Vampiric Warning's
I don't own anything except my own OC's and concepts: All other content goes to their proper owners.
Oda surveyed the shinobi as they wolfed down their food. Internally, he and Tazuna were thankful Gato had been shipping in more food. At the rate they were going, they would have starved the entire island. However, while the bridge builder was impatient for the news, Oda had to silently check him. As the old men slowly ate themselves, the grizzled grump finally snapped at the lack of news.
"Well? How'd that super important mission of yours go?" Tazuna asked.
"Let them eat, Tazuna. From my experience, warriors aren't fans of empty stomachs." Oda answered simply before sipping some of his morning Oolong tea.
Nodding, Naruto and Sasuke each struggled to swallow a huge bite of food so that he could speak, immediately realizing that was a mistake when they finally got it to go down. "I'm not pooping tonight…" The blonde shinobi mournfully admitted as Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"I told you to take smaller bites, Naruto. You too, Sasuke-kun." Sakura chided the boys like a mother hen.
"Heh. Amateurs." Zabuza muttered, before successfully pulling off the maneuver attempted by his younger imitators.
"I'm surrounded by idiots." Haku muttered.
"Welcome to the club." Kakashi muttered back.
"I will gut you like a fish, cyclops! Hey that's my line! Shut up!" Zabuza, Naruto, and Sasuke bickered in unison.
"Guys… please. Tell us how it went. My heart and brain can't take this suspense anymore." Tazuna sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Time for me to be the only adult in this room." Kakashi sighed.
"At least I don't read porn." Zabuza shot out.
"It's called literature of culture. Get your terms straight." Kakashi said in a deadpan fashion as he wiped his lips with his napkin.
"Proceed when you are ready, Kakashi. Ease my junior compatriot's nerves." Oda dryly said.
"Stupid damn seaheart genetics…" Tazuna grumbled.
"Watch your profanity. There are children present." Oda answered before having his cup refilled by Tsunami.
"Yeah, grandpa! Watch your language!" Inari chided his grandfather.
"Fine…" Tazuna grumbled again, going back to his meal.
"Proceed Kakashi." Oda ordered mildly, sipping his tea, and settling into an attentive, almost thinking posture.
"Well, the good news is we managed to collapse the tunnels and only created a new bay for a port." Kakashi admitted.
"Planning for the future. I approve." Oda said with a small smile.
"I'll admit that things were a bit touch and go for a bit. Partially due to a mistake on my part…" Sasuke admitted reluctantly.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Sasuke-kun. I'm sure it wasn't that bad…" Tsuami tried to say before Oda cut her off.
"Define touch and go, child?" Oda asked sternly, his stern gaze looking at Sasuke as if he was trying to bore into his very soul.
Sasuke sighed a bit. "I… may have accidentally stepped on a wolf's tail and it alerted them all to the fact that we were down there. Luckily, we managed to finish planting the explosives, get out safely, and set them off partially thanks to Naruto's garlic bombs." He explained.
"Told you they were a good idea. And you all doubted my genius!" Naruto yelled, pointing fingers at everyone, except Oda when his gaze shot at him.
"Well, I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while..." Sasuke replied.
"Hold still and I'll find two more!" Naruto snapped at his teammate, putting his fist up threateningly.
"Enough." Oda sternly said, and the room fell silent, "Were there any connecting tunnels to any of your sectors that led elsewhere?"
"We didn't see any after combing through those tunnels. If there were, they would've been so well hidden or hidden in a way that no shinobi could find them." Zabuza explained.
"That's what I am afraid of." Oda said mirthfully, "I am not denigrating your achievement yesterday. For newly minted vampire hunters, you all have done exceptional work. However, to truly cleanse an area of vampiric infestation, especially one a thousand years deep… I fear we haven't culled them enough before the real test before us."
"Then we should probably prepare for potential retaliation." Kakashi noted.
"Indeed." Oda said as he laid back a bit.
Before anyone could continue, Zori rushed in through the front door, forcing it open with the speed of a thunderclap. Placing his hands on his knees in exhaustion, they saw streams of sweat soaking his outfit and down his neck. His sword, hastily clasped to his belt, was covered in a familiar black, decaying blood. He then slowly straightened himself as he began to speak slowly due to his heavy panting.
"Oda-sama… I have news that is imperative to receive your attention." Zori said through his pants.
"You have the floor then. Speak." Oda said, waving his hand in a regal fashion to provide said permission.
"Since last night, our patrols have been bracketed by waves of ghoul attacks. They have even been attacking us during the day. I'd have gotten here sooner, but I was ambushed by ghouls, wolves, and bats on the way here…" Zori explained tiredly, leaving Oda horrified.
"This kind of escalation? Into the daytime? The wolves I can see, but ghouls and bats? They detest sunlight. Are they still happening now?" Oda asked.
"Yes, sir. Across the whole frontline." Zori answered him bluntly.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Haku. Reinforce the frontline and scour any and all forces you find." Oda ordered, looking at the junior members of his party.
"We're on it." Sasuke replied with a nod, finishing his breakfast.
"Leave it to us!" Naruto agreed, finishing his as well.
"We won't let you down." Sakura affirmed with a nod, finishing her tea.
"As you wish, Oda-sama." Haku replied with a bow, finishing his own tea as the four stood up and left.
At that the four rushed out, practically disappearing into thin air. The non-warrior family were startled. Despite having had shinobi in their home for over a month, it wasn't easy to get used to. However, this distraction gave Zori enough time to catch his breath and reached into his pack to pull out a somewhat bloodied scroll.
"We found this on one of the bats after we killed it. It's some kind of letter addressed to you, Oda-sama." Zori explained.
"A letter addressed to me? Hand it over." Oda inquired, before receiving it from the Ronin.
None of the adults spoke while the ancient king read the letter. Zori was served refreshments from Tsunami, even if it felt weird to her. Zori politely accepted as he ate and drank, not having gotten that yet today. Oda's expression was to begin with dour, but it turned to a sickeningly worried one after reading.
"The wait is over… Retaliation has come…" Oda said, hints of fear cracking into his normally confident voice.
"That can't be good…" Zabuza commented in concern.
"What's wrong, Oda-sama?" Kakashi asked, a bit concerned himself.
"It's a letter from Targos. Outlining his intentions. Needless to say, he'll be coming to settle the score." Oda solemnly said, putting the letter down.
"I was right. This isn't good." Zabuza replied, his concern growing.
"We need to ramp up preparing the village for attack and get mobilizing a militia to bolster our numbers." Oda explained simply.
"Do you want me to let my boss and the boys know?" Zori asked.
"Please do so once you're finished eating. Kakashi, Zabuza, help Zori in moblizing and organizing the defense on the ground. Tazuna, make sure the barricades and defenses will hold as well as possible. I want as many traps set up as possible." Oda said, looking at each man as he gave them their instructions.
"Leave it to me!" Tazuna replied.
"Yes sir." Zori answered, bowing his head quickly.
"We're on it!" Zabuza responded, finishing up his food and getting up to go.
"We'll get it done." Kakashi agreed, finishing his tea.
As swiftly as the genin, the two veteran shinobi disappeared, startling Zori. It even made him spill his tea, much to his annoyance. Once he finished swiftly he left with Tazuna. As Inari and Tsunami cleaned up the mess, Oda sat in silence. This had thrown him off his game plan considerably. It was all moving far too fast for his liking. He was loath to admit it, but Targos had outplayed him with this bold maneuver. The only question was how to counter it.
Later that night
Naruto yawned annoyedly as he slowly got up. He hated getting up at night because of his body. He wasn't one to admit it, fearing what his team would say, but it did bother him a lot. Figuring a good pace like always would help him go back to sleep, he quietly made his way out, trying not to disturb Sasuke, Haku, Sakura and Inari. After he silently closed the door, he was thankful the old man didn't have chirping board floors. Old man Hiruzen had those, and trying to practice steal on those were honestly impossible. Turning to the main room however, he saw a ray of moonlight coming in.
'Who left the door open. I swear, if duck butt did it again, I'm gonna smack him one.' Naruto thought with a soft growl as he went to go close the perceived opening.
As he got closer however, he saw a shadow in the moonlight. A large shadow. Finally in proper view, the towering form of Oda sat gazing up at the moon motionless, as if he were a stone statue in its eternal vigil. He was so entranced, Naruto practically walked up to him and had to tap on his shoulder for him to notice.
"N-Naruto… what are you doing up at this horrid bewitching hour?" Oda asked off kilter after being startled, snapping his upper half around to look at his smaller comrade.
"Is everything okay, old man? You look like something is really bothering you…" Naruto asked, concerned for his older, taller lookalike.
Oda looked down at him, seeing the genuine concern in his eyes and sighed before replying, "I wish I could say I was Naruto. However, I will not lie to you. No… I'm not okay." Oda said, before turning back to his proper sitting position.
Naruto sat next to him. "Wanna talk about it? I've been told that makes people feel better." he replied, hoping Oda would open up a bit.
"Most men don't get to see the true consequences of their mistakes. I've been cursed to see mine. All of this, all of the problems facing us now is because of my failure. In a moment of foolish weakness long ago, I let that bastard slip away. I could have killed him, but I failed. Now… I don't know if I could defeat him. A thousand years of near uninterrupted development? I shudder to think what that abomination has become." Oda answered, his voice mixed with regret, mirth, and sadness.
"So, you made a mistake? Everyone does. The real question is 'what are you gonna do about it now?' That's what you should be thinking about." Naruto replied, trying to help as best he could.
"How do you kill something that takes arrows like candy and can juggle wagons for fun?" Oda asked, not outright dismissing the blonde youth, but his raised eyebrow showed he was skeptical.
Naruto smirked at that. "That just means you need to get creative." He answered slyly.
"Naruto, I doubt garlic bombs will phase a vampire ancient like that…" Oda said, before Naruto cut him off.
"Actually, I have something a lot more brutal in mind." The blonde genin replied, his smirk growing.
"And this scheme of yours is?" Oda asked, his eyebrow raised even higher in legitimate confusion.
Motioning for Oda to lean in, Naruto was ready to whisper something in his ear. Oda then eased his head down for the lad to begin his explanation. At first Oda kept his brow raised. However, as the explanation continued, it slowly lowered, and the king began to nod along to it. By the time it was done, and Oda had lifted his head, he began to rub his chin in contemplation.
"The theory is plausible Naruto, I will not deny it." Oda said in a bemused fashion, genuinely deep in thought about what the genin said.
"We've got nothing to lose, so we might as well try it. Right?" Naruto replied with a grin.
"You mean aside from everything on this island to lose?" Oda corrected solemnly.
"If we don't try it, we're dead anyway." Naruto pointed out in response.
"Let's hope that bastard has been lazy, because if he's figured out vampiric durability techniques… we are sunk. Considering he's only now off his ass to deal with us, hopefully my theory is correct." Oda said.
"That's all we can do until the time comes to try it." Naruto admitted, nodding in agreement.
"Are you not concerned for your own chances? Concerned about anything at all?" Oda asked, looking at Naruto with concerned eyes.
"Oh, I'm terrified. But I'm sure you can get us out of this. After all, you haven't let us down yet." Naruto said encouragingly.
"It's humbling that you have so much confidence in me, Naruto. Honestly… it's a bit frightening. I've let so many people down in but a year of my reign. Truth be told, I'm not a warrior like you. I wasn't trained that way. Dealing with Gato, Zabuza, people like that is more of what I'm used to… not this…" Oda nervously admitted, his throat being practically choked by his beating heart as he said it.
"Like I said, you haven't let us down yet. Try to have a little more confidence in yourself. After all, isn't a great leader supposed to lead by example?" Naruto replied optimistically.
"How does one so young like you know so much about this kind of topic?" Oda asked curiously.
Naruto smiled in response. "I spent some time with Old Man Third and Iruka sensei. They taught me this stuff." He explained.
Oda gave a small smile before saying, "They sound like very wise teachers. I'm glad for you."
"Honestly, it's people like them, the ones who see me for me, that make me that much more determined to become Hokage. They believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself." Naruto told the ancient king wistfully.
"You're wise beyond your years, Naruto. It's a rare feat to achieve." Oda said with a respectful bow of the head.
"I may not seem like it all the time, but I have my moments. It's mainly because I've had good teachers who, even if I didn't always listen, have done their best to teach me." Naruto explained, showing a moment of vulnerability of his own.
"It's hard to listen to those who don't fully understand what you're going through. When you're the only one that truly understands the problems you face. The isolation. The fear. The confusion." Oda answered empathetically.
Naruto was a bit surprised, caught off guard by how well Oda seemed to get it. This encouraged Oda to keep going.
"It can be even harder when your life is an enigma. So full of mystery and unanswered questions. Distractions in your journey towards your goal. Deviations from a seemingly set path." Oda continued simply.
"H-How do you…?" Naruto started, cutting himself off due to being a bit afraid to ask.
"Yet deep inside you, you feel something. A pit of anger, resentment, a primal instinctive rage burning inside you. A rage that was unleashed when you were put under the rage spell. It frightened everyone. Even spooked Zabuza. But not me. What others fear, indeed what I think what has made you isolated for so long. Why they called you a monster from an age no child should have experienced." Oda said, putting a gentle, but supportive hand on his shoulder.
Naruto flinched at that but didn't pull away. "Who told you all of that…?" He asked, looking away.
"Some of it was my own intuition, but after that incident, I confronted Kakashi about it. I didn't intend to get that information out of him. I was simply concerned for you because that's not how a rage spell is supposed to work. However, do not blame him for this. He's a broken man in his own way, like us. He has a hard time showing he cares, but he cares for you like you were his own child. Indeed, he was deathly afraid for your safety." Oda explained, choosing his explanation carefully.
"H… he was…?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"He's lost many in his life he cared about, indeed almost everyone. He has very few left he truly cares about. You and your teammates are among those few." Oda explained.
Naruto looked down at that, deep in thought. Seeing that he was getting through to the blonde, Oda pressed his advantage.
"As someone who's been forced into a leadership role, I can tell you it isn't easy. To be a king, or a Hokage, it isn't easy. You gain luxuries beyond your wildest dreams, command of forces beyond any scale, indeed potentially the love of your people. However, all of that comes with heavy burdens and equally heavy responsibilities." Oda explained more gravely, shifting to Naruto's goal.
"I… I never thought about that…" Naruto admitted reluctantly.
"Its okay to want to be a leader. What you must do going forward, mercifully you're young to have time to think of this, is what kind of leader you want to be. And to find out just what you're willing to do to reach that goal." Oda explained, ending his advice on a hint of a cliffhanger, just enough to annoy Naruto ever so slightly.
With that, the two wordlessly agreed, and mutually through exhaustion, that sleep was the best order of business. The two gave each other a slight bow of the head in respect and went to their quarters. Both had a feeling they would need this bit of rest.
Next day: Close to 12pm
Oda stood with Tazuna and Kakashi as they continued to plan and implement their defenses. The genin helped work on the barricades and Zabuza… gods know's why they left him in charge of organizing the militia, but Oda didn't want him out of his sight. Last thing he needed was him running off somewhere trying to fight several giant undead horrors and dying. He needed to save him and Kakashi especially.
At this, however, they felt a familiar change. All around them the sun went from the normal golden rays to blood red. This time, however, it was different. The air began to chill, unnaturally so for the transition from spring to summer. The wind began to pick up and nip at exposed skin, like it had developed small razor blades. Even then, its intensity grew as great storm clouds formed in the distance.
On the wind, the braying of beasts and the thunderous roars of monsters were heard. On the comms, the patrols were being called back, as they were hit by a surge of contacts. What beleaguered survivors came back were too injured to fight. Horrible wounds of all kinds could be seen on them as blood soaked their clothes. Looking up, riding the tip of this growing tempest was something with two massive black wings.
"Brace for impact!" Oda roared.
As everyone braced, on top of two buildings a truly gargantuan zombie dragon landed. The fact the buildings held aloft its pillar like legs was a miracle. Yet on its back, gripping one of its long spines in a black clawed hand stood a tall, brutish figure. Towering above even the other vampires, steel corded muscle and gray parchment looking hide wrapped a monstrous form. Its outermost fingers merged with its forearm to make wings. Its taloned feet gripped the behemoth's ribcage tensely on powerful bird-like legs. Underneath the tattered black cloak, through a single slit, was a blood red eye looking at them with an eternal, unquenching fiery hatred.
"Mortals of this wretched land! I, Lord Targos of the Blightstone Dynasty, will stand for your insults upon my house's great honor no longer! Especially not from a so called 'king' who hides behind the chaff left over from humanity's dustbin! For I remember the indignity you besmirched me with, Oda Shang of Seaheart! I remember all too well!" Targos roared, flipping back his cloak into a cape to reveal a mane of black quills and a monstrous scar across his left eye down his face.
"The only indignity I let you suffer, Targos, was not killing you along with your masters long ago!" Oda yelled back, standing his ground as he stepped in front of Tazuna and Kakashi.
"You didn't have the guts then, blueblood! Now you don't have the strength! I am twice as strong as those withered ancients your father killed all those years ago! And what do you have to stand against me?! A few shadow walkers and a ragtag bunch of peasants! This is no army! This is no kingdom! This is a hovel surrounded by deep blue sea, and you're going to now face your devil!" Targos bellowed alternating between roaring and laughing at the sight before him.
"If that's how you really think about today's youth, then how about I offer you something you can't refuse. I challenge you, Targos, to a personal duel of honor. Till there is only one." Oda bellowed back, whipping the wind a bit against his voice.
A smile gripped across the petrified thin lips of the vampire's maw, showing a stout and brutal set of fangs. "And I, Oda Shang, King of Seaheart, accept your challenge. Till all are one."
Getting back on the schedule saddle still ain't easy, but I'm getting there. This year we will finally be getting the train back a moving, and this is a big step towards that, as we are nearing the end. We have however the tradition in shonen, a gigantic battle. Team Coalition VS Team Blightstone. Time to turn you to my confidant and co-writer.
Uzumaki Ricky- There you have it, people! Another chapter down! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we loved writing it! Aloha and good night!
Well said Ricky, well said. Next time, we begin part one of four of the titanic struggle for the land of waves. Starting with everyone's favorite sword and ice demons facing off against the royal menagerie. Tune in next time for "Low Noon Showdown Part 1".