From Darkness to Light (The Little Senju Series Book Two): A Naruto Fanfiction

Izumi and the Beast Within

Yamato's POV

"That's..." I stuttered out blocking my face as the ominous chakra whirled past us, no doubt about it, that's the demon-fox shroud, and three tails already... Izumi just stood there watching, not shivering like the rest of us. She was observing with an unsettling amount of calm in her orange eyes. The wings on her back quiver ever so slightly as though excited. She's just a half step behind him...

Kabuto tried to ambush Naruto from behind his hands glowing a faint blue with his chakra scalpels, but it was all for naught as with just a yell a wave of chakra and rubble sent the silver-haired man flying and caused Sakura to lose her balance and hit her head leaving her passed out. Just a moment later the bridge started to crumble beneath our feet. Izumi leaped away a certain vacantness covering her face. I quickly placed my hands together using my wood style to salvage what of the bridge I could along with Sakura's unconscious body.

"Sai!" I called out suddenly upon realizing that even with my jutsu Sakura was still at risk of falling into the ravine, "Help Sakura!"

I thought he was about to catch the falling girl with a large bird he had created using his jutsu, but much to my dismay he flew right past the girl seemingly focused on an entirely different task. Thankfully I was able to rescue the girl with a well-timed wood-style jutsu of my own.

Izumi's POV

Shit, Naruto... I whimpered lightly at the pain spreading through my body as I saw the last traces of humanity leave the blond's face, Though I should really be concerned about myself right now, should I? "Ungh..." I panted fighting the control the seven-tails currently had over my body, "Sensei..."

Izumi, are you--?!?" The brown-haired man's sentence was cut off as Naruto shrieked out causing a tremor to shake the Earth as a massive shock wave blew towards us, "Not good..." Tenzo Sensei reacted quickly creating a dome of wood around us. He let out a deep breath sending me a protective glance as his wood-style lurched away, "Are you alright?"

"Nngh..." I groaned taking his hand and pulling myself to my feet, "I'm getting there..." A deep pain riddled through my body like being bitten into by a million sharks, "Geez, what's been wrong with me recently..."

The man before me sighed placing a wary hand to his forehead, "I had hoped this could wait until we got back to the village..." He looked at me uncertainly while I waited for him to continue, "We'll have to make this quick... Crap..." With a glance, it was obvious that Naruto's fourth tail had already formed, "Damn it..." He cursed under his breath, "I'll tell you what you need to know for the moment as we go, so try to keep up!"

Naruto attacked Orochimaru ravenously seeming more beast-like than I'd ever seen before. Snake and fox clawed and bit each other while Captain Yamato could only watch. When we eventually found our strength again, we avoided those two entirely finding our way instead to Sakura who was finally finding her own senses as well.

"I can't say I was expecting to see the fourth tail here..." My sensei muttered to himself watching the chaos unfolded before us in near disbelief.

"..." Sakura stared at him a moment before turning her face down, "Captain Yamato, you know something about Naruto that you're not saying, right? Just what's happening to him anyway?"

"Sakura's there's no need for you to worry..." I twitched slightly. I'd heard that one before... "After all, it's for that reason that I was chosen for Team Kakashi."

The conversation was interrupted as Kabuto came up behind us, "Well then, it would seem that Sasori won't be showing up after all. Sasori's decision to tell you of this bridge, in all likelihood was made with the intent of having you take care of lord Orochimaru. After all, Lord Orochimaru has been a thorn in the side of Akatsuki as well..." the silver-haired boy explained as he slowly approached the three of us, "If the Sasori I knew chose to send you here it certainly does mean that he was impressed by your strength, but still..." his words ran off for a moment, "Sasori harbored much ill-will towards Lord Orochimaru and was always talking of how he intended to finish him off with his own hands. If he's gone back on those words and sent you to do the job... Then that means he's already been reduced to a state where he can't do it himself. In other words, ... He's either been taken captive or he's no longer among the living..."

"Sorry," Sakura spoke seriously, "But it's the latter."

"Hmph..." Kabuto smiled the glare of his glasses covering his eyes, "Well, that's wonderful news.

We were distracted as Naruto blasted through a set of gates that Orochimaru had created leaving a large crater in the center of the forest surrounding where the Tenchi Bridge had once been, ".. What... Just happened...?" Sakura gasped helplessly at the sight.

Orochimaru burst forth from the ground a long sword emerging from his mouth before the blade pierced the still beast like Naruto. We all had to hurry out of the way as the blond collided with the cliff beside us.

He's become even more like the Kyuubi than a few minutes ago..." Kabuto chortled with a sneer.

"Naruto...

Welp, it's been a while and I have nothing to say for myself. I really don't remember school being this exhausting for me... I'm hoping my inspiration for writing will stay put for the time being, but with school, work, and moving we'll see what happens. My house is really starting to look bare speaking of, but I suppose that's for the best, right? In completely unrelated news I have a tapas (amythecatsplace as per) now, so if you want to check out some of my original stories! There's only one story in the works over there, but considering my inability to stick to one project at a time I'm sure there's more to come. Woop, until next time, folks!

-- Amy

Tapas: https://tapas.io/amclarke2018