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Chapter 82 - 82. Something’s Off About Them
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With his [Shadow Possession Jutsu] in full effect, Shikamaru had finally managed to stop that storm of a woman, Temari.
He sighed.
"...I forfeit."
The crowd froze.
"Did he just—what?"
Ino, who had been loudly cheering for Shikamaru moments ago, looked like she'd been slapped in the face.
Choji munched on chips, completely unfazed. "Told ya. Shikamaru always gives up when things get too troublesome."
Ino's eye twitched.
"Troublesome?! I don't know him?! I've known him since we were kids!!"
Choji shrugged. "You thought you did."
---
Arena Floor
Temari blinked. "Wait, what did you say?"
"I said I give up," Shikamaru repeated, wearing the dead-eyed expression of a man 80 years older than his age. "My chakra's almost gone. Can't even hold this jutsu for another ten seconds."
"I came up with over 200 potential strategies, but none of them finish within the time I've got left. So yeah... this is enough."
The proctor chuckled, then raised his hand.
"Winner: Temari!"
---
Up in the stands, Neji smirked.
Two hundred strategies? You sure one of them didn't involve planning a marriage and naming your kid Shikadai?
You lost the match, but you might've just won at life, huh?
Neji couldn't bring himself to dislike Shikamaru. He was too relatable. A good man in a bad system, trying to coast his way through.
He'd made similar mistakes before assuming familiarity gave him access to people. In his past life, he'd overreached and been burned by it.
But not anymore.
This time, he let things unfold on their own. And surprisingly, the fools around him, their nonsense healed parts of him he didn't even realize were still broken.
'Lucky me,' he thought.
---
Arena Grounds – Moments Later
A shift in the wind. Leaves swirled into a tight spiral at the center of the arena.
From the vortex emerged two figures, one tall, silver-haired; the other lean and silent.
Sasuke. And Kakashi.
Sakura's jaw dropped. "No way..."
She pinched herself.
"...Why doesn't it hurt?"
"GAHH!"
Naruto suddenly bolted upright from where he'd been napping nearby, clutching his leg.
"Who pinched me?! That hurt like wait! Sasuke?! Kakashi-sensei?!"
Kakashi offered a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, we're late."
Sakura brightened immediately.
Naruto's face lit up too, though his excitement was less about Kakashi and more about the person beside him.
Sasuke...?
He looked... sharper. Colder. Almost glowing.
---
In the Stands
Neji now stood with Tenten and Hinata at his side.
"They made it," he murmured.
"Glad to see you up, Lee," Tenten added.
"Yeah," Hinata said softly, smiling.
A few rows away, Sakura, Naruto, and the others waved to Lee, who had made his quiet return alongside Neji.
"You're moving again?" Sakura asked.
"Most of the way back," Lee replied. "Thanks to Neji's help."
He caught himself.
"...I mean... medical intervention."
Close one.
"But don't focus on me. Focus on Sasuke. I'm curious what she'll show us."
---
Indeed, the crowd had already grown used to Sasuke's... transformation.
What was once considered shocking was now just fascinating.
That icy glare, the proud lift of her chin, the impossibly sleek black hair, Sasuke hadn't just returned stronger.
She had returned... mesmerizing.
And the boys?
Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji?
They didn't want to admit it.
But they were not okay.
That cool indifference. The elegant danger. The savage wit.
They were doomed.
None of them would say it aloud.
But they felt it.
Something was very, very wrong with them.
---
Back on the Field
Naruto jumped down into the arena, hands on his hips.
"You took your sweet time! What, scared to fight me?"
Neji stared blankly. 'Did he forget the last match where I slapped him into a wall?'
Shikamaru sighed. 'Yep. He's pretending the whole thing didn't happen. Classic.'
Sasuke gave a slow, elegant eye-roll and raised her chin.
"Don't get cocky. You're still dead weight."
Neji chuckled softly. Here we go. The Tsundere Queen has arrived.
Shikamaru watched the two bicker with dawning dread.
Don't say it. Don't think it.
Then it hit him.
They're staring at each other like—
"No. No way."
His mouth dropped slightly.
Across the stands, Ino was having the same realization. The exact same thought.
Please no. Anyone but Naruto.
Please no. Anyone but Sasuke.
Panic.
---
Kage's Viewing Stand
Disguised as the Kazekage, Orochimaru mocked Hiruzen.
"Hmm... Curious. I thought the last Uchiha heir was a boy?"
Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Unfortunate family matter. But yes, He now knows she is the sole surviving heir."
Orochimaru smiled under his mask.
'Unfortunate family matter?'
'Forgive me, Sensei... but you really shouldn't have said that.'
Though he kept the smile on his face, that old ache stirred in Orochimaru's chest.
Memories. Bitterness. Abandonment.
Still, he pushed it down.
Today isn't about grief. It's about watching her shine.
---
Elsewhere in the Arena
Gaara sat silently in the stands.
He didn't care about gender. Identity. Politics.
All he saw was a potential opponent.
The flicker of danger in Sasuke's gaze, the weight of someone who'd been through war and came out sharper for it.
That was what mattered.
Could she satisfy the hunger inside him?
Could she give him purpose, even for a moment?
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