Time flew by, and with only two minutes left until 10:30 AM, all of the eleven participants had gathered except for Naruto and Sasuke.
"Ahhh!"
Just as the countdown began, a sudden shout echoed through the air. Naruto, being chased by a herd of bulls, frantically stumbled into the arena, face-planting onto the ground. This sight caused Nara Shikamaru and others, along with many in the audience, to react with visible frustration, their faces full of exasperation.
Even Yagyu couldn't help but sigh internally, thinking, As expected from the most unpredictable ninja!
Once Naruto had joined the lineup, Genma Shiranui, the proctor for the third exam, chewed on a senbon, glanced at his pocket watch, and then looked toward the VIP section. Seeing that both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage had arrived, Genma addressed the ten participants in front of him:
"The final round of the Chūnin Exams is about to begin. I am the proctor for this round, Genma Shiranui."
"The rules for this match are the same as the previous round — no restrictions. You can use any techniques or strategies you want."
"I'd also like to remind you that if your life is at risk, don't hesitate to surrender. Because unlike other proctors, I might not intervene in time to save you, even if you surrender. If you delay, I might not be able to save you in time."
After giving his warning, Genma pulled out a chart and continued, "The first match will be between Naruto Uzumaki, who drew number one, and Chōji Akimichi, who drew number two. The rest of you, please head to the waiting area."
"Wha—?" Naruto exclaimed, leaning out to glance at Yagyu and the others before turning to Genma, looking flustered. "Proctor, Sasuke isn't here yet!"
"Whether Sasuke shows up or not is none of my concern," Genma replied flatly. "If his match comes up and he's not here, he'll be disqualified for forfeiting."
"Instead of worrying about others, you'd better focus on your own match."
Soon, the arena was left with just Naruto, Chōji, and Genma.
"Naruto, you should just surrender," Chōji said kindly, munching on a bag of chips. "You're not strong enough to beat me."
Hearing this infuriated Naruto. Pointing at Chōji, he shouted, "You're the one who's going down, you fat pig! Watch me wipe the floor with you!"
As soon as Naruto spat out the words "fat pig," the atmosphere shifted. Chōji, usually calm and kind-hearted, suddenly narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning sharp.
"I'm mad now, Naruto," Chōji growled.
Naruto, surprised by the sudden change, nervously retorted, "Bring it on! I'm not scared of you!"
Sensing the rising tension between the two, Genma took a few steps back and raised his hand. "The first match of the third round of the Chūnin Exams—Naruto Uzumaki versus Chōji Akimichi—begins now!"
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Unlike most genin who start with cautious attacks, Naruto immediately crossed his fingers into a familiar hand sign and summoned a large group of shadow clones.
Boom boom boom boom!
A series of popping sounds filled the air as dozens of Naruto clones materialized, white smoke swirling around them. The audience, especially the experienced ninja, widened their eyes in shock.
That's the forbidden Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!
How much chakra does this kid have to summon so many clones so easily?
"All right, let's get him!" one of the Naruto clones yelled, and the crowd of clones charged at Chōji.
While the sight of so many clones was intimidating, Chōji remained calm. He casually put away his bag of chips, cracked his knuckles, and with a powerful leap, his body ballooned like a giant, his head and limbs retracting as blue chakra flared around him. He began spinning rapidly in the air.
"Human Bullet Tank!"
As soon as Chōji hit the ground, he rolled forward at incredible speed, plowing through Naruto's clones. The clones barely had time to react before they were smashed into clouds of white smoke, one after another.
The ball continued to roll wildly around the arena, smashing through most of Naruto's clones in mere moments.
Gulp.
Naruto swallowed nervously as the feedback from his destroyed clones returned to him.
Whoa… I had no idea Chōji was this strong.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
After Chōji stopped rolling and reverted to his normal size, Naruto summoned more clones, crossing his fingers into the jutsu's sign once again.
With only the Shadow Clone Jutsu and his unreliable Summoning Jutsu, Naruto had few options for attacking. This time, he summoned over a hundred clones, once again rushing toward Chōji.
Chōji, however, remained unfazed. He quickly tied several kunai together with steel wire, wrapping them around himself before jumping back into the air and transforming once again into a giant spinning ball.
"Spiked Human Bullet Tank!"
The enhanced version of his previous attack tore through Naruto's new wave of clones just as effectively, leaving only clouds of white smoke behind. Naruto, meanwhile, could only barely dodge the attacks.
"Damn it! I can't even get close to him!" Naruto muttered, frustrated, as he watched the rolling ball plow through his clones. He considered whether or not to tap into the Nine-Tails' chakra, but just then, something caught his attention.
The giant ball of flesh stopped rolling.
Panting heavily, Chōji had reverted to his normal state, his breathing labored—either from chakra exhaustion or the prolonged spinning.
Seizing the opportunity, Naruto quickly formed the familiar hand sign again. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A new wave of shadow clones materialized, and once again, they charged toward Chōji.
Seeing the new onslaught of clones, Chōji didn't resort to his previous technique. Instead, he shouted, "Partial Expansion Jutsu!"
His arms and legs swelled to enormous sizes, stretching out like a giant's limbs, and with a series of punches and kicks, he obliterated the oncoming clones, turning them into clouds of smoke.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted again.
Before the smoke from the previous batch of clones could even clear, a fresh wave of shadow clones filled the arena.
Naruto had figured out that Chōji's chakra reserves were far inferior to his own and that Chōji had no long-range attacks. He planned to overwhelm him by exhausting his chakra reserves.
For a moment, it looked like Naruto's strategy might work, as Chōji seemed to be at a disadvantage.
"Chōji's in trouble. If this keeps up, he might lose," Ino commented from the sidelines.
"No, he won't," Shikamaru's calm voice responded.
Leaning on the railing, Shikamaru confidently said, "Chōji is stronger than all of us. He's way more powerful than he looks."
Almost as if to confirm Shikamaru's words, Chōji finally spotted Naruto's real body hiding behind his clones and the lingering smoke. Glancing briefly toward the audience, Chōji's eyes seemed to meet those of his father.
With renewed determination, Chōji reached into his pouch and pulled out a transparent box containing three differently colored pills. He took the green pill—one made from vegetables—and tossed it into his mouth.
Boom!
A burst of blue chakra erupted from Chōji's body as years of stored fat instantly began burning away, releasing a massive amount of energy. In an instant, Chōji vanished from sight.
When he reappeared, he was right in front of the real Naruto, who stood wide-eyed in shock. With his hand enveloped in blue chakra, Chōji slammed his palm into Naruto's chest.
"Super Open Hand Slam!"
In the blink of an eye, Naruto was sent flying like an arrow shot from a bow, his body becoming a blur as it soared through the air. Chōji's increased strength was so great that Naruto was hurled tens of meters before hitting the ground and tumbling across the dirt.
The sudden reversal of the fight left the audience in stunned silence.
Except for Shikamaru and Yagyu, who weren't surprised at all. They both knew Chōji's true strength.
After all, in the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, the Akimichi clan was the powerhouse.
When powered up with pills, the Akimichi were like unstoppable tanks.
Their ultimate transformation, Butterfly Mode, was just as terrifying as the Eight Gates technique.
In the original story arc where they pursued Sasuke, Chōji and Neji were the only ones who managed to take down members of the Sound Four by themselves.
---
Read 40+ Chapters ahead of WN:
Patréon.com/RoseWhisky