Jiri’s strength was something Daimaru knew well.
For him to end up in such miserable condition, the challengers had clearly been no pushovers.
“As long as you won.”
Daimaru patted his former teammate on the shoulder.
Even among Genin, the gap between veterans and rookies was considerable.
It wasn’t just a matter of experience.
During the years between adolescence and adulthood, a shinobi’s body developed rapidly.
With every passing year, improvements in physical ability across the board, along with increased chakra reserves, caused shinobi of this age to grow noticeably stronger.
Until they reached full maturity, the advantage of being older could never be ignored.
This was already Jiri’s fourth year as a Genin.
Even if there were one or two exceptionally talented youngsters, as long as he stubbornly refused to surrender, he could simply outlast those kids through sheer endurance.
The value of a veteran’s experience was no joke.
Just as Jiri was about to say something else, Baki’s voice rang out from nearby.
“Team Satetsu, proceed to Training Ground Five and accept another challenge.”
“What?”
Jiri’s expression froze.
“Again?”
In theory, a team that had already secured a qualification spot could indeed be challenged multiple times, but this was unbelievably bad luck.
“Damn it!
It has to be Datsuji’s team.
They lost because they weren’t good enough, saw we’d just finished a hard fight and weren’t in good condition, so they picked us…”
“Take care.”
Daimaru sighed as he watched Jiri leave.
Before long, the third victorious team entered Daimaru’s view.
“Hm?”
They were actually familiar faces.
The leader was Koji.
He and Daimaru had fought when they were children.
Since Koji was over a year younger, he had been weaker and ended up getting beaten badly.
After growing up, they rarely crossed paths, and naturally, their relationship had never improved.
The second member was Shishio.
His name sounded imposing, but he was rather gloomy.
Wearing a robe whose sleeves completely covered his hands, his back was slightly hunched, and he had a lean frame.
He was a rare barrier specialist.
Using the power of barrier formations, he could detect enemies, conceal allies, and even cast small-scale genjutsu.
He was an exceptionally versatile support shinobi.
The last member was a tall female shinobi with a stunning figure.
She specialized in Water Release and medical ninjutsu.
While her combat ability was average, her emergency treatment and poison-removal skills were excellent.
The one Daimaru had the hardest time dealing with was named Amano.
She appeared somewhat innocent, but in reality possessed remarkable charisma and leadership.
Amano was the true leader of their team.
Back when Team Satetsu and Amano’s team had carried out a joint mission, Daimaru had found the experience utterly miserable.
Amano had a habit of quietly persuading everyone else to follow her opinions.
And what Daimaru hated most was knowing full well that he found her annoying, yet never getting an opportunity to punch her in the face.
“Isn’t this Senior ‘Red Sandstorm?’ As expected of such a famous shinobi.
You cleared your challenge so quickly.”
Ignoring past grievances, Amano greeted Daimaru with a gentle smile.
“You people actually won?
Your opponents must’ve been pretty terrible.”
The corners of Daimaru’s mouth twitched as he forced out a smile.
“Hey!
Are you pretending I don’t exist?”
“Koji?
Long time no see.
Your strength hasn’t improved much, but your temper certainly has.”
“You looking for a fight?”
Koji rolled up his sleeves, ready to settle things with Daimaru, only to be stopped by Amano.
“See?
Your team leader has more sense than you.
She knows you’re no match for me.”
The three of them had only narrowly won after a fierce battle and were all in poor condition.
Meanwhile, Daimaru looked completely unharmed, making it obvious his victory had been effortless.
Patting the puppet perched on his shoulder, Daimaru narrowed his eyes at Koji, wondering whether he should teach the loudmouth another lesson.
Shhk!
A wind blade sliced across the ground between them, instantly stopping the confrontation.
Baki’s furious roar followed.
“Anyone caught fighting privately will lose their Chunin Exam qualification!
Think carefully before making me repeat myself.”
“Tch.
Lucky you.”
Daimaru turned and walked away.
Beside him, Chi and Yome gave Amano apologetic looks before quickly following after Daimaru.
Amano smiled and waved before turning to Koji.
“Whatever grudges you have, you’ll have plenty of chances to settle them during the Chunin Exam.
Don’t create unnecessary trouble now.”
Among all the Sunagakure examinees, Amano, Koji, and Shishio weren’t particularly outstanding in terms of raw strength.
They had won only because Amano’s near-cheating level medical ninjutsu allowed them to exhaust opponents who were individually stronger.
Had it been a three-person battle in the wilderness, they likely wouldn’t have struggled nearly as much.
Amano, Koji, and Shishio were typical Sand shinobi who relied on teamwork and favorable terrain to unleash their full potential.
One-on-one arena matches simply weren’t their specialty.
Meanwhile, Chi asked curiously,
“Daimaru, you and that Koji don’t get along?”
“No.”
Daimaru shook his head.
“Compared to him, I dislike Amano a lot more.”
“Why? This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
I think that big sister seems like a really nice person.”
Yome said innocently.
“Hmm…
how should I put this?”
The afternoon sun in the Land of Wind had already become scorching.
Shielding his eyes with one hand, Daimaru glanced up at the sky.
“I believe there are no truly perfect people in this world.
Every act of kindness is done to gain something in return.”
“But with Amano…
I can’t find the dirty motive behind all those good deeds she keeps doing.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?
Maybe she’s just genuinely kind.
People like that do exist, don’t they?”
“Maybe.”
Daimaru nodded.
“Perhaps the shinobi world really is full of people who act without ulterior motives.”
“But if that’s true…”
“…doesn’t it just make someone like me look even more shameful?”
Daimaru never considered himself a good person.
He had a bad temper, plenty of flaws, and more than a few dirty thoughts.
If everyone around him were ordinary people with similar shortcomings, he could accept himself without issue.
But when someone completely different appeared for comparison, it only made him look worse.
Daimaru thought Amano was naïve.
Amano, more than likely, found Daimaru equally disagreeable.
“You two should stay away from that silly female shinobi in the future.
Don’t let her foolishness rub off on you.”
“She’s been blinded by what she thinks a medical shinobi should be.”
“But she’s forgotten one thing.”
“A medical shinobi is still a shinobi.”
“Not a doctor.”
Shinobi were warriors born for conflict.
Every technique they learned existed to kill more effectively.
Their role was fundamentally different from that of doctors, whose duty was to heal and save lives.
“Understood.”
Yome and Chi answered on the surface, though neither of them truly agreed.
“Enough of this unpleasant topic.”
Daimaru waved his hand dismissively.
“Yome, heal Chi first.”
“I’ve got something else to do…”
Who knew when he’d get another chance to openly approach Temari?
He had already wasted far too much time exchanging pleasantries with everyone else.
(End of Chapter)
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