"This result means I owe you a favor," Temari's expression flickered with uncertainty before she finally said to Shikamaru. She decided she would mention it to her father later during the Leaf Destruction Plan—asking him not to cause trouble around the Nara compound could count as repaying that debt.
"Whatever," Shikamaru replied carelessly, waving his hand and turning to leave. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped. Under Temari's puzzled gaze, he tossed a sealing scroll toward her. "This contains the full deluxe collector's edition of the entire novel series. Since you clearly loved it, why not take it—consider it a gift!"
Chapter 211: Calabash Brothers vs Stone Man [Part 1]
"For *me*?"
Temari hurriedly caught the sealing scroll Shikamaru had thrown at her, her face full of disbelief. "Why would you give something this valuable to me?!"
She ran her hands over the sealing scroll—deluxe collector's edition indeed. It was rumored there weren't many sets across the shinobi world. Forget about someone like her, just a lowly Genin—even if her father, the Kazekage, used his authority to embezzle money for an entire year, the total probably wouldn't cover the cost of one complete set.
"I noticed you really enjoyed that novel earlier, so I figured I'd just give it to you," Shikamaru said while walking away with his back turned. He completely missed the sight behind him—Temari's face slightly flushed, eyes flickering as she watched his retreating figure.
"No way! Shikamaru's secretly such a smooth operator—he really knows how to charm the ladies!" Sakura and the others were absolutely stunned. "He might have lost the match on the outside, but he still managed to score big time!"
"And he didn't even break a sweat during the fight!" Hinata expressed dissatisfaction. "Setting traps right from the start—this lazy bum is as annoying as ever!"
"I knew that guy had ulterior motives all along! Pretending not to like girls while secretly seducing them rotten!" Ino joined in criticizing Shikamaru. "Looks can be deceiving!"
"And as usual, he's been sneaky as ever—no wonder he's called a sly old fox!" Tenten also started joining in, targeting Shikamaru's womanizing through the tournament.
"Listen, I only accidentally tricked you guys a few times during sparring matches. Is it really necessary for all of you to gang up on me like this?" Shikamaru twitched his lips—how did he feel like he was turning into some sinister, scheming villain?
"Pfft!" they all said in unison, rolling their eyes. A few times? They were completely fooled every single time!
Meanwhile, Zabuza rushed excitedly onto the arena, only to find no injured people needing rescue this time.
"Eh? Why isn't there anyone injured today?!" Zabuza asked in confusion.
"If no one's hurt, we'll head back first. We'll check again next round to see if there's anyone who needs help," Haku responded without complaint, gently smiling as he pulled Zabuza offstage.
"Aww, no injured patient this round—less money for us!"
Zabuza felt anxious. Before, all the injured patients had come from other villages, and he hadn't hesitated to rip them off. Now, those foreign ninjas were walking gold mines in Zabuza's eyes—cold hard cash! But this time, nobody got hurt, and he mourned the money slipping through his fingers.
"No problem. We'll just take our cut from the previous three matches. Prescribe more medicine, especially expensive ones. We'll still rake it in this way!" Haku said with a gentle smile, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. For the sake of her own comfortable life, sorry, but you guys from other villages will have to bear with it.
"Fine," Zabuza agreed without hesitation. After all, they weren't from his village; ripping them off came with no pressure at all.
Watching the two so-called conscientious doctors walk away while openly discussing how to scam others out of their money, Hayate Gekko let out a deep sigh, clearly troubled. Konoha just didn't feel the same anymore. Back when Tsunade-sama was still around, they'd never rip patients off. Sure, Tsunade had an explosive temper—often unintentionally worsening patients' injuries.
Pushing such random thoughts aside, Hayate glanced at the electronic screen and announced, "Please step onto the arena: Choji Akimichi from Konoha Village and Gan Jui from Iwagakure!"
"Huh? Is it my turn already?" Choji, who had been slowly snacking, lifted his head in confusion. Seeing his name on the screen, his eyes lit up. "Great! If I win this match, I'll treat myself to a big meal later!"
"Is there any difference between saying that and not saying anything at all?" Ino looked at Choji unimpressed. "With your strength, this match definitely won't be close. You don't need an excuse just to justify eating a feast, do you?"
"I need to set myself a goal; only then can I motivate myself even more!" Choji said with conviction—though nobody bought it.
"That guy Gan Jui isn't an average opponent," Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and reminded them. Since her Byakugan could see chakra, she noticed Gan Jui's chakra was nothing short of what a genin should possess.
"This year's Chunin Exams sure are lively! Nearly everyone who made it this far is quite impressive!" Sakura surveyed the surroundings. None of the candidates standing here were simpletons; each possessed strength beyond that of ordinary genins.
"It'll get even livelier in a month!" Kakashi replied casually while reading a book. "However, I think for most people, it'll probably feel more horrifying."
"The name 'Golden Flash' has indeed left a lifelong shadow on many people!" Sakura laughed. In a month, right when the Leaf Destruction Plan kicks off, Naruto's parents are officially coming back. It's estimated that by then, Obito would start questioning the meaning of life.
"Just Obito is missing," Kakashi's eyes revealed deep sadness. His teacher had returned, Rin had returned too, yet Obito remained trapped in darkness. Who knows when they could stand together again?
"Kakashi-sensei, you don't need to feel this sad. As long as Rin is around, Obito will definitely change his mind!"
Sakura knew well just how deep Obito Uchiha's obsession with Rin truly was. Even when he fought with the Ten-Tails for control over his body, it was his love for Rin that let him overpower its will. Later, after using the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu and having the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path removed, while barely clinging to life, he still managed to suppress Black Zetsu's consciousness purely through his love for Rin. Just like in the original plot, it wasn't some powerful ninja force that brought Obito back—it was the memories he had with Rin.
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