"Haah..." Nara Shikamaru exhaled deeply, wiping the fine layer of sweat that had gathered on his forehead.
In Taijutsu, there is rarely a "one move that conquers all" theory. Mastery of the techniques and constant practice are crucial. Shikamaru had recently acquired the "Shadow Show," and to quickly familiarize himself with it, he had been engaging in frequent sparring sessions with his father, Nara Shikaku, and Asuma Sarutobi, hoping to gain insight into how to predict the opponent's next move after dodging or blocking an attack.
Shikamaru would also occasionally spar with Choji and Ino. The Akimichi clan's strength lies in grappling and throwing, and with Choji's current strength, if Shikamaru were caught, escaping without a counterattack would be nearly impossible. However, his speed and agility were his weak points, but with the "Shadow Show" in hand, Shikamaru could easily compensate for this.
In contrast, Ino's Taijutsu was far weaker, even not on par with Choji, but the Yamanaka clan's specialty lies in sensory techniques. Ino was more focused on chakra control and had already started learning to walk on water.
Shikamaru sat on the grass, reflecting on the lessons he'd learned from his recent battle with Asuma, while carefully cleaning his "Shadow Show" with a piece of deer hide.
This weapon, which he had crafted himself, fit perfectly with his Taijutsu style and secret techniques, making it extremely useful. Shikamaru had grown quite fond of it.
A sharp cry rang out from the sky. Asuma, who had been leisurely blowing smoke rings, looked up quickly at the sound. A hawk with brown feathers was circling above Konoha, emitting sharp, brief calls.
This was one of Konoha's special ninja hawks, trained for various village tasks. Asuma listened carefully to the rhythm of the calls.
"The Chūnin Exams... are about to begin!" Asuma smiled lightly, then stood up and addressed Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, who were still training. "I have something to take care of, so I'll leave first."
"Shikamaru." Before he left, Asuma seemed to remember something. Turning to Shikamaru, who was still cleaning his weapon, he added, "Please take care of Konohamaru for me."
Yesterday, Asuma had asked Shikamaru to help guide his nephew, Konohamaru Sarutobi, in his training. Asuma had great confidence in Shikamaru's abilities and intelligence, believing that guiding Konohamaru would not only help the boy but also give Shikamaru valuable teaching experience. Shikamaru had no reason to refuse, not only because of Asuma's past help but also because of Konohamaru's potential.
"I understand," Shikamaru replied seriously. Asuma nodded in approval, formed the hand seals, and used the Body Flicker Technique to quickly disappear into the distance.
"Ino, Choji," Shikamaru said after Asuma left, looking at the time. He realized he was about to meet Konohamaru at the agreed-upon place. "You two continue your training. I need to go meet Konohamaru."
Meanwhile, the leader of Team 7, Hatake Kakashi, who had just handed out missions to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, also noticed the hawk circling above Konoha. Sighing, he put down his "Icha Icha Paradise" book and called out to his students, who were walking ahead.
"Hey!" Kakashi called, making them stop. "I have something to do, so I'm leaving first."
Without waiting for a reply, Kakashi disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique.
"Geez, how irresponsible!" Sakura frowned, muttering about Kakashi's behavior. But when she looked around and realized they were close to the commercial district, she gathered her courage and approached Sasuke.
"Sasuke, now that the mission is over, do you want to go shopping with me?" Sakura asked, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"No, I'm going back," Sasuke replied coldly, not even turning his head as he continued walking.
Sakura's face froze as she heard Sasuke's rejection. Her blush deepened, but she persisted. "But it's still early..."
"You're annoying, Sakura!" Sasuke snapped, furrowing his brows in irritation. The recent tasks had been trivial, like searching for a lost pet. Sasuke, who prided himself on his strength, was frustrated by the lack of challenging missions. He couldn't help but compare himself to Shikamaru, who had already fought elite Jonin from foreign villages. Meanwhile, Sasuke had only killed a couple of bandits. The disparity between them seemed to grow bigger every day.
"Instead of worrying about me, you should be training," Sasuke added coldly, casting a glance at Naruto, who appeared lost in thought.
Sakura was hurt by the comparison, especially since the person Sasuke had chosen as a point of comparison was Naruto—someone she had always looked down upon. She stood frozen in place, her heart sinking.
Naruto, who had been lost in his own thoughts, was actually contemplating how to ask Sakura to train with him. When he saw Sasuke walking off alone, he couldn't hide his excitement. He felt his chances of getting Sakura to train with him had just increased.
"Sakura, forget about Sasuke. Let's go train!" Naruto called eagerly, waving his hand at her. However, as a ninja, he suddenly sensed movement behind him. Turning around quickly, he noticed something strange.
"...Huh?" He observed a rectangular object, disguised as a stone block, with two small holes in the front. It was moving suspiciously, blending into the street like an ordinary stone.
"What the... is this some kind of camouflage?! What are you hiding? A stone?" Naruto thought to himself, but he quickly tried to act casual, taking a few steps forward. Then, he spun around and, in an attempt to catch whoever was behind the disguise, shouted, "Hey! Stop with the amateur disguise!"
"Heh, heh, heh!" A childish, raspy laugh came from the rectangular object as three children wearing goggles crawled out.
These three kids were none other than Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, Naruto's younger followers. Konohamaru, crossing his arms, looked at Naruto seriously.
"Not bad, Naruto. You're worthy of being my rival!" Konohamaru declared.
Naruto, with his forehead vein bulging in irritation from their childish antics, pointed at the obvious cardboard box disguise and scolded, "What kind of stone is this with holes in it? It's right in the middle of the road!"
Konohamaru chuckled awkwardly, wiping his nose. "Come on, big brother, play ninja games with us!"
Naruto, trying to act uninterested, pretended to scoff but then secretly glanced at Sakura and gave her a thumbs-up, saying confidently, "I've got training to do. No time for your ninja games!"
"Oh!" Konohamaru's eyes lit up at Naruto's words. "Big brother, why don't you just teach me how to train?"
Moegi, standing beside Konohamaru, quietly tugged on his shirt and whispered, "Konohamaru, didn't you say your uncle introduced us to someone named Shikamaru? Aren't we supposed to wait for him and have him teach us?"
"Don't be stupid!" Konohamaru scoffed, putting his hands on his hips. He pointed dramatically at Naruto, who was trying to act cool and said, "Big brother here is the man who defeated the Hokage!"
"Yeah, Naruto-sama!" Konohamaru and his friends chimed in.