Naruto: Snow Cold

After Amai and Suzume's fight, Kenjiro continued evaluating everyone's Taijutsu skills, pushing each student to their limits. Eventually, the class came to an end, and now? Amai and her friend were making their way home, slightly exhausted but fine nonetheless.

"Today was... certainly interesting."

"You don't say," Sora replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I almost had a kid burn me alive today, and he probably hates me to death now."

"Yeeeeah. Better pray you don't become his Naruto, or would Itachi fit better?"

"Uh, no thanks. I don't want an Uchiha chasing me down, thank you very much." He shuddered at the thought of an obsessed child relentlessly pushing themselves day and night, all in a mad pursuit to surpass him.

"You shouldn't have forgotten to take your seal off. It wasn't on purpose, right?"

"Yeah, I just forgot. Kind of a mistake on my part, but I won't repeat it if we are ever on a squad."

"You better. Anyway, speaking of gravity seals... How much weight can you take right now? I'm still at 105 kilograms."

In response, Sora covered his face with his palm, revealing only one eye through the gap. Dramatically, he answered. "90 kilograms."

"Wha- You're already catching up to me?! How?! I know we've been training together for a while now, but what the hell? You training on your own or something?"

"I've just been trying a little harder, that's all."

She scoffed, and hurriedly said, "Yeahsurewhateveryousaydude." Amai then continued, "By the way, we'll be starting sensor training today. You already told Mika-san you would stay over at my place, right?"

"Yup, she doesn't mind. Just exactly who's gonna teach us, though?"

"Apparently it's gonna be a Yamanaka. You know, those who dabble in mental techniques and have blonde hair."

"You assumin' they all are like that? That's kind of racist." He replied, raising an eyebrow in mock disapproval.

"S-Shut up! I didn't mean it like that, I'm not racist!"

"Hahaha, I'm just teasing you," Sora said with a chuckle, waving off her flustered reaction. "Okay, let's talk about something else while we're still at it." He smirked, his tone shifting slightly. "You've been practicing for your guitar exam, yeah? I'll take it on Sunday, and make sure you really gear up for it, because Flowering Night is going to absolutely shred your fingers."

She shivered at the thought. Right, she had to prepare for that as well. Although... Something else nagged at her mind. She wanted to impress other people, so why not give it a try?

"...Hey. Do you think we could put on some kind of performance when we get to have our graduation exam? If I ace this, of course."

"Uh, are you sure? I'm not against it, but why?"

She stared down at the ground in thought, her voice soft. "I don't know. I suppose I just want to know what it's like to have people acknowledge you—not just for your skills, but for something you actually like to do. You know what I mean?"

Sora opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself, his expression shifting as he considered her words. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought, his usual confident demeanor replaced by something quieter, more reflective.

After a brief pause, he finally spoke up. "...Yeah, I can work with that. I don't mind if you actually want to do it, honestly."

"Good boy."

He deadpanned at that, shooting her a look that said 'you want to die or something?', before rolling up his sleeves and approaching her with more-than-hostile intent.

"W-Wait, it was a joke! No, no, no! Ahahaha!" Amai's voice was a nervous squeak as she started frantically running away, and Sora gave chase.

"You're not getting away with saying that to me! FLINT LOCKWOOOOD!!" He shouted as he ate up the ground with each step, chasing her through the street.

It was usual to see children playing in the streets of Konoha, but as one could imagine, civilians and ninjas alike could only think 'In Hashirama's name, what the absolute fuck is a Flint Lockwood?'

A few bystanders paused mid-conversation, confused expressions spreading across their faces as they turned toward the two kids running past. Some whispered to each other, wondering if this was some new trend or a reference that flew over their heads.

However, both of our otherwolders didn't care about that. They only cared about the moment, enjoying themselves and feeling like children again.

For Sora, the chase was pure, unfiltered fun. His mind wasn't on anything else—there was not much thought, no egotistical calculation of victory, no worrying about being shamed for acting like a child, just the thrill of the chase. How long had it been since he took a break?

Amai, too, found herself swept up in the excitement. Being pursued was fun. There was something freeing about it—the feeling of being chased, but in the most exhilarating way possible. She wasn't running for her life, but for the joy of the chase. Okay, maybe she was running for her life, but it was just as fun!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ahahaha!"

"Just wait 'til I catch you!"

So, they kept running on and on, weaving through the streets of Konoha and parkouring whenever and wherever they could. Ducking under branches, vaulting over fences, leaping off walls, you name it. Their laughter echoed through the streets as they raced past startled pedestrians, who paused in confusion before quickly realizing what was going on.

...

"Haah... Haah."

They both gasped for air in unison as they stood in front of the apartment complex, their bodies still trembling with adrenaline. Sweat drenched their forehead, and their chests heaved with each breath.

"That was fun." Amai grinned through her heavy breaths, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"It was, yeah. I'm not forgetting about what you called me, though. Sooner or later, I'll take my revenge."

"Pffft, yeah, sure. I'll gladly be your Itachi. If you want to take revenge on me... Despise me, hate me, and live a loathsome life!"

"Oh, is that really what he said to Sasuke?"

"Sure is."

"What an asshole."

"I know."

Finally, they opened the doors, and entered the complex, the familiar warmth and quiet of the building greeting them. They walked through the hallways, footsteps echoing in the distance as other residents were going about their day.

Upon reaching the door to Amai's parents' apartment, she couldn't help but wonder... How come they haven't moved yet? They had plenty of money saved up from the Akimichi contract, and ice cream was still a big trend. They had even "created" new flavors, such as strawberry and mint. Too bad there's no chocolate, or maybe it's just exclusive to a certain region.

For all she knew, it may be because her parents liked living a humble life. Either way, it didn't matter to her as long as she could enjoy spending time with her family.

Our protagonist beamed at the thought and pulled out her keys. She inserted them into the keyhole, twisted, and unlocked the door, opening it and leading the two of them inside.

She half never expected the person on the table, though.

It was a middle-aged man with sharp, intelligent blue eyes and blonde hair, slightly messy and medium-length, wearing a Chūnin flak jacket.

"Oh, you're back, Amai! How was the Academy today? And you're here too, Sora. Just in time for lunch." Hikari greeted them from the compact kitchen, her hands busy assembling lunch. She was preparing to serve up some tonkatsu sandwiches using steaming, hot and fresh out of the fryer breaded pork cutlets.

The blonde man seated at the table glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "These are the children I've been hearing so much about? Are they truly as talented as you've told me?"

Hikari smiled warmly, setting the last of the tonkatsu sandwiches on a plate. "Yes, yes. Believe me, they pick up things quite quickly and would be glad to learn from you, Yamahiro-san." She glanced toward Amai and Sora with an encouraging nod. "Why don't you personally introduce yourselves?"

"Oh, uh... My name's Amai Hashimoto. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yamahiro-san." The cyan-eyed girl said, bowing slightly. It was customary and a sign of respect for one to bow, after all, and she needed to make a good first impression.

"Quite polite, you are. What about you, the boy with the messy black hair?"

Sora flinched slightly at being mentioned, but quickly composed himself and replied while bowing, "Sora Shiraishi, you can call me just Sora. Nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san."

Yamahiro's eyes flickered back and forth with amusement, his arms crossed as he analyzed them. "Hm. A formal one and a casual one... Should be interesting teaching the both of you."

"Now, now... Why don't we get to eating? Before the food gets cold?" Amai's mother chimed in, a warm smile on her face as she placed down the last plate on the table.

"Ah, of course. Nutrition is important, and that is especially true for children." Yamahiro nodded, his tone more serious now, "Let's dig in, shall we? Thank you for the food."

They all sat down and had a hearty lunch, having light conversations as they ate. Tonkatsu was simply a food truly meant for comfort, after all. Occasionally, Yamahiro would compliment Hikari's cooking, his usually serious demeanor softening with genuine appreciation.

Eventually, they all finished their meals. Amai and Sora helped Hikari clear the table, gathering up the plates and placing them in the sink. As they did this, they couldn't help but look forward to starting sensor training.

Apparently, they'd be taken by Yamahiro to some kind of secluded, special training room specifically for sensors. It would have sound-proofing seals, and it seems like Amai's hypothesis had been right. They would have to close off every sense and feel relying only on their sixth sense, chakra.

After a while, they bid Hikari goodbye, thanking her for the meal, and took off.

On their way to the building...

After a moment of silence, Yamahiro broke the ice. "Do you both know exactly what a sensor is?"

Amai tilted her head thoughtfully, recalling everything she knew so far. "I suppose a sensor is, like... A ninja who can detect chakra from a distance? They can sense people, identify chakra signatures which are unique to everyone, kind of like our fingerprints. They have a field, which can be used passively and expanded to be used actively, and it's the one they use to 'detect' those signatures. Apparently, they can even tell if someone's telling the truth based on their chakra fluctuations."

Upon hearing that, the blonde Yamanaka nodded. "Mostly correct, yes. Sora-kun, anything to add to that?"

"Uuh..." He paused. "I have the same assumption as Amai, but I think there's an extra step to this. You don't expand your chakra field and it simply works like that, yeah? Because normal chakra doesn't have the properties, you'd have to knead it into some other form specifically for sensing. Sensory chakra."

Yamahiro's lips quirked upward in a small, approving smile. "Yes, precisely, Sora-kun. Chakra doesn't normally function as a sensory tool, and it has to be molded with that purpose in mind. What you're calling 'sensory chakra' is essentially chakra that's been molded to interact with the ambient energy around it."

He halted for a moment, before continuing, "Either way, since I'm teaching the both of you, I only have one request."

Amai and Sora exchanged a glance, curiosity flickering in their eyes.

"What is it?" Amai asked cautiously.

With the most serious expression ever, Yamahiro leaned slightly closer, his sharp blue eyes glinting under the light.

"When we're training, call me... Big Bro Yama."

...

A heavy silence hung in the air. Both of the kids froze mid-step, their face immediately darkening simultaneously, looking at Yamahiro as if he had grown a second head.

It's gonna be a long day, isn't it?