"Tch, you don't even know what's going on in your own village?" Temari waved her hand impatiently.
Kankuro set down Naruto and Sakura and slung Daigan over his shoulder. "Let's go. We've wasted too much time. If we piss off Gaara, we're in trouble."
…
Watching the Sand ninja depart, Uchiha Sasuke clenched his fists.
*Are all ninja from other villages this strong? A single one of them could give me this much trouble. What have I been doing all these years?*
Meanwhile, Daigan awoke in the inn Konoha had arranged for them to the furious face of his team leader, Otokaze…
***
The usually easygoing Jonin, Otokaze, had a surprisingly loud voice when he was angry.
The moment Daigan woke up, he was met with a torrent of scolding and then dragged off to apologize to the injured Konoha ninja.
Naruto's injuries were negligible. Sakura's arm was sprained but would be fine after a couple of days of rest. The most seriously injured, Uchiha Sasuke, had only a mild concussion and a few soft tissue bruises.
Sakura sat listlessly on a hospital bed, Sasuke stood by the window with a bandage wrapped around his forehead, and Naruto was complaining indignantly about something while Hatake Kakashi wore his usual unconcerned, fake smile.
Otokaze pushed Daigan's head down, forcing him to bow to Konoha's Team 7. Behind them, a timid Chi and Yome held a bouquet of flowers and a fruit basket, smiling awkwardly.
"In any case, we apologize for the trouble we've caused," Otokaze said to Kakashi with sincere regret.
"It was just a scuffle between kids. No need to be so formal." Kakashi waved his hand. "My students were at fault too. They're just young and hot-blooded, haha…"
The Konoha technician's dry laugh was met with silence from his students. He placed a hand on the indignant blond boy's shoulder. "Naruto, don't be so rude. They've already apologized. Can't you forgive our guests who have come from so far away?"
"Hmph! They're just rude brutes who attack at the drop of a hat. They even hurt Sakura. If they hadn't sneak-attacked us, I wouldn't have lost."
"Hey, being so petty will bring shame to the village…"
Naruto turned his head away, sulking, no longer wanting to listen to a teacher who was siding with outsiders.
"The grudges of youth are so hard to resolve." Kakashi scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. "Jonin Otokaze, and you… Daigan? Leave the rest to me. You may all go."
"In that case… we'll take our leave. If there's anything we can do, please let us know."
"Take care."
Watching Otokaze leave with his three subordinates, Kakashi sighed. "You guys really know how to cause trouble. I'm gone for a little while and you get into a fight with the Sand ninja. You're making me look bad as your teacher."
"It's all that weirdo Daigan's fault," Naruto argued defensively. "I just wanted to see his puppet. Why did he have to be so aggressive?"
"What on earth did you learn at the academy? A puppet is a puppeteer's weapon. Touching it without permission is a serious provocation! Don't tell me you didn't recognize who they were."
"Huh? Well… of course I knew. I was just curious for a moment."
Seeing Naruto's laughably fake expression, Kakashi knew his student didn't understand a thing. "I'm starting to regret recommending you for the Chunin Exam. Maybe it was too soon."
"The Chunin Exam?" Naruto exclaimed in delight. "I'm going! I don't care if they're from the Sand or puppeteers or whatever, I'm not going to lose to them!"
"Then you do your best. You too, Sakura and Sasuke. I'll be waiting to see how you perform."
"Yeah!" Naruto raised a fist, pumping himself up.
Uchiha Sasuke, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke. "Are puppeteers really that strong?"
"Hmm… how should I put it…" Kakashi folded his arms. "I wouldn't say they're incredibly powerful, but they are very good at killing. When it comes to killing enemies efficiently, few ninja can compare to a puppeteer."
"Experts in killing?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"You kids, born in an era of peace, probably can't imagine it, but during the Third Great Ninja War, the opponents Konoha ninja feared most on the battlefield were puppeteers. Basically, every single one of them is a master of poison. If they find an opening and land an attack, the chances of survival are very low."
If it weren't for the medical ninja system that Tsunade had pushed to establish, the price Konoha would have paid to defeat Sunagakure would have been much higher.
"That Daigan barely even used his puppet, and we were utterly defeated…"
Team 7, who felt they had improved greatly after their mission in the Land of Waves, had a large bucket of cold water thrown on them by a nameless nobody who had appeared out of nowhere.
Kakashi sighed softly. "It wasn't a life-or-death battle. The Sand ninja are Konoha's allies; they wouldn't have been too harsh. Don't worry too much about winning or losing. You're no worse than them."
However, until their potential was converted into actual strength, the three Genin of Team 7 were still too green. The Chunin Exam was an opportunity for them to recognize their own shortcomings and strive to improve. But if the blow was too great, it wouldn't be good for them to lose their confidence.
…
Fights between ninja were nothing new. Every so often, rumors would circulate in Konoha about which rivals had beaten each other to a pulp again. The villagers' favorite piece of juicy gossip was still the time Jiraiya was beaten so badly by Tsunade that he had to be rushed to the hospital.
As for a fight between Sand and Konoha ninja? It would be abnormal if it didn't happen a few times during every joint Chunin Exam. The news of Daigan's fight with Kakashi's students barely made a ripple. Only a few acquaintances would occasionally joke about it.
It was common for candidates to test each other and gather intelligence before the Chunin Exam officially began. A team of rookie Konoha Genin getting beaten up by a Sand puppeteer really wasn't a big deal.
The only consequence for Otokaze's squad and Team 7 was an order to repair the broken wooden wall by a set deadline.
Such a punishment was, of course, nothing. Daigan could build intricate puppets; a mere wooden wall was child's play. With Yome and Chi, he finished half the work in less than half a day. The rest was naturally left to the clumsy members of Team 7.
After a short break, Otokaze's squad glanced at the child of destiny who was taking over and turned to leave.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Naruto jumped up and shouted at Daigan, "Hey, you! Daigan!"
"What is it now, shorty?" Daigan narrowed his eyes.
"Let's settle this in the Chunin Exam!"
"We'll see if you can even make it far enough to face me."
"And I'm not a shorty! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"
"Hokage? You?" Yome and Chi snickered.
Daigan, however, was much more polite. "Anyone can talk big, but the Hokage… do you have any idea what being Hokage means?" Daigan looked up at the Hokage Rock in the distance. "Of all of Konoha's Hokage, not a single one has died of old age."
"Died of old age?" The term was too complex for Naruto to understand.
"It means they didn't die a violent death. The only one who might have had a chance to live out his golden years, the Third Hokage, has to come out of retirement to run things now. You say you want to be Hokage. Are you prepared to be killed?"
Daigan finished his chilling words with a smile, then left with a look of mockery, leaving a flustered Naruto staring into space.
-----
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