Blood has a unique smell—a sort of sticky, sweet, cloying smell that tastes of iron and things that scour the lungs. It makes the mouth water even as you recoil in disgust at it.
She hated it.
Of course until yesterday, thoughts like that would never even have crossed her mind. Blood was something she saw a few days a month when changing that reassured her that she was not yet pregnant. Blood was something that happened in trickles—little ouchies that could be kissed away really.
Blood was not something that painted walls.
Look at me, being all philosophical and shit…
It was either that or she'd run mad.
None of the rules that kept her safe worked anymore.
No - that was a lie.
In the end, power was all that mattered—either having it, or sucking up to those who did.
Take Mr Uzumaki for example. Until yesterday, he was just a cute teacher who she'd not mind having a roll or three with - even if he never looked at anyone like that.
Yesterday though? Yesterday, he was hot enough that she forgot what was happening. He was hot enough because he was powerful. It was like seeing a tiger in a circus for years, then suddenly waking up and seeing the same tiger staring at you from across a stream in the jungle.
Never let it be said that Miku Yuuki did not know how to read the way the wind was blowing.
Kyoko raged at him, insisting he not kill that extra. She followed him despite it.
Saya was an actual genius who could probably run circles around all of them mentally. She followed him despite that; maybe because of that.
Kohta was an actual loser who should have been too awestruck at being called by his name. He stood straighter and followed him.
Rei was a goody two shoes who might be convinced to let the zombies eat her for the good of the planet. She followed him.
Shizuka was a certified bad bitch—an air head, but hot enough that anyone would want to follow her just to keep looking at that ass. She followed him.
Saeko was a certified bad bitch—she would cut your face off while keeping her fingernails clean ahead of dinner. She followed him.
She… She was just Miku. To guys who had nothing better, she might have been a catch; might have strung them enough until she had control. But she was not delusional enough to think that she had anything that Shizuka, Saeko, or even the shrew Kyoko did not have and probably knew how to use better.
And she was not naive enough not to know what was really happening here —women saw a powerful man and wanted a piece of that action.
Some got it with their brains.
Others got it with their brawn.
And the rest would have to get it with their bodies.
Where does that leave me?
That was where she was stuck. On one hand, Mr Uzumaki, from what she had seen, was not the sort to make like that Shido monster. He seemed like a straight shooter kinda guy. He said what he meant in as few words as possible, or kept quiet. On the other hand, could anyone really understand how power would change a man? To have the skills he put to work, he'd have to have been practising them to the exclusion of everything else from his youth. It would have ostracised him - made him have that unconscious craving to lord power whenever he had the opportunity to use it.
Like those boys who thought that slapping a girl was hot.
Can I really afford to bet that Mr Uzumaki doesn't care about things like that? she thought. The price for losing is dying at best.
Even mentally, she did not want to even imagine herself as a zombie.
It was strange to think that her mother's lessons still had applications, even with the whole world circling down the drain.
Panic stampede? Don't run, Momo. Walk—and keep your back straight.
Zombies stumbling around towards every little sound? Shut up and smile, Momo.
Miku crying into her shoulder? Pat your brother on the back and talk softly, Momo.
The best thing about what happened yesterday was probably not having to go home to hear that nasal, faux classy tone.
She felt bad as soon as she had the thought. Mama did her best for her —being uncharitable just because of a little stress was not who she really was.
Shut up and smile, Momo.
She was up first, and slipped out of the bedding without waking Momo. There was nothing to cook, so she set out some snacks and drinks on a table she moved to the corridor for that purpose. Rooting around, she found some cleaning supplies and set out with the aim of sweeping the storage area and corridor.
That was how Rei met her.
"Oh," she'd said. "Let me give you a hand!"
Never mind, she'd responded in her mind. It's just sweeping.
Her hands gripped the broom tighter, but the words never came.
And then Rei was already moving, and she was already following along.
There was brief relief at Rei helping her, which she squashed—as she should. She should be capable of at least this much by herself.
Shut up and smile, Momo.
Rei powered on, oblivious of her thoughts. That was something she always admired about the girl - she picked a direction and went down that road like a thunderbolt. No hesitation.
It was enviable.
She, on the other hand, did things simply by rote. She couldn't want—she could barely wish. Whenever she tried to examine her desires, she was left paralysed.
So she went along, and did what she had always done.
No need to break what was working, right?
Shut up and smile, Momo.
And it was working. When people were screaming their heads off, she kept shut up and smiled. When they were running and stampeding, she waited for the corridors to decongest, and walked demurely. When she saw a teacher, she followed her instructions.
It saved her life.
It saved her life yesterday. But today?
She didn't know about today.
Shut up and smile, Momo.
"I'm done!" said Rei, pulling her from her thoughts.
"Me too," she replied, not quite able to match the enthusiasm. "What else should we do?"
"I'm not sure?" answered Rei "The others might be awake?"
She started for the door.
Stopped.
Rei was heading toward it, still stretching, casual. Momo's stomach twisted.
The others might already be awake.
Her hair—her face—
She moved before she even realized, brushing past Rei, almost running.
Not from zombies. Not from death. But from the possibility of facing the others looking unprepared.
Looking weak.
Shut up and smile, Momo.
"Hideo," he said. "Sit rep, please."
There was silence at the other end of the line, and a few muffled curses as others in the room tried to quiet each other down.
"It's bad out here chief," replied Hideo. "Where are you?"
"I'm at Fujimi Academy for now," Naruto answered. "Got some people with me here."
"So that was your day job, huh," remarked Hideo. "Do you need exfil?"
"Not yet," Naruto replied. "Now give me my report. Is the compound safe?"
"For now, boss," replied Hideo. "We lost a couple of men to the initial fracas, but we've been holding out since."
He gave the impression of shaking his head.
"Ironically, the biggest issue we've had is human looters," continued Hideo. "One group ran a pickup into the main gate and damaged the rolling mechanism so no quick ins or outs."
"Are they loitering?"
"Nah… That'd be a death sentence. The hordes don't play like that."
"Damn," sighed Naruto. "Is Rita alright?"
"Yeah - she's fine. She was here with a friend of hers - a police woman; probably special forces. She's been a good help, for a cop."
"Any other residents?"
"Well, some of the men got their families over," he said.
"How about supplies?" asked Naruto.
"We've got loads of ammo - fat good that'll do us. These buggers are attracted to the shots like white on rice. We have silencers for the snipers and some riflemen, and a pair of good ol flamethrowers. The rest are having to swing it melee."
Naruto sighed. "What do the roads look like?"
"Absolutely shit," Hideo replied immediately. "The city roads are complete death traps. From Fujimi, you'll have to circle round - cross the ford close to the west bridge, then take the highway and link up to the east bridge, and cross the river there somehow."
"That's the only option?"
"Unless you want to deploy the choppers," Hideo said. "That might not be a bad idea - besides that you'd attract every grey and ugly in the entire city."
"Damn…" Naruto sighed again. "Alright… How are we doing for food?"
"More bad news for you there boss," said Hideo. "Cash is worthless now. The groups who would take it would just stiff you. Trade is highly unreliable - no one knows what is going on. It would be better and faster to just go raiding."
"You need to tell me some good news, damn it!"
"Does the fuel depot being fully stocked count?"
Naruto took a deep breath, held it, and released it, reminding himself that Hideo was a veteran and highly reliable.
There were some sniggers in the background.
He ignored them with stoic maturity.
"Are you in contact with Mr Takagi?" he asked instead.
"Just enough to know they're focusing on defending the Takagi estates, and that they've got a fuckton of ordnance at the nuclear site."
"Makes sense," Naruto murmured.
"The JSDF is mobilising though," added Hideo. "They have a staging ground on the city side of the eastern bridge, and they've started probing to test the waters,"
"Any idea on the timeframe?"
"Definitely within the next few hours."
"That actually works out," Naruto mused. "The noise will pull the zombies off us. Any other movers we should be aware of?"
"Nothing serious. Koichi Snr fled the country in the early hours of today, some reliable sources tell me."
"So, it's just Takagi and us?"
"Yeah boss."
"We have a lot to do, and very little time in which to do it."
The words came out crisp, cutting through the stale air of what had once been his office. Now, it was their war room, and doubled as the male sleeping room.
The so-called breakfast had been dismal—a handful of snacks and sugary carbonated drinks.
Unsustainable.
That was one of the priorities on his list.
The group sat in a loose circle, the tension palpable. Even those who weren't openly anxious were waiting—for orders, for structure, for someone to tell them they weren't already dead.
Naruto met each pair of eyes in turn before continuing. "Before we begin anything, I want to assign some high-priority targets for today."
No one spoke. Good. They were listening.
Takashi sat stiffly, arms crossed, gaze set on the floor. He hadn't said a word, but his silence was pointed. Waiting. Not good.
Naruto carefully weighed his next words, knowing that how he grouped them would affect morale as much as efficiency. If people felt isolated or undervalued, resentment would fester. If he forced them into roles they didn't respect, they'd resist orders when it mattered.
"For as long as we're here, first thing every morning, Kohta, Rei, Saeko, and I will perform a security check and perimeter sweep."
Kyoko scoffed. "Every day?"
He turned to her. She had her arms crossed, one brow raised, skepticism written all over her face.
"Yes," he said evenly. "We have to discover any issues as soon as possible and fix them. It's literally a matter of life and death right now."
A pause. She didn't argue further.
He nodded. "While we're doing that, Saya, Momo, and Miku will be on information retrieval. Kyoko, Shizuka, and Takashi will handle inventory."
"That makes sense," Saya said, already shifting into analytical mode. "The internet won't last much longer."
"We need to narrow down what we're looking for, right?" Miku asked, her voice hesitant, but there was an undercurrent of interest.
"The three of you can sort that out," Naruto replied. "If anyone else has suggestions, they can bring them to you."
"We need DIY manuals for… well, almost everything," Kohta remarked.
Saya groaned. "Great. That sounds like a headache."
"Yeah, well, so does starving to death," Kyoko said dryly. "Get ready to doomscroll the end of the world, Takagi."
He let them have that moment of levity before driving the point home. "Make this a top priority. You need to be done by tomorrow. Anything beyond that becomes unreliable."
"Aye aye!" Miku mock-saluted.
Naruto moved on. "By the time we're done, Saeko and I will go scouting outside."
The response was instant—an eruption of protests.
"That's insane!" "Are you serious?" "We don't know what's out there!"
Saeko barely flinched. "Whatever we meet that Naruto and I cannot handle would, quite frankly, be too much for the entire group," she said. Her voice was calm, mundane. A statement of fact.
It wasn't arrogance. It was the truth.
Silence followed. No one contradicted her.
Naruto pressed forward. "Our goal is to confirm who's left in the school and check the integrity of the outer walls. We'll also mark out necessary supplies."
"You need to check the cafeteria," Shizuka said, tapping a fingernail against her arm.
"I know," he said. "But we need transportation and a secure perimeter first."
Saya adjusted her glasses. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This alone will keep us occupied until nightfall."
"Speaking of that," Shizuka added, "we need fixed sleeping and waking times."
"True," Momo said, nodding. "Routine would be good for our mental health. We need as much of that as we can get."
Kohta stretched, cracking his neck. "Six a.m. wake-up, lights out by nine-thirty. That gives us the required eight hours."
Naruto surveyed the group. "Do we all agree?"
A round of nods.
Then Momo asked, "What do we do while you and Saeko are out?"
Naruto leaned back against the desk, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That depends on you. Information retrieval can't stop, but we also need people checking roof access and figuring out how to keep our current resources running on just the solar panels."
"So we split ourselves however we want as long as we finish the assigned tasks?" Miku clarified.
"Yes."
She leaned forward slightly. "What if I said I wanted to be in your group?"
The room shifted.
For the first time since this conversation started, Naruto felt something off. She wasn't joking.
His instinct told him no before he even had to think about it. But Miku didn't flinch under his stare. For the first time, she wasn't the bubbly, uncertain girl trying to fit in. She was serious.
He looked up, meeting her gaze.
She held it.
Before he could answer, Saya cut in, her voice sharp as a knife. "Are you stupid? Do you want to die? Because there are less painful ways."
Miku's expression twisted—in irritation, and something deeper. "Geez, sorry for wanting to contribute." Her fingers clenched the hem of her skirt. "You don't have to be like that."
Naruto saw Saya's irritation flare.
He cut in before the brewing explosion. "Miku." His tone was firmer now. "I get it. But you're not ready. Saeko and I have trained for this. You haven't."
Her lips parted like she wanted to say something else. Then she exhaled, slumping back in her seat as she looked away, her lips pressing together before she forced a smile. A fake one. "Right. Got it."
She let out a stiff laugh—too tight, too practiced.
"Yeah. Fine."
"Alright," he said, exhaling and rising to his feet. "That's the plan for today. Let's move."
"Shouldn't you ask if there is anything else?" asked Takashi.
The atmosphere darkened a bit more.
Rei did not know what to feel about Takashi.
She was ecstatic when Mr Uzumaki returned with Kyoko's group, and Takashi was part of it. The relief had been overwhelming. Losing Hisashi—seeing him die the way he did…
All because of my pride.
All because I refused to consider that Takashi might be right.
She tried to talk to him last night, but he didn't even look at her.
I was going to apologise—to do something. Anything.
I didn't.
This was the first time he had spoken since coming back, as far as she knew.
But should he talk to me?
Mr Uzumaki had less reason to believe her when she mentioned zombies. Sure, Saya had been with her, but that meant nothing compared to the history she had with Takashi.
If things had gone a bit differently, I would have been with him instead of Hisashi.
Yet, despite that history, I didn't hesitate to call him childish.
Mr Uzumaki had less than that—no prior reason to trust her. Yet he paid her the courtesy of keeping an open mind. She didn't do the same for Takashi—the man she once loved.
"Alright," Mr Uzumaki acquiesced. "That's a valid point." He sat back down.
He's taking him seriously?
Takashi?
She glanced at him, expecting to see some satisfaction that he'd been acknowledged.
Instead, his fists were clenched under the table.
"Do we have any other things to cover?" he asked.
A heavy silence followed.
Takashi was silent, watching, waiting—hoping someone else would challenge Naruto.
Nobody did.
Finally, he raised his hand with mock, exaggerated enthusiasm.
Saya sighed. "We're not in class, Komuro. You don't have to raise your hand."
Takashi turned to her, his smile just a bit too wide.
"Is that so?" His voice was mockingly polite, exaggerated. "Because we're all just following what Mr Uzumaki says like we are, aren't we?"
A ripple of discomfort spread through the group.
People shifted in their seats, uncomfortable.
Takashi had everyone's attention now.
"Takashi," Mr Uzumaki said calmly. "Do you have anything in particular—or even in general—that you disagree with in all we've said so far?"
"It's not about that," Takashi shot back, too fast, too defensive.
He was working himself up.
"We're not in school any more. You can't just give us commands and expect us to obey them."
The air turned heavier.
Rei's stomach twisted.
What are you doing, Takashi?
Ms Marikawa blinked, her usual ditzy expression faltering. Ms Hayashi's face had gone thunderous. Momo smiled faintly, watching the show. Yuuki leaned forward, a calculating smirk on her face. Hirano looked seconds away from saying something venomous.
Busujima and Mr Uzumaki though…
Busujima looked bored, as though she had already dismissed the conversation as pointless. Naruto sat back in his chair, watching Takashi with what could only be called mild amusement—as though he was watching a particularly bright pet.
That made it worse.
I should say something…
Before she could, Takagi laughed.
A cruel mocking laugh that rang through the room as clear as a slap.
"Awww… is liwwu Taki-chan looking for fweedwom?"
Takashi's entire body went rigid before he could stop himself.
He turned on her, masking his hurt with scorn.
"Of course you'd say that," he dismissed. "He probably called you 'smart', and now you're lapping up every scrap he tosses your way."
He leaned back in his chair, feigning indifference. "Go on—gobble away. Don't choke on my account now."
Saya stiffened. Her fingers twitched, her jaw tightening just a fraction—then she was on her feet in an instant.
"Those are big words from someone who needed to be rescued!"
The tension exploded.
Rei could feel her heart pounding.
Takashi's face darkened as he joined Saya on his feet, facing her.
Naruto still hadn't moved. Hadn't said anything besides watching with mild amusement.
Say something, Rei. Now!
Takashi was unraveling—his fists clenched, his jaw tight, his whole body coiled like a spring.
Saya was feeding it—pushing him ever further.
And Naruto… he was just watching, letting the fire burn.
Rei spoke, hesitation in her voice. "Takashi…"
Takashi looked around. The air felt too thick—the walls too close.
Saya was opposite him, her face red with anger.
Everyone else leaned away from him. Looking away in embarrassment. In awkwardness.
Everyone except Saeko and the fucking Uzumaki.
It was at this moment that he realised something.
Not a single person in this room feared him.
Not a single person respected him.
Not a single person saw him as anything but a joke.
Not Saya.
Not Kohta.
Not Rei.
Uzumaki was apparently done with the situation. "This isn't important right now…" He stood with a sigh, turning towards the door. "Saeko, Kohta, Rei… Let's go."
He really doesn't see me as anything. He just turned his back on me.
The heat rushed up his head before he could stop it, burning his ears. His fingers curled into fists—so tight his nails dug into his palms. The room blurred at the edges. His body moved—he barely had time to register it himself. "I'm not done with you, Uzumaki!"
He didn't know what he wanted to do. All he knew was that he would not allow Uzumaki to treat him this way.
One moment, Saeko was across the room. The next, she was in his face.
Thunk.
The sound was like a gunshot in the room. He felt the vibration in his bones before he even looked down.
A wicked-looking blade rested perfectly between his fingers—so close, a breath would close the gap.
His breath hitched, the cold touch of the blade chilling his temper.
He looked up and she was at the door already, matter settled already in her mind. Kohta left without so much as a glance, bruising his shoulder roughly as he went past.
Rei…
She had a complicated look on her face even as she stood. She made to go to him, but changed her mind at the last moment.
"I'm sorry, Takashi," she said, leaving, and closing the door quietly behind her.
Saya snorted as she sat back down. "I'm not," she said. The anger was gone, replaced by something colder.
Takashi stormed off.
Consciousness was a strange thing.
While he was not yet awake, he was definitely aware. His awareness once spanned an archipelago, localised in the people who he's chosen.
The people who'd chosen him.
He was not like the rest of his siblings. His link to his people changed him—gave him a metaphysical weight that the rest of his siblings could never match. He was already much more than a mere chakra beast. Given time, he might have become much more.
But ambition meant nothing to a world built on blood.
It was not to be.
The bloodstained world that he called home came for his people. Uzushio burned—its screams swallowed by tides and blood and ash. He raged and destroyed, but the invaders had five of his siblings on their side.
It was cold comfort that none who set foot on his island made it out alive except the holders of his brethren.
Now, his awareness spanned a single man.
There were no siblings.
No Uzushio.
Just him.
Just Naruto.
The darkness lightened—just a bit, but enough for him to notice.
He could feel his… What words could describe what existed between them?
He would burn the world down for him.
He had burned worlds for him.
Worlds caught in the wake of his chakra blaze, trailing after them like cinders on their way through…
Through where?
He struggled to remember, clawing at his own mind desperately. It was like trying to grasp mist.
What was he trying to remember?
Like water in a basket, it slipped away, leaving him nothing besides the bitter dregs of loss.
All he had was what was left—the dying embers of what should have been a furnace.
His furnace.
He tried another direction. What did he remember?
He remembered his siblings—their shock and struggle as he, being so much more than they could even comprehend, held them before the cruel winds of…
He remembered that much. He gave his siblings to Something. Something he could not remember—Something that was bent on eating him and Naruto.
They had done what was not to be done—been thrown where they should have laid down and died in humility.
He should remember, his mind insisted, clawing for the answer.
Not his siblings—never them.
Even in his mind, the word was twisted by scorn. They were siblings only in that they were chakra beasts. Whatever existed between them was long gone—buried with the chain of islands that used to be Uzushio.
No.
It was the Something that he should remember. All he had was the gaping maw of his memories—like the gaping maw of the A̴̜͓̘͐b̸̢̮̮͛̈́̅̕͜y̷̗̞͑̋ś̶̡̬͖̬s̸̬̭͉̭̓͠
He may remember it, but he could remember around it.
Just out of the reach of his perception, as though in the corner of his eyes, they flickered.
Golden sand scattered on winds that did not exist.
Shukaku—that rabid animal.
He was always an idiot—loud, unstable, and pathetic in a fight.
He was too busy being insane to ever be a real threat. He deluded himself, scaring sand monkeys with pathetic displays that wowed their sand-blasted minds.
Never taken seriously—then, or ever. You were always just a rabid dog—never my kin. Your greatest achievement was being fed to A̴̜͓̘͐b̸̢̮̮͛̈́̅̕͜y̷̗̞͑̋ś̶̡̬͖̬s̸̬̭͉̭̓͠.
Blue flames flickered, burnt up by freezing winds that were not.
Matatabi—that ever-burning traitor.
One of the bijū who burned Uzushio—he hated her.
Acting like she had morals—like she had honour.
Only to lend her flames to slaughter Uzumaki children.
Her flames were cold that day—the day they burned his people.
I will never forget that.
But thinking about how those flames flickered and died in the A̴̜͓̘͐b̸̢̮̮͛̈́̅̕͜y̷̗̞͑̋ś̶̡̬͖̬s̸̬̭͉̭̓͠…
Well, revenge is best served cold.
Water turned to blood, reflecting a broken turtle shell.
Isobu—that silent coward.
A spineless thing—passive, slow-witted, dull.
He claimed to be unmovable, but moved more than enough to flood Uzushio on that day.
No… He was not unmovable—merely glacial. Humans moved him well enough—the witless coward.
You were already dead before I took you—you should thank me for the honour.
They did nothing when his people perished. Why should he care that they did not?
He remembered them as one dreaming—a bad dream.
He discarded them as one waking.
They were not worth remembering.