I do not own any Nartuo characters or settings.  I only own my OC, Akuma Izoku.

This chapter contains mild descriptions of blood and violence.  

I hope you enjoy the story of Izoku, Avenger of the Akuma Clan of the Village Hidden in the Shadows!

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“Oi!” The sandy-haired shopkeeper waved his hands frantically to stop the fight. “If you're going to battle, at least do it in the town square where you have more room, and where you won't destroy my shop!”

“Hai, gomen'nasai.” Kakashi released his taijutsu stance to bow respectfully to the man. Boko and Osou just stood there and scoffed. Tosatsu's grip on Izoku hardened.

“This way, gaki (brat).” He shoved her to the side, making her walk in the direction of the giant plaza.

“Kaka –!” Izoku caught herself. “Erm, I mean uhh, Shikon-kun!”

“Yoru-chan.” Kakashi started to run after her. Boko and Osou blocked his path, smirking as they walked in front and behind Izoku.

“Not so fast, douji,” Boko snapped.

Kakashi scoffed and clenched his jaw. The group took the two minute walk to the plaza, where the news of a battle has spread through the crowd. A giant circle had been cleared, and Kakashi entered the empty spot. Boko and Osou took their positions on the other side of the massive area, pulling out kunai knives as they crouch into their stances.

“This battle will be against the heir and member of the Tatakau Clan, Tataku Boko and Tatakau Osou!” Tosatsu narrowed his eyes as he called over the cheering villagers. “The challenger: oroka (foolish) traveler of the road, Shinku Shikon!”

Every one cried out in disapproval, booing and chucking things at Kakashi, who took the thrown objects as it was and stood motionless, his onyx eye glinting demonically under the moonlight.

There was tension in the air; everyone watched the three shinobi as they stood in place, glaring at each other with terrible eyes.

“Begin!” Tosatsu's shout rose above everyone else's, Boko and Osou launching themselves at Kakashi with incredible speed. Their knives drawn and ready, extended out before them, the crowd roared as they neared a deadly blow. A splatter of blood spurted from the impact, a gray cloud of dust flew into the air.

The villagers screamed in delight as they saw the scarlet liquid splash onto the cobble streets. Izoku bit her lip hard as she stared intently into the cloud of dust.

Come on, Kakashi. She growled. You can kill these guys instantly if you wanted to.

The crowd screeched louder as the dust faded away, revealing a body on the ground, injured and bleeding. Izoku smirked as she saw the sight. On the ground was a man with black-blue hair, coughing up massive amounts of blood onto the plaza stone floor.

“Niisan!” Tosatsu yelled from the side, releasing his grip on Izoku. She slammed her fist backwards into Tosatsu's chest, knocking him backwards in surprise.

“The battle has begun.” Izoku glared at him with crimson eyes. “It'd be foolish to interfere with the remaining teammate of yours.”

“What...?” Tosatsu stared up at her with wide eyes. Izoku puffed and turned her attention towards the ongoing battlefield.

Baka, Izoku snapped at herself. You should have stopped this before it happened. Now our cover will have a higher percentage to being blown.

Osou appeared at the edge of the circle, his brown eyes full with shock and fear.

“B-Boko!” he called out to his cousin.

“O-Osou...” Boko reached out towards him, only to retract back to clutch his aching abdomen. “Ike...”

A suddenly furious Osou launched himself at Kakashi, who had revealed himself from his Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu on the far end of the circle. Osou's hands flashed a series of hand signs, screeching out in rage as he brought his cupped hands back.

“Shadow Style: Poison Dark Ball of Destruction!” He blasted the sphere of darkness, swirling with dark green smoke, at the calm and bored Kakashi. He wove a few hand signs.

“Fire Style: Fire Blast Jutsu!” Kakashi breathed a jet of fire, clashing with the shadow ball and exploding it into a thick puff of gas. The audience “ooed” and “ahhed” as the ninjutsu battle continued.

“Shadow Style: Yami no Shuriken!” Osou lashed out his arm, a million shady shuriken darting towards Kakashi. The silver-haired ANBU nin dodged the ninjutsu easily, but the shuriken doubled back and started towards him again.

The Shadow Shuriken Jutsu. Korosu studied as he peered from Izoku's scarlet eyes. The jutsu that allows the user to send tracking shadow shuriken towards their opponent. The shuriken will not cease to come towards the opponent until they hit him or something blocking him.

Kakashi, seeming to follow what the jutsu does, reacts almost instantly.

“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!” Kakashi slammed his hands down on the cobble street, a large stone wall rising from the ground. The shadow shuriken stuck to the stone and diminished into shadows, ceasing to exist. Osou cursed and tried another jutsu. Kakashi, using his incredible speed, beat him to it.

“Earth Release: Stone Shard Jutsu!” The stone wall in front of him crumbled into hand-sized fragments, sharp and deadly. Kakashi launched the pieces of rock towards Osou with an impressive amount of Chakra; the stone shards moved at lightning speed, Osou dodging most of them, which would have been fatal if it had hit. Several pieces, though, embedded themselves deep inside Osou's leg and abdomen, flinging the Chunin backwards next to the bloody, but still live, body of Boko.

Everyone in the crowd was silent, watching the powerful traveling ninja standing coolly before them. Kakashi, not waiting for the applause that would come, walked toward the smirking Izoku, who pecked him on the cheek before wrapping her arms around his neck.

“My knight in shining armor,” Izoku beamed, giggling as the villagers screamed, cheering for Kakashi. Tosatsu bolted to his cousins, a green flame present on his palms.

“More like a ninja with shining hair,” Kakashi chuckled, nuzzling his icy face into her own hair.

“Rojin!” Izoku teased, her face inches from his.

Kakashi frowned.

“What is it?” Izoku cocked her head to the side.

“That Boko guy.” Kakashi held her face in his hand, his thumb brushing against her rosy lips. “Took your first kiss, didn't he?”

“It's fine, I guess.” Izoku rolled her eyes. “It's nothing that important. Plus, I don't even think it counts as a kiss because I didn't kiss him back.”

“That's a relief.” Kakashi laughed. He lowered his face to hers, his finger tugging his mask down slightly.

“K-Kakashi-kun.” Izoku blushed deeply, turning her face away. Kakashi nodded and drew his face away from hers, straightening his black mask.

“Hai.” He nodded, taking his arm and snaking it around her waist. He pecked her on the cheek in response to hers earlier, his lips pressing against her skin through the thin fabric of the mask. Izoku blushed deeper, her cheeks a violent crimson. Her violet eyes shimmered like stars as she dipped her head down slightly to hide her blushing.

“The fireworks are going to start in a minute,” Izoku murmured. “Do you want to pick a seat on the steps?” She looked towards the statue of Hogo-sha, the massive staircase that led up to the Kuraikage's building packed with people.

“Let's watch them some other time,” Kakashi suggested, to which Izoku sighed in relief and nodded in agreement.

“Good, I'm tired.”

Izoku yawned.

“I can give you a piggy-back ride back to the apartment.” Kakashi smiled.

“Ahaha,” Izoku scoffed. “Thanks, but no thanks. Let's just go.”

The couple walked back to the apartment, ignoring all of the stares from the villagers who witnessed the battle between Kakashi and the Shadow Chunin. Kakashi just held Izoku closer to him and looked forward. They approached their apartment room and Kakashi pulled out the key, unlocking the door and allowing Izoku to go in first. They took off their ninja sandals and stepped up onto the shiny hard wood floors.

Izoku immediately went to the room and collapsed face-first onto the bed, her feet aching.

“Kakashi-kun...” Izoku called to him, her voice muffled by the comforter.

“Mmm?” Kakashi responded, leaning on the door frame with his hands buried in his pockets.

“We're going to have to stay here for a month?” She flipped over and spread her arms out across the bed.

“It seems so.” Kakashi walked into the room and rummaged through the bottom drawer of the dresser, pulling out his small orange book. He threw the book on the bed and took off his gray t-shirt. Izoku averted her eyes, gazing in the opposite direction at the wall, suddenly finding the plain surface the most interesting thing in the world. The sound of the drawer opening again and the rustle of fabric told her he was changing into his sleepwear.

“You know,” Izoku laughed, "you could have just asked me to exit the room for a few moments so you could change.” She stared at the ceiling.

“Yeah, but you seemed a little too comfortable.” Kakashi shrugged. “Plus, I only changed my shirt. You've seen me shirtless before.”

Izoku grumbled, remembering earlier when she had run into his bare, dripping chest. She shivered.

Izoku hopped off the bed, reaching in the top drawer for her sleepwear. She pulled out a loose graphic t-shirt of the Shadow symbol; a circle drawn with a single squiggly line with a straight line penetrating it through the middle, sticking out on either ends. She bunched up the dark shirt and grabbed a pair of black yoga shorts. She fled into the bathroom, flashing Kakashi a smirk, and closed the door. She changed into her sleepwear and splashed her sweaty face with cold water. Izoku grabbed a toothbrush, provided by Niramu and Bimu, and squeezed some complimentary toothpaste onto the bristles. She brushed her teeth for a few minutes before spitting into the sink.

Mouth rinsed and face refreshed, Izoku opened the door again and climbed into the bed next to Kakashi, who was reading his book.

“What's the plot of that book anyways?” Izoku asked, puzzled.

“Icha Icha Paradise,” Kakashi slammed the book shut, his dark eye brightened. “Is about a man, lovesick from his previous relationship that had failed, who meets woman in another village. It starts off a bit slow because he goes through the process of courting her, and then it progresses them to dating and doing...other things.” Kakashi blushed, hiding his face from Izoku, who laughed.

“You're such a pervert.” Izoku smiled.

“I am not a pervert.” Kakashi rolled his eyes, setting his book down on his nightstand. “It is a good series with an interesting plot.”

“Yeah, and with interesting descriptions,” Izoku teased, shoving her fist onto his arm.

Kakashi looked away, blushing again, as Izoku crossed her arms.

“You'd like it.” Kakashi defended himself.

“Oh, would I?” Izoku laughed. “Maybe; I'll read it some time else.”

“I could read it to you now if you want.” Kakashi smiled.

Izoku flickered her eyes over to the man, suspicious, but just sighed and closed her eyes.

"If you want, I guess."

Elated, Kakashi marked his current place in the book, although he had already read through the entire thing about a thousand times, and flipped over to the very beginning of the work.

He read to her in the dim light, telling of a man named Itsuki, who had just came out of a bad relationship with another woman, who apparently had cheated on him with another man.  He sits out in a park one day, only to have his eye, and heart, caught by a young lady in red, Isuna, passing by.  After many heartfelt (and comedic) attempts at stealing her own heart, Itsuki is finally accepted, and they go out on a few dates.

"Isuna led Itsuki back to her apartment after the fantastic dinner, joking around with him as they walked down the street, lit up brightly by lanterns.  The chilly night air bit their cheeks, but the warmth within their hearts burst out rays of bright sunbeams.  After a little walk, they both arrived in front of a first-floor apartment door."

Kakashi stopped in his tracks.

Izoku blinked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Umm...Kakashi?" she asked.

"H-hai..." the shinobi blinked his single opened eye, which glittered with a flood of embarrassment.

"H...he smiled at her, not speaking any words, as he stared into her lustrous eyes which reflected the moon's breathtaking beams..."

There was another pause.

Izoku cleared her throat, obviously craving more words.

"'I-I-I r-really...l-l-love y-you...'" Kakashi stammered. "I-Itsuki m-murmured after a wh-while.  'P-p-please l-l-let me...'"

"For the love of Kami, Kakashi, give me the damn book." Izoku snatched the thing from his shaking hands.  "If you shake any more you might as well be a mouse in front of Hogo-sha's statue."

"S-sumimasen..." the ninja muttered, turning his head away from her.  "J-just...read it to yourself for right now..."

Raising her eyebrows once more, Izoku lowered her violet gaze down to the pages below.

'I really love you,' Izoku read in her mind silently.  'Itsuki murmured after a while.  'Please let me...'

Izoku blinked her eyes multiple times, squinting her eyes and lifting the book up closer to her face to make sure she was reading the characters correctly.  She felt her cheeks blush and her eyes flickered over to Kakashi, whose face was turned away from hers.  She slowly looked back down to the page, worn but still smooth, and continued to read.

'Please let me take you.'

'Take me?' Isuna asked, confused.  'Take me where?'

Itsuki was silent once more.

'To your bedroom.'

Upon realizing this, Isuna flushed deeply, letting her eyes sink down to the ground in embarrassment.

'Itsu-kun...'

'We've been together for a while now,' Itsuki insisted, grasping her hands in his own larger ones.  'And my love for you burns like a million suns.  I want to take it another step up, now that we have what we have right now.'

Isuna gulped, flickering her anxious gaze around from the ground, to Itsuki's own glittering eyes, and up at the twinkling stars that overlooked them from the darkened heavens.  She pondered for a bit, her mind racing, before she let her eyes fall back onto Itsuki's, now softer and understanding, full of a burning passion.

'Alright, Itsu-kun,' she murmured.  'Let's get inside before it gets too cold.'

Itsuki blinked his eyes furiously, unable to comprehend what was going on, before Isuna led him inside the apartment by the hand.

Izoku read through the pages her neck strained and her breathing occassional as she held her breath through the scenes.

'I love you, Isuna,' Itsuki growled in her ear as his bare body loomed over hers.  She gasped as her body convulsed; he was much too big for her.

Izoku gulped.

Her hands grappled at the sheets below her, letting out strangled cried as she felt him move back and forth...deeper and deeper...

She flipped each page with hesitation, sweat beading onto her own forehead as she read on.

'Isuna...' Itsuki grunted into her ear huskily.

Izoku started to shake.

'Iku...!  Iku...!'

She trembled, the book shaking violently in her hands.

'Itsuki!'

She finally had enough, snapping the book shut and shoving it towards Kakashi, who had finally turned back to her to watch her reactions.

The kunoichi blinked, staring off into the blank wall in front of her as she struggled to contain her rapid breathing.

Kakashi gulped.

"Umm..."

"Don't say anything," Izoku said blankly.

Izoku reached over to turn off the lamp on her nightstand, and Kakashi, very stiffly, turned off his.

There was a series of awkward silence between them, where neither of them moved or even breathed too much.  Kakashi laid there with in rigid pose.

Izoku sighed and finally snuggled her aching body into the comforter, warm and snug, nuzzling into Kakashi's arm and wrapping hers around his shaking frame.

She heard his heart quicken inside his chest, pounding against his ribcage as if it wanted to explode.  His breathing inceased into sharp exhales through his nose, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Izoku lifted her head a little to glance at the man's face.

"What?" she asked softly.

"Izoku..." Kakashi grunted, his voice strained.

"Nani desu ka, Kakashi-kun?"

His breathing grew extremely rapid.

"I-Izoku..." he stammered.  He sat up slowly on the bed, shaking as he pried her arms off of his body.  "Why are you...?"

"We've...known each other for quite a while, Kakashi-kun..." Izoku said slowly under her breath, her voice barely audible.  She sat up as well, facing him with narrowed eyes.

Kakashi gulped.

"I..."

Izoku blinked her eyes a few times, staring at the shinobi with confusion.

"You...what, Kakashi-kun?"

The young ninja swallowed again, shaking his head.

"I-it's nothing," he murmured.  "I was going to say something, but...

        "Not tonight."

Izoku lowered her eyes to her lap, fiddling with her quivering thumbs.

"I won't ask if you don't want to tell me..." she whispered.

“Mm...” Kakashi muttered as he slowly laid down. He stared at the ceiling.

It was unbearably quiet again before Kakashi murmured into the darkness.

“H-hey...Izo-chan?”

Izoku, who had sunken back down under the comforter as well, closed her eyes.

“What is it, Kakashi-kun?”

“How come you've never had your first kiss?”

Izoku snapped her eyes open and blinked. Is this what he wanted to ask?  Despite her gut pulling her stomach down further in disappointment, she convinced herself it must have been otherwise.

“Well...” Izoku started. “I've never found the right moment with the right guy...you know?”

Kakashi pondered on that for a little bit, still a little firm from the previous encounter with her. Izoku laid there, staring at the blank ceiling that mirrored her expression.

“Tell me again who you've dated, Izo-chan.”

Izoku rolled over to look at him, her elbow propped up on one of the pillows and her cheek resting on the palm of her hand.  Her violet eyes saw his pale figure in the dark, highlighted by the glowing alabaster moon outside, streaming through the crystal window that had began to become lined with white frost.

“Let's see...” She put a finger to her pink lips. “There was Sarutobi Asuma. We dated when we were thirteen; he treated me pretty well, but we ended up arguing a lot. Then there was Maito Gai. I really don't know why I dated him, but that was when I was twelve. I guess I felt bad for him that all the girls turned him down. Anyways, I've only dated them. I think I've been single for four years now.”

Kakashi nodded, sucking in a quick breath.

“What about you, Kakashi-kun?” Izoku flashed him a closed-eyed smile. “You never told me whether you dated any girls?”

“No,” Kakashi said without hesitation. “I've always been too busy to be dating; you should know this.  We're always together training or something.”

“Ahh, sore wa zan'nen ne (that's a shame).” Izoku pursed her lips and then laid her head back down on the pillow.

Kakashi turned to her.

“A shame?” he asked, puzzled.  "What is that supposed to mean?"

Izoku just shook her head.

“It's just that, you're a pretty cool guy, Kakashi-kun. Any girl would be happy to have you.” Izoku snuggled into her pillow, her back turned towards Kakashi again.

Kakashi stared at her and gulped.

“You said any girl?” Kakashi murmured.

“Oooh,” Izoku chuckled. “Kakashi-kun has a crush?”

He sputtered.

“What, does Izo-chan not have a crush?” Kakashi laughed nervously.

“As a matter of fact, I do!” Izoku pulled the blanket up to her cheeks again.

“Well, who is it?” Kakashi asked hastily.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because I'm...curious now.” Kakashi scratched the back of his head.

“Well, tell me who you like first,” Izoku huffed.

“Tondemonai! (No way!)” Kakashi slapped her gently on the back. “I asked first!”

“Well, looks like you're not going to know!” Izoku sang.

Kakashi stared at her for another minute, then sighed.

“Fine then. Guddonaito, Izo-chan.”

“Guddonaito, rojin.” Izoku smirked.

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COMMENT please!  Holy crap, that one part hahahahaha xD

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