Chapter 122: A Hard-Fought Battle

"Hmph—"

Temari glared at Shikamaru, watching him evade her attacks while grumbling under his breath. Her face darkened further.

"Mienfoo, use Yoga Pose!"

"Mien!"

Mienfoo nodded, assuming an unusual stance. Its eyes sharpened, filled with focused determination.

Shikamaru frowned slightly, then gently set Deerling down. "Deerling, use Camouflage."

Deerling nodded as it landed on the ground, its body gradually blending into the surroundings, seemingly vanishing before everyone's eyes.

Of course, by now, the audience understood that this was not actual invisibility but rather an ability to blend with the environment, making it hard to detect.

"I fell for that trick once. This time, I won't be fooled again!"

Hearing Temari's confident remark, Shikamaru merely shook his head. "That remains to be seen."

"Hmph—"

Temari snorted but didn't argue further. "Mienfoo, get closer!"

"Mien!"

Recovering from its pose, Mienfoo acknowledged her command and swiftly closed the distance toward Shikamaru.

Shikamaru wasn't about to sit still. His hands formed seals as his shadow slithered forward across the ground, creeping toward the advancing Mienfoo.

Temari noticed this and quickly repositioned herself while shouting, "Mienfoo, don't let his shadow touch you! Dodge!"

Mienfoo nodded again, its agile movements making it difficult for the shadow to catch, step by step closing in on Shikamaru.

"What a pain..."

Shikamaru sighed in frustration before commanding, "Deerling, Tackle!"

"Deer!"

A split second later, a blur of movement appeared beside Temari.

With its legs moving swiftly, Deerling lowered its head and charged at Temari at high speed.

Temari's pupils shrank in disbelief.

She hadn't anticipated Deerling appearing so close, let alone attacking her directly.

Whoosh—

For a brief moment, Temari froze, feeling the gust of wind as Deerling closed the distance.

The shock jolted her back to her senses, and she swiftly swung her fan, positioning it in front of her to block the impact.

Boom!

A loud crash resounded as the force of Deerling's attack sent Temari flying backward.

She skidded across the ground before slamming against the arena wall. Slowly, she slid down into a kneeling position, panting.

Staring at Deerling in astonishment, she muttered, "Such power... this thing's strength rivals that of a Chunin!"

"Mien!"

Mienfoo, who had been focused on Shikamaru, turned its head in alarm at the commotion. Its expression shifted to concern.

"Cough, cough—"

Temari coughed twice before standing up shakily, shaking her head. "I'm fine, Mienfoo. Keep going! Use Swift!"

"Mien!"

Mienfoo nodded, eyes filled with determination as it advanced toward Shikamaru once more.

Raising its arms, it conjured a glowing star-shaped projectile in midair before swiftly launching it at him.

"Deer!"

Deerling, worried for its trainer, rushed forward.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at the incoming attack.

"I... can't dodge this?"

The thought struck him as odd. Normally, he would instinctively sidestep, yet something about the Swift attack felt inescapable.

As if no matter where he moved, the stars would inevitably track him down.

Not overthinking it, Shikamaru quickly formed a seal.

His shadow extended, no longer bound to the ground but stretching into the air, intercepting the incoming attack.

Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted as a cloud of dust engulfed the battlefield.

The audience held their breath, their eyes locked on the swirling dust.

Moments later, a gust of wind swept through, dispersing the haze and revealing Shikamaru kneeling on one knee, panting heavily.

His eyes, filled with exhaustion, fixated on the scene ahead.

Suspended midair was a jagged, pitch-black shadow, having pierced through the Swift attack.

Thud—

The remains of the projectile crumbled to the ground, stirring up another small dust cloud.

Shikamaru exhaled deeply as he slowly stood up, brushing off the dirt on his uniform. "That was close… I barely managed to block it."

"Deer!"

Deerling trotted over, eyes gleaming with relief and joy.

Shikamaru reached out and ruffled its head. "Alright, alright. I'm fine. But seriously… this whole tournament thing is exhausting."

Meanwhile, Temari had returned to Mienfoo's side, her expression more serious than before.

Staring at Shikamaru, she muttered, "Winning this match won't be easy. But it doesn't matter—I refuse to lose to someone like you."

Her gaze sharpened as she issued her next command.

"Mienfoo, use Calm Mind! Then get close and hit him with multiple Slaps!"

"Mien!"

Mienfoo nodded, sitting cross-legged as energy waves radiated from its body.

The battle was far from over.

Mienfoo's aura grew sharper, and its presence seemed even more focused and powerful.

"Deerling, stop it!"

Shikamaru's expression tensed as he issued the command.

He recognized that the move Mienfoo was using was a stat-boosting ability. If it managed to complete the technique, the battle would become far more difficult for them.

"Deer!"

Deerling nodded, its eyes becoming more serious. It prepared to rush forward to intervene.

However, before Deerling could act, Temari's voice rang out.

"I won't let you get close!"

With that, she swung her enormous fan once again. The air around her was stirred into motion, quickly forming a fierce whirlwind.

"Scythe Weasel Technique!"

Whoosh—

The sound of the wind howled through the arena.

The generated gale, following Temari's call, took shape into a massive windstorm, its currents as sharp as blades, slicing through the air toward Shikamaru and Deerling.

Shikamaru looked at the approaching storm and rubbed his forehead.

This attack is way too dense...

He was really starting to regret entering this tournament.

"Sigh—"

With an exasperated sigh, Shikamaru glanced at Deerling. "Can you dodge it?"

Deerling eyed the incoming storm before turning to Shikamaru and giving a firm nod. "Deer!"

Shikamaru nodded back. "Alright then, let's avoid it first."

Holding onto Deerling, he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge the attack while carrying it.

But since Deerling could evade on its own, there was no need for him to waste his already dwindling chakra reserves.

The battle was still far from over.

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