"Huh?"
"That kid Yueye actually seems pretty interesting."
At first, they thought Yueye's talent was only in training, and that he would surely be weaker in real combat.
So when Shikaku suggested coaching Yueye, Choza's first thought was that Yueye would get beaten badly. Since Choza was close with Shikaku, he had already guessed Shikaku's real intention: to teach Yueye a lesson and not let him get cocky over small achievements.
But after noticing Yueye glance at him out of the corner of his eye, Choza suddenly realized this kid was not so simple.
Putting aside strength for the moment, Yueye's calmness and composure made both Choza and even Shikaku feel that Yueye was far beyond an ordinary genin.
Strategizing might seem trivial, but it's essential in a ninja fight.
Like in the original story's Chunin Exams arc, Naruto's Nine-Tails power and Uchiha Sasuke's Chidori left their peers far behind, right?
But who ultimately got promoted to Chunin?Wasn't it the average-strength Nara Shikamaru, whose only standout skill was the Shadow Imitation Technique?
In the original story, Shikamaru wasn't stronger physically—it was because he understood how to use his abilities well, a must-learn skill for genin moving up to Chunin.
At this moment, preparing to reprimand Yueye, Shikaku and Choza both had to raise their estimation of him because of this.
But what Shikaku and Choza didn't expect was the surprise Yueye was about to give them!
"Uncle Shikaku, watch out!"
Suddenly, Yueye shouted sharply, signaling the start of their duel.
After hearing Yueye's shout, Shikaku's expression turned more serious, clearly noticing Yueye's secret move—reaching for his ninja tool pouch!
"Shuriken!"
Whizz!
Whizz!
Without hesitation, Yueye threw three shuriken directly at Shikaku.
Maybe Yueye hadn't trained much with weapons yet, but even so, with Shikaku as the target, if Yueye missed, all his three months of hard training would be a joke.
Seeing the three shuriken flying straight without any curve, Shikaku smiled slightly and simply extended his palm.
"You've got the aim, but no curve on the throws, and your speed is pretty bad."
He casually slapped away the shuriken without moving his feet, fully showing the difference in their skill levels.
But shuriken posed no threat to Shikaku—this was expected by Yueye.
If Shikaku couldn't dodge a few shuriken, he wouldn't deserve the "Ino-Shika-Cho" title, let alone be a Jonin of Konoha.
So, when the shuriken were knocked down in front of Shikaku, Yueye suddenly unleashed chakra in his feet and sprinted right up to him.
This burst of chakra impressed both Shikaku and Choza watching nearby.
Unfortunately, sheer chakra power alone couldn't defeat Shikaku!
Especially since Yueye's physical condition wasn't great, even though he had completed tree climbing and water walking training and controlled chakra well.
When Yueye sprinted and threw a punch at Shikaku's face, Shikaku gently swung his hand, not only blocking the punch but also grabbing Yueye's wrist and throwing him to the ground.
Just as Shikaku expected Yueye to crash down hard with a thud, Yueye suddenly twisted midair and delivered a spinning kick to Shikaku's head!
"Hm, your taijutsu is decent."
"Too bad it's still not enough!"
Shikaku's smile deepened as he dodged Yueye's kick by raising his arm, blocking it solidly.
Thud!
Kicking Shikaku's arm felt like kicking a steel plate; Yueye's leg tingled and went numb.
Taking advantage of Yueye's numb leg, Shikaku grabbed his ankle again, trying to slam him to the ground as before.
But to Shikaku's surprise, Yueye seemed to have figured out his attack patterns.
Just as Shikaku's fingers touched Yueye's ankle, Yueye burst blue chakra from his foot, planting one foot firmly on Shikaku's arm and simultaneously squatting steadily on the ground!
"Not bad! Yueye, I definitely underestimated you before!"
Facing Yueye's relatively skilled taijutsu and precise chakra control, Shikaku couldn't help but stop looking down on him and thought he needed to be more serious or risk being schooled by Yueye.
Just as Shikaku's smile faded and he was growing serious, Yueye squatted and formed hand seals, causing Shikaku's pupils to contract slightly!
"That's... the Shadow Imitation Technique!"
"Oh no!"
Seeing Yueye form the seals, Shikaku felt as if Yueye had outcalculated him all along, like everything Shikaku did was part of Yueye's plan!
Just as Shikaku's face showed alarm, a dark shadow stretched from Yueye's direction toward Shikaku's feet!
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Buzz!
Buzz!
Because Yueye was squatting right there, the distance between them was perfect for the Shadow Imitation Technique's range.
Taking advantage of Shikaku's unawareness, Yueye immediately used the technique.
But just as Yueye's shadow was about to connect with Shikaku's—just half a centimeter away—Bang!
Shikaku suddenly burst chakra from his feet and jumped away, dodging Yueye's Shadow Imitation!
"Uncle Shikaku, you cheated!"
"Uh…"
Although he hadn't told Yueye the duel rules, having to use chakra against a four-year-old kid was essentially a slap in Shikaku's face.
He looked embarrassed and awkwardly wiped his nose.
Just as Shikaku was about to explain and save face in front of Choza—
Suddenly!
Shikaku saw the sly smile on Yueye's face and felt a chill.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yueye's second Shadow Imitation Technique moving under Choza's feet!
"You little brat, I almost fell for it!"
Shikaku thought Yueye's earlier shout was just a ruse.
Though he scolded Yueye on the surface, inside he was secretly amazed by Yueye's genius!
Excellent talent combined with a meticulous mind equals what?
The future of the Nara clan.
Maybe Shikaku lost face twice with this chakra burst in front of his old friend Choza, but having Yueye was like having the clan's future.
So despite feeling a bit embarrassed, Shikaku was secretly pleased.
After dodging Yueye's Shadow Imitation again, Shikaku smiled and shook his head, ready to encourage him.
Who knew that just as Shikaku and Choza, two Jonin, thought Yueye performed well but was losing badly in the duel, Yueye's mouth suddenly curved into a brilliant smile, leaving both Jonin dumbfounded!
"Uncle Shikaku, you lost!""Shadow Imitation Technique success!"