Mending The Past To A Better Future

Chp. 20 Race to Kiri {Part -5}

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Obito raced out of the woods with Tanake and the masked-man lost far behind him, and he watched in horror as Rin made the sacrificial jump - right between Kakashi and the Kiri nin. His heart thrummed in his chest - and it was the only thing he could hear as he made his mad dash - blood roaring in his ears.

In his peripheral vision he could see Naruto - Naruto whose arm was bent at a disgusting angle; right in front of him, Kakashi’s palm was filled with the unpredictable bouts of electricity, and there was no way he would pull back in time.

With a sort of desperation Obito was sure he’d never felt before, he took a leap of faith and propelled himself through the air, no fear in his body as he flew through the gap, arms outstretched as though he could shield Rin with them.

His body slams into hers and it hurts, but it doesn’t hurt as much as it would have if Kakashi’s chidori had pulsed through her. They meet the ground, Rin’s body taking full impact as he hovers over her protectively, and she can barely catch her breath before he’s cupping her face in his hands, a frantic expression on his usually carefree face.

“Rin-chan, Rin-chan?” He yells, ducking down so he can look her in the eyes. “What the fuck were you thinking? His knees are bracketing either side of her and her brown eyes are so wide and fearful.

The sound of chirping birds dissipates as Kakashi runs his hand clean through the enemy nin’s chest, and a cracked laugh from their blonde teammates’ reaction has his lungs heaving in terrified relief. Because seriously, had Rin really been ready to…?

“Obito, I-” Rin gasps from beneath him. “I can’t. I can’t. I have to…” She lets out a strangled cry and tears begin to pool at the corners of her eyes and Obito’s pupils dart over her for any serious injury or anything. He doesn’t see a single thing. Why is she crying?

“What? What?” Obito urges. “What’s wrong?”

He checks over her again, distraught with fear. “Why,” he bites out, unable to stop the bitterness from invading his senses, “would you ever do something like that?” Rin only lets out another sob, curling her face into his hand like she might be able to hide in it.

Behind him, Kakashi’s frozen shock-solid, eyes glued to his hands that are now trembling with all the force of a hurricane, not even paying attention to the man whose stomach now has a gaping hole in it.

“Rin-” Obito vaguely hears him choke out, and for a second he’s just so angry that all he can see is red. He’s mad every single one of them; Kakashi for nearly managing to hit Rin with his stupid fucking prodigidous jutsu that he’d gone and showed off to their Sensei not so long ago; Naruto for letting Rin be in that position in the first place because Why the fuck hadn’t anybody seen what she’d been planning to do? Why was she trying to… Obito couldn’t name it. Why? Why?; he’s completely furious at Rin for even considering it…. For throwing herself in front of that jutsu without thinking about the consequences of her actions.

Had she even thought about how it might affect them? Affect him? It’s an incredibly selfish thing to even be thinking but Obito has never claimed himself otherwise.

“Rin… I’m… I’m so sorry,” Kakashi apologizes, his tone ridden with guilt, but Obito ignores him in favor of focusing on his best friend who still has tears pouring down her porcelain features.

He doesn’t even register the clash of blades behind him until Naruto yells, “Obito!”

Beneath him, Rin’s eyes widen further as she starts scrambling against his grip. “Obito,” Rin says, her head nodding behind them, and he’s not fast enough before there’s a sharp pain entering through his stomach. Rin turns white as snow, and Naruto’s horrified gasp comes out from behind him. He looks down, and is only mildly surprised when a long sword is protruding from his abdomen, dripping with his inners all the way through.