Last time:

"Winner of the first match is Naruto Uzumaki," the proctor announced.

Now:

Everyone cheered. Naruto, unused to all the positive attention started running around the stadium and blowing kisses. Neji was taken to the medical area by the medic-nin. Once the applause died down and Naruto made his way to the contestants' area, Lord Hokage's guard came down to speak to Genma.

Genma nodded and said, "Because one of the contestants is not here, the next match will be postponed. Shino Aburame and Kankuro of the Sand please come down."

Shino was about to go down the stairs, but Kankuro forfeited.

'Why? Shino's bugs and your puppet would have made for an interesting fight.'

Genma let out an annoyed sigh, "All right, Shino Aburame is the winner. The next match is between Temari of the Sand and Shikamaru Nara."

'Well, that'll be interesting...'

Hanara smiled at Shikamaru, "I know it's not as ideal as it was before because the sun isn't as lower as you thought it would be, but don't you dare forfeit. Actually try, please."

Shikamaru sighed, "What a drag..."

"Yeah! All right, Shikamaru, what are you waiting for?" Naruto yelled, "Get down there already!"

And then Naruto pushed Shikamaru off the railing, causing him to face-plant into the arena.

Hanara turned to Naruto, "Was that really necessary? Now the crowd thinks he's some pushover, literally."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and laughed sheepishly, "Well, he's down there now."

"And he's getting trash thrown at him," Hanara deadpanned.

She looked back into the arena and saw a scowl on Shikamaru's face.

'Oh no. Please don't get petty now. You have what it takes to be a Chunin, don't give it up because the nobles are suckers for important clan names. I'm not saying that Nara isn't an important clan but... you get what I mean. Well, I mean yeah, because I'm talking to myself but- okay imma shut up now.'

Temari banged her fan against the ground, "What is it? You planning on giving up, too?"

Shikamaru's scowl deepened and Hanara laughed, 'I can literally read his thoughts right now. He's probably bitching because his opponent is a girl. If he beats this girl, he'll get another girl, me. He should probably stop being so sexist, boys can be troublesome, too.'

"Come on! Come on! Get up and fight!" Naruto yelled, jumping, "Get it together, Shikamaru! You gonna get going sometime this year?"

Temari glared at him, "Well if you won't move, I will!"

"Hey, I didn't start the match yet," Genma told her, annoyed.

Shikamaru sighed grabbing two kunai, "I forgot, this girl's a spunky one. I hate spunky..."

Temari jumped down onto Shikamaru, her fan closed, and she smashed her fan against the ground where Shikamaru had been.

"Woah!" Naruto exclaimed.

There was a dust cloud that cleared a moment later, revealing Shikamaru nowhere in sight.

Hanara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, 'Good, he's safe.'

Hanara turned on her Byakugan and found Shikamaru standing on top of two kunai that he must have stuck into the wall, looking as lazy as ever. 'Smart.'

"It really doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me if I ever become a Chunin a lot," Shikamaru drawled, "But I guess I shouldn't let myself be beaten by a female. So, let's do it."

Temari growled, picked up her fan, and swung it, creating a dust cloud. Hanara saw Shikamaru running to the trees, where there was shade and more shadows. 'I'm guessing he's going to try and stall as much as he can to lengthen the shadows or lure her into the shadows, depending on how smart she turns out to be.' Sadly, it seemed like Temari realized that Shikamaru was attempting to lure her into the shadows because she didn't try and come close to him.

Hanara turned her attention back to Shikamaru and saw him staring wistfully at the clouds. She sighed, 'Not this again...'

Shikamaru's Perspective:

Shikamaru sighed and stared wistfully at the clouds, 'Sometimes I wish I was a cloud, just floating along, going wherever the breeze takes me. That's my style. I'm just not into putting effort for stuff. The only reason I even became a ninja was so that I could do whatever I wanted. Geez, who knew it would be so much work?'

Shikamaru took his eyes off the clouds and looked at the hole Naruto made when he got that last hit on Neji, 'Troublesome. Oh well, a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do.'

Hanara's Perspective:

"Get your butt in gear!" Naruto yelled, "Let's go, Shikamaru!"

Hanara shook her head, 'He's planning something so he needs to hide. What I don't get is why Temari isn't spamming her Wind Scythe Jutsu right now. If I were her, I wouldn't give my opponent a break.'

Temari looked at Shikamaru, who was grinning, and growled, "Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

'It's like she read my mind!

Temari's fan created a huge gust of wind that was cutting the trees that Shikamaru was standing behind. When the wind died down, Shikamaru stretched his shadow until it reached Temari. She saw it and kept backflipping until Shikamaru's shadow reached its limit. Smirking, Temari crouched down and used her fan to create a line in the sand.

"Almost got me," Temari said, standing up, "Aren't you clever. With that Shadow Possession Jutsu of yours, you can manipulate any shadow you're in. The wall's shadow, for an instance. But there's a limit, isn't there? No matter how thin you stretch it, it'll only move so far. Isn't that right?"

Shikamaru gave a sheepish smile, "You got me."

'You're acting, I can tell. You always go on and on about how in shogi you should never admit your weaknesses to an opponent, even if they are positive that they're true. You have a plan.'

"Fifteen metres and thirty-two centimetres. That's how far your jutsu can go," Temari stated, "Now that I know that, I can stay out of your range."

'Huh. She's a strategist, too. This match isn't going to be those flashy ninjutsu battles, it's going to be the type that'll keep the audience at the edge of their seat right up until the end.'

Hanara saw Shikamaru close his eyes and put his hand in his signature thinking position.

"What is that?" Hanara heard Kankuro ask from behind her, "I've never seen that hand-sign before.

'Damn, I need to be more aware of my surroundings.'

"It's not a hand-sign, it's a habit," she told him. It's not like Temari can stop Shikamaru from thinking, only a Yamanaka can do that.

"A habit?" Kankuro questioned.

"Yeah, Shikamaru's a strategist, same as your sister. But unlike her, he likes to take things slowly. It's why he's so good at games like go and shogi." Hanara explained, "He never fails to beat our sensei in a match. That symbol he's making right now is what he does right before he comes up with a plan. And if he does come up with one, Temari is screwed. It's why I'm sort of nervous, to be honest."

"Tch," Kankuro scoffed, "Temari's one of the smartest Genin in the Sand. She'll beat that little lazy ass no problem."

Down below, Shikamaru's eyes opened and his hands moved back to his sides.

"Heh. You'll see," Hanara told him, "He's got a plan now, just you watch."

Temari noticed her opponent's sudden movement and smirked, opening her fan, "So, you have some fighting spirit after all. I was starting to think that we would be here all day."

With a grunt, Temari swung her fan again, performing the Wind Scythe Jutsu. Too bad for her, after three days of sparring with Hanara, Shikamaru's mom got him a more durable jacket. Only the bare parts of his arms and legs would be cut.

Despite that fact, Shikamaru jumped behind a tree.

Temari glared, "No use in hiding."

Kankuro looked at Hanara skeptically, "Are you sure he has a plan?"

Hanara, who still had her Byakugan on, merely smiled mysteriously, "Oh yes, he has a plan all right."

Once the wind died down, Temari looked left and right, "You can't hide forever! Come out, coward!"

She swung her fan again, "Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

However, right as her blast of wind died down, Shikamaru had sent a kunai at her and she noticed it too late. Luckily for her, that was only a distraction and it landed on the ground in front of her. The second kunai he shot was blocked by her fan, but that was also a distraction. The real attack was his shadow. Temari noticed it but smiled, believing that her theory of its range was correct. What she didn't realize was as the sun set, the shadows grew longer. So, when the shadow went past Temari's 'safety line' she was startled. Sadly, she jumped back fast enough for his shadow not to catch her.

She glared at Shikamaru.

"You're pretty quick on your toes," Shikamaru commented.

'You're stalling so that the shadows can get even longer. Usually riling up an opponent, especially a female one, is too much of a drag. For you, I mean. Wonder if Ino and Choji are catching that.'

"Now I see what you were up to," Temari said, eyes narrowed, "You weren't just hiding, you were buying time, waiting for the sun to get lower and the shadow of that wall to get longer. The longer the shadows, the farther your range is, right?"

'Well, I guess now they know.'

Kankuro shot Hanara a smug smirk, "Heh. Told you, Temari is a pro at reading her opponents."

"She found out a little late," Hanara shot back.

'This is a feint, I can feel it. That's not your whole plan.'

Suddenly Kankuro stiffened, "TEMARI-"

Hanara placed her hand over Kankuro's mouth, muffling him. However, the damage was done.

Temari looked left, right, and then up, staring right at what Hanara knew to be Shikamaru's jacket and a kunai. She looked at it curiously for a moment, before realizing that it cast a shadow and jumping back.

"Dammit Kankuro," Hanara mumbled angrily.

"Murrph maa," Kankuro tried to speak.

Hanara immediately let go of him and glared, "We're not supposed to interfere."

"The proctor said, 'there are no rules'."

"Tch." she scoffed, looking back at the battle.

"I've got you now!" Shikamaru declared, making his shadow twist and turn as Temari jumped.

Once Temari was in-between the two holes Naruto made, Shikamaru's shadow stopped. She smirked and opened her fan, putting it behind her, handle side up.

"She learns fast, I'll give her that," Shikamaru drawled.

"Of all the people, Shikamaru just had to go up against the other strategist," Hanara complained.

Temari picked up her fan again and slammed it down in front of her, hiding as she closed her eyes and thought.

Shikamaru's shadow retreated and Temari made hand-signs for what Hanara assumed was a clone jutsu.

But then she realized she couldn't move.

'I see his plan.' Hanara thought, 'He shows her his shadow attack and makes her move behind what she thinks is his range. Right when she starts to feel safe, he extends his range and makes her fall back, all the while making her think it's her idea when in reality she's just falling for his trap.' Hanara smirked, 'And that's why he's the smartest person I know. Well, since the match is basically over, I better release my Byakugan. Release!'

Kankuro gasped, "How the heck did he do that?"

Hanara, who had already seen Shikamaru's shadow move with her Byakugan, explained, "Naruto created the perfect battleground for Shikamaru to work with."

Kankuro glanced at the hole behind Temari and his eyes widened, "Y-You mean that his shadows work underground too?"

She nodded.

Shikamaru moved his hands out of the Rat sign, "It took a while, but my Shadow Possession Jutsu is complete."

"I-Impossible, your shadow couldn't reach this far," Temari exclaimed.

Shikamaru smirked, "Look behind you, I'll let you."

After letting Temari get a look, he continued, "That's where Naruto popped out of the ground and knocked Neji out. The hole in front of you is where he went into the ground. So, the two are connected"

Temari's eye twitched, "Now I see. I never even considered the shadows underground."

Shikamaru turned his head back and looked at her, "That was your mistake."

Temari's eyes were still wide with disbelief when Shikamaru started walking forward. Although it was obvious she was straining against his control, she walked forward as well.

"Yeah, he did it! He pulled off an upset!" Naruto cheered.

"Great job, Shikamaru!" Hanara yelled, "I knew you had it in you!"

Shikamaru and Temari raised their hands, Temari struggling all the way.

Hanara's eyebrows furrowed, 'Wouldn't he do something else, like forcing her to hurt herself until she forfeits? His chakra? Byakugan!' she activated her dojutsu again, 'Damn... that's low as hell. If he doesn't forfeit, he's practically giving that match away to me.' she thought as she released her Byakugan.

Shikamaru sighed, "Okay, that's it. I give up."

Nearly the entire stadium's jaws dropped.

"H-Huh?" Temari's asked, "Why?"

There was a beat.

Then the entire crowd booed, throwing insults at Shikamaru.

"Hey, Hanara! Knock some sense into your teammate, will ya?" Naruto demanded.

"Nah, he's right," Hanara responded, "Listen."

Shikamaru was explaining himself to Temari, "I used up all my chakra on that Shadow Possession Jutsu. I have about ten seconds. Bummer. I had the next 200 moves planned out in my head. But, my chakra is running low. I won't beat Hanara with this much chakra anyway. Even if I were to win this thing, it would just be more work," he shrugged and his shadow released.

Genma smiled to himself, "The winner is, Temari!"

A/N: The next chapter will probably take me longer to write.