Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

The Alchemist, Paul Coelho.

Harry sneezed and swatted at the dust swirling close to his face. He scrubbed at the persistent dirt patch on the small round window. Concentrating on the repetitive motions, he was completely taken aback when the spot disappeared and the clear glass reflected his tired eyes.

He turned away and carelessly threw the rag in to the water bucket by his leg.

Harry looked around, wishing he could feel satisfied at the progress he had made with the cleaning. But looking at the clean surfaces, Harry wished there was more to do as he sat on one of the larger boxes.

He shifted his weight to find a more comfortable position on the box and listened to the footsteps, voices and other noises from the lower levels of Privet Drive.

But his stillness allowed his mind to wander. Instead of cataloguing the things that still needed to be sorted and thrown out, Harry remembered his previous summer and the cleaning that never seemed to end.

Irritated at his memories, Harry rushed to the corner, opened one of the stacked boxes and stared at Dudley's gaudy baby clothes. Knowing that he'd get into trouble if he damaged the 'precious' treasures he relabelled the box and put it in one of the cleaned out corners.

As he reached for the next box, he stumbled across a loose floorboard and banged against a tin which fell open with a metallic clang and spilled papers on to the floor.

Harry knelt and gathered the fallen papers absently noticing that they were his aunt's pre-marital documents and papers. Birth certificate, school report cards, certificates of achievements. He snorted as he read the school teacher's not-so-flattering comments about his aunt.

Harry froze as he caught sight of the name Lily Evans on one of the papers still on the floor. Ignoring the mess he made, Harry stood grabbing the paper and examined it's contents in confused disbelief.

To whomsoever it may concern,

As part of the last will and testament of Mr. Gabriel P. Evans and Mrs. Orihime K. Evans, we hereby acknowledge that the custody of one Lily M. Evans be transferred to the care of Mr. Mark R. Evans and Mrs. Penelope Evans as of January 20th 1961.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely

William Stanley.

(William & Harold's Law Offices, London)

Harry gently tucked the letter and it's related papers into his pocket and stuffed everything else back in to the tin. Unconcerned about the noise he was making, Harry rushed out of the attic, though the empty hallways to his bedroom.

Harry sagged onto his old cot, took out the letter and stared at it thoughtfully recalling an old photograph he had seen when he was younger. A photograph of a very young Aunt Petunia with her parents. The only memorable aspect of the photo had been the blonde man with familiar green eyes.

If this letter is true, Harry tried to keep himself calm. Then that blonde man, Petunia's father, and this Gabriel Evans, my actual grandfather, were brothers. But it leaves so many questions about my grandparents! What made them leave mum?

A soft hoot from the corner of the room interrupted his frustrated thoughts. Still clutching the letter, Harry walked over to Hedwig's cage relieved at the sound since Hedwig had been silent ever since they'd returned to Privet Drive. Even Hermione had noted Hedwig's unusual silence in her letters.

Hedwig stared at him and hooted once more, almost sounding curious.

"I found something," Harry said, wincing at the roughness of his voice. He swallowed hoping to ease his throat after days of not speaking out loud. "Something I wish I could talk to with someone."

He clutched the letter tightly as he immediately pictured Sirius's laughing face. Then Harry snorted as his mind created an image of himself standing by a large family tree, like the one at Grimmauld Place, obsessively placing names and making connections to names he'd never heard of before. "He'd laugh if I sorted my family tree like that. But he'd have helped."

He glanced back at the papers noting the law firm's address and telephone number on the paper as a good place to start searching for answers. Harry looked up at Hedwig, "The only option I see is to contact these people and ask about mum's transfer to Petunia's family. It sounds doable, right?"

Hedwig didn't move but continued to stare straight at him.

"It actually makes being stuck here worth it, because I can use the telephone. Hermione would probably call it a silver lining for my misfortunes." Harry attempted a small laugh but couldn't quite manage more than a small croak which made Hedwig shuffle closer to the bars of the cage.

"But it's the only option I have. Even though it's not very reliable and I know I shouldn't get my hopes up I..." Harry sighed and pressed a palm against his forehead, closing his eyes wearily as a surprised face disappeared behind a veil.

Hedwig flapped her wings noisily.

Harry flinched and opened his eyes, worried about Hedwig's odd behaviour. When he opened the cage, Hedwig swooped out and flew to his shoulder. Before he could turn, Hedwig nuzzled against his cheek.

"I'm fine," Harry said and patted her head awkwardly. He looked down at the letter in his hand pointedly. "I'm actually better than fine. But should I even bother with this? There's probably nobody out there waiting for me..."

Self-doubt clouded his mind and for one brief moment Harry wanted to put the letter back in the tin and forget it ever existed. Because there was no point hoping.

Not for him.

Not now.

But Harry squashed that thought and went back to the reasons he needed to go through with the call. If I don't do this now, when will I ever have the chance? What if I actually succeed?

Feeling his resolve harden, Harry decided to go through with the phone-call as soon as he had the chance. If the call amounted to nothing, then he'd give up and carry on with his life.

Everything depended on that phone call.

Chapter Text

Harry held his breath as the door closed behind his aunt. She was going to some sort of lunch meeting with the other women of the neighborhood. Dudley was out at his friend's house and Vernon was at work.

With trembling fingers and a queasy stomach, Harry stumbled down the stairs and rushed to the phone. Smoothing the papers on the dark wood near the phone, Harry took a couple of deep breaths and picked up the receiver. He dialed the number.

One ring.

Another ring.

A click.

Harry opened his mouth but paused as a monotonous machine voice said, "The number you have dialed has been disconnected." He almost dropped the phone in surprise. His heart thudded in disappointment but it didn't last long as the mechanical voice continued, "For more information, contact…"

Grabbing a pen, Harry scribbled down the number. He pressed down on the phone for the empty dial tone, dialed the new number and waited.

Five other numbers and numerous mechanical voices later, and Harry was willing to call it quits and quite eager to Reducto the phone into tiny little pieces. How many more numbers do I have to go through to find something?

Breathe, a Hermione like voice in his brain admonished, have patience. You'll definitely find something if you keep searching.

Harry wanted to make a snide comment to the voice but realized that arguing with himself wasn't the sanest or most productive thing to do at the moment. The rings of the latest number stopped and Harry steadied the pen in his hand ready to record the newest number.

The pen clattered to the floor when a kind but rather weak sounding old voice said, "Hello this is William Stanley. How can I help you?"

Harry paused in surprise, took in a shaky breath and said, "Uh, hello Mr. Stanley… I… my name is Harry Potter." He paused once more at the silence but forced himself to continue, "My mother's name is Lily Evans, and I just found this letter about her…"

"Ahh! I remember Evans. Lily is Gabriel's kid, right? How is she? I really had expected her to call long ago", William said jovially.

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat and said, "She's dead." He cringed at the silence on the other side.

"Oh! I… you have my condolences. To think Gabriel's kid would be gone already. I'd thought…"

But Harry had caught onto a part of the man's conversation that intrigued him. "You knew my granddad?" Harry asked hopefully.

The voice on the other end took on a more cheerful tone. "Of course I did! We were school mates."

Harry almost choked. That's too good to be true. No way. There's no way I'm this lucky.

William continued, "He always was a bit too adventurous. That's how he got married to that princess of his, met her on a trip to the oriental."

"Princess?" Harry wondered in confusion.

The man let out a chuckle that turned into rough wheezing coughs. Harry bit his lip in concern. When the coughing stopped, Harry asked shakily, "Are you alright sir? I can call back some other time." Not really. Please be okay, I need this lead to work out.

William took some deep breaths and said, "It's nothing much lad, just a bit of a condition that comes around when it thinks I'm having too much fun. Don't you worry about it! Anyway I can guess the reason for your call. You want to know what happened to them."

"If it's not too much trouble," Harry said, voice polite but brimming with excitement.

"To tell you the truth lad, I don't know."

Harry felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach. "What?"

"Well, it had to do with your grandmum's family. There was some sort of civil war going on. Bad times and such." Harry grimaced at the information. "She wanted to go and check up on her family. And Gabe, well, he didn't want her to go alone. But they didn't want to endanger the baby."

William let out another cough. "I remember him giving me their letters and asking me to create their will. His brother tried to talk come sense into him but you couldn't quite tie Gabe down to one place."

Harry waited patiently for a another coughing fit to pass and said, "Why'd they go if it was so dangerous?"

William let out a sigh. "Gabe was adamant that they couldn't just ignore the family issues there. He didn't want to abandon them. He must have wanted to bring them back here but..."

And Harry knew. He had known in his heart that would be the answer. Because, after all, wasn't he doing the same thing? "I see," he muttered to fill the silence.

"Tell you what, I'll send you couple of pictures along with the letter. That should give you a start, don't you think? If you're anything like Gabriel you'll probably find yourself in the oriental by next week." William said and laughed, causing another spasm of coughing.

Harry gaped at that. I was planning on leaving as soon as possible if I found a good lead. But how did the man… Harry didn't know what to say. How do I thank the man who just opened up a clear road to my destination? Words seem so lacking and insignificant.

But the man seemed to understand the silence. "It was good to hear from you, lad. I'm glad to know Gabe's got a persistent grandkid like you. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Harry whispered, "Thank you sir, I'll do my best."

"That's all that matters lad," William said. "Now, what's your mailing address?"

Harry gave him the required information and pressed the phone down. His knees buckled from the range of emotions going through him at the moment. It had worked. It had paid off. He'd gotten a lead, followed it and had been rewarded. The Hermione like voice in his head said in a know-it-all tone, told you it would. Harry shook his head. I need to make sure no one in the wizarding world knew what I'm planning.

Voldemort seemed rather uninterested in him since the whole possessing fiasco at the ministry, but Dumbledore, the Order and even the Ministry would ruin any efforts to leave the country by himself, even if it was to search for long lost family. Fred and George would be eager to help. And Ron and Hermione would want to come with him. But he couldn't risk it. He'd have to find a way to leave without them finding out.

Two days later, Harry received a rather thick parcel in the mail. His hands trembled as he carried it to his room. Inside was a thick envelope and a couple of photographs. He took the photos first and glanced at the people in them.

He savoured his first real look of his grandparents. There were a few black and white pictures, under which he found a faded colour photograph. A couple stood in a garden under warm sunlight.

His grandfather looked rather ordinary, dull even, except for his eyes. Those were his mother's eyes. And now those were his eyes. It made Harry feel an odd sense of connection to the man in the picture. But it was the smiling redhead, that his grandfather held lovingly in the picture, that captured his attention. She looked exotic, with slightly Asian features and blue eyes that looked up at him with a mischievous look. Her skin was tanned, and her hair was waist length as she clutched a bundle in strong arms.

He throat clogged up as he remembered his grandparents from the mirror of Erised. They had looked exactly like this picture, now that he thought about it. They had been behind his mother. He bit his lip and tried to recall that moment, trying to remember details of how they moved.

He placed the picture down carefully and picked up a sealed envelope. It wasn't heavy. The paper was rather coarse and worn with age. He gently pried the envelope open and pulled the papers that were neatly folded in it. He read through a boring will and found that his grandparents had left his mother some assets in terms of money and items that were placed in storage. He studied the key and papers intently before putting them back inside.

Harry read the letter from his grandfather, and it was filled with things he had learnt from William Stanley. The only interesting information he had found out that his grandfather was some sort of photographer and had met his grandmother on one of his trips.

The letter which really caught his attention though was his grandmother's neat scrawl that seemed to be printed on the thick creamy paper.

To my dearest Lily,

You're probably reading this with an angry expression on your face. After all, I did leave you. The fact that you are reading this means that I haven't come back from the trip I am leaving.

I am sorry. Sorry for leaving. Sorry for not coming back. And sorry for never having the chance to watch you grow.

But you have to know that it was the only way I could ensure that you would be safe and survive. Even though I wasn't there I know that you've grown up to be a strong and loving person. I knew the moment you were born that you were destined for great things. I wanted you to live a normal life and not be burdened by the troubles of my clan and village.

Let me start from the beginning, I'm not from here. My name must be some sort of clue. I come from a country, that doesn't quite exist in this world. I know, it may be hard to believe but I'm from another realm-so to speak- that's connected to this one.

My realm was always in a state of conflict. Villages were always trying to gain power by fighting with other villages. But my village was one of the more peaceful places that existed. The village of whirlpool was different from other villages in many ways. I loved it. People were allowed to live freely and were never forced to take up warrior positions as shinobi. (Ah, your father says I should call them ninja. That's they're equivalent over here I suppose. It's hard to correct my way of talking sometimes.) In my home we live according to clans created based on lineages and abilities. I'm from the Uzumaki clan. We were known for our ability to make weapons out of our chakra.

And before you can ask, chakra is like magic. At least that's what you father called it when he saw me use it. I don't agree much with his naming, but I suppose it's the easiest way to explain chakra to you. Chakra is our life-force that allows us to do jutsus, things that are considered to be beyond a normal person's capacity. The shinobi use their life force to fight using the elements, illusions and other things. I, myself, used it to heal. I wasn't overly fond of fighting. I don't believe that fighting is the solution. But in a shinobi ruled world that ideal has no place to exist.

And in the end that's what shattered Whirlpool's peace. One day the shinobi from outside decided that our village didn't deserve to exist. And so they attacked. Our clan fought for Whirlpool, after all it was our home. But we couldn't handle the large amount of shinobi that attacked us. Eventually our clan head did a jutsu to protect our clan members. It seems he sent small groups of our clan to various places. I was sent here with 2 of my aunts and an elder.

We only realised that we weren't in our realm when we woke up in the care of some monks. They told us that we had arrived out at their temple in Japan out of thin air, but they didn't seem very surprised about it. In fact they seemed to expect us and taught us about this world's culture and customs. My clan members and I were astounded by the sheer size of this world and the fact that shinobi didn't exist here.

And we were in no hurry to go back. The peace here suited us well. I had been in this world for 7 years before I met your father. He might say it was love at first sight, but it was a while before I saw that he wasn't just some idiot. He stayed in Japan for close to 2 years trying to woo me. I admit it was his persistence that finally got me to give him a chance. But it worked out well, I got you.

A week ago I heard from my clan members. They are planning to go back to the village. And I plan to go with them. Whirlpool is my home. And my heart wants to know how my other family members are doing. It has been ages since I've seen my own sister. I know that that is not enough to justify leaving you behind, but I want you to be safe. And this is the only way I know how.

I have left the address of the monks, in Japan, in our safe, should you ever need to talk to them. Please do not try to come to Whirlpool. If I haven't come back then there's a good chance that the fighting hasn't stopped there. Please live you life to the fullest.

Only I would write such a boring last letter to my only child. I'm sorry. This must be all so boring to you. You've probably established your own life now. And you have your own kids. I don't have any intention of pulling you away from them. I'm sure they're just as special as you are. I would have loved to spoil them.

I'm sorry for letting you go. I'm sorry for never coming back.

I'll always love you.

Orihime Uzumaki Evans.

P.S. You were named after my sister. Her name Yuriko when translated means lily child. I hoped you'd grow as strong as she was.

His sight blurred as he finished. The fact that his grandmother had anticipated spoiling him even when Lily had just been born was a bit too overwhelming. It ate at him to imagine what his life would have been if they had been here. He sniffled as he folded the letter carefully and put it back in the envelope. His thoughts eventually lulled him into a dreamless sleep.

Harry woke up the next day with a sense of dread. He had to talk to Petunia. But how would he even get her to stay in the same room for more than a minute.

A sneaky voice in his head muttered, we could always tell her we plan on leaving. A great conversation starter if any. Who know she might be thrilled about it. The voice hissed in amusement. Harry sighed, he really was losing it. First Hermione's voice and now this- Voldemort had really done a number on him with the whole possessing thing.

Harry went downstairs to the kitchen and stood silently at the doorway trying to figure out how to start the conversation that he had been rehearsing in his head since he had finished the letter.

"A…Aunt petunia" Harry said, voice loud and clear, hiding any source of fear. She didn't move or acknowledge him.

That was fine. As long as she heard him say his part.

"I know about mum." The shoulders stiffened and Harry tensed waiting for an outburst. "I contacted William Stanley, granddad's lawyer friend. He sent me some stuff to find out about grandmum's family."

He bit his lip as he continued carefully, "I'm willing to leave and they," he emphasized for her to know he was talking about Dumbledore and the Order, "they won't bother you anymore."

No response. Just more dish washing. Since when did she pay that much attention to dish washing? Harry wanted to rip his hair out in frustration. What had I been hoping for? That she'd suddenly feel an overwhelming sense of moral obligation to help out some …some cousin of hers who ruined her perfectly normal life.

But he said, "If we make my leaving mutual agreement then the protection on this house won't fail. No one, of my kind, will be able to harm you here."

Petunia's hands were still. She turned around, eyes narrowed in thought. "Where would you go?"

Harry didn't show his surprise at the voice, "Probably Japan."

"They'll know you're gone. They always do."

Harry shook his head. He had been so eager to move in with Sirius that he had been willing to research ways to not come back here. "As long as we both part without conflict, the wards will hold up. No one will be notified."

Petunia grimaced at the word 'wards'. "You expect me to give you money for this? I won't pay for your ticket." she said in a hard tone.

"You don't have to, my godfather left me a bit of money and…" Harry paused at the odd look that crossed Petunia's face. Pity. But the look passed and Harry curbed his irrational need to shout at the lady in front of him. I must have imagined it.

"And you'll never come back again?" She said. "They won't force us to take you in again?"

Harry nodded.

"What would I need to do?" She asked as she turned to the dishes unwilling to look at him any longer.

"You just have to agree with me leaving of my own free will. I'll tell you what you have to say and the magic will take care of the rest." Harry said and sighed in relief at the tight nod he received. He turned to leave.

"Why…why didn't you ever tell her?" Harry asked as he stood near the back door, back facing the kitchen.

A heavy silence settled in the kitchen.

"My father loved her and couldn't bear the thought of losing the only link to his brother. He didn't want her to endanger herself by mixing up in foreign business." Petunia said in a bitter tone. "Loads of good that did!" she scoffed.

Harry silently agreed. But there was another thing that preyed on his mind. "What happened to them? Your parents?"

Petunia sighed. "They died a few years before I married. It was a drunk driver."

Harry swallowed painfully. He'd expected it. But it was still a blow.

He sighed as he went out into the garden. He'd solved a part of the problem. But now he had to figure out a way to get to London without any of the wizards finding about it till he was in Japan.

The sun was beginning to set when Harry noticed someone else in the garden. He looked up and groaned silently when he saw his Dudley standing there.

Dudley looked at Harry for moment, hands in his pocket as though waiting for a sign. Harry was quite willing to chuck his gardening spade at the oversized boy. "I can drive." Dudley blurted out.

Harry blinked and swiped at his sweaty bangs, turning around to face his cousin. What in the world had prompted that as a conversation starter?

Dudley looked rather mortified, and seemed quite willing to turn around and run away. He certainly wasn't wiling to look at Harry.

Harry let out a confused, "What?"

His cousin- Wait, was he still a cousin now? Harry wondered in confusion- took a deep breath and mumbled, "I overheard you talking to mum…"

Harry gaped in embarrassment. Where had Dudley been hiding? I was certain he wasn't in the house.

But Dudley seemed to have gained a bit of courage. "I heard about you wanting to find your grandparents, and well, I think... I mean I can drive you to the airport or wherever, I…"

Harry gaped. "But…"

"I turned seventeen and I got the license, and…" Dudley seemed unable to continue.

There was another awkward silence between them. Harry broke it with a thankful but confused tone. "London, I need to get to London."

"But I thought you needed to go to…"

Harry smiled a little, "I have to arrange things and London's the best bet for me right now. Plus the sooner I get things done, the less people will be able to stop me from going."

Dudley frowned, "Will they really stop you from going?"

Harry turned back to the flowers and pulled out a weed, "I don't know, but I'm not willing to chance it. I need to go and find out the truth of what happened, and I can't depend on them being concerned enough to help me." He said reluctantly.

He patted down the mud around the base of one of the new flower he had planted. Dudley shifted nervously and said, "I can drive you to London tomorrow if you want. Do you know where you have to go?"

Harry turned to him so fast that his neck caught a crick. "You don't…"

But Dudley cut him off with a firm tone. "I owe you for last year!"

The dementor attack! No wonder he's acting weirder than usual. Well, the threat of having your soul sucked out was a good reason as any to turn over a new leaf, Harry mused. But he looked at his cousin thoughtfully. If I go to London tomorrow then I'll be in Japan sooner.

"Tomorrow sounds good," Harry said.

Dudley nodded with something akin to relief and entered the house. Harry hurried with the gardening. He'd have to pack and send his batch of letters to the Order to distract them. It would give him time to find a way to those monks in Japan.

Harry woke up the next day, mind alert and excited about leaving Privet Drive even though he had stayed up late packing his things and writing his letters to the Order. He picked up those letters and tied it to Hedwig's leg.

He handed her a few treats and said, "I'm going to need you to leave now. But I want these letters to reach them tonight as late as you can make it. I can't take you with me because I'm going to be surrounded by muggles till day after tomorrow."

Hedwig cocked her head to the side as though waiting for more. She's smart. Harry smiled and said, "I'm going to try to find a way out of London by day after tomorrow. Find me around Diagon Alley then."

The owl hooted in understanding and gave his finger a gentle nip before she swooped out the window. Harry watched her white form fly out in the growing light and stuffed her cage into his trunk. It was a tight fit, but it was better than lugging it around.

He waited till he heard Vernon's car leave the house for work before he opened the door. He gasped as he came face to face with Dudley. His cousin just nodded and helped him lift his trunk down the stairs and into a car that had been parked in the driveway. Harry was a bit confused about the car and was about to ask but Dudley beat him to it, "It's Pier's. I borrowed it from his place last night. He doesn't need it today."

Harry went back to the kitchen. He needed Petunia to say that she was letting him go of his own free will. It all sounded a bit dodgy that wards could be altered so simply, but the book had said that wards were dependent on the people's intentions just like any other form of complex magic.

Petunia stood in the kitchen, her hair pulled away from her face and grey eyes watching him with an odd intensity. He took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her wordlessly.

She frowned at him and stared at the paper with a mixture of disgust and fear but read, "I, Petunia Dursely, out of my own free will, allow Harry Potter, my relation through blood to leave this house on his own. Let the wards know that wherever he may go he is always welcome back so long as the wards remain and let no one outside of this house, friend or foe, know his whereabouts."

She let out a frightened gasp and Harry's own eyes widened as her hands glowed with a light that ran through her body and into the floor of the house.

Harry smiled grimly. He was glad that it had worked. It wasn't the most sophisticated thing I've written, but it had the jist of what I need to leave without the Order knowing until I'm far away.

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. He turned away from her angry expression before she could say anything, closed the door of the house behind him and got into the waiting car.

The drive was silent and a tad bit uncomfortable, but Harry thought it was going well considering he was in the car with his cousin. The same cousin who used to be Harry's biggest bully and tormentor by making car rides hell. Two hours later they pulled into a street that Harry was very familiar with.

"Dudley," Harry said, "I just… thank you."

Dudley stared ahead, eyes firmly looking out the windshield and hands clenched around the steering wheel. "I owed you. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Harry nodded. While he would never quite forgive Dudley for the past, Harry really appreciated the help. Especially since he was more willing to help than Petunia. "Take care, Dudley," Harry said. He got out of the car, hauled his trunk out of the back, stood on the pavement and watched Dudley drive away.

Harry turned around pulling down his baseball cap low over his forehead. The Leaky Cauldron stood there tucked away between two other buildings. With a deep sign and a mental prayer to some higher power for things to work out, Harry dragged his trunk behind him and stepped away from the pub and walked in the opposite direction towards a muggle hotel.

He had work to do.

Chapter Text

Harry shuffled deeper into his bed hiding from the sunlight falling on his face. Stupid sunlight. Wait a minute, how come Petunia let me sleep past sunrise? Harry sat up with a jolt. He wasn't at Privet Drive anymore. I left to find a way out of England.

Harry rolled out of bed, moved to the window and looked out at Charring Cross Street below him. The front of The Leaky Cauldron, across the street, glimmered with a hint of magic. He watched, fascinated by people passing by it without a second glance.

Harry dressed, hefted an old grey backpack laden with necessary items and moved out of his hotel room. He grabbed a map from the side of the reception table and walked out into the sunlight.

Crowded streets, honking cars and busy pedestrians left Harry wishing he had just stayed inside. He couldn't take one step without being jostled by the crowds and after slamming into a good load of people Harry signed in relief as he reached the subway and sat on one of the trains.

Harry idly wondered if Hedwig was all right. She'd have to fend for herself for a while until they could meet up. She wouldn't want to stay with the Weasley's because Pig annoyed her.

Less than an hour later, the train screeched to a halt and Harry steadied himself on his feet as he got off his seat and moved to one of the doors at the side. Harry walked out of the station and onto a business street. Clean building fronts and big signs everywhere dazed him. He felt out of place. Has the wizarding world left me so out of touch with the outside world?

He spotted a sign for the bank William Stanley's papers had mentioned and walked towards it with long purposeful steps as he hitched the backpack on his shoulder. Harry pushed open the glass door.

Sunlight streamed in from behind him and lit up the large open space of the bank. Papers rustled and people's voices clamored into a dull thrum.

Harry stepped forward tentatively and smiled at the old lady behind the information desk who said, "May I help you?"

"I'd like to withdraw some things that were left here for safekeeping by my grandparents." He said hesitantly and pulled an envelope from his backpack.

She smiled gently, "Do you have the papers and some identification?"

Harry brought out an old birth certificate and handed it to her along with papers he had received from William Stanley the previous day. She read both carefully, gave him another smile and handed them back. "Why don't you take a seat? I'll find someone to help you out with these."

He gave her a thankful smile and slouched to one of the blue leather couches placed in the enclosed waiting area of the bank. Harry watched other people around him. It looked like he was the only teenager in the bank. But even so, no one stared at him as though he didn't belong there.

Harry dragged his nails along the thick hem of his pants. Do I need more papers, something to show I'm a student? He only had papers from before he went to Hogwarts. Being part of the wizarding world really complicated things that ought to be simple.

"Harry Potter?" the lady from the desk came to him followed by a young blonde man. "This is Dorian Carmichael, he'll be helping you this morning."

Harry smiled politely, shook the man's hand and followed him away from the reception area and into the private corridors that held the small offices.

As Harry sat down in one of the black chairs with his backpack on his lap, Dorian asked politely, "So you want these items from storage?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, I recently found out about my grandparents."

Dorian nodded as he looked through some papers in a file and compared them to papers that Harry had handed him.

Harry waited.

And waited some more.

How long was this going to take? I'm working on a deadline here. He looked around the small office. A certificate hung proudly on the boring cream wall on his side. The table was cluttered with stationary. A Hermione-esque desk you'd see before exams.

"Alright, everything seems to be in order. I'll be right back"

That's it? Harry frowned. No questions? No need for additional proof and guardian consent? Maybe William Stanley's papers were enough legal proof, Harry mused in relief.

The door creaked as the man returned to the office, with an envelope in one hand and long thick metallic cylinder balanced in the crook of his other arm's elbow.

Harry watched in fascination as he placed both items on the desk in front of him and pulled out some forms. "Now I just need you to check the information on here, and sign them."

Harry carefully looked at all the information he had given the man. He signed the paper, pen held tightly in his hand. He hoped that no one called Privet Drive. He'd used it for formalities sake and something to put on the papers.

Dorian smiled kindly, "And that should do it." He handed Harry an envelope, a file filled with copies of the papers Harry had signed and the metal cylinder. Harry carefully placed them into his worn backpack. He held the cylinder in his hands, curiosity making him want to open it. It was a little smaller than the length of his arm but quite thick.

As soon as he was back in his hotel room, Harry upended the backpack and emptied the contents. With barely contained curiosity, he popped open the metal cylinder and turned it over. His eyebrow rose up dubiously as a large yellowing scroll fell into his hand. With tentative fingers, Harry carefully unfurled the scroll expecting a letter.

He frowned when he came across a circular symbol -about the size of his hand- filled with foreign characters.

He unrolled the scroll a bit more.

More circular symbols came to light. They all looked exactly alike, except the first few looked a bit thicker and bolder than the ones that came after. He stopped unrolling the scroll. It probably had more symbols on it.

He chose to look at the first one it closer detail. The bolded characters looked as though they had been painted over a second time. It looked rather beautiful - almost calligraphic.

A lot of time and effort had obviously gone into making it. But what is it? He turned to the sealed envelope he had gotten along with the scroll.

He skimmed through the letter a few times, unable to comprehend what had been written in it. It seemed a bit bizarre. Apparently the scroll was some sort of storage device that was activated by blood. Each design that looked thick had something stored in it.

It was…odd. But then again he had traveled through time with the help of a tiny pendant before.

Harry frowned at that but decided it was worth a try.

He grimaced but pricked his index finder with a uniform pin from his trunk. With a bit of incredulity he dragged his bleeding finger across the first of the thicker ink designs.

The blood trail shimmered, seeped into the scroll material and disappeared. Harry coughed in surprise as smoke instantly emerged from the scroll and blocked his vision. For one wild panicked moment he thought that the scroll had caught on fire. Like some sort of proof that he wasn't allowed to use the scroll.

He blinked.

Harry gasped at the previously boring scroll. A pile of things sat on top of a thinner ink design.

He immediately dragged his finger across all the other designs as well. He smiled at the small pile of items he ended up with.

Stock income papers, more writings from his grandparents, photo albums, some oddly shaped knives in a pouch, some colorful Japanese-looking clothes, an old looking map of a place he couldn't recognize a thread necklace with an intricately carved black koi fish, bottles of tiny brown pills, a figurine of a three tailed turtle and loads of odd things.

Harry found address of the monks hidden among the papers and letters.

He frowned, he had expected it to be somewhere in Japan, but to see the actual confirmation of it, made him worry. He still hadn't figured out a way to make out of England within the three day time limit especially before the Order members storm Privet Drive in search of him.

His eyes landed on the lighter designs of the scroll. Could it be used to store his things or even his trunk? It certainly would help him move around less noticed by people. Dragging a trunk around wasn't conducive to a secret runaway.

Surely there had to be instructions on putting stuff back in the scroll. He searched through the pile of papers.

Instructions on weapon maintenance? He gulped and let out a nervous chuckle. His grandmother's family was starting to see a bit too odd, even by his standards.

He found letters from his grandmother with information about most of the things that had been sealed into the scroll. Nothing about the scroll itself. Maybe she had thought that Lily wouldn't want to use the scroll. With a sign he placed all the papers carefully into a folder. No point in getting them wrinkled.

Harry glanced at the watch. He'd have to figure out the secret behind the scroll some other time. Right now he needed to get some shopping done.

As he packed the rolled up the scroll and placed it along with all the items he had obtained from it into his trunk, his mind wandered over to his most pressing problem. How exactly was he going to leave England? Muggle means were out- flying on an airplane, while convenient, would leave a paper trail that could be tracked. Wouldn't I need a visa to leave? How long would it take to get one?

He could have probably flown his broom if he still had it. In order to push away the horrible memory of his Firebolt locked away in Hogwarts, Harry considered his other possible options.

Somehow he doubted floos were used in long distance travel. Getting lost would be very easy especially for a bona fide floo klutz like him. The only magical method left -portkeys.

He didn't want to use them. Not only were they ministry regulated, but his fourth year had left him with a severe distrust of the item. But it was the only realistic way for him to leave. Maybe I can bribe someone to make an illegal portkey for me.

Harry suddenly wished he had some really cool inheritance that no one had ever mentioned before. Cool portkey necklaces that could take you anywhere in the world. Now that would have been handy. He wouldn't be averse to some super powerful magical items either. He chuckled. If only life were that simple.

He shook his head in amusement and locked his trunk securely. No point in leaving things out. He didn't want to tempt fate, luck or any other power that thought he was too far from danger. And besides, a little paranoia never hurt anyone.

Harry walked across Charring Cross and into the dingy pub. A part of him relaxed in relief at the familiar surroundings of the Leaky Pub. It held a lot of fond memories for him. He pulled his cap down making sure to cover most of his face. He didn't want to get recognized.

He followed an elderly couple through the stone gateway at the back of the pub. The sight of Diagon Alley gave him courage. It was here that he first discovered the meaning for his existence- as cliché as it sounded.

It wasn't as crowded as he expected and the few groups that were there were huddled together looking a little harried and tense. As he passed the familiar signs a large coulourful and outlandish sign at the edge grabbed his attention.

He gaped.

Harry had totally forgotten about the twins' shop. He definitely needed to keep an eye out for any Order member loitering around the area. Especially Tonks.

With another tug on his baseball cap, Harry walked up to the white building at the end of the alley. Gringotts sparkled invitingly in the sunlight.

He clenched his key tightly and walked up to one of the goblins. In the politest tone he could manage he said, "I'd like to visit my vault." He held up his key.

The goblin took it from him, mumbled something and nodded towards the vault carts as he returned the key. Harry headed towards the side of the bank where the carts were placed. He showed his key to a stout goblin who gave him a bored look.

Before he could enjoy the wind racing past his face the cart stopped in front of a familiar vault door.

The goblin stepped out, opened the vault and went back to the cart. Harry rolled his eyes at the attitude but moved to the vault and gaped. It looked a lot fuller than before. Has the pile of gold increased?

Harry stepped into the vault cautiously. His head snapped back in surprise as a paper materialized in front of him. He grabbed the paper filled with rows of transfers and bit his lip as he realized that all the money from Sirius had been transferred into his vault.

The gold pile was as tall as him. He wondered what had happened to the other items and even the vault that Sirius owned. Did they go to Tonks because she was a blood relative? Or are all his items at Grimmauld Place?

He pulled out a money sack and piled in a good amount of gold. No matter how much he put in, it didn't make a dent in the pile. After a good amount of time Harry left the vault eager to get out of the stifling silence.

His mind buzzed with thoughts during the ride to the top. Should I make a will in case something happens? No, I need to think positively. He went up to another goblin at the counter who looked at him impatiently.

Harry sighed, "I'd like to convert some gold to muggle money."

The goblin squinted at something on his desk and said, "The current conversion rate is 5.15." Harry nodded, agreeing to the rate and stuffed the wad of cash into his backpack.

Harry came out into the sunlight, walked past Gringotts, and into the Magical Menagerie shop to stock up on owl treats for Hedwig.

He then made his way into the smelly interior of Slug and Jiggers Apothecary. It was just as fascinating as his visit before first year. He headed to the man labelling potion vials. Harry pulled out a long list of potions and items he thought would be necessary during his trip. Better safe than sorry especially since Madame Pomprey won't be around.

The man's eyes widened a bit at the long list but he promptly moved to the stacks of shelves behind the counter. Harry was surprised that he hadn't been questioned but figured that the man probably got large scale orders from loads of people.

Harry was suddenly very glad at the extra money that had entered his trust vault. It definitely takes the sting out spending so much for potions.

Harry frowned at the small cloth bag the man held out to him. "All my potions are in there?" he asked skeptically.

The man rolled his eyes with a long suffering look, "All large scale potion orders are sold in bags with extension charms, boy."

Harry frowned at the condescending tone, but was relived that all the potions, bezoars and other items wouldn't occupy too much space, especially if he worked out how to work the scroll properly.

"All right then." He peered into the pouch and saw stacks of labeled boxes and containers. That definitely prevented him from accidentally dosing himself with the wrong potion.

He stuffed the pouch into his backpack and stepped out in to Diagon alley, glancing at the numerous stalls lining the walls. He kept an eye out for useful items but they all seemed to be selling protection amulets and other such things. Nothing useful for long term trips. It was rather frustrating.

Harry walked towards the intersection next to Gringotts- Knocturn alley's entrance. He stood at the threshold, looking in at the sinister looking alley that remained dark even in the sunlight.

He bit his lip gathering the courage to enter the alley.

Harry let out a defeated whoosh of air as he realized that his muggle clothes wouldn't help him blend in. He'd have to delay any trip to Knocturn unless he wore his robes. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking to pack a robe and cloak with him. Instead he headed to various book stores and loaded up on anything that looked interesting. The junk store was a veritable treasure trove of useful books.

Harry made one final stop at Terrortours, eager to know if they made portkeys. Turns out they only had portkeys to places they had tours at. But at least he was able to get a magical tent from the store. So it wasn't a complete waste of time.

He stopped at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for an ice cream lunch. It energized him. With a pleased smile, Harry made his way to muggle London ready to take in the hordes of people and get some normal supplies.

Harry spent the morning of the second day figuring out the mechanism of the storage scroll. He had debated putting his items in a bag with an extension charm he had noticed in one of the store fronts. But the price made him stop. He'd already spent a lot on potions and other supplies. And he didn't really need it.

After hours of experimenting and good amount of head smacking Harry realized that his blood was the only way to store and remove items from the symbols. The annoying part of it, was that whenever he summoned items from the designs, everything came out. There was no way he could call out something specific if there were different things in one seal. That meant he had to separate items and store them in different seals. It was a good thing the scroll had loads of seal designs.

At least he could finally pack away his items into the scroll- he'd have to do it later that night, after he took care of other things. Some essential items-potions, food, spare clothes and gold- would go in the backpack. He'd tie the scroll, containing the rest of his things- under the backpack. That way he'd hopefully pass as a native in those lands. Or an odd traveler. That wouldn't be too bad either. For the first time, he really wished he had access to some books, information would really help him right now.

He sighed and dropped onto his bed. One thing solved, another million to go. One thing had been bugging him a lot. The fact that he wouldn't have any way to talk to anyone here when he went to…wherever it was his grandmum came from. It's not like owls could travel across dimensions.

But phoenixes did. Could. Oh, come on they were mystical creatures. Surely.

How many phoenixes do you know about then? A voice snapped in his head. Harry's eyes narrowed as he replayed his encounters with Fawkes.

And a crazy thought hit him.

Harry didn't know about the dimension traveling bit but Fawkes could travel from one place to another. Surely Fawkes could take him to the monastery. He moved to the windows and closed the curtains, shrouding the hotel room in darkness. "Fawkes." he whispered hopefully.

Nothing but his labored breathing.

Try again, his mind prodded

"Fawkes!" he repeated loudly. The room remained dark and silent.

His stomach plummeted. He was stupid. Did he really expect Dumbledore's phoenix to drop everything and come to him just because he called?

He slumped onto the bed, defeated. Well it had been a good idea, he consoled himself. Fawkes could have been his ticket out of London. And unless he found another phoenix, then he still needed a magical method to reach those monks. This would have been easier if his grandmother had mentioned how she traveled.

I wish…Siri… he sat up abruptly and knelt by his trunk. With an excited huff he slammed the lid open and removed everything until he reached the very bottom of the trunk.

It was still there.

His fingers hovered over broken shards of glass. Sharp edges glittered in the sparse light that filtered in through the closed curtains. If he could fix this mirror, surely that would solve his communication problem. He'd be able to keep in touch with Ron and Hermione even if he was a dimension away. At least I hope so.

But did Sirius leave his mirror at Grimmauld place? Sirius wouldn't have taken something like a mirror to the battle, especially since Harry never called him through it. Harry bit his lip to force down his guilt, locking away the memories.

He'd have to tell Ron and Hermione to search for Sirius's mirror. It was his only option to keep in contact in contact. He felt a bit stupid for leaving it to chance. But it was the best he could do for the moment. Maybe the monks had something. But then wouldn't his grandmum have communicated before?

He rubbed his temples wearily. It wasn't even noon and he was already willing to call it quits and just sleep the day off.

Harry put the broken shards onto a large cloth and tied it up. He needed to get it fixed and he knew the best place for it. And he could definitely do with some fresh air. But first he had some letters to write. Especially if he was heading to Hogsmeade.

At noon, Harry put in the four rolled up letters into his backpack. He carefully placed the broken mirror into his bag and left the hotel once more crossing Charring Street to the Leaky Cauldron. He held out his wand hand.

Harry took in a deep breath and pulled down his cap as the Knight bus stopped in front of him. He cut Stan off with "Hogsmeade please" and pushed the required money on to the boy's hand.

He rushed to the back of the bus and took a seat making sure to keep his face hidden in the most unsuspicious manner he could manage. He ignored everything around him and stared out the window watching the world whiz past him. He idly wondered if there was a bus service that reached outside of Britain.

"Next stop, Hogsmeade station." A voice from the front of the bus rang out, after a long series of stops.

Harry pulled his backpack and held onto his armchair as the bus stopped. He let out a breath of relief as he realized that he was still on his armchair- even if the chair had crashed into the side of the bus.

He shuffled out of the bus unsteadily, followed by two elderly people. Harry took in the oddly clear sky and sent a glance towards Hogwarts in the distance beyond the station. He was risking a lot being so close to Hogwarts, but it was a chance he needed to take.

He hiked into the wizarding town, destination firm in his mind as he avoided the people roaming about. While not as crowded as Diagon Alley, there were quote a lot of people, especially around The Three Broomsticks.

Harry headed to the post office first. Owl hoots and ruffling wings made him smile. He went up the counter and paid for three owls. On the form he filled out, he made sure to state that he wanted his letters to be delivered at midnight the next day. He'd written four letters, one to Ron and Hermione each explaining why and where he was leaving. He'd also told them to search for the mirror if they could.

There was one for Remus- he owed the last Marauder an explanation. He was sure that Remus would understand. And the last letter- had been to the Order. He'd made it as irritatingly devoid of details as he possibly could. He smiled as he pictured their reactions to it. It was a satisfying thought.

The worker had given him an odd look when he said he wanted the letters delivered at midnight tomorrow.

A bell rang as Harry pushed open the door to Dervish & Banges. A man emerged from under a messy counter. Light blue eyes under silver eyebrows glanced at Harry in curiosity.

"Welcome, how can I assist you?" the man's voice flowed to him.

Harry pulled out the cloth holding the shards of mirror, "I was wondering if you could fix this"

The man tilted his head as he took the cloth, opened it and examined the pieces. "Ahh, two way mirrors. It's been ages since I've seen any of these."

His eyes glowed as he examined each piece under a lamp light. "Yes, yes, the damage isn't too bad."

Harry stifled a snort of disbelief. Not that bad?

"The charms are still active. Yes, yes, and the connection remains. A few scratches to fill in…maybe new glass for this." the man muttered as he held his wand over the shards.

Harry watched in utter fascination as the man chanted and murmured with a soft golden hue at the tip of his light grey wand. The small bits of mirror floated over the cloth and moved around under the man's guidance.

Harry couldn't look away.

He didn't want to look away. He'd never seen magic like this before. Reparos were all good and dandy. But this, it almost seemed like healing. There were no harsh wand movements, no forcing back broken pieces into their previous place.

It seemed like the man was coaxing each piece into place with an odd gentleness. Harry didn't know how long he stood there, watching the man fit each piece of glass together, and he didn't care as the pieces reformed into a familiar mirror.

The man touched an edge with the wand. The cracks glowed an eerie white and with a small poof, they disappeared.

Harry gaped.

The man turned to him, "There. All done."

"That was…" Harry said, unable to explain his awe.

"Thank you! Not a lot of people appreciate this sort of work. Honestly, as if a reparo can fix magical items. They're so… sorry," The man looked sheepish but placed a small brown pouch alongside the mirror. "You should get a mokeskin pouch to store this mirror. It may look small but it has a great carrying capacity and only the owner can open it. Try it."

Wary after the sales-pitch, Harry placed the mirror in the smaller pouch pleasantly surprised when it fit. He watched as the store-owner failed to open the pouch. "I'll take it. Do you sell wand holsters too?"

"Oh yes!" he bent down, pulled up a black gauntlet-like object and placed it on the counter. "Adjustable straps that prevents wand breaking…"

Harry interrupted him, "How much is it?"

"Eh? Oh, it's three galleons."

"Here you go." Harry said, strapping the holster to his arm. It glowed briefly before shifting into a thin glove like substance that ran from his the middle of his wrist to his elbow. He blinked and slowly held his wand above it, unsure of where to holster it.

Small strap like structures rose from his new purchase and circled the wand. With a coating of black and a firm pull from the glove, the wand disappeared.

Harry frantically traced his fingers over the inside of glove. He sighed when he felt a long bump that could only be his wand.

He looked up to find the man smiling at him.

"The first reactions are always the best." He said simply.

"Right." Harry muttered, "Thank you."

Harry stepped into the street his eyes turned to the clear blue sky.

He blinked.

There in the distance flew a very familiar form. Hope stirred in him. With a cautious look to his surroundings he casually made his way to the Shrieking Shack. It was as deserted as ever. Good.

He stood at the gate, waiting and watching.

When he felt safe enough, he headed to the side of the shack towards one of the boarded up windows. His fingers bounced away as he tried to pry them open.

What happened?

Harry groaned as he remembered something. Hadn't the twins been unable to break into it? There's magic to keep people out.

Harry slammed his head against the wood. How annoying. It wasn't like werewolf-Remus was in there now. It was broad daylight. No moon in the sky…

"Argh!" Harry screamed as he lost his balance and fell forward with a thump. He sneezed as a cloud of dust reached his nose. Harry opened teary eyes to find himself inside a very familiar space.

Broken furniture and claw marks littered the Shrieking Shack. Harry stumbled to his knees as he looked around. He rubbed a burning scratch on the bottom of his chin. Did the building let me in? Because I knew…

No time for that, just go to the tunnel. The rational part of his mind kicked on. Harry stumbled past dusty rooms towards a musty tunnel.

Keeping his fingers on the ragged wall of the tunnel Harry walked as fast as he could. He emerged from under the Whomping Willow and breathed in the fresh air filled with the scent of trees and fresh grass.

With a timid look to the castle Harry turned the other way and walked deep into the Forbidden Forest. Sunlight dripped past the thick branches and collected on the forest floor in tiny pools of light.

Branches creaked and twigs snapped under his feet as he rushed forward in the straightest line possible. But the lack of trails and the ever present danger of centaurs made the trip hard.

He persevered for more than two hours.

Harry reached a familiar clearing- the place he had seen months ago and waited. Before he could sit down to rest, a winged form landed in front of him. Harry blinked in surprise. Did they know when they were needed? No that couldn't be it.

Harry held out a hand to the creature who bowed obligingly. Harry smiled at the threstral in front of him. If he didn't know any better, it was the same one that led him to the Ministry a month ago.

"I need your help." the boy said politely.

A blank white eye stared at him as leathery wings folded tightly onto the skeletal body. Feeling a bit like he was trying to talk to Hedwig, Harry said, "I'm trying to leave the country tomorrow. I need a way to get out without anyone knowing."

"Do you think you could help?" Harry asked gently.

He waited in silence staring into the creature's eye. "It's pretty far, I have to get to Japan by the end of tomorrow. I want to leave sometime tomorrow noon. The earlier the better maybe, I mean it's a long way…"

The threstral snorted and Harry smiled a bit. Definitely like Hedwig. "Sorry, I don't know your name." he whispered. "So will you help?"

The threstral stared at him for few minutes before it bobbed his head. "Thank you."

Harry decided it was time to leave. He looked around the clearing, unsure of which way led out.

He gave the threstral a sheepish look. "Think you can give me a ride to Charring Cross?"

Harry took its silence as a yes. The threstral stood patiently as Harry hoisted himself up. When he took hold of the soft black mane, the threstral crouched and sprung up, wings cutting through the air gently.

The threstral landed in an empty alley on the side of his hotel. He gave the threstral a gentle pat and watched as it launched into the air. He hoped Hedwig like threstrals.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry's third morning in London started with a crash to the hotel room floor. Harry cursed the large scroll that he had forgotten to put aside as he pulled himself up.

Harry made a final trip to Diagon Alley. He went around the Alley checking for anything useful before finally heading towards Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. He gaped at the large crowd of people filing every corner of the store.

Gone were the harried expressions of people out in Diagon Alley. Laughs, giggles and carefree shouts left Harry smiling. An odd feeling of pride entered his chest- he had helped make this, a place of joy in the darkness.

He moved up to a corner where a bright red head stood on a ladder pulling down some boxes. "Fred, we're out of Edible Dark Marks"

Harry grinned. Only the twins would capitalize on something as taboo as Dark Marks.

With careful steps, Harry avoided the crowds and stood beside the ladder. He grabbed hold of a maroon sleeve.

"Is there something you need?" George asked in a jovial tone.

Harry lifted his head up, revealing emerald green eyes beneath the rim of his cap.

George let out a gasp and pushed Harry's head down. "Ah yes! I think we have a few of those in the backroom. Why don't you come with me? Verity, you're in charge!"

He dragged Harry across the store and towards a bright purple door labeled- Danger.

"I told you I'd be right out, honestly George…" a voice said from behind a stocked shelf.

"Look who dropped by." George grinned and pushed Harry forward and locked the door.

"Harry!" Fred smiled, "We didn't know that they picked you up already."

Harry shrugged sheepishly, "They didn't"

The twins looked at each other, surprised.

"You see I'm sort of leaving…"

"Leaving where?" George asked carefully.

"Someplace far, outside of Britain is all I can tell you." he answered vaguely. "I guess I just wanted to tell someone in person. At least you guys would tell Ron and Hermione that I was ok and leaving of my own fee will. I'm sending them letters, but still…"

"Is this because of…"

"…what happened at the ministry?"

"Well sort of, I just need…" Harry paused unsure of how to explain the concept of finding some long lost relative to them.

The twins sat down on a few crates, watching Harry. "I just, it's something I have to do. And I don't think the Order would let me go, so I just…"

He frowned at the identical expressions of glee on their faces. "We had a feeling …"

"This day would come…"

"You did?" Harry asked skeptically.

"The thirst for freedom…" Fred said as he stood up, hands held dramatically.

"A spectacular escape…" George joined him.

"We're so proud!"

Harry gasped in surprise as they crashed into him. "Get off, you twits."

Both twins had an eerily serious face as they stood up and shared a look. Harry found it hard to keep up with their odd shifts of emotions. "You're not using Portkeys from Radagast up in Knocturn are you?"

"What? No…no, no portkeys. I have another way to get there." Harry said, idly wondering is he should have checked Knocturn alley and gotten a portkey instead. He hadn't wanted to risk any trouble by going into Knocturn-there was no way he could pass as a normal Knocturn Alley visitor. And he had everything he needed- muggles were quite resourceful, after all.

"Good, portkeys are easy to trace. Shows up in the ministry transport department if its long distance international travel." Fred said somberly.

"Oh!" Harry muttered. He hadn't known about that aspect of Portkeys. Good thing I'm not depending on one.

"Here, you'll need this." Fred said as he handed Harry a box.

"Stuff to get you out of trouble if you can't use magic" George said smugly. Harry opened the box. His eyes widened, "This has an expansion charm on it?"

The twins smiled, "Hanging around Hermione…"

"… must be a good thing!"

Harry snorted and examined everything in the box. He pulled up a plastic bag filled with purplish-black crystal pellets. "Peruvian darkness powder?" he read.

Fred grinned, "It's effective for getaways. No light can penetrate it except for the people who use it of course."

Harry frowned at them, "You're not just selling these to people, are you?"

"Well we were planning on putting them into the mail order pranksters' escape kit…"George said.

"Don't!" Harry exclaimed. "If they work like you say, then think what would happen if then ended up in a Death Eaters hands. Especially if its mail ordered."

"We hadn't thought of that!" Fred said and frowned at the crystals.

"For really smart people you're pretty dumb" Harry retorted in amusement.

"Do you want those or not?" George threatened, hand poised to take the goody box away from Harry.

Harry laughed. His eyes softened, "Thanks…"

The twins shared another look over Harry's bowed head. "Don't worry about it. We're always keen to help you escape, even if we don't have a flying car anymore."

"Besides Ronickens wouldn't speak to us if we didn't help his bestest friend."

The three boys shared a laugh. He had breakfast with them as they filled him in on the workings of the items they had given him.

Harry glanced at his watch. It was close an hour before noon, he'd better head out. "You guys wouldn't happen to have some raw meat, would you?"

The twins shared a look, but Fred went out of the office through a door in the side and came back a few minutes later with a small cloth bag. Harry shook his head, it seemed like everything had expansion charms.

George ventured, "Dragons?"

Harry snorted as he took a bag from Fred, "Close. But not quite."

"You'll tell them, right?" Harry asked as he stood at the back door exit.

Fred gave him a serious look, "Don't worry! Just take care of yourself."

"So you can explain all this to them yourself." George said.

With an amused goodbye Harry headed to his hotel room for the final time. Harry removed a few useful items from the Twins gift box and stowed the rest into the scroll. He checked his backpack one last time- a few potions for easy reach, small bottles of pills (blood replenishers according to his grandmum), food, water, a map, owl treats, clothes, some gold coins and raw meat.

Harry took a last look around the room- in case he had left something behind and walked in to the alley that the threstral had landed in yesterday. He had barely taken a step when Hedwig swooped down onto his shoulder.

He grinned at the snowy white owl, watching as she swallowed up an owl treat. "Good girl, I knew you'd get here on time."

He stiffened as a large thud echoed through the alley. Harry let out a sigh of relief and headed towards the threstral who stood in the shadows. He patted it on the head, "Glad you could make it."

The threstral turned to Hedwig and Harry watched in amusement as both animals bumped heads. "I take it you two are friends then?"

Hedwig puffed up and cuffed Harry's ear with her wing.

He placed Hedwig on the threstral's back and pinned his invisibility cloak over him with his Gryffindor badge, like a hooded cloak. This way, no one will see a human body flying by itself.

From what he understood muggles couldn't see threstrals. As for wizards who did see them, he hoped they were superstitious enough to think it was some sort of omen that shouldn't be talked about.

Harry climbed onto the leathery back, leaned down as he tightened his grasp of the threstral's mane. "Alright, let's go." Harry whispered the address into the threstral's ear, "As fast as you can please"

Hedwig nodded off between him arms as the black sinewy body rose into the air. Harry was glad he had remembered to wear his warm clothes.

Did the threstral need to stop halfway? Had anyone ever ridden a threstral to another country? How long was this going to take? And why was the world below him nothing but a blur of colour that made him dizzy?

He wasn't sure when but somewhere along the way he fell asleep.

Harry woke up with his world tilted sideways. He gasped and his hands tightened in the mane. They were descending. Did I sleep the entire way? Without falling off? Sweet Merlin. That was dangerous.

Harry gaped at his watch as he landed on solid ground. The trip had taken less than six hours.

Chapter Text

Harry swiveled around, squinted through puffy eyelids and stifled a yawn as he examined the area the threstral had landed in. Lush greenery, consisting of tall trees behind him and wild flowers under his feet, surrounded him as the faint scent of flowers, damp grass and incense teased his senses.

It was beautiful. Not as beautiful as Hogwarts. But pretty close, Harry mused and took another deep breath. I'm definitely not in England anymore.

In the distance to his right, Harry found a tiny pond surrounded by thick ancient tree trunks reflecting the stars in the early morning sky. But the most eye catching thing was the tall bronze gate embedded in a smooth red wall in front of the mountain. The wall stretched up high into the sky and Harry could only make out a bit of the mountain above it.

Harry frowned at the odd silence blanketing the area. Except for the faint whiz of moving air, there were no native animal sounds. And there was no sense of civilization anywhere around him- no buildings, towers, lights or people talking in the distance. Was Japan supposed to be this quiet?

Harry glanced back at the threstral when it fell to the ground and shattered the silence with a loud thump. Its large white eyes blinked rapidly as though the threstral was fighting the urge to sleep. Harry stifled a snort as he remembered the same expression on Ron during Binn's History of Magic class.

Harry patted the threstral on the head between the ears affectionately and took out the meat bag he had gotten from the twins. The threstral perked its head up, sniffed the meat that Harry dumped in front of it and eagerly bit into it.

Hedwig flapped up from his arms and hovered above his head. Her feathers glimmered in the pink morning light, a complete contrast from the threstral in front of him.

Harry was glad that he wouldn't have to use his own water supply to feed the threstral. It could definitely have its fill from the pond- that looked crystal clear from where he was standing. After all, a super fast trip around halfway across the globe would require a lot of water.

He glanced at his watch. No matter how many times he looked at it, it still showed that the trip that he had anticipated taking an entire half day or so, had taken him less than six hours. Harry calculated the time to be sometime around 3 in the morning in Japan, if he was really in Japan.

He frowned at the threstral. How come no one knew threstrals could travel that fast. Did they have some sort of time space magic. He bit his lip. Where had that thought come from?

They were horses of death. Or something. Not time-space-death horses.

Harry smacked his head. What in the world was wrong with him? Of all the times, for his mind to come up with deranged theories. Maybe the nervousness of traveling and escaping by himself had finally caught up to him.

He walked to the high red wall, intent on knocking on the bronze ornate gates before his thoughts took any more odd turns.

Harry paused and turned back as the threstral behind him let out an odd keening sound. Almost as though it was calling out to him. Harry blinked as the threstral stood up shakily and stumbled towards him.

Hedwig, who had been hovering above Harry's head, landed on his shoulder and eyed the threstral with an odd look. Her claws tightened around Harry's shoulder as they both waited for the threstral to stop.

Harry's eyebrow rose up and he sputtered in confusion when the threstral reached him, turned around completely and swished its long black tail in Harry's face. Hedwig squawked indignantly and flew off Harry's shoulder towards the threstral's head and screeched at it with short sharp hoots.

The threstral cocked its head to the side, blinked at Hedwig, craned its neck back and glanced between Harry and its tail.

Harry bit his lip. What exactly what was going on in front of him? Had he missed the lecture on magical animal interaction? Was this even normal?

The threstral nodded at Hedwig, and flicked its tail upright in the air once more. Hedwig flew over, landed on its back and plucked a tail hair with her beak with an audible twang.

With a satisfied nod, she flew up to Harry and held the shining black hair in front of his face. Harry blinked as both animals stared at him in anticipation.

"Er…" Harry stuttered. "Thank you?' he said and looked between the threstral and his owl as he took the hair in his hand and examined it. Hedwig hovered in front of him as he ran his fingers over the strand. Smooth and thick. Like some plant vine that…

Harry almost dropped the hair strand when it pulsed between his fingers. He pressed the hair between his fingers tightly wondering if he had imagined it.

He frowned as the hair throbbed once more. It was the oddest sensation. Almost like a human pulse. He held the hair by one end vaguely wondering if it was going to drip blood.

Harry started as Hedwig hooted at him inquiringly. With an embarrassed cough, he held the hair in his palm trying his best to ignore its odd pulses.

Now what to do with it.

Surely threstral tail hairs were rare, like unicorn tail hairs. Were they used in wands? Potion ingredients? Robe making? Collector's items? Black market ritual items? Wigs? Harry's forehead drew together with each thought.

Well, either way it needed to be kept safe. Harry rolled it around his finger, intent on keeping it in his backpack for the time being.

But both animals protested with a loud squawk and a hoarse neigh-screech sound.

He eyed them and sighed, "Well, what do you suggest I do with it then?" The threstral moved forward, breathed out onto Harry's wrist and looked at Harry expectantly.

Harry frowned at his wrist for a few moments and blinked, "a bracelet?" He mimed looping it around his wrist.

The threstral snorted and Hedwig hooted. "Well, uh, I could do that, I suppose." Harry fiddled, twisted and tied the hair around his wrist and held his hand out to the animals for inspection. Hedwig hooted in approval and landed on his shoulder once more.

The threstral shook its mane and nuzzled Harry's with a slight purr that vibrated through Harry's hand. Harry raised his hand in front of his face, squinted and examined the hair strand that had been looped, twisted and knotted into an odd thick bracelet. It still pulsed against his skin, but it didn't feel as alien as it did before. In fact it felt pleasantly comforting.

"Thank you" Harry repeated, feeling it prudent to thank the threstral in front of him. The blank white eyes stared straight at him and then the long neck dipped forward in a gentle bow, wings folded close to its body.

As Harry wondered if he should bow back, the threstral turned to Hedwig, let out another odd purring sound and bowed once more. Hedwig hooted softly from Harry's shoulder. They bumped heads once more and the threstral turned and moved away from them ignoring the both of them as it tore into to the raw meat.

Harry turned to Hedwig. Now that he thought about it, owls and threstrals did have a common trait- both could find a location anywhere in the world. Maybe that's why they know each other? She blinked at him, non-pulsed by his thoughtful frown.

"Right, we'll talk about this later." he muttered and walked to the gate.

Harry really hoped that Hermione and Ron found the mirror soon. He had a lot of questions that Hermione would hopefully love to research.

The bronze gates shimmered in the faint sunlight. Detailed carvings of mountains, trees and fish surrounded a large circular swirl at the center. The swirl, for some odd reason looked very inviting.

Harry placed an unsure hand on the gate, wondering if he should knock on it, and gasped as his hand went right through the gates.

An illusion! Like the entrance to platform 9 and ¾ at King's Cross.

Harry tightened his hold on his backpack, gave one last look to the threstral behind him and boldly walked through the gate.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he came face to face with an imposing stone stairway that seemed to come out of he mountain itself. That must have been a pain to carve, Harry thought idly. He searched for the top and gulped when he didn't see an end in sight.

Harry turned to Hedwig, "Do you suppose it's a test to see if I'm worthy or something?"

Hedwig tilted her head to the side.

"That's how it goes in stories. Just before the person visits the monks, they have to prove themselves."

Hedwig glanced up at the stairs, turned back to him and blinked.

Harry sighed, took one last look back at the gate and climbed the uneven stone stairs. "Better make a start if I want to get anywhere," Harry reasoned as his feet slapped against the stone stairs.

His legs quivered and the backpack dug into his shoulders as he stopped and sat halfway up for a drink of water and a bite of chocolate. That side trip to Honeydukes and his chocolate splurge was definitely worth the money- Harry had a feeling those two seals filled to the brim with chocolate would definitely be a life saver.

Harry refused to look at his watch. Or count the steps. Or the cracks in said steps. It was too tiring to bother with. Besides, he mused as Hedwig fluttered in the air to stretch her wings, it couldn't be that far up. The monks couldn't survive really high up in a mountain. They needed oxygen rich air. Right?

The pink dawn light brightened into a pleasant orange morning and eventually into a pure blue sky sprinkled with occasional puffs of clouds. Harry huffed as he dragged himself up the last few flights of stairs and into a cave like opening in the middle of the mountain.

Harry paused and glanced back down eager to see what little he could of the area he had come to. There were trees as far as his eyes could see but no villages anywhere. Maybe no one ventured into this area of Japan, and it was some protected area. He gulped down another sip of water and waited for his breathing to even out before he ventured into the cave.

Harry squinted into the darkness and turned to Hedwig, "you ready?"

She hooted and flew in front of him into the darkness of the cave. Harry stumbled after her, keeping a hand on the wall beside him. His steps echoed and Harry grit his teeth as he realized that he hadn't packed a torch.

Thankfully, Harry felt a cool breeze on his face. Even the darkness seemed to become …less dark. That meant there was an opening nearby. Harry quickened his steps, "come on girl, we're almost there."

Hedwig's wings flapped loudly as she picked up speed. Harry blindly stumbled out of the small opening and took a deep breath. Harry's eyes flew open at the strong scent of incense.

Emerald eyes widened at the sight of a large ancient looking monastery that glistened in the sunlight. Harry looked up and gaped- sunlight was pouring in through a large circular opening, into the mountain. And judging by the size of the monastery and the open space around it- the mountain was humungous.

Grey stones paved the way from the cave like tunnel to a large sea-blue building topped with a black roof that slanted downwards. The central structure was surrounded by many other blue buildings, some of which were two storeys high.

A few monks garbed in blue smiled at him with a knowing look- maybe they were pleased he had taken the stairs- but they didn't move forward from their groups to greet him. He stumbled across the grounds and entered the largest building.

Harry bit his lip and looked around. Directly in front of him was a large room where rows of monks sat silently on the floor surrounded by dozens of oil lamps. The left hand side led to a large door while the right looked like a long and endless passage. There were no signs, and Harry didn't think it was right to disturb any of the monks to ask for directions.

Not knowing what to do, he followed the lamps lining the passageway on the right. He could always come back to the door.

He stopped at the end of the hallway in front of a thick wooden door inlaid with deep carvings. Before he could make out what was on the door two monks opened it from the inside.

Harry walked forward and Hedwig shuffled on his shoulder as he came into a room filled with lamps, mats and a single monk. The two monks bowed and left, closing the door behind them.

Harry walked to the cushion placed in front of the man and motioned for Hedwig to come into his arms. Contrary to Harry's expectations, the man looked quite young, his skin firm and unblemished. As he bundled his legs beneath him and sat down the man opened his eyes and spoke.

"So you've finally come, Harry Potter."

Harry gaped at the white pupil-less eyes that stared at him unblinkingly. "Ah, yes…sir" Does everyone know my name?

The man smiled at him kindly, "and you wish to find out about your family"

"Well if it isn't too much trouble" Harry said meekly, suddenly unsure of himself as he avoided the other man's gaze.

"Coming here was the right thing to do then" the monk stated simply.

The room was enveloped in silence. Finally Harry asked, "Do you know of my grandmother Orihime, then?" his mouth fumbled over the unfamiliar name.

"The person you are looking for did pass through here as soon as she entered this realm and left to return to her original home years ago."

Harry's eyes lit up in happiness as he realized that his search was bearing fruits. "So then she came from here"

"No she just passed through here" the monk answered.

Knowing that the monk would only talk what he was asked Harry said, "where exactly did she come from?'

There was a brief silence where the monk closed his eyes. "Would you follow her? Even if you had to go to a strange land far from your friends here? Even if there is no chance of finding her or any of her relatives?"

Harry looked at the cushion beneath him. The odds of him actually finding any living relatives were not very encouraging. Chances were, they were all dead and he'd just be going on a wild chase with no end in sight.

But, a part of his mind warred, wouldn't it be better to know for sure before the prophecy came to pass. Hedwig shuffled on his leg and looked up at him.

"I would, I have to try, if I still have family, I… I'd just like to meet them before... well it'll be nice just to meet them I suppose"

"And what makes family? The fact that you share blood?" the monk asked.

Harry glanced up, heart thudding painfully, "I…no, but it does make them more real to me." He whispered softly.

"If you searched hard enough, you'd find people related to you in your world" the monk said, in a bland tone.

Harry frowned, that was sort of true. In the wizarding world, everyone was sort of related to each other distantly. But he didn't have any blood connections there. After Sirius's long winded explanation about blood connections between purebloods Harry had found out that all of the Potter's relatives- distant or otherwise- had been killed off during the last few wizarding wars.

The only living family he had in the wizarding world was the non-blood related kind-the Weasley's, Sirius, Remus and Hermione. Everyone else was just a stranger he needed to protect from Voldemort.

Harry bit his lip as all his doubts re-emerged. What about his grandmother's blood- so what if they had similar blood, did that make them any more family than the Dursleys? Was it worth it to search for them? Harry closed his eyes as different scenarios played out in front of him.

Hedwig hooted softly and nipped on Harry's fingers. He gave her a soft smile and glanced at the monk, "It may be the most selfish thing to do, but I need to find them. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about blood relations. I've never…" Harry paused. How could he put it into words? The anticipation of finding family related to him, the blood connection-He'd never had anything like that before. Was it too much to hope?

Harry ran a finger over Hedwig's head and whispered, "Maybe I'm just a fool searching for hope" hope that someone would welcome me with open arms because I share the same blood.

The monk leaned forward, "there is nothing wrong with looking for hope."

Harry blinked rapidly and swallowed thickly as he continued to pet Hedwig. He sighed, "Looking and finding are very different things, aren't they?"

The monk smiled at him, "If you never look, you can never find."

Harry had to bite back a laugh. It seemed that the Dumbledore-ish behavior of stating the obvious was not restricted to barmy old coots. "No, I suppose not" he replied, eager to chase away the silence.

The monk glanced at Harry appraisingly before rising from his big cushion. He motioned for Harry to follow him and moved towards a small door at the side of the room. Harry fingered his backpack, all the while curiously looking around at the places they passed while staying close to the monk's back.

They made their way to an enclosed garden, behind the monastery building filled with large trees and tiny ponds that reflected the pure blue sky. For a brief moment, Harry mused about the weather conditions in the mountain. Was the weather always pleasant? How is there a pond in here? But the monk had reached a crystal blue archway. Harry paused close to it and touched it curiously.

Glass.

The archway was made out of glass that twisted upwards on both sides and met at the top.

Harry cringed when Hedwig bit his ear. "What?" he muttered at his owl.

She looked straight ahead.

Harry cursed under his breath and ran after the monk who had disappeared around some trees.

He found the monk in front of a large round stone with a smooth and flat surface. He turned to Harry and said, "This is the portal that will lead you to where you want to go."

Harry stared at the sooth surface in confusion and moved forward to touch the stone. He flinched slightly when his hand only met the smooth rock. "umm… shouldn't you open it?" Harry asked.

"The monks are simply the guardians. We are not allowed to open it" the man stated simply as he stared at Harry.

"So how…"

"The portal is hardly ever opened." Harry hung his head in disappointment. But he perked up when the man continued, "It only opens for people who carry blood from the other realm."

"But then, how did the people from there come here?"

The monk smiled gently, "I think you'll learn from them when you arrive there."

Harry was about to protest. But the monk sighed in amusement, "I do not know child. That world is not our concern anymore."

But then Harry just thought of something else. Something far worse. "What about people not related to me, who have my blood in them?"

The monk looked at Harry, waiting for an elaboration. Harry looked down in shame, "Voldemort, uh the dark lord … in England, he took my blood when he…"

Harry looked up when the monk chuckled. "I doubt a little blood would make him in any way share the same blood as you and your grandmother's family."

"But my protection didn't work…"Harry said, cringing at the memories of his possession during the last year.

"Hmm… Do you know, that blood is created from cells in the bones."

"What does that…" Harry muttered

"Blood cells die, and I'm sure that the blood he took from you died. If he still had your blood, then wouldn't he have already harmed you?"

Harry stayed silent for a moment as he digested that. He remembered that dark night in the graveyard and his mind focused on a specific point, the point where Voldemort used the bones his father's bones. So technically if he was following the monk right, Voldemort should have his father's blood cells in him. "So you're saying that if I fought him now, he wouldn't be able to harm me?"

The monk looked up at the sky and said, "Unfortunately, no"

"But…"

"I said your blood cells died in him. But that doesn't mean the magic he stole from you died. You know there is a reason your world puts a high importance in blood. Magic is linked directly to the blood and both together create a wizard's life force. That is why wizards live longer."

Harry blinked in confusion. The monk looked at him gently, "but I don't think I should bore you with the details at the moment. All you need to know is that no one will find this place unless this stone allows them."

Harry turned wide eyes to the monk.

The monk chuckled, "the stone here, works in mysterious way Harry Potter. It knew before any of us, that you would come here to use it. And it has waited patiently. This world just conspired to bring you here by any means possible."

"The stone…is …umm, alive?" Harry asked in a panicked voice, trying to stamp down his fear.

"Not alive, per say, it just knows when people need to use it, if you understand me…"

"And it knew that I would come?"

"It knew that one of your family would come, if not you, then your children or grandchildren. As long as there is a trace of the blood from the other side in this world, then the stone will always exist, waiting for the blood to return…"

Harry stared at the stone. "So the stone knows me?"

"In a way." White eyes, eerily reminiscent of the threstral, looked at him in amusement, "how else would I know about you and your world when I live in this mountain?"

That had to be a sign that he was doing something right. If everything had gone smoothly to bring him this far, then surely he could move on to the next step and pass through the stone portal.

"Will it disappear when I go through it?"

"Does it matter?" the monk asked with a serene smile.

"No I guess not, I do want to go, no matter what, just thought it's be prudent to ask, so that I'd know if I could come back here" And the snippy part of his mind, who he had taken to calling Snape, remarked that the prophecy wouldn't let him escape from his duty so easily.

The monk stared up at the sky and said gently, "If and when you really want to come back then that world will conspire and help you come back."

Harry shook his head at the idea of the world conspiring to make his wishes come true. If that was the case, then shouldn't Voldemort have disappeared for good? But he relented. His trip had been ridiculously convenient so far. He just hoped his good luck would last him as he passed through the stone.

"Well then I guess I should get going, shouldn't I?" he turned to the monk, but the monk was still staring at the sky and made no move to indicate he had heard Harry. Harry rolled his eyes in irritation and moved closer to the stone looking for a clue to activate and open the portal.

Harry paused and his eyes widened in disbelief as a bright flash of light and a familiar trill filled the air. He looked at the red bird the hovered above him and groaned. Any extra time the threstral had bought him had probably run out when he climbed the stairs. Fawkes had found him.

Hedwig rose from his shoulder, hovered between the phoenix and Harry and squawked angrily. Fawkes responded with a series of short sharp trills. After a few minutes, their loud sounds escalated into indistinct mesh that Harry had a hard time drowning out.

"Hedwig" He called out. She ignored him.

"Fawkes, Hedwig, stop" he tried again. "come on, don't …"

Fawkes let out a deafening screech, flashed in front of Hedwig and lashed out with a claw. Harry's throat tightened at the wet squelch and Hedwig's cry of pain.

What do I do? Hedwig…

She flapped her wings weakly as blood dripped down pristine white feathers. Fawkes hovered above her, red feathers looking menacing and more blood like than usual.

Hedwig let out an odd gurgle. Her wings paused mid-flap.

"Hedw…"

Harry ran forward with outstretched arms, intent on catching the white owl plummeting to the ground. She fell into his arms with a soft thump and lay there unmoving.

Harry held Hedwig carefully in his hands. "Hedwig?" he whispered, eyeing the growing red splotch on her chest.

Hedwig hooted mournfully, her amber eyes fixed on the phoenix that hovered high above them, red feathers gleaming fiercely.

The phoenix trilled sadly and flew down. Harry pulled Hedwig closer to him, intent on protecting her from any more damage.

Fawkes hovered in front of Harry's face, trilled softly and bent his head in apology. His usual black eyes morphed into a fiery red and Harry swallowed painfully as a couple of red tears leaked down and onto Hedwig's wound.

Harry tried to pull away but found himself stuck immobile, arms refusing to budge and legs stuck to the ground.

Harry closed his eyes as a bright flash of light surrounded Hedwig and Fawkes. Whiteness seeped past his closed eyelids as magic and phoenix song filled the air. Harry wondered, not for the first time that day, what the heck was going on.

For one wild moment Harry felt that he had been transported back to the graveyard with the priori incantatum. But the magic in the air at that moment was different. Not sad, violent or angry like the graveyard.

But more like, desperation and some sort of urge to find something.

Harry's fingers tingled and he bit his lip as Hedwig's body heated up. Each feather felt like a pinprick of a flame on his skin. Was this how a phoenix killed? By burning its foe's body with a single tear of blood? Would he burn too? The tingling sensation raced up his arms and Harry tried to ignore the overload on his nerves.

And just like that, it stopped. The heat vanished, leaving an icy cool trail in his arms. The song and magic disappeared into a thick silence.

He opened his eyes fearing the worst.

A piercing yellow eye looked at him and a strong hoot greeted him.

With a startled gasp, Harry pulled Hedwig close to his chest. "Hedwig." He whispered. You're alive. I'm glad.

Harry laughed as he felt her struggle against his chest. Hedwig never did like being confined. He opened his arms and watched with blurry eyes as she hovered in front of his face and flapped her wings.

The tight knot in his chest eased as he took stock of his owl. She was fine. She was moving and there was no more dripping blood. Her feathers were still a pure white, except for the three red lines on her chest and her long wings… wait a minute.

Harry held out his arm and motioned for Hedwig to land. His arms wavered as she landed on his arm gently.

"Hedwig, you're heavier" he said and examined her closely.

She hooted at him reproachfully and opened her wings to fly away.

But Harry held his other hand in front of her, palm wide open. "no, look, you've gotten …bigger"

She looked at his palm dubiously and then glanced down at herself. She spread her wings wide open, looked at them carefully and squawked in surprise.

Hedwig turned to Fawkes, who was hovering a little further away from them, and uttered a long string of hoots. Yes, Hedwig, question the phoenix that tried to kill you. Harry watched the phoenix cautiously, ready to pull Hedwig back if anything happened.

Fawkes eyed Hedwig with an odd look, chirped a single note and disappeared in a flash of light.

Hedwig paused mid-hoot, beak wide open, and blinked. She turned to Harry. He sighed, "Well, he is Dumbledore's"

Hedwig hooted in agreement and cast an annoyed look at the spot where the phoenix had been. Hedwig stood still as Harry ran his fingers over the slash marks, "why did he…?"

Hedwig nipped his fingers. "You have no idea too, right?" he said with a sigh.

They both started at the sound of a gentle cough.

Harry turned back to the monk in embarrassment. He had completely forgotten about the monk being there.

"Has the argument been settled?"

"er…" Argument? More like another odd magical animal interaction I didn't understand. Well at least I wasn't the only one this time. Harry looked at Hedwig. "I …suppose?"

"Well, that's good, best not to leave any unfinished business behind" the monk continued. "Now are you all set to go, Mr. Potter?"

"I… yeah…" Harry turned back to the stone, quite willing to move ahead before anything else happened.

Thinking over the previous conversation with the monk, Harry grimaced as he realized that his blood might be the key to opening it.

Reaching into a side pocket of his backpack, Harry pulled out his grandmother's odd knife, pricked the thumb of his left hand and smeared the blood on the stone. As soon as the blood touched the smooth surface of the cool stone, he felt a pull at his wound. He watched as the blood from his finger spiraled outwards changing into a translucent blue-green thread of energy that settled at the edges of the stone.

He pulled back his hand and watched in fascination as the stoned glowed briefly before a ripple appeared within the blue-green circular border. If that's not a sign, then I don't know what is, Harry mused as he realized he was one step closer to finding his family.

Harry turned to the monk, "I…I'll see you later, I suppose." He pulled Hedwig close to his chest and waited for her to settle down before walking towards the distorted surface of the stone.

He heard a low whisper behind him, "good luck", but he was already inside the stone portal. He idly realized that he hadn't bothered to ask the monk his name.

Harry closed his eyes and tightened his grip around Hedwig, as the energy pulled him gently through what seemed like alternate layers of water and oddly enough silk. He pretended he was flying on his broom and almost managed to forget that he was depending on some freaky stone to get him to his destination in one piece.

Before he knew it, the air around him changed and lost its watery and sluggish feel. The temperature warmed and dust tickled his nose while gentle fingers of wind tousled his hair.

His feet touched ground gently just as the last traces of the stone's energy gave him a soft push in the back before leaving him altogether. Stones crinkled underneath him. And a gust of wind ruffled his hair and rushed past his face.

Harry frowned. It was a bit too quiet. He opened his eyes and was greeted with a sight that made his throat clench in despair.

He was standing on the ruins of a destroyed village.

Chapter Text

Loose rocks clinked as Harry staggered forward, eyes fixed on the ruins surrounding him. Shattered stones, splintered wood, broken pottery and tattered pieces of fabric littered the area.

Wild panic surged through his body. Harry's arms tightened and his muscles spasmed with the need to do something.

Hedwig hooted noisily and stretched her wings against his hold. Harry opened his arms and turned around frantically trying to get some sense of what had happened. Hedwig soared into the air, her wings beating loudly.

A calm voice broke through his panicked mind. Be logical, it's too quiet here. If this had just happened, wouldn't there be wounded? Harry paused, bent down and studied the broken structures.

A thick coating of dirt and sand covered most of the debris and dark vines clung to broken buildings. The area had been destroyed and abandoned for a long time. Harry rose and walked around searching for clues, kicking pebbles away with a clack.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Relief that he hadn't ended up in the middle of a full-fledged fight.

Harry's feet slid over loose pebbles and slippery dust as he examined every broken structure. Hedwig circled high above him silently, her white feathers radiant against the clear blue sky.

After almost an hour of going through the rubble of razed houses, buildings and broken household items, Harry had no useful clues. In fact, he was even more confused. He had found dark dried splatters on blood on crumbled stones, but there were no other traces of humans. There were no bodies or skeletons anywhere.

The place was completely deserted.

He walked to the edge of the settlement towards the only sound he could hear in the area- a roaring river. His heart thudded painfully. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. With a deep sigh he collapsed onto the bank.

He'd expected …what had I expected? Didn't the monk warn me?

Hedwig landed awkwardly in front him.

"It's just a mild setback, right?" He asked Hedwig. She waddled towards him, claws unable to grip the smooth surface of the riverbank. "I just got here, it's too early to give up. I just need to find the nearest village and…" The back of his neck tingled, making him cautious. But he continued speaking. "...ask them."

Harry reached for his wand but hesitated, unsure of how to unholster it discreetly. He frowned when his wand emerged from the odd holster and slid into the palm of his right hand.

"… about this place. Maybe this isn't even Whirlpool."

Harry turned, shifted his body in to a low crouch, pointed his wand confidently at his target and gaped when he realised that his target was a young man with familiar looking red-hair.

The man didn't move to hide. He just eyed Harry and the outstretched wand with immense curiosity.

"Who are you?" Harry asked the man. The man looked at Harry, then turned around as though searching for something. The man glanced back at Harry again curiously and walked forward. "Stop! Don't come any closer."

Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder with a curious hoot.

Harry wanted to stand up from his crouched position, but that would mean taking his eye off the man for a second or two. He couldn't take that risk, no matter how familiar the man's red hair was.

The man paused and searched the area once more. When he turned to Harry once more, his eyes were wide. The red haired man pointed to himself and said, "Anataga watashi ni hanashi te iru no?"

Harry blinked. What? All he heard was a bunch of…oh no!

No. No. No.

He'd completely forgotten about the language barrier. All the papers from the scroll were in English- grandmum must have translated them. But the monk had spoken perfect English. Well he conceded, the monk was a monk. A very Dumbledore-ish sort of monk. It couldn't be that far fetched that the all-knowing stone had somehow taught him English…

"Anataha watashi wo sanshou dekimasuka?"

Concentrate, Harry. "Hello? I'm guessing you don't understand anything I'm saying right now," Harry said and looked straight at purplish-blue eyes.

Surprise, confusion and excitement rushed over the man's features as he broke into excited chatter.

Harry groaned. Each sound made him want to smack himself. How could I have forgotten about the language problem?

Even worse, Harry felt ignorant. He had no idea what the man was speaking. He couldn't be sure it was Japanese because the stone-portal thing had taken him to another world. Harry eyed the man's clothes. A blue somewhat-oriental style jacket over baggy black slacks and sandals.

The man noticed Harry's silence and questioned him with a frown.

"Why are you acting all surprised?" Harry muttered in irritation. "It's obvious I'm not from around here."

The only thing that kept Harry in his place was the red hair. Red hair that perfectly matched his grandmother's and mother's hair captured in photographs.

The red haired man questioned him again and Harry sighed. Obviously, a phrase book would have been real helpful, right now. It might have had the phrase, "No, I don't speak your language, and no, changing your tone doesn't make me understand you any better!"

He hadn't heard of any translation spells either. Surely Hermione would have talked about it every year because of her vacations. Stupid rock portal thing- if it could tell the monks about the wizarding world then why couldn't it tell me about this world?

The red haired man huffed in annoyance, stalked towards Harry and raised a blue sleeved arm.

Harry shuddered as an icy cold something landed on his forehead and he fell back when a spike of pain pierced his mind. "What are you doing?" Harry flinched and his wand buzzed between his clenched fingers.

"Oh, so you are speaking to me," The man said to Harry while looking behind him in fascination.

"Who else would I be talking to?" Harry groaned and rubbed his forehead. Wait... "What did you do?"

The red-haired man stared at him blankly. "What do you mean?"

"I can understand you!" Harry raised his wand higher.

The man eyed the wand. "And?"

"You…" Harry sputtered, "You made me learn your language." I'm just not sure how you did it… or if you actually did it.

"Don't be ridiculous, brat. I did no such thing. You were the one spouting off rubbish. I thought you had hit your head or something." The man huffed.

Brat? Harry jabbed his wand forward. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The man tilted his head to the side. "This is my home. What are you doing here?"

"I'm searching for information." Good, that was vague and truthful.

The man glanced back at the ruins. "How did you get here?"

Harry frowned at the odd tone. "I stumbled here."

Purplish-blue eyes sparkled and the man's lips curved up in amusement. "So you didn't appear out of thin air?"

Harry flinched. "You saw me?"

"Hard to miss the swirling vortex of energy in the middle of uninhabited ruins, brat." The man smirked. "So, tell me, why are you here?"

Harry bit his lip. Where was he hiding when I searched around this plane? "You said this is your home, right?" The man nodded. Harry pulled out a photograph from his pocket and held it to the man. "Do you know her?"

The man leaned forwards and his eyes widened as he stared at the photo. "How do you know Orihime?"

Harry gaped and lowered his wand. Hedwig cuffed the back of Harry's head at his prolonged silence. He coughed. "She's my grandmother."

"Grandmother?" The man seemed startled by Harry's statement and examined the photograph. He looked up at Harry, eyes tracing over his face and returning to the photograph every few seconds.

Harry didn't want to interrupt the man, but he didn't want to be stared at anymore either. "So do you know my grandmother? Where is she?"

The man smiled ruefully. "She came here a long time ago. What's your name, brat?"

Harry suppressed the urge to scream and hex the infuriating man. Calm down. An annoying man is more useful than an unconscious man.

"Harry." He paused not wanting to say Potter because that would need an explanation. Having only one name was practical for blending in and not drawing too much attention.

"He-ri?" the man fumbled.

Harry cringed at the odd sound and corrected him. "No, more like…Ha-ree"

The man frowned. "Ha-rii?"

Harry nodded. "Good enough, I suppose. What's your name?"

"Akira. It's nice to meet Orihime's grandkid." The man smiled warmly. "Even if you look nothing like her."

Harry's stomach rumbled loudly, destroying any illusion of seriousness, and he ducked his head in embarrassment.

Akira chuckled, moved forward and sat down in front of Harry. Harry frowned at the man's easy trust and lack of cautiousness but decided to make use of it. He pulled out a half-eaten chocolate bar from his backpack.

"Do you want some?" Harry asked as he broke off a piece of chocolate, confident that the sugary food would make the man more talkative.

"I don't need to eat."

Harry bit his chocolate, considering what to do next.

"I'm dead," the man said blandly.

Harry choked on his piece of chocolate as his mind recalled images of the Hogwarts monotone ghosts. "What? Don't be ridiculous. You're colourful!"

The redhead's lips twitched. "So are you, brat." With an amused smirk, Akira pushed his hand towards a rock beside him.

Harry gaped as the hand phased though the solid object. "But…" He knows grandmum and she must have come back here at least 30 years ago. He doesn't look a day over 20 but that doesn't mean he's dead. Harry leaned forward and stretched out his hand. When he felt soft cloth, Harry grabbed the man's sleeve triumphantly. "I don't know what trick you're using with that rock, but you need to do better if you're planning on lying to me."

Akira stared at the hand clutching his sleeve. With a sleek movement he twisted his hand through the air and caught Harry's wrist in the blink of an eye.

Harry cringed at the icy cold hand that clutched his wrist in a vice-like recalled the icy cold feeling that had touched his forehead before and gave him his new language abilities. It was similar but not the same.

Akira's face shifted through awe, disbelief and an odd sense of longing.

Hedwig stretched her wings, flew off Harry's shoulder, passed right through Akira's chest and landed on the rock beside him. Harry glanced down at the hand still curled around his wrist."Stand up. Ghosts didn't need to walk, so if you float..."

"I don't float. I just walk through everything." Akira smirked but didn't let got of Harry's hand. "You really are an odd brat. I mean you can see me and even touch me. It's so unreal. When Orihime came back…"

"You were there when she came back?" Harry interrupted.

"I've been here for a long time." Akira sighed. "But she couldn't see me, none of them could. I wanted her to go back because it wasn't safe. After I died I just..."

"How exactly did you die?" Harry asked, not entirely convinced that the man was dead.

Akira's forehead creased. "I was trying to use a defense jutsu I'd found, but something went wrong. I was too distracted and inexperienced, the jutsu mutated into something else." He chuckled bitterly. "The last thing I remember was watching the few remaining clan members around me disappear in swirls of energy as the jutsu sucked up all my chakra."

Harry gasped as he remembered he grandmother's letter. "You, you're the Uzumaki clan head."

Akira perked up. "You know me!"

"Not really, grandmum just said that the clan head sent them to my home wo… region. She didn't mention any names."

Akira chuckled and let go of Harry's hand. "This is so surreal."

"Tell me about it," Harry said as he bit another piece of chocolate, hoping it would calm him down.

"Who would have thought I'd end up meeting my grand-nephew after I died." Akira laughed and Harry choked once more.

Harry gulped down some water and stared intently at Akira. "You're grandmum's …"

"Elder brother." Akira confirmed. "Yuriko and Orihime were my younger sisters."

Harry recognized the familiar names and slumped in relief.

"So, what are you doing here all alone?" Hedwig interrupted Akira with a hoot. "Pardon me, what are you doing here with your lovely companion. Surely you're a long way from home."

"I…" Harry murmured, "I wanted to find her because... How long has it been like this?"

"Long before you were born, most probably. I can't keep track of time here." Akira sighed and turned back to the ruins, "We were not prepared for such large scale fighting." He stood up, turned around and beckoned for Harry to follow. "Even when Orihime and the others came back, there wasn't much they could do. The world was too harsh. And since I was dead there was no way for her to go back." Stones crinkled under Harry's feet as he followed Akira.

"Why not? Couldn't you have told them how to open the portal?" Harry interrupted, noting how Akira's moving feet didn't disturb any stones or dirt and wondering just when he'd accepted that Akira was a ghost. No footsteps. No shadow.

"They couldn't see me, remember?" Akira paused and looked at the boy.

Hedwig flapped her wings and flew over them. Harry marveled at the silvery sheen from her feathers in the sunlight.

"Is everyone dead?" Harry asked, voice falling with trepidation.

"I don't know." Akira frowned. "Orihime's group was the only one that came back. And then they left this area. Nothing happened until you dropped by."

"Where did they go? Why didn't you follow them?"

Akira stopped at the area that Harry had arrived at and turned to Harry, "I can't leave these ruins. I'm stuck here."

Imprisonment in an abandoned place with no human contact. Harry balked at the thought.

Akira continued, "I tried everything, but something keeps me here. You can imagine my surprise when I woke up to an empty place and tried to leave in search of the others only to realize I could walk through things but couldn't leave the edge of our village."

"Is it because of the jutsu thing you did?" Harry wondered.

Akira shrugged, "I don't know what the jutsu did. I thought it sent them to different places, but I couldn't be sure. I don't know where Orihime went and came back from…" Hopeful blue eyes turned to Harry. "Which region did you come from, brat?"

Harry cleared his throat and looked at his feet. "Uh, you see, I'm from…another realm?"

"You mean away from the shinobi nations?"

Harry rubbed his forehead wearily. "More like a different world or dimension or something like that."

Akira blinked, frowned and nodded. "That would make sense."

"It does?" Harry had expected Akira to laugh at him or demand a proper explanation.

"I never understood why I died. Sure the jutsu mutated into something odd. But if that jutsu sent them to another world, then it makes sense. After all, to accomplish something impossible you need to pay with your life."

"So you sent everyone else from the clan to different worlds?" Harry supplied.

Akira shook his head. "I don't think so. My life would have only been enough to open the way to one world, if it actually did that."

"Then what about the others?" Harry persisted.

"They must have been sent to different places here." Akira murmured thoughtfully, "Initially I thought that'd I sent everyone to one place, but when Orihime's group returned, I realized that I had scattered them."

"So there's a chance…there's a chance they're still out there, somewhere." Harry pulled the man's sleeve and dragged him towards the edge of the village.

Akira said, "Harii, what are you doing?"

"Come with me, help me find them."

"But I can't leave!" Akira protested, pulling his hand away.

"Yeah well, you couldn't be seen before I came along either." Harry retorted and stalked towards the trees in the distance ignoring the older man's protests. As he stepped into the tree cover, Akira's sleeve slid out of his hand. He turned back to Akira, grabbed the sleeve and pulled.

Again the sleeve slid out.

Akira smiled sadly, raised a hand and pushed it forward. The skin on his palm flattened against an invisible barrier. "Looks like even you can't get me out of here."

Harry grit his teeth, walked behind Akira and pushed.

Akira patted Harry's head gently. "Maa, that's enough, Harii"

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself," Harry said.

"Idiot brat." Akira huffed. "You're getting too worked up over trivial things. Just because I can't leave with you, doesn't mean you can't find them."

"How is this trivial?" Harry asked, quite willing to argue with his supposed ghostly ancestor, "If you can't leave then, I'm staying here…"

"Eh?"

"You heard me." Harry removed his backpack. He unfurled his scroll, pricked his finger and dragged it across the first seal. He grabbed the magical tent and placed in on the ground.

Akira watched Harry set up his tent with an exasperated look and smiled. "You're definitely an Uzumaki."

Harry shook his head. Being alone for so long must have made Akira a bit crazy. He ducked into his tent followed by Hedwig and frowned when Akira didn't follow. "What are you doing? Get in!" Harry held the flap open and watched in satisfaction at the shock on the man's face.

"What? How?" Akira stuttered at the spacious interior of the tiny tent. "Is this ability from your world? Like that stick that shoots purple light?"

Harry paused and glanced at his wand. "When did it shoot a purple light?"

"When you made a burn on the rock," Akira said as he flitted around the tent examining everything curiously.

Harry glanced at his wand. He didn't remember using any spells. Must have lost control. Does this mean that I … Harry raised his wand and pointed. "Accio backpack". He caught his bag with bated breath and waited. Harry smiled in relief when nothing happened. No flashing phoenixes, no order member apparating and no ministry owl- he'd really managed to get away from them.

"That looks useful, what is it?" Akira prodded.

Harry beamed at the older man and talked. About magic and his life.

A week later, Harry stretched out of his tent feeling completely relaxed. His mind buzzed with odd new information- things to watch out for, people to be wary of, places to generally avoid, how to address people properly to avoid being killed and the dangers of jutsus. His grandmum might have said it was equivalent to magic. But from what Akira described, jutsus were a lot more different than magic.

"Finally up?" Akira asked

Harry blinked at the man's sudden appearance but shrugged it off as Akira's usual oddity. Akira had proven himself to be odder than most of Hogwarts' ghosts during the past week.

"I think you should get going." Akira said abruptly. "I'm glad you stayed with me for so long but you need to search for the others." He cut off Harry's protest. "Harii, I'm dead, and I haven't had company in a long time. I think I can deal with it a little longer, as long as I know the rest of my family is safe."

Harry shot him a look.

Akira smiled at him in amusement. "You can always come back. I'll try not to bore you with boring stories about all the clan members I lived with."

"They're not that boring." Harry muttered.

"Oh? Well, that's nice then. Do you know what that is?" He pointed to the necklace around Harry's neck.

Harry clasped the intricately carved black fish that had belonged to his grandmother. "A koi?"

Akira gave him smug look. "It's a Kumonryu."

Harry frowned as his mind automatically provided a literal translation "dragon with nine markings". It seemed that the free language lesson didn't include local myths and folklore. Or local customs and etiquette, his mind supplied grimly recalling Akira's horrified expression when Harry had called him Akira.

Akira elaborated, "It's a symbol of transformation. Those koi are named after the legendary dragon Ryu that transformed into a cloud and raced through the sky."

Harry waited for Akira to continue.

"Brat, to survive and move ahead, you need to be able to adapt and change. You're world is too different."

Harry finally tapped his wand on his clothes, mimicking a dull maroon version of Akira's blue attire.

Akira blinked. "That's not quite what I meant. But, good idea! Your clothes would have made you stand out too much." Akira circled Harry examining him critically. "What about your footwear?"

"What about it?" Harry stared down at his new black boots.

"Sandals!" Akira lifted one sandaled foot.

"But I'd stub my toes" Harry argued. "And these are new."

"Well then, time to pack up. It's best to get an early start."

"Now?" Harry frowned. He sighed as Akira pushed and prodded him into packing up.

"You look like an ordinary traveler now." Akira said, an hour later, as Harry fiddled with his backpack and scroll. "And, no brat, I'm not kicking you out, I just want you to find them. The earlier the better, right?"

"Are you sure you can't come with me?" Harry asked, unwilling to leave the only link to his grandmother behind even if it was a ghost.

Akira gave him an exasperated look.

Harry said, "Maybe we should try again. I can use my magic…"

Akira patted the boy's head fondly, "You'll always know where to find me. Or at least your owl should be able to." They turned to Hedwig. She eyed them, daring them to question her ability to find her way back.

"Until Hedwig gets familiar with this world, this outdated map will have to do." Harry frowned.

"The boundaries shouldn't have changed much" Akira shrugged. "Just keep going in that direction till you reach Fire country."

Harry gazed in the direction uncertainly.

Akira reassured him. "Fire country was always prosperous and helpful. They like to take in strays. If nothing else, it'll give you some clues. I know you'll find a living Uzumaki eventually."

"You think so?" Harry asked.

"Of course." Akira grinned. "You found me, didn't you? And I'm dead."

Harry snorted. "Let's just hope I find someone alive. If I find another ghost stuck to one place, they'll probably talk my ear off."

Akira ruffled Harry's hair gently. "Oh my! What's this? My descendant cracking a joke? I'm so proud."

"I should get going," Harry said as he tightened the straps of his backpack and shifted the storage scroll into a comfortable position.

Akira nodded and said,"Good luck, Harii."

Harry looked up into purplish blue eyes and with an awkward wave he turned away from his dead ancestor and stumbled away in to the trees.

"Be careful, brat and come back soon with the others." Akira shouted.

Harry smiled but didn't turn back.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry sat down on a rock and took a swig from his canteen. So far the land's layout seemed to be exactly as Akira had said. He jumped as an odd buzzing vibrated on his chest. He stretched his hand out and over his chest, patting it down gently, trying to find the source of the odd sensation.

"Harry?"

"Maybe we need the full name? Harry Potter!" A muffled voice reached his ears through bouts of static.

His eyes widened as his hands dipped inside his transfigured jacket and landed on a smooth leather pouch. The two-way mirror. With a relieved smile, Harry pulled the mirror out and saw two familiar worried faces.

"Mate, glad you managed to get away in time…"

"Harry, what are you wearing?" Both voices spoke at the same time.

Harry grinned as both of them reprimanded each other for their comments. "Thanks Ron." Harry interrupted, idly noticing that he'd automatically switched back to talking in English. "Hermione, I'm trying to blend in here. This is what they wear. What took you guys so long?"

"What took us…" Hermione sighed inn exasperation. "Harry, we're at the Burrow for the summer."

"How come?" His friends shared a look. "Ah, right... So, how did you get the mirror?"

"We asked Professor Lupin to search for it. He seemed rather willing to help," Ron said.

Harry nodded.

An awkward silence fell in between them. Hermione cleared her throat. "Harry, how do we join you?"

Harry blinked. "What?"

"You can't expect us let you go by yourself. Not after…" She bit her lip.

"You did read the part about the other world, right?" Harry asked.

Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. "Did she ever. I've had to listen to constant odd theories about how to get to you."

"Ron…"

"She wanted to ask Dobby if house elves could find people in other worlds." Ron snickered.

"What?" Harry sputtered.

Hermione huffed. "I didn't see you contributing any ideas."

"Well, obviously. I keep telling you, it's a family thing. Would you want us with you when you search for a relative?" Ron retorted, even as his voice hitched a little.

"I'd have taken you guys with me." Harry interrupted. "I'd have taken you with me if I had more time. And if you guys wanted to come with me."

"Of course, we'd have come with you, mate. I mean I did follow you even when we had to visit the spiders, right?" Ron assured him.

Hermione nodded at his side.

"Even you Hermione? Even if it meant missing school?" Harry's lips quirked up at Hermione's cornered expression.

"Of…of course…"

Harry chuckled at her stuttering. He heard Ron laughing with Hermione trying to reprimand them and he knew everything was all right between them.

"You guys wouldn't believe the past few days I've had." They perked up and huddled closer to the mirror as he told them everything he had witnessed, gone through and learnt.

"Wow." Ron summarized. "Traveling across the world, portals and ghosts? And it's not even the start of school year."

Hermione frowned in thought. "It all sounds so…"

"Unbelievable?" Harry supplied.

"The threstral I can ignore due to lack of research done on them. The sentient rock portal is also fine for now. But Fawkes attacking Hedwig, it's just, I haven't heard of phoenixes being hostile like that."

"I know, that's why I told you, I'd really like to know about the whole magical creature interaction. I don't know what he did to her. She seems fine, but…"

"Harry." Hermione said, "I doubt…"

Harry held the mirror above him and swirled it around.

"Oh my!" "Blimey." His friends exclaimed as they saw Hedwig. Hedwig sat on the tree stump patiently and eyed the mirror haughtily.

"Now I would love to know about magical animal interaction, because frankly, I get the feeling I'm missing something."

"Maybe we could ask Hagrid," Ron said.

"And say what exactly?" Hermione snapped. "Oh Hagrid, the magical creatures have a secret society that they're hiding from us. Do you know their secrets?"

Harry blinked and shared a look with Ron. "Hermione?"

Hermione sighed. "Sorry, I just... It's annoying that we can't even help you even when you need this kind of help."

Harry's eyes softened. "Are you kidding? I depend on you guys to help me understand things and keep me sane. And well, it's always good to talk to you guys, even if we are separated by a dimension."

"Of course" Ron nodded sagely. "We're critical to your mental health."

Harry twitched. "Critical?"

Hermione smacked Ron's shoulder and turned to Harry. "I'll do my best to look into it, but until I'm at Hogwarts I won't know anything for sure. I can probably ask Nearly Headless Nick about you grand-uncle too."

Harry nodded, "I think, maybe you should ask him if threstrals can see him."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Remember the threstral hair? It might have something to do with it. I can't be sure because it won't come off."

"I'll…" Hermione's eyes widened.

"Already?" Ron's face paled.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked worriedly.

Hermione sighed. "Its Mrs. Weasley. She thinks we'll leave to follow you, so she tries not to leave either of us alone."

"The only reason we could talk now was because the twins came home. Fred says we have a minute or two left." Ron added.

Hermione looked at Harry in worry. "You'll take care of yourself, right? And call us every chance you get."

"He needs to be by himself to call us, remember? And my mom won't let us out of her sight." Ron reminded.

"Then record a message and send it to us."

"I can do that?" Harry wondered.

"Of course! Professor Lupin told us, just say message and one of our names. The mirror will hold it till we can get to it." Hermione rushed. "Please stay out of trouble."

Ron snorted and turned to his best friend. "Have fun, Harry."

"Ron!" Hermione sounded scandalized.

"I'll try. And Hedwig is watching my back. Who knows, maybe she's gotten some scary powers now?" He chuckled when Hedwig hooted indignantly.

Harry grinned at Ron's contagious laughter and Hermione's soft laughter. "I'll talk to you two soon." And with a swirl of colour, their laughing faces disappeared leaving behind a blank mirror. He smiled. They had supported his choice to come here. He felt a bit more confident as he stood up.

*X*X*X*

Harry sighed in annoyance at the mist and the trees around him.

Especially the mist.

Definitely the mist. Why is it so misty in the forest anyway? Hedwig seemed to find the weather just as annoying and stayed on his shoulder. He was glad since he didn't want to be alone in the mist, but he still couldn't get over how much bigger Hedwig was.

He stopped mid-step when he heard a loud cough and a hard thump. What? Another raspy cough. There's someone out here. Harry bit his lip and moved towards the sound of the coughs making as much noise as possible. No point in surprising the person.

The coughs got muffled as though the person was trying to stop it. Harry frowned but paused. In a clear tone he asked. "Are you alright? Do you need some help?"

No response. Harry rolled his eyes. Like that's going to deter me.

Then the rational part of his mind kicked in, you do realize you could be walking towards some psycho. Harry ignored it. Someone might need help. Unbidden a memory rose to his mind, "Harry you have a saving people thing".

Harry stopped once more, heart constricting painfully at the assault of memories that threatened to make him scream. Why. Why now of all times? He'd been doing fine the whole week with Akira.

Stop it.

Stop.

STOP.

He took a deep breath trying to calm his erratic gasps of air and the painful heartbeat.

Whoever had been coughing was probably long gone.

But he walked forward, acutely aware that he needed to learn some spells to survive traveling in dangerous territory.

Harry paused as he found a person huddled, in a large black coat with red clouds on it, at the base of a thick tree. He waited for some sort of acknowledgment and got another wet sounding cough.

Harry flinched. He had been to enough Quidditch practices to know when someone was probably coughing up blood.

He ignored all sense of caution, removed his water canteen and held it out. Black eyes looked up at him and turned to the outstretched arm holding the canteen. Harry studied the person in front of him. Long black bangs fell over a metallic plate that had an odd symbol scratched out.

Harry stared at the symbol- a swirl with a pointed tip on one side. He tilted his head to the side a bit and wondered what it meant. Clan affiliation? Some sort of head gear that hadn't existed in Whirlpool. Akira never mentioned it.

But it was the black eyes that caught Harry's attention. More than the familiar length of black hair, it was the loneliness and pain in those eyes that prevented Harry from leaving this man to suffer. Sirius had always had those eyes and he had ignored them, immersed in his own problems.

Harry stood patiently letting the man scrutinize him. He flinched and held his breath as a sharp object touched his skin. He hadn't even noticed another person in the vicinity. And it seemed neither had Hedwig. She let out an odd hoot but tightened her claws on his shoulder.

The person in front of him hadn't moved. Black eyes watched Harry suspiciously.

Harry peeked at the black sleeve covered the pale hand holding the weapon against his caught a glimpse of red clouds scattered on a black background. Similar outfits. So he was the man's partner then? Harry gasped at his attacker's face and turned back to the man leaning on the tree. It was the same man.

Or maybe twins?

The pressure on his neck disappeared in a flash of thick white smoke and the sounds of gut wrenching coughs. His attacker had burst into smoke. And the man against the tree slumped forward as his body shook with a violent coughing fit.

Harry's cringed at the clogged wetness he could hear from the man's throat.

Red liquid seeped through the pale fingers that covered the man's mouth, and Harry knew that the man was in bad shape. He barely made it two steps before the man fell forward unconscious.

Harry grabbed the man before he hit the ground, the metallic object on the man's forehead landing painfully on Harry's shoulder. Harry unholstered his wand, pointed it at the man's throat and uttered a spell he had seen many times on the Quidditch field.

"Anapneo" Harry sighed in relief as the man's breathing eased and sounded a little less raspy.

He pushed the man into a sitting position, pushing him back against the tree and looked up at Hedwig. "Now what do we do?"

Chapter Text

"Stupefy", Harry whispered holding his wand to the unconscious man's temple. Grass crunched as Harry knelt down and removed his backpack. He glanced up at Hedwig and shrugged guiltily, "I just don't want him attacking me in the middle of this."

Hedwig hooted and looked down at the man from her perch in the tree.

Blood stained the corner of his mouth and one of his hands, but other than that there were no injuries to indicate what was wrong with the man. Harry frowned at the lack of visible injuries. Ok, now what? Do I give him a potion for the blood loss? Hermione would have…wait, that's it. Harry dug into his pocket and pulled out the pouch containing his two-way mirror. "Hermione, Hermione Granger." He waited. Two seconds, ten seconds, a minute… oh, Mrs Weasley was watching them.

He groaned. Now what? A voice in his head hissed in irritation, Don't you have a brain?

Harry nodded. He could do this. He had a ton of potions. And his wand and that book. He unfurled the large scroll from his back and mentally catalogued everything he had packed into each seal. Harry paused at the third seal array on the scroll- the one where he had dumped the remainder of his potions stash.

With a wary glance to the unconscious body, Harry pricked his finger, held it over the design and paused. Harry bent down and examined the circular designs on the scroll in confusion. They looked, no, they felt different.

Hedwig hooted questioningly at his abrupt pause.

He shushed her absently, "Just a minute, Hedwig." He concentrated on the symbols wondering why he hadn't noticed anything when he had removed his tent from the scroll. Then again, he hadn't really paid much attention to anything other than Akira for the past week.

Summon, Space, Protect, Hide… The characters. He could understand each of the characters in the design. Harry leaned forward eager to understand the other symbols. Blood, Time, Fa… gah, Harry winced and rubbed his ear. "Hedwig?"

The white owl screeched loudly and hovered over the unconscious man with a pointed look at Harry.

Harry massaged his ear sheepishly. "Right." He reopened the small wound on his finger and dragged it across the design. A familiar brown bag from the potions shop emerged alongside a thick book. The Healer's Helpmate.

He opened the new book and sighed in relief at the first page.

Don't know where the injury is?

A simple diagnostic spell will point you in the right direction.

Harry read the page twice. Out of the three different diagnostic spells listed, Harry chose the simplest-looking one. With a nervous huff, he tapped his wand on the man's forehead, "Ostenero."

Nothing happened.

Harry re-checked the book. Ok, just stay calm and try it again. This is the easiest spell on the page. He swished his wand in the required movement to re-cast the spell and waited with closed eyes.

He opened an eye and peeked at his wand, looking for any sign of the spell.

"What could I be doing wr…" Harry squeezed his eyes shut as information flooded his brain via a shadowy black outline of a body dotted with different colours ranging from a shimmering yellow to crimson red and even few poisonous looking purples.

Harry turned to the book, reading the colour key. Yellow- blood clots, blue- fractures and bone injuries, red-organ damage, orange- nerve damage, pink-toxins/poisons, and purple- dead cells. His meagre biology knowledge told him he wasn't qualified to deal with this. "How is he even alive?"

Hedwig hooted and her amber eyes looked at him.

"I don't think I can fix him, Hedwig."

Hedwig interrupted him with another hoot and Harry looked down at the man. Can I afford to back away? Just because I've never done anything remotely like this before? "I just have to try."

Harry flipped the book to the chapter on blood clots. He grimaced at the information- he'd have to stuff potions down the unconscious man's throat and use even more complicated wand sequences. He'd have re-cast the Ostenero spell after every spell to check his progress. At least I don't have to cut him open. Harry consoled himself and prepared the required potions idly wondering why Hogwarts didn't teach healing.

He shot Hedwig a smile. "Think you can keep a lookout while I try this?"

The snowy owl shot up into the air and disappeared from sight.

With a hasty prayer to every higher power he'd heard of, Harry dripped a foul green concoction down the man's throat, twirled his wand and lost himself in the persistent tug of his magic. Countless shots of diagnostic spells, force-feeding potions and struggling to work every required healing spell left Harry trembling in exhaustion. Who knew healing- or trying to heal - was worse than Oliver's Quidditch training? The faint pink spell at the tip of his wand faded.

Harry shot out another diagnostic spell and grimaced- the man's insides still looked awful. He'd managed to get rid of a few clots, fix some muscle damage and part of his lungs. But everything else was untouched. He needed to read the book when he was free- there were too many basic things he didn't know. Things that would have helped him heal the man faster.

Harry re-holstered his wand and slammed his book shut as the man's breathing changed. He couldn't stupefy the man again- it would counteract all the potions he had stuffed into the man.

Hedwig floated down curiously and they both watched the man struggle into consciousness. A part of Harry idly wondered why he wasn't being more cautious of the man. "Oh good, you're awake. I thought the injuries were bad enough to put you in some kind of coma. It took me forever to figure out what to do. Your injuries are horrible, what the hell have you been doing to yourself…" Harry stopped himself in shock. I never talk like that.

Harry groaned and rubbed his forehead wearily. "A little healing and all of a sudden I've become…a …a mother hen."

The cloaked man shifted and Harry ducked to the side as a blade glinted beside his face. I'm glad he's still sluggish from the potions. Otherwise that would have been bad for me. Even so, he moved really fast.

Harry restrained the lecture bubbling in his throat, ignored the blade beside his face and shoved a vial under the man's nose. "I couldn't fix you up properly, but this will help."

Black eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Don't give me that look," Harry said in exasperation. "Honestly why would I poison you after I spent…" he glanced down at his watch and exclaimed, "Two hours?"

Hedwig hooted in irritation.

"Oh, um, yes… two hours trying to fix you." Harry finished lamely.

The man frowned, pulled his weapon back and sniffed the vial.

Harry rolled his eyes at the tinge of disgust on the man's face. "It's not supposed to be nice, it's supposed to make sure you don't cough up a lung."

Thin lips pursed in annoyance and black eyes glanced at Harry again.

Harry sighed. He actually sympathized with Madame Pomprey. No wonder she was always cranky. Anyone would be, if you spent ages fixing someone only for the person to refuse proper treatment and make all the hard work worthless.

He wasn't a healer. He hadn't fixed most of the man's internal damage. But he had tried his best-sacrificing his time, energy and his potion stash. Harry wasn't going to let this man just walk away without taking the damn potion.

What would Madame Pomprey do?

"If you don't drink it, you're lungs will start to shrink" Harry said. Is that even possible? No, don't get distracted. Lie! Lie like you've never lied before. You're trying to save a life. "Eventually your heart will be in constant strain and then…" Harry continued in a grave tone, "Your brain will shut down."

The man eyed the vial.

Maybe I pushed it too far and lost credibility? Stupid unreliable lying skills. Harry paused as the man tugged the vial out of Harry's fingers, tipped his head back and gulped down the nasty greenish brown concoction with a stoic face. Harry was impressed that the man only closed his eyes for a few seconds- otherwise completely hiding all signs of discomfort.

"Here." Harry held out a square of chocolate and a canteen of water. "It'll get rid of the taste." He studiously ignored the voice in his head that berated him for sharing his chocolate with a stranger who had attacked him.

He was quite willing to snatch the chocolate away when he was given another overly suspicious look. Honestly? I healed him, saved his life and this is what I get. I would have been halfway to fire country by now if I hadn't stopped to help.

Harry stood up slowly as the man sniffed the canteen. Black strands ruffled briefly as he took a swig from the canteen, gurgled and spit it out. Harry's nose crinkled in disgust but he eyed the man in concern. The man's face tightened briefly as he bit down on the chocolate.

Harry smirked at the surprise that washed over the man's face as he swallowed the rest of the chocolate. "Do you feel any better?"

Black eyes glanced up at him in a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

Harry wondered if he'd always be subjected to odd looks wherever he went.

"Why?" the man croaked out.

Harry shrugged at the man. "Because you shouldn't ignore what's in front of you." Even if you do end up in trouble because of it.

The man eyed him with an unsure expression.

"I suppose I should get going. You can keep the canteen." Harry turned and walked away from the man. Hedwig flapped her wings and landed on his shoulder. Harry took a few steps forward and paused warily. He glanced in every direction and turned to Hedwig. "Do you remember where we came in from?"

Hedwig tilted her head to the side and ducked her head, looking almost ashamed. Harry sighed and turned back to the man. "Not to be a bother, but, could you tell me which way I have to go to reach Fire country?"

The man tensed slightly. Or at least Harry thought he did.

"Never mind. I'll find it eventually." Harry walked forward, adjusting his backpack and scroll into a more comfortable position. Best not to bother him too much. I don't want another meeting with the man's sharp weapons.

"Through Wave," a soft and even voice said.

Harry paused and turned back to the man.

The man hesitated. "Get a boat to Wave country."

Wave country? Akira hadn't mentioned that. Harry frowned, pulled out the old map and groaned at the lack of any markings for a 'Wave country'.

"I'm heading to the coast."

Harry blinked.

The man gracefully rose from the ground, turned to one direction of the clearing and walked. He paused and turned to Harry.

"Thanks!" Harry stumbled forward and followed the man. "So, uh, what's your name?" There it is. The tension and something else… Fear? Confusion? Shock? Does he expect me to know his name? Harry could feel it even though there weren't any visible signs of it.

"I'm Harii," Harry said, pronouncing his name like Akira had- a pre-emptive strike to prevent any name-related questions or conversations. "And this is Hedwig." Harry added when Hedwig bit his ear.

"Itachi." The man replied curtly.

Harry bit back a cough as his language translator provided him with the literal translation of "Itachi" as weasel. It seemed like the mysterious language converter was more defective than he had initially speculated. Stupid defective sentient rock portal. He idly wondered how Ron would react to the fact that the first living person he'd met was named Weasel. Eager to keep his mind occupied with something other than connecting Itachi and the Weasleys, Harry said, "Are you still in pain?"

"No."

Harry didn't push any further and frowned at the silence that followed. Harry was no stranger to silence- he's spent most of his life holed away from people. But after Akira filling every moment of the past week with talk, it felt odd to be next to a living person who was so silent. Maybe he should try and make small talk. "Hey, um, Itachi-san?"

Black eyes turned to him.

"Why are you all by yourself anyway?"

Itachi blinked, raised an eyebrow and turned away. Harry translated that to mean something like- You don't need to know.

Another bout of silence.

"Itachi-san?" Harry prodded after a few minutes eager to chase away the silence yet again. "What's Fire country like?"

Harry bit his lip as Itachi remained silent.

"It's beautiful." Itachi conceded.

Harry eyed the other man curiously.

"Large trees that reach up into a blue sky and the smell of grass everywhere," Itachi said wistfully.

Harry's eyes widened at tinge of home-sickness he noticed in the long sentence. "Sounds nice. It'll definitely be a step up from this misty place," Harry muttered as he watched the mist around them.

Itachi hmmed in agreement and they fell into another bout of silence.

Four hours of walking later, Harry huffed tiredly. He was still drained form the healing. And he was hungry. When were they going to stop?

Itachi paused and turned back to Harry.

Harry cringed and rubbed his forehead wearily. "Sorry, I guess healing tired me out more than I thought."

Itachi frowned, looked around and then walked off in a different direction beckoning Harry to follow to a small but fairly open clearing. "It'll be dark soon. We'll stay here for the night."

Harry dropped to the ground and ruffled through his backpack pulling out some sandwiches. He hungrily bit down into the sandwich as Itachi made a fire at the centre and sat down, a little away to Harry's right, with closed eyes.

"Aren't you eating?" Harry asked after a large swallow.

Itachi opened one eye but said nothing.

Harry frowned. "You need to eat. Otherwise all the stuff I made you drink won't work properly." He dug through his bag and threw another pack of paper-wrapped sandwiches at the man.

Itachi caught the pack with one hand, opened his eyes and stared at the sandwiches with confused eyes. He glanced at Harry for a while before finally taking a sandwich and eating it.

Hedwig hopped off his shoulder and settled down in front of both of them. Harry fed her some water from his canteen cap and pulled out a bag of owl treats. Harry was thankful that even with her odd confrontation with Fawkes, Hedwig still loved owl treats. Maybe they don't have snowy owls here! It's perfect. "You want to feed her?"

Itachi paused mid-bite in surprise.

Harry ignored the almost scandalised look he pictured Itachi hiding behind that stoic face of his and threw the bag of owl treats to the other man. Harry didn't know what prompted the thought or the action but he found himself curious of Itachi's reaction. Would he throw the bag back and leave? What if he's deadly afraid of owls and screamed when Hedwig got close?

As it turned out, Itachi did nothing of that sort. He calmly set aside his own food and opened the brown bag.

Harry watched in unabashed interest as Itachi carefully held out an owl treat for Hedwig. Hedwig eyed Itachi for a few seconds before she waddled closer to him and snatched the owl treat from his fingers. Her amber eyes watched Itachi closely as he held out another owl treat.

Harry bit into his food as he watched his two travel companions, a bit surprised at their easy acceptance of each other. Hedwig looks comfortable with him. I guess he's pretty trustworthy. Harry stifled a yawn but froze when he felt a familiar buzzing vibrated on his chest. "Harry Potter", a girl's voice called out.

Harry sat still wondering how to explain this to his travel companion. Harry glanced at Itachi who was still feeding Hedwig as though he hadn't heard anything unusual.

"Harry" the voice rang out again.

Still no outward reaction from Itachi. He placed a hand over his chest and frowned. The mirror vibrated under his fingers and he could hear bits of static every now and then.

What should I do? Should I leave the clearing to talk to Hermione? But Itachi will get suspicious since I already took a bathroom break. Before he could decide, an audible sigh rose from the mirror and he heard, "Message Harry Potter" before the vibrations disappeared.

*X*X*X*

Harry woke up to a stinging ear and Hedwig flapping her wings noisily near his face in the bright sunlight. "I'm up. I'm up." He yawned, rubbed his eyes and frowned when he felt his glasses on his face. I slept with my glasses on?

He winced as his neck creaked when he moved. His fingers ran over rough bark behind him. I fell asleep sitting?

When exactly did I fall asleep?

His eyes landed on Itachi standing on the other side of the clearing. "You didn't sleep." Harry realised guiltily.

Itachi shrugged, eyed Harry's backpack and scroll and walked out of the clearing.

Harry cleaned up and packed away his items as fast as he could, even using his wand when he was sure Itachi wouldn't see him. Itachi waited at the edge of the clearing with Hedwig on his shoulder. Harry blinked at the odd picture the two of them made. Since when is Hedwig so chummy with him?

"You should have woken me up," Harry said, "you need sleep too. I'll take tonight's watch."

Itachi didn't say a word as he led Harry though the woods.

Ah, joy, more silence. Harry rolled his eyes finding it hard to start a conversation with Itachi.

Sunlight pooled in through the trees and there was a generous lack of mist which made the long hours of silent walking tolerable for Harry. They didn't pause for a break and ate as they walked. If anything, I'll be in wonderful shape after all of this, he consoled himself at the gruelling pace that Itachi had set.

Harry's hand clenched as a cold tingle ran down his neck. He knew that feeling. It always occurred when someone or something was close enough to attack him. Like bludgers, or large snakes or death eaters.

Harry's neck tingled fiercely and he ducked as a sharp something sailed over his head and landed on a tree trunk with a solid thunk. Harry barely had time to move before a foot rushed to his face. With a burst of adrenaline, Harry slid to the side and raised his right arm just in time to block a gloved fist.

Harry gaped as he came face to face with a young girl with deep purple hair and wild orange eyes. She didn't wear any head gear like Itachi. Harry tilted his head to the side as the girl's other fist sailed past his ear but he coughed as a foot collided with his stomach.

So much for my seeker reflexes, he thought grimly as he shoved the girl away in a bid to get his wand out.

He heard metallic clangs and multiple crashes ahead of him and knew that Itachi was just as occupied as he was. Harry didn't even know how many other attackers there were.

"Son of a…" Harry winced as a needle-like object emerged from the girl's hand landed on his ear lobe. He lifted his arms and another punch landed on the outside of his wand holster.

Dammit, if I could just get my wand out. Harry didn't want to physically hit the younger girl. I'd much rather just hex her. He frowned at the girl as both their arms were locked in a fierce stalemate. She wasn't pulling her arms back and Harry knew better than to keep her arms unoccupied.

But it looked like she was getting ready to launch another kick.

If only I could cast a Stupefy, he thought desperately.

A red beam of light shot out from under his right palm and slammed into the girl in front of him. Harry watched in horrified fascination as the light lifted the girl off her feet and smashed her into a tree trunk with a violent snap. She crumpled to the ground unmoving.

Harry turned his hand upwards and examined his wand holster- his wand was still in the holster, with just a bit of the tip poking over the holster material, as usual. He glanced back at the girl in confusion.

Is that even possible? Can you cast spells from a wand without actually holding it?

Harry rubbed his wand holster absently trying to figure out what had just happened. A loud yell pierced his confused thoughts. His arms floundered wildly as the ground beneath him shifted and pulled his legs down.

Harry gaped and looked around. The purple-haired girl was still by the tree, but the ground around him - leading up to where Itachi had disappeared to – had turned into sticky swamp land.

For a moment Harry cringed thinking that he's accidentally set off a portable swamp from the twin's stash of goodies.

A loud hoot made Harry turn his head to find Itachi walking towards him, no sight or sound of his attackers anywhere. Hedwig settled on Harry's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.

"I …" Wait a minute. Why isn't Itachi sinking into the mud? In fact his sandals look like they're repelling the mud. That's not fair.

Itachi stopped directly in front of Harry. His narrowed eyes glanced between the downed girl and Harry in curiosity.

Harry twitched in irritation at the questioning look on Itachi's face.

"I can fight you know." Harry griped at Itachi's stare. Duelling counts as a form of fighting, Harry assured himself.

Itachi quirked an eyebrow like he was saying, who are you trying to fool?

"Dodge, okay, I can dodge because of good reflexes." Harry muttered as his resolve wavered.

Itachi sent a pointed look at Harry's feet still trapped in the mud. Stupid cloak wearing person with your awesome mud-repelling skills.

Harry sighed. "Are you just going to watch me sink into the mud?"

With a brief glance to the girl, Itachi grabbed Harry's shoulder. Before Harry could protest, the air around him blurred and his feet jostled as they landed on firm ground once again.

"Woah!" Harry exclaimed as he realised that he was standing near the girl, well away from the swamp. He tilted his head up to thank Itachi but exclaimed in horror, "what's wrong with your eyes?"

Red irises filled with three swirling black marks stared at Harry in confusion.

Harry watched as Itachi blinked in understanding, closed his eyes and reopened them to show normal black eyes. Were his eyes red when he came into the clearing? Harry frowned. He couldn't remember. "Wait, what was that? Why were they…"

Itachi waved a hand. Never mind, it does not matter.

"Maybe that's the reason why you're so…" Harry paused as Itachi checked the girl and walked away from him. Wait, they were just going to leave the girl there? What if she came after them when she regained consciousness? Hedwig hooted in concern as she shifted on Harry's shoulder.

"Hey!" Harry stumbled after Itachi, forgetting the girl and ignoring the mud caked on his legs. "That red eye thing must be the reason you're sick."

Itachi remained silent.

"Look, if it's some disease I could," Harry said.

Itachi scoffed. "You can't do anything for a curse."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "A curse?" I can do something for curses. I'd have to ask Hermione for help, but…

Itachi titled his head, looked over his shoulder at Harry and said with a desolate tone. "A family curse." It doesn't concern you.

Harry frowned. He wanted some answers. He hadn't wanted to admit it- but the red eyes had frightened him because it reminded him of Voldemort. The only thing that had kept him from attacking Itachi in panic was the black spots that had dotted the red iris.

Harry replayed the entire attack trying to figure out when Itachi's eyes had turned red. His neck had tingled, a weapon flew over his head and the girl attacked. Somewhere during that the other people-two? Three of them? he couldn't remember- had attacked Itachi. But Itachi had disappeared. That led to other questions. Harry frowned. No, Itachi didn't disappear, he moved fast just like Harry's attacker. Like a ninja.

Akira had said that ninjas were dangerous. But Harry's definition of dangerous had always been in terms of the wizarding world. Death eaters never moved like that.

"Itachi-san?" Harry asked, "When did you become a ninja?"

Harry bit his lip as his companion's shoulder stiffened under the cloak. Harry didn't even know how he knew that Itachi was uncomfortable. Because they travelled together? No, Itachi just reminded him of a lot of people. Most times, he was like a really silent and broody version of Hermione, always thinking about things. Other times he reminded Harry of himself- like he had the world on his shoulders.

Harry frowned wondering if he should say something else or just let the silence continue.

"I was seven."

Itachi's dead tone worried Harry more than the information. Harry said, "I'm sorry."

Itachi gave him a slight nod. Hedwig flew off Harry's shoulder and landed on Itachi's causing the older man to pause in surprise.

"She's in her mother hen modes." Harry offered with a tiny smile.

Itachi didn't say anything but glanced at Hedwig with an odd look before moving forward.

Harry spent the rest of the day's walk puzzling over his companion's curse with his limited knowledge while wondering if leaving the girl untied was such a good idea.

*X*X*X*

Harry's prediction of being attacked by the girl and her companions didn't come to pass. It seemed that his worry was just a rare and ignored Moody-moment of Constant Vigilance. I guess Itachi knows what he's doing.

As they settled down in a less wooded area, Itachi created a fire once more while Hedwig flew off eager to hunt after giving Harry a soft nudge.

"Itachi-san?" Harry prodded and crouched in front of the other man. Black eyes glanced at him. "Are you okay? You were spacing out."

Itachi nodded slightly.

"Are you sure? Your eyes seem…" like they cannot see. Harry dug through his backpack and pulled out a potion vial he had set aside earlier. He hadn't wanted to give it to Itachi earlier because it had seemed like a stupid idea at the time. But that unfocused gaze had been disturbing him for a while now especially after seeing the red eyes.

Harry remembered the results from the diagnostic spell- nerve damage near the eyes and parts of the brain. There were no spells for that- no spells that someone, without medical training, like him could do.

Harry gazed at the purple liquid thoughtfully. The potion was used on people who had been under the Cruciatus curse for a few seconds to reverse minor nerve damage. More than few seconds' exposure and the potion would be useless -too much nerve damage like the Longbottoms' case. He remembered having to take it after the graveyard incident.

Harry didn't know if the potion could be used for nerve damage caused by something other than the Cruciatus. Itachi did say the eyes were a curse. He crouched in front of Itachi. "Drink this."

Harry smothered a smile at the long suffering look on the man's face as he eyed the purple liquid filled vial.

"Come on." Harry prodded.

Itachi raised his eyebrow in question. Why should I? I feel completely fine.

Harry stifled a groan of annoyance. "It's a medicine for the nerve damage." Medicine? I guess there's no word for potions here.

A small crease appeared on Itachi's forehead. I want a better explanation.

Harry wondered if he was actually translating Itachi's silent conversation or just making up excuses to keep talking. "I found a lot of nerve damage behind your eyes and parts of your brain. I left it alone because I didn't think it would matter much. But after seeing those red eyes…" Harry rubbed his forehead absently remembering all the times Itachi seemed to squint when looking at him. "You can't see very well, can you?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed and he turned to the vial.

"I don't know if this will actually help." Harry answered the unasked question. "This is meant for something else. But there's no harm in trying."

Itachi didn't look convinced.

Harry bit his lip. Why exactly am I pushing Itachi to take a potion that probably won't work in the first place? Curiosity? To see if I'm right? No…that's not it. It's the blank look that's worrying. Harry frowned at his jumbled thoughts. He stood up cautiously and frowned at the vial. "Never mind."

Itachi held out his hand.

"You don't have to humour me," Harry said.

Itachi blinked and kept his palm wide open.

Harry sighed and placed the vial in his hand. "Like I said, I don't know if it'll do much of anything…"

Itachi uncorked the vial, sniffed the concoction and eyed Harry despairingly.

"It probably tastes as bad as the other one" Harry agreed.

Itachi sighed softly and asked, "So you're a medic?"

"No, I haven't had any training. I just did it because it was necessary at the time." Harry replied, surprised that Itachi had stared a conversation.

Itachi tilted his head to the side, "Even a little healing is a lot."

Harry huffed in amusement. "I've always been the one getting healed. Never thought I'd end up trying to heal someone else. It's too complicated for someone like me, I'm amazed I didn't make it worse."

Black eyes stared at the purple vial.

Harry interrupted, "You don't have to take it. At any rate, it'll be better if you eat and catch up on your sleep." Harry ignored the voice that told him he was slipping into mother hen mode and tossed Itachi some more food. You'd think he'd be more prepared when he's travelling by himself. I haven't seen him with any of his own rations.

Harry paused when he heard an odd sound. He looked up and gaped.

Itachi was gulping down water with an empty vial on the ground in front of him.

"Couldn't you wait till I was actually paying attention?" Harry griped as he found some chocolate and stuffed it in Itachi's hand.

He grabbed the empty vial, shoved it into his pocket and waited for Itachi to settle down. "Well?" he asked once Itachi stopped moving.

Itachi stared Harry for a long moment. "Your eyes are really bright."

Harry pulled the vial back out of his pocket, worried at the out of character tone. "Hallucinations?"

"No," Itachi frowned, "Everything's blurry. But I can see the colours again."

Harry frowned. "You couldn't see colours?"

"Not with these eyes." Itachi clarified.

"So you can see colour?" Itachi nodded. "But your eyesight is as horrible as ever?" Itachi nodded again. "Right, well, you should eat and go to sleep," Harry said as he went back to his bag with thoughts buzzing through his head.

Itachi seemed compliant enough with Harry's request. He ate quietly and fell asleep against one of the trees.

Harry wanted to smash his head against something. Of all the possible people he could have met, why did he find such a complicated one? It could have been worse; Itachi could have been a psycho. And Hedwig wouldn't like someone who was a danger.

Harry threw a branch into the crackling fire. It was going to be a long night.

*X*X*X*

The next day, Itachi seemed keen on avoiding Harry as much as possible. He kept a solid distance between them when they walked; he didn't reply to any questions- no backwards glances, no hmms and definitely no talking.

Harry was confused but didn't push the man. "I'm sorry." Harry blurted as they stopped near a stream for the day.

Itachi turned to him questioningly, fingers rubbing Hedwig's head.

"I've probably been annoying you a lot." Harry muttered, "I just realized that I've been equating you to my godfather who died. I was so desperate to cling to a reminder of him, that I forgot you're not… I'm sorry." Harry closed his eyes unwilling to see the other man's disgust.

"I know." The man whispered back.

Harry frowned at the odd tone. "That's not to say I don't enjoy talking to you or anything. Sure you're a bit odd, but then again most of my friends are…" Harry winced in mortification. Did I just imply that I think he's a friend? After spending less than a week in his presence?

"You're weird." Itachi stated.

Harry twitched and muttered, "This from the man wearing nail polish and jewellery"

"You," Itachi murmured absently, "you remind me of my older cousin."

"Oh?" Harry wondered.

Itachi closed his eyes. "Shisui was annoying". Harry cringed. "Always worried about me. Always nagging me to sleep and eat properly."

Harry twitched in irritation. "Are you implying I'm nagging you?"

Itachi's lips quirked slightly. "Shisui's voice was rather girly."

"My voice isn't girly!" Harry sputtered.

Itachi turned to him and Harry's eyes widened at the amusement hidden in those usually lifeless black eyes. "I was talking about Shisui."

Harry gaped. "You… You're so confusing. First you attack me and then you help me, then you ignore…"

Itachi turned to Hedwig serenely and petted her head gently.

Harry's eyes widened in realization and he didn't know whether to feel a sense of accomplishment or irritation as he saw a flicker of a smile on Itachi's face. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep." Harry muttered mutinously. "Don't even think of waking me up unless you're dying."

Harry twitched when Itachi replied softly, "Goodnight."

*X*X*X*

Harry woke up to the smell of something cooking. His stomach rumbled pleasantly and he sat up looking around the small clearing.

Hedwig greeted him with a small hoot. He patted her absently and watched the sight in front of him in disbelief. Itachi sat beside a crackling fire, cooking. "You can cook?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"You've never shown any interest in food until I make you eat. It's just odd. That's all." Harry explained with an indifferent shrug as he moved to the stream to clean up. Harry came back to find Itachi cutting the meat into smaller pieces. Had Itachi gone hunting? He grabbed a piece, sat down beside his things and bit down into the meat with relish. "This is pretty good."

Itachi turned to him. I do know how to survive in the wild.

Harry waved a hand in front of Itachi, "I don't doubt your skills or anything. I just haven't had anything like this before."

Itachi watched Harry for a few minutes before turning back to the meat in front of him. He fed Hedwig a few bits and Harry smothered a snicker. For being a ninja since he was seven, Itachi was rather soft when it came to animals. Granted, he hadn't seen Itachi around other animals and Hedwig wasn't just any animal.

Both of them turned to Harry almost as though they could hear his thoughts. Harry choked on his meat as both of them narrowed their eyes at him. "Sorry," Harry mumbled even though he had no idea why he was apologizing.

"We'll be near the coast before sunset," Itachi said as sealed the remaining meat into a scroll Harry had never seen before.

Harry coughed. "Oh, that's nice. How long will it take me to reach Fire country then?"

"There's a bridge that connects Wave to Fire country. You could be there in two days." Itachi replied. Depending on how fast you travel.

"I'll be slower. You don't stop very often." Harry pondered as he packed up his things. Itachi nodded in agreement and erased all traces of the fire. This time when they walked, Harry didn't feel the need to say anything.

*X*X*X*

"Here's some medicine, in case you need it." Harry volunteered two vials to Itachi as they stood at the edge of the tree-line. "I'll be in Fire country for a while, so if you need help…"

"Harii-san."

Harry paused in surprise. It was the first time Itachi had called him by name.

"I'm glad I met you."

Harry frowned. That sounded rather off and suspicious. "You're going to be doing something stupid, aren't you?"

Itachi stared at him but blinked in resignation. "Goodbye Harii-san and Heduwigu," he said and patted Hedwig gently.

"I'll see you later, Itachi-san." Harry held out his hand.

Itachi tilted his head to the side and lifted his hand to shake Harry's outstretched hand awkwardly. With a final nod, Itachi turned away and jumped up into the trees above.

"Hey, don't forget to take your medicine when you need it." Harry hollered as the long haired man disappeared from sight. "Or I'll send Hedwig after you." Harry threatened feebly.

A soft rustle of leaves and a fading snort was the only reply he got.

Harry shrugged and turned to Hedwig. "He's a really strange person, isn't he?" Hedwig hooted in agreement.

Harry walked out of the tree cover towards the small huts that dotted the shores in the distance. When he was in a relatively open area with no one around, he eagerly pulled out his two way mirror. A foggy screen that greeted him.

"Open message?" He tried and grinned when the white fog swirled around to form a familiar face.

"Harry! Oh, I hope you didn't get into trouble. I heard you calling and…" Harry smiled as Hermione's message played out for the next ten minutes. He sent a message back saying- no he wasn't in trouble, he'd found some help and that they'd have to stick to messaging each other for a while.

After twenty minutes of idly wandering around the huts on the coast, Harry found a man willing to take him to Wave country on his tiny cargo boat. "How long till we reach Wave?"

"We'll be there before it gets too dark. You're lucky you got here on time. I'm the last boat to leave to Wave for the day."

"Lucky? Yeah, I suppose I am. Will this be enough payment?" He held out a couple of bronze knuts. Surely he could use metals as payment since he didn't have any of this world's currency.

The man's eyes widened. Before he could say anything, Harry explained, "I don't have any money, and these belonged to my guardian who was a craftsman." Not entirely false. It was Sirius's money. And making Sirius a craftsman would explain the etchings on the coin.

"This is too much. I just need these." The man took the required amount and weighed it in his hand. "You could always get these converted to money."

Harry nodded and sat down on the boat amongst some crates. "I'll do that at Wave." As the boat left the shore, Harry asked, "Are you going to make a return trip back tonight?"

"No, I'll come back to Red Pool tomorrow. Best not to travel on the water in the dark."

Red Pool? I wonder if it got the name after Whirlpool was destroyed. Harry nodded politely at the man, "Can you tell me about the bridge that connects to Fire country?"

"You mean the Great Naruto Bridge?"

"The Great Naruto Bridge." Harry repeated, struggling to make coherent sense of the information in his brain. "Maelstrom? That's an odd thing to name a bridge standing over water. It's like they're just asking for some sort of back luck."

The ferryman chuckled heartily. "It was named after a hero who saved the country about three years ago."

"Oh?"

"Don't worry! I'm sure Tazuna would love to re-enact the story for you." The man grinned.

"Tazuna?"

"The man who designed and built the bridge. Without anything to do, he's become an avid story teller," The man laughed at Harry's expression. "Don't be like that. Tazuna is like a historical attraction of Wave these days."

Harry nodded and looked out onto the glimmering water. "So how do I get to this Naruto Bridge?"

Chapter Text

"Thanks for the ride," Harry said as he stepped onto the wooden dock of Wave Country with Hedwig on his shoulder. He swayed unsteadily and tried to get his bearings on solid ground.

Even though the night sky was a murky purple and black, the town he entered was flooded with light and people. Bright lights, loud music and paper lanterns everywhere- Harry had never been anywhere quite like this before. And the people here looked so carefree and welcoming. They smiled at him before turning back to their own business.

With a pang of sorrow, he realised that Diagon Alley would never be like this. Not when Voldemort finally came out in the open. He frowned, remembering that Ron and Hermione hadn't said anything about Voldemort.

Harry headed towards the most lighted regions of the town searching for an inn. The bridge to Fire Country was on the other side of the island and Harry wanting to rest before taking the next time.

As much as he wanted to find his family quickly he was short on reliable information- no dependable map, no concrete clues about his clan and no usable currency. Things that would make him stand out in a crowd. Something he couldn't afford when he was by himself. If Ron and Hermione were here, then things would have been different—he wouldn't feel the need to hide, they'd have kept an eye out for trouble.

Maybe this trip is a good thing, Harry thought to himself. If Harry survived this trip by himself, then he wouldn't have to bother Ron and Hermione with Voldemort. The prophecy didn't include them and he had no right demanding their help.

He bit his lip in guilt as he remembered their injuries from the Ministry fight. They had just given him exasperated looks when he'd tried to apologize.

"Shut up," Ron griped, "I'm trying to sleep here."

"I think what Ron is trying to say is, we don't blame you. You shouldn't apologize for something you didn't do," Hermione said patiently when Harry eyed the bandages on her neck.

"Yes," Ron added, "now go eat something, you skinny prat."

But no matter what they said, he felt responsible.

Hedwig eyed everything curiously- the loud people, the old buildings, the mouth watering scents of food- but she remained on Harry's shoulder as they moved through the crowds.

Harry passed numerous stalls that sold food, animal masks and a variety of other things. He couldn't buy any souvenirs without actual money. Harry hoped that he'd find an inn-owner would be willing to take his wizarding money. At the very least, he hoped they'd tell him where to go to trade some of his bronze knuts and silver sickles. He'd keep his gold untouched for now.

He found a small wooden inn on the far side of the town, well away from the water and the crowds. A young couple welcomed him into the inn with warm food and friendly concern. They'd been more than willing to take the bronze nuts as payment and had even given him a lot of paper money for the rest of the knuts and sickles he held out to them.

"Enough to reach Suna!" the innkeeper had said as he carefully handed Harry a thick wad of bills. He wondered where Suna was exactly.

Harry felt guilty at their generosity- he had re-used the story of the coins belonging to his dead 'craftsman' guardian. The lady had gotten slightly teary eyed and had immediately brought out some food while the man took a good portion of the knuts and sickles with a sad understanding expression on his face telling Harry to keep some to remember his guardian.

Harry frowned at the easy acceptance of his flawed cover-story and wondered if the wizarding world had charmed their currency in case muggles ever got a hold of it. It sounded like something wizards would do in their paranoia to stay hidden from the muggles.

Harry ignored his grim thoughts, sincerely thanked the man and stored the paper money is his Mokeskin pouch, knowing that no one but him could open the pouch. Even his remaining wizarding money was safe, stored in the scroll that couldn't be opened by anyone outside of the Uzumaki clan.

Harry ate dinner with the couple- he'd fumbled a bit with the chopsticks but a temporary sticking charm made it look like he'd used them his entire life. He didn't say much but listened to the couple talk about food item prices and other mundane things that came with owning an inn. Hedwig sat quietly on the back of his chair watching the couple with intelligently curious eyes.

Harry belatedly realized that he looked a lot younger than he actually was and that had probably made the inn-owners more eager to help him. His clueless attitude about things could have also made them more helpful.

By the time dinner was done, Harry felt a bit knowledgeable about the world's currency. First of all, he knew it was called Ryo. And he knew way more than he needed to about grocery shopping on a budget. He had tried to equate the Ryo to the British pound, but ended up with a headache. No matter how he tried to convert it, he felt like he couldn't come up with a proper conversion rate of Ryo to pounds.

He decided that they must have given him money based on the value of the metal itself. That made it easier to guess how much each wizarding coin was worth. Harry wasn't too worried- his wad of cash was big, he wasn't much of a spender and he had enough wizarding money, untouched Gold galleons included, to convert if he ended up in a pinch.

Harry sighed contently as he entered a small cozy room at the back of the inn. He pet Hedwig gently, opened the room's window and whispered, "You can go hunting. Just don't go too far and get back by morning, okay?"

He locked the door behind him, dumped his things on the ground and slumped into the bed, feeling asleep without any difficulty.

X-X-X-X-X

"I couldn't find anything about the red eyes, not with the books I have." Hermione explained apologetically through the mirror.

Harry stifled a yawn, "At least you found those spells. They'll help when I travel." Harry looked out at the darkened window and estimated the time to be somewhere around three in the morning. The odd buzzing and Hermione's voice from the mirror had shocked him awake. And even though he'd felt bone tired, he grabbed the mirror and said hello.

On hearing that he was at an inn, Hermione had said, "Did you use the Imperturbable charm to protect your room?"

Harry wondered why he hadn't thought of using it- it had been their biggest obstacle in eavesdropping on the Order meetings. The charm prevented any sounds he made from going out, and also prevent attacks on the room from the outside.

"The disillusionment charm seems a bit finicky to use while travelling." Harry mused going over the other spells Hermione had mentioned. "It won't cover up noises and I don't think Hedwig will appreciate being under a spell while we walk."

Hermione interrupted him. "Disillusionment is meant for short distance trips. Or for when you're travelling in the air and there's less chance of you stumbling. It's not the most reliable thing for going unnoticed, sort of like the invisibility cloak. Even if you can't be seen, you can still be sensed."

Harry nodded, he'd realized the same disadvantages.

"Why don't you fly, Harry?" Hermione wondered.

"I would, if I knew where to go. But I have no solid clues except for granduncle's guess of Fire country. And Fire country is huge." Harry sighed. "Hermione, isn't there some spell for me to trace my blood relatives? I mean the scroll can check if someone is part of the clan, but that's not really helpful when I don't have anyone to test it on."

"I've just found a spell that will help you determine how a person is related to you. That's for when you've found them. But I'm working on it; I have some new books coming in and Professor Lupin said he'd look through Grimmauld Place." Hermione frowned, "Harry, surely there's some sort of place where they keep records of people?"

"I don't know." Harry confessed.

Hermione mused. "There has to be a Hall of records to keep track of their citizens, especially for big towns, right?"

"I suppose." Harry wondered if he had passed any buildings that could be a Hall of records. Or just anything that was administrative in nature. He decided that it would have to be out of the way, so that people couldn't just barge in if they wanted to.

"Harry" Hermione interrupted, "Didn't anyone ask you for papers?"

"Papers?" Harry muttered.

"Yes, identification papers. Surely Fire country will have some sort of check point to screen people who enter. It's bigger than the place you're in now, right?"

Harry panicked, realizing that Hermione's words made a lot of sense. "Grandmum never mentioned…"

Hermione spoke to him calmly. "Things might have changed since you're grandparent's time. You'll need to ask around, maybe some sympathetic people will give you the right information. If you need papers, then you can say you lost yours or you got robbed."

Harry nodded, feeling a little better at having a plan.

"If you get into trouble, you could always use the Confundus charm," Hermione mumbled sheepishly. "Though, I wonder why the stone never gave you the required information. The monk knew about you…"

Harry bit his lip. "I just assume it was the stone that made me learn the language. But it could have been anything."

"Maybe it was your granduncle's energy," Hermione suggested, "if he created the portal, maybe that energy gave you the language. Of course, it wouldn't explain how the monk knew about you and the wizarding world."

Harry shrugged. "I'm glad for this little bit, wherever it came from. As it is, I'm short on all sorts of information. I'm really depending on a whole lot of blind luck."

"I can't believe you didn't think of the language barrier before you left." Hermione stalled his argument, "I know your grandmum's letters were in English, but Harry, she'd already lived here for a few years by then."

"I was going to say that I had planned on getting a translation book but in the rush of things I forgot." Harry said, "I just wish I had some helpful clues. I asked one man about Whirlpool and he just gave me a funny look, so I had to start talking about fishing conditions." Harry rolled his eyes, remembering his horrible attempt of information gathering with the ferryman who had brought him to Wave.

Hermione's forehead creased as she thought. "Don't be upfront about it. You just don't know enough about that world to know how people would react to certain topics."

"What if I, sort of, spy on people?" Harry questioned. It had been something that nagged him since the boat ride. While people seemed talkative, he knew that they wouldn't talk openly unless he proved to be knowledgeable to them.

"Harry, that's not safe. The disillusionment charm and even your invisibility cloak aren't…"

"I know that, but what if I put the disillusionment charm on something smaller." Harry grinned and said, "something that could tell me what's going on in a place far away while I'm safe somewhere else."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You mean the twins'…"

Harry nodded and mirrored Hermione's excited expression when she said, "That could work, but you'd need to put up some repelling charms just in case. Repelling charms work best on objects and places not on people." She forestalled Harry's thoughts about using repelling charms on himself while travelling to keep attackers away.

Harry frowned. "The only repelling spell I remember was the one for muggles that they used at the Quidditch world cup. You think that'll work here?"

"The spell is meant to repel people who don't have magic. So, it should be fine." Hermione asked, "Didn't your granduncle say that no one has magical abilities over there?"

"Yes, but we can't just rely on his words."

Hermione stayed silent in obvious thought for a few minutes. "I think the spell will classify everyone in that world as muggles."

"The spell will do what?"

Hermione huffed. "Didn't you pay attention to Flitwick last year?"

Harry quirked an eyebrow.

Hermione snorted but elaborated, "Spells derived from repelling spells are similar to wards. They bear a bit of sentience to scan people and even things they come into contact with. The muggle repelling charm ignores non-living objects and was modified to search for magic in blood. Didn't the monk tell you about magical blood properties?"

Harry nodded remembering the monk's vague talk about magic and blood being intertwined to make wizards live longer.

"The muggle repelling charm has a fixed definition of magic based off the wizarding world here, because it was created here. If the spell finds a person without recognizable magical properties in their blood, it'll classify them as muggles. And since you're the only wizard that went to that world…"

"I get that," Harry sighed, "but I'm still iffy about the ninja people."

"Didn't your granduncle say that their abilities came from a chakra system?" Hermione asked patiently.

"But Hermione, that's the thing, the chakra is present in people's blood. That's how they make storage seal things like the ones on grandmum's scroll. Even the non ninjas have a bit of it in them. Chakra lets them do stuff that muggles couldn't do without machines." Harry pointed out in dismay.

After a few minutes of deliberation Hermione stated, "Chakra isn't magic. No, listen to me, from your granduncle's explanation, chakra-fuelled abilities are limited. Sure, they've found a way to harness naturally occurring energy from their own body in order to fight. But can that energy, chakra, conjure items that have not been stored beforehand? Can it make animate object inanimate or even the other way around? They may be able to do some things we can, but they're relying on something completely different."

Hermione continued, "From what I understand so far, chakra isn't limited to anyone in that world. Even the civilians there have traces of it in their blood. So it's most probably not a rare genetic trait like magical ability. We can assume that chakra isn't magic. The spell won't count chakra as magic, especially since it seems to have its own…"

"I lost you, didn't I?" Hermione eyed Harry in a mixture of exasperation and fond amusement.

"A bit," Harry conceded. "You know me. The only way I understand things is if I experience it myself."

"Well, do you know the incantation?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, "I remember seeing it in Quidditch through the Ages. Repello Muggletum, right?"

"Right. Use the spell on an area and check if people avoid the area," Hermione suggested, "if it works on the non-ninjas who have weak amounts of chakra in them, then surely it'll work just as well on the ninja population."

"Yeah! We could keep guessing the difference between our magic and their chakra, but a test run is the best way to know for sure," Harry said.

"Yes, worst comes to worst you can modify the initial repelling charm and add…" Hermione gasped. "I've just, I might have something to help you."

"I guess that means goodbye, right?" Harry smiled knowingly.

"For now, yes, I'll message you later. And Ron will be with the mirror next..." she reminded him about the mirror rotation that Ron and she had decided on. She stared at him for a long while.

"What?" Harry frowned.

Hermione bit her lip and her eyes softened. "You seem… lighter. I mean, happier. I was skeptical about you being by yourself, but it's really doing you a lot of good. We haven't talked like this for a while, not since…"

Harry nodded in understanding and shrugged. "Voldemort is staying away from my mind these days. And I'm usually so tired of walking and everything around me that I fall into a dreamless sleep almost every night. So I'm a little less cranky than usual."

"I didn't mean…" Hermione protested.

"I know." Harry muttered. "I know I wasn't the best person to be around the past year. Honestly, sometimes I still feel… but here, well I can't afford to wallow in my thoughts for too long. I need to stay focussed and it just leaves less room for the other stuff, you know?"

Hermione glanced at him shrewdly. "There's nothing wrong with breaking down once in a while. You just have to remember to get up and move forward."

Harry sighed. "I can't afford to, not now."

She sighed gently. "All right. Be careful, Harry. Ron and I want to meet your family too, you know."

"I'll try, Hermione," he assured her. "I'll tell you what happens with the spells."

Harry couldn't sleep after that conversation. Too many thoughts and questions swirled in his mind. Questions about magic and chakra mingled with his worries about lack of proper papers and they kept distracting him from creating a workable way to spy and gather information.

Of course, it wasn't really spying- he didn't plan on listening to people in their own homes. No, he'd just listen in on conversations in public places.

Remembering the incident at Hog's Head last year, he'd realised that bars were a good place to get information. Bars were common and packed with different kinds of people. He'd hear different kinds of information in the same place. Sure most of it would be gossip, but even knowing useless gossip would make him blend in better when he talked to people.

Harry's musings were interrupted by a loud thump near the window. He cringed when he saw Hedwig hovering near the open window and rushed over muttering, "Finite Incantatem" removing the Imperturbable charm he had place on his room. "Sorry Hedwig, I was trying out a spell Hermione sent…"

Hedwig hooted in understanding as Harry rubbed the top of her head. He recast the Imperturbable charm and even added a Colloportus to seal the room for good measure. As he placed Hedwig on the back of a chair- he finalised a rough plan as he re-read Quidditch through the Ages and prepped himself to actually go through with it.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a while," Harry whispered gently to Hedwig getting a soft hoot back.

With the firm intention of getting things done and out of the way, he left the room after moving everything important from his backpack into his scroll. The irreplaceable items in the scroll would be safe- no one could open the seals unless they had Uzumaki blood. His backpack just had some food and clothes in it at the moment.

He left Hedwig behind because she needed to sleep and if someone other than him came in, she'd attack them just for disturbing her rest.

The first thing he wanted to do was check the effectiveness of the muggle-repelling charm. He warned the innkeeper's wife not to disturb Hedwig who was sleeping in his room. The lady had given him an odd look before stating that they'd hosted ninjas before.

Harry had no idea what that had to do with anything but nodded gratefully as she handed him breakfast. He made quick work of the food and walked out into the streets.

Harry noted all the buildings, stores and stands he passed by- jewellery store, grocery store, clothing store, bookstore and oddly enough a wig store. He headed to the bookstore first, knowing Hermione would scold him for not taking the opportunity to learn about the world when he had the chance.

He ended up with a few books on useful herbs, confusing looking politics and general historyabout the ninja nations and wars. Unfortunately he didn't find anything about chakra.

With a slight huff, he left the bookstore with his purchases and searched around. With a discreet check of his surroundings, Harry waited for his intended target to look away and twirled his wand carefully in a complex pattern mumbling "Repello Muggletum".

There was a slight hiss of air as a faint blue spell flew close to the ground and hit the front of the wooden stand silently. Harry turned around in fear as the four corners of the stand flashed a brilliant blue, but relaxed at the obvious lack of reaction from people. The grocer stood behind the stall arranging fruits and everyone continued with their own actions. Harry held his breath and watched discreetly as a woman walked towards the stand.

The woman stopped directly in front of the stand, her face went slack for a spilt second before her brows furrowed in worry. "I forgot the money."

Harry slumped sullenly, telling himself that the spell hadn't worked.

But then the next lady who stood in front of the stand also walked away after forgetting something.

Harry gaped in disbelief but smiled when he realized that he'd make the spell work. His warm feelings of pride evaporated when he realized that he'd never be able to spy with this spell because people would keep walking away from the conversations.

Admitting defeat, Harry removed the repelling charm from the stand and headed back to the inn. Hedwig slept as he searched thought his magic books.

Twelve books later, Harry took a break and walked around town noting the bars in the area. Even if his plan was currently a no-go, he refused to scrap it completely. He found three bars, one near the docks, another at the very centre of town and a tiny one that was pretty close to the inn.

All three bars looked prosperous, their well-maintained buildings showing that they probably made a lot of money. As he contemplated the idea of security for places that made so much money, Harry stumbled back to the inn with a new idea. Harry pulled up an old history of magic book that dealt with goblins and banking.

Harry grinned with renewed enthusiasm when he came across the spell, Oculus transeo, that would make someone's eyes pass over or just ignore an area. It was perfect. Maybe he should do a test run in the inn before the actual spying. And if it worked, he'd have to prepare a quill and some paper.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry watched mesmerized and in amazed disbelief, as his enchanted quill hovered near the listening end of an Extendable Ear and wrote out everything it heard exactly like he'd planned and hoped for.

After disillusioning and placing the Oculus Transeo spell on the twins' string like creation- the Extendable Ear- he had tested one out at the inn. He celebrated when he heard the clear conversation of the couple, a clear sign that his spells didn't affect the original product.

Harry had even gone down to the innkeeper and talked to him while fiddling with the Extendable Ear in his hands. The man's eyes simply glazed over his hands. With the success, Harry had gone back out to scout the bars again. He needed a clear picture of where to send the Extendable Ears. He decided to listen in at the bartender's station at the two bars closest to the inn.

Harry scanned over the paper and flinched when he realised that the quill wrote everything it heard from the extendable ear phonetically in a big blob of English text. Harry read it silently while listening in on his own Extendable Ear. He had to read the words out loud and listen to that before his brain understood what had been written.

Annoyed that the illegible writing from the enchanted quill would take so much time to decipher, Harry consoled himself with a variety of reasons why this worked in his favour. He personally liked the reason that other people here would never understand what was written if they ever found his papers.

He stopped reading and listened to the second extendable ear. Most of the drunken ramblings so far were about family life- Harry knew more than he needed to about local gossip. Some people talked about the increased trade with Mist country because of the new Mizukage, which he guessed was some of leader.

The most interesting and amusing bit of news he heard was the rumours of a giant three-tailed turtle creature that a few fishermen, who sounded rather drunk, had sworn seeing on their fishing expedition.

The only mention of Fire country, the entire night he had listened to and read was a brief mention about increased security at checkpoints. "Taka's been going mad updating everyone's papers according to the Fire country's new standards."

Harry spent a few hours catching up on his sleep and planning his next course of action- namely getting his papers from the Taka-person and then taking the bridge to Fire Country.

Harry decided to risk asking the innkeepers about the papers. With his backpack, scroll and Hedwig on his shoulder at eight in the morning, Harry declined breakfast and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Can you tell me where to go to get my papers updated?"

"Oh, right! You're headed to Fire Country," the woman realised. "You definitely need new papers if you're going to Konoha. You should definitely meet Takamura at the administration building near the dock…"

Harry's eyes glazed over as she continued talking.

"…he'll be able to get you your papers in a few minutes as long as you have the required forms…"

Harry jolted at the mention of required forms. "Right! Thank you for your help. Goodbye." He bowed and left the inn.

Hedwig bit his ear with an annoyed trill and looked back at the inn.

Harry winced and headed towards the docks. "I guess I was a bit abrupt, but I can't go back in now. It'll be twice as awkward."

After a couple of dead ends, Harry stood in front of a grey run-down structure that didn't seem like much of an administrative building at all. "Takamura-san?" Harry entered the building and stared at the man hidden behind stacks of papers in a small room at the side.

The man glanced up wearily and sighed, "What do you need?"

"I'm headed to Fire Country and…" Harry paused when the man groaned in dismay and muttered noisily under his breath.

Takamura sighed once more and straightened. "Hand over your forms and old identification papers…"

Harry grimaced, "Here's the thing, I've lost them."

Takamura gave him a bland look and turned back to the pile of papers in front of him. "Then I can't help you, you'll need to get a letter from your town's leader and…"

Harry blanched at the amount of work the man listed. He couldn't possible do any of that. He wasn't even from this world. Harry winced, unholstered and pointed his wand at the man's bowed head. "Confundo!"

Harry sighed in relief when the man's brow only showed himself that this was nothing like the Imperius Curse, Harry said, "I need you to make all the required papers I'll need to travel to fire country."

Harry felt nauseated when the man immediately complied and started creating a new set of papers for him.

Harry shakily answered questions the man asked – name (Harry didn't give a last name), date of birth, country of birth- while Hedwig cooed at him. The calendar on the wall showed that the months were similar in both worlds. But even this odd tidbit of information couldn't distract him.

Takamura took a Polaroid of Harry and continued with his form-filling and stamping. He didn't know how much time passed until Hedwig perked up and glanced at the door. Harry panicked as he heard voices and didn't pay attention to his answers. He sighed in relief as Takamura put a final stamp and held out a tiny bundle of papers just as the main door clicked open.

Harry gathered his papers slowly, muttering a Finite Incantatem to remove the Confundus spell. As the spell vanished, Takamura looked around in confusion but said, "You'll just need to show the pass at checkpoints or when entering Konoha."

"Thank you sir." Harry bowed once more and walked out of the office slowly nodding at the newcomers. Just as Harry stepped out of the building he heard a loud laugh, "Takamura, you need a break, you're starting to look like…"

Harry sighed as he looked at the papers in his hand and shoved them into his Mokeshin pouch, unable to brush away his guilt. Though Takamura would remember making the papers, he'd never dwell on why he did it. Harry wondered how many times a Death Eater had used the spell to get what they wanted.

Harry caught sight of the bridge after only two hours of walking, and felt pleased that his quick pace and lack of breaks had allowed so much progress. When he neared the bridge, Harry saw a ridiculously large sign on the road side. The Great Bridge Builder, Tazuna lives here.

Harry snickered at the graffiti on the board but walked in the direction pointed by the board. "What do you think about a little diversion, Hedwig? We aren't on a fixed schedule and I want to hear the story of the bridge."

The white owl just tucked her head under a wing.

"Oh, come on, it won't be that bad!" Harry approached a house standing over the water cautiously and knocked at the door. No one replied.

"Can I help you?" a loud voice yelled.

Harry swivelled around and found an old lady staring at him from the distance. "I'm looking for Tazuna, the bridge builder!"

"Tazuna took his family on a trip to visit Waterfall country. Did you have some business with him?"

"No, I just," Harry said, "Someone said that Tazuna would tell me the story behind that bridge. I'm not sure if I'd ever stop by here again so…"

The old lady chuckled. "Someone recommended Tazuna?"

Harry nodded sheepishly as the woman burst into laughter. "Ah, well. I don't really need to know or anything."

"Don't be like that. That bridge is our country's symbol of triumph. You can't leave without knowing the story behind it. I may not be Tazuna, but I can still tell you what happened, if you want to know."

Harry bit his lip. He didn't really have to hear the story, but knowing the story could be used as proof that he'd passed through Wave Country. He shrugged and sat down. "I'd love to know what happened."

She began with Gatou- a man came in with false promises who ended up enslaving their small country. "Tazuna decided to go to Konoha."

"Why Konoha?" Harry prodded, curious about the place that had been mentioned to him before.

The lady explained fondly. "As the capital of Fire country, it was the best place to get ninja for a reasonable price. Konoha always helps people even if they can't pay. They've always believed in justice."

"It sounds like an ideal place to live in," Harry wondered absently.

"Fire Country is the safest place," the lady said, "especially for people who want protection and a chance for a new life…"

Harry thought it sounded like a good place for refugees. More specifically, Uzumaki refugees. He rolled his eyes as he caught the tail end of the lady's talk. Somehow she had ended up talking about the cat population of fire country- something about them having unnaturally long lives.

"So Tazuna-san brought a group of ninja guards here?" Harry re-directed the woman to the bridge.

"He only managed to get a regular genin team, three young genins and their jounin instructor. Tiny little things, they were." The lady prattled. Harry didn't have the heart to interrupt her.

Halfway through her story he felt his mirror buzz with a message from Hermione. Even though he wanted to excuse himself from the lady, he stayed and listened to her entire story. "So, this Naruto person didn't have a last name?"

"Of course, he did," she scoffed, "It was Uchimazi. Very spirited child, that one, he rallied the entire village to fight back." Harry grinned at the old lady's tone, "I remember thinking to myself, this brat is going to be important, one day."

It may have been overly exaggerated, but Harry thought it was a wonderful story. That Naruto person, though, he sounded like a very interesting person. Like a regular hero out of a novel.

"So, what do you think?" the old lady asked at the end.

"I think," Harry mused, "I think you're a good story-teller." The old lady laughed and invited him to lunch.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry listened to the Hermione's instructions on the mirror message. Homenum Revelio definitely sounded like a very useful spell especially since it would help him detect people anywhere around him. The range of the spell was fairly big- good enough to give him a good warning if someone was getting close to him. The only downside was that he'd have to keep casting it in order to get real time information about his surroundings.

Harry cast the spell to practice, and immediately felt like he's cast a different version of the Ostenerospell. The spell created little pinpricks of light for the people and an instinctual knowledge of where they were in relation to his own position. Harry had heard of something similar used by muggle army - Radar? Sonar?

Harry sensed the old lady in the area behind him, pretty far away with some people in her area. There was no one in front of him for a good distance. Good. He could explore the area around the bridge.

Harry didn't know why he wanted to see the graves. But something about the story's ending had made him want to see. He wanted proof that the story was real - that the two people managed to find peace even though they had a bad deal in life.

He stumbled through the scraggly trees and reached the clearing that the old lady had mentioned. He paused as he caught sight of a huge sword and two grave markings.

"I…" Harry had never been near a grave before and found himself wondering if his parents had a grave. And before he could stop himself, he realized that Sirius would never have a grave.

"I'm…" he pushed aside his bleak thoughts and re-started, "I'm glad you've found your rest. I heard the story. It was a bit sappy at the end," he admitted. "But I think it was a perfect sort of ending, you know? Not a happily ever after or anything."

"Anyway, this is a nice place to be buried," Harry complimented. "You don't mind if I stay here for a bit, right? No one's been here in a while and I need a place from prying eyes."

Harry wondered why he was asking a grave permission and smiled oddly. "A few weeks ago, I was completely ready for this. I was living on borrowed time anyway. What did it matter if I died?"

Harry fiddled with a thread on his sleeve, suddenly ashamed. "Sirius had gone…" He swallowed the lump in his throat, "He had been so excited to take care of me. No one…I wished…" His legs buckled underneath him. Things he had kept hidden, even from Akira, poured out, "I need to find them. What if I don't? What will keep me from wanting this again if I fail?"

He blinked back angry tears. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid and I hate it. I just hate being afraid even without trying."

A cool breeze ruffled his hair gently and he took deep breaths to calm his erratic thoughts.

"I don't want to go back empty handed. I don't want to fail." His voice rose. "I can't." Leaves rustled softly making his lids heavier.

Hours later, Harry cricked his neck painfully and sat up confused as Hedwig flapped around him noisily.

He glanced at the graves and felt a lot lighter. When he'd talked to Akira, he'd felt comforted but the ghost's lack of knowledge but his own worry and doubt had weighed down on him. And while Hermione and Ron were supportive, they weren't around to reassure him every time his doubts he tried to consider the trip as training for his eventual showdown with Voldemort, he felt lost without them by his side.

"You just have to remember to get up and move forward," Hermione's voice from the previous day reminded him.

Harry took a deep breath feeling relaxed, turned to Hedwig and asked, "Ready to leave?"

Hedwig hooted in reply.

Harry rose. Ignoring his stiff back and neck, he bowed to the graves, turned around and paused. He looked over his shoulder at the large sword gleaming in the sunlight. He moved back to the graves and tapped his wand against the sword muttering a few spells he hoped would be useful.

"That is just a thank you for listening and helping me move forward," he explained and turned towards the bridge. "Come on, Hedwig."

The bridge was boring.

Sure he'd never seen anything like it before. Heck, he'd never been over such a huge water body. But after two hours of walking with the same scenery, the bridge lost its exotic appeal.

Harry grew cautious when he found guards stationed at the end of the bridge, a clear sign that the increased security rumours were true.

The guards asked him for his papers and examined them closely. "They're all new, did you get robbed or something?" a guard asked.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't paying attention and…"

The guards nodded and let him pass without any more questions.

Harry entered the port town of Fire country and stopped at the bookstore but found nothing interesting. He left the tiny town soon- there weren't any bars to eavesdrop in- and entered a region filled with trees. Harry could see the difference from Wave country. The air itself felt more energetic while the large trees were thick, old and strong. Harry shook his head in irritation irritated that his mind was going off in useless tangents again.

Harry decided to do a checklist of everything he had accomplished in Wave. He pulled out his papers, to make sure they were still with him and read them. He was officially Harii the travelling… craftsman. The panic of people walking in must have made him say it.

How was he supposed to pass for a craftsman? He couldn't build anything. He usually broke things and depended on a Reparo to fix things.

Harry gasped in realization. That could work.

A craftsman who fixed things- well, except for electrical things. But that wouldn't be a problem. This world didn't seem to depend on a lot of electrical items.

I can make it work. Definitely. I just need someone to vouch for my… fixing skills, Harry thought to himself in amusement and vowed never to mention his new job title with Hermione of Ron. They'd never let him live it down.

Hedwig hooted from above him signalling that she'd spotted someone or something up ahead. He took out his wand and cast the Homenum Revelio spell. His eyes widened as the spell revealed a long caravan of people up ahead. The forest must have muffled the sounds of the people. Which was concerning. He'd thought that his odd sense would have prickled with people around. But then he realised that was a stupid thought. His neck tingled only when he was in danger of being killed.

He frowned in concentration at the information in his mind. It looked like something had happened. They stood still in the same position huddled together in one area. He concentrated and gasped. There was a prone figure on the ground.

He'd have to check it out. They were in his way.

Harry sighed. With a faint sense of dread he headed towards the large group of people. The closer he got, the more paranoid he became. He clenched his wand in his hand. If things got bad, then he could blow something up to create a distraction and escape in the chaos. It was a crude but simple plan.

But how was he going to find out what was going on without getting too close?

Harry smacked his forehead in irritation. The extendable ears would do a good job- especially with all the spells he'd put on it. He hurriedly grabbed one of the extendable ears he had spelled. "Go," he whispered. A slight shift of air was the only thing that told him that the disillusioned extendable ear was rushing towards the group.

"…did you find the snake that bit…"

"Yes, but it's useless, we don't have the antidote for this one"

"Damn it and the nearest town is two hours away."

"What do we do boss?"

Harry flinched as a woman sobbed loudly. A horrible chocking sound broke his resolve to ignore them and walk away. Harry sighed, another delay. "Looks like we're taking a detour," He told Hedwig.

Harry walked out of the tree cover with a brisk pace while Hedwig flew above him. While he wanted to act as though he'd just come across them, he didn't want to waste crucial time that could be used to save the person.

Luckily he didn't have to do any odd acting, because a couple of people saw him walking towards them and one of them actually ran towards him.

A young boy with dirty blonde hair huffed, "I'm …sorry …to trouble you. But do you have any …antidotes for a purple lyre bites…"

Not recognizing the name of 'purple lyre', Harry frowned, "No," the boy's face fell, "but I can treat it."

The boy beamed and dragged Harry towards the throng of people.

"Shuu, what are you doing?" a man growled at the blonde boy.

"He said he could treat…"

Harry ignored the conversation, moved towards the prone figure and frowned at the disgusting purple colour that crept over the tiny shuddering body. It was a child. "Move," he demanded and pushed his way to the boy while slipping his backpack off. His fingers slipped into one of the bag's pockets searching for the small round item.

With deft fingers, he shoved the tiny bezoar into the boy's mouth ignoring the confused and anxious shouts at him.

Harry kept an eye on the boy while he searched for the required potion. The shuddering calmed down and the purple receded. The people around him became oddly silent. He pulled up a potion of yellow liquid labelled, Asiatic Anti-venoms.

"Is he?" the woman asked.

Harry tilted his head. "I'm not done yet." He opened the vial and dribbled the potion down the boy's throat. Harry snorted mentally as he imagined Snape's reaction to finding out just how helpful Harry had saved lives by using things he'd learned about in Potions class.

Harry emptied the vial into the boy's mouth, placed his open palm on the boy's cheek making the tip of his holstered wand touch the boy's neck and experimentally whispered, "Ostenero."

The shadowed image in his mind made him sigh in relief. No permanent damage. It seemed like the combination of the Asiatic Anti-venoms potions and the bezoar destroyed all traces of the original venom. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Its okay. The venom's all gone."

As though to prove his point, the tiny child opened dark brown eyes and glanced around. "Mom?"

"Thank you! Thank you so much" The mother of the child sobbed as she hugged him tightly.

Harry patted her back awkwardly. "Err…no problem."

The other people from the caravan around him seemed to take his awkwardness in good spirit. They were definitely less tense as conversations restarted.

"Now, now Masaki, you're frightening the boy." A man pulled the sobbing lady off of Harry. The mother turned to the child and promptly fussed over him.

Harry sighed in relief, prompting laughs from the people around him, and stood up to leave.

"You did a good job, we wouldn't have been able to do much for him," the man who had saved him from the woman's hug said. "Anyway, why are you out here by yourself, kid?"

"I'm… uh, travelling to start my own crafting business. Just searching for a good place to set up," Harry blurted out suddenly thankful for the minor blunder of having craftsman as an occupation on his papers.

"So you're heading to Konoha?" the man asked.

"Probably." Harry muttered awkwardly, wondering why people kept mentioning Konoha to him that day.

"Good to know that young kids today are so serious about their lives." The man nodded.

Harry blinked. "Right."

"So what do you make?" The man asked.

Harry shrugged. "I just fix things."

The man blinked in surprise. "Fix things?"

Harry swallowed and explained the effects of a Reparo with a bit more confidence. "Yes, I can make things look brand new. You wouldn't know it was broken before. It's a family technique." He didn't consider that a lie, since magic was hereditary.

"That sounds interesting. You'll definitely have a good market in Konoha. The ninja are always breaking things," the man said, "I'd love to see your work, if you don't mind. I have an old music box that I'd like fixed."

"Sure" Harry mumbled. "It takes a while and I only work at night because I don't need much sleep, so you'd only get it back tomorrow." Harry explained, hoping to dissuade the man.

"Well the, it's a good thing you're travelling with us."

"I am?" Harry wondered.

The man raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm just going to let a young kid like you travel alone? Besides I owe you for saving my nephew." Harry protested but the man persisted. "Don't be silly, we're on our way to Konoha. We'll be making a few stops on the way. If you're going to set up a business, then travelling with us will help you get earn some money with your skills."

Harry wanted to protest, but he realised a potential advantage. A caravan that travelled regularly would be the perfect cover for him to pass through the security. "Thank you, sir. I don't want to be a bother or anything."

"The name's Isshin, not sir," the man replied.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry enjoyed his week with the caravan. For one thing, he'd managed to establish his "fixing" skills. When Isshin handed him a cracked music box, Harry fixed it with a Reparo when most of the caravan slept. The only reason he managed it was because he slept separately from the caravan, so no one witnessed the instantaneous repair. He'd felt guilty for claiming to have spent a good portion of the night fixing it, but realised it was a necessary evil.

After that, the caravan paid him to fix many broken things. Harry fixed the items at a slow pace, few items per night depending on the size, and always took the least amount of payment. Isshin thought Harry had no business sense and promptly gave him a long winded lecture on proper prices for his work.

Hedwig had taken to watching over the small boy Harry had saved. Harry swore the boy was some sort of snake magnet. He lost count of the amount of snakes Hedwig killed-snakes that had tried to bite the boy.

Harry also learnt a lot without having to spy on people. He knew what a Daimyo and Kage was. But that didn't mean he stopped information gathering. Every town they stopped at, he spent the entire night eavesdropping on the town's busiest bar's conversations.

And it was a good thing he did.

The small town of Kozakai was only famous for its abundant tea shops. Harry didn't understand the point of so many tea stores, but he had to admit they made good tea.

While it was always fun to hear people's odd conversation, Harry's concentration was never the best and his mind drifted a lot. He'd somehow started thinking of Umbridge being some sort of kitten eater when he heard it.

"Oh, I heard Konoha sent Uzumaki, you know, Jiraiya-sama's apprentice."

Harry's heart stopped and his mind blanked. Had the man just said Uzumaki? He cursed himself for not using the enchanted quill to record the conversation.

"… of course it's reliable. You know Juuho? He says he saw a team heading towards Suna. Said he'd recognize Uzumaki anywhere."

"Yeah right! Isn't Juuho the half blind drunk that claimed to see dragons?"

Harry tuned back to the conversation he was listening in on.

"Remember when he came here with Jiraiya-sama? I felt bad for the brat. Always training so hard while Jiraiya-sama peeped at the hot springs." The man laughed loudly.

"That reminds me, did you see the new Icha- Icha…."

Harry waited patiently hoping to hear another mention of Uzumaki. But the entire night passed with talk of mundane things like the increasing cost of tea. And it made him cranky.

"How many stops till Konoha?" Harry greeted Isshin as soon as he saw him the next morning, his body buzzing with lack of sleep and the need to go to Konoha.

"We have two more stops, Otafuku Gai and Tanzaku Gai. It'll be at least a week till we get to Konoha. Why? What happened?"

Harry opened his mouth and paused as the Hermione like voice in his head berated him and reminded him that he needed to stay with the caravan to enter Konoha, the ninja capital filled with suspicious ninja, without problems. The caravan was his character reference for the ninja. He couldn't just leave them.

"I guess I'm just not suited for long travelling." Harry shrugged sheepishly.

Isshin laughed loudly. "I can see that. Don't worry! We'll get to Konoha soon enough and I'll even help you set up your shop."

Harry sputtered in embarrassment. "You don't have to Isshin-san. I can do it myself. And I don't have enough to actually open a store or anything just yet. I don't know for sure if I'll actually open a store there. I might move if I don't feel it's the right place."

"At the very least, I'll put you in touch with the right people, so you can open your shop when you're ready." Isshin smiled gently.

"Yeah, thanks, Isshin-san," Harry nodded as he went to the back of the line silently.

Two more stopsdidn't seem too long.

Two more stops and he'd be one step closer to the Uzumaki those people at the bar were gossiping about.

Two more stops.

Chapter Text

Harry stifled an irritated sigh as he mentally went over their trip itinerary again. Even though Isshin had said it would take "at least a week" to reach Konoha, Harry knew that they were behind schedule. According to his calculations, they should have reached Tanzaku no Gai the previous day.

"Harii nii-san, do you have any more Dango?"

"Shuu, stop bothering Harii and watch your little brother," a woman said from behind Harry.

"It's fine, Masaki-san." Harry searched his backpack and pulled out a paper bag. "Here, Shuu…"

The blonde boy, who had inadvertently helped Harry enter the caravan, whooped in delight and snatched the paper bag. "Nii-san, you're the best! C'mon Yuji, let's eat."

Harry rolled his eyes at the boy's words but smiled as his irritation tapered slightly for the moment. But by the end of the day, his irritation returned worse than ever and before he could stop himself, Harry sent a message on his two-way mirror.

And it came to bite him the very next night when he was half-asleep, with an Extendable Ear propped in his ear, eavesdropping on a bar conversation of fixed lotteries and prize money.

"Harry, how are you, mate?"

Harry relaxed at Ron's easy tone and hoped that he'd only dreamt of messaging Ron the previous night. "I'm good, is everything all right over there?"

"It's rather quiet. Well, except for people trying to question us about your location." Harry cringed but Ron said, "Don't worry! So far it's only been mum and dad trying to guilt us into talking. It'll be a while before they just dose us with Veritaserum or make us talk with Dumbledore or Snape."

"You think they would?"

Ron shrugged. "They don't have any clues about where you are. But Hermione and me, well mostly me, I haven't been …panicked enough."

"They think you know more about my location," Harry said with a frown.

"Definitely," Ron said, "But, I just… the way I see it, if you're away from you-know-who, then that's a good thing, right?"

"I know, maybe Dumbledore will eventually stop," Harry said half-heartedly. "But you guys know a lot already, and if he decides to just…"

"Don't worry about it. We don't know exact locations of anything. So even if our minds get…well, they won't have much to work with."

Harry's mind buzzed in sudden realization. "That's why you never asked for addresses."

Ron nodded and said, "But anyway Hermione asked me to pass a message."

"Did she find a new spell?"

"Harry," Ron sighed. "I did hear your message."

Harry winced. "I was a bit…"

"Yes, I noticed that halfway through, when you complained about Umbridge's kitten eating." Ron smirked and the mirror image shook.

"I don't remember that bit," Harry said sheepishly.

"I'm sure you don't. At any rate, Hermione wants you to know that the Confundus is not evil and you shouldn't blindly refuse to use it."

Harry gaped and said, "What? But…"

"That's Hermione's point. And, here's mine. I agree with her. Look mate, I know you think it's like the Imperius but, the Confundus is different."

"How, Ron?" Harry argued.

"Dad used to talk about it. Death eaters never used it, you know, it was useless to them. The Confundus only confuses… it's more like a distraction. You're making the person look right so you can do something on the left. And you're not forcing them to do it."

Harry thought that sounded like something a Death Eater would say. "How is that not…"

"Harry," Ron interrupted, "If you hadn't used it, what would have happened with the papers?"

Harry grimaced but said, "I wouldn't have gotten them."

"And then you'd be delayed and you wouldn't have heard that rumour!" Ron said.

"I know that, I just…"

Ron closed his eyes, "Harry you weren't acting like you-know-who. Don't even bother denying it. You probably went through a whole guilt thing where you compared yourself to a death eater or something."

"I did not…" Harry protested, hating how weak it sounded.

"I can't believe you actually did that!" Ron smacked his forehead. "You'd have used it to help someone else. You're probably feeling guilty because you used it for your own benefit."

"It was selfish…"

But Ron glared at Harry. "You stupid prat. It's not selfish if it's the only way. And besides you're allowed to be selfish in certain circumstances. Harry, you did come in from another world, there was no way you could have gotten those papers without magic. It's not you planned to make him your slave or anything. Of all the… I can't believe…" Ron took a deep breath, "Harry, as your best friend, I'm asking, no, I'm telling you to please do everything in your power to survive that place. If you need to confuse someone with a Confundo to make sure you're alive, you better damn well do it. Because I swear, if you die there because you thought a spell was too selfish to use, I'm going to…"

"Ron?" Harry gaped.

"You're not a Death Eater. And I know you wouldn't use a spell to do something selfish and evil. You're a Gryffindor!" Ron paused abruptly, his face turning an alarming red.

Harry couldn't reply. The disbelief at hearing Ron's emotional speech, something he'd never witnessed before, rendered Harry incapable of saying anything.

"Hurry up and find your family already, so I can tell them to beat your thick skull for being a stupid prat!" With that Ron broke the link.

"I think Ron's finally cracked from all the stress." Harry stared at the blank mirror. Hedwig bit his ear viciously. "Okay, okay. So, I was a bit dense about the spell."

Hedwig hooted in agreement.

"Would you like it if someone placed the spell on you?"

Hedwig retorted with a sharp trill.

"Of course, I wouldn't use it on you."

Trill. Trill. Hoot.

"No, I'm not just randomly going to use it on people. But if I use it once, then what'll stop me from using it every time something doesn't go my way."

Hoot. Hoot. Trill. Hoot. Clack.

"I doubt you can do anything to make me… Ow!" Harry winced and rubbed his stinging ear as Hedwig flew to the window sill with a smug hoot. "You've gotten bossy," and sadistic, Harry thought to himself as he looked up at the dull ceiling. While Ron's faith in him was appreciated, Harry still doubted himself and he spent a sleepless night contemplating his magic, his morality and his family.

Everyone in the caravan noticed Harry's gloomy behaviour over the next few days and reacted in different ways. The kids became clingy, the women made him eat more food and the men just gave him more things to repair.

So when Isshin pulled Harry aside at Tanzaku no Gai to get dinner at some bar, Harry searched for an excuse to be alone. "Isshin-san, am I allowed in there?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" Isshin laughed is amusement.

"I'm not a… ninja?" Harry said.

Isshin grinned and pushed the cloth hangings aside. "You don't have to be a ninja to be considered a grown adult in non-ninja villages, brat! Besides, You don't want to miss the first class Motsunabe they make here."

Harry rolled his eyes at being called 'brat' yet again.

Isshin dragged him towards one of the tables. "They're making the special tonight. Come on, let's grab that table over there, we'll be able to talk."

Harry grimaced, not wanting to talk especially when he could have been using the time to spy and gather information from the crowded bar, but he followed Isshin and sat at the table.

"So brat," Isshin said after he ordered their food. "What's got you all cranky? Don't say its nothing. You're obviously thinking big thoughts!"

Harry sipped on him drink and wondered what excuse to use. He'd just realized that he couldn't use a sap story, when Isshin leaned forward and flicked Harry's forehead. Harry rubbed his stinging forehead. "What was that for?"

Isshin smirked. "Your big thoughts were making you look like an old man."

Harry took another sip and said, "Well, one of us has to be the mature one."

"There's a difference between maturity and senility, brat."

"Since you oscillate between being senile and being retarded, I'm stuck with the maturity." Harry paused as the waitress placed two large pots in front of them. Unconsciously, he took a big sniff and his mouth watered at the heavenly scents.

Isshin snickered. "Good, you're getting better. You'll definitely survive Konoha."

Harry sighed as he wondered what Isshin was implying. How can he possibly be the leader of a caravan? Even Dumbledore isn't this odd. Sure, he talks about socks and candy... Harry paused at the thought and finally understood. It's an old man thing!

"So, that's what's been bugging you?" Isshin said knowingly. "You shouldn't worry about Konoha."

Even though Isshin made no sense, Harry just shrugged, allowing the man to talk as he dug in to his dish. Harry's mind buzzed excitedly as various new flavours hit his tongue with every bite.

"… and that's why you shouldn't be worried about Konoha! I'll definitely make sure you settle in properly," Isshin said and chewed noisily.

Not feeling the slightest bit guilty that he'd missed Isshin's talk, Harry said, "Thanks, Isshin-san."

"No problem! You shouldn't worry about …"

Everything in the bar stilled as a man ran in panting loudly. "We just got news from Suna. The trade routes are open again."

Everyone in the bar cheered loudly.

Harry frowned, recalling the rumours he'd picked up about Suna. Especially the rumour about the 'Uzumaki' who'd been headed there.

"The caravan will be thrilled!" Isshin said in relief.

Harry grabbed another piece of meat. "Were you heading to Suna?"

Isshin took a swig of his drink and nodded. "It's usually our next stop after Konoha. But last week, all routes to Suna were suddenly closed."

"Do you know what happened?"

"Only rumours! But trade routes to a ninja village only get closed because they're under attack. It's dangerous for civilians, so…"

Harry nodded but wondered how the ninja villages got relief in those situations.

Isshin tipped back a small cup of foul smelling liquid and said, "Suna has always been fidgety with trade. Previous Kazekages didn't like foreigners coming in and making money so the levies and taxes were horrid. It just got better recently. Everyone was scared that things were going to go back to old times."

Harry wondered if the Uzumaki, who'd gone to Suna, would head back to Konoha soon. "How long does it take to reach Suna from Konoha?"

"The caravan would take a week or two because we pass through River country." Isshin said and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "…but ninja can get there in three days flat."

The walk back to caravan's resting area in town and then to his own hotel room, gave Harry a lot of time to think. The first thing he decided to do though, was to sort things out with Ron.

"Ron Weasley," Harry called into his mirror and gaped when the mirror's surface resolved into his best friend's face."I didn't think you'd…"

Ron blinked back at Harry with an odd look. "I was just about to call you anyway. Hermione will be here in a few minutes hopefully."

"Why? What happened?" Harry said, mind churning with horrible possibilities of things that could have happened. The Order could have pressured them, or dosed them with Veritaserum or even worse Voldemort finally made his move.

"Nothing happened." Ron rolled his eyes."I should have known you'd forget…Happy Birthday, prat!"

Harry gaped. "It's my birthday?"

"Of course it's your birthday! Honestly, what kind of a friend would I be if I forgot?"

Harry rubbed the back of his head and looked around his hotel room. "It's one of the more interesting birthdays I've had."

Ron snickered and said, "That's one way of looking at it. Oh, Hermione's here! What is that? And why are you two here?"

Harry squinted when the mirror's surface blurred as Ron moved.

"It's a cupcake, Ron! What does it look like?" Hermione said in exasperation. "We needed a cake for this."

"Hurry up! We don't have a lot of time. Professor Lupin can only distract them for so long…"

"You two being here will just make things worse," Ron said.

"As if we'd miss the chance to wish Harry," another voice said. "Don't hog the thing. Put it over there so he can see us."

Harry blinked when the mirror finally showed a clear image. The twins stood behind Ron and Hermione who was holding up a small cupcake. Before Harry could say anything though, the four of them started singing. Harry laughed at his friends' off-key and the twins' re-worded renditions of Happy Birthday. He laughed even louder when the twins disapparated before the end because of a shrill scream in the background.

Ron said, "Mum must have seen the clock and noticed they were home."

Hermione grabbed the mirror and said, "Happy Birthday Harry. Don't worry about anything. I've found a way to deal with any owls you might get. I'll tell you about it later, I have to go before Mrs. Weasley gets here."

"Thanks Hermione," Harry said, "for the song and the…cupcake."

The mirror returned to Ron who held a now half-eaten cupcake. "It's vanilla."

"Looks good." Harry smiled and said, "thanks Ron! I… I've decided to do everything necessary to find my family…"

Ron finished the cupcake with another bite. "But?"

"But it'll take a long time before I'm ever comfortable with messing with people's minds," Harry said with finality.

"I'm not asking you to be fine with it, just use it when you really need it." Ron said, "You can't hesitate if you're surrounded by those ninja you were talking about. Didn't you say that Itachi person was super fast?"

"Well I didn't really see hi-"

"RONALD WEASLEY!"

Harry frowned at the muffled yell.

Ron groaned into the mirror. "I can't wait till we're at Hogwarts. It'll be so much easier to talk. Sorry mate…"

"It's all right. We'll talk later."

Harry fell asleep before he could set up the extendable ear but he wasn't too bothered about it the next morning. In fact, he felt well-rested enough to actually ask Isshin for information.

"Your ability to know some things and be totally clueless about other things really surprises me. But I guess all teenagers are like that." Isshin rubbed the back of his head with an amused expression. "Okay, I'll teach you the basics of a ninja village. First, the Administrative Building…"

X-X-X-X-X

Isshin stopped beside Harry and said, "How does it feel?"

"Eh?" Harry coughed and swallowed his food hastily.

"We're an hour away from Konoha!"

"We are?" Harry swivelled around suspiciously, not seeing any change in the thick trees that surrounded him.

Isshin guffawed. "You'll see soon enough. The mountain is pretty noticeable even at this distance. We should see it in… there! See that?"

Harry stopped walking and gaped at five faces in the distance.

Isshin patted Harry on the shoulder and said, "That's everyone's first impression of Konoha."

Harry took deep breaths as the caravan paused in front of large red gates. He held out his papers and frowned when Isshin fielded every question directed at him by the gate guards- two people who wore green vests over navy blue outfits.

"Harii, I want you to meet some people," Isshin said as the rest of the caravan moved past the gate and in to the village. Harry followed him and the two guards to the small wooden stand in front of a tiny official looking building. "Guys, I want you to meet Harii. Harii these are…"

"I'm Kamizuki Izumo…" the man with the bandanna said and pointed to the other one with the bandage on stretching over his nose and across his face, "and this is my partner Hagane Kotetsu."

Harry blinked and nodded at both of them politely. He turned to find Isshin staring at him. "Isshin-san?"

Isshin's eye twitched. "You heard them, right?"

Harry nodded and glanced between both men. "Hogane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo."

"Not that! Didn't you find anything misleading about their introduction?"

Harry replayed their introduction in his head and shook his only thing Harry had noticed was the headgear they wore. Headgear which was similar to what Itachi had worn.

"They said partners," Isshin said with an exaggerated hand motion, making the duo in front of him groan.

"Just because you misunderstood all those years ago, doesn't mean everyone is as retarded as you," Izumo said, fiddled with the bandana on his head and handed Isshin some papers.

"Harii, you're so naïve," Isshin said and grinned deviously at both men. "When people say partners …"

Kotetsu smacked his forehead and said, "You're the only one who thought that. No matter how many people you bring, they never misunderstand our introduction."

Isshin winked at Harry and walked into the building behind them. "Either way, I think it's time you both got together with someone. Even if it's with each other…"

Harry shook his head in amusement as the duo's faces went through a variety of emotions before they settled on eerily familiar grins for a split second before returning to normal. Immediately reminded of the Weasley twins' grin, Harry didn't know if he should be afraid or amused.

"So, Harii, what do you do exactly? Isshin-san said you're a repairman." Izumo asked and came out of the stand.

"Not really a repairman, I don't fix plumbing or anything," Harry said and leaned against a wall. "I'm more of a craftsman. I fix things like furniture, jewellery…"

Kotetsu tilted his head and squinted at Harry. "You don't look like a craftsman!"

Harry tensed warily, wondering if he'd roused the ninjas' suspicions.

"You seem like more of a baker," Kotetsu said. "Do you make sweets?"

Harry couldn't fathom a response to that.

Izumo smacked the other man's shoulder. "How does he look a baker? He obviously looks like a tailor."

"You're obviously blind!" Kotetsu rolled his eyes, "So Harii, are you going to open a shop in Konoha?"

Harry sighed. "Not now. I'll get a place to stay and probably work from there until I have enough money. Till then, I'll probably get a normal job during the day."

"Why would you need another job? Shouldn't you just stick to fixing things the whole day?" Izumo said.

To gather information freely obviously, Harry thought but said, "I only fix things at night, so I'll have a lot of free time during the day."

"Why do you fix things at night?" Izumo wondered.

"Because no one's awake!" Harry blurted but hastily said, "I mean, it's quiet, so I can concentrate better. I'm not… uh, experienced enough with my … family technique to work on stuff when it's noisy." Harry winced, knowing that they wouldn't believe him and searched for a better explanation.

"Sounds difficult!" Kotetsu said and slurped some syrup.

Harry stared at the large syrup jar, wondering where it had come from and shrugged. "I'm not a pro."

Isshin came out of the building with a large bunch of papers. "Here Harii, hold onto that and we'll be able to get you an apartment."

Harry blinked. "What?"

"If I don't help you, someone will take advantage of your naiveness and you'll be swindled into buying some rotten room for twice the price." Isshin said. "Now, Izumo, know any empty apartments?"

I don't get this man, Harry lamented to himself as he followed Isshin and Izumo, unable to argue with the man.

Kotetsu walked beside Harry and slurped some more syrup. "Hey Harii, what's your favourite sweet?"

Suddenly glad that he'd spent time with the caravan, Harry easily said, "Dango is pretty awesome with tea. But I also like Daifuku. I had a lot of it in Kozakai."

Kotetsu groaned, "I haven't been there in ages. Their tea is amazing! And their sweet syrups are the best!"

By the end of the day, Isshin found Harry a nice sized apartment on the top most floor of a normal looking yellow building. At least I won't get lost, Harry mused and looked at the neighbouring building- a curved pink thing that looked like a strawberry cake.

"I'll come around with everyone tomorrow." Isshin said, "We'll have a proper house- warming before we leave day after tomorrow."

As Harry placed a plethora of spells and charms on the main door and every window in the apartment, he felt an odd sense of pride. He turned to Hedwig, "It's nice, isn't it? Our own place! It's kind of boring but for a first time place, it's pretty good, right? Better than Privet Drive for sure."

Hedwig hooted in agreement as she perched on one of the dining table's chairs. Harry went around the apartment once more, feeling a little lost at the abundant space-a kitchen/dining room, living room and two rooms- but he couldn't wait to show Ron and Hermione everything.

Harry spent the majority of the night eavesdropping on Konoha's populace learning about the village politics and even a rich man called Danzo, who allegedly had tons of hidden treasure. Knowing that he'd have visitors the next day, Harry tidied up his new apartment before falling asleep.

But, just three hours after he went to bed, Shuu appeared on his doorstep. "Nii-san, your apartment is so clean! Can I stay here when I come to Konoha? Is Heduwigu sleeping? That's a big kitchen. Do you have any dango?"

Over the course of the day, the remaining caravan members dropped by every few minutes and Harry had to cater to his guests and Shuu who had decided to spend the entire day and night with his "Harii-nii-san".

After another long and confusing lecture from Isshin in the early hours of the next morning and well wishes from everyone in the caravan, Harry was thrilled when the caravan left. It meant that he could finally search and explore things on his own.

A green building immediately caught his attention- a bookstore. Harry looked around the cramped bookstore and paused when he recognized the title 'Icha Icha Paradise' from the rumours he'd gathered before.

Harry picked up the book, opened a random page and dumped the book back into the pile with a mortified huff before moving on to the other sections of the store. As he browsed through the herbal medicine section of the store and selected a few books, Harry heard a few voice from the front of the store.

"I wonder when the new shipment of Icha Icha will be here. I really want the new volume…"

"I hear Kakashi got the newest volume from his student, you know. Come on let's just go…"

Harry carried five books about medicinal plants to the cashier.

"That Uzumaki was with Jiraiya for three years he was bound to get a free copy anyway."

Harry gasped and turned to the two men leaving the store. He glanced between his books being scanned slowly by the aging cashier and the two people who were supposed to be on the straight road in front of the store. They had disappeared.

Harry clenched his fingers in irritation, knowing he should have left the books and followed them instead. He had no way of finding them now. He couldn't remember what the looked like, didn't know where they were going. The only thing he remembered from their conversation was the name 'Jiraiya' and 'Kakashi'.

Harry paid the cashier and grabbed his purchases. "Does everyone come here just for the Icha Icha books?"

The man laughed loudly. "Of course, most of the ninja here have a weakness to Jiraiya-sama's books."

Harry struggled to make sense of all the information he collected. From what he gathered, the Uzumaki he was searching for had spent some time with the author of the the Icha Icha books, the 'Jiraiya' person. The 'Kakashi' was a teacher of some sort. Then there was the fact that Uzumaki was a ninja because he went to Suna when the trade routes were closed.

Harry frowned, wondering if that meant that there was only one Uzumaki in Konoha. He walked around the village, noting every location where the ninja gathered, hoping that one of them would be perfect for gathering information.

Harry paused on the top stair of his stairway, bags in hand and stared at the pair standing outside his door with two halves of a table. "I'm guessing you want me to fix that."

"Where were you? I thought we'd have to break in to your apartment," Kotetsu said and moved away from the wall.

"I was shopping," Harry said, opened his apartment door and pointed to an empty area inside. "Just leave it over there…"

Izumo pulled something from the pouch on his leg. "Can you fix this for me, too?"

X-X-X-X-X

"You guys are here early." Harry yawned, opened his door wider and motioned for them to come in. He pointed to the fixed table. "There you go, fixed that table as good ...what?"

Both men looked surprised as they examined the table in the corner of the room. "So you really can fix things and make them look brand new!"

"The Hokage is going to be thrilled. Or at least Shizune will, she's the Hokage's assistant," Izumo said and ran a hand over the table.

Harry shrugged and filled Hedwig's water bowl. "It's not really a big...wait, did you say Hokage?"

"Oh, didn't we tell you? This is the Hokage's table," Kotetsu said and grinned.

Harry watched them take out a tiny scroll and place a small square of paper onto the fixed table. "What are you guys..."

"We'll have to put this in a storage scroll because it won't fit through that tiny door of yours."

Harry turned around and looked at his main door. "I didn't think of that!"

Izumo smirked in amusement and said, "Well, neither did we. But then again we didn't really think you'd be able to fix the table for real."

Harry sighed, glad he had passed their apparent test, and silently watched them seal the large table into the tiny scroll. He noticed that the symbols and designs looked different from the ones on his grandmother's scroll. I didn't use any tiny paper thing to put my stuff in to my scroll, Harry remembered.

"Something wrong, Harii?" Kotetsu rolled up the tiny scroll, put it into a tiny pouch on his back and grabbed a glass off the counter.

I want that storage scroll, Harry thought to himself. "Just wondering where you're taking that table. Didn't you already replace it?"

"Of course, we did. We'll just keep this one with us. When she calls us in to take the next broken one out, we'll just unseal this one. Then we won't have to make two trips there."

Harry frowned wondering just how often tables got broken.

Izumo smiled at him. "If we're lucky, she only breaks it every other day. On bad days, we sometimes go through two to three tables a day!"

Harry shuddered at the thought of asking such a violent woman for information.

"So what are you going to do now, Harii?" Kotetsu asked.

"I need to get some shopping done. Groceries…" and some more snooping, "Can you tell me a place where they sell dango?"

Kotetsu grinned and leaned in conspiratorially. "There's one at the east end of the village near the forest. It's a ninja haunt, but it's the best place to get the best dango for cheap."

"Oh, Izumo, here's your fan!" Harry threw the fixed item to the man and was surprised when his face lit up.

Izumo cradled the bright hand-held fan, stowed it in his pocket and ruffled Harry's hair. "Thanks Harii!"

Harry waited till the duo was well out of sight from his apartment before he walked down his staircase, onto the main road and through crowded streets. Harry frowned and entered the small wooden establishment with his book.

Four hours, countless sticks of dango and even reaching the middle of his book, Harry was eager to get home. His idea of getting information was a complete bust. The ninja around him had talked about 'slugs', 'toads' and other unrelated things, which meant they were talking in code.

Harry was beyond annoyed when he got back to his apartment. Harry threw his purchases haphazardly on the table. It's at least four more hours before the bars become ready for eavesdropping. I'll just redecorate this apartment till then. Harry twirled his wand, splashing one of his walls with red. He mimed a scrubbing motion at the floor and watched as the dark scuff marks vanished Maybe some red there… fix that …clean that with a Scorgify. Harry paused. I'm bored again.

Harry's eyes landed on his large scroll. Seals look useful and it can't be that hard. It's worth a try, Harry thought as he unrolled the scroll and grabbed some ink, paper and a brush. Harry painstakingly copied the symbols onto a fresh sheet of paper. As he put in the last symbol he waited. Nothing happened. He scoffed, knowing that a part of him had expected a flashy light show, dragged a bloody thumb across the design and placed a crumpled paper on top of the design.

Nothing happened.

Harry frowned and looked over the symbols. He'd copied everything perfectly, so why hadn't it worked? Maybe it needs chakra, He glanced at his thumb. so something in the ink? Worth a try.

Harry mixed a little bit of his blood with the ink. He barely painted the first symbol before the ink fizzled with a blue light and vaporized leaving a blank sheet of paper.

After a couple of tries and constant vaporizing ink, Harry stared at the design. Maybe I need to write them in some special order. So what comes first? There's more than twelve of them on the outside. Has to be Space!

Harry painted the character with baited breath. The ink stayed on the paper. Now which way to go? Clockwise…damn! Harry reached for his wand as the paper caught on fire. I've got enough time to find the right order.

Two hours and numerous burnt papers later, Harry finally stumbled on the right order- the correct four corners had to be put down first. Okay, next symbol, Harry thought in excitement as he put his brush back onto the paper.

A bright flash of light filled Harry's vision. And the next moment Harry fell back painfully. Harry struggled up and flinched in horror. The paper and brush was gone but there was a copious amount of red splattered everywhere.

He looked down at his hands.

Harry choked back the bile that rushed to his throat as he caught sight of brush splinters embedded in his blood drenched fingers. I can't feel that. I can't feel any of that. I need to fix this…stop the blood. So much blood!

Harry looked away from his fingers and said, "E-episky!"

Nothing happened.

Clearly panicked, Harry forced his left hand to tug on his wand holster desperately. He only succeeded in getting blood all over his holster. Harry whimpered as his fingers tingled, a clear sign that his fingers were regaining feeling.

A loud hoot interrupted his pain induced thoughts. Harry watched as Hedwig flew down to him and tilted her head to the side. "Don't worry Hedwig, it's not as bad as it looks," Harry said and bit his lip as his fingers throbbed. "I just…"

He paused as the scars on her chest pulsed faintly.

"Hedwig?" Harry frowned as she moved closer and leaned over his fingers. Hedwig let out a painful hoot as a tear fell from her eye. Harry shuddered as the tear hissed and his wounds burned painfully around the embedded splinters.

"Hedwig, stop."

Hedwig wheezed as the tears continued to fall. Harry tried to move away, but his body didn't respond over the pain. What's happening?

"Please …stop."

After a while the pain stopped and the bleeding slowed but the damage was far from healed.

But Hedwig stopped crying.

Harry lurched forward to catch Hedwig as she fell forward breathing harshly. Unbidden, the monk's conversation about blood and magic gave Harry a horrible thought. Fawkes gave Hedwig his blood... so she has his healing magic? But Fawkes just needs a drop or two to completely heal a serious wound. She cried for more than a few minutes. And even that wasn't enough to heal my wounds. But worst of all, she hurt herself trying to do it.

He stroked her gently ignoring the pain and blood. "Hedwig?" Amber eyes looked at him tiredly. "You need to drink some water, okay?"

Hedwig hooted softly as Harry wrapped her in some spare clothes to keep her warm. He monitored Hedwig closely as he spoon-fed her some water, not willing to risk giving her any medication without a proper vet's approval. His thoughts were filled with questions about what Fawkes had done to her.

Harry spent the entire night holding her till her temperature became normal and was thrilled when an amber eye opened just as the sun rose. "Hedwig!"

She hooted softly and huddled tiredly when he placed her on the back of a chair. Harry watched her even as he cleaned and bandaged his fingers, surprised when he couldn't heal the wounds or numb the pain with a simple Episky.

"Drink," Harry held up another spoonful of water and placed some food in front of her. Within the next few hours, Harry cleaned up all traces of the blood while Hedwig moved around by herself. He was just about to reprimand her for flying when someone knocked on his door.

"Oh! It's you two…" Harry muttered, "Have another table for me to fix already?"

"Nonsense, we're here to take you out for early lunch!" Kotetsu grinned and rubbed the bandage across his nose.

"Why?" Harry wondered suspiciously.

"We might have mentioned your skills to someone. So, think of it as a business meeting."

"What?" Harry gaped.

"You wanted to open your own shop, so we thought we'd help you advertise. Besides it's free lunch and," Izumo frowned and leaned forward. "What happened to your fingers?"

Harry flinched and shoved his bandaged fingers into his pockets. "Just a little accident, nothing much."

"On both hands?" Kotetsu frowned as well, suddenly serious.

"I was redecorating," Harry said and pointed back to his apartment, surprised at his own quick thinking.

Izumo whistled in appreciation. "You've totally changed this place in three days!"

Harry said, "I had nothing else to do."

"You should have called us. We would have helped." Kotetsu reprimanded him but then smiled. "Well, aren't you glad we're here to take you out to lunch? You can't do much with those fingers."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, you're a gift from heaven."

"You hear that Kotetsu? We're gifts from heaven!"

Harry sighed, knowing the wouldn't leave him alone. "Do you guys know a vet?"

"Did something happen to your owl?" Izumo stared at the bird perched on one of the chairs. "She looks all right to me. I mean, she's sleeping like a healthy … What? I spent time at the messenger tower last year. You tend to learn things when you're surrounded by birds."

Harry glanced back at Hedwig, noting that she really did look a lot better, and said, "I'd still like to know, just in case. All right, let's go eat! I'm starving." Harry barely had time to lock his door before he was manhandled down his building, across dusty streets and into a barbeque restaurant he'd never seen before.

Izumo pointed out a bearded man smoking at one of the tables near the window. "There he is."

Even though the man looked older than Izumo and Kotetsu, his outfit was similar to theirs- navy blue clothes, a dull green vest and the odd headband across his forehead.

Kotetsu smirked. "Oi, Asuma, we're here."

Harry chuckled at the long suffering look on the man's face.

"I thought you two weren't coming," Asuma said as they settled down in the booth.

"As if we'd miss free food!" Izumo leaned across the table and snatched some food from the grill. "Harii, this is Sautobi Asuma. Asuma, this is the person we were talking about."

He turned to Harry and said, "So, you're the one that fixed the Hokage's table."

Harry bowed politely. "Yes, nice to meet you Sarutobi-san."

Asuma waved a hand languidly and took a long drag from his cigarette. "Sarutobi-san was my dad. Just call me Asuma."

Harry nodded, wondering if Akira's etiquette lessons were completely unnecessary and useless.

"Kotetsu showed me the table. It's like it was never broken in the first place. So I was wondering, can you fix weapons?"

Harry went over the Reparo's specifications in his mind. "As long as I have all the broken pieces, I could…"

"Asuma," a bland voice called out. Harry turned around and saw a teenager with a spiky ponytail walking towards their table. "Iruka-sensei's been nagging me. He said you didn't hand in your report."

Asuma sighed and rose from the table. "Sorry, looks like I'll have to cut this meeting short. I'll leave the money here, so you guys can finish eating. I'll talk to you some other time, Harii."

When Asuma left the restaurant, Izumo and Kotetsu shared identical looks that left Harry a bit wary.

"Shikamaru!" Kotetsu leaned forward and leered.

The teenager, who had the same green vest over his black clothes like the others, sighed wearily. "Yeah?"

Kotetsu motioned for him to sit. "Come meet our new friend. Shikamaru this is Harii. He fixes things. And Harii, this is Asuma's old student Nara Shikamaru."

Harry winced at Kotetsu's introduction of 'he fixes things' but said, "Nice to meet you Nara-san."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Nara-san is my dad. Just call me Shikamaru."

Kotetsu and Izumo burst out laughing but Harry just gave them the a look and politely maintained conversation with lunch passed quickly with Izumo and Kotetsu being their usual loud selves before they left early for work. Shikamaru ended up showing Harry the way to a vet, a pet store and even the Nara Clan property.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry stretched. "I suppose I should return this board. You want to come along, Hedwig?"

Hedwig flew from the window sill and hovered over Harry as he lifted the newly repaired wooden game board. Harry winced at the weight. "I'll have to levitate it and pretend I'm holding it."

"Hold on!" he chastised an impatient Hedwig as he placed the charm on the board. "And stay on my shoulder. I know you've been feeling better since yesterday, but just humour me."

Two hours later, Harry grinned at the owl as he stopped in front of a gated compound. "Told you I'd find it."

Hedwig hooted back in irritation and tightened her claws on his shoulder.

"I've only been here once, don't get cranky just because I got a little lost…"

"Can I help you?"

Harry turned in surprise and came face to face with an older man with a spiky ponytail standing outside the compound gates. "I just wanted to drop something off for Nara Shikamaru," Harry said and observed the man, wondering where he'd come from. Clad in a long brown-furred coat, the man looked like an older and more menacing version of Shikamaru with two distinct scars on the right side of his face.

"My son isn't home," the man said gruffly.

"Then, can I just leave this here? I fixed it and I don't want to carry it back." Harry held the game board forward. "He can pay me later!"

The man's eyes lingered on the board and then on Harry's bandaged fingers but he opened the wooden gates and motioned for Harry to follow. "You fixed that?"

Harry nodded and followed the man in to the shaded estate.

"Here." The man patted the wooden porch at the side of the largest house.

Harry bent down slowly and cancelled the levitation charm as the board touched the wood. Harry watched anxiously as the man ran his fingers over the board, examining every inch with narrowed black eyes.

He finally looked up and said, "You did a good job, I can't find a fault."

The man in front of him reminded him of Snape. Remembering Snape's intensity and ability to find answers even without Occlumency, Harry knew he had leave. "Thanks. I'll just go..."

"Have you ever played shogi?"

Harry glanced down at the board. General's chess, his mind translated. "Not really."

"Want to play?" the man asked, an odd gleam in his eyes. "And test the board?"

"I'm not…" Harry protested.

The man ignored him, brought out the game pieces and arranged them on the board slowly.

"Nara-san, I really don't know how to play," Harry said.

"Don't worry, it's not that hard. Just one game, I'll even give you a few handicaps."

Knowing that he'd just draw unwanted attention by being disrespectful and leaving, Harry sat down and moved Hedwig from his shoulder. She fumbled a bit but leaned against Harry's knee.

"I've never seen an owl like that before."

"She's one of a kind." Harry gently patted Hedwig and set his mind to ending the game soon.

Ten minutes later, the board still had pieces on it. Shikamaru's dad gave him pointers and explained the game-play. "The lance can move…"

Twenty minutes later, Harry carefully plotted his way to freedom. He moved a piece forward, confident that he'd be able to lose and end the game in minutes.

Thirty minutes later, Harry couldn't understand why he was still there. He knew that Shikamaru's dad outclassed him in the game even with all the handicaps. But for some reason, the man took his time making a move against Harry. Harry glanced down at a sleeping Hedwig, envious of her luck.

"So, why'd you decide to come to Konoha by yourself?"

Wondering how the man knew he'd come alone, Harry shrugged. "I needed a change of scenery to start my own business. Everyone always talked about Konoha, especially around Wave, so I decided to give it shot."

The Nara moved a piece forward with a gentle clack and Harry frowned.

Harry recognised the piece as a silver general and raised his hand to push a piece forward but stopped. He looked at another one of his pieces, one that was close to the other side of the board and wondered if he should promote that instead. Harry chastised himself for thinking of something that could prolong the match but to his dismay, he unconsciously played out his second choice and obtained a golden general.

Oblivious to Harry's inner turmoil, the elder Nara smirked at the board with a self-satisfied nod. "What do you think about Konoha?"

Harry rubbed his bandaged fingers absently. "It's… quieter than I imagined." Too quiet. I didn't get any information.

The man looked up curiously. "Quiet?"

"It's just different," Harry said, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, I like it. The... trees are nice. I've never seen such big trees."

Shikamaru's father glanced at the trees lining his property. "The first Hokage made sure to leave a lot of strong trees behind."

Harry wondered if he ought to complement the first Hokage's environmentalist attitude.

"Your fixing abilities would have made you famous without having to move. People would have come to you with jobs."

Harry grit his teeth but ignored his irritation and said, "I don't want fame. I just came here for a change."

Apparently willing to drip the topic for now, the man said, "I have some old boards and other things that could use some fixing, if you're up to it."

Harry smiled in relief. "Yeah, sure."

The man nodded and examined the board closely.

Harry glanced up as Hedwig woke up and looked around cautiously. Harry stifled a grin when the main gate creaked open, signalling a chance to leave.

"Dad, you left the… Harii?"

"Shikamaru!" Harry couldn't quite hide the relief he felt.

Shikamaru sighed and glanced between his father and Harry. "Dad, aren't you supposed to be tending to the deer? Why are you playing so early in the afternoon?"

Deer? No wonder he knew where the vet and stuff were. Harry mused.

The elder Nara waved his hand absently. "The deer are fine. I checked on them before I came here. Don't be such a nag."

Shikamaru opened his mouth but paused and came closer to the board. With a slight frown he sat at the side and examined the board.

What are you doing? You're supposed to be getting me out of here! Harry groaned mentally.

"I didn't know you played Shogi," Shikamaru said lightly.

"I don't!" I used to play something similar, but it's not like I can explain that wonderful tidbit of information, Harry griped to himself. "Your dad gave me a crash course on it."

Shikamaru stared at Harry. "It's you first game?"

Harry leaned back wearily. "Yeah."

Shikamaru turned to his dad. "How long has you been playing?"

"About an hour or so," the man said easily.

That's because you think too long before each move. How hard can it be to defeat a beginner like me? Harry stared at the two people around the board. Neither of them seemed eager to leave or even move. Hedwig climbed up Harry's knee and fell asleep against his chest again.

Finally Shikamaru looked up from the board and turned to Harry. "So that's your owl?"

Harry blinked and looked down, "Yeah, her name's Heduwigu." He fumbled with the foreign pronunciation.

Shikamaru said, "Odd name!"

"It's supposed to stand for something like battle and fight," in German, Harry winced mentally, "I just blurted the word by accident and it's the only name she'll answer to now." Ron owes Pigwideon some treats, he just saved me. I'm so glad Hedwig's asleep, right now.

"Animals are weird," Shikamaru's dad said, "We have a deer that only comes close when you sing to it. It's particularly fond of drunken singing."

Harry choked back a laugh, "I'm sure there's a fascinating story behind that discovery."

"Actually…" the older Nara grinned.

"Maybe some other time, dad." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Troublesome thing."

The older Nara shook his head in amusement and moved another piece with a soft clack.

Harry twitched. He's dragging the game on. If he had moved the other piece, he could have won in two moves.

"Shikaku," a woman's voice yelled suddenly from the front gate. The older man groaned and Shikamaru winced.

The woman's voice yelled, "Get your ass out here and help me with the gorce…oh! I didn't know we had a guest. Is he one of your friends Shikamaru?"

"Er, yeah mom. He's new to Konoha…"

Harry glanced between the woman and the two male Naras, wondering why they seemed so afraid of her.

"New to Konoha? Oh! Did you invite him and his family to dinner, Shikaku?"

"Ah, no…" Shikaku mumbled.

"But you invited the boy to play shogi?"

"I…"

The woman ignored him, turned to Harry and said, "I'm sorry for my ill-mannered family. Since you're new to Konoha and you've made friends with Shikamaru, it's only right to invite you and your family to dinner."

"Mom…" Shikamaru interrupted.

She glared at her son but smiled gently at Harry. "I know its late notice, but I can move the dinner to another night, if that's more convenient for your family."

"Thank you for the invitation Nara-san, but I came to Konoha by myself," Harry said, "So, I'll have to decline…"

"Nonsense!" she interrupted, "Just because you're by yourself doesn't mean you can't come to dinner. In fact, you're staying for dinner tonight. I doubt you cooked anything. You were probably planning on buying something, weren't you?"

Harry blinked at her raised voice. "Yes?"

Shikamaru smacked his forehead behind his mother.

"I knew it. Teenagers today…" the woman ranted and entered the house with Shikaku trailing behind her with grocery bags in his hand.

Harry turned to Shikamaru and whispered, "Your parents are very bossy."

"Parents? It's just mom who's troublesome. That's why I never bring anyone home when she's here."

Harry said, "Your dad made me play shogi without really asking me. He just put the pieces on there and was like, oh let's play."

Shikamaru snorted. "That's not bossy. He just manoeuvred you into that. Besides you could've just said you had to leave."

"That would have been rude," Harry argued and Shikamaru shrugged. "So, when's dinner?"

"In two hours, probably."

Harry groaned. "Do I have to play till then?"

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow. "You'll have to finish that game at the very least. After that, I could show you where we keep the deer, if you really want to get away from dad."

So what if my need to escape is so obvious. Harry turned back to the board. He ignored everything around him and glared at the board for a good while looking for a move that would end the game. Come on... aha! This could work. It'll damage any hope of me salvaging the game. Perfect. Harry moved his chosen piece and turned to Shikamaru triumphantly.

Shikamaru frowned and stared at the board. "That's, you know if you thought it through you could damage his…"

Harry gently lifted Hedwig in his hands. "No thanks! Shogi's not for me. Your dad was going to win, no need to drag it out. I'm not insulting you dad by just leaving, am I?"

Shikamaru waved a hand. "Dad knew you didn't want to play, he was probably playing to pass the time, especially since he was playing so slowly. He might try to get you to play with him some other time, though. I'll just tell them we're heading to the forest."

Hedwig woke up halfway through their walk to the forest and ended up flying above the two boys. "She's just excited to be around so many trees again." Harry explained to Shikamaru.

"You understand her?"

"Not literally," Harry said, "Sometimes I feel like I'm just guessing, but I haven't been wrong so far. I've just had her for so long, it's just normal to know how she feels about things."

They reached a clearing and Harry grinned when Hedwig let out a loud hoot and grabbed the attention of the deer herd in front of them. One of the bolder males with large antlers stepped forward as Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder.

Shikamaru sighed. "What's she doing?"

Harry shrugged and watched the deer, that had a thick mane, in front of him with curiosity. "I thought deer lose their spots when they get older."

"This species doesn't. They're unique to Konoha and…"

Both boys stared as the deer in front of them let out a series of soft whistles. Hedwig hooted once more, lifted off from Harry's shoulder and landed on the stag's antlers.

"I don't think she should…" Shikamaru moved forward, arms outstretched.

"Shikamaru, don't…" Harry winced and turned away wincing at the mixture of screeches and curses filling the clearing.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry's stomach rumbled pleasantly as he looked at the food-laden table in front of him with a mixture of thankfulness and exasperation. She's like a ninja version of Mrs. Weasley. I don't even know what most of this is called. But I can't wait to eat it. Shikamaru sat on the other side of the table and rubbed the scratches on his face.

Shikaku sat at the head of the table and glanced between both boys. "Had fun with the deer?"

Harry concentrated the food willing himself not to laugh. Hedwig hooted loudly and smugly from Harry's shoulder as she glared across the table at Shikamaru.

"I'm guessing it was very interesting…"

Harry ignored the man's prodding and turned to his hostess. "The food looks delicious, Nara-san. Thank you for inviting me."

The lady smiled at him and gave her son a smug ignored everyone else and dug in to his food with an irritated roll of his eyes.

After the long dinner and carrying an armful of left-overs, Harry came home to find a box in front his door with a note from Izumo.

"Harii,

Some of our friends might have heard about your skills and wanted some stuff fixed. I'll come by tomorrow because we need to take to get some paperwork done too. I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

Harry dumped the contents of the box onto one of his empty tables and stared at the broken bits of metal weapons. Knowing he needed to get some sleep, Harry set up the enchanted quill and extendable ear to collect information while he sat down to fix the weapons.

X-X-X-X-X

"And then I added some colouring to it, because transparent syrup just isn't as much fun…"

Kotetsu is useless when he starts the syrup talk. Harry twitched, cursing Izumo for running off without explaining things."Kotetsu, so the paperwork I'm signing is for an account?"

"Yeah! The Hokage's assistant decided to make you the official fix-it person. Your work's cheaper and better than buying new stuff. Having an official account makes you a professional. It's more about the reputation than the money you get. After this, business will come flocking to you."

I knew those sap stories were nothing but trouble. "Great," Harry said. If I sign something like that, will I be able to leave? Well, I'm sure a few magic spells will help me escape if I need to.

Kotetsu nodded, "You definitely owe Izumo and me a treat!"

"I do?"

"Of course! Without our splendid advertising, you wouldn't have been acknowledged so easily."

I guess that's why Isshin-san introduced them to me. It's not their fault that I don't really want to open a business, Harry mused and said, "All right, I'll buy you lunch at the barbeque place, unless you want to go someplace else."

"Really?" Kotetsu turned to him incredulously. "You'll treat us, just like that?"

"Well, you helped me when you didn't have to," Harry said.

"It's no big deal. Isshin-san was…" Kotetsu shrugged and tilted his head to the side. "God, you're really like our old team-mate."

"Because I'm treating you to food?" Harry tugged his bandages absently.

"Yeah, I mean no, it's not that. No matter how annoying we were back then, Hiroshi always put up with us," Kotetsu said wistfully.

"He must have been a saint," Harry muttered, realising from Kotetsu's words that Hiroshi was dead.

"Nah! He was just used to dealing with annoying people. I mean he was Isshin-san's son."

Harry stopped walking. "Isshin-san had a son?" who was their team-mate? Such a small world. And yet I haven't found any trace of the elusive Uzumaki of Konoha.

Kotetsu smiled softly. "Hard to imagine, right?"

Harry pictured Isshin in his mind, acting silly and lecturing him randomly. "He's so, he never…"

"He started the caravan after, well, I suppose he's had time to deal with things…" Kotetsu said lightly.

"I guess." Harry began walking once again but paused and gaped. "Just how old is that man?"

"I wondered when you'd realize. He's in his fifties but he looks like a thirty year old! Ah! come on, otherwise we're going to be late." Kotetsu laughed and dragged Harry forward.

They entered the tower that Harry had been contemplating sneaking in to- The Administration Building. Isshin-san had said that only ninjas or people requesting a mission for the ninjas were allowed in there. Since he was neither, Harry had been searching for a magical solution. Odd, how things work out. I'm actually being led in there. But how do I get to the mission records. Obviously that Uzumaki left for another mission after returning from Suna...

"Harii, don't daydream! Aren't you excited? After this you're going to be able to open your shop."

Harry smiled at Kotetsu, hiding his apprehension.

"We're in luck. The office is empty. We'll be out of here in no time."

Harry walked into a large office labelled Mission Payment and followed Kotetsu to the desk in front of the large windows. A man sat there with his head bowed over a stack of papers.

"Mozuku, I'm here for the account thing Izumo set up."

The man at the table looked up. "Oh, Kotetsu, you're early. Is that…"

Kotetsu grabbed Harry by the shoulders and shoved him in front of the table. "Yeah. This is Harii, the Hokage's official fix-it craftsman."

Harry grimaced. "That's not a real title, right?"

Mozuku smiled and pulled a stack of papers in front of him. "You never know with Kotetsu and Izumo. ID papers, please?"

Harry handed them over and watched the man scrutinize them.

"And you have an apartment here?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah I have a six month lease. Do you need those papers too?"

"No, no. Oi, you guys keep it down. I'm trying to work here," Mozuku yelled at the group that had entered the room and pushed back his glasses. "And Kotetsu, you're acting as his trustee?"

Harry frowned. "Why do I need a trustee?"

Kotetsu waved it off. "It's just for the records. Izumo filled out the other papers and I'm here acting as your trustee since you're not a citizen."

"Do I have to pay you?"

"Just buy me lunch every other day." Kotetsu ruffled Harry's hair and grinned.

"Get off!" Harry shoved Kotetsu aside and signed the papers Mozuku put in front of him, amused that his signature managed to look so illegible but almost native like.

"Kotetsu, you need to sign this too and there you go! All done!"

Harry took his papers and looked them over. "That's it?"

"Izumo got the rest of it done before. Now we have time to get some food! Let's meet Izumo," Kotetsu said.

"One signature? You both woke me up for just one signature?"

Mozuku shook his head and motioned for the other group to come forward. Harry shoved his papers in his pocket and glared. "Kotetsu, where are you going? Don't you want me to buy your food?"

"Ah, now Harii, don't, no, it was Izumo's idea. He wanted to…"

Harry accidentally smacked into a pale black haired boy as he walked towards Kotetsu.

"Sai!" two voices yelled.

Harry frowned when Kotetsu burst out laughing. He turned to the boy, "Sorry about that. The idiot distracted me."

The boy gave him a wide smile. "No problem. I understand."

"Right... I'll just go now," Harry said and walked carefully to Kotetsu. "Shut up. I didn't see him there. Stop laughing! Fine, I'm going home."

Harry stepped into the hallway just as Mozuku read out, "Captain Yamato, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and uh Sai? Hokage's scroll, please! All right…"

Uzumaki? Harry gasped and turned back. I'm not missing this, I have to take a chance. Even if it's in front of actual ninjas. But how do I act? Hysterical teenager or calm mature person? He ignored Kotetsu and rushed back in to the payment room.

"Harii, what happened?"

Harry examined the group he had previously ignored, "He said Uzumaki."

"Yes, so what?" Kotetsu said.

Hysterical teenager, it is."My clan…" Harry breathed harshly ignoring the silence that had fallen around the room. "That's my clan's name!"

"I thought you didn't have a family name," Kotetsu said confused.

"I had to drop the name. I thought I was the only one left!" Harry replied, "Our clan was supposed to be wiped out. We're not, dammit who's the Uzumaki here? I don't see any red hair!"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," a blonde boy stepped forward hesitantly.

"Uzumaki?" Harry questioned. Naruto? Odd name…but familiar for some reason. Harry's heart swelled as the boy in front of him nodded but his stomach plummeted as he examined the boy's blonde hair and unfamiliar features that had nothing much in common with Akira or his Grandmum.

Well neither do you, a snide voice in his mind retorted.

"Where are your parents?" As soon as he blurted it out, Harry knew it was the wrong thing to say. Everyone in the room stilled with barely concealed tension. Even Kotetsu suddenly seemed on edge.

Harry shook his head in irritation, "I mean, I just want to know why you're using my clan's name…" Yes, make this entire thing seem like an odd coincidence.

"I'm an orphan," the blonde muttered. "I don't know who my parents are."

Harry swallowed. "So then, who gave you that name?"

The blonde furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Jiji must have, I think. Why does it matter?"

Didn't I say I was from the Uzumaki clan? Harry frowned but said, "Well if you're part of my clan then…"

Blue eyes widened in understanding. But the dark haired man behind the blonde interrupted them, "If you don't mind me asking, where was your clan from?"

"Whirlpool, before it was destroyed. I have my clan's heirlooms, things that can only be held by people with the real Uzumaki blood. So…" Harry frowned as the man's brown eyes stared at him with disbelief but told himself, That's a good sign. He might know the truth behind this Naruto's parents. Or maybe he's just reacting to the Whirlpool thing. People don't talk about it in the open.

"I see…" the man frowned thoughtfully.

No, that's not what you're supposed to say, Harry thought in panic. He turned back to the blonde and snapped impatiently, "So what are you, some name stealer or my long lost cousin?"

The blonde choked in surprise, his blue eyes widening. A girl, with obnoxiously bright pink hair, placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder after shooting Harry an angry look.

"I think we need to talk to the Hokage," the brown haired man said. "I'm sure she'll know something about this. It's probably just a simple misunderstanding."

Harry nodded even as he hoped it wasn't just a misunderstanding. He also hoped that the village leader, the Hokage, would be helpful after he presented his side of the story.

Harry suddenly remembered the broken table he'd fixed.

Chapter Text

"Don't worry, this will be cleared up soon." Kotetsu patted Harry's back and walked into the office labelled 'Hokage'.

Harry rubbed his bandages as he stood in the hallway outside the Hokage's office with the other teens. Even without looking he knew that, Naruto, his possible relative was staring at him. The sheer amount of people around, made Harry twice as wary. But no matter how much he wanted to drag the boy away to talk and question, Harry forced himself to wait and see what happened.

He consoled himself with the fact that he knew the boy's name and what he looked like. At least that would help him if he ever decided to use Hedwig to track the boy later.

Harry forced himself to calm down by shoving his hands in his pant pockets and cataloguing everything he had. A handkerchief, some scrap paper, a rubber band, something squishy and candy.

Harry fingers ran across the candy's embossed surface, recognizing an antidote end from the Skiving snack boxes and remembering why he was carrying it around. For when I can't use a potion vial carelessly in front of people.

Harry fiddled with the candy, wondering if he should take it so that the small amount of calming draught in it would help him. No, even a little calming drought will make me talk. It's too risky, Harry told himself, I need to be consistent as an unpredictable teenager.

Harry moved his right hand closer to the wall and away from the corridor's other occupants. Homenum Revelio. His mind buzzed as information filtered in via the spell, There are a lot of people in that office. Guards? That'd explain why someone's in the office ceiling.

Harry adjusted the range of the spell and took a while to understand all the data from the cut off the spell and took a deep breath as the door opened.

"She wants to talk to you, Harii, so you can go in. Only you," Kotetsu said giving the other teens a look.

The blonde, Naruto, angrily turned to the brown haired man beside Kotetsu. "But Yamato- taichou…"

"Not now, Naruto." Yamato said.

Harry walked past Kotetsu into the office and blinked when caught sight of the middle-aged woman seated behind the Hokage's desk with a black-haired woman standing beside her. He couldn't see any trace of the people he'd detected before. They've done a great job hiding themselves.

Hazel eyes watched him carefully from beneath a furrowed brow.

Harry stayed silent but his thoughts buzzed She may not be Dumbledore but as the leader she must have some skill in reading and judging people. I should pay attention. Is this the desk I fixed? But I didn't get any more broken desks! Harry stopped in front of the wooden desk, bowed down and said, "Hokage-sama!"

Harry looked up warily when he was greeted by a thick silence. The Hokage glanced at the other woman, nodded to the door and said, "Shizune!"

"But Tsunade-sama!"

The blonde woman, Tsunade, narrowed her eyes at the other woman.

Harry gulped as Shizune practically ran out of the office with a little pig in her hands. But a part of him was more concerned with knowing where the pig came from.

"My ninja tell me you're claiming to be an Uzumaki."

Harry took a deep breath and said, "I may not use that name anymore but there is no doubt that I'm part of the Uzumaki clan."

"Oh?"

"My granduncle was the clan head when Whirlpool was attacked!" Harry said.

"And what about your parents? Surely they'd offer better proof of your claims."

Harry looked down. "They've been dead for a long time. Them and my grandparents, the only people who could have possibly…"

The Hokage stayed silent but glanced at him with slightly softer eyes.

"I've never used the Uzumaki family name. I lived my childhood with distant relatives who never bothered to tell me about my clan. It was blind luck that I learnt about my origins, especially since my own mother didn't know about the clan."

"What did you find?" The Hokage said.

"Letters, at first. Then photos. After that, I looked for everything I could. But everything I found was terrible. My clan had been reduced to nothing because of some power play. I don't know the exact details behind the attack but I knew nothing good could come from taking up the clan name again."

Harry knew he needed more emotion in his story especially since he'd be twisting actual events. "Because of my godfather's death recently, I found the old village ruins and salvaged some blood activated heirlooms that matched things my own grandmother had left me."

The Hokage straightened in her seat. "Blood activated heirlooms?"

Harry tugged on the necklace hidden under his shirt. "I didn't realize this was one until it was pointed out to me. Apparently when I removed it from my family scroll, I smeared some blood on it. That's the only reason I can wear it."

The Hokage, Tsunade- Harry reminded himself, stared at the black koi pendant intently and nodded for him to continue.

Give me something to work with. I don't even know what you're thinking, Harry thought at her lack of input but said, "No one ever mentioned the name Uzumaki where I lived. And I guess I just, when I heard someone else with that name, I…"

"So if you hear someone having Uzumaki as their last name, you immediately assume they have something to do with your clan?" Tsunade said and tilted her head.

"No, no…well, maybe. I admit the first time I heard it I immediately looked for red hair." Harry paused when he caught a flicker of something in the woman's eyes. "But then I thought, I'm the only one left, so anyone using that name is just a fake, so I felt indignant. After that, I just didn't want someone to get targeted because they used my clan's name."

Tsunade leaned away from her table and glanced up at the ceiling. "You think there are people who still hunt the Uzumaki name?"

"I don't think people need many reasons to start killing. It's possible that someone still bears a grudge somewhere out there," Harry said softly.

"No one has ever come after Naruto for having that name," Tsunade said, still looking at the ceiling.

Harry wondered if that meant someone had come after him for a different reason.

Tsunade finally looked at him. "You said you had photos and letters that could verify your claims?"

Harry nodded. "I'm not willing to share my letters for personal reasons. But I can share my photos because I have a lot more of those."

"That's fine. I'll send someone to get the photos from…" Tsunade stopped as Harry reached into his jacket, fumbled around and pulled out two photos.

Harry clutched the photos tightly. "I'll get them back, right?"

Tsunade nodded and held out her hand.

"The one with the green eyes is my mother. And the one with the blue eyes is my grandmother," Harry said as Tsunade examined both pictures with a stony face.

"You always carry these pictures in your pocket?"

Harry shook his head, "I was hoping to find some picture frames. They're awkward sizes so I needed to check…"

"I heard you like Dango?"

Harry blinked in confusion. "It's my favourite sweet."

"I see." Tsunade eyed him and said, "I'll order an official blood test for both of you. Do you have any objections to having your blood taken and tested by Konoha's medical facilities?"

"I don't mind," Harry said.

"And these photos? Are you willing to let us test their authenticity? I can guarantee they won't be damaged."

Harry nodded, curious about how they'd test for authenticity.

The wooden chair screeched against the floor as she left the office. Harry looked around the room examining the shelves, stacks of papers and even the red and white hat in one of the glass cabinets. But he couldn't detect any of the guards, that the Homenum Revelio spell had showed him before.

Harry tensed as the door opened behind him.

"Harii?" Kotetsu put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry rubbed his forehead wearily. "Would you think it's weird if I said, I really want him to be a relative? No matter how distant."

"No." Kotetsu squeezed Harry's shoulder. "I'm sure he feels the same..." They both turned to the door when they heard yelling. "See?"

Harry smiled softly and glanced at his grandmother's photo on the desk. "Kotetsu, I'm sorry about dragging you into this..."

"Are you kidding? Izumo's going to be annoyed he missed this."

"He'll probably be more pissed he can't eat yet!"

Kotetsu snickered and nodded in agreement. They both flinched when the door slammed open.

Tsunade entered and sat down in irritation. "Until the results come in, you're not allowed to make contact with Uzu... Naruto!"

Harry tensed as a masked man materialized beside the Hokage's table and cast another Homenum Revelio. Harry blinked when certain areas around the office flickered during the spell and realized that the spell also showed people hidden within his line of sight. So this masked man was the one near the window. Wait, the person at the top is missing too!

"To ensure your compliance, you'll be under house arrest for two days starting this afternoon. Raccoon will monitor your location at all times. Are there any questions?"

"House arrest?" Harry said sharply. "Two days?"

Hazel eyes narrowed at him. "We'll have a blood test to see if there's any relation between the both of you. It'll take a maximum of two days. I want the tests to be completely accurate."

Harry frowned. "But, err...Hokage-sama, my blood activated heirlooms..."

"What if he isn't part of your clan?" She gave him a long stare and continued with a sombre tone, "Every heirloom that acts as a tester is meant to find real clan members and get rid of impostors lethally. They weren't created to be forgiving to impostors."

Harry looked down at his fingers, ashamed that he'd forgotten about the lethality. "I didn't..."

The Hokage said, "I have to look out for the ninja under my rule!"

"I understand. I just forgot about the killing part," Harry said sheepishly.

Tsunade gave him small nod and yelled, "Shizune!" The black-haired woman, from before, entered the room with a tray of items. "Because of the secrecy of this matter, I hope you don't mind if we collect your blood here. The hospital would require too much paperwork."

Harry watched Shizune prep a needle. "But will this test still be valid if there's no paperwork to back it up?"

Tsunade smirked. "The paperwork will be filled. I just want this to be kept under wraps until the results come out."

"I see." Harry frowned as she nodded to the other woman.

"Please hold out your hand," Shizune said.

Harry turned away as she moved closer with the needle but wondered about the need for such secrecy.

Before Harry could process anything, and while he was still dazed about the prospect of house arrest, the Hokage rushed him out of the tower with Kotetsu. He played along, knowing that co-operation would work in his favour later.

Homenum Revelio. Harry twitched as information flooded his brain but walked, noticing that his guard was on the roof slightly ahead of them. I wonder how this spell lets me find the people I want in the mass of people. Even without any labels or difference in the colour of light, I know that he's my watcher.

Just like I know… that guy a few roofs behind me was the ceiling guard! So I have another guard? Harry paused abruptly as his thoughts connected bits of conversation. Dango! She was probably hinting at me staying at the dango store.

Is that why I have this secret guard? It adds a whole new level to things. But surely I looked dense enough when she asked me about it... Harry's thoughts stopped abruptly when he felt an odd pressure on the back of his head. He gasped as the pressure increased and pushed against his mind. This can't be Voldemort! My scar doesn't hurt.

Strong arms latched onto Harry as he stumbled forward. "Harii?"

Harry concentrated on Kotetsu's voice and suddenly the pain vanished. "Sorry, my head just… I guess I need to eat."

Kotetsu gave him a long stare, nodded and moved closer to Harry as they walked to his apartment. Izumo stood outside his door with the box of broken things. "Where have you two been? I've been …" Izumo paused and frowned at the roof. "What happened?"

Harry sighed heavily, entered his apartment and slumped face first on to his couch. As Kotetsu whispered to Izumo, Harry moved his wand hand closer to his face. Homenum Revelio

Harry flinched as his mind prickled with information of all the areas surrounding his apartment for a large radius. All that control I had in the tower is gone now! Harry frowned. The watcher is definitely on the roof. Is he/she just there to make sure I don't leave the apartment? Or is the person there to see what I do in the apartment? But wouldn't it make sense to be in the apartment with me?

And why tell me that I'm going to have this guard person? To see what I'd do? Or just to reassure me because I'm a civilian? But there's that secret guard!

A voice from his memories interrupted his thoughts, Constant vigilance!

I'll just assume that the roof watched has some ability to know what I'm doing in the house. Harry groaned at what he'd have to stop doing. No eavesdropping with the extendable ear! No blatant magic. And no mirror talking! At least, I checked the mirror message before I left the apartment today…

A hand tapped his head. "Oi, Harii. Don't fall asleep, we have to eat, remember?"

Harry shoved the hand away, burrowed into the couch and said, "I can't leave the house."

"Of course you can!" Kotetsu said, "If you're accompanied by us then we'll make sure you don't run in to…"

"I'm not hungry." Harry said even as he wondered whether he should removed the spells he's put up around the apartment.

"You need to eat so you can work! Plus the restaurant we're going to has green tea flavoured dango! I bet you haven't had that before,"

"Don't want any!" He heard two loud sighs above him, footsteps walking away and his door closing. Harry frowned as he went through his information again. Where's the other guard? If he's outside that range then there's no way he can watch me.

Harry raised his head when he heard a thump on the floor close to him and found Izumo waving at him. "I thought you wanted to eat."

"Kotetsu's bringing the food here! We can't just leave you without food." Izumo fiddled with his bandana and leaned against the couch.

Harry frowned. "I have food in the kitchen. And I can cook!"

"What about your fingers? You still flinch when you do things. I don't understand why you won't go to the hospital."

Harry cringed. "They're fine."

"But they're stopping you from fixing things, aren't they? You left some weapons in the box unfixed!" Izumo said and pointed to the box next to the main door.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I wanted to tell you about those in the morning. But you ran off before I could say anything! I can't fix things if I don't have all the broken pieces."

"That's… most ninja lose bits of their weapons on missions." Izumo's face crumpled. "This reduces so much of your potential business."

"Why are you so disappointed? I'm the one with the repair job!"

"It's just, now you won't be able to fix…" Izumo paused and rubbed his chin. "Ah! never mind!"

"Fix what?" Harry glared at Izumo. "Izumo, did you promise someone that I would fix something really important?"

"I might have said something about a valuable heirloom…"

Harry groaned.

"But you don't have to bother. I mean if you can't fix it, then you can't fix it! And no matter how much fixing it would have helped your business, it doesn't matter. There are loads of things that need to be fixed." Izumo said with a placating smile.

"I should just kick you out." Harry said, "But Kotetsu would pitch a fit and I'd be stuck listening to all that whining."

They both looked at each other and chuckled.

"I really wonder …" Harry said, "Why do you guys keep visiting me? I've only been here for like a week and I've seen you both almost everyday. Did Isshin ask you to keep an eye out for me?"

"No," Izumo said blandly. "We come here because you're a civilian who's not too spooked by ninja."

"Err?"

"It's rare to find civilians who are willing to talk freely with ninja. I guess they always expect us to kill them or something. But you're different, heck, you blatantly curse us."

Harry scoffed. "Here I thought you just came here for food and to make me fix things."

"Well, you do have a lot of groceries." Izumo smiled back. "But you're just less stressful to be around."

"You're kind of blasé with things, aren't you? What if I was a spy?"

Izumo glanced at Harry and then turned away with shaking shoulders.

"Hey! Why are you laughing? I could totally be…" Harry said as Izumo stifled his laughter.

"You're eyes are too open for you to be much of a spy." Izumo looked directly at him. "Sure you have your secrets, but it's obvious those secrets aren't… I guess it's just personal matters from your past that you don't want to share."

And here I thought I wasn't too obvious, Harry blinked. "I see…"

"If you're hiding because of your clan stuff then it does explains things." Izumo looked away.

Harry hesitated. "Have you heard of the Uzumaki clan?"

Izumo turned back and shook his head. "Just knew the name belonged to Naruto, nothing else. Didn't even know there was an actual clan!"

"What about Naruto?"

"I've seen him around. Who can ignore all that orange? I don't know much about him personally."

Harry sat up as the door opened and Kotetsu came in, hands filled with take out containers.

"Finally!" Izumo said and took some of the containers and placed them on the low table of the sitting room.

No matter how much Harry wanted to plan for things that needed to be done, he couldn't help but get pulled into the pair's enthusiasm as they ate.

"So do you want us to get you something while you're stuck here?"

"No, I got all my groceries. I only wanted to get some plants." Harry paused when he caught sight of both men sharing an odd look with each other. "What? I'm not lying! You can check the kitchen if you want."

Izumo said, "That's not it! We're just wondering about the plants."

"You think I won't be able to take care of them here?" Harry frowned at them. "I have loads of space. There's that extra room that Isshin wanted as my work area, but I fix things here in the living room anyway, so it's a waste of space."

"What kind of plants are you looking for? Maybe we can get you a deal, we know a place," Kotetsu said.

Damn, I put off buying plants because they're too permanent. If there's no real relative here, I need to leave and search somewhere else but having plants... "Really?" Harry went over to his stack of recently bought books, grabbed a specific book, shoved the book in Izumo's hand and said, "I marked the ones I want in red."

Both men examined his marked list carefully and Izumo said, "Medicinal plants?"

"Yeah, why?" Harry asked, wondering about their apprehension.

Both men shared another look and turned to Harry.

Kotetsu frowned. "Why would you need something like snakeroot?"

He'd recognized the plant as something he'd used in potions class and the book assured him that it had most of the same properties here. But knowing that Snakeroot was an exotic plant to want, Harry decided to be honest. "Snakeroot is good base for different poison antidotes."

"You're going to make poison antidotes?" Izumo asked hesitantly.

"I can only make a simple antidote," Harry said, "But it's best to be safe, right? Fire country has too many poisonous things." Magic with those normal antidotes would do wonders if I ever run out of potions. Harry rubbed the back of his neck, "That's how I met Isshin-san. His nephew got poisoned and they didn't have any antidotes."

"Yeah, he told us about that. He said you managed to cure a purple lyre bite within minutes with a 'unique' antidote."

Harry noticed the emphasis on unique and said, "That antidote was made for me and I can't re-create it." I have a stash of it but it's something so complex that only a potion master can make. I'd never be able to make it, especially with the distinct lack of magical ingredients.

"Made for you?" Izumo said cutting through his thoughts.

"Yeah, when I was younger I almost died from a poisonous snake bite," Harry said and rubbed the crook of his left arm absently. "Needless to say, I'd rather be safe than dead."

"But you know, there are many kinds of poisons out there. Not just the kinds from animals and insects." Kotetsu said.

Harry shrugged. "Well, those are the only kinds of poisons I can make some sort of antidotes for."

Both men in front of him seemed to relax.

Did they think I secretly made super-antidotes? Harry scoffed at his thoughts. Psh, no way! But it's a good thing I'm not a good potion maker. Definitely makes me seem more truthful.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do! But then you'll need more books, right?" Izumo looked through the marked pages. "Or are you a secret gardener too?"

"That's why I chose the easy plants. No expert gardening skills required."

"True!" Izumo closed the book and shoved it under his arm. "Do you need any bandages for your fingers?"

"Or better yet a doctor?" Kotetsu said.

Harry groaned. "Stop nagging me. My fingers will be fine by the end of the week. Doctors are just a waste of time and money."

"You wouldn't have to pay.."

"No thanks!" He lifted up his hands and flexed his fingers ignoring the twinges of pain that shot up his arm. "The bandages are just a precaution."

"You're not a doctor, what if you get infected or something. It'll be too late to do anything..." Izumo said

"You don't even know what's under the bandages. There's no chance of getting an infection. Just because I'm not a doctor, doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with wounds. Occupational hazard, you know..." Harry joked even as he reminded himself to be more diligent with the scar-reducing salves that would ensure that his injuries looked old if anyone ever saw them.

"Fine, we'll see you later!"

Harry closed the door and leaned against it tiredly. With a casual touch of his wand's tip, he removed most of the locking spells. He took a deep breath and remembered Hermione's recent instructions for putting up stealth sensor spells, similar to what Umbridge had used in her office the previous year.

Harry looked around the apartment but decided to modify the spells on each window later. He picked up a book he'd considered too tedious to read before, something about ninja-politics, and moved to his sofa.

Harry woke up to a darkened apartment and banging on his door. He stumbled towards the door and glared at his visitors, "Why are you here again?"

"Food, remember?" Izumo said holding up a container. "Were you sleeping?"

Harry left the door open and went back to the couch groggily.

"Harii, you're such a lightweight! They didn't even take that much blood from you. How can you be so tired?" Kotetsu said and poked Harry's sleepy face.

Harry slapped the hand away and rubbed his eyes blearily. "I don't know, but my brain feels like it's been stuffed…" with information? Of course! I used the reveal spell at least four times. That plus that odd headache must be the reason I'm so… Harry looked up hopefully and said, "Dango?"

"No! You can't have that for dinner. Here, eat this and sleep. Just when I thought you could take care of yourself," Izumo said while Kotetsu snickered.

Too tired to protest, Harry ate and fell asleep before his visitors left.

The next time, Harry woke up to a brightly lit apartment and an odd ringing in his head. He put on his glasses to find a sheepish looked Kotetsu at his main door with Hedwig flying around his head. So that was the spell I put up yesterday? I guess it works!

"We didn't open any windows for her before leaving," Kotetsu said. "She found us and kept screeching until I followed her here."

Harry grinned. "Thanks and… sorry?"

Kotetsu shrugged and said, "You're obviously going to thank me with a large free meal when you give us a treat."

"Yeah! Yeah! Go back to work already!" Harry said and closed the door. Now I can change all the spells on the windows. I'll open them and make it look like I'm just airing out the place.

Harry's day passed by in a blur of reading, cooking, arranging the new plants that Izumo somehow managed to get delivered to him, ignoring the messages on his mirror and secretly modifying all the spells around his apartment.

After he let Hedwig out to hunt that night, Harry glanced at the box of things-that-needed-to-be-fixed with apprehension. I managed to ignore them last night because I was too tired. But I need to fix thing,s especially if I'm actually being spied on in here.

Harry sorted through the items in the box and contemplated how to repair without removing his wand or using a verbal spell. An image of the monk he had met at the start of his trip filled his mind, but he shrugged off his idea as ridiculous.

But as he ran out of items to sort, Harry resigned himself to putting on a show for anyone who might have been watching him and arranged himself in a vague cross-legged position and joined his hands together as though he was praying.

With an awkward bow, he held out both his hands over the broken items. It took him multiple tries to get the non-verbal casting of the spell down. Well, it adds credibility to me not being an expert, Harry consoled himself as he looked at the large pile of broken things that remained.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry had just finished lunch when one of the spells on his window warned him of an intruder just as Hedwig screeched in alarm. He turned around and came face to face with his masked watcher. Harry frowned, trying to remember the guard's name, as he examined the mask. "Cat-san?"

The masked man tilted his head to the side. "Raccoon. The Hokage has called you in for a meeting."

So my guard's male! But that mask is obviously a cat. I guess the masks aren't meant to reflect their names. "Okay, let me just," Harry shoved the garbage into a bag and walked out of his apartment. "All right! I'm ready to go…woah!"

Harry snatched his hand back as the world around him came into sharp focus. The masked man gave him an apologetic nod but walked forward towards a familiar wooden door. We teleported to the tower? No, it was too rough for that. I definitely felt a large amount of stops even though it was too fast to make out.

Harry followed his masked guard and entered the room warily. Standing in various positions in the room were four different people along with the Hokage. He recognized Nara Shikaku standing beside a blue-eyed man with long blonde ponytail.

On the other side of Tsunade was a man with long untied black hair and the oddest eyes Harry had ever seen.

Blind? Harry discredited that thought when he noticed the man following his movements clearly. Looks like he's not related to that monk. Harry finally noticed a hint of lavender irises in the pupil-less eyes but frowned at the bulging veins along the man's temples partially covered by the long curtain of hair.

Harry glanced at the final person in the room. He was taller than all the other occupants with a bandana on his head and held himself like Mad-eye Moody.

Wait, didn't that book mention the Hokage has three old advisors? Since they're not old, these aren't the elders Isshin mentioned. So they're some sort of advisory council meeting? As soon as Harry reached the centre of the room, the masked guard vanished from sight and Harry bowed to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama." and other people, he quipped in his mind.

She smoothed out a paper on the table in front of her. "We've got the results."

Harry bit his lip and nodded suddenly finding it too hard to say anything.

"It seems there has been a misunderstanding."

A dead end! Harry's stomach plummeted at the thought and he looked down at his feet. After all the trouble I went through. What am I going to do with those plants…

"You're not the only survivor of the Uzumaki clan."

Harry gasped as the words registered in his mind. "Wha…Really? I…so, he's my …"

Tsunade looked at him with oddly soft eyes. "A cousin."

"So…I… " Harry said, rubbed his neck absently and flinched as the door behind him opened noisily. He turned and watched a one-eyed man, with thick bandages on the side of his head, enter with a steady clacking of his wooden cane. The newcomer glanced at Harry and smirked at the gathered ninja. The air thickened with tension.

Tsunade's expression hardened. "Danzo, what are you doing here?"

The ancient man ignored her, walked to the front of the room and stood beside the table. "So you're the new Uzumaki?"

He knows? How do I work this? Non-threatening as possible… Harry smiled at the man, "Yes! And you are?"

"I'm one of Fire Country's councilmen from this village. It's my duty to see to the welfare of each and every person in this village on behalf of the Daimyo."

That's sounds very Fudge-like. What would Hermione say? Harry thought to himself, tilted his head to the side and said, "That must be hard with just one eye." Nooo, that's something Ron would say, not Hermione!

"I manage." Danzo gave him a tense smile. "Do you just think we're going to believe you are his relative?"

"The blood test..." Harry said.

"The blood test can be faked with the right tools."

Shikaku rubbed his forehead wearily and sighed softly as everyone tensed.

Tsunade bristled with a venomous voice, "Are you implying that my medical staff are incompetent, Danzo? Or even my ANBU who kept him under constant watch to ensure no tampering till the results came in?"

Harry grit his teeth in irritation. "My scroll!" Harry blurted out.

Everyone stared at him.

"My family scroll." Harry offered. "Only an Uzumaki can open the seals placed on it." Thanks Akira! Take that, wrinkly old politician.

"Is that all?" Danzo said with an air of triumph. "Seals can be made to accept someone with the right…"

"No, I also have clan heirlooms." Harry interrupted and frowned as a glimmer of something washed over the man's face. "Heirlooms that stay within the clan! I have no intention of outsiders getting their hands on them."

Emotion saturated the room and tingled across his skin. They're surprised? Why? Akira told me that no one can force a clan to give up its heirlooms. Even if they did force me with violence, the items would be useless to them.

Shikaku stepped forward and looked at Danzo, "That's true! No one can interfere in clan matters and force a clan to give up items that are crafted for clan members. This was one of Konoha's founding principles."

Harry noticed a tightness on Shikaku's usually relaxed face.

"If the Hokage doesn't have any objections, then I most certainly don't."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "I see no problem with a clan keeping their heirlooms to themselves."

Danzo glanced at Harry. "And what do you plan to do with your newly found… relative?"

Harry pushed back his glasses and smiled. "I was thinking of taking him out to dinner."

"Dinner?"

"You're right! I need to do more than dinner. I need to get a gift! What do you suggest? Socks? You can't have enough socks!" Harry nodded, as though he'd just had an epiphany and thought, If nothing else, Dumbledore always managed to unsettle people with weird comments like that.

Danzo's eye crinkled tensely. "A weapon is always of better use to ninja. Sentimental things make them weak."

Harry nodded even as he snorted at the thought, Socks are sentimental? He must be using code or something.

The Hokage cleared her throat. "Was there something else you needed, Danzo?"

Harry blinked at the open hostility. He's some sort of political opposition to her and so, a threat to me.

"You have my congratulations at being able to find family. Make sure to treasure the opportunity you were given."

"I'll remember that." Harry clenched his hands as a wave of anger surged up but he gave the man another civil nod. He gazed fixedly at one of the windows as the old man moved to the door in a flurry of wooden clacks.

Homenum Revilo. Harry's eyes widened and he glanced back just as the door closed behind Danzo. That guard, there's no doubt! He's the secret guard I couldn't find when I was under house arrest. What's going on?

When Tsunade cleared her throat, Harry turned back and said, "So when do I meet Naruto?"

The people in front of him shifted slightly and Tsunade said, "You're free to meet with him after he's informed."

Harry slouched in irritation. "Am I being put under house arrest again?"

Shikaku coughed and Tsunade gave him a look. "No, I need to explain things to Naruto privately. After that, I'll send someone to escort you to him."

"Can't I just…" Harry winced at the vibes he felt from the Hokage. "Why don't I just wait at my apartment?" He ignored the amusement in the other people's eyes.

"Hokage-sama, I'll make sure he reaches his apartment without any inconvenient meetings." Shikaku stepped forward.

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow but nodded. Before Harry could even bother to argue, he was looking at familiar dusty streets.

"You're a bit of a risk taker, aren't you?"

Harry paused.

"Mozunabe said you acted like a hysterical teenager when you heard the name Uzumaki," Shikaku said as they walked towards his apartment.

"Yes, I was a bit..." Harry frowned.

"You didn't strike me as the hysterical sort."

"Well, you've never mention my clan's name so casually." Harry frowned. Damn, what is he implying?

Shikaku just gave him a slight smile and turned away.

"Nara-san?"

The older man looked up at the sky. "You're a bit weird. And weird in a troubling way! Who ever heard of a civilian going against Danzo?"

"I didn't go up against him…"

"Most shinobi can't even look him in the eye," Shikaku said and shoved his hands into his pockets. "And you go and make a smart ass comment about his eye. Are you asking for trouble?"

"It just came out. Besides he seems like the sort who wouldn't like me even if I was sickeningly polite," Harry said.

"I guess I should have expected it. You're a person who's used to going against authority. I knew it the moment I saw your shogi."

"Shogi isn't real life!"

Shikaku scoffed. "No, but it's the perfect place to see a person's mentality."

Harry turned to the older man. "So you saw my authority defying mentality in a game where I was losing?"

"The point is, Harii, Danzo isn't someone you should openly go against. Don't antagonize the man."

"I know!" Harry said, "Nara-san? I didn't know civilians get called up during a Hokage's council meeting."

Shikaku turned to Harry and smirked. "They don't."

"I see." Harry frowned. So either they don't consider me a complete civilian or there's something about Naruto… "Ow! What was that for?"

"Don't go looking for trouble, you're a civilian."

"I thought you were implying I wasn't really a civilian. Make up your mind! And I don't look for trouble." Harry rubbed the back of his head.

"Your shogi showed you were willing to do anything to get results. It's a risky way of living."

"It's the only way of living I know. And how can you possibly get so many random things about me from one shogi game?" Harry said, wondering if Shikaku was just making things up.

"Well, you have a cousin now. A younger cousin who's never had a relative before," Shikaku said.

I'm older than Naruto? Harry felt oddly happy at the thought. "I'm never playing shogi with you again."

Shikaku laughed. "You owe me for my support in the meeting."

"I knew you had an ulterior motive," Harry said.

"You never finished our game. Besides Shikamaru's mother is bound to call you for dinner again. Something about kids needing more food."

Harry turned to the man. "You want me there to distract her from nagging you?"

"Maybe!"

"Nara-san, you scare me."

Shikaku laughed loudly. "Good to know. I better get back. Think you'll be fine on your own?"

"Don't I have that cat fellow following me?"

"The ANBU have better things to do than baby-sit you."

"Could've fooled me," Harry said and winced at the sharp smack on the back of his head. "Jeez, you didn't show a violent mentality in your shogi."

Shikaku snorted and said, "You heard the Hokage, right? She said you weren't under house arrest anymore. That's all the ANBU was supposed to do!"

"So he wasn't there to spy on me and make sure I wasn't some sort of danger to the village?" Harry said blandly.

"Of course not!" Shikaku gave Harry a wide smile.

Harry shook his head and looked ahead. "Your smile's creepy!"

Shikaku chuckled and jumped up onto one of the rooftops.

Harry looked up and said, "Thanks Nara-san!"

Shikaku waved it off and said, "Go get ready to meet your relative."

Harry stared blandly at the spot that Shikaku had disappeared from and berated himself, it never occurred to me to look up when people just disappeared from my sight on a straight road.

Homenum Revelio. Harry climbed up the stairs with relief as he realized that no one from the Hokage's office had followed him. Even so, he wondered if they'd sent other people, who he wouldn't be able to recognize, to watch him.

Harry opened the door and was greeted with a ball of white feathers. He chuckled and grabbed Hedwig, "I've got good news!"

X-X-X-X-X

Lousy politics, I've had enough of waiting. It's night already! I'll ask someone where he lives and… Harry grit his teeth as he looked in his fridge. Of all the days to be out of groceries! I'll just take him out to dinner.

Do I need to change my shirt? Harry looked down, sniffed at his clothes and considered himself presentable enough. He flattened his hair as he walked towards the door. He turned to Hedwig, "You want to come?"

Hedwig cocked her head to the side and glanced between him and the door and gave him an odd hoot.

"Is that a no?"

She blinked and gave him another lazy hoot. Harry frowned but turned to leave, wondering why she wasn't eager to meet Naruto.

He put on his shoes, raised his hand and groaned at the knock on his door, "Kotetsu, if it's you, I'm not..." Harry gaped at the orange clad blonde standing in front of his door. "Naruto?"

"I just...er, here," Naruto said and held up a small potted plant with vibrant pink flowers scattered on it. "Are you going out?"

"Not anymore. Come in." Harry took the plant, placed it on his low table and stared at curiously. "I've never seen this plant before."

"It's a Satsuki. I thought you'd like the flowers. I wanted to get you a Bonsai, but it'd take too much maintenance," Naruto looked away and bowed his head.

Satsuki, fifth moon. I wonder if there's some sort of meaning to it. "It's lovely, thank you. I didn't think of getting any flowers. I've kept my plants in the spare room, but this will work well right here in the living room."

Naruto glanced up."You have other plants?"

Harry nodded and pointed to his spare room. "I asked Izumo and Kotetsu to get me some medical plants when I was under house arrest."

"Oh…" the blonde said and looked away again.

Eager to chase away the silence, Harry said, "I'm glad you showed up here. I was about to go out to ask around for where you lived."

"You don't know where I live?"

"No, they said someone would come and escort me but..."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "But I live really close by!"

"You do?"

Naruto moved to one of Harry's living room windows and pointed to the circular pink building. "I live right at the top of that building."

So close? We're practically neighbours… Harry snorted. "You live in the strawberry cake building?"

Naruto's face cracked into a timid smile as he tilted his head and squinted at the building. "No one's ever said that before. But yeah, I guess I do."

Another silence descended upon them. Harry struggled to come up with a topic that wasn't too awkward or invasive. Just as he opened his mouth, a loud rumble filled the apartment.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Harry said, "I forgot to ask you if you wanted something to eat. I'm a terrible host." Harry ran to the kitchen and came back balancing a plate of dango and two glasses of juice. "Sorry, I used up most of groceries and with all the news from today, I forgot to buy more things." Harry said sheepishly, embarrassed at the impression he was leaving on his new found relative.

"No, it's all right. I'm the one the came without warning!" Naruto grabbed a stick of dango.

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly at the silence. "So, the other day when I saw you, you just came back from a mission, right?"

Naruto nodded and opened his mouth to speak but ended up coughing and sputtering. Harry hastily pushed the juice into his cousin's hands.

"Are you all right?" Harry said.

"Yes! I'm sorry… I…" Naruto said and ducked his reddening face.

Harry chuckled. "Why are you apologizing? I should have waited till you were done eating before talking." Harry frowned when Naruto just bit his lip. "You don't like Dango?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "No, no I like it. It's really nice," he said and picked up another stick of dango.

"Don't eat so fast!" Harry said in panic. He cringed when Naruto started choking once again and pushed his own glass of juice to Naruto.

Naruto's shoulders slumped down. "Sorry!"

Harry said, "There's no need to apolo…" Someone banged on the main door. "I'll be right back!" Harry opened the door, groaned at Kotetsu and Izumo, came out of his apartment and said, "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to celebrate your freedom from house arrest obviously!" Kotetsu said and laughed.

"Plus there's a buffet at the barbeque place. Besides, didn't you promise to buy us food? You can't back out from your promise!"

"Maybe some other time. I'm kind of busy right now," Harry said. "I'm…"

"I didn't know you had other plans!" Harry turned back to find Naruto smiling at him. "I'm sorry for taking up your time. I just remembered I had to meet up with my team-mates for, you know, stuff."

"But…"

"It was nice meeting you. Thanks for the dango!" Naruto said, smiled and jumped off the railing to the streets below, disappearing from sight within seconds.

"Why does no one give me a damn chance to finish what I'm saying?" Harry said and slammed his hand against the wall. He ignored the pain that shot up his arm and turned to Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Sorry. We just wanted…"

"Harii, we didn't…"

Harry rubbed his forehead and said, "It's not your fault. You didn't know he was here."

Kotetsu said, "He couldn't have gone far. I'm sure I can find him and bring him here."

Harry shook his head and said, "Don't. He'll just become even more uncomfortable!"

"Harii, you can't just let him go!" Izumo said.

"I'm not really hungry right now. I'll take you guys out some other time." Harry walked past them in to his apartment and slammed the door shut, ignoring their protests.

Naruto's smile replayed in Harry's mind as he slid down to the floor. Hedwig swooped down and landed on his legs. Harry patted her gently, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce you."

X-X-X-X-X

Shikamaru sighed. "Why are you here?"

"I needed to get away from Kotetsu and Izumo for a bit," Harry said and plopped down next to the other boy under the tree hoping to escape the afternoon heat. He looked around the Nara property, taking in things he'd ignored during his past visits.

"No, really, why?"

Harry looked away from the group of children playing a little away from them and said, "Your dad must have told you about it."

Shikamaru gave Harry a questioning look.

"Okay, maybe he didn't. I found some family here. A clan member of mine has been living in Konoha."

Shikamaru tilted his head. "You have a clan? Congrats? It's good news, right?"

Harry nodded. "I…it's… actually I don't know what to do. I met him, but it was awkward. So I'm trying to come up with some ideas on how to bond with my new relative."

"And you came to me?"

"No need to look so incredulous! He's a ninja around your age. I can just get some ideas from you about what to talk about and stuff."

"My age? Who…" Shikamaru paused and squinted at Harry and then closed his eyes with a sigh. "Naruto?"

"You know him! Yeah, he's my… cousin, of some sort. How'd you guess?" Harry said and resisted the urge to pat his face.

"I wondered why it was familiar talking to you. Even though I don't know you that well, you have a way of making people comfortable…"

"Oh, that's nice, I suppose." Harry sighed. "Anyway, he came over last night. But it was really awkward, he's really quiet."

"Naruto, quiet?" Shikamaru said. "He's never quiet."

Harry groaned. "I knew it. He doesn't like me. I mean, I should've expected it. I'm not a ninja and I look nothing like him…"

"Family members don't always look alike."

Harry turned and pointedly stared at one of the many Naras on the property.

"That doesn't count." Shikamaru said and rolled of his eyes.

"Fine, then I'm a boring person." Harry reasoned, "I mean, who'd want to be related to me?"

"That's it! I'm dropping you off with dad! He can help you out."

"What? No way. He'll make me play shogi and… Shikamaru, don't do that to me!"

Shikamaru groaned. "I'm not the best person to ask for advice. But if it's Naruto, I suppose I could try to help."

"Then, can you tell me about him? About his life here, what you know about him. Anything will be really helpful for me."

Shikamaru bit his lip. "I've always known him as the orphan troublemaker in the academy. I never used to pay attention to him outside of class…"

Harry grinned as Shikamaru regaled him with stories of pranks and delinquent behaviour. He turned to the large mountain with the imposing carved stone faces. "He painted the faces up there on that mountain? All by himself?"

"That's impressive!" Harry said with pride when Shikamaru nodded. His smile faded as he went over the various stories he'd just been told and remembered that odd smile stretched across his cousin's face.

"Harii?"

"I just…" Harry looked away and said, "I'm worried about things you didn't say, the things you can't tell me. Things like how he ate his food at school, or how he had a dorky umbrella when it rained."

Shikamaru looked away and stayed silent.

"I'm not accusing you or anything." Harry said softly, "I guess it just makes me wonder if anyone…"

"The Sandaime Hokage checked up on him whenever he could."

"The Hokage?" Harry frowned. "He must've been a busy man, so he couldn't…I don't get it. As an orphan, shouldn't he have been in an orphanage. Or at least have a caretaker?"

"Not that I know of. Then again I never paid much attention to that stuff. But there was an academy instructor who watched out for Naruto during our final year. There's nothing more I can tell you."

Wouldn't someone have bothered before that final year? Even Shikamaru's mum seems like the sort who'd help an orphan, Harry thought to himself and said, "But Naruto can, right?"

"If he wants to," Shikamaru said.

"Then I'll just have to wait."Harry stood up and dusted the grass off his pants. "I better leave before your dad gets home."

Shikamaru snorted in amusement.

"Hey, you work with a lot of plants because of your deer, right?" Harry turned back with a sudden thought. "Do you know anything about flowers?" He paused at Shikamaru's almost irritated look. "Fine, do you know a book I could find to…"

Shikamaru sighed. "Why, what happened?"

"Naruto gave me a plant. I guess it's supposed to mean something, but I didn't really understand," Harry said with a sheepish look.

"What was it?"

"You actually know flower language?"

Shikamaru sat up and gave him a flat stare. "Do you want my help or not?"

Harry stifled a chuckle at the irritation lacing that bored voice. "He called it Satsuki."

Shikamaru stared at Harry, shook his head in exasperation and lay back on the grass murmuring to himself. "Tsutsuji."

Azalea, Harry's mind translated. "No, he said Satsuki."

Shikamaru snorted. "They're basically the same thing. There's an evergreen variety and then there's the one you got which only blooms in June. He must have gotten you one that's been modified to bloom longer or something."

"Whatever! Is there any hidden meaning?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and said softly, "Take care of yourself."

Harry swallowed back the lump in his throat and chuckled. "I'm the one who should be telling him that. I'm older and he's the ninja…"

"Harii," Shikamaru looked up and said, "Naruto is a fairly simple person to please. He doesn't really expect a lot."

Harry smiled and walked towards the gates. "Thanks. I think I understand."

Feeling a lot more confident, Harry stopped at his apartment to grab some odds and ends from his scroll. He smiled at the pink flowers on his living room table. "Come on Hedwig, we're going shopping."

He rechecked his stealth sensor spells and stuck a note on his main door- Gone Out.

By early evening, Harry's arms were weighed down with multiple grocery bags. He stopped outside a tiny store and frowned, wondering if it was too soon to buy Naruto a gift. I'll just tell him it's a gift for all the birthdays I missed. Like Sirius, Harry told himself as he entered the shop.

He passed by his apartment building and walked towards the distinctive round pink building with Hedwig hovering by his head in confusion. "Last night was a bit awkward, but today will be different. He'll be more comfortable if he's in a familiar place!"

Harry clambered up the stairs hefting the charmed grocery bags and boxes, stood outside the only door on the topmost floor of the building and knocked.

After a few minutes of silence Harry fiddled with the door gaped as the door opened. He doesn't lock his door? Well that's good, I suppose.

With a decisive nod, he walked into the apartment with Hedwig, removed his shoes at the entrance and opened the door at the end of the narrow corridor.

"Convenient, even if it's the oddest layout I've ever seen. At least, I don't have to search for the kitchen." Harry said to Hedwig and placed his purchases on the dining table.

He glanced around the tiny kitchen and frowned when Hedwig landed on the only chair at the dining table. "There's no counter space to work with and only one heating pan to cook. Maybe I should have cooked at home and then brought the food here! Then again, I do have magic…"

Hedwig tucked her head under her wing for a nap as Harry rifled through the cupboards for cooking utensils.

Two hours later, Harry hovered in front of the pot as he rechecked the cook book in front of it looked right, Harry turned off the heat and moved the pot onto one of the dining table's serving mats and placed a heating charm on it.

Harry he looked at the food he'd put on the dinner table so far- vegetables, drinks, some fish-maybe-sushi rolls he'd bought, soy sauce bottle, his recently beef stew- and moved to start cooking the rice. Just as Harry placed the pot of rice onto the pan, the door to the kitchen slammed open. He turned to find Naruto staring at him in shock.

"Ni…Harii?"

"Naruto! You're early! I thought I'd get the rice done before you were home," Harry said and closed his cookbook.

"Rice?" Naruto repeated and put away his weapon.

Harry nodded. "I didn't give you anything proper to eat yesterday. So I had to make it up to you."

"You didn't have to," Naruto said as he looked at the table.

"Of course I had to. I didn't handle yesterday well. I planned on finding you and taking you out to a restaurant, but stuff got in the way." Harry shook his head and continued, "So today I decided to start over with a new plan. I thought it'd be better to eat here without other people interrupting. So here I am! Your door was unlocked so I just…"

Naruto glanced back between the food and Harry's fingers with wide eyes.

"And we never introduced ourselves properly." Harry said with a smile. He walked forward and held out a hand acutely aware of the blue eyes staring at him. "I'm Harii, just turned sixteen a few days ago. I fix broken items for a living, I like dango and other sweets and… I'm glad I found you."

Harry ignored the slight tremble in his cousin's face as Naruto came forward and grabbed his hand gently. "I'm Naruto, I'll turn sixteen in October. I'm a ninja and I like ramen. And I'm glad you found me."

Harry rolled his eyes when their moment got interrupted by a hoot and a flurry of feathers. He glanced at the owl perched on his shoulder. "Ah, and before I forget, this is Heduwigu who likes eating bacon and bossing me around."

Harry chuckled when Hedwig nipped his ear and Naruto watched the owl in amazement. "Hello?"

Harry bit back a laugh when Naruto eeped as Hedwig flew to his shoulder and nuzzled against his face.

"The rice!" Harry turned around and sighed in relief. "All right, food's all done!"

A loud rumble filled the air.

Harry laughed. "I've got good timing. Well what are you waiting for? Wash up and dig in!"

"But where are we going to sit?" Naruto said and eyed the single chair at the dining table. Before Harry could reply, Naruto ran out of the kitchen into the hallway to the right.

Harry gazed uncertainly at the wall as he heard crashes and bangs from the other room.

Naruto came back holding an old worn mat. "Do you mind?"

Harry shook his head and helped Naruto shove the dining table aside, place the mat on the ground and transfer the dishes to the mat. Naruto sat down and examined every dish, looking a lot more relaxed than the previous night.

"Help yourself!" Harry said and filled his own bowls.

Naruto piled some food into his bowls, snapped his chopsticks apart with a soft "Itadakimasu", took one bite of his food and stared at Harry with wide eyes.

Harry stopped mid-bite. "What?"

"This is …awesome!" Naruto said loudly with a wide smile.

"Eh? Oh! Thanks." Harry said sheepishly, a little blinded by the genuine smile that was so different from the previous day, and watched with amazement as Naruto inhaled the rest of his bowl.

"You can eat as much as you want, Naruto." Harry said when Naruto looked at his bowl with a frown. "I'm fine. Besides didn't you know cooks don't need to eat that much during a meal?"

Naruto stared at him curiously.

"Because we get to taste it when we cook. So we come to the dinner table half full already!" Harry said with a smirk. The most ridiculous thing I've ever said, Harry thought, but it feels nice saying it.

The silence during the meal, interspersed with loud slurps and chews, left Harry calm and relaxed. So this is an Uzumaki meal? It's comfortable! Harry placed his empty bowl down and watched Naruto clean up every morsel of food and burp loudly in satisfaction.

"Do you have any space left? There's still cake," Harry said and grinned when Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Cake?"

Harry nodded, stood up and piled the dishes into the sink. "In the fridge."

"You don't have to do the dishes." Naruto said and stepped to the sink. "Your bandages…"

"They're due for a change anyway!" Plus they repel water because of the Impervius I put on them. Harry shoved Naruto away with his elbow. "Get the cake. I'll be done in a few minutes." Harry heard the fridge door open, a cardboard box open and a low chuckle fill the room. "You like it?"

Naruto said, "It's not my fault my building looks like a cake."

Harry chuckled as he rinsed the dishes. "You have something against strawberry cake?"

"I've never had it before!" Naruto said as he searched for plates.

Harry's hand stilled as his mind replayed the words alongside Naruto's awkward smile from the day before. He gasped when Naruto poked his shoulder.

"Harii?"

Harry looked over his shoulder. "What?"

Naruto gave him an odd look. "How many pieces do you want?"

"One's fine!" Harry finished the rest of the dishes with a well placed Scourgify and took his share of cake. "What do you think?" He asked when Naruto took a bite.

"Happy…"

Harry snickered. "It tastes happy?"

Naruto nodded and took another bite. "I've never felt this happy before."

Does he have any idea how corny he sounds? Harry mused as he watched Naruto finish another piece of cake. I guess he's just naturally corny without even knowing it. He's probably really talking about the cake.

"We can go try another cake tomorrow if you want!" Harry said after finishing his portion. "The store had some interesting flavours."

"Really?" Naruto said and yawned widely.

Harry looked out the window and winced. "It's late and you're tired. I guess I should get going."

"I'm not tired!" Naruto said.

Harry rolled his eyes in amusement and walked into the corridor to the main door with Hedwig hovering over the two boys. "But I have do have work to do, you know! And I'm kind of tired."

"Ahh, Ni… Harii?"

"Hmm?" Harry watched Naruto's mouth open and close a couple of times. He sighed, leaned forward and patted the golden spikes, glad that he was just a bit taller than Naruto. "No need to rush things. We can talk tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Naruto said softly.

"Yeah! You're coming over for breakfast, right?"

"Breakfast?"

"Yes, breakfast! Then we can go try some cake. I'll see you then, all right? Good night!" Harry said and grinned when Hedwig nuzzled Naruto's cheek once more before flying off to hunt.

Chapter Text

"Crazy old lady! Just because I buy groceries every other day, doesn't mean…" Harry paused in his rant to Hedwig when he reached the top of the stairs. "Naruto?"

Naruto jumped up from his cross-legged position by the apartment door and grabbed most of Harry's grocery bags. "You said I could come."

"Yeah, I just needed to get some stuff. Did you have to wait long? The old lady at the store just kept talking..."

Naruto shook his head. "I just got here a few minutes ago."

Harry but pushed his apartment door open as Hedwig settled on Naruto's shoulder and trilled excitedly. He grinned at Naruto's confusion and said, "She's probably telling you about the crazy lady at the grocery store."

"Was the lady mean?" Naruto asked as Harry walked to his kitchen area.

Harry glanced at Naruto as he unpacked the groceries on his dining table. "Mean? No, she's just old and nosy. And that's not my grocery bag. What's it doing here?"

Hedwig left Naruto's shoulder and perched on a chair as Naruto placed a large bag on the dining table. "I thought you left it at my place by accident."

Harry glanced at the bag pointedly. "I put your name on it, didn't I?"

"Yeah. But…" Naruto looked at the bag with wide eyes.

"It's yours. Have a look inside." Harry watched Naruto hesitantly pull a box from the bag and open it. He cleared his throat. "I noticed ninja wearing some sort of metallic mesh." At least Shikamaru did.

"I was thinking of getting some." Naruto fiddled with one of the pieces, lifted it to eye-level and gasped. "These are the latest flame resistant version."

Flame resistant metal? Harry threw the empty grocery bag aside. "I just told the shop keeper to give me the most useful thing."

"This gear just came out." Naruto said softly.

Is this how you felt back then, Sirius? Harry grinned. "Just consider it a few years worth of birthday presents."

While Naruto struggled to talk, Harry pointed to the bag, "Another few years' worth of presents is still in there. You can never have enough medical supplies." Not as nice as weapons. That shopkeeper was obstinate about not giving me, a civilian, ninja weapons without the right permits. Next time I'll just take Naruto there and get him whatever he wants. There are many more birthdays I need to make up for.

"I can't accept this!" Naruto stepped away from the bag with the mesh still in his hand.

"Why not?"

"I didn't get you anything!"

"You're right. There's only one way to solve that." Harry nodded. "You need to come here every morning for breakfast."

Naruto gaped at him.

"Dinner too! And bring a box of dango every once in a while."

"That's not what I meant!" Naruto said.

"Oh, fine! Dango every other time." Harry turned and pushed some items in the fridge to hide his amusement. He turned back and said, "I got a new cake flavour."

Naruto's eyes focussed on the only box at the table. "Cake?"

"Yes, that's the cake." Harry said, "And no you can't just eat it right now. You need a proper breakfast first."

"Did you get take out?" Naruto didn't look away from the box.

Harry shook his head and said, "Just groceries that need to be made in to proper breakfast…"

"How long will that take?"

Harry shrugged. "Depends. Anything special you want to eat?"

"What do you normally eat?"

"Nothing fancy." Harry examined the items on the kitchen counter. "Sandwiches are the fastest things to make right now. But I'll make omelettes too."

"And then cake?" Naruto asked.

Harry smothered a laugh, grabbed a knife and started slicing ingredients. "I'll get the sandwiches done first."

Naruto put the mesh back in its box and moved to the kitchen counter near the wall. "What should I do?"

Harry looked up from his slicing. "Can you chop up those spring onions? There's another knife in that drawer."

Harry layered numerous ingredients between two slices of bread. He'd just completed a fifth sandwich when he caught sight of Naruto at his side. Naruto held the knife in one hand and viciously stabbed the spring onions haphazardly while he waved his other hand in the air.

"Want me to cut that?"

Naruto shook his head and stabbed again.

"Not a fan of spring onions?" Harry struggled to keep his expression straight as Naruto glared at the vegetable.

"They taste horrible! Do you really need them?"

Harry made another sandwich. "Think of them like medicines. Horrible taste but really good for you. Besides, if you cook them right you won't even notice them."

"Good thing I never had to take any." Naruto muttered and stabbed the spring onions in to tiny pieces.

Harry frowned and pushed a sandwich towards Naruto. He chopped more vegetables, mixed it with the eggs in a bowl, added some bacon pieces and poured it in to a pan.

"I didn't know you had to put all that in an omelette." Naruto said as he dragged a chair from the dining table closer to the stove and sat down with his sandwich.

"My version of the omelette." Harry smiled as a delicious smell and the sizzle of the pan filled the kitchen.

Harry expertly folded the omelette in half, slid it out and plopped the plate in front of Naruto. "Eat up." He wolfed down a sandwich and turned back to the stove. The pan hissed as he poured in the next omelette's batter. Harry turned back to make sure Naruto was eating but twitched when he caught sight of Naruto's shoulder. "Hedwig!"

When did she get there? Hedwig ignored him, tugged on Naruto's hair and opened her beak wide.

"Hedwig, let him eat his breakfast." Harry said, slid the new omelette onto Naruto's plate and searched for some spare bacon. "Naruto, you don't have to…"

Harry sighed as loud knocks interrupted him but he dutifully moved out of the kitchen to open it. He looked at the pair standing in front of him and recognized the vibrant pink hair.

The pink-haired girl wore a short red dress and held a long box. The pale boy behind her wore dark blue clothes and carried a couple of packages.

He opened the door wider and said, "You're Naruto's friends! From the other day…"

The girl nodded but the boy stared in confusion. "I'm Haruno Sakura and this is Sai. The Hokage sent a few things."

Harry filed away the names and moved aside. "Come in. Naruto's in the kitchen. Let me take that."

He took Sakura's box, led them to the kitchen area and rolled his eyes when Hedwig eyed the new arrivals haughtily. Guess she doesn't want to meet them.

"You can just put that here." Harry said as he stacked some of his recent book to make space at the dining table.

Naruto swallowed a big bite of food. "Sakura-chan? Sai?"

Sai stayed silent as Sakura explained the reason for the visit. I almost expect him to take notes. "Would you like something to eat?" Harry asked and held up the plate of sandwiches he had made.

"Yes"

"No"

Harry placed the plate on the table, ignoring Sakura's glare at Sai and said, "Help yourselves."

Sai sat beside Naruto at the dining table while Sakura hovered next to the pile of things they had set on the table. As Harry turned back to the stove and poured the remaining batter into the pan, he heard a lot of chewing, tapping and soft coughs behind him. He glanced to the side and observed his guests in the kitchen window's reflection.

Hedwig pestered Naruto for food ignoring the other two, Sai chewed on a sandwich and Sakura tried to get the Naruto's attention covertly while eyeing the food on the table. She finally took one of the sandwiches with a resigned air and stared at Harry's back.

Harry cleared his throat. "Would you like some juice?"

Naruto said, "No need to be so nice to them. They can help themselves. Aren't you eating yet?"

Harry slid his omelette onto another plate, turned to the table and looked at his guests guiltily. "Would you like an omelette?"

Naruto turned to both visitors. "They're fine with the sandwiches, right?"

"Actually…" Sai paused with a slight wince. "These sandwiches are wonderful!" He finished with a wide smile. Did Naruto kick him under the table?

Harry sat beside Sakura -the only open seat at the table- and ate silently as Naruto talked with Sakura. As soon as he was done with his last bite, Sakura turned to him, "You have a nice apartment. It's very unique. Were the walls red when you got it?"

Harry collected the empty dishes and piled them in his sink. "A friend helped me find it but I repainted on my own. I left the kitchen alone, didn't want red walls everywhere." Painting the walls and Scourgify spells were mostly magic practice.

Sakura looked around and said, "That separates the kitchen from that main area nicely especially since it doesn't have a door or wall. Like a nice little alcove… "

"You painted with your hands like that?" Naruto interrupted Sakura.

"They didn't bother me." Harry said with a nonchalant wave as he cleaned the table.

"Sakura-chan should check on your hands." Naruto looked pointedly at Harry's hands. "She's a medic."

Harry stifled the urge to hide his hands. "I don't want to be a bother."

"I don't mind. Since you're on the Hokage's official payroll, you're entitled to free check ups." Sakura said.

Naruto frowned and said, "Official payroll? He's not a ninja!"

Sakura fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. "Tsunade-sama just told me about it today. He's a specialized craftsman."

Noticing the confused expressions, Harry said, "I fixed the Hokage's desk when it broke."

"At least you'll always have work." Naruto took a deep sip from his glass. "The old hag's always going to be violent."

"Naruto! Don't disrespect Tsunade-sama." Sakura said, an angry threat lacing her words. When Naruto nodded with wide eyes, Sakura turned to Harry with a more professional air. "I can schedule an appointment for you at the hospital."

"I'm not fond of hospitals." Harry frowned at Naruto's surprise.

"I can give you a check up now." Sakura smiled.

Harry stared at her warily. She's very eager about a check up…

"And you won't have to pay for it!" Naruto glanced between Harry and Sakura with wide pleading eyes. "He doesn't have to, right?"

"Of course, that's the whole point of being on the official payroll." Sakura said.

"I didn't know that." Harry said, taking her attention away from Naruto. "Kotetsu and Izumo never really explained anything."

"Those two..." Sakura rubbed her forehead. "A civilian only lands on the Hokage's official payroll because they're the best in their field. They become the first choice when important jobs, from people like the Daimyo, get requested."

I thought I just signed up for a bank account. Harry gaped. "The country ruler?"

Sakura nodded. "But if someone's better skilled than you, you immediately get replaced on the payroll."

"So Harii's the best craftsman in Konoha?" Naruto smiled.

Sakura frowned at Naruto but shifted her chair pointedly and turned to Harry. "I really don't mind giving you a check up now. It'll hardly take a few minutes and you won't even have to remove the bandages."

At Naruto's concerned expression Harry turned his chair, slumped down with a resigned sigh and held his hands in front of him. "Fine." The worst of the damage has already healed. All I have are faint scars and the pain.

Sakura turned his hands so his palms faced upwards and held her hands over them. She doesn't need medical tools? Harry gasped as a warm green glow coated Sakura's hands with a faint buzzing sound. She poked various points on his palms and said, "Never seen a medic-nin work with chakra before?"

Harry shook his head as Sakura's prodding left a hint of eerie coolness within the warm energy that surrounded his hands.

"No wonder you've bandaged them! The chakra pathways in your hands have clogged up with stagnant chakra putting pressure on your nerves."

The Ostenero spell didn't show any… Harry looked at his hands in confusion. Oh no, the spell didn't show anything about chakra. So the spell doesn't register chakra pathways?

Sakura moved her hands over the length of his arms and said, "The tenketsu, the chakra openings on your palms have increased in size trying to get rid of this build-up for a while."

Harry gazed at the green glowing hands thoughtfully. Her chakra lets her concentrate on one area inside the body.

"Have you taken any pain killers?" Sakura tapped his palm gently.

"No." Harry said.

"But it hurt, right?" Sakura leaned forward and the green glow around her hands intensified. "Your chakra pathways reach all the cells in your hands but there's no chakra flowing through them. The chakra just stops…" Sakura's green eyes reflected the glow from her hands menacingly as they locked on to Harry. "Why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"I've never used chakra in my life. I didn't know…"

Sakura pursed her lips and concentrated on his finger tips. "Ninja rarely encounter internal blocks because they push their chakra out regularly and regulate the flow with jutsu."

Harry frowned. "So it's common in civilians?"

The green glow vanished but Sakura continued to examine his hands. "There were some old cases from the wars. It used to be seen in people who failed to become ninja."

Harry struggled to keep his hands steady as he sorted the information. "Since they don't push their chakra out anymore?"

Sakura nodded and tugged his fingers. "People who started chakra training very early… sometimes when they failed to become ninjas, after all that conscious pushing, their bodies forgot the normal flow."

"Wouldn't early chakra training make better ninja?" Harry said in confusion.

"It's not the only requirement. Some people just can't stomach the real duties." Sakura said. "Anyway, your condition's different. Since your chakra is untrained, I'm sure your chakra circulation got disrupted at the same time you got these wounds."

"And that doesn't make sense!" Harry stilled as Sakura glared at his hands. "These cells are already in the final stage of healing. If the chakra had been blocked for that long…"

Harry stared at Sakura blankly.

Sakura sighed and said, "Natural wound healing occurs in three stages. First the wounds clot over, then your body makes new cells to close up the wounds. Finally there's the reconstruction phase where the new cells become stronger every month and lose that red appearance. These cells are almost back to normal strength."

She thinks I got injured months ago? I guess the scar-reducing salves sped up… Harry interrupted her, "Can you usually tell if it's natural healing?"

"Chakra healing would force rapid creation of new cells that will hold traces of foreign chakra. Even when they get replaced in the normal cycle of growth and aging, they'll retain traces of the healer's chakra."

Harry nodded in understanding. She sounds very text-booky.

"Your wounds don't show any chakra interference."

"Maybe he has natural super fast healing? Like a bloodline limit." Naruto said from behind Harry.

When did he move here? Bloodline limit? Sakura gave Naruto a soft look. "No, his chakra flow's been blocked."

"Without chakra!" Naruto said.

"That's not possible." Sakura glanced down at Harry's hands. "If anything, the wound would have taken longer…"

"Not to sound stupid, but how is my pathway blocked?" Harry asked. "Is something physical blocking the flow?"

Sakura shook her head, "There's no physical block. Your chakra flow just stops at certain points and refuses to move forward."

"Do I have to go to the hospital?" Harry leaned back in his chair. Izumo's going to be unbearable if I have to.

"No, the easiest thing to do is push your chakra out and teach your body to regulate the flow properly by itself. I could also make a slight hole…"

Harry couldn't hide his apprehension and Sakura hastened to reassure him. "Which is really just a last resort… I don't think we'll need to anything that drastic. The thumb on your right hand shows that your chakra just needs to be pushed in the right direction."

"My thumb?" Harry stared at his thumb curiously.

Sakura nodded with a smile. "Even though there's no chakra flowing there now, I noticed that the pathway to your thumb was a little bit more used. You've been using your thumb to open seals, right?"

"I… yes."

"Blood activating seals would pull the chakra there." Sakura pulled his hand towards her. "Since the injury, does it take longer for you to activate a seal?"

Harry shrugged. "I haven't noticed any difference."

"Well, activating seals with blood won't fix this. Even though you have experience with seals, I think it's best to manually push the chakra and…"

Harry bit his lip apprehensively. Can she tell I was trying to make a seal?

"Since you don't know how to mould chakra, I doubt you were making a seal. I've seen seal injuries before when people unknowingly trigger…" Sakura paused grimly. "Though I've never seen them along side such odd chakra behaviour."

Mould chakra to make seals? Harry winced. That would explain…

"This blockage probably wouldn't been prevented if you had seals that only opened with a chakra pulse. There's only one thing to do now. You've never used chakra before, right?"

"Not consciously." Harry said. Chakra pulse?

Sakura then proceeded to explain how to search for, visualise and consciously move his chakra through his body.

"So I just…" Harry flexed his fingers and mimed a pushing motion.

Sakura nodded. "You'll feel a prickle when it moves, but that's only because of the current proximity to your nerves."

Harry closed his eyes and searched for the energy Sakura had explained. After more than a few minutes of staring at the back of his eyelids, Harry sighed. "I can't see it." Can't even find it.

Sakura motioned for him to close his eyes once again. There was the slight hum and after a few tense minutes Harry felt a tug of something flowing through his arms. He tried to get a feel for manipulating the energy's movement.

It was empowering.

It was foreign and so familiar at the same time.

It also hurt. A lot.

"Stop pushing! That's enough." Sakura said frantically.

"Son of a …" Harry flinched as a burning sensation covered the entire surface of his palms. He opened his eyes and saw Sakura's chakra coated hands hovering over his twitching hands.

"Naruto, it's completely normal for that to happen."

Harry turned to find Naruto panicking and smiled reassuringly but cringed when Sakura pulled her hands away.

"Temporary hypersensitivity, hmm, be glad only the pathways in your hands were blocked." Sakura said as she poked his elbows and various parts of his arms.

Harry grimaced at the prodding and said, "Is it odd to just have blocks in one area?"

"There's no fixed area where internal blocks can occur especially in people who don't use chakra often. But we don't have a lot of research with this." Sakura went back to his palms and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Harry stared at her apprehensively.

"Your tenketsu aren't shrinking."

"That's bad?" Harry said.

Sakura glanced up at him. "If you were a ninja that would have ruined your chakra control. From a civilian point of view though, it's not a problem."

Harry shrugged. "As long as I can use my hands for everyday things, I'm good, even if I do have odd tenketsu."

"Has the burning sensation faded? Ok, I need you to push your chakra out again!"

Harry pulled his hands back. "Now?"

"I need to make sure you can do this on your own. You should know how to prevent another build-up…"

Harry tuned her out and concentrated on the sensation he'd felt earlier. After what felt like ages, he pushed the energy and slumped down as it left a wave of prickles across his palms. He rubbed his palms ruefully trying to quell the sensation.

Sakura nodded in satisfaction and said, "Even though it takes you a while to connect to your chakra, I'm glad you can recognize it. You're tired because you pushed out a lot in a short amount of time. There's nothing wrong with that."

Harry flexed his fingers absently and grimaced. "How often will I have to do this? And will it always burn like that?"

"The burn is just sensitivity from restarting the flow. It'll fade. You'll need to do it as often as you can. If you feel the pressure and pain from before then you're obviously not exercising enough. By the end of the week, your chakra will be flowing normally by itself."

"Thank you." Harry flexed his fingers revelling in the absence of internal pain. She thinks I got injured months ago, but I started wearing bandages less than a week ago. Sure the scars look old, but do Izumo and Kotetsu remember I didn't have any scars on my palms before? At least my bandages weren't bloody. No one really knew what was under them.

"I'll need to do another check up." Sakura interrupted his musings.

Harry snorted. "At the end of the week?"

"At the end of the week in the hospital."

"Can I be there too?" Naruto said.

Harry turned around in surprise.

"It's an ordinary check-up, Naruto." Sakura idly pushed her hair back.

"Yeah, but Harii doesn't like hospitals. And shouldn't I be there? To know about his, I mean…" Naruto shuffled awkwardly.

Harry rubbed his palms together and said, "Sure. It'd be nice to have help in case they decide to tie me to a bed."

Naruto grinned at him and Sakura snorted.

"Plus I'm sure anyone will be able to see my medical files. Not like I'm a ninja." Harry said. Will she take the bait.

"Your medical files will only be seen by medical staff." Sakura said. "We don't even allow family members to look at their relatives files."

Harry stared at her in surprise.

"Obviously we inform family members about things. They just can't look into official files."

"I see." Harry frowned at his hands. Guess I can't find out anything about Naruto that way.

"I better get going. I have a hospital shift." Sakura smiled, stood up and turned to Sai. "Aren't you coming?"

I forgot he was here. Sai stared at Sakura. "Did you forget the way there?"

"Sai!"

Harry coughed to keep a straight face when Sakura rushed forward, grabbed Sai's shoulder and dragged him out of the chair towards the main door. "Naruto, we'll see you later."

"It was nice to meet you Sakura. And you too Sai." Harry snickered after he closed the door behind the pair.

"You have interesting friends." Harry said as he returned to the kitchen. "Sai's not much of a talker, is he?" He only answered when spoken to directly… like he didn't want to interrupt the conversation.

Naruto nodded and scratched Hedwig's head. "Sakura-chan's awesome. She's really smart and she can heal anything. And Sai… he's all right, I guess. He's strong but he's not… I'm not completely used to him."

Harry frowned as Naruto's voice tapered sadly. There's a story there. What to do? I want to know but… He placed a plate and knife in front of Naruto. "Want to start with the cake?"

Naruto's face lit up as he reached for the cake box, opened it and sniffed curiously. "What is it?"

"Kabocha cake."

Naruto cut the cake slowly and piled it on the plate. "Pumpkin, really? Doesn't smell like that."

"Smells like pumpkin to me." Harry grabbed a piece from Naruto's plate. "Even without cream icing or anything, that's good."

Naruto pushed Harry's hands away. "Where's your plate?"

"Who needs a plate?" Harry snatched another piece of cake and moved to the pile of packages he'd gotten from the Hokage. He opened the big box first and chuckled. A whole box of Dango…

"You really like dango, don't you?" Naruto said.

"I'm just testing the quality." Harry finished the dango in his hand and pushed the box forward. "Want one?"

Naruto snorted and cut another piece of cake.

"At least you like other sugary things. Otherwise I'd be worried." Harry said, closed the box and pulled the next item from the pile towards him.

"Worried?"

Harry leaned forward and took another piece of cake from Naruto's plate. "I'd worry you were some sad evil person who doesn't like sweets."

Naruto huffed and pulled his plate out of Harry's reach. "What else did the old lady send?"

Harry grinned at Naruto's poorly concealed excitement, opened the next bag, pulled out the only item in it and snickered when Naruto groaned. "A book? That's so lame."

Harry cringed at the title- Regulations for Store ownership- and placed it with his other books on the dining table.

"Those are probably books too." Naruto eyed the remaining packages with distaste.

Harry opened the next package and found two more dull looking books. When he opened the third package though, he paused.

"Harii?" Naruto's hesitant voice interrupted him.

"Oh, it's… here!" Harry shoved the object in to Naruto's hand.

Naruto dropped his spoon and looked between Harry and the object in his hands. "A photo frame?"

"That's… those are my grandparents!" Harry said and pulled the last package towards him. "Before she met granddad, grandmum was Uzumaki Orihime. She's holding my mum in that picture."

Naruto held the frame closer to his face.

Harry found another photo frame in the last package. The photo of his parents in muggle clothes was in a wooden frame identical to the previous one. He smiled at the delicate flower carvings on the wooden frame and pushed it towards Naruto. "And that's a picture of my parents before I was born."

Naruto tore his eyes away from the first picture, picked up the second frame and held them side by side. He turned from one to the other tracing them with hungry eyes. Just like when I first looked in the Mirror of Erised. He definitely doesn't have any family pictures.

Blue eyes looked up at him. "Red hair."

Harry nodded. Naruto turned back to the pictures and Harry struggled to say something.

A loud series of brisk knocks startled Harry but Naruto remained oblivious.

"I seem to be pretty popular today." Harry muttered as he walked to his main door. It's probably not Izumo or Kotetsu.

Harry glimpsed back at Naruto one more time, opened the door and tensed at his visitor's appearance. A lone black eye stared at Harry from beneath pale grey hair. The rest of the man's face- nose, ears and even neck- was covered with a blue facemask and a headband tilted at an angle over the other eye. Is his eye is missing? Or is it a fashion statement? Either way his presence just screams ninja. Not like Itachi, though. And yet he looks… lazy. Especially with that normal green vest that everyone seems to wear. "Can I help you?"

"I think my student is here."

Harry tilted his head to the side.

"Naruto?" The man said.

Harry frowned. "You weren't there the other day."

"Ah! I was held up elsewhere!" The eyelid crinkled downwards and Harry wondered if the man was smiling behind the blue cloth mask.

Harry twitched a little but didn't move and kept his gaze fixed on the man. "How…"

"Harii?" Harry leaned back and found Naruto walking to the main door with Hedwig on his shoulder.

Harry concentrated on Naruto in worry. "Are you all right?"

Naruto nodded, caught sight of the man at the front door and grinned. His entire demeanour lightened up as he spoke. "Kakashi-sensei? They let you out of the hospital?"

Hedwig flew to Harry's shoulder and he watched Naruto silently, suddenly unsure of what to do.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Naruto?" Kakashi interrupted and pulled out a small book.

Naruto paused in his fast paced talk and turned back to Harry with a wide eyed look. "Kakashi-sensei, this is my… cousin, Harii. He's on the Hokage's payroll, you know!"

Kakashi-sensei gave Harry a little wave.

"And Harii, this is my team leader and teacher."

"Nice to meet you, Kakashi-san."

"I hope you don't mind me taking Naruto away from you for some training." Kakashi shifted the book to his other hand.

"Really? You mean…" Naruto said but paused and turned back to Harry.

"You have to work off that breakfast you ate anyway." Harry waved his hand nonchalantly.

"I probably won't be able to meet up for lunch or dinner today." Naruto said and turned away from Harry.

"There's always tomorrow!" Harry said softly. "Ah!" He ran to the kitchen and grabbed the metal mesh box and gave it to Naruto "If you're training, go test this."

Naruto smiled and turned to the other man. Kakashi nodded at Harry and they both jumped on to the building's railings. With another wave, they jumped down to the street below and disappeared from sight.

Hedwig hooted loudly as Harry closed and turned away from the door.

"What? I'm not jealous!" Harry said loudly. "I'm just worried. That teacher of his looks like a… Did you see the book he was holding?"

Harry swore Hedwig gave him a human-like incredulous look before she flew away from him and settled down for a nap.

"So what if Naruto was eager to leave just like that?" Harry moved to the kitchen alcove and grabbed the two photo frames. Harry absently traced the carved flowers and examined the walls around him. Where should I put this?

Harry stared at the blank wall that separated the kitchen from his bedroom. Naruto is going to be eating here a lot…

After a few well placed spells Harry stood back and examined the two frames. He tilted his head to the side and squinted at his grandmum's face. Naruto's face looks as round as hers. Did she have kids when she came here? How exactly is Naruto my cousin?

Wait a minute. Harry stared at his hands suddenly. What about Itachi? If Ostenero doesn't tell me anything about chakra pathways, then he could have… Harry went to his bedroom and found a familiar book. Looks like the perfect time to get started with the medical studying. I better put a charm on the cover.

Harry spent the remainder of the morning searching for answers from his limited collection of magical books dealing with healing and medicine. By mid-afternoon, he was hungry, cranky and still lacking answers. He pulled off his necklace, threw it on the table in front of him and rubbed his neck wearily. Everything feels annoying. Harry groaned as his hands tingled with pain. Time for those chakra exercises too. What a hassle!

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It took even longer to find his chakra. He pushed it out with a vague sense of anger and sputtered as smoke and angry squawks filled the air. What in the world?

He opened his eyes, waved the smoke away and gaped at the tattered notebook lying on the table. He stared at his hands with faint apprehension. Then he rolled his eyes. It couldn't have come from my hand.

Harry poked the book aside and found his necklace beneath it. His grandmother's Koi pendant looked different. He touched it warily and frowned at the smooth texture. What happened to the carvings on it? His stared at the notebook. Was that sealed in here? But how… Harry bit his lip and stared at his own hands. Could the exercise be releasing a chakra pulse?

He picked the book, flipped through it carefully and found pages upon pages of familiar handwriting. So this is grandmum's. But what…

Harry paused when he caught sight of a circular design on one of the pages. Parts of it had been scratched out with notes written all over it. Seals? He slammed the book shut as a brief terror of blood and exploded paint brushes filled his mind.

He slowly reopened it and read the first page. He frowned as he read over the notes. Research. This is some sort of research journal for a seal. But I can't make any sense of it. What's an elemental corner derivative?

Harry twitched as he moved forward. What was grandmum trying to do? If the first page was hard, the rest of the book was downright frightening. I better put this somewhere safe. And read something less complicated. Harry pulled the thin book the Hokage had sent him and frowned at the title. Clan Regulations of Konohagakure.

Harry flipped open the book and winced at the small print.

Under the alliance treaty set up by the First Hokage and...

Harry groaned. It's almost as bad as the goblin revolutions and I'm not even done with the first line. But the Hokage did send it, so I should at least try… He had barely made it past the first few pages when his mirror buzzed. What's so special about today?

Harry ran across his apartment, cast some spells on the closed door behind him, turned on the tap, grabbed the mirror frantically and said, "I'm here!"

"Harry? We were worried when we didn't hear anything. Well Hermione was…" Ron gave him a scandalous look and said, "Are you in the shower?"

Harry sat on the edge of his tub. "It's a precaution. And I'm just standing by the shower."

Ron gave him an exasperated look. "What did you do?"

"I found a cousin!"

"I knew you... wait what?"

Harry grinned and filled Ron in with the details. Ron shook his head, "So he's blonde?"

Trust Ron to fix on to that. Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, blonde with blue eyes and wears a lot of orange."

Ron grinned. "Well if he likes orange, he can't be too bad!"

"Because colour choices determine whether someone is evil." Harry shook his head in amusement.

"What?"

"Nothing, well I just realised how odd this is. Being able to talk to you like this."

Ron gave him a look.

"I'm supposed to be in another dimension, right? Doesn't it make you wonder how this mirror is connecting us?"

Ron shrugged. "Magic?"

Harry snorted. "Ron!"

"Well, what do you expect me to say? That it goes against all common sense, oh! We must find the source of this oddness…psh! You're Harry Potter, boy-who-lived and all that wonderful stuff. I don't think you and common sense go together."

"Thanks." Harry rubbed his scar absently.

"Fine, maybe…" Ron huffed and said, "Maybe you're not in another dimension."

Harry shot him a sceptical look.

"That's all I got!" Ron frowned at Harry. "I'm going to be asking Professor Lupin about this, aren't I?"

Harry grinned.

"Fine! Honestly, the things I end up doing. Do I at least get to meet your cousin?"

Harry's grin faded. "I haven't really told him about the magic or the whole… I'm probably from another dimension thing."

Ron blinked. "But he's your cousin. The cousin you've been searching for. You know, travelled halfway across the world and then to another world for. Are you planning on lying to him?"

"No! No, I don't. But how exactly am I supposed to bring up the topic?"

"You could just wave your wand in front of him and explain things to him when he gapes. Didn't it work with your granduncle?" Ron said.

"Well…" Harry hesitated.

"Don't you trust him?"

"I do!" Harry retorted sharply. "It's just… the ninja here…"

"You don't trust the other ninja?"

Harry looked away from the mirror. "It's hard to imagine why some of them are nice to me. Why would they spend time with me unless they want something?"

Ron stared at him and said, "You're over-complicating things. Maybe they're friendly because they want to be."

"I want to believe that but…" Harry paused and remembered every ninja he met. "I think if they're older than me, I start to wonder if they're just… I'm fine with people like Itachi. And even Shikamaru."

"The one whose dad made you play chess?" Ron said.

"Yeah, and I suppose I'm fine with his dad too, but I'm not really, I need some time to get used to this." Harry said.

"But if you wait too long with the magic..." Ron bit his lip. "I can't believe they didn't just put you in prison yet. You're not a very convincing liar."

"Well I was honest most of the time."

Ron frowned. "They must have known when you were lying."

"But they seemed to take in stride. Like they had expected me to lie a lot more…" Harry said with a slight shrug.

"And you think they know more than they're letting on about Naruto?"

Harry nodded. "There's no doubt. That one-eyed man I told you about, he definitely perked up when I talked about my clan. As if..."

"...he knew about your clan." Ron finished with a frown. "So if they know Naruto's parents, why are they hiding the information? Especially from Naruto?"

Harry tapped his scar. "Maybe the same reason I never knew the exact details of my parents' life and death."

Ron raised an eyebrow.

"I think, something must have happened with his parents. Something big enough to affect the entire village. And not telling him about them is some sort of warped sense of protection from the truth. I just don't know what yet and maybe that's making me wary of telling them all about my magic."

"I hope you know what you're doing!"

Harry grimaced, "So do I. I doubt they're ones to take to blatant secrecy and outright deception that well. But they are ninja."

Ron gave him a look.

"I have my magic?"

"What if they break your wand before you have a chance to do anything?"

Harry frowned. "Has Hermione been telling you about ninjas or something?"

Ron just muttered under his breath and looked away for a few seconds.

"Well these ninja are on a whole other level from what the twins told you. So you got in an argument with Hermione?"

"The OWL results are supposed to out soon. She's been…"

"Hermione?"

Ron nodded with a wince. "She's been mental about it. She's been researching about NEWTS."

"What? Why?" Harry asked with a grimace.

"For you." Ron said. "She wants to make sure you can take the NEWTs even if you aren't here for 6th and 7th year."

"That's possible?" Harry asked with surprise.

"She said something about home-schooled wizards managing to take the exams at the ministry. And I sort of told her, we should concentrate on other things…"

Harry grimaced sympathetically.

There was a minute of silence before Ron said, "Are you at least going to get a camera? I'm willing to settle for photos of him. And…"

X-X-X-X-X

Konoha's Greenwood Orphanage.

Harry gazed at the building in front of him with an odd sense of blankness. It looks rather nice. For an orphanage. And big. But that's to be expected, it's the only orphanage here.

I'll just go in, have a look around and ask some questions. Harry stopped beside the gate as he caught sight of kids playing in the open space near the building.

They were smiling. They were laughing. They looked like a happy bunch of kids. There were watchers who seemed to be monitoring the kids from the shade of the building. It was a rather normal orphanage.

Harry couldn't go forward. He wanted to scream. I know Naruto never lived here. What was I looking for? Reasons?

A ball came over the fence and stopped at his feet. A tiny boy with light brown hair ran towards him and paused unsurely a short distance away from him.

Harry bent down till he was half kneeling on the ground and held the ball out to the boy. "Here."

The boy grabbed the ball, gave him a ridiculously wide smile and ran back to the other kids. Harry watched them for a few minutes and turned, suddenly eager to leave.

A ball hit the back of his legs.

He turned back to find the boy surrounded by a tiny group of kids all staring at him. One of the watchers looked over at him but remained in the shade. Harry picked the ball and bounced it. The kids watched eagerly.

He threw the ball and watched in amusement as the kids ran after the ball. Like little puppies.

"Sorry, they tend to search for new playmates every chance they get." The watcher came forward.

"Not in your job description to play with kids?" Harry winced at his tone but the watcher didn't seem to notice.

"They like getting older teens to play with them. Some of the ninja try to spare some time and the little ones love it."

"You've worked here a long time, then?" Harry watched the kids fight over the ball that ended up moving further away.

"This will be my twentieth year."

Harry turned away from the lady as one of the kids threw the ball to him. Harry caught it, gave it a bounce and threw it as far as he could. "That's a long time. I bet you've seen many kids leave this place."

"We've had a good amount of successes over the years." The lady said. "They go on to live such productive lives. It's wonderful."

"When do they usually leave?"

"If they become ninja after graduating from the ninja academy we let them out at twelve. The civilians stay until we're certain they can live productive lives. We try and support every orphan like a surrogate family when they're really young and…"

Lies. Harry smiled slightly as the ball came to a stop at his feet once more. "Ok, first one to catch the ball this time gets a box of dango tomorrow!"

Harry watched the mad scramble of legs follow the ball and smiled at the watcher who gaped at him. "I guess they really like dango."

X-X-X-X-X

Harry walked beside Naruto sedately through the lamp-lit village streets. "So your training's been delayed because your teacher's going on a week-long mission?"

Naruto nodded with slumped shoulders. "And just when he'd finally gotten around to training me."

"But he just got out of the hospital."

Naruto shrugged. "He's not your average ninja."

Obviously. Then again, I just met him today. "So what are you going to do for the whole week?" Harry moved to the side to let a couple move past him on the narrow street.

"He told me to practice some stuff until he comes back."

"Naruto!" A voice yelled loudly.

Harry looked up and caught sight of the huge white dog with a boy, dressed in grey, sitting on top of it waving enthusiastically.

"Kiba?"

Next to the odd pair was a large boy in a red outfit and grey armour. And beside him was… "Shikamaru?" Harii said.

Shikamaru nodded in greeting.

"You know each other?" Naruto looked between the both of them.

"We met before." Harry said.

"Oh. Well that's Shikamru's team-mate Chouji," Naruto pointed to the boy in red. "And this is Kiba." Harry blinked at the red triangular tattoos on the boy's cheeks.

"Guys, this is my elder b…cousin, Harii."

No surprise. They must have already heard of me. They both have headbands on. Harry smiled at them, "I'm glad to meet you."

"And this is Akamaru."

Even though he reminds me a little of Sirius, I don't feel sad. Harry smiled and patted the dog gently. "Nice to meet you!"

The white dog barked back in greeting and Harry eyed the others with an easy grin. "So where are you guys headed?"

"Going to eat some barbeque!" Chouji said with a wide smile. "You're welcome to join us."

"What a coincidence!" Harry said and turned to Naruto. "Shall we join them?"

Naruto nodded and moved between Akamaru and Chouji.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Did you have other choices?"

"Just because I don't know any other restaurants doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the barbeque place." Harry said and slowed his pace when he realized that Shikamaru was walking slower than the others. He shot Shikamaru a questioning glace and was rewarded with a quick nod at Naruto. "He seems a lot less quiet."

Harry grinned. "You sound disappointed! Afraid of some noise?"

Kiba laughed loudly up ahead and Harry winced. Shikamaru snorted. "You don't seem like a big fan of noise either."

"I'm fine with Naruto being noisy." Harry said.

"Give it time." Shikamaru said as they reached the restaurant.

"Yakiniku Q?" Harry read the sign on the top of the store.

"Didn't you come here before?" Shikamaru said.

Harry nodded. "I never bothered to look at the sign before."

"Well, it's the only barbeque place in this sector, so it doesn't matter that you're an unobservant person."

"Hey! Izumo and Kotetsu just drag me here giving me no time to examine things." Harry said. "They probably think I'll try to escape from them or something."

Shikamaru gave him a look.

"What? I wouldn't. They're nice, you know. A bit odd, but I'm fine with that when there's food to distract me." Harry sat beside Naruto on one side of the table while Shikamaru sat on the opposite side beside Chouji who had already ordered and was currently spreading the meat on the grill. Kiba sat at one end of the table with Akamaru resting behind him.

"Hokage?" Harry questioned when he caught wind of Kiba and Naruto's conversation.

Naruto looked at him with bright eyes. "Yeah! I'm going to be Hokage and have everyone in the village acknowledge me."

Everyone in the village acknowledge him? Harry stared at Naruto's face and said, "Well make sure you smile when they carve your face on that mountain. Otherwise you'll look just as constipated as the others on there."

Naruto's face broke into the widest smile Harry had ever seen and he grinned at Kiba's sputtering form. Before Harry could say anything they were already arguing about something else.

Chouji chuckled and expertly turned the meat.

Shikamaru sighed. "Don't mind them."

Harry grinned and picked some cooked meat from the barbeque grill. "Shikamaru, you're starting to sound like an old man."

Shikamaru looked behind Harry and said, "Dad?"

"Damn you!" Harry griped when he instinctively turned back with a flinch only to find no sign of the older Nara.

Shikamaru ate his food with a smug expression.

Chouji glanced between Shikamaru and Harry in confusion. "You're scared of Shika's dad?"

Harry feigned a deep shudder. "Just the thought of him makes me want to hide."

Shikamaru sighed. "I still think mom's scarier."

Harry turned to Chouji with a wild expression. "He didn't even let me eat…" He paused as a familiar alarm rang though his mind. Someone's in my apartment near the kitchen window.

"Harii?" Shikamaru said. "Something wrong?"

Harry shook his head. "Just wondering if I left a window open for Heduwigu to leave."

"But you let her out when we left." Naruto said from beside him.

"I did, didn't I?" Harry said with a frown as the alarm settled down. The intruder left? He was in there for less than five minutes…

Naruto let out an irritated yell and rubbed a large stain on his sleeve. "Gah! Stupid sauce."

"You better wash that out before it stains." Chouji said simply.

Naruto jumped out of his seat, squished past Harry and hurried to the washroom.

"You're not bad!" Kiba said after he swallowed large bite of food. "I don't know what I was expecting. I thought I'd meet a taller Naruto. But when I saw you I thought you'd be all stoic and shit like Uchi…"

"Kiba! Don't say that." Chouji reprimanded him with a harsh glance.

"What?" Kiba said. "You were totally thinking it too, right? He could've been Sasuke's brother! Or even his replacement. All black hair and pale like that. He looks nothing like Naruto."

Harry cleared his throat loudly. "Family members don't always look alike."

Akamaru whined and Kiba coughed awkwardly. "I didn't mean…"

"It's fine." Harry stifled his irritation. "Just don't ever say stuff like that in front of Naruto."

Shikamaru smirked as Kiba nodded. Chouji pushed some food on to Harry's plate with a kind smile.

Before they could say anything, Naruto bounded up to the table with his jacket in his hands and said, "Did you miss me?"

Kiba snorted and Harry said, "No, but we decided to eat your share because you were taking so long!"

"What!"

Harry's breathing eased as Naruto examined his plate carefully. It's fine. He's fine. He didn't hear any of that. He'll never have to hear anything like that.

"Harii?" Naruto looked at him with bright blue eyes.

"Hmm?"

"You're too slow." Naruto grinned at him cheekily and swiped the food from his plate.

"Hey!" Harry retaliated by snatching something from Naruto's plate. Shikamaru sighed, the others laughed and even though Harry felt utterly ridiculous, he fought childishly and revelled in Naruto's light hearted laughs.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry opened his apartment door warily after Naruto dropped him off. Even though the intruder was long gone, Harry didn't want to take any chances as he entered the kitchen- the intruder came in and left though here - and pretended to get a glass of water.

He caught sight of a brown envelope placed strategically on his dining table to catch his attention. He reached out for it.

Wait, before that… Harry searched his pockets and sighed in relief when he found a bezoar. Harry ignored the voice in his head that told him he was too paranoid. There's always a possibility of poison. Although why someone here would want to kill me so soon is beyond me. I haven't really made any enemies. But with my luck…

Harry opened the envelope and held it upside down over his table. His heart pounded as he read the top sheet. Medical papers. Someone's given me copies of Naruto's medical history.

Every page was littered with numerous black marks that blotted out chunks of information. Harry ran his fingers over the paper's surface in curiosity. Everything was in the same flat black ink tone. It's definitely a copy. The hospital symbol and the hand-written notes are the same colour. And they feel the same.

He searched his book stash and pulled out everything that dealt remotely with medicine and anatomy. Unfortunately none of his magical books helped him understand the doctor's technical jargon.

But with the little he could vaguely understand, Harry pieced together a very disturbing picture. There's so little information about Naruto before he became a ninja.

He re-read the single medical paper from Naruto's childhood before the age of twelve. A lot of it was blacked out. Why would they black out the reason for him not getting his immunization shots? And what does it mean "shots not necessary"? How can a child not need shots?

Another horrible discovery that really caught his attention was the mention of one Uchiha Sasuke on the paper where Naruto had the worst injuries. It's the only time where Naruto's been bedridden with injuries in the hospital. There's some note about his heart here that I can't really understand.

Just who's this Sasuke? Kiba compared me to someone who hurt Naruto… Why wasn't that name blacked out?

And more than that, who gave me this file? Harry stuffed the papers back in the envelope and moved to the bedroom. He placed the envelope in to one of the empty seals on his scroll, checked to see if his modified extendable ear was still collecting information under his bed and lay down eager to sort through the information. At least I know Naruto's blood type so I can give him blood if he ever needs a transfusion.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry stopped outside Konoha's Greenwood Orphanage and watched the kids play.

"You came!" One of the kids ran towards him.

The watcher stared at him with an unreadable expression.

I'm surprised she's not stopping me. Harry ignored her and held the box towards the kid. "Of course I came. I had some dango to deliver." He knelt down, opened the box and handed it to the boy. Harry smiled and walked away when the boy went to every kid and gave them a dango stick.

"Good morning Naruto's elder brother."

"Sai!" Harry turned around in surprise. "You do know my name is Harii, right?"

Sai nodded. "Yes, but when finding a new relation it's always best to remind them of their position in your life. So that they know they're wanted."

"Then shouldn't you be calling me Naruto's cousin?" Harry concentrated on his fingers checking if he needed to get the chakra exercise done before he met up with Naruto.

"Naruto calls you his elder brother." Sai smiled. "Are you meeting him now?"

He calls me that in front of others? He kept saying cousin yesterday. Could be a language thing. And why does Sai's smile look so awkward? "I'm taking him out to breakfast. He said he'd be somewhere near here after his training."

Sai frowned in thought. "Is that what big brothers do?"

"Probably. I'm hungry and he's hungry, so why not eat together." Harry shrugged and walked forward. "Have you known Naruto long?"

Sai looked away. "I joined his team sometime last week for a mission, so I'm not really close to him. I'm just…"

"It takes time to get comfortable around new people." Harry said.

"He's comfortable around you." Sai said with a slight frown. "And you've known him for less than a week."

"He's not. He's frightened, which makes sense…." Harry said, mostly to himself. If I resemble that Sasuke guy.

"You're nothing like Sasuke-kun!" Sai said firmly.

"You knew him?" I said that out loud?

"We've met. You're not like him. Naruto, I don't think Naruto thinks of you as him." Sai tilted his head to the side. "His smiles aren't sad around you."

I wonder about that. Most of his smiles were rather sad yesterday. And we haven't talked about the clan and… Sai's trying in his own awkward way to make me feel better. Harry smiled. "Thanks Sai. You want to come eat with us?"

Sai paused abruptly. "Sakura said I shouldn't intrude on your bonding moments with Naruto."

Bonding moments? "It doesn't count if we invite you, does it?"

Sai actually thought about it before shaking his head. "She said Naruto would want time alone with you. Because Naruto can be a little…"

Harry gaped as an orange blur zoomed past his face and tackled Sai away from him with a loud yell. "Don't tell my Nii-san weird stuff!"

Sai looked utterly confused as Naruto shook him soundly.

"Naruto?" Harry walked up to the two.

"Sai's a weirdo! Don't listen to his perverted comments."

"Perverted comments?" Harry frowned in confusion as he went over his conversation with Sai. But his brain concentrated on something else. He finally called me brother without stopping himself. Then he slouched. But I don't think he noticed. I guess I shouldn't make a big deal of it. "Naruto, he was telling me why he shouldn't eat breakfast with us."

"You invited him to breakfast?" Naruto stopped shaking Sai.

"Well I thought I should get to know your friends better. And I don't think Sai's eaten yet. Look at him, so dull and lifeless."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and stood pulling Sai up as well.

Harry grinned at the pair. "Naruto, don't you think he needs breakfast?"

"I suppose." Naruto dragged Sai and walked closer to Harry. "Can we go eat now?"

"You need a nickname." Sai said abruptly and gave Harry a long scrutinizing look while Naruto rubbed his forehead. Harry turned to Naruto when Sai looked away in deep thought.

Naruto leaned closer and whispered, "He read that nicknames are a good way of making friends. But I don't think he understands the idea."

Before Naruto could explain further, Sai focused on him and said, "Green."

Harry twitched when Naruto sighed in relief. That was anti-climatic. I was expecting something worse. He turned to Naruto. "Does he call you blue or something?"

Naruto looked away with puffed up red cheeks.

"Now I really want to know. Elder brother privilege and all that." Harry said to Sai and grinned at Naruto's wide eyes.

Sai frowned at both of them. "Wouldn't he be orange instead of blue?"

Harry shrugged. "I thought we were following an eye colour theme."

"Actually I call him..." Sai said.

Naruto's voice took an oddly high pitch. "I don't need a nickname!"

Harry snickered and turned to Sai. "So what should I call you?"

Sai gave Harry his patented confused look. A look that Harry was growing too accustomed to seeing. Hermione probably gets this every time she says something to Ron and me. "If you're giving everyone nicknames, what does everyone else call you?"

"I'm just Sai."

"I suppose that'll have to do for now."

"Does this mean we're friends?" Sai asked.

"Of course not!" Harry snorted in amusement at Sai's abrupt morose mood and Naruto's conflicted attempt of a glare at Harry. "We need to eat together before we're officially friends."

"Is that some kind of clan rule?" Harry heard Sai ask Naruto softly. These two are hilarious.

Harry spent the entirety of his breakfast listening to Naruto chatter about inane things. Sai sat with them awkwardly adding to the conversation till he got called away for some sort of work.

"You could come watch me train!" Naruto said as they walked away from the restaurant.

Harry shook his head ruefully. "I'd love to, but I need to get some work done. I managed to escape Izumo today morning, but I'm sure he'll hunt me down soon enough." He winced at the brief flash of sadness over Naruto's face and hastened to add. "This way we can meet up earlier."

"All right. I'll come by the apartment later."

"Yeah. I'll see you then." Harry turned to the side and walked towards the bookstore. I definitely need some new books. Lots of new books.

"Nii-san?"

Harry stopped and turned back. "Hmm?"

Naruto smiled at him with wide eyes, waved happily and walked away. "Nothing."

Odd. Harry shook his head, walked forward and stopped abruptly. Did he just call me… he did. Harry smiled. That little sneak.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry stayed still as the spells and Hedwig warned him of an intruder in his apartment. He turned around and came face to face with a bone white mask with a deep black circle around one of the eye holes. A mask that looks just like a cat. I guess the Hokage wants to talk. But...

"You're not Cat-san, are you?" Harry absently resisted the urge to rub his forehead.

"The Village Elders wish to speak with you, Uzumaki-san." The voice was dull, dead and most definitely male.

Uzumaki-san? Village elders? Not the Hokage? "Right now?" Harry asked.

Harry sighed at the silence. "Fine, give me a minute. I can't just leave the work lying about." He wrote a note, placed it on his counter next to the box of fixed items, gave Hedwig a slight pat on the head and turned to his silent guest. "All right, I'm ready to go. Where should…"

His vision darkened and the man grabbed his shoulder in a vice like grip. There was a rush of air and he blinked when he found himself in a corridor. He looked through one of the windows in the distance. This is definitely the Administration building. The masked man shoved him in to a room. And this guy is definitely not as nice as Cat-san.

Harry stifled his irritation as he entered a large room with two large sofas facing each other at the centre. Three old people sat on one sofa.

One of them was the familiar face of Danzo.

Danzo glanced up at Harry with his one eye. "Uzumaki-san, take a seat. We have a lot to discuss."

Chapter Text

"Harii, whatever you do, never introduce yourself with the Uzumaki name out loud. Promise me."

Harry frowned as the peculiar memory resurfaced in his mind alongside Akira's solemn face. I forgot about that because he didn't explain or mention it again. I didn't remember until Danzo called me Uzumaki out loud. Why'd Akira… it's not like I intended to call myself Uzumaki Harii.

Harry shoved the thoughts away, intent on concentrating on the current situation. He examined the large room and shifted on the hard sofa wondering how long they'd been silent for. Must be more than ten minutes, already? Would waiting for them to start talking be a sign of respect? Probably not. I haven't even greeted them… "How much longer do we have to wait for the tea?

All three faces concentrated on him in eerie tandem.

"I thought you wanted to talk." A part of Harry loved the blank looks he was getting. Another part of him -that sounded a lot like Akira- told him to shut up and act like a normal civilian. "When old people need to talk, they usually need tea…"

Danzo's face seemed to sour for a moment but Harry couldn't be too sure with the heavy wrinkles and the squinting eyes. At least that childish jab proved I definitely can't rely on any facial cues from them. Harry cast the Homenum Revelio discreetly, found two of Danzo's hidden guards and wondered why the other two better-dressed elders didn't have any guards of their own.

Finally, the woman at the centre of the trio cleared her throat pointedly. "It seems you've managed to establish yourself quite nicely in the short time you've been here." She shifted and the elaborate tasselled pin in her hair-bun chimed. "It's rare for an unknown youngster to end up on the Hokage's list."

No introductions to this youngster? "I was lucky with good advertisers," Harry said blandly even as he thought, Fine, I'll call her Hair-pin and that guy with the glasses… Glasses.

"Yes, you've managed to endear yourself to several shinobi."

Harry wondered if Danzo was purposely implying something unpleasant. But he shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"Uzu …" Danzo spoke up from the edge of the opposite sofa.

"Harii." Harry raised his voice slightly. "My name is Harii."

Danzo gave him a long look. "Wouldn't you prefer to be known by your clan name?"

"No, I don't." Harry took wary note of the silence his statement garnered.

"As I was saying, your skills are really unique in our village. I'm surprised we haven't heard of you before. You've claimed this is a family craft?" Hair-pin said, her voice soft and appropriately curious.

Harry nodded, resigned with where the conversation was headed.

"We've never heard of anyone before you who could do this. If there was, surely we'd have heard of them."

Harry stared at Hair-pin. "Before they died, my parents lived in seclusion away from people. They didn't think of using these skills as a means of gaining a living."

"Ah, you were the resourceful one in the family?"

The soft voice grated against Harry's senses and he shook his head. "I just didn't want to have to depend on anyone."

"An admirable trait," Glasses said.

Harry smothered a snort. "So I've been told."

After another stretch of awkward silence, Hair-pin said, "We were wondering when you planned to open your shop."

"Not anytime soon."

The lady leaned back at the blunt answer and went silent.

Danzo picked up the conversation. "A lack of funds could be dealt with if you find a sponsor to deal with initial costs of setting up."

Business advice? And what lack of funds? Harry wanted to laugh at the assumption, but thanks to Isshin, he knew what to say. "No one would want to sponsor an unknown youngster like me. Especially since I'm not a citizen."

Glasses sent Hair-pin a quick side long glance and said, "You've considered gaining a Konoha citizenship?"

Harry shrugged. "I just know I'd need to be a citizen before I can legally set up a shop."

"Not completely true." Glasses shook his head. "If you get a sponsor, the shop will be listed under the sponsor's name in all the official documents. You'd be able to have a store without the bureaucracy."

"I suppose I could ask Nara-san…" Harry looked to the side thoughtfully, wary of their eagerness.

Danzo cleared his throat. "It wouldn't be fair to impose on a clan-head who has to take care of his entire clan."

Harry mentally sighed in relief."Then I guess that option is out."

"There are many other sponsors," Danzo said.

Harry turned to Danzo curiously but stayed silent.

"In fact, I've been looking for a new venture to support in this village."

Harry stared at Danzo incredulously. "You're offering to be my sponsor?"

"I know a good business investment when I see one," Danzo said leaning forward on his cane.

How dense does he think I am? "So you want to invest in my… work?"

Danzo nodded slightly. "The profit margin would be phenomenal with the right amount of support. As far as I know, you don't need any raw materials other than the broken objects and you can fix a boxful of items within a few hours. If you had a place to work for during the entire day…"

As if I'd confirm that verbally. Harry stared back at Danzo, hiding his apprehension. "I don't see the point in going through all that trouble for…"

Hair-pin interrupted him curtly. "Setting up a shop with a sponsor's help emphasises your intention to reside here. All that trouble, as you label it, would work in your favour when you apply for your citizenship especially if someone recommended your endeavours to the Daimyo."

"And then what, I'd just get my citizenship?," Harry said, "That's just unrealistic. No one would vouch for me."

Hair-pin shook her head making the tassels in her hair pin chime. "The three of us are in the Daimyo's council."

"You're offering to vouch for me to gain my citizenship." Harry struggled not to snort at the ridiculous situation he'd ended up in.

"It wouldn't be too much work. Especially since you're already on the Hokage's list. With a shop…" Glasses said.

"Aren't you being a bit too hasty?" Harry interrupted. "You can't just assume my business would work. Right now I'm only getting work from a few ninja. The civilians don't even know I exist."

"That's the perfect reason for you to set up a shop. So that others can learn of your skills," Glasses said with a self satisfied nod.

Harry bit the inside of his cheek in irritation. I should have seen that coming.

"With civilian clients, your reputation will be spread through word of mouth. An actual store in the village will also bring foreign business to Konoha. The village will benefit from the new blood."

Harry noted the honesty behind the words but still felt wary."You're rather keen on helping me become a citizen of this village. But I'm not entirely sure I want to stay in one place. Konoha is nice, but it's very different from home and it might get boring."

"We're just interested in keeping a potential asset in our village." Hair-pin said, her voice taking on a soothing air that left Harry on edge.

That sounds like they need to keep me here, Harry thought to himself as he went over their words, for more than just my fixing skills.

"Wouldn't it be reassuring for your cousin to know that you'll be living here?" Danzo said when Harry remained silent.

"He'd understand if I wanted to travel." Harry shrugged indifferently just as his head started to ache.

"Travel? Is that really a wise choice?" Glasses narrowed his eyes

Harry pursed his lips trying to ignore the headache that seemed to grow in intensity. "I can join a caravan."

"A civilian relative is more prone to getting attacked, abducted or killed just to cripple the ninja they are related to. A caravan will not be able to…"

Harry frowned and interrupted Glasses. "Are you telling me that none of your other ninja have civilian relatives?"

"Uzumaki Naruto is one of our more important shinobi," Hair-pin said.

"Because he's going to be the Hokage?" Harry felt a tad victorious when the trio stilled even as the throbbing in his head continued. Harry placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on an upturned palm not caring if he looked undignified. "Anyway, isn't it silly to settle down for the sake of one relative who I don't even know much about?"

"A shop in Konoha is really the only way for you to succeed in your business." Glasses folded his arms and stared expectantly.

What happened to Naruto being important? Feeling vaguely irritated Harry said, "That would make sense for traditional jobs that need specialised workspaces but…"

"Are you going to overlook the Hokage's generosity? Placing an outsider on the Hokage's list… that's usually incentive to get them thinking about citizenship."

Mentioning that now just seems…desperate. Besides I went on that list before I found Naruto. The insistent throbbing in his head shifted to an irritating pounding that made his eyes water. Voldemort? No, I don't feel any foreign moods… "My decisions are my own to make regardless of other's opinions."

"And this is your final answer?" Danzo said.

Harry grit his teeth at Danzo's voice. It was the same flat tone he'd used through the entire meeting. But something about it this time rubbed Harry the wrong way. "Maybe you…"

The door flew open and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

Harry turned and stared in astonishment.

"Tsunade-sama…" The black haired lady behind the Hokage stared at the broken door anxiously.

"You have some nerve!" The Hokage walked towards the long sofas, hazel eyes narrowed in fury.

"Is there really a reason for you to be worked up so senselessly Tsunade-hime?" Danzo said in a noticeably bored tone.

"Senselessly? Of course there's a reason to get worked up…"

Danzo turned to Harry. "We were just talking about business, weren't we?"

"Yeah." Harry stared at Danzo and struggled to hide a grin. "In fact, we just finished talking."

"Then, you can leave." Tsunade nodded to the open doorway.

Glasses protested. "We're not done!"

Harry stood hastily, bowed stiffly and walked out of the room without a backward glance. The headache dulled as he rushed down the carpeted corridor. He paused abruptly when he caught sight of Hedwig perched on someone's shoulder. "Nara-san?"

Shikaku stared at him for what seemed like a few minutes before he turned around. "Let's go."

"But…"

Hedwig flew to Harry's shoulder with an expectant hoot and a nip on his ear. Harry shuffled after Shikaku ignoring the voices spilling in to the corridor behind him.

They passed unmarked wooden doors, climbed down many stairs and finally exited the building's main lobby in to the afternoon heat. Harry stared at the building to the right. "I wasn't in the Administrative building?"

Shikaku glanced back over his shoulder.

"You guys need better interior decorators. The building we left looks exactly like the inside of the Administrative Building."

Shikaku snorted. "It's meant to confuse intruders if they get in."

"Oh, well then, they did an excellent job." Shikaku was silent but Harry knew the older man was laughing at his expense.

As they walked out of the walled compound that led to the village, Harry turned and stared at the circular Administrative Building flanked by two smaller buildings. From the outside they're obviously different. But inside, they're connected and look the same.

Harry shook his head. "Nara-san, I do know the way to my apartment from here."

"Who said you're going there?"

"Err," Harry searched for an excuse. "I have work to catch up on?"

"Too bad, you owe me a game. Actually with today, you owe me two games."

Harry searched for an argument but inevitably followed Shikaku down unfamiliar streets towards a familiar gate.

As soon as they entered the Nara property, Shikaku turned to Harry with an exasperated look. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read, "Gone out with not-Cat-san to have tea with village Elders. Will be back soon, I think. Don't eat my dango."

Harry gaped in surprise. "What… How'd you get that?"

Shikaku quirked an eyebrow at the owl perched on Harry's shoulder.

"But…" Harry turned to Hedwig in surprise. I didn't tell her to deliver that to anyone. I just left it on the table…

"Do something about your horrible handwriting. It took ages to decipher this." Shikaku walked to the largest house of the estate.

Give me a break. Harry felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. The language was shoved in my head by some unknown source.

"And what kind of message was this anyway? Tea, really?"

Harry shrugged as they stepped on to the wooden porch. "I really did think I was going for tea. He said the elders wanted to talk. Am I the only person who pictures tea in that scenario?"

"You do know that the Elders are ninja?"

"They did seem rather predatory." Harry shrugged. "But I thought they were retired…"

Shikaku shook his head. "The only way out for a ninja is death. They've survived countless wars and are politically powerful. If anything, they're deadlier than your average ninja."

Harry scratched Hedwig absently as they walked towards the back of the house.

"Did you do anything to antagonize them?"

Harry recalled the brief meeting. "No…"

Shikaku sighed looking fairly resigned. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Why would you assume I said anything?" Harry said with as much indignation as he could muster.

Shikaku gave him a dull stare.

Harry cleared his throat. "I might have…"

"Please tell me you didn't make a crack on their age."

"I didn't," Harry said, "I just made a general statement about tea and old people."

Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose. "And?"

"And nothing. After that it was purely business talk."

"Business talk?" Shikaku looked sceptical.

"Yeah, you know. You poor ignorant teenager, let us guide you with fancy tidbits of information…" Harry mimed a giving motion with his hands.

Shikaku stared at him.

Harry ruffled his hair wearily. "It wasn't a big deal. Obviously I haven't made friends with them but at the same time, I don't think I've insulted them much."

"That's not reassuring at all."

"Why are you so concerned?"

Shikaku huffed and turned away. "At any rate, sit while I bring the board out."

"You can't be serious! I just came out of a traumatic experience. I can't play…"

Shikaku snorted, slid open one of the doors and entered the house. "You seemed rather lively a minute ago."

Harry turned to Hedwig. "Out of everyone I know, why'd you have to give him that note?"

"I heard that!" Shikaku yelled from within.

"Not like I was being quiet about it…" Harry paused in surprise when a loud clap filled the air making Hedwig tighten her claws on his shoulder.

Harry searched the backyard curiously and noticed a fountain with moving bamboo sticks. Harry moved closer to it and watched water trickle from one hollow stick to another. After a few minutes, the last water-filled stick tilted forward, banged the rock below with another sharp clap and bounced back up to collect water.

Hedwig hooted and glared at the fountain. Harry snickered and concentrated on the moving water.

"I didn't know my shishi odoshi was that interesting."

Harry turned and saw Shikaku seated in front of a shogi board. Harry walked back with a sigh and sat on the other side of the board. "That fountain's meant to scare deer?"

"The deer used to get bored. After they ate our herbs here, Yoshino got annoyed." Shikaku said and pushed a cup of steaming tea towards Harry.

Harry sipped the tea as Hedwig hopped down and settled on his legs. He relaxed as a minty flavour filled his mouth. "Tea really would have made that meeting bearable."

"That bad?" Shikaku motioned for him to start the game.

"It was," Harry took another sip and pushed a random piece forward as he searched for the word, "creepy. Danzo tried to give me advice. I think Hair-pin was trying to pass for a nice grandmotherly sort. And Glasses was channelling a nasty teacher."

Shikaku blinked at Harry. "You didn't call them that out loud, did you?"

"Of course not! Would I really do something that stupid?"

Shikaku quirked his eyebrow. "The old lady is Utatane Koharu"

What an unsubtle deflection. Harry said, "Is her hair pin meant for stabbing?" Harry rolled his eyes when Shikaku looked troubled. "She didn't threaten to stab me. It just seemed suspicious for a hair ornament."

Shikaku sighed. "Glasses would be Mitokado Homura…why are you giving me that weird look?"

Harry shrugged. "Just wondering if you can kill someone with eyeglasses."

"If you stab hard enough in the right place, probably."

"Well, that's all the incentive I need to stay away from them. I'm glad we had this conversation," Harry said and sipped his tea languidly.

"Oh? What about Danzo?"

"It's obvious I'd stay away from him. He has guards who'd do the stabbing for him." Harry settled in to a thoughtful silence thankful that his headache had faded.

"So?"

Harry looked up.

Shikaku kept looking at the board. "What did you talk about?"

Harry shrugged and said, "They offered suggestions on how I could gain a Konoha citizenship faster."

"Did they?"

Harry grinned at Shikaku's scepticism. "They were very informative."

"And…" Shikaku pushed one piece forward. "Are you planning on applying for your citizenship?"

"Not like they suggested, no." Harry pretended not to notice Shikaku's shoulders relax. I wonder if the Elders… "Nara-san?" Harry waited until the man looked up. "Would they hurt Naruto?"

Shikaku stared at Harry. "Don't be ridiculous."

He looks confident… so, would they hurt me? Harry looked down at the board going over the information he had. My week with Akira dealt with everything other than clan history and I never pushed. He absently moved another piece on the board. Not pushing for information was an implied promise that I'd be back.

The elders definitely expected something from me as an Uzumaki. Harry lost track of time as he recalled everything he knew. There's got to be something in there. Something to make sense of their motivations, Naruto seems to be at the centre of things.

But… "Ow! Hedwig, what was that for?" Harry winced and rubbed his fingers.

He looked up and stilled. Naruto was looking away, Shikamaru was frowning and Shikaku was staring at him. When did Naruto and Shikamaru get here? Hedwig bit his fingers one more time and flew to Naruto's shoulder.

"It's your turn." Shikaku nodded to the noticeably empty board.

"Right…" Harry glanced at the board but focused at Naruto and opened his mouth to speak.

But Shikamaru said, "Come on Naruto, I need to pick up some stuff from Chouji."

Harry frowned as Naruto followed Shikamaru silently with Hedwig hooting softly on his shoulder.

"I did something stupid, right?" Harry said when the two boys disappeared from sight without a backward glance or a word to him.

"It's more what you didn't do." Shikaku said. "He was calling you, but you didn't notice."

Calling me? But… Oh! He must have called me nii-san in front of them. Harry rubbed his forehead anxiously. "I knew it. I knew I'd screw things up. I always do…"

Harry winced as something smacked the centre of his forehead and fell to the ground beside him with a clatter. He picked up the fallen game piece and looked up.

Shikaku stared at him with narrowed eyes. "What kind of attitude is that? If you messed something up then you fix it. You don't sit there and mope about it."

"I…"

"Stupid kids, always acting so dramatic. And here I thought you were the mature sort."

Harry grimaced. "I'm not dramatic."

"I could almost hear teary sobs and morose music playing in the background."

Harry straightened his back and stared at Shikaku. "If you're hallucinating, maybe you need to take your nap."

Shikaku snorted. "You're hilarious."

"Yeah, I'm a big hit with the old people around here."

The both shared a look. Shikaku's lips twitched slightly. "I highly doubt Danzo's fond of your humour."

"I'm sure it'll grow on him." Harry rubbed his forehead.

Shikaku leaned back a little making the wooden deck creak. "Like fungus?"

Harry huffed and moved one of his board pieces forward. He picked up the piece that Shikaku had thrown at him. "Is this piece mine now?"

"It won't help you win."

"Doesn't mean it's useless." Harry examined it thoughtfully and dropped it in his tiny pile of captured pieces.

Shikaku stared at him.

"What? You're the one who threw it. By the way, you could have taken my eye out with that throw."

"Maybe I was trying to make you empathize with Danzo." Shikaku concentrated on the board.

Harry sighed. "I'm sure Mrs. Nara would have something to say about that."

"Did…" Shikaku sighed. "Did they say something about Naruto at the meeting?"

"No."

"Really? You were lost in your own world for an hour or so before Naruto got here."

An hour? Harry shook his head. "It's nothing."

Shikaku shot him a disbelieving look but nodded and immediately started talking about complicated shogi strategy.

One game and two hours later, Shikamaru came back alone.

"Where's Naruto?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "He had some errands to run."

Harry stared at the shogi board. He's supposed to meet up at my apartment for dinner tonight, which is perfect. I can clear things up over food. He moved one of his pieces forward and stood up. Maybe even start talking about the clan.

"Hey!" Shikaku said. "You can't just leave the game…"

"My last move allows you to reach my King in a few more moves so it doesn't matter." Harry ignored the look he got, waved and hurried away. He'd barely taken a step in his apartment when his mirror buzzed.

Harry moved away from the windows and pulled out his mirror. "Hermione?" He examined his friend's tired face in worry. "Isn't it almost three in the morning there?"

"I wanted to send a message before I went to bed," she said absently, "I didn't think you'd pick up."

Harry frowned. "Are you all right?"

"It's been a long few days." She perked up. "We got our OWL results."

Harry grimaced. Haven't really thought about that.

"You passed all the important ones. Hold on…" The image in the mirror shifted and papers rustled. A very official letter appeared on the mirror surface. Harry squinted at his scores. Failed History and Divination, as expected. An O in Defence? Wonderful! My potion score would have kept me out of Snape's class. So much for being an Auror… why am I thinking of that? "How'd you manage to get the letter?"

Hermione's eyes brightened. "Remember when Dobby intercepted your mail before second year?"

Harry gaped. "You asked Dobby? But he works at Hogwarts!"

"Yes, but he's still a free elf. He can choose to do things without Professor Dumbledore's permission. And he's always been so eager to help you. Though he wasn't very clear on how he intercepted your mail."

"Hermione! Tell me you didn't guilt him into helping."

"I didn't. The guilt card was to make him accept payment for his help." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I wanted to ask if he could find you. But he said Professor Dumbledore already asked him to do that."

"What happened?"

"House elves have the ability to bypass magical wards and barriers by focussing on a specific person, you know," Hermione said. "Dobby can tell that you're alive but not where you are. I think that's what really made them stop searching for you."

"Dobby told you all that?"

"Amidst bouts of hysterical sobbing…"

Harry cringed.

Hermione reassured him. "But I told him you were fine."

"And he took your word for it?"

"His sobs did quieten a bit." Hermione bit her lip. "But the important thing is he decided to help. He even offered to get things from Hogwarts."

Harry grinned. "So you're using him to get books from Hogwarts on the sly?"

"You can't take library books out of Hogwarts," Hermione said in exasperation. "For now, he just intercepts your mail."

"That definitely sounds like a pretty eventful time."

Hermione sighed. "There's more. I got a letter from Susan Bones yesterday. She wanted to write to you first but thought it wouldn't be safe. She felt someone was impersonating her aunt, Amelia Bones."

"But why contact either of us with that? I don't see how sending you a letter would be any safer," Harry said.

Hermione nodded. "She thought no one would listen to her without solid proof especially since Death Eaters would've used the Imperius instead of impersonating her."

"What did you do?"

"I told Professor Lupin immediately. But it was too late. Whoever was impersonating her to get in to the Ministry seems to have gotten what they needed. Amelia Bones' body… the Prophet made a spectacle of the news."

Harry winced and remembered the seemingly dependable lady from his Wizengamot trial the previous year. "No ideas on what the impersonator wanted?"

"The Order probably knows because of Professor Snape."

Harry looked away from the mirror to hide the rage that name had garnered. "Why'd you tell Professor Lupin? You could have just talked to Mrs. Weasley sooner."

"He came by for a visit to tell us that Grimmauld Place was safe again if we wanted to move."

Harry frowned. "What happened to Grimmauld Place?"

"After Sirius, they didn't know if the Fidelus worked anymore since you need the current owner's consent for it to…" Hermione sighed. "The Order didn't know if Sirius left a will. They left when they thought the property would be inherited by…"

"The Malfoys?"

Hermione shook her head.

An insane cackle taunted Harry's mind and he grit his teeth. "I'm glad that didn't happen. But what took so long? It's been more than a month since Sirius died."

Hermione nodded grimly and said, "There were some issues with Gringotts. The Ministry wanted them to hand over ownership of known Death Eater vaults. Some sort of pre-emptive measure against the Death Eaters."

"Didn't work out too well?"

"They almost caused another Goblin rebellion. Professor Dumbledore had to step in and work things out, it was a mess. After everything was resolved, they found Sirius's will this week."

"Well, that's good then," Harry said feeling relieved. Odd, nothing seemed wrong when I went to Gringotts. And my gold pile had grown back then. Wasn't that money from Sirius?

"Harry," Hermione said, looking unsure. "Sirius made you the owner of Grimmauld Place and everything in it."

"Then…"

"They needed your verbal consent to ensure the Fidelus would remain. So Dobby was asked to search for you."

Harry frowned in confusion. Then how is Grimmauld place safe?

"Fortunately Professor Lupin was listed as the second beneficiary. He said he'd hand the ownership back to you when you came back."

Harry hmm-ed thoughtfully. "I'm surprised the Ministry didn't trouble him for being a werewolf."

"The Ministry's archaic rules have no say in inheritance matters. Gringotts is a separate nation and the goblins could really care less about a werewolf inheriting property. They're just concerned about their gold. If the will isn't followed, then a curse gets activated. But I'm not completely sure about that."

"I see." Harry didn't know what to feel. "So Grimmauld place is Order headquarters again?"

"Professor Lupin wanted the house hidden under the Fidelus. If you don't want it as the headquarters, you could…"

"No, Sirius would have wanted it that way. To know that he was helpful by using that house as the headquarters. I wouldn't take that away from him." Harry said. They lapped in to a comfortable silence and Harry noticed Hermione looking less stressed.

"You know, it's only a matter of time before news of you disappearing becomes common knowledge."

"Yeah," Harry said absently.

"The Prophet will probably say something about their 'chosen one' abandoning them." Hermione scoffed.

"Chosen one?" Harry listened with a tinge of disbelief as Hermione explained the Prophet's articles on the fight in the Department of Mysteries. For guesswork, they're pretty close to the truth. "Do you think I'm selfish for…"

"Harry, just because they label you as the Chosen one to make themselves feel better doesn't mean you're responsible," Hermione said.

But I am the Chosen one. "Yeah." And what happens when Voldemort tries to use the connection to find out where I am? Or if he…

"Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, Naruto is coming over. I was just wondering what to make for dinner."

Hermione's face brightened. "Oh! Your cousin. I'd almost forgotten about that even after Ron told me. Can I see him? You could just hide the mirror somewhere so I could catch a glimpse…"

Harry huffed. "It's going to be a while before he gets here. And you need to sleep!"

"Just a glimpse."

"Goodnight Hermione." He rolled his eyes and smothered a grin when Hermione giggled. She must have been really tired, she didn't ask me much. Ah! I forgot to ask her the details of that spell to find blood relatives. Harry sighed.

At least I improved her mood. Maybe I'll have the same luck with Naruto. Feeling optimistic and slightly energized, Harry prepared a large dinner and waited impatiently for Naruto. When Izumo came around with a box of items to fix, Harry literally shooed him away.

By midnight though, Harry's optimism drained away to worry.

No bossy owls came in through the open window noisily.

And there were no timid knocks from recently-found cousins.

X-X-X-X-X

"Sai! Have you seen Naruto? He's not at his apartment." Harry wiped the sweat off his forehead and leaned against the wooden fence tiredly. The usual morning clutter of people buying groceries surrounded the two of them.

Sai stared at Harry in confusion. "Didn't you leave him eating at the ramen stand with your owl?"

"Can you show me where the ramen stand is?"

"You're lost?" Sai blinked. "Then, I'll leave you there before I go to the library."

There's a library? No! Don't get distracted. "Thanks Sai."

Sai led him through countless streets to a small wooden shack. Harry rushed forward, pushed aside one of the cloth hangings and frowned at the empty seats. I wonder if Sai… oh! Sai left already? I was so distracted with finding Naruto, I didn't even pay attention to him. I'll apologize later. He bowed to the man behind the counter. "Sorry to disturb you, but have you seen a blonde boy, about this high, wearing a lot of orange…"

"You mean Naruto?"

Maybe this won't be so difficult. "Yes, do you know where he is?"

"He just finished his breakfast, so he's probably training. He was in a hurry, today." The old man pointed to a stack of bowls.

Harry stared at the bowls. "He ate all that in a hurry?"

"He didn't eat a lot today." The old man looked at the stack thoughtfully. "He looked very distracted, didn't even pay."

Didn't eat a lot? Have I been giving him enough food? What if he's been hungry all those times but was too polite to ask for more. I mean I never had any leftovers. "Does he eat here often?"

"Of course, he's been my number one customer for the past ten years. He was such a tiny thing when he came here by himself all those years ago."

"I see," Harry said. "Do you know where he's training?"

The old man turned to the girl washing the dishes. "Ayame, do you know?"

"Dad, you know he trains somewhere new every time."

Harry sighed. "Any general ideas?"

"He used to talk about his team having a training ground near a bridge. But there are many bridges in the village." The old man tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Either way, there aren't any training grounds near the residence districts."

Hedwig would have led me to Naruto… "Then, is there a particular time he comes here to eat?"

The man shook his head. "Lately, his visits have been infrequent. Are you all right? You look a little pale. Why don't you sit and I'll bring you a nice bowl of ramen, hmm?"

"Thank you but…" Harry paused in embarrassment when his stomach growled in hunger. I did skip breakfast and dinner last night. That and the lack of sleep… With a resigned sigh, Harry sat on a stool.

The man prepared and placed a steaming bowl in front of Harry with a flourish. Ignoring the man's stare, Harry broke his chopsticks and dug in. Within minutes the bowl was empty. "Thank you, it was really good."

The man smiled. "I can make another one if you're still hungry."

"No," Harry said and pushed the empty bowl forward. "I'm fine."

"You know, there's a training ground near the outskirts of the fifteenth district. It's a little beyond the memorial stone there." The old man pointed to the right. "Just keep going to the north of the village."

"If Naruto comes back, would you tell him Harii wants to talk?" As the man nodded, Harry left a large wad of cash by his bowl. "Thank you." He hurried out in to the dusty street ignoring the man's shocked protests.

The streets grew less crowded as the morning passed in to a searing noon. Unable to find any proper signs or changes in his surroundings, Harry couldn't tell when one district ended and another began. After the incredulous look from a passer-by he had stopped for directions, Harry found out that he was in the eleventh district. At least I'm headed in the right direction.

Harry looked up at the stone faces that overlooked the village. I just have to keep going that way. With another hour of walking, Harry saw a smattering of trees in the distance and picked up his speed.

He went past the tree line into an open grassy clearing and saw a black stone in the distance. That's probably the memorial stone. Harry stopped by the stone and frowned at the silence around him. With a Homenum Revello, Harry confirmed that the area was empty. He turned to leave but noticed the names carved on the large stone. He leaned closer. No Uzumaki name here. He turned away with a frown. Have I abandoned looking for other Uzumakis because I found Naruto? What if… Harry shook his head, returned to the residential area and entered a store. "Can you tell me where the training grounds are?"

The woman pointed in the direction of the memorial stone.

"No, I mean other training grounds around the village."

When the woman shook her head, Harry contemplated his next course of action. I could go to the Nara property. No, I'd have to go back to the eight district, head to the Nara grounds… it's too long. Harry asked other people but was no closer to finding another training ground. Maybe I should just ask a ninja. And how convenient… not a ninja in sight.

Remembering that Izumo had gate duty,Harry swivelled around and frowned. Now which way to the gate? Directly opposite the stone faces seems right. But just to be sure, I'll ask…

Conflicting directions from different people left Harry in an unfamiliar and empty part of the village, no where near the gate, after the sun had set. The stone faces up there look very unhelpful now. And since its dark, Naruto's probably finished training.

"Harii, is that you? What are you doing here?"

Harry found the owner of the voice and slumped in relief. "Asuma-san?"

"You look lost."

"I think I've been lost for that past few hours." Harry sighed. "Can you tell me how to get to the eight district?"

"You're about two hours away from it. I can show you the way…"

"That's not necessary. I don't want to make you late for your date." Harry glanced at the nicely wrapped flowers in Asuma's hands.

"What? No, I'm…" Asuma rubbed his chin sheepishly. "Will you be fine with just verbal directions?"

After reassuring the man repeatedly, Harry managed to reach his apartment without any hassle. He slumped on his couch and groaned when his muscles throbbed painfully.

It's too early to relax. After downing an Invigoration Draught and some hurried preparation, Harry stood in front of Naruto's apartment door arms laden with food containers. With a brisk knock, and the lack of response, Harry opened the door and went it.

There's no way I can miss him here. Harry sat at the dining table and stared at the food containers. I should have done this last night. Why didn't I? Ah! He was supposed to be at my apartment.

He patted his pocket. I'll show him this journal and we can talk about the clan…

Minutes passed.

An hour went by. I should have brought a book with me.

Four hours. The Invigoration Draught isn't keeping me awake anymore. Harry rubbed his chin against his folded arms in an attempt to stay awake. I should have checked the ramen stand again. But which way is it from here?

Five hours. Maybe I should move a bit and get the blood moving.

Six hours. Ohh, now I've been awake for more than 40-something hours. Harry turned and stared out the window, wondering why Naruto wasn't home yet. It's late.

Harry woke up to sunlight falling on his face, a serious crick in his neck and empty containers on the table in front of him. He sat up with a wince. He came and ate after I feel asleep! Harry rushed to the hallway, passed the washroom and opened the door to Naruto's bedroom. It was messy but empty.

I wasn't just imagining it. He's avoiding me! Harry groaned. "Maybe he needs some space?"

In a slight daze, Harry stumbled in to his own apartment and entered his bedroom. With a tired sigh, he fell on his bed, reached in to his pocket and pulled out a small tattered journal. Grandmum… "I've managed to drive him off even though I just found him."

He flipped through the pages finding solace in the distraction provided by his grandmother's familiar handwriting. He paused at the page where the large seal design had been etched. I wonder if this has something sealed inside. He tilted his head from side to side, squinted and then ran his fingers over the seal. He gasped as a sense of incompleteness filled his mind. What… He lifted his fingers and stared the design warily.

I wonder… Harry unrolled his storage scroll and looked between the scroll's seals and the seal etched in his grandmother's tattered journal. They looked nothing alike. Unlike the scroll, the seal in the journal lacked any understandable symbols. He hesitantly touched the seals on the scroll. Nothing. He turned to the book and traced over the squiggly lines. But with this, it feels like something's missing.

Unable to ignore the situation, Harry read the first few pages of the journal. I don't understand anything here. Harry stared at his bandaged hands, ran his fingers over the words experimentally and snorted when nothing happened. I can't believe I expected to feel something by touching the words.

He flipped back to the page with the seal. As his fingers traced the design, the sensation of incompleteness returned accompanied by a throb of pain. Harry closed the book and rubbed his forehead trying to get rid of the newly acquired headache. He sealed the journal back into his scroll, frowning as the headache dulled but persisted.

Harry looked under his bed and stared at the stacks of paper, the inert quill and the extendable ear beside it. I need to ask the twins if the ear's supposed to revert to its original form after a certain amount of time without any interference from my part. Is it running out of magic or something? Even if it is…. I still have a lot to read. He pulled the sheets of paper and grimaced at the long blocks of text. I've been ignoring things since I found Naruto.

It took a few hours, a lot of moving around and countless snack breaks but Harry went through the recorded gossip meticulously and destroyed the papers with a flick of his wand. He had just started reading a plant book when loud yells and knocks interrupted him. He dragged himself to the door and opened it warily already knowing who to expect.

"Harii, guess what?" Izumo said and rushed in to the apartment.

"It's buffet night at Yakiniku's?" Harry shuffled back to his couch.

"What? No! And what's with that mess?" Izumo pointed at the couch littered with empty food containers, books and paper.

Harry just shrugged as he sat on his couch. The soft material dipped with a slight whoosh of air. Harry grabbed a dango stick from the table and shuffled deeper in to the inviting material of the couch.

Paper crinkled as Izumo took a step forward. "You've never been messy before! What…"

"Never mind that! We got you a job interview." Kotetsu pulled two cushions from under the low circular table.

Harry wasn't impressed. And it must have showed on his face.

"It's a job from outside Konoha. Not a regular ninja weapon fixing job," Izumo said as he sat on a cushion. "Ever heard of the temple of Fire? Well, it's the most famous temple in Fire Country. The monks there…"

Harry leaned forward in shock. "Monks?"

Izumo quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, monks from the temple. Anyway, they've managed to break some priceless statue. Although how a monk would be careless …"

Kotetsu elbowed Izumo in irritation.

Izumo cleared his throat. "…anyway, we happened to meet him at the tower and heard his problem. He was searching for someone to remake the statue but we told him of your skills. If you took the job, you'd have to go to the temple, so…"

Maybe this is the kick I need to start searching again for other Uzumaki out there. "I'll do it." Harry blurted out and winced. "I mean, if it's for a monk then I don't have a problem helping."

Izumo gave him an appraising look.

"I wouldn't want any bad karma for not helping a monk." Harry rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"You believe in stuff like that?" Kotetsu asked.

Harry shrugged, remembering his first meeting with the monks at the start of his trip. "Only when it comes to monks."

"If you say so." Izumo tapped this chin. "But does this have anything to do with how Naruto's been avoiding you?"

"You should never turn down an offer to help a monk." Harry frowned at the dango stick in his hand. This way I can give Naruto his space.

"What did you do to him? I never thought I'd see the day that Naruto, of all people, chose to avoid someone instead of confr…" Kotetsu's words were punctuated with a pained oof.

Harry slouched and sighed heavily.

Izumo said, "He'll come around eventually, Harii. I'm sure whatever happened between you two is just a misunderstanding."

"He could try talking to me for a start." Harry threw the dango stick to the ground carelessly and picked up the map he had folded away earlier. "So where's the temple located?"

Izumo leaned forward and stared at the map. After a few minutes, he looked up. "How did travel on your own with this outdated map?"

"It's not that bad!" Harry pulled the map closer to him.

"Not that bad? All the villages created in the past fifty years or so aren't even marked. You're getting a new map. Actually no, I'll get the map when you meet the monk tomorrow at the Administrative building…"

X-X-X-X-X

Harry fidgeted as he waited for the monk in the small room. I really should start walking around with a book. I seem to be spending a lot of time just waiting.

When the door finally opened, a young bald man, garbed in white and blue, entered the room and looked at Harry in confusion. "Are you Harii-san? The one who fixes things?"

Harry winced at the description. "That's me."

"You're younger than I expected. I am Ichigen from the Fire Temple."

I almost feel let down. Harry smiled feeling a bit awkward. He's not much older than me and doesn't have that 'monk' air.

"They said you could fix things without needing any raw materials."

Harry nodded and they discussed the possibility of Harry fixing a shattered statue.

"Honestly, your skills sound so… fantastical. I'd almost think you were making things up but I doubt the Hokage or her ninja would endorse something false especially for a non-citizen. So if you're free, are you willing to come to the Fire Temple?"

Non-citizen? Just why was he late? Harry paused. "I'm not entirely sure where the temple is…"

"You could travel with me. But I have several errands to run so it'll take least four days to reach the temple."

Harry frowned in thought. "How long does it usually take for a civilian to reach the temple?"

"A day," Ichigen said sheepishly.

"You must have a lot of errands to run." Without Hedwig, travelling with someone means less chances of getting lost. I managed to get lost in the village itself. But do I want to go away for so long? Especially with Naruto… Harry sighed.

"You don't have to come with me. I could send a message to the temple to expect you earlier."

"When are you leaving?"

"I'll be leaving an hour before sunset tonight. I need to reach a meeting with some suppliers tomorrow."

Tonight? But Naruto… No! This has to be done. Harry shook his head. "I'll take the job. But I'll need to travel with you, if you don't mind. I'm not good with directions to new places on my own."

X-X-X-X-X

Potions, food, clothes, more food, non-magical books, sleeping-bag, food again... Harry grinned at his small backpack that lay on the couch. Shrinking charms definitely lighten the load.

Harry grabbed the scroll, which had all his magical things, and checked the straps carefully. He dropped the scroll in surprise when his apartment's front door slammed open just as the spell-alarms blared in his mind.

"Don't go!"

Harry turned and stared at a hysterical Naruto.

"Please don't go!" Naruto grabbed Harry's sleeves with a panicked expression as Hedwig barrelled in to Harry's chest. "I know I'm clingy and… what kind of teenager starts calling their cousin nii-san after knowing them for less than a week. I know you wanted to talk to me because you didn't want to meet with me anymore because I was selfish and I stole Heduwigu-sama. Which is understandable, and I'll try to be better and not bother you…so don't go away!"

"What…" Harry blinked at his cousin. That didn't make any sense.

"Please don't move away from Konoha." Naruto's voice hitched. "I'm sorry. I won't bother you. And you can't leave forever before your check-up with Sakura. What if something happens to your hands and…"

"Naruto." Harry grabbed his cousin's shoulder. "Calm down. What's this about me leaving forever?"

Naruto coughed thickly. "I heard you were becoming a monk…"

Harry blinked. "I'm only going to the temple for a job. You know, to fix things." Then he frowned as he processed the rest of Naruto's words. "I never thought you were clingy. Why would…" And if you consider yourself selfish, what does that make me?

Naruto looked away.

"And even if you were, I wouldn't just leave." Harry sighed, knowing he could justify his behaviour. "That day, I just had a lot on my mind. I don't have a problem with you calling me nii-san. You could call me green and I wouldn't care." Harry smiled when Naruto snorted. "So I thought you wanted space and you thought I wanted space. We're both ridiculous, huh?"

Naruto nodded unsurely.

Let's leave the awkward talk for some other time. Harry grinned. "You thought I was becoming a monk?"

Naruto's cheeks coloured. "I didn't hear everything they said."

Harry snorted. "And about you stealing my owl…"

"I'm sorry." Naruto bowed his head.

"Let me finish." Harry pushed Naruto's head up. "Naruto, she's too smart to get stolen, so don't say such ridiculous things."

Hedwig hooted softly and rubbed her head against his chest.

"Yeah, I missed you too." Harry patted her head. "Are you coming with me, then? You can stay with Naruto if you want…"

Hedwig flew up to his shoulder and flapped her wings.

Harry smiled. "Thankfully your owl treats are still in the scroll."

"You're still going?"

Harry tilted his head to the side. "I have to."

"But…"

"Isn't your teacher's coming back in a few days? You won't even notice me gone." Harry frowned when Naruto slumped. "What?"

"He's not getting back till next week."

According to all the gossip, wasn't he just discharged from the hospital? I wonder where he went. "I'll be back before you know it. Even if we travel at a snail's pace, the trip would just take a week a so."

"But you just got here!"

"Yeah." Harry rechecked his backpack. "But he's a monk. It's just one of those things, you know. Always help a monk because you never know when you'll need their help."

Naruto said, "Really?"

"Must be." Harry shrugged. "All I know is I already agreed to take the job. I can't back out."

Naruto looked away morosely.

"Since I'll be gone for a while, I'll need someone to look after my plants. Can't have them dying." Harry reached into his pocket, pulled out a spare apartment key and placed it in Naruto's hand. "Plus I have way too many groceries that'll spoil. You can eat those wh…"

"Harii! Are you packed?"

Harry sighed as Kotetsu entered the apartment. "You really have the worst timings."

"It's not like I did it on purpose. Just wanted to walk you to the gate after making sure you were packed. How was I supposed to know…"

Harry turned to Naruto. "I've left instructions about how to take care of the plants. I thought I'd ask Izumo to look after them, but since you're here I think you're the better option."

"I was never even an option?" Kotetsu mumbled from beside the door.

"Syrup is not appropriate plant food." Harry replied but kept his eyes on Naruto. "What do you say?"

Naruto curled his fingers around the key. "I'll make sure your apartment remains perfect."

"I'm sure you'll do a good job." With the spells lacing every window no one's getting in through there. Harry shouldered his backpack and tied his scroll to the middle of his back. "Just keep Kotetsu away and the plants will thrive."

"Hey!" Kotetsu protested. "Is this the thanks I get for coming all the way here to escort you to the gate?"

"You thought I'd get lost?" Harry asked as he locked the apartment door.

"Depends," Kotetsu said with a triumphant smirk, "do you know which gate you're supposed to be at?"

Harry blinked in confusion. "There's more than one gate?"

"There are four gates in addition to the main gate Izumo and me are usually stationed at."

So me getting lost from all the conflicting directions the other day… Harry frowned. It was because there's more than one gate? Not because I was without Hedwig and sleep deprived?

"… lets people reach certain training grounds or their properties outside quicker."

"Properties outside?" Harry asked. realizing that it made sense to have training grounds outside and away from the civilians.

Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah, the Nara have a large forest area surrounded by mountains for their deer…"

Harry stopped in the middle of the unfamiliar narrow road. "But their deer are in the village. I saw them in the forest and we didn't pass any gates to reach them."

Kotetsu snickered. "They keep a few deer close at hand in case of emergencies."

"Close at hand? Few deer? But…" that means they're rich! Harry turned to Naruto. "Did you know about that?"

Naruto scratched his neck thoughtfully. "I kinda remember going to one of their labs in the mountains."

"Labs?" Harry felt stunned at knowing nothing about the Naras and being comfortable in his ignorance.

Naruto nodded. "They make medicine from the deer."

"I…" Harry followed them on to a small wooden bridge and paused once again. "There's a stream in the village?"

X-X-X-X-X

Izumo took the stamped papers from the ninja on duty at the desk and handed it to Harry. "Got all your papers, now?" Harry nodded, propped his backpack on the desk and shoved the papers in one of the inner compartments.

"Food?" Kotetsu stared at Harry's backpack.

"And the new map I gave you," Izumo said and prodded the backpack. "In case you get separated."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You do realize I've travelled before."

Both men stilled. Then Izumo snorted. "Kotetsu gets lost with a map."

"What are you talking about? You're the one with the bad sense of direction."

Thankfully, they don't know about me getting lost the day before yesterday. Harry shook his head in exasperation and turned to Naruto but tensed at Naruto's serious expression. "What's wrong?"

Naruto fidgeted. "I should go with you."

"Err…" Harry turned to Izumo and Kotetsu and found them grinning at him. He ignored them and turned back to Naruto. "Wouldn't you need the Hokage's permission for that?"

"She should let me go." Naruto mumbled in irritation. "We'd reach the temple in less than a day. You could fix whatever is broken and then we can come back. You wouldn't have to travel for so long. And then you can get you check-up too. I'll go ask her…"

Hopefully, Izumo didn't notice that check-up bit. Are farewells usually this embarrassing? Harry looked up at the pink sky. "You guys… I'll be fine travelling with Ichigen. Plus the extra time will let me see more of Fire Country."

"I suppose." Naruto slouched and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Harry asked as he tightened the straps of his backpack making sure it was secure.

"I want a…"

Harry turned to Kotetsu. "I wasn't asking you!"

"But," Kotetsu's expression crumpled.

"You look constipated." Harry grinned and turned to Naruto when Kotetsu huffed in exasperation. "What do you want?"

"Want, ah well, nothing." Naruto looked down at his feet. "Just…"

Harry leaned closer to Naruto. "Just?"

"Just come back soon."

"I'll try." Harry ignored the snickers from Izumo and Kotetsu and awkwardly patted Naruto's hair. Hedwig hooted at Naruto and took to the air.

Harry turned to Ichigen who just smiled and said, "Ready to leave?"

That serene smile… I guess he's really a monk. Harry looked over his shoulder and waved as he passed the green gates. "I'll see you in a week or so."

"I'm surprised you're bringing such a large scroll," Ichigen said as they moved away from the gate.

"Just in case I find something on the way." Like another long-lost relative.

Ichigen nodded. "One of our stops is famous for their handmade furniture. I'm sure you'll find something there."

Furniture? Harry sighed in exasperation but listened as Ichigen talked about the stops they'd make. As they reached a turn in the road, Harry turned for one last glimpse of the village. He paused when he caught sight of orange by the gate. Harry waved and grinned when the orange figure jumped up and waved back.

"First time he's seen you go out to travel?"

"Yeah." Harry waved back one last time as the gate disappeared from view.

"Oh, then he'll be anxiously waiting for you to get back."

Waiting for me? Harry looked up at Hedwig and smiled. I can't wait to get back now.

Chapter Text

Accio.

Come on! Harry mimed a grabbing motion with his right hand. Accio.

When nothing happened, Harry unholstered his wand and waved it impatiently. Accio.

A fluffy pillow rose unsteadily from the bed, cut through the air roughly and smacked Harry in the face. He slumped dejectedly and rubbed his face in irritation. Depulso. The pillow landed on the other side of the room with a wobbly thump.

A hoot and a gentle bump against his leg made Harry smile. "You're bored? But I still need practice with silent spell-casting when my wand is holstered."

Hedwig turned and stared at the pillow.

"Hermione said silent spell-casting was sixth-year material. And Akira…well, I'll have better chances of surviving if no one knows about my wand. So I need to make this work."

Harry holstered his wand and concentrated on the pillow. Accio. The pillow twitched but didn't move. Hedwig hooted dismally.

"Obviously, I need a lot more practice. But it's better than shopping or reading. I've been doing a lot of that the past three days. I finished the books the Hokage sent…"

Hedwig didn't look impressed.

"It's better than going around with Ichigen. Something always delays his errands. The first time, the materials weren't there. Later the person he had to meet was sick. Who knows what happened today?"

Hedwig hooted loudly.

"All right, enough practising for now," Harry held up a wooden box. "Want to come deliver this?"

Hedwig flew to his shoulder as he checked the muggle-repelling spells on his scroll and backpack.

"Someone's become lazy!" Harry chuckled when she bit his ear. They travelled through dusty streets to a tiny store front and addressed the man behind the counter. "Yoshida-san, I've fixed your flute."

"Oh, thank you!" Yoshida played a few notes on the flute and said, "I'll definitely recommend your services to people I know."

"That's not necessary." I really need to stop fixing people's things. But Ichigen volunteered my ability…

"No need to be modest. I'll definitely send some business your way in the future."

Modest? Harry just smiled trying to ignore the Konoha elders' words that echoed rather mockingly in his mind. "Did you happen to see Ichigen today?" Harry listened to the man in silent irritation. "Thanks." When they returned to the dusty streets, Harry turned to Hedwig. "Can you find him?"

Hedwig confidently led Harry away from the buildings, through scenic greenery towards a small pond. She seemed as indignant as Harry felt when they found Ichigen napping by the water. "We definitely need to talk." Hedwig screeched noisily, waking Ichigen up with a start.

"Good afternoon, Ichigen."

Ichigen looked at them with wide eyes. "I'm… this isn't what it looks like!"

"Looks like you're enjoying a nap instead of helping the carpenter." Harry settled on the soft grass. "Also, the carpenter looked perfectly healthy when I passed his store."

Ichigen coughed awkwardly.

Harry watched the sunlight play across the pond's clear surface. "Why don't I guess the reason for the delays and your general anxiety around me?" He breathed in the slightly humid air and said, "Danzo."

"How," Ichigen paused with frightened eyes before he shook his head in embarrassed realization. "You're not one of Danzo's men."

Harry sputtered. "Of course, I'm not."

"It's just… he said Konoha couldn't be held responsible for your actions. And even though the Hokage said he was referring to your citizenship status, I wasn't sure."

How does that implicate me as Danzo's men? Harry grimaced. "You don't trust the Hokage?"

"I do. But Danzo, people always underestimate what he's capable of doing."

"You're speaking from past experience?"

"It doesn't matter," Ichigen said. "Danzo 's rather open interest…I didn't think taking you directly to the temple would be a good idea. I hoped to find out your true character by delaying the trip."

"You," Harry said, "didn't really think this through, did you? What if I was a good actor or something?"

Ichigen looked ready to argue.

"Whatever. Can we just resume the trip without these unnecessary delays?" Harry stood and dusted his pants.

Ichigen nodded. As they entered the inn, he said, "Why did Danzo …"

Harry sighed. "The elders want to keep me in Konoha because I'm a good business prospect. I took this trip to show that I'm free to do as I please."

"Is that a good idea?" Ichigen said.

"No, they're probably more annoyed at me now, but I doubt they liked me before anyway."

Ichigen sputtered. "That's not the right mindset to have!"

Harry shrugged and grabbed his things. They left the inn without meeting anyone and left the village in an uncomfortable silence. After hours of walking, Harry unwittingly restarted conversation between them when he pulled out his bag of dango.

"You have dango?"

Harry turned to Ichigen with a questioning look.

"Aren't you going to share?" Ichigen asked.

"You eat dango?" Harry clutched the bag closer to chest. "But you're a monk. A rather unreliable one, but still…"

"What kind of logic is that?" Ichigen said, "Besides, I'm not just a monk. Our temple trains ninja-monks. We never use genjutsu but we're good with hand-to-hand and we have our own unique ninjutsu."

Is he making up for the past three days worth of meaningless conversations? "Genjutsu?"

"The mind arts, you know, like creating illusions that affect a person's senses and perception or their thoughts."

Harry grimaced. "That sounds horrible."

"Yes, there are some really scary genjutsu," Ichigen said. "We don't use them because the mind isn't something to be harmed out of spite. Even our most offensive moves are only to be used in defence."

Harry watched Hedwig flying in the afternoon sky above them. "Basically, you're a really passive ninja?"

Ichigen clucked his tongue in annoyance. "Don't make it sound like we're weak! The founder of our monastery order had techniques that could defend against a bijuu's chakra."

Bijuu? That sounds familiar. "Those tailed-beasts actually existed?"

"What's with that doubtful tone?" Ichigen asked.

"My grandmother had a small figurine of a three tailed turtle. An older family member mentioned gigantic beasts with multiple tails but he didn't elaborate, so I thought they were just myths."

"Myths?" Ichigen blinked and then guffawed. "So sheltered people like you really exist."

Harry felt a mix of irritation and embarrassment.

"The nine tailed-beasts are very real. The more tails, the more powerful the beast is. A single movement from them can destroy an entire village."

"The three-tailed turtle…" Harry said, picturing the figurine sealed in his scroll.

"Not all that powerful in the hierarchy. The most powerful is the nine-tailed fox."

"Don't you mean turtle?" Harry said in surprise.

Ichigen snickered. "Tailed-beasts not tailed-turtles."

"What kind of monk makes fun of a misinformed person?"

"A ninja-monk who's still waiting for his share of dango," Ichigen said blithely.

Harry snorted.

"Anyway, thankfully the ninja created techniques to deal with the beasts."

"And they succeeded?"

"It's hard to imagine a human subduing a giant monster, right?" Ichigen said.

Remembering his own lucky victory over a large basilisk, Harry shrugged. Trained grown-ups would definitely achieve much more. "So the ninja killed them?"

"You can't just kill beings composed of lethal malicious chakra."

"Okay, they sent it away?"

Ichigen shook his head. "They seal it away. The most effective way to seal a tailed-beast is inside a person. A living prison that keeps the beast in check constantly."

"In a person?" Harry repeated feeling horrified. "Do they have the option to say no?"

Ichigen shrugged. "I don't know. Even with all the mandatory things we've had to learn at the temple, I don't recall Zenza-san teaching much about the Jinchuuriki."

"Jinchuuriki?"

Ichigen said, "It's what they call people with a tailed-beast sealed in them."

"It sounds degrading." Harry frowned. "Makes them seem less than human."

"Actually, the name's probably meant to make them seem more than just human to frighten enemies. You'd think twice about attacking if you had to fight against one."

Harry bit his lip uneasily. Was this why Akira never talked about the tailed-beasts? Then again, he didn't talk about many things.

"Ah! I keep messing up. I wanted to have a normal conversation, but I ended up… I'm sorry." Ichigen slumped. "Honestly, I never really paid much attention to Zenza-san's lectures. They're as dull as the dango he makes."

He's distracting me. Harry sighed. It's probably for the best. I don't want to hear more even though I broached the topic.

"Let's take a little break since we're pretty close to the temple. There's a tea shop that way." Ichigen said. "The tea there is perfect with dango."

Harry nodded and followed Ichigen off the main road to a wooden shack saturated with the smell of herbs and smoke.

Ichigen yelped when Hedwig swooped in and landed on Harry's shoulder. "When did you call your owl?"

"I didn't," Harry said and settled at a low table.

Ichigen waved to an old lady peeking from an inside door. "Two energy elixirs." Ichigen noticed Harry's confusion and said, "Ignore the weird names, the taste is top-notch."

Harry just shrugged as two cups of dark fragrant tea was placed at their table. At least now I can test the spell Hermione mentioned. He lifted the cup to his mouth, breathed in the tea's tangy scent and mumbled, "Specialis Revelio." He sipped as a list of ingredients filled his mind. "Berries?"

The lady smiled in surprise. "You have a sharp sense of taste to pick up the little amount I used."

"There's a lot more in here than just tea," Harry said. A whole lot more which explains the outlandish name.

"Of course." The lady laughed. "Tell you what, if you can name five ingredients I've used, I'll show you how to make it."

"You'll share your recipe?" Ichigen looked surprised.

"I can't ignore someone with such sharp sense of taste. It's a heavenly sign!" She turned to Harry, "I'll give you a few minutes to think."

"If I learn how to make one of these teas, Chiriku-sama will definitely deem me capable."

"Because you can make tea?" What kind of monks... wait, I just conned that old lady! I'm terrible.

"Well, that and…" Ichigen grinned sheepishly. "Zenza-san's dango will taste so much better. Have some dango with the tea and you'll understand."

Harry bit his dango, sipped the tea and promptly gaped at the cup. I'm terrible but… He pushed his bag of dango to Ichigen. "We're getting the recipe."

Minutes later, they stood in a cramped kitchen breathing in the thick fumes watching the old lady create her tea. "The thyme should be added and stirred three times until the colour deepens. Let it simmer on a slow fire…"

Sensing something familiar about the process but unable to find any connection, Harry remained silent and thoughtful even when they were back on the road after acquiring the recipe.

Ichigen interrupted his musings. "You're really brave."

"What're you basing that on?" Harry said, adjusting his bag straps so that Hedwig could sit on his shoulder comfortably.

"The past few days. Nothing intimidates you."

Harry snorted. "You're wrong. I'm always running away."

"Running away? From what?"

A prophecy. A war. My family's past. My cousin. "Sometimes," Harry sighed, "it feels like I'm running from everything."

"Why are you running then? What are you scared of?"

Scared of? Harry glanced at his feet absently thinking about recent months. Failure, maybe? I'm scared I won't be enough. And instead of staying and trying, I'll grab any excuse to leave so I don't have to deal with failure.

"It's completely human to be scared and run from whatever frightens you." Ichigen's voice was serious but understanding. "Do you think you're not allowed to be human?"

Harry shrugged.

"Everyone is allowed to run away sometimes. You have just as much right as anyone."

"Even when important things are at stake?" Harry asked.

"Especially then!" Ichigen emphasized with a firm nod. "People who run away are usually searching for a way to get stronger and defeat their problems even if they don't know it. At least, that's what the senior monks say."

Harry snorted. "No wonder you just sounded like a monk."

"Was there some doubt?"

"You lied and delayed this trip to nap," Harry said as they entered a grove of sweet smelling trees. "I wanted to confront you before, but it always looked like you were really doing something productive those times."

"You make me sound like a slacker."

Harry bit down his sarcastic reply and glanced around when Hedwig tugged his hair.

Someone laughed above them. "Less than a week and he already knows your true character, Ichigen?"

"Sentoki!"

Harry followed Ichigen's glance and found a monk crouched on a tree branch, his white and blue outfit surprisingly well blended amongst the green.

"You couldn't sense me at all!" Sentoki jumped down.

Ichigen shook his head. "You've gotten better at concealing your chakra presence. You'll be stuck with sentry duty forever now."

Harry watched their easy interaction with a mix of longing and fondness for his own friends.

"Harii-san, don't be shy."

Harry twitched. "I told you to call me Harii."

After brief introductions, they moved through the grove with Ichigen informing Sentoki about news from all their previous stops, news that Harry hadn't obtained even with magic.

Harry noticed the soft grass giving way to loose gravel as the land sloped upwards but was completely surprised when his foot landed on a smooth stone-step, the start of a winding staircase that disappeared around some trees. As Harry contemplated his dismal observation skills, Sentoki disappeared back amongst the trees with a quick farewell.

Harry scanned the trees carefully. "He's rather… abrupt."

"He's just duty conscious. He probably needs to switch sentry posts. Anyway, ready to climb?"

Harry looked up, failing to gauge how high the staircase and mountain actually rose through the tree-cover. "The stairs are a test, right?"

"Why does everyone think that? Come on, let's get going."

With each step, the mountain's stairs widened with both ends of the stones disappearing in to thriving greenery on either side. Harry finished his water canteen but persevered, through the stifling heat, to the top where two gigantic winged statues flanked an alcove containing large intricately carved metal gates. But it was the humanoid statue that grabbed Harry's attention.

"Captivated by Yamabushi's long nose?"

Harry hastily looked down. "Sorry."

"Don't be. They're meant to attract attention." Ichigen tapped the statue on the left as he entered the alcove. "Especially this human-like one with the long nose, the Yamabushi Tengu. After centuries of despising humans, Tengu took that appearance and became protective of humans teaching them to harness chakra for ninjutsu."

Harry slumped against the alcove's cool stone as Ichigen pressed a palm against the gate. Yellow light flared around Ichigen's hand, seeped in to the painted metal and spread across the carvings towards the hinges.

With a click, the gates swung inward. Curious about the gates' mechanism but unwilling to seem nosy, Harry asked, "Why the large nose?"

Ichigen explained the Tengu's hatred of arrogance and prejudice as Harry caught sight of the large oriental temple standing majestically amidst many trees. Large red pillars lined the temple's staircase and stretched high up to support an ornate roof.

"Where is everyone?" Harry said as they reached the temple's staircase. And why are there so many stairs?

Climbing to the top of the stairs, Ichigen said, "Probably meditating in the prayer hall. But Chiriku-sama will come out soon because of the gates."

The temple's walls, filled with indecipherable carvings, captivated Harry leaving him quite startled when a gentle voice said, "You're late, Ichigen. Did something happen?"

Harry turned to the newcomer. A monk whose strict countenance hid any peaceful sage-like aura he might have held.

"Just a misunderstanding, Chiriku-sama."

"I see." The stern-faced monk turned to Harry. "And your companion?"

"The Hokage recommended Harii to fix the statue."

Harry bowed politely, noticing the familiar sash at the monk's waist.

"The Hokage is always too kind to us." Though his voice remained gentle, his stern expression never wavered. "I hope you don't mind our small dorms."

Harry fumbled for a reply. "I'm never picky about where I sleep, sir."

The monk's lips twitched slightly. "Then I'll leave you in Ichigen's care." With a nod, he turned and disappeared down a corridor.

"That's it?"

Ichigen shrugged."I think after surviving the Daimyo's court politics and hidden agendas, Chiriku-sama can judge a person's true character within minutes." As they moved through the grounds, Ichigen's conversation jumped from one topic to another. "…they call our chakra the gift of the hermit group."

"So to use Genjutsu," Harry sifted through the information. "You need to switch to normal chakra?"

"Kind of," Ichigen said and opened a door. "Have you ever seen a medic-nin work?"

Harry followed Ichigen in to a storage room. "Their chakra is green."

"Only when they heal," Ichigen said weaving through packed shelves "Medic-nins convert their regular chakra to healing chakra by changing the ratio of physical and spiritual energy."

Harry recalled previous conversations. Chakra is a mixture of those energies.

"You'd need years of practice with meditation and exercises to be very aware of both energies before you fiddle with the energy ratio." Ichigen moved to an open space at the back of the room. "Anyway, here's the statue…"

Harry stared at the tabletop littered with chucks of carved wood. "A wooden statue?"

Ichigen nodded. "It was carved at the founding of this temple. It was already fragile and when I moved it, this happened."

"These are all the pieces?" Harry traced the detailed carvings gently.

Ichigen nodded. "I was going to get craftsman to make an exact replica, so I kept all the pieces. Luckily no splinters…"

x-x-x-x-x

"You could stay another day to bypass the evening rainstorms."

Harry shook his head. "I completed my job day before yesterday and I'm eager to get back. Besides, I'm prepared for rain." I've placed the Impervius on my clothes.

"Fine." Ichigen held up a small pouch. "But you've forgotten something."

"I don't want any money."

"Don't be difficult, you earned this." Ichigen pushed the pouch to Harry. "Leaving you in that storage room… we were shocked when you fixed everything."

Harry sighed mentally. I damaged those things practising my spell-casting. It's only right to fix them. "You've already paid me back by teaching me about meditation yesterday."

"I just talked about meditation. That's hardly teaching. Besides, I owed you for the tea recipe."

"Don't…" Harry stumbled as a loud crash shook the ground.

"That's the iron gates!" Ichigen steadied Harry and eyed their surroundings. "We should move." They joined other worried monks by the top of the temple stairs and stared around in worried confusion.

Through the curtain of settling dust, Harry saw a gaping hole where the large iron gates should have been. Two black garbed men jumped off the crumpled remains of the gates and moved towards the temple looking distinctly predatory.

Harry followed their gaze when they stopped and found Chiriku walking down the stairs. He moved to get a better look but Ichigen held him back with a pull and horrified whisper of "Akatsuki?".

"Will he be okay without a weapon?" Harry asked as the intruders shared a look and ran towards an unmoving Chiriku.

"Just watch," Ichigen said.

Yellow light surrounded Chiriku and solidified into something. But the sunlight, Harry's distant position and the glow of the technique itself made it difficult to see in the few seconds it manifested.

One intruder, with vivid white hair, jumped high and swung a scythe-like weapon down while the other masked-man ran with a raised fist. The light around Chiriku condensed, morphed and pushed back both intruders before they could land a hit.

"Chiriku-sama has mastered the thousand-armed murder technique," Ichigen said.

Glad that Hedwig was off roaming, Harry watched as both intruders immediately stood and raced forward for another attack.

Once again, Chiriku repelled them without moving but they flipped through the air and landed on their feet expertly. The white haired intruder laughed, a loud wild laugh, slashed his red weapon through the air viciously and glanced at his accomplice.

With another slash he ran forward, leaving his accomplice stationary, and stabbed the ground. Debris sprayed up, forcing Chiriku to move but he calmly repelled the intruder again.

An older monk pulled Harry back. "Ichigen, he stands out among us. If they misunderstand, it'll be twice as dangerous. Take him to safety until this is over."

Ichigen seemed apprehensive but nodded and tugged Harry away.

Reluctant to leave Harry asked, "Why are we going?"

"Let's not think about that. Come on, we'll use one of the underground passageways."

Annoyed, Harry followed keeping an eye on the fight till they left the area. The battle sounded more frantic the further they walked and minutes later, a distant deranged laugh made them pause uncertainly. Uncertainty gave way to dread when worried yells of "Chiriku-sama!" and frenzied running filled the air.

With a pained sigh, Ichigen walked away from the increasingly loud sounds but paused as something large fell and crashed in to a pillar near them with a splatter of red.

Ichigen ran to the mangled body staining his hands with red. "Usai-san!"

As he stood motionless, Harry winced with realization at the continued crashes. "They're being thrown."

"Move," Ichigen yelled as another white blur fell towards them.

Harry ignored him. Aresto Momentum. The body slowed and stopped near his outstretched hands. Harry steadied the monk, thrilled at helping but flinched at the blank lifeless eyes.

"They're being choked and thrown." Ichigen took the body from Harry's hands gently. "Even if you catch them..."

Harry gladly looked away.

"How did you? No, that's unimportant now." Ichigen shook his head. "Harii, I'm going back. The passageway is in the dorm garden by..."

"I'll go with you."

"No! Just get to safety." Ichigen turned and disappeared back the way they came.

Harry took one step and flinched away from Usai's body. "I'd leave but Ichigen's directions were incomplete." Steeling himself, Harry rushed down a side path through the trees towards the battle as the crashes continued.

He peeked from behind a tree, dismayed at the destruction, and found only the masked-man being attacked by numerous pairs of monks. But when any monk got too close to the intruder, something pushed them back easily.

Searching for colourless spells that wouldn't alert the man to dodge, Harry aimed for the man's back. Petrificus Totalus.

Nothing happened.

Well, nothing that Harry had been hoping for.

The masked-man stumbled slightly but otherwise continued to move unimpeded. The spell hit but didn't affect him... like a dragon. Harry ducked and ran as a monk's body crashed into the tree he'd been hiding behind. Okay, if I think of him as a dragon…

"You should just come out," a loud raspy voice said. "Sneak attacks are useless."

A tree close to Harry rose in the air and crashed and shattered against the temple even as the masked-man continued fighting the monks in the distance. Amidst his confusion, some instinct made Harry duck with an arm over his head just as long grey threads grabbed every tree around him and pulled.

The intruder stared directly at Harry as the uprooted trees crashed against all the monks. "You're not a monk."

Harry straightened himself, dismayed at the sudden turn of events. Nothing hurt me in all that...

"Maybe you're Fire Country's Jinchuuriki?" The masked-man turned, completely facing Harry who gaped at the man's outfit- black material marked with a stylized red cloud- a perfect copy of Itachi's outfit. Quiet, helpful, weird Itachi...

"No, such weak chakra. Perhaps a novice who hasn't started training yet." The masked-man's raspy voice interrupted Harry's thoughts just as the ground in front of him burst open with a flurry of threads. "Do you think you have a chance when your superiors failed?"

Pay attention, think later. Harry dodged to the side, the persistent threads rebounding harmlessly off his clothes. What the... Is the Impervius doing that? The threads multiplied and encircled him blocking out the surroundings while pulsing eerily. Protego only protects from spells.

Reducto. Diffindo. Reducto.

The spells blasted away and tore the threads to shreds.

"Explosives?" The raspy voice said as new threads zig-zagged unpredictably.

Impedimenta. Harry moved his hand in an arc freezing the threads and deflecting them away from him. He'd barely thought of his next move, when fingers grabbed his throat in a suffocating grip.

"Harii!" Someone shouted.

Harry's feet kicked up dirt as he was dragged forward. Amidst his struggles, Harry noticed that the masked-man was a fair distance away but his arm had elongated via the grey threads.

"This is the end."

Feeling inclined to disagree, Harry curled his fingers concentrating on the masked-man. Accio. Depulso. He didn't know if it was the lack of air, but his wand seemed to hum with energy. All around them, rocks and tree fragments shifted, floated in to the air and raced towards them.

"What…" The fingers loosened but didn't release his throat.

Harry desperately raised his hand. Relashio. Fiery sparks burst out of his holstered wand burning the man's wrist and forcing the fingers to unclench. Harry fell to the ground just as the summoned items crashed in to his opponent with a large cloud of dust.

He shot a barrage of different spells and ran just as monks armed with various weapons surrounded him to help. As Harry took in a deep breath and coughed, they were all thrown back carelessly.

Out of the dust cloud, the masked-man emerged uninjured, his dusty and torn and singed cloak littered with wooden splinters. Not a scratch on his skin! Didn't the Relashio burn him? Unless... his skin changes?

"Your power is different."

Harry stilled at the curiosity laced voice. A monk attacked from the side but the masked-man didn't move. He didn't even turn away from Harry.

But the threads moved.

They grabbed the monk and squeezed.

"No!" Harry aimed at the threads. Diffindo. The spell sliced cleanly through the threads but the monk fell lifelessly.

The masked-man gazed at Harry's hands. "You don't need to use chakra."

I should've hit him with a strong Stupefy when I was in that choke-hold. He wouldn't have dodged that. Why didn't I… Harry smothered a cough. He's not attacking, perfect…

A foot collided with his stomach.

As he flew backwards, Harry realized that the Impervius charm was still working on his clothes. It's repelling some strength from his hits, I definitely felt part of the force behind that kick.

Accio Rock.

A large rock hovered in front of him just as the masked-man aimed a punch at Harry. The rock exploded in a shower of dust.

Not getting hit has definitely risen in priority. Accio. He aimed down and murmured, "Aresto Momentum." Rocks of all sizes rose in front of Harry as he skidded to a stop. He sighed in relief as more monks armed with black staffs rushed to help.

"That's a very versatile ability."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a black cloth fluttering behind him. When?How? He gasped as the man kicked him up in the air and punched him away mid-air. His shoulder jarred painfully as he crashed against a wall with a sickening thud.

Through blurry vision, Harry saw other monks fighting the masked-man. He adjusted his battered glasses and rubbed his head gingerly. "Episky." The pain dulled and his vision sharpened but he felt weak.

"Bloody hell," Harry said as the man emerged unscathed yet again leaving behind a wave of dead monks.

Think of the dragon attack strategy, weak point of a dragon is… Harry grimaced as the hand elongated once more. He dodged to the side but his head throbbed and his vision blurred for a mere second, enough for the other man to get an unforgiving hold of his throat once more.

"How are your clothes deflecting attacks?" The fingers tightened.

Harry groaned. Come on, a dragon's weakness…

"Your ability only works with one hand. I wonder what'll happen when I tear your arm away." The fingers around his throat tightened. "This uniform will cost a lot to fix."

Wait, my spells, even weak ones, always affected his threads. And they're part of his body, so a strong spell meant for a specific area... Harry twisted his fingers, grabbed the threads and glared at the pupil-less green on black eyes. Weak point of a dragon… the eyes!

Conjunctivitis.

I can't die here. He's waiting for me.

I won't die here.

After a few nervous seconds, the man growled and blinked his eyes rapidly. Now's my chance, Stupefy.

What happened next was an incoherent and nauseating blur. After a bright explosion of red, Harry's body alternated between confusing sensations of flying, falling and fading away. The wind sped past his body with a roar and pain engulfed him when he finally stopped moving.

After many fortifying gulps of air, Harry lifted his head and opened his eyes warily. The storage room? How'd I…

Harry looked up with his dusty but miraculously still-present glasses, ignoring the painful twinge in his neck, and found large holes in the ceiling and walls. Was I thrown?

No, I wouldn't have survived that even with my charmed clothes. As more crashes sounded, Harry pushed himself up but his hand buckled and he fell face-first to the floor. His breaths became laboured as a metallic taste filled his mouth. What did my Stupefy do? How did I survive and end up here?

"Harii! Those injuries, how are you…"

Harry looked to the side. "Ichigen?"

A blood-stained Ichigen knelt beside Harry and prodded his shoulder. "Harii?"

Harry yelped and spit out some blood. "Of course it's me."

Ichigen opened his mouth to speak but a deafening groan filled the air as the ground shook. Harry looked up just as the roof cracked, shuddered and exploded downward. We're going to get crushed. Spell… I need that spell. Didn't I use it before?

As the roof fell, black spots clouded Harry's vision and cold engulfed his left hand. Ignoring his tiredness, he blinked rapidly to clear his vision, turned slightly and gaped as Ichigen glowed and repelled the falling debris away.

Ichigen slumped in relief when things settled. "Thank goodness. I didn't know how long I'd be able to use that." He smiled at Harry. "He won't find you here."

Harry gasped painfully, suddenly finding it harder to breathe. The black spots returned with a vengeance, clouding Harry's vision and seemingly stealing his hearing.

Ichigen leaned forward saying something but the darkness overpowered Harry's pain-filled consciousness.

x-x-x-x-x

Harry opened his eyes blearily and groaned as the blurred world see-sawed unsteadily in the daylight. It took a moment for him to realise that he was being carried on someone's back.

"Harii-san?"

"Ichi…" Harry took in a shaky breath. "gen?"

There was a pause in movement. "It's Sentoki. Don't tire yourself. I gave you emergency first-aid but you're not entirely healed. We're headed to Konoha."

Through his weariness, Harry noticed something odd on the monk's front. "My scroll?" I placed spells on that. How is he holding it?

"Your owl wouldn't let me leave without it." The man tilted his head. "I've sent your owl ahead to Konoha with a message. I would have asked for your permission, but I didn't want to delay news of the attack. I hope you don't mind."

"Did…" Harry coughed and his voice cracked. "Did Ichigen go with her?"

"Go back to sleep. Hopefully some Konoha ninja will meet us soon."

x-x-x-x-x

Harry struggled and screamed. Something was burning his body from the inside out and every movement felt torturous.

"Stop pushing chakra in to him!" A lady's voice cut through the pain-induced fog over his mind.

Harry opened his eyes blearily as the oppressive pain disappeared. "Thank... you."

The last thing his brain registered was a concerned voice calling him amidst the earthy smell of damp grass.

x-x-x-x-x

Haunted by images of an orange jacket soaked with blood, Harry woke with a terrified gasp. His head pounded, his eyelids felt heavy and his entire body throbbed. Even so he pushed himself up, surprised when black-gloved arms steadied him and held up a familiar pair of glasses "Cat-san?"

"It's Racoon. Don't move around so much, you'll jostle your cast."

Harry frowned at the cast, running from his left elbow to the middle of his scarred palm, unsure of how or when it broke. But a bright red something hanging off his neck, near his sling, distracted him.

"The monk left that omamori as protection during your recovery."

"Protection?" Harry rubbed the golden 'Temple of Fire' script inscribed on the cloth and tugged at it's knot, but a gloved hand stopped him.

"Opening it will weaken the prayers. Don't scorn the monk's good will."

"I'm not scorning anything." Harry shook his head. "Anyway, why are you here... wherever here is?"

"You're in Konoha's hospital and it's close to midnight on 23rd August."

Harry grimaced. It was the 21st when I was leaving the temple...

The door slid open and the Hokage entered, the dim light from the window highlighting her exhaustion. "So you're really awake. How does your head feel?"

Confused. In pain. Tired. "It's hard to pinpoint what I'm feeling right now."

"That's to be expected." She grabbed the clipboard from the bed's railings. "We sedated you heavily after your body reacted badly to chakra trying to heal you."

Harry recalled vague memories of him screaming from pain. I thought we were outside that time.

"We feared you'd been poisoned by a new toxin. But later we realised that you were unconsciously fighting our healing chakra entering your body. So we couldn't heal your wounds."

"But Sakura healed me with chakra. Why didn't..." Harry paused uncertain of what to ask.

But Tsunade seemed to understand. She hung the clipboard and said,"That's what I'd like to test and find out. I'll stop immediately if it fails."

It would be best to have a professional find out if something is wrong.

As green chakra coated Tsunade's hands, Harry said, "You're a healer? I thought you were... never mind. Let's get this over with." With a brief look of warning, she placed her hand over Harry's right palm. Absently noting his wand-holster still on his hand, Harry flinched in anticipation of pain but the green chakra worked perfectly. "It's healing."

Tsunade frowned but moved her hands to his neck. "How were your previous injuries healed?"

Harry relaxed as the pain vanished. "With lots of herbal medicines, never chakra."

"Then let's leave the cast to see how you heal naturally." Tsunade prodded various points on Harry's head carefully. "At the very least, we'll gain some base information to work with if you're ever injured again."

"But will it explain why you couldn't heal me with chakra?"

"It will give me some clues to work with," Tsunade said.

"The temple... what happened?" At the ensuing silence, he looked down and fiddled with the omamori. "So it's a lot worse than I'm imagining."

"It may be too much to ask, but will you tell us about the attack? Anything you remember from the attack, however insignificant, can help us."

"Is anything I say reliable?" Harry stalled. "I mean, I am drugged."

Tsunade sighed. "We would have spared you a verbal questioning, but the drugs and your unusual reaction to intrusive chakra makes this the only safe option for everyone."

What does that mean? Harry twitched in surprise as Cat-san moved closer to the bed. "What do you need to know?"

"Everything you remember," Cat-san said.

Harry clutched the omamori tightly, searching for a way to start. "Ichigen and I were arguing when the iron gates were broken by two people. The monks knew them, called them Akatsuki."

"Did they have headbands? Can you identify which village they were from?" Cat-san prompted. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the interruption.

"I only saw the masked-man's headband when he was choking me. He had this," Harry drew the symbol in the air with his finger sheepishly.

Cat-san nodded slightly.

" I never saw the other one up close. But when he attacked Chiriku-san, his white hair stood out along with his large scythe weapon. It was red, I think." Harry bit his lip struggling to understand his fragmented memories. "I can't…"

"That's all right." Cat-san reassure him. "Concentrate on what you do remember."

"One of the monks had Ichigen take me away." Harry grimaced and detailed their run, the crashes, the bodies. "There was so much blood when they were thrown. I didn't know bodies could break like that. I could have ended up as a splatter on the wall and..."

"Harii!"

Harry glanced at troubled hazel eyes, surprised to be called by his first name, and shrugged. "I went back. I could have searched for the passageway but I went back." He flexed his fingers, expecting disapproval but their silence comforted him. "I stayed by the trees."

"But it was useless. After uprooting all the trees around me, he mistook me for a Jinchuuriki." Harry noted Tsunade's sudden tenseness but continued. "The monks protected me but that made things worse. With my weak chakra, he realised I was just a bystander. Even so..." He detailed the masked-man's odd eyes, the unpredictable skin and the deadly threads that elongated his hand careful to omit any mention of magic.

"He probably thought he'd killed me when I was thrown." If I was actually thrown... Harry steadied himself with a deep breath. "I'm alive because he was an egotistical bastard."

Cat-san coughed politely.

Harry cringed and chanced a look at the Hokage.

She waved it off. "There's no doubt his ego worked in your favour."

"Probably," Harry said. "I woke far from the battle but Ichigen found me. He saved my life when the roof collapsed. I really need to thank him for that."

"That might be impossible," Tsunade said. "You're the only person who survived."

Harry frowned. "Ichigen said there were two hundred monks at that temple. Someone must have..."

Tsunade held up a hand. "Right now, you're the only survivor from the attack. But after your owl delivered Sentoki's message to us day before yesterday, Konoha's aid-team has been searching those ruins."

"What if someone..."

"Your owl led Sentoki to you among the debris that day. He left immediately because he knew that your information would be valuable," Tsunade said. "He made the right choice."

Harry would have argued, but a wave of sluggishness knocked him out.

Warm sunlight and bustling steps woke Harry up. Keeping his eyes closed, he said, "You drugged me!"

Harry's eyes flew open when a female voice 'eeped'. "Sorry about that. I thought..." Harry grabbed his glasses from the side-table. A white-clad nurse clutched a clipboard and eyed the door warily. "So it's the 24th already?"

The nurse shook her head. "It's the 25th."

"I slept through an entire day?" That explains the weird dreams about grand-mum… "I wonder if I can get out of here?"

"Most ninja just leave on their own," the nurse said meekly, almost to herself.

"That's nice." Harry adjusted his glasses. "But I'm not a ninja."

The nurse relaxed slightly. "Then sign a release form." She pointed the the chart on his bed's railings. "There's no notes to keep you sedated here if you woke up. I checked your vitals before and they're good. Your broken arm and bruises are the only major injuries..."

But wasn't I coughing up blood at the temple? Maybe Ichigen healed me! Harry listened as the nurse detailed how to deal with his cast.

"…pills until the check-up. Should I get the form?"

"Yes, please."

The nurse immediately returned with a handful of things- papers, two small bottles, a new set of clothes and the tattered remains of his old outfit. An entire sleeve was missing, blood and dirt stained the remaining fabric and it reeked. Harry grabbed his unscathed mokeskin pouch from an inside pocket with trembling fingers.

"Someone already readied your things," the nurse said.

Harry handed her the old clothes and examined his pain-killer bottles, wary of the unrecognisable names.

"If you want, I can bring some bruise-reducing creams too."

Harry shook his head and signed the papers with a flourish ignoring the warning about self-diagnosed releases. As soon as he was alone, Harry hurriedly dressed himself, wincing at the tender bruises littering his body. He'd just finished tying his shoes when the door slid open.

"Good afternoon, Naruto's older brother."

With a slight huff, Harry pocketed his medications. "Sai, I have a name."

"But with your near-death experience, you've probably forgotten about Naruto."

"Nothing can make me forget Naruto." Harry said. "Why are you here?"

"I had a check-up and Sakura said I should volunteer to take you to Naruto for food." Sai frowned. "Or maybe to the food first…"

How did Sakura know I'm leaving? "Food sounds good. I can't remember the last time I ate."

"They didn't let you eat?"

Harry shrugged.

"Then, what would you like to eat?" Sai said, "I read…"

Harry interrupted him. "What's your favourite food?"

Hesitantly, Sai said, "Momen tofu?"

Why is his answer a question? "Then let's have that."

Sai seemed surprised. "We should get take-out and eat with everyone… I think."

"Food and friendship fit well together," Harry said. Sai seemed reassured and peppered Harry with friendship-related questions until they bought the food. Hedwig joined them as they walked with the food.

"I can hold a bag, you know."

Sai searched his numerous bags and pushed a juice bottle into Harry's uninjured hand. "Now you can't."

Harry shook the juice bottle in amusement. "Have you dealt with injured people before?"

"I'm not a medic."

Harry chuckled at Sai's genuine confusion till they reached a wooded area. He slowed on the uneven terrain careful not to aggravate any bruises while Hedwig hovered and hooted constantly by his head.

As they exited the tree-line, Harry gaped at the sea of gold and orange. "Sai, I'm hallucinating. I see an entire field of Naruto out there."

Sai balanced his bags carefully. "Naruto's shadow-clones help him train."

"Shadow-clones?" Harry looked around. That would have helped at the temple. Clones of me firing spells simultaneously from different directions, like taking down a dragon…

"Harii nii-san?"

Harry's thoughts stopped and his body tensed as orange-clad arms engulfed him in a hug.

"You were sleeping yesterday when they kicked me out and nobody told me you were leaving today. I would..."

"Naruto." Harry winced as the hug tightened uncomfortably. "We'll have to survive on restaurant food for a while." I'm not going anywhere.

It took a minute, but Naruto understood Harry's sentiment and pulled away with a snort.

"And look, Sai conveniently brought food!" Harry smiled and Naruto's grip relaxed.

"How is that convenient?" Sai said. "You knew I was bringing food."

A brown-haired man, who Harry vaguely remembered, sighed. "Sai, he's just… never mind." He turned to Harry. "We've never met properly. I'm Yamato."

Harry nodded a greeting to Kakashi and shook Yamato's hand. "I'm Harii. This may sound rude, but can we eat? I'm starving."

Naruto frowned. "Sai didn't let you eat?"

"I wanted to get here first," Harry said, "He was nice enough to humour me. He wouldn't even let me help carry the bags."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "He doesn't need help."

"Is that how you treat your team-mate?" Kakashi said.

Harry turned around, worried about Sai's reaction, but found him occupied with removing the food. Harry followed Sai's example and sat on the grass, helping him pass out bowls. After hurrying through the required pre-meal etiquette, Harry emptied his bowl barely tasting anything. Even so, Kakashi had finished eating earlier and was busy reading.

While Yamato and Sai took their time, Naruto swallowed his last tofu with a slight shudder. "That was… nice."

Sai held up a box. "Want some more?"

"No!" Naruto bit his lip and immediately turned to Harry. "Nii-san, Heduwigu-sama gave me your scroll and bag. I've kept them there." He gestured towards some trees.

I didn't even remember... wait, Harry glanced at Hedwig. "She did?"

Kakashi interrupted them. "How did she earn such respect?"

Naruto shrugged and rubbed Hedwig's head gently. "She's a queen!"

"Queen?" Harry repeated.

"Of owls. But other animals have to listen to her too. No need to hide it, nii-san."

Yamato aptly voiced Harry's thoughts out loud. "Huh?"

"The other day I accidentally hit a cat. It was about to attack, but she gave it one look and hooted." Naruto leaned forward with a secretive air. "The cat bowed and ran away."

That's... unbelievably ridiculous. Harry sighed. She's never done anything like that before. But more than anything, Hedwig sounds like a tyrant.

"She'd definitely make your dogs obey her, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said, nodding confidently at Kakashi's sceptical look.

Harry tensed when Kakashi's hands shifted, moved and slammed against the ground. A circle of script flashed for a brief second before familiar smoke blanketed them.

Even as a seeker, I barely saw his hand's movement. But did he unseal something? The smoke dispersed revealing a small brown pug, fitted with a blue jacket and a ninja-headband. It lifted a paw. "Yo! What are we doing?"

Harry turned to Hedwig who immediately hooted. I wish she'd talk like that.

"Pakkun, what is she saying?" Kakashi asked.

The pug tilted it's head. "Apparently Naruto's a pro with the rubs and stealing his attention would earn me her wrath."

On second thought, I'm glad she can't talk, that tyrant. Harry tensed when Pakkun jumped close and sniffed his hand.

Pakkun turned to Kakashi with the dog equivalent of a disappointed glare. "When were you planning on telling us that Naruto had a relative?"

Harry glanced at Hedwig as Pakkun berated Kakashi. So, even ninja have bossy animals. I'm twice as glad she can't talk... "I should probably head back. I don't want to delay your training any longer."

Naruto frowned and made an odd hand gesture. With a puff of smoke, another Naruto emerged by the trees, grabbing Harry's scroll and bag without any ill-effects. "Nii-san, I'll keep you company!"

"Don't worry, nii-san. My clone can help you."

What happened to the spells I put on my things? Harry looked between both Narutos. "That's really convenient."

"Convenient like the food I brought?" Sai asked and held up an unopened tofu box.

"Yes, exactly like that," Harry said in amusement.

By the time Harry reached his apartment with Naruto's talkative clone and Hedwig, he was glad to be indoors safe from the sudden gusts of wind and dark looming clouds.

"I'm off to have a long shower." Harry tapped his cast. "A very long one."

"You need any help?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I can't get spoiled like that."

"But," Naruto said, "I'm here."

"Yes, you are. So, you're on food duty while I tackle this shower."

Naruto frowned at the cast. "Fine. If you need any help, call me."

Harry just nodded and headed to the wash-room with his things. He leaned against the heavy door, listening carefully. The Imperturbable charm, I can't remember when I put it on here but it's still working. Assured of privacy, Harry pulled out his two-way mirror and listened to the rambling messages. "I wonder what they argued about, if she's calling him Ronald Weasley now."

The mirror's surface rippled and a sleepy voice groaned.

Harry pulled the mirror close hoping to hide his injuries as Ron's bleary face came in to view.

"Harry, where have you been? She's been irritating…" Ron squinted and sputtered with realization. "That expression. You're injured! What happened?"

What expression? "It's nothing, really."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Harry, I've seen you injured a lot over the years and we're both terrible at hiding things."

Certain that Ron would persist till he got answers, Harry moved the mirror away from him.

"Please tell me you fell off your broom."

"I did fall," Harry said, "after being thrown."

Ron cleared his throat uncertainly. "Why did the monks throw you down their stairs?"

Offended on behalf of the monks, Harry blurted out every detail of the attack before he could stop himself. Ron's expressions shifted between disbelief and horror as Harry finished. "It's probably horrible to say, but I'm really glad I survived."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure Hermione would agree that you'd be a horrible friend if you died." Ron rubbed his eyes. "You know what I mean!"

Harry stayed silent for a moment. "Maybe Hermione shouldn't know about this."

"One look at you and she'd know." Ron narrowed his eyes. "And I'm not keeping the mirror to hide it from her."

Harry huffed. "Right, I wouldn't want you to end up in even more trouble."

"I'm not in any trouble."

Harry smirked and said, "I've seen you in lots of trouble over the years and we're both terrible at hiding things."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Anyway, if they find a monk, wouldn't your magic be exposed?"

"Probably not." Harry explained how useless his magic felt against the ninja. "My magic wasn't really noticeable and I just couldn't physically keep up."

Ron frowned. "You're not a ninja but you are a wizard, Harry. There's got to be a way to use magic and cheat against those ninja to keep you alive."

After a few minutes of silence, Harry said, "That's true, the Impervius charm helped me when I least expected it. There must be a way to use other magic that's more…"

"Ninja-proof?"

Harry nodded. "I guess I just ignored how dangerous ninjas could be. Never imagined I'd be unable to cast a spell fast or strong enough in battle."

Ron looked incredulous. "You know, after everything you've survived, shouldn't you have been a bit more cautious?"

Harry shrugged.

"And about Itachi and those Akat-people..."

Harry interrupted him. "Itachi... he might have been returning the favour, but what kind of criminal has that high morals? If those two at the temple were anything to go by, he should have just killed me."

Ron frowned. "Then maybe you're remembering things wrong. Maybe Itachi just had a similar looking design on his clothes."

"The cloud was too distinct to mistake." Harry pieced together another connection. "You know, I'd forgotten until now, but Itachi's headband is from Konoha."

Ron stared at him.

"The village I'm living in, Ron."

"Oh, right." Ron nodded. "Wait, so Itachi..."

"Is from Konoha!" Harry confirmed. "Someone here is bound to know about him."

"But?"

Harry looked away. "Sirius."

"What?"

"My intuition might have been clouded with grief, but something about Itachi reminded me of Sirius," Harry said. "And I can't shake off that notion now."

"Well, you intuition has kept you alive till now. So maybe," Ron said, "Harry?"

Harry scoffed. "It hasn't kept people around me safe or alive. Ron, if I hadn't gone back to the fight, maybe some monks would have survived."

"If Hermione were here, she'd have the perfect thing to say to you. Something like..." Ron bit his lip in thought. "You're not Merlin and you can't stop bad things from happening."

"You're right," Harry said, "Hermione would have known what to say."

Ron snorted. "If you miss her scoldings that much, you could just come back."

"And what about Naruto?"

"He's obviously coming with you. Just Stupefy as needed." Ron mimed a ridiculously exaggerated wink.

"I can't imagine that going over well," Harry said with a slight smile trying to ignore Ron's badly hidden worry. And I don't really know how to get back yet. "I better go, Naruto's in the kitchen and I don't want to worry him by being in here too long."

All traces of worry disappeared and Ron grinned. "I'm going to be the first to see him! I knew it."

First to see him? As if they have a bet on that... "Not today. I still haven't told him anything." And it's Naruto's clone. Ignoring Ron's pleas to see Naruto, Harry said goodbye and hid the mirror in amusement.

After an awkward struggle with his cast and a few almost falls on the wet tiles, Harry left the wash-room with slightly damp hair. He walked across the apartment to the kitchen and stared. "How's the cooking?"

Naruto yelped and a wooden spoon flew through the air, clattering to the floor but not waking a napping Hedwig. Harry stifled a chuckle and turned to his photos hanging on the kitchen wall.

"I thought I'd help and put the incense shelf there," Naruto said sheepishly, wooden spoon back in his hand.

A shrine? Not what I expected when I hung the photos. Harry stared at the incense sticks. "Is this all that's needed?"

"I think." Naruto looked away. "I've never made one before."

"Neither have I. But it's probably good enough." Harry walked forward and looked in the pot. "Soup?"

"It seemed like the easiest in the recipe book," Naruto said and stirred the bubbling broth.

"It's weird."

Naruto panicked and checked the soup.

"Not the soup! I mean, you're a clone and…" I'm confused about your existence. Harry grabbed a spoon and tasted the soup. "This is good. But maybe a lot less salt next time?"

Harry moved out of the kitchen as a weak but annoying alarm rang through his mind signalling that the spells around his apartment still worked. Then, why did the spells on my scroll and backpack disappear?

The main door banged open and evening-light spilled in to the apartment.

"Kotetsu, what happened to you?" Harry stared at the numerous bandages.

"About that…"

x-x-x-x-x

Harry fiddled with his black clothes, feeling distinctly out of place among the people gathered at the cemetery. Asuma-san died on the 24th, they brought his body back yesterday and today is the funeral. It's so abrupt.

At the end of the funeral, as he waited for Naruto to finish consoling a young boy, Harry caught faint whispers from the dispersing crowd. Akatsuki? Was Asuma-san…

"I thought you'd still be hospitalized."

Harry twitched. "Painkillers are a wonderful creation, Nara-san. I left the hospital yesterday." He watched Naruto, curious about his relation to the sobbing kid. "Shikamaru wasn't here."

Shikaku said, "He's free to do what he wants."

The sniffling boy clung to Naruto's arm. "Tell him breaking things is very therapeutic," Harry said.

"Creating business?"

Harry shook his head. "Just… being helpful."

As Naruto ruffled the younger boy's hair, Shikaku said, "You shouldn't think like that."

Harry looked away from Naruto in confusion.

"There's nothing you could have done to prevent this. Even ninja are hard-pressed to win against missing-nin and you're just a civilian."

I'm not. I'm a wizard. Harry turned back to Naruto. Wait, how could I have prevented this? Unless those Akatsuki whispers were true... that explains why I was invited here.

Shikaku patted Harry's shoulder and turned away just as Naruto headed towards them.

As they walked to the cemetery gates, Naruto said, "Asuma-sensei was Konohamaru's uncle, his only living relative. It's really painful to lose family, isn't it?"

Harry looked around the large cemetery. You can't have been the only Uzumaki in Konoha.

"Nii-san?"

But wouldn't you have already checked this cemetery?

Naruto grabbed Harry's arm. "Nii-san!"

Harry patted Naruto's fingers gently. "I'm just tired, Naruto. We should eat something before we get back, hmm?"

"I'll get the food." With a slight puff of smoke, another Naruto popped up beside Harry. "You two go home and rest." Before Harry could argue, Naruto ran down a street with a self-satisfied grin.

At Harry's insistence clone-Naruto, a term Harry used to mentally differentiate the Narutos, talked about Konohamaru till they were settled comfortably in the apartment and interrupted by a visit from Izumo and Kotetsu.

Izumo glanced at clone-Naruto and said, "I hope we're not intruding."

Clone-Naruto shook his head. "Boss will be happy nii-san's not alone if I dispel suddenly."

"Another clone?" Kotetsu said.

"Boss is getting dinner. I better tell him you're here. You'll stay till he returns, right?" When they nodded, clone-Naruto turned to Harry. "I'll see you in a while, nii-san." And with a puff of smoke, he disappeared.

"I'm never getting used to that." Harry sighed. "Can you two make clones like that?"

"It takes a lot of chakra to create even one shadow clone. Not many ninja can make numerous clones like Naruto," Izumo said. "He's got way more chakra than the average ninja."

"Really?" So I can't make a clone? "Anyway, it's good you're both here. I've got your gifts."

"Gifts?" Kotetsu repeated.

"I bought some stuff before…" Harry ignored his memories and unfurled his scroll. I'll give Naruto his stuff later. With a puff of smoke, dozens of boxes popped out. Harry pushed them off towards Kotetsu, "That's all thirty-five different flavours of syrup I came across."

From another seal, he pulled a small silk fan. "Here's the fanciest fan I could find, Izumo. And lots of herbal tea that doubles as headache medicine when all that syrup makes Kotetsu irritating."

"Hey!" Kotetsu protested. "Just for that, see if I give you your gift."

"Actually, it's recovery food." Izumo opened a familiar box.

Harry stared at the sweets in front of him and felt his stomach clench painfully. He hurried to his feet and ran to the wash-room. Within seconds, he emptied his stomach as his mind replayed horrifically vivid memories and nightmares. Hands patted his back gently as he dry-heaved painfully.

When his stomach eventually settled Harry said, "Ichigen liked dango."

"Who doesn't?" Izumo said and handed Harry a towel.

"We got this tea recipe that he thought would make the other monks take him more seriously. It was weird but he was a good person." Harry huffed in embarrassment. "And now the sight of dango reminds me of that attack. How does that connection make any sense?"

"Triggers never make sense."

Triggers? Harry rinsed his mouth vigorously, glad for the distraction of Izumo's words.

"You never know what'll bring back unpleasant memories. After my first failed mission, I puked every time I smelt mint," Izumo said. "Worst month of my life, especially since Kotetsu thought the best way to cure me was to keep springing mint on me. My only consolation was I ended up puking on him a lot."

Harry snorted.

"You should nap until dinner." Ignoring Harry's protests, Izumo expertly manoeuvred him to the couch. "Naps don't allow as many nightmares."

Deciding to give it a try, Harry closed his eyes."I'm glad you two came back."

It felt like seconds later, Izumo was shaking him awake. "You've been sleeping for three hours. Even your owl left to hunt a while ago. Come on, time to eat."

Harry groggily followed Izumo to the kitchen and gawked at his food-filled dining table.

"I don't see why I have to sit beside you," Naruto said sounding annoyed.

Kotetsu shrugged. "Izumo would say my elbows are too dangerous to be allowed next to an injured person."

"And why can't you sit next to Izumo?" Harry felt inclined to ask as he sat beside Izumo.

Kotetsu shrugged again. "He hogs too much space."

Harry shared an amused look with Naruto and grabbed his chopsticks. With a murmured 'Itadakimasu', they started eating with Kotetsu and Naruto seemingly competing to be the most entertaining person at the table.

Halfway through the meal, Harry snickered at Naruto's latest story. "Bullies in an exam?"

Izumo scoffed and placed more vegetables on Harry's plate. "We were helping out. If you can't detect a simple genjutsu, then you're not ready for the Chuunin exams."

"Bullies!" Naruto reiterated between bites.

Dinner carried on in a similar vein till Izumo and Kotetsu left close to midnight.

"Can you drink tea so late?" Naruto said watching Harry warily.

"There aren't any rules against it." Harry pushed the tea cups to Naruto's hand. "You're in charge of transporting these."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere airy." Harry grabbed a blanket, walked out in to the warm night and slowly clambered up a side-ladder to his roof.

"I could have taken you up there."

"Just bring the tea." Harry looked up and his eyes unconsciously focused on the brightest star in the sky. To its side he found a familiar constellation. The angles are different but the night-sky is the same. Why didn't I notice before?

"Why are you staring up like that, nii-san?"

"Just remembering some," Harry paused awkwardly, "stories."

"Stories?"

Harry nodded as an idea struck him. "The stories behind the constellations."

Naruto looked at the sky. "There are stories?"

Yes, those Greek mythology stories… Harry faltered in uncertainty, realizing those stories wouldn't exist here.

"Tell me."

Harry stared at Naruto. "What?"

"One of the stories," Naruto said, "tell me."

Noticing Naruto's eager expression, Harry said, "See that bright star there, that's the Dog Star." He lay down, ignoring the roof tiles digging in to his back and traced out a constellation. "If you look a little above it there, you'll see the Hunter. These three stars form the belt and when you go up, his arm…"

Naruto shuffled close to Harry and raised his own hand. "Ah! He's holding a weapon."

"Yeah. He was very proud and…"

x-x-x-x-x

Harry woke up in his living room comfortable and well-rested. When did I get off the roof? "Naruto?"

A head peeked out from the kitchen. "I was just about to wake you," Kotetsu said. "Naruto left for training earlier and asked me to keep you company."

"But you're injured too. And where's Izumo?"

Kotetsu waved his hand dismissively and disappeared back in to the kitchen.

Harry ignored the odd behaviour and rose to prepared for the day. He'd just entered the kitchen when Hedwig flew in through a window, dived towards him and tugged on his sleeve.

Harry stared at Hedwig. "I thought you'd be with Naruto."

Hedwig hooted impatiently.

"Maybe she's telling you that Naruto is leaving for a mission."

"What?" Harry gaped.

"He probably didn't want to worry you. He'll be leaving in an hour. So we should probably head to the gate." Kotetsu shrugged, grabbed a bag and opened the apartment door. "You cousins would be hopeless without help."

Harry walked as fast as he could. "Kotetsu, when you say mission…"

"I can't tell you what he's doing. That's classified, Harii." Kotetsu teased.

"He's not going to be fighting, right?"

Kotetsu turned to him. "Did you think only the older ninja fought? A ninja is a ninja, no matter how old they are."

Harry reached the gate in a daze, his mind creating a rather bleak picture. So soon after the temple attack and Asuma-san's death, wouldn't missions be related to those Akatsuki? He shook his head. No, there must be other missions. Like searching through the temple's rubble...

"Are you here to send us off, Harii?"

I really need to pay attention. Harry turned in surprise and stared at Sai. "I just wanted to talk to Naruto."

Naruto immediately moved a fair distance from the others.

Thinking carefully, Harry followed. I can't stop him, so I should make him want to come back. "You won't impress anyone with a torn sleeve." Harry discreetly held Naruto's shredded sleeve between his fingers. Reparo.

Naruto shook his hand experimentally when the rip disappeared.

Ichigen, its slow progress but I've stopped running from one thing… Satisfied with Naruto's fascination Harry pulled out a small red rectangle from his pocket. "And you need this omamori more than me."

"But…"

Harry shoved it insistently. "I forgot to give you the stuff I bought. So, you need to come back."

Naruto clutched the omamori with wide eyes.

"Go on then, or you'll be late."

Nodding, Naruto pocketed the omamori and joined the others by the gate. With a wave, the team set off at a run. Harry watched the spot of orange disappear in the distance within seconds.

"They'll be back by the end of the day so we'll wait at the watch station." Kotetsu lifted his paper bag as they entered a small building. "We can eat till Izumo gets here. See, I've prepared the food."

Harry looked in the bag. "Everyone's been hiding their cooking skills."

"They're actually leftovers."

Chapter Text

Angry screeches forced Harry to open his eyes, blink at the scene in front of him incredulously and wonder if he was still asleep.

Hedwig,with all her feathers fluffed up, and Kotetsu, who was rubbing red swollen fingers, stared each other down while Izumo wheezed with badly stifled laughter.

"What's going on?"

All three of them turned in his direction.

Harry looked between Hedwig and Kotetsu's fingers. "Actually, never mind."

"Harii," Kotetsu whined while Hedwig hooted indignantly.

Harry yawned and stretched, pointedly looking away from both of them as his spine popped pleasantly.

Izumo moved closer to him. "You're lucky you can fall asleep anywhere."

Harry stood and eyed the rickety chair he'd fallen asleep on. "It was the medication."

"You slept on that chair for five hours after a light lunch." Izumo snorted. "That's not just medication, that's skill."

Harry scoffed and motioned at Hedwig and Kotetsu, who'd resumed their staring contest. "What's with them?"

"Kotetsu thought you could use a syrup facial while you slept." Izumo barely suppressed his laughter.

Harry stared at him. "And you didn't stop them because?"

"I was being helpful. See," Izumo pointed at Hedwig, "she's improving her intimidation technique."

"Do you have an answer for everything?"

"I need to be prepared for when my good looks aren't enough to get me out of trouble."

Harry couldn't stop himself from grinning. "That's basically all the time, right?"

"Hey!"

An odd mix of high-pitched whistles filled the air outside and silenced everyone in the room. Hedwig tilted her head curiously, hooted at Harry and flew out one of the open windows while Izumo and Kotetsu shared unreadable looks.

"They're finally back," Izumo said.

Harry glanced between both their faces and smiled. "Naruto?"

"Look at you, so happy all of a sudden!" Kotetsu smirked slightly. "I'll head back to the tower."

As Kotetsu left, Harry followed Izumo to the village's large red gates and searched for a vivid spot of orange in the evening light.

"The gate's standby medical team already took him inside."

Harry flinched. Absently noticing that Izumo had disappeared, Harry found Sai staring at him solemnly. "What?"

"Naruto went to the hospital," Sai repeated as he came closer. "They had to be fast about it."

Harry's chest tightened uncomfortably as his mind supplied vivid images of blood soaked orange jackets and a dying Naruto.

"Naruto's fine!" Shikamaru, who Harry hadn't noticed until just then, shoved a scroll to the gate guards and joined them. "He just wore himself out with all his pre-mission training."

"So," Harry cleared his throat, "He wasn't injured?"

"He hurt his arm," Sai said and frowned at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Why are you still here?"

"I'm reassuring my team-mate's next of kin." Sai stared at Shikamaru in disappointment. "Are you unfamiliar with team-mate protocol?"

"Do you even know what reassuring means?"

"Of course, it..."

Harry interrupted them. "What happened to Naruto's arm?"

"Why don't we both go to the hospital and find out from reliable professionals," Shikamaru said, "And Sai, why don't you deal with the gate paperwork."

Sai narrowed his eyes. "I don't trust your ability to keep Harii calm during this crisis."

"Crisis?" Harry repeated.

"Too bad," Shikamaru said. "I might have injured myself during my fight, so I can't stay here and deal with the paperwork."

"You said you didn't need medical attention before," Sai said.

"And now I'm saying, maybe I do." Shikamaru pushed Harry away from the gate, through the village and into an empty waiting room in the hospital.

After more than two hours of waiting with gradually worsening thoughts, Harry gladly turned at the sound of a metallic click and stared as Shikamaru lit a cigarette. "When did you start smoking?"

Shikamaru shrugged even as took a drag of his cigarette. "Few days ago."

"Are you allowed to smoke in the hospital?"

"No." Shikamaru grimaced and rose slightly. "Is it bothering you? I can go and..."

Harry shook his head and turned to the waiting room's entrance anxiously. "They're taking too long for an injured arm."

"Post-mission check-ups are thorough, to check for poisons and things."

Harry glanced at Shikamaru pointedly.

"My check-up can wait." Shikamaru took another drag of his cigarette.

Harry knew only one other person who'd smoked. A person who'd died a 'few days ago'. "It'll be interesting to see you with a beard."

Shikamaru sputtered and coughed out a plume of smoke. He shot Harry an unreadable look and took another inhale of his cigarette. "I'm just smoking because it's soothing. There's no deeper reason."

Harry closed his eyes and leaned back, relaxing as the pungent smell of tobacco drowned out the sterile hospital smell. After a long bout of silence, he said, "Are you going to tell your mother that?"

The tobacco fumes thickened in the air. "I could switch to herbal cigarettes."

"Would you stop?"

After a few more puffs, Shikamaru said, "I could."

Harry snorted but stayed silent. Eventually the brisk click of heels made him open his eyes and turn to the entrance. Harry tensed, jumped to his feet and said, "Is he... can I see him?"

"He's fine." Even though she looked worn-out, Sakura smiled reassuringly and lead him through the hospital after dropping Shikamaru off in a check-up room. "You can only stay for a few minutes though. Civilian visiting hours are over."

"As long as I can see him."

"He's just been sedated to sleep through the entire night," Sakura said, "We're being cautious since his injury is unique. You see, the..."

Harry appreciated Sakura's explanations but he couldn't concentrate on her words as they navigated through the hospital's corridors, stepped through a metal sliding door and finally stopped near Naruto's sleeping form.

Harry watched Naruto's chest rise and fall for a few minutes before he reached out and brushed the hair away from Naruto's forehead. Comforted by the warmth under his fingers, Harry turned to the only visible injury, Naruto's heavily bandaged right arm.

It could have been so much worse, Harry reminded himself. Noticing the thread around Naruto's neck, Harry tugged it gently until he held up a familiar red omamori. Was I expecting this to keep him safe? Why didn't I use magic to help him?

He could have died! What good was fixing his sleeve if... Harry berated himself as his mind readily re-supplied images of a dying Naruto.

An insistent tapping banished his morbid thoughts.

"Hospital staff can't allow animals in a patient's room." Sakura moved to the door even as Harry stared at Hedwig on the window-sill. "Oh! I just remembered, I need to take care of something... outside for, uh, five minutes."

When the door slid shut, Harry opened the window and Hedwig swooped onto his shoulder and hooted almost inquiringly.

"He's going to be fine. He just needs to stay asleep," Harry said.

Hedwig jumped down on to Naruto's pillow.

Eager to make amends to Naruto, Harry ensured that his surroundings were relatively safe via the Homenum Revellio spell and cast the Ostenero spell on Naruto. The diagnosis spell showed Naruto's hand as a worrying mix of yellow, orange and purple blobs of colour in Harry's mind.

But knowing that he couldn't heal Naruto's arm completely without rousing suspicion, Harry decided to use magic to speed Naruto's healing. Conscious that he was short on time, Harry cast Episkey to fix some surface damage and a weak regeneration charm, Regenero,to improve Naruto's internal healing rate.

Just as Harry moved his hand back to pat Naruto's forehead, the door slid open.

"It's time to leave," Sakura said.

Hedwig huddled closer to Naruto.

Harry patted her head. "If I can't stay then you can't either."

"I'll open the window in the morning." Sakura looked directly at Hedwig. "You won't have to wait for Harii to visit."

Hedwig nuzzled Naruto's cheek, hooted softly at Harry and flew out the window.

Harry patted Naruto's forehead one last time and reluctantly moved away when Sakura closed the window and ushered him out of the hospital.

As they walked through lantern lit streets, Harry said, "You don't have to walk me home."

"It's no problem." Sakura stretched and stifled another yawn. "It's nice to meet my team-mate's relatives. Until you came along, I was the only person in Team Seven who had any family worth meeting."

"Naruto met your family?"

"No one from Team Seven has met them." Sakura sighed softly. "They're civilians."

"So am I."

"You're not as civilian as they are." Sakura hastily added, "Which is good because Naruto wouldn't be as comfortable around you."

Harry frowned, wondering what differentiated him from the other civilians. "He'd probably be a lot more comfortable if I was a ninja."

"Then he'd just worry about you doing something stupid like at the t..." Sakura paused and took a deep breath. "No, the way you are right now is perfect for him."

"You're giving me your approval?"

"For now. Until you do something stupid and try to leave him alone again," Sakura's level voice couldn't hide her frustrated anger.

Again? Slightly wary, Harry said, "I wouldn't leave him willingly."

"That's what worries me." Sakura sighed but didn't elaborate as they reached Harry's apartment building. "You can come by the hospital at six..."

x-x-x-x-x

When the insistent tugging on his hair got too painful to ignore, Harry opened his eyes and frowned up at Hedwig. She tugged on his hair again, hooted impatiently and few off in a flurry of feathers. He raised his head and winced when a page crinkled and peeled away from his face.

Ensuring that he hadn't ruined his textbook, Harry stretched and looked around his dimly lit kitchen. He flinched when he noticed the clock on his wall read five thirty and hastily got ready.

When Harry opened his apartment door, he paused for a moment before he stuck a 'gone out' sign on his door. "You're here early."

"I'm doing my team-mate duty." Sai lowered his hand and stepped back. "Are you ready to go to the hospital?"

Harry nodded and munched on an apple.

As they walked through Konoha's empty morning streets, Sai said, "I got a book from the library last night."

Startled that Sai had spoken, Harry asked, "What kind of book?"

"How to help friends heal faster."

Harry choked on his bite of apple. He coughed and said, "There are books like that?"

"There are all kinds of books in the library." Sai said, "I'm lucky I found it so easily last night."

"I didn't know libraries stayed open at night," Harry said. "But I suppose since the administrative building's ninja library is different."

"That library is for everyone. The ninja material is only accessible with proper clearance." Sai shook his head. "Anyway, the book said physical contact was the best way to help a person heal."

"That sounds weird."

Sai frowned at him. "I thought it made perfect sense."

"It doesn't," Harry said, torn between exasperation and amusement. "How can it?"

In the second it took Harry to dispose his apple core, Sai held up a book and said, "Let me read the relevant chapters."

"Wait, I don't..." Harry paused at Sai's eager expression. "Just read the important bits."

Sai smiled and read right until they reached Naruto's hospital room.

The minute Harry slid the door open and stepped in, Naruto turned to him with a frown. "Nii-san, is Heduwigu-sama mad at me?"

Harry looked around the empty room as he neared Naruto`s bed. "Why?"

"I think she was lecturing me," Naruto said. "She didn't stay quiet and she bit my ear right now before she left."

Harry snorted. "Then she was definitely lecturing you."

"As if baa-san's lectures weren't enough," Naruto huffed and rubbed his ear. "Sai, why are you giving nii-san that weird look?"

"Don't mind him." Harry just waved his hand. "He just read a book."

Naruto gave Sai a suspicious look. "What kind of book?"

Harry snickered and patted Naruto's hair gently. "Someone needs to check the books Sai reads."

"Why?"

"There's not enough physical contact." Sai interrupted their hushed conversation. "Harii, you're not helping Naruto heal faster."

"Sai." Harry continued to pat Naruto's hair as he said, "Not everything written in a book is the truth."

Sai narrowed his eyes. "You should still try it."

"The only books you can trust are recipe books."

"I don't like cooking." Sai frowned and then drooped a little. "I'll never be a good friend."

Unable to follow Sai's train of thought, Harry said, "Your mind must be an interesting place."

Sai looked up curiously. "Why..."

"Oi, you two, keep it down or you'll wake Naruto."

They both turned to the door and found Sakura frowning at them. And then they glanced at Naruto who snored softly in his sleep.

Harry pulled his hand back. "Is he supposed to go back to sleep so soon?"

Sakura stood beside Sai and smiled. "Naruto usually skips out on proper rest when he's injured."

"That doesn't answer my question," Harry pointed out.

"As long as he's injured, yes he's supposed to sleep. If he doesn't sleep, he'd move and slow his healing." Sakura grinned. "It's amazing how you made him sleep without sedation."

"I made him sleep?" Harry asked in disbelief. "I couldn't have."

Sai cleared his throat. "Of course, you did. Isn't it obvious?"

Harry shook his head.

"From the book, remember? Physical contact aids healing." Sai nodded sagely.

Sakura coughed and turned away from them, her shoulders shaking in obvious mirth.

"The book never elaborated but obviously it was correct," Sai said, whipped out the book from his pocket and stared at it respectfully.

Sakura patted Sai's shoulder fondly and carefully steered him out of the room. "You did a good job, Sai. I think you can help me with something else, you see..." She closed the door and giggled for a good minute or so before she grabbed Naruto's medical chart. Immediately after scanning the chart, Sakura activated her green glowing hands over Naruto's bandaged arm and frowned as she tapped various points on the bandage.

Harry dragged a chair close to Naruto's bed and sat silently until Sakura finally lifted her hands. "Is something wrong?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, he's healing."

"But?" Harry prompted, knowing that something had caught her attention during her long examination.

"He's healing differently."

"Is that bad?"

"No, just new." Sakura shrugged. "Everything but his chakra pathways have healed up already."

With magic I used, he couldn't have healed so fast. And what about his chakra pathways? Harry frowned in thought. "How long will he have to stay here?"

"Actually, he can leave as soon as he wakes up," Sakura said. "I just need to change his cast to something lighter. If he wakes up before I get back, make sure he stays."

When the door slid shut behind Sakura, Harry cast the Ostenero charm on Naruto. Relieved and confused at the distinct lack of colour on Naruto's injured arm, Harry recast the charm. But no matter how hard Harry concentrated, he couldn't see any of the chakra pathway damage that Sakura had mentioned.

As Harry considered the implications of that, Sakura returned and carefully cut open the bulky cast around Naruto's right hand. She smeared a thick layer gel over Naruto's unblemished skin, activated her green healing technique and pushed the gel into Naruto's skin. As she bandaged Naruto's hand, she said, "He'll be happy not to wear a cast."

"Who wouldn't be happy?" Harry looked down at his own cast.

Sakura snickered. "Will you stay here till he wakes up?"

"Yes. Will Sai be back soon?"

"Probably not. The paediatric department needed someone to keep the kids occupied," Sakura said.

"Is that safe?"

Sakura glared at him. "The kids are safe with Sai."

"I meant," Harry said, "Will he be safe from the kids?"

"Oh!" Sakura's cheeks tinged with pink as she pulled Naruto's sheet up to his neck. "It's good experience for Sai."

"Unless he reads and misunderstands another book," Harry muttered as Sakura collected her things.

Sakura snorted but said, "Let Naruto sleep for as long as possible."

Harry nodded and resigned himself to a long dull wait as Sakura left. Glad that he'd prepared for such an occasion, he pulled a book from his jacket and slouched in his chair.

By the time bright sunlight streamed in from the window and warmed his back pleasantly, Harry's mind, strained from reading about Konoha's trade laws, dreamt of food. Completely engrossed in thoughts about lunch, Harry flinched, dropped his book and almost fell off his chair when a panicked yell of "Nii-san!" cut through the silence.

Harry stood cautiously. "Naruto?"

Panicked blue eyes focussed on him before Naruto slumped in relief. "Nii-san, what..."

Harry's stomach growled loudly.

The very next moment, Naruto's stomach growled even louder.

They looked at each other, their initial embarrassment shifting into amusement, and chuckled.

Harry glanced out the window. "You woke up just in time for lunch."

"Lunch?" Naruto frowned and looked around. "But it's..."

"You fell asleep." Harry grabbed his fallen book. "Sakura said you could leave as soon as you woke up."

"Really? Awesome." Naruto jumped off the bed, pumped his hands up and promptly winced, clutching at his right hand.

"What's wrong? Should I call Sakura?" Harry stared at the newly re-bandaged hand.

"No! I just moved too fast." Naruto flayed his arms around. "Nii-san. I'm hungry."

"Fine," Harry said, after a few minutes of watching Naruto move his hands easily. "Get dressed and we'll go get lunch."

"Ramen?"

Harry shrugged.

Fifteen minutes later, after navigating Konoha's streets, they ducked under short beige curtains of the ramen stand and paused when the old man behind the counter pointed at Harry. "You!"

Harry blinked. "Me?"

"You left that huge wad of cash here, last time. Just what kind of person do you think I am?"

Harry winced, remembering his last visit to the stall. "I was... paying Naruto's tab."

"What?" The chef blinked. "Why?"

"He's my cousin," Harry said simply.

Utensils clattered and crashed at the back of the stand. A young lady joined the old man and both stared between Naruto and him.

"You can't do that," Naruto said, frowning at Harry. "That... aren't you trying to open a shop?"

"It's not like I'll ever run out of things to fix, you know. Money isn't an issue." Harry shrugged, remembering his untouched wizarding gold. "Anyway, I'm really hungry. Can I have one miso ramen, please?"

"Right." The chef cleared his throat. "The usual for you, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded absently and turned to Harry. "Nii-san..."

Harry interrupted him as they sat on the old squeaky stools. "No talking until I've eaten."

"But..."

"One large miso ramen," the chef said and placed a large bowl in front of Harry.

Naruto gaped. "Old man Teuchi, you've never made my ramen so fast!"

The chef, Teuchi, shrugged as he cut some meat. "Your cousin was lucky. I was already making some miso ramen for a delivery."

"His name is Harii," Naruto said.

Harry looked up, swallowed the noddles in his mouth hastily and said, "Nice to meet you, Teuchi-san."

Teuchi smiled. "Same here. Now, eat up. Ayame, those dishes won't clean themselves."

Harry gladly ignored everything around him until Teuchi said, "Want some more, Naruto?

Harry glanced up from his empty bowl, noticed Naruto's embarrassed head shaking and turned to Teuchi. "He just got out of the hospital so he'll need more."

"Nii-san, I'm not..." Naruto's stomach growled.

Teuchi plopped down two new bowls of ramen, one in front of Naruto and the other in front of Harry, with a grin. "You both need to eat more."

As Harry stacked his second empty bowl on Naruto's tall pile, and Naruto leaned away from the counter in obvious content, the curtain behind them flapped up noisily.

"I finally found you!"

Harry stared at the out of breath Izumo and snickered at the flower bouquet in his hands. "Got a date?"

"No! This... there's a memorial service." Izumo hesitated. "For the Temple. I just found out an hour ago. "

Harry's mind blanked.

Izumo winced. "It's not being made public so you don't..."

Even though his feet felt uncomfortably cold for some reason, Harry took a deep breath and stood.

Izumo sighed. "We better go now or we'll be late."

"Now?" Harry said in disbelief. "What kind of memorial is so rushed?"

"Konoha isn't officially affiliated with the Temple. They probably don't want the civilians to worry about us being attacked and..." Izumo shot him a sheepish look and shrugged. "Politics."

"Right," Harry said absently.

"You really don't have to go." Izumo said and raised the bouquet, "I could put this there on your behalf. That's the reason I bought the flowers in the first place."

"I can go and put it there myself, Izumo." Harry held his hand open and stared at the mix of pink and blue flowers. "But isn't this too colourful with the bluebells and..."

"Sweet pea," Naruto said softly, startling Harry slightly.

"The flower-store attendant said they meant I'm grateful and goodbye." Izumo placed the bouquet into Harry's hands. "It seemed like something you'd get just for that."

Harry stayed silent as they left the ramen stand. Unwilling to join Izumo and Naruto's conversation and eager to keep his memories away, Harry took deep breaths and memorized the route they walked, noting signs and stores as they entered less crowded streets.

By the time they stopped in a small clearing filled with a few people, Harry's mind felt blissfully blank. He easily ignored the sombre speeches and everything about him until an old man crouched beside a large rough boulder at the centre of the clearing. The old man muttered, flexed his fingers and tapped the boulder.

The stone boulder glowed blue, flowed and twisted upwards following the old man's moving hand. With a final twist and wave, the old man stepped away.

Harry stared at the boulder's new shape, feeling a mix of stunned awe and horrified queasiness. A small but distinct cross-legged Tengu sat meditating atop a pillar on which had 'Fire' inscribed on it.

Harry turned away and struggled for breath as the phantom scent of blood filled the air while the echoes of battle surrounded him.

He wanted to throw up.

He wanted to run.

"Harii-san." Gentle hands pried the bouquet from Harry's tight grip.

Harry gasped. "Sentoki?"

Sentoki smoothed out the crushed bouquet and smiled gently. "It's good to see you, Harii-san."

"I almost thought you'd died as well." Harry sighed. "No one would tell me anything about the temple after I left the hospital."

Sentoki looked towards the centre of the clearing. "I returned to the temple to help with the clean-up. The only reason I came today is because Zenza-san returned from his travels with the others and he's taken charge."

Harry looked down at the grass as a faint memory stirred and took a deep breath. "Zenza-san... the bad cook?"

Sentoki sighed fondly. "Ichigen really was a blabbermouth."

"Did you..." Harry flinched and looked up. "I mean, did anyone else from the attack..."

"Only you and me. We're the only two survivors. You survived the attack itself while I," Sentoki cleared his throat a few times and said, "I was on sentry duty."

Even though he'd assumed the worst, Harry still felt devastated. "I'm sorry."

Sentoki looked at him. "You shouldn't feel ashamed, not after what you did. In fact, you should feel proud."

Harry frowned. "What?"

Sentoki glanced back at the memorial. "You were willing to sacrifice yourself to defeat that Akatsuki-nin."

"What are you..."

"Suicide-jutsus take a strong will. And even though you failed to stop him, I think everyone respects your willingness to try." Sentoki clamped a hand on his shoulder and looked at him with slightly wet eyes. "Thank you for trying."

Harry felt more confused than incredulous at being thanked for trying to kill himself. "Everyone?"

Sentoki nodded. "The Hokage told me about your actions. I'm sure other ninja know as well."

"But I didn't..." Harry glanced around at the ninja that lingered in the clearing and noted the curious looks mingled with disbelief. Harry blinked in surprise when he saw Hedwig perched on Naruto's shoulder and frowned at Naruto's worried look.

"And then your information helped them retrieve Chiriku-sama's body."

Harry turned back to Sentoki. "What?"

"Those two wanted to collect the bounty on Chiriku-sama. He was quite famous, you know." Sentoki pushed the fixed bouquet into Harry's hands. "But the Konoha-nin intercepted them before they reached a transaction point."

"Good," Harry said. "That's good, right?"

Sentoki nodded. "It's very good."

"Good." Harry glanced down at the bouquet for a moment. "I'm glad that it's good."

"Are you ready to face the memorial?"

"No, but I can't take these flowers home." Harry took a deep breath, turned to the Tengu statue and immediately turned away with a nauseous flinch. It took a few tries but eventually, Harry placed his flowers at the base of the memorial. "I only saw the large statue in the prayer hall once but I feel like something is missing on this one."

"Our meditating Tengu statue has a staff across it's legs," Sentoki said. "That statue is one of our oldest relics, not many people have seen it up close with their own eyes."

Harry stood clumsily.

"Zenza-san said you're welcome at the Temple any time, especially after we rebuild it. He'd like to meet you."

Harry smiled. "It's being rebuilt?"

"As long as there are monks from our order who still live, the temple will always be rebuilt."

"That's ..."

"Good?" Sentoki supplied dryly.

Harry smiled even wider.

"It was good to see you. But I have to sort some things out before I head back tonight. So until we meet again, take care, Harii-san."

Harry turned back to the statue as Sentoki walked away and Hedwig landed on his shoulder. After a few minutes of silence, Harry turned away from the statue and glanced at Hedwig. "I heard you lectured Naruto in the morning."

Hedwig fluffed her feathers in obvious pride.

"Was that before or after he gave you a nice rub?"

Hedwig tugged on his earlobe with a reproachful look, flew up into the air but hovered close as he walked towards Naruto.

Naruto pointed at Izumo and Kotetsu with a grin. "Nii-san, these two said they'd pay for tonight's dinner. We should make them get cake too!"

Harry pretended not to notice Naruto's still worried eyes and said, "Kotetsu would probably put syrup on our cake, just so he could eat the whole thing."

Naruto turned to Kotetsu with a scandalized expression. "I always knew you were the meaner one."

"What?"

As Naruto and Kotetsu walked ahead and argued animatedly, Harry said, "Izumo?"

"Are you feeling tired?"

Harry shook his head. "Can I send money to the temple anonymously?"

Izumo stared at him blankly for a moment before he snorted. "I should have expected this."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I'll look in to it." Izumo slung an arm around Harry's neck and gestured up front. "I wonder what those two are arguing about now..."

x-x-x-x-x-x

Harry rushed out of his kitchen, wincing at Naruto's sleepy and irritated mumbles from the couch with each loud knock, and opened his main door.

"Yo!"

"Kakashi-san." Harry nodded and glanced at the tall man beside Kakashi. Clad in a red coat over a green outfit, the man held himself straight and shot Harry an assessing stare of his own. Harry wondered if the thick red lines that ran down Jiraiya's face from under both eyes were significant in some way.

"Harii, this is Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi said. "He wants to talk to Naruto."

"Nice to meet you but Naruto's asle..." Harry paused and turned when he heard unsteady footsteps.

Stifling a yawn, Naruto folded the garish red blanket he'd been using and glanced over Harry's shoulder. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

Harry turned back to his visitors and frowned at Kakashi's sudden absence.

"What's with that disrespectful attitude, you brat?"

"Nii-san," Naruto said and smiled at Harry, "Since it's your place, feel free to tell that old man to get lost."

"What?" The 'old-man' sputtered. "Is that the thanks I get after teaching you for three years?"

"Whatever. I'm hungry," Naruto said as he turned and headed to the kitchen.

Jiraiya frowned but didn't move from his spot.

Harry opened the door wider and stepped back. "Come in."

"Thanks." Jiraiya nodded, looking relived as he ducked down and entered the apartment with loud click-clacking steps.

Harry glanced at the man's wooden sandals for a moment but got distracted by the long white ponytail. Remembering his manners, Harry stopped his overt examination of the man, entered the kitchen and sat at the dining table.

"Did you get up early, nii-san?" Naruto asked as he pulled containers out from the fridge.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." From the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Jiraiya's momentary pause and his solemn bow to the photographs but he said, "Err, Jiraiya-san, if you need anything just help yourself."

Naruto sat opposite Harry with his plate of food. "Nii-san, you shouldn't be nice to people like ero-sennin."

Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's glass of juice, took a noisy slurp and sat beside Harry. "You could do well to learn some manners you brat."

Naruto ignored him pointedly and concentrated on his food.

"So," Jiraiya said, "I've got some free time."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "The hot springs open early these days."

Jiraiya chuckled, in an almost leering way, and shook his head. "I meant I'm free for a week or so."

"Then, I hope ba-san warns all the hot springs."

Even as he watched their easy banter, Harry wondered about Jiriaya's earlier reaction to the photos on the kitchen wall. Before he bowed, even if it was just for an instant, his eyes... The more he thought about it, the more Harry felt convinced that Jiraiya must have known or seen a red-haired Uzumaki before.

"If it's not for a mission then," Naruto's sharp voice cut through Harry's thoughts. "I don't want to travel."

"You don't want to train?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief.

Naruto shrugged. "Shouldn't you be happy that I won't be bothering you?"

"How can I be happy when you decide to do stupid things? What kind of ninja says no to training."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "You always said that injured ninja should rest."

"Don't pretend that you're suddenly taking my advice."

Wondering if he should defuse the situation, Harry searched for something to say.

"Besides," Naruto said, "Harii-nii-san is injured too."

Harry twitched and leaned away from the dining table as two stares scrutinized him.

"So that's it." Jiraiya snorted. "You're worried he'll injure himself when you're not looking."

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto yelled, before Harry could retort.

Jiraiya turned to Harry. "What do you think of a vacation with Naruto and me?"

"Don't bother nii-san!"

"Where do you plan on going?" Harry scratched his neck absently.

Jiraiya smirked for an instant. "To Yugakure. Their natural hot springs will be the perfect place for rest and inspiration."

"I knew it!" Naruto scoffed. "You just wanted a chance to peep on naked ladies."

Slightly stunned for a moment, Harry rallied himself, I need to know if he actually knew an Uzumaki. He took a deep breath and said, "I've never been to a hot springs before."

"All the more reason to go," Jiraiya said enthusiastically. "The mineral hot springs speed up healing."

Harry glanced down at his cast. "I could go."

Jiraiya clapped his hands and grinned. "Perfect. It's all settled. We'll leave for Yugakure in the evening."

Naruto sputtered. "Nothing is settled. Nii-san didn't agree to anything."

Jiraiya crossed his arms and shot Naruto a condescending look. "Are you deaf? He said he'd love to go."

"He didn't say anything like that!"

Harry cleared his throat. "I'm fine with going."

Jiraiya shot Naruto a smug look.

"But I'll need to take care of a few things. So, we'll leave tomorrow afternoon."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Jiraiya mockingly but glanced down at his plate with red cheeks when Harry chuckled.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"I can't believe Ero-sennin is late," Naruto said and slumped against the tree. He squinted against the afternoon light, glanced carefully at everyone headed their way and huffed, "after all that complaining he did yesterday."

Harry nodded absently but frowned at Naruto's loose grip on his scroll. He flinched when the scroll almost fell from Naruto's grasp and reached for it. "I'm sure my scroll won't bother anyone if it's strapped across my back."

Naruto leaned away and shook his head.

"Then, strap it across your back." Harry said. "I don't want grandmum's scroll to get damaged."

"Grandmother's?" Naruto looked down at the scroll.

"Yes!" Harry said. "So, strap it across your back."

"Okay." Naruto didn't move.

Harry huffed, grabbed the straps with his uninjured hand and fiddled until he fixed the scroll across Naruto's back. "Better?"

Naruto nodded and clutched the scroll's edge with his bandaged hand as Jiraiya finally showed up alongside a more energetic looking Kakashi.

"What's wrong with you?" Jiraiya frowned at Naruto. "Had a fight with Tsunade's brat?"

Naruto snapped out of his daze but tightened his grip around the scroll. "Why would I fight with Sakura-chan?"

"Then, stop daydreaming so we can go." Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

"Now, now," Kakashi intervened just as Naruto opened his mouth to yell. "Be sure to rest, Naruto."

"I'm not just going to rest, Kakashi-sensei. I'm going to train," Naruto said confidently.

Jiraiya scoffed. "Yesterday you said you didn't want my training."

"If it's useful," Naruto narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya and said, "I'll learn it."

As the two started arguing, Harry turned to Kakashi hoping for another intervention.

But Kakashi had disappeared, yet again.

Just as Harry resigned himself to being delayed, a bright white spot zoomed down, landed on Naruto's shoulder and screeched at Jiraiya until he raised his hands in a placating manner of surprised surrender.

Hedwig chirped triumphantly, nuzzled Naruto's cheek and flew to Harry's shoulder.

"I can't believe Izumo was right." Harry rubbed Hedwig's beak. "You've improved your intimidation technique. Good job."

Jiraiya cleared his throat noisily and walked away from them. "Let's go."

Naruto grinned as they followed Jiraiya out of Konoha's gates.

For four hours until they took their first break, Naruto kept talking to Harry. What started as a talk about plants soon moved into discussions about birds, food, dislike of hospitals, Sai and cake flavours. Other than the occasional correction, Jiraiya seemed content to let the two of them talk as he walked ahead.

"I could use a snack." Jiraiya said as they stopped by a small fast flowing stream. "What do you two say about getting some dan..."

Naruto yelped, jumped to Jiraiya and whispered frantically in his ear.

Jiraiya settled on a high rock with an unreadable expression. "I was going to say daifuku, when we reached Yugakure."

"I haven't eaten daifuku since I passed through Kozakai. But we're still far from Yugakure, right?" Harry dipped his bare feet in the stream and pulled out a large packet of sandwiches from his backpack. "Good thing I prepared this."

Naruto reluctantly gave Jiraiya a few sandwiches before he settled beside Harry and dipped his own bare feet in the stream.

"Kozakai, huh?" Jiraiya chewed noisily for a while. "Did you stop at the Butterfly Orchid?"

Harry nodded. "Everyone in the caravan pulled me there for tea. They seemed to like those annoying butterflies flying around."

Jiraiya chuckles but Naruto hastily swallowed his sandwich and said, "What caravan?"

"The one I travelled to Konoha with. I met them accidentally but stayed with them because they were headed to Konoha." Harry leaned forward and stared at the tiny silver fish near his feet. "I wonder where they are right now."

"Have you been anywhere else?" Jiraiya asked.

"I passed through Wave and... hold on." Harry frowned as he recalled his time in Wave and turned to Naruto. "The Great Naruto Bridge?"

Naruto blinked in surprise and looked away in obvious embarrassment. "You heard about that?"

"Sort of." Harry rubbed Hedwig's head absently. "The locals... well, the one who told me the story of the bridge, I'm pretty sure she didn't mention the name Uzumaki, otherwise I would have realized earlier."

Naruto just huffed. "I'll just have to tell you the complete story myself."

Jiraiya snorted and stood. "Talk while we walk, brat."

For the next four hours as the sky darkened, Naruto regaled Harry with detailed stories about his 'cool' missions. Even though Naruto probably played down the danger he'd been in, Harry listened attentively as they crossed Fire country's border into the humid country of Hot Water.

Harry looked around curiously as they entered the small village of Yugakure. "Isn't this village supposed to be Konoha's equivalent in Hot Water Country?"

Jiraiya seemed to understand Harry's confusion. "The hot springs here earn the most money in the entire country. So even though it's small, it's the most important village in this country."

Somewhere between entering the village and settling in their large hotel room, after the long peaceful trip from Konoha, Naruto and Jiraiya finally started another argument. Since Hedwig had gone off to explore her new surroundings earlier, Harry hastily scribbled a note – Went to the hot springs already- and left the two to bicker.

Harry entered the empty bathing area and relaxed when he found a sign that clearly listed the hot springs' rules and etiquette. He folded his clothes into one of the baskets but kept his wand holster on as he grabbed a towel and entered a bathing station. He checked his surroundings via the Homenum Revelio, removed his arm holster and freed his wand.

"Occulus Transeo." Harry tapped the holster with his wand and smiled at the comfortable rush of magic. Acutely aware that people could enter any time, he hurriedly bathed, reattached his charmed holster and moved to the outdoor hot spring.

Ignoring his fogged up glasses, Harry entered the pool being extra careful with his cast even though he kept both hands on the stony edge. Harry didn't know how much time had passed, but he sunk deeper into the pool when the door slid open and two familiar arguing voices filled the air.

"You brat, just wait till... No! What's this wall doing here?" Jiraiya banged the wooden wall on one side of the pool. "This was supposed to be a mixed bathing pool."

Naruto chuckled as he entered the water. "They knew you were coming, Ero-sennin."

"How can I get inspired without the ladies?" Jiraiya lamented even as he settled into the pool.

Naruto pointedly turned to Harry. "Do you like the hot springs so far?"

"It's good," Harry said simply.

"Ah yes," Jiraiya nodded. "It's your first time in a hot spring pool. Too bad that separating wall is ruining your experience."

Harry shrugged in reply.

"Though," Jiraiya said after a moment. "I wonder why you've never been to one before."

Harry shrugged again. "There weren't any hot springs close to where I came from. Before I made the trip to Konoha I never had a reason to travel far from home."

"Oh? What changed? Weren't there enough hot chicks to keep you there?"

Harry retorted rather sharply. "My godfather died."

Naruto gasped and Jiraiya's smirk vanished.

You ruined the mood, idiot, Harry berated himself. After an awkward silence, Harry rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, I didn't..."

"It must have been hard," Jiraiya said, his eyes completely sincere even as he glanced at Naruto for a moment.

"Still is." Harry sighed and changed the subject. "So, what are we having for dinner?"

Naruto finally spoke. "We can't let Ero-sennin choose our dinner."

"Why not," Jiraiya said immediately.

"Because you'll only get sake and chicken karaage."

"What's wrong with that?"

Naruto scoffed. "It just shows your stinginess, Ero-sennin."

"It's called smart money management, you fool."

Harry sunk a little deeper into the water as their argument escalated into ridiculous name-calling and water splashing.

x-x-x-x-x

"All right, I'm off!" Jiraiya said and walked out of their room with a wave.

Harry blinked in surprise as the door slid shut. "Where is he going without eating dinner?"

"A bar probably," Naruto shrugged as he filled a bowl with the food. "It's what he does the first night he enters a new village."

"Really?"

"He may be a pervert but there are times when he can be serious too. He probably won't come back till just before sunrise."

"I see," Harry said, wondering about Jiraiya's habit, as he combed through his slightly damp hair.

"Most of the time I was busy training, anyway." Naruto placed the bowl in front of Harry and began filling another. "Sometimes instead of getting a room first, he'd go to a brothel to talk to the workers there. I'd go with his sometimes."

"And how many brothels did you visit in three years?"

"It wasn't that bad," Naruto said hastily. "It was actually fun, you know."

Harry stared at him. "Fun?"

"Not that kind of fun!" Naruto said and his cheeks flushed red. "I meant hearing people's stories, I didn't do anything..."

Harry tutted but grinned. "What would Sakura say if she knew?"

"Nii-san!"

"All right, I won't tell," Harry chuckled and grabbed his chopsticks. As dinner progressed, Harry detected an underlying tenseness beneath all of Naruto's easy chatter. When they finished eating, Harry said, "Is something bothering you?"

Naruto glanced up in worry. "What?"

"Ever since your mission, you've been..." Harry paused, unwilling to say 'clingy'. But it's true, I haven't been left alone ever since... Hoping he was over-thinking things, Harry weakly asked, "Do you think I'm suicidal?"

Naruto gasped and his eyes widened.

"You do!" Harry frowned. "Is this because of what I supposedly did at the temple? How did that fake rumour even start?"

"Fake rumour?" Naruto said, "So you didn't try to perform a suicide jutsu to defeat the Akatsuki?"

"No! Definitely not."

Naruto slumped in relief. "He sounded so proud when he said he survived your jutsu."

"He survived?" Harry grimaced. "That Akatsuki...?"

Naruto nodded, confirming that his mission had been connected to the temple attack just like Harry had feared.

"But why would he say I used a suicide justsu..." Harry paused as he thought of something bizarre, unless he didn't throw me to the storage room. If I somehow disappeared after casting the Stupefy, but how...

"Even though everyone else believed it, I didn't, I just thought you did something that looked like a suicide justu to help those monks." Naruto bit his lip. "But today when you said your godfather died, you seemed so sad..."

Harry winced, remembering how he had been willing to die mere minutes after Sirius's death, but he said, "I don't know how to use my chakra for anything useful let alone for a suicide jutsu. Besides, why would I want to die when I just found you?"

Naruto bit his lip.

"But, maybe this is a sign for me to tell you about..." Harry looked at Naruto. "Aren't you curious about what I used?"

"As long as you don't use it again, I don't care."

"Naruto," Harry took a deep breath and unholstered his wand, "it really wasn't a suicide jutsu." With familiar movements and incantations, his wand shot out brightly coloured and colourless spells that seeped into every part of the hotel room -door, windows, walls, ceiling and floor- securing it from eavesdroppers and any surprise visitors.

"That," Harry cleared his throat. "That was what I used."

Naruto stared at him, thankfully looking more curious and confused than frightened.

"Magic," Harry said simply. When Naruto's expression turned incredulous, Harry tapped his wand against an empty grey bowl, casting an easier third year transfiguration spell. "Lapifors."

Naruto gaped as the bowl morphed into a tiny grey rabbit. He prodded it and froze when it hopped off the table, away from him.

Harry tapped a few more empty utensils with another easy Transfiguration spell he'd mastered, "Avifors." A vivid blue light engulfed each object and soon a small flock of chirping blue birds flew above their heads leaving Harry surprised but thrilled at the ease of his spell-casting.

Naruto glanced between the birds and the rabbit in wonder. "How'd you..."

"Finite Incantatum," Harry pointed his wand at the hopping rabbit. As it shifted back into a grey bowl, Harry turned to the flock of birds and waved his wand. "Immobulus."

The birds froze in mid-air, their wings in various stages of flight.

To Harry's surprise, Naruto stood and gently caught one of the frozen birds. Harry let him examine it for a few minutes, before he pointed his wand at it. "Finite Incantatum."

Naruto yelped as the bird shifted back into a cup which crashed down to the floor and broke.

"Reparo."

"That," Naruto said and picked the fixed cup, "is that how you fixed my sleeve?"

Harry nodded.

Naruto glanced up at the remaining frozen birds and sat back down at the table. "Magic."

"I wasn't born here... I mean," Harry said.

"In Fire country? I know that." Naruto gently placed the cup on the table. "Ba-chan said you came from one of the islands."

Harry shook his head. "I wasn't born on any place that you've heard of. My birth-land is... It's in another dimension, or well, something like that. Where I come from, people don't have or use chakra. But there are a few... like me, who use magic."

Naruto nodded hesitantly and looked up at the frozen birds again.

"After my godfather died in June, I found out about the Uzumaki clan and I wanted to meet another Uzumaki. There was this rock which took my blood and opened a portal or something to Whirlpool, where the Uzumaki were supposed to be." Harry winced, realising that his entire rushed explanation sounded so ridiculously unbelievable.

"I've never heard of Whirlpool," Naruto said.

"They call it Redpool now. There's only empty ruins there, no living Uzumaki."

Naruto flinched.

"But I didn't want to believe that was no other Uzumaki alive." Harry decided not to mention Akira just yet, not until Naruto got comfortable with everything else. "I didn't come to Konoha to start a business. I came there searching for you."

Naruto clutched the front of his jacket. "For me?"

"Well, not you exactly, just survivors from the clan because people said that refugees always went to Konoha for safety."

"And you found me." Naruto said, his eyes distant.

Harry stayed silent, unable to gauge whether Naruto accepted everything. But he didn't ask about the rock...

"When I was younger," Naruto said softly, almost to himself. "I always imagined that someone cool would come to Konoha, find me and say we were family."

"I suppose I'm not as cool as you imagined," Harry said after a while.

"You're not." Naruto glanced up at the frozen birds. "You're kind of better than anything I imagined."

"So," Harry cleared his throat. "Do you want to see some more magic?"

Naruto grinned. "A bigger animal."

My transfiguration isn't the best, Harry thought. "How about a spirit guardian? Mine is an animal."

Naruto paled slightly. "Spirit?"

"Guardian. It protects your soul from..." Harry said, "things."

"Like ghosts? I don't like ghosts. They're scary and evil. And I know they eat souls."

"Okay. Yeah sure, protection from evil ghosts." Harry didn't have to struggle to latch onto happy memories. "Expecto Patronum." A translucent silver stag emerged from the tip of his wand, which looked slightly larger than usual, cantered around the room for a few minutes before it bowed it's head and disappeared.

"Oh! I should have done this first." Harry pulled out his two-way mirror. "Ron! Hermione! Anyone there?"

Naruto turned away from the spot where the Patronus had disappeared and looked at Harry sceptically.

But then the mirror surface rippled and a relieved face appeared. "Harry?"

"What happened? Is Harry in trouble?" An older male voice said, "Does he need help?"

Harry gaped at Remus Lupin's concerned voice.

"Don't worry." Hermione smiled reassuringly. "Professor Lupin signed our secrecy contract."

Harry wondered if he'd misheard. "Contract?"

Hermione nodded. "They're using a decoy to hide that you're missing. We promised to help but only if we could use a magical contract."

"They?"

Ron leaned in from the side. "The few people who know you're missing, like the new Minister."

"Is my decoy going to be someone who drinks polyjuice potion?" Harry paused. "Wait, you don't have my hair."

"You're forgetting something," Hermione said, "Tonks is a metamorphmagus."

Harry frowned. "But she's female!"

Hermione shrugged. "She's very convincing with the physical resemblance."

"And her clumsiness?"

"Like a drunk dancing dragon," Ron said, even as his lips twitched. "Fred's exact words when we watched Tonks pretending to be you."

"The twins saw?" Harry winced.

Ron nodded sympathetically.

"Anyway," Hermione said, "The Tonks decoy plan can work in your favour especially with the contract and..."

"But she can't act like me!" Harry interrupted.

Ron nodded. "They wanted to fake a throat injury so she wouldn't have to speak."

"We agreed to help her act like you but only if she signed a contract to not share any information about your current whereabouts... I added a lot more stipulations in there, don't worry." Hermione seemed a little annoyed as she said, "Actually, because of the underage law, Professor Lupin added them when he created the contract and signed it."

"You make everything sound ridiculously simple."

"The contract isn't the only thing we'll be using." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Professor Lupin mentioned something about Unbreakable Vows... which is, well, we'll do everything to keep your location secret."

Harry sighed but nodded."Out of curiosity, what's the consequence of breaking the contract?"

Hermione grinned, looking rather sinister.

Harry grimaced.

"Nii-san?"

Harry looked up from the mirror with a sheepish look. "Sorry Naruto, my friends were giving me some news."

"I couldn't understand anything you were saying." Naruto glanced at the mirror warily. "Is everything okay?"

"No," Harry said, "But it's not important right now..."

Hermione gasped loudly. "Is that him? Did you finally tell him? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"I didn't tell him everything," Harry said, looking back at her through the mirror, "just enough to..."

Ron tugged the mirror towards him. "I can't see him."

Hermione slapped away Ron's hand.

As they squabbled over the mirror, Harry motioned for Naruto to come closer and turned the mirror.

Naruto stared at the mirror with wide eyes as Ron and Hermione argued loudly. Just as Harry was about to explain things, Naruto said, "His hair is so orange."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

Then Hermione babbled incoherently and Ron blurted out, "Na.. roo... toh?"

Harry cringed but Naruto leaned closer to the mirror and said, "He knows my name!"

"They both know your name. I told them about you ages ago. The orange-haired one," Harry stifled a snicker, glad that Ron couldn't understand him and said, "is Ron. And the girl beside him is Hermione. They're my best friends."

"Ronu?" Naruto repeated.

"He said my name first!" Ron whooped. "Hello, Na... ooof."

Harry turned the mirror in exasperation. "Should I call you two later?"

"No!" Ron and Hermione yelled together.

Naruto fumbled with, "Huro..."

Harry turned the mirror back to the Naruto at Hermione's excited look.

"Her- my-oh-nee" Hermione coaxed gently.

Naruto mouthed the name for a while but finally shook his head. "Nee-san."

"Nay...san?" Hermione frowned. "That's nothing like my name."

Harry said in English, "That's like calling you sister."

Hermione tutted. "No need to look so jealous, Harry."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Never mind that." Ron snorted. "Am I the only one shocked that we're relying on Harry to translate things? Look at him, being all bilinear."

"It's bilingual, Ron." Hermione nodded. "But, it is rather shocking."

"You know," Harry glared at them through the mirror. "You two make Crabbe and Goyle look like wonderful supportive friends."

The three of them stared at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing.

Naruto looked between Harry and the mirror with a wide smile.

A gruff voice interrupted them. "Can I talk to him now?"

Hermione and Ron winced and shot Harry a questioning look but gave Remus the mirror when he nodded at them.

"Hello, Harry." Remus examined Harry's face carefully before he smiled. "Seems like you've been busy."

Harry nodded and motioned at Naruto. "I'd like you to meet my cousin, Naruto."

"Who's that?" Naruto whispered even as he waved obligingly.

"He's Remus." Harry said, marvelling at his ability to switch between languages easily. "He's one of my parent's friends."

"Doesn't he eat enough?" Naruto twitched and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "No, I mean... he can't understand me, right?"

"He said something rude, didn't he?" Remus huffed and smiled at Naruto. "His eyes, the colour might be different, but it's just like Lily's and yours. So easy to read."

Harry glanced at Naruto's eyes and smiled.

"But," Remus's voice turned serious, "is he old enough to have those facial tattoos?"

"How do you expect us not to called Professor when you say things like that..." Ron said, making Harry laugh as he translated for Naruto.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Staring at that bowl isn't going to make more food appear," Jiraiya said in exasperation. "How can you still be hungry after eating so much breakfast?"

Naruto huffed and pushed the empty bowl in embarrassment. "Are you going to teach me anything today?"

Jiraiya hummed thoughtfully.

Harry stifled a tired yawn, sipped his tea and watched them through bleary eyes as the silence stretched.

"Did you fall asleep with your eyes open, ero-sennin?" Naruto said.

Why is Naruto so wide awake? Harry took another sip of his tea. Especially after keeping me up with his questions...

"Still no patience, brat," Jiraiya muttered and looked away from Naruto blankly. "Looks like you'll have to re-do the waterfall meditation with Gama."

"No way!" Naruto gasped. "He's super strict."

"That's why I'm choosing him," Jiraiya stood and hesitated as he glanced at Harry.

"I'll see you two later tonight, then." Harry stifled another yawn and waved them off nonchalantly.

After they left, Harry finished his breakfast, ignored the nagging impulse to catch up on his sleep and went out into the village. To Harry's surprise, his day passed by in a buzz of activities. He returned to the hotel room after a long soak in the hot springs and found only Jiraiya seated on the hotel room's outside balcony.

"Looks like you were busy," Jiraiya said as he glanced at the bags that Harry had left in the room earlier.

Harry nodded and shook out his damp hair. "Is Naruto still training?"

"Yes, and your bird is keeping him company." Jiraiya said, "So what did you do?"

"I ate, bought some stuff, talked and somehow," Harry stopped himself from rubbing his forehead in irritation as he admitted, "even advertised my business."

"Seems like you managed just fine on your own." Jiraiya snorted. "I don't know why that brat wanted to check up on you."

"Naruto wanted to check up on me?"

Jiraiya hummed and nodded before he patted a spot beside him on the balcony and raised a ceramic flask that Harry recognized as a sake bottle. "Come have a drink with me. Dinner's here."

Harry would have declined. But his thoughts stopped him, This could be the perfect chance to ask him if he knew any Uzumaki. If he became drunk while I stayed sober... Harry cleared his throat and walked forward. "You do know I'm only sixteen, right?"

"Are you telling me you've never had alcohol before?"

"I did, but only because my friends thought it was necessary education." Harry stepped through the sliding door, out of the room and on to the balcony. He took a deep breath of the night air, sat down beside Jiraiya and stared at the single large platter. "That's dinner?"

"You have something against chicken karaage?"

"Chicken karaage and sake." Harry blinked. "I thought Naruto was exaggerating about your dinner habits."

"Try it before you comment," Jiraiya said as he poured some sake into two small saucer-like cups. "Also, you can't refuse a drink I've already poured."

"What would happen if I refused?" Harry grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

"Then I wouldn't have a drinking partner. And I wouldn't share dinner."

Harry snorted and snagged a bite-sized piece of chicken with his chopsticks when he didn't find any empty bowls. Even before he swallowed the flavourful chicken, Harry grabbed another piece.

"No more complaints about my food choices?"

Harry said, "Who'd complain about free food?"

Jiraiya chuckled and raised his saucer. "To new acquaintances and drinking partners."

Surprised that the toast wasn't a 'Kanpai' – from Akira's etiquette lessons- but glad that Jiraiya wasn't using formal dining etiquette, Harry clinked his saucer against Jiraiya's and emptied it. Grimacing for an instant at the alcoholic bitterness, Harry turned back to the chicken.

"That chicken isn't going anywhere." Jiraiya refilled their saucers and looked at him expectantly.

How will I stay sober like this? Harry twitched, moved his chopsticks to his cast-bound left hand again and raised his saucer. "To... weird and unpredictable people."

Jiraiya snorted and clinked his saucer against Harry's. After they ate quietly for a while, Jiraiya said, "To beautiful women, who always vanish when you want them near."

That's it! Harry raised his saucer but concentrated on a spell. Evanesco. He winced as he sipped the un-vanished sake still in his saucer. Determined to get information from Jiraiya by staying sober, Harry reminded himself that he'd vanished animals for his O.W.L.s and raised the saucer to his lips again. Evanesco.

Harry smiled when the sake vanished before he could take another sip.

As the hours passed and the food finished, Harry vanished most of his sake instead of drinking it but kept his eyes half-closed in an attempt to look drowsy.

"You've got a nice alcohol tolerance." Jiraiya clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Good! It would've been dull if you passed out."

Harry just nodded as Jiraiya refilled their saucers.

"Naruto, that brat, never wanted to drink with me." Jiraiya's words slurred slightly. "What was my last toast?"

Harry shrugged lazily in reply.

"You're right. It doesn't matter," Jiraiya said as he looked up. "It's just nice to drink and talk under the starry sky."

Talk? You've just been making stupid toasts. Harry pushed back his thoughts and stared into his saucer moodily.

"Did I tell you that Naruto wanted to check up on you?" Jiraiya didn't wait for an answer. "Never saw him that worried before. Not even with Sasuke. But I guess, likeable relatives are different."

Harry took a small sip of his sake and vanished the remaining. "Sasuke?"

"People will do strange things for their family." Jiraiya emptied his saucer. "You're Naruto's family. You two share blood."

What happened to Sasuke? Harry twitched but said, "So?"

"Family complicates things."

"Life would be dull without complications." After a few long minutes of silence, Harry turned and frowned at Jiraiya's stare. "What?"

Jiraiya shrugged and filled their saucers. "Just remembering."

"You're supposed to forget," Harry raised his saucer and said, "with the alcohol."

"Some things can't be forgotten," Jiraiya said solemnly.

"I wish they could."

Jiraiya raised his saucer. "Don't we all?"

Harry clinked his saucer against the other, but didn't sip or vanish his sake. Instead he stared into the sake, realising that his get-Jiraiya-drunk-for-answers plan wouldn't work.

It couldn't.

"You know," Jiraiya said, "For a quiet drunk, you sound remarkably sober now."

"Like you're one to talk. You're the worst fake drunk I've ever seen," Harry said and mentally berated himself for not noticing or suspecting Jiraiya's act earlier.

"So we just spent the past three hours pretending to be drunk?" Jiraiya groaned. "I'm losing my touch if a teenager can keep up with me."

"Well, you are old." Harry sipped his sake, wary of vanishing it since Jiraiya was paying close attention to him.

Jiraiya scoffed. "I'm in my prime, just ask the ladies."

"That would be useless." Harry emptied his saucer and revelled in the comforting warmth. "Besides your extreme lecherousness is just an act."

Jiraiya chuckled. "An act?"

"It's an act when you're around Naruto," Harry corrected.

"And why would I need to act like that around him?"

"Because you can't stand looking at him for long, can you?" Harry said blandly. Before he could stop himself, he added, "Who do you see when you look at him? His parents?"

Jiraiya turned to him abruptly. "What?"

"People looked at me with that expression you have around Naruto sometimes." Harry sipped his sake and looked up at the starry night sky. "I never understood why until they told me that I looked exactly like my father but had my mother's eyes."

Jiraiya stayed silent.

"First, I was happy with that but... anyway, you should tell him soon. He's important to you, right?" Harry decided to lighten the mood but winced as he blurted out, "And you're old, what if you just drop dead?"

After a few minutes of silence, Jiraiya said, "Do you resent them?"

Harry made a questioning sound.

"Do you resent the people who knew your parents? The ones who had a chance to…" Jiraiya paused uncertainly.

"Yes." Harry placed his empty saucer down. "But then I thought, why bother? I was their first child, those other people never saw my parents as… parents, you know? They could have been shitty, abusive parents."

"You don't believe that," Jiraiya said softly.

"No. But sometimes that consoled me and I didn't feel so bad about being alone." Harry re-filled his saucer to the brim. "You know what's the most disgusting thing? Some part of me still hopes that they were terrible." He emptied his saucer in one gulp and stood. "Time to get some sleep, I think."

x-x-x-x-x-x

Harry woke up late in the afternoon the next day, judging by the light outside. Halfway through the drudgery of dressing with one arm in a cast, Harry cringed as he remembered the previous night.

Even with his light intake of alcohol, he'd gotten stupidly careless. Deciding that it was safest to stay just inside and read, Harry pulled out a book and lay back down. He didn't know how much time had passed as he squinted at the text in the book and re-read an annoyingly complicated paragraph.

"Nii-san!"

Harry looked up from the book in surprise. "Naruto? When did you get back?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "Uzumaki Kushina."

"What..." Harry blinked at the expectant look on Naruto's face and sat up.

"Mom! My mom. That was her name." Naruto bit his lip and sat beside Harry. "He knew her. He knew her name. And she had red hair like in your photos and... he knew."

Even though Harry has suspected it, he felt shocked.

"I travelled with him for three years, why didn't he ever tell me?"

Harry shrugged.

"He should have told me. But he didn't and..." Naruto clenched his fists till they were white. "I think I hate him now."

"Do you want to kill him?"

Naruto flinched and looked at Harry. "No! I'd never..."

Harry shushed him and patted his hair gently. "Then, you're just disappointed in him."

"I'm happy that I know. But..." Naruto slumped down and whispered, "It hurts worse than before."

Harry wrapped his good arm around Naruto's shoulders, hating the raw ugly emotions in Naruto's voice. But he flinched, feeling completely useless when Naruto trembled. Desperate to distract Naruto, Harry said, "Why don't the two of us camp out tonight? We'll be far from Jiraiya."

Naruto stilled for an instant and mumbled.

"I have supplies in my scroll." Thrilled that he'd gotten something of a reply, Harry tentatively said, "And since we'll be away from people, I could show you some more magic."

Naruto sniffed, looked up and turned to Harry with a slightly wry smile.

"What?" Harry said uncomfortably. "Do you want me to get you some food or something?"

Naruto's smiled widened even though his eyes seemed slightly wet.

Harry huffed and stood up. "Just pack up while I write a note for Jiraiya."

Even though Naruto moved slightly slower than usual, it took them less than an hour to pack up, walk through the village and find a secluded spot in the surrounding woods.

Harry unsealed his magical tent and cast a variety of spells around it while Naruto sat on a tree stump despondently. Feeling slightly devious, Harry said, "Naruto, can you check if there's enough space in the tent for the both of us."

Naruto nodded absently and entered the tent. "Nii-san!" He stuck his head out of the tent with wide eyes.

"We need more space?"

"There's a kitchen... in the tent."

"Of course," Harry said. "I like to travel in style."

Naruto blinked and burst out laughing.

Harry smothered his own laughter and struggled to look 'offended'. "I'm not stylish?"

"No, I mean, stylish people are, uh..." Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "People who stand out. But you don't need to be stylish because... you're cool!"

Even though Harry really wanted to laugh, he tugged on his hair and said, "It's the hair, isn't it? My hair just ruins any style I could have had."

"No! Your hair is awesome," Naruto placated. "It's like you just came out of a storm."

Harry snorted and lost control of his laughter. "Who knew it would so easy to prank a prankster?"

"Well, your hair is stupid!" Naruto ducked back into the tent.

"Stupid?" Harry entered the tent and dumped his backpack on the tent floor. "What if my hair was a different colour?"

"It wouldn't help!" Naruto grouched for a moment before he smiled. "But I'd look awesome with red hair."

"You'd look like a girl."

"No way!" Naruto said, looking offended. "I'd look awesome."

Harry snickered as he pulled unsealed a pair of sleeping bags. "As a girl, you mean?"

"You're just jealous that you wouldn't look good with red hair!"

"Really?"

Naruto nodded.

Harry unholstered his wand with a flick of his hand, waved it above his head. "Colovaria." His entire scalp and face tingled and Naruto's eyes widened. Harry grinned. "You were saying?"

Naruto turned away. "I'd look better than you."

Harry waved his wand again and grinned when Naruto yelped and rubbed his scalp as every strand of hair on his head changed into the Uzumaki-red that Harry had pictured. He pulled Naruto to the tent wall that had a mirror on it, smirked at their reflection and ruffled his own red hair. "Admit it, as a redhead I totally outclass you."

Naruto eyed the matching red hair with an odd expression before he grinned and said, "Nii-san, you need better glasses. I'm obviously more of a hunk with red hair."

Harry chuckled, relieved by Naruto's light-hearted mood. "Speaking of red hair, there's something that I need to give you." Harry grabbed his scroll, opened one of the seals and pulled out a long black glove.

"I don't wear gloves."

"I noticed. Anyway this isn't just any old glove. It's the clan's main training equipment."

Naruto gaped.

"The Uzumaki could create solid chakra weapons," Harry said, paraphrasing what his Grandmother had written in her letter. "And this glove trained that ability."

"Chakra weapons?" Naruto stared at the old glove. "How'd you..."

"I searched the ruins." Remembering Naruto's dislike of ghosts, Harry decided not to mention Akira's insistence in finding the glove. "After reading grandmum's letter."

"Have you tried it?" Naruto asked.

Harry shook his head. "I never knew what my own chakra felt like until I came to Konoha."

"Don't you want to try it?"

"Tell you what," Harry said, "When you master using that, you can teach me how to use it."

"Teach you?"

"You think I'll be a bad student?"

"No way!" Naruto looked positively scandalized. "You're smarter than me."

Harry snorted. "I highly doubt that. Go on, try the glove before we have lunch. I'm curious about it."

Naruto looked around the tent and said, "Maybe we should try it outside."

Harry sat on a tree stump, while Naruto mumbled to himself and stared at the glove. He watched intently as the glove glowed bright blue. But in the split-second he blinked, the glow disappeared and a few trees fell backwards. "What just happened?"

"I think I used too much chakra." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and grinned. "But it was so cool. There was a huge blade and it wasn't even my wind-nature..."

Harry held up a hand. "Master it and then explain it to me. And I'll go prepare lunch while you... don't pay attention apparently." Harry grinned at a job-well-done when Naruto concentrated on the glove again and moved to the tent. He paused just before ducking into the tent under the flaps when he hard a loud screech.

Hedwig swept into the tent with a soft hoot, landed on her perch and promptly fell asleep. Confident that Naruto was sufficiently distracted from gloomy thoughts, Harry started on lunch only to pause when Naruto entered the tent holding the glove in his hand. "Naruto?"

"Do you think mom had one of these too?" When Harry didn't answer, Naruto said, "I don't know about about her. And I won't ever know."

Knowing that lunch wouldn't be enough of a distraction, Harry unsealed his photo album, opened and pushed it in to Naruto's hands.

"Photos? What..." Naruto looked down, yelped and threw the album away. "They're moving. Haunted photographs!"

Harry was torn between outrage and amusement as he reopened the album. "I want you to see my godfather, Sirius. He was named after the Dog Star."

Naruto stared at the smiling man in the photographs. "That really bright star?"

Harry nodded. "He was a prankster so he would have loved to meet you."

"I'm not very likeable."

"Most people would say Sirius wasn't very likeable either." Harry shrugged and pointed to his parents beside Sirius. "You know who these two are, don't you?"

Naruto nodded.

"I don't know what kind of tea they liked. I don't even know if they liked tea. There's so many things about them that I don't know. And even though Sirius knew them, I never asked him about those things. It wasn't important."

"Why?" Naruto whispered.

"Because of something Sirius told me. He said that the ones that love us never really leave us." Harry held a hand over his heart and looked at Naruto. "They remain in here."

"What if..."

Harry leaned forward and placed his hand over Naruto's heart, just like Sirius had done. "Your mother loved you, Naruto. There's no reason she wouldn't."

Naruto grabbed the front of his jacket absently and turned back to the photograph. "Shouldn't we put his photograph on the wall?"

Not completely sure that Naruto's deflection was a good thing, Harry still leaned back and replied, "If I can make his photograph stop moving, then I'll put it up."

Naruto turned the pages carefully, examining ever photo blankly until he reached the last quarter of the album. "What's with your hair?"

"That photo was taken two years ago, when I was experimenting with my hair," Harry said defensively as he glanced at the photograph of Hermione, Ron and himself taken at the Quidditch world cup.

"They're both laughing at your hair!" Naruto said, his lips twitching upwards slightly.

"Yes," Harry said in exasperation. "But I think they were just jealous of how... swishy my hair was in the wind."

"As if!" Naruto perked up. "Oh, can we talk to them now?"

"Not today," Harry said, "It's the first of September, so they'll be too busy to chat. But we can send them a message." Even though Naruto looked excited, Harry added, "After lunch."

After lunch and a long messaging session where Harry translated all of Naruto's questions to Ron and Hermione, Naruto pestered Harry into demonstrating some more magic.

A flock of orange birds kept them company -and annoyed Hedwig- as Harry vanished, summoned and changed the size of things, cooked dinner and performed a whole lot of other spells. Though he'd never admit it out loud, Naruto's awed delight pushed Harry to perform complex and flashier spells even as he grew tired. "So any last requests before bed?"

Naruto mumbled softly and ducked his head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Nothing." Naruto shuffled deeper in to his sleeping bag.

Harry snorted but concentrated on Naruto's face and waved his wand. "Expecto Patronum."

The silvery stag galloped around the tent before it stopped just within Naruto's reach and lowered it's head slightly. Naruto shuffled deeper in to his sleeping bag, his gaze never shifting from the Patronus.

Harry turned to the Patronus, surprised that it had focussed on Naruto without searching for any dementors in the vicinity first. Even though he had concentrated on creating the Patronus for Naruto, he hadn't expected to act any different.

When the silvery light of the Patronus finally disappeared, Harry turned to Naruto. "So why..." He paused, noticing Naruto's soft snores and went outside to check the spells that he'd placed around their camping area.

Satisfied that nothing would interrupt them during the night, Harry went to sleep with an untroubled mind.

Only to wake up when something vaguely menacing prickled against his senses. None of his barrier spells had been activated, so Harry knew it couldn't be an intruder. Just as Harry sleepily dismissed it as remnants of a nightmare, a pained whimper cut through the silence inside the tent.

It sounded like an animal was in pain.

Harry sat up and grabbed his glasses as the whimpers changed into mumblings that sounded like Naruto.

A loud growl startled Harry because his holstered wand shuddered.

In the dim light of the tent's lamp, Harry noticed Naruto trembling in his sleeping bag. He shot out of his sleeping bag.

"Please..." Naruto mumbled. Then he growled. An animalistic angry growl.

Harry's holstered wand shuddered violently in response, as though ready to shoot a spell, as he knelt beside Naruto. He frowned at the thick black lines on Naruto's reddened cheeks. Harry touched Naruto's cheeks and flinched at the blistering heat.

Naruto's eyelid opened just a fraction.

Harry stilled at the flash of bright red but he smiled and gently patted Naruto's cheek, ignoring the persistent shuddering of his holstered wand. "Everything's going to be okay."

Naruto's red eye focused on Harry.

"I promise," Harry said, wondering how to deal with Naruto's sudden fever.

The red flashed brighter for a second before fading away to familiar blue.

"Nii-san?" Naruto whispered blearily and grabbed Harry's sleeve, pulling Harry's hand away from his cheek.

"It was just a fever nightmare, Naruto. Everything's going to be fine."

Naruto stared at him dully as his breathing evened out.

"It will be fine." Harry looked directly in to blue eyes and said, "I promise, I'll make it fine."

Naruto's eyes closed and he pulled Harry's sleeve harder.

Harry stumbled but watched curiously as the thick black marks shrunk back into Naruto's usual thin lines. Hoping that his sleeve didn't tear, Harry stretched his right hand up and touched Naruto's cheek.

Naruto twitched in his sleep, tugged Harry's sleeve down again and burrowed deeper into the sleeping bag.

Harry eyed his silent wand as he realised that Naruto's feverish temperature had disappeared. Relieved but confused, Harry tugged his arm gently.

Naruto's fingers curled tighter around his sleeve.

Harry tugged harder for more than a few minute. Unable to manoeuvre his left's arm cast to help pry Naruto's fingers off his sleeve and not willing to use a spell on Naruto, Harry shuffled around, careful not to accidentally kick Naruto's face as he lay down on the tent floor. He tried to tug his arm free one last time before giving in to his tiredness.

Until a strong tug on his sleeve woke him.

Harry would have ignored it but there was another strong tug on his sleeve followed by a loud startled yelp.

"Nii-san, why are you sleeping over here?"

Harry squinted at Naruto as he sat up. "You didn't let go of my sleeve after your nightmare."

Naruto looked down at his hands, gasped and let go Harry's sleeve with another yelp.

Harry winced as blood rushed through the numb arm, creating a prickling sensation."Now I know how teddy bears feel. Poor things, unable to escape a little kid's grip."

"I'm not a little kid." Naruto glared at him with reddened cheeks.

"I see." Harry yawned. "Then you're ready to deal with Jiraiya today?"

"Do I have to?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

As Harry closed the hotel room's door, Jiraiya looked up and flinched slightly when he noticed Naruto's absence.

"Thank you." Harry placed his scroll down and grabbed the book he'd left in the room. "For telling him her name."

Jiraiya shrugged, looking oddly morose.

"He just needs some more time. He won't be mad at you forever," Harry said, feeling the urge to reassure the man as he opened his book. "You're like an eccentric uncle or something to him."

As Harry read about the history of Konoha, Jiraiya shuffled around noisily. Harry tried to ignore it but the clatter of glass, the swish of liquid and the heavy crinkle of paper perked Harry's curiosity.

He glanced up from his book.

Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the floor in front of a pile of paper with a long wooden brush in his hand.

Harry looked back at his book, telling himself that there was nothing interesting about painting. But the words in his book blurred together and Harry glanced up again, reasoning that even watching someone paint was better than reading.

Goaded by that thought, Harry gave up all pretence of reading and watched as Jiraiya dipped the brush into an ink bottle, tapped the brush against the bottle's rim and then slid the brush across the paper leaving behind a neat calligraphic character.

Even as the ink dried, Jiraiya moved to another point on the paper and drew another character. By the time the brush painted a fourth character, Harry's throat clenched in panic as the faded scars on his hands throbbed. Because no matter how beautifully they were written, Harry recognized those symbols clearly.

And more importantly, Harry recognized the pattern. "What do you think you're doing? That'll blow up."

Jiraiya looked up with a self-satisfied smirk.

Harry winced.

"I knew it," Jiraiya said. "So how did you start learning? Who taught you?"

"I don't know a single thing about seals."

"Don't be ridiculous, you stopped me when you saw I hadn't anchored the corners. It's obvious you at least know the basics."

Before he could stop himself, Harry said, "Are anchors anything like elemental corner derivatives?"

"Elemental derivatives..." Jiraiya sputtered. "Just what the heck have you been doing?"

"I didn't... there were just some notes in my grandmother's journal."

"An Uzumaki's seal journal?" Jiraiya seemed shocked.

Harry flinched and mentally cursed himself. "I should have known you'd still try something. I'm such a moron."

"Don't worry." Jiraiya sighed. "I won't ask you to give it to me or anything."

Harry snorted in disbelief. "It's so obvious you were trying to find something that would get rid of me."

"You're being ridiculous."

Harry stared at Jiraiya.

"Okay, fine. But I wasn't trying to get rid of you, I just wanted to know more about you because Naruto got attached to you so quickly." Jiraiya shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you wouldn't hurt him."

"Who is Naruto to you? There's no way, you're just his teacher." Harry gasped in realization. "Are you his grandfather? Aunt Kushina's father?"

"No!" Jiraiya sputtered. "What kind of complicated drama story are you building in your head?"

"You're the one who's acting all..." Harry frowned. "There's got to be something more than a teacher-student connection."

Jiraiya said, "I just didn't expect to see another Uzumaki. That's all."

"Why?" Harry lowered his voice. "What happened to them when they left Whirl... Redpool?"

"Look, it doesn't matter. You're here and..."

Harry glared at him.

Jiraiya sighed. "It's widely accepted that the Uzumaki were slaughtered by different factions over the years."

"Was Konoha one..."

"No! Never," Jiraiya interrupted vehemently. "They were our allies. If any survivors had made their way to Konoha, we would have welcomed them."

"But no one in Konoha remembers the Uzumaki clan," Harry said.

Jiraiya sighed. "The ninja world is bloody and violent. The Uzumaki wasn't the only clan that got wiped out and forgotten over the years."

Harry looked down at the paper in front of Jiraiya even as the words "wiped out" echoed in his head. "So how are these anchoring corners?"

Jiraiya stayed silent for a moment. "They're not anchoring anything yet. I haven't written the support character tails for them yet."

"Right." Harry thought about it for a few minutes and then guessed. "Are the character tails like rules?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"I don't get it," Harry said.

"The sealing arts is a complicated subject."

"Not that! Obviously, the rules stabilize the..." Harry shook his head and said, "What I don't understand is why someone who can work with complicated seals can have such dull books."

"You read my book?"

"I wanted to know what kind of person you were," Harry said, willing himself not to look embarrassed. "The porn was ridiculous and you had glaring plot-holes. You never mentioned if Sayuri finally found her brother."

"You're serious." Jiraiya blinked and burst out laughing. "I can't... you're so... serious."

Harry internally rejoiced at distracting Jiraiya completely from their previous topics.

"What's so funny?"

They both turned to the door and stared at the blank-faced Naruto with Hedwig on his shoulder.

Noting Jiraiya's silence, Harry said, "He was trying to defend his bad writing." When they both remained silent, he stood. "I'm going to get some tea."

Before either of them could protest he took Hedwig off Naruto's shoulder, walked out the room- resisting the urge to magically lock the door- and rushed down to the hotel's small dining area. He was on his second cup of tea, which had gone cold, when Naruto and Jiraiya joined him. Harry stared between both of them and cleared his throat. "Do we need to find a doctor?"

Naruto snorted and smiled at Harry.

Jiraiya just huffed, rubbed his bruised cheek and called the waitress over for some more tea and breakfast.

As they drank and ate, a small brown eagle swooped into the empty restaurant and headed straight to Jiraiya. With careless ease, Jiraiya raised his arm allowing the eagle to land and removed a scroll from the pouch tied to it's back.

Hedwig eyed the bird dismissively and went back to stealing bits of Harry's breakfast.

"Looks like we need to head back today," Jiraiya said as he sent the bird off.

Naruto frowned. "What? We were supposed to stay here for a week."

"It can't be helped. Tsunade is calling me back."

"Since when do you listen to her, Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya twitched. "Since she became our Hokage, you brat!"

Harry glanced between the both of them, feeling slightly more at ease as they ended up in another argument. But he wondered what had cut their trip short and mentally counted how long they'd been out of Konoha. We got here on the 30th and today's the 2nd...

"Fine, I'll pack," Naruto said. "No need to get so grumpy."

"Grump..." Jiraiya twitched but turned to Harry. "Any complaints?"

Harry shook his head and in less than an hour, the three of them plus Hedwig were on their way back to Konoha. Naruto seemed to be in better spirits as he constantly made jokes. And Harry liked that.

Until Naruto decided to make fun of Harry's hair.

"I'm suddenly remembering so many things I have to tell Sakura when we get back." Harry rubbed his chin. "Brothels and teddy bears..."

Naruto paled. "You wouldn't."

Jiraiya looked between Harry and Naruto in obvious amusement.

"I really should talk with Sakura." Harry grinned. "After all, she is your friend."

"Well, I... Ero-sennin pushed me off a cliff!"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "He did what?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to stand still so that you can punch me too?"

"I don't believe in pointless violence."

"That's very mature of you," Jiraiya nodded and walked ahead of them.

Harry waved his hand at Jiraya's back and slyly whispered to Naruto, "I do however, believe in getting laughs."

They both watched as Jiraiya stumbled on the smooth road and cursed. After a few more 'stumbles' over the hours, Harry cleared his throat, "Did you drink sake instead of tea?"

Naruto couldn't stifle his chuckle fast enough.

"Damn brats! I'm just tired after listening to you two gossip for so long. It's enough to put anyone to sleep."

By the time they reached Konoha, all Harry could do was stagger into his apartment and sleep as soon as he fell on his bed.

x-x-x-x-x-x

A little after lunchtime, when Naruto had gone off to train with the glove, Harry stood at his main door and stared at the white-haired man in front of him. "I thought you left already."

"I couldn't leave without saying my goodbyes." Jiraiya pushed a blue book into Harry's hand with a grin. "Here's something to ease the pain of my departure."

Harry twitched when he recognized the cover. "I don't..."

Jiraiya pushed the book insistently into Harry's hands. "Trust me, you'll love this. It's priceless. Go on, have a look inside and tell me you really don't want it."

"Did you autograph it? Who'd want tha..." Harry opened the book, glanced down absently at the scrunched up text on the page he'd randomly opened and gaped as he registered the words.

Jiraiya laughed, a loud and genuine laugh. "Look how speechless you are!"

"Are you mad?" Harry said and slammed the book shut. "This, I can't..."

"If you don't take it, I'll just throw it away." Jiraiya looked down at the book. "I always planned on giving it to someone who'd benefit from all my old notes."

"And you think that someone is me?"

Jiraiya just shrugged dramatically and grinned. "The world answers my pleas in mysterious ways. Who am I to question it?"

Harry couldn't see how this was remotely funny. "You're really mad!"

"Okay then, you want me to throw it out?" Jiraiya reached for the book.

Harry pulled the book closer to him, out of Jiraiya's reach.

Jiraiya smirked. "Im sure it'll keep you occupied for a long time."

"Don't say it like that!"

"There's no need to be embarrassed. It's natural to be..."

Harry groaned. "Don't you have to go?"

Jiraiya glanced up at the sky for a moment. "I suppose I do. Listen," Jiraiya said seriously. "I... take care of yourself. And Naruto. Especially Naruto. He doesn't think things through properly and... what?"

"Distant uncle?"

"Let it go, already!" Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose. "Out of all the traits to have in common... why did you two choose to be annoying?"

"Because it's fun?" Harry said. "Don't worry, I'll look out for Naruto however I can."

"Good." Jiraiya smiled at him. "Let's go drinking next time I'm here."

Harry waved until Jiraiya left his line-of-sight. The minute he closed his door, Harry reopened the book and re-read the handwritten notes in disbelief. Anchor corners need a set of...

Chapter Text

Cat-san disappeared from sight and the door clicked shut.

"Can you can repair anything?" Tsunade asked, her eyes intense and scrutinizing. "Even things that you've never seen or fixed before?"

Harry nodded. "Do you want me to fix something?"

Tsunade scribbled something on a scroll and nodded to herself after a moment. "Have you ever been to Suna?"

"No," Harry said.

"Do you have any objections to going to Suna?"

Harry countered with, "Why would I go to Suna?"

"I'm offering you a job," Tsunade said. "A high-paying job in Suna. You'd be compensated for the long travel."

"What kind of job is it?"

"I can't give you any details." Tsunade eyed him critically. "Just know that your skills will strengthen our ties to Suna."

Harry went over the Hokage's words. "I'd be fixing something important, then?"

Tsunade nodded. "That's partly why your pay will be very high."

"I don't need money," Harry said simply.

"What if you need money in the future?"

"Why..." Harry paused as Tsunade's eyes narrowed at a point somewhere above his head. Cautiously concentrating on his magic, he continued, "Why would I need money in the future?"

"You never know." Eyes still focused above Harry, Tsunade grabbed another scroll and said, "I'll give you till the end of the day to think about it."

The office door opened and the Hokage's assistant said, "Koharu-san and Homura-san are here to see you, Tsunade-sama."

Before Tsunade could reply, Harry bowed and hastily shuffled past the Hokage's assistant and incoming visitors. Though no one stopped him or called him back, Harry kept walking until sizzling pans of meat, steaming pots of fragrant stews and artfully arranged fruit skewers at the market lured him to stop for a quick snack.

"You're shopping later than usual."

Harry bit back a startled curse, schooled his face into something that was hopefully pleasant and turned towards the gravelly voice. "Good morning, Danzo-san."

Solemn-faced, stiff-postured and very out of place amongst the other shoppers, Danzo nodded and turned to the stall. "The fruits from Grass have certainly improved, Odeki."

The stall owner turned away from the customer he was serving and bowed. "Yes, Danzo-sama. And business has improved tremendously because of it."

"Good." Danzo examined the other products in the stall. "I'm glad the new trade treaty worked."

The stall owner bowed low. "Thank you, Danzo-sama."

Suddenly uninterested in snacks, Harry inched away from the stall.

"Not purchasing anything?" Danzo asked.

Harry rubbed his cast. "I was just browsing to pass the time."

Danzo adjusted the black robe that concealed his right arm. "I suppose there are very few ways to stay occupied when one is injured and unable to work."

Harry held back a sarcastic response with difficulty.

"I know a tea house where you can pass the time without much effort," Danzo stepped away from the stall but focused on Harry. "And the tea is quite tolerable."

Curious despite his dislike of the suspicious man, Harry stepped forward accepting Danzo's hinted invitation. Exiting the market and following Danzo away from Konoha's Tea Avenue, Harry cursed his curiosity as they entered an unfamiliar part of Konoha with emptier streets, thicker trees and lavish mansions.

Occupied with his unfamiliar surroundings, Harry almost missed Danzo's abrupt turn from the main road into a patch of tall trees. Unable to stifle his paranoia, Harry silently cast the Homenum Revelio spell. Reassured that no one was hiding in wait, not even Danzo's guards, Harry followed a hidden dusty path through the trees to the edge of a large blue pond.

An ornate house stood tucked between red, orange and golden leafed trees on the other side of the pond. With the serene blue sky above and the reflective surface of the pond, Harry felt like he'd stepped into a painting.

The steady clack of Danzo's cane up ahead forced Harry to move. He stepped onto the sturdy old bridge, unable to stop looking at everything around him. Searching for fish in the pond, Harry registered something at the edge of his vision that made him pause. Peeking out of the tall grass, a tiger stood with it's head bowed close to the water.

"A statue," Danzo said, his voice clear despite the distance between them. "One of the finest in Konoha."

Harry squinted. Disappointed when the tiger didn't move or disturb the water, he hurried to the end of the bridge.

The soothing scent of herbs, spices and tea greeted them as an old man opened a screen door and led them in with a silent bow. With tall windows, ornate paintings and the peaceful scenery outside, the spacious tea-house exuded an air of old sophistication that left Harry feeling distinctly out of place. Reminding himself that he'd faced much more intimidating things over the years, Harry gathered his courage and followed both men to a window table.

"Two cups of genmaicha," Danzo said, handing the old man an unfamiliar metal token.

Harry bristled at being ordered for and fiddled with his cast to control his ire.

Within minutes the old man returned, poured the tea from a large clay pot into two large cups with an experienced flair and left them in silence again.

Ignoring the scent of rice wafting up from the tea, Harry touched his teacup and silently cast Specialis Revelio. Ignoring memories of the last time he'd used the spell, Harry sipped the yellow tea only after the spell listed all the ingredients as safe.

"Never had brown rice tea before?"

Harry shrugged and sipped the sweet tea, savouring it's toasted flavour.

"It requires a very specific brewing time to get this scent and taste," Danzo said. "The slightest disruption results in unwanted changes."

"As long as it's drinkable when you're thirsty, who cares about the details?"

They lapsed into a longer silence, broken only by soft sips and the thump of their teacups.

"Your owl's colouring suggests it most likely originates near the Land of Snow." Danzo said, ruining the peaceful atmosphere. "How did you obtain it on the islands?"

Startled and wary at the unusual topic, Harry picked his words carefully. "I got her as a gift a few years ago."

"You must have done some important work to get such a gift."

"Not really," Harry said. "She was just a gift."

"You did a good job training it to be more than just a pet."

Outraged on Hedwig's behalf, Harry replied, "I never trained her."

"Are you implying that your owl ignores it's natural aversion to humans without any prior training?"

"Natural aversion to humans?" Harry repeated before he could help himself.

"All owls, even ones that are hand raised after hatching are temperamental to human touch," Danzo took a long sip of tea. "It makes them slightly unreliable as messenger birds."

"I didn't know you were an owl expert." Harry said.

Unfazed by Harry's words, Danzo said, "Konoha was the first to train and use owls as night messengers."

Knowing he wasn't expected to reply, Harry sipped his lukewarm tea.

"Even with our ingenuity, Konoha only achieved greatness by using everything it had." Danzo straightened and tilted his head to look down at Harry. "Right now, you're a resource that Konoha cannot use completely."

"When my hand heals, I'll be back to work in no time."

"We both know I'm not talking about your injury," Danzo said simply. "By not becoming a citizen and opening a shop, you've left your business unusable for Konoha's gain."

Harry took a moment to admire how Danzo turned the conversation from owls to citizenship that he missed most of Danzo's next words. "What?"

"If there's a high rank foreign job that fits your unique skill set, Tsunade-hime can't give you that job. So Konoha loses the prestige and commission from what you could have earned."

Recalling the Hokage's job offer, Harry hid his confusion with a silent shrug and turned to one of the wall paintings. "It can't be helped."

"It took a lot of work to get that painting here. The owner, Matsuda, struggled with the gallery that held it."

"Let me guess," Harry turned to Danzo. "You helped him get it."

"It's a splendid piece that fits Konoha well." The 'Of course, I helped him' was all too clear. "The Guardian Trees."

"By Tokahu, right? " Harry said. "I know, Jiraiya put a pretty detailed description of the painting in his book."

"I see."

Harry blinked and sipped some more tea, hoping to ease the pressure behind his eyes.

After a relatively long silence, Danzo pushed his cup away and rose. "I must get back. Thank you for keeping me company for two hours."

Harry stayed seated. "Thanks for the tea."

"Stay as long as you like." Danzo said, "The quiet here is good for productive thinking."

Harry didn't watch Danzo leave. He didn't even analyze Danzo's parting words. He stayed only long enough to finish his cold tea and then lingered on the bridge outside to stare at the tiger statue and the black bird perched on it's head.

When he finally returned to his empty apartment, Harry grabbed a pan eager to cook for the first time in days. Ever since Jiraiya left three days ago, Izumo had banned Harry from cooking. Kotetsu and Naruto had enforced the ban to keep him rested and healing.

Thrilled that no one was around to stop him, Harry cast a few discreet spells and had a nice stir-fry sizzling by the time his apartment door opened. "My hand is fine," Harry said as footsteps entered the kitchen. "And I was hungry."

"Nii-san!" Naruto sighed in exasperation. "There's food in the fridge."

"I wanted a change." Harry glanced over his shoulder, took a long look at the blond and said, "Naruto's still training?"

"How do you keep doing that? There's no way to tell the difference between Boss and me unless you're using some secret technique!"

"It's not a technique. There's just something about your... eyes." Harry shrugged. "Is he coming in later?"

"I'll keep you company till he does." Clone-Naruto stared dejectedly at the food on the stove. "I wish I could eat with you."

"How's the training going?"

"It's awesome! Boss is totally motivated after Sakura-chan said that Kakashi-sensei's been training super hard."

"Don't overdo it." Harry shook the frying pan. "You might hurt yourself."

"Sakura-chan said the same thing. She worries even though she can heal anything."

Harry glanced to the side. "Don't worry her too much. Girls get weirder when they worry."

Clone-Naruto grinned but kept his eyes on the frying pan. "What does nee-san do when you worry her?"

"Hermione?" Harry felt a fond exasperation as he said, "She goes to the library to research even more than usual."

"Do you also read when you get worried?" Clone-Naruto motioned to the large book pile on the table. "The number of books grow every time I see it."

"There's many things I don't know about Konoha." Harry switched off the stove. He sighed when Clone-Naruto grabbed the spoon and pushed him towards the dining table. "Books are the easiest way for me to learn."

"You've read all these books?" Clone-Naruto placed an overflowing bowl in front of Harry.

"No, just random bits and pieces."

Clone-Naruto sat beside Harry and flipped through a book. "Clan properties outside the village of Konohagakure, but within the realm of Fire Country, are subject to ownership tax. Failure to pay these taxes for more than five years will result in property ownership reverting to..." He gagged dramatically. "How can you read this stuff?"

"Because I have to. They're not as bad as some of the books I've had to read for school! Those were a real... what's wrong?"

"It's just," Clone-Naruto bit his lip hesitantly. "Why don't you use your magic to find others like us? The other Uzumaki."

With Jiraiya's ominous words and his own doubts ringing in his mind, Harry asked, "What if there aren't any others?"

"You'll never know if you don't search. With your magic..."

"Magic can't do everything." Harry chided. Uncomfortable with the ensuing silence, Harry finished his food before he said, "When I started my trip, I didn't think about how I'd search for other Uzumaki. Other than the family name and red hair, I had nothing else to go on. And honestly, I didn't expect to find anyone."

Clone-Naruto's eyes softened in understanding. He slumped down further in his chair and stared at the framed photographs with a dejected sigh.

"But I did have a make-shift plan. If I thought someone was a relative, I'd use a simple potion that I'd read about to do a magical blood test."

Clone-Naruto turned back to him with wide hopeful eyes.

"Just mix a drop of my blood and another person's blood into a cup of the potion. If related, the mixture turns a different shade of blue depending on how closely related the blood is."

Clone-Naruto looked ready to burst with excitement.

"But when I re-read the instructions, I realized that I needed to use a fresh Venomous Tentacula leaf every time I wanted to do the test." Harry stood and dumped his empty bowl in the sink. "A magical plant ingredient that I don't have and can't get here."

"There's nothing else?" Clone-Naruto folded his arms on the table and put his head down.

"If Hermione finds anything I can use, you'll be the first to know." Harry grabbed a plate from the fridge and placed it on the table.

"That..." Clone-Naruto sniffed the air and raised his head. His eyes honed in on the plate. "That's the last piece of cake."

Harry scooped up a spoonful of the cake. "It is."

"You're eating it without me?"

"Technically, you are here." Harry shoved another spoonful of cake into his mouth. "It's not my fault you can't eat."

"But..." Clone-Naruto's eyes followed the disappearing cake. "You don't even like cherry cake."

Harry chewed on the last bit of cake extra slow.

Clone-Naruto glanced at the empty plate with mournful eyes.

The main door slammed open. "Nii-san?"

Harry stared at the grimacing clone. "In the kitchen."

Naruto rushed into the kitchen with hurried footsteps, glanced at Harry in relief and then glared at his clone. "You! Why are you just sitting here?"

Clone-Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Sorry, Boss. Nii-san was talking and I couldn't just leave."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So you were stealing time with nii-san."

"I was keeping nii-san company!"

"You were supposed to bring him to Ichiraku's for lunch," Naruto glared at Clone-Naruto. "I'm supposed to keep him company."

"You're here now. So you can just take him yourself."

Naruto pointed at the empty dishes. "He already ate his lunch, you stupid clone!"

"I couldn't let him starve."

"That's why he was supposed to eat lunch with me."

Naruto and Clone-Naruto glared at each other.

Harry covered his twitching lips but couldn't contain his uproarious laughter.

Both Narutos turned to him, their annoyance with each other morphing into acute embarrassment.

"Don't mind me," Harry huffed between chuckles.

Naruto turned to Clone-Naruto with a stern expression. "Just dispel already!"

Clone-Naruto stuck out his tongue, curled his fingers into a handsign and smiled at Harry, "Bye nii-san."

"Bye," Harry said as the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Stupid attention hogging clone." Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he waved the small puff of smoke away. He gasped and turned to Harry with a look of deep betrayal. "You ate the last piece of cake."

"Come on," Harry bit back his laughter. "We'll go get some ramen for now and buy a cake to take to the Nara's place later."

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. "Shikamaru's place?"

"They invited us for dinner," Harry said as they exited the apartment.

"That's today?" Naruto asked and then frowned. "Nara-san doesn't seem like a cake-person."

"He'll just have to deal with it," Harry said. "Any progress with the glove?"

"Loads." Naruto held up his gloved hand as they squeezed though the afternoon crowd and entered Ichiraku's stand. Somewhere between Naruto's second and eight bowl of ramen, the conversation shifted away from training. Sort of.

"No matter how cool the fight scenes look on the big theatre screen, there just something off about them. Right?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't know. I've never watched a movie in the theatre. Or anywhere, actually."

"Never?" Naruto turned to him with wide eyes, his chopsticks held aloft. "Then we should go watch something! I wonder which movie is playing now."

"We can't. We're having dinner at the Nara's, remember?"

"There's loads of time." Naruto emptied his bowl with a loud slurp, slapped some money onto the counter and pulled Harry out of the ramen stand with an excited grin. "It's been ages since I've watched a movie."

Harry hurried along, struggling to keep pace with Naruto, till they reached an unfamiliar building lined with numerous framed posters.

Naruto pointed to a poster. "That looks good!"

A menacing black silhouette surrounded a small figure on the poster. Dismissing the other colourful movie posters, Harry nodded as he finally caught his breath. Three hours later, stuffed with junk food and ears buzzing from the movie, they entered a pastry shop.

"If I were you, I'd run away," Harry said with a low voice and twirled an imaginary moustache as they waited for their order.

Naruto mimicked the movie hero's voice as he said, "If you were me, you'd be good looking."

They both burst into laughter, unable to stop even when the store owner stared at them.

Naruto grabbed their purchase. "We should definitely watch it again."

Harry pocketed his money pouch and agreed with another dialogue from the movie. By the time they entered the Nara estate and greeted Shikamaru, Harry's cheeks hurt from laughter.

Shikamaru took a long drag from his cigarette. "Are you two drunk?"

Naruto waved away the cigarette smoke with an admonishing glare. "Don't smoke around other people."

Leaving the two to bicker, Harry greeted Mrs. Nara and walked to the forested area of the estate. With each step through the dimly lit property, Harry recalled every worried thought that the movie had drowned out. "Something wrong with the deer, Nara-san?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Shikaku glanced up at him as he prodded the deer's foot and motioned for him to come closer. "What's made you so serious?"

Resisting the urge to fiddle with his sleeves, Harry said, "The Hokage offered me a job. In Suna."

Shikaku's hand twitched and smacked against the deer. "What?" He grimaced and patted the deer apologetically.

"A high paying job in Suna. When I said no, she told me to think about it and give her the final answer tonight." Harry hesitated. "I think... she wants me to take the job."

"That's ridiculous," Shikaku said. "She can't send you to Suna to work on her behalf."

"Because I'm not a citizen? Danzo mentioned that." Noting Shikaku's lack of surprise, Harry said, "You know that I met him today."

"Everyone knows you had tea with him at the Wandering Tiger." Shikaku asked, "He knew that she offered you a job in Suna?"

Harry mentally replayed his sparse conversation with Danzo. "He just said I'd never be sent on official jobs outside Fire Country. A general remark."

Eyebrows drawn together, Shikaku scoffed. "General remarks aren't Danzo's style."

"If his style is usually subtle, then today must have been an off day."

"By subtle, do you mean undetectable poison in your food?" Shikaku's expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe, you meant undetectable poison on your clothes?"

Startled by the shift in Shikaku's mood, Harry said, "He didn't put anything in my tea."

"How can you know for sure?"

"I know," Harry said firmly. "I'm not stupid Nara-san."

They stared at each other in silence.

"You check your drinks?" Shikaku asked, his voice unreadable. "You're a craftsman."

"I'm an Uzumaki." Harry retorted easily. He scratched the deer's head gently, searching for something to break the uneasy silence. "Nara-san, have you ever met an Uzumaki before Naruto?"

Shikaku searched Harry's face for a moment before he nodded.

"Naruto's mother, right? Jiraiya told him about her. Uzumaki Kushina." Harry fiddled with his sleeves. "Do you think anyone would have her photograph?"

Shikaku blinked, as though he hadn't expected Harry to say that. "I'll find out."

"And," Harry added, pressing his advantage, "did she live in the apartment that Naruto's staying in right now?"

Shikaku rubbed the scars over his eye thoughtfully. "No, she never lived in an apartment."

"She must have had her own place," Harry said. "Where did she live?"

"The area she lived in got destroyed years ago."

Harry knew that he was on the verge of something important but he didn't know what to say.

"Harii, I'm done," Shikaku said as he stood with his satchel.

Harry patted the deer one last time before pulling his fingers away.

The deer bumped it's head against Shikaku's hip and disappeared through the trees. "So, about Suna. Did Hokage-sama tell you what kind of job it was?"

"A high paying one," Harry said, unable to mask his irritation. "As if that's enough to make a decision."

"That's enough for most people. You're really not interested in taking the job?"

"Yes, but she..."

"Told you to think it over," Shikaku said.

"Doesn't that seem like she wants me to take the job?"

Shikaku glanced at him. "It does."

"But you and Danzo say that I can't actually take an official job in Suna," Harry reminded him. "So, what's going on?"

"Hokage-sama would never endanger the village," Shikaku's eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

"Endanger Konoha?"

"Political complications from sending a foreigner into Suna for a job. Who'll be held accountable if you do something and things like that." Shikaku waved his hand dismissively. "They can't ask us for compensation because you're not our citizen. They could, but the council would argue about it a lot."

Harry grimaced.

"But she wants you to take the job." Shikaku said, "If she's ready to bear the complications then she must have something planned. Something that would benefit our village if you succeed."

Not doubting Shikaku's reasoning, Harry sighed. "How can anything I do help Konoha?"

"Well, if you," Shikaku glanced at Harry. "Fix something important, maybe you'll lower the price of glass."

Sceptical about that explaination, Harry asked, "Have glass prices gone up?"

"High-grade Suna glass isn't cheap," Shikaku said. "And they invent some interesting lab equipment. Being our allies doesn't mean they give us discounts on glassware. They need to make money and we need to be cost-effective."

"But you're rich," Harry said, amused by the conversation.

"That's only because we're cost-effective."

"Are all ninja stingy and hide behind the excuse of smart money management?" Recalling the person who had brought a unique item to be fixed the previous day, Harry said, "Or maybe you're saving up to buy an authentic kaya shogi board from a certain someone that's visiting Konoha?"

Shikaku twitched. "How did you..."

"I'm allowed to have my secrets, right?"

Shikaku stared at him for a long moment, long enough to make Harry uncomfortable, and nodded solemnly.

Eager to change the subject Harry said, "How old is Danzo?"

"He's in his early seventies. Why?"

"Then, his hair can't be black naturally. It's either a wig or dye."

Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You've never thought about it?"

"I only think about useful things."

Harry grinned, more in satisfaction of distracting Shikaku than anything else. "You have a very dull mind, Nara-san."

"I have a very sane mind," Shikaku said as they entered the house.

Halfway through dinner, as Naruto chattered on about the movie they'd watched with Hedwig on his shoulder, Harry couldn't help but imagine a different dining table.

A larger table in a noisier dining room. One where Naruto regaled his story to a captivated audience filled with people from old photographs and numerous faceless people with vivid red hair. Even Ron and Hermione bickered beside him at the imaginary table while Akira haunted a corner and lamented everyone's terrible manners.

It was stupid, ridiculous and impossible.

Harry couldn't suppress the surge of longing he felt for that imaginary dining room.

A blur of white landed in front of him, blocking him from the rest of the table.

"Hedwig!" Harry huffed in exasperation as he collected himself. "Why are you attacking my food?"

In between gobbles, Hedwig bopped her wing against his cheek softly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. But don't eat my mushrooms."

Hedwig clicked her beak at him in agreement and attacked the rest of his food.

"At least try to leave something for me!"

Naruto snickered.

When Mrs. Nara offered tea after dessert, Harry declined. "I'm sorry, but I need to talk to the Hokage."

Shikaku nodded. "You'd better go. It's already pretty late."

Naruto glanced up from his cake in confusion but he stood to leave with Hedwig back on his shoulder. On the way to the Hokage Tower, after Harry had explained the job offer, Naruto said, "Obviously they'd ask you. You're really good at fixing stuff."

"You do know that I fix things with," Harry flexed his fingers, miming his magical skills.

Naruto shrugged. "So? You're good at it. You deserve to go show other people that you're awesome."

"I need to talk to the Hokage before I decide." After a quick glance at Naruto for reassurance, Harry knocked. When the door clicked shut behind him, Harry said, "Why doesn't Naruto have any property?"

Tsunade seemed unsurprised as she countered, "Why do you ask?"

Latching on to his wild guess, Harry said, "There is some Uzumaki property in Fire Country. Property that Naruto should own."

Tsunade didn't look away from him. "If there was any clan property, it belongs to the Daimyo now."

"And I'd need money to get them back?"

"The Daimyo gained control of those properties long before Naruto was born." Tsunade admitted after a long and tense silence. "Unlike other clans, there weren't enough Uzumaki left to earn and pay the taxes here. You'd need a lot of money."

"The Suna job," Harry said, wild thoughts churning in his head. "It'll give me enough money to..."

Tsunade interrupted him. "What you do with your money is none of my concern."

"But you..." Harry paused, filled with new suspicions. "Are you related to Naruto's father?"

Tsunade tilted her head. "What?"

"Uzumaki Kushina had red hair," Harry said. "The only way Naruto could be blond is through his father's side."

Tsunade stared at him, looking almost disappointed. "Kushina could have had blonde ancestors or relatives."

"That's not a no," Harry said.

"It's not a yes, either," Tsunade said simply. "There are many other blondes in the village."

"None of whom take any interest in Naruto's life."

"First you thought Jiraiya was related to Kushina. And now you're asking if I'm related to Naruto's father." Tsunade snorted and shook her head. "You're making us imaginary in-laws."

Harry just stared at her.

"While I dislike that buffoon a great deal," Tsunade shook her head with a soft smile. "We're not in-laws."

Though her words were sincere, Harry knew he was missing something.

"Are you willing to go to Suna?" Tsunade asked.

Harry stared at her."Why are you giving me this job, really?"

"Your skills can benefit Konoha."

"That's the only reason?" Harry asked.

Tsunade just stared at him with a wry smile.

"Fine," Harry said, "I'm sure I'll find some use for the money."

"I'll fix your arm. An injured worker won't impress anyone." Tsunade walked to the front of the table and examined Harry cast with a glowing green hand. "Looks like I don't have to heal much. You've got a good natural healing rate."

"What?" His arm tingled as the warm green energy enveloped it.

"Broken bones take four to six weeks to heal. But your broken arm is in the final stages of healing even though it's been less than three weeks." Tsunade slid a green lit finger along Harry's cast, cutting it open. "Not the fastest healing rate but definitely above average."

The door slammed open.

"Brat!" Tsunade yelled in irritation. "Don't just open the door when I'm in a meeting."

"You were taking too long and," Naruto entered with a napping Hedwig nestled in his arms and as the office door clicked shut. "Why'd you remove your cast?"

"He can't go work in Suna with an injured hand," Tsunade said.

Naruto grinned. "You're going! What convinced you to go?"

Glancing between Naruto's excited expression and Tsunade's assessing eyes, Harry just shrugged.

"Here," Tsunade grabbed something from her desk. "Your identification card, the one you get for being on my list."

"What kind of identification card doesn't use a photo?" Harry grabbed one end and cursed as something pricked his finger. The card blazed with blue light and the ordinary black text thickened into thick green calligraphy.

"Old fashioned seals work better than photographs sometimes." Tsunade healed her own cut finger. "You can use that card to make direct appointments with me."

Naruto piped up. "Civilians can't do that."

"That's what the card is for. When you come here to make an appointment, the secretary will test your blood against the seal. The seal will react violently to an imposter."

Not understanding why it mattered, Harry said, "That's nice?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes in exasperation. "This card allows you to work in Suna under my name."

"How?"

"I'm not going to teach you the seal's working or historical significance. It does it's job and hasn't failed yet." Tsunade glanced at the clock on the wall. "Now, I'm sure you have a lot of preparation to do for the trip tomorrow."

Naruto huffed, "If you had asked him earlier, there wouldn't be so much preparation to do tonight."

"Last minute plans don't give people a chance to make problems."

"What problems?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "You probably didn't ask him before because you drank too much and forgot, you old hag."

The wooden desk creaked under Tsunade's fingers. "What was that, brat?"

Naruto chuckled uneasily and grabbed Harry's sleeve. "We better go pack your things, nii-san." When they were finally back in the apartment, Naruto said, "You're lucky I've travelled to Suna before. Packing will be super easy. My clones will get everything you need."

After a quick message to Ron and Hermione, Harry pulled out a few potentially useful items from his storage scroll and turned to his backpack. With deft fingers, Harry unzipped every pocket and emptied it.

"What's that?" Naruto pointed.

"My school house badge." Harry picked his Gryffindor badge. "I used to prick my finger with it to open the storage seals."

Naruto took the badge from Harry and scrutinized it. "Is this a lion?"

Harry nodded and cleaned the inside of his bag with a Scourgify.

"I've seen Sai draw lions, but I didn't know what they actually looked like," Naruto said as he turned the badge over. "Does it mean something?"

"The lion? Strength, honour and courage. Gryffindor is the house of the brave," Harry said, unable to hide his house pride as he sorted through his things. "You can keep it if you want."

Naruto blinked. "What? No, I don't, I just... it's red."

"My house's colour theme was red."

"What would I do it with it, anyway?" Naruto huffed, eyes fixed on the badge.

"Wear it if you want to," Harry shrugged and then grinned. "Or just stare at it and remember how wonderful I looked with red hair."

Naruto rolled his eyes but shoved the badge in his pocket. "Your hair will be horrible after going though the desert. Actually, your whole body will be horrible."

Harry nodded as he packed a few of Naruto's camping supplies. "That's to be expected."

"You'll need a lot of endurance to get through it," Naruto said, worry seeping into his voice.

"No problem." Harry held up a glass vial filled with golden green liquid. "I won't have any problems with endurance because I'll be drinking this tomorrow morning."

Naruto squinted at the glass vial with confusion.

"It's the Girding Potion." Harry placed the vial in the bag's front pocket. "It'll increase my endurance for a few weeks."

"Did you use that to come here?"

"Never really needed it until now," Harry said as he continued sorting and packing. Startled by a groan, Harry asked, "What happened?"

"The clone that I sent out for medical supplies finally dispelled."

"He couldn't find anything?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly." Naruto sighed as someone knocked on the door. "I'll get that."

Sakura pushed her way in through the half-open door, carrying a large brown paper bag. "Suna, really?"

When Naruto didn't answer, Harry said, "I just got asked to go today."

"That explains shishou's mood." Sakura frowned and placed the brown bag in front of Harry. "Here's everything you need for the trip."

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Harry asked.

"Have you travelled through the desert before?"

Harry shook his head.

"Then you're taking the entire bag. The desert has many dangers for you. Dehydration, poison, illness, blindness, allergies...you've got to be completely prepared." She pulled a bottle of green powder and said, "First, you'll need to put this in your water when you're in the desert..." As she moved on to explaining about eye ointment, someone else knocked on the main door. "...you'll only need a drop if your light sensitivity starts to give you headaches," Sakura said and pulled out a small tube from the bag.

"Sakura-chan, aren't there instructions on the bottles?" Naruto asked as he let Sai in.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Will he have time to read instructions when he's dying?"

Naruto gulped.

"Anyway," Sakura turned back to Harry and pulled out a brown tub of cream. "This is for blisters. Suna's blister beetles are tiny but a serious pain."

"He won't need that," Sai interrupted. "I brought insect repellant."

"Those things aren't a hundred percent effective," Sakura said.

As the two argued about the effectiveness of insect repellant, Harry turned to Naruto.

"I sent the clone to Sakura-chan because she'd know what you needed. I didn't think she'd do this, or call Sai here." Naruto looked into the paper bag. "I didn't know you needed all this."

"Did you bring anything else?" Sakura said.

"Sunburn cream," Sai replied.

Harry looked at the both of them. "Thanks. Both of you. I don't think I could have gotten any of this so last minute."

Both visitors stayed and bombarded Harry with all sorts of information as he packed- desert conditions, survival tips and the route itself. They only stopped when someone knocked on the door an hour later.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi held up a long brown scarf as he entered the apartment. "Heard someone needed this?"

Naruto grabbed the scarf and dumped it on Harry's head with a pout. "You guys never give me stuff when I go on missions."

"That's because we go with you, idiot," Sakura grabbed the scarf and folded it into a neat square. "And I wouldn't have bothered Kakashi if someone hadn't lost their own desert scarf."

"I didn't lose my scarf!" Naruto said with a huff. "I just misplaced it."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "In the desert."

"Sakura-chan."

Sakura didn't spare him any sympathy. "I was there Naruto."

Harry stared at Kakashi and realized what was different about the man. "You're not a clone."

Kakashi titled his head and scratched his chin. "Oh, you know that I sent clones before?"

"Now I do," Harry said.

"When was the last time you ate, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura interrupted in an ominous tone as her eyes narrowed. "You haven't eaten, have you?"

"Of course I have," Kakashi waved her off.

"You better not be counting ration bars as actual food." The air around Sakura crackled with dangerous intent.

Everyone in the apartment - even Hedwig woke up- stared between the two of them cautiously.

"There's lots of food in the fridge," Harry said, unable to handle the tense atmosphere. "Help yourself. It's the least I can do for all this," Harry motioned to all the items they'd brought.

Sakura turned to him and smiled. "Perfect."

"That's not nece..."

Sakura stood and pulled the man into the kitchen.

"It's too bad Yamato-san is on a mission," Sai said, his eyes fixed on the kitchen entrance. "He missed out on our team bonding."

"What bonding?" Naruto muttered.

Between the late night visitors and his own worries, Harry only got a few scant hours of sleep. He probably would have stayed in bed if Naruto hadn't hauled him up, dragged him to breakfast and prodded him to the village gates.

With Hedwig perched on his shoulder, Harry stood beside Naruto and watched some older ninja inspect a caravan full of plants by the gates.

"You need to cover your head and mouth with the scarf," Naruto said. "It stops the sand from getting in your nose and mouth"

"And more importantly," Shikamaru said, "It stops you from losing water during daytime and keeps you warm at night."

"Shikamaru!" Naruto turned in surprise. "You're going to Suna? No fair, how did you get permission?"

Shikamaru adjusted his backpack. "My cousin got sick, so I'm taking his place."

Naruto grumbled. "That's so unfair."

"I'm just that unlucky," Shikamaru said. "I had to meet with the Hokage and everything."

"Lots of people seem to be going to Suna," Harry said, nodding to the small crowd by the gate as he touched his scroll.

"Konoha's finest goods and services are being sent to Suna as a sign of continuing goodwill between our countries. We did something similar when the Fifth Kazekage came into power."

Harry gripped his backpack straps. "This really is a diplomatic thing."

Shikamaru nodded nonchalantly. "It's not overtly so. Otherwise the Hokage would have given a speech."

"How are plants a measure of good-will, anyway?" Harry asked. "How will they survive the trip?"

"Medicinal plants," Shikamaru corrected. "Konoha's best gardener is coming along to ensure they survive. And we'll also stop at the oasis on the way to Suna."

Naruto grimaced. "But that will make the trip longer."

"Can't be helped." Shikamaru slouched. "This trip is going to be horrible."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "It's nice that we're giving Suna gifts. We'll be better friends now."

"It's better to keep someone in your debt." Shikamaru said, "This whole trip is politics at it's finest, you know. Subtle moves to keep everyone guessing."

"I always thought poison was the subtle side of politics," Harry said.

Shikamaru smirked sharply. "That's a different kind of subtle."

"How many kinds of subtle are there?" Naruto asked, sounding like he didn't actually want to know.

"There's a new kind every other day." Shikamaru moved to speak with an older woman who shared his sharp facial features and dark eyes.

With his papers checks and the front of the caravan passing through the gates, Harry turned to Naruto.

Naruto grabbed Harry in a one-armed hug. "Show everyone how awesome you are, nii-san."

Harry patted Naruto's bacl and pulled back. "Don't go too overboard with your training. And be nice to Izumo and Kotetsu when the come back."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'll try."

"And don't get in trouble."

"That's my line," Naruto said with a grin.

Hedwig interrupted with a hoot, waiting till Naruto gave her a proper goodbye pat before she took to the air.

"Oi, Harii," Shikamaru said, "Time to go. My aunt said that we're in the middle of the caravan line."

"I'll see you two later," Naruto said.

With a final wave to Naruto, Harry followed Shikamaru into the caravan line and out of the village gates.

The first day of travel with the caravan was silent apart from a few scattered conversations with Shikamaru during their breaks. When they set up camp at the border of Fire Country at the end of the day, Harry was just glad to catch up on the sleep he'd missed from the previous day.

On the second day, Harry caught his first glimpse and feel of the desert. Initially enthralled with the magnificent view of glittering sand in the rising sun's light, Harry quickly lost his wonder when a gust of wind blew coarse sand into his mouth. Ignoring Shikamaru's snickers, Harry hastily wrapped the scarf around his head.

The Girding Potion allowed Harry to keep pace in the heat without too much trouble. Of course, regular cooling spells didn't go unappreciated either.

Hedwig slept in a shaded caravan cart during the day and hunted all sorts of new prey at night.

Day three was so slow and monotonous that Harry spent a majority of the time going over all sorts of spells- the ones he knew, the ones he'd just read about and even the ones that Hermione had sent through the mirror.

Their fourth day of travel started late due to an issue with the plant cart. When they did start, the ninja pushed everyone to keep walking till they reached an oasis filled with dusty date palm trees and large sand-coloured tents around a dark pool of water.

"What I wouldn't give to be a Hyuuga right now." Shikamaru brushed sand off his vest as they sat in one of the large tents.

Harry pushed the scarf off his head and shook his hair, dislodging some of the sand that had settled there. "A Hyuuga?"

"They stay dirt free even when wearing white clothes."

Harry's clothing hadn't fared too well against the constant even with the spells on it. "How do they manage that?"

"Beats me." Shikamaru said and untied his ponytail with a grimace. "They'll never give their secrets either."

"If we stay in the desert and breathe in sand, will we die from sand drowning?" Harry said after the silence stretched on for too long.

Shikamaru glanced at Harry. "Drink some more water."

"I'm fine." None the less, Harry took a long sip from his canteen. "Is it possible to drown in sand?"

"Quicksand pits," Shikamaru said after a few minutes. "That's the only way you'd drown in sand outside of fighting a Suna ninja."

Harry woke up on their fifth day away from Konoha to Shikamaru's persistent tapping on his arm.

"Better get ready to head out. We might reach Suna today."

Within an hour of waking, they resumed their slow trip through the desert. The sudden onset of a storm delayed them by a whole day, so their pace doubled on day six to get back on schedule.

On day seven, Harry mentally rejoiced at seeing the high dark sand coloured wall in the distance.

The minute they reached the wall, multiple ninja clad with beige vests greeted them and asked for their papers.

The guard who took Harry's papers, silently looked through them for at least ten minutes with a growing frown.

"What's the hold up?" Shikamaru said as he came over, the metal badge of Konoha on his sleeve gleaming in the evening light.

"He isn't a Konoha citizen. And his birthplace," the guard emphasized with open displeasure, "doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of any recognized country."

Shikamaru pursed his lips. "He's been sent here by the Hokage."

"The Hokage isn't here to take personal responsibility over him if he..."

Shikamaru's aunt intervened. She pulled out a stack of official looking papers and a cylindrical object. About the size of a finger, one end of the cylinder had thin red engravings of the Nara's clan symbol.

Harry couldn't hear what she said but eventually the guard nodded and let Harry pass.

When he was a good distance away, Harry whispered, "Your entire family scares me now."

Shikamaru snorted as they followed the group past the thick rocky wall.

With beehive shaped buildings and villagers clad in loose-fitting outfits, Suna felt completely alien to Harry after his time in Konoha.

"At least we're staying at the Golden Cactus," Shikamaru said, as they walked towards one of the larger beehive buildings. "They have the best food."

"You never seemed like a picky eater."

"I'm not. But we have an all expense paid stay at the Golden Cactus. Chouji's going to regret mocking me." Shikamaru smirked in delight as they entered an opulent reception area.

"Where do I go after settling in?" Harry asked as he took his room key from the receptionist. He gave Hedwig a quick pat before she flew off in visible excitement.

Shikamaru pocketed his own room key. "We actually need to talk to the Suna council first. Until they're willing to give you a chance to do what the Hokage had planned, you're free."

"I thought there was an actual job here for me."

"The Hokage certainly thinks you do. Suna just has to agree to let you near the items."

"I'm going to be free for a long time, aren't I?" Harry said simply.

Shikamaru shrugged. "At least you can enjoy your free time."

Harry went up to his room with a handful of snacks as his dinner. Not having anything else to do, Harry flopped down onto the single bed and grabbed Jiraiya's book from his backpack. He read as much of the cramped handwriting as he could and sealed the journal in his scroll when he couldn't concentrate any more.

Deciding to wait for Hedwig outside his room, Harry climbed up onto the hotel's roof and stared off into the distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of white under the moonlight.

"A strange place to be at this time," A sombre male voice broke the stillness of the night.

Harry yelped, clutched at his chest and turned around in a startled panic. "Holy hell, when..."

"You seem to be searching for something." The person silently stepped into the lantern light's range. Almost Harry's height, the person's spiky hair and young pale face were the only distinguishable features in the dim light.

Harry calmed slightly. "My owl has gone off hunting."

The person tugged his voluminous white robes wrapped around his body and stopped beside Harry close to the railing. "And that worries you?"

"Not really." Harry said. "She's just as good as any desert creature. Probably better, actually."

The person looked out into the desert. "I don't understand."

"She's a snowy owl!"

"A snowy owl." He repeated and turned to Harry. "Hunting in the desert."

Harry nodded. "It's our first night here, so I want to make sure she can find me easily after her hunt."

"Is that your owl?" the stranger pointed.

Harry turned and squinted till he saw a speck of white in the distance. "That has to be her."

As she got closer, Hedwig screeched a greeting and landed on the railings in front of Harry with a long headless snake clutched in her claw.

"You already cut off it's head. Why didn't you just eat it before coming back?"

"Those scale markings. It's a saw-scaled viper," the stranger said in surprise. He leaned forward, the lantern's dim light showing black under-eye circles and dark hair, and stared intently at the dead snake.

"A poisonous snake?" Harry patted Hedwig's head with a grin. "No wonder you wanted to show it off."

"If she's adept at killing saw-scaled vipers, she has every right to show off," the other person said as he watched Hedwig with undisguised interest. "Especially since she's not a desert animal."

"There," Harry said. "You've impressed more than one person. So eat up already."

Hedwig tossed the snake up, opened her beak wide and caught the falling snake by the freshly cut end. With practised ease, she swallowed the snake down bit by bit.

"I never knew owl could eat snakes. Our small owls can only eat insects and the occasional lizard," the stranger said calmly, eyes fixed on Hedwig until she swallowed the last bit of the snake's tail. "If she doesn't eat the snake's head, maybe you can donate them to our hospital."

Harry turned to the side. "Hospital?"

"Viper bites are very common. The hospital could use the snake's head for anti-venom production."

Harry said, "Where in the hospital should we send it to?"

"Any of the hospital staff. They'll know what to do with it."

Harry bent down and said, "Hedwig, did you hear that? The snake's heads need to be given to someone in the hospital."

Finished with her meal, Hedwig glanced in the direction she had come from and hooted sceptically.

"No, you don't have to search for the one you just killed," Harry said in exasperation. "From the next one."

"She's a very smart owl."

Harry nodded, unable to hide his pride.

"You did a good job training her."

Harry snorted as Hedwig jumped up onto his shoulder. "I can't take any credit for her natural intelligence."

"Gaara-sama!" A loud voice yelled as frantic hurried footsteps headed towards them. A tall ninja stopped beside Harry's companion and bowed on one knee. "Temari-sama will be angry if she finds out that you went off on your own again."

"Then it's a good thing she won't find out," the person replied simply.

"Gaara-sama," The man sighed, "Please don't go off on your own."

"It took you too long to find me even though I stayed in the same place. You'll need to step up your training."

"Of course, Gaara-sama," the man bowed respectfully.

The person beside Harry, Gaara, stepped away from the wall. "Have Baki inform the hospital that a white owl will drop off a viper head occasionally."

The tall man nodded.

Gaara turned back to Harry. "It was a pleasure to meet you both."

"You too." Harry nodded.

"Enjoy your time in Suna."

Harry took the stranger's words to heart and woke up well past noon the next day. With a large lunch, Harry wandered around the village browsing any store that looked interesting.

Harry passed a small park where kids yelled loudly as they ran after a dusty ball. And after a few turns, he came upon an open canopy tent filled with tables. At each table, two people sat opposite each other as they played some sort of game board. Intrigued, Harry ventured forward.

"Looking to play a game?" An old man with with heavy lidded eyes and a turban asked and pointed to the empty seat opposite him.

"I don't know how to play anything but Shogi," Harry said, as he eyed the boards.

"Then Go is the next game you need to learn," the man said. "After teaching quite a few senile people, teaching you will be easy."

"Sounds good," Harry said and took a seat. "A nice vacation thing to do."

A woman brought two small glasses of red tea and placed them on the table.

It took a few practice games before Harry got a feel for the game. Aside from the awkward way of placing the stones and the very bitter red tea, Harry found himself enjoying the game because his opponent only ever spoke to correct a mistake or explain a rule.

As Harry contemplated his next move, the old man said, "Looks like our game will have to be cut short."

Shikamaru greeted Harry with a nod as he stopped by the table, his eyes tracing over the Go board.

Beside Shikamaru, the black-hooded person with lines of purple face-paint bowed. "Ebizo-jiisama, sorry for the intrusion."

"If you're here with that Nara, that means..." The old man stared at Harry, as though seeing him for the first time. "I see. They've agreed then, then?"

"Not completely, Ebizo-sama."

Ebizo sighed and drank the fresh tea from his glass. "I must be losing my touch."

"The Kazekage appreciated your help and support, none the less, Ebizo-sama."

"As did Konoha," Shikamaru said.

Ebizo waved his hand. "You better go get started before someone decides to change their senile mind."

Shikamaru glanced at Harry, "Ready to get to work?"

"They're letting me work on whatever top secret thing I need to fix?"

"In a way," Shikamaru said, his frustration plain to hear.

Harry frowned but stood and bowed to the elderly man. "Thank you for the game."

"I appreciated the company." Ebizo turned to the black-clothed man. "Do come by for a visit, Kankuro. I'm eager to catch up."

Kankuro nodded and bowed again. After a quick introduction, Kankuro led them though a confusing series of turns around the village before they entered a building with a small lobby.

Kankuro went past the receptionist -who examined Harry with sharp grey eyes before turning back to the book in her hands- and opened a seemingly random door. They climbed down a flight of stairs, went though a few more doors and long corridors before finally stopping in room that smelled like disinfectant.

A middle aged man with thick glasses and greying hair sat at one of the tables, scribbling into a large notebook.

"Daichi, have you prepared the paperwork?" Kankuro said as he walked towards a man's document covered desk.

"Kankuro-san, I think there's been some error in the request."

"What sort of error?"

"It says the Kazekage wants to grant a foreign civilian access into one of our labs." Daichi shook his head. "That's too ridiculous to be true."

Kankuro's shoulders tensed. "Did you prepare the paperwork?"

"I did. I added it to the council's delivery but surely it's a mistake." Daichi glanced at Harry and his eyes narrowed. With scepticism palpable in his voice, he said,"How can a teenage civilian possibly be of any use? Does the Kazekage truly know about this?"

"He has the skills for what we're proposing," Shikamaru said evenly.

"Since when has Konoha had any expertise in Suna's tools and techniques? This is probably just a ploy and the Kazekage just..."

"That's enough. If the Kazekage is willing to work with our allies, then you have no authority to question him." Kankuro moved forward. "It seems as if all the work here has taken it's toll on you."

Daichi flinched.

"I suggest you take an unpaid vacation."

Glancing at the others in the room, Daichi hunched in wary defeat. "Thank you for your consideration."

"That wasn't necessary," Shikamaru said when the door slammed.

"Maybe not in Konoha." Kankuro pulled a large stack of papers from the desk. "Grab a chair. I'll get the damn paperwork."

Harry watched in growing horror as Kankuro filled their table with two towering piles of paper from a box by the door.

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered. "The paperwork seems a bit drastic for skill testing."

Kankuro nodded grimly and grabbed the first paper from the top of the pile. "We'll need to make sure they haven't added something ridiculous. Like this memory seal if he fails..." He hastily scribbled on the paper and stamped it with a red seal before passing it to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru snorted. "On the first page?"

"It'll only get worse from here," Kankuro said, already moving on to the next page.

Shikamaru read through the paper before passing it to Harry and telling him where to sign after he'd read everything. Two hours later, Harry's head hurt from all the technical and legal jargon. He stopped reading, trusting Shikamaru's comments and explanations.

"That's the last one," Kankuro said after what felt like an eternity. "I'll send these through to the office and get some spare equipment."

Shikamaru read through the last paper with sharp eyes, nodded and passed it to Harry.

Harry signed the last paper in blind relief. "Now that that's over. What exactly am I fixing?"

Shikamaru looked apologetic. "As part of the testing, I can't tell you anything. They want to see if you can fix it without... well, you know."

Kankuro returned with a large brown sack and a large box that gave off a mouthwatering aroma.

Harry's stomach growled loudly.

Shikamaru smirked but cleared some space on the table for the food.

When they were done, Kankuro dug into the sack and pulled out a pair of thick brown gloves. "You'll need to wear these. We cleaned up everything but it's best to be safe with poisons."

"Poisons? This just keeps getting better," Harry said as he grabbed the heavy leather gloves.

Kankuro snorted. "At least you didn't have to gather the pieces and sort them into individual piles based on chakra signature. The genin just wouldn't stop complaining about it."

"You made the clean-up and retrieval a D-rank mission?" Shikamaru asked in surprise.

"C-rank educational mission." Kankuro shrugged. "Best way to teach the brats how to handle hazardous material and distinguish chakra signatures."

Shikamaru looked unconvinced.

"And to show them the scale of a real ninja battle." Kankuro smirked. "Their jounin instructors were thrilled when their brats stopped complaining about their training regimes."

"Like that will last for long," Shikamaru said.

Harry flexed his fingers within the gloves, noting that the thick material didn't hinder his movement much.

"Looks like you'll be able to work with them," Kankuro pulled out a thick clunky face mask. Large goggles sat atop a breath dispenser. "We diffused any gas containers we found. But, again, it's best to be safe."

Harry wanted to make sure he was understanding correctly. "Gas?"

"Poison gas." Shikamaru said.

"Poison gas," Harry repeated as he took the mask. "Of course. How could I forget the poison? No body suit?"

Kankuro shook his head. "You don't need one."

"Wouldn't poison gas penetrate my clothes and burn my skin or something."

Kankuro blinked in surprise but straightened with a serious expression. "You don't have to worry about blister agents. Look, the gloves and mask are just a precaution because your side asked for safety measures. I personally oversaw the poison cleanup. There's really nothing to worry about."

Harry nodded and took the mask.

"Okay, now that the paperwork is done and you've eaten, it's... wait, show me what you have in your pockets." Kankuro said.

After an encouraging look from Shikamaru, Harry brought out his mokeskin pouch, some random pieces of the twins' candy and other assorted junk.

With a cursory glance, Kankuro nodded and led them back into the twisting corridors, past some seal covered walls that glowed under Kankuro's fingers as they walked ahead. They stopped in front of a solid door that glowed briefly under Kankuro's fingers before swinging open with a screech.

Harry glanced at the tiny characters around the entrance. "Heartbeat detection?"

Shikamaru glanced at him before squinting at the characters.

Kankuro nodded and motioned for Harry to enter. "It allows only one person to enter and stay inside at a time. Guarantees the secrecy needed for working and experimenting."

Harry put on the gas mask.

Shikamaru adjusted the straps and gave him the all clear.

Harry entered the small room and headed to the table. "A pile of splinters?"

Shikamaru sigh was audible even though he was at the door. "They're really against this!"

Kankuro snorted. "What do you expect? They've got too much time on their hands to think up stuff like this."

Harry glanced back at them through the doorway. "So I just have to fix this?"

"Just try," Shikamaru said in a consoling voice.

"You've got the use of this room for two weeks while you try and fix that," Kankuro said. "Extra wood, carving tools and resin can be found in that black cabinet over there," Kankuro pointed. "If you'll need any other material, then you can tell me and I'll restock the lab accordingly in the next few days." Kankuro pointed to the large cupboard in the room. "Feel free to raid the snack cabinet. The bathroom is through there and there's a new futon in the drawer"

"Are you locking me in here?"

"I assumed that you'd want a place where you couldn't be disturbed." Kankuro blinked. "When I work on something, I tend to stay in here for days on end. So it's nice to have everything close at hand. But if you..."

"It's fine. Let's see how things turn out with this." Harry pointed to the stack of splinters and broken chunks of wood.

"When should we come by to check on you?" Shikamaru said.

"In the morning," Harry said. "Tomorrow morning. Oh Shikamaru, can you tell..."

"I'll tell your owl that you've gone to work," Shikamaru said, interrupting Harry. "She better not scratch me."

After a few more instructions, they closed the door and left Harry with his thoughts and the pile of splinters in the well equipped lab. Ignoring the splinters, Harry opened the snack cupboard as he scanned the area around him with a concentrated 'Homunus revelio'. When he found no signs of other humans close by, he increased the range of the spell.

The spells showed Shikamaru and Kankuro leave, while the receptionist stayed. Other than her, there was no one in the entire building.

Moving on to his next batch of scanning spells, Harry found nothing hidden away to spy on him. Even so, Harry cast a familiar series of privacy spells around room.

Opening a packet of roasted seaweed snacks, Harry removed his mask and bit the thin green crinkled rectangle. With a noisy crunch, Harry savoured the delicious salty flavour.

Two more packets later, Harry finally turned to the tall pile of splinters. Curious from all the secrecy, Harry pushed his magic out with a firm 'Reparo'. The splinters rose up into the air, twisted about and flew around colliding into other pieces. Within seconds, the splinters found where they were meant to go. Filling the cracks and smoothing out the surface, the spell ran it's course and left a perfectly fixed item.

Slightly incredulous at the amount of hassle he had gone through to fix such a creepy object, Harry removed his privacy spells and went back to the snack cabinet.

Harry woke up to an excited yell. He blearily opened his eyes, lifted his head off the table and glared at the intruder.

Kankuro stood at the doorway, his eyes wide and excited as he stared at the fixed object in front of Harry. "You fixed it! I can't believe you actually did it."

"Why are you so excited over this?" Harry said, eyeing the eerily human puppet he had fixed. "I mean, sure it looks very realistic, but I don't see what all the hype was about."

Shikamaru snorted.

"A bloodline limit that fixes things?" Kankuro said, "The world is full of mysterious things."

Shikamaru looked smug as he said, "Now that he has proved he can fix the puppets, are you willing to reconsider our offer?"

"The Kazekage will decide." Kankuro said as he eyed the puppet with an impatient look. "The council is going to be horrified." He turned to Harry, "Are you coming out or what?"

The moment Harry walked out of the room, Kankuro rushed in. As he poked and prodded the puppet, Harry turned to Shikamaru. "Offer?"

"Politics!"

"Am I being used as some sort of..." Harry paused, unwilling to voice his thoughts.

"Your skills are," Shikamaru said. "And if they agree to our terms, you'll be paid. A lot more."

"Do everyone think I'm a mercenary person?" Harry yawned and rubbed his sore neck.

Shikamaru frowned and turned to Kankuro who was still examining the puppet. "Oi, we need to drop him off at the hotel so that you can talk to the council."

With obvious reluctance, Kankuro exited the room. As he closed the door, he slid a bloody thumb across the wooden surface. "I can't just leave it unlocked now."

Harry ignored their conversation as they made their way to the Golden Cactus. He entered his room and fell onto his bed with content.

But in what felt like a matter of minutes, Shikamaru shook him awake. "I know the bed is very comfortable, but you've got work to do."

Harry burrowed deeper into the bed, hiding under his pillow.

"Harii, if you don't get up, I'll tell dad that you beat me at Shogi. Then he'll pester you to play every time."

"I'm not afraid of your dad," Harry sat up, ignoring Shikamaru's smirk. "But I am hungry."

After an almost lavish dinner, Shikamaru led Harry out into the village, through the lantern lit streets into a completely different building.

"You guys took your time." Kankuro led them through an unfamiliar series of corridors but stopped in front of a familiar wooden door. Harry paused right at the entryway. Every bit of free space had a pile of splinters.

"Twenty-three separate piles," Kankuro said lightly. "The ones that seemed easier to fix were already taken by our own researchers. And we haven't sorted the rest completely."

"Twenty-three is more than enough," Harry said.

"Maybe by the time you finish fixing these, we'll have the rest sorted," Kankuro said.

"You'll have them sorted by tomorrow?" At the startled silence behind him, Harry turned.

"You can fix all these by tomorrow?" Kankuro asked incredulously.

"If I don't sleep maybe I can get through most of these."

"I don't want inferior rushed work." Kankuro said.

"Anything I do would be an improvement over useless splinters."

Shikamaru snorted and straightened. "If he can fix all these puppets tonight, we'll definitely need to renegotiate our agreement. We didn't discuss the time he took to fix things."

Kankuro cursed. "Damn Naras. You never miss a chance to..."

"To give people headaches?" Shikamaru smirked wide. "You should be thankful that my dad isn't here."

Kankuro glared at Shikamaru. "If he can manage to fix all the puppets properly, then I suppose we'd have to look at the agreements again."

Harry cleared his throat, interrupting their staring contest.

Shikamaru collected himself. "Don't hold back, Harii. If you finish fixing everything tonight, we'll be back in Konoha by the end of the week."

"You can't just decide something like that," Kankuro said with an almost irritated exasperation.

Shikamaru shrugged.

"At least that tea thermos I made will be put to good use," Kankuro said with a slight huff.

With muted goodbyes, both ninja left Harry in the room filled with splinter piles. Taking a moment to set up his privacy spells, Harry turned and headed to the snack cabinet. Finishing a few packets of the seaweed snack, Harry picked a random pile and fixed it with a careful 'Reparo'. When he had fixed nine of the puppets, Harry took another snack break- some biscuits with the tea.

Feeling refreshed, Harry went back to the remaining piles. He broke the monotony of fixing by using a few cleaning charms on the puppets he'd already fixed.

Harry smiled in accomplishment as the last puppet repaired itself to it's original form. Feeling the urge to celebrate, Harry raided the snack cabinet for more snacks.

Like the previous night, he was woken up by Kankuro's voice. But instead of an excited yell, an annoyed groan filled the room.

"Don't look so damn smug, Nara. You're not the one who has to talk to council again about reopening negotiations."

You all right in there, Harii? Why are you on the floor?"

Harry sat up and stretched cautiously as he turned to the entrance. "The puppets were creeping me out." Harry motioned to one particular puppet. "Especially the one that looks like your dad."

Shikamaru's grin froze."Come out here, so that I can take a closer look."

"What's going on?" Harry muttered as Shikamaru entered the lab and stared at the puppet.

"That's most probably his relative," Kankuro said, his shoulders tense and his eyes.

Harry stilled. "Those are puppets."

"For you to fix them without even noticing, that man did an excellent job in making these. I suppose you've earned the right to know. These are human puppets," Kankuro said. "Real humans that were converted into puppets."

"Human bodies?" All the pride that Harry had felt at completing his job quickly turned into horror. "How is that even..."

"It's something we intend to find out." Kankuro said simply. "It's the reason we put so much effort into the recovery of such heavily damaged puppets."

Harry couldn't speak. His mind whirled with horror. He'd fixed twenty four dead bodies. Twenty four dead human bodies.

"Hey, hey, are you all right?" Kankuro asked. "Come on, just breathe, okay. Oi, Nara your friend's having a panic attack."

"Don't touch him! Give him some space..."

"I know." Kankuro's face moved away.

Harry looked up into Shikamaru's eyes and said, "They're human. I..."

"You just did your job," Shikamaru said.

A limp body crashed against the wall with a splat of red and a crack.

Stop.

A metallic scent filled the air and unforgiving fingers suffocated him.

Stop.

Sightless eyes looked up at him with...

STOP!

"...his trigger," Shikamaru said.

"When did people only have one trigger?" Kankuro said derisively. "I thought Konoha was years ahead with healing and medicine advancement."

"You're not helping." Shikamaru grit out with palpable annoyance, hovering close but not touching Harry.

"I'm fine," Harry said and gasped, wondering when he'd fallen to his knees. "I'm fine."

"Like hell you are," Kankuro said.

"Harii," Shikamaru held out his hand. "Has this every happened before?"

Harry shook his head.

"It must have," Kankuro tapped a few seals and locked the lab door. "I'm going to go update the council. Will you be okay taking him back?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"First time," Harry said when they were out in the sunlight. "Never fixed dead bodies before."

"Right. And it hasn't even been a month since the Temple," Shikamaru said as he led Harry.

Harry cringed. "I'm fine. I am."

"It's not healthy to ignore..."

Harry interrupted him. "Just like it's not healthy to smoke for a dead man?"

Shikamaru stiffened.

"Sorry. I didn't, it's just..." Harry slumped with a sigh.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said softly. "I know."

Harry curled his fingers in despair. "I hate this."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed.

"At least I didn't throw up." Harry said after a moment as they reached the hotel.

"Thank goodness for that," Shikamaru said. "The lab would have had to be sealed off due to contamination."

"Glad to know your priorities," Harry said with a snort. But he sobered quickly. "Was that puppet really your relative?"

Shikamaru nodded with a grim expression.

"Did you know?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I doubt anyone in my family will be expecting it either. Negotiations are going to become terrible. My aunt will definitely..."

Harry glanced at Shikamaru questioningly.

"She'll be ruthless. Even more than usual."

Harry wanted to say something about the puppets. Instead he said, "Don't tell Naruto about... he'll worry."

"You know you can't talk about your job here," Shikamaru said.

"I figured there was a reason for all that paperwork I signed."

"Are you going to be all right by yourself?" Shikamaru asked as they reached Harry's room.

Harry nodded and opened his door. "Go talk to your aunt."

Shikamaru looked reluctant to leave and only moved when Hedwig flapped onto Harry's shoulder.

Unable to stay in his room without being mentally overwhelmed, Harry hurried to the market and soon distracted himself with examining a very shiny yellow glass sculpture.

"We meet again."

Harry turned to the voice, recognizing the old man who'd taught him Go. "Good afternoon."

"Free from work already?"

Harry winced. "I've finished all that I could do."

"And no you're looking to buy a glass sculpture."

Harry shook his head. "It's a bit too shiny for my taste."

The old man, Ebizo, stared at the sculpture. "You might prefer something made from sandstone. Those aren't too gaudy to keep around."

Harry nodded. "I'll think about it."

"The world has really changed," Ebizo said with a sign. "That distinct accent of yours. I never thought I'd live to hear it in Suna."

Harry glanced at Ebizo in wary confusion.

"None of the superstitious Islanders strayed too far from the ocean."

"Superstitious Islanders?"

"But you did come here with Konoha, so I guess you can't be considered an Islander anymore." Ebizo stared at Harry critically. "Konoha always manages to reel people in."

Harry stared back at Ebizo, unfazed. "There's a man named Danzo in Konoha. Are you friends with him? You two seem similar."

"Friends with that meddlesome old fart? Similar?" Ebizo's calm exterior shattered. "Just because we were born on the same day in the same year, doesn't mean we're anything alike."

"You and Danzo share the same birth date?"

"I'm nothing like him."

"Of course," Harry agreed after a moment. "You don't colour your hair."

Ebizo sighed, face smoothing back into an apathetic expression. "There must be something in the Konoha air that affects the people there."

"It could be something in the water too," Harry said.

"That certainly would explain many things about Konoha's inhabitants."

Instead of leaving like Harry expected, Ebizo accompanied Harry to the hotel for a quiet lunch. They were halfway through their meal at the Golden cactus when Shikamaru arrived.

"They've agreed," Shikamaru said as he sat at the table. "We can leave for Konoha tonight."

Harry straightened in surprise. "Really? What..."

"You don't want to know. Really." Shikamaru sighed. "They're going to re-negotiate with the Hokage now."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Increased communication is always a good sign." Ebizo interrupted as he sipped on his water. "Though, it does lead to more headaches."

Shikamaru stared at the man sharply, as though just noticing who he was. "Right, anyway, you'll need to pack."

"Am I leaving as some sort of political statement?" Harry asked as he finished the last of his food.

"What do you think?" Shikamaru said as he ordered. "Everything is a statement."

"So basically... not so subtle politics?" Harry said cheekily.

Shikamaru snorted. "It's very unsubtle politics. Such a rare form of politics."

Ebizo shook his head. "Konoha."

Harry pushed away his empty plate.

Shikamaru said, "Why aren't you going and packing?"

"It's rude to just leave the table when you're not done," Harry said.

Shikamaru's eye twitched. "This isn't a formal occasion."

"So you still have a bit of the Island in you," Ebizo said. "Afraid you'll get cursed to die if you leave the table early?"

"I'm polite not superstitious," Harry retorted. "Besides that superstition only applies if there are thirteen peo... never mind, I'll go pack."

Ignoring their curious look, Harry went up to his room even though he didn't have much to pack. He hadn't bought anything new. Interrupted by a knock on his door, Harry found Kankuro standing on the other side with a familiar sack.

Kankuro held it open towards Harry. "You left these at the lab."

"The gloves and gas mask?"

"I'm sure you can find a use for them. You've earned them," Kankuro said.

"What? Really?"Harry stared at the man. "I thought you'd be more... bitter about me fixing everything."

"Bitter? You just saved us months, no, years of work." Kankuro said, "What's there to be bitter about?"

"The politics I stirred up."

Kankuro chuckled in open amusement. "I'll never understand how Konoha can keep surviving on being nice."

"Nice?" Harry repeated blankly.

"Better get back to your packing," Kankuro said as he turned away. "I'll meet you and Nara by the gate in an hour."

True to his word, Kankuro arrived at the gate one hour later accompanied by two people. A blonde woman with a large item on her back and someone clad in pristine white robes and a triangular green hat with a cloth veil that covered the back of his head.

"Oh, it's you," Harry took a moment to remember the person's name. "Gaara, right?"

The one with the black-rimmed eyes and dark hair, Gaara, nodded and glanced between him and Ebizo.

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Show some respect to the Kazekage."

Harry straightened self-consciously. "Kazekage? Where?"

Ebizo snorted.

Harry turned to him. "You're the Kazekage?"

Shikamaru twitched.

Kankuro seemed to choke on air.

The blonde woman sputtered with rage and reached for the item latched on her back while Ebizo turned away with a wheeze.

"Temari," Gaara said. "It's all right."

"But he..."

Harry took a moment to piece everything together- the woman's earlier words, Ebizo's mirth and Gaara's command. "You're the Kazekage?" Harry cringed at his incredulous tone.

Ebizo's wheezing grew to a worrying level as his shoulders shook. Everyone except Gaara stared at the old man in surprise.

"I'd like to thank you." Gaara's soft voice cut through the noise easily. "The hospital's been busy producing viper anti-venom."

Harry glanced at Hedwig, who hovered in the air above them, and said, "It was no trouble. Really."

"I'd also like to thank you for your own hard work."

Harry nodded politely, unsure of how reply.

"Enough already!" Kankuro said. "You two weren't supposed to come here in your formal wear. You've gone and made everything awkward."

"Watch you tongue, Kankuro!" Temari snarled. "Gaara came to say goodbye to an idiot like you even though he has better things to do."

Shikamaru pulled Harry away. "And that's our cue to leave."

"Hey!" Kankuro yelled as he ran after them. "Wait for me."

Chapter Text

The humid afternoon breeze ruffled his hair and clung to his skin, as a solid weight landed on Harry's shoulder with a hoot.

"Nii-san," a hesitant voice called as grass crunched a behind him.

Harry took a deep breath but didn't turn from the memorial. "Aren't you supposed to be training?"

"I'm done with my morning training," Naruto said, his voice awash with a soft but cautious concern as he stopped beside Harry. "And it's time for lunch. Late lunch, if we go now."

"Lunch?" Under the unchanging overcast sky, Harry hadn't noticed the time pass as he stood in front of the meditating tengu statue. "I must have gotten lost in my thoughts."

"Then it's a good thing I came to get you," Naruto said, his voice low. "I should have left a clone in the apartment when I went training but I thought you'd still be sleeping because you just came back from Suna last night."

"It's fine. Even I thought I'd be sleeping but I just couldn't, not today." Harry motioned to the two colourful bouquets at memorial's base. "You could have used your name, you know."

"I thought you'd be in Suna when I put the order in. And when you came back last night, you... I didn't know if you'd come here today." Naruto scratched his neck and shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with the monks getting two bouquets from you."

"Thank you," Harry said. "For remembering even though it's been a month."

"Of course I'd remember! You were there and you could have," Naruto's voice hitched for an instant. "There's no way I'd forget."

Touched but eager to dispel Naruto's gloom, Harry took a deep breath and turned. "You were saying something about lunch?"

Slumped and staring at the tengu memorial with downcast eyes, Naruto said, "I made plans to meet up with Iruka-sensei for late lunch today. I thought I'd introduce you two but maybe you... "

"Sounds good," Harry said, interrupting Naruto's wavering voice. Seeing Naruto's indecision, Harry put on his most determined expression and walked away from the stone memorial. "Let's go. Where are we eating?"

Naruto stumbled after Harry. "Iruka-sensei always treats me to ramen."

"Maybe today should be our treat so he can choose what he wants to eat," Harry suggested as they stepped out of the memorial's grounds and onto a quiet dusty path. "How was training? Didn't you say you were trying something different with the glove?"

Naruto's lips lifted into a quick smile and his eyes crinkled with delight as he led them off the path and through a bustling residential area that Harry hadn't been in before. "I'm getting somewhere. I think the glove trains you to shape your chakra into smaller..."

Boxed in by apartment buildings on both sides, sound filled the area. Women clustered in groups on apartment stairs, gossiping as they watched their children play.

Harry sidestepped a line of running children but watched them tumble towards the only patch of grass in the area.

A patch of grass where another group of children sat and played with dolls.

Cold horror washed over Harry and even though he turned away, blood drenched memories and nightmares filled his mind with sickening clarity.

Before the images could sink in, the alien rush of contentment from his hastily cast Cheering Charm calmed his pounding heart. A familiar sensation, that had kept Harry functioning without downing Calming Draughts on the return trip from Suna every time debilitating memories emerged.

Though the grotesque mental images weren't completely banished, Harry lowered his wand hand from his neck and concentrated on Naruto's voice.

"…and then I have to see if the shape changes. Experimenting without anyone there to tell me if I'm doing it correctly, it's hard." Naruto rubbed the back of his bowed head as they walked past the last apartment building.

"I'm sorry I don't know more about the glove."

Naruto turned to him with wide eyes. "You don't have to be sorry about anything! I'll figure it out just like I figured out my shadow clones from that old scroll. And then, I'll definitely teach you. It'll be good for you to use your chakra if you end up in trouble in again."

"You sound like you know I'll end up in trouble."

"You're related to me," Naruto said, his tone strangely somber.

"I can take care of myself," Harry said and raised his right hand. "I'm not helpless."

Naruto glanced at Harry's wand holster. "Yeah but, if both of us know how to use this chakra glove, then it'll be a clan thing. Just like how the Nara have their secret clan techniques."

"You're right. We should both know Uzumaki techniques." Naruto's shoulders relaxed as though he had been waiting to hear those words. "So, tell me about this teacher of yours that we're going to meet," Harry said, unable to remember if and when he'd heard the name Iruka.

"He was my academy teacher," Naruto said as they walked over a green bridge and entered Konoha's Central District. "I must have told you about him! He's the best. He always treated me to ramen even when he caught me after my pranks."

"So he'll be able to tell me a lot of embarrassing stories about you?"

Naruto puffed his cheeks out. "Even if there were any embarrassing stories about me, Iruka-sensei won't tattle."

"He will, because I'm only trying to know more about you," Harry said.

"You don't need to hear embarrassing stories to know more about me!" Naruto pointed out. "You can't hide your scheming ways from me because I can see your smile, nii-san."

Harry flattened his lips and shook his head. "You're imagining things."

Naruto snorted and turned from the main road that ran straight to the Hokage tower. Past the tightly packed mix of buildings that filled the Central District, the new path led them to a large gated property at the base of Konoha's Hokage mountain.

Beyond the thick wooden gate, the path narrowed as it cut through a wide expanse of short grass littered with paper and glinting pieces of metal.

"Good thing they had exams today. Kids leave the academy early on exam days," Naruto said, glancing from side to side, his eyes lingering in places as they walked forward.

"This is where you studied," Harry looked at the chain of connected buildings ahead of them in a new light. He gave Hedwig a gentle scratch before she flew up and away from them.

"And that's my spot," Naruto pointed to a lone tree swing at the very edge of the grounds. "I used to sit there a lot when I got... tired in the evenings."

"The teachers didn't have anything to say about that?"

Naruto shrugged carelessly but a flicker of emotion laced his voice. "It's not like anyone else wanted to use the swing. It was mine."

"It's bigger than the swing I haunted in my neighbourhood." When Naruto finally turned to look at him, Harry motioned to the swing, "Does it have your name on it?"

"I carved three small lines on the bottom one night," Naruto said, lowering his voice as he rubbed the black lines on his cheeks.

"Nobody would check the bottom and even if they did they couldn't tie it to you directly," Harry nodded in understanding. "Smart."

"Carving my name would have taken too long," Naruto admitted with a sheepish smile as he opened the academy's doors.

A pleasant rush of cool air greeted them as they scrambled in from the muggy afternoon heat.

Bulletin boards covered with large class schedules, colourful flyers and various other papers filled the walls of the otherwise empty reception area.

In the long hallway beyond the reception, they passed many doors marked with tiny lacquered signs. One open door showed a large well-lit classroom outfitted with a high ceiling, a podium at the very front and student desks arranged on a pitched floor for tier seating.

Without bothering to knock, Naruto pushed open a random door before Harry could read it's lacquered sign.

Sitting at one of many paper cluttered desks, the only person in the room looked up with a red marker in his hand. Though his brown eyes were gentle, exasperation dripped from his voice as he said, "Naruto, you can't just barge in here when I'm marking..."

"Iruka-sensei, look who I brought with me," Naruto interrupted and motioned at Harry with a wide grin. "This is Nii-san."

"You're supposed to use a name when introducing strangers."

Naruto huffed as he manoeuvred the maze of teacher's desks. "I already told you nii-san's name before."

"I'm sure I hammered some manners into your head. A proper Hokage needs manners, Naruto."

"Fine, fine." Naruto rolled his eyes. "No need to nag, sensei. Harii-nii-san, this is Iruka-sensei. Iruka-sensei this is nii-san."

"That's not any better!" Iruka said as they stopped in front of his desk but he smiled. "Umino Iruka, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Harii. Sorry for disturbing you when you were working."

"Overworking!" Naruto corrected. "I'm sure if we hadn't come, he'd be stuck in here working forever like the workaholic he is."

Gathering up the papers scattered on his desk, Iruka said, "A good work ethic is a valuable skill."

Naruto looked around at the other empty desks. "Right."

"I would have gone to eat with them but I'd already made plans to meet with my old loudmouth student," Iruka said as he stacked the papers in his drawer.

"Don't pretend you're not a workaholic," Naruto said as he stuffed Iruka's red marker into an already full pen holder. "Nii-san won't fall for your act."

"My act?" Iruka looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Of pretending I'm not a workaholic?"

"Exactly," Naruto said with a nod.

When they both turned to him, Harry shrugged, "With the amount of training you do, aren't you also a workaholic?"

Naruto gasped. "That's not the same at all."

In between chuckles, Iruka tapped two fingers on his desk. With a flash of blue light, ink characters crawled over the desk drawer, turned red and sank down without a trace. He grabbed his green vest from the back of his chair and led them out of the office. "What are we going to eat?"

"Let's go get ra..."

Harry cleared his throat and held Naruto's gaze.

Naruto sighed but said, "What would you like to eat, Iruka-sensei? It's our treat."

Iruka's eyebrows rose for an instant before he smiled and turned to zip up his vest. "Ramen sounds perfect."

Naruto turned to Harry with a smug smile.

Harry rolled his eyes.

As they walked away from the academy, Iruka adjusted his spiky brown ponytail and said, "But since it's a treat. How many bowls should I have, Naruto? Seven, ten?"

"Iruka-sensei, you don't eat that much!" Naruto said.

"I can and I will, if someone else is paying."

As Naruto sputtered, Harry asked, "Did Naruto eat you out of your paycheck?"

"All the time," Iruka said and ruffled Naruto's hair with fondness. "Thankfully, Ichiraku allows long tabs. With my teaching salary, that was quite the blessing."

"It's not like you only work at the academy. You put in hours at the admin tower too, don't you? That's the definition of a real workaholic." Naruto shot Harry a pointed look as he fixed his blond hair.

Iruka chuckled. "Maybe I just want to be kept on my toes."

"How can admin work keep you on your toes?" Naruto asked in disbelief as they walked through Konoha's bustling streets. "Just admit you're a workaholic."

"Taking an extra administrative job is nowhere as tiring or as time consuming as it was figuring out where you had hidden after your pranks."

"You worked out where I was without actually searching for me? That's so," Naruto shook his head as though he was too scandalized for words.

"The mental work of getting into your mindset and figuring out your moves was just as taxing as physically searching for you," Iruka said as he pushed aside Ichiraku's hanging sheets.

"Wait," Harry said as they sat at the ramen stand. "From what I'm hearing, it sounds like Naruto is the reason you've taken on an extra job and become a... workaholic."

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Iruka said with a nod. "After he graduated, I had too much spare time."

"Liar!"

Iruka spoke over Naruto's protests. "I'm amazed I don't have any grey hairs with how much extra work he gave me."

"Is that what happened to his current teacher?" Harry said after giving the chef his order.

Iruka rubbed the scar across his nose, hiding the smile on his lips. When he spoke, his voice was deep with thought, "It's not openly spoken about but I suspect Hatake-san's grey hairs have gone completely white because of him."

Naruto pouted. "That's not true. Hair doesn't change colour like that."

Harry shook his head. "Isn't Jiraiya your teacher too? He has white hair."

"He had white hair before he met me! If anything, he's probably given me white hair."

"It's not like you've never sported white hair before," Iruka said, having given the chef his own order. Noticing Harry's curiosity, Iruka grinned, "When he was at the Academy, Naruto once decided he was going to..."

When Ichiraku added his own stories over their dinner servings of ramen, Harry did his best to commit the bright tidbits of Naruto's past to his memory.

But as he lay awake in his bed that night, even the endearing stories of Naruto's past couldn't overcome the dismal thoughts that had lingered in the back of Harry's mind. While the Cheering Charm would push the memories back, it would also leave him too restless to sleep.

Harry reached for the side table drawer, turned the vial of Dreamless Sleep around in his hands and put it back. He wasn't particularly tired, and if he just couldn't sleep naturally, then the least he could do was get some reading done.

Harry sat up as quietly as he could manage and listened to the relative silence of his apartment for a long moment before he moved his feet to the floor.

As he stood, the sofa in the living room creaked and Naruto asked, "Can't sleep?"

Harry squinted in the darkness of the apartment through his open doorway. "Did I wake you up?"

"I couldn't sleep either," Naruto said as he rose and switched on a light. Warm but blinding light lit up the apartment. "So I was trying to meditate."

"I was going to read until I felt sleepy," Harry admitted as he blinked against the light.

"That's worse than meditating!" Naruto shook his head and grabbed a baggy orange shirt as he glanced out the window. "Come on, the sky has cleared. Let's go to the roof and you can finally tell me that sea monster story. "

On the roof, Harry sifted through memories of astronomy, divination and history lessons to weave an enchanting tale for Naruto.

When Harry finished his story, Naruto asked, "Do you think the... our clan used water jutsu?"

"They lived on an island, so they could have. Why?"

"I don't know any water jutsu." Naruto said in a small voice. "With wind as my natural affinity, I never even considered learning other elements."

"You don't need to learn something just because the clan might have used it," Harry said. "They might have done a lot of things like... kept sea monsters as pets or something."

"I wouldn't mind having a sea monster pet," Naruto said with laughter in his voice.

"The point is," Harry huffed. "Do whatever you want, for yourself."

"So," Naruto said in between yawns. "That's a yes to the sea monster pet?"

"What's the point of such a pet so far inland? You could definitely bring a giant sea creature and put it in a large enough lake but that's not..." Harry paused as he turned to Naruto. After carefully considering his options, Harry went down to the apartment and returned with a handful of blankets and pillows.

Tucking Naruto in with a generous amount of spells, ranging from heating spells to insect repelling charms, Harry looked up at the stars while Naruto's soft snores filled the air.

He woke from the start of a nightmare to Izumo's concerned face.

"Why are you two sleeping on the roof when it could have rained at any time?" Izumo asked as he moved back and motioned to the grey clouds above.

Harry shrugged as he sat up and stretched. "It was a nice night?"

"Why are you asking me?" Izumo said. "You're the idiot who slept on the roof in this weather."

"There weren't any clouds when we came up here." Harry rolled his shoulder, wincing at the stiffness in his back. "Did you bring breakfast?"

"No good morning or how are you after so long? That's cold, Harii," Izumo shook his head with a smile and shot a pointed look at Naruto. "Kotetsu's bringing Tofu."

Considering Naruto's dislike of Tofu, Harry shook his head in exasperation, "I go off for a few days and return to some sort of kids' food feud."

"It's just Kotetsu and Naruto, they're the kids."

"There actually is a food feud?" Harry asked.

"It started the moment you left and it's been hilarious. They make the most hilarious faces when they eat," Izumo admitted with a grin and prodded Naruto. "Oi, how long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"

Naruto opened one eye and glared. "You ruin everything."

"I try my best," Izumo said.

Harry folded his blanket and stood. "No fighting before breakfast."

"Is Kotetsu really bringing Tofu?" Naruto asked as a clone appeared and gathered all the blankets and pillows.

"It's one of the things you dislike the most," Izumo said as they got off the roof and entered the apartment.

Harry had just finished setting the table under the bright kitchen light when Kotetsu arrived with Hedwig perched on his shoulder. "Guess what I got?"

"Just bring it in already." Naruto said with an unimpressed look as he walked into the kitchen, his hair damp from his shower. "Some of us actually want to eat and go train."

"Still working on your top secret jutsu?" Izumo asked as he sipped on the tea he'd made.

Naruto nodded and grabbed a plateful of tofu with a scowl as he sat beside Harry at the table. "Do either of you know water jutsu?"

"They're the basis of my Syrup jutsu." Izumo tilted his head in consideration and sat opposite Harry. "Why, you want to learn some?"

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe."

"Hatake knows a ton of techniques." Kotetsu said.

"He'll just tell me that I can't learn it since it's not a wind jutsu. He said something like that when I wanted to learn the Chidori."

"His lightning technique?" Kotetsu said in between bites. "I think you need the Sharingan to use that one."

Naruto mumbled under his breath and chewed his tofu viciously.

"Did you ask him to teach you anything after that?"

"I ask him for super cool jutsu all the time," Naruto said with an annoyed huff but frowned, "Actually, after the wind manipulation, no, after I came back to Konoha, I don't think I asked him to teach me any..." Naruto paused and bit his lip in dismay.

Putting his tea down, Izumo said, "He's still your sensei. Go ask him for some D-rank water jutsu."

Naruto's dismay turned into outrage. "D-rank?"

Izumo didn't falter at the yell, in fact, Harry had never seen him so serious. "If you're working with elements that you don't have an affinity for, it's better to start small. Water in your lungs is a very real possibility, if you're not careful."

"Didn't Jiraiya-sama teach you any super cool jutsu?" Kotetsu said, emphasizing Naruto's earlier words with a snicker.

Naruto rolled his eyes but replied, "We never got around to anything like that because it took me forever to improve my clone technique."

"So you improved your chakra control at least," Izumo said. "That'll help you create and direct your clones instantly."

"It's nice to see you three getting along like normal people," Harry said as he poured himself another cup of tea. "Going to Suna really had it's uses."

"What are you going to do today?" Izumo asked, unfazed while the other two sputtered.

With Hedwig dozing on the back of his chair, Harry leaned closer to the table and sipped his warm tea. "I'm still feeling the effects of the desert so I'm going to try and recover."

"Still finding sand in strange places?" Kotetsu asked with a teasing grin.

"Thankfully not," Harry said, fervently thanking his magic for protecting him from the encroaching sand. "But racing back through the desert was... an experience."

"Be thankful it wasn't a swamp with insects that try to eat you alive," Izumo said.

"Those things are worse than the Aburame's swarms," Kotetsu added as if that meant something to Harry.

Naruto shuddered.

"I'll take your word for it," Harry said, adding some more sugar to his tea. "But other than some reading, I won't be moving around too much."

"Lucky," Izumo said. "We're back on gate duty today and it's going to be a complete bore."

"But it's an important job, right? Checking the newcomers," Harry said.

Kotetsu snorted. "Regardless of how high village-wide security is, the gate guards are just one of many security checks and scans for the people coming in."

Though he had suspected hidden security, Harry still said, "I only saw you two when I first came in."

"Exactly! People think they've entered Konoha without and intense scrutiny because of us. We make the others' job much easier." Kotetsu grinned in pride.

Naruto swallowed some tofu and said, "Did anything change because of the invasion?"

Harry looked up from his tea in confusion. "Invasion?"

"The invasion about three years ago," Kotetsu stared at him expectantly and shook his head. "Just how sheltered were you?"

Izumo elbowed him. "Idiot. News get twisted beyond recognition when it travels to distant and isolated places." He turned to Harry. "There was an invasion attempt at the Chūnin exam finals."

"The one where you two were bully examiners?" Ignoring Kotetsu's protests, Harry asked, "Who tried to invade?"

"Suna and Oto," Naruto answered with a dark frown of distaste.

"Suna?" Harry leaned away from the table. "The place I just came from?"

"They were tricked into helping Oto." Naruto grimaced. "You know, if the invasion hadn't happened I would have become a Chūnin."

Kotetsu and Izumo both snorted.

"What?" Naruto said and crossed his arms as he sat up straighter. "I would have, when I won the tournament. Everyone would have seen my skills."

Kotetsu leaned forward and put some more tofu in front of Naruto. "Eat and increase your brainpower, you delusional brat."

With narrowed eyes, Naruto's legs moved under the table.

When Kotetsu yelped in pain, Harry turned to Izumo. "So the invasion..."

"It wasn't bad as far as invasions go. We decimated the intruders and our death toll was negligible," Izumo said. "And only the outer districts needed intense reconstruction. "

Harry turned to a triumphant looking Naruto, "And what were you doing during this invasion?"

"I had to fight Gaara because he had gone all…well, I had to take care of him."

"Gaara," Harry said, remembering the solemn robed person who had been fascinated by Hedwig. "The Kazekage?"

"He wasn't the Kazekage back then," Naruto said with a shrug.

"That doesn't reassure me at all," Harry admitted.

"It could have been so much worse," Izumo said. "Iwa's invasion tactics in the old days was to raze locations to the ground with lava that burned for days. Sometimes they trapped people inside."

Harry grimaced at the image.

"Was one of many reasons dealing with them was a pain in the ass even after the war. If it wasn't earth attacks, it was lava. And if it wasn't lava then metal." Izumo's fingers twitched as he said, "The bastards made it hard for us to stay on ground. You never knew when they'd pull you under."

In the ensuing silence, Naruto looked as uncomfortable as Harry felt.

"Enough depressing talk, especially since there's no alcohol in sight," Kotetsu said, trying to grin through his words.

Izumo blinked, looked down at his hands and sighed. "There will never be enough alcohol, so let's never bring it up again."

"Sounds good. Now let's go," Kotetsu said, with too wide of a smile on his face. "Or we'll be late for gate duty."

Izumo nodded, his eyes tired as he dumped his dishes in the sink and left with an apologetic goodbye.

"The old pervert got like that sometimes, when we were travelling. He'd go far away from people and just sit." Naruto sighed and changed the topic as he stood. "I'm going to find Kakashi-sensei. Do you want me to leave a clone here with you?"

Harry shook his head and followed Naruto out of the kitchen. "I really want to get some reading done."

Naruto huffed as he pulled on his sandals. "You sound like you have an exam tomorrow."

"Reading before an exam won't help you excel," Harry said. "That's what Hermione would say to try and make us start revising a month before our exams."

"You must have been at the top of your class, then."

Harry snorted. "Hermione was. Ron and I were happy to be in the average middle. Will you be back for lunch?"

Naruto nodded with a solemn look even as his eyes twinkled, "I'll definitely come to save you from your reading."

The moment he was alone, Harry checked, re-cast and added new spells around the apartment as he tidied up. Once reassured of his privacy, Harry pulled out his two-way mirror.

Having been unable to use or check the mirror since he'd left Suna, Harry pulled the mirror close and kept a pen near as he played the days' old message.

Harry had just finished scribbling down the last of the spells that Hermione had sent him when the mirror vibrated in his grip.

"Harry," Ron called out as his face appeared in the mirror's gleaming surface. When he noticed Harry, his eyes crinkled above a wide smile. "Harry!"

Harry grinned back. "I'm glad I saw your previous message before I left Suna. That spell you used in Egypt really helped with all the sand."

"You've left the desert place already?" Ron said even as his eyes asked for more information.

Harry couldn't bring himself to mention the 'work' he had done in Suna. "We rushed back from there. And sand is not made for rushing over on."

"It would have been easier to fly." Noticing Harry's pointed look, Ron huffed, "I'm not talking about using your broom in front of the muggles! Don't they have some way to fly?"

"Ron, my Firebolt was still locked in Hogwarts when I came here."

"I know. I'm the one that pestered them to send it to Lupin for safekeeping."

"Exactly, wait," Harry paused. "What? It's not in Hogwarts anymore?"

"Of course not. It's your broom. And it would be a crime to have Tonks anywhere near it." Ron grimaced as though that image was too much to bear. "That's why I was messaging you. They finally sent it to safety."

"You could have kept it with you. To make sure we won the Quidditch cup."

Ron shook his head. "It's... Sirius gave you that broom."

Harry relished the surprising rush of good memories those simple words evoked.

"I know the replacement broom you bought can't compare to the Firebolt, but at least you have a broom with you." At Harry's guilty silence, Ron narrowed his eyes and demanded, "You do have a broom there with you."

"I wanted to leave before anyone had a chance to stop me and it might have slipped my mind amidst everything else," Harry said in a rush. Embarrassment coloured his voice as he admitted, "I'm not as prepared as I could have been but it's not that bad."

"I told Hermione the temple was a one off," Ron said. "I told her that you'd escape any future trouble like they're angry Hungarian Horntails. But you don't have a broom."

"Ron..."

"How could you not get a broom?" Ron asked with something akin to betrayal. "It was the only thing that stopped her crying."

"Crying?" Harry asked in confusion.

"One minute she was looking up a spell for you and the next her eyes were shiny," Ron explained in a rush. "She said her eyes were tired."

"She always says something like that when she cries," Harry pointed out.

"Exactly," Ron nodded. "It's been five years, we know how she cries."

"Why was she crying?" Harry asked.

"It's obvious that she's over-thinking all the ways you'd end up in trouble. It's not hard to imagine you in danger when we don't hear from you," Ron paused and cleared his throat as his eyes darted away from the mirror. Though his ears were pink, he sounded less like Mrs. Weasley when he continued, "It took ages for Bill to crack and send some more desert..."

Hours after the conversation with Ron, Harry scratched out his writing as he squinted at his books.

A loud gasp pulled Harry away from his reading. "Is that math? Why are you doing math? And what happened to that cloth?"

Harry blinked away the afterimages of cramped text, raised his cup for a sip but grimaced at the cold dredges of tea as he looked around the kitchen table. A burnt scrap of cloth sat atop a pile of crumpled paper. "I was going to get rid of that before you came back."

Hedwig glanced at them from under a tucked wing and went back to sleep.

Naruto pointed at the numbers that Harry had been scratching out. "Why are you doing math in the kitchen?"

"I'm trying to figure out some spell work."

Naruto looked like his entire world had been shaken. "You need math to do magic?"

"To do a complicated piece of magic," Harry corrected as he gathered his things. "These calculations should help me understand what I'm trying to do."

"Burn cloth?" Naruto asked, his roaming eyes betraying his curiosity.

Grinning at his cousin's fascination, Harry said, "Secret." He tapped the ruined piece of fabric, vanishing it with a quick Evanesco.

"Nii-san, you," Naruto motioned at the apartment windows with wide questioning eyes.

"I've put protection spells on every single surface. The walls, windows, roof and even the floor all have something."

Naruto squinted, searching for signs of the magic. "So people can't see inside?"

Harry shook his head. "They can see. But the important thing is what they don't see."

"What don't they see?"

"My magic," Harry said with complete certainty as he stood and stretched to ease the stiffness in his legs. "If they don't know about my magic, they don't see it."

Naruto frowned. "So if I looked in from the outside... I'd see you using your magic because I know about it?"

Harry nodded and stored his notes and books into his grandmother's scroll. "It's not like I use anything too flashy in here, but I can if I want to."

"And instead of all the cool things you could have been doing, you chose math," Naruto sounded genuinely disappointed with Harry's choices as he moved to the front door. "I definitely can't trust you to choose lunch now."

Harry rolled his eyes as he switched off the lights and pulled on his shoes. "I was going to choose ramen."

"If you really want to eat ramen, I can't say no to that," Naruto said with a grin as they walked out into an overcast Konoha. As they took the now familiar route to Ichiraku, Naruto detailed how the food feud with Kotetsu started. "... obviously, I couldn't let him win so, Konohamaru?"

Leaning against the wooden fence opposite the Ichiraku ramen stand, a young boy perked up and moved forward, the end of his blue scarf trailing on the ground behind him. "Nii-chan."

"Were you waiting for me?" Naruto asked, a soft fondness colouring his voice as he stopped in front of the boy.

Though he was a head shorter than them, Konohamaru straightened his pale green jacket with a nod and narrowed his black eyes at Harry. "Who're you? You're not a ninja."

Naruto flicked the boy's head. "You better be respectful of nii-san."

The young boy wasn't the least bit cowed and stared at Harry with an even greater intensity, as though searching for something.

"Nice to meet you, Konohamaru," Harry said with a smile.

Konohamaru pursed his lips and looked away as he mumbled out a greeting.

Naruto shot Harry an apologetic look and pulled the younger boy away with a severe frown. "Let's talk over there." His voice lowered into an annoyed stream of words Harry couldn't discern as they walked away.

The image of Naruto speaking to Konohamaru, who had his head bowed and his shoulders slumped, tugged at Harry's memory.

"Harii, why are you standing in the middle of the road like that?"

Harry turned away from the pair, letting the errant memory slip from his grasp. "Shikamaru, you look terrible."

"Barely slept since we got back because of all the meetings," Shikamaru said with a shrug, his dark ringed eyes relaxing as he took a deep drag of his cigarette. "And unlike some people, I can't hide it under purple makeup."

Despite the dull grey sky, the purple lines painted across Kankuro's face looked bright under his pristine black hooded outfit as he nodded at Harry. "Some colour on your ugly face would spare the world a lot of suffering, Nara."

Having spent days in their company while racing back through the desert, Harry ignored their verbal jabs and turned the conversation. "I'm glad I'm not in any of those meetings. If you're like this from all the politics, then I'd be in even worse shape."

"I was going to summon you to today's meeting," Shikamaru said, "but we took a break before I had to resort to that."

Harry grimaced at the ninja in front of him. "Is it really that bad?"

"Worse," Shikamaru conceded with a sigh. "The elders have no love for the Nara."

"You Nara can be rather annoying," Harry pointed out. When Kankuro snorted in agreement, Harry asked, "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Every little thing has an impact on the final outcome."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "That sounds like something your father would say during a game."

"That's his favourite saying," Shikamaru said with a considering huff, his lips curling into a smile. "Or one of them, at least."

"He probably has a list of sayings prepared for when he wants to be especially annoying." Harry ignored Shikamaru's amusement and turned to Kankuro. "Are the meetings worse for you?"

"It's my job." Kankuro shot Shikamaru a sly look. "Not everyone can handle it when things get tough."

Shikamaru's eye twitched but he kept his gaze fixed on something behind Harry as he breathed out a plume of cigarette smoke.

"I told you not to smoke in front of other people, Shikamaru!" Naruto stopped beside Harry, waving away the smoke with one hand while his other rested on a sulking Konohamaru's head. "If nii-san gets sick, I'm telling Sakura-chan it was your fault."

"Nii-san?" Kankuro repeated in an incredulous tone, even as he glanced between their faces.

Naruto puffed up in indignation. "What else am I supposed to call my older cousin?"

"Gaara doesn't call me nii-san." Kankuro muttered and glanced at Shikamaru with a look that Harry couldn't decipher. "I suppose we should get back."

Shikamaru's dark eyes glinted through the haze of cigarette smoke. "You're tired of the walk already?"

"Haven't you already gotten what you wanted?"

Shikamaru tilted his head up to the sky with a considering look. "I suppose there's only so much fresh air you can get in this dull weather."

"You're hilarious," Kankuro said, sounding unamused. "So hilarious that I'm genuinely concerned about your future."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes with exasperation. "My future? Or are you having brotherly concerns about..."

Harry cleared his throat. "You do know you're in public and other people can actually hear you."

Kankuro snorted but Shikamaru nodded a thanks for the interruption.

When the two ninja walked away after a polite round of farewells, Naruto and Konohamaru turned to Harry with sly smiles.

Harry leaned away from them, unnerved. "What?"

"You know some gossip about Shikamaru," Naruto said with delight.

"Probably something to do with Temari-san," Konohamaru added in a low voice, his words directed at Naruto. "Moegi is going to hate that I found out the news before her."

Naruto nodded. "I always knew there was something going on between them. Even though they denied it, I knew."

"You're as sharp as ever Nii-chan," Konohamaru said. "I wonder if there will be a big wedding."

Completely lost by the turn of their conversation, Harry frowned at them. "What are you two talking about?

"Yes," a mellow voice said from behind them. "What are you talking about?"

"Genma-sensei!" Konohamaru turned, guilt etched in every line of his posture as he shuffled away from Naruto. "We were just talking about..."

Clad in the standard blue outfit and green vest that most older ninja wore, Genma stared down at the younger boy as a long needle in his mouth moved from one side to the other.

"Nothing important," Konohamaru trailed off, shifting uncomfortably in his spot.

Genma tilted his blue bandana covered head, his brown eyes never shifting from the younger boy. "If you have time to talk about nothing important, then you must have finished the training exercises that Ebisu gave you before he left on his mission."

Konohamaru slumped and stared at the ground. "I was going to do them after lunch."

"I'm guessing the other two are also playing hooky instead of training." Genma chewed on the long needle in his mouth, his laid-back voice never wavering. "Ebisu is too soft on you brats. I should tell Gai about this."

"No!" Konohamaru yelled in horror.

"Then you know what you need to do. I'll give you a head start," Genma said, the sharp point of his needle glinting ominously. "When I see you next, your entire team better be going through Ebisu's drills. Otherwise it's another round of extreme dodging with Gai helping."

With a hurried goodbye, Konohamaru raced away from them with a blur of speed.

Naruto snickered. "I didn't know he was so frightened of Bushy-brows' sensei."

"Bushy-brows?" Harry repeated, even as he concentrated on his Homenum Revelio spell so that no one else could sneak up on them.

"He's also afraid of me," Genma said.

Naruto snorted, eyes bright with disbelief. "Even when you were our Chūnin exam proctor, you weren't scary."

Harry frowned. "Was everyone taking part in those exams?"

"Probably," Naruto shrugged.

"No," Genma said at the same time. "But to a participant, it probably seemed that way."

Naruto turned to Harry and said, "This senbon guy saw my awesome victory against Neji, up close."

"Come on, you know my name," Genma said, not sounding the least bit offended. "You don't have to introduce me like that."

"Am I supposed to be introducing you?" Naruto said.

"Of all the things you could have learnt from Kakashi." Genma sighed, the needle in his mouth not even twitching. "Why did you have to pick up that attitude?"

"Which attitude?" Naruto said, trying and failing to sound obtuse.

"I'm not Gai," Genma said, his lips twitching up. "And I may have been his team-mate but there's no way you're getting me to utter his phrases out loud."

"You're no fun, senbon guy."

Genma turned to Harry. "You're the newcomer that repairs things?" When Harry nodded, he said, "Are you still taking things?"

"Leave it at the apartment door like everyone else," Naruto said with an unimpressed look at the older man.

"Actually, Izumo and Kotetsu leave the things they collect at the door," Harry explained. "They don't tell people my address. At least, I hope they don't."

"They don't," Genma confirmed with a nod. "They just say that there will be a proper shop eventually."

"That's a long way off. I have other things to take care of before I can even think of setting up a shop."

"What other things?" Naruto said with a frown.

"Things," Harry replied with a shrug. "What do you want fixed?"

After a quick glance at Naruto, Genma pulled out a small grey pouch from his vest. "It's an old weapon. Not something I use, so there's no need to rush and fix it."

"Good because I've got a backlog of broken things waiting at the apartment." The pouch's contents clinked in Harry's hands.

"I better go check in on Ebisu's brats." With a nonchalant wave, Genma disappeared in a swirl of leaves and dust.

Even though his spell showed the direction the ninja had taken, Harry stared at the empty space as he pocketed the pouch.

"He's kind of normal," Naruto said as he tugged Harry to the Ichiraku stand. "I can't believe he was Gai-sensei's team-mate."

As he pushed aside the hanging sheets and took a seat, Harry asked, "Who is this Gai person?"

"Bushy-brows' teacher." Naruto sat on a stool beside Harry. "Bushy-brows and Gai-sensei, they're, you need to see them because words aren't enough to describe their weirdness."

Harry stared at him after placing his order. "Weirdness?"

"They train super hard and then cry manly tears together in the sunset. It's dramatic and weird." Naruto trailed off with a considering expression. "But also awesome."

"How is crying awesome?" Harry raised his hand in a 'stop' gesture before Naruto could answer. "You know what, I'll wait and see them to understand that."

Naruto grinned, as though pleased by Harry's decision.

"Crying?" Harry muttered. The elusive memory from earlier resolved into startling clarity. "He looked different without the scarf but Konohamaru was at the funeral."

Naruto frowned but nodded. "Asuma-sensei was his uncle. But that's no reason for him to act like that. You didn't exactly..." Naruto stopped as Ichiraku placed two steaming ramen bowls in front of them with a smile. "Thanks, old man."

Harry grabbed some chopsticks and pushed the noodles deeper into the broth, "Is this bowl bigger than usual?"

"You're just too used to eating small portions. Even Sakura-chan eats more than you, nii-san."

"I'm sure Sakura would like to hear that she eats a lot."

"I didn't say that!"

"But that's what I heard," Harry said with a shrug. He smirked. "What will I get for keeping it a secret?"

Naruto leaned away from Harry in outrage. "How can you blackmail your own family with false information?"

"In the warpath of a female, there's no such thing as family anymore," Harry said sagely.

"Don't use movie quotes in the middle of our conversation," Naruto said with a stern tone, even though his eyes crinkled in amusement. "I'm the only one who can make those quotes sound good in real life."

"Just like you make red hair look good?" Harry asked.

"Some things are just better when I use them." Naruto's grin grew over lunch and remained firmly in place when he left for training.

Even though he declined the company of a Naruto clone to work on his magic again, Harry took a long meandering route back to his apartment. When he eventually reached the top of his building's stairs, he sighed with genuine disappointment. "Why aren't you at the Suna meetings?"

Looking as sharp as ever, Shikaku raised an eyebrow from his spot by the railings in front of Harry's apartment door. "We concluded much earlier than anyone anticipated."

Harry snorted as he unlocked his door. "I'm sure someone anticipated it. Kankuro lost his smugness after Shikamaru brought him to meet me and Naruto together."

"Strange," Shikaku said.

"I thought Shikamaru would start laughing diabolically right then, because his plan worked." Harry waved the man inside and flicked a switch to light the apartment's dim interior.

"Even if he had a plan come to fruition, he wouldn't laugh."

Hedwig greeted Harry with a sleepy hoot when he glanced in the kitchen. "Did you laugh diabolically when they came back?"

"No," Shikaku said. "Besides, everyone knows that you need the right setting for such a laugh."

"Like a dark stormy night?" Harry asked.

Shikaku nodded. "And only at the top of the Hokage mountain."

"So how does Naruto and I being related, work in Konoha's favour?" Harry asked, not expecting an answer as he padded to his plant room. The soothing scent of herbs made the stacked boxes full of broken items look even more out of place in there.

"If there had been any sort of motive behind that meeting, then the Kazekage's positive impression of Naruto would be very valuable."

Surprised but confused, Harry placed the grey pouch in a box and scribbled Genma's name on Izumo's detailed item list as he prodded for more, "And?"

"And," Shikaku said from the doorway, "I have something to give you." He pulled an envelope from his vest, his expression solemn. "I thought it would be best to give it to you in person."

Harry stared at the envelope with trepidation. "It's not paperwork, is it?"

"It's the photo you asked for. It's not much right now, but I won't stop asking around."

Harry took the envelope with a careful deference. "Thank you."

"I apologize for not coming by earlier," Shikaku said. "I should have come the moment I heard that you found him in Suna."

Harry pulled the envelope close, uncomfortable with the casual reminder of his 'work' and wondering if he'd need to cast a Cheering Spell soon. "It wasn't like I found your clansman on purpose."

"You found him long after we gave up on ever finding him. And we, I won't ignore that."

"He looked a lot like you," Harry said tentatively after some thought.

Shikaku's eyes dimmed with old pain. "My youngest brother went missing a few years ago."

Harry winced. How did one offer condolences for such a situation? Sorry your brother was turned into a creepy puppet, just didn't seem right.

"We've negotiated to have his body returned." Shikaku said. "Suna will also be sending back any Konoha bodies they find."

"I see. I don't know if..." Not wanting to chance any bad memories, Harry stopped, his fingers tightening around the envelope.

"Shikamaru noticed at least two other possible Konoha natives."

"I see," Harry repeated.

Shikaku cleared his throat. "We'll be holding my brother's final rites when his body is returned to us. And as clan tradition requires, it would be an honour if you were there."

"What?" Harry blurted out before he could help himself.

"It's Nara tradition. You found him. If you hadn't fixed," Shikaku paused and closed his eyes for a moment. "You're the reason his body is coming home now."

"You didn't have a funeral for him?" Harry asked and immediately regretted his thoughtless question.

"We had a ceremony," Shikaku said. "But my brother deserves more."

"I'll be there," Harry assured him without hesitation.

When a rain spattered Naruto rushed into the apartment later that evening, Harry closed the book that he'd been trying to read and grabbed the envelope.

"They're sending Kakashi-sensei to Suna!" Naruto groused as he kicked off his sandals. "Just when I had convinced him to show me some water jutsu."

Harry held out the sealed envelope.

"What's this?" Naruto asked as he slumped down onto the sofa.

"It's for you," Harry said, his voice as steady as he could manage.

Naruto tore the envelope open and upended it's contents onto his lap. The envelope slipped out of Naruto's fingers. "Mom?" Naruto's whisper, barely audible over the rain outside, matched the desperation in his eyes as he traced over the photo. "This is mom?"

Even though he couldn't see the photo, Harry nodded. "Nara-san asked around for photos of her."

After a long stretch of silence, Naruto said, "I have her smile." He tilted the photo so that Harry could see.

Kushina smiled at him from the still photo, her dark blue eyes bright with laughter as her long of red hair billowed behind her.

"And her eye shape," Harry said after a moment of comparison. "Actually, you have her round face shape too."

Naruto clambered off the sofa and into the kitchen, holding his newly acquired photo against the wall. "She looks a lot like Oba-chan."

Stopping beside Naruto, Harry looked between his mother's and Kushina's photos. "Except for the eyes, they do have a lot of similarities. But Grandmum has much more in common with her."

"We don't have a frame," Naruto said after comparing the photos, moving Kushina's photo away from the wall. "This photo wouldn't look right up here without a matching frame."

"You don't have to put it up," Harry said. "I haven't put Sirius's photo up here."

"But that's because his photo, you know." Naruto moved his hands around.

"I haven't asked if there was a way to make his photo stop moving. I don't want to know."

"We'll put them up here someday," Naruto said softly, even as he clutched Kushina's photo close.

"Someday," Harry agreed.

Four days later, an official summons from the Hokage disrupted Harry's newly established routine of reading his mornings away.

"I could have walked here, Cat-san," Harry said as he steadied himself in a familiar carpeted corridor. Even with the view of Konoha from the window, Harry wasn't sure if he was in the Administrative building or one of it's identical copies.

"It's Racoon," the masked man said, his head pointed at the doors in front of them. "You can't meet the Suna delegation drenched from the rain outside."

"You do know that umbrellas can keep people dry from the rain?"

"I think ANBU-san wanted to make sure you wouldn't be late," Sakura said in amusement as she stopped beside Harry. Adjusting the ninja headband on her forehead with black gloved fingers, Sakura explained,"Tsunade-shishou can be irritable if people are late."

"But I've never seen her smack Kakashi-sensei for being super late," Naruto said as he swung in through the open window and landed beside Sakura. "What's going on? Why were we called here?"

Sakura tutted and swiped blue glowing fingers over Naruto's rain spattered form.

"Cat-san said something about meeting a Suna delegation." Harry turned to the masked man and sighed at the empty spot. "I can't believe he left mid-conversation."

"Suna delegation?" Sakura repeated with a considering tone and straightened her red outfit.

Naruto, looking much drier than before, buzzed with excitement. "Are they going to send us to Suna to join Kakashi-sensei?"

Harry winced at the possibility of going back to Suna to fix more of those things. A weak rush of soothing content from a Cheering Charm kept Harry from bolting.

"I doubt it," Sakura said as a new masked person appeared in front of the doors. "But whatever the reason behind this meeting, be quiet and respectful when we go in." She nodded at the masked person, glanced at Naruto and amended. "Or at least, try to."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

The masked person opened the doors and motioned for Harry to go in first.

Harry entered a meeting room similar to the one where he first met Danzo and the other two Konoha elders. Two long blue sofas faced each other at the centre of the room but unlike the last time, there was tea on the low table in between them.

To Harry's left, the Hokage sat with her legs crossed and an arm sprawled across the sofa back while Shizune and Shikaku stood behind her.

On the other sofa, a familiar blonde woman from Suna sat straight as she sipped her tea. Having heard enough tidbits about Kankuro's family on the trip back to Konoha, Harry saw the Kazekage's demeanour in his sister's stern but confident teal eyes.

As the Homenum Revelio spell showed three people crouched up above them, Harry bowed to Tsunade. "You called for me, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage nodded. "Our Suna visitors requested a meeting with you."

"Uzumaki-san," Temari said in a formal tone when Harry turned to her. "On behalf of our honourable Kazekage, we bring his personal gratitude for your service to the village of Sunagakure." She motioned to one of the men standing behind her, her purple kimono sleeve falling to show dark metal mesh around her forearm.

Clad in a beige vest similar to Konoha's green ninja vests, the man lifted a large box from behind the sofa and moved towards Harry.

"On elder Ebizo's advice, the Kazekage sends you a go board to remember fond times in Suna."

Harry ignored Shikaku's glance as Naruto stepped forward and took the box from the Suna ninja. "That's very... thoughtful of them."

Temari signalled to the other ninja behind her. "The Kazekage also sends another gift for your owl. One that he chose himself."

The Suna ninja moved, revealing a tall and elaborate tree-shaped object beside him. With branches of varying sizes, the rough stone perch could probably hold numerous different birds at the same time.

As Sakura took the perch from the Suna ninja with ease, Harry said, "If my owl could speak, she'd brag about this to everyone she could. As it is, she's probably going to demand extra snacks when she uses her new perch."

Temari's lips flickered up into an actual smile. "The Kazekage will be interested to hear that."

"They're both lovely gifts," Harry said, unsure of what else to say. "The Kazekage didn't have to go through all this trouble."

Temari straightened, her teal eyes focusing on him with a stronger intensity. "Sunagakure hopes that you will continue to favour us with your skills in the future."

Even though the urge to yell 'no' was overwhelming, Harry stilled and pressed his lips shut.

Thankfully, Tsunade replied, pulling Temari's attention away from Harry. "He will be notified if there are any Suna jobs he can take on Konoha's behalf."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Temari said with a nod. "Sunagakure is thankful for your generosity."

Tsunade tilted her head, her hazel eyes glinting as a sly smile curled upon her lips. "As allies, it's only right that we both benefit from sharing valuable resources, don't you think?" She waved Harry away. "You may leave, I know you have a lot of work to attend to."

Confused but wary, Harry stayed silent until he closed his apartment door behind him. "That meeting was weird, right?" Harry said as his green umbrella disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto nodded, his orange umbrella also disappearing, as he kicked off his sandals and put the large box down. "They called you in for five minutes but you didn't even need to be there."

Sakura placed the stone perch down with a solid thump. "I think both sides needed you there just to make statements." She frowned at Naruto until the red umbrella he'd given her disappeared.

"Statements?" Harry asked.

Sakura bit her lip in clear indecision before she said, "I think Suna wanted to show a connection with you through the personal gifts and the pointed reminder of fond times there. Tsunade-shishou," Her green eyes narrowed in consideration. "Making sure that Temari-san saw Naruto and I there for you was the most significant statement she could have made."

"Because you're Tsunade-baa-san's student?" Naruto asked. "No wait, because we're Team 7?"

Sakura stared at him. "Her brothers are alive because of us."

"That... we were just doing our jobs. It's not that big of a deal."

"To us maybe, but it makes a good political advantage," Sakura shrugged. "Of course, this is all just my speculation. Politics has never really been my strong point."

"Well, whatever the hidden agenda, at least Hedwig has a nice perch for all her hard work," Harry said, running his fingers over the coarse brown stone and wondering where to place the stand. "She must have delivered a lot of venomous snake heads to their hospital."

Sakura gaped. "Venomous desert snakes, like vipers?"

"The Kazekage identified her first catch as a saw-scaled viper." Noticing Sakura's wide-eyed look, Harry said, "Is something wrong?"

"I... venom collection is dangerous and time consuming work."

Remembering that Sakura worked at the Konoha hospital, Harry said, "If you want, you could ask her to give you the venom of whatever she catches."

"What?" Sakura shook her head. "No, I can't bother her."

Harry shrugged. "No harm in asking. She'll help if she wants. And I don't see why she wouldn't help you."

Sakura's surprise transformed into a bright smile.

Naruto opened the large box with a clatter and a triumphant yell but huffed as he looked inside. "It really is a Go board! Why'd they give you this?"

With her green eyes still bright from the smile, Sakura stopped beside Naruto. "They made it a point to mention elder Ebizo with this. What did you do to get his attention?"

Harry shrugged. "We met when I was walking around Suna and he taught me how to play Go."

"That's it?" Naruto asked, shooting Harry an incredulous glance.

"You have a strange luck," Sakura said.

"You don't know the half of it," Harry muttered more to himself and sighed. "Do they usually give people gifts like this?"

"I haven't gotten any gifts from Suna." Naruto turned to Sakura with a suspicious look. "Did you?"

Sakura snorted. "We're both Konoha ninja. There's no point in bribing us."

"And I'm just a civilian," Harry said but frowned. "Bribe?"

"You're Naruto's relative, you're not a Konoha citizen and you probably fixed something important to them," Sakura listed with a considering frown. "Maybe they're trying to bribe you to return to Suna and become a citizen there."

"What?" Naruto and Harry said.

"The more I go over it, the stranger that whole meeting seems. The hints of fond memories over a go board and then giving your owl a gift. Were they trying to say we want more owls like her in Suna?"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto sounded scandalized. "Gaara isn't like that."

"Suna's council is relatively powerful. They could have pushed for certain things, like having the Kazekage's only sister thank Harii-san, you know."

Naruto shook his head. "You're definitely over-thinking it!"

"Politics is never straightforward so I'm probably under-thinking it."

"Gaara is my friend," Naruto said, as though that ended the discussion.

Harry interrupted, "Friend? I thought you fought him during the invasion."

"That was before. We're proper friends now." Before Harry could question him further, Naruto winced and rubbed his side. "Crap! My clones messed up." He ran to the door, grabbing his sandals. "I need to go back to training ground 19."

As the door slammed shut behind the blond, Sakura frowned. "Training ground 19? What's he doing all the way there?"

"I think it's something to do with the water techniques he got from Kakashi-san," Harry said.

"Naruto is learning water jutsu?" Sakura's confused tone held a tinge of hurt as she asked, "And Kakashi-sensei is teaching him?"

Harry hesitated, unsure of what to say as Sakura looked at him expectantly. "He gave Naruto some things to try before he left for Suna."

"Oh," Sakura swallowed and stared at the floor. "I must have... things were hectic at the hospital while Tsunade-shishou concentrated on her Hokage duties."

"Do you have to return to the hospital now?"

Sakura shook her head, eyes still fixed on the floor. "After all the overtime I put in, I have a free day. I thought that I'd... I'll go work on my research instead."

Guilty at the thought of Sakura leaving in the grey mood that he had inadvertently caused, Harry cleared his throat. "Before you go, do you mind helping me find a place for this Go board?" They worked in silence as they placed the Go board in front of the low table that held his still blooming Satsuki plant. "If this board was a little lower, I could have kept it under the table," Harry said as he moved one of the smooth wooden bowls that had come with the board.

Sakura nodded but stood, ready to leave.

Distracted by thoughts on how to fix the situation with Sakura, Harry's fingers lost traction on the smooth wooden bowl. The bowl tipped to the side between his fumbling fingers, it's loose lid falling off with a clatter, allowing numerous black stones to cascade down and across his low table.

Sakura knelt by the low table, gathering the black stones before they could disappear under the sofa. As she brought up a handful of stones and funnelled them back into the bowl, she gasped. "Opal playing stones?"

On closer scrutiny, the smooth black stones in Harry's hands had numerous specks of vibrant colour ranging from green and blue to warm gold and red. "It's like the night sky." Harry said, tilting the stone in the light and admiring the flashing colours. "A very colourful star-studded night sky."

"It does catch the light nicely," Sakura said as she dropped more stones into the bowl. "Black opal is very rare."

Harry opened the second bowl and picked up a few white stones. The translucent white stones showed flashes of green and blue specks. One even showed a flash of a muted orange. "Rarer than white opal? Either way, your bribe theory sounds pretty solid to me right now." He dropped the stones back into their bowl. "Do you want to play a game?"

Sakura glanced between Harry and the board. "It's been a while since I've played."

"And I've only just learnt how to play in Suna." Harry shrugged. "Come on, I'll try not to be too terrible. But I need some practice before Nara-san cons me into a game."

Sakura snorted but removed her gloves and sat on the opposite side of the board. "I'll give you a proper handicap."

"I can't tell what kind of wood this is, but it must be an expensive kind to match these stones," Harry said after they started the game. "Makes it feel even stranger for me to have."

"It's a gift," Sakura said, placing a white stone down. "No matter it's value or the circumstances in which you were given them, it's yours now."

"It's too strange," Harry murmured.

"Opal is one of Suna's most profitable exports, second only to glass," Sakura said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"Nara-san did mention that their glass creations are the best. I suppose having all that sand around them should have some benefits," Harry said as he put a black piece on the board.

Sakura nodded and placed a stone. Another silence stretched between them before she cleared her throat, "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you since you came back from Suna."

"Fine." Grimacing as silence descended upon them again, Harry made an effort to continue the conversation. "Being in the desert was tiring."

"I imagine the work you did there must have been the most tiring thing."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry stilled. His voice faltered as he asked, "Do you know what I was sent there to fix?"

"Considering everything today, it was very valuable to Suna. And the only thing Tsunade-shishou could have knowingly sent you to fix was," Sakura hesitated and frowned down at the board. "I had to fight a puppet user there recently. I shattered a lot of his puppets."

Harry stared at her bowed head, unsure if he should confirm or deny her suspicions.

"I didn't give them much thought during the battle. And later, even when I suspected what they were, I didn't," Sakura bit her lip and said, "I was just content with the fact that I had destroyed a good majority of them."

"You did a good job destroying them," Harry admitted. "They were splinters."

Sakura sighed and put down a stone. "Your repair abilities are unreal."

"I wouldn't have fixed them if I had known what they were."

Sakura looked up from the board. "Then you would have lost your position on the Hokage's list."

"Those things that I, they were people. They should have stayed broken. They deserved some sort of peace." Harry thumped his black stone down. "But now, because of me, others can use them again."

"You were surrounded by the dead again," Sakura whispered, her light green eyes widening as she looked at him. "So soon after the temple."

Harry shook his head. "That's got nothing to do with this."

Instead of lingering on the topic of the temple, Sakura said, "If you hadn't repaired them now, someone would have eventually figured out how to. Or they'd make new ones. That's life in a ninja village. You never know when or how someone will innovate another method of warfare."

"That's a rather dramatic way of putting it," Harry said after a moment.

Sakura's lips twitched. Seeing Harry's raised eyebrow, she explained, "I just remembered something Shizune-sempai said when I told her that she was being too dramatic over my hospital work hours. She said that being around Tsunade-shishou would make someone either an alcoholic gambler or a dramatic person."

"I think you're a long way off from either option even if you are the Hokage's student."

"The only thing that comes from being the Hokage's student is more work at the hospital!" Sakura huffed with a frown. As though realizing what she'd said, Sakura's hand moved to cover her mouth.

"Too much work in the hospital?"

Sakura shook her head. "Things were just hectic over the past few days because I took on Tsunade-shishou's patients. As her student, I know her newer techniques better."

"That's a lot of responsibility for just being her student."

"It's the least I could do, since she helped me find a bit of my path as a ninja."

"A bit of your path?" Harry asked.

"No one can help you find your complete path," Sakura said. "They might push you in the right direction, but you still have to do your own legwork."

With the go board half filled with glittering opal pieces between them, Harry calculated the margin by which he was losing. "Are you being philosophical or are you mocking me because I'm losing?"

"I'd forgotten how nice it was to play with a friend," Sakura said with a soft smile, her eyes brighter than when she'd started the game.

"Are we friends?"

Sakura's smile slipped and she hesitated. "I hope we are."

"Okay," Harry said with a nod.

"That's it?" When Harry looked at her in confusion, Sakura snorted. "And here I thought you'd be my new reliable and mostly sane friend."

"Mostly sane?" Harry asked in startled amusement as he put down a stone.

"You're around Izumo and Kotetsu a lot, so it's only a matter of time before you go crazy over syrup or something."

"Their fascination with syrup is not contagious." Harry considered that line of thought for a moment and conceded, "I hope." Glancing down at the board after Sakura placed her stone, Harry gaped, "How did you... unbelievable."

Sakura pressed her lips together tight and her shoulders shook as she struggled not to laugh.

"No wonder you were able to piece together all those hidden layers in today's meeting," Harry stared at her. "Are you secretly a Nara?"

"If you'd met me a few years ago, you'd know I was a pretty dumb girl who couldn't even see what was right in front of her," Sakura's light-hearted amusement evaporated with each word, her eyes narrowing at the board. "Even worse, I never even bothered trying to see them."

"Everyone has dumb moments as kids," Harry said after placing a stone down.

Sakura shook herself out of her daze. "You're right. The only thing we can do is learn from them." As she held a stone between her fingers and contemplated her next move, someone knocked on the front door.

Wary of being called into another meeting, Harry inched the door open and stared at his visitor through the small opening.

"Your greetings have become prickly after Suna," Shikaku said, standing under the small overhanging roof to stay out of the rain.

Harry opened the door wider and said, "Considering how you are all the time, it's a wonder I've taken this long to change."

Shikaku glanced behind Harry and stilled. "Looks like I'm interrupting, I'll come back later."

"There's no need for that, Nara-san," Sakura said as she placed a stone down and stood with her gloves in hand. "I was just about to leave."

"Okay, let's finish the game later," Harry said as she pulled on her boots. "And good luck with your research."

She nodded at him with a smile and left with a quick farewell.

Shikaku entered and headed straight to the go board. "I didn't know so many people in Konoha were interested in Go."

"By so many people you mean Sakura and I? Two people?"

"That's two people more than I knew of before," Shikaku said, his eyes roaming over the board. "These strategies, I wonder how long she's been playing. She's got a true grasp of her level."

"Her level?"

"Go requires players to reflect on themselves a lot. Enough to know their playing level against their opponent." Shikaku leaned closer to the board. "It's a real game of man versus self."

Harry stared at the older man in disbelief and muttered, "You and your list of quotes."

"My what?" Shikaku glanced up in confusion.

"Did you just come here to admire my Go board?"

"I wanted to make sure you'd actually use it. But I obviously underestimated your love of Go."

For a brief moment, Harry considered ignoring Shikaku's amused prodding. "Did you know that Danzo and Ebizo were born on the same day?"

Any amusement Shikaku might have had vanished as he looked at Harry. "Why were you talking about Danzo in Suna?"

Harry shrugged. "It just came up. But I think I can use him as a conversation icebreaker anywhere I go now."

"Don't!" Shikaku said. "Nothing good will come from that."

"I got gifted a Go board."

"Not from talking about Danzo," Shikaku stated. And then amended with a pained look. "At least, I hope not."

Harry took pity on him. "If it makes you feel any better, Ebizo called him a meddlesome old fart."

Shikaku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have so many more questions now. But I'm not here for any of that." He took a deep breath and said, "Suna brought more than just your gifts to Konoha."

It took a moment for Harry to parse through Shikaku's words. "Your brother."

Shikaku nodded. "We've been preparing ever since Shikamaru told us. We're holding the ceremony tonight."

"Okay. Anything I need to know or prepare for?"

"It's customary for our ceremony officiant to speak with whoever brought a dead Nara home," Shikaku said. "She'll meet you before the ceremony."

"Can Naruto come with me?"

"Usually we just invite whoever brought the Nara home. That means the team-mates who've carried them home. But this time, we'll make an exception."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

Shikaku appraised him for a moment and said, "Your clan name."

Harry gaped for a mere moment before narrowing his eyes. "Not many people know that the Uzumaki was even a clan."

"Very few people," Shikaku admitted. "And before you came, there was no chance for the Uzumaki name to be anything other than a forgotten clan's legacy."

Harry stared at the older man, his emotions shifting between anger and confusion.

"But now, that few see something more," Shikaku continued without prompting. "A possibility that the Uzumaki clan will be more than just a name."

"Naruto was..."

Shikaku shook his head. "Without you, he wouldn't have known there was a clan for him to reclaim and bring back."

"I haven't done anything to make anyone think like that."

"The Uzumaki have always been instrumental in helping the Senju gain power," Shikaku said. "Your work in Suna has done much more than you think."

Harry swallowed, apprehensive at what those words truly meant. "I really want to kick you out right now."

"Whatever else other people might think or expect," Shikaku said solemnly. "I want you there because you brought my little brother home."

I brought back his defiled corpse, Harry thought with disgust.

"Harii?" Shikaku broke the silence, sounding unsure for the first time.

Harry sighed and uncurled his fists. "I already told you that I'll be there."

When Naruto came by for lunch later, Harry mentioned the Nara's invitation. Harry had barely managed to get the words 'clan ceremony' out before Naruto promptly dragged him out of the apartment. Harry could only be thankful that the rain had stopped.

Hours later, clad in newly purchased black clothes that were more formal than what they'd worn to Asuma's funeral, Harry and Naruto navigated Konoha's rain drenched streets.

"I wonder why they're holding this clan thing at night," Naruto said, looking up at the sky as he removed his glove and held it out to Harry. "You should wear an official Uzumaki clan item."

Despite thinking it was unnecessary, Harry crumbled under Naruto's stubborn expression and secured the glove on his left hand as they reached the Nara compound.

"You're here earlier than I expected. Come on." Shikamaru straightened from his spot at the gate, put out his cigarette stub and led them in.

Instead of the usual electric lamps, dim and low hanging brown lanterns lit their path through the compound. As they walked past, the lanterns' flames flickered making the intricate black designs stitched on them to move.

"Creepy," Naruto whispered, his eyes darting around.

Inside the main house, which was lit by even more brown lanterns, Shikamaru motioned Harry towards a closed door and led a curious Naruto away.

Harry took a deep breath and entered to find a wrinkled old woman seated at the table with a long wooden case in front of her.

She motioned for him to sit, the grey patterns on her black kimono glinting with every movement. "They tell me you are an Uzumaki new to Konoha. Why do you not wear your clan's spiral?"

Harry blinked at the strange question. Clan's spiral?

"I can't imagine seeing every Konoha ninja's flak jacket emblazoned with the Uzumaki's red spiral and not wanting to wear it."

Harry stilled, pushed back the surge of emotional questions that threatened to spill and cleared his throat twice. "What does that have to do with tonight's ceremony?"

"Centuries ago, simple deer herders like us wouldn't have had any opportunity to interact with your clan like this for a ceremony. How can we not acknowledge such a historic occasion?"

Harry wondered if it was too late to leave.

"But I suppose I should have listened to Shikaku. He is the clan head for a reason," the woman said with a wry smile, her white hair catching the dim light. "For the ceremony, I know you're not a ninja but how is your chakra..."

After what felt like ages, Harry sat beside Naruto on the back deck with a cloth wrapped item held tight in his hands as the acrid tang of freshly lit incense filled the night air.

Naruto fidgeted, leaned closer to Harry and whispered, "When are they going to start?"

"They're waiting for the moon to be higher up in the sky."

"It's cloudy and I don't think it's the full moon."

Harry shrugged, "It's a traditional ceremony. There's bound to be some sort of symbolic meaning to everything they do."

"Like why they're using all these... I think they're leather." Naruto motioned to the brown lanterns around them.

"The incense is a bit much though," Harry said, waving away some of the hazy smoke.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "My nose is ready to fall off even though Shikamaru just lit it."

As though summoned, Shikamaru appeared and motioned for them to follow.

Without a word, they walked through the dimly lit grounds and joined numerous others to enter the shadowed forest where the Nara usually kept their deer.

Among all the black-haired Naras, Naruto's bright blond hair stood out like a beacon when they stopped in a clearing heavy with incense.

Three people stood along one side of a dais which held a body covered in brown furs. Shikaku, Shikamaru's aunt who had accompanied them to Suna, and a man who made Harry flinch back in shock.

Though slightly older, the man at the end of the line had the puppet's sharp eyes and jagged hairline.

A twin, Harry realized as the man looked straight at him.

Naruto prodded Harry and whispered, "Are you okay?"

"That man. He's, they were twins." As Naruto looked between the shrouded body and the man, Harry sighed. "I hope I don't mess this up."

"You won't," Naruto said. "And even if you do, who cares? You've already done the important bit of bringing him home, right?"

"Thanks," Harry said, sincere with relief. The old woman from before stepped out of the shadowed trees and raised a white flute to her lips. "That's my cue." Harry walked towards the covered body, unwrapping the bone white blade that he had been given.

With the flute's haunting melody in his ears and shadows flickering in the corner of his eyes, Harry placed the white blade on the body and pushed his chakra out. Under his hand, the bone blade absorbed his chakra and shone a fierce blinding white before it cracked straight down the centre.

Having been warned, Harry stayed still as wisps of black shadow seeped out of the crack, flowed over his hands and stretched out across the body, covering it like a black shroud.

The flute music rose in pitch.

Long shadows stretched out from every direction, many crawling over Harry, and connected to the wispy shroud. Chakra surged from the shadows, crackling across his skin and making the blade under his hand shudder and jolt.

Eventually, the black shroud condensed and sank down till Harry's trembling hands were visible once again.

The flute music stopped, the shadows unravelled and the only thing left under Harry's hand was a cracked black blade over flat brown furs.

When they returned to the Nara house, Harry sipped on some soothing warm tea and tried to ignore the re-wrapped blade on his lap.

Shikaku sat down beside him. "Thank you." Before Harry could reply, he continued, "We are in your debt." Shikaku held an object the size of an omamori. "This is a pass that you can show any Nara in Fire Country. They will help you with anything you need."

Uncomfortable at the solemnity, Harry took the pass but said, "Anything?"

Shikaku raised an eyebrow. "Nothing that puts the clan, our allies or this village in danger."

"Allies?" Harry asked.

"The Yamanaka and the Akimichi," Shikaku said. "We've had an alliance with them long before Konoha was created."

"Actually this works rather nicely, I've been thinking about something." Harry turned the pass in his hand, prodding the Nara clan crest carved on it. "I'd like an opinion and you have a good amount of common sense."

"Yes, that's why people speak with me. To get their dose of common sense," Shikaku said in a dry tone but he leaned forward. "What's on your mind?"

Making sure that Naruto was still occupied in his own conversation with Shikamaru, Harry lowered his voice and spoke.

The morning after the Nara ceremony, Harry's mind buzzed with numerous thoughts as he examined some fruit in the market.

"Harii-san."

Harry startled and turned to the voice. "Sentoki-san, why are you here? How is everything at the temple?"

"Busy," Sentoki said as he stopped beside Harry. "There's a lot of slow going reconstruction happening at the moment."

Harry frowned. "Aren't the ninja helping?"

Sentoki shook his head. "They can't even if they wanted to. For whatever reason, the Daimyo was very particular that the temple couldn't be built by Konoha ninja. And as Fire country residents, none of us can afford to disappoint the Daimyo."

"That's," Harry searched for the right word. "Strange."

"That's one way of putting it." Sentoki smiled. "Anyway, I'm here to order supplies and meet you."

"Me?" Harry asked. "Do you need help with the rebuilding?"

"Not exactly." Sentoki pulled out something from his robes. "I believe these are yours." He opened his hand, showing Harry two empty glass vials.

Harry sucked in an incredulous breath.

Even without their labels, the two potion vials that Harry had given away so long ago, were too distinct to be mistaken for anything else.

Chapter Text

The farmer stopped his rickety cart just before the road branched into two different directions. To the left, the dusty and well used road led straight through flat fields in the distance. The other branch meandered into thick trees.

The farmer bowed once they were off the cart and drove his ox cart towards the fields.

"I'm sorry about all these detours," Sentoki said as he stretched and twisted with audible cracks.

Harry shook his head as he dusted off the hay from his clothes. "It makes sense that people want a monk to pray for them. But, I don't remember any praying when I travelled with," Harry faltered and had to take a deep breath before he said, "Ichigen."

Leading the way down the tree bordered path, Sentoki glanced at Harry with worried eyes but said, "People are more wary now."

"Wary?" Harry asked, the stiffness from the bumpy cart ride fading with each step.

"The Akatsuki's actions weren't subtle. And with the distance from Konoha, people tend to expect the worst. Actually, there were quite a few prayer requests in Konoha itself," Sentoki said. "The extra time there really helped."

Harry lowered his eyes, sheepish at what had happened. "Sorry that we left much later than you had originally planned."

Sentoki waved away the apology with an amused laugh. "There's no need to apologize. I'm not on a fixed schedule, so you didn't make me late for anything."

"Still, it took more than a day to deal with everything."

"It's good to have a lot of work," Sentoki said. "Keeping busy is good."

"It wasn't all work but it needed to be done," Harry admitted. The slew of conversations and roaming around that he'd done right until he left Konoha wasn't something he considered work. "Listen, there's something I've been meaning to tell you about the via..."

A loud screech interrupted Harry. Hedwig swooped down from the grey sky and landed on a tree branch beside them. Within her claws' grasp, a small black snake struggled to get free.

"You went off to catch a snake?" Harry asked in surprise. "It must be another dangerous snake if you want me to see it before you eat it. Good job!"

Hedwig screeched and hooted at him, her wings twitching in annoyance.

The snake hissed as it struggled even harder to escape Hedwig's claws, "Take my venom? My wonderful, hard made venom. I won't let..."

Hedwig shook the snake until it quieted down.

"You want me to take it's venom?" Harry asked.

Hedwig bobbed her head up and down, mimicking a delighted nod, and hooted some more.

Though still in Hedwig's tight grasp the snake hissed at her in dazed outrage, "Give my venom to a flower tree. You vile winged menace, how dare you suggest such a wasteful cruelty!"

It took Harry an embarrassingly long moment to make sense of the snake's hisses. "Sakura wanted to ask you for snake venom." Harry was sure that he hadn't had a chance to mention that to Hedwig amidst everything else he'd been busy with. "When... how did you two even meet?"

Hedwig puffed her chest in pride but didn't make a sound, implying that he didn't need to know.

"Okay, but how am I even going to get it's venom?" Harry asked, as the snake struggled in Hedwig's grasp with renewed vigour amidst insensible hisses. "I'm not going to carry the snake back with me to Konoha. That's cruel. And dangerous."

Sentoki, who had watched them in silence the entire time, stepped forward. "If you have a clean glass container to store the venom, I can milk it for you."

Harry stared at the monk in blank incomprehension.

"Something with a sturdy rim should make things easier," Sentoki elaborated with an smile. "It has been a while since I've done this."

"Is that safe?" Harry asked.

Sentoki laughed. "Nothing in life is safe. But I know how to handle a snake. It won't hurt me and I won't hurt it."

The snake hissed in obvious disagreement.

"I might have something that could work." Harry crouched down and rifled through his backpack. From the medicine bag that Sakura had given him, Harry emptied out a thick pill container and cleaned it with a quick spell. With another spell to make the container unbreakable, just in case, Harry turned to Sentoki and gaped.

With it's body curled around Sentoki's arm in languid loops, the snake didn't protest when Sentoki turned it's head one way and then the other for a closer look. In fact, the snake's lazy and nonsensical hisses sounded amused rather than angry.

"Is that the container?"

"What did you do to it?" Harry asked, even as he handed the container over.

"Our Temple's techniques are quite good with soothing," Sentoki said, turning his hand so Harry could see his fingertips haloed in golden yellow light where they touched the snake. "I might not be very experienced with the technique but I can manage this."

"When you say soothe," Harry said as he ventured a closer look at the docile snake. Flecks of vibrant purple, that he couldn't see before, dotted the black scales.

"When they feel safe, they become easier to deal with," Sentoki said and coaxed the snake's mouth open. "It allows us to relocate dangerous creatures away from human settlements."

"You do a lot of snake relocation then?" Harry asked.

"Animal relocation is one of the many ways that we can help," Sentoki said, eyes on his work as the snake's fangs folded out onto the container's rim. With golden glowing fingers, he massaged the snake's open jaw until liquid dripped down the fangs and into the container.

In the light of Sentoki's technique, the venom glinted like liquid gold.

Hedwig leaned forward from her perch on Sentoki's shoulder for a closer look at his work.

"Is milking snake venom also a monk duty?" Harry couldn't help but ask as the venom dripping down the fangs slowed and stopped.

Sentoki handed Harry the venom filled container and the golden light, his chakra, from his fingers expanded to enveloped the snake's entire head. "The world is filled with many dangers, so we do what we must when the need arises. Whether that is healing, animal relocation or even venom milking. Prayers are not enough to do good."

With a locking spell on the lid to ensure that there wouldn't be any accidental spills, Harry stored the container away. "Are all monks that knowledgeable?"

"One of the perks of travelling is bringing new skills back to the temple." Sentoki knelt close to a bush well away from the road and released the snake. Without a backward glance or hiss, the snake slithered away. "Even though our archives were nothing like the Capital's, it had enough to teach us an extensive variety of subjects."

"Can't you just ask Konoha to give you copies of their records to rebuild your archives?" Harry asked.

Sentoki blinked at Harry with confusion for a moment before he smiled. "The Capital of Fire Country is the place where the Daimyo holds court."

Harry frowned. "Konoha isn't Fire Country's capital? I thought..."

"The Daimyo exercises his authority over the entirety of Fire Country's various inhabitants from his court, so that is the Fire Country's Capital. The Hokage can only exercise her authority over the ninja from Konoha," Sentoki said as he returned to the road. "Informally, people consider Konoha the ninja capital."

"That sounds like a political disaster waiting to happen," Harry said after he parsed through the information.

"A lot of samurai thought the same."

Harry glanced at him in surprise. "Really?"

Sentoki nodded. "One of the many reasons that the samurai's Iron Country exists up north." He sighed. "Chiriku-sama had actually managed to get quite a few tomes from his time in the capital on the matter. I never got around to reading them."

With a quick check that no one was around to hear or interrupt them, Harry clutched the vials in his pocket and said, "There's something I need to tell you before we reach the temple. I wanted to tell you earlier but with all the prayer requests and everything, I never got the chance."

Sentoki nodded, a picture of calm acceptance. "You're worried about the Temple, aren't you? I could tell but I didn't want to push you. Have you talked to anyone about what happened?"

"I told the Hokage about it. And anyway, I'm not worried about the Temple!" Seeing Sentoki's raised eyebrow, Harry said, "Okay, I am, but there's something else." He pulled out the glass vials that Sentoki had given him three days ago. "These vials, I gave them to someone that I healed."

"At the Temple?" Sentoki prompted when Harry fell silent.

Harry shook his head and took a deep breath. "Before I entered Fire Country, I healed a ninja. A missing-nin, actually. I didn't know who he was when I helped him."

Worry flickered in Sentoki's eyes.

Harry didn't give him a chance to interrupt. "But I know now. He's part of the Akatsuki. Someone who didn't come there that day."

Sentoki's mouth moved, but no sounds came out.

They stood in silence for a long moment, breathing in the humid air.

"Why would the vials be at the temple? How?" Sentoki asked finally.

Surprised at Sentoki's easy acceptance, Harry said, "The thing that worries me more is how Bansai-san knew the vials were mine."

Sentoki straightened, his eyes going wide even as his voice dropped to a whisper. "You think..."

"I don't know what to think," Harry admitted in a rush. "Unless they met, I don't understand how Itachi could..."

"Itachi?" Sentoki asked with a strange tone. "A missing-nin named Itachi."

"Do you know him?" Harry blinked at the monk and realized, "You might, he's from Konoha. He had their headband."

Sentoki paled, the scar on the left side of his head standing out even more. "Uchiha Itachi?" When Harry stared at him blankly, Sentoki said, "He's infamous for murdering his entire clan a few years back. Monks from our Temple handled their final rites."

Harry flinched back in shock.

"The Uchiha were known for their ability to cast strong genjutsu with their unique eyes."

A memory of swirling black marks in red eyes accompanied by Itachi's remark of a 'family curse' manifested in Harry's mind. He was so caught up in chilling significance of those memories that it took a moment to catch Sentoki's unspoken implication. "You think he did something to Bansai-san?"

"Genjutsu shouldn't affect monks of Bansai-san's calibre. The serenity from our techniques is potent protection against genjutsu. Even an Uchiha's." Sentoki bit his lip. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Any of the ninja that you know, I mean."

Even though there was no accusation in Sentoki's voice, Harry looked away and admitted. "I want answers from him. If the ninja got him, I wouldn't get any answers." Harry shook his head and looked down at the vials. "And honestly, I don't know if any of the older ninja would have believed me. You probably don't. This sounds too fanciful to be real."

"I admit that a large part of me hopes that he isn't involved in any way. But I do not doubt your word, Harii-san."

"Thank you," Harry breathed out, genuinely grateful at Sentoki's sincerity.

"The sensible thing to do is go back to Konoha and get an escort." After a brief glance at the vials with furrowed brows, Sentoki sighed. "But your words will make them deliberate and that will delay me from checking on Bansai-san or our Temple's chakra barrier."

"Chakra barrier?" Harry asked.

"There was no need to use such a draining technique before. At the moment, outsiders can only pass through the barrier if accompanied by a monk." Sentoki looked at Harry. "Bansai-san has not left the temple grounds since he returned after the attack."

"So we continue to the Temple," Harry said. "And hope this is all just a strange coincidental mistake or something."

"Do you think that's a possibility?"

"No," Harry said, without any hesitation as he pocketed the vials.

Unsurprised at the answer, Sentoki nodded and resumed their journey. "We could reach the Temple by the end of the night."

"That's only if we don't meet anyone in need of prayers."

Sentoki shot him a quick smile. "I think an excess of prayers could only work in our favour." After a few steps forward, he asked, "Why would he want to meet you?"

"When we parted ways, I told him he could contact me if he needed help," Harry said, kicking away a loose stone. "I know, dumb, right?"

"You are a very kind person, Harii-san."

Harry shook his head with a wry smile. "I think you mean stup..."

"I mean kind," Sentoki interrupted with a firm voice that brooked no argument. Still perched on the monk's shoulder, Hedwig bobbed her head in agreement. "The hardest but most important part of being kind is remembering to be kind to yourself too, Harii-san."

Stunned by the words, Harry couldn't think of anything to say so they continued down the tree bordered road in a contemplative silence.

True to Sentoki's earlier estimate, they reached the bottom of the Temple's massive mountainside staircase later that night. Darkness enveloped the top of the carved stairs and prevented Harry from seeing much of anything. He couldn't even tell where Hedwig had gone off to.

Still, the tangled mess of his emotions left Harry physically sick at the thought of being up at the temple.

"Let us rest for the night," Sentoki suggested in a gentle tone, as though reading Harry's reluctance. "It might be easier to go up in the warmth of daylight."

"I," Harry curled his hands into fists and admitted, "I didn't think this part through."

"You don't have to go up there," Sentoki said. "I think that's what those three ninja at the gate would want."

"Those three idiots were being ridiculous," Harry said as he sat on the bottom most step, turning his back to the looming staircase.

Sentoki sat beside Harry, putting down the frosted glass lantern that he had pulled out earlier. "They were concerned about you."

Harry sighed. "I know, but I need to go up there. And I wouldn't get any rest down here, anyway."

"Then," Sentoki said, "the exercise up might be more beneficial."

"Thanks," Harry said as he stood. "For putting up with my, all this."

"You really should be kinder to yourself, Harii-san," Sentoki said as he picked up his lantern. The soft light of the dusty lantern only illuminated a few steps at a time.

Eager to have a distracting but non-personal conversation as they climbed up the stairs, Harry asked, "Do ninja visit the Temple often?"

"The Temple provides sanctuary to those who need it. But the only time we ever see ninja is if they need a safe place to rest during their travels," Sentoki said, climbing up the stone stairs without a sound. "Fighting on the temple grounds is forbidden. And ninja usually adhere to that rule."

"I guess ninja from the other countries don't know about that no fighting rule."

"All ninja know the rule. We're not the only temple in the world. But we're probably the most non-confrontational," Sentoki said. "Wind country's Scorpion Temple is deep in the desert and the scorpions there are quite a hazard."

"The desert itself is quite a hazard," Harry muttered, remembering his rushed travel through Wind Country. "All that sand. Everywhere."

Sentoki chuckled, the lantern shaking with his amusement. "I wonder what you'll think about the Lava Temple then. It's on one of the distant islands and it's built in a dormant volcano."

"That's crazy," Harry exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't a dormant volcano still a danger?"

"It is still capable of erupting and raining down fiery destruction," Sentoki agreed with a chipper tone. "I haven't been there but I hear it's quite a marvel to behold. The temple and the volcano itself."

"That's crazy," Harry repeated. "Wait, is this mountain a volcano? Is that why it's called the Fire Temple?"

"Don't worry, it isn't. We don't have any scorpions lurking about either," Sentoki said, his wide smile hard to miss in the lantern light. "But due to how high up we are, we get many migratory birds stop by the temple."

"That must be nice," Harry said.

"They are quite a sight to behold. Especially the exotic ones with colourful plumage," Sentoki agreed. "It's lovely to have birdsong fill the air in the mornings."

"They don't mind being around people?"

"I'm not sure about people in general, but they are used to us up at the Temple," Sentoki said, his lantern much steadier as they climbed up into the darkness. "They know we won't harm them."

"Do they stop at the other temples?" Harry asked, strangely curious about the matter.

"Considering the numerous temples scattered around, it isn't hard to imagine that they do stop at some of the others."

Harry turned to the monk. "How many temples are there?"

"Every country, even the smallest one, has at least one temple within it's borders. And then clans in each country might have their own private temples as well," Sentoki said, his tone turning contemplative. Without any prompting, Sentoki delved into his extensive knowledge of temples, keeping Harry distracted through their break-filled climb up.

In fact, the conversation kept Harry so engrossed that he didn't even realize how much time had passed until Sentoki switched off his lantern.

"It's good to see the sun after so long!" Sentoki motioned up at the sky. The gloomy cloud cover that had threatened rain their entire trip had finally parted, allowing early dawn light to illuminate their path.

Not feeling any real travel fatigue, Harry said, "We must have climbed very slowly."

"We climbed at the perfect speed to reach just in time for breakfast. And even though Zenza-san is in charge of cooking, a hot meal is always good after a long travel," Sentoki said. "I've had a lot of experience climbing up these stairs, so I know how to reach the Temple at the best possible time."

At their current position, Harry couldn't see the bottom of the staircase anymore. "It must be hard to travel up these stairs constantly. And even harder when you have to carry things up."

"That's why one of the first things we requested from Konoha was sealing scrolls." Sentoki moved his hands, allowing the tips of his scrolls to peek out from white sleeves. "These scrolls transport food, building material and money around with relative ease. Thankfully, we didn't need any costly medicines this time."

"Konoha is good with medicines and healing," Harry said, flexing his healed arm.

"They've had to become very good with it. The current Hokage certainly worked hard to ensure Konoha's top spot in the medical field during the Second Wa..."

Whatever else Sentoki said was lost to Harry as he realized just how close to the top they were. All that time spent immersing himself in random conversation felt futile as dark blood-drenched memories drowned out everything.

"Harii-san?" Sentoki's voice cut through with sharp and much needed clarity as he gripped Harry's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Harry gasped out, more to himself as he took another step up. He could take his Calming Draught, should have taken it earlier, but then Sentoki would know.

"No, you're not," Sentoki said.

Harry took a deep breath and looked down at his boots as the memories threatened to overtake him again. "I don't know if I can go in. I need to but this," he motioned to his head, "makes everything difficult. I wish there was some way to skip these hard parts."

"For now, you will have to suffer through this hard part. But I'm here to help," Sentoki said, as they climbed the last few steps to the temple.

When they finally stopped, Harry looked up from his feet and wished he hadn't.

The majestic Tengu statues that had bordered the iron gates, the giant winged humanoids that had fascinated Harry with their long noses, bore deep cracks and broken sections.

And even though lines of gold light zipped across the space from one cracked Tengu to the other to create a gate of light, it was the ruin and rubble beyond it that drew all the attention.

In the growing light of dawn, the broken temple grounds couldn't be mistaken for anything other than the site of violent slaughter.

A slaughter he had been unable to stop. A slaughter that Harry had only escaped out of sheer luck. Harry gasped and turned away, "I can't."

"Take a deep breath," Sentoki moved in front of Harry, blocking his sight. "Ground yourself in the present."

Harry took a deep breath and gagged. "Blood. There's blood."

"No. That's your mind playing tricks on you. There's no blood here."

Harry shook his head, flinching away from the Temple grounds even as he reached for his wand with trembling fingers. "I can smell it. The bodies..."

"We've dealt with every single body." Sentoki grabbed Harry's shoulders. "Trust me, the only thing you should smell is the cleansing incense we've been burning."

Harry bit his lip, wanting to believe Sentoki's words.

"I can smell lavender and sage from the incense, can you?"

Now that Sentoki mentioned it, Harry could smell something vaguely herbal but also floral under the metallic scent of blood. Lavender.

"There's even a bit of citrus," Sentoki said. "These are just a few herbs and plants that can purify and cleanse a location."

Another cautious breath brought up the fresh scent of citrus.

"Can you smell anything else from the incense?"

"Some sort of mint," Harry said after some consideration.

"That's good," Sentoki said with a smile. "You're doing good."

"I can still smell the blood. I can't go in," Harry shook his head, hating his uselessness. If they'd slept at the bottom then Harry could have taken the Calming Draught in secret and he wouldn't have created such a fuss.

"Keep your eyes down," Sentoki said, his reassuring voice breaking through Harry's unhelpful thoughts, "I'll lead you to a closed off section of the temple."

Harry took a deep breath of the herb incense mingled with the phantom scent of blood and looked down.

"Concentrate on the incense." With a steady hand, Sentoki guided Harry through the light gate as he chanted under his breath.

Gold light from Sentoki's hand resonated deep within Harry like the gong of a bell, making his insides thrum with a calm warmth. More than the earthy smell of the incense and the cracked earth beneath their feet, Harry concentrated on the calm from Sentoki's technique during their long walk until they finally entered a room.

When the wooden door closed and blocked the outside world behind him, Harry took a much deeper breath and relaxed at the stale smell of indoor dust.

"This is one of the outlying sheds that survived the attack intact," Sentoki pulled his hand away, taking most of the calm warmth. Sunlight poured in from one of the high and narrow windows, illuminating the shed's square interior that had shelves against every wall.

"You can use that technique to calm people too?" Harry asked.

"It's difficult to use on people. You need to be calm to maintain it but strong enough to drown out a person's existing emotions," Sentoki flexed his fingers with a wince, "and that's hard to do when people are so emotionally complicated at any given time. Especially in battle."

"And I suppose keeping your hand on the enemy is hard," Harry said.

"That too," Sentoki agreed as he rotated his wrists. "I'm sure someone has already informed Bansai-san of our presence, but I should go and meet him."

"We passed a monk?" Harry asked in surprise.

Sentoki reached for the door. "We passed quite a few actually."

An old monk with a bushy grey beard opened the door from the outside and entered, bringing in a strong scent of incense and a welcoming smile. "Sentoki, I'm happy to see you back safe." He turned to Harry, "You must be Harii-kun. I am Bansai. How are you doing?"

Harry shrugged in response, "I'm fine."

"Then, not good at all," the monk said.

"No, I suppose not," Harry admitted with a weariness that made him want to curl into himself.

"Youngsters shouldn't sound so tired," Bansai said with a sigh. "But it's always the young who end up in the most difficult situations." He shook his head and looked at Harry, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening, "Tell me, how are you acquainted with Uchiha Itachi?"

Sentoki sucked in a deep breath. "Bansai-san, you knew?"

"Why else would I have given you those vials?" Bansai said, as though he was commenting on the weather.

Sentoki slapped a gold glowing hand on Bansai's shoulder and frowned in confusion.

"He didn't use any jutsu on me," Bansai said, calm and unshaken.

"Then why?" Harry asked, finally finding his voice. "Do you think Itachi is a harmless person?"

"Harmless?" Bansai shook his head. "An Uchiha, no, he's definitely not harmless. But then again no one is truly harmless. Not me. And not even you."

"But you met him," Harry pointed out, unable to keep the accusing tone out of his voice.

"I did," Bansai said. "I allowed him one visit to hear what he had to say."

"Why?" Sentoki asked, anger and outrage seeping that one word.

"Should I have turned him away?" Bansai asked, his voice inquisitive instead of admonishing. "Should I not have shown him the compassion that I did in allowing him to be heard?"

Sentoki bowed his head but his hands were clenched into tight fists at his side.

"I don't understand," Harry said, looking between both monks.

Bansai looked at him with kind eyes. "Wrath helps no one."

"But he's part of the group that..." Harry waved his hand around, unwilling to put into words the horror that had visited the Temple.

"He came here of his own accord," Bansai said. "Not to cause us any harm."

"How can you be sure of that?" Harry asked.

"I can't, but I choose to believe that he hasn't completely lost his childhood sincerity. The fact that you came here shows that he was honest and whatever he has to say could be important. I think you feel the same or you wouldn't have come."

Harry frowned at the monk. "You knew him as a child?"

Bansai nodded. "The Uchiha held on to some old elemental worship ways, so it wasn't strange that our paths crossed rather often."

"He killed his clan."

"Yes," Bansai said. "His eyes were certainly burdened when he spoke to me."

"And that's why you let him on to the grounds without telling anyone?" Harry asked.

"Did you tell anyone about him?"

Harry tried not to sound too defensive as he said, "I wanted answers."

"So did I," Bansai said.

Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. "And if this is a trap?"

"Then we deal with it accordingly," Bansai replied without hesitation as he combed through his beard. "Do you know why he wishes to meet with you?"

"I healed him before, when I didn't know who he was. I told him to contact me if he needed help."

"You think he wishes for more healing and you still came?"

"I thought it would be a good way to bargain some answers out of him," Harry said, his brows furrowing into a frown. "Is he here?"

"He has left a means of contacting him when you are ready to meet."

Sentoki who had been silent up until then, finally spoke up. "Not now."

Harry nodded. "I'll wait. Rest up and maybe even fix some things while I prepare myself for the meeting."

Bansai smiled. "We would definitely welcome any help."

"I'm sure some ninja help could make things easier," Harry said.

"Oh, there's no doubt it would. But even we have to follow the noble's stipulations to protect this Temple from political problems."

Harry tilted his head in consideration. "The nobles don't want the ninja to help you rebuild? I thought it was just the Daimyo."

"Something like that," Bansai said after sharing an unreadable look with Sentoki. "Both sides can be equally problematic at times, if they feel like it." He shook his head. "But forget about that for now, I'm sure you are hungry. I'll have Zenza send breakfast over for you."

"You don't have to," Harry said, not wanting to distract the monks from their work.

Sentoki cleared his throat pointedly.

Wary of being lectured, Harry nodded his thanks and said, "I'll fix whatever you bring here." When Bansai left the shed, Harry said, "Is it okay for me to stay in here?"

"The only other resting spot is the large tent that's housing everyone while we rebuild. I think being here will be much better for you. There shouldn't be any scents or sights to drag up unpleasant memories for you here."

"Thank you," Harry said softly, once again surprised by Sentoki's consideration. After a warm breakfast with Sentoki, Harry busied himself with 'work' to repay that genuine care. Decorative tiles, calligraphy brushes and even wall hangings were some of the many items Harry fixed and even cleaned over the course of the day.

And even though he gave up a few hours of sleep to repair things, Harry greeted the morning of October 2nd determined to meet Itachi and get answers. But it wasn't until much later that night, that Harry finally got called to a meeting.

Sentoki guided Harry through the rather dark temple grounds, past where tired but determined monks were gathered around a large crackling bonfire, and towards a quieter section where chunks of grass, dirt and crumbled stone crunched under his boots.

"This way seems familiar," Harry said, almost absently.

Sentoki's lantern twitched, as though he was surprised to hear Harry speak, "This is the way to one of the escape passages. But we're going past it to one of the wild untouched areas we have. The area where the migratory birds usually visit."

"Are you saying he's a migratory bird come to visit?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

Sentoki turned to Harry in surprise, "You're doing better today. You're calmer."

Though not as solidly reassuring or warm as Sentoki's method, the potion induced tranquillity from the Calming Draught kept Harry moving through the Temple grounds. "It's a temporary calm.

Sentoki didn't question Harry's strange phrasing as they walked towards the very back of the temple grounds, passed through an concealed gap in the natural stone wall and down into a field of thin trees and grass as high as Harry's knees.

"I never realized how warm it is up here," Harry said in wonder. "What is this place?"

"We don't usually allow visitors in this area. It's easier to protect the birds when we control who walks in," Sentoki said as they waded through the tall grass towards a waving lantern in the distance. "As for it being warm, this mountain has never seen snow because it's always warm up here no matter what time of the year it is."

"Did Itachi walk in here through another path?"

"There's only one way to walk in," Sentoki said, a frown on his face. "He must have come in some other way."

"He's waiting in the spirit cave," Bansai said when they got close, taking them through the grass and towards the rocky borders. "He wasn't interested in an open air meeting."

"Spirit cave?" Harry asked, worried at the thought of entering a holy place.

"It's where we allow our brewed alcohol spirits to age," Sentoki said.

Harry snorted in surprised amusement as they neared the cave. "This entire wilderness for migratory birds is just a cover for your alcohol?" A barrier of subdued golden chakra covered the cave's entrance. "And you put up a barrier to protect your alcohol?"

Sentoki huffed. "The barrier is for the visitor."

"That does make more sense," Harry conceded. "But will it be enough to keep him in there?"

"The barrier keeps things out ," Bansai said, taking a cross legged position at one side of the barrier covered entrance.

"He requested privacy so we'll wait outside," Sentoki said, his tone unhappy as he handed Harry his lantern and then mirrored Bansai on the other side. "But if you need help, I'm here."

"We're both here and ready," Bansai corrected.

With a deep breath, Harry stepped through the barrier. He followed the heady scent of alcohol, fruit and old wood, down into the cave and within minutes reached his destination.

Already seated with a lantern of his own, Itachi's black eyes followed Harry's movements with sharp intent.

"Itachi," Harry greeted as he sat opposite the criminal. Even in the dim light of the lanterns, Itachi's face lacked the haggard paleness that characterized a long illness. "You look healthy."

"Your healing and medicines worked well," Itachi replied to Harry's surprise. "Unnaturally well in fact."

"What's so unnatural about it? Have you seen what the medics in Konoha manage on a daily basis?" Harry said.

"Konoha's medics couldn't and still can't cure the terminal illness that I've had for years, Uzumaki-san."

"I never introduced myself as that to you." Harry narrowed his eyes and pulled out the empty vials that had been in his pocket. "If these vials did what they needed to and you don't need any healing, then why are we meeting?"

Itachi looked at the vials with a quick flash of red in his eyes. "You removed the seals I put on them. Then, you do have knowledge of space time techniques. No, something better."

Harry's indignation morphed into confusion, sure he had misheard. "The... what?"

Itachi's lips thinned into an unimpressed line. "You used some unknown variation of it to fix piles of splinters back into their previous forms."

Harry stiffened at Itachi's choice of words. The only piles of splinters he'd fixed were the Suna puppets. "You've been spying on me?"

Itachi stared at him steadily. "I keep track of important happenings in Konoha."

"You're a missing-nin," Harry snapped. "You have no reason to keep track of anything in Konoha. You don't have any family there."

"You know about my clan."

"Yes, I heard what you did." Harry hated Itachi's impassive face, so he asked, "Why would you keep tabs on Konoha?"

"Can you not tell why?" Itachi motioned to his red-cloud covered coat.

"I can't read your mind," Harry retorted without any hesitation.

"We keep tabs on the Jinchūriki to better capture them in the future." Itachi tilted his head at Harry's silence and continued, "With your constant proximity to Konoha's Jinchūriki, it wasn't that hard to know what you've been doing."

Harry mentally catalogued the list of Konoha people that he spent a lot of time around.

"Given his propensity for being the centre of attention, it's easy to keep watch on your cousin," Itachi said.

The Calming Draught had nothing to do with the eerie blankness that filled Harry's mind. "Naruto?"

Itachi stilled, his eyes searching Harry's face. "You do not know."

"Know what?" Harry asked, unwilling to acknowledge the connections his mind had already made.

"Naruto is one of the targets," Itachi replied, without any trace of apology or hesitation. "I am well versed with Konoha's security, enough to exploit it's flaws if I need to."

Anger rose past the potion's forced calmness. "You are after Naruto."

"I wish to make a trade," Itachi said, as though he hadn't just upended Harry's world.

"A trade," Harry repeated, his hands itching to cast some nasty curses at Itachi's sheer audacity.

"Give me everything you have on space time techniques."

Confusion pulled back Harry's anger.

At Harry's silence, Itachi's lips thinned. "You're manipulating time in some way to heal and fix items to their original state," he accused.

Harry stared at him blankly, unsure of what to say.

"In exchange, I'm willing to give you information that can keep Naruto safe."

Harry snorted, angry and confused at how things had turned out this way. "Ridiculous."

Itachi stilled and his eyes narrowed in the first show of true anger that Harry had ever seen on his face. "You would risk Kushina oba-san's son to keep your clan's seals secrets?"

At any other time, Harry would have rejoiced at cracking that emotionless facade, but at that moment he could only repeat blankly. "Oba-san? You wouldn't give a stranger a personal title like that."

A thick silence fell over them, and Harry had no intention of breaking it. Itachi owed him an answer.

With obvious reluctance, Itachi finally admitted, "She took care of me occasionally when my mother was indisposed."

That obviously wasn't the whole truth. But Harry said, "And you repay her care by going after her child."

"None of that matters." In a blink of an eye, a sharp blade pressed against Harry's throat. "You should have taken the deal," Itachi said, his steady voice managing to sound more threatening than an angry snarl. "It didn't have to turn out this way."

A memory rose to the front of Harry's mind. "Sasuke." A name that Harry had read in Naruto's blacked out medical files, files that he still didn't know the origins of. "Uchiha Sasuke," Harry said, his voice calm despite the blade against his skin.

Itachi stilled, his breathing almost non-existent.

Harry didn't know what significance the name had to Itachi, but he gambled on the possibility. "Something else that also doesn't matter?" The blade against his skin didn't falter, but the continued stillness allowed Harry to snake his right hand up.

A flare of red hit Itachi's clone.

Instead of the smoke Harry had expected, the clone tore apart into dozens of angry black birds that rushed at him with deafening caws.

Harry ducked down and curled into himself as fast as he could but wings still smacked against him and sharp claws raked across any exposed skin.

"Harii-san," Sentoki yelled from the entrance and golden light enveloped Harry. The birds left in a flutter of caws. "We felt a surge of chakra."

Harry straightened as the golden light around him dissipated. "I dispersed his clone."

"What happened?" Sentoki asked, concern palpable in his voice as he knelt beside Harry.

"He turned into crows, I think." Glancing at Sentoki's raised eyebrow, Harry said, "Oh, you mean, before that. We had a disagreement." Harry marvelled at how steady his voice was. "I'm fine."

"You're bleeding," Sentoki retorted in disagreement.

Harry rubbed the thin wet line across his neck, wincing as the wound stung beneath his fingers. "Not a lot. I can heal it myself."

Behind Sentoki, Bansai stared at Harry's neck with solemn eyes as the last remnants of gold light disappeared from the monk's skin.

"I just want to sleep. Please," Harry said.

Though his concern didn't fade, Sentoki nodded and led Harry past a silent Bansai and back to the shed.

Harry woke late the next afternoon and stared up at the wooden ceiling, lacking the will to actually get up. He would have preferred to lay there and go back to sleep but Hedwig had other ideas.

When tugging on his hair didn't yield results, she nipped his ear and screeched until Harry sat up. Under her impatient stare, Harry downed some Calming Draught and followed her out of the shed and onto the Temple grounds.

Afternoon light revealed clear grounds with little to no rubble. Monks clad in a variety of coloured robes, not just the white and blue combination that Sentoki wore, used the items that Harry had repaired to work.

Instead of revelling in the delight that his work was being useful, Itachi's words about space time techniques and Uzumaki seals haunted Harry. Did other people assume similar things about Harry's skills?

"Heavy thoughts?"

Harry started and turned to the speaker. "Bansai-san."

"While I'm glad that you had a long undisturbed sleep, you need to eat," Bansai said as he pushed a cloth wrapped object in Harry's hand. "Zenza wasn't on cooking duty today, so there's no reason to hesitate and miss out on such a delicious treat."

Harry unwrapped the cloth and bit into a warm bun. He swallowed a few bites of the sticky creation before he asked, "Have you been a monk for a long time?"

"I used to be one of the older monks of this order," Bansai said, watching the monks work in the distance. "Now I am the oldest."

"I," Harry hesitated and looked down. "Can you tell me about the… Jinchūriki?" His conversation with Ichigen about the matter so long ago had been too vague. Harry needed to know more.

Bansai leaned back and shot Harry a piercing look. "Did he say something about them?" When Harry nodded, Bansai frowned but said, "There is a lot that can be said about them. I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Is there a reason someone becomes one?" Harry asked, trying to keep his tone even.

"You mean what makes a person an ideal candidate to become a Jinchūriki? I assume they must have strong chakra or willpower to imprison and resist the beast's influence," Bansai rubbed his beard in thought. "Or they might just be someone who was unlucky enough to be chosen at random."

"Unlucky?"

"Not everyone knows how a Jinchūriki is made, so most people don't trust a Jinchūriki to be the safest person to be around. It must be very lonely existence."

"Especially when they're surrounded by people," Harry said.

"Especially then," Bansai agreed. Then, as though realizing that Harry wasn't in the mood for any more conversation, he said, "Would you like to see our orchard? It's a bit of a hike to get there, but it's quite lovely."

The orchard, like the grassy wilderness he'd visited the night before, could only be accessed through a concealed and rocky path from the Temple grounds. A path that required all of Harry's patience, concentration and energy to traverse in small steps.

As Harry stood beneath plum laden trees too catch his breath, he wondered which hidden area Ichigen had hoped to hide Harry in during the attack. And if Harry had been hidden in such a place, would those two Akatsuki members have followed and destroyed those areas too?

That morbid question lingered in Harry's mind even when he returned to the shed that night. As Harry hunched over his communication mirror and stared into tired brown eyes, thoughts that he'd been pushing away surged up, demanding to be released.

"Is the Calming Draught helping with being at the Temple?" When Harry just nodded, Hermione frowned. Her tone turned cautious as she started to ask, "Did Ita..."

"Naruto," Harry interrupted her.

The tiredness in Hermione's eyes shifted into reassuring and steely determination. "What is it? What's happened to him?"

"He's a…" Harry thought he'd struggle with the words. But once he started speaking, he couldn't stop. He started with the existence of the tailed beasts that could destroy entire villages and how the ninja dealt with the danger by creating Jinchūriki like Naruto, who were currently being hunted down. Everything poured out in a mess of emotions and thoughts.

"Is Naruto in danger?" Hermione asked while Harry caught his breath.

Harry's voice rose in irritation. "Didn't you hear the bit about Itachi's organization?"

"I meant from the monster creature that's been put inside him." Hermione sounded moments away from calling him an idiot.

Harry slumped down. "I don't know."

"Did he seem in pain to you?" Hermione asked, her no-nonsense tone soothing.

"No?" Harry scrutinized the time he'd spent in Naruto's company. "No physical pain. He just seemed so... cautious." Harry frowned, realizing just how much that word fit. "I thought we were similar, but his childhood must have been so much worse."

"Harry, you've both suffered an unfair amount," Hermione said, her voice gentler than he'd ever heard. "Different kinds of suffering is still suffering."

Harry shook his head but said, "Itachi put something on the vials, a seal."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You said nothing showed up with the spells!"

"I used all sorts of cleaning spells the moment I took the vials from Sentoki. After Suna and all their poisons, I thought," Harry admitted with a sheepish shrug. "One of those spells must have removed it before I used the reveal spell, maybe?"

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as though she was holding back a stern lecture. "I knew you shouldn't have gone to the Temple! Did he mention exactly what he put on it?" She asked with clenched teeth.

"Can't have been anything nice," Ron's unhappy voice emerged from the mirror, startling Harry.

Hermione looked away from the mirror with narrowed eyes. "What happened to letting me talk?"

"You've been talking for a while already," Ron said, a whine easy to hear in his voice.

"What was that about tampered vials?" Another voice asked, a voice that sounded eerily like Harry's.

Ron groaned. "Why are you using his voice right now?"

"Sorry forgot," Tonks said, her voice rising to her usual lively self. "The vials, what was that about the vials? You didn't tell me anything about vials before."

"You know now," Ron said with an unconcerned tone.

"I'm the auror here, remember? The one with actual training to deal with these things. I would have told you how to handle the vials and check for nasty things."

"You heard Harry, he messed up before using the revealing spell," Ron said.

"Did you hex him?" Hermione asked, raising her voice over the arguing pair that Harry couldn't see.

"He sent a clone," Harry said, not sure he wanted to elaborate that Itachi's clones had been made of crows. "I don't know how much good the spells would have done."

"A what?" Tonks interrupted.

"You should have tried, maybe even used one of the curses like I told you to," Hermione said, waving off Tonk's question with impatience.

"Hermione," Harry said, frowning at her.

Hermione didn't back down, instead her voice rose as she said, "He's not just part of the group that destroyed that Temple, Harry. He's after Naruto. That changes things."

Harry rubbed his forehead, not knowing what to say.

"I'll find some better spells, something stronger. He won't get Naruto!" Hermione decided and then frowned at him. "What? You're thinking of something. And I'm not sure I like the look in your eyes Harry."

"It's not just him," Harry said. "There's others like him who are after Naruto. An entire group of them. The two who came to the temple, they were monsters who massacred the entire temple. Surely the others would be capable of the same thing."

"And?" Hermione asked through pursed lips, sounding like she already knew what he'd say.

"Naruto wouldn't be in danger if the group didn't exist," Harry said.

"What are you going to do against a group of monstrous ninja?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing, I can't do much of anything right now," Harry said. "But I can't sit back and do nothing. They're after Naruto. Maybe I can take Itachi's information and give it to the ninja who can do something about it."

"How exactly do you plan to take information from a dangerous criminal?" Hermione asked with narrowed eyes and a look that she wanted to hex him through the mirror. "It's not like you can give him what he's demanding." Probably reading something in Harry's expression, Hermione said, "And you can't give him fake information either."

"I could trick him with magic."

"Which magic?" Hermione asked. "And you said something about his cursed eyes. What if those eyes make him the one person who'd be immune to any kind of magic trickery."

"How else will I get any information about the group?" Harry asked. "Should I actually find whatever it is he wants and give it to him?"

"You're not giving the criminal what he wants, Harry! If he ever tries to contact you again, make him sign a contract," Hermione said, her brown eyes blazing with fury. "A magic contract that will have dire consequences for him. The fact that he put something on the vials to affect you means you don't have to be nice anymore."

"I wasn't being nice," Harry protested. "When was I being nice?"

"You didn't use any spells on him!"

"I stunned his clone to end the meeting," Harry said.

"You're an idiot!" Hermione took a deep breath and sighed. "An utter idiot."

Ron snorted.

"I can't believe I ever saw Sirius in him," Harry admitted.

Hermione's eyes softened. "You're allowed to make a mistake."

"This mistake can kill Naruto."

"Well, it's not like you possess the ability to divine the future," Hermione said with raised brows. "You couldn't have known who you were healing and how he'd be connected to Naruto and you. You were just being your usual decent self."

"Still..."

"What concerns me the most," Hermione said, "is him thinking you can manipulate time."

"I didn't think fixing things would cause this kind of trouble."

Hermione snorted. "History of magic shows two possible extreme reactions that the non-magical community can have to magic. Either it's evil and needs to be destroyed or it's a divine skill that needs to be revered and used to benefit them."

Harry stared at her for a long moment. "No more Goblin revolutions to study about with Binns this year?"

"He wouldn't miss a chance to talk about the Goblins." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've been reading up on magical and non-magical interactions over the years. Idle curiosity."

Harry knew there was no such thing as idle curiosity when it came to Hermione's reading. But he said, "He mentioned it being my clan's seal secrets. Like they would have had the seals that could do these things."

"They were wizards?" Ron asked.

"Could explain why there's so much danger in being one," Harry said, trying not to sound too hopeful for that theory.

"Then what about Naruto?" Hermione asked, ever the voice of reason.

Ron replied. "Wizard families can have squibs. Or that monster they put in him could have done something."

"You need to find out more about the Uzumaki," Hermione said.

"I need to find out more about the Uzumaki," Harry said at the exact same time. They stared at each other and chuckled. "I've made so many mistakes since I came here, I just hope I don't do anything worse."

"Don't heal any more criminals," Ron advised and yelped in pain.

Looking smug, Hermione straightened the mirror and said, "What are you going to do about Naruto?"

"I like Ron's idea to knock him out and take him away from here."

Ron made a loud agreeing sound.

"Harry," Hermione admonished, her voice serious. "You need to find out about the other Jinchūriki. How many of them are still out there? How long before someone tries to come after Naruto?" Hermione looked to the side and sighed, "Fine, I'll remove the spell, but you better have some useful ideas, Tonks."

When Harry put his mirror away later that night , he had lists of both concrete things he needed to do and vague ideas of what he could possibly do to protect Naruto.

But before doing anything for Naruto, Harry realized that he needed to do something for himself first.

Harry spent the next two days alternating between fixing as much as he could and then braving the Temple grounds without any Calming Draught. At first, he could barely take a few steps out of the shed before he had to rush back in to fight off the memories.

But then Hedwig brought a concerned Sentoki who refused to leave until Harry gave him an explanation. And after he got an explanation, Sentoki refused to let Harry continue his scheme without help.

When Harry struggled to stay outside, instead of using his calming golden chakra, Sentoki pointed out things that Harry could concentrate on to combat his memories.

The ever present scent of incense pushed back the phantom scent of blood.

Watching the monks move around the grounds countered the images of dead bodies.

The items that Harry had fixed reassured him that nothing remained broken.

And though it was a constant struggle against the persistent memories, by the end of those two days, Harry could actually spend long stretches of time outside without resorting to any magic.

"You're getting better at pulling yourself out of the memories," Sentoki said, sounding genuinely happy, as they sat outside the shed.

"It's slow but I think I'm getting where I want to be."

"You don't have to rush this process, you know. You can take your time to heal."

Harry shook his head and leaned back against the shed door. "I've got to get back to Konoha soon. So, I'll be leaving in a day or two."

"Ah, even if..." Sentoki hesitated and glanced away, but Harry understood the unspoken question.

"I don't care if he comes back. We have nothing to talk about," Harry said, "I stayed here because I wanted to fix things."

Sentoki looked at him for a long moment and then smiled. "It's heartening to have so many of our things just waiting to be put back in when we finish rebuilding."

"You know that you could have sent me things to fix in Konoha, right?"

"We couldn't burden you with reminders of this location. That would have been cruel."

Now that he knew just how debilitating his memories of the Temple were, Harry said, "You're right. I don't think I could have handled it before I came here. I haven't completely moved on, but I'm getting there. This visit helped. You helped."

Sentoki rubbed the scar on his head. "I just wish you could have come here with the express reason of healing instead of having to meet that man."

Harry sighed. "Does this mean I owe him? Because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have come here willingly."

"That's one way of looking at it," Sentoki said, not answering Harry one way or the other.

"Have you talked to Bansai-san about him?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"No, I didn't know how to bring it up," Sentoki said and sighed. "To be honest, I've been finding it hard to talk to Bansai-san."

"Sorry," Harry said.

Sentoki waved away the apology, "It's not... I've been struggling with our tenants of compassion and forgiveness. Of not giving in to wrath."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. The more I think about it, the more I realize why he wasn't much of a talker when we first met. Everything he said just made me angry." When Sentoki didn't say anything, Harry prodded, "Don't you want to know what he said?"

"From your tone, I imagine he had nothing good to say."

"He wanted to make a deal with me," Harry said, wondering if he was doing the right thing. "He was willing to give me information about his group."

Sentoki frowned. "Why you?"

Deciding to trust the monk who had helped him over the past few days, Harry said, "He thought I would be willing to do anything to keep my cousin safe from the Akatsuki's hands."

"Your cousin?" Sentoki's frown deepened. "But from what I've heard, that group is specifically after..." he paused and glanced at Harry with a troubled expression. When Harry didn't disagree, he said, "Oh."

"After I healed him, he mentioned his cousin, Shisui. I felt sorry for him and I helped him but now, now I realize he probably killed that cousin along with the rest of his clan." Harry shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat. "How could he do that? Just the thought of Naruto being in danger makes me desperate to protect him. And I haven't even known Naruto all that long."

"I was mistaken before," Sentoki said, staring at him in wonder. "It's not just kindness in you, it's love. You are filled with love."

Harry snorted. "What good is any of that?"

"You healed an injured man. It was a good and caring thing to do. And that act of healing him will benefit you," Sentoki said, his voice strong with conviction.

Harry was unconvinced. "Really?"

"He was willing to give you information to protect your cousin."

"Not for free," Harry countered. "He has his own agenda."

"That might be, but he could have easily compelled you to do whatever he wanted. After all he's an Uchiha and he has those eyes," Sentoki said, absently motioning to his own eyes.

"His cursed eyes?" Harry grimaced. "Are you trying to defend him?"

"I'm trying to understand this situation," Sentoki said.

"There's no point in trying. Itachi is a good actor," Harry said. "Bansai-san saw him and remembered a sincere child and I.. well, I came here like an idiot. And anyway, we didn't exactly part ways on friendly terms."

"You sound unhappy," Sentoki said cautiously.

"I don't really know how to protect Naruto from the Akatsuki." Harry rubbed his forehead, weary and unsure. "Any information would have been helpful."

"Harii-san, while I do not have any information, if you ever need help with anything," Sentoki said with an unwavering gaze. "Then I will do my best to aid you."

"You can help me by doing something about Zenza-san's cooking. How can he so bad when he cooks so much?"

Sentoki's lips twitched up as he shook his head. "Some things in this world cannot be changed. Zenza-san's cooking is one of them."

Chapter Text

At the soft rhythmic knocks, Harry padded across his dim lit apartment on silent feet and opened the spelled door. With a finger to his lips, Harry waved his two visitors to the kitchen as Naruto snored from the sofa.

Hands loaded with boxes and eyes crinkled in amusement, Izumo and Kotetsu moved through the dark apartment like silent ghosts.

"How is he still sleeping?" Kotetsu muttered in the kitchen. "He needs some more environmental awareness."

"Already making future lesson plans?" Harry asked as he opened the biggest box.

"He's not the one giving lessons and why are you checking that so obsessively?" Izumo said, handing Harry a thick brown envelope. "Did you think we'd mess up? What kind of incompetent genin do you think we are?"

Harry shoved the envelope into a nearby pile of the papers and shushed him over the lid. "I just want to make sure it's right before Naruto wakes up with the smell."

Kotetsu snorted. "Too late for that."

The sofa in the living room creaked and fabric rustled with shifting weight. "Nii-san?" Naruto called out, his voice hoarse with sleep and worry. When he stopped at the doorway, a pyjama-clad Naruto squinted at them with suspicious blue eyes. "What are you three doing so early in the morning?"

"Don't you know what today is?" At Naruto's confused frown, Harry tutted. "You don't? That's sad."

"Nii-san!"

"You're pretty cranky for a birthday boy," Harry said, revelling at the mix of emotions -surprise, delight and disbelief- racing over Naruto's face, and moved aside. On the kitchen table behind him, Izumo and Kotetsu had unboxed a large orange cake and arranged some gaudy party cutlery on the tiny amount of space around the cake. "Happy Birthday!"

Izumo and Kotetsu chorused the cheer with enthusiasm.

Naruto gaped, all traces of sleep vanishing. "That's a huge cake."

"It is," Harry nodded. "I'm glad the baker could make it on such short notice."

Izumo's lips twitched up in amusement. "He was probably excited to get such a unique order."

"It's not that unique."

"It's orange, blindingly so," Kotetsu pointed out as he lit the candles on the cake. "Even in this dim light it looks like it's glowing orange. Trust me, that's unique."

"It's not glowing, it looks fine." Harry looked up but had to blink away persistent afterimages of the cake.

"Fine but unique!" Kotetsu motioned to the bright plates around the cake. "So, cake for breakfast?"

"Depends on birthday boy," Harry said, glancing at Naruto. "He chooses today's food plans."

Naruto, who had been staring at the lit candles, straightened with a grin. "I could eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

"You could." Harry shrugged. "Then I don't have to treat you to ramen for lunch."

"You'd treat me to ramen?"

"It's your birthday," Harry said. "Makes sense to get treated, don't you think?"

Izumo sighed with a dramatic slump of his shoulders. "Too bad we're not invited."

"You said you had to work the afternoon shift," Harry retorted without sympathy. "Which is why you're here so early."

"Lunch would have been nicer than cake for breakfast, even if it is ramen," Kotetsu said, handing Naruto a knife.

"You don't have to eat it, that'll just leave more cake for us." Harry turned to Naruto and waved at the cake. "Make a wish before the wax covers the cake."

"Don't rush me," Naruto said but his eyes gleamed. He leaned forward with a grin and extinguished all the candles in one breath to loud cheers.

Between mouthfuls of cake that dyed their tongues orange, Kotetsu asked, "Have you made any progress with Kakashi's water jutsu?"

Already on his second piece of cake, Naruto paused at the sudden question and shrugged. "I can't use it in battle yet."

"So you've got the basics down?" Izumo propped his elbow on the table and rubbed his chin. "That will make things easy when we get to training ground 31."

Naruto frowned. "Training ground 31?"

"It's the best place to teach you the Syrup Trap." Izumo sipped his tea but kept his eyes trained on the blond.

Naruto stopped eating and looked between both ninja on the other side of the kitchen table. "Are you serious?"

Izumo nodded. "It's your birthday present from the both of us."

"That's so stingy," Naruto looked down at his plate, the smile in his voice easy to hear despite his words. "Not giving me actual presents."

"What's that?" Kotetsu leaned forward with a knitted brow over gleaming eyes. "You don't want to learn the jutsu that no one else knows. Guess we don't have to use up our free morning, Izumo."

"Seems like it," Izumo said, his lips curled up behind his teacup.

"No, I want to learn it," Naruto. "You can't take back your promise to teach me!"

"I didn't hear any promises being made," Harry said with amusement.

Naruto whined, "Nii-san, you're supposed to be on my side."

"I am sitting right beside you."

"Nii-san!" Naruto groaned as though in physical pain, but perked up when Harry slid another piece of cake on his plate.

"I don't know how to feel about out first student being such a brat," Izumo said with a lighthearted shake of his head.

"But it'll be nice to be called sensei," Kotetsu smirked as he took another piece of cake. "Even people like Raido haven't had students to pass their techniques down to yet. We've totally beat them."

"It's not a competition," Izumo said but smiled in obvious delight at Kotetsu's words.

"Wouldn't it be even better if you taught the future Hokage more than just the Syrup Trap?" Naruto asked with a casualness that didn't match his eager eyes.

Izumo snorted. "Creating the syrup is tricky. It'll take you a long while to shape your chakra into the proper syrup consistency. After that, comes the harder part of learning to control it on the battlefield."

"Controlling it is hard, even I can't do it properly," Kotetsu added with a solemn shake of his head.

"But you created the jutsu!" Naruto said.

Kotetsu shook his head. "Izumo did. I just use the jutsu to put a lot more syrup on the battlefield for Izumo to use."

"And I've tweaked it since our last battle." A grim undertone darkened Izumo's eyes as he added, "Next time, it won't be something that can be shrugged off. Not even by monstrous ninja like..."

Kotetsu cleared his throat with a pointed look.

Izumo took a long sip of tea before he continued, "I'll be teaching you the new version of the jutsu. So you'll have to practice a lot, considering you're a wind nature type."

"I will," Naruto said without hesitation. "I'll make the syrup and control it like you do in no time."

Izumo leaned back into his chair as he smirked. "I hope you still have that optimistic attitude when you're drenched in sticky chakra syrup."

"I won't be drenched in syrup," Naruto straightened and jutted his chin out.

Izumo grinned as he shared an indecipherable look with an equally amused Kotetsu. "You need to be, to learn the proper consistency of the syrup."

The first stirrings of apprehension crawled across Naruto's face. "You're just going to cover me in syrup for no reason, aren't you?"

"Nonsense, it's an essential part of the learning process and since it's a jutsu that I created, I'm the only one who knows the best way to to teach it."

After a long moment, Naruto crossed his arms with a determined scowl. "I'll ace your training. Do whatever you want."

Kotetsu shook his head with faux pity. "You shouldn't have said that to old Izumo. He's had to chase you much more that I did when you were a little prank-pulling hellion."

"Really? Then how come you never caught me with your Syrup Trap?" Naruto said.

Izumo scoffed. "Why would I use a jutsu, that I spent years creating, on a bratty child?"

"That's not the real reason Izumo never caught you with the Syrup Trap," Kotetsu said with a wide grin. "You see, chasing after you meant that he wouldn't be stuck doing gate dut… oi!" He flinched back from the table and rubbed his leg.

With a saccharine smile that promised retribution, Izumo said, "Since we're reminiscing about the past, shall I tell him when you decided to improve your painting skills that one time?"

Kotetsu kicked at Izumo only to wince when he hit the chair instead. "Shut up. I did no such thing. I'm allergic to paint."

"Allergic to work is more like it," Izumo retorted with an arched brow.

Naruto looked back and forth between the two, leaning forward to hear more.

But Izumo said, "You done eating? The sooner we start training, the more progress we can make before our afternoon shift."

"Wait, I have something for you." Harry grabbed the bag he'd hidden earlier and pushed it towards Naruto, trying not to look as uncertain as he felt.

Swallowing the last bit of his cake, Naruto looked into the bag and pulled out a sturdy new beige hip pouch with surprised delight. "I needed a new one after the past few missions."

"I noticed," Harry said in a wry tone.

Naruto raised the pouch to eye level and ran his fingers along the outside, inspecting every stitch and seam with growing approval. He opened it to examine the inside and paused at the silver glinting on the inside flap. Naruto traced the silver threads with awe, "You stitched this?"

Relieved at the success of the gift, Harry shrugged. "Consider it a good luck charm to keep your gear safe."

Fingers still on the stitching, Naruto stared at Harry with considering eyes. "Was this what you needed that math for?"

Amused that his previous struggles with math, or more accurately a magic formula, were so memorable to Naruto, Harry grinned. "Maybe."

Naruto scrutinized the stitches as though trying to uncover what magic was involved and how.

The two older ninja leaned over to look at what had captured Naruto's attention.

"You needed math to sew?" Kotetsu asked in disbelief.

"It worked, didn't it?" Harry said with a defensive shrug, happy to let them come up with their own explanations.

"A deer?" Izumo said with a shake of his head. "You've been spending too much time with the Nara."

"It's not a Nara stag," Harry said. "It's an important personal symbol."

"A symbol of what?" Kotetsu asked with a tilt of his head.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Harry answered, "That's a family secret."

Naruto grinned and handed the pouch to a summoned clone. "Yeah, a family secret." As the clone arranged the contents of his old pouch into the new one, Naruto headed to the wash-room.

Kotetsu leaned back in his chair with a desolate sigh. "All the interesting things are always family secrets."

Even though his eyes were fixed on the pouch, clone-Naruto grinned and said, "When you get kids, you can make up family secrets for them."

Izumo snorted. "Let's hope Maiko sticks long enough for there to be kids in the future."

"Maiko?" Harry looked up from clone-Naruto's careful work and gaped at Kotetsu. "Are you dating an actual person? When did that happen?"

"Shouldn't you be asking, how it happened?" Izumo said, his eyes bright with mischief.

Harry frowned at Kotetsu. "How did you get someone to date you? Did you cheat?"

"What does that even mean? How could I possibly cheat to get a date?"

Harry turned to Izumo, "Did he cheat?"

"He cheated," Izumo said with a solemn nod. "He said he knew someone who could fix the ugly vase her grandmother left her."

"You used me as your pick up line?" Harry said in disbelief.

"What use is having a friend if you can't use them to help you get a date?" Kotetsu said as he stood, unashamed by his words.

"See what I've had to put up with," Izumo said with an exaggerated sigh.

"I'm sure you'd do the same if you had the chance. You're both similar in that aspect." Ignoring their indignant sputters, Harry said, "Aren't you going to go train now?"

"Good point," Izumo said as he shot the freshly-dressed Naruto a wry glance. "Otherwise someone is just going to keep eating cake."

"It's extra energy for training," Naruto said after finishing the newest slice of cake he'd cut for himself. Before he could take the filled pouch from his clone, Kotetsu swiped it and raced out of the apartment in a blur. Both Naruto and the pyjama-clad clone-Naruto chased after him with indignant yells.

Harry turned at Izumo. "Don't mess with him too much, it's his birthday."

Izumo chuckled as he rinsed his cup in the sink. "We'll keep him busy till lunch time."

"Remind him to head to Ichiraku's for lunch," Harry said. "But don't be too obvious about keeping him away from the apartment."

Izumo gave him a short salute and followed after the other two with a wide grin.

Five minutes later, Sakura and Sai knocked on the front door and entered with numerous boxes, scrolls and bags.

"He didn't try to leave a clone?" Sakura asked.

Harry took some of the boxes from her, wincing at their weight. "Kotetsu distracted him and his clone. They'll keep him occupied till their afternoon shift teaching him their syrup technique."

"Syrup Trap," Sai corrected in a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat and straightened his baggy shirt as he said, "My ink bird will return when they are almost done, so we will have ample warning."

Harry frowned at the pale boy. "You two want some tea before we start?"

"Yes!" Sakura answered and pulled an unsteady Sai to the kitchen table.

Moments later, under the weight of their expectant gazes, Sai took a reluctant sip of tea from the largest cup Harry owned. "I'm not ill," he said but took another sip when Sakura frowned at him.

"You don't have to push yourself if you're tired," Harry said, placing a plate of cake in front of the boy.

"I am mission capable." Sai eyed the cake with narrowed eyes.

"Idiot," Sakura huffed. "I don't know what you've been doing, but if you don't eat and rest a little, I'm authorized to put you on forced medical leave."

Sai shifted his narrowed eyes on her.

Sakura scoffed. "You're as intimidating as a toddler right now."

"I can make an omelet if you don't want cake," Harry offered.

With a defeated sigh and even greater reluctance, Sai nibbled on the cake.

Ignoring her team-mate's sullen silence, Sakura said, "I'm surprised those two are teaching Naruto their syrup jutsu. Ninja like to keep their creations secret."

"Naruto tried to get them to teach him earlier, but Izumo told him he needed to know basic water techniques first."

"I've never actually seen the Syrup Trap." Sakura shot Sai a pointed glance, prompting him to keep eating. "But I know that Izumo single-handedly worked out how to convert chakra into usable syrup. An amazing feat considering the hospital's fancy research labs haven't been able to..." she paused and let out an exasperated breath. "Why do all my conversations come back to the hospital?"

"It's the most important thing in your life," Sai said, having finished his cake.

"It's not," Sakura said in a defensive tone. "It's work."

Sai nodded. "Work is the most important thing in your life. Why else would you doctor me outside the hospital?"

Sakura's brows furrowed into an irritated line as she stood. "Getting you to eat is my duty as your friend. So that I don't have to doctor you in the hospital later."

While Sai processed that, Harry followed Sakura into the spare room that housed his plants. "You do research in the hospital labs?"

Sakura shook her head and sounded much calmer as she said,"I have the accreditation to work in the lab teams but I... my research is more of a non-medical personal project. And you can't really use the hospital labs for that. Not when you're just a Chūnin."

"You're the Hokage's student," Harry said.

"That doesn't help me against hospital bureaucracy," Sakura shrugged as she moved a box full of broken items out of the room. "You have a lot of work here."

"I've actually fixed a lot but you can't tell with these boxes."

"That's work," Sakura said with a commiserating shake of her head. "Never ending."

"How are you two bonding over such different lines of work?" Sai asked from the doorway, as he looked between them. "You make socializing seem easy."

Sakura and Harry glanced at each other and snorted.

"It's not." Harry handed Sakura some plants.

"Definitely not easy," Sakura agreed, taking the plants out of the room.

"And you're in sync now. Your friendship has grown fast. How?"

Unwilling to dispel Sai's awkward but genuine question with a joke, Harry contemplated an actual answer. When he couldn't think of one, he turned to Sakura, "How?"

Sakura rolled her eyes but said, "We talked a lot over our game of go."

"Was that enough to make us friends?"

"You helped me acquire rare snake venom," Sakura said as she carried a box out of the room.

"That's all Hedwig," Harry said, wincing at his unconscious switch into English for the name.

Sai rolled up his long sleeves and said, "Talking and rare gifts grew your friendship?"

"Don't gift people with snake venom," Sakura warned her pale team-mate.

Sai frowned at her even as he carried some boxes out. "You're friends with Harii because of it."

"We became friends before the snake venom. And anyway, I'm a medic," Sakura said. "Don't use me as a baseline for normal gift giving."

Harry snorted as he moved plants off of shelves and tables. "It would be funny to gift people with snake venom though."

"Ninja will think you're sending them a message," Sakura warned him.

"Exactly." Harry couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice as he said, "I should send Nara-san some so that he never asks me to play another game."

"Has he asked you for a game?" Sakura asked.

"He's already booked in promises for at least three Go games because I haven't had a chance to sit around since returning from the temple," Harry said with a shake of his head. "Too much planning to do for today."

"Have you finalized the plans for tonight? The message that Heduwig," Sakura stumbled as she attempted to copy Harry's earlier pronunciation, "brought last night said you weren't sure about tonight's plans."

"I wasn't sure until this morning. Izumo brought, hold on, I'll get it so you can see." Harry returned with the brown envelope he'd gotten that morning.

Sakura let out a soft sound of surprise as she skimmed the papers. "This is not a last minute plan. You must have been thinking about this for a while."

Harry shrugged. "You think it's too..." he waved his hand in the air, unsure on how to finish his question.

"It's fine. More than fine." Sakura smiled. "It's too bad Kakashi-sensei and Yamato aren't in Konoha. They would have enjoyed all this for Naruto's birthday."

"I have to make up for a lot of missed birthdays," Harry said, trying and failing not to sound too defensive.

Sakura smiled as she returned the brown envelope. "You don't have to. But it's nice that you are."

"I should have put more effort into today," Harry said. "Naruto deserves better. He probably knows so many people, but I've just..."

"Naruto will appreciate everything you've done, trust me."

Sai frowned at them as he took the last box out, "Isn't all this already too much? In the book I read, it's only the milestone birthdays that are celebrated."

"Everyone has different ideas on celebrating birthdays," Sakura said, hefting a table out of the room. "My parents celebrate my birthday every year with a family dinner. But this year because they were away, I had dinner with Tsunade-sama and Shizune."

"That's sad?" Sai asked in confusion from the other room.

"It was wonderful!" Sakura corrected. "They treated me to dinner at the Kohaku." Glancing at Harry with bright eyes, she explained, "It's an expensive restaurant in Ishikawa town, a few hours away from Konoha. You need to be dressed up to even enter the place."

"Was the food good?"

"I don't remember." Sakura grinned. "What I do remember is how special I felt that Tsunade-sama and Shizune made time for me. It's not easy for the Hokage to leave Konoha, even for a few hours."

"Should I have invited the Hokage for tonight? I can't remember if Naruto mentioned them being close," Harry said with dismay.

"The Hokage has other duties today, things that can't be avoided."

Sai entered with an armful of cleaning supplies. "How do others our age celebrate their birthdays?"

"Ino and Shikamaru didn't celebrate their birthdays last month because of Asuma-sensei." Sakura grabbed a duster before Harry could. "But last year Ino had a shopping day. We almost emptied many Konoha plant nurseries that day."

"Don't the Yamanaka have their own nurseries?" Sai asked, sweeping the floor with ease.

"She was excited to fill the small greenhouse she'd gotten, to start making her own hybrid flowers. I should ask her about her progress when her team returns."

"It was Shikamaru's birthday last month?" Harry asked as he wiped the windows.

"On the 22nd," Sakura unrolled a scroll. "Ino's is the 23rd."

"One of my best friend's birthday was on the 19th," Harry paused, unsure of why he'd shared that.

Unsealing a box taller than her from the scroll, Sakura said, "It must be strange that you couldn't be there to celebrate this year."

Harry had been racing through the desert to Konoha on Hermione's birthday but she had accepted his belated wishes with a genuine smile. "She understands why I'm here. Speaking of, when are your birthdays?"

Hours later while they tidied up and finalized that night's plans, a small white bird tapped at the window. When let in, the bird splattered into unreadable ink characters on Sai's pale arm. "Izumo and Kotetsu are headed to gate duty and Naruto is walking with them. At their current pace, he'll be at the ramen stand in ten minutes."

They made it to Ichiraku's just in time to see Naruto arrive with damp hair that stuck up in every direction despite Naruto's desperate efforts to tame it.

Harry took a deep breath to suppress his amused chuckles. "How did training go?"

Naruto grumbled to himself. "Stupid syrup."

"At least you can console yourself with some ramen before you go back to training," Harry said.

"I shouldn't need to console myself today," Naruto groused as he sat beside Harry. "I couldn't get the syrup consistency at all."

From Naruto's other side, Sakura said, "It takes time. When I learned my first water jutsu..."

"You know water jutsu?" Naruto turned to her in surprise. "You've never used any!"

Sakura shrugged. "As a medic, I need to conserve as much chakra as possible in case I need to heal someone. Ninjutsu eats up a lot more chakra than my enhanced strength."

"But you don't even use ninjutsu during practice!" Naruto said, scandalized.

"I can't become too dependent on them. When I first learnt a water jutsu, I wanted to use it every time," Sakura said, almost rueful.

"What's wrong with that?" Naruto asked.

"I don't have tons of chakra like you," Sakura said with an exasperated fondness. "I can't spam ninjutsu just because I want to."

Naruto frowned as though saddened on her behalf.

Sakura shot him a saccharine smile. "Are you saying I need ninjutsu to fight?"

Naruto leaned away from her with a cautious look. "Definitely not with that monstrous strength of yours."

"Exactly!" Sakura said with pride.

From the other side of the counter, Ichiraku grinned. "Are you ready for today's special ramen, Naruto?"

Harry blinked in confusion. He hadn't contacted the ramen chef with any birthday plans.

Naruto leaned forward with impatient eyes. "What's the special, old man?"

"Every year you ask the same question." Ichiraku chuckled, preparing three different ramen bowls. "Ayame, bring out the birthday bowl."

The moment the birthday bowl- a bowl twice as large as the usual bowls and decorated with vibrant orange designs- landed in front of Naruto, he inhaled the fragrant steam with a dreamy sigh. But he only ate when Ichiraku placed bowls in front of the others.

When he was midway though his bowl, Naruto resumed the conversation about water techniques. "Was that thing you used on Kankuro a water jutsu?"

Sakura frowned in confusion for a moment before she shook her head. "The Poison Extraction Jutsu isn't actually a water justu. A water affinity does help when working with medicinal fluid. But that technique depends on precise chakra control more than anything else."

"There aren't any medical water jutsu," Sai piped up from his seat on Sakura's other side.

"There weren't any," Sakura corrected. "During my Chūnin Exam in Suna, I met a medic-nin who had combined medical chakra and water release into a single jutsu. It wasn't as potent as it could have been but it proves they can be combined into something usable."

Sai stared at her. "Are you creating your own medical water jutsu? Is that the research Harii mentioned?"

Sakura shrugged. "Medics should always refine existing healing techniques into something better."

"Wait!" Naruto interrupted. "You know water jutsu too, Sai?"

Sai blinked at him. "Ink is a liquid."

"That's right! Then, I'm the only one who can't do water jutsu," Naruto whined.

Sakura huffed. "You know, the two of us could help you with training."

"But you have work to do," Naruto said.

"Not today," Sakura said as she pushed her empty bowl away.

Naruto gaped. "Even you, Sai?"

"I was told I needed to make time for your birthday," Sai said, without the least bit of tact.

While Naruto was stunned by the declaration, Harry said, "It'll be hilarious if you mastered Izumo's technique in one day and rubbed it in his face."

Naruto grinned, his blue eyes brightening with devious delight. "You want to come watch?"

Harry shook his head. "I think being on the other side of the village is the only way I can stay safe from all this syrup craziness."

Sakura huffed. "It's too late to escape Izumo and Kotetsu's syrup craziness."

"I thought you were impressed by their syrup technique," Sai said.

"I'm impressed by how it was made. But I don't like the amount of syrup they drink down like water."