The next day
Everything started as usual for Daigo: getting up after a good rest, having breakfast, and arriving at the academy. He spent his time learning from the teachers so he could go home and train again.
When classes ended, all the other kids ran out without waiting a second longer. Most wanted to play ninja or even practice with their families. Daigo was calm this time, so he took his time gathering his notes and putting them away.
He stood up and stretch a little, startled, feeling a gaze on his back. He turned to see Sasori staring at him intently.
"Huh? Sasori, is there a problem? Do you need something?" Daigo asked, curious about Sasori.
"My grandmother wants you to come with me to my house," Sasori said emotionlessly.
"Huh? Your grandma wants me to go to your house? I don't see a problem. I'll follow you," Daigo said, slinging his bag of things over his shoulder and following the quiet Sasori.
Right now, a lot was going through Daigo's head. Chiyo, one of the most important people in Sunagakure, wanted to see him. That had to be a good thing—at least, he wanted to think so.
His main mission at the academy right now was to show his talent and find ways to get stronger. Who wouldn't help a genius who could serve in the shinobi ranks?
So if Chiyo or Sasori had talked about him, it meant it was working. He hadn't been able to show much yet because he had no idea what affinity he had, let alone how to create a jutsu. He wished it were as easy as in the fanfics he'd read in his past life.
This was exactly what he was aiming for. Looking ahead, there was a fairly large house. The difference here in Suna was the zoning—divided by shinobi ranks. The more important you were, the closer you lived to the Kazekage's tower.
And Chiyo, currently one of the strongest ninjas capable of fighting Kages, deserved to be as close as possible, along with her brother Ebizo.
Sasori didn't stop and quickly entered the house compound. Daigo followed, then opened the door and went in.
"Grandma, I brought Daigo like you asked," Sasori said, looking at Chiyo, who was sitting with Ebizo, drinking tea.
"Oh, thank you so much, Sasori, for bringing Daigo. Nice to meet you—I'm Chiyo, and this is my brother Ebizo."
"It's a pleasure that Sasori brought a friend home. He's always in the puppet workshop. Nice to meet you, Daigo," Ebizo said, looking at Daigo.
"The pleasure is mine, Chiyo-sama and Ebizo-sama. To be in front of two of Sunagakure's strongest shinobi—what can I help you with?" Daigo said, bowing his head to show respect to both, though they were much younger than when he'd seen them in the anime.
"Oh, you know who we are? It seems this generation has brought some promising ones. Daigo, my grandson Sasori told me you can already create chakra threads—is that true?" Chiyo asked curiously.
Daigo, with his hand on his head, could only sigh. "Well, Chiyo-sama, I'd love to create them like you, but I can only make one, and it's this small," he said, showing it to Chiyo.
"That's not bad at all for the advice Sasori gave you—which wasn't really anything. Are you interested in learning to control puppets? Sasori is very good; he could help you," Chiyo asked.
Daigo bowed his head again to speak. "Chiyo-sama, I love your offer, but I feel like puppets wouldn't be my style. Though they're very strong, I prefer hand-to-hand combat and ninjutsu."
"Huh? Hand-to-hand and ninjutsu? Do you know any jutsu?" Ebizo asked.
"Not yet, but I was going to talk to Dad so he can teach me my chakra nature and I can start training it," Daigo said.
"You seem eager to get strong, Daigo. What's your goal for the future?" Chiyo asked.
"I want to become the Fourth Kazekage and lead Suna to be the best village in the ninja world," Daigo said without any hesitation in his words.
Those words left everyone surprised—even Sasori, who was at his side fixing a puppet.
"Those are strong words, Daigo. I hope you achieve it. I'd love for you to help Sasori and be his first friend. Do you think you can do that?" Chiyo asked Daigo.
"Grandma, I already told you I don't need friends," Sasori said from his side.
"Huh? Sasori and I are already friends, Chiyo-sama. Don't worry—when I'm stronger, I'd love to train with him and have him use his puppets against me," Daigo said.
"Hahaha, that would be fun, don't you think, Sasori?" Ebizo said, looking at Sasori, who ignored everything and stayed in his own world.
"Thank you so much, Daigo. You said you wanted to know your nature, right? Here, I have some chakra paper. Would you like to find out now?" Chiyo asked, standing up and grabbing a piece of chakra paper.
"It would be a pleasure to know my chakra nature, Chiyo-sama."
"You can stop calling me Chiyo-sama. Just Chiyo is fine, Daigo," Chiyo said.
"As you wish, Grandma Chiyo," Daigo said with a smile on his face.
Chiyo just shook her head and handed the chakra paper to Daigo, then sat back down.
"You know how to use it, right?" Ebizo asked.
"I have to infuse my chakra, and it'll tell me what element I am, right?" Daigo said.
"That's right. If the paper burns, it's fire. If it gets wet, water. If it cuts in half, wind. If it wrinkles, lightning. And finally, if it turns to dust, earth. Normally, ninjas from Suna have wind affinity—that's why the country is called the Land of Wind," Chiyo explained.
"I understand, Grandma Chiyo. I'm going to infuse my chakra."
Daigo infused chakra.
The paper didn't wrinkle.
It didn't turn wet
It didn't burn
It didn't turn to dust.
or cut in half
It completely disintegrated.
In an instant, as if hit by an invisible explosion, the entire paper broke apart into a fine cloud of dirt that fell at Daigo's feet, on the floor, and even splashed onto Chiyo's shoes.
Everyone was even more surprised at the paper's reaction—disappearing and leaving only dust.
"In all my years of life, I've never seen a reaction like that. And you, Ebizo?" Chiyo asked, looking at Ebizo in surprise.
"Me neither. Normally, it turns to dust gently. I think this could mean a very strong earth nature," Ebizo said, hand on his chin, thinking.
"That's good, right? Controlling earth here in the sand has to be super strong, right?" Daigo asked the two adults.
"Yes and no, Daigo. The earth element in Suna is very minimal because the sand greatly hinders controlling earth. Even if it works, you'll use a much larger amount of chakra than you normally would," Chiyo explained.
"I understand. But couldn't I control sand like the Kazekage?" Daigo asked curiously.
"If it were that simple, most Suna ninjas would be using that power. Not everyone can control sand like the Kazekage, Daigo," Chiyo said, placing a hand on Daigo's head.
"I understand. Though it wouldn't matter much to me—I'll train hard enough that it won't be a hindrance, Grandma Chiyo," Daigo said with his characteristic smile.
"I hope to see that effort, Daigo. I think you should head home now. Tomorrow, I'll give Sasori instructions on how to start training earth affinity so you can begin," Chiyo said.
"Thank you so much! See you later, Grandma Chiyo, Ebizo-sama, and Sasori," Daigo said, leaving the house and leaving the family alone.
"Do you think it's okay to help him like we're doing?" Ebizo asked.
"Ebizo, we need to create a new generation that will lead Suna into a new era. You know better than I how things are right now. Sasori is a genius of Suna, but imagine having five like Konoha does. Every war would change things for the village," Chiyo said.
"I understand. Well, I'm going—I have to get home, or my wife will fight me. Goodbye, Sasori," Ebizo said, heading to his own house.
Silence reigned in the house, where both inhabitants preferred quiet. They continued with their things until Sasori broke it.
"Do you think Daigo will be a genius like everyone says I am?" Sasori asked.
"I don't know yet, but there's something different about that boy, Sasori. I'm glad you've met him. Spend more time with him if you're curious—I don't think he'd mind," Chiyo said.
And so the day passed. Daigo couldn't sleep because of everything that had happened. He'd discovered his affinity, and it was earth. He'd hoped for wind or fire since it was the Land of Wind, but earth?
He didn't know much about that element. The few users he'd seen were from the Rock Village, who used earth jutsu and were quite powerful, but it wasn't explored enough.
And also, the reaction of his chakra to the paper was super different. Could it have something to do with his transmigration? Maybe he got some help or benefit. Well, he'd need it, since using the earth element in sand would require spending chakra in a way he wasn't used to.
When he realized it was time for the academy, he didn't take long to get there. He noticed Sasori waiting for him. As he approached, he saw the scroll in his hand.
"This is from my grandma," Sasori said, handing him the scroll.
"Thank you so much, Sasori. Tell her I'll train hard," Daigo said.
At that, Sasori just nodded and returned to his seat.
The day continued as usual: classes, sparring matches where he won, then more conditioning, knowledge, and theory classes.
When it ended, Daigo shot out like a bullet to the emptiest training ground he could find. Some shinobi stared at him, seeing the only kid there, but they went back to their own business.
Daigo found a rock to sit on, stopped, and opened the scroll.
Reading it, he was left surprised at what it said.
"So Chiyo wants to test a new training method with me. Sounds interesting—if it works, I'll be able to manipulate sand," Daigo said to himself.
The scroll outlined phases Daigo should follow to learn to control his affinity.
The first step was to use a wooden box, fill it with sand, then put his hands in and try to control it. If that didn't work, he'd have to make his chakra compact the sand, hardening it and turning it into solid stone.
The goal of this training was to be able to use sand and turn it into stone that Daigo could use for his jutsu, since there's no moisture like in other biomes.
The problem with the desert is the dry, arid climate—it makes it impossible for water users to use it as comfortably as in Kiri. Wind was the strongest in the desert.
So Daigo got to work. He found a wooden box big enough to fit his hands completely and started the training.
And so his affinity training began.
End of chapter