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Millions of snowflakes glide down toward the ground and delicately land atop one another. The people are dressed in their winter clothes and carry warm drinks as they wonder about the village. Children ball up the snow to throw at one another or make into snowmen.
It'd be a lovely day for Naruto if only he had winter clothes to wear, a warm drink to drink, and other children to play with. Unfortunately for him, the other children didn't want to play with him. He had a light jacket to wear, but it didn't keep the cold from biting at his skin. He had no gloves to protect his hands anyway.
Naruto attempted to play with the other children in spite of not having gloves, but it wasn't really fun to play with someone who doesn't want to play with you. He knew it wasn't really them anyway. The adults didn't want their children to play with him, and the children didn't want to disobey their parents. If he had parents, he wouldn't want to disappoint them either, so he didn't hold it against the other children. He waited in anticipation for the day that they all grew up and could decide for themselves that they would like to be his friend. He could wait, but he was still sad to be on his own for now.
To not bother the other playing children, Naruto made his way to the trees in hopes that they would block out some of the snow and wind. The bustling of people died down as he got further away, but it was still audible enough for him to find comfort in the fact that he was not totally alone. As he strolled about, he stuck his hands into the opposite sleeves to keep them warm.
It wasn't that he couldn't go back to the orphanage, but he didn't like the way they looked at him. The whole atmosphere felt like a thousand needles barely prickling him. It didn't hurt, but it was uncomfortable for everyone around. Being outside didn't make it go away, but it was lessened enough that he'd rather be in the cold.
Naruto looked at the built-up snow and wished he had some warmer clothes so that he could make a snow angel. He'd seen the other kids make some before, and he thought that it looked fun, and that the product was beautiful. Instead, he crouched down to observe the beauty in the snow being undisturbed.
Naruto liked the snow. He liked the way it looked, the sound it made when crunched underfoot, the way the world almost seemed to still as the snow muffled the surrounding sounds. While he wasn't a fan of the cold, he liked to watch his breath swirl around before it chilled to nothing.
The faint sound of people in the distance made Naruto want to make sounds of his own. No one would hear him unless they were nearby, so he wouldn't be a bother. He tested the way his cold lips could whistle and decided he'd stick to humming instead.
For a short time, he climbed a tree and swung upside down. The trees still had a lot of leaves, because the cold had come suddenly. Some of the leaves fell from the branches he shook to get where he was swinging, but they had been mostly covered by the still falling snow.
The sun began to set, so he made his way back to the orphanage. He observed that the sunset was a beautiful orange. It was his favorite color. The streets were mostly empty, but, as much as he loved the company of the people, he felt secure in the fact that his walk would be a peaceful one.
At the entrance, he knocked the snow off his shoes before taking them off and hanging his red scarf.
"Ah, Naruto. you're back," said one of his caretakers. "Supper is ready, so you better come eat before it goes cold."
Naruto nodded enthusiastically and made his way to the dining room for supper. His caretakers gave him a bowl of warm soup to eat. He smiled brightly and thanked them. The bowl warmed his cold hands, and as he ate, the soup settled nicely in his stomach. He finished his food, thanked his caretakers again, and made his way to his shared room.
He wasn't really tired, so he stood by the window and looked up at the stars. He wished on one that tomorrow would be a good day and thanked all the stars that he got to live in a place as beautiful as Konohagakure.