Hidden Leaf Village, inside Naruto's hospital room.
Having already woken up, Naruto sat alone, staring blankly at his own hand.
Bang!
The hospital room door was pushed open. Rorin and Nara Shikamaru slowly walked in together, with Rorin holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Looks like you're recovering pretty well, Naruto!" Rorin greeted him.
Hearing this, Naruto raised his head and smiled faintly.
"Oh, it's Rorin and Shikamaru."
Rorin walked to the bedside, removed the withered flowers from the vase, and replaced them with the fresh ones he brought.
Meanwhile, Nara Shikamaru sat down at the foot of Naruto's bed and glanced at him.
"Failed again this time?" Nara Shikamaru asked softly.
As soon as the words fell, Naruto's smile faded, and his mood sank.
"Yeah… messed it up again."
Rorin glanced at Naruto, then exchanged a look with Nara Shikamaru. The two silently shook their heads in understanding.
Rorin could easily imagine what had happened when Naruto met Uchiha Sasuke earlier.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, Uchiha Sasuke was simply not someone Naruto could defeat right now.
"Hang in there, Naruto!" Rorin couldn't think of anything better to say.
"Oh right, what brings you guys here today?" Naruto asked.
"There is something. The mission to bring back Uchiha Sasuke ran into a bit of trouble," Rorin said softly.
Naruto tensed up slightly, his mouth parting.
"After your fight with him, he ran into someone else—someone who tried to harm him."
"That person was Shimura Danzō, the leader of the Root organization. Since he got involved, we'll need to be even more careful."
Rorin spoke with a serious expression. Originally, Kakashi should have been the one explaining this to Naruto, but he had other matters to attend to, so he asked Rorin to do it instead.
After hearing the explanation, Naruto fell into thought, his hands tightening slightly.
"Oh right, Naruto—do you know where in the village they sell really good popsicles?" Rorin suddenly asked.
Naruto froze for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching. The topic had changed way too fast.
Rorin scratched the back of his head awkwardly and explained with a smile,
"Last time that greasy old man—oh, I mean your teacher, Jiraiya-sama—gave me one to try. But afterward, I went to several shops and couldn't find anything that tasted the same. So I figured I'd ask you—do you know where your teacher bought it?"
Naruto rubbed his chin, thinking carefully, then suddenly lit up.
"Oh! It's the shop on the far east side of the village—the one run by a bespectacled uncle!"
Rorin nodded slightly. "Thanks, Naruto. I'll get going then!"
After waving goodbye, Rorin left the hospital room and headed toward the eastern part of the village.
...
Village Hidden in the Rain.
Inside the barrier formed by the stomach of the Toad Mouth Bind.
Jiraiya was breathing heavily. Opposite him lay the corpse of the Animal Path of Pain he had just killed.
When he saw the forehead protector slip off and reveal the scar on its forehead, Jiraiya froze.
He suddenly remembered—this Pain wasn't Nagato at all, but a member of the Fūma clan he had once met long ago. The scar on the forehead was left by him.
At that moment, Jiraiya recalled the Great Toad Sage's prophecy—that he would be forced to face a critical choice.
Closing his eyes, Jiraiya spoke slowly,
"If the prophecy is true, then I have to go back to them. There's something important I need to confirm. You two should return."
"What?!" Shima exclaimed in shock.
"No way. If you go again, you'll definitely be killed. That trap won't work a second time. While they haven't noticed this place yet, now's our only chance to escape!" Fukasaku urged.
Jiraiya said calmly, "If I go out now, I might be killed… but I might also uncover the enemy's true identity. If I miss this chance, no one else will ever get this close to Pain again."
"This is the very choice the Great Toad Sage spoke of."
He opened his eyes, his gaze firm.
"Please take all the information we've gathered about Pain so far, along with this body, back. And tell Tsunade…"
"That kind of thing is better left to you, Shima!" Fukasaku suddenly cut in.
"But—" Jiraiya looked at him.
"Be back before dinner!" Shima said.
"Yeah, once it's done, I'll bring Little Jiraiya back for dinner," Fukasaku replied.
Shima nodded, then jumped off Jiraiya's shoulder and used reverse summoning to take the Animal Path's body away.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind. He reached into his clothes and pulled out a bone.
Staring at it for a moment, he handed it to Fukasaku.
"Little Jiraiya, what's this?" Fukasaku asked, puzzled.
Jiraiya smiled faintly. "A gift from a junior. If something happens to me, please return it to him. His name is Rorin—a kid who plays with bones."
Fukasaku nodded, holding the bone without another word.
Jiraiya then dispelled Sage Mode, leaped out of the toad's stomach, and surfaced from the water.
Looking around, he took in the faces of the Five Paths of Pain.
His mouth opened slightly in realization.
As expected… they're all ninja I've met before.
"I understand now… I know Pain's true identity!"
At that very moment, another Pain emerged from below him, reaching out to grab his throat.
Slash!
Jiraiya's throat was crushed, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Little Jiraiya!" Fukasaku cried out.
"You realized it too late," the Deva Path said coldly from above.
The Five Paths of Pain raised their black rods and thrust them toward Jiraiya!
Boom!
Dust and smoke exploded outward. The Deva Path frowned slightly.
"Hey, hey—what's going on? I just came to share a popsicle."
Rorin stood there, holding up a bone shield in his right hand to block the black rods, while casually holding a popsicle in his left, smiling.
Jiraiya froze, staring at Rorin beside him. His mouth opened, but no words came out, his expression tense.
The Pain before them was not someone Rorin could handle. Panic filled his eyes as he tried to signal Rorin to run!
Rorin increased the force in his right hand, knocking the Five Paths of Pain back. They slid several meters before regaining their footing.
Rorin turned his head slightly, snapped the popsicle in half, and handed one piece to Jiraiya with a smile.
"Greasy old man, this thing was really hard to find—I searched for ages. Consider it repayment for last time."
Jiraiya was stunned, then let out a helpless smile as he slowly raised his hand and took the popsicle.