A/N: As of 2/15/2022, I made a few formatting/grammatical updates to the chapter, which I am planning to do for all chapters soon. Making any sort of edits on Wattpad causes all previous comments on that passage to be moved to the end of the chapter. I don't know why it's designed like that, but if you find that your comment is no longer where it should be, this is why. Apologies for that!
~~~
The seasons changed swiftly as you kept up your duties as a ninja. Months teeming with farming and pet sitting became indistinguishable from the rest. You had barely any time to breathe, let alone think about things like home or your past life. Despite this, every year you found comfort in watching the life of cherry blossoms in the village, fascinated by how they would bloom and wilt, only to come back even stronger every spring.
The Chunin exams came and went and, despite facing the danger and challenge head on, you still found yourself still at Genin status by the end of it. It was a blow to your ego. Almost everyone else was promoted to Chunin immediately. The Third Great Ninja War made it so ninja graduated and promoted easily, so standards were much lower.
That night after the exams, you and Obito were walking to his house to go star gazing, the bag he was holding contained the Leaf's signature green Chunin outfit. The crumpling noise it made while you two walked only plunged your thoughts deeper into disappointment. Obito, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier. His smile and excitement never left his face the entire walk home. You were strangely comforted by this.
"I'm finally a Chunin! It took long enough," Obito started with excitement in his voice. "This means that I can start leading teams and go on real missions soon! No more babysitting, or walking dogs or catching cats! It's only danger and real experience from here, (y/n)!"
Your already weak smile faltered when you realized that Obito was now eligible for C, B, and maybe even A rank missions, while you were stuck with D ones. You and Obito have had missions together in the past, but never any that risked your lives. Now not even those would happen anymore. Not while you were still a Genin.
Obito lifted his Chunin jacket in the air in front of him to admire and reflect on the work it took to earn it. His gaze then fell to you, where he noticed your head was low and your eyes downcasted. That's when he remembered you were one of the few not immediately promoted to Chunin. He felt like such a huge, pompous jerk for basically throwing his achievement in your face when you couldn't quite share the joy in the exact same way.
"Hey, (y/n). Cheer up, okay? I'll tell you what, the next time you take the exams, I'll help you with that one, too."
You peered up at Obito skeptically. "How would you even manage that?"
"I don't know, I'll sneak in somehow and give you all the answers on the exam, and I'll protect you in the Forest of Death, too." Obito then smirked and raised his fist in front of him confidently. "Hopefully I'll have my Sharingan by then, so it'll be a piece of cake!"
You giggled at his contagious enthusiasm. "I don't think they'd let me cheat by bringing in a Chunin."
"Now see, the key here is that they don't find out about it," Obito winked. "Besides, they encourage cheating, don't they?"
"That's true, we are ninja, after all. Gotta be sneaky snakes," you said playfully.
"Yeah, you got it! Now you're talking!" he replied with hope and reassurance in his tone.
Hopefully he will be here for the Chunin exams next time. I still need to formulate how I plan to prevent that from happening, you thought as the two of you laid down on the rooftops to look at the stars, just as you've done countless times before.
~~~
The sun was descending rapidly. You had meant to do your shopping earlier but your mission for the day took longer than expected. While passing through the central area of the village, you spotted familiar orange goggles as well as three other forms heading in your direction. Immediately your eyes locked with the dark-haired boy as the two of you exchanged an enthusiastic wave.
"Hey guys!" you beamed. "Whatcha up to?"
"We're making a quick stop to grab supplies before heading out on a mission," Minato answered before his eyes traveled to Kakashi. "Kakashi was just promoted to Jonin and will be leading our squad for the first time," he said as Kakashi broke the gaze he had on you to look in any other direction but yours.
You didn't notice this, however, as you were focused entirely on your blood running cold. Obito began chattering but everything sounded like a blur, your rapidly increasing breathing was all you could properly hear.
Looking over to you, Rin noticed your discomfort with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay, (y/n)?"
Obito immediately stopped talking and focused on you with concern evident in his face as well. You looked at Rin as if you had seen a ghost, recalling what happens to her in only a few days' time.
This is it. It's really happening. All those years of preparation for this.
"Hey, (y/n), you're scaring me here," Obito mustered in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Disregarding his comment, you managed to blurt out, "I need to come with you," warranting shock from each member, Minato included.
"Hey that's a great idea! Let her come, Minato-sensei!" Obito commanded. He was thrilled at the prospect of having his best friend join him on a real mission.
Minato'ssurprised expression soon morphed into a nervous one. "That's really not a good idea, Obito."
"What do you mean? (y/n)'s a skilled fighter, she can protect all of us!" Obito argued.
"If she were so skilled then she would have been promoted to Chunin like the rest of you," Kakashi spat out while giving you a piercing side look that also pierced your spirit.
Obito growled, "You take that back! You're just jealous that (y/n) is more skilled at Earth Style than you are!"
The two started bickering but you were touched that Obito would go to great lengths to defend you.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go without permission from the Hokage, (y/n)," Minato interrupted with a sympathetic look on his face, "and seeing how the village is short-staffed, I wouldn't count on him letting you go. Obito, Kakashi and Rin can take care of themselves, you don't have to worry about them," he concluded with an endearing wink.
You knew for a fact that they could not take care of themselves, and without another word, you booked it to the Hokage's office as fast as you could.
"You should've let her come with us, Minato-sensei," Obito spouted, but Minato wasn't quite listening. Your uncharacteristic reaction intrigued him.
Something didn't feel quite right.
~~~
You managed to evade all of the guards and administrators in the Hokage Residence. It was an easy task since they didn't think a little Genin girl could be much of a threat. Before you knew it, you made your presence known in the Hokage's quarters.
"I need to go with team Minato on their mission!" you demanded bluntly.
Hiruzen looked in your direction unfazed before trailing his eyes back on to the document in front of him. "Team Minato..." he pondered. "As far as I'm aware they are currently fulfilling an S-rank mission. A mission that is far too advanced for a Genin, I'm afraid."
Ignoring his backhanded comment, you persisted. "Please, I want your permission to go. Even if you don't, I-I'm going to help them anyway," you admitted. That was probably not the smartest move since you knew full well what the consequences were for disobeying orders and leaving the village unauthorized. At that statement, Hiruzen paused his writing and put down his pen to look directly at you.
"You realize the implications behind your demands, correct?"
It's too late to back down now, you thought as your hands curled into tight fists.
"I do, sir."
You turned to leave, eager to catch up with Obito and the others. You reached the doorframe when Hiruzen spoke up once again.
"If you are going to disobey orders then you may as well leave your headband here with me."
You froze at his bluntness. You were expecting to deal with the consequences after you brought everyone home safely. No, your mind was made up. With teeth clenched, you clung tightly onto your headband and sprinted out of the building. And never looked back.
"(y/n) was always a respectable student. To directly disobey the Hokage's orders; she must know something is terribly wrong," Hiruzen mused passively before returning to his work.
~~~
That meeting with Lord Third took longer than I thought. Please don't tell me I'm too late! You begged to yourself, relief immediately washing over you upon spotting the unmistakably tall blond man and his shorter students at the village gate.
Hearing footsteps quickly approaching, Obito turned around and greeted you with a thrilled smile. "(y/n)! You got permission from Lord Third, didn't you?"
The others turned their attention toward you in anticipation for an answer.
I can't tell them the truth. I'm sorry for lying again but this is too important.
"Of course I did! Persuading him took a while but here I am!" you grinned with your eyes closed. Minato narrowed his eyes subtly in suspicion of your response but didn't question it any further.
"Well alright, we're behind schedule so let's get going," he announced before turning and disappearing into the forest. You and Obito exchanged excited looks before leaping into the trees after him, but you kept a slight distance between your team members as you contemplated the somber situation you had just put yourself in.
~~~
Eventually Minato separated from the four of you with Kakashi now taking charge, much to Obito's annoyance. Your group traveled for what felt like days, though you sighed when you realized that it was probably closer to only a few hours.
"Okay, um, what's your favorite dessert?" you asked Obito while hopping from tree to tree.
"I'd say probably anything from the dango shop, but the ice cream back home is good, too. What's your favorite animal?"
You pondered for a moment before chuckling bashfully and muttering the answer under your breath.
Obito raised an eyebrow before stating smugly, "Duh, that's so like you, (y/n). I could've totally guessed that!"
"My turn. What's your favorite –"
This game went on for quite some time. You and Obito began doing this randomly one night while looking at the stars. It was an excellent way of getting to know each other, and despite already knowing Obito for years now, the questions and answers he would come up with still surprised you, and vice versa.
"Really?" Obito whipped his head in your direction. "Your favorite hobby is sleeping?"
"You act so surprised but you see me nap all the time!"
"Well yeah, sure. But you're always the one who's at our meeting spot first," he grumbled. "Figured you'd sleep in a little."
"I do, but you're always busy with old ladies so I don't have to worry about being late," you pointed out playfully, earning yourself a stern look from Obito.
"Hey, it's not like I really like old ladies or anything, I could stop if I wanted to –"
You began to giggle knowing how needlessly defensive Obito was getting over his 'hobby' of helping others.
"What are you laughing at? If you were an old lady you would want help t –"
Suddenly Obito's speech was cut off, only to be replaced with a loud 'thump' and a pained noise straining from his throat.
"Obito!" you yelled. The commotion caused Kakashi and Rin in front of you to stop to see what was going on. Obito was so focused on looking at you to explain his point that he wasn't paying enough attention to the trees in front of him. He ended up smacking right against a branch and fell to the ground with a hard thud. Watching the whole process, you gasped heavily until your lungs swelled to the brim with air and hopped down instantly to look over your friend's form in a panic.
"Oh man, oh jeez, oh no. Obito, are you freaking okay?!" you asked hysterically with a hint of guilt in your horrified tone. He groaned before your other team members swooped down to check on his status. Receiving an unusual amount of attention, Obito straightened up his back as he feigned confidence. "Yeah, of course. I'm tougher than that, guys!"
Kakashi wasn't impressed. "Keep going, no more distractions. And Obito, quit gawking at (y/n) and watch where you're heading from now on."
"Wha-? I wasn't gazing at (y/n)! Don't make things up, Kakashi!"
"I didn't say gazing. I said gawking," he countered in a matter-of-fact tone before returning to the branches above.
"Why you, get back here Kakashi!" Obito followed after him while you and Rin left soon after.
Something wasn't right - Obito was having trouble keeping up with Kakashi. Well, that wasn't the surprising part. That was to be expected if you were honest. What was unnerving about this, though, was that Obito quit giving chase way sooner than he usually did. It wasn't like him to give up so easily. That was when you noticed the slight limp in his right foot.
Did he... did he injure his foot from the fall?
~~~
"We'll stop here for the night," Kakashi stated, causing everyone to stop in their tracks.
"What? Why here?" Obito said, the irritation clear in his tone. "We only just got past the land's border, we should keep going!"
Kakashi simply stared at him, unblinking. "We are resting here and that's all I'm going to say to you."
Obito huffed in annoyance and leered at Kakashi.
"(y/n), back me up here. We can totally keep going, right?" he asked, eagerly turning his attention toward you. You stayed silent for a moment while your eyes trailed down to his foot, which you noticed he was keeping slightly off the ground.
"Obito," you ignored the question. "Did something happen to your foot?"
Obito's eyes widened in surprise. He thought that he'd hidden his injury well, at least enough to fool Rin. Kakashi probably knew, but getting him to care was a different issue altogether.
"N-no I just, I..." he paused. Unable to come up with an excuse, Obito sighed in defeat while Rin sat him down to tend to his foot.
"As I said, we're staying here."
"Shut up, 'Bakashi!'"
~~~
As the sky grew darker, your teammates began preparing to sleep. It was then you realized in your haste to catch up with the others, you neglected your own essentials – food, sleeping bag, other supplies – you had nothing but your weapons.
Great. At this rate, I'll just be a burden on everyone else.
Suddenly a feminine voice took you out of your thoughts. "Aren't you going to get ready to sleep, (y/n)?" Rin asked, drawing Obito's attention toward you.
Folding your hands together in anxiousness, you stumbled over your words. "Well you see, somebody has to keep watch, so I don't want to bring my sleeping bag out. It'd be too tempting."
"You do love to sleep, after all," Obito smirked.
"R-right, exactly! Don't worry about me. If anything happens, I'll use my Earth Style: Protective Barrier around you."
Satisfied with your answer, everyone turned to their respective sleeping bag and everything went silent.
Hours went by. Usually you would be knocked out in sleep by now, but the chilly air and hunger easily kept you awake, but you were partially thankful for this since it made it easier to keep your word.
The night was silent; the only noise was the occasional shifting of a sleeping bag, but Obito's especially.
Obito couldn't sleep. It didn't feel right to leave you alone out there in the cold. Without any more prompting, Obito crawled out of his sleeping bag and made his way over to your perching spot, where he found your head slumped low with your eyes closed. You would occasionally jerk your head up in an attempt to stay awake, but it was getting increasingly difficult, despite the cold and hunger. Before you knew it, you felt a comforting heat at one of your sides.
"Hey," Obito spoke quietly, which jerked you awake with a gasp, and he chuckled. "I guess if we did get attacked, we'd all be doomed, huh?"
"Obito! What are you doing up?"
"I can't sleep."
"How come? Is something troubling you?"
Obito inwardly panicked. He was way too prideful to admit that the reason why he couldn't sleep was because he was worried about you.
"The sleeping bag was getting too hot, is all," he claimed while avoiding eye contact, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks that was thankfully hidden in the dark.
"Well you're always welcome to join me. It's plenty cold over here," you noted while your hands held and rhythmically brushed your arms to generate a negligible amount of heat.
Obito's eyes lowered in guilt. You shouldn't be out here in the cold. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen you eat, either. Before you could say another word, you heard a quick shifting of clothing and were then immediately wrapped up in the warmth of Obito's jacket. You jerked your head in his direction in surprise to see that he wasn't looking at you. You instinctively grasped his jacket with both your hands out of a mix of nerves and appreciation of your friend's gesture.
Neither one of you said anything for the longest time; it was just the two of you leaning next to each other on a trunk of a tree. It was peaceful. Eventually you looked up, anticipating the view to consist entirely of trees and leaves, but instead, you found something unexpected.
"Obito," you whispered, as he responded just as softly, "Yeah?"
"Look up at the sky. From where we are we can see the stars from over here."
Obito looked up with intrigue.
"Hey, yeah. It looks nice out here."
"Looks like it's a good thing we stopped after all," you said with your eyes closed and Obito hummed in response. Not another word was spoken. The two of you spent the rest of the night gazing up at the stars together in deep content, the bitter chill in the air seemed to strangely evaporate under the presence of your best friend.
~~~
Sneaking along the foreign land, you noticed the ground under you becoming wetter and the area around you appearing increasingly familiar. Tension was rising. It could happen any time now. Eventually your team reached a spot that looked all-too familiar.
We are near the spot where it happens –
Before you could finish your thoughts, logs began falling from the trees in an apparent trap. Obito acted quickly to disable the incoming logs with an intense Fireball Jutsu while you and Rin shielded your faces from the flames and falling debris.
NOW - you screamed to yourself and immediately turned around to grab onto Rin to pull her close to you. As if right on cue, the enemy who originally kidnapped her revealed himself and instead opted a direct attack on the both of you. Rin screamed which caught Obito and Kakashi's attention as they fought off the men in front of them, but stayed back since you seemed to have things under control.
This time Rin wasn't kidnapped like she was supposed to be, but rather, she was safe with one of your arms holding onto her, a kunai ready in the other. The man lunged for you but all you could think about was protecting Rin. Letting go of her, you quickly formed hand signs to unleash an Earth Style: Protective Barrier around her so nobody could get in or out. Occupied with your work, you failed to dodge the attack aimed towards you as his knife embedded itself into your abdomen.
You yelped and fell to the ground in pain, hands slowly and shakily trying to form a hand sign to protect yourself as well, your eyes blurred with tears. Not hearing your yelp, Obito and Kakashi were still fighting off the enemies at the front, but something inside told Obito to turn around, only to see you curled up on the ground with the enemy about to strike and finish you off.
"(Y/N!)" Obito screamed as he rushed to protect you. Suddenly everything seemed to pass by in slow motion. Obito assumed it was because of the stress of this dire situation, but he found that his vision began to turn red with a searing heat coming from both eyes. Obito disregarded these odd sensations, as his only focus was on you.
You waited for the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh, but the sound instead formed a sharp 'SHING' as you gathered that there was another being towering over your form. Obito succeeded in blocking the enemy's blow, their weapons now locked at a stalemate. You managed to gather the strength to look up at Obito, where you saw he had the fiercest, most passionate expression you had ever seen. It was a look that read 'protect her at all costs.'
Dimming in and out of consciousness, you also managed to notice the intense crimson color in his eyes.
The Sharingan, you pondered as your vision faded to black.