Night fell, and it was late. In Konoha, only the street lights were on; everywhere else was dark.
Konoha Park. Shikamaru, who had run countless laps around Konoha, returned to this place again, panting as he leaned against a big tree: "Wait... wait a minute, I... I have no strength, wait... run some more..."
He had been running all night.
Temari, leaning on her iron fan, came to another large tree, her face flushed from excessive Chakra and physical exhaustion.
She looked at Shikamaru, sweating profusely, her chest rising and falling: "You... are you a rat?... You can really run..."
Her Chakra was overused, and she couldn't use any Ninjutsu right now.
"Who told you to keep chasing me!" Shikamaru said, feeling hopeless. "Aren't you... going back to the hotel... Didn't Kankuro and the others... think about... looking for you?"
Temari definitely didn't come to Konoha alone. He hadn't heard that the Kazekage was coming, so Gaara wasn't here. It was likely that Maki and Kankuro came with her. She had been chasing him since dinner until almost midnight, didn't Kankuro worry about his sister at all?
Maybe that guy was watching the show at the hotel.
Temari panted heavily, although the sneer on her face was gone, her eyes were still fixed on Shikamaru: "Are you still... stalling for time... Is it even worth it?"
"Heh." Shikamaru glanced at Temari. "Yes, look now, don't you have no Chakra to use Ninjutsu? But I still do."
Simple physical exercise definitely uses less Chakra than constantly using Ninjutsu. Shikamaru could actually still use a few Shadow Imitation Techniques, but Temari really didn't have any Chakra left.
"Huh?" Temari raised her head in disbelief. "Stalling... using up my Chakra... so I can't use Ninjutsu? Are you a kid?"
"Just tell me if it works or not." Shikamaru said, smiling at Temari.
Temari was furious.
Although she didn't want to admit this guy's childish tactics, she really couldn't use a single Ninjutsu right now. If Shikamaru hadn't stopped in the park, she probably would have collapsed... Wait, was this guy doing it on purpose?
"You knew I didn't have the strength to chase you anymore, so you stopped on purpose?" Temari clenched her fist, her eyes fixed on Shikamaru.
Shikamaru tilted his head: "How could that be? I don't have any strength either."
Temari gritted her teeth: "You're treating me like a kid again... you're just brushing me off like that... Last time during the mission it was like that too... you damn pineapple head!"
"Wind Style: Sickle Weasel Technique!" Temari shouted and swung her iron fan again, forcefully draining the completely dry Chakra in her body.
But the next second, her movements completely froze in place, and she looked at Shikamaru holding her iron fan in disbelief.
When did he do it?!
She didn't see this guy make any hand signs at all!
"The Shadow Imitation Technique isn't such an inconvenient thing." Shikamaru stood up, leaning against the tree, and pointed at his feet. Their shadows were already connected.
He sighed and took a step forward: "Okay, actually it's because the position I was standing in was on the edge of the streetlight, and your position was already standing on my shadow. Even just a simple hand sign could activate the technique."
Temari reluctantly lifted her foot, walking forward in sync with Shikamaru's movements: "You could have controlled me a long time ago, why only now...".
"Because... it's already twelve o'clock."
Shikamaru stopped and looked at Temari, who was facing him, pointing at the moon in the sky: "The time has come, you didn't kill me, you lost."
Temari's eyes widened, as she looked up in disbelief.
Right at this moment, the park's bell rang, the sound signifying midnight spread in all directions.
Looking at the huge clock in the distance, Temari was in a daze: "Why does Konoha have a clock that rings in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid of bothering people?"
"Don't worry, no one lives around here." Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets, his tone flat. "In short, you lost. You didn't shark me within a month."
Temari clenched her fist.
"Okay, I don't need you to change your last name either." Shikamaru waved his hand, looking annoyed. "Anyway, you lost, so don't try to kill me anymore, it's such a pain. If there's another mission... I can let you command, but I might not listen."
Temari bit her teeth hard, looking down at the ground.
Shikamaru tilted his head, feeling like something was wrong with Temari: "Hey, are you okay?"
"It's none of your business!" Temari shouted angrily. "I, Temari, keep my word! I won't appear in front of you again! I won't even come to the Land of Fire again! You damn pineapple head! Don't let me see you in the Land of Wind!"
"Release the Shadow Imitation Technique!"
After shouting, Temari's chest rose and fell violently, her eyes were red, and Shikamaru... just stood there dumbfounded.
Wait, what... do you mean?
Shikamaru stood there foolishly, looking at Temari's angry look, feeling very confused.
He scratched the back of his head and released the Shadow Imitation Technique.
But unexpectedly, the moment he released the Shadow Imitation Technique, Temari collapsed as if she had lost her support, and the iron fan in her hand fell to the ground.
Shikamaru subconsciously stepped forward to catch her, his tone helpless: "Your stamina should be enough to support you back to the hotel from here..."
He didn't think his calculations were wrong.
Unless, Temari came to Konoha and immediately ran to find him without resting.
Temari shrank into Shikamaru's arms, pushing hard against Shikamaru's chest with her hands: "Let me go! I can go back myself!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes: "If I let you go, you can only sleep in the park for the night."
"None of your business!" Temari cursed.
"You!" Even if Shikamaru had a good heart, he was a little angry now. "What happened between us during the mission was just an accident, and you chased me for a month for no reason, and today you even came to Konoha to attack me. I'm already being nice by not killing you, and now you're still getting angry at me?"
"Temari! Do you want to destroy the peace between our countries?" Shikamaru's tone became a little heavy.
Temari: "..."
She took a deep breath and looked at Shikamaru: "So in your eyes, I chased you to destroy the peace between our countries?"
"Ah... no, I..." Shikamaru didn't say that.
"Fine." Temari put down her hands that were pushing against Shikamaru's chest, her face suddenly becoming incredibly calm, just like... when they first met during the Chunin Exams.
She looked at Shikamaru and said, "Then please take me back to the hotel. As an ambassador from the Sand Village of the Land of Wind, this request shouldn't be too much, right?"
Shikamaru: "..."
What's wrong with this woman?
Shikamaru and Temari looked at each other, Shikamaru's eyes were filled with confusion, and Temari's eyes were filled with calmness.
They just looked at each other like this, until...
"I think Temari is even more angry now. If you ask why, I've seen her current expression on Hinata before. I remember that time Naruto went with Jiraiya-sama to gather material...that is, to peep at the women's bathhouse." Shino squatted in front of the two and pushed up his glasses.
Shikamaru: "..."
Temari: "..."
Where did you come from?
Shino stood up and said in a flat tone, "In fact, I've been here from the beginning, squatting behind Kiba. I watched you run seventeen laps around Konoha and then come back here."