11
The Golden Ranking List had merely judged him slightly superior.
Now that the One-Tail had gained thirty percent more power out of thin air, the balance had instantly reversed.
The Eight-Tails knew full well that he no longer had an advantage.
Next, the rewards for third through tenth place were announced one after another.
This time, Gaara took center stage.
The youngster waited eagerly to see the results.
The first item to appear was a bottle of body-tempering pills.
Their effects were mild and focused on strengthening the body—nothing particularly unusual.
But the second item that followed left everyone stunned.
It was a Question Card.
Gaara stared at the three items before him, his fingertips hovering in midair.
Which one should I choose?
The question weighed on his chest like a stone.
Above Sunagakure, the air seemed to still.
Temari turned sideways, her gaze settling on his slightly pale face. "Gaara, have you decided?"
"The body-tempering pills are useless to me."
Gaara's voice was level, betraying no emotion.
He was used to controlling the battlefield through sandstorm-like suppression from a distance, not close-quarters combat.
Having a Wind Release ninja train in hand-to-hand combat was a joke.
Other ninja might have been tempted by even that slight improvement in physical ability.
But not him.
"I'll use the Question Card."
As his words fell, even the air around him seemed to freeze for a moment.
It was a risky move.
If he won, the payoff would be enormous; if he lost, his chance would vanish entirely.
But there was no hesitation in Gaara's eyes.
Since a direct assault did not suit him, he would gamble on his intelligence instead.
Hashirama Senju's approach of sending the card away clearly did not suit the current situation.
He did not need to pass it