The fight progressed, with Jugo observing Kiba and Akamaru's movements more closely, the way they ran, gathered strength, attacked, dodged...
Until he used Gatsuga with Akamaru.
They spun so fast it created a cyclone effect, their chakra-enhanced claws cutting through everything around them.
To be honest, it's a technique with some offensive power and speed, but it's also a terrible one to keep alive.
For some reason, he could only imagine Kiba charging at Shippuden's Sasuke with a Gatsuga and Sasuke using the Chidori spear and cutting him in half.
I mean, with the initial movement and limited vision, by the time he realized what had happened, he would have already been pierced or cut.
It has its advantages, or it wouldn't be used by the Inuzukas until today, but Jugo wouldn't use it.
Well, Kiba knocked Naruto down and started mocking him until he got up.
Jugo sighed and looked at Dosu and Kin. -Look, this is why I hate it when you guys start talking to your enemy. Look at the blond kid now. He just needed to be finished off, but now he's back on his feet. Who wants to bet on him winning?
Dosu and Kin looked at each other doubtfully. Naruto clearly looked like he was going to lose with at least a 90% chance.
But neither Dosu nor Kin said that.
-No, I trust you.- Kin smiled slightly.
Dosu shook his head, denying the bet.
Jugo scoffed. -Tsk, you guys are boring.- Then he turned back to the fight.
Of course, the fight went as expected, a little better than Sakura and Ino's chicken fight, but in the end, thanks to Naruto's fart, he managed to stun Kiba's sense of smell and hit him using his Sasuke-copied "Naruto Rendan" combo for the first time.
Jugo looked at Dosu and Kin with a haughty and mocking look.
The pair felt awkward looking at the injured blond boy standing and the unconscious Inuzuka boy on the ground.
Then they thought about their own fights and mentally thanked him for listening to Jugo.
From now on, they will never talk again! Hit first, talk later!
Jugo stopped paying attention to them and looked at Naruto, jumping happily with narrowed eyes.
This silly little guy's future is very bright.
To the point that in the future he would surpass even the ninjas considered "gods" in this world.
Jugo wondered what would happen if he killed Naruto now. He'd be so powerful in the future, so what if he got rid of the protagonist? He didn't need the reincarnation of Indra or Ashura.
His hands clenched slightly as his eyes stared at him coldly, but soon he sensed something was wrong and tightened the binding on his mind, quickly calming down.
That was a close call, his state of Lunatic almost woke up on its own.
Jugo took a deep breath. Fortunately, everyone was paying attention to Naruto having fun now. Besides, with his Prisoner abilities, no murderous intent leaked out.
For a moment he felt it would be better to end the threat in its cradle, saving himself from future problems.
Especially knowing that Naruto's mouth is the most fucking Overpowered thing in this world.
But after thinking with a calm mind, Jugo was not worried. He didn't think that when he reached his full potential he would be weaker than them on the contrary, he would be stronger!
Smiling slightly as his mind returned to calm, he watched as Kiba was carried away and Naruto climbed up proudly, as if he had faced an army of ten thousand and won.
Jugo watched Naruto for a moment longer, then looked away. Dosu noticed his gaze and looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes, a little curious about the blond man who had caught "Jugo-sama's" attention.
The names on the boards soon started spinning again, and two names were selected.
Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru
Jugo raised an eyebrow, feeling that Shikamaru had a destiny to fight women.
He doesn't know if they did this because Shikamaru would be the only one to fight a woman without underestimating her in the slightest.
For Shikamaru, who sees a battle as a game, there are no gender differences in terms of players once a game begins, it's win or lose.
Is it embarrassing to beat a woman to advance? Maybe he thinks a little, but he wouldn't hold back.
Jugo wanted to see how Shikamaru would fare against Temari a month earlier.
Temari smiled, pleased that it was finally her turn, Shikamaru looked like he'd eaten a lemon.
If it weren't for his mother forcing him to give it his all, he would have given up. In fact, he didn't even want to be in that exam!
But with a weary sigh, he slowly descended. - What a drag...
Soon the pair were facing each other, Temari with a confident smile, Shikamaru with a look of someone being forcibly pulled from the bed.
-Damn, I'm going to have to fight a woman...- He sighed heavily again, but for Shikamaru, the amount of sighs determines the difficulty of his day, of one thing he was sure, today is a bad day.
-Heh... don't worry, it won't be a fight.- A vein burst on Temari's forehead, and she decided to beat Shikamaru until he begged her to stop.
-...what a drag...- Shikamaru couldn't help but say his catchphrase as he sighed again, his face as unhappy as could be.
-Begin!- Hayate shouted as he jumped back.
As soon as he heard it, Shikamaru assumed his stance, ready to use the kagemane no jutsu.
But unfortunately for him, Temari was well acquainted with the major clans of Konoha, especially the Nara boy in front of her, so she pulled her fan behind her and waved it at once. -First moon!
Shikamaru quickly shielded his face with his arms as he jumped away.
Dust rose with the movement, making the area out of sight.
When the dust settled, Temari glanced at Shikamaru's position, only to notice nothing. She looked sideways, nothing, down, nothing and finally up.
On the ceiling, Shikamaru had his feet glued with his knee supported, his fingers were connected in a peculiar pattern, anyone who saw Naruto knew that was his planning position.
-Damn it! You bastard! Don't run away.- Temari was irritated to see him strike a strange pose on the ceiling, seemingly not taking her seriously. Combined with his earlier comment about women, the girl's anger grew even greater.
Asuma, however, was smiling, while Kurenai nearby looked curious.
-Aren't you worried?- she asked with interest.
Asuma smiled even more happily. -No, this boy...
On the other side, Jugo looked at Shikamaru on the ceiling, then at Temari, who had fully opened her fan and prepared to attack from afar.
He was thinking that if he were Temari, he would have already fully opened his giant wind fan and used his most powerful jutsu.
but the problems of the people of this world have appeared again, they like to talk.
At that point, Shikamaru finally opened his eyes and looked directly at her.
-What a drag.- He sighed.
The next moment, Temari attacked the ceiling with all her strength, causing several pieces of stone to collapse.
But Shikamaru had already fled.
-Tsk! You're really good at running, little mouse!- Temari looked to where Shikamaru was.
To her right, with the basic seal, Shikamaru's shadow advanced toward her at high speed.
Temari's eyes sharpened as she quickly jumped away. The environment was very favorable for him, luminous, but not bright light, as the shadow could linger even longer.
Of course, Shikamaru's chakra was limited, so the shadow soon stopped and Temari soon followed suit. She smiled and shouted. -Still too far, little mouse!- Then she opened her fan and fired another blast of air at him. Shikamaru clicked his tongue and fled again.
It soon became a cat-and-mouse chase, but Shikamaru's chakra was dwindling, his breathing was labored. Temari wasn't really enjoying herself. But at that moment, as she fled from the shadow again, Temari heard a loud noise from above. Shocked, she realized that at some point, Shikamaru had thrown a kunai with a paper bomb at the ceiling now a large chunk of rock was falling on her.
-Damn it!- She screamed and quickly raised her fan.. -Three Moons!
The stone was cut into pieces, but she consumed a great deal of chakra in doing so. Just as she was about to flee, she realized she couldn't move.
Shocked, she looked down, surrounded by stone fragments of various sizes, each casting a short shadow. Furthermore, the sunlight streaming through the hole in the ceiling further increased the projection, allowing Shikamaru's shadow to gain momentum from a long distance.
-Shit!- Temari managed to say, irritated.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, was breathing heavily. -Shadow possession... complete.
-Damn it, how did I get caught by that rat!- She sounded furious.
-Temari!- Kankuro shouted worriedly. Baki narrowed his eyes and Gaara didn't change his expression, looking at her indifferently.
Asuma smiled, deeply satisfied, while the Hokage stared at the ceiling, speechless.
Shikamaru didn't have much time the spot he'd placed Temari was right next to a wall, with her back to it.
Shikamaru couldn't waste chakra forcing her to hit her head, so he grabbed some Shurikens and threw them at her.
Unlike Kin, she didn't have a kunai pouch on her leg, so her eyes widened when she saw Shikamaru's movement. Shikamaru then threw the Shurikens at her.
But just as they were about to hit, Shikamaru threw himself back to dodge them. Temari was confused, but didn't resist it was better than being hit head-on.
But the next moment, she felt a strong head blow before blacking out.
Shikamaru braced himself with his hands and smiled, raising his torso again. The Kagemane no jutsu had already worn off, but Temari was already unconscious on the floor.
Asuma smiled with satisfaction, just as the Hokage.
Ino and Choji were already jumping and shouting excitedly.
Kankuro quickly jumped into the arena, worried about Temari.
Hayate didn't stop him, instead announcing. -Winner, Shikamaru.
Jugo looked at Shikamaru, who had won this time, with narrowed eyes. Indeed, the environment this time was much better for Shikamaru.
In the third phase, in an open field, for a mid-range attacker like Temari, it's a perfect field.
For Shikamaru? It's hell.
Even so, he still caught her.
But now, being able to make use of the terrain, he fared much better.
Limited area, shaded terrain, much better than in the third exam.
In fact, this was a two-way street, if Temari had more chakra and her jutsu was more powerful, she could destroy the entire arena with her wind fan, leaving no room for Shikamaru to escape and even affecting the audience, unfortunately, she couldn't do that yet.
Jugo looked at the lazy figure that Asuma was holding, his tired face looked ready to go home and take a nap, no, his mother would nag him about the victory, he could take a nap under the shade of a tree, yes, that was a good idea.
-That kid's dangerous.- Dosu said lightly.
-Oh? I thought you'd underestimate him.- Jugo looked at Dosu with interest.
Dosu shrugged, but looked at Shikamaru with narrowed eyes. Underestimating those Konoha brats was a mistake.
In fact, if it weren't for Jugo, he would have lost the second exam to Shikamaru too. He still remembers the feeling of being trapped by the shadow.
Jugo ignored Dosu's thoughts. He glanced at Kin, who seemed a bit spaced out for a while, her face flushed and occasionally letting out soft squeals. He wondered what the girl was thinking.
Shaking his head, he turned back to the arena. A team had come to fix the arena a bit, basically moving the stones to the side so the hole in the ceiling would be left.
Hiruzen was still staring at Asuma with narrowed eyes, clearly hoping to blame him.. Asuma pretended not to see.
The next fight was unexpected, and at the same time, the place fell silent as Gaara formed a hand seal, appearing in the arena with sand floating around him. Everyone then focused on the chubby, wide-eyed man next to Shikamaru.
.
--x--
.
+12 chapters of Jugo - Father of Devils on P_treon.
+23 chapters of The Legendary Mechanic - Triple Six on P_treon.
P_treon: March_Rain