Obito had no idea that Naruto had already pulled off a perfect raid.
The key figure controlling the Ten-Tails, Nagato, had been taken away right under his nose.
At this moment, Naruto had already returned to Konoha with Nagato and Konan.
Sensing Jiraiya's chakra, Naruto found that he was already in the hospital, and Tsunade's chakra was with him.
"Jiraiya-sensei is in the hospital. Let's go over first. I can also help treat the perverted sage while we are there," Naruto said to Nagato and Konan.
Nagato nodded slightly.
When they reached the fruit stand outside the hospital entrance, Konan bought a basket of fruit.
"Lily, where is Granny Tsunade treating the perverted sage?" Naruto asked when he saw Lily on duty.
Lily had officially started working at the Konoha Hospital.
"Naruto?" Lily looked up from the patient files and brightened with surprise. But her expression quickly changed when she saw Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko behind him.
All three were wearing Akatsuki cloaks.
"Akatsuki!" Lily instantly went on guard.
The Akatsuki had long been listed as a terrorist organization in Konoha, and their black cloaks with red clouds were well known.
"Relax, they are on our side," Naruto waved his hand casually.
"Ah… okay." Lily hesitated, then chose to trust Naruto and lowered her guard.
"Lady Tsunade is in Intensive Treatment Room One. I will take you there," Lily said.
"Thanks," Naruto nodded.
"Hehe, no problem," Lily smiled.
"Is she also from the Uzumaki clan?" Nagato asked Naruto quietly.
Her vivid red hair was hard to miss.
"Yeah. I met her during the Chunin Exams. She had a rough life in the Grass Village, so I brought her back to Konoha," Naruto replied.
"I see." Nagato looked at Lily's back with a hint of warmth in his eyes.
They soon arrived at the intensive care ward and pushed the door open.
"What happened?" Shizune hurried over when she heard the noise. Tsunade was still treating Jiraiya inside.
Naruto had only pulled Jiraiya back from the brink of death before. There had been no time to fully heal him because he had to face the Six Paths of Pain.
"Naruto?" Shizune's eyes lit up, but the moment she saw Nagato and the others, her expression turned alert.
"Akatsuki!"
Jiraiya had been gravely injured while investigating their base.
"Calm down, Sister Shizune. They are not enemies anymore," Naruto said quickly.
"Huh?" Shizune looked confused.
"Uh… it is complicated, but in short, Nagato and the others are on our side now," Naruto explained.
"…Alright." Shizune trusted Naruto.
"The perverted sage is inside, right?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. Lady Tsunade is treating him," Shizune replied.
"Is he stable?" Naruto asked.
"His condition has stabilized, but he still needs time to recover fully," Shizune said.
"Let's go see him," Naruto nodded.
"I will take you in," Shizune said, leading them inside.
Lily returned to her post to continue working.
The moment they entered, Tsunade's furious voice echoed through the ward.
"Jiraiya! Is your brain filled with fermented wine paste?!"
She stood with hands on her hips, glaring down at the pale Jiraiya on the bed. Her chest rose and fell with anger.
Jiraiya looked guilty and helpless, wanting to argue but not daring to.
"Look at you! You are already half buried in the ground!" Tsunade pointed at him, her tone sharp. "Do you still think you are twenty years old? The moment you hear about intelligence, you rush in without thinking?"
"I was just…" Jiraiya tried to speak.
"Just what?!" Tsunade cut him off, her voice rising. "You knew the Akatsuki base was a death trap. You knew the intelligence was incomplete. You knew the Rinnegan user was waiting there. And you still charged in! How many lives do you think you have? Or do you think you are invincible?"
She stepped closer, her gaze sharp as a scalpel. "Who do you think you are? A lone hero? Do you think if you die, the information will just fly back on its own? If you die, will the problem be solved? You are reckless to the point of stupidity! You old white-haired idiot, the wrinkles on your face could trap flies. Can you use your brain before acting for once?!"
Jiraiya shrank under her glare.
Tsunade took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger, but the worry in her voice only became clearer. "If Naruto had not arrived in time, if his Yang Release had not been strong enough to drag you back from the gates of death…" She paused and glanced at Naruto at the door, who was listening with interest.
Then she turned back. "You would already be dead. Dead out there with no one to even collect your body! Should I give you an award for the Most Reckless of the Three Sannin?"
"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune tried to intervene.
"Shizune, be quiet. Let me finish," Tsunade snapped, then pointed at Jiraiya again. "You stay here and reflect! Until you are fully healed, you are not going anywhere! The older you get, the more trouble you cause! If there is a next time, I will break your legs myself before the enemy gets the chance!"
She snorted coldly, having vented a bit of her anger, though clearly not all of it.
The ward was filled with her scolding and heavy breathing.
"Exactly, exactly. Perverted sage, you really are too careless," Naruto added helpfully. "I told you to summon me when things got dangerous. Not when you were about to die."
Tsunade's temper flared again at that.
Jiraiya quickly changed the subject. "Naruto, you are back. Is the matter with Pain settled?"
"Yes, it is over," Naruto said with a sly smile. "Perverted sage, let me introduce two people you know very well."
"Nagato, Konan, you can come in now."