"You really don't hold back with that mouth of yours," Kankuro sighed. "Can't you lay off the insults for a bit? Your teammate is in a match. If you're not going to cheer for her, at least don't comment on their appearances. It's very rude."
***
"You don't have to tell me, I'm watching," Daigan said with a wave of his hand. "Just lightening the mood."
As for encouragement, he would cheer if his teammate won and be a little disappointed if she lost, but it wasn't the end of the world. The match between Chi and Nara Shikamaru should be a little more exciting than the one between Haruno Sakura and Shikamaru... no, to be more precise, it should be more intense.
Both seemed to realize this was the final match to decide a spot in the finals.
Chi, forming hand seals, used her still-abundant chakra to perform a jutsu.
"Clone Jutsu!"
Against an experienced ninja, the Clone Jutsu wasn't very effective. But for Shikamaru, who lacked a Kekkai Genkai dojutsu, he could only rely on combat experience to tell the real one from the fakes. What's more, Chi was a genjutsu user. It wasn't just insubstantial clones; illusions from her secret medicines constantly interfered with Shikamaru's judgment.
*She's not getting close,* he thought.
Shikamaru continuously threw kunai, probing for Chi's real body, but to no avail. *This is bad.* Even with his high intellect, he was powerless without an opportunity to use it. The Nara clan's shadow ninjutsu relied on the element of surprise, and Chi, having seen it more than once, was naturally on guard.
The strange, fragrant scent of chakra in the air grew thicker. Unsurprisingly, as time went on, the genjutsu's effect on him would only increase. If this continued, his chances of winning would dwindle. Worst of all, it was night. The bright lights illuminating the hall left no usable shadows anywhere.
*If there are no shadows, I'll have to make my own. Time to go on the offensive.*
Pulling out a handful of ninja tools, Shikamaru moved constantly, throwing kunai tied with exploding tags. This served to both clear out the illusionary clones and carve a safe path for himself.
"Rich kid," Chi muttered.
Constantly dodging the shuriken and explosions, Chi's room to maneuver began to shrink. Some of the scattered tools were tied with thin steel wires, which Shikamaru occasionally manipulated to change their direction. Unfortunately, Shikamaru's aim with projectiles wasn't very precise, and his remote control via wires was far from masterful.
He glanced up at the glaring lights overhead, trying to clear his head.
*My sense of direction is getting fuzzy. How many times have I broken a genjutsu now?*
If he didn't secure victory while his senses were still reliable, he wouldn't get another chance.
Having a rough idea of his opponent's true location, Shikamaru used the last of his strength to charge forward, flinging shuriken in all directions. He wasn't aiming to wound, just to restrict her movement.
A wary Chi dodged away, only to inadvertently step on the shadow of a steel wire connecting a shuriken to Shikamaru's fingers. She froze, unable to move.
The bewitching illusions and clones vanished before her eyes. A triumphant grin spread across Shikamaru's face.
"How could a thin wire cast a shadow in this light? You were careless!"
The long, thin shadow shifted, connecting Chi and Shikamaru. "Shadow Imitation Technique, successful."
"I'm caught?" Chi, who thought victory was within her grasp, was shocked to be caught by the shadow jutsu.
Kneeling on the ground in exhaustion, Shikamaru formed a hand seal, gathering his chakra to suppress Chi's resistance. "It's not impossible to break the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, but with your strength, you probably can't do it."
"Break free? You're overthinking it." A bitter smile touched Chi's lips. "I was just thinking about how to end this with some dignity."
As she spoke, the white-plumed iron fans in her hands suddenly burst into white flames, rapidly burning until only the blackened frames remained. Along with the flames came a foul smell that filled the air.
"Did you know? The components of many fragrances, including pollen, are flammable and explosive. You used so many exploding tags, yet they never reacted. That's because they were missing a crucial catalyst."
"What did you say?"
Before a horrified Shikamaru could react, a ball of orange fire erupted. The roar of the explosion drowned out everything in the arena.
The uneventful battle had taken such a sudden turn that even Daigan was stunned.
The blast, which swept across more than half the arena, dissipated after a few seconds. When the dust settled, Chi lay face down at the center of the explosion, blackened and motionless. Shikamaru, thrown by the shockwave, seemed to have some consciousness left. He lay on his back, limbs twitching for a moment, but his injuries were too severe, and he passed out.
It would have been a miracle if either of them had escaped such a blast unscathed.
Gekko Hayate went forward, checked their injuries, and after a couple of coughs, announced, "As both combatants are unconscious and unable to fight, there is no winner this round. Both are eliminated."
In theory, Shikamaru still had one more chance to challenge someone, but seeing his condition, there was no point in pressing the issue.
With that, the third stage preliminaries were officially over. There were nine finalists in total.
Konoha Ninja: Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Yakushi Kabuto, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Neji.
Sand Ninja: Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Daigan.
Excluding the Otogakure spy Yakushi Kabuto, Daigan was the oldest of all the finalists, followed by the slightly younger Temari, and then Kankuro. The rest were all kids who had graduated from the Academy less than two years ago.
The medical team entered the arena to treat Chi and Shikamaru.
"It's over. I'm going to check on Chi..."
As her teammate, he couldn't just ignore her now. Konoha's medical corps was clearly a cut above Sunagakure's. The Sand's medical-nin were only decent at treating poison; you couldn't expect much else from them.
As she was receiving emergency treatment, Chi slowly regained consciousness.
"Daigan?" she murmured, opening her eyes to see him watching over her. "I... lost again?"
"Your opponent didn't win either."
"Is that so. To end up in such a sorry state... how embarrassing."
"It's not so bad. I checked, your face isn't scarred. Just your hair is a little singed."
"Well... that's lucky, then." For a girl, taking care of her hair was as important as her face. "It'll grow back in a few months."
Temari, her only close childhood friend, also came over. She gently brushed the scorched strands of hair from Chi's forehead and wiped some of the soot from her face.
"Your fight is over. Just rest now."
"Okay. You two, good luck."
With that, the seemingly resentful girl was carried away on a stretcher.
***
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