Shikamaru approaches Temari, apparently to deliver a finishing blow. She attempts to finish the fight quickly, expecting things will only become easier for Shikamaru as the fight goes on, when she finds herself already caught: Shikamaru has been maneuvering her towards a hole in the ground created during Naruto's earlier match, which allowed him to catch her with his shadow from underground, capturing her from behind. Temari dodges this and his other attempts to let his shadow reach farther, forcing her to repeatedly move away from him to avoid it. He takes shelter behind the trees and strikes out with his shadow again, extending farther towards her than before, the setting sun lengthening his shadow's range. While she ascertains his shadow's maximum reach, Shikamaru formulates a strategy, doing so quickly enough to be ready when Temari attacks from afar with her Giant Folding Fan. Shikamaru retreats to the cover of some nearby trees and uses the threat of his shadow to force Temari to keep her distance. Temari attacks him when he's slow to get up, but he dodges at the last moment, deciding he doesn't want to lose to a girl. When it's time for his fight, he contemplates forfeiting, but Naruto wrongly assumes he's eager to get started and shoves him into the arena.
When the finalists gather the next day, Shikamaru is informed that his match with Dosu has been cancelled and that he'll instead be fighting Temari of Sunagakure in his first match.
Their Relationship Part I Chūnin Exams Arcīefore the preliminary match between Temari and Tenten, Shikamaru predicted that Temari will win. ShikaTema (シカテマ ShikaTema) is the term used to describe the romantic relationship between Shikamaru Nara and Temari.