"Let's go with what Minato suggested about Obito. You're the one involved, after all, and you were the one who raised him. But be careful. If things go south, retreat at once. Madara Uchiha might have left Obito some kind of contingency. Still, if you decide to leave, I doubt anyone in the Ninja World could stop you." Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Danzo leave, then broke the awkward silence and backed Minato's proposal, settling the matter.
With two Hokage in agreement, everyone else's opinions no longer mattered. And the only one who'd wanted to object, Danzo, had already run off! So they had no choice but to follow Namikaze Minato's plan.
After the others had left, Minato opened Obito's ninja file on the desk. In the large photo of the boy, Obito was smiling, his bright white teeth showing as he looked straight ahead.
Sorry, Obito. This is all for Konoha!
When he returned home and saw his wife and child sleeping soundly, Minato broke into a doting smile. His resolve to go after Obito only grew stronger!
"Ah, Minato, you're back? What took you so long? Have you eaten? I can make you a late-night snack." No wonder Kushina belonged to the Uzumaki Clan and possessed the Mind's Eye of the Kagura—her senses were extraordinary. Even though Minato had crept in as quietly as he could, she'd still noticed him!
"I just got back. It's been a busy day. You and Naruto should go back to sleep, Kushina. I'll just make something for myself," Minato said, breaking into a cold sweat. A late-night snack made by Kushina? Heh. Hehehe. Hehehehe!
"Oh, all right."
Minato let out a long sigh of relief, took out the noodles they kept stocked at home, and planned to throw together a quick meal.
"Hey, Minato, I've heard about it. Is it true, what happened with Obito?" Kushina had recently heard people discussing the Masked Man and what he'd done that night. Now she asked Minato directly. Obito was her little brother, after all!
"Yeah. We've confirmed it. The Masked Man really was Obito." Namikaze Minato silently cooked the noodles. After hesitating for a moment, he answered Kushina.
"You know Obito better than I do. He couldn't have done something like that without a reason! He must be going through something. As his teacher and an elder, we have a responsibility to help him and bring him home!" Even after experiencing the Night of the Nine-Tails, Kushina still chose to believe that Obito had his reasons when she learned he was the culprit. She was close to him, and they had no quarrel. What he'd done was beyond reason, so she would rather believe someone had forced him into it!
"Kushina, Obito isn't the same person he used to be. I don't know what Madara Uchiha did to him, but the fact is, Obito harmed Konoha. The only thing I can do is bring him back and try not to take his life. But he'll still be imprisoned for the rest of his life. I hope he'll turn over a new leaf, earn a chance to atone, and cooperate with the Interrogation Department's investigation. Maybe he'll reveal more of Madara Uchiha's schemes, and then I can show him some leniency." Minato lifted the noodles out, added some seasoning and char siu he'd prepared earlier, and started on his perfectly ordinary late-night meal!
"Kakashi came to see me today about Obito. He's very determined. I'm sure it won't be long before he comes to you." Kushina looked at the man before her, her expression troubled.
"Kakashi... I've been trying to avoid him lately. I didn't expect him to come to you. But we'll talk it over after we've brought Obito back and everything's settled. Kakashi really isn't in a fit state to be involved in this right now." Minato's voice was low.
"But he was Obito's teammate. Rin is gone now, and you know how important it is to him to hear that Obito's still alive. When he finds out what's happened to Obito, I'm afraid the boy won't be able to take the blow." Kushina understood Kakashi's character. He'd changed a lot in recent years, growing gloomy and withdrawn. If Minato hadn't needed all the help he could get after taking office, he probably wouldn't have wanted Kakashi to keep serving in the shadowy Anbu.
"After what happened that night, I think Kakashi is at least somewhat prepared. Besides, I'm only going to capture Obito. There's no guarantee I'll succeed. Don't underestimate that dead-last kid from back then! He might be stronger than me now!" Minato grinned ruefully.
"Actually, the chakra that night felt familiar to me too. I just didn't think it was Obito. His body must have been modified. It had to be Madara Uchiha's doing!" Kushina gritted her teeth.
"Exactly. According to the Anbu who witnessed it, Obito used Wood Release that night, in addition to his Mangekyō Sharingan. He's combining the peak powers of the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan, so he's as strong as you and me now! And with that space-time ocular technique that lets him come and go without a sound, he's as troublesome as I am!" Minato couldn't help worrying about Obito's Kamui.
Back when I used the Flying Thunder God, it was a blast. I could cut through the enemy ranks in minutes, no matter how many showed up or what they were. Even if they weren't human, it didn't matter—I could always run if I couldn't win. Now I've finally gotten a taste of what I put Iwagakure through back then! What goes around comes around!
After their brief clash that night, Minato had gotten a rough sense of Obito's strength. He was confident that he and a team of Anbu could handle Obito, but the real problem was stopping him from escaping. The barrier used on the Night of the Nine-Tails had been utterly useless against Obito's space-time ocular technique!
The only way to deal with Obito now was to take him out in one strike, without giving him a chance to fight back. But that was the problem: Obito's space-time ocular technique needed no Hand Seals or preparation. As long as he was conscious, he could escape in an instant. Even if Minato used the Flying Thunder God to launch a surprise attack with Spiral Super Dance Style Three, he couldn't knock Obito out instantly!
Minato had experienced firsthand how altered Obito's body was that night. Even after his arm was severed, he'd been fine. It had to be the effect of Wood Release Cells. Madara Uchiha had been scheming away in secret for a long time!
If Minato couldn't knock Obito unconscious in one strike, then revealing the Flying Thunder God Mark meant he wouldn't get a second chance. The situation would be completely reversed. Right now, Minato was hidden and Obito was exposed; Obito had no idea Minato could use the mark he'd left on him to launch a surprise attack at any time.
If Obito noticed it, he'd surely take countermeasures. The Flying Thunder God Mark might be stable and impossible to erase, but that didn't mean it couldn't be countered. No ninjutsu in the world was without a solution. Obito only had to add a simple sensory seal over the mark to easily sever Minato's connection to the Flying Thunder God!