Oh god...
I have a horrible feeling that this is going to end badly.
So! For anyone familiar with me, you'll now that this is my second fanfic ever! Also my first crossover, so frankly this is quite scary for me. Quite scary indeed... o_O
And of course, if I'm going to do a crossover, it has to be one of the most cliche ideas on FanFiction.
*sigh*
I know, I'm so original.
Anyways, this is a little something I dreamed up while on a Harry Potter/Naruto crossover binge during the past few months. It started out as the typical impulsive "gee, if I wrote this I would..." and eventually evolved into a full-out story idea.
To make things clear: there will be no romance, no OC's, no Akatsuki (I'm sorry!), and an older Team Seven. Whether this will be in the same universe as The New Sannin will be up to you. So give me your vote via PM, review, whatever works. I might even post a poll...hmm...
No idea where this is going. No plot, no nothing. Just literally making it up as I go. If people like it enough I might try and think up an entire plotline, but that's in the far, far future. Expect some strangeness and plotholes? ...Hell yes. Expect regular updates? ...Hell no. Expect this to be discontinued? ...Hopefully not.
Well, that's pretty much it. Whether this turns into a trainwreck or an actually cool story is yet to be seen.
I hope you all enjoy!
"...The Ministry won't listen to what we say, and the public is hard to convince. Fudge and the Ministry have been calling us idiots, attention-seekers among other things. They're too comfortable with the way things are to stir up such a ruckus, and too afraid to admit the truth. And this is exactly what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wants."
Harry Potter leaned forwards as Molly Weasley, whom he has always viewed as a surrogate mother, continued describing what had been happening while he was stuck at the Dursleys.
"He Who Must Not Be Named is gaining power, Harry. After last year where he was fully resurrected, he's been gathering an army. Death Eaters. There's been more breakouts in Azkaban in the past few months than there has been for the last twenty years." Remus Lupin stated grimly.
Harry shivered. "When are they going to attack?"
Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, spoke up. "We don't now, Harry. That's why we're taking more precautions this year. Voldemort," even now the name sent a shiver up everyone's spine, "will be after you first. So Dumbledore has hired some foreign help to protect both you and the school."
Harry groaned. "I don't need a bodyguard, Sirius, I'm perfectly capable of tending to myself!"
Tonks placed a hand on his shoulder. "We know, Harry. But You-Know-Who is not someone a fifth year can take on." Her hair turned a bright green. "It's not because you're weak Harry." She smiled. "Besides, especially now, Dumbledore is going to need all the help he can get to protect the school from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
Harry grunted. He knew he couldn't stand up to Voldemort himself, at least not yet, but he wasn't an idiot! He was strong enough to take care of himself.
However, Harry did see the importance of hiring guards for the school. Hogwarts was one of the few places that believed Voldemort's return, and it would definitely be one of Voldemort's first targets.
Hermione sent Sirius a confused glance. "But how can some foreigners stand up to You-Know-Who?" She wrung her hands. "The only wizard strong enough to best him is Dumbledore, and he's one of the strongest wizards of all time!" She crossed her arms indignantly. "And there's no way these foreign wizards are that strong!"
Mad-Eye Moody smirked. "Oh, they aren't wizards." He told them in his deep, scratchy voice.
Six indignant cries rang out.
"What!? You're sending Muggles up against Voldemort?!" Harry gasped. "They don't have any magic! They'll be killed for sure!"
"Are you Order people out of your bloody minds!?" Ron shouted in rage.
Hermoine glared at every adult in sight. "I can't believe you would send Muggles to their own deaths! And why would they even agree to this!?" She questioned suspiciously. "Wouldn't you have to reveal our world to them if it meant getting their aid?"
Mad-Eye Moody sent the trio glare, his eye wizzing furiously. "You didn't let me finish!" He growled. Harry immediately shut up and shrank back in fear. "These people aren't Muggles. But they aren't wizards either." Harry sent a questioning glance to Hermione, who merely shrugged helplessly. For once, Hermione didn't know something.
Molly noticed their looks of confusion and continued for him.
"These people...well, I don't even know what they do. But they have a type of magic different from ours and they're very dangerous, from what Dumbledore told me." She mused. "Apparently Dumbledore's only hired three of them to come."
This caused another uproar of incredulity.
"Three?" George looked shocked. "Only three?" Harry silently agreed. "Three foreigners can't beat him, they'll just get slaughtered! Those foreign people should send an entire bloody army if they want to stand up to You-Know-Who!"
"Agreed." Fred said in agreement with his twin. "Shouldn't they? Or do they just not have the numbers?"
"Oh, I'm quite sure they have the numbers to send an army. They just chose not to." A very familiar voice informed them. "They are quite powerful."
"Albus/Professor!" Multiple Order members exclaimed as their leader entered through the doorway. There stood Albus Dumbledore in all his glory, glasses glinting in the lantern light and silver beard long as ever. His robes impeccably clean as always, he smiled that mysterious smile of his that always made people think he knew something they themselves didn't.
Molly rushed over and asked urgently, "Albus! Are they here yet? You said they would be here today!"
Harry's interest piqued. They were coming today?
Dumbledore's eyes glinted merrily as he nodded. "I was just instructing them on where to go to get over here. They're quite an...interesting bunch. Rather intimidating, however."
Ron's jaw dropped. "They're scary enough to make Dumbledore intimidated?" He shuddered. "I don't know if I really want to meet these guys..."
"Same here..." Hermione whispered to him. "They must be on a totally different level."
Harry nodded in agreement.
Dumbledore scratched his beard. "Although I suppose intimidation is part of their job description..." He mused. "Why, I wouldn't be surprised if they were stronger then I am."
This time, everyone in the room had their jaws drop to the floor, and one very shocked Fred fell off his chair.
"WHAT!?" Everyone yelled in unison, Harry included. Mad-Eye Moody simply smirked at their gobsmacked expressions.
Hermione shook her head. "Professor, there's no way! You're being too modest!"
Dumbledore chuckled at their indignation. "Well, I suppose we could call ourselves equals. We cannot truly compare ourselves to them, since their magic is very...unique. They're taught differently from us...taught in a much more brutal and deadly matter." He sighed. "Such a shame that they were forced to grow up before their childhood ended..."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked nervously. Brutal? Deadly?
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "It's not my place to tell. I would suggest asking when they arrive, though understandably they might not wish to respond."
Molly Weasly, her mothering nature taking charge, exclaimed, "Those poor dears! I should probably-"
"Molly," Mad-Eye Moody growled in his scrathcy voice. "As much as you may love kids, trust me, from what Dumbledore told me, they aren't your typical sweet little kids. I respect them for their constant vigilance, but I wouldn't trust them to be a foot away from my neck."
Harry's eyes felt like they were popping out of his head. If they could scare Mad-Eye Moody and be on equal grounds with Dumbledore...
What WERE these people?
Harry started to think. Not Muggles OR wizards...were they demons? Monsters? Cyborgs? Elite assassins? An ancient tribe of warrior people who lived for nothing but blooshed?
Nah, that was ridiculous.
Molly nodded, clearly a bit shaken from the revelation. "So were you just speaking with them?" She asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
Dumbledore shook his head. "Not them directly, no. I was speaking with their leader, Lady Tsunade about the deal. Since she has been kind enough to lend us three of her elite warriors, I payed a very nice 6,000,000 Japanese ryo."
Harry's brow raised. So they were from Japan? Who was this Lady Tsunami person?
"So they're from Japan?" Fred asked, repeating Harry's inner question.
Mad-Eye rolled his eye. "Obviously."
Hermione, whom was in the midst of doing quick calculations in her head, gasped as she came up with a shocking result. She gasped loudly. "No way!"
Her best friends looked at the girl in confusion. "What is it, Hermione?" Ron questioned.
"The price Professor Dumbledore's paying..." She gasped. "It's outrageous!"
"What?" Ron asked again, his curiosity growing.
She murmured something under her breath before muttering, "About 40 thousand pounds."
Harry, Sirius, and Arthur Weasley's mouths both dropped. (Being the only ones familiar with Muggle pounds.) Harry couldn't believe it. Who would pay that much for three guards?
Molly asked hesitantly, "And how much in wizarding money?"
"...almost 10 thousand galleons." Hermione murmured again.
Everyone else's eyes bugged out of their heads. "WHAT!?"
Shock was evident on every face as the wizards either realized that either Dumbledore was officially going insane, or these people were worth the price, or perhaps he gave them extra money as a large tip. Of course, it could just be Dumbledore and one of his weird quirks too.
"But Dumbledore!" Sirius complained. "You could have hired three dozen Aurors for that amount! Are these...guards," he spoke with uncertainty. "really worth it?"
The headmaster gave a calm smile. "Actually, I believe they're worth much, much more." He paused. "Well, we should probably get ready for their arrival as they will be outside in...oh, I believe they're here now." He told them with a crinkle in his eye.
Eyes wide, Harry bolted out into the hallway, his chair tumbling to the floor behind him, and Hermione and Ron following closely.
"Harry, wait!" Molly yelled but the boy paid no mind, for his heart was thumping in anticipation.
The trio's feet pounded as they ran - rather cautiously - past the portrait of Sirius's mom, over to the door.
Three pairs of expectant eyes observed the empty entryway.
Harry eyed the door expectantly. "Umm...when are they gonna b-"
A sudden gale of wind began buffering the trio of young wizards as a cyclone of leaves apppeared in the middle of the room. Harry didn't even have time to wonder where the wind and leaves came from when felt his glasses begin to slide off of his face and his feet sliding backwards and desperately shielded his eyes and glasses from the violent breeze.
"What the bloody hell is that!?" Ron screamed, falling to his knees from the howling winds.
"I don't know!" Hermione cried. She took out her wand. "Protego!" She yelled, casting a translucent shield over the three to protect them from the winds.
Harry sighed in relief, but stared at the miniature cyclone in a mixture of fascination, amazement, and fear. The powerful winds crashed against Hermione's makeshift barriers, and Harry had to marvel at the strength of the storm. Was this some kind of foreign spell, or were they under attack?
Slipping his wand into his hand, Harry prepared himself for the worst when the winds died down.
As the cyclone finally began slowing, and the leaves scattered to the floor, Harry realized they weren't the only ones in the hallway anymore.
Three shadowy figures stood in the eye of the mini hurricane, each one tall and imposing. Harry felt a shiver trail down his spine just from their silhouettes. The leaves fluttered to the ground in a perfect circle around them, giving a very dramatic effect.
The first figure was tall, almost 5 inches taller than Harry, and had spiky hair, but what color it was Harry couldn't tell in the dim lighting.
The second figure, in the middle, was a couple inches shorter than the first, and had short hair about to their chin.
The final figure was the tallest, a whopping half foot taller than Harry and stood even more imposingly than the other two (if that was possible). Their hair was spiked too, but only towards the back and gave a - Harry would've snorted had they not been so intimidating - chicken butt-like appearance.
A hand was placed on his shoulder and the boy looked up to see Dumbledore smiling like nothing was wrong. "Well, here are our guards." He shook his head. "I suppose they like dramatic entries."
1 Hour Earlier:
"Baa-chan...you had too much sake, didn't you?" Naruto questioned dubiously, shifting his weight to one foot, his arms crossed in an obviously disbelieving pose.
SMACK! The blonde was sent flying into a wall courtesy of the 5th Hokage. "Oooph!" He moaned.
"No, you brat, I'm NOT drunk." Senju Tsunade glared at the offending boy. "Some loony old man named," she looked at the mission scroll for reference, "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," The three teens in the room began to snicker, "has requested that we do a protection mission for his school of magic for witches and wizards in Europe." That stopped their laughter short.
Silence filled the room.
"...You're joking, right?" Sasuke deadpanned.
She sent the boy a steely look. "Dead serious, Uchiha."
Naruto shook his head. "No way. This is some kind of prank or practical joke. I know these when I see em." - Sakura muttered something along the lines of how it "takes a prankster to know a prankster..." - "Granny, you aren't REALLY gonna believe this bullshit, are you?"
Smacking her forehead, she reached into a drawer and shoved a worn piece of paper - parchment? - in their faces. "There. Read it."
Greetings Madame Hokage,
My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and I write this letter to humbly request your aid in our world's time of need.
A dangerous criminal by the name of Lord Voldemort is at large, and his first plan of action no doubt is to destroy my school and kill a certain boy. His name is Harry Potter.
I would go into detail to explain our exact situation, but I'm afraid I do not have enough parchment and there are other details I must address first.
Our world is very different from yours, as I am lead to believe. I belong to a world of magic, and my school is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Our magic is conjured by wands, magical combinations of wood and exotic cores from phoenix feathers to serpent scales to unicorn hair.
You have every right to be sceptical, Madame Hokage, but I plead for your to at least take a glance.
Our forces are small, and the Ministry of Magic, the main government and power here, is refusing to acknowledge the Dark Lord's return. We have been forced to desperate measures.
I cannot say exactly Harry Potter's importance, but if he dies our efforts will be in vain and our world will fall. He, and my school, will need elite protection this year, and I am confident your warriors are more than up to the task.
We will need at the very least 3 of your warriors, preferably powerful and around the age of 15-16. This way, they can easily bond with our current fifth years, in which Harry is a part of, and also blend into the crowd if necessary.
In return for your services, we are willing to pay a large sum of 6,000,000 yen to show our gratitude. This amount will be paid upfront, in which if you accept this I will come and meet with you personally.
I beg of you to heed our beckoning and accept our request. We would be eternally grateful.
Sincerely,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Sakura sucked in her breath. "Dear Kami, you weren't joking..."
"Thank you for your confidence in me." Tsundae said dryly.
Sasuke scoffed. "How do you know if we can even trust these guys? I bet it's a trap to lure us over there."
She shook her head. "I'm just as skeptical about this as you, but he's offering a shitload of money for this so it's at least worth a look." She crossed her fingers on the desk. "Besides," she smiled fondly, "even if it is a trap, who the hell could beat one of my best ANBU teams?" She sat back in her chair.
Sakura smiled proudly. "Thanks, shishou. We do our best." She replied modestly, tucking a stray strand of bubblegum hair behind her ear.
"So," Tsunade continued, "do you accept this...interesting mission?"
The three teens looked towards each other, a silent communication session in place. "We accept." Naruto and Sakura said in unison, Sasuke scowling next to them.
"Can't believe I'm being dragged into this..." Sasuke muttered. He shook his head. "I bet he's senile or something. This is a waste of time." His hands fingered his katana strapped in his back.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "So what? If he's lying and this is a trap, we can send a distress signal with our summons or just kick his ass. Do you really think a bunch of stick-waving idiots can beat a fully trained ANBU team? One punch from me and it'd all be over, shannaro!" A demonic glint seemed to appear in Sakura's eye as she pounded her closed fist into her other hand.
Sasuke seemed to concede with a shrug.
Smirking, Tsunade reached for the letter and placed it in the center of her massive piles of paperwork. "Anyways, he also sent the itinerary for the school semester. The school is seperated into four different 'houses' as they call them, except they're based on personality rather than simply dividing up the students. Each class has different year students, first years all the way up to seventh years."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "So they start training at age 1? That's harsh..."
Tsunade let out a barking laugh. "Not even close. Try 11."
Naruto stared. "Seriously? That's it?" He scoffed. "By the time we were that age, we were fighting off missing-nin in Wave country, handling knives and weapons with perfect accuracy, and burning trees with Katon jutsus."
"What do they even learn?" Sakura motioned to be handed the scroll, which she was given, and began scanning it's contents. "Alright, from the looks of this...they only have ONE class for self-defense. The rest is mundane stuff...potions, history...gardening? Seriously?" She shook her head. "Man, these guys must suck." She scoffed. "Gardening!"
Beside her, Sasuke rolled his eyes and murmured, "Pathetic."
Naruto's curiosity piqued. "Lemme see the scroll!" He took a swipe.
Sakura pulled back at the last second. "Let me finish!" She scolded. Naruto, pouting like a puppy, conceded. The pinkette cleared her throat. "So they graduate at age 17-18...that old? By then most people are jounin, at the very least chunin!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Weaklings. I can see why they need to hire people to protect the school."
The Hokage took the scroll back. "Naruto. Sakura. Sasuke. We cannot underestimate their power. Since this is an entire new world we're dealing with, we don't know what we're allied with nor what we're facing. They could start be learning advanced potions in their 'gardening' class or could kill with their pinky finger-" Sasuke muttered how they 'already could', "or something outrageous. This is MAGIC. The possibilities are almost endless."
Naruto stared at her. "But baa-chan, how can people that wave freaking TWIGS around to cast magic spells like 'bippity-boppity-boo' be any threat to Konoha?"
The blonde Hokage sighed. "Naruto. We cannot assume anything about them just yet. We don't have enough info on their power and world to make an accurate assumption. Remember, over-confidence and assumptions about one's skill level will get you killed in the field." She said sternly.
Naruto hung his head. "I know..." He muttered.
"So that's why I'm assigning you all a secondary mission - find out as much information about this new world as possible, preferably without revealing to much about yourselves. See if you can gauge their skill level, military numbers, that kind of thing. Remember to go by your code names at all times and do not give away anything important. Although...some harmless information might not hurt, it will definitely intimidate them."
Naruto grinned, cheeriness back in full force. "Of course my lady! This'll be a breeze!" He gave her a mock salute and bow. "Your Drunk-Hokage-ness."
A tick appeared on Tsunade's head, and all three ANBU realized this meant Naruto was going to get beat up. Badly.
Naruto, realizing the deep shit he was in, turned to make a run for it, but it was already too late. The she-devil had been awakened, and she was NOT happy.
POW!
And sure enough, Naruto's face met the wall for the second time that day with a painful wham. "Don't mock me you brat!" The Hokage growled.
Sasuke, interrupting her anger fit, asked, "Wait. How long will we be there?"
Tsunade sighed, releasing a dazed Naruto to flop on to the ground. "The old crackpot wants you there for a whole school year...though technically I could recall you at any time."
Sakura's jaw dropped. "A whole year!? But that's so long! The longest mission we've ever been on was 4 months, and that was infiltrating a cult!"
"And won't some people figure out that our team is gone for a year at the same time an ANBU squad was sent out to this...Hogwarts? Our identities would be obvious!"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "And they won't figure it out because of a three cell team, one blonde haired, one black haired, and one pink haired, all are wearing ANBU masks?"
"...True." Sakura admitted.
Tsunade spoke, "To answer your question, I'll be officially sending Team 7 on a long-term mission to Wind country today. And no one but me and the ANBU themselves know when ANBU are deployed."
Sakura pulled her red and white cat mask over her face. "Alright, so when are we leaving?" She asked, her voice muffled.
Sasuke and Naruto (leaping up from the floor) followed suit, their dog and crow masks making their features disappear from sight.
The Hokage smirked evilly. "Hmm..." She checked her watch. "Oh, 25 minutes."
With widened eyes (though Tsunade couldn't see their eyes very well, with the masks and all) the three ANBU operatives disappeared with their sensei's signature Shushin, leaves fluttering to the ground where they once stood.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. Apart from their incredible skill, their dramatic entrances and exits were another thing their inherited from Kakashi.
She took a moment to relish in the thought of Konoha being feared even far away in this place called Hogwarts. ANBU Squad Seven would wreck havoc and insinuate fear, that much she knew for certain. And their destructive tendencies would actually be put to good use.
The Hokage laughed. "They didn't even realize that I didn't tell them how to get there..." She shrugged, grabbing a bottle of her precious sake. "Eh, they'll figure it out eventually."
"Ugh, of course baa-chan would give us a ridiculous deadline and then laugh about it...stupid granny." Naruto muttered irritably as he threw everything into a small bag and sealed his ninja weapons into a storage scroll. "She loves making us suffer."
Checking his inventory, he murmured out loud, "Toothbrush...extra clothes...ramen packets...hmm...anything else?"
Snatching his head, his mind ran over all of the supplies he needed.
"Already got my ANBU supply kit, so I'm good on uniforms and weapons...hmm..." He muttered.
The blonde ANBU shrugged. "Alright. I'm all set." He grinned, talking to the apartment.
Looking around his small apartment, he realized this would be the last time in a whole year he saw it. Heck, it'd be the last time in a year he'd be in Konoha! Eyes wide, he realized he needed to say goodbye to old man Teuchi and Ayame and Ichiaraku's before leaving, not to mention getting some ramen to snack on before leaving.
Now, one might think that 25 minutes (20, really, after all the packing) to visit some old friends and eat a bowl of ramen wouldn't be enough time, but hey, it's Naruto here. He could eat 15 bowls in the time it takes a normal person to eat 2.
Naruto gave a big smile. "Ramen, here I come!"
Suddenly he stopped. "Right, my henge."
A poof of smoke and the ANBU outfit was replaced with Naruto's usual obnoxiously orange jumpsuit.
Sakura sighed. "Figures shishou gives us almost no warning whatsoever..."
Checking her medical scroll supply one more time, she hastily sealed her toiletries and clothes into separate storage scrolls, before placing them into a simple dark green bag, where her ANBU supplies already lay waiting.
"Hmmm...what else am I missing? Uh..." She mused, a nagging feeling at the back of her mind. "Oh!"
Sprinting into the bedroom, she raced over to her dresser and grabbed a necklace from her simple dresser. It was a silver charm necklace with a locket, with a picture of her and her two best friends on the inside. It had been her jounin promotion present from the two of them, and she treasured it more than anything else.
Grinning, she realized she should probably say goodbye to Ino and Tenten, and then realized that they would probably murder her for going on such a long mission.
Sakura sighed.
Sasuke grumbled to himself as he threw four kunai holders in the general direction of his bag.
"Ugh, having to deal with a senile old employer, the dobe, Sakura, and be away from Konoha for a whole damn year...so annoying." He muttered.
With a clunk, the last extra set of weapons fell into the bag.
The Uchiha grunted.
He looked around.
Nope, he wouldn't miss this place.
He would miss training.
But...
Although the circumstances could be better, Sasuke grudgingly conceded that if he was going to be stuck in Europe with two people for a year, he'd rather have Naruto and Sakura watching his back than anyone else.
Not that he'd ever admit it.
Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he smirked. Europe was totally new...which meant another place to show off- represent his country in.
He supposed he could get used to it.
Tsunade sighed happily, taking another long swig of her sake.
Pretty soon, her top ANBU team would be in Europe causing all sorts of mischief and striking fear into the hearts of the weaklings - well, assumed weaklings.
She'd get a buttload of money to buff up the Konoha treasury, her favorite team (she couldn't openly show favoritism but it was true) would get the job done and find out some important info, and she wouldn't have to raise a finger.
Just how she liked it.
A masked ANBU guard suddenly appeared before the blonde, startling her and causing her to almost drop her sake.
"What?" She demanded, irritated about her precious sake almost being spilled.
The ANBU, whom she could see from the shoulder was a female, began curtly. "Someone outside is requesting your presence, Lady Hokage."
"Oh?" Tsunade raised a delicate eyebrow. "From what village?"
The ANBU shook her head. "Apparently he's not from a hidden village."
Brows furrowed in confusion, she questioned, "Then why was he allowed inside the tower?"
The officer strangely looked almost...sheepish? "We do not know, Lady Hokage. He appaeared out of nowhere, yet there was no flare of chakra. As a matter of fact, according to reports, he doesn't have chakra at all." She exclaimed with as much emotion an ANBU could express.
Tsunade was undeniably curious, but also suspicious. She was Hokage, after all, and couldnt afford any risks. The medic inside of her was itching to see why they had no chakra and could still teleport. "Let him in."
The officer protested, "But Lady Hokage-"
"But station twenty of our best ANBU in hidden locations around this room, and bring me my personal assistants." The Hokage finished.
The ANBU sighed softly, bowing. "Yes, Hokage-sama." With a puff of smoke, the officer disappeared, while silent shadows slunk into the room and positioned themselves. Tsunade felt a surge of relief as her trusted guard formed ranks. Finally, two of her best jounin Shushined to her side and stood at attention.
"Hokage-sama." They inclined their heads.
The Senji offered them a terse smile. "Izumo. Kotetsu."
Greetings done, the three shinobi turned towards the doorway expectantly, and after a moment, the door opened. In walked an elderly old man, with half-moon shaped glasses and long silver robes, robes that almost matched his hair in color. His eyes were twinkling merrily and he held a long staff in one hand.
He bowed in greeting. "Greetings, Lady Tsunade."
The Senju princess glanced at him suspiciously. "And who are you?"
The old man smiled. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I believe I have employed a few of your warriors - unless, of course, I'm at the incorrect village." He replied in a calm voice.
Blinking in astonishment, Tsunade shook her head. "No, you're at the correct village. What can I do for you?" Silently, she signaled for her ANBU to observe him closely to make sure he didn't try anything. Seeing the shadows on the ceiling shift slightly and feel a strong A-Rank concelement genjutsu being cast calmed her nerves a bit.
Albus reached into his robes and pulled out a pouch. "This is for you, your upfront payment as promised."
"Ah." Tsunade's face was considerably less suspicious. "Thank you." He placed the pouch on her desk with a soft clinking sound, and Tsunade eyed the money rather greedily - Kami knows that the treasury could use some buffing up. However, she didn't touch it.
The old man chuckled. "I assure you, Madam Hokage, the money is all there, no traps or tricks. I wouldn't pull anything on you, you are lending us your help after all." He smiled. "Besides, one of your secret warriors would certainly decapitate me if I was trying to scam you."
Tsunade was shocked and silently impressed, but didn't say a word, instead examining the old man in a new light. The Senju princess had a feeling he knew what she was thinking too.
Tsunade didn't like this feeling. She should be the one in power here, not an old man. She straightened her posture, and beside her Izuno and Kotetsu shifted slightly, noticing her slight change in movement.
His eyes twinkled. "I come for another reason, however. I'd like to inform you of a location to teleport to when your warriors come to England. Since they have...I belive it's called chakra, it should be an easy task." Noticing Tsunade's slightly stunned look, he added, "I have simply done my research, let me reassure you I do not know anything outside of the basics." He continued, "Although they probably have skills for transportation on their own, it might be best for them to use one of our teleportation devices in order to arrive at the right location."
The Hokage shook her head, suspicion still in her gaze but diminished slightly. "Well, where shall they teleport to? And what shall they use?"
The old headmaster presented her with a simple silver key. "This is a portkey, or a teleportation device. This will lead you directly outside of our location, and you can simply teleport inside, since our enchantments won't keep foreign magic as powerful as yours out... - unless, of course, you wish to skip the dramatics and simply use the door." he said in good humor.
Tsundae smirked. "I know already which way my team will decide..." She laced her fingers. "We'll take it."
Dumbledore laughed. "Of course." Handing her the portkey, he looked around. "Your village is quite amazing, Madam Hokage, I must say, especially for your age."
At this Tsunade gave a boisterous laugh, slapping her hand against the table. "Ha! Well thank you for the compliment, but I'm much older than I look. And my predecessors are really the ones that deserve all the credit. I simply took up the reigns."
The headmaster laughed. "Well, you have indeed done an excellent job."
"Thank you." Tsunade said curtly, all business now. "Before you leave, however, I need to make some requirements about the use of my team. Call it rules, regulations, restrictions, whatever. But if you do not follow them, I will know and summon my troops back immediately."
The man nodded. "I assumed as much. We are happy to ablidge to your rules."
"Number one- my shinobi are there for protection and protection only. You cannot make them attack a target, gather intelligence or anything of that sort. This mission is protecting and we will follow it to the letter, nothing more, nothing less." Seeing the headmaster nod, she continied. "Number two- Even though they are under your employment, my shinobi take orders from me only. You cannot force them to do anything they don't want to. This includes where they sleep, eat, rest, set up traps and the like." The headmaster nodded once again. Tsunade finally said, "And the last rule- fearsome as they may be, my shinobi are still human, and you will treat them with that same courtesy. They still need food and water, and kindness is not out of order either."
Dumbledore, smiling kindly, nodded once again. "I swear on my honor as the Headmaster of Hogwarts that we will abide these rules as long as the contract requires." He sent her a twinkling look. "Besides, we are a kind school, and will not mistreat children no matter where they are from."
Tsunade nodded satisfactorily. She had done everything that needed to be done. Her team would be respected and treated fairly. She had gotten her payment and her rules across.
She was still careful, of course. Ninja never let their guard down. But seeing as he already payed and agreed to her rules, there was no reason for him to double-cross them now, not when it was them who were offering him their help.
Unless, of course, it was a trap. It would be the perfect setup, her most powerful ANBU team out of commission and the coins infested with tracking devices of something.
Ugh.
Dumbledore rolled back a long sleeve and checked a large golden watch. "Oh dear, it seems like I need to be at a meeting soon." He bowed deeply. "It was an honor meeting you Madam Hokage."
Tsunade nodded.
Pulling out a twig from the inside of his robe, he waved it once, muttering something in a strange language. Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, the man disappeared, as though he was never here in the first place.
Three ANBU, in a single instant, jumped down and examined where the man once stood for traces.
Another ANBU, jumping down from the ceiling, saluted and asked, "Lady Hokage, shall we notify ANBU Squad Seven about this...teleportation device?"
With an evil smirk, she shook her head no. "Let them figure it out for themselves. They'll figure out that I never told them how to get there...eventually."
Meanwhile:
Two blurs ran and encased the pink haired girl in a spine-crushing hug. "Forehead!" Ino cheered. "You finally came to see your poor abandoned friends, didn't you?" She teased.
Tenten smiled. "Yeah, we've been waiting for DAYS! How was your last mission?"
Sakura, pulling herself out of their grasps, smiled sheepishly. "It went pretty well. We underestimated our target though, and Sasuke almost passed out from chakra exhaustion because he used Chidori too many times. Plus, Tsunade-shishou almost killed Naruto from destroying two buildings and a boat."
Ino raised an eyebrow. "So...about as normal as it gets for you three?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Sakura shrugged.
Tenten slung an arm over her shoulder. "We gotta go catch up! You've been so busy with your jounin work..." Tenten winked. "And I know you're wearing the henge," she whispered. "You better change out of gear soon, or Ino'll notice!"
"Yeah!" Ino, not hearing Tenten's whispered words, agreed. "Let's go shopping!"
Sakura smiled awkwardly. Tenten too was a part of ANBU, along with her team. They both used their 'jounin' status as cover to go on missions, since ANBU operatives were kept a secret from everyone, including their friends and most of their family.
"Yeah, about that..." Sakura winced, hating to break it to them, "I kinda sorta got drafted for another mission." She messed with the dark green bag on her shoulder awkwardly.
Both girls sighed exasperatedly. "Really, Forehead," Ino chided, "You need to give yourself a break! Jounin should be having it easy, take your old sensei for an example." she snorted.
Tenten only looked at her expectantly. "So? When will you be back?"
Sakura looked down.
"...It's a long-term mission. I'll be gone for almost an entire year or more." She murmured.
Ino threw herself onto Sakura. "Forehead!" She wailed. "How could you do this to me, abandoning your best friend yet again!" The blonde locked Sakura in a death grip. "And for an entire year!"
The pinkette patted her on the shoulder awkwardly, not really knowing what to do.
Tenten inquired, "When do you leave?"
Another mumble. "...Today."
This sent Ino into another fit of hysterics, screaming at how she would be "forced to wait even looooonger for our shopping trip!"
Tenten sighed. "Sak, I know this missions is probably important and all, but...send a summon every once and a while, ok?" She smiled. "It's boring without you around."
The pinkette nodded furiously. "Of course! I'll send Kasumi every now and then, maybe even bring you something as a gift!" She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Ninja's honor!"
Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Sak, ninjas HAVE no honor."
A shrug was all she got in response.
Sighing, Tenten said, "Alright, I'll take your word for it, but you better come back in one piece and ready for a sparring session!"
"Deal." Sakura grinned.
Ino, recovering from her fit, gently pushed Sakura in the direction of the gate. "Go on Forehead, make Konoha proud!" She said. "Oh, and make sure Naruto and Sasuke don't destroy everything!"
"Old Man! Gimme three orders of ramen for on the go, stat!" The blonde ramen menace shouted as he threw money onto the counter.
The owner, Teuchi, growled playfully. "You better be happy that you're a regular customer, or I would've smacked you upside the head for ordering me around!"
Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Good to see ya too, Old Man Teuchi." Spotting his daughter bringing out his ramen, completely packaged and ready to go, Naruto grinned. "Hi Ayame!"
The woman smiled at him. "Nice to see you again Naruto. Business is always dull without you hollering for more every ten seconds." She laughed.
Placing the tray of ramen containers in front of him, Old Man Teuchi questioned, "If you don't mind, what are these for?"
Sighing, the blonde explained, "I got a long-term mission. I need these for the road, since it might be a while until I actually get ramen again." He said glumly.
Teuchi laughed. "Well, whatever you're doing, stay safe and keep out of trouble." Noticing Ayame's raised eyebrow, he amended, "Keep out of too much trouble."
"Will do!" chirped the blonde ninja as he scooped the ramen into his arms. "Wait, I only ordered 3. Why are there four?"
Teuchi smiled. "Think of it as a going-away present for our most loyal customer."
Grinning, Naruto cheered. "Thanks a bunch old man!"
Taking a step down the road, Naruto's heart was full. Warm goodbyes and an armful of ramen...
"UZUMAKI!"
Naruto, startled, almost dropped the tray. "W-what?" Looking around, he noticed a certain pinkette with an angry expression on her face.
"Come on, we need to go. Drop the Henge once we're out of range."
"Yessir!"
Strong, chakra-laced fingers grabbed his arm tightly. That was definitely a bruise forming... "I am not a 'sir', idiot." The girl growled.
Naruto gulped. "Yes ma'am!"
Sakura smiled.
"Inu! Inu, come on! Hurry up!" Sakura scolded as she dragged her teammate up onto the Konoha rooftops.
"Ow, ow, ow! Not the ears, Neko-chan, not the ears!" Naruto yelped in pain as her gloved fingers began tugging on his precious earlobes.
Sakura sent him a glare. "Well hurry up then Inu! You took too long getting your stupid ramen, we have to be at the gate ASAP to meet up with Karasu!"
Naruto sighed resignedly as the pink haired girl continued to drag him along. Leaping to another rooftop, she felt the wind rustle through her locks as she realized with excitement that they were going to Europe!
It was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a shinobi, since it was so ridiculously far away and so foreign. No one from the Elemental Nations had ever ventured that far, at least, not for the last 100 years. It was so distant it was almost a myth.
And now they were going. Sakura could hardly contain her excitement.
"Neko."
Turning, the pinkette grinned at the sight of her other team member.
"Karasu!" She greeted.
The Uchiha grunted. "Why are we here again?"
Naruto laughed. "Hahahaha you're so stupid Teme, obviously we're leaving for the mission-" He paused. "Wait. Where are we going?"
Sakura opened her mouth, about to speak, but then closed it again.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And you called me stupid."
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING STUPID UCHIHA?!"
"...not you, Sakura. Tch. Obviously the dobe."
"Good. That's what I thought."
"TEME YOU BASTARD HOW DARE YOU CALL ME STUPID YOU-"
Luckily for them, no one was really paying attention to their bickering, as they were shouting at least 10 giveaways per person.
Five minutes later...
"BAA-CHAN! Why didn't you tell us where to go!?" Naruto shouted in outrage as he and the other two (rather pissed off) members of ANBU Squad Seven burst into the Hokage's office.
The blonde Sannin smirked. "Because I wanted to see how long it took you to realize it."
Sasuke glared, Naruto began screaming profanities that will not be repeated as Sakura followed suit.
Staring at them with amusement, the Hokage called out, "Well? Don't you want to know where you'll be going and how you'll get there?"
The three (two) quieted down immediately and looked at her eagerly.
"Well shishou? Where are we going?" The pinkette asked impatiently.
"You're going to be using this." In the Hokage's hand was a simple silver key. "Apparently this is a Shushin device that will take you directly in front of the location. I don't really trust his word, even though we already got the money. So be prepared for anything." She smirked. "Oh, and don't lack in the intimidation department. We don't know if this new world is a potential ally or not, so be sure to scare the pants off of them."
The three ANBU smirked right back.
"Not a problem." Sasuke grinned, fingering his katana once again.
Sakura cracked her knuckles. "This is gonna be fun."
"Alright! Let's do this, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist.
Handing Naruto the key, the Hokage clapped her hands once. "Alright. ANBU Squad Seven, go out and make Konoha proud!"
The three teammates each grabbed onto the key.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Sakura bent forward to examine the key.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Sasuke glared at it with Uchiha Death Glare #5, powerful enough to melt glass.
And waited.
And waited.
..."Um, baa-chan? Why isn't this thing working?"
Tsunade looked as confused as they were. "I don't know! All he told me was that-"
Suddenly, a whirl of foreign magical power swept through the room and the three ANBU members screamed, much to the Hokage's slight alarm. With a swirl of power, the three ANBU seemed to be sucked into the empty space in the air, leaving nothing behind. Two of the ANBU rushed down from the ceiling and examined the spot Team Seven was a second ago.
"-it would transport you there." The blonde finished lamely.
The Hokage sighed. She didn't show it, but this mission would be dangerous. She only hoped that it wasn't a setup or a trap, and that her favorite team would make it out alive. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke...be safe.
"Shizune! I need my sake!"
"W-w-who are you?" Ron stuttered as the three figures stepped out of the whirlwind.
Harry and Hermione, right beside him, were staring at the figures in awe and fear as well.
As the three silhouettes stepped into the torchlight, Harry could see clearly why they were considered so 'intimidating'.
The three figures were all lean, tall, and very muscular. All three figures wore matching uniforms of what seemed to be black leather and silver armor pieces. They wore ceramic masks with animalistic features, and had giant sheathes and scrolls tied to their backs.
Yup, definitely not lacking on the intimidation part.
But what bugged Harry the most was the middle figure. It had pink hair. Pink!
Is the person like Tonks, a Metamorphmagus? Harry wondered.
Hermoine seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as she was looking between the middle figure, who looked decidedly female (though it could just be the hair).
"Kon'nichiwa. Wareware wa anata no hogo no tame ni, Konohagakure no seiei no bodīgādodearu." Spoke a female voice.
The three kids, and the adults behind them, all cocked their heads.
"Uh...what did you just say?" Harry replied confusedly.
The figure tilted her head right back. "Anata dake no nanite itta?"
Molly Weasley stepped forward. "Hello there, my name is Molly Weasley. Are you the bodyguards we sent for?"
The second figure spoke up as well. "Matte wa sorera o rikai suru koto wa dekimasen!?"
Finally, the third figure spoke.
"Tch. Kore wa bakagete iru. Naze wareware wa futatabi kore o yatte iru?"
The female flicked him, and with unbelievable strength sent him reeling and stumbling to keep his balance with such a featherlight touch.
Harry stepped back a few steps, Molly and the others following suit.
"Relax, my friends. I shall introduce us." A calm voice spoke up behind the group, and once again Dumbledore stepped into the limelight.
The old man uttered a spell, something no one could make out, and strode over to the group. "Kon'nichiwa, watashi no yūjin. Igirisu ni kangei shimasu."
"Greetings, my friends, and welcome to England." The old man spoke warmly.
Sakura raised an eyebrow (currently covered by her mask). "You can speak our language?"
Dumbledore nodded. "I didn't learn it myself, but I used a spell - I believe in your world it's called 'jutsu' - to teach myself to speak Japanese." He replied.
Naruto gaped behind his dog mask.
Sasuke spoke up. "We should introduce ourselves, Neko."
Beside him the girl huffed. "Inu. You're the leader, begin the introductions."
Naruto grinned (once again, behind his dog mask), and assumed his best 'intimidating' voice. "I am Inu, leader of Squad Seven and ANBU officer. These are my teammates, fellow ANBU Neko and Karasu. We are here for your protection."
The old man inclined his head. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts. These are my fellow wizards and witches, also my comrades in our organization the Order of the Phoenix."
The three ANBU nodded.
"If you would not mind, since this language translation spell can only be performed on the caster, I will gather some English-Japanese dictionaries for you to observe, in case you need to communicate with us."
"That seems acceptable. English was the language you were speaking earlier, correct?" Naruto inquired. Ohh, he just loved pretending to be intimidating and cold!
"Yes." Dumbledore confirmed. "It is our native language."
Sasuke spoke. "Where are we?"
Dumbledore swept his arms outwards, as though presenting a grand banquet. "This is our headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, and also the ancestral home of one of my friends, Sirius Black."
Sakura spoke up. "What do you wish for us to do for the time being?"
The old man smiled pleasantly. "Since the school year has not started, please make yourself at home in our headquarters. Molly," the man pointed to the woman with the fiery orange hair, "will show you to your quarters."
Sasuke grunted. "You two go on ahead, I'll take the first shift."
"Nope. Karasu, you need the rest more than we do. You look dead on your feet from our last mission."
The boy scoffed. "Please. Chidori may drain a lot of chakra, but chakra depletion isn't that big of a problem. I killed him perfectly fine without chakra."
Sakura stubbornly shook her head. "You're going to bed. I'll take the first shift." She cracked her knuckles. "Unless you want to keep resisting..."
Luckily, Sasuke knew when to pick his battles. Deciding that taking the first shift was not worth getting beaten up by Sakura's super strength, he conceded. "Fine. Tch."
Dumbledore, off to the side, looked very awkward all of a sudden. "Yes, well, whenever you're ready, Molly can show you around."
Naruto inclined his head. "We thank you for your hospitality. If you don't mind, we shall be retiring for the...night." Finally noticing how dark is was outside, he murmured to his teammates, "We must be in a different timezone."
Dumbledore clapped his hands together and turned towards Molly. Speaking with her in what seemed like English, the old man described something to her, Molly nodding along.
One of the people in the back waved a...stick?...and a silvery animal summon suddenly shot out of the stick and vanished. The three ninja blinked in surprise.
Inu, facade forgotten, whispered to Sakura, "This place is weird."
Dumbledore turned away from the threesome and reverted back to English. "Molly, if you don't mind, please take them to the room on the top floor, the one with the large window.
Molly replied with a quick, "Of course, Albus!" and - rather hesitantly - stepped forward.
"Remus, if you'd be so kind to alert Professor McGonagall that our bodyguards have arrived and will transfer to the school tomorrow." Nodding his head, the werewolf shot a Patronus from his wand, and the silver animal vanished into the night.
"Professor? What do you mean about them going to Hogwarts tomorrow? Schocolate doesn't start for another few days." Hermione asked.
Harry started, realizing he had missed that rather interesting piece of information.
"They will be arriving early, to set up traps and familiar themselves with the surrounding area." Dumbledore replied. "Also, to give them some time to practice English."
"But isn't their job to protect Harry? What about the time in between them leaving and us arriving at Hogwarts?"
The old headmaster let out a laugh. "Why, Harry will be with all of you. He will be perfectly safe. This is a secret location, after all."
Molly, in the same spot as she was previously, tried and once again failed to get the bodyguards' attention. "Albus, they don't understand what I'm saying!"
"My apologies." He told her, before stepping back to the three mysterious people. He spoke once again in their native tongue.
The three figures stopped to question Dumbledore with something. The old man laughed before responding in Japanese, then switching to English. Harry felt bad, since juggling two languages obviously wasn't an easy feat. "Ah, how silly of me. Introductions must be made of course."
Presenting the three, Dumbledore said, "These are our guardians for the next year. Meet Inu," the blonde with the dog mask nodded, "Neko," the pinkette with the cat-like mask bowed, "and Karasu." The black haired one with the bird-like mask grunted.
Harry decided not to comment on the weird names.
"Friendly bunch," Ron muttered.
Hermione nudged him. "Ron!"
Meanwhile Dumbledore had stepped back and was now explaining something to the bodyguards, and Harry could catch small phrases like "Harry", "Ron", and "Sirius", so he assumed Dumbledore was also introducing them.
Speaking something in their native oriental tongue, the pink haired ANBU (was her name Nico or something?) directed a question of some sorts towards Dumbledore, who nodded. "Neko has requested me to tell you all that they will be patrolling the area tonight, as it is their custom when protecting a client. They will be leaving tomorrow, but will be protecting the grounds in this manner as well. If you see or hear anything suspicious, please alert them immediately."
Harry nodded, feeling grim. The nervousnsss twisted in his gut since Dumbledore announced the bodyguards seemed to grow.
From the posture of the three, they looked dangerous. Fierce. Deadly.
This wasn't the kind of protection one would get at a time of peace.
Harry realized this was beyond just him. Voldemort was truly back, and once again posed a dangerous threat to the Wizarding World.
Without the support of the Ministry, they were on their own.
The seriousness of the situation was finally dawning on him. It wasn't just another year at Hogwarts - it was the makings of a war.
And there you have it. For some weird reason, I'm in love with my closing line...quite shallow, ne? ^^"
It was rather interesting but difficult to juggle so many different people in one room at the same time, as my writing skills are amateur at best, so I've seen many instances where some characters just disappear into thin air until they pop up for that one key line...Sigh. It's also been a while since I've read the fifth book, so I apologize for any plot errors you might find.
But 9.3k words! This sounds pathetic but I am truly proud of myself. :P
Please review! I would really like to see some feedback on this new venture of mine. Feedback can include anything from OOC'ness to plot holes to the crappy Japanese translations... Google Translate better pull through or I will be very cross.
R&R!
Love,
HawaiianSunsets