Ain't Never Had A Friend Like Me

NarutoXHarry Potter Crossover

Prologue.

"So, so you're like a Genie?!" Staring back at the figure before him, Naruto Uzumaki took a moment to look back on the last ten minutes.

He'd been in the streets of Konoha, not the main street because that's where all the glares came from. Well, not all of them, just most. And then, and then someone had thrown a lamp at him! An old, scratched up tin thing that Naruto honestly hadn't thought existed outside of the story books.

He'd scampered home, not really logging the fact he was clutching at the tin decoration until he was sat up to his kitchen table and staring at the dirty surface. The idea had teased at him, half remembered from a story long ago, but the more he stared at his newest, useless item, the more the thought had refused to leave.

While the vast majority of his mind had insisted that this was a stupid thing to do, a small, hesitantly hopeful, part sent his heart throbbing for reasons unknown.

So it was a great surprise when a form of mystic smoke began to gather from the tip of the lamp when he'd actually given it a little rub. Staring up at the figure with all of the wonderment a twelve year old orphan could possibly possess, Naruto didn't even bother to fight the grin that split across his lips. A young woman stared back at him, a bemused little smile upon her face.

Okay, so let's get the ball rolling here. Right there, above ^^, that thing, is the prompt I'm writing based off. Written by the talented, Tsume Yuki. We have a few other fics that are taking up this prompt, I'll leave a little list below, but please, don't go comparing all of us. It' pretty annoying when all of the responses to these prompts are so different.

What we need to know before we start? This is a FEM!Harry fic, her name is Willow Faye Potter. Why? I like it. She's MoD, and about 21 years old (four years post the final battle). Naruto, is 12, and this starts right before he graduates. Like a day before. Oh yes, MoD, isn't normal, I've got a unique spin to add to that.

THIS IS A BUTTERFLY AFFECT AU AND STARTS VERY SLOWLY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

LET'S TALK PARINGS! Cause let's be honest, it's what we're all here for, right? I'm thinking for Willow it'll be either, Kakashi, Iruka or maybe Yamato. At the moment, I'm leaning for a Kakashi, but either way, they will be good friends! He's gonna be a secondary Character, just not call enough to be in the description box of characters.

Naruto? I'm not sure. But's it's not going to be Hinata. Sorry, not sorry. If there's any other major focus character's that you're curious about, message me, I'll be happy to fill in the blanks. ONWARD WITH THE STORY TELLING MY FRIENDS!

P.S, please review, it makes me happy.

P.P.S, at the end of the chapter I've included all the other authors taking this prompt up, honestly, go chuck them a read. You won't be disappointed.

XoX

The Creature Wars.

Three Years Post-Final Battle

Willow POV

There were spells flying in every direction, bright colours clashing with ill-suited people, who in turned tumbled to the ground and struggled to regain their breath. It was a battle that none had before seen. It was the uprising of those who had been belittled against their aggressors.

It was the time that the Hags, Vampires and all other magical creatures started to revolt against the Government. The Ministry of Magic. After the last Dark War, it had looked like things were getting better for them. Finally they'd acquired some form of rights, a pair of young girls took the Ministry by storm – rewriting everything in their way. They were new, bright and innovative young girls, who had dreams as bright as the sun on a hot day. They wanted to right previous wrongs, change stigma, alter the future in new ways, never before considered.

There was a fault in these young girls' plans though. As much as they improved the law based around creatures, there were still bias among the people. They were still discriminated against – they were hated, looked over, ignored. It was things that took away their most basic rights, things that these Wizards wouldn't ever dare to dream about living without. But, that's what it was like when you lived in a society where everything was run by how clean, or pure, your blood was.

Today was the day that everything was going to change for better or worse. Vampires were running in the streets, draining young witches and wizards of their energy source. Hags were screaming at terrified mothers – and the rest were fighting against the Wizarding elite. It was something filled with chaos, there were children screaming, mother's crying, and young people swearing on the tops of their lungs. This, she mused, was something that could have easily been avoided.

Willow Faye Potter wasn't exactly sure how to naturalize the threat of everyone trying to kill each other. After all, this was her fault to begin with. If she hadn't rallied all the creatures together and pushing them to fight for better rights, none of this would have happened. No, it wasn't that. They deserved better, it was the Ministry's fault for refusing to help rewrite past bias. She'd already managed to get the Aurors that she had under her power to disengage the fighters without injuring them – even if it went against the direct orders of the Minister of Magic. It was becoming readily apparent though, that this might not actually be possible. They were willing to fight to the death, and Willow wasn't willing to let anyone try to disarm, when they might still be in risk.

She couldn't ask for that sort of loyalty.

Willow got in the middle of the fighting instead. She stunned as many of the magical creatures as she could. Hopefully, they'd be put in a cell overnight and they could all reach an agreement for their release. She'd never wanted anyone to get hurt. Willow dancing around the body of a falling Hag, a frown marring her features when she realized that she wasn't breathing. It was such a waste of life.

She needed to stop this. Hermione had said that this was going to happen. There really wasn't anything else they could have done, that's what she'd been told at least. Willow didn't fully believe that though, instead of changing government policies, they should have been trying to change public perception of them!

Willow had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the vampire creeping up behind her, and he was so fast that all she felt was a sharp stab in her neck and she was falling. Falling down to the ground, everything moved in slow motion. Her green eyes widened slowly, and she twisted her body as much as she could against the arms that held her to see the losing fight.

After everything? Was this the end? Destroyed by those she was trying to protect? Even after it all, she still didn't blame them a single bit. Her mind repeated the same few words; she would've done the same thing. "Willow!" she swore she heard Hermione scream moments before her eyes slid closed.

Only to have her eyes flutter open again, for a moment she thought that somehow the vampire hadn't managed to completely drain her. A brief moment of panic induced the idea that she was now a vampire but common sense smacked her in the face and told her that this wasn't possible.

What did surprise the young witch though, was looking up to see Hermione's face frozen in a look of horror, her mouth open like she was indeed yelling towards her. The problem was that she wasn't actually moving. Quickly Willow stood up, almost bumping into the vampire that had just tried to kill her. She noticed the red blood – her blood dripping from his mouth, but he too wasn't moving. The blood itself was frozen mid-drip.

The young girl looked around frantically, why had time seemed to stop? Was this what happened when someone died?! Willow realized that she needed to move, maybe this way she could find out what was happening. Maybe movement from her is what was needed to break this trance? It didn't help.

Willow stumbled forward, only stopping to hastily pull someone out of the line of danger. That was when she saw him. Or should she say 'it?' Because she couldn't be certain what she actually saw was a 'him.'

It was clothed in an over large black robe that trailed behind him slightly. The edges looked warn, like it'd been dragged through hell and back and still survived. Willow couldn't see a face, they had a hood covering they're head, spraying a dark chill over they're face.

They had no hands. If anything, it just looked like a cloak that had somehow been animated. She knew someone was in there though, because the second she noticed its presence, it started walking towards her, showing off they're shiny black shoes that did not go with the rest of their ensemble.

Willow stumbled back, falling into and pushing numerous people to avoid the thing. What even was it? The aura that blanketed the area, like a fog, wasn't something she was very interested in befriending. When the girl finally turned around so she could just run and not hit anything, it appeared right in front of her. The twenty one year old jumped back with a start – and she still couldn't see their face! It was just a dark shadow, almost like there wasn't anything hidden beneath the black cape.

"Who are you?!" she demanded even though her voice was trembling, her hands were steady, and her expression was hard. She didn't look afraid, she wasn't afraid. She couldn't be. She wasn't allowed to be.

It didn't move, and she kept that stance, and she decided not to move as well. Not a single twitch, or flick. The being, because she wasn't even sure if this thing was a person at all, didn't move, didn't speak. Heck, it didn't even have a speck of dirt n his perfectly shiny leather shoes.

"You are my Master,"a voice called, the words drawn out to sound loud a rasping. With a voice like that, she couldn't help but shiver. The voice whist being high-pitched, was steady, course, and ill-used.

A huff of air escaped the girl-who-lived, a title which seemed more befitting now than ever, her eyes narrowed at the being. They weren't making very much sense, is she were being very honest with herself. "Who are you?"

"Death," the voice rasped with no emotion, and no hesitation. Willow looked around towards the countless bodies around her. Could this actually be death? Like the one in the tales of the three brothers? The very being that every one passed though, the one she had escaped past so many times, however she tried to avoid? Was she dying. This though, wasn't how it went last time she died. Maybe it'd actually stick this time.

Willow nodded, not bothering to ask why he'd be here – she felt the answer would be quite obvious. She pondered for a moment what to say, what did you say to someone that could be considered the most powerful force on the earth? "What's happening?"

"You died," the voice answered, his honesty with his words causing Willow to flinch backwards. "As my Master it's impossible for you to die from anything that isn't a natural death. I always come met my Masters just after they've died."

Willow's eyes widened, a frown working it's way onto her face. This thing wasn't saying what she thought it was, was it? "I…can't die?" she asked, quite horrified about the idea that she may never die.

"I just said you could," the voice replied, emotions non withstanding. Willow's eye twitched. No, he most certainly did not just say that.

"Why isn't anyone moving…?"

"I froze time,"they replied, still with zero emotions, but by this time, Willow was starting to grow tired with Death's riddles.

"Why?"

"To ensure you realized your new role," he replied slower, almost like he wasn't used to having to explain anything in too great detail.

"My new role?" she raised an eyebrow, trying to disengage from the chaos around her t focus on the being in front of her. She was just going to say, she really found that task rather difficult.

"As my Master," he responded, turning his hooded face to look at something to their left. Willow didn't bother looking, getting quite frustrated with his answers.

"What is my role as your Master, Death?"

"I have to go, enjoy your fight," Death said as people started to move again. And before she realized what was happening, Death had disappeared and people everywhere had resume the fight like nothing had happened.

Except Willow hadn't been where she had been, and she wasn't dying anymore. She was healthy. She hoped no one would notice. Then again, she mused, glancing over at Hermione's confused face, she just hoped no one would question it. With her luck though, this was going to escalate things quickly.

XoX

The Next Day.

Minister's Office.

Ministry of Magic

Willow POV

"I'm glad you managed to make this rather short noticed appointment, Miss Potter."

Willow nodded her head polity at the new Minister. The man was very war-minded but seemed to be able to care for Wizarding Britain well. He knew what to do, and what needed to change. Willow had no problem with this Minister like she'd had for all the other ones. "It's no problem. Is this about the revolt yesterday?"

He tilted his head, letting his salt and pepper hair fall into his face. "Kind of, Miss Potter. Will you take a seat?" he gestured to the seat at the opposite of his desk. Willow happily took the seat even if she was slightly worried about what the talk was going to entitle.

She hoped all that she and Hermione fought for with the rights of non-Human beings wasn't about to be ruined. She'd argue it, for sure. "Now Miss Potter, yesterday you were attacked by a Vampire, yes?"

Willow nodded her head slowly. "Would you like some tea?" He asked, changing his tune completely, and began poring her a cup and placed it in front of her. He smiled at her, showing all his signs that he was getting older.

The Minister took a sip of his own tea, and Willow followed suit to remain polite. It tasted slightly odd, but she just figured that he hadn't added any sugar to it.

"There are several eye-witnesses that say they swore you were critically injured. Then the next second you were on the other side of the battlefield fighting, completely unharmed," he told her, and Willow wasn't sure she liked the way the conversation was going. The Minister wanted answers to things she couldn't answer.

It wasn't like she could tell the Minister that the day before that Death appeared to her and told her that she wasn't dying from anything but old age. "They must have been mistaken," Willow lied smoothly. "You can obviously see that I haven't been injured."

She figured to attack him with the most logical thing she could. It wasn't like he would argue with what he could see. He just watched her, not saying anything in return. Willow opened her mouth to add something else to her last statement only to find out that she could talk. The words came out as a strange gurgling.

Willow tried to stand up but her body wasn't responding to her commands. Her eyes widened, and she struggled to move, speak… What was going on?!

"Don't struggle Miss Potter. You'll only make it worse," The Minister said calmly. He was poisoning her! Why?! "I've been shown memories from more than one source. Britain can't withstand another Dark Lord or Lady taking over. I'm sorry Miss Potter, my hands are tied."

His mouth seemed to slow down until it stuttered to a halt and everything in the room seemed to freeze. Was this…!? "You seem to die frequently."

"Hello Death," Willow said realising that the poison seemed to completely fade. Well, she guessed that she was dead at this point wasn't she? Willow looked at the frozen Minister and wondered how he managed to poison her. She watched him pour the tea, he didn't slip anything into it, and he even drank some!

With a jolt she realised that he'd already had a cup. An un-poisoned cup. She sighed at her stupidity – she should have known. "What are you doing here Death?" Willow asked.

"You died," the being responded.

"I thought I wasn't able to die?" she retorted, voice sarcastic, before sighing. She couldn't believe that she'd died twice... in two days! Damn, that must be some form of record.

"It's my duty to ensure you know all your responsibilities as the Master of Death, so I come when you die, to give you another insight," Death responded, his voice as dead and lifeless as his namesake.

"What's my insight before I go back this time?" Willow asked curiously, feeling faintly offended that Death expected her to die... numerous times!

"You have the power to call upon me whenever you wish," he responded. "And I am here to do as you wish of me."

"How do I call you?" Willow asked, raising an eyebrow.

Death turned to look at the clock situated behind him. "I have to go."

"Wait-!" Willow protested, standing up from her seat in an attempt to bodily restrain him, only to find out he'd left and time had once again resumed.

"Wha-! Miss Potter! Someone subdue her!" Before Willow could understand what exactly was going on she had two burly Aurors holding each of her arms, in case she went for her wand.

"How did you do it?" The Minister demanded slamming his fist into his desk. "You by all accounts died a few seconds ago. How are you standing and in good health!?"

She didn't really know how to respond to that. What could she say that didn't sound like she was crazy? "Good immune system?" Willow tried, trying to rip herself from the grip of her captors to no avail.

The Minister sighed reaching down to open one of his draws, pulling out an old dirty object. It sort of looked like a lamp. He placed the old golden thing on his desk facing her. Watching his face, he looked somewhat remorseful. "I'm sorry Miss Potter, but, the public want answers – and I'm sure they'll conclude the same thing as I have. You've taken to Dark Magic…"

"What are you going to do with me then? Lock me away?" Willow raised an eyebrow. Even if they locked her away, she gave Hermione and Ron a few weeks before they got her out again. She could last a week with the Dementors.

The Minister slowly shook his head. "No, no. Someone with your skills Miss Potter, would be able to get out of Azkaban with ease. We're going to banish you."

Willow was actually surprised. "How do you propose that you do that?"

Thee Minister walked around his desk so he could lean on it comfortably, whilst doing this he picked up the old lamp. "We're going to seal you into this lamp, and throw you away."

This was the last thing Willow remembered hearing, because the next second she heard the soft spoken words of a spell, by all three Wizards in the room. It was almost like she'd blinked and one moment she was in the office and the next she was sitting in a lamp.

No, she was actually sitting inside a lamp. And it was small. As uncomfortable as it was, she was staring to realize something was dawning horror. She was stuck inside a small, cramped place with nothing but her mind for company…. She couldn't move. It was too small.

So small.

She couldn't move.

Couldn't itch her head. Her head was itchy.

She was trapped. It was so cramped. She needed out.

Out.

Out!

Why was it so small?

There wasn't even enough room for her to breathe properly.

She needed to get out.

Not enough room…

…out…

…so…small…

She couldn't feel, she couldn't see. She was being, but what was being without space? What was anything? What was light? Dark? Colour?

XoX

One Year Later

Minister's Office

Minister's POV

The Minister was getting older by the day. He had to fight to keep the British in check. They fought, rioted and were generally displeased with something new every day. The one thing that never changed, and he was questioned on daily was the location of Willow Faye Potter.

The Light (turned dark, not that the public knew that) Witch had been said to be on a rumored vacation to America. Although she'd never returned. He was planning on revealing that she'd somehow gotten involved over a turf fight between a bunch of Wolves and Vampires in a little rainy town. It seemed like something the girl would've done.

He was certain that everyone would believe him too. Well, that was everyone except… His musings was distracted by a sudden knocking on his oak wielded doors. The Minister sighed before he bid the person to come in. Only one person at the Ministry always visited without much warning…

"Hello Minister," the curly haired brunette greeted as she walked into the room. "I was just following up on Willow. You said she'd be back yesterday?"

"Miss Granger, sit down," the Minister said, trying to smooth over his eye twitch and sound comforting at the same time. He was pretty sure that he failed on both accounts.

The girl seated herself with a kind smile, and not for the first time he thought that she should have never gone into politics. "Miss Potter was reported KIA trying to settle a dispute between Werewolves and Vampire's in the North of America."

The girls widened drastically, a look of horror making its way onto her face. "I thought you said she was in the South though. Why would she move to the North?" Granger protected, her eyebrows knitting together like she was trying to figure it out.

His eyes drew to the now shiny lamp he held on his table to keep his papers down. The younger woman's eyes followed his gaze. "I don't know what to tell you Miss Granger. She didn't inform the Ministry of her plans."

"I should form a team to go smooth things over with the American Ministry then?" She asked, her eyes narrowed, losing all pervious sorrow that she could have felt. "They don't like it when outsiders mess with their politics."

"No," he said a little too quickly. "They don't mind in this case."

"Right, I have to go. Thank you for talking to me Minister."

The activist left. The Minister started to feel paranoid. He needed to get rid of the lamp he decided. That girl wouldn't leave anything until she found something. He needed to get rid of all evidence. The two wizards that help him destroy her needed to get some... new missions. It was a pity that he couldn't keep them around.

What to actually do with Potter? He grabbed the lamp as a thought occurred to him. He'd just throw it into the Veil Of Death!

XoX

Three Hours Later

Naruto's Apartment

"So you're like a Genie!?" A young boy crowed to her. A small smile of amusement worked its way onto her face. She was released from that… hell-hole by a boy that looked to be around ten years old? She looked around slowly, looking at all the dirty surfaces and the heap of clothes lobbed into the corner of the room.

The boy lived in a rundown hole in the wall. Where was she? Added to the fact that the boy had an odd accent, almost like he was speaking another language that she just recently learned. What language though? "Ah," she agreed momentarily confused. She didn't want to destroy the young boy's dreams. Plus, it would look bad telling an obvious Muggle about her magic.

The boy jumped for joy, letting Willow to see that his blindingly bright orange jacket had a giant hole running completely down the side. She frowned slightly, noticing for the first time, plates piled in the sink, attracting the flies. She could see that his hair and face contained quite a bit of dirt.

"So, so, do I get three wishes!?" he asked eagerly, shaking the lamp she'd previously been trapped in. Willow winced wishing he wouldn't. Hell, she wanted to blow that stupid thing up. She was never going back into that thing. What did she know about Genies? Three wishes….

"Yes. I cannot grant eternal life, or riches. I also can't produce food or alter your body in any way," Willow finally decided giving him some basic rules about what magic can do.

The boy looked stumped for a few moments, he starting rubbing his chin in thought. Willow thought that he was nearing one of the cutest things she'd seen. She might have just been a little over emotional because the boy released her from imprisonment.

"You can't make me a Ninja can you?" The little boy asked, looking up at her with round blue eyes, which sparkled with an untold innocence. "I wanna pass my exam and become the Hokage! Believe it!"

What the hell was a Hokage? The boy wanted to be a ninja… How the hell would she manage that? "I said I can't alter your body in any way...-"

"No!" The boy shouted, crossing his arms across his body like he was trying to push back the thought. Then he started to chuckle nervously, running a hand through his thick yellow hair. "I'm not good at written tests, so if you could make me pass. Then I'd be a ninja!"

Willow shrugged her shoulders, she could sympathise. She too, pretty much sucked at written tests. It would be easy to put a self-answering spell on the test. It wasn't like back at Hogwarts where they had things in place to stop the students from doing that on their exams. "When is your test?"

"Tomorrow!" He replied with a sunny grin. Willow felt her heart warm with the kid's warmth.

"It shall be done," she replied. All she needed to do was follow him to school and cast the spell on the paper, when she was under a camouflage charm. Simple. "What else would you like?" She asked.

"Eh!?" The boy said in his surprise. "I… I dunno."

"Take your time," Willow gently told the boy, putting him on the shoulder. She was surprised when he flinched from her slightly. "I'll just stay here till you decide."

The boy's confused face transformed into a huge grin. "With me? Here! Of course Genie-Nee-Chan!" He proclaimed, buzzing from the idea. Willow smiled in amusement again, the boy seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

"What's your name then?" Willow bent down so she was face-to-face with the young kid.

"Uzumaki Naruto! And I'll make the greatest Ninja, believe it!" Willow refrained from chuckling form the boy's enthusiasm. Where the hell had she ended up?

Willow moved to sit down by the boy's Japanese styled table. She dusted the pillow before she sat down, not really liking how dirty the place was, but really – she'd seen worse.

"So, Naruto, tell about being a ninja?" Willow asked, wanting to know a little bit more about what actually being a ninja entitled."Like, what is it that ninja actually do?"

"Well," the boy bounced in his spot, almost like he was unsure what he was meant to do next. Willow gestured to the seat opposite her and the boy rewarded her with the largest smile she'd ever seen as he practically jumped into his new seat. "I've been training to be one since I was eight! They do missions and save people and protect Princesses!"

That…actually sounded like he was actually going to be a ninja? Was it wise for her to help someone fake their test results and send them in a field like the one she knew a ninja to be like? Willow really couldn't judge much but… Would the boy be in danger? She had promised but… she did never go back on a promise. "You want to protect Princesses then?"

Naruto puffed his cheat out proudly, and levelled her with an expression that she could deem semi-serious. "I want to protect everyone! And earn everyone's respect! Believe it!"

Willow gave the younger boy a soft look. "I'm sure you will."

"Y-you do?"

Willow chuckled lightly. "If you work for it, anything can become reality."

XoX

The Graduation Test

0800 Hours

Willow stood silently behind Naruto, without the kid even realising that she was standing behind him. He had an easy, happy-go-lucky air about him, almost like he needn't worry about his exam he was about to undertake. And she guessed, the kid really didn't have to.

The happiness that he excluded made everyone around the boy angry though. Willow did notice the glares parents sent him – one's of absolute loathing. She noticed the looks the other kids sent him, like he was an absolute nonsense. Whilst she kind of figured the kid was a little bit of a handful, but really.

She followed him through his daily routine. He glared at a black-haired kid for a few moments before moving on to greet another kid with a dog, with minute enthusiasm. Just has he sat down at the front of the classroom, with Willow lurking behind him – a pink-haired girl that sort of reminded her of Tonks burst into the room and Naruto jumped out of his seat, a wide grin etched onto his whiskered cheeks.

"Hello Sakura-chan!" He chirped as she walked back, obviously eager to get to her friends, she assumed.

"Shut up Naruto!" She shook her fist, and narrowed her green eyes at the boy before continuing in her journey down the isle of tables. Willow winced, that must have stung a little… the boy's crush obviously didn't like him very much. But the look of determination on the kids face was absolutely adorable.

"Quiet down, quiet down everyone," an older man, and by older she meant around late twenties said walking into the room. He was obviously their teacher. He had brown hair laced atop his head, but his most defining feature was the scar running down his face. Willow felt slightly uncomfortable looking at it, to be honest.

The man went to his desk and grabbed out a stack of papers that had to be the exam they were about to take. He started to walk down the first isle of table's placing the papers face down so none of the kids could read the questions. "This is your graduation exam. Remember you need at least an eighty to pass. After you're done. We will call you one by one into the adjoining room. Bring your paper with you and you'll be tested on your Jutsu knowledge."

Willow listened with rapt attention, almost wanting to knock Naruto upside the head for not bothering to pay attention. She could have sworn when the teacher passed her, he knew she was there somehow though. After he placed the test down in front of Naruto, he walked back to the front of the room and proclaimed; "Begin!"

The other kids all flipped their test over and begun scribbling furiously. Naruto on the other hand just languidly turned the paper over and placed his pencil in the blank spot under the question. Willow rolled her eyes, he was a cheeky little brat, wasn't he? Quietly as possible she muttered the light spell.

The pencil righted itself, and Naruto struggled to get a proper grip on the pen that did whatever it pleased. Willow leaned over his shoulder to see the pen writing the answers out in a dreadful handwriting. She looked at the kid and shook her head. He really needed to get handwriting lessons.

Willow wasn't ashamed to admit after reading a few questions and not really knowing any context, seriously what was a Hokage!? That she zoned out completely. Waiting for the test to finish was boring and she wished she could've just left but, as things were, she knew that she had to wait till he passed the test until she could leave.

Why was she helping a 12 year old cheat on his test to become a trained ninja, again? It didn't seem very wise of her. She figured those in charge wouldn't let him go on a dangerous mission without him being trained properly.

She resolved herself. Plus, wasn't half being a Ninja being able to cheat properly. Right. She just needed to get the kid to pass, and figure out where in Merlin's name she was. Seriously, she didn't recognise that massive village that she strolled through to get here. They were also selling odd things in the market-place.

Things that didn't belong in a Westernized dish. Where the heck had the Minister exiled her too!? "Pens down!" The man, teacher, called out to all of the kids. They were all so young too. Surely Naruto was going slightly over the top with what it meant to be a Ninja? Everyone here just seemed so… young. Like, they looked how she did at her first year of Hogwarts.

And they were all graduating, when she was just starting her education at their age. Willow watched as Naruto, placed the enchanted pen down with a wide grin. Willow rolled her eyes, knowing the second that Naruto let go the pen, the spell wore off.

The kid was… an odd kid. He was bright, energetic and outgoing, but he flinched from her touch. Almost like she had when Hermione started to hug her in greeting after Second Year. Willow would've suspected his parents but from the looks of it the kid didn't have any. He was just staying by himself, not bothering with the necessities that most adults deemed necessary, like cleaning and cooking decent meals.

She honestly felt some sort of kinship with the kid. He was all alone, like she'd been. Well, she had the Dursely's but they honestly did more harm to her than they did her any good. "Uzumaki Naruto!" The previous student, a blonde haired girl, said as she walked back through the door holding a little headband with the symbol of a leaf on it, proudly.

Naruto got up from his seat, throwing the blonde girl a thumbs up. The blonde smiled back at him, obviously extremely happy with the fact that she'd passed… and gotten a headband? What kind of place was this!? She bit back a sigh, she didn't want to be caught and followed the blonde boy into the room.

It was a small room, and there was a desk filled with those headbands that the blonde girl had been wearing. Behind the desk was the scar-faced teacher, and another teacher (she assumed) with silvery-white hair, and a look of distain badly hidden on his features. Willow's eyes narrowed at the man, she didn't think he should be trusted honestly, because the look he was giving Naruto…

"Alright, pass us your exam Naruto," Scar-face asked the little blonde boy. Nervously, the boy shuffled his feet over to the table, and with a trembling hand, he passed it over to his teacher, before shuffling back a few steps. Scar-Face picked up his red marker, and started going down the piece of paper.

His disbelief was evident was he read down the page. For a moment, he looked up at the nervous blonde, and stared at him a few moments, like he was considering something he never had before. Scar-Face nodded his head and placed down his marker. "A perfect score. Now Naruto, if you can make a perfect clone, at least one, you pass."

The boy's face went from a look of complete triumph to one of horror. Couldn't he do a clone? Naruto moved his hands into an odd shape, and said some odd words, allowing a puff of smoke to appear to the side of him, to reveal a distorted copy of himself. Scar-Face's expression morphed into one that was a bit disappointed.

Willow had to think fast, she bit her lip. She said she was going to get the boy to pass his exam… Willow sighed, she really didn't have much of a choice did she? "Confundous," she whispered so lightly, that she could barely hear herself. Both Teacher's eyes unfocused. Willowed moved over to stand between them. She bent down and started to whisper in Scar-Faces ear.

"Naruto just made the best clone you've ever seen," she muttered, and he nodded his head in agreement.

"That's the best clone I've ever seen," Scar-Face repeated to Naruto. The boy's face morphed from disappointed to absolutely shock.

Willow then turned to the other teacher, which she just dubbed 'gramps.' "You agree."

"I agree," Grams intoned, his eyes unfocused.

"You're going to give him the best score you can," Willow mumbled into Scar-Faces ear. He nodded again.

"I'm giving you the best score I can," Scar-Face said to a dazed Naruto. He ticked a few boxes on the paper after him. Naruto let go of the sad excuse of a clone. "You pass," he mumbled passing him a headband.

"Yes! One step closer to Hokage!" Naruto proclaimed running from the room. Willow hastily removed the spell from the two teachers. Scar-Face blinked.

"Where did Naruto go?"

"Hm? Looks like we passed him," Gramps added dryly gesturing to the paper.

"Huh, most of zoned out for a moment, I guess," Scar-Face shrugged. "I'll go get Sakura."

Willow smiled, she gotten the kid to pass his stupid exam. Willow Faye Potter didn't realise that at the moment, the axis that the world had been spinning on completely halted. She had just irreversibly changed the future of this universe – and she had no idea.

EXTRA – HOKAGE'S OFFICE

"Are you telling me that Naruto, despite failing every class managed to score perfectly on the written exam, and use a Jutsu that he couldn't and produce, what was it?" The Hokage asked, not sure if he believed the Chunnin Instructor in front of him.

"The best clone that I've ever seen," Iruka answered instantly. He wasn't exactly sure if he remembered Naruto's exam at all really, he thought he must've dazed off there somewhere, but he distinctively remember thinking that.

"Because of that, his scores have catapulted him into scoring the second highest score of the year?"

"He would've gotten first if it wasn't for the fact that Sasuke has gotten nothing but perfect scores all year," Irkua said sheepishly, running the back of his neck. He did feel a bit confused, but the exam counted for over half of graduation criteria. He honestly felt bad for Sakura, she'd worked so hard to get the second spot on the ladder, and she just got shoved down to third.

The Hokage nodded his head, slowly. "This changes the projected teams around a bit. We can't have the three highest scoring kids in the same team."

Iruka nodded his head understandingly. The Hokage continued before Iruka could comment though. "Sasuke and Naruto have to be on the same team, their Jonin Sensei has been assigned to them… for various reasons. We need to add a girl with lower marks than your Kounchi of the year."

"It's unconventional but, Sir, I suggest Yamanika Ino. I know she's going to be a part of the classic trio, but Sir, I believe both girls would benefit on either team."

"Explain?" The Hokage demanded, not appearing to want to bend and switch those two girls.

"They're very close in marks, but I believe that Sakura would benefit by being in a team with someone as smart as she is. The Nara would give her that boost despite how lazy he is. Where Ino has low enough marks to even out the grading. I think it wold do her well to be put in a team where her teammates aren't doing everything she says because they're afraid of her," Iruka explained.

The Hokage massaged his temple. "Blame that boy to mess up my best laid plans," he grumbled, his eyebrow twitching at the thought of the Uzumaki. "That Team has been in the works for the last four years."

"I understand, Hokage-sama. There is also Hyuga Hinata or Abe Akemi. Hyuga-chan is quiet a shy young girl, but I can see the potential to grow with such strong personalities or…"

"Break, leaving me to deal with Hisashi. What about Abe Akemi?" The Hokage asked, wondering where Naruto's newfound overzealous nature in studying appeared from and started to wonder if it wasn't too much to just change Naruto's results a bit… No, he wouldn't take that away from the boy.

No matter how much he wanted to at the moment. Damn Kakashi's need to have those two students!

Iruka hesitated slightly. "We might not have an Uchiha heir if that happened."

"Why?"

"She'd probably kill him."

The Hokage groaned again. Damn Naruto! Damn Kakashi! Damn whatever reason caused him to score so astronomically high! No one had managed such a perfect score in…well… forever!