First Impressions

"Is this Konoha Village?" Senza gazed in awe at the bustling entrance to the village. Unlike the somewhat grim Sunagakure, the vitality radiating from within Konoha made the first-time visiting Sand Genin feel a touch of envy.

"Our ally, this is their essence," Daimaru steadied his heart and took the lead, with Yoru and Senza following a half step behind.

The gatekeepers, as expected, were Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki. Spotting Daimaru's group from a distance, the guards, seemingly forewarned, did not show excessive wariness towards the strangers wearing Sand headbands. 

However, routine checks were still in order. After a cursory inspection of the travel documents and belongings presented by Daimaru, Senza, and Yoru, Kotetsu and Izumo let them through.

"Chunin Exam participants, right? The Sand sure arrived late this year!"

"Well, we did come from the farthest away," Daimaru replied calmly, tucking away his travel pass. "I believe Sand has some members who arrived earlier. Could you tell us where to find them? Or perhaps, could you provide a map? Being new here, we're not quite familiar with the lay of the land."

Perhaps it was the traditionally cautious demeanor of their allies that had given Konoha a rather obedient impression of them, so Kotetsu and Izumo didn't take much offense at Daimaru's slightly impolite request.

"Konoha Village is quite large. Feel free to wander around. If you end up somewhere off-limits, the Anbu will surely inform you," Izumo said, his face soft but reserved, while Kotetsu was more talkative.

"I see. Well then, until we meet again!" Daimaru nodded and led his teammates away.

"Is that guy a puppeteer?" Izumo watched Daimaru's retreating back.

"He must be! A puppeteer who brazenly displays his puppets like that is quite the oddity."

Since Daimaru had exposed his puppeteer skills, he no longer bothered to hide them, allowing his puppet girl to sit openly on his broad shoulder. Such a distinctive puppet was hard not to notice.

Yoru, still retaining much of her girlishness, was dazzled by the bustling streets lined with all manner of sights. If not for Senza holding her hand to guide her slowly forward, the petite girl would have long since stopped walking.

"We must be the first Sand team to arrive, right?" Compared to other more nonchalant teams, Daimaru's group was at the forefront, even ahead of the single-minded Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.

Senza looked around cautiously at the Leaf shinobi they passed.

"Shouldn't we gather some intelligence in preparation for the Chunin Exams?"

Daimaru shook his head.

"No need. The majority of the Genin participating are small fry; it's not worth our time. We just need to keep an eye on the more well-known ninjas."

Out of over a hundred and fifty participants, only half would remain after the written test, and following the Forest of Death, only seven squads would qualify.

As the decision-maker of the group, once Daimaru had made up his mind, Senza didn't press further.

"So, what shall we do? We still have several days before the exams begin."

"That's easy," Daimaru's face lit up with a brilliant smile. "Let's play the country bumpkins and enjoy the sights of Konoha Village first!"

"That sounds good!" Senza was indifferent to the plan, but Yoru was delighted.

As for Daimaru's true intentions... the Chunin Exams were a stage to showcase one's abilities. Without demonstrating potential, even if Daimaru had many ideas, they'd be hard to realize.

And more importantly, once the Konoha Crush plan commenced, Daimaru needed to escape the danger zone swiftly. How could he do so without familiarizing himself with the terrain first?

"Let's split up and act freely. Regroup here in an hour... wait!"

Daimaru was instructing his team when he suddenly noticed a short, blonde-haired boy in orange clothing walking alongside a pink-haired girl in a dark red dress.

"Encountering the Child of Destiny so easily? What a small world!"

Yoru and Senza followed Daimaru's gaze to the two people not far off.

"Leaf ninjas, just two kids. Likely newcomers!"

Yoru dismissed them, failing to remember that just last year, she too was a rookie.

"Could they be competitors in this year's exams? Should we test them?" Senza was ready to draw her fan, waiting for Daimaru's nod.

The blonde boy, with an animal-like sharp intuition, seemed to sense the observation and turned to lock eyes with Daimaru.

"Sakura, are those people looking at us?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Who would be looking at a runt like you... Oh? They really are!"

"Leaf Genin, quite interesting!" Senza chuckled behind her fan, observing the two Leaf Genin making a spectacle of themselves, "They're utterly without caution, not even up to par with students from the Sand ninja academy!"

Just then, Daimaru stopped Senza, who was about to make a move.

"Don't underestimate them. They may be useless now, but who knows about the future."

Yoru scanned the surroundings, "We're being watched!"

"Indeed," Daimaru nodded. "Let's not reveal too much about ourselves. More than one pair of eyes is on those two weaklings. Let's move on... Oh?"

Daimaru, Yoru, and Senza were ready to leave without causing a stir, but unexpectedly, the blonde-haired boy approached them.

"Nice puppet. Are you a performer here in Konoha Village?"

"Though a bit foolish, at least his aesthetic sense isn't off," Daimaru mused. The term "performer" was a catch-all for all puppet crafters.

Within the ninja branches, those who created battle puppets were known as "puppeteers," and Sasori of the Red Sand was among the elite.

"Stupid?"

The blonde boy, Naruto, paused, "Are you insulting me?"

"What do you think? Kid, keep your dirty hands off my puppet!"

Naruto, lacking any sense of propriety, had actually reached out to touch Daimaru's carefully crafted treasure.

"Tch, stingy! Coming to Konoha to make a living and not letting others see your puppet, how will you do any business?"

"Oh? You want to see it? I'm not opposed to showing you, but the price may be too steep for you!"

Though Daimaru hadn't intended to cause trouble, since the other party had provoked him first, he couldn't be blamed.

With a light pat on the puppet on his shoulder, Daimaru spread his right hand, pointing at the bewildered Naruto.