Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"That's right! He's a brat from the Nara clan, after all, and he's got a good head on his shoulders..."

"..."

Similar to what Shinto said, when Temari and Nara Shikamaru, the future official couple, entered the scene, they didn't say anything. Mainly because Nara Shikamaru didn't want to say anything. According to the tradition of the ninja world, before the battle starts, they will at least introduce themselves and then start a round of verbal sparring to give themselves a boost before the battle begins.

However, this approach doesn't work for Nara Shikamaru. Firstly, in his worldview, girls are tigers and troublesome. So, he usually tries to stay away from girls unless necessary. Now, his opponent in the exam is a girl. Although he can't admit defeat immediately because of his village and clan, his clever mind won't allow him to continue the ninja tradition of verbally arguing with a girl to avoid causing him even more trouble later.

Secondly, it's because the opponent is a girl. It seems there's never been a precedent in the ninja world for strangers of opposite sexes to engage in verbal sparring before a fight. Regardless of victory or defeat, it's always the man who loses face.

So when the consumptive coughed for a few minutes and announced the start, Nara Shikamaru unleashed his full power, displaying all sorts of clan secret techniques: Shadow Head Neck Binding Technique, Shadow Stitching, Shadow Assassination Technique—any clan secret technique that someone his age could learn was used to his full potential. He was a veritable shadow mage, turning an exam into a personal showcase.

The crowd of savvy spectators were dazzled by the spectacle, all feeling that if this little brat from the Nara clan couldn't win, it would be more likely that there was some kind of conspiracy.

On the other hand, Temari was clearly struggling to deal with Nara Shikamaru's various shadow tricks. Although she had Karin, her best friend, who would frequently go to Umekawa Nae to ask for some powerful wind-style techniques, making her slightly stronger than in the original story, she was still no match for Nara Shikamaru, whose IQ was over 200.

"Why...!"

As the saying goes, laymen watch the show, while experts see the details. A group of casual viewers only saw how wonderful and awesome Nara Shikamaru was showing off his family's shadow techniques, while a group of experts saw that this kid was simply putting on a show. For example, Nara Shikamaru's father, Nara Shikaku, was watching his son's various displays from the stands, sighing speechlessly.

No one knows a son better than his father. Although his son is smart and has been showing off for so long that many people can't see it, he can see it perfectly. From the beginning of the game until now, his son has had at least ten opportunities to defeat his opponent, but he has perfectly squandered all of them.

It looked impressive, but it posed absolutely no threat to the other party.

"I didn't expect this guy, who's always so sleepy, to be so strong..."

On the other side, the second male lead in the pants saw that his classmate, who used to always be sleepy, was actually showing off like this. His good mood, which had made him invincible when he learned Kakashi's Chidori, instantly turned sour. It was as if he was realizing for the first time that this classmate, who had spent years sleeping or on his way to sleep, always failed exams, and had no presence at all, was now a classmate.

He never imagined this guy could be so skilled. He tried to simulate the ninjutsu that lazybones had just shown off in his mind, and even then, he was completely outmatched by such impressive shadow techniques. This left him feeling utterly defeated.

He was born for revenge, yet now he's not even as good as a lazy bum from the same generation. How can he possibly get revenge and restore the glory of the Uchiha clan?

Perhaps that guy wasn't lying to him, and that he had been playing house in Konoha all along. He could never compare to that man in his entire life.

Leaving the village was indeed his only way out...

.....

"This guy is too strong. Temari is in danger if this continues."

"Grand Uncle, didn't you say Temari was going to win easily? If this continues, Temari won't be able to hold on!"

The group of kids from Sunagakure who hadn't believed it before were also thoroughly impressed by Nara Shikamaru, and they started to worry about Temari, especially her best friend Karin, who almost wanted to rush in and replace her best friend, the cannon brute.

"...What's the panic? Haven't you noticed that this kid hasn't even touched your best friend's hair yet? He's just putting on a show to save face when he admits defeat. But speaking of which...have you guys noticed that Temari's gaze towards that kid seems a little different...?"

Shinto watched the two ninjutsu clashing back and forth below, both still at full health, and said thoughtfully.

He knew that Rasa's eldest daughter and Nara Shikamaru were destined to be a couple. However, he had always thought that Nara Shikamaru and Rasa's eldest daughter had fallen for each other after the Fourth Shinobi World War. Although it had been more than ten years since then and the gap between the villages was not as deep as it used to be, the prejudice between different social classes was still very serious. Not to mention that one was the daughter of the Kazekage and the other was the son of the Grand Marshal of Konoha. Although their status was not as high as his and Tsunade's, it would be very difficult for them to develop any ill-fated relationship.

It took him decades to finally get rid of Hiruzen Sarutobi and stop bothering him. Before everyone was on the same side in the Fourth Shinobi World War, it was practically impossible for Temari to get together with Shikamaru Nara. Moreover, before the Fourth Shinobi World War started, the two didn't seem to have much interaction, except for being opponents once during the Chunin Exams.

But now, for some reason, he actually saw something different in Temari's eyes. Although he didn't have the habit of using Observation Haki to probe other people's thoughts, if he still couldn't see this obvious look, then he would have wasted all those years. Although it wasn't to the point of Karin's conversation, he should already have a slight sense of goodwill.

But here's the question: Nara Shikamaru hasn't even admitted defeat yet, and he just showed off his shadow techniques in front of her. So what is it that makes her feel even a little bit of goodwill towards this guy with the skyrocket-like cannon?

984. Maki: The teacher seems to be single, right?

As for his looks, this guy is just passable, but he's nowhere near handsome. Not to mention his demeanor, you can tell he's a lazybones at first glance.

Even the devilishly handsome Bai and the uniquely charming but short-lived Uchiha couldn't win this girl's heart, yet now she's actually developing feelings for a lazy bum. That's quite odd.

"Don't say that... my sister's eyes look familiar, like I've seen them somewhere before."

"Uh-huh...."

Upon hearing this, Kankuro noticed that his older sister seemed to have also noticed something was wrong, and the other kids around him nodded in agreement.

They had spent so much time with Temari, and they had never seen her look at them like that before. Although they noticed something was different, they couldn't quite put their finger on what was wrong with this innocent child.

"...Idiot, this girl clearly has a crush on this guy, who knows, he might become your brother-in-law someday."

Shindou stared speechlessly at the big-faced cat. He had no idea why this kid would choose the profession of puppeteer; it was simply lowering the bar for puppeteers.

While not every puppeteer in Sunagakure is a top student, they at least need to be intelligent. After all, being a puppeteer isn't just about technical skill; it also requires a wealth of theoretical knowledge. Puppetry is all about poisons, and as the saying goes, you can't become a good puppeteer without being a qualified poison maker. To become a poison maker, you need to have a decent grasp of chemistry. If you're not intelligent enough, how can you expect to excel in chemistry?

"What?! No way? My older sister doesn't even have feelings for that Uchiha Itachi, how could she be interested in this lazybones?"

"Uh-huh...."

That makes perfect sense; even Gaara nodded in agreement after Kankuro finished speaking.

Putting aside the monstrous Haku, although he has come to their Sunagakure, his activities are limited to the Miyako clan, so not many people have seen him. Currently, he is not very popular in the village, and with Karin monopolizing him, the girls in the village have no chance. His older sister is even competing with her best friend for a boyfriend.

However, Itachi Uchiha's popularity is off the charts. Almost every girl in his village, from thirty years old to seven or eight, is his fan. He's a hit with all ages.

But even with such popularity, their older sister has absolutely no affection for him. How could she possibly have a crush on a lazybones?

"Who can predict fate? Sometimes it's just a matter of a moment when you click with someone. What if your older sister just happens to like this kind of thing..."

Masato stroked his chin, looking quite experienced, and said.

"..."

Maki rolled his eyes speechlessly at the teacher's knowing look.

He's acting all experienced. If he remembers correctly, the teacher is still single...

...

"Phew...this is so troublesome..."

At this moment, after another display of shadow magic below, which brought the atmosphere to its peak, Nara Shikamaru suddenly stopped and sighed helplessly.

If he had known it would be this troublesome, he wouldn't have participated in the Chunin Exams. Anyway, his path was already predetermined before he was even born. With his future status as Grand Marshal, he could naturally become a Chunin in a year or two, and then a Jonin in three to five years. After his father retired, he would succeed him as Grand Marshal, just like his father had done before, and then live a carefree life in his office, drinking tea, enjoying the air conditioning, and spending the rest of his life in style. Wouldn't that be great? Why was he so brain-dead as to sign up for the Chunin Exams?

The most crucial opponent is a girl.

Don't you know that all girls come from tigers?

"You brat, what did you say? How dare you call me troublesome?"

"Kamadori!"

Although Nara Shikamaru only muttered his complaints quietly, Temari wasn't far away and still heard them in the noisy arena. The slight liking she had previously felt for this "skyrocket" vanished instantly. She never judged people by their appearance; probably because she had a vagrant younger brother who always called his Kazekage father "my father," she disliked high-profile people and instead admired those who were low-key and talented. Initially, she thought he was just an ordinary opponent since he wasn't well-known, but after a fierce battle, she was completely outmatched by his shadow techniques. At that moment, she agreed that he was indeed low-key and quite talented, though only with a slight liking. She thought such a person had more substance, at least much more than that Uchiha brat who was constantly showing off.

As a result, this brat actually dared to complain about her being troublesome, which completely ignited her powder keg. She opened her big fan and unleashed a powerful attack.

"...I surrender!"

Seeing the murderous aura of his opponent, Nara Shikamaru realized that he might have said something wrong. He originally wanted to show off a bit more and demonstrate the glory of Konoha, but seeing the girl opposite him, he knew that continuing to show off would only cause more trouble. So after dodging the opponent's ultimate move, he immediately raised his hand to admit defeat to the consumptive ghost in the distance who kept coughing and couldn't seem to die.

.....

"What?! Weren't they fighting just now? Why did they suddenly give up?"

"Yeah! What's that kid up to?"

"Damn it, what's this brat doing? I bet on him to win... You little bastard, go to hell!"

Nara Shikamaru suddenly conceded defeat, which made the audience unhappy. He had been showing off so much just now, and then he actually gave up. This huge contrast was like watching a movie where the plot was just getting exciting, and then the ending was over in the next second. Was this some kind of joke?

Some viewers who had bet on the kid because of his impressive start were even more annoyed. They had to pay scalpers a high price just to buy a ticket, and now they were being forced to count their money. They couldn't stand it anymore. No matter what they were holding, they kept throwing things at the kid to vent their frustration.

But throwing it away was useless; they still lost money.

"Ugh...so rude."

As the countless objects flew towards him, Nara Shikamaru dodged them one by one with flamboyant steps. These people are really immoral. They've only lost a little money, and they're even throwing away their underwear.

Is it free?

"Haha, see? I told you your best friend would win. It's the destiny of the Nara clan. But... it seems Temari really fell for this brat's trick."

On the stands, Masato spoke smugly to Karin, but when he looked at Temari, his expression changed from anger.

He couldn't help but marvel at how simple the tricks of a smart guy when it comes to picking up girls are—one fight and he's done. You can't argue with that...

The quality of 985 universities is declining.

After Nara Shikamaru and Temari, it was the turn of a group of extras to make cameo appearances. Genin's attack methods are relatively simple, mainly using ninjutsu as a supplement and taijutsu as the main technique. After all, they don't have that much chakra. There are many genin whose legs go weak after just two small ninjutsu. So when it was the extras' turn to make cameo appearances, it was almost all about punches landing hard. The country bumpkins in the audience who had never seen anything like this were very excited. These high-level solo moves, such as 720-degree aerial spins and mid-air volleys, were much more exciting than the street brawls they usually watched. When had they ever seen such a scene? Usually, when ordinary people see ninja uncles fighting, they would run as far away as possible. They would never have the mind to watch and appreciate it.

However, many noble lords who had seen Orochimaru defecate were not impressed. They were drowsy watching these newbies fight each other. They had seen plenty of this kind of hand-to-hand combat, and they were not even as strong as themselves. Every night, they would fight several people at once, just like the Uchiha back in the day. This kind of one-on-one scene was as bland as water to them and did not excite them at all.

They prefer flashy and cool ninjutsu clashes.

"Sigh! It seems the quality of ninjas in all the villages is declining. Look at Onoki's second disciple, not only does he not know how to use area-of-effect attacks, but he actually went and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with someone, and he fought so fiercely that he still struggled to take down a minor character from Konoha. He's so disappointing. He can't compare to his eldest disciple who defected a couple of years ago..."

When it was Onoki's second apprentice's turn to appear alongside Shino Aburame, the Konoha clan who raised insects, he thought that since Shino was Onoki's second apprentice, even if he couldn't be as dashing as someone who could ride a bird and throw bombs, he shouldn't be too bad. Although the insects of the Aburame clan were disgusting, he wasn't talking about the Aburame clan at the level of chunin or genin, but rather the Aburame clan at the level of jonin. The dense swarms of insects would make anyone with a slight fear of clusters of insects weak in the knees.

Although the Aburame clan, at the chunin/genin level, also raises insects, their chakra limits the number of insects they can raise. They can't summon a vast swarm of insects like jonin with a wave of their hand, a number that could even withstand Rasa's golden sand ocean. Currently, although Aburame Shino occupies a position among the Konoha Twelve, without the buffs of the savior and the second male lead, he's just a slightly talented insect-raising boy. If he could fight beyond his level, then everyone else might as well delete their accounts.

Those who could be accepted as disciples by Onoki naturally possessed exceptional talent. Furthermore, their plump and fair appearance made them even more deceptive than Onoki's cunning son, Koto. No one would have guessed that this chubby, fair-skinned man was actually the disciple of Onoki, a cunning old fox. However, their fighting style was completely different from Onoki's method of launching attacks from the air.

This second apprentice was tall and fat, and his fighting style was purely aggressive, completely lacking the elegance of Onoki's map-wide attacks. Coupled with his decent strength, each punch and kick was visually striking. However, he was slightly slower, and all his attacks were dodged by the Gu-raising boy from the Aburame clan. He was even occasionally harassed by the Gu-raising boy's small insects. Considering the difference in age and size between the two, it is estimated that in the end, the Gu-raising boy would still be unable to defeat Onoki's second apprentice.

but.....

This fat guy, though tall and probably two meters in height, would be just as ageless as the muscular men of Kumogakure if it weren't for the youthful look on his face. However, Masato estimated that he was probably around seventeen or eighteen years old, a few years older than Onoki's former blond disciple with a mouth on his palm, and he's still a genin... Onoki is really a cunning old fox!

"Grand Uncle, is the Tsuchikage's area-of-effect attack very strong?"

Karin saw that Masato looked disappointed with the incredibly strong fat man below and asked curiously. Although she often heard her great-uncle brag when she was a child, the people he talked about were always the ones he beat up. But she didn't think that the people her great-uncle beat up were weak, especially since it was the Tsuchikage's signature move, the map attack.

"It's alright, after all, it's the only bloodline limit technique in the ninja world. That kind of ninjutsu is pretty shameless. Once you get hit, you'll be forcibly broken down into molecules, leaving not even a trace. Even I'm not confident I can withstand that old guy's map attack. But the only drawback of this map attack is that it takes a long time to reload. In all these years, apart from that idiot Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, I've never heard of any strong person being killed by this map attack. Onoki is just a bit annoying because he can fly and he can use this shameless ninjutsu like the map attack. Ninety-eight percent of the ninja world can't do anything to him, so that old guy is so arrogant and still alive. But if that old guy meets someone like your great-uncle, who is fast, tough, and can fly, he'll only get brutally beaten. Back in World War II, if White Fang's jumping ability was better, that old guy would probably have been instantly killed by White Fang. After all, White Fang's type of person completely counters him. But if he doesn't have the ability to shoot down planes... oops! If he doesn't have the ability to shoot down airborne enemies, that old guy's flight and map attack give him an inherent advantage of being invincible."

Masato shrugged and explained.

"Sri Lanka No. 1!"

"Teacher, what is bloodline elimination?"

Upon hearing the old man's explanation, the group of kids were amazed by Onoki's map-wide attack. The power was so fierce that even the old man, who was touted as a god-like super tough guy in their textbooks, didn't have the confidence to withstand it. The key point was that he could fly and fire cannons, which was indeed a bit of a rogue.

However, Kankuro, who was always semi-literate, only knew after listening for so long that the Tsuchikage's map-wide attack was very powerful, and the old man said it was the only Kekkei Tota in the ninja world... But what the heck is Kekkei Tota?

Even the little brat looked at Maki with a question mark on his face. They were more educated than Kankuro. They knew about bloodline limits, but this was the first time they had ever heard of bloodline elimination, and it was the only one in the ninja world. It sounded very high-class.

"The bloodline limits we know of generally involve combining two chakra nature transformations to create a new ninjutsu, such as Haku's Ice Release and Pakura's Scorch Release. Some bloodline limits also refer to abilities gained from a ninja's unique physical organ, such as the Sharingan, Byakugan, and Karin's constitution. Bloodline Elimination, however, is a ninjutsu that transcends 'bloodline limits.' It involves combining three chakra nature transformations to create a new ninjutsu. Currently, the only known Bloodline Elimination is Onoki's Dust Release, which is what the teacher referred to as 'map-wide attack.' Onoki has maintained his position at the top of the ninja world for many years thanks to this ninjutsu."

986. Karin is about to take the stage.

"Wow! That's amazing... But since this kind of bloodline elimination is even more advanced than bloodline limit, shouldn't it be inherited through genes via blood relations like bloodline limit? This fat guy isn't a relative of the Tsuchikage, so it's normal that he wouldn't use a general attack, right?"