He hadn't done anything wrong, and Toki's team had their reasons. But the fact that he was teamless was a problem only someone in charge could solve. And the biggest authority in Sunagakure was the Kazekage. It was only natural for his dear father-in-law to solve his future son-in-law's problems, right?
The Sunagakure administration building was large and spacious. Daigan had to wait a long time before he was granted an audience.
Unlike Konoha's approachable Hokage, the atmosphere in Sunagakure was far more severe.
Daigan didn't get a clear look at the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's face. Dressed in a robe, a wide-brimmed hat on his head, and a dust veil covering his face, the Fourth Kazekage looked exceptionally mysterious.
"You are Daigan? What is it you wish to see me about?"
"Lord Fourth, I've encountered a problem that only you can resolve. I apologize for the impertinence..."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"It's like this..." Daigan explained his situation seriously—how he had honorably died in the line of duty, miraculously survived, and now found himself in the awkward position of being an outcast. "Lord Fourth, I had hoped to become a Chunin soon to better serve the village, but now all that is for naught. I implore you, my lord, to give me another chance to repay the village..."
***
Daigan's posture was sufficiently humble.
He felt no reluctance in bowing deeply to his dear father-in-law, who only had a few months left to live anyway.
"I understand your request. You are dismissed. You will be notified when a decision is made."
"Thank you, Lord Fourth."
The busy Kazekage might not even remember a small fry like Daigan. If not for a faint recollection from the posthumous commendation he had approved two months ago, he would have likely forgotten the boy entirely.
After Daigan left, the decisive Rasa immediately summoned his most capable aide.
"Yura, is this the full roster of official Genin in the village?"
"Yes, my lord."
The composed and capable Jonin, Yura, was a rising star who had emerged in recent years. Known for his reliability and discretion, he was deeply trusted by Rasa and had participated in many of Sunagakure's high-level secret operations. Even the village's behind-the-scenes elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, had praised him. For such an elite ninja in a village struggling with a generational gap, his future was limitless.
"There are too many. Are you familiar with the Genin Daigan's file?"
"Yes, Lord Fourth," Yura replied formally, demonstrating his meticulous work ethic. "This Daigan is somewhat well-known among the Genin."
"Oh? Is he very strong?" Rasa's interest was slightly piqued.
Yura pulled Daigan's ninja registration card from a large stack of documents and handed it to him.
"His physical attributes are good, and he has an excellent aptitude for ninjutsu. His chakra possesses the extremely rare 'Seal-Breaking' attribute. Though it's currently weak, its potential is promising. Most remarkably, his spiritual energy is exceptionally strong, giving him an unusual aptitude for genjutsu..."
Rasa glanced at Daigan's file card. "Adequate."
"The naturally-occurring 'Seal-Breaking' chakra is especially precious. It's why he was able to stand out from the other new recruits. However..." Yura shook his head with some regret. "We have no experience in training ninja like him, so he's had to figure it out on his own. As a result, his considerable potential has gone largely untapped."
The Land of Wind was simply too barren. Sunagakure's resources were limited. If the Second Kazekage Shamon hadn't strategically developed the Sand Manipulation Technique and the Puppet Technique, Sunagakure might not even exist among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The village had almost no ninja clans with Kekkai Genkai, resulting in a severe lack of diversity among its shinobi. There were virtually no genjutsu users of note, and their skill in sealing jutsu couldn't even compare to Konoha's shadow, let alone something as rare as a "Seal-Breaking" attribute.
"A pity," Rasa sighed with regret.
"We are helpless as well. This Daigan will surely be of great use in the future, but we don't know how to use him, nor when that time will come."
He was like chicken ribs: tasteless to eat, yet a waste to throw away. A frustrating dilemma.
"His squad leader is Iron Sand. What has he taught him over the years?"
"Some rudimentary Sand Manipulation Techniques, with decent results. Additionally, according to Jonin Iron Sand's reports, Daigan seems to have developed a number of interesting little tricks on his own."
"Self-developed ninjutsu?"
Yura nodded, confirming Rasa's suspicion. "Yes. Besides the earth-style branch of Sand Manipulation, he has occasionally shown considerable wind-nature chakra. Daigan likely has a respectable mastery of Wind Release ninjutsu."
"Interesting. Is there more?"
Yura continued, "In addition to that, it's suspected he has been training in the Puppet Technique on his own."
Daigan's father was a ninja, as was his grandfather. Though not powerful, they were not nobodies. When the Second Kazekage was developing the Sand Manipulation and Puppet Techniques, he naturally conducted experiments. At the time, many ninja families were given rudimentary puppet techniques to practice and test. To this day, many surviving ninja families possessed fragments of these early, unsophisticated puppet and sand techniques. A large number of Sunagakure's unaffiliated commoner ninja relied on these, combined with their own exploration, to develop many special jutsu, which contributed in no small part to the village's overall martial arts system.
"The Puppet Technique, you say. Can you determine the type?"
"Daigan has never used Wind Release or the Puppet Technique in public. We don't know the specifics."
"What I want to know is whether he has touched upon any forbidden arts."
An unsanctioned puppeteer who, consciously or not, was studying forbidden jutsu like the Human Puppet Performance had to be stopped.
"There are no signs of that. Lord Fourth, with only the fragments passed down from decades ago, I doubt a boy like Daigan could develop a forbidden jutsu like the Human Puppet."
"Mm..." Rasa thought for a moment. "Is there anything else of note?"
"In terms of strength, that's about it. However, based on Daigan's mission history, this fellow's luck is unusually bad."
"Bad luck?"
"Yes!" A smile unconsciously touched Yura's face as he spoke. "His squad as a whole is quite skilled, but they always run into trouble in the most inexplicable ways. Any other Genin squad would have been wiped out several times over, but Daigan always manages to survive, especially that last time..."
Rasa waved his hand. "I know about that. 'Red Sand Dust,' was it? A fine name."
"His luck is astoundingly bad. What is your opinion on this, Lord Fourth? Should we consider this when assigning him to a new Genin squad?"
"No need. To constantly encounter danger and be judged as having bad luck is normal. But to possess the great fortune to survive every time... it's hard to say if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Luck is part of one's strength, but a Sand Ninja never relies on luck."