voice of Pain could be heard.

"So, Kakashi Hatake of Konoha," he said as he rose, turning to face them. "Your reputation precedes you. I have met few with your penchant for betrayal, and they are all members of the Akatsuki."

"Is that why I'm here? A social call? Trying to make sure I'm not a double agent or something?" Kakashi asked lazily, his sharingan blinking slowly.

Pain strode forward, droplets of water sliding off of his cloak and splattering on the ground. When he entered the well-lit room, his eyes, almost lazily, regarded Kakashi. It was as if Kakashi was of little consequence, as if he were expendable. It unnerved the missing-nin.

"Do not give yourself the illusion of power, Kakashi. There are always those who are stronger than you. You would do well to remember that," Pain said simply before seating himself on one of the sofas. His purple Rinnegan and orange hair made a stark contrast against his pale skin and dark cloak.

Kakashi scoffed, yet kept his eyes trained on Pain. "Power. You think power is controlling the weather, or making yourself out to be some kind of god to these people. Yet you don't-"

Kakashi's sentence became impossible to finish once he felt the strong grip of a hand around his neck. Pain had moved so fast that Kakashi, in his lax state, had been unable to react. Pain proceeded to slam the white-haired missing-nin into the wall behind him, cracking the cement.

Pain focused on Kakashi with his Rinnegan, the two Dojutsu users sizing the other up. "Do not suppose that I am nothing less than a God, Kakashi Hatake. Should you choose to dispute that fact, I will have no choice but to display my power. That is something you would not benefit from."

Kakashi wrapped his hands around Pain's wrist and stared him in the eye. "You...wanna know my...intentions, is that it? I have none other than...killing my former...teammates and sensei. After...that, I couldn't care less," he managed to choke out, coherently enough for Pain to understand him.

The leader of the Akatsuki released his grip and returned to his spot at the couch, Konan still wearing her passive stare. Kakashi rubbed his neck and drew in a few deep breaths. "Satisfied?"

"I will not be satisfied with anything until I have achieved my goals, Kakashi. You would be wise to remember this. In any case, that test of loyalty was not the sole reason I called you here. There is a rogue shinobi that I wish for you to recruit. I have a job for him. He will most likely refuse you, so you must come up with a way to ensure his cooperation. Failure will not be tolerated," Pain detailed.

Kakashi crossed his arms. "What's this mysterious man's name?"

"Zabuza Momochi."

After his discussion with Sakura, Obito had walked past a very confused pair of Genin that were wondering why Sakura was crying. Naruto and Sasuke had immediately gone in to comfort her, while Obito stalked down the hallways. He was nearly out the door before he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"How did it go?"

Obito's shoulders rose and fell in a great sigh. Truth be told, he was not in the mood for this at the moment, but then again, he never was. Without turning around, he pushed the door open and stepped out into the crisp night air. Not a second later, he heard the telltale footsteps of someone following him, and Rin appeared next to him.

She fell into stride, staying silent, if only for the moment. She allowed Obito to lead her where he wanted to go, just enjoying his company. His change of heart earlier that day had been unexpected yet completely welcome. She found herself wishing for much more of that in the future.

Before long, the pair had arrived at the Rusty Kunai. Obito hadn't been in some time, and neither had Rin. The pair seated themselves at the bar, and Rin ordered two bottles of sake, seeing as how Obito seemed to be mute. While the server fetched their bottles, Rin turned her inquisitive gaze on her old friend. Were they even still friends? Former friends? She wasn't sure.

"So how did it go?"

"What?" Obito asked quietly as the bottles of sake were delivered.

Rin smacked Obito on the upper arm with the back of her hand. "You know perfectly well what."

"She took it hard. Didn't realize she thought I was such a great sensei. Just childish delusions, I suppose," Obito shrugged.

Don't you think that you could at least hear her out?"

"I did."

Rin crossed her arms and swiveled her chair to face Obito. She put on the most criticizing stare that she possibly could when who she was looking at could squash her like a bug. "Maybe you should have listened to her. I don't want her to hate me for thinking that I took her from you."

Obito rolled his sharingan. "It's impossible to hate you."

"Nearly," Rin said, her eyes conveying her message.

"I never hated you, Rin."

"Oh, don't give me that!" she exclaimed. "You avoided me for over a decade! How is that not hating someone?!"

Obito was silent for a few seconds, seeming to weigh his options. He downed the last half of his bottle of sake in a few gulps before tossing some money onto the counter. Without a word, he swung out of his chair, placed his hands in his pockets, and slunk out into the night.

Rin looked shocked that Obito could simply exit like that during such a serious moment. She also quickly paid for her drink and sprinted out the door, hoping that he hadn't gone far. When she looked to her left and saw him down the road a short way, she furrowed her brow in confusion.

If he wasn't trying to avoid the conversation, then what was he doing?

Rin cautiously fell into step with Obito again, allowing him to lead her like before. It was on these silent walks with Obito that Rin began to realize that Obito was incredibly attractive. She didn't remember him always being that way, but then again, she had always been infatuated with Kakashi. And when it came to Obito, he would be considered the catch of the village if it weren't for his brooding, angry, antisocial demeanor. He scared people, and he knew it.

After a few minutes of walking, Rin couldn't hold it in any longer. "What did you mean earlier when you said you never hated me?"

"I never hated you, Rin. Like I've said before, you broke me. Not something that is easily recovered from. And all being around you did was make it hurt even more."

Rin responded with a whisper so quiet that even Obito couldn't hear. "What?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, louder this time. A single tear rolled down her right cheek.

Obito shook his head. "Not that simple."

"I know."

The pair walked on in silence from then until they were outside Rin's house. This had evidently been Obito's destination all along. He turned to Rin, his hands never having left his pockets.

"Goodnight, Rin."

Rin was about to say it back when something caught her in the moment. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Obito, burying her head in his chest. "Thank you, Obito. It's great to have you back."

Obito removed his hands from his pockets and lightly pushed her away. "Whoever you think you have back is dead. I'm not who you used to know."

Rin nodded. "I know. Goodnight, Obito."

The kunoichi opened her door and slipped inside, one last glance being directed towards Obito. Under normal circumstances, Obito would return home to get some sleep, but he knew that there would be no such luxury for him tonight. Cycling through the options in his head, Obito decide on one, and his feet began to move off of their own volition, as if they knew where their destination was before Obito's mind even did.

He felt the familiar feeling of a staircase, followed by soft ground, then the hard fae of a rock pressed against his rear as he sat down. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he realized that he'd come to sit on the faces of the Hokage, specifically, Minato. Sighing, he leaned backwards and stretched his legs out, placing his arms across his chest.

Enjoying the peace and quiet, Obito began to think, like he always did when he came here or to his personal dimension. He thought about Sakura, how he might have betrayed her. He thought of Naruto and Sasuke, and the coming trials they would face in the tournament. But most of all, he thought of Rin.

Why she occupied the forefront of his thoughts, he didn't know, but for the first time in a while, he didn't constantly think of murdering his old teammate Kakashi. Instead, he almost dreamed of a world in which he wouldn't have to worry about such things or distance people. What none of them seemed to understand was that he had one goal in mind, and when that was complete, he didn't expect that he would be alive afterwards. It would only serve to hurt people who didn't need to be hurt if he allowed them to get close to him.

Just as he'd finished those thoughts, the feeling of a hand on his shoulder combined with the rustle of clothing alerted him that his sensei had teleported to him.

"I figured that you'd be here," his sensei said with a soft smile.

"Shouldn't you be at home with Naruto or something?"

Minato gave a soft chuckle. "Late night at the office again unfortunately. Naruto has gotten used to it, but I don't think he fully understands yet."

Obito said nothing after that, and Minato respected the silence for a time. The two men, perhaps the most powerful fighters currently in the village, simply enjoyed the view of the village that they would give their lives to protect.

"So I heard from Guy that you and Rin seem to be warming up."

"Eat shit. I'm not doing this for you, and especially not Guy. I just don't want her to become like me."

Minato's eyes softened. Perhaps his old student still had a heart in there somewhere. "So you care about her then?"

"You're not very observant if you have to ask me that," Obito muttered.

Minato laughed. "There's still some of you left in there Obito. I can tell. After all, I am basically your father."

"My father's dead. I should know, his eyes are right here," Obito said, pointing to his own face.

Minato's face grew solemn. "There aren't many things that slip past you Obito, but if there's one thing that you don't know, it's that you're more human than you give yourself credit for. I heard how you stepped in to save your student. How you threatened the team from Suna, as much as that will probably hurt diplomatic relations. And I heard that you wish to pass Sakura on to Rin because you don't believe you can properly teach her. What kind of heartless monster would do all these selfless acts?"

Obito turned his head away from his former teacher, back to the view that lay before him. After a while, Minato stood, placing another hand on Obito's shoulder. "Just something to think about."

And with that, Minato disappeared, the rustle of his clothing echoing in the quiet night.