A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long! I was planning one thing, but the characters had something else in mind and so I'm still not sure when exactly Harry/Naruto will get to Hogwarts. Oh well, there's some things that need to happen before Hogwarts anyway. I'm going to blend these two worlds together in a hopefully interesting way, but more about that at the bottom of the chapter. :D

I just have to say that I'm amazed at how well this story was received! I got 10 reviews for this chapter, 9 before the end of the first week. And almost 500 people have read the first chapter of KI; thanks to all of you!!

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Chapter 2 : Blood Wards

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Naruto started to flail when he saw how high up he was, but he settled down when he realized that he and the large man were not falling. Somehow they were flying through the air, stable on whatever it was that roared so loudly. Naruto was still suspicious about the whole thing, but he had to think of what the Kyuubi had told him.

He wasn't in his world anymore. He was dead and so were his friends. The Kyuubi said that they were also in this strange world, but he had no idea where they were. He was a toddler now, with black hair. Wasn't that strange? He looked kind of like Sasuke, a baby Sasuke, hehehe. Of course, he was still a baby, whether he looked like Sasuke or not.

Naruto frowned. Being a baby sucked; how was he supposed to take care of himself in this new world? He had no idea what this new world was like, though he did know one thing: Konoha didn't exist. He couldn't be Hokage, it just wasn't possible. The Fox had told him to find a new way to be Hokage, but how could he be Hokage without the village?

These thoughts preoccupied Naruto until he noticed that they were slowing down and landing somewhere. Naruto stayed silent and just watched as they coasted to a stop and the giant carried him away from their strange vehicle. It was dark and Naruto really couldn't see much, but he was able to spot a group of people standing in front of a house. There was an old man and woman and then there was a younger male, not much older than Naruto had been before he died. The younger man looked familiar, though Naruto couldn't see him clearly in the darkness. It wasn't until the young man spoke that Naruto recognized him and strained to reach him.

-

Iruka Umino leaned against the post that marked the end of the low brick wall. He had a suspicion as to who the tabby cat was, but he ignored her and she ignored him. She had eyes only for Dumbledore, but Iruka wasn't even waiting for the headmaster. In fact, he had no idea why he was really there. Sure, Dumbledore had requested that he be there and his aunt did live just a few blocks away, but Iruka was still figuring out why he was there. The Potters were dead and he should be celebrating the end of Voldemort, but instead he was standing in front of this civilian house.

He didn't say a word as Dumbledore finally arrived and spoke with McGonagall, confirming all of the rumors that flew around the wizarding world. The Potters were dead, but their kid was still alive and Voldemort appeared to be gone. Young Harry was staying at this house, which might explain why he was there; he was studying to be a teacher. But, Harry was just over a year old, so it wasn't as though Iruka could comfort the boy any more than one of the Professors.

There was a rumbling sound as a large man landed a flying motorcycle. Iruka had to blink at that and wonder why Sirius Black would lend Hagrid his prized bike. He focused back on the conversation as Hagrid got off the motorcycle and stepped toward the strange group.

"No problems, were there?" Dumbledore asked Hagrid.

"No sir – house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He was asleep until we were flyin' over Bristol, but he weren't any trouble."

Dumbledore and McGonagall bent over the bundle of blankets that Hagrid was carrying and Iruka leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the so called hero of the day. Iruka frowned as he saw the strands of bright blond hair mixed in with jet-black. He didn't even see the lightning shaped cut on the boy's forehead as he puzzled over the strange color. The bright color reminded him of someone from a long time ago; a person from a lifetime ago.

He missed another minute of conversation and was only brought back to reality by the howl as Hagrid said goodbye to the boy. He watched as Dumbledore walked to the front door of the house that they were in front of and bent down to lay the boy on the ground. Iruka's eyes widened as he realized what Dumbledore was about to do and he couldn't stop his outburst, "Professor Dumbledore."

The headmaster straightened up and turned towards his past student, still holding the baby. "Mister Umino?"

"You can't just leave him like that," Iruka exclaimed. "He's awake, what if he wanders off?"

"Young Harry has yet to walk or talk," McGonagall informed him and Iruka almost weakened. Still, he couldn't just let them leave the boy on the doorstep, not when the boy was awake and reaching towards him.

"He still knows how to move and he could fall down the steps." Iruka stepped towards the boy, wondering why the toddler was trying to reach him so frantically. "Besides, isn't it rude to just dump them on the Dursleys without speaking to them?"

"I am confident that Petunia and Vernon will take Young Harry in without any trouble, but you do raise some good points, Mister Umino. Still, I'm afraid that most of the staff are too busy to look after Harry at this time and I am reluctant to wake the Dursleys up at this time of night," Dumbledore replied, casting an apologetic look down to the toddler in his arms.

"I'll watch over him," Iruka said as he took another step forward. "Aunt Arabella lives just a few blocks away and she'll let me stay the night. I can come over in the morning and talk to the Dursleys while dropping Harry off."

"That is exactly why I have asked for you to be present," Dumbledore said, causing Iruka to blink in shock.

"You wanted me to take care of Harry?" Iruka asked, shooting Dumbledore a confused look.

"This isn't exactly how I had planned to ask you, I had planned to speak with you after dropping young Harry off, but things have changed." Dumbledore smiled as the child in his arms squirmed even more. Still, the older man kept a firm hold on the toddler as he continued to speak. "I wanted to ask you if you would be willing to keep an eye out on Harry and check on him when needed. Circumstances as they are, young Harry does deserve to be looked after by a witch or wizard, but any magic user moving into the area would be noticed by the Ministry, I'm afraid. Your aunt was able to move to this neighborhood without notice some time ago and it certainly wouldn't be too strange for her wizarding nephew to visit his aunt every once in a while."

"How often would you want me to check in with the boy?" Iruka asked as he looked towards the toddler.

"I'll leave that up to your discretion, that is, if you're willing to take the job," Dumbledore said.

Iruka sighed. "I'm going to become a teacher, so I guess that one more kid to look after wouldn't be that bad."

"Good, I'm glad you agree," Dumbledore said as he shifted the boy in his arms. "Now, I'm afraid that we must get back to Hogwarts, so I'll just leave young Harry in your capable hands."

Before Iruka could really process what was happening, he found himself holding the newly declared Boy-Who-Lived as the two Professors said their goodbyes and left him. Iruka sighed as he shifted his hold on the squirming boy and started walking down the street; at least Dumbledore had remembered to return the lights back to the streetlamps.

The walk back to his aunt's house didn't take much time and he soon set about to conjuring up a bottle. He wasn't the best at conjuring, so he didn't bother to try and create milk; instead using the real milk that his aunt kept for the cats. His aunt was a squib and he himself was just a step up from being one, too. Still, he had made it through Hogwarts, which meant that he was able to conjure up the few things that the toddler needed and his aunt didn't have.

His aunt Arabella was currently out of the house, cautiously staying away while Dumbledore dropped off Harry. She wouldn't be back until the next morning and Iruka hoped that she wouldn't wake the baby with her surprise when she returned. Though, there was half a chance that they would be gone before she came home. Iruka looked at Harry as he fed him and hoped that the Dursleys weren't as bad as Professor McGonagall seemed to think. He could still remember a bright, blond orphan being ignored by everyone on the street.

It was funny, but Harry sort of reminded Iruka of those hazy memories of another life. He couldn't quite pin down just exactly what it was about the young boy that did it, maybe those blond highlights that the brunet had? In any case, Iruka hoped that everything went the way that he hoped it would when he dropped Harry off at the Dursleys'.

He shook those thoughts away as Harry pushed the bottle away and smiled up at him. The toddler looked as though he was almost asleep and Iruka started slightly rocking the boy. "I-Iru-ka," the boy mumbled out and Iruka froze just as the boy's eyes slid closed.

"Strange," Iruka muttered to himself as he stared down at the boy. Dumbledore seemed quite confident that Harry couldn't talk and yet the boy was able to even pick up his name from the conversation. Iruka thought back to the boy squirming to reach him before he focused back on getting Harry ready for bed. Still, as Iruka was putting the toddler down on the transfigured crib he noticed something that he hadn't before; faint whiskers lined Harry's cheeks.

-

The next morning Iruka fed Harry breakfast and cleaned him up before getting him ready to go. He had kept a careful eye on the toddler after Harry had woken up in the morning, but he was behaving like any other toddler that Iruka had seen. Harry didn't seem to talk, as Dumbledore had said, though he did have a pretty extensive babble language to use. Iruka hadn't heard his name again, but he didn't really mind. It was just a curious incidence.

They managed to get out of the house before his aunt came home and he made the trip back to number four Privet Drive. It was still pretty early in the morning, but the car was already gone from the driveway. That meant that only Lily's sister was home with her child and Iruka wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Family members were easier to convince, but if what the rumors about Lily's sister were correct than it was possible that Iruka would have a hard time getting the family to take Harry.

There wasn't anything that Iruka could do about it other than just try, so Iruka went up to the door and rang the bell. The door was opened by a cheerful woman, though her smile soon turned to a frown when he recognized the boy in his arms.

"What do you want?" Petunia Dursley asked.

"My name's Iruka Umino and you obviously know that this is your nephew, Harry." Iruka shifted as the woman continued to frown at him. "May I come in to speak to you?"

Petunia's frown turned to a scowl, but she still stepped to the side to let him in. "Just so the neighbors don't talk about you or notice any of your magic."

"Thank you," Iruka said as he entered the house. Petunia closed the door right after he made it through and reluctantly led him over to their parlor. Dudley didn't even notice they were there, absorbed in a bright show on TV.

"I suppose you can put him down next to Dudley," Petunia said as she gestured towards the playpen that her son was in. She looked at Harry in concern. "He isn't going to hurt my boy or give him a pig's tail or something, is he?"

"There shouldn't be any trouble, ma'am, wizarding children typically don't show any accidental magic until they are a bit older," Iruka answered as he put Harry down next to the large toddler. Harry didn't even react to the boy, content to quietly gum one of the blocks that were in the playpen.

Petunia and Iruka sat down across from one another and they were silent as they watched the two kids settle down again. Finally, Petunia broke the silence in a quiet voice. "Something happened to my sister and her husband, didn't it?"

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Lily and James Potter died two days ago when the Dark wizard attacked their home. Harry managed to survive and the Dark wizard was defeated, but there is no one there to take care of young Harry," Iruka said, looking down at his hands the entire time.

Petunia looked away from the two boys in the playpen. "I thought something must have happened, otherwise it would have been her standing at the door with the boy."

"You are Harry's last relative and we were hoping that you would be willing to take him in," Iruka continued, looking up at Petunia.

"What about you?" Petunia asked as she looked over to him. "What about some other wizard, someone who could protect him and deal with his magic; shouldn't your kind take care of your own?"

"I don't think you know just how fragile our world is right now," Iruka quietly said, taking his turn to look away from the person across from him. "The Dark wizard and his followers have caused chaos in our world. Many other parents have been killed recently and we've been trying to find a place for each of these children to have a home. The fact is, there aren't many people who have the money and the situation to take on another child."

"I thought that Potter had some money at least," Petunia said.

"He did, but there's also another factor that makes us seek out another family for Harry. I told you that Harry survived and the Dark wizard was defeated, but what I haven't told you is that Harry was the one to defeat him." Iruka sighed as he turned towards the playpen.

Petunia shot a startled look over to the two boys. "He's just a baby, how could he be the one to defeat a Dark wizard?"

"We don't really know, although the Headmaster has a few theories. Still, Harry has become something of a celebrity. It was amazing that he was able to defeat the Dark Lord, but he did so by managing to survive a death curse that was thought to be impossible to block. He is a miracle and the rest of those in my world are determined to treat him so; for good or for worse." Iruka turned towards Petunia. "You're the one who could protect him from all of that and raise him to be a good person."

Petunia looked around as though looking for an escape before settling onto Iruka. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Iruka asked in surprise.

"Couldn't you take him in? You managed to take care of him so far," Petunia asked, leaning forward to give him a pleading look.

"I've really only taken care of Harry for the past night and I'm only nineteen; I can't take care of a toddler," Iruka fairly yelped as he tried to back away from Petunia.

The woman was determined not to give up, however. "You've made it out of that school, then, so you could protect him and you don't seem too concerned about his being a celebrity."

"Dumbledore said that you would be the best to take care of Harry and you're already a mother," Iruka said as he tried to get out of the trap that Petunia had set. He handed Petunia an envelope. "He said to give you this."

Petunia read the letter twice before backing down. "Fine, I'll take the boy in on one condition."

"What's that?" Iruka said as he relaxed.

"I'll take Harry in and raise him right if you'll move in to help take care of him." Petunia folded her arms and leaned back with a smug look.

Iruka looked at her in aghast, "What are you talking about?"

"This letter says that you're the one who will come around to check up on the boy. I'm not in a position where I can take care of two young boys so close in age, therefore I need a helper and you seem to be the best person to do that," Petunia pointed out.

"Would you really have that much trouble?" Iruka asked as he looked over to the two quiet boys.

"I didn't sign up to be the mother of two boys at once, thank you very much, I'm handling Dudley to the best of my abilities, but I just don't think I'll be able to handle adding Harry to the mix. Besides, getting this past my husband will be hard enough if I can't take care of both of them. Getting a helper makes the most sense and you are the best person for the job." Petunia glared at Iruka, letting him know that she would get her way whether he liked it or not.

"I'm going to be a teacher soon, I don't have the time to be a babysitter," Iruka almost wailed.

"I'm not asking for a babysitter, I'm sure that I can handle the boys for a couple of hours while you do your job, but I need someone for the evenings and the weekends and that will be you. Besides, by the way you talk I'm guessing that you don't have a job just yet." Petunia peered at Iruka. "You've just got out of that school, haven't you?"

"I just got out of Hogwarts, true, and I don't have a job just yet, but how am I supposed to get one when I'm babysitting all of the time?" Iruka asked.

"I told you that I was willing to let you get a job. There should be some extra schooling that you need to get through in order to be a teacher, which means that we can get through the worst few years before you have a full time job and by that time they may be in school themselves." Petunia nodded to herself. "We'd be willing to give you a room and meals for the times you are in house in exchange for you to watch over the two boys. How does that sound?"

"I really don't think that this is a good idea," Iruka weakly said when Petunia finally stopped talking. "What about your husband?"

"We have enough rooms to house both you and the boy. We'll have to paint over the guest bedroom and Vernon's sister won't be able to stay over any more, but, between you and me, that would be better for him anyway. Marge always gets him flustered and he never really enjoys her visits anyway. The toy room shall have to be cleared out a bit, but most of that stuff will actually work with Harry." Petunia pursed her lips as she turned towards her nephew to get a proper look at him. "Most of the things in the toy room are the things that Dudley's just recently outgrown and Harry is a month or two younger than my Dudley."

"That sounds good," Iruka said; feeling rather dazed.

"Good, then you agree to my condition?" Petunia smirked at him as she stood up and led him out of the room. She paused after opening the front door to look at Iruka. "We'll give you some time before you move in to get everything straightened up, you'll want to pick out a color and paint the room regardless, so I'll just let you go now. I'll take care of Harry until then, though I would appreciate it if you would check in every evening before you move in. Just remember that the boys will be going to bed earlier than an adult."

Petunia said her goodbyes before shoving the nineteen year old out of the door. Iruka stood there waiting on the front porch for a while longer before wandering back to his aunt's house. He had to talk to Dumbledore about this. It certainly was unexpected, but he would like to see someone else try and handle that stubborn woman.

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A/N 2: Okay, I said that I would explain a bit more down at the bottom, so here it goes. One of my reviewers asked when Harry's and Naruto's minds were going to merge and this was what I said in reply: Harry will be in control for the younger years, up until about 3 for sure. Harry is kind of like a buffer for Naruto, making sure that being a toddler doesn't drive him nuts. This is mostly for Kyuubi's benefit, although this is how it is for the others. Naruto is the only one to wake up before he was meant to, though.

Basically, Harry is the same as Naruto, but is just there so that Naruto doesn't freak out from being a kid. Of course, the Kyuubi wasn't expecting Voldemort. Now, some of the Naruto characters will reappeared as canon Harry Potter characters, but some Naruto characters will show up in interesting ways. Iruka is an example of the second one and to my knowledge Arabella Figg does not have a nephew. However, if she did, his name would be Iruka. ^.^ And Petunia Dursley is just awesome and decided on her own that she would make Iruka move in with them. So, Harry/Naruto's life is going to be a bit different; of course, Iruka wormed his way into the story before Petunia, so he was already bound to have an interesting childhood. Let me know what you think! - Tatra