The moment Gaara and Shino Aburame stepped onto the arena, the stands fell silent. The audience leaned close, whispering among themselves as they discussed the two with acquaintances beside them.
"Shino Aburame... he's from the Aburame clan, right? I know Konoha has that clan, and they seem pretty strong, but why does it feel like we hardly ever see them?"
"I heard from a friend that the Aburame clan is pretty aloof. Since they're Insect Masters, they rarely show themselves around the village."
The Aburame clan had always given people that impression. Even when they stood amid a crowd, they somehow created the illusion that they barely existed...
As for the spectators from Hidden Sand, most of them looked at Gaara with disgust and contempt.
"This guy is only useful at times like this. He may be the village's calamity, but his strength isn't ordinary."
"Exactly. I wagered my entire fortune on him. There's no way that monster will lose."
"Hmph. It'd be a waste not to make a fortune off a monster like him..."
Gaara could feel the malice from those people, but he no longer cared what others thought. He merely looked silently in the direction of his father, Rasa.
It was as though he wanted to meet the other man's gaze through the one-way glass wall.
Rasa, meanwhile, watched Gaara with a calm expression.
Based on Baki's reports over the past few days, the tailed beast within Gaara seemed to have stabilized considerably.
His feelings toward Gaara had always been governed by an immensely complicated mix of emotions.
As the Kazekage, his strict supervision and harsh treatment of the Jinchuriki made him a qualified Kazekage.
But as a father...
He knew very well that he had not been a qualified father to Gaara. After the previous Jinchuriki