Shikamaru first major appearance in the series is during the Chunin Exams , bi @-@ yearly exams for ninja who wish to advance in rank . He is part of Team 10 alongside Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka . He is a highly unenthusiastic person , and he attempts to go through life with minimum effort . Contrary to his lazy tendencies , Shikamaru is extremely intelligent ; his teacher , Asuma Sarutobi , determined that Shikamaru 's IQ was over 200 . Shikamaru 's abilities are based on the Shadow Imitation Technique ( 影真似の術 , Kagemane no Jutsu , English TV : " Shadow Possession Jutsu " ) , the signature technique of his clan , with which he merges his shadow with an opponent 's shadow , making them immobilized and forced to mimic Shikamaru 's movements . As the series progresses , Shikamaru becomes able to manipulate his shadow in new ways . By Part II of the series , Shikamaru is capable of utilizing multiple shadow @-@ based techniques at once and can lift his shadow from the ground in order to interact with physical objects ; for instance , he can pierce enemies with the shadow tendrils or use them to throw weapons .