Naruto: The Crimson Error

Chapter 1: The Birth of a Prankster

Konoha's grand library stood silent in the early morning light, its doors still locked. But for one small, red-haired boy, locked doors were merely a suggestion. With practised ease, 4-year-old Sora shimmed up a nearby tree, leapt onto the roof, and slipped in through a partially open window.

"Another successful infiltration," Sora whispered to himself, grinning as he dropped silently to the floor. "Now, where did I leave off yesterday?"

Navigating the towering shelves with the familiarity of a seasoned librarian, Sora made his way to the history section. He'd been working his way through the village's chronicles, piecing together the puzzle of Konoha's past – and more importantly, searching for any mention of his own origins.

As an orphan with no knowledge of his parents, Sora had learned early on that information was power. And in a village full of secretive ninjas, the library had become his favourite hunting ground for knowledge.

Settling into his usual hidden nook, Sora cracked open a dusty tome titled "The Founding Clans of Konoha." He was halfway through a particularly juicy chapter about the Senju clan when a strange blue screen flickered to life before his eyes.

[Congratulations! You have been chosen as a Beta Tester for the Ninja Prankster System!]

[Would you like to activate the system? Y/N]

Sora blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. The translucent blue screen remained, hovering innocently in the air.

"What in the name of the First Hokage's wooden underpants is this?" Sora muttered, glancing around to make sure he was alone. "Is this some kind of new security system? A prank? Or have I finally cracked from reading too many dusty old books?"

Curiosity warred with caution as Sora stared at the screen. On the one hand, strange, floating messages generally spelt trouble. On the other hand... Beta Tester? Ninja Prankster System? That sounded way too interesting to pass up.

"Well, as the Second Hokage allegedly said, 'Knowledge is power, but knowing how to use it is true strength,'" Sora quoted to himself. "And I'll never know how to use this if I don't activate it. So... Y!"

The moment Sora thought 'Y', the screen expanded, flooding his vision with information.

[Welcome to the Ninja Prankster System!]

[This system will help you become the ultimate ninja through the art of pranking.]

[Current Stats:]

- Stealth: 5

- Chakra Control: 1

- Ninjutsu: 1

- Taijutsu: 2

- Genjutsu: 1

- Intelligence: 15

- Creativity: 10

- Luck: 3

[Current Rank: Academy Student]

[Prank Points: 0]

[For reference, average stats by ninja rank:]

- Genin: 100-200 in each stat

- Chunin: 200-400 in each stat

- Jounin: 400-600 in each stat

- Elite Jounin: ??? in each stat

- Kage: ??? in each stat

[Would you like a tutorial? Y/N]

Sora's mind reeled. A system that could quantify ninja skills? That would track his progress and help him improve? It seemed too good to be true. But if it was real...

"Y!" Sora thought enthusiastically.

[Tutorial activated!]

[The Ninja Prankster System allows you to gain Prank Points and increase your stats by completing pranks and missions.]

[Your first mission is available now. Would you like to accept?]

"Oh, you bet I do!" Sora grinned, already imagining the possibilities.

[Mission Accepted: Prankster's Debut]

[Objective: Successfully prank a chunin-level ninja]

[Reward: 100 Prank Points, Stealth +2, Creativity +1]

[Time Limit: 24 hours]

Sora's grin widened. A chance to prank a chunin and get rewarded for it? This was turning out to be the best day ever!

But as the initial excitement faded, doubt crept in. "Wait a minute," Sora muttered, frowning at the floating screen. "How do I know this isn't some elaborate genjutsu? I've read about those – ninja techniques that mess with your mind."

Sora had never experienced genjutsu before, having no knowledge of chakra manipulation, but he'd read enough to be cautious. He pinched himself, hard. "Ow! Okay, not a dream. But still..."

He glanced around the library, half-expecting to see a ninja jump out and yell "Gotcha!" But the library remained silent, sunlight now streaming through the windows as morning properly arrived.

"Alright, mysterious system," Sora whispered, a determined glint in his eye. "I'll play along for now. But if this turns out to be some kind of trick, I'll... well, I'll think of something suitably dramatic and vengeful later."

With that decided Sora turned his attention to the mission at hand. Pranking a chunin was no small feat, especially for a 4-year-old with no ninja training. But if there was one thing Sora had in spades, it was creativity.

"First things first," Sora mused, pulling out a small notebook he always carried. "I need to identify a target, assess their weaknesses, and plan accordingly. And for that, I need more information."

Over the next few hours, Sora scoured the library for any books mentioning the current chunin of the village. He compiled a list of potential targets, noting any quirks or habits mentioned. By lunchtime, he had settled on his mark: Iruka Umino, a young chunin who worked at the Ninja Academy.

(A/n- the information in the library is important but not that important and the information on the chunins was spare in that list, so he had to do the information digging by himself)

"Perfect," Sora grinned, reviewing his notes. "He's known for being kind-hearted but easily flustered. Plus, as a teacher, he's got a predictable schedule. Now, for the prank itself..."

As Sora brainstormed ideas, occasionally checking his "system" for any new information (and still half-expecting it to disappear at any moment), he failed to notice the approaching footsteps until it was too late.

"Sora What are you doing here? The library doesn't open for another hour!"

Sora yelped, nearly falling off his chair as he spun to face a stern-looking woman with glasses perched on her nose. The head librarian, Maki-san, stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing the pile of books surrounding Sora suspiciously.

"Ah, Maki-san!" Sora laughed nervously, subtly trying to close his notebook. "I was just, um, doing some early morning studying! You know what they say, 'the early bird catches the historically accurate worm,' or something like that."

Maki-san's eyebrow rose sceptically. "Uh-huh. And I suppose this 'early bird' found a way to slip past our locked doors and security seals, did he?"

Sora's mind raced. He could practically feel his newly acquired 'Stealth' stat dropping. "Would you believe me if I said I sleepwalked here? My subconscious just loves knowledge that much!"

To his surprise, Maki-san's stern expression cracked, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Oh, Sora. What am I going to do with you? Most kids your age are out playing ninja, not breaking into libraries."

Sora puffed out his chest. "Well, I'm not most kids! I'm going to be the greatest ninja ever, and for that, I need to know everything!"

Maki-san chuckled, ruffling Sora's red hair. "I don't doubt it. But perhaps we can arrange some special study hours for you that don't involve breaking and entering, hmm? Now, run along. I'm sure you have other mischiefs to get up to today."

As Sora gathered his things, a new notification popped up.

[Bonus Objective Completed: Impress a Chunin]

[Reward: 50 Prank Points, Intelligence +1]

Sora blinked in surprise. Maki-san was a chunin? And he'd impressed her? Maybe this system wasn't so far-fetched after all.

With a cheerful wave to Maki-san, Sora bounded out of the library, his mind already whirring with plans for his upcoming prank. He had a chunin to impress, a system to test, and a whole village full of unsuspecting targets.

As he ran through the slowly awakening streets of Konoha, Sora couldn't help but feel that this was the start of something big. Something wonderful. Something... delightfully mischievous.

"Watch out, Konoha," he whispered, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "The Crimson Prankster is about to make his debut!"

Little did Sora know, perched on a nearby rooftop, a certain silver-haired jounin watched him with curious amusement. Kakashi Hatake lowered his ever-present book, his visible eye crinkling in a smile.

"Well, well," he murmured to himself. "Looks like things are about to get interesting around here.

As Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, Sora continued on his way, blissfully unaware of the chaos and adventure that lay ahead. The game was afoot, and Konoha would never be the same again.