The morning sunlight spilled across the front steps of the Konoha Military Police Force Headquarters.
Uchiha Obito stood at the bottom of the steps, small hands gripping the hem of his jacket, swallowing nervously over and over again.
He had worn a blue jacket and pants today. The clothes were a little worn.
But he himself had been scrubbed completely clean.
His grandmother had made a point of reminding him.
"The Clan Head is going to see you. You have to look presentable."
Obito drew a deep breath, looked up at the tall building in front of him, and felt his heart pounding.
"Hey, kid. What are you spacing out for?"
Uchiha Tekkai beside him patted him on the shoulder.
"The Clan Head is waiting for you inside."
Obito snapped back immediately and nodded quickly.
"Yes, yes!"
He followed Tekkai into the Military Police Force Headquarters, through the corridor, and finally stopped before a large door carved with the Uchiha clan crest.
Tekkai knocked.
"Clan Head, I have brought him."
"Come in."
After a moment, a steady voice came from inside.
Obito's breath caught. His palms grew damp.
The door opened.
Chiya was seated behind the desk. Uchiha Mikoto stood to the side with her head lowered, a faint flush still lingering on her cheeks.
When Obito stepped inside, Chiya's eyes lifted slightly, and his gaze settled directly on him.
Obito's whole body went stiff. He nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.
"Cl, Clan Head, sir!"
He bowed sharply, nearly driving his forehead into his own knees.
Chiya raised an eyebrow, set down the scroll in his hand, and spoke in an even tone.
"Uchiha Obito?"
"Yes!"
"Raise your head."
Obito straightened up nervously, but did not dare meet Chiya's eyes. He could only stare down at his own feet.
Small and slight in build, hair sticking out in all directions like a hedgehog.
And those eyes, full of anxiety but quietly holding a thread of anticipation.
Exactly the same as the memory Chiya carried of the goofy little Obito from the story.
"You are afraid of me?"
Chiya asked suddenly.
Obito froze, then shook his head quickly.
"No, no! I just, I just."
He fumbled and stumbled for a long moment, face going red, and finally pushed out a single sentence.
"I just admire you so much! I got a little nervous!!"
Chiya paused, then laughed in spite of himself.
"Come sit down."
He gestured toward the chair across from him.
Obito looked as if he had just been spared a punishment. He walked over with careful steps and only dared to sit on the very edge of the seat.
Chiya did not rush into questions. He glanced at Mikoto.
Mikoto understood. She stepped to the side, poured a cup of water, and set it in front of Obito.
"Have some water. Relax."
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you very much, Lady Mikoto!"
Obito looked as if he had received an unexpected blessing. He lifted the cup with both hands and took a small sip.
Chiya leaned back in his chair, his expression calm.
"I hear your parents are gone?"
Obito's fingers trembled faintly. He said quietly.
"Yes. When I was very small, they."
"You live with your grandmother now?"
"Yes."
"Is life difficult?"
Obito hesitated for a moment, as if weighing whether he should say anything.
Chiya said plainly.
"Tell me the truth."
Obito bit his lip, and finally opened up.
"Grandmother is getting old. She cannot take on heavy work. She can only take in some sewing and mending jobs. But things have gotten a lot better recently. The clan started giving some living support, and grandmother has had a much easier time."
"I sometimes run errands for the villagers to earn a little pocket money."
He lowered his head. His voice grew smaller and smaller.
Obito gripped the hem of his jacket tightly.
"Grandmother's medicine is expensive, and the roof at home has a leak. When it rains, water comes through. I, I am not trying to ask the clan for money. I just want to grow up fast and become a ninja, so I can earn money on my own."
His voice carried a trace of stubborn pride, but beneath it was the unmistakable innocence of a child.
The living support for struggling households within the clan had been something Chiya proposed a while back. He had not thought at the time that it would end up helping Obito's family.
Looking at Obito, a look of genuine seriousness settled on Chiya's face.
"What is your dream?"
Obito paused for a moment, then straightened up and said loudly with conviction.
"I want to join the Uchiha Military Police Force. I want to become a ninja as strong as you, Clan Head."
Chiya went still.
As strong as him?
In his memory, Uchiha Obito's dream was supposed to be "becoming Hokage."
But now, this child looked up to him.
He wanted to join the Uchiha Military Police Force?
Was it because his policies had changed the atmosphere within the Uchiha Clan?
Or was it because Obito's path in life had already quietly begun to shift?
Chiya was silent for a moment, then rose and came to stand in front of him.
He reached out and ruffled Obito's messy hair.
"That is a fine dream."
Obito's eyes went wide. He clearly had not expected the Clan Head to praise him.
But soon, he lowered his head again and said quietly.
"But everyone says my talent is average and my stamina is poor."
Chiya pulled his hand back and said evenly.
"Talent decides where you start. Effort decides where you end up."
Obito's head snapped up, a light flashing in his eyes.
Chiya's words hit him like a shot of pure encouragement.
Chiya stood.
"Come on."
"Ah?"
"Let's go for a walk."
The streets of Konoha were as lively as ever.
Obito followed behind Chiya, his eyes sweeping constantly across the shops on either side of the street, his face full of curiosity and longing.
A candy shop, a toy stall, a ninja tool store.
For children from ordinary families, these things were perhaps perfectly common.
But for Obito, they were luxuries.
It was not exactly that his family could not afford them. It was that from the time he was old enough to remember anything, Obito had understood how hard his grandmother worked. She had tried to buy things for him before, but he had always refused.
Beneath that simple, goofy exterior, Obito carried a quietly sensitive heart.
Chiya noticed where his eyes kept going.
Especially when they passed a ninja tool shop. Obito's steps clearly slowed.
Inside the shop, a brand new pair of goggles sat in the display window, catching the sunlight with a metallic gleam.
Obito stared at them with fixed, unblinking eyes, and without even realizing it, swallowed.
Chiya followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow.
"You like them?"
Obito snapped out of it immediately and shook his head quickly.
"To answer the Clan Head, no, not at all!"
But his eyes had already given him away.
Chiya said nothing more and walked straight into the shop.
"Clan Head, sir?!"
Obito panicked and hurried after him.
The shopkeeper saw Chiya and immediately bowed with respect.
"Sir, what can I do for you?"
Chiya pointed at the goggles.
"That one. Wrap it up."
Obito stood frozen.
It was only when Chiya pressed the goggles into his hands that he came back to reality, as if waking from a dream.
"These, these are really for me?!"
"Who else?"
Chiya said plainly.
Obito's hands trembled slightly. His eyes turned red in an instant.
"Clan Head, I, I."
His voice choked. Tears were welling up and circling in his eyes.
Chiya frowned, pressed a hand onto his shoulder, and said in a firm voice.
"Listen, Obito."
"A boy has to be strong. Do not cry at the drop of a hat."
"A ninja of the Uchiha Clan can bleed, but must never be weak."
Obito sucked in a sharp breath through his nose and nodded hard.
"Yes!"
He clutched the goggles tightly against his chest, as if holding the most precious thing in the world.
Chiya looked at him and could not help shaking his head silently to himself.
'At such a young age, a time meant to be carefree and full of wonder, Obito was already this mature and sensible.'
'Was that really a good thing?'
"Huh? Obito?"
A bright, surprised girl's voice came from somewhere down the street.