Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto
Warning: This story will contain spoilers from Naruto and Harry Potter so if you don't like spoilers don't read this story. Also, some facts may be different from the original plot and characters might behave differently from their original natures but that is how I need them in order to write my fanfic so again if you don't like it refrain from reading it. The genre is Drama/Hurt/Comfort, Harry is emotionally hurt. In this fic, Harry may behave emotional and depressed (but not throughout entire storyline) so think carefully before you write something to you don't like my fic please read something else but if you have constructive criticism for me do go ahead and enlighten me. Lastly, there might be some future violence or coarse language. You have been warned!
Chapter 9: Crossover…
"Itachi, we're brothers that are one of a kind. I, Uchiha Shisui, will always protect you and exist with you as an obstacle you have to overcome. Even if it means you come to hate me... Even if it makes you sad... That's what being an older brother means."
The wind's gentle caress brought a smile to Harry's lips while the birds chirped. His usual location for meditation had changed after he removed Anko's curse; he had been struck with an unknown urge to head for a different place the next time he went outside to meditate. Once finished, he stretched himself and headed back to the village to prepare lunch for his adoptive family.
All of a sudden, a lot of people had found their hands full due to the recent invasion. Hospital staffs were working overtime with injured while his regular checkups had been cancelled until the facility's load was lightened. All of Harry's tutoring had been called off indefinitely as well. Sarutobi, who had only just been discharged from the hospital, was busy as the head of the village - there were piles of endless paperwork to deal with on top of other necessary matters to keep the village safe. Consequently, the people involved in secretarial work were in a similar situation. Villagers were busy repairing the widespread damage done to infrastructure and the shinobi force was in high demand, with individuals fulfilling mission quotas that almost overwhelmed the current number of active ninja.
Harry decided to continue to help the villagers rebuild their homes and shops as soon as he was finished lunch. While thinking over what to cook for lunch and strolling aimlessly through the woods, he heard the sudden sound of someone's agonized screams. His body tensed involuntarily. Was the village under attack again? Was somebody in trouble? The possibilities kept piling up in his mind as he ran towards the sound.
"Kakashi-san?" The distinctive silver hair and facemask helped Harry identify the jonin from amidst the group of people he could see as he approached. As he got closer, he could make out another familiar figure was behind the aforementioned ninja.
"Asuma?" And was that Kurenai beside him? What was happening? And who were those two black-robed people in front of them? Harry didn't recognize them. One had blue skin and Harry was sure that there was no one in the village with that particular skin colour. The other person was smaller than blue skinned man and tied his hair in a low ponytail.
While Harry looked uncertain of the situation, Kakashi recognized the shorter one immediately.
This was bad. Without a second thought Kakashi yelled at the Hokage's charge.
"Run!"
Harry instinctively spun on his heels and ran back towards the village without questioning why. The wizard didn't need any elaboration on that one word. That simple command was one of the most common words that he had heard during the war. Sometimes it had been him urging others to run to safety; other times it was people he knew pleading for him to run away.
Unfortunately, all his adrenalin and practice in running did nothing to help Harry compete with a shinobi's speed, let alone against a shinobi of such high caliber. One of the black-robed figures grabbed his wrist, preventing him from any possible escape. The wizard shifted his head and caught sight of a pair of strange red eyes. Harry couldn't tear himself away from the bloody gaze that was so reminiscent of Tom's; those were the eyes of the condemned.
When Itachi saw the stranger turn to run back to the village, he had leapt from his spot, intending to only knock the boy out. He didn't want to hurt one of the innocent civilians and had decided to take action before Kisame did something that would end up causing more damage to the poor teenager who'd happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, just as he was about to knock the boy out after immobilizing the teen, he was startled by a cyclone of flames that had suddenly surrounded his captive.
"Who are you?" Itachi was curious. He had quickly calmed upon realizing that the flames inflicted no damage on him.
Harry said nothing as he stared at the pained eyes before him. This action made the missing-nin frown.
Itachi wasn't sure what to make of the odd boy being held by him. He had seen many things as a prodigious heir of the Uchiha clan and as a member of Akatsuki, but he had never seen anything or anyone like this before. This stranger who had just emerged from the woods was literally surrounded by a cyclone of flames. Something that puzzled him even further was that the intense fire enveloping his captive didn't even contain chakra, or at least a form of chakra that he could identify.
The lack of heat had led to him to question whether he was under some kind of genjutsu, however he had quickly dismissed that possibility since his Sharingan could see through almost all such illusions. Besides, even if he entertained that possibility, what was the point of it? The fire didn't bind him nor torture him. In fact, the sight before his eyes reminded Itachi of Suzaku, the mythical creature, as the cyclone sometimes took on the form of a flaming bird who flew around the boy as though to protect him. Kisame wasn't saying anything about the matter at hand, which made Itachi speculate that he was the only one who could see the flames. He had no idea if this was due to his sharingan or his close contact
Itachi didn't remember any individuals or clans in the Leaf Village, nor in any of the other places, that held such characteristics. The teen wasn't wearing a hitaiate and Kakashi had told him to run, treating him like a civilian. Further proof of his civilian background lay in the fact that said boy had run like one too. If this was the case, what was this blaze he was seeing?
Itachi repeated his earlier question, but it seemed as if the boy was frozen on the spot, staring at him in shock. His captive's eyes held a familiar quality – one that Itachi couldn't quite get a grasp of. This boy had roused Itachi's curiosity with his mysterious fire. He reactivated his mangekyou to better observe it, although he knew he shouldn't overexert it. When the Uchiha heir opened his eyes again, he was blinded by a piercing shade of emerald like the color of the boy's irises, and the incredible burning sensation that appeared in his eyes.
"Ahh!" Itachi heard the captive's scream, who snatched his hands away. The missing-nin couldn't stop the teen's action; he himself was busy trying to stop a pained groan from escaping his mouth as he scrunched his eyes shut.
Kisame had noticed that something was wrong with his partner when he saw Itachi staggering back, moaning in what seemed to be pain. What was happening to him? Was he under some kind of jutsu? The boy's echoing screams quickly put that idea to rest. The mist-nin tried to reach his younger partner but was kicked off course out of blue. When he regained his footing, he saw a man in green with a Leaf hitai-ate tied around his waist. He was pissed and was about to pay the guy back for booting him off balance before he heard a strained voice.
"Kisame. Stop. There's no point in continuing. Let's go." Kisame obliged without any protest and they both took their leave.
"Itachi-san, are you okay?" He stared worriedly at his partner as he supported the man while they traveled. The young Uchiha had yet to open his eyes.
"To the best of my description, my eyes are burning but the pain is tolerable now."
The shark-nin was still concerned, as when he had checked his partner's eyes not long ago, he hadn't found any physical injuries despite Itachi's complaints. He wasn't a medical expert though, so Kisame suggested to Itachi to search for a doctor.
However, the physician couldn't find anything wrong when they arrived for a checkup, but recommended some rest for Itachi until the pain had subsided. After Itachi confirmed that he was feeling better, they resumed on their way to catch up with Jiraiya and the Kyuubi jinchuriki. It hadn't been as hard to track them as they had anticipated. Itachi wasn't sure what had happened back at the Leaf Village, but he decided not to dwell on it for now since he knew that it would get him nowhere.
"What was Tenzo doing?" Kazuki yelled, as soon as he finished attending to his new charge.
"He's on a mission." The Hokage supplied. Sarutobi had come in a rush after hearing about the incident.
"What? Then who's watching him?" Kazuki dreaded the truth that was to come.
"No one." Sarutobi felt a bit uncomfortable at his friend's expression.
"Sarutobi!" The doctor stopped briefly to calm himself and then continued, "I thought we made it clear that when we allowed him to stay that he would be watched."
"Kazuki you know we can't do that right now. This is a difficult time for us. We have lost many of our forces, and yet we still need to complete all the missions that have been requested of us just as before." The receiving end of the explanation clenched his fists. Kazuki knew what his friend said was right. They couldn't afford for any ANBU to watch the boy at this time.
"We're short of men. The Council is even considering closing the Ninja Academy temporarily so that instructors can be sent to the field as well." As Sarutobi finished, Kazuki turned his head away in a pathetic attempt to deny the circumstances they were in. Sadly, the matter at hand wasn't that simple.
"How is he? What's wrong with him?" Concern was palpable in the Hokage's voice.
"His eyes have developed certain characteristics that I can't recognize." Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at the revelation.
"Certain characteristics?" Kazuki decided that show and tell was the best way to explain the condition so he motioned his friend back into Harry's room. It was quiet inside since the occupant laysedated to ease the pain. Kazuki walked over next to his patient and opened one of Harry's eyelids.
Sarutobi was surprised by what he saw and asked Kazuki what he had discovered about it so far.
"There're very few bloodline limits involving eyes, but none of their descriptions can be matched to these eyes – or at least those descriptions that are publicly available since the clans with doujutsu tend to guard their secrets rigorously." There were odd shapes in Harry's pupils that had had not been there before. Even Sarutobi himself couldn't identify the eye.
"Most importantly, we know next to nothing about him. There's a small chance that it could be some kind of injury but I doubt it." The people who were present at the scene couldn't explain anything since Kakashi was in a coma and Asuma and Kurenai had their eyes closed.
"Maybe Tsunade would know something, but she isn't here." There was much yearning in Kazuki's voice. Tsunade had been his most starred pupil whose talent soon outshined that of her mentor's. It was such a shame that she had left after a series of tragedies
And that was the end of the discussion. There was nothing more they could do but wait until the boy woke up. With a nod, Sarutobi left. He didn't want to but his Hokage duties called.
Harry woke up to a very familiar world of white and he wanted nothing more than to get out of the room as soon as possible. However, his past experience had taught him to stay put until he was discharged. He got up and sat on the windowsill, his mind busy organizing the details of the event that had occurred earlier near the river. However, the birds that landed on a tree branch next to his window soon distracted him. Come to think of it, he had always heard the birds singing in this village, except for when the village had been attacked. Something was nagging at him. What was it?
"You're awake." Kaede approached the window to check his patient's eyes.
"Here, don't forget your glasses." Harry grabbed the item gratefully as he was about to leave the room to get his eyes tested. When Harry put his glasses on, he frowned at the dizzy world before him.
"Umm, are these my glasses?" Harry took off the object and observed it front and back.
"Yes. Why?" It was then that Harry realized something as he stared at the confused doctor.
He was able make out the clear features of Kaede without his glasses. Harry walked back to the window and looked outside at the Leaf Village, marveling at its fine details without looking through a pair of curved lenses. The only thing that worried him was that he didn't know the reason why he could see so clearly even though he couldn't recall doing anything to fix his blurry vision.
"I can see clearly without my glasses." At Harry's announcement, Kaede rushed over to his patient.
After the proper sight tests were performed, it was verified that Harry's eyesight had improved to the point where he could be considered to have good vision without the aid of his glasses. Despite the good news, both Harry and Kaede were worried after being informed of the result by the technician in the test room. While the two sat in Kaede's office, Harry tried to figure out the mystery behind this change and what it had to do with his unexpected encounter with the two men by the river.
"Do you know if any of your previous family members have possessed bloodline limits involving the eyes?"
The wizard answered negatively. It had puzzled Harry when he had learned of the new marks in his emerald eyes. On closer look, it appeared as if the three sickles were circling around his pupil from tip to tip. However, this wasn't the only surprising part of the discovery.
"My eyes… they're exactly like the eyes of the man that had grabbed me, only his was red." It was creepy to look at eyes almost exactly like the ones he had seen right before the burning sensation had begun.
Kaede was surprised at that bit of information and after some more questions, decided to discharge the teen. There wasn't much else that he could do at this point other than to inform the Hokage especially when the hospital was busy.
"Wow, cool! What can you do with it, huh? Huh?" Konohamaru seemed to be fascinated by the change when his uncle came home.
"I am not sure." Harry's reply did little to quench the small child's curiosity. Thus began the troublesome days of being subjected to any and all of Konohamaru's experiments involving his eyes. At any given moment, Harry would be pelted by his nephew's demands and questions such as whether he could see something through the wall, in the dark, underwater or even if he could see chakra. These antics tired Harry by the end of each day. The adults seemed less forgiving; some people he knew now eyed him with suspicion, or even fear, to Harry's great dismay.
When Harry next visited the hospital, he was glad for the first time to be away from his nephew. He hoped that one of his doctors had found a cure for his condition. However, the day found the young savior as depressed as ever, walking away disappointedly when the tests came up with no possible explanations. Just then, he saw a familiar pink-haired kunoichi sitting in the lobby.
"Sakura-san," he greeted, "You don't look well. Is someone you know hurt?" He was worried that someone she knew had been hospitalized due to the invasion. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts but, if possible, became even more miserable at the sight of the older teen.
Harry patted the girl's back in an effort to comfort her as she tearfully informed him that Sasuke was in a coma and wasn't waking up. From then on, Harry made sure to visit Sasuke's room to check up on the two children every day His visits were usually after lunch and he would end up sending Sakura home to rest before returning home himself before supper time. Harry just hoped that the person Sakura had mentioned would come to their aid and help heal Sasuke and the many other injured people in the hospital.
"What have you done you freak!" Harry turned his head towards the booming voice, his small, scruffy features tensing up.
In the Dursley's backyard, Harry looked the age of a four-year-old child. In the world of dreams, where all memories of reality were withheld, it didn't occur to him that there was no forest behind the Dursley's backyard to run away into to escape from his angry uncle or that he was supposed to be a seventeen-year-old teenager.
What did he do wrong this time? Harry was scared.
The child ran to hide from all the shouting and soon found a small hole under a tree. He hastily squeezed his tiny body into the gap despite the splinters digging into his skin hard enough to draw blood. Though Harry found himself in the safety of darkness, his relief was short-lived as he bumped into someone. Harry was about to shriek in fright when that entity covered his mouth with a hand as little as his.
Before Harry could take a proper look at the other person, the loud thumping of footsteps were heard. His small body shivered but he remained quiet, afraid of what his uncle would do if he was found. To his disbelief, the voice belonged to someone that Harry didn't recognize, not to mention the man was calling a different name.
"Itachi! Where are you? Come out or you are in for a severe discipline!" Harry assumed that the hand on his face belonged Itachi since he felt that the other becoming tense at the threat.
Odd name. Harry thought, despite the situation he was in.
"How long do you think you can hide?" With that said, Harry felt the other shift towards the opening as if to step out of the tree trunk. Without a second thought, Harry grabbed the small figure and stopped him. The boy looked back and Harry shook his head, giving him a silent plea to not reveal himself. Although the person seemed taken aback at first, he nodded his head and stayed still. It felt as if millennia had passed until the outside became quiet again.
"Hi." Harry started timidly.
"Hello, I am Uchiha Itachi."
"My name is Harry. Your name is Uchiha? That's a weird name." Harry's small forehead wrinkled in thought.
"No, Itachi is my name." The boy corrected, though he seemed a bit displeased about the other's comment.
"That's still weird." Sadly, Itachi couldn't protest since he wasn't too fond of his name either. Why would his parents name him after a weasel?
"Well, your name 'Harry' sounds weird and girly." Itachi fired back and now it was Harry's turn to be unhappy as he harrumphed and crossed his arms.
The children looked at each other awkwardly before bursting into juvenile giggles. Their friendly laughter settled down as they finally got a good look at each other, smiling like all children their age should. However, before they could continue their childish conversation, another holler was heard.
"Where are you freak?" Both kids froze as a massive figure walked into the scene.
What appeared to be Vernon's big feet thumped around near their hiding place, in search of his victim. Thankfully, Itachi grabbed onto Harry's trembling hand as though to show his support. Harry squeezed the other boy's hand as he slowed his breathing and tried to unwind the fear that had wrapped around him tightly. The two waited until his uncle gave up on his hunt. When he finally left, the two boys crawled out into the light, enabling them to better observe each other.
"Was that your father who was just after you?" Harry shook his head at the Uchiha's inquiry.
"No, my parents died when I was a baby. He's my uncle." Harry said sadly.
"He calls you a bad name. He doesn't have any right to do that."
"But I have no other places to go." Itachi watched Harry for a moment before deciding to change the subject.
"Why was he after you?"
"I'm not sure, but I think it's to punish me for whatever I've done wrong again." Harry looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact and kicking pebbles.
"Whatever you've done wrong?" The Uchiha heir quirked an eyebrow and Harry understood the unspoken request to elaborate.
"Well, I'm not sure what I did to anger him this time, or most of the time, to be honest." Harry scratched the back of his head. "Sometimes, he just suddenly gets angry." Itachi stared into the emerald orbs for a while until he finally opened his mouth.
"I don't think you have done anything wrong. I think it's just him."
Harry looked at Itachi incredulously.
"What?" Itachi asked, feeling uncomfortable under the stare.
"You're the first person to tell me that." Harry seemed moved. "Everyone tells me I am an ungrateful brat." Harry muttered timidly.
"Well, then they're close-minded fools." Itachi snorted.
"So who was after you?" Harry questioned cautiously.
"My father." Itachi spat.
"Oh. Were you in trouble too?" Harry continued to ask, curiosity getting the better of him despite Itachi's dull tone.
"He wants to drag me off on another mission." Itachi crouched down and hugged his knees.
"Mission?" Even to Harry, Itachi looked nervous. But about what?
"With the war going on, he wants to take me to the battlefield to kill again." Harry gasped in horror.
"Kill? But that's bad."
"You think so too?" Itachi was taken aback by the unexpected outburst.
"Yes." Itachi graced Harry with a small, awkward smile.
"You're the first person to say that." Itachi said softly. "Everyone says that I have to and that shinobi shouldn't say such things, but I don't like killing." Itachi buried his face in his knees.
"I hate it." The other boy's voice was muffled, but Harry could hear the pain it contained.
Harry came over and put a hand on Itachi's shoulder. The small boy looked up and continued to talk while staring at the tree in front of him.
"I know the enemies are going to kill me if I don't do the same but I still don't want to kill anyone. I don't even want to be a shinobi."
"Where do you live?" Harry asked suddenly, not being able to withstand the silence that followed the other boy's depressing story.
"In the Uchiha district," Itachi replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"The Uchiha district?" When Harry looked puzzled, Itachi got up from his spot and jumped onto the lowest branch of the tree.
"Come, let me show you." Itachi continued to jump up towards the top of the tree but stopped midway when he heard a voice.
"I can't jump like that!"
"Oh, you're a civilian?" Itachi came back down and offered his back to Harry "Here, climb onto my back." Harry complied and Itachi started to jump up the tree again. Once at the top, Harry squealed in excitement at the scenery surrounding them. Harry's attention was soon diverted towards the group of houses that Itachi pointed out.
"Wow! You live in a very big place."
"Other people live there too – the other clan members." Itachi said in a matter of fact way.
"That sounds nice. They're your family, right?" Harry was envious.
"Well, just like your relative, not all of my family is likable. Actually, I don't like any of them except for Shisui." He wrinkled his nose at the thought of his unpleasant clan members.
"But isn't it nice to have a mom and dad?" Itachi stayed motionless, then finally answered Harry's question.
"I wish they'd play with me more and treat me like the other children my age." Itachi sighed in disappointment. "I don't even have any friends because my parents chase them off, saying that they're not worth of my time."
"I don't have any friends either; my cousin Dudley chases them off and his friends bully me." Harry mimicked Itachi's gesture as he puffed out a small breath of air.
"Other kids look at me differently and ignore me now." Harry recognized the loneliness in the boy's voice and bit his lip to gather the courage to say the words he had always wished to say.
"Umm… Would you like to be my friend?" Harry asked sheepishly. When the other boy's head nodded to indicate the acceptance of his offer, Harry just hugged his friend harder around the neck from his position on Itachi's back. Though no one could see his expression, Itachi smiled brightly for the first time since he could remember and asked where his new friend lived.
"Over there." Harry pointed in the opposite direction of the Uchiha district where his Surrey residence was located.
Neither of the two boys thought it was out of place to see a combination of western and eastern buildings situated at opposite ends of the forest. It didn't occur to Itachi that there was no such place in or near the village nor did it occur to Harry that there was no forest with such gigantic trees around his residential area.
From then on, the two boys settled on the top of the tree branch and continued their conversation, enjoying each other's company. They talked, giggling and laughing here and there, as if there were no worries in the world.
"Hari." Harry groaned as someone gently shook his shoulder.
"Wake up." When the young wizard opened his eyes, he found his guardian in front of him, looking as kind as always.
"Sarutobi-san, what are you doing here?" Harry found himself in Sasuke's room and wondered how long he had dozed off for. Still, he was glad that he didn't have another nightmare.
"Konohamaru was getting worried because you weren't home even though it's past the usual supper time. I thought you'd be here so I came to look for you." The mention of his adorable nephew reminded Harry of his dream.
He wondered if his dream was a reflection of the psychological effect that living in the Leaf Village has had on him. It was funny how his dream was a mix of both worlds, yet he didn't find that anything was strange while in it, not to mention he even made a friend. While walking home with his adoptive father, he tried to think of any recent events that could have caused him to have such a dream.
"I heard that you were making daily visits to Sasuke's room." Harry snapped out of his musings and turned towards the older man.
"Yes. Kazuki-san said that they might be able to get someone to help him but told me not to get my hopes up."
"Yes, Naruto and one of my former students are on a trip to find her. She's also a former pupil of mine and is one of the best in the medical field." Sarutobi looked very proud at the thought of Tsunade's accomplishments.
"Then she would come to help, right? Why did Kazuki-san ask me not to hold high hopes for her return?" Sarutobi sighed at his young charge's confused appearance.
"It's complicated. She left the village long ago because there were just too many sad memories here for her to bear. Her loved ones died one by one." The Hokage said in a guilt-ridden voice.
"Oh, I see." Harry understood the feeling.
However, he couldn't help but wish for her to be here if she was able to treat Sasuke and the many others in the hospital. About halfway home, Harry finally decided to ask the question that had been lingering in his mind for the past few days.
"Why doesn't Sasuke-kun's family visit him?" Sarutobi slowed his pace a little and the wizard noted the darkening of the man's face.
"They were all killed." Harry stopped in his tracks, his expression pained as his own emotions from the past were revived again.
Harry pushed away the feeling when he came to a sudden realization.
"Is revenge his reason for lusting after power at such a young age?" Harry knew he shouldn't be nosy but he couldn't help but ask because he had grown to care for the boy.
"What do you think?" The Hokage looked at him with eyes that held many years of wisdom.
"I think that's the reason." Harry gazed at the stars lining the night sky. It still amazed him to see how clear everything was without his glasses.
"What do you think he should do? What do your experiences tell you?" Sarutobi wasn't only asking this to get a second opinion on the matter, but also to explore the nature of his charge.
"Revenge doesn't bring any sense of achievement. He should let it go unless the source of his vengeance is threatening something or someone he values." Harry answered quietly.
"And what if that person does possess a threat?"
"Then he should become strong on his own and eliminate that threat." Sarutobi absorbed his hardened words, carefully analyzing the underlying messages that would give him a clue to the teen's troubled past.
The two soon arrived back home and were greeted enthusiastically by Konohamaru. After the pleasant supper, which was peppered with Konohamaru's chatter about how much he missed Naruto and how he was going to be the next Hokage, Sarutobi went to back to the Hokage tower while Harry tucked in Konohamaru before going to sleep himself.
A few more days had passed and Harry went to the hospital, as usual, to relieve Sakura. She was being particularly stubborn that day, refusing to leave the young Uchiha's side. Unable to persuade the kunoichi to leave, Harry came back with some food to nourish the girl, who had decided to skip lunch. Sakura accepted the bento box gratefully.
"Sakura-san, you should take some more breaks. You've been here all day in the past week or so. I don't think this is healthy for you." It had been more than a week since Sasuke and Kakashi's hospitalization and Harry could tell that the girl was mentally exhausted.
"Thank you for worrying about me Hari-san, but I just can't do that." Harry sighed inwardly at the kunoichi's persistence. They'd had this conversation many times before and he knew it wasn't going to happen any time soon; he had gone through similar experiences before.
"I must look pathetic." It was something that was directed more at herself than anybody else.
"No, you don't. Don't say such a thing."
"But I am useless. I can't do anything." Faced with the kunoichi's moist eyes, Harry was getting nervous, not wanting to set her off into streams of unending tears.
"You just haven't found your strength yet. Besides, you are doing a lot by simply staying by his side."
"Anyone can do this." Sakura was unconvinced.
"I wasn't able to when my friends were hurt because, most of the time, I was either hurt worse than them or was away and couldn't come back until… whatever I was doing was finished. Believe me – no one can replace what you're doing."
Sakura looked at Harry in shock before a small smile spread across her lips.
"Thank you."
"May I come in?" Not long after their conversation was finished, a woman's voice echoed from the doorway. Sakura and Harry turned around to see a blonde woman entering the room with Naruto, Sarutobi and a white-haired man.
"Who are you?" Sakura asked.
"Sakura-chan, you don't have to worry anymore! I brought someone amazing." The sight of Naruto's excited face gave Harry a sense of relief for he had been worried about the boy, with his trip coming so soon after the recent events in the village.
During the children's exchange, Sarutobi caught Harry's eyes and smiled in a wordless greeting. Tsunade observed the teen briefly before Sakura came up to her, begging for her to help the Uchiha survivor.
"I heard about you from Gai-sensei. Please, please help Sasuke-kun". Tsunade reassured the distraught girl before laying her palm against the forehead of the comatose boy. Shortly afterwards, while everyone's attention was on her, Tsunade's hand began to glow with light.
"He'll wake up soon." With those words, Tsunade saw the pink-haired girl break down, crying in relief. While they waited, Sarutobi motioned Harry to the corner of the room, where the wizard was notified to meet him inside the Hokage Manor in about two hours from then. Harry nodded his agreement, and then turned towards the groaning of a familiar voice. Harry found Sakura hugging the dazed boy, crying all the while.
"Sasuke… You…" With difficulty, Naruto held his tongue and ran out the door with mixed emotions filling his face.
Sakura and Sasuke remained oblivious while the adults just smiled. Harry shook his head and headed out the door to follow him. Why follow Naruto? He didn't know. Harry located Naruto sitting on a bench on the street in front of the hospital. Naruto seemed a little gloomy, but he shakily lightened up to hide his previous expression when he noticed Harry approaching.
"Oh, hey Hari-san." Harry replied to his greeting and sat down next to Naruto.
"What you did back there was a very considerate thing." Harry complimented, knowing how much children who had grown up with little loving attention from adults valued and sought after even the smallest amount of encouragement.
"Ha! I can go out with Sakura-chan any day!" To Harry, it was obvious that Naruto was just bluffing to hide his true feelings.
"Naruto, you are a very nice kid." said Harry quietly, as he patted the blond's head.
Naruto's eyes widened at the gentle gesture and then he smiled softly, enjoying the feeling of having some emotional support.
"… Really?" Naruto asked after some contemplation, needing to confirm the fact once more.
"Yes." When Harry reassured him, Naruto grinned cheerfully. Suddenly Naruto's expression turned mischievous and he sneakily elbowed Harry's ribs.
"Hari-san, is there anyone you like?" Harry smiled bitterly at the memory but answered him anyway, knowing that Naruto meant no harm.
"There was someone but we gradually fell apart." Naruto looked a little surprised, not expecting such an answer.
"Why?" Naruto felt sorry for Harry.
"Don't look so sad. I was trying to make you feel better. Let's see... to answer your question, I guess we fell apart because we both felt guilty." Harry remained in deep thought for a while.
"For what?"
"Her previous boyfriend was a good friend of mine. He had died saving me and we started to go out after he died." Naruto scrunched up his face and thought about that scenario, placing himself in Harry's position, pretending that the girl was Sakura and Harry's friend was Sasuke.
"Hmm…" It was hard to imagine the feeling, but Naruto was sure it wasn't something pleasant.
"Do you still like her?"
"Like her as a friend? Yes. Like her as a girl? I am not sure anymore." Harry still smiled at the memory of his first crush.
"How about her? Does she like you?"
"I'm not sure." He knew that Cho liked him as a friend but he wasn't so sure about the other part. Then again, it didn't matter anymore. He was too exhausted at the moment to search for romance.
"Why don't you ask her?" Naruto continued to bombard Harry with questions for he truly wanted to know about the older teen who had been so kind to him from their first meeting.
"I'm not sure if she's alive." Understanding suddenly came to Naruto's face when he remembered the older teen's history.
"I'm sorry." Naruto hurriedly apologized, realizing his insensitivity.
"Don't be, but if anything, Naruto-kun, value your friends while you still have them." Harry smiled gently, hoping that Naruto would never have to go through the pain he had.
"Yeah, I will. But Hari-san, now you have Hokage gramps and his family and I will be here too! So… So you're not alone anymore." Harry looked surprised.
"Well, it looks like the tables have turned," With that said, Harry chuckled happily. "Drop by anytime if you don't feel like cooking."
"Are you serious?" Naruto couldn't believe his ears.
"One hundred percent." Just when Harry thought that Naruto's smile couldn't get any bigger, he was proved wrong. The hyperactive genin thanked him profusely before he took off to his favorite ramen bar.
Feeling relieved, Harry got up to head back to the hospital to check on Sasuke and Sakura. When he was almost at the doors, he saw Lee coming out of the hospital, looking at the ground, unusually depressed. Harry groaned inwardly. Great three depressed kids in a row! What kind of day was today? He might as well be a child psychologist. Next thing he knew, he would run into Choji with anorexia!
"Lee-kun." Harry tried to greet the boy cheerfully but it was a miserable failure; Lee walked past him as though he did not exist.
Lee's slumped shoulders looked as if the weight of the entire world rested on them. Harry looked at the entrance of the hospital once more and sighed. Hermione had always called it his 'saving people thing' – he just couldn't help himself, even when he had his own problems to solve.
The savior of the wizarding world decided to follow Lee until the boy was settled. Lee continued to walk around stopping for a while on the bridge before he finally ended up in a small private enclosure above a building, where he sat on a half-circle bench. The area was quiet. Harry wasn't exactly sure what to do. He didn't even know the boy that, well but he couldn't bear to ignore a young boy with such a sad expression on his face.
"Hey." Harry gathered up his courage and sat himself casually next to Lee.
Lee looked stunned at first before resumed to his sullen expression. They sat wordlessly for a while until Lee spoke.
"Hari-san." Lee felt drained and desperate at this point. He wanted to talk to someone, anyone, for that matter.
"I am here. I'll listen." Harry reassured the boy by letting him know that he had someone who would listen to him.
"What is your dream?" Harry was a little taken aback by the sudden query, but started to think on the issue.
"Well…" What was his dream? He'd had a dream, but it had been crushed little by little every time a loved one died. Did he have dream now?
"I don't know. I guess I don't have one anymore."
"What do you mean?" Lee asked, still using a defeated tone of voice.
"The day that my last loved one died was also the day my dream died."
Lee broke his gaze away from Harry and looked at the ground again. The genin felt like he could trust the teen because they were similar, in a way. His dream was dying before his very own eyes. He felt that it would soon disappear completely.
"I swore my dream here."
Harry listened quietly. He understood that sometimes you just needed someone to listen. Lee told Harry of his childhood and about how had people always made fun of him.
"Everyone laughed at me when I said it was my dream to be a great ninja without being able to use gen-jutsu or nin-jutsu."
Lee told him about Gai, his jonin-sensei, who had encouraged him despite Neji's disapproval.
"I worked really hard, and always believed in myself."
He recounted the events involving his recent injuries and the grim diagnosis he'd received from Tsunade.
"Why do things like this only happen to me? What should I do now? Believing is not going to help me at all!"
Lee started to cry.
"I'm afraid that I don't have any answers to that questions. I don't think I know you well enough to give you good advice. Did you ask the same questions to Gai-san?" Harry asked compassionately.
"No."
"I think you should ask him. Tell him how you feel, what your pains and worries are." Harry watched as the boy tensed.
"What if I disappoint him? He worked so hard with me." Harry rubbed the boy's back to ease some of his tension.
"I don't think he will be disappointed. He seems to care about you a lot, from what I hear. He's a great man isn't he?"
"Yeah…" Lee answered with a small smile. Then, his face became grim again with the thought of a certain possibility. "What if he tells me to quit going after my dream because the surgery is too risky?"
"No matter what he tells you, the final decision is yours."
Lee was quiet. The genin didn't seem too convinced. Harry took in a deep breath before he spoke again.
"There were times for me when I had to make a decision that could endanger my life in order to pursue my dream."
Lee looked at Harry and listened.
"Sometimes it scared me so I asked for advice and my loved ones told me not to do it. But most of the time, I chose to risk my life to protect my dream in the end."
"Why?" When asked, Harry beamed brightly, yet with longing, as though he was seeing that moment right before his eyes.
"My dream was my life."
Lee looked shocked but gradually, an understanding seemed to seep in little by little.
"You told me you didn't have a dream anymore."
"No,"
He didn't have a dream anymore. Harry absorbed this fact, finally realizing how much damage it had done to him.
"And now I feel so empty. It's like a chunk of my soul has been violently ripped away. It's hard to live from day to day without distracting myself with something else. There were many times I wished I was dead." With that bitter revelation, Harry wasn't sure if he was talking to Lee or to himself.
"Will I be like that too if I give up on my dream?" Lee tried to entertain that possibility, but was too upset to imagine anything at the moment.
"No one can answer that for you. So calm yourself down and think about it carefully. It's a big decision to make, so don't be afraid to ask people if you need any support; there is nothing to be ashamed of. But like I said, the final decision should be yours."
Lee was quiet for a while absorbing the older teen's advise.
"Look who's here." Harry whispered. The older teen smiled lightly as the two watched Gai approaching them from afar. Harry stood up and was about to take his leave when a voice called back.
"Hari-san… Thank you." Lee bowed his head to show his gratitude.
Harry nodded before leaving to go to the Hokage Manor. It was a lot later than when he was expected, but Harry didn't regret his actions.
Orochimaru was sitting in a chair, still suffering from immense pain. His plan involving Tsunade had failed and now she had become the Fifth Hokage. He had called for the Sound Four and was now waiting for them. His arms still ached and with every pang of pain, his mind went back to the frail, ebony-haired boy with glasses, wishing that he could inflict the same pain upon that brat.
On the other hand, the boy had talked to the Death God and was able to save Sarutobi from the brink of death. From what he had heard, Sarutobi was alive and well. Perhaps the teen had some useful information regarding immortality. However, when he checked the information available about his teacher's new son, nothing special had been found.
The boy's name was Hari and he was born from two shinobi of unknown origin who had both died when he was but a baby. He was then raised by his aunt and uncle in an isolated village where Sarutobi had met the boy as a child, and the Hokage had left after unofficially adopting him. Later, bandits had massacred the village. The teen had survived so he contacted Sarutobi afterwards. There wasn't much detail concerning the event, but nothing seemed too out of place – it was a common enough occurrence, after all.
The Child of Yamata – Orochimaru had remembered the words from the boy's conversation with the Death God, but he hadn't found anything that concerned the existence of such a clan. The only Yamata that came to mind was the Yamatano Orochi, which was a nothing more than a myth. Once, he'd tried so hard to obtain the true sword of Kusanagi that had allegedly come from the Yamata no Orochi. Was it possible that the boy was somehow related to the ancient myth?
Could the boy's ability be some kind of bloodline limit? Well, there was only one way to find out – he would extend an invitation to the boy along with Sasuke. When the Sound Four came in, he finally spoke to them.
"The time has finally come. Head for the Leaf Village and bring to me the boy who is responsible for my arms as well."