Chapter 30: The Meaning of Peace

"Everyone… we welcome you to take part in recognizing the achievements and skills of this shinobi, as acknowledged by the village's predecessors. We hereby appoint the position of the shadow of the village, its sole protector, the title of Fifth Hokage, to Obito Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan."

As Jitsuko cradled her now 4 month old son, she watched from afar in a blend of gratification and pride as Obito slid on the traditional headpiece of past Hokages. After the countless years of worrying, of debilitating fear and anxiety over Obito's wellbeing and his status as a ninja, Jitsuko finally completed her ultimate goal of guiding Obito to the position he's always deserved – Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Obito took great pride in being the successor of the previous Hokage, Minato, and as tribute wore a dark blue robe with red flames at the edges, similar to Minato's, but blending it with the red, blue and white style of his clan. Family members or people from the Obito's personal life were not allowed on stage during his induction, but Jitsuko didn't mind. Joy was the only emotion she allowed herself to express in that instant. Kakashi was up there, too, as the new ambassador and assistant to Obito. Jitsuko knew that he was just as proud of Obito as she was.

Obito's eyes were red from his Sharingan, activated through sheer emotion of the occasion. His eyes scrutinized the sizable crowd before detecting and situating on Jitsuko. She thanked the heavens for being blessed with such an expressive husband. He tried so hard to keep a serious and professional demeanor for the crowd, but upon spotting her, he couldn't help but alleviate his expression into that of love. Of joy. Of gratitude for his family. He couldn't have done it without Jitsuko, without her imprint on this world. There were a thousand words to describe his face, and it struck Jitsuko then that he really wouldn't be here without her.

The crowd cheered and roared for the very first Uchiha Hokage, and the noise prompted a squirming sensation to develop in Jitsuko's arms as she looked down and observed with concern at her distressed child.

"Oh Tobi, it's too loud out here, huh," she cooed softly. "Well, I have a surprise for you. Come on, let's go on a little adventure," Jitsuko said while turning to leave the crowd, but not before giving Obito one final glance, one that told him, 'We love you. We are so proud of you.'

"Wow… can you believe it, Tobi? Your dad's the Hokage of the whole darn village now! I could only think of maybe… one, two, three… four other people with as much power as he has right now! But don't worry, he's still your same goofy father on the inside. You should've seen the way he acted when we were kids… I wonder… if you'll end up anything like him. Fiery… determined…"

There was the sound of children laughing and playing in the fields nearby as Jitsuko strolled peacefully with Tobi cradled in her arms.

"So… I know that he's… not going to be around much anymore… not while he's in charge of the village. But I'll make sure we go bug him every day when we bring him lunch. Would you like that?" She asked while poking her child's nose playfully, to which his onyx eyes scrunched up while grasping at the finger she had just poked his nose with.

"Oh yeah, you are definitely going to be feisty, just like your dad."

It was at that moment Jitsuko realized that she was carrying a full conversation with someone who won't understand her for another few years, with her only now taking note of passerby glancing in her direction in amusement as they walked by.

It can't be that weird talking with your kid in public, even when they have no idea what you're saying, right?

"Ah, who cares if they stare. Maybe they're just noticing how handsome you are!"

Jitsuko closed her eyes in delight and giggled with glee before her thoughts gravitated toward the intended destination.

"Tobi, I know it's a little early to be showing you something like this, but… there's someone that I'd like you to meet," she concluded with a hint of sadness in her voice as a grave marker became visible in her field of vision.

"Tobi, this is… well, Tobi. He was with me when I came to terms that I was having you. Don't get me wrong, you're such a joy to be around, but still… it was not a good day."

Jitsuko forced out a chuckle to try and lighten to mood, only to sigh when it failed.

"He's the reason… why you and I are both still here today. He's a hero… and an Uchiha too, just like you. I wanted him to be a big brother to you, someone you can look up to, since he had been through so much, but… well… life is good at taking your plans and throwing them in the trash. Especially in the ninja world."

Jitsuko sighed and slouched her shoulders, until her baby peered up at her with curious eyes, allowing a glimmer of love to return in Jitsuko's own eyes.

"I couldn't protect him. The least I could do was name you after him. But I promise I won't ever let anything happen to you. Your dad and I are going to teach you to be strong and to be proud of where you came from. So you can protect the village, just like him and Tobi."

Tobi began to fuss and struggle against Jitsuko's grasp, prompting a friendly smile to form over her lips.

"What, are you saying that's not what you want to do? Heh, we'll see where life takes you, alright? Who knows where you'll go. Oh, I know! How funny would it be if you ended up getting transported to my world and getting accustomed there…!"

She laughed before the concept and possibility of it really began to sink in.

"…Remind me to never allow you near any ponds, Tobi."

"So, I kind of lied. I said I had a surprise for you, Tobi, but I actually have two. I'm taking you somewhere special, a place that is very dear to your mom's heart. But first, I need a break. You're getting heavy, Tobi!"

Jitsuko held Tobi in the crook of her elbow as she formed hand signs to create a large heap of dirt to elevate from the ground. Upon sitting at the makeshift earth mound just outside the village square, a rowdy group of Yamanaka members spotted Jitsuko and began whispering to one another.

"Hey, isn't that Jitsuko? Isn't she the one who disrupted the Chunin Exams a while back?"

"I'm surprised she's still showing her face after that!"

Jitsuko's mood dampened over the reminder of what she had done. That is, until another member piped up louder than the rest.

"Do you people have no shame? Have some respect for the wife of the Hokage!"

The blaring tone caused the other members to notice that Jitsuko had been listening, and they apologized profusely for acting so disrespectful. One member even complimented her baby, and recommended what scents best calm sour moods and aching stomachs from them. It was a jarring shift of tone from a moment ago, but a welcome one.

Not long after, Tobi began to make noises indicating that he was hungry, so Jitsuko retrieved a bottle of milk from her satchel and guided him to it gently.

"You know, I can't wait until you're old enough for me to take you to Ichiraku Ramen. When I was younger, I was too timid to go in there by myself, so your father led the way for me. He was always such a go-getter, even when we were still at the academy. Seriously, your dad had no fear then. It's one of the many reasons why I love him. Heh, you should have seen the look on his face when I tried to use chopsticks for the very first time, though."

Young Obito observed in a mix of fascination and disbelief as Jitsuko fumbled with her chopsticks, struggling hard to pinch even a piece of chicken between them. Each time she thought she had it and lifted the sticks close to her mouth, Jitsuko's fingers would twitch and lose the grasp she had on anything while making a small mess.

"What are you, from a different nation or something?"

"Um, I guess you could say that…"

"Well don't tell me you've only ever eaten with your hands, you weirdo!"

"Look tough guy, if you're so smart, try picking up a huge chunk of ramen and eat it without dropping even one piece of noodle!"

The young Uchiha laughed and flashed his signature cocky grin while lowering the oversized goggles over his eyes. "Let a pro show you how it's done!"

Jitsuko finished recollecting just in time for the bottle to be almost empty. Seemingly satisfied, Tobi then closed his eyes to rest, until his irritated eyes cracked open again, distracted by two small birds whistling and playfully chasing each other on a nearby branch. Hearing the peaceful tune, Jitsuko couldn't help but try to mimic their whistling, only for her to fail spectacularly like so many times before.

"Oh, whatever. Whistling is overrated anyway," she huffed in mild agitation. "I never could figure out how people whistle. They always say, 'oh, just pretend you're sucking on a straw,' but that doesn't help. Obito can whistle, but I don't think it's a genetic thing, so maybe you'll be able to do it, Tobi!"

"…."

"And I wonder… what else you'll be able to do that I couldn't…."

Jitsuko was referring to how her feelings of inadequacy led her to retiring as a shinobi. She prayed that Tobi will never have to go through what she did, and that he will grow into a stronger shinobi then she ever was.

"Which reminds me… what chakra nature are you going to have? Earth? Fire? Maybe both? What else could I never do that maybe you could? Oh, I could never find a summoning animal to make a contract with. Don't tell anyone, but it's because I could never find the courage to intentionally hurt myself to get the blood needed to sign the contract. Heh, your mother is such a baby when it comes to pain. I'm probably an even bigger baby than you are!"

Tobi passed Jitsuko a stare that almost looked as if he was offended.

"Aw, you know I'm just playing. I believe that you could get a summoning animal if you wanted to. I'm just excited at all the potential you have inside of you. I can't wait to see which path you take."

While idly chatting, Jitsuko caught herself fiddling with the ring on her left hand again. She couldn't help it; each time she'd press and prod at her ring she was reminded that even though Obito could be gone on missions for months, and he will be away more because of his new duties as Hokage, no matter how far apart the two may be physically, the ring wrapped around her finger is a constant yet gentle reminder that there is a piece of his soul with Jitsuko always, and her with him as well. She couldn't help but recall the part of their wedding where it was Obito's turn to state his vows…

"Jitsuko… all my life I wanted to…" Obito then whispered, "Wait, no," before his voice returned to the faux confident tone Jitsuko had become accustomed to detecting. "Jitsuko, you m-mean the world to me… that's why I want to spend the rest of my life with you – loving you, p-protecting you..."

Obito was so nervous then. Through the entirety of his vows his voice shook in apprehension as he stumbled over his words. He was clearly struggling, but behind that shroud of the nervous wreck that he was, Jitsuko also saw just how completely smitten he was with her.

"Alright let's keep going, you're really going to like this surprise."

The air eventually grew noticeably hot and humid, and Jitsuko soon learned that it was because they were in close proximity of the village hot springs.

"I think you'll like the hot springs when you're older too, Tobi. A visit to the hot springs after a long day of shinobi work is like heaven, unless… it goes like… that one time…"

"Come on, Obito-sensei, you're too slow!" Five year old Naruto howled while running toward the entrance to the hot springs with Obito close behind.

"You have a problem with me? 'Bakashi' is farther back than I am!"

"I'm not that far back, Obito. I can still hear you."

Jitsuko, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were asked by Minato and Kushina to look after Naruto while they were away on important shinobi business, so the five of them decided to take the day to relax at the hot springs. The issue was that this required attendees to be nude, which Jitsuko felt uncomfortable with. Luckily, the men's and women's sections were separated by a sturdy fence, and it was just her and Rin there. Despite the fence blocking the view, it did nothing to hide the sounds emanating from the other side. Naruto was ecstatic to be there, she could tell. The vicious splashing and constant howls only ceased when they became overshadowed by the pleas of Obito and Kakashi for the small boy to calm the heck down. She and Rin remained quiet, amused by the antics going on mere feet away from their vulnerable forms. That is, until something roused the two of them into looking at each other wide-eyed and anxiously.

"Hey, what's with this giant wall, anyway? Are they hiding something over there? What if it's hidden treasure?!"

"Well Naruto," Kakashi stated in a more relaxed tone. His mask was the only article of clothing still adorning him. "What's over there may be treasure to some, but not in the way you-"

"WHAT?! So there is treasure over there? I wanna see!"

"Way to go, 'Bakashi'! You made it sound like there are pirates over there!"

Kakashi sweatdropped and shrugged while directing his full attention to Obito. "I was just trying to-"

*SMASH*

*SCREAM*

"So where's the treasure? We know you girls are hiding it!"

Kakashi and Obito both turned frantic as they both stared at each other in nervous hysterics, completely terrified of tearing their gaze away from each other to inspect the damage Naruto had caused. With their teeth clenched, they slowly and shakily forced their heads in the direction of the crash and found a five-year-old boy sized hole in the separator, with Naruto's nude backside still visible from the pool. Obito and Kakashi glanced at each other in uncertainty for a split second before frantically rising to get Naruto out of there. Upon entering the women's section, they watched Jitsuko and Rin in horror as Naruto continued to point and accuse them of hiding the treasure from him.

"Give it up already, it's cold out here!"

"Naruto get back here or we're leaving," Kakashi said in a more nervous yet serious tone while he and Obito scampered through the hole in the wall and each grabbed one of his arms. Obito couldn't explain it, but something inside forced his eyes to gravitate toward Jitsuko. Rin was smart and remained concealed within the pool, but Jitsuko had since leaped out of the steaming water out of fright and were huddled naked in the corner trying her best to cover herself with her arms and hands. Obito's cheeks then burned an intense red, and it became apparent that the sweat coating his face wasn't just from the steam anymore. Jitsuko's cheeks stung and turned into a flushed pink upon making eye contact with him, but while his face expressed surprise, Obito's heart leaped from his chest once hers contorted into violated anger.

"I'm never going to forget that day… heh… what really got me was what Kakashi said to try and calm me down…"

"Oh relax, Jitsuko. It's not like it's the first time he's seen you topless."

He was recalling what happened between her and Obito in the tent while on the mission near the Cloud Village. The way Rin jerked her head at Jitsuko in confusion and surprise only added fuel to the mortification she suffered at that very moment.

Jitsucko then lifted her pointer finger up at Tobi as if she was teaching a stern lesson, and while doing so she declared, "Now, I would never in my life hit your dad, but I'm sure the walls inside that place still has holes from the rocks I chucked to scare them away that day. What did they do to get rocks thrown at them, you might ask," she continued playfully, knowing full well that Tobi asked no such thing.

"Maybe I'll tell you when you're older."

While continuing her stroll, Jitsuko noted how there were an abundance of Uchiha casually going about their day. It felt so surreal that she was now officially part of that clan. After disbanding the conspiring side of the clan, it allowed their true selves to really shine. They truly were a wonderful clan of inspiring people, and she felt so blessed to be able to be a part of that every day. One small group of them in particular then approached her from the opposite direction. They were accompanied by other clan members – Hyuga, Aburame, Nara – and were all smiling and laughing as they passed her by. It was still so strange seeing the Uchiha alive and well, but so worth the struggles Jitsuko went through to see them finally branch out and blossom with other clans. It signified that there was finally harmony within the Hidden Leaf Village, and the elders welcoming an Uchiha as the village's leader consolidated the fact.

And to think this is all happening because of me.

Jitsuko had truly changed everything. Everyone in this world is now better off because of her. She smiled warmly at the thought.

"Did you hear about the Hidden Sand, though?" The Hyuga member in the group spoke up in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah, I heard from a double agent that they're planning on attacking the Hidden Cloud Village soon."

"Hidden Cloud? Weren't they allies or something?"

"No, I think they were always enemies."

"Is our village going to get involved?"

"Who knows? With the new Hokage, it's anyone's guess."

That's right. Even though we've solved the tension among clans in our village… there's still conflict among all the nations.

This reminded her of something. Ever since Jitsuko's fateful encounter with Madara Uchiha, his haunting last spoken words still troubled her…

"This world… you have doomed this world, woman. You do not realize what you have done. You will never understand what it means to achieve… true… peace."

Madara wasn't really "evil," he just had an invasive view of peace that he would sacrifice anything or anyone to achieve. He thought that Jitsuko didn't understand what war is. Her face then turned visibly sour.

I fought through one to save Obito's life. I stopped him from creating another war! I… I do understand what it takes to achieve peace…!

…Right?

But she then realized that if the fourth great ninja war never happens, then the five great nations will never join forces and would instead continue to fight one another.

She would essentially be ruining peace.

Is… is that what Madara meant that day…?

What am I talking about? I'm not actually regretting what I did, am I? Think about it. Since I intervened here, Obito never despaired, the nine-tails never got released, Minato and Kushina are still alive and can be a family for Naruto, Itachi doesn't have to massacre his entire clan and join the Akatsuki… I don't even think the Akatsuki is even formed because of me… wow! At least, not with the intentions they were going to have if I weren't here. Not to mention all the lives that were spared that would have been lost in the fourth war.

Still, the allied shinobi force will NEVER happen under any other circumstance like in the original show, and conflict and mistrust will continue throughout the five nations. Do the pros outweigh the cons?

Was Madara right? Did I ruin peace in this world for my own selfish gain?

Jitsuko started to seriously wonder if her intervening was really the right thing to do, but as she continued to walk, she passed by the Ninja Academy and spotted Naruto looking excited while yelling in delight with his parents pushing him on the swing he despaired on in another life. Another noise on the opposite end drew her attention to Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke together. Itachi appeared to be less pale and his stress lines not as prominent, indicating that Jitsuko's pleas to visit a hospital got through to him. Nearby was Kakashi and Rin walking happily together. His left eye was unscarred and uncovered, with a gentle look in his eyes that isn't spotted on him often while gazing at Rin with her reddened cheeks. Jitsuko even spotted teenage Iruka with his parents, the same ones who would have passed away during the nine-tails attack. He looked happy.

Finally, Jitsuko's sight landed on the being 30 feet in front of her. From a short distance, she watched Obito still in his Hokage uniform standing by the bench in the park where it all began. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom and a gentle breeze blew the loose sakura petals downward and around the Uchiha, creating a breathtaking display as he observed his wife and child with proud and loving eyes, all while clearly trying to hide a bouquet of flowers behind his back.

So this must be the reason why I was summoned here.

Jitsuko firmly believed that the reason why she came to this world was to save Obito. But save him in what way? Her plans when she first came to this world was to rewrite events in Obito's life for the better. That was why she dedicated her life and did everything in her power to see his vision through. He won't let the village fall into another war. His life was supposed to be a blessing, Jitsuko truly believed that. But she never would have imagined that the greatest blessing in Obito's life would turn out to be her.

Clutching the child she and Obito had out of love, Jitsuko advanced toward him, wearing the large symbol of the Uchiha on her back with pride. Yes, it was worth everything.

I won't ever regret what I did.

A/N: Well there it is, folks! We have completed our fantastic journey into the Naruto world! To clarify some things: there have been some questions as to why Jitsuko was transported mysteriously to the Narutoverse. My reasoning for this is because I am a huge fan of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, where the player inserts their personalities into a Pokemon after being transported into the Pokemon world for seemingly no reason. I wanted the start of this story to be reminiscent and a tribute to that.

So, what did you think? Were there any chapters or scenes that you would like to comment on? What was your favorite chapter? Least favorite chapter? Most memorable moment? Why? I want to hear from you guys and see what really makes this story stand out to you. Please, feel free to tell me anything!

I also want to thank each and every one of you readers for sticking with me this far and leaving comments and support in any way you could. Even those who have left criticism that was less than constructive. It's people like you who have inspired me to keep writing strongly and give Obito the ending he deserves! And with that, thank you for helping to rewrite his story~