*Thud!*
Shikamaru struck the paper with his fist, then shakily withdrew his hand.
It hurt. It really hurt.
Next to him, Ino wore a similar expression. After throwing a punch, she frantically waved her little hand as if that could somehow ease the pain.
"Hikari-senpai, maybe we should wait until our hands heal before continuing? Or... could you use Mystical Palm to heal us?" Shikamaru asked, his voice strained. The pain from striking the paper with his wounded fists was several times worse than it had been that morning.
Ino also looked at Kamizuki Hikari with hopeful eyes, praying heâd show them mercy.
"If you insist, I wonât stop you." Hikari shrugged. "But if you do, donât bother coming to me for training anymore."
Shikamaru and Ino fell silent.
What a ruthless move.
After witnessing Chojiâs success, neither of themâas heirs of the Ino-Shika-Cho clansâcould afford to fall behind.
"The pain will temper your spirit and unlock your potential, helping you complete the first stage of training faster." Tenten explained on Hikariâs behalf. "You already know how Mystical Palm works. Aside from the strain it puts on the body, constantly healing and reopening woundsâis that even training anymore?"
Hearing this, Shikamaru and Ino felt slightly better.
"Alright, Tenten, take ChÅji over there to work on the second stage. Make sure youâre far enough that these two canât see you!"
"Understood, Hikari-senpai!" Tenten replied cheerfully.
ChÅji, on the other hand, felt his layers of fat trembling.
This girl is terrifying.
"Come on, Choji, letâs go!"
As Choji reluctantly followed Tenten, Shikamaru gritted his teeth and punched the paper again.
âAs a Nara, I canât afford to fall behind.â
âBut... damn, it hurt!â
âKamizuki Hikari, youâre not human! Youâre a demon whoâs trampling on my heart!â
âOne day, Iâll flatten you and make you understand the might of Nara Shikamaru!â
Slowly, Shikamaru began to imagine the paper in front of him as Hikariâs face, picturing himself pummeling it.
The thought made the pain in his hand feel lighter.
"You two keep training. Iâm going to take a nap." Hikari said, yawning.
Ino stared at him in disbelief. "Weâre your students, you know! Isnât it a bit much to just leave us like this?"
"Eh? Training needs supervision?"
Hikari turned and walked toward shaded spot under a tree nearby. "Whether you slack off or not doesnât really concern me. Donât worry, Iâm very open-mindedâI wonât test your progress. Even if you decide to lie down and sleep right now, I wonât stop you!"
Shikamaru & Ino: âSo annoying! We really wanna punch this guy!â
The two exchanged glances, confirming they shared the same thought.
But thoughts were one thingâaction was another. For now, they had no choice but to train diligently.
All for the sake of one day defeating Kamizuki Hikari.
"Tenten-nee, what are we training next?" Choji asked, his round face radiating innocent charm.
Unfortunately, Tenten was immune. Ignoring his attempt at cuteness, she unsealed a scroll.
"Release!"
A crate of kunai appeared before Choji.
âWait... sheâs not going to throw these at me, is she?â
Choji glanced at his own chubby body and sighed. His fat was for his clanâs jutsuâit wasnât going to stop a kunai!
âNo way. It canât be what Iâm thinking!â He tried to reassure himself.
"Stand over there. Iâll throw these kunai at you, and you just need to deflect them with your hands or dodge them. Got it?" Tenten said, already spinning a few kunai skillfully in her hand.
Choji felt he still had a chance.
"Tenten-nee, youâre the best! How about... we use something else? Like rocks? What do you think?"
Sure, rocks would still hurt, but at least they wouldnât pierce him.
If a kunai hit him, he might actually die.
"ChÅji, youâre quite the sweet-talker. I like that about you!" Tenten said.
"So... you agree?" Chojiâs face lit up with hope.
Tenten smiledâthen shook her head.
"Donât worry. Iâll aim for your stomach and thighs first. With your constitution, itâll just be a serious injuryânot fatal. You wonât die."
"Nee-san, youâre like my real sister! I thinkâ"
"Get over there. Now." Tentenâs smile vanished, replaced by a cold glare.
Resigned, ChÅji obediently walked to the designated spot.
âLife... is so unfair.â
âMom, Dad... you might lose your precious chubby son today.â
Heart heavy with sorrow, ChÅji stood in position as instructed.
"Weâll start with one kunai, ten-second intervals. First one!"
As soon as she spoke, Tenten flicked her wrist, and a kunai shot toward ChÅjiâs stomach at lightning speed.
âHoly crap, sheâs really trying to kill me!â
The pressure of imminent death sharpened Chojiâs focus. His eyes locked onto the kunai as his fists lashed out wildly.
Random Flailing Fist Technique!
*Clang!*
His punch connected, the protective chakra around his hand deflecting the kunai to the ground.
To his surprise, there was no wound.
Choji looked downâthe kunai had a rounded tip, its edges dulled.
âI knew it! She wouldnât use real weapons!â
With newfound confidence, ChÅji listened for the next kunai and swung his right hand.
*Thwack!*
Another one down.
"Haha, Tenten-nee, bring it on! I can handle this!" Choji puffed out his chest, feeling invincible.
This was a breeze, nothing to worry about.
"As you wish!" Tenten smirked, then flicked her wrist, sending two kunai flying toward ChÅjiâs chest and stomach.
"Behold, the Akimichi Clanâs Secret Fist Technique!"
Choji roared, swinging his arms like a windmill, unleashing an upgraded version of his Random Flailing Fist Technique.
As the saying goes, wild punches can take down a master. Here, they were knocking away kunai.
After a few more rounds, Tenten suddenly flicked her left wristâsending a third kunai hidden behind the first two.
"Haha! Iâm unstoppableâOW!"
Choji, now accustomed to dual kunai attacks, failed to notice the sneak attack. As he celebrated deflecting the first two, the third struck his chest.
Even with his fat cushioning the blow, the impact fractured a rib, leaving a dark bruise.
"You cheated!" Choji clutched his chest, hissing in pain.
He was still just a twelve-year-old, less-than-two-hundred-pound chubby kid. He couldnât endure pain or counterattack like an adult shinobi!
"Thereâs no such thing as cheating in the shinobi world." Tenten said coolly. "Now, you can either treat your injury or keep training."
If Tenten had been an angel in Chojiâs eyes before, she was now a full-fledged demonâa devil straight from hell.
Gritting his teeth, Choji took a deep breath.
"Letâs keep training!"
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