War broke out in the ninja world before I had even graduated. It still had not ended, and if anything, it was growing fiercer. As one of the Sannin, my teacher Jiraiya could not escape his duties, no matter how laid-back he was. The Third Hokage summoned him for a stern lecture, after which Jiraiya told me that I would be heading to the battlefield with him and many other Leaf ninja.
I said goodbye to Kushina, who would be staying behind in the Leaf, and followed Jiraiya to the battlefield in the Land of Rain. This was where the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind were fighting. At camp, I saw the other two members of the Sannin, Tsunade and Orochimaru, as well as another powerful Leaf ninja whose reputation rivaled theirs-Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of the Leaf.
At camp, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru served as commanders, analyzing intelligence and overseeing every combat operation. As a ninja who had never been on a battlefield, I was sent out with the newly arrived genin on my very first day. Unlike the ease with which I had handled missions before, my first battle took everything I had.
After we returned to camp, Jiraiya would guide my training just as he had back in the Leaf. After several months of this, he told me that my fighting style was very similar to the White Fang's, and that training under him would greatly help me grow stronger. The downside was that the White Fang's operations were often extremely dangerous. He either fought on the front lines or attacked the enemy from behind, and the slightest mistake could mean death. Jiraiya left the choice to me.
I respected Jiraiya deeply, and I knew him well. I knew