Although he didn't sense any malice from this third person—on the contrary, there was even a vague sense of familiarity—years of enduring cold shoulders and sarcasm had, knowingly or not, ingrained a certain reflex in Naruto's very bones. Before his mind could fully process what was happening, his body had already acted on its own.
"Hmm? Who's there!"
With a tense frown and a sharp warning, Naruto instinctively moved. His arms curled in protectively, shielding the already-shy Hinata nestled in his embrace. Without turning his back, he positioned himself as a human shield, ready to block any incoming attack. At the same time, he slightly tilted his head, casting a cautious glance in the direction of the approaching chakra he had just sensed.
"Huh? Chōji?"
Upon seeing who it was, Naruto exhaled in relief. It had been a false alarm. His voice broke the silence with mild surprise as he called out to the little guy quietly munching on his share of "dog food" from the sidelines.
"What are you doing standing there like a statue?"
"Huh? Oh… Naruto… it's… nothing… really…"
Chōji, who had been "spacing out" nearby, responded with a weak smile after a brief pause. He waved lightly in greeting toward Naruto and Hinata, though his energy was clearly lacking.
"Looks like you two are done, huh? Then let's get moving… catch up with Shikamaru and the others."
As soon as he said that, Chōji began dragging his feet forward, swaying slightly with every step. Once he was close enough for Naruto and Hinata to see his face, his blank eyes and the chip that slipped from his hand without so much as a glance made Naruto feel a sudden wave of guilt.
But no matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't for the life of him figure out what kind of "prank" he might've pulled to cause such an unusual reaction from someone who treated snacks like treasure. Confused and unsure, Naruto stepped aside, making room on the path while feeling oddly sheepish.
'What the heck just happened to him…?'
Watching Chōji's figure slowly disappear into the distance, Naruto muttered to himself. When he glanced down and made eye contact with the equally bewildered Hinata in his arms, they asked each other at the same time:
"Done with what? Hinata, do you know what he meant?"
"Done with what? Naruto-kun, do you know what he meant?"
However, while the two of them were distracted with conversation…
Naruto failed to notice something important.
Then again, even if he had known… well, he probably would've done it anyway.
Because in this wife-doting maniac's heart… nothing in the world could ever come before his girl.
Meanwhile, with Chōji now rejoining them, the remaining members of the two squads who had fallen behind were finally gathered together.
With two members already having "volunteered" to charge ahead and clear the path, there was no need for Naruto to waste any more time. Keeping Hinata securely in his arms as always, he began increasing his pace, moving steadily forward along the straight path.
At the same time, Chōji's demeanor seemed to shift entirely after reuniting with the group. No matter how many times Naruto tried asking, all he got in response was a vague reassurance that he was "fine" and not to worry.
Even more frustrating—Naruto had no idea what had caused this sudden change. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to provoke it. Not even his years of experience reading people helped; for now, Chōji's thoughts remained a complete mystery.
Fortunately, at least for the moment, there didn't seem to be any negative side effects. On the contrary, ever since this shift, Chōji had stopped whining or complaining altogether. Even when Naruto gradually increased the pace to catch up to Shikamaru and Ino, Chōji silently kept up, step for step. With Shikamaru and Ino having long bolted ahead, the group's overall speed had increased significantly without anyone realizing it.
"Still hanging in there?"
Having gone from a slow stroll to a quick and steady advance, Naruto murmured under his breath while using his sensory abilities to check on Chōji a short distance behind.
'Seems like I was right—he just didn't want to move earlier because he's lazy and hates discomfort. But judging by his current pace, he's actually got some real potential… a good seedling worth nurturing.'
Seeing that Chōji was struggling a bit but still holding firm without falling behind, Naruto's eyes lit up with a smile as he gave a small nod of approval.
"But still…"
The smile quickly faded from his face. His brow furrowed in curiosity.
"Why the sudden breakthrough? What gave Chōji the motivation to finally push himself? Could it be… one of Shikamaru's many 'accomplishments' again?"
Of course, what Naruto didn't know… was that while it was Ino who had triggered the change—
If you traced it all back, whether it was the reason she had taken her frustration out on the chips, or the reason Chōji "accidentally" unlocked some hidden resolve…
It all stemmed from one thing:
Naruto shamelessly flirting with Hinata in public, driving everyone else into a frenzy of emotional damage.
In a sense… this was a completely unintentional, but still very real, domino effect created by Naruto himself.
"Well, I've got no idea what Chōji went through to suddenly get this fired up… but honestly, if it helps us move faster, then it's a win."
As countless theories floated through Naruto's mind and were dismissed one after another, he eventually gave up trying to guess. Especially when his sensory field picked up more and more chakra signatures converging nearby—other examinees, closing in fast.
With a slightly wicked smirk forming on his lips, Naruto picked up the pace again and muttered teasingly under his breath:
"Oh? Those poor suckers who took the wrong route are already catching up? Guess it's time to speed up a little more..."