Naruto: Snow Cold

------------Sora's POV------------

Nothing is working—absolutely nothing! I can't 'wake up,' and now, I'm stuck in this child's body. Just perfect. At least I don't have to worry about college anymore or any of my past responsibilities. Silver linings, I guess.

...I'll forget about it for now. Can't let myself look bad in front of that girl, can I? Maybe, just maybe, if I manage to befriend her, she'll help me on this insane journey.

While I'm waiting, I might as well introduce myself. Reincarnated people in stories often have an audience, right? Could I break the 4th wall? Hmmm... Nah, doesn't seem to work. Anyway.

My name is Samuel Wright, and I was 21 years old when I died. Yeah, yeah, I know—Samuel Wright. Cue the jokes about that lawyer from some attorney game. It was, and still is, incredibly annoying.

I was from Florida—Orlando, to be exact. A North American through and through. I had a pretty normal family life, though it could get a bit hectic. One older brother, six years my senior, and two younger sisters—twins, actually—who were still in high school, five years younger than me.

Luckily, I never had to worry much about money. My brother and both of my parents worked as doctors at a family-owned clinic that made a small fortune. Life was comfortable, at least financially.

I didn't want to follow in their footsteps, though. I wanted something different... I wanted to become an accountant. Sounds boring, right? Well, guess what? I don't care—that's what I liked. I spent my entire life working myself to the bone to earn that economics degree.

And now? It doesn't even matter anymore. I'm stuck here. I was so fucking close! Just two more years. That was all I needed to finish college and land a goddamn job.

Deep breaths, Samuel... Enough ranting, let's talk about my likes and dislikes, shall we?

How should I start...? Oh, right. I loved indulging in some seriously good video games. Like I mentioned before, it was practically an obsession. And I think just about everyone likes eating, right? I had a few hobbies too. I used to play the guitar and football for fun. And yes, bite me—I'm not calling it "soccer."

I heard footsteps approaching and lifted my head to see who it was. Amai stood there, holding a plain white football in her hands, her face etched with disbelief, as if she hadn't expected to find me here.

Yeah, I'm not missing out on the chance to use magic.

"What's good?" I waved, grinning at her.

"You actually came. I didn't expect to see you again."

"Well, duh. Why wouldn't I?" I said as I got up from my spot, pointing at the ball, "Is that yours? It looks pretty damn good."

"Yup, my mother gave it to me on my birthday, and it's been really fun playing around with it. You wanna play a quick match?" She smiled back and laid the ball on the ground. Game's on. I actually used to play football at the age of 12, continuing to do so until quitting at 14.

"You bet. Let's go!" I said, then started to gain some distance. She passed the ball to me, and I used the outside of my foot to stop its momentum, trapping it under control.

Thus, it began. I dribbled the ball forward, and the moment Amai approached me, I leaned in and rolled the ball up with my foot, hitting it with my heel and sending it over her in an arch. Yeah, I just used a rainbow flick on a child. I swear I've broken her ankles in self-defense!

"Huh? No fair!" She swiftly turned around. Whoa, she's fast. Then, she jumped and trapped the ball mid-air, shouting, "Hup!" This is ridiculous.

She stepped over the ball twice before pushing it in the opposite direction and sprinting at a high speed. That's fast—at least, for me. Did I just get outdone by a child? Unacceptable!

...

The match continued for an hour, and I was left sitting on the ground, sweat dripping down my body, panting and gasping for air. Amai didn't even look like she broke a sweat. What the hell are they feeding these children?!

"Here you go," She handed me a water bottle, "Thanks." I said between gasps and greedily gulped down half of the water in it.

"Ahh... Really, thank you." I said in relief, feeling a tad better, and I asked, "Hey, how are you not tired? We ran back and forth for so long."

"I dunno. Maybe I'm just good." She's getting comfortable, perfect.

"True. You kicked my butt for an hour straight after all." I said, defeated. The little gremlin kept doing tricks around me and showing off. I hate cocky people.

"Hey, is there really no way to unlock the energy inside my gut? I've been trying for weeks now, and had barely any progress." I asked, looking up at her.

"Hmmmm..." She held her chin in thought. Then, her eyes widened a little, as if she just had an idea. What's she gonna do?

"Ah, I know. Turn your back to me. I'm going to put my palm on that part, and you're going to tell me if you feel anything, okay?" she said. I did as she instructed, pulling my shirt up slightly. Her palm pressed against my back, and I shivered a little. It was cold, just like that time when we shook hands.

Then, I sensed something entering my system—a cold, soothing chakra traveling to my core through what felt like pathways. Do we have pathways for chakra? Either way, I could feel the barrier preventing me from accessing that energy begin to soften.

"I feel something. Like it's starting to move or something," I said, closing my eyes and focusing on the sensation. The cold feeling wasn't uncomfortable anymore—I was getting used to it. To be honest, we didn't really have to worry about anyone seeing us since we were in a secluded area, far from the other kids and adults. Was this dangerous? Maybe. But if it worked, that was all that mattered.

"Okay, I'll keep going, then. Don't move," she said, her tone serious. She increased the force of her chakra, and for a moment, I thought this process might stretch on forever. But then…

Something shifted. It felt like a barrier deep within me shattered. And just like that, I could feel it—my chakra. I could actually sense it moving, responding to my will, though not very smoothly.

"Did it work?" she asked, her voice tinged with excitement.

"Yeah, it definitely did," I said, a grin spreading across my face.

It swirled within me, sluggish but obedient.

I felt complete.