The reason the Sannin were called the Sannin was because during the Second Great Ninja World War, a young trio fought to a draw against Hanzo of the Rain Village, the rising "Sanshouo" (Giant Salamander), who afterward praised them highly. Their title quickly spread throughout the ninja world. Since Haseo had already defeated the Sannin, it meant he had surpassed Hanzo as well, making him a Kage-level expert... Well, that line of thinking probably isn't worth bringing up anyway.
Regardless, winning a battle is ultimately a good thing—it proved that Haseo's one-wave fighting method was effective. However, after this event, the amount of things he needed to learn and his training load clearly doubled.
Haseo didn't find this change hard to accept, because the more training he underwent, the more his strength would grow accordingly... Ultimately, ninjas are destined for the battlefield, and given the current state of the ninja world, there wouldn't be much time left for Haseo.
"The Hidden Leaf Village has stood for seventeen years now. At this point, whether it's those who came to Konoha first or the newly born generation, they have gradually developed a collective sense of being 'Konoha people.' In many ways, this is a positive sign, indicating the success of the First Hokage's system. But at the same time, it also means the village has lost its original inclusiveness and openness when it first formed. Having a concept of being a Konoha citizen means the village has become exclusionary and closed off..."
"For someone like you—an outsider joining the village—even with factors such as my support and trust included, if you want to establish yourself and gain acceptance within the village, there's only one way—proving yourself through your own actions... Haseo, do you understand?"
Actually, there wasn't much need to explain all this to Haseo, but Sansho-sensei still hoped he could try to understand.
If Haseo had merely been an ordinary person, naturally, once news of the Second Hokage's return was delivered, he'd be granted the right to live within the village. The problem, however, lay in the fact that he had become a ninja.
Therefore, he would go to the battlefield and participate in war.
"I understand, teacher." Naturally, Haseo understood this situation. Even if he had been a native Konoha ninja, his options wouldn't have been that many either... Although there might be choices like staying behind as a medical ninja, most people still ended up at the frontlines.
In both Konoha and other villages, power and influence belong to the ninja, and the way to obtain authority and status was through combat. It wasn't about ambition—it was about survival. As a ninja, you had to fight. In fact, fighting itself is the very essence of being a ninja.
There was no need for Sansho-sensei to feel so apologetic; Haseo certainly wouldn't refuse nor could he possibly avoid heading to the battlefield. Moreover, since Sansho-sensei had brought this up, it meant Haseo would be going to war soon—it was a ninja's duty, something nobody could prevent.
"But, Sansho-sensei, if possible, I'd like to make a small request… If I am assigned to a regular squad, I hope I can receive command authority," Haseo added afterward.
No matter how large the number of ninja squads on the front lines were, a team remained the foundational unit of military command. Unless assigned to a unit led by an elite superior—which was an entirely different scenario—Haseo wished to lead his own squad personally.
Dying under the orders of a stranger? Naturally, he trusted his own instincts more… even though he was just a rookie on the battlefield.
"I understand. I'll do my best to help you get that position," Sansho relented after thinking it over.
She fully understood what Haseo meant. In truth, he had no desire to join an existing team at all—his goal was simple: to retain full control over his own decisions on the battlefield.
Haseo also knew his request might sound unreasonable—normally, a Genin had no qualifications to become a squad leader. But in this case, he could only place his trust in Sansho. Within Konoha, she was also the only person he truly wanted to trust.
In reality, during such brutal times of the Great Ninja World War, while every village officially required squad leaders to be at least Chunin rank, due to heavy casualties it was common for Genin to take leadership roles. The issue wasn't that Haseo was a Genin or even his age—it was his complete lack of combat experience.
This conversation occurred three months after their combat training ended. During wartime, that span was roughly the time it took for many children to enter the Ninja Academy and graduate rapidly. So, Haseo felt ready to hit the battlefield.
The year was now Konoha Year 17. The Third Hokage had finally completed consolidation within the village, stabilizing the new administration. After that, even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had to head to the battlefield—let alone someone like Haseo.
Three days later, Sansho eventually helped her disciple realize his wish… After all, women still had a sentimental side. She handed him a file folder: "These are your squad members' profiles and your upcoming destination. Time's tight—the Third Hokage arrives at the front in a week, so you've got to move before he leaves… Oh, and the Hokage's departure time is top secret. Don't reveal it to anyone—not even your squad."
Normally, information regarding the Hokage shouldn't have been disclosed at all, yet Sansho still told Haseo.
Haseo silently accepted the file folder. It was obvious that Sansho had been busily working on his "small request" these past few days. He could only keep his gratitude hidden deep inside.
In terms of time, there wasn't much left for Haseo and his new teammates to get familiar with each other. He hoped that he and his teammates could build some tactical coordination before heading to the front.
Alongside the folder, Haseo also received a forehead protector, several ninja tools and medical supplies, a gray double-sided chest armor designed specifically for frontline use, and two forearm guards.
Once he put all those on, Haseo looked like a proper field operative—just another ninja chasing peace in a war-torn world.
He took the file back to his room, opened it up, and started going through the team members' profiles. As the squad leader, he at least needed to understand each member's abilities and specialties.
To make things clearer, he read through the files and then drew up charts summarizing each of the three members' traits.
"Destruction power, speed, precision, growth potential, endurance, range… Wait, are those really the standard stats for a ninja? Well, whatever, I guess that's how it works," Haseo muttered under his breath.
Actually, the real question was whether ninja abilities should be measured across six categories at all.
Then, after looking at the chart he had completed, Haseo reached one conclusion:
"They're all junior stat charts."
Well, there's nothing particularly hard to grasp about that. If Haseo was the squad leader, then his teammates could only be Genin.
Konoha had no reason to assign Chunin or Jounin-level ninjas under the command of a Genin.
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