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

WARNING:  This chapter contains 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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Izoku deflected the incoming knife easily with her blade, swiping it with such force it made the kunai bounce back and fly towards its original owner. The shinobi jumped to the side, barely missing the kunai. Three ANBU leaped down from the branches, their knives glaring in the moonlight. They landed on the ashy ground lightly and advanced on the raven haired kunoichi.

“Tasatsu...” Izoku glared at the three incoming ninja. The shaggy Hellhound beside her rumbled. “Atakku,”

The Hound flashed forward, his dark shaggy pelt melting into the darkness and then reappearing behind the three shinobi. They screeched as the Hellhound's sharp fangs imbedded themselves in their flesh, his long sharpened claws ripping into their skin. The blood ran thick as the Hellhound mauled the three ninja, soaking into the ash on the floor and turning the soil into a dark sloshy mix.

The Hellhound snapped the necks of the Leaf nin, dropping their three limp bodies on the floor and crouching, his shining red eyes glinting in enjoyment; it had been a while since he'd tasted human blood.

“Koi (Come on).” Izoku chuckled, her voice deeper than usual. “Is that all you've got? I'd be ashamed to call myself a Leaf kunoichi if this is what you're going to display for me.”

“Izoku...?” the Hokage gasped.

“Koi.” Izoku smirked again, her evil grin poisonous and sinister. “Give me all you've got, Sandaime-sama.”

The Hokage glowered and clenched his fists.

“This is not the Izoku I once knew,” he growled. “You put this upon yourself, demon. Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!” He flashed a hand seal and thick jet of flame burst from the old man's mouth.

Izoku smirked, flashing a few hand signs and screeched with a cursed voice.

“Water Style: Arctic Geyser Jutsu!”

A surge of icy water shot from her own mouth, contacting with the Hokage's fire. The two jutsu sizzled as they collided, spraying inflamed water everywhere.

“It's all of us against you, Akuma-san,” a Jonin called from the shadows. “Earth Style: Quicksand Jutsu!”

The ground beneath her started to sink, but before it could grab at her feet, Izoku sidestepped and clung onto a low branch, her feet resting on the trunk of the tree. Her Hounds leaped up into the trees, snapping their jaws at their attacker.

“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” another ANBU called from the high branches. A rain of green-haired ninja fell from the sky.

Niramu-san...

Izoku slashed at the shadow clones, her dark blade cutting through three simultaneously. She pushed off the tree and jolted towards the high treetops, landing in front of a group of four Jounin.

“Fire Style: Fire Flower Cage!” the four Jounin shouted. Giant walls of flame encased her, Izoku's dark hair rippling in the wind.

“Trapped are you, Akuma-san?” one of the ninja called from the other side of the orange wall. “Oi! Sandaime-sama! We've got her!”

“Wait, Ikari – !” the Hokage called out to the Jonin.

Izoku pressed her hands flat against the burning wall, the flames scorching her palms.

“Shadow Style: Great Shadow Destruction!”

A blast of darkness exploded from her hands, destroying the fiery flower that encased her. The detonation sent all four Jonin flying back, the fire wall sizzling down into embers as Izoku stood, her head tilted downward. Her long raven hair swayed in the wind, her katana blade buried deep into the wood of the branch. She grabbed the hilt of her sword and yanked the blade out, tearing the burnt skin on her palms; she didn't wince at all.

Izoku leaped from the branches and down to the ground, her sword in both hands as she plummeted down to the squirming Jonin below.

“Fire Style: Burning Dragon Blade of Fire!” The blade erupted into golden flames, Izoku's possessed glowing eyes wide with anticipation. The Jounin below let out a terrible scream, the katana digging deep into her throat. The gurgling ceased a few seconds afterward, Izoku yanking the blade from the Jonin's neck.

The other three Jonin advanced on her, infuriated that their teammate had been murdered.

“Shadow Possession Jutsu!” Nara Shikaku growled.

Izoku dodged the advancing shadow, throwing a kunai knife at the Jonin.

“Parital Multi-Size Jutsu!” Akimichi Choza bellowed. “Both arms!” Two mega-sizes fists came charging at her. Izoku silently cursed to herself as she was hit hard across the face. “Right leg!” A kick came crashing down on her back.

“Shadow Possession Jutsu!” Shikaku's shadow came swerving over to her. Izoku jumped up and took a step to the side, but her body stood frozen.

Kusso...

“Looks like even the great Akuma Izoku stands no match for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.” Yamanaka Inoichi smirked. “Mind Destruction Jutsu!”

Izoku screeched as she felt her head erupt into a massive migraine, Shikaku struggling to keep her in his jutsu. The girl screamed, her arm twitching as she fought for the control of her body. She felt her head exploding, straining as she tried to get away.

Seeing she was secured, the other Jounin and ANBU began to advance on her. Shuriken struck her in the arms, two kunai thrust into her thigh.

Is that all you can do...? Akuma growled inside her head.

Lend me some of your power, dammit. Izoku rumbled.

You're going to have to summon me in order for me to that. Akuma chuckled. Looks like you're not as strong as I anticipated.

You'll see my true power soon enough...

Izoku snapped her hands together in a single hand sign, frightening everyone around her, especially Shikaku.

“What Chakra...” he murmured in disbelief.

“Shadow Style: Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!” A million flying shuriken emerged from Izoku's skin, lodging themselves in the clothes and skin of the ninja around her. They moved at an incredible and almost invisible speed, catching almost every ninja at least twice. Two shady shuriken hit Shikaku, slashing deeply across his face.

The Nara broke his jutsu, clutching his bloody face in agony.

“Three Headed Hellhound Jutsu!” Izoku snarled. The three Hellhounds, who had been battling on the side, pricked their ears and then rumbled. Their growls grew louder as they bounded towards Izoku. With one final leap, they merged together, their bodied becoming one massive beast. A house-sized Hound stood before everyone, its three heads ripping in snarls as their eyes gleamed.

“Lava Hound Jutsu!” Izoku flashed her crimson eyes. The Hellhound behind her roared as the ground around them began to ripple. Streams of lava erupted from the ground on either side of the giant Hellhound. The liquid stone, golden and glowing, covered the Hound in a single thick coat of lava. “Cerberus!” Izoku called to the single Hound. “Atakku!”

The canine roared and slammed its lava-covered paw on the ground, spewing a river of burning lava from its giant maw.

“Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!” a raven-haired shinobi shouted. Izoku's eyes flashed to her left.

So they even deployed the Uchiha...

The lava and the jet of fire met, exploding into light as Izoku hopped into a tree.

“Earth Style: Earth Flow River!” the Hokage called from her right.

Shit...!

A river of murky water flooded the area, knocking the lava-pelted Hellhound off its paws.

“Cerberus...!” Izoku reached out to her Hellhound as it swept away in the current, the lava encrusting it hardening into rock.

You're holding back... Akuma snarled.

These are the people I grew up with... Izoku protested.

You made a deal with the Kuraikage; a Demon Blood Oath! Akuma growled.  Finish them!

Help is on the way, Izoku said grimly. I won't need to go all out on them...

“It's nice to see you again, Sarutobi Hiruzen." Yondaime Kuraikage called from the treetops, concealed by shadows.

“Mugoi Hyo,” the Hokage growled.

“What do you think you're doing with my kunoichi?” She raised an eyebrow, her high-pitched voice a little sarcastic. “She's my prized jewel, you know.”

“Your dream of eliminating all of the Kages will never come true,” the Hokage spat. “It's you against me, gaichu (pest).”

“Itai, is that all you got, jiisan?” the Kuraikage smirked. She hopped down from the trees, a few dozen shinobi following her down. “Let's make this battle honorable, since it will be your last!”

“Don't get so cocky,” the Hokage glowered.

The two Kages charged at each other, their shinobi clashing their kunai together.

Izoku glanced at Cerberus, laying in the wet ashes of the muddy river the Hokage had cast; the black volcanic rock that lay in the mud was the shell of the Hellhound.

They must have gone back into the Demon Realm, Izoku scoffed. Those cowards...

Izoku leaped down from the branches and slashed her katana, her shinigami Korosu right behind her. She encountered five ANBU, masked and armed. They all charged at her at once, Izoku deflecting three ANBU katana blades as the other two pierced her side. She let out a shriek of pain and then swiped her blade across the chest of one ANBU, killing him instantly. His thick hot blood splattered onto her pale face as Izoku whirled around to grab at the next ninja's soul. Korosu grasped at the ANBU's aura, being tugged away from the helpless body as the shinigami smirked in pleasure. The other three ANBU advanced on her.

Izoku sliced the ninja in half, releasing his soul, free for Korosu to consume. She dodged the kunai that lashed at her and jumped, barely missing the katana blade that swiped beneath her. She lashed out both of her legs in midair, kicking two of the ANBU in the head and sending them backwards. She reached into her shuriken holster on her right thigh and threw a shuriken at the third nin. She ducked and lashed her ANBU katana blade at Izoku, who kicked off the ANBU's body. The blade grazed Izoku's shirt, ripping the cloth. The ANBU kunoichi was sent back also; her two comrades jumped up to lash out at Izoku.

She ducked as the two kunai cut out strands of her raven hair and stabbed her Phantom Katana into the abdomen of one shinobi. She pulled the blade out, making maroon blood gush out from the wound; the ANBU fell back, limp and lifeless. The last shinobi grabbed Izoku's arm and yanked her to himself, his kunai knife slashing across Izoku's soft throat.

Her hot crimson blood splattered Izoku's own shirt, her crimson eyes wide with shock. The blood splattered across the ANBU kunoichi's cat mask, which was already streaked in red paint. The shinobi threw Izoku's limp body to the side, his chest heaving from the battle.

A puff of smoke exploded around Izoku's body.

“Substitution Jutsu...?!” the two ANBU started.

Two kunai knives with explosive tags tied to the ends lodged themselves on their backs. Izoku, hiding in the shadows of the skeletal trees, flashed that one destructive hand seal and made the tags blast into smoke. Chunks of flesh and blood sprayed everywhere, killing the two ANBU instantly. Izoku hopped to the next branch, unfazed by the fact she had just killed two of her former comrades. The bodies of the two ANBU lay uselessly to the side, large gaping holes present in their backs; a green-haired shinobi lay face-down as a copper-haired kunoichi was thrown on top of him.

Izoku lurked in the shadows as the battle commenced, her glowing red eyes gleaming in the shade of the trees as she located her next set of prey. A low growl escaped her throat, her lips curled back to expose sharp white teeth. Pin-pointing a group of five ninja, Izoku leaped from the branches and landed right in the center of them.

Not wasting a moment to react, Uchiha Itachi thrust a kunai at her. Izoku deflected it with her katana, her red eyes gleaming. Shikaku clashed with her sword, his kunai pressing strongly against her blade. Inoichi sent a firm kick to her side, sending her back; Shikaku's kunai blade slicing her shoulder. She back-flipped and skidded on her feet, throwing three shuriken at the group of ninja. They all dodged the attack, but it only went to her own advantage.

“Wind Style: One Thousand Shrieks of Death!” she shouted as they were in midair. The attack sent all of the shinobi flying back against the trees; Itachi quickly leaped to his feet and flashed a few hand seals.

“Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!” he rumbled. A blast of a fiery sphere headed towards her at an incredible speed. She barely had any time to counterattack.

“Ninja Art: Shinigami Shield!” she grunted. Korosu's spirit surrounded Izoku, his ghostly appearance turning into a solid red dome, his scarlet tattered kimono wrapped around itself into an impenetrable shield. The fireball tumbled towards her, clashing with the shinigami's dome; a great explosion of fire blasted from the collision, igniting all of the trees around them on fire.

The flames crackled as Korosu's shield dissolved and Izoku emerged from the dome, unharmed. Itachi scoffed as he got ready into a stance. The other four shinobi took their positions and stared her down. Izoku parted her feet slightly, her left foot up ahead her right one just slightly. She held her sword in front of her with both hands, her palms still scorched from the Fire Flower Cage Jutsu. Blood dripped down her knuckles as she ground her teeth together, pushing away the pain.

“Ninja Art: Dance of the Shinigami!” Izoku charged at the group of ninja, her katana to the side as she ran. A red aura surrounded the Phantom Katana, surprising the Leaf shinboi.

“Watch out...!” An orange-haired ANBU warned the other shinobi as he pushed Itachi out of the way.

Izoku buried her glowing blade into the ANBU's chest, pushing him back into the tree behind him. The katana dug deep into the wood behind him, piercing his chest as she screamed. Izoku yanked the bloody blade out, the ANBU's dark blood ran thick down his light gray vest and dripping in masses on the wet ash ground. Izoku slashed her sword, grazing Inoichi on the arm, letting out a grunt as she jabbed her katana at Choza; the large nin stepped back, just barely missing the shady blade.

“Shadow Possession Jutsu!” Shikaku yelled from behind Izoku.

The demon's crimson eyes flashed as she pushed off the ground and jumped into the air. She kicked her legs out, catching Shikaku in the face and Choza in the neck.

“Oi!” a voice called from behind Izoku. She landed on the ground, crouching over the limp body of the orange-haired ANBU, slumped against the tree. Izoku's glowing gaze floated over to the source of the voice. “Why don't you leave those youngsters alone and face us instead?”

“Well well well.” Izoku chuckled, her lips curled up into a satanic grin. “Isn't this fitting? The Legendary Three Sannin of the Leaf.”

A tall man with long spiky white hair tied in a loose ponytail stood, dressed in the uniform Jounin attire. Beside him was a woman with shoulder-length light blond hair, also pulled back into a ponytail. She possessed piercing hazel eyes and a periwinkle rhombus on her forehead. A man with snow-white skin and long pitch-black hair stood on the other side of Jiraiya, his snake-like yellow eyes bore into hers with an interested glare.

“Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, and Orochimaru-sama:  the Legendary Three Sannin of Konohagakure. I've been itching to fight you all.” Korosu rumbled from Izoku's throat.

“Izoku-san,” Tsunade shouted. “This isn't necessary; back down now and we won't clobber you into a pulp.”

Korosu scoffed.

“I'd like to see you try,” he glowered, Izoku's glowing crimson eyes shining.

“I didn't want to do this.” Tsunade shook her head. “I healed you twelve years ago from your terrible coma. You seemed like a promising young kunoichi back then.”

“Back then?” Izoku screeched. “I'm still a promising kunoichi! I am the lone survivor of the Akuma Clan! I possess the greatest jutsu there ever was and will ever be! You will never defeat me!” Izoku threw three kunai in the direction of the Sannin, the ninja dodging the attack way too easily.

Izoku jumped into the air after Tsunade, her dark katana glinting in the moonlight. She slashed at her with such speed the Sannin barely saw the blade come crashing down on her. Tsunade dodged to the side, the blade ripping her loose green sleeve. Jiraiya landed a kick on Izoku's side, making her tumble down back to Earth and crash into the ground. Tsunade front flipped and extended out a leg, landing another kick to Izoku, hitting her stomach.

Izoku coughed up a splatter of blood, her katana being knocked out of her hands. She lay limp in a crater, her head tilted back uselessly. The moon shined on her pale face, illuminating her skin. The volcano that stood in the background towered over the battlefield of shinobi who clashed together in hatred.

The Sannin stood in front of her, Jiraiya and Tsunade held grim expressions. Orochimaru stood behind them, his face spread out into a creepy smile.

Izoku stirred, shocking the two Sannin who had attacked her. She slowly pushed herself up, her legs pushing off the walls of the crater and her hands supporting her as she stood. Izoku rose, her hands dangling and her head hung limply.

“Akuma-sama...” Izoku grumbled, her voice low and gritty. “I think it is time...”

“Akuma-sama?” Tsunade raised an eyebrow. “Who are you talking to? An ancestor?”

“Oh yes...” Izoku murmured, her back arched forward, her head hung down low.  Her arms swayed as her body stood frozen in the wind.  She muttered to the blood-soaked ground as an inhuman, demonic smile spread widely across her white face.  "I believe it is time...”

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