Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.
"I feel I should just let you know, I'm not going easy on you." Temari leaned on her large iron fan, smirking at the Akimichi who continued to shovel handful of chips into his mouth from the bag in his hands. "I plan to beat all of you Konoha ninja so don't expect this match to last long. If I'm feeling generous I won't beat you too badly in front of your friends."
"Alright." Choji spoke no more, Temari biting down the desire to curse him at his dismissal before she turned to the Tokubetsu Jonin acting as the proctor of the preliminaries. "Start the match already."
"Don't rush me." Hayate coughed into his hand. "The rules are the same as I've described before. Don't try to kill each other and the match ends either when I call it or if one of you decides to forfeit the match. If I say stop then you stop."
"Whatever." Temari rolled her eyes, drawing her fan out from the ground in front of her. She rested it behind her, opening it partly to display one purple dot emblazoned on the fan's interior. "Just start the match already before I get too bored."
Hayate was silent as he looked to Choji, the Akimichi nodding even if he continued shoveling mouthful after mouthful of chips into his mouth. It was all the confirmation the Shinobi needed before he rose his arm into the air.
"Begin." He leaped away.
"And it's over!" She swung her fan forward, unleashing a visible gale of deadly blades of wind. All of them soared towards Choji who only took a moment before throwing himself forward into the attack.
"Baika no Jutsu!" Choji's size increased at least four times, the enlarged Genin throwing himself forward. "Nikudan Sensha!"
Temari narrowly avoided the famous Human Bullet Tank technique of the Akimichi Clan, throwing herself to the side after hastily closing her fan. She was almost crushed by the rolling Akimichi regardless of her reaction time and hit the ground with a roll, coming up on her feet and swinging her fan out in front of her.
'Time for two.' She snapped it open, two of the purple dots on display as she drew it back.
"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" She swung and this time a vortex of winds erupted forward, rampaging towards the spherical form her opponent had taken. He crashed into the wall and bounced off of it, shrinking down in a puff of smoke and sidestepping the vortex just in time. He drew out the bag of chips he once had in his hands and began to munch on them again.
"Choji's got some skill." Ino's comment made Asuma grin. "I knew he mastered his Clan's Hiden techniques but he's really good."
"Of course he is." Asuma chuckled as he saw Choji dump the bag into his mouth, chewing a bit louder than necessary as the Suna Kunoichi's eyes narrowed in irritation. "He's a Clan Heir like you and Shikamaru, he's got to have a bit of power no matter what his Ninja Rank may be."
"But he's a lot stronger than he showed us before." Ino's voice carried the confusion she was feeling as she watched Choji. "Why didn't he show skills like that on our missions, what kind of training did he do that he kept so secret from us?"
"That isn't the result of training Ino." Asuma's eyes followed Choji as he threw the now empty bag away. "Most Akimichi's are naturals when it comes to combat despite their size and what most people think of them thanks to the way they look." Asuma drew out a cigarette, lighting it with his lighter once he brought it up to his mouth. "People think they're slow idiots just because they're a bit on the heavy side but couldn't be more wrong. Most of the Clan can be deceptively fast and our too tough for most to think about taking on without some proper backup."
"Really?" Ino looked from her sensei to her teammate. "How do you know that, Asuma-sensei?"
"I fought Choji's dad when I was around your age." Asuma found himself in the past then, seeing a cocky teen looking across a street to a heavy teen. "The fight didn't end in my favor at all."
"What did you just call me!"
"Fat! Got it yet fatso or want me to say it again?"
"You better not!"
"Fat! Fat! Fat! Fat!"
"That's it!"
Asuma winced at the memory. He had been not only young but foolish at the time. He had thought he could take on Choza Akimichi when they were younger and insulted him to draw him into a fight that he thought he had no chance of losing. He still remembered the look on his father's face when he came into the infirmary after his son had been, quite literally, pounded into the ground. Once he had heard the full story of what had happened from the police called to the scene he had called his son an idiot.
The lessons he took from that day were two. One was to never call an Akimichi fat ever again and expect to walk away. Two was that Akimichi's fist could get surprisingly big when they got pissed off. He knew both from firsthand experience.
"That was pretty good for a big guy like you." Temari closed her fan once more, resting it behind her in what must be her resting pose with it. "I'm surprised you have such a good grasp of your Clan's Hiden techniques so young."
Choji didn't respond. He drew out another bag of chips from his seemingly endless supply of them and opened them with the crinkle of the bag seeming to echo around the arena. He began to shovel handful after handful of chips into his mouth as Temari felt a twitch take hold of her eyebrow.
'This damn fatass.' Temari withheld the desire to say such. She knew about an Akimichi's temper. 'I'm going to kill him if he's not taking this seriously.'
She swung her fan, opening it to display one purple dot, before swinging it back and forth. She created a solid row of air blades that she knew couldn't be avoided. It was hopeless. Only someone like Him could block her attacks and only with his sand.
She had seen it with her own eyes. It was why she could attack without much issue about him in the way or, as impossible as it was, getting hurt by her. His sand ALWAYS protected him.
"You must feel proud of yourself, Akimichi." Temari swung her fan in front of her, planting the folded steel fan into the ground. "I wonder how proud you'll feel once I show you a bit more power with more than two of my moons."
Choji was silent, still shoveling handful of chips into his mouth without end it seemed. Temari's eyebrow twitch became a bit more pronounced. She ripped her fan free of the ground, snapped it open and revealed three purple dots on the inside, and swung it with all her strength.
"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" A much larger vortex ripped towards the Akimichi. It roared as it cut through the air, as it ripped up the tile beneath it, and turned it into jagged pieces of shrapnel turned into blades to add to its already high lethality.
'Let's see him beat this thing.' Temari smiled behind her fan.
Her victory was a sure thing now.
"Nikudan Sensha!" He was consumed in smoke before a sphere erupted across the arena floor, narrowly dodging the deadly vortex.
"Oh come on!" She whisper yelled as the giant sphere barreled to the side, completely avoiding her attack. She swung her fan once more, just releasing a massive slicing wave on the Konoha Genin. She grinned when she saw him fail to avoid it, striking the rolling Akimichi and making him grunt in pain. Blood struck the ground, leaving a trail as he rolled across it.
'Looks like he can't turn well.' Temari smirked as she closed her fan, revealing only one moon, before swinging it again. A single crescent of wind shot across the arena, low to the ground and as quiet as she could make it. Choji's body shrunk in a blast of smoke and he panted where he stood, struggling to catch his breath. 'Got him.'
The crescent of wing took his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground.
She pressed her advantage, opening her fan to display two moons and swinging it once more. The action sent forth another vortex from the fan out that lifted her opponent high into the air. She snapped her fan open to display all three moons and swung it once more, a second vortex joining with the first and making it double in size. Choji continued to be carried in the vortex, obscured by the dust being picked up by the giant vortex as it grew larger and larger and became more violent and violent in its movements.
'He's done in there.' Temari could dimly see the silhouette of Choji as he was thrown back and forth by the violent cyclone she had created to defeat the Akimichi. 'He can get as big as he wants but I can keep making it bigger and, on top of that I-" She impaled her fan into the ground and reached into the ninja pouch she wore. Her hands came away filled with peculiar shuriken. '-have these!'
She threw them forward, letting the cyclone consume the square shaped shuriken she had thrown with a smile crossing her face.
"It makes sense she would have those shuriken on her. Suna's Shinobi, all the Kazekage in their history too, are well known for their unique Kekkei Genkai in the Magnet Release." Tenten's keen eye had identified the origins of the shuriken without issue. She would be embarrassed if she hadn't been able to identify the weapons that had a certain level of fame to them. "It's surprising she's throwing them through. Those type of shuriken aren't designed to be held or even thrown like that, closer to manipulated with the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai so many Suna Shinobi possess. Well, at least as much as you can call the few who do have it many."
"You are quite knowledgeable on weapons as always Tenten." Gai smiled at his student, honestly impressed at her commitment to her specialty. She didn't simply limit herself to handling the weapons but learning about them, mastering several techniques with each, and more. She was well on her way to becoming a master of bukijutsu. "You could become a teacher if you so desired with how much knowledge you possess."
"It's not like it's difficult to identify them." Tenten blushed at the quiet praise from her normally overzealous teacher. "Anyone who knows enough about Suna can name those weapons."
'I doubt that.'
"Proctor, call the match already!" Temari turned away from the vortex that continued to rage in front of her. "He's done in there."
"Don't think you can take down a guy like Choji with something that weak!" Ino's voice called down to her, Temari glaring at the girl.
'She's the one that crazy blonde tried to blind.' Everyone would remember the blonde's insane ramblings about being a 'Caesar' of an empire. 'What is she even talking about? That kid is done for in there.' She could already envision what was happening. 'He's trapped in the center, nothing to launch off of. Those shuriken, my blades of wind, and anything else that vortex picks up are cutting him to ribbons right now. He'll either pass out from the pain or give up to stop it.'
A smile came to her face unbidden.
'And then it's just one more match before these exams are over with.'
"Nikudan Sensha!"
"You can't be serious! He's using that same technique again!" She swung her fan in the midst of her outrage, revealing one moon and sending a single blade up the vortex, aiming to cut the sphere the Akimichi had turned himself into apart before he could try anything. She missed since he plummeted to the ground.
'Of course!' Her eyes widened at a sudden realization. 'He's turned himself into a stone like that! My Jutsu can't keep him in the air any longer with so little resistance!'
"Cho Baika no Jutsu!" Choji's voice echoed just as his already large body exploded to three times his original size. He ripped through the vortex and plummeted to the ground, spinning in the air. Temari saw this and quickly snapped her fan open, revealing all three moons.
'One chance, can't waste it.' Neither knew they mirrored each other's thoughts.
"Die!" Temari swung her fan, unleashing a solid wall of air blades with a good amount of her Chakra.
'I'm glad she couldn't see me in that vortex.' His body was covered by belts of kunai.
"Nikudan Hari Sensha!" The ground was torn apart on his impact, jagged pieces of it ripped up by the blades of the kunai wrapped around him. Temari didn't attempt to dodge surprisingly, she simply swung her fan twice more with a battle cry.
Her hope was clearly to try and out power the Akimichi.
The wall of wind met the rotating spiked sphere and achieved a minor victory. It successfully ripped the belts of kunai Choji wore apart but didn't manage much else. The Akimichi's enlarged form continued its violent rotations and was slowly pushing itself through the technique of the Suna Kunoichi.
"Oh no you don't!" She swung the fan again and again in front of her, releasing large devastating blades of wind against him without pause. "Getting that big only makes you an easier target fatass!"
'Hmm, she's done it now.' Asuma couldn't help but shake his head at the insult. 'She's set him off now.'
"Did you just call me fat!" Choji's voice sounded just as the sphere changed, the massive form of the Genin taking its place with a visible burst of Chakra, dispersing the wall of wind he had battled against for several moments. His enraged expression was clear as he stomped forward. "I'll smash you to paste!"
'Looks like a hair trigger temper when it comes to his weight.' Temari took note of his reaction as she closed her fan and put it on her back. Her legs bent slightly before she was leaping away from the Akimichi before one of his giant fist could succeed in killing her. 'That's something to know.' The blades of wind she had unleashed earlier tore at the Akimichi but nothing came of it, he only continued his furious pursuit of her without ceasing at all. The wounds could be ignored in his giant form it seemed.
"I called you a fatass!" She had to edge him on, keep him angry and unfocused on his Chakra. She may not be able to hurt him much in his current form but she could definitely tire him out if he didn't clear his head soon enough.
The tiles of the arena were smashed to pieces one after the other with each massive step Choji took, each bringing tremors with it, each sending dust flying high into the air and creating a cloud covering the arena floor. The Sand Kunoichi used this to her advantage, avoiding the enraged Akimichi by hiding within something similar to the sandstorms she would sometimes be caught in when coming or leaving Sunagakure.
'I just need to let him burn through all his Chakra.' Temari's plan was in place, the Kunoichi keeping herself hidden from view without issue. 'He's a Genin so he can't keep that form for long. I can already see him getting skinnier and skinnier anyway. His anger's not letting him think straight it looks like.'
"I'll smash you!" The large Genin leaped into the air, belly flopping onto the ground and sending a tremor through it that made the viewing area shake and nearly crack thanks to the force responsible for the massive crater now marring the arena.
'This may not be as easy as I thought.' Temari paled from where she now hid behind an upturned and jagged rock. 'He nearly got me through sheer area of effect it looks like. But he's still getting thinner and thinner. He'll be done sooner rather than later at the rate he's going.'
Temari was right, the fat seemed to be melting off of Choji. He could probably, at best, keep his increased size for another minute before he would simply collapse. The techniques of the Akimichi Clan were known to burn through their Chakra ridiculously fast.
She knew he wouldn't last much longer. She would just need to hold out then.
"You thought you could hide, didn't you!" It was her plan to hold out at least until a massive hand ripped up the stone she was hiding behind, bringing it down like a hammer seconds later. She narrowly leaped out of the way of it and swung her fan while in the air for two reasons.
One, unleash an attack on him no matter how worthless it may be to the Genin's new giant form. Two, propel herself further back in the air and hit the wall of the arena sandal first.
"That's it." She rose her thumb to her mouth. "I'm taking you out with one move, fatso!" She taunted him and earned an enraged shout from the Akimichi as he threw himself forward in a run, each step of his run bringing with it more and more tremors. She didn't let it bother her anymore, opening up a cut on her thumb before smearing the blood from the split skin on her fan as she opened it, revealing all three moons.
"Kuchiyose: Kirikiri Mai!"
What happened next was a blur. Only the trained eyes of a Jonin could catch even a glimpse of what had happened.
The aged Hokage merely sighed.
'You need to have a talk with your son Choza. Teach him to have some thicker skin.'
Regardless of it one could see the events, Choji's shirt was dyed crimson as he collapsed and rapidly shrunk back to normal size and a grinning Temari fell off of the wall and folded her fan once more. She stumbled upon hitting the ground but quickly used her large fan to support herself. Her hand, her thumb specifically, left blood on the black metal but she didn't care as she saw her opponent defeated on the ground.
"I knew I could beat you, fatass." She grinned as she turned to where the proctor stood. "Call the m-"
She narrowly dodged the kunai thrown at her head.
The Akimichi's enraged face met her own shocked one as somehow he wasn't face down in his growing pool of blood.
"How the hell are you getting up?" Temari ripped her fan free of the ground but almost fell over.
'Dammit, I'm suffering from Chakra exhaustion after summoning Kamatari.' She quickly embedded her fan into the ground once more, leaning on it heavily. 'He should be unconscious right now from blood loss with the wounds I just gave him so how the hell is he standing up!'
"Ha…do you really think I'm going down like that?" Choji panted as he somehow rose to his feet, the front of his shirt stained red but somehow he stood despite his wounds. "Do you think I'm going to be the only guy on my team who doesn't win his match?"
"You should be dead!" Temari snapped but her attempt to attack failed. She would fall if she removed her fan from the ground. It was the only thing supporting her now. The thin Akimichi seemed to know this from how he began to walk towards her. "How are you standing up?"
"Your attack didn't hit me." Choji answered her question at the same time one of his hands reached into his jacket, the movement tearing his blood red shirt more and revealing a multitude of insignificant wounds dotting his torso. "You just hit my drink."
"WHAT!" Temari's eyes widened when the Akimichi withdrew his hand and let the object held in it fall. It was a cherry drink can that clattered with a deafening sound as it struck the ground.
"Yeah, surprising isn't it?" Choji reached into his jacket again, drawing out what looked like a candy bar. "I was saving a few cans for later when your attack took them out of my pocket and some of the blades of air cut them open. It covered my shirt and kept pouring out when I hit the ground."
'You're nothing but a bastard, Kamatari!' Temari knew the weasel was to blame for her current situation. She could hardly stand and he knew exactly what he was doing during the attack. He had intentionally struck the drink cans like the bastard he was. 'Do you want me to lose or something?'
Choji bit off the top of the wrapping of the candy bar but didn't get much further than that. The too thin Akimichi collapsed to the ground after his reckless use of his Clan's more advanced techniques had drained him of all of his Chakra.
'Sorry Ino, Shikamaru.' He hit the ground hard. 'It looks like we couldn't sweep this thing like we thought.' Despite his own failure, he smiled. 'I know you two will make great Chunin…just wait for me to catch up.'
The exhausted Temari didn't stay standing for much longer, her fan falling with her as she joined Choji on the ground.
'Looks like we have a winner…even if it was a near thing.' Hayate appeared between the two collapsed Genin and raised his hand into the air. 'The kid passed out first.'
"Temari of the Sand wins her preliminary match."
AN: And by the skin of her teeth, Temari wins. This fight was one I didn't like for a while. Thought for Choji to win, decided against it. Temari advanced.
Alright, one fight left. Don't know when I'll update again. May want to do a really long one, get through the rest of the Chunin Exams. I'm currently writing the Finals and such.
Onward to replies:
Guest: I have full intentions for Naruto to conquer and you're right. This has mainly been build up to the inevitable.
Donthedarkdragon26: I will hopefully continue to keep you entertained. And thank you.
Huntress9894: Yes, Naruto and his Legion has a fair amount of crazies. Sakura and Kakashi are a good pair to root for too. As for Shikamaru? Only the future will show what happens with him. And the invasion will have a certain spin to it.
hennessyswagg83: Naruto's arrogance and irrational hatred for Kakashi is designed to be as such. He's sort of a dick. I hope you keep reading but I can't fault you for this not being something you enjoy.
Megatronus Uchiha: I endeavored for Naruto's obsession to be just as you've described! And I will look into other troops for Naruto to possess. I want to stick to the original idea I had but I'm always open to suggestions.
Reply or PM if you have:
A) Questions.
B) Comments.
C) and/or Concerns.
Peace.