The moment Neji Hyūga lunged forward, Shikamaru Nara's eyes seemed to flash with a trace of alarm. This subtle reaction didn't escape Neji's Byakugan, only confirming what he had already suspected. Without slowing, Neji closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
His first strike didn't come from his extended left hand, but from his right, which had been tucked at his side. Like a coiled serpent striking from the shadows, his palm shot out, aimed directly at Shikamaru's chest—fast, precise, and deadly.
"Whoosh!"
Despite looking caught off guard, Shikamaru reacted swiftly. He dropped his center of gravity, his chakra surging through his feet, and twisted his torso mid-dodge. His movements—learned from Asuma's unique style—resembled a nimble old monkey leaping from branch to branch or an arrow loosed from a taut bowstring.
In an instant, Shikamaru had slipped past Neji's attack and pivoted to his side, bringing his short blade—Kagehide—around in a tight arc, slashing toward Neji's thigh with the intention of cutting through his tendons.
Neji didn't appear surprised. Without turning his body, his Byakugan had already tracked Shikamaru's motion. He quickly pulled a kunai from his pouch, turning just enough to intercept the strike with impeccable timing. Steel met steel as Neji's kunai blocked Kagehide, while his other hand, fingers stiff like a blade, jabbed toward Shikamaru's forearm.
Shikamaru's pupils contracted. He knew full well what Neji's Gentle Fist could do—especially his chakra-point strikes. Still, he didn't pull back. Instead, he twisted his blade, angling the guard and side edges of Kagehide to trap Neji's kunai and slide the blade forward, aiming to slice Neji's fingers.
A risky move. Both would get hit—Neji could disrupt Shikamaru's chakra flow, but Shikamaru could cripple Neji's hand. But between a wounded hand and blocked tenketsu, the damage was not equal. Neji, realizing this, released the kunai and backed off slightly, yet his jabbing fingers continued forward.
Shikamaru saw his chance. He yanked Kagehide back while forming a single-hand seal with his left hand. Chakra surged beneath his foot. Then, with precise control, he lifted his leg and caught the falling kunai on the sole of his sandal—held there by chakra adhesion—before swinging it like a makeshift blade toward Neji's calf.
"Incredible reflexes!"
From the stands, Kurenai Yuhi gasped softly. Though Neji's Byakugan had nullified many of Shikamaru's options, his quick thinking and physical coordination were outstanding.
Kurenai couldn't help but remember something Asuma had once boasted in private. At the time, it sounded exaggerated. Now, she understood.
"No wonder Asuma's so confident in this kid," she thought. "None of the other rookie nine could've pulled that off."
But Hatake Kakashi's reaction was a little different. He wasn't focused on Shikamaru. His gaze had locked onto Neji's earlier attack.
"That technique…" Kakashi narrowed his eye. "A chakra point strike…? At his age?"
The Hyūga Clan's tenketsu techniques were famous throughout the ninja world—but they weren't easy to master. Even within the Hyūga themselves, only the most skilled could learn them. That Neji could already wield such advanced Gentle Fist at just fourteen was proof of rare talent.
More than that, Kakashi knew Neji wasn't from the Hyūga main family. As a branch member, and with tensions caused by his father's fate, Neji's relationship with the clan had always been strained. He'd likely learned these techniques without formal training—through observation, experience, and sheer determination.
"That's… insane." Kakashi glanced over at Gaara seated in the opposite stands. "This Chūnin Exam is filled with monsters."
At least one of them—Rock Lee—had already been eliminated, and one of these two would have to lose as well. That thought gave Kakashi some small relief.
"If not," he muttered, "Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance."
Back in the arena, Neji's Byakugan had clearly followed Shikamaru's leg sweep with the kunai. He frowned, annoyed, and finally withdrew his extended hand. He stepped back half a pace to avoid the strike.
Shikamaru, relieved Neji had pulled back, took the opportunity to retreat further and create some distance.
Neji, of course, wouldn't let that happen.
His fighting style relied on close-quarters combat. Distance nullified his strengths. So the moment Shikamaru stepped back, Neji dashed forward again, not giving him the room to regroup.
But Shikamaru smirked.
Having just opened a small gap, he suddenly dropped into a crouch and stabbed Kagehide into the ground behind him. His hands flew into a rapid sequence of hand seals.
To Neji's eyes, chakra began pouring from Shikamaru's body and seeping into his shadow. It spread like ink dropped in water—dark tendrils crawling outward across the floor.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu…"
A narrow tendril of shadow, about the width of an arm, launched forward toward Neji. Halfway there, it split—one line continued straight toward him, while the other two veered outward, flanking him on both sides.
The purpose was clear: trap his movement. If Neji dodged left or right, the side tendrils would snare him. If he stayed still, the center one would get him.
"Tch…!" Neji clicked his tongue and stopped short. He instantly shifted into reverse, leaping backward to avoid the shadows.
Shikamaru gritted his teeth, eyes locked on Neji's feet. He pushed more chakra into the jutsu, the shadows continuing to crawl forward—slowly but persistently. Even the flanking tendrils curved around and rejoined the pursuit.
"A chase, huh?" Hayate Gekkō, watching from the corner of the arena, gave a raspy cough and shook his head. "This might turn into a shadow tag match."