Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Spring's Shadow- The Tale of Izumi Kumori ❯ Training... Begins! ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Izumi slumped into the kitchen. "Tadaima..." she said, announcing the fact that she was home. Her mother looked up from a new report from Konoha, smiling. "Oh, hi, sweetie! How was your morning run?"
Izumi wobbled over to the chair across from her mother and collapsed. "I ran all the way around Sunagakure and then into the woods for a while... I'm soooooo tired!" She moaned to further prove her point.
Kimiko laughed. "Well, you can just rest until you have to go to school, 'kay? Dad is working with the Kazekage tonight, so he‘ll be home later."
Izumi sighed. "I haven't seen Gaara for three days now... maybe he... maybe he doesn't want to play with me anymore..." She sat there staring at the ceiling as a small tear slipped down her face. She snapped out of it and quickly wiped it away before her mother could see.
Right then, there was a knock on the door. Kimiko looked up from the piece of paper. She set it down, got up, and walked over to the door. She gave a questioning look to Izumi. Izumi shrugged, saying a silent I have no idea. Kimiko nodded, then opened the door. "Konnichi wa?"
A Sand ninja stood at the door, hands respectfully behind his back. “Are you Kashiwa Kimiko?”
She nodded. “Hai, I am.”
He quickly took a note out of his pocket. “This is for you and your daughter as well. A response isn’t quite necessary. Sayounara, Kashiwa-sama.” He quickly jumped away, running back to whoever his master was.
Kimiko closed the door and brought the note over to the kitchen table, quickly scanning it. Izumi peeked open one eye to see her mother’s reaction. She was grinning at the paper. Izumi pretended to look un-interested. “What’s the paper for?”
Kimiko smiled. “Oh, nothing... it’s just a summons from the Kazekage for you...”
Izumi jumped out of her chair and tried to grab the paper, but Kimiko held it farther from her, laughing. “Oh, no... I thought it wasn’t important-”
“It’s important!!! Give it back!!”
Kimiko laughed, then finally gave it to Izumi. Izumi smiled. “Arigato...” She read the paper. “The Kazekage wants me to come to his house... what for?”
“I wonder...” pondered Kimiko. “I guess you’ll just have to go over and find out. What time?”
Izumi glanced back down at the paper. “It just says ‘as soon as possible’... can I leave now?”
Kimiko nodded. “Just send a message if you’re going to be extremely late, ‘kay?”
Izumi nodded happily. She sprinted over to where she had dropped her weapons belt. She looked at herself quickly in the mirror, like she‘d seen her mother do before she went somewhere special or to an important meeting. She was wearing a deep blue vest with white edges, tan cargo capris with her belt over top, and her black sandals. She ran her fingers through her hair, making it spike out more at the ends and stay straighter.
“Itte kimasu!” she yelled as she sprinted out the door and set off running in the direction of the Kazekage’s home.
She walked up to the gigantic doors, looking for some way in. "Ano... Konnichi wa..." She looked for some method... some trick...
"Hello?!?!" she yelled, pounding on the door. "What's up?! You invite me here and then lock me out? There's not even a stupid ninja here!" She started to kick the door with every word she said. "Let... me... IN!!!!!" With that, a fairly large chunk of wood exploded away from the door. Izumi stared back in surprise at the unintended damage she had caused, a look of pure amazement on her face.
"Oi! You, kid!"
Izumi turned around and stared at the man. He had light brown hair and dark glasses on, hiding his eyes. He wore the garments of a guard over a frame of someone around their later thirties.
He frowned at her, condescendingly. "What are you doing here, kid? This is where the Kazekage lives! What are you, stupid? Get out of here-"
"But I was invited!"
"Scram!"
Izumi frowned at him. "I have a reason to be here, now let me in!" He walked around her, grinning, mocking her, and then stood right in front of the crack in the door. His face clearly said, "You're not getting in!" Izumi shrugged. "Fine, old man... if you want to play this way... Let's go!"
She ran forward, ducking as his open palm almost hit her forehead, and shot her arm upward. She forced her index and middle fingers together in between two of his ribs and made a small amount of chakra come out. Then she dropped down and swiped his legs out from underneath him, knocking him into the sand. She stood on top of his stomach, then bent down and tapped his cloth headband. "You're going to have to do better than that next time!" She then turned and kicked the crack a second time, making enough room for her to fit through. She smiled sweetly, then slipped through, listening to his yelling behind her.
She started to roam around. “Where am I supposed to go?” she asked herself. “I have no idea of the lay out here...”
She then came to another gate. This one had thin decorative iron bars and no lock. She carefully opened the door to find what seemed like a small Eden in the middle of that desert. Tall vines and a few trees created a thin forest. A few flowers peeked up here and there, ranging in color from pink to blood red to white to gold. Izumi looked around in awe, and bent down to see one small purple flower trying to push its way out of the ground. Izumi smiled down at the flower with the small stem. She picked up a tiny stick and carefully wrapped the stem around it, making a support. Then, happy with her work, she stood up.
She heard someone rustling in the bushes, and then the guard from before crashed down onto the path from one of the overhanging trees.
“There you are, you little brat!”
Izumi’s eyes opened wide. “Oh... crap...”
She started running through the garden, vines and leaves whipping at her face. A few cut her, but she kept running, listening to more sounds of the clumsy guard, crashing through the mini-forest. She finally came to another small gate, only four feet tall. She got enough speed, then jumped, clearing the hurdle easily. She laughed as the man’s foot got caught on the top as he tried to clear it. “Not a very good guard, is he?” The man picked himself up and started chasing her. Izumi laughed again as she ran straight ahead.
After running for a while, she came to a new surface of running. It was harder than the soft sand and dirt. She glanced around; it was a battlefield!
An older girl and boy were fighting, hand-to-hand combat, in the middle of the humongous space. A solemn smaller boy sat on the side half watching the fight... one she recognized...
"Gaara!"
The red-haired boy looked up, his turquoise green eyes rimmed with black, as usual. His face brightened more as he saw his friend running toward him. He waved at her. Izumi waved back as she continued to run toward him.
"Come back here, kid!!!"
Izumi stopped in front of Gaara, grinned, then jumped around him. She put her hands on his shoulders, pretending to hide. Gaara looked confusedly over his shoulder at Izumi. The guard finally reached the two children, doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Izumi stuck out her tongue at the guard, making a face at the guard.
He looked up and glared at her. “Stop that! Do you even know who that is? Get away from-”
“From Gaara?” she asked, tilting her head innocently.
The man started to freak out. “Wh-! Do not address Gaara-sama that way!” He turned his attention to Gaara. “Gaara-sama, I apologize for this. The girl came inside without permission. I’m so sorry!” He bowed in respect.
Gaara’s face turned serious. “It’s all right. I know her; she is my friend.”
The guard straightened up, confusion plastered all over his face. “Ha-... hai... gomen... sumimasen... “ With that, he jumped away.
Gaara moved forward and turned around, facing Izumi. “What did you do, Izumi-chan? Break in?” He grinned.
Izumi scratched her head, embarrassed, and grinned. “Well, kinda...“ Gaara laughed in response. Izumi then turned to the two battling kids. “Who are they?”
Gaara looked at the two. “Oh, they’re my siblings. Hey!”
The two stopped fighting immediately, laughed, then walked over to where Gaara and Izumi stood.
Gaara pointed to the boy. He had scruffy brown hair, similar to the style of Gaara’s. He wore a black t-shirt and brown, baggy shorts along with his black sandals. Purple markings on his face, dark, almost black eyes, and a frown made him look a tiny bit scary. “This is my older brother, Kankuro. He’s two years older than me.”
Kankuro bent down, looking Izumi in the face. “Who are you?” He frowned into her face.
Izumi frowned back, trying to look as scary as he did. “Someone who doesn’t like other people to be that close to their face!”
Kankuro straightened up, a look of surprise on his face. Then he smiled and laughed. He turned to the girl and pointed with his thumb at Izumi. “I think I like this kid... she’s got guts.”
Gaara and the girl laughed along with Kankuro. Gaara then pointed to the girl. “This is my older sister. She’s three years older than us.”
The girl bent down. She had pretty blue eyes with a bit of green in them, sandy blonde hair pulled back into four pigtails, and was wearing a short-sleeved mesh top underneath a plain white tank-top dress that came to her mid-thigh.
She smiled at Izumi. “I’m Temari. It’s nice to meet you, Izumi-chan!” Temari then turned to Kankuro. “We should probably keep practicing until Sensei gets here...” The two older kids went off and started battling again.
Izumi turned to Gaara. “So, how have you been?”
Gaara smiled sadly at Izumi. “It’s been... ok...”
Izumi looked deeper into her friend’s eyes. They looked away from her, staring at nothing in the dirt. He seemed to avoid her eyes. “Gaara, I know something’s wrong... what happened?”
Gaara looked sadly up at Izumi, small tears in his eyes. “My uncle... Yashamaru... he’s dead.”
Izumi’s mouth hung open, eyes wide, trying to comprehend the unbelievable words being said to her.
“Gaara... I’m so sorry...” She stepped forward and hugged him tightly as his body shook with silent tears. He sniffed, crying into her shoulder.
“Gaara-sama!”
The two young kids looked up, clearly surprised, at the new speaker.
It was a man with hair that looked as if it had once been dark brown, the roots‘ original color showing, yet dyed almost platinum blonde. He had dark brown eyes that seemed cold, and an expression to match.
Gaara immediately straightened up. "Yes, Shouji-sensei?"
The sensei walked over to Gaara. Izumi glared and stepped protectively in between them. The man glared down at her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I-"
"I invited her."
Everyone turned to see a man dressed in all white robes with a wide-brimmed hat. The hat looked similar to a rice farmer's hat, but it had a very special character on it.
"The Kazekage..." Izumi thought in awe.
You couldn't see the Kazekage's face, because of how far away he was, and the hat. "I invited her to come and train with my own children. They can have a new sparring and training partner. Train her as you would Gaara." The Kazekage then turned around and went inside, closing the door behind himself.
The sensei turned his attention back to Izumi, grinning competitively. "Well, since the Kazekage told me to train you like Gaara-sama... I will." He walked over to the center of the battlefield and signaled for Kankuro and Temari to stop. They shrugged, then walked over to the side. The sensei turned back to Izumi. "Let's see what you got, kid!"
Izumi walked slowly over to the center, facing Shouji-sensei. Then he yelled, “GO!” and started to attack. He disappeared, then reappeared behind Izumi, getting ready to stab her with a kunai. Izumi leaped, and he was thrown off balance. Izumi came down on top of his head. She then jumped off, grabbed his ankle, and tried to throw him. POOF! The body turned into a log.
“Crap, he replaced himself! Where’d he go? ... darn Substitution Jutsu..."
Shouji-sensei full-arm sliced at Izumi, but she sensed him and back-flipped over his head. She sent a rain of shuriken down at him and, once she landed, sent four more spinning at his back. Five of the first pack sent hit him in his shoulders and arms, and all of the second set hit his back. He gasped in pain as they hit his body. Izumi disappeared behind him. Shouji-sensei looked around, trying to find her position.
"Right here, bastard!"
He looked down as Izumi's right fist made contact with his jaw. He flew a few feet upwards as Izumi disappeared again and re-appeared over his head. Her right heel smacked into the top of his head, and sent him immediately into the ground. Izumi landed, then backed away a few feet.
Shouji-sensei shakily got to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He laughed. "Hah! Is that all you got, kid? You're not bad... but not good enough!"
He then hit the ground with his fist, making the area around him explode in a cloud of sand. Izumi's eyes opened wide.
"I didn't expect him to do that..." she thought to herself as she looked around, trying to find him.
"Underne-"
BWHOOM!
The ground exploded beneath her, sending her flying about twenty feet into the air. The sand scratched at her face, firing at her in clumps. One hit her shoulder, another hit her left leg in the calf, and yet another sliced her side.
She gasped, understanding. "There's senbon within the sand!"
Gaara gasped from the sidelines. "No, Izumi-chan!"
Izumi crashed into the ground, spitting up blood. She gasped as she felt the pain sweep through her body.
"Izumi-chan, just give up! Sensei will-"
"NO!"
Gaara gasped, surprised at Izumi's outburst.
Izumi looked up at Gaara, an expression of pure determination on her face. “I will not give up just because the odds look poor...” She turned to Shouji-sensei. “I will not... give... UP!”
Her chakra started to swarm around her; blues, purples and maroon weaving in and out of black. She slowly stood up, eyes glowing bright red.
“You’re going down!” she growled, her voice like choppy velvet. It was harsh, but sounded as if it was supposed to be softer, more persuasive.
The chakra exploded. Izumi sped toward her target, faster than ever. Shouji-sensei’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “How can she do that... what is she?”
Izumi made three hand signals, quick as she could. “Rat... Snake... Ram...”
“Self-created Kumori Art: Shinku sono Shadou no Jutsu (Sink into the Shadows)!”
Shouji-sensei looked around, trying to find Izumi.
“Right here, idiot!”
Izumi’s hand shot out of the shadow made by the building on the ground. It grabbed onto Shouji-sensei’s leg and pulled him down into the shadow.
Temari, Kankuro and Gaara gasped.
Temari pointed to the shadow. “She just pulled Shouji-sensei into the ground!”
“No, she didn’t,” Gaara said. “She pulled him into the shadow itself; not the ground.”
Kankuro stared at the shadow. “Whoah... she’s strong, for a little girl...”
Inside the shadow, Shouji twisted and turned, trying to escape the invisible hold.
“You can’t escape it, silly... this is my Shadow world... I control it...”
Izumi started to move with incredible speed, poking Shouji-sensei with her middle and index fingers together. She hit him in the stomach, the neck, the back, and his limbs, causing massive bruises all over his body.
“You’ll see how strong I am! I’ll show you that I’m good enough! Admit it; you’re totally loosing!”
“Stop!”
Izumi stopped, snapping into reality. Her hand was inches away from his neck. If she was going to hit the point hard enough, his neck would most likely snap. She pulled back a few inches. “Who’s there? Who was that?”
“Izumi-chan! Where are you? Where’d you go?”
Her eyes opened wider. “It’s Gaara-kun!”
“Release!” she yelled, grabbing Shouji-sensei’s upper arm. They both materialized out of the shadow and back into the normal world. Izumi tossed Shouji-sensei onto the ground, and walked over to the Sand siblings.
“Hey, Gaara! I did it!” She grinned in victory.
“She is special...” Temari murmured. “Like Gaara...”
Gaara looked up at Izumi. His expression was hard to read, but his eyes were wide. “You... you’re possessed...?