The ground collapsed, destroying some of the traps and burying all the bandits. Even if they weren't crushed, they would suffocate soon enough. The flowing sand shifted, altering the nearby terrain until no trace remained that a sizable bandit group had ever been stationed there.
The power of Daigan's Earth Release: Sand Dance was far inferior to Gaara's Sand Waterfall Flow and Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral. It was decent at disabling traps, but otherwise, it was mostly for show. However, against a band of bandits dazed by genjutsu, it was more than enough.
Aside from Otokaze, none of them had ever experienced a B- or A-rank mission. For a C-rank mission against non-ninja bandits, it was even less difficult than hunting a giant desert scorpion.
***
After cleaning the site, Team Otokaze lingered for a while. Only after confirming that no stragglers came to investigate did the four of them, covered in dust, return to the border town. After a brief rest, they began their journey home.
As for that dilapidated town, so insignificant it didn't even have a name and could be abandoned at any time, the Suna ninja had no intention of disturbing its residents again.
Why not completely eliminate the bandits' accomplices lurking in the town? Besides the reason of not killing indiscriminately, there was another, less spoken one.
Ninja were mercenaries born from conflict. If the ninja world were at peace, there would be no place for them. Although the five great nations had been at peace for over a decade, the wars between many smaller nations had hardly ever stopped. Close by, the intermittent war between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth continued to this day. And in the Land of Rain, the major hidden villages all propped up proxies, vying for control of the strategically important, perennially rainy nation. Proxy wars had continued right up until Hanzo's time, with rebellions constantly flaring up, though things had quieted down in the last two years.
The barren Land of Wind had few missions to begin with. Areas like the loosely governed borderlands generated a significant portion of Sunagakure's income through a constant stream of assassination and protection requests. In fact, Sunagakure didn't really mind the lucrative requests related to various bandit groups, bounty hunters hiding in the shadows, and exiled rogue ninja. These elements were hard to eradicate anyway; even if they put in a massive effort to wipe them out, they would just resurface before long.
The ninja of Sunagakure were not otherworldly immortals; naturally, they wouldn't undertake thankless tasks. Ninja often did not represent justice. This was a reality that the struggling Suna ninja, in particular, had to accept.
Survive, and then strive to live better. It had nothing to do with good or evil, only with one's own side.
"Hey, Daigan… do ninja constantly call themselves tools for completing missions just to feel better about it?"
The direction of Sunagakure was just ahead. There was no need to rush back, so they had time to rest. Yome, who had been pensive throughout the journey, couldn't help but ask the outwardly unconcerned Daigan. It was a convincing excuse: as a tool, a weapon, one need not feel guilt for hands stained with blood. The responsibility could be shifted to the client.
"You can think of it that way if you want." Daigan smiled and reached out to ruffle Yome's fluffy twin-tails. It felt nice. He hadn't done that in a while; he kind of missed it. "Tools, comrades, protection, will, legacy… that all falls into the realm of one's ninja way. To walk the path of a ninja without wavering, you'll have to choose one for yourself sooner or later. Many ninja go their whole lives without figuring it out. So if you ask me, I don't know either."
The three genin rested in a sheltered corner. There were signs of a sandstorm brewing, and Otokaze had gone ahead to scout. A sandstorm could be quite dangerous for genin.
"Don't mess up my hair. The sand and wind have already made it a mess, and it's really annoying." Yome swatted away Daigan's rude hand and hid behind Chi, glaring at him.
"Alright, stop bullying your teammate. You might need to ask Yome for a favor one day, and then it'll be too late," Chi said, comforting Yome while also telling the restless Daigan to behave. "So… Daigan, what is your ninja way?"
"My ninja way?" Daigan laughed heartily. "Talking about ninja ways is too far off. But I do have a goal right now, and that's to make Temari feel my passionate love…"
"Well…" Chi smiled wryly. "Temari likes handsome, clean-cut guys. Someone like you… probably won't cut it."
It would be a miracle for anyone to grow up looking like a pretty boy after years of being battered by the wind and sun in a sandy land.
"By that logic, there aren't many guys in Sunagakure who would meet her criteria!" Looks and charisma depended on natural gifts, but nurturing them was also essential.
"I'm not going to try to talk you out of it anymore. It's not like a fool like you would listen anyway." Chi glanced at the dust outside; the wind seemed to have died down a little. "You keep saying you're going to participate in this year's Chunin Exam. Is it for Temari?" After all, a man who couldn't even beat a woman was pretty lame. "Are you planning to put on a good show at the exam to win her favor? With your skills, that seems a bit difficult."
"I have my own plans for that," Daigan said proudly. "The Chunin Exam will inevitably start with team battles and end with individual matches. The content may vary, but the format is largely the same. All you two need to do is cooperate with me to get through the team portion. After that, you can do as you please. It won't matter if you drop out then."
Though his self-training hadn't gone smoothly, he had transmigrated years ago and had cobbled together something decent. With the advantage of having full knowledge of the Chunin Exam, he would never be satisfied if he didn't at least try.
"You're that confident? It seems your strength isn't as simple as it appears." Chi looked at Daigan's confident eyes and said meaningfully, "In that case, shouldn't you let us see it? Give your teammates a little confidence?"
As she spoke, Chi produced a folding fan. Yome, in sync, drew a kunai, looking at Daigan provocatively.
"Oh? Looks like you two planned this. Want to test your teammate's strength, do you?" Daigan's smile vanished. "If I can't earn your respect today, you'll never take my words seriously again, will you?"
"Big talk requires strength to back it up. Otherwise, making two girls lose face along with you is a pretty classless thing to do." As she spoke, the fan in Chi's hand danced lightly. The swirling sand before Daigan's eyes instantly vanished, and the surrounding scenery faded into a colorless sketch. The sky and earth in his vision spun and collapsed, pressing down on him.
"Genjutsu? Interesting. But your casting motion was too obvious…" As he spoke, Daigan's hands reached into the empty space before him and abruptly caught a whip-like kick. He yanked hard, then threw his opponent over his shoulder. "Too little power, too slow a reaction, a reckless attack with no plan for a counter. Your taijutsu needs work. You're too inexperienced."
Looking toward an empty spot, Daigan formed a hand seal. "Release!"
The distorted scenery rapidly receded, returning to normal. Not far away, Chi, whom Daigan had thrown, was crouched on the ground. A dark handprint on her right calf showed the force of his grip. Yome was covering Chi's flank. The petite girl had put in considerable effort to catch the flying Chi and prevent her from getting hurt.
***
Daigan brought the hand that had gripped Chi's calf to his nose and sniffed, then rubbed his thumb and index finger together. The skin was smooth and warm. "Nice texture. It seems you're developing quite healthily. I just wonder if your skills are as excellent as your physique."
"Don't sniff it, you bastard!"
Furious, Chi and Yome threw a volley of shuriken, cutting off Daigan's retreat.
"So irritable at such a young age. Be careful, or you'll go bald early!" Daigan stomped his foot forward, and a wall of sand shot up from the ground, deflecting all the incoming projectiles.