I'm terribly sorry for taking so long again with this chapter. The summer was fullof programs and I moved from my hometown.

Thanks for reviews and following…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 9.

"You will always watch over me, right?" the boy sadly muttered while looking down at his knees. He felt his ears getting red at the bare thought of his failure.

The girl blinked in confusion, before nodding: "You know that I will." She sat down beside him on the bench. Close to him. "Next time you will pass no matter what." She told him in a determined voice.

"How can you be sure?" he grunted and gave her a grumpy look. He was always many steps after Kakashi. It didn't matter how hard he tried, he would always come last. Perhaps destiny decided to make him a failure and Kakashi a genius. Perhaps it was decided he would fail no matter what?

"Because I know you will try your hardest until next year." Rin gave him a shrug. "And now when Kakashi became one you will train even harder. Because one day you're going to surpass him and become a hokage. Wasn't it so?"

He just nodded, while ashamedly looking away.

One year later he would thank her, and proudly show his forehead protector.

The bump was hard and he felt his shoulder become numb. The voice shouting at him was furious. Obito turned around to face his assaulter. A middle-aged man glaring at him with eyes full of despise.

"Watch out, murderer." The man hissed hunching over to pick some boxes up he had dropped when he bumped into the masked man.

Obito didn't care about the man's retort. He had already become used to the harsh treatment he received from everyone.

"You are all the same. Killing people left and right, just for the sake for your own personal anger!" his voice rang in his ears, but Kakashi's hand on his shoulder forced him away from the passersby.

The man continued to shout after them: "Are you happy now? You killed my best friend." As he did say so, something shattered inside the masked man. For a brief moment he could see despair in the other man's eyes. The same despair he had seen in her eyes. "He had four children and a sick wife, you bastard. Who will take care of the children if his wife dies?" For a moment the man's voice cracked. A middle-aged woman put a soothing hand on his shoulder, before giving Obito a disgusted look.

Without knowing it, his hands clutched into shaking fists. Obito stood still listening to the accusations while he felt Kakashi's hand on his shoulder tighten. "Come now."

"Do you ever think of others pain?" The man shrunk smaller and smaller as his voice became thicker. Obito glanced over a last time, seeing him bent over the ground. Something deep filled him and the moment he wanted nothing more but look away.

"Obito…" Kakashi's voice was like a warning.

The farther he was led from the place, the weaker the man's cries were, until they were replaced with faint sobs in the background. Another broken person left to grieve. The farther away they came the more the sobs started to haunt the masked man.

Instead of villagers, he saw blood and dead bodies along the way. Blood covered him as he walked across them. Kakashi was not standing by his side anymore, he was all alone.

He shook his head to get rid of the image, but it kept haunting him the whole time until he reached the hospital.

Obito tried to ignore her, but her accusing look made him nauseous. Tenten had taken a seat far away from him like always.

"So, we try this again now when you feel better…" Shizune yawned, obviously overworked and in need of a long nap. She had informed them the latest meeting was a failure and they had to try out again so that they would be on an equal ground, before the parenting plan could continue.

"So now, please…" Shizune motioned towards them two to start.

Tenten eyed the clock, hanging on the wall. An hour and this should be over. Her hands trembled uncontrollably and she had to tighten the grip around the armrest.

Obito tapped his feet, meanwhile he tried to drown the sound of echoes repeating in his head. The lack of sleep had made him numb and slow in his mind. For a slight moment he almost wished the discussion would get started so that he could focus his thoughts on something other than the old man.

After another few minutes of silence, Shizune let out a groan and decided to break the discussion: "Okay, you know silence doesn't help you here…"

"The best way of showing you despise someone is to keep silent and to avoid eye contact."

The scarred man glanced over at the girl far across the room, who avoided his eyes at every cost.

"You think I don't know it already?" he wondered aloud, bitterness at every word.

Tenten shrugged and sent him a toxic glare. "So you feel the hatred as well? Good for you."

Obito gave her a shrug.

"Tenten, please try to give him a chance." Shizune intervened, sending her a warning glare. "It is harsh and unfair I know, but at least try to listen to him. Both of you…"

"Try to?" Tenten interrupted in a high voice, glaring at Shizune: "You really think it's that simple? He is a villain, killed people left and right, created hell. He is insane. You tell me to listen to him and forgive him?"

"I know you can't forgive him. I'm not forcing you to forgive him. That is all up to you. But try to listen what he has to say."

"I don't think he has anything worth saying." She sent him a glance, but he didn't even look at her.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

Obito blinked. She was what?

He looked up with big eyes. He had been in his own thoughts without listening to the conversation between Tenten and Shizune.

Tenten got up from her chair: "We're family, we should hug it out, right?" The fake smile strained her facial muscles, but she kept it.

As she got closer to him Obito spun out of his chair, his eyes going wide. All at once, his chair was between himself and Tenten and the total unprepared expression on his face was layered with shock.

Shizune looked down at her clipboard in disappointment. Maybe this really wouldn't work. She had already seen through the kunoichi's plan.

Tenten's smile had changed to a shocked expression of anger.

"See? You hate me as much as I hate you. That settles it, I'm leaving."

Tenten headed towards the door, determined to get away from him.

"Tenten, wait." Shizune called and rose from the chair. She wouldn't let her ruin this meeting once again.

"I don't hate you!" Obito had also stood up from his chair.

"Well, I do."

Obito was still not sure of what to think of Tenten, but what he knew… that she affected him more than what he had wanted. Blood meant nothing to him. His parents had died long ago before he even got a chance to know them and know what a family meant. He shared the same blood as his clansmen, but none of them had taken him in or cared about him.

The person he spent his childhood had been no one other than Rin. Somehow she had always ended up looking after him.

Now that Rin was gone… Could it be that he was in need for the last part he had of his childhood?

"I know. And… you deserve to. To hate me." He mumbled quietly. "But… help me to understand it. Help me to understand you."

"You won't ever understand. You took it all from me."

Obito looked down, eyes tightly shut. Quietly he cursed himself for failing. He wanted to scream out, and tell them all they were right. Never had he felt sorry for causing pain.

"What kind of a parent does that? You're not my father. You're a tiny and vicious little man. And you don't even deserve to be in this room right now!" Her eyes moistened up a bit, but she hid it by looking away.

"I know all that already. But being mad at me won't bring back your friend." His chest twisted in agony, and everything he now wanted was to explain why he did all those things.

It hurt so terribly, because he knew that his reasons wouldn't matter to her. All she cared about was the fact he killed her friend. She wouldn't even care to ask why he had done it.

"Pretending to be your daughter won't bring back Rin."

He just stared at her…

"Don't you dare speak about her!"

"Am I not allowed to talk of my mother?" Tenten taunted, quietly noticing how strongly her previously retort had affected the Uchiha.

Her voice made something crack in him and he took a dangerous step towards the girl.

"If you don't keep quiet, I will make you regret every word coming out of your mouth."

"Obito! Calm down." Shizune interrupted him. She had watched the scene in horror and with a nimble movement she had picked up a kunai in case if things took a sudden turn for the worse.

None of them paid attention to Shizune.

"You behave like you have more right of speak about Rin than I do!"

Tenten had little time to react when she suddenly was lifted up high above the ground.

Obito had pulled her up in her white collar. And through that mask she imagined she could see his furious eyes. She gripped his arms and tried to break free. But his arms were stronger than she expected.

"I told you to shut your mouth!" he murmured to the female while shaking her dangerously, not caring much if he was on the verge of tears.

How could he still breathe when he knew he lost everything? He had nothing from the beginning. Rin was gone, so was his only purpose in life: the mooneye plan. Now he had nothing of that left. Worst of all was that he had just been used. His existence was nothing more than a game brick.

Even if this parenting plan had given him a small hope of living, even though she didn't want him in her life.

Shizune was now standing by his side trying to loosen the grip he had on Tenten. Her shouts and threats were unheard by his ears.

He felt his murderous intent disappear and eyes widened at the sight. The next moment he let a gasp escape him, when his chest suddenly clenched in pain. He let the Tenten fall at the ground, staring at his trembling hands in disbelief.

It didn't take long before he fell on his knees as well, beside the pale girl.

"I am not letting you hurt her again!" Shizune pointed a kunai towards him. She refused to believe what she had seen just. "I summoned anbu here." She let go of Obito like she was afraid he would hurt her too. "This meeting was a failure."

"Can't you see he's not fit to be a parent?" Tenten hissed, while she massaged her neck. She had to swallow few times before she could breath. She backed away from Obito with disgust layered on her face.

"You're right, I'm not fit as one." Barely a whisper escaped him, while he fought to remain untouched, but he just shook his head before continuing. "I don't understand why you keep on with this plan? I don't even deserve the right to be here." He clutched his hair to calm down, under the mask he still could feel those damn tears. "I don't deserve to be forgiven."

"See? So why not cancel this parenting plan?" Tenten turned towards Shizune who just gave her a curt nod.

The smirk was barely recognizable, but Obito caught it directly on her face. It took a moment before he understood. He had let himself get fooled by her. She knew that and used it to ruin everything.

Right now he didn't care about anything.

"You're safe." Her grip on his hands tightened. Another tear dropped down the cheek, but she wiped it away.

Obito nodded, unable to speak.

"I will not let it happen to you again." He barely sensed her reassuring words, before she had wrapped her arms around him.

A huff was heard not far from them. A white-haired boy gave him an unimpressed and bored look. "Don't be reckless next time, idiot."

Obito felt his ears gradually turn redder and redder from shame. Once again he had made a fool of himself and again he made that damn jerk look down at him. 'If it wasn't for Rin, he wouldn't even be alive,' he thought. Everything just for something reckless Kakashi tried out. Little had he even understood that Kakashi would save himself from that danger. Obito could only remind someone telling him to look out before he felt pain in the back of his head.

"Shut up. Be grateful I tried to save your butt." Obito shamelessly retorted while wiping his face.

"But it didn't end very well and besides that, you broke our formation. A shinobi may never act recklessly and put his teammates in danger. " There he went again, talking about rules.

Obito was about to retort again, when he suddenly felt a squeeze on his shoulder. He turned around to Rin again. "I'm sure there will be a day when you will save him, but for now don't try to act too strong on your own." She gave him a frown. "Let me protect you as well. Let us be there by your side."

"But…" He wanted to tell her he didn't want them to be dragged down by him. He wanted to tell her he didn't want to be a burden for them, and that he therefore needed to be strong.

"I know what you want to say." Rin let out a sigh before continuing. "You're strong, I know. You don't have to prove it to us. I'm just trying to say that don't forget you have friends by your side. Don't forget we are a family."

She used to tell him that everyday. It was a reminder that he had a place to return to, and that he wasn't alone.

As if his lungs weren't tired of screaming, he let out another one.

He fell down on his knees. The scratched hands moved up to the mask to take it off. With a soft clack it fell on the ground.

He had almost strangled her.

The child had no idea of what she had talked about. It wasn't her fault he had lost control over himself, he wanted to believe.

There was no chance that he ever would see her again… He knew that Tsunade would quit these meetings after this incident.

Obito clutched his hands towards the ground, like he was trying to wash away the signs of his work.

Blood covered the ground, but yet he didn't feel clean at all. The word 'murderer' was written all over his body.

Obito lay down on the ground facing the cold stone material. He wrapped his arms around his legs and pulled them close to his chest.

Finally he would be free from everything. He had no regrets over his decision. After all, this world was better without him. He was only good at causing hell and suffering. Someone like him should've never been born.

Obito hoped that death wouldn't be too cruel. If it was… he hoped the other world was a more merciful than this one.

Soon he could return to Rin's side. It didn't matter if she forgave him or not, he still wanted to explain how sorry he was. There were many people he desperately wanted to have a chance to talk to once again.

The thought of endless sleep comforted him.

A/N

Thank you for reading… And hope you'll look forward to the next chapter. Feel free to review or comment if you like to, I'd be glad if you did so.

R.I.P Obito. The latest chapters in the manga really touched me emotionally. Though now he can be together with Rin.

I want to thank Sky rider for helping me with this chapter and a bit of the dialogue.