Over the next few exchanges, the battle became a tense stalemate.
With the overwhelming strength and terrifying defense granted by his enlarged body, Choza stood like a boulder, every punch and step carrying crushing force. Kushina was the fire swirling around that boulder. Relying on her exceptional stamina, speed, and combat instincts, she repeatedly evaded lethal attacks by a hair's breadth and struck back. For a time, the fight became a war of attrition.
"At this rate, Kushina will run out of stamina first." In the front row of the stands, Minato Namikaze frowned slightly as he offered his quiet assessment, a trace of concern hidden in his blue eyes. "Choza's Multi-Size Technique consumes chakra, but the Akimichi Clan's constitution is naturally suited to prolonged battles."
Beside him, Shikaku Nara gave a lazy yawn and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight. "Choza's probably done testing her by now..." he mumbled. "He's steady, but he won't be content to keep taking hits. I think he's about to use that move to finish this quickly."
As though to confirm Shikaku's judgment, Choza stopped pursuing Kushina after driving back another of her surprise attacks.
He released the Multi-Size Technique on his upper body. His enormous frame rapidly shrank like a deflating balloon, returning to its original rounded shape. He stood there panting softly, sweat gathering at his temples. Maintaining and repeatedly using the Multi-Size Technique certainly consumed no small amount of chakra.
"You're strong," Choza said sincerely, looking at Kushina, whose breathing was also ragged but whose eyes still blazed. "Your taijutsu and strength are among the best I've seen in anyone our age. But... I have to win this match."
As he spoke, his hand darted into the ninja tool pouch behind his waist. When he withdrew it, a scarlet pill the size of a longan fruit rested between his fingers, radiating unusual chakra fluctuations. Without a moment's hesitation, he tipped his head back, popped the red pill into his mouth, and swallowed.
"That's a special Ration Pill from the Akimichi Clan!" A student in the stands who clearly recognized it cried out, drawing more startled looks.
The instant the pill reached his stomach, it was as though an engine had ignited! A surge of chakra, far more violent and powerful than before, erupted from Choza's body!
The air around him warped slightly under the sudden increase in energy, and an invisible wave swept the dust away from his feet. His body began expanding again at a speed visible to the naked eye!
This time, the expansion far surpassed anything before! His height shot upward, and his muscles bulged like inflated balloons. In just two or three seconds, he became a towering colossus that occupied nearly a quarter of the training ground! His shadow completely engulfed more than half the field, along with Kushina standing opposite him.
"Super Multi-Size Technique!"
The giant's voice rumbled like muffled thunder, its echoes sending shivers through the crowd. The wind pressure generated by his immense chakra felt almost tangible. Even the students in the front row struggled to breathe and involuntarily retreated several steps, their faces filled with shock.
Now a giant, Choza slowly raised a fist the size of a small house. His movement seemed sluggish, yet it carried a suffocating weight that seemed to pin everything in place. Slowly but irresistibly, he brought it down toward Kushina, who looked as small as an ant beneath him!
The strike was indeed slow, but its vast reach and concentrated power sealed off almost every possible avenue of escape, forcing Kushina to meet it head-on!
Kushina lifted her head and watched the enormous fist descend like a collapsing mountain. Violent currents whipped her red hair behind her like dancing flames, and the fierce wind stung her cheeks. Yet her stubborn green eyes held neither fear nor panic. Instead, an even hotter, more resolute fighting spirit blazed within them, as though she meant to set the giant before her ablaze as well.
"Now..."
She murmured the words as though giving herself a final command. Her tightly clenched fists opened, and her hands formed hand seals before her chest at unprecedented speed!
The seals were intricate and ancient, carrying a rhythm utterly unlike the ninjutsu commonly seen in Konoha. They bore no resemblance to the basic seals taught at the Ninja Academy!
With the completion of the final seal, the vast, unusual chakra she had inherited from the Uzumaki Clan burst forth without the slightest restraint, like a flood breaking through a dam!
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Humm-!
A strange hum, seemingly from an ancient age, resounded across the training ground! Several chains formed entirely from highly condensed chakra, gleaming with dazzling golden light, shot out of the empty space behind Kushina like living golden pythons!
Though the chains were not physical objects, they radiated unnerving waves of energy. Countless ancient, enigmatic runes covered their surfaces, glittering in the sunlight with a mysterious radiance.
"What ninjutsu is that?!"
"I've never seen a jutsu like it!"
"Such powerful sealing energy... it feels like my chakra is about to freeze!"
An uproar swept through the stands. Everyone was stunned by the sudden appearance of these unheard-of golden chains. Even Shikaku Nara, who had seemed to have everything figured out, opened his perpetually half-lidded eyes wide. His expression turned grave and searching. "The nature of this chakra... is it sealing jutsu? I've never seen this type before..."
Before the crowd's astonished eyes, the golden chakra chains darted forth like snakes from their dens, meeting Choza's descending, hill-sized fist with perfect precision!
Yet the earthshaking crash everyone expected never came!
The moment the golden chains touched the giant fist, they did not clash against it head-on. Instead, they coiled around it and climbed upward with a flexibility that seemed almost intelligent!
They raced along Choza's enlarged arm like golden vines, swiftly winding around his shoulders, torso, and legs... The ancient runes on the chains seemed to awaken, flaring with blinding light one after another. Linking together, they instantly formed a temporary yet immensely powerful sealing barrier that enveloped his enormous, super-expanded body!
"Aagh!"
Choza discovered to his shock that the strength with which he could split mountains and shatter stone vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea the instant it met those golden chains. An invisible, unyielding force held it firmly in check!
He struggled with all his might, trying to force his fist farther down or break free of the chains. But the golden bindings only tightened, their runes flickering. They not only severely restricted his movements but also steadily absorbed and neutralized the immense chakra he needed to sustain the Super Multi-Size Technique!
The once-solid, stable Chakra Cloak of his Super Multi-Size Technique began flickering across his body. His enormous frame also started fluctuating unsteadily, growing and shrinking as though it might collapse at any moment.
"Impossible... what kind of sealing jutsu is this?!" Disbelieving shock filled Choza's deep voice. He felt as though he had sunk into an invisible mire-the harder he fought, the deeper he sank.
In the center of the field, Kushina was having no easy time maintaining the Adamantine Sealing Chains either.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, her face slightly pale. Fine beads of sweat covered her smooth forehead and trickled down her cheeks. At her current age and level of chakra control, maintaining a sealing jutsu of this caliber placed an immense burden on her. Every second drained her mental and physical reserves.
Yet an unyielding fire still burned in her green eyes. She stared unwaveringly at the giant bound by her golden chains.
"I... will not lose!"
She gave a sharp cry and slammed her palms together before her chest! More chakra, purer than before, poured without restraint into the Adamantine Sealing Chains! Bolstered by that surge, the golden chains instantly blazed with light, like ropes of burning sunlight! Their runes glowed bright and searing like branding irons, and their sealing power abruptly rose several levels!