At Hayate's command, the rankings of the twenty-five shinobi first appeared on the big screen. Then they turned into garbled code and began shuffling at random.
All the shinobi in the preparation room, except Hikari, stared fixedly at the screen, praying inwardly.
Please don't let me face that woman!
More than ten seconds later, twelve matchups had been finalized. The one lucky person who received a bye was the shinobi no one had paid much attention to—Tenten.
Tenten suddenly felt a little dizzy and could not help pinching her cheek.
"Hiss~"
It hurt a little. I'm not dreaming!
I actually got a bye!?
She immediately flopped onto the sofa and rolled around in delight. Then she lay facedown on it, watching the electronic screen from the side, her little feet curling and kicking excitedly.
Hehe~ Mom had been right after all. Girls who smiled often were never unlucky~
The other twelve matchups drew plenty of attention, and Hayate immediately announced them.
"Match One: Neji Hyuga vs. Karui."
"Match Two: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Omoi."
"Match Three: Second Pillar vs. Samui."
"Match Four: Shikamaru Nara vs. Kisame Hoshigaki."
"Match Five: Gaara vs. Shino Aburame."
"Match Six: Rock Lee vs. Shiro."
"Match Seven: Sen vs. Fuu."
"Match Eight: Utakata vs. Ajisai."
"Match Nine: Yome vs. Uchiha Hikari."
"Match Ten: Kankuro vs. Kurotsuchi."
"Match Eleven: Temari vs. Yugimaru."
"Match Twelve: Hyuga Hinata vs. Hozuki Suigetsu."
"The matches will officially begin at nine o'clock!"
After Hayate finished speaking, the giant screen on the wall above the audience seats changed into another display, filled with introductions for each shinobi.
"Here, we would like to thank the Minister of Konoha's Commerce Department, Yūhi Kurenai—Empress Kurenai—for her exclusive title sponsorship!"
"She has prepared special entertainment activities for everyone during the competition!"
"Please look at the big screen!"
After