"It looks like this match will end quickly!" Kankuro wore a relaxed smile as he placed both hands on the edge of the spectator stands and jumped straight off.
"Hey, are you sure you and Kankuro are really biological siblings?" Sakura approached Temari curiously. "I just don't see any resemblance between you two at all!"
"We're definitely real siblings, but I probably look more like our mother, while Kankuro takes after our father. Though considering the face paint he always wears, no one can really tell what he truly looks like anyway!"
Sakura had taken them out to dinner before, so Temari kept things pretty friendly with her. However, when mentioning Kankuro's face paint, Temari couldn't hide her slight disdain.
"That makes sense. He really does resemble his father," Sakura remarked pointedly while glancing at Baki who was standing silently nearby. "They even share similar tastes, apparently!"
"Taste? Father never painted his face before," Temari scoffed, turning to meet Sakura's skeptical gaze head-on. "You don't believe me?"
"Pfft, he clearly has face paint on. How can you claim they differ in taste?" Sakura tilted her chin toward Baki. "Both go for that mysterious style. Anyone could tell they're related!"
"He's our squad leader, not my father!" Temari slammed her palm against the railing furiously, her eyes blazing with anger. "Could you please stop randomly assigning us family relationships?!"
"You guys live pretty close to each other, right?"
Sakura patted Temari's shoulder sympathetically. "I know it's probably inappropriate for an outsider like me to say this, but I'll still say it — let your father stay strong. Life's full of second chances. Cheer up a little. Trading one son for a loyal Jonin subordinate isn't a bad deal at all!"
"I'm innocent!" Baki turned several shades redder from embarrassment. The looks coming from his fellow Sand Village colleagues made him furious enough to kill. As if he'd ever be Kankuro's real father!
"Can't you stop making things up? Spreading rumors might rot your tongue eventually!" Temari gripped the railing tightly, radiating a dark aura. If they had been in Sand Village, she would've made sure Sakura got a taste of the hospital firsthand. Unfortunately, they were currently in Konoha, so she had no choice but to restrain herself.
"Nowadays, can't even say what's true without getting flak..." Sakura muttered while shaking her head, returning to her seat quietly with suppressed laughter. "Indeed, occasionally teasing others feels quite satisfying!"
"That one probably crossed the line a bit," Kakashi said helplessly. "If the Fourth Kazekage ever heard about this, poor Baki would probably be doomed."
Chapter 190: Kankuro's Melancholy [Mid]
"But he didn't hear it!" Besides, who cares if he did? After all, the Fourth Kazekage has no more than ten days left before Orochimaru eliminates him anyway!
Sakura didn't voice those final thoughts aloud. After all, there was no possibility these jokes about Kankuro would reach the Fourth Kazekage's ears since he wouldn't survive much longer anyway.
Watch your tongue — walls have ears!
Kakashi rolled his eyes. Although from appearances alone, he somewhat suspected that Kankuro might be Baki's biological son, he decided it was best to keep such thoughts to himself; after all, no self-respecting man would be able to swallow that much pride.
"Are people from your Leaf Village always this irritating?"
Kankuro, whose face darkened, asked Ino clearly from below.
"This isn't about being annoying—it's simply curiosity about the unknown. It's just a guess, so don't take it too seriously, or it'll sound like you're protesting too much!"
Ino replied with a smile. Both her teasing tone and the way she scrutinized Kankuro only made him look even more displeased.
"What else can you Leaf shinobi do other than show off with words?" Kankuro really wanted to argue fiercely with Ino but then thought better of it, worried it would seem ungentlemanly. So he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
"We can crush the Sand Village pretty bad!" Ino answered Kankuro's question in a good temper—though her words instantly enraged a group of Sand ninjas watching from the stands. "You wouldn't have forgotten, would you? In the last three Great Ninja World Wars, the Sand Village got crushed every single time!"
"You—" Kankuro was absolutely furious but couldn't think of anything to counter. After all, it was indeed true that during those three Great Ninja World Wars, the Sand Village had constantly been at the losing end.
"Although the truth hurts, you've got to learn to accept it. A person shouldn't always try running away from reality!" Ino wore an expression of caring advice as she earnestly explained. "Instead of running away from it all the time, why not think about how to make the Sand Village rise again? If you work hard enough, someday, the Sand Village could go from being fifth among the Five Great Shinobi Villages to fourth place!"
"I won't bicker pointlessly with you. Let's settle this through battle instead!"
Kankuro felt almost like flames were going to burst from his nose. What difference did it make going from fifth to fourth among the Five Great Shinobi Villages? Their goal was to become number one!
"You're [a Puppeteer], right?" Ino looked at the puppet strapped onto Kankuro's back and said, "Come to think of it, I've never actually seen a fight involving puppets before. I wonder how strong you really are!"
"You'll soon witness the power of [a Puppeteer]!" Kankuro was strangely confident in his puppet-manipulation skills, especially since the puppets he used were Karasu, Black Ant, and Sanshouo left behind by the legendary Red-Sand Sasori.
"Cough cough! Both sides prepare yourselves. The match starts now, cough cough!"
Hayate Gekko swung one hand downward, coughing while stepping aside to a corner.
"I'll finish you off as quickly as possible."
Kankuro yanked open the bandages wrapped around the puppet on his back, revealing a peculiar-looking puppet to everyone present.
"How ugly," Sakura, Ino, and others exclaimed simultaneously. Honestly, those Sand puppets really are hideous. Maybe it's just their sense of style—just like the weird war paint they wear on their faces!
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