He's a Demon!

Takizawa Dan saw the teasing look on Tsunade's face and couldn't help giving a wry smile.

It seemed this woman was definitely blaming him for hiding his strength from her!

But what could he do? Back then, with all the higher-ups watching, he hadn't wanted to reveal his strength so soon and invite needless suspicion.

It wasn't until the Chunin Ninja Exams that he decided they were a chance to earn recognition. That was when he finally revealed that he was no longer a failure.

He gave Tsunade a helpless smile and a little wink, then stepped onto the arena!

Watching Takizawa Dan's straight-backed figure, Tsunade couldn't help finding it amusing.

She could be sure of it now: Takizawa Dan himself had been the one to take out those two Hasu Clan ninja that day!

At such a young age, he was not only modest and good at keeping his abilities hidden, but also remarkably patient. Even after earning the title of Genin, he had kept his Forehead Protector tucked away in his pocket until now...

That kind of maturity really didn't seem like something a child could possess!

Interesting. This boy might just surprise her in a way she hadn't expected!

Meanwhile, Shimura Danzō, who was presiding over the exams, stared at Takizawa Dan with a dark expression. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

After entering the arena, Takizawa Dan finally got a look at his opponent.

Nochi Yoshino!

It was rather funny, really. Nochi Yoshino was a fine name, one that even sounded quite artistic, but the man himself was an enormous fatty!

Heavy layers of excess flesh hung from both sides of his body, wobbling with every movement. Takizawa Dan couldn't help wondering if his opponent, whose body was wider than it was tall, was a pig demon reincarnated!

"Hello, I'm Takizawa Dan..."

It was his first match, and his opponent was from his own village. Though they hadn't met much before, Takizawa Dan was still quite polite.

"Heh... Takizawa Dan, right? Konoha's famous failure. I've finally met you! I'm going to beat you down and make you kneel in front of me and cry!"

Nochi Yoshino's narrow eyes peered out from between thick folds of flesh, glinting as he sized Takizawa Dan up.

There was so much flesh on his face that his Forehead Protector looked ready to burst. It creaked and groaned incessantly!

"I don't think we've met before, and I don't remember ever offending you," Takizawa Dan said with a frown. "So why are you humiliating me like this?"

Many of his peers had openly mocked him in Konoha before, but they had done it in private or in informal settings. After all, bullying the weak ran counter to Konoha's spirit of protection!

As far as Takizawa Dan could tell, Nochi Yoshino was the first to humiliate him like this in public!

"Heh, because you stole my woman!"

Nochi Yoshino's eyes flashed with unbridled resentment!

"Bullshit!" Takizawa Dan froze for a moment, then cursed. "I've never even had a girlfriend in my life, and you're accusing me of stealing your woman? What are you talking about?!"

That was right. Before and after his transmigration, Takizawa Dan had been a textbook shut-in!

Anime and manga had always been his companions, and Naruto was his favorite series. Real life had been completely beyond his reach.

Accusing a shut-in of stealing your woman? What a joke!

"Hmph, stop making excuses! When you showed up just now, Mizuki stared at you for ages! She's the woman I've always liked!" Nochi Yoshino roared. "That proves you stole her from me. You still dare deny it?"

"Hey, hey... aren't you imagining things? She only looked at me once. I don't even know this Mizuki you're talking about!" Takizawa Dan was so exasperated that he laughed.

"What can I do if a girl wants to look at me? Besides, even if you want to put it that way, I'm handsome and charming. Isn't it only natural for women to throw themselves at me?" Takizawa Dan shrugged. "In short, I think women prefer handsome men, not pig demons!"

Since his opponent had shown him no respect and insulted him in every way, Takizawa Dan certainly wasn't going to go easy on him.

Come on, you have no idea how good I am at insulting people!

"You... You..." Nochi Yoshino seemed to be short on brainpower. He took ages to process what Takizawa Dan meant, stumbling over his words before finally blurting out, "You mean... you're calling me a pig demon?!"

Takizawa Dan shrugged. "That's right, good son... No, if I were your father, I'd have to be out of my mind!"

"You bastard! How dare you call me a pig demon! Whatever, I don't care! You made me lose Mizuki, so I'm going to beat you flat. Then I'll win her heart!!!"

With that, Nochi Yoshino's whole body turned into a giant ball of fat. He rolled toward Takizawa Dan with a series of "thump, thump" sounds!

"Wait! Human Bullet Tank?!"

Faced with this strangely familiar sight, Nochi Yoshino's mouth twitched several times.

He clearly remembered that this move belonged to Akimichi Choji, didn't it?

But there wasn't a trace of chakra in his opponent's attack. It seemed he had simply curled his body into a ball and was relying on his weight to crush Takizawa Dan!

Once he figured that out, Takizawa Dan was speechless.

Damn it! He'd spent ages thinking up a strategy, and all he got was a giant ball of fat rolling at him!?

Takizawa Dan was furious!

And when he got furious, his enemies suffered!

"Die! Die! Die! Die!!!"

Nochi Yoshino had no idea that disaster was about to strike. He was still congratulating himself, already imagining Takizawa Dan pinned beneath him with broken limbs, unable to move!

As far as he was concerned, how could someone like Takizawa Dan—who couldn't use ninjutsu and was incredibly weak—possibly beat a ninja like him, who had been at it for years?

But the beauty of reality was that it often refused to follow anyone's expectations!

Just as Nochi Yoshino pictured Takizawa Dan crushed until his bones snapped, coughing up blood and flattened like a meat patty—

Bang!

A fierce force suddenly struck from straight ahead, bringing his rolling momentum to a complete stop!

All the fat on his body jiggled violently from the sudden halt!

"W-what... what's going on?!"

Nochi Yoshino was stunned. He hurriedly struggled to poke his head out so he could see what was in front of him—what could have stopped his body-ball, the attack he considered his finishing move!

Then Nochi Yoshino saw a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life!

Takizawa Dan stood right in front of him, casually raising one arm and pressing it against his body.

Yet his entire fat body was no more than a little ball in front of Takizawa Dan's arm. Takizawa Dan held him in place with ease, and he couldn't move at all!

Nochi Yoshino had no time to wonder how Takizawa Dan could possibly be strong enough to stop him in his tracks. All he could think about was rolling backward at once!

He needed to get some distance and launch a second attack.

But Takizawa Dan's arm seemed glued to him. He couldn't break free!

All his strength vanished as if it had sunk into the sea!

"You... What did you do?! How are you controlling my movements?!"

Nochi Yoshino was finally terrified. Could Takizawa Dan be using some legendary demonic technique?!

"That's right. I'm the demon you see before you. I'll make sure you remember me for the rest of your life!"

Takizawa Dan gave Nochi Yoshino a cruel smile!