Chapter 31: Here Goes Nothing!
Hayate continued to explain the single-elimination tournament. Winners move on to the finals, losers go home with nothing.
As he spoke, a large, rectangular screen appeared high above the arena floor.
"This screen will display the names of the two combatants in each match, chosen entirely at random," Hayate said, raising his hand to silence the murmurs that began to rise. "There will be no time for scouting or strategizing beforehand. This is a test of your adaptability and your ability to react on the fly."
Arthur, standing among the remaining Genin, scanned the crowd.
Team 7—Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—stood together, a mix of determination and apprehension on their faces.
Team 8—Hinata, Kiba, and Shino—were seemingly lost in quiet contemplation. The players' teams had too many mixed expressions to be able to gauge their thoughts.
Karin's team didn't make it, despite Arthur claiming to have helped her.
Then there was Team 10, consisting of only Chōji. Arthur figured that this loner would never have made it to the preliminaries by himself. He had to have been given help from a player.
But that didn't stop Arthur's objective—to eliminate anyone who might pose a threat.
His gaze drifted to the final team, Team Baki. Gaara stood impassive. Temari, the eldest sibling, had cool confidence. And Kankurō had a bored expression.
Arthur knew better. No member of that team should be underestimated. They'd come all this way, and they wouldn't' be easily defeated.