34. S-Rank Jutsu

(First Bonus Chapter for 100 Powerstones, Guys, Vote as we still are not even in the Top 40)

"WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "We've been chasing a clone this whole time?"

Sasuke's Sharingan activated instinctively, scanning the area. "Impossible. No clone should have been able to maintain that level of transformation for so long."

Sakura turned to Kakashi, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Kakashi-sensei, is that even possible?"

Kakashi, for his part, looked both impressed and slightly exasperated. "Well, it seems our young prodigy has a few more tricks up his sleeve than we anticipated. Shall we head to Ichiraku to hear his explanation?"

As Team 7 made their way towards the village, still discussing the shocking revelation, the real Sora was just finishing up a very different kind of meeting.

---

Hokage's Office - Earlier that day

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was in the middle of his daily battle against the eternal enemy of all Kages: paperwork. Just as he was about to sign yet another mission report, a knock at the door provided a welcome distraction.

"Enter," he called, grateful for any excuse to put down his pen.

The door opened to reveal a familiar spiky-haired boy with a new scar over his left eye. "Yo, Jiji! Miss me?"

Hiruzen's pipe nearly fell from his mouth in surprise. "Sora? Where in the world have you been?"

Sora sauntered into the office, hands clasped behind his head in a carefree manner. "Oh, you know, just on an extended leave. A nasty case of stomach ache, as I'm sure you read in my note."

The Hokage's eye twitched slightly. "Ah yes, your... note. The one that sent half the village into a panic and had ANBU turning over every stone in Fire Country looking for you."

"Really?" Sora's eyes widened in mock innocence. "All that fuss over little old me? I'm touched, truly."

Hiruzen sighed, deciding to change the subject before he gave in to the urge to assign the boy a month of D-rank missions. "And what of your training? I assume you weren't actually incapacitated by stomach issues for three months."

At this, Sora's demeanour shifted slightly, a hint of pride entering his voice. "Actually, Jiji, I've been working on something pretty cool. Want to see?"

Without waiting for a response, Sora's form shimmered and changed. In the blink of an eye, a perfect replica of the Third Hokage stood before the desk, pipe and all.

Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise. "Impressive transformation, but I've seen you perform the Transformation Jutsu before."

Sora, still in the form of the Hokage, grinned mischievously. "Ah, but this is no ordinary transformation, Jiji. Watch this!"

Suddenly, the Hokage replica began to stretch and distort, its form flowing like water. In rapid succession, Sora transformed into a bird, then a fish, then a tree, water each form perfectly detailed and seemingly solid.

Hiruzen leaned forward, his pipe forgotten in his hand. "What in the world..."

Sora finally returned to his normal form, looking slightly winded but immensely pleased with himself. "I call it the Shapeshifting Jutsu. It's an A-rank technique I developed based on the Yang Transformation. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Do you know what's the best part?"

"What's the best part?"

"Using Chakra, I can change my Weight... Do I need to say anything more?"

The Hokage's mind raced with the implications of such a jutsu. "Sora, do you realize what you've created? The applications alone... It could be considered an S-rank Jutsu just due to the sheer versatility and the difficulty to learn."

Sora nodded, his expression unusually serious. "I know, Jiji. That's why I wanted to show you first. I figure the village could probably make good use of something like this."

Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Indeed we could. But Sora, jutsu creation at your age, especially one of this complexity... it's practically unheard of. You truly are a prodigy on par with Itachi Uchiha."

Sora rubbed the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed. "Aw, come on, Jiji. No need for flattery. I just like figuring out new ways to cause mischief, that's all."

The Hokage chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Well, your 'mischief' may have just provided Konoha with a valuable new technique. I think this calls for some kind of reward. What would you say to access the non-elemental jutsu section of the library?"

Sora's eyes lit up like it was his birthday. "Really? You mean it?"

After some good-natured haggling, during which Sora managed to negotiate not only access to the library but also a month's supply of free ramen from Ichiraku (to be paid for out of the Hokage's personal funds, of course), the details were finalized.

As Sora prepared to leave, Hiruzen called out to him. "Oh, and Sora? Next time you decide to go on an 'extended training trip', perhaps a more detailed note would be appreciated. Preferably one that doesn't give your academy teacher an aneurysm."

Sora grinned sheepishly. "No promises, Jiji, but I'll do my best!"

With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind a chuckling Hokage and a stack of neglected paperwork.

---

Present Time - Ichiraku Ramen

As Team 7 arrived at Ichiraku, they found Sora already there, slurping down a bowl of his favourite miso ramen.

"Ah, there you are!" he called out cheerfully. "Come on in, first round's on me!"

As they settled onto the stools, Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku, greeted them warmly. "Well, if it isn't our favourite little troublemaker! Where've you been hiding, Sora?"

Sora grinned. "Oh, you know me, Teuchi-san. Always on some adventure or another. But I'm back now, and hungrier than ever!"

As Teuchi began preparing their orders, Naruto could no longer contain his curiosity. "Alright, Sora, spill it! How did you manage to keep a shadow clone transformed for six hours straight? And what's with all the crazy shape-changing?"

Sora set down his chopsticks, his expression becoming a bit more serious. "Well, it's a new jutsu I've been working on. I call it the Shapeshifting Jutsu. It's kind of like an advanced version of the Yang Transformation Jutsu but with a lot more flexibility."

Sakura leaned in, her eyes shining with interest. "But how does it work? The chakra control required for something like that must be immense!"

"That's my little secret," Sora winked. "But let's just say it involves a lot of Yang Release manipulation and a fair bit of creativity."

Sasuke, trying to hide his own curiosity, scoffed. "It's just a fancy transformation. Nothing we can't handle with enough training."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Care to put that to the test sometime, Sasuke? I'd be happy to give you a more... personal demonstration."

Before Sasuke could retort, Kakashi interjected. "Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Sora, that jutsu of yours is quite impressive. I assume you've already informed the Hokage about it?"

Sora nodded. "Yep, showed it to Jiji earlier today. He seemed pretty excited about it. Even gave me access to some advanced scrolls in exchange for sharing the technique."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "No way! Did you get access to super-secret jutsu scrolls? That's so cool!"

As the conversation continued, with Team 7 peppering Sora with questions about his training and new technique, Kakashi observed quietly. The dynamics between Sora and his students were interesting, to say the least. Despite the age difference, Sora seemed to fit right in with them, alternating between the roles of mischievous little brother and wise mentor with ease.

'This boy,' Kakashi thought, 'he's going to be someone to watch. With skills like that at his age, who knows what he'll be capable of in a few years.'

As the evening wore on and the ramen bowls piled up (mostly in front of Naruto), the mood became more relaxed. Stories were shared, jokes were told, and even Sasuke found himself cracking a smile or two.

Finally, as the stars began to twinkle in the night sky, Sora stretched and hopped off his stool. "Well, it's been fun, but I should probably head home. Got to rest up for academy tomorrow – I hear Iruka-sensei might actually explode if I miss another day."

As Team 7 said their goodbyes, Sora turned to leave, only to be stopped by Kakashi's hand on his shoulder.

"Sora," the jounin said quietly, "that scar... it wasn't really from a 'training accident', was it?"

For a moment, Sora's cheerful mask slipped, revealing a flicker of something darker. But it was gone so quickly that Kakashi almost thought he'd imagined it.

"Now, now, Kakashi-sensei," Sora said with a wink, "a ninja's got to have some secrets, right? Don't worry, I can handle myself."

With that, Sora disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Kakashi standing alone outside Ichiraku, lost in thought.

As Sora roof-hopped his way home, he couldn't help but smile. It had been a good day – he'd pushed his new jutsu to its limits, helped Team 7 improve their skills, and even managed to impress the Hokage.

'Still,' he thought, his hand unconsciously tracing the scar over his eye, 'I can't get complacent. There's still so much to learn, so much to prepare for...'

With renewed determination, Sora picked up his pace. Tomorrow will bring new challenges, and new opportunities to grow stronger. And he would be ready for them all.

As he disappeared into the night, the village of Konoha slept peacefully, unaware of the remarkable young ninja in their midst – a boy who would one day change the very fabric of the shinobi world

Or Not.

Only Time will tell.