Jiraiya, commander of Konoha's frontline forces, Minato Namikaze, his deputy, and the jōnin leading the various units gathered at the frontline command center.
Jiraiya looked almost exactly like his anime counterpart now, a mature, middle-aged man. His thick head of white hair was especially striking.
Minato Namikaze, with his blond hair, was a bright, youthful young man. His familiar combat uniform looked incredibly sharp, and a gentle smile was always on his face.
Minato had been with the frontline forces since before the war broke out. He had already fought hundreds of battles, large and small. His exceptional strength and approachable, sunny disposition had earned him great prestige among the frontline troops.
Jiraiya had high hopes for his student, too. That was one of the reasons he had given up the Hokage Position and thrown his support behind Minato.
For some reason, Jiraiya suddenly thought of that brat who had stolen the girl he loved... Then he remembered the fifty-year contract he'd signed, and his heart ached as if pricked by needles. He rubbed his chest without realizing it.
"Sensei, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Minato asked with concern.
"I'm fine... Something just came to mind. Let's go over the assignments." Jiraiya scratched his messy hair.
"Pull five jōnin and ten Chunin from the frontline forces to form a special operations unit, led by Nagato. Their duties will be to assassinate key enemy personnel and provide flexible support on the battlefield."
"Yes!" Minato replied.
Jiraiya then assigned the other senior jōnin to lead defensive, reconnaissance, and assault units. He handled everything swiftly and decisively.
After receiving their orders, everyone left. Jiraiya had a bad feeling about something. He trusted his intuition, but for the moment, he couldn't figure out what was wrong. He felt uneasy.
The Sunagakure frontline command