Shukaku: Letting me take the True Several Thousand Hands head-on-what did I ever do to deserve this?! Bring it on!

The candidates were randomly assigned to enter through ten different entrances.

Although Kitahara Kaede had said they would act together with Hinata, she had been randomly placed at another entrance.

So their first priority after entering was to rendezvous with Hinata.

After all, she was Kitahara Kaede's girlfriend. Sasuke and Naruto understood that well enough.

The three of them immediately ninja-ran toward the edge of the forest.

Naruto and Sasuke's pure Taijutsu had improved tremendously, reaching Jonin level and nearing Elite Jonin level, so naturally, they were fast.

That was also why they were confident they could quickly meet up with Hinata.

But—

"Hold it!"

Gaara, Sunagakure's number one weapon, blocked their path.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Gaara said as he stood atop a tree.

It was a tree the three of them had just passed. Gaara stood where Sasuke had jumped past moments ago.

Gaara appearing here meant... he had cheated.

He had transformed into some kind of object and stuck himself to Sasuke.

That was how he had appeared so quickly.

No wonder Temari had said Gaara could not be persuaded. This guy... simply never listened.

"Damn it, I misjudged you!" Sasuke realized that Gaara had attached himself to him.

So he cursed.

"Naruto!"

"Yeah!"

Both of them had been strengthened by Kitahara Kaede, and neither feared Gaara.

"Bzzzt—" Gaara unceremoniously poured out the sand from his gourd.

Shukaku: Let Me Take True Several Thousand Hands Head-On? What Have I Done to Deserve This?! Part 1

Gaara opened the half-human-height gourd on his back, and an enormous amount of sand spilled out.

His body also leaped down from the tree.

His movements were light and swift.

"Looks like you didn't get enough last time," Naruto said.

Naruto did not have much combat experience