"All right, everyone, please wait a moment while we repair the arena," Hayate said a little sheepishly as he looked at the devastated platform.
According to the original plans, the arena should have been sturdy enough for Chunin-level combat.
But Hinata and Neji had fought a little too fiercely, completely exceeding the expectations of Hayate and the others.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi had prepared for this. The repair crew, who had been waiting for quite some time, went straight onto the platform. In less than a minute, a fully restored arena appeared before the audience again.
And the names for the next round were about to appear.
In the contestants' seating area, the remaining participants let out long sighs of relief. The three biggest monsters in Team 7 were out of the running now, leaving only Karin.
Karin might be troublesome, but she was still better than facing Naruto and the other two, who had dominated their year-and even the entire school-for six years.
As long as they found an opening, they still had a chance to win.
Everyone's attention returned to the screen. Different names flashed across it until, as though it were fate, the names of two best friends appeared together.
Shikamaru's eyelid twitched. Why did he keep getting the feeling that this selection system was out to stir up drama? First Hinata and Neji, now Sakura and Ino. If Sasuke and Naruto fought next... no, wait, Naruto and Hinata would be even more entertaining.
"You've gotta be kidding me! Sakura, we got matched together!" Ino's eyes widened as she looked at her name and her best friend's on the screen, her whole demeanor growing a little gloomy.
She wasn't quite sure she could beat Sakura. After all, Ino had mainly studied her family's Mind Body Switch Technique, while