"So strong!"
Temari smoothed the rain-soaked hair at her temple. "I never thought Gaara would still be unable to overwhelm Naruto Uzumaki in this form."
Watching the distant battle, Kankuro nodded solemnly.
"He's the second person I've misjudged since coming to Konoha."
At that, Kankuro seemed to remember something and asked, "Temari, you were defeated by a Konoha ninja earlier, so how did you get away unscathed?"
At his question, Temari looked toward Naruto with mixed emotions. "He stepped in and stopped Sasuke. If not for him, I probably would have died at Sasuke's hands."
Although Temari and Kankuro were both merely adopted daughters of the Fourth Kazekage, they had grown up together and shared a deep bond.
Learning that Naruto had saved his sister, Kankuro looked toward him with a complicated expression. "That debt won't be easy to repay."
Temari nodded at his words. "Given his age and how quickly he's improving, neither of us could possibly help him in terms of strength. But if..."
Hearing Temari hesitate, Kankuro turned toward her. "Hey, stop dreaming. The Land of Wind broke the peace treaty first this time, so there's no telling what our relationship with Konoha will be like in the future. Besides, didn't you see his girlfriend, Sasuke? He's better than you in every way, isn't he?"
Temari sighed at those words. "I was only thinking about it."
"In these troubled times, we don't even get to choose whom we love."
As the two talked, the distant battle erupted once again.
As time passed, Shukaku's returning power grew ever greater. At the start of the battle, he could only fire two consecutive Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullets, but as he fought Gamabunta, he became capable of firing three or four Air Bullets in a row.
Another Air Bullet struck