Just as everyone was getting ready to eat, the first batch of "guests" arrived at the "banquet" grounds outside the Tower.
They were the trio from Sunagakure-Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.
After several rapid exchanges of attacks and counters, both sides tacitly pulled back.
Gaara and his siblings retreated to the shade of the Forest of Death at the edge of the clearing. Gaara stood in front, with Temari and Kankuro on either side of him, forming a triangular defensive formation.
Gaara remained expressionless, sand flowing slowly around him; Temari held her unfolded Three-Star Fan, her expression wary; Kankuro had withdrawn his puppet, but his fingers still rested on the scroll behind his back.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, Neji, and Tenten quickly fell back to join Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others in the rear, restoring their full battle line.
Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan. He was breathing a little heavily, but his gaze remained sharp.
He turned to Naruto, who stood calmly at the very front of their group, and said quietly:
"That redhead isn't as strong as we thought."
Their brief head-on clash had given Sasuke a preliminary assessment.
Gaara's sand defense and sand manipulation were certainly troublesome, and his attacks were heavy and unpredictable. But in speed, agility, and penetrating power, he didn't seem to have shown an overwhelming advantage.
Especially in a one-on-one fight, Sasuke felt reasonably confident that he could beat him.
"Mm."
Naruto nodded, acknowledging Sasuke's assessment.
Hopefully, these three will know what's good for them and go inside without a fuss.
Kankuro looked at Shikamaru.
"We meet again. You guys looked pretty pathetic running away earlier!"
"Heh."
Faced with Kankuro's provocation, Shikamaru merely kept his hands in his pockets and gave a flat chuckle. He couldn't even be bothered to raise his eyelids, much less respond.
That disregard