Rewriting History (Obito x Reader)

The Limit

The ground under your feet stirred slightly after each weary step into enemy territory. Your sandals dragged across the mud, coating them in a thick, messy layer of dirt and grime. Every muscle ached; each move felt as though you were walking on knives. The pursuit of Rin was not intended to take more than a few weeks, which it was well beyond that, your mind screamed at you.

Before setting out for her, you learned that a mysterious note was left at Rin's last known whereabouts. On it, it simply read –

'Come find me!'

The Fourth Hokage was also able to gather enough intel to determine that a copious amount of what appeared to be an aloe-like substance with traces of Rin's DNA was found in the areas around The Hidden Sound Village and The Village Hidden by a Waterfall, much to the investigation team's bewilderment. You thought this was strange. One of Zetsu's tasks in the show was to properly destroy evidence, and by "properly," you were of course referring to the fact that he would devour people until there was nothing left. It was suspicious that Zetsu would get careless and leave an evident trail...

...Unless he wanted you to follow him.

Thankfully, due to that consequential talk you had with Minato where you confessed everything, he was confident in granting you and Obito immediate permission to search for Rin. Minato believed in you two; he knew that you gave each other the courage needed to persist in this mission.

~~~

"Not yet, just a little longer," Obito huffed out between heavy breaths. In order to speed up the search, both of you had been skipping meals and neglecting sleep, relying on sheer perseverance to push you forward.

"Obito... wait..." you uttered weakly and rested both your hands on your knees with your body bent forward, desperate to catch your breath.

"I know what you're gonna say, but we can't stop now... We have to keep looking!" he said and used one arm to prop himself up against the trunk of a tree, wheezing harshly.

Your heart ached to see Obito so disheveled. He was worried over his friend, but he was so, so tired.

"Obito, stop!" Your words had enough force in them to direct his attention toward you. "What good would we be to Rin if we showed up in this condition?"

Obito ceased his heavy panting and switched to breathing quietly through his nose to consider what you just said.

"It's okay to rest, just for a moment. Please, Obito?"

Obito was about to object, but then he peered over at you again. The two of you had been moving almost nonstop for weeks. Your face was scratched up, your clothes were tattered, the overall unhealthy tone of your skin was concerning. But the part that struck Obito the deepest was your eyes. The heavy lines and dark circles under them showed the lack of rest that plagued you. He was pushing you to your absolute limit, he realized.

At that, his eyes softened, the guilt evident in them from dragging you too far. With a long inhale through his nose, Obito finally gave in began setting up camp.

~~~

Although the crisp temperature forced you deep into a sleeping bag, and unsettled of the unfamiliar surroundings, the stars still looked the same as they did back home, shining as brightly as ever.

"It feels like it's been so long since we got to do this," you voiced softly, gazing up at the stars. Your sleeping bags were so close together that your elbows touched when your arms crossed behind your heads. 

Obito laid in silence, thinking to himself.

It really has been a while, huh...?

That thought bugged him. It had been too long for his liking.