"Sit"
"Yea, kid, can't you think more about the uniform thing? I'm not fond of those guys."
A man in a special forces uniform, wearing a skull mask and a hood covering his head under it, spoke, shifting uncomfortably. His voice sounded too deep to be of a human.
Sasuke looked at him without saying anything for a whole minute, making the masked man sweat even in this cold weather.
"I—I am sorry for talking without your permission," Merle spoke with a traumatic trace in his voice. Especially when seeing those freakish red eyes peering at him.
What Merle missed is that those red eyes that terrified him weren't just a visual effect on this alien boy who tossed him from one corner to another this morning like a fucking rag doll. But they were also working on making him more...tame too, with subtle genjutsu.
"Merle Dixon"
"Yes!"
"10 people just saw me killing^you^ and the other 4 just now, so I don't need any more bullshit, otherwise I'll make it real, I mean, are you a fucking dumbass to tell 3 people here that you killed her brothers? You were expecting a clap or something? So from here, you'll have to follow the deal that kept you alive.
Our deal states that, from this point on, you will have this outfit and the mask, worn all the time when you aren't in your base. Your code name is Ghost.
You will meet Daryl. And only those I choose are permitted to know your real identity. Disclose it to anyone else, and I will rip your tongue and shove it where light doesn't shine.
You will work hard to redeem your actions; with time, when Woodbury's and our people come to accept you as Ghost and view you as their guardian, you can have your own name back."
'It won't happen.' Sasuke knows from Billy's investigations that for a man like Merle, once the people come to like and respect his ^Ghost^ persona, it will be too late for Merle to care about having his name and public face back.
"Do you agree to my last order I stated in our deal?"
"I do. From this point on, I will be Ghost, and I'll have to follow you as if I am your shadow; whenever you go, I go."
'except bathroom and bedroom' Merle thought.
"Good"
Sasuke wasn't interested in Merle's abilities; they were mediocre, and his clones would be a hundred times better.
But he needs him to be in sight from this point to make sure he won't do something stupid.
Who knows, maybe Merle of the future would turn out to be a surprise for all of them.
Leaving the guy in the basement, Sasuke left to his own temporary place. Sighing from dealing with all those problems.
He swore if there was another capable person with capabilities like his, he would leave all those troublesome issues of leading others to him and just enjoy his damn life.
Without having to calculate everything, keep others in check, think of their mental states and all, receive insults, and hold the expectations, he would be just in some corner lying back.
"Alas, that won't happen," the crow said. "If you want that kind of life...you need to fight for it."
Sasuke, who was eating a delicious soup delivered by Billy, courtesy of Martha, switched his vision with the falcon.
A dilapidated farmhouse came to his view, the one the falcon was watching from a tree some distance away.
It was situated in the middle of a clearing, but there was nothing special about it; a few figures were moving inside, looking for food.
"Was it shame?" He didn't know; Rick told him that a horde surprised them, and they were forced to leave, losing people in the process, and that they found a place.
But didn't ask for food, protection or anything. He just said that Hershel knows a place and they will try it.
"Or pride? This isn't like Rick. He is the type to help others and ask for help too; he won't care about pride if his wife needs food." He sighed and let them be; this, after all...had nothing to do with him.
Unfortunate, yes, but he has tons of other things to do; one of them is having the people who will go with him organized.
Finishing with the outer wall, cutting the trees and leveling the ground around the prison, make traps and another big trench separating the prison and the outer place so no truck can simply drive forward and slam into the wall.
Make more defense systems, loot more places, supervise the training, unlock his jutsus...
Debating with Rick and others now would just make him lose it; he wasn't the type to have a big capacity of patience when it comes to those things after all.
In the end, they are the protagonist group; they will survive and come back to him.
Why was he so sure? Sasuke looted this part. Was there a suitable place for them? He had already emptied it, and the surviving people he found around were just few and hostile.
If Sasuke hadn't dealt with them? Rick might find himself in the unfortunate shit called...he didn't want to think about what may happen if those beasts caught them.
'Go back to the prison,' he ordered the falcon.
The snake will keep watch on Rick's group from this point on; after all...he didn't find it in him to abandon them.
She will drop some weapons and canned food in a visible place near them too. Just in case.
Sasuke, who finished washing the plates, dropped on his bed when he felt someone walking toward his apartment; seconds later, a knock sounded.
'Now what?' He stood and walked to the front door, opening it.
"Hey, Sasuke, right? My name is Rowan Abernathy. First time meeting you. Welcome to Woodbury." A beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes, appearing to be in her mid-thirties was standing there, smiling as she introduced herself, holding a covered tray.
"This meal was cooked with simple ingredients; I figured you were alone and didn't have something warm to eat in this cold weather."
'I did,' but he didn't say that and simply accepted it from her, thanking her for the gesture.
"I will follow you tomorrow, but is it okay if we discuss some things? Um, many here wanted to know things too, and I was kinda chosen to discuss their worries with you."
"Sure, where?"
"Any you are comfortable with, your place can do if that's fine with you," she smiled, seeing him inviting her in.
The place inside was empty, just basic furniture and his jacket put on the coat hanger near the entrance.
His sword, on the other hand, was put near his bed.
"You are good with it? Aren't guns more practical?" She asked curiously, pointing at the unsheathed blade. She wasn't there when he ^fought^ others this morning but heard that he subdued at least 10 of them with just bare hands.
"I suppose so. I'm more comfortable with blades; Here, I only have water here." He offered her a cup of water.
"Thanks."
"So, Lady Abernathy,–"
"Just Rowan is fine; I will call you Sasuke too."
"Sure, it's late, and I wouldn't like to trouble you anymore than this; you can simply drop your worries all at once. I don't mind." Sasuke thought that she was trying to...ease the discussion bit by bit before starting the business, while Rowan discovered that this one's EQ wasn't the best; either that, or he is pretending and playing hard.
"Um, yeah, sure, so, is your place more secure than this?"
"Location-wise, protocols and armory, yeah, we have people skilled in taking out walkers, we have enough ammunition, clothes, and food, and my people all work together, each contributing something."
"Impressive"
'I hope it is as he said,' she secretly thought of two points: the 'my' part and the way he spoke about their resources.
She didn't know whether he was boasting or just telling her the truth.
"What are your people's arrangements for us? Will we be...you know, some type of subordinates? And can I talk to the women from your part?"
'Another one with potential,' Sasuke thought, hearing what she was really here for.
He said they have women. What if that was a lie, and what awaits them is something more cruel than just dying?.
"How about this? You can even video-call them." Sasuke went to his backpack and retrieved a PC and camera from his storage seal.
"But there's no Internet?"
"I know; that's why we will need to work on a rather irregular method that would take another half hour to an hour though. Is that okay with you?" He asked her as he started setting things around. While mentally ordering his summon.
"Yeah, but, how is it going to work?"
"First, do an introduction, your name, and what is going on, and ask what you want. The other side will then receive the video and will answer your questions in one go. We will receive that video and play it here."
She nodded her head but was still unable to figure out how they will do the "send" and "receive" process without the internet.
"Hey, how are you doing, guys? So in brief, we dealt with Woodbury's situation; some people want to join us and they sent a representative to speak to me, but some of her questions need you guys to answer, here."
He turned the camera to the girl, who finished lifting the edge of her dress up to cover more of her chest.
"Um, hello, my name is Rowan, and like Sasuke said, a few of our people have questions that we hope you can answer. I was told there were ladies and kids in your group; can I see that if possible? Secondly, I want to ask about the basic living conditions there, like what you are given, what you are told to do, and the overall situation, and also what we are expected to do once we are there. If it's not overstepping, it would be awesome to have each of you hold her pinky finger at least once during the video."
Sasuke nodded and ended the recording.
Taking the SD card, he tore a paper and wrote "to Katniss" on it, rolling both in a cloth.
"Won't it take hours to deliver it back and forth? And it's already night and dangerous, I don't mind, though; I can just find a place to nap around."
"It won't." She watched as Sasuke opened the window and let out a whistle; it was almost hard to hear, like a low whisper, and she didn't understand the need for that.
She watched him stepping back and raising his arm by his side; seconds later a whooshing sound was accompanied by something fast dropping on his arm.
Rowan watched in amazement as Sasuke caressed the eagle's head, giving it something to eat.
'What? He got an eagle? How did it hear that faint whistle?'
"Deliver it to Katniss." Sasuke wrapped the cloth on its leg and helped it take off again with a powerful swing.
"Was that..."
"My falcon, you can treat this as your place; it won't take too long before we get the reply." He pointed at the bed, telling her it was okay if she wanted to rest on it, took his sword, went to a chair, leaned back, put it on his lap, and closed his eyes.
'That's it? THAT'S IT????'
===
37 minutes later, that was spent with Rowan wondering if she was dealing with an unusual quiet man or whether he was just uninterested in non-Asian girls...
'No way, because I'm a few years older?' She looked down at her chest. Nope, no way someone would ignore this just for some numbers.
Heck, she can't remember how many times she was flirted with on those 4 days she was here; one rednecked guy nearly bled her ears with his... unusual lines.
She wasn't desperate herself, but only she knows how much she needs a cuddle and comfort those days, just not from any random guy.
The familiar whoosh sounded again, stopping her train of thoughts, and she watched the falcon drop again, perching itself on the window's frame.
Sasuke stood, took the cloth tied to its leg off, and set it free again after some caresses. She herself wondered if she could pat it too; she still didn't believe that he was taming that falcon and how intelligent it was to understand his orders.
Sasuke took the SD card, inserted it into the PC, and played the new video on it.
"I will be answering your questions, and I know that sword idiot is enticing enough for you to wear a low neck in this freezing cold, so you better go back to your place and warm yourself with a cover and mattresses. That includes you, Sasuke.
Ahem, so, my name is Katniss Everdeen. We have 9 females here, with varying ages.
They will be shown after seconds; my pinky finger is unfortunately cramped, so I'll be raising you another one–"
Rowan watched stupified as the beautiful girl sent her (the camera) a harmless smile and was about to raise her middle finger when another woman, more mature and just as beautiful, was shown putting Katniss's hand down and smiled at the camera.
"Ahaha, hello there, Rowan. Don't mind Katniss; she loves to joke with new people. My name is Alena. Nice to meet you. Sasuke is the type to stay silent, and he won't speak his needs, so could you please find something warm for him to eat after this? Appreciate that." She moved back, taking Katniss with her, and finally let another woman with short white hair, named Carol, to take the place, who finally started answering all her questions about the conditions and all, introducing her daughter and others too.
All the while, Sasuke was just sitting close, cleaning his tools. Not concerned with the tempest brewing there...
"Hello, beautiful sister, my name is Ciri. Uncle Daryl told me that sharing is caring, so I'll let you borrow Sasuke-nee for tonight, it's super fun playing with him. Just don't tell Katniss, she hates sharing."
Sasuke sweatdropped at that.
'R.I.P. Daryl' Sasuke can already imagine the scene of his corpse lying on the ground with many arrows piercing his body.
=====
Author here:
Well, that came to me as a sudden thought... I don't know how to word it; it just came to mind, and I was like:
"Yeah, fuck it, let's make a G.O.A.T. character out of Merle too."
Imagine a badass Merle in the future with Ghost's{COD} characteristics. More silent, more disciplined, and a more dangerous Merle.
If Daryl is the best right-handed man in the series, then Merle can be the best bodyguard/executioner figure.
I just hope it works.
Ps: I saw many who found the decision to keep Merle's identity hidden unneeded, you are all taking it from the point view of the mc.
Has no one here thought about others? Just because they are extras? And it's a fanfic?.
I mean sure but to make it real, I have to make a real mc not a tyrant who just kill and tell others he is the right one and they had to either follow him because he is strong and has chakra or die...
Cuz that's what many are asking me to do. One calling mc stupid, the other calling the author braindead, thanks.
Merle killed people, and one of the victims will be living in the prison, should Sasuke have merle around showing his face and laughing like nothing after all that garbage talk he did?. Just because he is Daryl's brother?.
Next time when the mc decision seems uncalled for, put yourself on the other side so you'll get it.
He is a leader, not some boy killing and saving people selectively just because he saw them in some fucking show. Thank you.