"Understood. Thank you for your guidance." Yura bowed his head in acceptance.
"Also, there is a personal matter that seems to concern you, Lord Fourth. It appears Daigan is quite taken with your eldest daughter, Temari, and is pursuing her."
"Is that so?" The unshakable Rasa finally showed a hint of surprise. "Young love. Temari is at that age, after all."
"Should we intervene?"
"No, let her be."
Sunagakure was founded by a group of outcasts who had drifted into the Land of Wind's desert. Matching social status and scorning the poor for the rich had never been the mainstream way of thinking. Rasa himself had become Kazekage by chance during the war; he was not from some great or noble ninja clan.
"Only a Sand Ninja who lives to adulthood is qualified to consider the future. It's still too early for that now."
"As you wish." Yura bowed respectfully and took his leave.
Now that he understood the Fourth Kazekage's stance, he knew how to proceed. Sunagakure's casualty rate was always high, and there were many squads missing members. A slight roster adjustment could alter the life trajectories of a whole group of people. Whether they turned out to be excellent or mediocre rested on a single thought.
***
Although he hadn't received a clear answer from the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, Daigan had more or less achieved his goal. As long as he wasn't left to languish, opportunities would eventually arise.
As for potential new teammates, Daigan was somewhat hopeful but didn't get his hopes up too high. It was difficult for a new member to integrate into a team that had lost someone in action. And that was the ideal scenario. If he was placed in a team of other lone wolves, it would be even worse. Ninja who couldn't function in a team usually had problems of their own. The chances of a team of such problem children *not* having issues were slim to none.
*I wonder who my future teammates will be. If I get a couple of idiots, the Chunin Exam is going to be a real headache.*
As for a squad leader, Daigan had no expectations. The Sand Ninja had their limits. Their ultimate weapons were the Jinchuriki of the One-Tail and the Magnet Release Kekkai Genkai. An ordinary Jonin, a step below that, was unlikely to offer him much help in the short term.
Temporarily setting aside these worries, Daigan wandered through the somewhat desolate streets, finding himself at his family's doorstep before he knew it.
It was a simple two-story building. His mother, Kureha, a simple homemaker, lived on the second floor with his elderly grandfather. They made a living from the laundromat she ran on the first floor.
Given the Land of Wind's climate, sandstorms were common for most of the year. Combined with the scarce water resources, the cost of a centralized laundry service was much lower than each family doing their own. Because of this, the countless laundromats in the village supported many impoverished families.
Daigan used to live here, and he had many unforgettable memories of the place.
It was good to be back. He had no ninja missions anyway, so visiting his family was a nice change of pace.
He stepped through the worn front door into the main hall. The lighting was decent, and clothes waiting to be washed hung everywhere. A few were from civilian families, but most belonged to nearby ninja. Only those with a higher income could afford to spend money on laundry.
A figure bustled about the hall—his mother, Kureha.
Besides her, there were two other young women, one tall and one short.
"Welcome... Oh! Daigan, you're back?"
"Yeah. I had some free time, so I came to visit."
"Perfect timing. Go see your grandfather. He was just talking about you."
"Was he? He never has a nice thing to say to me when I come back."
"He's old and grumpy. Just bear with him, Daigan."
"I know..." Daigan replied perfunctorily, though their visits always ended on a sour note.
"Daigan, are you finally out of the hospital?"
"That voice... It's you, Chi. Long time no see. And Yome, too. Sorry, you're so short I almost didn't notice you!"
The taller kunoichi had brown eyes with black pupils. Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail, with braided sidelocks woven into it and left to hang naturally, covering most of her forehead protector. Like most Sunagakure kunoichi, she wore a mesh undershirt under a red, form-fitting tube dress, cinched with a purplish-blue sash. Her fingerless gloves, leg guards, and black sandals were all carefully chosen, radiating a youthful, girlish energy.
As for the shorter kunoichi, Yome, she was so petite that if it weren't for the forehead protector, no one would believe she was a ninja. Yome's hair was a shade darker than Chi's and tied into twintails. She wore a cool, childlike outfit with a light-yellow vest to shield her from the desert sun.
"Daigan, you're as mean as ever. Always picking on people."
At the mention of her height, Yome immediately pouted with displeasure.
Chi, who was more familiar with Daigan, was used to his personality. They were the same age and had become Genin in the same batch as Temari. Yome was a year younger and had only officially become a ninja last year. Of course, all the kids of similar age in the neighborhood, including Temari, had tasted Daigan's iron fists of love. He hadn't earned the title of Sunagakure's baddest bully for nothing. He didn't hit the girls often, but he had terrified them with desert lizards, scorpions, and other crawlies he'd caught.
The tall Chi teased, "Yome is still a sentimental child. She even cried when she heard you'd died in the line of duty. Making fun of her like this isn't fair to her tears!"
"Is that so? Then I'll bully you less from now on, little Yome?"
"Don't call me little! I'm a ninja now!" Yome hated being treated like a child, especially by people taller than her. If she hadn't been underestimated for her size, she would have become a ninja two years ago.
"I know, I know, little Yome..."
Ignoring Yome's frustration, Daigan turned to Chi with a smile. "Speaking of which, did you cry when you heard I was dead?"
"No!" Chi denied it flatly. "And for the record, Temari didn't cry either. She just said it was a shame—with one less idiot around, things would be a lot more boring."
"The 'idiot' part was unnecessary."
Compared to Daigan, Chi was clearly closer to Temari. The friendships between girls were sometimes inexplicable, and Daigan understood even less about the relationships between kunoichi.
"I heard yesterday that you confessed to Lady Temari and were brutally rejected. How tragic. I thought you'd be in tears, but you don't look so bad."
"Do I look that fragile?" Daigan said nonchalantly. "I wonder which bastard is spreading these rumors."
"Who knows? It looks like you're not giving up, though."
"Of course not! Sincerity can move mountains. Temari will be moved by me sooner or later!"
"Is that so? Well, I wish you success."