28. A Stroke Of Genius
(Bonus Chapter for 25 Powerstones, Guys we are still in Top 40, let's try to remain in this range, Vote now, this is really gonna boost this fic)
Chapter 14: The Great Genin Chase
Sora stood in his usual training ground, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips as he reviewed his stats:
- Stealth: 267 >> 423
- Chakra Control: 190 >> 370
- Ninjutsu: 170 >> 230
- Taijutsu: 40 >> 50
- Genjutsu: 70 >> 290
- Fuinjutsu: 230 >> 350
- Intelligence: 30 >> 32 (average is 10)
- Creativity: 21 >> 25 (average is 10)
- Luck: 45 >> 69 (average is 5)
- Prank Points: 210
"Not bad, not bad at all," he murmured, nodding to himself. His progress over the past few months had been nothing short of remarkable. His stealth was now at Jounin level, a fact that filled him with no small amount of pride. After all, what self-respecting prankster wouldn't want Jounin-level stealth?
His chakra control was nearing Jounin level too, just 30 points shy. Ninjutsu and Genjutsu had entered Chunin level, and his Fuinjutsu had seen a nice bump as well. He'd spent a whopping 4,000 Prank Points to increase his creativity and an eye-watering 20,000 points on Intelligence.
But the most astounding change was his Luck stat. It had increased by 24 points, a feat that should have been impossible. Sora knew that increasing a stat in the fifties required one million points, and in the sixties, it jumped to ten million points.
"Maybe the universe finally decided to cut me some slack," he mused, then snorted. "Nah, it probably just got tired of my shenanigans and figured it'd be easier to let me win sometimes."
As he pondered the mysteries of his inexplicable luck increase, he sensed a familiar presence approaching. Right on cue, Hanabi Hyuga stepped into the clearing, her white eyes narrowed in what Sora had come to recognize as her 'I'm-not-excited-to-see-you-but-I-am' look.
"You're late," Sora called out, grinning.
Hanabi huffed, crossing her arms. "A Hyuga is never late. Everyone else is simply early."
"Never mind," Sora waved it off. "Anyway, are you ready for today's adventure?"
Over the past four months, Sora and Hanabi had developed an odd sort of friendship, punctuated by frequent spars and increasingly elaborate schemes. Not that the prideful Hyuga would ever admit to enjoying Sora's company, of course.
"Adventure?" Hanabi repeated a mix of curiosity and wariness in her voice. "What are you planning this time, troublemaker?"
Sora's grin widened. "Today, my dear Hanabi, we're going to spy on the Genin test!"
Hanabi's eyes widened slightly. "The Genin test? But that's for the older students. My sister's class."
"Exactly!" Sora nodded enthusiastically. "Today's the day Konoha 9 graduates. Well, supposedly graduates. There's always a secret test given by the Jounin senseis to decide if the Genins are actually capable. And get this - it has a 66% failure rate!"
Hanabi's brow furrowed. "How do you know all this?"
Sora tapped the side of his nose. "I have my sources. So, what do you say? Want to see how your sister fares in this test?"
For a moment, Hanabi looked torn. On one hand, sneaking around and spying on official ninja business was probably against some stuffy Hyuga clan rule. On the other hand... it did sound intriguing. And she was curious about how Hinata would perform.
"Fine," she said, at last, trying to sound reluctant. "But only because I want to observe my sister's progress."
"Sure, sure," Sora nodded, not buying her act for a second. "And I'm just tagging along because I'm concerned about Naruto ni-chan's development. It has nothing to do with the potential for chaos and the opportunity to gather prime prank material."
Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Let's just go before I change my mind."
With matching grins of anticipation, the two six-year-olds set off towards the academy, employing every stealth technique they knew. As they moved, Sora couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride. A few months ago, Hanabi would have never agreed to something like this. He was clearly being a good influence on her.
At the Academy, Sora and Hanabi perched on a sturdy branch overlooking the classroom window. Inside, the graduating class waited with varying degrees of patience for their team assignments.
"Can you read what they're saying?" Sora whispered.
Hanabi activated her Byakugan, focusing on the lips of Iruka-sensei. "He's announcing the teams now," she reported. "Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."
Sora snickered. "Oh, this is going to be good. Naruto's got a crush on Sakura, Sakura's obsessed with Sasuke, and Sasuke... well, Sasuke's Sasuke."
"Shh!" Hanabi hissed. "Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."
"Interesting mix," Sora mused. "Tracker team, maybe?"
Hanabi nodded. "Likely. And Team 10 is Ino-Shika-Cho, like their parents."
"Classic," Sora grinned. "Now, here's where it gets tricky. We need to follow these teams without getting caught by their Jounin senseis."
"You said to follow your lead," Hanabi reminded him. "So, what's the plan?"
Sora's grin turned mischievous. "Well, first things first. We're going to need a distraction."
With a quick hand sign, Sora created a shadow clone. "You," he pointed at his doppelganger, "are going to keep an eye on Team 7. I have a feeling they're going to be waiting a while for their sensei."
The clone saluted and settled into position, its chakra already masked to avoid detection.
"As for us," Sora turned to Hanabi, "we're going to follow Team 8. Your sister's team," he added, seeing Hanabi's questioning look.
Hanabi nodded, a flicker of excitement in her eyes. "Let's go then."
As they moved to follow Team 8, Sora couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation. This was going to be fun.
Team 8, blissfully unaware of their pint-sized shadows, made their way to a secluded training ground. Kurenai Yuhi, their assigned Jounin sensei, stood waiting for them, her crimson eyes scanning her new charges.
From their hiding spot in a distant tree, Sora and Hanabi watched intently. Sora had carefully masked his chakra to mimic that of a bird, while Hanabi's chakra was sealed, making her virtually invisible to even a Byakugan user at this distance.
"I am Kurenai Yuhi," the Jounin began, her voice carrying clearly to their hiding spot. "I'll be your sensei if you pass the test. First, let's introduce ourselves."
The introductions proceeded, with Hinata stuttering shyly, Kiba boasting loudly, and Shino... well, being Shino.
"Now," Kurenai continued, "for your test. Your objective is simple: touch me within the next six hours. The entire village is your testing ground. Begin!"
With that, Kurenai disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
"Well, that's certainly direct," Sora whispered to Hanabi. "What do you think they'll do?"
Hanabi's eyes were focused on her sister. "Hinata-nee-san is using her Byakugan to search the area," she reported. "Shino is... deploying his insects? And Kiba and Akamaru are sniffing the air."
"Smart," Sora nodded. "They're using their clan techniques right off the bat."
As they watched, Team 8 quickly formulated a plan and set off into the village. Sora and Hanabi followed at a safe distance, Sora's earlier sealing work ensuring they remained undetected even by Shino's searching insects.
Some insects that stumbled near them were caught in Sora's Genjutsu.
Meanwhile, back at the Academy, Sora's clone was getting bored. Team 7 had been waiting for their sensei for over an hour, and even Naruto's attempts at setting up pranks weren't enough to keep things interesting.
Suddenly, an idea struck the clone. With a mischievous grin that would have made the real Sora proud,