"Teacher... we..." Yahiko scratched his head, starting to speak, but Xin raised a hand to stop him.
Waving his hand with a sigh, Xin smiled, "Don't call me 'teacher.' I never took you in as my students. Besides, I'm only three years older than you."
He continued, "Given the situation, it's impossible for us to have a teacher-student relationship. For all we know, one day the situation might change, and we could end up as enemies."
Xin was ten years old, while Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were seven. But looking at them, the gap between them seemed like more than just three years. Xin already looked like a teenager, while the three of them, due to malnutrition, were much smaller, resembling kids around five years old.
Unless someone mentioned their ages, no one would guess that the difference was only three years.
Yahiko's expression froze, the smile fading from his face. Nagato, who had been looking down, clenched his fists, his emotions clearly unstable. Konan's eyes reddened as she whispered, "But teacher, this is what we want..."
"...."
I never planned on taking any disciples... For a moment,Xin wasn't sure how to respond. Looking at Konan's tear-filled eyes, Yahiko's hopeful expression, and Nagato cautiously raising his head, Xin sighed in defeat.
"Alright, let's drop this topic. Call me whatever you want. But for the record, I'm not acknowledging you as my disciples."
Usagi Xin is still just a kid himself, he thought. There's no need to take on disciples right now. Plus, taking on disciples isn't something you just do on a whim. What if these kids end up turning against him in the future? He'd be the first target.
And who knew if the mysterious Black Zetsu was already keeping tabs on them?
Best not to get involved with Nagato's Rinnegan too much. I've already given them some help. The rest is up to their own abilities.
"Oh, by the way, you still haven't told me why you came to Rain Village," Xin reminded them.
"Since the war ended, there've been a lot of rogue ninja causing trouble, stealing, and killing. For safety, I brought Konan and Yahiko here,"
Nagato explained. "One of the village's ninja even helped us. He didn't turn us away."
Yahiko smiled brightly at the mention of the helpful ninja, though he didn't know the man's name.
Hanzō might not be the best leader, but when it came to his own people, he was fair. Unfortunately, after his return from the Land of Iron, Hanzo had more or less given up. The once-feared "Demi-God" had become a recluse, leaving Rain Country in chaos.
It wasn't until the Third Great Ninja War that things took a turn for the worse. Manipulated by Danzō, Hanzō attacked the Akatsuki, leading to Yahiko's death and ultimately sealing his own tragic fate.