Chapter Text
Fuck.
It seems like the fate is really hating him.
It was supposed to be easy mission. Obito learned about the location of the shrine where was stored the scroll with seals capable of suppressing even one of the nine tailed beasts. It could be really useful for him in the future. After his failed invasion of Konoha four years ago, he had taken all his mistakes into account and was determined not to repeat such a failure. The Uzumaki clan's seals were perfect for his plan.
Obito couldn't appear directly at the shrine. He only knew its approximate location, thanks to intel from the Kirigakure. It was supposedly somewhere in the mountain, but some kind of technique concealed it, making the shrine difficult to find. A lot of kiri tried to find it, but they failed, not able to remove the seal. Well, they just didn’t have the ability to go through the walls.
Obito already felt the chakra of the concealing technique. He already activated his kamui and then…
He heard the sound on the battle. He wouldn't have even payed attention to it. However, he did hear something familiar in it.
Fucking chirping of birds.
He could easily acknowledge the sound of chidori. He heard it so many times after Rin’s death. Since that day the sound of it followed him in his nightmares. It was impossible to drown it out. The birds seemed to be mocking him inside his own head, laughing at his naivety, at the fact that he couldn’t prevent his friend’s death. Hearing this sound out of his own mind was even worse.
The image flashed through his mind again, Kakashi's hand piercing through Rin's chest, the last spark of life fading from her eyes, her body falling and never getting back up. Sometimes Obito hated his Sharingan, because it had seared that scene into his memory in the finest detail. He could still recall exactly how her hair had spread out in that moment, what her final whispered words were, and the precise instant she died. He would never be able to forget it.
Never.
Obito stepped back and deactivated Kamui. Seals can wait. It seems that nobody is interested in them for now, so he can get it in any moment.
It was easy to find a battlefield. It seems than they didn’t care about secrecy and fought in a full strength, so the noise was really loud so there was no troubles in finding them. Obito found Kakashi alone, he was fighting with five nin. It seems that they were from the Iwagakure judging by their clothes and hitai-ate. Obito was surprised, he thought that Konoha reached the peace with them. They were fighting on the border of the land of fire, so did the Tsukikage want another war? Obito didn’t really care. It was just another evidence that this world was rotten. Additionally another war could weaken the hidden villages, and that worked to his advantage.
Obito didn't interfere. He climbed a nearby tree, hides his chakra and watched. He wasn't even sure why he was doing it. It made no sense. He just needed to grab the scrolls and leave.
But he couldn't. He kept watching as the friend killer parried one blow after another, using that gifted Sharingan. Obito didn’t know what he should feel, when he saw his own eye an eye in someone else’s socket. He never really regretted that he gave his Sharingan to Kakashi, it was necessary, because there were no other way to save Rin in that moment.
At first, Obito was certain Kakashi would easily take down these five, he even managed to strike two of them. But that certainty quickly began to fade.
He noticed Kakashi's breathing growing more ragged, his blocks getting harder and harder to execute. His meager chakra reserves let him down. He stopped attacking and went fully on the defensive, and he was slowing down noticeably. His enemies picked up on it too and pressed their assault harder. First, a kunai pierced Kakashi's shoulder, then an earth technique damaged his leg.
Obito realized Kakashi's chances were dropping to zero. He was in the worst possible position, surrounded, with no way to escape due to his injured leg. He saw a realisation on the Kakashi’s face, he understood they there were no way out.
He should be satisfied, should be gloating, but none of that happed. He was watching at strange calm expression on Kakashi’s face and he couldn’t look away, he saw no fear there, just acceptance and relief.
One of the hostile shinobi began forming hand seals for an earth technique to pin Kakashi down and take him captive. They probably needed him alive to extract secrets from the Hidden Leaf. Also the probably wanted to gain a Sharingan.
Kakashi started forming his own seals, and Obito recognized them. He knew what he was about to do. He'd seen it before, another ANBU had tried the same thing when captured, to avoid giving up information about Kushina's place of birth. Those seals weren't for attack or defense. They were for suicide. The technique would completely destroy the shinobi's body, along with all his secrets.
Obito didn't even realize what he was doing. His body reacted on its own the moment he saw that combination of seals. He leaped from the tree, used Kamui to phase straight through the enemies, appeared right in front of Kakashi, and struck his hands with full force, interrupting the technique. Catching the confusion on his former teammate's face, Obito didn't hesitate. In one motion, he phased through Kakashi and hit him on the back of the head, knocking him out cold.
What the hell was he even doing.
Why had he reacted? He should just let Kakashi die. He already saved him twice, it is becoming a bad habit.
He couldn’t do anything but stare at the Kakashi. He was lying in the on the ground, defenseless and pathetic. Obito could kill him in this moment, nothing could prevent in, so his mistake would be easily solved. But he couldn’t and he doesn’t know why.
His thoughts was interrupted by enemy shinobi.
"It doesn’t seems that you are a Konoha dog, so just give him to us and we will let you leave, " said one of them.
Obito shook off the hesitation and moved. He had no reason to kill them, but no reason to leave them alive either. The first one fell with his throat cut, not even having time to react. He was the strongest of them, so that is why he killed him at first. The second was tougher, he managed to parry a couple of strikes, but against Kamui his skills meant nothing, and he met the same fate as the first. The last one seemed the smartest of the bunch and tried to flee, but Obito found him quickly. He was attempting to escape through the treetops, hoping Obito couldn't catch him. But he could. Obito materialized right in front of him and drove a kunai through his chest.
Now they were all dead. But what’s next? Obito returned to Kakashi, knowing he should just finish him off and be done with it. None of this mattered anyway, they were bound to meet again sooner or later, thanks to his plan.
But Obito couldn't fucking do it. Even with the kunai pressed against Kakashi's defenseless throat, he couldn't make that simple motion and rid himself of the problem. He just watched the grass around his body stain red from the wound in his shoulder. Even if Obito couldn't kill him, Kakashi would just bleed out in time. All he had to do was wait. Just a few hours…
"Damn it," Obito sighed.
He touched Kakashi and activated Kamui. He still didn't understand why he was doing this. It made no sense. But something was guiding him, and he couldn't resist it. It was as if he were watching himself from the outside as he pulled Kakashi into his pocket dimension, watching his unconscious body disappear into the portal, leaving behind a pool of blood.
When Kakashi vanished, Obito stared for a few more seconds at the spot where his former teammate had been lying just moments before. Kakashi really had lost a lot of blood, maybe his rescue was only temporary, and Obito had just wasted his time.
Obito managed to rent a room at a roadside inn. He had some savings thanks to the Akatsuki. He didn't really care about money. Usually, if he needed something, he could just open a portal and steal it. All his gear and clothing had come to him that way. But sometimes he needed cash to bribe corrupt feudal lords, not that he did that often, but occasionally he was the only one who could pull it off in time thanks to Kamui.
Of course, he could have left Kakashi in the Kamui, but he didn't want to. That was his dimension, and he didn't want to share it with the friend killer. So he just teleported Kakashi on the hotel bed. He was still bleeding out and unconscious. Obito could have taken him to a hospital where they'd definitely save him, but what if he recognized him even under the mask? Better to play it safe and try to handle it himself.
Visiting Kamui divination again and opening a couple of portals, Obito stole some rope and a spool of thread from a shop in Konoha. He'd long known where everything was, so it wasn't hard to open a portal to the right spot. He always grabbed supplies from there when he was injured, though that didn't happen often. He also grabbed some bandages.
Once everything was ready, Obito returned to the room and looked at Kakashi again. The most dangerous wound was the one on his shoulder. Blood was still seeping out, staining the sheets and ruining the ANBU uniform. That was the one Obito planned to stitch up, since a simple bandage wouldn't do much.
If Obito tried to remove Kakashi's clothing, he'd only disturb the wound and likely make things worse. Still, he decided to take off the vest. That was easy enough, he just had to cut a couple of straps and slip it off. It was soaked in blood and probably wouldn't be of any use to Kakashi anyway, so he tossed it somewhere behind him.
Next, Obito decided to just cut out the fabric around the shoulder. It peeled away from the skin with a wet squelch. Obito had long grown used to seeing wounds of all kinds, he'd suffered far worse injuries himself because of the man he was now trying to help.
It was as if in another life, Rin had tried to teach him medical ninjutsu, but he'd never been any good at it. He could heal minor scratches, but definitely not a deep wound in the shoulder. Stitching wounds, though, Obito knew how to do, he hadn't had a choice and had to learn. It wasn't like anyone was around to help him with his injuries. He always refused hospitals, his synthetic body parts would surely draw unwanted attention from doctors, and he really didn't want that.
First, Obito took a towel from the bathroom and soaked it in cool water. He needed it to clean the wound. He was moving as if in a trance, not really aware of what he was doing, or maybe just not wanting to be.
As he brought the damp towel to the wound, Obito briefly feared Kakashi might wake up from the sudden spike in pain, but that didn't happen. He lay there motionless, defenseless and pitiful. But now wasn't the time to think about that.
After thoroughly cleaning the wound, Obito tossed the bloody towel aside. The next step was to stitch it up. Maybe he should have disinfected it too, but he didn't know where a pharmacy was or where he could get the right medicine. He'd never really cared about that himself, Hashirama's cells were supposed to prevent infection.
With no alternative, Obito got to work. It wasn't particularly difficult, so he finished fairly quickly. Stitch after stitch, and somehow he managed to stop the bleeding and get it right. Maybe it wasn't as hard as he'd thought. Back when Rin hadn't yet mastered medical ninjutsu, Obito used to watch her stitch up Kakashi's wounds after missions, it had always seemed incredibly complicated to him.
After finishing the suture, Obito carelessly lifted Kakashi's unconscious body and bandaged his shoulder right over the clothing. His life was probably out of danger now, unless he'd already lost too much blood.
The next thing he needed to take care of was the leg. The bone was most likely broken, judging by the swelling. Obito had never set a fracture himself, but he'd seen Rin do it. It seemed even after death, she was still guiding him, still trying to save what remained of their team. Trying to save her killer.
Gently handling the leg, Obito aligned the fracture. The fibula was most likely broken. He remembered that a splint was needed, so that's what he did. It wasn't perfect, there were probably mistakes, but the bone was stabilized and wouldn't shift any further.
He was so exhausted.
Obito hadn't even realized how tense he'd been this whole time. Unable to stand any longer, he just sat down on the floor across from Kakashi and leaned against the wall. The trance he'd been in while trying to save his former teammate had faded, leaving him fully aware of everything he'd just done. He had just saved the killer of the only person he'd ever truly cared about.
Shit.
He covered his face with his hand, or rather, the single slit in his mask, and buried his head in his knees. He couldn't understand why he'd done it. Maybe to watch Kakashi continue to suffer, because he didn't deserve death. Maybe he just wanted Kakashi to live long enough to see his plan come to fruition and witness the new world. Obito had always thought he'd long stopped caring about Kakashi. Perhaps he still felt anger sometimes over the broken promise, but aside from that, he felt nothing toward his former teammate.
And yet, he'd saved him. Once again. It was starting to feel like Rin really had been with them all along. He understood perfectly that, despite everything, she had always cared about them. Otherwise, he couldn't explain his reaction, Obito had thought Rin's death had long destroyed any attachment he had to Konoha and the people there. He'd attacked his own sensei without hesitation and become the indirect cause of his death. And it wasn't like that particularly bothered him. Probably.
The room began to press in on him. Obito sat in near-complete silence, broken only by Kakashi's weak breathing. He just kept breathing and breathing, refusing to die. Refusing to correct Obito's mistake.
There was almost no noise from outside, which only made Obito's state worse. He wasn't even entirely sure where they were. He'd gone to the first place that came to mind. He thought it was an inn in the Land of Tea, or maybe the Land of Grass. He'd been here on a mission once. It felt like another lifetime.
Time passed. The breathing continued. The walls kept pressing in, leaving him less and less space. The only thing Obito could do was curl up even tighter, pressing his head harder against his bent knees. He should just run, leave this cursed place and never come back. But he couldn't even move. The anxiety over his own actions had surrounded him from all sides, mercilessly paralyzing him.
Obito didn't know how long he'd sat there, but at some point his tension reached its peak, and without noticing he passed out right there on the floor.
The sound of birds. Then a sickening squelch as a hand was pulled from flesh.
No, Rin can't be dead. Not her. How could Kakashi break his promise? No, no, NO, NO..
Obito woke up on the floor of that miserable inn, in the exact same position he'd passed out in. He was covered in clammy sweat, his entire body tense. He lifted his head and saw the aftermath of his actions from the night before. Kakashi was still lying unconscious on the bed, Obito could still hear his breathing, so he hadn't died after all. He didn't even know whether to be relieved or not.
It was already morning outside, sunlight filtering through the curtains. Obito hadn't really looked at the room in the dark, turned out he'd picked a room with two simple beds and a small table in the middle. The room was plain but well-kept. Or rather, it had been well-kept before Obito brought Kakashi here and got blood everywhere.
Obito let out a heavy sigh. He needed to at least wash his face. His whole body was stiff, but he managed to stand with some effort. He made his way to the bathroom on unsteady legs, nearly tripping over the bloody towel he'd left on the floor. Closing the door behind him on its flimsy lock, he finally took off his mask. He rarely had the chance to look at his own reflection in all the time since the cave. The first time he'd seen himself, he hadn't even recognized his own face. Since then, he'd only become a more unfamiliar version of himself in the mirror. His hair had grown past his shoulders, dark circles heavy under his eyes from rarely sleeping. He didn't need much rest, and he knew what awaited him in his dreams, so he avoided it as long as possible. But he couldn't go without it entirely, his mind would start to cloud over and he'd experience a severe drop in energy if he didn't sleep at least once every couple of weeks.
Obito turned on the water, cupped some in his hands, and splashed his face. He felt a little better. Clarity finally returned fully after the sleep, so he could plan his next move.
Given his appearance, all his fears from yesterday that Kakashi might have recognized him were probably unfounded. He couldn't even recognize himself in the mirror without the mask, there was very little chance Kakashi could. His chakra signature had also changed thanks to Hashirama's cells, so there was no way he'd recognize Obito in a stranger. He had the perfect opportunity to just run, without living even a hint of who he was. But...
Obito still didn't want to. Kakashi was still at risk, and if he didn't stay, Kakashi might still die, rendering all of Obito's efforts pointless.
He clenched his fists, and his nails dug into his palms with force.. It looked like he wasn't going to make a single right decision this entire day. Oh, Rin, he hoped she wasn’t laughing at him up there, though he knew just how ridiculous he was right now.
From the main room came a pained groan. Kakashi must have woken up. Obito was almost glad he hadn't been in the room at that moment. It made things easier.
Throwing away his last chance to disappear without revealing to Kakashi who had saved him, Obito put his mask back on and stepped out of the bathroom. At that moment, Kakashi was trying to sit up on the bed. His attempt ended in failure just as the bathroom door opened, and Obito watched him fall back onto the mattress. That idiot was apparently trying to kill himself.
"Who are you?" Kakashi's voice was hoarse and weak. In his good hand was a kunai, he'd probably grabbed it from his back pocket as soon as he woke up.
Obito didn't know how to answer. Kakashi was looking at him with distrust and open hostility. If he could stand, he'd probably already have the kunai at Obito's throat. Though of course, that likely wouldn't have helped him kill Obito anyway.
"Ah, well, I was just passing by and saw the state you were in. Would've been rude not to help, so I saved you," Obito hesitated slightly and tried to alter his voice, pitching it higher. It probably wasn't even necessary, after nearly four years, his voice had changed beyond recognition, and Kakashi had little chance of understanding that it was Obito’s voice. But the risk wasn't worth it.
Kakashi's face showed no emotion beyond wariness and distrust. He didn't react to Obito's answer and didn't lower his weapon.
"Where are we, and what do you want?" Kakashi rasped. It was clear he was still weak and the conversation was taking effort.
If only Obito knew the answer to the second question himself.
"We're at an inn. I brought you here to stitch up your wound," Obito said, leaning against the wall. The memories threatened to overwhelm him again, he really should have just left.
"Why?" There was a little less hostility in his voice, but he still hadn't lowered the kunai.
"I told you, I was passing by and helped." Maybe some things never changed. Kakashi was still getting on his nerves.
Kakashi finally lowered the kunai and pushed himself up on his good arm. His whole posture radiated tension, probably the realization of how defenseless he was causing him serious discomfort. Obito was pleased by that, since Kakashi's very presence was causing him discomfort. So they were even.
"Better not move around too much. The stitches might come undone and you'll bleed out. I'm not stitching you up a second time," Obito sighed heavily.
Looking at him, Kakashi furrowed his brow and lay back down. It was hard to guess what exactly he was thinking in that moment, but he looked thoroughly exhausted. Even basic actions were probably draining what little strength he had left. He probably wouldn't stay conscious much longer.
Obito sighed heavily again. Before Kakashi passed out, he needed at least some kind of nourishment. It wasn't likely he could eat anything on his own right now, and Obito certainly wasn't going to spoon-feed him, so he opted for nutrient pills. He had a few in reserve. To maintain his own body's condition, he still needed food, and the pills were a solution when he was too busy. They didn't take as much time as regular meals and could always be carried on hand.
Obito reached for his thigh pouch, noting how Kakashi tensed at the movement and how his hands drifted toward the kunai. Obito wasn't particularly bothered by that, so he calmly pulled out one of the pills and a flask of water he also carried with him.
"Take this. It'll help you recover," he said, walking over to the bed and holding them out to Kakashi.
"Why should I trust you? How do I know you're not just trying to finish me off?" Kakashi wasn't quick to accept the offering from Obito.
"If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. Why would I waste poison on you?"
Kakashi must have realized it was a sound argument and that he didn't really have a choice, so he silently took the pill and water from Obito's hands. Obito helped him sit up slightly so he could take the pill. He turned away at the moment when Kakashi took off his mask. Given that he now also concealed his face, his respect for anonymity had grown significantly.
Kakashi did take the pill, though the expression of distrust never left his face. As soon as it was done, Obito lowered him back down as quickly as possible and stepped away. Yesterday, he hadn't thought about the fact that he was touching his friend again after all these years. Touching the man who killed Rin. Touching the hand that had made a hole in her chest. It was disgusting. Obito was already starting to regret getting involved in any of this.
Turning his back to Kakashi, Obito walked over to the window. He needed a break, these few minutes had drained him more than any training or battle ever had.
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked from behind him. His voice was clearly fading.
Obito thought about it. Giving his own name was absurd for obvious reasons. Calling himself Madara was equally stupid, Kakashi definitely knew that name, and it wouldn't lead to anything good. He needed to come up with something, but what?
After a long, drawn-out moment of thought, an idea finally came to him. "Call me Tobi."
There was no response. Had he taken so long to answer that Kakashi had already passed out? Well, Obito wouldn't be surprised. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to confirm that Kakashi was unconscious, but before he could turn around, he heard a reply.
"Thank you, Tobi."