Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto

Warning: This story will contain spoilers from Naruto and Harry Potter so if you don't like spoilers don't read this story. Also, some facts may be different from the original plot and characters might behave differently from their original natures but that is how I need them in order to write my fanfic so again if you don't like it refrain from reading it. The genre is Drama/Hurt/Comfort, Harry is emotionally hurt. In this fic, Harry may behave emotional and depressed (but not throughout entire storyline) so think carefully before you write something to you don't like my fic please read something else but if you have constructive criticism for me do go ahead and enlighten me. Lastly, there might be some future violence or coarse language. You have been warned!

Chapter 11: Descend to the Darkness…

"To survive the darkness, either follow the distant light that holds no promise of haven or be engulfed by the surrounding shadows."

Harry was startled awake with a loud explosion and instinctively tried to take cover. He looked around to assess the situation but everything was pitch black - too dark to even be considered night. When he realized something was wrapped around his head, hindering his vision, Harry moved his hands to clear the obstruction.

"Oww…" He would have succeeded if it weren't for a binding around his wrists. "What the bloody hell?" He flinched in pain when he tugged on what he presumed was a rope. His body was quite stiff and sore, as though he had slept in a bad posture and each move he made only worsened the sensation.

"What's going on?" His mind was racing as he tried to comprehend the situation. Something was very wrong. He was able to recall that there were intruders at his residence, and that he had tried to take Konohamaru to safety; however, everything afterwards was blank. He counted the possibility that the enemies might have gotten to him which immediately led to worry for Konohamaru. Logic would dictate that the foes were targeting the young child because the boy was the biological grandson of the third Hokage.

"Hey, look who's awake." Harry tried to be brave as his presumed kidnappers mocked him.

The image of a dead child assaulted Harry. The wizard was anxious but that did not stop him from asking questions, as his fear for the child was even greater

"So you're up, princess." Shikamaru observed quietly as the sound ninja who had six arms taunted the struggling figure, not caring if his back was facing the leaf ninja as he did so.

At a first brief glance, the Nara genius had thought there had been five enemies, but the fifth person nearby the wooden barrel fought against what seemed to be bindings. It was hard to make out the facial details due to the blindfold but he quickly dismissed the probability of the person being Sasuke as the individual had longer ebony hair and a taller frame. Now that he observed the person closer, the figure didn't look entirely foreign. The pattern of the night yukata appeared to bear the symbol of the Sarutobi clan yet that couldn't be, could it? The newly promoted chunin squinted his eyes to better focus on the small patterns scattered on the dirt stained fabric.

"Konohamaru? What happened to Konohamaru? Where's he?"

"How?" If the voice and the yukata bearing symbols of Sarutobi clan weren't sufficient proof then the name that was just uttered was enough confirmation needed for Shikamaru to verify the identity of the mysterious victim.

The other leaf genin were just as surprised as their team leader while the enemies laughed at the older teen. Shikamaru tried to fathom the idea of his teacher's adoptive brother present among this standoff to retrieve the Uchiha. Though if the sight of the bare feet, pajamas and ropes tied around his body were anything to go by, it seemed that the Hokage's charge did not agree to this little trip. Great, there was another unexpected factor added to their mission turning the odds against them ever more. The shadow wielder just hoped his plan would work.

"What are you guys doing with Hokage-sama's son?" Shikamaru asked in a threatening tone, even though he doubted his opponents gave a damn.

"He's been invited." The gray haired Sound ninja replied nonchalantly.

"Well, by the looks of the situation, he doesn't seem to have accepted your invitation." Neji tensed as Shikamaru continued his conversation, for they both knew this little chat would not end in a diplomatic manner. When one of the bigger framed Sound ninja moved, Shikamaru instantly held out his hand as though to offer a timeout.

"Wait! Hey, wait! We're not here to fight! We came to negotiate." Unfortunately, the Sound ninja wasn't so convinced as Kidomaru pulled out his chakra webs.

"Hmph. Then what are these?"

"Gah!"

"Ahhh!" And with those yells, their surprise attack plan signaled its failure as Naruto and others plummeted to the ground near their comrades.

All the while the others clashed, Harry tried to grasp the state he was in as he worked towards his freedom. His mind was desperate to try to determine Konohamaru's condition and location. He wondered who would do such a thing, but quickly gave up making the list since the Hokage always had had a lot of enemies.

All of a sudden, Harry felt an earthquake. He remained still even after the ground settled down. He knew what had just happened wasn't a natural earthquake. From what he had learned, the Leaf Village was not in the earthquake region and it was never hit by such a disaster thus it was likely the result of one of these shinobi's jutsu.

"What's going on?" The wizard heard multiple footsteps coming his way. "Who are you people? Where's Konohamaru?" Though these were fair questions that any hostage might ask, he was reminded that not all captors were so keen on providing such simple information.

"Shut up." The feminine voice sounded very irritated. "Let's just knock him out again." Also, by the way she spoke, Harry was sure she was anything but friendly.

"Oh, I don't know. It'll be more fun to have him squeak all the way." At that moment, the young wizard wasn't sure which option he preferred more, but one thing for sure, he did not like the way the other man chuckled after he finished his sentence.

And that was all the warning Harry got before he was hoisted up as though he was a sack of potatoes over someone's shoulder. It was very uncomfortable to say the least except his state of tenderness only seemed to amuse the sadistic bastards.

"Where are you taking me?" Harry managed to gasp out. The realization that he was being kidnapped had sunk in quite some time ago. If his experiences were accurate, it appeared that these people were tree jumping - as the wizard had labeled it - meaning these people were either shinobi or samurai. Unfriendly shinobi or samurai, if he had to be more precise.

"Shut up before I cut your damn throat." It was the same girl who had told Harry to be quiet before. So far the given impression of her was a violent jerk who needed to wash her mouth.

"Oh, are you scared?" Harry ignored the one who carried him cooed at his ears.

The truth was he was frightened. Moreover, to make matters worse, the group seemed to be having fun as they tossed Harry around from time to time to each other like they were playing catch with a ball. Harry yelped, in either surprise or pain, and the lot maliciously laughed at his torture in return. The only good thing that came out of this activity was that Harry was able to deduce that there were four kidnappers. Two of them toyed with him while the other one carried an item, which did not allow him to participate in their nasty game. From the complaint, Harry also concluded that whatever the other person carried wasn't Konohamaru and the boy wasn't anywhere near here. And if he wasn't wrong, the fourth member stayed behind to take care of some people.

The little help he got from the chakra crystals were not available as the rings seemed to have been removed from him and Harry didn't have a problem guessing the culprits. His heart sank in fear when he tried to use the wandless magic - despite his lack of control over it – and failed. Something was disrupting his balance and as a result, he couldn't tap into his core properly. It felt as though he couldn't stand or walk anymore for he had lost his equilibrium.

He felt weak and helpless. What was happening to him? But more than anything, why was this happening to him?

His kidnappers were getting uneasy. Harry could tell because they didn't toy with him or taunt him anymore after one of their members had left in order to ward off the pursuers. From what he had gathered, at least half a day had passed since they had left the Leaf Village. Nonetheless, that wasn't what bothered the young saviour at the moment. What attracted his attention was the name of the possible mastermind behind all this disaster.

Orochimaru – the name had an ominous ring to him. It was quite a memorable name, not only because it belonged to the man who had attacked the village and almost killed his guardian, but also, Harry had had a lot of bad incidents with snakes and all the while said villain's name practically meant 'great snake'. If the man was the one who indeed planned this mess then it made more sense as to why Konohamaru wasn't targeted. Harry was sure that snake face had quite a few bones to pick with him, and he didn't want to think about what may unfold once they met each other.

He wondered if someone would come to help him. However, somewhere deep inside him, his negative emotions sneered at him; and they seemed to be true. All of his friends were dead. Who would bother to risk anything, let alone their lives, to save him? Yet he couldn't help but wish for someone to rescue him.

"What were those idiots Jiroubo and Kidomaru doing?" Fortunately Harry snapped out of his self-abuse at the unexpected outburst. He was glad they had finally stopped, though he wasn't certain that the reason his captors came to a halt would be to his benefit.

"Now we've caught up!" It was a familiar voice to Harry.

"I see all of you have a death wish!" Harry swore under his breath as he was suddenly whipped aggressively over to the kunoichi of the group. He was sure his kidnappers had engaged in a battle and Harry wanted more than ever to get rid of the stupid blindfold blocking his sight. He was constantly startled as he couldn't foretell the next loud battle sound.

"Shit, damn it!" Harry heard the girl who had been holding him curse. Almost immediately, the wizard cried out in surprise as he felt his body snatched away.

"I got you Hari-san!" Harry recognized the unique accent.

"Naruto-kun?" Although it was an obvious deduction from the blond's speech habit – Naruto was the only one Harry knew who would finish his sentences with "dattebayo" when excited - on the other hand, most of the people who referred the older teen as "Hari-san" were kids who were younger than him. Also, Harry only knew a handful of children who were able to combat in such a circumstance.

"Nice job Kiba! Shikamaru!" Now Harry was confused as he heard Naruto's voice suddenly coming from the other direction. He was sure the boy's voice came from the one who was holding him.

"Naruto, Shikamaru, let's get outta here!"

"What's going on?" When Naruto finally undid his blindfold and moved on to free his legs, Harry couldn't feel more grateful as he took in his surroundings.

They were in a forest with massive trees, and because most of the trees in the village weren't that big, it was likely that they were quite far from the village. Harry noticed Shikamaru was present, not far from them. At the same time he found the answer to hearing two voices of Naruto when he saw blond's clone carrying a big wooden barrel. Then again, one carrying him might have been the clone he had learned about during one of his lessons. Now it would be really nice if someone could answer his him!

"That's what we want to know, but it seems you've been kidnapped." Shikamaru supplied.

"I know! But why?" Harry snapped. He wasn't mad at the poor boy but he was frustrated from the past few hours and needed to vent out the tension. Really, was the incident that day on the roof that big of a deal to risk carefully sneaking into the hidden village to kidnap the Hokage's charge? Harry didn't understand it.

"You think I'll let you get away?" Unfortunately, before Harry could continue his ranting and Naruto could finish undoing the last bindings on the older teen's wrists, the enemy ninja was hot on their trail. Shortly after, they heard a loud detonation, which caused everyone to stop in their tracks.

"Kiba! Akamaru!" Harry neither could see among the smoke and debris nor did he recognize the names, but he was certain that one of their own was caught in that explosion. And if anyone, it would be children around Naruto's age that just disappeared down the valley with one of the enemies.

Harry wanted to help them but he still couldn't tap into his magical core. Unbeknownst to Harry, there were chakra seals placed on him which caused the interfering with his tapping into magic. Nonetheless, his body either ached or felt too numb for him to notice the seals placed on him, not to mention he disregarded the foreign sensations against his skin as one of the many bindings that were around him from the beginning of this journey.

"Naruto," Shikamaru's tone hardened. He turned towards Naruto with a firm expression. "Take the barrel and Hari-san and go! With your shadow clone ability, you can do it! Go!"

"…Shikamaru." Naruto looked hesitant.

"What? Wait-!" Harry wasn't about to leave a boy younger than him behind to save himself, but the chunin cut him off.

"Hurry!" In spite of Shikamaru's desperate urge, the entire group - including Tayuya – froze at the sudden chilling of the atmosphere.

"Why… Why are you…?" One name was called out among that short moment of unmoving time that seemed to span a year. "Kimimaro."

By the time Harry came to his senses, the world around him had already spun several times. Looking up, Harry tried to understand the meaning of himself in a white haired stranger's grasp instead of Naruto's. Everyone was quiet. Everything had happened just too fast.

"You were too late, Tayuya." As the one named Kimimaro broke the silence, Harry looked back to Naruto and Shikamaru who were quite some distance away now. When had he moved this far? The conversation the two enemy ninja exchanged served only to confuse Harry further.

"This is an important vessel for that dream, but you were a bit too late."

Harry suddenly felt goose bumps all over his body at those unnerving words, and struggled to get loose. Even though he wasn't currently following the dialogue, he would rather take a long fall from a tree than go with this dangerous guy. His instinct told him that a freefall dive from this tree would have a better survival chance. Sadly, his actions only served to gain his new captor's attention.

"And you're his important guest."

"I'm no one's guest! Let me go!" Harry felt he was rubbing his wrists raw from his rigorous struggle, but he didn't care.

"Hey you! Stop babbling nonsense and give Sasuke and Hari-san back!" Naruto charged towards them, only to be punched by the enemy kunoichi.

"Naruto!" Harry was so shocked when the blond took the murderous punch to his face as he quickly forgot about Sasuke's name.

Was the boy okay? Harry was glad Shikamaru caught the genin to cushion Naruto from any further damage. But soon Harry realized he also had himself to worry about as Kimimaro carried him near the kunoichi to whisper a threat.

"The reason I have yet to kill you is you still have a mission to accomplish by staying alive. Take out those two trashes."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry barked back. Take out? They were children who were in their early teens, for Merlin's sake! Yet Harry's outrage at the instruction was completely ignored by Kimimaro since he turned around to complete the mission for Orochimaru. "I'm not going anywhere! Let me go!"

"What do you want from me?" When his demands fell on deaf ears after the few furious shouts, Harry repeated the question again for the last time in a defeated tone.

"That's for Orochimaru-sama to decide." When the wizard finally got his unexpected answer, it just made him more miserable.

"Orochimaru?" No, he wasn't mistaken when he speculated Orochimaru was the one who was behind this. "And what does he want from me?"

Actually, on second thought, it wasn't important to know the answer as Harry was sure the mastermind didn't plan on anything good for him. The last time Harry recalled, the man had looked ready to kill him for what he did. If that person wanted to see him about the arm injuries Harry had caused, he was positive it wasn't going to be a welcoming tea party. The boy who was carrying him thankfully remained silent and saved the details.

Once the two came out of the forest and into a wide clearing, the white-haired teen came to a halt. Harry winced in pain when Kimimaro placed him on the ground with a warning to stay still before turning towards the forest they had just traveled. As if on cue, Naruto's holler was heard.

"Hey!"

"How should I kill you?" As the pale skinned shinobi muttered, a pointed object protruded out from his sleeves and into Harry's view with a sharp unsheathing sound. He eyed the white weapon not far from him.

It was very different from the standard ninja weapons Harry was used to seeing. He tried to think of the lists of items Konohamaru and Asuma had shown him a couple of times, but none matched the current description.

In addition to the present predicament, Harry noticed Naruto was growling like a ferocious beast. What was more, the blond's physical traits had changed. The child had thicker whiskers and sharper canines, but the most noticeable change was in Naruto's eyes. His pupils were slit like those of a cat and red like pools of blood.

"What does Orochimaru want? Why is he after Sasuke and Hari-san?" Harry eyes moved to Naruto's pointed canines. He was more than confident in his knowledge that Naruto had normal teeth. During the time he had spent with boy, the saviour had ample opportunities to watch the child eat when the genin came over to his house.

"Orochimaru-sama has already obtained immortality. In order to learn all jutsu and acquire the entire world, he needs time."

Harry had to doubt his ears for a moment. Many times he told himself there was no such thing as immortality in this world other than a mere imitation to satisfy one's foolish desire to escape death. Was he finally proved wrong? His mind suddenly went back to Anko and Sasuke's curse. Was it possible there was a horcrux here as well? Had Sasuke become a horcrux to this man? Was the curse a form of horcrux? To mark a person whom he was planning to move his soul into?

"And he seems to have some useful information regarding immortality to help Orochimaru-sama's cause."

Harry tried to free himself from the ropes again, when he was reminded he needed to escape from this dangerous newcomer. At the same time, he tried to use his magic - like countless times before - but no matter how much he focused, the power scattered away too quickly to attempt anything.

"What does that have to do with Sasuke?" Harry started to worry if something had happened to Sasuke again. The Uchiha boy already had become one of the more frequent topics of discussion throughout this short unpleasant ride, and it was apparent that Naruto was very upset.

"Immortality doesn't necessarily indicate the immortality of his body." Kimimaro calmly replied to Naruto as though he was discussing the weather. "He must replace his body with a newer and stronger one before his current one succumbs."

While Voldemort resurfaced in Harry's mind, Harry wasn't sure if time had stopped briefly. It meant that Orochimaru knew how to transfer souls. Memories of horcruxes and all the heartbreaking events that had followed in the wizarding world came back to haunt Harry as the words sank in. Was he just having another nightmare? No, it was worse.

"That… That's what Sasuke is for?"

As Naruto and Kimimaro readied themselves for battle, Harry's mind was rapidly alternating between the fight and the new details he had just gained from Orochimaru's henchman. Harry tried to understand the meaning of 'succumbs' since it didn't sound like one replaced the body if he was killed like Voldemort. No, it sounded more like Orochimaru needed to replace his body because it had becomes spoiled, and at the given time that Sasuke was the new body the man required. However, the snake man Harry saw on the roof didn't seem too old. Though his arms seemed to have been damaged, the man definitely wasn't dying.

"It's my fault…" Harry whispered. He had the sudden idea that this Orochimaru was switching bodies because Harry had, in some way, contributed to injuring the arms.

Interrupted by the loud sound of numerous puffs, Harry looked around in awe. There were probably more than 500 of Naruto's clones surrounding them. The wizard remembered the time Konohamaru showed him his newly learned shadow clone jutsu. His nephew did mention that Naruto was the one who taught him, but he never imagined Naruto was capable of this.

Harry glanced around, his head unmoving, in order not to disrupt the calm flow before the storm.

"Come." That was all that was necessary to create the tempest.

Harry shuddered as the air around Naruto engulfed him. It was angry, but more than anything, it felt very dark. Harry couldn't help but feel that Naruto might attack him, along with the enemy shinobi. However, the concern was replaced with another, as Kimimaro swiftly defeated the clones with ease. Each strike to one of the shadow clones felt like a heart attack, as Harry was never sure which Naruto was the original. It was incredible, yet terrifying to watch Kimimaro dodge and successfully disperse of Naruto's clones - all without receiving a single hit - despite their sheer numbers.

Abruptly, Harry noticed a weird smoke beginning to seep out from the barrel he was leaning on. Curious, he shifted slightly in order to better see the container. Whatever was happening inside, Harry deemed, could not be good, and it might be safer if he moved away from the barrel. Thus, he tried to scoot away little by little, carefully watching Kimimaro, trying not to bring attention to himself or get dragged in the fight. However, he had to pause as his eyes caught the grotesque scene.

"Soon."

Harry couldn't pay too much attention to Kimimaro's obscure statement. He was too busy staring as the pale teen lowered his top and drew a bone out of his own left shoulder. A million questions flew through the young savior's head as he continued to survey Kimimaro's scars quickly heal, leaving no trace of the previous incident.

The barrel near Harry started to fizzle with a sinister atmosphere, the smoke turning even darker. Harry snapped out of his trance and resumed his earlier action of distancing himself from the barrel, only to freeze up when the battle slipped by right in front of his eyes yet again. The field surrounding the group was either filled with smoke from Naruto's clones dispersing, or dust that was kicked up from the combat that took place mere seconds ago.

"And only one remains." Once Harry looked around, indeed there was now only one Naruto left on the field, just as Kimimaro had commented. The wizard's heart beat uncontrollably, as he feared Naruto would be slain by the shinobi, especially after witnessing the difference in strength between the two.

"It's almost time. The first step of Orochimaru-sama's ambition." Never would Harry have figured out that that was the warning to duck for cover. Out of the blue, Harry heard the loud thump and ripping of the papers which led to a loud explosion.

Sasuke emerged from the clouds of smoke and Naruto was trying to call out to his teammate, however, Harry didn't have a piece of mind to focus on either of them. Even before Harry put together his wits or registered pains caused by new injuries, he was just trying his hardest to breathe. Several frantic efforts were made, but it was as if his lungs were in shock and couldn't remember how to function anymore. When he finally caught his breath, it was accompanied with fits of coughing that didn't seem to stop. Nevertheless, Harry gasped for precious oxygen through the coughing, and was faced with a new stabbing pain, which was probably from either fractured or broken ribs from the blast. His ears were ringing like a TV channel that he once saw at Dursley's' late one evening. It hurt, though thankfully he didn't seem to have gone deaf.

By the time Harry concentrate back on the situation, his eyes have locked on with Sasuke's. The Uchiha's left side of the face had strange markings, and his left eye was of a different colour — black. The last time Harry checked, Sasuke's left eyeball was not black, but a normal white like his right eye currently was. It was disturbing since the eyes gazing down at him seemed to have lost all humanity, and it frightened Harry so much that he didn't have time to wonder why Sasuke was here in the first place.

"Sasuke-kun, could you take him to Orochimaru-sama." It was obvious that Kimimaro wasn't asking a favour.

Harry was at a loss for words due to the change in the boy he once tried to save. The Uchiha survivor continued to ignore Naruto's shouts and briefly glanced at Kimimaro, before picking up the older teen and carrying him off into the woods.

"Wait! Ow!" Harry winced in pain at the action and quickly realized that shouting wasn't the brightest idea. He had high tolerance for pain, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. "Put me down. I'm not going anywhere. I said, put me down! Ah!" Then again, to heck with pain; he wasn't going to sit silently while he was practically carried to his doom. However, Harry now understood one thing - Sasuke had changed.

Fighting his bindings so far proved to be useless. His wrists were already rubbed raw long ago from the struggle, and his magic wasn't responding properly. Harry was also sure he had internal injuries from the explosion, from his past experiences. He was glad though that he didn't seem to have acquired any burns. The barrel wasn't hot before the blast and, since Sasuke came out from the said item, Harry assumed the blast didn't release any heat, but was generated by something else.

"Sasuke-kun, why are you doing this? Please, let me go." Now Harry resorted to begging to the boy. As pathetic as it may be, he didn't care how he looked at the moment. If he had to die, then Harry would have it at any other way than at the hand of Orochimaru - no matter how little he knew about said snake man.

A massive waterfall between two giant statues came into the view, followed by the sound of endless water flows crashing down a cliff. Just as Sasuke started to climb the second figure across the river, Naruto's voice called out to Sasuke, and reached even Harry's ears for the second time.

"Are you going to runaway from me?" Before the Uchiha could continue his way, he paused, and turned towards Naruto at blond's provocation.

"Hey, dobe. Is it you this time?" Harry was motionless in Sasuke's arms and stared in disbelief as the raven-haired boy threw unkind remarks at Naruto. The Uchiha child was different from how the wizard had remembered. True, Sasuke was always a rather distant and private person, but now... it was as if something in him had just snapped.

"What made you like this? Why?" Harry didn't have an answer to Naruto's outcry, but if anything, to the savior, Sasuke behaved like he was someone who gave up on compassion. The curse was spread across half the boy's face. Was this the effect of the curse? Did the curse change him? It was too far to see the blond's expression, but Harry knew what Naruto's face portrayed. He himself had asked the same question before to Ron. The same heartache, but moreover, the dread of the possibility that he might lose his precious person would be what Naruto must be feeling at this very instant.

"They all risked their lives to follow you here." Harry looked to Naruto's direction. That was when it dawned on him that it wasn't himself that they came to rescue. It made sense now, when he thought about it. Shikamaru and Naruto seemed to be baffled at the fact that he was being held captive. Naruto was constantly worried about Sasuke up until the barrel blew up. Harry felt a pang of sorrow. Why was he even feeling hurt? He should have expected it. He wasn't part of that village to begin with.

"Good for them." Harry, for the first time, felt a hatred for the young Uchiha. For someone to love and risk everything they have for him... it was the most cherished thing Harry had lost, and he wished for it back. Yet, this cruel, immature kid not only was pushing away such a treasure, but he was making fun of it as well.

"What the hell do you think your Leaf comrades are?"

Outraged, Naruto threw himself on top of Sasuke, who was about to carry on his journey to Orochimaru. During the two boys' impact, Sasuke's grip on the older teen loosened, and Harry rolled until he hit the side of one of the spikes protruding from the statue. Harry sighed in relief as the stone prevented any further movement that could have had more terrible outcome for him.

Naruto's fist striking Sasuke was heard and Harry pulled hard to get out from the wretched cord like so many countless times before. He had to stop this nonsense. It felt like if he pulled more, it should be out. Then Harry saw unsightly scene.

"Naruto!" Despite Harry's horror while watching Sasuke grab Naruto by collar and punch him hard, the assailant just chuckled.

"So this is the power Orochimaru was talking about. The power is synchronizing with my body already."

"What's wrong with you?" Harry couldn't believe what Sasuke had said after his once comrade plummeted down the top of the long waterfall. "Are you out of your mind?"

"You're one to talk." Sasuke snorted at the older teen's fury.

"What?"

"Haven't you sacrificed others to exact your vengeance?"

"I never did such a thing!" Harry shook with fury at the comment. How dare he suggest something like that? "I tried to protect them, unlike you!"

"Oh, really? Then why are they all dead?" The words stung Harry. "And why are you still alive?" Those hurtful words caused enough anguish to make Harry forget breathing momentarily, but the younger Uchiha just smirked at other teen's wounded expression.

Even long after Sasuke jumped down from the statue to battle Naruto, Harry remained stunned. The only thing he heard were those last words replaying over and over again in his head. It sounded so convincing. He was alive, thanks to the sacrifice of his friends. But no... it was different. He did not willingly betray and sacrifice them to kill his enemies. That, and killing Voldemort wasn't to avenge his parents or friends. It was so he didn't have to lose anymore of his beloved people.

You took away everything from me! I'll kill you!

Though, after Ron was killed, he did become livid and wanted to avenge his best friend so maybe it was for the vengeance. Harry was finally able to snap out of his reverie when a dark, ferocious power overwhelmed the atmosphere. Was something happening to Naruto again?

"Come on you bloody rope! Augh!" He could brood later; right now, he had to stop them before the two did anything that they might regret.

With one final roar, Harry pulled hard, and - with some cracking sound from his right wrist and hand - he was free at last. With his now liberated hands, Harry should have been happy, except he was cringing from another newfound pain.

Harry tried to heal himself. It frustrated him to no end when his magic still did not respond to him as it should.

"Why won't it work?" Harry gave up his endeavor and crawled carefully to the edge of the statue's head he was on, taking care not to slip.

Unfortunately, Harry couldn't sigh in relief when the two boys came to his view. The two were fighting. Watching the scene made relive the nightmare of Ron pointing his wand at him to assault. That last day when his best friend attacked him hurt him as if it had just happened today. That feeling of powerlessness and regret ate him away.

Please, someone help Sasuke.

"Oh, why now?" Harry tried to blink and shake his head. This wasn't a good time for him to have weird hallucinations. He might have to ask Shizune to change his medications — considering he made it back to the village.

Please, stop Sasuke from going to Orochimaru. The wizard heard it again.

Harry brought his bloodied hand to one of his ears. That voice was something new, but he didn't want to hear it at the moment.

Shisui, please stop! The same voice sounded more desperate this time. Harry shook his head, closed his eyes, and covered his ears harder in an attempt to block them out. For some reason it was giving him headaches and made his heart ache in sadness. The overflow of such a distressing emotion was hard to bear.

"Please... just stop." Harry moaned in pain.

It's your fault! Another voice pierced his soul.

The two boys were still fighting. Once good friends were fighting. When Harry opened his eyes again, he saw the two boys each preparing something deadly. The children were far away, but the power of chakra and their dark energy was enough for Harry's instinct to pick up that something very bad was about to happen. The two took off towards one another, each holding some kind of lethal jutsu in their hands, ready to strike each other. Harry's eyes widened and he cried out in horror.

"Stop it!"

As Naruto and Sasuke headed for each other they suddenly felt themselves pushed by a strong fiery force. All the while, the jutsu in their hands disappeared as though they were neutralized. As they were flying towards the opposite shorelines, they didn't have to worry about bracing themselves for an impact, as they were already knocked out.

Harry gazed at the two unconscious boys, shocked for a moment, before negative thoughts started to torment him again. Would this have not happened if he never came to this world? Did he bring this onto these two boys? Probably, because if he didn't come, Orochimaru wouldn't need to replace his arms and Sasuke wouldn't be in this mess.

Haven't you sacrificed others? Everything was motionless, as if they were all dead. Harry looked around; the words sounded more compelling than ever.

It's entirely your fault! This time, it was Ron's voice.

"I know." Harry muttered at the imaginary voice. He tried to stand up and walk, though he wasn't sure where to.

It was difficult. Both of his wrists and hands were in severe pain - he wouldn't have been surprised if they were sprained or fractured. His ribs hurt him every time he moved or breathed. His head, back, and legs ached as well. It was simpler to point out the spot that didn't throb, which was nowhere. He walked up the steep, slippery hill, limping. However, after few more steps, one of his feet lost its footing and he started his painful ride down the statue. And quickly after, no one at the place knew what had happened to Harry.

Itachi looked to the now raining sky with Kisame at his side. His younger brother worried him, for he saw a very disturbing vision that involved Sasuke and the nine-tails vessel. It felt very real – almost as though he was seeing it through someone else's eyes.

It was as if he lived through a few minutes of very vivid dream. He frowned slightly at the tugging feeling he got every now and then. It felt like someone was dying.

"Itachi-san?" Kisame called out as the mentioned missing ninja got up and walked towards the river. The Mist ninja never got any response, but he just shrugged it off.

"I will meet you at the village inn!" Although Itachi still didn't reply, Kisame knew his partner heard him. It was something he just picked up while he came to appreciate Itachi's friendship. Of course, they were partnered and weren't supposed to separate since the incident with Orochimaru's departure; however, Kisame knew Itachi wouldn't defect anytime soon.

The poor kid had nowhere else to return to, not to mention Itachi wasn't power hungry like that creepy snake, and he wouldn't suddenly leave in the same manner as that Sannin. Plus, with Itachi's personality, Kisame understood better than anyone else that Uchiha needed time alone to think or sulk every now and then. The blue-skinned ninja didn't mind giving Itachi some space when the teenager needed it, and he certainly wasn't going to run to their leader to tattletale.

On the other hand, Itachi was grateful that Kisame didn't make anymore inquires. He really didn't have an answer - even for himself. He continued the stroll, not sure how far his feet would take him. His mind was still recalling the image he had seen not long before.

It started out as flashbacks he always had. Shisui was there with those hate-filled eyes. He was fighting Shisui in that dreadful place like countless times before. Then he started to see what looked like ghosts of Sasuke and nine-tails vessel clashing. Shortly after, he was at what appeared to be the Valley of the End watching Sasuke battle from the top of Madara's figure. Even without anyone explaining the situation, it wasn't too difficult for Itachi to grasp that his little brother was heading to Orochimaru. And he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let his brother go to that sick-minded freak, but when he tried to intervene, he couldn't move a finger. All he could do was helplessly watch the sight unfold. In the end, Itachi wished desperately for someone to help his only remaining family - for someone to stop his beloved Sasuke. Amazingly not long after, the battle ended with the two genin being knocked unconscious. When Itachi came back to reality, he saw Kisame concerned, asking him if he needed a break.

When Itachi reached the riverbank, he started to walk up the stream. He wasn't sure where he was going, but after some hiking, he found his answer when he spotted a person with what appeared to be a shining silver dog nearby. Itachi approached the pair warily. The person may have been in his or her early teen and had a black hair. Upon closer exmaination, Itachi noted that the unknown dog-like animal was made up of what seemed to be a silvery light or energy and it lay right next to the unconscious figure as though to provide warmth to the wet, motionless body. What was that creature?

"Please save my godson." Itachi was startled when the dog spoke to him. ...Or it seemed like it, since there was no one else around at the scene. Itachi narrowed his eyes. He had never seen or heard anything like it before in his life. And, for the moment, Itachi stood there in contemplation for the longest time in his life.