Chapter 19 — Obuya's Difficult Choice
Dusk fell.
Somewhere in the forest.
"Those kids… what's taking them so long? Are they trying to play mind games with me?"
Minato Namikaze had waited all day in the tree. To prevent any sudden ambush, he had not moved an inch. Anyone in his position would have grown somewhat restless by now.
Just then, a soft "shh-shh-shh" rustling echoed from all directions.
A smile tugged at Minato's lips. "Finally?"
"Swish… swish… swish…"
A series of rushing sounds split the air.
A dozen or so figures charged out from the forest from all sides, rushing toward where Minato stood.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Minato immediately recognized the attackers—Obito and Kakashi—each with multiple clones, totaling over a dozen. It was clear they were using the Shadow Clone Technique.
"Among these clones, are the real ones hidden? Or… are they all clones?"
Minato pondered silently.
He slashed four ropes in succession. Kunai shot out from the dense foliage around the tree in no particular order, firing in every direction.
Obito and Kakashi's clones, approaching from four different angles, were once again blocked by the kunai.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One by one, the clones were destroyed.
All of Kakashi's clones were eliminated first, showing that his real body was not among them.
Obito, however, still had one remaining clone—the only one that had reached the closest distance to Minato.
At that moment, the barrage of kunai finally ran out.
"Minato-Sensei, have your traps been exhausted?"
The leading clone called out, forming hand seals simultaneously.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
Obito expelled a straight-line flame.
This was his signature jutsu, powerful enough to cut through large trees.
His goal was simple: to sever the tree Minato stood on and force him to descend.
For the first time, Minato acted in earnest.
He formed several hand seals, and a stream of water erupted—a Water Dragon—colliding head-on with the incoming flames.
"So it's Water Release!"
Obito's jutsu was blocked. Instead of disappointment, a look of anticipated delight spread across his face.
Boom!
The straight-line fire met the water dragon squarely. The impact was like dropping a depth charge into a still lake, sending water spraying everywhere.
As expected, Obito's Dragon Flame Technique was completely countered by the Water Release. The flames never reached Minato, extinguished completely before making contact.
At that instant, Obito's forward motion veered slightly, and behind him, someone appeared unexpectedly.
This person had been hiding behind Obito, using his Fire Release as cover. Even Minato hadn't noticed, nor anticipated it.
It was Obuya.
He released a barrier instantly.
His feet sparked with lightning, moving like teleportation. In a sudden leap, he reached the tree where Minato stood.
His right hand transformed completely into flowing blue electricity, the current shaping into a beastly form, striking toward Minato with all his strength.
Obuya was determined. He saw no reason for failure.
If Minato jumped to evade, it would serve Obuya's purpose. If he chose to block, Obuya had confidence that the high-intensity electricity would induce a brief paralysis.
Even if the effect lasted only an instant, he trusted Kakashi, still unseen, could seize the moment perfectly and complete their plan.
"Another one of those strange Lightning Release techniques?"
Obuya's electrically charged fist reflected in Minato's eyes.
Minato recalled the previous day, when Obuya had used this very jutsu to knock down a Uchiha ninja.
He had already noticed that Obuya's Lightning Release lacked destructive power but could momentarily paralyze an opponent. For someone with weak chakra, it might even burn them instantly.
Seeing through Obuya's Lightning Release, Minato knew he could not allow him to close in.
"Wind Release: Gale Tornado!"
Minato formed seals and exhaled a fierce gust, a tornado whipping sand and debris in its path.
Obuya had not expected this. Mid-air, with no leverage to evade, he collided headlong into the spinning wind, which fully stopped his advance.
At the same time, a figure shot out from the forest.
The timing was flawless. As Minato was executing his jutsu, this person appeared, leaving him no moment to react.
"Raikiri!"
Finally, Kakashi acted.
Obuya's attack had not achieved the intended effect, but it had fulfilled its purpose: creating the perfect opening for Kakashi.
The Raikiri struck true.
The tree Minato stood on was sliced by the lightning, crashing to the ground.
Minato had to leap to avoid being crushed.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three kunai rigged with explosive tags struck the trunk before it fell.
This was Rin's doing.
"It worked!!"
Her excited voice came from one direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fallen tree shattered, sending the three bells flying in different directions.
Obito reacted fastest. He was first into action and completed his objective. He leapt to a bell and caught it in his hand.
Kakashi's luck held. One bell happened to fly in his direction, and with his sharp reflexes, he caught it easily.
The final bell was sent soaring high into the air.
Obuya and Rin leapt simultaneously to catch it.
Because Obuya had been paralyzed by the "Gale Tornado," Rin gained a slight lead.
But Minato had not yet given up.
Just as Rin was a step away from the bell, about to grab it, Minato activated Flying Thunder God Technique, appearing behind her.
And directly behind him—Obuya.
The three were separated by no more than half a step.
"This is… the Rasengan!"
Obuya's face turned pale.
In Minato's hand, a green orb of chakra formed. His target was obvious: Rin.
And it was certain that the orb would strike her before she could grab the bell.
Obuya understood fully: Minato had no intent to truly harm Rin. This was merely to prevent her from seizing the last bell.
In that instant, two choices lay before Obuya.
The first: do nothing and let fate take its course. Minato would likely stop Rin, giving Obuya the chance to swoop in and take the bell himself.
The second: save Rin by stopping Minato.
Given the distance, Obuya could do it, but the consequence was clear: Rin would get the bell, and he would be eliminated from the Chunin Exam.
This exam was crucial. Securing it meant gaining the final forty Devil Points, reaching a total of one hundred, and advancing to a one-star demon—a lifelong dream he had pursued relentlessly.