The engine purred as Naruto pressed the accelerator to the floor, tightening his grip on the leather of the steering wheel. The car was a beast, and his surroundings were a blur as he locked his eyes on the stretch of road in front of him, and the vague shapes that made up his target. A feral grin ripped at his mouth as he quickly shifted gear.
"You ready?" he asked his passenger. They were almost upon their targets now as they sped through abandoned city streets, nothing but ruins around them, rising to the heavens like broken teeth, once homes to millions, now just empty shells, broken remains of a once thriving society.
"Hn."
Sasuke had never been the talkative type, but the familiar click of a clip sliding into a gun told Naruto all he needed to know, just in time. The swarm was right in front of them, a moving mass of what had once been humans like them, but now were walking corpses.
Braking hard he pulled at the wheel, sending the car into a controlled drift, the passenger side of the car now facing the mass of flesh-hungry beings that were staggering towards them, arms outstretched.
The window on the passenger side was already rolled down, and soon the telltale sound of a semi-automatic filled the car as Sasuke directed both guns out, mowing down dozens of corpses, giving them their eternal death. His bullets exploded into shrapnel on impact, ripping the rotting carcasses to pieces in a shower of guts and blood as brains and spines were torn apart.
The corpses screamed in frustration as their companions finally died completely, driven into a rage by the smell of carnage around them, but unable to find fresh flesh to devour. They didn't eat each other, they craved fresher meat, but the scent of blood drove them to a frenzy, and they were clambering over each other in search of something to sink their teeth into.
As legs fell prey to the rain of bullets from Sasuke's guns they fell to the ground, but still they kept on, crawling on broken arms, jaws snapping at the air, dead eyes staring blindly at the world.
Naruto saw all of this in a flash as the car's controlled drift faded out and he righted it, stomping on the gas and sending them flying down a new street. A glance in the rear-view mirror told him that although the swarm was seriously diminished there were still dozens of the creatures staggering through the city, hungry and mindless.
"Ready for another round?" he asked, and heard the familiar sounds of reloading, all the answer he needed.
Spinning the car around and speeding towards the mass he readied for another drift, the thrill of the chase filling him with adrenaline, ripping a laugh out of his throat as a fresh storm of bullets tore every single monster apart.
xXx
An hour later the car drove past the tall gates that marked their safe haven. An impenetrable wall of concrete and barbed wire rose around them, reaching thirty metres into the air; their last defence. It had held them safe for almost two decades so far, and it would keep them safe until they could reclaim the world that was rightfully theirs.
Naruto caught the disapproving glares of older soldiers stationed along the wall as the outer gate closed behind them. Naruto didn't care and just relaxed back in his seat as he waited for Kotetsu and Izumo to do their customary check of the car, ensuring no undead had clung underneath the chassis or otherwise tried to get inside. The smallest breach could be their downfall.
Moments later the next gate rolled open and they could drive into the city proper. The road was cracked and pitted with holes no one cared to fix. Considering there were barely any cars left in use in the world it wasn't a priority.
Sasuke was sitting quietly next to him, glaring out at the small patch of the world their people had carved out as a sanctuary. Konoha wasn't much, but it was home. "Cheer up," Naruto said and lifted a hand to bump Sasuke's shoulder. The glare sent in his direction halted the fist at the last moment, and Naruto just grinned and dropped it back to the gear stick, shifting into third as he sped down a wider expanse of road, enjoying the vibrations in the steering wheel.
Soon they came upon the open bay doors that lead into the workshop of Kiba Inuzuka, resident mechanic. Naruto drove inside, knowing the doors were open in anticipation of their return.
The mechanic in question was lounging in a dirty chair in the back of the shop, the thing he called a dog but was most likely a wolf curled up at his feet as the both of them slept soundly. Naruto laid on the horn, and the loud blaring startled the two.
Kiba welcomed them back with two raised middle fingers as he rolled out of the chair, coveralls only halfway on, sleeves half-heartedly tied around his waist, almost slipping down before he tightened the knot.
He assessed the state of the car as he got closer, ignoring the two inside completely as he walked around it once, kicking at the tires.
"Went well?" he finally asked when he completed his lap, Naruto and Sasuke joining him on the oil-stained floors of the garage.
"Yeah, no direct contact with the corpses, and I avoided those hellholes down in block 19," Naruto said. The first time he'd gone down the city block in question he hadn't been so lucky, one of his tires dipping into one of the cracks that had probably at one point been a pothole but was now little more than a death trap. The car hadn't appreciated it, but luckily she had only lost a hubcap, the tire and suspension miraculously surviving the event.
Kiba put his weight on the hood, testing the suspension. Behind them Akamaru had jumped into the chair Kiba had been in earlier. His body was too big for it, but he looked pleased as he watched Kiba, loyal to the bone. Naruto knew that if anyone did any move to hurt Kiba Akamaru would be on them in a second, even if he'd never tested that theory. He preferred his trachea not ripped out, thank you very much.
"She's looking good, but I still wanna tweak the engine. She needs the care, and I just got my hands on more fuel, so she'll be tanked and ready for you again tomorrow."
Naruto nodded. If it wasn't for Kiba the car would have broken down years ago, so he let the guy do whatever he wanted to it. Useable cars were few and far between, and fuel even harder to get, but Kiba had his ways.
"I'll get you the money when we pick her up again tomorrow," Naruto said, and Kiba just waved his hand at them, more interested in the car than them. Fixing up the car had been a joint effort between Naruto and Kiba, Naruto doing the hard labour and Kiba the deciding which part went where. She was a masterpiece made out of a dozen or so wrecks, and she was Naruto's pride and joy. Without it he would be stuck manning the wall. The army's fleet of vehicles was mostly long gone, and the few working vehicles were protected, only to be used for the scavenging teams. They didn't have the resources to eradicate the undead prowling the world, but Naruto had gotten permission to do so if he got his own car. So he'd gotten his own car, because if there was one thing Naruto Uzumaki was it was stubborn.
Not everyone approved of Naruto and Sasuke's missions, but they did their bit to protect their borders and scout for scrap metal and whatever resources they might need, so most people tended not to care.
They walked side by side down the dusty road, heading back to the concrete slab they called home. Naruto slung his arm over Sasuke's shoulder, clanking their heads together, which earned him an elbow to the ribs.
Naruto was used to Sasuke's reaction to anything that looked like affection in public, so he just shrugged and kept on walking down the street.
Their house was the same as every other down their block. One storey of grey, a couple of windows and little else. Some people tried to decorate their homes, probably in some attempt at ignoring the fact that they were just surviving in this world, not really living, but neither Naruto or Sasuke had ever bothered with that.
They walked inside, and the next moment Naruto found himself pressed up against the wall, Sasuke on him, hands burying in hair as Naruto was pulled in for a harsh kiss.
Sasuke might not be big on the whole public displays of affection thing, but when it was just the two of them he didn't mind one bit, and Naruto kind of loved how he was the only one that ever got to see this side of Sasuke.
Most people called Sasuke cold, but Naruto knew better, knew that there was a fire in Sasuke. He saw some of it when they were out on the streets, taking out undead, but it unleashed completely when they were alone together, adrenaline from their mission still in their veins, with only one real outlet.
Naruto winced as teeth locked around his bottom lip and bit down hard, but at the same time his hips bucked, searching for friction. His body responded immediately to Sasuke, eager to join.
A quick spin had Sasuke pinned up against the wall as Naruto pressed a thigh in between his legs. Sasuke bucked against him, hands pushing at Naruto's chest.
Naruto chuckled into the kiss as he locked his hands around pale wrists and tugged hard, pressing Sasuke's arms to the wall above his head.
Pushing their bodies close, making sure Sasuke was completely pinned to the wall and at his mercy, Naruto dipped to the pale column of Sasuke's neck, fixing his lips to a soft spot and sucking, hard.
Sasuke bucked against him in a half-arsed attempt to throw him off, but his head tilted to the other side, giving Naruto better access, betraying his true want. Hands twitched underneath Naruto's steel grip, nails scratching against the backs of Naruto's hands, leaving reddening welts. Naruto moaned against the skin of Sasuke's neck, finally pulling away to admire his handiwork.
The mark was stark purple against the pale skin, and he loved it. Loved seeing Sasuke marked like this. This way everyone would know that Sasuke was his.
Their love had always been a complicated one, and they fought as much as they fucked, but they did everything with a deep passion that neither would find in anyone else.
Sasuke bucked again, his cock a hard length against Naruto's thigh. The adrenaline of going out to the world always made them like this, desperate for each other. The thrill of the fight and the carnage it always led to rushed through their bodies like a potent drug that pushed them. They'd fuck hard tonight until they were too exhausted to go on any more.
Naruto was wearing their standard uniform; tight black t-shirt and black cargo pants. Lace-up boots on his feet and gun holster around his chest, his semi-automatics strapped to his sides. Sasuke sported the same, and now it was way too much fabric. It needed to go.
Shifting his hold so he was pinning Sasuke's wrists with only one hand Naruto dragged a hand down the lean chest in front of him, across toned abs until he found the buttons of the fly of Sasuke's pants. It was quickly popped, and his hand shoved behind it, closing over the hard bulge contained behind a thin layer of cotton fabric.
Sasuke hissed, his head falling back to thump against the wall behind them. A smirk spread on Naruto's lips as he ran his blunt nails across the head of the hard cock, feeling the dampness that was slowly spreading.
His hand slowly rubbing the hard length Naruto leaned in, running his tongue up Sasuke's Adam's apple, coaxing Sasuke to lean close enough that their lips could meet again, the kiss desperate. Tongues lashed and teeth nibbled and they both panted into the kiss.
Finally Sasuke seemed to grow too impatient, and he broke Naruto's grip on his hands, fisting the fabric across his chest and switching their positions. Naruto's breath was jarred from his lungs as he was shoved into the wall. There was no time to gather himself as Sasuke pulled up the t-shirt, exposing abs and chest, hunching down to let his tongue drag across pebbled nipples, teeth locking around one as he bit down. Naruto moaned loudly, feeling his cock impossibly harden further.
Hands were deftly unbuckling straps, his gun holsters pulled away. Naruto didn't hesitate and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the floor. Sasuke used the opportunity to drag his hands up Naruto's back, pulling him closer as he dropped to his knees, quickly unbuttoning Naruto's pants, yanking them down his hips, boxers catching and dragging down as well.
The next Naruto knew he was enveloped in wet warmth as Sasuke drew him into his mouth, sinking to the hilt in one swift move. Naruto groaned and slapped his palms against the wall to keep himself steady as Sasuke set off on a ruthless bobbing on his cock.
Naruto felt himself spiralling towards an orgasm all too soon, and he buried his hands in Sasuke's soft hair, yanking him off his cock.
"Bed. Now," he said in a husky voice, and a smirk broke on Sasuke's face. He seemed particularly fond of unhinging Naruto completely, loved him desperate and wanting.
Sasuke ripped off his own shirt and tossed it to the floor to join Naruto's as he turned and walked towards the bed across the room, the muscles in his back sending ripples through the tattoo that spanned from right hip to left shoulder, the black hawk appearing to be alive, claws dug into the pale skin. His back arched, furthering the imagery as Sasuke stretched long arms above his head and turned his face over his shoulders, dark eyes smouldering with passion and challenge.
A feral grin rose on Naruto's lips as he stalked after his lover, clothes falling in his wake
Sasuke didn't get all the way to the bed before Naruto caught up with him, grabbing a shoulder and spinning him around, pressing their mouths together in a rough kiss as his hands dipped down to remove the rest of Sasuke's clothes, shoving it down his hips, leaving him gloriously naked.
They stumbled towards the bed, kicking at the fabric that pooled around their feet until they fell onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs, boots thumping against the floor as they were pulled off. They twisted against each other, both trying to get the upper hand.
Naruto used his slightly larger bulk to pin Sasuke to the mattress by the shoulders, knees on either side of his hips, ass planted firmly on firm thighs. Dark eyes tightened in a glare, but there was no hate in those eyes, only lust.
Any fights on who topped were only for the heck of it, because they couldn't not argue about anything. They both switched willingly, having no real preferences.
Sasuke's hands locked around Naruto's thighs, fingers digging into the muscle as he twitched his hips, his cock pushing up against Naruto's.
Naruto leaned down and kissed Sasuke hard.
"Move over, I wanna fuck you," Sasuke muttered into the kiss, and for once Naruto was too horny to argue with him.
"How do you want me?" he asked instead.
"Get on your hands and knees."
With a last kiss Naruto did as instructed, moving off Sasuke but otherwise staying in position, peering over his shoulder as Sasuke rolled out of the bed and dug through their rickety dresser, pulling out a label-less bottle. Society might have crumbled down, but people still fucked, so lube was just one of those commodities that you could easily get your hands on. Any condoms in the world had long since run out or expired, but as military personnel both Naruto and Sasuke had been thoroughly tested, both clean of any of the STIs that seemed to run rampant through their city.
The mattress dipped as Sasuke crawled back on it, scooting forward until he was sitting behind Naruto. Then there were hands on the small of Naruto's back, dragging up and down along the outline of his tattoo. Naruto could feel Sasuke's eyes on him even with his own closed.
Naruto pushed back, urging Sasuke to do something, anything, and Sasuke answered with a spank to one ass cheek. Naruto didn't really mind, pushing back again, pleased when Sasuke's palm found his other ass cheek too.
"Are you gonna spend all night staring at me, or are you gonna actually fu-CK!" Naruto's voice hitched as two fingers were pressed into him, slick with lube he hadn't noticed Sasuke using.
He could feel himself twitching around the sudden intrusion, his body trying to adjust. Sasuke gave him a moment, knowing all of Naruto's limits, and soon Naruto relaxed around him, and Sasuke started fucking the fingers into him, preparing him for more.
It didn't take long until Sasuke was spreading him open on three fingers, and Naruto was aching for more. He had no problem coming on Sasuke's fingers, but Sasuke was angling away from the spot that would make that happen, focusing solely on stretching Naruto and teasing him. Naruto knew what Sasuke was aiming for, knew what he wanted to hear, and he kind of wanted not to give it to him, see how far Sasuke would go, but he also wasn't in the mood for the drawn-out back and forth tonight, he just wanted Sasuke inside him.
"Please, Sasuke," he said, knowing the begging was exactly what Sasuke was waiting for. "Just fuck me already, I need you."
"Begging already?" Sasuke said predictably, gloating, and Naruto kind of wanted to punch him in the face.
"Shut the fuck up," Naruto growled as he pushed back against Sasuke's fingers. "I know you want to do it, that your cock is hard and leaking for me."
He couldn't really see from this position, when he looked back over his shoulder all he could see of Sasuke was from the waist up, but Naruto knew Sasuke, knew how his cock would be curved toward his abdomen, head red and slick with precome.
Sasuke made a derisive noise, but he did remove his fingers after curling them once, jabbing at Naruto's neglected prostate. It took a moment, then Naruto heard Sasuke slick himself with lube, and then there was a pressure against his hole, and then Sasuke was sliding inside, hot and hard and thick.
Naruto loved how it opened him in a way Sasuke's fingers couldn't do, a relentless pressure that filled him completely. He wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life either killing zombies or being fucked by Sasuke, nothing else mattered.
Sasuke slowly withdrew, until only the head of his cock rested inside Naruto's body, and Naruto knew that if he looked over his shoulder he'd see Sasuke staring at where they were joined, Naruto's rim spread around Sasuke's girth,
"Fuck it, Sasuke, you can admire my ass later, just fucking get to it," Naruto sneered out, as much to spur Sasuke on as anything.
A palm found his ass again, the slap loud in the room. "Stop being so impatient, we've got all night," Sasuke said, even if Naruto knew he was full of shit. He knew Sasuke, knew he was as desperate to take him hard and fast as Naruto was to be taken hard and fast. Knew Sasuke was aching to punch inside, again and again until he came deep in Naruto, because he always did, even if Naruto tried to tell him to pull out, because it was a fucking mess getting cum out later.
Taking matters into his own hands, because that was what Naruto did best after all, he pushed back towards Sasuke, moaning as it made Sasuke fill him again, that delicious stretch he longed for.
"Fucking brat," Sasuke grunted out, his nails digging into Naruto's hips as Naruto rocked back and forth, taking Sasuke as deep as he could.
Naruto reached a hand behind himself, grabbing a fistful of Sasuke's ass as he pulled onto his knees, kneeling up with Sasuke pressed against his back, and his dick deep inside.
"Are you going to fuck me properly, or do I need to take over?" Naruto asked, nails digging into the soft flesh of Sasuke's ass, probably leaving red streaks over the pale skin.
"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, planted a hand on Naruto's back and pushed him back down until his face was pressed into the mattress, ass pushed into the air as he arched his back. "Maybe this way you'll shut up for once."
Naruto twisted his face to the side, peering up at Sasuke out of the corner of his eyes, grinning widely. "It's gonna take more to make me shut up," he said.
Sasuke seemed to take it as a challenge. Any notion to tease vanished as he drew back his hips and punched back in, hard. It ripped a pleasured groan from Naruto, that only seemed to spur Sasuke on. He fucked into Naruto the way they both craved, no break, just a furious thrusting of hips that made Naruto focus on nothing but the dick in his ass, the hips slamming into him, the way his own cock bounced with each thrust, leaking precome into the sheets. He wanted to touch himself, to wring out an orgasm, but he loved the way Sasuke's cock dragged over his insides, slamming into his prostate, and wanted to push himself closer to the edge before he touched himself, knowing it would take very little before he came and made a mess of the bed.
Sasuke leaned forward, stilling deep inside as he grabbed a fistful of Naruto's hair, tugging as if to ensure he had all of Naruto's attention. He didn't need to, nothing but Sasuke mattered in this moment.
"You were made for this," Sasuke said, pulling out a little before pushing back inside. "Made to take my cock. You fucking love it don't you?"
"I'd love it more if you there were less talking and more fucking," Naruto said.
One corner of Sasuke's lips pulled into a small grin, and his eyes were intense as he stared down Naruto. "This is a miracle, Naruto Uzumaki complaining about too much talking," he said, and Naruto just grinned at him, squeezing down on his dick.
"I mean, if you are feeling tired I could always finish on my o—" the last word was swallowed up in a moan as Sasuke placed his hands back on Naruto's hips and started fucking him for real again, a merciless pace that punched the breath out of Naruto's lungs and made his thighs shake. He loved every bit of it, loved how he had to brace himself against it, how Sasuke got so deep, how it made it impossible to think about anything other than Sasuke's dick inside, how his world narrowed down to just the two of them, everything fading away, unimportant.
"Fuck yesss," Naruto groaned out. His dick was throbbing, aching for him to curl a hand around and finish up, on the brink of an orgasm that just needed that final little push.
He braced one hand against the wall above him, and reached the other underneath himself, going to give himself the release he was aching for, but before he got as far his arm was yanked away and pulled onto his back, bent up towards his shoulders.
"Fucking hell, Sasuke! I'm so close, I just... just need to…" he whined, but Sasuke ignored his pleas, pushing his arm further towards his neck, his shoulder aching deliciously with the strain.
"What's the matter, Naruto, my cock not enough for you? Can't even come like this, need to use your fucking hand? Well, then I guess you're not coming tonight then," Sasuke said, voice breathless as he kept thrusting, and Naruto threw his head back in frustration, his dick twitching. He wanted to come. He needed to come, his entire body aching for an orgasm, and every bump against his prostate just furthered that need, but it wasn't enough, he needed more, but Sasuke had his hand in a vice, and he knew that if he tried using the other hand he'd first find his head knocked against the wall, and then that too would be caught.
"Sasuke, please!" he yelled out, knees threatening to give out underneath him, his mind growing fuzzy with the overpowering need to come.
Sasuke ignored him, just kept pushing inside him, chasing his own orgasm, and it felt so good, but it wasn't enough, and it left Naruto teetering on the edge, and he was sure his dick was a deep red now, was sure he was soaking the sheets with the precome leaking from him, and he was so close, could feel his climax on the back of his tongue, but, then Sasuke's thrusts stuttered, and Sasuke made that little groan he did as he came, when he couldn't stop himself from making sounds any more, and he fucked a few more times into Naruto, then stilled, and Naruto knew he was coming, filling him with cum that would soon be pouring out of him, making everything a mess, and Naruto still hadn't come, and it was driving him insane, the need to just come already.
He could feel more frustrated whines build in his throat, felt himself clench hopelessly around Sasuke as he pulled his softening cock out of him, but then Sasuke was pushing him over on his back and sliding between his legs, and then a warm mouth wrapped around Naruto's cock, sucking him down deep, and his hips stuttered up, his cock hitting the back of Sasuke's throat, and it took nothing at all before he was coming. His hips were pinned to the bed by Sasuke's hands, but he bucked up into the grip, his entire body grown taut as he came hard enough that he could swear he saw stars.
He collapsed back on the bed, head ringing from the sheer power of his orgasm, and he barely noticed Sasuke pulling away before dropping down on the bed next to him, too preoccupied with breathing.
His pulse was loud in his ears as he turned his face towards Sasuke, and the moment their eyes met Naruto couldn't help the giggle that rose in his throat, and then he was laughing, dopamine rushing through his system, and he couldn't stop laughing, but Sasuke just smiled at him, almost fondly, and let him laugh.
xXx
The sun had barely started rising above the wall when a sharp knocking to the door roused Naruto. He would have loved nothing more than to ignore whoever it was and go back to sleep, but Sasuke shoved at him when the knocking persisted, so he rolled out of bed, wincing at the dull ache in his ass. He rolled his shoulders as he pulled on a ragged pair of sweatpants and headed towards the door, noting the bruising on the edge of his neck, knowing it would perfectly match Sasuke's teeth. He pressed the tips of his fingers against the mark, relishing in the sharp edge of pain, the feel of Sasuke biting into his flesh still a sharp memory.
He was in the middle of a yawn when he opened the door.
"BOSS!" Konohamaru all but yelled out, grinning up at him. At thirteen he still hadn't hit his inevitable growth spurt, and he did his best to compensate by raising his voice. Naruto wholeheartedly approved, it was a very good tactic.
"How many did you take down yesterday?" the kid asked, grin on his face. Konohamaru had long since declared that he wanted to be just like Naruto when he grew up, much to the frustration of his family who wasn't very keen on Konohamaru spending his days recklessly killing zombies.
"I dunno, three dozen or so," Naruto said nonchalantly, silently delighting in the awed look on Konohamaru's face.
Three dozen were nothing in the scale of things, there were probably still millions of zombies in Japan alone, but it was three dozen that would not try to scale their walls to tear them apart.
"Oh! The old lady said she wanted you to come to her office today," Konohamaru added after a moment of no doubt imagining how it would be out there, hunting down zombies.
"Alright, sure," Naruto said, and Konohamaru gave him a very serious nod as he ran off towards his friends that were lingering just down the street. With that determination Naruto knew Konohamaru would have every chance of becoming a great soldier. He was just the right mix of pure determination and complete recklessness. Give the kid a few years of proper military training and he'd be let past those walls to do his part in protecting their small slice of safety.
Naruto headed back inside and found the bed empty and knew Sasuke had beat him to the shower, which meant there would be no hot water left for him.
Naruto was not about to let Sasuke get away with that, so he sprinted towards the bathroom, yanking his sweatpants off and nearly falling on his face. He wasted no time pressing up against Sasuke in the shower, moulding his chest against Sasuke's back, feeling more than ready to pick up just where they left off yesterday.
xXx
The administration building was a grey concrete slab like all others, the only thing making it stand out the tall antennas jutting from the roof, reaching towards the sun like bony fingers for a beating heart. They'd been constructed to try to find others like them, colonies of humans surviving the epidemic, but as far as Naruto knew they were little more than decorations at this point.
They made their way inside and walked through hallways until they came to Tsunade's office. She'd been a mere lieutenant when the world was torn apart, but in a city of civilians and low ranking soldiers she had suddenly found herself being the highest ranking officer alive. She had risen to the task with a proficiency that was surprising given her weakness to gambling and alcohol. She was the heart of their operation as the walls were built and reinforced and expanded until they had this safe haven in a storm. They numbered just over a hundred thousand now, and Tsunade was the one who ensured they all had stayed alive for the twenty years that had passed since patient zero woke up in a small morgue an ocean away, decidedly less dead than he had been moments earlier. Head pathologist had soon followed patient zero, and it had rippled from there. By the time people realised what was happening the hospital was overrun by the undead, and there were no containing it.
The infection spun out of control with a startling speed, caring nothing for country borders.
While they still had internet Naruto, just a kid back then, had seen the newscasts that showed how the rest of the world watched in horror as North, and then South, America fell apart, while silently thanking their deities that they lived an ocean apart. Then rumours came of a small coastal town in Africa that was hit by some strange disease that made people aggressive and hungry for flesh, dead but not quite.
There was no stopping it as the wave washed over Africa, and then Europe, and finally Asia, tearing Naruto's home apart. They had no idea how the infected had got from America to Africa, and there were no scientists around to find the answers any more, so they were left with questions and no answers.
All over the globe safe havens much like Konoha rose up, humans gathering to fight back against those that tried to tear them apart.
Humanity thrived even behind tall walls, but the undead were desperate, the hunger for flesh the only thing that drove them, and walls crumbled under their combined forces. For now Konoha was strong though, because its inhabitants weren't going to let it fall without a fight.
The meeting with Tsunade was short as always. She had long since given up yelling at them for going on their missions, and usually just waved them off with a warning that if they kept spending bullets at the speed they were doing they were personally to go out and find enough scrap metal to make new ones.
He wasn't surprised when that was exactly what she was telling them to do today.
The first expansion of their walls had been made to give them farmland, the reason they had been able to survive for so long. Besides from the occasional tin can they found any food from before were long since spoiled, so the scavenging, which in the early days, when Naruto was still a kid, had been to gather supplies, had long since turned into a hunt for material. Metals to be remelted, wood to build and whatever miscellaneous people needed.
Tsunade wasted no time, gave them a quick list of what they were to look for and sent them on their way, trusting that they would do what they were supposed to. Naruto saluted her as they left, not quite able to keep the grin off of his face. They might have to scout for material, but that didn't mean they couldn't get some target practice in as they went.
Half an hour later they pulled out of the heavy gates, and a quick glance in the rear-view mirror saw them slam shut behind them, closing them off from their sanctuary.
The area around the walls was cleared of buildings years ago, creating a perimeter of nothing but rubble, making sure none of the undead would be able to sneak up on the walls, giving the sentries plenty of time to take them out. There were plenty of rotting corpses amongst the rubble, but no live ones, so Naruto stomped on the accelerator and tore down the street, heading towards the line of high-rises ahead, feeling the exhilarating feeling of freedom that came when they were no longer behind the tall walls.
Sasuke didn't say much, but Naruto knew he appreciated this as much as him, and he couldn't quite contain the small smile playing on his lips as Naruto yanked on the wheel, sending his newly tuned car into a drift and taking off down a side-street.
They had no real goal in mind. Buildings that had been stripped of material were marked with spray paint, but there was a lot of buildings that no one had stepped a foot inside in years, at least no one alive.
Entering the buildings was a high-risk operation. You never knew what would be waiting for you behind broken doors, and they would not have the relative safety of the car there, relying completely on their own abilities not to fuck up.
It had worked out well enough so far, even though they had come close a few times, but you couldn't really call yourself a soldier unless you had felt the rotting stench of an undead's breath fan over your face.
Naruto eased off the accelerator as they made their way into the docks, high rises and sidewalks giving way to hulking warehouses and chain link fences. They made their way down the street, Sasuke with his guns at the ready, but the area was quiet. The docks were good like that, zombies had been attracted to more populous areas, so they'd been lucky and gone full scouting missions without being disrupted by a single undead before. It could get boring, but sometimes boring were better than dead. Besides, they could always go downtown on their way home, plenty of targets staggering through the streets there.
Sasuke pointed out a building that had a decent sized yard around it, lots of concrete behind fencing. Zombies couldn't climb, so the chances of finding anyone there was slim, maybe besides from a shipyard worker or two that had turned at work, forever doomed to wander the place in eternal hunger. Places with open doors and easy access could hold nasty surprises and was best kept away from. Zombies seemed to be drawn together, making nests and growing dormant by the lack of flesh to devour, holing up in wait of prey. Sasuke and he had stirred up a nest like that in a dingy basement once, nearly ending up as dinner. Naruto had no real need of repeating that anytime soon.
He parked the car at the side of the building, right up against the fence, not near the massive bay doors, but close to a small side door. Neither looked to have been used in years, which made the likelihood of infestation smaller.
He turned off the ignition and looked out the windows of his car, making sure there was no movement anywhere around, then quickly stepped out and to the trunk, popping it open.
He'd helped make it together with Kiba, all his weapons and ammo neatly stored away, taking up the entirety of the trunk, lining the bottom, nestled neatly so they wouldn't be damaged as he drove through the city.
A couple of guns were quickly strapped to his chest, and he grabbed a shotgun as well, before filling the pockets of his pants with plenty of ammo. For good measure he strapped a blade with a nicely serrated edge to the small of his back.
At his side Sasuke was checking his own pair of semi-automatics, stocking up on ammo, and strapping on several blades as well.
Their gazes met, and Naruto gave him a grin as he slammed the trunk shut and turned towards the massive building. The city was silent around them, and Naruto wondered how it had been before the plague, where the streets would be teeming with traffic, sidewalks filled with people. Now it was an enormous graveyard, a testament to what their world had once been, and what they wanted to it become again.
They climbed the fence and landed on the ground, looking around themselves again to make sure no shuffling footsteps were nearing. The silence was almost stifling, the only thing to be heard besides their breathing the waves lapping at the dock on the other side of the building.
With a crack of his neck Sasuke stepped towards the door, grabbing the handle and walking inside when he found it unlocked. Naruto stepped into the darkness after him.
xXx
It had started off great. The door had led them towards the main room of the building, filled with massive machinery Naruto had no idea what had done at some point, but he saw the metal and the parts, and knew they would find plenty of what was on their list here. They wouldn't be able to get much back in his car, their mission was mostly to find somewhere to send the few trucks in their sparse fleet, make sure it was cleared of zombies and ready to be emptied out for materials.
Noting what they had found they headed towards the back, going through storage rooms and offices to ensure that the building was clear. They'd made their way to the second floor, only having to deal with a couple of zombies, easily taking them out with knives to save on ammo and ensure they didn't draw attention to themselves.
Sasuke walked just ahead of Naruto, pushing open doors and heading in first, Naruto making sure nothing came from behind to eat their brains.
"No zombies here, but there's another door, possibly a stockroom, so I'll check that out as well," Sasuke said, stepping into what appeared to be a kitchen, dirty-grey cabinets, and a vinyl flooring in big squares, grimy and peeling up at the edges.
The air in the room was as stale here as in the rest of the building, ventilation system dead years ago, and the silence was complete enough that the only thing they could hear was their breathing.
The only warning they got was creaking, and then the floor gave way underneath them, collapsing in on itself. Naruto threw himself backwards, grabbing hold of the door jamb, and could only watch in horror as Sasuke vanished.
He heard a sound ringing in his ears, and it took him a moment to realise it was himself, screaming.
Floorboards stuck up at odd angles around the hole where there moments before had been a floor, darkened with water damage that had probably rotted them over the years, making them unable to take any additional weight.
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed, no longer afraid to stir up any zombies. The floor collapsing would have done that well enough.
There was no answer, so Naruto finally let go of the door jamb and dropped to his stomach, scooting towards the hole, pushing past sharp wood, trying to peer down, but where the kitchen had windows the light wasn't enough to penetrate into the total darkness of the room underneath him.
"Fuck," he hissed, and then quickly scooted backwards when he felt the floor creak underneath him, threatening to spill more of itself downstairs.
Naruto knew he had to get down there, had to find Sasuke, make sure he was alright.
He pushed back thoughts that flashed through his mind. Sasuke broken and bleeding, impaled on wood or skull cracked open. He was not even going to entertain the thought that Sasuke was anything other than a little banged up.
He lifted his shotgun as he ran back through the hallway, heading for the stairs he had come up earlier. If he saw anything moving that wasn't Sasuke he would shoot them dead and move on, caring little who heard. There was no time to use his knife, he had to get to Sasuke, now. He knew time was precious, that if Sasuke had been knocked unconscious he would be easy prey.
He took the stairs downwards three steps at a time, heavy boots slamming into the quaking wood, and then he took off down the hallway, trying to figure out where Sasuke could have ended up.
He didn't have to look for long, broken wood had half-way taken down one of the walls of the hallway, and Naruto rushed over, yelling out for Sasuke, trying to wedge through.
"Naruto!" he heard yelled back, and the pure relief that flooded him was palpable. Sasuke's voice sounded like he was still far away, but if he could yell then at least he was alive, and then it was only a matter of finding him.
"Where are you?" Naruto yelled back.
"Shit, I think I'm down in the basement," Sasuke yelled back. "It's dark as hell down here, I can't see anything. My flashlight is dead, the piece of shit."
Darkness and buildings where there might be zombies lurking was a horrible mix, so Naruto knew it was a matter of finding Sasuke, and finding him fast.
"I'll find some stairs, okay, I'll get you out," he yelled. Sasuke didn't answer, but Naruto took off back to the stairs and going down a floor.
Another hallway stretched out before him, just below ground level, small windows high on the wall giving enough illumination that he saw the rotten carpet stretching out before him. He was sure he needed to get another level further down, but the staircase he'd taken didn't go further. There was probably a separate stair leading into the basement somewhere else, because people didn't use it like they did the main staircase, and now it was only a matter of finding it.
Naruto wanted to keep sprinting through the hallway, but he also knew that it could take him a while to find the stairs, and if he wasn't careful he might end up attacked before he got to Sasuke, and how the hell was he going to help him then? No, Naruto had to be smart and take just enough time that he could get through this and get the both of them out of here alive.
The wooden stock of the shotgun was warm in his hands, a comforting presence as he leaned against a rough wall, eyes closed, sensing his surroundings. His ears picked up every little sound in the building, from the mutated rats scampering through the bowels of the basement to the trickle of water from busted water pipes. There was the faint screeching of what was likely zombies, but it was far away still. He just hoped it didn't mean it was close to Sasuke.
He stretched his fingers before wrapping it firmly around his shotgun again, pushing away from the wall and stalking through darkened hallways. He was alone, and it felt wrong. He was so used to the presence of Sasuke on his side that he was acutely aware of something missing. He needed to get through the bowels of the building and find Sasuke. His partner might be hurt, and it was up to Naruto to find him.
Dirty window panes sent streams of muddled light into the hallway, enough to light his way as he moved through the hallways as silently as he could. He barely breathed as he was all too aware of the fact that the undead could be upon him at any moment. Naruto was fast, and he had his guns, but there was a limited number of bullets in the clips and a world with hordes of undead who would love a piece of Naruto for dinner. They'd gone in hoping to only stumble upon a zombie or two, but he was starting to think there was a breach in the building somewhere where they'd been able to enter, because there were definitely more of them around, roused by the noise of the floor collapsing.
Naruto rounded a corner, dismayed to see that there still were no staircases in sight, when he heard the low grunt of zombies, too close for comfort. He turned to the side and saw someone standing in a doorway to his right, their back to him. The body was off-kilter, tilted to the side, as if the left side was paralysed, a long arm hanging limply at the side, and then the person turned around, and Naruto saw a knife sticking out of its forehead, buried deep in its right side. Dried blood had caked around the wound, but it hadn't been enough.
Naruto didn't know if the undead heard him or smelled him, but it started its shuffling half run almost immediately after, and Naruto had to lift his gun and pull the trigger, blowing a hole right through its frontal lobe. The undead crumpled to the floor as half its brain splattered onto the wall behind him.
Naruto knew the sound of his gun was likely to draw attention, so he abandoned being silent and ran outright, chasing down dirty hallways, searching for the staircases he knew had to be here somewhere.
He skidded around a corner, and to his dismay was suddenly facing at least seven undead. They twitched and immediately set off down the hallway towards him. Naruto groaned when he saw the sign far behind them indicating where the staircase was. There was no other option, he had to get around them, somehow.
Shotgun lifted he ran towards them, pulling the trigger. He saw a spray of blood as a trachea was torn apart, and a matching spray of grey matter as a brain exploded.
The zombies were advancing too quickly though, and he was getting dangerously close. His shots had hit most of them by now, but they cared little for the ones that carved into shoulders or legs, it was death or nothing with these guys. Cut off a leg and they crawled, cut off arms and they squirmed. Place a bullet between their eyes and they stopped.
The shotgun made a pitiful sound that marked it as out of ammo, and Naruto spared it no thought as he ditched it and grabbed his semi-automatic guns instead. The bullets found a new target, and now there were only three of them left, the others discarded behind them as the carcasses they were.
Then the first zombie was upon him. Naruto ducked and spun, placing the muzzle of a gun against the back of a skull and pulling the trigger. Then he dodged a hand grabbing for him, narrowly avoiding the jaw that snapped after him as he twisted around, firing. The bullet took off the zombie's jaw in a rain of bone splinters and stale blood.
Naruto grabbed onto the jawless zombie by the front of the rags that had at some point been a sweater, the Argyle pattern still visible underneath a layer of dirt and caked blood, and threw the twitching body towards the last zombie, using the opportunity when they fell over each other to sending two more bullets flying, each carving into their targets with practised ease. Naruto might not be anywhere near Sasuke's level, but he was still good with a gun.
He didn't waste anytime gloating though, but set off towards the staircase, ready to find his partner and get him home.
He yanked open the metal door and found himself on a small landing, stone steps leading up through the floors, and down to where he needed to go. There was another window here, lighting the way downstairs, and the faces of the two zombies staggering up the stairs towards him. Their shuffling walk made it difficult for them to climb, so he easily dispatched the two of them, leaving their rotten carcasses on the stairs as he headed downstairs to the door that was marked basement.
He pushed it open, propping the door wide-open with a chair so he could see inside the dim darkness, ensuring that they had light to go after when they were to make their exit.
He stopped there, listening for sounds as he dug through his pockets for a flashlight. Everyone on scouting and scavenging teams had flashlights, because there were no electrical lights in town, and walking through dark rooms just made you a prime target for zombies.
His hair stuck to his forehead with sweat as he strained his ears, but any exhaustion he felt from running through the building was drowned in adrenaline.
Unsure whether he should call for Sasuke or walk through the basement to find him he lingered long enough that he head the burst of gunfire going off in the distance, and there were no more lingering as he set off into the building, the beam of the flashlight the only thing lighting his way, a gun lifted up along it so the moment he saw a zombie he could shoot it.
Knowing it would be hard to see the difference between himself and zombies in the gloom of the building Naruto bellowed out Sasuke's name, and soon heard an answering cry, following it through twisting hallways. There were more gunshots, and the sounds of zombies, and Naruto knew Sasuke's flashlight was dead, so he wasn't sure how he was even aiming, by sound or some freaky new echolocation power. It would be just like Sasuke to just develop that out of nowhere, he always had to be the best at everything.
The answer became clear when he rounded a corner and saw the flickering lights of a flame. Sasuke had apparently more tricks up his sleeve than Naruto had anticipated, and had piled up some of the floorboards, lighting them on fire with god knows what. The light wasn't much, but it was enough to see the staggering shadows of approaching zombies, Sasuke taking them down one by one.
He called out Sasuke's name sharply, making sure Sasuke knew where he was so he didn't take out his brains as well, then he swept the beam of light over the zombies, taking out anyone too close to Sasuke. The floor caving in must have stirred up a bunch of them, a couple of dozens as far as Naruto could see, half of them already taken care of, lying on the floor where they would likely stay until their rotten bodies decomposed completely.
Naruto took down two zombies, one with a clean headshot, and the other with a bullet through the eye. He made sure to give it another in the skull for good measure as he stepped over it, and then he was at Sasuke's side, and they instantly fell into position, back to back, guns raised as they took down every single zombie until it was just the two of them still standing, breathing heavily, making sure the threat was taken care of.
Seconds trickled past, but they heard no sounds, so finally they let out a breath and turned around, Naruto's hands flying to cup Sasuke's face, pulling him close enough that he could kiss him. He'd been terrified of losing him, but Sasuke was here, and he was fine. At least he thought so. He'd fallen down a few floors, he might have gotten injured. It wouldn't have taken much to snap his neck clean off with a fall like that.
"Sasuke, are you hurt?" he asked as he pulled away, quickly scanning down Sasuke's body to ensure he wasn't bleeding.
Sasuke did a half-shrug. "Just banged up I think, nothing major. Might have messed up my wrist, but I can deal. The floors I went through broke the fall, repeatedly."
Naruto wasn't sure he believed him, but after swiping the flashlight beam over Sasuke's body he at least concluded that there was no bleeding besides small cuts and scrapes. He was still going to insist they hit the infirmary when they got back, no matter how much Sasuke complained. His wrist didn't appear broken, but it was swelling a little, and there was a gash on his forehead that could probably do with a few stitches. Not much to do about that where they were though.
They took the time to stomp out the fire, not wanting to risk the building going down in flames. There was no telling how a fire would spread in the city with no firemen still alive to stop it, so they weren't about to risk it.
With only the one flashlight they made their way back through the basement, which had clearly been used as storage, crates stacked upon crates.
Sasuke suddenly stopped and grabbed Naruto's hand pointing it to the side. "I think that's where all the zombies came from. We should make sure there's no more of them if we are going to send in a team to retrieve the materials later."
Naruto was kind of keen on getting the hell out and get Sasuke back home, but he also knew there was no point in arguing with him, so together they walked down a branching corridor.
A rusted metal door stood ajar, and Naruto shone a light into the room past it, swiping the beam to make sure it was empty before they entered.
The room wasn't much at first glance. Smallish with cinder block walls, and a table on one side. Then they saw the three zombies, and both had their hands lifted, guns aimed at them, like instinct, but it had been years since any of the zombies had moved, long since dead, so they headed inside.
They headed towards the zombies, saw heavy shackles around their throats, short chains linking them to the wall. Someone had locked them up here, for some reason or other. Unlike the bodies Naruto and the others disposed of these hadn't rotted away like food left in the sun. No, these appeared to have dried up, skin an ashy grey and cracking, body sagging in on itself as if their very flesh had withered, leaving only skin and bones.
Naruto leaned in and poked one of the zombies with his gun as if to make sure they really were dead. Neither of them appeared to have any damages to their skulls. No entry wounds for gunshots or stab wounds. He wasn't sure how they had died, because zombies never seemed to starve to death, and they had yet to find a way to kill them that didn't entail either destroying the brain or severing the spine.
"What do you think happened to them?" Naruto asked, looking up at Sasuke, who just shrugged and motioned Naruto to turn the flashlight in the other direction, towards the table pushed to one side.
It looked like some laboratory, filled with glass vials and jars, most of them overturned and shattered. The wood of the table was discoloured in patches, probably as whatever had been in the vials had seeped into it.
Interspersed among the vials and jars were paper, tiny scribbles all over them, and then Naruto lifted the flashlight, and saw that the walls were scribbled with more. Some appeared to be chemical formulas, and the rest just the markings of a madman.
Sasuke took the flashlight out of Naruto's hands and started leafing through the stacks of papers. "I think they were working on a way to stop all the zombies. Like a disease that would spread through them, killing them."
Naruto looked back over his shoulders where he could just make out the zombies hanging by their necks, dead. "They made it work?" he asked.
"Hard to tell, but to some extent I would say."
"What happened to them, did the zombies get them?"
Sasuke lifted the flashlight to go over the writings on the walls, and for a few minutes he said nothing, then he pointed out a series of numbers.
"They left. These are coordinates."
Naruto looked at the numbers. What if they were still out there, developing a way to take out the zombies forever? This could be huge. "We'll have to take this to Tsunade," he said, and together they gathered up all the papers, Sasuke writing down what he thought was most prudent from the wall, including the coordinates, and then they made their way back through the building and up the stairs, heading towards their car.
xXx
It was early afternoon the following day and Sasuke had his cock shoved down Naruto's throat, fingers locked around blond hair, when there was a knock on the door. Naruto swallowed around him in surprise, and it had Sasuke grunt, hips twitching into the wet warmth. It was probably just Konohamaru coming to talk to Naruto, and Sasuke had every intention of ignoring him until he got off, but the fucking knocking didn't stop.
"Oi, loverboys! I know you are home so get your asses out here, the boss is waiting for you!"
Sasuke groaned in frustration as Naruto pulled away, lips shiny with spit and precome, eyes glassy with unshed tears, looking so fucking fuckable Sasuke was willing to face the wrath of Tsunade just to finish up what they were doing, but Naruto was already walking towards the door, and Sasuke was left having to tuck himself back into his pants and will his cock to calm down.
He saw Genma's head peek inside the doorway when Naruto opened, and Sasuke noticed how Genma's eyes flickered down Naruto's naked chest in what clearly looked like appreciation, and he had to bite down the urge to stalk over there and yank the bandana Genma always wore down over his eyes.
"What's going on?" he asked as he stepped up behind Naruto, arms wrapping around Naruto's chest. He knew he was being possessive, but he also didn't care.
Genma just smirked. "Tsunade told me to get you guys asap," he said.
"Fine," Sasuke said and slammed the door in Genma's face. He really wanted to ignore the summons and stay here, pick up where they left off, but his dick had already wilted, so what was even the point in risking Tsunade's wrath. Besides, he had a feeling it was regarding what they had found yesterday, and he had to admit he was curious.
"Put a shirt on," he grumbled to Naruto as he pushed his feet into his boots, lacing them up.
It didn't take them many minutes to get ready and head over to the HQ, where they were immediately let into Tsunade's office. The woman looked as menacing as ever, bosom flooding out from her top, gaze daring anyone to make any comment regarding her attire.
There were no greetings when they entered, she just shoved a few papers their way and waited for them to walk over and look at them.
Sasuke saw that they were the same files they had grabbed from the basement yesterday, splotched where whatever had been in the vials had soaked into them, but still legible for the most part.
"We've been working on deciphering it all night," Tsunade said. "We think it's viable, that they were onto something."
Sasuke looked up at her. This was potentially huge. "What were they working on?"
"It's a virus. It targets the dead flesh of the zombies, spreads through them and deteriorates them to the point where they die for good. It eats their brains from the inside."
"Does it mean we have a way to stop all the zombies?" he asked.
"Not quite. The research appears to be in the early stages. When injected it works as planned, but it doesn't move from one body to the next. They were working on a way to get it to spread, make it airborne, but they appear to have left before they were done."
"The coordinates," Sasuke said. "Where do they lead?"
He saw a hint of a smile on Tsunade's lips, as if she was happy he'd drawn the conclusion. She dug through a drawer and pulled out a map, unfolding it. Their city was a mere speck on it, a corner of what had once been a sprawling metropolis but was now home to probably millions of zombies.
Tsunade pointed to a spot far away from their home, a forest miles and miles away.
"They lead here. Right by this lake, a few miles from any inhabited place."
Sasuke looked towards Naruto, who was staring intently down at the map, but probably not thinking what Sasuke was thinking.
"Far away from people means far away from zombies," he said, and Tsunade nodded.
"If they had a cabin or something of that sorts? They could work there in relative peace."
"We have to go there," Sasuke said, and he heard Naruto make a vaguely confused sound at his side.
"The ones that made the lab in the basement. They might have fled here to get away from the zombies. They might have kept working, might have made the weapon we need to be free," Sasuke said, and he saw the moment Naruto realised just how big this was, that they were potentially at the brink of ending the fight for good, of stopping the zombies. They could rebuild the world again, claim back what they had lost.
"They might never have made it there, or it might be a shot in the dark, but I think it's worth it," Tsunade said, and Sasuke nodded sharply.
"So, when are we leaving?" Naruto asked, elbow jamming into Sasuke's side, a grin on his face. Naruto had never been one to be content staying in the shadows while other people worked, wanted to be out there in the fray, wanted to save this world any way he could, and this might be it.
Tsunade looked between the two of them. "You might not come back. It's far, you don't know what you might run into along the way," she said.
Sasuke merely shrugged. The same could be said for every single time they went out there on the streets. Any moment may be their last, and this was how the lived, this was what they were used to.
"I've already talked to Inuzuka about making sure your car is ready for the trip," Tsunade said. Of course she had known they would take the mission. She knew all her soldiers well.
xXx
A week later they drove past the gates of their home, not knowing if they were ever coming back. No one had ventured this far out in years, so they had no idea what would be waiting for them. The roads might be blocked, there might be hordes of zombies roaming the countryside, but either way they were as prepared as they would ever get. The trunk had been filled up with extra gasoline, enough to get there and back, and the back-seat had been ripped out to make room for food, ammo and anything else they might need. The car itself had been reinforced, hopefully able to withstand any attacks they might suffer.
The sun beat down from high above, a few wispy clouds dotting the otherwise clear sky. Perfect weather for driving into the unknown.
Naruto stopped right outside the gate and turned towards Sasuke. "You ready?"
Sasuke looked at him, and he smiled, matching Naruto's grin. They didn't know what would be waiting for them, an end to the world's suffering, their deaths, or nothing at all, but it didn't matter, as long as he was here with Naruto.
He thumbed off the safety of his guns, raising them in preparation, and nodded at Naruto.
With a feral grin Naruto shifted the car into gear and stomped on the accelerator, and a laugh tore out of his throat as they sped down the road.
They had no idea what their future might entail, but they had each other, and as the first zombies came close and Sasuke levelled his guns at them, taking them all down in a storm of bullets, he knew that nothing else mattered.