Bab 48: 48. Youthful Dance
(300B2, Guys we are very close to the Top 20, SO Give me your Powerstones)
Sora made his way down to the arena, his face a mask of calm indifference that belied the excitement bubbling inside him. Dosu, his single visible eye gleaming with malice, took his position opposite Sora.
"The eleventh match: Kinuta Dosu versus Akira. Begin!" Hayate announced.
Dosu wasted no time, raising his arm to unleash his sound-based attack. The air vibrated with deadly sound waves as he aimed directly at Sora's head.
But Sora was ready. With a casual sidestep that looked almost lazy, he avoided the attack completely.
Dosu's eyes widened in surprise. He tried again, and again Sora dodged with minimal effort.
In the stands, Zaku leaned towards Kin. "What's going on? Why can't Dosu hit him?"
Kin shook her head, bewildered. "I don't know. It's like he knows exactly where the sound waves are going to be."
What they didn't know was that Sora, with his enhanced senses, could actually see the sound waves rippling through the air. To him, dodging them was as easy as avoiding a slow-moving projectile.
Growing frustrated, Dosu launched a barrage of attacks, filling the air with deadly sound waves. Sora's response? He began to dance.
Yes, dance.
Weaving between the sound waves with a grace that would make a professional ballroom dancer jealous, Sora turned the deadly assault into his own personal dance floor. He twirled, he dipped, he even threw in a moonwalk for good measure.
The crowd watched in stunned silence, which was quickly broken by Naruto's raucous laughter. "Oh man, this is great! Hey, Bushy Brows, I think you've got competition in the dance department!"
Lee, far from being offended, had stars in his eyes. "Such youthful enthusiasm! Gai-sensei, we must incorporate these moves into our training!"
Gai, equally moved, gave a thumbs up. "Excellent idea, Lee! The Power of Youth shines brightly in this Youthful dancer!"
Dosu, on the other hand, was far from amused. "Stop mocking me!" he growled, charging forward with his sound gauntlet raised.
Sora's eyes glinted mischievously. "If you insist," he said, his hands blurring through seals. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A wall of earth erupted between them, blocking Dosu's charge. But Sora wasn't done. With a series of rapid hand signs, he called out, "Earth Style: Earth Bomb Barrage!"
Suddenly, the mud wall exploded outward in a shower of earthen projectiles. Dosu caught off guard, was forced on the defensive, using his sound gauntlet to deflect the muddy missiles.
"Interesting," Kakashi mused from the sidelines. "That's not a common Earth technique."
Asuma nodded in agreement. "This kid's got some tricks up his sleeve."
Back in the arena, Sora wasn't letting up. As Dosu struggled to fend off the earth bombs, Sora reached into his pouch and pulled out... a handful of party poppers.
"What the-" Dosu began, but was cut off as Sora hurled the poppers at him. They exploded in a shower of confetti and smoke, filling the arena with a thick, colourful haze.
"Ha!" Dosu laughed. "You think this will stop me? I don't need to see you to hear you!"
But as the smoke cleared, Dosu realized something was very, very wrong. The arena was filled with a high-pitched whine, barely audible to most, but painfully loud to his sensitive hearing.
"What... what is this?" Dosu groaned, clutching his head.
Sora grinned, holding up a small device. "Just a little ultrasonic emitter I whipped up. Thought you might appreciate some music to fight by!"
Dosu stumbled, his equilibrium thrown off by the sound. He tried to focus, to pinpoint Sora's location, but the noise was overwhelming.
"And now," Sora announced, "for my final trick!"
With a flourish, he produced a scroll from his pocket. Unrolling it, he bit his thumb and smeared blood across the seal. "Summoning Jutsu: Party Animal Squadron!"
In a puff of smoke, three creatures appeared: a squirrel wearing a tiny party hat, a parrot with a noisemaker in its beak, and a raccoon holding... was that a disco ball?
"What in the world?" Kurenai gasped.
"Did he just... summon party animals?" Asuma asked, his cigarette falling from his slack-jawed mouth.
Hiruzen, for his part, was struggling to maintain his composure. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud.
The animals sprang into action. The squirrel darted between Dosu's feet, causing him to stumble. The parrot flew circles around his head, blowing its noisemaker with ear-piercing enthusiasm. And the raccoon... well, the raccoon was doing its best to create a dance club atmosphere with its disco ball.
Dosu, overwhelmed by the cacophony of sound and the sheer absurdity of the situation, finally succumbed. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious, with confetti settling gently on his prone form.
There was a moment of stunned silence before Hayate, looking utterly bewildered, called the match. "Winner: Akira!"
The arena erupted in a mix of cheers, laughter, and confused exclamations.
"Did that really just happen?"
"I think I need to lay off the soldier pills..."
"Best. Match. Ever!"
As the medics carried Dosu away (with the party animals following, much to everyone's amusement), Sora made his way back to the stands. He passed Hanabi, who was trying very hard to maintain her stoic facade.
"So," he whispered, "did I beat that?"
Hanabi's lip twitched. "I hate you," she muttered, but there was no venom in her words.
The rest of the preliminaries passed in a blur of excitement and anticipation. When it was all over, Hiruzen stepped forward to address the victorious Genin.
"Congratulations to all who have passed," he said, his eyes twinkling as they passed over Sora and Hanabi. "You have one month to prepare for the finals. Use this time wisely to rest, recuperate, and hone your skills."
As the genin began to file out, chattering excitedly about their upcoming matches, Hiruzen's voice cut through the noise. "Akira, Yumi... a word, if you please."
Sora and Hanabi exchanged a glance. This was it. They followed Hiruzen to a secluded corner of the arena, away from prying eyes and ears.
"Well," Hiruzen said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "that was quite a performance."
Sora grinned sheepishly. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. We aim to please."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Indeed. Though I must say, I don't recall having a team with such... unique abilities in our Genin Corps."
Sora's grin faltered. "Ah, well, you see..."
"We can explain, Lord Hokage," Hanabi interjected, her voice steady despite her nervousness.
Hiruzen held up a hand. "No need. I've been aware of your little infiltration since the beginning of the exams."
Sora and Hanabi's jaws dropped in unison. "You knew?" Sora squeaked.
The Hokage chuckled. "Of course. Did you really think you could fool an old man like me? I may be getting on in years, but my hearing is still quite sharp. I overheard your plans to enter the exams illegally."
Sora's mind raced. They were busted. But maybe... just maybe...
"Lord Hokage," he began, a mischievous glint in his eye, "before you decide on our punishment, might I remind you of a certain... crystal ball? And its potential uses for, shall we say, less than official observations?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he said, but there was a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Oh?" Sora pressed. "So you wouldn't be interested in keeping this whole infiltration thing quiet in exchange for our silence about certain hot spring incidents?"
There was a long, tense moment of silence. Then, to their amazement, Hiruzen threw back his head and laughed.
"Well played, young man," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Well played indeed. Very well, you have my permission to continue with the exams. But," he added, his voice turning serious, "this is highly irregular. If anyone asks, you're on a special assignment. Understood?"
Sora and Hanabi nodded vigorously. "Yes, Lord Hokage!"
As they turned to leave, Hiruzen called out, "Oh, and Sora?"
Sora turned back. "Yes, sir?"
Hiruzen's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Next time you summon those party animals... invite me, won't you? It's been far too long since I've had a good disco night."
With that, the Hokage walked away, leaving behind two very relieved and very amused young ninjas.
As they made their way out of the arena, Sora turned to Hanabi with a grin. "Well, that went better than expected."
Hanabi nodded, a rare smile gracing her features. "Indeed. Though I have to ask... do you really have blackmail material on the Hokage?"
Sora's grin widened. "A good ninja never reveals all his secrets. Now, what do you say we go celebrate? I hear there's a great ramen place around here..."
And so, as the sun set on another eventful day in Konoha, two young infiltrators-turned-official participants made their way through the village, their minds already whirling with plans for the finals. One thing was certain: the Chunin Exams would be a banger.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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