37. Hacked

(Guys We are still very far away from 30th Position, So Give me your stones!)

As Sora approached Training Ground 8, he could hear the distinct sounds of a genjutsu training session in progress. Kurenai's melodic voice was giving instructions, punctuated by occasional barks from Akamaru and the buzz of Shino's insects.

Landing silently on a nearby tree branch, Sora observed the scene below. Hinata was standing perfectly still, her Byakugan activated, as she tried to dispel a genjutsu cast by Kurenai. Kiba and Akamaru were sniffing the air, attempting to use their enhanced senses to detect the illusion, while Shino's insects swarmed around him in agitation, clearly sensing something amiss.

"Alright, that's enough for now," Kurenai called out, releasing the genjutsu. "Good work, everyone. Hinata, your Byakugan is improving at detecting chakra fluctuations. Kiba, and Akamaru, you're getting better at using smell to orient yourselves. Shino, your insects' sensitivity to genjutsu is truly remarkable."

Sora chose this moment to make his entrance, dropping down from the tree with a theatrical flip. "Impressive as always, Team 8! Mind if I join the party?"

"Sora-kun!" Hinata exclaimed

Kiba grinned widely. "Well, if it isn't the pint-sized prankster himself! What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

Shino adjusted his sunglasses. "Given Sora's reputation for mischief and his unexpected appearance, it is logical to assume he has an ulterior motive for this visit."

Sora clutched his chest in mock hurt. "Shino, you wound me! Can't a guy just drop by to see his favourite tracking team without an ulterior motive?"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing on her lips. "While we're always happy to see you, Sora, I have to agree with Shino. You usually don't show up without some sort of... interesting development in tow."

"Guilty as charged," Sora admitted with a cheeky grin. He held up a handful of bracers. "Who wants to test out my latest invention?"

The team gathered around curiously as Sora explained the stat-tracking bracers. Even Kurenai looked intrigued.

"That's actually quite impressive, Sora," she said. "A tool like this could be incredibly useful for tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement in training."

Kiba was practically bouncing with excitement. "Me first! I wanna see my awesome stats!"

Sora handed him a bracer, and soon Kiba's stats were displayed:

- Chakra Control: 180

- Strength: 170 (200)

- Speed: 120 (150)

- Stamina: 220

- Endurance/Body Defense: 190 (230)

- Chakra Amount: 170

- Reflexes: 170

"Whoo-hoo!" Kiba whooped. "Check it out, Akamaru! We're awesome!"

Akamaru barked in agreement, wagging his tail.

Sora nodded approvingly. "Not bad at all, Kiba. You're solidly in the genin range for most stats, and even pushing into chunin territory for stamina."

"Alright, Hinata, you're up!" Kiba said, nudging his teammate forward.

Hinata hesitated for a moment before accepting the bracer. Her stats appeared:

- Chakra Control: 270

- Strength: 130 (160)

- Speed: 130 (160)

- Stamina: 195

- Endurance/Body Defense: 150 (190)

- Chakra Amount: 180

- Reflexes: 180(210)

"Wow, Hinata!" Sora exclaimed. "Your chakra control and reflexes are incredible! That must be the Byakugan's influence, right?"

Hinata nodded shyly, poking her fingers together. "Y-yes, the Gentle Fist style requires precise chakra control and quick reflexes."

"Don't sell yourself short," Kurenai added warmly. "Those stats are a result of your hard work, not just your bloodline."

Shino stepped forward next, slipping on the bracer:

- Chakra Control: 250

- Strength: 140 (170)

- Speed: 160 (190)

- Stamina: 220

- Endurance/Body Defense: 140 (220)

- Chakra Amount: 210

- Reflexes: 200

"Fascinating," Shino murmured. "It appears my symbiosis with my Pikachu has resulted in above-average chakra reserves and endurance."

"That's right," Sora nodded. "Your insects probably contribute to your overall chakra pool and help bolster your defences."

Finally, Kurenai tried on the last bracer:

- Chakra Control: 780

- Strength: 410 (600)

- Speed: 450 (670)

- Stamina: 530

- Endurance/Body Defense: 490

- Chakra Amount: 450

- Reflexes: 690

The genin gaped at their sensei's stats.

"Holy cow, Kurenai-sensei!" Kiba exclaimed. "You're a total badass!"

Kurenai chuckled. "Thank you, Kiba. Though I must say, seeing it quantified like this is rather... enlightening."

Sora grinned. "That's what the Hokage said too. Though I gotta say, your chakra control is off the charts! I bet you could cast some seriously wicked genjutsu with control like that."

"Indeed," Kurenai nodded a hint of pride in her voice. "Genjutsu requires precise chakra manipulation. It's gratifying to see that reflected in these numbers."

As the team continued to discuss their stats, comparing notes and speculating on how to improve, Sora couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. His invention was already sparking enthusiasm and motivating people to push themselves further.

"Well, I hate to stat and run," Sora quipped, eliciting groans from Kiba and giggles from Hinata, "but I've got more bracers to deliver. Keep those for a week, will you? I'll be back to collect data and see how you've improved!"

As he turned to leave, Kiba called out, "Hey, Sora! We heard about your epic prank war with Naruto. That thing with the orange paint was legendary!"

Sora grinned mischievously. "Oh, that? That was just a warm-up. You should see what I've got planned next!"

"Sora-kun," Hinata said softly, "please be careful. We wouldn't want you to get in too much trouble."

"Aw, don't worry about me, Hinata," Sora winked. "Trouble is my middle name!"

"Actually," Shino interjected, "I believe your full name is-"

"Anyway!" Sora interrupted hastily. "Gotta run! Places to be, stats to track, chaos to cause!"

With a theatrical bow and a puff of smoke, Sora disappeared, leaving behind a chuckling Kurenai and her amused genin team.

As he roof-hopped towards his next destination, Sora's mind was already whirling with ideas. "Team 10 is next on the list. I wonder what kind of stats the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio will have?"

With a grin, he picked up his pace. The day was far from over, and there were still plenty of surprises in store for the young prankster-turned-inventor.

As Sora bounded across the rooftops of Konoha, his mind raced with anticipation for his next encounter. Team 10, the latest incarnation of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho formation, was known for their unique abilities and teamwork. He couldn't wait to see how their stats would stack up.

Landing gracefully in Training Ground 10, Sora was greeted by a familiar scene. Shikamaru was lying on his back, cloud-watching with a bored expression. Choji sat nearby, munching on a bag of chips. Ino was pacing back and forth, clearly frustrated with her teammates' lack of enthusiasm.

"Guys, come on!" Ino was saying. "Asuma-sensei will be here any minute. We should at least look like we're training!"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, not bothering to move.

Choji simply offered Ino some chips, which she declined with an exasperated sigh.

Sora couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. "Well, well, if it isn't my favourite trio of slackers!"

Three heads turned in unison at his voice.

"Sora?" Ino blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Shikamaru eyed him suspiciously. "Whatever it is, it's probably going to be troublesome."

Choji, ever the peacemaker, offered Sora some chips. "Want some?"

Sora grinned, accepting a chip. "Thanks, Choji! And Shikamaru, you wound me. Can't a guy just drop by to see his friends without an ulterior motive?"

"No," all three genin replied in unison.

Sora clutched his chest dramatically. "Such distrust! But... you're absolutely right. I come bearing gifts!"

He held up the bracers, explaining their function as he had done for the previous teams. To his amusement, even Shikamaru sat up, looking intrigued despite himself.

"A stat-tracking device?" Ino mused. "That could be pretty useful for training."

Shikamaru nodded. "The applications for mission planning and team optimization could be significant."

"Does it track how many chips I can eat?" Choji asked hopefully.

Sora laughed. "Sorry, Choji, not yet. But maybe I'll add that feature in the next version. So, who wants to go first?"

"Me!" Ino volunteered eagerly. She slipped on the bracer, and her stats appeared:

- Chakra Control: 240

- Strength: 120 (150)

- Speed: 140 (170)

- Stamina: 120

- Endurance/Body Defense: 110 (130)

- Chakra Amount: 180

- Reflexes: 130

"Not bad, Ino!" Sora nodded approvingly. "Your chakra control is particularly impressive. Must be all that mind-transfer practice, huh?"

Ino beamed. "You bet! The Yamanaka techniques require precise control."

Choji went next, his stats appearing:

- Chakra Control: 180

- Strength: 210 (260)

- Speed: 130 (160)

- Stamina: 300

- Endurance/Body Defense: 270 (320)

- Chakra Amount: 260

- Reflexes: 150

"Wow, Choji!" Sora exclaimed. "Your endurance is off the charts for a genin! And that stamina... I bet you could outlast most chunin in a fight."

Choji grinned, opening a new bag of chips. "Thanks! I guess all that eating pays off, huh?"

Finally, it was Shikamaru's turn:

- Chakra Control: 290

- Strength: 110 (140)

- Speed: 120 (150)

- Stamina: 150

- Endurance/Body Defense: 140 (170)

- Chakra Amount: 290

- Reflexes: 240

- Intelligence: 180

Sora's eyes widened at the last stat. "Whoa, hold on a second. I didn't program an intelligence stat into these things. How did...?"

Shikamaru smirked. "I may have made a few adjustments while you were distracted."

Sora stared at him in disbelief. "You hacked my seal? In less than five minutes? While lying down?"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru shrugged, but there was a glint of pride in his eyes.

"That's... actually incredibly impressive," Sora admitted, a mix of awe and annoyance in his voice. "I spent months developing these seals, and you just casually add a new function in minutes. You're scary, Shikamaru."

"Thanks," Shikamaru yawned. "I think."

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Thank you to VEGETA_15505, Desire96, AllenCross ,Burning_flames, emanuel_2085, Jude_Ovie, TreadwayHeinrich, Rayquation, PauloHMS, Pheathon, Toasted, Travis_Tharp, Plain_Grass021, Tsniper, Kennchan, J4F, spartacus34, VEGETA_15505, Kay_smiles101, CR077, Osas_Destiny_4852, Dovah_Kos, Desire96, Ducks123, VEGETA_15505, Druidpriest and syedsaid95  for the Powerstones.

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