Daimaru raised the hand that had just grabbed Chi’s calf, sniffed it, then rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
“Nice texture.
Looks like you’ve developed quite well.
I just wonder whether your strength is as impressive as your figure.”
“Don’t sniff it, you idiot!”
Flushed with embarrassment and anger, Chi and Yome hurled a barrage of shuriken, sealing off Daimaru’s retreat.
“Getting this hot-tempered at such a young age?
Be careful—you’ll go bald early.”
Daimaru stomped heavily on the ground.
A wall of sand burst upward, intercepting every incoming projectile.
“The only one who’s going bald is you!
And you still dream of chasing Temari?
Keep dreaming!”
Unfortunately, even the nastiest curses couldn’t hurt Daimaru in the slightest.
Wave after wave of sand chased after the restless Chi and Yome as they searched for an opportunity to counterattack.
“Terrain is a huge advantage in shinobi combat.
Here in the Land of Wind, sand manipulation is the most efficient fighting style.”
Forced onto the defensive by Daimaru’s relentless pursuit, Chi panted heavily.
“Then explain this.”
“I never released my genjutsu.
How were you still able to pinpoint my attacks?”
“Oh, that?”
Daimaru flashed a broad grin.
“An illusion that interferes with the five senses is certainly impressive.”
“But it isn’t powerful enough to deceive chakra.”
As his hands moved, Daimaru pulled upward.
Several crude sand puppets emerged from the ground, clumsily mimicking the motions of his fingers.
“That’s…
puppet techniques!”
Yome’s pupils widened.
Through her special eyes, she could clearly see chakra threads thinner than strands of hair connecting Daimaru’s fingertips to the featureless sand puppets.
“So you really are a puppet master?”
Chi asked in surprise.
“Not really.”
“I only know a little about puppet techniques.”
“And I don’t have any puppets worth showing off, so I’d rather not embarrass myself.”
The sand puppets were merely temporary constructs formed by infusing chakra into the surrounding earth.
Even an ordinary adult could smash them apart with a few punches.
Their greatest value lay in confusing opponents.
Daimaru mainly used them out of habit as sentries, manipulating them to probe for changes in nearby chakra.
“When you’re outside the village, staying alert at all times is basic shinobi practice.”
“What’s so surprising about that?”
“Everyone around you is a teammate, and you’re still keeping your guard up?”
Chi rolled her eyes.
“Who knows what goes on inside that head of yours?”
After regrouping, Chi and Yome surrounded Daimaru from opposite directions.
“We’ll destroy those sand puppets first.”
“Then attack him from both sides.”
Daimaru’s sand manipulation techniques were noticeably slower than Gaara’s.
There was an obvious delay in their movements.
Gaara’s overwhelming sand techniques came not only from his extraordinary talent but also from years of preparation.
Daimaru didn’t have the luxury of carrying around a massive gourd full of chakra-infused sand everywhere he went.
Besides, the thing was far too heavy.
Carrying it throughout puberty might even stunt his growth.
If he ended up short because of it, that would be a disaster.
Even facing two opponents alone, Daimaru remained completely confident.
“The strategy isn’t bad.”
“But whether it’ll actually work…”
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the two of you can do.”
If Chi and Yome really managed to surprise him by defeating him, that would honestly be welcome.
Having two capable teammates was far better than dragging around two useless burdens.
The petite Yome was the first to charge in.
She darted between the clumsy punches of the sand puppets with remarkable agility, occasionally shattering an exposed puppet with her kunai.
“My eyesight isn’t my only strength.”
“I’m pretty nimble too.”
When she fought seriously, Yome wasn’t nearly as weak as Daimaru had imagined.
She possessed respectable combat ability.
Her small frame lacked raw strength, but it also made her a difficult target.
Against someone as quick and agile as her, sluggish attacks simply couldn’t connect.
Meanwhile, Chi unfolded her fan, covering most of her face.
Without being able to read her expression or eye movements, Daimaru could no longer predict the direction of her attacks.
Taking advantage of his attention being drawn toward Yome, she broke through the interception of both the puppet formation and Daimaru’s sand manipulation.
She narrowly avoided his straight punch.
With a gentle sweep of her fan, genjutsu spread outward, amplified by a chakra-enhancing secret medicine.
“Chi.”
“Now you’re finally fighting like an experienced Genin.”
“Being able to cast genjutsu during close-quarters combat without missing a beat really makes you difficult to deal with.”
“If someone coordinates with you properly, you’re actually quite troublesome.”
“Someone is coordinating with her.”
“You jerk.”
“Don’t pretend I don’t exist.”
Having broken through the puppet formation, Yome drove a heavy punch into Daimaru’s side.
His body stiffened involuntarily.
Seizing the opportunity, Chi bent one leg and leaped upward.
Her knee slammed squarely into Daimaru’s chin, launching him into the air.
“You arrogant jerk.”
“Taste the revenge of the beautiful girls you’ve bullied!”
“Ow…”
“You think you’ve already won?”
Still airborne, Daimaru flicked both index fingers.
Several more sand puppets burst from the ground, surrounding the two girls.
Chi sneered and lashed out with a powerful roundhouse kick.
“Those pathetic sand puppets aren’t going to save you!”
Her long, powerful leg shattered the first puppet.
Its momentum didn’t slow.
The second…
The third…
As she was about to destroy the fourth, Chi suddenly realized something was wrong.
The puppet she struck didn’t collapse.
Instead, from within the scattered sand, a strong hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her calf.
“I switched places with one of the puppets.”
“I honestly didn’t expect you two to fall for it.”
“This time it’s your left leg.”
As the sand fell away, Daimaru’s grinning face was revealed.
“Chi, watch out!”
Yome lowered her center of gravity and sprinted forward, trying to rescue her captured teammate.
“When your teammate is in danger…”
“You can’t panic.”
“And you definitely can’t charge in recklessly.”
“That’ll only make things worse.”
“Yome…”
“You still have a lot to learn.”
With a flick of his free hand, an almost invisible chakra thread wrapped around Yome’s ankle.
A gentle tug was all it took.
The rushing girl tumbled head over heels before Daimaru effortlessly grabbed her by the ankle and lifted her upside down.
“It’s over.”
“You two little girls…”
“Time to remind you of the fear you used to feel under my rule.”
Holding one girl in each hand, Daimaru seemed to have completely rediscovered his childhood love of pranks.
“Daimaru Windmill Dance!”
“Hah!
Hah!
Hah!”
He spun his arms in great circles while turning his body.
The two female shinobi screamed as they were swung wildly through the air.
Several minutes later, Daimaru finally put them down.
The poor girls were completely dizzy.
They collapsed onto the ground, unable to move, with drool even trickling from the corners of their mouths.
“What a shame.”
“You couldn’t withstand Lord ‘Red Sandstorm’s’ enthusiastic greeting.”
“Hey.”
“You really don’t know how to treat girls gently.”
Otofū’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Even as an outsider, I couldn’t bear to watch.”
“Captain Otofū?”
“When did you get here?”
“Right around the time you started rather rudely commenting on your female teammates’ figures.”
“I never did anything that uncultured!”
Even if he had…
There was no way he was admitting it.
That would be far too embarrassing.
“Besides, Captain Otofū, you’re hardly an outsider.”
“Why didn’t you stop them from challenging me?”
“I wanted to see how strong my three subordinates really were.”
Otofū answered matter-of-factly.
“And the result?”
“I certainly didn’t expect to witness something this entertaining.”
“It was well worth the trip.”
(End of Chapter)