Konoha, two secluded cabins somewhere.
Boom!
In the dead silence, with no one around, a muffled crash suddenly rang out. The door of one of the cabins was violently blown away, and a figure shot out.
Boom!
The instant the figure darted out, the entire cabin exploded with a thunderous blast. Amid flames and smoke, shards flew up and scattered outward.
Tap!
At that moment, the fleeing figure flipped low through the air. After landing and sliding a short distance, he steadily dropped into a half-crouch amid the crackling fall of splintered wood.
"Waaah... waaah..."
Then, loud infant crying rang out from the figure's arms.
Clatter! Clatter!
At the same time, the cabin fragments that had been blasted to pieces began raining down one after another.
Whew...
After sweeping his gaze around and confirming that no more debris was falling, the blond figure—Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—let out a soft breath. He slowly loosened his arms and looked at the naked infant within, with blond hair and whisker-like markings on his face.
Then the baby cried even louder.
Thank goodness! Naruto wasn't hurt.
Hearing his son cry so vigorously, Minato Namikaze finally let out a long breath, a faint relieved smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Thankfully, Flying Thunder God had saved Naruto in time.
But Kushina...
In the end, I still did not do as Chiba said. That means I should be in the disadvantageous situation Chiba described as "luring the tiger away from the mountain" now.
However, the relieved smile swiftly vanished from Minato Namikaze's face. Looking at the four Flying Thunder God Kunai scattered around him in what seemed to form some kind of array, this thought flashed through his mind.
I should send Naruto somewhere safe—to the place Chiba mentioned! As that thought arose,