I Will Become the Wind

CHAPTER 29 | An Assigned Respite

Obito stayed silent for several seconds more after Fugaku explained his reasons for reaching out. He tried to process what the Clan Head was saying.

To hear that he thought Obito could be Hokage someday was strange enough. But he was also offering to—what? Pull strings for him? Or just butt into his training?

"I want to become Hokage," Obito finally said. "But not to make the Uchiha look good or to make people like you happy. I don't want to be someone who can't do anything on their own. I don't want to owe you."

"It's good to have that sort of conviction," Fugaku said. "But it is normal for the old clans to train internally, especially when it comes to their trademark abilities. Minato is a more than adequate instructor, but only another Uchiha can teach you how to use your Sharingan abilities to their fullest."

"And you're the one volunteering?"

"I am. Not because I'm particularly fond of your company, but because I believe you have a chance."

Obito was not sure how to respond to that. Fugaku took his silence as an invitation to continue.

"How many tomoe have you developed in each eye so far?"

"Three in each," Obito said grudgingly.

One for every moment he thought he and Naruto would die if he didn't do something.

The first time, Orochimaru had taken control of Naruto and induced a Kyuubi rampage.

The second was when the base collapsed on them and Obito had to use kamui to escape.

The third, when they fell from a hundreds-of-feet precipice with sharp rocks waiting below.

Their time in the future had been stressful, to put it mildly.

Fugaku raised his brows. "Show me."

Obito hesitated, but he knew there was no point in hiding now. He closed his eyes and opened them again slowly, taking in the training hall through the altered colors and slight superimposed effect the Sharingan gave him. The training hall was free of distracting clutter, but now he knew that if he took another few steps to either side, he'd end up stumbling over a wire again. Obito's eyes tracked Fugaku crossing his arms almost automatically.

"Good. You can already activate it without making any signs or movements," Fugaku said. "I'll give you time to discuss your promotion with Minato if you want to. I will withdraw my recommendation if you decide not to train with me; however, you will not be given the usual time penalty, and can be recommended by Minato or another jounin immediately afterward. It's simply that, if I stake my name on you, it will be my responsibility to ensure you are up to that level."

Obito closed his eyes again, squeezing them shut, as if he could press the right decision into his brain.

"Minato-sensei said I might only be able to get tokubetsu jounin. That my base skills still need to be leveled up."

"That is also what I think. But that title would allow you many of the same privileges. This war has dragged on for so long that even young captains are leading their own missions."

Obito blinked. Something shook loose inside his memory. A plan. One he'd thought up with no idea how to make it work.

"Do you know how we're trying to beat Kiri right now?" he asked.

Fugaku raised a brow, but he answered. "Given the success of the recent Iwa assault, it wouldn't surprise me if the Hokage tried something similar against them. Especially if this war continues for much longer."