"Why have you turned into another Shikamaru?" Ino asked Sakura, who was already dozing off in class.
"You even use his catchphrases 'I'm tired,' 'I don't want to move,' 'It's troublesome,' and you're acting just like him." Ino mimicked Sakura dramatically.
Shikamaru woke up at the sound of his name, cracked one eye open, then lazily glanced their way to see what was going on.
"I am tired, that's why," Sakura complained.
"How do you get tired before class even starts?" Ino asked, baffled. Tired, sluggish Sakura was something she had never imagined, but now has to see every day.
"I started training with a ninja, so I'm exhausted all the time. My whole body hurts from exercise. He makes me run for over an hour every day. I have to do various stances, practice taijitsu. He also-" Sakura sat up and began dramatically lamenting to Ino, her eyes watery and her tone full of exaggerated suffering.
Shikamaru visibly shuddered, hearing Sakura's complaints, and went back to sleep. Hearing Sakura's training routine has been enough for him to get tired for a few days.
"Oh my god. You have to do that.",
"What?",
"Seriously?"
Ino used her entire vocabulary of exclamations, unable to believe Sakura was undergoing such intense training at her age. But when she remembered Sakura's personality and her ambitions, she realized it did suit her. What didn't suit her was this teary-eyed, overdramatic complaining.
But when Ino learned Sakura's teacher was Guy, and heard what kind of training he put her through, the teary-eyed complaints suddenly made sense. Outwardly, Ino wore a sympathetic, sad face, but inwardly,
"I never thought I would see Sakura make such a cute face. If only I had a camera right now."
After having her grievance heard by another soul, Sakura slept again.
*****
"Sakura, Shikamaru," Iruka called Sakura and Shikamaru, who were sleeping in the class.
"Huh, what happened?" Sakura and Shikamaru woke up.
"Is it lunch time?" Sakura asked Ino.
"This is the first period," Iruka shouted from the front of the class.
"Isn't first period Math? I already know that. Iruks sensei, please let me sleep. I have informed you previously why I sleep in class." Sakura said to Iruka.
"You can do that." Shikamaru was shocked hearing what Sakura said.
"Iruka sensei, I also know Math, Science, History, basic ninja studies, and all other subjects taught this year. So, can I also sleep like Sakura does, with your permission?" Shikamaru immediately asked.
"Shikamaru," Iruka shouted. "How dare you ask this? Sakura only sleeps on some subjects, but you sleep the whole day. Also, Sakura trains hard every day, so I allowed her to sleep after she passed the test exam I had given her on these subjects."
Shikamaru once again looked at Sakura. He felt betrayed knowing that Sakura had taken the exam without telling him. He also felt happy knowing there was a way he could sleep this whole year without teachers disturbing him.
"So, you can sleep in class if I pass the test?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yes, anyone who can pass the test can sleep in class, but the test will be extra hard. Also, this only applies to my classes." Iruka made it clear. He knew that currently, Sakura and Shikamaru were the only ones who would pass the test. He told them so that they would try to do the test and learn in the process.
"This is a training class. So, everyone has to attend this class. I am going to show you some of the basic skills of the ninja." Iruka informed them. "Everyone, follow me to the training ground of the academy."
"It's troublesome," Sakura and Shikamaru said at the same time.
Ino shook her head, hearing Sakura say that catchphrase while Choji was busy eating like always.
"Why do I say that? I have been saying that more lately? Is it because I heard him say it every day? So, I subconsciously copied it." Sakura felt this was the effect of her originally laid-back personality and a child's mind that tries to copy everything. In this case, his catchphrase.
*****
"Okay, everyone, today I'm going to show you Taijutsu, then move on to kunai and shuriken throwing. In your first year, this class will be held once a week, but it will become a regular part of your training in later years," Iruka began after the students gathered.
"Taijutsu is a skill every ninja must master, since it's essential for close combat. In a fight at close range, the ninja with better Taijutsu almost always wins. That's why every academy graduate is required to learn it. This is also considered one of the easier subjects to pass because you'll be practicing Taijutsu throughout all six years at the academy.
"Today, every ninja, whether from a clan or not, knows the basic forms of Taijutsu they first learned in the academy. So, for your survival, you must learn Taijutsu," Iruka said firmly, his voice carrying a note of seriousness.
"Many young students think ninjutsu is 'cool' and ignore Taijutsu. They only learn the bare minimum to pass the class, but once on the battlefield, that lack of training gets them injured or even killed." Iruka's solemn tone made several students gulp nervously.
"So today, I'll start by teaching you the basic stances of the Konoha-style Taijutsu, developed by the Second Hokage himself. He also made it a compulsory course in the academy, so that every Konoha ninja would be trained in close combat."
As Iruka began demonstrating, Sakura began to feel bored. She already knew all of this. Guy had drilled the stances into her every day. She had to practice the stances repeatedly, then perform them fluidly in a single motion, and finally spar with him using this Taijutsu. She did this in the morning and again in the evening.
She once more had to thank the system for giving her the ability 'Athletic body'. Otherwise, she wouldn't have survived Guy's high-intensity training. He also said that he will teach her a new style after he returns from the mission.
According to Guy, since she was still a child, she couldn't do strength training yet, so she had to focus on skills instead. Once mastered, those skills would stay with her for life. That's why he decided to train her in Taijutsu, throwing weapons, and the use of basic arms. He would also teach her some ninjutsu and chakra control. As she grew older, he planned to steadily raise the intensity of her training to build her endurance, strength, and stamina.
*****
"I am free today, so what should we do?" Sakura asked the Ino-Shika-Cho after their classes finished. She has been tried because of constant training. Guy has gone on a mission, so she wants to relax today.
"I just want to go home and relax," Shikamaru said. Shikamaru was saying, 'Don't expect me to join you.'
"Me too," Choji agreed with Shikamaru.
"Who is asking you two? I am asking Ino. Have you two ever done anything other than relaxing?" Sakura rolled her eyes, her meaning being, 'Ino will make a plan, and you have to come.'
"I also don't have anything particular to do today. So, I was thinking of helping my mother with gardening or at our flower shop." Ino replied.
"Them what should we do? I will have to start training again after Guy Sensei returns from the mission. So, I want to have fun and relax today." Sakura hoped that they could have some idea; otherwise, she would be bored in her home. After her memory fully recovered, she began to feel bored every day. When training with Guy, the time blurs, but after that, she feels very bored.
"I can't think of anything either." Ino also couldn't think of anything that they could do in a group. Sakura could visit her home and help her mother with gardening, as she loves to do that, but Shikamaru and Choji will not accept it.
"Let's go to Shikamaru's house and play Shogi," Sakura suggested. Before her memory fully returned, she'd played Shogi a few times with Shikamaru and found it fascinating. Now that her memory had recovered, she wanted to play even more.
Like millions around the world, she had started playing chess during the COVID-19 pandemic. She got hooked, playing regularly. Her rating wasn't impressive globally, but it was enough to brag to friends and family. Occasionally, she'd encounter a child with a higher rating, spend a month grinding in shame, get bored, and scale back to just a match or two a day until she met the next one, and the cycle repeated.
"Yes, we can go to my home to play shogi." Shikamaru nodded quickly when he heard Shogi.