***
After watching his fellow villagers return to Sunagakure, Daigan said his goodbyes to Kankuro and Temari.
It wasn't that he didn't want to spend more time with Temari, but now wasn't the right moment for a long conversation. Even awkward small talk needed a topic, and it would be bad if it strayed into sensitive intelligence. Frequent, secret gatherings of Sand Ninja would draw unwanted attention, and there was no telling who might be watching from nearby.
Although Konoha's focus was currently on Orochimaru, it was still possible that the Sand Ninja, whose loyalty was wavering, might come under scrutiny.
As he was passing through the central lobby on the first floor to buy a few things, he happened to see Uzumaki Naruto talking to one of the nurses at the front desk. The appearance of Hatake Kakashi and the sunglasses-wearing Ebisu made it all clear to Daigan. This must be the private tutor Kakashi had found to help Naruto with his fundamentals.
By now, Jiraiya had probably returned to Konoha and was likely drinking in some small shop in the Teahouse District, or perhaps he had gone to the Hot Springs District for inspiration.
The resources of the most powerful hidden village in the world were truly enviable. They could casually find a special Jonin for one-on-one tutoring. Even after Orochimaru's betrayal, they still had Jiraiya and Tsunade to hold the line.
The Sand Ninja couldn't compare. One only had to look at what happened to Sunagakure after Sasori of the Red Sand defected, taking the Third Kazekage with him.
*There's just no comparison!*
Thinking about it, the success of the Konoha Crush hinged on the element of surprise. If Konoha had been prepared, the Sand Ninja's sneak attack would have had little chance of succeeding. Orochimaru had revealed himself in the Forest of Death, indirectly putting Konoha on alert. Then, just before launching the Konoha Crush, he had eliminated his greatest asset—the Fourth Kazekage. This series of baffling moves made one question where Orochimaru's true loyalties lay. At the very least, it was clear that the rogue ninja, one of the former Sannin, was definitely not on the same side as Sunagakure.
As Daigan passed by without a word, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, and Ebisu stopped and silently watched him leave.
"So arrogant, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto muttered, displeased.
Rock Lee, who had been gravely injured, had been unconscious for nearly two days, only waking up that morning. According to his teacher, Might Guy, Lee had lost almost five kilograms since before the Chunin Exam. Opening the fifth of the Eight Gates for just a few minutes had taken a severe toll on his body. A small part of it was due to blood loss and the poison that had ravaged his system, but most of it was the physical stamina that the Eight Gates had squeezed out and converted into energy. Immense power came with a terrible cost. Without a naturally gifted body and the foundation of relentless training, one wasn't even qualified to use a forbidden technique like the Eight Gates.
The relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure was also quite strange. Although they were allies, the ninja from the two villages couldn't stand each other and wouldn't even exchange greetings unless necessary.
After breakfast, Daigan wandered around the Konoha Hospital for a bit, still wearing his Sand Ninja headband, before returning to his room. He wanted to rest, but he couldn't sit still. He was bored out of his mind, unable to train. For Daigan, such idle days were torture. He read the jutsu scroll Captain Otokaze had given him for a while, but he grew restless. He wanted to go out for a walk, but the hospital's strict rules were a problem. Patients in special wards with serious injuries were not allowed to leave the hospital. Without permission, Daigan's movements were confined to the hospital grounds.
After a moment's hesitation, his restless heart won out. Daigan used his Wind Release chakra to turn himself and his puppet invisible, then slipped out the hospital's main entrance, pushing an unseen wheelchair.
*Once you've tasted the air of freedom, you can never again tolerate a life of confinement!*
Glancing back at the hospital entrance, Daigan headed toward the bustling Teahouse District. It was the most interesting place in Konoha, where most of the best food and entertainment could be found.
Not long after Daigan left the hospital, an Anbu member in an animal mask, hidden in the shadows, began tailing him. Soon, the report that Daigan had snuck out of the hospital reached certain people.
"It's that troublemaker again. He can't sit still even when he's injured.
"Leave him. As long as he doesn't cause any trouble, let him be. We have more important things to deal with..."
Compared to the defiant Sand Ninja, the tangible threat posed by Orochimaru was far more worrying. That was where their immediate attention was needed.
A dozen minutes later, Daigan was cruising in his wheelchair, a pile of purchased delicacies on his lap, eating as he strolled.
However, what Daigan hadn't expected was that, looking more like a street performer than a puppet master, he was attracting even more attention. Children watched with fascination as Daigan used his substitute puppet to push his wheelchair while the beautiful puppet on his shoulder fed him. The Konoha children, who had rarely seen a Puppet Master, were incredibly envious.
After following him for a while, one little boy finally mustered the courage to approach him and ask timidly, "Master, are you the legendary Dream Puppeteer?"
"What's that? Never heard of it. Don't bother me while I'm shopping. Scram..."
"Master, will you take me as your apprentice? Teach me how to make puppets and how to control them..."
"An apprentice?" Daigan looked disdainfully at the group of little kids, none older than six or seven. "You're so clumsy and you look slow-witted. You'd never learn. Get lost..."
As he spoke, Daigan made a ferocious face, scaring the children into running away with cries of alarm. With the annoying brats gone, Daigan's ears were finally at peace.
"Annoying pests just don't learn. If you don't show them who's boss, they'll never know how formidable I am..."
"Is the dignity of a Sand Ninja earned by scaring children?"
Just then, a clear female voice came from nearby. Daigan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a timid Haruno Sakura looking at him, his face a mask of indifference.
"You're... that female ninja who can't do anything and just tagged along with her teammates to pass the Chunin Exam?"
"You really have a sharp tongue..." Sakura's expression changed. "You're still causing trouble even in a wheelchair. Why aren't you lying in a hospital bed instead of bullying children out here?"
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