Naruto: Snow Cold

Sweat dripped down my face and onto the ground, staining it as I grunted with each push I gave with my right palm.

My left arm was tied securely behind my back, forcing me to rely solely on my right as I powered through a series of one-handed pushups. My muscles screamed in protest, but I refused to stop. Not yet. Just a few more! I can't let Suzume defeat me again!

Sora was resting beside the tree, obviously exhausted from our training session. He couldn't keep up with me, and that was just expected, considering he started around 9 months ago or so.

My right arm kept exerting as much force as it could, despite how strained it was. I gritted my teeth and scrunched up my face in determination.

Just one more!

With a deep, shaky breath, I pushed against the ground, feeling every fiber in my arm burn up. My palm dug into the dirt, trembling as I forced my body upward. For a moment, it felt like I would collapse, but sheer willpower got me through.

Finally, I straightened my arm, completing the push-up before collapsing onto the ground, gasping for air like a damn maniac. My heart kept beating like a drum in my chest, and honestly? I was used to it. The burn, the exhaustion—it was all just familiar.

Footsteps crunched against the dirt, slowly approaching me. Sora's voice broke through my haze. "Water?"

I tilted my head up weakly, my vision still a little blurry, and reached out with my left hand. "Y-Yes, please..." My voice came out hoarse and shaky.

I gulped down desperately, like my life depended on it. It kind of did, actually.

He sat on the ground crosslegged, and said, "God, you look like a zombie. Why are your workouts so intense compared to mine? There's no need to push yourself so hard, we have plenty of time after all."

"...I know, but there is no way that I can lose in such an embarrassing way ever again. So, I'm gonna try. I'm gonna give it all I've got and become the strongest there is."

His expression froze into a small smirk, as if to say, 'Aren't you too full of yourself?'

Now he's making me regret what I said. Stop that, you're making me feel ashamed of myself!

"A-Anyway! How has learning your jutsus been? Torch and Lightning Spark, right?" I hastily tried to switch the subject, hoping to steer the conversation away from my moment of overconfidence.

He caught onto my attempt, or at least that's what it seemed like, but he decided to humor me either way. He held his chin in thought. "I suppose they're going well. I can create a flame the size of a marble, and Lightning Spark? It can slightly char a piece of paper and travel a few meters, so it's probably good. Although I still need the handsigns... Like you said, I have a greater affinity for fire than lightning."

(A/N: They finally bought him a Chakra Induction Paper.)

"O-Oh, that's genuinely incredible."

"How about you? Mostly wind style, right?"

"Yeah, I got it down. Gale Palm, Wind Pull, Push and Redirection, and some water jutsu. Subtle Drizzle and Splash Wave. I've been working to reduce the amount of handsigns, but it's really tedious and slow to memorize the chakra flow for each one, so I might have to focus on a single one first. Ah, the clone and transformation jutsus, as well."

"That's pretty cool, I can do the transformation thing as well. Watch!"

He concentrated, weaved the seals needed, and smoke surrounded him. It cleared, and revealed a figure I knew too well. A tall man with wild, spiky hair that sticked in all directions, clad in an orange martial arts uniform with a blue undershirt and matching wristbands.

It was Son Goku, from Dragon Ball.

The expression was totally off, though. This was definitely it, he's not from around here.

His hands moved and rested on his hips, and stood with his feet slightly apart, "Whaddya think? Pretty good, huh?"

My lips parted slightly, but no words came out. My gaze drifted, distant and unfocused. He's making it too clear for me, isn't he?

"Hey, it's me, Goku!" he said cheerfully, waving at me with exaggerated enthusiasm.

I couldn't resist the urge to snort. It was funny as hell, but still... so many questions swirled in my mind. If he's here, then does that mean... are there others like us too? And if there are, will they be good people?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. God, this really scares me. What if someone like a Kage finds out about our existence? What would they do to us?

I covered my mouth with my palm, my fingers brushing against my cheek as my thoughts spiraled further.

"...Amai? You've been, uh, awfully silent," Sora said hesitantly, his cheerful tone shifting to one of concern.

"Sora," I finally said, my voice steadier than I felt.

"Yeah?" he replied casually, tilting his head.

"...You're not truly from around here, are you?" My words hung in the air, heavy and deliberate.

His brow furrowed, the casual demeanor faltering for a split second. "Huh? What do you mean by that?" His tone was light, but there was an edge of caution to it.

I glanced around the training grounds, my eyes scanning the trees and shadows for any sign of spies. ROOT, ANBU, or whatever clandestine organization might decide to keep tabs on us. Not that I'm important enough for that... right? Just a nobody who lost so easily, I thought grimly, but paranoia still crept in.

I motioned for Sora to come closer, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Come closer. I don't want anyone to hear us."

He raised an eyebrow but leaned in anyway, still standing there in his Goku form. "What are you implying by saying that I'm 'not from around here'?"

"You know what I mean. You're from another world, aren't you?"

He took a kunai out of his pouch, and I instinctively stepped back, my muscles tensing in anticipation. But instead of attacking, he just stood there holding it up as if for self defense. Goku looked really weird with a kunai.

His expression was serious. "Elaborate," he commanded. Ooh, scary.

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts before responding. "What I'm saying is, we are... the same. We are both from another world."

Sora didn't speak at first, but the intensity in his gaze told me he was taking everything in. His usual playful demeanor was gone, replaced by a calm focus. "You're saying you were transmigrated too?"

I nodded, my eyes narrowing as I processed his words. "You were transmigrated? Don't we all just... die and then appear somewhere else? I died in a car accident, and reincarnated here."

His expression didn't change, but I could see him thinking things through. After a silence that was a bit long for my taste, he slowly lowered his kunai, his hand trembling just slightly.

Oh boy, this is gonna take a long time, isn't it?