V.2-C.6│Into Exile VI│

She could decide.

It was entirely her choice, her decision.

Yet, it was not like she could abandon absolutely everything here in Konoha. Not her mother. Never.

Rin's mother is her only family. "Mother...?" Rin asked as she had come in to identify that her mother was right now asleep. Still asleep, and thankfully, the two of them didn't need to pay an overwhelming amount of expenses.

Truly, it is strange that in comparison, a household of only one member of said household paying the bills could survive, while another with every single member of that household barely being able to get by.

Putting that aside, Rin thought about what she has needed to do, what has been done to herself and the conditions surrounding her stay here within Konohagakure. Within the Land of Fire itself.

The shinobi lifestyle is hard, but because Rin has developed a certain love towards her home, towards her village, she would of been willing to give her life up for it. Obviously, circumstances permitted, she would choose to live any day of the week.

She hasn't only just started to live her life, gather and develop herself, expand and complete goals and desires, but also started to gain friends, close ones, loved ones more outside of her family.

Kurenai, Anko, Shizune, Mei and even the older women, Kushina and Mikoto. Of course, she would also consider Tsunade to be somewhat of a friend as well. 'She is my master first, and she most certainly wouldn't call me a friend.' Rin huffed, before she would successfully awaken her mother.

"Rin? What is it?" Rin's mother was basically an older version of herself, and while it wasn't a complete one for one, it was enough to see clearly that Rin is the daughter of this woman before her.

"I wanted to ask you something." Rin replied as her mother repositioned herself on the couch she had passed out on on. Rin sat down right beside her as well.

"Of course. You can ask me anything." Rin's mother smiled kindly as she said this, and Rin was touched just as much as all the other times her mother has been there for her.

"Thank you. I love you, mother. Thank you for being there for me... for everything." Rin just had to say it, before she wrapped her arms around her mother and embraced her within a hug.

"What's this for?" Rin's mother laughed a bit, startled by this sudden embrace, but at the same time also returned this in kind. Rin didn't just develop her kindness from out of nowhere.

No, her kindness was something she had gained through watching, observing and taking after her mother. It could be inherited, developed through her environment, or a result of both coming together to make her who she is today.

"I'm scared." Rin said as she stayed attached to her mother.

"Scared...? What is it? What is the problem?" Rin's mother asked, her eyes and expression marred with concern.

"I thought... I though after the war that everything would go back to normal. That I would be able to live a relatively normal life." Rin said, knowing that her normal was different from the normal her mother, whom is no longer living the same life that she is.

"I'm sorry." Rin's mother said all of a sudden. "Maybe... maybe if I hadn't become a shinobi, then maybe I wouldn't have got you to go down this path..."

"No-no! I don't mean that. It's just..." Rin trailed of after stopping her mother from blaming herself about the way Rin is currently right now. Rin knows that her time is limited in her decision, and she is unsure about a great deal of many things.

Her friends can give Rin advice, mentors, and now her family to help her better understand what she should do. There is too many things she has kept hidden, hidden away and she knows that at some point she can be discovered.

If by some chance Kiri discovers she is the current jinchuriki for Isobu, she knows that things would get hard for her. There is a lot of uncertainly, where otherwise someone else, a normal and simple civilian may have had a much less complicated life as herself.

'No, that's wrong as well. Maybe a civilian wouldn't have the same complications I have, but Kurenai's parents left Konoha because they have their own concerns...' Rin didn't want to think herself all too different.

She didn't want to believe she was disadvantage, because in all circumstances, Rin was lucky enough that her mother managed to become well off during her tenure as a shinobi before being kind of forced to settle down within Konoha to take care of her better.

"Is it about Obito..." Rin's mother smiled a very cheeky smile, knowing well enough that her daughter had some... hidden intimate feelings for the boy that she would deny. "I'm not so out of the loop of what is going on within Konoha." She was also serious about this as well.

She may only have the most basic of shinobi news, but it was enough for her to look beneath the underneath.

"You do...? And what do you think?" Rin herself knew in the heart of her hearts that Obito is innocence of such charges brought up, but it wasn't like she could help him as he was being exiled.

It was something she couldn't prove otherwise, and neither could anyone else at this point as well. "I think... Obito is a kind boy." Rin's mother replied, as she has had a chance, on occasion to meet the boy.

He wasn't the typical Uchiha, and embodied some traits that was actually in direct conflict with the Uchiha's way of life. At the same time, she could also see that there was something more to the boy as well.

He may not be the prime example of what an Uchiha is, but he is most certainly someone that at least inherits some traits from that clan. Rin's mother on occasion has had some interactions with the Uchiha, and knows best their attitude and general character.

"He is... probably innocent. But you didn't need me to tell you that, now did you?" Rin's mother asked her daughter.

"No..." Rin replied.

"Of course you didn't. Then, what is it you wanted to ask of me?" Rin's mother asked Rin in turn.

"You know they are to exile him... Mother, there are a lot of things about me that... that I haven't told you. Some that is dangerous, not only for myself, but the village and for you and those around me." Rin admitted but kept what should be kept secret for now.

If only because she made a promise not to be reckless with the information. "Daughter. It matters not. You know that I can at the very least protect myself, right...?" Rin's mother thought for a bit more, before continuing. "I see..."

"You see what?" Rin asked, a little confused as to what her mother has figured out.

"You want to leave, don't you?" Rin's mother asked her, yet she asked with a smile, a kind smile and her face never showed any disappointment.

"How did you..." Rin trailed off, a little surprised that her mother managed to figure this out herself.

"How could I not know my daughter? I have raised you, watched you grow up into the young, beautiful woman that you are now. More so in the future, you will become even greater." Rin's mother then laughed a little. "If anything, you will look even much more beautiful than myself. You inherited some of your fathers features."

"Really?" Rin asked, curious, for Rin's mother never talked about her father.

"Yes..." Rin's mother replied, a little sadly, but now wasn't the time to be reminiscing about the past. "Anyway. Enough about myself and your father. Maybe some other time I will tell you more. Right now, maybe we should have a plan to be set up and help you to escape? How about it?"

"Really...?" Rin didn't know what else to say, understand that talking about her father right now would not be for the best. Timing is important after all.

"That is if you want to do that. Do you?" Rin's mother asked her.

"I... What would you do?" Rin is at the point that she can make decisions for herself, but she wanted to hear from her mother as her final piece of information.

"I'll only tell you this. To be completely honest, if I had the chance, I would've left with your father if I could've." Rin's mother replied, shocking Rin a bit.

"What do you mean? Wouldn't that mean you were... thinking of deserting the village?" Rin knew the implications just as much as anyone else does at this point.

"Yes, and to be honest, I regret not doing so. Konohagakure has been my home for most of my life, it has been the home for my family, your family, but as much as it is a great place, it is also bad. There has been good times, hard times, but most of all, the lifestyle of a ninja is something that if I had a choice, I would reject." Rin's mother answered. "If only because of you. So that you would be safe and away from the conflict that ninja find themselves in."

"..." Rin now had it all, all the information or advice irrespective to everyone and everything, or at least as much as she could get her hands on to make her decision.

"So...? What's it going to be? Just remember, I will always love you, support you in any decision you make. My only advice, is to follow what you think is right, not for everyone else, but for yourself." Rin's mother gave her advice.

"Then..." Rin started. "I will, I will do it. I will go with him." Rin's eyes became determined, her face set in an expression that was serious, but that was soon ruined by her mother.

Giggling, Rin's mother pinched her nose. "Ok. Just remember, you will still my little baby. Not matter if you get married to Obito or not. You also seemed to have some competition as well. I would suggest we get a move on if you want to capture him first."

"Mother!"

[]

Minato came to a stop, for he was dealing with the real deal up front. "Obito Uchiha... your actions now could be considered reason enough for your death."

"I gave you a warning." Obito replied.

"I gave you my own..." Minato replied, knowing better now since getting a small handle on Obito through his clones. "I will need to power up to take you down, won't I?" Minato questioned rhetorically.

"You can try." Obito replied.

Minato narrowed his eyes, before he would flash forward using the Body Flicker Technique to try and catch Obito off guard, though this wouldn't work, and he wouldn't be able to touch Obito either.

"I told you, you can try. I forgot to say that you would fail." Obito replied.

"I will see about that!" Minato called out himself as he and Obito would begin to further exchange a whole host of strikes.

Both of them being unable to fully strike the other, and Obito was starting to see just how powerful Minato truly was.

'It's no wonder he became the Hokage...' Though at the same time, Obito realized that Minato was lacking in the department of not having as much original techniques as he used to.

Most of the time, Minato was relying on the Hiraishin to get close enough and catch Obito off guard, but Obito himself has developed his own space-time ninjutsu to a degree that it should and does outclass Minato at this point.

Obito's Kamui ability has gotten more powerful, or it was much better to say it has gotten much more efficient and effective with the evolution of his eyes from Mangekyo Sharingan to Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Minato was not only trying to defeat Obito right now, but was actively trying to kill him, and he has all the authority to do so at this point.

Obito can now be officially considered a traitor, having gone out of his way to stop him, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage from stopping the Kyuubi jinchuriki from leaving their village.

This was an act enough to give Minato all of the authority and power to eliminate Obito, but he would be unable to land a single hit on him.

Both Minato and Obito knew of each others Hiraishin marks, and while Minato knows nothing about Obito's Kamui abilities, that doesn't mean just the Hiraishin's potential isn't enough to be cause for concern.

Both had concerns about each others ability to mark each other. Sure, they can take their own marks off of things and people, but to try and destroy the Hiraishin mark of another... that was impossible, at least at this point until a method exists to do so.

Of course, there are some 'natural' ways to destroy the Hiraishin seal, like having a Tailed Beast either sealed into someone, or extracted.

Obito flashed forward, extending his fists towards Minato, for he didn't want to kill him. While on the other hand, Minato does when he uses his kunai to try and strike Obito once the opportunity is presented.

Minato also tries to just simply touch Obito to gain the upper hand, yet the two of them are unable to be faster than the other.

"It looks like we are getting nowhere..." Obito stated, and this is exactly what he wanted. He wanted to buy those running away enough time to do so.

On the other hand, Minato was trying to make things go as fast as possible. "It would seem so..." Minato replied, though at some point, multiple points really, he was using shadow clones to help him mark Obito.

There was also a hidden reason as to why Minato used shadow clones. "You time is running late."

"I know." Minato replied, before Obito noticed something, he noticed that at some point Minato was actually a bit more uncaring in being hit. As if it was a clone...

Minato in front of Obito dispersed, and somewhere a bit away, Obito sensed the presence of Minato, up until he didn't. 'Damn! Wait, what is-' Obito stopped his thoughts there, as it seemed like Minato had given up pursuing the others and instead has decided to come after him.

Come after Obito in a state of being that Obito is all too familiar with. Dodging backwards, Obito saw that Minato had accessed Sage Mode.

Minato's large chakra reserves enabled him to learn senjutsu of Mount Myoboku, enhancing his techniques and physical parameters by entering Sage Mode.

He could perfectly balance the natural energy with his chakra, displaying only the orange pigmentation around his eyes and no other physical changes, the true marking of a Sage.

"You mastered Sage Mode." Obito stated.

"Yes. But, my skills with senjutsu is quite limited right now. It took too long to build up. I haven't actually used this in an actual battle before, nor can I maintain this for too long either." Minato replied.

"I guess this means you really want me dead then..." Obito replied.

"Well, before, maybe not so much, if at all. But, it has come to my attention that you are a threat to the village. And as a threat, you shall be eliminated. As the Hokage, it is my duty to do so." Minato responded.

"I see..."