The instant Temari landed, her gaze swept over the shattered puppet wreckage littering the ground before shifting to Kankuro, whose entire body was stiff and whose breathing was ragged. Her eyes instantly filled with shock and disbelief.
"Your Crow, Black Ant, and Ibuse... were all destroyed?"
Temari looked at the splintered wooden fragments and broken metal components on the ground, her tone full of disbelief.
Kankuro's face darkened. He gritted his teeth and nodded, his voice suppressing extreme fury and humiliation. "Yes, all of them were destroyed. I lost to this Konoha brat."
Temari's gaze immediately focused on Kawaki Aoba. She carefully sized him up from head to toe, her eyes sharp as blades, filled with scrutiny and wariness.
The young man before her stood tall and straight, with refined features. He wore a standard Konoha forehead protector and ninja uniform, his aura restrained. He appeared completely ordinary, without the slightest hint of overwhelming pressure—yet he had crushed every one of Sunagakure prodigy Kankuro's puppets head-on and even seriously wounded Kankuro himself. His strength was simply inconceivable.
"Who are you?"
Temari's fingers tightened slightly around the Three-Star Fan, her voice cold and stern, filled with vigilance.
Kawaki Aoba gave the same answer as before. His expression remained calm as he faced Temari's scrutiny without the slightest fear.
"Kawaki Aoba..."
Temari repeated the name under her breath, her brows knitting tightly. "I've never seen your name in Konoha's intelligence files. Are you a newly promoted Genin? Or an Anbu concealing his identity?"
"Just an ordinary Konoha ninja."
Kawaki Aoba replied calmly.
"An ordinary ninja?"
Temari clearly did not believe him. A cold curve formed at the corner of her lips, and her eyes grew even more guarded. "Someone capable of crushing Kankuro's three puppets head-on and crippling most of his combat