The Shadow (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 14

Kozuri was so excited to be fighting Kakashi like this. Kozuri sent shadows after Kakashi who dodged them all before having to block Kozuri's kunai. "You sure you wanna keep going Captain? I'm known to let loose in prolonged fights." Kozuri chuckled before he aimed a strike at Kakashi's gut. But the black chakra protecting Kakashi formed a second skin around the Jonin making Kozuri laugh. "Interesting justu you got there Captain." Kozuri jumped away after that before sighing. "I forfeit." Everyone went quiet and Kakashi looked surprised. "Your holding back and I don't want to kill you so I'm done. Miza come with me please." Miza followed after Kozuri who left leaving everyone confused. "Why did our Lord give up?" The three genin all heard and felt the confusion coming from everyone. "Something's off about that Azak guy. He had Kakashi on the ropes and then gave up." Sasuke spoke up and the other two agreed. "Congrats on your win Captain." Ashira walked up to Kakashi who looked at her confused. "Captain do you know why he let you win?" Kakashi looked at Ashira who had a small smile. "I noticed his eye he reminded me of my friend." Kakashi saw Ashira nod slowly and he started connecting the dots. "If you wish Captain I can take your subordinates while you have a word with our Lord." Ashira went to the three Leaf Genin and had them come with her. Kakashi went in the direction of Miza to find the two talking. "So your telling me that is the man you gave your shadow to?" That was Miza and Kakashi heard Kozuri. "Yea he is my best friend and the only one left from my squad I have left. I didn't want to lose him back then and I mean that more now that I have the strength to do that. Plus I have Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to protect. Not to mention the entirety of the Leaf is family to me as well." Kakashi walked up to them and he saw Kozuri look at him. "So Lord Third was right you returned to your clan." Miza left and Kozuri sighed softly. "I never meant to leave but curiosity got the better of me. Besides Kakashi you know how they were talking about me. Blaming me for what happened thirteen years ago when they saw I had beaten the Nine Tails. They also blame me for the Uchiha Massacre stating that me and Itachi were the only ones strong enough to do it." Kakashi sat next to Kozuri and the two talked until nightfall. "What do I tell the boys?" Kozuri sighed before looking at Kakashi. "Tell them the truth I guess. No sense in having them be angry at you as well. But I am not going to leave for a bit Ashira has told me that someone might target the village." Kozuri looked up at the sky. "Ya know they'd be real proud of us knowing we made it this far." Kozuri thought of Obito and clenched his jaw. "You alright?" Kozuri looked at Kakashi and smiled. "Yea." Kakashi nods before smacking Kozuri on the head. "Why did you want me to attack you with the Lightning Blade?" Kozuri chuckled. "Oh because I wanted you to get serious. I knew if you used that you'd have taken me seriously and I could have fun. But ya didn't so I got bored and forfeited." Kakashi just stared at his friend who smiled like a dork. "So do you remember anything before waking up?" Kozuri sighed softly. "Yea I do." Kozuri spent the rest of the day talking to Kakashi explaining who he was before waking up. The next day Kozuri watched the rest of the festivities by Sal. "You know some Justu I've never seen before." Kozuri heard the dragon and he nods. "When did you make them?" Sal shrugged. "I didn't when I touch that part of me where my Dark Release comes from they come to me. I want to kno why I can't use your chakra Sal. I can use the others but when I try to call upon yours I only end up using mine." Sal just chuckled before looking at his heir. "Because that is my chakra. You freed me but a part of me will forever belong to you like the others. You are my heir so my chakra is intertwined with yours so tightly that we couldn't tell who's who if we tried." Kozuri listened before thinking. "Then why is there something in me that's so angry it burns when I try to talk to it?" Sal looked at Kozuri who seemed deep in thought. "Maybe that's Azak. Tell me what happens when you get angry." Kozuri looked at the dragon. "I have lost control of these feelings twice. Each time I fall to the ground as if I'm a beast and chakra sprouts out of me like nine tails and I go feral." Sal looked worried. "That's something Azak did back then when he wanted his opponent to die. Maybe Azak does live on in you time will tell if this is a threat to you or not. But knowing Azak it's probably both he was known to live a life of his own ruled by nobody or anything. Hell if he hadn't been use to me since day one I doubt Azak would have trusted me." Kozuri laughed at that. "Yea it took me a long time to accept my friends too. I thought they were out to kill me for so long but after living as Kozuri for so long I grew to trust them and opened up to them." Kozuri thought of Team Minato and his heart ached. "So what happened I woke up that day you tapped into your true power?" Kozuri remembered that day when he lost hope for this world. "I lost a person who meant a lot to me and it just went down hill from there. I had to watch as my father figure and his wife gave their lives for their son. I then helped a friend of mine kill his entire clan and had to pretend to be ok with it. I have no emotiones because I killed them the day I embraced the monster." Sal just listened intently.