Chapitre 24: 24. Caught Red-Handed
(Fourth Bonus Chapter!, Keep the Powerstones coming, we are at 70th Position)
"W-what?" she stammered, touching her face in disbelief. The red didn't smudge or come off on her fingers. It was as if her skin had suddenly decided to change colour overnight.
In another part of the compound, Neji Hyuga was having a similar experience. Known for his stoic demeanour, even he couldn't suppress a startled yelp when he caught sight of his reflection.
"What manner of trickery is this?" he muttered, activating his Byakugan to scan the water. But even his kekkei genkai revealed nothing unusual about the liquid itself. It was just... red.
Meanwhile, in the main house, Hiashi Hyuga was preparing for his morning meditation when he heard a commotion outside his room. Frowning, he slid open the door to find several branch family members in various states of panic, all sporting the same vibrant red hue.
"Hiashi-sama!" one of them cried upon seeing him. "Something strange has happened to the water! We're all-" The man broke off, his eyes widening as he took in Hiashi's appearance.
Hiashi's frown deepened. "What is it? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Another branch member, a young woman, hesitantly held up a small mirror. "Um, Hiashi-sama... you might want to see for yourself."
As Hiashi looked at his reflection, his usually impassive face twisted into an expression of utter disbelief. His skin, like everyone else's, was a bright, unmistakable red.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, in a voice that could have frozen lava, Hiashi spoke. "Someone find Hoheto. Now."
Across the village, blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding in the Hyuga compound, Sora and Naruto were just waking up.
"Morning, sunshine," Sora yawned, tossing a pillow at Naruto's head. "Ready to see the fruits of our labour?"
Naruto groaned, batting the pillow away. "Five more minutes..."
"No can do, brother mine," Sora grinned, already dressed and bouncing with anticipation. "We've got a masterpiece to admire."
Eventually, through a combination of cajoling, bribery (involving promises of ramen), and outright threats (involving hiding said ramen), Sora managed to get Naruto up and moving.
As they made their way through the village, they tried to act casual, but their excited glances and poorly suppressed giggles drew more than a few suspicious looks.
They were just rounding the corner near the Hyuga compound when they heard it - a sound that would go down in Konoha history as the "Great Hyuga Hullabaloo of '24."
It started as a low murmur, then grew into a cacophony of shouts, exclamations, and what sounded suspiciously like someone trying very hard not to laugh.
Sora and Naruto exchanged gleeful looks. "Showtime," Sora whispered.
They edged closer to the compound, trying to look as innocent as two boys with matching mischievous grins could possibly look.
The gates of the compound burst open, revealing a sight that would be seared into the memories of every Konoha resident for years to come. A stream of red-faced (quite literally) Hyuga clan members poured out, their usual grace and dignity forgotten in their state of panic and confusion.
Leading the pack was none other than Hiashi Hyuga himself, his crimson visage a stark contrast to his white robes. His Byakugan was activated, scanning the area with an intensity that suggested he was looking for someone very specific.
Behind him, Neji was trying (and failing) to maintain his usual stoic expression, which looked rather comical given his new colouration. Hinata brought up the rear, her face an even deeper shade of red than usual, if that was possible.
As the Hyugas spread out through the village, their shouts drew more and more attention. Soon, a crowd had gathered, a mix of concerned citizens and poorly disguised rubberneckers.
"What happened?"
"Is this some kind of new Hyuga technique?"
"Maybe they ate too many tomatoes?"
The theories flew thick and fast, each more outlandish than the last. Through it all, Sora and Naruto struggled to keep straight faces.
"Oh man," Naruto whispered, his voice trembling with suppressed laughter. "This is even better than I imagined!"
Sora nodded, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "It's like a sea of very angry tomatoes."
Just then, they noticed Hiashi's gaze sweeping in their direction. In a flash, they schooled their features into expressions of innocent concern.
"Gosh," Sora said loudly, his eyes wide. "What do you think happened, Naruto? It looks like the whole Hyuga clan got sunburned overnight!"
Naruto, catching on quickly, nodded vigorously. "Yeah, it's weird! Maybe they all fell asleep during training or something?"
Their performance might have been convincing if not for the fact that they were both shaking with the effort of holding in their laughter.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed as he looked at them. For a heart-stopping moment, Sora thought they'd been caught. But then the Hyuga clan head's attention was drawn away by a commotion near the Hokage tower.
"Phew," Sora breathed. "That was close. Come on, let's get out of here before-"
"Before what, exactly?"
The boys froze, then slowly turned around. Standing behind them, looking both amused and exasperated, was Kakashi Hatake.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, a little too brightly. "Fancy meeting you here! We were just, uh..."
"Admiring the village's new colour scheme?" Kakashi suggested dryly.
Sora put on his best innocent face. "We have no idea what you're talking about, sensei. We're just as surprised as everyone else by this... unexpected development."
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in what might have been a smile or a grimace. "Uh-huh. And I suppose you two have no idea how the entire Hyuga clan ended up looking like they took a bath in tomato juice?"
Naruto and Sora exchanged glances, then looked back at Kakashi with identical expressions of wide-eyed innocence.
"Nope, no idea at all!" Naruto said.
"Completely clueless," Sora added.
Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "You know, for two boys who can come up with such elaborate pranks, you're terrible liars."
Before either of them could protest their innocence further, a new voice joined the conversation.
"Kakashi! There you are!"
They turned to see Iruka hurrying towards them, his face a mix of concern and exasperation. "Have you seen what's happened to the Hyuga clan? The whole village is in an uproar!"
Kakashi nodded, his eye never leaving Naruto and Sora. "Oh, I've seen it alright. In fact, I think I might have just found our culprits."
Iruka followed Kakashi's gaze, his eyes widening as they landed on the two boys. "Naruto! Sora! Don't tell me you two are responsible for this?"
"Now, now, Iruka-sensei," Sora said, holding up his hands placatingly. "That's a pretty serious accusation. Do you have any proof?"
"Yeah!" Naruto chimed in. "We're innocent until proven guilty, right?"
Iruka's eye twitched. "Proof? You want proof? How about the fact that every time something like this happens, you two are always at the centre of it?"
"Correlation doesn't equal causation, Iruka-sensei," Sora said sagely. "We learned that in your class, remember?"
Iruka looked like he was about to explode, but Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. "Now, now, let's all calm down. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this. Right, boys?"
The way Kakashi said "perfectly reasonable" made it clear he didn't believe it for a second. But before either Naruto or Sora could come up with another clever deflection, a new voice cut through the air.
"UZUMAKI! SORA!"
All four of them turned to see Hiashi Hyuga striding towards them, his red face somehow managing to look even more crimson with anger. Behind him trailed a group of equally red-faced Hyuga clan members, including a mortified-looking Hinata and a scowling Neji.
"Uh oh," Naruto muttered. "I think it's time for our strategic retreat, Sora."
Sora nodded, already edging backwards. "Agreed. It's been fun, senseis, but we've got to run. I mean, walk. Calmly. Away from here."
But before they could make their escape, they found themselves surrounded. On one side stood Kakashi and Iruka, on the other, the rapidly approaching Hyuga clan. They were trapped.
Hiashi reached them first, his Byakugan blazing. "You two," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I should have known. Only you could come up with something so... so..."
"Innovative?" Sora suggested.
"Colorful?" Naruto added helpfully.
If looks could kill, Hiashi's glare would have reduced them both to ash on the spot. "Explain yourselves. Now."
Sora and Naruto exchanged glances. Then, in perfect unison, they both pointed at each other and said, "It was his idea!"
As chaos erupted around them, with Hiashi demanding explanations, Iruka lecturing about responsibility, and Kakashi looking far too amused for someone who was supposed to be reprimanding them, Sora couldn't help but think that this might just be their best prank yet.
And as he caught Naruto's eye, and saw the mischievous glint there that matched his own, he knew that no matter what punishment awaited them, it had been totally worth it.
After all, it's not every day you get to see the entire Hyuga clan turn as red as a field of tomatoes. And really, isn't that what being a ninja is all about?
Right?
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Desire96
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