Obito groaned as he clicked his tongue to the dry roof of his mouth, desperate for relief. There was no saliva, just the rough texture that reminded him of his cruel fate. It was undeniable to himself that he felt horrible. Without opening his eyes, he slowly came to and realised that he was curled up inside the bathtub. His limbs felt heavy; a mix that resulted from his intoxication and cramped sleeping conditions no doubt. It's not like he had ever experienced a hangover before, and if this was the sensation he would experience he solemnly swore never to repeat it. His head pounded; a feeling similar to that of when he overused his visual prowess - a feeling he had grown accustomed to but unpleasant nevertheless. Obito sighed deeply, noting that it felt like all of the chakra had been drained from his body. As he gave himself some time to adjust to this new feeling, his mind flashed back to the night before. He jolted upright, his cheeks immediately a scarlet red as his mind remembered Kakashi in a state of undress that he found incredibly arousing – an odd feeling in his current predicament.

Slowly, he braced himself against the wall and stood up. The previous jerky movement had done his sensitive stomach no favours.

If this is the result of alcohol; Stupid Kakashi lives up to his name by drinking it.

Once Obito was sure that moving wouldn't cause him to rid himself of his stomach contents he made his way to the lounge room. He allowed himself a wry smile and some self-deprecation – for a ninja as renowned and as powerful as he was, he was having a great deal of difficulty in keeping himself composed owing to some fermented liquid he'd drank the night before. In a moment of reflection, he wondered how someone like Madara would have reacted to this situation.

Badly. So very badly.

He noticed his clothes sprawled all over the floor. Sheepishly picking up the necessary items, he dressed himself and tried to make sense of the day. Talking to Kakashi would have to take priority over his current physical state. He breathed in deeply and tried to make sense of things once more. He noticed a pot of tea still on the counter, steaming lightly and clearly not finished with. Unusual that Kakashi wouldn't have put it away once he was finished, unless he'd intended to leave Obito some. Kakashi knew what state Obito had ended up in however, so this was unlikely. The real reason - running late no doubt. It was then that Obito noticed that the sun was risen substantially and noted that he must have slept in. It was no surprise that he had missed Kakashi this morning. Waiting for him to return was not an option so he would have to meet him at his office, a venture that seemed almost as appealing as trying to appease his furious stomach.

He pondered a moment – There was no way he could just stroll into the office of the Hokage in such a state. He didn't have too much left in this world, but he had some pride and a little dignity – therefore he was grateful that he could rely on Kamui to grant him instantaneous transportation to Kakashi's room.

Upon his arrival, he was met with an audible gasp from the attendant Shiho, whose obvious surprise was somewhat stifled by a stern attempt to remain composed. He looked around to see Kakashi absent from the office.

"Where is Kakashi?" He growled. He never attempted any form of civility with her as he was aware that she'd taken an instant dislike to him from the moment they met.

"I could ask you the same question as the HOKAGE did not arrive this morning." Shiho coldly replied as she began to walk towards the door.

"What are you doing?" Obito began to follow her.

"Gu-"

She was immediately silenced as his callused hand grabbed her forcefully, and transported her to the Kamui dimension.

Obito watched as her eyes slowly adjusted to their bleak surroundings as she stumbled to her feet. Her brain sent the messages but her limbs struggled to respond to the speed in which they were sent.

"Where are we?" Shiho asked nervously. She looked around. Nothingness. She didn't often feel such… loneliness.

"This is my world." Obito chuckled. "If you are going to be a nuisance you can stay here until I have found Kakashi." The chuckle sounded more sinister than he'd intended, but he accepted it all the same.

"You can't do that!" Shiho shouted.

"Oh but I can. And I will." Obito turned his back and pictured the Memorial Stone before his body dematerialised and swirled into nothing.

He stopped midstep as he expected to see Kakashi at the Memorial Stone on his arrival. And yet, the area was removed from anyone, except himself it seemed. Annoyed, he bit his lip as he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. Kakashi was prone to being late - something that still made Obito sigh audibly, but the fact that he hadn't shown up at all made Obito feel uneasy. Opening his eyes, he walked up to the Memorial Stone and then closed them once more as he focused on what lingering chakra may have been present. No trace of Kakashi at all. It seemed like no trace of anyone. Looking across the stone, he instinctively looked down to his own name.

Uchiha Obito. I will never be him again. I can't be him.

As he turned to leave, the atmosphere changed. The air grew thicker, with a noticeable disturbance in chakra. Obito looked around, and noticed someone in the corner of his eye. He immediately concealed his chakra before approaching the graveyard. It was Kakashi and to Obito's surprise he was on his hands and knees. Obito instantly recognised the grave to be that of their former sensei Namikaze Minato. After all he had made many frequent trips to this graveyard himself, and the grave of a former Hokage was hard to miss. For such an powerful and respected ninja, the grave was atypical of the man – understated. Obito made his approach - with perfect precision he managed to sit himself in a nearby tree that was close enough to still be in range of Kakashi.

"Sensei.. Help me. I don't know what to do. I can't lose my team again. I lost everything.. and then I found Obito again. I found happiness in this hell of a world. He's broken but doesn't this world break us all. I need your counsel Sensei. They are going to take him away again. As Hokage I should look at this rationally but I can't.. I can't live without him but the other Kage are on their way to discuss his future. I'm not a leader. I'm weak. Even my own students have surpassed me. I'm scum.."

Obito observed Kakashi as he slammed his fist into the hard earth. It was evident from his tone of voice that he was crying. Obito couldn't help but judge his open display of weakness – anger welled within him as he saw such a well respected and commanding leader wailing like a spoiled child.

"..But I will not abandon my comrade. Sensei, what would you do? The letter said that they be here tomorrow. I am running out of time. Oh what to do, what to do…"

A letter? Those traitorous Kage needed to learn their place! Kakashi stood up and began to compose himself and Obito knew he had to act fast if he wanted to get his hands on that letter before Kakashi entered his office. He teleported without Kakashi knowing that he had even been there. Obito had always had the element of surprise.

Obito immediately examined Kakashi's desk for the letter. In his immediacy, he was haphazard and careless, shoving mountains of paperwork onto the floor. He pulled out drawers aggressively and rapidly, he found a neatly and heavily folded letter. He opened it hastily and began to read.

"Lord Sixth,

The other Kage and I have come to an agreement that Uchiha Obito is not suitably secure in your village. We have received word that he has been allowed to use his abilities to avoid detection by your ANBU. This is unacceptable. You have already denied us the right to have him convicted and sentenced to live out of the rest of his life in the Blood Prison but now you leave us little choice.

We will arrive 48 hours after you receive this letter and we expect you to make arrangements to hand the Uchiha over to us so we can bind his chakra. Failure to do so will result in his imminent death.

You are the Hokage and you've let your personal feelings cloud your judgement. As long as Uchiha Obito is alive no one is safe."

Fifth Raikage"

The arrogance! The Raikage has always been a misguided fool, but to think the other Kage agree.. Do they think that they.. That anyone can defeat me?

Obito aimlessly threw the letter and used his signature ability - Katon to burn it. They weren't going to take him. No one was going to remove him from The Hidden Leaf; from Kakashi. He would make sure of it. He hated how much he needed to be around Kakashi, but his feelings were strong.

Obito felt the familiar rush of air as he appeared just beyond the village gates. There was no way he was going to be able to leave the village on his own and he knew that he had to. He made his way through the familiar pathways that led past the Third Training Grounds. As he made his way past the entrance he noticed Sakura crouched down picking what appeared to be medicinal herbs. He stopped in his tracks and was about to retreat to Kamui when she stood up. He was furious with himself – how could he be so careless?

"Don't think I didn't sense you, Obito." She turned around and walked up to face him smiling.

Obito folded his arms and furrowed his brow, studying her. He could never quite understand Sakura, or get a good read on her. Her devotion to his fellow Uchiha was admirable, but it left her weak. But he sensed the defiant nature of her sensei Tsunade within her – a volatile combimation. She caught him off guard.

"Are you here to train Obito? There's no one here right now but I could spar with you."

"You can't defeat me." He replied nonplussed. Sakura had grown into a ninja rivalling her master, but against Obito?

"You are wrong to think that defeat is the aim of training. However you are quick to forget who I am. I am just as big a part of Team 7 as the others, and I have spent many years training with both Sasuke and Naruto. Don't underestimate me!" She smirked confidence oozing.

Obito allowed himself a cursory glance at her and cracked a half smile. Tsunade through and through.

"You've piqued my interest however I am on a mission and I'm unwilling to fight you today." His tone softened a notch.

"A mission..?" Sakura questioned. She knew he wasn't allowed on missions.

Obito began to walk off. He wasn't going to let his presence cause a disturbance in the Hidden Leaf. He was going to confront it head on.

"Wait Obito, you can't leave the village!" Sakura yelled after him.

He continued to walk, he heard her drop her basket and her steps as she began to sprint back to the village. No doubt to alert Kakashi of his movements.