Daigan knew how strong Toki was. For him to get beaten this badly, the challenger must have been something special.
"A win's a win!" Daigan clapped his former teammate on the shoulder.
Even among Genin, the gap between veterans and rookies was considerable, and it wasn't just a matter of experience. As ninja transitioned from boyhood to manhood, their bodies developed rapidly. With each passing year, the all-around improvement in their physical condition and the increase in their chakra reserves allowed ninja in this age group to grow stronger at an astonishing rate. Until their bodies fully matured, the advantage of age could not be ignored.
Toki was in his fourth year as a Genin. Even if he ran into some exceptionally talented kid, as long as he gritted his teeth and refused to give up, he could wear any of those brats down. The seniors' wealth of experience was no joke.
Just as Toki was about to say more, Baki's voice commanded from nearby.
"Iron Sand Squad, proceed to Training Ground 5 and accept your challenge."
"What?" Toki's face froze. "Again?"
In theory, a squad that had already secured its spot could be challenged again, but this was just rotten luck.
"Dammit, it must be Tuozi's squad. They weren't good enough to win their own match, so they're picking on us now because they saw we just had a tough fight and aren't in top shape…"
"Good luck with that," Daigan sighed, watching Toki walk away.
Before long, the third victorious squad came into view.
*Huh?*
It was another familiar face. The leader was a guy named Koji who had gotten into a fight with Daigan when they were kids. Being more than a year younger, he hadn't been as strong as Daigan and had taken a sound beating. They hadn't seen much of each other since growing up, and of course, they weren't on good terms.
The second member was named Shishio. A tough-sounding name, but the person was a bit gloomy. He wore a hooded robe with sleeves so long they concealed his hands, and his back was slightly hunched, making him look rather frail. The guy was a rare barrier ninja, skilled at using formations to scout, camouflage, and even cast small-scale genjutsu—a rather versatile support ninja.
The final member was a tall kunoichi with a striking figure who specialized in Water Release and medical ninjutsu. Her combat skills were average, but she was proficient in first aid and detoxification.
This kunoichi, whom Daigan had a hard time dealing with, was named Uno. She had the air of a big sister, seemingly a bit naive but possessing considerable charisma and leadership. Uno was the de facto leader of their squad; even the arrogant Koji was under her thumb.
The Iron Sand Squad had once undertaken a joint mission with Uno's team, and the collaboration had been an incredibly frustrating experience for Daigan. Uno was the type who subtly persuaded others to follow her suggestions. What Daigan hated most was knowing he was annoyed with her but never finding a good excuse to just punch her.
"Isn't this Senior 'Red Sand Dust'?" Uno seemed to have forgotten their past friction, greeting Daigan with a smile. "As expected of such a renowned ninja, you passed the challenge so quickly."
"You guys managed to win, too? Your opponents must have been terrible." Daigan's lip twitched as he forced a smile.
"Hey, you bastard, am I invisible to you?"
"Koji? Long time no see. Your skills haven't changed much, but your temper's certainly grown."
"You want to fight?" Koji rolled up his sleeves, ready to settle things with Daigan, but Uno stopped him.
"See? Your female captain knows what's what. She knows you're no match for me!"
The trio opposite him had clearly been through a tough battle and weren't in good shape, while Daigan appeared completely unscathed, an obvious sign of an easy victory. Daigan patted the puppet perched on his shoulder and squinted at Koji, debating whether he should teach the arrogant punk another lesson.
*Hiss…*
A blade of wind sliced through the ground between them, stopping the two from escalating things. Baki's roar followed. "Anyone caught fighting privately will be disqualified from the Chunin Exams. Think it over. Don't make me say it a second time."
"Tch, you're lucky," Daigan said, turning to walk away. Beside him, Chi and Yome gave Uno an apologetic look before following after him.
Uno waved with a smile, then turned to Koji. "Whatever grudges you have, there will be plenty of chances to settle them during the Chunin Exams. Don't cause trouble now."
Uno, Koji, and Shishio's team was not one of the stronger ones among the Sunagakure candidates. They had won by using Uno's almost cheat-like medical ninjutsu to completely drain their stronger opponents' chakra. If it had been a three-on-three team battle in the field, it might not have been so grueling. Uno, Koji, and Shishio were typical Suna ninja who needed to coordinate and leverage terrain to be effective; one-on-one arena fights were not their forte.
Elsewhere, Chi asked with some confusion, "Daigan, you and that Koji guy don't get along?"
"No," Daigan said, shaking his head. "Compared to him, I dislike that Uno woman more."
"Why? I thought she seemed like a nice person!" Yome said innocently.
"Hmm… How should I put it?" The afternoon in the Land of Wind was already scorching. Daigan shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand and glanced at the sky. "I don't think perfect people exist in this world. Every act of kindness is done to gain something! With Uno, I can't find the dirty motive behind her 'nice girl' act…"
"Is that a bad thing? Maybe she's just kindhearted. Surely people like that exist."
"Maybe," Daigan nodded. "Perhaps there really are things in the ninja world done without ulterior motives. But if that's true, doesn't it just make a guy like me look even worse?"
Daigan wouldn't consider himself a good person. He had a bad temper and a host of other flaws, and his mind was no stranger to dirty thoughts. If everyone around him was a flawed person like himself, Daigan could live with it. But if there was someone different to serve as a comparison, wouldn't he come up completely short? Daigan found Uno a bit sanctimonious, and Uno probably didn't think much of him either.
"You two stay away from that foolish kunoichi in the future. Don't let her stupidity rub off on you. That woman's been blinded by the so-called ethics of a medical-nin! But she's got one thing wrong. A medical-nin is still a ninja, not a doctor."
Ninja were a profession born of conflict. All their methods were for the sake of killing more efficiently, a stark contrast to the doctor's mission to save lives.
"Got it," Yome and Chi replied, though they didn't seem to agree in their hearts.
"Alright, enough of this unpleasant talk." Daigan waved his hand dismissively. "Yome, heal Chi up first. I have something to do."
*Who knows when I'll get another chance to approach Temari this openly? I've wasted too much time exchanging pleasantries with others…*
***