Naruto: Snow Cold

---------??? POV---------

This world... is weird. One late night, I was writing an essay extravaganza for my economics project, fueled by coffee. And the moment I began to doze off, I blinked, and suddenly, I was just here, in some kind of kid's room. I had a massive headache that caused me to scream like a banshee (or at least I'd like to believe I did; it was really painful), but thankfully, no one was home to witness it.

Memories—tons of them. Ninjas, my name, this boy's dreams, the language spoken, headbands, family bonds, and so much more that I can't even count. It was a lot to take in, really. Nope, this is not a size joke, thank you very much.

But most importantly... This new feeling in my stomach, or would my gut be more appropriate? I'm not a very big fan of watching anime or reading manga, so I really don't know much about this world. I at least know the basics, I guess? Must be the so called "Chakra."

Using this body's memories, I explored the house to familiarize myself with my surroundings, getting to the kitchen for a glass of water to calm the ache in my head. I assume they had no pills to treat headaches, do they? Whatever. It's going away slowly, so best not to pay it any mind.

I belonged to a civilian family in Konoha, and from my knowledge, i could tell that i was done for. Bloodline mattered the most in this world, unlike what they tried to show in the series. Hard work triumphs over talent? Pfft, Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, an Uzumaki, the reincarnation of some overpowered dude which I don't even remember, and had half of the Nine Tails sealed inside him. It was practically destiny for him to become one of the strongest shinobi.

Speaking of the Nine Tails... Apparently it had attacked two years ago, so I guess I've got 10 years before the start of the main storyline. But you know what? Screw that, this might just be a dream, or a nightmare. It doesn't matter, I'll just wake up and rush through the essay, so that I can turn it in, in time.

This isn't real, damn it.

Either way, the aspect of using anything remotely close to magic is very interesting to me. Okay, maybe interesting is understating it, I'm ecstatic.

I'll just live a peaceful life while learning stuff for fun, because just what could happen to one of the most peaceful villages in this world?

Oh right. Screw you, Orochimaru, and fuck you too, Pain. The Konoha Crush, and this psychopath's whatever tensei or something.

I heard the door open. Must be this body's mother, Mika Shiraishi, since the father died fighting against the fox. Screw you too, Uchiha Obito.

"Sora, I'm back. Did you behave while I was gone shopping?" she said, concerned. Sora Shiraishi... Yeah, that's my name alright. I should play along.

"I didn't do anything, mama. Everything's fine." I think that's how this child usually speaks. Let's see what she says.

"Oh, my sweet boy. I brought you a cup of ice cream on my way here. It's a little melted, though, so you'll have to eat it fast," she said as she dropped her groceries on the table and handed me the cup.

"Ah, thank you, Mother." I was a little taken aback. I'm pretty sure ice cream isn't supposed to exist in the world of Naruto, even though it was clearly shown in my memories that this dessert began gaining popularity a year ago. Just who? How? Eh... This is sweet and creamy. Vanilla... Not exactly the same as in the real world, but still pretty good.

When am I going to wake up? As cliché as it sounds, I wanted to pinch my cheek, bite my tongue, or something, but that headache felt real. Way too real.

"Do you feel like going to the local plaza and then heading to the playground? I think it'd be nice for you to make some friends. You're almost always holed up in here or playing ninja by yourself."

"Yeah, that sounds good." I replied. Guess the boy was a loner. Sorry for taking over your body, life, and dreams, little guy. I really am. I'll try my best to let your name be known, at the very least.

Either way, it did genuinely sound like a good idea to me. I hadn't had any free time ever since I started going to college for that economics degree. Always studying, doing chores, working a part-time job, and helping my family out. I barely found any free time for myself, even on weekends, and that led to me almost abandoning my online friends. I still talked to them, although it really felt like I had left them.

Dear lord, I adored those fools. We used to play games together all the time—Minecraft, GTA 5, Dark Souls, Among Us... I really miss those moments.

Sorry for not being there.

Anyway, enough of my thoughts. The streets of Konoha were quite lively, as expected. There were many buildings, some that I recognized from both my memories and the show itself, and a few new ones. Is that the famous Ichiraku? Eh, not in the mood for noodles right now, or anything, for that matter. This headache... Ugh.

As we made our way to our destination, Mika (No, I'm not gonna call a woman I've just met my mother; I only did so earlier to keep up appearances) remarked, "You're gonna need some friends if you really want to start going to the Academy, so try to talk to the other kids, alright? See if you have anything in common, stuff like that." I simply nodded.

Step, step, step... There it is. I don't think I'll have much trouble talking with kids. She let me go, and I noticed some children playing tag. It looked fun, but I wasn't in the mood for that. I guess I'll keep looking around and see if I can actually find any characters from canon. Doubtful, but it's worth a shot.

So many kids, and their parents... They're mostly ordinary, except for some of the adults. They had headbands. The kids were playing soccer, board games, running around and giggling, or eating—just enjoying themselves at the moment.

Being a child is such a wonder, isn't it?

One child stood out from all of them, though. She was a small girl with short, wavy snow-white hair, lying beside one of the trees, seemingly alone and enjoying the atmosphere. Did she not want to play with the others? I'll try approaching her.

So, I did.

"Heeeey. Is anyone there?" I said, and her eyes snapped open, looking at me.

"H-Hi there." She seemed startled and timid, almost shy. Blue eyes...

"Wanna play cards with me?"

"Oh, sorry. Not in the mood right now." It was clear she was shy, but there was a glint in her eyes, almost intelligent. How should I approach this? Ah, I know.

"That's too bad. Can I sit with you? Maybe we can talk and have fun somehow?" I replied enthusiastically—or at least I hope so. I didn't sound too dead in this body, right?

She hesitantly nodded, and I sat down beside her.

"So, what's your name? Mine's Sora Shiraishi."

"My name..."

"My name is Amai Hashimoto."