Asuma took a deep drag from his cigarette and absentmindedly exhaled a ring of smoke. At this point, even he was starting to second-guess his own judgment. The item in Ino's hand wasn't a real cigarette—neither was the one with Chōji. By process of elimination, the most likely candidate was Shikamaru. Yet… every move Asuma had made seemed to have been anticipated by Shikamaru. That would suggest Chōji had it instead. But what if Shikamaru had predicted that line of thinking too?
As a jōnin, Asuma knew he shouldn't be this indecisive. But Shikamaru's near-telepathic insight into others' minds had made even him wary. Glancing at his watch, Asuma noted that over forty minutes had passed since the mission began. Other than chasing them, the most time-consuming parts had been using genjutsu on Chōji and subduing Shikamaru. Judging from the time, he needed to pursue Shikamaru now. It had been nearly twenty minutes since he restrained him. If he chose to go after Chōji, Shikamaru would likely make it back to the village. He had no choice—he had to go after Shikamaru.
In the forest, leaping swiftly between trees, Shikamaru estimated that Asuma would be catching up soon. He quickly formed a hand seal:"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"A shadow clone materialized beside him, nodded, and sped off in a different direction. While this technique consumed a significant amount of chakra, it was extremely practical, and Shikamaru had made a point of learning it from his father, Shikaku.
Of course, Shikamaru wasn't Naruto—he couldn't use shadow clones to train. Shadow clone training accumulated experience, not chakra. Yet, countless fanfictions claimed clones could cultivate chakra, which was absurd. Shadow clones are created from chakra—they have none of their own. The original manga clearly explained that clones help with experience, not chakra growth. How could they possibly absorb natural energy or extract chakra? Overusing clones heavily strains the body. Naruto could manage it only because he had the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, replenishing his chakra after depletion. Kakashi knew this—if it were possible for others, why didn't he have Sasuke use it during the Chūnin Exams? Simple: Naruto is an outlier. For anyone else, overusing clones is a death wish.
Shikamaru himself hid quietly in the shadows, ceasing all thoughts about winning or losing or what Asuma would do next. He instead recalled the times he would meditate in his family's custom-built dark chamber—merging his thoughts with the darkness, becoming part of the shadow, like he had in his past life… like the silence of death. His heartbeat slowed, and his breathing became long and soft. His past life's experience studying yoga helped immensely—no need to hold his breath, which would only increase the heart's burden and disrupt the rhythm.
Shikamaru watched silently as Asuma passed by, pursuing the shadow clone. After a few moments, he emerged from the darkness and darted off in a different direction—back toward Konoha.
Only three minutes later, still mid-leap, Shikamaru gave a wry smile. His shadow clone had dispersed—meaning Asuma would soon catch up. He pushed forward even faster.
Asuma sidestepped eight thrown shuriken, then raised his left arm to block Shikamaru's leaping side-kick. Seizing the boy's ankle, he flung him away. Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu had only just activated when he was already sent flying. He wasn't yet capable of using one-handed seals like his father Shikaku, nor could he use the jutsu without maintaining the seal as he did in Naruto: Shippuden.
Turning in midair, Asuma planted his feet against a tree trunk and launched forward. Shikamaru quickly formed hand seals:"Clone Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke filled the air, momentarily blocking Asuma's view. Five Shikamarus charged him. Asuma narrowed his eyes—ignoring the others, he grabbed one by the ankle and slammed it into another. Poof! One vanished—it was a shadow clone.
The real Shikamaru tumbled across the ground but quickly recovered, his eyes flashing briefly. Still, he chose not to retreat into the shadows, as doing so might tip his hand too early. This was just a test. Judging by the time, they were probably about to win. No need to reveal everything just yet.
Asuma didn't press the attack. Instead, checking his watch, he asked directly:"You don't have the cigarette, do you?"Time was tight—less than ten minutes remained. Shikamaru's tactics had been more about delaying than evading. If he had the cigarette, he would've avoided confrontation altogether.
Shikamaru silently nodded.
"Chōji's almost at the main gate now…" Asuma muttered, lighting another cigarette with a sour expression. "Seriously… losing to three Genin brats."
Hearing this, Shikamaru relaxed slightly. Asuma's words confirmed his theory—they had passed the test.
Back in Konoha, as expected, Shikamaru saw Chōji chatting with Chūnin guard Izumo Kamizuki. After a short while, Ino arrived as well.
"I hate to admit it," Asuma said, once Shikamaru had briefed Ino on their success, "but you passed the second test perfectly. From today onward, you're officially Genin. And as your newly appointed sensei, my first order of business—I'm treating you all to barbecue!"
At the yakiniku restaurant, Ino hesitated before asking, puzzled:"Asuma-sensei, why didn't you give us a third test?"
Chōji nearly choked on his food. They'd already passed—why ask such a thing?
Asuma chuckled but didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned to Shikamaru."Tell me about your strategy during the second test."
Shikamaru pondered briefly, then raised three fingers."My plan relied on three things: team chemistry, understanding your thinking patterns, and analyzing available intel."
"I've known Chōji and Ino since we were kids, so I know them well. Out of their sight, I swapped the real cigarette for a chocolate stick and placed it in the box. I knew Chōji would insist on getting it back."Shikamaru smiled faintly at Chōji. No matter how close you are, being kept in the dark could stir some emotion—this was also a good opportunity to clear the air.
"It wasn't intentional manipulation. It's just in Chōji's nature. Even if under genjutsu, unless you directly ask, he wouldn't mention it. Feeling guilty for 'losing' the real cigarette, Chōji would drown his emotions in snacks. That half-eaten box of chocolate sticks would be his first target—and he'd find the cigarette. That's team chemistry."
"You also deliberately borrowed Ino's tool pouch, made a big deal about examining senbon, and made sure Chōji saw. You were planting a false memory in his subconscious to distract from the chocolate?" Asuma asked. Genjutsu subjects couldn't give natural, casual answers—they'd never volunteer mundane details unless prompted.
"Exactly. And once you wasted time using genjutsu, Ino distanced herself. When you caught up to her and found she didn't have it, you were left with doubt."Asuma smiled wryly. "Honestly, if your shadow clone hadn't thrown me off, I probably still had time to catch Chōji. You held back during our first ambush—deliberately misleading me."
Shikamaru nodded."That's understanding your opponent's mindset."
"What about the third point—intelligence?" Asuma asked.
"First, you learned our running speed in the first test. So I knew you'd base your pursuit order on that. Second, you're a jōnin—I knew we couldn't win head-on. Our only option was to split up and buy time through distance, not combat. Third, it was a Genin test—you wouldn't use actual interrogation methods. Fourth…" Shikamaru paused and smiled bitterly.
"There's a fourth?" Asuma hadn't expected that.
"Yes. The second test you designed didn't push us beyond our limits—it was winnable. Which means… you wanted us to pass. You didn't use shadow clones. That was the foundation for my whole strategy. If you'd used shadow clones like Kakashi did in the original bell test, there would've been no point in setting up this whole scheme."
"If the mission were meant to be impossible, there'd be no reason for such complexity. Real missions don't waste time like that. Without planning or coordination, we would've failed. That's likely what the third test was about too."
Asuma fell silent. Analysis, strategy, misdirection—Shikamaru's thinking wasn't just impressive, it was stunning. Many jōnin couldn't match this level of foresight.
After collecting himself, Asuma said:"Ninja often work in teams. To succeed, you must either fully cooperate or fully obey. If you're the leader, know your team. If you're not, follow orders absolutely. That was the true purpose of the second test—and my intended third test: teamwork. You passed. Congratulations. From today on, you are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village!"
The next day, in the Hokage's office, all the jōnin instructors reported on the results of the three-day Genin evaluation for the ten teams that had graduated.
Every village had different standards. Kirigakure followed brutal survival-of-the-fittest doctrine. Konoha, however, filtered talent through tests—letting the unprepared continue their studies, while selecting the worthy for missions. In the short term, Kiri's bloody methods yielded stronger Genin. But long term, Konoha's nurturing produced more loyal, capable ninja with less resentment toward the village—unlike the traumatized survivors of Kiri, who might bear hatred or refuse to raise future generations.
That's why every Hokage valued the Genin graduation highly. Three days after the test, they listened carefully to the jōnin's evaluations, determining mission assignments accordingly. Weak teams were given low-risk missions for training; strong teams received tougher ones to build experience.
Don't be fooled into thinking Kiri's methods were elite. Konoha's system—measured, stable, and effective—was what truly built strength.