Jiraiya wore a rare look of melancholy as he recounted, in an even tone, how a young, naive Obito had proposed to Rin Nohara years ago.
All these years later, Obito's feelings had never changed, but Rin Nohara still did not like him.
Jiraiya was no fool. As an observer, he might have understood Rin Nohara better than she understood herself.
If Obito really had been a terrible boy whom Rin Nohara disliked, Jiraiya certainly would not have been so conflicted.
But now, Obito's sincerity reminded Jiraiya of his own years of fruitlessly pursuing Tsunade.
At the end of the day, there really was nothing seriously wrong with Obito.
He came from the Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's Three Noble Clans. He had only a grandmother to support, ordinary relationships with his relatives, a wealthy family, and deceased parents. He was good-natured and not bad-looking, either.
"Jiraiya, actually... I think you'd be better off not interfering too much in the children's love lives." Yanbai looked at Jiraiya sympathetically, picked up the bottle, and topped off his drink.
"But watching them makes me so anxious." Jiraiya sighed. "If it were me, I wouldn't want my elders meddling either, but..."
Halfway through, Jiraiya faltered.
Yanbai looked at him curiously.
Jiraiya had been staring at Yanbai's face as he spoke.
But now, he seemed to have thought of something that left him unable to continue.
Jiraiya lowered his head, momentarily at a loss for words.
Yanbai did not know what he was thinking, but he had also been observing Rin Nohara lately, so he suggested, "Jiraiya, your girl Rin has too little contact with people her own age. I'd suggest encouraging her to spend more time with her peers."
At those words, Jiraiya furrowed his brow.
Yanbai said bluntly, "Being anxious won't help