A/N: Sorry for the delay. Personal stuff, then I got sick. Constantly having the urge to sneeze – doesn't help the writing process. Nor does a stuffed up nose and a fuzzy mind. But, here it is, finally. In time for the holidays! Merry Christmas! If there's anything wanky about this chapter, blame it on the cold medicine!
Also, reviews have gotten into the triple digits for this story. Yay! To my 100th reviewer, Kiaranassimu, thanks for that milestone and I dedicate this chapter to you! And, thank you for all the wonderful reviews, everyone. They, of course, made it happen too!
Disclaimer: The characters of this fanfic do not belong to me. Anything considered canon in this story also does not belong to me. I make no profit from it, so please don't sue.
888888888888888
Chapter 7
"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us."
- Socrates
888888888888888
"Good morning!" Naruto said as soon as the door of Luna and Harry's apartment was open. It was Luna who answered the door. He grinned as she let him in, inwardly pleased that he was able to visit alone that morning. No Sasuke, no Sakura hitting him. Sakura was pretty, but he didn't mind not having to worry about being punched if he said something wrong.
Luna offered him some pumpkin juice, which Naruto nervously but politely declined. He'd tried it yesterday, thinking it was orange juice, and would not be repeating that experience. He liked his vegetables barely visible in his food or not at all. That drink, in his opinion, was one of the worst ideas in the world.
"Morning, Naruto," Harry said from the kitchen where he was mixing something in a bowl. "Here for breakfast? We're making pancakes."
Naruto's stomach answered for him, before he could say anything, and the blonde boy laughed nervously while he rubbed his stomach. "Uh, if that's okay…"
There was no reason to worry about being kicked out though. Harry and Luna were more than welcoming and Naruto soon found himself with a stack of sweet smelling pancakes in front of him. Again, it wasn't a breakfast Naruto was used to having but he certainly wasn't complaining. He didn't typically eat a normal breakfast anyway, since most of his cupboards were stocked full of instant ramen. It was the first time off mission that he was getting a real home cooked meal, and Naruto was more than eager to enjoy it.
"This is great!" Naruto said making sure he swallowed before speaking even though Sakura wasn't there to lecture him about it.
"Thanks, Naruto… How was your training yesterday?" Harry asked.
Naruto pouted. "Boring," he said. Then he perked up as an idea struck him. "Hey, you guys can come watch if you want! That would make it more fun."
"Sounds wonderful," Luna answered. "Harry's supposed to be resting today anyway, so we'd love to join you."
"Resting?" Naruto asked. "Are you sick?" Naruto skimmed a critical eye over Harry, trying to see some sort of injury or illness. He wasn't good at that stuff, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong. Harry had a resigned expression on his face, which made Naruto's spirits suddenly drop. Maybe Harry didn't feel like spending more time with him, he thought.
"Ano, you don't have to if you aren't feeling well, Harry-san," Naruto mumbled. Harry's facial features softened as he looked at the young ninja, taken in his dejected visage.
"I'm feeling more than well enough to see you train, Naruto. I just don't exactly like being reminded that I'm still recovering from yesterday."
"Did something happen? Granny-Tsunade didn't punch you did she?" Naruto asked worriedly. "She does that a lot to me, but I'm pretty tough so it's not so bad."
Harry chuckled. "No, though I'll keep that warning in mind. I'm just a little worn out from my examination of the sword."
"Oh," Naruto said, growing confused. "What kind of examination can wear you out like that?"
"One where it's very important that I keep my concentration," Harry said. "If I lose focus, it can go very badly and there's still the risk of backlash if the item is at all unstable. I unfortunately failed to anticipate the instability of your Second Hokage's sword."
The young shinobi nodded, understanding. "Can I see next time?"
"Perhaps," Harry answered. "It really depends on what the Hokage says."
"She'll probably say no," Naruto said, looking crestfallen. Harry and Luna exchanged looks.
"How about we show you something a little more exciting than that?" Harry asked.
"Really? What?" Naruto immediately brightened.
"Fancy going for a broom ride?" Luna asked.
"Ehhhh?"
888888888888888888
"Did you hear about those two foreigners that arrived with Team 7?"
"I heard that they had the Second Hokage's sword with them."
"What? No way!"
"I heard that they can do some freaky things, and Tsunade-sama has every ANBU keeping an eye out for them."
"Yeah, and that kid is hanging out with them. Doesn't look good, if you ask me."
It was this conversation that interrupted Shikamaru's nap under a tree near Konoha's wall. Next to him sat Choji, working his way through a bag of chips which was the usual for him. Shikamaru cracked an eye open, following the movement of the group of Jonin who were gossiping as they walked along the path that would take them to the market.
"Troublesome," he muttered.
"Who are they talkin' about?" Choji asked through a mouth full of barbecue chips. His focus was on the Jonin as well.
"The man and woman who are staying in Naruto's apartment building," Shikamaru answered easily.
"How'd you figure that out?"
Shikamaru sighed and pushed himself up to lean over his knees. "People have been talking about them ever since they got here. I can't seem to get any peace and quiet because of it."
"What do you think they meant when they said they do freaky things?"
"No idea."
"Choji! Shikamaru!" The two boys turned their head as they heard their name being called. Coming from the opposite direction of the Jonin that had just passed by, Ino waved as she hurried towards them.
"Did you hear about that cute foreigner and the blonde girl that arrived a couple days ago?" She asked. Shikamaru's response was to roll his eyes while Choji rummaged for another bag of chips, uninterested in how cute the foreign guy might be. Ino growled in annoyance.
"Fine, then I won't tell you guys what they're doing right now with Naruto," she said.
That caught her teammates' attention.
88888888888888888888
"Now, whatever you do, don't use your chakra while you're on the broom," Harry said.
"And try to stay calm," Luna added. "Sometimes they have a mind of their own."
"My chakra? Why not?" Naruto asked. He was examining what appeared to him to be two ordinary brooms, though there design didn't seem all that practical for cleaning. When they'd told him that they'd be flying, he hadn't expected this.
"Well, we're not quite sure how it will react with the broom," Harry answered.
"It's just wood, right? I climb trees and stuff with chakra all the time and they're just fine." Naruto scratched his head.
"Actually, there's more to this old broom than you'd think."
"Eh? What's that?"
"Magic," Luna said.
"Ehhhh?"
"To put it simply, this is an object infused with magical energy. Unlike creatures and beings that are magical, it can't produce any more or less magic than it has been given." Harry said. He handled his broom carefully in both hands as he continued. "Our guess is that if it were to interact too closely with your chakra it could possibly destroy the broom or worse."
"This magic, is it like chakra?" Naruto asked.
"A little," Luna answered. "But it's quite different in so many other ways."
"I… don't get it," Naruto said.
"How about we start," Harry said quickly. He swung his leg over the handle of the broom and shifted to leave some space behind him. Luna followed his lead and mounted her own.
"Naruto, you'll be riding with me," Harry said.
"Uh, okay…" Naruto nervously made his way towards the broomstick before climbing behind Harry. He was holding tight onto the older man's jacket before they even moved.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun," Luna said. "Harry's a good flyer. He's only fallen once or twice, after all."
"Wha—ahhhhhhh!"
Harry took that moment to push off from the ground, lifting them higher and faster than Naruto was prepared for. He held on tighter, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Naruto," Harry wheezed. "You're holding on a little too tight."
"S-Sorry," Naruto said, loosening his grip. His eyes remained tightly shut.
"It's okay to open your eyes. And, just so you know, there were some extenuating circumstances to me falling that one time. I may have jumped off my broom once or twice though, which doesn't count."
Naruto slowly opened his eyes enough to peak and then, seconds later, they were opened wide as he looked around. They were higher than the treetops, higher than he'd ever managed jumping. For a ninja with techniques that allowed them to fly, it probably wasn't a new or exciting sight. Naruto, however, was not one of those ninjas and seeing the expanse of his village – his home – beneath him was enough to stun the young boy.
"Wow."
"It's quite the view," Harry said, drawing Naruto's attention back to the man in front of him. The air was cooler higher up and a breeze upset the man's already disheveled, dark hair. It reminded the young blond ninja of how wild his hair was, mostly from years of managing it on his own.
At some point, Luna had caught up to them and steered her broom to hover beside theirs. She took a moment to catch Naruto's eye, and then smiled at him before leaning forward over the handle. The broom shot forward, causing the blond genin's jaw to drop. Had they been flying that fast before? He knew that ninjas could pump enough chakra into their legs to move that fast, but that was different.
"Neh, Harry-san, let's catch up!" Naruto said. He was far from worried now. In fact, his competitive side was kicking in. Lucky for him, Harry happened to be of a similar mind. The wizard smirked and then copied Luna's movement of a few seconds ago.
Then they were off.
888888888888888888888
"Where are they? I don't see them?" Choji asked. He , Ino and Shikamaru had arrived at the training ground where rumors had said Naruto and the two foreigners were headed. Ino eagerly looked around, only to pout when she couldn't find them – particularly the cute one – anywhere.
"They said that they'd be here," she whined. "What could they possibly be doing?"
Shikamaru yawned, leaning back his head to look up at a passing cloud as he spoke. "They've probably left already."
"But they would have barely gotten here before us," Ino said. Then, something caught her eye on the ground by a tree. "Hmmm? What's this? I think this might be one of their bags."
"Maybe they forgot it?" Choji offered. He came over to examine it with Ino, leaving Shikamaru behind to lazily stare at the clouds. That left their dark haired teammate as the only one to notice something moving against the wind above them, and growing bigger by the second.
Shikamaru's gaze grew sharp as he followed it for a moment, then he called to his teammates. "Ino, Choji, take cover."
He was already melting into the shadows when Choji and Ino turned to him, confused. A second later though, they followed his lead as their sense of teamwork kicked in. If Shikamaru was telling them to hide, it was usually for a good reason. Only a moment after they'd hidden among the trees, they found out what that reason was.
"Yeah!" That excited shout filled the training ground, followed by laughter. All of Team Asuma immediately recognized it as the voice of the Academies' Dead Last.
"Naruto?" Ino said, peeking out from the branch she was currently standing on. Her jaw dropped as she caught sight of what exactly had Naruto excited. "Is that a broom?"
A broomstick with Naruto and the dark haired foreigner hovered a few feet off the ground in the center of the training ground. Only a few moments later, they were joined by the blonde haired woman on another broom. When they landed, Naruto jumped off and turned eagerly towards the man.
"Neh, Neh, can I learn to fly this thing?" Naruto asked.
"I don't think it will work for you, Naruto," the man said.
The excited expression on the young blond ninja's face was immediately erased. "Oh… why not?"
"It only responds to magical users and, as far as we're aware, we're the only ones for miles," the man explained.
"M-Magical users?" Ino said out loud before clamping her hand over her mouth.
Naruto, who had listened carefully to the dark haired man's explanation, was staring with wide eyes at him and the woman. It seemed that the news was new to him too.
"Y-You're not like one of those people who summons g-ghosts, are you?" Naruto asked nervously.
The man chuckled. "No ghost summoning, no."
"Are you afraid of ghosts, Naruto-kun?" The woman asked.
"N-No!" Naruto quickly denied.
"You shouldn't be. I have had some wonderful conversations with ghosts."
"You've… talked to ghosts?"
"Oh yes! They have the greatest stories," the woman said.
Ino's brow rose. "She must be completely crazy."
"What's that, Ino-pig?" Ino spun around only to find Sakura perched on the branch behind her.
"What are you doing here, Forehead?" Sakura glared, but didn't retaliate with another insult.
"Probably the same reason as you," she answered. "I heard that Naruto was coming here with Harry and Luna."
"Is Harry the name of the cute one," Ino asked. Sakura rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her. She opened her mouth to answer, but paused.
Ino smirked, thinking that it was the perfect opportunity to tease her pink haired friend. "What's wro—ahhhh!"
Both kunoichi gave surprised yelps as they were plucked out of the tree by an invisible force. They were moving fast and by the time either of them thought of a technique, they found themselves landing on the ground. The landing wasn't rough however. In fact, it was quite… cushy.
"Eh? Where'd the pillows come from?" They heard Naruto ask, only a few feet away from them now.
"That's the first thing you ask?" Sakura said sounding a little winded.
"I think a better question is what happened? It wasn't chakra strings." Shikamaru voiced as he quickly came out of his hiding spot. Ino turned a bewildered look towards him.
"It didn't happen to you?" Then, she looked around to see that Choji was just joining them as well. "Why was it only me and Sakura?"
"Probably because you're too loud," Shikamaru said, sighing. He was raking a wary gaze over the foreigners, eyes dark with calculating thoughts.
"Oh, there's more than I thought," Luna said. "I guess my ears haven't popped yet." She pinched her nose and scrunched up her eyes while all the young shinobi watched her, confused.
"Nice to see you, Sakura," Harry said, nodding as said girl rose from the large, magenta pillow she'd been sprawled on. The wizard gestured to Team Asuma. "Do you know these three, Naruto?"
"Yup. Shikamaru, Choji and Ino. Guys, this is Harry and Luna." Naruto pointed to everyone as he named them. Luna, who had finished trying to pop her ears, smiled at them all and waved while Harry simply nodded.
"Would you like to join us for lunch?" Luna quickly asked and that was how, moments later, the young Konoha shinobi found themselves sitting off in a corner of the training ground on more cushions like the ones that Ino and Sakura had landed on earlier.
"This… technique that you used, how does it work?" Shikamaru asked as he took one of the sandwiches offered to him. Next to him, Choji was helping himself to a second sandwich already and had two more waiting in front of him. The genius shinobi had already figured that their lunch had arrived in a similar manner as the cushions, since it was unlikely that Harry and Luna had that many sandwiches with them to begin with, even if there was something suspicious about that bag of theirs. It must be similar to a storage scroll, though Shikamaru could have sworn the woman had actually gone shoulder deep into its twelve inch depth.
"You mean the cushions?" Harry asked. Shikamaru nodded. "I'm not sure how to fully explain it since we're still learning about your own abilities. You use hand seals to activate techniques, correct?"
"Among other things, but, yes."
"I suppose you could say that magic is activated by words rather than movement then, though there are a few spells, or techniques, that require specific movements in order for them to properly work." Harry explained.
"You certainly don't want to get your swish and flicks mixed up with your swish and swish," Luna added.
"Why's that?"
"It's the difference between performing a simple charm and potentially blowing yourself up," Harry said. The young shinobi reacted with wide eyes. Magic was starting to sound more dangerous than chakra.
Naruto cocked his head, realizing something. "I don't remember you saying anything earlier. I thought you said words were part of it."
"More advanced wizards learn to silently cast most spells," Harry said. "It's more efficient, especially when you're up against an opponent."
Naruto nodded to show that he understood, looking eager before he said, "So you've fought a lot?"
"We've been in our good share of fights, yes," Harry said, exchanging a look with Luna. A sad smile graced the lips of both of them as well, as if they were remembering victories, and yet, the price that came with them as well. Naruto seemed to realize suddenly that he probably shouldn't have asked such a question.
"Sorry, Harry-san, Luna-san," he said.
Harry shook his head. "It's all right. We've experienced many losses in the past, I'm afraid. It's never easy to forget."
"Was there a war in your homeland?" Sakura asked. Both Harry and Luna nodded.
"It was a war among our own kind," Luna explained, immediately reminding the young genin of the wars of their own homeland. "Greed for power, control and immortality drove our world into dark times."
"Immortality…" Shikamaru said, his brow furrowing as he did.
"There was one wizard who wished to live forever. The price of something like that though… He became something less than human because of it."
"Hmm?" Choji voiced. "Why would you want to live forever?"
"Most would say that it was because he wanted to be the most powerful wizard in the world," Harry said.
"But you don't think so," Shikamaru stated more than asked. Harry turned his attention to him.
"Power was only part of it. I would say, though, that he was simply desperate not to die."
Ino pulled a face, managing to look confused and exasperated at the same time. "Well, don't normal people usually want to live?"
888888888888888888888888
"You act like you have a death wish, Sasuke." Kakashi leaned against a tree as he watched his young student from a distance. The dark haired genin, who had just finished a heavy training session, was covered in scrapes and his clothes were torn.
"Haven't seen you for a while, Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said stiffly. He moved over towards his teacher and sat under the tree as he reached into his pack.
"Where are Sakura and Naruto?" Kakashi asked, immediately causing his young students shoulders to tense. He hadn't really expected that reaction. Curious.
"Probably with those foreigners," Sasuke answered. Kakashi sighed. He'd heard several rumors about them lately, though he hadn't seen them yet. Most of the whisperings weren't very pleasant ones, however. After the attack on Konoha and the death of the Third Hokage, people were reasonably on edge. To public, Tsunade-sama wasn't cautious enough about their arrival in the village.
"Oh?" Kakashi finally said, sounding more carefree than he actually felt. "And you're not curious about them?"
"Tch, not like that idiot, anyway," Sasuke said as he packed up his things and stood up. "He trusts too much."
Kakashi frowned. "Have you noticed anything about them? Anything we should be worried about?"
Sasuke shook his head, his brow furrowing. "They're just… very odd. And there's power there; a lot of power." A fire seemed to ignite in his dark eyes as he said this. The glow of it unsettled Kakashi a little. He pushed off from the tree to stand straight, no longer feeling like adopting a relaxed pose was appropriate at that moment.
"Sasuke—"
"They seem as mindless as Naruto sometimes. It makes sense that they'd get along," Sasuke suddenly said. His eyes were out of focus. It was clear that his mind was somewhere else at the moment. "What's so special about that…?"
Kakashi wasn't sure the last question had much to do with anything Sasuke had said out loud, what with the troubled look on the young genin's face. He let Sasuke mull over his thoughts for a moment longer before pulling his attention back to the present.
"Go get cleaned up and meet me at Naruto's apartment building in an hour," Kakashi said.
"Why?" Sasuke asked, immediately attentive.
"I have something to do," was Kakashi's vague answer. When Sasuke realized that was the only answer he was going to manage, he dutifully hurried to his apartment to change. The silver haired ninja soon disappeared from the training grounds as well.
888888888888888888888
A/N: Tada! Finished. For now. Tune in… whenever I have the next chapter up. And please review! Reviews feed the hamsters that turn the wheels in my brain. More reviews = more well-fed hamsters = properly working brain = chapter update!
