Wow. I woke up this morning and checked my email to see around 200+ new mails, and roughly one third of those emails were reviews. Woooot. Thank you!

Here's the next chapter but, again, let me address some reviews first.

Akua: Point taken. Over-bashing tend to get boring if done all the time. I should know because I practically read almost all the bashing fics here in FF. Anyway, I can't answer some of your questions because that would ruin the surprise. Ku ku ku ku.

Knightblazer85: I stand corrected. Thank you for pointed it out. You know, I wonder why I didn't check Hiruzen's age at Wikia…or maybe I didn't do so because most of the characters there didn't have their corresponding ages mentioned.

Eligoraym: Yes, I love sadistic Harry/Hari too!

Droga1: Theoretically, Genjutsu shouldn't work on Harry/Hari because of his Occlumency shields. However, illusions should work if it is powerful enough to bypass his shields (which is very possible since Genjutsu works by invading a target's chakra and inducing the illusion that way). If you ask me, Genjutsu would still work on Harry/Hari though with some difficulty…maybe A to S-rank Genjutsus.

puma1sunfire: To be honest, I am not going to over-bash. If you noticed, the current bashing (if you call it that) is just a direct result of Sasuke's attitude. I might do something about that attitude of his. Besides, I am somewhat bored in making Sasuke the bad guy all the time. Ku ku ku ku ku

Acaila: No, it is not a complete story, I have 15 chapters though I compressed it to 12 chapters because some parts were just plain ludicrous. To answer your other question, yes, I am going to be continuing in this story due to popularity and interest. And No, my stories aren't abandoned. I just done have the inspiration to continue them as of yet. I already have their plot written down, I just don't have the drive to write them. Maybe in the future.

She Who Walks With Death: Thank you for defending my story. Mwah!

Vain Gloriousness: Thank you for pointing that out. Already corrected that error! Mwah!

Reishin Amara: Much how I love to do that, I must decline the opportunity. I don't want to corrupt minors. Ku ku ku ku

On with the story!


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.


Chapter 9: Want to Join the Family?

After motivating Sasuke enough to continue with the Tree Climbing exercise (thanks to the Bash Brother's of course), Hari left the clearing and went deep into the forest to do what he planned to do ever since he stepped foot into Wave Country – find the reason why his magic was resonating with something or someone.

As he neared Wave Country with Naruto, Hari couldn't help but feel that something was prodding on his magical core. It wasn't malicious so he ignored it at first to take care of the matter at hand – bailing out Team 7 and Kakashi from Zabuza's clutches.

Unlike sensing magic when it was in the air or when used in a spell or ritual; Hari could feel that someone's magic was reaching out to him, beckoning for him to find the source.

It was annoying and maddening – the former because he couldn't focus well and the latter because he couldn't get it out of his mind.

The night he came to Wave, Hari meditated on the feeling and was able to determine that someone in the island contained magic. He didn't know who, he didn't know where. All he knew that the person existed and that person's magic longed for a companion.

This was the reason why Hari was currently on a hunt.

If he was successful and found the source of the magic then the Mahora clan would have a new member added to its roster.

After a few hours of scouting the island, easily pinpointing the location since it was closer, he finally found the source of the magical resonance. He stood on a branch overlooking a spacious clearing where a person was picking herbs by the dozen. He frowned since the aura he was sensing was familiar. It took him quite a while to finally realize who that aura belonged to and the revelation made his eye widen in surprise.

The aura belonged to the Hunter-nin that rescued Zabuza.

Face grim, Hari fired a diagnostic spell from his perch and hit the unmasked Hunter-nin from behind. His eyes widened a bit when the person stiffened when the spell hit. It would seem that the person could somewhat sense magic and couldn't deny the fact that this particular skill could be improved with a little bit of training.

The result of the diagnostic spell was an eye-opener for one Mahora Hari.

The boy; yes the person was a boy, had a magical resonance of a third year student at Hogwarts. He didn't know why but the boy had magic in his veins and had the capability to use spells with the proper training.

The boy wouldn't grow as powerful as he was but it was more than what the wizarding world back in Britain could produce.

Since he didn't want to lose this chance of adding someone to his clan and letting magic flourish in this world, he dropped down from the branch he was standing on and walked towards the clearing where his quarry was picking up herbs.

"Hello there." Hari called out as he entered the clearing. His entrance and greeting startled the boy and Hari could see the wariness in his eyes. He mentally grinned since it was obvious that the boy, no, teen was trained as a shinobi. If he was to hazard a guess, the teen's shinobi trainer was Momochi Zabuza.

"Um…hi." said the teen with a smile, though Hari could see that it was somewhat faked.

"What are you doing out here, gaki? It's not safe to be out with Gato on the lose." said Hari, pretending not to know the teen.

"I'm picking up some herbs. My uncle is sick you see and he needed these to get well." said the teen as he hefted the basket he was carrying. "I know this might sound rude but are you a shinobi?"

Hari chuckled.

"What gave me away?" he asked with a grin which the boy mimicked.

The teen pointed at the hitai-ate sewed on Hari's sash.

"That." was the reply.

"Oh! Hehehe. Yeah, I'm a shinobi hired by Tazuna to protect him from Gato while he finishes that bridge of his." answered Hari. No use lying since the teen already knew about it.

"I see." The teen said with a nod before giving him a speculative look. "You look very strong."

"Strong enough." answered Hari with a dismissive wave of his hand. He decided to go for gold. "I hope you won't take this the wrong way but…how is Zabuza?"

The teen tensed and jumped back before drawing out a senbon needle from his basket, "How did you know?" the teen asked tersely, form on the defensive.

"Your aura," replied Hari, completely at ease. At the questioning look on the boy's face, he decided to explain. "You see, I have this…bloodline that gives me the ability to sense a person's aura. You have the same aura as the Hunter-nin that took Zabuza away. Anway, you might want to put that senbon away. I didn't come here to fight. I simply came to talk."

The teen studied him for a few seconds before nodding; lowering the hand holding the lone senbon though Hari could see that it was properly held, ready for anything in case he attacked.

"Why did you come?"

"As I said, I simply came to talk. Do you mind?" asked Hari, raising a hand making the boy tense.

"Mind what?" asked the teen, eyes not straying from Hari's raised hand.

"This." replied Hari before he conjured a table and two comfortable couches with a wave of his hand. There was a tea set on top of the table, cup steaming with hot tea.

"H-how?" the teen asked in shock while looking at the comfortable furniture that appeared before his very eyes. It was unbelievable.

"I'll explain in a bit. This is the reason why I want to talk to you. Now, let's make ourselves comfortable." invited Hari as he took a seat and gestured for the teen to take the other. Said teen followed while keeping a close eye on him.

"So what do you want to talk about?" asked the teen, looking at the steaming cup of tea in front of him with a wary expression on his face.

"Don't worry, it isn't poisoned. If I had plans on harming you then I would have done so with ease. As I said, I simply came to talk." Hari promised with a smile. "Anyway, my name is Hari, Mahora Hari. Head of the Mahora Clan of Konoha."

The teen tensed upon hearing his name. It would seem that his reputation was still fresh in everyone's mind.

"I see that you've heard of me." said Hari. "May I know your name, gaki?"

"Haku."

"No last name?"

"No. I'm an orphan. Zabuza raised me."

"Ah. That would explain it I guess considering that you have an air of a trained shinobi around you. Anyway, the reason why I want to talk is because you have an ability similar to my own and I want to invite you to Konoha to join my clan."

"Ability?" Haku asked immediately, not knowing what this person was talking about.

"The ability to use a completely different source of energy called…Magic." Hari said with a grin.

"Magic isn't real." Haku stated with disbelief on his face.

"If magic isn't real then how come you are currently sitting down on a conjured chair in front of a conjured table, and drinking conjured tea. If that isn't magic then I don't know what is. Besides, did you feel any chakra when I created them?" Hari asked rhetorically.

Haku shook his head. "No. I didn't sense you using chakra when you made them and I am a sensor so sensing chakra is my forte."

Hari nodded before continuing. Not only did Haku contain magic, he was a sensor too.

"You see, Haku, you are the first person I encountered in this world that has magic. I've spent years looking for people with the same ability but you are the first. That is why I want to adopt you into my clan and train you in its use." Hari said with a smile on his face, a smile that grew when he saw the confusion in Haku's face. He didn't know why but he was enjoying this conversation.

"World? What are you talking about?" Haku asked incredulously. "Besides, we are enemies. Why do you want to do this?"

Hari waved his hand dismissively.

"Meh, enemies now, friends later – that's how the shinobi world operates, boya. Besides, we are only enemies because your boss hired you to kill Tazuna. If it weren't for our respective missions, we would have no quarrels with each other. Anyway, to prove my point..." Hari raised his right hand and flicked it, causing his Holly wand to appear on his grip. He twirled it around and offered it to Haku, handle first.

Haku looked at the offered wand with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. "What's that?" he asked in question.

"This, my dear Haku, is a wand. It is used by those with magic to cast spells." Hari informed the teen. "Now, I want you to take this wand so I can show you that you have magic."

Haku nodded and took the wand. When his hand grasped the handle, gold and red sparks flew from the tip, astounding the teen.

Hari saw that it wasn't as good as the reaction he got when he first laid his hand on it back at Olivander's but it was good enough to determine the strength of Haku's magic. He did the same test with Naruto during one of their training spars; but unfortunately, the blonde didn't have a speck of magic in his body.

"Now, I want you to raise that wand and visualize a light forming on its tip. When you have that image firmly in your mind, I want you to say 'Lumos'." instructed Hari with a smile.

Haku nodded and raised the wand, following Hari's instruction.

"Lumos." A small ball of light appeared at the tip of the wand making Hari laugh in excitement.

"That proves it. You have magic, Haku, and a powerful one at that." Hari declared with a smile on his face.

Haku smiled but frowned when he realized something. He handed the wand back to Hari who took it curiously.

"I'm sorry Hari-san, but I can't take you up on your offer. I don't want to abandon, Zabuza-sama even if it is to learn something a part of me." Haku said with an apologetic smile on his face.

Hari grew thoughtful for a few seconds before cheering up.

"So you're not going to accept my offer because you want to stay with Zabuza-chan, correct?" Hari asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Haku bristled at the suffix added to his master's name but kept his cool.

"Yes."

"If that is the case then let's go meet Zabuza so I can tell him of my offer. If he accepts then the both of you will be joining my clan. Even if he cannot do magic, he is basically your guardian so he would be welcome to join if he wanted to." Hari declared with a grin on his face.

"Are you sure?" Haku asked with a bit of hope in his eyes.

"Very sure." replied Hari with a smile. "I am a clan head after all, and the Hokage trusts me. Don't worry about it. Just take me to Zabuza and I'll do the rest."


Haku guided Hari to a secluded cottage somewhere in the forested area of Wave where Zabuza was currently recuperating. When he got there, Zabuza was starting at Haku in disbelief and Hari with a hint of fear.

"Haku," voiced Zabuza in a deceptively calm voice though it was quite obvious that it was strained. "Can you please tell me why you brought him to our secret hideout?"

"He had something to say to you, Zabuza-sama." said Haku with a bow. Zabuza raised a non-existent eyebrow at that which almost made Hari burst out laughing.

"And what does the Trigger Happy Sadist of Konoha want to talk to me about?" Zabuza addressed a clearly amused Hari.

"Before we go into that, let me make myself comfortable." said Hari before doing what he did in the clearing when he met Haku – conjured some furniture so he wouldn't have to go through with this discussion standing up.

"How in Kami did you do that?" shouted Zabuza as he switched his gaze between an amused Hari to the tea set that appeared with the rest of the furniture.

"Magic…and is the reason why I wanted to talk to you." said Hari before launching into his discussion earlier with Haku about adopting her to his clan due to his ability to use magic, extending the offer to Zabuza to join his clan, as well as some minor demonstration of magic and letting Haku do the Lumos charm again with his Holly wand to prove his point.

"And what is your Hokage's take on this?" asked Zabuza with pure disbelief on his face. "I don't think amy sane Kage would just let a missing-nin of my caliber waltz into Konoha."

"I'm not sure yet but let me ask him." said Hari as he conjured a pen and paper before penning a letter explanation the situation to the old leader. When he was done, he checked it to make sure that everything was written before calling his familiar. "Fawkes!"

Zabuza and Haku was surprised when a beautiful red bird appeared in a burst of fire and landed on Hari's shoulder.

"All magicals have a familiar of their own. This is Fawkes the Phoenix, my beloved familiar and at the moment, messenger bird extraordinaire." He said cheekily causing Fawkes to whack him on the head with his wing. "Sorry. Anyway, can you get this to the Hokage and wait for his reply then bring it back to me?"

Fawkes gave an affirmative trill before grabbing the letter with his beak and flaming out of the room.

"Since we are waiting for the Hokage's reply, let me see to those wounds of yours." said Hari with a glint in his eyes that made Zabuza fear for his life.


To pass the time, he healed Zabuza's wounds (which Hari was the reason of) and had a nice talk with him and Haku over tea. Hari explained to them about magic in general without getting into important details, and astounding the two with magical feats that left them excited and looking forward to the future.

It was half an hour later that Hari received a reply from the Hokage via Fawkes. He opened the letter after thanking his familiar before reading the missive from his leader.

Hari-kun,

Congratulations in finding someone who can do magic. I approve of adding Haku to the rolls of your clan and I want you to check their thoughts to see if they harbor ill-feelings towards Konoha.

However, we might want to discuss Zabuza's addition to your clan in detail. Aside from being a missing-nin, he is a Mist Shinobi and the Yondaime Mizukage might not like having such a powerful swordsman added to Konoha's ranks.

Anyway, show this letter to Kakashi and the guards when you return so Zabuza can enter the village without problems. Make sure that you bring them to me as soon as possible so we can hammer out the details. If you can, try to bring them here using your unique form of transportation to avoid broadcasting the fact that we have a missing-nin inside our walls.

Again, congratulations and please refrain from bringing any more dangerous missing-nins to Konoha. I don't think my heart can take any more of these shocks even if you did give me a much longer lease in life.

Sincerely yours,

Sarutobi Hiruzen

Sandaime Hokage of Konoha.

PS: Can you have one of your elves send me some of those lovely éclairs you brought last time? I had a sweet-tooth all of a sudden.

Hari laughed at the post-script and immediately called Doppler, his personal elf, and instructed him to bring a batch of éclairs to the Hokage as soon as possible. He also asked the elf to tell the cook to prepare three plates of dinner for him and the two shinobis since they would be talking for a while.

When the elf left, Hari looked up to see Zabuza and Haku stare at the spot where his elf was standing, prompting him to explain.

"That was a house elf. A magical servant, of sorts." said Hari with an amused expression on his face. He handed the letter to a clearly amazed Zabuza. "Here is the letter from the Hokage."

Zabuza took the letter and started to read. Haku peered over his master's shoulder to do the same After finishing the letter, both were looking at him with awe and relief before being almost jumping out of their seats when three plates of food materialized on the table in front of them. Hari stopped himself from laughing out loud.

"Since it's getting late, why don't we enjoy dinner and I can tell you everything you need to know about the Mahora clan and the benefits you will be getting if you join." Hari suggested.

The two didn't say anything but agreed. After all, why turn down food when they had to survive on small rations during their tenure as missing-nins.


It was two hours past dinner that Hari made his way back to Tazuna's house after securing an agreement with Zabuza and Haku to double-cross Gato by paying the two with the sum that Gato owed them and then some.

However, that plan changed immediately when Hari came back from scouting Gato's hideout with Haku. After explaining to the eyebrowless missing-nin that Gato was planning to betray them during the battle at the bridge, Zabuza immediately agreed to double-cross Gato at no extra cost.

The only condition Zabuza demanded was the freedom to ransack Gato's base for anything valuable. Hari counter-offered that he would allow Zabuza to do so if all shinobi-related items would be shared by everyone in the Mahora Clan (Hari, Naruto since he was Hari's apprentice, Zabuza, and Haku – the latter two was included since they were going to be legally adopted into the clan when they get back to Konoha) which Zabuza agreed to since he would still have access to them afterwards.

Hari had to call Doppler to create a new library and transfer all the shinobi-related items into it. He also instructed the elves to place a temporary ward since he would create a more permanent protection when he gets back.

When Hari entered the house, he could immediately feel the tension in the air.

"Anything I should know about?" Hari asked Kakashi with curiously after seating himself beside the Jounin.

"Your apprentice snapped when Inari said something that made him go on a ranting spree with the boy." Kakashi informed him.

"What did the emo prince say?" asked Hari with a sigh. He labeled Inari as the emo prince when the boy went all doom and gloom on them last night. When Kakashi asked why, Hari informed him that Sasuke was the emo king. The one-eyed Jounin couldn't refute that so he just agreed before going back to his reading.

"Inari told Naruto that he didn't know what real suffering was." Kakashi said simply making Hari wince. After all, if someone knew suffering, it was definitely Naruto since he was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

"Where's my apprentice now?" Hari asked, wanting to get to Naruto so he could calm the boy down. If there was one thing that Naruto had in spades, it was temper. He didn't get angry that often thanks to the meditation training he went through but he still had his moments if something sparked his temper to life.

"He didn't say where he was going only that he was going to do something to let his temper run its course."

"Ah, if I know the gaki then he should be demolishing something right now." Hari said sagely before standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I better do damage control before he decides to level the entire island. Anyway, Kakashi. Don't go to bed yet since we are going to discuss something concerning this mission."

"What about?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Later. Let me deal with my wayward student before we'll talk. Ciao!" said Hari before disappearing with a loud crack, following Naruto's chakra trail.


It took two hours for Hari to return alone. He left Naruto back at the clearing where he met Haku since the boy wanted to sleep outside tonight. Hari immediately agreed since Naruto had always loved nature and it had a calming effect on the boy.

Hari immediately invited Kakashi outside to brief the man on everything that happened starting from his meeting with Haku and eventually with Zabuza. This surprised the one-eyed man at first but eventually believed him after reading the Hokage's letter. It was real because no one could replicate the chakra signature on the Hokage's seal that the letter had in full display and no one from Konoha was stupid enough to do so.

When Hari asked how the training of Team 7 went, Kakashi launched into a full description of the somewhat humorous training program after the Mahora left. To put it simply, Hari laughed himself hoarse when the Jounin informed him that Sasuke learned the Tree Climbing exercise in a span of two hours thanks to his bears. However, the Uchiha teen had to be clobbered three times and knocked out at least once before that happened. The latter of which took place when Sasuke decided to take down the bears who gave him a hell of an ass-whooping.

When Hari got himself under control, Kakashi informed him that Sakura asked for more training. This surprised the wizard-shinobi a bit since he didn't know that the pink-haired Genin changed for the better because of his…talk with the girl though Kakashi still wanted Sakura to have a session with Anko to make sure that the change stays for good. Hari promised that he would talk to the snake-using kunoichi when he gets back to the village.


Two days before Team Mahora and Team Kakashi was to go to the bridge for the scheduled confrontation with Zabuza and Haku that Hari had an unwelcome visitor to his relaxation on the roof of Tazuna's house. Sasuke practically cornered him though Hari knew that he could just disappear anytime he wished but decided against it since he wanted to humor the boy.

"What do you want, gaki?" Hari asked in a bored voice.

"I want you to drop the dobe as your apprentice and take me on." demanded Sasuke.

Hari raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Give me one good reason why I should drop Naruto and take you as my apprentice? Besides, you already have a sensei and having a team is a boon to future missions." He pointed out.

"The dobe isn't worth your time and I, as an Uchiha, would be more worth it to train."

"Not good enough reason, gaki." said Hari, inwardly smirking when Sasuke's face turned red in anger.

"I suggest that you do as I tell you to or I will tell the council that you refused to train me." Sasuke threatened, an evil smirk adorning his face.

Hari raised an eyebrow before deciding to get this boy on the straights.

"Let me tell you something, Uchiha Sasuke." Hari all but growled. "I am a Tokubetsu Jounin of the Leaf and the head of the Mahora clan. I have a seat in the shinobi council so you have no right to demand anything from me. Only the Hokage can demand anything from me and I can't and won't refuse him. If you think that you can sick the civilian council on me then you're quite mistaken, boya. They have no authority over shinobi related matter and they are only there as an advisor to the Hokage as the rest of the shinobi council. You, who's not even the head of the Uchiha clan since Itachi had that right, cannot demand anything from me. I suggest you wise up before you end up getting killed because of that bloated ego of yours."

"You will train me now or you'll regret it." Sasuke snarled, eyes taking a dangerous glint that Hari immediately noticed.

"No thanks."

Sasuke couldn't take no for an answer so he decided doing hand seals to launch a fireball but Hari was already leagues ahead of him. Before Sasuke could even complete half of the seals, Hari threw out his hand and sent out a blast of lightning that made the boy scream making him fly back from the force of the attack, falling from the roof and landing on the ground below with a resounding thud.


"You didn't have to injure him you know." said Kakashi while glaring at Hari who just finished treating an unconscious Sasuke. The impact with the ground caused a few bruises, as well as a dislocated. He also had a bit of a burn where the lightning hit him.

"No I didn't but the boy had to learn, Kakashi." Hari said, matching Kakashi's glare with one of his own. "I don't know how your team works but I don't like a Genin telling me what to do and demanding things from me or even threatening me to bring it up with the council. I am a clan head for a reason Hatake, and I am a Tokubetsu Jounin. I earned my rank through hard work and I did it all on my own. I don't want some two bit snot telling me what to do."

"Why won't you just train him a little bit? I'm sure Naruto would understand. You did help my team with their chakra control." Kakashi pointed out since having Hari train his team would help them grow stronger since he couldn't deny the fact that the Mahora clan head's training method was much better than his own.

Hari shook his head in disbelief, knowing what Kakashi's game was.

"You know, Hatake, I think you have been blinded by fame so much that you just ignore the time-bomb that is Uchiha Sasuke." That statement made Kakashi wince which Hari easily saw. It was true after all since the boy has never been the same since the Uchiha Massacre. "Besides, you're his sensei so you teach him. If I remember correctly, you practically demanded from the Hokage that you want the Uchiha to be placed on your team since only you could teach him when he activates his Sharingan. I pick who I chose to train, Hatake, and I won't abandon Naruto for someone who doesn't even appreciate what people are giving him on a silver platter. I helped your Genins with their chakra control because I don't want to see them dead during a mission because of your ineptitude."

"You do know that I'm your superior, right?" Kakashi pointed out, trying to use his rank against his fellow shinobi. "I can easily command you to train them."

Hari raised an eyebrow before releasing a cold chuckle.

"Superior in rank maybe but not superior in status, Hatake. I am a clan head and you're not. I may be only a Tokubetsu Jounin and you're an Elite but that is nothing compared to what we are really capable of." Hari pointed out coldly, eyes glowing with barely-suppressed power. "You know that you're nothing against me if not for that transplanted eye of yours and even then, you're going to have some problems. I didn't earn my status as an A-rank shinobi just by sitting around, you know. Heck, you can't even beat Zabuza in a straight fight since you didn't bother to continue training, resulting in your skill back when you were still ANBU to dwindle to almost nothing. What made you think you can stand up against me?" said Hari with an evil grin on his face which made Kakashi wince. "I suggest that you set your priorities straight, Kakashi, or I'll straighten it for you."

Was all he said before leaving the room with an unconscious Genin and a thoughtful Kakashi who couldn't refute any of the words thrown at him by the lone Mahora.

Everything Hari said was true after all.


The battle at the bridge was anticlimactic to say the least.

As agreed, Zabuza and Haku met Hari, Naruto, and Team 7 on the bridge under the mist that the swordsman created to mask their presence. There was a mock battle of sorts to keep up appearances since they needed Gato and his thugs to reveal themselves when the midget though that everyone was tired from the battle. Kakashi went against Zabuza while Sasuke and Sai went against Haku. Naruto and Sakura stayed behind with Hari beside Tazuna to protect him while the 'fight' was underway.

Of course, Kakashi and Zabuza was laying it on thick since they weren't really serious about the battle but Sasuke seemed to have a vendetta against Haku and chose to go all out.

Eventually, Haku got bored by the display and turned the Uchiha into a pincushion and putting him in a death-like state that could be removed later. Sai, who knew of the plan, simply stayed out of the way doing many of his artistic drawings that Hari commissioned to buy from the Genin for his clan house since it was beautifully done.

It was a few minutes later that they heard a clapping from behind the mist when Zabuza pretended to be down for the count. Gato came and mocked Zabuza since he couldn't defeat a measly shinobi of the Leaf.

Using the Gato as the pre-arranged signal, everyone (except for Sakura who was beside Tazuna and Sasuke who was unconcious) attacked Gato and his hired thugs, catching them completely by surprise.

To describe the scene, it was pure slaughter.

Zabuza and Kakashi barreled through the thugs using zanbatou and kunai. The duo didn't bother to knock their enemies out, they just sliced with reckless abandon.

Naruto used his clones to amazing effect and overran the thugs using sheer numbers and knocking them unconscious with accurate strikes to the back of their heads. Thanks to his studies in human anatomy, he could easily land a knockout blow without killing them.

Sai used many of his ink animal drawings by bringing them to life and had them attack the thugs. Birds, tigers, and wolves made of ink descended on the helpless thugs and attacking them for all their worth.

Hari was more visual with his display since he started raining down lightning on the thugs, cackling all the while as screams of being electrocuted echoed throughout the bridge.

It was over in five minutes with Gato soiling his pants when five fully trained shinobis surrounded him.

After tying him up and leaving him to the tender mercies of the people of Wave, a party ensued that was fun for everyone, well except for Sasuke who was currently unconscious.


The days that followed was boring, to say the least. Since their contract stated that they would need to wait for Tazuna to finish the bridge, they had to stay in Wave country until it was done.

Hari tasked Naruto to lend a hundred or so of his clones to get the job done faster. Since Naruto didn't have anything better to do, he went to the bridge everyday and lend a hundred of his clones while enjoying a few mock spars with some of them.

Tazuna was thrilled at the sizable manpower he now had under his disposal and even voiced out his idea in hiring Naruto on future construction jobs. Hari simply told the man to pass a request to the Hokage if such an occasion did come up.

Kakashi took Team 7 out into the woods to train for the rest of their stay in Wave Country. Kakashi was adamant in doing his best with his team since he now had two students worth teaching – Sai and Sakura, as well as Sasuke since his Sharingan was activated when Haku placed him under a death-like state.

Naruto told his sensei that he vowed to avoid using jutsus in front of the Uchiha since he wouldn't put it past the boy to copy any techniques he came across. After telling Haku about it since the two became fast friends, the new wizard-in-training also promised the same thing with him telling Zabuza in the process.

Naruto and Haku spent their free time training and sparing in the woods behind Tazuna's house with Hari erecting a ward to repel everyone except for the two, him, and Zabuza. This sparked an idea in Hari's mind that he would be bringing up to the Hokage when they got back to Konoha.

Hari and Zabuza raided Gato's hideout two days after bringing down the midget businessman.

Hari noted that Gato was a greedy pig since he couldn't even trust a bank to safeguard his money and valuables. Everything was stored inside a spacious vault behind a life-size painting of the midget. They didn't bother to crack the code of the vault, they simply destroyed it – Hari superheating it using lightning and Zabuza cooled it down using water jutsus. The door simply cracked and disintegrated after that.

Hari could have easily used an unlocking charm to open the vault but he found it too boring.

After counting out the amount of money in the vault, which was around 100,000,000 ryo; Hari prompted Zabuza to split it, half going to the people of Wave since the country needed the money to get back on its feet.

Considering that he was going to be part of the Mahora clan, which Hari discretely told the missing-nin that it was the richest clan in Konoha, Zabuza had no problems parting with half of the money.

Besides, it was the clan head's job to provide for the rest of the clan, and in this case, Hari shouldering everything for the missing-nin. Hari had no qualms with that since he was planning to contract Zabuza into teaching him about swords since he found zanbatous to be very intriguing.

He already had a design for zanbatou in his head that he would be forwarding to a blacksmith he knew to craft the thing then he would heavily enchant it. The thought of wielding a heavily-enchanted sword made him cackle evilly. He couldn't wait to get his hands on it.

When Hari asked Zabuza why he needed so much money in the first place, the Demon of the Mist finally relented that he wanted to use the money to fund the resistance movement to topple the Yondaime Mizukage.

Zabuza may be a lot of things but he was very loyal to the village he grew up in; which was a quality Hari prized among others.

Hari promised to help Zabuza with his goal in freeing Kirigakure no Sato from the hands of the tyrant bloodline-hater though he needed to be discreet about it since Konoha couldn't afford a war at this time, or any time for that matter.

Aside from money, they also found a stash of shinobi weapons and jutsu scrolls in the many shelves inside the vault. The scrolls would be placed inside their new shinobi library and the weapons in the Mahora clan armory which Hari would need to set up once he gets back to Konoha.

Thankfully, Hari had a dozen of Naruto's storage scroll in handy so they were able to pack everything away. It took them two hours to have everything ready for transport.

Before leaving, Hari amused himself by calling down a lightning bolt from the clear sky that disintegrated Gato's mansion, cackling all the while. Zabuza saw everything and vowed never to get on Hari's bad side if he could help it.

His soon-to-be clan head was not only sadistic, but destructive as well.

It was a week after the battle that Tazuna was able to finish the bridge and there was supposed to be a party afterwards. The Konoha group declined since they were away from the village for almost three weeks now and the mission parameters was only for two weeks.

After giving Kakashi the money for an A-rank mission (Hari told Tazuna not to inform the rest of his team of the money that Zabuza shared to Wave after emptying Gato's stash), they left but not before Hari overhearing that the name of the bridge which made him bellow in laughter.

The Great Naruto Bridge indeed.


Considering that they had no civilians traveling with them, it only took the group two days to reach Konoha at chakra-enhanced speeds. It would have been sooner but they had to rest for an hour or two to let Sakura catch her breath. Despite the training she went through, her stamina was still quite low compared to the rest. Even Sasuke's stamina was better than average.

There was a brief hold-up at the bridge since they were in the company of a notorious A-rank criminal and the guards were hesitant to let them in with Zabuza in tow. Hari solved that problem by showing them the Hokage's letter.

Again, the chakra-laced seal made everything legal and binding.

Kakashi dismissed his team with Hari doing the same to Naruto, telling the blonde to meet him back in the Mahora compound for a meeting. With their respective charges properly dismissed, the quartet made their way to the Hokage's office to give their respective reports, as well as negotiating for the new comers to be inducted into the village rosters.

The one-eyed Jounin gave his report to the Hokage with Hari providing some input to put everything into perspective. After the monologue, the Hokage warned Kakashi to shape up Sasuke or he would be placed on probation and commanded the man to send Sasuke to Inoichi as soon as possible for a psyche evaluation. They couldn't deny that Sasuke was a loose cannon waiting to blow.

Kakashi was dismissed afterwards leaving Hari and his soon-to-be adopted clan members behind.

"So, Hokage-sama, do we have any problems regarding the adoption of these two into my clan?" Hari asked causing Zabuza and Haku to tense.

"None but there are a few conditions regarding Zabuza since he is a notorious missing-nin and all." Sarutobi declared with a puff on his pipe.

"Those are?" Hari asked curiously.

"We'll get to that in a bit. But first, the papers for the adoption of Haku into the Mahora clan are ready. All it needs are both of your signatures." said the Hokage before pushing out a document with all of Haku's information written on it. "Please sign on the dotted line."

Hari nodded and conjured a pen and signing it before handing the pen to Haku who did the same.

Sarutobi double-checked the document before giving Haku a smile.

"Congratulations, Mahora Haku. You are now a part of the Mahora Clan with Hari as your clan head. He will teach you about the laws and take care of all of your needs as his responsibility. Do you want to be a shinobi as well?"

"I have a proposition for that, Hokage-sama." Hari interrupted before Haku could answer. Everyone looked at him curiously. "I propose for Mahora Haku to be given the rank of Genin and placed under my team. I know that the Chuunin exam is going to be held here in four months. This will give me enough time to look for a third member to complete the team so they could take the exams."

"That is a good idea," agreed Sarutobi before looking at Haku. "What do you think, Haku?"

Haku smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I have no problems, Hokage-sama. Hari-sama's idea has merit."

"Hari-sama?" Hari asked with an amused smile on his face.

"You are my clan head now so it's only right to address you as such." Haku declared, daring his new clan head to deny him that right.

Hari sighed when he saw that Haku wouldn't give in to dropping the honorifics.

"Fine. Do as you like, Haku. Anyway, what about Zabuza?" he asked the Hokage who was looking quite amused over their bickering.

"For Zabuza, he would be adopted into the Mahora clan as a branch member. This is non-negotiable because he doesn't have the same bloodline as you and Haku. Being a branch member, he has limited say to the running of the clan but he still gets full benefits of your protection." explained Sarutobi before raising an eyebrow at Zabuza to see if he had any objections.

Zabuza shook his head in negative to answer the Hokage's unspoken question.

"I have no problems in being a branch member. I know Hari would be honorable in his offer to treat us with respect. That is one of the reasons why I came with him." the missing-nin stated.

"Why Zabuza-chan, I didn't know you held me in such high regard?" said Hari, batting his eyelashes at the former missing-nin.

"Don't push it, brat." growled Zabuza causing everyone to laugh.

"Anyway, joking aside, Zabuza, do you want to keep your last name? You can even change your name if you like and I'm sure that Hari here can change your looks if you want to leave your past behind and start a new leaf, no pun intended of course." offered Sarutobi with Hari nodding to the claim.

"You can do that?" asked Zabuza in disbelief.

"Of course." said Hari with aplomb. "Actually, I plan to blood adopt you and Haku into the clan. This will result in two things. One, your appearance would change to mark you as part of the family. DNA testing will reveal that you have Mahora blood running in your veins. Two, though I'm not sure about this one, Haku will surely have a boost in his abilities thanks to me. I'm not sure about you though. I'm sure you won't get magic from me but you will get something. I'm just not sure what."

"Since that is the case then I would be happy to change my name, Hokage-sama." declared Zabuza with a grin that can be easily seen despite the bandages covering his face. "If it's possible, can you change the name in my profile to Mahora Sano?"

"That's easily done." said the Hokage as he made the necessary changes on Zabuza/Sano's form. "There. All that needs to be done is to have it signed by you and your clan head. Do you want to join the Konoha shinobi force?"

Zabuza signed the document followed by his new clan head before answering the Hokage's query.

"If possible, yes. I am an A-rank Jounin before I left Kirigakure and became a missing-nin. I want to retain the same rank if possible."

"I can do that but you are to be placed under probation for six months. Meaning, your missions will be regulated and you will be accompanied by Hari here or someone of my choosing for such missions. Agreeable?"

"Agreed, Hokage-sama and thank you." said Zabuza, now Sano, with a bow of respect.

"You're welcome, Sano-kun." replied the aged leader before turning to Hari. "When are you going to perform the blood adoption ritual?"

"Tonight." said Hari with a glint in his eyes.


End of chapter 9.

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