The breakfast feast was in full swing, with tables groaning under the weight of food big enough to flatten a small village. Naruto had just claimed the last sizzling yakitori skewer from a clone before it popped out of existence in dramatic betrayal. Laughter echoed around the table as everyone finally started to relax.
That was… until Dorry leaned back, patting his massive stomach like a war drum.
"You folks remind me of that last bunch we saw," he said cheerfully. "The Straw Hat Pirates. Fun people. Real energetic."
Brogy nodded, cheeks still full of beef the size of a mattress. "Especially their captain—what was his name again?"
"Luffy!" Dorry said with a hearty laugh. "Stretchy boy. Nice kid. Bit dumb. I liked him."
Naruto perked up. "Straw Hats, huh? I've heard that name before…"
"They were strong?" Lee asked eagerly.
Dorry chuckled, shaking his head. "Not really. Not compared to us."
That's when Kakashi, who had just opened his third rice ball like a bored academic reviewing a dissertation, asked casually, "So… what kind of danger exists around here? Stronger than you two?"
The giants roared with laughter, nearly knocking over a table as their voices thundered across the beach.
"Oh, absolutely!" Brogy bellowed. "We're just captains of a long-gone ship! There are plenty of giants on Elbaph stronger than us. We just enjoy the fights!"
"But the real threats…" Dorry said, suddenly serious, "are the Yonko."
He raised a finger like it was a sermon. "Kaidou, Big Mom, Whitebeard, Red-Haired Shanks… even we wouldn't want to fight them head-on. Not unless we were suicidal."
Naruto blinked. "Yonko?"
"Emperors of the Sea," Dorry said. "Each one rules a chunk of the world so large, it would make your maps cry. But even they fear one thing…"
Brogy's expression darkened. "The World Government."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "Why is a government that dangerous?"
"It should be obvious, kid," Dorry said, waving a drumstick like a philosopher's cane. "To rule this chaotic sea, to keep the Yonko from destroying everything, and to have their own Admirals—men who can sink islands with a finger? That's true power."
Everyone went quiet.
"That's why I say…" Brogy said with a smirk, "we're just little people in this big sea. Not like Luffy and his gang would ever face those kinds of monsters. And neither will you, probably."
Naruto blinked, chopsticks frozen in mid-air. "What does that mean?"
Dorry looked sheepish but firm. "No offense, little man. You're strong. Stronger than most humans we've seen in a century. But… even if you all came at us, we could probably take you down."
Clink.
Kankuro dropped his spoon.
A deadly silence fell across the entire beachside table. Everyone stared at the giants like they'd just insulted their mothers.
And then—
Naruto burst out laughing.
Like, full belly laugh. "Bwahaha! Oh, this is great!"
Lee stood up, his plate forgotten. "Youthful challenge!"
Kiba grinned at Akamaru. "They think we're weak, buddy."
Even Neji's eye twitched slightly in something dangerously close to amusement.
Naruto stood up and stretched, cracking his knuckles. "Guys… these two think we're weak."
Sakura smirked. "Should we show them what chakra-enhanced strength looks like before or after dessert?"
"Let's finish up breakfast," Naruto said, flashing a grin that somehow made the sun brighter, "and then show them we don't take lightly to such bait."
Choji inhaled an entire steak in one go. "Good. I fight better on a full stomach."
Kakashi lifted his mask and smiled. "Guess we're skipping the nap."
Once breakfast was out of the way—by which I mean the table was cleared of approximately twelve cows, eighteen chickens, and one unfortunate mountain boar—Naruto had a brilliant idea.
"Let's turn the island into an arena!" he declared, arms spread like he was summoning a stadium out of thin air.
And because our group never says no to chaos (or exercise that involves dramatic flair), the beach was transformed into a full-blown battleground faster than you can say "I regret my life choices." Tenten and Kankuro made sure the terrain looked professional: rocky spires, flat stone floors, some unnecessarily dangerous spike pits (probably Lee's idea). Very gladiator-core.
The giants were thrilled. "You wanna fight us?!" Brogy asked with the enthusiasm of someone who'd just been told it was raining swords and he didn't need an umbrella.
"Yup," Naruto said. "One-on-one fights. Let's make it fair."
Now here's the thing about Naruto: when he says "fair," what he really means is "hilariously mismatched in a way that'll make your ancestors feel it."
He turned to look at his team, all lined up like action figures on sale.
He scanned them slowly, like a Pokémon trainer evaluating his lineup. Hmm, should I go with Rasenganachu? No, wait, Fireballasaur?
Then his eyes landed on Choji.
"Choji," he said with all the solemnity of a guy about to make an epic announcement, "I choose you."
Choji blinked. "I feel like you're insulting me."
Naruto gave him the world's most innocent look. "What? Nooo. I just think you'd be super effective."
To his credit, Choji didn't crush him like a grape. He just sighed, stood up, and walked into the arena like a man clocking in for a shift at the world's deadliest fast-food joint.
Brogy looked down at him with the kind of expression you reserve for an ant that just challenged you to a dance-off. "You sure about this, little guy?"
Naruto watched as Choji cracked his knuckles. He hadn't seen Choji fight much lately, but he remembered that day. The mission to retrieve Sasuke. The day when everything went wrong, and everyone almost didn't come back. Neji and Kiba were nearly dead. Naruto himself had been barely standing. And Choji?
Choji had shown what it meant to carry the weight of a friend's life on your shoulders—and the wrath of a whole clan in your fists.
Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth. "Choji! Show him your best! That guy's not a target dummy!"
Choji didn't reply. He just smiled.
And then he grew.
No, not like "he grew emotionally" or "he grew into his power."
He literally became immortalzilla-sized. Limbs stretching, armor expanding, hair whipping in the wind like a shampoo commercial filmed during a hurricane. Brogy blinked and took an involuntary step back.
Choji's transformation stopped at roughly Brogy's height. He could've gone bigger. Everyone knew it. But Choji was making a statement:
This much is enough to deal with you.
Naruto grinned. "Yup. Definitely super effective."
Brogy cracked his neck, eyes sparkling with excitement. "This is gonna be fun."
The crowd of ninja backed up. Kakashi pulled out his book—again. "Place your bets," he said lazily. "I've got five on Choji ending it in under ten minutes."
"Ten?" Ino scoffed. "Three."
Somewhere in the back, Lee was already tearing up. "The fire of youth burns brighter than ever!"
-----------
Brogy let out a booming laugh that probably made a few birds on the island explode in midair. "You're telling me," he said, pointing his axe at Choji like it was a giant spoon and Choji was breakfast cereal, "you can just grow like that? Are you a Devil Fruit user?"
Choji, now looming like the world's most polite kaiju, just gave him a shrug and a diplomatic smile. "Who's to say?"
Translation: None of your business, Mr. Viking.
Brogy raised an eyebrow. "And you're fighting me without a weapon? Bold."
Choji tilted his head thoughtfully, then said, "You know what, that's a good question."
Cue dramatic pause. Cue gust of wind. Cue Tenten yeeting a scroll into the sky like she was summoning a dragon. The scroll unraveled midair, glowing with chakra seals, and—BOOM!—a giant battle hammer dropped from it like Thor had just quit his job and gifted it to a guy who really liked snacks.
Choji caught it with one hand. The hammerhead alone looked like it could flatten a mountain, and the handle was thick enough to make a redwood feel insecure. The ground cracked under its weight. Choji didn't even flinch.
"This is your answer," he said, voice calm, almost gentle.
Everyone watching made the same face you make when you find out your quiet friend owns a motorcycle and plays in a death metal band on weekends.
Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly. That was practically a scream coming from him.
Gai nodded with the solemnity of a man witnessing true youth. "Outstanding weapon-to-body ratio! A truly harmonious display of power!"
Kurenai blinked. "When did he get a hammer?"
Tenten folded her arms smugly. "It's not just a hammer. It's one of his custom weapons. He worked with my forge for months on the design."
Kakashi looked impressed. "No chakra scaling?"
"Nope," Tenten replied. "That's the real size. Real weight. He wanted something that felt natural at his maximum form."
Meanwhile, Brogy had his jaw hanging open like he'd just realized his opponent came with downloadable DLC. "You're full of surprises, little man."
Asuma, who'd been leaning against a tree chewing on a piece of grass like it was a cigar, smirked. "Told you. My gentle giant's a beast when it counts."
"You trying to start something?" Ino asked, arching an eyebrow.
Asuma waved a hand. "Please. The other two are delicate princesses in comparison."
"Meh," Shikamaru muttered from the shade of a tree, arms behind his head. "Not taking the bait."
Shino nodded beside him. "Wise."
On the battlefield, Brogy raised his shield and axe again, eyes twinkling. "Well then! Let's see what your hammer can do!"
Choji didn't answer. He just gripped the weapon with both hands, lifted it above his head like it weighed nothing, and cracked the ground beneath him with a single stomp.
Naruto grinned, hands cupped around his mouth. "Alright, Choji! Hammer time!"
In the next heartbeat, the mountain-sized brawler charged.
The gentle giant wasn't looking so gentle anymore.
-----------
Brogy came in like a natural disaster wearing a beard.
One moment he was grinning. The next, he was there—his axe coming down in a diagonal arc that would've turned most people into abstract art.
Choji raised his hammer with both hands, locked his stance, and blocked.
The impact sent a shockwave across the arena, flattening trees in the background and knocking birds out of orbit. Sand exploded under Choji's feet as his heels dug deep trenches behind him.
Brogy blinked. "You blocked that?"
Choji's arms trembled slightly. "Surprise."
Then he vanished.
Okay—not vanished vanished, but he moved fast enough that for a split-second, Brogy's eyes lost him.
The chakra coursing through Choji's limbs gave him a speed boost that didn't match his size. He pivoted midair, spun like a hurricane, and came down with a rotating slam of his hammer right into Brogy's shoulder.
BOOM.
The impact echoed like a thunderclap. Brogy staggered. Just a step. Just a grunt.
But he staggered.
From the sidelines, Gai punched the air. "YOUTH!"
"Okay, that's terrifying," Ino muttered, shading her eyes.
Brogy laughed, rolling his shoulder. "Hoooh! That tickled!"
Then he backhanded Choji with his shield.
Choji went flying like a 20-ton cannonball, crashing into a cliff face hard enough to leave a Choji-shaped imprint.
"Oh man," Kiba winced. "That's gonna bruise."
But the dust barely had time to settle before it exploded outward—Choji bursting from the rock, twirling like a top. His entire massive body became a rotating fortress, his hammer now an extension of the spin.
He smashed into Brogy's side again, this time aiming lower—trying to push, not break.
Brogy skidded back, leaving furrows in the earth.
And then he grinned. "You've got a trick, little man. I like that."
Choji landed, panting slightly. "You're not bad yourself. For a walking mountain."
They circled each other like rival storms. Neither had shown their trump card. This was just the appetizer, the free sample at the market before the real feast.
Brogy grinned. "That hammer of yours hits like a sea king in mating season."
Choji twirled it once, letting chakra channel through the handle. "You're gonna feel it again soon."
On the sidelines, Naruto nudged Neji. "How strong do you think Brogy is?"
Neji activated his Byakugan. "Hmm… Conservatively? He's using about fifteen percent of his strength."
Naruto's grin twitched. "Cool, cool, love that for us."
Choji dug in again, chakra flaring across his body in glowing lines. Brogy raised his axe, still grinning like this was the best morning he'd had in a century.
---------------
Choji had a problem.
Okay, technically he had about ninety-nine problems, and Brogy was about ninety-eight of them stacked into a seven-story Norse gigachad with a beard thick enough to house wildlife.
The dude was strong. Not just pick-up-a-boulder-and-smash-you strong. No. Brogy was throw-an-island-for-fun strong. And Choji? Choji was the gentle giant of Konoha—the snack-loving, hammer-wielding teddy bear who really didn't like to fight unless someone was threatening his people.
Which, right now, Brogy was.
Choji narrowed his eyes.
Enough appetizers.
Time to bring out the main course.
He crouched low. His chakra surged—booming through the battlefield like a second heartbeat. Dust kicked up around him in concentric waves.
Then his right arm expanded.
Not just big. Stupid big. Like if a mountain hit puberty and skipped leg day but only for one arm.
His fist tripled in size—massive, veined, glowing faintly with raw chakra. Brogy raised an eyebrow, and that was all the time Choji needed.
CRACK!
The fist rocketed forward like a meteor with daddy issues. Brogy blocked with his shield, but the shockwave alone blasted the sand away in a perfect circle beneath him. The shield screeched like metal on metal. Brogy actually… slid back.
Only a few inches. But it was enough to make Shikamaru sit up straighter.
"Alright," he muttered. "Now we're getting somewhere."
Choji didn't stop. He twisted his hips and—BOOM—his foot grew mid-kick, doubling in size as it slammed into Brogy's thigh like a battering ram.
Brogy grunted. "Oho! That stings!"
He retaliated, his axe coming down like a falling star. Choji ducked—barely—his shoulder grazing the weapon's arc. A shallow gash. Pain flared, but Choji didn't flinch.
He spun.
And this time?
He went full wheel mode.
Choji's body expanded and rolled—a massive, chakra-infused cannonball with spiked armor and a hammer sticking out like a tail. Every revolution increased his speed. His momentum.
When he hit Brogy this time?
Even the giant flew.
Brogy crashed into the cliff wall like a freight train, rocks raining down around him. The arena shook. Somewhere, a dinosaur three islands away tripped.
For a moment, the world was quiet.
Then Brogy laughed.
A deep, rumbling laugh that made your spine feel personally insulted.
"That's more like it!" he bellowed, picking himself up. "You've got tricks, little thunderball!"
His axe dug into the earth as he stood, rolling his shoulder. This time… he looked different.
Less amused.
More engaged.
"You want to go big?" he said, voice echoing. "Then go BIG."
And he did.
Brogy's muscles swelled. His grip on the axe tightened. The wind itself seemed to pull away from him, like the air didn't want to be near what was coming next.
He vanished.
No, seriously. He just—zip—blinked forward like a bearded blur of rage.
His shield slammed into Choji's midsection, sending him skidding back miles. The ground beneath Choji's feet cracked like glass.
"Is anyone else," Ino whispered, "starting to worry this might be too much?"
"Nah," Naruto said, eyes gleaming. "Choji's not out yet."
Choji coughed, his ribs aching, vision a little fuzzy—but he smiled.
Because now? Now it was fun.
He slammed the hammer into the ground and launched himself forward, limbs enlarging mid-motion. His hammer grew, chakra flaring bright orange, doubling in size with a roar.
They collided again.
BOOM.
Air rippled. Trees snapped in half. The island groaned under the force.
Brogy laughed like it was Christmas. Choji roared like a man with something to prove.
And even though Brogy still paced the battle—still held the upper hand—he wasn't just playing anymore.
He was respecting the fight.
Naruto watched Choji get flung into the ocean with the kind of impact that probably registered on a Richter scale somewhere. The splash was so big a nearby flock of seagulls spontaneously quit their migration plans and flew to therapy.
"Okay," Naruto said, squinting. "That's enough playing around."
Next to him, Shikamaru had his arms crossed, the shadow of the forest flickering behind his back like lazy ghosts. He didn't say anything.
Which was weird. Because Shikamaru always had something to say, even if it was just "what a drag."
"I know that face," Naruto said.
Shikamaru sighed. "I'm not gonna lie. This is turning into a strategic disaster. Choji's holding back."
Ino blinked. "Wait. That wasn't full power?"
"Nope." Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets. "He's been treating this like training. That was tactical calorie usage. Not desperation mode."
Ino raised an eyebrow. "Then why isn't he going all out?"
"Because he's Choji," Naruto said. "He only goes all out when someone he loves is on the line. Otherwise he thinks it's not worth the risk."
They all turned to look toward the ocean. The surface was calm now. No sign of the food-loving wrecking ball.
Naruto clenched his fists. "But he needs to stop thinking like that. This isn't our world. There's no safety net here. No Hokage to bail us out. The people we fight in this world? They don't give us second chances. If Choji doesn't figure out his limits now, the first time he tries this for real… might be the last."
Ino looked uncertain. "Naruto…"
"Tell him," Naruto said, eyes hard. "He trusts your voice. Tell him to go butterfly mode. Tell him I said to stop letting an old man treat him like a chew toy."
Ino winced. "Harsh."
Naruto grinned. "Motivational."
She sighed, then pressed two fingers to her temple, her eyes glowing faintly.
"Choji?" she whispered across the bond. "Naruto says it's time to stop playing."
Meanwhile…
Choji rose from the water like a kaiju after an afternoon nap.
Seaweed clung to his hair. One of his sandals had floated off somewhere to meet its destiny. And he was chewing an entire cooked octopus that he'd somehow grilled with a fire jutsu mid-air.
Because if you're gonna be punched into the ocean, you may as well snack like a king on the way out.
He heard Ino's voice in his head—calm, clear, and slightly sassy.
"Naruto says to stop letting an old man treat you like a chew toy."
Choji blinked. Then smiled, still chewing.
He knew what that meant.
Naruto wasn't just asking him to win.
He was asking him to trust himself.
"Alright," Choji said, the last of the octopus sliding down his throat. "Let's stop being polite."
He dug his feet into the shoreline, hands glowing as he reached deep—really deep—into his reserves. The calories he'd stored over the week surged like molten chakra in his veins.
He activated the Partial Calorie Control.
But this time? No holding back.
Seventy percent of his stored calories ignited.
Blue light flared around him, rising in waves. His body compressed—no longer bloated with mass, but sculpted and sharp, like a tank carved from chakra steel. He wasn't just big now.
He was dangerous.
Translucent butterfly wings of glowing chakra burst from his back, buzzing with pure kinetic energy. His pupils sharpened. A glowing barrier slid across his skin like a second armored layer.
He floated an inch off the ground, air bending around him.
He looked calm.
He looked deadly.
He looked like someone who had finally remembered his own worth.
"I don't do this unless it's serious," Choji muttered. "But you wanted a real fight, Brogy?"
The hammer reappeared in his hand—slimmed down, honed, glowing faint blue at the edges.
"Let's see if you can take one."
Far across the battlefield, Brogy smiled.
------------
To say Choji was fast now was like saying ramen was just "noodles in water."
It wasn't just speed. It was vanishing. One moment he was in the air, wings buzzing with blinding light—next moment, craters were blooming like flowers where he'd just struck, his hammer glowing blue like it had been dipped in lightning and bad intentions.
"Who gave Choji a warp drive?" Kiba shouted, shielding his face as another gust of chakra-blasted wind whooshed past.
"More like a controlled hurricane," Shikamaru muttered, watching as boulders hovered mid-air from the sheer pressure of the blows. "I told you. This is what happens when he stops being polite."
"Guys," Naruto said, wincing. "I think we're going to need a new island."
Before the whole battlefield could implode into a fine mist of rubble and regret, Naruto pressed his palm to the ground. Golden chakra spread from his body like a glowing pulse, weaving into the earth, binding the tectonic plates like he was patching a shattered mirror.
The ground steadied. The trees stopped snapping in half. And Naruto sighed. "There. Reinforced chakra lattice over the entire island. That should hold."
"If it doesn't?" Ino asked.
"Then we're swimming," he said.
------------
When Choji activated Butterfly Mode, the entire island felt it.
The air grew denser. The clouds overhead spun as if afraid of what was happening below. A low hum filled the atmosphere—a deep, pulsing thrummm—like the sound of a monster's heartbeat vibrating through the stone.
Then, BOOM!
Choji shot forward.
Not ran. Shot.
One second he was on the beach, shaking water from his hair. The next—he was a blue comet, chakra wings slicing the air behind him, a streak of light and fury aimed straight at Brogy's chest.
Brogy raised his axe just in time—CLANG!
The shockwave turned nearby palm trees into splinters. A portion of the beach detonated, sand flying in a mushroom cloud that rained glass-sharp shards. The ocean behind them rose like it had been punched, a massive wave forming and crashing uselessly as Choji pushed forward, his muscles straining, hammer pressing against Brogy's defense.
Then—CRACK!—Choji backflipped and vanished.
"WHERE—?!" Brogy spun.
Too late.
Choji reappeared behind him like a thunderbolt. BOOM! A chakra-empowered hammer slammed into the back of the giant's knee, forcing Brogy to stumble.
The island shook.
A whole cliffside broke off behind them and collapsed into the sea. Birds screamed into the sky. Naruto winced as the chakra reinforcement around the island flickered from the impact.
"Reinforcing again!" he shouted, hands flashing in seals. "I swear if they break this island—!"
Brogy steadied himself and let out a booming laugh. "HAHA! THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
With a single spin, he slashed the air with his axe.
It didn't hit Choji.
It didn't need to.
The wind exploded.
A slicing shockwave tore through the battlefield, ripping trenches across the land like invisible swords. Trees were uprooted and thrown like toys. A small river nearby got cut in half, water spraying in both directions like a fire hydrant.
Choji zipped to the side, chakra wings leaving afterimages, but the second wave was already coming. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
He was dancing in a hurricane of death.
Then—he countered.
Choji spun, his whole body doubling in size mid-air. Hammer in hand, chakra wings blazing, he turned into a blue cyclone of pure devastation and collided with one of the incoming wind slashes.
BOOM!
It was like two bombs had kissed.
A dome of destruction burst outward, flattening everything for half a mile. The sky turned white with light. The mountain to the east cracked straight down the middle.
"Holy crap," Kiba said, clinging to a tree that was now horizontal. "Are we sure Choji isn't a nuke?"
"Only emotionally," Shikamaru muttered, squinting at the dust cloud.
Then Brogy came charging out of the smoke.
"No more tricks!" he roared, armor dented, blood running down his arm. "Fight me head-on!"
"You asked for it!" Choji growled.
And the real fight began.
The ground didn't stand a chance.
Every time they clashed, the earth shattered beneath them. Explosions of chakra lit up the island like fireworks. Forests fell, hills turned to dust. Choji's hammer moved like it weighed nothing, his strikes landing with sonic booms that cratered the land. Brogy returned in kind—each axe swing a tornado, each shield bash a thunderclap.
They leapt, they clashed in the air, and rebounded off mountains.
They fought across land, sea, and sky—battle cries shaking the heavens.
And through it all, Naruto was weaving chakra into the ground like a madman, keeping the island from crumbling into the sea.
Then came the finale.
Choji zoomed in, hammer glowing with every ounce of chakra he had, roaring like a Master of war.
Brogy dropped his weapons.
And grabbed him.
Brogy roared like a dragon as he twisted his hips, locked his arms, and lifted Choji—yes, the still-butterflied, chakra-winged, two-ton version of Choji—into the air.
"Oh no," Naruto muttered. "I know that look. That's the 'I'm about to suplex the moon' look."
"Choji, get out of there!" Ino shouted through the telepathic link.
Too late.
With a scream that shattered nearby boulders, Brogy brought Choji crashing down.
BOOM!
The ground didn't just crack—it caved in. A crater the size of a small village exploded into existence. Rocks shot into the sky. Shockwaves rippled across the ocean like tsunami ripples. Even the clouds overhead split apart.
When the dust finally settled, the world looked like it had been chewed up and spit out by titans. Trees were matchsticks. The mountains had a new valley. Birds had long since abandoned the area, probably halfway to the mainland by now.
In the center of the wreckage, Choji lay embedded in the ground, half-conscious, the butterfly wings flickering and fading. The chakra barrier around his body cracked and then finally shattered like glass.
His body began reverting—bulky muscles shrinking, breathing labored, face covered in bruises.
Brogy stood above him, panting hard, arms slack at his side. He was bleeding. Covered in bruises. And grinning like a man who'd just found the fountain of youth.
"Well fought, little thunderball," the giant said.
He extended a hand—not to fight. But to help Choji up.
Choji blinked, coughed once, and took it.
Brogy pulled him out of the crater with one massive tug, holding him steady as if he were a wounded comrade instead of a defeated opponent.
"You held back at first," Brogy said, voice low now, full of honest admiration. "But when you let go? You flew like a storm. I haven't fought someone like you in a century."
"Yeah… thanks," Choji wheezed. "Remind me to never spar with ancient giants after breakfast again…"
Brogy laughed, deep and booming, shaking what little of the island remained upright.
Naruto arrived seconds later in a blur of yellow.
He glanced at the crater. Then at Choji's sorry state. Then at the scorch marks, the missing forest, and the fact that there was now a second cliff where a jungle used to be.
"...Okay," Naruto sighed. "Next time we train, we go to a smaller island. One we don't care about."
Choji tried to smile. "But… did I do okay?"
Naruto didn't answer right away. He looked at the destruction. The proof of Choji's growth. The evidence of power he used to hide.
"You didn't just do okay," Naruto said. "You proved that your clan's strength isn't just about size. It's about heart. You held your own against a walking earthquake. You earned his respect. And mine."
Brogy nodded solemnly. "You fought like a warrior of old. And any giant would be proud to have you in his clan."
Choji blinked.
Then he cried.
Just a little.
Nobody pointed it out.
Except Ino.
"Aw," she sniffled over the link, "he's crying. That means he's really happy."
"Or his ribs are broken," Shikamaru added. "Fifty-fifty."
Naruto just smiled and clapped a hand on Choji's shoulder.
"Let's get you healed up. You've got more battles ahead."
----------------
Dorry stood silent for a full minute after the crater stopped smoking.
Not an easy feat for a giant with vocal cords like foghorns. His beard ruffled in the ocean breeze, his eyes—like molten gold under thick brows—narrowed at the battlefield where Choji had just been suplexed into a new tectonic plate.
"Well, I'll be gobsmacked by Thor's underpants," Dorry finally said, arms crossed, voice low. "That boy ain't no fledgling."
Beside him, Asuma lit a cigarette with a flick, his face unreadable. "He's always had that in him. Just needed the right battlefield."
Gai, meanwhile, was crying.
Like, full-on tears streaming down his face.
"SO BEAUTIFUL! The youth! The flames! The passion of a man pushing past his limits!" He threw his fists into the air. "I must challenge this Brogy to a contest of push-ups!"
"Please don't," Kakashi muttered behind his book. "We only have one island left."
Dorry let out a deep sigh. "I owe you all an apology," he said, surprising them.
Asuma blinked. "For what?"
"For underestimating your people. If this Choji, who you claim is not even your strongest, can battle my brother like that…" He looked down at his massive hands, clenched them into fists, then relaxed. "Then if all of you attacked at once, the fight wouldn't be a battle. It would be a funeral. Mine."
He scratched his beard, gaze darkening. "And if that's the level of strength you possess casually… you might just survive these seas. Unless…" He tilted his head, looking at them sideways. "Unless you're looking for death."
Asuma chuckled, blowing smoke into the air. "Not looking for it."
"But we're not afraid of it either," Kakashi added.
Gai gave a thumbs-up that sparkled like a camera flash. "We seek the fire that lies beyond it!"
Dorry's mouth curled into a grin.
"Then you are fools," he said fondly. "But my favorite kind. The kind that changes the world."
Behind them, the sound of Choji's body being patched up was drowned by Brogy's booming laughter and Naruto yelling, "NO, YOU CAN'T JUST SUPLEX MY FRIEND INTO A CANYON AGAIN!"