Amegakure.
Jiraiya's consciousness gradually faded after being submerged in the ocean by Pain, but a smile remained on his face. He had finally sent out the intelligence in his last moments.
"Jiraiya the Gallant, this makes it somewhat resemble a proper story, a fitting end. The frog in the well dissolves into the vast sea, it's time to put down my pen."
"Jiraiya-sensei, your novel isn't finished yet. The outcome of the Child of Prophecy needs your witness."
When Lixing arrived at Amegakure, he happened to witness Pain plunging Jiraiya into the sea. Setting aside other matters, he quickly stowed Fū away into his spatial dimension and, with a flash of teleportation, appeared beside Jiraiya, grabbing him and entering the Infinite Domain.
...
Back at the inn where Lixing had previously stayed, two figures lay on the tatami mats: an old man and a young girl.
Jiraiya's critical injuries were being treated by Lixing.
"Fortunately, I arrived in time. If you had died, I would have had to go to the trouble of resurrecting you. Your arm was broken, your throat crushed, and your internal organs ruptured. To have held on for so long, was it because of that so-called ninja way?"
Lixing could only maintain Jiraiya's life with the Palm Great Healer Jutsu. To fully recover him would require Lixing to use the power of his Oni.
"However, your death is a crucial stage for the Child of Prophecy's growth. For now, just lie here and rest well. You perverted old man, after Nagato dies, I will take you to see them."
Lixing did not want Jiraiya to leave for now. The intelligence had been leaked, and Nagato would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to go to Konoha and capture the Nine-Tails. If Jiraiya recovered, he would surely return. To allow Naruto to talk Nagato down, Lixing would absolutely not allow Jiraiya to return. Thus, he was only maintaining Jiraiya's life, not fully reviving him.
"Next is you. You've had quite a bit of bad luck, being captured by Tobi. But the scene of me extracting the Tailed Beasts was altered, so Tobi probably won't find anything suspicious." Lixing turned to look at the unconscious Fū and couldn't help but sigh at the girl's unfortunate fate.
Lixing then injected some chakra into Fū, dispelling the genjutsu Tobi had cast on her. Fū slowly opened her eyes.
"Where is this..."
"This is a hot spring inn in the Land of Fire. Long time no see, my friend!" Lixing greeted Fū with a smile.
Upon seeing Lixing, Fū immediately remembered the scene where Lixing had extracted the Seven-Tails from her body. She quickly jumped up.
"Lixing! It's you! You promised to be friends with me that day, was it because of the Tailed Beast inside me? You didn't sincerely want to be friends with me? I also heard you captured Gaara later. Your target really is the Tailed Beasts, isn't it?"
Fū blurted out a string of questions, leaving Lixing somewhat speechless. Didn't this young girl plan to ask why she was here?
"Fū, I promised to be friends with you, and I meant it sincerely. That's why I extracted your Tailed Beast. If it weren't for me, you would definitely have been captured by other members of the Akatsuki, and you would have died. But with me doing it, there was no danger to your life."
"By the way, don't you remember being captured by a masked person? He is the leader of our organization. I apologize to you on his behalf. You are safe now and can return to Takigakure. I'm sure your village leader is looking for you."
Fū listened to Lixing's explanation, still half-believing and half-doubtful. What Lixing said made sense, but from her perspective, she was the one who lost out, having lost a Tailed Beast for nothing.
"Are you telling the truth? You're not lying to me? But before my consciousness faded, I think I saw a masked person. Well, then, I'll believe you! My friend!"
As expected of Fū, she believed Lixing's words after just a few sentences. While she was naive, Fū's intention was to stay by Lixing's side for a while and gather intelligence.
Lixing could tell at a glance that Fū didn't believe him as much as she claimed and was still somewhat wary. But it didn't matter, as they wouldn't have much interaction in the future anyway.
"Hoshi-kun, we're back! Huh? Jiraiya? Why is he so badly injured?"
Karin and Yugito, having learned that Lixing had returned first, rushed back to the inn after completing their mission. Upon their arrival, they saw an old man lying on the ground, seemingly on the brink of death.
"Karin! Hello, it's nice to see you again! I'm Fū, do you remember me? And this beautiful lady, what's your name? Can we be friends?"
Fū saw the two people enter and immediately ran over to them, grabbing their hands and exclaiming excitedly.
Karin and Yugito had met Fū before, so they weren't surprised to see her here. What they couldn't understand was why Jiraiya was here and so severely injured.
"Lixing, what exactly is going on?" Yugito ignored Fū and turned to Lixing, asking.
"It's nothing much. Jiraiya was almost killed by Pain, and I pulled him back. This little girl is Fū, the former Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, just like you."
Upon hearing Lixing's words, both Fū and Yugito were astonished. So the person before them was also a Jinchuriki, and this was their meeting.
"You're also a Jinchuriki?"
They both spoke at the same time, asking each other. Upon receiving confirmation, the two women sat down and began to converse. Yugito explained her situation with Lixing, and Fū recounted her own experiences. Before long, the two became inseparable friends.
"Hey, hey! Lixing, can I go with you guys to have fun? We're friends, aren't we? Friends wouldn't refuse, right?"
Suddenly, Fū ran up to Lixing and asked if she could join Lixing and the others to travel around. It was much more fun than staying in Takigakure.
Unlike before, when Fū had intended to gather intelligence, she now completely trusted Lixing and wanted to stay to have fun with her friends.
"If you want to have fun, then do so. I have something to do later. If you want to stay, Yugito can accompany you. Karin, please help me look after Jiraiya, just inject a little chakra daily. I need to infiltrate Konoha for a while, so you all should not come with me."
Lixing planned to infiltrate Konoha in the guise of a singer, waiting for Pain's invasion. Having too many people would easily lead to exposure, so he chose to go alone.
"Ah? We just got back, and you're leaving again? No, I want to go too. Yugito can handle things here." Karin hugged Lixing, acting spoiled in front of everyone.
"Alright, alright, you're all grown up and still acting like this. I'm going alone, it's decided. Don't you get tired of seeing me every day?"
However, Karin still didn't want to just stay and look after an old man. Lixing had to persuade her with great effort, but there was still Yugito here.
Just as Lixing breathed a sigh of relief, Yugito climbed up behind him and whispered into his ear, "What about me? Shall we get another room outside tonight?"
"That's for sure. Jiraiya and Fū will have their own rooms, and the three of us will share one."
Fū immediately jumped out upon hearing this, saying she wanted to share a room with Yugito too, but Yugito refused, saying not tonight, but maybe next time.