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The massive avian dive-bombed towards them, its beak open wide and ready to snatch Sora from Gamahiro's back. At the last moment, Gamahiro leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the bird's sharp beak.
As they sailed through the air, Sora's mind raced. He knew he couldn't match the enemy in terms of mobility, especially in his fatigued state. But perhaps he could outsmart him...
"Gamahiro," he whispered urgently, "I have a plan. But I'll need you to trust me and play along. Can you do that?"
The giant toad glanced at him, a mixture of curiosity and concern in his amphibian eyes. "What do you have in mind, kid?"
Sora quickly outlined his idea. As he spoke, a slow grin spread across Gamahiro's face. "That's crazy," the toad said. "But it just might work."
As the giant bird circled around for another attack, Sora stood up on Gamahiro's back. "Hey, chicken man!" he shouted, waving his arms. "Is that the best you can do? My grandma flies faster than that, and she's been dead for years!"
The Oto ninja's face contorted with rage. "You impudent little brat! I'll show you true speed!"
The bird tucked its wings, plummeting towards them at incredible velocity. This time, instead of dodging, Gamahiro stood his ground. Sora, for his part, began to look increasingly panicked.
"Gamahiro!" he cried out, his voice cracking with what sounded like genuine fear. "We need to move! Jump!"
But the giant toad remained motionless as if paralyzed by fear. The Oto ninja grinned triumphantly, certain of his impending victory.
Just as the bird was about to strike, Sora shouted, "Now!"
In an instant, Gamahiro's form shimmered and dissolved into the water - an advanced water clone technique that Sora had managed to create despite his fatigue. The real Gamahiro burst from the ground beneath the bird, his powerful legs propelling him upward with incredible force.
The Oto ninja, caught completely off guard, could only watch in shock as Gamahiro's massive form collided with his bird. The impact sent both summoners and summons tumbling through the air.
Sora, who had leapt clear at the last moment, formed a rapid series of hand seals. "Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
A sphere of water formed around the falling Oto ninja, trapping him in a liquid prison. The man thrashed wildly, his eyes wide with panic as he realized he couldn't breathe.
Gamahiro, having dispelled the enemy's bird summon with his surprise attack, landed heavily on the ground. Sora released his jutsu, allowing the Oto ninja to fall gasping onto the toad's broad back.
"H-how?" the enemy ninja sputtered, coughing up water. "You're just a kid! How did you outsmart me?"
Sora, looking far more tired than he had a few minutes ago but wearing a triumphant grin, shrugged. "Rule number one of being a ninja: deception is our greatest weapon. Maybe you should spend less time playing with oversized pigeons and more time studying strategy."
As Gamahiro secured their prisoner, Sora couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. He, a six-year-old academy student, had just outsmarted a fully-grown enemy ninja. It was moments like these that made him wonder if sneaking into the Chunin exams hadn't been such a bad idea after all.
"You know," Sora said, turning to the captive Oto ninja with a mischievous grin, "for someone who controls giant birds, you sure do act like a chicken."
The Oto ninja sputtered indignantly, his face turning an impressive shade of red. "Why you little-"
"Ah, ah, ah," Sora waggled his finger. "No bad words in front of the children. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"
Gamahiro chuckled, the sound rumbling through his massive body. "Kid, I've got to hand it to you. You've got guts and wit to spare."
Sora beamed at the compliment, but his smile quickly faded as he sensed a familiar chakra signature approaching rapidly. He turned just in time to see a blur of indigo hair land gracefully on Gamahiro's back.
"Sora!" Hanabi Hyuga exclaimed, her pale eyes wide with a mixture of exasperation and relief. "There you are! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"
Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Aw, come on, Hanabi. You know I can take care of myself."
Hanabi's eye twitched dangerously. "Take care of yourself? You're out here fighting giant snakes and birds while I've been stuck evacuating civilians! That's not fair!"
"Um, isn't evacuating civilians important too?" Sora asked tentatively.
"That's not the point!" Hanabi huffed. "We're supposed to be rivals, remember? How am I supposed to prove I'm better than you if you're out here hogging all the glory?"
The captive Oto ninja looked between the two children, confusion evident on his face. "Wait, you two are rivals? But you're just kids!"
Both Sora and Hanabi turned to glare at him. "We're not 'just kids'," they said in perfect unison, causing the ninja to shrink back in fear.
Gamahiro cleared his throat, the sound like distant thunder. "As amusing as this is, we still have a village to defend. What's our next move, kid?"
Sora nodded, his expression turning serious. "Right. Hanabi, can you use your Byakugan to scout the area? We need to know where we're needed most."
Hanabi nodded, activating her clan's famous dojutsu. Her eyes bulged with veins as she scanned the village. "There's heavy fighting near the hospital," she reported. "And... oh no."
"What is it?" Sora asked, concern evident in his voice.
"There's a group of enemy ninjas heading towards the academy," Hanabi said, her voice tight with worry. "Most of the students have been evacuated, but there are still some trapped inside."
Sora's eyes hardened with determination. "Then that's where we're going next. Gamahiro, can you get us there?"
The giant toad nodded. "Hold on tight, kids. This is going to be a bumpy ride."
As Gamahiro leapt into action, bounding across the village with earth-shaking jumps, Sora created several more earth clones. "Spread out and help where you can," he instructed them. "Focus on evacuation and support. No unnecessary risks!"
The clones nodded before dispersing across the village. As they scattered, Sora couldn't help but feel a twinge of fatigue. Maintaining so many clones was starting to take its toll, but he pushed the feeling aside. There were people who needed help, and he wasn't about to let them down.
Meanwhile, in another part of the village, one of Sora's earlier clones found itself in a rather peculiar situation. It had stumbled upon a group of Konoha ninja who were... well, let's just say they weren't exactly covering themselves in glory.
"I'm telling you, it's this way!" a chunin with a bowl cut insisted, pointing down a street that was very clearly on fire.
"Are you blind?" another chunin, this one sporting an impressive moustache, retorted. "That way leads straight to the enemy! We need to go this way!" He gestured towards an alley that, while not on fire, was suspiciously dark and foreboding.
A third ninja, this one a newly promoted jonin judging by his flak jacket, which still had the price tag attached, facepalmed. "You're both wrong! According to the evacuation plan, we need to go... um..." He pulled out a map, turning it this way and that as if it were written in an alien language.
Sora's clone watched this display with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. These were supposed to be Konoha's elite ninja? He was starting to understand why the village had been so easily infiltrated.
"Excuse me," the clone said, stepping forward. "But don't you think we should be, I don't know, actually evacuating people instead of arguing about directions?"
The three ninja turned to look at him, their expressions a comical mix of surprise and embarrassment.
"And who are you supposed to be, little boy?" the moustached chunin asked, his tone condescending.
The clone raised an eyebrow. "I'm the little boy who's about to save your career. Follow me."
***
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