Back at the Tower's arena.
"Congratulations on your win!"
Watching Sakura Haruno come up, Luo Mang nodded in praise. Naturally, he had noticed her progress.
Stars sparkled in Sakura Haruno's eyes as she looked at Luo Mang and said sweetly, "Thank you for the encouragement, Mang. I'll keep working hard. I hope I can stand beside you someday."
After speaking, she even shot Hinata Hyuga a provocative look, as if declaring that she had won.
"Hmph."
Hinata Hyuga gave a soft huff and turned away.
Luo Mang felt helpless about this sort of battle, but he had no idea what to say. He could only ignore it and look up again to see who would fight next. Would it be him?
(Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka)
Luo Mang looked up at the new match listing, a little surprised.
"What a coincidence."
"Huh?"
Naruto Uzumaki stared wide-eyed at the listing. Wasn't this match a little too targeted? He had finally made a new friend willing to talk things through with him. Their conversation had been going well, and his friend had even offered to introduce him to a partner.
Yet a moment later, they were matched against each other, and one of them had to be eliminated. Wasn't that a little...?
"Heh, looks like we have no choice but to fight."
Kiba Inuzuka wasn't nearly so sentimental. He accepted it readily and spoke calmly.
Fresh from her victory, Sakura Haruno looked delighted. In a rare gesture, she even gave Naruto a thumbs-up in encouragement.
"Go get him, Naruto. Don't let us down."
Two members of their three-person squad had already won. Only one remained. If Naruto lost, he really would be letting them down!
"Hmph, don't worry."
Naruto Uzumaki took a deep breath. Whether for his dream or to stand alongside