Naruto Chapter 372: The Weeping Country

Summary: We learn that Jiraiya had raised and trained three orphans from Rain Village: Konan, Yahiko, Nagato. Jiraiya heard rumors that all three had since died, but with Konan revealing herself, he surmises that the others are alive as well, and that Pain is one of the other two. (Read 372 here)

SnowyOwl Says: (what is this? A timely post???)

Well, the theory that Pain and Konan being Yondy's teammates lasted all of one chapter. So many crazy reveals lately, I should just stop speculating (humph!). But the Akatsuki duo were Jiraiya's students. Probably his firsts! You can tell that he was younger when he was taking care of the Rain kids than when he was a jounin sensei from the length of the tattoo under his eyes.

Aw, Jiraiya's such a softie! I'm beginning to agree with him that he's not cut out to be Hokage; he feels just a little too much and his approach is to save one person at a time. We saw that with his lifelong pursuit of Orochimaru and now he's trying to assuage his guilt for having a part in the war by taking care of three kids. He'd never be able to get past the one-on-one relationships to look at the big picture and act on it like a Hokage would need to. He loves hard, so he falls hard too.

Those kids were so precious, which makes how they turned out all the more tragic (you were the kindest of the kids). Konan seemed much livelier as a child, I wonder if Pain brainwashed her - she seems a little stoned and without self-will now. And Yahiko was intense! I really like that kid; he's hurting really bad and he's got conviction that reminds me a lot of young!Naruto...only a bit warped because he wants peace by making everyone understand suffering first-hand. (Way to make us think he's Pain, Kishimoto!) He looks suspiciously like Juugo - I think Kishi is running out of character designs.

Finally, Nagato. It's always the quiet ones. He's snapped, the poor boy. And I bet he hides under his bangs because he's got some sort of a bloodline limit or something because Jiraiya got freaked out by it. What is it? What is it!?! I knew that kid was a bad egg when I read his name and immediately thought of Legato (said slow and with a low voice) from Trigun. Oh! I hope he didn't use Yahiko as his first body!

Random Comments:

-Check out that gi-normous fish! Dude.


-And Whaa? Where did that hostage come from? Wasn't he trapped in the frog?
-Jiraiya drenched Konan with oil after commenting on her womanliness. Perv. (heh)
-And his hair shot out like a third arm! I'm okay with him coming out of a frog, but even in the Naruto-verse, the hair-thing still seems so weird.