After spending so much time with Minato and Nawaki, they had become his close friends. Xin had always looked out for Nawaki, constantly reminding him to be cautious of paper bombs and traps on the battlefield, hoping to avoid the tragic fate from the original timeline where Nawaki was blown up by a paper bomb.
"What happened?" Xin asked, now completely forgetting about the sofa cushion as he followed Jiraiya toward the hospital.
"It's a long story," Jiraiya replied with a grim smile. "Nawaki's a good kid, but he got caught in an explosion while trying to save a teammate. His injuries were pretty serious, but thanks to Tsunade's treatment, he's stabilized. That's why I brought him back to Konoha to recover."
"Minato came back with him too," Jiraiya added. "If it wasn't for this, they would've already returned to the village for New Year's."
Xin was speechless. Was this fate? No matter what he did, it seemed like Nawaki was destined to get hit by a paper bomb. Despite Xin's efforts to change things, Nawaki still ended up getting injured-but this time, it was while saving someone else.
They arrived at the hospital quickly. Jiraiya led the way to Nawaki's recovery room, where they were greeted by the sight of Minato leaning against the window, arms crossed.
Nawaki lay in bed, completely wrapped in bandages, looking like a mummy. His body was held in place by supports to prevent movement, with only his head free to move.
"Hey, Minato, Nawaki, look who I brought with me!" Jiraiya announced as he pushed the door open.
Xin stepped into the room and immediately saw Orochimaru standing by Nawaki's bed with a faint smile on his face.
The moment Nawaki had gotten injured, Orochimaru had dropped everything and rushed back to the village with him. Neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya could convince him to stay behind. Orochimaru insisted on accompanying them, unable to rest until Nawaki was safely home.
Despite Orochimaru's usual strange demeanor, his care for Nawaki was undeniable.
Minato turned toward Xin, a smile on his face as he raised a fist. Xin grinned and bumped it in return before walking over to Nawaki's bedside.
Glancing down at his friend, who looked no different than a mummy, Xin couldn't help but tease, "I warned you before that you were destined to get blown up by a paper bomb. You didn't believe me, huh? Well, how does it feel now?"
"Go to hell... I-cough, cough!"
Nawaki, clearly expecting some words of comfort, had the wind knocked out of him by Xin's teasing. His attempt to snap back ended in a painful fit of coughing, his injuries too severe for such exertion.
Minato chuckled, unable to hold back his laughter. Nawaki, glaring at him, snapped, "What are you laughing at? Weren't you the one saying you wanted to beat him up? Well, go on then, I'll support you... mentally!"
"Uh..."