Naruto: Snow Cold

"Hnnnn…"

There I sat on the soft covers of my bed in a lotus position. That's right, I was trying to concentrate as much as I could to enter a state of meditation. This is only a theory, but hypothetically, if I enter this "state," maybe I will be able to recall some of my memories and, therefore, become more knowledgeable than before. I kept my eyes closed, my body unmoving, and my breathing constant yet steady, following a certain rhythm.

Goddamn it, I can't seem to achieve it… How do people even manage to do it? I'll have to progress more with the leaf technique if I want to do this. By the way, I had managed to hold the leaf on my forehead for around 24 minutes and 15 seconds so far. Pretty good for a week, huh?

I don't know how much longer I'll stay in this damned place, and I'm simply desperate for something else, something different. I opened my eyes and got up from my bed. I looked at the clock… Oh, fuck, it's already 11 AM. Lunchtime, wait for me!

I rushed to the dining room, where mostly everyone was sitting and eating their respective lunches, and I approached the counter. The kind chef lady served me my portion.

"Here you go, eat up and grow strong, alright?"

"Thank you, miss."

I went back to the table with my plate, sat down, and began to scarf down my food… Delicious! As I did so, several thoughts went through my mind.

What should I train in during this year and the next? I'll probably try to increase my leaf record to over one hour, start focusing on the tree-walking technique… or maybe I'll do an easier version with the walls. If I ever get out of here, I'll get to try the water-walking technique as well. My chakra reserves have more or less increased, I think, by around 40% since I first started practicing with the leaves.

I'll probably try to recreate foods from my world and form a mini street food stand to make my own money… Maybe I can introduce new technology to this world if I manage to recall the process behind it. My school's teachings are going to be useful after all.

I finished my food.

Hana...

Argh, no need to feel sad. I'll need to be careful with the connections i'll make in the future. I... don't want to feel that again.

Suddenly, one of the caretakers, Haruka, approached me, and said cheerfully:

"Amai, come with me, someone's looking for you."

"A-Ah, is that so?"

What does she mean?

"It's a surprise, okay? Follow me," She said in a playful tone.

Uh, okay. I went by her side, and she lead me to the... main room? And i saw two adults along with the Matron. A man that looked about 20, his clothes being your usual chunnin flak jacket, some black pants with bandages surrounding his right thigh. He had shaggy, black hair, and dark green eyes. He smiled at me.

The other adult was a woman who seemed 19, she wore a cozy, cream sweater and high-waisted, faded denim jeans that hugged her figure. Her hair was fell in loose waves around her shoulders, shining in the light. It was a warm brown color, with a few lighter highlights.

"H-Huh?" I asked in surprise.

"Congratulations Amai, you're getting adopted." Said the matron with a warm tone.

This early?!?

"Hello there Amai, my name's Jun Hashimoto... I'm going to be your adoptive father." The man said, kneeling down to my level and stretching out his hand.

I decided to question him while shaking his hand as well.

"Really? Why me though? There's so many others."

"Me and Hikari saw how hard you work every day to become stronger, you want to become a ninja, yes?" He asked in a mellow tone.

"Y-Yeah! It's my dream!" I stuttered a little, then grinned at him, pretending to be excited.

"Do you want to come with us?" The woman, Hikari, finally spoke up, her voice gentle.

"Please." I said eagerly.

"Alright, that's that, then!" She clasped her hands together and said that with a cheerful tone.

"Pack up your things for tomorrow, we'll be picking you up by then, okay sweetie?"

"Mhm!"

I thought the adoption process would be more complicated, but I guess not much needs to be done, huh? This opens up quite a lot of possibilities.

They finished signing the paperwork and went out, waving at the matron and me.

I went back to the girls' room and packed up everything that was mine: my clothes, my toothbrush, my pouch, and everything else I thought was important.

So much to be done, yet so little time, huh?

I guess I'll try tree walking a bit early by my bed so that I don't fall and twist my neck. If I'm not wrong, it should be the same principle as the Leaf Concentration Technique, except on the soles of our feet. I placed the mattress down, using the strength I gained... Chakra does wonders indeed.

Then, I applied chakra to my feet. This would be my plan: add a little bit at a time until I find the right ratio; I don't want to damage the walls.

So, I slipped and slipped, over and over again. This kept going for about 20 minutes until I finally managed to stick for a moment and take a step forward. Hell yes!

I kept going, getting marginally better each time, gaining an extra centimeter and refining my chakra control.

One thing I noticed, though, is that this drains more chakra than the Leaf Exercise. Well, that's a bummer. I stopped when I felt I had 20% of my chakra left and just went along with my usual routine.

I can't wait for tomorrow.