Chapter 19: Yesterday Running
Yawning, Obito finds himself waking up with pains all over his body. That happens. He did push himself a lot harder than he should be yesterday. Running from Orochimaru's Lab might actually have been the 'hardest' part of his infiltration yesterday.
After a good stretch, he peers on the terrace where he can see the rest of the Forest of Death. They have been given a good night's rest as a buffer period in preparation for the other half of the Practical where will the other Genin can further showcase their abilities.
The Tower that has been the mission point for yesterday's exams will serve as the final exam venue, and the theme— will be combat!
Obito after brushing his teeth sits back on his bed, the temporary accommodation has been very nice. He will hate to part with it. It is still early, so he has time for himself.
Using his Sharingan, he summons Tobi—
"I know you might be disappointed in me or even scold me, but give me a breeeak~!" These are the first words that come out of Tobi's mouth. "After dispelling the Shadow Clone, you should have seen the trouble I have gone through, so please go easy on me…"
"Yeah, the great Tobi is a master at running. I saw all of the alright!" Obito's cheeks twitch as he recalls the 'memory' that he has received from yesterday's events.
Tobi continues on with his guilty act, "I'd be dead, I swear! Even a slight graze can poof me, so I really tried my best!"
Thus, yesterday's events...
Tobi is running for his life, while Asuma shadows him from behind. "Asuma! Stop clinging, you nosy ape! Fuck you, and your entire clan! Uchiha reigns supreme!"
"What the f—" Asuma is confused for a moment, but he immediately catches up to his quarry. "I saw Kakashi give you a Scroll of Earth! My team has a Scroll of Heaven, so you are not going anywhere!"
"Your daddy is impotent!"
"Oi, that's the Third Hokage you are—"
Tobi has suddenly sneaked in close to Asuma, and with a flourish, has thrown sand on Asuma's face at point-blank range. Tobi's random insults have done well to put Asuma's guard down.
"—disrespecting about…" Asuma's cut-off words leave his mouth as he desperately covers his eyes, but despite his best efforts, his eyes have caught a lot of sand in them.
Unable to see, Asuma's fate now lies in Tobi's hands. With a painful grunt, Asuma feels his feet leaving the ground. A fist has been planted at his stomach causing acid to rise up on his throat, but he swallows them. Now mid-air, Asuma then feels chains wrapping around his neck.
AND BAM!
Asuma's back slams on the ground, causing air to leave his lungs.
Through the pain, Asuma forcibly opens his eyes and sees Tobi about to stomp his face. "Not today," Asuma desperately rolls to the side, and with one savage swing, he extends his chakra blade and swings it at Tobi, but with unnatural precision and awkward grace, Tobi dodges them and shifts his stance.
The next thing Asuma knows is that he is flying, thanks to Tobi's kick connecting to his torso.
Asuma lands on a tree and then falls on one knee.
"Ah shit, your girlfriend is here," Tobi complains and then runs off with haste.
"Raido, tail him! Don't let him get away! I'll deal with Asuma." Kurenai's voice reaches Asuma causing him to relax a bit. "It is not every day I see the great Asuma getting floored, and the cause of it is Obito of all people. He is handy with his sickles and chains, huh?" Kurenai continues while she offers her shoulder to Asuma.
Asuma feels the cold trickle of water in his eyes, and finally, he can see much easier. "Let's run after Raido—"
And again as if déjà vu, his words are cut off as a shadow flickers behind Kurenai, it is actually your great and marvelous Tobi who for all his worth has actually run around and even went so far as eavesdropped and then suddenly threw a kunai at Asuma's face.
Asuma barely dodges the kunai as he tilts his head to the side.
With ferocious movement, Kurenai makes a whip-like kick to punish Tobi who has suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "You bastard! Obito, you dare!?"
"Ah, shit," Tobi really is cutting it close this time as barely dodges the tricky whip kick. "Ya missed, dumbass bitch…"
"Did you always have such a foul mouth?" Very similar to how Asuma's words are cut off, Kurenai now experiences something the same. "I am going to have fun flaying you alive—"
Tobi just slaps Kurenai on the face.
SLAP!
The sound is crunchy, and effective as Kurenai shows a look of shock.
But Tobi? He doesn't really care except for the Scroll he has pickpocketed from Kurenai. The Scroll feels nice to Tobi's hands. Kurenai looks at Tobi, and then at the Scroll.
Tobi runs off… again.
Kurenai, seething with anger, rubs her stinging cheek as she watches Tobi escape. Asuma, still recovering from his earlier encounter, grumbles, "Damn it, Kurenai! We can't let him get away with our scroll."
Raido appears from the bushes, perhaps realizing that something wrong is going on. "Wait, what's happening?"
"Raido better catch up to him," Kurenai mutters, clenching her fists as she runs after Tobi. "We can't afford to lose that scroll. Let's move."
The two of them sprint through the Forest of Death, chasing after Tobi. Meanwhile, Tobi, clutching the stolen scroll, dashes through the dense foliage with surprising agility. Asuma has caught up to his teammates. He runs on the ground with Kurenai while Raido jumps from one tree to another.
Raido, determined to get Tobi, uses his tracking skills to follow the elusive figure. "I've got eyes on Tobi. Closing in, don't worry."
Back with Asuma and Kurenai, they navigate the forest, weaving between trees and leaping over roots. Asuma remarks, "Obito's no joke. He's fast and slippery. I don't know what happened to Team Minato for the past three years, but assume that they have better combat experience than us."
Kurenai nods, her eyes focused. "We need to corner him and retrieve that scroll before he causes more trouble."
As they continue the pursuit, Tobi's voice echoes from the distance, "You guys are persistent! Can't a guy have some fun?"
Raido closes in on Tobi, moving silently through the foliage. He grumbles into the communication device, "Almost there. He won't escape this time."
Tobi glances over his shoulder, spotting Raido. "Oh, come on! Can't you guys take a hint? I've got places to be!"
Raido doesn't respond, narrowing the distance between them. Asuma and Kurenai catch up, forming a three-pronged assault. Kurenai smirks, "Your escape ends here, Obito."
Tobi, still clutching the stolen scroll, smirks back. "You guys are persistent, I'll give you that."
Asuma cracks his knuckles. "Hand over the scroll, and maybe we won't have to rough you up too much."
Tobi rolls his eyes. "Please, you think I'm scared of a bunch of chumps like you?"
The forest becomes the stage for the impending clash. Raido positions himself on one side, Asuma on another, and Kurenai ready to strike from a different angle. Tobi is outnumbered and cornered, but he grins confidently.
"Let's dance, Obito!" Asuma declares, chakra blade at the ready.
Tobi laughs. "Fine by me. Just don't cry when you lose." But all of this is a bluff. Tobi stands confidently on one branch of the tree, while the three genin corners him. Behind Tobi is a sizable river. Tobi knows the water walking technique but he cannot really afford to use it now.
"You want this?" Tobi playfully shows the Scroll he has in his hand. "Next time, Asuma, don't just willy-nilly reveal what you have in your hand, okay?" And with speed, Tobi hurls the Scroll at the river, and simultaneously, he runs off in one direction, while employing various shuriken flying at weird angles.
Shortly after, Tobi is able to escape the trio.
Tobi catches his breath as he rejoins Kakashi and Rin, who are sitting by a serene pond. Kakashi looks up from his small notebook, unimpressed. "Took you long enough. What happened?"
Tobi grins, feigning innocence, as he makes a shortened report of what he just experienced. "Oh, you know, just a little game of tag with Asuma and his gang. They were really determined to get their scroll back."
Rin raises an eyebrow. "And our scroll?"
Tobi pats his chest proudly. "Safely in my possession. You can thank my impeccable ninja skills for that."
Kakashi closes his notebook with a sigh. "Look what we found," and lo and behold— a slightly wet Scroll of Heaven is in Kakashi's hand.
Tobi gives a theatrical bow. "My goodness, Captain Kakashi. Sensei. You are truly the Genius among Genius, God Among Luck—"
Kakashi narrows his eyes. "Stop. This is what we are going to do. We'll exchange Scrolls. I will carry the Scroll of Earth, and Obito will carry the Scroll of Heaven. We'll split from now on. I want you Rin to set up checkpoints for me and Obito ahead of the way, please take care to remove your tracks, and most important of all, take care of yourself."
Rin nods, trying to psyche herself. "Alright, I won't disappoint. These checkpoints are not just for healing, right?"
Tobi nods, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Hmmm. If a situation occurs where I or Kakashi will need desperate reinforcements, Rin-chan can be an effective buffer to ambush our competitors."
"Yes, that's pretty much it," Kakashi continues, "I want you Obito to attract aggro from teams carrying Scrolls of Heaven when in fact you'll be carrying a Scroll of Heaven too, while I'll do the same for those who have the Scroll of Earth."
As the team finalizes the second part of their strategy, Kakashi emphasizes the importance of deception, coordination, and precision in their moves. The strategy that Kakashi has devised will maximize the safety of their respective scrolls by pulling apart the teams half each for Scrolls of Heaven and Earth.
Exponentially, this will also cut off a lot of time they will be spending to safely bring their scrolls to the designated mission point.
Tobi, despite his playful demeanor, absorbs the information with keen interest.
The forest is alive with the sounds of nature as the team makes their way towards the Tower. Along the way, Tobi can't resist teasing Kakashi. "So, Kakashi-sensei, any secret techniques you've been hiding?"
Kakashi remains stoic. "You'll find out when the time comes. Disperse, see you all at the tower."
After that, Team Minato successfully finishes the Forest of Death Survival Exam.
Back to the present...
"I did okay, right?" Tobi shows a double thumbs up, seeking approval from the original Obito.
"Fuck you, dude, we are now under Asuma's radar…" Obito cusses at Tobi. "And you slapped Kurenai! Way to attract her agro… Ugh… If you are going to attract aggro, just stealing the Scroll is enough."
"Yeah, there are definitely other ways to taunt the enemy…" Tobi muses, his fingers on his chin. "At first, I am thinking of touching her boob or pulling Asuma's pants. Next time, I'll try pinching their nipple…"
"You are not listening at all… Ah, I pray that I have enough patience to survive your shenanigans, Tobi…" Obito sighs painfully.
[PS. I made a mistake in Chapter 17 foreshadowing Karin's existence when she should have not been born yet. Think of it as a coincidence that the Uzumaki whom Obito killed just happened to have a daughter named Karin.]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Alfir
Alfir This might be too early, but help me brainstorm. When Obito becomes Jonin and leads a Genin team of his own. I plan to include Karin and Sai in his team. The problem is... I cannot think of a third genin who can join Obito's team. Preferably, I want the third genin to be as 'independent' as possible in that no OG teams would be affected. I want Obito to hone the characters from a clean slate and help them grow into the best versions of the Genins under his care.
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