The Briefing

Obito had put in clothes and left with his team. As they walked through the village with Minato leading the three Genin, Obito was looking around and re-familiarizing himself with the village. They walked through the Market District of the Village, walking past all types of stores and people. This was perhaps the most busy part of the Village and the fact that they were walking through here when they were already late was a wonder.

"Oi, Sensei," Kakashi called out, dodging another civilian as they went on their way. "We're already late, so why are we going through this part of the Village?"

Minato smiled as he turned his head slightly to his student. "Well, like you said, we're already late so we might as well have a good view while we get there."

Kakashi deadpanned. "You know, Sensei. Just because we're already late doesn't mean we can waste even more time by taking unnecessary detours."

Rin beside him chuckled nervously as she gave out her own opinion. "I agree with Kakashi. We should've just teleported to the Hokage's Office so we wouldn't have to walk. Isn't it bad to waste the Hokage's time? He's always so busy."

At this Minato could only give a sheepish chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

Silently seeing the interaction, Obito really didn't know how to react. Seeing them all alive and well again was something he just wasn't mentally prepared for. Especially Rin, who he was the farthest away from. More often than not, he found himself looking away from her simply because he wasn't able to. Not for very long. It always brought him back to when he held her lifeless and bloodied corpse after killing the Mist Ninja that captured her.

He grimaced, turning his face to look at the stores and shops they crossed on the way. Reminiscently the Uchiha picked out the stores he frequently visited as a Shinobi of the Village and it brought back memories. Memories he suppressed for so long that now it was like he could see the memory play along as if watching a movie.

The grimace had slipped away from his face and was replaced by a trance like stare. The only thing keeping him moving was instinct alone as his mind wasn't on his surroundings anymore. Each place he past by that had a significant memory was played in front of him, even if another was already doing so.

He was thrown back to reality when a hand gripped his shoulder. He stiffened as he came back and looked slowly up the arm until he meet concerned azure eyes that greeted his natural onyx ones. The eyes felt as if they were piercing through his soul, able to see what was going on with him. Just as Naruto's had.

His gaze had also met the concerned worry look of not only Rin but, strangely enough, Kakashi. He felt suffocated in the attention he was receiving, not at all used to it from, well, anyone. He could only stare when Minato spoke, his voice dripping with concern as he spoke slowly.

"Obito, if there's something going on; you'd tell me right? I'm always here for you, you know that. So, what's going on today?"

Words formulated in his mind to respond, but the words never came out. He clenched his jaw, his mouth shut as his eyes widened as it kept its stare into Minato's. Those eyes wanted, no demanded the truth and nothing but that, and Obito so badly wanted to tell him everything. To heave everything that was plaguing his mind and cry out and beg for forgiveness. He so badly wanted to tell him the truth, but he knew he couldn't. So, he stared and said nothing with a jaw that clenched and unclenched over and over as if in a rhythm.

Rin took his hand into hers, giving him an almost pleading look she muttered, "Obito."

Even with Rin holding his attention with her own heart wrenching look he couldn't help but be thankful that he looked away from Minato's. He didn't know if he'd breakdown and say everything on his mind like his body urged him to. He was uncomfortable with lack of control over his emotional state. It wasn't something he was used to.

Obito's spoke, his voice cracking and breaking the more he did. "C-Can we get going? We're already late." He broke away from the grasp of both his teammate and his Sensei and took off ahead of the group to the Hokage's Office. Right now he just needed as much of a distance between them as physically possible.

XxX

Minato looked at the fast paced retreating form of the only Uchiha on the team as his eyes turned sad and confused. What was wrong with Obito? Something had to have happened for him to be so cold, distant, and quiet. He had barely spoken since they went to retrieve him and when they went about the village he acted as if this was his first time seeing it. They way he was looking around almost trance like at just about anything they passed. It really lit a fire in the usually reserved Shinobi.

Something, no someone had done something to the bright, kind, and caring child that Obito was. He no longer had that same light to him, almost as if he was an entirely different person but the same at the same time.

But even then, that wasn't what was entirely on his mind.

It was the defensive almost scared look the Uchiha produced when he spoke to him. The way he tensed up and with sweat dripping down his face made Minato want to vomit. A look like that on his precious student's face would not be tolerated. He hoped to Kami for whoever did this to Obito that he doesn't find them, because they won't receive a swift death.

"S-Sensei," Rin muttered lowly beside him, rubbing the hand that Obito has shoved off. "What's going on?"

Minato's eyes steeled in silent anger. "I don't know, but I will find out. Let's get going we still have a meeting to attend."

XxX

In the Hokage's Office Team Minato finally arrived before the Hokage, standing away from each other almost awkwardly. Obito was the furthest from the group probably looking the most awkward as he was turned away from the Hokage's desk, his face emotionless but a small drip of sweat framing his brow.

He cleared his throat before addressing the team as a whole, ignoring the mood. "Well, since we're very late in starting this; why don't we get straight to the point. You were at the last debriefing, so we'll keep this short."

Obito started to look at the corner of his eye as the Hokage of the village continued to speak. "Minato, your mission is to keep Iwa Shinobi forces back that will be converging on the Kannabi Bridge. Their goal is to make sure their supplies get through safely and that'll put your teams lives in jeopardy. While he does this, Team Minato, with Kakashi leading will destroy the Kannabi Bridge and cripple their supply unit. This could all but end the war since that's their main supply route."

Minato nodded dutifully. "Yes, Hokage-Sama. Consider it done."

"Before we go on in more detail, Minato, do you feel your team to be ready. You won't be by their side to help them." He said, giving Minato a look that would know if he lied or not. Minato needed to have full faith in his team or he could get distracted on his own mission. It would cause a country wide failure that could get the remaining troops in the country killed.

Minato looked thoughtful as he glanced at Obito from the side of his eyes, frowning momentarily. Something was going on; something he felt, no he had to figure out. He knew something happened and it just didn't feel to right to send them out on their own with their dynamic like this. It wouldn't end well.

He looked towards the Hokage who could already see from the look on his face what he was about to say. "No, I don't think they're ready." He was able to ignore the almost betrayed looks Kakashi and Rin sent him when he said this. Honestly, he didn't blame them.

Hiruzen leaned forward. "And why not?"

"I'd like to speak about it privately." He said motioning for his team to exit the office and wait in the lobby. Worryingly, Obito was the first to oblige as he almost sped walked away. Why didn't he refuse in typical Obito fashion? What the hell happened to him?

"Obito," Rin muttered in worry looking at the door he just left out of.

Minato put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, a small smile he managed to put on his face calmed her a bit. "It's ok. You two go on. Whatever we decide I'll come and tell you guys. We'll figure this out together."

Rin nodded. A lot of her worry leaving her from the reassuring words that had filled her mind with optimism. Her Sensei really had a way with words. As the two last remaining members of Team Minato began walking out, they could here the start of the conversation Minato was to have with the Hokage.

"This has something to do with Obito, I presu~" the door shut, completely cutting off any talking going on inside the room.

Looking down the hall, the two saw no sign of their teammate. But before Rin could say anything, Kakashi spoke and gained her attention. "Let me look for Obito myself. I might be able to see what's up."

Rin was surprised to hear this. The shock from it clearly showed on her face as Kakashi remained neutral. But Kakashi had a, well, Kakashi explanation.

"Don't take this the wrong way," he started, crossing his arm. "But it's obvious that whatever the idiot is going through is going to affect the mission that we've been planning for. This has Sensei's reputation as well as mine and I can't have him screw it up if he's this out of it."

Rin disagreed with him and couldn't help but voice it. "But don't you care about him? Emotionally? Even a little?"

Kakashi lied. "No, I don't. But that has nothing to do with the mission. And it comes first, so I'll deal with him and his emotions."

"But~" she started only to be cut off.

"Don't follow me and don't get in the way."

XxX

Obito took off away from the Hokage Building using the rooftops. He wanted to put as much of a distance as possible between him and Minato. For reasons unknown to him, he just couldn't bare to look at Minato's eyes. They just felt too much like Naruto's. Like father, like son he guessed.

Landing on a non-particular roof he sat down on its edge and let out a shaky breath. That whole encounter was his team was nerve wracking and he had to calm his raging heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

When he agreed to come back to right his wrongs, he never thought that seeing his teammates would be this traumatizing. He could only imagine how he would react to seeing people he killed alive and well. He was already feeling guilt swelling in his gut at the sheer thought of it.

Then the Kannabi Bridge mission was right around the corner. It was a lot really. A lot and all of it at once. He should've been prepared for it but he just wasn't, and it was taking all of his strength not to break down. It was similar to the what he felt when he couldn't break free from Minato's gaze.

What he would do next was honestly a mystery.