"Good weather really is a catalyst for idiots," Chi muttered. "That blond kid is so full of himself. And the proctor seems a bit off, so moody..." Chi actually found Morino Ibiki to be quite reasonable. Mitarashi Anko, who seemed ready to fight at the drop of a hat, was another story.
Yome, however, found someone else far more unsettling. "That Grass Ninja with the long tongue... isn't he a little disgusting? I really don't want to get near him."
"Then stay far away from him," Daigan said. "It's our turn. Let's go."
***
A short while later, Daigan, Yome, and Chi were led to gate thirty-three. At the proctor's signal, the candidates surged into the forest, and the second stage of the Chunin Exam officially began.
"We're in luck," Yome said cheerfully. "The Grass team next door has the Scroll of Earth we need, and they don't look too strong."
Team Otokaze, having drawn a Scroll of Heaven, had quickly locked onto their prey. Gate thirty-two, not far from them, was where Karin's squad—the only Grass Ninja team left besides the one Orochimaru had killed—had entered.
"Well done, Yome." Having an all-seeing, all-knowing sensory ninja for a teammate was a huge advantage in the Forest of Death. It hadn't been as obvious during the written test, but here, it was time to let those cannon-fodder extras, the ones who wouldn't even get a cameo in the finale, experience the humiliation of being crushed by superior intelligence.
Just as Daigan led Yome and Chi in a swift approach toward Karin's team, the red-haired girl with the Kagura Mind's Eye instantly sensed the approaching danger.
***
"Wait, enemies approaching!" Karin warned her teammates, her voice small and timid.
"Enemies? How is that possible? We've barely gone anywhere, and we're already being targeted?" said the sword-wielding Grass Ninja in disbelief.
"It's true. They're coming fast, and they're heading straight for us. There's no mistake."
"Who is it?" asked their slightly shorter leader.
"It's that puppet master from the Sand, Daigan."
"That hot-headed, arrogant Sand Ninja? Perfect. Let's test his strength. His two teammates don't look very strong. This could be our chance."
"I think... we should avoid them."
"Shut up, you idiot!" The swordsman shoved the meek Karin. "If you weren't so useless, we wouldn't have to be this cautious!"
Instead of running, the fools, who had clearly misjudged their own strength, charged headlong toward their pursuers, much to the delight of Team Otokaze.
"After more than ten years of bad luck, my fortunes are finally turning. Yome, Chi, get ready."
Ordinary Genin rarely fought ninja from other villages outside of the joint Chunin Exams. There was a world of difference between sparring with your own village's Genin and fighting an outsider.
Daigan, leading the charge, flung the puppet from his shoulder. Its steel-boned fan clashed against his opponent's longsword.
"I'll tie up his puppet! You take out the user!" the swordsman yelled.
The words had barely left his mouth when the shorter Grass Ninja shot forward, a kunai aimed straight for Daigan's heart.
"Die, you damn puppet master!"
*Thwack.*
A straight punch connected squarely with the short ninja's jaw. A sickening crack echoed through the trees—it was likely fractured.
"Trying to kill me right off the bat? Grass Ninja are such an impolite bunch. You really think you can beat a puppet master in close quarters? I could turn trash like you into a bloody pulp without even using chakra!"
Daigan followed up with a heavy stomp to the ninja's abdomen, causing him to vomit blood and lose consciousness instantly.
Meanwhile, Chi, coordinating with Daigan's puppet, dispatched the swordsman in a matter of moments. Yome, wasting no time, bypassed the two combatants and went straight for Karin's hiding spot. She captured her and found the Scroll of Earth Team Otokaze needed in her tool pouch.
***
By a hidden stream, Karin sat on the ground, paralyzed with fear. Her two teammates, hands bound by Daigan's puppet, knelt before him, awaiting their fate.
"You guys are already as strong as monsters. Why do you have to bully the weak like us?" the swordsman spat.
"My, what a tear-jerking performance. Enough to make a man weep!" Daigan drawled, his tone lazy and dismissive. "You're weak, so you get bullied. Is that my fault?"
"You've already won! Just take the scroll and go! Why stick around just to humiliate us?"
"What a pathetic sight." Daigan walked over and kicked each of them, sending them sprawling. "So aggressive before the fight, but the second you lose, you start blaming the heavens. That little girl over there has more dignity than both of you combined. She's scared, sure, but at least she didn't piss her pants in terror."
"That's enough, Daigan," Chi said, tugging at his sleeve. "Temari isn't here to see you show off. Let's just go."
Yome nodded in agreement. "She's right. Now that we have both the Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth, we can head straight for the central tower and pass the second stage."
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