To Be Lost On The Road To Life

Amity and Enmity

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Minato slammed his hand down on the ground and a plume of smoke burst forth. Once it cleared, a small, crimson frog was revealed.

"Yo," it commented with a small wave. "Minato-sama, how are you? You haven't been to Myōbokuzan in a while, and haven't had a chance to see my son!" The toad paused, noticing the grim look on his summoner's face. "... What happened? What can I do for you?"

"Sōsuke," the blonde nodded, a forced smile forming. "I apologize, but now is not the time for pleasantries. I need you to to deliver a message to Jiraiya-sensei immediately."

The toad, Sōsuke, nodded. "It is rare for you to summon me, the situation must be dire. What is the message?"

"Tell him that he is to return to Konoha as soon as he can. I know that I have kept in contact with him via messenger hawk, informing about what has been happening, but..." Minato scowled. "Tell him that Kushina's condition is worsening, again. He needs to come here as soon as possible."

Sōsuke saluted. "Yes, Minato-sama." As the toad turned to leave, the blonde could hear faint mumblings of, "I need to retire," and "Kōsuke-chan needs to grow up faster."

The toad disappeared in a plume of smoke and Minato turned on his heel, heading off to the Hokage's office to inform him of the situation. He was no longer as stressed nor as worried as he had been before sending Sōsuke off to deliver his message to Jiraiya, but he still had to report the situation to the village leader.

Hopefully the settling dread in his stomach was just him over-thinking the circumstances.

The Kyūbi's teeth were bared, each sharp incisor promising to bite into the Uchiha if he made a single wrong move.

Obito simply stared at the great Bijū, a carefully blank look on his face—a face he had not worn since he had come to the past, the scars and age ever present.

"The past..." The fox's eyes narrowed as he assessed the Uchiha before him, his initial outburst seemingly over with. "What exactly is going on? What machinations have you thought up this time?" The words were not said with a small amount of spite, and Obito raised an eyebrow in response.

"Machinations?" He mumbled quietly. He had already been put through Naruto's little "talk," and had since realized that the Mugen Tsukuyomi was not the key to happiness as his clouded mind had once believed. Surely the fox knew that, knew he had changed...? "I'm just planning on saving the people I care about."

The Kyūbi gave a derisive snort. "Yes, you were planning on sacrificing a whole world for the illusion, mere shells of the people you cared for. It is all so very selfless." His last statement dripped with sarcasm, and his eyes glinted with raw fury. "How can I be sure you are not planning something similar?"

Obito's brow furrowed as his mind developed possible reasons for his current situation. He had been sent to the past after his death, but Bijū didn't die and as such the Kyūbi couldn't have been in the same situation as he. Therefore, it was very well possible that the fox had been sent back from a different point in time—clearly after the war started, but when exactly? "... What do you mean?"

"What do I mean...?" The beast snarled, another pulse of cancerous chakra whipping out towards the Uchiha. "How can I be sure that you are not planning to step in the way? How do I know that you aren't willing to betray everything for a DREAM once again?"

"You don't. And don't forget that I am capable of controlling you with these eyes," Obito stated in a low tone, shifting his stance ever so slightly. "Should you try to harm me, I will not hesitate to stop you, Kyūbi."