Choji: I Made a Decision That Betrayed My Ancestors

Naruto didn't care what Sasuke was doing, and didn't even send anyone to search for information about Kabuto and Black Zetsu, even though he knew perfectly well that the two were definitely together.

After all, Obito is dead, and the number of people left who can cooperate with Black Zetsu can be counted on one hand.

Even so, Naruto couldn't be bothered to care. Black Zetsu ever done one thing in a thousand years: unless he caught his true form, he would do everything in his power to revive Kaguya.

Regardless of whether Kaguya is resurrected or not, the Otsutsuki clan will descend.

It's better to guide than to block. Rather than letting Black Zetsu cause new trouble, it's better to let Black Zetsu follow the path he knows. He's not concerned with anything else right now, just focusing on his preparations.

Learning the Expansion Jutsu wasn't a whim; it was something he had planned long ago.

Although he has no connection with the Nine-Tails anymore, he can still use Nine-Tails power. Every time he moves, a ball of Tailed Beast flame appears, which is too eye-catching.

Besides, every time he activates the Blood-colored Nine-Tails, its appearance is unmistakably that of Nine-Tails -Tails itself; it's impossible to distance himself from it. He can't just rely on his words; facts speak louder than words. Who would believe that?

The Nine-Tails phantom is essentially no different from Susanoo; both are simply armor formed from condensed Chakra. The only difference is that it transforms into Blood-colored Nine-Tails when used.

Left with no other choice, Naruto devised a method to modify the appearance of his Ninjutsu: using the Expansion Jutsu to alter the Nine-Tails' phantom. As long as the appearance wasn't Nine-Tails, it had nothing to do with the Nine-Tails.

The next day.

Choji's limping figure was quite conspicuous on Konohagakure's Training Ground 5.

"Hurry up!"

"Get lost! Are you even human?! How fast can I walk with a cast on my leg?!" Choji retorted, unable to contain himself any longer, and continued to limp slowly forward.

"Hehe, it's not really broken." Naruto took two steps forward, tapped Choji's cast on his hand, and then kicked Choji's cast on his foot.

"How about it? For the same price, I'll have Sakura give you double the amount of plaster."

Choji: "What's so special about that?"

He was somewhat speechless, but he was already used to Naruto's unreliable words and actions. If it weren't for the fact that this guy had used the plaster cast to help him through a crisis yesterday and even received a day's worth of gentle, affectionate treatment from his wife, he really wouldn't have wanted to come out.

"No wonder I'm panting after just a few steps, twice as fast!! Do you even want some fried dough sticks, Naruto Uzumaki?!"

"You're panting because you're fat, what does that have to do with the cast?" Naruto slapped away his chubby hand. "Besides, your acting skills will be exposed if you don't go up to double the intensity."

"Fine, I can't argue with you."

"Hey, don't change the subject. Tell me, does my plaster cast technique work?" Naruto said smugly, tapping Choji's plaster cast around.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore, let's get started." Choji mumbled vaguely, continuing to change the subject.

"I've made a decision that goes against the ancestors' wishes. If my father finds out, he'll beat me to death!"

"Are you stupid? You could have just done it secretly." Naruto gasped. "You even dared to let your father know? You've got guts!"

"Of course not, that's why I sneaked out," Choji two-second silence, he looked up and continued, "You guarantee no one will notice?"

"I promise!"

"Brother, I'm all in this together, don't you dare betray me!" Choji was truly terrified of being tricked by Naruto, and repeatedly asked him to confirm.

"I know, I know, don't you trust me?"

"I can't trust him."

Naruto: "."

"The Expansion Jutsu is a secret technique of our Akimichi Clan. You know its effects; it can enlarge a part of the body," Choji said with a serious expression.

"Essentially, it's a nature transformation of Chakra. Simply put, it's the rapid consumption of Chakra, like burning it. It allows Chakra to be transformed into energy in an instant and unleashed."

"Um, say it again." Naruto was a little stunned.

"I'll say it a few more times, it's still the same. The Expansion Jutsu requires practice," Choji said irritably. "Watch, I'll demonstrate it for you now."

"First, gather your energy, concentrate all the Chakra in your body."

Training Ground 5.

The three little ones, who were walking neatly by, suddenly stopped. Konohamaru, with his hands behind his head, caught a glimpse of two people in the training ground and couldn't help but stop and shout.

"Big Naruto!!!"

"Holy crap!" Naruto hadn't even turned around when he heard Konohamaru's voice and immediately knew something was wrong. Damn it, didn't I check the almanac before leaving home? I've run into these kids, what a nuisance!

Choji, who was enthusiastically sharing his experience, was startled when he saw the three troublemakers running towards him. A look of fear then appeared on his face.

"They're here!"

"I know, I know, I have ears!" Naruto said.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Choji also hated these kids and hurriedly tried to run away, but when he looked down, he saw that one of his hands and one of his feet were in casts.

"Damn it, it's double the amount of plaster!"

"What's the panic? I'll handle this. You stay where you are." Naruto scratched his head, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to walk towards the three children.

Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi are already fourteen years old, which is considered adulthood in the ninja world. Under Ebisu's guidance, the three have all passed the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Even so, the three of them were as excited as ever to see Naruto. Even Moegi, who had been scolded by Naruto, waved her hands with great joy.

Her brown hair was tied in a large ponytail, and her face, now more mature, had a youthful charm. She had straight bangs, short, thin eyebrows, and a clean-cut appearance.

She wore Konohagakure Forehead Protector around her neck, a green vest, black shorts, and was petite with an earring.

The reason Naruto glanced at her again was because she still possessed a trace of Wood Release power. This trace wasn't just a figure of speech; it truly was only a trace.

Hashirama Senju's Wood Release could reshape a country, Yamato's Wood Release could actually carve out a three-bedroom apartment, while Moegi Kazamatsuri's Wood Release could probably only cover a small lawn.

[The true art of lawn greening!]

When she was little, her hairstyle looked like a piece of char siu (barbecued pork); now that she's grown up, it looks like a peach. Even Naruto was speechless, so he stared at her hairstyle for a few more seconds.

"What brings you here?" Naruto asked the three through the barbed wire fence of the training ground.

Konohamaru, beaming with delight, excitedly blurted out the answer.

"The mission is over, and we just happened to be passing by. Naruto- nii! Let me tell you, we've already learned the Rasengan you taught us last time, and we even used it during the mission!"

"Rasengan?" Naruto was slow to react before remembering that he had indeed taught it to them before, but he hadn't expected them to master it; he had just used it to fool them.

"Oh, Rasengan, huh? Good to have mastered it. It's not exactly a powerful Ninjutsu anyway."

"That's amazing!" Moegi retorted.

"Really? I haven't used it in a long time." Naruto dangled on the barbed wire, giving a smooth, smug look. "After all, the Rasengan's power is too weak; I usually use Forbidden Jutsu."

"Wow!!" the three exclaimed, looking at him with admiration.

Naruto seemed quite pleased with this, smiling as he accepted the children's admiring gazes. He even gestured for the three to be quiet.

Under the sun, Choji squinted as he watched Naruto, Konohamaru, and the other two kids bragging, feeling increasingly annoyed. He felt as if he were weighed down by two heavy stones; he had to endure this for another two weeks.

"Naruto deserves to die!"

"What are you talking about that's been going on for so long? Get them out of here already. If this goes on any longer, they'll collapse before they even finish disobeying our ancestors' decision."

Beside the barbed wire fence, Konohamaru suddenly spoke up.

"We want to learn Forbidden Jutsu too, Naruto- nii!"

"Yeah! Yeah, we want to learn too." Udon chimed in from the side, believing Naruto's words, since no one in the village was more awesome than him.

There may have been people more capable than him in the past, but they either left or died.

Most of Konoha F4 have died out, and the remaining two have retired. Kakashi's popularity has recently surged due to his tough methods. Apart from these, Konohagakure has no rising stars.

"You're overthinking it. I don't have time to teach you guys." Naruto reached through the barbed wire and smacked each of the three men on the head. "Hurry up and get going, don't keep me from doing my business."

"Ouch!" Konohagakure's dodge failed.

"Ouch!" Moegi clutched her head.

"Ouch!" Udon obediently took the hit.

"Ah! How could this be!" Konohamaru wailed, but it was no use; Naruto was already chasing them away.

"Get out of here, you bunch of brats!" he said, turning and walking away, leaving the three of them with his back turned. "If I turn around and still find you here, don't blame me for being rude!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them stuck out their tongues and quickly ran away, covering their heads.

The three ran to a safe place. Konohamaru looked around and realized that they were already far away from Training Ground 5, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, Naruto didn't catch up."

"But what are Naruto and the others doing?" Udon asked, confused.

"Who knows? I think I saw Choji, and he looked injured," Konohamaru said, scratching his head as he recalled.

"They're still training even though they're injured?" Udon, somewhat shocked. "You guys should be excellent Jonin by now, right? Even in this state, you're still training so hard despite your injuries?"

"Of course! Otherwise, how could we become excellent ninjas?" Moegi said with certainty, her eyes flickering slightly. "I wonder when we'll be that strong!"

"This..." Udon looked down at the ground.

"I wish I knew Forbidden Jutsu too. Naruto is so heartless and stingy!" Konohamaru complained casually. "I should have pestered him."

Upon hearing this, Moegi looked up, her eyes brightening.

"Ah—Achoo!!" Naruto stood in Training Ground 5, touching his nose. "Choji, did you just curse at me?"

"Who would pay attention to you!" Choji muttered to himself, sounding a little guilty.

"Alright, let's rest for a bit before continuing." Naruto walked to a shady spot, found a clean place to sit down, and Choji limped over to him.

"Do you think this Expansion Jutsu can be used anywhere?" he suddenly asked.

Choji looked him up and down. "What do you want?"

"It's nothing, hehe." Naruto chuckled, gazing into the distance.

"Don't do anything reckless, it's easy to cause trouble." Choji was a little worried and turned to warn him, "The Expansion Jutsu isn't very stable unless you fully master it."

"Okay, okay," Naruto replied.

A cloud drifted by in the sky, and neither of them spoke, sitting quietly in the shade, lost in thought.

"Are you really going to resign?" Kakashi held the resignation letter in his hand and looked up at Sakura Haruno.

"Um."

"Why?"

"I can't do it anymore," Sakura said nonchalantly. "The work is too heavy, and I'm not trusted by the higher-ups. Actually, I've wanted to quit for a long time, but this time I finally found a reason."

"Have you thought it through?" Kakashi asked slowly, flipping through Sakura's work handover records.

"I've thought it through, I understand perfectly!" she nodded.

"What do you plan to do after you resign?" Kakashi asked casually. "Do you want to work at the Hokage Building? Or do you have any other ideas?"

"I'll stay home for a while; I don't want to go to work anymore," Sakura replied. "We'll talk about the future later. I'll contact you when I've thought it through."

"Okay." Kakashi propped the documents up on the table and neatly arranged them, saying, "I've approved it here; it'll just be a matter of going through the formalities with the higher-ups."

"Then you should go back first and rest at home for a while."

"Okay, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura's eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she turned and went downstairs.

She left the Hokage Building and turned into a small alley not far away, where Naruto was squatting on the alley wall, waiting for her listlessly.

"Did you agree?"

"Everything's done." Sakura walked to the foot of the wall, put her hands behind her back, and smiled knowingly. "Do you have anything planned for you today?"

"Let me see." Naruto pulled out a small notebook, glanced at it, and wrote, "Morning practice... have breakfast... go find Choji."

"Yeah, everything's fine for now. What's wrong?"

"It's alright, would you like to come to my place for a bit?" she asked, tilting her head. "Have some fruit, like peaches or something?"

"Thank you, but I don't like fruit." Naruto pouted, not falling for the trick.

"I have a rocking horse at home, wanna come?" Sakura's smile remained unchanged, still unwilling to give up, she licked her lips, "You can rock me, or I can rock myself."

"I'm not a child anymore, why would I play on a rocking horse? That's so childish. I like to ride the trapeze, do you?" Naruto glanced down at her.

Sakura paused for a moment, then seemed to come to her senses, her smile widening. She waved to Naruto on the wall and said...

"There are trapeze artists too, are you coming?"

"I'll reluctantly agree, okay? I'll go take a look." Naruto jumped down from the wall. "Let's go, you won't have to be distracted at work anymore."

It has been proven that aerial acrobatics demands exceptional flexibility. Without a certain level of acrobatic skill, it is impossible to deliver a perfect performance.

Late at night, Choji, who was out buying alcohol, saw a rocking horse parked in front of the convenience store and stopped to look at it for a while.

"Childhood, I really miss it."