Tracking Obito

Shortly after Rin and Kakashi separate, Kakashi decides to check on Obito. His lithe figure blurs as he runs in a direction that he has in mind. Obito has been absent for the third time, and while it doesn't really worry him, he acknowledges that it might affect their team in the Chunin Exams.

The sun hangs low in the sky, casting a warm glow over the landscape as Kakashi swiftly moves through the familiar streets. His senses are sharp, and the rhythm of his steps reflects his ninja training. The village is gradually quieting down as evening approaches.

As Kakashi runs, he glances at the sunset and realizes that the night is about to set in. The sky is painted with hues of orange and pink, a serene backdrop to his solitary journey. The thought of Obito's absence recently lingers in his mind, a subtle concern masked by his stoic exterior.

The Chunin Exams are approaching, and Minato-sensei's words about prioritizing Obito's health echo in Kakashi's mind. While he may not express it openly, the idea of his team facing challenges without their full roster does bother him.

"Hmmm…"

Kakashi looks around as he arrives at Obito's address. Only now Kakashi realizes that the address is quite far on the edge of the Uchiha Compound. The Uchiha Clan is a privileged family, and even its outer members outside of the main household get to enjoy the advantages of being Uchiha. But Obito's residence being this far from the fringes of Uchiha Territory implies Obito's family is not so well-liked within the Clan.

Clans. They are complicatedly annoying.

With a soft knock, Kakashi calls from the door. "Obito? This is Kakashi. I wish to talk."

The door swings open, revealing Obito's grandmother, a kind and gentle woman with silver hair that frames her weathered face. Kakashi meets her gaze with a respectful nod. The old woman smiles warmly, recognizing the young shinobi.

"Ah, Kakashi, dear. It's been a while," she greets him, her voice carrying a mixture of warmth and concern. Kakashi returns the greeting with a small but polite smile.

The reason for the old woman's familiarity is that she has met Kakashi and Rin once or twice already. In Kakashi's case, the first time she met her was when she delivered Obito's lunchbox to their training ground. Even to this moment, Kakashi cannot believe that a person can actually forget their lunchbox.

"Yes, it has, ma'am. Is Obito around?" Kakashi inquires, his tone measured. He can't help but notice the wrinkles etched on her face, evidence of the passage of time.

Obito's grandmother's smile fades slightly, and a hint of worry creases her brow. "No, dear. He hasn't returned yet. It's the third time," she admits, her concern deepening. "That boy had a fever recently… I was so worried for him, so I talked to Minato-sensei. I told Obito to rest, but he really is persistent. He slips by me every time. I guess he really wants to train, and if that's the case, then I should just let him go to Minato-sensei."

Kakashi's brow furrows imperceptibly. He's aware of Obito's occasional disappearing acts, but three times this week is unusual, even for him. A subtle sense of unease begins to tug at the edges of Kakashi's thoughts. "Training? Him?" Honestly, he cannot see it in Obito.

The goofy smile, stupid jokes, and his loud mouth— in fact, Kakashi cannot even associate Obito with the Uchiha.

"I see. Well, I just wanted to check on him. We have the Chunin Exams coming up, and it wouldn't do well for our team if he's absent," Kakashi explains, choosing his words carefully. He glances past Obito's grandmother into the dimly lit interior of the house.

The elderly woman sighs, a mix of understanding and worry in her eyes. "I know, Kakashi-san. Obito's a good boy, but sometimes he just wanders off without a word. I hope he's not causing too much trouble for you."

Kakashi offers a reassuring smile. "No trouble at all, ma'am. We're a team, after all. I'll keep an eye out for him. Please let me know if you hear anything."

Obito's grandmother nods appreciatively. "You're a responsible young man, Kakashi-san. I hope he comes back soon. How about you stay for dinner?"

"No, thank you, but I have to go." As Kakashi turns to leave, he can't shake off the thought of Obito actually ditching Ninja training to play and mess around instead. He walks away and turns to a corner. He counts internally for ten seconds.

After counting, he peeks from his hiding spot and sees Obito's grandma to be gone and inside the house again. At this point, Kakashi has decided to track Obito.

Kakashi moves like a shadow, his footsteps nearly silent as he approaches the backside of Obito's residence.

According to Obito's grandmother, the young Uchiha had sneaked away, leaving behind the possibility of traces. Kakashi's keen eye and ninja instincts go to work as he begins his investigation.

He crouches down near the base of the house, examining the ground for any sign of disturbance. It doesn't take long for his trained senses to pick up on subtle irregularities. There, near the window on the elevated second floor, the dust seems to have been disturbed. Kakashi narrows his eyes, deducing that this is the point where Obito made his escape.

Standing over a patch of grass below the window, Kakashi visualizes Obito's movements. He envisions the leap, the trajectory, and the landing. With a swift and almost imperceptible motion, he mimics the jump, landing gracefully as if he were Obito himself. His gaze shifts around, scanning the surroundings for any clues.

To his left, there's a cluster of shrubbery. Kakashi's sharp eyes catch a subtle indentation in the foliage, a small disturbance that suggests Obito's passage. He kneels down, inspecting the area with a meticulous focus. "So, what are you doing Obito? And where are you going?"

Kakashi moves with purpose, his steps light and deliberate. The path leads him through the shadows, weaving between buildings and into the outskirts of the village. Finally, Kakashi arrives at a makeshift training ground. He perches on a branch, carefully hiding his presence.

Kakashi observes silently as Obito continues his training, his gaze hidden behind the cover of a leafy branch. Obito's breathing is haggard, rough, and short, indicating the intensity of his efforts. Scattered beneath him are several kunai and shuriken, evidence of his practice session. Kakashi notes the determination in Obito's movements, the way he picks up the weapons and retrieves the bunch embedded in the target boards.

"Damn it," Obito mutters to himself, frustration evident in his voice. He runs a hand through his sweat-drenched hair, a sign of the exertion he's putting himself through. Kakashi remains silent, absorbing the scene below.

Obito glances at the target boards, each one marked with the aftermath of his training. "I can't believe I'm not as good as Sasuke or Itachi," he admits, a tinge of disappointment in his tone. "No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to replicate them. But that's understandable."

Kakashi's brow furrows imperceptibly, his thoughts swirling with a mix of surprise and concern. He hadn't expected Obito to harbor such insecurities, especially regarding his Uchiha counterparts. But a question lingers… Who is Sasuke? Or Itachi? If they are famous, Kakashi should know them.

The moonlight filters through the leaves, casting a soft glow on the training ground.

Kakashi remains hidden, watching over Obito. Judging by the dirt, the messy clothes, and the disturbance caused by the terrain, Obito must be practicing for some time.

He is about to leave, deciding to let Obito on his own when suddenly, an interesting scene occurs.

Obito's eyes turn a shade of red, it is the Sharingan— a single tomoe sharingan. Kakashi is surprised as this is the first time he has seen Obito use it.

Kakashi narrows his eyes, recognizing the distinctive hue of red piercing through the darkness. The Sharingan. A single tomoe glows ominously in Obito's eyes, a sight Kakashi had never witnessed before.

Obito grips a kunai tightly, his movements becoming more precise, and more controlled. The frustration that marred his face earlier transforms into a focused determination. Kakashi, hidden in the shadows, remains still.

The moonlight accentuates the crimson glow of Obito's Sharingan, casting an eerie ambiance over the training ground. The kunai in Obito's hand flashes with lethal intent as he hurls it towards the target boards. The precision is impeccable, each strike hitting the mark dead center.

A mix of shock and curiosity washes over Kakashi's usually impassive features. "So, you've been hiding this, Obito," he murmurs to himself, his eyes narrowing as he continues to observe. "Or did he just awaken it recently?" Kakashi cannot tell.

The way Obito moves, and assimilates his Doujutsu has a certain touch of experience to it.

Though Kakashi has yet to confront a Sharingan user, he can tell that Obito is moving with the grace of a veteran. When a person uses a technique they are not used to, there are short moments of hesitation, awkwardness, or lag.

But Obito? He is so fluid in his movements that Kakashi realizes this is no longer the same Obito he knows. Kakashi recalls the moments when Obito would boast that he would surpass Kakashi easily in no time once he awakened his Sharingan.

The pit of Kakashi's stomach twists in disgust. In a sense, Kakashi discriminates against high-born people like the Uchiha. Sakumo Hatake is somewhat of a 'highborn' too in the sense he has created a household name for himself, but he is someone who rose from the ranks from being a 'commoner' just like Minato Namikaze to distinguishing himself as the legendary White Fang.

Though Kakashi doesn't show it, there is also a prickly side to him of disliking something that he doesn't like. While he may not show it because of his personal philosophies, he has his own biases too, for example, with the Clans.

In the quiet darkness, Obito moves with precision, a shadow dancing through the night. A spark of light illuminates his hand as he unleashes a couple of shurikens, followed swiftly by another throw— a kunai completes the trio, sailing through the air with practiced grace.

The two shurikens spin at different intervals, creating a mesmerizing display born from precise calculations. The shurikens collide as expected, causing one to change its trajectory and strike a hidden target board at a difficult angle.

Meanwhile, the other shuriken speeds up, and the kunai follows suit, closing the distance with this shuriken. Obito doesn't miss a beat; he hurls another kunai into the mix, striking the first kunai and altering its trajectory. Three more difficult target boards are hit simultaneously.

It all occurs within merely a full second.

Obito, however, seems dissatisfied with his own performance. "Man, my Shurikenjutsu really sucks," he mutters to himself, a mix of disappointment and self-deprecating humor in his tone.

Unbeknownst to Obito, Kakashi, hidden in the shadows, observes the entire spectacle.

Obito's casual remark about his Shurikenjutsu doesn't escape Kakashi's notice.

A subtle twitch in Kakashi's eye, almost unnatural in its intensity, betrays his surprise. Inside Kakashi's head, he is already ranting a lot— Your Shurikenjutsu sucks? Then what about mine? Or Rin? This showoff is actually hiding his abilities! Am I actually a genius? Or is this guy the genius?

However, Kakashi is a quiet person, so he keeps his thoughts to his own.

He remains silent, contemplating the unexpected skill he just witnessed from his teammate, who, despite his own assessment, seems to have a level of finesse that catches even the usually composed Kakashi off guard.

Kakashi has always been labeled a genius, but in Kakashi's heart, he doesn't see himself as one… He objectively analyzes Obito's feat. It is certainly flashy, and deadly. But Kakashi can do just as much. 

Altering the trajectory of projectiles is within his capabilities, and even without a doujutsu, he will manage just fine. But the difficulty of Obito's feat doesn't lie in his precision, but the speed. If it is Kakashi, he will need a good 1.5 to 1.2 seconds to perform the same feat.

For Kakashi who specializes in speed and efficiency, he can easily kill multiple targets in 0.8 seconds with a well-timed series of ninjutsu combined with shurikenjutsu. "Hmmm… Obito, what is going on with you?"

Suddenly, Obito strikes a victorious pose, "Ha! Not bad, if I do say so myself," and then he grins.

What are you? Bipolar? Kakashi cringes at how random Obito can be.