Day 1
He wasn't sure what exactly went through Pein's mind when he heard the plan for the Akatsuki. He supposed that it would be logical if they did become Amegakure shinobi, but one of Otogakure's? What was that man thinking? Then again, he never knew what ran through his leader's mind. This was only his second year in the organization, anyways. He also wore the pink outlier ring around his neck: gen, or mysterious. The ring itself was for optional use if the Akatsuki ever needed an extra member. It took some time, but he was finally able to convince Zetsu to let him join.
He wanted to make up for all the time he spent in rehabilitation. Zetsu had been the one who saved him from being completely crushed beneath that boulder and was the one that cared for him the years it took for his body to heal, have limbs replaced, and return to its relatively normal state—save for the excessive amount of scars that expanded over an entire half of his body.
Tobi scratched the back of his head, thoughts returning back to the situation at hand. Haruno Sakura. He didn't think he heard that name before. He walked up to the village gates clad only in his black, armor plated ensemble, green scarf, and trademark orange mask. Pein advised him not to wear his Akatsuki cloak so that he wouldn't immediately alarm the shinobi or give false warning to an oncoming attack. As he walked up to village gates, he saw a man wearing a dark purple sleeveless v-neck over a short sleeved fishnet shirt. A white Otogakure hitai-ate hung around his waist like a sash and round rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, and at Tobi's approach, he looked up from the small notebook in his hands.
"Tobi-san, was it?"
"Yes!" he chirped. "Leader-sama sent me here to stay for the whole month."
"Yakushi Kabuto," the man introduced. "Sakura-sama's assistant and right hand. Though it seemed you came at an inopportune time; Sakura-sama is currently making her rounds about the village."
Tobi walked beside Kabuto with his head cocked to the side. "Rounds?".
"Every time Rinha-san, our Chief of Medicine, goes to check up on all the clinics, medical centers, and pharmacies in the village, Sakura-sama accompanies her," Kabuto supplied. "I'm positive she does it partially because she knows she can get out of paperwork for the next few days, but I know how much she cares for any and all patients." He pushed up his glasses, a menacing aura suddenly shrouding him. "Besides, I can give her even more paperwork once she's back at her office."
Tobi shivered.
They walked down a street with a banner over it that read Medical District in thick, purple writing. Tobi felt a twinge of nostalgia as he passed by many patients, adults and children alike, with smiles on their faces despite any injuries or illnesses they might have. He sighed.
'She would've loved this.'
They headed over to clinic with a name Tobi swore he'd never imagined to see plastered on a building wall.
Juinjutsu and Experimentation
"Um... what's this place, Yakushi-san?"
Inside were people that didn't look completely human.
"Orochimaru's practices weren't something you'd call... ethical," Kabuto explained. "His subjects always ended up deformed, genetically altered, or given a curse mark. After all the people from the hideouts were relocated here, those who wanted to be rid of Orochimaru's taint swamped the hospital and other rehabilitation centers, and after I reported this to Sakura-sama, she had this institution built and personally researched everything Orochimaru had done."
Tobi slowly digested this information. Orochimaru's successor was someone who tried to undo all his work? That didn't add up quite right. After the two of them ambled through the hallways in silence, they approached an open room.
"—r-really?! Aren't I way too old? I just turned twenty-nine last month..."
"Don't worry so much, Isaribi-chan. Otogakure is still in its early stages of shinobi development and nearly all the Academy classes have inconsistent ages. And given your skills, I can put you in the oldest class. If you can get passing marks on the end of the year exam, you can graduate this June and be placed on a genin team."
"Uwa! That's amazing! But my scales..."
"Should continue to disappear within the next few weeks, if my research proves correct."
"Thank you, Sakura-sama! Thank you so much!"
Isaribi gave Sakura a deep bow before she was taken aside by one of the nurses to continue with the examination. Sakura stepped out and smiled at the two who were waiting for her out in the hallway. Kabuto had taken out his small notebook and was scribbling something in it as she approached the Akatsuki member.
"You must be Tobi-san! Nice to meet you, I'm Haruno Sakura," she greeted as she extended a hand. Tobi took it with both of his own and shook it animatedly.
"Nice to meet you too, Haruno-sama!"
'When I look at you, why do I see her?'
Day 8
Tobi was starting to doubt that someone like her could be the person Orochimaru chose to succeed him. If anything, Uchiha Sasuke should've been the person to be in her very position. But having spied on him a good number of times, he knew that the boy was too far gone in his revenge that only something that stuck him to the core could knock him out of his senses.
He couldn't think of one thing that would.
But onto the topic of Sakura... When he looked at her, he couldn't see any aspect of Orochimaru. Not her mannerisms, her speech, her attitude, nor her way of thinking. She acted with children like they were her own—giving them encouragement when she saw them, but not coddling too much when they got hurt so they would learn their lesson.
As he meandered through the village to familiarize himself with its layout, he saw a flyers stuck to one of the building's walls. He snatched one of them and read the bright, bubbly words.
'It wouldn't hurt to take one, would it?'
He folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket.
Day 20
When he was sure Kabuto was off on business and nowhere near the Otokage Tower, he stepped into Sakura's office.
"Haruno-sama... could I ask for a favor?"
She looked up from reading her reports curiously. "Sure? What is it?"
Tobi raised a hand to his mask and hesitated a few seconds before he pulled it off. Sakura's eyes widened, though not at the deep scars that covered half of his face, but at the one red eye that stared back at her.
"Would it be possible to perform an optical implant?"
"... Yes. Those types of procedures are mostly done by either Marisu-san or myself. And due to your, how should I say it, predicament, I'll be the one to do it for you. I think my schedule is cleared for later today—will that be alright for you?" she asked. Tobi slipped his mask back on.
"That'd be perfect. Thank you, Haruno-sama."
Day 22
He couldn't feel anything but an uncomfortable weight on one side of his body. The left? The right? He didn't know. He was too tired to think about it. The suffocating dust finally settled in the area as he looked to the side, his two teammates trying to get up shakily.
"Rin? Kakashi? Are you okay?" he asked softly. His throat burned with every word. They turned to face them, eyes widening in sheer horror.
"Obito!" Kakashi cried. The young jounin ran over and tried to push whatever it was that lay atop his friend. Obito looked above him. Ah, a boulder? Then it was no use.
"Stop... it's alright. I don't think I'll make it out of this one..."
But Kakashi persevered. He punched at the boulder and slammed his shoulder into it.
"My side is numb, Kakashi. I'm done for."
He fell to his knees, fists pounding the earth and curses falling from his lips. Tears poured from Rin's eyes as she sunk down to Obito's side.
"Ah... how could I forget?" he murmured. "I'm the only one who didn't get you a present for making jounin. I couldn't figure out what to get you, but I just thought of something... My sharingan. Take it as your own. Regardless of what Konoha thinks of you, you're a really great shinobi. One of the best I've ever seen. Take it. Please. So I can see the future through your eyes."
Tobi's blurred vision focused on the white ceiling above him. He felt the cloth bandages wrapped around the left side of his face and thought it was odd. For most of his life, bandages had always hid the right side of his body. He gingerly sat up and rubbed at his free eye with his right hand. Maybe it was a mistake to ask for the transplant. Sakura now knew his secret and—
He quickly stopped rubbing his eye and felt the uncovered side of his face. It was much smoother than he remembered.
What?
He raised his hand to the light and turned it this way and that, amazed at the lack of damaged skin. His entire arm was laced with white, slightly bumpy lines and when he opened his hospital gown, he saw that an entire half of his body was the same way. There were two knocks on the door before Kabuto walked through.
"Ah, you're awake. It's been a full nine hours and the nurses were beginning to worry that you had slipped into a coma."
"I... Was I? Sorry. But all I needed was the transplant. Why are my scars...?"
"Faded? I don't know. Sakura-sama spent hours healing though I advised against it. She's asleep now, suffering from mild chakra exhaustion. She'll be fine later today," he said. Tobi frowned and looked down at the sheets.
"She'd go that far for a stranger?"
"Of course," Kabuto replied airily as he looked down at the man's medical report. "She's Haruno Sakura."
Day 30
"It's good to see you up and walking," Sakura grinned. "What can I do for you?"
Tobi, maskless and wearing a short sleeved shirt for the first time in years, pulled out a folded paper from his pants pocket. He unfolded it and set it down on her desk.
"I was wondering if this position was still open." His heterochromatic eyes lit up. "If it is, I'd like to take it."
She picked up the flyer and glanced down at it, grin growing wider if it were even possible. Kabuto took one look at the bright coloring and smirked. Sakura reached into the box beneath her desk and picked up a brand new Otogakure hitai-ate.
"Good luck on your new job," she bid as she tossed it over. The flyer sat discarded at the edge of her desk.
Wanted: Shinobi Academy Sensei
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To those who might get upset that I changed Tobi's backstory because it isn't canon:
Bro. I made Sakura a Kage.
How canon do you think this story is going to be?
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EDITED 2.18.18