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

This chapter does not contain any descriptions of violence. 

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

Please enjoy the epilogue of Avenger:  Demon of the Shadows!  Arigato!

I put Ikimono-Gakari's "Sakura" as the ending credits song.  So if you want to dwell in the moment and listen to this amazing track while reading the last part of the epilogue, feel free to indulge in peace.

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The Leaf shinobi returned to their village, the mass of ninja stumbling past the giant gates of Konoha. Their families surged forward to grasp them, overjoyed that they were the few who had survived. The bodies of the ones who were K.I.A were brought in next, the loved ones of those who died crying out in lament as their eyes laid down on their beloved. Countless tears shed in the night of the return from In'ei, the crescent moon looming over the village with a haunting pale glow. The clouds began to drift in, dark and heavy.

The rain started to pour from the glittering, star-filled sky. The dark clouds wept as the people below them sobbed with them, crouching over the bodies of their loved ones as the clouds hovered over them. The last to arrive at Konoha were two ninja: a seasoned medical nin and a young silver-haired ANBU who carried the body of a lifeless raven-haired girl in his arms. Her long black hair fell from his arms as her own arm dangled from her side, her head tilted back. Her pale skin glowed in the soft moonlight as the rain dripped onto her face, calm and wiped away from any anguish that had been inflicted on her in her short lifetime.

Tsunade stopped in the mass of people who ran up to her for help, their injured family members waiting to the side together as all of the Leaf medical ninja came down to tend to their wounds. Kakashi sulked on, dragging his heavy feet in the heavy rain. His silver hair was drenched, his shoulders aching as Izoku's lifeless body remained cold and limp in his arms. Kakashi's left eye was once again covered by the black fabric the hung loosely from his forehead. His broken arm throbbed, Izoku's legs hanging from the crevasse of his elbow. His snapped forearm was attacked by a thousand stabbing needles of pain, causing him to tip over and stumble. He landed on one knee, splashing the icy rain water on his already drenched ANBU uniform.

His solemn onyx eye stared down at the white-skinned girl, her lips turning blue and her chest still as a stone. Her right arm, pinned against his own chest, was slumped onto her abdomen as the tips of her fingers of her left hand brushed against the cold cobblestone street; exposed on her pale arm was the scroll of a scarlet ANBU tattoo. Kakashi's face screwed up in torment, the shred of mask just barely hanging onto his mouth and nose, and he brought Izoku's deathly pale face up to his. He buried his face into her soaked black hair and let out an agonized scream. Everyone's attention turned to the ANBU, whose back was turned to them. Kakashi was wrecked in harsh sobs, taking his left arm and curling Izoku's body towards him.

“Izoku...” Kakashi wept as the rain pounded on him. “Ai shi teru ni mo... (I love you too)” The cold rain beat against his body, icy needles slicing into his chilled skin. He let out another cry of lament, sobbing like a child as his warm tears intertwined with the brisk raindrops that drizzled onto Izoku's head. He plopped down on the flooded stone street and placed Izoku on his lap, both of his hands hugging her limp body tightly as he was ruined in heartbroken wails; one gloved hand cradled the back of Izoku's head while the other wrapped around her waist, tugging her closer to his body.

“Ai shi teru ni mo...”

~~~*~~~

“Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!” Kakashi glowered as he stood over the Uchiha boy, his kunai pressing against his pale throat.

The pink-haired girl panicked, her eyes wide as she stared at her sensei. Naruto, the boy wearing an orange jumpsuit, was tethered to a wooden pole; his clear blue eyes grew into massive orbs as he flashed his head towards Sasuke, pinned on the ground face-first, and to Sakura, who quivered as she held one hand up to her chest, her green eyes shining in pure confusion.

“That is what happens on missions.” Kakashi removed the knife from Sasuke's throat, twirling the weapon aimlessly on his finger. “The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line.” The silver-haired shinobi catches the whirling kunai and tucks it back into his back pouch. He pushes off of the Uchiha boy and walks behind him swiftly, approaching a large, pointed obsidian stone. “Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it? They are all ninja who are honored as heroes in our village.”

“That's it, that's it, that's it!” the Naruto boy chimed happily, still tied tightly on the wooden post. “Now I know! I've decided that I want my name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!”

Kakashi scoffed and clenched his hands into tight fists.

Baka... He turned around, a lazy look masking his rage.

“They are...a special kind of hero,” he murmured calmly.

“Huh?!” Naruto beamed, his stupid smile gleaming. “What kind of heroes are they? C'mon, tell us!” There was a long pause, Kakashi staring down at the stone in sorrow. He let out a shaky breath. “Well?!”

“They're all...” Kakashi started, his voice husky. “K.I.A.”

“Ooh...” Naruto gasped. “That sounds real cool!”

Sakura turned to him, her eyes narrowed in nervousness.

“It means “killed in action,” she informed the blond student in a stern voice. “They all died.”

Naruto recoiled, his smile slowly fading from his tanned face.

“Huh? O-oh...”

The silver-haired shinobi's eyes gazed down at the stone, the smooth, mirror-like surface reflecting is solemn expression. His single onyx eye focused on one particular spot on the rock.

“This a memorial stone,” Kakashi explained. “The names of my closest friends are engraved here...”

The team gazed in wonder at Kakashi, Naruto's face scrunching up as he wished he could take back his rash comment. The wind picked up, the suddenly stronger breeze blowing cool air onto their bleak faces. The silver-haired shinobi stood still, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

“Alright,” Kakashi snapped as he turned around. “I'm going to give you one more chance; but I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. But...Naruto doesn't get any.”

The blond boy scowled and grumbled. Kakashi started towards the three students.

“It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail.”

The team looked at him in frustration and disbelief. They all grunted and scoffed as Kakashi glowered down at them with a serious, murderous stare.

“I make the rules; you follow them. Got it?” Kakashi snarled darkly. He took one last glare at them and disappeared from the clearing, leaving the students to make or break their final test. He hid behind them, a tree blocking his body. He leaned against the trunk, his arms crossed as his head tilted down to gaze at the soil beneath his feet. His thoughts filled with images of his past: Obito was glaring at him as they trained, Rin admiring him from a far, her brown eyes twinkling. The mission that took Obito's life and gave Kakashi his Sharingan. The strike that killed Rin...

Izoku's smiling face, young, dazzling, and bright, filled his mind. Her kind violet eyes closed as she called over to him.

“Rojin!” she teased as she ran away, her seven-year-old legs taking her down the street. The bright morning sun blurred his vision, her clothes rippling in the wind as she ran away, giggling and laughing. A young Kakashi dashed after her, his cheeks inflamed as he pouted under his fabric mask. “You can't catch me, rojin!”

“Izo-chan!” he yelled after her, reaching out for her as they dodged the villagers that were in their way.

Izoku's older features struck him, her once soft amethyst eyes hardened into stone as her goal for avenging her clan became more clear to her. Their training sessions flooded over him, the sweat that dripped down the sides of his face were almost real. Izoku's long raven hair that he missed so much would be tied back into a ponytail, her jaw tense as she prepared to launch herself at him again.

Their times at dinner after training would be relaxing and calm, Izoku's cute laugh penetrating his lonesome ears. All of those times spent in the night under the stars, admiring the night sky and watching the moon cast its pale rays onto her face, illuminating it in the darkness. Her talks of their dreams for the future struck him hard in the chest, Izoku's firm voice harmonizing with the gentle wind as she spoke.

“I've always wanted a house in the country,” she sighed as she brought her knees up against her chest. “It would have a yard with sakura trees that would bloom in the spring, and cast its pink petals everywhere in the wind...”

“Consider it done.” Kakashi smiled at her with his eyes closed in a friendly remark.

“Kakashi-kun...?” Izoku raised an eyebrow, her tone questioning.

“If you want it Izo-chan, I'll get it for you.” He beamed. “Consider it done.”

“Arigato...Kakashi-kun.” Izoku grinned back, laughing.

A lump rose up to Kakashi's throat.

“We're Jonin now!” Izoku sang as she fell face-first into her bed. Kakashi stood behind her, smirking.

“I told you we could do it.” He gave her an amused closed-eye smile.

“But we're thirteen,” Izoku stressed, flipping over and sitting on the edge of the mattress.

“Age doesn't matter.” Kakashi shrugged, taking a seat beside her.

Izoku shoved him and rolled her eyes, knocking him over on the bed.

“I'd like to see someone else try to be chosen as Jonin at thirteen!”

She hopped off the mattress, heading towards her kitchen to get a drink of water. Her figure dissolved as the scene shifted.

A seventeen year old Izoku, covered in scrapes and blood, the top of her pale left arm adorned with the scarlet ANBU tattoo, stood triumphantly before him; her crimson eyes glowed as her raven hair flew back, rippling in the cold wind. Her face seemed disturbed as she stared off past him, angered at whatever stood behind him. Her shape shifted, turning her into a thirteen year old girl, her Leaf headband tied across her slim waist as her hip tilted to the side. Her eyes shone a majestic shade of purple, royal and deep. A small smirk was present on her lips, her chin lifted up a bit higher in a sense of pride. Her body shrunk back down even more, a small girl with long black hair that flowed down to her hips, giggling and giving the grown-up Kakashi an amused, beaming smile.

“Kon'nichiwa!”

A five year old Kakashi approached the young Izoku shyly. The girl was alone at the park, sitting on a swing.

“Kon'nichiwa...” Izoku murmured as she continued to stare at the ground.

Kakashi's parents waited on the sidewalk, watching their son through the open gate as he talked to the lonely girl.

“Onamaehanan desu ka?(What is your name?)” He blinked, curious.

“Muzai...Izoku.” She slowly looked up at him, her violet eyes big. “Omae wa? (And you?)”

“Hatake Kakashi," the silver-haired boy beamed, sticking out his hand. “Hajimemashite! (Nice to meet you!)”

Izoku stared at his small outstretched hand, blinking. She then looked up at him with a smirk.

“Why is your hair silver?” she giggled. “Are you old or something?”

“I'm not old!” Kakashi snapped back his hand and puffed, crossing his arms. “It's just silver!”

“Rojin!” Izoku teased as she kicked off the ground, sending her swing seat up into the sky higher and higher, leaving the slightly offended Kakashi back on the ground below.

“Izo-chan...” Kakashi shut his eyes tightly as the memory of her flared inside his thoughts.

“Why is your hair silver...?” an older Izoku rasped out as she lay before him, covered in blood. Her barely cracked open violet eyes shimmered as she breathed out her last words. “Are you old or something...rojin?”

Her young girlish voice rang inside his head.

Rojin...!

Her more mature, hoarse sigh stabbed his heart.

Rojin...

The single word echoed and faded out into the darkness, Izoku's older voice mingling with the bright tone of her youth.

Rojin...!

“Izo-chan...” Kakashi murmured again, his breaths quivering and weighed down by the lump that expanded painfully in his dry throat.

Izoku's stern but pained voice rang in his ears; crisp and pure, a single, clear note.

Shinu, tatakau, sunde imasu. Kami wa tsuneni katsudarou (Live, fight, die. The Divine will always win). That was the way of my clan...

His own reassuring tone, deep, sincere, but haunting, echoed in his empty mind.

Izoku, I promise to protect you from any danger. I will be your shield from any harm the world will inflict on you, and I will be happy to take the blow that was meant for only you...

I promise...

I promise...

Izoku...

The thought of her being gone intoxicated his sane mind, driving it over the edge of madness, dizzy, dazed, and confused. His eyes remained dry, but his mouth let out a strangled, choked sound. He grasped his chest tightly as he let out a pained sigh, shaky and uneven. He shut his eyes tightly and fell to his knees, crushed and wounded from the event that happened so many years ago. Kakashi's head hung down in defeat, in loss as he leaned against the thick tree trunk; he uttered a single word, tender but almost inaudible.

“Gomen'nasai...”

~~~*~~~

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

You should head over and read the second story of the Avenger series, "Avenger: the Weeping Samurai!"  Again, thank you so much for reading and I hope you will enjoy the story of Musei Shiro, the Weeping Samurai of the Land of Iron! 

Do you like Shingeki no Kyojin?  Well, you're in luck!!  "The Chains of Humanity" has been posted onto my profile!  Due to it being R rated, it cannot be found on the search engine.  Nevertheless, if you think you're up to it, please follow Matsumoto Saika in her wild, agonizing journey with the infamous Rivaille!

Arigato!

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For lyrics and translation for "Sakura" by Ikimono-Gakari - please note this isn't a direct translation -

The cherry blossoms fall, fluttering down (Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite)
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love (Yureru omoi no take wo dakishimeta)
Even now, I’m dreaming the dream I prayed for with you that spring (Kimi to haru ni negai shi ano yume wa)
The cherry blossoms scatter (Ima mo miete iru yo sakura maichiru)

From the train I could see (Densha kara mieta no wa)
The traces of one day (Itsuka no omokage)
The big bridge we crossed together (Futari de kayotta haru no oohashi)
Graduation time came (Sotsugyou no toki ga kite)
And you left town (Kimi wa machi wo deta)
On the colorful riverbank, I search for that day (Irozuku kawabe ni ano hi wo sagasu no)

We went our separate ways (Sorezore no michi wo erabi)
And brought our spring to an end (Futari wa haru wo oeta)
My future is in full bloom (Sakihokoru mirai wa)
But it fills me with panic (Atashi wo aserasete)
This year, once again, the cherry blossoms are reflected (Odakyuusen no mado ni)
In the window of the Odakyuu train (Kotoshi mo sakura ga utsuru )
In my heart (Kimi no koe ga kono mune ni)
I hear your voice (Kikoete kuru yo)

The cherry blossoms fall, fluttering down (Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite)
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love (Yureru omoi no take wo dakishimeta)
Even now, I’m dreaming the dream I prayed for with you that spring (Kimi to haru ni negai shi ano yume wa)
The cherry blossoms scatter (Ima mo miete iru yo sakura maichiru)

The start of my letter to you (Kaki kaketa tegami ni wa)
Says “I’m doing OK” (“Genki de iru yo” to)
You’ll see through that little lie, won’t you? (Chiisa na uso wa misukasareru ne)
Even the town going past (Meguriyuku kono machi mo)
Is taking in the spring (Haru wo ukeirete)
The flowers are opening their buds again this year (Kotoshi mo ano hana ga tsubomi wo hiraku)

I’ll get through these days without you (Kimi ga inai hibi wo koete)
And I, too, will grow up (Atashi mo otona ni natte iku)
Will I forget everything? (Kouyatte subete wasurete iku no kana)
“I really loved you” ("Hontou ni suki dattan da")
I hold out my hands to the cherry blossoms (Sakura ni te wo nobasu)
Now my love is wrapped in the spring (Kono omoi ga ima haru ni tsutsumarete iku yo)

The cherry blossoms fall, fluttering down (Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite)
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love (Yureru omoi no take wo dakiyoseta)
Even now, the strong words you gave me (Kimi ga kureshi tsuyoki ano kotoba wa)
Remain in my heart; the cherry blossoms dance (Ima mo mune ni nokoru sakura maiyuku)

The cherry blossoms fall, fluttering down (Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite)
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love (Yureru omoi no take wo dakishimeta)
Those days I dreamed of on that distant spring day (Tooki haru ni yume mi shi ano hibi wa)
Disappear into the sky (Sora ni kiete iku yo)

The cherry blossoms fall, fluttering down (Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite)
And I walk out into the spring (Haru no sono mukou e to aruki dasu)
I clutch the dream I promised you that spring (Kimi to haru ni chikai shi kono yume wo tsuyoku)
Tightly to my chest; the cherry blossoms dance (Mune ni daite sakura maichiru)

I took my translation directly from http://www.kiwi-musume.com/lyrics/ikimonogakari/sakurasakumachimonogatari/sakura.html