Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.
Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, some mild to moderate character bashing where unavoidable (mostly Dumbledore & Danzou with some Sakura & potentially lots of Sasuke), alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else.
AN1: Partial credit for the Story Prompt/Challenge used to create this story goes to the Guru of Challenges; Challenge King. For details, see the first author's note at the top of the first chapter.
AN2: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter Twenty-Five: In the Aftermath
May 04, 1990, 2:33 PM
Tazuna's House, Nami no Kuni
Elemental Nations
Haruo had been staring up at a vaguely familiar ceiling for close to ten minutes before he realized that he was awake. It took him another five minutes to determine that he ached all over. It was a familiar bone-deep, burning ache and it only took him a few seconds to recognize it as the faint after burn of chakra exhaustion. He expelled a soft sigh at that as he remembered Naruto explaining how he'd exhausted himself protecting Tazuna from the powerful missing nin that had ambushed them on the way to Tazuna's house.
A frown crept onto Haruo's face as he sensed something wrong with that thought while ignoring the slight sting the shifting of his facial muscles caused. It took him a couple of minutes to recall that he'd already recovered from the chakra exhaustion caused by shielding Tazuna and that he was supposed to be helping guard the bridge or training with Naruto. His frown only deepened (causing the stinging sensation on his face to increase) when he began to feel as if he had forgotten something important.
Haruo didn't dwell on the holes in his memory or the pain on his cheek for long as he soon became far more concerned with another, larger hole in his senses. Naruto wasn't in the room and Haruo was still too exhausted and far too achy to get up to search for him. He tried stretching his senses out but he couldn't hold his focus long enough to sense anything beyond the room. And the longer he couldn't sense his friend, the more panicked Haruo grew.
Desperately needing to find the blond, Haruo forced his aching body to roll over so he could push himself up with a grunt of pain as the pressure on his hands sent a spike of pain through his palms and made the rest of his body throb. He soon pushed the pain to the back of his mind as he lifted his chin up to search the room only to freeze when his eyes landed on the unconscious Haku. A heartbeat later, the memories that had been missing slammed back into existence with a vengeance and Haruo let out an angry hiss as he thrust one hand towards the enemy shinobi only to discover that he couldn't mold any chakra.
"Haruo, calm down," Kakashi ordered as he suddenly appeared beside Haruo, crouched down, and grabbed hold of Haruo's outstretched arm. "You're in no condition to start a fight with someone who is incapable of defending himself."
"Narto," Haruo desperately slurred as his rage filled emerald eyes remained locked on Haku's form.
"Will be back in a couple of minutes; he merely left the room to use the bathroom."
Haruo jerked and whipped his head around to stare at Kakashi as the anger in his eyes turned to desperate hope for all of one second before he shut them in pain and let out a soft hiss as his entire body protested. After a few shaky breaths, Haruo reopened his eyes and forced his body to move through the pain so that he could face the door. When Naruto didn't immediately appear, he tried to send his senses out to pinpoint Naruto's chakra but he had even less control now than he had during his earlier attempts and he could barely feel Kakashi crouching next to him.
The young Genin desperately tried to pull up enough chakra to use the Chakra Cloud Technique in order to find Naruto only for his chakra to slide through his mental fingers. Letting out a soft whine of frustration, Haruo tried to crawl towards the door in order to physically hunt down his friend, only for Kakashi to gently roll him back over onto his back and pin him to the floor with one hand on his chest. Haruo shot his sensei a betrayed look for keeping him from Naruto only to receive an exasperated snort in response.
"Enough, Haruo; you're in no condition to go chasing after Naruto. Just be patient; he'll be back before you know it and I know that you can sense him from this room without using your chakra because he's less than twenty-five feet away."
"No I can't! I can't even sense you!"
"All that tells me is that you're in even worse condition than you were a week and a half ago," Kakashi sighed as he critically eyed Haruo for a moment. "I can't say I'm really surprised though; you were out for almost four days this time and you'd pushed yourself far beyond your limits with your little temper tantrum on the bridge. Not to mention the borderline second degree burns you picked up at some point during your fight."
"I felt his chakra signature get snuffed out and the world turned dark and cold without his chakra lighting it up," Haruo hoarsely whispered as he remembered the exact moment he'd felt Naruto's chakra signature disappear from his senses.
"I can well imagine just how terrible that felt because I felt the same way when my sensei died twelve years ago. I'm still trying to recover from his loss," Kakashi quietly admitted as he shifted so that he was seated on the futon beside Haruo.
Haruo shuddered at the thought of having to go on living in a world without Naruto and immediately regretted it when the movement set everything to aching once more. He was distracted from his pain a moment later when he felt Kakashi place a cold palm on his forehead. He couldn't help but press his face closer to his sensei's hand as the coolness of Kakashi's hand felt nice and a small part of Haruo's mind finally clued into the fact that he must have a fever because he suddenly felt overheated.
"I've a nausea suppressant, a fever reducer, and a pain reliever for you but I will wait until after you've had a chance to see Naruto with your own two eyes before I make you take them. And I don't want to hear any protests; I can see just how much pain you are in right now and your temperature is rising again."
Haruo wrinkled his nose at the thought of drinking the medicine but refrained from offering up even a token protest due to Kakashi's stern order against it. He also didn't really feel up to kicking up a fuss about taking the medicine because he felt terrible.
"Now that we've established your need to exercise patience, aside from feeling like you stuck your hand in a bug-zapper while standing in a puddle of water; are there any other physical symptoms you're feeling right now?"
Haruo dully blinked at Kakashi for his poor attempt at humor (though his description of the pain that Haruo felt was rather accurate) before he frowned and directed his attention inwards to take stock of his body. Once he had finished cataloging how he felt, he passed that information onto his sensei.
"I feel weak; like you made me run the obstacle course a dozen times in a row without stopping. My chest feels tight too and I think I have a headache but I'm not sure if I do or if it's just the fever making me ache more. The skin on my face feels tight and itchy and it stings when I talk or frown. My hands hurt. And I can't mold any chakra; every time I try, it slips through my fingers like smoke."
"You shouldn't even be thinking of attempting to mold any chakra," Kakashi chided in a tone thick with exasperation and Haruo would have cringed if his body wasn't in so much pain.
"I'm not… not right now," Haruo replied in a tiny voice. "I tried earlier… but…"
"It didn't work. That would be my doing; I had placed a temporary Chakra Disruption Seal on you in order to prevent you from drawing on your chakra while at the same time allowing your chakra reserves replenish themselves. I normally would not have resorted to such methods but I was concerned that there was a chance that you would disregard the risk of drawing on your chakra while in a state of extreme chakra exhaustion in the event that you woke up from your long nap disoriented and still in a state of emotional distress. Which, I might add, you did."
"Oh."
"I'll remove the seal once you've fully recovered or when it's time for us to leave Nami; whichever comes first."
Haruo wasn't exactly happy about that but he knew that there was nothing he could do to make Kakashi changed his mind about it. Not that he would have tried to get him to change his mind in the first place. He wasn't stupid. He knew how dangerous chakra exhaustion could be (his father had gone into explicit detail back in December) and pushing himself to exhaustion twice in such a short period of time was a rather stupid thing to do. Haruo hadn't actually been thinking the second time, though.
"As far as the potential headache that you have; that's probably a combination of the fever and your exhaustion at work there," Kakashi continued after he'd paused for a moment to see if Haruo had any complaints about having the disruption seal placed on him – Haruo did but he was dumb enough to voice them. "The stinging and pain you feel on your hands and face is from the burns I mentioned earlier. However, I'm not certain why your chest would feel tight; unless it was a side effect of you exhausting yourself twice over in such a short period of time. We'll need to keep an eye on that, I think."
"Okay."
Kakashi shifted the hand on Haruo's forehead up to ruffle his hair before he climbed to his feet as the bedroom opened up from the outside. Haruo let his head roll to the side so he could see who had just entered the room and he felt tears prickle at the corner of his eyes the moment he caught sight of Naruto entering the room. His breath hitched painfully as he drank in the sight of seeing a living, breathing Naruto. The blond would meet his gaze a heartbeat later and the next thing Haruo knew, he had been swept up into a painfully tight hug.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so stupid, dattebayo!" Naruto babbled as he squeezed Haruo just a little tighter. "Please don't be mad at me! I didn't know he was going to make you think I was dead. I just didn't want to see you hurt."
"Naruto, put Haruo down so he can breathe!"
"Sorry!" Naruto gasped as Haruo suddenly found himself back on the ground and staring dazedly up at a mortified Naruto while a small part of him was vaguely disappointed that the hug was over despite the fact that it had increased the amount of pain he was in.
Ignoring his renewed pain, Haruo reached up and latched onto Naruto's jumpsuit so he could pull the older boy down beside him. He then burrowed his face against Naruto's chest as he automatically sought out the sun that was Naruto's chakra signature; turning so that his burnt left cheek was not being scratched by Naruto's clothes. He would find it a moment later and even though it felt considerably smaller than it usually did, just the fact that it was there and that he could feel it was enough.
"I'll prank ya for it later," Haruo mumbled into Naruto's chest and a small smile curled his lips upwards when Naruto let out a nervous chuckle in response to his little threat.
"I hate to break up your reunion but Haruo needs to take his medicine now that he knows you're not dead."
Haruo grumbled under his breath and reluctantly peeled his face off of Naruto's chest so that he could sit up and drink the medicine. Kakashi had to help him sit back up and hold the vials as he drank them but he tried not to let that bother him since it wasn't like he could do it himself. As soon as he'd swallowed the last drop of the fever reducer, Kakashi settled him back down on the futon and pulled the covers back into place.
"You might as well crawl in there next to him, Naruto; you're still supposed to be on bed rest as well."
Haruo snickered softly when Naruto immediately began complaining about not being allowed out of bed for anything other than going to the bathroom even as the blond joined him beneath the covers. Once Naruto had stopped squirming, Haruo snuggled close to him in order to latch onto him again.
Less than two minutes later, Haruo was out like a light; his lingering exhaustion and the medicine pulling him under fairly quickly.
May 05, 1990, 8:01 AM
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni
Elemental Nations
Sirius hurriedly pulled up his trousers and buttoned them before one of the nurses could walk into his room and inform him that there was a mistake and that he'd be stuck in the hospital for at least another week. Moony could laugh all he wanted but Sirius did not want to spend a single second longer than necessary in the custody of the merciless wardens they mockingly called healers… or doctors or whatever. Madam Pomfrey's reign of tyranny in the Hogwarts Infirmary was naught but a pale imitation of the ruthless dictatorship that these muggle healers ran.
Not only were every single one of the doctors more than a little touchy-feely about everything (even when taking his temperature!), they were nosier than a ninety year old pureblood spinster at tea time! He'd been here for seven torturous days and seven even more torturous nights and the blasted tyrants had yet to stop asking him questions! They didn't even keep their questions limited to his health (though they did thoroughly exhaust that particular subject first before they moved onto other things)!
And don't even get him started on the breezy contraptions that they called gowns! They were skimpier than the ones that were used by the Hogwarts Infirmary!
Or the fact that the nurses had giggled and tittered as they ogled his pasty white arse through the gap in the back every time he'd gotten out of bed (not that they had allowed him out of bed all that often).
Perverts! The lot of them!
Sirius yanked on a clean shirt next and threw the so called hospital gown in Moony's face (the prick was still laughing at him) before he sat down to pull on his shoes. (No, he wasn't going to bother to put his socks on first; that would waste precious seconds in which he could be checking his arse out of this prison!) As soon as he had both shoes on, Sirius jumped off of the bed and strode towards the door without waiting for Remus to collect himself.
He had a godson to hunt down and hug to death.
The impatient wizard stumbled to a halt immediately outside of the door when he nearly ran over one of the masked shinobi that had brought him and Remus to Konoha. He thought the man behind the cat mask might be Harry's birth father but the man had no scent (probably masking it somehow) so Sirius couldn't be certain. It didn't help that all three of the ninjas all dressed exactly the same bar the weird masks they used to hide their faces. Sirius hated those damn things; they looked far too much like Death Eater masks for his comfort.
Shaking his head, Sirius made to step around the bloke (jerk! Didn't he know he was delaying Sirius's date with sweet, glorious freedom!?) only to freeze in place when the man addressed him.
"Black-san, please do not leave quite yet; I have been asked to escort you and your companion to the Hokage's office to meet with the Sandaime."
Bloody hell! Sirius silently cursed as he tried (and failed) to suppress the urge he felt to scowl (more like pout) at the man for turning up right at that moment and preventing him from starting his search for little Harry. Damn it, how much longer are they going to keep me from my godson!?
"Chin up, Padfoot; we'll at least get to leave the hospital in order to meet with the Hokage," Remus declared in a not-quite-serious tone and Sirius gave the werewolf a dirty look.
"If the two of you would please follow me?" Cat-Face (Sirius really disliked that damn mask) instructed as he spun on his heel and began walking down the hallway without even bothering to make certain they were following him.
Before Sirius knew it, they were stepping into the Hokage's office and he could barely recall the journey between the hospital and the Hokage's Tower. He'd always had a rather short attention span but Azkaban had wrecked havoc on his ability to remain focused on anything for extended periods of time (amongst other things). Basically, that meant that he'd quickly loose his train of thought or get lost in his mind as soon as he grew bored. That's not to say that he couldn't remain focused, he could; it just took him a considerable amount of effort to do so except when it came to brooding.
And if he was bored, he saw no reason to actually bother trying to stay focused; which was why he didn't recall walking through the village for the past twenty minutes.
It's also why he didn't recall much of how he'd spent the last week in the hospital outside of knowing he'd been poked, prodded, interrogated, and ogled far too much.
Well, that and he'd been far too bored out of his skull to really bother paying all that much attention.
Shaking away the reminder of how painful (metaphorically speaking) the past week had been, Sirius focused on the occupants of the office he'd been led into while Cat-Face shut the door behind him. First, there was a really old bloke in a red and white robe with a large hat half hiding his wrinkly-old face sitting behind a large desk. Then there was a huge bloke in yet another annoying damn mask (this one rather flat and white with red swirls that almost looked like flames). Opposite of Swirly-Face (the new masked man), there was another tall and muscular man with long white hair tied up in a ponytail and red lines on his face. And lastly there was the blond that had rummaged in his head a week ago.
Well, Cat-Face and Moony were there too but he'd figured that was a given.
And of course, he (the great and awesome Padfoot) was present.
Well, there was also a large monkey… (or was that an ape?) dressed up like a living doll and were those clothes wearing frogs sitting on the white haired man's shoulders?
"Focus, Padfoot," Remus ordered in a low voice as he elbowed Sirius in the ribs.
"Gentlemen, allow me to present the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen," Mr. Blondie (his name had been far too long for Sirius to remember) introduced as he gestured to the hatted man behind the desk. Say, is hatted even a word? Sirius silently wondered before he pushed the thought out of his mind as Mr. Blondie continued talking. "Standing behind our Hokage is Kasai, Jiraiya of the Sannin, the Monkey King; Enma of the Monkey Clan, and the elder toads, Fukasaku and Shima of the Toad Clan. Everyone, allow me to introduce you to Lupin Remus and Black Sirius."
"Is this going to take long?" Sirius asked just as soon as Mr. Blondie stopped flapping his jaws. "Cause as fun as it is to meet another old-as-dirt old man with too much power, I'd really, really like to see my godson now."
"Sirius!" Remus half moaned and half scolded in mortification before he palmed his face. "I apologize for my friend; he apparently no longer retains the ability to filter his mouth before he opens it."
"Oi!" Sirius protested before he was cut off by the bearded frog… wait! Since when do frogs grow hair?
"You know, Jiraiya-chan, that one rather reminds me of you," the frog slyly declared as he glanced between the man on whose shoulder he was perched and Sirius several times.
Sirius arched an eyebrow at the talking frog before he whipped his head around to scowl at Remus as he asked, "This is payback for me peeing on your shoes while I was drunk off my ass and in dog form, isn't it? I never thought you, of all the Marauders, would stoop so low as to prank me while I was still in the hospital. Damn it! Am I even getting checked out today!?"
"This isn't a prank, Sirius," Remus calmly countered even as his ears and the back of his neck began turning red with smothered amusement (or possibly embarrassment).
"That frog just talked!"
"Oi! There's absolutely no need to be rude! I'm a toad! Not a frog!" said frog protested as it folded its arms… (or were they forelegs…?) over its chest before it leveled a rather intimidating scowl in his direction.
"Frog. Toad. Same difference," Sirius blithely retorted with a wild swing of his arm. "You're still talking! And what's with the fuzz on the face!? I mean really! Everyone knows that amphibians don't have hair!"
Mr. Blondie broke into a coughing fit that was an obvious cover up for blatant laughter before he stated, "The fr… er toads are not exactly normal toads. They are a special kind of creature called a summons and their close association with humans, usually in the form of summoners, has allowed them to learn human speech. Jiraiya is the current summoner of the Toad Clan while Hokage-sama is the current summoner of the Monkey Clan. I'm rather curious as to why a speaking toad would cause you such distress; I clearly saw examples of creatures speaking in your memories, Black-san."
"Well, it's actually more magical beings that speak various human languages; though I suppose that there are also a very small number of magical creatures can be taught to speak," Remus corrected with a small frown. "However, the only reason they have that ability is because they have magic."
"It was mahou that gave birth to our clans in bygone ages," the Monkey announced and Sirius suddenly felt he was back on familiar ground once more; after all, magic granting animals the ability to grow hair and speak was far less unsettling that things like that occurring naturally. "And I must say that it is an honor to meet two fully trained Trueborn Sages such as yourselves."
"Well, that's because we are awesome," Sirius drawled as a cocky grin formed on his face while he easily ignored the exasperated snorts and groans his declaration drew from several of the individuals in the office; including Moony, the traitor.
"As amusing as this is; I requested the two of you to join me this morning so that we could discuss your citizenship applications," the Hokage stated as he pulled off the large hat he'd been wearing and set it off to one side; revealing a head full of messy white hair with a receding hairline.
Sirius suddenly recalled that he was supposed to be on his best behavior since they were trying not to get kicked out of the village before they even had a chance to see Harry. He winced at how immature he must look before he shook his head and gave the formerly hatted man a sheepish grin that drew snorts of amusement or exasperation from the two men standing behind the Hokage.
"Bonehead," Remus muttered fondly from beside Sirius.
The rest of their meeting with the Hokage would go rather smoothly as Sirius kept his mouth shut and allowed Remus to do all of the talking and once it was over, the Hokage grandly announced, "Please allow me the privilege of being the first one to officially welcome you as new citizens of Konoha, Lupin-san; Black-san."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Remus replied as he gave the man a respectful bow before he grabbed hold of Sirius's shirt and forced him to bow as well.
"If you have any questions or need any help in settling in, please do not hesitate to ask. For now, Kuma will escort you to the western lounge where you can wait for a Genin Team to escort you to the temporary accommodations that I took the liberty of having prepared for you shortly after your interview with Yamanaka-san."
"This way, gentlemen," Cat-face (who Sirius realized must be the 'Bear' person that the Hokage bloke had mentioned) instructed as he appeared behind them and opened the office door.
"Before we go… could one of you please finally tell me where I can find my godson?" Sirius inquired as he glanced at each of the foreigners in the room; though, he supposed, technically, he was the foreigner here.
"Godson? I was not aware that there was a third person traveling with you."
"He wasn't… or rather he didn't. He's been here for years. He's the reason why we came here in the first place," Sirius corrected with a frown since the man should have known that already since he'd told Mr. Blondie that Harry was his reason for being here in the first place during that first interrogation.
"What is your godson's name?"
"Harry."
"Harry is actually more of a nickname," Remus interjected when the Hokage frowned in confusion (as if he hadn't recognized the name). "You would probably know him best by his full name; Haruo."
"Ah, I vaguely recall that there was mention that you were somehow related to the young lad in question but it had slipped my mind momentarily. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I'm unable to provide you with an exact location for the child; he is out of the village on a mission with his teammates at the moment."
"Mission…?" Sirius repeated in confusion.
"I'll explain it later, Padfoot," Remus stated as he grabbed Sirius's elbow.
"When will Harry be back?"
"I don't have an exact date, I'm afraid. However, I do recall that the mission his team took was expected to last for up to four weeks. And I believe they left the village back on the twentieth of last month; so, I would imagine that they will return sometime between the eleventh and the twenty-fifth of this month depending on when their mission is completed."
"You mean it could be weeks before I can see my godson!?"
"Long missions and unpredictable work schedules are just two of the minor hazards that shinobi will face throughout their career," the white haired man that Sirius thought was named Jerry (or something like that) stated with a shrug that didn't even disturb the two frogs… er, magical toads that were perched on his shoulders.
"But… but what am I going to do until he gets here!?"
"I imagine that his current absence will allow you more than enough time to purchase or rent a permanent place, get properly settled in, and start learning your way around town," the Hokage pointed out as he reached for the pipe that was sitting off to one side of the desk.
Sirius let his shoulders sag and nodded in acceptance (grudging though said acceptance was) before he glumly allowed Remus to steer him out of the room. The animagus ignored everything around him as he mentally withdrew from reality while he struggled to come to grips with the fact that the world seemed to be conspiring to keep his godson from him.
At least he wasn't locked up in the hospital any longer.
May 05, 1990, 10:52 AM
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni
Elemental Nations
"That was a rather interesting meeting," Hiruzen commented the moment the door to his office closed behind the two new citizens he'd just welcomed to his village.
"Black reminds me of a spoiled child on a sugar rush," Kasai complained and Hiruzen imagined that his old friend was scowling behind his ANBU mask.
"Part of his immaturity can be attributed to the years he spent being tortured in prison," Inoichi interjected in a slightly annoyed tone that said he was displeased with something; most likely with Black's mental state – since that was what they were discussing at the moment. "Those foul demons they allow to torment their prisoners are the most disgusting things I've ever encountered in someone's mind. They'd radiated fear and anguish far more effectively than a shinobi radiates Killing Intent and the dose of their aura I encountered had been watered down because it was just a memory of those wretched demons."
"Are you certain that his mental state will improve over time?" Hiruzen inquired as he filled his pipe with tobacco and tamped it down before he lit it with a minor katon jutsu. "From what I've read in your report, it wouldn't surprise me if his mind was permanently damaged by extended exposure to such foul creatures."
"There will undoubtedly be some permanent damage but the rest of it can be healed with time and counseling."
"That's good to know. What of the other man? Lupin? How much of an issue do you believe his 'wolf' side is going to be?"
"So long as we can keep him properly contained, I don't believe that his 'inner wolf' will be an issue at all," Inoichi replied after a moment's thought. "He's been containing that side of himself for decades and while it's possible that he might have lied about not biting or infecting another with his wolf side, I don't believe he did. I'll be able to get a clearer picture of his truthfulness and his personality when I view his memories on the new moon this month."
"I can set up one of my higher level barriers around whatever building you set up as his holding cell on the full moons," Jiraiya offered without being prompted. "I can even place a few discreet monitoring seals inside so that you can observe him while he's in his wolf form so that we'll know what to look for and what to expect if he ever manages to escape."
"Have we located a secure place for him to use yet?" Hiruzen asked with a slight frown as he clamped his teeth down on his pipe stem in response to the worry he felt over the idea of some rabid beast targeting his citizens.
"Yes, I sent a team into Training Ground Forty-Four to locate and restore one of the old safe houses that were scattered throughout the forest the same day I learned about the man's condition," Kasai answered. "I expect them to be finished securing the building within a day or two. They were also instructed to install a closed circuit surveillance network in the building for monitoring purposes."
"And throwing him in the middle of the Forest of Death should add another layer of security in the event that he does escape from the building," Inoichi pointed out. "The animals that live in the forest should be strong enough to keep the wolf occupied since they will be drawn to any trespassers wandering through their territory. And even if he manages to kill a few, it wouldn't be an issue since we regularly thin their numbers out to keep the population of the forest from getting out of hand."
"Should we worry about the denizens of the forest killing the man while he is in his wolf form?" Hiruzen wondered as he considered the various creatures that made their home in the forest. "I can't imagine that Black would be too pleased with us if his companion was killed."
"I don't believe that will be a problem; especially if Black were to spend the night of the full moon with his friend as Lupin hinted he might. While a lone wolf, no matter how strong it is, would be at risk, a wolf and a large, powerful canine would be able to handle most of the predators if they worked together. And Black's canine form is large enough to give the tigers pause now that his body is finally properly healing from the physical damage he'd sustained during his stint in prison."
"Warning the two of them about the dangers in the forest also might encourage them to take additional precautions to prevent the wolf escaping from its sanctuary," Jiraiya added thoughtfully. "They would hardly wish to risk being eaten on the off chance that the wolf does get out."
"What of the risk to those shinobi that train in the Forest of Death?" Hiruzen prompted as he considered the number of individuals and teams that frequented the dangerous forest in addition to the chances that the forest would be used as one of the three tasks of the up-coming Chuunin Exams.
"We could simply post an announcement that the forest is reserved for ANBU use during the week of the full moon each month," Kasai answered. "Jiraiya's barriers should also prevent anyone from accidentally stumbling on the safe house."
"Once we have observed Lupin's behavior on the next full moon and I've had a chance to view his memories, we should have a better idea of how much of a danger his wolf side is going to pose and whether or not his security measures and ours will be enough to negate any risk his wolf form might pose," Inoichi stated as he skimmed through the scroll of notes he'd taken out of his pocket at some point during the conversation.
"Then we can revisit the matter at the end of the month," Hiruzen replied as he exhaled a large cloud of smoke.
"Now that that's been dealt with; Ma and Pa, I'm rather curious as to why the two of you didn't go gaga over those two like you did the first time you met with the little gaki," Jiraiya stated with a frown as he addressed the two toads that were perched on his shoulders.
"Haruo-chan was not but a little tadpole when we first met him," Shima dryly reminded her summoner. "I'm certain we would have offended both adults if we'd fawned over them in the same manner."
"Both adult Trueborns also didn't project as strong of an aura as little Haruo," Fukasaku stated on the heels of his wife's response. "I don't know if that was because they were trained to restrain their aura or if it's simply because they're not as powerful as the little one, though. Or it could just be that we've grown accustomed to Haruo-chan's aura due to how much time we've spent in his presence over the past six years."
"They also lack the innocence of the little one," King Enma added with a slight frown. "They give off an air of world-weariness and it's not as enticing as the little one's playful aura."
Hiruzen hummed an acknowledgement of his summons's comment even as his thoughts remained firmly on the two newest citizens of Konoha. He was curious to know how their presence would affect the rest of the village and what kind of influence they would have on Haruo and Naruto; since those two boys were inseparable.
"Kasai, who are you going to assign to keep an eye on the pair for the next few months?" Hiruzen inquired after a couple of minutes had passed.
"Kuma's squad can deal with them," Kasai immediately answered and Hiruzen had to hold back a smile as he picked up on the thread of irritated exasperation that laced his tone.
"Oh? Are you implying that you are going to promote the young man to captain then? I know you've been putting off selecting Inu's replacement since he retired."
"Despite the many headaches that the ahou has given me over the past six years, he's more than capable of leading the others in Inu's place. The only reason I didn't promote him sooner was because I wanted to make certain his boy wasn't going to complicate things after Kuma spilled the beans about his relationship to the little troublemaker. I'll also be promoting Neko to captain and reassigning her to a new squad so I can fill the holes on Kuma's squad with a pair of new recruits that work exceptionally well together."
"Very well, I'll write up the authorization forms for you later."
"If there's nothing else you need from me sensei, I'm going to go do a little research before I leave town," Jiraiya announced with a licentious leer.
"Come see me before you leave," Kasai ordered even as Jiraiya headed for the window. "The full moon is in four days and I'd prefer to have the safe house fully secured before Lupin-san transforms on the night of the full moon."
The meeting broke up a few minutes later and Hiruzen reluctantly turned his attention back to the stack of paperwork that was waiting for his attention.
Translations: English to Japanese
Ahou – fool
Gaki – brat
Notes:
Sirius's Short Attention Span – My reason for painting Sirius as having a hard time focusing is two-fold. One reason is because his personality is heavily influenced by his animagus form and most dogs I have been around are rather playful and easily distracted bar a few of the working dogs I've met. The other reason was already stated in the chapter; the dementors affected him deeply and some of the damage they did to his psyche will be permanent.
Now, the reason why this side of Sirius was not seen in the first section that I wrote from Sirius's PoV was due to him brooding about Harry's reaction to seeing him for the first time in eight or nine years and reveling in his newfound freedom. He's also just spent a week in the hospital bored out of his mind and healing (physically) and laying the ground work for the counseling sessions he will have in the future (hence all of the questions he was complaining about).
04-15-17: More minor edits made to chapter to fix spelling/grammar mistakes and removed unnecessary author's notes.