Thank you.
Chapter Four
Light Sparring: ANBU Style
Naruto and Sasuke had divided the work. Sasuke was tailing Harry while Naruto patrolled the school. The grounds he left, for the most part, in the hands of his foxes, both befriended and summoned. The indoors had Sasuke's garter snakes as well as the prowling Naruto.
The moving staircases and sassy doors threw the shinobi for a loop for the first three hours until he decided to focus a little more chakra to his nose, heightening his sense of smell. He introduced himself to the resident ghosts, and wonder vaguely if he had been half as annoying as Peeves.
Heavens, he hoped not.
He ended up casting a lengthy genjutsu on the poltergeist just to get him off of his back, leaving Peeves bobbing midair, eyes wide in pure, unadulterated terror.
Tsukiyomi: Uzumaki Rendition. Not an easy thing to do without the Mangekyo Sharingan eyes.
The students never saw him. Naruto was playing them like a game: if they saw him when he did not want them to then he lost. Not that any of the students knew that he was playing with them. When he traded off posts with Sasuke at lunch and told him what he had been doing the Uchiha just shook his head muttering a halfhearted 'dobe' under his breath.
Naruto perched himself on a high window ledge that was, for all intents and purposes, far too narrow to hold anyone, even some one as small at him. He thanked Kakashi-sensei for teaching him treewalking. With just enough chakra focused on all the points of his body that touched the stone he was able to stick like a fly on flypaper.
And of course this stunt drew the attention of most of the school population, not that he let on that he noticed.
It was strange, he thought, how much he had changed over the years since he had become a shinobi. He figured the biggest change happened when he trained with Jiraiya for those two years that Sasuke was with Orochimaru. He had become so focused on becoming strong enough to being Sasuke back from the evil Sannin that he had abandoned his overly loud prankster attitude without even realizing it. From there the change was linear.
He watched the Great Hall through the eyes of the fox mask. Children laughed as they ate. Teachers conversed amongst themselves while keeping a watchful eye on the students. Harry kept looking up at him very handful of minutes.
All was well.
Sasuke teleported into the hall. Conversation stopped dead.
"Naruto,"
Naruto leapt down from the window ledge. Someone screamed. He landed in a crouch. He dashed towards Harry. Gripping his charge by his arm he whispered harshly in his ear, "Follow us and your life may be forfeit. If I find you anywhere near one of our fights I will make sure that either Sasuke or I follow you everywhere you go. Bathroom stalls included," and with that he straightened and nodded to Sasuke. They formed the teleportation seal and vanished from the Great hall in two clouds of smoke.
They arrived in front of the castle, already drawing weapons. Naruto faltered.
"What in the world is that?"
It was some sort of unholy mating between a man and a horse, that was what it was. Or rather, it was several offspring from previously mentioned unholy mating.
"State your business," Naruto commanded. The leader – Naruto assumed he was the leader since he was heading the herd of horse-men – trotted forward and looked down at the battle ready pair.
"The forest informed us of a pair of foreigners, one who is friend of the snakes the other a Greater Fox," he said.
"What of it?"
"Verification," for a centaur he was being strangely straightforward. Not that either Naruto or Sasuke knew that. "May we know the names of the current Guardians of Hogwarts?"
"Guardians of… oh right," Naruto felt stupid. "Why do you want our names?"
The Centaur blinked, "Because… it's only polite to introduce yourself when you have just met?" he asked, suddenly unsure. (sorry! Crackfic bunnies have attacked!)
"That depends on who you're talking to," Naruto reasoned, "Manners are different when it comes to friends and foes. Which one are you?"
"Allies of the Light,"
"Informative," Sasuke murmured.
"At least their not with Voldemort," Naruto murmured back before turning his attention to the horse-men, "Naruto and Sasuke. That is all we will tell you without leave of our superiors and the signer of the Contract,"
"Fair enough, I suppose,"
Naruto was tempted to say 'good! Now get lost! You're creeping me out!' but tact won over. Unfortunately. So he was silent. And biting holes in his tongue to stay that way.
"Are you done yet?" Sasuke asked blandly, putting his kunai away.
The centaurs all blinked at him. Naruto laughed.
"Yeah, Sasuke-jerk, they're done. And try to be a little nicer, would you? No picking fights that don't need to be fought,"
"Usuratonkachi,"
Naruto was sure Sasuke was glaring daggers. This was one of those times that he was thankful for the porcelain ANBU masks. He did not have to see the infamous Uchiha Death Glare™ that was directed straight at his skull.
So he spun on his heal and teleported back into the Great Hall. And into pandemonium.
"Is there a problem?" he asked innocently.
(Crackfic bunnies have left now. Thank you for your tolerance bows humbly)
"Is there a problem, indeed," scoffed one of Naruto's summoned foxes. Naruto smiled enigmatically.
"Sorry. Something I picked up from Kakashi-sensei,"
"Next you're going to be showing up late with pathetic excuses," muttered Sasuke.
"Think I could pull it off?" Naruto sounded serious. Sasuke scowled.
They were back up in the common room, trying to dodge the questions that everyone had. It was almost enjoyable, actually.
"How on earth did you apparate in Hogwarts?" Hermione was demanding.
"So, you have any sixes?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shook his head.
"Go fish. You don't think I could pull off Kakashi-sensei? Threes?"
"I think you trying to imitate Kakashi-sensei would be frightening. No. Fives?"
Naruto tossed him a card sending it flying perfectly though the air into the waiting hand.
"A blond Kakashi?" Naruto's fox asked, snickering.
"What's wrong with blond?"
"You could henge, I suppose," Sasuke looked up, though it was hard to tell with his mask on.
"I suppose. But that would defeat the point. Fours?"
"Naruto!" Hermione again.
"Go fish," Sasuke sighed.
"Not now, Hermione. Sasuke and I are training,"
"Training how!" she almost screamed.
"Detecting and hiding the verbal inflections of a lie," Naruto shook his head. "I'm sure of it. You're using the Sharingan, aren't you?"
"Dobe, the Sharingan can't tell me what cards you're holding. That would be the Byakugan. And Neji isn't here. Have any Aces?"
"What lies? You're playing Go Fish not Poker!" Hermione cried.
They tactfully ignored her.
"Go fish, Jerk,"
Sasuke picked up and triumphantly put down a pair. Naruto sighed.
"Kings?"
Sasuke threw a card at Naruto. Naruto caught it, paired it and placed the set down on a pile in front of him.
"And how dare you accuse me of cheating," Sasuke protested mildly, "Tens?"
"No. Right, sorry. Your subterfuge skills only developed when you were plotting Orochimaru's death. Twos?"
Sasuke threw another card, "You helped with that. I never would have thought poisoning the pages of his favorite Icha Icha Paradise novel. Fives?"
Naruto tossed him a card, "Eh. Came from all the tactical lessons Ero-sannin made me suffer through. That and I thought it would be something like poetic justice. Serves both the perverts right," they were down to the last cards. "Jacks?"
Sasuke tossed a card. "Kings?"
Naruto tossed a card. One card left. "Eight?"
The final card was paired off. Now for the final count.
Fourteen to twelve, Sasuke wins.
Naruto swore. "Man! And here I thought I'd actually get to beat you,"
"Tough luck Usurakontachi. Once a dobe, always a dobe,"
"I resent that." Naruto sniffed. "I never was a dobe and you know it,"
"Yes you were," Sasuke objected pointedly, "dead last in our graduating class which was quite the feat considering Shikamaru never wrote an assignment or test and slept through every class and he still ranked higher than you,"
"Prejudiced teachers," Naruto growled, digging his fingernails into the tabletop, "the only one who even thought of me as human was Iruka-sensei. If I hadn't master kagebushin not even Iruka-sensei could have passed me with the way they rigged my grades,"
"A Jounin level ninjutsu mastered by a dead last Genin. That shocked the Village when they found out," Sasuke shook his head.
"Scared the bejeezers out of them, you mean," Naruto said pointedly. Sasuke conceded. "Served them right, for all I care,"
"Kakashi-sensei said that it probably because you had more chakra than you knew how to control at that point so the only thing that would work properly would be a high level, forbidden jutsu," Sasuke said, shuffling the cards and dealing another round of Go Fish. Naruto sat back in his chair.
"Huh. Kakashi-sensei said that? Ero-sannin said the same thing,"
"Great perverts think alike?" Sasuke quipped.
"Probably," Naruto chuckled.
"Are you two even listening to us?" Hermione demanded.
"Sure we are," Naruto said as he looked over his hand of cards.
"We're just ignoring you because we don't feel like answering your annoying questions," Sasuke finished, "Sevens?"
"And you can't blame them, girl," Naruto's fox backed up the ANBU.
"Go fish,"Hermione felt like pulling her hair in frustration.
School was boring. Naruto knew that fact in the academy and it held true even here, in this foreign country, in this school for magic. He was starting to wonder if teachers had big conventions where they get together and swap ideas on how to be either a) boring, b) annoying, c) filled with dark angst or d) filled with utter contempt for every student under them.
In all honesty he wouldn't put it past them. Teachers were sneaky like that.
But it probably didn't help that Naruto did not have a single clue as to what was going on in Harry's classes. His currant position: lounging in the back of the History of Magic classroom. Currant mental state: bored stiff. He was going to have to drag Sasuke outside for a spar some time soon.
Very soon, by the looks of it.
"Sasuke! Spar with me," Naruto whined. Sasuke groaned.
"Why, Dobe?"
"Because I'm bored!"
"And that's supposed to make me spar with you?"
"SA-SU-KE!"
"Fine." Sasuke scowled, "Harry, you're coming with us,"
"Can we come too?" asked a couple brave boys from another house. Naruto and Sasuke shrugged.
"Doesn't matter to us. But if anyone gets in out way your lives may be forfeit," Naruto warned seriously. The students nodded, not truly grasping the levity of his words.
Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged his friend out of the castle, waving at the teachers as they went. Harry, Ron, Hermione and a host of other students hurried after them.
It was a perfect day for sparring outside. The sun was hidden behind a solid sheet of cloud cover. A gentle breeze ran smoothly across the grounds. Naruto did not let go of Sasuke until they were a bare fifty feet from the edge of the lake.
"Out in the open? No tree cover?" Sasuke asked.
"Minimal tree cover. It's not Konoha's forest so we have no right to needlessly destroy it. Other than that, anything goes," Naruto nodded.
"To surrender," Sasuke said, slipping into a fighting stance.
"To surrender," Naruto agreed, launching a volley of kunai at his friend. Sasuke nimbly dodged and threw his own shuriken. Naruto leapt into the air, allowing the deadly stars to sail right underneath him. A kunai landed dully in his shoulder, the explosive note attached burning quickly. Students screamed when it exploded.
But Sasuke was still fighting. Naruto had used a flawless substitution with a hastily made clone and had attacked from behind.
Sasuke's hands blurred with the speed he used to perform the seals, he took a deep breath. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" and breathed a giant ball of fire.
"Henge!" Naruto just managed to transform in time.
When the fire passed, the students watched held their breath. Sasuke was not dropping his guard, and did, in fact, activate his Sharingan.
Somehow Naruto had gotten behind him yet again. Sasuke spun around just in time to parry a slashing kunai. After breaking through the next series of attacks Sasuke could feel Naruto get frustrated.
"Jerk!" the blond growled, "You're using Sharingan, aren't you?"
"Every advantage," Sasuke reasoned.
"Fine," Naruto leapt back and crouched down. "Every advantage it is," and he called upon the chakra of the nine-tailed kitsune sealed within his body. Red chakra burned the grass around him in a perfect circle, the force whipping at his cloths and cape and negating the advantage of the Sharingan.
Sasuke pressed forward, letting loose a volley of various pointy objects. Naruto did not even bother to dodge. Instead, the jinchuuriki knocked every single kunai, senbon and shuriken away with a kodachi his had produced from underneath his cape. The Uchiha leapt up and onto his partner. Naruto blocked the kunai aimed for a slash to the head with is kodachi. Sasuke, using the first attack as a distraction, kicked out at Naruto's chest.
He connected.
Naruto flew back and Sasuke flipped to his feet. Hardly pausing to regain his bearings Naruto rolled to his feet as well and pulled a string in his hand. Sasuke's arms flew up to shield his head as the earth underneath him exploded. His Sharingan had seen it in just enough time for him to perform a substitution.
The ANBU exchanged a flurry of insanely fast strikes and parries before leaping apart to take stock of their situations.
"I'm surprised you haven't used kagebushin," Sasuke commented as he tied a strip of cloth around a wound on his thigh. Naruto shrugged.
"Haven't felt the need," he taunted.
Sasuke laughed. "Or is it that you're finally trying to hone other skills?"
"Could be that too," Naruto produced a giant windmill shuriken and hurled it towards Sasuke. Sasuke avoided it. Naruto's hands blurred in a rapid succession of seals and he slammed a palm on the ground. "Doton: Sinking Earth no jutsu!"
The ground around Sasuke's feet softened, sucking him down. Sasuke countered the jutsu with an area-blast katon to bake the ground back to hardness. He broke free and dashed forward, weaving in and out of normal human vision.
Naruto's chakra spiked as he turned to dodge and parry the strike aimed for his mask. The students gasped when a phantom tail appeared on the fox ANBU. Sasuke grinned behind the cover of his mask.
"Upping the ante?" he asked, pressing in tight. The scrape of metal against metal grated on the edges of the nerves of everyone in hearing range. Still monitoring Sasuke's kunai Naruto swung his free hand, holding another kunai, for a strike to the small ribs. Sasuke blocked. Naruto dropped for a low spinning kick.
Kyuubi's chakra had Sasuke at a distinct disadvantage since the Sharingan could not see through it to the moves that would be made. The first time they had fought Kyuubi against Sharingan the anomaly almost cost Sasuke his life when he paused in shock. Since then he had gotten used to it. He had almost grown to enjoy the danger factor it brought to their spars.
As it was, the kick sent Sasuke flying back, knocking the wind out of him. Naruto took advantage and pounced. It was a good thing for Sasuke that body memory was better than reaction time. Grabbing Naruto's clothing and planting a foot on his hip Sasuke tossed him right over his head, using Naruto's own forward momentum against him.
As surprised as Naruto was he did not allow that to faze him. Twisting midair he landed on his feet and lunged at Sasuke again. This time Sasuke was prepared and met the attack with an attack of his own.
When the dust settled the spectators were amazed to find the two ANBU at a standstill. Naruto had his kodachi pressed against Sasuke's throat. Sasuke had a kunai just waiting to be plunged into Naruto's temple.
"Tie?" Naruto asked wryly.
"Seems to be," Sasuke relaxed and started picking up their scattered weapons.
Naruto bent to help him. "You've gotten faster," he commented.
"And you've gotten smarter,"
"Jerk,"
"Dobe,"
They finished picking up the last of their weapons in relative silence, pocketing and sheathing every single one. When their sparring ground was clean they sauntered casually back to the castle. Taking careful note of who had turned up to watch their spar. There seemed to be a good fifty children staring at them in wide-eyed awe. Naruto grinned.
"That was a nice warm up," he commented loud enough to be overheard.
"Ch," Sasuke scoffed, just as loud, catching on to what Naruto was doing, "You didn't even get serious. I should be offended,"
"Yeah, whatever," Naruto laughed, "How could you tell?"
"Kagebushin. You didn't use it. You always use them when you're serious,"
"No kidding?" Naruto was surprised, "I do?"
"Every time,"
"Huh," Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets, suddenly pensive. "Who would have thunk it?"
"Me, obviously,"
"Obviously,"