The Blond Future

Chapter TWELVE - Madara

Chapter 12

Obito reached his hand out.

"So, finally the conflict ends." Jiraiya sighed contently.

And grabbed Naruto by the neck roughly, choking him.

"Obito!" Minato cried out, taking out a kunai by fatherly instinct.

"Minato!" Kushina grabbed his arm, "Calm down..."

He realized that he had grabbed a kunai and sheepishly sat down, putting it back into his weapons pouch. "Sorry, Obito, I wasn't thinking straight."

"It's okay, sensei," Obito sniffed, "Just being an ass as usual."

"I'm happy standing on this side of the fence, the path I chose, choices I've made, I'd do it all again if I could."

"Don't... make me repeat myself," Naruto ground out, "If you really believe that... then."

"Quit daydreaming about what it would've been if you had become hokage!" Naruto punched Obito, sending him careening backwards.

When Obito looked up again, his younger self replaced Naruto. "The person Rin wanted to stand next to and watch over, wasn't that... It was Obito Uchiha."

The landscape changed to a forest where Minato and Kakashi were waiting for himself and Rin.

"Are these like... my guilty feelings?" Obito asked.

"It does seem like deep down, you regret your actions." Tsunade commented.

"Rin..." Obito turned his head to see Rin running past, his old self in tow.

Three Obitos stood behind him, transforming into Minato, Kakashi and Rin.

His younger self in front of him held out a hand, "You know, as you are now, Rin wouldn't even throw a glance in your direction, because the person she wanted to watch over and stand next to was Uchiha Obito."

"It's time you put an end to this façade, because no matter what happens, you're still... Obito Uchiha!" Naruto grabbed his hand and pulled gingerly, "Quit the shy guy routine and just get your ass over here!"

Outside the mindscape, the shinobis finally won the chakra tug of war, as the tailed beast's chakra escaped from within Obito.

"They did it!" Rin bounced happily in her seat.

Obito lay on the ground, defeated. Looking up at the sky and to the moon, he held out a hand, "Rin..."

"The void in his heart that he tried to fill alone, is starting to close." Hiruzen nodded.

"You don't have to do everything alone, Obito." Rin clasped his hand and grabbed Kakashi's hands, so that all three of their hands were on top of each other's, "We're here for you all the way."

Kakashi nodded, "Got that, dead last?"

Obito's lip trembled as he nodded, "Y-yeah!"