Note: I don't own Naruto.

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Sakura stood facing Shikamaru who seemed completely put out that he has to fight her. While she seemed completely focused and ready to fight. His eyes drifted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Man, here we go again." Shikamaru complained.

"If you're so put out Shikamaru, why not just forfeit right now?" Sakura suggested.

Shikamaru thought that was actually a good idea. As he was about to raise his hand in forfeit he heard his instructor shout.

"Shikamaru! If you forfeit it will be sprints everyday until the next exam!" Asuma shouted.

Shikamaru was now pissed. He just couldn't catch a break.

"Alright Sakura, you heard my instructor, we gotta fight after all.(sigh) man this sucks." Shikamaru said.

"If you're gonna fight to become a chunin at least show a little enthusiasm! God!" Sakura shouted.

"Man you talk too much." Shikamaru said.

" Bring it on!" Sakura said.

"Cha! That's right! Show him you're in control!" said Inner Sakura.

"Begin!" Said the proctor.

Sakura began with the multiple shuriken technique. As she threw her shuriken it multipled into about 30. Shikamaru however managed to evade them.

"The multiple shuriken technique? That's a technique I thought only Lord Hokage knew." Kurenai said.

"Sakura's...much different than she used to be." Gai said.

Kakashi, Kurenai, Naruto, Kiba and Hinata looked at him

Gai continued. " After she joined my team we made the discovery that she has an unnatural knaack for weaponry. So in her training for the past year that has been her main focus. She can even rival Tenten in this department."

Naruto looked down at Sakura. "Freaky..." he said.

Gai looked to Naruto "Hah, you've not seen a thing yet."

Shikamaru attacked Sakura with a barrage of kicks while his hands remained in his pockets. Sakura managed to block most of them. Shikamaru then grabbed Sakura's hand and threw her over his shoulder. Sakura landed on her feet, but as Shikamaru was about to go after her he noticed something about his hand. As he brought it up to inspect it, he saw that a kunai had been shoved straight through his hand.

"When... I didn't even see Sakura's hands move." Chouji said.

Despite his injury Shikamaru showed little appearance of pain.

" yea, that stings." Shikamaru said in his usual monotone demeanor.

He then pulled the kunai out. Sakura then ran straight past him, as she did, she exposed a tiny tube from her mouth and spit needles at Shikamaru.Only one hit his arm.

"Sakura, you're really starting to get annoying." Shikamaru said.

"Will you stop complaining and fight, you're so lazy!" Sakura said.

Sakura then grabbed two fistfuls of kunai and launched them at Shikamaru. Shikamaru dodged them and ran up the hand gesture monument. It was then that Sakura revealed one of her deadliest techniques. Shikamaru did not notice it at first but soon discovered shining streams around the statue, a look of shock came over his face as he looked back at Sakura and noticed theat she had wires intwined in her hands.

"Oh great." Shikamaru said as he jumped off the monument. As soon as he did Sakura pulled on the wires which sliced right through the large statue.

" Where the heck are those wires coming from?" Kiba asked.

" Sakura has an arsenal of weaponry on her, perhaps what's more impressive is her ability to keep them completely hidden and in her control." Gai explained.

Sakura continued to attack Shikamaru with her deadly wires, however he managed to evade them every time. Then Shikamaru just managed to get into a proper range to launch the Shadow imitation jutsu which now trapped Sakura.

" This ought to keep you still for a moment." Shikamaru said while standing in an upright position.

However, as soon as he said that, he noticed something moving up in Sakura's outfit, it was a kunai which somehow, was moving on it's own seemingly. It came up to the top of Sakura's blouse as she pulled it out with her teeth. She then spat it into the area of the shadow. The kunai then emitted a blinding flash, temporarily eliminating the shadow and giving Sakura a window of 2 seconds to get out of Shikamaru's shadow range. Shikamaru however managed to sneek up and jump her from behind, but as he did, he noticed tiny opening were forming from the back of Sakura's outfit. Shikamaru then discovered they were kunai, but before he could react the kunai were fired upon him from the back of Sakura's outfit. This amazed everyone.

"Gai wasn't joking, Sakura's weapon skills are incredible, she must be using chakra control to control her arsenal like this." Kakashi thought.

Half the kunai struck Shikamaru. As Sakura turned around to close in on what she thought was an injured Shikamaru. She saw him in a crouched position with his hands on his head with a few kunai sticking in his arms.A look of surprise came over Sakura's face when she discovered that he had cast his shadow at her. Sakura despite her best efforts, Sakura began to take the same stance as Shikamaru. Shikamaru then tilted his head back, forcing Sakura to do the same.

" Just so you don't try that little kunai trick again." Shikamaru said.

It was then that Shikamaru was going to unleash his shadow neck-bind technique in which shadowed hands reach around the victim's neck and strangle them. However he was beginning to notice a stinging sensation around his limbs. Shikamaru looked over to Sakura and saw that the same wiring she was attacking him with earlier had now been intertwined around him.

" Naruto told me about your little run-in with Gaara in the hospital a year ago where even though you had his body under control, he was still able to use his sand. Your Shadow technique controls my body, not my chakra, which is what I'm using to control these wires, now you got two choices, either you surrender and release your attack, or I turn you into a pile of sliced meat and win anyway." Sakura said.

After hearing that, Naruto suddenly regretted telling her. Shikamaru hesitated for a moment but then saw Sakura's wires begin to tighten drawing someblood. Shikamaru sighed.

"Proctor... I give up." Shikamaru said.

"The winner of this match, Haruno Sakura."

" Good fight Shikamaru." Sakura said.

"Whatever" Shikamaru said rubbing the back of his head.

As they both went back up to the balcony, Hinata was kind enough to offer a jar of healing salve to Shikamaru for his cuts. Naruto smiled at Hinata's kind gesture. However, everyone's focus was again on the board as it sped through the names.

Kankuro

vs.

Koichi Higashi

"Well, my turn." Kankuro said lugging kurusu on his back.

"I was starting to wonder when it would be my turn." The music nin said as he jumped down carrying his Koto on his back.

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Next Time

Koichi: I am Koichi Higashi of the Higashi clan, be worthy of my time.

Kankuro: Don't act so smug, you're about to get crushed.

Naruto: Next Time! Koichi vs. Kankuro! The music man's deadly tune!