Naruto: Snow Cold

(A/N: Listen to Flowering Night for this chapter!)

Finally, the weekend! And also, I'm probably finished. In a few minutes, I'd have to take that musical exam with Sora. It didn't help that my mother would be there to watch me perform.

Flowering Night, Flowering Night... At least it's not Through the Fire and Flames. That would be absolute hell for me to play.

"Relax, you will be able to do it. Being nervous won't help with stuff like this." He said, his guitar already set up and ready to go.

Like hell I will! You're asking me to play a Touhou song that's basically the equivalent of Rush E!

"Ready? Pay attention and listen, and then you'll play it on your own. I want to see how far you've come with everything I've been teaching you over the last few months, Amai."

I nodded, albeit nervous. I positioned myself with my own guitar, moving my fingers to the frets. My heart raced faster than usual, but I tried to steady myself.

"Here we go."

He then started strumming with his right hand, his left hand fingers hovering from chord to chord.

D9, B8, B7, B8, B7, B10...

Fuck, my eyes can't keep up! My gaze darted between his hands and the imaginary fretboard in my head, desperately trying to keep track of the movements. The notes spilled out so rapidly, each one layering over the last. This has to be like 160 notes per minute or something!

He concluded the intro effortlessly and transitioned seamlessly into the next section. The way his fingers moved from fret to fret—so damn fast, like a blur—made my stomach twist with doubt. There's no way I'd ever manage this without chakra enhancing my motor skills!

But... as I kept watching, something started to click. The constant pressure I was putting on myself to memorize every note, every position, suddenly felt counterproductive. Why was I so fixated on the fretboard? Each fret, each string... they were just guides, weren't they?

Wait a second... Can't I just try playing by instinct? The idea hit me like a lightning bolt. Instead of trying to replicate every single movement, couldn't I focus on the flow of the music itself? Trust my ears, trust my gut—and play whatever note felt right.

Soon enough, he moved to the pre-chorus of the song, his fingers dancing across the frets like they were moving on instinct. The rapid shifts, the precise slides—he was giving it his all, too. Sora wasn't kidding when he said he took almost an entire month just to learn the whole song.

I watched, my grip tightening on the neck of my guitar. He kept playing in silence for the next two minutes, while both me and my mother watched in amazement.

"...Your music is so unusual, but it's good. Very good, compared to what we have. Have you ever thought of becoming a guitarist, Sora? You would actually revolutionize music."

Sora paused mid-strum, blinking at my mother's unexpected comment. His fingers hung over the strings for a moment, as if trying to process her words. A small, wry smile crept onto his face as he glanced at her.

"Sorry, Hikari-san. That's not an option for me, because I want to become a ninja more than anything else." He replied, before continuing, "Either way, you're up, Amai."

My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't expected him to throw the spotlight back at me so soon.

Well, you know what? Screw it all! I don't care if I fail, I can always try again later.

I nodded as I held the neck of my guitar with determination, taking a deep breath. It didn't matter if I stumbled or messed up—I was going to do this.

Don't overthink with your head. That's your worst quality when it comes to situations like these. Just play, and go along with the flow. Remember the notes. I had even directed chakra to my auditory system just so that I could hear it even more clearly.

With that, I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the sounds of the guitar and the music in my mind blend together. I allowed my fingers to slide across the fretboard as I strummed. Slowly, every note started to make sense.

Shit, why am I getting so fired up?! Every single chord that I struck made my fingers feel like they were on fire, but that wasn't stopping me at all, in fact, it incited me to keep going.

The music surged, now faster, sharper—more alive. My fingers danced across the fretboard, instinctively adapting to the faster tempo I'd set. It wasn't the original "Flowering Night" anymore; it was its faster, more chaotic remix, Night of Nights. The shift wasn't intentional, but it felt right, like I was having some kind of awakening or something.

I'm going to lose myself in this passion that keeps burning deep inside of me, and go to wherever my heart feels joy!

Note after note, chord after chord, I poured everything I could into the music, while trying to not mess the song up. One slip, and it could sound totally off and take me completely off-track.

But I didn't let fear creep in. My fingers stayed steady, my ears hyper-focused on the sound.

The tension I was feeling earlier had begun to melt away, and get replaced by an exhilarating mix of freedom and deep engagement. I would keep going, and keep chasing that fleeting moment of perfection where everything aligned!

My mind was solely on the guitar, my eyes locked onto it, yet the weight of it seemed nonexistent. My fingers moved fluidly, plucking each string without hesitation. By this point, I wasn't stiff anymore; my body swayed naturally with the rhythm.

This is just a thought, but... perhaps the reason I've been learning so fast is because of how extraordinarily quick our motor skills develop in this world, especially with chakra. The ease I've been playing with would make so much sense if that were the case.

Fuck that, though. I want to believe that I've achieved this with my own damn effort!

Before I knew it, I was already playing the outro for the song. B13, D11, D10, D11, D13, and so on.

The final notes rang out, the last chord hitting with a satisfying resonance that reverberated in the air. My heart raced, the adrenaline of the performance still buzzing through me. I hadn't noticed when I'd reached the end, but it was done.

I paused, letting the last echo fade, feeling the strings vibrating under my fingertips. It was over.

Sora was staring at me, his eyes wide in disbelief, and a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips. I could see the respect in his gaze, but there was something else too—something that said he was impressed, maybe even a little surprised.

My mother, on the other hand, was completely silent. Her eyes softened as she watched me, but there was no judgment, no hesitation. It was like she was seeing me in a completely new light.

"Did I... pass?"

He snorted, "Of course you did, you fool. With flying colours."

My face lit up at that. Finally, I did it! I did it!! I was struggling not to jump from joy. A wave of pride surged through me, and I couldn't hold back the grin that spread across my face.

The feeling of accomplishment was almost overwhelming, but I couldn't let myself get carried away too much. This was just the beginning of my journey as a guitarist—everything else was just a stepping stone that led up to my progress.

I still had a long way to go before I could truly master the instrument, and I knew better than to get comfortable. But even so, I allowed myself a moment to savor the sense of growth. I had crossed a threshold, one that I hadn't been sure I'd reach just a few weeks ago.

However...

"Sora. About that performance..."

"Huh? What perfor— Oh, right, that one. The one you wanted to do. I dunno if they'd even let us play during the graduation exam."

My mother tilted her head in confusion. "Performance? What are you planning to do during the graduation exam, Amai? You know it's gonna be several years before either of you graduate."

"It's... just an idea I've had. I wanna show something else, other than ninja skills." I want to show them that I exist. That I am here.

"Well, it's not a bad idea, and I think it's worth a shot," Sora said, before adding, "Hell, I'll even help you, but that doesn't mean I'll fall behind. What did you have in mind for this performance of yours?"

In response, I adjusted my imaginary glasses with a grin. "Heh, I'm glad you asked."

Sorry, Bocchi, but I'm about to steal one of your songs for this!