In a ruined village within the Land of Iron, Deidara and Tobi chose to rest.
Deidara was asleep in an empty room when Black Zetsu suddenly emerged from the ground. The usually comical Tobi turned serious.
"Li Xing's swordsmanship is formidable, his power rivals that of the Five-Tails, and he excels at medical ninjutsu, possessing incredible regenerative abilities. Karin can use a special defense, though I can see it's the pupil power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, likely the Susano'o that Madara used."
"Four years ago, Tsunade brought a child, also named Li Xing. Coupled with Li Xing intentionally letting the Nine-Tails escape this time, it's highly probable Li Xing is a ninja from Konoha."
"Since Itachi, another troublesome individual has appeared. Zetsu, have you found any useful intelligence?"
Black Zetsu had indeed failed to uncover anything useful. "Li Xing and Karin's perception is too powerful; I am easily detected. However, the ability to extract a Tailed Beast individually and revive a Jinchuriki, perhaps this person will become the greatest obstacle to the Moon Eye Plan. Should we consider cooperating with Li Xing?"
"No, we cannot trust Li Xing yet. Our plan must not stop. Since Li Xing is now a member of the Akatsuki, he is our best operative for capturing Tailed Beasts. We must fully understand Li Xing's abilities before revealing our hand. We must always have a contingency." Obito rejected Black Zetsu's proposal. A direct confrontation would be too risky. If Li Xing were to disapprove, it could jeopardize the Moon Eye Plan.
"Alright. One more thing, the former Seven-Tails Jinchuriki has been found and is currently being protected by Takigakure. They are preventing the Jinchuriki from leaving. What should we do? Shall we go and capture her?"
Finally, a piece of useful information. A hint of a smile appeared on Obito's masked face.
"I will find an opportunity to capture her personally. I will use the Mangekyo Sharingan to cast genjutsu. This way, we will also learn how Li Xing extracts Tailed Beasts. His secrets will be completely in my grasp."
...
"Xing-kun, are that woman's lips soft?"
"Soft, I am very pleased with them."
Hearing this, Yugito couldn't help but pinch Li Xing's waist.
"You lewd brat! If I hadn't pulled you away, would you have continued?"
Karin seemed unfazed. Ever since entering the Infinite Domain that day, Karin had mentally prepared herself. She could only smile helplessly at this. What else could she do when her heart belonged to this man? (Put nicely, it's pure adoration; put bluntly, she's a lovesick fool. But Karin's flower language is precisely that: sole love.)
"What's wrong? Are you jealous?" Li Xing turned and gave Yugito a wicked grin.
How could Yugito admit such a thing? She wasn't even sure if she liked Li Xing herself.
"Idiot! How could I be jealous? How could a brat like you make me jealous? It's definitely not jealousy, no, I just can't stand seeing you corrupt others with your lewdness."
"What do you mean corrupting others? Mei Terumi is already past her prime. She should be overjoyed that a young and handsome guy like me fancies her. I think you're clearly jealous and refuse to admit it."
"Xing-kun, stop teasing her. Look, Yugito's face is all red." Karin tugged on Li Xing's hand, stopping the topic.
Seeing Yugito turn into a "steam-powered princess" from Li Xing's teasing, Li Xing decided to stop. He wrapped his arms around both of them.
"Alright, if you don't like me, I like you, okay? Don't be silent anymore. Let's hurry to the Land of Iron. There's still unfinished business."
"Idiot... I do like you!" Yugito said softly, her face red, her head bowed, in a voice only she could hear. But what kind of person was Li Xing? He could hear even the whisper of an ant. Hearing her words, Li Xing smiled and, holding both of them, accelerated towards the rendezvous point Deidara had mentioned.
...
Konoha, in a hospital ward, Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba were severely injured. Tsunade was listening to Shizune's report.
"That brat! He actually did it!"
Tsunade clenched her fist, gritting her teeth, furious that Li Xing had attacked them so ruthlessly.
"Tsunade-sama, please don't be angry with Li Xing-kun. Li Xing-kun intentionally let us go. Other Akatsuki members were present at the time. If Li Xing-kun hadn't let us leave, Naruto-kun might have been captured as well!"
Shizune didn't want to make things difficult for Tsunade, so she spoke up to defend Li Xing. Although Shizune was guessing, Li Xing had indeed intended it that way.
"Hmph! Let's put him aside for now. The important thing is that the Three-Tails has been obtained by the Akatsuki. The Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails who went missing some time ago, the Akatsuki now possesses four Tailed Beasts. This power is enough to declare war on the world. I wish to convene a Kage Summit and have the Five Great Nations unite to confront the Akatsuki. Shizune, what do you think?"
"But... wouldn't that be tantamount to us initiating a ninja war? Tsunade-sama, I don't quite agree with this course of action. If the Five Great Nations go to war with the Akatsuki, even more people will die. More importantly, the other four nations may not agree, and perhaps even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire would not agree."
As Tsunade's secretary, Shizune naturally had to consider Tsunade's interests. She immediately pointed out the problem. Tsunade absolutely could not bear the infamy of starting a ninja war.
"There's no need for that, Grandma Tsunade. I will definitely stop the Akatsuki's plan. No matter what, I will bring Li Xing back to you. I speak my mind and act on my word; that is my ninja way!"
At this moment, Naruto entered the ward with some fruit. He was here to visit Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba. Coincidentally, he overheard Tsunade and Shizune's conversation.
"Naruto, this is not the time for your wilfulness. A situation like this cannot be changed with just your words. You are also a target of the Akatsuki. You shouldn't encounter them. You are still growing." Tsunade certainly would not let Naruto confront the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki's true strength had not yet been revealed, and there was absolutely no room for such a risk.
"Believe me, Grandma Tsunade! Just like the necklace you gave me, I will never disappoint you!" Naruto touched the necklace on his chest and vowed to Tsunade with conviction.
Tsunade was silent for a moment, then smiled slightly and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Then I will believe you. However, we still cannot let the Akatsuki have direct contact with you. Until you grow stronger, let us bear this burden for you!"
It must be said that Naruto's "talk no jutsu" was the most powerful ninjutsu in Naruto. Anyone who got close to the protagonist would be enveloped by the protagonist's halo and, to varying degrees, affected by the intelligence-lowering aura. However, Li Xing would absolutely not be swayed by talk no jutsu. Li Xing was a pure doer; a hundred words of talk were not as good as one practical action.
The Kage Summit, which should have been influenced by Li Xing's butterfly effect, was thus canceled by Naruto's simple words. In the grand scheme of things, it was fate. Perhaps it was a plot correction, avoiding the premature outbreak of the Fourth Great Ninja War, or perhaps the Heavenly Dao felt the Child of Prophecy had not fully grown and thus gave Naruto an opportunity to mature.