SEMI-HIATUS ANNOUNCEMENT:
There's other projects that I have long stored away and would like to get to them. Not to mention I am starting to get fatigue with some of the things I've been doing. It's been implied, but I never stated outright that this series is in a constant state of semi-hiatus and an update occurs if I get around to finishing a chapter for this series.
The updates will most likely be slow and irregular.
Thank you for understanding.
I now remember why it's difficult and annoying to recreate manga and anime fight scenes.
Naruto: Chunin Exams - Shikamaru vs Temari
"You will be watching a cruel and dangerous world. A world where its inhabitants possess an innate substance called chakra in which they can connect to their inner spiritual and physical energies. They kneaded their inner chakra to amplify and weaponized it, creating what is now known as ninjutsu."
Blake's cat ears twitch, "Wait, so we're going to be watching some world full of ninjas?"
"In a sense. The stereotype of what many would imagine a ninja to be is different in this world. In this world, they are referred to as shinobi for males and kunoichi for females. You may draw parallels to what a Huntsman or Huntress is an average individual of your world as is a shinobi and kunoichi is to their world."
"Huh. Sounds interesting."
"Wait, I heard cruel and dangerous…" Oscar mumbles under his breath.
"Indeed. This world may not have the likes of the Creatures of Grimm. Instead, the danger lies in themselves; the people themselves are their own monsters, so to speak."
"There's always conflict in one form or another," Ozpin said quietly.
"You will not need to worry about witnessing the gruesome prospect of this world, for the time being. What you'll be witnessing is an examination. It can be likened to students of a Combat Academy in Remnant taking an examination to attend a Huntsman Academy."
Penny made a mental note of that. "That is a useful reference."
"It begins."
The lights in the room darken and the screen flickers to life.
The scene opens up to a noisy stadium in Konohagakure, better known as the Hidden Leaf Village. The Chunin Exams Finals are in full swing and after a heart-pounding and inspiring match with Naruto Uzumaki defeating Neji Hyuga, the crowd has been restless.
This restlessness was amplified by the fact that the next match between Gaara and Sasuke Uchiha has not started.
"Hey! What's up with the match?!" Shouted one of the spectators.
"Isn't Uchiha here yet?!"
"Eager to get the show started." Commented Mercury.
"Angry spectators can be intimidating." Said Pyrrha. Her tournament career has ruffled a few people before and it's never a pleasant experience.
Ignoring their clamoring, Genma Shiranui, the referee of the Chunin Exam Finals, is seen talking to someone before raising his voice to announce the situation.
"Okay. I got it… Ladies and gentlemen! The contestant for the next match hasn't arrived yet! Therefore, we will push this match back and begin the next one!"
The announcement came as a shock to both the contestants and the spectators. It would appear that the officials have no interest in disqualifying the Sasuke for not showing up which begs the question, why? The noise quickly picked up as people voice their displeasure at this news.
"The sound of disappointment." Read Neo's sign. She flips it over. "Music to my ears."
"Hey! That means my match just got one closer!" Wails a lazy spikey black-haired boy named Shikamaru Nara.
"Someone sounds reluctant…" Weiss mumbles.
"And now, the next match! Kankuro and Aburame Shino! Come down!"
Kankuro is a boy dressed in a Bunraku puppeteer's costume; a black, baggy, full-body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front. He also wears a black hood that covered his head completely and had cat-like ears and a forehead protector on his forehead. His face is decorated with a triangular face-paint design.
And he is not happy with this outcome.
"Interesting. His clothes remind me of those outfits puppeteers wear when performing in traditional puppet theaters in Mistral." Remarked Oobleck. "I wonder if those face markings have any significance…"
"Shoot…" He said under his breath. 'This match doesn't even matter…' He glances at the wrapped-up puppet mounted on his back. 'I'm more worried about revealing the gimmick that was planted into Karasu before the plan begins. There's no way that I'm going to do that…'
Kankuro glanced at his older sister, Temari. A girl with teal eyes and sandy blond hair tied into four consecutive pigtails.
"…"
"…"
The two look uneasy, but the message was passed. Kankuro is going to forfeit.
Coco raises an eyebrow. "That makes it sound like there are some shady happenings behind the scene."
"Maybe they're cheating?" Fox suggests.
"That's rude! We don't know that for certain." Velvet berates her teammates. "For all we know he could be hiding his trump card or something.
"… I forfeit!"
A commotion immediately erupted among the spectators and remaining contestants another unexpected turn of events. Genma narrowed his eyes in suspicion while Shikamaru begins to lament that he has to fight.
"Well something is going on in the back scene, clearly taken out of context." Glynda rests both her arms on the armrest of her seat. "Though I get the feeling we won't be knowing what it is."
Temari clicks her tongue, draws her Giant Folding Fan, and releases torrents of wind that ripples throughout the stadium to silence the spectators.
Ruby looks on excitedly. "Oooh! A giant metal fan that can manipulate wind! I've never seen a person fight with a giant fan before!"
"That looks heavy." Said Oscar.
"Woof!" Zwei barks in agreement.
Using her Wind Release nature manipulation, she rode her giant fan like a surfboard and landed in the arena. It's her turn to fight.
"I believe we are seeing what chakra can do, am I right?" Ozpin asked the Hosts.
"You are correct. It is one of many ways chakra is used. What you are witnessing is called Wind Release."
Genma bit the senbon in his mouth and lazily regards Temari. "Looks like you're eager." He turns his head up to the stands and fixed his sight on Shikamaru. "Shikamaru Nara! Get down here!"
Shikamaru clenched the rail with an annoyed and hesitant expression. Several thoughts went through his mind, all of which is finding a way to avoid this troublesome match. However, his thoughts were rudely interrupted by Naruto who jumps behind him and raised his hand to encourage the boy.
"Alright! Shikamaru, go for it!" The blond-haired boy slapped him hard on the back, sending Shikamaru over the rails and into the arena.
Jaune wince. "Uh oh."
"Uwaaaaaah!"
CRASH!
Temari closed one of her eyes as to flinch at the hard fall.
Half of the audience also flinched at the impact.
"Oof! What a way down." Yang said sympathetically.
Nora tilts her head. "He looks okay. More annoyed than hurt."
"That reminds me, they don't have Aura, right?" Asked Emerald.
"They do not." Confirmed the Hosts. "However, chakra can enhance their physical prowess."
The spectators were not amused by this and begin to jeer.
"Hey! Hurry up and fight!"
"Yeah! Hurry up and finish this crappy match!"
Shikamaru stares intently at the sky while cursing Naruto for the situation he is in.
"Get up, kid! How long are you going to lie there?!"
Robin sneers, "Sheesh. Lay off on the kid who just fell, would ya?"
"A bunch of savages," Winter said in disgust.
"The crowd is screaming for blood… Or a good fight." Qrow rubs his chin and stretches his arms. "Reminds me of those illegal underground fight pits. The crowd is hungry for a fight."
'Sigh. Everyone wants to see Sasuke fight… They're probably angry because, after all this waiting, they have to watch this pathetic excuse for a match between two side acts…' Shikamaru remains motionless on the ground and ignored the shouting in a horrible attempt to play dead or unconscious. 'Since nobody cares about this fight, there isn't any point to doing it…'
"What? Are you going to give up too?" Temari asked smugly.
Shikamaru shifts his head and furrows his eyebrow. 'Aw man, it's a girl again?'
"And what's wrong with that?" Coco inquires despite knowing she won't get an answer.
Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru's teacher, scratched his black beard and frowns slightly. 'Sigh… It's not like he was motivated to begin with.'
Marrow throws his hand in the air. "Then why bother taking the exam?"
"Shikamaru! Good luck!" Naruto cheered from the stand.
Temari's patience grew thin and rears her weapon. "If you're not going to attack then I will!"
"Oi, I didn't start the match yet!"
Pyrrha frowns in disapproval. "That's grounds for disqualification or penalties in an official tournament."
"Oh, man… That girl is really revved up." Shikamaru pulls out two kunai just as Temari brought down her iron fan.
The impact caused a dirt full explosion that coated a portion of the arena. Naruto recoils slightly at the sheer power Temari displayed. Although it's nothing compared to Sakura Haruno's strength when she's enraged.
Oscar gulps. "I hope they're not aiming to kill or cripple." He shivers upon recalling the Dark Tournaments from a previous viewing. "Not like the last tournament I saw…"
Team RWBY grimace at the gruesome reminder that not all tournaments have safety in mind.
Swirling dirt and particles billow away, revealing Shikamaru standing on the kunai buried into the stadium's walls, much to Temari's surprise.
"Ya now, I don't really want to fight." Said a smirking Shikamaru. "And I don't care whether I become a Chunin or not, but I'm not going to lose to a girl!"
Coco whistles. "He got out of the way quickly. Also, I take offense to that."
Temari's lips curved upward and swung her giant iron fan again. A blast of wind shattered their surroundings, but the girl was quick to notice that her opponent has already avoided it. She cautiously looks around her surroundings.
'Hah! He's great at running away!'
At the same time, Shikamaru was hiding behind a tree and carefully pokes his head out to observe his wind-blaring foe.
"The kid is fast, gotta admit that." Said Harriet.
Clover nods, "True, but he's not committed."
'… But even so, a guy can't go around hitting women.' Shikamaru may be lazy, but he has his own set of values. 'So…'
Temari spotted Shikamaru's hiding spot and plants her fan in front of her like a shield. 'Let's see. He's a ninja that uses shadows, so he's probably trying to lure me into the trees where there'll be lots of covers… But no way I'm going to fall for that!'
'Oh, man… Why do I always end up fighting women? Shit.'
"I wonder what she means by shadows." Ruby wonders. "Can he make weapons out of shadow? That would be so cool."
For the next brief seconds, neither Temari nor Shikamaru made a move due to their disadvantages. This match has taken a slightly awkward match.
Yang scratches her head. "Well, this is an awkward fight."
"Both sides are wary of each other. We haven't seen what that Nara guy can do, but it has something to do with shadows." Said Blake.
"Go! Shikamaru!" Cheered one of his teammates from the stands.
His teammate's encouragement didn't boost his motivation. All it did was made him stare longing at the clouds in the sky.
'Oh, man… Those clouds are so lucky… So free… More to the point, I don't feel like doing this, to begin with… And I only became a ninja because I thought life would be more interesting as one…' Shikamaru's attention fell on the hole made from the previous match and a thought begins to form in his head. He smirks. 'I suppose things aren't gonna be that simple.'
"Hmm… It looks like he has a plan." Ozpin hums and takes a sip from his mug.
His opponent noticed the smirk and became irritated.
'What is he doing with that dumb expression on his face? Is he making fun of me?!'
Temari rears her massive fan back and lets loose a fierce windstorm. The air quickly turns tan yellow from the dirt that's been swept up in the attack making it difficult for everyone to discern what is happening. The debris didn't even settle before Shikamaru made his move, launching a thin shadow through the ground towards Temari. The girl reacted quickly, leaping back several times to avoid getting snared by one of the Nara Clan techniques.
"Gah! That startled me!" Jaune yelps at the snaking shadow.
She falters during her evasive maneuver and braces herself, only for the shadow to recede – having extended far beyond what it can in its environment. Seeing this, Temari marked the ground with her fan to measure the limitation Shikamaru's shadow can go.
"Ah, so that's what she meant by 'uses shadows'." Penny happily chirps.
"I see… I've seen through your Shadow Imitation Technique!" She smiles menacingly. "Looks like there is a limit to how much you can stretch, shrink, and change the shape of your shadow, isn't there?" Temari wasted no time demoralizing her opponent and continues to expose his limits. "No matter how much you change and stretch the shape of your shadow, you still can't stretch it any further than the surface area of your normal shadow."
Raven scoffs. "Don't let your enemies know what you know."
"It can dissuade them from trying the same trick again." Tai counters. "The boy doesn't look like he's in good shape. If she can pick apart his strategy and moves, she can demoralize him enough to make him forfeit."
"I wonder what happens if the shadows made contact with her…" Vernal mutters to herself.
Shikamaru could only catch his breath and leer at her from the distance. His body was full of cuts and scratches, some of which are bleeding. Engaging Temari at close range is painful and a guaranteed defeat.
On the opposite end, Temari is performing her own analysis using the information she's gathered so far from the match.
'… 15 meters and 32 centimeters.' She estimated the distance from her to Shikamaru.
"Wait, she can tell the distance just like that?" Marrow said in disbelief.
Penny blinks and then smiles. "Impressive! She's very accurate in her calculation! It is off by a centimeter."
Marrow turns to Penny. "Seriously? You're pulling my leg."
"But I am not pulling your leg."
Meanwhile, Shikamaru stared up at the clouds, then back at Temari. He closed his eyes and made a circular hand shape with his thumbs and fingers pressed against each other. This made Temari tense up upon seeing this and was dissuaded from making any moves.
"What is that? That seal…?" Asked a slender with untamed black hair and unique eyes that are red in color, Kurenai Yūhi.
"Hey look. It's our cousin." Qrow jokes.
"Really?" Asked Ruby.
"It's a joke, pipsqueak."
"That's no seal," Asuma said with a grin. "He's working out his strategy. With an IQ of over 200, he's a super-genius!"
Kurenai's eyes widen. 'Two hundred?!'
Roman snorts. "They must have a low standard if he has an IQ of two hundred."
"Shush you." Maria retorts.
Having worked out his strategy, Shikamaru relaxed his hands and slid his hand behind his back to grab something. This, however, prompted Temari to act as she's unwilling to take the risk of letting Shikamaru execute whatever he is planning.
With a battle cry, she fans the arena in a single motion. The cascading wind fell upon Shikamaru's position. He pulls out another kunai and darts through the howling wind in time to avoid the more concentrated wind strikes that slashed away at the environment. By now, both contestants were beginning to tire out with Shikamaru panting the hardest while clutching the jacket that he had taken off.
"Does he really have some sort of strategy?" Kurenai asked skeptically.
Even Asuma is starting to have doubts. "P-probably… He's supposed to…"
"They're getting tired," Glynda notes their labored breathing. "The girl shouldn't have expended so much energy into her attacks."
Qrow chuckles. "This is the first time I've seen two people playing safe and keeping their distance and getting tired."
Taking refuge behind the tree, Shikamaru begins constructing something from his jacket and forehead protector.
"Wonder what he's making." Said Elm.
"How long are you going to keep running for?! Give up already!"
Her giant fan sliced through the air and tore down the trees, kicking up a sandstorm that Shikamaru took advantage of. His kunai zips through the dusty cloud, forcing Temari to dodge to the side and shield herself with her fan from another kunai thrown from the right. As she blocked the kunai, she noticed his shadow darting at her.
"A classic tactic." Cinder remarks. Distract your opponent on one or several ends, and strike true from another end.
"Isn't it too far…?" Emerald begins.
'Ha! It's no use. As long as I'm on the other side of the line, there is no wa…?!' Her instincts told her likewise and she backpedals immediately. 'No, hold on! Shit! This is bad!'
Growing the distance between her and Shikamaru, the shadow on the ground eventually went rigid having reached its limit again.
"His reach extended." Said Oscar. "But why? Or how?"
"Very good. You saw through that." Shikamaru praises her intelligence and quick reaction.
Temari grunts and took one knee to the ground. "I see… You were whiling away the time… Waiting for the sun to drop lower so the shadows of the wall and yourself would grow larger."
"Hmph."
"The closer the sunset, the longer the shadows grow."
"Bah!"
A look of realization appeared on Winter's face. "So, he was buying time."
"Looks like time is on his side." Said Yang.
Oscar frowns slightly. "But wait, what about the thing he was making earlier?"
'From the height of the sun and judging from the attacks earlier, my calculations say this should be the limit of his jutsu.'
"Temari! From above!" Kankuro yells from the stand.
She jerks her head up and spotted an object floating down, a makeshift parachute made out of his jacket and connected to a kunai. Her eyes widen when she realized this will create a shadow, thus expanding Shikamaru's shadow.
"It's a parachute!" Jaune exclaims.
Ren nods. "For his shadow."
'Oh no!' Temari pushes herself away and skits back and forth to throw off his shadow.
"You won't escape!" He growls and doubled his effort.
Temari grits her teeth. Her eyes scan the makeshift parachute, then to his moving shadow. A series of calculations went through her mind and that included brief praise of Shikamaru's ingenuity. She maintain her evasive maneuver and slid out of range from his shadow. With the makeshift parachute having touched the ground, Shikamaru's shadow retracted much to Temari's relief.
She glances up and grins at him.
Mercury shakes his head. "Almost had her."
"She's exhausted herself." Cinder leans her head on her hand. "It doesn't look like she'll be able to evade that again."
"To be able to dodge even that attack…" He sighs.
"His plan wasn't good enough." Said Kurenai.
Asuma nods. "Yeah… His opponent is pretty bright herself. She thinks ahead."
"She's adamant on not getting touched by his shadow… What happens if it touches her?" Asked Elm.
"Yeah, what will happen?" Ruby jumps in her seat.
"If his shadow makes contact with an individual, they will be forced to mimic all of his movements."
"No wonder she's been desperately trying to avoid his shadow," Blake mumbles to herself. "It's over if she gets caught."
Temari looks up at the position of the sun and formulates a plan to end this once and for all.
'If I keep this up, his shadow will keep growing and he'll keep expanding his reach.' She unfolds her giant fan and plants it in front of her to obscure her actions and shield herself from any direct attacks. 'I'll end it here!' She watched his shadow slowly retreat back to his position. 'Good!'
She ducks behind her fan and begins making a hand seal to activate her Shadow Clone Technique.
Weiss frowns. "What is she doing?"
"She is making hand seals to create shadow clones."
"So, Sun and his semblance?" Neptune nudges his partner who swats at him.
Nearly completing the hand seals, Temari suddenly found herself unable to complete it.
'…?! Impossible!' Her pupils shrink and she did her best to move, but her body isn't responding. 'No… No way… My body…'
Ozpin sagely nods and smiles. "It looks like he'd lured her into his trap."
From the edge of the arena, Shikamaru lets out a snort. "Heh. Finally… Shadow Imitation Technique, success!"
"Why… Won't my body move…? The shadow can't have reached this far… Besides…"
"I'll show you what's behind you." Shikamaru turns his head and Temari was forced to mimic his movement.
Her eyes quickly fell on the hole where his shadow sprouted from. 'Th-this hole…!'
Mercury looks mildly impressed. "Sneaky."
"He had this planned this entire time." Cinder said approvingly.
"You've noticed it haven't you? That's the hole Naruto dug and ambushed within the previous battle." The field pans out to show the relevant part of the arena. "It's connected to the large hole in front of you."
"No way… The shadow inside the tunnel…" Her mind begins to flip through the entire battle. Slowly she realized that this entire time she was forced… No, tricked into this position where he could trap her. 'Th… This guy…'
She grits her teeth, eyes shifting down in defeat.
"Checkmate." Said Kurenai.
"That's kinda broken." Said Sun. "How is he going to end this?"
"Guess we'll see." Answered Neptune.
Everyone watched in anticipation as Shikamaru marched up to the center of the arena – Temari copying his movement in tow. Her body trembles, trying to resist Shikamaru Shadow Imitation Technique to no avail. The two combatants were now faced to face. The stadium grew quiet. Waiting for Shikamaru's next move.
Shikamaru raised his right hand and Temari flinched while her right arm also raised itself up. He regards Temari for a moment before scowling.
"That's it… I give up." And with that, the tension was butchered and caused a majority of the audience to sport a dumbfounded face.
Vernal face palms "Seriously?"
"After going through all of that, he's giving up?!" Marrow wildly gestures at the screen.
"Well, victory isn't everything." Said Vine.
Temari's eyes shot open, hardly believing what she'd heard. "Wh-what?!"
"I give up," Shikamaru repeated. "The continuous use of the Shadow Imitation Technique has used up all of my chakras. I can barely bind you for 10 more seconds. I had thought up about 200 more moves but… It looks like I'm out of time." He casually explains as he turns to walk away. "I'm getting tired of this… One match is enough for me."
Ozpin chuckles. "A lazy principle, but he's aware of his shortcoming."
Genma smirks, 'Weird fellow.' Then raises his hand in the air to announce the winner. "Winner, Temari!"
The screen darkens and light slowly returns to the room.
"That's it?" Ironwood was expecting more. "I suppose this is a bit of a breather. Let me guess, we'll be watching something… Distressing after this?"
"You are correct."
Ruby lets out a groan and Oscar grimaces that's shared by several other people.
"I figured as much." Ironwood rubs his neck with a hint of annoyance. "There's a pattern you follow."
Pietro fidget in his seat. "Oh, dear… Let me prepare myself for whatever is next."
"Dare I ask what we'll be watching?" Inquires Ozpin.
"An evaluation that has gone wrong and a spiraling conflict." Answered the Hosts. "And perhaps, the fragile minds of mortals."
NEXT: Spec Ops: The Line - White Phosphorus
SEMI-HIATUS ANNOUNCEMENT:
There's other projects that I have long stored away and would like to get to them. Not to mention I am starting to get fatigue with some of the things I've been doing. It's been implied, but I never stated outright that this series is in a constant state of semi-hiatus and an update occurs if I get around to finishing a chapter for this series.
The updates will most likely be slow and irregular.
Thank you for understanding.
