Moving to avoid Daigan's wheelchair, the three Grass-nin quickly departed. Only Karin subtly bowed in gratitude before following her two unfriendly teammates with an awkward, bitter smile.
*When was it that Orochimaru recruited Karin?* Daigan wondered silently in his room.
After the Konoha Crush, a heavily injured Orochimaru wouldn't have had the time to recruit a little girl, aside from his trip to Tanzaku Town to find Tsunade. So...
*It must have been after he was forced to use the Living Corpse Reincarnation on Genyumaru because he couldn't wait for Uchiha Sasuke.*
The poor girl. She would have to wait until Uchiha Sasuke defected from Konoha to have a chance to escape the Land of Grass. However, whether joining Orochimaru's forces was a good thing or a bad thing was hard to say.
***
Of course, these trivial matters had nothing to do with Daigan. Even if he wanted to intervene, he couldn't.
Nearing noon, after a satisfying meal, the drowsiness from his rising blood sugar washed over him. Daigan put down the jutsu scroll he had read several times, gazed at the cotton-candy-like white clouds outside the window, and unwittingly closed his eyes.
During his carefree nap, Daigan seemed to dream of something pleasant. A happy smile spread across his face, and the corners of his mouth relaxed, allowing a bit of drool to escape onto his pillow. The dampness and cool sensation on his cheek startled him awake.
*Someone's here!*
Before his eyes even opened, his fingers twitched. The two puppets waiting by his bed for their master's command instantly stood up straight, protectively guarding him.
"Don't be alarmed!" a voice, clearly lacking in strength, called out. The familiar tone allowed Daigan to relax slightly. Opening his eyes, he saw it was the proctor for the third round, the sickly special Jonin—Gekko Hayate.
"Proctor, what brings you here so suddenly?" Daigan asked, relieved it wasn't a surprise attack from Gaara. Being "sacrificed" by his little brother-in-law at this point would be a huge loss.
"This is about the third round of the Chunin Exam. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, and for the sake of fairness, I need to inform you in advance."
"Please, go on." Daigan adopted an expression of rapt attention.
"Of the candidates who advanced, only number eight, Yakushi Kabuto, and number nine, Daigan, were slated for an extra preliminary match due to the lottery draw. However, there has been an unexpected development..." Gekko Hayate coughed a few times before continuing. "Candidate number eight, Yakushi Kabuto, has withdrawn from the Chunin Exam. Therefore, you will win by default and proceed directly to the main tournament. The fourth match will be between number seven, Temari, and you, number nine..."
"That's good news. One less match gives me more time to prepare..."
"I'm glad you have no objections." Gekko Hayate paused. "You are the only one directly affected by this change, so I needed to inform you promptly to avoid disrupting your preparations for your opponent! You can disregard Yakushi Kabuto and prepare directly for your match against Temari."
"Understood. Thank you for the notice, Proctor," Daigan said, his face calm.
"Additionally, considering your injuries, please rest and recuperate for now. We will arrange the best possible treatment plan to minimize any impact on your training! However, I must also ask you to cooperate with the doctors' instructions and not act on your own. Otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences!"
"I understand!" Accepting advice humbly was one of Daigan's strengths. Especially after being caught sneaking out of the hospital and warned for needlessly provoking the Grass Ninja, it would be foolish not to behave.
"Very good. I wish you success in the exam!" With that, Gekko Hayate vanished in a flicker of movement.
Staring at the open window and the sheer curtain fluttering in the gentle breeze, Daigan shook his head helplessly.
"Do all Konoha ninja prefer windows to doors?"
Not only that, but the chakra-thread detection measures he had set up in his room had failed to alert him to any intrusion. If Gekko Hayate hadn't intentionally revealed a trace of his presence, Daigan wouldn't have noticed him at all. Even if he was a sickly man who would be killed in one blow by Baki's Blade of Wind, he was still a formidable special Jonin, a master far beyond Daigan's ability to gauge.
He could finally put aside the notion that Chunin and Jonin were weak cannon fodder, an idea born from watching Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto mow them down like chickens. Fighting above one's level was a privilege reserved for protagonists. Everyone else should probably play it safe.
What a pity...
*I wonder how many days Gekko Hayate has left to live. Will he be killed while investigating, just as I expect?*
For him to come and notify Daigan personally over such a small matter showed that Konoha was at least maintaining a facade of fairness. If he had a choice, Daigan would have preferred that this man not die such an obscure death.
...
A little earlier, in a private room at the Teahouse District's most famous "Double-Sake Tavern," Sarutobi Asuma wore a pained expression as he felt his empty wallet, helplessly watching Akimichi Choji devour slice after slice of fatty grilled meat.
"I know I promised to treat you, but can't you guys show a little restraint? You're going to eat me into bankruptcy..."
"It's rare to get to eat all the grilled meat I want. How could I pass this up? You're too naive, Asuma-sensei!" Choji replied without hesitation, his oily chopsticks poised and his eyes fixed on a piece of meat that was almost done cooking.
"It's still morning. Eating so much greasy food, you'll get indigestion!"
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