Wood Carving

Early morning.

It was the depth of winter. The biting cold wind whipped up the accumulated snow on the roofs and blew it down to the ground. Mist and vapor drifted through the streets, and at a glance, it made people feel as though they had been placed inside a fairytale world.

The trees planted along both sides of the road were hung with silver frost. Yet the few pedestrians walking the streets of Konoha showed no appreciation for the scenery before them. Accompanied by the piercingly cold wind, they instead tightened the garments on their bodies, hunched their necks, and quickened their pace.

And naturally so. As residents living here, they must have long since grown used to the scenery before their eyes. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, looking at it every day would leave no sense of novelty.

Creeak...

Amidst the howling cold wind in the streets of Konoha came the sound of a door opening. A somewhat nervous little girl wearing thick clothes could be seen tiptoeing out from inside the house.

The piercing cold wind swept wantonly through the streets of Konoha. A flushed, excited little face was stung by the outside chill, and she opened her mouth wide and sneezed.

As the sound of the sneeze rang out, her petite body trembled slightly, and she hastily reached out a small hand to cover her mouth, turning around nervously to look back inside the house.

After a long while.

Seeing that the house had not produced the slightest commotion, she let out a long breath of relief. A half-foot-long plume of mist exhaled from the little girl's mouth, turning into specks of silver frost that clung to the dark purple scarf around her neck.

Carefully closing the bedroom door, the little girl looked at the misty, dreamlike scenery of the street before her and smiled happily.

Click... click... click...

Click... click... click...

The tiny yet ceaseless sound of clicking echoed near the street. The sound wasn't loud, but it was very clear, and even the howling gale outside could not completely suppress this carving noise.

The little girl standing in place heard the sound beside her, and a hint of a joyful smile appeared on her flushed, small face.

She walked up to the door of a shop adjacent to her own family's store and pushed it open gently, revealing a tiny gap. Her scarf-wrapped, small head moved in close to look inside.

The shop before her was not particularly large, measuring only around forty square meters or so. A counter, a chair, and three wooden shelves leaning against the walls displaying various wood carvings—this was everything inside the room.

The clicking sound echoing outside came from this very room.

At this moment, a figure sat on the sole chair inside the room.

The person sitting on the chair didn't quite match it, looking to be about six or seven years old. The tiny person was looking with intense focus at the wood carving in his hands at that moment, his right hand holding the carving knife a blur; only a flash of silver could be seen shining amidst it.

The little girl standing outside the door looked at the room scattered with wood shavings, her small mouth slightly agape, looking quite adorable. In barely the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a block of wood that had been common everywhere just moments before turned into an endearing little squirrel.

The squirrel looked very cute, its front paws slightly arched, its eyes bright and full of life, and every single hair on its body clearly visible. Had the size not been wrong, if it were taken outside, someone would definitely have mistaken it for a living creature.

Samu Kokaze looked at the wood carving in his hands with satisfaction, jumped down from the chair, walked over to the wooden shelf to place the squirrel carving upon it, and nodded contentedly as he looked at the shelves filled across more than half their space.

Samu Kokaze, having finished placing the wood carving, looked at the small head in the crack of the doorway and amusedly said, "Come in! It's so cold out, if you catch a cold in a bit, won't your mom and dad come looking for me to settle accounts?"

Hearing these words, the little girl at the door blushed, gently pushed open the door to enter the room, and said coquettishly, "Who told you to be so stingy? Every time I say I want to see how you carve, you say other things and just won't let people watch!" With that, she even gave a cold huff and turned her body away, refusing to look at him.

Looking at Ino, who was throwing a small tantrum, Samu Kokaze shook his head, picked the newly finished squirrel up from the wooden shelf, and handed it over with a smiling face as he said, "Alright, alright, it's all my fault. How about I give you this as an apology gift?"

Hearing these words, the small head that had put on an angry expression turned slightly. The corner of her eye caught a glimpse of the cute little squirrel, and she felt a surge of temptation. The face that she had been forcefully tightening instantly vanished, and beaming with joy, she snatched the carved squirrel from Samu Kokaze's hands, saying, "That's more like it!" As she spoke, her hand holding the wooden squirrel clenched tightly, as if she feared Samu Kokaze would take it back.

A hint of a smile flashed in Samu Kokaze's eyes as he looked at Ino before him and said, "Don't worry, since I gave it to you I won't ask for it back. But why did you come looking for me so early today? Usually at this time you're still lying in bed, too lazy to get up. How come you're so energetic today?"

As he spoke, he picked up the broom from the corner and began sweeping up the wood shavings inside the room.

"Hmph! Am I usually lazy?"

Ino widened her eyes, moved her body closer, and glared fiercely at Samu Kokaze, who was currently sweeping the floor.

Samu Kokaze, who was sweeping the floor, paused his body, turned back, and retorted, "What do you think?"

A small fist clenched and then relaxed, and her cute little face knitted its brow: "Whatever, seeing as you gave me a gift, I'll spare you this time."

"Then I truly thank Lady Ino for her merciful sparing of my life!" Samu Kokaze finished sweeping the floor, put the broom away, and bantered.

"You know it!" Ino muttered softly. Seeing that he had finished sweeping and was looking right at her, her small face flushed a fiery red. Hesitating for a moment, she said, "Um... tomorrow is my birthday, and you... you..."

Watching Ino, who had grown nervous and could not get her words out, a mischievous impulse rose within Samu Kokaze's heart. Feigning a sudden realization, he said, "Ah! Tomorrow is your birthday, I know. Is there anything else?"

"You!" Ino said hatefully, the eyes she fixed on Samu Kokaze even shimmering with specks of tears.

Seeing that Ino was on the verge of crying, Samu Kokaze thought Oh no, and hurriedly said, "Just now I was joking with you. You wouldn't be that petty, right! Don't worry, you're my best friend after all, I'll bring a gift and come see you tomorrow!"

"Who cares about your gift!" Ino tilted her head and muttered in a low voice, though the smile that reappeared on her small face made those words not very believable.

"Yes, yes, yes, Lady Ino naturally doesn't care for my gift, then... take this!" Saying this, Samu Kokaze picked up a finished wood carving from the right-hand shelf and handed it over.

The wood carving was roughly the same size as the squirrel carving he had just given Ino, but this one was in the shape of a cat. The fine fur was arranged neatly, and its tiny body was curled up slightly, just like it was fast asleep. Compared to the squirrel from moments before, this one held an even greater attraction for a little girl.

"Wow!" Looking at the cat-shaped wood carving before her, Ino let out a cry of surprise and snatched the carving right out of Samu Kokaze's hands, completely forgetting what she had just said.

Ino, having grabbed the wood carving, looked at Samu Kokaze, who was wearing a half-smile as he watched her. Even her ears turned beet red, yet her two little hands clutching the carving held on tightly, showing not the slightest intention of returning it.

"Um, Mom and Dad don't know I snuck out, I have to hurry back. Yeah... like this." Wearing thick clothes and with flushed cheeks, Ino darted her eyes about wildly, opened the front door, and ran out.

"This doesn't count as the gift you're giving me tomorrow!" Ino, half-run away, turned around, raised the cat wood carving just given to her, and shouted.

Samu Kokaze, whose eyes narrowed from the cold wind surging in through the doorway, smiled and nodded.

Ino outside the door saw Samu Kokaze nodding and, as if letting out a sigh of relief, ran back toward her own home. She gently pushed open the door, glanced left and right, and darted inside like a thief.