Sannin

The is the title given to the members of Team Sarutobi, namely Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. The title was received after their battle with "Salamander" Hanzo of the Village Hidden in Rain, who after a long and intense fight which resulted in a stalemate, declared that he was impressed and would let them live if they would take on new titles as the Sannin of Konoha. The Sannin are widely regarded for their great skill and power, each on the level of a Kage in their own right. Their name is known in countries all across the world. Tsunade is the only surviving sannin, Jiraiya and Orochimaru (altough the latter has not yet been confirmed) having been killed by Pein and Sasuke/Itachi respectfully.

Sannin Members

 * Jiraiya the "Toad Hermit" ("Gama Sennin") "Perverted Sage" ("Ero-Sennin" Naruto's nickname for him)
 * Orochimaru the "Giant Snake"
 * Tsunade the "Legendary Sucker" ("Densetsu no Kamo", a reference to her poor gambling skills), "Princess" (due to her Hokage lineage), "That Slug Woman" (Chiyo's name for her, a reference to her ability to summon slugs).

Trivia

 * During the end of Part I each of them took in a member of Team Seven for their apprentice, training them, and in turn passing on many of their qualities on to them.
 * Jiraiya - Naruto Uzumaki
 * Tsunade - Sakura Haruno
 * Orochimaru - Sasuke Uchiha