There are no underage relations in this fic. I repeat: there are NO underage relations in this fic.

He hears the kid before he sees him.

Obito tosses away the severed arm and hears it thud mutely behind him as he turns to seek out the source of the rustling. He isn't on high alert – the sound is too small to be of a threat and the chakra signature is, at best, of a recent academy graduate. Still, he remains attentive, in case it's some of these shinobi's students.

The kid that comes peering out, wide-eyed, is not of Konoha. Instead, on his forehead lies an Iwagakure protector. The child wears nothing but a simple robe – not unlike his own – and has a long mane of golden hair. He carries a messenger bag on his shoulder.

Obito tilts his head, crossing his arms and waiting for the child to say something.

"Hi," the kid says, his voice cracking and Obito gets the further confirmation he needs that he's on the cusp of puberty.

He doesn't answer him, tilting his head at an angle to tell him to continue.

The child looks behind him and he knows that he's staring at the corpses. He had come across a patrol of Konoha ninjas and while he originally had planned to leave them alone, he had overheard them talk about a masked man loitering around the village the day of the massacre.

Obito couldn't care less about being known, but he knows that Madara would very much prefer his presence being unknown. Best keep this knowledge to only two people.

"I-I saw you, y-yeah," the kid continues, slowly coming out from behind the tree.

"Do not be afraid," Obito finds himself saying, although he doesn't care whether or not the kid is scared of him. He's just a kid.

"I-I'm not!"

Obito nods and then gestures to his forehead.

"What are you doing out here? It's a way away from your village, kid," Obito says.

The kid raises a hand to touch his forehead protector, slim fingers scraping against the rough metal.

"I left that place, hm," he proudly says, puffing out his chest and trying to look as tough as a twelve-year-old can look without coming off as cute. "It's holding me back from my true potential, yeah, so I left to find a better way to improve myself!"

A strange feeling bubbles inside of Obito's chest but he keeps quiet about it. He nods sagely, though he somehow doubts that the kid can do much improving on his own, no matter what kind of 'prodigy' he might be.

"It's dangerous to be out here on your own," Obito says, nodding toward the lifeless bodies that lay on the grass. They were easy enough to dispatch since he had the element of surprise.

"Yeah," the kid says and Obito finds it strange that he'd so readily agree with something like that, "that's why I wanted to know if you're willing to take me in!"

Obito stands there, dumb, for a while before the child's words register.

"What?"

"Take me in," the kid says. "I saw the whole thing, you know. I saw how you were in a tree and then – bam! – you were on top of them, yeah, ripping their heads off! It was so fast and so cool!"

So, the kid is a weirdo. Can he not find anyone who is remotely normal around here?

"This isn't something to be proud of," he says, grim.

"But it just shows how fleeting life is!"

"Fleeting," Obito echoes.

"Yeah, fleeting, hm!" the kid reaches into his messenger bag, digging around. The action seems harmless enough but Obito still keeps his guard high. It isn't until he sees the child take out a wad of clay that he relaxes once more.

"Look!" he says, but then he just stands there, looking really confused.

Obito is patient, though. He doesn't have much left in the world but a lot of time on his hands.

It takes him a while to realize that the kid isn't just standing there. He's looking at his hands, eyebrows furrowed in a very concentrated expression, but it's clear that it's not really helping his case, whatever it might be that he's doing.

Obito takes the risk and walks over to the child, holding out his hand to see what he's doing.

The child puts his hand into Obito's without question – too trusting, he thinks – and Obito could see that he's got mouths on his palms. They look bloody and there are remnants of ink on them, etching a design that Obito is only vaguely familiar with. He ignores that for the moment and checks out the mouths, noticing how they are moving – chewing.

"Interesting," Obito says when he realizes he's just been standing there.

"Yeah!" the kid says, clearly excited, and then takes his hand away when the mouth spits out the wad of clay. "Look!"

He says that and then he goes to mold the clay with both of his hand, carefully pulling and tugging and it's all so awfully slow. Obito wonders why the child is doing this. There is no time for sculpting and even if they do, sculpting doesn't seem like an appropriate thing to do right now.

Still, he humors the child and lets him do his thing, watching as experienced – but still slow – fingers work on the white wad of clay until it turns into something that resembles a butterfly.

He senses that the kid's chakra is molding and he glances at him, ready to strike if he does something wrong, but he's just holding out his hand and forming a one-handed seal – impressive – and then the butterfly begins to shift in his hand.

The once-lifeless sculpture comes to life in front of his very eyes, twitching and moving and then it flutters into the air, behaving just as a normal butterfly would. It lands on his shoulder, wings fluttering.

"That's cute," Obito says, unimpressed.

The kid gives him a look and Obito shrugs. The butterfly takes off from his shoulder and it flies over to the bodies that lay behind them. Obito follows it with his gaze and when it lands on one of the bodies, the kid yells something he doesn't bother to catch and the butterfly explodes, shredding the body.

Obito looks, glad that his mask hides his surprised expression, and then turns to the child, nodding approvingly.

"Explosive Release," he says. "You're part of the Explosive Corps."

"You know about them?" the child asks, no longer offended that he called his weapon of choice 'cute.'

"Who doesn't?" Obito says, making sure his smile is evident in his voice. "You've got potential, kid. I'm surprised you decided to leave Iwagakure when you're this talented."

"They won't let me progress any further than that," the kid says bitterly. "Dad said it was too dangerous and old man Onoki won't budge either, hm, so I'm going to show them that I can become better! I'm going to show all of them, yeah!"

Obito nods, reaching out to take the child's hand in his bandaged one. He runs a thumb over the lips of the palm-mouth, watching as it parts and licks at him and notes how the kid winces at the action. It's fresh.

"This isn't natural," he notes.

"No," the kid winces, taking his hand back and rubs around the lips. He looks pained the entire time. "I stole Iwagakure's kinjutsu, hm."

Obito snorts and, when he finds out he can't hold it back, lets out a hearty laugh.

"You really are determined to become a criminal, huh?" Obito says when he manages to stop laughing.

"If it means I can find the ultimate art, hm," the kid says.

"Ultimate art," Obito hums, crossing his arms again. The clay makes sense, then. Explosive clay is an interesting way to combine skills if he has to be honest with himself. "You're really interesting, kiddo, I'll give you that."

The kid seems to preen at the compliment.

"What's your name?"

"Deidara, hm!"

"Alright, Deidara," Obito laughs, reaching out to tussle his hair, "I wish you luck in your journey of finding your ultimate art and I hope I get to hear about you in a few years and see you in the bingo books, wreaking havoc wherever you might be."

He thinks Deidara can. With a passion and talent like that, there's no doubt that the kid would become some kind of bomber, tossing innocent looking sculptures at people, only to have it literally blow up in front of their faces.

He takes note of Deidara's excited expression and turns to leave, hearing a small gasp when he does.

"Wait!" Deidara calls out, little feet pattering against the grass floor and then he feels equally as tiny hands grasp at his robe. "Are you not going to take me in, yeah?"

"Take you in?" Obito repeats, reaching to untangle Deidara's hands from his robe. "I can't take you in, boy. We're strangers."

"But I need a mentor," Deidara says, "and you seem to be okay with killing people, which means you aren't like my dad and the old man Onoki, hm!"

Obito winces at that, glancing at the bodies once more.

"Doesn't mean I'm okay with teaching you it," he says, firmly putting Deidara's hands back by his sides. He kneels down, holding the child in place. "Listen, kid, I respect your choice of choosing such a violent way to express your art, but you can't follow me. I do dangerous things that a child should never be involved in."

Deidara tilts his head. "That's so cool!" he says, instead of realizing the weight of Obito's situation. "Secrets, hm! Are you in trouble? Is that why you wear a mask?"

Obito sighs, standing up and putting his hand on Deidara's head.

"No," he says, but he doesn't go on any further. "Kid, please, go on your own and get your own experiences. It is the only genuine way you can make your own art."

Deidara seems to consider his words for a second and Obito is ready to breathe out a breath of relief, but then the kid pipes up.

"But I'm a kid, you say it yourself," he says, "that means I can't take care of myself yet, hm, so I need a capable adult to do that for me."

Obito suddenly feels exhausted.

"That's not what I mean when I call you 'kid,' Deidara," he tries. "If you had the ability to steal the kinjutsu and survive after using it, I'm sure you can take care of yourself and grow up to be a dangerous missing-nin. Go on your own, now."

When Obito lets go of his head, Deidara doesn't seem to make an effort to move. Nodding to himself, he turns to leave again.

He manages to take five steps in the opposite direction before a set of tiny footsteps echo his.

"Deidara," Obito warns.

"Please?" comes Deidara's voice, now behind him. He feels a weight pressing up against his back and slim arms wrap around his torso.

Obito untangles Deidara's grip.

"No means no, Deidara," Obito says.

"I can make more sculptures, not just butterflies, yeah! I can make spiders and centipedes!"

"Deidara, I'm not concerned about what you can make. I'm not looking for an apprentice or a follower. I've got one already."

"But I've been alone for two days now, hm," Deidara says, sounding pitiful.

"And you seem to be doing alright."

"I haven't had anything to eat."

Obito pauses.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Zetsu emerge from the ground, signaling to him. Obito calls him off. Zetsu disappears.

"I'm very hungry, hm," Deidara says.

Obito sighs.

"Lunch," Obito says. "We can have lunch and then we part ways, okay?"

Deidara squeals – god, he's just a child – and then jumps up and down. The way he acts does not strike Obito as a hardened thief who stole Iwagakure's kinjutsu, or someone who would be able to take care of himself on his own, explosive release or not.

Obito pushes all those thoughts away before they manifest into something even more dangerous. He lets Deidara climb on his back and bury his face in his long hair. He reaches behind him to support Deidara and begins to head to the nearest village.

As he walks, he notices that Deidara is very dirty. There is a lot of dirt and grime on his hands and the rest of him isn't looking any better. He carries a certain smell that, while not unpleasant, is still pungent enough to alert others of his presence.

It then strikes him that the kid must have left the village without carrying any money. It does make sense – he's only twelve-years-old and if he's right, his dad must be strict enough to not let him carry anything more than a lunch's worth. Anything he packed must be gone because the only thing that Deidara carries with him is his pouch of clay.

That clay must mean a lot to him.

They aren't even halfway before he hears Deidara's soft snores. He sighs to himself but he does, nonetheless, feel a little proud of himself. It's the little acts, he supposes.

When they reach the village, Obito ignores the way others dart to get out of his way. He makes a beeline toward the nearest restaurant, looking over their menu before deciding that it's good enough and asks for a table of two.

The waitress looks at him with a bemused expression and then leads him inside, gesturing to a table near the middle of the restaurant.

"Deidara," Obito says, jostling his shoulder to wake the child.

"Hm," Deidara mumbles, nuzzling his face further into his hair.

"Wake up," he says. "Lunch."

"Fluffy," Deidara mumbles.

"Food," Obito responds.

Deidara pushes himself away from his hair – he should cut it soon – and then looks around. It takes him a few moments but then he is jumping, wriggling in Obito's grasp.

Obito bends down to let him off his back. He tuts him and orders Deidara to sit down and behave before taking his seat.

"Would you like a kid's menu, sir?" the hostess says, coming back with two cups of hot tea.

"Would you?" Obito directs the question to Deidara.

"No!" Deidara says, bouncing in his seat.

Obito sighs at the childish display. The hostess offers him a smile and then gestures to the other end of the wall, where the menu is printed on.

"Pick whatever you want," Obito says.

Deidara seems excited. Obito doesn't need to eat, so he decides on only getting a small snack.

It takes Deidara a while before he settles on a bowl of ramen with two side dishes. It feels like too big of a meal for someone to eat after two days of starvation, but since Deidara is still growing, he brushes it aside and waves the hostess back. She's the only one working right now, it seems.

"I would like a plate of dango," he tells the hostess, who nods along to his words. "He would like a bowl of ramen with udon and miso soup." He pauses, glancing at the menu once more. "And give me the Bakudan roll, too."

The hostess nods. "Would that be all?"

"Yes."

The hostess nods again and heads toward the kitchen.

Obito reaches out for his tea, holding the cup and letting it warm his hand as he watches Deidara.

"You tired?" he asks.

"A bit," Deidara says.

Obito nods. Deidara reaches for his cup of tea and takes a tentative sip, wincing when it scalds his tongue. Obito watches him with a passive expression.

He must have had a hard time finding a safe place to sleep. Obito brings the cup closer to him, but he still doesn't take a sip from it.

"Why do you wear a mask?" Deidara suddenly asks.

"To hide my face," Obito responds.

"Why do you hide your face?"

"So that others won't be able to see it."

"Why don't you want others to see it?"

"Because I want my identity to be hidden."

"Why do you want your identity to be hidden?"

"Because I don't want it to be known."

"Why do you not want it to be known?"

"Because it's a secret."

"Why is it a secret?"

"That's a secret, too."

"Why is that a secret?"

"Because secrets are meant to be secret so that others don't know."

"Why don't you want others to know?"

"Because that's what a secret is."

Deidara tilts his head but before he can fire another barrage of childish questions, the hostess comes back with their food. Obito glances at her and then looks around the restaurant, realizing that the place is nearly deserted save for two others that are already served.

Obito leans back from the table and lets go of his cup, letting the hostess place the food on the table, saying thanks underneath his breath as she walks away.

Deidara lunges forward to grab a pair of chopsticks, digging in after a hasty "I'm going to eat."

Obito watches as the kid devours his meal, not even bothering to look up. He uses this to his advantage and finishes his dango. As famished as Deidara says he is, he doesn't seem to be able to match his speed. Obito places the sticks back on the plate and then takes a sip of his tea before adjusting his mask.

Deidara's focus is still on his food. Obito chuckles to himself, shaking his head as he holds his cup until Deidara looks back up, eyes wide. He watches as he bites off the noodles, the strands sloshing back into the broth. Deidara looks down at the dango and then back at him.

"Take your time," Obito says.

Deidara swallows, pouting.

"I wanted some, hm," he mutters.

"We can order more," Obito says. He reaches for the Bakudan rolls and pushes them toward him. "Here, have these. I think you would like them."

"What are they?"

"Bakudan rolls."

"Are you making fun of me, hm?" Deidara grumbles but he takes a roll, plopping it in his mouth. He watches as the kid looks this way and that, chewing slowly.

When he's done, he blinks at him and then a wide grin appears on his face.

"It's delicious, yeah!"

"Is it because it's called Bakudan?" Obito laughs.

Deidara hums and then digs back in.

By the time Deidara is finished with his meal, Obito has already gone through three other cups of tea. He doesn't need any substance, due to Hashirama's cells, but still, he doesn't want Deidara to feel lonely.

Deidara sighs contently, leaning back and patting his stomach.

"That was good," he says. "Thank you for the meal, sir."

Obito huffs and then grabs the bill, standing. "Don't call me 'sir,'" he says, heading toward the till.

The hostess notices him stand and hurries to the counter, making the transaction quick. Obito reaches out to place his hand on Deidara's shoulder to guide the kid out of the restaurant.

"What's your name, yeah?" Deidara asks, reaching up to grab his sleeve.

Obito looks down at him, watching him for a long time.

"Do you want a bath, kid?" he asks instead of answering his question.

"Yeah!" Deidara grins.

"Come on," he says, leading Deidara toward the nearest hotel.

"You're not going to do anything weird, are you, hm?"

"Weird?" Obito scoffs. "You're the one who wanted to tag along, kiddo. I only want to make sure you're okay before I leave you."

"Leave me?" Deidara frowns, his grip tightening. "But I thought you said I can follow you!"

"I never said that," Obito says, slightly annoyed but impressed that he's already naturally skilled at emotional manipulation. "I said we go our separate ways after lunch."

Deidara is pouting. Obito ignores that. Out of the corner of his eye – again – he sees Zetsu wave at him. Obito shakes his head minutely and then Zetsu is gone.

The hotel is more packed than usual and Obito doesn't bother asking for two rooms. He'll let Deidara have the room for the entire week, just long enough for him to get on his feet. He won't stay with him so it won't get weird.

The man at the desk seems to be in the belief that he's Deidara's older brother, which is rather strange, but he lets the man live his little lie and takes Deidara's hand, guiding him up the stairs before the kid's big mouth can correct the man.

Obito lets go of Deidara's hand when the kid trots on inside the room. He slides the door shut and then, with a loud groan, he sits down on the floor, kicking off his sandals and then laying down.

Deidara looks at him.

"What?" Obito asks.

"I thought you said you were going to leave," Deidara says. He sounds like he's teasing him.

"Go take a bath," Obito says.

Deidara takes off his shoes and then heads to the bathroom.

A sound comes to his left and then Obito turns to find Zetsu staring right at him.

"Should I get rid of him?" White Zetsu asks.

"Leave him alone," Obito sighs, turning away from his partner and sliding his hands under his mask, pressing against his eyes. "He's just a kid."

"He doesn't seem to want to leave," Black Zetsu says.

"He's just a kid," Obito responds firmly, pushing aside all of Zetsu's accusations and implications and leaving no room for argument.

"What do you want me to do?" White Zetsu asks.

"Get him some new clothes," Obito says, "and a little bag."

"Okay," Black Zetsu says and then the two of them disappear.

He hears the water start to run.

Obito listens to the sloshing of the liquid and Deidara's humming of a song he's unfamiliar with until Zetsu returns, holding out a stack of clothes fit for a child of Deidara's size on top of a similarly sized bag.

"Good," Obito says, waving his hand and Zetsu places the stack beside his head.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get rid of him?" White Zetsu asks.

"Yes," Obito says, annoyed.

"Okay," Black Zetsu replies and then they sink underground once more.

It takes another ten minutes before he hears the water stop. Obito stands and grabs an outfit off the top of the pile – some bluish-green robes – and then heads over to the bathroom. He kneels down in front of the door and gently raps against it.

Obito ignores the sudden jolt of noise and speaks up, "I got you new clothes so you can wash those rags of yours. I'll place them outside the door. Take them whenever you're ready."

He places the neatly folded clothes in front of the door and then gets up, walking toward the other side of the room and lays back down on the ground, closing his eyes to rest them.

He hears the door slide and exactly two water droplets dripping on the tatami. Deidara takes the clothes and then slides the door shut. A few moments pass and then Deidara walks out, heading toward him.

"What?" Obito asks.

"When did you get these?" Deidara asks, turning this way and that to look at his new clothes.

"While you were taking a bath," Obito responds. "Where are your dirty clothes?"

"Here," Deidara says.

"Put them in the basket and tell the guy downstairs that you need some washing up done," he says. "I'll leave you with a string of coins so try and budget yourself."

He doesn't hear Deidara respond. Obito opens his eyes to find Deidara staring directly at his mask, probably trying to peer into his eyehole. Obito waves his hand at him and sits up, rolling his shoulders and turning his neck.

He reaches inside of his robe and takes out the remainder of his money. It's not a lot, but it's definitely enough to last the kid for a month if he only uses it on food. He can get his water from the forest they were just in.

He places the string of coins next to the bag Zetsu got him and then he stands, looming over Deidara. He nods at the kid and gives him a pat on his wet head.

"See you around," Obito says, like a liar. He would not like to come across this kid ever again, at least not until he's grown into a man.

Deidara blinks at him, those blue eyes becoming suspiciously watery.

Obito doesn't wait for a response and turns to go.

He hears a sniffle.

Is he crying?

Obito thinks that's annoying.

Obito rests his hand on the door and then he hears another, louder, sniffle.

"Stop crying," he says. "If you want to be a great shinobi, you have to stop crying."

"No one's been so nice to me, hm!" Deidara says and then he lets out an 'oof' when Deidara launches himself at him, arms wrapping around his torso again. He buries his face in his back, getting his clothes all wet with his hair. "Please, sir, I still have so much to learn, hm! You can take care of me!"

Obito sighs, annoyance building.

"You can take care of yourself," he says. "Don't ask for strangers to take care of you."

"Please!"

Obito clicks his tongue.

"I have a lot of things to do," he says. "I need to go."

"Take me with you! I promise I can be helpful, hm!"

How annoying but strangely endearing.

Obito stands there, thinking, and then he goes and untangles Deidara's hands. He feels the kid trying to resist but since he's just a kid, he easily overpowers him and forces his arms down.

Obito turns and kneels down, getting eye-level with the little ninja and holds his shoulders, keeping him in place.

His eyes are red and puffy, hot streams of tears rolling down his face. Obito reaches out and slicks the little baby bang out of Deidara's face, uncaring of the fact that the hair is wetting his bandages.

"Don't cry," he says, his voice gentle. He waits for Deidara to calm down, his growing sobs dying before they can get any worse. When there is nothing but little sniffles coming out of the kid, Obito continues.

"You said you can be helpful," Obito says and Deidara nods furiously, "but you said you can't take care of yourself. How do you expect me to let you help if you can't fend for yourself?"

Deidara seems to have neglected this fact.

"I can't take care of a kid while working," he warns Deidara, who is deflating by the second. "If you want to tag along… you'll have to promise me that while I'm off doing something, you'll practice on your own."

Deidara's eyes light up and he blinks at him.

Obito knows he just wants someone to look up to, someone to admire and prove himself to. A kid this age needs some sort of role model, no matter how twisted they are. If Deidara can't find one soon, he fears he'll grow up all fucked up, like many of the people Nagato is looking to hire.

If he can be this little guy's difference, why pass up the chance? Even though it's not his entire world – or the entire world itself – it would be Deidara's.

He'll make sure the kid grows up fine and then he'll leave.

He thinks it's noble. He thinks he's doing something right for once.

"We'll be on the move a lot," Obito warns him, "and I won't always be there, so you'll have to learn to become independent."

Deidara nods, weary.

"But I'll be there if you call for me," Obito adds, smiling slightly at the way Deidara seems to light up at that.

Deidara grins and steps forward, wrapping his arms around Obito's neck and giving him the biggest hug he can.

"Nice to meet you, Deidara," he says after a few moments of hesitation, wrapping his arms around Deidara's shoulders. "My name is Obito."

"Uchiha Obito."

Hey guys, Red here!

NOTE: This is my first conscious attempt at a slow burn.

Beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN (was Kate_Black14).

Special thanks to LipsOfFrost/frosty-fantasy!

Oh, yeah, another multi-chaptered fic. I hope you guys are ready for this journey because I'm actually pretty proud of this one.

And I did do math for this fic! I decided to plan out all future chapters so that I won't ever forget or run out of ideas and I realized I had to construct and semi-canonical timeline, so I had to make sure their ages are correct. I calculated everyone's (those that matter, anyway) ages. This fic will take place over a few years and I won't explicitly state their ages, but I'm going to have them listed in the author's notes so that you guys have an idea.

FIRST YEAR:
Deidara is aged TWELVE (12).
Obito is aged TWENTY-THREE (23).

This is set ONE YEAR after the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot tumblr dot com) for more updates and information about my fics!

Well, that's about it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading the first chapter. If you did (or didn't), you should leave a review to tell me why (or why not)!

Please leave a review... I don't know if people are interested in continuing to read this otherwise...

EDIT: Fixed inconsistencies and repeated word in the first two paragraphs.