Chapter Text
-Cap 1-
I found myself lying on the ground, staring at the sky. I could feel the autumn cold sinking into my body. I had been wandering around for a long time already, and it was starting to depress me.
I missed my home, my friends, and Rin. It had been almost two months since I left the village. Not because I wanted to stay away from home, but because I had to complete a mission. I never imagined it would take this long. When they told me the mission involved infiltration and stealing information from a dangerous organization, the first thing I thought was that I would rather die crushed by a rock than be tortured by criminals...
But now I saw it differently... and apparently, I didn’t even meet the standards of that refined organization! And no, I didn’t want to join them, but the only way to complete this mission now was to get close to them.
—What a drag...
Tired of staying in the same position, I stood up and put on my mask to hide my identity. I was starting to get used to it, though it was still annoying.
I adjusted my clothes and decided to continue walking. I didn’t want to keep freezing, so I headed closer to the border of the Land of Wind; at least the weather would be warmer there. Yeah... as if weather worked like that.
I had been walking for quite a while when I sensed a presence. I didn’t turn around or look around me; if I did, they would realize I had already detected them.
While focusing on the people following me, I failed to notice the river ahead.
Suddenly, the current dragged me away violently, and several rocks slammed against my body.
—What kind of situation did I get myself into now?
I looked ahead and realized I wasn’t just being swept away by the river anymore—I was about to fall down a waterfall.
—Just my luck...
I felt the harsh impact when I hit the water below. Seconds later, I found myself on the shore, breathing heavily after finally escaping the current. I lifted my mask slightly and wiped the droplets of water from my face.
I lay on my back again, staring at the sky. I was still trying to catch my breath when suddenly a figure blocked my vision.
The surprise startled me so badly that I immediately backed away until I crashed into a tree.
I raised my gaze.
There they were.
The big fish I had been searching for.
. . .
Narrator
—You had quite a long trip —the stranger said while staring at the black-haired boy wearing the orange mask—. You’re pretty stupid if you can’t even watch where you’re walking. Imagine falling down that waterfall.
—Tobi is very embarrassed that you saw him in such a humiliating situation!! —he shook his head dramatically while keeping up his act—. Tobi would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this accident!!!
He crawled toward the stranger, who looked at him with obvious confusion because of the way he spoke. The man immediately stepped back like a startled cat when he noticed the black-haired boy seemed ready to hug his legs.
They did not like being touched.
—If you touch us, you’ll regret it.
The supposed Tobi nodded repeatedly, confused by the warning.
—But... Tobi doesn’t see anyone else...
—Because we are one and the same.
Obito carefully observed the strange individual. Was he some kind of plant? He couldn’t tell. His body seemed split into a black half and a white half. On top of that, he was embedded inside something resembling a carnivorous plant. And as if that wasn’t strange enough, he wore a black cloak with red clouds.
Akatsuki...
He had finally found them.
Or worse yet, they had found him first.
Should he even feel happy about that?
Before he could react, he sensed another presence. A heavy and suffocating chakra filled the air. This newcomer was different.
He raised his gaze.
Orange hair. Piercings covering his body. And those eyes...
He had never seen anything like them before. They didn’t resemble the Byakugan of the Hyūga nor the Sharingan of the Uchiha.
“Damn... what kind of mess did I walk into?”
A chill ran down his spine, though he didn’t show it. He stayed hidden behind the tree, continuing to play the role of Tobi.
—Zetsu... is this the boy you told me about?
—Mm. Yes. I’ve been observing him.
—What is your name? —the orange-haired man asked.
—M-my name is Tobi, and I’m a good boy, sempai...
The rogues watched him suspiciously while the black-haired boy scratched the back of his neck nervously.
—Do you know who we are?
—Mmm... no. Honestly, I don’t know, carrot-sempai.
He climbed onto a tree in an exaggeratedly clumsy way, trying to lighten the tension.
A small twitch appeared on Pain’s face.
—My name is Pain. And I want you to join our organization... Akatsuki.
—Oooh! Tobi is very happy to be invited, but... what is Akatsuki? —he asked while looking mostly at the plant-like man—. A band? Tobi is bad at playing instruments... O-or maybe some kind of protest group supporting ninja rights? Eeee... honestly, Tobi isn’t very good at defend—
—You are a rogue ninja. And according to Zetsu, a dangerous one. Perhaps I was mistaken to consider you.
Silence immediately fell over the area.
Obito instantly regretted trying to joke around. Pain definitely didn’t seem like a patient or tolerant person.
Was he really making the right decision by recruiting him?
Zetsu stepped forward.
—Fight me to prove your worth.
—O... but Tobi doesn’t fight, sempai...
Even so, he remained alert. He sensed movement behind him and reacted at the last second.
The moment someone tried to grab him, he instinctively activated Kamui.
Mistake.
The attacker phased through him and fell to the ground, destabilized.
It was Zetsu... but completely white.
Obito returned to his position as if nothing had happened.
—Wuao! Tobi didn’t even see when you used a clone!
He jumped down from the tree to “help him,” but the body had already sunk into the ground.
—Umh?
Pain raised his hand, stopping any further action.
He had seen enough.
That boy was not normal.
And that personality... was clearly a façade.
But he was not an immediate threat.
Not yet.
Meanwhile, the black-haired boy looked around in confusion, searching for his attacker until Pain interrupted him.
—Tell me, Tobi... will you join us?
The black-haired boy quickly stood up and scratched the back of his neck again.
—Oh yes!! Tobi would love to join! Although... Tobi still doesn’t really know what he’s joining.
Pain stared at him silently before speaking in a cold, solemn voice.
—Akatsuki exists to break the endless cycle of hatred consuming this world. The great nations speak of peace while secretly feeding wars from the shadows. We will bring true pain to this world... because only through suffering will humanity understand the value of peace.
The atmosphere became heavier.
—People never understand the pain of others. They cling to empty ideals, create wars, destroy lives, and repeat the same mistakes over and over again. That cycle must end.
The Rinnegan seemed to pierce straight through him.
—Akatsuki does not seek wealth or glory. We seek to impose order upon this corrupted world. We will make the nations fear raising their weapons again. We will force them to understand despair, loss, and the suffering they have inflicted upon others.
Obito frowned beneath his mask.
This no longer sounded like the speech of simple criminals.
It was an ideology.
A dangerous one.
Twisted.
And yet...
There was something genuine in those words.
—I like the way you think, sempai. Tobi wants to join.
—Then follow us.
Obito hesitated for only a second before moving forward.
He was already too deep into this to turn back now.
He followed Pain until he noticed Zetsu was no longer walking beside them. He turned around just in time to see him disappear beneath the ground, leaving the black-haired boy visibly shocked.
—Umm... Mister Pain, your friend disappeared.
—He’s probably already arriving at the hideout.
—Hideout? Is it very far away, sempai?
—Yes.
—Then how can your friend get there so fast?
—He has an ability that allows him to travel through roots and soil.
—Wou! Tobi is amazed by that ability!
—His name is Zetsu.
—That’s such a nice name... Sempai, tell Tobi... could he become my friend?
Pain didn’t even look at him.
—He will be your partner. And you should not concern yourself with trivial things like friendship. Bonds only create weakness and pain.
—Ooo... but Tobi likes making lots of friends!
He received no answer.
Pain simply kept walking in silence, and the other understood he would get no more information.
So he also fell silent and began humming to himself.
Though deep down, the only thing running through his mind was how much longer he would have to keep acting like this.
The moment he realized they truly were members of Akatsuki, he wanted to run away.
But he had a mission.
And he intended to complete it.