Sairai 再来

Chapter 18 - If you can cheat, cheat

First POV 

Never in my life had the Academy looked so intimidating, or I felt this way because the last week had been a living hell. My body was covered in bruises which I've won by either fighting with my sensei or completing one of his hellish courses.

On paper, the training didn't look bad, it just seemed tiring. Waking up at five in the morning, running a lap around the village, taijutsu practice, chakra control, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and then to top it off a one versus one battle with Kakashi. The training would finish around eight at night with another lap around the village. At one point I thought I saw Neji and his team running on their hands.

Another irritating thing that happened last week was Iruka-sensei, who decided to test my patience by following me around the village and attacking me while being disguised. Who knows, it was probably part of Kakashi's road to hell training to keep us alert all of the time. 

Between Iruka's pranks and Kakashi's regime, I didn't have time to do any work on the stone at the Naka Shrine, I've barely even seen Shisui this week. He was also busy training his team, and by how Sakura looked like when I passed her on the streets he was doing a thorough job.

Here I was, one week later, entering the doors of our first exam, followed closely by Sasuke and Naruto, who looked as beat up as I was. 

I almost wanted to cut my legs when I realized that I had to climb three sets of stairs. I was in no shape or form ready to take the chunin exams in the condition I was now.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived on the thirst floor, which was crowded by genins from all around the Five Shinobi Countries. I saw Sakura and the Nori twins in front of the crowd fighting two boys who seemed to guard the door. Behind them was Team Guy. Of course, Neji had to be here, just my luck, why couldn't he have taken the exam last year?

"Let's go see why they are fighting," Naruto proposed and I had to be dragged behind them as they made their way to where Sakura and Neji were. 

The pink-haired girl stopped her ruckus once she saw us and smiled, the change in her mood grabbing the attention of Neji and his teammates. I prepared myself for the avalanche of insults that was about to come once my cousin noticed my presence. The Nori twins gave us a shy hello before hiding in Sakura's shadow.

"Sasuke, Chise, please tell me you also see this cheap genjutsu they used to trick us into thinking that this is the third floor. Seriously, Shisui-sensei taught us about the Demonic Illusion on the first day," she said with confidence while eyeing up and down the two genin that were guarding the door. I on the other hand truthfully hadn't seen the genjutsu. If I didn't have my Sharingan activated even the simplest trick would fly above my head. 

"Yes, it's quite stupid of you to use this level of genjutsu against two Uchihas, even Naruto saw it," Sasuke nodded in approval for both of us, even though he knew I had no idea. I just went with, also pretending with Naruto that I saw it.

I caught Neji's glare on me but before he could say or do anything a green hurricane cut his way and terrifying the Nori twins in a corner. A boy in a green latex suit and a bowl cut threw himself at the feet of Sakura, looking at her with hear-eyes.

"Oh, my pink cherry blossom flower, the more you talk the more I love you, you solved the puzzle when no one could, how could I repay you for your kindness, my angle," the boy said as everyone got creeped out by his sentence. Sakura on the other hand just shrugged, flipping her hair over the shoulder and smirking.

"I'm just better at genjutsu than those two," she cockyly said while pointing at those two. In the past two months, Sakura has improved drastically, both in skills and attitude, it was a good and welcoming change from her old boy-obsessed self, not that now she wasn't, but she knew to make them come to her and not vice-versa. Her being on Shisui's team was probably the best decision that the Hokage has done in the past decade.