Sakura Haruno had worked up the courage to strike up a conversation with Daimaru, perhaps driven by a desire to protect the children of Konoha from being bullied by a wicked-looking Sand Ninja.
However, the Konoha kunoichi's conversational arts were simply no match for Daimaru. In just a few exchanges, she had been refuted so thoroughly she was nearly ready to shut herself away from the world.
"Hey, you ugly girl over there. Don't just stand on the street wallowing in self-pity and making it look like I'm bullying you..."
"Ugly girl?"
Sakura, shocked beyond belief by Daimaru's explosive opening, pointed a finger at herself, dumbfounded. "Are you talking about me?"
"Who else but you would dare speak to me?"
He sat in a wheelchair, his entire body wrapped in bandages. Behind him, an identical Substitute Puppet pushed the chair with meticulous care, while a glamorous puppet doll sat on his shoulder, constantly feeding the main body snacks. No matter how one looked at it, he was a bizarre character.
Aside from children ignorant of the world, who would casually come up and talk to Daimaru?
"You jerk..."
Even though she was slightly afraid, Sakura laughed out of extreme anger and couldn't help but raise her fist. "Before you talk about others, look in the mirror! A guy like you, what right do you have to call others ugly?"
"I am a man of striking talent and resounding fame. How could a little girl like you possibly appreciate that?"
"Oh? Is that so? Then what's with your puppet doll? It looks exactly like that Sand kunoichi named Temari. But I saw her ignoring you completely. Is it because you can't pursue the real person, so you made a doll to satisfy your own vanity? You really are a shameless pervert who doesn't even try to hide it..."
Sakura grew more spirited as she spoke, pointing fiercely at Daimaru and the puppet, chattering away with endless sarcasm.
"It's already July, in the dead of heat. I thought the season for perverts to be active had passed, but I didn't expect you to still dare to brazenly display your inappropriate fetishes..."
The pink-haired kunoichi finally stopped her mouth after venting a long stream of words in one breath, panting angrily.
"Finished?"
Daimaru looked with a beaming smile at Sakura, who had suddenly exploded after having her sore spot poked.
"Ah... sorry!"
Coming back to her senses and realizing she had said some incredibly rude things, Sakura immediately felt embarrassed.
"I went too far. But if you hadn't suddenly badmouthed me, I wouldn't have..."
"If I remember correctly, you're called Haruta Sakura, right?"
"Haruno Sakura. My surname is Haruno, not Haruta... We are fellow candidates taking the Chunin Exam together; you should at least remember my name... You didn't say it wrong on purpose, did you?"
"Surnames, trivial matters. Don't let it bother you, Haruta Sakura..."
Daimaru waved his hand dismissively. Few Sand Ninja had surnames anyway. Besides, who cared if it was Haruno or Haruta? It wasn't as if she was an outstanding ninja regardless.
"First of all, I am a genius, not a pervert... Secondly, Temari is the life partner I have personally selected. It is only a matter of time before we come to fruition; it isn't something others can casually slander. Finally, I have a magnanimous heart, so I forgive your insolence. However..."
"However what?"
Sakura looked at Daimaru with slight resistance, suspecting he was holding back some wicked trick.
"Don't be nervous. I said I wouldn't trouble you, and I naturally won't go back on my word..."
"Then what do you want?"
"Nothing major. You couldn't handle anything too troublesome anyway..." Daimaru glanced at the nervous Sakura. "Help me send a bouquet of flowers to Rock Lee..."
"Is it because you injured Lee, so you feel guilty? Why not go yourself?"
"It's not appropriate for me..."
Daimaru shook his head. At this critical juncture, it wasn't suitable for Sand Ninja to interact too closely with Konoha shinobi. If he hadn't bumped into Sakura on the street by chance, Daimaru wouldn't have had the opportunity to say much to any Konoha ninja.
"As for feeling guilty, my injuries aren't any lighter than Rock Lee's, are they?"
"That's true! But why ask me to visit Lee for you? Your relationship isn't that good, is it?"
"You wouldn't understand! Tell him for me: let's have another hearty battle when the opportunity arises..."
The restrictions of the Chunin Exam were too numerous. Fighting a guy like Rock Lee left one feeling unsatisfied. Winning through trickery was a last resort; if there was a chance to fight again with no holds barred, it would be the perfect way to test his skills.
In the ninja world, pure shinobi like Rock Lee were rare.
"I don't understand the thoughts between you two, but visiting him and passing on a message is no problem..."
"Fellow commoner ninja, the feeling of mutual appreciation for striving toward a goal—you will understand it sooner or later. If you ask why..."
Daimaru smiled but said nothing more.
Sakura's conditions were worse than both Daimaru's and Rock Lee's. She lacked outstanding physical fitness, Daimaru's unconstrained imagination, or his advanced intelligence advantage. Aside from excellent Chakra control and decent intellect, Sakura had almost no specialties. Becoming a formidable ninja would be even more difficult for her.
Without Tsunade's legacy, Sakura's development ceiling would be very limited.
"Commoner ninja..." Sakura looked a bit gloomy. "Chasing after someone whose back I can barely see... is there really no hope?"
"Hey, we are different. Success is in sight for me, unlike your bleak prospects..." Daimaru laughed teasingly.
"Life is long. Many people drift apart as they walk! It isn't that they don't want to travel together, but that they unknowingly fall behind and can't keep up... Little girl, a heart in love is not shameful, and difficulties are nothing to fear. But if you lose the ability to walk side-by-side, you will be abandoned sooner or later. You like that Uchiha Sasuke who looks at everyone like they're his enemy, right? It's dangerous. Your performance isn't even as good as that goofy Uzumaki Naruto..."
Uzumaki Naruto had at least advanced in the Chunin Exam. The guy always seen as the dead-last was walking ahead of her. It would be strange if Sakura didn't feel a sense of crisis.
"I think I understand a little!" Sakura said, somewhat dazed. "But seeing you speak so logically, it doesn't seem like you have any results either..."
If he really had skill, he wouldn't be ignored by the girl he liked!
"There is always a gap between theory and practice!" Daimaru gave an awkward, dry laugh. "Temari currently likes pretty boys like Uchiha Sasuke. My mature, masculine charm... she'll probably only appreciate it in another two years! Probably..."
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