Dawn came slow. Grey light through the trees.
I had walked all night. The river was far behind. The Collector was gone. For now.
BIRD
Somewhere above. Cawing. Loud.
I stopped at a ridge. Looked back.
Konoha was gone. Hidden by forest. Hidden by distance.
Hah.
A small sound. From me.
Three days ago, I was a ghost in that village. Now I was a ghost outside it.
Kurama stirred. His voice was rough.
Regretting already?
No.
Liar.
HAHAHA
A laugh. From both of us. Bitter.
I kept walking.
The road was empty. Dirt. Rocks. Dead leaves.
CRUNCH CRUNCH
My sandals. Loud in the silence.
I passed a broken cart. Old blood on the wood. Dried. Black.
BUZZ
Flies.
I walked faster.
The sun climbed. Hot on my neck. My cloak was too heavy. Black wool. Stolen from a dead soldier's closet.
I threw it on the ground.
THUMP
Better.
Now I wore just my grey shirt. My black pants. My torn sandals.
WIND
Cool on my arms.
I walked until my legs burned. Until my stomach growled.
GRRR
Hungry.
I found a stream. Clean water. I drank.
GULP GULP
My hands were shaking. Not from fear. From emptiness.
The system hummed. Quiet.
Three extractions available tomorrow.
I know.
Who will you take from?
I don't know.
I sat by the stream. Stared at my reflection.
A stranger looked back. Brown eyes. Dark hair. Scars on my cheek.
Who are you?
The reflection did not answer.
SPLASH
A fish jumped.
I caught it with my bare hands. Fast. The system helped. Reflexes.
SLAP
The fish flopped on the rock.
I ate it raw. Blood on my fingers. Scales on my tongue.
CRUNCH
Bones.
Not a hero's meal. A ghost's meal.
HAH.
I stood. Walked again.
The forest changed. Thinner trees. Brown grass. The air smelled different. Dry. Dead.
CRACKLE
Leaves under my feet.
I saw smoke ahead. Not forest fire. Village smoke. Cooking fires.
A village.
Small. Maybe twenty houses. Wooden walls. A gate with no guards.
I walked closer.
BARK
A dog. Chained to a post. Growling.
GRRRR
I stopped.
An old man sat on a porch. Grey beard. One eye. Missing leg.
He looked at me. No fear. No hope. Just tired.
Stranger. What do you want?
I stood in the middle of the dirt road.
Food. Rest. Then I leave.
Hmph. He spat on the ground.
PTUI
We have nothing. Bandits came last week. Took everything.
Bandits?
He pointed east. With a shaking hand.
That way. A fort. Maybe fifty of them. They kill. They steal. They laugh.
HAHAHA
A memory. The Collector's laugh.
Not the same. Just men. Living men.
I looked east. The sun was setting. Orange. Red.
How far?
Half day. Why?
I'm going there.
Silence.
The old man stared at me. His one eye widened.
Are you stupid? Fifty bandits. You are one man.
I smiled. Not a nice smile.
I am not a man.
I walked east. The village disappeared behind me.
BARK
The dog. Quiet now.
The sun set. Darkness came. I did not stop.
Kurama spoke. His voice was low.
Why?
Because they are evil.
Not your fight.
The old man had no one. No leg. No food. No hope.
And?
And I was him. Once. Invisible. Forgotten.
Hmm.
The fox was quiet.
I walked through the night. The moon was a thin slice. Silver.
CRICKETS
Millions of them. Singing.
At midnight, I saw lights. Torches. A fort made of logs.
LAUGHTER
Men. Drunk. Loud.
SMASH
A bottle breaking.
I stood in the shadows. Watched.
Fifty men. Maybe more. Armed. Ugly. Laughing about the village. About the old man. About his daughter.
My hands became fists.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
My heart.
Kurama's chakra stirred. Warm. Hungry.
Kill them.
No.
Why?
Because I am not a monster.
They are.
Yes. But I am not.
I stepped out of the shadows.
One bandit saw me. His mouth opened.
HEY!
I moved. Faster than eyes. The Third Gate. Just a flash.
THUD THUD THUD
Three men down. Unconscious. Not dead.
The others grabbed swords. Screamed.
AAAAH
I moved through them. Like water. Like wind. Like a ghost.
CRACK
Bones.
THUMP
Bodies.
WHAM
One minute. Maybe less.
All fifty on the ground. Breathing. Bleeding. Alive.
I stood in the middle. My hands were red. Not with blood. With dirt.
The leader crawled toward me. His leg was broken.
Who... who are you?
I looked down at him.
A ghost.
I walked away. Into the forest. The fort burned behind me. Not by my hand. Their torches fell.
CRACKLE
Fire.
The sky was grey. Dawn again.
I had not slept. Had not eaten. Had not used the system.
Kurama spoke. Soft.
Why did you spare them?
Because killing is easy. Sparing is hard.
Hmm.
The fox was quiet. Then.
Naruto would be proud.
HAH.
A laugh. Real. Small.
Maybe.
I walked east. Toward the Land of Shadows.
The road was long. The dead were coming.
But the ghost kept walking.
One village. One enemy. One step at a time.