Early the next morning, Luna was awakened by Yahiko’s voice.
“Get up, get up! That white-haired uncle said he’s going to teach us things!”
Luna opened her eyes and saw Yahiko standing in front of her with an excited look on his face.
Sunlight poured down through the gaps in the clouds, shining on his orange hair.
“Teach us… what?”
“I don’t know. He said to wait until we’re all awake.” Yahiko turned around and ran to wake up the others.
“Get up quickly, get up quickly!”
Luna sat up, rubbed her eyes, and saw Jiraiya already standing not far away, leaning against a tree with his pipe in his hand and a half-smile on his face.
His gaze swept over the four of them and finally landed on Nagato, lingering for a second.
“Are you all awake?” he asked.
The four of them nodded and stood in front of him like a group of students waiting for a teacher’s lecture.
Jiraiya put his pipe away into his chest pocket, straightened up, crossed his arms, and looked down at them from above.
“I’ve observed you for two days.” He spoke, his tone more serious than any time before.
“You have talent, potential, and also… some special things.”
His gaze once again landed on Nagato.
“But you lack proper guidance.”
He paused for a moment, as if weighing his wording.
“I’m not a good person, nor am I a proper Ninja.” He said, “But I know some things that I can teach you.”
“You…” He looked at the four children, his gaze lingering on each face.
“Are you willing to learn from me?”
Yahiko was the first to react, his eyes instantly lighting up: “You mean… you’re going to take us as your apprentices?”
“You can put it that way.” Jiraiya shrugged.
“Of course, I won’t teach for free. You have to be responsible for finding me food, washing clothes, and running errands. All these chores are yours.”
“No problem!” Yahiko practically shouted, “I’m willing!”
Konan looked at Yahiko, then at Jiraiya, and nodded: “I am willing too.”
Nagato didn’t speak, but he also nodded.
Jiraiya’s gaze finally landed on Luna.
Luna looked at him, her mind spinning fast.
This was the turning point of fate.
She took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked straight into Jiraiya’s eyes.
“I am willing.”
Jiraiya looked at her, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
“Good.” He said, “Then let’s start from today.”
He turned around and walked toward the east, his red cloak fluttering in the wind.
“Keep up, brats. You still have a long way to go.”
The four children exchanged glances, then quickly followed.
The sky of the Land of Rain was still gray.
It was hidden in a hilly area in the eastern part of the Land of Rain.
The entrance was a narrow mountain crevice that could only allow one person to pass through sideways.
After passing through the crevice, the view suddenly opened up: a small basin surrounded by steep rock walls, about half the size of a football field.
In the center of the basin was a clear pool of water, formed by the gathering of mountain springs seeping from the cracks in the rock walls.
Several dwarf bushes grew by the pool, and the ground was covered with sparse weeds.
The rock walls were covered with vines, providing a natural shelter for this hidden space.
“I discovered this place when I was scouting earlier.” Jiraiya stood by the pool, looking around.
“The location is hidden, the water source is abundant, and there are no traces of large-scale combat around. It’s enough to use as a temporary training ground.”
Yahiko looked around, his eyes full of curiosity: “How did you find a place like this?”
“Experience.” Jiraiya replied briefly, “In the Land of Rain, finding places like this is a basic skill for saving your life.”
He turned around, facing the four children, and the expression on his face became serious.
“Since you’ve decided to learn from me, let’s set a few rules first.”
He raised a finger: “First, whatever I say, you do. No bargaining, no slacking off or cheating.”
The second finger: “Second, no crying during training, no shouting in Pain, and no giving up halfway. The path of a Ninja is not easy to walk; those who can’t endure the hardship can leave right now.”
The third finger: “Third, no matter what happens, do not betray your comrades. This is the bottom line. Whoever dares to touch it, I will cripple him with my own hands.”
His gaze swept across the faces of the four people, carrying a sharp aura.
“Do you have any questions about these three rules?”
“No!” Yahiko answered first, his voice loud and clear.
Konan and Nagato also shook their heads.
Luna looked at Jiraiya, thinking silently in her heart that the third rule was probably something he learned from some painful lesson.
He ultimately died at the hands of Pain, and to some extent, he was killed by his former “student”.
She withdrew her thoughts and also nodded: “No problem.”
“Good.” Jiraiya nodded with satisfaction, “Then let’s start our first lesson today.”
He walked to the edge of the pool and pointed at the water surface: “First, I want to see your Chakra control ability. Each of you take turns walking onto the water surface, and walk as far as you can.”
“Water Walking?” Yahiko was a bit surprised, “Uhm… we don’t know how to do that yet.”
“That’s why I’m going to teach you.” Jiraiya squatted down and pressed his palm against the water surface, “Watch closely.”
A stream of Chakra gushed from the soles of his feet, causing ripples on the water surface.
Then he stood up, and his whole body stood steadily on the water surface without sinking at all.
“Chakra is the foundation of a Ninja.” He said while walking a few steps on the water surface, “Controlling Chakra is controlling your own power. Water Walking is the most basic training, and also the best method to test your Chakra control ability.”
He walked back to the shore and looked at the four children: “Who goes first?”
Yahiko stood up first: “Me!”
He walked to the edge of the pool, took a deep breath, concentrated Chakra on the soles of his feet, and then took his first step.
The moment his foot touched the water surface, it sank down, and his entire body fell into the water with a splash.
Yahiko popped his head out of the water, wiped the water off his face, looking a bit disheveled: “… Again!”
He climbed ashore and tried again.
“The output of Chakra must be stable, not fluctuating. Your problem is that you are too impatient and want to achieve success all at once.”
Yahiko climbed ashore, shook the water from his hair, and gritted his teeth to continue trying.
Konan was the second.
She was much steadier than Yahiko.
On her first attempt, she stood on the water surface for about five seconds.
Although she eventually sank, it was obviously better than Yahiko.
“Not bad.” Jiraiya nodded, “Your control ability is stronger than his.”
Nagato was the third.
He walked to the edge of the pool, stood silently for a moment, and then took his first step.
His feet stepped steadily on the water surface without sinking.
Second step, third step, fourth step, he walked all the way to the center of the pool before sinking into the water due to the exhaustion of his Chakra.
Jiraiya’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Your Chakra volume… is huge.” He said, a hint of imperceptible solemnity in his tone.
Nagato crawled out of the water, lowered his head, and didn’t speak.
Finally it was Luna’s turn.
She walked to the edge of the pool, feeling a bit nervous inside.
She knew she had the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, and her Chakra volume should not be small, but she wasn’t sure about her control ability.
She concentrated Chakra on the soles of her feet, feeling that power flow within her body.
Then, she took her first step.
Ripples formed on the water surface, but her foot didn’t sink.
Second step, third step, she walked steadily on the water surface, feeling it was a bit easier than imagined.
When she walked to the center of the pool, she felt the consumption of Chakra start to accelerate.
She gritted her teeth and continued to walk forward, taking a few more steps before finally falling into the water due to insufficient Chakra.
She popped her head out of the water and saw Jiraiya standing on the shore looking at her, his gaze carrying a thoughtful expression.
“You are too…” He muttered to himself, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.
Luna crawled ashore, shook the water from her hair, and pretended not to hear his words.
Jiraiya fell silent for a moment, then clapped his hands, attracting everyone’s attention.
“That’s it for today.” He said, “Your foundations are better than I expected, but you still have a long way to go. Starting tomorrow, you must practice Water Walking every morning until you can walk across the entire pool in front of me.”
“Now, go pick up firewood and prepare to make a fire to cook. I’m hungry.”
Yahiko immediately jumped up: “All right!”
The four children scattered and searched for dry firewood around the valley.
Luna walked to the edge of the rock wall, bent down to pick up a few dead branches, but her mind was thinking about other things.
Jiraiya’s attitude showed that he had already confirmed something.
Nagato’s Rinnegan, her Chakra volume, all of these had been exposed.
She straightened up and looked at Jiraiya’s back in the distance.
That white-haired man was standing by the pool, staring blankly at the water surface.