Poison Spiral

by Evil Riggs

Later in life, Naruto Uzumaki is deployed to a distant industrial town on cryptic orders. In a city torn between warring clans and rotten with secrets, Naruto slowly finds himself coming unraveled. For those who like a bit of noir with your ninjutsu. Conceived of before—and does not follow—the series' canon ending. Rated M for blood, sweat, tears, and other precious bodily fluids.

15. 15

15

How the stranger doesn't see it comin', Daigo can't even begin to guess.

Snarling and snapping like a rabid coyote, Ichikawa lets his undamaged hand fall to his side—and to the extra handgun strapped to his belt. His unsure fingers slide about its grip.

Daigo wonders if he should call out.

Abruptly, Hiroshi shouts, shudders, and attempts to throw a punch at his blonde tormentor. All eyes turn to follow the stranger-double as he twists about Hiroshi and puts him in an awkward headlock. Daigo hears dueling sets of growled, incomprehensible swearing.

Ichikawa draws.

Attention solidly on the fracas with Hiroshi, the double facing down Ichikawa has no time to react. The bullet takes him square in the forehead.

A miniature explosion rumbles over the pines. A gust of steam and smoke erupts across the yard. Where once the stranger's double stood is only rapidly dispersing vapor.

The stranger-double standing next to Ken goggles, as if he can't quite believe what just happened. He plants a heel, clearly meaning to take off at a sprint.

Behind him, Ken coughs and gags, "Yeah, boss! Get them bitches! I'm comin'!" He attempts to rise, lurching upward like an old man. Ken makes it no more than halfway before pitching face-first toward the hardpan.

The scattergun tilts backward even as Ken pitches forward. His thumb hooks down against the trigger. A brutal roar. Half of Ken's face shears off in a spray of pink and red. An eyeball goes soaring like a grisly party favor. Teeth and chunks of shattered jawbone hail across the yard.

On the doorstep, Daigo feels his extremities go numb.

Completely ignoring Ken's abrupt death, Ichikawa whips about and points his pistol at the stranger-double restraining Hiroshi. It takes a moment, but what's really about to happen finally dawns on the man. He flails an arm and sputters wetly.

"No no no wait please wait—"

In the fraction of a second it takes for Ichikawa to pull the trigger, the stranger departs in a series of soaring jumps. Two slugs meant for the traveler instead strike Hiroshi full in the chest, spinning him about like a top-heavy bottle. The bandit is dead before he hits the dirt. Another patch of yard grows brick-red.

As if let off a leash, the double standing next to Ken's corpse dashes hard at Ichikawa. An enraged howl follows him like a banner. Ichikawa whirls and fires. Even with a bum shootin' hand, one of the two shots slices through the double's shoulder.

A sound of thunder. Ashen fog billows. A brimstone reek sweeps outward. There follows an immaculate silence.