Jirobo grinned devilishly as he spoke, "You managed to escape my blockade. Impressive work." The genin were infuriated by his mocking tone and got into their fighting stances. However, Neji stopped Naruto and Kiba and advised them against engaging in a fight, as Jirobo was not an opponent they could defeat easily with their depleted chakra, even though they outnumbered him. Shikamaru also reminded them that Sasuke might escape if they wasted too much time here.
Kiba, however, insisted that they could take on Jirobo themselves since they had already broken his barrier. As they were still discussing their options, Jirobo clapped his hands and warned them that they were merely his prey, and that he could easily overpower them. He then slammed his palm on the ground, causing the ground to rupture and uproot the soil, knocking them off balance.
Neji immediately activated his Byakugan to locate Jirobo, but a huge boulder came flying towards them. Naruto yelled for them to watch out, and Menma swiftly unsheathed his katana from a scroll. However, Choji, who had already grown to a huge size, crushed the boulder before Menma could use his weapon, sending rocks flying everywhere.
Menma and the rest of the group shielded themselves from the flying debris. Choji, who was still curled up into a ball, rolled and collided with Jirobo. Jirobo's feet dug into the ground to stop Choji's weight and momentum. Jirobo smirked at Choji and kneed him in the face, sending him flying into the air before tackling him back to the ground.
The others were ready to charge at Jirobo, but Shikamaru intervened. "Wait, everyone!" Shikamaru helped Choji to his feet and continued, "We need to split up from here. We don't have much time, and if we don't act fast, we won't be able to catch up with Sasuke."
"Neji, you will serve as a co-leader and take Kiba, Choji, and Naruto with you to pursue Sasuke," Shikamaru instructed, looking to the Hyuga. He then turned his attention to Jirobo, "I'll handle this guy with Menma," he added, forming a seal with his hands.
Jirobo sneered, "Are you planning on using that shadow bind again? It's such a useless move. Just one glance, and you know how to deal with it."
"You were the leader, huh? Do you really think you can defeat me by splitting up?" Jirobo continued tauntingly. "Must be tedious to work under such a foolish leader... Huh, underling?"
"He's not foolish..." Choji muttered, but his words went unheard.
"Well, I'll kill any trash who would work under such a shadow-loving sucker... even before they get bored," Jirobo declared.
Naruto balled his fists and opened his mouth to say something, but Choji interrupted, "He's mine!" he shouted, rising to his feet with a determined look. "I'll take care of him!"
Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly as Choji rummaged through his pouch and pulled out a bag, which he handed to him. Shikamaru gave it a questioning look, and Choji said, "Shikamaru, give these soldier pills to everyone else."
Shikamaru's eyes widened even further, "Choji... You can't be serious!" he exclaimed.
Choji smiled at his friend, "Do you think so? I have a secret weapon for myself," he said.
"But that's..." Shikamaru began, but Choji cut him off, "Shikamaru, take everyone else and go!" he shouted.
"What are you saying! He's not someone you can take on by yourself!" Naruto protested.
"Choji..." Shikamaru muttered, his expression full of concern.
As a gentle breeze picked up and Choji's scarf fluttered in the wind, he said, "What did we come out here to do? If we lose track of Sasuke now... We'll only become what Jirobo called us - a foolish bunch of trash."
Everyone looked on in silence, and Shikamaru took the bag of soldier pills from Choji and distributed them among the five of them. He then turned back to his friend and said, "Choji, you better catch up to us later."
"Alright," Choji replied, his eyes fixed on his opponent.
"Everyone, let's go!" Shikamaru said as they all leaped onto the trees to pursue the other members of the Sound Four.
"I'll make quick work of you and them too!!" Jirobo exclaimed and charged towards him, Choji quickly retrieved a case from his pouch that held three pills of different colors. "You won't have it your way!" he declared before biting down on the blue pill.
With newfound strength, Choji charged towards Jirobo and collided with him, barely stopping the momentum. Shikamaru glanced back at Choji with a look of concern before continuing to bound through the trees.
-.-
"Shikamaru," Neji said, "I overheard your conversation with Choji. He seems to have a secret weapon, but..." He paused, "Does he really stand a chance?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba asked.
"On this mission, Choji brought blue, yellow, and red pills with him," Shikamaru replied. "They are the Akimichi clan's top secret pills, and they provide a tremendous boost in power when used."
"That's why he was so confident!" Naruto exclaimed, finally understanding Choji's demeanor.
"Those pills..." Menma said, "Don't they have serious side effects?"
Everyone turned to Shikamaru.
As he jumped from tree to tree, the wind blowing through his hair, Shikamaru answered, "Yes... Each pill damages the body and poisons it. The third pill, in particular, converts all the user's fat reserves, leaving the user dangerously emaciated. If the user takes the red pill, they might..." He trailed off, biting his lip with a sad look in his eyes, "...die."
Neji turned to Shikamaru, "Do we have any other choice but to let Choji fight?" he asked.
Shikamaru shook his head, "We don't. Choji has made up his mind and we can't afford to waste any more time."
Kiba clenched his fists, "Then let's catch up to Sasuke and finish this already!" he said with determination.
Naruto nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we'll leave Choji to take care of this guy!" he said as they continued their pursuit.
Meanwhile, Choji continued to fight with Jirobo, fueled by the power of the pill. He landed a heavy blow on Jirobo's stomach, causing him to cough up blood.
"You're strong, but this won't be enough to defeat me," Jirobo said as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
Choji panted heavily as he looked at his opponent, "I won't give up... I'll keep fighting until Sasuke is safe!" he said with determination as he reached into his pouch.
Wires with countless strands were taken out by Choji, and he wrapped them around his body. "Multi size no Jutsu!" he exclaimed as his body expanded, resembling a hedgehog. Rolling towards Jirobo, he used the kunai as spikes to increase his momentum and deal more damage.
In response, Jirobo slammed his palms onto the ground, casting the "Gaean Seal: Earth Shield." The ground before him rose, forming a stone barrier that Choji broke through, slamming into Jirobo and catching him off guard. As Choji continued to roll, the kunai on his body tore through Jirobo's skin.
However, Choji suddenly came to a halt and was shocked by the sight of markings on Jirobo's body. 'This strength!! What are those markings?!' he thought to himself.
Jirobo retaliated by punching Choji in the gut, sending him crashing into the trees and reverting back to his original size. "Don't be so confident, trash!" Jirobo taunted.
With a hint of nostalgia in his voice, Jirobo spoke with a smug grin on his face, "Listen up, I'll tell you something. When you have a group of six people, there's always a loser among them. Those losers are treated like trash and are used as decoys in desperate situations. And that's exactly what you are."
Jirobo's words triggered some of Choji's old memories, reminding him how he was seen as weak and useless due to his weight. He wore a sorrowful expression on his face as he recalled those painful memories.
"Hah, seems like it was right, huh. The leaf must be really short on people to add trash like you to their pursuer team." Jirobo taunted.
Jirobo's taunting words hit a nerve with Choji, triggering memories of Shikamaru who had always been the one to believe in him and never made him feel useless or weak. Choji felt grateful for Shikamaru's unwavering support.
With a renewed sense of determination, Choji looked up at Jirobo and took the yellow pill. Its effect was immediate, multiplying his chakra by ten times that of the blue pill.
Jirobo was momentarily shocked by the sudden surge of chakra, but his smug grin quickly returned as he remarked, "Quite a bit of chakra, but still not enough to fight me."
With a fierce look in his eyes, Choji shouted at Jirobo, "Bring it on, you fatso!" Gathering chakra into his right hand, he prepared to strike.
Jirobo responded with a retort, "That word suits you better!" He then charged at Choji.
Shouting "Partial Multi-Size no Jutsu!!!", Choji used his jutsu to enlarge his arm and strike Jirobo, sending him crashing to the ground with a grunt.
In response, Jirobo yelled, "Go to hell, trash!!" and swung his fist, hitting Choji's chin and sending him flying through the air.
Choji quickly regained his balance in mid air and clasped his hands together, "Eat this!" He yelled as his body suddenly expanded to the size of a small hill and fell on top of Jirobo.
With a quick recovery, Choji managed to regain his balance in midair and immediately merged his hands together. "Take this!" he bellowed as his body expanded and grew to the size of a small hill, falling down on top of Jirobo.
-.-
As they dashed through the forest, a distant explosion caught the attention of Menma and the others.
"Looks like Choji is giving it his all!" Kiba remarked.
"Yep, he's going to win and catch up to us in no time!" Naruto exclaimed with confidence.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, had a sense of unease gnawing at him. "I don't know about that," he thought to himself.
Menma noticed Shikamaru's apprehension and suggested, "Should I go and assist Choji, just in case?"
Shikamaru weighed the idea for a moment before giving his approval. "Okay, Menma. Help Choji and come back quickly."
Naruto chimed in with a warning, "Be careful out there!"
Menma nodded and quickly turned back to retrace their steps to find Choji.
-.-
Choji groaned in agony as he struggled against Jirobo's iron grip, feeling his chakra draining away. Jirobo, who had activated his level two curse mark, sneered at Choji's weakened state.
"You're hardly worth the effort. I can't even squeeze any more chakra out of you," he taunted as he looked down at Choji's helpless form.
As Choji gasped for breath, his hand reached out weakly towards his bag of chips, but Jirobo cruelly stepped on it, causing him to cry out in pain. Jirobo then snatched the bag of chips from him and took the last chip for himself.
"You were nothing but a pawn, a worthless piece of trash. But don't worry, I'll take care of your pathetic friends soon enough," he gloated. "Now die, you fat piece of garbage!"
As Choji struggled to hold on to his consciousness, memories of his childhood flooded his mind.
*Flashback*
A group of children were playing ninja, but one of them didn't want Choji to join in.
"Why can't I play with you guys?" Choji asked, looking sad.
"Because if we have you on our team, we'll definitely lose," one of the children replied. Choji's face fell, and he looked down at the ground.
But then Shikamaru spoke up. "We have an odd number of people, so it's not fair to exclude him. Even games like shougi are only fun when we have equal numbers of pieces," he said, giving Choji a small smile.
The other child scoffed, "Having useless pieces is just as good as having none at all!"
Shikamaru watched as Choji's spirit seemed to lift at his words, but the other child's comment caused him to retreat and look disheartened once again.
-Somewhere on a bench-
Rephrased: Choji muttered, "...and they keep saying that the Akimichi Clan only has useless, overweight members... Everyone always says that." Choza looked at his son with a pensive expression, understanding his sadness.
Trying to lift his spirits, Choza said, "But Choji, you have a heart that is kinder than anyone else's. You will meet someone who sees that in you and becomes your friend," he continued with a smile, "When you find that person, treat them like your closest friend, and become comrades who trust each other more than anything else."
These words brightened Choji's mood and he smiled back at his father.
"Hey, you!" Shikamaru's voice interrupted their moment as he ascended the stairs, his hand resting on the railing.
"Huh? You're that guy..." Choji murmured, surprised to see him.
Shikamaru approached Choji and introduced himself, "I'm Shikamaru, from the Nara clan," he said.
"And you're in my spot," he added, standing before Choji.
"Your spot?" Choji asked, a bit puzzled.
"I like to lie down over there and watch the clouds," Shikamaru explained, grinning.
"You came to look at clouds? What about the ninja game?" Choji asked.
Shikamaru's grin grew wider as he replied, "Hehe, I got tired, so I ditched them."
"What's your name?" Shikamaru asked, and Choji smiled widely. "I'm Choji! Akimichi Choji, from the Akimichi clan!"
"Hey, I have some snacks," Choji said, offering them to Shikamaru, who smiled and replied, "Thanks. Let's just relax and watch the clouds, okay?"
*Flashback end*
Choji struggled to breathe as he thought to himself, 'Sorry, Shikamaru, I don't think I can make it.'
Jirobo yelled out, "Die!" as he attempted to strike Choji, who closed his eyes and braced for impact. The ground was destroyed by the shockwave, creating a massive crater, but Jirobo's attack missed its target.
"Choji," a voice called out as a figure stood before him, looking down with blue eyes filled with recognition. "Well done."
Choji's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the figure before him. A smile spread across his face as tears started to stream down his cheeks, and he thought to himself, 'Dad... I've made so many friends...'