Chapter 26: The Secrets That We Keep

Sasuke closed the door to the prison's outdoor cellar. He wrapped a chain around the handles he had found in a utility closet hidden in the back of the prison and locked the chain with a padlock only he had the key to. He sighed and walked to the courtyard in the front and towards the enterance of the prison. When he walked inside, the first person he saw was Shikamaru. He was just sitting on the floor outside B block which contained the infirmary.

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru looked up and was surprised to see Sasuke since he had disappeared a couple of hours earlier.

"I don't know, he went off to be alone," Shikamaru answered as he stood up.

"Why? What happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Kiba," Shikamaru began. "He was bitten. I don't think Naruto is taking it well."

Sasuke sighed, "Shit."

"You're telling me," Shikamaru stated.

"If I see him, do you want me to tell him you're looking for him?" asked Shikamaru.

"No, I'll talk to him later," Sasuke answered. "Let him grieve for now."

Shikamaru nodded as Sasuke walked down to A block where everyone had been sleeping before the winter came in early.

Naruto was staring at the courtyard from the prison roof. He had found a entrance to the roof while he walked around the prison for hours after finding out Kiba had been bitten and was dying.

"God damn it!" yelled Naruto and slammed his fist down on to the roof's ledge. "After Ino I swore that I wouldn't lose anyone else in my group and now Kiba is in the infirmary dying. I really suck as a leader."

Naruto looked down at his fist, watching a small trickle of blood run down the side. He noticed his healing was slower than usual but paid no mind to it at the moment.

Kiba laid silent as Hinata was ready to see what Kiba had wanted with just her. Kiba, however, was struggling to get what he wanted off his chest into words. He wasn't sure if he should say what he was about to say since he was dying. He didn't want to make Hinata hurt anymore than she already was losing a friend but at the same time, if he didn't say anything and took it to the grave, he'd only regret it all in the end.

Hinata could tell Kiba was thinking hard by the way his facial expressions kept changing. She wanted to giggle a bit but with what was going on, she found it to be of bad taste at the moment so she stifled it and just waited until Kiba was ready to speak his mind.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know if I should even say what I'm about to say given the fact that well, you know," Kiba said, trailing off to not mention dying.

"Just tell me," Hinata said, her voice stern which Kiba was not used to.

"I just don't want it to hurt you more than you're already hurting," Kiba said.

"It'll hurt me more if you don't say anthing at all," Hinata said, urging Kiba to tell her what was on his mind.

Kiba took a deep breath, this was not the way he wanted to confess what he was about to confess this way but he felt the need to do it before his time expired. Kiba sat up in the infirmary bed he was lying in, pain traveling from the bite on his back throughout his body. He winced but grabbed Hinata's hands and held them. Hinata was quite stunned but did not falter.

"I know how you feel about Naruto and I know that's never going to change but I have to tell you this before I go. Hinata, ever since we became teammates, my feelings for you changed from just a friend to something more. I don't know when it became like that but for a long time now I've been in love with you," Kiba confessed, pouring his heart out.

Hinata was taken back by this, she gasped and tears began forming in her eyes. This was the exact thing Kiba did not want to happen by confessing but he felt he needed to. He just wish it wouldn't crack Hinata's heart.

"This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, this is why I was struggling with telling you this secret I've kept for years now," Kiba said.

"It's okay Kiba-kun, I'm glad you told me," Hinata said, trying to be comforting

However, inside, Kiba's confession was causing a war within her heart. She thought she had strictly loved Naruto but this made her realize that she might feel something for Kiba too. Hinata tried not to show she was falling apart inside the best she could but Kiba's gaze made her feel like he could see right through her and see the damage that was going on inside.

"I fucked you all up inside, didn't I?" Kiba asked.

Hinata shook her head trying to mask that he was right, "Just lay back down and rest."

"One last thing, please take care of Akumaru for me, please?" Kiba asked.

"Of course," Hinata answered.

"I'm tired," Kiba muttered as he laid back down quickly falling asleep.

Hinata turned around and let the tears flow. She let the turmoil that began inside he heart escape through her crying as she realized she too loved Kiba and that her feelings for Naruto had been just admiration and nothing more. She wanted to berate herself for not seeing it earlier for wasting so much time on trying to get Naruto to notice her when she did not even love him like she thought she had.

Naruto walked through the prison grounds on the side of the prison, having jumped down from the roof on the outside as he did not really want to walk inside the prison at the moment, turned the corner to enter the courtyard when he spotted Shino and it looked like he was contemplating something or investigating the grounds of some kind. Naruto approached Shino.

"Hey Shino, are you okay?" asked Naruto.

Naruto's question had brought Shino out of the daze it looked like he had been under and turned to face the blonde.

"I think so, however, my bugs, they're leaving my body on their own and not coming back," Shino stated.

Naruto was a bit confused, "They're not coming back? Did you piss them off or something?"

"No, this started a few days ago," Shino answered. "I find it quite strange."

"That is weird," Naruto said. "Now that you mention it, I'm having something strange happening to me, just a few days ago I realized I haven't had contact with Kurama in a while so I went into my mindscape to try to talk to him but I just came to this wall of black smoke and what I can only describe as red lightning flashing inside of this black smoke. I touched it to see if I could clear it out of my way but it felt like it shocked me and tossed me out of my mindscape. Ever since then I haven't been able to go back to my mindscape. And earlier, I punched the shit out of the roof out of fustration over Kiba and noticed my healing is not as fast as it is anymore."

"That is not good," Shino said. "I wouldn't tell anyone else right now, it's not a good idea to start freaking everyone out."

"Of course, keep this to yourself," Naruto ordered. Shino nodded.

"I think we've let Hinata and Kiba have enough alone time, I think it's time we pay a visit to Kiba one last time," Naruto said, his voice becoming somber.

"Agreed."

Everyone at the prison walked into the infirmary and found Hinata in the corner. Her face was red from crying.

"Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto asked.

Hinata looked up and saw the face she did not want to see at the moment. The man she thought she loved but turned out she didn't and the man she truely loved was in a infirmary bed, dying.

Hinata got up from the corner she had been sitting in and walked up to Naruto. She didn't know what she was doing, maybe the anger of Kiba getting bit but she slapped Naruto. Everyone was shocked that Hinata, of all people, slapped Naruto.

Naruto rubbed the cheek Hinata had just slapped. He was dumbfounded why the girl would do such a thing in the first place. He and the rest of the group gave her some privacy with Kiba as he asked.

"I wasted so much time on you trying to get you to love me when in the end I realized I loved Kiba," Hinata screamed as more tears began flowing and she ran out of the infirmary.

Naruto stood silent not sure how to proceed after what had just happened. Everyone else was just as stunned and couldn't say anything else but then Shino, who didn't seem as surprised as everyone else.

"Kiba must have confessed his love to Hinata," Shino said.

Before everyone left to let Kiba sleep, Kiba was woken up to severe coughing. He noticed everyone was standing around him.

Kiba was in terrible pain and his fever was getting higher. Kiba knew it was time. He had confessed to Hinata and was ready to leave the world.

"Do it," whispered Kiba.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"I said do it," Kiba said.

"Do what?" Shino asked.

"You know what," Kiba continued. "Just get it over with, I'm suffering here. I'm in terrible pain and I feel like my insides are on fire. I'd rather go now then die when no one is around and turn into a Walker and have the chance to bite on of you guys."

Naruto sighed, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes," Kiba said. "I got what I needed off my chest, I'm ready."

"Very well," Naruto said. He grabbed a kunai out of his pouch but felt a hand stop him.

"Let me do it," Shino said. "It's only fitting that his teammate and best friend do it."

Naruto nodded, Naruto cleared out the room to let Shino do what he needed to do. After everyone exited the infirmary. Naruto turned to Shikamaru.

"Do we have any shovels?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah. Guess we have to dig a grave," Shikamaru answered. "We'll get it done."

Naruto nodded as the rest of the group as the headed towards the door to the outside. Naruto waited for what seemed like eternity and then Shino came out of the infirmary, his kunai dripping with blood and brain matter.

"It's done," Shino said, his voice cracking.

Naruto lowered his head to hide himself crying.

Hours Later

Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, Sasuke and Choji carried Kiba's body, wrapped in a couple of bed sheets outside. They walked around to the left side of the prison to a grave that had been dug by Shikamaru, Sasuke, Choji and Tenten. They carefully lowered Kiba's body into the grave as they heard Hinata begin crying hysterically who was holding onto Akumaru who was howling. Once the body was inside the hole, everyone, except for Hinata who was grieving to much, began filling in the grave.

Once the grave was filled in completely, Choji, who had his arm expanded, placed a small boulder to mark the grave.

Everyone stood in silence, honoring their friend. After standing around Kiba's grave for a while, the group dispersed to return to their duties. Hinata and Akumaru placed themselves near the grave and grieved.

Naruto wanted to talk with Hinata about the slap from earlier but decided to let her come around on her own time. As he was heading back towards the prison, Sasuke had come up to him.

"I need to show you something," Sasuke whispered.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Just follow me," Sasuke said.

Naruto followed Sasuke to the right side of the prison where the Oak tree outside the prison walls once stood provided shade. They walked to the cellar door that was once again locked.

"I thought we unlocked this cellar?" asked Naruto.

"I had to lock it back up, but you'll see why in a minute," Sasuke said. "But please, don't freak out once you see this."

Naruto nodded as Sasuke unlocked the chain that was wrapped around the cellar doors. He opened the doors and ushered Naruto to follow him inside. Naruto and Sauske walked down the stairs into the cellar where Sasuke turned the light.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Sasuke, what the fuck?" Naruto yelled.

"Damn it, dobe, I told you not to freak out!" Sasuke said, slapping Naruto upside the back of the head.

Gai had been chained to the wall and one of Sasuke's snakes was slithering around Gai. He bit into Gai and released.

Sasuke saw Naruto's look of horror, "Don't worry, this snake's venom isn't poisonous, it's just sedating Gai."

"Why do you have Gai sedated and chained in the cellar?" questioned Naruto.

"When you allowed Gai to leave without question, I didn't trust him so I had one of my snakes watch him and sure enough, Gai wrote this," Sasuke said, pulling a letter from his shuriken pouch.

Naruto grabbed the letter from Sasuke and read the contents. Sasuke could see Naruto's expression turn from curiousity to anger.

"This son of a bitch!" yelled Naruto. "He was going to sell us out even after I was kind enough to let him leave without incident!"

"What do you want me to do with him?" Sasuke asked.

"Well first of all, we need to keep this as our secret," Naruto said. "Second, keep this bastard sedated for now, I will have a talk with him later and whatever we do, we cannot let Lee see this or he'll turn against us as well."

Sasuke nodded, agreeing to Naruto's terms.

They both exited the cellar and Sasuke closed the doors and locked them back up.

"Meet me here tonight once everyone is pretty much asleep, I'll interrogate him tonight," Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded.

Midnight

Naruto and Sasuke were inside the cellar. Sasuke's snake had stopped giving Gai its sleeping venom. A couple of hours passed and Gai began waking up. Sasuke hid in the darkness while Naruto kept himself in the light so he could be seen. Gai was fully awake and saw Naruto.

"Naruto, you got to help me escape. Sasuke, he's crazy!" Gai pleaded. "You don't even have to unlock the shackles, you can just let me break them off with my strength and just let me leave this place."

Naruto chuckled, "Do you think I'm fucking stupid?"

"No, of course not!" Gai said as he was trying to gather the strength to break the shackles but he seemed to be having a hard time doing so.

Naruto pulled out the letter that Gai had wrote asking Kakashi to label them as traitors, giving the groups location and asking if he should assassinate them.

Gai's eyes grew wide when he realized Naruto had saw his letter.

"Did you think I wasn't going to find out?" Naruto asked. "I knew damn well Sasuke didn't trust you, but I was hoping you'd leave without incident but in the end, you fucked up."

"I know what you're doing, you trying to open your gates so you have the power to break the shackles and escape, but the snake that keeps you sedated is right by your feet so you'll be put to sleep again in no time," Sasuke said, coming out of the shadows.

"I don't have the resources to keep you locked down here and sedated because you will die of starvation," Naruto said. "So before you die in your sleep, I just wanted you to know I found out and this is what happens when you try to fuck me over. This is a different world now and I'm going to do whatever I got to do to keep my people safe."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Sasuke.

"Put him back to sleep and then kill him," Naruto said.

"Wait, Naruto! I'm sorry! Just let me go!" Gai pleaded. "I won't tell anyone about you and this prison, please!"

"It's too late for apologies now, you had your chance to leave peacefully and you didn't," Naruto said as kept walking away, leaving the cellar.

An Hour Later

Naruto was on the roof of the prison, watching Tenten and Choji switch shifts on at the guard towers. Sasuke joined him on top of the roof.

"It's done," Sasuke said. "No mess to clean up."

"Lee is eventually going to want to go to the Northeastern Outpost and when he returns, he's going to know Gai is missing," Naruto said. "You think I made the right call?"

"I believe you did what you needed to do to keep this prison safe," Sasuke said. "No matter how you want to change it, Gai was always going to give this place up."

"I hope you're right," Naruto said.

Four Months Later

Tenten and Choji were watching outside the prison walls, looking for any stray Walkers or wondering survivors. It had been four months since they've last seen a Walker in the first place. Maybe the cold had made them immobile or something but spring was coming and Walkers would be wondering around again soon.

"Help!"

"Open the gate, please!"

Tenten looked around as she heard a woman and man yelling through the forest. Choji looked around too but didn't see anyone.

"Please!"

"Help us!"

Tenten looked straight ahead and saw a woman with brown hair tied in a pony tail wearing a white lab coat with a khaki pants and red glasses and in front of her was a man with short, spikey black hair, he too was wearing a white lab coat, but the right sleeve looked to have been torn off, and khaki pants.

"Oh shit, survivors!" Tenten yelled. "Go get Naruto, I'm going to open the gate."

Tenten and Choji jumped down from the guard towers. When their feet hit the ground, they were stunned a bit. For the first time they could remember, it hurt a bit hitting the ground, they found it strange but pushed it aside as they needed to help the survivors. Choji ran towards the prison and Tenten went to the gate. Tenten opened the gate with just enough room for the two survivors to run inside.

Once the survivors were inside the prison grounds, Tenten closed the gate and locked it.

"Thank you!" said the woman.

"Yes, thank you!" said the man.

Tenten took out a katana she had strapped to her back and walked in front of the survivors. Once they saw the katana, the survivors thought they had made a mistake by trying to seek shelter here.

"Sorry for this, but I can't let you go any further until you speak with our leader," Tenten said.

The woman noticed a few more people come from inside the prison. She began to fear for her life again.

The group surrounded the survivors but did not say a word. This was unnerving to the man and it terrified the shit out of the woman. She thought they were going to kill theim. The group moved aside to let a blonde hair man into the circle.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, leader of The Prison." Naruto addressed them. "What are your names?"

"I'm Tensai."

"I'm Yuko."

"Why were you running and screaming through the forest for help?" asked Naruto. "You could pull Walkers from all of the place."

Tensai and Yuko looked at each other but before they could answer Naruto's question, Choji, who had returned to his guard tower yelled.

"Walkers!"

"Shit!" Naruto said and jumped up to the other guard tower.

Naruto looked straight ahead and saw a massive horde of Walkers coming towards the prison. That answers his question, these people were being chased by Walkers and the idiots brought them to the prison.

Naruto jumped from the guard tower to the prison wall where Shikamaru and Sasuke joined him.

"There is a lot of them," Shikamaru stated.

"You sure we'll be able to get them all?" asked Sasuke.

"No, there is no way, there is too many," Naruto answered. "I'm going to create some Kage Bunshin and kill a few in the front but the only way is to steer them away from here but where?"

"If you're up for it, steer them northwest. There is a huge fissure in the earth where they can fall into and not harm anyone again," Shikamaru answered.

"I'll steer them northwest, stay here in case there are any stragglers and get rid of them," Naruto ordered.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

In the prison courtyard, Tensai and Yuko heard Naruto call out his jutsu. Yuko's eyes widened but she had to try and stop him.

"No, don't use your ch...!" but she was cut off when Tensai elbowed her in the ribs.

"Don't say anything about that," he whispered.

Yuko just held her head down and did what Tensai had told her and kept her mouth shut.

On the Prison Wall, Naruto's Kage Bunshin jumped into the fray as they began kill off the Walkers that had made it to the prison already. Naruto then jumped to the ground. The landing stunned him a bit, he was not used to it. Usually his chakra would soften the blow and he would't feel anything. He pushed that thought to the side as he began screaming to get the Walkers attention and it worked. Naruto began running slightly allowing the Walkers to follow him.

"I'll be right back," Sasuke said.

Sasuke jumped down into the courtyard of the prison and walked to Tensai and Yuko.

"You two, come with me."

Shikamaru watched from the prison wall as Sasuke escorted Tensai and Yuko towards the prison. He was kind of unsure of what Sasuke was going to do.

"What the hell is he going to do with them?" he asked himself.