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Kakashi was a ninja. The boy in his class that was 4 years his junior, had graduated. It stung, and it would have no matter who it was, but it was particularly frustrating that it was Kakashi. Kakashi Hatake, was the son of the White Fang, a legend in the village, and it showed. He was so self-assured, he oozed superiority whenever he spoke to Obito. Even when he looked in his direction it felt tinged with disgust or displeasure. It wasn’t just that, as walking through his Clan’s compound he often got similar looks. It was that he always was armed with some venomous comment that would go crawling under Obito’s skin, nipping at him until he exploded. It was the way he, a little kid, would not acknowledge him.
Now, instead of nipping however it was more of a hard slap, and this time Kakashi hadn’t said a word. He was a ninja. Obito was not. Obito gritted his teeth as he clambered up a particularly large tree. Thunder cracked above him. He would catch up to him, just as he’d said. He’d told Kakashi, and he’d promised Rin. So now he couldn’t go back on his word, because he had to show Kakashi, he had to impress Rin, he had to prove to the world he could be a splendid shinobi, and then he’d become the first Uchiha Hokage. He grinned at the thought as the rain soaked through his clothes. Everyone underestimated him, and he’d prove them wrong! He renewed his training with more vigor, hanging backwards and pulling himself up over and over. “Yes,” he thought as he huffed. “I’m going to be a wonderful Hokage. I’ll show all of them!” As he was doing his pull-ups, he spotted a flash of red below.
“Obito, I found you!” Rin’s cheerful voice rang out over the pattering rain. The sight of her under the red umbrella made him lose his track of thought, clambering to pull down his shirt that had been responding to gravity in the expected way. He lost his footing.
As he went crashing into the dirt he could hear the clamor of her worriedly rushing over to him. “Are you alright Obito?” she was leaning over him, her face showing her genuine concern. She was so kind. Probably the kindest person Obito knew.
“Of course I am!” He said laughing as he rubbed the back of his head. “I told you, I’m gonna be the Hokage! A little fall like that won’t have someone of my caliber out of commission!” She was laughing too now. It sounded musical. “Come on,” she said, trying to inject a serious tone to it, but the laughter still just underneath the surface as she pulled him up. “I knew you’d be out here after what happened today. You’ll be out of commission no matter what your caliber is if you catch cold,” she said matter of factly “let’s take you home.” Obito felt he should protest, as the sun had not set yet, and he certainly could get more training done, but the idea of going for a walk with her trumped all his other plans.
“Alright…but you’re coming with me right?” He said, trying to sound nonchalant, and failing. She nodded, while handing him the umbrella. “Of course. You’re taller, you hold it,”
As they walked together under the shared umbrella Obito became aware of how close together they were. She smelled good, like fruity stuff. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was but it smelled good. He realized he probably smelled like dirt. Which…wasn’t great. She must’ve not minded though, because her hand slid into the one that was not occupied by the umbrella. It was not as soft as he’d imagined, but why was he surprised? They were both training to be shinobi. Still, they were her hands. Rin was holding hands with him. His heart was beating so fast and he was breathing so erratically he thought he probably sounded crazy. Over the roaring in his ears he could hear her talking. “I think my medical ninjitsu is improving, I healed a bird’s wing on my own. The poor thing had run into the glass outside of my house, and I healed it without thinking. It didn’t take me very long, with something so small it took precise control but it is really starting to come naturally,”
She was so compassionate.
“That’s because you’re gonna be a great medical ninja. You’ll surpass Lady Tsunade one day. I’m certain of it.” Obito was pleasantly surprised how firm his voice sounded, despite his body feeling like jello and his face burning so intensely he thought he might faint. Rin blushed and smiled slightly at the mention of her dream. “We’ll see.”
“No, you will. I know you will.” Now their faces were matching shades of red. “You’re so confident Obito, I believe in you too.” She squeezed his hand and he swallowed, even more then the hand it was the words. She believed in him. They believed in each other. It felt good to be believed in, and he knew she’d never abandon him.
Thunder rumbled above them as they reached the Uchiha compound. Despite the noisy sky the rain had all but stopped.
People were loitering outside their homes, sitting on their porches and talking, laughing quietly. Obito didn’t like coming home at this time. It felt like they were laughing at him. Sometimes they really were. Rin seemed oblivious to the stares they got at they walked towards his home. Returning a cheerful smile to every frown they got. His grip around her hand tightened as a man walked by.
Fugaku was their clanhead. He did not like Obito very much, and the man had gripped his wrist so tightly the last time he saw him it had left a purplish bruise. He’d told him in hissed whispers “About how one was supposed to carry oneself when they wore the Uchiha crest, and if he kept hearing from the academy teachers there was a Uchiha child who could not behave, there would be consequences.”
He bowed stiffly. “Lord Fugaku.” Rin looked at him, concerned. She was from a civilian family, he couldn’t expect her to understand clan affairs. “Your wife is well?” His own voice sounded false in his ears, too formal. Fugaku’s eyes slid over him and Rin, and narrowed, the all too familiar face of displeasure registering. He wasn’t sure if it was her, or him, or both. “My wife is well. The Uchiha have their heir.” Fugaku looked upwards, a rare smile on his face. “Babies are lovely,” Rin smiled as she looked at the man. His frown returned. “See your grandmother knows her allowance is being lessened,” He barked at Obito, ignoring Rin as if she didn’t exist. He could feel his blood boiling. He looked downwards. She must have sensed what he was feeling because she patted his cheek and closed the umbrella.
“Come, lets go see grandmother,”
She pulled him through the compound running and laughing, and he couldn’t help but laugh too, all the faces that would normally sting him blurred together, and all he could see was her brown hair whipping in the wind, and Rin periodically turning around and smiling at him. It was nice. His grandmother was sitting out on the porch watching a toddler.
“Ahh, My Obito and darling Rin!” His grandmother exclaimed as they flew up the stairs on the porch. The toddler laughed and threw up his hands at the excitement, ringlets of curly dark hair flying everywhere. “Oh!” Rin cooed. “You’re so beautiful!” “Handsome.” His grandmother corrected. Obito always thought that kind of thing was stupid, babies didn’t look handsome, they looked like babies. His grandmother’s talking interrupted his thoughts
“You two looked so sweet coming up here hand and hand, in a few years you’ll be sweethearts.” The older women smiled serenely, but Obito could see Rin roll her eyes at the dated term. “M-maybe!” Obito managed, hoping to change the topic of conversation. His grandma seemed to oblige, as she tottered towards the house.
“Do you two mind watching little Shisui for me while I cook us up some dinner? Not that he really needs it. What a talented child” “Of course we will!” Rin replied. Obito watched the boy balance on a post before flipping down into the grass below. He landed perfectly, and looked over expectantly. Rin oooed and applauded and Obito tried his hardest not to glare jealously at a four year old. How could a toddler’s form be so good? “His father only left him here for about an hour or so, Fugaku’s having an impromptu clan meeting. No doubt to announce that he has a child, can you believe it Obito? The future head of the clan…” She continued to smile. Obito swallowed and replied dryly “I cannot. Very exciting.” He in truth did not find it particularly exciting. He was going to be Hokage. Clanhead was nothing. He wished his grandmother could see him in such a way. Instead of praising other people’s children. Perhaps he was being immature, feeling jealous of babies, but it stung,
“You wanna see me do it again?” Shisui asked excitedly “Of course!” Rin replied to the small child who was doing more and more complex aerobatics as the sun set lower in the sky. Obito sat beside her, and it was getting dark now. The sky had cleared completely though, and the buzzing of the earliest cicadas was kind of nice. She squeezed his hand again and he thought again his heart was going to beat out of his chest. “Don’t let it bother you,” as if sensing his discomfort from earlier.
“You’re going to do great things. Amazing things. You’ll change the world.”
She was right. He would. He smiled.