"Withdraw, all of you! These two are intruders!"
Arriving at the scene were Konoha's Jonin, Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sand Village's Temari and Kankuro.
The five of them flashed around Li Xing and Karin, surrounding the two.
Karin was furious. Didn't Xing-jun just save those two Jinchuriki? And yet they repaid kindness with enmity. Intruders? They were the first ones here. The examinees were the ones who came later.
Li Xing laughed heartily. Being mistaken for an intruder wasn't the first time in two years. He then hugged Karin.
"Summoning, Sandstorm!"
The entire desert was once again engulfed in a violent sandstorm. Li Xing seized this opportunity to fly away with Karin in his arms, heading for a route that was on the way back to Takigakure Village from the Land of Wind. After all, the Akatsuki's immortal duo would soon arrive to capture the Tailed Beasts. Since they had made friends, Li Xing decided to help Fu.
...
After flying for a long time, Li Xing spotted a forest and decided to land, planning to wait for the three from Takigakure Village to arrive.
After half a day of waiting, Li Xing finally saw Fu's figure, with two Jonin following behind.
"Huh? Li Xing? Karin? Why are you guys here? Did you come specifically to wait for me? I knew it, we're still friends, want to play together?"
Li Xing waved his hand, "Fu! Come here quickly, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Once Fu descended, she excitedly ran to Li Xing's side, looking forward to playing with her friends later.
However, the two Jonin following behind sensed something was wrong. Waiting here specifically for Fu probably meant they had their sights set on the Tailed Beast within her. They immediately pulled out kunai and stood in front of Fu, blocking her path.
Li Xing didn't want to waste any more time. He instantly appeared beside Fu. Karin acted decisively, activating her Mangekyo Sharingan without hesitation and using a genjutsu to control the two Jonin.
Li Xing placed a palm on Fu's abdomen and pulled forcefully, ripping out the Seven-Tails, Chomei, on the spot. Fu's life force began to fade at that instant.
However, Li Xing immediately infused Fu's body with some chakra similar to that of a Tailed Beast. After all, Tailed Beasts were just aggregations of chakra, merely one of the nine parts into which the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, had divided the Ten-Tails.
As for Li Xing, his terminal system could even replicate the Heavenly Dao. Tailed Beast chakra was merely data in a network cable, which Li Xing could manipulate at will, although he couldn't create a Tailed Beast with its own consciousness.
"Xing-jun, these people are all unconscious. Should we wake them up or leave them here?"
Li Xing had already explained his intentions to Karin beforehand, and now that he had accomplished them, Karin was unsure how to handle the aftermath.
"Create a barrier for them to protect their safety. It will automatically dissipate when they wake up. We'll move forward in their stead. We'll encounter two more people later."
Afterward, Karin created two barriers and left with Li Xing towards Takigakure Village. Li Xing sealed the Seven-Tails, Chomei, in a scroll for easier movement.
...
Li Xing and Karin arrived at a cliff. Sensing someone ahead, they stopped immediately.
"Come out! I can sense your chakra and killing intent."
As soon as his voice faded, two figures leaped out from the nearby forest. They were clad in black robes with red cloud patterns. One carried a scythe, while the other was empty-handed. It was the Akatsuki's immortal duo, Kakuzu and Hidan.
"Hey, hey! Is this kind of job even fun? We can't even kill them, so there's no pain to experience!" Hidan grumbled reluctantly.
However, Kakuzu was not as foolish as Hidan. He immediately recognized that neither of these two was a Jinchuriki. It seemed they had the wrong targets.
"Hidan, these two are not our targets. If we're going to kill, do it quickly and don't delay the organization's mission."
Hearing this, Hidan's spirits lifted. Since they could kill, why waste time? He immediately charged forward with his scythe. Kakuzu also extended a hand, reaching out to grab Li Xing.
"You're not worthy of killing me!"
"Sage Art, Myojinmon!"
Li Xing clapped his hands together, and several Myojinmon descended from the sky, firmly pinning the two down while simultaneously absorbing their chakra.
"One is a ninja who failed to assassinate the Hokage and defected to Takigakure, and the other is a murderer from the Land of Hot Water who worships an evil cult. You can stay here. The Myojinmon will automatically dissipate after twenty-four hours. This is a Wood Style Sealing Jutsu, you won't be able to break free. Farewell!"
Li Xing once again picked up Karin and left. Just now, Li Xing had a brilliant idea: join the Akatsuki. Their strength was certainly not an issue for the two of them. As for how to join, didn't he have a Tailed Beast in hand? It could serve as his letter of allegiance.
...
Konoha Village, within the Hokage's office.
Tsunade listened as the Genin participating in the Chunin Exams reported their situations. When Neji mentioned Li Xing, Tsunade paused.
"Is that so? That kid. You said he had a girl with him? It seems that kid has been doing well these past two years!"
Neji was the first to react. So, Madam Tsunade already knew the young man. No wonder Li Xing had also saved the Kazekage from Sand Village, an ally of Konoha.
After hearing everyone's reports, Tsunade immediately announced the exam results. The Genin from Guy's team, Asuma's team, and Kurenai's team had all passed and were promoted to Chunin. Neji, in particular, had performed excellently and was directly promoted to Jonin, skipping a rank.
As for the rest of the supporting characters, they all remained Genin. After the results were announced, everyone left the Hokage's office, except for Sakura and Ino.
"Master, who exactly is that Li Xing?" Sakura, recalling what Li Xing had said to her during the battle, stayed behind to ask Tsunade.
Ino was filled with curiosity about Li Xing. It wasn't the first time she had encountered someone with a dual personality; Sakura was the first. But she had never met anyone like Li Xing before, whose inner world was so mysterious and vast. Ino then touched her bangs, which covered her eyes. After leaving Li Xing's world, this eye could see peculiar things.
It could analyze the structure, weaknesses, and characteristics of many things. Even when looking at Madam Tsunade now, some data appeared, such as her bust size.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "He is my disciple. I took him on as a disciple before I succeeded the Fifth Hokage. Sakura, his talent is truly remarkable. You said he carries a sword, he must have learned some new sword technique!"
Upon hearing Tsunade say that Li Xing was her disciple, Sakura and Ino were instantly stunned. One was shocked that she had an elder brother, and the other was shocked that Madam Tsunade could actually teach such a disciple.
"Then why didn't he return to Konoha? He also injured Sakura during the Chunin Exams," Ino also asked Tsunade.
Tsunade also looked helpless. She had wanted to bring Li Xing back before, but Li Xing refused. He preferred to wander alone.
"He is not from Konoha. I've also examined Sakura's injuries, and they are not serious. That guy is just a battle-maniac, don't worry about him. That's all for today, I should go for a drink!"
With that, Tsunade excitedly left the Hokage's office to find a place to drink, leaving Sakura and Ino looking at each other in bewilderment.