Gai framed Obito's face with his hands on the man's cheeks, his thumb stroking at the scarred cheek as if wiping at tears. His own eyes sparkled with un-shed tears for Obito and the girl. He had a sinking feeling he knew who she was, too. Hopefully the loss of her eye would not dissuade her from working towards her goals.

He shook his head. "I do not think it is anything just you have done," he said firmly. "It is something we have all done; do not forget: a failure of the team is not solely on the leader, but on each member as well. We are a we, not an I. Not a you. But regardless, we will consider our options, examine what might be done differently. I will help, if I can. I do not know if it is discipline issues or wandering loyalties or laziness, but we will change it. We must! We will identify the core problem and work to rectify it." Gai took his hands. "Do not lose faith. I believe in your leadership, Obito. Every leader struggles--every team does. But you will lead us to rise above these problems, fix this issue within our ranks, and Konoha will be better and stronger because of you!"