Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter no.59 Lower Undead Burg?!

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Fu Yamanaka's existence was born of war—violence, silence, and truths too bitter for anyone to acknowledge. During the Third Shinobi War, when morality fractured beneath the weight of survival, terrible things happened. Shinobi interrogators from every village crossed unspeakable lines. Konoha, and its clans, were no exception.

The incident wasn't unique. A Yamanaka interrogator raped a captured kunoichi. Violations like this were common in wartime, buried under whispers and excuses. But this time, the kunoichi became pregnant, and suddenly, the shame couldn't be ignored. The Yamanaka Clan, obsessed with their reputation, acted not out of justice but politics.

The interrogator was swiftly tried and executed—not for his crime but for what it represented: a threat to the clan's prestige. Evidence was destroyed, witnesses silenced. But the child was a problem they couldn't erase. By the time the pregnancy was discovered, it was too late to terminate. Quiet suggestions were made about "dealing with" the infant after birth, but even wartime Konoha had limits. The clan refused to raise him; the scandal was too fresh, too risky.

The solution came in the form of Root.

Root, founded during the Second Shinobi War, was Konoha's shadow—operating outside the law to protect the village through assassinations, espionage, and sabotage. Danzo Shimura, its leader, believed that Konoha's ideals—the Will of Fire and camaraderie—were luxuries. Root existed to shield the village from the things it refused to see.

Root recruits were stripped of identity and emotion through brutal conditioning. Orphans, outcasts, and unwanted children became its tools. Fu, the Yamanaka bastard, was perfect for this purpose. In Root, he would cease to exist as an individual and become nothing more than a weapon.

From the moment he could walk, Fu was trained to suppress his emotions, hone his chakra, and obey without question. He was taught a single truth: he didn't matter. Only the village mattered. Only the mission mattered.

When the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, the chaos led to Root's official disbandment. The Third Hokage stripped Danzo of authority, dispersing Root operatives across the village. Psychological screenings were conducted, and most members were reassigned to legitimate roles.

But Danzo had planned for this. Root's indoctrination ensured its agents could blend into society, their loyalty unshaken. Many passed the Hokage's screenings undetected, remaining loyal to Danzo in secret. Fu was one of these ghosts.

He became a quiet member of the Barrier Corps, a nameless cog in Konoha's vast machine. On paper, he was unremarkable—a chunin tasked with monitoring the detection barrier.

Fu's persona was his true mask. To his colleagues, he was polite but distant, diligent but forgettable. His black shinobi uniform bore no clan insignia, his pale brown hair cropped short in an unassuming style. His hazel eyes, a Yamanaka trait, were calm and unreadable. He spoke only when necessary and moved with quiet precision.

Fu liked it that way. Attachments were liabilities. Standing out was a risk. His existence had a single purpose: obey Danzo's orders. Nothing else mattered.

Fu's day began at sunrise. He arrived at the Barrier Corps HQ, exchanged brief nods with his colleagues, and took his seat at a monitoring station. The stations were arranged in a ring around a central console, where their supervisor oversaw the operation. Each station was equipped with a crystal orb linked to Konoha's detection barrier, displaying chakra signatures as glowing dots across the surface.

"Morning, Fu," Sora greeted as she plopped into the seat beside him. Her short black hair bounced as she leaned lazily on her console.

"Morning," Fu replied flatly, his tone polite but devoid of warmth.

"Let me guess," she teased, "you've been here since dawn. Never late, always quiet, the perfect shinobi. Bet you meditate before your shift."

"I don't."

"Okay, fine. Maybe you're one of those mysterious types who writes poetry at home. Something dramatic, like 'The silent wind moves across the barrier.'"

"No."

"You're no fun."

"You're loud," Fu replied simply, his tone still neutral. The words hung long enough to silence her without offense.

Sora rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath but grinning anyway.

"Less gossip, more work," their supervisor, Tetsuya, barked from the center of the room, arms crossed over his chest.

"Got it, sir," Sora replied with a mock salute before turning back to her console.

The orb before Fu displayed Konoha's countless chakra signatures—thousands of glowing dots, each representing a life. Most operators tracked anomalies, logging disturbances and movements across the village.

But Fu's focus was different.

Among the signatures, one burned brighter than all the others: Naruto Uzumaki. His chakra was chaotic and wild, a raging storm impossible to miss. Fu had taken measures to ensure no one else noticed. Through subtle manipulations, he diverted the system's attention elsewhere, masking Naruto's unusual activity. To everyone else, Naruto was just another dot.

"Hey, did you hear about Sakura Haruno?" Sora asked, breaking the silence.

Fu didn't look up. "No."

"She's joining us—Barrier Corps, I mean. Can you believe it? Kakashi pulled strings to get her in. Word is, she's got insane chakra control. Like, med-nin level."

"Unusual for a genin," Fu replied, only because the information could be relevant to Root.

"Right? Tetsuya, think she'll last?"

"Focus," Tetsuya snapped.

Sora sighed. "You guys are impossible. Ever heard of fun?"

Fu ignored her, his eyes fixed on the orb. The orange flare of Naruto's chakra signature flickered—and vanished.

His fingers moved instinctively, logging the event and rerouting the anomaly to a secondary console before anyone else noticed.

"An alert?" Sora asked, glancing over.

"Nothing significant," Fu said evenly. His voice was calm, uninterested, the perfect mask. "Just a civilian chakra spike. Routed it to Console 4."

Sora shrugged, already bored. "Man, civilians and their weird chakra surges. Always overreacting."

Fu's focus returned to the orb. Naruto's chakra hadn't just moved out of range—it had disappeared entirely, snuffed out like a dying flame. It was always the same. Root intelligence suspected some form of space-time ninjutsu, but the specifics eluded them.

Whatever it was, Naruto's chakra acted as though he'd died.

Fu didn't wonder why. It wasn't his role to question. With the precision drilled into him by Root, he rebalanced the logs and erased any trace of the anomaly. As far as the Barrier Corps was concerned, Naruto Uzumaki's chakra was perfectly normal.

"You're quiet today," Sora said. "Not even curious about the new recruit?"

"I'm focused on my work."

"Of course you are." She muttered something under her breath, leaning back in her chair. "Let me know if you ever decide to act human."

Fu said nothing.

It wasn't that he lacked curiosity or emotion. He had buried them long ago, along with his humanity. He didn't care about Naruto's vanishings or Sakura Haruno's potential. None of it mattered.

Only the mission mattered. Only Root's orders mattered.

Observe. Record. Remain unseen.

All in service of Root, Danzo, and the shadowed will of Konoha.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, blinking as the familiar glow of the bonfire filled his vision. The sword, coiled and rusted, was driven deep into the ashen floor, its flames crackling and spitting embers into the air. The comforting sound of fire and the faint warmth brushing against his skin made him smile. He had come to love the sight of the bonfire. The sword, the ash, the ever-burning flame—it wasn't just a checkpoint or a momentary reprieve from danger. It had become a refuge, a reminder that he could always come back from whatever hardships he faced.

It reminded him of Konoha's Hokage Monument. Back home, when things became overwhelming—when the loneliness crept in, when exhaustion dragged him down—he'd climb to the top of the monument and stare out at the village below. From there, everything seemed small, manageable, distant. But now Lordran had taken that place. The bonfire had become his new monument. A place to reset. A place where everything felt possible again.

Naruto took a deep breath, letting the moment sink in, before his gaze swept across the room. Piles of debris near the entrance hinted at collapse, while weathered barrels and rotted baskets sat untouched in the corners—remnants of a long-dead world. But there was no time to linger.

As he stepped toward the room's exit, his senses sharpened with the Way of Focality, and the faint whistle of an arrow cutting through the air reached his ears. Naruto turned sharply, just in time to watch the arrow streak past his helmet.

He glared in the direction the arrow had come from. There the crossbow hollows stood hunched, reloading another bolt.

Naruto darted forward, leaping into the air as he neared the hollow. His body twisted mid-air, and with a powerful flying kick, his foot connected with the hollow's chest. The creature staggered backward, arms flailing, before it toppled off the edge of the crumbling floor, its crossbow slipping from its grip and clattering into the abyss below.

Naruto didn't have time to gloat.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the narrow passage below.

Gripping the Zweihander tightly, Naruto shifted into position. As the first hollow lunged, he stepped forward and swung the massive blade in a wide, sweeping arc. The force of the strike cleaved through the air and connected cleanly, sending the hollow sprawling to the floor in a lifeless heap.

Another hollow charged, its sword raised high for a downward slash. Naruto ducked low, the blade passing harmlessly over him, and immediately spun with the Zweihander in hand. Its edge tore through his enemy's midsection in a clean, devastating blow.

Naruto paused to settle his breath, when a faint whistle reached his ears. He leapt forward, tucking into a roll just as the bomb exploded behind him.

Above, a hollow stood on a ledge, clutching another firebomb in its skeletal grip.

"Oh, great. I forgot you also exist in this world."

Naruto reached into his pouch, pulling out kunai and shuriken. A kunai collided mid-air with the firebomb in the hollow's hand, causing it to explode prematurely. The hollow staggered, its footing uneven. Naruto's shuriken twisted, slicing into its leg. The hollow lost balance and fell from the ledge into the abyss below.

Naruto approached the half-destroyed stone bridge cautiously, his eyes scanning the open room at the other end. Two hollows waited, each armed with an axe.

"Let's see how you handle this."

With a burst of speed, he activated Shunshin no Jutsu, his form blurring as he dashed forward. Before the first hollow could react, Naruto thrust the greatsword forward, its blade piercing through the hollow's chest. He twisted the blade as he pulled it free, and the hollow collapsed in a heap.

The second hollow wasted no time, raising its axe for a downward slash. Naruto jumped back, narrowly avoiding the strike as the axe buried itself into the stone floor. His grin widened.

"Finally, a little practice," he muttered.

Naruto adjusted his grip on the Zweihander, recalling Tenten's lesson: Centerline control and edge alignment. He stepped into a basic stance as the hollow attacked. Its swing came wide, from Naruto's right to left. He met the strike with his blade, but his angle was off—the Zweihander glanced awkwardly off the axe, leaving him open.

"Damn," Naruto muttered, resetting his stance.

The hollow attacked again, its axe coming down in an overhead chop. Naruto sidestepped, adjusting his blade with care, and redirected the axe with a sharp deflection.

The Zweihander felt heavy in his hands, but Naruto welcomed the challenge. The hollow wasn't much of a threat, but it made for a decent training partner—at least until the door at the end of the room slammed open with a deafening crash.

A new hollow stepped through, this one wielding a spear.

Naruto focused as the axe-wielding hollow lunged. He dodged with a quick sidestep, but the spear hollow followed, thrusting its weapon toward his chest. Naruto twisted, the spear grazing his side as he rolled backward to create distance.

"Alright," he said, smirking despite the odds. "Let's dance."

He could summon shadow clones to handle them, but how would he improve if he always took the easy way out?

The spear hollow lunged again, its strikes faster and more aggressive. Naruto parried with the Zweihander, redirecting the spear's tip and countering with a sweeping arc that forced both enemies to back off.

The axe hollow came next, swinging in a wide horizontal arc. Naruto ducked low, rolling forward and coming up swinging. The Zweihander severed its legs cleanly, leaving the hollow crumpled on the floor.

The spear hollow wasn't done. It lunged again, its strikes relentless. Naruto sidestepped, his balance unshakable—thanks to the rusted ring he'd found earlier.

When the spear hollow overextended with a powerful thrust, Naruto seized his moment. He stepped inside its guard, raising the Zweihander high, and brought it down in a brutal overhead strike. The blade cleaved the hollow from shoulder to hip.

Naruto exhaled, resting the Zweihander on his shoulder as he surveyed the now-empty room.

Naruto gave the window a flat look as the hollows on the upper floor kept chucking firebombs at the bridge and the closest window to him. The flames flared, crackling as they splattered uselessly against the stone and wood.

"What a waste," he muttered, raising his fist at them like an old man yelling at kids. "I'll gladly throw you off those roofs myself, you hear me, dattebayo." His voice echoed back at him. They didn't respond.

He shook his head and turned his attention to the room. Two paths. One led outside, back to the bridge, and the other was this rusty, moss-covered metal cage door. Naruto squinted at it. Honestly, he'd missed it the first time through, probably because it blended into the damp, mossy wall like it belonged there.

"Where do you lead?" he mumbled, curiosity getting the better of him. He approached the door, grabbing the handle and giving it a solid pull. The door didn't budge. A faint message shimmered into view.

[Can't open this door from this side.]

Naruto frowned, stepping back and glaring at the stubborn thing. "Is this another one of those magic locks like in the sewer? Stupid door," he muttered under his breath before sighing. "Fine. I'll come back later."

He turned to walk away but stopped mid-step as a thought hit him. A grin spread across his face, the plan forming in his head. "Wait a second… I can summon shadow clones at a distance, right?"

He quickly made the cross sign with his fingers, and with a puff of smoke, another Naruto appeared—on the other side of the door. Both of them cheered at the success of the plan.

"Alright, open the door," he said, feeling pretty proud of himself.

The clone pulled at the handle and frowned. "Uh… it says I need a key."

Naruto's grin dropped instantly. "Seriously?" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. Fine, just… look around, see if you can find anything useful."

"Got it!" the clone chirped before wandering off.

Grumbling, Naruto turned back to the room and headed toward the outside path. He started down a few steps when he heard a low growl. He turned sharply, glancing back toward the window. A hollow stood there, its face pressed against the bars like a creepy neighbor staring into his house.

"Yo," Naruto said, raising a hand in mock greeting. Its head twitched in response, its dead eyes narrowing.

His eyes flicked to the door leading into the room. A wicked grin spread across his face as he grabbed the hilt of his Zweihander, the blade gleaming even in the light. "Oh, I'm gonna kill you right now, believe it!"

Meanwhile, the Naruto clone found himself in a precarious spot—a narrow stone staircase clinging to the edge of a wall. It zigzagged downward in sharp, twisting turns, forcing him to tread carefully with each step. The air was damp and cold, the faint scent of mildew clinging to the ancient stone. As he descended, the view shifted, revealing the lower parts of the kingdom. Broken houses and crumbling rooftops stretched out below, the remnants of what must have once been a bustling city. Now, it was eerily silent, save for the distant crackle of fire.

At the bottom of the staircase, the clone found himself at a crossroads. To his right was a rusted red ladder leading upward. To his left, a stone staircase wound further downward, ending in a small platform where a strange fire burned in a cracked brazier.

The clone hesitated, squinting down the left path at the flickering flame.

"Yeah, I'll just go with the ladder."

But before he could take a step, he heard it—a sound that immediately sent a chill down his spine.

It started as a faint, rapid clicking, almost rhythmic, like claws scraping against stone. Then came the panting, sharp and uneven, like air being sucked through teeth. The sound grew louder, faster, and more frantic, echoing through the space as something bounded toward him.

Naruto's clone froze, his senses sharpening as he activated the Way of Focality. He turned just in time to see the source of the noise—and it was worse than he could have imagined.

The dog, if it could even be called that, was a nightmare made flesh. Its emaciated body was stretched unnaturally long, with patches of skin missing, exposing raw muscle and bone beneath. Its oversized mouth hung open, sharp, crooked teeth jutting out at odd angles as if they were too big for its maw. The way its lips pulled back made its grin look impossibly wide and sinister. Its torn, tattered ears stood erect, and its glowing, feral eyes locked onto the clone with unrelenting aggression.

"...You are so ugly," the clone muttered, tightening his grip on the Zweihander. He spun into a slash, aiming to cleave the creature in half like he would a hollow. But this wasn't a hollow. The dog twisted mid-air, dodging the brunt of the attack, and its grotesque mouth opened even wider as it leapt straight for him.

Its teeth snapped shut inches from the clone's throat, the force of the attack overwhelming him. The dog hit its target, and the clone popped out of existence in a puff of smoke.

The memories hit the original. One moment, he was smirking at the hollow stumbling toward him, and the next, he was reliving the sensation of those snapping teeth and glowing eyes. He shuddered, his skin crawling. "What the hell was that thing?!"

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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 28, 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!