Naruto: I am Nara Shikamaru

After Choji's defeat, several more matches took place. Although the order of appearances shifted slightly, the key fighters were mostly the same.

Temari dominated Tenten with ease.

Naruto defeated Kiba with a well-timed fart!

Neji won against Hinata.

Shino defeated Makin from the Mist team.

Sakura and Ino were both eliminated.

Shikamaru glanced around. So far, it seemed only he, Lee, Gaara, Kin, Dosu, and the Mist ninja hadn't fought yet.

"Lee vs. Gaara, so that means…" he thought.

"Next match: Nara Shikamaru vs. Rock Lee!" Hayate Gekko announced.

"Ah!" Shikamaru muttered inwardly. He saw on the screen that he was indeed up against Lee. No way! Well, whatever. He smirked, then flashed onto the stage, looking effortlessly cool.

Seeing Shikamaru appear, a few onlookers' eyes gleamed oddly.

Gaara looked at Shikamaru with a mix of hatred and a hint of fear. Beside him, Temari and Kankuro, both victorious, also stared warily. Anyone who could injure Gaara was no ordinary opponent.

Sakura awkwardly glanced at Shikamaru, while Orochimaru lurked in the shadows, watching with keen interest. According to Kabuto's intel, this kid was quite extraordinary, stronger even than Sasuke!

"Shikamaru! I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I'm Rock Lee, but everyone calls me Lee. I specialize in taijutsu, nice to meet you!" Lee struck a pose and flashed his bright white teeth.

"Got it! I'm Nara Shikamaru. Likewise!" Shikamaru replied politely, then quickly shifted into a fighting stance.

"Cough cough... Then this match... cough cough... will begin!"

Hayate announced just as both fighters suddenly vanished from sight.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" 

"Shadow Ninja Technique: Shadow Shuriken!"

Shikamaru reappeared in mid-air, surrounded by swirling shadows. A flurry of chakra-formed shuriken rained down on Lee, an adaptation of Shikamaru's signature Shadow Stitching technique from the original series.

Zii zii zii! 

Lee darted quickly, dodging every shadow shuriken. They all struck the ground and vanished.

Whoosh! 

Shikamaru sensed movement behind him and didn't even need to turn around, Lee was already there! Shikamaru immediately activated his substitution jutsu.

Bang! 

Shikamaru's form was struck mid-air, knocked down and transformed into a wooden stake upon hitting the ground.

"Substitution jutsu! Uh-oh!" Lee's instincts flared, but before he could react, Shikamaru's shadow shuriken swept in again.

Clang clang clang!

Lee danced around, blocking the shuriken with his arms and legs. The metallic sounds reminded Shikamaru that Lee was still wearing weighted leg and arm bands!

"Wait a moment!"

Seeing Lee land on the palm of the wooden stake form, Shikamaru suddenly said, "Lee! Take off your weights and show me your full power!"

He smiled faintly. "Of course, I'll do the same!"

Lee blinked in surprise but nodded. To everyone's shock, he removed the heavy weights from his arms and legs.

Everyone thought, How heavy could those be?

Boom! 

The ground cracked where Lee dropped the weights, forming a huge crater.

Before they could react, another boom! followed, Shikamaru had done the same, throwing off his own weights and creating an equally massive crater nearby.

The Third Hokage's lips twitched slightly. "My repair bill..." he muttered.

"Lee, youth needs passion! Go get him! I'm rooting for you!" Guy shouted excitedly at Lee, who also wore weights.

Nearby, Asuma and Guy hurriedly distanced themselves, pretending not to know each other.

"Yes, Sensei! Youth needs passion!" Lee shouted back, pumped up. If it weren't for the match, these two might have ended up hugging and crying.

Cough cough...

Hayate suddenly interrupted with a cough.

"Come on, Shikamaru. Let me show you what I've got! Hooah!" Lee said, then vanished instantly. Shikamaru, with shadow energy swirling around him, also disappeared.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" 

"Shadow Ninja Technique: Shadow Leaf Whirlwind!"

Bang bang bang bang! 

The sound of their clashes echoed endlessly. Shikamaru, protected by his shadow chakra, met Lee head-on, the fight a dazzling, intense spectacle that had the crowd on their feet.

Bang bang! 

After the final strike, the two separated, breathing heavily. Lee was thrilled, clearly enjoying the fight.

Shikamaru, however, wore a calm expression but secretly grimaced. His body ached in multiple places. Why did I have to stubbornly match Lee's taijutsu when it's not my specialty? He cursed silently, then dispelled his shadow possession.

His hands quickly formed signs as he shouted, "Shadow Ninja Technique: Shadow Trap!"

Shadows spread rapidly beneath Shikamaru's feet, forming a one-meter radius circle, waiting for Lee to step inside. Shikamaru was done playing around. This technique was perfect against Lee, who relied solely on taijutsu and had no choice but to close in.

Asuma's eyes glinted knowingly. "Guy, your student's about to lose!"

Guy glanced at Asuma, puzzled. Hadn't their fight been neck-and-neck?

Asuma simply said, "Shikamaru doesn't excel at taijutsu. His strength lies in ninjutsu."

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!" Lee charged forward, confused by Shikamaru's sudden change of tactics.

Bang! 

Shikamaru blocked Lee's attack with both hands, then smiled calmly.

"Lee, you lost."

"What? Why can't I move?"

Lee screamed in surprise, then looked down to see his own shadow had trapped him. He realized he'd been caught!

Shikamaru stepped back, putting a meter between them, then pulled out a kunai from behind his back and pointed it at Lee.

"Give up, Lee!"

Lee's hand reached out, but he found it empty. Stunned, he didn't expect to lose so suddenly, thinking of his hard training and Guy's support...

"No! I won't!" Lee shouted.

"Eight Gates Formation, Open Gate... Open..."

------------

Note: If you guys want to read up to 50+ chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on Patreon. You can read up to chapter 94 there! patreon.com/vynthor