Tag Match
Kanji	Taggu Macchi
Romaji	タッグマッチ
Chapter	10
Anime Episode(s)	10
Chronology
← Neji and Hinata	WSJ Extra →

Tag Match!! (タッグマッチ Taggu Macchi) is Chapter 10 of the manga.

SummaryEdit

As Team Guy confronts several shinobi from Moyagakure that had infiltrated Konohagakure, Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga prepare to use a Collaboration Jutsu on them. However, because of the pair's lack of synchronisation, they end up getting in each other's way much to Tenten's exasperation. Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi arrive on the scene and are able to use their excellent teamwork to defeat the invaders. With the mission ended, Lee finds Neji and asks him to play video games with him in an effort to foster stronger bonds of friendship believing the key to Shikamaru and Chōji's excellent teamwork to be due to their deep-seated friendship. Encountering the third member of Team Asuma: Ino Yamanaka, she invites them to join them at Yakiniku Q for a meal. As Lee pleads with Shikamaru to teach them the secret to his and Chōji's friendship, Shikamaru explains that they had been friends for a very long time, Tenten states that Lee and Neji were the same before until them became rivals. While this is occurring, Lee attempts for force feed Neji despite him saying he didn't want any more food. Taking the last piece of meat from the meal and declaring to Neji that he needed to eat up and become as fat as Chōji, the latter declares that they should step outside and that he wasn't fat, just plump.

The next day the four men head out to train on their collaboration where Shikamaru declares that Neji and Lee should try taking a bell from him and Chōji. Assuming his thinking pose, Shikamaru declares that he had thought up of 200 possible battle simulations and was ready for anything. Assuming the same pose, Lee declares that he and Neji should crush them with pure power. As Shikamaru leaves, telling Chōji to buy him some time while he set up the traps Lee declares that having seen their attack combo it was easy to replicate and forms the rat hand seal leading Tenten to believe that he was going to use the Art of Me and My Shadow. Lee instead comically uses the Eyebrow Mimic Technique — whereby he uses the power of the Eight Gates to remove the 'limits' on his eyebrows, allowing him to wrap them around Chōji and bind him. Chōji decides to use the Multi-Size Technique to escape the technique but is unable to break the eyebrows. After Lee calls out to him, Neji, who looks thoroughly embarrassed uses the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven — Human Bullet Tank Nikudan Sensha}} — which sends Neji rolling towards his target in a vortex of chakra. Outraged that his own technique was being used against him, Chōji uses the Human Bullet Tank which leaves Lee to be grounded in between both attacks ripping his eyebrows and sending him flying right into Shikamaru's trap. Shocked that Lee walked right into his trap which explodes as Neji arrives, Shikanaru tells the pair that they simply weren't 'buddy buddy' like he and Chōji were. As Neji and Lee begin to bicker stating they were the stronger of the two, the pair decides that they'd just have to fight them to see who was stronger. Springing into action Lee attacks Chōji with the Leaf Rising Wind technique, Shikamaru attempts to trap Lee. This attack is however blocked by Neji. Confused by the sudden amount of teamwork, Tenten explains to Ino that the pair functioned best as rivals. As Shikamaru and Chōji attempt to escape Neji attempts to use the Eight Trigrams Vacūm Palm again only to have Lee stand in front of him using the force of the attack for his own propelled assault which he referred to as "Jet Lee" this causes the bell to fall into the lake, ending the match in a tie. Later, Chōji approaches Lee and Neji, congratulating and telling them that he forgave them for the incident at Yakiniku Q yesterday. However, his appearance shocked them as he explains that he had used his Multi-Size Technique to enlarge his eyes, which leads Lee to telling him that he was very versatile for a "fatty" causing Chōji to attack Lee and Neji in a fit of rage.