Told you I't be soon.

Chapter 24: Temari Vs. Shikamaru

"Go on Shikamaru!" said Naruto patting him hard on the back, causing him to roll into the arena.

"How troublesome," he thought as he looked up to see Temari Charging him to smack him with the fan.

"I thought I'd end this fast," she smirked as she swung the closed fan down hard to slam Shikamaru. A dust cloud kicked up, but after it cleared, it revealed nothing was there. Temari looked up to see Shikamaru standing in a tree, "Clever, but lets see you stop this, Spinning Whirl!" and she opened her fan up and swung it, creating a huge gust of wind that blew Shikamaru off the Tree. Temari was charging after him when he landed, but quickly jumped away after she saw his shadow move.

"Shadow Bind Jutsu!" Shikamaru said as the shadow chased after her. She was almost caught, but his shadow stopped moving, it seemed to had reached its limit since he withdrew his shadow.

"So it seems this would be your limit," Temari said as she marked the ground with her fan, "and don't think I'm going to move over to those tree's to fight you."

"How troublesome," Shikamaru said as he knelt down on one leg, closed his eyes, and preassed all his fingers together almost making his hands look like a bowl.

"What is that Seal?" asked Kurenai.

"Its not so much of a seal as it is a Habbit," Laughed Asuma as he walked up to Kurenai.

"A Habbit?" She asked.

"Yeah, he always does it when he's backed into a corner. Whenever we play Shoji, he does it just as I thin I'm about to win, he comes up with a strategy and I'm humiliated again."

"But this isn't a game," Kurenai resoponded.

"Yes, but Shoji was originally developed to practice strategy. I managed to get Shikamaru to take an I.Q. Test disguised as a game, he scored well over 200."

"200?" Kurenai said in Shock, "Then how come he barely passed the academy?"

"He found it to troublesome to pick up the pencils during tests and slept," laughed Asuma.

"Whats taking so long!" yelled Temari, "Forget it. Sickling Wind!" She Yelled and swung her fan again, only this time a the wind was slicing the trees, though Shikamaru managed to get by with just a few minor cuts. He quickly pulled out a Kunai and tied his Vest to the back, and threw it up in the air and another right at Temari's Leg. She back Flipped over the Crater made in the last fight behind here smiling, thinking she had this lazy bum beat.

However his Shadow Jutsu shot forward, and this time it almost grabbed her. She realized what had happened. He had waited for the sun to go down to extend his shadow. However it wasnt all, he used another Shadow. His extended through the shadow cast by his vest, though she still managed to dodge it easily.

"That was close, but it seems I have won," she smiled, only to realize she couldn't move, "What happened!" She yelled.

"I finally caught you," Shikamaru smiled.

"But how, even with the sun and the extension from that vest it shouldn't be enough to reach me?" She said Shocked.

"Simple, I'll show you," he moved his head down so Temari could see the other Kunai he threw, It had stuck in the ground around where his shadow normaly would have stopped.

"So, you threw it making me think it was only to postion me so that your vest shadow would reach me, and hid its true purpose, to extend your shadow farther so that it would reach me," Temari said that in a very low and surprised voice. She had been outsmarted by him. Shikamaru began to walk forward until they were right in front of eachother.

Shikamaru looked at her and almost blushed a little, She's cute, how troublesome, he thought. The tension filled the air as they awaited Shikamaru's next move, "Its over, I give up."

Everyone was speachless as he dropped his Jutsu, "Why are you giving up?" was all Temari could say.

"Its far to troublesome to do any more, I though of around twenty things to do, but I'm low on chakra and don't really feel like continueing on," he said calmly as he returned to the seets. Temari only walked back confused by that guys actions.

"Well, the winner is, Temari," Genma managed to say, very confused himself by the action. Asuma only stood in the audience laughing, while Genma announced the next match, "The last round of the First Bracket will be Uchiha Sasuke and Sabuku no Gaara!"

Please R&R.