Chapter 2 - Reunion in Flames

Several minutes later, the group was making its way down one of Konoha’s main streets toward the South Gate. Naruto and Sakura had gone to notify the other clans, but Hinata and Lee had decided to accompany Mikon and Izumi to the meeting place. Due to Lee’s crutch and the bad limp in his right leg, the group was making slow progress, but they were moving none the less. After several more minutes, the village’s southern wall, and its massive open gate, came into view and Izumi was able to see that a large crowd had gathered there.

As they came closer, Izumi stopped in her tracks. The single large crowd could now be seen as two distinct groups, facing off in the small square. Her own Kajihana Clan was on one side, with its many wagons and carts fully loaded and Mina and Toramaru standing at the front. On the other side was a mixed gathering of many shinobi, apparently the representatives that Naruto had mentioned, since he and Sakura were also among their number. What surprised Izumi the most however, was who was in front of this group of shinobi, facing off against her parents. It was none other than her younger brother, Akai, standing right next to Lady Tsunade herself.

“Izumi?” asked Mikon after a moment, having stopped the group when he noticed his sister had paused. The sound of his voice snapped Izumi out of her shock and the group continued forward into the square. Izumi could not help but think that she had something to do with this confrontation.

Her fears were confirmed when everyone in the square turned and looked at her when she, Mikon, Hinata, and Lee came into view. Though one of the last to notice, Akai quickly ran over and wrapped his sister in an embrace.

“Oh, Izumi,” he said, tears in his eyes as he backed off, “thank you. When I first found you and watched that Akatsuki stab you, I thought that was it.” He wrapped her in another tight hug and she returned it to him, tears coming to her eyes as well. Then he released her and took a few steps back, allowing a young girl, about ten years old, to run up and basically tackle Izumi.

“Hana?” asked Izumi after a few moments, realizing that it was her little cousin who was hugging her. When Hana nodded, Izumi wrapped her in tight hug. The last time she had seen Hana was back in the caves where the Akatsuki had kept them, just before being taken to the chamber with the stone table. She had thought Hana might be dead. After a few moments, Hana also released her and Izumi looked up to see the two other people that had been left in the cave, Hana’s parents.

“Uncle Meikou, Aunt Kawaii!” she said, before offering them each a considerably more respectful hug than the one she had given to Hana.

“Thank you, Izumi,” said Kawaii as she released her niece from her hug, tears pouring down her cheeks, “if it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know what would have happened to my little Hana, thank you.” Her words caused Izumi to remember how the Akatsuki had come into the cave and grabbed Hana, prepared to take her like they had taken Roan and Matsu. She remembered how she had stood up to them and told them to take her instead, how the Akatsuki had seemed to be in a hurry, and how the Akatsuki had agreed to take her instead rather than have a struggle with Meikou, who had risen to fight them off of his daughter. She bowed to her aunt to show her that the gratitude was acknowledged.

“Do you know what happened to Roan and Matsu?” Izumi asked next. Kawaii looked as if she wanted to respond, but she was unable to do so. Izumi looked down when she realized what that likely meant.

“The Akatsuki sealed demons inside them,” replied Akai sternly when Meikou also couldn’t bring himself to answer, to which Izumi gasped. “They attacked me and the others on the rescue team, and we had already taken them out before I recognized them.” Izumi could tell from the anger in Akai’s voice that he had beaten himself up over that. Roan and Matsu had been two of his closest friends in the clan.

“Don’t worry about it, Akai,” said Meikou as he laid a hand on his nephew’s shoulder, “they would be glad that you survived. They would not have wanted to go on living possessed.” Akai slumped his shoulders at his uncle’s words, and Izumi walked over and hugged her brother again.

“You see!” shouted an angry voice from the crowd around them and Izumi looked up, shocked to realize that it was her father, Toramaru, that had shouted. He was glaring at Lady Tsunade, but then suddenly turned to glare angrily at Izumi. “How else would she already moving about? You yourself said that she should be out for at least a week!” he added as he turned back to face the Hokage.

“Just because she recovered quickly does not make her a demon-host!” replied Tsunade angrily, “There could be many other factors involved.” Even though it sounded like the Hokage was defending her, Izumi was filled with a sense of dread at Tsunade’s words. She was suddenly back inside one of her memories, staring at a figure of pure, sage colored energy as it swirled over her where she was chained to the stone table. Thinking of what she now knew had happened to Roan and Matsu, she stared into this swirling creature’s eyes, eyes that had been full of anger, fear, and power all at once. She fell to her knees and stared at the ground, somehow knowing that what the Hokage denied was true.

“Izumi!” shouted both Akai and Mikon, and both were instantly at her side, kneeling beside her.

“There!” shouted Toramaru, pointing at the three siblings, Izumi in particular, “it’s the shame of knowing what she is!” He glared at Izumi with a look that those around could only describe as disgust.

“I’m telling you,” rebuked Tsunade, “the Akatsuki would not seal a demon inside her only to try and kill her!”

“Well, we’re not willing to take the chance,” shouted someone behind Toramaru, and the entirety of the Kajihana Clan erupted into cheers of assent. Akai and Mikon glared at their clan with a look that rivaled Toramaru’s gaze on Izumi, and Izumi simply stared at the clan with her mouth hanging open, stunned at the thought of what she knew they were about to do. Toramaru glared into Izumi’s face.

“Izumi,” he said loudly, “as acting leader of the Kajihana Clan, I hereby banish you, on the grounds that you are believed to be a demon-host.” He and the rest of the clan turned away from her as he finished, refusing to acknowledge her existence any longer.

“No!” she shouted in despair as she ran up to Toramaru and fell to the ground at his feet and grabbed the hem of his formal robe, “Father, you can’t do this to me!” Tears waterfalled down her face as Toramaru pulled his hem out of her grasp.

“Get away from me, scum,” he shouted as he raised his hand and made to slap Izumi across the face. Almost immediately, Akai and several of the other shinobi present, including Iruka, Kakashi, Temari, and Taka, were at Izumi’s side, ready to defend her. But before any of them could react, however, a tree root leapt up from the ground and blocked Toramaru’s hand. Toramaru stared at it with fear in his eyes for only a moment before recoiling and quickly backing away, as did the other members of the Kajihana Clan that were around him. Akai knelt next to his sister as Mikon, Meikou, Kawaii, and Hana came running up as well.

“You see!” shouted Mina as she wrapped an arm around her husband, “she is a demon! There’s no denying it now.” She turned to the clan assembled behind her and added, “The banishment stands!” The clan erupted in agreement, many jeering at Izumi and others merely chanting Mina’s words.

“Then you will have to banish me as well!” shouted Mikon as he stepped in front of his sister in an attempt to shield her from the jeering.

“And me,” added Akai, as he stood and stepped up next to his brother, allowing Hana to kneel next to Izumi and place a hand on her cousin’s shoulder.

“And my family as well,” added Meikou, his arm wrapped around his wife, “we would not be here if not for Izumi. We wont abandon her.” Izumi, still staring wild-eyed at the root that had leapt out of the ground to defend her, said nothing.

“Then banished you all are,” said Toramaru after he regained his composure, “if you would rather side with a demon than with your own kin, then we have no need of you.”

“That’s enough!” shouted Lady Tsunade, silencing all those present. She turned and stared at Toramaru. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this, but you if you would so cruelly abandon your own clansmen, then I have no choice.” She then turned and addressed the gathered shinobi behind her.

“You all know of what I speak,” she said to them, “to do it I must have the approval of the village’s shinobi clans. Do I have your approval?” As she finished, Shikamaru stepped forward, glancing at his father who then nodded.

“I speak for the entirety of the Nara Clan,” he said, addressing Tsunade, “you have our approval.”

“Hyuga gives its approval as well,” added Neji, standing in front of Lord Hiashi.

“And Aburame,” added Shino, surrounded by his family.

“And Inuzuka,” shouted Kiba, standing between his mother and sister.

“Hatake,” said Kakashi softly.

“Haruno,” added Sakura.

“Akamichi.”

“Sarutobi.”

“Yamanaka.”

“Umino.”

“Morino.”

“Yuhi.”

“Areno,” shouted Taka, to which Tsunade just smiled. Temari placed a hand on her student’s shoulder. This wasn’t their issue.

“Uzumaki!” shouted Naruto.

Several others started to shout the name of their clan but Tsunade held up a hand to stop them.

“That is enough,” she shouted to the gathering of ninja. Then she smiled as she turned and faced Toramaru and the rest of the Kajihana Clan once again. “The village has spoken! As Hokage, I hereby banish the Kajihana clan from the Village Hidden in the Leaves!”

“Very well,” said Toramaru, “if you would harbor a demon-host, with no concern for your own people, then the Kajihana Clan will have nothing to do with you. Move out!” he added to his clansmen as he turned around.

Izumi, finally taking her eyes off of the tree root, just stared as her clan, her entire world, filed out the village gate without a second thought, abandoning her.

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