Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto
Summary: On the brink of death, Harry is transported to Hidden Leaf Village. As he lives on reluctantly, he will soon discover he is fated to be drawn to another mass murderer – Uchiha Itachi. HP Naruto Crossover
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 6: To be Untouched Again…
"Being stabbed is not what I am afraid of. It is realizing the person who has just hurt me that kills my soul…"
When July came along Harry noticed a lot of people seemed to become busy with the Chuunin Exam including his tutors. He presumed that the examination was a bigger business than what he had originally anticipated given that his lessons were cut drastically. Harry didn't mind too much though, for he recently started meditating in a secluded part of the forest to refine his magic.
If possible, the young savior wanted to refrain from depending on his magic too much, but with his recent experience with the boy named Gaara, Harry suffered from uneasy feeling. In case his hunch was accurate, Harry wanted to be ready for anything by being able to use his wandless magic more proficiently without losing control.
Besides, Harry liked the forest. It was quiet and not many people visited the place allowing him to enjoy more of his free time alone. Plus the little guardian statues around the border of the forest gave the area an oriental and tranquil aura, which was completely different from the Forbidden Forest relieving Harry of the wizarding world. He hadn't concentrated on his magic properly since his arrival at the Leaf Village, but like riding a bicycle, he didn't forget how to use it once he had learned to tap into the magical core. At least, that was the case for Harry.
He smiled bitterly at the memory of people calling him abnormal due to his unique way of using magic.
'Oh well, at least they will be happy without me.' Harry shook his head to distract himself and continued his way to the woods.
As he got closer to his usual destination, a familiar stench tickled Harry's senses. He slowed down subconsciously and noticed how his heart started to pump faster and harder than before. Unexpectedly, Harry caught the sight of two figures standing near the statues. His attention, however, was soon drawn from two standing people to the blood spatters and motionless bodies. Feeling nauseous, Harry brought his hand to cover his mouth.
'What's happening?' Harry thought, feeling a little light headed. There was a thickness in the atmosphere that seemed to be choking him. It was that devastating, but all too well known, stirring in his stomach which started to frighten him.
Tenzo was watching Harry from afar. The ANBU noticed the teen had been coming here often as of late and was doing what looked like a meditation. Owing to his wood jutsu, Tenzo had been chosen to monitor the Hokage's newly adopted son.
However, something seemed to be amiss with the youth today. Two shinobi were with what looked to be three corpses but Tenzo's attention was currently fixed on Harry, who was bracing himself and trembling like an injured animal. Breathing also appeared to be heightened as the two ninja approached the teen, causing the boy to quickly jump back.
The pair of shinobi tried to move toward Harry again with confusion and suspicion written on their faces. Harry continued to back away while his expression held something intense. The ANBU decided to step in before anymore harm came like last time.
"What's going on here?" As Tenzo loomed, he recognized the two ninja as Kotetsu and Izumo.
"We're not sure. The kid came out here so we told him to go back. But then he started to tremble and backed away from us. He seems frightened. Isn't he the one Hokage-sama has adopted?" Kotetsu said while carefully eyeing the intruder.
Kotetsu recognized him since he'd seen the boy spending time with Ibiki. He even saw Anko joining the two on a few occasions which brought another matter at hand. Anko had gone into the Forest of Death in pursuit of the murderers and until the investigation team arrived, he and his partner couldn't let anyone near the crime scene which included their superior's son.
"Yes, he is. You two head back to Hokge-sama and report the situation." Tenzo ordered.
"We can't leave the scene." Izumo refused.
"I will handle this alone." When Tenzo spoke again in a firm voice, both ninja glanced at each other a little skeptically before they gave in and took their leave.
It was better that other people stayed out of the current matter in case certain information slipped out from the boy's lips in his obviously distraught state. Cautiously, the ANBU tried to come within reach of the upset boy but the younger of the two started to back away until his small back hit the tree.
"Hari-kun." Tenzo also stopped his chase to not further agitate the child and tried to call out to him.
"Get away from me!" Unfortunately, his attempt failed as the wizard got even more edgy and started to frantically move his hands around his waist to as though searching for something. Tenzo tensed, but soon he relaxed a little when the teen's distressed hand landed on the bush nearby the tree to snatch up a bush branch.
"Everything is going to be alright." Tenzo gave a shot to coax Harry again.
"Alright?" Harry retorted as though it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in his life. The older man supplied a positive answer as he noticed the anger of the teen was becoming very evident.
"Yes. Of course, that's how it works with you Deatheaters." Harry spat back venomously.
Deatheater. There was it again. The last time when the kid had muttered that to him, Tenzo had simply thought it was another way to insult the ANBU and nothing more. Now when the troubled and confused boy said the word again, he couldn't help but feel misplaced as though they all had overlooked something. But what was it? Tenzo didn't think he would be able to figure this out without further information and spoke again.
"I don't think I understand you."
"Of course you don't! That's why all of you could have killed those people without any remorse!"
Harry screamed pointing his accusing bush branch towards the ANBU. Tenzo would have found the aforementioned comical with his shaking branch if he wasn't aware of what the teen was capable of.
"I didn't kill these people." Despite Tenzo's plea, Harry seemed hysteric.
"What difference does it make?! You all laughed and taunted her until she died from your torture!" Something was being concentrated in the surroundings with the air of fury around the boy making Tenzo nervous for the reasons unknown.
All Harry was aware of at the moment was the pain in the chest. His mind was dizzy as he remembered every second of Hermione's suffering. Anger clouded his judgment as he pointed the branch he believed to be his wand. But he wouldn't kill this wretched excuse for a human because he and the order still needed to find Ginny. Ginny had also disappeared and everyone was desperately searching for her with the time working against them. Harry shot a stunning spell at the ninja only to be dodged.
"What the?!" Tenzo was shocked at the sudden turn of the event and scolded himself for underestimating his opponent. Such mistakes often proved to be very unforgivable for the price was your one and only life. What was that light though? The teen didn't make any hand seals and the tree branch he held was just a plain twig. It wasn't special material which could conduct chakra but still a beam of light shot out of it. The baffled ANBU didn't know what it could do but he wasn't planning to find out any time soon by taking a hit either.
Tenzo dodged again as Harry shot out few more beams while yelling "Where is Ginny?!" Whoever the kid was looking for, he was sadly mistaken at the moment. Nonetheless, Tenzo speculated that this Ginny must be very important to the teenager.
As the ANBU dodged the last ray of light, he stayed on his spot and the pair eyed each other warily. Tenzo didn't want to get too near to the distraught child from his past experience so he decided to keep the teen in place before the reinforcements arrived.
Tenzo swiftly reached in and threw a kunai, which snatched the stick Harry was holding out of his hand. Tenzo then made a quick hand seal and while Harry watched the stick being stolen from his hand, the woods started to bind around the wizard immobilizing him. Tenzo could see the panic rising in his opponent's face.
"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not sure what's wrong but whatever it is, I'm sure it's not what you are thinking. Do you know where you are?"
Harry didn't answer. His mind was fogged with fear as he frantically searched possible ways to get out of the present mess. Harry was confused to his current predicament but somehow he was trapped between the woods while that Deatheater mocked him. He had to get out here before other Deatheaters arrived. He needed to leave! He wanted to be somewhere else. He wished so desperately to be anywhere but here.
Tenzo warily watched Harry as the boy hopelessly struggled against the bonds at some distance. He tried to soothe the teen to no avail. The ANBU planned on waiting until the Hokage's arrival, however, the atmosphere around them was getting strange. He couldn't describe it in a precise word, but the air was shifting as though it was getting overflowing, almost as if some kind of energy was clustering around them. Tenzo didn't know what hit him as he suddenly blacked out and Harry disappeared with a pop from the restraint.
Sarutobi sighed as he read the recent report on his charge. Kazuki and Kaede had sent in the account on their weekly assessment on Hari. They thought his adoptee suffered from child abuse as well as a trauma commonly experienced during war. If something triggered his traumatic experience, the disastrous effect that they had encountered may be one of the results. Hari also seemed to be suppressing himself. Most of the time, the child looked to be in good control of himself giving an impression that he was a polite, pleasant and quiet young man.
Nevertheless, to experienced eyes it was more of well-organized emotions like ninja, containing oneself if required. However, it appeared the walls between these compartments of emotion were fragile than that of ninja, for his mood or personality changed drastically at certain cues ranging from aggressive to a traumatized child. Their opinion? It was deemed that Hari was a bit unstable. The youth seemed to have some kind of psychological trauma and subconsciously, he tried to avoid them or shut them out of his memories. Hari required help in forms of counseling and therapy.
The Third put down the paper and laid back on his chair deep in thought. He had expected something like this when he decided to take the child in. Like the statement, to experienced eyes, it was obvious that the boy was pushing and repressing himself to act out as a respectful friendly young man. He agreed with Kazuki's opinion on needing help, but the problem would be who? There was a limit to where Kaede and Kazuki could help Hari as the mind wasn't their field of expertise. Ibiki and rest of his ANBU were out of question as well; their specialty was interrogation not counseling. If only Tsunade were here then maybe she could have come up with some sort of treatment. He slowly shook his head for it was just a wishful thinking and nothing more.
Sarutobi looked back to the report. He had heard of Hari's contact with sand nin and Team 7. Since then Naruto dropped by Sarutobi household for lunch or supper every so often instigated by Konohamaru's invitation, which got approved by his new uncle. Everyone was troubled at first, but so far nothing worrisome had happened between the hyperactive boy and Hari in the events that followed the meal invitation. If anything, Naruto looked to be more interested in Hari than the older teen was interested in the blond confining nine-tails.
Konohamaru appeared to be very happy with his new uncle and Sarutobi was happy for his grandson as well. Someone was finally in the child's life to watch him and encourage him from nearby instead in the shadows. After a long wait, the child was getting the attention and the care that his family was too busy to provide directly and the old man was very grateful to Hari for that.
Sarutobi placed the files in a classified section and went back to his seat. He grabbed his pipe to light a smoke and looked back at a pile of papers. Due to the Chuunin Exam, there was a lot of work to do not only in forms of official document but also with himself as the Hokage. Today, he would mostly likely be stuck in his office with the paperwork or so he thought until he was informed of three corpses discovered and Anko taking off into the Forest of Death.
"What should we do Hokage-sama?" The shinobi who informed him asked.
Sarutobi knew this peace was too good to be true. He arranged some ANBU squads to go to the Forest of Death and took off towards the West Forest to examine the corpses himself. On his way, he encountered Kotetsu and Izumo who were sent to notify of his adopted son's stand off with ANBU.
When Sarutobi arrived at the scene he found Tenzo's prone form along with the corpses that he'd heard about. Sarutobi ordered shinobi who were not aware of Hari's real record to alert Kazuki and Kaede. He couldn't afford the information leaking out. When all but his trusted ANBU teams were left, Hokage turned back to Tenzo who was already getting checked by medic ANBU. Sarutobi's blood ran cold at the idea that one of his trusted ANBU could be dead. To everyone's relief, it was confirmed that Tenzo was still breathing with no apparent external injuries. But where was Hari?
"Wake up! Can you hear me?!" One of the ANBU who was checking on Tenzo tried to wake him up from his unconsciousness. After two more tries, Tenzo grunted and started to open his eyes.
"Augh!" Tenzo flinched with a groan as the pain blasted all over his body when he made an effort to move. It was as though an electrical current was running through his chakra system, constantly shocking every inch of his body. His head throbbed as he tried to remember what had transpired.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Sarutobi asked as he settled down to the height of the man who was getting support from his fellow ANBU.
"I don't know. I think I was suddenly knocked out. Where is Hari?" Tenzo struggled to recollect his memory whilst trying to fight off the headache.
"Weren't you with him?" Sarutobi felt his stomach sink as all the worst scenarios started to pop out of his imagination.
Tenzo stared back the tree where he saw the boy for the last time only to find the place empty. The restraints were still there without any damage or modification yet Hari was missing. How could that be? There was no way that someone could get out of the confinement unless he removed the bonds or the wood was chopped away. Or the other small possibility was that the teen was flexible enough to bend or dislocate and re-attach the joints which he knew wasn't possible with the youth.
"He wasn't there?" Tenzo gaped at the tree dumbfounded. It was as though the captive simply disappeared on that spot! Where was he?
"No. No one was here when we arrived." Sarutobi answered as he gazed at the location where the aforementioned indicated. Tenzo explained the situation and the old man heaved a sigh as he looked around the forest. Hari was nowhere in sight. Sarutobi ordered Tenzo to be moved to the hospital and ordered the some ANBU squads to search for his missing charge. As he and few others examined the corpses, the Third couldn't help but worry about his adopted son.
Anko was in agony as she walked through the treacherous Forest of Death, however, no pain was greater than the pain she felt in her heart from disappointment. Although it was to be expected, Anko felt frustrated at the outcome of the battle between her and Orochimaru. The kunoich had never expected to win the fight. Still, she had desired to take down that backstabbing snake along with her life at the very least. Unluckily, the plan didn't go as she'd hoped. Now as a result, she'd became that wretched man's messenger and had to deliver an important message to Hokage-sama. If she made it through this unforgiving forest that is.
"Ahhh!"
She was in so much agony. She could sense the curse trying to take over her body. As she struggled to suppress the evil presence down, it tortured Anko even more making her stop in her tracks. The jounin leaned against a tree for support and attempted to suppress the moan escaping her mouth as much as possible.
"Anko-san?" Anko snapped her head in alarm towards the direction of the unsure voice to find Hari approaching warily.
"Hari?" Harry nodded to confirm special jounin's disbelief.
"I am so glad to see you." Harry smiled in excitement. He was sure he had never been happier to see this psychotic woman in his life, especially when he had been lost in this creepy forest for what seemed like forever!
Harry had met Anko through Ibiki. In a way Harry couldn't help but wonder whether or not the woman was crazy. In spite of that thought Harry still liked her. During the past few weeks Harry had come to be acquainted with her more, he realized she cared in her own wild ways. After meeting Naruto and getting to know him, he couldn't help but wonder if the two were related even though he knew Naruto was an orphan for their personalities were certainly similar enough.
"What are you doing here? How did you even get here in first place?" Anko couldn't believe what she was seeing! What was that boy doing here at this time?! As far as she knew, he was a civilian! He was a little more vigilant than normal civilians but that may have been due to the past experience with his village.
"Well, I was going to the forest to meditate but I guess I was too absorbed in other things and wasn't paying attention to where I was going since I found myself lost. I have been wandering around here for a long time. Where am I?"
Harry was puzzled. He did remember heading for the forest to meditate but he never recalled entering or traveling this deep into the forest. The young wizard couldn't even apparate because he wasn't sure of the locations. It was starting to get dark and Harry was getting scared as he traveled through this eerie woods. As he wondered around in despair, he heard someone in pain and headed toward the source of sound to find Anko.
"You don't remember how you got here?" It wasn't a question. Anko decided to not ask anymore for now because her priority at the moment was notifying others on what happened. She could always ask the questions later. However, before she could take another step, Anko cringed and sank to the spot she was standing on as another dose of torture session was delivered. Harry ran just in time to prevent the kunoich from hitting the ground.
"Are you in pain? Are you hurt?" Harry asked carefully, looking at her hand covering the neck as well as her pain filled face.
"No. It's okay, but if we don't get out here soon we won't be." With that said Anko pushed herself away from the boy and began to walk like a drunken person. Harry followed her with worry and after some time, Harry decided to give her support for her balance had gotten worse.
Anko wanted to protest at the gesture but decided that it was for the best since they could get out of the place faster. With that thought in mind, she let Harry support her and as she predicted, they indeed traveled faster. Anko sighed inwardly, thinking that if it wasn't for this cursed seal she could jump from tree to tree with Hari but at the moment she traveled even slower than the aforementioned boy.
They seemed to be hiking for over an hour and it was getting darker than before. The worst part of it was that they weren't getting closer to the safe point. During their travel Harry had a good chance to take a peek at the mark covered by the jounin's right hand given that he was support on Anko's left side. It seemed that the mysterious symbol engraved on her skin may be the source of her condition. Perhaps it was some kind of curse?
He had learned about the curses of this world in one of his lessons. The idea was quite different from his own world, but at present Harry couldn't help but wonder if there was any way he could assist her. At the same time, he was afraid to approach her especially since it would expose his powers, not to mention she wasn't one of the handful of people who were aware of his real status.
As Harry contemplated, Anko cursed inwardly. It wasn't good. This forest was more dangerous after sun down. If she were to engage in any kind of battle, she wouldn't be able keep up with it and on top of that she had someone to protect. Suddenly Anko stopped in her tracks.
"What was that?" Harry looked back at Anko but before she could answer the subject three giant tigers appeared before the two travelers.
"Tigers?" Harry's eyes widened. He has never seen such big tigers and Harry doubted that they were anything but friendly from the growling sounds and threatening canines they were displaying.
Anko gritted her teeth. She didn't have time for this never mind that she wasn't in any condition for the upcoming fight. She glanced at the Hokage's adopted son who was staring at the tigers in fear. What was she supposed to do?
She tried to reach into her chakra reserve only to be backlashed violently by the curse. She lost her steadiness and fell to the ground as an anguished noise escaped her mouth.
Harry bent down soon after that and asked, "Are you okay?"
As if on cue, the three tigers suddenly leaped all at once towards the two people. Harry instinctively brought both of his arms up to cover himself as a defensive reflex and all tigers were thrown back with three fireballs suddenly appearing and exploding in midair before each of the creatures.
"What?" Anko watched the scene in great surprise and wariness. She scanned the area but no one was around them.
The tigers got up from their landing spot and growled at Harry before they turned and ran back to where they came from.
Harry was trying to calm his breathing and heart. What just happened? There was some kind of explosion and the next thing he knows the vicious animals landed at least 10 meters away from them.
"Hari? Did you do that?"
From Anko's confused look, Harry came to conclusion it was his doing. But he never had time to think and his magic somehow threw those predators away. Upon that realization, Harry started to panic. How would he explain this? Regrettably, the thought that he could just pretend to not know what had happened didn't occur to him.
"Huh? I- I …" Anko watched Harry with unimpressed eyes. It was like a disapproving look his relatives gave him whenever there was a bizarre incident. Harry fidgeted uncomfortably then suddenly he tracked back to his cover up story.
"My aunt told me my parents were shinobi, maybe it's something I inherited from them." Harry groaned inwardly. He wasn't a good liar but even to him that was lame as he sounded like he was reading from a script.
"Maybe? And what is that something?" Anko asked while she got back up on her feet shakily.
"I don't know much about my parents other than the fact that they were shinobi. My relatives hated them and didn't tell me much about them. I am not sure what I inherited from them." Harry tried again, wishing madly that Anko would buy his tale.
"Does this sort of thing happen often?" Anko inquired again not moving from her spot.
"No. This is the first time it happened." Harry never liked lying and it always made him feel bad and exasperated, but then again it wasn't a complete lie given that throwing away giant tigers had never occurred before.
Despite Harry's desperate wishes, Anko didn't accept his story. She thought the boy looked too calm for this kind of experience to be his first time which suggested that he was aware of his ability. In addition, the boy had admitted that he was the one responsible despite it being the first time it had happened. He didn't even seem to be nervous of his sudden show of power. His reaction wasn't normal if one wasn't conscious of one's ability that well.
There was another issue though. She had heard about Hari's basic history. He was a civilian, yet after getting almost killed by three giant tigers the boy didn't seem too ruffled. Normal civilians would still be in a traumatized state. Sure, the boy had experienced the massacre of his entire village but that didn't necessarily make that person, especially adolescents, fearless in front of three aggressive giant tigers. She thought there was more to the boy than what he showed. The special jounin couldn't help but wonder if he was a spy especially since she had recently encountered Orochimaru.
What if the one who attacked the youth's village was Orochimaru? What if the boy was the snake's lackey who had come to harm the Leaf village? After all, the last time Hokage-sama has seen the boy was when the he was but a small child. Anko shivered briefly as all sorts of possible scenarios emerged in her mind.
"So this is where you are, Anko. And who's that?" Anko sighed in relief as she found the two ANBU looking down at them from the tree branch.
"For the ANBU you are too slow and this is Hokage-sama's son." Anko replied.
"What?" The ANBU looked at each other then observed the boy more carefully. Indeed, he was their Hokage-sama's adopted son.
"Where have you been and what are you doing here? We've been looking for you for the last several hours!" Before anyone could say anymore Anko fell to the ground with a groan. The two ANBU quickly appeared next to her and gave her support.
"Are you alright?" One of the masked figures asked.
"The curse seal has reappeared. Did you?" Anko glanced at Harry cautiously before nodding her head.
"Orochimaru." That word was enough to explain everything.
"Damn. Well, then I will take you both to Hokage-sama." The thinner one of the two ANBU bit his lips behind his mask. He could feel the dread filling up inside him. However, his suggestion was rejected as Anko thought otherwise.
"No, to the tower."
"What are you talking about?! Martial law must be implemented the moment Orochimaru appears! This is no time to take the exam!" The ANBU with the bird mask protested at her idea but Anko didn't back down.
"I will explain everything at the tower. Have Hokage-sama meet us there."
"Alright. Hari-kun, come with me. I will take you back to the village." The ANBU sighed and held his hand out to the boy who seemed completely stumped by the conversation.
"No. He's going to the tower as well." Harry stared at Anko. There was something in her tone that made Harry want to cringe. It was something he was familiar with. It was a tone of mistrust.
"What? He has been missing for the last several hours and ANBU have been searching for him everywhere! Hokage-sama has been very worried! Plus, this matter isn't for civilians." The taller ANBU objected but it turned out Anko wasn't planning to give in anytime soon.
"No, he's coming to the tower. Inform Hokage-sama and have him meet us there."
"Alright." The masked figure gave up. He wasn't going to waste his time fighting an already lost battle.
The skinnier ANBU supported Anko while other bulkier ANBU made a copy of himself and sent it off to the Hokage tower before carrying Harry bridal style. During the travel Anko whimpered in pain while clutching her neck. Harry warily watched her all the while tensing his body due to their method of tree jumping travel. It was one thing to ride a broom but to be held by someone you don't know at a high height and jump from branch to branch at a very fast speed made Harry dreadfully uncomfortable.
"Relax kid. You are going to have a muscle ache if you tense your body like that during our trip. I'm not going to drop you or anything."
Sadly, that didn't help with easing Harry's apprehension.
When they finally reached the tower, Anko's pain had subsided a bit and now that she was able to think clearly again, she suspiciously eyed Harry who had fallen asleep on the couch after several pathetic attempts to stay awake.
"We have to stop the exam." The bird masked ANBU said for the dozenth time now
"We can't." And Anko gave the same answer back.
"Things are going to get bad!" The smaller ANBU eventually snapped at the repeated response while they waited for the third Hokage.
"Even though this is an urgent situation, we can't stop the exam!" Anko looked at Harry to check if her frustrated yelling had woken up the teen. He was sound asleep; he must have been really tired or a good actor, if he was a spy. Even after that loud racket about the sand-nin, the boy still remained slumbering.
"Anko, why did you bring him here?" The taller ANBU asked in a more soothing manner while trying to cool his partner.
"There is something I want to discuss with Hokage-sama." Anko supplied.
"Okay, but if you want to discuss certain issues with Hokage-sama, why does he have to be here? This tower isn't the best place for civilians." The ANBU countered but even now Anko didn't seem convinced.
"I don't want him to go back to the village just yet. Not before I have confirmed some things with Hokage-sama."
"Are you implying that he could be a threat to the village?" The smaller ANBU asked incredulously to which Anko didn't reply.
"Anko, Hokage-sama adopted him. I am sure he is not going to adopt someone who is going to be a potential threat to this village." The taller one tried to reason but she retorted back at him.
"The last time Hokage-sama saw or contacted the boy before he adopted him was more than 10 years ago! Who knows what could have happened in between that time frame?"
"What are you trying to say?" When asked Anko remained quiet again.
"Anko." The bird masked ANBU pressed on.
After a while, there was a knock on the door and before anyone could answer, it opened to reveal the Hokage and a few ANBU.
"Hokage-sama." The three in the room paid their respects to the Hokage as they bowed their heads.
"Anko." Sarutobi acknowledged Anko's presence. Then he looked on the couch to find Harry, who had been missing, sound asleep to his great relief. The boy didn't seem to be hurt anywhere other than looking exhausted. Sarutobi wanted to ask about Harry however, as the Hokage, the matter of Orochimaru was a more pressing issue.
Anko relayed what had happened when she found Orochimaru, including the snake's message. The Third thought about it. The wisdom Sarutobi had gathered over the years as well as his career as Orochimaru's instructor told him there was more to the situation. Sadly, due to the lack of information all he could do was seek the clues while waiting. Patience yet vigilance was the key.
"We will continue with the exam." Sarutobi declared which didn't go well with the ANBU in the room. They expressed their concerns and suggested the cessation of the examination.
"For now, this is the best course of the action."
Everyone was silent at the tone of the Hokage. It was clear that Hokage himself wasn't happy with the choice. Sarutobi closed his eyes for few seconds looking as though he was thinking something over and when he reopened his eyes, he looked back at Anko.
"Now Anko, I heard you found Hari in the Forest of Death."
"Yes. Well, it was more like he found me." She explained.
"Oh? How did that happen?"
By the time Anko finished the story of her encounter and travel with Harry, Sarutobi looked the young savior with unreadable expression. He turned his head back to Anko and asked a question that had been lingering in everyone's mind for some time.
"Now, I heard that you brought Hari to the tower instead of sending him back to the village. I presume that you have something to discuss?"
"Hokage-sama, I will be blunt with you so forgive me ahead of time for my rudeness." Anko said in a determined voice. When Sarutobi gave approval for her to continue, she at last asked the question that had been haunting her since her meeting with Harry earlier in the day.
"Why did you adopt him?"
Everyone seemed to be taken aback by that inquiry then looked at their Hokage to observe what his reaction was. Sarutobi seemed to be in some thought before he answered her.
"… I thought you were informed of his situation by Ibiki."
"I have, but haven't you considered the fact that you haven't had contact with him for 10 years? It's pretty convenient that he's shown up asking for help now." Anko watched the Third.
"He had nowhere else to go. What are you trying to say Anko?" Anko took in a deep breath before opening her mouth.
"Hokage-sama, I think there is a possibility that he is linked with Orochimaru and if not then he might be a spy for another village."
"Why do you say that? What has elicited all this?" Sarutobi asked.
"I saw him using some kind of power that I have never seen or heard before. And the most concerning thing was that he was aware it was him who used such an ability and although he claims that that was the first time it happened and he never knew anything about it because no one has told him, he didn't seem scared a tiny bit from his sudden display."
"What did he do?"
"Right before the ANBU found me, we were surrounded by three giant tigers ready to kill us. I wasn't in condition to defend us both so I tried to figure something out. The tigers leaped to attack us but they were thrown with fiery explosions and landed violently on the ground. They stood up and growled for a while before fleeing and not long after the ANBU found us."
Sarutobi sighed and stroked Harry's sleeping head as he sat next to the tranquil body. He had to tell them. They now knew of Harry's special abilities. The Third looked at Anko. She and the two ANBU that found her were the only ones involved in this. With that Sarutobi nodded to the ANBU who followed him. They nodded back and left to guard the room from anyone else from eavesdropping their conversation.
"Before I say anything, I want you three to know that what you learn about my adopted son is top security information so make sure what you saw or heard today doesn't leave you."
"Yes sir." The three nodded and reassured the Third in unison.
"Anko, I understand the reason for you to be suspicious of him. Some of the information on the public record regarding Hari is not entirely true and his abilities are undocumented, but I assure you that he's not linked with Orochimaru. Hari will not bring any danger to this village."
Sarutobi wasn't sure where his faith in the boy came from. He didn't have any proof that Hari wasn't connected with Orochimaru and the only guarantee that the teen would not bring any harm to the village would be taking Hari's own words on the day of his adoption.
"But Hokage-sama, Ahhh!" Anko wasn't satisfied with the outcome but she couldn't finish her opposition when another hot surge burned inside her.
"Anko!" Sarutobi abruptly got up from his seat and caught Anko as she dropped down in pain. Anko's effort to suppress the pain failed pitifully while her breathing heightened. Soon after, the only thing that was on her mind was wishing madly for someone to end her misery.
This time, the racket in the room was loud enough to wake Harry up from his slumber. Harry opened his eyes in alarm at the noise and jerked himself up from the couch. The first thought that came to his awareness was that he was under attack only to realize soon after that he wasn't in the wizarding world anymore at the sight of people surrounding Anko.
Sarutobi turned around and acknowledged Harry's presence when he felt the boy was awake before turning back to Anko. Harry watched on as his adopted father and a few ANBU finally laid Anko on the other couch. Everyone watched helplessly as she suffered. It looked as if she was losing consciousness from pain.
All the while this was happening, Harry was having an inner conflict. He wanted to help her but he didn't want to stand out, as well as there was no guarantee he could really do something about the curse. However, his contemplation quickly ended as Anko made a noise as though she was choking from the pain. Harry approached Sarutobi who was watching Anko with guilt and whispered some words in the old man's ear. The Third gaped at Harry in disbelief for a short time before he gave his permission.
"Yes, Hari. You can trust these people and if you believe you can help her please do go ahead."
Sarutobi gestured ANBU away from Anko and watched Harry as the wizard approached the body writhing in pain. Harry removed Anko's hand from her neck and revealed the mysterious mark. He took in a deep breath then put his hand over the exposed emblem and closed his eyes as he tried to reach into the jounin.
It was a dark and cold sensation that trickled into Harry. The sinister presence Harry felt was trying to overpower the force that was suppressing the intruder. Harry thought it was Anko who was trying to contain the curse. Harry never learned anything like this but he wasn't afraid. There was this mysterious confidence in him that allowed him to believe in his magic to guide him through.
Harry used his magic to surround the substance carefully and finally wrapped around the curse like a protective bubble. The curse was like a black sticky tar yet gave an impression that it was alive by trying to absorb Harry's magic. When Harry opened his eyes he noticed Anko's panting was easing up. Her level of consciousness was coming back and she sported a shocked look on her face. She stared at Harry who was still touching her filth then at Hokage silently expecting enlightenment.
Harry looked at Sarutobi then at Anko and asked, "I can remove this curse if you want. Do you want it to be removed?"
Everyone was astonished at that query. They'd tried everything to remove the curse with no success when Anko was rescued with the mark on her neck yet here was some teen with no shinobi education who gave such a far-fetched proposal.
"Who are you?" Anko muttered but she didn't get a reply. The stare she was giving Harry was not something alien to him. Harry felt twinge of sting in his chest at the notion that he might not be welcomed in this world. When Anko got no response, she stared at the Hokage and asked again.
"Who is he Hokage-sama?"
Occupants of the room were still thunderstruck trying to believe the fact that the boy in his adolescence was able to suppress the effect of the curse so efficiently.
"Hari, can you really remove the curse?" Even Sarutobi didn't trust what he had just heard. When Hari said he might be able to help Anko, Sarutobi wasn't expecting the teen to suppress the effects of the curse completely like this.
"It's new but I think I can manage." At Harry's confirmation Sarutobi faced Anko.
"Anko, what do you say?"
"It can't be possible! I mean we tried everything and the best we could do was to partially seal the curse!" Anko wasn't convinced.
"So you would rather leave it?" Harry asked.
"Of course I will say yes if I can remove this damned thing! But you can't do it! How can you when you are not even shinobi, and most of all not any kind of sealing master! Sealing is one of the most difficult arts in jutsu! From what I heard, you just started to write basic kanji! How can you do it when you barely know anything about advanced kanji!" Anko barked back fiercely.
She was mad. As ridiculous as it sounded, she was angry at the fact that after suffering the curse since that fateful day to live a nightmare with no remedy comes a normal looking teenage boy offering the cure.
"Because I can." Came Harry's confident reply.
"How? You don't have any education in shinobi arts not to mention any kind of sealing arts!" Anko glared at Harry. The years she had to anguish in pain seemed so meaningless now that a teenager presented her a chance to cleanse the filth of Orochimaru.
"It's because I just can and you'll just have to trust me as much as I trust you regarding the information on my ability." Harry gazed into Anko's eyes. Anko stared into the determined green orbs which, for some odd reason, appeased her.
Anko bit her lower lip and thought about the proposition. She really wanted to remove the curse. The boy was very suspicious but Hokage-sama trusted him. Although there was no good reason to have faith in the teen, Hokage-sama still did. She trusted the wise man so Anko decided to believe in his judgment.
"Alright, you can remove the curse. Is there anything I should know before you start?" Anko huffed in dissatisfaction.
"I can't really say because I have never done this before." The answer Harry provided did little to alleviate Anko's anxiety as she cried out ear throbbing, "What?!"
"But I think there is a high chance I can do it." Harry tried to restore confidence in the distraught jounin.
"Great! That makes me feel much better!" Anko spat in a sarcastic manner.
"Anko!" Sarutobi reprimanded.
"Can you tell me about this curse? Anything I need to know about?" Harry looked at Sarutobi.
Everyone looked at each other then came to a silent agreement. Sarutobi looked at Harry then explained that the curse seal would grant power but would eventually take over the body and could damage or kill the person. Others watched Harry as he went quiet and looked thoughtful. They weren't sure how he was going to react but whatever they were expecting was not what Harry had said.
"That's all?
"Pardon me?" Sarutobi had to doubt his ears for what he had just heard.
"Is that it?" Harry's second question confirmed Sarutobi that he wasn't hearing things.
"What do you mean?" Sarutobi wasn't sure what the boy was trying to tell him.
How could he say that? Sure they did not know everything about this curse, but how could he make it sound as though this was not something horrible?
"Well… I think it's awful to have such a curse but if you can control it and don't activate it for a long periods of time in return you gain great power. In my opinion, I think there is something more to this curse than that. Evil men usually don't just go around and give out the power without a price. They prefer to offer power and give a little taste to someone who they see benefit of using for whatever purpose they see fit but not more than that."
The adults were speechless. Everything the boy said wasn't difficult to figure out but people didn't usually realize this either. Sarutobi tried to think about it. Harry was right. There should be something more to this curse than that when considering Orochimaru's nature. Harry broke the silence.
"May I start now?"
"Wait. Let's relocated to a more secure location." Sarutobi led the group to a room where there were no windows. Some of the ANBU stayed outside to guard the room while Harry looked around. The place was lit by a few candlelight but they weren't enough to brighten the room like a light bulb.
"I will start now."
Spectators watched Harry carefully. Even the Hokage or other sealing or curse masters weren't able to remove this. How could this stranger purify Orochimaru's touch?
Harry touched Anko's exposed mark with his hand and as he closed his eyes he started to reach in like last time. It was like going through a dark hallway. Then he felt the presence of the curse. It was still enveloped by his magic. Harry released his magic and picked at the curse with care and patience. The curse squirmed at the sudden assault but soon Harry's magic slowed the resistance down and it stayed frozen. Harry got hold of the curse and started to pull out. Harry opened his eyes again in reality to notice the others were staring at him and now gasping Anko had collapsed on the ground. Harry opened his hand that had closed to a fist at some point during this ritual to reveal a black crystal ball resting on his palm.
"Okay, I'm done now." Harry declared.
"The curse is removed? Completely?" Sarutobi asked in uncertain voice.
"Yes."
Sarutobi went down to check on Anko and indeed the mark on Anko's neck was gone. Even Anko looked to be amazed as she wiped away the sweat trickling down near her eyes. She was free. She was untouched again.
"Would you like this?" Harry offered.
"What is that?" One of the ANBU next to Sarutobi asked. Harry was thoughtful for some time.
"I guess you can say that it's a solidified curse?" Harry wasn't sure himself as he finally spoke. He followed his feelings while he tried to remove the curse. It was as though the magic was steering him through. It was something hard to describe.
"Solidified?" Sarutobi considered what he was hearing not to mention other audience of the same room. Solidifying a curse into actual physical object was a method they have never heard before. The old man accepted the black crystal ball in a wary manner and observed it in his hand.
"Is this dangerous?" Sarutobi inquired.
"I don't think so. It shouldn't be active anymore." Harry plopped himself on the nearest chair. He wasn't tired but for some reason he was drained. All the while Harry rested everyone looked at the young wizard skeptically. However Harry was busy trying to forget the feeling during the curse removing ceremony.
Something was nagging Harry but he pushed the thoughts away. Whatever it was he did not want to remember or deal with that curse ever again. Unfortunately, Harry wasn't so lucky as he found himself in front the white haired man. The shape of masked man's hair reminded Harry of pineapple to the young wizard's amusement.
"Kakashi, this is my son, Hari. Hari, this is Hatake Kakashi."
About 5 days has passed since the incident with Anko. It was late afternoon and Harry was preparing for supper when his adoptive father came home with the shinobi named Kakashi.
"Hello, nice meet you." Harry extended his hand in a polite gesture, which Kakashi accepted with a handshake.
"Nice to meet you too."
Harry looked at oldest of the two who nodded his head and gestured towards inner guest room. By the time the adults were settled in the secluded room, Harry had brought the tea out and made himself cozy as well. For a while the only thing moving in the room was lazy steam from each cup of green tea.
"I heard that you could remove the curse?" The white haired Jounin finally broke the stillness.
Harry looked at Sarutobi for a moment and Sarutobi reassured him.
"He is informed of your true status."
Harry nodded his head and responded.
"If you are referring to Anko-san's curse then yes, I removed her curse."
Harry wasn't comfortable with the way the guest was looking at him. It was as though he was trying to look into his soul. It was a calculating look that he got from the wizarding world where some people were contemplating whether or not to trust him. Their observation of one another was soon interrupted by a kind tone of voice that rang the air.
"Hari, one of Kakashi's students just recently was marked by the same curse, and we were hoping if you could remove that from him as well."
Harry was thoughtful for a moment, marring his forehead and nose with wrinkles. Although Harry had never met Kakashi before, he knew who the jounin was the minute the introductions were made since Naruto talked about his instructors and teammates whenever he visited the house. As a result, Kakashi's marked student could only be Naruto, Sakura or Sasuke and Harry didn't like any of those three options.
"Is it Naruto-kun, Sakura-san or Sasuke-kun?" Without waiting for an answer Harry continued in an upset tone. "How could you let this culprit strike again? Especially to these young children?"
"It happened during the 2nd stage of the Chuunin Exam. The current situation is quite complicated and I don't deny my responsibility in this predicament. It was my fault for not expecting this. The best I can do to help Sasuke is seeking for your help, Hari."
To Harry, the old man before him sounded pained. No, there was no way he could turn down someone who appeared to be in need of desperate aid. With a small sigh Harry gave his consent.
"Alright. I'll do it."