The third test preliminaries, which had dragged on far longer than imagined, finally came to an end.
Hayate Gekko gathered the remaining candidates and lined them up.
Of the original twenty-four candidates, only about a third remained. Such an elimination rate was already considered quite high.
Next, the Third Hokage introduced the basic situation regarding the third test and announced a one-month interim period, allowing all candidates to make specific preparations.
Unlike the first two rounds, which relied heavily on chance, the third test was an arena where genin candidates had to display their full strength to win.
At the same time, this month served as a buffer period to notify the leaders of various countries, the Daimyo, and other VIPs to come and watch the Chunin Exam.
After a few words of encouragement, the lots were drawn for the third test groupings.
In the end, the candidate numbers and matchups did not exceed Daimaru's expectations.
From number one to number nine, the order was: Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Neji, Gaara, Uchiha Sasuke, Kankuro, Aburame Shino, Temari, Yakushi Kabuto, and Daimaru.
I'm the last one. What a drag...
The lineup had shifted slightly: Yakushi Kabuto had taken Dosu Kinuta's number, while Daimaru had taken Nara Shikamaru's spot.
The first match would be the Konoha civil war between Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji. Next would be Gaara versus Uchiha Sasuke, followed by Kankuro versus Aburame Shino. As for Daimaru, he nominally had to fight an extra round against Yakushi Kabuto, with the winner moving on to compete against Temari for a spot in the top four.
However, Yakushi Kabuto, that spy from Otogakure, clearly wouldn't waste any more energy on the Chunin Exam.
Looking at it this way, if Uchiha Sasuke failed to arrive on time—as per Daimaru's memories—and his match with Gaara was postponed, the match between Temari and Daimaru would definitely be moved up.
After the explanation concluded, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, dismissed them. Hatake Kakashi immediately took Uchiha Sasuke and left.
The rest were also led away by their respective teachers.
Only Daimaru silently sought out Konoha's Medical Unit to get treatment immediately.
Of the one month available, at least half of it would be spent in a hospital bed or a wheelchair.
That night, Daimaru was sedated. He didn't know exactly what kind of surgery the medical ninja at Konoha Hospital had performed on him, but by the time he woke up the next day, the sky was already bright.
A familiar figure stood by the windowsill—it was Captain Otokaze, whom he hadn't seen for several days.
Sensing Daimaru's movement, Otokaze turned around.
"Konoha ninja are truly impressive. They said you'd wake up around this time, and they weren't off by a minute."
Daimaru struggled to sit up. His arms and legs seemed to be fixed in plaster casts, his whole body was wrapped in bandages, and his neck was supported by a brace.
"Am I okay? It looks pretty serious. Will I be able to make it to the Chunin Exam in a month?"
"Relax. You'll be barely mobile in ten days. But whether you can recover to peak condition in a month depends on your personal constitution. No one can say for sure, however..."
"I'm a puppeteer, after all. Even if my body isn't fully healed, I still have decent combat ability. It will have an impact, but it won't be decisive."
Ten days was a wait Daimaru could afford; it was already much better than he had imagined.
"As long as you understand. Also..."
Otokaze pulled out a massive scroll and handed it over.
"This..."
Daimaru smiled awkwardly. With his hands and feet incapacitated, he really couldn't perform simple interactions.
"Look at me, I'm confused."
Otokaze chuckled lightly and wheeled a wheelchair in from outside. Sitting on it was Daimaru's Substitute Puppet, with the puppet doll of Temari sitting elegantly on its shoulder as usual.
"Konoha Hospital really offers thoughtful service. They had originally arranged for a female nurse to accompany you the whole time, but I sent her away."
"Sent her away? Captain Otokaze, a nurse sister is a man's romance! What a pity!"
"I thought since you had your puppet, you wouldn't need that. If you want, I can go find her..."
"Forget it!"
He felt that if he accepted such thoughtful service, something bad would happen.
"As long as you've thought it through. Konoha doesn't want candidates advancing to the third test to show up on crutches, which would cause the joint Chunin Exam to lose face."
Daimaru smiled understandingly, his fingers twitching slightly as Chakra Threads connected to the puppet beside him.
"I brought the fruit on the table. You can eat it without worry."
"Many thanks, Captain."
The Temari puppet picked up a fruit knife and meticulously peeled an apple. The Substitute Puppet took the scroll, brought it before Daimaru, and unrolled it slightly. Several large characters appeared before Daimaru's eyes.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Instantly, Daimaru's heart raced. He took a deep breath, then composed himself and closed the scroll.
Don't assume that just because this B-rank support jutsu was common, every ninja knew it.
Daimaru wasn't sure about Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, but among the Sunagakure genin, Daimaru had never seen a single one who could use the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Even Sajin, the only Chunin he was close with, had never been seen using it and likely didn't know it.
"Is this for me?"
"Yeah. Senior Baki mentioned your exam performance yesterday and told me to look after you a bit more! Regrettably, I had something to do yesterday and didn't see you in the limelight."
"There will be opportunities in the future! Anyway, thanks a lot!"
"There are a few jutsu inside that I think will be very helpful to you! Time is limited, so I don't know how many you can master."
Daimaru wasn't sure exactly what secret techniques were in the scroll yet, but relying on the Shadow Clone Jutsu alone, if he could learn it, his strength would increase by a large margin.
"Also, you're a smart guy. There are some things I can't explain to you, but..."
Otokaze spoke hesitantly.
"Don't die!"
In just a few days, Daimaru had heard the same warning again.
"Eh?"
Daimaru was stunned for a moment, then laughed involuntarily.
"Don't worry, I'm terrified of dying. I haven't captured Temari's heart yet; how could I be willing to die young?"
"You... even though you're an idiot, you're actually quite interesting."
"The 'idiot' part is unnecessary. This is called hiding wisdom beneath foolishness!"
"Whatever makes you happy."
Otokaze sighed.
"Sen and Yome wanted to come see you a while ago, but I stopped them. They'll probably come by later."
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