Primitive Man

As they chatted, Yuzuru and Shinnosuke Kohinata gradually developed a sense of mutual appreciation, feeling they had met too late.

They were both low-ranking, struggling ninja, and their situations and mindsets had many similarities.

After the two had been talking for a while, their third teammate jogged over. Before he even arrived, his voice, tinged with regret, could be heard:

"I made a mistake. You two actually arrived before me. I've been too complacent."

"..."

Yuzuru's eyes widened. The newcomer was incredibly distinctive. Regardless of his appearance, his all-green outfit alone made him impossible to ignore.

Could it be Might Duy? Why is he on the front lines?

Yuzuru grew more and more bewildered. What was going on with this squad?

Might Duy, the "eternal Genin." Doesn't he usually only take on low-risk, basic tasks within Konohagakure, the kind commonly known as odd jobs...?

Might Duy was only in his early twenties now, without even a hint of a beard on his face; he was truly in the prime of his youth.

His Taijutsu was, of course, strong, but in the eyes of Konoha's leadership, he was useless.

No, wait. Yuzuru thought about his own situation. He himself was sent to the battlefield when he was so weak, so it's probably quite normal for Might Duy to be on the battlefield too.

"You two, it seems the cold rain of the Land of Rain hasn't extinguished the flames of youth within you... I am Might Duy of Squad 11. Please take care of me from now on."

"Hello, Senior Might Duy. I'm Genin Shinnosuke Kohinata, and this is Chunin Yuzuru," Shinnosuke Kohinata said, seemingly matching Might Duy's energy.

Yuzuru, meanwhile, was speculating about how far Might Duy had trained the Eight Gates at his age. Opening the Eight Gates? Unlikely. What about the Seven Gates? That seems pretty difficult too.

In reality, Might Duy had voluntarily applied to come to the front lines. His reasons for wanting to participate in the war were very practical. He did have the noble idea of protecting Konoha, and the simple thought of protecting his family was also there... But the main reason was that the mission pay he received for his usual tasks in Konoha wasn't enough.

His son, Might Guy, had already been born, and raising him would require more money.

After a simple round of introductions, Shinnosuke Kohinata asked Might Duy, "Senior Duy, let's get to know each other a bit. What are you good at?"

"Me? What am I good at? If I had to say, it would be Taijutsu," Might Duy replied with his signature smile, then gave his two teammates a thumbs-up.

So, all three ninja in this squad are Taijutsu specialists? What kind of primitive tribe is this? So far, Yuzuru has the most varied attack methods.

Even though their captain hadn't shown up yet, Yuzuru inexplicably had a bad feeling.

"Wait a minute, aren't we supposed to be on a reconnaissance mission? Senior Shinnosuke, don't you have any reconnaissance or sensory abilities?"

"Just call me Shinnosuke. I'm not a reconnaissance type, let alone a sensory type ninja."

"It looks like we'll have to rely on the captain."

But after a while, when the captain finally appeared, Yuzuru's premonition came true.

The good news was that the captain had reconnaissance abilities. The bad news was that the captain was a close-range sensory type, and his sensory method was quite peculiar... He didn't rely on sight or conventional sensing; he relied on his sense of smell.

This captain hadn't come alone. He had brought a dog with him – or rather, the professional term was "Ninja Dog."

The captain was a ninja from the Inuzuka Clan. Setting aside how the Ninja Dog's sensory abilities compared to a ninja's, the Inuzuka Clan's fighting style, if not common knowledge, was at least consistent.

This meant that with the addition of this captain, all four members of the squad were Taijutsu specialists... It truly was a gathering of primitives, and the team was far from balanced.

"Is everyone here? I am the captain of this squad, Kiba Inuzuka, a Chunin. Everyone, please introduce yourselves."

Kiba Inuzuka approached the three of them. At the same time, the Ninja Dog began sniffing around everyone, seemingly trying to memorize their scents.

The three of them, Yuzuru, Shinnosuke, and Might Duy, reintroduced themselves. The captain's age appeared to be similar to Might Duy's, and he seemed relatively reliable.

"Alright, you should all be aware of our upcoming mission, as the squad was formed specifically for it."

"There's one thing I need to clarify: the sensory core of this team is my Ninja Dog, Kurotsume. This means that without Kurotsume, our mission cannot proceed. Therefore, protecting the Ninja Dog during the mission is the most important prerequisite. I hope you all understand this."

Kurotsume was actually a large yellow dog, quite enormous, looking like it could be ridden.

The Inuzuka captain's explanation was a bit abstract, with a tone that suggested humans were inferior to dogs. His speech was somewhat fanatical.

"Captain, please rest assured. The Ninja Dog is also our comrade. We will absolutely protect it!" Yuzuru and Shinnosuke Kohinata had no room to express their opinions, as Might Duy had already agreed to everything.

"You really don't have the Byakugan?" Yuzuru quietly asked Shinnosuke Kohinata.

"Of course not."

"Alright, then we really can only count on the Ninja Dog."

The captain's request sounded absurd at first, but his words were actually logical. The sensory abilities of the four of them couldn't compare to a single dog; at least the dog's nose was very useful.

Did this squad even have reconnaissance capabilities? Even if the Inuzuka captain were replaced by an Aburame captain, the team's composition would be significantly more reasonable.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.

What else could they do? Regardless, the mission had to be carried out.

Gales and flying sand blanketed most of the Land of Wind. Somewhere within the endless expanse of sand lay Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

At this moment, all the important figures within the village were gathered in a conference room.

A high-level meeting was underway.

The Land of Wind was a nation with a congenital disadvantage. Beset by a harsh environment and a poor economy, Sunagakure had always suffered from funding issues... Back when the First Hokage was distributing the Tailed Beasts, the First Kazekage, Rettō, even had to forgo a Tailed Beast and instead demand economic compensation from other countries.

Precisely because of its weak economic foundation, Sunagakure's strength had always been weaker compared to the other four Great Ninja Villages.

But that was before; things were different now. The current Sunagakure was at its strongest... Just before the Shinobi World War broke out, Sunagakure had just changed its Kazekage.

The Second Kazekage, Shamon, abdicated, and the Third Kazekage took the reins. The latter was the strongest Kazekage, possessing Magnet Release.

For skilled individuals, there were the commander-type talents, Chiyo and Ebizō. Moreover, strictly speaking, Sunagakure also had a perfect Jinchuriki.

When all was considered, Sunagakure held many cards. In comparison, what about Konoha?

The only truly renowned and established strong individuals in Konoha seemed to be the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface at this stage.