"Sigh… I'm the only one left," Kakashi muttered to himself with a hint of helplessness from the stands. The seats on either side of him were now empty, and Shikamaru and Temari were still locked in a struggle down in the arena.
Watching Shikamaru, who was racking his brain and proceeding cautiously but still being forced back by Temari's giant fan, Kakashi couldn't imagine what chance Asuma's troublesome pineapple-headed student had of turning the tables.
After the first match ended, Might Guy had hurried off with his beloved student Lee, who was being carried away by the medical team. As for his own three students—Naruto was about to make his appearance, while Sakura was sitting not far away with the blonde girl named Ino, discussing something.
As for Satsuki… she had quietly left her seat earlier and was nowhere to be found. Kakashi naturally didn't think she was discouraged by Lee's strength—although Satsuki might not have a clear understanding of her own abilities, in Kakashi's opinion, she had no reason to lose to Lee.
Of course, Kakashi hadn't come today with the mindset of just watching a match. According to the secret Jonin meeting the Third Hokage had convened not long ago, the long-planned attack… was very likely to happen today.
His gaze seemingly casually swept over every corner of the stands, finally settling, inadvertently, on a few seemingly ordinary Anbu Ninja in the distance.
—
Naruto, having finished his psychological counseling, finally returned to the waiting room. It was then that he suddenly remembered something—in the original story, Shikamaru won by using the pit he had dug in his previous match, right? Now that he hadn't even entered the arena, those pits didn't exist, so would Shikamaru lose?
He looked worriedly at the arena and could only ask the silent Shino beside him to briefly explain the battle so far.
According to Shino's concise narration, the process was roughly as follows.
At the start, Shikamaru maintained his "troublesome" style, enduring the dissatisfied boos from the entire audience, and simply lay down in the arena, doing nothing until Temari initiated the attack.
Subsequently, Shikamaru quickly hid in a nearby grove of trees, remaining motionless for a long time, only constantly using the trees for cover to dodge Temari's continuous long-range Wind Release suppression.
After a while, Shikamaru began to attempt a surprise attack using his Shadow Imitation Jutsu. Temari reacted quickly; after being forced back a certain distance by the shadow, she deftly drew a line on the ground with her fan, marking the maximum attack range of Shikamaru's current Shadow Imitation Jutsu.
Afterward, Temari continued to unleash Wind Release with her fan, and Shikamaru seemingly clumsily dodged, occasionally throwing a shuriken in retaliation, but all these attacks were easily dodged or blocked by Temari.
It seemed the situation had devolved into a disadvantageous war of attrition for Shikamaru… until he used the change in the sun's angle, which caused the shadows from the stands to lengthen, instantly increasing the maximum range of his Shadow Imitation Jutsu, catching Temari off guard!
Caught off guard, Temari hastily jumped backward, trying to escape the shadow's range. Just then, Shikamaru threw another shuriken to block her movement, and Temari subconsciously dodged to the side… Then, something unexpected happened: Temari suddenly fell to the ground, as if tripped by something, and her body became stiff!
Shikamaru seized this fleeting opportunity, immediately rushed forward to close the distance, and activated his Shadow Imitation Jutsu again—this time, it successfully captured her!
Naruto squinted, seeing the real reason for Temari's fall, and instantly understood Shikamaru's entire plan—the key lay in the almost invisible transparent thin threads tied to those shuriken.
It turned out that Shikamaru had not been idle while hiding in the grove for so long; instead, he had been secretly setting up these transparent traps.
All his previous "futile" shuriken attacks were not meant for direct hits, but to precisely throw these Ninja tools with attached threads to predetermined positions, quietly laying an invisible "tripwire net" in the arena.
And the initial Shadow Imitation Jutsu was also a tactic to force Temari into the sunlight, making it harder for her to notice these transparent threads.
Finally, he used a shadow feint, forcing Temari, when retreating in a panic or dodging sideways, to precisely step into or touch those transparent threads that suddenly tightened and straightened in his hand, thereby losing her balance and revealing an opening.
Naruto understood. Indeed, using his own dug pits to extend his shadow in the original story was just one of this guy's many backup plans. Even without existing pits, he could achieve his goal through other ingenious arrangements… What a brilliant mind.
As Shikamaru's brilliant strategy was gradually deciphered by the sharp-eyed people in the stands, gasps of admiration rose and fell. No one had expected that this seemingly lazy guy could achieve such a brilliant underdog victory with such a meticulous tactical plan.
Just when everyone thought the outcome was decided—Shikamaru slowly raised his hand. Temari closed her eyes resignedly, preparing to accept defeat… "I give up. I forfeit." Shikamaru chose to forfeit.
As soon as he said this, an outburst of incomprehension erupted in the stands. "What is this guy doing?" "Why is he surrendering when he clearly won?!" Amidst a cacophony of doubts, Shikamaru calmly explained to Temari that his Chakra was exhausted, and he could only control her for ten more seconds at most… Simply put, the time was insufficient to achieve a result that met the definition of "victory."
Of course, that amount of time was more than enough to press a kunai against the opponent's throat… But Shikamaru, out of his troublesome nature and gentlemanly reluctance to be harsh on a woman, publicly gave Temari a graceful way out.
Although Naruto could faintly hear Ino's roar of incomprehension from his position, seeing Temari's complex and focused gaze on Shikamaru, it was clear that she had deeply imprinted this previously overlooked lazy guy in her mind.
Shikamaru's unexpected surrender caused the audience's commotion to come and go quickly. While it might sound a bit hurtful, the people involved didn't care. Because the vast majority of people hadn't come to watch Shikamaru's match in the first place.
Subsequently, Shiranui Genma announced the start of the next match.
Shino Aburame silently flipped into the arena and stood firm. However, as time ticked by, his opponent's side remained empty. Gradually, the dissatisfied boos and urging from the stands grew louder and louder… The audience's bloodlust was quite pure.
Finally, at the Third Hokage's signal, Shiranui Genma loudly announced, "Due to Dosu Kinuta's failure to arrive at the designated time, he is deemed to have automatically forfeited his match qualification. The winner of this match—Shino Aburame!"
After the result was announced, the unrest in the stands did not subside; instead, it grew like boiling water, with the clamor becoming louder and louder. Everyone knew that the real main event was about to begin.
Shiranui Genma felt the increasingly fervent discussions throughout the arena and, with a voice loud enough to cut through the din, called out the two names.
"Then, for the final match—Uzumaki Naruto, and Gaara of the Hidden Sand Village, please step forward!"
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