After finishing her morning workout, Hinata went straight to the kitchen. As expected, the cook wasn't there. She asked around and learned he was, once again, in the bathroom.
He always seemed to be there when she came to eat.
Understanding her father's intentions and knowing he wouldn't be sending food anytime soon, Hinata didn't hesitate. She ate. And ate. And kept eating—until she was fully satisfied. Then, as always, she tidied up neatly before leaving.
…
Just as she opened the door to her room, the one next door opened too.
"Yo! Hinata—heading to eat? Come with us!"
Kiba grinned, leaning against the doorframe.
Hinata nodded silently, closed her door, and followed Kiba and Shino to eat again.
At the table, Kiba puffed up proudly, patting his chest.
"Hinata, you're not eating enough! This won't do. Look at me—I eat three bowls of rice every meal! You need to eat more if you want to be strong!"
Shino adjusted his glasses, speaking in his usual calm tone.
"Girls generally eat less. It's normal. Their stomachs are smaller, and their constitutions are not as robust as men's."
Hinata lowered her head, pretending to be embarrassed.
"Oh, right!" Kiba said suddenly. "My mom wants to invite you over for dinner—to thank you for, uh, hitting me all the time."
Shino added dryly,
"That's not hitting—it's sparring and guidance. Though… the same goes for my household."
Hinata smiled softly and agreed.
…
Later that afternoon, the cook returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner—only to freeze again.
"It's gone… again? That was enough food for three days!"
He rubbed his temples in disbelief. "Could it be… the Akimichi clan?"
He didn't know how the Chunin Exams were progressing; he was just the cook. His job was to feed people, not question them. He hurried off once more to report the shortage and order more supplies.
But when the Chunin in charge of logistics read the report, his brow furrowed.
"Out of supplies again? What's going on? These quantities should've lasted for days! Don't tell me they were all eaten?"
"That's right—they were definitely eaten!" the cook replied, exasperated. "I don't know how, but it's true!"
The Chunin scowled and went to see for himself.
"Enough food for all the examinees to last three days—and only two teams have even arrived? You're saying they ate it all?"
"Two teams?" The cook's eyes widened. "You mean… just two groups?"
The Chunin stomped his foot.
"You can explain this to the Hokage yourself! I'm done!"
"Explain what?" the cook muttered as the man stormed off. "It's not like I stole it. The food's gone, sure—but it's not my fault they're hungry!"
….
When the report finally reached the Third Hokage, he was far too busy to pay much attention. The cook clearly hadn't embezzled anything, and the other Chunin were accounted for. After reviewing the details, there was only one plausible conclusion.
"The genin must've eaten it all…"
The old man leaned back, lighting his pipe thoughtfully.
"Akimichi Choji, hm?"
He smiled faintly, recalling the round, ever-hungry boy who was infamous for his appetite. He circled the name on the list and authorized another shipment of supplies.
…
Meanwhile, deep in the Forest of Death, Choji Akimichi, completely unaware of what had transpired, trudged along with his teammates. Having long since run out of chips and snacks, he was nearly in tears.
"Man, I'm starving…"
Unknowingly, he had become the scapegoat for an entire tower's missing food supply.
[5]
…
Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan, exhaled in quiet relief upon hearing that a large shipment of food had finally been sent to the Forest of Death.
He had made two sets of preparations in advance—one in case the village refused to shoulder the heavy burden, and another to ensure that his eldest daughter would never go hungry. The contingency plan worked perfectly.
The results were better than expected.
With such an abundance of supplies flooding in, Hinata no longer restrained herself. She ate until she was fully satisfied—though, as always, she did so in secret to avoid startling Kiba and Shino.
…
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Before departing for the tower, the Third Hokage reviewed the most recent report on resource consumption. The food ledger caught his attention immediately.
The numbers were… staggering.
The old man's eyelids twitched as he studied the totals. After a long pause, he called over an ANBU operative and quietly instructed,
"Deliver this to the Akimichi clan."
When Choza Akimichi received the document, he frowned briefly, then chuckled.
"It all adds up. It must be our Choji. The boy's always been a big eater."
After a short discussion with his wife, the two agreed without hesitation to split the costs evenly.
…
Hinata, completely unaware of the misunderstanding, was having a meal with several genin who had graduated in the same year. Her gaze drifted toward Choji, who seemed noticeably thinner than he had been five days earlier.
She blinked in mild surprise.
Unlike her, Choji wasn't built for long stretches without food. Once his snacks and rations were gone, hunger hit him hard. He wasn't like Hinata—who could hunt, eat raw meat, and even drink blood if necessary.
…
The time limit soon expired, marking the end of the second round of the Chunin Exams—or rather, the transition to the next phase.
Standing before the remaining participants, the Third Hokage delivered a brief speech.
He explained the true purpose of the Chunin Exams: not only to test individual skill, but also judgment, endurance, and leadership. The next step would be a preliminary round—a series of elimination matches designed to halve the number of competitors before the official finals.
It sounded straightforward enough.
The first match pitted Sakura Haruno against Ino Yamanaka.
Both were new-generation genin of Konoha—earnest, determined, but inexperienced. Their battle was spirited yet clumsy, marked by hesitation and lack of true combat instinct.
When both girls collapsed from exhaustion, the match ended in a draw.
…
The second match was between Tenten and Temari.
Tenten relied heavily on her mastery of ninja tools, but Temari's Wind Release made that strategy ineffective. Undeterred, Tenten discarded her weapons mid-battle and closed the distance, engaging Temari in close combat.
Their clash was intense, a storm of steel and wind.
Tenten's relentless determination—honed through months of grueling training with Neji and Lee, which had once sent her to the hospital—pushed Temari to her limits.
When Temari found herself trapped, her neck squeezed tight by Tenten's arm, she turned red from lack of air and was forced to press a kunai against Tenten's vitals.
Another draw.
…
The third match brought Kankuro against Shino Aburame.
One commanded puppets and poison; the other commanded insects and patience.
Their fight was a web of deception and counter-deception—trap against trap, tactic against tactic. Shino, having been beaten senseless by Hinata countless times in sparring, had even developed a few close-combat counters of his own.
The audience held its breath as the two fought to a perfect stalemate.
Yet another draw.
…
After three consecutive ties, Anko Mitarashi, who was overseeing the matches, wiped sweat from her brow and muttered something under her breath before calling for a short break.
…
The fourth match paired Kiba Inuzuka with Shikamaru Nara.
In raw strength and speed, Kiba utterly overwhelmed Shikamaru. But Shikamaru's intelligence was far beyond his own—and Kiba's reckless, impulsive nature proved to be his undoing.
By the time Kiba realized it, his shadow had already been captured.
A narrow victory for Shikamaru.
…
The fifth match—Rock Lee versus Choji Akimichi—never truly began.
Choji raised his hand the moment the match was announced.
"I… I surrender."
And that was that.
…
The sixth match—Sasuke Uchiha versus Kabuto Yakushi—captured everyone's attention.
Their fight was fierce and precise, both combatants evenly matched. Sasuke pushed his body to the limit, but Kabuto's experience gave him an edge—until he made one critical error.
Sasuke seized the moment, unleashing a powerful Lion's Barrage he copied from Lee that finally brought Kabuto down.
…
Then came the seventh match.
The screen froze for a moment, before displaying the next pairing:
Hinata Hyuga vs. Gaara of the Sand.
A hush fell over the arena.