Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Akimichi Family

Akimichi Clan Compound, Dining Room.

A massive table was laden with all kinds of meat dishes. Akimichi Chōza and Akimichi Chōji sat there, devouring the food at a speed that made Chōji’s mother shake her head in exasperation.

"Slow down, you two. There’s plenty of food, and if it’s not enough, there’s more in the kitchen."

"No worries, Mom! I can handle it!" Chōji’s mouth was stuffed to the brim, yet he spoke with surprising clarity, a testament to his skill.

"Come on, son, let’s see who can eat more!" Chōza proposed with a grin.

"Alright, I’m speeding up!"

"So am I!"

Chōji’s mother sighed helplessly. These two were like a pair of overgrown kids.

The father and son duo went at it with ferocious intensity. At first, they were neck and neck, but Chōji’s speed began to outpace his father’s. Chōza watched his son with growing disbelief. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think his son had mutated—no, awakened a Kekkei Genkai!

"Son, how’re you eating so fast?" Chōza asked, bewildered.

"What did you say?" Chōji was in full swing, shoving meat into his mouth without pause.

Glossy, fatty cuts, crispy grilled meat—anything edible was fair game.

Burp—

"I win!"

Akimichi Chōji clutched his stomach, grinning in satisfaction.

The father-son showdown had ended in his victory.

"Kid, how’d you improve so much? Did you pick up some kind of trick recently?" Chōza eyed his son suspiciously.

"Nah, I’ve just been training really hard." Chōji lounged back, picking his teeth with a toothpick, radiating contentment.

"Mom’s cooking is the best."

"If you love it, eat more, sweetie! You’re still growing!" Chōji’s mother beamed at her son.

In every mother’s eyes, their child is always too thin.

"Come on, son, fess up. Where’d you go to train? Did you go to Gai?" The only taijutsu specialist Chōza could think of that fit the bill was Maito Gai.

"Nope! I’ve been training with Hikari-senpai these past few days. Oh yeah, today I finally learned the first stage of the taijutsu he taught me! I’m way ahead of Shikamaru—he hasn’t even grasped the basics yet, but I’m already on the second stage!"

’Hikari-senpai... Kamizuki Hikari?’

Chōza frowned. From what he knew, Kamizuki Hikari was just an ordinary chūnin.

Back when he’d agreed to Shikaku’s suggestion to let Chōji train under Hikari, it was only because Hikari didn’t know much—meaning he wouldn’t interfere with Chōji’s clan techniques.

But now that Kamizuki Hikari was teaching his son taijutsu, Chōza couldn’t help but worry whether this would hinder Chōji’s progress in their family’s secret arts.

"Chōji, come outside with me."

"Okay!"

Chōji didn’t ask why. He trusted his father completely.

The two of them walked to the training ground.

Chōza looked at his son seriously. "Chōji, you must remember—you are the heir of the Akimichi clan. Our clan’s foundation is everything. Never forget that."

Akimichi Chōji nodded. "Dad, I haven’t forgotten. I’ve never slacked on training our clan’s secret techniques. In fact, I feel like the taijutsu training Hikari-senpai taught me complements our techniques!"

"You brat, you think you know better than your old man?" Chōza snapped. "Today, you’re going to train the Partial Multi-Size Technique. When you can freely control the expansion and contraction of both arms, and crush that stone on the wooden post over there without damaging the wood, then I’ll consider you passable!" Chōza decided to put his son in his place.

This kid actually dared to question the Akimichi clan’s techniques?

Chōza had spent years mastering their secret arts. He’d even studied taijutsu before, but it clashed with their clan techniques. Focusing too much on taijutsu would only hold back their progress. Hearing Chōji’s words, he couldn’t help but get angry.

"Got it!"

Chōji thought his dad was being stubborn, but as a chubby kid who needed a steady supply of food to maintain his physique, he knew better than to argue.

If he dared to talk back, his punishment might involve sitting in front of a feast—allowed to look, but not eat.

That would be pure torture.

For the sake of his next meal, Chōji resolved to train hard and prove his father wrong.

He’d improve in silence, then shock everyone.

With that determination, Chōji focused on a wooden post ten meters away.

The post stood over three meters tall, with a half-meter-wide stone placed on top.

His task was simple: use Partial Multi-Size Technique to enlarge his arms, then crush the stone without damaging the wood.

Extending his arms to ten meters wasn’t the hard part for Chōji.

The real challenge was controlling his strength precisely enough to grip the stone without harming the wood beneath.

Based on his past training, this should’ve been nearly impossible.

But today, he felt different. Compared to his previous training, he was confident he could prove his father wrong.

"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"

As Chōji activated the clan technique, his arms swelled massively, becoming thicker and heavier than his own body.

Chōza, watching from the side, nodded slightly.

The ten-meter distance tested Chōji’s ability to control the technique’s reach. If he couldn’t manage something as basic as length, the rest the rest was pointless.

His enlarged hands were now over two meters wide, making the half-meter stone look like a tiny marble.

’Today feels... different.’

Chōji flexed his fingers, finding them far more agile than before. His control had improved drastically.

"Stop messing around and crush the stone already!" Chōza’s expression darkened.

He’d intended to humble his son, but now the kid was showing off? This was embarrassing.

Chōji didn’t argue. His right hand opened, effortlessly gripping the stone before tossing it into the air and catching it with his left.

Left toss, right catch. Right toss, left catch—

"That’s enough! Bring the stone here!"

"Release!"

Chōji dispelled the Partial Multi-Size Technique, his massive arms shrinking back to normal as he retrieved the half-meter rock.

"Back you go!"

Holding the rock in his left hand, Chōji threw a fierce punch with his right.

*Boom!*

His fist left a deep imprint in the stone before it landed perfectly back on the wooden post.

"See, Dad? I told you I’ve got this. Maybe you should stop meddling with my training from now on."

With that, Chōji turned and walked back inside.

A real man never looks back at the explosion.

Chōza stared at the stone, now sitting neatly on the post, and narrowed his eyes.

’This brat really gave me a tough one...’

’But... maybe that’s not a bad thing.’

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