The noise in the arena subsided slightly with the end of the last game, but the restless heat wave in the air has not receded. Naruto's counterattack was like a shot in the arm, making the audience who originally only wanted to watch bloody fights begin to look forward to more "surprises".
However, in the next game, the style changed suddenly.
[Round 2: Shikamaru Nara VS Temari]
The name on the electronic display screen shone with a cold light, but as a player, Shikamaru Nara, was currently lying on the railing in an extremely unmotivated posture, looking at the huge arena below in a daze.
"Ah... it's really troublesome."
Shikamaru sighed, his iconic pineapple head drooping listlessly, "I'm here to see the clouds, not to be a monkey to perform for these people. And my opponent is a violent woman... If I lose, I will be scolded by my mother, and if I win, I will be hated by the girls. No matter how you think about it, it is a loss-making business."
"Hey! Shikamaru! Come down quickly! Everyone is waiting!"
Ino next to him pushed him angrily and almost pushed him off the stand, "Naruto has won. If you dare to run away without a fight, I will tell Choji to reveal the location of all your private money!"
"I know, I know... what a troublesome woman."
Shikamaru scratched his head helplessly and slowly Earth Flow walked down the stairs. His back looked like a social animal who was forced to work overtime.
In the corner, Ye Tian, who had been in a "half-dead" state, adjusted his sitting posture with great interest, even unscrewed the thermos cup and gently blew in a few wolfberries floating on the water.
"Ahem...Ino, don't be too harsh on him."
Ye Tian took a sip of hot tea, and a meaningful smile appeared on his pale face, "This boy... is a truly smart man. In the world of immortality, this kind of mind that understands 'Concealing One's Abilities' and 'escaping from the world' often lives longer than those reckless men who only know how to fight and kill."
"Huh? Smart?" Ino rolled his eyes, "I think he is just lazy! Besides playing chess and sleeping, what else can he do?"
"Just watch." Ye Tian pointed to the field, "This game may not have the thrill of punching, but it is definitely a textbook-level...'formation' game."
Center of the venue.
Temari was already impatient to wait. She was carrying the huge Samsung iron fan on her back, her eyes were as sharp as knives, she looked at Shikamaru who walked slowly into the venue, and sneered, "What? Are all Konoha's men as soft as you? If you are scared, just go back and drink milk."
"That's what I meant..." Shikamaru was just about to raise his hands in surrender.
However, Naruto in the stands shouted inappropriately, "Shikamaru! Come on! If you dare to lose, I will eat all your snacks!"
"... Trouble."
Shikamaru sighed and had to assume the iconic thinking posture - the fingers of both hands facing each other to form a circle.
"Start!" Genma Shiranui ordered.
Boom!
Before she finished speaking, Temari had already taken a preemptive strike. She waved Three-Star Fan violently. Although it was not fully unfolded, the strong wind still hit Shikamaru like a knife.
"Is this Wind Release..."
Ye Tian in the stands narrowed his eyes slightly, and Divine Sense instantly locked onto the fan in Temari's hand.
In his perception, several low-level wind Spirit Stone embedded inside the fan were resonating with the injection of Chakra, forcibly compressing and accelerating the scattered airflow around them, forming wind blades with cutting power.
"Although it is only the use of low-level magic weapons, at this distance, it is indeed a big trouble for Taijutsu and Shikamaru."
Off the field, Shikamaru did not make a hard connection, but quickly hid in the shadow of a big tree, using the trunk as a cover.
"Hide? Let's see how long you can hide!"
Temari sneered and unfolded the fan completely, revealing three purple star prints.
"Ninpo·Kamaitachi!"
Hoo ho ho--!
The violent hurricane swept across the entire place in an instant. It was not only the wind, but also countless invisible vacuum blades. The hard trees were chopped like tofu in front of the wind blades, and sawdust flew all over the sky.
Shikamaru was forced to flee in embarrassment, and could only rely on constantly changing bunkers to survive.
"Sure enough... you have no power to fight back?" Ino covered his face in disappointment.
"No, he is 'arranging formation'."
Ye Tian suddenly spoke, and although his voice was weak, it was filled with determination.
"Set up the formation?" Ino was stunned.
"Look at his shadow."
Ye Tian pointed down the field. Although it was difficult to see clearly in the smoke and dust in the sky, in Ye Tian's field of vision when he turned on "Heavenly Eye", the black shadow under Shikamaru's feet was squirming and extending in an extremely weird way.
That's Nara Clan's secret technique - Shadow Imitation Technique.
"Among the five elements of yin and yang, light is yang and shadow is yin." Ye Tian was chewing melon seeds while mentally reviewing the immortal version of tactics. "This kid is using terrain, light, and even the holes left in the last Naruto battle to build a 'shadow realm' of his own."
"He was calculating. The speed of the wind, the movement of the clouds, the angle of the sun... everything was turned into data in his head."
"For him, this is not a battle, this is a game of chess."
The situation off the field seemed to be one-sided, and Temari had always had the absolute initiative. Although she was also afraid of Shikamaru's shadow technique, she cleverly drew a safety line on the marble floor and always stayed outside the extreme range of the shadow.
"Too naive."
Temari looked proudly at Shikamaru who was hiding behind the tree, "Your shadow technique has a limit range. As long as I don't go in, you can't do anything to me!"
"Really?"
Shikamaru, who was hiding behind a tree, suddenly had a lazy but confident smile on his lips.
"It's almost... time for the general."
Just when Temari was about to launch the final blow, completely blowing away the forest.
She suddenly felt her body stiffen.
It felt like my limbs were tightly entangled with countless invisible threads, and I couldn't even move a finger!
"Wha... what?!"
Temari lowered his head in horror.
I saw a slender black shadow connected to her feet at some point. And the source of this black shadow actually extended from behind her... the big hole dug by Naruto in the previous game!
"How is it possible... the length of the shadow is obviously not enough..."
"It's not enough." Shikamaru slowly Earth Flow came out from behind the tree. At this time, he also maintained the same posture as Temari. Because of Shadow Imitation Technique's characteristics, the two people's movements were completely synchronized.
"But it would be different if there was a 'medium'."
Shikamaru pointed to the sun in the sky, and then to the hole in the ground, "As time goes by, the sun sets in the west, and the shadow of this tree becomes longer. And I used that hole to let the shadow extend through the underground passage, increasing the effective attack distance."
"Coupled with the half-step you subconsciously took back to avoid the smoke..."
"This is--checkmate(general)."
The whole place was in an uproar.
The audience, which was still booing, fell silent instantly, and then burst into thunderous applause.
This kind of desperate counterattack and IQ-crushing scripts are often more exciting than simple violent fights.
"It's amazing! Shikamaru, this guy actually managed to reach this point!" Naruto shouted excitedly.
Only Ye Tian was applauding gently in the corner, his eyes full of admiration.
"Using the right timing (sun), favorable terrain (burrows), and human harmony (opponent's psychology), the weak defeat the strong, and make a huge difference. If this kid's understanding is put together with the formation, he is definitely a master-level seedling."
Ye Tian Looking at Shikamaru is like looking at a piece of uncut jade.
"If you can teach him some of the 'Five Elements Bagua Formation' or 'Qi Men Dun Jia' and use it with his shadow technique, this kid may be able to trap enemies who are two realms higher than him to death."
Off the field, the outcome is decided.
Temari is controlled. As long as Shikamaru is willing, he can easily control Temari to make any action, and even make her bang her head against the wall.
Referee Genma Shiranui is preparing to declare Shikamaru the winner.
However.
At this moment when everyone is watching.
Shikamaru suddenly let go of Hand Seals's hand, and the shadow retracted instantly.
"Ah...Chakra is used up."
Shikamaru raised his right hand and said to the referee helplessly and confidently:
"I abstain."
Quiet.
Deathly silence.
Everyone opened their mouths wide, as if they had heard some fantasy.
He had obviously won! He had obviously put the knife on his opponent's neck! But he surrendered at the last moment?
"What a joke!!"
"Is this match-fixing?!"
The audience was instantly in a state of panic, with all kinds of rotten vegetable leaves (there were none) and angry curses falling down like raindrops.
Even Temari was stunned in place, looking at the back of the figure who turned around and was about to leave, his face full of disbelief. "You... why?"
"It's too much trouble."
Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets and yawned, "If I keep playing, I will be promoted. I still have to prepare for the next games, and I still have to be watched... I feel tired just thinking about it. I have proven what I want to prove, and that is enough."
After saying that, he Earth Flow returned to the player tunnel without looking back.
"This..." Ino stomped his feet angrily, "This idiot! This makes me so angry!"
However, amidst the scolding, Ye Tian laughed out loud.
"Hahaha... cough cough... cough cough cough..."
Because she laughed so fast, Ye Tian almost choked herself to death, and quickly covered her mouth and coughed violently.
"Wonderful... really wonderful."
Ye Tian wiped away the tears from laughter, and looked at Shikamaru's graceful leaving figure, the admiration in his eyes became even stronger.
"Advance and retreat in a moderate manner, don't be burdened by false reputations, and be able to take up and let go."
"This is the true 'Dao Heart transparency'. In this Shinobi World that is full of obsession and killing, it is really rare to have such a state of mind of 'not fighting'."
Ye Tian gave Shikamaru a perfect score in his heart.
"I have made a commitment to this friend. From now on, when there is no one to watch the fire when making alchemy, I will go to him. People who are afraid of trouble will definitely come up with the most labor-saving way to control the fire."
With Shikamaru abstaining, this dramatic match finally came to an end.
Although the result was shocking, the amazing IQ displayed by Shikamaru has been deeply imprinted in the hearts of every senior executive present. Including Third Hokage Hokage who was peeping in front of the crystal ball.
"Okay, next game."
Genma Shiranui glanced at the time and his face became a little ugly.
The electronic display screen scrolled again, finally settling on two names.
[Round 3: Uchiha Sasuke VS Sandstorm Gaara]
Boom!
The atmosphere of the whole place was instantly ignited to the highest point.
This is the highlight of today! The genius of the Uchiha Clan versus the monster of Sunagakure!
However.
A minute passed.
Five minutes have passed.
The player tunnel was empty, and the black-haired boy did not appear.
"What's going on? Sasuke-kun hasn't come yet?" Sakura looked at the entrance anxiously, and his palms were all sweaty.
"That idiot is showing off, is he late?" Naruto was also anxious.
There began to be a commotion of dissatisfaction in the audience, with Daimyo complaining one after another, and some even began to demand that Sasuke be disqualified.
"It seems... I still haven't caught up."
In the corner, Ye Tian looked at the empty entrance, not too surprised.
His eyes slowly turned to the shadows of the stands opposite.
There, Orochimaru disguised as Fourth Kazekage was sitting upright. Although he was wearing a veil on his face, Ye Tian could clearly feel that the cold Chakra was becoming more and more restless.
On the other side, Gaara was standing at the foot of the field, arms folded across his chest, his blue eyes filled with violent murderous intent, and the sand around his body was overflowing uncontrollably.
"Tanuki is about to wake up, and the snake is about to come out of its hole."
Ye Tian touched the Life-Bound Flying Sword in his sleeve that had been warmed for a month and was trembling slightly because of the strong murderous aura around him - "Blood Drinker".
"A storm is coming..."
Ye Tian stood up, patted the dust on his body, and his eyes suddenly became as sharp as a sword from the previous laziness.
"Since the protagonist hasn't arrived yet, let me, the 'audience,' warm up a little for this grand 'Hengkai' prelude."
He glanced at the thermos cup in his hand and took it back Storage Bag.
The next scene is not suitable for drinking tea and watching a movie.
That's Cultivator's... hunting moment.