They're walking through the trees, moving closer to where the smoke is coming. Michonne motions him to the left and Naruto nods in understanding as they split. Michonne goes with a tired-looking Andrea, a walker trailing behind them, while Clementine follows him. Naruto barely notices the man sliced in two when he hears the sounds of engines near. He shots a look at Michone who's standing across him and they both nod before retreating. Voices are near and a group of people is coming out from working cars.
There's talking but nothing important, he notices. He then sees a man using a knife on the injured man on the floor, killing him. Clementine's nails dig into the floor next to him but she doesn't make a sound while doing so.
"Are they good?" she whispers, strained.
Naruto doesn't look at her as he takes a deep breath, concentrating just enough to sense their forefront emotions so he'd be able to guess their personalities. He doesn't get much of a glimpse as soon as he senses Andrea's surprise and fright next to Michonne's hostility.
"Governor, we seem to have a couple of guests here!" a man shouts, and Naruto tenses when he sees Michonne supporting an almost-unconscious Andrea; a man pointing a gun at their backs. He's ready to step forward but something tells him to attack. So Naruto turns around and throws a shuriken at a random person's gun, making the man shout a curse as his weapon falls from his hand to the ground.
Knowing the attention the sound must have provoked, Naruto moves behind the man, placing the tip of a kunai close to the vein.
"Clem, go behind me and pass me the gun," he says, mostly because the weapon of this world will make some of them stop than the kunai.
Clementine obeys before her own small hands and grabs a gun of her own with determination as they move forward. The people raise their weapons when they see them.
"We don't want trouble; we just wanted to check if there were survivors to help," Naruto says, making a show of the situation their member is in as he uses the gun that fell to aim at the one that the man who found Michonne and Andrea called the governor. "Let me take the members of my group."
"Well, that's a nice way to talk about the one you have, isn't it?"
Naruto smiles sheepishly at the governor person but his grip doesn't lessen. "To be fair, that man was the one who used a gun first. Tell them to lower their weapons and I'll do the same."
The governor seems to think about it before his eyes move to his hand holding the kunai. His head tilts slightly to the side. He looks to the man pointing his gun at Michonne and nods his head to Naruto's before he speaks, looking at him in the eye. "That's an interesting weapon you carry, young man. May I ask where you've got it?"
Naruto blinks slowly before he raises an eyebrow, not understanding where this is going. "It's mine, period. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just curious about its origin."
"Yeah, well, I don't think you'll find one here. So don't bother looking."
The governor smiles. "Really? And what if I told you I know a person who uses one similar to that one?"
Naruto narrows his eyes. He's pretty sure no one here would know about kunais. Michone and Andrea were somewhat familiar with shurikens as the ninjas of this world seemed to use them frequently, unlike kunai. For this man to say he's seen another person using them…
"What's the name of the person you're talking about?"
The man behind Michonne and Andrea snorts. "Huh. Wouldn't ya like to know, kid?"
"Is it Sasuke?" Naruto presses because Sasuke would be the only one using them besides him. There's no response from the people, so Naruto adds, "Slightly taller than me, pale, permanent scowl with black eyes and hair that kind of looks like a duck's ass?"
Some of them chuckle, others, like the governor, merely smile.
"Oh, yeah. That's him alrigh'. How do you know our sourpuss?"
Naruto smiles letting out a relieved breath even if he doesn't lower the gun. It's Sasuke he's talking about; he could have pissed them and nothing else. It's better to not lower his guard.
So, hoping Sasuke hasn't annoyed them, Naruto cautiously says, "We're friends."
That seems to surprise them greatly. Naruto doesn't need Kurama's chakra inside him to sense their emotions when they're painted on their faces.
The governor raises an eyebrow, more than slightly disbelieving. "A friend you say?"
Possible enemies or not, if they've met Sasuke, Naruto can understand their confusion. He nods at them in understanding.
"Yeah, I know. How could a nice guy like me be friends with someone indifferent on a good day, and a downright bastard every other moment? Not to mention those bad days where he's downright homicidal."
Naruto sighs deeply, but there's a smile on his lips as he continues. "What can I say, we go way back. I'd consider ourselves childhood friends if not for how we hated each other when we were kids. And teenagers," he adds because it's true. They're lucky they haven't killed each other, though not for lack of trying on Sasuke's part.
"Sasuke, you said?"
Naruto narrows his eyes. "Yeah, Uchiha Sasuke. He didn't tell you his name?"
"No, he didn't," the governor smiles.
Naruto swallows because even if it's been a long time since they've been around each other in the last few years, Sasuke's always been a resentful asshole who knew how to take a grudge to the next level. And if they called him by his name when he hasn't given them that information, well, it spells trouble for him. "Uh… Is there a possibility you won't tell him I told you?"
The governor looks at him with something like amusement that puts him on edge in the way only enemy shinobi manages to do. He walks forward, both hands high to show he's unarmed.
"This all seems to have been a misunderstanding, let's talk about it, okay?"
Naruto glances at Michonne before his eyes go back to the governor. He doesn't seem faced by Naruto's silent accusation.
"You have to understand that we're wary of you as we don't know you. We came for the same reason: to look for survivors and help them." He signals at Andrea's unconscious body. "Your friend here seems to need some professional help. We've got a doctor that could look at her.
"Then you could meet the Uchiha boy. He's currently outside but he always comes early the next day. Wouldn't you like to see him?" the governor offers, nodding to where their cars are.
"Clem?" he whispers and he receives a light tug from the back of his shirt in answer. Then Naruto's gaze drifts to where Michonne is. She reluctantly nods at him even though Naruto can see the wariness in her eyes.
Meeting them has made her less wary around people but not that much. Naruto can't fault her when shinobi are paranoid bastards too.
"Let's all lower our weapons. I give you your man and you let me help Michonne to carry Andrea, okay?"
"That seems fair," the governor says, nodding at the man behind Michonne to let her move forward as Naruto does the same. Their weapons are still high by the time each member is back in their group.
"I hope you know what you are doing," Michonne whispers.
"Have you seen Sasuke fight?" he asks the governor instead of answering Michonne. The stiffness of his shoulders and the other men answer enough. Naruto nods as he gives them a grin. Calling a drop of Kurama's chakra into his hand, Naruto takes the ammo out of the handgun and throws it to the man he took before he crushes the gun with a slightly yellowish hand. "Then I know you won't do anything."
Nodding at the governor, Naruto gives him a bright smile as he throws the destroyed metal to the ground, making his kunai disappear in a small cloud of smoke.
"Let's go then."
.
"So how did you meet Uchiha?"
Naruto looks up from where Andrea is sleeping. He's worried as this fainting shouldn't happen; she was supposed to be in her last days. He still smiles at them though if only to not let them show he's uncomfortable.
"We were classmates. Then teammates," he answers because even if he can sense that some of them hate Sasuke, which doesn't surprise him as is completely understandable with that attitude of his, they still have faint respect towards him that lets Naruto know they're not enemies.
At seeing the morbid curiosity in their faces, he adds, "And yeah, for the most part, he's always been like that."
The man he's recently known is called Merle, chuckles. "Kind of funny to picture a kid with that scowly face."
Naruto smirks because an image of kid Sasuke appears in his mind. "I remember how he kind of knocked out a girl with a kick because she couldn't stop squealing at being paired with him in hand-to-hand combat. Since then, he was banned from being paired with girls." Mixed fights were banned for quite some time, actually. "Not that they stopped fangirling though," he muttered, because it was true, too.
He knows he shouldn't be giving information about Sasuke that easily but this is not the threatening kind that will get them into serious trouble. Sasuke is kind of above normal psychology interrogation, so unless he starts sharing about Sasuke's family nothing he says would harm him. What Naruto is doing is more out of petty revenge and that way he'll be able to read the intentions of the people around him towards his teammate and himself.
So he shares stories about their childhood. Some embarrassing stuff he remembers, mostly of the time they were teammates as there isn't much from their Academy time.
They're still laughing after he's told them how Sasuke and he got tangled into one of Kakashi's challenges with Gai by the time they reach Woodbury.
Naruto doesn't seem that bothered by the fact they took their stuff away as Michonne is. Though he still has those paper seals tied to his wrists with kunais and shurikens inside so that may be the reason why the people standing on the borders of the place with weapons ready don't face him. Even when he feels their eyes especially locked on him.
There are two cars so it wouldn't surprise him if the other car informed them about him. What does surprise him, and slightly throws him out of the loop is the feeling he gets running down his spine as soon as he crosses the border.
He hears the people around him tightening their holds on their weapons and instinct, he changes the position of Andrea in his arms, not knowing what's setting them off. Or not knowing until he turns his head, following the gaze of the man they call governor, not sure what he's doing by giving them his metaphorical back, Naruto just has an inkling of what he thinks is happening.
His suspicions are confirmed when he sees scribbles lighted up on the wall, a couple of meters away from where he is.
He tilts his head as he inspects the seal. Though he only has enough time to catch a glimpse at it as his senses go haywire. In a second, he settles Andrea on his shoulder, arms tightly holding her legs as a kunai appears on his other hand. Three men are pointing their guns at him.
"Look, let's not get trigger happy here and—" Naruto's killer intent creeps out at them when he sees one of the men pointing his gun at Andrea. "Don't even think about it."
Michonne and Clementine press closer to him, ready. The men become stiffer but they don't flinch, probably used to the feeling thanks to Sasuke. The Governor holds a hand up to stop them but Naruto ignores them as he feels Andrea stir.
"How are you feeling?" he asks before throwing a glance at her from the corner of his eye. She still looks pale and weak but her eyes no longer look unfocused.
She nods weakly, hand going to run her head. "I'm fine," she croaks and Naruto can feel Michonne hovering behind him, Clementine close behind, trying to use Michonne's arm to push herself up to get a better look. Something not that necessary as no soon Andrea blinks a couple of times, she asks to be pulled down.
Naruto tightens his hold and makes her pay attention to the armed people in front of them.
"This thing has never acted like this," the governor says as an explanation.
Naruto frowns, thinking about what would have happened before he blinks twice. "It may be my fault. Some of these things get turned on when there's certain… 'energy' around them," he says, pressing his chakra tightly inside him. He usually lets it hover in the air so he can get a better understanding of his surroundings, but he can't do it here with whatever seal Sasuke's placed.
"I'm sorry, okay?" he grumbles, making his kunai disappear. "You said Sasuke will come tomorrow, right? He can come and check them if you don't believe me, He'll tell you the same."
Setting Andrea down, Naruto glances at the seal. It's fainter than before but there's still some blue light coming out of it that probably won't disappear until he moves a couple of meters away.
"Well, that's complicated stuff," he murmurs as the governor shows them the way to the medic bay, because it's true. Jiraya's taught him sealing and thanks to that Naruto can understand most of them. Jiraya mentioned something about it being in his blood or the kind. However, while Naruto can make them stop working, a thing that Jiraya mentioned decrypt is one of the most difficult stuff, his calligraphy sucks so much for him to create the more complicated ones. He could probably create some, but with the way he writes, they'd end exploding. Or that's what Jiraya said.
Still, he's learned what the seal is about and that's enough for now.
.
They have got the meds for Andrea's influenza. That and more things that are important for her health that she painfully needs. And for that, Naruto owes them, perhaps not to some of the men that look dubious, but to this town in general.
The doctor is nice enough to them, not to mention how Naruto always stays a couple of meters away from her reach, even when it's really weird to see him nervous at her presence. What can he say? He respects doctors but also has had enough experience with them to be wary and fearful of them. She reassures them, but it doesn't do much to calm him. He's still worried in a way he knows would only stop once he sees his friend standing in front of him in one piece.
Though that'll probably take a while. The doctor only allowed Michonne inside the room as his nervous hovering would not help.
"Will she be alright, Naruto?"
Glancing down at the girl sitting next to him, Naruto gives a bright smile, placing his arm across her shoulders and squeezing lightly. "Of course, she will, Clem, believe it!" he says, feeling slightly guilty because he's learned he shouldn't make these kinds of promises; war has taught him that sometimes they can cause more pain than the truth.
However, he also knows when someone needs to hear it. And Clem needs it.
She nods and when the guard set to watch them tells them that he can lead them to a free room to rest, they refuse, choosing to wait for their friends.
He doesn't seem very happy but doesn't press the issue and the silence again falls. At least his hearing is pretty good, so it doesn't matter if he has to stay outside, he still can hear everything going on around him. It was quiet the first couple of hours, but after Merle got inside, things got a bit chatty. The doors are open so he doesn't have to eavesdrop anymore. Naruto still stays outside, mostly because the conversation seems to be between Merle and Andrea. However, when there's a spike of hostility coming from Michonne, Naruto steps in, ignoring the men standing close to the door.
"I plucked you and your mute friend here out of the dirt, blondie." Merle continues saying, glancing at him briefly once he decides to stand close to Andrea. Clementine is glaring alongside Michonne. "You're lucky your whiskered friend here was interesting enough to not let you out there to die, too. I saved your asses, so how about a thank you?"
"You had a gun on us," Michonne hisses at the same time Naruto says 'thank you', loud enough for even the governor, who is just walking inside, to hear.
Naruto gives them a slight bow. "Thanks for using your resources to help my friend." He stands up. "I understand you not wanting to give us our weapons, but you also took our other stuff. We had clothes and other supplies inside those bags."
"You're different from Uchiha," the governor murmurs with a small smirk. "And don't worry, kid. We'll give it to you on your way to the front gates."
Michonne takes a couple of steps forward. "Good. Show us the way."
"I thought your friend wanted to meet the Uchiha boy. Or are you going to just leave?"
"We'll wait outside," Michonne says, glancing at Naruto over her shoulder. "We don't like being kept under guard."
"Under ward? You're being taken care of."
"You've kept us locked inside this building. Always someone armed close," Andrea points out.
"I'm sorry, I am, but we're only doing this to protect our people. When don't know you or your intentions, perhaps once we do, we can trust each other. Just understand: You're not prisoners here, you're guests," he says, his gaze staying in Naruto's form for a second longer.
Naruto arches a dubious eyebrow. "So we can leave whenever we want?"
"Of course. But we don't open the gates past dusk; draws too much attention."
What a coincidence, dusk just passed.
The governor wants them to stay. He doesn't outright offer it or even show it with his mannerisms, but to Naruto is clear nonetheless. He doesn't know if it's because of his relationship with Sasuke though.
It probably isn't the only reason, or that's what he thinks as Merle's conversation with Andrea finishes and the governor comes. The governor is also doing it for the information Andrea possesses about Merle's brother.
"If you know Sasuke, then you know I can jump those gates. Why shouldn't we just leave and wait outside?"
"You could," he says with a light shrug before he nods in Andrea's direction. "But I would suggest staying the night. Your friend could use a solid night's sleep. She wouldn't last another day in her condition; she's still weak. So let me lead you to your rooms for the night; tomorrow we can continue talking over breakfast. You can meet Uchiha and then if you want to leave, we'll return your weapons. Extra ammo, food for the road, some meds. Keys to a vehicle, if you want one."
There's a silent conversation going between them as they think over their options, mostly consisting of meaningful looks (and glares in Michonne's case). In the end, Andrea is the one that nods in acceptance and asks, "Rooms?"
"One for you; the other is for Naruto." He looks back at her with a raised eyebrow as he motions them to follow him. "Or would you prefer to share a room?"
"We'll share rooms," Michonne immediately intercedes, cutting any question that the governor wants to inquire with her sharp tone.
"It's okay. You would want to stay together when being in a new place," he says, stepping out of the building, giving them the sight of a dark, lonely road, though Naruto can sense the emotions of a good amount of people around him. "Wellcome to Woodbury."
-
They go outside. There's a small silence as they walk, the others looking curiously around them, while Naruto tries to count how many people there are. It'd have been a nice walk, only made uncomfortable by Michonne's constant scowling. She wants to demand her sword again so Naruto decides to make small talk because while most of the time Michonne's pretty level-headed, there are times she gets as worse as him, especially whenever she feels inside an uncomfortable situation.
"So what does Sasuke do here?"
"He teaches," the governor replies easily, glancing back at him when he realizes he's stopped walking. "He helps some of our members with their physical training."
Naruto's face feels like he just licked some lemon. "And nobody's died?"
"None so far."
Well, that's surprising. Sasuke's teachers have been Kakashi and Orochimaru. Kakashi was a lazy bum with a streak for cruel, sadistic training. Orochimaru was probably worse because if he's learned something from his time with Jiraya is that powerful people tend to take stuff in a whole new painful way. He remembers sitting, a large rock hanging on top of him only tied by a rope he was supposed to hold while sleeping. It was supposed to improve his reflexes while he was resting. And it kind of worked. Though now he gets kind of ballistic if he's woken up by some kind of stone.
"So he doesn't make them do impossible stuff like running with giant rocks tied on their backs or do pull-up bars while a fire is burning below or stay in weird poses with the help of pointy things?"
The governor gives him a weird look. "Should he?"
"No, no." He shakes his head, trying to erase thoughts of training as he continues walking. "He doesn't come late and gives lame excuses to this training thing or reads porn in public either, right?"
"Do I want to ask?" Clementine says, clearly having beaten up the governor in asking first.
"Our teacher was an ass. I just wanted to know if he emulated his teaching habits," he says smiling at her as if that answers all. He looks back at the governor. "So you told me Sasuke was going to return tomorrow, right?"
They're entering another building, this one empty. "... Yes, I'm sure. It usually doesn't take him longer than a day to make these small trips."
Naruto nods, not sensing a lie.
"Do you know where he goes?"
The governor smiles. "To get supplies, I assume; he doesn't like to accept things from us that he can't get himself. That friend of yours is too paranoid for his good."
And isn't it sad how Naruto kind of approves it? He sighs. "Yeah, I get it. Paranoia kind of goes in our line of work. "
Stopping in front of a door, the governor turns around to look at him better. "And what kind of work might you be talking about?"
"A deadly one."
Giving one last grin to the governor as he steps inside the room with his friends, Naruto chirps a friendly "Good night!" before closing the door.
When he can't feel any people within earshot, he turns around to face the others, a serious expression settled on his face.
"What did you get?" Michonne asks, everyone in the room knowing about his ability to sense emotions and intentions.
Naruto just smiles.
.
.
I'm tired af
Work had been hard lately with not many of us workers and more clients coming. My sister, the one I live with, has gone on a month long trip to our home country and I have to take care of her cat (name: Snoopy), so yeah, this has not been my month, at all.
I tried to write when I could but... well, I've not been really succesful. Let's hope September is easier on me now that my sister returns in two days and I don't have to take care of everything.