Chapter 47 - N

Naruto loves fighting. He likes to follow that dance as Madara called it and lose himself in it until his breathing becomes heavy and the muscles become sore but light. It's exhilarating. The pumping of his heart as adrenaline engulfs his body just to make it react quicker, work better. The necessary concentration he needs to give his opponent to be able to follow their movements while keeping aware of one's surroundings. The way limbs move and the power they can give. How one needs to think fast and counter even faster. The challenge is frightening and exciting and Naruto loves every second of it, not caring if he ends up as a bloody mess who can't even feel his aches.

Even deathmatches have their appeal. He doesn't love them or even likes them, but they're special in the way that they are more real. The threat of death is there but there's uncertainty too, as one feels the other's emotions, the passion behind each punch, even if they're strangers. It doesn't carry the lightheartedness of a spar or the fun and challenge of it, but it helps make one aware of their mortality. And to someone who's been looked down on as less than human, barely above a monster, it also helps him to feel more human.

He still doesn't like them though, even if lately they've become quite frequent in his life.

So, Naruto loves fighting and he's always thought that he'd like whatever form that comes from or any kind of opponent it offers.

Well, not anymore. It seems he was wrong. Because he really, really doesn't like fighting against the Edo Tensei-wannabes. And it shows as Clementine says, "That's another bump from Andrea for swearing."

He glares at her as he digs a kunai into another walker, even if he knows she can't see him.

"You finished already, Clem?"

The girl turns briefly from where she's trying to fill another bag to stick her tongue out at him before she returns to her task

"Cut her some slack, kid," Andrea breathes out, knocking another walker with Naruto's pretty orange bat. "Why is this happening again?"

Naruto doesn't bother to look at Andrea; she's alive and that's all that he needs to know. "Hey, it was your idea so don't try to dump the blame on others."

Michonne, who is a couple of meters away, finishes two of those walkers before she turns to give Naruto a knowing, small smirk. "I agree. It's not your fault. This time, at least."

"Hey!"

Even if he shouts, Naruto doesn't add anything else because his luck has followed him even in this world. He knows that the last three times they've tried to sleep inside houses, they ended up ambushed by walkers because of him.

He also doesn't answer anything because that's the moment Clementine stands up, trying to lift the two small bags, having finished passing the things they retrieved from the broken bags into another, sturdier ones.

Naruto shoots a look at Michonne as he sees Clementine's strain before going to help her. When the bags are secured in his hands, he motions the others to retreat to the wall. They follow his lead even if with some difficulty because of the walkers on their trail.

"Naruto, give me a hand!"

Throwing a glance at the attackers, Naruto helps Andrea climb up to go past the wall surrounding the house they used for the night before he goes and helps Clem do the same while Michonne is behind, trying to keep them clear from walkers.

"Michonne, come on!"

Michonne's the one who is more fit so she doesn't need that much help aside from using his interlaced hands to propel herself. And that's good when doing this kind of thing. Quickly separating his intertwined fingers, Naruto grabs the handy bat that Andrea left behind to keep the walkers at bay, not wanting to accidentally lose another kunai, and gives the others some time and doesn't go to follow them until he hears the "Ready!" from Clementine.

"Where's Michonne?" Naruto asks when he meets them in the park.

"Here."

Turning around, Naruto sees Michone with her walker trailing behind, their luggage on its back.

"You've got the bags?" she asks and Naruto answers by patting the bags twice before giving them to Andrea who gives him a strained smile, sweat trailing down her forehead as she looks for her prize.

"You're so lucky you're a man, kid."

Naruto chuckles, remembering Sakura saying something familiar, though with an added, "Though I'm luckier I'm a doctor."

"We're going to some house or camping again?" Clementine asks, clearly uncomfortable with the prospect of what she's going to suffer in later years and probably with no medicine.

"The weather is not that bad. We're camping," Michonne answers, not even bothering to look up.

Clementine gives a tired sigh as if she knew the result but was hoping for the best, and Naruto feels slightly guilty as it's kind of his fault they try to not sleep inside houses or the kind unless they're one hundred percent sure they're completely alone. Because they've all realized that for some reason walkers always manage to find him.

He's lucky that by that time, they were already fond of him.

"I suppose we can head to the last camping point," he murmurs because even if he's shit at reading maps, he's good with directions and he knows they are close to their last spot.

This time Michone does look up and Naruto follows her gaze to see the blue lazy sky that's darker than it should be. It takes her a second longer before she gives an affirmative.