Friend or Foe?! - 1

Shikamaru detested fighting girls.

At the present time he viewed this notion from a totally new perspective. Rather than disliking them because of how distracted they could be or just being plain weak, he came to the conclusion that Tenten was someone who was not to be taken lightly.

Even if she was a girl Shikamaru did admit she was a fierce contender, as to be expected with the genin of Team Gai. 'I wouldn't fancy going up against that Sand-girl either…' His mind supplied as a side note and he shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably, trying to ignore her focused stare aimed at his jugular and stomach regions.

He doubted there were any shinobi their age who were more adept with weapons, male or female. He shuddered, wondering just how long it would actually take her to make him look like a shish-ka-bob.

And of course Hayate just had to rush things, "When you are ready you may begin."

"Aw man…" Shikamaru stepped back a few paces, "I really don't feel like fighting right now!"

Her facial expression was one alarmingly similar to Neji's during the beginning of his own fight. He watched with near clinical curiosity as she procured a scroll and held it up to him.

"Shikamaru, this is one of my best weapons. I'm going to use it." She was frowning, "Please don't make this difficult."

For a moment he weighed the prospects. By 'best weapon' Shikamaru was relatively certain she had meant "something that will end the fight quickest." Still, he wouldn't actually know what it was until she was made to use it.

"I think you already know that I don't like it when things get complicated…" He formed hand seals, hating himself for provoking a battle he didn't want to take part in, "Kage Shibari no Jutsu!"

Anticipating the attack she leapt back well out of harm's way and opened the scroll, believing she had given fair enough warning.

Shikamaru felt his knees quake violently as he saw an enormous zanbato appear. Much to his shock she leaned it casually on her shoulder, getting a good grip on its hilt.

While the audience cheered in excitement at the scene Sarutobi felt his blood pressure rise considerably. Genin weren't legally permitted to own or wield such swords in the Fire Country. He noted however that he was being a hypocrite to recall that, due to the fact that he had given her custody of an equally powerful weapon not too long ago. He decided to let the match proceed uninterrupted.

"Ino?" Sakura was concerned as the blonde girl beside her began to hyperventilate and Chouji was in a similar state.

"She'll…she'll chop him up like liver before this is through!" Ino hollered and then stood, "Shikamaru! DO SOMETHING!"

The Nara could hear Ino's shrill cry from a distance and he grumbled. Her confidence in him was certainly helping…

"I work in all ranges, so there's no way I'll let you catch my shadow..." Tenten informed him, hoping that if she stalled for long enough he'd change his mind and back out. She really didn't want a repeat of her mission in which she first encountered an Iwa nin.

Shikamaru briefly reevaluated the situation, realizing Tenten had inadvertently given him an advantage, 'She's sacrificing speed to hold that thing up. This doesn't seem as hopeless as I thought…'

Asuma puffed nervously on a cigarette beside Kurenai. He dearly hoped that his slothful student could come up with an effective strategy before anything unfortunate could happen.

Naruto turned to Lee, demanding an explanation, "Just what the heck is going on, Fuzzy-brows! Is she gonna kill him or something?"

Lee shook his head, "No, Naruto-kun. Tenten uses Chinigui merely to intimidate enemies and halt their attacks. It is just as effective defensively as it is offensively."

"Ch-Chinigui?" Haku stuttered, his face turning very red. Lee nodded to him in confirmation, aware that Haku hadn't realized Tenten was able to fully use the sword he had given her.

"It is an odd name…but fitting, I think." Lee offered his opinion. Changing the name from Cow-Killer to a name that literally meant 'wiping the blood from a blade' had an ominous undertone.

Gaara watched with interest, wondering what would become of Shikamaru.

The Nara threw four shuriken at her, aiming to buy himself some extra ground. He ran to the cover of trees near the arena wall as Tenten blocked the projectiles effortlessly with the big blade.

Shikamaru pressed himself behind a tree trunk, thinking feverishly. Nearly a dozen plans flooded into his mind, and he had to decide which courses of action would bring him closest to victory and farthest from harm.

Tenten frowned, expecting to fight less of a coward, "Hiding won't do you any good, Shikamaru!" She pulled back on the zanbato and shifted her weight, beginning to spin herself in circles.

"This is bad." Asuma pointed out, taking a long drag and Kurenai gave him an even glare. His student was in more peril than he would've been if he had been made to fight even Neji.

Shikamaru squatted down below the tree, meditating, unaware of the incoming danger.

"Hah!" Tenten hurled the blade with her built-up momentum and sent it soaring across the clearing and into the nettle of trees. The zanbato hacked through the trunks with ease, and with a metallic ringing noise, imbedded itself in the wall as few inches above Shikamaru's head.

It had shaved a few hairs off of his ponytail though, leaving him a bit horrified, 'I don't think she was really aiming for my head, but still!'

He may have been calmer if the trees hadn't toppled over helplessly, leaving him in clear view of his opponent.

Tenten threw a kunai, hitting a tree stump near Shikamaru and detonated the exploding tag attached to it, driving him out of his hiding place. He dove back out into the light, seeing an opening, "Kage Shibari no Jutsu!"

He barely missed, Tenten noted. She'd have to be more careful if she intended to avoid that potentially problematic jutsu of his. She threw another volley of kunai, driving him back towards the wall again.

While avoiding her projectiles Shikamaru kept a keen eye open for the shadows distributed about the arena. There were a healthy number of them, and he began to devise a plan of how to formulate a trap with his given resources.

"You're braver than I thought, Shikamaru!" Tenten hurled another round of kunai as he charged, wondering if it was a mock-assault. She was surprised to find it wasn't.

One of her kunai shredded his shoulder as he soldiered nearer, too near, in fact. His shadow stretched again, reaching ever closer to its goal.

Tenten panicked and drew out two more scrolls, "Soushouryu!"

Frustrated, he made note of what a clever move it was. As she rose higher into the air, her shadow began to shrink and became too small for his shadow to contact. The smoke released from her attack was enough of a buffer to stall him.

In the stands, both Ino and Chouji were sharing in a frenzied conniption as their lazy teammate evaded the oncoming weapons raining down from the air. It was about as much as Sakura could stand, being that she had fought Tenten herself and no one then had lost their cool, 'Maybe they expect less of Shikamaru than they do me…'

"Maybe it would actually be harder to fight her than even Neji!" Naruto observed aloud, "She's brutal!"

Lee nodded, "That may be true for some ninja. Tenten has trained with Neji every day for the past two years. Her skills can be lethal if a shinobi cannot counter against weapons."

Naruto looked visibly troubled by the news, but then concluded that he had defeated Neji, so he may have stood a fair chance if he had been pitted against Tenten.

After ending her attack, Tenten was back to dodging Shikamaru's ever-persistent shadow as it streaked along the ground towards her. In a frantic moment of avoiding his jutsu she had an epiphany.

Tenten turned about and raced to the other side of the arena, scaling the wall with chakra and gluing herself to it once she felt she had gained enough height. Shikamaru was bent double, trying to catch his breath while keeping an eye on her, 'What the hell is she doing up there?'

She was beyond his physical reach, but unfortunately for Shikamaru he was not beyond her's.

'I'll end this now! This fight can't keep dragging on like this…' Tenten summoned her yumi and focused chakra into her right hand.

From afar Shikamaru was already aware she was planning a long-range assault, "This is such a drag!"

Lee's eyes widened knowingly and Naruto and his teammates had a feeling something serious was afoot.

Tenten expertly fired a chakra arrow down at the Nara. Shikamaru had dodged to the side just after it was launched, but he had not been expecting the explosion that followed once it had struck the ground. The shockwave barreled him over, knocking him to the dust where again he had to regroup.

Sato whistled loudly, impressed by her cunning attack.

Tenten focused more chakra into her hand to prepare an arrow, 'One more blast can knock him out! He already looks dizzy enough to-'

She froze.