"Hey, is this really okay? Letting a member leave Akatsuki, what if Deidara becomes an enemy of Akatsuki?" Zetsu asked the others on the side, whether they should handle Deidara like Orochimaru and hunt him down.
"Forget it, Deidara's mission is complete, just two tailed beasts. Once all nine are gathered, even the Five Great Nations can be destroyed in an instant."
"Sasuke, when you've recovered from your injuries, go capture the Eight-Tails. Is that okay?" Tobi looked at Sasuke beside him and said.
Sasuke arrogantly stated that he didn't need to recover, it was just one tailed beast, and he had even handled the Nine-Tails when he had only the three-tomoe Sharingan. Now that he had the Mangekyo Sharingan, there was nothing to worry about.
"Is it really okay to send Sasuke's Hawk team to capture the Eight-Tails? That Killer Bee is a jinchuriki even stronger than me, skilled in swordplay. His Eight-Blade Style is renowned in the Land of Lightning."
Yugito expressed great doubt about the strength of Sasuke and his three companions, especially since Sasuke was still injured. It would be a miracle if they could capture the Eight-Tails in this condition.
Sasuke was dismissive of Yugito's words, thinking how much stronger could he be? Physical combat was useless against his Sharingan. What Itachi could do, he could definitely do.
"Sasuke, don't look at my wife like that. I know you look down on everyone outside of the Uchiha clan, but I have to tell you, there's always someone better. If you don't take this seriously, you might die easily!"
Li Xing saw that Sasuke was being too arrogant and stepped forward to remind him. Although he had promised Itachi not to interact with Sasuke, they were cooperating now. Li Xing hoped Sasuke would take it seriously and not get beaten up as in the original story. Preferably, he should use Amaterasu to burn him as soon as they met.
"You brat! If you talk too much, I'll kill you!" Sasuke, thinking Li Xing looked down on him, immediately drew his sword to attack Li Xing.
Karin couldn't stand it any longer. Li Xing had kindly reminded him, and Sasuke was actually trying to attack him.
"Sasuke, I don't think you remember me. I was saved by you during the Chunin Exams in Konoha. But we also saved you during your fight with Deidara. If you continue to treat Xing-jun with this attitude, then I won't be polite!"
Seeing the tension between the two, Tobi stepped between them. "Alright, we are in a cooperative relationship now. Don't engage in unnecessary arguments. Li Xing, where are you now? Otherwise, you can go to Kumogakure to clean up. It'll serve as a backup."
"Sorry, I don't have time to go to the Land of Lightning right now. Karin and Yugito also have things to do. You should let Kisame handle this kind of thing." Li Xing was working as a geisha in Konoha Village, how could he leave? He performed during the day and was pestered by Tsunade at night. Karin needed to take care of Jiraiya, and Yugito wanted to play with Fū. None of them were free.
However, Li Xing suddenly thought of Kabuto. They still had one person on their side. If Kabuto could go, maybe Sasuke wouldn't fail.
"Wait, I've taken over Orochimaru's subordinate, Yakushi Kabuto. I'll contact him and see if he can go."
Then Li Xing began to contact Kabuto, but after half a day there was no response. Li Xing figured Kabuto must have gone to Ryūchi Cave to learn Sage Mode. If that was the case, then there was nothing he could do about the Eight-Tails. He'd let Sasuke go by himself.
"Since it's decided, then I have nothing else to do. Bye bye!" Li Xing immediately canceled the Shadow Clone Jutsu and then contacted Karin and Yugito separately. Learning that Jiraiya was fine, Li Xing breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid Karin would forget Jiraiya.
...
After a long chat, Tsunade and Shizune returned together. As soon as Tsunade entered, she grabbed Li Xing's hand and insisted on going for a drink.
"Tsunade-sama! Please get some rest tonight. You must be tired after a busy day. Yun-hime, I apologize, Tsunade-sama is always like this."
Shizune knew that the courtesan would be living there for some time and quickly apologized, hoping Li Xing wouldn't mind Tsunade's personality. Li Xing smiled and said, "This humble one dares not. This humble one is merely a geisha. As for the Hokage-sama's requests, this humble one will naturally comply."
"You said it yourself, let's go! We're going for a drink, and you'll perform for me alone." Tsunade, upon hearing this, forcibly dragged Li Xing away to find a tavern on the street for drinks.
...
In the tavern.
Our courtesan, Yun-hime, was currently sitting on a high platform, gently playing the shamisen. The guests below were gradually increasing, which made Tsunade very frustrated. She had clearly wanted a private performance for herself, but now the entire tavern was filled with people.
The main reason was that most of the tavern's customers were men, and it was customary to have some entertainment while drinking. With a courtesan showing up, business would naturally be booming.
...
The next morning, Li Xing woke up even earlier than Tsunade. After putting on makeup, he prepared to make breakfast for Tsunade and Shizune.
However, as Li Xing went out to buy ingredients, he suddenly sensed a giant toad appearing in front of the Hokage Building. It was Gamabunta, with his son, Gamatatsu, on his head.
"Is that so? Toads from Mount Myōboku have come to notify Konoha. I guess I need to go deliver breakfast to Tsunade." Li Xing immediately put it out of his mind and focused on buying ingredients. He would go to the Hokage's office later.
...
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade and Shizune had already arrived. Seeing the toad from Mount Myōboku appear without Jiraiya, Tsunade felt something was not right.
Elder Fukasaku saw that the Hokage had arrived and, without wasting words, directly informed Tsunade of Jiraiya's death. Tsunade was stunned and couldn't accept it for a moment.
"What did you say? Jiraiya is dead? Impossible! Even if he couldn't defeat the enemy, Jiraiya could have escaped using a Reverse Summoning Jutsu. How could he have died? You're lying to me, aren't you?" Tsunade approached Elder Fukasaku, grabbed him with one hand, her voice urgent.
Shizune quickly pulled Tsunade to a chair. "Tsunade-sama, please calm down. Please let Elder Fukasaku continue speaking."
"Little Jiraiya didn't use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to escape because he wanted to find out more about Pain's information. Now that I'm here, there's one more thing, and that's about the child of prophecy. I heard Little Jiraiya has another disciple. Where is he now?" Elder Fukasaku was not angered by Tsunade's impoliteness and stated his intention to meet Jiraiya's disciple, Naruto.
Shizune quickly notified Team 7, and soon Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai arrived. However, Naruto was still in seclusion and probably sleeping. Seeing this, Kakashi personally went to fetch Naruto.
...
Not long after, Kakashi brought Naruto to the Hokage's office. As soon as they met, Tsunade and Elder Fukasaku explained Naruto's identity.
"This child is Little Jiraiya's disciple!" Elder Fukasaku felt that Naruto was a good disciple at first glance, but he wasn't sure if he was the child of prophecy.
"Little... Jiraiya? Why are you calling the Pervy Sage like a child! Who exactly is this frog old man?" Naruto pointed at Elder Fukasaku, very dissatisfied with his address. Jiraiya was his master.
Upon hearing this, Elder Fukasaku burst into laughter. "Pervy Sage? That certainly fits Little Jiraiya's style. Then allow me to introduce myself. I am an elder of Mount Myōboku, Fukasaku, and Little Jiraiya's master."
"This is the master who taught Lord Jiraiya Sage Mode, commonly known as Elder Fukasaku," Shizune added.
"Then, what business does this Sage Grandpa have with me?" Naruto asked, confused. Why did the Pervy Sage's master suddenly come to Konoha to find him?
Elder Fukasaku paused, then said, "Little Jiraiya has died in battle..."
"Huh?"
Naruto heard this and looked bewildered. What did that mean? Did "died in battle" mean the same as death?
Then Elder Fukasaku spoke about what happened in Amegakure and revealed that Pain possessed the Rinnegan, and all six of them had it.
"If the Pervy Sage were to become Hokage, he definitely wouldn't let Grandma Tsunade go alone!" Naruto's mood was incredibly complex. He couldn't accept such news, and it was the first time Naruto blamed someone. He then slammed the door and left.