Co-Author's Note – Hey there! I'm CruelRuin, one of the two guys who writes this fic. So, today I'm here to address a few review questions
ZairiX – yes, Shukaku will most definitely have a big role in the story.
Blackmoon FierceGods – Not very powerful. Nothing compared to Naruto, really. He'll max to max be as good as a high level Jonin like kakashi.
Guest – We actually plan to finish this story, and trust me, we don't go back on our words, Believe it!
Remnant of the fox – Chapter 4
Speed.
Speed, was something that Takashi really liked. In fact, the first application he ever used his chakra for, as a kid, was to run faster, to jump higher and to react faster. He had mastered chakra reinforcement before he could even start with chakra channeling exercises like tree climbing and water-walking.
He enjoyed riding bikes too, more than most cars, really. The feel of wind hitting his face could never be substituted by the sense of security and comfort a car gave. After all, what's the fun in pushing something to the limits and beyond if no danger is involved?
Which is why Takashi found it weird that he was actually enjoying the ride is Tohno's car. Guess good money really could buy you thrills. Hearing the cool, pre-dawn wind whittle through the open window and feeling it hit his face, Takashi could almost forget about the dire situation he was currently in. Like it or not, he couldn't shake his feelings of concern for his parents.
After all, they didn't have as much chakra or as good control as him.
Chakra was rare among humans. And while tales spoke of a time when each and every human could easily harness chakra, Takashi found it hard to believe. Especially once he looked at his family.
The Uzumaki prided themselves over the fact that they birthed the most amount of kids that could use chakra. And that Number itself was nothing much to speak of.
One kid capable of producing and using chakra every three or four generations? What a joke. He could never understand why his family could hold pride in something so insubstantial.
He remembered how strict his parents were in his training. How much money they spent on his tutors. Even though Takashi destroyed his tutors faster than they expected, his parents would always find more.
Hell, it took twelve years and the re-discovery of a legendary swordsman's technique in order for him to get his parents to back off. While they had inadvertently made him much stronger and smarter, in their enthusiasm for seeing his growth, they completely ignored his Jutsu training.
Luckily, that gap was filled up by Kurama, his foxy companion. While Takashi's own rudimentary chakra was barely enough for him to do most low level Jutsu half a dozen times, with Kurama's chakra, he could even the odds against even the strongest of foes.
His mind was slowly slipping back towards the days of his childhood, when he used to train in the Uzumaki compound, instructed by Kurama.
Suddenly, he heard a high caliber shot ring out.
He quickly turned his head towards Tohno, who nodded in confirmation. He heard it too. He swerved his car around a corner as the two shinobi drove towards the origin of the sound.
Hisashi was trembling.
Was.
Now, his body was moving on its own.
The last thing he remembered seeing was the little girl's father die. The last thing he remembered hearing was Kohta's rifle fire. The last thing he remembered feeling was the numbness of his tightly clenched hand.
Rei stood in front of him, her mouth was moving, but no sound made it to Hisashi as he vaulted over the stairs, grabbing a baseball bat and the crossbow found in Shizuka-sensei's friend's house. Said house was currently abuzz with activity. The girls sure acted fast.
As Hisashi crossed the gate, he realized how vulnerable he currently was, alone in a street filled with the living dead. At a time like this, Hisashi wished he had his best friend around to watch his back.
Not that he deserved a friend as good as Takashi. He couldn't even deny the fact that he had his eyes on Rei much before she broke up with Takashi. He was simply waiting for his chance, and when he got it, he made damn sure he took it.
Takashi's loss was his gain, sure. But things didn't go so smoothly with his best friend. First, Hisashi thought that Takashi had simply lost the will to live. But he hadn't. Instead, he completely ditched Hisashi, Rei, and Saya, choosing instead to bunk classes with that dud Morita.
As Hisashi climbed over the wall that separated him from the little girl, he wondered why he was risking his life to save the little kid. That wasn't the kind of thing he would do. He was a logical man. Why was he acting so much like Takashi then?
As he bashed the undead in front of the girl with his bat, he realized that in his own way, he was trying to fill in the hole that Takashi's absence had left in the group.
As he picked up the little girl, consoling her, he realized that he had just made a grave mistake. He told the girls to provide covering fire, not to clear him a return path. And if he shouted out orders now, the undead would be upon him before the girls could even get to the Humvee.
In other words, he was screwed.
It was then that he heard screeching tires from the end of the lane he was in. A car stopped there and its doors opened.
As Hisashi saw who stepped out of the car, he gasped.
Maybe there was still some hope for him.
Rei couldn't believe it. While Saya had told her that Takashi was travelling with a teacher, she never thought he'd make it through the first day. He was too brash, too trusting, and too loud.
Yet, Standing in front of the car was Takashi, his facial expression unreadable in the darkness. But Rei, being his childhood friend, could tell that something was off.
This was not the Takashi she knew.
In place of the cheery, energetic boy she knew, stood a man who exuded quiet confidence. As she looked on, she saw him draw a sword out of nowhere. The stance he took with his sword extended was next to perfect. There were simply no openings. He then turned his head, looking directly at her.
By all means, in such darkness, it should have been impossible for Takashi to spot her in the balcony. But she could swear to god that he did. He locked eyes with her for a moment, then moved on to Saeko and Kohta.
It was then that Rei looked away, realizing that Hisashi had gotten himself stuck in a very dangerous situation. She reacted almost instantly, running for the Humvee parked in the garage. As she got to it, Saeko and Shizuka right behind her, she saw the other man with Takashi leap over the Gate of the house. Before Rei could react, he held out a hand to stop them.
"Ladies, it would be unwise to attract the attention of the undead right now, especially when Takashi and Hisashi are out there. Now. If I were you, I'd just sit tight and watch the show."
Rei Blanched, stopping in her tracks. Instead, she decided to follow the man's advice and simply watch.
They say that a true shinobi could walk through an alert crowd without being seen or heard a single time. The ability to hold one's breath, killer intent and noise at bay made for a more dangerous shinobi than the ability to spam jutsu.
Kit, are you really going to save the teme?
Takashi simply nodded, letting his thoughts do the talking. He still believed that he owed Hisashi one. While Hisashi had technically stolen the girl he loved, he had also been a good friend all through Takashi's school life. And for that, he deserved to live, if only a while longer.
You Uzumakis and your habit of protecting any and every one you meet. I swear, Takashi. If your stupidity won't be the death of you, nothing else will be.
Takashi chuckled once before raising his sword. If he was to do what he planned, he'd have to be fast, efficient, and silent.
And as a Ninja, he felt that he simply couldn't bear to disappoint Kurama with his skills.
Sword held low, Takashi took one deep breath.
And then, he charged.
Saeko was stunned.
She had just seen the boy named Takashi completely erase his presence. Saeko was a fighter, and hence knew that the intent to kill, maim, or even fight, was necessary in order for a warrior to correctly wield his sword against an opponent, dead or living.
What she saw in front of her, then, conflicted against everything she knew. Takashi was gracefully slipping through the undead at speeds she could barely follow. His sword was in constant motion. Spurts of blood erupted from the neck of each undead he would pass. She looked at his feet and saw that he moved like a dancer, each step perfectly calculated. As she watched Takashi gracefully cut through the group of two dozen undead, she realized that she was, for lack of a better word, mesmerized by the warrior's skill.
As Takashi finished his waltz of death, he appeared out on the other side of the horde. Saeko took in his appearance once again.
His clothes were completely sprayed with blood. His hair was matted down by it. His eyes were closed, but there was not a single speck of it on his blade. It was almost as if he was so fast that the blood could simply not stick to his sword.
As he re-sheathed his sword, Saeko noticed his presence return, heavier than ever.
And she felt it, a feeling that she believed was gone. Something that she had come to both love and hate.
She felt bloodlust, her bloodlust.
Let it be known that Saeko Busujima had two weaknesses, hot guys and formidable warriors.
And it didn't really help that the man on the other side of the gate was both.
Hisashi scrambled to his feet. In the minute it had taken Takashi to end the entire group of undead. One of them had snuck up to Hisashi. In his hurry to scramble away, he dropped his bat. His crossbow was worthless at short range. As he felt his back hit the wall, he felt something hard press into it.
Realizing what the item was, Hisashi waited. And as soon as the undead lunged, he drew the weapon.
Only for the Undead to lose its head even before it reached him. He kunai in Hisashi's hand met only Air as it fumbled from his grip and flew into the waiting hand of his best friend.
"Thank you for returning what is rightfully mine, Hisashi. I see you aren't in the habit of stealing what rightfully belongs to someone else. That's good."
As Hisashi focused, he saw his best friend, bloodied, unrecognizable. Not because of any physical changes, but because of how different he felt.
In front of him stood a killer, cold blooded and ruthless.
"Well then, Hisashi. Isn't it time I met the rest of the group?"
Hisashi gulped as he heard Takashi speak. As he looked at his best friend's face, he could have sworn he saw Takashi's eyes change into red slits.
Hisashi gulped. This wasn't how he wanted his reunion with his friend to be.
Not even close.