Chapter 25: Meeting with Chоji

In the past, when Shikamaru watched anime and read manga, Chоji Akimichi always seemed like a normal guy to him, just like Shikamaru. It's just that Akimichi didn't develop much in terms of strength, like his friend. Knowing that Ch будущемji and Ino would become his partners in the future, Shikamaru wanted to change the fat man a little. For a start, as soon as he got used to training, even if it was difficult, Shikamaru could not refuse it. It is likely that in the future Shikamaru will rapidly increase in strength, so the original Ino-Shika-Che may not last long. But at least even if Shikamaru becomes Chūnin or Jnin, he may well stay with his team, simply by becoming their captain. So in this case, it was worth raising their skills a little or they will be useless. Even if they weren't a team and Shikamaru quickly grew in strength, he would at least be able to have strong allies if he trained them.

Teamwork was of course unusual for him, but in the ninja world it can become a necessity. Although, he still hoped to increase his strength to a level where he could handle it alone.

So it's worth starting with Chоji, and since this fat man loves to eat, Shikamaru decided to please him by buying a couple of packets of chips. The food was a good incentive, so maybe he could be forced to exercise the same way.

Arriving at the rather large residence, Shikamaru immediately walked to the door and knocked. But, there was no answer ... After knocking about ten more times, the guy shook his head and began to leave. But just at that moment, the door opened, and a small plump guy with a sleepy face and disheveled hair looked out.

Chоji was hard not to recognize, so Shikamaru smiled and said hello.

- Hi Chоji.

The guy rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched out in surprise:

- Sh-shikamaru? The fat man blinked a little, and then exclaimed, "Shikamaru!" Haha, good to see you! Chji ran up to his friend and immediately began hugging him.

- Father said not to bother you, but it looks like you're okay now, right? Shikamaru smiled, and gently pushing the fat man away said:

- Yes, I'm fine, but if you hug like that, it will get worse.

Chоji Akimichi was slightly shorter than Shikamaru, and was noticeably thicker. He was not quite fat, rather a little plump and with a rather large skeleton. Even his arms were noticeably larger than those of the thin Shikamaru. Chоji was definitely predisposed to become a huge mountain of muscles. But since he was Akimichi, a member of the clan specializing in burning calories for the use of techniques, this was not a particularly good option. Although, if he was building both muscle and fat, then it would probably be even better.

Otherwise, Chоji looked the same as in the anime as a child. Dark brown hair, a plump face and distinctive Akimichi clan patterns on both cheeks.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, looked slightly more distinctive than his version in the manga, his clothes were darker, and his gaze no longer expressed a lazy state.

In fact, Shikamaru and Chоji met only recently. Since Chоji was often teased by other children, his father decided to introduce him to his friend's son, and that's how they became friends.

When Shikamaru pushed Chоji away slightly, the fat man smiled apologetically.

- Sorry ... - just at that moment, the guy noticed something in his friend's hands and his eyes immediately sparkled: - Ha? Is it chips?

"Yes, it's for you." Shikamaru smiled and handed two packs of Chоji.

The boy grabbed the packs and smiled:

- Thanks buddy! Come on, I'll give you a cake. "With a wave of his hand, Chоji entered the house and took off his shoes. Shikamaru didn't mind and followed him.

A few minutes later, two were already sitting at the table drinking tea. Looking around his friend's rather large kitchen, Shikamaru smiled.

- And it's cozy here.

- Well, yes, my father loves to cook in his free time.

Akimichi's kitchen was really special, with at least a couple of refrigerators. Several dozen pots, pans and other kitchen utensils. It was like the kitchen of a man obsessed with cooking and food.

"Yeah, this is definitely Akimichi's style ..." Shikamaru smiled internally, broke off a piece of cake and ate it with pleasure. The taste was really amazing ...

But Shikamaru didn't come here for food, so he put down his mug of tea and asked:

"Chоji's case, you want to be a ninja, right?

- Well, yes, sort of like ... - the fat man answered without much enthusiasm.

Shikamaru just grinned wryly and said:

"I'm planning to become a ninja and hoped that we could train together.

"Um, do you think I can become a ninja? Chоji asked doubtfully. The fat man clearly lacked confidence, which was conspicuous, but this did not bother Shikamaru at all. Confidence is quite possible to cultivate in yourself, it was not a problem.

Shikamaru nodded.

- Of course, I have some technique, with it you will definitely become not just a ninja, but a very strong ninja.

Chоji's face changed and asked excitedly.

- Technique? What kind of technique? Tell me!

After drinking his tea, Shikamaru smiled calmly.

- Calm down, everything has its time buddy. First, we need to get some money. Mom refused me this, and my father ... Hmm, he lives by the laws of his mother, so I was left without money. Maybe you have something?

When asked by a friend, Chоji only nodded.

"I have, a little ..." Standing up, Chоji ran off somewhere, and five minutes later returned with a small wallet. He poured some coins on the table and smiled.

- That's all there is.

After counting all the coins by eye, Shikamaru just shook his head in disappointment. This amount was definitely not enough.

Of course, at his age, you shouldn't have to worry about money at all. If he asked his parents, they could very well give him a little. But Shikamaru was not a child, and it was a little unpleasant for him to ask someone for money. Moreover, even in the past, he always got out of financial problems on his own. His father was so-so, so Shikamaru got out of the problems himself. And he could not once again involve others, especially parents in his training. He did not doubt their reliability, they just did not need to know some things, because they could start asking questions. With Chоji, it could have been easier. First, Shikamaru did not doubt his loyalty, as he knew a lot about him. Second, it was easy to get him to keep secrets and not ask unnecessary questions. So having a partner in crime, even though he was so small, was not a bad idea. It is not always possible to solve everything on your own, and an ally can help in many ways ...