However, Sora had already predicted this as he had started weaving hand signs before only, He slammed his hands on ground without looking back.
A water mirror suddenly came out of the ground, Shurikens came out of that water mirror, exactly the same as the ones hurling towards the mirror.
This was the Water Mirror Technique which was also technically Sora's self-created Jutsu which he created last month.
It can neutralize almost any jutsu of any nature below A-rank.
However, suddenly Sora's face turned grim. When fighting with his clones, he and his clones need to quite literally think "What I would do in that situation".
And it always came down to a 4th dimensional Chess, So Sora's main body had already predicted what would happen. He turned his head sideways and noticed one of the shadow clones using a brush and paint.
He noticed another clone exactly opposite to that clone.
As expected, a line of black text originated from both the clones racing towards him.
He, however, was in a deadlock of deflecting water senbons from the front, and shurikens from behind, so He could only helplessly see a barrier enclosing him.
Soon, his remaining clones used Water jutsu to fill the enclosed space of the barrier he was currently in. They were probably trying to electrocute him.
Sora was thinking about to whether use Earth Jutsu to drain the water, He didn't know that barrier was from beneath too, but he could guess that his clones weren't dumb.
It seemed Checkmate to Sora, however, Suddenly, a lightbulb moment occurred for Sora.
Generally, these 4D battles were more dependent on random ideas Sora or his clones could come up on the fly and the outcome was entirely dependent on it.
Sora smirked and removed all the storage scrolls he had.
His main clone was watching this and realized what was going to happen.
As expected, the water going towards Sora was getting dragged in Storage scrolls.
Sora's clones, however, weren't behind him in that matter, They stopped using their jutsus and just used the stored water they had to put in the barrier.
Seeing this, Sora started to draw storage seals in a circular arc all around him.
Seeing, that it was going nowhere and Sora's original clone didn't want to continue, he dispelled himself, along with other clones.
Sora was happy that he was able to tire himself out and could at least sleep tonight.
He would come to an answer soon about his feelings. But for now, he is content with sorting his memories and taking a nap.
***
A few Days Later
The sun was setting over Konoha, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and pink. The village, still reeling from the recent invasion, buzzed with activity as its inhabitants worked tirelessly to repair the damage. Amidst this controlled chaos, a small figure with vibrant red hair made his way through the streets, drawing curious glances and whispered conversations.
Sora, all of six years old and barely tall enough to see over some market stalls, walked with a purpose that seemed at odds with his diminutive stature. His bright blue eyes darted from side to side, taking in the reconstruction efforts and the occasional approving nod sent his way.
"There goes that Sora kid," he overheard an older woman say to her friend. "Can you believe he helped save so many people during the invasion?"
Her companion nodded enthusiastically. "I heard he even fought off some of those nasty Sound ninjas! And he's what, five?"
"Six," Sora muttered under his breath, resisting the urge to correct them directly. He'd learned early on that adults didn't always appreciate being corrected by someone who barely came up to their waist.
Sora was able to come to terms with his guilt feeling, He was now at least able to put a mask of his previous self.
As he turned a corner, he nearly collided with a group of genin. One of them, a boy with spiky brown hair, pointed at him excitedly. "Hey, it's the kid who knows that cool shape-shifting jutsu!"
Sora grinned, unable to resist showing off a little. With a quick hand sign and a puff of smoke, he transformed into a perfect miniature copy of the genin who had spoken.
"Whoa!" the group chorused, their eyes wide with amazement.
"That's so cool!" another genin exclaimed. "Can you teach us?"
Sora, still in his transformed state, adopted a sage-like expression that looked comically out of place on his young face. "A true ninja never reveals all his secrets," he said, deepening his voice for effect. "But maybe if you buy me some dango, I might let slip a tip or two."
The genin laughed, clearly charmed by the pint-sized prodigy. "Deal!" the first boy said. "There's a great dango shop just down the street."
As they walked, Sora dispelled his transformation, returning to his red-headed self. He couldn't help but feel a mix of pride and amusement at the attention he was receiving. It was a far cry from the exasperated sighs and stern lectures he usually got for his pranks.
People already knew him for being one of two people who were indirectly responsible for the whole village being painted Orange. Well, the other party was not indirectly responsible but the culprit, but he was already infamous due to that.
"So," one of the genin asked as they settled at a table in the dango shop, "is it true you helped create an A-rank jutsu? The shape-shifting one?"
Sora nodded, his chest puffing out slightly. "Yep! Not help but create it myself, It's super versatile. I can change my weight, increase my mobility, all sorts of stuff."
"That's amazing," a kunoichi in the group marvelled. "And you're not even out of the Academy yet, right?"
"Well, technically," Sora said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Though my attendance record might suggest otherwise."
The genin laughed again, and Sora felt a warm glow of acceptance. It was nice to be recognized for his skills rather than his mischief-making for once.
As they chatted and enjoyed their dango, Sora regaled them with tales of his adventures during the invasion, carefully omitting any classified details. He was just getting to the part about riding on Gamahiro when a familiar voice called out to him.
"Oi, Sora! There you are!"
Sora turned to see Naruto jogging towards him, his signature orange jumpsuit making him stand out even in the crowded street.
"Naruto-nichan!" Sora called back, waving enthusiastically. He turned to his new friends. "Sorry, guys, looks like I've got to go. Ninja business, you know how it is."
The genin nodded understandingly, clearly impressed that Sora was being summoned for 'ninja business'. As Sora hopped off his seat, the brown-haired boy who had first recognized him spoke up.
"Hey, Sora? Thanks for what you did during the invasion. You're pretty cool for a kid."
Sora grinned, giving them a thumbs up. "Thanks! And remember, the key to a good transformation is all in the details. Practice makes perfect! Just First Learn Yang Transformation, You would be able to tell whether you could learn Shape-shifting Jutsu if you mastered that one first."
With that parting wisdom, he scampered off to join Naruto, leaving behind a group of thoroughly impressed genin.
"What's up, Naruto-nichan?" Sora asked as he fell into step beside the older boy.
Naruto's face was a mix of excitement and mild annoyance. "Pervy Sage wants us to go on a mission with him. Something about finding a beautiful blonde woman."
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a mission and not just Jiraiya-sensei's idea of a good time?"
Naruto snorted. "With that old pervert, you never know. But he said it's important. We're supposed to meet him at the village gate."
As they made their way through the village, Sora couldn't help but notice the looks they were getting. It was a strange mix of admiration, curiosity, and in some cases, lingering wariness. The villagers' perception of Naruto had certainly improved after his heroic actions during the invasion, but old habits died hard.