Lately, Temari had been feeling unusually uneasy.
Ever since the Chunin Exam qualification preliminaries had ended, something about Jonin Maki’s words had felt off.
‘What did he mean by “be mentally prepared” and “be ready to lay down your lives to protect Sunagakure’s honor”?
Is the Chunin Exam really that dangerous?’
Gaara was a problem child who cared about nothing.
Kankuro wasn’t much more reliable, spending all day tinkering with his pile of broken puppets.
Only Temari, who appeared hot-tempered but was actually meticulous, had sensed that something wasn’t right.
There were some things she couldn’t bring up.
Even if she asked someone, she wouldn’t get an answer.
After venting some of her frustration at the training grounds, Temari arrived at a friend’s house as promised.
As the Kazekage’s daughter, there was naturally no shortage of people trying to curry favor with her.
Quite a few ambitious young shinobi had also dreamed of winning her heart to change their own status.
There were several female shinobi of similar standing to hers, but most of them were difficult, spoiled young ladies.
Very few of them could actually get along with Temari.
While she enjoyed the conveniences her father’s status brought her, she also endured the criticism that naturally came with it.
So becoming friends with Chi had happened naturally.
Back at the Ninja Academy, they had both fought using fans, and they both enjoyed ornamental plants.
With shared interests, the two had become thoroughly familiar with each other over the years.
Although there was a huge gap in both status and strength between them, it had never affected their friendship.
Over the past few days, Chi had risked venturing outside the village and brought back several rare desert plants.
She intended to refine them into powerful medicines in preparation for the Chunin Exam.
Before that, she had invited Temari over to see the results of her work.
Chatting happily with her friend eased the weight in Temari’s heart somewhat.
“With these, we’ll have a little more confidence during the Chunin Exam.”
Even if she didn’t yet know how effective they would be, at least she had made the effort.
“Chi…
be careful during the Chunin Exam.”
Temari wanted to warn her, but Maki had specifically instructed them not to spread unsettling rumors.
“Don’t underestimate the current me.
I might just surprise you.”
“Really…”
Temari sighed quietly.
She wanted to explain, yet had no idea where to begin.
“You’re acting a little strange today, Temari.
Is something bothering you?”
“The only thing that’s been bothering me lately…”
“…is that idiot teammate of yours, Daimaru.”
“I have no idea why he keeps pestering me.”
“I think it depends on the person.”
Chi smiled.
“I run into him almost every day, and he’s never tried to take advantage of me.
As for Yome, in Daimaru’s eyes she’s probably just an immature little kid.”
“You make it sound as though getting pestered by him is a good thing!”
Temari complained.
“There aren’t many people who can ignore my family background and just talk to me normally.
Honestly, having an idiot for a friend isn’t necessarily bad…”
“…but someone like Daimaru…”
Temari waved her hand helplessly.
“If he’s too stupid, that becomes troublesome too.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Lady Temari is too greedy.”
Chi covered her mouth and laughed.
“Most dissatisfaction in life comes from wanting too much.
If Daimaru’s brain worked a little more normally, plenty of girls would like him.”
“There are so many young shinobi in our village with all sorts of bizarre quirks.”
“Compared to them, Daimaru is actually one of the more normal ones.”
“Now that you mention it…”
Resting her chin on one hand, Temari thought lazily for a moment.
“…that’s true.”
“There’s no such thing as the dumbest—only someone even dumber.”
Her own two younger brothers certainly weren’t easy to deal with.
Among all the shinobi she knew, plenty behaved even more outrageously than Daimaru.
“Actually…”
Chi recalled the past three months.
“Yome and I have been teammates with Daimaru for almost three months now.”
“I always feel…”
“…he’s a bit contradictory.”
“Oh?”
Temari suddenly became interested.
“You seem rather fond of him.”
“Not exactly.”
Chi shook her head.
“It’s just that…”
“…so far, I haven’t met another Sand shinobi our age who’s more outstanding than him.”
“That’s an awfully high evaluation.”
Temari reached over to feel Chi’s forehead.
“Has your brain broken too?”
“Were you infected by Daimaru’s stupidity?”
Laughing softly, Chi brushed Temari’s hand away.
“I understand why you think Daimaru is a little foolish.”
“But from what I’ve seen…”
“…he only seems to lose his wits when he’s around you.”
“Most of the time…”
“…he’s truly remarkable.”
“Hey, are you really this eager to speak up for your teammate?”
Temari teased.
“If you like him, I can reject him to his face.”
“Once he finally gives up on chasing me, you can swoop in and take your chance.”
“You don’t understand.”
Chi shook her head.
“Daimaru has never once looked at me that way.”
“In his eyes…”
“…I’m simply a shinobi who happens to be female.”
“So your romance ended before it even began?”
Temari laughed.
They had known each other for so long that a few blunt remarks would never hurt their friendship.
“A proud phoenix soaring through the heavens…”
“…would never notice the sparrows chirping in the forest.”
Chi spoke with a hint of regret.
“Though I’m a little unwilling to admit it…”
“…Daimaru’s judgment really is excellent.”
“He picked the very best one at first glance.”
“So this is your roundabout way of complimenting me?”
Temari smiled.
“You won’t be getting any reward for that.”
“I don’t need one.”
Chi smiled gently.
“I just hope…”
“…no matter what happens in the future…”
“…we’ll always remain friends.”
“Of course.”
A smile rested on Temari’s lips.
“Just don’t die during the Chunin Exam.”
“I’d be sad.”
“That serious?”
Chi blinked before laughing.
“You too.
Be careful.”
“If you ever need our help, don’t hesitate.”
“Daimaru has practically become obsessed with waiting for a chance to play the hero and save the beauty.”
“If that day ever really comes…”
Temari snorted.
“…I might just start seeing him in a different light.”
She, Kankuro, and Gaara together couldn’t handle certain situations.
There was no way Daimaru would have an answer if they couldn’t.
…
In the single-shinobi apartment complex, Lady Saya was unusually staying home, carefully inspecting and refining her puppets.
Next door, Daimaru was also patiently carving his substitute puppet.
Although he wasn’t a traditional puppet master, he still needed to master the art of deceiving enemies and protecting his real body.
Nor had he wasted the leftover scraps of materials.
Taking into account the enemies he might encounter during both the Chunin Exam and the Konoha Crush, he crafted several specialized little gadgets, waiting for the day they would prove useful.
Meanwhile, Maki, acting as both the Jonin leading the Chunin Exam delegation and its public commander, was selecting the shinobi who would carry out the mission.
Daimaru’s former captain, Satetsu, and his current captain, Otofū, had both been drafted.
Even the Chunin Sajin, whom he had met at the Northern Fortress, was assigned to the assault squad for the Chunin Exam’s third-stage main arena.
As the departure date drew nearer, Daimaru gradually calmed down from his earlier restlessness.
He made the rare trip home.
He still exchanged only a few words with his grandfather, who remained stubbornly at odds with him.
His mother Uyo, an ordinary housewife, knew little about shinobi affairs.
After saying goodbye to his family, the Genin—each carrying their own thoughts—collected their travel permits and set off on the journey to Konohagakure.
(End of Chapter)
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