They're closer to Konoha than she thought. It takes almost a month to get back, but truthfully, Rin had always thought of the village as existing in some separate world that she could never again return to.

Well, here she was.

Though it had been close to two decades since she had last seen them, she was struck to the bone by the overwhelming familarity she felt as she gazed upon those gates. She had left Konoha before for days, weeks, and on one occasion, months, but this had been the longest by far.

At her side, Obito says, "I can't do this." His voice is choked and when she looks over, his eyes are tearing up.

For a moment, she resists the urge to tease him about his old dust problems. Instead, she nudges him. "We've come all this way. Don't turn away now."

"Do you have any idea what I've done?" He hisses, "I- I've plotted the destruction of this village - of my village. I turned my back on it and everyone in it. All because of the words of an old man who lived under a cave. How can I go back?" His hands fist at his sides, and Obito turns. "You go. I- I can't."

Rin blocks him. "What the hell are you thinking?" She snaps, because there's no way in hell that she's going to just let him walk away and - she can see it in his eyes - kill himself in some lonely place where no one could find his corpse. He had dedicated his life to his Moon Eye's Plan and forsaken it for Rin, and if she leaves now...

"You've done some pretty bad things, I'm not going to say that you didn't. But you know what? I've done worse." Obito looks disbelieving. "Do you really think that I spent all those years as a spy just sitting around? I've killed people, ones who trusted me and thought I wouldn't stab them in the back."

"I wanted to force the world into being something it wasn't. Something I wanted it to be. I planned for thousands of deaths. Sensei's, Kushina-kun's, Kakashi's... it didn't matter to me at all. I just wanted you back." His voice cracks. "How can I look them in the eye after that?"

"But you didn't," she insists, "you turned your back on that. You didn't go through with it."

"I would have."

She punches him. She can't help it, really. Obito clutches a hand to his bleeding nose, a look of pure surprise on his face. "Would haves, could haves," she hisses, "So what if you would have? You didn't. You didn't make that choice. If I judged you for something you could have done, I would have to judge myself for that too."

There were so many turning points in their lives. What if Rin had never been assigned to Konoha? What if Obito hadn't arrived late that first day of school? If she had been discovered? If she had chosen her mission over her team?

She shuts that thought down quickly. That's something she doesn't want to think about, not ever.

Obito looks stunned, and not just because of his broken nose.

"It's only a few feet. Come with me." She holds out her hand, "At least, see our team again. If it doesn't work out, we can still leave." Rin doesn't mention the possibility of them being executed as traitors. She doesn't have to - Obito knows, she can see it in his eyes.

Still, he takes her hand.

The guard eyes them balefully over the clipboard. "Names?"

Rin forces herself to be calm. "Rin Nohara," she says, saying her true name for the first time in decades, "and Obito Uchiha." Obito tenses at her side. He heals fast - the only evidence that his nose had ever been broken were the smears of dried blood on his hands.

The man scans the list, still looking bored. "...Nope, you're not on here. You two playin' a joke? All the Uchiha are in the village right now."

"We aren't," Rin promises, "look, can you do me a favor? Get someone to tell the Yondaime that we're here. Se- He will tell you if we're welcome or not."

He doesn't look very happy, but he does so. The next few minutes are spent waiting for a reply. The guard doesn't view them as a threat - and why should he? They had arrived in civilian clothing and with no hitai-ate of any sort - Rin's had been destroyed years ago, and she has an inkling that a Konoha hitai-ate still lies under a ton of rocks deep in Iwa territory. He has no reason to believe that they're missing nin.

It doesn't take long for a response. Definitely not long enough for their request to reach the Hokage and back.

An ANBU jumps down from the gates, his mask that of a snarling canine. He's dressed in the uniform of an ANBU commander. The guard yelps, then scrambles into position.

"ANBU-sama!" He greets. The man pays him no mind. Instead, he whirls to face Rin and Obito.

"How did you know those names?" He demands angrily. "Who told you-" The ANBU cuts off, and stares at them motionlessly. Rin gazes back, taking in the silvery white hair that peeks out from over the porcelain mask, the imperceptible shaking of his hands, and smiles sadly.

The ANBU makes a small, broken sound. It sounds like a cross between a sob and a laugh.

"Hey Bakakashi," Obito says from beside her, an easy smile on his face. "Did you miss us?"

A/N: Might write more in this verse in the future, specifically the fate of Akatsuki and the reactions of the other half of Team Minato.