Bijuu lord: I'm glad you're enjoying the story but I'm sorry to say I won't be done with boards until the end of June.

I hope you all like the chapter. I kept wondering how Shikamaru's fight with Daichi would go so I let it come out naturally and this is what I came up with. Hopefully, it's reasonable.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 39: Shikamaru's Growth

Ino rushed over to the room where Sakura was being treated, worry clear in her eyes.

"Is she okay?" she asked the medic nin that approached her upon entry.

"She should be fine with some time to rest. She's lucky enough to have avoided any broken bones. She's just heavily bruised," the medic explained kindly as she allowed Ino to rush to her friend's side.

Sakura was already awake, though groggy. She smiled as she saw Ino.

"Hi," she greeted the blonde softly.

"How do you feel?" Ino asked anxiously.

"Sore… really sore," Sakura admitted with a wince. "She got me good."

"You gave it back to her with twice the force," Ino retorted.

"I still lost," Sakura voiced her disappointment.

"Only in stamina," Ino argued. "That strategy you pulled off was brilliant. You may have lost the battle but you proved that you're not just a pretty face. You're strong and everyone sees that. You'll only get better. You've got to. Who else can I call my rival?"

Sakura smiled at Ino's attempt to cheer her up. "Thanks Ino."

"No problem," Ino grinned. "Even if you don't make Chuunin this time, there's always next time. We'll become Chuunin together!"

"Promise?"

"It's a promise of a lifetime," Ino assured the pink-haired girl. "I won't go back on my word."

Sakura chuckled. "You're beginning to sound like Naruto now."

"Well, Konoha needs more people like him, don't you think?" Ino winked.

"If you asked me that six months ago, I probably would have said no, but now… I've got to agree with you," Sakura responded.

"It's funny how he's won us all over," Ino mused.

"No kidding. None of us were taken in more so than Shikamaru," Sakura inserted, before looking thoughtful. "Isn't his battle coming up next? You should go out there to cheer him on."

"I don't want to leave you all by your lonesome," Ino frowned. That simply wasn't what friends do.

"She won't be alone," a voice called out. Ino turned to see Lee standing at the door. "I'll keep the lovely Sakura-san company."

Sakura blushed at the way Lee described her. He made her feel special… it was a pity her heart belonged to Sasuke.

Ino looked between them, a small smile appearing on her face. They were cute together. She'd do her best to set them up. Sasuke wouldn't have Sakura's heart for long.

"Do you mind him staying with you, in my place, Sakura?" Ino queried, not wanting to assume anything.

"It's fine, Ino. Watch the battle for the both of us. Shikamaru better win and show that bastard Iwa nin why he and Naruto belong together!" Sakura declared.

Ino smirked. "I'm sure he will."

"How's Sakura?" Shikamaru asked as Naruto re-entered the waiting area.

"She'll be fine," Naruto declared. "She's a fighter."

"She did well," Shino commended the girl. "She would make a fine Chuunin."

"You all must be blind," Daichi scoffed. "The battle down there was pathetic. There's no way she's Chuunin material."

"That's not for us to decide," Shikamaru answered. "It's up to the judges."

"I bet you're a shoo-in for Chuunin, Shikamaru," Chouji commented, knowing that his friend could pull it off.

"Che, by the time I'm done with him, there won't be anything left to make Chuunin," Daichi vowed, eyes boring into Shikamaru.

Shikamaru met the glare evenly. He could see it in Daichi's eyes… the boy really intended to kill him.

"I'll give you a piece of advice now, Nara. Forfeit before I introduce you to the worst pain you'll ever experience," Daichi warned.

Shikamaru felt Naruto's hand slip into his and he squeezed it in a reassuring manner.

"There was a time where I might have done just that, Tanaka. I was a coward… but not anymore. You've given me a reason to fight. I 'll show you why we of the Nara clan are feared so much," Shikamaru promised. He would use all of his intellectual ability to bring Daichi down.

Daichi sneered, eyes burning with barely contained rage. "Get down into that arena, Nara." He stalked off.

"Good luck," Naruto told Shikamaru. The dark-haired boy nodded in thanks before he started to leave. He paused at the door.

"I'll defeat him, Naruto. Trust me."

"I do," Naruto responded, recalling how Shikamaru had brought him out of his self-induced coma.

Shikamaru smirked before he vanished through the door.

'You picked a good mate,' Kyuubi remarked approvingly.

'If he wins this… I might accept that he's worthy of you,' Minato decided grudgingly. The boy was beginning to earn his respect.

Naruto could only smile at his parent's commentary.

"Aren't you scared? If he loses, I don't think that guy will leave your boyfriend alive," Temari asked.

"I trust Shikamaru. If he says he'll win, he will," Naruto voiced his faith.

"If you say so," Temari responded. She didn't think the lazy Nara stood a chance against the aggressive Iwa nin but Shikamaru had surprised them all before.

Kakashi and Jiraiya watched Shikamaru and Daichi closely. They were just as eager as the Genin to see how this battle would go.

"Do you think he can defeat the Iwa nin?" Jiraiya asked Kakashi.

"I can't say. As a Nara, he's certainly got the edge in intelligence but will that be enough? The Iwa nin's abilities are still mostly unknown," Kakashi responded.

"He better win," Jiraiya said gruffly. "For Naruto's sake."

Jin was looking forward to this battle. He wanted to see the Yondaime Hokage's brat break before his eyes as his lover was slaughtered.

He would wait until Daichi triumphed before he moved onto the second part of his plan.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Daichi hissed as Shikamaru joined him on the battlefield.

Shikamaru chose not to react as he waited for Genma to indicate that the battle had begun. He would require all of his concentration to find the best way to deal with Daichi.

It was time to see the outcome of all of his training.

A Nara was dangerous enough as an opponent. A motivated Nara was deadly.

Daichi was going to learn that the hard way.

'You will regret all of your meddling,' Shikamaru swore, practically twitching with anticipation.

"Begin," Genma announced.

"The outcome of this battle has already been decided," Shikaku remarked from where he sat alongside Inoichi and Chouza.

"I've never seen Shikamaru-kun so determined before," Chouza mused. "I'm looking forward to seeing the results."

Daichi made a series of handseals before slamming his hands onto the ground.

A large fissure appeared, rapidly approaching Shikamaru. He was quick to leap out of the way.

Daichi was taking the aggressive approach to the battle, much like his teammate. Shikamaru was going to need some space to devise a strategy and he wasn't going to get that while he was out in the open.

He was quick to retreat into the trees surrounding the borders of the area, practically melting into the shadows.

Daichi snorted derisively. "Running away already, Nara? You disappoint me. I thought Uzumaki meant more to you than this. Way to let him down."

Shikamaru bit back the retort that was dying to escape his lips. He wouldn't give away his location simply because he wasn't capable of keeping a hold on his emotions. If he wanted to win this, he would have to approach this the same way he approached everything… using logic.

Daichi looked a little plut out that his jeers weren't enough to draw Shikamaru out. He'd been hoping that he could begin thrashing Naruto's lover already. The boy was more level-headed than he thought. He should have expected that from the heir of Konoha's famed Nara clan.

He was going to have to find another way to smoke the kage nin out. It shouldn't be too hard to do.

Despite knowing of Shikamaru's intelligence, Daichi was still underestimating him.

"Do you think Shikamaru can win this?" Kurenai asked the now frequently asked question as she turned to Asuma. "His opponent is a vicious one."

"His victory is as good as set in stone," Asuma spoke with conviction.

"Why is that?" the Genjutsu Mistress queried, confused.

"Because, for once… he wants to win," Asuma smirked.

Shikamaru braced himself against a tree as he tried to withstand the way the ground beneath his feet quaked so violently.

He knew Daichi was trying to get him out in the open but that was not going to happen. Shikamaru was right where he needed to be and he wasn't going to lose that particular advantage.

It was time to start up his counter attack…

"Stubborn bastard," Daichi spat as he, once again, failed to get Shikamaru out from the trees. He knew better than to get too close to the shadows. "What do you hope to achieve by hiding? You might as well do us all a favor and forfeit!"

Many people in the audience, bored of the inactivity, voiced their agreement.

It was then that Daichi noticed the shadow that was approaching him. He leapt backwards, eyes widening in surprise as the shadow split into multiple threads, emerging from the ground and lashed out at him.

Shikamaru hadn't demonstrated such skill with his shadow manipulation before… just how much could he have changed in just one month?

He dodged the cords as much as he could, forced to unleash the vines from his seals to counter Shikamaru's assault.

In the end, they arrived at a stale mate with all of Daichi's vines wrapped up with Shikamaru's shadow cords.

"You've got a lot better," Daichi was forced to concede. He hadn't expected Shikamaru to have stood the slightest chance against him. It looked like he was proven wrong.

Again, all he was met with was silence.

Shikamaru suddenly forced all of the shadow cords to fuse, obliterating the vines that had been wrapped up with them and the now large shadow surged towards Daichi, weaving through the new vines he created in his panicked attempt to keep Shikamaru's shadow away.

He didn't get the chance to leap out of the way as the shadow broke apart again and wrapped around him, binding him in place and not providing him with any movement whatsoever.

"He got him!" Ino cheered from where she was watching the battle eagerly. She knew Shikamaru was going to win but she hadn't expected him to have gained the advantage so fast in the fight. Daichi had looked like a difficult opponent, after all. It appeared that while she was his teammate, she had underestimated his potential just like everybody else. "Finish it, Shikamaru!"

Jin's eyes narrowed in displeasure. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. The Nara should be dead by now and the Namikaze should be broken. Daichi was his most prized pawn… there was no way he could lose to such a weakling.

And yet… here they were with Daichi just a few seconds away from losing the battle after the Nara had only made a few short moves to subdue him.

"You disappoint me…" he voiced his disgust before he stalked off. It appeared that if he wanted to get anything done, he would have to do it himself. Iruka's time was now running short.

Michiru couldn't help but gape openly at Daichi's capture. How could this have happened? How could he have possibly let this happen?

Her eyes fell on Naruto, whose eyes were bright with surprise and excitement. She couldn't help but glower in his direction.

He may be happy at the moment but he wouldn't be soon, not with what her sensei had planned.

"I've never seen Shikamaru move this aggressively," Asuma mused as he observed the battle. To many eyes, the few moves Shikamaru made wouldn't look aggressive, but to those who knew him, they most certainly were.

Shikamaru hadn't spent as much time testing his opponent out as he normally did before he made his move. He saw his chance and struck… now all that was left to see was how this battle would end.

Daichi struggled uselessly against his bonds, teeth gritted in frustration.

This was not supposed to be how this battle played out. He was supposed to maim Shikamaru… not fall directly into his trap!

He looked forward as Shikamaru emerged from the shadows, a dark look on his face.

He glared as Shikamaru stalked towards him at a leisurely place, not the slightest bit worried about Daichi being able to escape.

Shikamaru leaned forward to whisper in his ears. "Don't mess with my precious people."

With that, Shikamaru drew back his fist and dealt a devastating punch to Daichi's face, knocking him out instantly.

Genma couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight. It wasn't everyday that he witnessed a Nara winning a battle by actually using physical force to deal the final move. They usually only used their shadows to do all of the dirty work.

He raised a hand above his head. "Winner: Nara Shikamaru."

The stadium was silent for a moment before cheers broke out.

"Who knew Shikamaru could be so badass?" Kiba whistled from where he sat with Hinata.

Hinata simply smiled, pleased at the outcome. Shikamaru had gained his well-deserved victory. She could only hope that this would help lead to the resolution of the problems that had kept him and Naruto apart.

Close to them, Kotetsu and Izumo couldn't help but marvel over how the Finals were going. Each battle so far had a multitude of surprises.

The Dead Last of the current Rookies had defeated the Rookie of the Year of the last year's Genin, the weak pink-haired girl had been almost on par with the vicious Iwa kunoichi, and the lazy Nara ended up being… not-so-lazy. The three least promising shinobi of the current generation had shown incredible improvement in such a short period of time. If this was how it was, they had no idea what to expect of the upcoming battle between Sasuke and Gaara.

"This has got to be the most exciting Chuunin Exam Final I have ever seen," Kotetsu mused with a raised eyebrow.

"No kidding. This year's Rookies are pretty scary," Izumo agreed. "Who knows what they'll pull off in the future?"

Shikamaru watched as Daichi was taken out of the stadium by the medics, a feeling of satisfaction coursing through him. He had disliked the Iwa nin from the moment he first met him due to how he tormented Naruto.

"Shikamaru!" he heard a voice call out and he looked up just in time to see Naruto leap down from the viewing area, headed right for him.

"…Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered as Naruto landed on him, knocking him to the ground. He was only fortunate that the wind had helped both in slowing Naruto's descent and cushioning their fall.

The brunette looked up at the ecstatic blonde straddling his waist with raised eyebrows. "You'll never change, will you, Naruto?" he remarked dryly, a fond look in his eyes.

"Nope," Naruto declared proudly, pulling Shikamaru into a seated position so that he could plaster an affectionate kiss on his lips, ignoring everybody around them. He pulled back with a soft look. "You did amazing."

"Thanks," Shikamaru smiled as they both got onto their feet.

"I'm sorry that I ever doubted you…" Naruto apologized. "I just wanted to protect you."

"I know you did," Shikamaru responded in understanding. "But know this… you may try to protect everyone, but even you need protection sometimes. That's what I plan to do, so just… have a little faith."

"I will," Naruto promised, taking Shikamaru's hand into his.

"Am I interrupting something?" a dry voice suddenly rang out. Both Genin whirled around to see who was speaking and gaped in surprise.

Sasuke had finally arrived.