The Black Leaf (Part 1)

Chapter 2: The Nine Tails Attack

Less than a year has passed since my mother died, and my father trained me as much as possible. He taught me all the Water Justus he knew, even the forbidden ones. He wanted me to become a fine shinobi and to be able to defend myself in case something happened to him. I started the academy and even though I wasn't as bright as Itachi, I was still considered one of the best students of my class. I asked my father if I could graduate early with Itachi, but he refused, he said I was too young to become a Genin. My father really hated the idea of me being friends with Itachi or being close to any Uchiha at all, I didn't blame him.

He told me my mother's story. She left the Uchiha clan to be with my father, and that made a lot of people angry. She was set to marry the younger brother of the head of the clan, but when she ended the engagement, she was treated badly. Her father thought she brought dishonor to the Uchiha clan, and she was forced to leave.

She eventually married my father who always loved her and treated her well. My mother always kept a good relationship with her sister Hae and her best friend Mikoto out in the village, but she never returned to the Uchiha district. My father was in charge of the Torture and Interrogation force, and he often did very dangerous and long missions. My mother and I spend most of our time at home making remedies and growing herbs for medicine, that is why I never met Hae or Mikoto until after my mother was murder.

My father was going to start working in the village with the Fourth Hokage as his advisor. That made me really happy because it meant that he was going to be home more often. We were going to spend more time together and train more.

"Is uncle Ibiki coming to work with you?" I asked my father. Ibiki Morino was my father's second man in charge and they have known each other since when they were little, they were like brothers.

"No, Ibiki is actually taking over my old job," my father said holding my hand as we walked home "he will be busy but I'm sure we will come visit us." Once we turned towards our house, I noticed that my father gripped my hand tighter. I looked up to see what he was seeing and my aunt Hae was standing outside our house. "What brings you here Hae?" my father asked casually.

"I brought something for Izumi," she said handing me a book of pictures of my mom's family. "I found it," she said with excitement.

"It's mom's family picture book," I shouted in excitement looking at my father, who just nodded.

"Asahi, it's Shisui's birthday in a few days," she told my father, "he wants to go eat by the river, can she come?" My father was quiet for a while, thinking of his answer, then looked at me flipping the pages of the book in excitement.

"That's fine," he said opening the door, "Izu, say bye to aunt Hae."

"Bye, untie, thank you for my book," I said giving her a hug and I running inside.

Later, that night we were eating dinner when an AMBU member knocked at our door, he talked to my father and left.

"Is everything okay?" I asked before taking the last bite of my rice ball.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about," my father said. 

"Are you sure?" I asked looking outside the window, "something doesn't feel right." 

"You are just like your mother," he said smiling, "everything is fine, Izu." We finished eating and he helped me with my homework. Then I took a shower, and I was getting ready to go to bed, when a loud roar and something what seemed like an explosion shook our house.

"Daaad" I screamed as I ran out to the kitchen where he was working, "what was that?" I clenched to his arm.

"This is not good," he said picking me up and running outside towards the center of the village. There were people running, people bleeding, there was smoke and dust everywhere. My father put me down and pulled me behind him. He immediately got to work and put out a fire in front of us with his water jutsu. As soon as the fire was out, he clapped his hands together creating a wind current that dissipated the smoke and the dust. That was when we saw what was causing the commotion.

"Izumi, hurry, get out of here," my father said as I run and clenched on his arm.

"No, please you don't have to go," I begged him as I saw the evil fox with the nine tails at the entrance of the village. He was destroying everything on its way and as a shinobi my father needed to go and help protect the village.

"Izu, I will be back soon," he said giving me a kiss on my forehead. "Please, just hurry and go to the evacuation area," he hugged me one last time and headed towards the Fox. I wanted to run to the evacuation site, but I couldn't, I couldn't leave my father behind. I stayed close and hid behind a tree. I saw from far away how my father used his water jutsu to protect the village. It was impressive to see him in action, he used his water barrier to protect innocents from different attacks.

All the shinobi, including my father, struggle to keep the Fox from the Village. I gasped as I saw my father up on the village's gate in front of the fox. He waited for the fox to get closer and started to wave some familiar signs. "Forbidden release: body control," I whispered in complete shock, as I realized that my father was about to sacrifice his life. The body control jutsu was only deadly when person or entity you want to control had larger amounts of chakra. "Father don't," I yelled and ran as fast as I could. When I crossed the gate, his limp body fell right in front of me. At the same moment the fox stopped rampaging. This gave time for the shinobi to retreat and for the Hokage to showed up. With the Fox still, the Hokage was able to teleport it away from the village.

I stood frozen, in front of my father looking at his body laying on the floor. Suddenly, he started gasping for air and I ran to hold his hands, "father, why did you do that?" I asked with tears streaming down my face, "father, please don't leave me, not you too."

"Izu, I'm sorry," he whispered in between bloody coughs. "Be proud of who you are," he caressed my face with his fingers, "you are as beautiful and strong as your mother, you are one them after all." 

I cried even more as I could feel the chakra dissipating from his body, "father," I whispered. 

"You are an Uchiha, don't forget that," he whispered, "I-I love you." 

I held his hand tighter as I could see the light leaving his eyes. "Father, please" I said in between sobs, "I love you too, father, I will make you proud I swear." He gave me a warm smile before he took his last breath. 

I hugged him and stayed there hugging is lifeless body until Ibiki showed up. "Oh Izumi," he knelt down looking at my father, 

"Ibiki, he is dead," I cried more and more, "my father is dead."

 "Come here," he picked me up and took me away. As we were walking, I saw some men from the medical team picking up my father's body and taking him away. "Everything will be okay, Izumi," Ibiki whispered in a broken voice, "everything will be okay."