First Round Ends
However, after discussing it for a long time, they came up with nothing. After all, they didn't even know exactly what kind of poison Sasori used—let alone how to counter it. And who could say he only had one kind?
In the end, they settled on a crude plan: prevent Sasori's secret poisoning technique from the start, and finish the fight as quickly as possible without dragging it out.
Because the longer the battle lasted, the greater Sasori's advantage would become.
Guarding against Sasori's poisoning technique wasn't actually that complicated. Although it was classified as a "secret technique," versions of it had already appeared on the battlefield during the Second Shinobi War, so most major villages had developed countermeasures—at least against the more common variants.
Rest time passed quickly, and soon the second half began.
Next up was Nara Shikamaru, whose opponent was Kusunoki Sumire from Sasori's Hidden Sand team.
It had to be said—history loved strange coincidences. Decades later, Shikamaru would also face a kunoichi from Sunagakure in the Chūnin Exams, and his own son would do the same.
"A karmic bond spanning time and space~" Shirō shook his head and muttered to himself.
"What karmic bond? What are you talking about?" Shikamaru didn't catch it clearly, but his gut told him Shirō wasn't saying anything good.
"Nothing. You'll find out later."
"So mysterious. Annoying. I'm going in."
"Good luck."
True to the Nara clan's reputation, Shikamaru took his sweet time. Shirō and the others had already reached the spectator stands by the time he strolled out of the passage.
"This guy is hopeless," Nakamura sighed.
"Still, at least he didn't forfeit."
"...True."
On the other hand, Kusunoki Sumire was already getting impatient.
Seeing Shikamaru's leisurely pace and complete lack of urgency, she scowled.
"You! How could Konoha send someone like you to the exams? Aren't you afraid of losing face?"
Shikamaru ignored her, turning to the referee.
"Can we start?"
"Yes. Form the Confrontation Seal."
After they completed it, the referee announced:
"Match starts."
"Hmph, arrogant fool! Prepare for defeat!"
She quickly retreated, unrolling a scroll and summoning a puppet.
"Uh… this must be what Shirō calls chuunibyou. But fine—since you're ready, I'll start too."
"Hmph! Playing the gentleman won't save you!"
"We'll see."
They quickly engaged—Shikamaru repeatedly tried to close the distance, only to be forced back by the puppet's swift and precise attacks. The match soon settled into a stalemate.
"This doesn't look good for Shikamaru," Minato noted. "Her chakra expenditure is lower. If this drags on, he'll lose."
"Don't worry," Shirō replied. "Shikamaru's clever—he's got a plan. And besides… maybe losing wouldn't be so bad."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Minato, ignore him," Nakamura cut in. "He has these moments of… intermittent nonsense. You know him well enough by now."
"Hey, hey! What's wrong with my personality?"
"Sigh… you're different from the one I know. Is it because of Kushina?"
"Baka! You're imagining things. And why are we even talking about me? Shikamaru would cry if he heard this."
By then, Shikamaru had tried several probing attacks, none landing effectively. But then—he spotted an opening.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
His shadow darted toward Kusunoki Sumire. She jumped back instantly.
"Hmph, Nara clan. Nothing special. You lose."
The "opening" had been her trap—bait to lure him in. But would it really be that simple?
"Is that so? Why don't you take a look around?"
"What's there to—!?"
Her words cut off as she glanced around and froze. Her eyes widened.
While everyone had been watching the stalemate, Shikamaru had been laying Explosive Tags in seemingly random places. The shadow he'd just extended wasn't aimed directly at her—it had linked those tags into a shadow-formed net completely surrounding her.
With one signal, he could detonate them all.
The stands fell silent. Just moments ago, he had been at a disadvantage—how had he reversed the situation in an instant?
Some spectators had noticed him placing tags, but the positioning looked too irregular to be part of a strategy. No one had realized he was setting up a perfect checkmate.
The referee stepped forward—there was no need to continue.
"Winner: Konoha's Nara Shikamaru."
Cheers erupted belatedly.
Shikamaru released his technique and retrieved the tags before the referee had even finished speaking. Then he walked over to Kusunoki Sumire and offered the Reconciliation Seal. She accepted it wordlessly, then tossed her golden hair, sealed away her puppet, and left without another word.
Shikamaru didn't care. The tension between Konoha and Suna was still significant. The only reason the Kazekage had agreed to these joint Chūnin Exams was Suna's dire situation—they desperately needed alliances to stabilize the village. Even so, such cooperation came at a steep price.
There was no need to make friends here; their next meeting could easily be on a battlefield.
The following matches were uneventful—nothing that revealed real strength. By the time Shikamaru left the passage, Shirō and the others were already waiting.
With a serious expression, Shirō patted him on the shoulder.
"You won… but you also lost."
"???"
"Don't mind him," Nakamura said. "Daily nonsense."
"Oh. Got it."
After some joking, they left. The rest of the round was a formality—most matches ended in forfeits due to overwhelming strength differences. The only real fight was between the Taki and Kusa teams.
As expected, when results were posted that evening, Shirō's predictions were spot on. The opponents of Sunagakure and Iwagakure's elites all forfeited. Only the weaker Taki and Kusa ninja fought for advancement.
Those moving to the next round were: Shirō, Namikaze Minato, Rasa, Kitsuchi, Sasori, Watanabe Akira, Taiyi, Nara Shikamaru, Mibu Sukezane, Yanagihara Masamune, the Taki Captain, Midnight Chen Ichiro, Ogasawara, and a Hidden Hot Water Village genin who advanced by bye.