Naruto: I am Nara Shikamaru

Temari stood confidently in her battle gear. Though not a stunning beauty, she had a striking presence, a graceful, wind-like elegance. Her figure, too, was more developed than Ino or Sakura, giving her a mature charm.

"From what I remember, Temari had a thing for Shikamaru in the original story." Shikamaru mused to himself, eyes lighting up. "I wonder if that's still the case? Heh..."

The thought of possibly winning over such a captivating girl filled Shikamaru with excitement.

"I'm Temari from Sunagakure. Pleasure to meet you." Temari said politely, her massive iron fan already half-open. Though she knew she wasn't a match for him, curiosity about Shikamaru drove her to face him in the arena, despite her apprehension.

"Ah, such beauty! I'm Nara Shikamaru from Konoha. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." Shikamaru teased with a sly grin.

"Hmph! I don't need your pity!" Temari snapped. She was a proud and strong-willed girl. Even knowing she might lose, she wasn't about to be underestimated. With a swing of her fan, she launched her attack.

"Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

Whoosh!

 A barrage of slicing wind blades tore through the air toward Shikamaru.

Boom!

Shikamaru didn't even move. He calmly closed his eyes, then snapped them open just as the wind blades approached. A ripple of invisible energy burst forth, swallowing the wind attack completely.

"What… What just happened?" Temari muttered, stunned. Her gaze shifted to Shikamaru, and her heart skipped a beat. His eyes had changed. They now glowed with the power of his Kekkei Genkai, the Shadow Eye.

"Whoa! That's awesome, Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted from the sidelines, having just exited from his own match.

Everyone who had once shared a classroom with Shikamaru stared in shock and amazement. Sakura, always observant, noticed the Sharingan-like eyes and began scanning the crowd anxiously, where was Sasuke?

Ino's eyes sparkled as she stared at the now dashing Shikamaru.

"He's so cool! Yes… it's definitely Shikamaru I like. But…"

Her thoughts darkened slightly, remembering the woman already by his side.

Hinata blushed, whispering to herself, "Shikamaru… So your efforts are finally paying off. I have to try harder too!"

"Is this really the same Shikamaru who always slept through class? He looks stronger than even Naruto!" Kiba murmured, holding Akamaru in his arms.

"Woof!" barked Akamaru in agreement. Behind his dark glasses, Shino's eyes gleamed with intrigue.

Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, narrowed his eyes and said to the Third Hokage, "Oh? Looks like the Leaf has produced quite the genius. But what kind of dojutsu is that?"

"That's the Nara boy, my newly accepted student." Hiruzen replied with pride. "That eye technique is a kekkei genkai he developed himself."

Seeing that Shikamaru had activated his Kekkei Genkai in public, the Third Hokage no longer saw a reason to keep it secret. With Shikamaru's current power, there was little to worry about.

"What?!"

Orochimaru's pupils shrink with shock. While Hiruzen thought Orochimaru was surprised by Shikamaru's ability to create a Kekkei Genkai, the real shock came from hearing that the boy was now the Third's personal student.

As Orochimaru sank into thought, Hiruzen turned back to watch the match unfold.

"Damn it! Don't think you can win that easily!"

"Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

A wicked smile flickered across Shikamaru's face. The three tomoe in his Shadow Eye spun, and a giant fan, identical to Temari's, formed in his hand, crafted from pure shadow. Since fusing with "Star" energy, Shikamaru had mastered the art of solidifying chakra into physical objects.

"Shadow Ninjutsu: Shadow Cyclone Scythe!"

"What?! That's impossible!" Temari gasped. Shikamaru's technique was a perfect mimicry of her own, but made of black wind blades. Her heart pounded in disbelief. Was this the power of his eyes?

Gritting her teeth, Temari quickly expanded her fan. 

"Fine then! 

Wind Style: Great Cyclone Scythe!"

"Heh…" Shikamaru chuckled softly and mirrored her exactly.

"Shadow Ninjutsu: Great Shadow Cyclone Scythe!"

"Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

"Shadow Ninjutsu: Shadow Cyclone Scythe!"

"Wind Style: Sickle Dance!"

"Shadow Ninjutsu: Shadow Sickle Dance!"

"Whoa! Amazing!!"

The crowd roared in excitement. It felt like a battle between two sorcerers slinging spells, everyone was completely enthralled.

Meanwhile, Genma Shiranui, the proctor, had long since escaped to higher ground. Wiping sweat from his brow, he looked down at the completely destroyed arena and muttered, "Freaking monsters…"

As the battle escalated, wind blades shredded the ground, sending sand and dust spiraling through the air. The arena became a swirling vortex of wind and debris, obscuring everything inside. All sound ceased. The audience held their breath, wondering what was happening within.

"Let me go, damn it!"

Inside the eye of the storm stood a calm, clear zone. Shikamaru and Temari faced each other closely, connected by their shadows. Temari had been caught.

Shikamaru stepped forward and gently cupped her face with his hand. "Still angry, beautiful? You look good like this too."

At the same time, he allowed her to place her hand on his cheek, a moment he clearly enjoyed.

"You…" Temari looked up at Shikamaru's eyes. Her heart raced, and a blush spread across her cheeks. Even as she glared, something about his gaze disarmed her.

"Well? Ready to give up yet?" Shikamaru asked, his hand still resting on her face.

"You cheated! You just kept copying my moves! I'm not admitting defeat!" Temari snapped, her tone tinged with a hint of childish defiance, even she didn't notice it.

Shikamaru smirked. "Got her."

Then, to her shock, he leaned in and stole a quick kiss, her very first. As she stood frozen in disbelief, Shikamaru raised his voice.

"I surrender!"

When the dust finally settled, all anyone could see was Temari standing alone in the ruined arena. From a distance, no one noticed her flushed face. Shikamaru had vanished.

The spectators only heard Shikamaru's voice admitting defeat, and though no one knew why, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. The battle had been spectacular, just one look at the devastated arena said it all.

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A/N: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 54 (28+ chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/vynthor