I don't own Naruto the series or anything in it. I am a simple writer and I make no profit off of my stories. Warning for graphic description of illness, blood and other bodily fluids. Not for weak stomachs. Oh There will be character death, lots and lots of it! So be warned.

I'm trying to fix this fic…re-editing, improving grammar and spelling; and fixing the plot holes.

My timeline is a bit off, but if you could just go with it that would be great! ^.^

Zombie Love

Chapter 1: Plague Unleashed

It was hardly an earth shattering thing that changed the world. The snap of a wax seal that was crumpled from age and the revelation of an ancient scroll. it was tattered and brown and aged. The ink on the inside was strangly fresh looking. The bearer's dark eyes narrowed feeling an electrical charge in the air and smelling ozone. The sky had been clear a moment before but in the distance grey storm clouds roiled. Then the bearer of the scroll rolled it up and snorted in derision. The feeling of trepedation in his soul well hidden.

"Lets go," The deep spoken command was uttered before cobalt hair whipped in the stirring winds. Those who were following obeyed the comand all feeling a sickening awe at what was just done. Whatever it was, was beyond any of their limited comprehension.

A strange wind blew across the grassy plains leaving death and decay in its wake. The first to notice were the fishermen and hunters as their quarry was turning up sicker and sicker, then the Farmers noticed their animals had taken ill. Across the plains a mother's scream could be heard as her infant took its last ragged breath.

…And so time crept forward slowly stealing away the lives of the fire country. Of course Tsunade was the first to step up. She called all med-nins to assist in the healing, and evacuation of the ill, or in some cases quarantine where there were hopeless causes.

Weather it was air born, or transferred by touch was unknown. All that they knew was that this disease was closing in on their village and as it drew in on them people grew desperate and dangerous. Many people fled to Wind country knowing that the two nations were on friendly terms. Tsunade feared a misunderstanding would occur with so many plague carriers suddenly storming the dessert country. She sent a message to the Kazekage hoping to quell his ire before some drastic actions were taken.

Her own shinobi seemed healthy enough, but the citizens grew frantic as one by one the weaker ones became infected. Always the animals were first. Pets and pests alike began acting strange. More intelligent animals fled if they were able to. Next young children and elderly contracted the illness. Healthy adults missed work as they nursed their ailing loved ones. The first Konahagakure citizen to parish at the hands of this mysterious illness was an elderly man. He was a retired jounin, and celebrated for his bravery and loyalty to the village. He was nearing one hundred years which was an unfathomable age for a ninja to live to. Hayashida Yasou was alive and old enough to remember the founding of the village. He served as a guard for the first Hokage himself. He had out lived two of his children and several grandchildren (all shinobi that had been killed in the line of duty). He had great-grandchildren that were active Shinobi serving Konoha just like he had. He counted five great-great-grandchildren as his. He had been spry and a doting grandfather to his ilk, up until he began to complain that it was hard to breath. He was taken to the hospital with the suspicion that he had suffered a heart attack. He had had one previous but chakra scans only brought mild inflammation of the peritoneal sac. There seemed to be a fluid buildup in the protective layer around his heart and lungs. He was sedated and the fluid was drained. Once the fluid was emptied from the aged nin a foul odor rankled the medics' noses. The fluid was peachish foam that smelled like rotten fish. The stuff that flowed through the drainage tube was a mix of blood and puss. The man was stabilized and was sent to recovery, but later that night other symptoms arose and by the time the medics realized he was carrying the mystery plague it was too late he had been exposed to hundreds either directly or through cross contamination. Once the first outward symptoms appeared, painful blisters about the neck and face, he spiraled quickly and was pronounced dead less than twenty four hours after admission to the hospital.

A ward was closed off for the infected, but soon it was filled. An entire wing was given up to house the victims of the plague, but it didn't seem enough. Despite the precautions the disease spread not just in the hospital but through the entire village. Again the weakest always went first. The poorer neighborhoods were the worse because many of them avoided going to the hospital.

One lonely teenager looked out at on the slums his building occupied. He seemed to be the only person well enough to still work and he did his job while still checking on his neighbors…people who had professed their hatred for the boy in the past, but in their time of need he was the one they could count on.

"Yui?" the lonely boy knocked at his neighbor's door. This woman was a young single mother, and one of the few people outside his peer group that willingly (if cautiously) accepted him. A faint cough was heard, "I-is that you Naruto?" She rasped. Yui and her daughter Kiyo had both taken ill with the strange disease. Naruto was really worried because Yui actually gained enough trust in him to allow him to baby-sit for her while she worked her part time job. He didn't know what he'd without his newest friends. Kiyo was a cute rambunctious toddler of 28 months and she adored Naruto. Most children liked him…until their parents interfered making them to fear him as they thought proper.

Naruto cracked her apartment door open frowning. It was left unlocked and even he kept his door locked. The room stank of spoiled food. "It's me Yui…I came to look in on my favorite girl. How's Kiyo doing?" Yui looked up at him as he poked his head in she lay on a small futon in her living room she held a still bundle in her hands and looked up at him with big teardrops rimming her eyes. Naruto's heart plummeted. He shook his head. That beautiful pure little angel wasn't moving. Her mother looked on the verge of death. He knew she probably hadn't long to live either. Tears gathered and he fell to her bedside, "No Yui? She's f-fine. Now I think it's time I put her down for her nap." Yui nodded dazedly and allowed Naruto to take the cold little body from her arms. Yui was delirious and willing to believe anything the young boy said. Her joy, her one reason for remaining in this filthy world could not possibly be dead. She shed a few tears. Naruto rocked the lifeless form. His tears splashed onto the stiff blanket. He noted the foul scent that accompanied so many of the diseased. He lifted the blanket to see the swollen marred flesh of her neck there was dried blood and puss crusted around her little throat. Naruto choked back a sob holding the child that had accepted him as family calling him 'bubba'. Her eyes were closed and her face was still innocent and sweet despite the evidence that she was already starting to stiffen with rigor mortis. Naruto replaced the blanket over her still face. He plastered a smile on and chirped lightly, "Nothing to worry about Yui! She's sleeping like the cute little baby she is."

"Yui's blurry eyes brightened and she gave a relieved sigh. Naruto cradled the corpse and rocked it lightly as he walked past her mother to the rickety crib. He placed the bundle inside. In his mind he was screaming at the sheer cruelty to snuff out something so precious. He quickly went to the kitchen knowing just where to find a glass and some medicine that seemed to ease the woman's suffering a bit. He came back to her kneeling. He brought her up to lean on his lap. She smiled wanly as he gave her the pills and held the water to her lips.

'This must be hell. I'm surrounded by death and suffering the worst part is that I have never felt healthier!'

Yui blinked sadly with a smile, "You'll take care of her for me…When I'm gone she'll have nobody. You're a good boy Nar-uto. I can't…I can't repay your kindness, but one more favor. Could you…we couldn't afford a proper burial plot. Take us somewhere pretty. Can-can you? I'd like to see the lake once more. Take me there…" Yui's eyes faded, but did not close as she blindly stared at him. Yui and Kiyo had come to mean so much to him they were the first civilians besides the Ichiraku man that accepted him as a person. He nodded solemnly, "I know the place…the place where you shared with me my first picnic." He smiled at the memory.

Naruto had been training alone. He had been feeling rather useless having failed once again to find Sasuke and bring him home. He spotted the toddler that had gotten away from her mother running toward the murky waters. The 19 month old had scared the life out of him by taking a dive headlong into the pond muck. Naruto raced across the pond on the water's surface. He pulled the child out as the young woman came running up. Kiyo cried, Naruto cried, and Yui soothed the two babies as she referred to Naruto and her child. She had been terrified but tried to hide it from the two of them. She had feared that the boy would hurt her child. She knew him to be the demon boy that lived in her building, but Kiyo soon calmed down and stared into brilliant blue eyes as if she were mesmerized, finally she squealed out, "Piddy!" Naruto blushed handing the child over. He offered his jacket to the woman when he noticed the child shivering. She accepted it stripping the girl of her soaked clothes down to the diapers. She wrapped Kiyo up in Naruto's jacket and handed her to him as she dug in her bag for a fresh diaper. She invited him to share in their modest lunch. He was delighted, but nervous. Yui insisted seeing that he had saved her child.

Naruto collected his surrogate sisters and placed Kiyo in Yui's arms. He folded the sheet she had rapped herself in to keep warm. It would now be their death shroud. He picked up the woman who once teased him that she was taller than him, but she and Kiyo felt like two feathers. Naruto walked out of the apartment. He went slowly. He did not want to let go of the woman who he had befriended nor the child he had grown to love. He finally knew the love of a family and it was snatched from him. It was all so unfair!

Sasuke and his team bowed before their leader. He did so grudgingly. He growled lowly at his master/would-be murderer. "We have the scroll you asked for. I broke the seal as instructed."

"Good...Inside Fire country's border?"

"Yes…now I want to know what the hell I unleashed exactly." He looked up from his kneeling position managing to look regal even when bowing to a psychopath. The snake sannin chuckled, "Are you certain you really want to know?" Sasuke nodded maintaining his look of righteous anger. Orochimaru sighed sounding like a patient parent explaining something too complicated for a young child to understand, "Would you hand me that scroll?" Sasuke reluctantly obeyed his master. Orochimaru took it and performed hand signs the parchment that sealed away whatever had been unleashed was destroyed perhaps killing their only chance to reverse the damage. The snake gave an oily smile and took Sasuke's chin between his thumb and forefinger, "My dear Sasuke. You have unleashed a plague of legend on an unsuspecting populace. Only those whom have touched the scroll are supposed to be immune to its powers." Someone gasped behind Sasuke. One of Sasuke's underlings spoke, "But sir only Sasuke and yourself have handled that scroll."

"Then I suggest staying out of fire country for probably…the next five years or so."