The Sannin were called the Sannin because, during the Second Shinobi World War, the young trio fought Hanzo of the Salamander of the Rain Village to a standstill at the height of his power. Hanzo praised them, and the name spread far and wide, making them famous throughout the Shinobi World. Since Hanyu had defeated the Sannin, that meant he had also defeated Hanzo, making him a Kage Level powerhouse... Well, better not mention the logic behind that.
Whatever the case, winning the battle was a good thing. It proved that Hanyu's one-shot strategy worked, though afterward, both the amount he had to learn and his training load had clearly doubled.
Hanyu didn't find the change hard to accept. The more he trained, the stronger he would become... A ninja would eventually have to go to war, and given the current state of the Shinobi World, he wouldn't have much time.
"The Hidden Leaf Village was founded seventeen years ago. By now, both those who first came to Konoha and the new generation have gradually developed a sense of what it means to be a Leaf shinobi. In every sense, that's a good thing. It means the system established by the First Hokage has succeeded. At the same time, though, it also means the village has lost the openness and inclusiveness it had when it was first founded. Once people have a sense of being Leaf shinobi, the village also becomes exclusionary and insular..."
"For an outsider like you, who suddenly entered the village, there's only one way to establish yourself and settle down here, even with my support and trust: you have to prove yourself. Hanyu, do you understand?"
There was no real need to explain all this to Hanyu, but Sanshao still hoped he would understand as much as possible.
If Hanyu had been an ordinary person, then after bringing back news of the Second Hokage, he would have been allowed to live in the village. The problem was that he had become a ninja.
That meant he would be heading to the battlefield to take part in the war.
"I understand, Sensei." Hanyu understood, of course. Even if he had been born and raised in Konoha, he wouldn't have had many options... Leaf shinobi could choose to stay behind as medical ninjas, perhaps, but the vast majority still had to go to war.
Whether in Konoha or another village, only ninjas had a say. And the way a ninja earned influence and status was through combat... This wasn't about Hanyu having great ambitions. As a ninja, if he wanted to live, he had to fight. In a way, fighting was a ninja's life.
There was no need for the apology in Sanshao's words. Hanyu wouldn't resist going to the battlefield, nor could he. But since Sanshao had brought it up, it meant he would be heading to the battlefield soon. It was a ninja's duty, and nothing could stop it.
"But, Sensei Sanshao, if possible, I'd like to make one small request... If I'm assigned to a regular squad, I'd like to be given command."
No matter how many ninjas were deployed to the front, the squad was always the basic unit of command. If he was assigned to a team led by an elite ninja, that was one thing. Otherwise, Hanyu hoped he could be the squad leader.
He would trust himself more than he would trust a stranger's orders to keep him alive... even if he was just a newcomer to the battlefield.
"I understand. I'll do my best to get that for you." After thinking it over, Sanshao agreed.
She understood what Hanyu meant. He didn't want to be added to another squad at all; he wanted to at least have control over his own actions on a tactical level.
Hanyu knew his request was a bit much. A Genin normally wasn't qualified to be a squad leader, but in this situation, he could only trust Sanshao. In Konoha, she was the only person he was willing to trust.
In a brutal Shinobi World War like this, every village stipulated that at least a Chunin had to be a squad leader. But in reality, because of battlefield losses, it was common for Genin to take command. Hanyu's problem wasn't that he was a Genin, or even his age. It was that he had no battlefield experience.
The conversation took place three months after their combat training ended. In wartime, that was long enough for many children to enter the Ninja Academy and graduate through accelerated training, so Hanyu was now confident enough to head to the battlefield.
It was now the seventeenth year of Konoha. The Third Hokage had finally finished consolidating the village, and the new Hokage administration had stabilized. And now even Sarutobi Hiruzen was heading to the battlefield, let alone a ninja like Hanyu.
Three days later, Sanshao finally helped her student achieve his wish... Women did have their sentimental side, after all. She handed Hanyu a folder. "These are your squad members' profiles, along with your destination. Time is short. The Third Hokage will reach the front in a week, and you must set out before he does... By the way, the Hokage's departure date is strictly confidential. Don't tell anyone else, including your squad members."
Normally, Sanshao shouldn't have revealed any information about the Hokage, but she told Hanyu anyway.
Hanyu silently took the folder. It was clear that Sanshao had been busy all these days, working to fulfill his "small request." He could only keep his gratitude to himself.
There wasn't much time left for Hanyu and his squad members to get to know one another. He hoped they could build up their understanding and rapport as much as possible before setting out for the front.
Along with the folder, Hanyu was given a Forehead Protector, some ninja tools and medicine, a gray front-and-back chest plate designed for frontline use, and two forearm guards.
After putting everything on, Hanyu looked like a dashing office worker. The only thing he wanted now was a peaceful life.
He took the folder back to his room, opened it, and began studying the squad members' profiles. As their leader, he needed to at least understand each member's abilities and specialties.
To present everything more clearly and concisely, he turned the written information into charts showing the three members' attributes.
"Destructive power, speed, precision, potential, endurance, range... Wait, are these really the six stats used to measure a ninja? Well, I guess that's about right. More or less." Hanyu muttered to himself.
The question he should have asked was whether a ninja's abilities should even be represented with six stats.
Then, after looking over the charts he had made, Hanyu came to this conclusion:
"They've all got weak stats."
That wasn't hard to understand. If Hanyu was the squad leader, his squad members could only be Genin.
Konoha had no reason to put a Chunin or anyone of higher rank under the command of a Genin.
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