Izumi Naito and Family- Chapter 1

"Oh no! They're onto me!"I thought as I struggled to run. It was hard to escape from their grasps, even with inside assistance. The broken leg, arm, and ribs weren't helping either. I was so close though! I am only about three kilometers away from the Hidden Leaf gates, then I will finally be home! Just a little further, they are right on my tail and followed me right into Hidden Leaf territory. It's no surprise that they wouldn't care about boundaries, they are the Akatsuki after all. "There are the main gates!" I finally stagger right into the main gates. "And that's all I remember before waking up here and seeing you." I said to Kakashi. "Well, you're lucky to have had this photograph on you of the three of us. You have been gone for so long, everyone just assumed you were K.I.A. and disposed of after that last mission went horribly wrong. I told you that you should not have gone on that mission. Having any visual prowess as a kekke genkai makes you a target enough, but to be the only one left with one of the most powerful kekkei genkai in which nobody knows of the origin or demise? Please, Izumi, promise me you won't ever put yourself in this predicament again." Kakashi and I have been together since we took the chunin exams together. I am just as skilled as he is and because of that, we always got along well. I have a kekkei genkai known as the kashinekoi. It is unlike any other. It has the potential to heighten all five of my senses at once, though, I usually only need one or two at a time. It is more powerful than the byakugan in that way and like the sharingan, it gives me the ability to quickly comprehend different moves and techniques as well as instantaneously release any kind of jutsu upon a mere glance. However, unlike the sharingan, it does not have the ability to cast genjutsu but it does possess the power to impair the five senses of others. I am the only known person that possesses it. I do not know how or why, but it awakened when my clan was slaughtered long ago, I was only three years old. When I was on my last mission, something went horribly wrong and I was kidnapped by the Akatsuki. When I collapsed at the main gates, nobody even recognized me, they only knew I was a leaf ninja because I had my headband, and they knew Kakashi was one of the other people in the picture that I possessed. He knew it was me immediately.

IZUMI: "Yeah, yeah, Kakashi. It's not like you to show worry. Speaking of my picture, Where is Gaara? Does he know I am back?"

KAKASHI: "I sent out a bird to the Hidden Sand village the other day as soon as I heard you had come back. I received a response yesterday while you were still unconscious. He should be here some time tomorrow."

I: "Wait, why is Gaara back in the Hidden Sand? We took him in under the conditions that he never fight with the Leaf in war, and that he would be available for the Sand if they should by chance go into war. He was exiled there, the people, even the Kazekage, his own father, treated him inhumanely. How could you let him go back to that, Kakashi?"

K: "Calm down, Izumi. With our last mission together going so terribly, we lost many ANBU. I had to fill in a temporary position until they were able to find other suitable ninja for the job since I was already experienced with them. I had no time to look after Gaara, I was constantly away and with him being a known jinchuriki nobody else would keep an eye on him for me. I had no other choice but to have him return to his father's care."

I: "That's terrible. He was so happy here with us. I feel like I let him down. I can't imagine what he went through going back there. Have you heard of anything?"

K: "I heard he has had several more assassination attempts against him, all failed of course, and that he is now a weapon of mass destruction."

I: "WHAT? Gaara? MY Gaara? I don't believe it! He was such a sweet boy!"

K: "Yes, but remember how you say they treated him. Having gone back to that kind of atmosphere at such a young age may very well have warped him."

I: "I still don't believe it. We took him in when he was just four years old and had him for two years before I went M.I.A. six years ago. That means-"

K: "He just turned twelve years old this past January."

I: "Wow. He must be so big now. I missed you guys every day that I was gone. The hope of seeing both of you again was the only thing that kept me going. He must think I am a terrible mother."

K: " Hey. Now he might have been young, but Gaara idolized you. He always thought highly of you, and before I sent him home I made a promise that he could come back as soon as you did. Now why don't you stop talking and get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow. Not only is Gaara due to arrive, but you unfortunately have to speak with the intel squad about your experiences. It can cause you some physical and emotional drain in your current state so it's best if you saved your strength. I never stopped thinking about you either and having you come back means more to me than you know. I don't want- no, I won't allow anything else to happen to you now that you're finally home."

I: "Well now, call me selfish, but I am glad to hear that you haven't moved on in my absence. Hey, what are you reading? *glances at book* 'MAKE OUT VIOLENCE' what the hell is that? Kashi, have you grown that much into a closet pervert since I've been gone?"

K: " Now there's a nickname I haven't heard in a while. Hey, I needed something to pass those six years by without you! We gave each other our virginities and then you disappeared! Why are you laughing?"

I: " HAHAHA- Ouch! Ugh, these broken ribs make enjoying the little things in life impossible. Okay, I will try to rest some now. It's late anyways, aren't you going home?"

K: " No, actually I am staying here for the night to make sure nothing happens to you. The Akatsuki aren't the kind to give up on something so easily. And don't worry, the house is the same as you left it. Give or take some books that I now possess and maybe some dirty laundry. Now, GO TO SLEEP!"

I: "Sheesh okay, okay I'm going. Good night."

And just like that, day three (more like day one to me) in the Hidden Leaf came to an end. I had nothing but anticipation to see my figuratively adopted son once more, but I was more than happy to know that my lifetime lover, has not changed one bit. I was able to sleep somewhat soundly that night, until the nightmares started. I ended up having to be sedated in the middle of the night in order to prevent my unconscious movements from harming my already broken body.

The next day, I was still under sedation from the night before. I heard voices but I could not bring myself to really comprehend them or who they belonged to. I was able to make out the knock on the door though.

Kakashi: "Come in. Oh, here already, Gaara?"

Gaara: " I left as soon as I heard about the message. Temari and Kankuro accompanied me but I told them to go wander the village so that they wouldn't be a nuisance. She looks terrible, what happened to her?"

K: "Aside from the injuries she had upon her arrival, we don't really know. She hasn't said anything about it other than how much she yearned to see the two of us again."

G: "I see. Would you mind if I stayed in town for awhile, at least until she's better?"

K: "You can stay as long as you want, my promise still stands. Although, we may need to get you a few more things. You have grown since you were here last so your old clothes need to be boxed up."
G: "Thank you, Kakashi. Before I decide that, I would like to be able to speak with Mother. I would like to make sure that she is still willing to take care of me. I need to hear it from her."
K: "I understand." *knock knock* "Come in. Oh, It's you, Inoichi. You must have heard about her rough night, that's why you're here rather than the others, correct?"
Inoichi: "That's correct. I am here for that exact reason but I am only to use my jutsu if we can not get her to wake up within the next couple of hours. The nurses are here to administer a low dosage of adrenaline to try and work the sedative out of her system."
Nurse: "It should work almost instantly so hang in there guys. There ya go. Look, it seems she's stirring already. If anything happens just come and get one of us nurses."
K: "Thank you. Look, It's working. Izumi? Izumi? Can you hear me? Open your eyes."
Izumi: "Ka-kashi? My vision is a bit blurry, What happened?"
K: "Last night you were having some severe nightmares. They had to sedate you pretty heavily to keep you from harming yourself. You have visitors."
I: " I see.. OH that's right! I am supposed to talk to intel today and Gaara's coming right? Is he here yet? Can you help me sit up more please?"
K: "Slow down, Yes I will help you. As for Gaara, see for yourself."

As soon as I saw him, I knew it was him. Tears welled up in my eyes unlike any other time before as I stared in awe at my little boy who has matured so much in the time I was away. I couldn't resist grabbing him and pulling him into a hug.
I: "Gaara, you've grown so much. I heard about what happened after I was captured. Please, can you ever forgive me?"
G: "Mama, don't worry. Yes it was difficult for me to endure the torment of the Sand, but please do not blame yourself for what happened to you."
In: Sorry to interrupt, but if I could just ask you some things regarding your stay with the Akatsuki then I can be out of your way and you can finish catching up. I hate to push you but this information is vital. If you don't feel comfortable saying it out loud I can just go in and see for myself."
Iz: " It's okay. I can say it. And If you don't mind, I would like my family to stay in here for support."
In: "Very well. Let us begin. Tell me anything that you can about your stay there. What were they looking for?"
Iz: "Once I was caught, they knocked me out with a low dosage of Sasori's poison. when I woke up, I was lying on the floor of a prison cell shackled and cuffed. Once they saw that I was awake, they moved me to some sort of torture chamber where they chained me to the wall like some sort of medieval tactic. At first they started off just simply giving me cuts and bruises. Just asking me things about my nonexistent clan, wondering how to obtain my eyes. Because unlike most visual prowess, kashinekoi does not reside in the actual eye itself and can not be obtained by simply removing and replacing one's eyes. I myself do not know why that is, I only know that because eventually, they tested that theory out on me. Every single day I would get bangged up and beaten. When they figured that it was no use, they stepped it up more and began breaking bones, and eventually dismembering my body."
In: "But if that's so, how is it that you are still here and in one piece?"
Iz: "The Akatsuki has a member, a rogue ninja from the Hot Water lands. His ability is extreme regeneration. He is able to reattach his own limbs. Since I have the rare AB blood type, they would inject me with doses of his blood to reassemble my body. Every day I went to the brink of death and back for months. Until one day, Orochimaru showed up. He for some reason took a liking to me, and told them that hed try to run some tests in his labs on me. That turned out to be a lie to the Akatsuki. He tried to "borrow" me more often to prevent me from being harmed further. He actually developed feelings for me that honestly, weren't completely one-sided. I'm sorry Kakashi, I just didn't know what else to do. At the time I had no idea what was going to happen to me. I knew I could not bust out on my own."
K: "Don't worry about it, Izumi. I don't hold it against you. Please continue so that Inoichi can finish his mission."
Iz: "Right. Anyways, Orochimaru then came up with this far-fetched idea. So from that day on,my time with Orochimaru grew and was spent with him constantly. After that he fabricated a way to help me escape from them. And Ultimately that's how I ended up here."
In: "If you don't mind, may i just take a quick peek to make sure that you didn't forget to leave anything out with all of that trauma? After that I will be on my way."
Iz: "I don't mind at all, go ahead."
In: "Thanks,it will just take a moment" *using jutsu* "There. Alright, thank you. I'll be on my way."
K: "Inoichi, a quick word out in the hallway please?"
In: "Very well."

After they left, I looked toward Gaara and noticed a look of shock and distraught on his face. He was mortified. I hated for him to hear everything put so bluntly but I think It was the best way. I could see the terror in his eyes as he processed what I said.
Iz: "Gaara? Are you ok hun?"
G: "But.. why? Why would such a heinous individual help you out so randomly?"
Iz: " Hey. Let's not over-process this. I am finally home. I want to try and put that time behind me, Can you help me with that?"
G: *nodding yes* "I'm not sure how but I will help in any way that I can."
Iz: "Great! Tell me, what have you been up to in the Sand? Please tell me the rumors aren't true about you?"
G: "Of course they are.. I'm a monster, so they treat me as such. It doesn't matter if i'm human or not. Not even my own siblings care to be around me. Then again, Father made sure I was isolated once again when I returned home. They tried to sneak out and play with me but once father found out he would make them go back inside. Eventually they stopped trying."
*in the hallway*
Kakashi: "I know her, she's nervous about something, there was something she couldn't say, isn't there?"
Inoichi: "She shared everything of importance to us. Yes some details were left out about other things, however I don't believe it is my place to tell you what they are. I suggest you let her go and wait until she decides that the time is appropriate to tell you. Don't probe, you will probably cause a misunderstanding that may cost you your relationship if you do."
K: "I see. *Sigh* Okay then. Let me know if there's anything else we can help with. After hearing that story, it is clear now why she is healing so quickly. Hidan's blood, although probably almost completely processed by now is still working rapidly to repair her body. The nurses couldn't believe how quickly she was healing. They just assumed someone with powerful healing jutsu came to visit."
In: "Well, thats good isnt it? Stop worrying yourself. Go catch up with your family. I'm off to the intel office."
K: "Ha Ha. Yes, I should go join in on the conversation. I am going to go speak with a nurse first to see when they will run her next tests. I appreciate everything Inoichi."

It was a while before Kakashi came back after leaving with Inoichi. While he was gone I could tell Gaara was fighting insomnia, just like when he was younger.
Izumi: "Gaara? Why don't you go home and try to rest? You look exhausted, when was the last time you had a good night's rest?"
Gaara: "When was the last time you were next to me when I fell asleep? For some reason, when I am alone, especially at night, Shikaku threatens me and disturbs me. And this time I can't exactly sit on your lap while you rock me to sleep singing like when I was little."
I: "Nonsense. Come sit by me. I can still comfort you even if my lap is out of commission right now."
G: "I can't, you're hurt! I don't want to make it worse."
I: "Only the ribs on my right side are broken, and they're almost healed. Come on, itll make me happy to hold you close after all this time"
G: "I am still uneasy about this, but if it will make you happier, i will do it."
I: "There we go. So tell me, are you going to come home?"
G: "Kakashi asked me that before too. I wanted to make sure that you still wanted me there before answering."
I: "How could I not? Of course I want you home! I mean, we may have to get you some new clothing, you did get taller, even if you are still on the scrawny side. Do you remember, the first night after you came home with me, before we moved out of the condo? The first night you slept alone in the next room. Up until that point I had been next to you because Kakashi was away on a lengthy mission. You had a terrible nightmare in which you unconsciously covered your room in spikes made from the sand in your gourd. Does that still happen to you?"
G: "Thankfully it hasn't happened in a while but it does happen on occasion. I am glad to hear you want me home. I will definitely stay then."
I: "Great! I should only be in here for another day or two. Then we can get on with our lives like we used to. Now, be quiet and rest so I don't feel like even more of a terrible mother for keeping you up all night."
G: "Alright. Good night, Mama."
I: "Good night, sweet boy."

After that, Gaara passed out almost instantly. He must have been fighting sleep for a while. Kakashi came back and said that they estimate me to be completely better within the next three days if my body continues to heal at this rate. Under the circumstances the hospital allowed Kakashi and Gaara so stay in the extra beds in my room for the night since the hospital was in its slow season. I am glad to have my family back.