章 13: 13. Prank Wars Finale: Invasion

(A/n- Bonus chapter for 40 Powerstones, Enjoy:)

"Note to self," he muttered. "Never, ever volunteer to walk ninja dogs again. Especially not during a prank war."

As he handed the dogs back to a very amused-looking Inuzuka clan member, Sora glanced at his watch. It was 5:45 PM. Only fifteen minutes left before Naruto's pranking time was up, and only one task remained.

"Okay," Sora said to himself, squaring his shoulders. "One more task. Just write up a report and deliver it to Training Ground 3. You can do this. No more surprises, no more pranks. Just a simple delivery."

But even as he tried to psych himself up, Sora couldn't shake the feeling that Naruto had saved his biggest prank for last. After all, the blonde prankster was nothing if not dramatic.

With cautious steps and eyes that darted suspiciously at every shadow, Sora made his way towards Training Ground 3. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of orange that reminded him all too vividly of his current colour scheme.

As he entered the training ground, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something was different. The air felt charged as if the very atmosphere was holding its breath in anticipation.

And there, sitting casually on a tree branch as if he didn't have a care in the world, was Naruto.

"Yo, Sora!" Naruto called out, his trademark grin spread wide across his face. "Glad you could make it! You're just in time for the grand finale!"

Sora tensed, ready to dodge whatever prank Naruto had prepared. But the blonde made no move to attack. Instead, he just sat there, swinging his legs and looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"You know," Naruto began, his voice taking on a conversational tone that immediately put Sora on edge, "storage seals are really useful for pranks. It was a real pain keeping all those shadow clones around for this setup, let me tell you."

Sora's mind raced. What was Naruto playing at? Why was he just sitting there, monologuing like some villain from a bad ninja drama?

"But you want to know the best part?" Naruto continued, his grin growing impossibly wider. "The absolute best part of this whole prank?"

Sora couldn't help himself. Despite every instinct screaming at him not to ask, he found himself saying, "What's that?"

Naruto's eyes gleamed with mischief. "This morning, when you get your task list? That wasn't the real Hokage. That was me, transformed!"

For a moment, Sora's brain refused to process this information. Then, like a dam breaking, realization flooded in. The Hokage's odd behaviour, the convenient tasks that kept him moving around the village all day, the way Naruto always seemed to know exactly where he'd be...

"No way," Sora breathed, his eyes wide with a mix of shock and reluctant admiration. "There's no way you pulled that off. The Hokage's presence, his authority... you can't fake that!"

Naruto just shrugged, looking immensely pleased with himself. "What can I say? I've had a lot of practice transforming into authority figures. You should see my Sexy Jutsu sometime!"

Sora shook his head, still reeling from this revelation. Then, a thought struck him, and a smirk spread across his face. "Well, that's impressive and all, but you've made one crucial mistake, Naruto."

"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "And what's that?"

Sora's smirk widened. "I'm just a shadow clone. The real me is safely hidden away in the village. And with only," he glanced at his watch, "five minutes left before 6 PM, you can't possibly win now!"

For a moment, Naruto looked surprised. Then, to Sora's growing unease, he burst out laughing.

"Oh man," Naruto wheezed, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "That's great, really. But did you really think I wouldn't have figured that out? Come on, Sora, give me some credit!"

Sora's confidence wavered. "What do you mean?"

Naruto's grin turned predatory. "I mean, I've known you were a clone this whole time. But don't worry, the real you is about to get a big surprise. In fact," he glanced up at the sky, "it should be starting right about... now."

As if on cue, a distant rumbling sound began to echo across the village. Sora's clone turned, its eyes widening in horror as it saw what was coming.

"No," it breathed. "You didn't..."

Naruto's laughter rang out once more. "Oh, but I did! And you know what the best part is? This whole idea was inspired by your classroom prank!"

Those were the last words Sora's clone heard before all hell broke loose.

Across Konoha, hidden seals suddenly activated. From rooftops, from underground pipes, from hidden compartments in walls and trees - everywhere, all at once - torrents of orange paint began to pour forth.

It was as if the village itself had suddenly decided to redecorate in Naruto's favourite colour. Buildings were drenched, streets turned into orange rivers, and unsuspecting villagers found themselves caught in the deluge.

The real Sora, who had been hiding out at Ichiraku Ramen (because really, where else would Naruto least expect him to be?), could only watch in stunned disbelief as a wave of orange paint swept down the street, carrying with it a mix of surprised civilians, indignant shinobi, and what looked suspiciously like the Hokage's hat.

For three glorious (or horrifying, depending on your perspective) minutes, Konoha was transformed into a technicolour wonderland of orange. No one was spared - not the stoic ANBU guards, not the noble clan heads, not even the cats lounging on rooftops.

As the paint finally began to subside, leaving a very orange and very stunned village in its wake, reactions varied wildly:

In the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared out at his newly decorated village, his pipe hanging forgotten from his lips. "Well," he muttered, a mix of exasperation and grudging admiration in his voice, "I suppose we'll need to increase the budget for paint removal this month. And possibly invest in some umbrellas."

Across town, Kakashi Hatake, perched on a rooftop, slowly lowered his beloved Icha Icha book (now sporting a vibrant orange cover to match its contents). "Maa," he drawled, eye crinkling in what might have been amusement, "it seems Konoha's most unpredictable ninja has struck again. Though I have to wonder where he got all that paint..."

In the Hyuuga compound, a very orange Neji stared at his reflection in a puddle of paint, his usually impassive face twisted in a mix of shock and indignation. "This... this is not fate," he sputtered. "This is madness!"

Beside him, Tenten couldn't contain her laughter, even as she tried to wring paint out of her buns. "Look on the bright side, Neji," she giggled. "Orange is a very youthful colour!"

At those words, both genin froze, sharing a look of horror as they realized what was coming.

Sure enough, from somewhere in the village, a booming voice rang out: "YOSH! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY IN ORANGE! LEE, WE MUST RUN 500 LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE TO CELEBRATE THIS MOST YOUTHFUL OF COLORS!"

"YES, GAI-SENSEI!" came the enthusiastic reply, followed by the sound of two very energetic, very orange blurs zooming past.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Konoha 9 were having their own reactions:

Shikamaru, covered head to toe in orange, didn't even bother to open his eyes from where he lay on a now-orange grassy hill. "Troublesome," he muttered. "So very troublesome

Beside him, Choji paused mid-chip, looking at his now-orange snack with a mix of confusion and intrigue. "You know," he mused, "this actually makes the chips look kind of cool. Like cheese-flavoured!"

Ino, frantically trying to get the paint out of her long blonde hair, shot them both an exasperated look. "How can you two be so calm? This is a disaster! My hair is ruined!"

Across the village, future Team 8 was having their own colourful experience. Kiba and Akamaru, both drenched in orange, looked more amused than anything else.

"Well, boy," Kiba grinned, scratching behind Akamaru's ears, "looks like we match now!"

Hinata, her pale eyes wide with shock, stuttered out, "N-Naruto-kun did this? It's so... bold."

Shino, as stoic as ever despite his new orange ensemble, simply adjusted his sunglasses. "Why? Because it is an effective way to mark territory, much like certain insects do."

Back at Training Ground 3, Naruto was doubled over with laughter, watching as his masterpiece unfolded across the village. Sora's clone, still processing the sheer scale of the prank, could only shake his head in disbelief.

"You... you orange-obsessed maniac," Sora's clone sputtered, torn between admiration and exasperation. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're going to be in?"

Naruto wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, his grin threatening to split his face. "Totally worth it! Besides, think of it as my way of brightening up the village!"

As the chaos continued to unfold across Konoha, with orange-painted villagers emerging from buildings and shinobi trying (and failing) to use water jutsu to clean themselves off, one thing became abundantly clear: The Great Prank War had ended with a bang, and Naruto had emerged as the undisputed victor.

Sora's clone, realizing there was nothing left to do, gave a rueful chuckle. "Alright, Naruto. You win this round. But mark my words, this isn't over. The Crimson Prankster will rise again... just as soon as I figure out how to get all this orange paint off."

With that, the clone dispelled, leaving Naruto alone in the training ground, still chuckling to himself as he admired his handiwork.

As the sun set on a very orange Konoha, casting the village in shades of red and gold that almost - almost - masked the new paint job, one thought echoed through the minds of every villager:

Life with Naruto Uzumaki around was many things, but it was never, ever boring.

***

Important

I think we are 13 chapters in and believe that reviews now could be given, I would appreciate it if you give your honest thoughts as some people might not read this novel just because I have used Ai in it.

You guys were the ones who weren't affected by it and read till chapter 13, Thank you for reading till here!