ra's al ghul uses theatricality and deception as powerful weapons.
you have not escaped his notice- a man like you is here by choice.  or because he is truly lost.
ra's al ghul and his league of shadows offer a path to those that are capable of upholding our code.
a criminal is simply a man that someone else thinks.  . should be put in jail.
this world is run by tyrants and corrupt bureaucrats. our code respects only the natural order of things- we're not bound by their hypocrisy. are you?
there is a rare flower- a blue double- bloomed poppy- that grows on the eastern slopes. tomorrow you will be released. pick one of the flowers. if you can carry it to the top of the mountain, you may find what you are looking for.
purpose.
wait.
fear has been your guide. but now you must advance or fear will keep you on your knees. we will help you conquer your fear. in exchange you will renounce the cities of man. you will live in solitude. you will be a member of the leagues of shadows. and you will be without fear.
are you ready to begin?
death does not wait for you to be ready.
death is not considerate, or fair. and make no mistake- today, death is your opponent.
tiger crane.  ju jitsu.  skilled. but this is not a dance-
facing death you learn the truth.
you are weak.
you are alone.
and you are afraid.
but not of me.
tell us, wayne.
what do you fear?
and do you still feel responsible?
advanced techniques of ninjitsu employ explosive powders.
or distractions. theatricality and deception are powerful agents.
to be a great warrior is not enough. flesh and blood, however skilled, can be destroyed.  you must be more than just a man in the minds of your opponents.
mind your surrounding. always.
your parent's death was not your fault.
it was your father's.
anger does not change the fact that your father failed to act.
would that stop you?
the training is nothing. the will to take control is everything. your father trusted his city, its logic.  he thought he understood the attacker and could simply give him what he wanted.
your father did not understand the forces of decay- cities like gotham are in their death throes- chaotic, grotesque. beyond saving.
it is not right that one must come so far to see the world as it is meant to be. purity. serenity.  solitude. these are the qualities we hold dear. but the important thing is whether you believe it.
can gotham can be saved, or is she an ailing ancestor whose time has run?
you haven't beaten me. you've sacrificed sure footing for a killing stroke.
don't rub your arms, rub your chest. your arms'll take care of themselves.
you have strength born of years of grief and anger, wayne. the strength of a man denied revenge.
why, wayne?
why could you not avenge your parents?
and when you left gotham.
what were you seeking?
perhaps you can beat my record.
two days. the test is not to see how quickly you can climb, but how slowly. the ninja is thought invisible, but invisibility is largely a matter of patience.
on your journey.  you sought knowledge of the criminal world?
you are ready.
drink in your fears. face them.
to conquer fear, you must become fear.  you must bask in the fear of other men.  and men fear most what they cannot see-
it is not enough to be a man.  you have to become an idea.  a terrible thought.  a wraith-
face your fear.
become one with the darkness.
you cannot leave any sign.
we have purged your fear. you are ready to lead these men. you are ready to become a member of the league of shadows. drink.
by blowing out this candle you renounce your mortal life. you renounce forever the cities of man. you dedicate your life to solitude.
you will need them in gotham.
you yourself are a victim of gotham's decay. that is why you came here, and that is why you must go back. you will assume the mantle of your birthright. as gotham's favored son you will be ideally placed.
to help us destroy the city.
when gotham falls, the other cities will follow in short order. nature's balance will be restored and man will finally return to solitude.
ra's al ghul has rescued you from the darkest corner of your own heart.  what he asks in return is obedience. and the courage to do what is necessary.
what are you doing?
are his methods supernatural?