Namikaze Minato arrived at the battlefield incredibly fast. Before the Nine-Tails could cause any more damage in Konoha Village, he had already transferred the Tailed Beast to the outskirts.
Fearing that he would miss the best time to reseal the Tailed Beast, Minato did not hesitate after transferring the beast. He immediately returned to Konoha Village, bringing Kushina, the assembled Hyūga elites, and the mother-son duo back to appear before the Nine-Tails.
Even the young Shinichi and the infant Naruto, still in swaddling clothes, were brought to the battlefield by Namikaze Minato.
The Nine-Tails was now barely a hundred meters away from him. It's terrifying; chakra permeated the air, causing the Hyūga ninjas in proximity to swallow hard. However, their eyes quickly became firm. Without needing any instruction, these elites immediately surrounded Hyūga Hiashi, Hyūga Shinichi, and the Kushina mother and son in the center of their formation. Even facing a Tailed Beast, these Hyūga ninjas showed no intention of retreating.
Hyūga Shinichi stared at the Nine-Tails, which had just tossed aside Gamabunta and was beginning its rampage. He turned back to look at Kushina and Naruto, a flash of realization in his eyes.
Why did Namikaze Minato bring Naruto to the battlefield? In Shinichi's opinion, it was likely not merely an act of "love-brained" desperation. Minato did not fully trust the information Shinichi provided.
While he was working to seal the beast, he clearly had other thoughts. If resealing the Tailed Beast failed to solve the problem and Kushina still couldn't escape death, then a new Jinchūriki would inevitably have to be chosen. Clearly, his son Naruto, being of Uzumaki blood, was the best candidate.
Minato's thoroughness was understandable; even Shinichi himself couldn't guarantee that Kushina would truly be fine after the Nine-Tails was resealed. After all... it was possible for events to unfold unexpectedly in the real world. Minato's caution instead prevented a greater risk.
"Kushina... can you briefly restrain the Nine-Tails for me?"
Gamabunta, having been thrown by the Nine-Tails, quickly returned to the battle. To fight such a behemoth, Minato continued to use the Summoning Technique, calling forth two more giant toads from Mount Myōboku for aid. The addition of Gamaken and Hiro stabilized the battle situation slightly, but Minato knew this was only temporary. The power of a Tailed Beast was simply beyond the great toads of Mount Myōboku.
"Mhm!"
Kushina had just given birth, and the Tailed Beast had been extracted from her body by Obito, leaving her extremely weak. Yet, facing Minato's request, Kushina nodded resolutely.
Without a second word, she immediately released her golden chakra chains, wrapping them around the Nine-Tails in the battle. The Nine-Tails, engaged in combat with the three giant toads, didn't even notice the swiftly arriving Adamantine Sealing Chains. In an instant, the chains bound the Nine-Tails' body, restraining its tails and limbs, leaving it immobile.
"Next..."
Minato saw the Tailed Beast restrained. Looking at the Sharingan that had not vanished from the Tailed Beast's eyes, his tone grew serious.
Just as he was about to search for Obito's location, a spatial fluctuation suddenly appeared within the Hyūga formation.
"Truly troublesome—"
Uchiha Obito's figure rapidly rose from the ground next to Kushina, immediately reaching out to grab her.
Minato didn't need to actively search for Uchiha Obito; the incomplete execution of his plan prompted Obito to actively seek him out.
Although he had encountered some resistance during the execution of his plan, Obito had ultimately succeeded in releasing the Tailed Beast. Succeeding in this task right under the noses of the Hyūga elite and the Hokage filled Obito with confidence in his Kamui.
Now, facing even more elite ninjas, Uchiha Obito still acted recklessly, intending to finish off Kushina, the one restraining the Tailed Beast.
The moment Uchiha Obito's figure appeared, the Hyūga ninjas all detected the enemy's presence. A hundred or so Byakugan simultaneously turned, and an indescribable pressure immediately weighed upon Obito's heart, causing a momentary pause in his movement.
The Hyūga....
As a noble clan on par with the Uchiha, even though Obito was confident in his abilities, being stared at by so many ninjas simultaneously made him feel pressure.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Two tearing sounds overlapped into one.
The instant Obito appeared, Shinichi's hand was already pressed onto Hiashi's leg. In the next moment, Hyūga Hiashi and Namikaze Minato appeared next to Kushina almost simultaneously, both attacking Uchiha Obito. Two ninjas present had mastered the Flying Thunder God. Although Shinichi was "young and weak," using the Flying Thunder God to assist Hiashi in battle was more than sufficient. The pressure Uchiha Obito brought upon him was still less than the pressure brought by the Nine-Tails. The feeling delivered by a "mechanics monster" and a "stats monster" was ultimately different.
"!!!!"
Uchiha Obito clearly hadn't anticipated the opponents' reaction to be so fast, especially Hyūga Hiashi. When he saw Hiashi, who looked identical to Hizashi but moved several times faster, a look of surprise flashed in Obito's eyes. The next instant, the figures of Minato and Hiashi phased right through Obito's intangible body.
Although surprised by the Hyūga ninja's speed, Obito still had no intention of leaving. As they phased past him, a Flying Thunder God kunai was shot back directly from behind Obito. Obito, who was attempting to grab Kushina, tilted his body, phased right through Kushina, and disappeared back into the ground.
Appearing without a shadow and leaving without a trace, with no weapon or Ninjutsu capable of affecting Obito's Kamui. This terrifying ability startled the Hyūga elites present.
"Hiashi, Taijutsu attacks are useless against his intangible body."
"If my guess is correct, he must solidify to counterattack. That is when an attack might be effective against him."
This wasn't Minato's first time encountering Obito. He had only seen the ability a few times, yet Minato had already analyzed most of Obito's ability. Unlike Shinichi, who had "foreknowledge," Minato's battle intuition and combat intelligence were entirely earned.
"Understood!"
"I will assist you."
Hiashi immediately understood his role. He slightly lowered his head, and his Byakugan immediately penetrated the earth to search for Obito's tracks. The presence of the Hyūga elites made Obito even more cautious.
However, Obito, unwilling to simply leave, would soon expose a flaw.
"Fourth Hokage, beneath you!"
As Hiashi warned, a pair of hands suddenly shot out from the earth beneath Minato, grabbing for his ankles. Minato lightly leaped up, dodging Obito's attack while intentionally exposing a weakness.
Obito flashed out from the ground, and unlike before, he was clutching a chain in his hands. Watching Minato airborne with no nearby footing, Obito realized his opportunity had come! As he lunged out of the ground and shot toward Minato mid-air, the chains behind Obito rattled with a ping-pong sound.
"Hmm?!"
Hearing the sound, Hiashi immediately unleashed an Air Palm toward Obito. However, the Air Palm passed right through Obito's body, completely ineffective. At the same time, Minato, seeing Obito charging toward him mid-air, tossed out a kunai.
"Muda da (It's useless)—"
"Fourth Hokage, I win!"
The kunai flew straight through Obito's head. Looking at the close-by Minato, who had no platform to land on, a flicker of excitement crossed Obito's eye.
"Rasengan!"
Just then, Minato's figure suddenly vanished from in front of Obito. The moment the shout reached Obito's ears, an intense "push-back" sensation slammed Obito straight into the ground.
Sand and rock scattered as Obito was smashed into the earth. The Hyūga ninjas quickly surrounded Kushina in the center of their formation.
The powerful Rasengan struck Obito's body directly, shattering his entire right half.
"Flying Thunder God—Level Two (Hiraishin: Ni no Dan)..."
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