DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

Hello all, I'm back with another update. Sorry for the delay, things have been crazy lately. I can't promise regular updates, but I can promise regular updates, but I can promise that I'll try to get these chapters out as quickly as I can. With that being said, read, review, and as always, enjoy!

Chapter 18 - Changing Views

It had been nearly three weeks since the end of the second round, and the training had only intensified. Sasuke was finding that his brother and cousin had no intentions of letting up at all. He had a feeling that they wouldn't accept anything less than a total victory in the third round.

"You're seriously that beat from yesterday?" Obito asked with a look of disapproval from behind his sharingan. He was currently propped up against a support pillar in the courtyard of the old Uchiha compound.

While the three remaining Uchiha didn't live there because of all the unpleasant memories that it held, they still trained there. It was a large, open area, and it held many secrets of their clan that would be invaluable if they were to rebuild and restore. Itachi stood in front of Sasuke, watching the young Uchiha heir's movements like a hawk.

Sasuke stopped his movements and turned his head to Obito, panting as he did so. "I may or may not have done some extra training on my own." Obito shook his head with disapproval. Extra training was an understatement. The kid's chakra levels were insanely low, which they shouldn't be after the night of rest he should have had.

"Sasuke, that's dangerous," Itachi warned. "Look how slow you are moving today compared to yesterday. Extra training will only tax your body even further. That will have the opposite effect that we want."

Sasuke sighed lightly. "I was just doing some experimenting with my lightning nature. After all, no one else in this village can possibly do that."

"That may not seem like a big deal to you, but our chakra reserves don't have enough time to recover day to day when you do that. When you constantly train on a low pool, your movements are slower, and you have less of an idea of what your actual limits are when you are in battle," Itachi lectured.

Sasuke nodded, crossing his arms. "I know that. But I've made some real progress. Let me show you!"

"Sasuke," Obito warned with a low tone that somehow carried much weight. "Listen to what we say. It's good that you have the drive to better yourself, but you must understand the dangers of what you're doing."

The young Uchiha dropped his head and nodded absentmindedly. "Alright, I understand. I'll stop experimenting until after the finals. But at least let me show you the jutsu I invented already."

Itachi chuckled lightly and, seeing there was no way to talk Sasuke out of it, motioned for his little brother to proceed. He made eye contact with Obito, whose blank expression told Itachi that he was less than interested.

Nevertheless, the pair watched as Sasuke began infusing chakra. Taking a stance, Sasuke gripped his left forearm and clenched his hand as chakra began to emerge around it. Even as they watched, it was quickly converted to lightning chakra, a piercing sound filling the air that sent chills down Obito's spine.

Sasuke smirked, looking up at Itachi with triumph in his eyes. But before he could say anything, he was roughly grabbed from behind and slammed back against a support pillar of the compound. His concentration broken, the jutsu faded as he stared into Obito's rage-filled Mangekyou Sharingan.

"You think that's funny? Do you?" Obito asked, almost so quiet that Sasuke couldn't hear him. His voice was dripping with malice and hatred, killer intent woven into the very air around them. But oddly enough, Sasuke didn't feel afraid. Perhaps it was because of Itachi's power surge in response to Obito, or something else.

Glancing over Obito's shoulder, Sasuke saw Itachi slowly approaching. His brother placed a hand on Obito's shoulder and squeezed firmly. "Let him go, Obito."

Obito's eyes returned to the normal Sharingan, but the rage never left them. He shoved back away from Sasuke and whirled to face Itachi. "You know as well as I do what that is."

"I do. What of it?"

"That jutsu is evil," Obito spat, glancing with disdain back in Sasuke's direction.

Itachi tilted his head. "A jutsu is neither evil nor good. That all depends on the intent with which it is used."

Obito stepped up to Itachi, his face an inch away from the other's. "You do not want to have this philosophical debate with me right now, little cousin."

"Back away from me, Obito," Itachi said calmly.

The taller Uchiha scoffed, but turned away, back to Sasuke. "If I ever see you use that jutsu again, you'll no longer be my student." With that, he disappeared in a black spiral.

Itachi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I don't understand," Sasuke remarked. "Why is he so angry?"

Itachi dropped his head. "Normally, I would say that this would be a question better posed for Obito. But considering that he has now disappeared to the one place no one else can go, coupled with the fact that he now has misplaced hatred for you, I will tell you instead."

Itachi made his way over to the edges of the training grounds and sat on some stone steps. "To start with, do you know of Kakashi Hatake?"

"Of course, he's the traitor from like fifteen years ago, the one who betrayed the village in the Third War."

Itachi nodded. "And do you know how he did so?"

"He tried to kill Obito and Rin, and he fed information to Iwa, causing the death of hundreds of our shinobi," Sasuke detailed.

Itachi nodded again. "Indeed."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke asked.

"Kakashi Hatake has a lightning nature," Itachi said. "He is the original inventor of that jutsu, the Chidori, or 'Thousand Birds', named for the sound that it produces. Now, you have managed to invent the same jutsu yourself."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. "So just because it was one of Kakashi's jutsu, Obito disapproves of its use? And why did he think I was pulling a prank on him?"

"Because Kakashi used that jutsu to try and kill both Rin and Obito during his betrayal."

Sasuke's eyes widened with realization. Obito must have re-experienced some pretty painful memories when the Chidori had been produced. If Sasuke had known, he wouldn't have done it in front of him.

"I had no idea," he said quietly.

"It's not your fault. You had no way of knowing. Unfortunately, Obito's cold rationality escapes him when it concerns Kakashi."

Naruto rested with his hands on his knees as he stared at his newest summon. Only it wasn't new, as he'd only managed to summon Gamakichi up to this point. Jiraiya and Minato looked on each time with increasing frustration, but it was nothing compared to Naruto's own.

"Why can't I get this right?" he exclaimed, slamming his open palm onto the grass of their back yard.

Minato looked on with sympathy. He knew the frustrations of not being able to get down a jutsu. After all, it had taken him three years to invent the Rasengan. As much as he hated to admit it, the Rasengan was still incomplete. Minato was beginning to think that incorporating his chakra nature into the jutsu would be an impossible task.

Jiraiya shared a glance with Minato. It had been three weeks of intense training and Naruto had yet to summon anything larger than Gamakichi. He'd spent a week alone on tadpoles. It was entirely possible that he wasn't putting enough chakra into the jutsu, or that his chakra simply wasn't powerful enough yet.

"You'll get it down, kid. Just gotta keep working," Jiraiya said with a small smile, crossing his arms as he leaned on a pillar.

Naruto scoffed as he raised himself upright. "You've been saying that for the past two weeks. It's getting ridiculous. Obviously I'm doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what it is."

"You're not doing anything wrong. You just don't have enough power into it yet. You're doing all of the steps correctly, otherwise you wouldn't even be able to summon Gamakichi," Minato said in a reassuring tone.

From the ground, the little orange toad nodded in agreement. "Yeah, chin up Naruto. At least you didn't summon Gamatatsu."

"Who's Gamatatsu?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't wanna know," Jiraiya said with a slight chuckle. "Look kid. The first time I tried this jutsu, I did it so wrong that I got transported to Mount Myoboku. I didn't even have the contract like you do. So relax and concentrate. Try again."

Naruto sighed and nodded halfheartedly. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and bit his thumb for what felt like the umpteenth time before making the necessary signs and pressed his palm to the ground. In a puff of white smoke, a small toad, about the size of Gamakichi appeared.

It was lighter in color than Gamakichi, a pale cream color as opposed to Gamakichi's darker orange. It wore a matching blue vest to Gamakichi and his cheeks were tinted rosy as he looked up at Naruto.

"Oh, yay! My first summon! Gamakichi, can you believe it?" the toad asked in his ridiculously high pitched voice.

Over on the porch from his position against the pillar, Jiraiya was doubled over in laughter. "Well, you wanted to know who Gamatatsu was. HA!"

"Sensei," Minato snapped, recognizing that Naruto was beginning to sulk more than ever.

The genin had taken to rubbing his temples furiously. "I can't take this anymore. It's late, I need a break."

Naruto stormed off in a huff, Minato looking to the sky to confirm the low position of the sun. He started to go after his son before Jiraiya stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. "Let him figure this out on his own. We can't always be his intellectual crutch."

Gamatatsu looked between the retreating Naruto and the two adults before returning to Gamakichi's gaze. "Do they have snacks?"

Sakura breathed heavily as she dodged the next set of blows from Rin. She knew that they were slowed down a bit, as Rin was a trained Jonin, but she still found the exercise challenging. Rin had adamantly stated that evasion was a medical ninja's most important skill, closely followed by the medical care itself.

In regards to her overall training, Sakura was progressing nicely in the medical field. It was her combat and evasion that needed the work. Unfortunately, Rin was also probably the last sensei that would be teaching combat abilities. Leave that to Guy and Obito. In the meantime, with the extra time she had with Sakura, she figured that she would focus on the essentials of being a medical kunoichi before she would force Obito to take the girl back.

After her latest set of blows that Sakura managed to dodge, Rin relaxed and returned to a straight position, smiling down brightly at Sakura. "You're getting better, kiddo!"

Sakura blushed, rubbing her arm absentmindedly. "Thanks, but I could tell that you were holding back."

"Well, in your defense, you won't be facing a Jonin at full power anytime soon. Keep working and you'll get quicker! Let's take a break for now."

Sakura seated herself on the grass next to her new sensei, their back against a rather thick tree. After a few moments of silence, Sakura turned to Rin. "Rin-sensei, I've enjoyed training with you and all, but…"

"But you miss Obito," Rin finished for her, waving a hand at Sakura's fearful expression. "Don't worry about hurting my feelings. It's hard to lose the attachment to your first sensei."

"Do you think he'll ever take me back?" Sakura asked quietly, lowering her head and preparing for the worst.

Rin smiled and wrapped an arm around the girl. "Of course he will. Once these Chunin Exams finish up, he's taking you back, or he'll have to answer to me."

Sakura was less than convinced. After all of the reasons Obito had provided for passing her off to Rin, she wasn't so sure. He'd basically said she was slowing down the other two prodigies. Yet he'd complimented her on several occasions, especially her chakra control. And he always explained things so clearly that it made Sakura conflicted. In her mind, there was no one better to teach her how to fulfil her support role in combat, but it was clear that he thought different.

"But what about all the reasons he gave as to why it wouldn't work?" Sakura asked.

Rin's gaze hardened. "Obito's jst an idiot. He's such an emotional wreck that he doesn't give himself enough credit as a teacher. The only reason that he thinks he can teach the other two is because they grew up around him. With you, he's not sure how to teach someone who wasn't born into a naturally gifted shinobi family. It's uncharted territory for the both of you. At least that's my working theory," Rin smirked, earning a small smile from Sakura.

Sakura felt a surge of reassurance after that. After all of this, perhaps she wasn't the problem between her and Obito. He doubted his teaching abilities, so he wanted to pass her on to someone who would be able to know what they were doing. But in doing so, he was probably stunting his growth as a teacher, only having to deal with two prodigies who knew of everything he was walking about before he mentioned it.

"I just don't want to be a burden," Sakura replied.

Rin shook her head. "You're anything but a burden. You're easily the most gifted kunoichi I've ever seen in the medical field. You just may not be a natural fighter, and that's okay. That means you and I are in the same boat."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

Rin laughed lightly. "Our team wasn't so different from yours. A ridiculously powerful Jonin sensei, a prodigy, a Genin from a powerful family, and then me. Those other three always seemed to try and take care of everything, leaving me to heal them afterwards. After the Chunin Exams, I had to really work at training myself to fight."

Sakura smirked. "Sounds like you might be the perfect sensei for me after all."

"If only," Rin rolled her eyes. "I can give yo the basics, but if you really want to support your allies on the front lines with ninjutsu, Obito is certainly the one to teach you. With my medical training and his combat training, you might be unstoppable at some point, Sakura."

The pinkette beamed at the comment as Rin stood up. "Alright, back to it."

Obito stared in front of him at the pale moon, visible over the trees on the outskirts of the village. Atop the Great Faces, the view was unparalleled. This always seemed like his place to calm down and meditate, while his pocket dimension was his place to go to let his rage out, evidenced by the massive scorch marks he'd left there hours before. Now, he simply enjoyed the cool night air and the comfort of darkness. At least until a familiar pair of footsteps approached.

"Well would you look at that. I'm actually starting to get to know you again," Rin said as she plopped down next to him. She was clearly elated to have found him in one of his signature thinking spots.

Obito said nothing, knowing that Rin would continue anyways. "I stopped by the compound earlier to see if you wanted to get something to eat, but you weren't there. Itachi and Sasuke were just finishing their lesson, so he told me why you left. I was worried about you."

"Worried that I'll turn back into a mindless killing machine?" Obito shot, not liking what she was implying. His blood red sharingan regarded her coldly as his head turned.

Rin scowled at the unpleasant remark. "No, you idiot. I was worried because of the memories that you must have experienced again."

Obito turned his head back to the dark horizon. "What about them?"

Rin pulled her knees close to her chest. "I know they're probably the same ones I still have nightmares about."

"We're shinobi that fought in a war, Rin. Nightmares come in the job description."

Rin sighed. "Drop the tough guy act, okay? I may not know you well anymore, but I know when someone is avoiding the subject."

Obito clenched his jaw in anger, his sharingan turning her way again. But Rin held her ground, pouring as much of a stern look as she could. Obito blinked slowly. "You know perfectly well why I'm angry right now, Rin."

"No, I don't," Rin shot back. "I know what memories that you had to go through again because of Sasuke's Chidori, but I have no clue why you're angry. It's not like Sasuke has committed the same crimes as Kakashi. All he did was come up with a jutsu that he thought he invented. How in the world could you possibly be angry with him?"

"How can he not know, Rin? You mean to tell me that Sasuke just magically happens to invent the same jutsu that Kakashi killed Shisui with? I don't buy it. And then he has the audacity to show it off to me, as if I would be amused by the joke. That shit's not funny, Rin."

Rin shot to her feet at the same time as Obito, poking her finger into his chest. "Obito Uchiha, you need to grow up and stop thinking only about yourself! You've kept everything bottled up for so long that Sasuke didn't even know the extent of Kakashi's crimes! You can't be angry at him for using a jutsu that someone else committed a crime with!"

Obito roughly grabbed her wrist and shoved her backwards. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Rin let out a harsh laugh. "That's because you have nothing to explain, Obito. You know your logic is flawed, you're just too prideful to admit it."

"HE TRIED TO KILL YOU, RIN! AND NOW YOU EXPECT ME TO LET SASUKE USE THAT SAME JUTSU?!" Obito roared.

"YES!" Rin countered. "Sasuke isn't evil, Obito. He's not like Kakashi. Let him use the jutsu for good, show the world that it's not about the jutsu, but the one using it," Rin said, slowly lowering in volume until she was speaking in a soft and reassuring tone. She stepped closer to Obito, reaching out and grabbing the Uchiha's hand in her own.

"I have the nightmares, Obito. And that jutsu reminds me of what he tried to do that day, but it doesn't always have to. Let Sasuke use it for good, and perhaps our perception of it will change."

Obito said nothing, letting out a great sigh. When he looked up, his eyes had softened from blazing anger to his usual passive, emotionless gaze. "Alright. I'll speak to Sasuke. But if he answers my questions incorrectly, I'll kick his ass."

Rin giggled, the first positive emotion that had taken place during their encounter. "Good. Maybe you're not so stubborn after all, Uchiha."

At that, Obito ragged his hand out of hers, returning to his seated position and staring at the rising moon. Rin looked down at her hand, suddenly missing the feeling of his warmth in her palm. She seated herself next to Obito, looking the same direction as him.

Neither of them spoke for what seemed like hours. Finally, Rin leaned over towards her former best friend. "Goodnight, Obito," she murmured before planting a quick peck on his cheek.

Rin had no idea why she'd decided to do that so suddenly, but it was too late to take back now, so she quickly stood to her feet and leapt off the cliff, not waiting to see Obito's reaction.

Naruto awoke in a bad mood the next morning. After the previous day's events, he found himself dreading today's training. Ordinarily, he'd never even thought of training as a nuisance, because he always loved spending time with and learning from his dad, but these circumstances had changed his mindset gradually.

Now, he wanted nothing to do with this Summoning Jutsu that the Pervy Sage was so adamant about him learning. Sighing to himself, Naruto quickly dressed and made his way out into the backyard just as the sky began to turn that shade of pink that signaled that sunrise was near.

Minato and Jiraiya were already waiting for him, in the midst of a quiet discussion that ended once they became aware of Naruto's presence. Minato gave a small smile at his son. "Ready to get back at it, kiddo?"

Naruto nodded unenthusiastically. "I guess."

Taking position, Naruto started to bite his thumb before Jiraiya stopped him. "Whoa, hold up there, kid. This time, instead of trying to summon the biggest toad you can, just summon Gamakichi and Gamatatsu, will you?"

Naruto's face wrinkled with confusion. "Why?"

"Just humor us," Minato reassured, prompting Naruto to shrug.

He bit his thumb and wove the necessary signs before slamming his palm on the ground, causing two little toads to appear, the same pair from yesterday. The lighter colored one rubbed its eyes. "Man, I hope they have snacks, it's early!" it said in its squeaky, high-pitched voice.

The darker one smacked him on the back of the head. "You never get summoned, Gamatatsu, so stop complaining! Just be happy you're here and let's try to help Nauto out!"

The Genin in question looked up at his two teachers and spread his hands out to the side. "Now what?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Oh, you're gonna love this part, kid. Put 'em on your shoulders."

"My shoulders? Why?"

Jiraiya facepalmed. "Kid, just do it, will ya?"

Naruto grumbled under his breath, but bent down to pick up the pair of toads. Placing them on his shoulders, he crossed his arms and looked expectantly at his father and godfather. "This better be good."

"Don't go threatening me, you little brat," Jiraiya shot before smirking. "We figured that why waste our time trying to get you to summon something else when we can just put to use what you already have."

"What does that mean?"

Minato chuckled. "It means you'll be training with the pair of them rather than trying to summon a larger toad. That's something that you'll just have to do over time."

"I get that we should be focusing on something else, but why is it with these two? They don't look like they could even smash a grape, let alone fight with me," Naruto complained.

The blonde quickly shut his mouth when a sharp slap to his right ear caused him to wince. Gamakichi then crossed his arms. "I'll have you know that I can use jutsu just like you, Naruto. And Gamatatsu over there can secrete toad oil."

"Great, oil. We're not trying to give my opponent good skin, we're trying to beat them!" Naruto protested.

Jiraiya facepalmed. "You idiot. Gamakichi can use the Water Gun Jutsu to combine with your wind style. That will create a small gale that is much more powerful then either of those two attacks separately. And you're gonna need that, because your first opponent isn't gonna be an easy one."

"I still don't see how the toad oil comes in handy."

"Gamatatsu's oil can create a trap if placed properly, and it can also be incorporated with fire style, which is something you unfortunately don't possess. You can still chain it with paper bombs, though. It can also slow an enemy's progress by giving them unstable footing," Minato informed.

Naruto took turns looking at the two small toads on either of his shoulders before grinning. "Cool."

Sasuke was a bit worried that he may have just cost himself a valuable training asset because of his jutsu the previous day. Obito had left angrier than Sasuke had ever seen him, and he doubted that the eldest living Uchiha would cool off overnight. But it seemed like a miracle, because Obito stood in the middle of the Uchiha compound's courtyard the next morning, having waited on Sasuke and Itachi.

The Fire Storm nodded to Itachi. "I need a minute with him."

The clan head looked warily between the two of them, but ultimately decided to honor Obito's request, retreating to a distance out of earshot.

Sasuke looked down at his feet, not wanting to meet the gaze of his sensei. "I'm sorry for yesterday. If I'd have known-"

"Stop," Obito cut in, causing Sasuke to raise his head. "If I was still angry, I wouldn't be here. I had a rather...enlightening conversation last night. It helped me see things in a different light."

"What kind of a different light?"

Obito took a deep breath, looking as if he was preparing for something. "I may have overreacted yesterday," he said, his words betraying his emotionless eyes.

"You couldn't have possibly known what that jutsu was when you happened across it by chance. It's had such a negative connotation with me for so long that I flew into a rage the instant that I saw it. But I know that you're a good young shinobi, Sasuke. What happened with my team won't happen with your team, you're all much too close."

Sasuke nodded. "I'd never betray them. I'd rather die."

"That's good. Because that's exactly what will happen if you ever use that jutsu against a comrade," Obito threatened. One glance at his eyes told Sasuke that this was no joke.

He nodded once again. "Understood."

"Now, I will speak to Itachi about overseeing some of your training with the Chidori, but not until after the Chunin Exams. Having a jutsu that can easily kill like the Chidori means you must have incredible judgement and responsibility, Sasuke. Taking a life is not something that should be hastily decided."

If only Obito had adhered to those words when he were younger. He might not have such a brutal moniker. Sasuke nodded once again. "I promise to never use the Chidori against a comrade, and I will only use it with the goal of protecting the ones I love."