Chapter Text
Satoru isn’t surprised to be meeting Uchiha Obito on yet another desolate rooftop of an abandoned building. At this point, he’d be more surprised if he were to find Uchiha Obito at any crowded places. The curse seems particularly averse to being with company, let alone being around so many humans.
Of course, Satoru had thoughts on the matter. None of the theories on why are particularly uplifting. Most of them relate to Uchiha Obito’s new status as an outsider, a base human desire for belonging that will never be fulfilled. It is a macabre thought, but Satoru wonders, at times, if Uchiha Obito had thought it’d be better off dead than here due to a dead man’s sentiments.
A curse, truly, that must be what it is to Uchiha Obito. It is the meaning of ‘curse’ distilled into its most based, innate form. Something twisted and warped, the remnants of something once good now has become only the cause of misery and hate and regrets that can never be fulfilled: a curse.
There is a certain sense of sympathy he feels for it. The feeling is nothing grand, of course- nor is it anything world changing- but nevertheless, Satoru does feel a mellow sense of sadness for Uchiha Obito. Perhaps it’s due to his personal experience on the matter, or perhaps it’s because he knows more about the person that once held the name ‘Uchiha Obito’- in the end, the result is the same.
He feels more sympathy for the curse than he should. It is not a difficult thing to admit, but it is something that ought to not have happened in the first place. Curses are curses and sorcerers are sorcerers.
But the lines blur here and there. A vague imprint in the sand, shifted by the tides over time. Waning and redefining itself- never quite as clear as what he thought it’d be.
“Out here all by yourself?” Satoru asks, playful. It is easy to fall into this rhythm. It is easy to be casual and light, rather than bring up things that ought to not exist between them.
It would be easy as well, Satoru thinks, if they could just be nothing more than passing strangers in each other’s lives. Nothing more than two boats that passed each other by in the grand space of the ocean.
(But, of course, Satoru has never been one for denial. He can admit to himself that their paths have crossed, the lines between their lives have intertwined and will become yet more tangled. The further he digs at Uchiha Obito’s past, the further he becomes entrenched in it.
This line was drawn long ago between them. Between Satoru and Uchiha Obito, between Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito. This thread has endured for centuries and has connected them now, in this pocket of time and the universe. It is almost like fate, if only the strangest definition of it.
There is no romanticism in this notion of fate. No grand realization of ‘I was waiting for you’, but rather a twisted, mundane, ‘And so, here we both are.’ Uchiha Obito could’ve met another Gojo after Hatake Kakashi- another one with the Six Eyes, someone strong, but not as strong as Satoru. Or perhaps Uchiha Obito would’ve never met a Gojo at all, destined to sleep for an eternity. Uchiha Obito could have also awoken sooner. Either way, it would’ve ended like so: they would’ve never met, their lives- forever untangled from each other. Their meetings could’ve played out in numerous scenarios as well. Satoru might not have wanted to search Uchiha Obito out because he has no student that’s a vessel. They might’ve even been enemies at first sight, they might have tried to go for each other’s throats. Uchiha Obito might’ve gone mad before this all, and became more cursed than human- then it would only be Satoru’s duty to grant him the release of death. They could've been many, many things, but they are here, nevertheless.
It is a twisted kind of fate that led them here. Uchiha Obito has awoken in Satoru’s time, in his generation. History is unfolding itself in front of them both, something desperate to be unearthed. A tale is unfolding once more, the tail of something has been revealed and it is Satoru’s duty to see this ancient tale to its completion. To protect his students, to protect this world. History is repeating itself, Satoru isn’t keen on letting the same ending play out twice. He is not keen on having to kill Yuuji- nor is he happy with the idea that someone has been using his student. He is not fond of whatever grand plan is playing out, and he is even less fond that he has been dismissed so easily as a threat.
He is Gojo Satoru, so long as he is here-
He will not let them succeed.
It is fate that led them here, to this juncture. Their meeting, their encounter, their relationship. Perhaps it was all fate, created from a series of decisions that was never their own but culminated in their destiny nevertheless. Like a series of threads, woven together into a tapestry.
Here, they stand in front of each other. Fate and human choices and everything in between have placed them here. It is strange to think of how easily it is that they would’ve never met. It is even stranger to think that they’re here, regardless of that.)
“You as well,” Uchiha Obito notes, replying to him. Its gaze is on the distant horizon. Perhaps trying to chart and compare the stars to what it once recalls. It does not look at him, but, as always, it probably had noticed his presence nevertheless.
“You know how it is,” Satoru says, shrugging his shoulders. The smile on his lips is practiced, light. It is a thing that he has used throughout the years after he’s grown out of teenagehood. The joys of becoming an adult, and all that. “Missions take me to plenty of interesting places.” He approaches Uchiha Obito, but it doesn't say anything about it. Its frame, too, isn’t as tense as when they first met. Instead, it is something languid and mellow. Almost relaxed, Satoru could say- if it weren’t for the fact that he’s certain the Uchiha Obito could change that in an instant if need be. “And, of course, our secret meeting wouldn’t be so secret if I brought along people, wouldn’t it?”
Uchiha Obito scoffs. “That wasn’t the case with your students.”
“Yuuji-kun and Yuta-kun are special cases,” Satoru replies, smiling. “Yuuji-kun was aware of your existence before I was, and Yuta-kun is your descendant so it wouldn’t be right to keep you from him. But this time they’re not here because, well, I can’t have them stunting their heights because of lack of sleep.”
“What a good teacher,” Uchiha Obito drawls. Its words are somewhat joking, if Satoru can parse through the sarcastic edge of it.
Satoru wonders if he can be considered as a friendly entity, if Uchiha Obito is willing to joke with him.
Perhaps even friends, but the word is far too lighthearted for what is between them. Something nebulous and twisted.
“I’m flattered.” Here, Satoru smiles- all pretty and bright. The type that would raise Nanami’s heart pressure or give the elders a very, very bad day. “Though, I’m sure you’re a bit disappointed not seeing them here, seeing as you seeked my cute students out all by yourself- without even talking to me about it.”
“I wasn’t aware I needed your permission,” Uchiha Obito replies, unimpressed.
Satoru laughs. “Oh, come on, I’m not that strict of a teacher. Just thought it was cute, considering the little history lesson that went on.”
Uchiha Obito shrugs. “They wanted to know.”
So they did. Of course they did. Satoru knows their curiosity like the back of his hand. For Yuta, it is knowledge of his deceased clan. For Yuuji, it is the want to belong- to know of past vessels and to know that he wasn’t alone. They’re curious boys, Satoru doesn’t fault them. He’s curious as well, of course. Though-
“It’s just a bit unfair, you know,” Satoru replies, glib. “You’re so generous with my students, and yet so stingy when it comes to their teacher.”
“They’re them,” Uchiha Obito answers, its voice almost disdainful at Satoru’s attempt to act coy. “And you’re you.”
“That’s mean.” Satoru stretches out his words into an almost whine. A shameful feat for other men his age, perhaps, but Satoru has lost that thing called ‘shame’ a long, long time ago. He happens to think it’s quite an effective weapon sometimes. Either to annoy, or to soften those that haven't been around him long enough to learn to be annoyed. “I’m just as cute as my students, you know.”
Uchiha Obito doesn’t deign that with a response. Though, not many people who know Satoru would, either. Shoko would give him the flattest stare known to man, Nanami would respond but would say something like ‘please remember your dignity as an adult man’, and Ichiji would probably just laugh awkwardly and try to not think about how Satoru is actually the older one between the two of them.
(Good times, that. Those words ‘cute’ used to be a lot more effective and likely to get a ‘yes’ when Satoru was a teenager and was an acceptable target to be considered ‘cute’ (even if he were basically the same person and taller than most of the population). But, of course, as you grow older, you lose some things. And one of those things is the ability to call yourself cute without one Nanami Kento wanting to hurl.
Though, that probably was the same case for Nanami Kento, the teenage version, as well.
It’s not like Satoru cares much, though. It’s all for fun’s sake at the end of the day. Satoru knows that his appearance is excellent. So it’s not like the specific adjective matters. It’s just that ‘cute’ is more fun to use to get reactions than, say, handsome or beautiful.)
“Anyways.” Satoru continues on, seeing as Uchiha Obito is awaiting his next words- perhaps to test his intentions. Satoru isn’t shy about revealing it anyways. They both sort of know what each other wants, it’s only time to confirm it and get started on the evening. “I’m wondering whether you have the same generous mood this evening.”
Uchiha Obito’s eyes finally turn towards him. The notes are familiar- analyzing, considering. The same gaze Uchiha Obito would fix on Satoru when trying to figure out Satoru’s intentions. Satoru welcomes this gaze as he always does, smiling as though a challenge.
“It depends on what you want to know,” Uchiha Obito replies at last.
That’s not a rejection, Satoru notices. It’s asking Satoru’s intention clearly, and- depending on his answer, it might be generous enough to be compelled to answer.
Satoru considers the many questions he has, there are plenty of them- some are important, some are more minor. Satoru focuses on the more important questions first. The questions are laid out like so: first, is the matter of Uchiha Madara and his relation to Uchiha Obito. Second, the matter of vessels and their creation- whether a ‘special constitution’ was needed for them or whether Yuuji and Uchiha Obito are special cases. Third, the matter of the three clans. The three of them and their eventual demise- the Senju and Uzumaki went first, the Uchiha was the final one of them to be taken care of.
These questions are all of high-priority, all of them relates to Satoru’s current predicament involving Yuuji. It is a pertinent one, considering the sheer magnitude of the problem that is ‘Ryomen Sukuna’. If there’s a way to get ahead of this whole plan, Satoru will take it.
Of course, he must be tactful with these questions as well. He knows Uchiha Obito’s temperament well enough. If pressed on a matter it is uncomfortable with, Uchiha Obito would no doubt withdraw. And withdrawal is not something preferable.
So considering it all, the first question is already not viable to bring up so early. The matter of Uchiha Madara seems like a sensitive topic, considering what type of questions Satoru would be asking and trying to dig for answers to. The third topic seems like it would be difficult to bring up without stepping on some… strenuous line of questions. The topic of the Uchiha clan demise is not something easily brought up, though perhaps Satoru could get away with some questions about the end of the Senju and Uzumaki. The second topic seems more viable, though. Asking about vessels is an easy entry as any to a conversation, considering that it is a topic that Uchiha Obito is at least comfortable enough to talk about with Yuuji. It is an important topic as well, not to mention that the questions Satoru is considering asking don't seem likely to cause any tension in their conversations.
He orders the line of questioning in his mind- first, something involving vessels, then- depending on Uchiha Obito’s particular mood at the time, either bring up the clans or the matter of Uchiha Madara. Though considering how personal Uchiha Madara might be to Uchiha Obito, it would be best to bring up that particular topic last. It seems like as good a plan as any, considering that Satoru will have gotten the questions about vessels and such answered before Uchiha Obito’s withdrawal if the line of questioning about Uchiha Madara goes into a bit of a tense territory.
“I’m awfully curious about some things involving vessels,” Satoru replies. It is a safe, easy topic.
“What about them?” Uchiha Obito asks, continuing the conversation. Not a withdrawal, good. It wouldn’t do to exhaust whatever sharing mood Uchiha Obito is in within the first question.
“Well, considering your previous conversation with Yuuji-kun, I’d just like to ask a few more things about their requirements, that’s all.”
Uchiha Obito considers this, and, after a short moment, probably deems this line of questioning harmless enough as it nods.
“What will you give in return?” it asks. Perhaps its mood isn’t quite so ‘generous’ as it is ‘reciprocal.’ Though this is perhaps the first time it had asked him outright.
“I can treat you to some ice cream,” Satoru offers, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Yuta-kun says that you liked it.”
“I would consider that ‘stingy’,” Uchiha Obito comments. Satoru laughs in reply. Oh well, that wasn’t that much of an attempt. Satoru knows that Uchiha Obito can’t be bought with a few ice cream bars, but it’s entertaining to at least try.
“Oh, alright, I could be generous back- depending on what you want to know.”
Uchiha Obito looks at him, it’s hesitating- though for reasons unknown to Satoru.
“I need information on a curse,” it says at last. “Or something akin to that.”
The words are drawn out of it slowly, as though it didn’t want to reveal this fact at all.
“Oh? What kind of curse is it?” Satoru’s interest is pique. Uchiha Obito rarely tells him something like this- straightforward and blunt. Usually it’s more so a vague dance between the two of them. So something must’ve disturbed it enough for Uchiha Obito to question him now about this.
Uchiha Obito’s expression is mullish at best. Perhaps the information is something it still finds difficult to convey, even though it had asked for his help. No matter, Satoru will get to the end of this mystery when this evening's encounter ends. And hopefully whatever query Uchiha Obito has will also be beneficial for Satoru to learn about.
“Consider me interested,” Satoru replies, ending the brief silence between them. “Luckily for you, I know plenty about curses.”
He is Gojo Satoru, after all. He’s sure that he knows of most curses, and he can get information on most of the ones that he doesn’t know about with the resources that he has on hand. It’d be no problem, really.
And, if it will be a problem to find out about- well, then all the better for Satoru to know about it beforehand. More information is always good, especially when it comes to Uchiha Obito.
“I’ll try my best to fulfill it,” Satoru reassures, raising his hand in a harmless bid. “That is, if you’re generous to me as well.”
Uchiha Obito nods, a done deal.
Satoru moves to stand next to Uchiha Obito, shoulder to shoulder. His arms leaning on an old railing or so. A dangerous maneuver perhaps, but Satoru doesn’t care all that much. This type of danger is almost negligent to worry about considering who he is.
“So, what are the requirements to create a vessel?” Satoru asks at last. This topic is one that Uchiha Obito had touched upon while with Yuuji and Yuta, but it is one that Satoru desperately needs more information about. The in-depth kind of information, the kind that only Uchiha Obito can really provide now.
“As I’ve stated to your student, vessels are usually created from birth. The younger they are, the easier it is for them to integrate,” Uchiha Obito explains. It is a simple concept, yes, but the logistics behind it is what Satoru wants to know more about.
“If that were the case, wouldn’t it be too much for the child to handle?”
Uchiha Obito nods, a simple and clean motion.
“That’s the usage of the seals, it’s used to help the vessel contain the massive influx of energy that is forced into the vessel.”
Seals, yes, another thing that Satoru is highly curious about- and another thing that has been seemingly lost to history. Satoru is certainly interested in this matter- this, and the Uzumaki clan. And, despite the clan’s lacking lifespan, it seems at least that their knowledge of seals survived into Uchiha Obito’s generation. Then, seemingly gone in modern day. Of course, techniques come and go- even domain expansions have changed over time, but Satoru can’t help but feel that ‘seals’ would be highly helpful right now in helping Yuuji contain Sukuna. Or, at least, suppress the King of Curses even further than what Yuuji has been doing so far.
“Seals are an Uzumaki thing, aren’t they?” Satoru asks, curious. It seems like a good time to breach the subject slightly. If Uchiha Obito brings it up, then it seems safe enough to question slightly.
“They were the best at it, no other clan could measure up to them in that aspect,” Uchiha Obito praises. Its words aren’t stiff in the slightest, its statement is neither high flattery or a sarcastic compliment, but rather something genuine and honest. As though this were the only type of truth it knows.
Interesting that Uchiha Obito had been taught that- even more interesting that it would regard the Uzumaki clan so highly when the clan, as has been assumed, was on its last legs by Uchiha Obito’s generation. Nothing to be held up to a pedestal- let alone cause this level of reverence.
Satoru doubts the Uchiha clan would speak so positively for another clan- especially one that was involved in an incident against them. Not to mention the clan’s dwindling influence making it unlikely that Uchiha Obito would’ve been taught this behavior. It is as though Uchiha Obito, the man, had learned this from somewhere- as for where, Satoru thinks he can hedge a bet.
“You know that first hand,” Satoru states- not a question, but an observation. It is only a guess, but Satoru thinks he can piece together the pieces. The name was briefly mentioned in the text messages. And from the way that Yuta had written it- it seems that those were Uchiha Obito’s real words rather than paraphrase, which only means- “From Uzumaki Kushina.”
It is only a brief moment, but something in Uchiha Obito shifts.
And, at that moment, Satoru knows his answer before he hears it. He knows it from Uchiha Obito’s suddenly tense frame, the way its lips pursed, its jaw goes taut, and its body goes rigid- if only for a heartbeat. An instinctual reaction, perhaps, to having something drawn out of it without it wanting to. And, as has been trained in it, its body falls into the natural pattern of forcing itself still- to not betray any flaws. It’s only a split of a second before Uchiha Obito’s body relaxes once more, falling into the behavior it usually displays, as though nothing is wrong. If Satoru wasn’t who he was, there’s no doubt that he wouldn’t have noticed. But nevertheless, he does.
(Satoru wonders if this was how it worked with Hatake Kakashi as well. Or perhaps it was even easier for Hatake Kakashi, because of the two’s familiarity with each other.
Of course, Uchiha Obito did not begin this way, he was probably an ordinary child who has his flaws and tells. But that time came and went with his new training, no doubt, and by that time-
Perhaps only Hatake Kakashi could see the flaws within the man.)
It is clear now, to Satoru, that his guess was correct.
It is a vague guess, perhaps, but it is not everyday that Uchiha Obito refers to someone by their given name. It indicates a level of closeness that shouldn’t exist for something within the historical records and is rather wholly related to personal experience.
“Something like that,” Uchiha Obito admits, perhaps knowing that there’d be no use in trying to hide from the Six Eyes. Personal experience as well, Satoru assumes.
It makes Satoru wonder whether Hatake Kakashi knew of the inner turmoil of Uchiha Obito, whether he saw it first hand- the degradation that took place. Between Uchiha Obito, his childhood playmate, and Uchiha Obito, the curse. Sometimes, the Six Eyes can be a burden. Sometimes, you see things that you don’t want to see- things that you shouldn’t see.
Sometimes, it is easier to not know at all, then to know, and be forced to reckon with it.
(Of course, he saw Suguru’s gradual fall, in minute detail. He saw how Suguru grew distant; he saw how Suguru became fractured by the conflicting morals that he held and the ideals that the jujutsu world forces on them all; he saw how Suguru turned from his friend, to someone that would declare war against the entirety of the jujutsu world.
He saw it all. He saw the fall. He knows that there is no saving Suguru, that- with the dilemma that they’re faced with, Satoru had no answers for Suguru. He knows it. And yet, it does not stop him from wondering at times, as summer rolls around and the sky turns that shade of blue- of a distant month from however long ago. He cannot help but wonder- if he could’ve done something about it. If he could’ve helped Suguru. Forcefully held his hand and dragged him back.
It is an impossibility to contemplate. Suguru is dead, Satoru has not cursed him.
Satoru wonders how Hatake Kakashi must’ve felt. Seeing that degradation play out for years in front of his eyes. Seeing the boy in his childhood become tainted with the rules of the adult world, becoming scarred, becoming something not him anymore. He wonders how it must’ve looked to Hatake Kakashi’s Six Eyes, as Uchiha Obito became a curse under his will.
The Six Eyes do not only see the beauty of the world, but the rot of it as well- the ugliness that cannot be hidden away. Hatake Kakashi’s eyes have no doubt seen many beautiful and many, many ugly things.
And in that moment in time- Satoru wonders whether Uchiha Obito, the curse, was the most beautiful or the most heinous sight that those eyes have borne witness to.
Perhaps it is both.
Perhaps he thought that he had save Uchiha Obito, that he’d forcefully dragged him back-
But in the same vein, Uchiha Obito is now a curse.
How to reconcile that?
How does it feel to see in minute detail how someone changes? Slip from your grasp? Satoru thinks that perhaps only he can really understand Hatake Kakashi’s plight, and, in turn, only Hatake Kakashi can really understand him. It is a bitter tragedy. The burden of the strongest, of these eyes.)
There are many things Satoru could ask Uchiha Obito about that woman at this moment. He could ask about the seals that the woman made, he could ask about her status as the Kyuubi’s vessel, he could ask about the Uzumaki clan that she heralded from- now only with her as the survivor. He could ask many, many things, and, in the end, he asks:
“Who was she to you?”
Uchiha Obito does not respond for several moments, perhaps shocked, perhaps grasping for an answer.
Relationships are a tricky thing to put a handle on, sometimes. Satoru has a feeling that if he were to ask Uchiha Obito what his relationship to Hatake Kakashi is, Uchiha Obito cannot answer either.
Even Satoru can’t quite label his relationship with Suguru. He had said that Suguru was the only best friend he has- yes, but there’s more to their relationship than that. It is not a linear relationship, with only one side. It is a jagged thing, with edges and corners and a thousand undefined regrets that will go unresolved. It is the summer between two confident teenagers and it is the winter where a man died and Satoru is the one left to bury him.
“She was a kind person,” Uchiha Obito admits. “An older figure, she often tries to be friendly with us.”
‘Us’.
Satoru doesn’t ask what happened to her, it is not a kind fate, probably- judging by Uchiha Obito’s reminiscent words and somber expression. As though recalling a past that can never be recaptured. Something sent to ruin and never whole again.
“She’s a good person- she was kinder to me than she should’ve been, saw me as an orphan and felt that I just needed someone to have my back. She was kind to me, she never saw me like everyone else did when I was still young and weak,” Uchiha Obito says, its voice is nostalgic- carrying with it past histories that have long gone. “Outside of that, she was also the Uzumaki clan head and the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. It was done when she was around ten or eleven.”
“Ten or eleven, that’s quite old- considering what you said before,” Satoru mentions, hedging around the subject. It is young to Satoru, but compared to vessels since infancy- well, that is indeed ‘old’.
“She’s an Uzumaki,” Uchiha Obito states plainly. “That, alongside her having the Uzumaki seals at her disposal would allow her to easily become the vessel despite her age.”
Uzumaki, again, something about them seems prime to be the subject of some kind of deep dive. Especially on their unique constitution, enabling them to be vessels despite the obstacles.
“But, yes, it would be best to have someone younger in most cases,” Uchiha Obito reaffirms. “The older someone is when they’re made into a vessel, the more difficult it would be for them to adapt and learn to use the foreign energy within them. Not to mention the risk of being taken over- it’s a problem with young vessels, and an even more difficult problem for older vessels to deal with.”
“Acclimation,” Satoru notes.
Uchiha Obito nods. “The longer they are a vessel, the more they’re acclimated to what was sealed in them- and the more adapted they are, the easier it is to use.”
Satoru can see it now, the reason. The older you are, the more individualized you become, the more distinct you become in your identity- in your curse energy and technique.
When you are young, you are a blank slate, ready to be painted upon. But when you’re older, it becomes harder to find a blank space to paint a new picture and do it cohesively. But as a child, this problem can be surpassed. Nothing is more malleable than children, and Satoru can get the logic behind it even if he hates it. It would be far easier for a young vessel to adapt to the curse within them when they begin as a blank slate.
The risk of it, though- it bothers Satoru. The idea alone-
As children, yes, they can be great vessels. Yes, they can adapt to the curse and learn to use the curse within them better than their older peers, but at the same time-
They are shaped by the curse within them.
A blank slate, painted over by the colors of a curse.
What a painting that would be, haunting and dreadful. A child, molded by the curse energy of a malevolent being. They would be good weapons, but what about their mentality? Their minds?
They would be born, and all they’d know for their foundational stages would be the condensation of negative emotions- all of humanity’s rot, impaled within their bodies, integrating into their minds.
Sorcerers have gone mad for less.
Not to mention what Satoru has heard previous from the text messages- of weakened seal and the grasp that the curse would have on the child-
“But the younger they are, the more likely they are to be influenced, right?” Satoru asks.
Uchiha Obito nods. “To have the seal to help is one thing, but when dealing with intense emotions, the seal can be weakened enough for the jinchuuriki to lose control. And with young vessels with already unstable seals- it can be very easy for them to be influenced by the thing sealed within them.”
As though recalling someone, Uchiha Obito continues.
“The jinchuuriki who couldn’t sleep- his seal was a particularly weak one,” Uchiha Obito remarks. That was an example that was made and Satoru had seen through the text messages. Entirely heinous, that thought is- a vessel who couldn’t sleep due to the curse within them. Reverse curse energy can only go so far- let alone the fact that they would’ve been made a vessel at an early age, if not infancy, leading to a terrible combination of madness from either the curse or the insomnia.
“How old was he when he was made a vessel?” Satoru asks.
“The one that I’m referring to, he was made a vessel the moment he was born.”
Something in Satoru grows irked. sh*tty and sh*ttier. What kind of fate is that? To be born and immediately made into a vessel- especially doomed to madness, that’s a sh*tty fate to be born to. The clan has their weapon, but what now?
“Who made that decision?”
“From what I know, it was his father,” Uchiha Obito states simply- as though the words leaving its lips weren’t heinous.
Satoru, on the other hand, desperately wants to commit a crime against this sh*tty father. Because, well, what kind of decision was that? Not a good one for the child, that’s for certain. Satoru has no doubt it’s more to the game of power and politics, and the child is a simple sacrifice in the midst of it all.
sh*tty parenting, not an uncommon sight in the jujutsu world. It irks Satoru all the same. Like Maki and Mai’s parents, a deadbeat father who can’t do sh*t but take out his inferiority on his daughters, and a mother who bows down to her husband’s whims.
Every child deserves a parent, but not every parent deserves a child. Satoru wishes that didn’t ring true for all these years throughout history and into modern day, yet- here they both are.
“That’s sh*tty,” Satoru says, for lack of anything else.
Uchiha Obito glances at him. Satoru raises a brow.
“I can see where Itadori got his phrasing from,” Uchiha Obito elaborates.
Satoru smiles. “Yeah, well he takes after me in a lot of ways.”
Uchiha Obito doesn’t say much on it, but it seems amused- in a way. “His first two children weren’t compatible with the Ichibi, but his third- and final- child was, and so the decision was made.”
Ichibi- that word-
One-tail.
Something strikes Satoru at that moment, an epiphany.
“Wait-” Satoru interrupts. “Are the rest of the nine named like that?”
Uchiha Obito nods. “They’re labeled based on the number of tails- or, well, just appendages if they don’t have tails. They have their own names outside of that, but they’re usually referred to by their labels instead.”
That naming sense-
The ‘Juubi’. It’s starting to make some kind of sense now. If one through nine were named like that, then it would only follow that the tenth would be ‘Juubi’.
It is not a name, it is a label. It is a classification used for efficiency or for depersonalization, but, in the end- it must’ve caught on.
It is another thing to keep in mind. Especially for the ‘Juubi’ which claims to not have a name. It is strange- it’s name should be ‘Uchiha Madara’, but at the same time perhaps it had discarded that name once it became a curse. But, at the same time, it could be another possibility as well.
There is plenty to consider here, it is something Satoru will have to think about later.
“Compatibility,” he says instead. “What does it mean to be ‘compatible?’”
“There are many ways that someone can be compatible, or force it,” Uchiha Obito answers. “One way, is to have a strong enough pool of energy to be able to suppress the beast and force it, another way, would be to have a strong enough constitution to handle a new foreign energy, and the third way- the method for infants who aren’t Uzumaki and don’t have a large pool of energy- is that their energy must be similar to the beast.”
And there is it-
Similarity, that is perhaps the ‘key’ behind successful vessels. The key behind their adaptation and acclimation to the curse within them.
Seeing Satoru fall silent, Uchiha Obito continues.
“As I was saying previously, with an unstable seal, the jinchuuriki can be easily influenced by the thing sealed within them- driven to violence or madness upon others.”
“That seems like a terrible thing to mix with young children,” Satoru states plainly. Imagine having something inside you, constantly pushing you towards the edge. And for malleable children-
They don’t know any better. Let alone children already hampered by the intense curse energy within them, which they weren’t built to handle.
Uchiha Obito nods. “It is, which is why the Ichibi’s jinchuuriki was driven mad in his childhood.”
Satoru’s lips purse into a grim line, he hates the thoughts that a child has been pushed to the precipice- by something far, far out of their control.
“What a sh*tty way to be born,” Satoru remarks, staring out into the streets of Tokyo. The lights blur, there are countless children milling the streets in the distance with their parents. He hopes they’ll be happier than that boy, in the distant past. “He never had a chance.”
“It wasn’t helped by his father,” Uchiha Obito inputs. “The assassination attempt drove him over the edge.”
Satoru blinks, something crinkling beneath his hands- he thinks it’s the metal of the railing.
“The what?” Satoru asks. Unable to find much calm in him from what he’s just heard.
Uchiha Obito’s gaze is on the distant city, there’s something wry in its expression. Something sardonic and grim.
"The assassination attempt," Uchiha Obito repeats, its voice dripping with something discordant- something sharp and awry.
"I heard it the first time." Satoru's lips purses into a grim, thin line. He feels his heart slowing once more, cooling. "Why?"
“Gaara was never the best at controlling the Ichibi due to the less than perfect seal that was placed on him. This wasn't helped by the fact that Gaara, even for the circ*mstances of his birth and upbringing, was a normal child. An unfortunate combination, as it meant that he was both too soft, and too volatile as a vessel. To his father, softness meant that Gaara would be weak, and his instability- meant that he could pose a danger to all those around him.” It is a sordid tale, an ugly- terrible thing. Filth, if Satoru were to say it. His anger grows at it all- at the fact that the boy had persevered but in the end- “So his father ordered for his uncle, his caretaker at the time and who the boy loved, to assassinate him- and to reveal that it was his father who had ordered it, and that the man went along willingly because he hated the boy for taking away his sister in childbirth- the boy’s mother. If nothing else, at least this would make him less soft and childish.”
That boy really stood no chance, with a father like that, Satoru thinks. No chance at all.
Even if he tried, it was either death- or madness. How can you handle that? Even an adult couldn’t handle that kind of strain, let alone a child. How can you handle knowing that your father had wanted you dead, and your uncle had gone along with it because he hated you- what child could handle that and live to be sane and good?
Sorcerers have gone mad for less.
It is all too easy for a child to go mad. All too easy for them to be shaped, for them to be ruined.
And that boy-
He was ruined. The blank canvas that once held something soft had been painted over with red, the blood of his kin.
Satoru is almost certain of the outcome of that doomed mission- the crash and the fall as the man died, and the boy lived to grow mad. After killing his uncle, the taboo has been achieved. What greater cause of fracture could there be for a child who has no one- to kill somebody who was his family until that point?
“Did you know him well?” Satoru asks.
Uchiha Obito shakes its head, simple and neat. “Not at all. We were passing enemies.”
That’s strange. Uchiha Obito had considered Uzumaki Kushina a ‘kind one’, whereas this boy was considered his ‘enemy’ when he was alive. The mention of ‘she was kind to us’- perhaps the ‘us’ here refers to a certain subsection of vessel. Or perhaps something else. There’s a strange divide here between the jinchuuriki- as though factions.
“Which one did you know personally, then?” Satoru asks.
“The Kyuubi jinchuuriki,” Uchiha Obito says.
“That’s all?”
A beat of silence, another shift in the currents. A skip in its breathing, the unfolding of-
“I supposed I knew them- the Sanbi’s vessels,” It says, something raw and terrible in its voice.
It’s expression-
“Them?” Satoru asks.
‘Them’ and ‘vessels’-
That means two.
If vessels are created when the past vessel has died, then that could only mean-
Who is the one that died? And who is the one that came after?
And who is the one that Uchiha Obito is making that expression for?
