Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Chapter 1034 Clash and Choice
Indeed, after sensing the Nine-Tails' burst of chakra, Minato Namikaze guessed that Obito Uchiha would likely come directly here.

Therefore, he wisely refrained from wandering around and instead used the 'Flying Thunder God Technique' to teleport to Kushina Uzumaki's side.

It was precisely because of his actions that he managed to stop Obito Uchiha's attack at the last minute.

However, after being entangled with Minato Namikaze for so long, Obito Uchiha has learned his lesson.

The moment he saw Minato Namikaze, he immediately adjusted his battle strategy, changed direction, and used the 'Body Flicker Technique' to rush towards Lake Biwa Sarutobi in the corner of the room.

No, to be more precise, it rushed towards Naruto in its hands.

Upon seeing this, Minato Namikaze's expression changed drastically.

But it was clearly too late to teleport now, so he had no choice but to throw the kunai in his hand, trying to force Uchiha Obito to dodge.

Unfortunately, Obito Uchiha dodged the attack by using his intangible powers.

Upon arriving at Lake Biwa, Obito Uchiha snatched Naruto from his arms.

During this time, Sarutobi Biwako tried to dodge, but the moment their eyes met, she was pulled into an illusion by Uchiha Obito.

However, this also gave Minato Namikaze an opportunity.

He flashed and appeared to Obito Uchiha's right.

Then, with one hand holding a kunai, he stabbed at Obito Uchiha's carotid artery, while his other hand reached out and swiftly grabbed Naruto from Obito's grasp.

If it were anyone else, they might have fallen for Minato Namikaze's feint attack.

Unfortunately, the opponent was Obito Uchiha, who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Indeed, Obito Uchiha's combat experience was not as good as Minato Namikaze's, but the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan made up for this shortcoming.

Minato Namikaze's movements were fast, but they couldn't outrun the Mangekyou Sharingan's perceptive abilities.

Faced with Minato Namikaze's sudden attack, Obito Uchiha first blurred his neck to avoid the damage, then leaned back, just in time to avoid Minato's hand reaching for Naruto.

Then, before Minato Namikaze could launch a second attack, he flashed forward and rushed towards Kushina Uzumaki.

At this moment, Kushina Uzumaki was still struggling to suppress the Nine-Tails and had no time to dodge.

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze had no choice but to move in front of him again.

However, Obito Uchiha's attack was just a feint. When he saw Minato Namikaze guarding Kushina Uzumaki, he retreated to the other side of the room.

Minato Namikaze did not show any surprise at his actions.

In that situation, Minato Namikaze had already guessed that the enemy was most likely feinting.

However, he didn't dare to gamble.

Therefore, he could only allow the enemy to distance themselves and take his son away, thus losing the initiative.

A tense atmosphere filled the room, and a silent standoff formed between the two. Uchiha Obito and Namikaze Minato stared at each other, not daring to be distracted for even a moment.

Inside the room, the only one who can move around right now is Genma Shiranui.

Unfortunately, he was so overwhelmed by the two men's imposing presence that he could barely breathe, let alone launch an attack.

Of course, even if he had the opportunity to attack, he might not dare to make a move.

There was no other reason than that Obito Uchiha's strength far surpassed his own, and he couldn't be sure whether the opportunity he saw was a trap deliberately left by the enemy.

Whether it was the knowledge he learned at the ninja academy during his student days or the experience he accumulated while carrying out missions after becoming a ninja, everything he learned told him that the essence of a ninja is deception.

Use 'transformation' to deceive opponents, use traps to deceive enemies, or even use brainwashing to deceive yourself.

In short, deception is the ninja's weapon.

Therefore, one should not jump to conclusions when facing a ninja who is stronger than oneself.

That's why, even if he had the opportunity, he wouldn't dare to act rashly.

Now, all he can do is try his best to protect himself and his teammates and not affect the Hokage.

In 'Heaven's Guard', Qingming looked at Genma Shiranui and nodded to himself.

It has to be said that Genma Shiranui's intelligence alone is undeniable, given that he was chosen as Minato Namikaze's bodyguard. It's only because Minato died young that his potential was so high; otherwise, his abilities would have far exceeded that of a special Jonin.

Well.
That's too far!
Pulling his thoughts back, Qingming turned his gaze back to Uchiha Obito and Namikaze Minato.

As they faced off, Kushina Uzumaki glanced at Naruto in Obito's arms, then said in a slightly pleading tone, "Minato."

Although it was just two simple words, Minato Namikaze, who knew Kushina Uzumaki's personality well, understood the meaning behind her words: no matter what, Naruto had to be saved.

Minato Namikaze felt a chill run down his spine, and his gaze toward Obito Uchiha was now filled with murderous intent.

It was at this moment that Obito Uchiha made his move.

He suddenly exerted force and threw Naruto toward the door.

Seeing this, Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but shout, "Naruto~"

The next moment, Minato Namikaze moved.

He then threw a kunai at Uchiha Obito.

Then, by pushing off with his knees, he flashed into the air and caught Naruto as he flew towards the door.

Zizzi~
Suddenly, the sound of flames rapidly burning rang out.

Minato Namikaze looked down and saw an explosive tag stuck to the blanket wrapped around Naruto, about to explode.

Without a second thought, he ripped the blanket off Naruto and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the side of the kunai he had just thrown.

At that moment, the kunai was stuck in the wall on one side.

Obito Uchiha, who was attacked by it, came to Kushina Uzumaki's side and grabbed her shoulder.

In the shadows, Qingming witnessed this scene and was speechless.

He didn't know whether to call it the inertia of the world or the inevitable choice under these circumstances.

In short, the events unfolded as if they had returned to the scenes he remembered.

In the end, Obito Uchiha achieved his goal by using Naruto as a trump card.

He instantly activated his 'Divine Might' ability and teleported away from the room.

Suddenly, only Minato Namikaze, who was holding the child, and Genma Shiranui remained in the room.

Oh, right, there are also Sarutobi Biwako and two others who are still immersed in the Sharingan genjutsu.

Minato Namikaze's gaze swept over them, finally settling on Genma Shiranui.

He reached out and left a Flying Thunder God seal on Naruto before handing the child to Genma Shiranui, saying, "Genma, I'm entrusting Naruto to you. Please make sure he's safe."

Upon hearing this, Genma Shiranui immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Fourth Hokage, even if it costs me my life, I will protect him!"

After saying that, he reached out and took Naruto.

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze nodded, and after giving Naruto's wrinkled face one last loving look, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to Kushina Uzumaki's side.

That's right. Unlike what I remember, this time, Minato Namikaze knew early on that someone was targeting the Nine-Tails, so he left the Flying Thunder God Mark on Kushina Uzumaki beforehand.

In this way, no matter where Kushina Uzumaki is taken, he can sense it immediately and teleport there.

Like now!

As for why he didn't teleport to Kushina's side to protect her...
Simply put, with a child in his arms, he lacked the confidence to withstand the enemy's attack.

Therefore, rather than taking risks, it's better to save the child first.

And this is also what Kushina Uzumaki hoped for.

As for the fact that this led to Kushina Uzumaki's death, Minato Namikaze was willing to stand by her side.

It was this realization that made him make a decision instantly.

(End of this chapter)