𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐆𝐀 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍

The Preliminaries, Pt. 5

A/N: Just a heads up, I'm going to try switching perspectives in this one to make it more interesting.

Last time:

"Okay! The next match is Temari of the Sand vs Ino Yamanaka!"

Hanara's eyes widened, 'Ino has no chance.'

Now:

Ino's Perspective:

"Ino," Hanara whispered, "She's a Wind user, too. Be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," Ino brushed her off, making her way to the fighting area, where Temari already stood.

"Now, if there aren't any objections, you may begin," the proctor said.

They both stood there for a moment, sizing each other up.

"Let me just warn you. Once I start my attack, it's game over," Temari smirked.

Ino's eyes narrowed, 'Cocky, aren't we. Let's just see how good you are.'

"Hmph. It's not healthy to think so highly of yourself," she said before running towards her opponent with a punch ready.

And then, even though Temari didn't do anything but lift the fan strapped onto her back, Ino was suddenly forced back.

'This isn't good.'

"So you can manipulate the Wind without hand signs then? Okay..." Ino muttered, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to come up with a plan.

'Dammit, coming up with plans is more of Shikamaru's forte,' Ino thought, 'Besides, my techniques rely on the fact that there's someone else there to help me. Unless I find a good way to trap her, I'm not going to win this match. And if she has a summon or something... I'm done for. Let's hope she doesn't...'

"As always, you're being disagreeable, Temari," Ino heard the puppet specialist say.

'She's like this all the time? That must mean this isn't taking any effort... Dammit! Why can't I think of anything? I use a close-range to mid-range combat, she's a long-range fighter that is capable of pushing me back. In other words, she's my worst enemy. She'll knock away any shuriken or kunai I throw at her, just like Hana did with Tenten... How can I trap her if I can't even touch her?'

"Are you thinking about forfeiting, Blondie? It's in your best interest to do that, you know. We wouldn't want you to end up in the hospital," Temari said, forcing Ino out of her thoughts.

Hanara's Perspective:

"It's another win for the Sand, isn't it," Hanara sighed.

'If Temari is good enough to manipulate the Wind without using hand-seals... Ino, you don't stand a chance. If I remember correctly, she can use the Wind Scythe Jutsu right now. If that's the case, she's right, it's in your best interest to forfeit.'

"Yeah," Shikamaru responded, leaning onto the bars, "This is embarrassing. The Sand shinobi are all powerhouses while we... we're just a bunch of rookies with luck."

"Hey! We don't know that yet!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly.

"You wouldn't understand," Shikamaru said lazily.

"Then one of you explain!" he demanded.

"Idiot... as if I'd do such a troublesome thing," Shikamaru drawled.

"It would be better for you to just watch and learn," Hanara added.

"These guys are so hard to understand," Naruto muttered.