Konoha's new generation of monsters had finally bared their fangs.
Kakashi looked at the list of finalists, his lone eye filled with pride.
There was no need to even mention the trio from his Team 7. They were already widely recognized as the "Konoha Three New Monsters."
Shikamaru and Shino had also performed admirably. One used his brains to play tactical games, while the other used insects for devious tricks. Both were opponents who could give anyone a headache.
As the crowd dispersed, Gekkō Raito headed straight to a ward in Konoha Hospital.
Ino and Sakura had gone far too hard in their fight for their dignity. Both had suffered plenty of injuries. None were life-threatening, but they were still pretty battered.
The moment the preliminaries ended, Raito had come over without a second thought.
"How are you feeling? Not dying yet, are you, Ino?"
Ino had already woken up in her hospital bed. When Raito pushed open the door, a little color instantly returned to her pale face. She nodded meekly. "I'm fine. Just a few scrapes."
Raito glanced at the mound beneath the blankets in the neighboring bed.
"Was that really necessary? You two are practically sisters. Did you have to fight that hard?"
He did not really understand the complicated, delicate emotions between girls, but he genuinely admired how they had given the fight everything they had.
"It's all that billboard-brow Sakura's fault! She knew she couldn't beat me, but she kept pushing until we both went down. Now I didn't make the finals either! It's so annoying!"
Perhaps seeing the boy she liked had brought her grievances bubbling up. Ino could not help whining to him.
Raito smiled without taking the bait. He simply reached out and took her bandaged hand. "All right, enough complaining. Let