Chapter 12 - "I'm on the job, you big nabob"
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, even the prompt.
AN: Don't take this too seriously. I don't.
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So Naruto's ninja career has finally started.
I have my worries… But I also know I can't mollycoddle him. This is Naruto's dream and, as I care for the blighter, I will support him to the best of my ability.
Even if I still plan on teasing the crap out of him.
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Sarutobi expected that he would have to fight with the prankster that Naruto was about his ninja registration picture when he came to turn in his paperwork, but was shocked at the picture that was there. It was normal. Naruto didn't even have that large sunshine smile on his face. He never would have expected this two years ago. Harry clearly had influenced Naruto more than he thought.
He looked up at the ball of sunshine that was in his office and smiled. The meeting they'd had the other day had been hard but worth it. Harry had kept his word and not told Naruto anything about the Kyuubi, allowing Sarutobi that dubious job. He also told Naruto a little bit about his parents-no names, of course, but more than he'd said so far.
"How are you doing Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked his favorite blond ninja, setting aside the paperwork that he was glad he didn't have to fight about.
"I'm great, Jiji!" Naruto shouted, shoving forward a thumbs up. "Genie-nii-chan talked to me after I woke up and helped me understand a few other things I was confused about."
"Oh?"
"Yeah! Some of the stuff about Kaa-chan and Tou-san." Naruto waved his hand in the air, "The sealing stuff was easy to figure out." He flashed a large grin, "I wanna study sealing more Jii-chan! If something like the Kyuubi can be sealed in me, what else can be sealed away!?"
Naruto launched himself at Sarutobi's desk then, leaning into his space, "Ne ne, do you have any books I can use to help me study? Everything at the library is way too basic and boring, dattebayo." Naruto started to talk fast, repeating words, "Genie-nii-chan can't get much from the bookstore because he's not a ninja, and. And. And they said! They said that you had to be a-a jounin to buy the harder stuff."
"Well," began Sarutobi, "They're not wrong." He stalled as he thought, "How about you bring Harry-san here and we can arrange some testing for him on his sealing ability, then we can see about getting you both some harder material." His smile was benign now, glad that Naruto had someone willing to help him learn the ninja art that was part his heritage.
Naruto opened his mouth to respond, ready to summon Harry, but was interrupted when the door to the Hokage's office was kicked open by a young child wearing a ridiculously long scarf.
At the same time, since Harry had felt Naruto's intentions, he *poofed* into the office, this time wearing a ridiculous pink and purple get up. His face was covered by a heavily beaded scarf, hair in a curly high ponytail, and more scarves swished around his legs and waist.
Konohamaru didn't notice Harry as he shouted, "Get ready old man! I'm going to take your hat today!"
Naruto was busy whipping his head back and forth between his genie and the intruder. The look on his face was pure mortification.
Sarutobi meanwhile was making sure he did NOT Look at Harry and was ALSO Trying not to laugh at his grandson.
Konohamaru made the first move, running into the room only to trip on his scarf. He didn't fall, though, because Harry snapped his finger and the boy was suspended in mid-air by his ankle.
Naruto as well went over and smacked Konohamaru on the back on the head and started to berate him about treating the Hokage with some fucking respect.
The expected, "Watch your fucking mouth," came from Harry as he heard his lamp holder swearing.
"You know, Harry-san," Sarutobi stated dryly, "That's kind of hypocritical of you."
Harry glanced at the red-faced Hokage and just grinned.
"Do as I say, not as I do." was his simple reply. Sarutobi snorted since he knew that creed never worked.
"Plus, Blondie is a hypocrite anyway." He motioned to where said blond was still yelling at Konohamaru, "Telling your grandson," he said those last two words loudly so Naruto could hear, but the blond did not give a shit and they both continued, "To respect you when he calls you Jii-chan."
"I don't mind," Sarutobi replied, warmth in his voice and eyes as he watched his real grandson with the one he feels grandfatherly towards, "It's not like Konohamaru could actually hurt me."
Harry nodded, "True," he murmured behind his scarves, pushing away from the desk he'd been leaning on. "Are you done with Blondie?" He asked, heading towards the pair.
Sarutobi nodded in response, even though Harry couldn't see it. The conversation about a test on sealing totally forgotten for the moment.
"And your grandson?"
"HIs tutor may be looking for him, but yes. I'm done with him."
"Excellent." Harry's grin bordered on evil, but only Naruto noticed as a delicate hand grasped both boys by the arm. "Come along boys." And he *poofed* away with them just as Ebisu came running in.
"H-… Hokage-sama!" Ebisu stuttered and bowed, "What... was that?"
The Hokage laughed and began to explain.
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When they landed in front of Harry's repair shop, Konohamaru fell to the ground, since the spell holding him up had worn off.
"Oops. Sorry." Harry didn't sound it. His clothes were also normal again
"GENIE-NII-CHAN!" Naruto now rounded on his genie, "Why do you keep wearing strange clothes like that, 'ttebayo!?"
"Because you react like that," replied Harry as he wandered into his shop, unlocking the door with a simple wave of his hand.
Naruto blinked, eyes wide, then just stomped around while ranting angrily about how his genie was a stupid pervert who teases him way too much.
Konohamaru had finally recovered at this point, dashing into the shop to yell at Harry.
"You can't treat me like that!"
Harry, who had sat down with a pen and paper, just stared at the kid.
"And why is that?" He deigned to ask.
"Because I'm the grandson of the Hokage!" Konohamaru shouted in reply, getting another smack on the head from Naruto who had also wandered into the shop.
Harry tuned out the following conversation, only coming back when Naruto said he'd teach Konohamaru something.
"Hold on a second there, Blondie." Harry reached out and grabbed the back of Naruto's coat, the blond having sat on the counter of his shop. "How do you know that what you want to teach the brat-"
"HEY!"
"-is something that someone his age should be learning." He glanced over the top of his glasses, imploring the blond to actually think for a second.
So Naruto adopted his 'thinking pose' that made him look constipated.
"I GOT IT, 'TTEBAYO!" shouted Naruto as he dropped off of the counter, "I'll teach him my SPECIAL Jutsu."
There was a pregnant pause, Harry face-palming at the end of it.
"Brat, how old are you?"
Konohamaru's squawk (squeak?) about being called a brat was completely ignored until he answered with a mullish 'eight'. Harry nodded and looked at Naruto.
"No way."
It was Naruto's turn to squawk.
It was around this time that Ebisu showed up. While Harry and Naruto were fighting, the shinobi pulled his charge out of the shop-only to be followed by a stomping Naruto and a laughing Harry.
"Where are you taking the brat?" Harry was the first to speak to Ebisu, the sunglasses-clad man shocked at the deep voice coming from such a pretty... girl?
"I am his teacher, miss," Ebisu said with a slight bow of his head, his grip on Konohamaru unrelenting.
Harry's left eye twitch, though he maintained his smile. Naruto, however, cracked up. Konohamaru, who had seen Harry topless about 15 minutes ago, started to giggle too. No, not giggle. Laugh. (It was totally a giggle).
"Sir," Harry started, magic crackling around him in a mock-parody of killing intent, "I am not a 'miss'."
Ebisu's eyes tracked down and up Harry's small body, the shapeless tunic he was wearing, the long braided hair... delicate features...
Harry could almost see the thought process flickering over Ebisu's face since it's something he encountered every fucking day.
"I AM NOT A GIRL!" Harry yelled and he actually pulled his shirt off, throwing it in Ebisu's face.
The shinobi adverted his eyes, a blush forming over his cheeks.
"Miss! Please, put your clothes back on!"
Konohamaru had joined Naruto on the ground laughing by now.
Harry twitched rather violently. Folding his arms over his chest, he looked down at Naruto.
"Blondie?"
"Eh?" Naruto stopped, looking up at his genie.
"Sic 'em."
The Prankster's Grin (trademark) spread over Naruto's face...
"You got it, dattebayo!" And he shot to his feet, flowing through a set of hand signs that he had memorized just a few nights ago.
"HAREM NO JUTSU!"
Ebisu never stood a chance.
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"Wow..." Konohamaru stared as Ebisu flew off because of his nosebleed, assisted with some magic from Harry. "TEACH ME TEACH ME!" He grabbed onto Naruto's jacket. "Isn't this the same jutsu that you used against Jiiji?!"
Naruto was the definition of smug after he dropped the jutsu. Harry considered taking a picture to put in the dictionary.
"Blondie," began Harry, "You really shouldn't teach that jutsu to the brat." Were there birds nearby, or did Konohamaru squawk again about being called a 'brat'? "I really don't think it's like a normal henge. Not to mention he's too young."
Both boys pouted at Harry, idly wondering when he put his shirt back on.
Harry stared back at them before whipping out that camera and taking a picture.
"I think The Lord Hokage will like this picture..." he mused, tucking the camera away.
"HEY, WHY ARE YOU LIKE THAT!" Konohamaru yelled, flailing his child-sized fists.
"Genie-nii-chan has always been like that," Naruto answered for Harry, nodding with sage-like wisdom.
"Genie?"
"Yeah, dattebayo!" Naruto then waxed poetic about how he found Harry's bottle in the trash-a fact that made Harry's eye twitch again-and everything else too. Harry sat back down in his shop and picked up his paper once more, returning to his writing.
Everyone only stopped once someone came in to do business with Harry. Naruto stared, never having seen how Harry actually worked his shop, and Konohamaru had never seen it either.
Once the customer left Naruto rounded on Harry.
"Ne ne, Genie-nii-chan, did Old Man Hokage really never make you change the name of your shop?"
The Prankster's Grin (trademark) spread across Harry's face this time.
"He tried."
"The name?" Konoharmaru asked, darting outside of the shop and looking up. His jaw dropped. "THAT'S A BAD WORD!"
"It is indeed."
"HOW-..." Harry leaned against the doorway, Naruto standing next to him. They were finally the same height, Harry noticed as he waited for Konohamaru to gather his thoughts. "How do you say the third word?"
"Reparo." The word was said without any magic, so it did nothing. Seeing the confusion on Konohamaru's face, he said it again slowly, "Reh. Pair. Oh."
"That sounds weird."
"It's another language. I call it Pseudo-Latin."
"What is-"
"It's a language where I'm from." 'IT'S GENIE LANGUAGE!" Naruto shouted at the same time as Harry spoke. They looked at each other before looking back at Konohamaru.
"What he said." And then they both wore The Prankster's Grin (trademark).
Konohamaru gulped.
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The next day, while Naruto was meeting his new team for the first time, Harry was in his shop again. Shockingly, Konohamaru showed up, sans Ebisu.
"Hey, Genie-chan!" He jumped up onto the counter, kicking his legs into the air as he dangled there.
Harry looked up from his notebook, "Hey brat," and then looked back down. "Why are you here?" He asked as he continued to write.
"Ditchin'."
Harry looked up again, fixing Konohmaru with A Look. "What do you mean ditching?"
Konohmaru gulped hard before explaining, "Ditching Ebisu-sensei's lessons."
Harry thought about this for a second, then shrugged. "He's not an academy teacher, I don't care." The grin that brought to Konohamaru's face could rival Naruto's.
For a few minutes, neither talked. Konohamaru looked around Harry's shop, and Harry continued with his writing.
Eventually, "Whatcha doing?"
"Writing."
"Writing what?"
"A story."
"A story about what?"
"Stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Interesting stuff."
"What kind of interesting stuff?"
"Magic kind of interesting stuff."
"What kin-MAGIC?"! Konohamaru fell off the counter in his shock. Harry snickered since he won.
"Yes, magic. I am a genie after all." His tone when he said 'genie' was bemused, but Konohmaru was too young to catch it.
"I thought that was just your name," Konohamaru got to his feet and jumped back on the counter, sitting properly (but on the fucking counter) this time.
Amusement was clear on Harry's face this time, despite the fact the child was sitting on his fucking counter, as he looked at him. "My name is Harry." When Konohamaru's mouth opened, Harry stopped him, "It means 'Commander', or 'Protector' not 'needle'." The brat's mouth closed, looking a little sheepish.
Konohamaru looked at Harry's notebook as he went back to writing, looking around the room.
"Hey, those are seals."
"Yes, they are."
"Can you teach me?"
"Probably not," Harry shrugged then, "Maybe some basics, but you'll have to start at the academy proper before I can, I'll bet."
And because of timing, that is when a messenger came and dropped off a letter for Harry.
"A letter from the Hokage, hmm?" Harry muttered to himself as he opened the letter, glad that his naturalization classes forced him to learn the written language since Death's language didn't convert the written word.
Konohamaru tried to read over the top of the letter but after another Look from Harry, he stopped. Harry, for his part, finished reading the letter and quickly scribbled out a reply. He tapped the reply twice and it folded up into a crane and flapped out of the shop to the Hokage's office.
The brat was staring, wide-eyed, at the display of magic.
Harry let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm on the job, you big nabob," he muttered under his breath as he went back to writing.
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AN: Gosh, does the tone change some? I wrote this mostly at work again when my vocabulary is heavily simplified lol. Ope~
