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Chapter 54- Shikamaru vs. Temari

'Normal thought...'

"Kyuubi/Bijuu speech..."

'Kyuubi communicating with Naruko inside her head...'

"Normal speech..."

Jutsu name...

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Shikamaru sighed and walked away from his hiding place. He looked up to Naruko, who was looking at him in annoyance. He smirked. 'I guess things don't go so easily.'

Temari narrowed her eyes as she spotted him. 'What's with that dumb look on his face? Is he underestimating me?!' She opened her fan and glared at Shikamaru. "Ninpou: Kamaitachi!" She threw a really strong wind attack at him.

Shikamaru shielded himself with his arms from the attack, that could even cut through the tree right next to him. A huge dust cloud was whirled up as the wind ebbed down.

Temari's eyes widened as suddenly a shadow shot out of the dust cloud. She tsked and jumped away as the shadow wriggled its way towards her. Just as the shadow was about to reach her, it stopped and went back. Temari drew a line in the sand on the ground. "I see." She looked seriously at Shikamaru. "Kage Mane no Jutsu, I've figured out its nature." She smirked cheekily. "Looks like there's a limit to how you can stretch, shrink and transform your shadow. No matter how much you transform or stretch your shadow... You can only stretch it as much as its surface area. Isn't that right?"

"Correct." Shikamaru admitted.

Naruko narrowed her eyes. 'She has a great analytical mind. It took me forever to figure that out and she knows it after just seeing this technique a few times. Looks like Shika really is getting a worthy opponent for his genius mind.'

'Even if I assume that he used the stage wall's shadow to increase his shadow's range...' Temari concluded and rammed her closed fan into the ground, where she drew the line earlier. 'This is as far as the shadow stretches. His attack range goes not further than this line. 15 meters and 32 centimeters.'

'She used her fan to measure the shadow's range... Temari is better with long-range combat than close combat.' Kankuro thought seriously. 'The outcome of this match is clear now.'

Shikamaru sat down on the ground and looked lazily at the clouds in the sky. He sighed and then looked at Temari before he closed his eyes and positioned his fingertips together.

"What's that?! What seal did he form?" Kurenai asked in surprise as she didn't recognize this seal.

Asuma smirked. "That's not a seal. It's a habit of his."

"A habit?" Kurenai looked at him curiously.

"He knows how to enjoy boring times. He's like an old man. That's why he likes shougi and makes me play with him all the time. And when he's stuck with a move, he assumes that position." Asuma smiled in fondness.

"Why?" Kurenai asked in confusion.

"To come up with a strategy. And I've never beat him." Asuma shook his head. "Shikamaru's like a clever strategist."