Daigan was a little embarrassed to have his new team leader catch him in the middle of bullying someone.
Fortunately, they were all ninja. A little recklessness outside of missions was no big deal. The pressure on ninja was immense, especially for those from Sunagakure, whose circumstances were far from ideal. It was perfectly fine to have a little hobby to relieve stress. Temari enjoyed looking at plants, though it was a shame the Land of Wind was so monotonous—nothing but desert and the occasional oasis. Kankuro liked to collect puppets, not purely for combat, but because he genuinely loved all kinds of dolls.
Others had their own quirks. Nara Shikamaru liked to play shogi, Akimichi Choji was a glutton, Hyuga Hinata enjoyed pressing flowers, Might Guy loved baseball, Hatake Kakashi was a fan of *Icha Icha Paradise*, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had a soft spot for beautiful women…
The point was, outside of all the killing, one needed something to balance out life. Daigan had a bit of a temper, so teaching two young girls how to respect their teammate was hardly a major incident.
Otokaze slowly approached and checked on the unconscious Chi and Yome.
"It's fine. I knew what I was doing," Daigan explained, feeling a little guilty.
Otokaze sighed. "They won't be waking up for a while… Might as well. A sandstorm is circling nearby. We can rest for a bit. It's not too late to set out after they wake up."
The swirling dust, which had just started to die down, began to kick up again. With the wind and sand raging, rushing back to the village would be pointless. This was one of the worst things about the Land of Wind—the sudden changes in weather had a huge impact on people's lives.
Otokaze used an Earth Release jutsu to carve out a shelter between the rock walls. He and Daigan carried the sleeping Chi and Yome inside, then sealed the entrance.
The howling of the approaching sandstorm finally subsided a little. The two of them started a fire in the dim cave, sitting around it to replenish their food and water.
"Hey, Daigan," Otokaze said suddenly, breaking the silence after he'd eaten and was resting with his eyes closed. "Do you want stronger teammates?"
Daigan, who was stuffing dried rations into his mouth, paused. "Can you just swap teammates whenever you want? Captain, you must have some serious connections."
"Normally, no. But you're worth making an exception for." Seeing that this concerned Daigan's future, Otokaze chose his words carefully before speaking in a serious tone. "A Jonin leader has some special privileges. With a bit of maneuvering, it's not impossible."
"Listening to you, Captain, it sounds like this isn't the first or second time something like this has happened, huh?"
"Of course," Otokaze replied as if it were obvious. "If someone has talent that deserves special treatment, the village won't be so rigid." He seemed to recall something and let out a soft sigh. "You Genin might not be aware, but the village is not in a good state. The workload for Chunin and Jonin is far greater than it was before the Third Great Ninja War. If we see a promising junior, it's in our best interest to help them grow quickly."
"Is it because there are too few high-ranking ninja?"
"Yes."
While the overall combat strength of each hidden village wasn't a state secret, it wasn't common knowledge either. Discussing such matters privately was forbidden unless absolutely necessary. Otokaze hesitated for a moment before confirming Daigan's suspicion.
"Do you know what Sunagakure's greatest loss was during the Third Great Ninja War?"
Daigan shook his head. He was born just as the war was ending. As an ordinary Genin of Sunagakure, how would he have access to any real secrets? The classified information he hadn't known before being transported to this world was just as inaccessible to him now.
Otokaze poked the fire, making the dim flames burn brighter. The flickering light danced across their faces, casting an oddly eerie feel.
"During the Third Great Ninja War, we were defeated by Konoha, but that was because we were outmatched. There's no one to blame. Aside from a few personal vendettas, like family members being assassinated, the feud between Sunagakure and Konoha wasn't that deep."
Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had been killed by Konoha's White Fang—Hatake Sakumo. A grudge like that could never be forgotten. But the weakened Sunagakure needed an alliance with Konoha to gain support against the relentless pressure from their mortal enemy, Iwagakure. The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire had a shared need to defend against the Land of Earth, making the conflict between their villages manageable. Their relationship with Iwagakure, however, was essentially a fight to the death. Dozens of northern settlements lost by the Land of Wind over the past few decades had yet to be fully recovered. For a country with such a harsh environment, every habitable piece of land was precious; losing even one was unacceptable.
Unfortunately, with their limited strength, reclaiming the lost territory was a near-hopeless dream. They could only establish a defensive line at strategic points in the north to resist Iwagakure's encroachment.
"A decade or so ago, though we were defeated, our strength was still intact. With time to recover, we could have returned to our former glory. But…" Otokaze's face twisted with deep-seated resentment. "It was the Daimyo, the ruler of the Land of Wind. That weak-willed fool, completely deluded by the lie of so-called peace and tranquility, actually took the initiative to sign a truce with the Land of Fire. The terms that required Sunagakure to downsize its ninja forces and voluntarily cede nearly thirty percent of its mission contracts to Konoha—those are the shackles that have brought us to this desperate state."
To put it simply, Sunagakure lost half the war at Kikyo Mountain Castle, and the other half was given away by the naive Daimyo of the Land of Wind. The Land of Fire and Konoha happily accepted the gift that fell from the sky and recovered within a few years. Peace did come, for a time, but for a struggling Sunagakure, it was a path that led to the brink of ruin.
*So, even without Orochimaru luring Sunagakure into the Konoha Crush, the village leadership, pushed to its absolute limit, would have eventually turned on Konoha anyway. A desperate gamble for a sliver of hope.*
Sensing the indignation in Otokaze's voice, Daigan felt a surge of emotion. Konoha's boundless greed toward its ally was disgusting, but the foolishness of the Land of Wind's Daimyo was even more despairing. If Sunagakure didn't fight back from the brink now, it would gradually lose even the strength to resist. The so-called "one of the five great ninja villages" would become nothing more than a vassal of Konoha, a laughingstock to the entire ninja world.
As the mood grew heavy, Otokaze reined in his emotions. "What do you think, Daigan? I used to be just an ordinary ninja myself. I was fortunate enough to be recognized by Baki-senpai, which gave me the chance to become a Jonin."
Daigan looked at Otokaze's expectant face. "I want to know, what happened to the other two members after you left your old team?"
Otokaze's expression stiffened. He forced a bitter smile. "They… died in battle long ago."
"I see," Daigan murmured. "Captain, for telling me so much today, I'm deeply grateful."
Daigan's calm reaction was not what Otokaze had expected.
"Can you tell me, Captain, what is it about me that you see?"
"Your former team leader, Iron Sand-senpai, is no stranger to me." Sunagakure was only so big, and Jonin were few. They all knew each other to some extent. "Ever since I heard you were assigned to my squad, Iron Sand-senpai told me I'd lucked out."
"Is that so? I'm flattered by his high opinion." Although Daigan's relationship with his former Jonin leader hadn't been bad, and he had received some guidance, he was still surprised that the bald man held him in such high regard.
"To be honest, I also want to know what qualities you have that Iron Sand-senpai praised so highly."
"And now, Captain, have you found them?"