Naruto: The Crimson Error

10

Chapter 10: Orange You Glad It's Over?

The sun rose over Konoha, painting the sky in hues of pink and gold. It would have been a beautiful sight, if not for one small problem: the entire village was still covered in a vibrant shade of orange.

Naruto Uzumaki, the architect of this colourful catastrophe, stood atop the Hokage Monument, surveying his handiwork with a mix of pride and growing apprehension. Beside him, looking significantly less pleased, stood Sora, his red hair now tinged with streaks of orange.

"You know," Sora said, breaking the silence, "when I said we should brighten up the village, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

Naruto grinned, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "Aw, come on! You gotta admit, it's pretty impressive. I mean, look at it! It's like the whole village got a makeover!"

Sora pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting back a smile. As much as he wanted to be annoyed, he couldn't help but admire the sheer scale of Naruto's prank. "Impressive? Sure. But you do realize we're going to have to clean all this up, right?"

The grin slipped from Naruto's face faster than Kakashi disappearing when the bill arrives at Ichiraku Ramen. "Wait, what? We?"

"Oh yes, 'we'," came a stern voice from behind them. Both boys turned to see the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing there, his normally pristine robes now a fetching shade of tangerine. "You two are responsible for this... redecorating, so you two will be leading the cleanup efforts."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "But Jiji! That could take weeks!"

Hiruzen's eyes twinkled with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Then I suggest you get started, Naruto. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to explain to Teuchi why Ichiraku Ramen has to remain closed until the paint is gone?"

The colour drained from Naruto's face faster than the Hiraishin. "No ramen? But... but that's cruel and unusual punishment!"

Sora, ever the voice of reason (or at least, the slightly less chaotic one), stepped in. "Naruto, why don't you use your Shadow Clones? That should speed things up, right?"

Naruto's eyes lit up like he'd just been told ramen was now considered a vegetable. "That's right! I can use my clones! Ha! This'll be easy!"

Hiruzen chuckled, shaking his head. "Very well. But remember, Naruto, you're responsible for any... mishaps your clones might cause during the cleanup."

As if on cue, a distant shout echoed across the village, followed by the sound of something heavy falling and a chorus of alarmed squawks. The three of them turned to see a flock of very orange pigeons taking flight, leaving behind what appeared to be a collapsed scaffolding and several paint-covered civilians.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh... oops?"

Sora facepalmed. This was going to be a long day.

---

The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity as Naruto's army of clones spread out across the village, armed with buckets, mops, and an enthusiasm that was inversely proportional to their cleaning skills.

Sora found himself coordinating the cleanup efforts, which was a bit like trying to herd cats. Very orange, very loud cats.

"No, you can't just paint everything else orange to match!" he shouted at one group of clones who had somehow gotten their hands on more paint. "And you! Stop trying to clean the Inuzuka dogs! They're supposed to be brown!"

Meanwhile, Naruto (the original) was dealing with the... unique reactions of the villagers.

"Naruto!" came the booming voice of Might Guy, jogging up with his signature gleaming smile. "Your youthful prank has set the village ablaze with the fires of... cleaning! It's most inspirational!"