Yo. This is Methos-Kyuubi777, and I have finally returned.

That's right, I'm not dead yet… Or am I? Maybe I'm just a phantom that lives inside of a computer… Hmm…

Yeah… I've had a rough year. Not to mention the price for it all. Teeth, Laser Eye Surgery, and others… You all know where I'm going with this. Health care is fucking expensive. I must also apologize for the very late update… And for how short it is.

Anywhoses, Today I am bringing you a new chapter of SOTD. I also believe that everyone in the last chapter said "What the fuck?" Am I right? I believe so. IT DOESN'T MATTER! I AM STILL DOING THIS!

Still hounding all my old haunts, looking for my damn tomes on Necromancy… No luck there. So… Yeah, no Zombie Apocalypse. Not that I could read the tiny ass script right now, anyways…

My apologies. Anyway, enough ranting and bullshit. Let's get this little show on the road.

Disclaimer: Honestly? Do I have to go through this shit again? I'm pretty fucking sure, now, that everybody knows. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD! If they ever thought that I did, I would call them retards. I would say it to their faces, slap them with a Smartifier Stick, punch them in the face to see if it worked, before walking off and singing "Jimmy Cracked Corn, and I Don't Fucking Care" at the top of my lungs. You all have been notified. Good fucking day!

Xxx

SOTD: Sage of the Dead

Chapter 11: The Mall, Saving the Few DEAD PT 1

Xxx

Last time:

"I felt Shiva, earlier. Did she say anything about this?" Rika asked, laying a hand on her sidearm. Naruto stayed quiet for a moment. "I guess you would feel her presence here, wouldn't you wielder of Ark's Cannon?" He asked rhetorically. He sighed again, before answering her question. "Councilor Shido, and Ray are apparently behind the spread of this pandemic. But... the Aeons think they are under orders."

Naruto took a long drag of his cigarette, and a drink from his beer, before continuing. "I'll have to capture and interrogate them for more info." Rika sighed, knowing just how much trouble it would be to find the Councilor. Let alone the illusive Ray. "Wang was right, wasn't he boss?" She asked, to which he nodded.

"That man's brother is so far off the grid, that even the gods will have trouble finding him." Naruto spoke after sighing again. They sat there for a few minutes, before Rika decided to ask him about the weapons he carried. "Are you trying to find more wielders, Naruto-kun?" Naruto smirked for a moment, before replying.

"Hai. It will make it easier to protect the world, right now there are only three. Yourself, Saeko, and Jack. As you know, my weapon is only comfortable in my hands. So, I doubt that I'll be able to fully join the others in Haven, for a long time." He then looked towards his clock. "We'll be moving out in a little while. So be ready."

Now:

The break had ended, far faster than they all thought time could pass. Though Naruto, Kagaro, Souichiro, and even Jack, knew that time could make you think it was moving at any speed due to many reasons. Many of the group could not catch it, but Naruto was in a slight amount of pain.

'This infestation… It's getting worse. Hatred is flying on wings of Death… Sage Mode is no longer an option. Nature is too polluted…' Naruto sighed, as he stepped out of the office. "E.D.E.N. will be needed. Sooner than I had thought, at this rate." He whispered as Rika stepped close to him. She followed the blonde as he made his way to the nest.

"Rika, the mall is nearly a no go right now. I was only able to pick up one healthy life force through my meditation. Tell Hanzo to floor it… We need to save this one." His orders were acknowledged, and she ran off to the bridge. He then turned to the barracks room, and spotted one of the few he wished to speak with.

"Rei-chan. Gather Saeko, Saya, Yuuki, and Kyoko. I'll need all five of you to join me on the nest." The girl nodded, and walked into the barracks. Naruto then continued to the ladder to head up there, but spoke out again. "Kagaro-san. Our history is heavy right now, but we need to work together to get through this. Are you able to help during this time?" He asked as he began to climb the ladder. He only paused to hear the man for a moment. "Hai." Came the reply, though it sounded reluctant.

Naruto then continued, not even noticing the man grumble after he had left. Naruto stopped on the nest, and sighed as he spotted the mall getting closer. He noticed that quite a few windows on the ground floor were broken, and many of 'them' were crowding around those areas. The sounds of gunshots were few, and far between, he had noticed that the reason was more than likely a low amount of ammo. "We'll need to gear her up. That Pea-shooter won't help her much." He said, as the mall came closer, and the five he had asked to join him arrived. Kohta followed them.

"Be ready. I'll need you all to guard Reckoning, while I rescue the one survivor here… No one else made it." He spoke, and then leapt off the moving vehicle, and disappeared from their eyesight. Moving at speeds that they would never be able to see for quite a while.

Kyoko sighed, knowing that herself and Yuuki, wouldn't really be of much help. She didn't have any real experience with a gun, and not even the teen she had been helping this last school year had any good experience. 'It's more than likely we'll only help with bringing bullets up… Or if one of the others need something.' She grimaced after that thought, as Saeko readied her new katana.

Rei was already armed with a bayoneted rifle. Kyoko knew that the orange haired teen had some experience with that weapon. 'Mr. Minamoto is a police officer, after all… Of course, young Hirano here…' She sweated slightly at seeing the heavy teen carrying quite a bit of weapons and ammo.

"Saeko-san, are you any good with a sidearm?" Kohta asked. Kyoko watched as the purple haired sword mistress shrugged. "I've never even thought of using a firearm before." Was her reply. Kyoko winced slightly, not understanding why the teen wanted to get close to any of 'Them.' She noticed that Rei shook her head, but didn't say anything. "Though I don't think it will be too difficult." Saeko finished.

Kohta nodded, and flipped the safety to his DMR off. "Just make sure the needle of the aiming prongs is no more than a hairs breadth out of line, and be sure to consider that there is a recoil." He said to her, checking his bandolier to make sure he had plenty of ammo. "Also keep an ear open for when the gun clicks. That'll mean you're out of bullets, and need to reload. Release for the clip should be just below the trigger guard on the left side. I believe that model uses .9mm ammunition." He finished his brief explanation.

Saeko nodded, though didn't reach for the sidearm she had grabbed earlier. Her eyes then seemed to turn to ice as the mall got even closer. Kyoko shivered as the temperature seemed to drop, and she could have sworn that the Shinigami was near.

Naruto sighed, as he easily snuck into the mall from the roof's lone access for emergency flight for life helicopters. 'Despite their sonar type sense of hearing… These things can't pick up a shinobi… Being a former AnBu Captain makes this too easy.' He really hated the fact that these creatures were not that difficult, unlike the cave he had been in at Germany.

'That was at least a small challenge…' He sighed again when he opened the door leading to the security hallway. He sweat-dropped when he saw one of the creatures just starring at the closed door leading to the second floor's open walkway. Walking up behind the female zombie, and watching as it starred at the door, only moving when another shot rang out.

He then grabbed the creature by the shoulder and calmly said, while throwing it through a window into the main security room. "Kindly, get out of my way…" He then opened the door, but stopped as a bullet flew in front of his goggles and pierced one of the mob that was shuffling towards the right. He sighed again, as the lone survivor gasped before trying to scream at him to run.

'Why does everyone in this world think I need to run from a skirmish?' He then drew his blade, sidestepped one of the creatures, and sliced through its head. Also taking out another four. He heard the woman stop and gasp again, as he just walked slowly through the mob slicing and throwing the ones that were getting in the way. He moved towards the lone female officer, though noticed that there were more living, and cowering behind her. 'Strange… I should've sensed them…'

He stopped at ten feet away from the small group of eight people, one was bleeding though, and looked as though she was about to pass out. He could tell that it wasn't a bite that was making her loose so much blood, her hand was bandaged, though the gauze was dangerously red. He then turned around and sighed, before sheathing his sword and then getting into a drawing stance. The lone female officer heard him whisper a few words, and they made her shiver.

"The morning light will not warm you all any more. Forgive me…" He then took one step, and slashed his sword once, before sheathing the blade slowly. The group of survivors were about to scream at him to run, thinking that he was crazy, until the click of his sword fully resting in its sheath sounded out.

All of them gaped as waves of blood arced out through the mob of creatures, many of the things being reduced to ribbons. They couldn't spot the slashes appearing throughout the mob, or that the slashes were comprised of slashes of Wind Chakra, and brought forth from a void.

Nakaoka Asami starred at the blonde-haired teen that had appeared before the small group she had been trying to get out of this hell. Ever since her senpai had disappeared to grab supplies that the mall didn't carry, she had been trying to keep this group of scarred civilians from leaving the safety of the mall. She hadn't been able to know that the one they had saved a few hours later, was infected.

She nearly grimaced at the memory of that one kid going to the restroom, only to not return as a living human. A few hours later, and the mall had been overrun. Many tried to run, by breaking the windows, or doors to escape; but that only made the problem bigger.

Returning her attention to the boy, she almost screamed at him to run, but watched him decimate the creatures that were in front of them, shivering at the whisper she heard. Her mouth fell open in shock, as did the seven others that stood behind her. 'What…? What did Asami just see!?' The teenager that was behind her gasped, a fifteen-year-old girl, followed closely by the others.

"Well… that takes care of them for a little while." The swordsman spoke, he then grabbed for a short-wave radio from his belt. Pressing the button, he spoke in a clear voice that was filled with an authority that Asami had only heard from her grandfather before. "Hanzo, ETA?" He only had to wait for a moment before another voice came from the device. "Two minutes, taicho. Multiple tangos in the way, Jack, and the others are clearing a path now."

The blonde sighed, and pushed his katana out slightly, ready to draw the blade. Speaking once more into the walkie-talkie, he motioned for them to follow. "Acknowledged, get the reckoning to the west exit, hatch open. I have eight healthy survivors ready for evac." He then turned the device off and turned to them.

He paused, as he saw the teenager of the group, but then spoke clearly, and calmly. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, High Battlefield Commander of the Hayabusa. My team, and I, have a vehicle ready to evacuate all eight of you. Death's Reckoning will be here shortly, and we will be leaving from the western exit." He then walked past them, heading towards the stairs.

"I suggest that you all follow me, you won't live long once the officer runs out of ammo." He spoke, as he walked away from them at a leisurely pace. He then reached his right arm out into a doorway, and threw one of the creatures off the edge of the second floor, this one had been trying to get through a door frame to get to them.

Kagaro sighed, as the group approached the mall, still wandering if he should really help the young Hayabusa. 'Can we really fight against him? I may want revenge… but I can't recall why, exactly. I was replaced… but…' He sighed again, not knowing if his memories were truthful. He raised his weapon, and fired a round at one of 'them.' He then grimaced at a pressure inside of his head.

Holding a hand to his forehead, he felt a sudden wave of pain that threw him off balance. 'What the hell?... Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?' The pain went away, and he was able to pick himself up from the railing that he had leaned onto. His face then blanked for a second, before he shook his head as Kohta asked if he was alright.

"I'm fine." He said as he shot another of 'Them,' before reloading. He then sighed again, before jumping off of the truck to join Saeko as she continued to slice, and freeze, through the abominations.

Naruto sighed, as he lead the small number of survivors through the mall. 'This is getting ridiculous… How many of these things are there?' He questioned quietly, just before slicing through another one. The eight that were following, gaped at him more than before, because he just kept moving at a leisurely pace while cutting 'Them' down. As though 'They' were made of paper.

Asami didn't even need to use her firearm anymore, though she kept it ready. She was nervous, gazing at this teenager. She knew what the Hayabusa were, her senpai had told tales of them, and to see that the Battlefield Commander was in front of them made her want to curl up; hiding from his gaze.

She needn't have worried, but she didn't know that.

'Who is this young man… How can he walk through this hell, as though it were a normal day's stroll in a park?' The youngest of the group asked herself. The teen kept gazing at him, and tried to look into his soul.

What she saw, confused the young girl, who had bright red hair; and was wearing a casual dress.

"I would stop that, if I were you miss. Gazing into the void, will make it stare right back into you." He said, for all of them to hear. It made her stop for a moment, wondering how he knew she was trying to read him. "You are not the first with abilities to gaze at my soul."

'What?!' She then started to follow again, watching as he cut the air again; decimating another group of 'Them.' The others around her, were scared. Wondering just who this person was, and how he had such abilities.

He then stopped, forcing them all to freeze again. "I was wondering when I would see one of you mutts again." The response to his words, was a deep growl, that made them even more afraid. When the young girl with psychic abilities, and Asami gazed around him, they froze.

Before them, was a skinned hound. Its eyes seemed to glow silver, and its face didn't have any muscles on it. Just the skull, with eyeballs and a forked tongue that was protruding from fangs that were easily the size of a pocket knife. Its size was nearly three-fourths as tall as he was, with muscles that bulged in tension, and power, ready to destroy their flesh and bones. Its growl sounded more like a demon's, instead of a dog's.

"How your kind got out of that cave, I do not know… But I promise you… It will be the last mistake you've ever made." He said, before rushing forward at a speed that they could not see. He slid under the beast, and kicked its head upward, throwing the beast twenty feet into the air. He then brought his right hand to his mouth in a hand-sign.

What followed this action, made the group even more fearful. He breathed out a flame that was hot enough to make their skin nearly dry up, and there were bright white arches flying out of it. These arches hit the beast first, slicing through its flesh, as well as the bones. The beast yelped in pain, before being overcome by the rest of the technique.

It was torn asunder, and then lit on fire. Reducing the large beast to ashes. Asami's, and the teen's eyes widened, while the rest of the group nearly pissed themselves.

As the flames died down, Naruto turned to them. "We must move now. We don't have time for fear, or questions." He then pulled one of his pistols out, and fired at them. The bullet moved passed Asami, and hit another one of the abominations that had just moved around the corner of a restroom hallway.

"Move." He said again. Causing them all to begin following him once more. They were halfway to the West Exit, and they were growing far more afraid of their savior, than the abominations that were just like Zombies.

Xxx

Alrighty-then. I'm going to end it here for now… So, we have seen the first part of the mall arc. We've also seen the young Psychic, who shall be named in the next chapter… Gotta think of a good one for her, as well as a good personality… Joy…

As I said before, I apologize for the extremely late update, and the shortness… Lasers… I hate them now… And on top of that, I'll need to go get glasses. Been giving myself headaches by squinting, while starring at the screen, just to read what I type. Work has been slow, but I have a plan for it all… … … Life has been a colossal BITCH to me this past year.

Have a nice day. The Methos is out…