A/N: These last few chapters take place while Obito is Hokage and our precious baby Uchiha is about 14 or so years old and now a full-fledged ninja. In the final chapters I listed them as gender neutral so you could insert your own idea of a child into the story. However, in these few chapters I made it so our child is a male named Tobi. You can still pretend that it is your own OC child, I did this to make things easier on myself (the story would lose dramatic effect if I just wrote [son/daughter] repeatedly).
The ending is very dear to me, and I hope you find joy in it, too!
This chapter's picture was drawn by my dear friend Milo-chan on Ao3! It shows our boy Tobi growing up with us and Obito by his side ^^
~~~
As the sun began its descent through the darkening sky, the noises of hardworking shinobi in the midst of practicing on the training field began to slowly die down and replaced by the distinct sound of evening cicadas signaling the end of summer. Left behind in the training props and logs were shuriken and kunai embedded deep within their fiber with various other ninja tools scattered about and neglected to be picked up after a long day. Soon only few individuals remained in the training grounds. If one were to watch from afar, it could easily be seen that a scuffle was unfolding; particularly with a certain young shinobi, one with spiky, dark hair and a rather loud, rambunctious mouth.
"That was good work today, you two. Let's call off training tonight and pick up where we left off tomorrow."
"Sounds good to me, I've got a beautiful date with the barbeque shop! Catch ya later," the adolescent shinobi remarked casually through his changing voice in the midst of transitioning from high-pitched to low.
"Wait, Tobi!" his teammate pleaded. "I want to show you something that will prove I was right about that argument we had the other day."
Tobi paused and offered him an annoyed look over his shoulder, only granting him half of his attention. "Uh yeah. Which one are you talking about again?"
"This will explain it," he stated simply and pulled a box containing an archaic looking kunai.
Tobi's eyes lit up, fascinated by the sight, only for him to shove his emotions back down. "So, this belonged to your grandfather, huh?" his arrogant voice asked passively, pretending to have only partial interest.
"Yep," the childish but proud voice replied. "He said this kunai was one of the last used weapons during the Third Great Ninja War. He even told me that using this one weapon caused the turning point for the war!"
Tobi scoffed and snatched the antique kunai from his teammates hand to inspect it further.
"Hey, be careful with that, Tobi! It's really old-"
"Whoa," Tobi muttered under his breath, his dark eyes darting over each intricate marking before coming back to his senses. "Man, you're so full of it, everybody knows the turning point for the war happened when Lord Fourth showed up and wrecked everyone all by himself!" he remarked and closed his eyes, flashing a toothy, confident grin before tossing the kunai midair for his teammate to catch it by its handle.
"Actually," a third, more mature and feminine voice spoke up. "The turning point for the war happened at the Kannabi Bridge, led by Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, and both Obito and (y/n) Uchiha, Tobi." His sensei pointed out. "Yes, the Fourth Hokage Minato was involved, but it appears that you're missing key points from your story."
Tobi's arrogant expression dissolved at the correction. "W-well, how the hell do you expect me to remember every detail about what happened? They never taught this stuff at the academy!"
"Um, not to sound like a broken record, but... actually," his teammate chimed in meekly as he poked the middle piece of his glasses to adjust them back into place. "They did teach us in the history portion of our first year, but you were too busy making paper shuriken and chucking them at the girls in first row that you must have missed it."
Tobi's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and he growled, "Hey, who's side are you on, anyway? I thought we're supposed to be comrades, or whatever!"
"I'm on whichever side is the right one!"
Tobi's eye twitched before he began mumbling angrily to himself. "Yeah, well I don't need teammates anyway. I could've gone through the Chunin Exams just fine by myself."
"Oh?" Their sensei raised an eyebrow. "The last I heard, everyone else in our squad passed except you. Maybe it'd be best if you focused less on distracting others with petty arguments and more on allowing others to help you be stronger. Maybe then things would work out better for everyone, including you, Tobi."
"Yeah," added his teammate. "Not to mention you don't even have your Sharingan yet, so of course you'd need our help in the Exams!"
"Just because you're the son of the Hokage, that doesn't give you special privileges to goof off."
A sharp prick sensation punctured Tobi's heart at those words, cutting him deeply, and his eyelids lowered in spite. "Whatever. Naruto-sensei was a better teacher anyway, before he left and had a kid."
Tobi's sensei stared blankly at him in silence before turning to his teammate and used her fingers in a silent brushing motion to signal him to leave for a moment. Sensing that things were about to get even more awkward, he eagerly complied.
"Tobi," his sensei called to him with remarkable patience. "What's gotten into you? You never used to be like this." She remarked while placing herself on one knee to speak on Tobi's level, to which he responded by averting his eyes to the ground and turning away from her hastily. "Just less than a year ago you were a bright, talented shinobi with a determined and fiery heart, just like your dad was-"
Tobi darted back in her direction in confrontation. "What, are you saying I'm not talented now?!"
His sensei's eyebrows furrowed in deep concern. "Now you pick a fight every chance you get. What happened?"
"What's the difference?" Tobi mumbled while turning away from her again. "Apparently, I picked fights at the academy, too. So what?"
"That's also what concerns me. How come you didn't know it was your mother and father who pioneered the turning point for the war?"
Tobi chose to remain silent, opting to cross his arms instead.
"There is no way you haven't heard about it." She then pondered hesitantly. "...you knew... didn't you?"
She noted the subtle exhalation from the stubborn Uchiha, confirming her suspicions.
"...Is it that you don't want to think about your parents?"
Of course he knew that she knew. But he was avoiding the topic altogether.
"You know, it doesn't have to be a burden. You could tell me the truth if you wanted to."
She watched Tobi's head lower, his back still facing her.
"I'll cut to the chase, Tobi. Is there something going on at home?"
~~~
On that same day, the sun was at its peak in the cloudless summer sky; perfect weather to practice and hone one's skills.
"Tobi! Just in time!" you announced pleasantly at your son's return. "This seriously couldn't be better timing to come back from a mission. I'm running suuuuper late in bringing your dad his lunch for the day. Mind helping me finish it up for him?
"Yeah, sure," replied Tobi as he placed a palm on a nearby wall and casually jiggled his feet out of his sandals at the doorway and sauntered over to the kitchen to chop up a blend of various random spices.
"Jeez mom, overcooked noodles again? You'd think dad would invest in a private chef instead of accepting the same old junk every week."
Half-offended by your kid's offhand remarks, you defended yourself while stirring the pot of noodles more aggressively, "Hey, noodle cooking is a delicate art with a large window for screwing up. It's harder than it looks! Besides, I am his one and only chef! Nobody else overcooks his noodles quite like I do."
Tobi chuckled lightly in mild amusement at your response without removing his attention from his task. You, however, couldn't help but turn your head to the direction of your son while beaming at him with pride before your expression switched to that of contemplation.
"You need a haircut."
"What're you talking about? If I cut it any shorter, I'd be some damned clone of dad!"
"Hey, language," you warned.
"Yeah, yeah, alright," he put both hands up casually in defense. "You didn't hear it from me."
"You're such an annoying little shrub sometimes, you know that?" you voiced playfully.
Tobi offered a pity laugh. "Uh, shrub? Really, Mom?"
"Well at least I try my best, you gotta hand me that one."
Tobi remained silent. A well-known tactic of his that never failed in getting on your nerves, he knew.
"Okay, love you too, I guess."
"Even though I'm a weird shrub?"
"I said annoying, but weird works just as good!"
Tobi paused and mumbled under his breath at the mistake, "Damnit."
You passed Tobi a suspicious look. "I'll let that one slide since I won."
That was when you noticed the tattered parts on his sleeve doing a poor job at hiding the numerous scabs and scratches riddling his upper arm. "So, your mission today... was it an easy one?"
Tobi scoffed, "It was 110% easy. An academy student could've... handled it." His words trailed off into a pained whisper as his grip on the cutting utensil grew tense.
Your eyes narrowed suspiciously as they continued to trail his injured arm. "Is that right."
"Yeah. That is right," he muttered as his head lowered solemnly and his movements slowed in pace.
"Tobi, if there's one thing you take after your dad, it's that you and he both are not good liars. So, spill the beans, boy. What really happened out there?"
At that, Tobi's entire posture fell; a black shadow loomed over and concealed his eyes from the sullen act, his mouth, which was once in a straight line, sunk lower. "That's none of your business."
"Uh..." you blinked twice at his unexpected response. Judging by his gloomy body language and total switch in attitude, you could easily deduce that his mission did not go well as he said it did.
"Look, you don't have to tell me. You don't have to worry if it's because you don't feel like you're strong enough. One day you'll be as strong as your dad-"
"Dad, dad, dad! It's always dad!" Tobi finally snapped. "You know how many times I get to hear from everyone how strong my dad is?! How I am so lucky to be the son of the Hokage? Well, knock it off already!"
"Tobi, enough with the attitude! Everyone is just trying to-"
"Yeah, save the excuses, and don't save a bowl for me 'cause I'm going out to eat instead."
You decided to let Tobi's interruption slide. "Uh, no you're not. It's past 1 o'clock. It's your dad's lunch break. We're running late, so we need to get this to him as fast as we can."
Tobi's fist tightened involuntarily. "Screw that. I'm going out and that's that. I've got ninja stuff to do – you wouldn't understand, Mom."
At that, your wild stirring lessened to a halt, completely taken aback by Tobi's increasingly severe attitude and you turned around to face him in disbelief.
"What did you just say to me?"
Usually that simple phrase carried a weight worth a thousand implications, and it never failed in getting Tobi to drop the attitude and behave when he was younger. However, for reasons still foreign to you, it didn't even phase him this time – as if he was able to block it out. Instead, Tobi kept waltzing toward the door, his back facing you.
"H-hey. Tobi, get back here. Tobi. Tobi!"
*SLAM*
Silence.
You blinked wide-eyed at the now-empty corridor of your home where Tobi once stood. No amount of parenting books prepared you for the unique challenges of raising the child of the village leader.
"He's never... disobeyed me like that before. What... what's going on with that boy...?"
Your confusion and disbelief soon switched to anger, your heart beating against your temple.
"Wait a minute, I wouldn't understand 'ninja stuff'? ME? I think I of all people would understand what it takes to be a shinobi!" you voiced angrily to yourself. "Or... I used to, at least..." Your shoulders fell dejectedly. "Still... what is going on with that boy...? Is it because of today's mission? Or maybe... is he really upset about... being our son?"
Glancing at your coat hanging up on the rack, you contemplated running after him until your focus shifted to the clock nearby and gasped.
"I need to get going!"
~~~
Tobi descended the steps to his house, only for his pace to slow just before his feet could touch the pavement as he absorbed how he had just treated his own mother.
"That was... just a little harsh... wasn't it...?"
His face rose in realization and guilt for a moment and thought about going back to apologize before shaking his thoughts away and continued to the training grounds. Not long after, you came bolting out of the house to head in the opposite direction, opting to take a rarely used shortcut to the Hokage's office.
~~~
Frantically he wrote, the document almost soaked with ink with how much was written within a single scroll – with one final sentence to complete the daunting task.
"Which is why I, Obito Uchiha, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, authorize the peace treaty with..."
"Finally... it's done." Obito smirked while closing his eyes and huffed out in a blend of relief and exhaustion.
"That's great, Obito," Kakashi remarked in his casual tone while skimming through the document until his eyes fixated on a particular piece at the end. "Hmm. That's interesting."
Obito raised a tired brow. "What?"
"I'm a little surprised that you were able to spell 'authorize' correctly, only to spell 'Hidden Rain Village' wrong."
"H-huh?! Yeah, sure." Obito hurriedly snatched the scroll Kakashi was holding out toward him to inspect it himself. "Quit messing with me, Baka-"
Obito stopped right in his tracks and stared wide-eyed over the obvious – and embarrassing – misspelling of the village he'd finalized peace negotiations with.
Exasperated, Obito closed his eyes once more and huffed out a defeated sigh in an exaggerated manner, and without looking back up, sluggishly grabbed a blank scroll paper to begin the process all over again.
You had walked into the office moments before but chose to remain quiet to watch the whole ordeal.
Man, I should really tell this world how to invest in white-out.
"I don't know what's gotten into me today, Kakashi."
"Maybe you're finally losing it from all the Hokage business."
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm in my prime, I'm just getting started here!"
Kakashi thought idly for a moment, thinking back on the events from that current day. "Well, I suppose I have one other theory."
Right on cue, Obito's stomach released a violent howl. He had gone without breakfast or lunch for a majority of the day, and it clearly was affecting the quality of his work.
It was then you realized just how long you had been standing there unnoticed – at least by Obito, and you shifted in place uncomfortably until Kakashi relieved you of the awkwardness by greeting you first – catching Obito's full attention.
"Working hard, my guys?" you greeted them delightfully and stepped forward.
Obito's entire demeanor lit up and switched to that of pure joy over seeing you. His happiness increased tenfold upon spotting the food you had prepared for him resting snuggly in your arms and hands.
"Sorry I'm late I had a couple... distractions," you admitted sheepishly while placing the box onto an open space on the otherwise messy and unorganized desk before raising an arm to scratch the back of your head. "I guess your habits are starting to rub off on me, Obito. I've been so scatterbrained lately."
"(y/n)...! You're a beautiful breath of fresh air," the doting Uchiha voiced graciously. "Where's Tobi?"
Your lips curled upward in a modest smile as a response, though it faded just as quickly as it appeared at the mention of Tobi's name. "He's around."
"Oh, he's getting too old to come visit at the office, huh?" Obito scratched his neck. "I get it."
You nodded numbly in response. "Well, I'll get going, then."
Obito's lighthearted expression fell and he blinked in concern. "You don't want to stay for a minute?"
"I don't know if I should. I really should go find Tobi. You see, he..." you paused upon realizing that you were about to discuss personal family issues in front of Kakashi, to which he caught on to the awkwardness immediately.
"I'm... going to take a late lunch. See ya." He offered a lazy wave and vanished without another word.
"What's wrong with Tobi? Don't tell me he did something crazy like left the village or something."
No, he didn't pull a 'Sasuke' on us, thank goodness.
Without missing a beat, you replied, "N-no, I hope it's nothing too serious like that, but... it's just that... Tobi's been acting up lately. Ever since he failed the Chunin Exams. Since then, he acted like it was such a chore to come with me to bring you lunch. This used to be his favorite thing to do as a child."
"Well, he is a full-fledged ninja, (y/n)." Obito presented you with a knowing smile. "I think you're just scared of letting him grow up."
"It... it's not that. Today, Tobi... he came home in such a cheery mood, until I asked him about his mission. Then I guess I... compared him to you and that must have struck a nerve because after that, he snapped, and I haven't seen him since."
Obito's eyes widened. To think that his son would talk back to you. Sure, he was a bit uncontrollable and a loudmouth like Obito was at his age, but not to his mother. Something was definitely off.
"I know he's at that age, but..."
You blinked, averting your eyes to the floor as your rubbed aimlessly at your arm.
"...have we been putting too much pressure on him? To become like you?"
Obito pondered the notion for a moment.
"I'm not a ninja anymore, so my schedule is so flexible and open. I have no excuses why I'm letting him grow up this way."
"Don't say that, (y/n)," he stated softly. "Quit being hard on yourself."
"I'm going to go find him and talk to him," you announced confidently. "That is, if I don't beat his ass for how he spoke to me first."
Not quite sure how to respond, Obito reclined in his seat and flashed you a nervous smile which aided in extinguishing your flames slightly.
"You know I'm only kidding. I'll stop by later today and let you know how it goes."
The two of you took the moment of silence to take a breath. Unexpectedly, Obito broke the silence with a chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
"You remember when we took the Chunin Exams?"
"Oh, which time," you asked sarcastically. "The one where I completely and utterly failed, or the one where you tried to sneak in to help me cheat?"
"I'm talking about the one where some jerk stole all our supplies in the Forest of Death and we had to take turns bathing in the murky pond next to where we set up camp."
"And you think that's funny?"
"The way we all pestered Kakashi to take off his mask until he got so annoyed, he refused to bathe for a week was pretty funny." He then let out a gentle close-eyed chuckle of satisfaction. "That's what he gets for thinking he was all that back then."
Even the village elders couldn't believe a 9-year old could be a Chunin, you recalled. They even insisted that Kakashi joined his team in the Forest of Death portion of the exam despite completing it once before. That's at least the story he's used to explain it, anyway. You always wondered if the true reason he went through it a second time was secretly because he wanted to watch over you.
Disregarding these thoughts, you scoffed playfully. "You think any kind of torture to Kakashi is funny, you creep."
Obito suddenly switched into panic mode. "You can't tell me that you don't think it was funny! You were the one who instigated the whole thing!"
You feigned irritation at Obito as an awkward silence swept through the air, before a petite giggle escaped your lips and closed your eyes in delight. "Nah, I'm only playing. It was downright hilarious!"
Obito passed you a look of disbelief before exhaling a relaxing sigh. He should have been used to your silly antics by now. But to him, it was just another part of you that he fell in love with. Still, all that time you two spent together as Chunin... and then Jonin... Obito could never let it go.
"...do you... ever miss it?" he asked hesitantly.
You stared straight through him, expression blank. "...miss what."
You knew precisely what he was asking.
"Being a shinobi. A protector of the Hidden Leaf."
Silence hung in the air at the question. Obito's gaze travelled downward, catching your heartrate and how it sped up at his inquiry.
"Tobi asks about it, you know." He blinked, relinking his eyes with yours. "About if you'll ever come back."
"He... he does? You didn't tell him what happened... did you?"
Obito shook his head. "I haven't, but maybe you should. He can help you start over and, uh, 'turn a new Leaf' like you would say?" he said with a nervous smirk.
His poor attempt at a pun brought a fleeting smile back to your face, but only for a mere moment. "I can't. Not again."
"Forget I mentioned it." he uttered numbly.
That was when you noticed that Obito still hadn't touched even a bite of his food. "Do you remember when I told you years ago that you should always eat, for me? You need to keep up your strength - for the sake of the village. I should get going," you ended with a respectable bow. "Keep up the good work, Lord Hokage."
Obito's cheeks then stained red and he stared in amazement and adoration for his wife before straightening out his back to act more professional. "R-right."
"But one more thing, Obito... don't forget."
Obito blinked in mild puzzlement. "What am I forgetting?"
You winked purposefully. "That I love you."
Blushing, Obito offered a contented sigh and peered back up at you with cherishment and gratitude in his eyes. "So much?"
"So much."
~~~
"That sensei..." Tobi muttered despondently. "Where does she get the nerve to try prying into my personal business? Man, she kept me back longer than I thought. Oh well, I least now I can have a nice big helping of- ooooooooohhh nooooo!" Frustrated hands dug into his unkempt hair and fell to his knees in front of the now closed barbeque shop in a melodramatic and rather exaggerated display.
Along with crickets, the sound of the late evening was disturbed by the skidding of a can that became the center of the spiteful Uchiha's stress relief through a series of irritated kicks while he grumbled angrily to himself.
"Where the hell am I supposed to go for food now?"
One particularly powerful kick sent the can flying farther than he had anticipated and settled at the base of one of the few stores that were still open – in the shadier part of the village. A lone dango hut.
Tobi stared at the hut, unamused. "This place looks like it'll abduct me or something, but I'm desperate at this point."
He ended up purchasing one lone stick of dango, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't look good. Damn good. As he made his way back home, a smile crept on his lips before he opened wide.
"I can't wait any longer. It just looks too good!"
But before his lips could enclose on the sweet dumplings, a noise akin to that of a sad animal convinced Tobi to relent and observe his surroundings.
"Look, I just spent the last of my savings on this, so if you want to mug me, you're out of luck."
Around a corner appeared a fragile stray dog – its legs trembled with the effort to hold itself up as it peered up at Tobi, as if it were silently pleading to him.
"Huh? Is this what you're after?" he questioned while waving the item in his hand around and watched the dog's attention follow it, confirming his suspicions.
"Well I'm sorry, I haven't eaten today either." He went for a second attempt to take a bite before the dog whined again.
He sighed. "Alright, here," mumbled the defeated Uchiha as he tossed the entire dango to the now perked up and ecstatic dog. "You better not waste a bite of it, or I'll find you, you hear me?"
The dog found himself alone, licking his chops as he watched Tobi leave. His slobbering dog noises then morphed into hushed laughter as his body enveloped into a puff of smoke, revealing his village headband once the air dissipated. "Hah, gets 'em every time! What a sucker!" The ninja dog mused at Tobi's softhearted and gullible nature before prancing away happily.
With a loud, famished stomach and his both hands buried deep within his pockets, Tobi continued his trek home. He had wandered the village for hours, anything to stall going home to face what he had done. He then noticed that the chirping crickets in the grass nearby abruptly went silent. It didn't take long for him to realize the reason for it – there were four howdy kids up ahead, and they appeared to be racing straight toward him.
Here we go again...
"Hey, that's him! I know that guy! He's totally famous!"
"What? He just looks like any everyday ordinary Uchiha – WAIT A MINUTE! That's Tobi, the son of Lord Fifth!"
"Tobi! Hey! Can we call you that? Tell us, what's Obito like when he's at home? Is he strict? Does he train you?"
Tobi avoided any and all eye contact with the boys but opted to address their questions just to get it over with.
"Hi, sure, he's alright, no, and, uh..."
The last question rather stumped him. He thought back to his time in the academy days where Obito spent his days off training Tobi on the bridge the lake – helping him to perfect his Fireball Technique until the flames grew so hot that steam rose from the aquatic surface below.
He would never forget the look Obito gave him. It started out as proud and doting, like any father would feel with the achievements of their children; but then he flashed him that signature smile and thumbs up. Obito announced proudly, "You got it! Who else has what it takes but my son? Keep up the hard work like this, and maybe I'll put in a good word for you to become Hokage one day!" he winked.
"Now let's go get ice cream."
Tobi's expression grew soft at the memory, but his face hardened up again over the portion that tainted that day and he began to growl, "No."
Keep up the hard work like this, and maybe I'll put in a good word for you to become Hokage one day!"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" he ended with a shout, stunning the four boys into a silent submission.
"Relax, Tobi. All we did was ask if you're strong like your dad."
"Yeah, no reason to freak out."
He hadn't meant to shout at them, but Tobi had been through this runaround before. Countless times, at this point. But these boys were younger... just maybe they're easier to impress.
"...alright, this'll answer your question. Stand back and check this out!"
The boys kept at a distance while Tobi began forming hand signs.
I'll impress them with the same move that impressed my dad.
"Here I go, Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Tobi's face contorted from the effort of trying to squeeze out a ball of roaring flames, but the only thing emanating from his mouth was a tame string of smoke that dissolved into the chilly night air.
Oh no... I'm too hungry to do anything!
After a long, painful silence, the boys erupted into a boisterous, side-splitting laughter.
"That's what the son of Obito Uchiha can do?!"
"You gotta be kidding me!"
"B-but, wait guys...!" pleaded Tobi as they continued to laugh and pass him by. "I am strong! It's only because... I'm... hungry..." he finished with a mutter. The effort was futile. The boys were long gone.
Frustration. Anger. Disappointment. Pain.
Those were only a few of the sensations transpiring through Tobi at that moment. Always walking in the shadow of his father made him feel so deeply insecure about his own abilities. When people hear he is the successor to the Hokage, their standards naturally get raised so high that, no matter what he does, people will always be disappointed in his subpar abilities. He thought it was something he'd get used to. It couldn't get any worse, he thought.
He'd been increasingly acting out because of it. Tobi knew it. But that night, something about that night. After what had just happened with the boys, all the identical occurrences that happened previous to that, and what happened between you and him earlier that day, how he'd snapped at you unfairly, his own mother. How could he? It was all too much for the young Uchiha to bear.
I'm a disappointment... aren't I?
With eyes squeezed shut and teeth visibly clenched, Tobi finally allowed all the pent-up stress to catch up to him, and without holding back, his arm wound back and released one sickening punch into the ragged wall of the dark alleyway while unleashing an aggravated howl. He felt the warm, tickling sensation of blood rolling down his knuckles and fingertips dripping into the pavement below. With his uneven breathing beginning to regulate, Tobi muttered shakily and ever so quietly,
"I'm sorry."
A unique noise then began emanating from within him. A sound that he only heard when around other Uchiha, followed with vision of pure crimson.
"The... Sharingan?"
Tobi stared blankly at himself. He watched the blood dripping from his fingers in slow motion – each drop took what felt like minutes to dissipate into the pavement below. His eyes grew hot; as hot as his blazing, often unrestrained temper.
"I don't... believe it. I... me... I have..."
The recognition of his new visual prowess hit him like a sack of bricks.
"THE SHARINGAN! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Tobi shouted to the heavens above before scampering into the empty street ahead and continued to yell excitedly in the direction where the boys headed off to.
"HEY GUYS! GUYS! COME BACK HERE! LET ME TEST MY NEW POWER ON YOU! I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S STRONG NOW!"
It felt like you had been searching for your son for hours. During your search, you passed by what appeared to be a budding shinobi team, fresh out of the academy. They were about to part ways and performed an elaborate and borderline comical team handshake to signify the strong bond developing between the three. The headband tied around varying places on their bodies elicited purged memories from when you were a shinobi.
...I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss those days. Sometimes it felt like the hardest job in the world. But at the same time... it was so, so rewarding.
You sighed. The reason for your early retirement was because of that incident. You couldn't go through it again. Not again.
But where is Tobi? Maybe he finally calmed down and went home, you thought. Until a district sound you could never forget caught you by surprise. From a small distance, you could see the trademark symbol of the Uchiha into the back of the young shinobi's burgundy jacket. You watched him use both hands like a makeshift megaphone to carry his voice louder in the other direction, screaming about how strong he is now.
"Tobi!" you exhaled in relief and advanced toward him, until you paused to watch him turn in the direction of the dark alleyway adjacent to him. "Huh? Who's he talking to? If it's some creep in an alleyway, they can't be up to any good!"
"You are strong you say?" the eerily calm figure voiced. "My dear boy, you don't need to be shouting to prove your strength; it is clearly evident within your eyes," the voiced emphasized eyes as Tobi's vibrant, red Sharingan stared back into inhuman, yellow ones. Their silhouette appeared rather lean – almost feminine-like, and yet strangely unnatural.
"Okay, sure... just what the hell do you want with me, anyway? Are you looking to sell me something? Because I already said before I'm bro-"
"No, no. Nothing like that, child."
Tobi glared into the snake-like eyes more aggressively. "Child?! Just who do you think I am, just some helpless weakling?!"
"Of course not, dear boy. Although it sounds as though that is how you view yourself, is it not?"
At that, Tobi's aggressive stance eased considerably, and his eyes directed toward his bloodied knuckles as he contemplated the stranger's words.
"I simply thought it would be better for you to have someone in your life you can talk to, without any emotions attached."
"Yeah?" Tobi feigned interest and peered back up to look at the dark silhouette without lifting his head up to do so. "And that's not what you want though, is it? So I don't care."
"Alright then," they said with a cold, sly smirk that was barely visible in Tobi's view. "You keep your war stories, and I'll keep mine."
Jogging as fast as you could toward Tobi, it became more and more clear that something was dreadfully wrong. Tobi's posture, his varying expressions; you even spotted that familiar deep shade of red in his normally onyx colored eyes.
My Tobi has... the Sharingan? No, I must be seeing things.
You weren't sure if your eyes were deceiving you. You needed to see up close to be sure, until you watched snake-like arms reach from within the alleyway and wrap around Tobi. In an instant he reacted with a kunai to one of the appendages to loosen it up and successfully break free, only for five more of the same appendages to emerge from the wound and grab hold of him instead to drag him away from sight.
"TOBI!" you cried out while in a full sprint, reaching your hand out while still a fair distance away from him.
"Wha? Hey, let go! Stop! Mom! DAD!" he blared before being dragged deep into the alleyway and going completely silent.
You stood there, stunned, your head pounding from the effort and weight of the situation.
It's him.
He's back.
He wants Tobi for his body. His eyes!
~~~
"There. Okay. Now it's finally finished," Obito announced in a blend of exhaustion and triumph as he passed the second draft of the peace treaty scroll to Kakashi.
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"...yeah," he replied halfheartedly without looking up from his desk.
Kakashi immediately caught on to Obito's dissatisfaction. "Still worried about Tobi?"
Obito nodded and turned his attention to the picture of him and Tobi at his desk. It was taken right after Tobi surprised him by mastering the Fireball Technique. In the picture, Obito's hand rested proudly on his son's shoulder. In it, Tobi looked happy.
Obito's eyes softened then blinked. "I probably should see if (y/n) talked to him. She was supposed to come here once she found him, but maybe she went home to sleep instead."
At that, Kakashi nodded, arms crossed. "Knowing her, that seems likely."
The tight atmosphere between the two began to feel heavy and tense.
"Kakashi," Obito muttered with a hint of concern in his breath. "You don't think..."
"You're overthinking it. Everyone is fine. Anyway, see you tomorrow." With that, Kakashi poofed away to bid farewell.
Suddenly, the door to the office swung open violently, with you completely devoid of breath while hanging on to the edge of the frame in sheer desperation.
"(y/n)!" Obito straightened out his tense posture. "What-"
"He has him."
There was silence from the Uchiha but telling by the utter shock in his eyes he was relaying a thousand thoughts per second.
"He has Tobi. I – I watched it happen. I couldn't-"
"Who has him?!" he demanded in panic.
"Orochimaru."
Obito stood up in an instant and both palms smacked violently into the desk, leaving noticeable indents. The rush of intense emotions activated the deep crimson glow of his Sharingan. "We need to go. Now."
"Yes, I'm coming with you, no matter what anyone says," you nodded and thought for a moment. "The shinobi rules say to never leave the village. Well I'm not a shinobi, I don't play by the rules." You shot Obito a fierce look of mutual understanding. "I'll meet you at the village gates." You then scattered without another word.
Obito forcibly gripped his dark blue cloak from the nearby rack and slid it on, just as a group of advisors and other important workers for the village flooded the room, overhearing everything.
"Wait, Lord Fifth! A missing nin isn't a task for the Hokage! Let us fetch Anko, a former underling of Orochimaru. She can attempt a search and rescue on your behalf."
"Have her meet me by the village gates immediately," he commanded without turning to address them directly; the bold symbols spelling, 'Fifth Hokage' stared back at them proudly.
"No, you can't leave. You're the Hokage!"
With his Sharingan still active, Obito glanced over his shoulder, challenging everyone with an intensely protective and unshakably determined side-glare.
"Stop me."