"So you aren't very confident either..." Sakura covered her mouth and giggled. "You look like a reckless fool with a personality worse than Naruto's, but I didn't expect you to have a delicate side..."
" 'Fool' is unnecessary. You just obediently keep a close watch on Uchiha Sasuke. Don't let him wander blindly in front of Temari, or don't blame me for beating him up..."
"Are you sure you can really beat Sasuke? Just make sure you don't embarrass yourself in front of Temari!"
"You'll know when the time comes. My title, 'Red Sand Dust,' isn't just for show..."
The two walked side-by-side for a while as the crowd grew denser.
"Alright, little girl, the chat ends here! Unless there's an accident, your romance has almost no future! Work hard; maybe you can struggle and find a glimmer of hope..."
Team 7 had been formed for so long, yet Sakura seemed to have never actively asked Hatake Kakashi to teach her, unlike Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, who didn't let slip any opportunity to improve themselves.
As for the future, perhaps it was when her sense of crisis exploded that the usually independent Sakura would shamelessly ask Tsunade for instruction. And Tsunade actually agreed. One could only say that opportunity is something prepared for such lucky people.
"Small skill, big talk. Don't get beaten black and blue by your crush and embarrass yourself..."
Sakura walked a few steps faster, then turned back and waved. "At least last until Sasuke beats you up... I have an appointment with someone else. Goodbye, Mr. Pervert..."
With that, she jogged away in the direction of the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
"Uchiha Sasuke..." Daimaru chuckled softly and shook his head. "Perhaps there won't be another chance to fight."
Their fate was merely that brawl before the Chunin Exam. Barring accidents, it was basically impossible for them to have many entanglements in the future.
Daimaru was already satisfied with having beaten them up while Team 7 was still immature.
After the "Konoha Crush," strong figures hiding in the darkness would enter the stage one after another. Orochimaru and Jiraiya only opened the curtain on the great era. The subsequent appearance of Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame would gradually reveal the disputes in the ninja world's shadows.
The current Daimaru didn't even have the qualification to know about it, let alone intervene.
After all, he was a Sand Ninja. His base was in Sunagakure in the Land of Wind. His reincarnation location destined him not to have too close a relationship with Konoha ninja.
For the next period of time, Daimaru used the opportunity of shopping to roughly observe the changes in Konoha over the past few days. Although it appeared peaceful on the surface, the number of people intentionally or unintentionally guarding the surroundings had obviously increased. There was likely no shortage of Anbu monitoring from the shadows.
The entire village's alert level had risen significantly.
There are fewer suitable escape routes now. This is troublesome!
With Yome absent, Daimaru's reconnaissance ability had dropped considerably. He could no longer observe all movements in the vicinity without being detected.
The Sand Manipulation Technique version of the "Third Eye" must be put on the agenda as soon as possible, or I'll become blind.
Escape required the right timing, favorable geography, and unity of people. If one plunged headfirst into an encirclement, it would be over. Also, he absolutely could not mistakenly enter the front lines where the two ninja armies were fighting. Otherwise, with his small frame, he wouldn't live to see Sunagakure surrender.
Once the crowds increased and pushing the wheelchair became difficult—and his view was blocked so he couldn't see anything anyway—Daimaru quietly slipped back to Konoha Hospital, just in time for lunch.
Although Daimaru had already eaten too many delicacies, he patiently ate the nutritional meal specially prepared by Konoha Hospital to recover his body faster.
To Daimaru's surprise, upon returning to his ward after lunch, he encountered Karin and her two Grass Ninja companions, whom he had met a few times before, in the hallway.
"Yo, trash ninja from a trash village, we meet again!" Daimaru greeted them nonchalantly. "Weren't you eliminated in the Chunin Exam? Why haven't you left yet?"
"This..."
Looking at Daimaru's malicious smile, Karin wanted to speak but didn't dare step over her two teammates. It was the short, ordinary-looking face who answered indignantly:
"It's because these Konoha guys are bullying people too much! We clearly have no injuries, yet they keep us here, claiming it's for treatment. In reality, it's just house arrest and surveillance..."
"I see. It looks like you lot, who look like bad guys at a glance, did something bad!"
"Impossible! We don't know anything, yet we're questioned from time to time. Treating us like prisoners is truly hateful. We were invited as candidates for the Chunin Exam, so why are we being treated like this?"
The tall, thin sword-wielding ninja clearly had a more violent temper. If they weren't in Konoha Hospital, he probably would have started shouting curses.
"It could be that your compatriots did something and implicated you..." Daimaru said with a beaming smile.
Although Orochimaru had used the Face-Erasing Jutsu to steal the identities of Grass Ninja candidates, infiltrated the Forest of Death, and attacked Team 7, it still had to be investigated whether other Grass Ninja were involved. These three were just unlucky souls caught in the crossfire.
"Regardless, it's finally over. We will never come to Konoha again. It's bullying!"
"So... are you leaving immediately?"
Daimaru looked over the three Grass Ninja carrying their luggage.
"Cowards should leave quickly. You can just lord it over others in the Land of Grass. The Chunin Exam isn't something guys like you can set foot in."
"Hey, you bastard. You're injured like that, yet your mouth is still so foul. Do you think we're afraid of you?"
The sword-wielding Grass Ninja was the first to show dissatisfaction. He wasn't a Konoha ninja, so what was a Sand Ninja guest in Konoha acting so arrogant for?
"Want to fight? Just because I look like this, do you think you have a chance?"
The short ninja, acting as the leader, calmly stopped him. "Don't cause trouble. Let's go!"
Grass Ninja weren't exactly popular in Konoha right now. Regardless of who provoked whom, attacking a Sand Ninja candidate who had entered the third test of the Chunin Exam would make it difficult for them to leave.
Avoiding the path of Daimaru's wheelchair, the three Grass Ninja quickly left. Only Karin quietly bowed slightly in thanks, wearing an awkward, bitter smile as she followed her two unfriendly teammates.
When was Karin recruited by Orochimaru again?
Back in the ward, Daimaru silently recalled.
After the "Konoha Crush," the heavily injured Orochimaru wouldn't have the leisure to recruit a little girl, except when he went to Tanzaku Quarters to find Tsunade. So...
It should be after he failed to wait for Uchiha Sasuke and used the Living Corpse Reincarnation ahead of schedule to occupy Gen'yumaru's body.
Poor little girl. She would have to wait until at least after Uchiha Sasuke defected from Konoha to have a chance to break away from Kusagakure.
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