I do not own any Naruto characters or settings.  I only own my OC, Akuma Izoku.

WARNING:  This chapter contains intense events of blood and violent descriptions.  

I hope you enjoy the story of Izoku, Avenger of the Akuma Clan of the Village Hidden in the Shadows!

~~~*~~~

Izoku tossed in her bed, the cold dungeon air seeping into the thin canvas blanket that covered her aching body. The Kuraikage had demanded she use and practice her jutsus right after she had made her end of the deal. It was a long four hours filled with rabid eyes and snapping jaws. Though Yondaime knows a lot, no one knows about Izoku's Third Demon, the contract she had made on the way to Konoha that first time, stumbling and falling multiple times. She could not control her tremendous Chakra any longer, and she accidentally entered herself in the Demon world for the third time.

“Who dares enter the realm of Demons?” a booming voice yowled from the darkness before her.

“M-me...” a five year old Izoku squeaked. “Akuma-sama, it's me. Akuma Izoku.”

“Akuma Izoku?” the Demon king laughed. “Why, it's only been just a year since you've been here! Why have you come back?”

“I-I don't know...” Izoku shied away, biting her lip. “I was fleeing my village when I collapsed, and now I'm here.”

“Well,” the Demon king scoffed. “You know your ticket out of here.”

“Hai,” Izoku murmured. “My life or a contract to a High Demon,”

“Exactly,” Akuma boomed. “Only you, in the last three hundred years, have been able to enter the Demon Realm willingly and exit alive. Now you're going to attempt to do it again; are you sure you want to do this?”

Izoku hesitated.

“My my,” the Demon king sneered. “The prodigy Akuma Izoku is backing down? That certainly doesn't look good on the reputation of the now extinct Akuma Clan.”

Izoku's head snapped up to the darkness above her.

“How do you know about that?” she snarled.

“I am the Demon king,” Akuma growled. “I know everything that has to do with the Akuma Clan. They have been bound to this realm since the first human Akuma arrived here five hundred years ago. The connections of Chakra had greatly depleted twelve years ago, and only a particular thick strand of Chakra was left bound to this realm; this strand of Chakra was yours, Izoku.”

“Hai, hai.” Izoku crossed her arms. “I know about the Connection. Let's get on with the contract already.”

“Oh?” the King chuckled. “Suddenly bold; the Izoku that I had met only a year ago remains the same, I see.”

“I will always remain my own self,” Izoku vowed, her eyes lowering. “And you, Akuma-sama, have not changed one bit, either.”

“It's only been a year in the Human World,” the King chuckled. “In here, it's more like two snaps and a blink and boom! You're back already, asking for more like your greedy ancestors have done over and over. The most contracts ever made with one Akuma was your great-great-great grandfather, Akuma Seiei, with five demons. You, my dear, have four so far. Are you really sure you want to make another one? Even your poor old man wasn't able to muster up the Chakra to summon even one Hellhound; and now here you have three, with your guardian shinigami to enhance your already sharp skills. You have enough power, don't you think, Akuma Izoku? A child with this much strength certainly cannot be human.”

“The contract.” the five year old growled as she faced forward, her eyes glued to the darkness. “Who do you have in mind for my contract?”

“Ahh.” the Demon king rumbled, his deep snarls rippling from the dark void. “You see, I have a wonderful patron in mind. He's powerful, and he's always admired your power. Your tiny body holds immense Chakra, Akuma Izoku. So I myself would like to make a deal with you.”

“You?” Izoku frowned. “Why should I take you?”

“Foolish little girl,” the Demon king rasped. “I can give you power beyond anyone's belief. The strength I could give you will blow everyone off their feet, knock them down and kill every last one of them with just one breath. I could take on the power of the Fourth Kuraikage, who is indeed the most powerful Kage the world has ever seen.”

“And the catch?” Izoku lifted her chin and pointed accusingly at the darkness in front of her. “There's a catch, isn't there?!”

“Your side of the deal.” Akuma let out an amused growl, deep and earsplitting. “Is to give me the one thing you that is most important to you.”

Izoku scrunched her fists together in rage.

“I have no one.” Izoku forced a strangled sound through her tightly clenched teeth. “There is nothing I love in this world anymore.”

“You will owe me, then.” the Demon king rumbled. “If we make this contract, the next time you summon me, you will give me the one thing you absolutely adore the most.”

The foolish girl snapped her head up again and shouted with all of the fury in the world.

“Akuma-sama, King of the Demon Realm!” she screeched as a jet of fire circled around her, glowing amber, gold, and a flashing scarlet. Her long black hair flew in all directions, her eyes glimmered and glared a murderous crimson, shimmering like orbs of hot boiling blood. “I will make the contract with you! Make me your master, and I will make you my Third Contractor!”

The Demon king let out a low rumble, his giant glowing magma eyes the size of her head flashed in front of her, monstrous and huge. The magma orbs swirled in a boiling golden circle, threatening to burn anything in its path. His black stone fangs unearthed behind his giant charred lips that curled back into a scorching grin. Ribbons of yellow and orange flames flickered from his curled maw, sparks flying everywhere as he ripped another deep growl, his voice gurgling and bubbling like lava.

“Make this a Demon Blood Oath,” he rasped. “When the Blood Oath is made, I will be enslaved to you, just as I was five hundred years ago to the First Demon Contractor: Akuma Yokoshimaru. I, the greak King Akuma, as your demon, will lend you my extensive powers whenever requested, and I will protect your body at any cost. This is the Contract of the Demons, bound to the master bearing the high surname of Akuma.”

“As heir to the head family of the Akuma Clan.” Izoku's scarlet eyes flashed. She unsheathed a kunai knife and slashed her palm diagonally. The thick, dark blood dripped in massive streams from her tiny child hand; she held it up towards the giant demon. “I make this contract with you, Akuma-sama, King of the Demon Realm!”

The King opened his mouth, gaping as the giant orange flames lapped at the body of the little girl. The blood on her hand bubbled and burned, making her scream as the jet of fire swirling around her intensified. Hand still extended, Izoku tossed her head upward, screaming at the black nothingness that rose above her, the flames dancing a haunting dance that closed in around her. The fire entered her through the deep cut on her hand, her pale skin blackening and cracking as the fire spread all over her body; her shrieks could be heard from the Human World. Izoku fell to her bony knees, the burning skin cracking and flying into the churning hot air in hand-sized shreds.

Her flesh sizzled and her blood dripped from the ripped crevasses of her skin, charred and black. Her neck strained as she released more screeches of pain, the blackness rising up to her shoulders. Sparks popped and gleamed, taunting the little girl with the slight flickering. The funnel of fire wrapped around her scorched body, the blackness veining up to reach her eyes. Izoku's mouth dried up as her throat was burnt black, her screams turning into violent coughs that drew up massive amounts of blood. Her crimson eyes drew wide as her body was succumbed to the contract, her completely cauterized and scalded five year old body toppling to the side. She hit the hard dark ground, her entire being disintegrating into black ash as a mysterious and ominous wind blew the singed remains away.

Oni spread his already wide smile even broader, the long stone fangs glimmering in the dying flames. His laugh echoed grimly through the darkness of his realm, loud and victorious as a giant lizard foot smashed into the ground. His ridged claws scratched at the rock below him, the giant open veins of glowing magma jetted up to his long craning neck, covered in massive shards of black volcanic rock. His second clawed foot crushed into the ground, followed by a heavy third and a lumbering forth. His colossus, thick tail snaked out from the darkness, melting away from the void that encased him. The tail demolished the hard ground as it slammed into it, slithering around like a stone-armored serpent. Thick currents of flowing magma bubbled and crackled in large, hand-sized veins down to the sharp, spiked tip of the stone tail. It curled up into a striking position and then smashed down into the rocks, digging a deep ditch into the rock.

Oni slammed down his front clawed foot as he let out a deep roar.

“Akuma Izoku!” he called out into the void, her black ashes flying everywhere around him. He spewed out a jet of gurgling magma, the molten rock dripping down his rocky fangs. “Your contract has been made! Next time I meet you, I will take the thing most precious to you by force!”

~~~*~~~

“Your mission,” the Hokage's booming voice rang through the silent rooftop. The cold night air chilled the dozens of shinobi to the bone. “Is to stop the Shadow ninja from reaching Konoha! You will protect the citizens of these villagers of you home with your life, as a true Leaf ninja!”

“Hai!” The deep booming call of all of the shinobi echoed through the silent night.

“Squad leaders have been assigned; this is a war we're entering. Keep going and move ahead. Ike!”

The sound of an unnatural wind blew from the rooftop, Sandaime left with his two ANBU guards. They pushed off the stone roof last, following the dozens of shinobi who advanced northward.

Kakashi clenched his jaw as he followed Niramu, Bimu, Reza, and Toge. His back pouch was filled with kunai, explosive tags, smoke bombs, and wire. The case on his right leg packed with shuriken. Tucked in his light gray ANBU vest were three scrolls.

Izoku... Kakashi pushed off a branch, hearing the wood crack under his incredible strength. I'm coming to get you.

~~~*~~~

“Show me your power,” the Kuraikage demanded simply, her eyes half-closed in a murderous glare.

“Hai.” Izoku bowed to her slightly and stepped back. She weaved together a great strand of hand seals, muttering grimly to herself as each sign was secured.

“Ryu...Tora...Inu...Saru...Hebi...Nezumi...Hebi...Tora...Inu...Uma...Ousu buta...Saru...Oushi...Ohitsuji...Ryu...Hebi...Tora...Tora...Saru...Inu...Nezumi...Ryu!” Her bloody eyes flashed. “Demon Summoning Jutsu!”

Her entire body was engulfed in bloody red smoke, fuming with tongues of scarlet flames. Two Hellhounds leaped from the cloud of smoke, their glowing eyes glinting a curse that only a creature from Hell could possess. Tasatsu's bloody eyes glowed, Ranmyaku's sightless black orbs glazing over in with a shiny film. The smoke cleared, revealing the raven-haired kunoichi on the back of a hideous, hairless creature that bore kunai-length fangs. Its bare brows cast shadows over its empty eye sockets that had nothing in them but a small orb of amber flame floating inside. Its bony body, tightly covered in an inky black skin that shined in the deathly-pale moonlight, rippled as it let out a nasty snarl.

“Zetsumei,” Izoku murmured as she stroked the Hound's smooth neck skin. Her rouge eyes glistened as her voice suddenly hardened. “Atakku.”

The monster roared, its maw stretching out at a grossly wide angle. The inky, almost wispy skin on its mouth stretched and ripped into gaping holes on its thinly covered cheeks, revealing rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. Izoku leaped off of the Hound's back, the monster lunging towards the Kuraikage. It snapped at the empty air with is thick fangs, Yondaime speeding behind the beast and stabbing it deeply with a kunai knife. Zetsumei let out a pained whimper and then growled, whipping around to catch the Kuraikage's hand in its maw. Her eyes widened as she tried to free her hand, impressed by its speed.

The wound on Zetsumei's hindquarters dripped massive amounts of a black substance, splashing to the ground in large clumps and then splattering on the concrete below in dark black pools of a thick oily liquid. The kunai was pushed out of its body, the wound closing on itself and a new layer of the inky dark skin, thin and fragile-looking, emerged. Zetsumei's flame eyes, which were marble-sized before, had grown into a raging wildfire, filling the dark sockets with a bright gold and orange flame. A low snarl ripped from its throat, its jaw closing even more tightly around the Kuraikage's wrist. Drawing another kunai, she slashed the Hellhound's muzzle, the oily black liquid pouring out once more. Zetsumei let go of her hand, splattered in her own burgundy blood and in the creature's staining black fluid. The Hound shrieked as it snapped its eyes, burning and scorching with hate, up to her and prepared to lunge.

“Zetsumei!” Izoku called from behind the Hound, her arms crossed and a bored expression plaguing her pale face. Her cruel crimson eyes glowed an unnatural sheen that reminded the Kuraikage of the blood-soaked streets of the Akuma neighborhood twelve years ago. The Hound, hearing its master's threatening voice, drew back, curling its lips into an ugly snarl as it backed away slowly, the black liquid still dripping from its muzzle.

The Kuraikage turned her attention to her injured hand.

“You should clean the Hound's blood off.” Izoku advised as she stroked the heads of the other two Hellhounds on either side of her. “It can kill you if it seeps into a wound and lingers for more than five minutes; it possesses a deadly venom that is activated by my own Chakra.”

“Can't you deactivate it, then?” the woman growled at the demon.

“Once it reaches the air of the Human World.” Izoku buried her nose into Tasatsu's shaggy mane. She took a big whiff of the Hound's fur; it smelled of blood and death. “I can only delay the process of the blood eating up the body it has entered; the maximum amount of time a person can live with the blood inside of them, without me activating its true lethality, is about five minutes.”

“Well come over here and clean it out of me then!” Yondaime demanded, her voice struggling to keep from quivering.

Izoku bowed slightly and blinked.

“Hai,” she murmured.

She swiped her hand in front of her once, a dark green flame appearing on her fingertips. Izoku strode up to the convulsing Kuraikage and snatched up her injured hand, making the woman flinch. Izoku jammed her inflamed fingers into the deep bite wound, causing the Kuraikage to let out a shriek. The two ANBU who stood close behind them began to advance on Izoku. The girl snapped her attention to them, her green flame still inside the wound.

“If you don't want her to die,” Izoku rumbled, her crimson eyes flashing. “You will leave this to me; otherwise, you're free to kill me.”

The two ANBU froze in place, their fists clamped into tight fists. Izoku scoffed and turned her attention back to the Kuraikage. The green flame separated the black oily fluid from the blood, the substance flowing out of the wound in thick streams, dripping down the Kuraikage's fingers. The woman shut her eyes, squeezing them tightly as she struggled to breathe evenly.

“Being the Kuraikage.,” Izoku smirked, deactivating the green flame and pulling her blood-soaked fingers out of the rapidly healing wound, “I expected you to endure more pain than a mere bite.”

“That beast.” The Kuraikage ground her teeth together. “Is something not from this world; it rivals even my power and brings me pain that no mortal could even inflict upon me.”

“Don't flatter yourself.” Izoku scowled. “I've experienced the pain of Hellhound blood eating my body before. That pain would never rival the agony you inflicted upon me when you murdered my clan.”

The Kuraikage smirked.

“Do you know why I did it, Izoku-chan?” she chuckled, her black eyes glinting in the low light.

Izoku stared down at her, jaw clenched.

“Why did you do it, Yondaime-sama.” Izoku forced the title from her throat.

“The Akuma Clan,” she started to laugh, "was a clan that threatened the end of my reign over the Land of Shadows. I saw it as a waste to let all of them go, so ordered for the youngest, most naive, and the not to mention the most talented of the clan to be captured and survive; unfortunately, my plan was altered by your hasty escape twelve years ago.  Nevertheless, your power is not to be compared to any other, and I am finally able to use you as one of my pawns. Your help will be one of my crutches that will aid me in gaining the world. After I'm done and the world is mine, I will dispose of you like I did with your filthy clan.”

Izoku threw a hard punch. The sickening crack rang through the empty forest. The ANBU beside the Kuraikage swept past the frozen woman, her head turned to the side sharply. The nin grabbed Izoku, a kunai knife pressed against her soft throat. Her chest heaved as her violet eyes stared at the Kuraikage, filled with rage and hate. The woman's shoulders began to jerk, her mouth curling up into an amused smile.

“We're on a deal,” she chuckled. “Have you forgotten? Or shall I turn back on my word and order the boy to be brought in here for some good old-fashioned torturing?”

The Kuraikage's voice lowered to a husky growl at the last word, emphasizing her violent and cruel intentions.

“Gomen'nasai, Yondaime-sama.” Izoku clenched her jaw and bowed deeply to the woman, her hands tightened into fists.

“That's what I thought.” She smirked, throwing a punch into the girl's stomach. Izoku coughed and toppled over on her side, clutching her abdomen.

She growled, only slightly however, swallowing back the urge to vocalize a hateful comment.

“Now.” the Kuraikage turned around and motioned for her ANBU bodyguards to come forth. “Let's go back to the mansion, shall we?”

Izoku pushed herself up slowly with shaky arms as the three nin walked away. She coughed and sniffed, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Izoku stood, her fists balled up and her eyes crimson with loathing and filled with a murderous intent.

I'm doing this for Kakashi.  Izoku sighed as she closed her eyes. It's for his safety. As long as he's okay, this deal will not have been made in vain. The raven-haired kunoichi opened her eyes, now violet as they reflected the pale moonlight that streamed down from the velvety night sky. The ash clouds loomed over the city, the soft gray flakes floating down in somber clumps. Izoku sighed again and then jogged forward, catching up with the Kuraikage. The south gate was a fifteen minute walk from the area they had gathered at.

Izoku gazed around, the slim branches reaching out in all directions like skeletal hands. The cold night wind whistled against the naked trees, swirling the loose ash on the ground and making the branches wave. The deathly pale moon shone over the valley, the volcano that loomed over the dead basin was capped thick with the ashes of its past eruptions. Izoku closed her eyes again, taking in the serene silence and the peace that she knew would not last long. A faint, unnatural rustle on air penetrated her ears. Her violet eyes snapped open.

No...

The Kuraikage stopped in her tracks, her head tilted down and her thin lips curled into a cruel smile.

“One of you go back to the village and round up the ANBU and Jonin.” she ordered the nin beside her. A black-haired man on her right quickly leaped up into the trees and sped towards the south gate. The Kuraikage turned to the ANBU on her left. “Stay here with Akuma-san and make sure she does her job.” And with that, Yondaime followed her ANBU back to In'ei.

The nin left behind, possessing light brown hair and a purple crow mask, turned to Izoku. The girl just nodded.

“I know.” she murmured solemnly. She closed her eyes and rapidly weaved a series of hand seals. “Ryu... Tora... Inu... Saru... Hebi... Nezumi... Hebi... Tora... Inu... Uma... Ousu buta... Saru... Oushi... Ohitsuji... Ryu... Hebi... Tora... Tora... Saru... Inu... Nezumi... Ryu! Demon Summoning Jutsu!” Her crimson eyes flared as she slammed her hand on the thin trunk of a nearby tree. The red smoke erupted from the bark, three snarling Hellhounds jumping out. Their eyes gleamed in the night, their pelts rippling in the moonlight.

“You will protect the Kuraikage,” the ANBU reminded her. “And you will fulfill her wishes; take down these Leaf ninja.”

“Hai.” Izoku dipped her head and climbed onto Zetsumei's bony back. Her crimson eyes faced forward, towards the ninja who were advancing on In'ei. “Tasatsu, Ranmyaku, Zetsumei....atakku.”

The three Hounds charged, their large paws light as they raced towards the group of ninja. Izoku slowly let herself be succumbed to the power of her clan, her eyes glowing brighter with every step. She clung onto Zetsumei's massive shoulders, crouching as she felt the night air freeze her nose and cheeks. The Hounds' paws barely grazed the ground as they approached the patrol of nin.

Izoku leaped off of the Hellhound's back as the three pounced, attacking the Leaf nin. They tackled three ANBU, the party of shinobi taking refuge in the trees as the three who were brought down fought for their lives. All eyes rested on her, standing behind the three Hounds, her bloody eyes glowing an alarming red. Kunai and shuriken whistled their way towards her, but Izoku jumped to the side, easily dodging them.

“I didn't think you would actually do it,” a raspy voice called from the trees.

She smirked.

“I did what I had to, Sandaime-sama.” Izoku dipped her head.

“You don't have to do this,” the old man pleaded. “You can still escape your past, like you have done these past twelve years. We will help you, I promise you that.”

“You don't understand,” Izoku snarled. “You have sentenced yourself to death by coming here. The Shadow nin will destory you all; I had to make this deal to save the one I love.”

“Izo-chan...” a warm, familiar voice called from the branches. Izoku's chest heaved as she let out a choked sound. “Please don't do this...”

“Kakashi-kun...” Izoku dipped her head down, her hair cascading down her shoulders and covering her face. “I will protect you, no matter what it costs me.”

“No,” he said, suddenly firm. “I am going to protect you. I'm going to go and silence the Fourth Kuraikage once in for all; for you.”

“You can't,” Izoku whispered, tears falling from the corners of her shut eyes. “You will all be destroyed, and I made this deal with her to ensure you will survive.”

“Deal?” Kakashi jumped down from the branches, his masked face illuminated by the pale moonlight. “What deal?”

Izoku lifted up her face, her crimson eyes fading their glow.

“The Demon Blood Oath...” Izoku whispered. Everyone recoiled, gasps filling the silent night; the Hounds had retreated behind Izoku, the three ninja clutching their wounds as they went up into the trees. “Korosu made the deal himself through my own body; it is done. Only a fool would break this oath.”

“Izoku...” Kakashi reached out towards her.

Zetsumei snapped his jaws at him, making the silver-haired shinobi jump back. Izoku took a shaky breath, her tears dripping from her chin. She unclasped her closed fists and wove a sacred string of hand signs. Everyone held their breaths, unsheathing their kunai and crouching in attacking position.

“Ryu...Tora...Oushi...Ousu buta...” Izoku murmured as she stared at Kakashi, the tears streaming from her now intensifying eyes.

“Izoku...” Kakashi's voice shook. “Please...”

“Hebi...Ryu...Hebi...Tora...Saru!” Izoku slammed her hands together, her hot tears dripping on the ground as she screeched into the dark night. “Demon Summoning Jutsu!”

The Hokage yelled out in disbelief; regretfully, he sent his ninja to attack.

Leaf nin emerged from all directions, throwing kunai with explosive tags and shuriken tied to wire. Izoku took one last look at Kakashi, who stood a few meters in front of her, his ANBU mask in his hand. She studied the expression of loss and pain in his paler face, drained from any hope or happiness in the world. With one final heave of a breath in her sanity, Izoku was swallowed up into the darkness.

Explosions and the sound of metal embedding into flesh ripped through the silence. The smoke filled the area, all of the ninja jumping back into the trees to watch what would happen next. Kakashi bounded off onto a high branch, watching over the scene with an onyx eye filled with sorrow.

The smoke was thick, the ash that flew up into the air lingering as all of the ninja watched intently. The Hokage stared into the sphere of gray smoke, his face wiped from any speck of emotion.

Run... a voice murmured inside her head. Run, or you'll all be destroyed...

The last of her sanity dripped away as the ash suddenly ripped away by a massive stream of air. The branches snapped in the strong wind, knocking a few shinobi over as everyone else covered their eyes for protection. The wind died down, everyone snapped their gazes to the center of the disaster.

A massive dome of blackness, dripping with an oily substance, resided in the middle. There was silence once more, stares of disbelief stabbing into the sight before them. The dome began to shift, sickening snaps and nasty gurgling noises emerging from the changing dome. It morphed into a horse-sized beast, its fiery golden eyes staring up into the trees with amusement.

A girl with long raven hair stood strong and sturdy, her hands clasped into a single hand seal.

“Ninja Art: Dome of Hell!” Izoku snarled. The three Hellhounds beside her ripped into gurgling growls.

The ninja all stared at her in shock.

Izoku smirked.

“My turn.” She clamped a fist tightly and placed a flat palm over it. She slowly pulled her hand out from under her palm, her fist clutching a dark sword emerging from the shadows.

“That can't be...” the Hokage stared in awe. “It's...”

“Ninja Art: Keeper of the Phantom Katana!” Izoku sliced into the empty air. She got into a fighting stance, her sword held above her head as her other hand extended out in front of her, her two fingers up. She let out a slow breath from her pursed lips. Behind the girl, the shinigami Korosu, in which only she could see, loomed over her.

“Izoku...” Kakashi murmured from the tree.

The ninja, afraid of injuring their former teammate, froze in place. Izoku's glowing red eyes flickered from left to right, her Hellhounds snarling at her sides. Nothing broke the silence by the rapid heartbeats of the Leaf nin, Izoku's own heart rate accelerating as she readied herself for the attack to come.

The first kunai was thrown, and the battle began.

~~~*~~~

COMMENT, ONEGAI!  Please vote and follow me!  And as always, thanks for reading!