"A guy like you is the one who'll go bald in the future! And you want to pursue Temari? Keep dreaming!"
Unfortunately, no curse, no matter how vicious, could harm Daigan in the slightest. Waves of sand pursued Chi and Yome as they tried to counterattack.
"Terrain is a crucial advantage in a ninja fight. In the Land of Wind, Sand Manipulation Technique is the most efficient!"
Panting from Daigan's relentless assault, Chi retorted, unconvinced, "You didn't dispel my genjutsu just now. How did you know the direction of my attack?"
"Oh, that?" Daigan grinned, showing his teeth. "A genjutsu that disrupts the five senses is impressive, but it's not yet powerful enough to deceive chakra."
Waving his hands, Daigan pulled upwards. A circle of sand puppets emerged, making comical gestures as his fingers moved.
"That's Puppet Technique!" Yome's pupils dilated. Connected to Daigan's fingers and the crude, featureless sand puppets were chakra threads thinner than hair, almost impossible for an ordinary person to see.
"You're really a puppet master?" Chi asked in surprise.
"Not yet, I guess. I just know a little Puppet Technique, and I don't have any decent puppets to show off. It would be embarrassing."
The sand puppets were just temporary constructs created by infusing chakra into the earth. An ordinary adult could smash them to bits with a punch. They were only useful for creating a diversion. Daigan just habitually used them as a precaution, manipulating them to probe for changes in the surrounding chakra.
"Always staying vigilant when you're out and about is basic procedure for a ninja. What's so surprising?"
"We're surrounded by teammates, and you're still on alert? Who knows what you're thinking!"
After regrouping, Chi and Yome surrounded Daigan from the front and back. "Let's take down those sand puppets first, then attack him from both sides."
Daigan's Sand Manipulation Technique was too slow. The lag was obvious, far less agile than Gaara's sand. Gaara's incredibly powerful Sand Release was not only due to his innate talent but also to his constant practice. Daigan didn't have the time to carry a sand gourd filled with chakra-infused sand on his back all day, which was what made Gaara's manipulation so effortless. Besides, that thing was too heavy. Carrying it during his growth years might stunt his development, and being short in the future would be a disaster.
Even though it was two against one, Daigan was full of confidence. "Good plan, but will it succeed? I'm looking forward to your performance."
If Chi and Yome could somehow unleash an unexpected level of power and defeat him, it would actually be a pleasant surprise. Having two capable teammates was far better than having two useless burdens.
The petite Yome was the first to charge into the fray, weaving through the clumsy fists of the sand puppets and occasionally shattering a vulnerable one with her kunai. *I'm not just good with my eyes; I'm agile too.*
Yome, at full strength, wasn't as weak as Daigan had imagined. She did have some fighting ability. Her small, delicate frame meant she was a smaller target, and attacks that weren't fast and agile enough simply couldn't hit her.
On the other side, Chi opened her fan, covering half her face so Daigan couldn't read her intentions from her eyes or expression. Then, taking advantage of Yome distracting him, she broke through the puppet formation and the Sand Manipulation Technique's blockade, dodged Daigan's jab, and with a gentle flick of her fan, spread her genjutsu with the power of a chakra-infused secret medicine.
"Chi, you're finally acting like a veteran genin. Using genjutsu so seamlessly in close combat is truly hard to defend against. With a partner, you'd be quite a handful."
"Chi does have a partner, you idiot! Are you acting like I don't exist?" Yome, having broken through the puppet encirclement, landed a heavy punch on Daigan's side, causing him to stiffen for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity, Chi leaped up and drove her knee hard into Daigan's chin, sending him flying backward. "Arrogant jerk! Have a taste of the vengeful wrath of the beautiful girls you've bullied!"
"Ouch… you think you've won?"
While airborne, Daigan flicked his index fingers. Several more sand puppets rose from the ground, surrounding the two kunoichi.
Chi scoffed and swept her leg in a powerful kick. "Puppets like these can't save you!"
Her strong leg shattered one sand puppet, then, without losing momentum, a second, then a third… As the fourth was about to be destroyed, the triumphant Chi suddenly felt something was wrong.
The kicked sand puppet didn't crumble. Instead, a strong hand shot out from the falling sand and clamped onto her calf.
"When I put up the sand wall to block your view, my real body swapped places with a puppet. I can't believe you two really couldn't tell! It's the left leg this time!" The sand fell away, revealing a grinning Daigan.
"Chi, look out!" Yome ducked low, lowering her center of gravity and quickening her pace to rescue her captured teammate.
"When a teammate is in danger, you can't panic, and you definitely can't be reckless, or you'll only make things worse! Yome, you still have more training to do!"
With a flick of his other hand, Daigan sent an almost invisible chakra thread wrapping around Yome's leg. A gentle tug sent the speeding girl tumbling. Daigan easily grabbed her by the ankle and lifted her upside down.
"It's over, you two. Let me remind you of the fear of being dominated by me…" Holding the two kunoichi upside down, Daigan's old mischievous spirit seemed to resurrect. "Daigan Windmill Dance! Hooooorah!"
He spun his arms in wide circles, coordinating with the rotation of his body. The two girls shrieked as Daigan swung them through the air. Several minutes later, he finally set them down. The two poor girls were dizzy and disoriented, collapsing to the ground, unable to move, drool trickling from the corners of their mouths.
"What a shame. You couldn't handle the overly enthusiastic greeting from the great Lord Red Sand Dust!"
"Hey, you! You have no idea how to treat a lady. That was way too rough! Even I, an outsider, couldn't bear to watch."
"Captain Otokaze, when did you get here?"
"Right around when you started making those rather rude comments about your female teammate's figure."
"I did no such thing!" Even if he had, he would never admit it. It was too embarrassing. "Besides, Captain Otokaze, you're not an outsider. Why didn't you stop them from challenging me?"
"I also wanted to see what my three subordinates were made of," Otokaze replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And as a result, I got to see something this interesting. It was worth the trip!"
***