To Be Lost On The Road Of Life (Continuation)

Chapter 27 - Engulfing Darkness

Chapter 27 - Engulfing Darkness

Obito walked west to the outskirts of Konoha's territory, knowing that his two clones had yet to leave to their assigned task.

He didn't like it, how obvious it was. How clear his hesitance was, to the point that even his clones that knew his thoughts hovered and waited, as though wondering if the original would change his mind. He could still feel their eyes-his eyes-on his back, waiting for the order to disperse, waiting for him to cancel his order. As if.

The hands on the straps of his pack tightened, and it was at that moment he felt the clones disappear. They had finally decided to leave, it seemed.

Earlier, after he left the village to meet with his team, Obito had detoured off of the road to create two Kage Bunshin with the task of tracking down the Ame Orphans-the current Akatsuki. Due to the nature of the self-imposed mission and the importance of the delivery, instead of sending a single clone, he had sent two in case one started running low on chakra or they ended up in a confrontation that could not be avoided. From where he was it was a couple days travel to Ame and despite the fact it would have made more sense to make the Bunshin when they were closer to Kusa, Obito couldn't chance any of his teammates finding out about his little mission.

He also didn't want to give himself more to worry about, not with this mission already on the forefront of his mind.

The time traveler shook his head, jumping from the road to the trees to hasten his pace. He could feel it, the steadily building anxiety forming within him, his mind teetering on the edge of sanity and his own, personal brand of madness. Obito had little worries about him snapping at his teammates and harming them-he knew for a fact that he would sooner turn his attacks on himself than harm them, even in the worst state-but he was worried about leaving them privy to his current state of mental and emotional instability.

Minato, who already knew about the fact that he was not the thirteen-year-old boy he seemed, would be quick to realize that this mission held some weight to Obito. Knowing the blonde, the chances of him calling off the mission or accompanying them were high, but Obito needed things to go similarly to how they went last time.

If Minato decided to join them, he would have a difficult time slipping away from them without the ruse of "death-by-falling-rocks"-which he knew would not occur under the watchful eyes of Namikaze Minato. If the mission was canceled, then obviously his chances of slipping away were even slimmer.

There was, of course, always the option of just saying "fuck it" and telling them everything. Considering Madara was, at this point, nothing more than a decrepit old man, he might've considered it had he been more... Stable, and in-control. However, the fact that Madara was not alone prevented him from falling back on this alternative to a degree, almost as much as his own compulsions to keep silent were due to guilt.

Obito snorted derisively at himself, watching the horizon as his teammates' figures became visible. 'I'm a sorry sack of shit.'

The time traveler plastered on a genial smile as he approached his team, watching humorously as Rin and Kakashi turned around with varying levels of surprise. "Hey guys! Ready for the mission?"

"... You're on time," Kakashi stated quietly in a monotone voice, but the slight widening of his eyes betrayed his true thoughts on the matter.