Chapter Text
Carefully and gently, his fingers slide through the thin, messy silver strands on the pillow. He was a little afraid to touch him, because maybe this is a dream and if he's too rough, Kakashi might vanish or break.
Obito is lying pathetically next to Kakashi, stroking his hair and making sure he's still there.
It was all crazy.
After escaping Madara's cave to go help his friends and discovering that Rin had died, he didn't hesitate too long before returning. From the beginning he agreed with what Madara thought; the ninja world is horrible, full of corruption and trash, he always knew it, his clan treated him with contempt for not having the innate skills that they did, and even several of his classmates made fun of him for the same thing or for his dream of being Hokage, which was nothing more than a stupid idealization in an inexplicable desire for others to know that he can achieve what he sets out to do.
The last thing Obito expected after months of learning and training with Madara, was to find out that his team was still alive. Kakashi had entered a coma due to the trauma and Rin had survived thanks to the bijuu inside her... And that luckily, Kakashi had pierced her shoulder and not her chest. But he was sure that she no longer had a pulse, even so he was not going to complain, she was still alive and that was the important thing.
For months, Obito had tried to convince himself to return, he had "lost" Rin, but Kakashi was still there and waiting for him, but he did not have the strength to do it. Kakashi lost an eye because of him and then, he almost lost his life during the collapse, also because of him; because Kakashi was injured and could not be efficient like that. Why would Obito return to Kakashi if he only hurt him?
Minato-sensei found him by chance when he was training in the forest and Obito does not remember having cried so much before. Minato-sensei's hug was also nice and the caresses on his hair made him feel good, like Minato was the father he never had.
He had now smuggled himself into Konoha and was lying in Kakashi's room.
"When are you going to wake up?"
Rin wasn't much better off than Kakashi, even with a tailed beast inside her, she wasn't mentally well. Inoichi Yamanaka had told Minato that she had entered a kind of limbo and self-loathing over her suicide attempt. She felt guilty that Kakashi was in that state for her.
Still, Obito didn't have the courage to go visit his best friend. Probably helps Rin to see him, but he's not sure. Maybe he made everything worse.
Obito identifies Minato's chakra signature long before the man enters the room.
"Obito, how's everything?" Minato smiles slightly and sits down on a chair next to the stretcher.
"Fine... Minato-sensei, you have something to tell me, right?"
Obito hadn't noticed the small expressions or change of atmosphere around his teacher before, but now he does, he himself is much calmer than a year ago and somewhat more mature.
"Several things actually," Minato sighs and gently takes his hand. His real hand. The one he still has. "Listen, first I want you to stay with us at my house until we solve all the other problems."
Obito nods slightly. Going to live with Minato-sensei and Kushina was the best, he didn't feel comfortable with the idea of going home with his grandmother, it would probably give the poor woman a heart attack for appearing out of nowhere when he was supposed to be dead.
"And... You know we should talk to the Hokage. Obito, I don't know what happened to you in all this time, do you know how you're still alive?" Minato looks at him with concern and squeezes his hand a little tighter. "At the hospital, they gave us a general idea of the injuries you may have received. Half of your crushed body is just that; pulverized organs and bones. How are you still here? Did anyone help you?"
Obito looks away and doesn't have the strength to release his hand from Minato's soft, warm grip. It gave him the security he didn't feel.
"But if I tell you... You won't believe me."
"Obito, no matter what happens, you'll always have me on your side. You're my student, my partner, and my family. I won't abandon you again. I..." Minato bites his lips hard and Obito opens his eye in astonishment when he sees the affliction in his teacher's blue gaze. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you. It was my responsibility to keep you all safe and I couldn't do it. I want you to know that from now on, I'm going to take charge of protecting you and helping you in absolutely everything I can."
Obito feels his lips tremble and his chest tighten.
"No, Minato-sensei, it wasn't you fault. It was the fault of this horrible system that sends children to war... I don't doubt Kakashi's training, because I know he's very strong, intelligent and capable of becoming a jounin, but I know that he rose in rank exactly during the war because the village needed more military strength. You were needed on another mission because you are a weapon for the village and you can't refuse."
Minato seems very surprised at his words, but he doesn't deny anything and Obito doesn't need more.
Obito gets up from the bed and looks at his hand joined with Minato's. His real hand holding his teacher's hand, which is warm, firm and real, made of flesh and blood.
"Can we go? I want to see Kushina-san."
Minato nods and stands up.
"Yes, she's missed you a lot."
"I missed her too."
Obito had never expected or imagined that he would see Kushina so sensitive, but the woman hugged him and looked like she was going to cry at any moment. Obito takes refuge in her as much as he can and holds the woman tightly.
Minato doesn't stay for long, having been called to the Hokage tower a few minutes after they arrive at his house with the hirashin.
Kushina is tactless when it comes to bombarding him with questions (and some extra hugs and kisses), but Obito limits himself to not answering almost anything or giving very vague answers. Despite everything, Kushina doesn't pressure him and Obito is happy about that.
Minato had an urgent mission outside the village and it would take him a few days, in the meantime, Obito would be left alone with Kushina.
"When I get back, do you think you'll be able to tell me what happened, Obito?" Minato smiles at him patiently and rests his hand on his hair.
"I'll try, Minato-sensei." Obito nods and his sensei leaves.
"Well, you may not want to say anything, but I have a lot to say."
Kushina then drags him to the couch and Obito looks at the small coffee table filled with balls of wool and needles.
"You know how to knit, right, Obito? I need your help."
Obito doesn't argue, he picks up two needles and a ball of silver wool.
As they knit, Kushina tells him about the little changes in the village and a little about herself. Obito couldn't be happier that Kushina decided to talk about herself and not him. He appreciates that little detail very much.
"Kushina, now it's my turn to ask you a question," Obito continues knitting without looking at the woman, not nervous about what he's going to say, but somewhat uncomfortable. "Your clan specializes in sealing jutsus, right? W-well... Do you know how to detect seals on people?"
Kushina immediately stops knitting and looks at him with some astonishment.
"I'm surprised that a fool like you knows that," Obito isn't sure if the information about the Uzumaki clan is classified or not, but Kushina doesn't mention anything about it, she just raises her eyebrow slightly. Kushina sighs and now looks more serious. "But yes, I am quite good at it, why? I know there's something here, so spill the beans."
Kushina points at him with one of the needles and Obito feels smaller now, even if he had grown a good few inches in a year and a half.
"I think... No, I'm sure," Obito bites his lips hard, hesitating. "I'm sure the people who saved me, put some kind of seal on me."
A heavy, awkward silence immediately envelops them and Kushina stands up from her spot on the couch. Obito can only stand there, not knowing what to do. Kushina returns a moment later with a scroll in her hand and an inkwell with a quill.
"How do you know you have a seal? Normally it's impossible to detect them and I'm going to assume this seal isn't visible."
Kushina spreads the scroll out on the floor and kneels down to begin writing on it.
"I'm really embarrassed to tell you..." Obito kneels down in front of Kushina and rubs his arm. "I wouldn't want you to think badly of me for that, but... I have to tell you everything at some point, right?"
Obito laces his fingers together and plays with them, looking at the glove he stole from a random ninja at the hospital and his real hand. If Kushina finds out that he's almost a monster now, will she stop appreciating him?
"I saw how Rin got in the way of Kakashi's attack and... I thought they were both dead and I was so scared and desperate. Then I found out that Kakashi was still alive," Obito lowers his head and Kushina stops writing. "I-I thought I was alone forever and I... I tried to take my own life, but I couldn't and that's when I started to get suspicious..."
Kushina seems terrified by his words, but she's kind and understanding in a way that Obito would never have believed.
"I'm not going to judge you, the important thing is that all three of them are alive..." Kushina smiles at him and stands up. Kushina sounds so cheerful and carefree, but Obito notices her expression of anguish and pain. She tries to be strong for him... "Okay, let's do this. This scroll has an inscription to reveal the location of the seal on your body. You'll probably feel ticklish where the seal is located, so pay close attention."
Obito nods and Kushina asks him to stand over the center drawn on the scroll. She drains her chakra onto the scroll and the ink on the paper covers him body,
Obito quickly notices a tickling in his chest, but then it's a sharp pain, yet he doesn't make a sound or allow himself to let Kushina notice that it hurts.
"In the chest..." Obito says.
"In the... Chest?" Kushina gasps and Obito knows why she seems so distressed all of a sudden.
"It's okay," Obito says in an attempt to reassure the woman, but to be honest, he's not sure if he's okay. "I think we should wait for Minato-sensei before we continue..."
It's not that Obito doesn't have confidence in Kushina or thinks she can't, but his master will be less emotional about the seal on his heart.
Obito only knew one way to remove heart seals and it's useless if the user dies in the end.
"No, not yet," Kushina holds out another scroll in front of Obito and quickly writes again. "Let me know what the seal is about. But you have to take off your shirt, the seal is going to be visible on your skin for a few seconds."
Obito then freezes.
"I... I think we better leave it like this, we can wait for Minato-sensei. Don't worry Kushina-san, thank you. I-I need to use the bathroom..."
Obito then walks away and walks up the stairs to the bathroom.
Kushina feels a bad taste in her mouth and wonders, did she do something wrong?