Beep, beep, beep.
The big screen lit up.
"Ahem, ahem..." Gekko Hayate coughed softly as he walked to the center of the Arena, his pale face almost bloodless,
his fingertips white from the force of his grip.
The electronic screen rustled as it unfolded. "Next match: Konoha ninja Hyuga Hinata versus Sunagakure ninja Temari."
The moment he finished speaking,
Temari's face fell, her brows knotting tightly beneath her long blond hair.
She abruptly stepped back half a pace and snapped her iron fan shut, gripping it so hard that even its patterned surface strained. "You're kidding! Are you sure you've got the right names?!"
She turned to glare at Kankuro, her voice sharp with disbelief. "You want me to fight the girl who nearly killed all three of us?! Does that sound reasonable to you?
"The last time her eyes lit up, all three of us nearly went flying! She even beat Shukaku until he cried."
(Shukaku: Shut up, shut up! Who cried? Who cried?! I was just drooling in my sleep...)
Kankuro leaned against the railing with his arms folded. His puppeteer's mask covered half his face, but the exposed corner of his mouth was twitching wildly.
He nodded emphatically, as though trying to convince himself. "I think... Examiner Gekko Hayate must have read it wrong. Yeah, he definitely got the name wrong. Don't take it seriously."
"...It's real." One look confirmed it.
Gaara stood behind them, a cascade of sand slowly swirling in his palm. His amber eyes remained calm, but he broke his usual silence. "You're no match for her."
His tone was as flat as if he were discussing the weather.
Yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.
And even a faint trace of concern.
Temari bristled at once. She was about to argue when the sight