A/N: Amazing response to my last chapter I'm so thankful to everyone who reviewed I believe I personally responded to most of them. I'm glad you all found my last chapter interesting I couldn't have hoped for such an amazing response to something I just made up as I went along. You guys don't know just how hard it can be to get into a mind of ninja and it's good to see that I got it right last time. I'm finally at twenty reviews a chapter which is something I just never thought I'd be at for a section this small. It's been awhile since I last updated due to school and when the new semester comes around there will be zero chance for me to update just because I really need an 'a' in both classes to get into my program but let's see how many chapters I can get out before then. Special note, my story now has over 50,000 hits! Spread the word! Special thanks to those that caught a few of my mistakes, the most notable being 'Woodberry', apparently it's 'Woodbury'.
As Naruto approaches the cell block, he can hear the tiny crying of a new born baby, along with some sobbing. When he enters the room, he finds Beth holding a swaddled baby with Hershel and Maggie next to her sitting at the table. Rick and his son Carl sobbing quietly in the corner, comforting each other and being comforted by Glenn and Carol. T-Dog and Darryl were by the gate where Naruto entered. He looks over to them with a questioning look. T-dog answer his look in a whisper.
"Lorie didn't make it."
Naruto can hardly believe it. This is completely unexpected and that's what has him shell shocked. He can hardly imagine the pain Rick must be going through. Having to watch the person you have become one with, loved and care for before all others, die in front of your eyes as you are helpless to do anything for them. Having to lie to them, yourself, saying that it's going to be alright. That everything is going to be okay. There was only once or twice in his natural life that he had to witness something remotely akin to that. The moment when Pain nearly killed Hinata in front of him, and when Neji sacrificed him to save Hinata, his cousin, and himself. Naruto can't honestly say that compares to Rick's pain in this moment. The only silver lining, the sacrifice today brought into the world something that more than likely hasn't existed since the beginning of the fall; a new born child.
This place was meant to be the beginning of humanity's revival, more than just a prison more than just a settlement. At least that's what Naruto had in mind when he cleared it initially. Today, the first step in achieving that goal has been taken. While it may be a giant leap forward it is still at its most vulnerable state. Naruto will do whatever it takes to protect it. That's a promise.
"Daryl, T-Dog, there's information I wanted to share with Rick about last night's recon, but he's obviously in no shape to concern himself with it." Naruto whispers quietly enough so just the three of them can hear him, wanting to be respectful of the rest of the company. "He really isn't in any condition to take on any projects at the moment, so the rest of you will have to step up. Don't take on any risky projects for the time being. Just focus on the bare necessities for now." Daryl and T-dog nod their heads in understanding. They aren't sure what exactly is going through Rick's head right now. Neither of them have gone through what he just did, so neither can say just how long it will take before Rick is himself again. What they can agree on though, is that everyone will have to take on a much larger role to help take the burden off of Rick.
"They can handle things in here better than we can. I wanna know what you found out last night. We need to know what we're dealing with and we can't have Rick being caught off guard. I'll fill him in later when he's up to it." Daryl insists on this with a stern expression and T-Dog reaffirms this notion wanting to take up as much responsibility as he can for the sake of the group. Naruto looks at the both of them, and then looks back at the group. He looks over to Rick who is now being comforted by Carol and Carl by Sophia, huddles in the corner. Carol had just driven her knife into the back of Lori's skull as discreetly and quietly as she could to prevent her from becoming the monster that has been plaguing humanity for nearly a year now, and to preserve the image of a mother and wife before it could be tarnished. The women of the group shed soft tears and Hershel does what he can to comfort his daughters. Everyone has lost a member of the family today. The sky will be gray for some time to come.
"Alright, there's something I should let you know. Follow me back to my block. "
Sasha's group sits around the metal table listening in on Ryan's story about their enigmatic savior. Axel took it upon himself to get the company some of the canned food that was left over after being split with Rick's group. This small act made Sasha and the others feel a little more at ease despite being watched by armed guards in a prison cell. So far they can hardly believe what Ryan himself had gone through and what the Blonde in question has been able to accomplish on his own.
"So last night he went on a scouting mission trying to find the assholes that ghosted my crew. Now we're all just waiting on him to tell us what he found out, if he found anything at all. I wasn't expecting him to bring company so I wonder what actually happened." Ryan finishes as he continues to eat his tasteless rations. The news is meet with mixed reactions in terms of Naruto's character but they all share the same feeling concerning the looming threat of this rouge threat. None of them want part of someone else's fight, but even still, they'll do anything for a safe place to sleep at night. Billy, on the one hand, can't ignore the look in his wife's eyes as she hears about her hero. Sasha nearly prompts a question but they all turn their attention to the door that leads to the hallway as they hear echo of footsteps.
Naruto enters the room with two impressive men behind him. He surveys the room and the two standing behind him do the same, inspecting the new arrivals. Naruto looks over towards Ryan and nods.
"I trust you've caught them up to speed then?"
"Yea, just finished up. Just waiting on you man." Ryan gets up from his seat and moves over to stand to Naruto's left, Daryl and T-Dog stand to Naruto's right. Naruto takes a second look and notices the food on the table.
"Who gave them food?" Naruto asks with a tone that's more demanding than curious. Axel swallows nervously and answers.
"I did. They looked hungry so I figured they'd settle down easier if they had something to eat." Oscar struggles to keep himself from rolling his eyes at Axel's stuttering. Naruto raises his hands and motions the two of them to come over.
"Thanks, I nearly forgot we still had this food. It should last a little while right?" Naruto asks as he takes the gun out of Axel's hands and begins to deconstruct it.
"Yea we have plenty to share for now so why not?" Naruto nods and motions for Oscar to hand his gun over as well, and breaks it down as the two watch his hands closely. As he finishes the two return to their seats, Axel silently grateful that he hadn't angered Naruto in some way for what he did. Tyrese's group watches the odd exchange not sure what to make of it. Oscar and Axel have said nothing but mention how great a person Naruto was yet they hold more than just respect for him, but fear as well. The both of them had automatic rifles in their hands and Naruto was unarmed yet his presence seemed to be the most powerful thing in the room. Ryan's stories of Naruto's feats of strength seem a little more believable now for some reason. Either way, they all feel better now that no one will be pointing a gun at them.
"Since Ryan's informed you already of the situation I don't see any reason to beat around the bush. The two to my Right are Daryl and T-Dog, and they're members of the separate group living in Cell block C, as I'm sure Ryan's mention to you by now." They nod in recognition, but before Tyrese greets them the way he would like to Naruto continues. "The leader of their group is a man named Rick, and they have all gone through a tragedy this morning, just before we arrived here together. Rick's wife has passed during the birth of their new child. She lost too much blood, and they were unable to revive her." Naruto pauses both out of respect and to gauge the reactions of the new group. The siblings bow their heads along with Donna, who brings a hand over her mouth to silence a gasp. Her husband and son don't express much emotion but don't say anything.
"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be really hard on you guys. I'm sorry." Tyrese offers his condolences and T-Dog expresses his gratitude with a curt nod of recognition. Daryl couldn't care less about their opinions on the other hand.
"Thank you for that. I'm sure they'll hold a proper burial soon enough, which I will be attending for sure, but of course you'll have no part in that. It wouldn't seem appropriate. Now, as far as last night is concerned. As Ryan may have mentioned his group was attacked a few days ago, leaving him the only survivor. Now who would attack military personnel, a remnant of whatever government and society that may still exist? We don't know. That's what my recon last night was for. I'm pretty sure I found those assholes Ryan."
Sasha's group was gripped in anticipation. It seems that their situation has escalated far more quickly than they could have imagined, and not necessarily for the better. Ryan crosses his arms and tightens his hands into fists as tightly as he can. He grits his teeth and narrows his eyes when Naruto mentions news on his assailants. Internally his spirit rages, and the wound in his shoulder throbs just slightly. His brothers slain by a cheap ploy, right in front of his eyes. Were he a lesser man his hatred would consume him, but he is disciplined. He is a soldier. To Ryan this is a mission debriefing, and he will pay it his undivided attention as level headed as humanly possible. He takes a deep breath, a listens on.
"There were military grade vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns. It had a number of holes in it and blood stained on it that didn't look all that old. Yea, I think I found them. Come to think of… I don't think I disabled those vehicles. I probably should have. Doesn't matter I guess. If anything I can always take them back for us to use. I stole what I could and I've rigged the rest of their storage with explosives to go off whenever I want. So far, we've got the advantage."
Ryan nods his head slowly, soaking up the information. His good hand begins to shake and his shoulder throbs with a dull pain. The prospect of getting back at the fuckers that killed his friends gets his blood boiling. Naruto gives Ryan a hard look sensing his anticipation and decides to douse the flames.
"That's only plan B though. It's more complicated than taking out some warlord and his bandits. I don't want to blow the place to hell and this place is really comfortable, especially compared to here. Not nearly as fortified as this place but still easy defend with the walls they put up and it's super clean. On top of that it seems like most people wouldn't even know about the assault on Ryan's group and I don't think they'd be okay with it either. From what I've seen they only have a handful of full-fledged fighters and the rest need care taking to an extent, especially with the number of children that are living there. I could have easily killed them all last night, but I don't see any reason why innocent people have to die if it can be helped."
It disturbs most of the group how easily Naruto mentions how he could have wiped out an entire camp by himself overnight. Oscar and Axel are almost used to see Naruto doing crazy things while Daryl and T-Dog have seen Naruto in action a number of times already. Ryan is more curious than anything to see just how Naruto could do such a thing while Sasha's group pale slightly, wondering just who exactly could be capable of killing that many people without being bothered by it. Still, he did mention not killing innocent people so that alone keeps their minds from wandering into darker places.
"How many were there?" Ryan asks, feeling the itch to get back into a mission. Naruto turns his head in his directions and responds.
"There could be a total of fifty to seventy members in the camp. Less than half of that I'd say are full capable fighters while only a dozen or so are actually battle ready and experienced. They used to have a lot of guns but I took what I could and destroyed the rest. I'm sure they've discovered that by now and are on guard. Probably locked the place up, no one in or out until they figure out what's going on."
"So what is plan A if you didn't just want to wipe them out?" Daryl asks wanting to understand what are going to be going through. This question really grabs everyone's attention in anticipation as they subtly shift to listen carefully. Naruto pauses and takes a look around and sees everyone's eyes on him, Ryan with a much more intense look than everyone else while the members of Sasha's group share a look of uncertainty and fear.
"That's what I've been trying to come up with for a while now. The lack of sleep sure isn't helping. What I want to do is show how messed up their leader is. During my espionage I found the guy's apartment. He was clearly a family man before the collapse, had a wife and kid. I don't know what happened to his wife but I assume she's dead. His daughter on the other hand, most likely, has turned, and he has her locked up in a closet space. He probably thinks that if there is ever a cure for this mess they can save her. Which is insane since there would be no way to restore the organs that have been rotting this whole time."
The women cringe when they hear of the fate of the little girl and try to keep the mental image out of their minds. Ryan clenches his fist, hating this person more and more with each new detail.
"On top of that there's an aquarium of severed walker head in a room in that apartment that he just looks at I guess."
"That's just nasty. Why in the hell would anyone want stare a bunch of rotting heads?" T-Dog asks while shaking his head in confusion and disgust. The others share the same feeling with the exception Daryl and Naruto.
"He probably thinks of them as trophies. Wouldn't be surprised if one of Ryan's buddies were in there too." Naruto cringes at Daryl's theory, wishing he hadn't put it that way for Ryan's sake and gives his own theory before Ryan can lose his cool.
"I think it has more to do with being in control. I guess he figured the more he's around them the less he'll fear them. Being able to manipulate his enemy in such a way would certainly embolden him. On that note there's a reason why I didn't just kill him that last night. The entire town was having some kind of block party. Some kind of gladiator fight between some of his men in the middle of walkers on chains as some form of entertainment. As messed up as it was, it was staged. The walkers didn't have teeth and were missing their fingertips so the fighters were safe from them at least."
"That's sick. How can anyone find that amusing let alone entertaining. What kind of people could enjoy watching that kind of thing?" Sasha, the most skeptical of the group voices her disgust out loud.
"The same kind of people that would kill military personnel just to protect their own way of life. They don't care that they can help others and get us all closer to waking up from this nightmare all they care about is themselves." Ryan answers Sasha's question without looking at her, with as much self-control as he can manage, venom nearly dripping from his mouth. Naruto interjects before anyone can say anything else.
"Again, I just think that much is just about taking control over your enemy. I don't necessarily think that all those people would have been willing to kill your brothers just so they'd have what they need. But, I recognize that it is a valid possibility which has actually helped me figure out how to play this."
"Finally, what'd you have in mind?" Daryl asks, tired of all the melodrama.
"I think, if we go in broad daylight when all the civilians are out and about, pretending to be a different company trying regroup with Ryan's company, and we can feel them out. If they're happy to see surviving government personnel and want to be rescued then we can slowly expose this guy for what he really is. Tell everyone what he had done, they'll turn on him, we'll kill him, and they'll accept us. We can tell them about how we secured a safe place. If I had just killed him and we showed up the next day with good tidings, there's no way they wouldn't see the connection. It would be safe to say that this guy is at the very least, respected by the members of the community given that he lead them to a place with impressive walls, whether or not they were the ones to build it."
Daryl and T-Dog are skeptical of how on earth they would be able to pull that off. Neither has much experience in the ways of undercover espionage. Even if they did manage to expose this person, would it be worth it to go through all that trouble and be away from the prison in this delicate time? Ryan doesn't mind the idea, it has a decent cover. He isn't sure his shoulder will be healed in time to be part of the mission. It's no concern of his whether or not those people see this person for what he is. All that he cares about is that he pays for what he did. He'll make sure it gets done even if he has to die trying.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Where exactly do we fit into all this?" Sasha interrupts feeling the situation escalating into uncomfortable territory. She can feel the anxiety levels rise in the rest of the group. This entire time they've only concerned themselves with keeping themselves safe from walkers, not people. Killing a living person has yet to become a necessity and now she and her group are getting dragged into someone else's fight. Naruto looks over to her with an expression akin to mild amusement. He did say 'we' when talking about his plan but even so, having anyone that wasn't a shinobi with him on this mission would cramp his style.
"To be honest I don't factor you or your group into any of this at all. I don't expect you to be part of this but if you stick around you could easily get caught in the crossfire if they catch wind of this place. If you want to stay and fight that's fine, if you want to leave before it gets too hot, that's fine too. Just don't get in the way, and don't be noisy. If you do stay here you will follow the ground rules and you will contribute to the upkeep for this place. This world isn't kind to people who slouch, and I won't be either. It would do more harm than good if I was soft on you."
A wave of relief washes over Sasha and her group, Tyreese in particular, given that he is certainly the kindest out of the bunch.
"We'll do anything to earn our keep, I promise you that much." Tyreese offers as a token of gratitude. Donna nods her head in eager agreement almost hidden away in the back of the group with her hands around her teenage son in front of her. Her husband just barely notices it in his peripheral vision. Naruto looks at each member of the group then looks back over to Tyreese and nods once in acknowledgement.
"Well that's good to hear. To be honest I don't want to have to use the food we have in the pantry unless there's a shortage of resources. We're using it for now since I can't hunt as freely as I want to now that I have this new project. It'll be some time before he can get any kind of harvest going with the crops we're trying to grow in the front yard. Well, even with all that said, there's still the issue of getting you acquainted with the other group."
"Now really isn't the best time for that."
"That being the case can we stay on subject for Christ sake?" Daryl interrupts T-Dog and impatiently paces back and forth and points a finger in the direction of the door. "We know where they are, who they are and what they did. They don't have anything big they can hit us with and they don't even know who or where we are. We got the jump on them. I don't give a rat's ass about making friends with strangers. If they got a problem with us ghosting some asshole I don't see why that should be any of our concern."
Tyreese and his group shift closer together defensively at Daryl's outburst. It took sometime before they could feel welcomed since they'd arrive and now their position in their new haven has been placed in a precarious position, courtesy of Daryl. Naruto senses the uncertainty of the new arrivals and steps between them and Daryl reassuringly, protectively. Before Naruto can respond to Daryl's outburst, they hear someone interrupt from the hallway.
"Excuse me." Everyone in the room turn their heads to the source of the mild mannered voice, it being a little girl just barely five feet tall and around eleven years old. Unbeknownst to them, she had been standing there for the past ten minutes. At first she had taken in the sight of the cell block, not having seen it before she was curious to know where Naruto had been staying the past few days. She then noticed the soldier with the injured arm that Rick and Hershel had spoken about the other day. Finally she sees a group that no one has mentioned before and assumes them to be a pathetic lot of sorts that Naruto had to save sooner than early this morning.
"Yes Sophia, what is it?" Naruto asks, secretly relieved to have an interruption before he had to deal with a pissed off Daryl.
"Maggie and Glen went out to find food for the baby. The others are going to need help digging the grave for Carl's mom." Daryl and T-Dog look to each other and then over to Naruto, who has a look of guilt across his face, which they then feel themselves. Without making a sound the two exit the room through the hallway, but Sophia stays behind for a moment. "You'll help too right Naruto?" Sophia asks with an innocent look in her eyes. Naruto couldn't bring himself to refuse even if he wanted to.
"Of course Sophia, I'll be there soon enough. I just have to settle things here really quick alright?" Sophia nods her head yes in understanding, not allowing her curiosity to take the better of her when Naruto has a soft yet solemn on his face. She turns around to leave not waiting for him to do what he has to. Naruto in turn waits for her to be out of ear shot before he can turn his attention back to the rest of the group.
"So what now? We still have the rest of the day ahead of us." Ryan asks unsympathetically. Naruto looks over to Ryan, then to Oscar and Axel and finally back over to Sasha's group.
"Well, we can discuss stratagems later. Being frank, I want to get this done as soon as possible and I don't believe you're going to be in any shape to be of use."
"Are you fucking kidding me? How are you going to convince them you're part of an actual military company without me?"
"Well if the guy saw your face it's irrelevant, you'll give us away immediately. Besides, I'm not stranger to this sort of thing. I come from a long line of military brats. I think I can pull it off."
"By yourself?" Ryan asks disbelievingly, effectively pissed off by the shrug of Naruto's shoulders.
"Yeah it's not a problem. Infiltration is specialty of mine, but while I'm away for who knows how long, I'll need someone to make sure everything here is running smoothly. You're really the only one that both I and the others would trust to keep things quiet on this side of the prison. I know what I'm asking of you might be harder than getting into an actual firefight, but it's what we need right now."
By now, Ryan is nearly livid at the fact that he can't be part of the mission, being deemed unfit for duty was a pill too tough for him to swallow. "This is bullshit and you know it!" Ryan had to fight the urge to storm off, given that he doesn't know his way around the prison just yet and wasn't ready to suffer the indignity of getting lost. Naruto smirks, a dark expression emphasized by a hard stare and his tall stature.
"Will you feel better about it if I you bring his head?" Naruto nearly barks out darkly, gruffly. Everyone's blood runs cold. Till now, Naruto may have been cold while calculating, a neutrality that existed to perform at an optimal level that can't be achieved any other way. There was never any hint of blood lust that radiated off of him at any time. This is completely different behavior, a shock to the system due to how out of the blue it seemed. They understood; Naruto is tired of talking about the subject, so you'd better drop it.
Ryan swallows the lump in his throat nervously, and nods his head acceptingly, reluctantly. He's used to following orders, it's just odd for him to follow them from someone that isn't in uniform. Sasha and her group, still behind Naruto, takes a step back from Naruto while holding their breath as he slowly turns around.
"Before I pay my respects. I need you to answer a few questions for me."
As somber as it was, the occasion seemed to be over as it began for Naruto. For Rick and Carl, it was perhaps the longest moment of their lives that didn't seem would ever end. They stayed long after the rest had left to ensure the newborn would have all it would need to survive the night. It only took about an hour, but the child had become weak and was an extremely close call. For now they have a little breathing room, but they aren't out of the woods yet; they won't be for a long time to come until the child becomes strong. She will become very powerful.
Naruto waited for Rick and Carl to finally say their goodbyes before meeting Rick. He briefed him on the situation along with the new arrivals. Naruto relayed their answers to Rick's questions which weren't complete disappointments. Sasha and Tyrese were the most competent but Sasha is more of the leader. Tyrese is far too kind despite his size. The others were simply pathetic and easily weaker than even the children in Rick's group in Naruto's opinion. Rick doesn't care much for them but if Naruto is willing to care for them then that was his business. Rick would normally voice his concern over allowing a new group at such a critical time, but he's still shell shocked from the loss of his wife and still needs to ensure his new daughter's basic needs are cared for. By now he trusts Naruto to keep anyone inline.
When Naruto revealed his intention to be away from the prison for an extended infiltration mission, Rick voiced his concern. Naruto admitted to the risk involved in giving an unfamiliar guest that kind of freedom. Even so, Naruto convinced Rick to go with it simply because he himself was convinced that no harm would come out of it. The only thing Rick had no confidence in was the approach that Naruto intended to use in order to reveal the leader of Woodbury. From what Rick understood, it sounded like an operation that would require a handful of people just to keep up appearances, and Naruto couldn't explain how he would do that by himself. Rick wanted Naruto to at least take T-Dog and Daryl for the mission, but Naruto brought up a point.
What was hardest for Rick to hear, especially from someone many years his junior was that Naruto didn't believe that Rick was fit to be the leader of his group in the condition he is in. He would have countered had he not felt a tug at his arm from Carl, who surprisingly agreed with Naruto. He told him that he understands what kind of man his father is, and that was why he knew that Rick is not okay. Carl suggested that between Daryl, Glenn, T-Dog and Hershel they would be able to handle the day to day operations while Rick recuperates. It was a hard pill to swallow, but Naruto simply said that it wasn't a sign of weakness, and took his leave, not needing to deliberate on the matter any further. Rick looked back to his son and it was then that he realized that they would need each more than ever. They went back to their cell block to check in on their new family, surrounded by their old family, to begin the healing.
Naruto began making preparations for his mission well after sundown, all but fully exhausted having been awake for more than thirty two hours now. He consulted with Ryan to learn as many detail about American military tactics and procedures in order to make sure his persona would be convincing. It was clearly evident that Ryan was disappointed in himself for his inability to join the mission. Naruto assured him that he needed him a great deal in this moment. Ryan was perhaps the only person that was more than just competent. Right now, Naruto needs Ryan to carry himself as the soldier he was trained to be. If Ryan stays beyond the duration of this mission and does not decide to locate other operating military personnel on his own, Naruto will need help training the new members of the camp into fit survivalists. Eventually, each member will have to know how to survive on their own. It won't take much longer for Ryan's arm to heal completely, and there is a great role for him to fil when it does. Something he would have to think about when he was told that Naruto will not be with them forever, not that he elaborated on the subject.
These are the things to come in the near future. But for now there is a mission at hand. A legend that can move mountains; this world is going to learn of one very soon. Uzumaki Naruto: Mission Start.
Sorry for the delay, this chapter was a little awkward for me to write.