A Crushing Defeat for Neji and Shikamaru's Scheme

Neji's plan worked because Naruto's Shadow Clones had not yet formed a complete ring around him.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Neji slipped behind nine Shadow Clones as they unleashed their hurricanes and dispersed them. The hurricanes they had summoned soon faded too.

Neji sneered and attacked the clones beside him. At his speed, he would soon disperse all fifty.

Naruto realized he had made a mistake. He had underestimated Neji's speed and footwork.

But he had another move ready!

Naruto knew Neji's abilities well. He had Rotation and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and he could deliver a pointless lecture. So...

A dozen Shadow Clones stopped controlling their hurricanes, turned, and hurled a barrage of Kunai and Shuriken at Neji.

Neji gave a disdainful sneer. Chakra erupted from points all over his body as he spun rapidly.

"Rotation!"

Clang! Clatter!

Every Ninja Tool flew away. Not one struck Neji, and his spinning carved a deep pit into the ground.

Neji stopped spinning and looked at the many Narutos with a cold smile. Then he began his lecture.

"I suggest you surrender. You can't beat me. In the face of overwhelming power, your fate has already been decided."

"A person's talent is determined at birth. Everything about their life is decided from the moment they're born!"

"I hear you dream of becoming Hokage. Do you think just anyone can become Hokage?"

"Those who become Hokage are born with that destiny. Others can't take the position just because they want it. Fate has already arranged everything, and everyone must live under a destiny they can't resist!"

"There's only one fate everyone shares equally: death!"

Thud!

Just as Neji was getting carried away, a hand burst from the earth beneath him and stabbed toward his feet.

A white Wind Blade covered the hand, making it as sharp as a blade.

Naruto's hand moved so fast that by the time Neji reacted, he could not dodge it completely!

Crunch!

It pierced straight through Neji's right foot, exposing the stark white bone!

"Ah!"

Neji let out a pained growl and pushed off with his left foot to evade the next attack.

But with his right foot crippled, he could no longer make full use of his speed or footwork!

"Hahaha!" Dozens of Narutos laughed at Neji as he balanced on one leg.

But Naruto was no villain. He might laugh, but he would not waste time lecturing his enemy and give him a chance to fight back.

"Wind Release: Hurricane!"

"Wind Release: Hurricane!"

The forty-odd remaining Narutos unleashed their hurricanes again, sweeping them toward the one-legged Neji.

This time, Neji could not dodge. Dozens of hurricanes struck him at once, sweeping him into the air like a dry blade of grass. He spun and spun.

Countless Wind Blades sliced wounds across his body. Blood covered him from head to toe, as though he had just climbed out of a vat of it.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so trees battered by the hurricanes shed a shower of leaves that gradually carpeted the ground.

Set against Neji's blood-soaked figure, the scene held a strange, tragic beauty.

The spectators stared in stunned silence, unable to bear the sight!

None of them had expected this. Not really...

Naruto did not want to kill Neji, so he dispelled his Shadow Clones and let the hurricanes die away.

Thud!

Neji fell limp from the air, and the referee, Genma Shiranui, caught him.

Genma Shiranui looked at the badly injured, unconscious Neji and sighed before announcing,

"First Match: Naruto Uzumaki wins!"

The Second Exam was supposed to pit Sasuke against Gaara, but Sasuke and Kakashi had gone off somewhere and still had not appeared.

The spectators began to grow restless. Just as the Third Hokage was about to disqualify Sasuke, Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, suggested giving him another chance.

The Third Hokage saw that the Daimyo and distinguished visitors from the various countries were all eager to see Sasuke, a descendant of the Uchiha, in action. He had no choice but to postpone Sasuke's match.

So the second match was set to be Shino Aburame against Kankuro.

But Kankuro wanted to keep the mechanisms inside his Puppet, Karasu, as a trump card until the Konoha Crush Plan began. He forfeited without hesitation.

That stirred suspicion among the crowd and the Third Hokage.

So the second match changed again, this time to Shikamaru against his future wife, Temari.

This battle was every bit as exciting as Naruto's fight against Neji, because it showed just how brilliant Shikamaru was.

Eager to fight, Temari rode her giant fan gracefully into the arena.

Shikamaru found the whole thing a hassle and had planned to forfeit too, but Naruto gave him a push—literally—off the rest-area balcony.

Lying in the arena, Shikamaru glared up at Naruto. A thousand curses raced through his mind, and he wanted to punch Naruto senseless.

He still wanted to stay on the ground, but Temari suddenly swung her fan at him.

Shikamaru had to dodge quickly. He put some distance between them and looked at her helplessly.

Temari swept her giant fan through the air, sending Wind Release: Sickle Weasel at Shikamaru. Dust billowed, and leaves flew everywhere.

Shikamaru seized the chance to use Shadow Imitation Technique, but his shadow was not long enough to reach Temari.

Temari immediately drew a line in the ground with her fan and said with a sneer, "Heh. Is that all the length you've got?"

Shikamaru ignored her. He glanced at the sky, struck an odd pose, then closed his eyes and began to think.

From the stands, Kurenai Yuhi thought Shikamaru was about to use some strange Spell Arts, but Asuma explained that it was simply a habit of his when he faced a difficult problem and needed to think hard.

Shikamaru was, in fact, a genius with an IQ over 200!

Temari thought Shikamaru was putting on an act. She used Wind Release: Sickle Weasel again, stirring up dust and leaves. Successive gusts sent the leaves drifting high into the air.

After dodging, Shikamaru took the opportunity to use Shadow Imitation Technique again. His shadow seemed a little longer this time, but it still could not reach Temari.

She drew another line on the ground with her giant fan, marking the limit of Shikamaru's shadow.

Then she raised the fan to block Shikamaru's view and hid behind it, preparing to use Clone Technique to end the fight in one move.

But the next instant, Temari froze. She could not move at all.

Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique had caught her!

Disbelief filled her face. Then she understood!

Leaves drifted down from high above, casting mottled shadows on the ground that grew larger and clearer as they descended.

Those shadows extended Shikamaru's, allowing it to slip around Temari's giant fan and connect with the shadow beneath her feet.

Naruto's dozens of hurricanes had stripped those leaves from the trees. Temari's repeated uses of Wind Release: Sickle Weasel had then blown them high into the air. Only now were they falling, ready for Shikamaru to use.

Throughout the fight, Shikamaru had prompted Temari to measure his shadow's length with her fan again and again. She had focused entirely on the shadow at her feet, wary that it might suddenly grow longer.

That had made her overlook the threat above. Shikamaru had also repeatedly baited her into using Wind Release to blow the leaves into the sky.

He had planned it all!