With Yuuki...

Rooftop Fight


'Well, Yuu, you certainly stepped into a huge pile...' The redhead thought with a grim look on her face, not liking how things had been going while going through a series of high and low kicks, trying to keep the masked commando in front of her from gutting her with either one of his blades, as each clang against her knife made the already weary muscles in her arms pang from all the ache as she fended off each strike much like a fencer would do to keep them at a distance.

Whoever this guy was, he certainly no salaryman. How he moved, pivoted, and tried to get into her blind spots showed he had to be a former military or someone who had watched too many action movies. The guy hit like a mule and knew how to use his weight to lean in on her to exhaust her out, and could wrestle with enough aptitude to keep her from gaining any ground on him; the only thing she had going for her was youth, and even that had its limits against experience as the many lessons Rika and Naruto had shown the group drifted through her mind's eye.

She was already fatigued coming into this, so a battle over stamina and perseverance would only end poorly if this grind continued. There were no alternatives other than to keep fighting for her life as The Way Of Peace took no prisoners if you didn't submit to the ideology, so her fate was sealed when she rejected the generous offer to join. With Rei still out of commission, unaware of what was happening in the outside world from her laying position behind an AC duct, the redhead could only hope she could wound or get him frustrated enough that the endless stalemate would make him withdraw.

'If I somehow survive this, I'm doubling my workouts because it fucking sucks to be up the creek with someone else paddling the damn boat!' An ember of frustration danced in her yellowish-colored eyes as Yuuki gritted her teeth while her jaw clenched tightly in a scowl, hating how the deck seemed stacked against her.

Both parties clashed into another deadlock with the way their blades would clang loudly together as they pressed against each other and butted up close, trying to force the other onto the backfoot as the older man's onyx-colored eyes twinkled with bloodlust and excitement as he spoke in a monotone approval of the girls fighting skills in a growling purr, "Whoever instructed you has been doing an outstanding job, even in the state you are in, your conditioning would have put many of my trainees to shame with your performance... It truly hurts my heart that I have you end your life as someone with your skill and potential would be welcome among my group. (Heh) If you only bend your knee when asked, I wouldn't put you through all this pain."

Yuuki growled throatily; she knew what he was indicating, her eyes narrowing into slits before she snarled at the man in front of her, baring her teeth like an aggressive beast. "I won't waste my life spending the rest of it popping out brats so they can go off and die for your absurd principles, so take all the passive-aggressive foreplay and shove it up your ass!"

It was then the flame that was hidden lit ablaze brighter in the promise of fates worse than death, with the masked officer pushing harder against the girl's guard. That swarthy desire grew hotter with the way it danced in the depths of his soul, begging to be released like a hound yowling at the end of its chain to put this girl in her proper place.

Beneath all men as she should be!

"And what purpose is there for a woman to do other than to help with procreation? That was your preordained role long before the West decided to fill your head with nonsense about equal rights; your only right was to be below us, and I'm just reminding you of your place!" Shoving off each other, the masked man rushes forward, rapidly swinging his weapons, a war cry exclaiming from his throat of his revitalized assault.

Thinking fast, the teen shifted her body to the left before repeating the action once more, moving to the right, with the redhead bringing her combat knife up to circumvent each blade strike as sparks sprayed from the sharpened edges; the vigor and fierceness of each hit made the girl feel like her arms would turn into jelly at any moment trying to replicate and keep pace.

A kick for a kick, a punch for a punch, doing what she could to dodge, parry, and strike. Dodge, parry, and strike. The sounds of metal singing and the feeling of her labored breath leaving her distressed body were almost a mantra at this point. The only thing that kept her composure and her thoughts from racing and making a fatal misstep were the thoughts of home and returning to him. How long could she keep going? She had no clue...

The firm, fast kicks of his legs, along with trying to evade being sliced up, collided against her chest and thighs with a hardened thump-like smack, knocking the air out of her lungs and causing her to take a few steps back, making her back hit against an overly sizeable A/C unit before eating a sudden thrust kick that slammed straight into the middle of her chest. A brutal hit that would have knocked her on her ass if it weren't for the machine behind her, as he followed up with a heavy right to the side of the jaw into a left cross to the temple that had the poor girl seeing stars with the way her head banged roughly against the machine behind her before finishing with another stiff kick to the ribs that made the redhead feel like her sternum was going to buckle and break with how badly it ached.

It didn't stop there as the masked officer continued to hammer away at her mid-section with heavy-handed fists that caused the girl to cough up some blood, letting out a shuttering wheeze, unable to catch her breath as the onslaught pressed her roughly against a metallic duct behind her, feeling the metal groan with the way it caved in unexpectedly from the bodily pressure. He even went as far as to glide one of his wakizashi across her chest, tearing into her buttoned-up shirt with enough insight not to knick the skin. Still, the sounds of cloth tearing were enough of a proclamation that he didn't take her seriously as an adversary, mockingly eyeing her like she was some scrapped plaything, going as far as to shove her face aside with the corner of his palm in an arrogant display of superiority.

Not desiring to be this man's punching bag any longer with her pinned against the contraption behind her, she uses the moment given to drop her weapon before seizing and interlocking his forearms with hers and proceeds to headbutt the guy, not once, not twice. Three times on the bridge of his nose, with the pissed-off teen locking in the clinch, going into a series of rapid knee strikes to the stomach; persisting in using the gained advantage, she spun him around and bashed her opponent headfirst into the apparatus with a resonating thud and clang of him dropping his weapons from the outcome with her smashing her foot into the side of his face with a loud metallic thunk with it being forcefully pressed against the metal frame.

Recovering quickly, the assailant picked himself up and turned with quickness in his strides, his left fist already cocked back, a look of unadulterated fury burning in his blackened eyes, a scream of rage leaving his lips.

Feeling that burst of potency, Yuuki pushed herself forward, not wanting to give this man an inch, leading low with her left forearm as she hammered into the man's chest with a damaging strike, getting that gasp of pain as a prize. At the same time, she swung her other fist back, shifting her body to properly use the emphasis of her lower back, legs, and hips into an uppercut that connected right on the chin before pivoting her right leg back while bringing her leg up. She rotated it into a high arch as she drove her heel down; the action stopped her foe from trying to counterattack with how he brought his forearms up as he crisscrossed them together to avert the incoming blow. Following up, she kicks out her other leg and nails the guy right into the side of his kneecap with a meaty smack from the impact, making the masked individual buckle a little with him being forced to kneel.

Panting laboriously, she took in large gulps of air as her chest heaved from all the forced exertion and pain. She was at her limit, and no amount of grandstanding or self-induced pep talks would alter that. While she did a number on him with that flurry, she doubted she would be underestimated again.

Sometimes, you must sacrifice in war to see the next day...

The words of Rika Minami whispered in her ear, reminding her that sometimes you have to do whatever is needed to survive.

Taking the momentary reprieve, the young girl wipes the blood that gathered at the corner of her mouth with her forearm before glancing around her surroundings while keeping her eyes locked on the man in front of her, trying to see if anything, either from the rooftop or anything lying near the dead soldier's, could help secure victory.

As she watched the uniformed man in front of her hold his knee, an Idea came to mind. If he's still feeling that kick, maybe if she puts enough strain on the joint, she could cause enough harm for him to leave. She already knew trying to go for a killing blow would be out of the question; it was just too much risk for such an endeavor now that her opponent would be wary of her and not leave himself open as he did.

'As much as I would love to slit his throat or snap his neck, I must consider Rei. She's still out cold, and me dying would mean she would be stuck out here all alone...' Yuuki thought while keeping her gaze on the masked bastard as he ran a gloved hand across his left knee. 'If he's still feeling that, I need to use that to my advantage!' the short-haired girl spread her legs out a little and bent her knees to shift into a ready stance, putting on a brave face.

The man emitted a dry, humorous chuckle before standing up straight once again, stomping his foot a couple of times to get the tingling feeling to pass, even though he had to admit he deserved what he got for playing with his food instead of shoving one of his blades into her gut and be done with it when he had a chance too, then trying to break her resolve.

Before either individual could set their intent to go another round, the sudden garble static of a radio cutting on with someone's voice blaring stops them both from moving. "Captian Saigon, are you there?"

Pausing, the man, now named Saigon, reaches into his coat to fish out a small black radio before saying. "Report Minaka..."

"I just got word that our esteemed leader has passed forth his judgment, total sanctification has been authorized, and the surrounding areas will be inundated with fire. The high priest wants everyone to pull back and take defensive positions in Joshin'etsukogen and await further orders to advance once the dead are burned away..."

Yuuki could only balk fearfully at the news the man on the handheld was giving. The entire area to be set to the torch and scorched? Would she even be able to get out in time with Rei with how badly the streets were crammed with the dead, along with all the damage she suffered fending this man off in front of her?

"Acknowledged..." Saigon grunts. "How long until it starts?"

"10 minutes as we are putting the last of the armaments into place as we speak."

"Understood...withdrawing and pulling back to the nearest defensive position... Let Sho know to expect me from the eastern side barricade."

"I'll relay your message to him. Have your squad meet up with the rest of the vanguard coming from the south!" as the speaker cuts communion with it, returning to a static-like garble.

Saigon slips the radio back into the inner linings of his black jacket before bringing his attention to the redhead, before speaking in a monotone way that did little to hide his frustrations of being forced to leave. "Looks like it's your lucky day... Naturally, I would finish you off, but that would count against my time to safely withdraw. If you prevail in what's to come, we will finish this until only one of us walks away properly. Don't die, girl, as my pride as a soldier insists we settle this...!"

Backing away quickly and turning, the man sprints towards the rooftop entry, with him looking at his foe once again before entering the entrance and vanishing from sight.

Releasing that bated breath, the worn-out teenager falls to her butt as the adrenaline from earlier starts to fade from her weary system. Looking over at her friend, the short-haired girl wondered how she would pull the proverbial rabbit from her hat this time.

Going down to the streets was a no-go, and being in the middle of a barbecue was different from what anyone would call a fun-filled morning. So that left only one option: she had to go whatever path the masked man took. That meant running into others of his ilk, and it wasn't like she could say pretty please with sugar on top of her, and her friend could leave without being detained or shot on the spot.

So the only thing she could do was enter the building and hopefully find something useful, at least something that could help knock the edge of all the aches she was feeling at the moment...


Elsewhere...

"Are preparations almost completed, my child?" An unknown individual smoothly says within a division of veils that blocks anyone from peering within. The surrounding candles were the only luminance within the already still-darkened room, encircled by the faithful who continuously sang his praises in the background.

An aged grizzled man kneels before the shadow before saying. "Yes, your holiness. We will be firebombing around the clock, starting with the western province, slowly approaching Chiyoda; I already sent word for all in-field squads to make their way to our defensive holding in Joshin'etsukogen National Park..."

A pair of eyes gleamed within the gloaming, quite pleased with how things were progressing. It would be only a matter of time before they seized control of Bunkyo from the dead, adding another piece of Japanese territory to his ever-growing war chest. That sentiment alone delighted the high priest more than anything to have more and more with little to no opposition, and even if the masses tried, only the strong would be the ones who would dine with the gods!

"How long until everything is ready...?" the voice behind the veils purred cheerfully.

"We await your orders, my lord. We can start at any time you wish." The uniformed general states, looking upward towards the veiled throne, awaiting word from the would-be god-made man to declare divine fury upon those who would stand against them.

With a creak and groan of someone leaving a heavily padded seat, the sounds of footsteps upon the unbending floor resonated softly as the figure within the dimmed gloom paced back and forth before stopping at a clear glass window on his side of the divider. The priest-dressed man looked at the rising sunlight as his ambitious eyes eyed the brightening horizon, almost in a daze: at all that could be, would be, and will be. The discarded remains of the old world will be seared away, with him purifying the land into his image, with Japan becoming the lynchpin of his new world empire.

First, Japan, then the entire world, him at its epicenter to rule for hereafter!

"Burn everything." The priest-clad individual states without emotion, his smoothly soft voice carrying a hardened edge. "I do not want to see a single building or walking body wandering about when the main force from the north moves in. If you do find survivors in the gutter, kill the males but keep the females. I want this sector under my possession by the end of the day. Don't disappoint me; we both know what happens when I feel my charges are lacking..." as the subtle threat that lingered would be more than enough to encourage the coming campaign.

With a quickened word of acknowledgment. The aging warrior knew his lord sufficiently to know when he was dismissed as he got to his feet before bowing deeply and quickly pivoting and walking away briskly to do as he was told.

Hearing the door to the screened chambers open and close. The man who ruled the strongest of groups in Japan looked upon the light of the world once more before uttering. "In time, the whole world will be mine..."


With Naruto...

There were times that the one-time Genin of team seven could have done without the end of the world. Or, in better terms, having to deal with another end-of-the-world scenario. He could never understand why people were so hell-bent on this sovereignty over others that those who yearned for it were willing to sacrifice so many just so a single individual could sit on that golden throne to be glorified and revered until the end.

Was it something so hardwired into human DNA? Or was it a type of small man syndrome in which people need to feel better about themselves by ensuring that if they suffer, everyone suffers?

The list went on in his mind when he lived in a world of the Shinobi, and his people had the power to rip up the landscape in their endless pursuits regardless of the misery and bloodshed left behind. To see ordinary people drunk off leftovers of greatness was worse than anything Madara or Obito could have done. Even Kaguya had a better plan of action outside of this broken vessel without a sail, kind of course; everyone was forcefully set on.

After coming to this world over 15 years ago, the older blond thought his defeat by the rabbit goddess was the most horridtrous thing to ever happen to him, outside of being a Jinchūriki. Although after spending a great deal of time and adjusting himself to a more modern society, he quickly found out that while he couldn't save the lands of his birth, it wasn't all rain clouds and disappointment with him meeting likeminded people that helped him along the way that wanted to know about him and didn't ask questions about his past.

It wasn't hard for him to start a new life, using some of the things he picked up during his travels with Jiraiya of the Sannin. To everyday people, he was a handsome mixed Asian man with a charming yet strong sense of humor. From there, he built up a life of being a man who used his hands and even his voice to make a living for himself, while he did consider joining the military at one time since he was still, at his core, a trained Shinobi. The amount of grandstanding and other backroom politics made anything he witnessed as an enlisted man in his home village pale compared to being a part of that powder keg that was the existing world powers.

Through those bidding years, he met Shizuka and her best friend Rika and became good friends, and throughout their time together, the trio became even closer before the collapse.

The whiskered man could still recall that day when he was called to Fujimi Academy to fix a defective line in the school's sprinkler system, and everything in his current life up to that point would change; he was no stranger to fighting the undead with the memories of Kabuto using the departed in a bid to help Obito prevail in his moon eye plan to enslave the entire world in a dream-like state.

Sometimes, the blond wondered if this situation was what Madara honestly wanted. To have people be nothing more than broken puppets without any strings to tug? These zombies were close to what the old Uchiha patriarch would've wanted If the former living didn't have such a taste for the flesh of others. The lifeless masses didn't care about waging war or fighting; they just wandered about aimlessly in a stupor, working together for a common goal, even though that goal wouldn't be what that man had in mind.

No power structure existed anymore, and no more nations fighting each other over petty or pointless things—just a dead stillness among the groans of those who walked the streets below. The living bordered the rim of extinction while nature around him strived to use the duration to reclaim what it had lost over the centuries to humanity's greed and unwanted lust for trinkets and other earthy embodiments from the cold, hard dirt.

By the time he's a feeble older man, the world might start looking like Konoha did before his exile by Kaguya; people might find the balance to live within nature and hopefully won't take her for granted as she was still providing even though 99% of the world lost those survival skills outside of a few that like to be among the trees than other people.

Standing on the top of a telephone pole, Naruto looks down at the stumbling people who walked without purpose outside of eating human meat. He was lost in his thoughts and still haunted by the ones he couldn't save. The deep audible voice from within would stir the older blond from his reflections on how he shifted his attention to the nine-tails, with the ancient beast wanting to immerse itself in a conversation.

To the former-nin, it was a pleasant distraction that gave his sanities something else to think about other than food, water, and not dying to something...

"The folly of mankind never ceases to amaze me, kid." Kurama reverberates from within the seal. "It's been a year since this entire landmass went to hell, and instead of teaming up with others to rid this place of those rotting things. Humans got that bright Idea of killing each other still while trying to build kingdoms upon pillars of salt and sand..."

'You aren't telling me anything new, Kurama... The diplomatic approach hasn't worked, and I doubt it will ever unless we start responding to the same call to slaughter like so many...'

"Humans like yourself have been doing this for a long time. No society lasts forever ... Once the powers-to-be are dead or no longer at the helm, the scramble to take over becomes addicting, almost like a narcotic to those who felt like their lot in life was unjust and want to be some would-be savior or conquer of old, like in those movies your mate likes to watch."

'Yeah... We both know that it's going to be years. Maybe even decades before people get it through their thick skulls to work together then run a muck destroying what little we have left.'

"Is that why you haven't taken it upon yourself to eradicate these things? Even though that seedling has hindered me, you still have the old sage's power among your own... It wouldn't take you very long to rid this place of rotting things."

'And cause yet another power vacuum? I ran that scenario in my head for months while running my group from place to place. The zombies would be gone, but it wouldn't stop the human element of us from killing each other for land or other things. We're past the point of things returning to how they once were before the outbreak, and too much time has passed for anyone wanting anything to do with the failed governance structure that crumbled like a house of cards in a crisis. This is a problem that has to work itself out, Kurama. This time, there isn't a savior to come in and make things right. The only thing I'll be doing is putting a target on myself and those I care for, and we have seen what people do when they feel like they have to take down a greater threat..."

"Mhm, they'll team up against you and do whatever it takes to see you dead in a ditch somewhere. No different than our world was when it came to power struggles; the only difference would be you playing the part of that accursed woman this time..."

It was one thing that both the jailor and beast could agree on. The zombies acted like a buffer that kept people from progressing too quickly, while the whiskered blond knew about the supergroup The Way of Peace and their wanting to build a new regime. It would still take them years before they ever get a proper foothold with how dense the zombie numbers were, considering you had to deal with over 126 million hostile bodies with only 1% of the total population left alive or hasn't been reverting into tribal troglodytes.

The one thing the blond refused to be was some Kaguya mini-me, throwing power around and abusing people who were already scared out of their minds trying to endure in a world that was becoming so opaque...

"I do have to ask this, though, kid. Why leave? I know the others want to leave with the losses of family and friends they suffered. I hadn't heard your reasons for wanting to pack up and move elsewhere when that pink-haired brat pitched the Idea a few days ago..."

'It's because I am tired of this Kurama... When I came here over 15 years ago, I saw this as a way to move on with my life, rebuild myself, and finally push from my past... ...Now I am back right where I started, with people not giving a damn about each other, and I refuse to lose any more to this catastrophe! Just as I promised Saeko that I would help rid her of that demon. I promised the others that I'd do whatever it took for us to find a place we could call our own. This is why I have been pushing them more these days, so they won't always need me as their safety net. Each one can stand next to me without crouching behind me for protection or other essentials they need. Because as the years progress, we both know things will only get worse before getting any better; the lifeless will eventfully run out, and an entirely new war will come...'

Naruto knew trying to create a permanent home here would be pointless, and he didn't want to see all that hard work they all went through go to waste and continue to entice the worst kind of people. Keeping the base they assembled and restocked bruised many toes among other groups because food and other things were becoming harder to come by. Stores of all kinds were looted, and hoarders only had so much to stockpile before those stashed goods were gone.

And the way Japan was developed, the little greenery that wasn't already in heavy contention among larger and stronger groups was left. Or people using scorched earth-style tactics to ensure that no one could grow anything made the market prices for existing edibles skyrocket beyond absurdity. The Idea of a filled baggie of jewelry to get five cans of soup is utterly idiotic to the man. And he wasn't going to lower himself into the slave trade and start snatching up women of breeding age to be sold like cattle to people who assumed their seed was more important than his own.

The caricature of him being in a group with more women than men wasn't lost on him either. Nor would he blame Saeko for the losses of Takashi and Kohta, as she had no control over her actions during those times when her inner demon took over entirely. If there were anyone who knew how it felt, It would be him, as he had already gone through those problematic years when Kurama tried to do the same in his early days. And he had a specially made seal that kept many of those in check, a Mastercraft between his parents that he still thanked each day for.

Sakeo didn't have such a luxury and had to wrestle with that creature daily on her own, and the blond could still mentally visualize the sorrowful grief of powerlessness in her light blue eyes. A woman's dignity is no different than a man's, and having someone or something that stomps all over it isn't easy to abide by, especially when it decides to show itself at random, making you kill the people you have grown to adore and respect.

It would be no different if Kurama took over and made him kill Sakura or Kakashi in cold blood. You'll never truly forgive yourself for what you were forced to do to those you promised to protect...

If there is one thing that Naruto could say about himself, even when things look bleak and on the verge of doom, he always finds a way to right the ship back onto its course. That creature wouldn't succeed as long as he drew a single breath. He might've been unable to keep that promise to Sakura about Sasuke, but he knew he could keep his promise to Saeko. She didn't deserve the fate she was given, a legacy that anyone could have done without.

His ears abruptly perked up as his amplified senses picked up something whistling through the distance before exploding in a shattering boom not far from his standing position that reverberated throughout the area as more ordnances rained haphazardly from the heavens all over the place.

The endless sounds of glass cracking along with the earth-rumbling buildings caving into themselves caused the blond to snap out of his thoughts, taking a few small jumps backward and going through a few gymnastic-like flips to avoid some of the rubble that shot up from the epicenter with Naruto landing in a crouch on a building's ledge further away from the utility pole he was standing as flames started to engulf everything it touched.

"N-n-noooo! Stay away!" The cry of a young lass rang out from all the devastation. "Daddy! Where are you?!"

"Duty calls, brat. It looks like we can continue this another time..."

'Noted, I'll put it onto my to-do list, you overgrown furry pain in my butt.' the blond thought to himself with some tongue and cheek at the fox while taking a giant leap off his perch, descending back into the ground with him speeding almost blur-like past the undead that was too slow to notice his movements among the frenzy of destruction and wails of the many zombies that scurried to gather.


(Brief Scene Change)

Micro-Apartment


'Why couldn't they just go somewhere else!?' The young girl thought mid-panic, tears streaming down her face, covering her mouth while coughing, all the while clutching her small trembling hand around the handle of a beaten and battered cricket bat. She did her best to hide behind a small, broken bookshelf among the fire and smoke that now threatened to engulf everything in front of her, her body shaking from the growing dread that ran through her soul like a hot knife into butter. 'Daddy, where are you?!'

Everywhere Alice looked, all she saw were half-rotted hands that seemed to come out of the walls, floor, or whatever crack or crevice a hand could slip into. The hunger that shone off all of them was clangorous, with how crazed their pounding on the door in front of her became. The little girl knew that the door in front of her wouldn't last for long from the constant onslaught of blows that rained down upon it, along with the flames that slithered along the walls and floor she could feel every time the wood would creak or groan; it was like listening to an axe being slowly dragged against the ground by some hooded killer that awaited her head upon the chopping block.

The tiny apartment she could see from her hiding spot had only one way in and out, with wooden boards already aflame covering the broken windows and the door that held steadfast at the moment that kept the dead out. Constant sounds of the processed lumber cracking with more hands wildly flailing about caused the young girl to whimper uncontrollably, even to the point that she wouldn't be surprised if she had wet herself.

Her papa always protected her and chased the dead away; the little girl couldn't understand why he wasn't doing it this time. Did something happen to him? Was he injured somewhere and had to wait until he was well enough to move? Or... was he now among those pounding the door down who wanted to hurt her until she couldn't feel anymore?

So many things raced within her head that made her heart speed up, and her breathing quickened to the point it felt like the room around her was spinning inside a washing machine that was getting ready to go into the spin cycle with the way everything felt like she was trying to look at the world through a drinking straw.

(Crash!)

The final bits of resistance of her only barricade crumbled away as the dead started to pile inside the building, many of whom were already set ablaze. A cry of terror was already leaving her throat from the jolt of seeing the door break away, her life flashing before her eyes, wailing for the only person she knew.

"Daddy!" Alice cried while hugging her knees into her chest, incapable of accepting her coming fate.

Before the lifeless could make an easy meal of her, a sudden wind blew through the room, making the zombies in front of her fly through the air. Before, they were roughly slammed against the room's interior with a wet splat, painting everything inside a sickly crimson. A pair of hands wrapped around her waist tightly, causing her to struggle and thrash wildly before she felt herself spirited away in a blur that she could barely see through the tears that blinded her sight.

It all felt surreal, like she was going through a tunnel of light. 'Am I going to see mommy...?' The girl thought while her body went limp in the arms of whoever was carrying her. The sunlight, muffled sounds, and explosions scintillated around her; she couldn't understand what she endeavored to see or hear. It was like trying to understand a movie stuck in fast forward, and her panic-stricken mind couldn't make any meaning of what had happened to her. Did the zombies get her? Was it over like that, fear and the feeling of weightlessness while you go peacefully into the light?

And just like that, the blur ended with everything slowing down as the world around her slowly halted. She gazed up through the tears that still glistened in the corners of her eyes.

A man in the morning light held her in his embrace; dark blue eyes and blond hair were the only things she could make out before the emotional high of her near-death experience caused her eyes to roll back and close as her mind retreated into the realm of unconsciousness.

"Poor thing..." Kurama rumbles out softly.

'Yeah... it's always the innocent ones having to pay the price...' Naruto mentally voices with a sad look, hating how someone so young had to be caught up in this turmoil.

"What are you going to do?" The chakra beast questioned.

'What else is there to do? I'm going to take her home. I won't leave her here after what she went through; my heart isn't cast in stone yet.'

"Taking in another will mean another mouth to feed. And you still have to do something with that katana carrying welp as her 'Tenant' will surely try to kill her given the chance."

'I'll keep that in mind, partner. I haven't forgotten about 'It.'

With another burst of speed, the blond Shinobi jumped from rooftop to rooftop, carrying precious cargo back home, bobbing and weaving between debris and other hazards that flew about from the persistent barrage—doing his part to save an innocent soul from the flames, even if it's the only thing the former Genin could do.


Apartment Bathroom

10 minutes later...

(Sounds of running water)

"I'm appreciative for small blessings..." the battered teen mumbles to herself while cupping some lukewarm water and bringing it to her face, slowly washing away all the dirt, blood, and grime that gathered throughout her journey. "I'm unsure how this room, out of the others I checked, still has running water, but I won't gripe about my change in good fortune to clean myself up." She looked up at the fogged mirror before bringing her left hand and wiping the water droplets that had gathered there.

Peering into the glass, the disheveled redhead could still see a wearied yet determined look in those yellowed orbs despite the black eye developing in her left eye and her face rather puffy, swollen, and sleep-deprived.

The bruise-like mark upon her face looked more like an un-slightly fault, with the way she could still see the lines and knuckles dents from the fists that hit her. "Looking like the poster child for battered wife syndrome..." The girl mutters softly, trying to touch the side of her face a little before wincing from the stinging pain.

Unbuttoning what remained of her white and green Fujimi Academy shirt, she slipped her arms out of the long sleeves before tossing it onto the floor as she reached behind her back, unclipping her bra and taking it off. Taking stock, she could see her upper chest just below her breasts look like it was trying to mimic a grape with the black and blue and slight purple coloration from the amount of punishment she weathered; her solar plexus was deeply discolored with the bruising spreading out everywhere on her stomach.

She knew she was beaten like ground beef, and she only got to walk away because her foe did not want to die from outside sources. It was that hope that he was sitting somewhere with ice on something, even if the thought was her only solace that he was in the same discomfort.

"It's unfortunate but still manageable. It could have been much worse..."

Tracing her fingers across her chest, Yuuki gently felt about, trying to see if anything was broken. From sight alone, it was just deep bruising. Looking upward again, she opened the medicine cabinet above the sink and breathed a sigh of relief that someone had used it for its intended purpose. Bandages and other kinds of medical aids were fully packed inside.

"If I remember correctly, I need cold compresses and an elastic bandage to treat this. As much as I would love to kick my feet up and let this heal, I must get Rei and myself out of here before it becomes too chaotic to leave."

Before she could start any treatment of herself, an old voice called out to her warmly, "Need assistance, young lady?" causing the bruised redhead to emit a small yelp of surprise, knocking a white bottle filled with pills into the sink.

Turning her awareness swiftly, she was greeted by an older woman whom she should have effortlessly discerned but was too occupied by her predicament.

A Japanese woman around 5'1 in height promptly looked like she was in her 70s with many aged wrinkles upon her face, her long whitish-grey hair pulled into a messy bun. She wore a plain grey button-up wool sweater, a long black Japanese-style skirt just above her ankles, and a pair of white slip-on shoes on her feet to complete her apparel. Her brown eyes were closed from how her eyelids sagged a little but kept an enthusiastic spark that retained an interest in the younger girls' intentions.

Seeming tongue-tied with her mouth slightly parted, Yuuki tried to summon the words but could only stare at the older woman dumbly with a blush of embarrassment at getting caught going through someone's stuff. 'Smooth move, Yuu... What did Rika always say? Always check your corners before assuming a place is empty!' the girl inwardly berates herself for being so careless to allow someone to get close to her.

Even an old lady can be dangerous these days, and it would be foolish to presume by appearance alone she's going to be your loving grandma.

"En hem," The old lady cleared her throat, smiling at the young girl. "I'm not going to bite, even though you look like you just went through quite an inauspicious fate..."

Walking over, the older adult takes in the bruising that adorns the girl's chest with a perception of expertise. She clicks her tongue a few times before taking Yuuki by the arm and leading her from the bathroom. "What I got in there won't help you, youngin. It would be best to have something more advanced to treat that properly. My name is Yoshiko, by the way..." The elder discoursed while introducing herself as well.

Usually, anyone would be suspicious or standoffish to a stranger, as the apocalypse taught unforgiving lessons not to trust anyone outside their groups. But you can't turn away help when you genuinely need it.

"My name is Yuuki, and I'll appreciate any aid that can keep me moving. My friend and I want to leave this side of town as I have heard things here will get hectic and dangerous."

The older woman looks thoughtful before saying. "The young lady who's resting on my couch?"

"Mhm, she got knocked out during a shoot-out trying to escape a pipe bomb, and the explosion launched her head first into a wall."

"By those people dress in all black?"

"Yeah...those ways of peace, assholes. Who, by the way, wants to set everything on fire..."

After being led back into the spacious living room, the short-haired girl could see her friend propped up on a pillow, lying on a brown leather couch with fresh bandages around her head and a large quilt draped over her body.

"Go ahead and take a seat, young lady. I'll be right back with my things..."

Watching the older woman walk down a small hallway into a bedroom, the former high schooler walked over and sat on one of the brown leather recliners next to her companion as she waited for the older woman's return.

Her ears perked up when she heard talking from down the hallway with shuffling feet before the silhouette of the old lady returning with some gauze, a large jar filled with a crystal clear colored gel, and a tan-colored bottle with something unknown inside. "Ok, dear, what I got will ease the pain. Sit on the footstool by the couch, and I'll get started..."

Looking at the older adult and then at the little stool against the small coffee table, the redhead seems to mull the request momentarily before shrugging and doing what she is told. She didn't need to be a bitch to someone that could have easily told her to kick rocks than finding it in her heart to render aid.

Deep down, it was nice to see someone acting like they had some sense, to show a little consideration to a stranger without it turning into a bloodbath over something petty or pointless.

"Do I need to do anything?" The young girl says while trying to position herself on the small stool.

"No need, child, I have done this countless times during my life, long before the dead decided not to be dead anymore..." Yoshiko replies while twisting the lid off the container filled with gel and putting some on her hands as she starts to coat Yuuki's bruised chest.

Whatever it was, the smell of menthol was strong. Yet, it had a chilliness and tingling feeling to the skin when it was applied with a bit of warmth when it started to penetrate the muscle.

For that moment, those tender yet motherly touches helped her disregard what was now deemed everyday life. To Yuuki, it's been a long time since she could let her guard down for a moment and de-stress in someone else's company that wasn't Naruto or anyone else in their little group.

She closed her eyes as the older woman continued her work, allowing the teen to reflect on the growing tranquility.

Before all this, she had no idea of what to do with the rest of her life. She had no goal in mind once she graduated from Fujimi Academy; she only did the minimum to get by and didn't care if her average grades put her in some run-of-the-mill job. All that mattered was partying and netting as much easy cash as possible with little to no effort, and the lonely and despairing men she ran across gave her everything she ever wanted. All it took was some sweet words, a little bra play, a nip slip here or there, and maybe some upskirt pictures or, if she was feeling charitable, letting some touch her in any way they wanted that had so many eating out of the palm of her hand.

The stories and rumors passed around the academy were just a bunch of envious hens who couldn't stand that one could seduce so many and keep them wrapped around her little finger and try to ruin her reputation among her peers. Just thinking of that made Yuuki inwardly scoff like that upset her the slightest; until that point, men were givers, giving everything to quench her desires with the desire of being the one to breed her. It was a pastime that spun into an infinite loop, and she only had to keep feeding the flames of those misconceptions, and she got what she wanted: clothes, jewelry, summer and spring trips to far-off places to be wined and dined every night like some goddess.

Not once did she force them to do anything. They willingly showered her with their life savings, always chasing but never catching as she perpetually moved the goalposts further from their reach. To her, it was just a distraction from her already mundane, boring life. A life where she was pushed every day to work as hard as she could for a pat on the head or a slight distinction from someone who no longer had any purpose and was just a tiny cog in the Japanese machine that left many dead inside long before some disease came around and removed the mask on what they all hid from sight.

In her mind, It was funny how close her Ex-boyfriend, Tsunoda, got to the motherland when she was willing to break her own rules of never falling in love, and it still brought such delight that he wouldn't ever be able to love anyone properly again for his part in that two-timing months ago. Knowing now, her worth to him was a gallon of gas, a six-pack of colas, and a box of saline crackers, all the while Shido parroting in the background like some muppet about destiny and other bullshit he loved to spew like it was supposed to give her some expectancy that her life won't go to shit after being turned into a living sex doll.

She only regretted not catching that setup before it happened, and Taniuchi and Kawamoto paid the price with her escaping captivity by the skin of her teeth. But it was a harsh lesson to take to heart that such disloyalties will continue in this dying world. Survival was the only goal that mattered now; everything else was useless fat that was trimmed away. Leaving only those willing to do what it took to fight for the next sunrise, the next meal, and the right to settle down and hopefully have a family. To claw, kick, and scream, not letting anyone or anything take away that ember of a dream smothering into life: to have a family of her own.

It wasn't until Yuuki felt something coiling around her stomach that her mind snapped back into reality from its self-induced trance of the past for her to see white medical gauze starting to slither around her frame; how it had enough tack into it that it wouldn't slip off but loose enough to allow her to breathe freely.

As the row continued upward, she watched how the old physician would use that tan-colored bottle she had brought to soak the bandages in an herbal yet minty aroma as she resumed wrapping her chest. With the last bit clinging around under the girl's already enormous breasts, the elder gives it a slight tug before tucking and wrapping the ends together to secure it in place.

Taking that first big breath, the scrappy lass couldn't believe how everything felt. Her body certainly didn't feel like it got an ass-kicking recently, and all her aches seemed to dissolve and vanish with the way she sat up straighter. "Alright, I'm this close." Yuuki raised her hand with the way she held her pointer and thumb almost close together. "To think you're some healer from some bygone era. Everything I felt up to this point slid off me like water off a duck's back!"

Yoshiko could only beam at the compliment before saying. "40 years of medical practice and keeping the family tradition alive, girlie!"

Rotating her arm a few times before placing her elbows into her thighs. "That is a well-spent life; maybe if things weren't how they are now, I could learn something from you. But, maybe in the next life..."

"Mm... Maybe you still can." The woman states with an air of mystery.

Tilting her head to the side, the Fujimi survivor wasn't sure how to measure such a response outside of staring and waiting for an explanation.

"You said you want to get out of here, correct?"

Which Yuuki nodded.

"I can take you somewhere that will lead you through some of the old passageways built during the later days of World War 2."

Blinking a few times before the Idea fully reached her brain, her eyes widened, almost saucer-like, before she exclaimed excitedly, jumping out of her seat. "S-seriously? You aren't shitting me because, old lady or not, I will kick your ass for fucking with me like that!"

Given medical aid or not, no one wants to be messed with when hope is dangled in front of your face like a carrot on a stick!

"Hehe... Give an old lady a bit more credit. I wouldn't mention it if I weren't serious." the amused grin and sparkle on the woman's face never faltered, even with the threat of bodily harm.

Still skeptical, the redhead promised not to walk into something blind, yet she couldn't deny that feeling in her stomach that she could trust the older woman. After having that internal debate on how to press on, the girl sighs before saying. "Alright then, if you have some spare clothes, I can get what Rei and I have left and follow you." The girl's eyes harden before she utters out in a more complex tone. "Do not make me regret this. I want to believe there are still good people left; if you do anything to betray that trust..." She left the last part open for the woman to comprehend its meaning, but the fierce look in the young girl's eyes told everything that had to be said.

"I'll keep that in mind, girlie," Yoshiko said while nodding in understanding as she gestured with her head for the girl to follow. "Now, if you follow me, I should still have a few things my granddaughter used to wear that should fit. I'll see if I also have an outfit for your friend, as that should keep you both from being identified."

Taking the cue, Yuuki followed behind the elder as she was led further down the hallway into the adjacent bedroom before being beckoned inside.


I hope everyone has had a good Christmas and the coming New Year. And I do wish to apologize for disappearing, as many personal matters came up that kept me away from writing. Two sudden deaths and the aftermath of it make it hard to find that spark to write about something when things like sadness and other family drama. But I hope this chapter will get me back into the swing of things as I am already working on the next chapter.

This chapter also has my very first fight scene, and I know it won't be perfect, so any honest criticism so I can improve for the future would be welcomed as this is still my very first story writing on here. With this done, things will shift a little back to the homefront, with Naruto having more screen time before things go back to the final leg of Yuuki and Rei's journey to return, along with more interactions with Saeko and her inner beast.

Review and enjoy, as I hope to have the next chapter out soon I can...