"What did you say! The Rinnegan?"
After the feast, Jiraiya, Karin, and Naruto sat by the campfire talking.
Naruto first shared the intelligence he had obtained with Jiraiya.
When he mentioned that the Akatsuki's base was in the Land of Rain, Jiraiya's eyebrows only twitched, but he didn't say anything.
But when Naruto mentioned the special Dojutsu, the [Rinnegan], possessed by the Akatsuki's leader, Pain, Jiraiya's expression immediately changed.
This was the first time Naruto had seen Jiraiya show such a look of shock and disbelief.
"What's wrong, Jiraiya-sensei?"
He showed a concerned expression, but in his heart, he already had a guess.
'Jiraiya-sensei probably knew that Pain.'
"No… it must be a coincidence… No, that's not right-" Jiraiya just muttered to himself, Nagato's face smiling and calling him 'sensei' appearing in his mind.
Back then, he had taken three disciples in the Land of Rain: Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko.
All three were war orphans.
Among them, Nagato just so happened to possess the legendary Rinnegan.
Jiraiya at that time also considered him the [Child of the Prophecy] mentioned by the Great Toad Sage. But later, to prevent people from Konoha from setting their sights on Nagato's Rinnegan, and to allow his three disciples to grow independently, he chose to leave the Land of Rain.
He never imagined that this parting might be forever.
Later, he lost contact with the three and mistakenly believed they had all died in the war.
Now, hearing news of the Rinnegan again, how could Jiraiya remain calm?
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
Naruto's suddenly raised voice snapped Jiraiya out of his muttering state.
He looked at Naruto somewhat nervously.
"Naruto, this time, let me go to the Land of Rain with you."
Hearing Jiraiya's request, Naruto didn't press the issue. He could naturally tell that Jiraiya had some hidden circumstances in his heart.
"Okay."
Karin, sitting beside them, looked left and right, then also spoke up.
"Naruto-san, please let me come too."
"No!"
Before Naruto could even refuse, Jiraiya was the first to speak.
"Yes? Why, Jiraiya-sensei?"
Karin looked at Jiraiya with some dissatisfaction.
To be fair, although he initially said he 'wasn't good with little girls', during the month Naruto was away, it was Jiraiya who had been 'looking after' her.
Perhaps he saw Kushina's shadow in Karin, or maybe it was something else.
In any case, Jiraiya truly treated Karin like a new disciple, educating her.
This included water walking, Chakra Extraction Technique, and some Ninjutsu… all the knowledge Jiraiya hadn't had time to teach Naruto one by one, he meticulously passed on to Karin.
In fact, Naruto really didn't lack this kind of education.
During their month together, Karin also accepted Jiraiya's kindness.
She even felt more relaxed around Jiraiya than around Naruto, naturally showing the 'charm' a young girl should have.
"Karin, right now, you don't have the ability to protect yourself. This trip to the Land of Rain is full of dangers. It's best if you stay here and wait for us to return."
Due to her learning progress, Karin hadn't yet learned any advanced Ninjutsu… she hadn't even mastered Summoning Technique. Jiraiya's decision wasn't unreasonable.
Hearing this, Naruto seemed to remember something. He directly reached out and took three fruits from the surface of his seal space.
They were: one that looked like an ink bottle, the [Inku Inku no Mi]… one entirely golden, its skin layered like feathers, an unknown bird fruit… and one with black and red patterns, an unknown dog fruit.
Karin was about to say something else but was interrupted by Naruto's action. Both their gazes shifted over.
Jiraiya was the first to react.
"This is… the fruit from the other world you mentioned before?"
"Yes, these are Devil Fruits."
Jiraiya and Karin examined the three fruits. They had both heard from Naruto's previous accounts about fruits that could grant special powers when eaten.
At the same time, Jiraiya could faintly sense another type of energy he had never encountered before on the surface of these three fruits.
Its nature was very similar to the Natural Energy he had come into contact with before, but there was a subtle difference.
"Here, this one is for you."
With that, Naruto handed the Inku Inku no Mi, which he had decided on earlier, to Jiraiya, while also briefly explaining the differences between the three types of Devil Fruits: [Logia], [Paramecia], and [Zoan].
It wasn't clear if this Inku Inku no Mi could significantly increase combat power, as the gap between the upper and lower limits of Paramecia-type fruits was too vast.
However, Naruto wasn't giving it to Jiraiya for that reason… he purely wanted to see if the great literary master could use this ability to 'materialize' the plots from his books.
This could be considered Naruto's pursuit of literature.
The focus was on the two Zoan-type fruits.
"Karin, I need to remind you that a person can only eat one Devil Fruit in their lifetime."
"If possible, I would have liked to bring you a Logia-type fruit."
"But unfortunately, I only brought back these three fruits this time."
Karin held the one golden and one black fruit in her hands, examining them carefully.
"Perhaps later I can find a better Logia fruit for you... It's up to you to decide whether to eat this or not."
"I'll eat it!"
Karin didn't hesitate for a second. Naruto had told them that the characteristic of Zoan-type fruits was that after eating them, they could greatly enhance the user's physical quality and reaction speed.
This way, at the very least, she could go to the so-called Land of Rain with Naruto.
She hadn't seen Naruto for a whole month, and Karin didn't want to separate again after just a couple of days together.
"...Alright then, you choose one."
Naruto didn't expect the young girl to help him in battle… he just hoped she could run away in time if danger arose.
Karin looked back and forth between the 'bird' and 'dog' fruits a few times before finally choosing the bird fruit.
This was also the one Naruto had hoped she would choose.
After all, turning into a bird would at least grant the ability to fly, making escape more convenient.
But Karin's reason for choosing the bird was simple… because this fruit was prettier.
Jiraiya was still holding the Inku Inku no Mi, not having eaten it yet, when Karin, after making her selection, took a bite without delay.
Immediately, her whole face scrunched up as if she had tasted something utterly disgusting.
This scene made Naruto laugh heartily, 'Thankfully, I had swallowed mine whole.'
Then, under the gaze of Naruto and Jiraiya, Karin's body began to emit a golden light.
Her arms quickly transformed into a pair of huge wings, and her entire body rapidly changed towards that of a bird.
But this bird was far more magnificent than any of the three had imagined.
After a clear bird cry, a large bird emitting a golden light appeared in the mid-air.
For a moment, all the residents of the new Uzushiogakure turned their eyes towards it.
Even Naruto and Jiraiya's eyes showed astonishment.
The giant bird's wingspan was over ten meters, and its tail feathers were adorned with several illusory chains, somewhat similar to the Adamantine Sealing Chains of the Uzumaki Clan.
Compared to Karin's original height of 1.4 meters, this giant bird's form was obviously much more exaggerated. (T/N: It's written as 1.6 meters, but it's Karin at the Shippuden, and it's still more than two years before the Shippuden.)
"Wow… we really hit the jackpot."
Naruto said slowly, watching Karin, who was illuminating the night sky like a small sun.