Naruto: Snow Cold

---------Amai's POV---------

A girl could be seen running laps on the training grounds, wearing what appeared to be training bands on each limb and around her torso. She was devouring the ground with every step she took.

Her breath was labored, huffing and gasping for air as her speed gradually decreased. Yet, her determination to complete the laps outweighed her body's urge to let her legs give out.

"Haaah… Haaah…!"

The pressure applied by the seals was barely two kilos on each arm, three kilos on each leg, and four kilos on her torso, but even that small amount made a significant difference. It made sense to her, though—while the existence of chakra made such training possible, muscle development shouldn't progress too quickly, especially for someone her age.

At the start, she had nearly exhausted her chakra by attempting to imbue every muscle with its energy. It had initially enhanced all her attributes—speed, strength, and even dexterity! But the catch?

It drained her chakra almost instantly. This was partly due to her lack of experience with the technique and partly because her control was still lacking, even though she had already mastered the Water Walking Technique. Her limited chakra reserves only added to the challenge.

"I... huff... freaking hate... running!"

Finally, I finished the laps. Holy crap... I feel like a walking corpse, I thought as I collapsed onto the ground. How big are my chakra reserves, even? I really, REALLY need to become a sensor ASAP.

Still, I've made good progress over these last few months. I've been training with the weights for about two weeks now and started using this new skill just yesterday. It's draining—but worth it. I can feel my chakra coils expanding ever so slightly.

One thing I've noticed is that since the cells in every muscle are being forced to work harder and stay more active due to the extra chakra, they require more sustenance. In simpler terms, my appetite has increased, and I've had to eat more food than usual. Naturally, with the increased activity, my muscles also repair faster, allowing me to recover from fatigue with just 6–8 hours of sleep. Though... I didn't exactly check the time when I woke up.

Me and my family also made monthly visits to the orphanage, bringing them gifts as usual.

Oh, and I've been making decent progress with seals too—though there have been a few, uh... minor inconveniences along the way.

--------FLASHBACK--------

"Okay, Dad. Get ready, because I'm going to write down the symbols!"

"Mhm, just be careful."

I took hold of the scroll and gripped my pen, dipping it into the chakra ink. This type of ink was special—mixed with a bit of blood, it was an excellent chakra conductor, making it perfect for seals. Carefully, I wrote down the symbols and formula for the storage scrolls.

One, two, three, four, five... That should be it.

"It's done. Let's check it out."

"Sure thing."

I placed a water bottle on top of the scroll and pressed my palm against it, releasing my chakra. Instantly, I felt something ignite—and before I knew it, my dad had grabbed me and pulled me back. Ninja reflexes, alright.

BOOM!

It malfunctioned. What the hell!? The scroll almost exploded in my face!

"Are you okay, Amai?"

"Y-Yeah... I guess I am."

I was truly flabbergasted. Baffled. Gobsmacked. Perhaps even confounded. How could such a failure happen to me?

--------END FLASHBACK--------

Uuuuh, yeah. Pretty dangerous stuff. So far, I've learned several symbols and figured out how to make Storage Seals, Heating and Cooling Seals, the Filtering Seal, and a few other basic convenience seals. I'm still barely scratching the surface with the other advanced seals, though. Like the Exploding Tag Seal. Seriously, how do they even mass-produce those?

I've also had to practice control exercises daily, since my chakra keeps growing, and that means my overall control decreases. It's a good thing, though, because it shows I still have room to grow in that area. Should I seal a tailed beast inside myself once I'm skilled enough? Would that help or harm my chakra pool? I wonder...

Well, I think I've rested enough. Time to head home and greet my parents. I'm hungry—again.

My stomach rumbled as I walked back. Honestly, I miss the dishes from my old world, even though the food here is pretty good. Burgers, french fries, onion rings, chicken nuggets—you know, classic American stuff. Could I open a restaurant someday and make McDonald's a real thing here? It doesn't sound like a bad idea. The biggest challenge would probably be breaking the Akimichi monopoly. Getting workers and the right tools... Hm.

Yeah, I definitely should.

Ah, I'm back. I love this place, I thought as I opened the door with my own keys. Don't ask me how or why they trusted me with a copy—I'm just grateful to have such happy-go-lucky parents!

"I'm back..!" I called out as I stepped inside, noticing my mother sitting on the couch, reading a cookbook.

"Oh, dear, you're already done training? You must be hungry, aren't you?" she asked. She knows me so well, hehe.

"Yeah, something to eat would be nice, Mom."

"Give me a second, then."

She swiftly took a container out of the fridge and heated it up in the microwave. That's right, we've started meal prepping to save time and effort. This time, it's curry and rice! Pretty good, huh?!

Before long, it was ready. I had already set the table, grateful for the food.

As I was eating…

"Amai, you know you're starting the academy tomorrow, right? Aren't you excited to meet other kids? Maybe you'll learn to be a ninja like your dad. Oh, and perhaps that Sora boy might be there as well."

My eyes lit up at that. The academy... That's right, I'm almost six now! I can't wait to see what it's like. Should I show off a little? But then again, I hate extra attention, and talking to people is… troublesome, to say the least. At least I'll have Sora to talk to, I suppose.

"Yeah, I'm pretty damn excited. I really want to see what they teach. There's a jutsu library there, right?"

"That's right, my sunshine."

"Oh, oh! I want to use wind and water jutsu! The strongest ones!" Honestly, that wasn't just acting—I really do want to start learning jutsu. For some reason, though, they've been adamant about not letting me get my hands on any ninjutsu before I enter the academy.

"I'm sure you will," Mom said with a warm smile, resting her face on her palm.

Wait. That reminds me... I haven't taught Sora much about chakra or the exercises he could do to practice.

Well, damn.

--------------------------------------------

(A/N): Hey guys, sorry for not uploading! I was busy studying for my math and Italian exams. Luckily, I passed the Italian one. But I unfortunately failed the math one. I'll be tied up with more school stuff, so uploads might not be as regular. I'll try to make it up to you guys later in the week.