Bonds Through Time
A/N: And as I'm writing this chapter…and Obito's field trip with Sakura…I'm realizing this story is going to be once again longer than my outline. (Anyone seen Avatar the Last Airbender? Sakura is totally Zuko…now it's time for Obito's mini-adventure!). In my original outline, Kakashi kills Obito, because he's dark and angry. But, I don't want Kakashi to have to deal with any more tragic events and Sakura had vowed to save all the Uchiha…even if she doesn't remember that vow….the universe does!
And welcome back Sarada and Takashi! And I'm taking the liberty of a little info dump via Itachi for the future…that might help clear up some direction….or give more questions…
Special shout out to the marathon readers! And I really appreciate everyone's comments. It's truly inspiring!
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Chapter Forty-Six: The Madman
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Sakura
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When she came to, she realized she was no longer in Konoha. She might not even still be on Earth! The air smelled funny—- sort of sweet like over-ripe peaches. Then a pair of feet shuffled into her view and Sakura sat up immediately, grabbed those ankles and flipped the tall man onto his back where he landed with a huff.
Sakura was on him in a moment, pouncing like a lioness. She held his wrists above his head, a half eaten peach in his right hand, and her knees kept his legs in place with her monstrous strength. A single onyx colored eye started back at her, wide in surprise. The right side of his face was twisted in scar tissue, an orange mask was secured to his hip. And he was massive — at least a few inches taller than Kakashi!
He man whistled with a faint smile. "No wonder Kakashi likes you," he murmured. "If you wanted a peach, you just had to ask. I have more."
"I don't want your peaches!" Sakura growled. His chakra levels were off the chart — almost on par with Naruto's and his tailed beast. But it reminded her more of Sasuke and Shisui's chakra nature.
"You're younger than I remember." He wiggled his hips, rubbing against her uncomfortably. "I'm Obito. I don't suppose you remember me though."
"Obito?" Sakura frowned. That was the name on the memorial stone that Kakashi liked to frequent. She noted his missing left eye and made the connection to Kakashi's transplanted Sharingan eye. "Obito Uchiha?"
That faint smile of his morphed into a genuine one. "In the flesh, well half the flesh." His dark gaze focused on her chest briefly. "If you don't want to keep giving me a view of your breasts, I suggest you let me up." He met her eyes again, once more with that infuriating smile. "Though, I can't say that I don't appreciate the view. You're quite a bit larger than I remember in some areas. I won't complain though." He waggled his raven eyebrows. "I'm glad you ditched those breast bindings."
With a growl of disgust Sakura pushed away from him and rose to her feet, stepping back lest he try to sneak a peak up her shorts as well. She'd removed her bindings when she'd been visiting her daughter, thinking she might need to nurse the infant. She'd not had a chance to put them back on before her kidnapping. "You're a pervert! What do you want?" She gestured around them to the gray-scale landscape and the twilight sky. "What is this place?"
"The Kamui dimension," Obito explained, standing and brushing the dust off his pants. Then he flopped back on the ground dramatically. He wiped the peach on his shirt front and then took another bite, juice trickled over his chin. He swallowed loudly. "I was stuck in a dream for a years! Being fed gruel and given IV fluids. This peach is amazing!" He finished the meat of the fruit and then tossed the pit into the distance. "I've spent so many years relieving my memories over and over with different scenarios. I didn't mean to kill Fugaku." He propped himself up on his elbows and stared up at her. "Apparently, when you forcefully break out of the Izanami technique instead of changing your attitude, you're compelled to attack the caster."
"Attack? You killed Lord Fugaku!" Sakura shouted, clenching hands into tight fists. Sasuke must be devastated! Poor Mikoto and Itachi. And Sarada won't ever know her grandfather now! She hoped Izumi was okay. Were Shisui and his father alright? "You didn't attack anyone else, did you?"
Obito flopped back again, arms tucked behind his head. "Nah, just Fugaku. Do you know his moniker from the Third Shinobi War? Fugaku of the Wicked Eye. And he killed his brother-in-law to obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan — so he wasn't exactly an innocent."
He didn't deserve to die though, Sakura thought numbly. Fugaku had been nothing, but kind to her for as far back as she could remember. He'd been so excited to be a grandfather, even if he thought Sarada was the daughter of Itachi and Izumi. It had made her happy to see Sarada beloved by her grandfather, especially since Sakura's parents were still living abroad.
Sakura took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her long hair, scraping it away from her eyes, and tried to study this strange environment. What was the Kamui dimension? How could she get back home? Her friends would be worried sick, what would happen to Sarada without her? "So why am I here?"
"One — it will piss off Kakashi and I enjoy pissing him off. He's a jerk. Two — you have that seal on your forehead." He suddenly sprang up into a back flip, agile for such a large man. You really messed up my original plan. Madara is going to be pissed — but he's dead, so maybe it won't matter." He started to pace, rubbing his jaw in contemplation as he did so while his nose kept twitching in a nervous tick. A gentle breeze swept across the rocky landscape and his dark, unruly hair that looked so much like Sasuke and Shisui's thick dark locks that Sakura couldn't help but feel a little inkling of sympathy for the strange man. "And you were there that time and it changed." He looked over at her, his dark eye intense and focused. "You changed things. All the other times I went back, nothing stayed different. And after we returned— I couldn't go back to that time."
"I really don't know what you're talking about," Sakura said grimacing. She'd dealt with a few mentally deranged patients over the years and Obito was certainly checking all the boxes.
Obito blew a raspberry. "Eh, you'll remember. I'm sure of it!" He smiled suddenly, the scarred side of his face stretched eerily.
In spite of everything, Sakura wanted to study his face. She'd read through the reports from the Third War casualties when she'd been apprenticed to the Godaime. Master Tsunade disliked delving too deeply into the previous wars, having suffered so much personally from the tumultuous times. So Sakura had poured through the records of those declared Missing in Action or Killed in Action where no bodies had been found, making sure any unidentified bodies picked up by scouts weren't long lost shinobi of the Leaf.
The report on Obito Uchiha — submitted by Kakashi Hatake back when he'd been twelve had talked about how his teammate had pushed him out of the way of a cave-in and the right side of his body had been crushed. He should not have lived with those types of injuries. How was he alive? "Who is Madara?" It couldn't have been the co-founder of the village, could it? He died decades ago!
"He doesn't matter right now," Obito said, dismissively waving his hand back and forth. "You're the missing component. I need you to help me find the right point in time to travel to!"
"You shouldn't mess with time," Sakura murmured, rubbing her brow. She was getting a headache with all the crazy talk. "It's not possible and if it was the repercussions could be catastrophic! How many times would the timeline be reset if people could just travel back in time? One outcome would make you happy and another person miserable and the reverse is also true!"
"Oh! That's rich!" Obito laughed, both hands braced over his knees and hunching over in a deep bellied-laugh. "The Uchiha clan was supposed to die, but you stopped it from happening! You ruined the plan!" He straightened and then tilted back his head and screamed up at the sky. He stopped abruptly. "We'll go back - just right before Kakashi kills her. Or, better yet, before those Mist shinobi force the Three-Tailed beast inside her."
Sakura frowned. "The Three-tails disappears after the Third War." She remembered Tsunade telling her that when they'd discussed the nine tailed beasts.
"He has just been biding his time inside the Mizukage Yagura," Obito answered. Suddenly he vanished, only to appear right behind Sakura the feel of his warm torso pressed against her back, one arm wrapped across her waist holding her against him, his breath ghosted across her neck as he hovered over her. "And now because of you — my recruits are scattered to the winds. Sasori is the Kazekage. Kisame is working with Mei Terumi to overthrow Yagura as the Mizukage. Pain and Konan worked with Leaf shinobi to kill Danzo. I need those Rinnegan! Itachi betrayed me and saved our worthless clan from the fate they deserved. How am I supposed to work with just Orochimaru?" He teleported again and was several meters in front of Sakura now, his eyes sweeping the landscape in a panic. "Zetsu shouldn't be able to find us here though. It will be okay."
"Look, Obito, I'm not quite following," Sakura tried to calm his escalating tirade. His chakra levels were quite intense. She could probably hold her own for a few minutes, but with his ability to teleport, he was too fast. This was why no one stood a chance against the Yellow Flash — you had to catch him to counter him! Physically, he was bigger than Kakashi, but about the same size as her precious big brother Shisui. He had that same intense focus she'd seen in both Sasuke and Itachi. An obsessed Uchiha was a dangerous foe, but an irreplaceable ally.
"Zetsu! Zetsu!" Obito gestured towards the scarred half of his body. "He and Madara, they pulled me out of the rubble. Nursed me back to health." He closed his eye and then sat down heavily on the ground, wrapping his arms around his raised knees and began to rock. "I just need to save Rin. Please, help me save her. It's all I want. I don't even want to gather the tailed beasts anymore to make the eternal dream. I want her back for real," he whispered. "Madara's plan was stupid anyway. Minato-sensei wasn't supposed to die." He sobbed abruptly and buried his face against his knees.
Sakura wracked her sleep-depraved mind for an idea of whom Rin could be. Minato was obviously the Yondaime — Kakashi's old sensei and her mother's precious cousin, not to mention Naruto's father. Wasn't Rin the name of Kakashi's old teammate from when he'd been a kid? She saw him leave flowers on a grave for Rin Nohara before. That must be whom Obito was talking about. Seeing the man, rocking back and forth like an upset child, tugged on Sakura's maternal heartstrings. She shuffled towards him, feeling incredibly tired. Was the gravity stronger in this Kamui realm? She leaned over to rest her hand over his broad shoulder.
Obito looked up at her, tears making his eye bright as he blinked.
"Why don't you tell me about her?" Sakura forced a kind smile onto her lips. Better to be friends with the deranged Uchiha than to antagonize him while trapped in a foreign dimension. Would Kakashi be able to find her with his access to the Kamui in his borrowed Sharingan eye? "Tell me about Rin?"
A smile as bright as the sun lit up his scarred face and for a moment she thought of Naruto. "She was always so kind and gentle," Obito whispered.
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Twenty-Two Years into the Future
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Itachi
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It had been twenty-two years since his father's death and he'd been thrust into the position as Head of the Clan. This evening, like so many evenings of late, Itachi found himself enjoying the quiet and peaceful solitude of the Uchiha clan's Naka shrine. He often felt a deeper connection to his forefathers in here. He felt closer to his father when he meditated and often asked him for guidance.
He rubbed at the Byakugou seal on his clavicle. He wouldn't have lived past his twenty-fifth birthday if it hadn't been for the seal. If Sakura hadn't gone back in time, changed his fate and that of his entire clan.
He sniffed, the faint scent of smoke wafted in through the shrine's open window. It wasn't anything new. This was when Shisui trained the younger generation — Itachi's trio, Sasuke's daughter, Hatake's kids, and Shisui's own boys. Shisui focused on training the kids in fire chakra jutsus, kunai target practice and exercises on speed. The training schedule alternated between Shisui and Sasuke, with the latter preferring to teach lightning and earth based jutsus as well as kenjutsu. Shisui was the Anbu Commander, but always made time for his family. Sasuke was the Chief of Police and under his watch it had thrived.
Izumi spent the majority of her day at the hospital and was often greeting him in the evenings with a smile on her face and quietly making dinner. He learned long ago that the kitchen was her domain in the evenings and she would shoo him out anytime he tried to help. Though, breakfast was his time to provide for the family. Lunch was a free for all. His other best friend, Kakashi Hatake was often in the Hokage office, training Naruto to take over the reigns. Itachi often helped serve as interim. Though, Obito was the Shadow Kage, usually away from the village for long periods of time.
Then there was Sakura Hatake— she was co-director of the hospital. She'd flat out rejected being the sole director, making sure to share the duties equally with Shizune Shiranui. Though Izumi and Yugao Hayate were also in prominent leadership positions and could serve as interim as needed.
There were others, like Ino and Sai Yamanaka, Shikamaru and Temari Nara, Neji and Tenten Hyuga, Konohamaru and Hanabi Sarutobi, but they weren't Itachi's people so he didn't mind them too much.
Honestly, Itachi was pretty happy with the current leadership of Konoha. It had been decades since Danzo's machinations and the corrupt elder council had sullied Konoha's reputation. He was happy with the Kazekage Sasori and Mizukage Kisame as well —Konoha had nurtured healthy alliances with the Sand and Mist villages. Kisame had been strong-armed into taking over at the demand of his wife Mei who wanted to take a break, but didn't trust anyone else to protect the Land of Water. No one argued with Mei Terumi, least of all her husband. It still amused Itachi that his would-be Akatsuki partner and him ended up good friends anyway. The two gravitating towards each other whenever they were at the Five Kage summits, as Kakashi always roped Itachi into going with him. It was only in the last two years, Itachi had finally been able to get out of attending them, letting Naruto take his place.
Suddenly, there was a pop and a disturbance in the room's atmosphere, tugging at Itachi's memory of the other timeline's Sasuke and his Rinnegan. The sheer enormity of this person, not just this entity's chakra was god-tier level! Keeping his temperament calm, allowing his analytical mind to do its job, Itachi opened his eyes and met the piercing lavender eyes of the Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the god of Shinobi and the father of Indra Otsutsuki whom was the founder of the Uchiha clan.
Hagoromo levitated just out of Itachi's arm's reach, his legs crossed and arms folded over his chest.
"Sage of Six Paths," Itachi murmured, ducking his head in respected. "What brings you to our revered Naka Shrine?"
"You don't seem too surprised, Itachi Uchiha," Hagoromo mused. His voice was laced with power and Itachi could feel chills race down the flesh of his arms.
"I have seen strange and wondrous things in my life," Itachi answered. Not to mention the fact that his sister-in-law had once traveled through time to keep his best friend alive, save his clan, and keep him from dying of a terminal lung disease. And that his niece was able to travel through time without the aid of any devices aside from her own abilities.
"This is not the original destiny," Hagoromo declared. "I have bided my time, seeing how it plays out. My sons' reincarnations have never been as happy as they are in this life."
Itachi didn't ask who his sons' reincarnations were, he was pretty sure that would be Sasuke and Naruto. Those two had a bond and destiny that was interwoven intricately.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Itachi asked, when it became clear Hagoromo was waiting for him to speak.
"I like this timeline and do not want it disrupted. You need to ensure that it remains stable," Hagoromo suggested. "I have come to you because of the devotion to pay your ancestors. My son Indra would have loved you. " He frowned. "Though, I suppose his soul reborn does love you, doesn't he?" He chuckled and shook his head, dull, gray hair falling away from those horns on top of his skull.
"Is there a disturbance to the timeline?" Itachi asked. While he appreciated the delicacy of intrigue, he'd learned to cut through the chase over the years. Why go in circles when a straight line was more efficient? "Do you need Sarada to fix it?"
"Ah, yes, Sasuke's daughter," Hagoromo murmured. "She will certainly be needed. So will her brother if they hope to track down their wayward mother." He closed his eyes briefly. "Even now, she and her confused companion are bouncing around the time-stream. The silver-haired one will be able to pinpoint their location." His lips thinned. "The daimyo's daughter must be allowed to be born."
Itachi nodded. He was familiar with the daimyo's daughter and just what she meant to his clansman. "I will speak to them." He met the Rinnegan gaze of Hagoromo. "When I met my brother from the future, back in my youth, he had the Rinnegan. But now he does not. Why?"
Hagoromo nodded. "I gifted it to him in the original timeline in the battle against my mother. Humanity was spared that battle in this reality." He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes looking into the distance seeming to look at both everything and nothing at all. "Perhaps, hmm. Maybe I should?" His eye snapped back to Itachi. "I leave the past into your hands, Itachi Uchiha. Guide the others."
Then the immortal being that was Hagoromo vanished. Itachi huffed and then wiped his sweaty palms over his shirt front. He was glad sweaty palms was his only reaction to being in the presence of a god. A faint smirk tugged on his lips. Shisui was going to shit his pants when Itachi told him about who he just met.
He blew out the candles of the shrine and then started for the clan training grounds. "You two!" He gestured towards Sarada and Takashi. "Over here, we need to talk."
"What's up, Uncle Tachi?" Sarada asked, straightening her crimson jacket and giving her younger brother a playful shove before hurrying over.
"You're such a bully," Takashi grumbled before he clapped his hands together and shot forth a flurry of roots from underground that formed a wooden cage around Sarada. He laughed as he beat her to Itachi's side, before Sarada punched a hole through the wooden barrier with her monstrous strength.
"I'm a bully? You're a menace!" Sarada laughed, catching up with a smile.
"Nah, the twins are a menace!" Takashi pointed to their younger siblings — eight year old fraternal twins, a little sister with silver hair and green eyes and a little brother with pink hair and charcoal eyes. Thankfully, nobody teases a boy with pink hair when his dad is the Hokage and his mom is the strongest kunoichi in the country.
"I suppose that's true," Sarada agreed. She smiled across at Itachi — she was a tall woman, the same height as her uncle at five foot ten. The smile faded as she noted Itachi's grim expression. "What's with that face? Who do we need to save this time?"
"I was just paid a visit by Hagoromo" Itachi admitted.
Sarada and Takashi's mouths gaped. "Seriously? Like the dude has to be ten thousand years old!" Takashi whispered in awe. "Is he immortal? I don't understand."
"Twenty-two years ago, your Uncle Obito awoke from the Izanami my father placed him within and kidnapped your mother. He is set on saving his childhood crush Rin from dying and they are traveling into various dimensions and time lines to do so from what I remember."
"Okay, so you remember, so it's already happened," Sarada reasoned. She took off her glasses and cleaned them with the hem of her shirt. "But, isn't Uncle Obito's wife named Rin? Does that mean he succeeded."
"No way, don't be an idiot. Do some simple math, Sarada," Takashi argued. "Aunt Rin is the same age as Mom. There's no way she was the same person, just the same name. Beside her dad was the old Daimyo. She wouldn't have been a ninja."
Itachi grimaced, remembering a mission when he'd still been a genin, his old Jonin sensei forbidding him from entering the Chunin exams out of jealousy. His genin team had been on an escort mission for the Daimyo who'd been on his way home to celebrate his daughter Rin's fifth birthday. She'd been born on the same day that Rin Nohara had died. Was it coincidence? After a visit with Hagoromo, Itachi thought not. That same mission, Obito wearing a mask had slaughtered almost everyone. His murderous rampage made a little more sense in retrospect.
"I believe she was reincarnated, so sort of the same person," Itachi explained. "There are certain similar characteristics." Though plenty was different, as Kakashi had explained to him that the Rin in their childhood had been fond of Obito, but hadn't been interested in him romantically. The Daimyo's daughter on the other hand had met Obito as a volunteer at the hospital while he received treatment for his mental health issues. She'd adored him from the moment she met him, in spite of his scarred visage and being older.
"Huh. Didn't Uncle Obito have that weird seal over his heart? Like old man Madara had brain washed him and poisoned him with that alien goo?" Takashi asked, scratching the back of his unruly silver and pink hair. "How did Mom help get rid of that? She's not that good at Fuinjutsu."
"I believe that's where you two come in," Itachi explained. "You need to find your mother and keep your fathers from killing each other."
Sarada laughed. "Really? Papa and Papa Kashi didn't get along?"
Itachi found himself laughing too. These two had no idea how much their fathers couldn't stand each other around this time twenty years ago. "You might be surprised." While they eventually found a way for their blended family to work, it was a bit unorthodox and certainly not their reality twenty-two years ago.
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Kakashi
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Two weeks. It had been two weeks. His ninja hounds returned with their tails tucked between their legs, their expressions downcast as they came back with the same news they'd been sharing while his team looked for Sakura and Obito. It seemed they weren't anywhere in the Land of Fire. Sasori had sent out his own search party. And surprisingly, the Village of Rain had sent out a party as well.
So far, all they had come across were the creepy white plant-like creatures that seemed to multiple whenever they were cut down. He didn't understand what they were. Sasori was the one that had caught one and dissected it, explaining it was some sort of plant biologic, likely extraterrestrial in origin.
"Damn aliens," Sasuke cursed, shoving his sword through the 'heart' of one of the creatures for good measure while channeling lightning to fry all the nerve endings of the monster. When it was paralyzed, he incinerated it with his Amaterasu.
Sasuke Uchiha had made it his personal mission to eradicate the aliens from their continent.
"We should head for an inn," Shisui suggested, jogging back to Kakashi's side. He crouched next to Bull and rubbed him behind the ears, earning a slobbery smile. "Who's a good boy? You are! You're a good boy!"
Kakashi glanced up at the darkening sky. It was early December, but already the weather was turning wintery. His jaw clenched in anger. He wanted Sakura home before the Winter Solstice, but now he just wanted her home. He couldn't lose her again! And Obito! He wasn't sure what to feel about the fact that his old teammate who's memory he cherished was still alive and had kidnapped the love of his life! Except, Sakura wasn't that Sakura. Except she was. And he didn't know how to wrap his mind around it.
"I can create my cartoon birds. We'll be back in that village from yesterday within the hour," Sai offered. Ino stood at his side, rubbing her bare arms briskly. With a sigh, Sai unzipped his backpack and pulled out a standard winter cloak and secured it over Ino's shoulders.
"Thanks," Ino murmured, blinking in surprise. "I was distracted, trying to find any trace of Sakura's mind. I thought I felt something, but it was so brief," she trailed off. "Maybe a good night's sleep will help. I'll be fresh in the morning."
They'd gone two days without sleep, their entire party determined. Naruto started towards the group, dismissing his dozens of clones as he drew near. "Not a single strand of pink hair in a twenty kilometer radius," he declared, coming to stand next to Sasuke. He laid his hand over the taller man's shoulder and the tense Uchiha relaxed marginally.
"Fine," Kakashi agreed. "Same arrangements as usual?"
Shisui nodded. The two of them had been sharing a room, the Yamanakas in another, and Naruto and Sasuke in the third room. So far, they hadn't been kicked out of any inns, even though they were all of them angry and worried. They'd managed to keep their killing intent chakra levels low enough not to frighten the civilians. And after ridding the area of the white zetsus, their inns were usually complimentary.
The Godaime had recommended while they were out searching — indefinitely, that with so many Anbu members — everyone save Ino — that they might as well round up characters from the Bingo books and bring in some bounties. So long as they did that, they could keep looking for as long as they wanted.
Which was good, because Kakashi didn't intend to return home without her.
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Sakura
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She shivered, pulling her cloak close. This time, Obito had teleported them into the middle of a snow storm. Supposedly, they were in the center of Konoha, except, his handle on jumping through time left a lot to be desired. They'd arrived in the acreage where Konoha had yet to be established, for another few hundred years! Everyone lived in tents and they certainly wanted nothing to do with the funny looking duo that popped into the middle of their camp.
Honestly, they'd been lucky to escape the fireball shot their way from one of the earlier generations of Uchiha.
"Let's just hole up in a cave for a day or two and regroup," Sakura suggested.
Obito sniffed, took off the plain mask he'd carved a few days back and wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. He kept several creepy orange swirly masks in his Kamui dimension. Honestly, she preferred the plain white one. He was a rather emotional guy. Sakura appreciated that about him, unfortunately, he was also one temper tantrum away from flying into a murderous rampage. So far, he'd resisted, until they came across a stampede of wild boar. He'd slaughtered the giant pigs and they'd feasted like kings for three days.
She'd told him about Sarada, hoping it would foster some sympathy from him. But he'd been unimpressed. He lamented never having children himself. He'd spent most of his adult life trapped in a dream! He also explained Madara's original plan that he'd manipulated Obito into orchestrating. Placing the entire world under an endless dream had seemed a good idea in theory when you were a grieving teenaged orphan. However, after Obito had spent years trapped in a dream himself, it had quickly lost its luster. However, there was a seal on his heart — it made him do things. And whenever he felt the pull on his subconscious from the seal, they changed dimensions or jumped through time.
He'd been trying to get them to the week before Kakashi and Rin's ill-fated mission to Mist.
They had settled in a cave like Sakura had suggested. She'd pulled out dry rations she'd prepared a couple of days ago from the pack she'd pilfered a few weeks ago. They'd been at this jumping around through time for at least two months at this point. Sarada must have been so confused and her friends must be so worried. She wished there was a way to contact them, let them know exactly where she was. She just wanted to go home! She offered her unintended companion some of the jerky.
"Maybe it's because I only have one eye," Obito mused. He took the jerky and ripped into it eagerly. "I could take back my eye from Kakashi - you can transplant it right? You fixed up Shisui after all. Or, maybe Nagato. He isn't using them right anyway."
Sakura fought back the bile rising in her throat as Obito casually spoke of snatching away eyeballs. Technically, she wasn't against Kakashi giving up the Sharingan — honestly, she thought he'd be stronger without it and she'd worked with Sasori on cloning organs specifically for him. Though, that would have to be Kakashi's choice. She didn't know who Nagato was, but she wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of stealing anyone's eyes.
"Who is Nagato?" Sakura asked, once her nausea had passed. She met Obito's gaze, his momentary madness settled again into clarity.
"Ah, he goes by Pain. He was the original leader of Akatsuki. Madara had me take over using his name. Danzo murdered his best friend, so he was feeling pretty angsty and hateful. You know how it goes," Obito said with a shrug. "Anyways, Mads gave him his old Rinnegan eyes and it brought him the ability to do so much. I'll even let him keep one. I think a Rinnegan will be much more useful than my regular eye anyway." He tapped under his eye socket. "Besides, I like the idea of Kakashi trying to find you with my eye in his head."
Sakura said nothing. It was best not to talk about Kakashi with Obito. Sometimes, he'd speak of him with admiration. Other times, he spoke with such vehemence it unsettled Sakura and made her nervous to fall asleep.
Maybe, if she could figure out a way to destroy the seal on Obito's heart she could start to really help him. There was no reasoning with him until it was gone. She could see the darkness that crept up into his attitude whenever the seal activated. Sasori was good with seals. He'd taught her a little. Kakashi was better at seals. Unfortunately, the best people at seals were the Uzumaki who were almost all eradicated.
She had a goal. She wanted to be back home by her birthday. She'd be there when Sarada turned one and she'd have her date with Kakashi.
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