Once Gaara appeared in the center of the arena,
everyone in the stands turned their eyes toward him, sizing him up.
Especially the Land of Fire's daimyo, who could finally lower the fan that had been covering his face.
If Second Pillar had arrived any later, Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably have been dismissed on the spot by the daimyo before Orochimaru even had to make a move.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mood had already sunk to rock bottom. Even seeing Second Pillar arrive did little to stir him.
He silently pulled out his pipe and took a puff, looking as though he had ascended to heaven.
"Only this good stuff makes me feel like I'm still alive."
Shiranui Genma bit down on the black senbon in his mouth.
"If both candidates are ready, the match begins now."
At his command, Kakashi instantly vanished from the arena and reappeared in the stands beside Might Guy and Sakura.
In the arena, before Second Pillar could make a move, he saw Gaara suddenly reveal a crazed expression.
Gaara covered one eye with a hand and muttered, "Don't be so angry, Mother."
Sand emerged from the gourd on his back, floating through the air as though it possessed a will of its own.
Seeing this, Second Pillar cautiously went on guard.
As the massive amount of sand fell from the air to the ground, Gaara's frenzied expression returned to its usual coldness.
"Hmph."
Second Pillar was the first to throw shuriken, then charged forward.
His punches and kicks were blocked by Gaara's sand.
Just as Gaara's face remained utterly unmoved, Sasuke's lips curled slightly upward. In an instant, he burst forth with speed comparable to Rock Lee's during the preliminaries.
He easily kept up with Gaara's sand.
Gaara immediately recalled Rock Lee's watermelon-shaped haircut, and a