The taijutsu genius Hyuga Neji couldn't even open the first gate, and Hatake Kakashi could only go as far as the Front Lotus.
Did people really think these two taijutsu methods were for those with poor ninjutsu aptitude?
Nonsense.
Might Duy, Might Guy, Rock Lee, and Shira—their outstanding physical constitutions were gifts from heaven.
Many ninja strived to be jacks-of-all-trades, only to end up masters of none.
Daigan knew his own limits. It was best not to attempt to defy the heavens.
***
The idiot Daigan next door had stopped making strange noises at night for a long time now, and there was no sign of him during the day either. He must have left the village for a mission.
After a long period of anxiety, Lady Saya could finally get a good night's sleep.
Even more comforting was that the long-unresolved issue of choosing a new teammate had been smoothly settled.
Although their new teammate Shira's lack of mission experience was a little worrying, it was not a hopeless situation.
Ordinary ninja might not know, but Saya had already heard from the elders in her family that Konoha was inviting its allies to participate in a joint Chunin Exam.
The exact date hadn't been set, but it definitely wouldn't be in May.
Based on past experience, Konoha's Chunin Exams were mostly held in late June or early July. That meant, after factoring in travel time, Team Saya would have at least an extra month to rack up the required number of missions.
Saya couldn't help but be glad for her decisiveness. Instead of giving up or wasting more time finding a replacement, she had quickly started grinding low-level missions.
As long as nothing went wrong, qualifying for the Chunin Exam shouldn't be a problem.
A powerful and influential family like Saya's would never let a stranger get close to their daughters so easily.
Since Saya hadn't chosen one of the mediocre talents they had prepared for her, they certainly weren't going to ignore this Shira who had popped up out of nowhere.
In just a few days, they had investigated three generations of Shira's family. Stripping away the trivial details, her family had provided a fair assessment of her new teammate.
That report was now in Lady Saya's hands.
*His aptitude for genjutsu and ninjutsu is indeed nonexistent, but his talent for taijutsu is outstanding!*
Ninja with specialized talents in a certain area weren't common, but they weren't exceedingly rare either.
Among them, a specialization in taijutsu was relatively undervalued, especially for someone like Shira who couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu at all.
The high cost of training and low success rate were one part of the problem; the scarcity of excellent taijutsu schools was another.
Many taijutsu styles required a specific physical constitution or a Kekkai Genkai to be effective, like the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist or the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku.
If one relied purely on common, widely circulated taijutsu, the upper limit was too low. One might as well learn from the samurai of the Land of Iron, don armor and wield a longsword. But would that still be a ninja?
Shira's physical abilities were undoubtedly excellent, and he trained with extreme diligence. What was even rarer was his ability to create his own "Seven Heavens Breathing Method" without any guidance. In Daigan's view, this was even more remarkable than Might Guy and Rock Lee, who trained in the pre-existing "Eight Gates."
Talented and hardworking people were worthy of admiration, but those who also happened to find a suitable teacher to guide them were few and far between. For Shira to forge a new path on his own was truly impressive.
The "Seven Heavens Breathing Method" was still in its early stages, but its effects were already considerable. In terms of raw combat power, what Shira had shown on missions was stronger than many veteran Genin.
It was still uncertain whether the technique was a miracle suited only for Shira or a secret art that could be widely taught, but this Shira already possessed significant investment value.
Building a good relationship now could yield unexpected rewards in the future.
*I actually struck gold!*
Saya hadn't had high expectations for Shira, but now it seemed the few favors she had called in to get him a ninja registration spot wouldn't be a loss. In fact, she had come out ahead.
*That Daigan… his skills are average, but his eye for talent is quite good.*
The ability to find a pearl in a pile of rubble was not something an ordinary person possessed.
Lady Saya might have a peculiar personality, but she was no fool. The elders in her family were even more discerning; otherwise, they wouldn't hold such high positions.
*This is good. It gives me more confidence for the Chunin Exam.*
If she could successfully become a Chunin this time, she wouldn't have to deal with all those ridiculous arrangements anymore.
***
Daigan, still eating sand at the Northern Fortress, hadn't seen a single Iwagakure ninja cross the border in a long time.
The only things that came near the wall were a few guinea pigs seeking refuge from pursuing desert wolves. He had no idea how the barren desert of the Land of Wind managed to raise such plump rodents.
Over the past few days, Daigan's team had gotten to know some of the ninja who had been stationed here for a long time. Sajin was one of them.
The young man, about twenty-three or twenty-four, had only recently become a Chunin. His skills were decent. Out of boredom, he had sparred with Daigan once. Daigan held back, using only his Sand Manipulation Technique and taijutsu, and ended up losing, though not by much.
In Sajin's words, Daigan was already quite good.
Of course, the Chunin Sajin hadn't gone all out either, and it was hard to say if his praise was just a courtesy for Jonin Otokaze's sake.
Yome and Chi hadn't been idle either. Seizing every moment to improve themselves was the proper thing to do.
Daigan couldn't think of many ways to help with their training, so they had to figure it out themselves. The elusive Jonin Otokaze would also occasionally offer his subordinates some guidance.
Until one day, Daigan looked with satisfaction at the meticulously crafted puppet before him.
It was identical to him in height and build, its face carefully carved and painted while looking in a mirror.
To prevent the face from looking too stiff, Daigan had specifically modeled the jaw joint and attached a soft material treated with silk to mimic skin. He even added a layer of red dye beneath the surface.
If it was damaged, its face would appear to bleed.
To make it as realistic as possible, Daigan had put considerable effort into the puppet's materials and joints. This was something that could save his life at a critical moment.
This certainly wouldn't be the only puppet he made.
He still had some materials left over, but he had to think about what to make next.
As for his other frequently used technique, the Sand Manipulation Technique, all Daigan could do was learn from Gaara's methods—forming sand into a hard armor that covered his body for protection.
Although it consumed a bit more chakra, the key was that he could secretly use a substitution, letting the armor take the hit. It was incredibly useful for absorbing damage when an opponent unleashed a powerful move.
With his combat style starting to take shape, Daigan wanted to find someone to test it on. Unfortunately, the mission ended before he got the chance.
After returning to the village, news that Sunagakure would be sending participants to the joint Chunin Exam hosted by Konoha had already spread. An ambitious Daigan was preparing to show his skills when he was stunned by some bad news from Otokaze.