Chapter 19 — Obuya's Difficult Choice
Dusk settled over the forest, the last strands of sunlight fading between the dense canopy as shadows stretched quietly across the ground.
Deep within the woods—
"Those kids… what's taking them so long? Trying to mess with my head?"
Minato Namikaze remained perched atop the same tree he had chosen since morning. To guard against any sudden ambush, he had not shifted even once. Maintaining such stillness for an entire day would have tested anyone's patience, yet his focus remained sharp, his senses extended and vigilant despite the faint restlessness creeping in.
Then, without warning, a faint rustling spread through the forest.
"Shh… shh… shh…"
The sound came from all directions at once.
A small smile formed at the corner of Minato's lips. "Finally?"
"Swish… swish… swish…"
The air split with rapid movement as more than a dozen figures burst out from the forest simultaneously, closing in on Minato from every direction.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Minato recognized them immediately—Obito and Kakashi, each accompanied by multiple clones. Altogether, well over a dozen figures advanced toward him.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Are the real ones hidden among them… or are they all clones?"
He analyzed the situation in silence.
In one fluid motion, he sliced through four concealed ropes. From the dense foliage surrounding the tree, kunai shot outward in all directions, their trajectories erratic as they filled the air like a sudden storm.
The incoming clones from four separate angles were intercepted instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, the shadow clones burst into smoke.
Kakashi's clones were wiped out first, confirming that his real body wasn't among them.
Obito, however, still had one remaining clone—the one that had pushed closest to Minato.
At that exact moment, the rain of kunai ceased. The trap had been fully expended.
"Minato-sensei, out of tricks already?"
The leading clone called out, hands already forming seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
A straight-line torrent of fire surged forward, tearing through the air with fierce intensity. The flames roared like a dragon, hot enough to cleave through thick tree trunks.
Obito's intention was obvious—destroy the tree and force Minato out of position.
This time, Minato responded without restraint.
His hands moved swiftly, and a surging torrent of water erupted forward—a Water Dragon that charged directly into the oncoming flames.
"So it's Water Release!"
Obito's attack was neutralized, yet instead of frustration, a flicker of excitement lit his expression.
Boom!
Fire and water collided violently, the impact like a detonation beneath a still lake. Water exploded outward in every direction as steam hissed and surged, the flames extinguished before they could reach Minato.
But in that brief instant—
Obito's forward motion shifted subtly.
And behind him, a figure appeared.
Hidden perfectly within the blind spot created by the collision, even Minato had failed to detect him beforehand.
Obuya.
Without hesitation, he activated a barrier.
Lightning crackled beneath his feet as his entire body surged forward with explosive speed, almost as if he had vanished and reappeared midair. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance to the tree.
His right arm transformed, engulfed in flowing blue electricity. The current twisted and coiled, forming the outline of a ferocious beast as it surged toward Minato.
Obuya's resolve was absolute.
There was no room for failure.
If Minato chose to evade, that alone would create an opening. If he chose to block, the high-intensity current would still induce a momentary paralysis.
Even a fraction of a second would be enough.
Kakashi, still hidden, would seize that instant and complete their plan.
"Another one of those unusual Lightning Release techniques?"
Obuya's lightning-clad fist reflected clearly in Minato's eyes.
He recalled the previous day—how Obuya had used this same technique to bring down a Uchiha ninja.
The raw destructive power wasn't overwhelming, but its effect was troublesome. It could briefly paralyze its target, and against someone with weaker chakra, it could cause severe burns in an instant.
Minato made his decision immediately.
He could not allow Obuya to close the distance.
"Wind Release: Gale Tornado!"
With a rapid sequence of seals, Minato exhaled a violent gust. A spiraling torrent of wind erupted outward, forming a raging vortex that swept up sand, leaves, and debris into a whirling storm.
Obuya's pupils shrank.
Mid-air, with no foothold to adjust his trajectory, he collided directly with the spinning wind. The force halted his advance completely, throwing off his attack.
At that same moment—
A figure shot out from the forest.
The timing was flawless.
Minato had just completed his jutsu, leaving no window to respond.
"Raikiri!"
Kakashi struck.
Obuya's attack had failed to land—but it had achieved its purpose. It created the opening.
Lightning gathered in Kakashi's hand, condensing into a sharp, piercing blade of chakra.
The Raikiri cut cleanly through the tree.
Crack—
The massive trunk split apart and began to collapse.
Minato had no choice but to leap away.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three kunai, each wrapped with explosive tags, embedded themselves into the falling trunk just before it hit the ground.
Rin's attack.
"It worked!!"
Her voice rang out, bright with excitement.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The tree exploded into fragments, the force scattering the three bells in different directions.
Obito reacted first, moving without hesitation as he lunged forward and snatched one bell out of the air.
Kakashi followed closely behind. One of the bells flew toward him, and with precise timing, he caught it cleanly.
The final bell shot upward, spinning high into the air.
Obuya and Rin moved at the same time, both leaping to intercept it.
Because Obuya had been disrupted by the Gale Tornado, Rin gained a slight lead.
But—
Minato had not given up.
Just as Rin reached out, her fingers inches away from the bell—
Minato vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared behind her.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
And directly behind Minato—
Obuya.
The three of them stood within half a step of each other.
"This is… the Rasengan!"
Obuya's expression changed.
In Minato's palm, a swirling sphere of chakra formed, spinning with terrifying density.
Its target was clear.
Rin.
And there was no doubt—it would strike before she could grasp the bell.
Obuya understood instantly.
Minato had no intention of truly harming her. This was simply a way to stop her from securing the final bell.
In that single moment, two choices stood before him.
The first—do nothing. Allow Minato to stop Rin, then seize the opportunity to take the bell for himself.
The second—interfere. Stop Minato and protect Rin.
At this distance, he could do it.
But the outcome was just as clear.
Rin would take the bell.
And he would be eliminated from the Chūnin Exam.
This exam meant everything to him.
Passing it would grant him the final forty Devil Points he needed—bringing his total to one hundred, allowing him to advance into a one-star demon, the goal he had pursued relentlessly.