The Heart of a Strong Person

(Chapter 34: The Heart of a Strongman)

With golden sunlight catching his handsome hair and the characters for "Fourth Hokage" emblazoned on his back, his arrival at the critical moment brought a smile to Mirai's lips. He truly was the protagonist; all the conditions were met. It was no wonder all the boys and girls were fans of the Fourth Hokage, given his knack for saving the day at the perfect time.

Uchiha Obito attempted to phase through reality quickly, but his hand was already gripped tightly by Mirai, who refused to let go. The expression beneath Uchiha Obito's mask shifted drastically. He had been outmaneuvered by Mirai—calculated from the very beginning. A mere child had managed to trap him so thoroughly; he should have just obliterated him with a powerful ninjutsu from the start.

The Yellow Flash of Konoha was not a name earned through empty reputation. During the Great Ninja War, every major ninja nation had issued a standing order: if you encounter the Yellow Flash of Konoha, you are permitted to flee without facing any disciplinary action. This alone demonstrated the sheer magnitude of the Yellow Flash's fame among shinobi.

As for the "Flash," the term described his speed—a speed so great that he could defeat every enemy on the battlefield in the blink of an eye. Thus, under normal circumstances, simply surviving an encounter with Namikaze Minato was considered a stroke of luck; who would ever dare pursue a charge of dereliction of duty?

"Whoosh!" The Fourth's expression was grave, clearly having been moved to genuine anger. A ninjutsu instantly manifested in his right hand—it resembled a sphere, emitting a pale blue light with streaks of chakra spinning rapidly within. This was the A-rank ninjutsu independently created by the Fourth Hokage, one that required no hand seals to activate and would later become the signature technique of Naruto Uzumaki: the Rasengan. The lack of hand seals meant it was fast enough to be deployed in an instant, which was exactly what the Fourth did.

At such close range, the dynamic had shifted. Initially, Uchiha Obito had held Mirai like a chicken waiting for the slaughter, but now, his hand was pinned by Mirai, unable to break free. Uchiha Obito's other hand held a kunai.

He faced three choices: shake off Mirai and phase, though there wasn't enough time; absorb Mirai into his Kamui Dimension, though that would leave him vulnerable to the Fourth's attack since his body had to materialize to perform the absorption; or use the kunai in his left hand to strike the Fourth directly.

Uchiha Obito made the logical choice to go with the third option, but having already lost the initiative to the Fourth, there was no telling who could manage a counter-attack in such a state.

"BOOM!" The Rasengan slammed directly into Uchiha Obito's abdomen.

"Waaahhh!" Uchiha Obito let out a miserable scream as his clothes were shredded, his body bent into a bow shape, and he was sent flying straight backward.

"CRASH!" Uchiha Obito smashed through several massive trees, each thick enough for multiple men to wrap their arms around. Despite being hit by such a powerful attack, Uchiha Obito only sustained minor injuries.

As the Fourth Hokage approached, he twisted his body and vanished, reappearing a short distance away. A few drops of blood trickled from his arm where shards of the shattered trees had pierced his skin, causing the minor injury.

"Minato, check on Mirai and see if he's in danger! While you were gone, it was Mirai who blocked that man's attacks. If not for Mirai, Kushina and Naruto might have been dead already!" Kushina shouted loudly at Namikaze Minato.

Minato supported Mirai's back and checked his body, discovering that Mirai had sustained moderate injuries. He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing there was no immediate danger to his life and that he would recover after a period of rest back in Konoha.

Looking at Mirai with profound gratitude, Minato said, "Mirai, thank you. If you hadn't been here, Kushina and Naruto..."

The Fourth Hokage's tone was incredibly sincere. He had observed the situation and could see that a fierce battle had taken place. Kushina was currently incapable of fighting, and only Mirai, a mere child, had been able to engage the enemy. Mirai had saved his wife and son; this was a debt of gratitude he could never repay in a lifetime. If Mirai had died here, he would have carried that guilt forever.

Mirai smiled with difficulty and said, "This was a mission assigned by the Hokage, so it had to be completed. However, I'm afraid I won't be of much help after this... cough!" Mirai coughed up a clot of stagnant blood, his face turning pale. It was truly a disadvantage to pit a body that had only been trained for a year against such an opponent.

Namikaze Minato slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on the masked man. "You have done remarkably well. Rest now; leave the rest to me."

Suddenly, the masked man asked Mirai, "How did you notify the Fourth Hokage?"

Mirai was taken aback, not expecting Uchiha Obito to ask this, but he replied, "Remember those two kunai from the beginning? I had wrapped ten paper bombs around them. The force of that explosion was enough to carry over a long distance. Furthermore, because paper bombs have a burning effect, the smoke generated after scorching the trees was intentional. The Great Fireball I used against you was actually meant to create a smoke screen, but you absorbed it, so I had no choice but to use Phoenix Sage Fire. Everything else, as you said, was to stall for time. Although the Nine-Tails was rampaging in Konoha, it was only destroying that specific sector. This area wasn't affected by the Nine-Tails, so why would smoke suddenly appear? This is the Fourth Hokage's home, where his wife and son reside. Even if the Fourth was fighting the Nine-Tails, he would inevitably notice something here..."

"I understand. You are truly a genius, far surpassing any talent I have ever seen. But without a precise method of communication, how could you be certain that the Fourth Hokage would appear to save you the moment I grabbed you?" Uchiha Obito's questions were all aimed at uncovering this answer.

A strained smile appeared on Mirai's face. "Of course I didn't know for certain, but... sometimes one must believe in miracles. If you believe, perhaps a miracle will happen. Look, didn't a miracle appear?"

The masked man, the Fourth, and Kushina were all stunned by Mirai's words. They could hardly imagine that the same Mirai, who had been held aloft and faced imminent death just moments ago, could smile and claim he simply believed a miracle would occur.

To gamble with one's life and maintain such a mindset in the face of mortal danger—what a formidable heart this was. None of them dared to imagine the child's future. They all shared a feeling that this boy might one day become the greatest ninja to ever surpass all the Hokage who came before him.