Chapter 1: A Shinobi is born

Harry felt a conflict of emotions well up inside him as he stared at Sirius Black, his eyes somehow able to keep his conflict unseen by the two men with him, though his clenched fists gave Sirius a guess as to the feelings that his godson was experiencing. Top of that list was most likely rage: rage towards Sirius for not being there for Harry when he was left with magic-hating Muggles and forced to act like a cross between a punching bag and a slave.

Then there was most likely shock: the shock that there was someone out there that he could openly talk about his family with and who actually liked Harry being around.

However, the one emotion that Sirius knew Harry felt most of all was confusion: who was Sirius and where had he been for twelve years and why was he being so nice and welcoming to Harry?

Foregoing any sort of verbal reaction, Sirius lifted his hands to show Harry that he was unarmed before he told the boy, "I know that you have questions, Harry, and I hope that I can do the best that I can to answer them. For now, though, I think it would benefit us both for you to listen to Hiroko: it's partially because of him that I'm not a bedraggled, half-starved waste of space that's somewhere between desperate and hungry for the chance to clear his name."

"Clear your name?" asked Harry, finally finding his voice as he glanced to Sirius, "Why would you say that?"

"Ah," Sirius replied, covering his eyes with one hand as he added, "As an old friend would say, I shouldn't have said that…ah well," he ran his hand over his face, letting out a deep sigh at the same time before he looked back to Harry as he explained, "I'll give you the proverbial abridged version for now, kiddo: I've been spending twelve years in Azkaban for a crime that I didn't commit and, were it not for a stroke of good luck, I would probably still be there now."

Harry wanted to ask more, but he steeled his resolve as he knew that Sirius had a point in suggesting that Harry listen to Hiroko first; curling his knees to his chest, Harry repeated his previous statement to the strange man, "So…where were we? Oh yes; I guess it seems that I owe you my life, Hiroko-san; what can I do to repay this debt to you?"

"Firstly," Hiroko chuckled, "None of the honorific stuff: despite my appearance and how I first addressed you, I actually left my Oriental side back there when I left Japan nearly twenty years ago. Secondly, I must ask you, Harry: are you sure that you're willing to repay this debt to me no matter what? I could ask you to kill for me or take on a truly dangerous task that could mean your own life is put at risk: I could even force you to call me your master for the rest of your life."

"I don't care," Harry replied, keeping his steeled resolve in place as he stared down the man that had helped him, "Clearly you have an idea about what happened to me and I don't know it, which means that it could have killed me. It was stupid and reckless and I'm both thankful and grateful for you helping me escape that hold and that possible threat. So, I ask you again, Hiroko: what do you ask in return for saving my life?"

"Every bit as stubborn as James was and more," Sirius muttered, earning a sideways glance from Harry; shrugging ruefully, Sirius added, "Well you are; ah well, you may as well tell him, Hiroko: he won't take no for an answer…not if he's truly Lily and James' kid."

"Very well," Hiroko agreed, clasping his hands and glancing to Harry with the air of an elder or a man of great power and influence; Harry didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like he was in the presence of someone that could give Dumbledore a run for his money. When Hiroko spoke again, it was with conviction and strength, but the man lost none of his kindness as he told Harry, "To repay me, Harry James Potter, I, Hiroko Daisuke Ryusaki, offer you a place as my student and protégé in the arts of the Shinobi."

For a moment, there was no sound save for the hollow click of the shishi-odoshi as it poured water into the small basin next to it.

Sirius wasn't surprised to see the shock on Harry's face as he considered the offer and the pride behind such a place: in exchange for saving his life, Hiroko was willing to share with Harry the secrets of the so-called 'ancient arts' of the Shinobi. What this meant was that Harry would become a student of the proverbial game, learning not only about Ninjutsu, but its counterparts of Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Bukijutsu and Kenjutsu. Harry would be taught the full works and, from what Sirius knew of the arts, they would certainly come in handy around Harry's life with and without magic.

Breaking the verbal silence around them, Harry took a deep breath, swallowed once and asked, "Why…why would you be willing to do this for me, Hiroko?"

"Because what you used in that enclosed space was no small power, Harry," Hiroko answered, his voice still as calm and comforting as Harry had heard him to be, "What you used was a Ninjutsu, a Ninja Art, but you combined it with one of the many different Nature Transformation Forms, or the Elemental Releases as they are also called and, even then, you held it for at least 30 seconds before your body succumbed to the lapse of energy and strength in your body and your chakra reserves."

"Chakra?" asked Harry, lifting a hand to his face as he tried to envision the sort of power that Hiroko had told him about: it was true that he didn't really remember the power or how he'd actually summoned it by knowing what to do, but for now, there were questions that needed answering.

"Chakra is what a Shinobi, or Ninja, uses to invoke the power of their techniques, or their jutsus as they're more commonly known," Hiroko explained, knowing that Harry would need answers of his own before he gave the man his answer, "In a Ninja's life, there are three key jutsu types that are used: Ninjutsu, such as the Hurricane Jutsu that you summoned in that alleyway. Then there is the art of Genjutsu, or the 'Illusionary Art' which, as its name suggests, takes the form of illusions and deceptive jutsus that alter the fabric of reality around a target. Unlike the first, Genjutsu mostly targets a being's psyche, or their mental focus, instead of their physical senses."

"And what's the third?" asked Harry, actually surprising himself that he was listening to the man's explanations with such eagerness.

"The third doesn't really require chakra flow or hand seals like what you used to summon that hurricane," Hiroko explained, smiling proudly as he felt that he had found a true student's desires and a scholar's wish to learn more in the young wizard. "Taijutsu, which, simply put, is hand-to-hand combat and the defenses against them; while a Ninja can use the first two on an almost daily basis, the one that they are expected to train hard in is Taijutsu as this amplifies their own physical strength, stamina levels and, with time and training, can also be used as a stress-test exercise for chakra control."

"No offence, Hiroko," Harry suddenly piped up, clearing his throat as he did so, "But you haven't actually explained what chakra is; is it an energy or some sort of magical aid or…or what?"

"Chakra is energy, Harry," Hiroko explained, not upset that Harry had questioned him; if he accepted the offer, then he'd need to demonstrate a resolve for his answers and to learn more from his sensei. "The flow of physical and spiritual energy in the body that takes root in one or more of 361 different points of the body, or the tenketsu as it's more commonly known. When we perform hand signs, or seals, to create our jutsus, we combine that physical and spiritual energy and release it as a jutsu. However, as you saw in the alleyway, everybody has a limit to which their chakra can flow and to strengthen and increase this limit, there are exercises and tests that can be taken to increase your command of your body's chakra. Such exercises are known as chakra control and, if you accept my offer, then I will teach you some of the basic and, in due time, more advanced exercises of chakra control."

"And what about this other thing that you mentioned?" asked Harry, recalling the explanation about the power, no, the jutsu that he had used against Dudley and his cronies, "This…Nature Transformation Form or…Elemental Release; what's that when it's at home?"

"Nature Transformation, also known as Elemental Release is the art of combining one of the big three as well as lesser jutsu forms that you'll learn about with the power of the elements," As Hiroko gave his explanation, Harry noticed the man then reach into his robe and withdraw what looked like a small piece of parchment. Indicating the item to Harry, Hiroko continued, "This is chakra paper and by using it, a Shinobi or a sensei can learn about the elemental affinities of a being's chakra and jutsu rank. As you may guess, Harry, there are five main types of Elemental Release: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Lightning. Within those types, there are others such as Storm, Ice, Darkness and Mist, but there are also releases for lesser-known elements like Magnetism and Sand as well as Crystal. However, for an example, I'll focus on my own Elemental Release Affinity, which is the element of Water."

As Harry watched, Hiroko then lifted the chakra paper and didn't move; yet, as Harry waited for a sign of his affinity, he gasped as the chakra paper then seemed to take the appearance of a tissue that had been run under the tap, the edges of the chakra paper dampening until, after a few seconds, the whole paper was damp and actually dripping water droplets into the cup in Hiroko's lap.

Anticipating Harry's question, Hiroko then explained, "This is the result of a Water-Release-Shinobi: by feeding chakra into the paper, his affinity is revealed when the paper becomes wet and soggy like this one has done. Similarly, there are such results for the other elements: for Earth, the paper would turn to dirt and crumble; for Fire, it would burst into flame and become ashes; for Wind, the paper would be cut in two and for Lightning, it would crumple up as though someone had scrunched it into a foldable ball-shape."

"So for me, it would be cut in two?" asked Harry, remembering how he had powered his first jutsu with Wind Style.

"Perhaps," Sirius reasoned, before he gave a smirk as he added, "But there are examples where more than one is revealed, isn't that right, Hiroko?"

"Sirius is correct," Hiroko explained, withdrawing another piece of the paper as he continued, "And before you give me your answer, Harry, I would like you to reveal to me what you can do: simply hold this paper in your fingers and channel your chakra into it."

"And how do I do that, Hiroko?" asked Harry, accepting the paper into his hand, before he felt rather silly as he turned it over, as though expecting to find the answers written on the paper.

"I see," Hiroko replied calmly, taking the paper from Harry and setting it down on the floor as he explained, "I suppose we should try and reawaken your flow; so, Harry, this is what I want you to do now: close your eyes and, without speaking, take several long deep breaths. Keep taking those breaths until you can feel the power that you felt when you summoned the hurricane; it will feel like the ebb and flow of the tides of the ocean and, when you can feel it, try and see it: for a normal Shinobi, the chakra flow represents itself as a light blue color."

"I'll…I'll try," Harry sighed, closing his eyes as he was instructed and, taking several deep breaths, he tried to feel for the power that he'd experienced before blacking out. Mentally delving into his mind, Harry was surprised when he found what felt like an iron-hard wall surrounding a part of his mind that he'd never knew to exist: enforcing this part of his mind was a large blood-red door that seemed to be made from red diamonds and held together by a strong set of chains. However, from behind this door, Harry could indeed see and feel the ebb and flow of the power beyond and, just like Hiroko had said; it did indeed take on a sky-blue sort of color.

If this was his power source, his chakra's residence inside his body, then why was it sealed so tightly that Harry had only been able to experience it in a moment of crisis?

Was it like accidental magic?

Extending his mental-self's hand, Harry pressed his palm against the door, feeling slightly surprised that the door and the pulsing chakra beyond it actually felt warm to the touch, almost like the first touch of the sun on a summer morning. Eyeing the large door, Harry took a deep breath before he let his thoughts do the talking for him, 'if this is my power, then please let me know what it feels like: I want to learn the ways of the Shinobi; I want to learn the way of the Ninja.'

The door, the chains and the power beyond actually seemed to listen to Harry; the strong chains began to glow with a powerful golden color that seemed to be tinged by a dark aura for some unknown reason. After a few seconds, the chains vanished and Harry watched with awe as the door was opened and his body was flooded with power: he'd never felt so strong or so in tune with his inner self. He could feel the energy from the day before and, for reasons that he couldn't quite explain, Harry also felt like a great archive of information had been opened to him as his mind was flooded with strange new information.

At the same time, the Pacific-Ocean-sized torrent of chakra flowed out from behind the door and seemed to drown Harry in its embrace, though, as it did so, Harry felt a strange static-like tingle running across his skin, his limbs feeling heavy and lead-weighed as though he was being pinned by a torrential windstorm. Finally, Harry's strange static feeling seemed to evolve into a full-bodied shockwave that danced over his body in a mix of fury and embraced warmth.

Harry had never felt so…alive…so strong!

Opening his eyes, Harry was slightly worried and confused when he saw Hiroko watching him with a mix of shock and disbelief, though the young wizard could see the edge of blue that danced over his skin like flames licking at his physical self. Lifting his hand, Harry clenched it into a fist before he asked, "Is…is this…"

"Your…your chakra," Hiroko answered, trying to mask his shock as he didn't want Harry to think that he was frightened of him, "Draw it back in for now, Harry and then, as I told you, try to feed it into the paper; if I'm right…if I'm right about this, then we'll be in for a surprise."

With his fist clenched, Harry took several deep breaths and concentrated harder than he had ever done before, watching with a sense of victory as the chakra flow was drawn back into his body. Once his body was clear of the aura, Harry reached down and picked up the paper; however, he'd barely held it for more than five seconds before the paper was slashed in two, the two pieces that remained then crinkling into crunched-up pieces before, to everyone's alarm, they seemed to be consumed by a vortex that left the spot in Harry's hand clear of chakra paper.

"What?" asked Harry, unaware of a worrying glance being shared between Sirius and Hiroko.

Sirius, however, broke the silence as he told Hiroko, "I think it may be ideal for you to try and convince Harry to accept your offer, old friend."

"He…he doesn't need to do that, Sirius," Harry explained, placing a hand against his chest before he bowed his head as he told Hiroko, "I…I would be honored to learn from you, Hiroko-Sensei: if not to control my power, but to make sure that no-one else can use it against me."

"Then we shall begin with the relevant information, Harry," Hiroko replied, a sense of pride in his voice as he understood the shock and awe of his young student being outmatched by the need to control his power, "Your elements: though I can't quite recall the meaning of the vortex, I can tell you this much: you have an affinity with Lightning and Wind, which could also mean that, in due time, you'll be able to combine the two and form the Storm Release Techniques. It also seems that your chakra has actually been a part of you since birth, which is not unusual, but it is surprising because of the level of power. Where the jutsus are concerned, there are six different levels or ranks that a jutsu may fall under: E, D, C, B, A and finally S; from what I have seen of your chakra and your power last week…"

"Hang on, Sensei," Harry gasped, "I've been out of it for a week?"

"That's right, kiddo," Sirius chuckled, shaking his head at the penny finally dropping for Harry, "We're now two days from your thirteenth: a special day for a kid your age, but doubly special because of what you'll be able to do on that day."

"And we will get to that later, Harry," Hiroko added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth to ask about the purpose of that day, "But for now, as I was saying, it's clear to me that your Hurricane Jutsu from last week is at least a B-Rank Jutsu, but it could also be called an A-Rank from the threat level against maintaining the power. One thing that you must learn about justus and chakra control is when to let go of your power: never try anything that seems too big for you or hold onto a fierce power for too long…otherwise, next time, I may not be there to help you, am I understood?"

"Yes, Hiroko-Sensei," Harry replied, before he folded his legs underneath him as Hiroko continued his talk with a discussion of the hand seals and how each one worked;

Bird/Tori: (The Precision Seal) which allowed him to gain a more precise control over the jutsu.

Boar/Ousu-buta: (The Stability Seal) which allowed him to make his jutsu more stable so they wouldn't fall apart.

Dog/Inu: (The Longevity Seal) which allowed him to make sure his jutsu would stay in effect until he released them.

Dragon/Ryu: (The Consistency Seal) which allowed him to keep the jutsu going while putting more chakra into it.

Hare/Usagi: (The Multiplying Seal) which allowed him to replicate his jutsu into numerous ones.

Horse/Uma: (The Restoration Seal) which allowed him to make a jutsu release its own chakra into something.

Monkey/Saru: (The Forming Seal) which allowed him to control the size and shape of his jutsu.

Ox/O-ushi: (The Force Seal) which allowed him to control the density and opacity of his jutsu.

Ram/O-hitsuji: (The Focus Seal) which allowed him to focus his chakra.

Rat/Nezumi: (The Animation Seal) which allowed his jutsu to move and alter more freely if he chose.

Snake/Hebi: (The Control Seal) which allowed him to control his jutsu more precisely.

Tiger/Tora: (The Power Seal) which allowed him to make his jutsu more powerful or add elemental effects to them.

By the end of their talk, Harry felt like he was ready to become one with this new world of strength and power, though he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about his power, his chakra and his elemental release that Hiroko-Sensei seemed to almost fear…

RaikoUchihaShinobiSorcerer

That night, while Harry and Sirius slept, Hiroko crept around the bed where his new student was resting and, moving to the cupboard where he'd kept his scrolls and information, he unsealed the one on Elemental Release and, after scanning through the information, gave an almost defeated sigh before he closed the scroll and, turning back to the sleeping Harry, adopted a look of worry and determination.

"The vortex," he whispered, watching as his student's brow furrowed with the strain of some sort of dream, "Of course: I should have known; I only hope that Harry has the strength to withstand the backlash from that Technique."

Then, closing his cupboard, Hiroko disappeared through the screen that divided Harry's room from the rest of his house and, turning out his light, the elder Ninja spent a few moments staring at the ceiling before he closed his eyes.

All the while, he was determined to help his young Genin discover, learn, master and control one of the toughest, scariest Release Techniques ever…

RaikoUchihaShinobiSorcerer

"Harry…wake up, Harry…come on, open your eyes…"

Drawn out of an apparently peaceful slumber, Harry squinted his eyes against a bright golden light that seemed to shine from the edge of his vision; as his vision cleared, which surprised Harry as he still couldn't get over a revelation that Hiroko-Sensei had managed a healing jutsu to heal his eyesight, which was the big revelation that his mind hadn't allowed him to accept yet. However, as his vision cleared, Harry felt a mix of shock and disbelief worm its way into his heart as he saw a young woman standing within the bright light that threatened to blind him. For a moment, Harry had to wonder why Sirius wasn't affected by the light, but that thought vanished when he got a closer look at the woman in the light.

He knew her: red hair, slightly-pale skin, emerald-green eyes that matched his own and finally, a smile that told Harry that all was well…

Lily Potter, his Mother, was somehow standing next to his bed, her eyes filled with a warmth and light that seemed to erase any fears or concerns that burned in Harry at that moment in time.

"M…Mum?" asked Harry shakily, "How…how are you…is this…is someone using a Genjutsu on me?"

"No, honey," Lily replied, her voice soft and musical to Harry's ears, though he also noticed that she was close to tears as she sat down on the bed next to him, the surface underneath her not even shifting as she looked to him. "It's really me: I'm really here and I'm really proud of you for finally accepting and discovering your destiny."

"Destiny?" asked Harry, "You mean…as a Ninja?"

"That's right," Lily replied, her hand brushing over Harry's fringe and, to his surprise, he could feel her brushing his locks aside before she eyed the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead as she explained, "I cast this powerful jutsu the night that your Dad and I were killed: it could only be activated when you managed to open the gates surrounding your chakra reserves…and your legacy."

"Legacy?" asked Harry, partially stunned at the power used by his own Mother; now he understood why so many people said that her love for him was the weapon Voldemort had been destroyed by. "What…what legacy?"

"Our legacy," Lily explained, her hand now resting in Harry's as she explained, "And now your legacy: not only as Harry James Potter, child wizard and student of Gryffindor…but…as the last son of an ancient family of Ninja…a family with an amazing gift and knack for jutsu."

"What…what family?"

"The one that I was born into and stolen from at a young age," Lily explained, her voice filling with strength as she explained, "In the magical world and the Muggle one, I was known as Lily Alexandra Evans, apparent Muggleborn and Charms prodigy, but, in our world, the world of Ninja, my true name never left me…nor will yours leave you."

"What name?"

"My name," Lily answered, her eyes now staring into Harry's as she explained, "Is Tsubaki Kurenai Uchiha, daughter of the previous Lord Uchiha, my Father and, as I am your Mother, so too was he your grandfather. The grandfather of Harry James Potter…or as one of us…"

She then placed her hand on Harry's forehead as she revealed Harry's legacy and his real name;

"As Raiko Kakashi Uchiha, the last Uchiha!"