"A man's word is his bond!" Shikamaru nodded and said, "Anyway, I'm right here and not going anywhere. If I break my oath, you can definitely come after me, right?"
"Great, it's settled then," Temari happily agreed, readjusting her Tessen on her back as she prepared to engage Shikamaru in a battle of wits.
"I suddenly realize Shikamaru is actually a classic quiet charmer—he seems low-key on the outside but there's some serious flirting going on underneath!"
Sakura and the others exchanged glances, stunned by how smoothly Shikamaru handled her. "Just moments ago, Temari was threatening to kill him, yet now their relationship has already become much closer. Looks can be deceiving—Shikamaru truly embodies this saying perfectly!"
Meanwhile, watching from the crowd, Shikaku couldn't help frowning deeply over his son's cowardly nature. This boy truly made him lose face! Just look at Ino, Lee, and Hinata—how diligent and promising they were. Looking at how hardworking Ino, Lee, and Hinata were, Shikaku couldn't help but wonder if he should just have another child. Maybe it would be best to just leave this troublesome boy to his own devices!
"Temari, what exactly do you think you're doing?"
However, unlike the spectators from Konoha and other villages who were merely enjoying the drama, Baki, as Temari's team leader Jonin, wasn't happy at all. Did they really intend to drive him crazy? This *was* the Chunin Exams, wasn't it? Weren't they supposed to be bitter enemies? The Leaf Destruction Plan kicks off in a month—can they really turn cold when the time comes after chatting so casually now?
"Ah… well, you should put those books away now; today's fight is unavoidable."
Temari's previously joyful expression immediately dimmed at Baki's sharp call. With a helpless sigh, she looked longingly at her precious collection of books before resolutely turning her head away, taking out her Tessen and preparing to face off against Shikamaru.
"Well then..."
Muttering "troublesome," Shikamaru tucked his books away. Why did this have to escalate into a fight when he could've resolved things peacefully? Frankly, winning this match wasn't important at all. He secretly hoped he'd never have to become a Chunin at all—then he wouldn't have to deal with all this annoying responsibility.
[Wind Release: Beast Wind Palm]
Temari held her Tessen in one arm while gathering Wind Chakra in her other hand. She swung forcefully, forming a concentrated gust of slicing wind rushing straight toward Shikamaru.
"Hey, you don't need to go that hard, do you?"
Shikamaru barely dodged sideways, narrowly escaping the cutting wind attack. Looking up, he immediately saw Temari swinging her iron fan toward him.
"Such a pain."
As he muttered again, Shikamaru quickly pulled out a Kunai, dodging sideways while bringing the blade forward to intercept the incoming strike of Temari's Tessen.
"Crunch!"
The grating sound of metal rang out. The three-pointed fan originally aimed straight at Shikamaru had already deviated from its course after he deflected it slightly with a kunai. The massive fan crashed near his feet, immediately creating a crater in the stone floor.
"If Shikamaru had been hit back then, would he have died?" Sakura mused, rubbing her chin.
"Not a chance! That sly fox would never let himself get hit!" Tenten's expression darkened. Shikamaru was the smartest of the group and especially cunning in battle. In countless sparring matches, almost no one had managed to make him suffer a loss—instead, they were usually the ones tricked by him. Therefore, everyone secretly wished for someone who could finally outwit that sly fox.
"And especially that ability of his that feels like cheating—it's so frustrating! There's absolutely no way he'd be crushed by that thing," Hinata angrily smacked the railing. Whether due to their personalities or not, the special ability Shikamaru developed seemed tailor-made for someone like him—practically everyone had been caught off guard by his skills.
"It's just a sparring round, y'know? No need to get so worked up about it," Shikamaru remarked, breaking into a cold sweat. If he had been struck earlier, he probably would've been crippled if not killed outright.
"How can you not take a sparring match seriously?!" Temari charged forward, hugging her giant three-pointed fan. Despite its size, she wielded it as if it weighed nothing at all, handling it with incredible ease.
This wasn't because Temari was particularly strong, but rather because she channeled Wind Release chakra through the fan while using it, reducing its weight significantly. The Wind Release chakra attached to the weapon saved her considerable effort.
With both hands on the fan, Temari swung it repeatedly at Shikamaru—who only had two kunais at his disposal. Facing such an enormous weapon, Shikamaru spent most of his time dodging.
[Wind Release: Gale Palm!]
Just as Shikamaru dodged another attack from the fan, Temari suddenly released it, clapped her hands together, and blasted a powerful gust of wind straight toward the unsuspecting Shikamaru.
"Troublesome..."
Although complaining aloud, Shikamaru's hands moved quickly, forming two simple hand seals. His shadow instantly expanded beneath his feet, rising like a black wall to block the attack. [Hidden Technique: Shadow Wall Jutsu!]
The gale slammed into the shadow wall, warping it violently, yet ultimately, the wall held strong.
As the gale faded, the shadow snapped back into shape, then extended swiftly toward Temari under Shikamaru's control.
"Nara Clan's Hidden Shadow Techniques again?"
Temari spotted the creeping shadow on the ground and immediately grabbed her fan, retreating rapidly. However, while evading, she missed the faint smirk playing on Shikamaru's face.
"This fight's probably wrapping up soon!"
Seeing Shikamaru start taking offensive action with his shadow, Sakura and the others exchanged glances—they knew at once this match was no longer worth watching.
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