Few Interesting Youths Left

Time was ticking along, and not only were the Leaf Village's rookie ninjas starting to make a name for themselves, but it was also time for the Sand Village to review its official ninjas yearly.

The Leaf Village, with its rich heritage, churned out a large batch of qualified newcomers every year through its Ninja Academy, while the situation in the Sand Village was a bit more complicated. Technically, the Sand Village had a ninja school, too, but it hardly compared with the mature and comprehensive education system of the Leaf. Given the Sand's resources, what they had was barely a semblance of the real thing.

To Daimaru, a graduate of the Sand's Ninja Academy, it was less a school and more a cadet training camp. The post-graduation evaluation and selection were far from professional; a few decent students were picked, and the rest, the misshapen and cracked, were virtually written off.

In the Sand Village, when Jōnin led Genin teams on missions, the relationships didn't carry the same mentor-disciple significance as in the Leaf. It was all about mutual interests, akin to gang leaders picking their cronies and forming cliques for what they needed.

Under such traditions, it was nearly impossible to expect offbeat talents with highly specialized skills, those with low maturation rates, to get much attention.

Thus, Chien and Yoru's future powerhouse teammate, Murasaki, who was clueless in ninjutsu and made up his own "Seven-Day Breathing Method" for taijutsu, wasn't even a ninja yet. He would have to wait for years until Gaara ascended as the Fifth Kazekage for his chance to shine.

As for the current Daimaru, whether he could carry two support kunoichi like Murasaki would in the future depended not only on his strength but also on whether Chien and Yoru could prove as useful as they would be in a couple of years.

Missions like eradicating bandits offered an excellent opportunity to observe. It was rare for Genin teams to face ninja opponents; bandit groups occasionally included formidable rogue ninjas and down-on-their-luck samurai. The other bloodthirsty criminals were also ruthless and not to be underestimated.

With proper planning and a strategy of divide and conquer, Genin could successfully take down a bandit gang. As long as they didn't run across official ninjas from other villages, the Sand's Genin were quite formidable.

Even though they lacked staying power and had few genius ninjas, at least in their youth, apart from the murderous maniacs from the Village Hidden in the Mist, the Sand ninjas generally boasted slightly stronger individual power.

The next morning, Daimaru, Chien, and Yoru set off with Otofū to complete their mission at the border of the Wind and Grass countries.

Daimaru's previous lead Jōnin, Satetsu, was a couple of years older than Otofū and had taken good care of him over the years. As for the current lead Jōnin, Daimaru didn't plan to be overly enthusiastic before he got to know him better.

With the Chunin Exam approaching and the Leaf's downfall plot about to commence, the Sand's attack plan would surely involve elite Jōnin and Chunin; they would suffer the heaviest losses. Getting chummy with Otofū now might be futile if he ended up dead in the Leaf Village.

Conversely, the underpowered Genin might be safer, and for Daimaru, who had a heads-up on the situation, the danger wasn't too great.

Of course, being on the same team, he maintained a professional demeanor and managed to interact with Otofū, who was evidently going through the motions, in a cordial way.

After nearly half a day's rapid travel, the group took refuge in a wind-eroded rock cave on a Gobi desert to rest and replenish their food and water.

Gathered together, they chatted about old times—a rarity. As the oldest, Jōnin Otofū was a young man full of vigor, without much in common with the youthful Chien and Yoru, but found some camaraderie with Daimaru.

Naturally, the talk turned to Daimaru's audacious move—the pursuit of the Sand Village's princess by a nobody, which had become the village's joke in no time, with Daimaru as the punchline.

"Young people these days sure are lively!" remarked Otofū, unable to avoid the topic given Daimaru's recent infamy.

"Temari's mother—Karura—was also a beauty with many suitors, yet it was the outstanding Fourth Kazekage who won her in the end."

"Always talking about the past is a sign of aging, Captain Otofū!" Daimaru laughed, used to the ridicule by now. Without a thick skin, he'd be unable to cope.

Otofū, who enjoyed Daimaru's forthrightness, slapped him on the shoulder, "You... you're not bad. If only your background were better, or if your father had lived a few more years, things might have been different. It's a pity."

That was the harsh reality in Sand Village—without someone to guide and support you, it was incredibly difficult to rise.

None of the squad members came from prestigious families. Not to mention the trio of Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, the most accomplished ancestor among Daimaru, Chien, and Yoru was Daimaru's own father, who passed away too soon.

Otofū himself had risen through the ranks thanks to the recognition from an elder named Maki.

The one responsible for assigning the team members, Yura, clearly didn't value these three Genin much and was unwilling to allocate many resources to them; his role as their leader was also temporary.

Such a Genin team, if things went as usual, had a dubious future.

"Our origins aren't something we can choose, but that doesn't mean I've resigned myself to fate..."

Daimaru appreciated Otofū's candor, "There's something I want to say in advance, especially to Chien and Yoru..."

He boldly stated something that seemed out of touch with reality, "I'm definitely going to participate in the mid-year Chunin Exam."

Chien, who had been silent, was taken aback and joked, "You sure have wild dreams. Are you even qualified for Chunin right now?"

Yoru also expressed disbelief, chiming in with doubt.

"I'm not joking," Daimaru insisted calmly, "I hope you two will also aim for the Chunin Exam. Otherwise, it will be difficult for me."

"Really?" Seeing Daimaru's seriousness, Chien and Yoru felt awkward.

Otofū took another serious look at Daimaru, "I underestimated you. The Chunin Exam, huh? Seems like I, as a temporary captain, am going to be involved as well."

"It would be best if I could get the captain's recommendation."

"And if I don't recommend you, what will you do?"

"I don't know!" Daimaru thought for a moment and shook his head, "We'll see when the time comes."

"If after a few months I still can't acknowledge you, who else will you turn to?"

Otofū stood up, dusting himself off, "Let's move! I want to see your resolve, Daimaru. Ever since the Third disappeared, there haven't been many interesting young people left in the village..."