So, is Choji a pig?

The light in the woods was shattered by the dense canopy overhead, with only a few pillars of light striking the moss-covered trunks at an angle.

Shikamaru kept his hands in his pockets, strolling slowly over the thick layer of fallen leaves.

The dead leaves crunched and fractured into tiny pieces beneath his feet.

Shikamaru let out a yawn, his eyelids drooping.

There were quite a few troublesome characters in this exercise.

Hinata's Byakugan was practically cheating in this terrain; she could see the flow of anyone's chakra clearly through tree trunks hundreds of meters away.

Shino went without saying; there were bugs everywhere in this forest, and any insect resting on the back of a leaf could be his eyes and ears.

But Shikamaru knew clearly in his heart that none of these people were the biggest threat.

The most troublesome one was Sasuke, who had suddenly turned into a monster.

"Shikamaru, hurry up." Ino turned around in front, hands on her hips as she urged him on.

Choji walked beside Ino, grabbing a bag of potato chips and eating them at a leisurely pace.

Shikamaru sighed and kicked aside a dead branch near his feet.

The three of them passed through a thicket and arrived at a relatively open clearing.

Shikamaru stopped in his tracks.

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and swept his gaze across the ground ahead.

The fallen leaves on the ground had been swept away over a large area, revealing the dark brown soil beneath.

Shikamaru stepped forward and crouched down.

He reached out a finger and touched a long drag mark on the ground. The soil was still damp, and the leaves at the edges were pressed down firmly.

"A fight just happened here." Shikamaru stood up and walked over to an oak tree nearby.

About half a meter above the ground on the trunk, there was a deep claw mark; the bark had been torn away entirely, exposing the white xylem inside.

Shikamaru followed the direction of the claw marks to the ground, where there were two clear plum-blossom-shaped footprints.

The spacing between the prints was wide, and they were pressed deep into the earth.

"Three people were ambushed here." Shikamaru stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands.

Ino leaned in, looking at the traces on the ground: "How do you know it was three?"

"There are three different tread patterns on the ground, and they're all chaotic—clearly left behind while retreating in a panic." Shikamaru pointed to the bushes on the right.

"There's a trail that extends directly into the bushes; that person was knocked flying into them."

He looked up at the claw marks on the trunk.

"The attack came from above and the side. The marks on the bark were left by claws, and the spacing and depth match the characteristics of a canine."

Shikamaru pointed to the plum-blossom footprints on the ground.

"The size and force angle of these prints belong to those two ninja hounds of Sasuke's. Looking at the struggle marks on the ground, those three must have been tackled or dragged down by the dogs and incapacitated."

Ino walked over, looked at the traces on the ground, and swallowed hard.

"So fast? The exercise hasn't even been going on for twenty minutes yet."

Choji stopped chewing and gripped his bag of potato chips tighter.

Ino looked at the quiet woods all around, subconsciously tightening her grip on the kunai in her ninja tool pouch.

Shikamaru put his hands back into his pockets, tilted his head to look at the sky through the gaps in the leaves, and let out a long breath.

"What a drag."

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, his tone filled with heavy complaints.

"It's because of Sasuke's recent changes that everyone in the class is acting like they've been injected with stimulants."

He looked at Ino and Choji.

"Especially you two. You've been dragging me into special training every day after school; all my time for relaxing and watching the clouds has been ruined."

Ino put her hands on her hips and glared at Shikamaru.

"Stop complaining! Look at how Sasuke-kun trains every day; are you really going to whine about this little bit of training!"

Ino walked over and poked Shikamaru on the shoulder.

"Besides, Sakura has been training like a maniac lately. If I don't work hard, I'm going to be completely overshadowed by her!"

Choji stuffed a handful of potato chips into his mouth and mumbled in agreement: "Shikamaru, actually, moving around a bit is pretty good. The barbecue tastes even better after training."

Shikamaru covered his forehead in resignation.

"Choji, how did you end up like this too... balance work and rest, you have to balance work and rest."

"Fine, fine. Since we've run into it, let's try to deal with him and see."

Shikamaru lowered his hand, the laziness in his eyes fading slightly.

Shikamaru sighed, his chin tilting toward the ten o'clock position.

"The footprints and broken branches all point that way. They aren't moving fast, so they should be just ahead."

Shikamaru turned his head, his expression turning serious.

"Choji, Ino, listen up."

The two immediately dropped their relaxed postures and huddled around Shikamaru.

"Sasuke's biggest advantage right now is those two dogs. They're strong; we can't take them head-on."

Shikamaru drew a simple sketch on the ground.

"Choji, you'll take the lead. If those dogs charge, it's up to you to block them. Hold them off for as long as you can."

Choji nodded, carefully folding his unfinished bag of chips and tucking it into his ninja pouch.

"Ino, stay behind and to the side of Choji. Keep an eye on the surroundings and be ready to provide support at any time."

"If Sasuke leaves an opening, you can try the Mind Transfer Jutsu, but don't force it. Your main task is to keep watch."

Ino gripped the kunai in her hand: "Understood."

"As for Sasuke himself..." Shikamaru looked at the sketch on the ground and scuffed it away with the sole of his shoe.

"Leave him to me. As long as Choji can hold those two dogs for three seconds, my shadow will be able to catch him."

"Beating Sasuke is unlikely, but as long as we snatch the sticker, it's our victory."

Shikamaru clapped the dust off his hands and stood up straight.

"Let's go, keep your footsteps light."

The three formed an inverted triangle formation, with Choji in front and Shikamaru and Ino behind, slowly approaching the bushes at the ten o'clock position.

The woods were quiet, save for the occasional bird call.

Shikamaru stared at the shadows in the forest ahead, calculating the angle of the sunlight and the length of the shadows.

Behind the bushes ahead was a relatively open clearing, where sunlight poured through gaps in the canopy, forming patches of bright light.

Shikamaru stopped and raised his right hand into a fist.

Choji and Ino stopped immediately.

Shikamaru lowered his voice, his gaze locked on a shadow extending from behind a thick oak tree.

"Ino-Shika-Cho, prepare to move."

Choji formed hand seals, and chakra began to gather.

Ino crouched down, her right hand gripping her kunai.

Shikamaru formed the Rat seal, and the shadow at his feet began to crawl forward like a living thing.

The bushes ahead rustled slightly.

The branches were pushed aside by a hand.

Sasuke stepped out from the shadows.

He was wearing a dark blue short-sleeved high-collar shirt, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, with one black and one white dog standing quietly at his feet.

Sasuke stopped and swept his gaze over the three of them.

His eyes lingered on Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino in turn, finally landing on Choji's round belly.

"Ino-Shika-Cho..." Sasuke spoke, his voice calm and tinged with a hint of contemplation.

He looked at the three of them, posing a question based on his own interpretation of their body types and the literal meaning of the words.

"Ino-Shika-Cho..."

"Is Nara the deer? Is Yamanaka the butterfly?"

His gaze shifted to Choji at the front.

"So, is Akimichi the pig?"

The air in the forest seemed to freeze in that instant.

Ino shuddered, turning her head in horror to look at Choji.

Shikamaru kept his eyes closed while maintaining his hand seal, then released his right hand to cover his face tightly.

"Sasuke, you really stepped on a landmine." Shikamaru squeezed a sigh through his fingers.

"Choji is going to be very unhappy, you'd better watch out."

Choji's originally gentle face turned bright red in an instant, the flesh on his cheeks trembling violently with rage.

He snapped his head up, his eyes locked onto Sasuke, flames seemingly burning in his pupils.

"Who..." Choji's voice was as low as a beast about to go berserk.

"Did you just call a pig!!!"