Hyūga Hizashi's continuous attacks forced a change in Obito's goal. His original intention was to first eliminate the two medical ninjas, Biwako and Tanro, but Hizashi's sudden appearance compelled him to remain intangible. To engage in a Taijutsu battle in this confined space against a Hyūga ninja—even Obito, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and mastered Kamui—had no such desire.
With many ninjas present, including the Fourth Hokage and the Hyūga elites, Obito felt he needed to secure a deterrent "card" first to achieve his goal. And the child of Namikaze Minato and Kushina, born barely a minute ago, was the perfect card!
Just as Obito's body completely phased through Biwako, and his hand was about to grab little Naruto, a three-pronged kunai suddenly flew through the air, aimed straight at Obito's head.
The stunned Namikaze Minato finally reacted under Hyūga Hizashi's fierce shout. He threw the kunai at Obito, but immediately after throwing it, the Fourth Hokage hurriedly continued to press his hands onto the seal on Kushina's abdomen, reinforcing the Nine-Tails' seal. Kushina was at her weakest right after giving birth to Naruto.
=The Nine-Tails inside her was anything but docile, struggling to break the seal. In the brief moment Minato was distracted, the Nine-Tails' chakra leaked out again, and a red chakra cloak enveloped Kushina's body.
With just a glance, Obito discerned that Minato's movements were completely tied up by the Nine-Tails' seal. The corner of his mouth beneath the mask curled into a smirk. His hand, which had paused as the Flying Thunder God kunai passed through him, continued to reach for Naruto.
"Hmph!"
However, just then, a cold snort came from behind Obito. Hyūga Hizashi, whose attack had failed to land, was misaligned with Obito, but the Hyūga's Byakugan provided him with a 360-degree, near-unobstructed view; everything behind him was in his control.
Hizashi swiftly spun around, delivering a sweep-kick that struck Biwako, then caught the Flying Thunder God kunai Minato had thrown (which had passed through Obito's body) mid-air.
He then fiercely flung the kunai, shooting it downwards toward Obito's back. Simultaneously with the kunai throw, Hizashi quickly moved closer, pushing Biwako backward with one hand, while his other hand formed a sword finger, aiming directly at the vital point on Obito's back.
All of this happened in a flash.
Hyūga Hizashi, already aware of Obito's ability, had no intention of giving him any breathing room. Coordinating with the kunai Minato had thrown, his attacks came like a tide, wave after wave.
Was the young Uchiha Obito powerful? Possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan and having mastered the nearly invincible Space-Time Ninjutsu, Kamui, Obito's strength was undoubtedly immense. But conversely, Obito's own physical stats had not completely transcended the scope of an "ordinary ninja." Factors like on-the-spot reaction, battle experience, physical strength, speed, and combat skills all require time to accumulate.
They cannot be rapidly improved just by having Kamui. Simply put, the Obito with Kamui at this stage was a "mechanics monster," whose base stats could not compare to experts like Minato.
It was precisely for this reason that Obito did not win easily in the few battles before he became the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki. Whether it was fighting Minato, the two Root subordinates of Danzō, or even Konan, Obito either lost or won with difficulty.
Hyūga Hizashi was an elite of the Hyūga Clan. Within the entire clan, his strength could even rival that of the Clan Head, Hiashi.
If not for his Branch Family status, his potential might have even surpassed Hiashi's, and at twenty-eight, he was currently in a ninja's prime. Unlike Obito, Hizashi was a "mechanics monster" with a solid foundation; his "base stats" were superior to Obito's. With the assistance of the Byakugan, it was not realistic for Obito to easily succeed in front of Hyūga Hizashi.
"Tch..."
Hizashi's relentless attacks irritated Obito. For him, this was a race against time, and he absolutely could not afford to be stalled by this Hyūga ninja.
Sensing Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai rushing towards him, Obito shifted his body sideways, instantly solidifying his form. He snatched little Naruto in his hand. The next instant, the kunai plunged into his right arm, yet strangely, no blood flowed from the ripped fabric.
"Stop!"
"Or this brat will die right here!"
Sensing Hizashi rapidly approaching him, Obito roared a sharp warning.
The sudden change caused Hyūga Hizashi to halt his movement. His sword finger was now less than ten centimeters away from Obito.
Although they seemed close, Hizashi knew that this short distance was enough for the opponent to execute the infant in his hand. This was the Fourth Hokage's son, and he could not be harmed.
"This strange body structure is..."
It was only now that Hizashi had time to carefully examine Obito's body structure. He noticed that while the chakra in Obito's right half was identical to his own chakra, the distribution of chakra pathways was subtly different from his left side. Moreover, no blood flowed from the arm pierced by the kunai. Not only that, but judging by Obito's movements, he wasn't affected by the kunai at all. It was as if... that half of his body wasn't his own.
"Stop it, Obito!"
"Put Naruto down!"
Seeing Obito seize Naruto, Namikaze Minato finally diverted his attention and shouted a stop to Obito. He hadn't expected that Obito would manage to bypass the seals placed around the delivery room and successfully enter.
Of course, Minato was even more shocked that Obito, his own student, would attack him, Kushina, and their child! Since learning that Obito was alive, he had been guessing Obito's purpose, but he never considered that Obito's target would be him and his wife. Minato couldn't think of anything he had done wrong to Obito.
Even if it was for Rin's sake, the target shouldn't be Kushina or his son. When Obito was his student, Kushina often showed concern for him. Kushina even personally saw him off when he left for missions.
Minato could not imagine how Obito had transformed into his current state.
Perhaps Hyūga Shinichi, despite all his calculations, never realized that actively exposing Obito's identity ironically caused Minato to view the masked man through a "disciple filter."
And Hizashi, in whom Shinichi had placed his hope, had already done his utmost, but he was powerless. Facing Obito's Kamui, even he was overwhelmed.
"Naruto!"
"Obito... don't hurt Naruto!"
Kushina, lying on the bed, also noticed Obito, who had suddenly appeared and grabbed Naruto. At this moment, she was completely devoid of her usual fiery demeanor and could only plead sadly.
However, Obito was unmoved. He looked at the Fourth Hokage by Kushina's bed and immediately threw the infant Naruto into the air.
"NARUTO!!!"
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