Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter 112 Moonlight and Maelstrom

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As night settled like a blanket over the Wave Country, the faint sound of crickets filled the humid air outside. Inside the dimly lit room, Team 7 was winding down for the night. Sakura leaned over a water basin, brushing her teeth with small, practiced strokes. She spat, wiped her mouth, then looked over her shoulder.

"What do you guys think of Team 8?"

Naruto sat cross-legged on the mattress, his drake sword laid across his lap like a beloved pet. His eyes narrowed as the faint blue glow of his HUD shimmered across his vision, unseen by anyone else.

[ WARNING: THIS WEAPON IS AT RISK OF BREAKING. ]

His fingers traced the blade's chipped edge, catching on a crack that hadn't been there yesterday.

Is it the chakra infusion? he wondered, frowning. Too much stress on the structure? Or maybe it's like pyromancy—it just doesn't sync with chakra. He clicked his tongue, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. He'd have to ask Andre about it the next time he dropped into Lordran. Maybe get it reforged or reinforced.

"They're… unbalanced," Sasuke said flatly. "The Hyūga's quiet, the Aburame's methodical. But Kiba? He's reckless. Loud. He'll be a liability one day."

"At least they have Kurenai," Sakura added, drying her hands on a cloth. "She's sharp. It helps having another jōnin around, especially while Kakashi-sensei's still recovering."

I wonder if Andre knows more about these dragon weapons… Naruto mused.

"Hey," Sakura's voice cut through his thoughts like a shuriken. "Are you even listening?"

"Huh? What?"

"You weren't listening."

"I was!" Naruto said way too quickly. "I heard... things. Words. Many words were said. I agree with all of them—or none of them. Possibly a few. But not the bad ones. Dattebayo."

Sasuke gave him a long, soul-weary stare. "That wasn't even a sentence."

"You know Iruka-sensei isn't here to scream at you anymore," Sakura said. "You don't have to keep up the 'I swear I'm paying attention' jutsu."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling sheepishly. "Fine, fine. I zoned out. What was the question again?"

"I asked if that weird flask of yours, the Estus thing, could heal Kakashi."

"Oh." Naruto immediately perked up. "Yeah. Probably. It's healed worse than what Kakashi has, I think."

"You think?"

"Yeah, well… I don't really know what kind of damage Kakashi-sensei took," Naruto replied to Sasuke. "So, do I go and heal him now, or what?"

"Kurenai-sensei said she'd handle his treatment. Told us not to worry."

"Let her try first," Sasuke added, arms crossed. "If she can't fix it… then we use an Estus."

He didn't say it out loud, but they all understood the reasoning. That flask wasn't just some convenience—it could change the tide of battle. And Sasuke wasn't comfortable with just handing that power out. Naruto, however, probably would.

"Okay," Naruto said with a nod, yawning wide. "So… what do you think I should do about Kiba?"

"What about him?"

"I mean… I kinda beat him up during graduation. I've been thinking, it might be easier to squash this whole mess if I just apologize."

"Maybe… but why not wait till tomorrow?"

"Why not now?"

"Well," she said slowly, glancing at Sasuke, "I overheard Kiba justifying his attack on you when we first got to the Wave. He said he was only returning the favor for what you did to him."

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"She means," Sasuke cut in, "Kiba thinks you 'sucker-punched' him during your first fight. In his mind, you only won because of that, so his sneak attack here was just payback."

Naruto stared, unimpressed. "Okay, first of all, I hit him from the front. That's not a sneak attack, that's just called being fast. Second, didn't he use a jutsu during that fight? I remember him spinning or something. If he's blaming his loss on a cheap shot, that's pure cope."

"You're not helping the whole 'resolving conflict' thing," Sakura said with a sigh.

"What? I'm just saying dog-breath lost fair and square."

"Naruto," Sakura warned.

"Fine, fine," Naruto relented. "I'll talk to him. When things cool down. Maybe tomorrow. Right now, I've got more important things to do—like making Oscar a bed."

"We'll help," Sakura offered, already standing.

She turned to Sasuke, who was very obviously pretending to be asleep.

"You're helping too, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"That's a command, not a request."

"…Hn."

Naruto chuckled as Team 7 finished building a small nest-like bed from their spare clothes in the corner of the room. It wasn't elegant—mostly a lumpy pile of shirts, cloaks, and one stubborn sock Sasuke refused to claim—but it had warmth, and that was all Oscar really needed.

"I'll go get him," Naruto said. "Sasuke, stop folding things and start stacking. He's a lizard, not a daimyo."

"Hmph," Sasuke grunted, but he shifted the crumpled vest anyway.

Naruto smiled to himself as he stepped into the hall. For all their bickering, they'd come together for something as small as Oscar's bed. That had to count for something.

He reached the crate. Empty. The smile vanished. Did Inari take him out again?

A breeze drifted through the open window, cool and tinged with the scent of earth and pine. Naruto's sharp eyes narrowed as he spotted a slip of paper tucked in the corner of the crate.

Come meet me outside in the forest.

No name. No signature. Just the scribbled words—clearly from someone in a rush. Naruto's stomach twisted. His mind raced through possibilities—who had motive, who had opportunity. Only one name rose to the top.

Kiba Inuzuka.

He was on night watch. He had free movement. And he was the only one still nursing a grudge strong enough to pull something this stupid. For what? Some childish revenge?

"Hey Naruto, we finished the bed," Sakura called from the other room.

Naruto inhaled through his nose, calming the burn behind his eyes. "Thanks," he said over his shoulder, tone even. "Oscar wants to moonbathe outside. We're gonna go for a little stroll."

"Don't let him eat the grass."

"No promises."

"Night, Naruto!" Sakura added.

"Sleep tight," Naruto said gently. "I'll handle this."

The boy's gaze hardened, all warmth draining from his eyes as they locked onto the treeline. The goofy, carefree boy who joked and smiled was gone—shed like a second skin. In his place stood something colder. Sharper. The undead knight who had carved his path through the cursed lands of Lordran.

He stepped onto the windowsill, a soft click echoing as his armor snapped into place—repaired, gleaming in the moonlight, and ready for war. Whoever thought they could take from him was about to learn what it meant to steal from a warrior who'd fought demons and walked through fire.

Oscar wasn't just a lizard. He was family.

A few minutes later, the forest was silent save for the soft rustling of leaves and the distant cry of night birds. The moon hung low, bathing the world in pale silver, casting long shadows beneath the trees.

Naruto walked beneath those shadows like a ghost. His steps were quiet, deliberate—each one heavier than the last. The boy who once smiled without restraint was nowhere to be found. When he entered the clearing, the sight that met him sent a chill through his spine. Kiba stood alone, holding Oscar by the tail. The crystal lizard thrashed, panicked chirps escaping his throat, but Kiba didn't budge. His grip was firm.

"Kiba."

That single word was low and dangerous. A growl rather than a name.

"Put. Him. Down."

"What's with the tone?" Kiba sneered. "That brat talks crap about Akamaru and you're all Zen. But now you're growling like a wolf because of this overgrown gecko?"

Naruto didn't respond. Not to Kiba's words. Not to his tone. His eyes never left Oscar. But the moment he saw a tremor in Oscar's leg, a tiny glint of discomfort in his body—Naruto moved. There was no hand seal. No shout. Only the cold hum of something appearing in his hand. A giant winged spear, six feet of sharpened steel, shimmered into hand from his inventory.

Naruto's voice dropped to a tone that made the temperature in the clearing fall.

"If you so much as chip a scale," Naruto said, every syllable like the toll of a funeral bell, "I will shove this spear inside you... out through your mouth like a pig."

Kiba's expression faltered. "W-What?"

"I'll rip your tongue out so you remember silence. I'll strip the skin from your arms and watch you crawl with nothing but bone."

Oscar squirmed harder, and Kiba's grip faltered.

The light caught his face... his calm, empty face—and that emptiness was worse than fury. "And if you think pain's your limit," Naruto continued, "then I'll heal you. Every night. Limb by limb. Muscle by muscle. Until I can do it in my sleep. And then I'll cut them all again."

Kiba was pale now, sweat beading on his brow. He bent down, gently placing Oscar onto the forest floor.

Oscar scrambled, slipping free, and bolted to Naruto's side with a chirp.

Naruto placed a protective hand on the lizard's head, not taking his eyes off Kiba.

There was a moment of quiet.

Then, Kiba laughed nervously, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You're bluffing. You don't even know medical nin—"

"I can regrow a spine," Naruto said flatly. "Want me to start with yours?"

Silence.

Kiba took a step back.

Naruto relaxed—barely. The tension in his shoulders eased, and the spear shimmered out of existence. Then he asked, voice steady and far too calm, "What is this about, Kiba?"

Silence.

Naruto's gaze didn't waver. Kiba's breathing had steadied again, his spine slowly straightening as he regained a shred of his usual cocky bravado—but it was brittle, paper-thin over the very real fear Naruto's earlier threat had carved into him.

Then came the sound of scratching from the earth.

Kiba turned, confused—just in time to see Oscar burst from underground, latching onto Akamaru's tail with crystal fangs and yanking the poor pup down into the dirt with a surprised yelp.

"What the hell?!" Kiba shouted, eyes wide in panic. "Akamaru!"

But Naruto didn't move. His face was unreadable, voice cold. "You were going to start a fight anyway. I just made sure our partners didn't get caught in the crossfire." He raised his left arm, the heavy gauntlet snapping into place over his wrist with a dull metallic clunk. "No tricks, no cheap shots. Just you and me, Kiba. So come on."

Kiba crouched low, fingers curling, fangs elongating. His chakra surged around him, distorting the air with the jutsu of the Inuzuka clan. His eyes sharpened into something animalistic. A growl rolled from his throat.

"I'm gonna show you just how far behind you really are, dead last!" Kiba shouted, launching into the trees. His movements were fast—wild, but focused. Leaves burst into the air as he leapt from branch to branch, building speed, power.

"You keeping up?" he called down mockingly. "Or did I already lose you?"

Naruto stood still. No emotion. No reaction. He flexed his gauntleted hand once, adjusting his stance.

Kiba burst from the treetops. "Fang Over Fang!"

He was a spinning blur, a cyclone of claws and fangs. The vortex of chakra tore through the air, shrieking toward Naruto like a cannonball. Still, Naruto didn't move—not until the very last second. With a subtle step forward, he lifted his arm and slammed the gauntlet straight into Kiba's face.

BOOM.

The clearing exploded with force. Leaves scattered. Dust mushroomed outward.

Kiba's momentum died instantly as the gauntlet halted him mid-spin. His body hit the earth hard, carving a small trench in the dirt before coming to rest. He groaned, unconscious, a clear imprint of Naruto's gauntlet etched across his cheek.

Naruto stood over him, silent for a beat. "You talk too much."

A faint whimper broke the silence.

Akamaru leapt from the bushes, landing beside his partner. He nudged Kiba with his nose, whining softly.

Naruto sighed, tilting his head. "Relax, furball. He's not dead."

Akamaru barked.

"...I think."

Akamaru barked again, louder.

Naruto crouched down, studying the display on his HUD.

[Kiba Inuzuka – HP: 1 / 200]

"Tch. Weak," he muttered.

Akamaru growled lowly.

"Alright, alright. Don't get dramatic on me," Naruto grumbled, pulling out his Estus Flask and casually dumping a splash over Kiba's body. "There. Good as new. Mostly."

Akamaru barked again, his tone softening. He turned to Oscar, giving a grateful yip. Oscar chirped in reply, waddling over to nuzzle the puppy's snout gently.

Naruto watched, eyes softening just slightly. "See? He's fine. Just unconscious. He'll wake up whining like usual in a few minutes."

Akamaru wagged his tail, lying down beside Kiba protectively. Naruto stood, brushing dirt from his gauntlet.

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 55, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!