Enviable

Temari grabbed his collar with both hands, hooked her foot behind his, and pressed him to the ground with the momentum.

Lin Chongshu lost his balance and was slammed to the ground.

He found an opening and viciously kicked out with his right foot, landing squarely in Temari's stomach.

The kick was no light one. Temari was sent flying, rolling half a turn across the sand.

Lin Chongshu was delighted. After taking such a heavy kick, wouldn't a little girl like her be furious?

Accept the baptism of my Will of Sand!

Anger, humiliation, grievance—whatever it was, as long as he could draw even a little attribute from it!

Temari climbed to her feet.

She did not cry, get angry, or look aggrieved.

She dusted the sand from her clothes and glanced at Lin Chongshu.

There was a hint of surprise in her eyes, as though she had not expected Lin Chongshu to be able to fight back. Then her lips twitched, revealing an expression that said, "This is interesting."

She assumed her stance again, her gaze more serious than before.

The two of them tangled together once more.

Lin Chongshu took a punch to the face and answered with an elbow strike. Footprints covered the sand in a chaotic mess.

Before long, two more bruises appeared on Lin Chongshu's arms.

Temari had several more shoeprints on her body, and her clothes were covered in sand, yet she never showed the slightest sign of losing her temper from being hit.

She just fought. When she was knocked down, she got back up and kept fighting, with neither anger nor grievance on her face.

Lin Chongshu suddenly lost his drive.

It was not that he could not beat her. It was that Temari did not seem like a local; this sort of pressure did not affect her.

Some people hated you when you beat them. Temari neither hated nor feared him after being hit. She was serious, but without any excess emotion. You simply could not squeeze anything out of someone like that with fists and kicks.

He relaxed, and Temari flipped him over and threw him to the ground.

He lost, and Fatty took his place.

Temari swept out with a kick, striking Fatty squarely in the chest.

The red-haired Fatty flew sideways, his back smashing into the ground. The corner of his mouth was scraped open, and beads of blood seeped out.

He climbed up and wiped his mouth. "As expected of the Kazekage's daughter! You're amazing! That kick has benefited me immensely..."

Lin Chongshu rubbed his arm at the edge of the field and glanced at him. "Don't make me look down on your Will of Sand!"

Fatty pretended not to hear him. Limping toward the edge of the field, he kept looking back at Temari from the corner of his eye.

Kankuro had long since finished on his side. He could not even be bothered to take out his puppet.

Sitting on the sand, Lin Chongshu did the math in his head. There was no way the Kazekage had assigned the few of them to be guards.

The Kazekage's young master and young lady probably just needed sparring partners for real combat, so they had picked a few sturdy boys to serve as punching bags.

Once Temari and Kankuro reached another level, these punching bags would no longer be enough. Then they would be kicked back, and go on eating instant noodles nearing their expiration date.

They just had to honestly take a beating for a few days. Endure it, and it would be over.

By the time the sun climbed overhead, the first round of training finally ended.

Several boys sprawled across the sand in every direction, panting heavily.

Fatty's lips were cracked, yet he was still grinning foolishly. "As expected of Lady Temari! In the future, I will definitely protect Lord Kazekage and Lady Temari with my life."

Lying facedown on the ground, Lin Chongshu glanced at him. Thinking that Rasa had been killed by Orochimaru before the Chunin Exams, and that there were only six years left until then, he said, "Then your life is already like a candle in the wind."

They rested for about half an hour.

Before they had taken more than a few sips of water, Temari walked over from the edge of the field again and looked in Lin Chongshu's direction. "You. Another round."

Lin Chongshu set down his water flask. He was about to admit defeat and find an excuse to refuse when—

Fatty suddenly stood up. "Lady Temari! I can do it!"

Then Lin Chongshu saw Temari's expression abruptly change.

Her lips suddenly pressed into a thin line, her shoulders tensed, and her fingers unconsciously clenched around her fan. Her breathing became shallow and rapid, as if she were desperately holding something back.

Lin Chongshu turned in the direction Temari was looking.

The entrance to the training ground.

Several Chunin surrounded a small figure as they walked toward them.

Red hair, dark circles under his eyes, and a rag doll held in his arms.

Kankuro stood at the edge of the field. One of the puppet parts in his hand fell, but he did not dare pick it up.

The small figure drew closer and closer.

Gaara had arrived.

Lin Chongshu thought, He hasn't even done anything yet, and they're already this terrified at the sight of him. As expected of Sunagakure's number one family. This rich family atmosphere brimming with the Will of Sand really is enviable.

Fatty beside him also saw Gaara.

It was as if the underlying code of a Sunagakure resident had been triggered. He reflexively stood up, but although his mouth opened, no sound came out.

He turned to look at Temari, his eyes shifting back and forth between Temari and Gaara.

He struggled between his desire to improve and the instinctive reaction of a Sunagakure resident. At last, his desire to improve defeated his instincts, and his open mouth closed again.

In the end, he sat down on the ground, hugged his knees, and stared fixedly in Gaara's direction.

After watching the whole scene, Lin Chongshu thought, Not bad. If Shikamaru weren't around, maybe you'd have a chance to marry true gold like Elder Tang one day.

With Gaara's arrival, Temari and Kankuro completely lost any desire to practice.

Temari folded her fan and held it against her chest before retreating to the edge of the field. Kankuro squatted down to pick up the parts, stuffing them into his pocket as soon as he found them. Once he was done, he stood and left.

That was how today's training dispersed. No one came out to say, "One more round."

As they walked back, Lin Chongshu deliberately looked over his shoulder.

In the center of the training ground, several Chunin had formed a circle, blocking Gaara from view.

Through the gaps between them, Lin Chongshu could see the small figure still standing there without moving.

Lin Chongshu's gaze passed through the gaps and met Gaara's.

In an instant, Gaara immediately looked away.

His chin tucked further behind the rag doll, and his shoulders drew inward a little more.

He was nervous?

Lin Chongshu turned back and caught up with the group, while the doubts in his heart only grew.