Sure enough, the moment Minato Namikaze sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra flare-up, he figured Uchiha Obito would likely come straight for this place.
So, instead of running around aimlessly, he made the smart call to use the Flying Thunder God Technique and teleport directly to Uzumaki Kushina's side.
And it was exactly this move that let him block Uchiha Obito's attack at the critical moment.
But after tangling with Minato for so long, Obito had learned a thing or two.
The instant he saw Minato, he switched up his strategy. He turned on a dime, used the Body Flicker Technique, and bolted toward the corner of the room where Sarutobi Biwako stood.
Or, to be precise, toward Naruto, who she was holding.
Seeing this, Minato's expression darkened.
There was no time to flicker over and intercept. Left with no choice, he hurled a kunai, hoping to force Obito to dodge.
Unfortunately, the attack passed right through Obito as he phased out with his intangibility.
Reaching Biwako, Obito snatched Naruto from her arms.
Biwako tried to evade, but the moment their eyes met, Obito pulled her into a genjutsu.
This gave Minato an opening.
In a flash, he appeared at Obito's right side.
With one hand, he thrust a kunai toward Obito's neck artery. With the other, he reached lightning-fast for Naruto in Obito's grip.
Against anyone else, Minato's feint might've worked.
But unfortunately, he was up against Obito, whose Mangekyo Sharingan was active.
Sure, Obito's combat experience didn't match Minato's, but the sheer power of the Mangekyo Sharingan made up for it.
Minato's moves were fast, but not faster than the Mangekyo's perception.
Facing the attack, Obito phased his neck to avoid the kunai, then leaned back just enough to dodge Minato's grab for Naruto.
Before Minato could launch a second attack, Obito flickered again, this time charging toward Kushina.
At that moment, Kushina was struggling to suppress the Nine-Tails and had no time to dodge.
Seeing this, Minato had no choice but to rush to her defense.
But Obito's move was just a feint. When he saw Minato position himself in front of Kushina, he retreated to the other side of the room.
Minato didn't seem surprised by this.
In that split second, he'd already figured the enemy's move was likely a bluff.
But he couldn't take the risk.
So, he had no choice but to let Obito pull back, taking his son with him and losing the upper hand.
A tense silence filled the room as the two locked eyes, neither daring to look away.
The only person still able to move freely was Genma Shiranui.
But the overwhelming pressure from the two shinobi's presence left him barely able to breathe, let alone attack.
Even if he had an opening, he wasn't sure he'd take it.
Why? Because Obito's strength was leagues above his, and Genma wasn't certain if the "opportunity" he saw was a trap Obito had deliberately left.
Everything he'd learned—whether from the ninja academy or from years of missions—screamed one truth: deception is a ninja's essence.
Transform to fool your opponent. Set traps to outsmart your enemy. Even brainwash yourself if you have to.
Deception was a ninja's weapon.
So, when facing a stronger opponent, you don't jump to conclusions lightly.
That's why, even with a potential opening, Genma held back.
Right now, his only job was to stay alive and keep his teammates safe, ensuring he didn't get in the Hokage's way.
From within his "Ama no Miya" technique, Seimei observed Genma and gave a silent nod of approval.
You had to hand it to him—Genma being chosen as Minato's guard wasn't just for show. His smarts alone were something else.
If Minato hadn't died so young, Genma's potential would've gone way beyond Special Jonin.
Whoops, getting off track!
Seimei pulled his thoughts back and refocused on Obito and Minato.
As the two stood in their tense standoff, Kushina stole a glance at Naruto in Obito's arms. In a soft, almost pleading tone, she said, "Minato…"
Just two words, but Minato, who knew her so well, understood exactly what she meant: no matter what, save Naruto.
A tremor ran through Minato's heart. When he looked at Obito again, his eyes burned with killing intent.
At that moment, Obito made his move.
With a sudden burst of force, he hurled Naruto toward the door.
Seeing this, Kushina couldn't help but cry out, "Naruto!"
In the next instant, Minato sprang into action.
He flung a kunai at Obito.
Then, with a push off his knees, he flickered into the air, catching Naruto before he hit the door.
Zzzzt!
Suddenly, the sharp crackle of flames filled the air.
Minato looked down and saw an explosive tag stuck to the blanket wrapped around Naruto, seconds from detonating.
With no time to think, he tore the blanket off and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the kunai he'd just thrown.
That kunai was now embedded in the wall.
Meanwhile, Obito, who'd been targeted by the kunai, had moved to Kushina's side and grabbed her shoulder.
Watching this unfold from the shadows, Seimei couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Was this the inertia of the world, or just the inevitable outcome of the situation?
Either way, things were playing out just like the scenes from his memories.
In the end, Obito had used Naruto as a trump card to achieve his goal.
With a flicker, he activated his Kamui ability and teleported out of the room.
In an instant, the room was left with just Minato holding Naruto, Genma, and the three others still trapped in Obito's Sharingan genjutsu.
Minato's gaze swept over them before settling on Genma.
He placed a Flying Thunder God seal on Naruto, then handed the baby to Genma, saying, "Genma, I'm entrusting Naruto to you. Please, keep him safe at all costs."
Genma nodded firmly. "Fourth Hokage, you have my word. Even if it costs me my life, I'll protect him!"
With that, he took Naruto into his arms.
Minato gave a nod, then cast one last tender look at Naruto's wrinkled little face before using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to Kushina's side.
Unlike in his memories, this time Minato had known someone was after the Nine-Tails. So, he'd placed a Flying Thunder God seal on Kushina in advance.
This way, no matter where she was taken, he could sense her location and teleport to her instantly.
Like right now.
Why hadn't he teleported to her earlier to protect her?
Simple: with a baby in his arms, he wasn't confident he could fend off the enemy's attacks.
So, rather than take the risk, he prioritized saving Naruto.
That was Kushina's wish, too.
As for the possibility of Kushina dying because of this? Minato was ready to go down with her.
It was this resolve that let him make his decision in a split second.