Time shifted back slightly—Konoha.
With Sunagakure withdrawing, the remaining villages were paired off perfectly. After the usual contest of fighting over scrolls in the Forest of Death, Kumogakure and Kirigakure were ultimately eliminated.
In the stands, Chojuro, representing Kirigakure, watched Kumogakure's team beside him as though observing something. In the end, he walked over to Omoi and asked curiously, "How did you get eliminated in the first round?"
Hearing that, Omoi accidentally bit off a chunk of the lollipop in his mouth. After sensing the candy stick separate and unsuccessfully trying to save it with his tongue, he could only toss the stick in his hand away with a resentful look.
"If I remember correctly, your Kirigakure got eliminated too, right?"
For some reason, Chojuro's face suddenly flushed. At the Mizukage's hint, when they faced Iwagakure's ninja, they had merely exchanged a token couple of blows before handing over their scroll. It had felt rather like surrendering without a fight.
"Sorry, please don't misunderstand. I just thought you should have made it onto the stage. How were you eliminated so quickly?"
Omoi's eye twitched. That explanation would have been better left unsaid. He crushed the remaining candy in his mouth. "...Good thing you didn't say that to Atsui."
"There's really nothing to hide about it. We were eliminated by Konoha's people. Iwagakure wanted to work with us, but honestly, that would've been too troublesome. Who knew whether they'd suddenly turn on us and stab us in the back?"
"I remember two of the three people Konoha sent were girls. You couldn't beat them?"
"Shh—!"
Omoi immediately looked nervous. He secretly glanced at Karui in the distance, then continued only after confirming she had not heard him. "You know, kid? You've got a real talent for offending people."
"Huh?" Chojuro clearly