Chapter 23 here! I also went through the rest of the chapters and edited/updated them. If anyone is interested in beta-ing for me, please let me know! I'd be happy to have a second pair of eyes read over my next chapters before posting. :)

Thanks for your patience and enjoy the chapter that took entirely too long for me to post.

Also, Happy New Years everyone!

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The Next Great Adventure

"To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure" – Albus Dumbledore (HPSS, Chapter 17)

Chapter 23: First Encounter

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Escorting Karasawa-san and Hiromi back to their home was thankfully uneventful. The only aspect of the trip that bothered Harry was being forced to entertain the young spoiled child who now decided Harry was interesting. After he reprimanded her at the festival, Hiromi did a complete one-eighty in her interactions with him. She'd bounce between insulting him, asking him how she looked in her new dresses, and then talk about how rich her father was and how much better she was than a lowly ninja. Harry's head hurt from listening to her and was reminded vividly that girls are crazy. Or at least, this one was.

Kakashi and Harry monitored the carriages as their client's belongings and new purchases were unloaded at the estate. The carriages were exponentially fuller than their first trip, and Harry wasn't sure how everything fit for their journey back. Harry walked casually around with his hands in his pant pockets as he watched the servants carrying boxes away and checked the perimeter of the estate for any disturbances. Hiromi's servant looked especially relieved to be back home; she heard the brunt of Hiromi's complaining on the trip back, and Harry felt bad for the poor woman.

Kakashi had a word with the head butler and then did a final sweep of the carriages before stating their mission was completed. Harry couldn't help but feel relieved the mission was finally over. They apparently were getting paid very well and the mission itself was easy, but the daughter was an absolute pain. Harry decided he would treat himself to some nice dango when they returned to make up for it.

"Thank you Hatake-san, Potteru-san for keeping us safe during our trip," Karasawa-san said as he gave them a slight nod of the head and smiled warmly down at Harry.

"It was our pleasure to escort you and your daughter," Kakashi replied with a bow and Harry promptly followed suit.

"You will escort us next year as well?" Hiromi piped up, sounding more of a demand than a question. She hovered near her father's arm and peered over at Harry as if she expected him to answer the question. Her curl's bounced perfectly as she moved her head as if in a movie. Harry wondered briefly how expensive her hair products were to cause such movement.

"We would be happy to escort you, Karasawa-san, though it will depend on our mission requirements at the time," Kakashi answered with a bow to her as well.

Harry managed to keep a straight face but thought to himself, NO FREAKING WAY.

"Nonsense, I will request the two of you specifically," Karasawa-san puffed up his chest and looked at his daughter with confidence. "I will send a letter to the Hokage directly."

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"Can he do that?" Harry asked, as they finally left the estate. "Send a letter to the Hokage asking for us specifically?"

They walked through the village at a slow pace to not upset any civilians. Their attire though did attract attention, and they received a few worried looks from the villagers.

"If they offer enough money, the Hokage would not refuse unless it were special circumstances." Harry stared at Kakashi in horror.

"But Hiromi is a nightmare!" Harry said, telling himself he was definitely not pouting.

"With the paycheck you'll receive after we get home, you may not think it's so bad."

Harry grumbled something that sounded like, "not a chance". Kaksahi chuckled and patted Harry on the head. They passed a couple of stands with fruits and vegetables on sale, and Harry saw the nice old lady who sold them apples a few weeks ago. She did a double take and her eyes widened as she saw them, and Harry waved cheerfully at her. It only took a few more minutes before they were beyond the market and approaching the edge of the village.

They passed through the village entrance and took off into the trees to begin their trek back to Konoha.

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They were about four hours into their trip when Kakashi had them both stop. Harry sat down in the clearing, breathing hard and pulling out a bottle of water from his pouch. He was nowhere close to having the endurance to complete the trip without stopping.

Maybe once I can manage this trip in one go I'll be ready to be Chunin, Harry thought. Though now that I think about it, I have no idea how you actually become Chunin.

Kakashi scouted around the spot for a few minutes before joining Harry on the ground.

"How about some lunch?" Kakashi asked, and Harry readily agreed. They sat eating the bentos the chef provided before they left Karasawa's estate, which were a little too rich for Harry's tastes but good nonetheless.

"Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked over at him, already having finished his meal in record time.

"How do you go about becoming a Chunin?" Kakashi considered him for a moment before answering.

"There are the Chunin exams every six months where genin are able to participate and, depending on how they perform, will be nominated for a promotion. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Harry said. "I don't think I'm ready yet, but I'd like to be soon."

Kakashi chuckled.

"You're closer than you think, but I agree with you. I was promoted too young and was not ready for that responsibility. We'll make sure you are ready and once you are, I expect you to win the whole thing."

Harry grinned. Challenge accepted.

Harry finished his bento and stood up to stretch. He arched his arms back over his head and tilted his torso left and right, feeling his spine popping with the movements. Harry took his time stretching his legs, going through the normal katas to ensure he didn't pull anything.

"Are you ready to head back, Hari-chan?"

"Yes, Shisho!" Harry replied, handing his empty bento box over to Kakashi to place back into the storage scroll. "I want to make it all the way back to Konoha without stopping a second time."

"Alright, let's head…." Kakashi paused mid-sentence and held out three hand signals toward Harry.

Ninja, three, hold.

Harry crouched down and pulled out a kunai. He couldn't sense anyone around, but trusted Kakashi's judgement. Kakashi looked calm in his usual slouch, but Harry could see his shoulders tense and hands twitching in anticipation.

Harry tried to keep his breathing even and braced himself for the possible first real fight since he was at Hogwarts.

Am I ready for this?

He didn't have time to answer his own question, because suddenly Kakashi was yelling out to him.

"Hari, duck!"

Harry dropped to the ground as an array of kunai lodged themselves into the tree behind him. One of the kunai had an explosive note attached, and Harry threw himself to the side to avoid the explosion.

"You missed, Giichi," said a voice through the trees. "Would have been a much easier end for you if you hadn't dodged, kid."

Harry picked himself off the ground quickly, realizing he had been separated from Kakashi. He looked over to where the voices were coming from and saw Kakashi step in that direction.

Harry noticed Kakashi's hand make another signal. Jonin.

Three ninja stepped into the clearing with slashed Kiri headbands. Their clothes looked worn and dirty, giving the assumption they had been on the road for a long time. The man leading the group had bright green hair with black tips and creepy red eyes. The two men flanking him were almost identical, both had black hair and expressionless black eyes. The one differentiating factor of these two was one had a deep gash across his cheek that looked relatively recent.

"Hatake Kakashi, the copy cat nin," the green haired man said with a grin. "We're in luck. Your bounty is three times higher than the last guy we killed." He peered down at Harry.

"Sorry kid, but we'll make sure it's painless for you."

"Uzi Kobe, the Water Beast of Kiri," Kaskashi said calmly. "Famous for assassinating the Lord of Water before becoming a missing nin."

"And now bounty hunter," Kobe added. He pulled out his sword in one swift motion and held it expertly in his hand.

"The other two," Kakashi continued, "Never heard of you." The two ninja on either side of Kobe, one named Giichi and the other still unnamed, snarled and looked like they were going to charge, but a hand held them back.

"The brothers are still making their names as bounty hunters," Kobe said with an arrogant tone. "And they'll start by helping me kill the famous Sharigan Kakashi."

In a flurry of movement, Harry found himself blocking a sword from the missing nin with the scarred face. He was thankful he had his kunai out and in front of him or he'd already be cut in two.

"Shun, finish the boy quickly and help!" Kobe yelled as he and Giichi attacked Kakashi on both sides. Kakashi had his Sharigan blazing through as he blocked the sword attacks from either side, though Harry wasn't able to see any of this. He was a bit preoccupied by the missing nin glaring down at him.

"Don't take this personally," Shun said as he pressed his sword into Harry's kunai. "I don't make a habit of killing children, but a job's a job." Harry shifted his kunai to the left pressing the sword to the ground and darted backwards, thinking quickly through options. He was nowhere near the level of this man or his comrades, so all Harry had on his side was surprise. The man came at him again, albeit slowly. It was obvious the missing nin knew the differences in their strength and thought this would be an easy task.

I won't let this be easy for him at least.

The nin swung his sword at him again, impacting Harry's kunai on his side. Harry grunted at the force with both hands gripping the kunai and held firm. Thankfully there were no large bodies of water nearby, but he was still wary of water attacks. He didn't have much experience with water since most Konoha nin were either fire or earth focused.

He jumped back and flew through hand signals. As the sword came down again, Harry lifted his kunai, now coated with his lighting spark jutsu, and connected with the sword. Shun showed a hint of surprise but was able to hold on to the sword as his hands shook from the jolts through his weapon.

"Sneaky little one aren't you," he said through gritted teeth. "At least now I don't feel so bad." He disappeared, and Harry noticed his presence appear behind him too late as the sword cut into his shoulder. Harry felt an acute pain above his left arm, but kawarimied away before he was cut in half.

"Hari!" Kakashi yelled, but the two missing nin used the distraction to launch another attack. The green haired nin laughed as he swung his sword at Kakashi's head and said, "Poor Copy Cat is going to be the reason a little kid dies today."

Harry fought the immediate reaction of gripping his shoulder to put pressure on the wound. If his hand was wet from blood, he wouldn't be able to fight properly and any disadvantage here was deadly.

Trying to focus through the pain, Harry unfortunately was too slow in his reaction time as the man swung the sword again toward his neck. His arm wasn't moving fast enough and the weapon was suddenly too close. He shut his eyes, expecting more pain and wishing him and Kakashi were both home safe instead, when he heard a yell and a smash. He looked up to see the glow of a shield around his body and the man struggling to pick himself up off a fallen tree. Harry looked at the shield in surprise. It was the same color and transparency as the one that appeared in his fight with Taichi. It seems it not only protected him, but also flung the missing nin into a tree with enough force to knock down the entire tree.

Magic, of course, Harry thought, feeling a mixture of relief and horror. I'm such an idiot. Why didn't I think of that sooner? He decided he would berate himself later once the fight was over and he and Kakashi were safely back in Konoha.

"You little…," Shun growled picking up his sword and charging again. Harry focused on his magical core again, this time channeling his old self amist battle. He waved his hand and shot a cutting hex at the man, connecting with his left knee and sending him to the ground. The missing nin swung angrily at him, no longer composed and confident.

Harry jumped away, ignoring the blood soaking through his shirt, and aiming a disarming spell at the man's sword arm. The weapon flew out of the nin's grip and Harry let it sail over his head a good distance away from their fight.

Shun yelled and charged Harry, running through hand signs too quickly for Harry to discern. A turrent of water shot towards Harry and leapt back while shouting, "Protego!"

The red shield shot up and held for a second before breaking under the weight of the attack. The shield gave him enough time to drop to the ground and avoid the spiraling water that obliterated the trees behind him. Harry looked up to see the missing nin running for his fallen sword.

Harry sent a stunning hex toward the man, but he easily dodged the red light.

"I don't know how you are doing that kid, but this ends now," Shun said, lifting his sword up from the ground. Harry tried to think of a quick strategy. The nin was too fast for him to hit easily with a spell now that he had seen Harry's magic, so he'd need a different approach to hit him again. He'd need the nin to be close enough so he wouldn't have the space to dodge so easily. It was a major risk since Harry wasn't fast enough to keep up with this man in close combat.

Harry heard clanks of metal further to his left, but ignored the sounds of Kakashi's fight. He couldn't allow himself to get distracted, and he knew Kakashi would be fine. Since Kakashi had his hands full with two jonin, Harry couldn't rely on him to come in and save him.

It was reckless, but he came up with an idea to possibly get out of this alive. His shoulder throbbed and burned, and he saw stars as he braced through the pain. Shun disappeared again and Harry turned, hoping the man would appear in the same place as last time. He held up his kunai and barely connected with the fierce swing aimed at his head. The man pulled back enough to change position and attack Harry's torso. Harry held his kunai in his left hand to catch the sword and his right hand extended toward the man.

Harry's left arm wasn't strong enough to protect himself from the attack and Harry felt the searing pain of steel as he shot a severing hex at the man's throat. The strength in the missing nin's attack faltered as the man released his sword to grasp at his bleeding neck. He coughed up copious amounts of blood before falling lifelessly to the ground.

Harry stilled and stared at the body, still bleeding freely from the neck area. He'd actually done it, he survived a fight with a jonin.

Barely survived, he thought, putting a hand on his side and a wave of intense pain shook through his system. The sword had done significant damage before Harry's spell hit the man.

Without magic I would be dead, Harry thought, the reality of it hitting him hard.

"Hari!" Kakashi said sharply, leaning down to look at his shoulder and side. Harry hadn't even realized Kakashi approaching until he heard his voice right above him. "We need to get you to the hospital."

"Kakashi," Harry said as his vision blurred. "You're okay."

And then everything went black.

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Harry woke up to the familiar smell of antiseptic and white walls. He blinked a couple of times before looking to his left where Kakashi was leaning against the wall reading his usual orange novel.

"Glad to see you awake," Kakashi said, shutting his book with a snap. "The medic healed up your shoulder and the cut on your side, but they said you'll need a few more healing sessions before you're released." Harry nodded, looking down at the bandages wrapped around his torso and upper arm. They must have given him some pain medication as well, because all he could feel was a dull ache in both locations.

"I saw some of your attacks," Kakashi said. "You did well for your first experience with an enemy nin." He eyed Harry intensely.

"Was this your first kill?"

"No, it wasn't," Harry replied softly. He hadn't killed anyone in this new life, but it didn't feel right denying the people he had killed previously. Even if they were bad people, ending all those lives had irreversibly changed him and that change he carried with him even here.

"I assumed so," Kakashi admitted. "If you ever want to talk about it…." Harry gave him a forced smile. He appreciated the sentiment, but he wasn't ready to talk about any of his kills just yet. Not even with Kakashi.

"Were you hurt?" Harry asked. Kakashi shook his head and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"They kept me preoccupied longer than I'd have liked. By the time I had taken care of them, your fight was already over." Harry looked down, a flash of the man's face as he grasped at his bloodied neck appeared in his mind. "You fainted not long after, so I sealed up the three missing nin and took you straight to the hospital."

Kakashi leaned in further to catch Harry's attention again.

"You and I need to have a discussion about the abilities you showed yesterday." Harry looked at him sharply.

"You are my apprentice, and it seems like you've been keeping things from me." Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Kakashi held up his hand.

"I know you and Luna-san have been working on your bloodline, and I'm glad that has worked out well. Those abilities helped you survive against a much stronger opponent. However," he continued with a look, "you and I are a team. If you are going to use your bloodline so heavily in fights, I need to know what you can do so we can practice this in our training sessions. As your sensei, it's my job to help you find strategies to use all of your skills more effectively."

"Also," Kakashi added, "since I have no idea how you fight with your bloodline, I can't yet determine how we can fight cohesively as a team."

Harry dropped his gaze, ashamed. He'd been keeping his magic a secret and didn't realize what position he was putting Kakashi in. Kakashi was completely right.

Even when he was coordinating attacks in the Wizarding war, he and Ron would take into consideration everyone's abilities to see who they would work with best. He knew how important it is to know the strengths and weaknesses of your allies, and he failed in letting Kakashi in on a huge part of his abilities.

"I'm sorry," Harry said earnestly. "I was so worried about keeping our bloodline a secret, I didn't think about how that may affect anyone else. Honestly at the beginning of the fight, I didn't even think to use my bloodline. It wasn't until my bloodline saved me that I realized how I could win."

I almost died because I forgot about my magic.

Kakashi ruffled his hair and smiled.

"We all make mistakes. The important thing is that you learn from it. Once you are all healed up, we'll start practicing incorporating your bloodline into your attacks."

Harry smiled, relieved Kakashi wasn't angry at him.

"Though you'll be the one explaining to the Hokage how exactly you defeated a jonin."

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End Chapter 23

Thanks all for reading! Sorry again for the wait.