Daisuke Takamine

 "My ninja way? Hmm... Well, this is going to sound cliché, but I'll never give up are the words I've lived by for as long as I can recall."

- Daisuke to Rock Lee and Nakuka

 is the first person to have founded and trained under them to become a Sage. After a tragic accident, he loses a single leg, rendering him incapable to continuing as a ninja despite his objection. Angered by his village's refusal to allow his continuation, he abandons them and trains to prove to them he can be just as strong as them with his handicap.

Background
Orphaned at birth, Daisuke grew up in an orphanage with soft-spoken but stern caretakers who taught him right from wrong. He proved to follow their example to a 'T', willing to share selected toys and books, but when it came to belonging he wouldn't dream of sharing, he let others know it was off limits with a sharp shove. One day, he pushed a kid a little too hard, mingling in his own chakra to the shove, inevitably breaking one of the kid's ribs. The incident was reported, and while the caretakers scolded him, they took him to see the Raikage. The caretakers explained how they believed Daisuke would be better suited as a shinobi then the civilian he would otherwise become. Daisuke was assigned to fight a kid his own age who held proper shinobi training. It lasted all of thirty seconds. The kid struck Daisuke, knocking him down, but Daisuke got up at a speed the boy could hardly keep up with. The boy blocked with Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, but Daisuke unknowingly gathered a massive chunk of chakra in his fist and punched straight through the wall and knocked the kid out cold. He broke his hand in the process, but that was to be expected. What wasn't expected was everything else. It was all a blur as the Raikage spoke, allowing Daisuke to enter the Academy to train to become a shinobi that would rightfully protect the village. Being in the midst of the Third Shinobi World War, Daisuke found the idea fascinating. He could finally help take away what frightened his orphanage siblings so much.

Upon entering the academy, both ninjutsu and genjutsu proved difficult, but with constant training, Daisuke proved himself worthy. He mostly ignored the other kids, finding the only friends he needed being in his orphanage. The only times his attention was on the others was during combat. However, there was a single kid who put in an effort to speak to Daisuke despite his annoyance. . Seiki was a prodigy who just entered the academy, thirsting for both knowledge and friendship. One day, during lunch, Daisuke humored him. He hadn't expected Seiki to tell him about a secret, almost forbidden land called Snowy Valley. Seiki said his father's life goal was to discover the place, but it was cut short as those of Konohagakure killed him; Seiki promised to find it before his father perished, but what he said next was what gave Daisuke a goal beyond protection.

"But I'm ill, so I can't go out and find it. Will you?"

- Seiki

Daisuke wasn't sure why Seiki asked him of all folks, but he wasn't about to turn down an adventure. Seiki told him everything her learned from his father, left that day with a wave, and never returned to the academy.