As Byakuya noticed the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb, the guards at the Hokage Building did as well.
Unlike Byakuya, their faces turned pale with despair. As they scrambled to find places to take cover from the impending explosion, they noticed Byakuya on the rooftop.
They couldn't understand why Byakuya wasn't trying to evade the Tailed Beast Bomb. It was a terrifying weapon capable of obliterating an entire town. Without strength comparable to the Hokage, no one could survive such an explosion.
What they didn't know was that Byakuya wasn't avoiding the Tailed Beast Bomb because he had the power to battle the Nine-Tails or because his Wood Release and Sharingan could counter all tailed beasts. Instead, he knew that Minato, the Fourth Hokage, would definitely come to the rescue.
Half a second later, just as the Tailed Beast Bomb was about to strike the Hokage Rock, Minato appeared on the cliffside.
In his Hokage robes, Minato moved swiftly across the rock face, using kunai to set up his Flying Thunder God Jutsu. He quickly bit his finger and chanted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
The next moment, Gamabunta, the toad boss, descended from the sky and crashed heavily into the distant Nine-Tails.
At the same instant, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu successfully transported the Tailed Beast Bomb, causing it to land in an uninhabited area several kilometers away.
Witnessing this, all the Konoha ninjas present breathed a sigh of relief and engraved the image of the Fourth Hokage into their memories.
Once again, the Fourth Hokage had turned the tide, saving Konoha from disaster.
Among the crowd, Byakuya also took note of Minato's heroic figure. If Minato hadn't shown up, it would have been Byakuya who would have taken the spotlight.
Byakuya hadn't had the time to evade the Tailed Beast Bomb. If he had tried to withstand it, he would have exposed his identity. Becoming a hero of Konoha might have interfered with his subsequent plans.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Minato didn't have time to accept the crowd's gratitude. He had only come here because he sensed the village was in danger. Now, he needed to continue pursuing and eliminating the attacker responsible for this assault.
Minato locked onto Obito's position and used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu again.
Appearing in the forest, Minato immediately spotted the masked man standing still and, not far from him, Kushina lying within a sealing array with their child, Naruto, beside her.
Wasn't Naruto supposed to be protected? How did he end up with Kushina?
But it seemed the enemy had no intention of fleeing. Instead, he was preparing for a final battle.
Obito, seeing Minato, smirked and said, "Fourth Hokage, did you enjoy my little gift? If you can't stop me, your village, your wife, and your child will all die by my hand."
Hearing this, Minato's face darkened, and undeniable killing intent surged in his eyes as he growled, "No matter who you are, I will not let you escape."
Seeing Minato's enraged expression, Obito's face grew grim. As he wrapped his chain-scythe around his hand, he lunged at Minato.
Minato was also ready for battle, gripping his kunai tightly as he prepared for the confrontation.
With his mastery of space-time ninjutsu, Minato knew how powerful it could be. Today, he had to ensure that this enemy would stay in Konoha; otherwise, similar attacks would continue to plague the village.
Both were incredibly fast ninjas, and they collided in the blink of an eye.
After deflecting Minato's kunai, Obito slipped into his intangible state, hoping to avoid the kunai's thrust. He then aimed to stab Minato in the heart with his scythe.
Having successfully become intangible, Obito's mask seemed to show a victorious smirk as he envisioned his triumph.
Although the Flying Thunder God Jutsu was powerful, with the addition of the Kamui ability, Minato, who only knew the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, was no longer a match for him. This was the might of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, when the attack failed, Minato staggered slightly, indicating that the battle was far from over.
Minato was astonished. Despite landing a kunai in Obito's body, Obito had used some form of space-time ability to evade the fatal blow. Had Obito's body already shifted to another dimension?
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Minato devised a new plan.
Minato first traversed through Obito's body with his kunai, and just as Obito was vanishing, he used the second stage of his Flying Thunder God Jutsu to reappear directly above Obito.
"Flying Thunder God Second Stage!"
"Rasengan!"
With a cold, emotionless shout, Minato's Rasengan slammed into Obito's back with overwhelming force, shattering rocks and breaching Obito's defenses. The impact fractured Obito's bones and internal organs.
Obito, struck by such a powerful attack, coughed up blood, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He couldn't believe the gap between him and Minato was so vast. The young Byakuya's words had proven true; although he had mastered space-time abilities, he was still inexperienced against top-tier shinobi.
Without hesitation, Obito summoned the Nine-Tails again, planning to use its power to overcome his former teacher.
Taking advantage of Obito's dazed state, Minato reappeared in front of him and performed a Contract Seal.
From their previous engagement, Minato had identified the Nine-Tails as Obito's summoned beast. However, he was puzzled as to why the Nine-Tails was Obito's summon and why Obito's combat experience was so lacking.
Minato, not fully understanding the situation, left a Flying Thunder God mark on Obito before creating distance.
Seizing the opportunity, Obito quickly used his intangibility technique, retreating several meters and vanishing into a vortex.
He had lost. He had thoroughly been defeated by his former teacher.
If he didn't escape now, he might lose his life. He had to flee for now and return later to execute his plans to weaken Konoha.
Minato didn't spare another glance at the fleeing Obito. His wife was still gravely injured, and with the Nine-Tails released due to the Contract Seal, he needed to defeat the beast to protect the village and his family.
---
On the other side, Obito emerged from the Kamui dimension, collapsing on a clearing in the Forest of Death.
As he lay there, weak and battered, Black Zetsu looked at him with disdain. He ordered White Zetsu to heal Obito while speaking with a stern expression.
"Obito, it seems your plan has failed. Now, do you understand the risks this failure has brought upon us? After this attack, the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki will certainly conduct a thorough investigation. With a space-time ninja under scrutiny, the Eye of the Moon Plan will be even more difficult to achieve than before."
Obito, unable to respond due to the pain, could only listen.
Black Zetsu continued, "But it's not all bad. Byakuya has also arrived in Konoha. He will clean up this mess for you."