"Since we became teammates, from the moment you saw our names on the same list, what have you actually observed about me… and what do you really think about me?"
Sora's chopsticks paused mid air, a piece of grilled fish still caught between them. The rest of the table had gone completely silent.
Aiko's grin faded as her face turned serious, she too wanted to know what Sora had to say about Murakami.
Hiyori's amused gaze also focused. Hideki stopped chewing, even Chōya lowered his bowl.
Though it was uncertain whether it was due to the situation or he had emptied it.
Sora finally set his chopsticks down as his gaze met Murakami's directly.
"How can you have no shame in asking something like that all of a sudden?" Sora sighed as he fiddled with his fingers.
"What is there to be embarrassed about? Your observation is your observation, what effect do you expect it to have on me?" Murakami shrugged. "I am only curious. Perhaps I could learn something about myself from you."
Sora saw that Murakami's eyes was clear and devoid of any form of mischief so he sighed. "Fine."
"I've observed that you don't talk just to fill in the spaces between a conversation. You're comfortable being silent in a crowd and holding no opinion. Although I can't put a finger on it, I find that every question and comment you've made carries a hidden Intent."
"Hmm." Murakami hummed but didn't say a thing but continue staring at Sora.
"You don't react to things the way most, if not all of us do." he said and glanced at Katsuro, then the others. "It seems to me that you decide how to react, and you do it faster than anyone notices. I don't know how you do it, but I've never seen you look distressed."
"You're not wrong about that one." Katsuro said and nodded repeatedly. "He's only got that one casual expression for everything."
Murakami chuckled softly. "Well, what good would being distressed AND appearing distressed do?" He asked, and picked up his chopsticks to continue eating. "Isn't it better to take the events of life as they come?"
"Hehehe." Aiko giggled at his question. "There you go again talking like an old man."
Murakami shot her look but she only stuck out her tongue at him before ignoring him and turning to Sora. "Don't mind me, please go on."
Sora nodded briefly, then picked up his chopsticks to resume eating. "You study things no one else our age bothers with, and when you answer a question in class, it's never just to show off."
"Oh?" Even Murakami was surprised by this remark.
"Wow…Mu-chan has a secret admirer." Aiko whistled and then burst out laughing which caused Sora to blush slightly, but he composed himself just as fast, clearing his throat with exaggerated dignity.
"What are you talking about? I'm not… I'm just observant. That's all."
Kenji, grinning wickedly, said. "So you're saying you've noticed a lot about Murakami. Like… a lot."
Sora pointed his chopsticks at Kenji like a weapon.
"I notice things about everyone! You sleep in class in positions that make it seem like you're not. Hideki flexes every time someone looks at him training. Katsuro falls asleep in every and all position known to man." Sora glanced at Murakami. "He's not special!"
Katsuro, head still resting on his arms, lifted one finger lazily. "I like that observation."
Aiko was already doubled over, clutching her stomach.
"'He's not special', he says. Oh my god, Sora, you're making it worse by being defensive."
Yui covered her mouth with both hands, shoulders shaking silently. Even Hiyori had to press her lips together to keep from laughing outright.
Sora's face flushed red seeing the girls trying to hide their laughter. "I hate all of you," he muttered, shoving a large piece of fish into his mouth as though it could physically block further humiliation.
Chōya, who had been quietly inhaling his fifth platen for the night, finally looked up with sauce on his chin.
"Wait… so Sora likes Murakami?"
The table erupted in another fit of laughter.
Murakami watched everything unfold with the same casual expression he always wore, though the upward curve at the corner of his mouth betrayed his smile.
He waited until the worst of the laughter died down, then spoke in his usual quiet tone.
"For the record," he said, picking up a piece of grilled mackerel with perfect composure, "I don't mind being observed."
Sora glared at him through watery eyes.
"You're enjoying this."
Murakami chewed slowly, swallowed and said. "I neither confirm nor deny that accusation. But jokes aside, I don't mind being observed."
His eyes took a slightly more intense turn as he looked through the group locking eyes with all of them for the briefest moment before finally landing on Sora once more.
"So? What do you think about me?" He asked calmly.
The table remained silent, safe for the munching and swallowing sound coming from Choya.
Sora looked at Murakami, then the others then at Murakami again before exhaling.
"I think you're someone who's already decided what kind of shinobi you want to be, even if the rest of us are still figuring it out."
He said and took a pause as though calculating his next words.
"You're not loud about it like Kenji always is or Hideki today, but you're not hiding it either." He said, ignoring the glare aimed at him from Kenji and Hideki. "That makes you… different."
"Not better, just different." Sora added. He had his own pride, he was someone who believes that he has seen enough to be able to profile anyone he takes his time to observe.
So while Murakami was unique, he was just different from them, definitely not better.
"As for what I think as a teammate, I think if we're on the same team, I'd rather be someone you trust than someone you have to babysit."
"Oh?" Murakami paused his movements. "Placing me on such a high pedestal already. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were up to something…nefarious."
Sora waved his hand casually. "It's nothing complicated like that. I just know you're strong enough to do so. You're the strongest person in the room right now after all."
"Huh!?" Kenji slammed his fist on the table and stood up with an ugly expression. "What is that supposed to mean, Sora?"
"It means you're weak. Shut up and sit down."
"What'd you say!?" Kenji turned his object of anger from Sora to Aiko but before he could say anything Murakami had his chopsticks pointed at him.
"Be seated. It's not good to be noisy during meal time." Murakami said softly.
"You bas-" Kenji was just about to curse out loud when a sudden feeling of pressure fell on him, and from the point Murakami's chopsticks facing him, he felt a great sense of danger.
Like one wrong move and he'd be hurt.
As this thought settled in his mind, his gaze towards Murakami changed, he didn't want to admit it, but his instincts wouldn't have warned him if that wasn't the case.
"Humph." He harrumphed but sat down.
"Sora-kun." Murakami began. "Choya here is from the Akimichi clan, hailed for their overwhelming physical might. Katsuro from the Nara clan known for their Shadow manipulation and Hiyori from the Yamanaka clan known for their mind possession technique."
"Not to mention them, others here aren't any weaker in an all out fight. What makes you so sure I'm stronger than them."
"Eh..?" Sora scratched his head as he looked at each one of them then at Murakami then shook his head. "Well…they don't give that feeling of wholeness you give."
"Wholeness?" Murakami raised his brow in confusion but Sora shrugged.
"I don't know how else to explain it." He said, then pointed at Murakami then at Aiko then and Daichi. "You three give me a similar feeling but yours," he pointed at Murakami. "Is vastly more overwhelming."
"I think he's talking about presence, Murakami." Daichi, who had been silent for majority of the time, suddenly said, "You know… that field you said you wanted to erase."
Murakami already knew what Daichi was talking about and was quite impressed, not at Daichi, but at Sora.
This could only mean that Sora was a budding sensor, but due to his civilian background, he doesn't have a specialized training method to enhance that ability.
The current Shinobi system was built on three core classes.
Taijutsu. Genjutsu. Ninjutsu.
Every shinobi is required to learn the basics in these three with some specializing in one or two, and few in all three.
Outside of these core classes exists other role based classes.
Medical-nin. Sensor Type. Combat-type. Intelligence/Tactician. Fūinjutsu specialists. Weapon/Tool specialists. Summoning specialists. Stealth/Assassin/Black Ops/ANBU
But while these may sound like Shinobi classes, they were more like "jobs" or team roles in the shinobi world.
So unlike with Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, the other classes aren't fully explored.
The only exception being Fuinjutsu. And that is because the Uzumaki clan decided to focus on their talent and develop on it.
Murakami surmised that the constant wars of the past caused the inability to develop and innovate on the other job classes.
He knew this because he had searched for a way to train his sensory abilities when he awakened it but found nothing.
He shot a glance at Hiyori and wondered if her clan had a technique or two to stimulate the senses, but he shook his head.
He already had a technique he created and passed to Hina who followed its steps and awakened her form of sensory ability.
It is unknown whether that is the final stage but sensory abilities manifest in varying ways.
Sora for example can feel strength in the form of presence, Hina can feel chakra in the form of a 'hum' while Murakami could perceive both chakra and presence.
It is known that various sensors have their ways of perception.
Karin for example feels chakra as a taste or flavor.
The Yamanaka sense mental and emotional states more than raw chakra.
Tobirama could detect precise chakra signatures, quality and quantity.
Naruto with the Sage mode feels life force and natural energy differently.
In the current situation and under the available information, Murakami classified Sora as a physical threat detector.
Murakami wasn't sure, but he felt that with proper guidance, Sora would be capable of sensing killing intent or raw power. A perfect ability for a Taijutsu specialist…something Sora wasn't.
Hina wasn't a Shinobi so while she did have chakra, she couldn't utilize it like the vast majority of humans in this world. However, that doesn't mean that the energy isn't there.
With the Spiritual Consciousness Induction technique, she was able to stimulate her consciousness and mental energy enough to allow her to detect the flow and fluctuations tied to chakra.
It was the perfect ability she could awaken because it enabled her to read intent and discover when chakra is used secretly. However, it didn't allow her to gauge someone's power level.
This was where Murakami was superior. He could feel both physical presence and chakra flow. Making him a complete sensor.
He could read intents, predict physical attacks, and detect chakra reserves.
Murakami was sure that wasn't the last of the abilities he could awaken but he wasn't in a rush, after all, at the end of the day, it was only one of the many abilities in his arsenal.