Unbroken Bonds

30: Heart For Brains

"That went terribly," As she took a bite of the rice ball Itachi had made for her, Yuna couldn't help but scoff. Yuna had requested Itachi to lend his expertise as her advisor, hoping to give Itachi a better life and gain the village's trust. However, Itachi respectfully declined the offer, explaining that his primary duty was to ensure Yuna's safety and protection. To this end, he dedicated himself to guarding her and training alongside Sasuke.

Yuna had found herself burning the midnight oil in her office. Despite feeling anxious about the outcome of her recent meeting, she was determined to catch up on the backlog of applications that had accumulated on her desk. Yuna couldn't help but wonder if she could have done more to improve her relationship with the people she served.

Not to mention the response to Yuna bringing back not one but two former members of the Akatsuki and bringing back Sasuke Uchiha had made her a rather unpopular Hokage to start with. This brought her back to the current thought in her mind: Yuna needed to talk to Obito about his identity in the village.

"It could have been worse?" Obito spoke detachedly, uneasy about staying at Yuna's house with Itachi after the day's events. The three Uchiha men currently reside in the Senju's humble abode. Still, Yuna intended to construct an additional wing to provide more space for them to live comfortably, as the current three-bedroom dwelling needed to be fixed.

Yuna pondered whether her great-grandfather would be proud of her for fulfilling his lifelong dream as the Senju and Uchiha coexisted harmoniously.

Obito observed Yuna as she read through another application, noting that he had decided to remove his mask for the night, a rare occurrence. His need to be himself around Yuna seemingly outweighed his desire to remain hidden from everyone else. Obito felt safe with Yuna, and not just physically; Obito knew Yuna was someone he could rely on.

Yuna and Obito were seated at Yuna's desk, with Yuna positioned behind it and Obito in front of it. Obito felt a painful sensation in his chest as he observed the moonlight shining through Yuna's hair, revealing a silver hue he had not noticed before. During their time together, Obito frequently wished for the attention of the kunoichi with dark eyes; he longed to make the Senju happy. Finally, Obito had found someone worthy of his heart, devotion, and life.

"Obito? Can I ask you a question?" Yuna had set her pen down as her eyes landed on the dark-haired man. Obito gingerly nodded as he sipped the jasmine tea Yuna had prepared earlier for the two.

"Do you ever plan on revealing yourself to everyone else?" Yuna's question floored him; his chest tightened painfully as he recalled the numerous amounts of people who truly knew him. Obito Uchiha, a man the leaf village thought to be dead.

"Why? Yuna, why does that matter?" Obito's emotions escalated, causing his voice to become louder and his mind unclear as anger took over. He felt no need to justify himself to anyone.

"Because Obito, as your Hokage, I want you as an advisor, and to do that, I need you to either reassume your identity, explain to your fellow ninja what the hell happened to you, or you'll have to leave, and I don't want that. But as someone who loves you, I want you to be free of fear." As Obito had anticipated, Yuna's words were harsh, but he was surprised when she confessed her love. The sorrowful expression on her face made Obito realize his mistake.

"You love me?" Obito was left breathless by the words, while Yuna's face turned bright red after the older shinobi's question. The sight of the woman's evident embarrassment caused Obito's cheeks to flush with a deep shade of red, indicating his own sense of bashfulness.

Obito stood pensively by the window, lost in thought. Suddenly, the window slid open with a whoosh, startling Yuna, who turned to see Kakashi jump in with a grace that belied the urgency of his entrance. The unexpected arrival of Kakashi had an unsettling effect on everyone in the room.