Daimaru took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the hand that had just clasped Sen's leg, his expression turning playful as he rubbed his index finger and thumb together, savouring the smooth warmth.
"It feels incredible to the touch, like satin spar," he said with a smirk, playfully sucking on his fingers. "You seem to be developing quite healthily, but I can't help but wonder if your strength truly matches that impressive physique of yours."
Daimaru stamped his feet forward, causing a wall of sand to rise up from the ground, effortlessly extinguishing all the incoming hidden weapons.
Sen glared at him, her voice sharp. "With that kind of behaviour, you'll just end up a perverted old man with no chance at Temari!"
Daimaru didn't flinch at her words; instead, he kept his focus steady and unwavering, determined to prove himself. Ignoring her vicious cursing, he turned his attention back to the task at hand, his diligence unshaken by her frenzy.
Yome, panting under the relentless pressure of Daimaru's pursuit, felt a spark of defiance. "You clearly didn't dispel my illusion just now, so how can you still accurately detect the direction of my attacks?"
"Touché!" Daimaru replied, a hearty grin spreading across his face, filled with confidence. "The illusion that interferes with the five senses is impressive, but it lacks the power needed to deceive chakra!" With a flourish of his hands, he summoned a circle of sand puppets that appeared at his command, his fingers making exaggerated, almost comical movements.
"That's puppetry!" Yome exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. A chakra thread, thinner than a strand of hair and nearly invisible to the naked eye, connected Daimaru's fingers to the low-quality, faceless sand puppet. "Are you really a puppet master?"
"Not yet! I just know a little about puppetry. I don't have any real puppets to showcase, so it's not easy to demonstrate my skills!" The sand puppet was merely a temporary creation, a product of chakra eroding the land. An ordinary adult could easily smash it to pieces with their fists. Daimaru used this rudimentary puppet as a guard, manipulating it with the puppet technique to detect changes in the surrounding chakra.
Sen couldn't help but recall how Daimaru hadn't bothered to use his puppets during their previous encounter with the thieves. Now, he was revealing this newfound skill, and it left her feeling perplexed.
"What else are you hiding?" she questioned, her curiosity piqued. "If you could control puppets all along, what other secrets do you have up your sleeve?"
Daimaru's sand ninjutsu was slow to react, the lag obvious, and it was far less agile than Gaara's legendary Sand techniques. Gaara's impressive Sand Release was not only the result of his extraordinary talent but also a testament to his daily practice and dedication. Daimaru, however, lacked the luxury of time. He carried a gourd on his back filled with sand wrapped in chakra, making it easier to manipulate but weighing heavily on him. If he carried it for too long, it could affect his growth—a situation he wanted to avoid at all costs.
Though he faced two opponents, Daimaru radiated confidence. "Your strategy is solid, but will it work? I'm genuinely curious about how you'll perform." If Sen could unleash unexpected combat prowess and defeat him, it would be an exhilarating surprise. Having two capable teammates was far more advantageous than being a useless burden.
The petite Yome was the first to charge into the fray, skillfully weaving through the dull punches of the sand puppets. She deftly wielded her kunai, exploiting the exposed weaknesses of the puppets. "Not only do I have excellent eyesight, but I'm also incredibly agile!" Yome, fully committed to the fight, was proving to be stronger than Daimaru had anticipated. Although small and seemingly fragile, her size worked to her advantage, making her a challenging target to hit.
Meanwhile, Sen opened his fan, strategically concealing most of her face. This tactic prevented Daimaru from deciphering the direction of her attacks through visual cues. Taking advantage of Daimaru's focus being drawn toward Yome, she manoeuvred past the puppet formation and the barriers of Sand Ninjutsu. After narrowly evading a jab from Daimaru, she elegantly waved her fan, unleashing an illusion that expanded with the strength of the secret chakra medicine.
"Sen, you're finally acting like a true genin! Using genjutsu in close combat? That's tough to counter! If you had someone to back you up, it'd be tricky!"
"Who needs backup? Do you think I'm invisible?" Yome shouted, bursting from the puppet trap. She delivered a powerful punch to Daimaru's side, catching him off guard. Seizing the moment, Sen leapt into the air, driving her knee into Daimaru's chin and sending him flying backwards.
"Arrogant guy, taste the wrath of the beautiful girl you've bullied!"
"It hurts", he mused to himself. "But do you think you've won now?" he shouted while airborne.
Daimaru connected his index fingers, summoning several more sand puppets from the ground, surrounding the two young ninjas.
Sen sneered and executed a powerful kick. "A sand puppet like this won't save you!" Her long legs smashed through one sand puppet after another, her strength seemingly undiminished.
She struck the second, the third... until the fourth sand puppet appeared ready to collapse. Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over her.
The puppet she had just kicked didn't fall apart. A strong, powerful hand emerged from the sand, seizing Sen's leg. "When I used the sand wall to block your view just now, I used substitution jutsu and swapped places. This time, I got your left leg!" The sand fell away, revealing a gleeful Daimaru.
"Sen, be careful!" Yome warned, lowering her center of gravity and accelerating her pace, determined to rescue her captured comrade.
"When your teammates are in danger, don't rush in recklessly! Otherwise, you'll only worsen the situation! Sigh, Yome your training isn't sufficient!" Daimaru flicked his other hand, sending an almost invisible chakra thread wrapping around Yome's leg. With a gentle tug, the racing girl rolled into a ball. Daimaru effortlessly seized her ankle, hoisting her upside down.
"It's over girls! Prepare to remember the fear of being dominated by me!" He held both ninjas aloft, reminiscent of the playful spirit of his childhood.
"Daimaru Windmill Dance!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" The two female ninjas squealed as their arms spun wildly, their bodies twirling through the air.
After several minutes of spinning them around, Daimaru finally set the two exhausted girls down. Disoriented, they collapsed to the ground, drool trailing from the corners of their mouths.
"What a shame you can't handle my warm greetings! This Lord Red Sand Dust feels quite disheartened!" he chuckled, feigning disappointment.
Suddenly, he noticed a familiar figure nearby, shaking his head with a smirk.
"Seriously, Daimaru! Have you ever heard of mercy for your teammates?"
"Captain Otokaze! When did you get here?"
"Right around the time you were making comments about your teammate's figure."
"I didn't say anything that unqualified!" he protested, his cheeks burning. Even if he had, admitting it was too embarrassing. "Besides, you're not an outsider! Why didn't you step in when they challenged me?"
Otokaze shrugged, a playful glint in his eye. "I wanted to see how strong my three genin really are. And honestly? I didn't expect such a show. This was worth my time!"