Chapter 52: The Queen's Judgment?
"Second round: Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari!"
Shiranui Genma spat out the senbon in his mouth and announced somewhat weakly. The direction of the first match just now was too ridiculous, and the serious atmosphere of the scene had been completely destroyed.
In the center of the arena, Nara Shikamaru, with his hair tied in a pineapple ponytail, had a "who am I, where am I" expression as he slowly walked out from the shadows.
"Ah... what a drag."
Shikamaru looked at the murderous female Sunagakure ninja opposite him, who was carrying a large folding fan on her shoulder. He was already calculating how to lose gracefully without being scolded by his mom.
"This kind of high-spirited woman is the most troublesome."
Meanwhile, in the contestants' waiting area, Uzumaki Naruto, who had just "lost" his match, was leaning comfortably against the railing. He had somehow swiped a bag of potato chips and was looking down at the arena like a boss.
His eyes didn't dim in the slightest because of losing the match.
[Hey, this kid Shikamaru completely lacks appreciation.]
Naruto's inner thoughts came online right on time, starting his exclusive commentary on the invisible ninja world sky screen.
[A drag? You call this top-tier beauty a drag? Open your eyes and look! How is that just an ordinary Hidden Sand Village kunoichi?]
Below, Temari was just about to form a seal when her body suddenly stiffened. Her intuition, known as the "Desert Black Widow," told her that a certain uncomfortable gaze was sticking to her again.
Sure enough, the next second, that voice that made one want to plug their ears rang out in her mind.
[Tsk tsk tsk, look at this stance. Center of gravity low, thigh muscles tight. Although that big fan is in the way, when it's swung, the angle of that pleated miniskirt lifted by the airflow... I bet it's simply a work of art!]
Naruto chewed his potato chips, his gaze locked onto Temari's leg that was supporting her weight.
[Yesterday's mesh was indeed too loose, but today's fine-mesh fishnets are the finishing touch. Especially that bit of flesh slightly squeezed out by the exertion around the thigh... *Gulp*.]
A clear sound of swallowing saliva spread through Temari's nerves without reservation.
Temari's hand gripping the fan handle suddenly tightened, and the steel ribs of the fan made an unbearable creaking sound. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, but veins were throbbing on her forehead.
"That damn brat... what on earth is inside his head during a match!"
But Naruto's imagination clearly didn't stop there.
[These powerful legs, if used to kick someone, would indeed be a reward. But if... hehe, if she wore these fishnets and didn't do anything else, just stepped on my back like that, looking at me with that high-and-mighty queen-like gaze, calling me a pervert while pressing down hard...]
[Hiss—that feeling of being pained yet happy could definitely clear my meridians! These legs, this intensity, who could withstand it? I'd be willing to call her 'My Queen' too!]
[Shikamaru, oh Shikamaru, you aren't facing an enemy; you're facing every man's dream!]
Boom!
Temari felt a rush of blood go straight to her head. The feeling of shame burned through her entire body, followed by an impulse to destroy the world.
Stepping on his back? And calling him a pervert?
This wasn't just harassment; it was a blatant provocation to her dignity as the Kazekage's daughter... Although, imagining that scene, there really was a strange...
"Stop thinking!" Temari screamed internally, trying to suppress that bizarre sense of excitement.
[Ding!]
At the moment her emotions spiraled out of control, that emotionless mechanical voice rang out again, like adding fuel to the fire.
[Detected that the host "Temari" is receiving Uzumaki Naruto's extremely perverted desire for a "Queen-style Trampling," and has generated an intense emotional resonance (shame/rage/violence).]
[Your "sadistic" potential has been ignited by this desire.]
[Reward issued: Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Ultimate). Because your anger has broken through the critical point, your Wind Release will carry the "Absolute Crushing" attribute. This is already the Queen's Judgment.]
A violent surge of Chakra instantly filled the Three-Star Fan. The ultimate move that originally required charging was now fully loaded, catalyzed by her rage.
"Go to hell!!!"
Temari no longer cared if Shikamaru was dazing off; she turned abruptly, not even following the usual procedure of opening one or two stars, but directly unfolding the fan completely.
Three stars fully open!
"Ninja Art: Great Sickle Weasel Technique - Enraged Version!"
Whoosh—Boom!!!
A typhoon seemed to instantly blow through the arena.
At the core of the storm was an air cannon compressed to the extreme. Countless visible wind blades were mixed within, advancing like a meat grinder.
"Hey, hey, hey! No way?!"
Shikamaru's dead-fish eyes widened. Before he could even chant "Shadow Possession Jutsu," he was swept up by the gale like a withered leaf.
His carefully laid shadow traps were completely powerless against such overwhelming strength.
Tactics and IQ meant nothing under this kind of fire coverage!
"Boom!"
Shikamaru didn't even get a chance to land; he was slammed into the wall behind him by the wind pressure, embedded in the shape of the character 'too'. The stone wall behind him, along with the railing under the spectator stands, vanished in a large chunk as if bitten off by something, turning into a cloud of stone dust.
The entire audience was silent.
Even Shiranui Genma had to spit out the senbonthat had long since flown off, shielding his face with his hand to avoid being scratched by the aftershocks.
The dust settled.
Temari stood at the center of the gale, her chest heaving violently. Her sharp eyes were clouded with a layer of mist, and her cheeks were as red as if she had just come out of a steam room.
And beneath her feet, the hard ground had been gouged with shocking deep grooves by the wind pressure.
On the wall, Shikamaru struggled to raise a hand. He didn't even need to act; he really couldn't move.
"I... I forfeit," Shikamaru's mouth twitched. "This is too... troublesome... Was she trying to kill me?"
Genma swallowed hard, looking at the mangled edge of the stands and then at Temari, who was radiating a low-pressure aura.
"W-Winner, Temari!"
What was going on with this competition? Each match was more ridiculous than the last. The previous one was a fake match, and this one fast-forwarded straight to a "murdering the husband" level of rampage?
Hearing the verdict, Temari didn't mock her opponent, nor did she enjoy the victory cheers.
She took a deep breath and suddenly raised the Three-Star Fan, which was still emitting white smoke. The sharp tip of the fan rib pointed directly at the spectator stands in the waiting area.
Through the crowd, her gaze accurately pierced the Blonde Youth who was still biting half a potato chip with a dazed expression.
"Listen up, brat!"
Temari gritted her teeth. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a ruthless edge, delivered to Naruto's ear via Wind Release.
"Want me to step on you?...You'd better stay alive to see it! You're next!"
Although she was talking tough, anyone who got a little closer could see that the tips of this mature older sister type's ears were completely red.
On the stands, Naruto swallowed the remaining potato chips in one go and blinked innocently, feeling a chill run from his tailbone straight to the back of his head.
[Strange... I didn't say anything to offend her, did I? Didn't I just appreciate her for a bit?]
[Why do I feel like that fan swing of hers just now wasn't hitting Shikamaru, but was a 'hitting the ox through the mountain' move, and the real target was me?]
[But then again... that look she gave me just now, with her eyes wide and pointing at me... that high-and-mighty murderous intent... Whoa, why is it even more exciting! I feel like I'm about to awaken some weird attribute.]
The moment his death-seeking inner thoughts rang out again...
Temari, standing in the arena, stumbled, nearly falling over with her fan.
"Pervert..."
She cursed under her breath and quickly walked into the shadows, dragging her fan. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she really wouldn't be able to resist rushing up and giving that guy a piece of her mind.