Chapter 3: INK02: Lost and Found

Iryo-nin Kasa (医療忍傘)

Chapter Two: Lost and Found

"I love you." Those were the last words my mother said before she promptly shot our asses with a family special teleportation jutsu. How cool is it that she's an Uzumaki? I should've see it coming with the calligraphy and seals… but you know I'm like awesome and…

Who am I kidding? So what if she was an Uzumaki? So what if she was a seal expert? Why does it matter? I'm not going to see her ever again. Of all the things she could have said, why did she have to say I love you? They're such clichéd last words. So definite and final…

Damn it, I hate goodbyes.

Albeit, not as much as I hate the dark silence. My senses were dulled, if not useless. I could barely hear, barely breathe, barely move, only the searing pain on my arms kept me from slipping into sleep. I had no clue where I was and I couldn't tell if Tesuri was still with me. Pain was all I knew. The pulsing, the burning, it felt like something eating away at my arms.

"It hurts…" I whimpered, sobbing as I curled into myself. "I want to go home!"

"Hey," whispered a soft voice. "Don't cry."

I flinched, but I couldn't see anyone.

"Are you lost?" asked the voice tiredly.

I know I shouldn't trust strange voices, but his… sounded nice.

"I don't know where I am. I don't know where my dad is." I felt my voice waver as it threatened to crack into another sob. I don't care if I'm being a crybaby. "It's dark, I can't see anything! I want mommy! I want daddy! I want to go home!"

"Shh… Calm down, can you do that?" he hushed gently as I fought back tears. "I know you're scared. It could be very scary in the dark. I can't see anything either, but you know what?"

I hiccupped. "What?"

"It's not as scary when you have a friend right?" He asked.

"Friend?" I asked warily, a disembodied voice offering friendship. Who would ever question that? Itt's totally legit, I'm serious. Don't believe me? Yeah, I don't believe me either.

"Yeah, you want to be my friend?" He asked.

"…Mommy said I'm not supposed to talk to people I don't know. Stranger-danger." I said childishly. There's not much I could do regardless if he decides to do something.

He chuckled and wheezed a weak laugh. He sounded like he was in pain. "How about we get to know each other? Then we wouldn't be strangers right? We're not going anywhere soon and talking makes the pain hurt less right?"

I paused, he was right. My arms didn't burn as much.

"How about we start with an introduction?"

"Introduction?" I raised a brow, not that he could see it.

"You know, like where you're from, likes and dislikes, hobbies, dreams, stuff like that."

I kept quiet. Likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams? Why does that sound so familiar?

"Ignoring me huh? How about I start first and you can go afterwards?" He offered before promptly going into his self-introduction. "I'm a chunin from Konoha. My hobbies include making people smile and helping seniors."

I stiffened at those words as I tried to find the source of his voice.

"I have a girl I liked for the longest time, still do. Kind of wish I could've told her that…"

Why would he be here? I should still be in Ame territory. How far did Kaa-san's jutsu shoot me? And why was he here? Did that happen already?

"I dislike stuck ups and people who betray their friends and comrades."

Shit, what do I do?

"My dream?" He chuckled weakly. "Well, I had one. It was kind of nice."

"…What was your dream?" I asked lamely, unsure of what to say. I knew who he was, but what do I do about it? What could I do?

"Tsk, tsk, no cheating." He teased. "You have to tell me something about yourself."

"I'm almost five," I mumbled.

"Almost five?" he said in exaggerated amazement. "Your mommy must be so proud that you're a big girl now!"

"My mommy's dead," I said in a deadpan. I don't need his coddling.

"Oh," murmured the voice quietly. "What about your dad? He's still around right?"

"I dunno. He was with me before we got separated." I mumbled truthfully.

"Maybe he's—" a violent cough tore through him, leaving him groaning in pain.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, knowing full well he was probably more hurt than he was showing.

"Don't worry about it," he rasped after catching his breath. "Hey, you're not scared anymore right?"

"No… but where are you?" I asked as I crawled onto my knees.

There wasn't much space for me to move. I'm probably stuck under whatever rubble he's surrounded in. That explained the darkness. I could feel the dirt under my hands and the gravel grinding beneath my shoes. Definitely not a forest in Ame, it's too dry and smelled nothing like the humid forests constantly drenched in rain.

"Probably under a big rock. I wouldn't look for me if I were you. I'm not very pretty right now." He joked weakly.

"That's okay, you still have a pretty voice," I replied with a crouch in an attempt to follow his voice.

"Pretty voice?" He mused. "Listen, why don't you go find your dad? You can't help me. Half my body's crushed."

"Dad is an iryo-nin, he can fix you." I retorted stubbornly. I could hear him, but I can't tell where he was.

He chuckled again, his voice growing weaker with each wheeze. "Even the best iryo-nin can't… put me… back… together..."

"Hey!" I cried out, alarmed by his fading voice. "You're not going to leave me alone are you?"

Silence.

No, no, no! Was he taken? Was he dead? How am I going to get out of here? I don't want to die here. I sniffled loudly as I felt a lump gathered at my throat. Don't cry. Crying won't help.

"Some friend you are." I hiccupped and wiped my drippy nose on the shoulder of my shirt. "Leaving me alone in the dark."

"Heh," a weak laugh caught my ears before a familiar blue light lit up the cramp space. "I wouldn't do that."

"You're still here!" I said in surprise as I crawled towards the light. With the tight space, I was fortunate to be small enough to crawl through.

"I'm not that mean," he rasped weakly when I finally made my way to his side. He charged chakra to his hand to illuminate the darkness, compared to what mom and dad could do, his was weak and feeble. He must be close to his death by now.

"You didn't answer me when I called out." I huffed, taking note what he looked like for the first time.

Surprisingly, he wasn't really under a big boulder. At least not anymore, the boulder that crushed him was propped up by an uplift of earth. Mostly the work of a jutsu I supposed. I grimaced at the sight of his body, half mangled and missing an eye.

"Sorry," he wheezed. "It's a bit hard to talk when you have one lung collapsed."

"…Does it hurt?" I asked, scooting closer to him. The light from his chakra faded and we were in darkness again.

"Dunno, can't really feel much." He mumbled before he chuckled. "You cheated."

"Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion, not that he could see it.

"You didn't tell me anything about yourself." He quipped.

I gapped in disbelief. We're trapped in a pile of rubble with one severely injured and neither certain how to get out of this mess. And this guy wants to go through common pleasantries? How… absurd. Despite the situation, I found myself giggling.

"Hey, it's not that funny." I could hear the pout in his voice.

"My name's Kasa Mon. I'm from Ame." I answered to save him from the indignity.

"You're from rain and your parents named you umbrella?" I don't need light to know he raised a brow. Somehow, I just know my name's going to be a running joke for a while.

I puffed up my cheeks. "Like your name is any better!"

"Of course my name is awesome! I'm Obito Uchiha! The most badass ninja of Konoha!" He boasted.

"…You're trapped under a pile of rocks." I replied dryly.

"…Minor setback." He retorted before another round of coughs wracked his body.

Had this been a game, I would likely note that his chances of survival is slim to none. Coughs always meant imminent death even if a character survived gallons of blood loss. He won't die, I know this… but it didn't make the painful coughs and wheezes any less scary.

We sat in silence as he struggled to restrain his coughs. I wrapped my arms around my knees and curled into myself as the feeling of helplessness struck. It sucks being a child.

"Hey," he croaked, voice hoarse and destroyed by his coughs. "Give me your hand."

"Why?" I asked, my voice muffled against my legs.

"Come on, don't you trust me?" He spoke gently.

I shrugged a slid my hand against the ground, blindly reaching for his. He found my hand with little difficulty and held it with a comforting grip. It was rough to the touch with cuts and callouses, but warm.

"Sorry." He murmured.

"For what?" I asked.

"For being a horrible friend." He said with a sheepish chuckle. "I'll try to keep it bright for as long as I can for you though."

"…You're dying." I mumbled.

"Yeah," he answered, soft and tired. "Sorry for leaving you alone."

The warmth of his chakra covered my hand as he lit up the small space with what little he had left. Terror and dread filled me. He was dying and it meant Madara was coming. The old man had reasons to save and help Obito, but I doubt he'll have any for a girl who wasn't even trained. What do I do? My arms burned. I bit back a whimper as I grasped desperately for any form of comfort.

In my desperation, I grasped onto chakra, not Obito's, but mine. The burn on my arms grew unbearably hot. With my free hand, I pressed it against the left seal. It hurt, but I didn't want to let go of Obito's hand.

What I didn't expect was a barrage of images of my mother performing various acts of healing, most through seals and delicate chakra manipulation. All useless, since I have no clue how to channel chakra or draw seals. Even so, just as I was ready to give up hope, there was one among the barrage that didn't require channeling chakra or medical knowledge.

"Obito, open your mouth." I grunted through the searing pain.

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" He asked weakly with concern.

"I'm going to fix you." I wheezed. The images were slowing, but not yet abated.

"How? I told you even the best iryo-nin can't—" I cut him off, shoving my hand into his mouth. He bit down in surprise, not expecting the sudden move.

I grimaced at the bite as a green glow enveloped him. His eye widened as the crushed half of his body slowly inflated and healed. I felt my body slump against his at the rapid chakra drain. I doubt it healed him completely, my chakra reserves were close to non-existence. Though, it should be enough to keep him alive for now… I think…

"Kasa?" Obito asked worriedly as he reached to pull my arm away before the drain could go any further.

"Tired…" I murmured in a sleepy slur. My eyes drifted close as he shifted to his knees, cradling me in the narrow space as he moved. From the sound of his breath, he was still winded and in pain, but from his movements, he could at least use all his limbs.

"Hold on, I'll get us out," murmured Obito. The muscles on his arms twitch, probably shifting to use hand seals. I didn't catch what jutsu he used before I drifted into unconsciousness. I sorely hope Madara doesn't kill me while I'm asleep. It'd suck to die again before I could do anything fun.

OOOOO

When I woke again, it was to the wet morning dew and the smell of burnt campfire. For a moment it brought back childhood memories of camping in another lifetime. Under better circumstances it would be nostalgic, but such memories now was useless and a needless luxury.

"Looks like the sleeping princess is awake," teased Obito playfully next to me.

I sat up with a grimace, rubbing the crud out of my eyes as I blinked the sleep away. It was morning; sunlight peeked through the forest foliage. My arms were bandaged carefully with special attention to the hand where I was bitten. The small fire pit was on its last embers when Obito buried it with the pile of dirt that was likely dug from the pit.

His face was bandaged, covering the empty socket that was once his left eye. The sleeve to his right arm was gone, used to tie a splint to his leg right leg. Probably still broken and definitely mangled beyond recognition, much like his right arm and what I could see of his right side. He must've run out of bandages after covering his eye and my arms.

"How are you feeling?" asked Obito with a friendly smile on his face.

"…You're still here." I said in surprise. Where was Madara?

"Did I give you that bad of a first impression?" whined Obito. "You think I'm going to leave you after you saved me? No way! You're sticking with me until you find your dad."

"…But I don't know where he is." I mumbled.

"Hmm…" He hummed, holding his chin with a thoughtful expression. "Then you'll just have to come back with me to Konoha!"

I stared at him in surprise.

"You can stay with me and wait for your dad to show up." He grinned with his arms behind his head. "I'm sure we'll find a way to contact him eventually."

Why was fate cruel to someone as nice as Obito? He selflessly sacrificed himself to save a teammate and even went as far as to give up an eye to ensure their survival. How was it fair that he keeps facing one horror after another?

"What do you say?" His grinned never faded as he waited through my silence.

"…Sure," I answered with a weak grin of my own.

"Great," he ruffled my hair. "Konoha's a great place. You'll love it there!"

I moved to get up, but my legs gave way and I hit the ground flat on my face. My stomach growled loudly. Blood rushed to my face with heated embarrassment as I pushed myself off the ground. Obito took all of two seconds before he cracked up laughing at my predicament.

"Shut up!" I grumbled, rubbing my nose.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He said between laughs as he rummaged through his pouch. "I have some ration bars, they're not tasty, but they'll have to tide you over until we reach a Konoha outpost or a village."

I took the bars with a scowl. "You're still laughing."

"You have something on your nose." He sniggered and picked up a sturdy looking stick he likely found earlier to use as a crutch.

"Hey!" I retorted childishly.

The ration bars weren't that bad, I've had worse. No really, I've had worse. Ever try rotten shark meat? It's beyond putrid. It feels like putting death in your mouth. Why would I even know what that tastes like? Call it curiosity or stupidity if you want. However, it did make me appreciate food that doesn't taste like death all the more even if bars were on the bland side.

"So, what was that thing you did back there to heal me? A jutsu? A kekkai genkai?" asked Obito as we traveled. He moved slowly with his limp, grimacing every now and then. He did his best to hide his discomfort, but it was hard not to ignore the 15-minute interval breaks.

"I dunno, what's a kekkai genkai?" I feigned ignorance.

Kekkai genkai wasn't common knowledge outside of families that did have them. At least I don't think so. I know the healing bite was one of Karin's skills and she was an Uzumaki, but I'm not sure if it's restricted to the clan. The Uzumaki was probably the only clan in this world who had enough vitality to pull it off and use it in battle. Not surprising, considering how draining it took to use it. I barely did anything and I'm exhausted. How the hell did Karin manage to do it so many times?

"Ah… Never mind then." He waved it off, not wanting to get into a long explanation.

By mid-day, we couldn't have gone more than seven miles by foot. Sad, since I could've walk that in less than two hours in my old body. The chubby, slightly overweight, civilian body. Obito must be in really bad shape.

"Do you want to bite me again?" I asked when I saw him wheeze and lean against his makeshift clutch.

"No," he declined firmly before deflected with a playful tease. "You could barely keep up yourself. If I bite you again, I might just have to carry you for the rest of the way. Do you want a piggyback ride that much?"

I puffed up my cheeks indignantly. How many years of this babying do I need to live through? Unfortunately, as much as I hated the treatment, he was right. I could barely keep up myself. It was a hassle to put one foot in front of the other. I needed the breaks just as much as he did. Even if my old body was used to activities like hiking, my body right now was of a child. The most it's done was an hour's worth of walking in the market and needed mommy to carry her back on the ten-minute walk home.

"We'll take a break before we move on. Thirsty?" He offered his water bottle. We managed to pass by a river in the forest.

Any competent survival instructor would tell you to never drink untreated water, less you want to get sick and face a nasty case of the runs. Fortunately, Obito's pack had water-purifying tablets. I'm guessing that's the equivalent of iodine drops here. His pack got considerably lighter with each ration bar we ate. Not that it was big to begin with. I don't think he had any storage scrolls on him either. I hope whatever food we have will last until we reach a village or town.

"Look it here, a Konoha-nin all alone with a little brat," drawled a smug voice. A quick glance at his hitai-ate noted he was an Iwa-nin.

Shit, scratch food worries. Survival was quickly becoming an issue. Obito pushed me behind him as he stood his ground. He held his makeshift crutch defensively like a staff.

"You think you can take me on?" said Obito confidently. "I'm Obito Uchiha! I could take you on any day with my arms tied behind my back!" He was so bluffing.

The Iwa-nin laughed, not buying his bluff. It's not hard with the amount of bandages on Obito's face, his horribly mangled arm and limping leg. Really, if you're going to make a bluff like that, do it when you don't look like you've just crawled out from death's door. It might help with the convincing aspect of the bluff.

"An Uchiha huh?" drawled the man. "That means you have the sharingan right?"

Not sure if I should do a face palm or bash my head into the nearest tree. His bluff not only failed, but he also revealed he had the freaking sharingan. Genius!

"Well, Mr. Big-Shot. Looks like you lost one of your eyes. I'll be nice and even that out for you!" He promptly threw shurikens at us.

Obito slipped an arm around my waist and carried me like a sack of potatoes as he dodged out of harm's way. He gritted his teeth through the pain with each step. No doubt running on adrenaline by this point. Using his stick, he deflected what he could, but his mangled arm was slow to respond.

It didn't take long before a stray shuriken grazed his arm and his was forced to drop his crutch. The Iwa-nin took the opening and closed the distance with a drop kick from above. Obito pulled me to his chest as we hit the ground like dead weight.

"You okay?" grunted Obito through the pain as I scampered off him.

"Obito get up!" I pulled at his good arm, but he was spent. He couldn't move.

"Kasa, you have to run," hissed Obito as he pulled my arm off him.

"No!" I shook my head stubbornly and pushed my hand out to him. "You can bite me again! If you're healed, you can fight right?"

"Kasa!" warned Obito angrily as he shoved it away. "Run! You'll die if you stay."

"No!" I snapped back.

The Iwa-nin laughed loudly. "Isn't this sweet, you're squabbling in your last breath."

My heart raced and my body shook in exhaustion and fear. We're going to die. He's going to kill us. We're going die. He's going to kill us.

"Help." I squeaked out pathetically begging for anyone out here to help us, even Madara would be a welcome savior at this point.

"No one's around kid. Shout all you want," said the Iwa-nin, but stopped when Obito pulled out another kunai and pressed it under his remaining eye.

My body trembled, a lump caught at my throat too terrified to make even a sound. Obito slipped his arm around me and pulled me close to his chest. My vision blurred, tears threatening to spill at a moment's notice. He kept a comforting hand at the back of my head.

"Let her go or I'll destroy this eye," interrupted Obito, no doubt red with the sharingan. He was haggling for my life. "If you want it, she goes free. No tricks."

"Really?" drawled the Iwa-nin. "No tricks?"

"None. Just let her go," bargained the Uchiha.

"Hmm…" hummed the enemy ninja as he pretended to think. "No. I don't think I will."

Before Obito could gouge out his own eye, the kunai was knocked out of his hand and a figure hovered over us defensively.

"Ninja Art: Poison Mist!" shouted a familiar voice as a billow of purple cloud shot towards the Iwa-nin.

A second later, both Obito and I were scooped from the ground and dashed away from the spreading cloud of poison. The Iwa-nin gasped, gagging and choking in the poisonous mist before hitting the ground, dead. He won't be following us.

Obito sighed in exhaustion as he gripped his arm around me tightly, trying to calm my tremors. I clung onto him whimpering, fighting off the desire to bawl and sob hysterically.

"It's okay Kasa. I've got you," soothed a familiar voice. I glanced up unable to see through the blur of tears, but I could recognize the familiar shade of blue hair.

"D-Dad?" I hiccupped.

"It's okay honey, I got you," whispered Tesuri as he adjusted his grip on Obito and myself.

Relieved, I cried my heart out, clinging to Obito and drenching his shirt. The Uchiha pressed a comforting hand behind my head and allowed me to cry into his chest.

Author's Notes: I know I'm cheating a little with Karin's healing bite, but to be fair, there's not much else she could do at this age. Here, we get to see a little bit what the seals on her arms do. Again, it's a manual, but it doesn't mean she automatically knows how to use it. Same as having a recipe book, but you still have to figure out how to cook the food.

The issue with Madara, the manga wasn't exactly clear on how Madara saved Obito. Since he's attached to whatever that thing is I doubt he went out and dug Obito out. He could've had Zetsu do it I suppose, but I'm going to make a little leeway since in the manga Obito woke up in this "in between world" that's not living or dead. I'll reason he didn't get Obito here because he technically didn't "die" so he couldn't have kidnapped him as he was heading towards death's door while pass through in between world.

As for Obito's heroism, offering his eye to save Kasa, young Obito, before he became Tobi, was an extremely kind person. He goes out of the way to help people even if it inconveniences him. Here, Kasa is a little helpless kid. He doesn't know she's not really a kid and even if he did, he wouldn't let her die anyway. It's not in his character to abandon people.

A couple more points I need to bring up with Japanese usage. The villages for the most part and its ninjas, I will likely keep their Japanese name, like Konoha, Ame, Suna, etc. And its ninjas would be Konoha-nin, Ame-nin, Suna-nin, etc. Terms like Hitai-ate and Kekkai Genkai, I'm not going to bother translating because it's kind of obvious what those are, but I'll list the base word for the villages here for those who have no clue what they are, the ones I'm most likely going to use for the majority of the story at least.

Village List

Konoha- Leaf

Suna- Sand

Ame- Rain

Iwa- Stone

Kumo- Cloud

Kiri- Mist

Kusa- Grass

Oto- Sound

-gakure- Village Hidden in the (used in conjunction with the prefixes listed above)