Chapter 13: Death Festival
Naruto would admit that he wasn't the smartest guy in the world. Even with his missing memories, he was sure about that. But right now, the events were moving too fast for his brain to make sense of anything. So he tried to arrange the facts as chronologically and sensibly as possible.
First, Saburo sent a letter regarding the change in the job request seven months ago. The request was changed to S-rank due to the current situation they were in. Saburo explained that over the past year, the people have been growing desperate. Naruto had to listen intently as the mayor began to recount the events.
One night, out of nowhere a group of undead corpses came and attacked the town. The citizens of Lupinus were caught off guard as the massive numbers of the dead nearly overwhelmed them. They fought and were able to drive them away but of course, there were many casualties.
After that Saburo had placed a strict watch and added security measures just in case. It was fortunate that he did because the undead returned the following evening. Lupinus had no mages of their own to assist them which made it an even harder battle. These attacks continued for quite some time until they were forced to send for help. That was the original job request that Naruto took. But that was a year ago.
They were able to hold off the attacks and waited for help to arrive. That was until three hooded wizards arrived to tip the scales. It was clear that one of the wizards controlled the undead. With their combined magic, the people of Lupinus were forced to surrender. The identity of these mages was yet to be discovered. Their goal was also a mystery.
In exchange for sparing the town, the wizards asked for tributes every night to be sacrificed to them. In the dead of night, the undead would come and escort the volunteers back to their masters. At first, people volunteered to be taken away but as the weeks passed, the numbers have dwindled into few. Their population has decreased at an alarming rate since then. A town of four hundred citizens was reduced to a small ninety. If this continues, then there will be no one left.
When Naruto heard this piece of information, he slammed his fist on top of the mayor's desk in pure outrage. He decided right then and there that he would help these people even without the reward. Naruto was going to make these three wizards pay for what they did to this town. He felt his anger boiling up inside of him.
After their discussion, Saburo decided to let Naruto reside in his house due to his lack of money. Naruto tried to decline, but the man was insistent. Now, they walked in silence as they made their way to Saburo's house.
With his new understanding of the situation in Lupinus, Naruto now knew why the citizens were dreading tonight. He understood their clear mistrust of strangers and how they were reluctant to approach him earlier. It saddened him to think of a once lively town turn into this.
"The whole town will gather in the square tonight." Saburo informed him. "That is where they usually claim their tribute."
Naruto nodded. "Do the wizards make any appearances during the selection?"
"No, only the undead escort the person back into the forest." Saburo responded. "We only know they are mindless and obviously under the control of a wizard. So it is possible that the controller will be observing at a distance to make sure everything goes accordingly."
They continued in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Naruto could not think of any topic to start a small conversation. Saburo did not make any attempt in the matter. Naruto couldn't blame him. He obviously had other things to worry about.
After a few more minutes, they reached Saburo's house at the corner of the street, a simple two story high building with a small porch on the front. The sun was almost setting by the time they arrived. Naruto followed Saburo to the front door.
"I'm home," Saburo called out as he entered the house. Naruto followed behind him. He heard light footsteps from the second floor. A young boy, maybe eight years old, came running down the stairs to and met Saburo with a hug.
"Dad, you'll never guess what I found today!" The little boy said excitedly.
"And what is that, Lance?" Saburo asked curiously.
Lance stepped back from his father and whistled. "Toby, come here boy!"
Just then, Naruto could hear small barks coming from the living room. A small brown puppy with floppy ears and a short tail burst from the room and jumped into the boy's arms. The puppy began to lick the laughing boy's face. Naruto smiled at the sight.
Lance turned toward his father with hopeful eyes. "I found him wandering through the streets. He didn't have collar so that means he doesn't belong to anyone. Can I keep him?"
Saburo pondered at this for a moment. He fixed his son with a stern look. "It's a big responsibility."
"I'll take care of him!" Lance hastily reasoned. "I'll feed, walk, and clean up after him. Please."
He gazed up at his father with pleading eyes. The dog barked in agreement. Naruto just watched the communication between parent and child.
Then a young woman appeared from the kitchen. She was no doubt the other child of Saburo that Naruto saw from the photograph. Obviously a few years older, she wore an apron over her green blouse and shorts. The girl held a ladle in her left hand. She brightened as she spotted her father. Naruto couldn't help but admire her seemingly effortless beauty that she radiated.
"Dad, you're home early." She said. She came up and hugged her father. When she pulled away was when she took notice of Naruto.
"Who's your friend dad?" she asked.
Saburo slapped his forehead. "Of course, where are my manners?"
"Children, this is Naruto Uzumaki." He introduced. Naruto smiled and raised a hand in greeting. "Naruto, this is my daughter Alexa and my son Lance."
The dog barked excitedly. Saburo paused then added with a sigh. "And this is Toby, our dog."
Lance quickly turned to his father. "Does that mean I can keep him?"
Saburo smiled at him. "Yes, you can keep him."
Lance gave a whoop of triumph then carried Toby with him to the living room.
"So, Naruto what brings you to Lupinus? We rarely get visitors." Alexa said, striking up a conversation.
Naruto scratched his head. "I came hear for the job your dad requested from my guild."
The moment he said that, Naruto wished he hadn't. Alexa's face darkened. She gripped her ladle so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Naruto could sense the silent fury she felt and it was directed toward him for some reason.
"...Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." She said to no one in particular. She gave Naruto one last cold look. After that she swiftly left and headed back to the kitchen.
Naruto raised his eyebrows in confusion and Saburo gave him an apologetic smile. Afterwards, Saburo led Naruto upstairs to a spare bedroom he could use. The room was small and simple. Naruto placed his belongings on the bed and sat on the mattress.
"You'll have to forgive Alexa," Saburo spoke after a moment of silence. "She dislikes mages and other magic users."
"Why?" Naruto asked
Saburo sighed and sat down next to Naruto on the bed. "It's because of her mother."
Naruto frowned. "What happened?"
"She wasn't normally like this," Saburo explained. "Ever since the attacks, the people have been growing weary. And when the pact was made between the wizards everything got worse. Night after night, people left and never came back. I sent a scouting party to follow them into the forest after the choosing but they never returned.
"One night, a few months ago, as we gathered in the market square, we felt that hope was utterly gone. No more than half of us remained. No help was expected and we were prepared for the inevitable. The dead came and waited for a volunteer to speak up but no one did."
Saburo paused and took a deep breath. "That was when it happened. The spell caster must have been watching because he knew that there was no one volunteering. The dead surged forward to attack but then she volunteered…"
He began to choke up a little but continued somewhat. "I couldn't stop her…She insisted…I could've…My wife…"
Naruto awkwardly patted his back when he couldn't say anymore. He now understood the pain behind Saburo's family and the heavy burden he carried.
"So now she blames the mages who failed to take action and who could have saved her mother." Naruto guessed. "And that was when you sent the letter."
Saburo nodded. Now that Naruto thought about it, Alexa's behavior was understandable and expected.
Saburo stood. "I'll give you time to settle in. Dinner is in a few minutes."
Saburo left the room and left Naruto to his thoughts. Is this how it was like for the other families in Lupinus, afraid of the horrors when evening came and wishing that the sun would never set? Naruto thought about that little girl and her mother earlier today. He thought about Lance and how happy he was acquiring Toby. There were still children who knew very little about the world. He closed his eyes, mind churning about the three wizards who caused all of this grief.
He was in another place. He was lying on his chest with his hands stabbed into the ground by a black metal rod. A huge crater surrounded him. A man with orange hair and many piercings stood over him. He wore a black cloak with red cloud designs.
"Love is the reason why there is pain." He said. "When we lose someone precious to us, hate is born. Vengeance is the product of that hate and so death follows. But in death there is only more death. This will give rise to more pains. In this cursed world we live in is a cycle of hatred that will not cease. You and I seek the same thing that Jiraiya-sensei wanted. Let me ask you this: How will you confront this hatred in order to create peace?"
Naruto could not meet the man's eyes. He didn't know the answer to his question. It seemed like an impossible task to look for peace. But he couldn't give up because his teacher had left him the task to find the answer to bring about peace.
When Naruto opened his eyes as he heard Saburo calling him for dinner, he still couldn't think of an answer.
After dinner, Naruto headed upstairs to prepare his gear for his mission tonight. He was about to enter his room when he heard Toby barking in the other room with surprising insistently. Naruto opened the door to Lance's room to find it empty. Toby barked again and the sound came from the closet.
Naruto approached and opened the closet, finding Lance and Toby inside. "What are you guys doing in there?"
Lance looked down. "Hiding,"
"Hiding from what?" Naruto asked. He crouched down to be level with the boy.
"I don't know. I'm just…scared." Lance admitted.
Naruto could understand why. "Well, there's nothing wrong about that. But there are other ways to confront your fears you know."
Lance scrunched his eyebrows together. "Like what?"
"Well, you just did it. Admitting you're afraid." Naruto said. "That's good because if you know what you're afraid of, then you can overcome that fear and become stronger."
"Really?" Lance asked.
Naruto grinned at him and ruffled his hair. "Yep, and don't you forget it, dattebayo!"
Lance grinned and walked away from the closet. Toby quickly followed. Naruto stood and went to his room to prepare the things he might need for tonight because he had a feeling that it would be a long one.
Naruto stood among the citizens of Lupinus as they assembled in the town square. Families clung towards one another. The silence was heavy. He could practically hear the people's heartbeats and breaths. They waited for the inevitable.
Saburo, who stood next to Naruto, wrapped his arms around his two children. Lance looked up at Naruto and the blonde gave him a reassuring smile. The boy tried to smile back but failed.
Naruto did have a plan. If it worked, then he might just be able to end this tonight. Of course, he should consider the fact that he knew almost nothing about his enemies except for the one who controls the undead. The other two could be even more dangerous. He hoped that his strength was enough because if he failed, Naruto didn't want to think about what would happen.
He heard a twig snap in the forest. Rustling leaves and sounds of bodies approaching could be heard. The crowd tensed as the first body could be seen followed by two more. Gradually, more zombies could be seen approaching the square. Moving robotically and sluggish. In a few minutes they were surrounded by at least two hundred of the undead.
The zombies just stood there waiting. Naruto could see the multiple ways the undead have been killed. Some died by being stabbed, slit, beaten, and broken necks. Their decayed state ranged from dry bones to fresh kills. That sickened Naruto the most.
Heads of the people swiveled from side to side in anticipation. They were scared to death. They were waiting someone to volunteer but they didn't want to. They didn't want to lose another family member or friend. None of them wanted to be escorted into the woods where they know they will never come back. They just wanted this horrible nightmare to end.
A hand shot up from the crowd and a voice shouted. "I'll go!"
The people turned to look at the speaker. What they saw was a young blonde man moving through the crowd to face the zombies. They made way for him as he strode forward confidently. The citizens didn't understand one thing. The man was undoubtedly marching toward his death, so why was he smirking?