He was experiencing something very unfamiliar to him. Uncertainty. Something was going on that he had NO prior experiences with that would allow him to base a current action on.
Surrounding the house were shambling bodies in various degrees of decay. Various DEAD bodies. Various dead bodies that were moving about on their own.
He was handling it a bit better than a creeped-out Naruto, who was shaking a bit and looking frightened. He was handling it a LOT better than Sakura, who was hiding behind him and mumbling something about how it had to be a nightmare because this absolutely could NOT be happening.
He was handling it a bit less well than Kakashi who was calmly looking out at the growing crowd with a somewhat bored air about him.
"Kakashi-sensei? Does this happen a LOT? Because if it DOES they really should have covered this in the Academy," asked Naruto with only a slight break in his voice.
"No, I've seen a lot of things over the years, and I have to admit this is my first Zombie Apocalypse," said Kakashi.
"Uzumaki."
"So... that was one of them?" asked Naruto. "That was talking?"
"You hear them talking, Naruto?" asked Kakashi softly. "I didn't hear them."
"Neither did I," noted Sasuke, glancing over at Naruto.
"Not happening. Not happening," commented Sakura.
"They keep calling my name," said Naruto, gulping nervously at the end of that.
"Why don't you come over here then and try talking to them?" asked Kakashi.
"What?!" squeaked Naruto.
"They're not invading the house," noted Kakashi. "Other than appearing, they haven't done anything particularly alarming."
"So if we give them Naruto, maybe they'll go away?"
Everyone stared at Sakura for a moment. Kakashi noted even a few of the zombies looked as if they thought the idea was distasteful. Though with the faces partially rotted it was hard to tell.
"Uzumaki." "An Uzumaki." "Returned."
"An Uzumaki has returned? What does that mean?" asked Naruto, edging towards the section of the house that was open to the elements.
"An Uzumaki has returned to Wave."
"They're saying something about an Uzumaki returning?" asked Kakashi, not hearing the zombies but hearing Naruto's inquiry. "So why not ask them directly since they're not attacking at present?"
"Uhm, okay," said Naruto, taking note of the distance the corpses were maintaining. "Why are you here?"
"Command. Serve. Defend."
"'Command, serve, defend'?" asked Naruto.
"If the old story has any basis in truth," said Kakashi speculatively, "Uzushiogakure was attempting to work out a perfected version of the Impure World Resurrection. That jutsu is a kinjutsu developed by the Second Hokage that causes a dead individual to return to a semblence of life until the jutsu is ended. The research was deemed too dangerous to complete by various villages, who then attacked Uzushiogakure before it could be completed. The life's blood of the head researcher activated an imperfect version of the final jutsu, cursing the land so that the dead would rise and seek out enemies to recruit into their army."
"Uhm," said Naruto, glancing at Kakashi and back at the undead horde. "What does that mean exactly?"
"That's what the old stories indicate," said Tazuna. "That on nights like this, that the dead will rise - looking to avenge themselves on those who betrayed the Whirlpool or to serve the heirs of that nation and pay for their crimes done in their life. Only when they have served that debt can an Uzumaki release them from undeath. In the meantime, they seek to add to their numbers and they're not exactly too choosy about who they recruit."
"EEEK!" squeaked Sakura as Tazuna had done all that in his best "spooky voice" and it had the same effect on him as it had his daughter at that age. Which made Tazuna feel a little spike of pride as he still had that little bit of skill.
Sasuke frowned. Not only because Sakura had squeaked while hiding behind him, but because he was hearing something that indicated Naruto had some value beyond comic relief.
"Uhm, you're released?" tried Naruto towards the crowd of zombies.
A stray zombie dog stopped at the threshold of the house and gave out a deep sigh before collapsing where it stood.
Naruto blinked at the evidence that he could actually do something about their current situation.
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(Posted Tue, 15 Oct 2013 16:43)
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