On the other side, Kakashi and Naruto's chase was also nearing its end. Kakashi was brewing chakra, and with the experience from fighting Li Xing last time, this time the Kamui was aimed at Deidara's neck.
Deidara, still in mid-air, was thinking about how to deal with this troublesome copy ninja. With insufficient explosive clay and Kakashi interfering, he couldn't capture the Nine-Tails.
"Kamui!"
Once Kakashi was ready, he immediately transformed into his Mangekyo Sharingan and stared intently at Deidara's neck, causing space to twist around it.
Suddenly, Deidara felt a sharp pain in his neck. He was shocked by this peculiar ninjutsu, but at this moment, Li Xing and Karin had also arrived. Li Xing looked at Karin, and Karin instantly understood his meaning. She also activated her Mangekyo Sharingan, twisting Deidara's neck in the opposite direction. Kakashi's Kamui was thus easily nullified.
"Deidara, give them the body. We should go, Sasori is already dead." Li Xing flew in front of Deidara, telling him to hand over Gaara's corpse. If they continued fighting, Deidara wouldn't be able to capture the Nine-Tails anyway, and Li Xing had no intention of capturing it, especially since Naruto was someone Tsunade valued.
"Brother Sasori is dead? No way! Brother Sasori, who always talked about eternity being art, is the first to die. My art is indeed correct, un."
"Sasori committed suicide. I won't stop him from returning to his 'parents' embrace!" Li Xing, while speaking, retrieved Gaara's body from the giant bird's mouth and threw it downwards.
Sakura and Granny Chiyo, following behind, also heard Li Xing's words. It turned out that the battle earlier had been Sasori holding back. Granny Chiyo's face was filled with sadness. Recalling Sasori's final strike, he couldn't have possibly dodged it at that speed, yet he didn't.
"Yes, what child would dodge their parents' embrace..."
Li Xing and the other two, having thrown Gaara's body, prepared to leave. Naruto stood below and shouted, "Stop right there! Li Xing!"
Kakashi quickly stopped Naruto. "Wait, Naruto. Li Xing's abilities are very mysterious. He's not someone we can contend with. Didn't you notice his severed arm has already regenerated?"
As Li Xing departed, he glanced back at Naruto and smiled faintly. "Naruto, you are too weak. With this strength, you can't achieve anything, nor can you bring anyone back. You can only look up at me from below in futile rage. Have you already forgotten the lesson I taught you just the day before yesterday? You truly are an idiot!"
Hearing Li Xing's words, Naruto's heart was in turmoil. What had he been cultivating for these nearly three years? He couldn't even do what he wanted to do.
After Li Xing, Karin, and Deidara left, the members of the Kai Guy team had also defeated their clones and finally arrived to regroup with Naruto and the others. Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Temari, Kankuro, and others who had pursued from the Sand Village also arrived. Upon seeing Gaara's body, they all fell silent.
Granny Chiyo, dragging her tattered body, walked over to Gaara and slowly began to form hand seals, casting the gift she had originally intended for Sasori.
"Granny Chiyo, what are you...?" Sakura didn't understand what Granny Chiyo was doing. After all, Gaara was already dead. Could he still be saved?
"Sakura, this is a forbidden jutsu I intended to use to infuse life into the Parent and Child Puppets. It's no longer needed. I am a dying person. Now, I will give this old life of mine to the Fifth Kazekage!"
"Forbidden Jutsu, Chiel Tensei!"
Chiel Tensei was a forbidden jutsu that transferred the caster's life to another. By using it, Granny Chiyo would die, as a way to atone for Sasori and the Sand Village.
Subsequently, Granny Chiyo grew weaker and weaker, and Gaara on the ground gradually began to breathe. Only when Granny Chiyo breathed her last did Gaara slowly open his eyes.
Seeing this, Naruto was the first to rush to Gaara's side, repeatedly calling out Gaara's name. Gaara's first sight upon opening his eyes was Naruto. For the first time, Gaara smiled. From this day forward, Gaara would no longer be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but the Kazekage of the Sand Village.
...
Konoha Village, in the Hokage's office.
Tsunade was listening to the reports from the Kai Guy team and Kakashi's team. When she heard that Li Xing and Karin had joined the Akatsuki, her pupils constricted.
But when she heard Neji mention that Karin possessed a Sharingan, she was even more shocked. Based on Neji's description, it wasn't an ordinary Sharingan, but a Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Tsunade-sama, is that Li Xing really your disciple? Then why did he..." Kakashi asked Tsunade with doubt.
"Yes..." Tsunade took a long time to utter a single word, clearly unable to accept the fact that Li Xing had joined the Akatsuki.
"Tsunade-sama, forgive my bluntness. Since Li Xing has already joined the Akatsuki and participated in this tailed beast capture operation, he poses a significant threat to the ninja world, Konoha, and Naruto. I suggest issuing a warrant to the Daimyo and listing Li Xing as a super-dangerous S-rank rogue ninja!"
After receiving Tsunade's confirmation, Kakashi immediately expressed his thoughts. A dangerous individual like Li Xing should be publicly announced to the ninja world, alerting the various hidden villages to his presence.
But he was, after all, Tsunade's favorite disciple. In the year Li Xing had been with Tsunade, she had already come to regard him as a younger brother. How could she possibly issue a warrant for Li Xing now?
"You all go back and rest for a while. Kakashi, you have consumed too much chakra and need a period of recuperation. I will find someone else to temporarily take over your team. As for Li Xing's matter, let me think about it alone!"
Tsunade turned her chair, asking everyone to leave and looked out the window. She couldn't help but recall Li Xing's mischievous behavior by her side.
"That scoundrel!"
Finally, Tsunade couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, angrily calling Li Xing a scoundrel. Shizune, standing beside her, also felt complex emotions. If anyone had been most concerned about Li Xing before, it was Shizune. Whenever Li Xing caused trouble during his training, Shizune was the one to help clean up the mess. Such an event would be difficult for anyone to bear.
...
The Land of Rain, inside a tall tower in Amegakure.
Li Xing and Karin brought Deidara to this location. Present were Pain (Tendo), Konan, Obito, and Zetsu.
"Li Xing, Karin, with you present, how could Sasori have died at the hands of that puppeteer?" Tendo Pain was the first to voice his doubts.
Li Xing spread his hands. "Sasori committed suicide, it has nothing to do with me. Moreover, he still had lingering affection for family and held back during the fight."
"That's why I say, instantaneous beauty is art. Brother Sasori's art was wrong, otherwise he wouldn't have died, un!" Deidara, stirring up trouble, added fuel to the fire.
"Since Sasori is dead, let's not dwell on it. I've recently gathered some intelligence. Danzo of Konoha is dead, killed by two mysterious individuals." Zetsu stopped the topic about Sasori and then revealed the intelligence he had gathered in Konoha these past few days, which he had overheard from two Chunin conversations, as the cleanup crew that day was not just Shizune and the others.
"Yep, yep, yep! It was me! Karin and I did it! Before Konan contacted me, I went near Konoha and happened to run into Danzo. I just killed him then!" Li Xing immediately raised his hand upon hearing this, eagerly claiming credit.
Obito's eyes narrowed. He knew about Danzo's matters very well. If it was Li Xing who did it, then Kotoamatsukami might have fallen into Li Xing's hands.
"Senior Li Xing! How did you kill Danzo? I heard Mr. Zetsu say that Danzo dug out many Sharingan from the Uchiha clan. Can you show us Danzo's corpse so I can see his Sharingan?" Obito, pretending to be Tobi, tried to trick Li Xing into finding out the whereabouts of Kotoamatsukami.
"For this, I can only apologize. Danzo's corpse was chopped into pieces by me. If you go to Konoha's cemetery now, you might find some scattered limbs."
Li Xing was well aware that Obito wanted to know the whereabouts of Kotoamatsukami, but Li Xing didn't need that thing at all, and he could use Kotoamatsukami himself without time restrictions. Digging out the eyes of a corpse would be a complete waste of time.
"However, I brought back Sasori's body. This ring can be mine then." Saying this, Li Xing took out Sasori's body, removed a ring with the character "玉" (Jade) on it, and immediately put it on his finger.
"Ah! Senior Li Xing, then can you give me your original ring? I also want to become an official member of the Akatsuki." Obito was still feigning foolishness. If Li Xing hadn't known he was Obito, he would have almost believed him.
But Karin suddenly snatched the ring away. "The ring that Hoshi-kun wore is mine. I won't give mine to you either. You go ask Konan for one."
"Alright, let's stop these meaningless conversations. Since Li Xing has taken back the ring, you will inherit it. Li Xing and Karin will continue as a team. Tobi and Deidara will be a team. The tailed beast capture mission is complete. The next target is the Two-Tails, in the Land of Lightning, Kumogakure. The Jinchuriki is Yugito Nii. Li Xing, Karin, you are allowed to rest for a period. You will capture the Two-Tails. Do not disappoint me."
Tendo Pain ended the bickering and assigned Deidara a new partner. Tobi jumped with joy upon hearing that he could become a member of the Akatsuki. Li Xing and Karin finally gained their boss's trust and would no longer have to do support work.