"Aww man, this is NOT what I wanted!", Chouji cried as he looked at the board. "All I wanted was a nice normal ninja to fight. Why did it have to be this?", he added, shaking his head in worry as he still couldn't believe who he was having to face out of anyone there.
Akimichi Chouji VS. Haku
The air around the Mist girl seemed to freeze as she walked down the steps, making most of the remaining Genin she passed on the way down back away out of fear of provoking the Kiri kunoichi to attack them. "Poor Chouji, I feel bad for him.", Naruto said, but quickly added "Not that I want his place fighting Haku-chan! I just feel bad for him.". Ino shook her head in understanding as she looked how her old friend was reacting to the news of who he was fighing.
"Chouji, it's your turn.", Asuma said, looking at his student who didn't dare to remove his arms from the railing. "Asuma-sensei... I don't think I can do this.", Chouji said worriedly as he looked from his teacher to the very scary Kunoichi who was waiting for him to come to the floor. Haku was impatiently tapping her foot with an annoyed lok on her face.
Asuma sighed as he took another puff of smoke from his cigarrette before grinning "Alright Chouji, i'll make you a deal", Asuma said, getting his attention, "If you go down there and fight and give it your all, I'll take you out for barbecue.". Chouji looked at his sensei in awe. Food was the one thing that would get the Genin to actually fight, and barbecue was one of his favorites.
"You serious, sensei?", Chouji asked as Asuma nodded. "Yep, you don't even have to win. All you have to do is try your best, and I'll step in if she gets too carried away.", Asuma grinned as Chouji's attitude did a one-eighty as he lept to his feet and yelled "Yeah! Barbecue!" before running off to the stairs to meet his opponent.
Naruto couldn't help but snicker at the exasperated look Ino was making as she rubbed her head. "He thinks with his gut so much!", Ino groweled as Naruto rubbed her shoulder, trying to get her to relax a bit.
"I have to beat you to get to Naruto-kun. I won't go easy on you!", Haku said as she slowly pulled out her needles from her sleeves. The Jounin in the room rose their eyes a bit at her choice of weapon. "Well now, that's interesting.", Kakashi said getting the Genin to look at him. "What's interesting, Kakashi-sensei? Her weapons?", Kiba asked. The cycloptic Jounin nodded his head. "Those are senbon needles. They're mainly used by medical ninja for healing.".
"Wait, a medical tool?", Shikamaru asked curiously, "Why would she have those instead of kunai or shuriken?". Kakashi never left his eye from the kunoichi on the floor. "Because they can be even more dangerous.", Kakashi replied, making the Genin stare at him in shock.
"You see, those needles can't do a lot of damage by themselves. Their points are too small to inflict a lot of damage over a body, but if you hit certain points on the human body, they can make limbs numb, shut down vital organs, even so much as be fatal if those using them know where to hit.".
Ino stared at Choji in shock. "So she could kill him?!", Ino screeched as Kurenai smiled. "Don't be worried, Ino. We are here to make sure nothing happens that could be fatal for you. Besides, it's against the rules to kill on purpose in this part of the exam.", Kurenai reassured as the proctor looked betwen the two ninja. "Ok, both fighters ready?", he asked as the two nodded. "Begin!".
Chouji was about to make the first move when Haku disappeared in a flash of speed. "Where did she...?", Chouji began before Shikamaru shouted, "Chouji! Behind you!". Turning around, Haku was already about to toss her first set of needles at him. Only the quick thinking of him falling to his back saved him from them as they impacted the floor just an inch from the hairs on his head.
"You're not the one I want, just give up!", Haku said as she pulled more needles out and threatened the leaf ninja before her, "If you dont, I won't be so nice.". Chouji however grinned as he replied. "Time to show you what big boned people can do!", he yelled as he made a hand sign and like a turtle, pulled his head and limps into his body, becoming one big ball.
Naruto silently wondered how doing this was going to help him, before Chouji started to spin his body like a runaway boulder and charge Haku as she stood her ground. "Go Chouji!", Kiba yelled as he cheered his friend on, thinking he might just win this match if he kept at it like this.
Haku however was unimpressed as she merely sidestepped the large Genins attacks, slowly working him further and further into her trap, "She's up to something!", Ino commented as she watched Haku like a hawk. Her moves weren't those of trying to avoid something, it was more of her leading Chouji closer and closer to the walls of the room.
For minutes it seemed, Chouji tried to hit Haku with his clans technique. But it seemed Haku almost danced around him even as he picked up speed and came close several times, but his inertia making it harder and harder to keep up with the Mist Kunoichi.
Naruto also figured Haku was doing something as she worked her way into the corner of the room. "You're mine now!", Chouji yelled as he charged, only for Haku to grin as she jumped onto the wall and leapt from it, just as Chouji would have impacted her. The rest of the Genin stared in shock as Chouji impacted the wall, seemingly stuck in his big form in the hole he created.
Haku didn't waste any time at all as she took her needles out and tossed a few at Chouji, hitting his body this time. "You may be bigger, but that just made you an easier target.", Haku commented. "I was trained by hunter ninja's to know all points on the human body. You won't be moving for a few hours, but like I said, you're not the one I'm after.", Haku said with a satisfied smile.
"Well, now she definitely has the best odds of becoming a Chunnin at least.", Kakashi commented after seeing the tactics and way the mist girl fought. The proctor, after inspecting Chouji, nodded and announced "Due to his inability to continue the fight due to paralysis of the body, Haku of Kirigakure is the winner.".
The fact that Chouji lost showed a great deal on the rest of the teams from Konoha. This was their second teammate to lose in a row, so they began to realize that it was possible not many more of them would be making it into the exam.
"Well, he did his best, but to be honest, he had a bad opponent to face off against.", Asuma said as he took another puff of smoke. "Guess I owe him an all-you-can-eat for this.", Asuma said quietly.
Naruto looked over at Shikamaru to see how he was feeling about his best friend losing. Surprisingly, he was very calm and, seeing Naruto and Ino staring at him now, he sighed and muttered "Troublesome", before turning towards them. "He'll be fine, a few hours in the med ward and he will be back ready to eat again.", Shikamaruu joked as the proctor looked up.
"The next match will be...", he called as the remaining names spinned on the board.
