Kankuro's eyebrows twitched, and he subtly took a step back, excluding himself from a conversation he was already alienated from. The hatred their siblings felt for their father was a touchy subject between them considering Kankuro had the unpopular opinion in this case, so he firmly stayed out of it. It was good for keeping the peace, but not necessarily effective in helping him to understand their reasoning.

"I chose my team mates," Kankuro announced, a hard look at Gaara and at their sister before he fixed his gaze off to one side, his hands finding refuge in his pockets. It was an attempt at a casual pose to offset the forcibly controlled tonation of his voice. "I was being tested. I was asked to hone in my leadership skills and form a unit of my own. So the idea was mine."