Chapter 176 - 71: Akatsuki’s Transformation
Magukyo Daichi was originally the fifth leader of the "Old Wan Camp," a gang of sand bandits in the Huangfutu Desert of the Land of Wind. Of course, he wasn't born a sand bandit. Years ago, he had served as a third-class samurai under the daimyo of the Land of Crystals. In such a small nation, this rank was still quite prestigious, and his life was relatively comfortable.
But no one could have foreseen the outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War. The Land of Crystals was annihilated by Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village), the daimyo was executed, and Magukyo Daichi barely escaped with his life. From that moment on, he became a wandering ronin.
Without a lord to serve, he felt lost. Aside from his decent swordsmanship, he had no other skills to make a living. Like a dandelion carried by the wind, he drifted aimlessly until he stumbled into the Huangfutu Desert. There, he collapsed from exhaustion, only to be saved by the sand bandits of the "Old Wan Camp." Before he knew it, he had become one of them.
Thanks to his exceptional swordsmanship, he quickly gained the favor of the gang's leader and rose to the position of the fifth leader among the bandits.
For Magukyo, being a samurai and being a bandit didn't seem all that different. Both involved serving a leader—cutting people down for the boss in exchange for food, clothing, money, and women.
The "Old Wan Camp" was strategically located along a key route connecting the Land of Fire to the Yuexi Peninsula. Although there was a crystal highway, some caravans chose to take the old desert route to save on toll fees.
Thus, Magukyo Daichi spent his days guarding the desert route, robbing passing caravans. Apart from the dry climate and scorching heat, life wasn't much different from his days as a samurai.
That was, until one day, the standing forces of Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village) arrived, bringing his carefree days to an abrupt end.
He still vividly remembers the carnage of that day. Countless Sunagakure shinobi stormed their camp aboard massive "sand ships," overwhelming them with devastating force.
The shinobi didn't even bother with warnings. As soon as they disembarked, they unleashed ninjutsu, kunai, and shuriken. His comrades fell like wheat under a scythe.
Magukyo made a quick decision to flee. As one of the camp's leaders, he naturally had a group of subordinates. He led about a hundred rogue shinobi and ronin aboard five small sand boats and fled for their lives.