Can't Stop the Hands

Daimaru sniffed at his hand that had just grasped Chien's calf, then rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, feeling the slick warmth.

"Nice touch, seems like your growth is healthy. Just not sure if your strength is as exceptional as your body."

"Don't smell it, you jerk!"

Chien, flushed with anger, along with Yoru, unleashed a barrage of shuriken, cutting off Daimaru's escape route.

"Such temper at a young age, be careful or you'll go bald early!"

Daimaru stomped forward, a wall of sand rising abruptly from the ground, snuffing out all incoming projectiles.

"You're the one who's going to end up bald in the future, dreaming about pursuing Temari!"

Unfortunately, even the most venomous curses couldn't scratch Daimaru, as waves of sand chased after the restless Chien and Yoru, intent on retaliating.

"Having the home-ground advantage is a significant edge in ninja combat. In the Land of Wind, manipulating sand is the least taxing!"

Chien, breathless from Daimaru's onslaught, was slightly resentful:

"You clearly didn't dispel my illusion just now. How could you still detect the direction of my attack?"

"That one?"

Daimaru grinned broadly, baring his teeth.

"Disrupting the five senses with an illusion is indeed impressive, but it's not yet powerful enough to deceive chakra!"

Daimaru waved his hands, pulling up a ring of sand puppets, which performed some comical actions in response to his fingers' movements.

"That's puppetry!"

Yoru's pupils dilated, spotting the chakra threads thinner than hairs connecting Daimaru's fingertips to the featureless, inferior sand puppets.

"Are you really a puppeteer?"

Chien asked, astonished.

"Not really, just know a bit of puppetry and don't have any remarkable puppets to show off. Don't want to embarrass myself!"

The sand puppets were but chakra-eroded constructs of the earth, made on the fly. Even an average adult's punch could reduce them to rubble; they only served to confuse and distract at times.

Daimaru casually used them for vigilance, manipulating the puppets to probe for chakra fluctuations around him.

"Staying alert at all times when out and about is basic ninja practice. What's so surprising about that?"

"Everyone around is a teammate, and you still keep your guard up? Who knows what you're thinking!"

After regaining their composure, Chien and Yoru encircled Daimaru, one in front and one behind.

"Let's crush those sand puppets first, then attack from both sides."

Daimaru's sand manipulation was too slow, the delay evident, nowhere near as nimble as Gaara's sand.

Gaara's overwhelmingly powerful Sand Release, aside from his innate talent, also relied on his daily accumulation.

Daimaru didn't have the leisure to carry around a gourd filled with chakra-wrapped sand, which naturally made manipulation second nature.

But that thing was too heavy; carrying it during the growth period might impact his height, and it would be terrible if he ended up short in the future.

Despite being outnumbered, Daimaru was still brimming with confidence.

"The strategy is sound, but can it succeed? I'm looking forward to your performance."

If Chien and Yoru could unleash unexpected combat prowess to defeat him, it would be a pleasant surprise. Having two formidable teammates was much better than being burdened by useless ones.

Petite Yoru charged first into the fray, weaving through the sluggish punches of the sand puppets, occasionally using her kunai to break the ones that showed weaknesses.

"I'm not just good with my eyes; I'm quite agile too."

Yoru, giving her all, wasn't as weak as Daimaru had imagined. She had some combat ability.

Her small stature seemed frail, but it also made her a smaller target, and attacks lacking speed and agility couldn't hit her.

On the other side, Chien unfolded her fan, covering most of her face, preventing Daimaru from reading her intentions through her eyes or facial expressions.

Then, seizing the moment when Daimaru's attention was on Yoru, she broke through the puppet line and sand jutsu blockade. After dodging Daimaru's jab, her fan caressed the air, spreading the illusion with the power of chakra-infused medicine.

"Chien, you're finally acting like a seasoned Genin. Using illusions in close combat can indeed catch one off guard. With someone to back you up, you're indeed a bit troublesome."

"I've already got someone backing me up, you know. Do you think I'm invisible?"

Yoru lunged out of the puppet encirclement, her punch landing firmly on Daimaru's side, causing his frame to stiffen.

Seizing the moment, Chien sprang up, her knee slamming hard into Daimaru's chin, sending him flying backward.

"Arrogant fool, taste the vengeance of the beautiful girls you've bullied..."

"Ouch... You think you've won?"

Daimaru, suspended in mid-air, flicked his index fingers, and several more sand puppets rose from the ground, encircling the two kunoichi.

"Such sand puppets can't save you!"

Chien laughed as she swept her leg, shattering one puppet after another until the fourth one, which was about to crumble under her kicks, made her sense something amiss.

The kicked puppet didn't collapse; instead, a strong hand reached out from the scattering sand, grabbing Chien's calf.

"When I used the sand wall to block your vision, I switched places with a puppet. Didn't expect you couldn't tell us apart! This time it's the left leg, huh?"

The sand fell away, revealing a smirking Daimaru.

"Chien, be careful."

Yoru ducked low, quickening her pace, trying to rescue her captured teammate.

"Don't panic or act rashly when a teammate is in danger, or things will only get worse! Yoru, you still have much to learn!"

With a flick of his other hand, Daimaru entangled Yoru's leg with an almost invisible chakra thread and with a gentle tug, the rushing girl tumbled into a heap, easily caught by her ankle and dangled upside down by Daimaru.

"It's over, little ladies. Time to remember the fear of being under my control..."

Holding the two kunoichi upside down, Daimaru seemed to have revived the spirit of his mischievous past.

"Daimaru's Whirlwind Dance! Hola hola hola..."

He swung his arms in a full circle, spinning his body, and the two kunoichi screamed as they were swung about in the air. After several minutes, he finally set them down.

The poor girls were left dizzy and unable to move, saliva dripping from their mouths.

"What a pity, you couldn't withstand the overly enthusiastic greeting from Lord 'Red Sand'!"

"Hey, you! Don't you know how to treat ladies with gentleness? You're too rough with girls! Even I, as an outsider, can't stand to watch..."

"Captain Otofū, when did you arrive?"

"Since you ungraciously commented on your female teammates' bodies!"

"I did no such thing!"

Even if he did, he couldn't admit it—it would be too embarrassing.

"Besides, Captain Otofū, you're not an outsider. Why didn't you stop them from challenging me just now?"

"I wanted to see for myself the strength of my three subordinates!"

Otofū replied matter-of-factly.

"And the result? I didn't expect to witness such an interesting spectacle. It was worth the trip!"