Chapter 255: The Strongest Mind
"Sigh... looks like I'm the only one left."
From his seat in the stands, Kakashi muttered to himself with mild exasperation. The seats on either side of him now sat empty as Shikamaru and Temari continued their match below.
Watching Shikamaru rack his brain and proceed with painstaking caution, only to be constantly forced back by Temari's massive fan, Kakashi honestly couldn't see how Asuma's troublesome pineapple-headed student could possibly turn this around.
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 would be up soon, while Sakura sat not far away with that blonde girl named Ino, discussing something together.
As for Satsuki... she had quietly disappeared from her seat earlier, location unknown. Kakashi naturally didn't think she'd been discouraged by Lee's performance—though Satsuki might not fully grasp her own capabilities yet, in his assessment, she had no reason to lose to Lee.
Of course, Kakashi hadn't come today just to watch matches. According to the classified jonin meeting the Third Hokage had convened recently, that long-premeditated attack... would very likely happen today.
His gaze swept casually across various sections of the stands, finally settling—seemingly by chance—on several ordinary-looking "ANBU" operatives in the distance.
Having finished his pep talk, Naruto finally returned to the competitors' waiting area. That's when something suddenly occurred to him—in the original story, hadn't Shikamaru won by using the holes Naruto had dug during his earlier match? Now that he hadn't fought yet, those holes didn't exist. Would Shikamaru actually lose?
Somewhat worried, he looked toward the arena and had to ask the silent Shino beside him for a brief recap of what had happened.
According to Shino's concise explanation, events had unfolded roughly as follows:
At the start, Shikamaru had maintained his trademark "what a drag" attitude, lying flat on the ground despite the audience's dissatisfied booing, until Temari launched the first attack.
Shikamaru then quickly retreated into a nearby grove of trees, remaining silent for an extended period while using the trees as cover to dodge Temari's relentless long-range Wind Style suppression.
After a while, Shikamaru began attempting surprise attacks with his Shadow Possession Jutsu. Temari reacted swiftly, and after being forced back to a certain distance by the shadow, she cleverly used her fan to draw a line on the ground, marking the current maximum range of Shikamaru's Shadow Possession.
Following this, Temari continued using her fan to unleash Wind Style attacks while Shikamaru seemingly scrambled to avoid them, occasionally throwing shuriken in retaliation—though Temari easily dodged or blocked these attempts.
The situation appeared to be devolving into a war of attrition unfavorable to Shikamaru... until he exploited the changing angle of the sun, which lengthened the shadows cast by the viewing stands, instantly extending his Shadow Possession's maximum range and catching Temari completely off guard!
The unprepared Temari hastily jumped backward, trying to escape the shadow's reach. At that moment, Shikamaru threw more shuriken to cut off her escape routes, and Temari instinctively dodged sideways...
Then something unexpected happened—Temari fell flat on the ground as if tripped by something, her body going rigid!
Shikamaru seized this fleeting opportunity, immediately rushing forward to close the distance. His Shadow Possession activated again—this time, successfully capturing her!
Naruto squinted, finally seeing the true reason for Temari's fall, instantly understanding Shikamaru's entire plan—the key lay in the nearly invisible transparent threads tied to those shuriken.
So that's why Shikamaru had spent so long hiding in the grove—he hadn't been idle, but secretly laying these transparent traps.
All those "futile" shuriken attacks hadn't been meant to hit directly, but to position these wire-equipped ninja tools precisely, quietly establishing an invisible net of tripwires across the arena.
And that initial Shadow Possession had also been a tactic to drive Temari into the sunlight, where she'd be less likely to notice the transparent threads.
Finally, he'd used the shadow as a feint, forcing Temari to panic and retreat or dodge sideways, precisely stepping into or touching the transparent wires he suddenly pulled taut, causing her to lose balance and expose an opening.
Naruto understood completely. As expected, using the holes he'd dug in the original story to extend his shadow had just been one of many contingency plans this guy had. Even without ready-made holes, he could achieve his goal through other ingenious setups... What an incredible mind.
As perceptive observers in the stands gradually recognized Shikamaru's brilliant strategy, waves of amazement rippled through the crowd. No one had expected this seemingly lazy guy could complete such a spectacular upset victory through such meticulous tactics.
Just when everyone thought the match was decided—Shikamaru slowly raised his hand. Temari resignedly closed her eyes, preparing to accept defeat...
"I lose. I forfeit."
His words immediately sparked confused uproar from the stands. "What's this guy doing?" "Why forfeit when he's clearly won?!" Amid the chaotic questioning, Shikamaru calmly explained to Temari that his chakra was depleted—he could control her for at most ten more seconds... simply put, insufficient time to achieve a result that qualified as "victory."
Of course, that time would be more than enough to press a kunai against her throat... but given Shikamaru's naturally troublesome nature and gentlemanly reluctance to harm women, he'd publicly given Temari a graceful way out.
Though Naruto could faintly hear Ino's outraged roar from her lack of understanding, judging by the complex yet focused way Temari gazed at Shikamaru, clearly she'd deeply etched this lazy guy she'd never taken seriously before into her memory.
Shikamaru's surprising forfeit caused an uproar that came and went quickly. Though it was somewhat harsh to say—and the person involved didn't mind—most people hadn't come to watch Shikamaru's match anyway.
Subsequently, the next match was announced.
Shino Aburame silently dropped into the arena and took his position. However, as time ticked by, his opponent's side remained empty. Gradually, dissatisfied booing and urging grew louder from the stands... the audience's bloodlust ran pretty pure.
Finally, at the Third Hokage's signal, Torune Aburame announced loudly, "Due to Tsurugi Misumi's failure to appear within the regulation time, he forfeits by default. Winner—Shino Aburame!"
After the announcement, the restlessness in the stands didn't subside but rather heated up like boiling water, the noise growing louder. Everyone knew the real main event was about to begin.
Sensing the increasingly fervent discussion throughout the venue, Torune Aburame used a voice that could pierce through the din to call out those two names:
"Now then, for the final match—Naruto Uzumaki versus Gaara of the Hidden Sand Village, please enter the arena!"