Chapter 256: Choji's Combat Intelligence
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Earth Style: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!"
Rumble!
"Those spider webs... we were careless. Leave this guy to me. Shikamaru, you guys go after Sasuke!"
Swish! Swish!
The team instantly evaded the surrounding Earth Style formation. Choji shouted to Shikamaru as they moved.
"Got it. I'm leaving him to you."
Shikamaru felt completely at ease leaving the rearguard to Choji. In fact, he felt confident in all the Genin of their class. Only those who had undergone the former Acting Hokage's "Battlefield Simulation Training" could understand what it felt like to experience death thousands of times.
Furthermore, recent training had allowed them to iron out many of their personal weaknesses. Had the Chunin Exams not ended so abruptly, preventing them from fully digesting that combat experience, they likely would have all been promoted to Chunin by now.
Choji was the teammate Shikamaru knew best. He knew Choji had a trump card up his sleeve.
Whoosh!
Jirobo, of course, wasn't about to watch them chase after his comrades. His goal was to take them all down. He immediately entered the Cursed Seal Level 1 state, dark markings spreading across his face. He hurled several shuriken, aiming to block Naruto and Shikamaru's path.
"Partial Multi-Size Jutsu!"
Choji's left hand expanded abruptly, looming over the incoming projectiles. With a casual sweep, he batted the shuriken away.
Thud! Thud!
The shuriken were embedded into the ground and tree trunks. Meanwhile, Shikamaru's group vanished from Jirobo's line of sight.
"Your opponent is me."
Choji was solemn and focused. Drawing upon the instincts forged through a thousand "deaths," he entered a total combat state.
Jirobo snorted. "Fine then. I'll finish you off first before dealing with the others."
He wove hand signs rapidly and flipped a section of the earth. He hoisted a seven-meter-tall boulder—the Bedrock Dumpling—into the air.
Rumble!
He hurled it, the massive rock hurtling toward Choji.
"Multi-Size: Double Human Bullet Tank!"
Choji's hands grew massive, glowing with chakra as he slammed them into the boulder.
Boom!
The Bedrock Dumpling shattered instantly.
"The battle is over."
Jirobo's voice echoed as a circular wall of earth rose rapidly around Choji, trapping him in darkness. Jirobo smiled triumphantly at the sight of the trapped boy. A mere Genin thinking they could stop him—how overconfident.
Suddenly, he felt the wind whistling behind him. Just as he moved to defend, a massive force struck his back.
CRACK!
Jirobo was sent flying. The sickening sound of a shattering spine and ruptured flesh rang out. To make matters worse, the point of impact was a bloody mess. An explosive tag, stuck to the blood, clung to his body.
Sizzle!
The fuse ignited.
"From the moment you used your first move on our team, I noticed it. That's your specialty, isn't it? A finishing move. Those markings on you must be a technique to enhance your physical vitality. However, under this level of power, no matter how strong your body is, taking a direct hit like that... if you're not dead, you're crippled."
Choji's face was grim as he muttered to himself while watching Jirobo fly through the air. Tonbo-sensei's simulations had made him realize his flaws; over the past few days, he had finally managed to compensate for some of them. Most importantly, he had gained combat experience.
The one trapped in the dome was just a clone. Choji's real body had escaped the range of the jutsu before he was enclosed. He looked at the pillbox in his hand, where only the yellow and red pills remained. To ensure a lethal blow, he had swallowed the first secret pill of his clan, triggering his hidden potential.
BOOM!
The explosive tag on Jirobo finally detonated. Flesh and blood splattered. Choji let out a sigh of relief. Now, he just needed to catch up with Shikamaru.
"Damn you... you brat..."
The enemy's voice rang out again, sending a shock through Choji. As the smoke cleared, Jirobo reappeared. He had transformed into a monstrous form. On his back, raw flesh was being covered by a horn-like, monstrous keratin.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Jirobo, now a yellow-haired monster, turned to glare at Choji with pure malice.
Whoosh!
He vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Choji.
"Arhat Strike!"
The speed was incredible. The blow was about to connect.
Poof!
Choji turned into a log.
"Substitution Jutsu."
Jirobo's expression soured. When did he weave the signs?
Choji, having dodged the attack, didn't stand around staring. He knew that in this state, Jirobo's speed was too high. He had only managed that last Substitution by predicting the attack the moment Jirobo spoke. He wouldn't be able to dodge the next one so easily.
Taking advantage of Jirobo's momentary confusion, Choji flicked open his pillbox and swallowed the yellow pill. With his extensive experience of "dying" in simulations, he could tell the enemy had become several times stronger—it was like facing a different person entirely. He didn't hesitate to take the second pill.
Whoosh!
Enraged at being played, Jirobo blurred across the distance again. His body, revitalized by Cursed Seal Level 2, possessed speed beyond normal human limits.
CLASH!
Choji, fueled by the second pill, blocked Jirobo's fist with a giant-sized arm. Even so, he was sent sliding back.
"To be able to block my taijutsu in Level 2... is it some kind of secret medicine?" Jirobo noted Choji's earlier movement and the remaining red pill. He couldn't let the boy take that last one.
Hiss!
A sharp pain shot through Choji's arm. Even with the Curry Pill, his physical durability couldn't match the monster before him. He wove hand signs.
"Super Multi-Size Jutsu!"
Using the power of the second pill, Choji performed a secret technique he normally couldn't master. He became a literal giant. His perspective shifted as Jirobo shrank to the size of a dung beetle.
The core principle of Tonbo-sensei's training: A ninja must not hesitate; they must be resolute. Otherwise, you could be killed in an instant.
Choji struck down with a palm infused with the force of his Double Push Taijutsu.
BOOM!
Choji didn't feel the impact he expected. Instead, he felt the chakra within his body beginning to drain away. As the dust settled, an earthen golem about two-thirds his size had appeared, blocking his strike. Where they touched, his chakra was being siphoned into the golem.
"Hmph. Don't think being big makes you special. Size isn't everything," Jirobo mocked.
Once the boy's chakra was drained, no pill in the world could save him. Choji tried to pull his hand away, but he was stuck fast.
"Don't be naive. My Clay Golem traps the enemy and absorbs chakra. Now, just wait for your death."
"Damn it... this guy is actually this strong." Choji began to panic. Thinking of his last resort, he released the Super Multi-Size Jutsu, simultaneously breaking free from the golem's suction.
Without a second thought, he swallowed the third pill.
"Shikamaru... I'm not as smart as you. I guess I just have to bet my life on this."
His combat experience told him that if the enemy could survive his giant strike and turn into a monster, he had no hope of winning without the Chili Pill. He had hesitated for a moment, but now there was no other way.
FWOOM!
His body's caloric energy was consumed at a terrifying rate. His stamina recovered, his body strengthened, and a pair of ethereal butterfly wings extended from his back.
Jirobo stared, stunned. He hadn't expected Choji to escape, nor did Choji's battle-hardened instincts fit a boy his age. However, Jirobo remained confident. This was the power bestowed upon him by Lord Orochimaru.
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