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

Izumi Enters the Hidden Sand

Izumi's POV

"What?! Gaara!!!" A short way from the village we came across Temari and told her the news of her little brother, "I had a bad feeling..." she admitted turning her face down toward the earth.

"It'll take three days from here to reach the sand, so let's hurry." Kakashi Sensei stated calmly.

"Okay..."

. . .

Naruto had burst forward ahead of the rest of us nearly out of view, "Naruto..." Kakashi sighed, "Just because I said to hurry, you shouldn't split the team up." he scolded the blond, "Don't get so heated... Isn't that what Master Jiraiya just told you..."

"I can't stand it..." Naruto growled fiercely, "Even I know why they're after me and Gaara...!" I gulped feeling the tension rise into my chest in a tight squeeze, "You still don't know, do you Sakura?" she didn't answer instead waiting for his reply, "Inside of me... Is the nine-tailed fox." I really should be saying something now, shouldn't I? "Me and Gaara... Because we have monsters contained within our bodies... That's what they're after... That's what I can't stand! Just seeing us as monsters, I can't stand them looking at us whatever way they feel like!" my chest squeezed tighter as he continued, "He and I are... The exact same... And he was... He was even lonelier than I was..." I tipped my head down. Even if I'd been alone for a large part of my childhood it wasn't the same, was it? I hadn't been loathed by my fellow villagers, "He was targeted by the akatsuki Just like I was before! Even so, why is it always him has to have such a hard role?! Why always him alone?!? I picked up my pace until I was just behind the blond, "That's why! That's why I won't just stand around and ask 'Why'! This time, for definite, I want to save him!"

"I know I'm not the same person I was two and half years ago," I latched my fingers around Naruto's wrist halting his movements for a short moment, "But perhaps that's for the best..." My mind clouded over with emotions that wanted so desperately to get out, "I won't let you take on this burden alone! I will help... If only, you'll let me..." a moisture gathered in the corners of my eyes matching the tears in Naruto's own eyes.

He smiled weaving our hands together in a quick, fluid motion, "No, Izumi you haven't changed." a feeling that I had long forgotten pulsed in my chest. It was hope and somehow, I knew with this hope everything would be okay, "We'll do this together!"

We had progressed a bit farther silently when a new voice caught Naruto and I's attention, "Naruto..." Sakura's voice was soft at first, but it quickly grew as we turned our head's back to face her, "You've gone through a lot haven't you... Itachi Uchiha... and you're his target." even Kakashi Sensei and Temari seemed surprised at her abruptness, "I wasn't just training these two and a half years. I was looking through Tsunade's notes and researched outside as much as I could. The enemy that Sasuke wants to kill... It's really his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, isn't it? A member of the akatsuki." we all fell silent once more as thoughts of both Uchihas rattled on inside our heads, "Because of that, Sasuke is now with Orochimaru, to gain power..." Maybe Sakura had matured just as much, if not more, than the rest of us, "But Orochimaru just wants Sasuke's body, doesn't he? And all we have left is half a year... And Orochimaru was originally a member of the akatsuki too... In other words, what I'm trying to say... Is this. As we get closer to the akatsuki, we get closer to information about Orochimaru. And therefore, we get closer to Sasuke." I swallowed. The issue of Sasuke was still an extremely important problem for these two... And yet, I... "And our time limit to rescue Sasuke is half a year!"

"Yeah!"

I bit my lip nervously. Perhaps it was time to reevaluate my decision regarding Sasuke...?

. . .