Harry stifled an irritated sigh as he mentally went over their trip itinerary again. Even though Isshin had said it would take "at least a week" to reach Konoha, Harry knew that they were behind schedule. According to his calculations, they should have reached Tanzaku no Gai the previous day.

"Harii nii-san, do you have any more Dango?"

"Shuu, stop bothering Harii and watch your little brother," a woman said from behind Harry.

"It's fine, Masaki-san." Harry searched his backpack and pulled out a paper bag. "Here, Shuu…"

The blonde boy, who had inadvertently helped Harry enter the caravan, whooped in delight and snatched the paper bag. "Nii-san, you're the best! C'mon Yuji, let's eat."

Harry rolled his eyes at the boy's words but smiled as his irritation tapered slightly for the moment. But by the end of the day, his irritation returned worse than ever and before he could stop himself, Harry sent a message on his two-way mirror.

And it came to bite him the very next night when he was half-asleep, with an Extendable Ear propped in his ear, eavesdropping on a bar conversation of fixed lotteries and prize money.

"Harry, how are you, mate?"

Harry relaxed at Ron's easy tone and hoped that he'd only dreamt of messaging Ron the previous night. "I'm good, is everything all right over there?"

"It's rather quiet. Well, except for people trying to question us about your location." Harry cringed but Ron said, "Don't worry! So far it's only been mum and dad trying to guilt us into talking. It'll be a while before they just dose us with Veritaserum or make us talk with Dumbledore or Snape."

"You think they would?"

Ron shrugged. "They don't have any clues about where you are. But Hermione and me, well mostly me, I haven't been …panicked enough."

"They think you know more about my location," Harry said with a frown.

"Definitely," Ron said, "But, I just… the way I see it, if you're away from you-know-who, then that's a good thing, right?"

"I know, maybe Dumbledore will eventually stop," Harry said half-heartedly. "But you guys know a lot already, and if he decides to just…"

"Don't worry about it. We don't know exact locations of anything. So even if our minds get…well, they won't have much to work with."

Harry's mind buzzed in sudden realization. "That's why you never asked for addresses."

Ron nodded and said, "But anyway Hermione asked me to pass a message."

"Did she find a new spell?"

"Harry," Ron sighed. "I did hear your message."

Harry winced. "I was a bit…"

"Yes, I noticed that halfway through, when you complained about Umbridge's kitten eating." Ron smirked and the mirror image shook.

"I don't remember that bit," Harry said sheepishly.

"I'm sure you don't. At any rate, Hermione wants you to know that the Confundus is not evil and you shouldn't blindly refuse to use it."

Harry gaped and said, "What? But…"

"That's Hermione's point. And, here's mine. I agree with her. Look mate, I know you think it's like the Imperius but, the Confundus is different."

"How, Ron?" Harry argued.

"Dad used to talk about it. Death eaters never used it, you know, it was useless to them. The Confundus only confuses… it's more like a distraction. You're making the person look right so you can do something on the left. And you're not forcing them to do it."

Harry thought that sounded like something a Death Eater would say. "How is that not…"

"Harry," Ron interrupted, "If you hadn't used it, what would have happened with the papers?"

Harry grimaced but said, "I wouldn't have gotten them."

"And then you'd be delayed and you wouldn't have heard that rumour!" Ron said.

"I know that, I just…"

Ron closed his eyes, "Harry you weren't acting like you-know-who. Don't even bother denying it. You probably went through a whole guilt thing where you compared yourself to a death eater or something."

"I did not…" Harry protested, hating how weak it sounded.

"I can't believe you actually did that!" Ron smacked his forehead. "You'd have used it to help someone else. You're probably feeling guilty because you used it for your own benefit."

"It was selfish…"

But Ron glared at Harry. "You stupid prat. It's not selfish if it's the only way. And besides you're allowed to be selfish in certain circumstances. Harry, you did come in from another world, there was no way you could have gotten those papers without magic. It's not you planned to make him your slave or anything. Of all the… I can't believe…" Ron took a deep breath, "Harry, as your best friend, I'm asking, no, I'm telling you to please do everything in your power to survive that place. If you need to confuse someone with a Confundo to make sure you're alive, you better damn well do it. Because I swear, if you die there because you thought a spell was too selfish to use, I'm going to…"

"Ron?" Harry gaped.

"You're not a Death Eater. And I know you wouldn't use a spell to do something selfish and evil. You're a Gryffindor!" Ron paused abruptly, his face turning an alarming red.

Harry couldn't reply. The disbelief at hearing Ron's emotional speech, something he'd never witnessed before, rendered Harry incapable of saying anything.

"Hurry up and find your family already, so I can tell them to beat your thick skull for being a stupid prat!" With that Ron broke the link.

"I think Ron's finally cracked from all the stress." Harry stared at the blank mirror. Hedwig bit his ear viciously. "Okay, okay. So, I was a bit dense about the spell."

Hedwig hooted in agreement.

"Would you like it if someone placed the spell on you?"

Hedwig retorted with a sharp trill.

"Of course, I wouldn't use it on you."

Trill. Trill. Hoot.

"No, I'm not just randomly going to use it on people. But if I use it once, then what'll stop me from using it every time something doesn't go my way."

Hoot. Hoot. Trill. Hoot. Clack.

"I doubt you can do anything to make me… Ow!" Harry winced and rubbed his stinging ear as Hedwig flew to the window sill with a smug hoot. "You've gotten bossy," and sadistic, Harry thought to himself as he looked up at the dull ceiling. While Ron's faith in him was appreciated, Harry still doubted himself and he spent a sleepless night contemplating his magic, his morality and his family.

Everyone in the caravan noticed Harry's gloomy behaviour over the next few days and reacted in different ways. The kids became clingy, the women made him eat more food and the men just gave him more things to repair.

So when Isshin pulled Harry aside at Tanzaku no Gai to get dinner at some bar, Harry searched for an excuse to be alone. "Isshin-san, am I allowed in there?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" Isshin laughed is amusement.

"I'm not a… ninja?" Harry said.

Isshin grinned and pushed the cloth hangings aside. "You don't have to be a ninja to be considered a grown adult in non-ninja villages, brat! Besides, You don't want to miss the first class Motsunabe they make here."

Harry rolled his eyes at being called 'brat' yet again.

Isshin dragged him towards one of the tables. "They're making the special tonight. Come on, let's grab that table over there, we'll be able to talk."

Harry grimaced, not wanting to talk especially when he could have been using the time to spy and gather information from the crowded bar, but he followed Isshin and sat at the table.

"So brat," Isshin said after he ordered their food. "What's got you all cranky? Don't say its nothing. You're obviously thinking big thoughts!"

Harry sipped on him drink and wondered what excuse to use. He'd just realized that he couldn't use a sap story, when Isshin leaned forward and flicked Harry's forehead. Harry rubbed his stinging forehead. "What was that for?"

Isshin smirked. "Your big thoughts were making you look like an old man."

Harry took another sip and said, "Well, one of us has to be the mature one."

"There's a difference between maturity and senility, brat."

"Since you oscillate between being senile and being retarded, I'm stuck with the maturity." Harry paused as the waitress placed two large pots in front of them. Unconsciously, he took a big sniff and his mouth watered at the heavenly scents.

Isshin snickered. "Good, you're getting better. You'll definitely survive Konoha."

Harry sighed as he wondered what Isshin was implying. How can he possibly be the leader of a caravan? Even Dumbledore isn't this odd. Sure, he talks about socks and candy... Harry paused at the thought and finally understood. It's an old man thing!

"So, that's what's been bugging you?" Isshin said knowingly. "You shouldn't worry about Konoha."

Even though Isshin made no sense, Harry just shrugged, allowing the man to talk as he dug in to his dish. Harry's mind buzzed excitedly as various new flavours hit his tongue with every bite.

"… and that's why you shouldn't be worried about Konoha! I'll definitely make sure you settle in properly," Isshin said and chewed noisily.

Not feeling the slightest bit guilty that he'd missed Isshin's talk, Harry said, "Thanks, Isshin-san."

"No problem! You shouldn't worry about …"

Everything in the bar stilled as a man ran in panting loudly. "We just got news from Suna. The trade routes are open again."

Everyone in the bar cheered loudly.

Harry frowned, recalling the rumours he'd picked up about Suna. Especially the rumour about the 'Uzumaki' who'd been headed there.

"The caravan will be thrilled!" Isshin said in relief.

Harry grabbed another piece of meat. "Were you heading to Suna?"

Isshin took a swig of his drink and nodded. "It's usually our next stop after Konoha. But last week, all routes to Suna were suddenly closed."

"Do you know what happened?"

"Only rumours! But trade routes to a ninja village only get closed because they're under attack. It's dangerous for civilians, so…"

Harry nodded but wondered how the ninja villages got relief in those situations.

Isshin tipped back a small cup of foul smelling liquid and said, "Suna has always been fidgety with trade. Previous Kazekages didn't like foreigners coming in and making money so the levies and taxes were horrid. It just got better recently. Everyone was scared that things were going to go back to old times."

Harry wondered if the Uzumaki, who'd gone to Suna, would head back to Konoha soon. "How long does it take to reach Suna from Konoha?"

"The caravan would take a week or two because we pass through River country." Isshin said and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "…but ninja can get there in three days flat."

The walk back to caravan's resting area in town and then to his own hotel room, gave Harry a lot of time to think. The first thing he decided to do though, was to sort things out with Ron.

"Ron Weasley," Harry called into his mirror and gaped when the mirror's surface resolved into his best friend's face."I didn't think you'd…"

Ron blinked back at Harry with an odd look. "I was just about to call you anyway. Hermione will be here in a few minutes hopefully."

"Why? What happened?" Harry said, mind churning with horrible possibilities of things that could have happened. The Order could have pressured them, or dosed them with Veritaserum or even worse Voldemort finally made his move.

"Nothing happened." Ron rolled his eyes."I should have known you'd forget…Happy Birthday, prat!"

Harry gaped. "It's my birthday?"

"Of course it's your birthday! Honestly, what kind of a friend would I be if I forgot?"

Harry rubbed the back of his head and looked around his hotel room. "It's one of the more interesting birthdays I've had."

Ron snickered and said, "That's one way of looking at it. Oh, Hermione's here! What is that? And why are you two here?"

Harry squinted when the mirror's surface blurred as Ron moved.

"It's a cupcake, Ron! What does it look like?" Hermione said in exasperation. "We needed a cake for this."

"Hurry up! We don't have a lot of time. Professor Lupin can only distract them for so long…"

"You two being here will just make things worse," Ron said.

"As if we'd miss the chance to wish Harry," another voice said. "Don't hog the thing. Put it over there so he can see us."

Harry blinked when the mirror finally showed a clear image. The twins stood behind Ron and Hermione who was holding up a small cupcake. Before Harry could say anything though, the four of them started singing. Harry laughed at his friends' off-key and the twins' re-worded renditions of Happy Birthday. He laughed even louder when the twins disapparated before the end because of a shrill scream in the background.

Ron said, "Mum must have seen the clock and noticed they were home."

Hermione grabbed the mirror and said, "Happy Birthday Harry. Don't worry about anything. I've found a way to deal with any owls you might get. I'll tell you about it later, I have to go before Mrs. Weasley gets here."

"Thanks Hermione," Harry said, "for the song and the…cupcake."

The mirror returned to Ron who held a now half-eaten cupcake. "It's vanilla."

"Looks good." Harry smiled and said, "thanks Ron! I… I've decided to do everything necessary to find my family…"

Ron finished the cupcake with another bite. "But?"

"But it'll take a long time before I'm ever comfortable with messing with people's minds," Harry said with finality.

"I'm not asking you to be fine with it, just use it when you really need it." Ron said, "You can't hesitate if you're surrounded by those ninja you were talking about. Didn't you say that Itachi person was super fast?"

"Well I didn't really see hi-"

"RONALD WEASLEY!"

Harry frowned at the muffled yell.

Ron groaned into the mirror. "I can't wait till we're at Hogwarts. It'll be so much easier to talk. Sorry mate…"

"It's all right. We'll talk later."

Harry fell asleep before he could set up the extendable ear but he wasn't too bothered about it the next morning. In fact, he felt well-rested enough to actually ask Isshin for information.

"Your ability to know some things and be totally clueless about other things really surprises me. But I guess all teenagers are like that." Isshin rubbed the back of his head with an amused expression. "Okay, I'll teach you the basics of a ninja village. First, the Administrative Building…"

X-X-X-X-X

Isshin stopped beside Harry and said, "How does it feel?"

"Eh?" Harry coughed and swallowed his food hastily.

"We're an hour away from Konoha!"

"We are?" Harry swivelled around suspiciously, not seeing any change in the thick trees that surrounded him.

Isshin guffawed. "You'll see soon enough. The mountain is pretty noticeable even at this distance. We should see it in… there! See that?"

Harry stopped walking and gaped at five faces in the distance.

Isshin patted Harry on the shoulder and said, "That's everyone's first impression of Konoha."

Harry took deep breaths as the caravan paused in front of large red gates. He held out his papers and frowned when Isshin fielded every question directed at him by the gate guards- two people who wore green vests over navy blue outfits.

"Harii, I want you to meet some people," Isshin said as the rest of the caravan moved past the gate and in to the village. Harry followed him and the two guards to the small wooden stand in front of a tiny official looking building. "Guys, I want you to meet Harii. Harii these are…"

"I'm Kamizuki Izumo…" the man with the bandanna said and pointed to the other one with the bandage on stretching over his nose and across his face, "and this is my partner Hagane Kotetsu."

Harry blinked and nodded at both of them politely. He turned to find Isshin staring at him. "Isshin-san?"

Isshin's eye twitched. "You heard them, right?"

Harry nodded and glanced between both men. "Hogane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo."

"Not that! Didn't you find anything misleading about their introduction?"

Harry replayed their introduction in his head and shook his only thing Harry had noticed was the headgear they wore. Headgear which was similar to what Itachi had worn.

"They said partners," Isshin said with an exaggerated hand motion, making the duo in front of him groan.

"Just because you misunderstood all those years ago, doesn't mean everyone is as retarded as you," Izumo said, fiddled with the bandana on his head and handed Isshin some papers.

"Harii, you're so naïve," Isshin said and grinned deviously at both men. "When people say partners …"

Kotetsu smacked his forehead and said, "You're the only one who thought that. No matter how many people you bring, they never misunderstand our introduction."

Isshin winked at Harry and walked into the building behind them. "Either way, I think it's time you both got together with someone. Even if it's with each other…"

Harry shook his head in amusement as the duo's faces went through a variety of emotions before they settled on eerily familiar grins for a split second before returning to normal. Immediately reminded of the Weasley twins' grin, Harry didn't know if he should be afraid or amused.

"So, Harii, what do you do exactly? Isshin-san said you're a repairman." Izumo asked and came out of the stand.

"Not really a repairman, I don't fix plumbing or anything," Harry said and leaned against a wall. "I'm more of a craftsman. I fix things like furniture, jewellery…"

Kotetsu tilted his head and squinted at Harry. "You don't look like a craftsman!"

Harry tensed warily, wondering if he'd roused the ninjas' suspicions.

"You seem like more of a baker," Kotetsu said. "Do you make sweets?"

Harry couldn't fathom a response to that.

Izumo smacked the other man's shoulder. "How does he look a baker? He obviously looks like a tailor."

"You're obviously blind!" Kotetsu rolled his eyes, "So Harii, are you going to open a shop in Konoha?"

Harry sighed. "Not now. I'll get a place to stay and probably work from there until I have enough money. Till then, I'll probably get a normal job during the day."

"Why would you need another job? Shouldn't you just stick to fixing things the whole day?" Izumo said.

To gather information freely obviously, Harry thought but said, "I only fix things at night, so I'll have a lot of free time during the day."

"Why do you fix things at night?" Izumo wondered.

"Because no one's awake!" Harry blurted but hastily said, "I mean, it's quiet, so I can concentrate better. I'm not… uh, experienced enough with my … family technique to work on stuff when it's noisy." Harry winced, knowing that they wouldn't believe him and searched for a better explanation.

"Sounds difficult!" Kotetsu said and slurped some syrup.

Harry stared at the large syrup jar, wondering where it had come from and shrugged. "I'm not a pro."

Isshin came out of the building with a large bunch of papers. "Here Harii, hold onto that and we'll be able to get you an apartment."

Harry blinked. "What?"

"If I don't help you, someone will take advantage of your naiveness and you'll be swindled into buying some rotten room for twice the price." Isshin said. "Now, Izumo, know any empty apartments?"

I don't get this man, Harry lamented to himself as he followed Isshin and Izumo, unable to argue with the man.

Kotetsu walked beside Harry and slurped some more syrup. "Hey Harii, what's your favourite sweet?"

Suddenly glad that he'd spent time with the caravan, Harry easily said, "Dango is pretty awesome with tea. But I also like Daifuku. I had a lot of it in Kozakai."

Kotetsu groaned, "I haven't been there in ages. Their tea is amazing! And their sweet syrups are the best!"

By the end of the day, Isshin found Harry a nice sized apartment on the top most floor of a normal looking yellow building. At least I won't get lost, Harry mused and looked at the neighbouring building- a curved pink thing that looked like a strawberry cake.

"I'll come around with everyone tomorrow." Isshin said, "We'll have a proper house- warming before we leave day after tomorrow."

As Harry placed a plethora of spells and charms on the main door and every window in the apartment, he felt an odd sense of pride. He turned to Hedwig, "It's nice, isn't it? Our own place! It's kind of boring but for a first time place, it's pretty good, right? Better than Privet Drive for sure."

Hedwig hooted in agreement as she perched on one of the dining table's chairs. Harry went around the apartment once more, feeling a little lost at the abundant space-a kitchen/dining room, living room and two rooms- but he couldn't wait to show Ron and Hermione everything.

Harry spent the majority of the night eavesdropping on Konoha's populace learning about the village politics and even a rich man called Danzo, who allegedly had tons of hidden treasure. Knowing that he'd have visitors the next day, Harry tidied up his new apartment before falling asleep.

But, just three hours after he went to bed, Shuu appeared on his doorstep. "Nii-san, your apartment is so clean! Can I stay here when I come to Konoha? Is Heduwigu sleeping? That's a big kitchen. Do you have any dango?"

Over the course of the day, the remaining caravan members dropped by every few minutes and Harry had to cater to his guests and Shuu who had decided to spend the entire day and night with his "Harii-nii-san".

After another long and confusing lecture from Isshin in the early hours of the next morning and well wishes from everyone in the caravan, Harry was thrilled when the caravan left. It meant that he could finally search and explore things on his own.

A green building immediately caught his attention- a bookstore. Harry looked around the cramped bookstore and paused when he recognized the title 'Icha Icha Paradise' from the rumours he'd gathered before.

Harry picked up the book, opened a random page and dumped the book back into the pile with a mortified huff before moving on to the other sections of the store. As he browsed through the herbal medicine section of the store and selected a few books, Harry heard a few voice from the front of the store.

"I wonder when the new shipment of Icha Icha will be here. I really want the new volume…"

"I hear Kakashi got the newest volume from his student, you know. Come on let's just go…"

Harry carried five books about medicinal plants to the cashier.

"That Uzumaki was with Jiraiya for three years he was bound to get a free copy anyway."

Harry gasped and turned to the two men leaving the store. He glanced between his books being scanned slowly by the aging cashier and the two people who were supposed to be on the straight road in front of the store. They had disappeared.

Harry clenched his fingers in irritation, knowing he should have left the books and followed them instead. He had no way of finding them now. He couldn't remember what the looked like, didn't know where they were going. The only thing he remembered from their conversation was the name 'Jiraiya' and 'Kakashi'.

Harry paid the cashier and grabbed his purchases. "Does everyone come here just for the Icha Icha books?"

The man laughed loudly. "Of course, most of the ninja here have a weakness to Jiraiya-sama's books."

Harry struggled to make sense of all the information he collected. From what he gathered, the Uzumaki he was searching for had spent some time with the author of the the Icha Icha books, the 'Jiraiya' person. The 'Kakashi' was a teacher of some sort. Then there was the fact that Uzumaki was a ninja because he went to Suna when the trade routes were closed.

Harry frowned, wondering if that meant that there was only one Uzumaki in Konoha. He walked around the village, noting every location where the ninja gathered, hoping that one of them would be perfect for gathering information.

Harry paused on the top stair of his stairway, bags in hand and stared at the pair standing outside his door with two halves of a table. "I'm guessing you want me to fix that."

"Where were you? I thought we'd have to break in to your apartment," Kotetsu said and moved away from the wall.

"I was shopping," Harry said, opened his apartment door and pointed to an empty area inside. "Just leave it over there…"

Izumo pulled something from the pouch on his leg. "Can you fix this for me, too?"

X-X-X-X-X

"You guys are here early." Harry yawned, opened his door wider and motioned for them to come in. He pointed to the fixed table. "There you go, fixed that table as good ...what?"

Both men looked surprised as they examined the table in the corner of the room. "So you really can fix things and make them look brand new!"

"The Hokage is going to be thrilled. Or at least Shizune will, she's the Hokage's assistant," Izumo said and ran a hand over the table.

Harry shrugged and filled Hedwig's water bowl. "It's not really a big...wait, did you say Hokage?"

"Oh, didn't we tell you? This is the Hokage's table," Kotetsu said and grinned.

Harry watched them take out a tiny scroll and place a small square of paper onto the fixed table. "What are you guys..."

"We'll have to put this in a storage scroll because it won't fit through that tiny door of yours."

Harry turned around and looked at his main door. "I didn't think of that!"

Izumo smirked in amusement and said, "Well, neither did we. But then again we didn't really think you'd be able to fix the table for real."

Harry sighed, glad he had passed their apparent test, and silently watched them seal the large table into the tiny scroll. He noticed that the symbols and designs looked different from the ones on his grandmother's scroll. I didn't use any tiny paper thing to put my stuff in to my scroll, Harry remembered.

"Something wrong, Harii?" Kotetsu rolled up the tiny scroll, put it into a tiny pouch on his back and grabbed a glass off the counter.

I want that storage scroll, Harry thought to himself. "Just wondering where you're taking that table. Didn't you already replace it?"

"Of course, we did. We'll just keep this one with us. When she calls us in to take the next broken one out, we'll just unseal this one. Then we won't have to make two trips there."

Harry frowned wondering just how often tables got broken.

Izumo smiled at him. "If we're lucky, she only breaks it every other day. On bad days, we sometimes go through two to three tables a day!"

Harry shuddered at the thought of asking such a violent woman for information.

"So what are you going to do now, Harii?" Kotetsu asked.

"I need to get some shopping done. Groceries…" and some more snooping, "Can you tell me a place where they sell dango?"

Kotetsu grinned and leaned in conspiratorially. "There's one at the east end of the village near the forest. It's a ninja haunt, but it's the best place to get the best dango for cheap."

"Oh, Izumo, here's your fan!" Harry threw the fixed item to the man and was surprised when his face lit up.

Izumo cradled the bright hand-held fan, stowed it in his pocket and ruffled Harry's hair. "Thanks Harii!"

Harry waited till the duo was well out of sight from his apartment before he walked down his staircase, onto the main road and through crowded streets. Harry frowned and entered the small wooden establishment with his book.

Four hours, countless sticks of dango and even reaching the middle of his book, Harry was eager to get home. His idea of getting information was a complete bust. The ninja around him had talked about 'slugs', 'toads' and other unrelated things, which meant they were talking in code.

Harry was beyond annoyed when he got back to his apartment. Harry threw his purchases haphazardly on the table. It's at least four more hours before the bars become ready for eavesdropping. I'll just redecorate this apartment till then. Harry twirled his wand, splashing one of his walls with red. He mimed a scrubbing motion at the floor and watched as the dark scuff marks vanished Maybe some red there… fix that …clean that with a Scorgify. Harry paused. I'm bored again.

Harry's eyes landed on his large scroll. Seals look useful and it can't be that hard. It's worth a try, Harry thought as he unrolled the scroll and grabbed some ink, paper and a brush. Harry painstakingly copied the symbols onto a fresh sheet of paper. As he put in the last symbol he waited. Nothing happened. He scoffed, knowing that a part of him had expected a flashy light show, dragged a bloody thumb across the design and placed a crumpled paper on top of the design.

Nothing happened.

Harry frowned and looked over the symbols. He'd copied everything perfectly, so why hadn't it worked? Maybe it needs chakra, He glanced at his thumb. so something in the ink? Worth a try.

Harry mixed a little bit of his blood with the ink. He barely painted the first symbol before the ink fizzled with a blue light and vaporized leaving a blank sheet of paper.

After a couple of tries and constant vaporizing ink, Harry stared at the design. Maybe I need to write them in some special order. So what comes first? There's more than twelve of them on the outside. Has to be Space!

Harry painted the character with baited breath. The ink stayed on the paper. Now which way to go? Clockwise…damn! Harry reached for his wand as the paper caught on fire. I've got enough time to find the right order.

Two hours and numerous burnt papers later, Harry finally stumbled on the right order- the correct four corners had to be put down first. Okay, next symbol, Harry thought in excitement as he put his brush back onto the paper.

A bright flash of light filled Harry's vision. And the next moment Harry fell back painfully. Harry struggled up and flinched in horror. The paper and brush was gone but there was a copious amount of red splattered everywhere.

He looked down at his hands.

Harry choked back the bile that rushed to his throat as he caught sight of brush splinters embedded in his blood drenched fingers. I can't feel that. I can't feel any of that. I need to fix this…stop the blood. So much blood!

Harry looked away from his fingers and said, "E-episky!"

Nothing happened.

Clearly panicked, Harry forced his left hand to tug on his wand holster desperately. He only succeeded in getting blood all over his holster. Harry whimpered as his fingers tingled, a clear sign that his fingers were regaining feeling.

A loud hoot interrupted his pain induced thoughts. Harry watched as Hedwig flew down to him and tilted her head to the side. "Don't worry Hedwig, it's not as bad as it looks," Harry said and bit his lip as his fingers throbbed. "I just…"

He paused as the scars on her chest pulsed faintly.

"Hedwig?" Harry frowned as she moved closer and leaned over his fingers. Hedwig let out a painful hoot as a tear fell from her eye. Harry shuddered as the tear hissed and his wounds burned painfully around the embedded splinters.

"Hedwig, stop."

Hedwig wheezed as the tears continued to fall. Harry tried to move away, but his body didn't respond over the pain. What's happening?

"Please …stop."

After a while the pain stopped and the bleeding slowed but the damage was far from healed.

But Hedwig stopped crying.

Harry lurched forward to catch Hedwig as she fell forward breathing harshly. Unbidden, the monk's conversation about blood and magic gave Harry a horrible thought. Fawkes gave Hedwig his blood... so she has his healing magic? But Fawkes just needs a drop or two to completely heal a serious wound. She cried for more than a few minutes. And even that wasn't enough to heal my wounds. But worst of all, she hurt herself trying to do it.

He stroked her gently ignoring the pain and blood. "Hedwig?" Amber eyes looked at him tiredly. "You need to drink some water, okay?"

Hedwig hooted softly as Harry wrapped her in some spare clothes to keep her warm. He monitored Hedwig closely as he spoon-fed her some water, not willing to risk giving her any medication without a proper vet's approval. His thoughts were filled with questions about what Fawkes had done to her.

Harry spent the entire night holding her till her temperature became normal and was thrilled when an amber eye opened just as the sun rose. "Hedwig!"

She hooted softly and huddled tiredly when he placed her on the back of a chair. Harry watched her even as he cleaned and bandaged his fingers, surprised when he couldn't heal the wounds or numb the pain with a simple Episky.

"Drink," Harry held up another spoonful of water and placed some food in front of her. Within the next few hours, Harry cleaned up all traces of the blood while Hedwig moved around by herself. He was just about to reprimand her for flying when someone knocked on his door.

"Oh! It's you two…" Harry muttered, "Have another table for me to fix already?"

"Nonsense, we're here to take you out for early lunch!" Kotetsu grinned and rubbed the bandage across his nose.

"Why?" Harry wondered suspiciously.

"We might have mentioned your skills to someone. So, think of it as a business meeting."

"What?" Harry gaped.

"You wanted to open your own shop, so we thought we'd help you advertise. Besides it's free lunch and," Izumo frowned and leaned forward. "What happened to your fingers?"

Harry flinched and shoved his bandaged fingers into his pockets. "Just a little accident, nothing much."

"On both hands?" Kotetsu frowned as well, suddenly serious.

"I was redecorating," Harry said and pointed back to his apartment, surprised at his own quick thinking.

Izumo whistled in appreciation. "You've totally changed this place in three days!"

Harry said, "I had nothing else to do."

"You should have called us. We would have helped." Kotetsu reprimanded him but then smiled. "Well, aren't you glad we're here to take you out to lunch? You can't do much with those fingers."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, you're a gift from heaven."

"You hear that Kotetsu? We're gifts from heaven!"

Harry sighed, knowing the wouldn't leave him alone. "Do you guys know a vet?"

"Did something happen to your owl?" Izumo stared at the bird perched on one of the chairs. "She looks all right to me. I mean, she's sleeping like a healthy … What? I spent time at the messenger tower last year. You tend to learn things when you're surrounded by birds."

Harry glanced back at Hedwig, noting that she really did look a lot better, and said, "I'd still like to know, just in case. All right, let's go eat! I'm starving." Harry barely had time to lock his door before he was manhandled down his building, across dusty streets and into a barbeque restaurant he'd never seen before.

Izumo pointed out a bearded man smoking at one of the tables near the window. "There he is."

Even though the man looked older than Izumo and Kotetsu, his outfit was similar to theirs- navy blue clothes, a dull green vest and the odd headband across his forehead.

Kotetsu smirked. "Oi, Asuma, we're here."

Harry chuckled at the long suffering look on the man's face.

"I thought you two weren't coming," Asuma said as they settled down in the booth.

"As if we'd miss free food!" Izumo leaned across the table and snatched some food from the grill. "Harii, this is Sautobi Asuma. Asuma, this is the person we were talking about."

He turned to Harry and said, "So, you're the one that fixed the Hokage's table."

Harry bowed politely. "Yes, nice to meet you Sarutobi-san."

Asuma waved a hand languidly and took a long drag from his cigarette. "Sarutobi-san was my dad. Just call me Asuma."

Harry nodded, wondering if Akira's etiquette lessons were completely unnecessary and useless.

"Kotetsu showed me the table. It's like it was never broken in the first place. So I was wondering, can you fix weapons?"

Harry went over the Reparo's specifications in his mind. "As long as I have all the broken pieces, I could…"

"Asuma," a bland voice called out. Harry turned around and saw a teenager with a spiky ponytail walking towards their table. "Iruka-sensei's been nagging me. He said you didn't hand in your report."

Asuma sighed and rose from the table. "Sorry, looks like I'll have to cut this meeting short. I'll leave the money here, so you guys can finish eating. I'll talk to you some other time, Harii."

When Asuma left the restaurant, Izumo and Kotetsu shared identical looks that left Harry a bit wary.

"Shikamaru!" Kotetsu leaned forward and leered.

The teenager, who had the same green vest over his black clothes like the others, sighed wearily. "Yeah?"

Kotetsu motioned for him to sit. "Come meet our new friend. Shikamaru this is Harii. He fixes things. And Harii, this is Asuma's old student Nara Shikamaru."

Harry winced at Kotetsu's introduction of 'he fixes things' but said, "Nice to meet you Nara-san."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Nara-san is my dad. Just call me Shikamaru."

Kotetsu and Izumo burst out laughing but Harry just gave them the a look and politely maintained conversation with lunch passed quickly with Izumo and Kotetsu being their usual loud selves before they left early for work. Shikamaru ended up showing Harry the way to a vet, a pet store and even the Nara Clan property.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry stretched. "I suppose I should return this board. You want to come along, Hedwig?"

Hedwig flew from the window sill and hovered over Harry as he lifted the newly repaired wooden game board. Harry winced at the weight. "I'll have to levitate it and pretend I'm holding it."

"Hold on!" he chastised an impatient Hedwig as he placed the charm on the board. "And stay on my shoulder. I know you've been feeling better since yesterday, but just humour me."

Two hours later, Harry grinned at the owl as he stopped in front of a gated compound. "Told you I'd find it."

Hedwig hooted back in irritation and tightened her claws on his shoulder.

"I've only been here once, don't get cranky just because I got a little lost…"

"Can I help you?"

Harry turned in surprise and came face to face with an older man with a spiky ponytail standing outside the compound gates. "I just wanted to drop something off for Nara Shikamaru," Harry said and observed the man, wondering where he'd come from. Clad in a long brown-furred coat, the man looked like an older and more menacing version of Shikamaru with two distinct scars on the right side of his face.

"My son isn't home," the man said gruffly.

"Then, can I just leave this here? I fixed it and I don't want to carry it back." Harry held the game board forward. "He can pay me later!"

The man's eyes lingered on the board and then on Harry's bandaged fingers but he opened the wooden gates and motioned for Harry to follow. "You fixed that?"

Harry nodded and followed the man in to the shaded estate.

"Here." The man patted the wooden porch at the side of the largest house.

Harry bent down slowly and cancelled the levitation charm as the board touched the wood. Harry watched anxiously as the man ran his fingers over the board, examining every inch with narrowed black eyes.

He finally looked up and said, "You did a good job, I can't find a fault."

The man in front of him reminded him of Snape. Remembering Snape's intensity and ability to find answers even without Occlumency, Harry knew he had leave. "Thanks. I'll just go..."

"Have you ever played shogi?"

Harry glanced down at the board. General's chess, his mind translated. "Not really."

"Want to play?" the man asked, an odd gleam in his eyes. "And test the board?"

"I'm not…" Harry protested.

The man ignored him, brought out the game pieces and arranged them on the board slowly.

"Nara-san, I really don't know how to play," Harry said.

"Don't worry, it's not that hard. Just one game, I'll even give you a few handicaps."

Knowing that he'd just draw unwanted attention by being disrespectful and leaving, Harry sat down and moved Hedwig from his shoulder. She fumbled a bit but leaned against Harry's knee.

"I've never seen an owl like that before."

"She's one of a kind." Harry gently patted Hedwig and set his mind to ending the game soon.

Ten minutes later, the board still had pieces on it. Shikamaru's dad gave him pointers and explained the game-play. "The lance can move…"

Twenty minutes later, Harry carefully plotted his way to freedom. He moved a piece forward, confident that he'd be able to lose and end the game in minutes.

Thirty minutes later, Harry couldn't understand why he was still there. He knew that Shikamaru's dad outclassed him in the game even with all the handicaps. But for some reason, the man took his time making a move against Harry. Harry glanced down at a sleeping Hedwig, envious of her luck.

"So, why'd you decide to come to Konoha by yourself?"

Wondering how the man knew he'd come alone, Harry shrugged. "I needed a change of scenery to start my own business. Everyone always talked about Konoha, especially around Wave, so I decided to give it shot."

The Nara moved a piece forward with a gentle clack and Harry frowned.

Harry recognised the piece as a silver general and raised his hand to push a piece forward but stopped. He looked at another one of his pieces, one that was close to the other side of the board and wondered if he should promote that instead. Harry chastised himself for thinking of something that could prolong the match but to his dismay, he unconsciously played out his second choice and obtained a golden general.

Oblivious to Harry's inner turmoil, the elder Nara smirked at the board with a self-satisfied nod. "What do you think about Konoha?"

Harry rubbed his bandaged fingers absently. "It's… quieter than I imagined." Too quiet. I didn't get any information.

The man looked up curiously. "Quiet?"

"It's just different," Harry said, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, I like it. The... trees are nice. I've never seen such big trees."

Shikamaru's father glanced at the trees lining his property. "The first Hokage made sure to leave a lot of strong trees behind."

Harry wondered if he ought to complement the first Hokage's environmentalist attitude.

"Your fixing abilities would have made you famous without having to move. People would have come to you with jobs."

Harry grit his teeth but ignored his irritation and said, "I don't want fame. I just came here for a change."

Apparently willing to drip the topic for now, the man said, "I have some old boards and other things that could use some fixing, if you're up to it."

Harry smiled in relief. "Yeah, sure."

The man nodded and examined the board closely.

Harry glanced up as Hedwig woke up and looked around cautiously. Harry stifled a grin when the main gate creaked open, signalling a chance to leave.

"Dad, you left the… Harii?"

"Shikamaru!" Harry couldn't quite hide the relief he felt.

Shikamaru sighed and glanced between his father and Harry. "Dad, aren't you supposed to be tending to the deer? Why are you playing so early in the afternoon?"

Deer? No wonder he knew where the vet and stuff were. Harry mused.

The elder Nara waved his hand absently. "The deer are fine. I checked on them before I came here. Don't be such a nag."

Shikamaru opened his mouth but paused and came closer to the board. With a slight frown he sat at the side and examined the board.

What are you doing? You're supposed to be getting me out of here! Harry groaned mentally.

"I didn't know you played Shogi," Shikamaru said lightly.

"I don't!" I used to play something similar, but it's not like I can explain that wonderful tidbit of information, Harry griped to himself. "Your dad gave me a crash course on it."

Shikamaru stared at Harry. "It's you first game?"

Harry leaned back wearily. "Yeah."

Shikamaru turned to his dad. "How long has you been playing?"

"About an hour or so," the man said easily.

That's because you think too long before each move. How hard can it be to defeat a beginner like me? Harry stared at the two people around the board. Neither of them seemed eager to leave or even move. Hedwig climbed up Harry's knee and fell asleep against his chest again.

Finally Shikamaru looked up from the board and turned to Harry. "So that's your owl?"

Harry blinked and looked down, "Yeah, her name's Heduwigu." He fumbled with the foreign pronunciation.

Shikamaru said, "Odd name!"

"It's supposed to stand for something like battle and fight," in German, Harry winced mentally, "I just blurted the word by accident and it's the only name she'll answer to now." Ron owes Pigwideon some treats, he just saved me. I'm so glad Hedwig's asleep, right now.

"Animals are weird," Shikamaru's dad said, "We have a deer that only comes close when you sing to it. It's particularly fond of drunken singing."

Harry choked back a laugh, "I'm sure there's a fascinating story behind that discovery."

"Actually…" the older Nara grinned.

"Maybe some other time, dad." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Troublesome thing."

The older Nara shook his head in amusement and moved another piece with a soft clack.

Harry twitched. He's dragging the game on. If he had moved the other piece, he could have won in two moves.

"Shikaku," a woman's voice yelled suddenly from the front gate. The older man groaned and Shikamaru winced.

The woman's voice yelled, "Get your ass out here and help me with the gorce…oh! I didn't know we had a guest. Is he one of your friends Shikamaru?"

"Er, yeah mom. He's new to Konoha…"

Harry glanced between the woman and the two male Naras, wondering why they seemed so afraid of her.

"New to Konoha? Oh! Did you invite him and his family to dinner, Shikaku?"

"Ah, no…" Shikaku mumbled.

"But you invited the boy to play shogi?"

"I…"

The woman ignored him, turned to Harry and said, "I'm sorry for my ill-mannered family. Since you're new to Konoha and you've made friends with Shikamaru, it's only right to invite you and your family to dinner."

"Mom…" Shikamaru interrupted.

She glared at her son but smiled gently at Harry. "I know its late notice, but I can move the dinner to another night, if that's more convenient for your family."

"Thank you for the invitation Nara-san, but I came to Konoha by myself," Harry said, "So, I'll have to decline…"

"Nonsense!" she interrupted, "Just because you're by yourself doesn't mean you can't come to dinner. In fact, you're staying for dinner tonight. I doubt you cooked anything. You were probably planning on buying something, weren't you?"

Harry blinked at her raised voice. "Yes?"

Shikamaru smacked his forehead behind his mother.

"I knew it. Teenagers today…" the woman ranted and entered the house with Shikaku trailing behind her with grocery bags in his hand.

Harry turned to Shikamaru and whispered, "Your parents are very bossy."

"Parents? It's just mom who's troublesome. That's why I never bring anyone home when she's here."

Harry said, "Your dad made me play shogi without really asking me. He just put the pieces on there and was like, oh let's play."

Shikamaru snorted. "That's not bossy. He just manoeuvred you into that. Besides you could've just said you had to leave."

"That would have been rude," Harry argued and Shikamaru shrugged. "So, when's dinner?"

"In two hours, probably."

Harry groaned. "Do I have to play till then?"

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow. "You'll have to finish that game at the very least. After that, I could show you where we keep the deer, if you really want to get away from dad."

So what if my need to escape is so obvious. Harry turned back to the board. He ignored everything around him and glared at the board for a good while looking for a move that would end the game. Come on... aha! This could work. It'll damage any hope of me salvaging the game. Perfect. Harry moved his chosen piece and turned to Shikamaru triumphantly.

Shikamaru frowned and stared at the board. "That's, you know if you thought it through you could damage his…"

Harry gently lifted Hedwig in his hands. "No thanks! Shogi's not for me. Your dad was going to win, no need to drag it out. I'm not insulting you dad by just leaving, am I?"

Shikamaru waved a hand. "Dad knew you didn't want to play, he was probably playing to pass the time, especially since he was playing so slowly. He might try to get you to play with him some other time, though. I'll just tell them we're heading to the forest."

Hedwig woke up halfway through their walk to the forest and ended up flying above the two boys. "She's just excited to be around so many trees again." Harry explained to Shikamaru.

"You understand her?"

"Not literally," Harry said, "Sometimes I feel like I'm just guessing, but I haven't been wrong so far. I've just had her for so long, it's just normal to know how she feels about things."

They reached a clearing and Harry grinned when Hedwig let out a loud hoot and grabbed the attention of the deer herd in front of them. One of the bolder males with large antlers stepped forward as Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder.

Shikamaru sighed. "What's she doing?"

Harry shrugged and watched the deer, that had a thick mane, in front of him with curiosity. "I thought deer lose their spots when they get older."

"This species doesn't. They're unique to Konoha and…"

Both boys stared as the deer in front of them let out a series of soft whistles. Hedwig hooted once more, lifted off from Harry's shoulder and landed on the stag's antlers.

"I don't think she should…" Shikamaru moved forward, arms outstretched.

"Shikamaru, don't…" Harry winced and turned away wincing at the mixture of screeches and curses filling the clearing.

X-X-X-X-X

Harry's stomach rumbled pleasantly as he looked at the food-laden table in front of him with a mixture of thankfulness and exasperation. She's like a ninja version of Mrs. Weasley. I don't even know what most of this is called. But I can't wait to eat it. Shikamaru sat on the other side of the table and rubbed the scratches on his face.

Shikaku sat at the head of the table and glanced between both boys. "Had fun with the deer?"

Harry concentrated the food willing himself not to laugh. Hedwig hooted loudly and smugly from Harry's shoulder as she glared across the table at Shikamaru.

"I'm guessing it was very interesting…"

Harry ignored the man's prodding and turned to his hostess. "The food looks delicious, Nara-san. Thank you for inviting me."

The lady smiled at him and gave her son a smug ignored everyone else and dug in to his food with an irritated roll of his eyes.

After the long dinner and carrying an armful of left-overs, Harry came home to find a box in front his door with a note from Izumo.

"Harii,

Some of our friends might have heard about your skills and wanted some stuff fixed. I'll come by tomorrow because we need to take to get some paperwork done too. I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

Harry dumped the contents of the box onto one of his empty tables and stared at the broken bits of metal weapons. Knowing he needed to get some sleep, Harry set up the enchanted quill and extendable ear to collect information while he sat down to fix the weapons.

X-X-X-X-X

"And then I added some colouring to it, because transparent syrup just isn't as much fun…"

Kotetsu is useless when he starts the syrup talk. Harry twitched, cursing Izumo for running off without explaining things."Kotetsu, so the paperwork I'm signing is for an account?"

"Yeah! The Hokage's assistant decided to make you the official fix-it person. Your work's cheaper and better than buying new stuff. Having an official account makes you a professional. It's more about the reputation than the money you get. After this, business will come flocking to you."

I knew those sap stories were nothing but trouble. "Great," Harry said. If I sign something like that, will I be able to leave? Well, I'm sure a few magic spells will help me escape if I need to.

Kotetsu nodded, "You definitely owe Izumo and me a treat!"

"I do?"

"Of course! Without our splendid advertising, you wouldn't have been acknowledged so easily."

I guess that's why Isshin-san introduced them to me. It's not their fault that I don't really want to open a business, Harry mused and said, "All right, I'll buy you lunch at the barbeque place, unless you want to go someplace else."

"Really?" Kotetsu turned to him incredulously. "You'll treat us, just like that?"

"Well, you helped me when you didn't have to," Harry said.

"It's no big deal. Isshin-san was…" Kotetsu shrugged and tilted his head to the side. "God, you're really like our old team-mate."

"Because I'm treating you to food?" Harry tugged his bandages absently.

"Yeah, I mean no, it's not that. No matter how annoying we were back then, Hiroshi always put up with us," Kotetsu said wistfully.

"He must have been a saint," Harry muttered, realising from Kotetsu's words that Hiroshi was dead.

"Nah! He was just used to dealing with annoying people. I mean he was Isshin-san's son."

Harry stopped walking. "Isshin-san had a son?" who was their team-mate? Such a small world. And yet I haven't found any trace of the elusive Uzumaki of Konoha.

Kotetsu smiled softly. "Hard to imagine, right?"

Harry pictured Isshin in his mind, acting silly and lecturing him randomly. "He's so, he never…"

"He started the caravan after, well, I suppose he's had time to deal with things…" Kotetsu said lightly.

"I guess." Harry began walking once again but paused and gaped. "Just how old is that man?"

"I wondered when you'd realize. He's in his fifties but he looks like a thirty year old! Ah! come on, otherwise we're going to be late." Kotetsu laughed and dragged Harry forward.

They entered the tower that Harry had been contemplating sneaking in to- The Administration Building. Isshin-san had said that only ninjas or people requesting a mission for the ninjas were allowed in there. Since he was neither, Harry had been searching for a magical solution. Odd, how things work out. I'm actually being led in there. But how do I get to the mission records. Obviously that Uzumaki left for another mission after returning from Suna...

"Harii, don't daydream! Aren't you excited? After this you're going to be able to open your shop."

Harry smiled at Kotetsu, hiding his apprehension.

"We're in luck. The office is empty. We'll be out of here in no time."

Harry walked into a large office labelled Mission Payment and followed Kotetsu to the desk in front of the large windows. A man sat there with his head bowed over a stack of papers.

"Mozuku, I'm here for the account thing Izumo set up."

The man at the table looked up. "Oh, Kotetsu, you're early. Is that…"

Kotetsu grabbed Harry by the shoulders and shoved him in front of the table. "Yeah. This is Harii, the Hokage's official fix-it craftsman."

Harry grimaced. "That's not a real title, right?"

Mozuku smiled and pulled a stack of papers in front of him. "You never know with Kotetsu and Izumo. ID papers, please?"

Harry handed them over and watched the man scrutinize them.

"And you have an apartment here?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah I have a six month lease. Do you need those papers too?"

"No, no. Oi, you guys keep it down. I'm trying to work here," Mozuku yelled at the group that had entered the room and pushed back his glasses. "And Kotetsu, you're acting as his trustee?"

Harry frowned. "Why do I need a trustee?"

Kotetsu waved it off. "It's just for the records. Izumo filled out the other papers and I'm here acting as your trustee since you're not a citizen."

"Do I have to pay you?"

"Just buy me lunch every other day." Kotetsu ruffled Harry's hair and grinned.

"Get off!" Harry shoved Kotetsu aside and signed the papers Mozuku put in front of him, amused that his signature managed to look so illegible but almost native like.

"Kotetsu, you need to sign this too and there you go! All done!"

Harry took his papers and looked them over. "That's it?"

"Izumo got the rest of it done before. Now we have time to get some food! Let's meet Izumo," Kotetsu said.

"One signature? You both woke me up for just one signature?"

Mozuku shook his head and motioned for the other group to come forward. Harry shoved his papers in his pocket and glared. "Kotetsu, where are you going? Don't you want me to buy your food?"

"Ah, now Harii, don't, no, it was Izumo's idea. He wanted to…"

Harry accidentally smacked into a pale black haired boy as he walked towards Kotetsu.

"Sai!" two voices yelled.

Harry frowned when Kotetsu burst out laughing. He turned to the boy, "Sorry about that. The idiot distracted me."

The boy gave him a wide smile. "No problem. I understand."

"Right... I'll just go now," Harry said and walked carefully to Kotetsu. "Shut up. I didn't see him there. Stop laughing! Fine, I'm going home."

Harry stepped into the hallway just as Mozuku read out, "Captain Yamato, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and uh Sai? Hokage's scroll, please! All right…"

Uzumaki? Harry gasped and turned back. I'm not missing this, I have to take a chance. Even if it's in front of actual ninjas. But how do I act? Hysterical teenager or calm mature person? He ignored Kotetsu and rushed back in to the payment room.

"Harii, what happened?"

Harry examined the group he had previously ignored, "He said Uzumaki."

"Yes, so what?" Kotetsu said.

Hysterical teenager, it is."My clan…" Harry breathed harshly ignoring the silence that had fallen around the room. "That's my clan's name!"

"I thought you didn't have a family name," Kotetsu said confused.

"I had to drop the name. I thought I was the only one left!" Harry replied, "Our clan was supposed to be wiped out. We're not, dammit who's the Uzumaki here? I don't see any red hair!"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," a blonde boy stepped forward hesitantly.

"Uzumaki?" Harry questioned. Naruto? Odd name…but familiar for some reason. Harry's heart swelled as the boy in front of him nodded but his stomach plummeted as he examined the boy's blonde hair and unfamiliar features that had nothing much in common with Akira or his Grandmum.

Well neither do you, a snide voice in his mind retorted.

"Where are your parents?" As soon as he blurted it out, Harry knew it was the wrong thing to say. Everyone in the room stilled with barely concealed tension. Even Kotetsu suddenly seemed on edge.

Harry shook his head in irritation, "I mean, I just want to know why you're using my clan's name…" Yes, make this entire thing seem like an odd coincidence.

"I'm an orphan," the blonde muttered. "I don't know who my parents are."

Harry swallowed. "So then, who gave you that name?"

The blonde furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Jiji must have, I think. Why does it matter?"

Didn't I say I was from the Uzumaki clan? Harry frowned but said, "Well if you're part of my clan then…"

Blue eyes widened in understanding. But the dark haired man behind the blonde interrupted them, "If you don't mind me asking, where was your clan from?"

"Whirlpool, before it was destroyed. I have my clan's heirlooms, things that can only be held by people with the real Uzumaki blood. So…" Harry frowned as the man's brown eyes stared at him with disbelief but told himself, That's a good sign. He might know the truth behind this Naruto's parents. Or maybe he's just reacting to the Whirlpool thing. People don't talk about it in the open.

"I see…" the man frowned thoughtfully.

No, that's not what you're supposed to say, Harry thought in panic. He turned back to the blonde and snapped impatiently, "So what are you, some name stealer or my long lost cousin?"

The blonde choked in surprise, his blue eyes widening. A girl, with obnoxiously bright pink hair, placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder after shooting Harry an angry look.

"I think we need to talk to the Hokage," the brown haired man said. "I'm sure she'll know something about this. It's probably just a simple misunderstanding."

Harry nodded even as he hoped it wasn't just a misunderstanding. He also hoped that the village leader, the Hokage, would be helpful after he presented his side of the story.

Harry suddenly remembered the broken table he'd fixed.