Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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Another textbook mission completed, and Izumo is ready to head home. Fire Country is unseasonably warm for late October, and the crunch of leaves under his feet is loud even to his ears. He looks over to Kotetsu and Kakashi-along just because Kotetsu and Izumo are still relatively new chuunin and Izumo thinks he has nothing better to do with his time- and grins. "Ready-"
"Quiet," Kakashi orders suddenly, sharply, eyes, both natural and impanted, on the horizon.
Kotetsu tenses at Izumo's side, and the Kamizuki freezes as he felt a wave of malicious intent and chakra just seconds before a roar shakes the earth beneath his feet. "What was that, sempai?" Kotetsu asks, voice steady though Izumo can almost feel his partner shaking next to him.
"The sound of the world falling down around your ears," Kakashi informs the pair, but there is none of his usual condescension, no exasperation in his tone. Izumo's eyes widen as he recognizes what is in Kakashi's tone- fear.
"Sempai," he says, but Kakashi turns to them and his eyes betray how serious a situation this is.
"Run," the jounin commands and the ground trembles again.
Kotetsu and Izumo run, faster than they ever have before. Kakashi is right on their heels, urging them faster, faster, straight up the steep wall of a cliff-face, and then Izumo stops and turns and sees. A creature born of fire is there, numerous tails waving and wreaking havoc where they touch land. The forest all around the creature is in flames. Distantly he realizes the where the monster is, they just were minutes before.
Izumo is distracted from his terror by Kakashi pulling out the kunai Yondaime had given him and throwing it to the ground a foot away from Kotetsu. Yondaime opens his mouth to give Kakashi a piece of his mind-the blond is barely awake, still in his sleep pants- for calling when Kakashi is obviously just fine, but Kotetsu grabs the man's arm and points. "Look."
The Hokage stares, eyes widening as he too hears the sound of the world falling, and breathes the name of Konoha's doom.
"Kyuubi."