We need 121 paras exact. Need map input paragraphs. Translate preserve every paragraph incl parenthetical. Title remove number "Lao Da (Pain), save me, kou ya!!" maybe capitalization context. Need count source paragraphs separated lines; likely 121. outpu

The crimson Rasengan spun continuously in Jiraiya's hand, waves of heat rolling outward one after another. Even the rubble on the ground trembled faintly.

Kou was high in the air, swift lightning coiling around him.

His scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan widened slightly. The three tomoe turned slowly in his eerie eyes, reflecting the growing crimson sphere below.

Time seemed to slow in Kou's eyes.

This wasn't just a figure of speech. Through the Sharingan, the flow of time really was different.

Every bulging muscle in Jiraiya's arm, every swirl of flame across the surface of the Rasengan, every ripple caused by the air warping in the heat—

Everything broke down into countless frozen frames, giving him plenty of time to observe and think.

But at that moment, there was only one thought in his mind.

"Why? Why is the Blazing Flame Rasengan appearing now?"

Kou stared at the crimson Rasengan in Jiraiya's hand, a hint of confusion surfacing in his otherwise calm eyes.

Infusing the Rasengan with the nature transformation of fire-style chakra was no simple task.

The differences between the five chakra natures in terms of nature transformation were so vast that they could almost be considered five entirely separate disciplines.

The theoretical framework for infusing the Rasengan with wind-style chakra and the one for infusing it with fire-style chakra might seem to differ by only one word, but in practice, the latter meant starting completely from scratch.

In the original timeline, Jiraiya had also spent a long time researching how to combine nature transformation with the Rasengan.

Yet even by the time he died in Amegakure, he still hadn't managed to truly infuse it with the nature transformation of fire-style chakra.

And now, the Blazing Flame Rasengan—a technique that should have been all but impossible to see—was right before his eyes!

Kou knew, of course, that his existence had changed a great many things.

With his interference, the Rasengan's theoretical framework had been completed ahead of schedule, and its development was years ahead of the original timeline.

But the theory for infusing the Rasengan with the nature transformation of wind-style chakra hadn't been more or less solved by him and Minato until before the Nine-Tails Incident.

"Did he... manage to do it all on his own?"

Kou glanced at Jiraiya out of the corner of his eye. Unmistakable surprise flashed through his Three Tomoe Sharingan.

It wasn't that he looked down on Jiraiya, but theoretical research really wasn't his strong suit.

Back when they had researched and developed the Rasengan, Minato and Kou had handled most of the theoretical work.

Jiraiya had played more of a supporting role:

He provided practical combat experience, tested whether their training plans were feasible, and occasionally offered pointers based on the instincts of a seasoned shinobi.

But now, the person least suited to theory had completed such a difficult piece of research all by himself?

"Where the hell have I ended up? Is this really Jiraiya?!

"Didn't he use most of his brain for writing smut—"

"Wait, Icha Icha Paradise..."

As if he had realized something, Kou's Three Tomoe Sharingan abruptly shifted away from the Blazing Flame Rasengan in Jiraiya's hand and turned toward the eyes that had been watching him all along.

The scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan met Jiraiya's gaze, full of meaning.

A true shinobi could understand what someone else was thinking from a single look.

Kou met Jiraiya's earnest, fervent gaze, and a look of understanding flashed across his eyes.

"I see. So that's what it was."

He murmured to himself as the scattered fragments of memory quickly pieced together into a complete picture, aided by his formidable mental strength...

The year before the Nine-Tails Incident, the first volume of Icha Icha Paradise, illustrated by him and written by Jiraiya, had officially hit the shelves.

The moment this masterpiece was released, it caused a sensation throughout the Ninja World.

Sales kept breaking records, the book was reprinted until the presses were worn out, and readers' letters piled up in the publisher's warehouse! (Lao Ka: Don't ask!)

That was the peak of Jiraiya's writing career, the beginning of his conquest of the world under another identity!!

But just as the entire Ninja World eagerly awaited the release of the second volume, the sequel failed to appear.

Three years passed. It wasn't until the end of the third year that the sequel finally arrived.

At the time, Kou had just reached the Mist Village and had a pile of troubles to deal with. When he saw the news of the new book's release, he'd made an offhand comment without thinking much of it.

After all, Jiraiya had never been reliable. In Kou's eyes, it was only natural for him to miss a deadline.

But now, the dates he'd never given a second thought to lined up precisely in his mind, forming a clear trail of clues.

When the first volume succeeded, Jiraiya had been the most excited of all.

Kou still remembered how Jiraiya had come looking for him with the reprint notice that day, as thrilled as Obito had been when he finally got his Ninja Academy graduation certificate.

He'd slapped Kou on the shoulder and made all sorts of grand promises, saying things like "the second volume will be even better" and "the two of us are unbeatable."

And, eager to release the second volume as soon as possible, he'd decided to travel for research.

According to plan, the complete manuscript should have been finished three years ago—that was, one week before the Nine-Tails Incident broke out.

At the time, thanks to their close "working relationship," Kou had been one of the few people in the entire Ninja World who could contact Jiraiya directly.

At first, they had never lost touch.

Jiraiya regularly sent him accounts of his travels and updates on his writing, while Kou replied with draft illustrations and suggestions for revisions.

Those letters had assured Kou that Jiraiya would receive and respond to his request for help, gradually putting his mind at ease.

Getting in touch with Jiraiya and asking him to return to Konoha in time had never seemed like a problem.

But later, Jiraiya had cut off contact with him without warning.

The letters Kou sent had sunk into the sea like stones, never to receive a reply.

The Icha Icha Paradise series, which had been steadily working its way through revisions for the second volume, had also fallen silent without warning.

At the time, Kou had been completely baffled.

He had gone over the wording of his letter again and again. Had his tone been too harsh? Had he failed to express himself clearly enough? Or... did Jiraiya simply not care?

That possibility, one he had never seriously considered, weighed more and more heavily on him during those days without a word.

Then the Nine-Tails Incident broke out, and he left Konoha carrying a heart full of disappointment and anger...

But now, every mystery had an answer.

Jiraiya had cut off contact with him partway through the journey and stopped writing the second volume of Icha Icha Paradise.

It wasn't because he didn't want to write. It was because he had poured all his time and energy into something else.

On his own, without Minato's or Kou's help, he had completed the theoretical work of combining the nature transformation of fire-style chakra with the Rasengan!

Kou understood better than anyone how difficult that had been.

He'd done the same thing himself. During his four years in the Mist Village, he'd spent countless nights researching how to combine water-style chakra with the Rasengan. He'd ultimately cracked the problem only with the help of the Mist Village's extensive collection of related materials.

But Jiraiya had done it all by himself.

"That must be what he'd been researching all that time."

Kou turned his gaze back to the crimson Rasengan, his expression complicated.

The Blazing Flame Rasengan had been prepared for him from the very beginning.

Not for any other reason, but because the letter he'd sent Jiraiya had been filled with his anxiety over his own talent and the obstacles he'd encountered in training.

Jiraiya had read that anxiety and decided to give him an answer in his own way...

And now, that "answer" was right in front of him.

"Heh. What am I supposed to make of this?"

Kou murmured to himself, his heart a tangled mess.

So Jiraiya hadn't returned to Konoha in time because he'd been preparing this surprise for an "anxious" Kou?

"Did I just screw myself over?"

Kou couldn't help feeling that the whole thing was absurd.

But... it wasn't as if he felt nothing.

"After the Nine-Tails Incident, he never came to see me or told me about this. I suppose he was afraid I'd blame myself."

Kou murmured inwardly, his Three Tomoe Sharingan briefly losing focus before sharpening again.

"Even though all these years, you must have been the one who suffered the most, Jiraiya-sensei."

Kou gently let out a breath. His thoughts surged like a tide, but in reality, less than an instant had passed.

The time stretched out by the Sharingan amounted to only a fraction of a second in the real world.

Kou was still suspended in midair, swift blue lightning coiling around him. The Blazing Flame Rasengan in Jiraiya's hand continued to spin, drawing closer and closer.

Kou understood the thoughts behind Jiraiya's fervent gaze. He understood the hope in it.

"So you want me to return to Konoha with you... Unfortunately, I'm bound to disappoint you."

He gazed deeply at Jiraiya. The resolve in his scarlet Sharingan had replaced the complicated emotions that had churned there moments ago.

"I have my own path to walk. There's no place for Konoha in my future anymore."

Jiraiya read the determination in Kou's eyes, and the light in his own dimmed slightly.

"So it really is like that, Kou."

Jiraiya murmured bitterly to himself, but he didn't look away, nor did he let that dimness linger for long.

The light in his eyes gradually returned, replaced by unshakable resolve.

He'd let too many chances slip by already. But this time, he wouldn't let go.

Jiraiya murmured to himself, resolute:

"Even if I have to knock you out and drag you back, even if you hate me for the rest of your life... I'm taking you back!!"

"Blazing Flame—Rasengan!!"

Jiraiya raised the crimson Rasengan high. Through the Sharingan's slowed-down view, the crimson sphere visibly grew larger.

Kou stared at the Blazing Flame Rasengan, now just inches away, his expression utterly calm.

In each frame stretched out by his Sharingan, he coolly made his final tactical assessment.

Jiraiya was extremely fast, and at such close range, Kou's body was already caught in the powerful momentum boosted by Swift Thunder.

With the reaction speed and bodily control Swift Thunder gave him, he could theoretically force himself to dodge, but his body would suffer a backlash.

Torn muscles, damaged meridians—and in the worst case, his mobility would be severely impaired for a while. Not worth it.

The best option was to block the attack head-on.

Jiraiya's Blazing Flame Rasengan was indeed powerful.

It retained the explosive force of Fire Release perfectly. Its scorching, sustained damage combined with the Rasengan's terrifying internal destructive power—

Together, they gave the attack a truly fearsome ability to break through defenses at a single point.

Kou analyzed the situation calmly in his mind:

"If I take a hit from this, I'll probably lose the ability to fight outright."

But he wasn't without ways to counter it.

The Mangekyō Sharingan, the Rasengan infused with the nature transformation of water-style chakra that he'd painstakingly developed over four years in the Mist Village, and Inazuma in his left hand, which could form a defensive net of lightning with Chidori—

His hard work and accumulated skill over the past few years were every bit the equal of Jiraiya's efforts in developing the Blazing Flame Rasengan.

He could meet the attack head-on and take it!

"But... there's really no need for that."

Kou calmly looked straight ahead. Reflected in his Three Tomoe Sharingan was Jiraiya's resolute face.

He gazed at Jiraiya, drew a deep breath with easy composure, then shouted:

"Lao Da, save me, kou ya!!!"

Jiraiya: "...Huh?"

(Tsk~~ These past few chapters feel more like drama with a fight scene mixed in than straight-up action, don't they?

Does it feel weird to you guys too...?)