47. Hide and Seek

(300B1, Guys we are very close to the Top 20 , So give me your Powerstones, Weekly reset is only around 9 hours away)

As their bizarre conga line approached the central tower, Sora knew he had to act fast. The charade had worked brilliantly so far, but entering the tower would mean the end of the second phase - and likely the end of their luck with Gaara.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and sand enthusiasts!" Sora announced, bringing the conga line to a halt just within sight of the tower. "Before we make our grand entrance, I think it's time for one last party game. Who's up for a rousing round of 'Hide and Seek: Extreme Ninja Edition'?"

Before anyone could object, Sora clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Gaara, as our guest of honour, you'll be the seeker. Count to... oh, let's say a thousand, and then come find us. No using sand to cheat!"

Gaara, still caught between confusion and his natural murderous instincts, found himself nodding. "One... two... three..."

"Alright, everyone else - scatter!" Sora yelled.

In a puff of smoke and leaves, the gathered ninjas dispersed. Sora grabbed Hanabi's hand and his clone's arm, using a quick body flicker technique to put some distance between them and the counting jinchuriki.

Once they were safely away, Sora let out a relieved sigh. "Well, that was fun! But I think it's time we made our way to the tower before our sand-loving friend finishes counting."

Hanabi nodded, finally dropping her flute-playing disguise. "Agreed. That was either brilliant or completely insane, Sora."

"Why not both?" Sora grinned. His clone simply shrugged, apparently unfazed by the entire ordeal.

The trio quickly made their way to the tower, entering just as they heard a distant roar of frustration that could only be Gaara realizing he'd been duped.

Inside the tower, they were greeted by a chunin proctor who looked both impressed and slightly concerned. "Congratulations on completing the second phase," he said, eyeing their dishevelled and slightly manic appearance. "Though I have to ask... why do I hear conga music?"

Sora just winked. "What's a ninja exam without a little party music?"

The chunin decided it was better not to ask.

As more teams trickled in over the next few days, Sora, Hanabi, and the clone kept a low profile. They overheard whispers about a crazy team that had turned the Forest of Death into some kind of deranged music festival, but no one seemed to connect them to the stories.

Finally, with the arrival of the last qualifying teams, the Hokage called all the genin together for an announcement.

"Due to the unexpectedly high number of participants who passed the second phase," the Third Hokage began, his eyes twinkling with barely suppressed amusement as they passed over Sora's team, "we will be holding a preliminary round before the final exam."

A murmur of surprise and disappointment ran through the gathered genin.

"The preliminaries will consist of one-on-one battles," the Hokage continued. "The winners will advance to the finals. Now, before we begin, is there anyone who wishes to withdraw?"

To everyone's surprise, Kabuto raised his hand. "I'm afraid I'm too exhausted to continue," he said with a sheepish smile.

As Kabuto left, Sora caught Hanabi's eye. They both nodded slightly, remembering their plan.

The proctor for the preliminaries, a sickly-looking jounin named Hayate Gekko, stepped forward. "Now then *cough*, let's begin the preliminaries. The matchups will be determined by this electronic board."

As the board began to flash through names, Sora felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see his clone gesturing towards the exit.

"Ah, right," Sora said, loud enough for the proctor to hear. "I'm afraid I'll have to withdraw as well. My... uh... chronic hiccups are acting up. Terribly contagious, you know. Wouldn't want to infect anyone."

To demonstrate, he let out a series of hiccups that sounded suspiciously like the conga beat from earlier.

Hayate looked sceptical but nodded. "Very well. Anyone else?"

With no more withdrawals, the preliminaries began. Sora, now in his mysterious clone persona, watched from the sidelines with Hanabi (still disguised as Yumi).

The matches proceeded much as they had in the original timeline, with a few notable exceptions. Naruto, despite the seal disrupting his chakra control, managed to defeat Kiba with a combination of sheer determination and what looked suspiciously like dance moves from Sora's Forest of Death party.

When it came time for Hinata's match against Neji, Sora had to physically restrain Hanabi to keep her from interfering. "Remember the plan," he whispered. "We can't blow our cover now."

Hanabi nodded reluctantly, her fists clenched as she watched her sister face off against their cousin.

As the preliminaries continued, Sora couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. They had made it this far, but the real challenge was yet to come. The finals would test not just their skills, but their ability to maintain their cover in the face of increasingly difficult opponents.

And somewhere out there, actually, in the same room, a very confused and irritated Gaara was probably still trying to figure out how a conga line had derailed his plans for bloodshed while glaring at Sora.

Sora grinned to himself. Whatever happened next, one thing was certain - He was going to have his share of fun.

As the preliminary matches continued, the atmosphere in the arena grew tenser with each passing bout. The air was thick with anticipation, sweat, and the lingering scent of Naruto's victory ramen (how he'd managed to sneak that in, no one knew).

When the electronic board flickered to life for the tenth match, displaying "Akimichi Choji vs. Yumi," a collective murmur rippled through the crowd. Yumi, of course, was Hanabi in disguise, and Sora couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation as his friend made her way to the arena floor.

Up in the stands, Asuma Sarutobi leaned forward, his cigarette dangling precariously from his lips. "Alright, Choji! Show them what you've got!"

Choji, for his part, looked less than thrilled. He glanced longingly at the bag of chips clutched in Shikamaru's hands before reluctantly making his way down to face his opponent.

As Hanabi and Choji squared off, Hayate Gekko stepped forward, coughing slightly. "The tenth match: Akimichi Choji versus Yumi. Begin!"

Choji wasted no time, his hands forming seals as he called out, "Expansion Jutsu!" His body swelled to massive proportions, and with a cry of "Human Boulder!" he began rolling towards Hanabi at an alarming speed.

Hanabi, her Byakugan activated beneath her disguise, easily sidestepped the attack. Choji, unable to stop his momentum, crashed into the wall, leaving a Choji-shaped dent.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt," Naruto winced from the sidelines. "Hey, Choji! Try aiming next time!"

Sakura smacked Naruto upside the head. "Don't give the enemy advice, you idiot!"

Choji, dazed but undeterred, extracted himself from the wall and launched into another roll. What followed was a bizarre game of cat and mouse, with Choji rolling around the arena like a sentient boulder while Hanabi gracefully dodged each attempt.

"Is... is she dancing?" Tenten asked, squinting at Hanabi's movements.

"If she is, she's got some sick moves," Kiba replied, nodding appreciatively.

Indeed, Hanabi's evasive manoeuvres did have a certain rhythm to them. Each dodge was perfectly timed, her body moving with a fluid grace that seemed almost choreographed.

Back in the arena, Choji was starting to slow down. His rolling became less boulder-like and more... well, drunken hamster-wheel-esque.

"Come on, Choji!" Ino shouted. "You can do it!"

Shikamaru, ever the tactician, saw the writing on the wall. "Troublesome," he muttered. "Choji's running out of steam."

As if on cue, Choji's rotation came to an abrupt stop. He swayed on his feet, looking decidedly green. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he groaned.

Hanabi saw her opportunity. In a flash, she was in front of Choji, her fingers striking with pinpoint accuracy. "Eight Trigrams: Sixteen Palms!"

The crowd gasped as Hanabi's hands moved in a blur, striking Choji's chakra points with devastating precision. When she finished, Choji stood frozen for a moment before toppling over like a felled tree.

"Winner: Yumi!" Hayate announced.

As medics rushed to check on Choji, the arena erupted in excited chatter.

Up in the stands, Neji's eyes narrowed. "Impossible," he muttered. "Those movements... they were perfect Gentle Fist techniques."

Hiruzen chuckled softly to himself, enjoying the confusion his young infiltrators were causing.

As Hanabi made her way back to the stands, she passed Sora (disguised as Akira). "Beat that," she whispered with a smirk.

Sora grinned back. "Oh, it's on."

The electronic board flickered to life once more. "Kinuta Dosu vs. Akira"