Hey people! I'm back with another chap. I saw all the enthusiastic responses the previous two chapters elicited from you all, and I thank you for the support. I'd love to tell you more about what's coming in the future, but it's better if you see it for yourselves rather than me spoiling things for you.
On a side note, we'll be keeping a weekly update schedule for some time. I'm letting you guys know this so that you're aware of when I may post a new chap (either every tuesday or wednesday). As most if not all of you know, the site is not sending alerts to readers whenever an author updates a story, so you may have to check on your own until the bug is fixed.
~ Chapter 3 : The Crow ~
"All right Naruto, don't be afraid of it. It's just a thing. You just aim it wherever you want the bullet to go and pull the trigger. Easy."
Naruto Uzumaki eyed the rifle in his hands with a look that spoke volumes of how he felt holding one of those guns people seemed to prefer around there. He disliked them more than they managed to impress him. Sure, they were handy and efficient, but they just made too much noise! Kenny had managed to explain to him that guns used ammunition or small metallic things that were like shurikens, in a way. You threw them at a target with the intention of killing or incapacitate them. Without 'ammo', you can't use those weapons.
He'd just rolled his eyes at that. What if you were in the middle of a fight and ran out of ammo? What then? There was no way he'd ever rely on those things, though he guessed he could try and see what all the fuss was about, just in case he ever needed to use one for whatever reason.
By his side, Kenny smiled in satisfaction as he saw Naruto looking at the rifle. He was glad the kid was paying attention for a change, as most of the times he'd be causing all sorts of trouble, head out to go around the city when nobody was watching or just play with Clementine and Duck. Kenny saw lots of potential in Naruto, and he knew the kid was someone they could all rely upon whenever they needed to. Hell, he had proven his worth plenty of times against many walkers. He was a natural survivor, a bit annoying sometimes, but efficient when he needed to be.
He had what it took to last in a world where everything was against them, so it was Kenny's duty to improve the kid's abilities even further if possible.
"Look!"
The older man was shaken out of his thoughts as Naruto suddenly crouched down by a bush nearby, his eyes fixed on something up ahead. Kenny imitated the kid and soon found what he was looking at. It was a hare. And a fat one at that.
"Good boy. It looks like we may be getting a good lunch today after all", Kenny then placed a hand on the rifle, feeling it against his palm. "Okay Naruto. Remember what I taught you. Aim, keep it steady, and then shoot when you're sure you can hit it."
'Aww, but I don't want to kill that poor thing!', the blond thought to himself, pouting. He knew it was really tasty when cooked right, but still, did he really have to? They still had enough food for a week, two tops, and he could always find more like he'd been doing for the past months.
Every now and then, Naruto would grab a bag and go around the city, checking the places that looked more or less untouched by raiders. Because he was little and knew how to move fast and quiet, the boy was really good at getting food, medicine, or anything that the kids (especially Clem) would like in his opinion, like a toy or story books. His friend had been pretty happy the last time he'd got her a book with a childish drawing of a giant man and a tiny kid at his feet.
Lilly was initially against him leaving all the time, but she had long since stopped opposing him. It was that or running low on food, and Naruto didn't mind going out on his own. He just needed to be extra careful.
"All right then, on the count of three... Ready?", Kenny waited for Naruto to get over his hesitation and secure the long rifle against his shoulder, helping him do so as he seemed to be having some trouble.
"Okay, okay", Naruto grumbled. He didn't want to do it, but he had to admit he felt kind of curious about what would happen when he pulled the trigger. He'd only seen it happen before, so this would be his first time shooting the weapon.
"One, two..."
*BANG!*
"Bullseye!"
A sudden and rather unexpected force pushed Naruto backward, making him stumble. He tried to find his balance to avoid falling but it was only thanks to Kenny's help that he managed to stay on his feet.
"Whoa, easy there. That gave you a good kick, didn't it?"
Ignoring the annoying ringing in his ears caused by the previous noise the gun'd made, Naruto pulled his tongue mockingly at Kenny as the latter laughed at his expense. "Don't like it."
"Heh, say that again when you've fired that rifle a couple times to save yourself", Kenny shook his head. "Good news is, you hit the target. We are eating hare tonight", the older man patted the boy's shoulder proudly before taking the rifle out of the latter's hands and standing up. It only took a quick look at the fallen animal for him to whistle in appreciation. "It was a clean shot too. My dad took me huntin' once. I ended up shooting the ground instead of my target, so I have to admit, you did better than I did when I was around your age."
The boy only got bits and pieces of what the man was telling him, but he grasped the idea. His English was getting better as time went by, and he was glad he was making good progress in the two months Lee and Clem had been helping him with it. Even Katjaa and sometimes other people like Mark tried to lend him a hand if he had any question or doubt. Lessons were boring, but he endured it. He didn't have much to do those days, other than train at his secret location atop a rather tall building by downtown Macon, go out in search of supplies, play with Clem and Duck, or help keep an eye on things.
He also went on hunting with Kenny, Lee and Mark sometimes, that day being one of those occasions.
"So, what do you think Naruto?", the man took the dead hare and dropped it on his shoulder, holding it by its fluffy paws. "Shall we check on the others before we head back?"
The aforementioned merely inclined his head as he rubbed his sore shoulder. It was like someone had shoved him to the ground, though it only stung a little, so he guessed he should be okay in no time. After firing that weapon, Naruto had come to the conclusion that he liked guns even less now. They were noisy, unreliable and kicked you when you tried to use one.
Without speaking any words, both child and man alike began to make their way to the rendezvous point near the centre of the forest. The Sun was still high in the sky as they walked in silence, and Naruto observed the way the golden celestial body casted its bright rays of light through the dense foliage. It contrasted beautifully with the orange, yellow and red leaves of the multiple trees in the forest, a sign of the current season the Earth was currently going through.
They didn't come across any walkers as they travelled down their current path, which made the scenery all the more relaxing. The group didn't see too many of them those days, only the occasional group of stray walkers that passed too close to the motor inn. Even more rare was to take one out unless there was really no other choice left.
Naruto was really enjoying the peace and quiet, thinking about how things would be different for everyone if the dead weren't a constant threat, when suddenly he noticed something moving out the corner of his eyes. He immediately stopped without Kenny noticing and moved his head in the direction he'd seen it, only to spot a dark blur swiftly heading in the opposite direction of the forest.
What made him gasp and widen his orbs was catching sight of a symbol on a metal plate, and one he knew too well.
"Can you smell that Naruto? It's the smell of fresh, juicy meat on a grill. I'm thinkin' this could be more than enough to make a barbeque for you, Duck, Clem, Katjaa, Lee, me, even Carley and Mark if they want some", as he spoke, Kenny's mouth watered. They hadn't had a good meal in such a long time... "Or... we could ask Kat to make her famous rabbit stew. I bet we still have some vegetables left. If they didn't go bad, that is."
He waited for the boy to give him his opinion on the matter, yet when he realized he couldn't hear him, or even the sound of his feet crunching against the leaves below them, Kenny turned around.
"Naruto?"
But the blond wasn't there.
"Naruto! Naruto, where the hell did you go!?"
Kenny called his name frantically, yet the boy never showed up. At first, he thought he was just playing a prank on him, hell, he still had nightmares about the one that little monster had pulled on him a few days after they had got settled in at the motor inn. But the more he looked, the more he started to think something was wrong.
"Yeaaaarghhhhh!"
"What the fuck was that!?", his eyes turned abruptly in the direction that horrible cry of agony had come from. He gasped. That sounded like it'd come from the area Lee and Mark were out hunting. "Shit!", Kenny gave one more good look around and shut his eyes for a second. He dropped the hare on the floor and ran away in a hurry, hoping to get to where the other guys were in time.
Naruto jumped from branch to branch, moving forward as fast as he could. His legs propelled him over big gaps between one tree and another in a mere instant, but he knew that it still wasn't enough to catch that thing he'd seen earlier going in the same direction.
As he did this, the Uzumaki had a bad feeling about the dark blur from before. He didn't know what it was, just that it looked awfully familiar for whatever reason, like he'd seen it somewhere before. To make it worse, he was sure it carried Konohagakure no Sato's shinobi mark on a metal plate, maybe even a shinobi hitai-ate.
But that couldn't be possible. After all, and despite his limited knowledge of the world, Naruto knew this wasn't the Elemental Nations. There were no hidden villages, no Kages, no shinobi, only people. He'd been looking for any sign of them ever since he'd woken up in Clem's city, but nothing he'd found bore any resemblance to the place he came from.
It'd made him confused, and ultimately, he'd had no other option but to accept Konoha and all the people he knew were gone, and that maybe this was a better place with adults and children that didn't hate him for no reason, monsters aside.
But seeing that hitai-ate again... had brought back a long-forgotten need of finding out the truth about what'd happened to him. He knew Kenny was going to be mad at him, and Lee, Clem and the others would be worried, but he had to follow his gut. Even if it turned out to be nothing, he wouldn't turn back.
Not when he was this close to seeing something familiar for a change.
As Naruto kept on moving in the same direction, he noticed the bushy trees around were starting to spread out, until he eventually reached a clearing. The trees parted to reveal a beautiful blue sky with several clouds of all sizes and shapes floating about, and down below, a dark hooded figure that stood right in the center, its head high.
The blond jumped down from the tree he was currently standing on and onto the ground, landing at a safe distance from the figure, though not too far away. He cautiously and slowly pulled a kunai out and held it tight on his hand, before deciding to approach the mysterious person or whatever that hooded figure was.
"Oi!", Naruto called out, not seeing any clear movement or reaction on his target. "Who are you? What did you bring me here for? Are you from Konoha?"
There was no point in beating around the bush, and the blond knew this may be his only chance at finding out what was going on and who was behind that cloak. He didn't expect the voice that responded a moment later to sound so familiar to him.
"Stupid boy... You chased me through this forest, and yet you have no idea who I am", as he spoke, Naruto tensed up and fell onto a fighting stance. The only one he knew. "Oh, did your Chunnin-sensei teach you that stance? How cute. But that won't do you any good, I'm afraid. Not against me."
Naruto scowled before he put some chakra on his legs and dashed forward, trying to catch the hooded figure off guard. He didn't get to go very far though, as suddenly said man was now standing in front of him, blocking his path.
"!"
The Uzumaki didn't even have time to react as the figure's foot slammed against his cheek, sending him flying into a nearby tree. Naruto's back cracked when it impacted, and he felt a sharp, excruciating pain extending all over his column. "Gah!"
"Hmph, pathetic. Is this what they teach kids at the Academy? How low have their standards fallen", the figure said almost mockingly, his tone monotone and void of any feelings of sympathy towards the blond. "Or perhaps you're just a failure of a student who isn't even worth being called a shinobi apprentice."
Naruto couldn't help but growl in anger as he shakily stood up, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his blurry sight. "S-Shut up! You know nothing about me!", from his holster the boy produced two shuriken and threw them at the man. He was running forward again as soon as they left his hand.
The figure didn't even seem phased at his futile attempts and merely tilted his head to the right to avoid the projectiles. As soon as he did so, he saw Naruto right on top of him, his fist inches away from his visage.
"Eat this!"
Naruto smirked as he believed he'd taken that guy by surprise; the distance between them would make it nearly impossible for him to evade the punch. Or so he thought.
Right at the very last second, all the strength the boy had put behind his attack meant nothing as his fist abruptly stopped right as he was about to connect with the target's cheek. His knuckles were a mere meter away from making contact, but for whatever reason they didn't. Naruto grunted while trying to move his fist and ultimately his body, but soon realized he couldn't even move a muscle.
It was as though he'd been frozen in place by some invisible force.
"Urgh! W-What is this!? Why can't I move?"
"Naruto Uzumaki, I expected much more from you", as he spoke, the man raised a hand to his hood and began to slowly pull it back, revealing more and more of his face. Naruto's despair turned to confusion, and then to shock when his azure eyes met a pair of crimson orbs, staring down at him as if he was nothing more than an insect. "I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed."
"Y...You! You are...!"
Itachi Uchiha produced a rather small smile at seeing Naruto struggle under his rather simple genjutsu. He had him at his mercy, and could even kill him if he felt like it. "Hn. I hope my silly Ototo told you a bit about me. Alas, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. He's so obsessed with revenge nowadays that I barely recognize him anymore."
Naruto felt an oppressing aura coming out of who was one of the most wanted criminals in the entire shinobi world. Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke's older brother. He was the one that had wiped out his entire clan for no particular reason other than to prove himself as a strong ninja, while sparing Sasuke in the process. Everyone in Konoha knew the story and the fact that Itachi was the reason Sasuke was so caught up with avenging the clan when he became a gennin.
For the first time in months, a fear unlike any other crept up on the blond as he widened his eyes and tried to get over what was clearly a demonstration of Itachi's killing intent. His thoughts were in disarray, but he kept on trying to remember what was it that Iruka-sensei had told them about genjutsus and how to get rid of one.
He was starting to have difficulty breathing, and under such power he was rendered to his knees, where he began to panic.
"Do not be afraid, little boy, for I have no intention of ending your life", Itachi spoke with a vague tone, and one that was as mysterious as his presence in that place, away from the Elemental Nations. "I just came here hoping to see what had become of the young Naruto who merely disappeared one day, and was never found again."
Amidst all the fear he was experiencing, Naruto couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock. "What... What do you know about that? T-Tell me, please! I have to know!"
Itachi's crimson eyes started spinning before they suddenly became ashen black, the blond falling to the ground a moment later. As Naruto tried to even his breathing and he was now able to move his aching body, the Uchiha kneeled down beside him and whispered into his ear.
"When the day gives way to night in the eternal cycle of life and the infant has surrendered themselves to the inevitable clutches of sleep, meet me by the tallest tree in the forest. I'll be waiting for you there."
The older teen stood up and started to walk away, only stopping when Naruto cried out his name. "Wait! What's that supposed to mean!? How will I know when...?", he asked, trying to get on his feet and failing miserably.
Itachi flashed a smile his way. "You will", was all he said before his body turned into dozens of rattling crows, each one of them with the same crimson eyes Naruto had seen on the Uchiha earlier. As they all flew away in different directions, the sounds they made too disappeared not long after, leaving behind a silence that to the blond now lying on the grass made it feel like none of that had just taken place.
His heart was pounding madly on his chest even after being left alone. If he thought about it, that'd only been a small sample of Itachi's power, and Naruto was astonished at now realizing how gigantic the gap between them was. Itachi had barely touched him and yet, the fight had been over in a matter of seconds. Granted, the Uchiha was a full-fledged shinobi, and one of the best in the entire nations, while he was just a ten-year-old kid who hadn't had any proper training in the past months.
He'd gotten lucky this time. But what if he came back? He needed to be stronger to at least put up a fight against him.
Then again...
Naruto placed a hand against his reddened cheek, wincing as it hurt to touch it, and couldn't help but ponder over what Itachi had said earlier.
"When the day gives way to night in the eternal cycle of life and the infant has surrendered themselves to the inevitable clutches of sleep, meet me by the tallest tree in the forest. I'll be waiting for you there."
He didn't understand any of it. Was that supposed to be a coded message or something of the sort? Naruto wasn't sure what to make of it. Though, it was clear Itachi was his best and only bet at finding the answers he was looking for. Even if said young man was just toying with him and merely planned to have fun before killing him, Naruto felt like he had to take the risk.
He would make sure to be ready next time, for whatever was it that awaited him. Maybe find a way to get back home in the process.
Naruto didn't know how long he'd been walking. All that he knew was that he was heading in the right direction back to the motor inn.
Walking in silence, the blond paid no mind to his surroundings as he went over the events that had just transpired a while ago. Over and over, he kept replaying his conversation with Itachi, and all the things he had said. Though the more he thought about it, the less sense he made of it.
The blond frowned. He couldn't understand. No matter how hard he tried, it was like attempting to decipher the most cryptic message ever. Seriously, why couldn't Itachi tell him what he wanted to know or at least give him some sort of clue? Anything would have helped.
But all he got in the end was some stupid riddle that left him feeling down.
So caught up in his thoughts was he, that Naruto only realized he was back when he saw the entrance door was open and that Lee, Kenny, Lilly and Larry were arguing. And rather loudly at that. He sighed in annoyance. He left for one hour, and they were back to fighting amongst themselves.
'Maybe I should come back later, when they are not...'
"Who's there? Show yourselves!"
'...Never mind.'
Naruto steeled himself as he eyed the way Lilly was aiming her rifle at him and stepped out of the forest, raising his hands in the air.
"It's him!", the woman exclaimed, lowering her gun.
"Naruto's back!?"
"Keep that gate open, let him in!"
Relief filled Kenny's, Lee's and even Lilly's faces as Naruto made his way towards the motor inn, being assaulted by multiple questions the moment he stepped through the entrance, all at the same time.
"Are you okay!?"
"Where the hell were you? You disappeared!"
"Are you hurt Naruto? Did anything get you!?"
The blond had trouble following the onslaught of interrogatives being thrown his way, though he managed to shake his head. "I'm okay", he merely said, rubbing his shoulder. He wasn't used to having so many people worrying over him, and under different circumstances he'd have felt happy about it, but after his encounter with Itachi he just wanted to be alone for a while.
Lee was the first to let out a sigh of relief as he knelt down beside Naruto and placed a gentle palm on his shoulder. "Thank God, we were worried something had caught you."
"Yeah, we were about to go back for you!", Kenny added, showing a rare smile. "Luckily, you are a tough kid, so if anything went after you, they would be the ones in trouble. Not you."
"Hell yeah", Lee couldn't help but agree, standing up.
"Just because he can handle himself, doesn't mean we should just forget about him every time he's away, Kenny."
At that, the aforementioned did his best not to roll his eyes, though he ended up doing so anyway. He was so fed up with Lilly's antics that he was having trouble calming down and letting it slide. "He's not a baby, Lilly", he spatted, facing her with a scowl.
"He's not a grown-up either", her face contorted into a frustrated frown, "so stop treating him like one!"
As the argument between the two went back and forth, Naruto rolled his eyes in annoyance. Fights like these between Kenny and Lilly took place almost on a daily basis. Ever since they'd settled down at the motel, the blond had expected some peace and quiet, as well as the others, but the very second day of their stay Lilly had gotten mad at Kenny for giving Duck a chocolate bar without asking her first.
Despite how silly it sounded to Naruto, it was as if they always managed to find an excuse to get on each other's throats. And for what? To prove the other was stronger and more capable as a leader? Baka adults, the blond couldn't help but think, noticing how Mark was shaking his head at him from his workplace by the fence with a look of pity, almost as if saying 'I know how you feel kid.'
Naruto was sure he did. Probably everyone in the group, Clem included, felt the same way about those stupid fights. Even Lee seemed tired of the constant bickering as he stood by his side, arms folded over his chest.
Larry was a whole different story, though. He almost seemed pleased at his daughter giving Kenny a piece of her mind, and he'd jump every now and then if he felt the need to. Honestly, if there was someone more annoying than those two that was Larry. Naruto really disliked that guy. He reminded him a bit of the adults that would glare and talk behind his back for no reason, and even if he didn't know him, he could feel the old man's eyes on him wherever he went. It was like he was watching him for a reason, making sure he wasn't up to no good.
If only he didn't have a heart problem, Naruto thought, he could have pranked his old ass a long time ago.
"Would you two please quiet down for a while?", a sudden voice spoke up, effectively managing to achieve the impossible and break Kenny's and Lilly's current argument on why the former wasn't a good role model for any kid. "I need to concentrate."
Just then, the blond realized there was someone else right to the side, leaning down on the back of Kenny's truck. His azure eyes saw Katjaa never looking away from whatever was it she was so focused on, and he tilted his head in curiosity.
Naruto ignored Lee and the others for the moment and walked up to Kat. As soon as he reached her side, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"What's that?", he asked aloud, making the adults behind share a look. Lying on his back at the truck was a bearded, short haired man that the Uzumaki had never seen before. He didn't fail to notice the missing leg and the blood on Kat's hands, which had been the reason behind his initial shock.
The man was unconscious, or so it seemed, and the blond quickly realized Katjaa was trying to save his life.
"It's nothing, honey. Just a wounded man Lee and Mark found out in the woods", the woman briefly explained, then turned to a silent Lee and Kenny. "Lee, can you take Naruto here away for a second? He shouldn't be seeing this."
"Of course", Lee placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Come on, Naruto. Let's go see Clem."
The aforementioned didn't really make an attempt to prevent Lee from taking him away from the scene, his azure eyes inadvertently glancing back the way of the wounded man. As if that day wasn't strange enough, now they had to deal with a stranger with a chopped off leg. For a moment, Naruto wondered what on earth had happened while he was away.
He thought about asking Lee about it as they walked towards the RV where Clementine was sitting by, drawing on a sheet of paper, but quickly forgot about it as his eyes took sight of Carley and yet another newcomer, this one apparently unharmed and looking distraught for whatever reason. It was a lanky boy older than him, with short, dirty brown hair and eyes of a lighter shade than his' - Naruto saw he was slouching over by Clem, his orbs unfocused. She said something to the older teen but he merely gave her an absent nod, not really paying attention to her or his surroundings.
"Don't worry Naruto, he's just worried", Lee seemed to sense his confusion and didn't hesitate to offer an explanation, which Naruto appreciated.
Putting two and two together, it was clear that he and the guy from the truck knew each other. Maybe there had been an accident that had got the older man's leg cut, and that teen, whatever his name was, hadn't had any other choice but to look for help. The Uzumaki shook his head to get rid of those thoughts, considering he was merely speculating. He guessed Clem would be able to tell him what happened later, after he caught up with her.
"By the way, did something happen to you? You left Kenny alone, and then all of this happened... We were really worried."
The blond understood what Lee was trying to ask him and immediately averted his eyes. He couldn't tell the older man about what had transpired back in the woods. Not yet, at least. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lee. On the contrary. In those two months, he had grown to like him, as he really seemed to care for him and Clem. Plus, he was nice all the time.
Yet, and considering Naruto still struggled to explain himself in that language everyone spoke in this world and that no one would be willing to believe his story, he eventually decided not to say anything. "I exploring", he lied, and Lee raised an eyebrow, though not because he still had much to learn about English, but rather because he didn't really buy it.
"Exploring, in the woods? There's not much to see out there. Besides, why didn't you tell Kenny about it? He'd let you go if you asked", the older man inquired, watching as Naruto refused to meet his eyes. He was lying, which the boy clearly sucked at. His dark orbs then trailed to his jacket, where he saw a few cuts that hadn't been there before. "Look Naruto, I'm not trying to interrogate you. I just want to know what happened to you. It's okay if you don't want to tell me, but you have to promise me you'll be more careful. Be careful. Promise."
Lee had put more emphasis on those two words, hoping to get the message across. He soon found out Naruto had understood. "Yes", he inclined his head. "I promise."
"Okay then", the older man's lips spread into a kind smile and he nodded at the boy. "Let's go see Clem."
Just before they could even dare to move a muscle, a sweet voice reached their ears.
"Oh, hi Naruto!"
As the aforementioned moved his head towards the direction he'd heard her voice, he saw the little girl walking towards him with a huge smile on her face. One that was soon matched by Naruto's trademark grin. "Hi Clem! Hi Carley!", he waved his hand at her, and then at the young reporter, who returned the gesture.
"Hey kid. I'm glad to see you back in one piece", she said, leaning forward on her chair. "Had fun out there?"
The blond could only nod at Carley's question, understanding part of it thanks to his limited knowledge of the language. His eyes shifted from the older woman to an expectant Clem. "Uhm, hat?"
Lee followed the direction Naruto was now pointing at and soon realized Clementine was not wearing her hat.
"Huh, you're right. Where's your hat Clem?"
Said girl grew sad at the mention of her favorite cap, but couldn't do anything other than shrug her shoulders and shake her head. "I don't know. I think I lost it", she explained, looking at Lee and then to Naruto, who looked pensive. "Can you help me find it?"
Neither Lee nor the kid by his side had to think too much about her request, and were soon nodding. "Sure. I'll keep an eye out."
"Yeah! I help too, Clem."
"Thank you", she gave them a relieved smile, one that her friend reciprocated with one of his famous grins.
Naruto was not bad at finding lost stuff. He didn't know where to start, but he felt like he'd be able to find it in no time if he paid enough attention. Besides, he doubted it'd gone too far. Clementine rarely ever left the motor inn, so there was no way the hat had left the motel.
"So, Clem", in an attempt to practice his English and make some small talk with her, Naruto waited until he got her attention before asking, "how you are today?"
Clementine gave him a friendly push as she giggled. "No no, you got it all wrong!", she said, raising a finger. "Repeat after me. 'Hi Clementine, how are you today?'"
Naruto ignored the way Lee was grinning at their interaction and proceeded to awkwardly rub the back of his head. "Uhm... But..."
"No buts! You need all the practice you can get. Now, please, repeat."
"H-Hi Clementine", he obediently recited. "How are you today?"
"Excellent job!", if before he felt embarrassed at having to practice under the amused, touched and curious stares of Lee, Carley and the newcomer, respectively, now he was blushing at feeling Clem patting his head. Not fair! Only he gets to do that! He was supposed to be the older, more experienced kid of the bunch.
Then again, he still let the girl do as she pleased. That innocent smile of hers was worth all the embarrassment.
"Hehe, you two are something else, aren't you?", Lee grinned at the pair of kids with fatherly pride. In the short amount of time he'd got to know them, both Naruto and Clementine had become his biggest reason to keep on being strong for their sake. He knew the older boy could take care of Clem if anything were to happen to him, God forbid, which was reassuring though it didn't mean he was going to give up just yet. "Anyway, I think we have yet to introduce you to the newest addition to our group."
As he heard people talking about him, the silent teen blinked in surprise and glanced towards the other kid, the blond one with the weird goggles on his forehead and the markings on each cheek. "H-Hey", he awkwardly said, waving a hand.
Naruto stared at him for a long moment before he flashed the older boy a grin. "Hello! I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm ten years old. Nice to meet ya!"
"Oh", the teen was taken aback at the introduction and couldn't think of doing anything else but nod. "That's great, I think? Uhm, m-my name is Ben. Ben Paul. I'm sixteen."
The Uzumaki nodded, taking silent note of his name and using his fingers to count the numbers up until the one Ben had just mentioned. That was one of the very first things Clem had taught him, numbers up to 100, but he still had some trouble remembering the order sometimes. So counting helped.
After he did so, Naruto gestured towards Katjaa and her patient. "Your friend?"
"Ah, y-yes. He's Mr. Parker. The band director for the playoffs", Naruto couldn't help but frown as he turned towards Lee and then to Clementine for clarification, the latter shaking her head in Ben's direction. "Is... Is something wrong?"
"Naruto doesn't speak English very well. We think he's Japanese", Lee patiently explained, much to Ben's surprise.
"Glenn, a guy who was with us right at the beginning, said so. Naruto never confirmed it, anyway, so we are not sure", Carley added, shrugging.
"R-Really? Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto, was it?"
The blond waved his hand dismissively. "It's okay."
"Yup. Me and Lee are teaching him every day. And he's doing great so far", Clem tugged on Naruto's sleeve with a smile. "Go on, show him."
"What?"
"Dummy. Remember what we practised. It starts like 'Clem is...'"
"Ahh, yeah. I know."
Under the curious stares of Lee, Carley and Ben, Naruto paused a moment to take a deep breath, closing his eyes, before facing the older boy with renewed determination. "Clem is my best friend in the whole world and I like pla... play..."
"Playing", the girl mumbled with a giggle.
"...Playing with her. I like Lee too. He cares for me and Clem."
The aforementioned couldn't help but flash a touched smile in the girl's way, watching as she kept on nodding in encouragement at the struggling boy. Despite the fact that Clementine had taught him those words, he knew Naruto really meant them, which made them all the more important.
"And when I grow... up", Naruto paused to look at Clementine for support, which he got a moment later in the form of a smile, "I wanna be a famous explorer. It's okay Clem?"
"Yes, that's it! You did it!"
The boy rubbed his nose with his thumb as the girl praised him, looking super proud of himself. Ben was staring at the pair of kids with a strange look, inwardly wondering if he was supposed to say something or just clap his hands. He ended up settling for the latter, and he was glad to see it turned out to be for the best as both kids, Lee and Carley smiled his way.
"Thank you, thank you", the kid bowed jokingly at Ben, doing as if he was some kind of artist being praised for his performance.
Lee was about to comment on that too, when suddenly he heard Lilly calling his name. "Lee? Can you come over here for a second?", just a quick glance in her direction revealed that Larry had gone back to working on the fence with Mark, and that Kenny was gone too, probably cleaning his rifle on the other side of the RV as he always did after going out hunting.
"I'll be there in a sec!", he quickly responded, and then turned back to the kids. "I'm going to check on Lilly and the others. I'll come back later, okay?"
"Okay Lee."
"Bye!"
The older man ruffled Naruto's hair before leaving, the blond pouting as he felt his already spiky locks getting even spikier as a result. Clem giggled at seeing him that way, then grew serious all of a sudden. "Naruto...?"
"Yes, Clem?"
She seemed troubled for some reason, and the Uzumaki couldn't help but worry for a second. It wasn't like her to feel that way around him, so surely there was something bothering her. It didn't take long for the girl to look his way with her bright hazel eyes. "Did someone hurt you?", she made sure her tone was low and quiet so only he would hear.
"!"
Naruto couldn't avoid widening his eyes at her sudden, and rather unexpected question. For a moment there, he'd completely forgotten about his encounter with Itachi. Though it was the fact she'd been able to see past his usual bright self and notice something was wrong about him that took Naruto by surprise.
That girl... How could she tell? He was sure there Itachi's sudden attack on him had barely damaged his outfit, otherwise someone else would have noticed it the moment he came back to the motel.
He stared at her for a minute or two, debating whether he should talk to her about it or just pretend all was okay. She was his best friend, though Naruto wasn't sure she'd understand. He hadn't told anyone about what he was capable of doing, much less show some of his jutsu. Naruto feared it would lead to the others becoming afraid of him and telling him to leave.
He didn't want to be alone. No matter how annoying some adults of the group were, he still hoped to stay with them, with Clem. It was one of the very few times he felt he belonged somewhere.
Then again, would it really hurt to tell her a little about it?
As he thought about it, he saw Ben looking at them out the corner of his eyes with curiosity, and Duck running towards them while calling his name over and over again.
"Narutoooo, Narutoooo!", as soon as he reached Clem and the older kid in the group, Duck began jumping up and down in excitement. "Wanna play soccer with me?"
The boy was holding Clem's ball in his hands - his small eyes shining as he grinned expectantly. It was clear he'd been waiting to play with the older boy for quite a while.
Naruto turned the way of his friend. "Talk later?", he offered, rubbing his neck.
Clementine immediately gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes. We can talk later."
"Okay, c'mon Duck."
"Yeees! Let's do a penalty shootout. I kick first!"
"Ehh? No! Me first!"
Duck shook his head vigorously. "No, me first!"
"No, me!"
"Me!"
For a while, their bickering went on and on, their eyes staring furiously into each other's to the point of producing sparks. Clementine laughed at their antics, but then fixed her orbs on Naruto's back. She was silently worried that he'd gotten into some trouble, though he'd promised to tell her about it later. And friends always kept their promises. Best friends, especially.
"Ken, Lee! Come here, please."
Lee had just finished handling out that day's rations when he heard Katjaa calling him over. He let out a sigh and rubbed his temples in frustration. It was getting harder with each passing day to feed a group this big. Sure, they still had enough food to last for two more weeks thanks to Naruto, who kept on bringing whatever he found on his trips around the city, and himself and Kenny, who were in charge of going downtown on certain days to get food, medicine, ammo, and anything that could help around.
But even then, food was getting scarcer and harder to come by. The world had ended, which meant many things were no longer edible those days, like products that had an expiry date. That greatly narrowed their options to a select number of things they could eat. Not only that, but everyone in the group knew they weren't the only living people around, and others took whatever was it that they didn't find or left behind in their weekly trips to town.
Because of the argument that had taken place between him, Kenny and Lilly, the latter had put Lee in charge of feeding the group. It hadn't been easy, as everyone was hungry, but he'd made sure the kids, Carley, Mark, Kenny and even Lilly had something to eat. Everyone, including Larry, got food, though their rations had been small and nothing compared to a good meal.
He wished Kenny had found the hare back where he dropped it instead of a walker devouring it. That would have been like a dream come true for all their people.
As both men made their way towards Katjaa, Lee noticed the look on her face, and the fact her hands up to her forearms were covered in blood.
"He didn't make, did he?", all that the woman could muster was to shake her head in regret, making Kenny scowl. "Goddamnit!", he kicked the truck's tire in frustration before turning around and stomping away, cursing under his breath.
"Wait, Kenny, don't..."
Her wife realized it was futile trying to convince him and instead breathed out, closing her eyes. She understood his frustration and anger, she really did, but she also wanted him to understand that there was nothing else she could have done to save that man's life.
"It's okay Katjaa. Let him go", Lee told her, his tone soft. "He just needs a little space. It's been a rough day so far."
"I know Lee, I know", she took a moment to organize her thoughts, glance at Duck and Naruto who were playing a few meters away, blissfully unaware of what was going on, and finally said, "that man you brought in had lost too much blood. I did all I could, but it wasn't enough."
Lee's face grew grim as he nodded. "At least he's not our responsibility anymore."
He decided not to visibly make any gestures as Katjaa then glanced towards the newest kid, Ben, who was oblivious of the fact his teacher had just passed away. "What about him? Are we letting him stay?"
Honestly, the man didn't know how to answer that question. Since Lilly and Kenny, to a lesser degree, made the bigger choices for the group he had no voice in the matter. It didn't mean he couldn't speak his mind and make suggestions, though, and he knew that without some sort of democracy around the whole thing would fall apart sooner or-
"Gah, arghhrh!"
Lee's train of thought was shattered the very same instant he saw a pair of hands forcefully clutching onto Katjaa from behind, trying to get her on the truck. The man had only time to widen his eyes before he realized Ben's reanimated teacher was the one now wanting to sink his teeth onto her.
"Shit! Katjaa!"
He was over the walker in the blink of the eye. Lee gruntled as he did all he could to pry the monster off a screaming Kat, pushing it away from her with all his strength. As soon as he managed to do so, he turned to a shocked Mark and Larry and frantically waved his arm at them.
"The axe! Hurry!", was all he could say before he felt himself being pulled backwards and onto the truck.
Lee soon found himself fighting for his life as he faced the furious walker and its constant attempts to tear the flesh out of his face. Its pale white eyes moved about desperately as it opened and closed its mouth, biting the air between them.
Lee gritted his teeth and tried to keep it off of him for as long as he could, shoving its head against the sides of the back of the truck whenever possible. Blood flew all around and Lee was sure its skull was cracking with each blow, but it didn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
"Move!"
The struggling man didn't need to be told twice and used all the force he could muster to push the walker against the back window. Mark swung the axe horizontally...
...and broke the glass just next to the monster.
"SHIT! IT'S STUCK!"
Lee watched in horror as slowly but surely, Ben's former teacher began reincorporating and started crawling his way again, its furious eyes now focused solely on him. The man now really began panicking as he made his way in the opposite direction, but just as he was about to fall from the truck, someone else came from the side and stabbed the monster in the head.
Once, twice, thrice, four times Naruto Uzumaki plunged his kunai into its brain, his face contorted into anger. An expression Lee was shocked at seeing. Only when the monster's brains were splattered all over the back of the truck did the blond stop, pulling his blade out a moment later.
Mark, Lee and the other people that were now approaching the scene watched in silence as Naruto remained still, his face deadly serious. He then eyed Lee, his expression softening momentarily. "Are you okay?", he asked, to which Lee tried to give him a comforting smile, but failed miserably.
"Yeah Naruto, thanks a lot."
"Oh my god Lee, are you hurt?", Carley came running as soon as she got out of her previous shock and helped the man get up on his feet, placing a hand against his chest.
"I'm good, Carley."
"What the hell did you bring him here for!?", Larry stomped up to them, a scowl etched on his wrinkled face. There was a vein bulging on his forehead as he spoke. "Are you trying to get us killed!?"
"Dad, calm..."
Lilly grew silent as he saw Naruto slowly walking away from them and to a surprised Ben. His eyes were void of their usual brightness, and he looked really mad at the teen for some reason. "Bite!?", he yelled, pointing to the now dead walker. "Why!?"
"Huh!? What's he talking about!?", Ben took a step back, not really getting the reason behind Naruto's sudden and unexpected anger. From behind, Clementine passed by him and approached her friend, giving him a comforting hug in hopes of calming Naruto down. She'd never seen him so mad before. It was unnerving, to say the least.
"What he wants to say is, why the fuck didn't you tell us your friend was bitten!?", Kenny interceded, gently moving his wife away from him to face a trembling Ben.
The aforementioned could only shake his head furiously as a response. "No, no! He wasn't bitten! I swear!"
"Then explain to me how on earth did he come back to life and try to murder my wife!"
Confusion filled the teen's face for a moment before said expression turned into one of realization. "Wait, you guys don't know?", he cautiously asked, moving his eyes around to look at all the adult's and kids' faces. None of them, not even Naruto who still had Clem's arms around him and were both staring his way, seemed to know what he was talking about.
"It's not the bite that does it", Ben sighed, lowering his eyelids for a moment to collect his thoughts. He knew he had everyone's undivided attention, though that didn't make it any easier for him to explain. After a few seconds, he continued. "You come back as one of them, no matter how you die. If you leave the brain intact, that's what happens. It's gonna happen to ALL of us."
Multiple gasps could be heard after this revelation. Naruto had a little trouble understanding until Clem helped him by pointing at the fallen teacher and saying "he's not bitten", which made the blond widen his eyes. He didn't need to know more than that to understand why that happened.
The sudden realization made him, and everyone else, feel horrified at the news.
"We are all infected? Everyone? Even the kids?"
Ben wasn't so sure about that, so he shrugged. "I... I don't know. I think so. All I know is that I've seen people turn when they weren't even bitten in the first place", the teen went on to tell them about the first time he'd seen it happen, back when him and his fellow classmates had decided to hide out in the school's gym. He still had nightmares about that time when one of the girls had come back to life and slaughtered her own friend in the girls' room.
It'd been so horrible that the poor teen had to shut his eyes and shake his head to try and get rid of those memories that still haunted him to that day.
"Fucking hell...", Kenny breathed out, feeling a bit dizzy. Things just kept getting worse and worse as they tried to hold onto the world of living, as if that wasn't hard enough already.
Lee and the others shared the sentiment. One good look at Clem and Naruto revealed the fear in both their faces, though it was clear the blond was doing his best to show a strong facade, for her sake. Was there really no end to this nightmare?
"Hey, back off!"
Everyone was suddenly forced to put their shock aside as they heard Carley threatening someone by the entrance. One quick look her way revealed she was pointing her handgun at two grown men, both coming out of the forest with gas cans on their hands.
The one that was clearly the older between them raised his free appendage in the air. "Whoa, lady, relax! M-Me and my brother, we just want to know if you could help us out!"
But Carley wasn't playing around and scowled menacingly at the intruders. "I said back off!"
"Don't try anything stupid! You're outnumbered here", Lee walked up to her side with a cautious look, hand reaching down to the gun stuffed in the back of his trousers. "Just turn around and go back."
Both men exchanged a silent and clearly nervous look before nodding at them. "We don't mean any trouble. We just need a bit of gas", the one that had done all the talking insisted, raising the gas can and shaking it as proof. "If you could part with some of it, you'd be really helpin' a couple fellas out."
Carley glanced at Lee, her gun never dropping, and watched him shake his head for a moment.
"What do you need gas for?"
A smile found its way to the intruders' lips at the question. "We have an electric fence. It runs all around our property and keeps us safe", as the older brother spoke, some people in the motel's group perked up at what he'd said about the fence, Larry and Mark being two of the few that did. "Generators provide the electricity, and to do that, they need gas."
The younger brother seemed to have picked up in their sudden interest as he took a step forward and said, "how are ya'll doin' on food? We own a dairy a couple miles from here and we have plenty there."
"That's right", his older counterpart nodded. "W-Why don't you all lower your weapons and maybe we could talk about some kind of deal? We just want some gas, that's all."
This time, everyone except Naruto and Clem, exchanged different kinds of looks at what they were hearing. Larry and Mark seemed more inclined to try and find out if they could make a deal to get some supplies for the group, even Carley wasn't sure whether she should lower her gun or keep it aimed their way.
Lee, Kenny and Lilly, to some extent, still felt this sounded too good to be true. Though the latter knew that whatever the case was, they couldn't let the opportunity slip away without checking it out first.
It was a risk they had to take.
"Okay. Lee, Mark, why don't you go with those guys and check the place out? See if it's legit."
Mark was quick to agree, inclining his head, but Lee merely stood silent. Something smelt bad about the whole dairy deal, and it wasn't the walker rotting away on the back of Kenny's truck. He didn't know what it was, just that his instincts were screaming at him to just refuse and stay back.
"No. We don't go."
Someone else that seemed to share his suspicions had voiced their opinion before he could say anything, though he was a tad bit surprised at finding it'd been Naruto the one to do so.
"Naruto? What do you mean we aren't going?", Lilly inquired, looking a bit taken aback.
"We stay", Naruto insisted, his eyes narrowed in suspicion at the guys standing a few meters away from the entrance. "Bad guys."
"Huh, aren't ya a cautious fella? Don't worry, we don't bite like those monsters you see out there", the blond heard the older brother say, almost as if mocking him. He didn't like them, not one bit. They had that same look he'd seen on bad people, the kind that pretended to be nice and ended up stabbing you in the back when you weren't looking.
Lee stared at the Uzumaki for a long minute, both ignoring the way Larry was calling him a dumb brat and how he just wanted to ruin this opportunity for all of them. The old man was getting more and more pissed at seeing Naruto not even looking his way, like he couldn't care less about what he had to say.
Naruto was just a kid, true, but Lee knew better than to underestimate his judgement just because he lacked life experience. Besides, he too felt the same way, so there had to be a reason behind it.
"No deal."
"Lee!"
The aforementioned ignored the stares he got his way and shook his head. Behind him, Naruto smiled appreciatively. He knew he could count on him. "We are staying at the motel."
"Ha! As if we took orders from you!", Larry walked up to his face and shoved a finger to his chest, towering over a scowling Lee. "My girl has already said what you're going to do, and if you, or that little punk, have a problem with that, well..."
"You can't decide on your own Lee", Mark decided to step up between them in a clear attempt to defuse the situation, before things could go south. "This affects the whole group."
Lilly didn't like it, but she knew there was only a fair way they could settle this without any more drama. "Then we vote", she turned the way of Kenny and his family, not really wanting to drag this out more than they had to. "Kenny, Katjaa?"
They just looked at each other for a moment before Kenny nodded. "I say we go, but we keep our eyes peeled. If they try anything, we take 'em", as he spoke, the man nodded in Naruto's way.
"All right. Mark, Carley?"
"We go."
"Count me in", Mark said. "We are running low on food and I'd rather risk it than sit around and do nothing."
"Point taken. Dad?"
"You betcha pumpkin", Larry seemed pleased at seeing Lee and Naruto outnumbered in votes, which he showed with a smirk directed the former's way.
Lee shook his head. Lilly didn't even think asking Clementine how she felt about the whole going to a dairy with a couple of weird guys idea, so he felt it'd be fair to talk to her about it. He walked up to the girl by Naruto's side, and saw her looking troubled about something. "What do you think, Clem?"
"I...", Clem was hungry. She'd eaten a few minutes earlier but it'd just been half an apple and some crackers and cheese. Just knowing she'd have to wait until dinner to eat something else made her tummy ache and growl, as if it was begging her to eat. Then again, the look on Naruto's face made her feel differently about going. "Naruto said those are bad guys", she finally mumbled, looking down. "I trust him. He's my best friend. So we should stay here, where it's safe."
"Thank you, Clem", the aforementioned sent a happy smile her way, one that she reciprocated soon after. Lee liked how those two backed each other's up no matter what the situation was, but he knew that even if Lilly and the rest accepted their votes, they were 3 versus 4 of them.
There was no other option left. Although he had a bad feeling about it, Lee had no choice but to face an expectant Lilly and nod his head. "...All right. It seems we are heading to a dairy then."
To be continued...
Before anyone asks, Itachi will not be making another appearance for quite a while. However, his inclusion is part of my plans for the bigger plot of the story, apart from the Walking Dead's plot which I'm following closely. Then again, he definitely seems like he knows something about Naruto and the reason why he's not in Konoha, but only time will tell.
Oh and about Naruto's process on learning English, all I can say is that he'll get better at it with the passing of time. There are several time skips that take place between certain episodes in the games, thus you can expect him to start understanding more and more of what is said around him as time goes by. By second season, he'll be able to speak very good English.
Next time, the group will be heading onto the St. John's dairy. I'm aware there are some readers who don't know about the events of the Walking Dead's games, so I'd reckon it's going to be a surprise to find out what goes on in said place. For everyone else, I'm actually going to change the way certain things happen, so stay tuned for that.
Luke out!