In truth, Yanbai knew exactly what Mito wanted. If she merely wanted him to take in the two children after her death, he was happy to do so. He had nothing else to do anyway.
But if she insisted that Yanbai take them as disciples, he was unwilling.
Being saddled with the title of "teacher" meant shouldering a heavy responsibility. It also meant that Yanbai would bear at least a third of the responsibility for Kushina and Nagato's future achievements and misdeeds.
The children themselves would bear a third of the responsibility for their future achievements and misdeeds, their parents and caregivers another third, and the teachers who guided them the remaining third.
Yanbai's depression had always been tied to "responsibility" and "being useful."
To ease those feelings, he had to let go of those things to some extent.
Taking on four disciples had been a decision he made in the past. Yanbai had no intention of changing it, so he would leave things as they were.
Mito was handing him a new problem, and Yanbai would certainly turn it down.
Besides, looking at the actual circumstances, Kushina and Nagato really were far more troublesome than his other four disciples.
Nagato was five that year, and Kushina was a little older. They keenly understood the hardship of living under someone else's roof.
Although Mito had done her best to treat them well, in her sickly condition, she could not possibly attend to everything.
Unable to grow up beside their parents, living as dependents in a place unlike their homeland, these two children's situation was not something to take lightly.
Simply offering them some protection was difficult enough.
And he was supposed to teach them to become accomplished people, too?
Yanbai did not want to concern himself with that.
Yanbai owed