Battle with Choji

"The eighth match—Dosu versus Akimichi Choji."

Yunju stepped into the arena, the armor on his right arm reflecting a cold gleam beneath the lights.

On the other side, Choji emerged from the crowd with a bag of chips still clutched in his hand, chewing happily.

"Choji, good luck!" Ino shouted from the sidelines.

Choji glanced back at Ino, nodded, then set the chips down by the edge of the arena and brushed the crumbs from his hands.

Shikamaru stood with both hands in his pockets, lazily watching the arena when he suddenly remarked in an indifferent tone:

"Choji, if you lose, there won't be any barbecue tonight."

Choji froze. "Barbecue?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru's face remained expressionless. "My treat. But you have to win."

Choji's eyes lit up.

Then Shikamaru added, "But be careful. Don't let them play you like a pig. Though you already are one..."

"Who are you calling a pig?!"

Choji's face instantly flushed red, veins bulging across his forehead.

The corner of Shikamaru's lips lifted slightly as he took a step back.

Choji's chakra erupted—his body rapidly expanded, transforming him from a slightly chubby boy into a true giant.

"Expansion Jutsu!"

Choji's arms, legs, and torso all grew several times larger. He stood in the center of the arena like a small mountain, drawing startled cries from the spectators.

"That kid from the Akimichi Clan... he's pretty good with the Expansion Jutsu," someone in the stands murmured.

Yunju stood across from Choji, his left eye narrowing slightly beneath the bandages.

Too big.

The Expansion Jutsu enlarged Choji's body, and with it, his attack range. Even a simple punch covered far more area than ordinary taijutsu.

But that meant...

He would be slower.

"Human Boulder!"

Choji pulled his limbs and head into his body, turning himself into a massive ball of flesh that rolled toward Yunju.

The ground shook.

Yunju dodged to the side. The rolling ball crushed past him, and the pressure of its wind made his clothes flap wildly.

He made a quick estimate—the ball was over two meters wide. It rolled quickly enough, but changing direction took time.

The Human Boulder slammed into the wall at the edge of the arena, bounced back, and rolled toward Yunju once more.

Yunju avoided it again.

He was gathering information.

Expansion Jutsu—increased body size, attack range, and strength.

Human Boulder—a rapid charge, physical impact, wide attack range.

Besides that—

Yunju noticed that Choji's field of vision was limited while in ball form. Every turn required him to readjust his direction, leaving a brief opening.

And attacks on that scale consumed considerable chakra and stamina.

"That's all."

Yunju raised his right arm and poured chakra into the armor.

The porous structure on the armor emitted a shrill hum—the sound was not loud, but its frequency was extremely high, like countless fine needles stabbing into the eardrums at once.

"Sound Release: Resonant Piercer."

High-frequency sound waves surged from the armor, forming visible ripples in the air as they collided head-on with the incoming Human Boulder.

"Bzzzz—!!"

The sound waves struck the surface of the flesh ball.

Its rolling speed abruptly slowed—not because it had been blocked, but because Choji's body was beginning to lose control under the impact of the sound waves.

Resonant Piercer did more than attack the ears.

High-frequency vibrations could penetrate muscle and disrupt neural signals, making the body incapable of coordinated movement. At the same time, the force of the sound waves could damage an object's surface—even a stone would develop cracks if continually struck by Resonant Piercer.

The flesh ball swayed beneath the assault of the sound waves, like an overturned turtle.

Choji released the Expansion Jutsu and returned to normal size. He clutched his ears with both hands, his face pale.

"Wh... what is that sound...?"

Yunju did not answer.

He formed hand seals, Water Release chakra surging through his body.

"Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu."

He spat out a stream of water that gathered in midair into a huge sphere nearly three meters in diameter, enveloping Choji completely.

Before Choji could react, he was already trapped in the center of the water sphere.

Water Prison Jutsu—it confined the enemy in a space made entirely of water. Inside the sphere, the enemy could not breathe and their movements were restricted. Without a special affinity for Water Release, it was difficult to break free.

Choji struggled a few times inside the sphere, flailing his arms, but the water prison's binding force was immense. Under the pressure of the water, his movements gradually slowed.

His mouth opened, and bubbles escaped from the corners of his lips.

He was rapidly running out of oxygen.

The area around the arena fell silent.

Not because Water Prison Jutsu itself was particularly extraordinary—but because of the amount of chakra required to create and maintain a water sphere like that.

Once the caster left the water sphere, Water Prison Jutsu would be released. Therefore, the caster had to keep one hand in contact with the sphere at all times, continuously pouring chakra into it to maintain the water's form and restraining force.

Yunju pressed one hand against the surface of the sphere, his other hand tucked into his pocket. He stood where he was, his expression unchanged.

And that water sphere was nearly three meters in diameter.

It held a broad, sturdy boy.

"That Sound ninja..." a chunin in the stands said quietly. "Isn't his chakra reserve... a little abnormal?"

"Maintaining such a large water prison requires at least the chakra reserves of an ordinary chunin. He doesn't look strained at all."

"And the shape of that water prison is too stable. When ordinary genin use Water Prison Jutsu, the surface of the sphere always ripples somewhat. His... is as smooth as glass."

Neji sat by the arena, his Byakugan never once deactivated.

He watched the flow of chakra within Yunju's body, his pupils trembling slightly.

It was not surprise.

It was confirmation.

The person who had called himself "Senju" in the Forest of Death was now displaying chakra stability, endurance, and total reserves—

That were not something a genin should possess.

No, not merely a genin.

Neji quickly compared him to every peer he had ever met.

No one had reached this level.

Maybe... he really is from the Senju family, Neji thought silently.

Senju.

The Senju of the Forest.

That legendary clan famed for its "vast chakra reserves."

Time passed.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Choji's struggles within the water sphere grew weaker and weaker. His face had turned bluish-purple from suffocation, and his hands no longer flailed. He merely floated limply in the water.

Yunju's expression did not change in the slightest.

At any moment, he could tighten the water prison and make Choji lose consciousness from suffocation.

But he did not.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Choji to surrender on his own.

Not out of mercy—it simply was not necessary to go too far. He was Dosu, a genin from the Sound Hidden Village. Displaying considerable strength was enough. Hurting Choji further would only draw more attention.

That was not what he wanted.

Yet, to everyone's surprise—

The bubbles around Choji were becoming fewer and fewer, but his expression suddenly changed.

Not fear. Not anger.

Something like... grievance?

Inside the water sphere, Choji's eyes suddenly widened.

Both hands clutched his stomach.

More precisely, where his stomach was.

Choji: Hungry. So hungry.

He had only eaten one bag of chips that morning. He had planned to get barbecue after the exam. But after fighting for so long and then being trapped in water, he had burned through far too much energy.

His stomach began to growl.

In the water, it sounded like a series of gurgles, as though another living creature were crying out for help.

Choji's leg twitched.

Not because of the water pressure.

Because of low blood sugar.

"Expansion..." He wanted to use the Expansion Jutsu to break free from the water prison, but he could not gather his chakra.

Hungry.

He was really too hungry.

Choji rolled his eyes inside the water sphere, and his limbs gradually stopped struggling.

He had not fainted.

He had given up resisting.

"I... surrender..."

The three words were swallowed by the water, bubbling indistinctly and impossible to hear.

But Gekko Hayate understood Choji's lip movements.

"Akimichi Choji surrenders." Gekko Hayate coughed. "The winner is Dosu."

Yunju released his hand, and the Water Prison Jutsu dispersed. The water splashed apart, and Choji crashed to the ground like a fish washed ashore.

He gulped in air.

Choji lay sprawled on the ground, soaked from head to toe, his complexion alternating between blue and white. He had not been defeated in battle—he had nearly fainted from hunger.

"Hungry... I'm starving..."

Ino ran into the arena and helped Choji up. "Choji! Are you okay?"

Choji's eyes were half-closed, his lips trembling. "Barbecue... I want barbecue..."

Shikamaru approached slowly with his hands in his pockets. Looking at Choji's miserable state, he sighed.

"Choji, you did your best."

Choji did not reply. He did not even have the strength to speak anymore.

A commotion rose from the sidelines.

"That Sound ninja... just who is he?"

"He maintained Water Prison Jutsu for nearly four minutes without even turning red or breathing hard. His chakra reserves are absurd."

"And that Sound Release he used earlier... is that his signature ninjutsu? Resonant Piercer is seriously powerful."

Neji sat by the arena, Yunju's departing figure reflected in his Byakugan.

He said nothing.

But he confirmed one thing in his heart.

Senju.

If this person truly was a descendant of the Senju family, then the amount of chakra he had displayed had the most reasonable explanation.

But why was someone from the Senju family in the Sound Hidden Village?

Why had he appeared in the Chunin Exams?

Why had he told Neji that Orochimaru was after the Byakugan?

Neji closed his eyes and temporarily buried those questions deep inside.

The mind of a branch member of the Hyuga Clan was not meant for wild speculation. It was meant to observe, analyze, and wait.

He would wait.

Yunju returned to the Sound Hidden Village's section. Zaku and Kin watched him silently without saying a word.

Yunju sat down, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.

He could still hear the soft murmurs from the stands.

"Those chakra reserves are enormous..."

"To maintain Water Prison Jutsu for so long, what a monster..."

"When did the Sound Hidden Village produce a genin like this...?"

The corner of Yunju's mouth moved slightly.

It was merely confirmation—he had drawn attention.

That was dangerous.

But it was also part of his plan.

Only by making Konoha notice his strength, notice his surname, could he gain an opportunity in the future.

An opportunity to leave Orochimaru.