However, whether joining Orochimaru's forces was good or bad was hard to say.
Of course, these trivial matters had nothing to do with Daimaru. Even if he wanted to get involved, he couldn't.
Approaching noon, after eating and drinking his fill, the drowsiness brought on by rising blood sugar soon washed over his body. Daimaru put down the ninjutsu scroll he had read several times, looked at the cotton-candy-like white clouds outside the window, and unknowingly closed his eyes.
Napping without a care, Daimaru seemed to dream of something good. He revealed a happy smile, the corners of his mouth relaxing unconsciously. Drool couldn't help but flow out, landing on the pillow and soaking his cheek. The discomfort of the cold sensation caused Daimaru to startle awake.
Someone's here!
Before his eyes even opened, his fingers twitched. The two puppets waiting by the bed for their master's summons immediately stood straight, guarding Daimaru vigilantly.
"Don't be nervous!"
A voice clearly lacking in vigor drifted over. The familiar tone allowed Daimaru to slightly lower his guard. Opening his eyes, he saw it was the chief proctor of the third test, the sickly Tokubetsu Jonin—Gekko Hayate.
"So it is Lord Proctor. Is something the matter with this sudden visit?"
Relieved that it wasn't a sudden attack by Gaara, Daimaru relaxed. If he were "sacrificed" by his brother-in-law at this time, it would be a huge loss.
"Regarding the third test of the Chunin Exam, due to a change in circumstances, I need to notify you in advance for the sake of fairness."
"Please speak!" Daimaru put on an expression of listening intently.
"The advancing candidates, number eight Yakushi Kabuto and number nine Daimaru, were required to fight an extra match due to the drawing order. However, an unexpected situation has arisen..."
Gekko Hayate couldn't help but cough a few times before continuing.
"Candidate number eight, Yakushi Kabuto, has withdrawn from this Chunin Exam. Therefore, you will win by default and directly begin the quarter-finals. The fourth match will be between number seven, Temari, and you, number nine..."
"This is a good thing. Fighting one less match allows me to be much more composed..."
"As long as you have no objections!" Gekko Hayate paused. "This change directly affects only you, so I needed to notify you promptly to avoid impacting your specific preparations! You can ignore Yakushi Kabuto and prepare directly for the match against Temari."
"Understood. Thank you for the reminder, Lord Proctor!" Daimaru said with a calm expression.
"Additionally, considering your injuries, please rest peacefully for now. We will arrange the best treatment plan to minimize impact on your training! However, please also cooperate with the doctor's orders. Do not act on your own, or you will bear the consequences!"
"Understood!"
Listening humbly to advice was one of Daimaru's virtues. Especially after being discovered sneaking out of the hospital to wander around and warned for provoking the Grass Ninja for no reason. Not behaving himself would be truly unappreciative.
"Very well. I wish you success in the exam!"
With that, Chief Proctor Gekko Hayate left with a Body Flicker Technique.
Looking at the open window and the sheer curtains fluttering in the breeze, Daimaru shook his head helplessly.
"Do Konoha ninja dislike using doors and prefer entering and exiting through windows?"
Not only that, but the Chakra Threads and reconnaissance methods arranged inside the ward completely failed to warn Daimaru of an intruder. If Gekko Hayate hadn't actively leaked a trace of his aura, Daimaru wouldn't have noticed at all.
Even a sick man who was insta-killed by Baki's Blade of Wind was a formidable Tokubetsu Jonin, a master completely beyond Daimaru's ability to gauge.
The idea that Chunin and Jonin were weak cannon fodder just because Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto slaughtered them like chickens and dogs should be discarded. Punching above one's weight class was a protagonist's privilege; others had better be honest.
It was a pity...
I wonder how many more days Gekko Hayate has to live. Will he be killed because his tracking and reconnaissance were exposed, just as predicted?
Coming specifically to notify him about such a small matter... at least Konoha upheld a superficial fairness. If he had a choice, Daimaru really didn't wish for this guy to die inexplicably.
Earlier that day, in a private room at the Teahouse District's most famous "The Double-Sake Tavern," Sarutobi Asuma wore a bitter face. He touched his empty wallet and looked helplessly at Akimichi Choji, who was devouring slice after slice of rich, fatty roast meat.
"Although I promised to treat you, couldn't you guys be a little polite? You're going to eat me into bankruptcy..."
"How can we let pass a rare opportunity to eat roast meat to our heart's content? Asuma-sensei, you are too naive!"
Holding greasy chopsticks without even looking up, staring at the meat slices that were about to be done, Akimichi Choji replied without hesitation.
"It's morning right now. Eating too much greasy food—be careful of indigestion!"
"It doesn't matter. As an heir of the Akimichi clan, I have long trained a stomach of steel. Mere roast meat is nothing."
"Alright!"
The depressed Sarutobi Asuma gave up on the idea of persuasion. Trying to get Akimichi Choji to give up meat that was almost in his mouth was simply too difficult.
After downing a cup of sake to slightly soothe the melancholy of impending bankruptcy, Sarutobi Asuma looked at his other two students, who were in low spirits.
"Still dwelling on it? I, your teacher, haven't said anything, so there's no need for you to be so unhappy. Look on the bright side; rookies participating in the Chunin Exam always suffer a few losses..."
Being suspected of lacking strength and being targeted was inevitable.
"But Sasuke advanced, and even Naruto and Shino passed..." Yamanaka Ino sighed.
They were all rookie Genin from this year. Three classmates had broken through the encirclement of strong enemies and entered the third test, so why was Team 10 completely wiped out?
"To be honest, I am very satisfied with your performance!" Sarutobi Asuma put down his sake cup and spoke seriously.
"Facing a desperate situation with almost no hope, relying on perseverance to last until the third test preliminaries is already very good. As for the one-on-one elimination matches, there are too many accidental factors, and the rules were very unfavorable to you. Especially Shikamaru, who was so close to advancing..."
"In the end, I still fell short!"
Nara Shikamaru listlessly pushed open the wooden window beside the table, letting in a trace of the noisy clamor from outside.
"Asuma-sensei, are Sand Ninja all like that? For the sake of victory, they don't hesitate to suffer mutual destruction?"
The bearded teacher replied, "It's hard to say! Actually, I also feel it's a bit strange. This year's Genin candidates from Sunagakure are unexpectedly strong. Of course, you aren't bad either; you just lacked a bit of the Sand Ninja's conviction for certain victory..."
"Conviction?" Nara Shikamaru recalled for a moment. "Like Lee? To prove his nindo, he didn't hesitate to fight to the death. Pity he still failed in the end..."
"Defeat does not equal the destruction of one's nindo..." Sarutobi Asuma shook his head.
"Of the three of you, I am most optimistic about your future, Shikamaru! But, currently, the one I am most worried about is also you..."
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