Academy Entrance Exam

Finally, the day I'd been waiting for had arrived—the Academy entrance exam. Now, I'd love to say that I was raring to go, fully prepared to dominate, but let's be real here. The last two months? Total bust. My stats didn't budge an inch, and I was starting to feel like the RPG equivalent of a potato. But hey, joining the Academy had to count for something, right? I mean, that's where all the cool stuff happens in the anime. Fingers crossed I'd start leveling up soon.

The last couple of months had been a strange blend of stress and hilarity. The Uchiha clan had basically adopted us for a series of increasingly fancy lunches and dinners, where we kids were always left to be "babysat" by Itachi or Shisui. I say "babysat" because Itachi seemed more like a brooding babysitter from a horror movie rather than an actual kid. I had no intention of turning into a miniature war machine like him, so I decided to fully enjoy my second childhood. Why not, right? If I've learned anything, it's that growing up is overrated.

It was during one of these so-called playdates that I met the future dream team of Konoha: Sasugay (because seriously, that nickname will never die), Everything-is-a-Drag-Maru (who I swear sighed every ten seconds), Eat-It-All-Akimichi (I've never seen anyone inhale food like that), and Duckbutt-Stalker-Ino (honestly, she couldn't get her eyes off Sasuke if she tried). Just like in the anime, Ino immediately latched onto Sasuke as if he were the last Uchiha on Earth—which, okay, he kind of was, but still. Since I wasn't into the whole fangirl thing, Ino and I hit it off. Plus, by this point, I had finally grown into my forehead (thank the heavens), and I'd mastered the art of strategic hairstyling. No way was I letting anyone slap me with that infamous nickname.

Meanwhile, back in the adult world, Danzo was carted off to the intelligence department, hopefully never to be seen again. And then, as if that wasn't enough drama, the village was suddenly plastered with posters asking for information on a "masked man." I could practically hear the panic in the air. Guess Konoha's higher-ups finally got the memo—Tobi was on the loose, and nobody was taking any chances.

But let's get to the main event—the entrance exam. Naruto and I showed up, twinning in our black and red outfits because that's just how we roll. And no, we didn't plan it, but let's pretend we did. The rest of the gang joined us soon after, with Ino's high-pitched squealing alerting the entire village to Sasuke's presence. There were about 500 hopefuls, all of us buzzing with nervous energy.

The first test was a 10-lap run around the training ground near the Academy. Naruto shot off like a man possessed, and I followed close behind, managing to snag second place. Out of the 500, only 450 made it through that test. Not bad for the first hurdle.

Next up was the written exam. Now, I was expecting something along the lines of "Name three uses for a kunai," but nope—it was more like "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love Konoha?" It was basically a loyalty test. I aced it, coming in first. What can I say? I'm good with words, and I know how to play the game.

Then came the team game. I ended up leading a team of six civilian kids. The task? Capture the scroll from the opposing team's base, all while trying not to trip over each other. I took charge like a boss, and we managed to snag two scrolls before I decided it was time to pull back. Clearly, this test was all about teamwork. I ranked second, right behind Shikamaru, who I swear could out-strategize a chess grandmaster in his sleep.

The third and final test involved measuring our chakra levels. We all lined up, and I mentally prepared myself for whatever was coming. The results? Naruto came in first, with me trailing right behind. And Sasuke? Third place. He looked like someone had told him the last Uchiha fan club meeting had been canceled. Priceless.

Then, the final rankings were displayed. I held my breath as I read the results.

[Ding. Quest completed. Get to the top ten at the Academy entrance exam. You finished in first place. Rewards: 5000 Exp, Jonin trainer. Feature unlocked: ID Create. ID Create allows the host to create a sub-dimension to train and can generate monsters for the host to fight.]

[Ding! Host reached LVL 10. Jutsu unlocked. Inventory Unlocked. New Stats added: NIN (Ninjutsu), TAI (Taijutsu), GEN (Genjutsu), FUIN (Fuinjutsu). Based on the weapon the host selects, other stats will get added.]

[LVL 10

CC: 12

INT: 24

WIS: 20

STR: 18

DEX: 7

SPD: 13

NIN: 0

TAI: 0

GEN: 0

FUIN: 0

VIT: 700 (20/hr)

Points: 20

Total Chakra: 13440]

[Slot A: Money: 6000 Ryo

Slot B: Kunai

Slot C: Shuriken

Slot D: Scrolls

Slot E: -locked

Slot F: -locked

Slot G: -locked

Slot H: -locked

Slot I: -locked

Slot J: -locked]

I did it. First place. It felt like I'd just conquered a mountain—or at least a very steep hill. Out of 500 participants, 320 kids passed, including the Rookie 9. Classes would start in five days, so I had some time to savor my victory and mentally prepare for whatever the Academy would throw at me next.

To celebrate, we had a dinner party at the Nara residence, where I faced off against Shikamaru in Shogi. It was less of a match and more of a slaughter. Seriously, that guy's brain should be classified as a weapon. He demolished me in five moves flat. I tried to pretend it was a learning experience, but let's be honest—I just got wrecked.

The next day, I decided it was time for some retail therapy, so I dragged Naruto out for a shopping spree. Mom had hammered the importance of saving money into him, so he had a decent stash of Ryo saved up. I added my own allowance to my inventory.

[Money: 20000 Ryo]

We stocked up on kunai and shuriken (10 each), plus a standard backpack for each of us. Practical and stylish—well, as stylish as ninja gear can be.

[Money: 10000 Ryo]

With our shopping done, we made our way to the Hokage Tower to meet my new instructor. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I figured it would be someone cool and mysterious, like Kakashi, right? Wrong.

As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by the blinding sight of a perfectly round bowl cut and teeth so white they could probably reflect genjutsu. My heart sank.

"Aha! You must be my new youthful students! I am Might Guy. Let us spread the light of youth everywhere!" he declared, beaming at us like we were his long-lost children.

Might. Freaking. Guy. I wanted to laugh, cry, and run for the hills all at the same time. This was the Green Beast of Konoha, the man who made spandex his fashion statement and believed that a hundred push-ups before breakfast was a warm-up. I could practically hear my future crying in the distance.

Guy instructed us to meet him daily at 6 AM for a three-hour training session. The Academy started at 10, so that left us just enough time to shower, eat, and prepare ourselves mentally for another round of…whatever Guy had in store. To top it all off, he handed us the infamous Guy Special Training Outfits. Green spandex. The horror.

When we got home, I couldn't take it anymore. I enlisted Mom's help in redesigning the outfit because there was no way I was going to parade around Konoha looking like a reject from a superhero comic. With a bit of creativity and some tailoring magic, we turned the green monstrosity into something slightly more fashionable—or at least something I wouldn't die of embarrassment in. Still, the image of Might Guy's beaming face haunted me. What had I gotten myself into?