Hiruko's Team

After deserting Konoha, Hiruko put together his own team and trusted its members enough to pass on his Chimera Technique. Their duty was to keep intruders away from Hiruko, patrol the boundaries of Mount Shumisen, and battle anyone who fought their way up to the gates on the climb toward the summit.

When Hiruko set out to claim Kakashi's Sharingan, each guard held a separate gate along the route. Ichi defended the first and faced Team Guy, Ni held the second against Team Kurenai, and San manned the third against Team Asuma, leaving Hiruko to greet Kakashi past the fourth. All three bore a mark on their backs echoing the one on Hiruko's hand. San later summoned the fallen Ichi and Ni and fused with them into a chimera beast, merging the animals each had controlled on his own.

Hiruko led the team as a missing-nin, with Ichi, Ni, and San serving as its three gatekeepers. After the trio's combined beast was pinned down by Team Guy, Team Kurenai, and Team Asuma, Hiruko summoned it, and the Konoha 11 destroyed it together. The three names are simply numbers, Ichi meaning one, Ni meaning two, and San meaning three, matched to the marks on their faces and the order of the gates they guarded.