Revelations

By: Lalaith Quetzalli

(Sequel to: Izuki)

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto bla, bla, bla… I do own this fic, its prequel, the character of Izuki, any other character you may not know and his or her story.

Chapter 1.- Bakemono.

Almost a year had passed since Izuki came to live with her brother to the Uchiha residence, right after being let out from the hospital, where she had been a full month due to certain wounds attained during the battle with Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame. Since then it was also official her relationship with Hatake Kakashi, and some ninja assured they would be marrying soon. But if that were true or nothing more than a mere rumor, it was yet to be known.

Every morning Izuki and Kakashi would meet in the memorial for the fallen nins, where they went to remember their friends and former senseis; then each would take their own path. Kakashi would go to the bridge to meet with his team, as always arriving late, and they would go to train for a while, or to fulfill some mission. Izuki on the other hand would go to the hospital where she some times trained the new medic-nins or attended some patients; or if she had a mission with the ANBU. Sometimes in that mission she somehow ended paired up with Kakashi (not that any of them would complain).

Many things had changed in those months. For one Sasuke was slowly changing from the cold and indifferent boy who seemed to care about nothing but himself to a calm, sentimental but still serious young man who would do anything to defend those he cared for (being his sister and two best friends at top of the list). After a while the Uchiha had grown used to having his sister Izuki back in his life, he had come to accept it was good to have someone near who cared for him as much as Izuki did.

Naruto became more powerful with every passing day, no matter if he trained with his team, or the few days Jiraiya would go train him; the advances of the blonde shinobi were really remarkable. His usual orange outfit was there as were his ever present smile and unchangeable sense of humor.

But if someone was really impressing everyone that had to be Sakura. In just ten months she had already mastered all levels of the healing chakra, and every healing jutsu, she was now considered as an official medic-nin, and used to carry a third pouch on the opposite side of her waist from where she carried her weapons. In that pouch she carried bandages, antiseptic, all different kind of pills, some herbs, and a couple of chakra-bottles for emergencies. Also she had learned from Shizune the art of acupuncture, and Sakura would normally carry two light-pink fans in which she used to carry the needles. Also Sakura now used a slightly different outfit, her red kimono was longer and reached almost to her feet, and her pants where now a fading-pink and reaching to below her knees; with short sleeves and a high neck, it had small pink cherry blossoms in the end; her blue ninja-shoes and she still used her protector as a bandana, her hair remained as short as that day after the second test in the Chuunin Exam.

Another new detail may be the fact that the three of them had been promoted to Chuunins after their performance in the battle against the two members of the Akatsuki. They now had more important missions (at least most of the time); their leader was still Kakashi, and some times Izuki would join them to help (even if those three didn't seem to really need much help).

.---.

One day Izuki was giving healing classes to her students as always, teaching them how to close a wound using just the exact measure of chakra so as not to exert oneself too much.

Izuki was already in the middle of the class, trying to teach one of the girls how to close the wound and not open it further; suddenly there was a light knock in the door.

"You may come in." Izuki said without taking her eyes off the student.

"Ohayo Izuki-sensei." Sakura greeted as she entered the classroom.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan." Izuki said with a smile. "What news?"

"Our team has a mission later today, but I thought I could come pay you a visit before." Sakura explained as she looked at everyone in the class. "Having problems?"

"A bit." Izuki confessed.

Sakura arrived to where the woman was having problems. The young woman, of around nineteen, was currently distressed over her obvious failure.

"First of all you need to calm down." Sakura told her. "If you are stressed out it won't work. Then focus the energy in your hands."

To show her Sakura took the young woman's hands between her own and began focusing chakra so the student would follow her lead.

Izuki watched in silence as the student followed Sakura's indications and shortly after managed to do the exercise wonderfully.

"Arigato Sakura-sempai." The woman told her.

And the pink-haired kunoichi thought it was rather ironic, as she was way younger than all of the students, and still they called her their superior. It was understandable considering Sakura was more advanced in the medical jutsus than them, but if ages had been involved, well…

"So, is everything ready?" Sakura asked in a low voice to Izuki.

"Hai." Izuki nodded. "Kakashi-kun thought it was a good idea, and Sasuke-kun insists it is going to be useless because Naruto-san will suspect and there will be no surprise, but I still believe it is a good idea."

"I believe Naruto-kun deserves it." Sakura murmured. "I've never known of him celebrating his birthday in any way. A surprise birthday party is just what he needs to see how much we care for him, he's a very good friend of ours. I even got his present ready, it's not big, but I believe he'll like it."

"I too have a present for him, it's not something big, but I believe he'll like it. And Sasuke-kun, I'm sure he'll have one too."

"Are all the guests confirmed?"

"Hai. We won't be many; you, Kakashi-kun, Iruka-san, Shizune-san, Sasuke-kun, I, obviously Naruto-san, and maybe even Tsunade-sensei."

"You take care of the food, ramen obviously; I'll be bringing the cake."

"Hai. Kakashi-kun will get the drinks, Shizune-san cookies, and surely enough Tsunade-sensei will bring the sake."

"She'll never change, will she?"

"Iie, she won't."

"Well, I must leave or I'll be late for the mission." Sakura said as she took a look at her clock. "Sayonara minna-san, Matta ne Izuki-sensei, I'll see you tonight."

Izuki just nodded as Sakura closed the door behind her.

"And now, what are you looking at?" Izuki asked to her students. "Back to your work."

The students immediately nodded and turned back to their dummies, specially done for this kind of classes; the rest of their class passed by without any more interruptions.

.---.

Sakura arrived right in time at the bridge to meet up with her teammates.

"Will you please repeat me what kind of mission is this?" Naruto asked, he seemed a bit bored (not that it is something new).

"Hai." Sakura nodded. "We must go to the Kigiri Residence and help recollect some herbs. They are very important."

"Is this another D-umb mission?" Sasuke asked, not liking the idea.

"Not exactly." Sakura shook her head. "The Kimazuu Family is said to be very important, the last surviving heiress is said to have been apart from the main activity in Konoha and live in isolation in the farthest part of the village for about fourteen years; but apparently her name still grants her the same importance it did before."

Just then Kakashi arrived and told them they had to get going.

"We'll be late if we don't hurry." He told the team.

"We would be already there had you not arrived late, as always." Sakura reprimanded him. "For Kami's sake, you didn't even arrive on time to get the mission, I had to get it."

"I know, I know." Kakashi nodded. "But even if I don't know for whom you're doing this mission no one likes lateness."

"I've heard the woman who hired us is very important." Sakura commented. "I believe her name was Naoko, Kimazuu Naoko."

"What?" Kakashi was in sudden shock.

But the three chuunins were so concentrated in getting to the house on time they didn't seem to notice his change of attitude.

Kakashi immediately took out a piece of paper, wrote a quick note, called a bird and sent it.

"Izuki better receive this soon." Kakashi murmured to himself. "I have a bad feeling about this mission. Kimazuu…"

.---.

Izuki was supervising the therapy of one of the patients when a small bird descended upon her shoulder.

"What do we have here?" Izuki asked with a small smile as she took the small message.

Her smile quickly faded, turned into an expression that could all the same be showing confusion, nervousness our even panic.

"This can't be happening." Was all Izuki murmured before putting the message away, then she turned to a nurse. "Excuse me, I've got to leave early, personal business to attend."

And before the nurse could even answer Izuki took off her white medical robes and left the hospital running as fast as she could.

"I must get there fast." Izuki murmured to herself. "If those two see each other, there will be serious trouble."

.---.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke arrived to the Kimazuu Residence right in time. A servant guided them to the garden and they began recollecting the different herbs. Being Sakura able to use the Cloud Walk she was the appointed one to recollect the leaves that were in high places. Naruto had been assigned the responsibility of taking the herbs and roots at ground-level. And finally Sasuke got them arranged in the different baskets they had been given. Everything was going fine so far.

Kakashi just stood there, apparently supervising his student's work, although his mind was somewhere else.

'Izuki, you better get here soon.' Kakashi thought.

The three teens had done already most of the job when a woman came from the back door of the residence; dressed in a beautiful cream kimono that combined with her short cooper hair and sky-blue eyes, she was surely in her early-thirties. For a moment Kakashi felt he was seeing someone else: a tall woman with the same eyes but long fire-red hair.

"How is everything going?" the woman asked.

"Perfectly fine." Kakashi answered. "It is almost finished."

"Wonderful." The woman said with a smile. "You've been of great help."

"It's a pleasure." Sakura said turning her head while still floating in the air.

And even if the woman seemed suddenly surprised at seeing the pink-haired kunoichi up there she didn't comment about it.

"Oh, but I'm being so impolite." The woman said with a smile. "My name is Kimazuu Naoko. I know your sensei is Hatake Kakashi, and you are?"

"Haruno Sakura." She was the first to introduce herself.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke wasn't too used to introducing himself to those for whom they worked, but he didn't care anyway.

Suddenly Naruto poked his head from behind some bushes in which he had been working, knowing he had to introduce himself.

"And I'm Uzuma…"

"Bakemono!" the woman, Naoko, yelled at him.

"Nani?!" Sakura was suddenly shocked by the woman's reaction.

Naruto's look was of plain hurt.

"Bakemono!" Naoko repeated, almost in rage. "You horrible monster, what are you doing at my home?"

"Why are you calling him monster?" Sakura asked, getting mad at the woman's attitude.

"Because he is a monster!" Naoko yelled at him. "The ni…"

"Stop it Kimazuu-dono." Kakashi said suddenly serious. "You know the rules…"

"To hell with the rules!" Naoko spat. "That monster killed my sister!"

"Iie, he didn't." another voice interrupted.

They all saw as Izuki descended from the sky (she had arrived there Cloud Walking).

"Uchiha Izuki-san…" Naoko whispered. "So it is true you are back."

"I've been back for almost one whole year Naoko-dono." Izuki said seriously. "If you weren't so closed up you would have noticed. And all the same you would have noticed Naruto-san is no monster."

"He is a monster!" Naoko insisted. "The monster that killed my dear sister fourteen years ago: Kushina-onee-sama!"

At this Naruto couldn't handle it any longer and ran away.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled at him, then she turned to Naoko, fire in her eyes. "See what you've done! You had no right to tell him that."

"You know nothing girl." Naoko said angrily.

"I do know Naoko-dono. I know you're being very unfair, with Naruto-san and with yourself." Izuki said seriously yet sadly; then she turned to the other two shinobis. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun, please follow Naruto-san, and if he tries to leave Konoha stop him. I'll catch up with you in a moment."

"Demo…" Sakura began.

"Onegai." Izuki pleaded. "Everything will be explained in a moment. But first you need to go find Naruto-san."

"Come on Sakura-chan." Sasuke said.

The pink-haired kunoichi finally nodded and went up into the sky, using all her senses to locate Naruto's trail and follow it, Sasuke following her on ground.

And meanwhile Izuki turned to Naoko, anger and deception combined shining in her eyes.

"I never imagined you capable of something like this Naoko-dono." Izuki finally commented. "One thing is that you decided to ignore everything happening in the middle of Konoha since fourteen years ago, but from that to yelling at Naruto-san that he is a monster… I never thought you could be that evil."

"I am not evil Izuki-san, I just said what I've always believed." Naoko said calmly, grudge in the depths of her voice. "That boy is nothing but a monster that will one day destroy Konoha as he already tried all those years ago."

"The kyuubi and Naruto-san are two completely different beings Naoko-dono, I thought you were intelligent enough to understand that." Izuki insisted. "Even when one is inside the other, that doesn't mean Naruto-san is the monster the kyuubi was."

"I can't see him as anything else."

"For Kami's sake! He is your own blood! Family! I understand you were hurt all that time ago and chose to get away, but from that to hurting him the way you just did…"

"I did nothing but tell the truth. The Sandaime tried to hide it, but everyone should know, for their own sake."

"That's b******t! I know you are hurt by what happened, but that gives you no right to do what you just did. Kushina-sensei would be really disappointed of you."

"Don't come tell me those things Izuki-san. My anehue died, and it was that boy's fault!"

"I was there that night, remember? Kushina-sensei died because she chose it that way, she chose to give up her life for those she loved: you, Minato-sama, and Naruto-san."

"That Minato was no better either."

"Don't you dare insult him!" Kakashi suddenly stepped in. "I won't let you insult Minato-sensei in my presence."

"It's the truth. All he ever brought to our clan was pain." Naoko insisted. "He took Kushina-onee-sama away from us, married her even when our parents didn't approve of him, she was barely seventeen for God's Sake! …and then she died. Mother died because of the pain of loosing her, and Father was killed in a mission shortly after, and I was given this mission of leading the broken remains of a Clan, when that was my sister's place, not mine."

"Many things happen in life that aren't planned." Izuki said a bit more calm now. "But it all depends in the decisions each of us takes, it was Kushina-sensei's decision to give her life for Minato-sama, and at the same time it was Minato-sama's decision to give his own life for everyone in Konoha. They fought, and died by their own decision, and not Naruto-san's fault."

"You will never understand what I felt when I knew what had happened." Naoko was almost crying. "You will never have an idea what I still feel every morning when I wake up knowing she isn't here anymore."

Kakashi was about to say something, but Izuki was faster:

"Maybe not." Izuki's voice was a bit sarcastic. "But I know how I felt when I found out my older brother had murdered almost everyone in my clan. And I know what I feel every morning when I wake up knowing none of them are here anymore." She sighed. "Yet I also know that my brother is here, Sasuke-kun, and even if just for that, my life is worth it. I am not alone, and neither are you, you have Naruto-san, if you just gave him the chance…"

Naoko didn't answer to this.

"Come on Kakashi-kun." Izuki said turning to her boyfriend. "We have to go."

"Let's hope Sakura and Sasuke have found Naruto." Kakashi said.

"I'm sure they did." Izuki assured. "We need to catch up with them. We need to have some serious talk with all three of them."

Kakashi just nodded.

And without even a goodbye the two of them left.


Before anyone says it, I know this is WAY out of current cannon. But it follows my own, as established during the story 'Izuki' so, if things don't fit current series, that's way; that's also why some things may be different regarding the past of a few characters as well. The thing is, I had already written this fic when some things were finally revealed in the ánime, and while I try to adapt my own story to fit what had been revealed, it is likely that I missed one or more points. Hope you won't mind. I decided to upload this fic anyway because, well, I had written it already and decided that maybe someone out there wouldn't mind the differences and like the story anyway. Hope I'm right.

Please leave me some reviews!

See ya next chapter!