English Talking
Japanese Talking/Jutsu/Spells
Chapter four
A whistle sounded.
The sleek, red train began to move. Students hung out their windows, giving last goodbyes to family members and friends. Young children, probably siblings of the students leaving, ran alongside the train, until it had gathered too much speed and they fell back. Neji sat on top of the train, in front of the chimney so the smoke didn't get in his face. As the train built up speed, his hair billowed out from behind his mask and whipped around in a frenzy, nothing like the intricate and delicate patterns the thick smoke was making in the air. Using his impressive control over his tenketsu points, he glued himself to the top of the train with chakra… and his hair to his back. He would not arrive at this potentially hostile place with his hair looking ridiculous. They had a reputation to uphold.
And his team would never let him live it down.
Adjusting his communicator more firmly on his neck so he would be able to communicate any dangers and make a regular report, Neji got comfortable on top of the magical train.
Harry had never been so out of depth in his life. He had never travelled on the Hogwarts Express without Ron, and now, now he was in a compartment with the oddest combination of people. Ginny sat in a corner, talking cheerfully with Neville Longbottom, a fellow fifth-year boy who was also in Gryffindor. In the opposite corner sat a girl who Ginny identified as Luna Lovegood, a quirky, absentminded fourth-year girl from Ravenclaw, who could not stop staring at the other person in the small carriage. Fox, He had informed him that he would be personally escorting him while the other ninja patrolled the train.
He didn't know how to feel about this. At first he was outraged. Everyone would be talking about him, whispering about him because he had a body guard. But as he walked the halls of the train he realised, people were doing that anyway. The Daily Prophet had been slandering him all holidays, calling him an attention-seeking liar. He was used to people staring at him, but now there was something else in those stares; Accusation, disbelief, condemnation. He didn't like it, he was almost relieved to have Fox there, acting like a shield from the stares. Everyone stared at the strange man in a mask rather than him. And when people didn't get distracted by the ninja and continued to stare at him, Fox stepped in between the glares and Harry, so naturally and casually it was like it wasn't intentional. Harry didn't even notice he was doing it until half way down the train when he noticed how much the blonde haired ninja was moving. He never seen him move so much, usually whenever he saw his guard he was standing still, or a blur.
Now his guard was sitting quietly in the corner closet to the door next to Harry. In his lap was Trevor the frog. He had escaped Neville's hands once again, but for some reason sat contentedly in his protector's knee. Fox was stroking the back of the toad absent mindedly. Harry thought he looked the perfect picture of bored or at ease. How wrong he was.
Every muscle in Naruto's body was coiled like a spring; ready to launch into action should the slightest motion make any attempt at his charge's life. The boy who had the toad, Neville Longbottom, seemed like a gift from the Sage of Six Paths himself. Frogs were natural sages, and what many people didn't know was that all toads are frogs even though not all frogs are toads. Having a master of sage chakra sit in his lap, even if the creature wasn't aware of it as he was, he felt calmer and stronger than he had since he had arrived in this nature voided city. He absorbed the nature chakra the amphibian naturally produced. He would be able to last the entire train ride, ready to spring into combat in a split second. Breathing in deeply, he focused his senses on the immediate surroundings, trusting his team to cover the hallway and exterior of the train.
Longbottom was talking excitedly about some plant he had received. So great was his enthusiasm it drew both Potter and Lovegood into the conversation. Naruto looked at the plant. He had never seen anything like it. It looked like one of Gaara's desert plants, except grey, and was covered in what seemed to be boils rather than spikes. It pulsated slightly, giving the leaf nin an impression of some of the more grotesque jutsu his enemies knew, like transplanting diseased organs into a healthy body in seconds. A skill Orochimaru had taught his subordinates. Though the castors had died, the soldiers they infected suffered greatly over the next few days before he or Baa-chan could get to them, most didn't make, the rest wish they didn't.
Naruto shook of darker memories just in time to see the Neville boy jab at the plant with a feathered pen. His sage chakra allowed him to move quicker than he normally would. Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant like an over ripe pimple. Thick, stinking, dark green streams of it hit everywhere; the ceiling, the windows and all of its occupants. The Weasley girl had protected her face in time with her arms and only had some on her head. The absent minded one had put down her magazine and received a face full and the Longbottom child was drenched. He tried shaking his head to get most of it out his eyes.
"S – sorry!" he gasped. He looked around and just noticed Harry missing. A soft thump made them all look towards the door. The scarily masked man had just released his grip on Harry, who was looking a little pale, but completely Stinksap free. At that moment the door of their compartment slid open.
Still ready for an attack, Naruto discreetly palmed a kunai knife in his hand. Waiting for whoever was on the other side of the door to make a move towards his charge. Amongst the chatter a rattling that was increased when their door opened, he heard the distinct voice of his ex-sensei.
"Non-threat,"
Naruto, being the only one in that room who could understand Japanese, relaxed his stance. A girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway. Her gaze was fixed on Potter.
"Um … hello, Harry," she said nervously, a blush creeping up her cheeks. When Harry heard her voice he spun around, not having noticed the door swing open, or his guard easily handling a deadly weapon.
"Oh … hi," Harry said, his voice matching his face, at a loss on what to do. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, before the girl muttered a quick goodbye and left, still quite pink in the face. Harry groaned and turned around to face his fellow students, who were suddenly incredibly busy trying to get the rancid smelling liquid off them.
"It's ok," said Ginny graciously, "There'll be other times. As for now," she pulled out her wand, not noticing the guard tense all over again. You wouldn't expect the younger sister of the boy's best friend to be an assassin, but when you come from Naruto's world, Naruto's life, betrayal was as common as clouds.
"Scourgify!" the girl cried. The Stinksap vanished. Naruto raised his eyebrows, though no one saw it behind his mask. They may not be strong but wizards had definitely got some useful little tricks.
"Sorry," Neville said again to the girls. Seeing his seat free and clear of goo, Harry sat down, his guard following suite. He sighed and wondered when Ron and Hermione would be back to save him.
An hour went by, filled with small talk and quiet silence before the compartment door slid open again. Ron and Hermione, accompanied by Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon, slumped down on the empty seats next to Luna.
"Can't believe that silly cow made prefect," Hermione grumbled. Harry raised a brow. It was very rare to hear Hermione swear.
"There are two prefects from each house," Ron explained tiredly. "Guess who Slytherin's is?"
"Malfoy," Harry said instantly, of course he would be.
"And Pansy Parkinson," Hermione hissed. "She's thicker than a concussed troll." Harry and Ron exchanged glance before both snickering. It was then Ron noticed the silent guard.
"Oh, hello Fox," he said nervously. He didn't like the idea that his parents thought he was stupid enough to warrant a watcher, but they had saved his sister, so they couldn't be all bad, could they? Fox nodded a greeting, before going back to petting Trevor who sat happily in his lap. Hermione stared at this. The toad that hated humans holding it or staying in one place too long was sitting complacently in the lap of a stranger? It even looked… happy. Did these people have some sort of affinity for animals?
Harry glanced sideways at the ninja. It felt weird calling him a ninja. To him, ninja were people who wore black jump suits and ski masks and threw flimsy stars around whilst jumping all over the place. He hadn't told his friends a thing about what Sirius had revealed to him. He agreed they were scary, and had some sort of special magic (A summoning spell without a wand?), but ninja? He didn't want them to laugh at him.
The compartment door slid open for the third time. For the first time since meeting the wizards, did the ninja see the three friends turn with the same look of strong dislike on their faces to the people standing in the doorway. The one in the middle looked slightly familiar. The boy had a pale, pointed face and his equally pale blonde hair was slicked back from his face, making the smirking face more pronounced. Flanking his sides were two large boys that dwarfed the middle one. They had sneers on their faces but their eyes weren't as sharp or as intelligent as the one in the middle. Naruto guessed they were hired thugs or friends the blonde boy had made for protection.
"What do you want?" Harry asked aggressively, just as the pale boy opened his mouth.
"Oh, angry are we Potter? Maybe a detention or two will teach you manners?" the boy drawled in a bored sort of way. Now Naruto knew who he was. This was the son of the snake like man who was at the Ministry. They had the same slimy air around him. He watched as the two exchanged insults, Harry being the victor. He tensed his muscles. Just because you win an argument doesn't mean you won. Trevor croaked loudly when he stopped stroking him. Draco Malfoy, identified during the banter, turned his attention to the shinobi. His sneer became more pronounced.
"Added another member to your freak show?" he said maliciously. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Hermione smiled.
"I wouldn't tease him if I were you. He's Harry's bodyguard. He'd beat all three of you before you even drew your wands." She said smugly. Malfoy frowned. Only students were allowed on the train, but more importantly, he needed to show how much better he was than these losers.
"Crabbe, Goyle. Show our friends here how wrong they are." Malfoy ordered. The two boys grinned, something they knew how to do, and do well. Cracking their knuckles they stepped forward. The four witches and wizards who had seen the guard's power grinned as well. Neville was scared and Luna just observed dreamily.
Naruto frowned behind his mask. The children were getting him to fight their battles for them. They did not understand the situation or how his world handled threats. He would have to show them. Blurring from sight there were gasps of pain and three bodies fell to the floor, all bleeding from their temples. An ominous silence descended.
"Dog!" Naruto said sharply. Kakashi appeared by his side. "Get the unconscious ones back to their carriage, make sure no one knows they've been knocked out. They'll wake up in a few minutes, I just put them to sleep"
"Why are they bleeding?" Naruto could kill without leaving a chakra signature, let alone a physical wound.
"To make a point." He growled out. "When you leave place silencing seals around this compartment."
"Hai, captain."
Kakashi nodded. Displaying inhumane strength, he picked up the three students and disappeared, door sliding closed behind him. Striking quicker than a viper, Naruto struck out at Neville and Luna. The two slumped unconscious in their sleep. The four remaining magical students felt the cold touch of fear.
"W – where is he taking Malfoy?" Harry asked numbly.
"He is disposing of the bodies." Naruto said harshly. "Do you know what you have done?"
"What we have done?" Hermione shrieked. "You just killed three people!"
"Because of your stupidity!" Naruto growled. "We are here to protect you from danger, not to fight your battles for you! You think it was clever, baiting him to attack me? Goading him to strike? I am not your attack dog, I am your guard. Anyone who provokes me or shows aggressive signs towards you will be treated as a threat and eliminated."
"You thought Malfoy would've killed Harry?" Ron asked incredulously. "I mean, yeah he's a git and needs a good punch in the face, but he wouldn't kill him…" he trailed of as the bone white mask faced him.
"Anyone will kill anybody if they believe the reason is right enough," his voice was soft, with well concealed pain. "When someone attacks me, I will retaliate with deadly force. Do you understand now? This is not a game. You taunt and provoke people into attacking me or you, I will do my job. It is what we were hired to do. Do you understand?" he demanded.
The three wizards nodded numbly, faces white with shock. These people were insane! Dumbledore hired these murderers to protect them? What was he thinking? Harry was stunned by how different these ninjas were to what he thought. He would have to tell Ron and Hermione, but when they were alone. Who knew what these killers would do if they overheard them.
"I will patrol for the rest of the trip. Do not leave this compartment until we arrive." His voice was steel and it kept them nailed to their seats. Turning swiftly, the shinobi opened the door and slid it shut. Unnoticed by the wizards, four glowing seals detached themselves from the corners of the room and drifted to the floor. A stunned silence filled the room, only broken when Luna and Neville woke with soft groans.
…
Rain spattered the windows in infrequent bursts, as if it couldn't get the energy to really pour. The sun broke through the cloud coverage a few times, its weak light illuminating the country side for mere moments before being swallowed up. The sun made a final appearance and darkness fell, the lamps inside the train lit up.
Harry sat with his forehead pressed against the glass, straining to get a glimpse of the distant Hogwarts.
"We'd better change," Hermione said. The first words they had uttered since the episode earlier. Each of them lost in their own thoughts and feelings of guilt, fear and accusation. As they struggled into their robes, the train began to slow down, and the usual racket as everyone scrambled to get their luggage. Harry looked longingly after Ron and Hermione as they disappeared into the crowd. Being Prefects meant they had to supervise the students leaving the train.
Leaving the train, he felt the sting of the cool night air on his face, smelt the pine trees that lined the path to the lake. A deep feeling of satisfaction filled him. He was home. All that was missing was the familiar call of "firs'-years over 'ere … firs'-yeas …"
But instead was a different voice. A brisk, almost strict voice was calling for the first years to assemble. A swinging lantern shone its light and revealed Professor Grubby-Plank, temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Beyond her he could see the huge outline of Hagrid, standing quietly to one side, away from the surge of students juggling their luggage and pets. Harry was confused. Seeing Hagrid was one of the things he'd been looking forward to most, but seeing him stand quietly was so strange to him. As the crowd thinned, he saw the reason why. The ninja were standing around him. He was talking to them quietly. Some sort of agreement must have been made because the ninja nodded, and Hagrid left.
Filing that away to discuss with Hagrid later, he turned and made his way to the hundred or so horseless carriages that would take all the students, except the first years who travelled by boat, across the grounds and to the castle. He was acutely aware of the ninja trailing the swarm of students, following them. Harry kept a lookout for Ron and Hermione but had to stop and stare.
The coaches were no longer horseless. Some creature, half-horse half-dragon, stood between the carriage shafts. They had no muscle mass at all. Their black coats clung tightly to their skeletons, outlining every bone in their bodies. Their heads reminded Harry of the dragons he fought last year, and their eyes were pure white, no pupil visible. They were also dragonish in the sense they had giant black wings sprouting from their withers. The wings seemed like they'd suit bats, but they were folded and rested comfortably against the backs of the creatures. They stood so still they could be mistaken for statues, but in the darkness and flickering lights of swinging lanterns, they just looked eerie and sinister. Then as one they all raised their heads and stared right at him.
Or past him he should say. The white, staring eyes gazed directly at the ninja, who in turn had their masks trained on the beasts. The clamouring of the students died slightly as those closest to the ninja realised there was more than the one they saw on the train, and that they were making their way towards the closest carriage. Ron and Hermione appeared behind him, frustrated looks melting off their faces as they stared in curiosity at the ninja.
Fox was the one that approached the horse thing. Its empty white eyes stared back at him. Slowly he raised a hand and placed it on its muzzle. The air around them shimmered. All the students stopped and stared at the display. The horse's blank eyes were suddenly full. Beautiful black eyes stared at Fox. The thing nipped at the ninja's hand, revealing viciously sharp fangs that should not belong in the mouth of a horse.
"What is he doing to the cart?" the breathless voice of Hermione asked.
"The coach?" Harry asked in confusion. "He's petting the horse thing that's pulling it."
"What are you talking about?" Ron questioned.
"I'm talking about – that!" he said, gesturing towards the ninja stroking the nose of the thing and murmuring softly to it in a strange language.
"Harry, he's touching the air and making it shimmer," Ron frowned.
"Maybe they're using a detection charm to see what kind of magic pulls the coaches?" Hermione guessed.
Naruto stepped back from the beautiful creature. They had made enough of a scene. As his hand left the beast, the shimmering faded and the gorgeous, liquid black eyes of the horse once again returned to their blank white. He couldn't help himself, and his fellow shinobi couldn't either. These were creatures born from tragedy, and their presence was so strong in their senses it was almost overwhelming. The power they also sensed housed within their bodies, especially their tails was incredible. The wizards must have some form of power if they have a trained a herd of these magnificent beasts.
"Taicho." The cool voice of Neji broke through his admiration. Even the stoic ninja had an undercurrent of awe to his voice. He nodded. They were to meet Dumbledore before the children made it to the castle. No doubt this was yet another test for them, this time to see how quick they were. No need to show them their physical prowess. Forming a seal in their hands, the ninja shunshin'd to the castle doors.
Hundreds of students watched the strangers disappear in the blink of an eye. Immediately the students erupted into speculation, none higher pitched then Hermione, her busy hair flying everywhere in her incredulities.
"They aparated! They can't Aparate! They're on Hogwarts grounds! Hogwarts: A History specifically said that you cannot Aparate on school grounds!" Her rant was cut short when her sense of duty kicked in. Students were milling about, no one was getting in the coaches. Grabbing Ron by the arm, she dragged in him into the thick of it, yelling at students to get in the carriages.
Harry stood numb. He needed to talk to Dumbledore.
…
"You want us to reveal ourselves to the entire school?" Fox asked incredulously.
"Yes, I want you to show off your most powerful techniques too." Dumbledore ordered calmly.
"Do you even understand how a ninja works?! We deal with shadows, in secret, behind closed doors! The less people know about us the better! Any information you can keep from your enemy is a victory? How do you not get this?" These people were so stupid! Fox thought angrily. Wars were not won by people showing off flashy moves and revealing their trump cards at the start!
"I understand your concern, but that is not the only war I am fighting, as you've probably figured out already if you are indeed as good as they say." Smiled the headmaster.
"That is not what we were hired for. We are here to protect the boy and the students, eliminating anybody that we deem a threat. We are not your pet dogs to fight your battles for you. If you have a disagreement with someone, that is your issue. We are here to protect our Kage's honour."
"Which means you must honour the terms of the contract. If I said that certain people within the ministry mean to cause Harry harm, you would have to see them as a threat, but I would rather cow them into submission before they get to the stage of a threat," the old man said pleasantly. The ninja stared with wide eyes at the school teacher. The man had all the makings and beliefs of a dictator. Regardless of how pretty he was making it sound, he wanted to destroy all enemies before they had a chance to oppose him. They were instantly reminded of Danzo, a man who had tried to kill off their beloved Third Hokage and wrestle leadership away from, only to achieve his dream and then be killed by none other than a traitor. Ironic.
Dislike for Dumbledore grew until it was bordering on hatred. There were a lot of things they were willing to do to protect their Hokage's honour. The second Dumbledore asks them to do anything they weren't willing, well, he just better not for his own health. The ninja nodded, albeit grudgingly, and vanished. They would be obedient. For now.
…
The Entrance Hall was light brightly with blazing torches and echoing footsteps of students making their way to the Great Hall filled the room.
The starless black ceiling hung above the heads of the students as the four long house tables slowly filled up. Up in the rafters of the ceiling, behind whatever genjutsu that showed the night sky, the Leaf shinobi gazed down at their charges.
"There is more than five hundred students here Deer," the bored voice of Kakashi spoke. The deer masked ANBU scratched the back of his head.
"There were roughly five hundred on the platform. Others could have been on the train already I guess."
"That doesn't make up the numbers here. There is almost a thousand. There must be another way to get here or students were here already."
"We have to protect a thousand students? What a drag."
"And teachers also, as well as patrolling the grounds, all of the grounds."
"You're talking about that forest and that lake?"
"There were sentient beings in those areas; some of them were very strong."
Naruto's mind was already calculating a systematic way of investigating all areas of the school, as well as protecting the students.
"Something is wrong with my eyes." Instantly all attention shifted to Neji. He was staring at a wall, his Byakugan activated.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked his voice forcibly calm.
"It's not my eyes exactly, it's this place. It – It doesn't make sense. The space on the inside is larger than the outside. Just looking at the outer walls makes my head hurt from the overlapping images. Then some of the rooms keep disappearing, or the interior changes. Items are appearing out of nowhere only to vanish. Forms of chakra keep making items and then completely vanish. I can't keep track. Then there are these strange chakra signatures floating around. They have no form, no life force, but the chakra is still there. And – and the castle itself. It's alive."
"What do you mean alive?"
"Well there are lots of jutsus' that are ingrained in the building itself, there are seals everywhere, and there is chakra running through every brick. But the chakra has its own mind. It has its own network. There is a room that it all centres on, its heart maybe? The castle is sentient." The pulsing veins on the side of his head disappeared and the dove masked ninja sagged. This was serious; it took a lot to make Neji show any signs of exhaustion. Naruto was instantly kneeling by his side, running a green hand over his eyes. He felt the throbbing headache and willed it away.
"Very well, do not use your Byakugan inside the castle walls unless you feel it is absolutely necessary. For now, we shall perform for the crowd then rendezvous with Dumbledore and start our primary mission. Understood?"
"Hai, Taicho."
As the ninja had conversed the Sorting Ceremony had begun. This had been described to them when they arrived at the castle. The youngest children who belong to no house will be divided into the house that suited them best. There were four houses, each with a different quality they take in. And Each year the 'magical hat' would sing a song, welcoming the new students.
But the song the hat sang was quite different. It spoke of trouble ahead as well as advising everyone that they needed to be united. Naruto noticed the frown on the woman in pink. He recognised her from the hearing. It was the woman that reminded him of Gamabunta. She was still wearing clothes of a shocking pink. Her pouchy eyes glared at the hat.
When the hat finished its song, mutterings broke out across the Hall. Only to be silenced by a glare from the severe looking woman. One by one the new student walked up to the chair the hat was seated on, and divided into their houses. Naruto thought of the hypocrisy. The hat preached unity but divided them. Once the students were seated, Dumbledore clapped his hands and food appeared upon the tables. The ninja stared. To summon that many objects at once, without seals or handsigns, showed a high level of skill.
"That was the castle. It responds to the old man." Neji clarified. Naruto frowned, and even behind his mask Neji noticed. "I felt it appropriate. I will stop when I reach my limit. Do not worry Taicho."
Naruto nodded and they settled down to watch and wait while the students finished their feast. As the food disappeared and the volume level of the room started to increase, Dumbledore stood. Instant silence flooded the room. He commanded respect everywhere he went, observed the shinobi.
A short welcome started his speech off. Warnings from the care taker as well as the introduction of two new staff members. The toad woman made a speech of her own. Ninja were trained to read the hidden meanings in everything. The easily got the message of the Ministry interfering in Hogwarts. That answered some questions they had. They had been informed the school was out of government control, obviously the government didn't like that anymore. Naruto watched Dumbledore closely. Everyone else may be fooled by his smart posture and alert face, looking like he desired nothing else but to listen to the toad woman, Umbridge she introduced herself as, talk. But he saw the way his eyes had a fire of anger and then a twinkle of mischief with an air of smugness. He also had the feeling they were going to be used as a part of this power play.
The woman rambled on, losing the attention of most of the students. When she finished she found no one was paying attention to realise she had stopped. Dumbledore started the clapping, rousing the bored, distracted students into following his lead.
"Thank you for that illuminating speech Professor Umbridge," he said whilst bowing to her. "Now as I was saying, due to recent events I have enlisted some extra protection for the school." Umbridge looked up sharply. Naruto almost grinned, obviously she didn't know about them. "This elite group will be patrolling the grounds as well as the corridors. They will also assist in the enforcement of the school rules along with Mr Filch. Now I understand that some of you may be dubious or even scared of these people, but I urge you to not be afraid, they are here to protect you."
Whispers broke out over Dumbledore's last sentence. Hired protection that they would be afraid of?
"Allow me to introduce Fox, Deer, Dog and Dove."
"Showtime" Naruto said and they each disappeared.
Student's heads twisted and turned, each trying to get a glimpse of the guards. Harry, Ron and Hermione were also interested on how the guards were going to appear. A gust appeared, swirling around in a circle on the dais next to Dumbledore. Leaves, picked up by the gust, swirled around thickly and soon, a mini tornado was spinning gracefully. No one questioned where the leaves had come from; the Great Hall was always impeccable when it came to cleanliness and mysterious when it came to magic. Everyone was captivated. In the centre of the windy column, four shadowy figures could be seen. Suddenly a glowing blue nimbus appeared and the wind and leaves were exploded outwards, revealing the four guards.
They stood straight, hands clasped behind their backs; feet spread shoulder width apart, power exuding from them in waves. The flickering candles cast shadows upon their porcelain masks, making them appear even more sinister. A hushed silence filled with awe descended on the Hall.
The teachers all looked scared.
Umbridge looked like she was going to explode with rage and cower in fear.
Dumbledore smiled a hint of satisfaction in the quirk of his lips. "Our estimable guests come here from a place not very well known and give us their protection. I hope you all make the ninja of the Elemental Nations welcome."
Chaos erupted. Protests of disbelief were thrown around, accusations of Dumbledore's mentality cruelly yelled out. Shock and fear causing slight hysteria with many of the students.
Harry stared at the mayhem wide eyed. The wizarding world knew about ninjas? And what they knew was obviously big from the reactions around him. Ron had paled so much his freckles shone a bright red. Hermione was staring at the guards, mouth open and gaping like a goldfish.
Naruto surveyed the room disapprovingly. This was why their origin was best left secret. Now they had to deal with public panic as well as guard the population against threats. He needed a way to calm the situation down, whilst also showing they were who the headmaster claims they were. Which could cause the students to fear them even more.
"Deer, Stop them." He commanded quietly. The deer masked shinobi nodded and crouched down. Running through the familiar hand seals with ease and muttered quietly,
"Kageshibari!" Shadows exploded from his feet. The teachers who were still seated behind them, paused in their arguing and watched, fascinated and fearful.
The shadows split into a thousand lines and attached themselves to the feet of every student in the hall. Instantly the angry yells of confusion turned into cries of shock and fear, before the shadows stretched themselves up from the floor and blocked their mouths.
Harry was frozen in his seat, and couldn't move even if he wanted too. The shadow holding him had a peculiar feeling about it. He couldn't feel it on his skin, but he could feel the power stopping him from moving. It frightened him. Against their will, every head in the Great Hall turned to look at the ninja.
The fox masked man stepped forward, and the other two crouched, joining the one who was using the spell to hold them. The three on the floor each held their right hand, clenched in a fist across their chests. They were saluting the man who was still standing.
"My name is Fox and I am the leader of this squad." The standing ninja stated. His clear, strong voice carried easily in the silent Hall. "We have been hired to guard these grounds and all who dwell within them against any threat. We will assist the care taker in upholding the rules of this establishment. We will not interfere with your daily activities and we ask you leave us to do our job. Any source seen as a threat to the wellbeing, of any student will be immediately eliminated without hesitation." He paused and gazed around at the faces of the students, seeming to pin each and every one to their seats.
"We are ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire. I assure you that most of your facts about us are grossly misinformed but! Do not test us. We are not here to answer your questions or play nice. We are here to guard you and keep these grounds safe."
Naruto stepped back in line with his team as they stood back up. Dumbledore cleared his throat. The shadows that were binding the students released themselves and disappeared without a trace. Not that it made a difference, they were still rooted to their places anyway.
"Thank you Fox!" Dumbledore said, his easy smile still on his face. "Now that introductions are over it is time for bed! Rest those minds so that they are ready for all the learning you shall be doing over the next semester!"
The ninja vanished and like that, the spell was broken. Chatter broke out excitedly as students talked about what had recently transpired. Harry sat back in his chair and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was seriously going to have to research what ninja really were. Research equivilated to one thing in his mind: Ask Hermione.