Family background and status were not worth mentioning in the face of the grand trend.
Compared to Daimaru, Temari was more worried about her younger brothers, Gaara and Kankuro.
There was less than a month left—the final chance to prepare.
If Konoha Crush failed, naturally, everything would end.
But what if it succeeded?
Could Sunagakure make Konoha submit?
Probably not. Konoha wasn't that fragile; it wouldn't collapse from a single setback.
It was very likely that this was just the beginning of another protracted war.
After seeing his compatriots off to Sunagakure, Daimaru bid farewell to Kankuro and Temari.
It wasn't that he didn't want to stay with Temari a while longer, but now wasn't the time for chatting. Even awkward small talk required topics, and it would be bad if they touched upon secret intelligence.
Frequent gatherings and secret talks among Sand Ninja would look bad in the eyes of others, and who knew if someone nearby was secretly observing.
Although Konoha's main attention was currently drawn by Orochimaru, there was no guarantee that the vacillating Sand Ninja wouldn't catch their eye.
While passing through the first-floor central hall to buy something, he unexpectedly saw Uzumaki Naruto talking to a nurse at the reception desk. The subsequent arrival of Hatake Kakashi and the sunglass-wearing Ebisu made Daimaru realize: this must be the private tutor Hatake Kakashi found for Uzumaki Naruto's remedial basic course.
At this time, Jiraiya had probably already returned to Konoha and was drinking in some small shop in the Teahouse District, or perhaps gathering material in the Hot Springs District.
The depth of the strongest ninja village in the ninja world was truly enviable; they could casually find a Tokubetsu Jonin for one-on-one instruction.
Even after Orochimaru defected, they still had Jiraiya and Tsunade to hold up the sky.
Compare that to the Sand Ninja. Look at what happened to Sunagakure after Sasori of the Red Sand defected, conveniently taking the Third Kazekage with him.
Can't compare!
In fact, just thinking about it made it clear: Konoha Crush relied on the element of surprise betrayal. If Konoha was prepared, the chance of the Sand Ninja's sneak attack succeeding was already very small.
First, Orochimaru exposed himself in the Forest of Death, effectively giving Konoha a warning. Then, before Konoha Crush launched, he killed their biggest asset—the Fourth Kazekage.
This series of enigmatic operations was truly baffling, making one involuntarily suspect Orochimaru's stance.
At the very least, this rogue ninja, formerly one of the Sannin, was definitely not in the same camp as Sunagakure.
As Daimaru passed by calmly, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, and Ebisu stopped and silently watched him leave.
"He really looks down on people, Kakashi-sensei!"
Uzmaki Naruto grumbled in dissatisfaction.
The heavily injured Rock Lee had been in a coma for nearly two days and only woke up this morning.
According to Lee's teacher, Might Guy, the current Lee had lost nearly ten pounds compared to before the Chunin Exam. Opening the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates for just a few minutes had caused such severe overdraft on his body.
A small part of this was due to injury, blood loss, and poison eroding his body, but the majority was physical strength squeezed out by the Eight Gates and consumed as energy.
Powerful output was accompanied by terrifying consumption.
Without a naturally gifted body and the accumulation of arduous daily training, one simply wasn't qualified to use a forbidden technique like the Eight Gates.
The relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure was quite strange. Clearly, they were allies, yet the ninjas of the two villages looked askance at each other, not even greeting one another without reason.
After eating breakfast, Daimaru wandered around the Konoha Hospital wearing his Sand Ninja forehead protector. When he returned to the ward wanting to rest, he couldn't sit still.
Being alone and bored, unable to train—these idle days were too hard for Daimaru to endure.
After reading the ninjutsu scroll from Captain Otokaze for a while, a weary Daimaru felt the urge to go out for a walk but was hindered by the strict management of the Konoha Hospital.
Patients in special wards with severe injuries were not allowed to leave the hospital. Without permission, Daimaru's range of activity was limited to the hospital interior.
After hesitating for a while, his restless heart gained the upper hand. Daimaru directly used Wind Release chakra to make himself and the puppet invisible, pushing the unseen wheelchair as he slipped out the hospital gate.
Once you breathe the air of freedom, you can never endure a controlled life again!
Glancing back at the hospital gate, Daimaru headed toward the lively Teahouse District. That was the most interesting place in Konoha, where most of the delicious food and fun shops were concentrated.
Just as Daimaru stepped out of the hospital gate, an Anbu wearing an animal mask, hiding in the shadows, locked onto him.
Soon, intelligence about Daimaru sneaking out of the hospital reached the hands of certain people.
"It's that lonely guy who loves causing trouble again. He can't stay still even when injured. Ignore him. As long as he doesn't cause a scene, let him go. We have more important matters to deal with..."
Compared to the unruly Sand Ninja, the realistic threat brought by Orochimaru was more worrying; that was where attention urgently needed to be focused.
Ten minutes later, Daimaru, sitting in his wheelchair, had a pile of bought delicacies on his lap, eating while strolling.
However, what Daimaru hadn't expected was that, looking more like a circus puppeteer, he attracted even more attention. Children watched with great interest as Daimaru used his Substitute Puppet to push his wheelchair, while the beautiful puppet doll on his shoulder fed him food. A group of Konoha kids who hadn't seen many puppeteers were incredibly envious.
After following Daimaru for a while, one little guy finally summoned the courage to approach and asked timidly:
"Master, are you the legendary Dream Puppeteer?"
"What's that? Never heard of it. Don't disturb my stroll, move aside..."
"Master, do you accept apprentices? Teach me how to make puppets and control them..."
"Accept apprentices?"
Daimaru looked disdainfully at these little tykes who were six or seven at most.
"You're so clumsy, looking all dull and stupid. You definitely can't learn it. Get lost..."
As he spoke, Daimaru pulled a ferocious grimace, scaring the group of children into running away screaming.
With the annoying brats lacking judgment gone, Daimaru's ears were instantly at peace.
"Annoying little things. They just won't listen unless taught a lesson. Without showing them some color, they won't know my greatness..."
"Is the dignity of a Sand Ninja gained by scaring children?"
Just then, a crisp female voice came from not far away.
Daimaru looked in the direction of the voice. A timid Haruno Sakura was looking at the nonchalant Daimaru.
"You are... that female ninja who knows nothing and coasted through the Chunin Exam with her teammates?"
"Your mouth is really vicious..."
Haruno Sakura's expression changed.
"You're in a wheelchair and still not behaving. Why aren't you lying in the hospital instead of bullying children here?"
"If you have time, you should care about yourself. I heard both your teammates were sent for special training. Only you seem to have nothing to do. Were you abandoned? Just kidding, haha..."
"Kakashi-sensei wouldn't do that. It's just because Naruto and Sasuke have to participate in the Chunin Exam, so there was no time to arrange..."
As she spoke, Haruno Sakura became less and less confident, until her voice was almost inaudible!
-----
Read up to 20 advanced chapters on my P@treon.
[email protected]/fanfictionsimp