"That can't be. My three disciples, including Nagato... they all died nearly half a year ago, in Amegakure!"
Jiraiya shot to his feet in agitation. Seeing the stunned look on Minato's face, he froze for a moment, then sighed and slowly sat back down.
"I'm sorry. I lost my composure."
Minato regained his usual calm and said rationally, "Sensei, I understand how you feel. But is it possible that Nagato actually escaped death?"
Jiraiya clenched his hands, his gaze lowered. "Perhaps. But I can't think of any reason... why Nagato would attack Konoha."
Minato reasoned carefully, "They were all war orphans from the Second Shinobi World War. Amegakure was the main battlefield for the three great nations at the time. Could it be... that they lost their home because of it?"
Though he had put it very tactfully, Jiraiya understood what he meant.
His fingers interlocked, his thumbs rubbing together uneasily. "Nagato never spoke of his parents' deaths, and I never asked. It was a subject we tacitly avoided between master and disciple... Perhaps he really did lose his parents because of Konoha."
Scenes of his time with his three former disciples flashed through Jiraiya's mind, especially the moments he had shared with Nagato.
It settled on the moment of their parting—his hand resting on Nagato's head, and the brilliant smile on the boy's face. (Image attached below)
Jiraiya's restless hand movements ceased. He looked up and met Minato's eyes, speaking with certainty.
"Even if that were the case, I still believe my disciple would not be so narrow-minded. There must be more to this!"
"I believe either there is another wielder of the Rinnegan, or Nagato's Rinnegan fell into someone's hands, and they used the power of those eyes to act against Konoha."
*He still chose... to believe in