Fear the Walking Maelstrom

by CarLost

Naruto's life is altered as he is sent to another dimension by none other than Sasuke, to save him from harm's way in their fight against Madara. A year and a half later, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is still hopeful that the Uchiha finds him. But then, the dead begin to rise. What'll happen now to our favorite blonde and his newfound family? Rated M. Naruto x Alicia pairing later.

2. Chapter 2

Fear the Walking Maelstrom

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto or Fear the Walking Dead, there would already be LEGO sets for them. But I don't. Therefore, there are no LEGO sets based on them. I cri everytiem.

Author's Note: Damn, A lot of people actually like my story!? I'm honestly REALLY glad to hear such positive, supportive, and constructive opinions & criticism from you guys! A lot of the people who commented about the first chapter brought some flaws of the story into light, like Naruto's power level being high enough already even with only a hundredth of his chakra capacity or that he can't use his chakra cloaks. Worry not, my friends. Even though I am new to this whole writing business, I shall try my best to deliver an interesting and fun story, but the main reason I don't want Naruto to be too OP is because I don't want him to just hurl a rasen-shuriken this way and a bijuu-dama that way when he fights. AT LEAST NOT YET! Because then, the FTWD characters won't have the chance to grow and expose themselves to the dangers, like in the actual show. With that said, if you have any advice or opinions that you think would do good with the story, send them my way! Reviews are deeply appreciated!

P.S: I can't reveal anything concrete, but know that there's a reason why Naruto can't access Kurama's chakra… dun-dUN-DUN! I have worked out the kinks in the details as to the "Why" and "How" of the story.

"Dialogue" - Normal speaking

Dialogue - Thoughts

"Dialogue" - Kurama

"Dialogue" - Over the phone/line

CHAPTER 2: SALAZAR'S CUTS

-x-

"OHHHHH FUUUUUUCK!" Naruto bellowed frantically while he held for dear life on the truck-bed, just as the pickup truck reversed out of the alleyway and into the road. Right in the way of a semi.

"Travis!" Madison exasperatedly yelled out while she tried to make a call on her phone, just as Travis pulled out of the way, in time for the semi to honk its horns and come to a screeching halt.

"I'm sorry!" the curly-haired man uneasily apologized as he shifted gears and began driving forward, "Sorry."

"I swear, remind me not to get in a car with you driving again!" the blonde shinobi cried out as he calmed his beating heart whilst holding onto the rails. Then he mumbled softly to himself, "This is why I prefer my bike… Or tree-hopping…"

Picking up his phone with his free hand, Travis tried to make a call, only for it to go straight to voicemail. Sighing, the English teacher spoke into the phone, "Chris, it's an emergency, man. Call me right back."

"It's Alicia. Leave a message." Madison's phone voiced out as the blonde woman called her daughter, just for it to go to her voicemail as well. The rather shaken school counselor then spoke into the phone, "Baby, call me back. Call me back right away."

"Try the house." Travis stated, deducing that the teenage brunette didn't pick up either.

"Chris being the rebellious child again, Travis?" Naruto asked through the small, open window behind the front seat as he tapped the curly-haired man on the shoulder.

"Yeah. It's going straight to voicemail…" Travis answered, frustration evident on his face, as he continued to drive, "Dammit."

Meanwhile, Nick fiddled with the radio. "There's been a massive spike in the officer-related shootings in the last forty-eight hours…" a voice on the radio announced.

"Nick, stop, please," the English teacher begged slightly, but the troubled teen ignored him.

Changing the station once again, Nick tried to listen to another announcer, "...and people act like this doesn't change everything. It does. This is a catastrophe of biblical proportions… We are losing the best pocket passer in the league!"

Slightly vexed, the brown-haired teen tuned the radio once more.

"Nick!" Travis yelled irritatedly while he tried to dial his son once more.

"No one's talking about this. No one's saying anything." Nick confusedly mumbled, catching Naruto's attention, as he leaned back to his seat once more.

"I don't think the population knows what's going on exactly…" the whiskered blonde added on, as he leaned on the rails so he could speak into the window, "Not until they see it themselves, at least…"

"We need to get away from the city. We need to get away from people," Travis announced as he glanced at Madison for a second, then right back on the road, "Just grab Alicia, Liza, Chris, and just go until we know what this thing is."

"The desert?" Madison suggested.

"Yeah," the English teacher answered, "It'll be okay there. We'll be safe."

"Are you sure about that? If we're gonna try to tough it out away from the cities…" Naruto asked aloud, trying to think rationally about the situation, "We would need to be close to resources… to water… and stuff. Like the mountains…"

Just then, Madison's phone rang.

Answering the call, Madison spoke into the phone once more, "Alicia, where the hell are you?"

"Mom." the brunette mumbled out, seemingly nervous.

"Listen, we got Nick. We're coming to get you," the blonde woman continued, her voice quivering just a little, "I need you to pack some things for us, load up some groceries, okay?"

"No, I can't- " Alicia answered back.

"We're going out of town," Madison explained, cutting off her daughter.

"What? No. I can't." the brunette said once more.

"Why? What's wrong?" Madison asked, slightly bewildered at her daughter's continued refusal.

"He's sick… He's really sick." Alicia answered, her voice once again filled with anxiety. By this point, all the passengers of the car were listening to the conversation due to the rather loud discussion.

"Who? Who's sick?" the school counselor asked into the phone, deeply concerned as to who Alicia was talking about.

"Matt." the brown-haired spitfire answered, "His fever's, like, a hundred and three."

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, trying to listen in on Alicia and gauge the situation from his mother's reaction, but was ignored as Madison continued to listen to Alicia on the line.

"I tried to get him in the bath, but it hurts when I touch him." Alicia explained as the frustration in her tone bled through the line.

"Don't- don't touch him," Madison ordered her daughter as she thought of the bloody corpse of Calvin, "I need you to call 9-1-1."

"What's happening?" Naruto asked, getting slightly worried at the increasingly perplexed tone of his adoptive mom.

"I tried," Alicia responded, "It- It's busy. His parents are in Vegas. They're not picking up."

"Okay, we're coming to get you," the blonde woman decided as she glanced at Travis for confirmation, to which the curly-haired man just nodded, "But just… stay away from Matt until we get there, okay?"

Just then, static crackled through the line.

"Alicia?" Madison exclaimed as she merely shook her head in puzzlement, "Alicia!"

"We're ten minutes away." Travis concluded, in the hopes of calming down the rest of the truck's occupants.

-x-

[A few minutes earlier - Somewhere in Downtown, Los Angeles]

A teenager with wavy, shoulder-length, black hair made his way to the back of the bus he just got into. Sitting down towards the back, the boy glanced back at the group of guys around his age at the front, who wouldn't let him pass in peace just a minute ago.

Shaking his head slightly, the teen then looked back down at his now-ringing phone. Reading his father's callsign, the boy thought twice about answering it.

A second later, he declined the call and put his earbuds on, blasting his music to drown out his surroundings.

Merely a second after, a notification rang out from his earbuds, causing the boy to once again look at his phone, where a voicemail was apparently received. Unlocking his phone, the curly-haired teen then made to listen to the recording.

"Chris, it's an emergency, man," the voice belonging to his father uttered loudly, seemingly in an urgent state, "Call me right back."

Scoffing lightly, the boy named Chris merely ended the recording and deleted it.

-x-

[Ten minutes or so later - Matt's house]

The passengers of Travis' pickup exited the vehicle, with Madison walking up to the front door, Nick and Travis not far behind.

You feel anything? Naruto asked in his mind as he hopped out of the truck-bed.

"Nothing out of the usual…" Kurama answered in the shinobi's mind, while Naruto glanced around and surveyed the driveway, "Keep your eyes peeled though. We don't know how this… sickness works."

Copy that, Naruto answered and the mind link was dropped.

Following Travis and Nick inside and closing the door on his way in, the blonde studied the house. Aside from the mess in the living room, where the blonde surmised Matt weakly stumbled through, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

"No moany, grabby, reanimated people…" Naruto mumbled to himself as he went to the room past the kitchen, where the rest of his adoptive family were headed.

"Alicia, move away from him." the blonde heard Madison softly order Alicia as she entered the room and laid eyes on the sick Matt and her daughter beside him.

Alicia only looked on, puzzled, as she took the moist towelette off of Matt's forehead, "What's wrong with you?"

"People are getting sick," the blonde woman explained, just as Travis and Naruto entered the room, "It could be contagious."

"If he has it, I have it." Alicia stubbornly rebutted as she continued her ministrations on her unwell lover.

"Ali, c'mon…" Naruto pleaded slightly as he stepped deeper into the room and took Matt's other side. Alicia looked at him, feeling more and more bewildered with every passing second, as the blonde stood next to the bed frame.

"Alicia, can I talk to him?" Travis asked, earning Alicia's attention, "Please?"

Hesitantly, Alicia stood up from her position beside her boyfriend and switched places with Travis, as the English teacher kneeled beside the boy.

"Hey, Matt," Travis asked as he and Naruto surveyed the boy's appearance closer, "Where are your folks?"

Weakly turning his head, Matt struggled to speak aloud, "They should be home soon…"

"They're driving home today." Alicia explained further as she crossed her arms.

"When did this start?" Travis asked as he turned to face the brunette.

Alicia took a second to gather her thoughts, feeling rather unsettled at how her mom, step-dad, and adopted brother were acting, "He was supposed to meet me at the beach yesterday and… never showed up."

"Here we go," Travis uttered, when Matt suddenly coughed weakly, as he grabbed the empty glass beside the boy's bed. Keeping his eye on the boy, the curly-haired man passed the glass over his shoulders, "Alicia would- would you?"

The brunette complied without a word and turned around as she walked out of the room.

-x-

Meanwhile, Nick decided to go for a little scavenger hunt around Matt's house. Entering the bathroom, the brown-haired teen quickly went for the sink drawers in search of his treasure: drugs.

A few more drawers later, yet the junkie came up empty. "Come on…" Nick mumbled as he moved onto the cabinet outside the bathroom, shifting the contents inside said cabinet in frustration, "Come on…!"

-x-

Travis slowly pulled the bandages off of the sick teenager's shoulders, causing Matt to audibly groan.

"What are you doing?" Madison asked, bewildered at her fiance's actions.

Then, both the adults recognized the wound.

"Is that a bite?" the blonde woman asked, disbelief evident in her tone, while the English teacher could only look at the bloody wound.

"...Yeah." the unwell boy nodded as he opened his eyes slightly.

"Is that how it happens?" Madison asked aloud.

"I don't know…" Travis shook his head, as he and the two blondes in the room contemplated the possibility, "I mean, Calvin was shot. It wasn't-wasn't like-it wasn't like this. Get Alicia."

Just then, the brunette in question walked back in the room, glass of water in hand, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm gonna call 9-1-1 from the car," the school counselor decided as she turned around and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Okay, I'll wait for them here." Alicia declared, the confused feeling she had earlier still apparent.

"No, go outside- " Madison pleaded.

"Mom!" the daughter raised her voice a little, feeling rather vexed at this point.

"Don't do this- " the mother continued as she tried to push her daughter out of the room with her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alicia asked, resisting her mom, "Are you psychotic? He's sick!"

"Mom!" Naruto called out as he walked up to the two and rested his hand on Madison's shoulder, "It's okay. I'll stay here while she and Matt talk for a couple more minutes, then we'll all go home, alright?"

The blonde woman took a second to contemplate on her adopted son's words, whilst the rest of the room's occupants waited silently. Then, without another word, Madison nodded and stepped to the side, prompting Travis to stand up and let Alicia sit by her lover once more, as he lead her out.

"Hey, Matt," Naruto amicably called out to the bedridden boy as he sat on the other side of the bed, urging Matt to weakly turn his head towards the shinobi-in-disguise, "Buddy, it's me, Naruto. Do you know who I am?"

"Y-yeah…" the sickly teen answered softly, grinning a little at the blonde, "You're Alicia's very protective and cool, adopted brother…"

Naruto smiled slightly, inwardly delighted at how Alicia described him. Getting back on track, the whiskered blonde lost his smile and asked softly, "Do you remember how you got sick? And why you have a bite mark on your shoulder?"

"I-I do…" Matt answered, as he closed his eyes and struggled to remember the events of yesterday, "I was walking to the beach after school yesterday… The sun had already set, so it was a bit dark… While I was walking on the street, this weird-looking girl… She was probably like a high-schooler too, or something… She looked sick and she was walking like she was drunk…"

Matt then glanced at Alicia, a horrified look adorning his face. Turning back to the blonde, he continued, "So I walked a little closer and asked… If she was okay… She wouldn't answer, but it looked like she was trying to hold onto something for balance… so I went up in front of her…"

"Then? What happened?" Alicia asked in trepidation, as her lover turned his head towards her once more.

"All of a sudden… She was holding me hella tightly… and then, she bit me on the shoulder…" Matt whispered, tears flowing down on his face at this point, as the fear on his face became more evident, "Fucking took a chunk outta me, 'Licia…"

"Shhh…" the brunette murmured, her eyes getting watery as well, as she hugged the boy in front of her, "It's gonna be alright…"

"What happened to the girl?" Naruto asked, interrupting the couple's moment, though neither Alicia nor Matt seemed to mind as the sickly boy continued.

"I don't know…" Matt shrugged his shoulders a little, while Alicia wiped the sweat and tears off of his face. She then took the water and gave the boy a sip. A second later, Matt continued, "After I pushed her off of me… I got up and ran home…"

"I see…" the whiskered blonde nodded softly. A second later, he stood up and addressed Alicia, "I'll give you two a minute. Then, we gotta go."

Giving Matt a soft pat on the shoulder, the shinobi stepped out and leaned against the wall outside of the room.

With just the two of them left, Matt looked into Alicia's eyes and held both her hands with his own, "Listen to me. My parents will be home soon. You know I'll be fine. You know that."

"No, I'm not leaving you." the brunette insisted as she adjusted herself to sit closer to the boy, "I love you."

Matt could do nothing more than smile softly and gaze at the beautiful girl in front of her. Weakly tracing the marker-drawing of a heart that he drew on her forearm, Matt spoke up once again, "I love you, too. That's why you gotta go. Okay?"

Now, it was Alicia's turn to stay silent and just look into the eyes of her lover with tears threatening to fall down her own.

"You gotta go." Matt insisted, yet Alicia just weakly shook her head. The sickly boy then repeated the word once more, this time a bit more resolutely, "Go."

Relenting to her boyfriend, Alicia silently hugged Matt as tight as she could, with the boy returning the gesture.

"Ali…" Naruto's voice softly echoed into the room, prompting Matt to look at the blonde who entered once more. Letting go of the girl, Matt then nudged Alicia to get off, with the girl reluctantly doing so. Then, without another word, she stood up and walked out.

"Thank you." Naruto said, a genuine expression on his face, as he and Matt looked at each other.

"Keep her safe, man," the sickly boy muttered as he tried to hold in a cough, "P-please…"

"I promise."

-x-

[Meanwhile - Somewhere in Downtown, Los Angeles]

Chris silently listened to his music, all the while feeling a little impatient at the slow-moving traffic he's currently stuck in.

Of all the days to get stuck during traffic…, the black-haired teen thought to himself as he slightly bounced his knee up and down.

All of a sudden, the wailing of sirens entered his hearing. Standing up to get a better view, Chris then turned around and leaned closer to the bus window, just as an ambulance cut through the sidewalk and passed by right beside the unmoving bus.

As Chris followed the ambulance maneuver through traffic, slowly swiveling his head in the process, a round, asian man came into the bus and yelled, "Cops shot some homeless dude. Shot him, like, twenty times!"

He then exited the transit as quickly as he arrived, prompting the majority of the passengers to get up from their seats and follow the man out. Within seconds, he was the only passenger left on the bus.

I don't think the bus will move anytime soon…, Chris contemplated inwardly as he looked through the windows once more, unsure of what to do.

Then, seemingly making up his mind, the teenager strapped his backpack a bit tighter and headed for the bus doors, Screw it.

-x-

[Twenty minutes later - Clark Household]

Having just pulled up into their driveway, the occupants of the pickup truck got out of the vehicle, with Alicia silently making her way up to the front porch, a look of anger framing her face. Noticing this, the whiskered blonde quickly hopped off the truck-bed and stretched his legs.

"Alicia." Madison called out as she closed her passenger door, but was ignored by the rather furious teen.

"I'll talk to her," Naruto decided as he passed by her, patting her shoulder, and followed Alicia inside.

"Hey, Travis!" One of their neighbors across the driveway-a middle-aged woman who was setting up decorations on their front lawn, along with her daughter, husband, and their German Shepherd-called out to the curly-haired man.

"You having a party?" Travis asked while Nick came out of the driver's side and closed the door.

"Yeah," the middle-aged woman answered as she glanced around her lawn, her daughter jogging up to her, "You should come by. Gladys is nine. You believe that? It's so scary."

"That's great." the English teacher admitted, just as Madison came around and stood behind Travis and Nick.

"Got a ton of food… We're getting a bunch of cancels though, 'cause of that bug going around." their neighbor admitted as she continued wrapping their mailbox in decor, while waving and smiling at them, "So we'll see you."

"Okay," Travis smiled back and waved along with his fiance, just as Nick made to head indoors, "Okay, thanks."

Just as the two of them turned around and walked towards the door, the English teacher noticed their neighbor beside their house load up tons of bottled water, jugs of gasoline and other things into the back of his SUV.

"Peter's got the right idea," Travis whispered to Madison as he turned to look at her, then headed up to the front porch. The blonde woman then waved weakly at her neighbor who caught sight of her. Peter attempted to return the gesture.

Then, he coughed rather profusely.

Madison could only look on silently as she thought about the possibility that Peter might be one of… those things.

-x-

"Mom, are you gonna tell her?" Nick's voice caught Madison's attention as she closed and locked the front door behind her and made her way to the living room, "Mrs. Cruz?"

"Tell her what?" the blonde woman asked as she took off her jacket and looked at her son kneel on a chair next to the windows and gaze through the blinds overlooking the driveway.

"What's happening."

"Nick, we don't know what's happening."

"Well, we know more than she does." Nick countered as he turned his head to look at his mother.

Relenting to her son's unspoken wish, Madison walked towards the brown-haired teen and straightened her jacket in her arms, "Okay, I'll talk to her. I'll tell her."

Letting go of the blinds, the troubled teen then sat down on the chair under him and spoke as he looked out across the driveway, where Mrs. Cruz and her family continued to decorate, "It's just like… no one's paying attention. It's like it's not real."

"It is." the school counselor murmured as she set her jacket down on the couch and stood right beside her son, "It's real."

"Hey," Madison continued as she leaned over and rested her hand on Nick's cheek. Then, fully crouching down to the ground, she spoke as she held both of Nick's hands, "You showed us what happened. Your brother was there and he took that… he took Calvin down. He believes that it's real, too. He told you so, remember?"

Taking a few shuddering breaths, Nick closed his eyes and took a second to calm himself. Opening them back up, the troubled teen then looked at his mother straight in the eyes, "I'm about to step into… a world of shit. You know that, right?" Nick smiled miserably as he asked.

Nodding weakly, Madison could only steel herself and be strong for her son, "Yeah."

-x-

Wanting to be left alone for the time being, Alicia sat cross-legged on top of her bed, as she whimpered softly into her hands, the events of less than an hour ago boggling her mind.

Just then, an audible knock on her door halted her crying for a second. Not saying a word, the brunette merely looked up to her closed door and waited for whoever's on the other side to make themselves known.

"It's Naruto…" the whiskered blonde announced himself, the uncertainty in his voice quite evident, "Is it, uhm… is it cool if I come in?"

"...Yes." Alicia weakly replied, just loud enough to be heard through the door. Not a second later, the door slowly swung open and the sun-kissed blonde stepped in.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked softly as he closed the door behind him and took a seat at the foot of Alicia's bed, wearing a comforting smile on his face as she looked at the puffy-eyed brunette,"Stupid question, I know, but bear with me…"

The brunette couldn't help but smile a little at the blonde's antics, knowing by now that he's trying to lighten her mood up. Not bothering with answering Naruto's question though, Alicia spoke, "Is there anything you need, Naruto? 'Cause this is one of those times that I'd like to be by myself…"

"Look, Ali… I know you do." the whiskered blonde muttered as he ran his hand through his golden locks and rested it at the base of his neck, closing his eyes for a second. Opening them a few seconds later, Naruto looked at Alicia and continued, "But you have to remind yourself… You're not alone. I'm here. Your mom and your brother are here. Hell, Travis is here… My point is, we need each other. I need you, just like you need me. We have to support each other, especially in times like these…"

Reaching towards Alicia, the shinobi-in-disguise rested his hand on top of hers, "I know just how bad you wanted to stay beside Matt when he's all sick and stuff. But there IS this… this virus going around. Do you remember that video you showed me before class this morning?"

"Yeah…? What about it?" Alicia asked, slightly puzzled as to why the blonde would bring it up, "What, you think that's what's happening to people?"

"We have… reason to believe it is, yeah." the sun-kissed blonde replied as he then took a deep breath and adorned a serious expression, "We saw Cal today, Alicia. Some bad shit happened with Nicky before we found him."

Naruto went on to explain in detail, the events of the last few hours when Nick was going around town, trying to make sense of the things he's seen before he was hospitalized. Up to the point where Nick said he and Cal met up at a diner and left together and the tragic event after.

"Cal tried to kill Nicky, so Nicky defended himself." the whiskered blonde explained as he noticed Alicia's complexion grow slightly pale and wide-eyed, "In doing so, he shot Cal."

"...And-and then?"

"Then, Nicky called us. We came as soon as we could and Nicky led us to Cal's car." Naruto continued, still quite disbelieving that a form of Reanimation now exists in this world, "We didn't see Cal's body anywhere around the car… I remember how lost Nick looked when we got there and Calvin's body all but disappeared. Then all of a sudden, we hear this moaning. We turn around and poof. Calvin was there, walking towards us. All bloody and dead. Yet, he was walking."

"W- what do you mean?"

"He wasn't responding to his name, Ali. He tried to take a bite outta Travis when he got too close. Just like the guy who got shot in the video…" the whiskered blonde recounted the memory, cringing inwardly at the ridiculous notion that the dead are coming back to life, "I don't know how to explain it… But he was already dead, Ali. He was walking around and trying to bite people, but he was dead."

Silence reigned in the room as its two occupants were deep in thought.

"So, are you saying that Matt's gonna turn into that?" Alicia then skeptically asked, breaking the silence, as she denied the notion that her lover would turn into a… a monster.

"Ali… He has a bite mark on his shoulder… He looked like he was on his last legs…" the blonde shinobi muttered back, as he looked away in slight pity, " I don't want to be right, either…"

"You… You don't know that for sure, Naruto." the brunette stated stubbornly, refusing to give up on Matt.

"I'm not trying to upset you. I'm sorry if I did…" the Jinchuriki uttered, still looking away, as he stood up from his spot. Walking a bit closer towards the brunette, he then enveloped her in a tender hug, however this time, Alicia didn't return it.

Without another word, the sun-kissed blonde let the hug drop and exited the room, leaving Alicia to her own thoughts once more, as she missed the downcast expression the blonde had.

-x-

"Damn it!" Travis exclaimed to himself as he paced back and forth in the kitchen, phone in hand, while Madison finished washing the dishes in the sink, "No one's answering. No Liza, no Chris. He's pushing my calls."

"Did you try Liza at her house?" the blonde woman asked as she dried her hands and began putting away food in the fridge.

"Of course I tried the house, Maddy," the curly-haired man answered exasperatedly as he walked towards the living room, "Of course I did."

"Okay, go." Madison encouraged her fiance, understanding just how dire the current situation is, as she dialed the number of Nick's doctor posted on the fridge door, "Travis, go get them now."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Naruto's voice entered both of the adults' hearing, halting them both from what they were doing.

"No… You don't have to do that, Naruto." Travis replied reluctantly, not quite sure why the blonde was offering his help.

"Come on! I know for a fact, two is better than one, especially when it comes to looking for someone." the whiskered blonde reasoned out as he crossed his arms and grinned at Travis. Turning his head towards his adoptive mom, Naruto spoke up once more, "Whaddaya say, Mom?"

Slowly nodding her head at Travis, the blonde woman decided, "The faster you find them, the sooner we get outta here. Take Naruto with you, Trav."

"Are you sure?" the English teacher asked his fiance, "You might need the kid here. I know that he can get Alicia and Nick to listen to him when it counts."

The two blondes in the room only chuckled at the comment.

"Great!" Naruto smiled as he then headed to his room, "Gimme a few minutes. I'll meet you out front."

"So, what's the real reason you're itching to get outta the house?" Kurama's voice suddenly invaded the blonde's head as Naruto entered his room and closed the door.

Glad to hear you're awake again, the shinobi thought as he shed his current clothes and dressed appropriately when possibly encountering potential enemies.

"Kinda hard to sleep continuously when I know for a fact now, that the dead are coming back to life for some unknown reason," the nine-tailed fox answered, knowing that the blonde was merely putting on his cheerful facade, as his container put on his black, cargo pants and tucked it into his knee-high boots, "And don't change the subject, you brat."

I just need some air, Kurama… Maybe something to vent on, Naruto answered truthfully, his rather gloomy expression coming back in full force, as he put on a dark-blue long-sleeved, t-shirt and an orange, coach jacket from his cabinet, Besides, Travis needs the help… I know how stubborn and hard-headed Chris could be when he wants to, from the few times he came over.

"Remind you of someone we know?" Kurama slyly commented, as the fox snickered audibly within the mindscape.

Shut up, you furry bastard! The blonde Jinchuriki yelled inwardly, though the smile on his face belied any ill intent, as Naruto then grabbed his kunai pouch from behind his bed frame and secured it around his thigh, along with white bandage wrappings.

Satisfied with his handiwork, the shinobi grabbed his forehead protector and steel-plated gloves, right before he left his room and headed for the front door. Stopping for a second, Naruto stood in the hallway and glanced back towards Alicia's closed bedroom door.

Sighing, the whiskered blonde about-faced and was about to head out of the house when Nick's voice halted him.

"Goin' somewhere, Whiskers?" the brown-haired teen asked whilst he calmly sat by the window and kept on watching their neighbors from across the street.

"Trav's gonna head out and look for his son," Naruto explained as he tightened his gloves once more, "I figured he needed some help and since you're safe and sound at home now, I volunteered to come along. The quicker he finds Chris, the sooner he gets back here and we could leave town."

Nick turned his eyes towards the blonde with a rather concerned expression, "What's happening out there… It isn't normal, Naruto."

"I know…" the shinobi nodded as he approached his adoptive, older brother, and placed his hand on his shoulder "We'll be back soon, alright?"

"Don't take too long," Nick muttered as he sent a sly grin towards the shinobi-in-disguise, just as Naruto turned around and headed to the door, "Otherwise, I might end up going through your ramen stash…"

"You better not!" Naruto shouted as he opened the front door and stepped out to the front porch.

"Call me if you're gonna be longer," Naruto heard Madison say aloud as he set his eyes on Travis getting into the truck with the blonde woman right behind him.

"If we're longer," the English teacher answered as he closed his car door, "Go without us. We'll find our way to you. We'll catch up."

"No," Madison shook her head as she looked at her fiance defiantly, "Even with Naruto with you, it isn't guaranteed that you guys are gonna be safe. We aren't splitting up."

Travis only stayed silent as he then grabbed Madison gently by the back of her neck and slowly pulled her towards him in a gentle kiss. A second later, the two let go of each other and Madison took a step back as she noticed her adopted son on the side.

Making his way towards his mother, Naruto enveloped Madison in a hug, "We'll be back soon, alright?"

"Keep yourself outta trouble, you hear me?" the blonde woman stated as she returned the gesture, "Be safe out there."

"Will do." the shinobi answered, grinning at his adoptive mother, as they both let go and Naruto got inside of the passenger seat.

Without another word, Travis started the car and backed out of their driveway and into the street.

"So, where are we going first?" the blonde asked after a couple minutes of silent traveling, as he looked at his English teacher.

"We gotta go to Liza's first," Travis answered as he sped through the backroads, deciding earlier to avoid the more traffic-prone parts of the city, "Which reminds me, I gotta call her."

Taking his phone and dialing the number, Travis waited for the call to pick up and put the call on speaker while he focused on driving.

"A little busy, Trav," a female voice stated as the call was answered, earning the attention of the two in the car.

"I'm on my way over," the curly-haired man announced while he turned into another street.

"What? No," Liza responded, "We agreed he was staying with me this weekend."

"Is Chris home from school?" Travis asked, ignoring his ex-wife's reasoning.

"Did Nick go AWOL again?" Liza asked, genuinely curious as to why Travis sounded so urgent.

"Look, I'll explain there." the English teacher answered, as he and Naruto glanced at each other, "Something happened. I'll explain when I get there, okay?"

"No, no, no," Liza chided, further frustrating Travis, as she continued, "You can't keep moving the goal-post."

"Liza, Jesus, just- "

"Our settlement agreement was very clear."

"Is Chris home- "

"It's clear, Travis. It is defined."

"You're not listening to me- "

"You get him three weekends a month," Liza's tirade continued, keeping Travis from trying to explain further, "You can't just pick and choose."

"Can you just please call him?" the curly-haired man pleaded as he was forced to stop the car due to a mini-traffic jam in front of them, "Call him, tell him to get his ass home."

"He'll be home any minute."

Getting rather annoyed at the bickering, Naruto decided to swipe the phone out of Travis' hand and lightly glared at his soon-to-be step-father.

"Hello? Liza?" Naruto spoke into the phone, all the while still looking rather irritated at Travis, as he tried to calm the woman on the other end of the line.

"...Who is this?" Liza asked after a few seconds of silence.

"It's Naruto. Madison's adopted son, remember?" the blonde shinobi answered. "Look, what's happening right now isn't even anything remotely about you or Chris or Travis. There's a virus going on and it's making people very… sick. We don't have time to explain it right now, but the sooner we find Chris and get outta the city, the safer it is for us."

Naruto was rewarded with silence as he finished speaking, making him and Travis quite confused.

"Liza?" Travis asked aloud so that his voice could be heard through the line.

"...What do you need me to do?" Liza then spoke again, resulting in a breath of relief from the whiskered blonde.

"Keep calling Chris and tell him to get home," Naruto answered while Travis snaked the truck around the traffic, trying to find an open route, "And pack essentials. Clothes, meds, anything you'll need. Batteries, flashlights, first-aid, toiletries…"

"Alright. How soon are you gonna take to get here?"

Naruto handed the phone back to Travis so that the English teacher could speak to Liza again, "We'll be there in about twenty minutes. There's a lot of traffic trying to get there."

"Alright. I'll see you two in a bit then." With that, the call was dropped and Travis placed the phone on the cup holder.

-x-

[With Chris - Downtown, Los Angeles]

Helicopter blades whirred as several of the aircrafts zoomed by up in the sky and around the vicinity, while a rather bewildered Chris followed the crowd.

The black-haired teen then glanced at the ambulance to his left, where an emergency medic tended to a police officer sporting what seemed to be a… bite wound.

Slightly more confused than before, the teenager continued walking past the ambulance and into a mass of people congregating just a little ways ahead.

Now standing behind the rather huge amount of passersby, Chris attempted to tiptoe and see what's going on in the front, to no avail, as sirens and police officers walked to-and-from the sidewalks and the cruisers around the area.

"You know this ain't right!" a man's voice from up in the front yelled rather loudly as the dark-skinned teenager decided to move up and squeeze through the throng of citizens.

"Yo, this is wrong, man," another individual, a middle-aged black man, commented audibly as he walked up to an officer and showed his distaste openly, resulting in the officer and his colleague to try to calm the man down "Wrong, wrong, wrong!"

"Back away, sir," one of the officers, a middle-aged asian man said as he raised both of his hands in a placating manner, "Get on with your business."

"This is his business," another bystander, a pale, mid-thirties Latino man from the side butted in, while murmurs from people around kept going in agreement, "This is all our business."

The officer only took a deep breath and continued, "Stay back."

Yet, the Latino bystander kept on, "That man never hurt a fly. That man was unarmed. LAPD's out of control!"

Getting rather intrigued with what he was hearing, Chris decided to take out his camcorder and began to record the altercation, as he tried to get closer to the front.

"We're gonna need to clear this area now," the asian officer declared as he raised both of his arms in a blocking manner, while the crowd began to make agreeing noises with the more vocal bystanders in the front.

"Yo, we ain't clearing nothing!" the initial bystander, the black man who spoke up first, made his opinions known once more just as the black-haired teen reached the front of the crowd, directly focusing his recording device towards the police officer and the crime scene behind him.

Another officer then joined in as he mirrored the asian man's actions, "This is a crime scene."

"Yeah, and we're all behind the tape." Another bystander remarked.

Irritation evident in his voice, the asian officer took a deep breath and answered back, "I will not tell you people again."

"Good, 'cause we PEOPLE aren't moving!" the same bystander rebutted, just as the officer took notice of Chris and his camera.

"Hey, kid," the asian officer yelled as he pointed towards the dark-skinned teenager, "Put the camera down!"

"Nah, nah, homie," the black man interjected audibly as he shook his head and looked at Chris, then pointed at the asian officer, to which Chris did so with much gusto, "Keep that camera up. I'm gonna give jackboot over here a little civics lesson!"

"You wanna go to jail, son?" the officer asked rather intimidatingly.

"Jail?" the black man was on a roll as he came to Chris's defense, "For what? Freedom of speech!? Right to lawful assembly!?"

"He ain't breaking any laws!" shouted another bystander, just as the asian officer grasped the walkie-talkie on his shoulder and quietly spoke into it, "Man, he ain't threatening nobody! Oh, call your little buddy, yeah!"

-x-

[With Naruto and Travis…]

Even with all of the detours they've taken, a frustrated Travis and a rather indifferent Naruto still found themselves stuck in traffic.

Grunting in irritation, the curly-haired man turned the steering wheel and drove the truck out of traffic and into a parking lot.

"Goddamn it…" Travis muttered to himself as he stepped on the breaks due to several cars blocking his initial path out of the other side of the lot, and a dark-skinned woman in her late-forties stepped out of the vehicle and approached an officer packing his trunk to the side.

"Yo, officer," the woman casually announced herself, garnering the officer's attention, as well as Naruto's and Travis', "What's going on out there? Was there an accident?"

"It'll clear up past Sherman Oaks," the officer answered as he lugged two more jugs of what appeared to be water into his trunk.

"I don't even know why I asked you." The woman irritatedly bit back as she turned around and went back into her car, leaving the officer to continue his packing.

Naruto and Travis for their part, could take a guess as to why the officer silently and discreetly loaded tons of water jugs into his cruiser as the two began to drive away once more.

"Even the so-called 'police force' somehow knows what's going on…" the shinobi mumbled audibly as he continued to gaze out the window, "Yet, they aren't saying anything to the public…Why?"

Travis could only drive on in silence as he contemplated the whiskered blonde's question.

-x-

[Meanwhile… - Clark Household]

Walking back from the kitchen, Alicia made her way to the living room, carrying a bowl of hot soup and a bottle of water, as a sickly Nick lay sprawled on the carpet floor, his withdrawal from the drugs currently taking its course.

"Here." Alicia spoke up, getting the attention of the brown-haired teen, as she set the bowl on the center table and the water bottle next to the lamp.

"Ugh," Nick weakly started as he got up from the ground and glanced at the slightly steaming bowl, "can't do hot now."

Rather indifferently, Alicia answered back as she headed for the couch by the window, "I'll make gazpacho next time."

"Yeah, it's gonna end up in the bucket." the rather ill-looking teenager replied matter-of-factly as he leaned on the couch beside him.

"Okay, drink some water." the brunette then advised as she took a seating position by the window, the same spot that Nick sat on previously.

"I'm not thirsty." the junkie stated as he weakly turned his shoulder to face his sister, "Water is not what I need."

"Yeah, I know what you need, Nick." Alicia bitterly retorted as she looked through the window and across the street, where their neighbors, the Cruz's continued to set up birthday decor, "Mom's working on it."

Indeed she has, for Madison decided to head to the highschool, a bit after Naruto and Travis left in search of medication. After her several failed attempts at contacting Nick's doctor for more prescription, the blonde woman left and assigned Alicia to take care of Nick for the time being, making her swear that she won't leave, to which the daughter complied.

Taking note of Gladys' crying expression and her mother's kneeling form, evidently trying to soothe the little girl, Alicia mumbled to herself quietly while Nick puked and retched into a bucket, "It's her party, and she'll cry if she wants to."

Looking at her heaving brother for a second, Alicia then stood up and headed to her room. Coming back out with a backpack slung over her back less than a minute later, the brunette headed for the front door.

"Whoa, whoa," the brown-haired teen mumbled as he took notice of his sister silently grabbing the water bottle she originally placed on the table for him and heading towards the door, "Where are you going? Hey, Alicia."

"I'll be fast." the brunette stated as she glanced at her brother briefly.

"No, no, no, no!" Nick struggled to get up as he tried to go after Alicia, knowing where she's heading and how concerned Alicia still is about Matt's current state when they left him, "Hey, you can't go back there!"

"I have to go!" Alicia yelled back, distress evident in her tone, as she tightened her shoes and placed the water bottle in her bag.

"Hey! You promised Mom!" the junkie desperately called out as he opted to crawl beside the couch, having no strength to pull himself up, while his sister opened the front door, "Alicia, come-"

Having had enough, Alicia let go of the door knob and closed the door, abruptly turning around with a very angry expression on her face as she glared furiously at her older brother and bellowed, "You make promises ALL THE TIME, NICK! LIE DOWN!"

"I'm an asshole! I'm an asshole!" Nick tried to placate his sister as he pushed himself up with the couch and raised his hands up in a placating manner, backing away slowly from the infuriated brunette, only to fall back on the ground again, "Okay, listen. Alicia, if you leave, you won't come back. It's not safe! Please!"

"You let mom go." the brunette reasoned out as she struggled to contain her anger.

"Not safe… No, Matt! Matt is not safe!" the brown-haired teen yelled back, frantically trying to get through to his sister, "Didn't Naruto talk to you!? He didn't tell you what happened earlier!?"

"Oh, Jesus…" Alicia mumbled as she rolled her eyes and looked away in denial, though she knew deep down that the sun-kissed blonde would never lie to her, "We don't even know if Matt really has it! He might just be really sick!"

"No, Alicia," Nick kept on as he weakly tried to push himself off the ground to no success and reach out at Alicia, just as the brunette turned around and opened the door once more, "You don't get what it makes people do… You don't know what I've seen, Alicia!"

"What did you even really see!?" Alicia yelled back as she stormed out of the house and closed the door behind her.

"Matt will hurt you!" the brunette heard Nick cry aloud as she made her way across the front lawn, " He will kill you, Alicia! I'm- "

Just then, an audible thud followed by the cluttering of objects inside the house reached Alicia's ears, immediately halting her from walking away and causing her to turn around and head back inside.

As she entered the house once more, the convulsing form of Nick greeted her as the brown-haired teen went into seizure.

"No, no, no, not now!" Alicia shouted in frustration as she attempted to turn the vomiting Nick onto his side, "Not now!"

Raising his head slightly, Alicia bellowed in anger as she did her best to let Nick puke it all out, "Don't do this to me, Nick! Not now! Don't you do this, you stupid son of a bitch!"

"Stay still…" the brunette whispered gently as Nick seemingly finally got the worst of it out of his system, holding herself back from crying in frustration, "Shh...

-x-

[With Naruto and Travis - Liza's House]

"That took more than half an hour," Liza spoke aloud, just as the truck pulled up on her driveway, "What happened?"

"We weren't the only ones trying to get through the city," Travis answered as he and Naruto got out of the truck and climbed up the set of stairs where Liza was standing, "People are trying to get out and get supplies."

"Hey, Liza." the whiskered blonde greeted aloud, as he sent a small smile towards the kind, Latina woman.

"Naruto." returning the gesture, the woman nodded towards the shinobi before turning around.

"Did you pack everything you need?" Naruto inquired, getting the woman to be serious once more.

"I think so," Liza said as she led the two inside her house and headed to the living room, where a pair of duffel bags sat on the floor beside the couch, "I packed clothes for me and Chris, as well as medicine and food. Just like you asked. Now, will the two of you explain what's going on?"

"This virus that's going around," Travis began to explain as he closed the front door, "The shootings the past few days, it's all connected."

"What shootings?" Liza asked curiously.

"Didn't you see what happened on the freeway last night?" Travis asked in return, slightly puzzled at his ex-wife.

"I studied till two and passed out…" Chris's mother answered, slightly embarrassed at her lack of knowledge in the current happenings.

"People are getting sick," the sunkissed blonde continued where Travis left off, "They get sick… then they die. Then, for some reason, they come back and try to take a bite out of you."

"You're joking, right?" disbelief evident in her tone, Liza looked on ridiculously at the two in front of her, "I hope you hear just how ridiculous this sounds. The dead… What? Coming back to life?"

"I've seen it, Liza," Travis reasoned out, no trace of doubt in his voice whatsoever as he looked at his ex-wife straight in the eyes, "We've both seen it happen."

"You know what I've seen? Nothing." Liza retorted, refusing to believe this insane story that just came out of Travis and Naruto.

"Liza, I wouldn't be here right now with Travis if this wasn't for real," the blonde interjected, as he leaned on the dining table by the door, "And as ridiculous as it sounds… This is the actual situation."

"Is it alright if we call Chris now?" Travis asked as he picked up Liza's phone from the dining table, getting an affirmative from the woman.

Dialing Chris's number, the trio waited for the call to be picked up.

After a few seconds, the ringing stopped and Chris's voice was heard on speaker, "Mom! Mom!"

"Where the hell are you?" the curly-haired man asked loudly through the rather busy line, "And what is that noise?"

"Dad?" the black-haired teen yelled back, evidently trying to speak loudly due to the raucous background, "Why do you have Mom's phone?"

"I'm with your mother," Travis explained, just as Liza stepped a bit closer to the phone to hear more clearly, "We're coming to get you. Tell us where you are."

"There's a protest," Chris stated aloud, "I'm at a protest."

"A protest?" Liza asked audibly, urging her son to continue his explanation, "Where?"

"Uhh, downtown," Chris didn't miss a beat in answering, knowing that Liza can be scary when he pisses her off, "Mom, the cops shot some homeless man! This poor guy, he wasn't doing anything!"

"Alright, let us come and get you." Travis spoke while Liza walked towards the living room once more and turned on the television.

"The people are taking action. This is important, Dad!"

"Yeah, I get it, I get it," Travis attempted to placate the teen, hoping that Chris cooperates, "Okay, but-"

"Dad, I'm part of it, okay!?" Chris bellowed irritatedly through the line, "I gotta go! I gotta go, Dad."

"Chris-" Travis tried to get his son to listen, but the stubborn teen hung up the call.

"Still as pleasant as ever, I see." Naruto remarked sarcastically on the side, inwardly annoyed at how bratty and overdramatic Travis's child acts most of the time.

Liza then caught Naruto's and Travis's attention as she came back from the living room, "I know where he is."

-x-

[With Alicia and Nick - Clark Household]

Nick rested silently awake on the couch, while Alicia wordlessly scrubbed the floor where her older brother vomited earlier.

"I'm sorry…" the junkie mumbled softly, though it was clearly heard by the brunette.

"She should have been back by now." Alicia stated, ignoring her brother's apology as she continued scrubbing.

"Yeah, I know…" Nick agreed weakly, knowing how long his sister's ire could potentially last.

"Someone should have called by now… Naruto should've called by now…" the brunette paused on her scrubbing and took a deep breath as she wiped her forehead with her arm, "Its been almost three hours since he and Travis left…"

Then, she went back to her task.

"You remember when I told you how Naruto has a tendency to feel like an entirely different person sometimes?" Nick asked, though the brunette only stayed quiet, prompting the junkie-in-withdrawal to continue, "When we saw Calvin earlier… I could see… I could feel how confused and scared Mom and Travis were. Shit, I was feeling the same… But Naruto… Naruto wasn't even fazed by it. Not one bit… He saved our asses and I couldn't feel any fear from him, whatsoever…"

"He made a promise to us," Alicia mumbled in return, just barely loud enough for Nick to hear, as she kept cleaning, "That he would protect you, me, and Mom, no matter what. That's why he started giving you and me how to defend ourselves a couple months back, remember? It's also probably why he didn't hesitate… I don't know. This whole thing is so confusing. I don't know what the hell is going on…"

Nick could only turn his head, having nothing else to say, as he watched Alicia clean his mess, "Thank you."

Once again, Alicia halted her current chore and sent a dry look towards her brother, whilst taking her latex gloves off, "I hate you."

"I know."

Just then, the lights around the house began flickering, while sirens blared in the distance, causing Alicia to slowly gaze around the house, while Nick merely went back to sleep.

-x-

[The Protest - Downtown, Los Angeles]

Within the next hour, the amount of protesters and bystanders surrounding the rather tense development of the crime scene grew, and the people's ire at the seemingly violent action the police officers took towards the homeless man only kept rising.

Chris stood in the middle of it all.

In the midst of all the overlapping shouts and yells of the protesters around him, the black-haired teen seemed to have heard his name from somewhere around him, urging Chris to momentarily stop his recording and look to his left and right.

"...ristopher James Manawa!" a familiar, female voice yelled out from behind him, prompting the teenager to turn around and come face-to-face with his mother and father.

"We gotta go, man!" Travis yelled out, trying to speak louder than the protesters around them, as he placed his hand on the boy's back in an attempt to pull him along.

"Dad, he was unarmed, but they shot him!" Chris reasoned back as he stood his ground, while he looked at the blonde head of hair behind his mother for a second, then turned back to his father, "No, they shot him, like, a dozen times!"

"Tell us on the way," Travis answered back, as he tried to pull once more, while Liza's curiosity got the better of her and squatted down to the ground for a clearer view.

"No," Chris answered back stubbornly as he took his arm off of Travis' grip, I'm doing what you taught me! This is what you taught me. Dad, we stand up for people."

"I know, I know, but there's a time and a place- "

Noticing Liza and getting rather fed up with Chris' childishness and the father-and-son argument, Naruto decided to look ahead at what got the Latina woman's attention.

It was a dead body.

Shot through his left eye, the corpse of a middle-aged man in dreads and faded clothes lay on his stomach as the white tarp covering him threatened to unravel due to the windy afternoon.

Stepping forward and patting Travis' and Chris' shoulders, Naruto got their attention and spoke loudly and seriously, "We better save it for later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here. Like, right-fucking-now."

Liza for her part, merely stood up and watched as three people in yellow hazmat suits came out of the back of a nearby ambulance and began lugging equipment around.

"Liza, we gotta go!" Travis said loudly, while he kept his hold on Chris.

"This is important!" Chris angrily shouted back, evidently annoyed at his father, while Liza finally turned around upon hearing the teenager's stubbornness.

"Come on, man!" the English teacher resolutely spoke back as he then held Chris shoulders with both his hands, "You're important, okay!?"

"I swear, kid, if you don't listen right now," Naruto interjected, letting his temper known as he loudly spoke beside the black-haired teenager, "I'm gonna knock you out and drag your ass back to the truck!"

"Christopher, listen to your father," Liza told her son, while Travis gave a scrutinizing glare towards the obviously annoyed blonde, as she looked at Chris, who was suddenly fearful of the blonde, "Christopher, now!"

"What is wrong with you?" Chris asked dumbfoundedly then angrily, as Travis and Liza now both dragged him away, with Naruto following closely behind him, "What is wrong with you guys!? Are you kidding me!?"

Just then, Travis noticed what could only be called a battalion of police officers in riot uniforms and equipment march towards them.

"No… Wait, wait! Stop!" Travis yelled as he halted Chris and Liza from walking forward any further, while Naruto took in the orderly marching forms of the police force.

"They're blocking the way back to the truck…" Naruto thought out loud, unknowingly voicing Travis' and Liza's unspoken words, "Damn it."

"Come on. Come on," Travis then urged Chris and Liza around, and the four of them made to go around the crowd into the other end of the street.

As they passed the crime scene, Naruto took notice of a shambling, pale woman who emerged from behind an SUV and a female officer who now turned around and trained her loaded gun onto the sickly female.

"Stop! Right now!" the officer ordered, while Naruto, Travis, Liza and Chris now ran quickly, "On the ground! On the ground, now! Stop!"

Then she pulled the trigger. Once on her temple. Once more on her left eye. Chaos ensued immediately after.

The protesters ran and screamed in panic and fear every which way, trying to get away from the apparently violent police officers and the squad of officers with riot shields heading their way.

Without a word, the pair of teenagers and adults scrambled down a set of stairs, past the crime scene and through a courtyard leading to the next block.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked loudly as he kept pace with the three people in front of him.

"This way," Travis answered back as he pointed forward and led them through a mall-alleyway and into the next street.

Having nowhere to go at the moment, Liza, Chris, and Travis made to knock onto the store-windows that they passed by, in the hopes of temporarily taking shelter there until the madness died down.

"We should be going back to Madison right now!" the blonde frustratedly shouted aloud while he took in the violence and destruction of property that other people around them were committing.

Travis only kept quiet, being the only one who heard, as he continued onto the next store, to no success.

Just then, a bald man, older than Travis, stepped out of the barber shop next to them and began closing up his shop and pulling down the shutters.

Wasting no time, Travis came up to the bald man, "Excuse me, sir. Can we come in, please?"

"We're closed." the bald man with a rather heavy Hispanic accent casually said as he finished closing and locking the shutters on his shop windows and stood up to look at Travis.

"Please," Travis continued as he pulled Chris closer just as a thuggish, middle-aged man with tattoos and a bandanna walked passed them and eyed Chris and Naruto in an intimidating way, "It's not safe out here. I mean, it's dangerous."

Naruto only stood tall and calmly looked back at the thuggish man, waiting to see if he would make any move while the blonde fingered the kunai hidden in his sleeve. He didn't.

"Go to the police." the Hispanic man stated back as he pointed down the street to where a couple officers could be seen in the distance.

"No, I think they're the danger," Travis reasoned back, while Liza and Chris decided that sticking with the curly-haired man and Naruto was the best option at the moment, "I mean, they're not letting anyone leave. We just need somewhere to ride it out. Please."

Then the old woman from inside spoke out loud in Spanish, garnering the bald man's attention, as Travis, Chris, and Liza looked on and waited for an answer, while the shinobi-in-disguise kept his eyes on the immediate surroundings.

"Please!" Liza begged as she gently tugged on the old man's shirt sleeves.

After a moment's hesitation and a stare-down between him and the woman that seems to be his wife, the old man moved aside reluctantly and prompted the group inside, "Okay, come in."

"Thank you," Travis uttered genuinely as he let Chris and Liza go in first, then tapped the whiskered blonde on the shoulder to get his attention, "Naruto, let's go. We'll wait it out and then we go."

"It's gonna get worse before it gets better…" Naruto mumbled softly as he and Travis turned around and stepped inside, though the bald man seemed to have heard it because he grunted and took in the vandalism happening on the street for a second. Then, closing the shutters and the door, the bald man made sure it was secure.

Barely a second later, audible banging on the shutters rang out from outside, prompting Chris, Travis, and Naruto to take a peek through the little openings in the shutters.

"We should've gone straight home, Travis." Naruto whispered bitterly to the curly-haired man next to him, though Travis merely ignored the teen.

"Do you have a backdoor? Access to the alley?" Travis asked aloud while he continued to watch as more and more people filled the streets outside.

"There is no other door," the bald barber answered abruptly as he finished securing said door and turned around to watch Travis look around and head deeper into the shop.

"Travis, please." Liza placated the English teacher who was about to walk past the area for the customers.

"Hey, teach!" Naruto then yelled as he stepped in front of the curly-haired man and placed his hand in front of Travis to hold him back from entering what seemed to be the married couple's home, "Slow your roll. The old man ain't lying."

"Travis, this is their home." Liza stated alongside the obviously anxious man, while the bald man spoke in Spanish once more.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry." Travis uttered softly as he closed his eyes and rubbed his face slowly. Opening them back up, he turned around to face the bald, Hispanic man once more, "I'm just scared for me and my family."

"I understand that." the bald man merely stated back, still keeping his neutral expression as he stood beside his wife who gently placed her arm around his waist and hugged his side.

"Do you have access to the roof?" Travis asked, a bit more calm now, as he stepped back from the curtains draped over to signify the entrance to the house-portion of the shop, "Maybe we could leave through there. Maybe see what's coming. I don't think it'll be safe to be close to the door."

"Please, take a seat and take a breath," the bald man suggested, though coming from him, it sounded slightly like an order, to which everyone acquiesced to, bar Naruto, who decided to lean on the wall next to the door, "There is no other door in the shop, aside from the front door and the room to our home. It is a small place."

"Nothing will come through the shutters, Trav," Naruto mentioned the curly-haired man's other concern as he took a peek through the little openings of the shutter, "It's made out of metal. Maybe if they used a car to ram it or something… But not people. Besides, I'll kick their asses if they try."

Silently thanking the blonde for his continued intervention towards Travis' rather rash and irrational actions, Liza breathed out a sigh of relief she didn't she was holding as the tension in the room subsided. Turning once more to the bald man, Liza spoke softly, "Thank you. For letting us in, I mean."

"It is my wife who let you in." the bald man replied to Liza without missing a beat while he watched his wife walk back to their humble abode through the curtains, "She is kind. Sometimes, too kind. Thank her, not me."

"Well, I'm grateful, all the same."Liza stated genuinely to which the bald man merely grunted and followed his wife.

"Papa, I thought you were locking up." Another voice belonging to a female rang out from deeper in the house-portion of the shop, causing everyone to look towards the curtains and see a braided-haired woman in a white, comfy dress and a cardigan, "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"We're fine, Ofelia." the bald man softly replied to the girl named Ofelia, who looked to be around the same age as Nick, the whiskered blonde commented silently to himself.

Leading Ofelia and the wife back to the front of the shop, the bald man continued, "There seems to be trouble outside and these people needed help. They didn't want to stay out there. Your mother let them in."

Ofelia, for her part, merely took in the information silently as she then brought her attention to the curly-haired man and politely asked, "And who are you?"

"I'm Travis." the English teacher answered as he stood up once more and introduced himself and the people he brought, "This is my family. These are Liza and Chris. The blonde one by the door's Naruto. We just need somewhere to ride the craziness out, and then we'll go."

"I see. I'm Ofelia," the modest girl introduced herself and her parents as she smiled pleasantly at Travis and his companions, making the blonde mirror her expression and sent a nod her way, "This is my father, Daniel, and my mother, Griselda. Do you know what's happening outside?"

Just then, the blaring of police sirens and several gunshots rang out from somewhere outside, stunning everyone into silence for a second.

"There's a protest that's turning into a riot at the moment," Naruto answered, breaking the silence, as he turned to face the rest of the shop's occupants with a rather irritated expression on his face, "And it is stupid. Because of the dumbasses participating outside, innocent lives are gonna be put in danger."

Ofelia, being the slightly curious one, copied what Chris and Naruto were doing and made her way to the glass window of the barber shop.

"That's…horrible…" the prim, young lady uttered under her breath as she peeked through the little openings of the shutters and watched the mid-afternoon chaos unfold.

-x-

A few hours later, and the chaos outside the barber shop was anything but dying down. With the sun setting about two hours ago, more rioters now occupy the street and the disorder showed no signs of ceasing.

"Naruto, are you awake?" Liza asked the whiskered blonde sitting cross-legged on the ground and hasn't moved for the past hour or so, "I don't think sitting in that position is comfortable…"

Naruto was awake, of course. He was meditating and trying to keep himself calm, otherwise he would have busted through the front door and taken Travis, Liza, and Chris with him as he razed hell into the streets to get back to Madison and the siblings.

Kurama merely cackled at the inner turmoil.

"I'm awake, don't worry," the sun-kissed blonde answered as he slowly opened his eyes and sent a small grin towards the Latina woman. Unclasping his hand, Naruto pushed himself up from the ground and stood up, "Just needed to rest my eyes for a second. It's been a long day."

"Tell me about it…" Liza merely agreed as she looked around the room and saw Daniel's family sitting on their dining table while Travis sat by Chris in silence.

All of a sudden, the lights flickered through the shop and car alarms from outside blared to life.

"It's not getting any better out there, Trav." Naruto stated aloud as he took his position by the door once more and peeked outside, with Chris mirroring the blonde's action.

Standing up from his seat, the English teacher approached the curtains and stood by Ofelia who switched the lights off permanently.

"I didn't get a chance to say it earlier, but thank you." Travis spoke sincerely as he looked at Daniel's turned back.

"Thank my wife." the bald man answered back indifferently, gesturing to his wife standing by the altar and praying with her rosary, as he continued to read a book.

Travis could only stay silent and glance at Ofelia at the rather lackluster response.

"This is insane…" Chris voiced out loudly as he continued to look outside through the shutters, whilst Naruto drank water from a glass that Ofelia offered earlier.

"Tell me about it." the blonde concurred as he took a seat down on one of the barber chairs and leaned back.

Seeing this, Travis quickly walked towards his son and lightly gave an admonishing glare towards the blonde who merely shrugged, "Chris get away from the window."

"Can't make anything out…" the black-haired teen mumbled casually as he kept looking.

"You don't want to see anything out there." the English teacher declared as he pulled his son back from the window, "Okay? Just, come on, step away. Sit down. Read something."

While the father and son talked, Naruto stood up from his spot and approached Ofelia who continued leaning by the wall. Seeing the blonde come closer, the kindly girl smiled.

"Naruto, right?" Ofelia asked as the blonde smiled back and leaned on the wall next to her.

"Yeah. And you're Ofelia. Listen," Naruto replied back casually as he spoke in a soft, whispering tone, "I don't want to sound pessimistic or something… but I don't think it'd be a good idea to stay here for you or your parents."

"Trust me… I know." Ofelia replied back smoothly, slightly surprising the blonde at the rather resigned tone in the young lady's voice. Ofelia continued whispering, "But my father… He won't leave this place."

"Maybe he won't, maybe he will. I'm pretty sure, if it's to save you and Griselda from getting hurt, he would for sure," Naruto said softly as he watched Travis pat Chris on the shoulder as the teen picked up a magazine and began flipping through it, "But I gotta get Travis and his family to safety and I don't wanna leave you guys here."

"So what do you suggest we do?" the lady asked, evidently agreeing with the shinobi's plan.

"It would be best if you start packing stuff. Not too much, but things that you'll need," Naruto muttered under his breath as Ofelia discreetly slid closer to whiskered blonde when Daniel stood up from his seat at the table and grabbed another glass of water from the sink, "Like clothes, first aid, flashlights, batteries, toiletries…"

Without another word, Ofelia merely nodded at the blonde and silently headed towards their room, muttering an excuse to his dad as she passed him, to which the bald man merely nodded.

With his decision to warn Ofelia out of the way, Naruto brought his attention back to Travis who was now fiddling with his phone, a worried expression on his face as he stared into nothing.

"You want me to call Mom?" the blonde asked aloud, snapping Travis out of his rather transparent contemplation.

"Should we?" the curly-haired man asked unsurely, "I don't want to worry her."

"Trav, we're already several hours late. We were supposed to back two hours ago at the latest," Naruto reasoned back as he smirked, "Trust me, she's worried as hell at this point."

"Alright." With that, the English teacher dialed Madison's number on his phone and called.

The call picked up instantly as Travis immediately spoke into the phone, "Maddy. Maddy?"

"Travis? Hi." Naruto heard Madison's worried tone echoed through the call as he stood right by Travis' ear.

"You can hear me?" Relieved and confused, Travis asked in return, the electricity flickering earlier popping in the back of his mind.

"Yeah, baby, where are you?" the blonde woman asked, "Where's Naruto? Are the two of you okay?"

"Yeah, no, we're good. We found Chris. He's safe…" Travis answered as he took a seat on one of the barber chairs while Chris pulled out his laptop, having gotten bored of the magazine. Leaving his soon-to-be-step-dad to talk with his mother, Naruto decided to join Chris in his search to cure boredom.

"So, whatcha up to?" Naruto asked as he took a lounge chair and sat beside the teen.

"I'm trying to find out more information on what's going on…" Chris answered, obviously focused into surfing the web, as he kept his eyes glued to the screen, "Right here… Check it out."

Naruto leaned closer to Chris and watched what seemed to be a live-video feed of the downtown chaos happening, where rioters fought violently against police officers scattered in every street for at least a several-mile radius.

"Shit…" Naruto cursed softly, though it was heard by Daniel. Pulling his wife and daughter along, the three of them took a spot behind and beside Naruto and Chris so that they could also be updated on what was going on.

"We're right exactly in the middle of this…" Liza whispered under her breath, having taken a seat beside Chris' other side.

All of a sudden, a huge explosion went off somewhere close, prompting Naruto, Daniel, and Travis to stand up and the rest to suddenly be on alert.

"No, it's okay. It's okay," Travis talked loudly to the phone, evidently trying to calm down Madison on the line, "We're fine. I'm fine. Look, Maddy, I want you to go. Go to the desert now. Don't wait… Okay, we don't know how long we're gonna be…"

More gunshots rang out once again, this time closer to the shop.

"It's getting crazier out there." Liza stated anxiously, as she hugged Chris closer to her.

"Is Mom alright?" Naruto asked as he approached the curly-haired man who was peeking through the shutters once again.

"Yeah, she's safe at home with Nick and Alicia now," Travis answered as he looked at Naruto for a second, "She couldn't get ahold of Nicky's doctor so she went out to find medicine."

"Wait," the shinobi interjected, suddenly tense, "She left? Alone?"

"Yeah." Travis simply answered, knowing that the blonde was very protective of his adoptive family and would likely have wanted to accompany Madison instead.

"God-fucking-damn it!" Naruto cursed loudly, garnering the attention of the shop's occupants, his frustration slowly getting the better of him.

-x-

[A little bit later…]

"As soon as this settles down, we move." Travis stated as he sat down beside Liza and the two tried to comfort each other, "Go back the way we came, get to the truck, and we're gone."

"You said that an hour ago," Naruto interjected a bit bitterly, having been too impatient an eternity ago, as he sat on one of the lounge chairs by the window, "And the hour before that. Meanwhile, the rioteers outside are only getting more ballsy. It's almost one in the morning…"

Indeed they have. Several cars are currently on fire and a police cruiser was even turned upside down by the rioteers. Earlier, Chris was even startled due to a seemingly messed-up man who walked in front of the shutters.

"Calm down, brat," Kurama's voice echoed in the Jinchuriki's head, seemingly just woken up, "All this yammering's getting annoying to the point that I woke up because of it."

I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep, you big baby, Naruto sarcastically remarked in return.

"You better be sorry." the Tailed Beast haughtily bit back. Naruto simply ignored him.

"I know, Naruto. We'll get out of this mess." Travis stated resolutely.

"We going back to Madison's after this?" Chris then asked Travis, the sarcasm leaking in his tone, to which Naruto silently listened to.

The curly-haired man merely nodded his head, "Yeah."

"Why can't we just leave?" Chris then reasoned, as he glanced at Naruto for a second, gulped, then turned back to his father, "Just us."

"You better watch it, brat." Naruto said as he adorned a rather intimidating grin and narrowed his eyes at the brown-skinned teen.

Liza then made to reach out to her son, "Chris- "

All of a sudden, the shutters were being banged on, while furniture were being audibly broken and shattered inside the shop next to them.

"They're breaking in…!" Ofelia gasped out as she walked through the curtains and looked at her father, "They're breaking in next door!"

Travis headed to the front door to look through the shutters once more. The rioting was only getting worse. People jumping and destroying cars and public property. Still, Travis was optimistic as he spoke aloud, "Well, we're safe here. They won't come in here."

"How do you know?" Liza asked, rather feeling jumpy at the moment.

"What are they gonna steal," Travis answered back as he turned around and walked away from the window, passing by Daniel in the process, "Combs? The police will have it sorted in an hour."

"You said that two hours ago." the ex-wife rebutted, now feeling the same impatience that the whiskered blonde was feeling sometime ago.

"It's only a matter of time, Travis. You and I both know that this is only gonna get worse." Naruto reasoned back while he subtly looked at Ofelia, who quietly turned around and went back to her room, as everyone else began to listen to rather heated discussion, "What we need is to get the hell outta here while we still can. We can't keep holding out hope that your 'police' can have this sorted out when they couldn't even contain the rioteers in the first place!"

"Well, what do you want me to do!?" Travis shouted back, his frustration finally peaking, as he looked at the blonde angrily, "I want to get home just as much as you do! But we can't just waltz outta here when there are dangerous people outside! We have Daniel and Griselda! Ofelia, Liza, and Chris! I'm not leaving anyone behind!"

"I know that!" Naruto yelled back, Kurama trying to calm his temper to no success in the back of the blonde's mind, "I don't plan on leaving them here either! But if we don't go now, we'll-"

"Dad!" Chris butted in, getting Naruto and Travis to stop their bickering and turn to the teen, as he nervously looked at his father whilst his hand rested on the wall of the shop, "The wall's getting hot."

That got everyone's attention as Naruto, Daniel, and Travis mirrored Chris's action.

"We've got to go." Liza concluded as she turned to Travis, fear in her eyes.

Daniel then spoke in Spanish as he turned to face his wife, with Ofelia decked out in proper attire as she now wore jeans, a long-sleeved shirt under the same cardigan, and a pair of canvas shoes.

"I packed some stuff, just in case," Ofelia stated as she fastened the straps of a rather big bag snugly on her back and discreetly nodded to the Jinchuriki.

"You got it?" Naruto asked the Hispanic girl as he took out his steel-plated, fingerless gloves and slipped it on his hands, "I could carry it for you, if you want."

"Thanks, but I got it." Ofelia politely declined to which Naruto simply nodded.

"All right, we get out of here," Travis began to speak whilst the rest of the shop's occupants began to put on their jackets and hoodies and strapped whatever belongings they have on them, "We stay close. Get to the truck."

"I'll take point. Travis, keep Chris and Liza close," the English teacher then heard Naruto speak up, suddenly emitting a rather serious and no-nonsense attitude as he tied a rather weird headband around his forehead, the same one he saw the blonde wearing when the two of them saw each other at the abandoned church, "Chris, stick with your mom. No one lets go of each other."

"Do not get away from me," Liza adamantly ordered as she faced her son, who could only nod in submission.

"Vamonos, papa, mama," With Ofelia finished with helping her parents put on their jackets and sweaters, she and Daniel announced that they were ready to go, with the bald man talking to Ofelia and Griselda in Spanish.

"Okay, like the brave one said," Daniel spoke up as he nodded at Naruto, "Everybody together. Juntas, huh?"

"As soon as I open this door, the people from outside will be coming in. Stay out of the way for a second, then I'll tell you to follow, alright?" Naruto explained as he looked to the people behind him who all nodded in agreement. Cracking his neck, the blonde turned to the door once more, "Let's do this."

Then, they opened the door and the shutter.

As soon as Daniel and Naruto did so, a group of four rioteers were waiting in the front. Before they even stepped foot in the shop however, Naruto sent a spartan kick towards the first rioteer who attempted to lay a hand on Daniel and push him off, sending the poor guy into the other bandanna-clad people behind him.

"Watch out!" Daniel then yelled from behind him in panic for, as soon as the group of individuals were sent sprawling from the ground, the man wearing a bandanna from earlier in the afternoon came from the side and tried to swing a baseball bat at the blonde.

"Too slow," whispering under his breath, the shinobi deftly dodged the swing and, with the agility of a trained fighter, delivered a one-two punch straight to the thuggish man's face and sending him to the ground.

Without another word, the whiskered blonde turned around and yelled to his companions, "Let's go, let's go!"

Having seen the amazing display of strength and fighting prowess, Daniel and the rest of the group could only follow Naruto as he began leading the way through the chaotic street.

"Come on!" Ofelia shouted at her father desperately and pulled him forward, as Daniel stopped walking and looked back at the place they called their home for decades, "We can always rebuild! Papa!"

"We've got to keep moving!" Liza yelled back, noticing that Daniel and his family stopped their walking, "Let's go!"

Then, Chris stopped as he saw a man mugging… biting?... a police officer while the officer laid on the ground and shouting in panic, "Dad? Dad!"

"Chris, let's go! Get over here!" Travis exclaimed, seeing the man who, just like Calvin, was trying to bite the officer and SUCCEEDING in doing so as he and Liza pulled Chris forward, "Stay clear!"

"We can't stop for anything!" Naruto bellowed as he craned his neck slightly to look at Travis behind him, having just kicked a middle-aged man in the stomach away from him as he tried to get close and stab the whiskered blonde, "It's getting crazier by the second! We need to keep moving!"

And move, they did. Through the chaotic streets, Naruto and Travis led the group away from the barber shop and closer to the pickup truck. All around them, mayhem and disorder occurred, while in the corners and the sides of the streets, snarling, shambling individuals grabbed and bit into anyone that came too close to them, yet no one paid attention or even noticed.

But Naruto did.

"They're biting… No. They're EATING anyone they can get ahold of. Yet no one stops them." Kurama voiced out the shinobi's thoughts in the mindscape as he, too, saw the morbid event unfold through Naruto's eyes.

Maybe they think it's all just part of the riot… the blonde Jinchuriki replied inwardly as he jogged towards a living corpse munching on a poor woman on the ground and sent a kunai flying towards its head. Approaching the corpse, Naruto bent down and retrieved his weapon, then looked behind him and faced Travis, "I told you it's only gonna get worse."

Without another word, the group continued. In the distance, armored police vehicles blared their sirens and spoke into their megaphones, while Naruto and his charges made their way through a sidestreet where a scaffolding was filled with rioteers trying to climb on top or simply be under it.

Having seen no other way through the sidestreet, Travis urged Naruto to head under the scaffolding and through it, and without any better plans in mind, the shinobi did as he was told, followed by Travis, Liza, then Chris. However, just as Daniel and Ofelia got through, an approaching fire truck began hosing down the rioteers and the scaffolding. And just as Griselda got through the underside of the scaffolding, it fell.

Right on the elderly woman's shin.

"Griselda!/Mama!" Daniel and Ofelia both exclaimed and ran back as they turned around and laid their eyes on the kind, old lady and the scaffolding laying on top of Griselda's foot.

"Please! Help!" the daughter cried out as she and Daniel attempted to pull the scaffolding up.

"Dad!" Chris heard Ofelia's cries and shouted towards Naruto and Travis who was ahead of them, prompting the two to turn around and gasp in horror, as they all ran back to Daniel's side.

"Granny!" Naruto bellowed as he heaved the scaffolding up so that Daniel and Travis could pull Griselda out.

"Be careful, be careful, be careful!" Liza ordered out loud as Travis carried Griselda princess-style while Naruto and Chris now walked in front of the group.

"There's my truck!" Travis said as he gestured towards his vehicle with his chin for Daniel and the rest of the group to see, "Naruto, Chris, open the back tray!"

The two teenagers wordlessly complied and did so, with Daniel and Chris climbing up the truck-bed and gently helping Travis place Griselda down on the vehicle while the whiskered blonde stood guard and scanned for anymore crazies.

"Okay, okay," Liza said as she got into the truck-bed with Ofelia, Daniel, and Griselda, speaking to the elderly woman while the daughter cried beside her, "You're going into shock."

'Let's get outta here." Naruto said as he hopped on the truck-bed with the rest of the group, while Chris and Travis got in the front and the English teacher started the truck engines.

Chris, for his part, was being as good a son as any, for he took off his hoodie and offered it to his mom through the little window behind him while Liza tended to Griselda, as she tried to calm her down, "All right, stay with me. Talk to me! Talk to me."

"Humans in this world are way more stupid and deserving of a beating than I could ever say for in the Elemental Nations," Kurama voiced out his opinion as his container took a seat beside Ofelia and gently rubbed her back, just as the truck drove away safely.

Tell me about it, the shinobi agreed as he took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. Then, after a few minutes, Naruto glanced at the elderly woman who was injured earlier and Liza, who was doing her best to tend to Griselda, I could have been able to heal her right away. If only I had access to my abilities…

Kurama only grunted in agreement, feeling the hidden frustration that the Jinchuriki was hiding from his companions as Naruto watched Griselda softly whimper into Daniel's arms, whilst thinking to himself, Stupid seal…

-x-

The car ride was relatively peaceful and, aside from Griselda's occasional whimpers and Liza's soothing words, no one else spoke. With the elderly woman's rather severe injury, Travis and Liza agreed that they should try and reach the nearest hospital in search of assistance.

Unfortunately, the chaos was spreading to fast.

As Naruto and the others approached the hospital, the blaring of police cruisers and several vehicles littered the busy street, while civilians, hospital staff-members, and police officers alike ran about the area in chaotic fashion.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Chris nervously asked Travis as the both of them took in the sight of an abandoned ambulance, its doors wide open, and a small fire crackling under its opened hood.

"What the hell is going on?" Liza inquired as the rest of the group laid eyes at the chaos unfolding in the vicinity of the hospital, the clamoring and screaming of people from the distance reaching their ears.

We can't go here." Naruto declared as he saw a police officer, equipped with a kevlar vest and a standard-issue M16 rifle jogging towards the front of the hospital parking lot, "It isn't safe… Whatever sickness this is, it's spreading fast."

As Travis steered the car along, being directed by another officer holding a flare by the side of the road, the group looked on as the truck drove past the parking lot overlooking the front of the hospital.

"You are not able to leave without proper clearance," a voice from an overhead speaker somewhere in the lot boomed and echoed throughout the immediate area, "Checkpoints have been established…"

"They're quarantining the hospital…" Travis pointed out in slight horror as he glanced around and drove slowly at the same time, "The people inside…"

"Sir!" an armor-clad SWAT officer behind a police cruiser shouted as he and his colleagues trained their rifles onto several of the infected shambling out of the hospital and towards them, "We will shoot!"

Yet, the bloodied corpses didn't stop.

"Get down!" Travis yelled out just as the guns began shooting, prompting everyone to do so.

"No…" Ofelia gasped in shock as she witnessed the massacre slightly under Naruto's arms, who silently sat there and watched the whole thing unfold, his eyebrows furrowing at the cracks of gunfire.

"They're not alive anymore, Ofelia…" the sunkissed blonde whispered somberly in return as he protectively wrapped an arm around the young lady while he watched as the infected were shot in the head, "You have to remember that…"

"Everyone okay?" Travis asked out loud as he and Chris turned to the back, where the rest of the passengers are, all the while the screams of the people and the distant sounds of gunshots echoed through the vicinity, "All right back there?"

"We're good!" Naruto shouted back as he turned his attention to his soon-to-be step-dad.

A few minutes passed, with the passengers of Travis's truck staying silent, the curly-haired man spoke once more as he slightly turned his head to the back, "What's plan B, Liza?"

"Another hospital." Liza replied without missing a beat as she told Daniel to keep talking to Griselda and help keep her awake, to which the bald man complied wordlessly.

"They're all going to be like that, guys," Naruto interjected as he and Daniel looked at each other in silent understanding, "They're all gonna be unsafe and hard to protect. Too many people, too many risks."

"So what do you suggest?" Travis asked the blonde, genuinely at a loss at what to do next.

"We bring them back home," the blonde shinobi stated as he looked at Liza, a fierce look adorning his face, "I'm not gonna leave them wherever, especially when they helped us earlier. We help take care of Griselda 'til she's back on her feet, then Daniel and his family can do whatever they want. Is that alright with you, Daniel?"

At the realization that the blonde kid, at least half his age, took control of the situation and decided for the well-being of his family, the bald man was slightly stunned. Snapping out of it a second later with a grateful nod to Naruto, Daniel replied, "That is an acceptable arrangement. I'll call my cousin to come and get us as soon as possible. Then, we go our separate ways."

Travis and the rest of the truck's passengers could only keep quiet at the sudden development, mostly overwhelmed at the nightmarish, last, few hours and, to a smaller degree, the enigma that is Naruto.

Outside his window, Chris silently looked on as a perfect view of the city night-lights appeared through the distance. Then, portion by portion, all the lights turned off.

"Dad?" Chris muttered softly, not even knowing what to really ask, as genuine fear began bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

-x-

It wasn't long before Naruto and the rest of the group finally arrived back at the house. Turning the car engines off, Travis spoke up as he turned to the back, "Stay here. I'll be back. Just gotta let Madison know of the situation first."

"I'll keep watch," the blonde shinobi decided, just as the curly-haired man got out of the truck, as he hopped off the truck-bed and surveyed their surroundings, taking note of the rather messy front lawn of the Cruz's across the street, "Hurry up, Trav. It's safer to be indoors right about now."

Nodding gratefully at the blonde, the English teacher headed to the front door. Not even a minute later, Liza and Chris got down from the truck and followed Travis, leaving Naruto and the Salazars in silence.

That is, until Daniel spoke, "That was a rather amazing display of skill earlier back at the riot."

"Papa." Ofelia attempted to admonish her father to no avail.

Turning his head towards the bald man, Naruto realized that Daniel was in fact looking at and speaking to him. Nodding his head slightly, the blonde smiled slightly and replied, "It was the right thing to do. You helped us, after all."

"I was talking about your skills in battle," the bald man continued further, obviously intrigued and maybe a little bit suspicious, though it all flew past the whiskered blonde, "Were you a soldier of some sort? Though you are young… But I noticed. Not once, did you think twice about throwing those knives of yours, nor were you surprised at all by the idiotas who tried to raid the barber shop. That calmness could only be earned through experience."

Thoroughly surprised at the old man's rather on-point deduction, Naruto could only look on in widened eyes as he thought about something to say.

A second later, what with Kurama's chiding voice snapping him out of his confusion- Nowadays, Naruto could never tell when the furry fox was awake and paying attention or not- the shinobi-in-disguise took a deep breath and calmed himself and said, "Something like that, I guess… I'm adopted. Just letting you know. Before Madison's family took me in, my past… Well, safe to say, I have a very complicated upbringing."

Just then, Liza and Chris screamed from inside.

Without wasting another second, Naruto turned around from his spot by the truck and sprinted towards the front door while Daniel stood up from the truck-bed and told Ofelia to stay with her mother and keep quiet.

Upon entering the front door, the blonde shinobi laid eyes on Travis pushing back their bloody neighbor, Peter, on the wall, while Madison held a shotgun to the side, Nick standing right behind her.

Upon noticing her adopted son, Madison glanced at Naruto for a second before training her sights onto Peter, "I couldn't find the guns!"

"They were in my room," Naruto answered calmly as he pulled out his kunai once more and Daniel came into the room and strode forwards to Madison, taking the shotgun off of her hands. Talking loudly, the blonde spoke loudly, "Travis you gotta let go and get clear."

"Move." Daniel ordered, to which the curly-haired man complied, having been told twice now.

Coating his kunai with chakra, Naruto witnessed as the bald man cocked the shotgun. Then, aiming at Peter's head, Daniel pulled the trigger.

Unfortunately, this didn't kill Peter, only pushing him back slightly. So, Naruto let his kunai fly and fly it did, piercing Peter's skull and passing clean through with such force, due to the chakra coating.

No words were said as everyone glanced at each other, gauging each individual's reactions at the rather morbid altercation. Daniel put down the gone and calmly passed it back to a rather unsure Madison and made his way out the front door to go back to the truck, while Travis, Chris, and Liza silently glanced warily at their blonde companion.

"You know," Kurama's voice suddenly came to life in Naruto's mind as he stepped forward and retrieved his spotless knife lodged on the wall, "The more you show 'em your abilities, the more they're gonna be suspicious. What are you gonna do then? You said you wouldn't show them what you could really do unless it was necessary."

It seems really necessary now though, doesn't it? The whiskered shinobi thought in return as he wiped as he checked the knife for any spots of blood. Inwardly thanking the ability of chakra coating and keeping his weapons generally clean, Naruto continued his conversation with Kurama, I'll cross that bridge when we get there. If they confront me, I'll be honest. For now, though, my priority is keeping Madison and our family safe.

Feeling the connection cut off once more, Naruto rushed as Chris stumbled to the backyard, clearly holding his vomit from witnessing Peter's skull get shot at and pierced straight through.

"It shouldn't be this way." Travis stated solemnly as he glanced at Peter's body and back to Naruto and Madison.

Then, Alicia's screams echoed from the backyard.

"ALI!" Kunai in hand, Naruto ran out of the backyard and saw the brunette trying to climb the fence and attempting to kick off the undead corpse of their neighbor. Springing into action, Naruto approached Alicia and pulled her arm, "Alicia, gimme your hand! Hurry!"

"Get off me!" Alicia screamed in panic, fear evident in her voice as she continued kicking the corpse. Finally getting free, the whiskered blonde pulled her into him, both of them falling on the ground.

"You're alright, you're safe…" Naruto whispered softly in Alicia's ear as the girl continued to squirm in fright. After a few seconds, she calmed down and returned the blonde's fierce hug with her own. Bringing the both of them to a sitting position, Naruto spoke up just as the rest of the group stepped closer, "You okay? Did she… Did she bite you or anything?"

"I'm- I'm alright. She didn't bite me." Alicia mumbled in return, shaking her head slightly, as she tried to regulate her breathing to its normal pace.

Madison and Travis then helped the both of them up while Chris and Nick shone a light at the undead corpse trying to reach out at them through a little opening in the wooden fence.

"What's wrong with Su-Su?" Alicia asked in trepidation as she looked on at the pale-skinned corpse of their neighbor Susan.

Naruto remembered Su-Su. She, along with her husband, Patrick, lived on the house to their left. The Trans were close to Madison and would often visit to share food they cooked or just catch up with Madison. The whiskered blonde didn't know them very well but thought they were genuinely nice people, because apparently, when Alicia and Nick were still young, Susan baby-sat for them.

"Susan?" Madison uttered softly as she approached the growling corpse trying to reach her, "Oh, my God… Susan."

"She's sick." Liza said as she took note of the pale skin and bloodshot eyes.

"Was she bitten?" Travis inquired, trying to find an accurate reason to the unknown sickness.

"I can't tell…" Liza merely shook her head and looked back at Travis.

She's not sick," Nick interjected matter-of-factly as he crossed his arms in contemplation, "She's dead."

Alicia could only silently glance at Nick, then at Naruto in confusion, to which the blonde grimly nodded.

"Well, that's- that's not Matt." Alicia anxiously stated as she shook her head in denial, "He- He's not like that. He's not- not like that. Mom, Matt's not like that. That's not him!"

"Shhh…" Naruto hushed the hysteric brunette as he wrapped his arms around her once again as she began to cry openly, while Travis chastised Nick for his rather blunt statement, "I'm sorry, Alicia…"

-x-

With Travis and Naruto deciding that the fence is strong enough to hold the reanimated corpse of Susan back, the group filed back into the house and soon after, the Salazar's were settled into the living room, where Liza resumed tending to the injured Griselda.

"How's she doing?" Travis asked as he, Chris, and Naruto walked back from the backyard where the three made sure once more that Susan would not be getting through anytime soon.

Turning her head slightly, Liza replied while she changed the bandage around Griselda's injured foot, "You got anything I could give her for the pain?"

"Nothing stronger than aspirin…" the curly-haired man answered as he shook his head slightly. Bringing his attention to the patriarch of the Salazar family, Travis continued, "Uh, the phone's in the kitchen if you need to make that call."

"I did," Daniel stated aloud as he stood up from his seat beside Griselda and paced a bit, "My cousin is coming to pick us up in the morning."

"In the meantime," Naruto interjected, feeling the uncertainty that Travis was currently going through, as he sent a warm smile towards Ofelia and Griselda, "why don't we set you guys up in one of the bedrooms, yeah?"

Nodding slightly, the prim, young Salazar mirrored Naruto's expression and said, "Thank you."

"Aren't we leaving?" Madison asked while she comforted the troubled Alicia on the couch beside the Salazar, slightly confused at Travis's and Naruto's decisions.

"Yeah, of course," Travis answered as he nodded at Madison, "We will. In the morning."

"No, Travis," Madison said in return, a bit more loudly this time, "We have to go. We're packed, we're ready. We were just waiting for you and Naruto."

"Can we talk about this in the kitchen?" Travis exasperatedly asked as silently pleaded to Madison.

"No." the blonde woman spoke back as she stood up and the worry in her eyes became more apparent to Naruto and Travis than it's ever been this whole day, "This thing's getting worse, not better. It's not safe.

Feeling that the blonde woman was being rather stubborn, Liza began to speak up, "Madison, I think Travis is- "

Turning to her fiance's ex-wife, Madison cut her off as her temper rose slightly, "No, it's not your place- "

I don't wanna stay," Alicia spoke up at the same time as she stood up in agitation and came up to her mom, "I don't- I wanna go."

Travis tried to calm the mother and daughter down as he raised his hands up, "Look- "

However, the young brunette continued, the face of the undead Su-Su briefly popping up in her head, "I wanna go. I don't wanna stay here- "

"Hold on- " the English teacher stammered out, still keeping his composure, to which Naruto silently applauded, "Hold on. It is dark. We don't even know if the freeway is passable."

"You expect us to wait here?" Madison asked incredulously, whilst Alicia hugged desperately at her mother's arm.

"We'd be blind out there," Travis reasoned out, "It's dangerous."

Still unconvinced, the blonde woman continued, "And this isn't?"

"Mom," Naruto spoke up just before his soon-to-be step-dad could answer, earning everyone's attention, "Travis is right. It's riskier if we go out there now, especially with a group of seven people. We would be blind. Electricity was cut off and you know this."

"As long as we're inside and the doors are locked," the English teacher stated, grateful for the whiskered blonde's backing, "We ride it out for the night, okay? We'll take care of each other. Trust me, Maddy. We'll leave in the morning."

Glancing at Alicia for a second, who decided to sit back down on the couch, Madison spoke as he looked at Travis, "If we're staying here, you have to take care of Peter."

Naruto only smiled his megawatt smile as Madison looked at him once more. Unable to help the infectious effect of the sun-kissed blonde's smile, the school counselor then went back to sit by Alicia once more.

Without another word, Travis turned around and made to start with his next task for the night.

"I'm gonna go help him out." Naruto stated as he followed suit, nodding at Nick silently leaning on the wall as he passed by, to which the brown-haired teen returned the gesture.

-x-

[Less than an hour later…]

Deciding to split the work between themselves, Travis decided that Naruto should dig the grave, while he wrapped Peter up and cleaned the kitchen. Making up his mind to dig said grave at the side of Peter's house, it wasn't long before the whiskered blonde finished his task. With no one around him, Naruto decided to make a shadow clone and soon, two shallow graves for both the dead dog and Peter were done.

With his patience already running thin since earlier, the rather bored blonde, who was currently leaning on Peter's car, instead chose to put his shovel on the ground and do some reconnaissance.

Taking a deep breath and concentrating on the energy around him, Naruto activated his Sage Mode. Opening them back up, the shinobi then glanced around and sensed the area around him.

"No one in the house…" the whiskered blonde whispered to himself as he stretched his senses to cover the house, "I guess Peter lived by himself…"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto then released the Nature Energy he used and walked towards the rear end of Peter's car after noticing that the trunk remained open.

Taking a glance at the untouched resources in the trunk and a few more jugs of water on the ground beside the car, the shinobi merely smirked and whispered to himself once more, "Jackpot."

"Are you alright?" Travis's voice reached the blonde's ears, making Naruto turn to him in slight surprise, as he stopped to catch a breath from dragging the dead body of the dog and Peter wrapped up in carpet, "Come here and help me with these."

"Oh, right." the whiskered blond mumbled and, without another word, the two then dragged the bodies towards the side of the house, where Naruto dug the graves.

After putting both the bodies in their respective graves, the two got to work on covering the grave. Grabbing his shovel from the ground and handing Travis a spare he brought earlier, it wasn't long before the corpses were covered in dirt.

We should grab the stuff in Peter's trunk," Naruto spoke softly to Travis as the both of them leaned on their shovels, having just finished their work, "He won't… you know, need it."

"Yeah… Alright." Travis nodded his head slightly and the two set out to do just that.

-x-

Finally coming back to the house, Naruto went straight to his room after walking in with Travis and nodding silently to Liza, who was scrubbing her jacket on the sink.

Upon opening the door and entering his room, the whiskered blonde was surprised when he saw Alicia in her plaid jammies.

Leaning on his bed-frame.

Under his blanket.

Reading a book.

"Why are you in my bed?" Naruto asked, evidently confused.

Looking up for a second at the confused Jinchuriki then right back at her book, Alicia answered smugly as a smirk adorned her face, "Mom put the injured, old lady and her family in my room since it's the second biggest room aside from hers."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto decided to just take it in stride and took a seat on the end of the bed. Taking his orange jacket off and throwing it onto the computer chair next to him, he spoke once more, "So whose idea was it for you to crash in my room?"

"Mine, of course." Alicia answered without missing a beat, "You go sleep on the ground."

"You're funny." the whiskered blonde sarcastically remarked while he took his gloves off and threw that on the study table.

"Why, thank you, Whiskers." the brunette dryly stated, her eyes never leaving the pages of the book.

"Troublesome woman…" Naruto whispered rather loudly, the teasing evident in his tone, as he then took off his shoes and his socks. Throwing said socks in a hamper and placing his shoes by the foot of the bed, the shinobi-in-disguise then stood up and stretched.

Naruto now understood why Shikamaru used the term. It had some truth in it.

"Did you say something?" the brunette asked aloud, feigning ignorance, as she kept her eyes on the book and turned to the next page, though the slight smile on her face was evident enough that she did hear the blonde.

"I said," Naruto stated equally as dry as Alicia's tone had been as he then took off his shirt and turned around to face the brunette, throwing it in the hamper also, "I'm so grateful and honored that you chose my room. Can't you see it on my face? I'm so… ecstatic."

Glancing up from her book, Alicia couldn't help but admire the blonde's physique. For someone at the age of nineteen, the brunette thought to herself, He's toned just right… Wait, what am I thinking? I've seen this before! We live in the same house, for God's sake!

Snapping herself out of her inner thoughts, Alicia tried to regain her smugness from before as she retorted with her own sarcasm, "You better be. I am that awesome, after all."

"Alright, well, I'm gonna take a shower," the whiskered blonde declared as he grabbed a clean pair of boxer-shorts, pajama-pants, and his towel hanging behind his door. Opening the door, Naruto spoke once more before he headed out, "I swear, if you take the whole bed, I'm gonna push you off."

Alicia only smiled smugly, "Mm-hmm."

Less than fifteen minutes later, the shirtless shinobi came back into the room, wearing his pajama-pants and wiping his slightly dripping head of hair. Dropping his dirty clothing into his hamper, Naruto spoke to the brunette who hasn't moved from her same spot, "You're still not sleepy?"

"Can't sleep." Alicia replied promptly, still engrossed in the book she's reading.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna start packing up my stuff then." Naruto stated as he hung his towel behind the door and opened his closet.

"It's half-past one in the morning," the brunette said as she paused from her reading and glanced up at the blonde, "Aren't you tired? You've been out the whole day."

"I am tired," the Jinchuriki admitted with a weary sigh as he took out a duffle bag and began folding his chosen jackets, hoodies, pants, and tee-shirts on the bed, "It's alright though. I'm just glad we found Nicky and that headache Chris."

It was silent after that, as Naruto wordlessly packed his stuff, discreetly packing the few scrolls he had hidden under his bed into a decent-sized backpack, as well as his spare weapons. Alicia, for her part, merely went back into reading her book.

After a couple minutes though, the brunette broke the silent and spoke softly, "I'm sorry. For this afternoon, I mean."

Pausing from folding packing his underwear and socks into the duffel bag, Naruto looked up and saw that Alicia was staring right at him. Taking a second to finish what he was doing, the sun-kissed blonde smiled, "It's alright. I understand why you were upset. I also understand why you broke down earlier after seeing Su-Su in that state. Trust me. You don't have to say sorry."

"But I do. Leaving Matt like that… It still hurts to think about. And yeah, he might be just like Su-Su now… But it still fucking hurts that I couldn't do anything to help him," Alicia continued, unconvinced at Naruto's reasoning, as she placed a bookmark on her book and set it aside on the nightstand beside the bed, "But you… You were trying to help me. Keep me safe. Me, my brother, and Mom."

"I made a promise to you guys," Naruto reasoned back as he zipped up his duffel bag, now filled to the brim with extra clothes and other hygiene products, satisfied with what he packed, "And I intend on keeping it."

"You know we'll always be grateful for it." Alicia stated, smiling at the slightly blushing face of the whiskered blonde who was rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Giggling softly in her hand, the brunette decided to tease Naruto, "Still can't take a compliment, I see. You're too cute, Whiskers."

"Shut up and go to sleep." the red-faced Jinchuriki stammered out, to which Alicia only giggled a bit louder, as he placed his duffel bag and backpack by the door. He then grabbed his tantos hanging by the side of the bed and set it down on the desk, where his gloves, kunai holster, and forearm and knee guards were currently placed.

My forehead protector, mask, vest, and cloak should be in the scroll on my storage seal… Naruto thought to himself as he gently caressed a tattoo on his left forearm, an idea Jiraiya gave him during his three-year training trip.

Now used to the weapons that the whiskered blonde possessed, Alicia merely took it in stride. Looking up from the screen of her phone, the brunette spoke with an impish smirk on her face, "Are your toys all up to snuff, Sensei?"

"Yes, they are!" Naruto replied happily as he finally finished his packing and made his way to the right side of the bed, "Now, scoot before I push you off."

"Alright, alright," Alicia complied in as she set her phone down beside her book and made space for Naruto to lie down on the queen-sized bed.

"It's almost two in the morning, Ali," the blonde softly said as he got comfy under the blankets, "We better get some sleep."

"I know…" the brunette admitted weakly as she turned off the light from the lampshade on the nightstand next to her. Lying down and getting cozy once more under her own blanket, she turned her head slightly towards the blonde beside her, "Good night, Whiskers."

"G'night, Ali."

-x-

[A few hours later…]

Awakening from a rather restful sleep, Naruto opened his eyes slowly due to the rather bright rays of sunlight entering through the window and landing right on his face. Taking a couple seconds to blink, the whiskered blonde tried to stretch his arms up, only to find that he couldn't move his left arm.

Looking down at his said arm, Naruto then realized why.

Alicia was currently using his left arm as a pillow as she hugged his side.

His cheeks immediately flushing, Naruto couldn't help but stare at the beautiful girl under his arm. Her porcelain skin… the way she sometimes wrinkles her nose when she sleeps… Or when she smiles with those kissable lips… And her dazzling, green eyes…

So entranced was Naruto that he didn't notice Alicia as she woke up and was now currently staring at him in amusement.

"Is there anything wrong with my face?" Alicia asked mirthfully as she smirked smugly and took note of the healthy blush the blonde adorned.

"Nothing I would ever change…" was Naruto's soft-spoken reply.

Now, it was Alicia's turn to blush.

Just then realizing that the brunette under his arms was awake and did, in fact, hear his subconscious comment, Naruto immediately scooted away from Alicia and sat up, taking his arms from under her, a darker shade of red adorning his face, "I- I think w-we should get up. Yeah."

Alicia merely giggled and sat up on the bed, "Alright, well, I'm gonna go and take a bath."

Standing up from the bed, the brunette opened the door and left with an amused and blushing grin on her face, to which Naruto was oblivious to.

"Smooth." Kurama's voice entered his jumbled thoughts, further making the Jinchuriki blush, much to the Tailed Beast's amusement.

"Why do you always catch the stupidest times in my life?" Naruto asked aloud, his most recent blunder weighing on his mind too much to speak with his thoughts.

"It's the best and only form of amusement I have nowadays. At this point, I might as well be living for these times in OUR lives." Kurama replied matter-of-factly, further annoying his container.

"I hate you."

"I hate you too."

-x-

Taking a quick shower soon after Alicia finished, the sun-kissed blonde was now wearing a new pair of cargo pants, a white v-neck shirt, a gray hoodie, and his tactical boots. Pocketing his gloves, Naruto discreetly unsealed the storage scroll from his wrist and sealed his excess equipment into it.

With that over with, Naruto strapped his tantos on his shins once more and placed his kunai holster on his thigh. Grabbing his leather jacket from his closet, the shinobi then made to head out of his room and into the kitchen.

"What's the plan, Mom?" Naruto asked as his adoptive mother walked past him to pour Daniel another cup of coffee while the bald man seemingly taught Chris the basics of using a shotgun.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Madison greeted the Jinchuriki with a sly look on her face as she placed the coffee pot down on the counter, "You and Alicia were sleeping so peacefully, I decided not to wake you both."

"Uh, yeah…" blushing at the comment, Naruto could only laugh awkwardly, "Thanks, Mom."

"Anyways, Travis is just making sure the cars are in working order," the blonde woman explained as she prepared what looks to be a plate of toast and eggs and handed it to Naruto, "You should do the same with your bike. We'll load up the cars and then we'll go in about an hour."

"Okay, cool." Naruto nodded his head as he then turned at the two sitting at the table. Saying a quick thanks to his mother, Naruto then took a seat across Daniel and listened to him explain to Chris the different types of bullet the shotgun from the Tran's had.

"You sure it's alright to be teaching the kid how to handle a gun?" Naruto asked offhandedly at Daniel as he took a bite out of his toast, "Does he know it isn't a toy?"

Pausing from his mini-lecture, the bald man merely glanced at Naruto and chuckled softly, "Says the kid playing with knives."

"I'm not a kid," Chris stated, slightly irritated at the blonde's continued mocking of him, sending a mild glare towards the Jinchuriki's way, "So stop calling me a kid. You're only three years older than me."

Ignoring the dark-skinned teenager's words, Naruto only smirked confidently at Daniel as he continued to eat, "I at least know how to use it. But you know that already, I'm sure."

"This is true," Daniel admitted, remembering just how fluid the blonde kid in front of him moved when they left the barber shop, as he grinned in amusement of Naruto's obvious ribbing, "But given enough time and experience, Chris over here can grow and mature, as well."

Naruto merely nodded as he finally looked at Chris, "I mean, I think so, too. His dad's strong-willed and… just plain strong, now that I think about it. Hopefully, the same thing runs in his blood."

With that, Daniel continued to teach Chris and Naruto finished his breakfast. However, just as the Hispanic, elderly man was about to hand the shotgun to Chris, Travis entered the kitchen.

"Feeling better?" Daniel asked good-naturedly as he nodded at Travis.

Feeling rather taken aback at Chris holding a firearm, Travis ignored the greeting, "What the hell are you doing?"

"He's just showing me the gun, Dad." Chris answered off-handedly as he aimed down the sight.

"Finish packing the truck." the curly-haired man ordered, inwardly trying to control his temper.

Stubborn as always, Chris argued back, as he continued to look down the sights, "It's not a big deal."

Not taking the stubbornness silently this time, Travis said a bit more resolutely this time, "Chris. Go."

Taking an annoyed sigh, Chris complied silently as he nodded at Daniel and stood up, giving the shotgun back to the bald man and heading for the door to do as he was told.

"The more the boy knows," Daniel began as they heard Chris close the front door, "The safer he'll be."

Unconvinced, Travis merely reigned in his temper in an attempt to keep calm, "Uh-huh."

"I didn't see the harm, Trav." Madison reasoned out from the kitchen, earning a mild glare from the English teacher, as she leaned on the wall with the coffee pot once more in her hand.

"You know how I feel about guns." Travis stated as he looked at Daniel once more.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about guns, teach," Naruto interjected, causing the three adults to turn their attention to him, as he drank from a bottle of water he grabbed on the way to the table, "In our situation, especially, whether we know how to defend ourselves or not will decide whether we live or not."

"That's enough, Naruto." Travis ordered firmly.

"I'm just saying," the blonde continued as he stood up and began walking back to his room to make sure everything he had was packed, not wanting to further anger Madison's fiance, "Your son's just like you. Headstrong and strong-willed. And, just like you, if he wants to do or, in this case, learn something, then he will."

-x-

It wasn't long before everyone was ready to go. Deciding that he was gonna be on his bike, Naruto parked it on the street, while the rest of his family split into two cars. Madison, Nick, and Alicia in Maddy's car. Liza, Chris, and Travis in his truck.

Naruto noticed the bloody, deflated bouncy house on the Cruz's front lawn and the bloody, closed front door. Deciding on staying put for now, since there's no indication at the moment that there could be more like Peter in the vicinity, the shinobi instead just kept watch on the street.

"Alicia!" Travis, meanwhile, shouted towards the house just as everyone else filed into their respective vehicles, accompanied by Madison honking her car horn once, "Come on, We're going! Alicia, come on."

Exiting out of the front door and closing it, the brunette wearing denim-shorts, a red tank-top, and a flannel shirt tied around her waist walked down the front porch and headed to the car, adjusting the backpack on her back while doing so, "I heard you. I had to pee."

Above them, Naruto noticed, the whirring of helicopter blades zoomed through the air. Looking up to the sky, the whiskered blonde and the rest of his adoptive family witnessed as several army choppers flew by.

Thinking nothing of it, Naruto put on his gloves and his helmet. He then started the engines of the bike and revved it a couple times, just as Travis's truck backed out of the driveway and into the street, followed by Madison's sedan.

Following behind Madison, Naruto couldn't help but notice the usually audible streets of their neighborhood be eerily quiet.

Then, just as Madison was about to turn into a boulevard, Naruto heard her scream a name out from her open-windowed car. Looking to his left, he then saw why Madison wasn't following through the road.

It was Susan's husband, Patrick, walking towards his front lawn, very much alive and healthy, as he pulled a suitcase and carried a travel bag with him.

"Your mom and her bleeding heart… She's kinda like you in that sense, huh, brat?" Kurama contemplated within the Jinchuriki's mindscape as Naruto waited to see what was gonna happen. Naruto couldn't agree more.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto watched as Madison turned her car to the right, towards the Trans's house. Taking a deep breath, Naruto followed suit and parked his bike right behind Madison's sedan. Without a single word, Naruto took his helmet off, set it down on the bike seat, and followed Madison into the Tran's backyard.

"Patrick!" Madison yelled aloud as she jogged through the side of the house and into the backyard, "Patrick! Don't touch her! That's not your wife!"

Patrick merely looked on in confusion between the sickly Susan and Madison, "Susan…?"

Upon reaching Madison and seeing the undead Su-Su lumber slowly towards Patrick, Naruto wasted no time as he sprinted towards the white-haired Asian man and pulled him by the collars of his jacket and out of reach of the undead corpse.

"Naruto!" Alicia, who ran after her mother and the whiskered blonde, screamed aloud just as Su-Su was about to lunge at her adopted brother.

Reacting with pure reflexes, Naruto ducked low, spun around, and swept Susan off of her feet. Regaining his footing once more, Naruto stepped back, pushing the stunned Patrick back with him, as he kept an eye on the dead Su-Su, a kunai out of his holster.

Then, just before the growling Susan stood up to full height, the crack of gunfire echoed around them and Susan dropped back to the ground, a gunshot on her forehead. Not a second later, a full squadron of Army men came clamoring through the backyard, escorting Naruto and everyone else out of the Tran's property.

-x-

[About fifteen minutes later… - Clark Household]

"So we're back home," Naruto thought rather cynically out loud as he, Chris, Nick, and Alicia were gathered in the living room. Naruto and Chris both looked out the window, while the other two merely opted to sit down on the couch, "Since the 'cavalry', or whatever you guys call it, has arrived, we're safe now, right?"

"Something like that…" Nick answered matter-of-factly while he swished his glass of water around in his hand, a far-off look in his eyes as he stared at nothing. Then, he stood up and said, "I'm gonna go take a walk. Maybe see what else is going on in the neighborhood."

Then he left through the back door.

"Naruto, just sit your butt down, for Christ's sake," Alicia exasperatedly blurted out, having been witness to the blonde's rather unsettled body language, "I can tell, you're anxious. Just take a breather. You almost got bit…"

"I know, I know…" Naruto admitted as Chris looked at him with a little bit of worry also. Taking the brunette's advice, the Jinchuriki took a seat on the couch, with Chris copying the action, as Naruto looked at Alicia and whispered, "I should be relieved now… So, why can't I help but feel like this isn't the end of this bullshit…?"

END CHAPTER 2

-x-

Author's Note: Sorry, it took so long to post this! This whole month was full of tests, midterms, and presentations, for those of you wondering why. So, to make up for the long wait, I made this chapter EXTRA THICC! I also noticed that Naruto might be a bit OOC, but that's probably he's matured a bit after staying in an unknown world for a year and a half to two years, with nothing but Kurama and himself to further progress his ninja-life, if that makes sense. Anyways, if you've got any questions, comments, or concerns, please REVIEW and let me know! Constructive criticism DOES help me grow as a writer, after all. Now, I gotta work on my research paper and kill off my remaining brain cells. Till next time, friends!