The Land of Rain, a drizzly morning.
Not far from the cave where the three children lived, Jiraiya strolled along beneath a small umbrella.
Yahiko held his arm, sharing the umbrella as he followed close beside him, his brow furrowed.
The fingers gripping Jiraiya's arm tightened slightly. Sensing Yahiko's distrust of Konoha and the fear and unease stirring deep within him, Jiraiya gently began to guide him.
His voice was steady, with a reassuring strength.
"Yahiko, I understand your concerns, but there are plenty of things my words alone can't resolve. You need to think them through yourself, to use your own wisdom and heart to understand..."
"Your ears can pick up false information, and your eyes can be deceived by genjutsu and disguises. What your five senses tell you isn't necessarily the truth... Honestly, even I, standing right in front of you, have things I'm hiding."
"All I can offer you is an opportunity to grow stronger. What you should believe and what you shouldn't is something you'll have to judge for yourself."
"...Yes, I understand. Thank you."
Yahiko weighed the advantages and disadvantages in his mind. Looking up at Jiraiya, who had spent the past week with them, he already knew which way he was leaning.
This man had been unwilling to wake his sleeping companions that morning, had draped clothes over him, had revealed power that could kill them outright, and had said all these things that sounded sincere.
All of that had earned Yahiko's trust. He was willing to place his own future and his companions' in this Land of Fire ninja's hands.
Besides, as orphans, they had nothing. They barely even qualified as people worth exploiting.
All they could offer was the potential to "perhaps grow stronger" someday, a possibility riddled with uncertainty... Or perhaps