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

Izumi and the Lie

Izumi's POV

Captain Yamato hadn't explained the situation as we followed him through the havoc of Naruto and Orochimaru's battle, "The ground's still fresh..." Naruto commented giving a quick look around, "First the bridge is destroyed, then this crater..." I shivered to myself keeping well away from him as I felt another wave of nausea pass over my head, "What on earth happened?"

"You remember nothing?" My sensei questioned him lightly

"Oh yeah, how come I was unconscious and all?"

I gave Sakura a gentle poke as I shook my head begging her not to tell him the truth. There's no way I could let him find out what really happened. Her face fell to the ground before she sent a leery glance at Captain Yamato, "Orochimaru got to you and left you unconscious..."

I let out a silent breath as Naruto responded to the news, "So that's it! Damn him!"

"Sai's things are scattered on the ground..." Sakura noticed picking up a book from the dirt.

"He dropped those things and left them here. That's all." My sensei responded easily, "I guess even he couldn't keep his cool standing before Orochimaru

"You know what happened, right?

"A wood clone of mine was here until a few moments ago." The brown-haired man explained, "We'd been communicating through a radio transmitter I hid in here."

"What happened?" I broke in feeling almost worried about the boy, "Nothing happened to him, right?"

"Sai..." He answered seriously, "After a discussion with Orochimaru he followed them back."

He what?!?

"Whaddaya mean?" Naruto interjected a bit put off by the dark-haired boy's actions, "I wonder what they discussed."

"My clone was too far away, so I don't know what they talked about."

"He might have been taken by force." Sakura's face tensed as she considered the idea.

"No, it didn't seem like it." Tenzo Sensei crossed his arms, "He approached Orochimaru on his own and handed him something... It was almost as if he was trying to get on Orochimaru's good graces."

"Hey, hold on a second!" Naruto shouted clearly shocked by the idea, "Sure he's a jerk and all, but he wouldn't betray-!"

"No, he just might have." Sakura said dejectedly as she thought about it herself, "Captain Yamato, about this Danzo person...?"

"I know him..." The man muttered seeming less than impressed, "The hawkish leader who stood in opposition to the Third Hokage..."

"Who's he?" Naruto asked.

"Sai's Superior," Sakura came back quickly, "An old geezer who thought poorly of the third's ideals..."

"It's quite possible Danzo's relying on Sai to set his own plan into motion..." The brown-haired man paused placing a hand to his chin in thought, "Perhaps, Danzo entrusted Sai with a top-secret mission... That has nothing to do with our own..." He stopped again almost seeming to wonder if what he was thinking was even possible, "What I'm about to tell you is no more than conjecture upon conjecture, but it's not out of the realm of possibility so... brace yourselves. Danzo could be intending to destroy the Leaf Village as we know it..."

"What?!?" Naruto and I breathed in shock at the conjecture.

"Suppose that, to remove Lady Tsunade from the position of Hokage he intends to conspire with Orochimaru to attack the village..." Our captain suggested, "So that he can build his 'ideal' Leaf Village from the former's ashes, and once again take center stage, as Hokage. And, the reason he's making his move now many be that Danzo, having witnessed Orochimaru fail in his previous attack on the Leaf Village, feels the latter's now in a position where he's willing to bargain."

"No..." Naruto stuttered out with a face that could only be described as shock, "No way...! Then Sai's top-secret mission is..."

"To earn Orochimaru's trust and serve as a liaison between him and Danzo." I finished with a groan as I bit into my lower lip lightly.

"Depending on the circumstances we might have to dispose of Sai..." The brown-haired man showed his own discontentment with the situation, "My wood clone's following them right now, but there's no way of knowing what will happen... We have to get on their trail at once!"

"Alright!" Naruto declared as he stretched a bit, "Let's go!" His voice had dropped off a bit, "What the...?" He fell over suddenly his face landing straight to the earth.

"Naruto?" I fell to my knees quickly examining the blond, geez, he still hasn't fully recovered, huh? Just how much damage did he take on just now?

"Naruto, are you alright?" Sakura quickly joined me on the ground as she held up our teammate's head.

"I'll handle this." I met the pink-haired girl's eyes a moment as my own eyes shifted to a brilliant shade of green, "You're tired, right?

"Izumi..." She mumbled placing one of her hands on mine, "But, you're--!"

"I think I'll be fine." I let my vines wrap around Naruto's weakened form, "This will only take a moment, then we can get moving again, right Sensei?" I cast a glance at the brown-haired man knowing full well that had I not done this he would've suggested leaving the blond here. The vines illuminated as I healed the boy to the best of my ability earning a pair of blue eyes to be visible once more, "Are you alright, Idiot?"

"It's been a while since I've seen those eyes." He gave a smile as I retracted my vines and he placed a hand on my shoulder lifting himself up, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, I suppose it has..." I returned his smile as I turned back to Sakura and our captain, "Best we get a move on, huh?"

Another chapter because I'm feeling InSpiRed. Maybe it'll keep up (I can dream, right?) I have homework and packing to do, so until next time!

-- Amy