(6/21/18)
It's been a bit longer doing this chapter than I thought, but I was having a lot of my attention draw to rewriting one of my stalled stories (Blessing in Disguise) Regardless, here is the next chapter for everyone! And before anyone asks, no the lemon won't be for a few chapters still. I keep getting people asking when it's coming...but there's still a bit of plot and character development left to do before any of that happens!
(I don't own any part of Naruto or HOTD)
Chapter 6
Training and the Dead
Ooo
Ooo
Battle was joined. Living against dead. Steel against flesh.
Kurama gazed out, seeing the frantic fighting through Naruto's eyes. The great fox growled and settled down. His breath caused ripples to flow out over the thin layer of water that covered the floor. He disliked the cage. It was an uncomfortable reminder of his imprisonment.
Yet… at the moment it didn't concern him. No. What concerned him right now was shift he'd felt not more than a few seconds before. His fur rose as a shiver ran down his spine. "Grrr... What was that...?" His red eyes drew inward as he focused his mind outward, not through Naruto's eyes, but through the natural energy all around. What he found... surprised him. The mighty fox opened his eyes fractionally... "Yes... this is good..."
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Outside in the heat of combat Naruto was the first to feel it... a burst of strength that caused him to over compensate for Kubikiribōchō's weight. The massive blade dipped downwards cutting through three bodies before he righted himself. Ten feet away from him his clone felt it as a whiplash turning him into a plume of white smoke.
The memories rushed in but not the exhaustion. Naruto's eyes widened as his chakra surged, the unexpected shift throwing him off balance once more. The Executioner's blade flew from his hand and cut a swath through the dead before burying its self in the side of a building.
Naruto heard Saeko shout something and he turned... just in time to see her blade cut diagonally across the torso of her opponent. The zombie fell in two pieces, cleaved through. Blood splattered across the street in a crimson sheet.
Saeko looked up and caught his eye. She looked disbelieving. Naruto realized what had happened. The chakra enhanced steel had just become sharper. And that could only mean one thing...
Kurama's voice sounded in his ear. "Naruto... something has shifted... The balance has tipped slightly."
"Yeah! I felt it. Like..."
"Yes... I'm sending more chakra to you. Whatever happened I'm able to draw more freely from the nature energy around us. Still... don't be reckless."
"Don't need to tell me twice, but I think I can splurge a bit!"
Naruto grinned hugely and brought his hands together. In a flash of white smoke there were three more clones. They drew steel and charged into the mass of dead. Naruto held back and whipped out his quick use scroll. He opened it and pulled out a stack of shuriken.
He stowed the scroll and then began hurling the deadly stars with deadly velocity, sharpening each one with a hint of wind chakra. They zinged off, sometimes going through five or six enemies before imbedding themselves in the stone walls of nearby buildings. "This is more like it!"
Meanwhile, as Naruto was starting to desimate the zombie horde for a distance, Saeko was dancing through a whirling kada. She didn't feel the need for defense at all. The blade in her hands had become like a razor. It sheared though flesh and bone so easily that she had to compensate for the extreme ease of penetration.
She couldn't help but smile as yet another foe, a tall lanky man, lunged for her. She sidestepped and did a 720 spin. Her blade came around not once but three times, hacking him into fifths. It delighted her to be able to indulge in a slaughter... almost like video game in its ease. Her eyes caught Naruto as he flung four pronged ninja stars through the heads of his own enemies.
Her eyes widened as she saw three others, all dressed identically, slashing a bloody path through the dead. It was amazing to watch. The six foot blade of Kubikiribōchō took three of even four zombies in a single stroke. She turned back to her own slaughter and dashed forward to cleave another man in two, the riven pieces falling to either side.
"I... like..."
On Naruto's other side Saya stopped as she saw the blond lose his grip on his massive sword. It went flying though the hoard, cutting them to ribbons without even slowing. At the same time she experienced a... lightening. It was as though she'd just shrugged off a large backpack.
The sword in her hand felt lighter as she swung for the neck of the next walking corpse. She missed and the wide blade passed by one ear and out the other. The skull didn't seem to hinder its progress. Saya gaped at the blade and the zombie. It toppled to the ground, its brain exposed in gruesome detail. She felt the urge to wretch but forced it down.
Beside her Rei grinned, feeling her blood rising more than a little bit herself. "Nice one... remind me not to get in an arm wrestling match with you."
Saya didn't answer. Instead she stepped forward to decapitate another creature as it moved to attack Rei's unprotected back. Her eyes focused on it as it fell. Then her gaze snapped to the next target. Saya let instincts take over and flung herself at the next attacker.
Ooo
The bloody slaughter lasted nearly half an hour. With the additions of a few clones the speed with which Naruto decimated the ranks of the dead was astonishing. Despite that though… he was still tiring. He decided to let his clones take care of all the zombies they could find before dispersing.
Sealing away Kubikiribōchō he turned into the entrance of the apartment building. Behind him the group of survivors from the school filed towards him. No dead walked on the street around them now. Instead they lay strew about, some in piles, all across the street. Naruto grinned as Hisashi hurried the rest of them into the building. Not long after he was followed by Rei and Saya.
He nodded to Takashi who came in last. Takashi darted into the building as Naruto looked around… puzzled by something. It took a full minute before he realized that hadn't a certain had disappeared without a trace. Naruto cursed and shut the door, unsealing Kubikiribōchō again as he dashed out into the street.
He looked around, but saw no hint of dark blue hair. Taking a quick left he made another clone to go the other way. At the same time he gave his other clones the order to look for Saeko. She wasn't with the others.. and she…
Naruto received a burst of information from the clone he sent behind him. He whirled around and sprinted down the street. Turning the corner Naruto saw Saeko walking towards him. She was cleaning her blade with a piece of shirt. As he stopped she glanced up at him, her lips quirking upwards in a sly grin.
After a moment she dropped the shirt and sheathed the sword. He sighed as she paused in front of him. "Well Naruto-kun? Are the others inside yet?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I came out to look for you when I didn't see you." He sealed Kubikiribōchō and breathed out. "Gave me a bit of a scare. I thought I'd find you in the middle of another mass of those things."
She raised an eyebrow. "Actually I was just wasting time while the others went inside. I knew you would come back out to look for me."
Naruto didn't really know what to say to that. "Why?"
Saeko stepped in close. "Well… I knew that it would be crowded up there now. I wanted to speak to you alone for a moment."
Naruto hesitated. The blood that covered him and Saeko blocked out his sense of smell… but her face was flushed. And besides that… something in what she said struck a memory. He glanced away. "You aren't talking about the…"
"Yes… I am. I told you I would be honest with my feelings. And I wanted to speak to you alone. Rei would be in the way."
He took a step back. "Maybe we should go in? They're probably waiting for us…"
A hand stopped him, fingers curling around the neck of his shirt. Saeko shook her head once before she stepped in close again. She brought her face to his, inches apart and asked, "So you do not find me attractive? I thought you…?"
"It's not that! It's just that right now isn't the time!"
Saeko stopped him and used a finger to wipe a line of blood from his cheek. She smiled. "If not now then when? When Rei kisses you in front of everyone? Or when you decide you like one of the others better? I refuse to take that chance. I feel alive right now… Deal with it." She pushed forward and brushed his lips with her own.
Naruto's looked into her blue eyes and inhaled her scent. It was overpowering the gore that surrounded them. Then she twined her arms around his neck and kissed him, hungrily, pushing her tongue past and into his mouth. He felt blood being drawn in opposite directions. Some to his head… and the rest of it… lower. He couldn't help it. Only a second passed before his arms drew her in closer as he returned the kiss.
He closed his eyes, letting his hands wander where they would. Before he even realized it he was unconsciously drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra, causing the minor henge hiding some of his features to drop. He didn't notice. His hands were busy running up the small of her back scratching her through the shirt she wore.
Minutes passed before Saeko, desperate for air, broke the kiss and pulled back slightly. What she found saw was different than what it had been the last time she'd looks. Naruto's eyes had darkened to a hard blue a few shades darker than her own and his pupils had somehow thinned to slits. It gave him an incredibly exotic look. One that was only enhanced by his whisker marks, which had thickened as well. Then… as he drew in a breath… she saw long canines. She didn't know what to think. She stared at him for few seconds, trying to get her bearings.
"Naruto…what just happ..?!"
He cut her off, kissing her again. This time he deepened it almost immediately. It didn't take long for her to push thoughts of his new features to the back of her mind. She let her eyes drift closed as his hands… his fingers… slipped around her waist. Sharp points scrapped across her belly setting off a shudder. She shifted, trying to mold against him. He allowed her to move, but drew back slightly. His breath was ragged… matching her own now.
Naruto growled low in his throat. "Sorry… I can't control myself sometimes… You shouldn't set me off…"
Saeko leaned her forehead on his, meeting his eyes steadily. "I… didn't think you would be…"
"Forceful?"
She purred. "Aggressive…" Saeko caught her breath again. "Was that your first kiss?"
He chuckled. "Here I guess. I've had a few back in my world… so I suppose not."
"It was my first…. and second. Perhaps you'd be interested in a third?" She nuzzled him with her nose attempting to initiate another heated kiss. Naruto forced his heart to slow down. It was very hard with her still pressed against him. He wanted nothing more at the moment then to fulfill that request.
"The others will be waiting… We should go."
She brushed her fingers over his back, around his shoulders, and under his chin. "You sure? I could really do with another one. If you don't mind…"
Naruto let out a long sigh and gave in. If he was honest with himself he wanted to kiss her again anyway. Minds as well do it here… Their lips met again as he disengaged his body from hers. When they parted again her cheeks were a dark crimson and his nose was filled with the scent of arousal.
"Naruto… again please…?" Saeko all but clawed at his shirt, trying to drag him back. He let her. One hand slipped around to the back of her neck while the other fell to her side. She gasped at the sharp points, her eyes falling down to his hands. Naruto pulled her into him again, kissing her hard. His eyes closed even as her scent spiked. Her heart beat loud in his own ears synchronizing with his own.
He let his hands wander over her again, touching of little moans which threatened to break the kiss. Saeko squirmed, starting as she felt one claw drag slowly up the small of her back. She shivered and they parted.
Now reluctant Naruto stepped back. He really wanted to continue, but this wasn't the time or place to do it. Sakeo seemed to have come to the same conclusion as she glanced around. Somehow during their making out the lumbering footsteps of the dead had gone unnoticed. Naruto followed Saeko's gaze to where a dozen or so zombies shambled in their general direction. They hadn't been making quite enough noise for them to pinpoint their location, but they had heard none the less.
Saeko drew her blade and turned. It was at that moment that Naruto felt a burst of memories and emotions. He spun around to look behind him. Saeko was about to engage when he grabbed her by the shoulder. He turned her around. "Saeko one of my clones found two survivors. We need to hurry."
Her eyes flashed in recognition as he nodded to her sword. She quickly sheathed it and let him pick her up. He growled, "Hold on tight."
She grinned as he swiveled and sent chakra to his legs. A small crater appeared in the street as he launched himself down the road.
Ooo
Ooo
Rei glared across the room, eyes blazing with something akin to hate. Her hands gripped her blade with enough force to turn her knuckles white and her jaw was set hard, making her teeth ache.
Across the apartment was Shido. He spoke with Hisashi and a few others. As soon as he'd entered the apartment he'd started talking about responsibility, maturity, and leadership. His honeyed words were setting her on edge. Beside her on the couch Saya had a distasteful look on her face.
They both were agitated by Shido's manner. It was like he hadn't heard Naruto call him out. Either that or he was stupid enough to ignore the blond. Saya muttered, "Naruto's going to rip him a new one when he hears that Shido's trying to break away from the rest of us. Especially since he wants to drag Shizuka-sensei along.
Rei nodded curtly. But if Naruto didn't get back soon she would be the one dealing out punishment to the sly man.
Ooo
Shido gestured to the group as he spoke. "You see, I have just as much experience with disaster as anyone here. I can lead the way out of this situation safely and securely. He pushed his glasses up on his nose with one finger. "And I can do it much easier than someone who supposedly isn't even from here."
Hisashi's eyes narrowed. "Naruto is the only one with any experience in this sort of thing. He even has magic… or whatever he calls it. How can you say he can't protect us when he can make corporeal copies of himself?"
Shido smiled winningly. "Simple really. Naruto isn't one of us. He's not just a foreigner to this country. He's a foreigner to this world. We can't trust that he has our best interests at heart. He is probably going to leave us the first time it inconveniences him."
He turned around as if displaying the room to them. "Look around. He has no attachments to this place. Even the room where he's lived for the last how many months or years… and he has little if any connection. He has food and he has money and he doesn't seem to care for much of anything else."
Shizuka scratched her chin thoughtfully. "He seems to care for us. He wouldn't have rescued us if he didn't… I think."
Yamada looked around the room. He seemed hesitant. "I don't really feel safe around here. I mean, he did save us but is he even human? What if he's only got the form of a man… If he can make copies of himself.. maybe he can completely change the way he looks."
Shido nodded, building on Yamada's paranoid suggestion. "Exactly. We have no idea what his motivation for saving us is. For all we know he's planning on absorbing the life energy from our bodies. We don't know what is possible! And he's already shown us that he isn't afraid of slaughter..." He gestured to himself. "I wouldn't stand a chance against him. So why would I put myself at the mercy of something that might be as dangerous as the walking dead? That is why I'm urging all of you to leave with me while we have the chance."
Niki twiddled her fingers, obviously unsure about his reasoning. "But.. what about Saeko-sempai? She's still out there with him. If he is… a bad person… she'd be in danger."
Shido put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me. She has already become far too enamored of him. I doubt she would listen to reason even if we offered. Now we shoul…."
Shido was interrupted by Takashi. "So… This is what you call reason huh? You're being stupid right now. You keep trying to convince us to leave, but the only ones who would willingly follow you are the same people who can't defend themselves. You can't fight any better than me and I'm not even eighteen." They glanced at each other nervously as Takashi continued. "Naruto hasn't done anything to earn our distrust. I'm just glad that he was kind enough to help us. The fact that he isn't from this world should only prove that he's a good guy."
Hisashi agreed. "Naruto returned to save us… including you sensei. I think we should put a little faith in him. After all we might be struggling just to find food if it weren't for him. Seeing as all the stores are probably filled with them."
Yuuki bit her lip and glanced between Shido and the other two boys. "I like Naruto. He saved our lives back there. We would be dead…. I'm staying."
Yamada sighed. "I agree with Takashi and Hisashi-sempai. I'll trust Naruto as well.
A moment passed and Shizuka rubbed the back of her head. "I'm with Naruto… so I guess no one is leaving."
Shido hid his disappointment well. "Just remember what I said. Don't follow that boy blindly. I'll stay to make sure nothing bad happens."
Ooo
Saya leaned over slightly to whisper to Rei. "I think Shido is going to try to pull something. He obviously wants to split the group. We'll take turns keeping an eye on him."
Rei nodded fractionally. "I think you should suggest posting a guard… you know, for safety. That way Shido can't go sneaking around at night."
"We'll still have to watch him. You know the first thing he's going to do is volunteer."
Rei looked unsure for a moment. "I just wish Naruto would come back already. I feel a bit lost when he isn't here."
The pinket blinked. "You do realize just how sappy that just sounded? You're a total fangirl." Saya didn't mention that fact that she felt much safer herself with Naruto. But that was less having feelings for him and much more the fact that she'd seen him obliterate a horde of undead and barely break a sweat. Plus she was still very curious about what kind of powers she had.
And Naruto was the only one who could show her… unless there was somehow more of his kind stuck in their world. But from what he said, he could sense when someone had power and she was one of only two… Saya wondered absently who the second one was.
An itch around her eyes caused her to rub at them with the back of her hand. Rei glanced at her. "Something wrong with your eyes?"
Saya grimaced. "My contacts have something under them or something like that. I'll have to switch back to glasses pretty soon or I won't be able to see."
"You do have glasses with you… right?"
"Well duh! Of course I would bring my glasses with me. Contacts get damaged too easy and I don't have any lens solution in my locker at school."
Rei eyed her thoughtfully. "Naruto could probably get you some if you asked. He's resourceful like that."
One eyebrow rose. "Really? Of all the useful things I could ask him for I don't think I would choose that. It's not like I have replacement lenses with me either."
They sat for a moment, watching as the group around Shido dispersed. The man no longer looked smug, but his eyes were darting around with an intensity both girls found unnerving. Both wondered how long it would be before he tried to manipulate the situation again. As they watched he walked over to Shizuka.
"So… I heard that Naruto rented both of the top floors. What does he keep up there? Anything useful for when we get moving again?"
Shizuka put her finger to her chin. "Um….. yes, but he doesn't really like us going up there without him. Takashi cut his foot open the other day." She turned to look at Takashi. "Speaking of which… how is it today?"
"It's fine. The walk through the school hurt a bit but it's healing faster than I thought it would."
"That's good to hear." Shido smirked. "How were you injured? Did you get caught on a trap of some kind?"
Takashi shook his head. "Nah… just stepped on something sharp. Naruto kinda has a weapons obsession if you haven't noticed."
Shido's smile put foxes to shame. "I think I will check the upstairs then."
Rei was on her feet before she realized it, her blade in hand and aimed for Shido's throat. "Try it ass hole. I know what your game is. No one beside the original group goes upstairs until Naruto gets back. That goes triple for you."
He put his hands in the air. "My apologies, but what have I done to earn your ire?"
Her eyes dilated. "Wrong question dipshit. If I need to explain to you what you did then you're clearly too stupid to survive and need to be put out of our misery."
Shido looked down the blade at her. Sweat was beginning to break out on his brow. "O…okay. I understand. Uzumaki-kun's room is private. I won't go near it."
She drew back, sheathing the sword. "Just make sure to remember. I'm keeping an eye on you." Rei turned and fell back onto the couch cursing under her breath.
"Are you okay?" Saya nudged her with her elbow. "True that seemed a bit out of the blue, but you didn't have to nick his throat for it."
Rei didn't answer. Instead she crossed her arms. Just as she said, she kept her eyes pinned on Shido, her gaze explaining the situation for her. This world no longer had rules and she didn't have to put up with his presence if she didn't want to.
Ooo
Ooo
Naruto slashed opened the zombie seconds after it was about to bite into her throat. The creature reeled from the blow, but didn't die. It's head and brain were still intact and therefore.. it was still dangerous.
He darted forward and grabbed the girl. She was young and terrified. Naruto's eyes cast to the side where he already saw the corpse of her father. His clone had done all it could, but… like all things in life, accidents happened. His clone had been cutting through the column of zombies only to get grabbed around the legs by one that he assumed had been slain. And then as fast as he could react he was mobbed. He'd gone but sent his memories straight to the original…
Naruto was too late to save the older man. He was already starting to rise.
"Saeko! Take her! I'll finish these guys off!"
The blue haired Samurai dashed forward her, blade cutting through the air, taking heads as she went. Naruto gathered his chakra and turned to face the zombies. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" He pumped enough energy into the blast of wind to knock all the zombies flying away from Saeko's path. Then the girl was flung over her shoulder in a fireman's carry.
Saeko nodded to him. "Come back soon."
"Will do." He grinned back at her, still slightly worried. Saeko was certainly able to handle herself but it was just in his nature to worry about his friends. Naruto watched her take off in the direction of his apartment. He turned back to the dead.
A second later he was fishing out two long Katanas. Kubikiribōchō was just too heavy to sling around constantly when he could go for lighter blades. And besides… The thirsty weapon had feasted on far more blood than it had in years. Foul polluted blood to be sure… but to it blood was most defiantly blood.
Naruto felt the grips of his twin blades. After sleeping over with Tenten once, he'd picked up a bit of her obsession with weapons. That being said he was more of a blade man. Tenten on the other hand didn't care as long as it had a handle and could kill things. These two weapons were in fact gifts from Tenten. Both had dark orange sheaths, but as much as that made him admire them, it was their blades that were truly special. Marvels of craftsmanship each blade had been specially made to support as many seals as possible…
He grinned and sealed the sheathes away. Then he activated one of the many seals over the edges of the two swords. Naruto tossed the swords in the air… where they were caught by two clones. Naruto nodded to the clones to go all out. They didn't have a lot of chakra so they would make the most of it before dispelling.
Naruto turned and ran after Saeko, hearing his copies making hell behind him.
Ooo
Ooo
Saya rubbed at her eyes… again. Her vision was a lot more blurry than it usually was. "Damn contacts…" she muttered to herself. Glancing over to Rei she wasn't too surprised to see that her fellow survivor was glaring at Shido
"I wonder what the problem with those two is. Probably just some bad blood between the families. Her dad is a police officer if I remember correctly… and Shido's dad was notorious corrupt politician. Makes sense they wouldn't like each other, but her openly threatening to kill him is a bit much…"
Saya grumbled to herself and stood, heading to the bathroom. She'd told Rei that she had her glasses...and it was true, but she didn't actually have them "with" her. But it didn't matter, she was bound to be blind sooner or later. Hopefully they could stop by a store that sold used prescription eyeglasses and find a pair that worked…. Other wise she didn't know how she'd manage to keep up with everyone else.
She flicked on the lights to the bathroom and examined her blurry reflection in the mirror. Her pink hair was frazzled. No surprises there. Her face, already absent of makeup, was not looking well rested despite getting a full night's sleep. Other than that she still had some blood on her… well, more than some. A lot was a better description. But seeing how none of them had turned yet, she assumed that they couldn't get infected through skin contact with the infected.
That was good to know but she knew there were limits. If they somehow got blood in their eyes then whatever contagion might be absorbed through the permeable layer of skin under the eyelid…and the tear ducts. She didn't know whether it would hurt them to ingest the blood… There was a good chance it could… but you never could quite tell how these things worked. Certainly you'd be screwed if blood managed to get in an open cut or wound… It would be the same as being bitten.
So with all that in mind… they were in a pretty good position, as long as Naruto stayed in tip top shape. He could handle himself against anything it seemed. She wondered how useful she could be when she couldn't see ten feet in front of herself. "Not very threatening… that's for sure. Run! the blind girl with the pink hair is attacking. I'm more likely to get bitten trying to fight a stupid walking corpse. It'll be Scooby and the gang with me as Velma."
That thought did not appeal to her at all. Saya sighed and leaned forward and ran hot water. Then she used copious amount of soap to get the grime and blood off her hands. It required more time than she liked, but eventually… that part was mostly untainted. Leaning forward more she used one hand to open her eye wide and the other to pinch the contact out. It stung, causing her to curse under her breath.
She blinked several times and then moved to the other one. It hurt even worse, making it obvious why, since there were a few grains of dirt under it. "Hope I don't get an eye infection… I should probably ask Naruto if his… chakra can be used for healing too. That would be extremely useful."
Saya threw the used contacts away and stepped back. Her vision was still very blurry. She grumbled and rubbed at her eyes with both hands as she walked back into the other room.
A knock at the door caused her… and everyone else to tense. Saya heard the click of the door opening as she dropped her hands.
The door swung open wide to show Naruto, followed by Saeko… and a little girl. She looked seven or eight with big expressive eyes. The two older teens led her into the room where Naruto found himself accosted by Rei.
"My god! Where were you Naruto!?"
Saya watched them rolling her eyes as Rei's possessive behavior. The girl was just too much to handle sometimes… especially right at that moment. Her eyes turned to Saeko, who was looking noticeably smug about something.
A cough to her side alerted Saya to Kouta's presence. "What is it Chubby?"
He shrugged and held out a pair of glasses. "I figured that you'd taken your contacts since you were rubbing your eyes so much." Kouta scratched the back of his head nervously, "I kinda overheard you at school talking about you prescription with some of the other girls… They should be pretty close to yours… since we're both near-sighted.."
Saya took the proffered glasses and put them on. Instantly everything went hazy. She frowned and lifted the glasses slightly, looking over at Naruto, who was enlisting the aid of Saeko to pry Rei off him. She lowered the glasses and they faded into indistinct blobs.
She frowned. "Okay… So that's weird. I'm seeing fine without his glasses… and I'm seeing better than I was with the contacts in. What the hell?"
Across the room Rei latched onto Naruto only to find herself hugging the little girl tightly. "Huh?!"
Naruto smirked after switching with the little girl by their side and looked around the room. Shido was in one corner… sulking. Hisashi, Yuki, and Niki were sitting on the floor playing cards. Takiashi leaned against one wall… and Saya…
Saya was staring at him with the oddest expression he'd seen on her. It was a combination of surprise, suspicion, and… enjoyment?
"Something funny Saya-chan?"
She walked over to him and waited a moment while Rei finished being introduced to Alice. Her eyes turned on him. "Not funny, but it seems I no longer need glasses. Care to explain?"
"Um… I take it you were wearing contacts or something?"
She nodded.
He shrugged in much the same way as Kouta. "Honestly I can't really say what it would be like to suddenly have usable levels of chakra. I've always had too much. Even as weakened as I've been in this world I still have more chakra then some back home. I have to be a lot more careful but still…"
Naruto tried to sense her presence using the Kyuubi's chakra. He had a fuzzy feel for her. His sense of smell told him more about her emotions and such, but he wasn't like Kiba. He couldn't smell chakra. He reached out and touched her shoulder. A twinge of familiarity washed over him. He smiled at the feel of real chakra from another person. But some reason… it felt as though her chakra was familiar in more than one way. He pushed it aside and reached through her body, using his own chakra as a second set of eyes.
No one would have been able to do this back home… but he'd developed amazing chakra control over his time spent here. Sensing the peculiarities in other's chakra was easy.
Naruto concentrated but couldn't really find anything wrong…. except… not exactly right. Her reserves were already much larger than they had been. "But that could have been connected to the surge of energy I felt earlier. Or it might have to do with something else. I still have no clue how she managed to get chakra. Since she has chakra coils it's obvious that it's genetic, but no one else has chakra. No chakra network or anything, so…what?"
He was puzzled. Could this world have some sort of link to his? If it did then he would have to investigate what such a connection could mean, and how it was made. "Assuming that she has Chakra coils because it was passed down in her family. And further assuming that her family has them because of a connection to my world, then that could mean that she is descended from a Shinobi… Maybe, even someone who was trapped here like I am?"
This was something he would have to talk to her parents about, seeing how she would have told him if she knew anything about her innate power.
"It's a bit strange. You're stronger than you should be at this time. You only just started feeling your chakra, but your reserves have already increased. Even though you don't have a fraction of what you would if you had trained from an early age." He released her shoulder. "As for why your eyesight improved, who knows? I'm not a medical specialist. My friend Sakura could probably tell you exactly what happened but she obviously isn't available."
"What's your best guess?"
"Best guess? I'd say your eyesight improved because of your increased chakra. If I circulate chakra throughout my body I could take a bullet point blank and it would just bounce off. So it might have helped repair any damage to your eyes… or merely acting as some random ability. Lots of people I know back home had special talents that no one else had."
He didn't mention that ocular abilities of any kind were exceedingly rare, but more than likely it was just her body adapting to the increase of chakra. She wouldn't be as frail or slow. Perhaps this was just another benefit? After all… how many ninja did he know who really needed glasses? The Kabuto freak, but he was stupidly near sighted.
And then there was Karin. She had awful eyesight, which was strange since she was an Uzumaki. Shino and his clan didn't count. They weren't blind. It was just that their natural eye color was a closely guarded secret.
Saya seemed to accept this readily enough. "So you're saying my chakra is strengthening my body and improving my eyesight as a part of that. Does that mean that anyone who had some kind of physical defect would be improved by using chakra?"
"Um…" He scratched his head thoughtfully. "I could assume that chakra acts as a sort of upgrade for anyone who didn't use it… but you're a pretty special case. There are like no people in this world that have chakra networks so using chakra is impossible for most people."
"Okay… Are you going to be training me soon?"
Naruto shrugged. "I can show you the chakra control exercises and then you can improve on your own. But since we need to find a good base of operations first, we'll probably be traveling around for a little while until we find the ideal place."
He turned to Saeko and Rei. "Anyway, could you two come up and help me pack up my stuff up stairs. I'll leave the food and other stuff unpacked until we leave but I need to stow all the unnecessary stuff."
Rei and Saeko nodded smiling. Naruto turned back to Says. "Would you mind keeping an eye on Alice here? Her father didn't make it so she needs someone who can help her with it… I'm not exactly good at comforting little kids since I was already training to kill at her age."
Saya quirked an eyebrow and nodded. " I'll handle it. But I want to start learning how to use my abilities tonight." She bowed down, looking the little girl in the eyes. "Okay little one. You can come and sit with me." Alice smiled just a bit and followed Saya over to the couch.
Naruto mentally sighed and glanced over to where Shido was giving him a dirty look. He met the gaze steadily and leaked a fraction of his killing intent, making Shido go stiff.
"Was that necessary?"
"Not really, but he didn't like me even back at school, and I can tell that he's going to try and cause trouble again. He reminds me of Kabuto a bit… and I really don't like being reminded of that four eyed freak."
"Neither do I, but he does have some pull with the others. You may want to either cow him completely or throw him out on his ass."
"You have no idea how tempting that is… but not right now."
Naruto moved to the back of the room, waving to Hisashi, Yuki and Niki as he did so. Yuki and Hisashi nodded back. He stopped at the elevator door and ran the card over the scanner causing them to open. He stepped in with the two girls with him and pressed the button for the top floor. He contemplated how big their group had grown. He had a lot of supplies, but for a group of twelve… it wouldn't last too long. And ramen wasn't the healthiest thing to eat. The first thing he needed to do was take some of his storage scrolls to a market and stock up.
With how fast the shit hit the fan he doubted if the stores were cleaned out, but he'd need to go fairly quick. The next day, or the day after for sure. Then they would be well served to get going. And he could put Saya through her paces. She seemed as determined as he had been to learn. She'd need that will to master any techniques in this place.
Naruto pondered how he would be able to support the whole group enough with only himself and later with Saya. They did alright in the school and getting into the apartment, yet he knew better than anyone that luck could run out quick. One day you're on top of the world and the next everything is turning against you.
It would only take one mistake to put their whole group in danger.
And it didn't take into account that the horde he'd destroyed outside the apartment had been tiny in comparison to the local population. If there was a significant group of dead he wouldn't be able to take it. Not even with help. A hundred zombies he could deal with given enough time. Two-hundred… sure, but it would take even longer. A thousand… Two-thousand? Two hundred thousand?
He'd be struggling to keep from exhausting himself and the others would be in an even worse situation. It wasn't as if Saeko or Takashi were weak. It was simply that numbers often made the difference.
He glanced at Saeko. She was as strong as they came in this world. He could show her some of his Kenjutsu techniques while they traveled. Rei… needed to put up the spear. Such a weapon wasn't effective against the undead. She would have to start using swords primarily. Either that or fire arms.
"What are you thinking about Naruto-kun?" Rei asked as the doors to the top floor opened.
He sighed and stepped out. "I was wondering how only two chakra users could get ten people though highly populated areas in Japan. I mean this whole country is filled with highly density populations. This town alone has thousands of people. If there was a big disturbance then it's possible that the majority of the people could be concentrated in one place. At full strength a few thousand zombies would be a piece of cake. Right now though…"
Saeko looked slightly curious. "So you think you can train Saya to the point where she is as strong as you?"
"At least here. She isn't badly affected by this world's… problems as I am. I'd bet it's because she was born here."
Rei tilted her head to the side, frowning ever so slightly. "So she could be as strong as you…quickly?"
He chuckled and moved to the center of the room, pulling out two of his larger storage scrolls. "I never said it would be quick. That really depends on her. If she has natural talent and practices enough she could advance pretty fast. I'm sure she couldn't beat me as far as skill goes, but as long as she isn't being handicapped like I am, she could have more chakra at her disposal than me. That of course means that I could teach her some of the more destructive jutsu that I can't use yet."
Saeko and Rei shared a look but didn't say anything.
He didn't notice it and continued on. "I'll have a problem figuring out what element is her specialty, but if we're lucky she is a wind or lightning user. I'm pretty awesome with wind style and I'm decent with lightning." Naruto opened his storage scroll as Saeko and Rei stopped behind him. "Okay, pass me stuff as I point it out. I'll seal each thing one at a time."
Rei glanced around the room. "This could take a while." She sounded a bit put upon.
Saeko shrugged. "What's first Naruto-kun?"
He pointed to the table stacked with weapons. "The Kukri first, then the Sai and the Katanas. Be careful. Most of those are from my world. They're a bit sharper than they you're used to ."
Saeko smiled at that as she retrieved the correct blades. Rei stood by waiting. "What did you want me to do while she's handing you stuff?"
"Uh… you can stack those shuriken in rows of ten for me and then… actually I need to keep the Fuinjutsu equipment out so we can go shopping tomorrow. I guess you could start bringing the guns and ammo over here. I'll need to apply new seals to my main storage scrolls first."
Rei nodded and turned to the opposite side of the room. Naruto took the first weapon from Saeko and placed it on the scroll, sealing it with a puff of smoke. "This is going to take a while, but it needs done. Should be finished in an hour or so with the stuff that already has seals."
"You should have taken care of this a while ago."
"I know, I know, don't give me any hassles about it. You know I couldn't have expected any of this!"
"Then may I ask about something?"
"Huh? What?"
"What are your intentions regarding the sword maiden? She has made her own intentions clear and you did respond favorably to her… Didn't think you would do that."
"I… I couldn't really help it." Naruto didn't like to admit it, but he was a weak to the opposite sex. Maybe not as much as Jiraiya or Kakashi, but wasn't necessarily easy to resist when someone was actually coming on to him.
"Hmph! You are a pathetic as your father! My previous container had him wrapped around her finger too. Are you going to be mating with her while all this is going on? I wouldn't advise it. Such attachments will just weaken you."
"They're already sleeping with me… sort of."
"Like that is any excuse. If they were the Haruno girl you would be sleeping on the couch."
"True.. but… I mean, I like Saeko-chan. She's…"
"Attractive… I noticed. For a human she is quite appealing. And if I'm not mistaken your connection to me… and your Uzumaki heritage is making you rather susceptible to her charms. Not to mention you have always been weak for violent women."
"Hey!"
"Is it not the truth?"
Naruto paused in his sealing, an annoyed expression crossing his face. "Okay…what are you getting at? I'm not going to do anything stupid, but what does it matter if I choose to do something with Saeko?!"
"For starters it will cause a divide between you and the other vixen. Must I remind you how jealous females can be? Do you not recall how the pink haired one and the mind reader from Konoha used to act around the Uchiha?"
"I guess I understand, but do you really think It will be a…"
The Kyuubi sighed. "I am not telling you to do anything. I was merely pointing out that having a relationship in the middle on an apocalypse is asking for trouble. And it will taint your decisions in their favor."The fox shifted in the back of his mind and growled. "Take both of them for all I care, but don't get me killed and don't complain when something happens to them. They are weak after all."
"Thanks…I guess."
"Just let me sleep. I need to replenish my energy after your excess rescuing the child."
"Sure thing Kyuubi." He shook his head and started sealing again, taking the sword proffered by Saeko. His nose picked up the faint scent of her arousal again. It made his cheeks flush slightly. "Damn my nose… and what did he even mean by my Uzumaki heritage?"
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And that's a wrap. I hope that everyone liked this chapter, and how I've rectified the problem with Alice. So you don't have to worry about her biting the proverbial dust!
Just remember to review or a zombie might get a little snack later on. You know...it is a apocalypse fic after all...