"Sup, Butcher, were you enjoying life?" Sasuke dropped the same line Billy said to him when he was starting things out with Katniss.
The man seemed to have disappeared since someone named Martha came into the picture after all.
"Thanks to you, I was signing a damn surrounding treaty...they say ^like father, like son,^ but I didn't know there was a ^fiercer than her mother.^"
"So you were being roasted? Comes with the family package."
"What were you up to anyway? Glenn came back with others, and they are making dinner ready."
"I was meeting my first clan member who made it back." Sasuke stretched, telling him what was keeping him busy.
"..."
"No fucking way?"
"Yes, fucking way," he chuckled, seeing the realization look on Billy's face.
"So we got another ninja. Where is he now?"
"She...and she's doing her things now."
"I'm not even surprised."
"Huh? About what?" Sasuke looked back at him, confused.
"About the fact that it is a ^she^ that crossed the damn sea, fire, and death to come here for you. Hey, just so you know... I'm not planning to have you as a son-in-law." Billy looked him deadpan in the eye.
Mia was just like her mother, beautiful, and Sasuke was the damn best guy around here, sure, but no way in hell was he about to give his damn step-daughter to this bastard who, big chance...will bleed his ears with some R-18 mock lines.
"No shit, I'm not about to have you and Martha after my ass, thank you very much. I'm happy with my current issues..." He recalled something related to those issues and turned to him.
"How does it feel to be adopted tho?"
"What the...? What are you talking about?"
"I heard Daryl saying you changed your last name to Blackwell." Sasuke smirked, giving Daryl a taste of his own medicine.
"Oh, did he now? I heard you made a bet with him about the Anbu thing... I guess an interesting dinner is awaiting us."
The two were soon in the inner dining area since it was raining outside; the place was big enough to accommodate everyone, as it was previously one of the training gyms.
People were moving about, taking their portions and joining their families and friends.
Many greeted the two of them with smiles.
Daryl, who was eating with Carol and Sophia on another table, waved at them lazily and went back to his meal.
While Billy smirked at Daryl and pivoted to the table Martha was using with her daughter after saying something to Sasuke, the ninja joined the big table with the Everdeens, who were eating with the others from their group.
"Hey."
"Sasuke, I didn't find you earlier,. I searched everywhere" Ciri pouted at him.
"I was busy with something; is there anything you need?"
"Not really, I and Sophia did something, and we just wanted you to know."
"Alright, let's see about it after dinner."
Sasuke was about to sit beside her when he felt a group of people walking toward him.
He turned, seeing Glenn and the other three walking beside William, who gestured toward Sasuke and went back to his watch duty.
Sasuke nodded at William and asked them seeing their conflicted expressions. "Welcome, had dinner yet?"
"Uh, no...we thought about coming and, you know, thanking you first...for what you did, we appreciate it." Glenn shifted uncomfortably, forgetting the original line he practiced.
It happens looking at the guy whose face told nothing about his real emotions...and who was acknowledged as the damn leader here.
Glenn swore there was something different about the presence of this guy; no way the air just decided to feel heavy every damn time he stood in front of him.
"Thank you for all the goodness you showed toward me and my wife even after what I did and said to you. I'll always be grateful, and again, I apologize for what I did." Gale, not one to overthink things like the presence, stepped forward and raised his hands to shake Sasuke's, formally apologizing.
Sasuke felt the stares of people around, mostly of those from Woodbury who didn't know what was happening and the reason.
"I accept it. What matters is that you are alive now and your wife and friends are here with you. Come, join us for dinner. I'm sure we both have things to discuss." Sasuke smiled and invited the four of them to their table.
They joined the Everdeens, Alena, Dale, and the Harrisons.
Glenn and others started eating with them, enjoying the warm meal and soup; there was even fresh meat in there, which made their mood better.
"Had anything come to your attention in the period you spent here?" Sasuke asked Glenn, receiving questioning looks from others around.
"Um, it's really good and feels safe?"
"He means any irregularities you may have noticed or something that seemed negative to you in our shelter, even small things." Katniss cleared, shooting Sasuke a look.
'He really needs to stop this habit of asking curtly while eating and thinking everyone is a Ciri who understands his talk.'
Sasuke shrugged; the garlic & tomatoes butter beans that Alena made for him were too delicious for him to say that damn long and detailed sentence.
"Oh, can I ask why you are asking him that?" Vivian inquired, unaware of Glenn's tightened fist, who was still thinking he needed to be on eggshells around Sasuke not to offend him.
"Strangers tend to notice things we may have ignored." Ciri raised her hand and answered...feeling smug at the little smirk she saw on Sasuke's face.
Just like the Art of War book Sasuke had read for her, Sophia and Duan...
The man called Odysseus, an outsider to troy city had noticed something the locals didn't: their pride and belief in omens could be used against them.
He used a gift in the shape of a big horse, and used it to breach through their defenses by hiding an army inside of it.
....
Vivian blinked, not understanding what this little girl was talking about.
"Not...really. If something comes to mind, it's the food. Won't this consumption deplete your stock faster?" Glenn asked, noting how all people were given a generous portion.
"We keep count of our stock and deal with consumption accordingly; it's not an issue currently," Rowan explained to Glenn, keeping it at that.
She didn't want random people to know their real impressive stock when it includes food, armory and clothes.
"What happened to Rick and others?" Andrea asked what many here were curious about.
Jess shrugged. "They chose to go their way; we didn't like that way, so we thought about coming here." She recalled the departure and how some ass there even told them regret will come late when they are already at death's door.
"I see, that isn—"
"Boss," they all flinched hearing the deep voice of the man who closed in on them silently, standing behind Sasuke, who was still eating.
The man's alerted voice, mask, and outfit make his presence notably in stark contrast with others here.
"What's the matter, Ghost?"
"Intruders are spotted 400 yards distant, south of Tower B. I'd already drawn back any unarmed individuals on the field."
"Good, Numbers?" Sasuke wiped his lips with a tissue and indicated for the others to continue eating their food.
secretly delighted that Merle was now speaking in the manner he had taught him, rather than his thuggish approach.
"13 confirmed, but there's a chance additional are hidden. Directives?""
Sasuke didn't answer; he switched vision with the falcon and did a quick screening.
He tugged at another link before turning to Ghost. He tapped the device on his ear and instructed the guards on the watchtowers to be careful of snipers.
"They are 14, and 5 more are on their way to East Tower; join Daryl and Billy to deal with them. Confirmation on their status will be available shortly."
"What about the other 14, sir?"
"Haku"—no one understood what he said, but everyone quailed even harder as they saw something drop behind Sasuke...
Another masked human appeared, a girl with long black hair and a white mask covering her face.
She kneeled on one knee and talked in a language they didn't understand, but know it was his native language, Japanese.
Her voice was soft and firm "Orders, Sasuke-sama."
"Eliminate the 14 if proved to be a threat."
"Otherwise?"
"Keep your presence hidden."
{And investigate them further; send a clone to back up Ghost and his group}, he detailed further through their link.
"As you wish." She stood and then vanished as swift as she appeared, leaving the others with a ton of unanswered questions.
Ghost, too, left to call for Billy and his brother after a brief hesitation.
The two were already gearing up as another man who was on watch duty reported back to them following the protocol.
"I'll explain later; excuse me for now." Sasuke stood and patted the head of the worried Ciri, who saw his serious look, reassuring her and nodding at others, telling them to continue with their dinner.
"Morgan, Dale, code blue."
"Understood." Morgan grabbed his weapons, checking them, and nodded at Sasuke, knowing he needed to stop anyone from leaving this place, and forwarded the order for Axel and Oscar, who were under his lead to do a brief check in the cellblocks for anyone missing.
While Dale left to count on people and make sure they are gathered in one of the safe points. Jim and Cole followed after him.
Sasuke, who took a step out from the dining area, closed the doors behind him; he nodded at William, who stood with another man on guard.
"We have suspected presence near, keep others from leaving until the situation is cleared"
"Got it" William nodded.
Then with another step Sasuke disappeared with pure speed, running in the direction he knew another 21 people were gathered in.
Not long after, he was standing atop a branch, looking down on a clear, level area that was slightly hidden in the trees.
Listening to the people below talking in hushed voices.
"Why all the troubles? Let's swarm 'em up; no way they are as geared as we are." A muscled man spoke in his gruff tone to the others nearby.
"Keep that musclehead of yours focused on what matters. Rony knows what he is doing; they are armed too, you remember? And they have some skilled men in there."
"A fucking pretty boy and an old man. That prick was weak as fuck; of course he will exaggerate it..."
"Just keep silent; you don't want me to tell Rony you are thinking of ignoring his orders."
'A fucking bitch who used her ass to satisfy is talking back to me like that now,' the man thought internally, fuming just at the thought.
This was a mere bed-warming tool, yet he really can't curse or talk back; she was one of the few ladies who were Rony's only. And that asshole had 5 brothers watching his back all the time and possibly playing with those women too.
Any idea of taking control or stabbing them in the back seemed to be useless against those 6 sneaky brothers who were always cautious.
"Marven, get your ass here." He turned and walked aside, calling for another scrawny man.
"Yes."
"Has Rony contacted you about the situation?"
"Not yet; maybe they are still doing recon."
"Why did we start with this place anyway? Won't the town be easier to take over at first... then move to deal with the prison?" Another man asked in a hushed voice.
"I know, right? And they say he is smart," the muscled man sneered. If those weren't tough times that forced him to keep his fangs hidden, he would've never submitted in this pathetic way.
"Your small brain just can't handle his way of thinking. What do you think will happen if we attack the town and someone from there succeeds in alerting those people here? Rony had to start with the stronger force out of the two, conquer it, and move on to take over the weak town there. Go read some books."
They kept beckering, not knowing that 5 of them were already down and only a basic clone using henge (transformation jutsu) was standing in their place.
Sasuke, who gathered all the pieces revealed himself, burying his sword straight through the heart of the scrawny man and sweeping it aside with force, cutting through his flesh and beheading the man she was debating with.
"Status confirmed: hostile... I'll make a move," just in time for Ghost's voice to come through the piece.
\\Hostility confirmed, elimination initiated// followed by Haku's voice through their link.
{"Keep one alive"} Sasuke deflected the machete with his bare hand and slashed, cutting down another body.
He turned to the remaining 13, who were stunned and hesitating from the sudden turn of events, and launched shurikens, each targeting a head, dropping them one by one.
"I don't entertain uninvited guests, but I'll welcome you in my basement, big brain." Sasuke palmed the terrified woman he kept alive, putting her to a forceful and painful sleep.
{"Report"}
"Clear here, hostage secured, and moving back to the base," Ghost reported, and Sasuke heard Daryl and Billy bickering in the background.
"What hostage?"
"They were keeping a woman tied up; she's passed out currently. Orders?"
"Alright, make sure she isn't a liability; do a physical check first. We'll let her loose only after confirming her status."
\\I'm done here, Sasuke-sama; I'm on my way to the prison.//
Sasuke swept his blade aside, cleaning it from blood, and sheathed it. He took another look at the place, carried the passed-out woman on his shoulder, and ran back to the base, alerting the one on watch duty not to shoot.
Soon he met with the other three, who were bringing a tied woman and man, and they turned to Haku, who was lifting a giant of a man one-handed by her side.
"Well shit, that small stature sure packs some serious muscles." Daryl whispered to Billy who chuckled remembering something.
"I've seen pretty females having poles bigger than mine in Thailand; nothing is surprising me after that." Daryl raised a brow at Billy, and both were unaware that Haku heard them and asked Sasuke if she could put each of them on a... negative sexuality for a week.
...
They were soon back in front of the building, and Sasuke saw many people gathered, geared and ready to defend their home.
Glenn and others stood nearby too.
"It was a hostile group who knew about our situation somehow from someone who was in Woodbury; a team of 40, one of whom was about to raid us. We dealt with them, so go back to your usual duties. Those on watch duty, hold your position and be extra vigilant."
Sasuke turned back to the people.
"Team leaders and combatants, head to the warden office; we will have our first official meeting to discuss this matter. Be there in fifteen minutes."
=======
Author here:
I saw many comments saying Haku is a guy, I knew that.
I asked how we should progress on his/her gender in the previous chapter, and many leaned toward keeping it as a ^her^.
I hope it's clear now.