A.N. Thanks for all the reviews. Glad you all liked the basic premise. I took the advice in the reviews and changed the summary and also showed that Naruto's personality quirks are still present. Also, in case it wasn't clear, this is set around one year before manga verse graduation.
Chapter 3
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a tired man of many years who no longer found rest in sleep. Most shinobi did not live to be his age, and none had led one of the most powerful ninja villages in the world as long as he had. For all the honor of those two distinctions, he dearly wished he could get a single good night's sleep.
So it was well before dawn that the man found himself awake and pondering the many issues that plagued him as the Hokage. Candles burned low in his office, casting yellow light on dusty scrolls and maps of Fire country and beyond. Sarutobi's early quiet morning was disturbed when a mechanical bird flew through his tower's window to alight on his desk, almost toppling his pipe. The old man frowned; expecting that a message at that hour could only be about trouble. He took the tiny scroll from the bird and read the coded message from one of his ANBU:
Agent Orange has been meditating on top the Hokage Monument for past eighteen hours. He has been outputting chakra waves of fluctuating strength. At the time of this report the chakra has become visible. All attempts to bring Agent Orange out of meditative coma have failed. Suspect subject is agitated as chakra output is becoming volatile. Please advise. - Cat.
The Hokage stood from his desk and went to his window throwing it open to look upon the monument which was clearly visible from his office. Indeed, on top of the Fourth Hokage's head he could see a speck of light that seemed to be pulsing. In the late hours of night it was more visible than it would have been during day. Sarutobi used the body flicker technique to make his way atop the monument faster than the eye of any average ninja to follow. Arriving, he noticed that several ANBU had formed a loose cordon around the monument, keeping any curious night owls from finding out exactly who was emitting the chakra light. It was, after all, not normal for chakra to be visible unless employed by very powerful ninjas using equally powerful techniques. One of his ANBU nodded to him as he passed the cordon and Cat soon joined him.
"Hokage-sama." She gave a short bow. "Forgive me for disturbing your rest, but I thought you would want to manage this situation yourself."
Sarutobi nodded, his robes whispering around his ankles, as he walked quickly to Naruto. "You made the right call, Cat. You have been with him all day?" he asked.
"I took over his watch yesterday when the ANBU tailing him lost him in the afternoon...he is new to this detail and doesn't know Uzumaki's usual haunts. I was able to find him within minutes," she explained.
Sarutobi chuckled as he came to a stop some ways behind Naruto. "Perhaps we should require special training for ANBU when they are assigned watch duty. Naruto does have a penchant for keeping his guardians on their toes."
The cat masked ANBU shrugged. "No lesson is learned better than it is in battle."
"Now, Cat," Sarutobi admonished lightly. "Watching Naruto is hardly akin to battle." He did not hear the woman grumbling as he left her behind to go sit next to Naruto.
The boy was sitting in the proper stance for chakra meditation, with his hands and fingers locked in Ram seal. Around him a blue glow pulsed and receded to an indiscernible rhythm. It was raw chakra and while it was impressive that the boy had enough of it to be visible, the fact that it was fluctuating showed that whatever Naruto was meditating on was troubling him.
"I shook him and even shouted at him but he did not wake. I was hesitant to use more force," Cat reported, standing behind the Hokage.
Sarutobi hummed to himself in thought. "Iruka reported that the encounter with the enemy ninja you executed had frightened him, and that he was hungering to improve his skills. I wonder if his weakness in that moment is still bothering him."
"I have never seen him sit still so long, such a deep meditative state is..." she trailed off.
"Unusual in someone so young," Sarutobi finished for her. "Well, I'm afraid we cannot let it continue like this. Before long people in the village will be awake and it will be much harder to hide Naruto's chakra release."
The old man stood up and formed seals with his hands, when he was finished his palms glowed with a faint white light and he set them upon Naruto's back. He looked over his shoulder at Cat. "Remind me to teach this technique to you so you can pass it on to anyone on watch duty. This will siphon off his chakra at a dramatic rate. It should break his concentration without the risk of chakra going wild, as you would be absorbing it."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Cat said.
And just as her leader had said, the chakra light around Naruto dimmed and what had been a peaceful expression on his face gave way to a frown. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he released his hands from the seal. He looked over his shoulder, eyes flashing with annoyance. "Hey, gramps, why'd you break my concentration? Don't you know it's rude to disturb someone who is meditating?"
The Hokage chuckled even as Cat stopped herself from reprimanding the boy for speaking to the Sandaime so disrespectfully. The old man didn't seem to mind the boy's tone, however. He reached over and ruffled the boy's hair, earning himself another scowl. "Now, now, Naruto, you have been up here alone almost all night. What if a bear came out and ate you?"
"Yeah, right!" Naruto scoffed. "No bear can get past Kitty-chan."
Cat sighed inside, knowing that even more of the ANBU would become aware of her new nick name.
"Kitty-chan?" The Sandaime repeated with amusement.
Naruto nodded seriously. "Kitty-chan is the most kick ass kunoichi of Konoha. I'm going to be just like her," he seemed to pause in thought, "Even though I don't have her freakish strength and her long gorilla like arms – you know, she picked me up and ran to my home without stopping once? Guess I need her thick toad thighs to jump from roof to roof like her. Her lungs are probably big as a horse's; she wasn't even out of breath! It's odd though, because her breasts aren't huge-" Whatever else he was going to say was muffled behind the Sandaime's hand.
"Ah, Naruto, I think it's best I take you home, before 'Kitty-chan' loses her temper," The Hokage said, and picking up the boy body flickered away.
Cat's shoulders were slumped hearing about her 'gorilla arms,' 'toad thighs,' and apparently breasts that hadn't impressed Uzumaki. "The breast plate flattens them – it's not a fair judgment," she muttered to herself.
"Don't worry, Cat-san, I think you're the very model of feminine grace and beauty," one of her subordinates said.
"Just shut up, Hippo," she snapped.
"Yes, captain," the man ducked his head. How dare that brat compare Cat-san's perfectly shapely thighs to a toad? He fumed to himself.
(scene break)
The Sandaime chose not to body flicker all the way to Naruto's apartment. The village was quiet and peaceful at this time of the night, and he wanted to both enjoy a walk and speak to Naruto. The boy next to him was fairly subdued regardless of how exuberant he had been atop the monument.
"So Naruto, were you just meditating on your chakra? You were at it for a very long time," he began, carefully watching the boy's expression.
The child nodded putting his hands behind his head casually. "Mhm, Iruka-sensei says the only reason I am bad at school stuff is because I don't like it. So I told myself I love meditating! I won't fail my chakra control classes anymore."
The Sandaime laughed, amused by the enthusiasm and how true Iruka's analysis had turned out to be. Naruto simply needed to focus. "Well, I can tell that you will do very well, Naruto."
"I'm going to be just like Kick ass Kitty-chan! She saved my life!" He punched the air. His expression faltered suddenly. "But…"
"What is it?" the old ninja asked gently.
"Kitty-chan and enemy ninja are so big. Even if I get better at school, they would still beat me. I'm a close range fighter but what would it matter if my fists and kicks can't even reach the enemy?" The boy looked to him with those expressive blue eyes.
The Sandaime didn't voice his amusement at the boy thinking of himself as already a close range specialist. He put on an act of thinking deeply. "Well, Naruto, close range is not the only way to fight enemies, is it? You could use ninjutsu from a distance or throwing weapons. Or you could use a sword like your Kitty-chan to increase reach. When I was your age I used a staff." He winked at the boy. "I was pretty small for my age too."
That seemed to bring back the boy's enthusiasm and he grinned at the man. "Hey, gramps, can you teach me?"
"Hmmm, we'll see," the Hokage hedged, knowing outright saying no would only make the boy more determined. They were nearing the apartment building, so he slowed down to ask the boy a question that had been bothering him. "Naruto, did you know Cat-san was with you when you were meditating?"
"Of course, old man, I'm not stupid," the boy groused.
"I didn't say you were stupid," he chastised the kid. "How did you know she was there?"
The boy shrugged. "I can tell when she's around, just like when you or Iruka-sensei are there. She stopped by when I just started meditating, I didn't say hi because I was trying to concentrate."
"Can you tell when other ANBU are around?" Sandaime asked becoming very curious.
Naruto seemed to think about the question. "I don't know, I never tried to look for them. After Kitty-chan saved me, she took me home and I learned…I guess I know what she feels like now."
"Well, that's very good, Naruto. Most ninja are a little older before they are able to identify chakra signatures. Let me know if you are able to sense other ANBU around the village. Now, go ahead and try to get some rest." Sarutobi gently nudged the boy toward the apartment building.
He stood outside till the boy disappeared inside the building then turned to return to the tower. He pondered the meeting; at least on the surface the boy hadn't changed much, but here and there his questions showed that he had been affected by recent events. Sarutobi did not lament the change, knowing that if the child wanted to be a functioning shinobi someday, a little maturity at the cost of losing his innocence was not a poor bargain. He smiled to himself at the thought that perhaps Naruto might have some crude sensor abilities; no one would accuse the boy for being perceptive typically.
All in all, Sarutobi returned to his duties with a much lighter heart.
(Scene Break)
Harry shut the door and held out his palm casting the charms for secrecy he and his friends had used while camping on their hunt for the Horcruxes. He sighed in relief when the spells did take effect; he hadn't been sure he would be able to cast those charms without a wand. Once he had his privacy, he dropped the grinning mask, and his expression looked thunderous.
"Mito-dono," he called, turning toward to woman who appeared in the real world now. "Why did you tell me to ask the old man about my issue with reach?"
The woman have small regal bow. "My lord, you are very vexed right now, and while you were able to act as you did before your awakening, you were not thinking to say something which would convince Sarutobi that you had been affected by the attempt on your life. By asking that question you displayed that you are feeling vulnerable. He will not be suspicious now if you were to now work to remove that weakness, and it will only cement the notion that you have matured."
Harry watched her for a moment after she finished, trying to find flaw in her reasoning. Finally accepting it he simply grunted in acknowledgment and sat on the couch with a deep frown.
"My lord," Mito-dono said, coming to sit before him. "I understand that you wished to rail against the Hokage and curse him for keeping these secrets from you. However, if you had you would have aroused Sarutobi's suspicion. He is not a man to be taken lightly."
Harry did not answer, he simply sat and fumed. He was finding it hard to even believe all the things that had been revealed to him and the awful parallels between his first life and his circumstances as Naruto. If it hadn't been Mito quietly pleading with him to keep up the act of the clueless child with Sarutobi he would have done the man a fatal injury. Intellectually he knew that not taking any action while he was furious was the most sensible thing to do but that gave him no moral satisfaction.
"Forgive me, my lord. I have burdened you," Mito-dono spoke, bowing so low that her red hair kissed the floor.
Harry glared at her balefully, knowing she was not the cause of his problems but unable to be understanding just at that moment. "Jinchuriki," he said in a loathing filled whisper. "The power of human sacrifice… Did you know Mito-dono that in my previous life I was a human sacrifice as well? That there the man I thought loved me and was my guardian was simply helping me stay alive until the correct moment where I could lay down my life!" he suddenly shouted. "And here my own father put a demon inside me!"
There was a long silence before Mito-dono spoke, "My lord, I suspected that you were a reborn soul, but I did not know for certain, nor did I know of your other life. I am ashamed that the village I sacrificed so much for acted in the way it has. But most of all, my lord, as one of your clansmen, I am aggrieved to hear that even when reincarnated you did not have a better fate awaiting you than your last life."
Some of Harry's anger dissipated at the older woman's words. "Please raise your head, Mito-dono. I am sorry I yelled at you, it isn't your fault. I should be thanking you for telling me everything."
The woman came closer to him and kneeled once again, this time by his feet. Slowly she reached out and rested a half transparent hand over his. Harry was stunned to find that he could feel the warmth in it, even if it didn't feel solid. Mito-dono seemed surprised as well, but she schooled her features quickly. "My lord, I am here for you. You are my legacy and you are my family. As Master of Death you know that my loyalty is yours to command, but I wish you to understand that I give it to you freely without obligation." She placed her other hand on his cheek in a maternal gesture. "Suspect others in your life as you will, but you may trust in me without reservation."
Harry smiled wanly, despite himself taking heart in her words and her presence. "Thank you, Mito-dono." He stood, slipping away from her comforting hands to go make himself dinner. She stood and followed him as he went cupboard to cupboard finding only cups of instant ramen. Strangely that did not bother him and he found himself looking forward to the quick meal.
While he waited for the water to boil he decided to speak his mind on some things, hoping to see how loyal Mito was to him. "Mito-dono, my experience is that being right about something doesn't matter as long as you're too weak to fight for what is right. In my old life I was somewhat strong in magic-"
"Magic? Truly?" she smiled in open curiosity.
"It's not so surprising is it? A lot of this ninjutsu is like magic, not to mention the idea of demons," Harry said.
Mito-dono nodded as if thinking on it. "Perhaps, but magic is divine or demonic power, something unexplainable, that follows no logic…it is a power not experienced by those in the mortal realm."
"Follows no logic?" Harry scoffed. "If you said that in front of my Transfiguration professor she would have you writing lines for a month."
Mito-dono laughed softly. "Forgive me, I interrupted you. You were speaking of being righteous and power."
Harry nodded becoming serious again. "Yeah. Basically, I wasn't powerful enough to be really at the same level as the masters of magic in my life, and I didn't know so much about my own life that I was finding out secrets to literally my dying day." He paused to pour the boiling water from the kettle into the ramen cups. "I didn't know that there wasn't anyone really looking out for me just for my sake, other than my best friends. Here, I don't have anyone," he looked at her apologetically, "except you, of course, Mito-dono. So what it means is that I have to become powerful enough to be reckoned with and I need to know everything about myself." He turned to fix her with a determined expression, which was ruined because he had to look up at the regal woman. "I will not be manipulated because of my weakness or ignorance. From this moment I consider Konoha my enemy including the old man, Sarutobi. It wouldn't be the first time someone was kind to me just to use me later. Can you be loyal to me knowing how I feel now?"
The woman sighed, casting her eyes on the floor. "I love this village and it pains me to hear you declare it your enemy, but I trust that you will find people here to love. My loyalty is not in doubt, I have given you my word and I never break my word." She raised her eyes to catch his and gave him an amused smile, "Such is my nindo as well."
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I can accept that. Trust me," he said as his eyes became distant and his shoulders fell showing defeat, "I am not looking for revenge and I don't want to make enemies. I'm just tired of having my trust betrayed."
"In the world of the shinobi you must be powerful enough that for others to betray your trust is a fatal mistake. You are very wise to know that without strength and knowledge you cannot hope that people will be charitable and do right by you, my lord." She nodded to herself. "I will train you in the skills essential to a vessel, and particular techniques of the Uzumaki clan. The teachers you have had so far and Sarutobi have missed a very basic reason you performed poorly."
Harry ate his ramen, secretly pleased to see the woman so fired up. "And what is that besides my hyper nature?"
"Uzumaki clan was blessed with exceptional vitality. We lived longer and stronger than others, and we had on average greater chakra than others. But those of our clan chosen to be Jinchuriki had exceptionally great chakra with the ability to manipulate it in ways unknown to other clans. Your mother, for example, took to forming chains with her chakra that could manifest outside her body. They were formidable enough to trap and hold a demon like the nine tailed fox even when she was at death's door." Mito-dono smiled with fierce pride. "And so, young Naruto should have been taught to manage his chakra, as it is taught in the Uzumaki clan."
Harry pondered her words as he continued to eat, enjoying the warmth of the noodle soup. Mention of his 'mother' made him feel awkward. To him only Lily Potter deserved being called mother, but the little Mito-dono had told him about Kushina made him curious. He could summon her, of course, to meet her, but it was too soon. He did not know how to feel about her yet. "I have to admit," Harry said. "When I was meditating on my chakra, it was kind of overwhelming. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to manage it."
"As any problem, one must separate it in smaller parts and solve it step by step." The woman was smiling at him with a glint in her eye that Harry couldn't quite figure out.
"You are up to something," Harry said with a raised brow.
"Oh, yes, I am planning on teaching you a forbidden justu. A technique which was common enough for the Uzumaki clan but dangerous for clans without our vitality or chakra reserves. It is a necessary tool for an Uzumaki Jinchuriki." She made a hand seal and called out something and suddenly there were ten versions of her standing in Harry's apartment.
Harry was about to say he already knew about the illusion but the words died on his lips when he sensed her soul in each and every copy of her. "Oh…wow!"
"With your chakra divided amongst copies of you, you can learn to use your chakra precisely. That was the purpose of creating this technique; however, its side benefits are even more useful. Each copy of yours functions in the same way you would, and when it is dispelled, its experiences are absorbed back into you." She gave him a wry smile. "I imagine if you intend to keep your promise to that young boy, Iruka, you could use this technique to cover many subjects at the same time."
Harry laughed suddenly, happy to see things finally looking up. "Mito-dono, the only way you could make me happier right now would be to tell me where I could find a phoenix."
Mito-dono, who had been enjoying showing off, suddenly felt off balance at the odd question. "What do you need a phoenix for, Naruto?" she asked, forgetting the more formal address.
"For a magic wand, I need either a phoenix feather or tail hair from a unicorn, or a heartstring from a dragon. If I can make a wand, I can do magic," Harry explained.
Mito-dono thought for a moment. "I wonder if there is a summoning jutsu for divine beings."
Harry's ears perked up. "What exactly is a summoning jutsu?"
[Scene Break]
It was noon the next day and Harry had not slept yet. His eyes were gritty with the need to rest and he was constantly yawning. He had given Mito-dono her leave somewhere around late morning after questioning her on creatures she insisted were just mythical and possibilities of how to summon the supposed nonexistent beings. After she had left, Harry continued working on the Shadow Copy technique she had demonstrated. His mind was far too active to sleep and repeatedly working on something had helped him clear his thoughts.
As Harry had expected, Naruto, had an instinct for techniques if he could simply try them. Utilizing the younger boy's experiences and inclinations and his own abilities, Harry was very pleased to be sitting in his lounge surrounded by copies of himself. Sadly he was too beat to keep them going and dispelled them to do one last thing before he allowed himself rest.
He traced the circle on his palms and fixed the name and image of the man he wished to call from beyond death. Having called his name, Harry waited, and after a very long minute he appeared slumped on his floor, with his matted hair streaming into his wild eyes. Severus Snape looked haunted and ill.
Snape looked around, casting his eyes at Harry but not recognizing him since all he saw was a little blond boy. "Where am I? How did I get here?"
Harry cocked his head to the side at his professor's strained voice. "You are in another realm of existence than you spent your life in. I suppose you already know I am the Master of Death and I have summoned you here."
The man nodded jerkily and painfully rose to his feet, staring all the time from jaundiced eyes. "Milord, how is it you know of me to call me?"
Harry almost wanted to smile and taunt the man, but his broken condition stopped him. "We knew each other when we were both alive. I was reborn in this world after my death."
Snape's eyes widened and his sallow skin seemed to pale even more. "Lord Vold-"
"No," Harry cut him off. With a grim smile he said, "I suppose you never really expected me to win against him, did you?"
Snape blinked in confusion. "Potter? You're the Master of Death?"
"Yes, now tell me what happened to you. No one else I've summoned has been in your condition," Harry said.
Snape laughed humorlessly. "Perhaps they had made better choices in life. I'd thought selling my soul to Dumbledore would redeem it, but I have much to pay for, and I have been paying for it ever since I died. This is my first moment free of torment."
Harry winced inside but did not let it show. It was unexpected that Snape would confess something like that to him, and most likely the man only did because he was compelled to do so. Most importantly, Harry had been thinking about this decision all morning while he worked on Mito-dono's technique. He had decided that pitying the man like Dumbledore had would do him no good. "We all expected Dumbledore to be more than he was," Harry said.
Snape grunted, "So you went to your death, head held high."
Harry shrugged, choosing to let that be all the answer. "Despite every wrong you have done me, Snape, you didn't like the idea of…raising me like a barnyard animal just to be slaughtered. Well, in hindsight, I don't like the idea too much myself, and I am in the same situation again."
"Why am I not surprised?" Snape sneered, absentmindedly looking at the apartment. "I suppose you have moved up in the world, out of the cupboard into a derelict hole in the wall."
Harry raised a brow, affecting a cold expression he had seen on Snape many times. "Snape, I am the Master of Death, you are here because I summoned you. Do you want me to send you back to whichever hellhole I pulled you out of?"
Snape's back straightened and the sneer vanished. "That would be unnecessary. I live to serve."
Harry rolled his eyes at the morbid joke. "You are going to be as difficult as possible. If I knew you can't betray me, I'd be too happy to send you away. But I need a spymaster, and you're the only one I know."
Snape inclined his head in question before smirking. "So you have understood the value of intelligence. I'll do anything, just keep me out of…" he trailed off.
Harry nodded slowly. "I'm willing to keep you safe from paying your debts, Snape. In turn you will give me absolute loyalty, hold back nothing and devote yourself utterly. This is my order."
"Acceptable," Snape said simply, then with a thought added, "Milord."
Harry cringed at the title, knowing that the man probably only meant it as a title. "My name in this realm is Uzumaki Naruto. I am something called a Jinchuriki, which is a human prison for a demon. We are in the Village Hidden in the Leaves of ninja."
"…ninja?" Snape uttered the word with such ridicule that Harry was glad Mito-dono wasn't around to hear it.
"Yes, as insane as it sounds. They seem to be more like soldiers and mercenaries for hire than just assassins, but I am not sure. Your job is to spy on their leader. I want to know what they want with me, what their plans are."
Snape crossed his arms. "You are not thinking of this clearly."
"Oh?"
"I see that you have formed the logical conclusion that if you have a demon inside you, someone will want to use you, but that someone is not necessarily just one person. Power attracts many competing forces. Think back to our life, you had the Ministry, Dumbledore, and even the Dark Lord who wished to use you for their purposes." Snape shook his head in disappointment. "It is not as simple as you're imagining it."
Harry grinned. "Well, I suppose you are the spymaster then. Fine, do whatever you think is necessary. Just find out everything relevant to me or Jinchuriki. If I have enemies, I want to know who they are."
"And how to eliminate them," Snape added. "It will be done." He bowed in the manner Harry had seen him bow to Lord Voldemort and disappeared.
"Well, shit, life sure is weird. Snape bowing to me," Harry declared before falling back on the couch to promptly fall asleep.