Refusal

"Jiraiya-sensei, please teach us chakra and ninjutsu."

Facing the requests from Yahiko and the others, Jiraiya shook his head helplessly.

"I have said it many times: I have no intention of teaching you ninjutsu, so there is no need for you to call me sensei."

"But—"

"There are no 'buts'."

Sighing softly, Jiraiya said earnestly, "Becoming a ninja is not a game. Perhaps to ordinary people, ninjas possess power beyond their reach and hold a profession they aspire to, but in reality, it is a career filled with danger and pain."

As he spoke, Jiraiya's tone grew heavy involuntarily.

"According to incomplete statistics, the casualty rate for ninjas is well over ninety-five percent. Even the shadow of a village can hardly guarantee the safety of himself or his family."

"You will be plunged into a cycle of slaughter day after day, constantly facing the loss of those important to you—relatives, friends, lovers, and disciples. Among the ninjas I have encountered so far, almost none have had a peaceful end."

Jiraiya gestured toward Chiba and the others behind Yahiko.

"If the price of becoming a ninja is that you will eventually lose them, are you still willing?"

It was not just Yahiko; even Nagato and Konan fell silent.

A moment later, Jiraiya continued, "That is why there is nothing wrong with being an ordinary person. The war has ended. Find a remote place, and you can live happily as ordinary people. If you are truly worried about your safety, I can take you to the vicinity of Konoha, where you can be guaranteed absolute safety."

Just as Jiraiya thought he had swayed them, Yahiko suddenly looked up and interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Yahiko's eyes were filled with determination. "It is true that if we did as you said, we could ensure our own safe and happy lives. But what about the many civilians in the Land of Rain? Can they do the same?"

"Yes, there is peace now, but I don't believe this peace will last long. When war comes again, the tragedy that happened to us will repeat itself in this country."

As he spoke, Yahiko's voice became impassioned.

"I, Yahiko, want to save this country. I want to end this cycle of pain. I want to find the path to true peace and pacify this chaotic world. For this, I am willing to bet my own life. Although I haven't figured out exactly how we should do it yet, I understand one thing: we need power. Therefore—"

Yahiko bowed his head respectfully to the ground and said firmly, "Jiraiya-sensei, I beg you."

Watching Yahiko's respectful bow, Jiraiya felt conflicted.

The reason he had set out on his travels was to find the legendary Child of Prophecy and the path to achieving peace.

The ambition of the child before him truly shocked him. To be honest, he did have a momentary impulse to stay and teach them.

However...

Suddenly thinking of something, Jiraiya decisively suppressed his impulse.

"I'm sorry."

Jiraiya stood up and sighed softly.

"In truth, I don't have that much time to teach you. I told you, I will stay here for at most one month. In this month, I will teach you some basic survival skills like hunting and fishing. After a month, no matter how much you have learned, I will leave. After all, I have my own missions."

"As for ninjutsu, honestly, I don't think you can learn much in a month. Teaching you only the basics would be equivalent to harming you. So... I'm sorry."

Jiraiya turned and walked away, leaving the group in silence.

Over the next half-month, Jiraiya did as he said, teaching Yahiko and the others only simple hunting and fishing techniques. As for ninjutsu, it was never mentioned again. No matter how much Yahiko pleaded, Jiraiya never agreed.

Facing this result, Yahiko was naturally quite disappointed.

But Chiba saw things much more clearly than Yahiko.

Indeed, no matter how you looked at it, Jiraiya had no reason to teach them.

Konoha was not at peace; there were still major battles on other fronts, and it was a time when combat power was in short supply. If nothing unexpected happened, it was impossible for Jiraiya not to return.

Even without that, he always had various missions to execute. How could a busy man like him have nothing better to do than help raise children in a foreign country?

One must know that even within Konoha, there were countless children who wanted to become Jiraiya's disciples, yet he had hardly taken on any apprentices to this day.

Although Jiraiya was a good man, he was not a pushover; he wouldn't just agree because a child asked to be his student.

Even if they eventually moved Jiraiya, he would likely only teach them the basics and then leave, meaning they wouldn't learn anything substantial.

Therefore, there was only one opportunity for Jiraiya to acknowledge them and truly stay.

A reason that would force him to stay.

Thinking of this, Chiba silently cast his gaze out the window.

Come to think of it, it should be about time for Zetsu to start moving.