Minato Namikaze's Countermove!

That night, after Shinichi Hyuga finished his afternoon training and returned home, Kushina sat blankly on the sofa, holding the framed photograph of Team Minato.

"I'm home!"

"Hm?"

"Kushina?"

"What's wrong? Why haven't you even turned on the lights? Did they break?"

After a busy day, Minato returned home from "work" and saw Kushina sitting in the dim living room. He asked in confusion.

As he spoke, Minato changed into slippers, walked into the living room, and casually touched the light switch on the wall.

Only when the bright lights came on did Kushina snap out of her daze. She looked up at the ceiling lamp, then turned to Minato.

"Minato! You're finally back!"

Kushina hurried to her feet. Before Minato could even react to what was happening, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Kushina, did something happen?"

Minato could feel that his wife's emotions were in turmoil. He gently patted her back and asked softly.

At the same time, Minato looked toward the window. Sensing Kakashi's Chakra as he concealed himself outside, Minato quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Kakashi was the Anbu Minato had assigned to watch over Kushina. Since Kakashi was still there, even if something had happened, it could not have been anything too serious.

"Minato, Shinichi... he saw your student who died, Obito Uchiha!"

With Minato back, Kushina had finally found someone to rely on. At last, she had someone to share that shocking news with and help her analyze it.

Under Minato's puzzled gaze, Kushina held the framed photograph before him, then took his hand and carefully recounted what had happened that afternoon.

Minato had first been astonished to hear that Shinichi had successfully used Mind's Eye of the Kagura after just one afternoon of training, and that he had immediately extended his sensory range all the way to Konoha Cemetery. Then Kushina mentioned the Chakra Shinichi had sensed at the Cemetery.

Combining the man's appearance as Shinichi had described it with the Sharingan, the Kekkei Genkai "exclusive" to the Uchiha Clan, Minato began to suspect the identity of the man in the Tiger-Striped Mask whom Shinichi had seen.

"Obito..."

Minato was a thoughtful man. Based on the various characteristics, he had reached the same conclusion as Kushina.

When countless coincidences came together, they became inevitability. No matter how unbelievable the truth might be, the truth was always the truth.

Minato did not doubt whether what Shinichi had said was true. Neither he nor Kushina had ever doubted it.

In their eyes, Shinichi Hyuga, a five-year-old born into the Hyuga Main Family, had neither reason nor need to tell such an easily exposed lie.

Besides, when Obito Uchiha had supposedly died in battle, Shinichi Hyuga had not even been born. There was no way he could have known Obito. If he had not seen him with his own eyes, how could he have vaguely recognized, the moment he saw the photograph, that the man's features closely resembled the young Obito's?

Furthermore, whether it was the Sharingan or the disfigurement on half his face, those traits would lead anyone who knew the truth of the Battle of Kannabi Bridge to guess that the mysterious man was Obito.

After all, that line of reasoning was simply too natural.

"Minato, could Obito really still be alive?"

"If he is, that would be wonderful!"

Seeing Minato lost in thought, Kushina gently held his arm and spoke with some relief.

However, Minato was not as optimistic as Kushina about the matter. His concerns were the same as Shinichi's...

If Obito really had not died, then why had he not appeared before them all these years?!

Even if Obito had suffered emotional trauma during the war and wanted to live a peaceful life removed from worldly conflict, there was no need for him to appear in Konoha dressed like that.

If he truly wanted to live peacefully in Konoha, then as both Hokage and Obito's teacher, would Minato deny him even that small convenience?!

Just as Shinichi had thought, whoever had saved Obito in those circumstances had to be a powerful figure. Minato had no idea... what purpose the person behind Obito might have.

As he pondered, Minato's brows drew tightly together.

Seeing that her husband was ignoring her, Kushina lightly squeezed his hand.

"Ah?"

"Sorry, I got lost in thought."

"Kushina, don't worry about this."

"If the person Shinichi saw was Obito, then perhaps Obito simply wants a peaceful life. If that is the case, we should pretend not to know and let him be."

"He has the right to choose how he lives."

"If that person isn't Obito... then no matter what he intends to do, he will surely make another move in the days ahead."

"Now that we know of his existence, we are not completely passive."

"As long as we figure out his patterns, we'll be able to drag him out eventually!"

At that moment, many plans formed in Minato's mind.

As Hokage, he could not allow someone of unknown identity, someone who deliberately concealed who they were, to move freely through Konoha. At the very least, he had to determine the other party's identity.

Since Shinichi had seen the man at the Cemetery, there was a good chance he would appear there again.

If it really was Obito... then the reason that boy would visit the Cemetery was simple...

When Obito had been alive, his only family in the world had been his grandmother. Not long after news of Obito's death reached Konoha, his grandmother had also passed away.

Because she had not been a ninja and was a member of the Uchiha Clan, Obito's grandmother's funeral had been handled by fellow members of the Uchiha Clan, and she had been buried in the Uchiha family cemetery.

Other than that relative, Kakashi and Rin, his teammates, had been Obito's closest friends.

And now, the only one lying in Konoha Cemetery was... Rin!

Set a simple Flying Thunder God Trap at Rin's grave...

If it really is Obito...

Minato comforted Kushina even as he secretly made plans.

In truth, he already had a guess about the identity of the man in the Tiger-Striped Mask. All that remained was to confirm it.

Now that Shinichi had pointed out Obito Uchiha's existence, it would not be difficult for Minato, with his abilities, to find traces of him.

Even the young Itachi Uchiha had been able to notice Obito's whereabouts. How could someone as perceptive and meticulous as Minato fail to find anything once he deliberately began searching?

Obito's methods of concealment were not particularly brilliant. He had already left countless traces throughout Konoha.

It was only a matter of time before they were uncovered!

Shinichi was quite at ease about that. After returning home, he temporarily put the matter out of his mind and focused peacefully on his own affairs.

And so time passed day by day in those tranquil times. At the same time, the bellies of Kushina and Shinichi's mother, Hana, grew larger by the day.