Cat-san disappeared from sight and the door clicked shut.

"Can you can repair anything?" Tsunade asked, her eyes intense and scrutinizing. "Even things that you've never seen or fixed before?"

Harry nodded. "Do you want me to fix something?"

Tsunade scribbled something on a scroll and nodded to herself after a moment. "Have you ever been to Suna?"

"No," Harry said.

"Do you have any objections to going to Suna?"

Harry countered with, "Why would I go to Suna?"

"I'm offering you a job," Tsunade said. "A high-paying job in Suna. You'd be compensated for the long travel."

"What kind of job is it?"

"I can't give you any details." Tsunade eyed him critically. "Just know that your skills will strengthen our ties to Suna."

Harry went over the Hokage's words. "I'd be fixing something important, then?"

Tsunade nodded. "That's partly why your pay will be very high."

"I don't need money," Harry said simply.

"What if you need money in the future?"

"Why..." Harry paused as Tsunade's eyes narrowed at a point somewhere above his head. Cautiously concentrating on his magic, he continued, "Why would I need money in the future?"

"You never know." Eyes still focused above Harry, Tsunade grabbed another scroll and said, "I'll give you till the end of the day to think about it."

The office door opened and the Hokage's assistant said, "Koharu-san and Homura-san are here to see you, Tsunade-sama."

Before Tsunade could reply, Harry bowed and hastily shuffled past the Hokage's assistant and incoming visitors. Though no one stopped him or called him back, Harry kept walking until sizzling pans of meat, steaming pots of fragrant stews and artfully arranged fruit skewers at the market lured him to stop for a quick snack.

"You're shopping later than usual."

Harry bit back a startled curse, schooled his face into something that was hopefully pleasant and turned towards the gravelly voice. "Good morning, Danzo-san."

Solemn-faced, stiff-postured and very out of place amongst the other shoppers, Danzo nodded and turned to the stall. "The fruits from Grass have certainly improved, Odeki."

The stall owner turned away from the customer he was serving and bowed. "Yes, Danzo-sama. And business has improved tremendously because of it."

"Good." Danzo examined the other products in the stall. "I'm glad the new trade treaty worked."

The stall owner bowed low. "Thank you, Danzo-sama."

Suddenly uninterested in snacks, Harry inched away from the stall.

"Not purchasing anything?" Danzo asked.

Harry rubbed his cast. "I was just browsing to pass the time."

Danzo adjusted the black robe that concealed his right arm. "I suppose there are very few ways to stay occupied when one is injured and unable to work."

Harry held back a sarcastic response with difficulty.

"I know a tea house where you can pass the time without much effort," Danzo stepped away from the stall but focused on Harry. "And the tea is quite tolerable."

Curious despite his dislike of the suspicious man, Harry stepped forward accepting Danzo's hinted invitation. Exiting the market and following Danzo away from Konoha's Tea Avenue, Harry cursed his curiosity as they entered an unfamiliar part of Konoha with emptier streets, thicker trees and lavish mansions.

Occupied with his unfamiliar surroundings, Harry almost missed Danzo's abrupt turn from the main road into a patch of tall trees. Unable to stifle his paranoia, Harry silently cast the Homenum Revelio spell. Reassured that no one was hiding in wait, not even Danzo's guards, Harry followed a hidden dusty path through the trees to the edge of a large blue pond.

An ornate house stood tucked between red, orange and golden leafed trees on the other side of the pond. With the serene blue sky above and the reflective surface of the pond, Harry felt like he'd stepped into a painting.

The steady clack of Danzo's cane up ahead forced Harry to move. He stepped onto the sturdy old bridge, unable to stop looking at everything around him. Searching for fish in the pond, Harry registered something at the edge of his vision that made him pause. Peeking out of the tall grass, a tiger stood with it's head bowed close to the water.

"A statue," Danzo said, his voice clear despite the distance between them. "One of the finest in Konoha."

Harry squinted. Disappointed when the tiger didn't move or disturb the water, he hurried to the end of the bridge.

The soothing scent of herbs, spices and tea greeted them as an old man opened a screen door and led them in with a silent bow. With tall windows, ornate paintings and the peaceful scenery outside, the spacious tea-house exuded an air of old sophistication that left Harry feeling distinctly out of place. Reminding himself that he'd faced much more intimidating things over the years, Harry gathered his courage and followed both men to a window table.

"Two cups of genmaicha," Danzo said, handing the old man an unfamiliar metal token.

Harry bristled at being ordered for and fiddled with his cast to control his ire.

Within minutes the old man returned, poured the tea from a large clay pot into two large cups with an experienced flair and left them in silence again.

Ignoring the scent of rice wafting up from the tea, Harry touched his teacup and silently cast Specialis Revelio. Ignoring memories of the last time he'd used the spell, Harry sipped the yellow tea only after the spell listed all the ingredients as safe.

"Never had brown rice tea before?"

Harry shrugged and sipped the sweet tea, savouring it's toasted flavour.

"It requires a very specific brewing time to get this scent and taste," Danzo said. "The slightest disruption results in unwanted changes."

"As long as it's drinkable when you're thirsty, who cares about the details?"

They lapsed into a longer silence, broken only by soft sips and the thump of their teacups.

"Your owl's colouring suggests it most likely originates near the Land of Snow." Danzo said, ruining the peaceful atmosphere. "How did you obtain it on the islands?"

Startled and wary at the unusual topic, Harry picked his words carefully. "I got her as a gift a few years ago."

"You must have done some important work to get such a gift."

"Not really," Harry said. "She was just a gift."

"You did a good job training it to be more than just a pet."

Outraged on Hedwig's behalf, Harry replied, "I never trained her."

"Are you implying that your owl ignores it's natural aversion to humans without any prior training?"

"Natural aversion to humans?" Harry repeated before he could help himself.

"All owls, even ones that are hand raised after hatching are temperamental to human touch," Danzo took a long sip of tea. "It makes them slightly unreliable as messenger birds."

"I didn't know you were an owl expert." Harry said.

Unfazed by Harry's words, Danzo said, "Konoha was the first to train and use owls as night messengers."

Knowing he wasn't expected to reply, Harry sipped his lukewarm tea.

"Even with our ingenuity, Konoha only achieved greatness by using everything it had." Danzo straightened and tilted his head to look down at Harry. "Right now, you're a resource that Konoha cannot use completely."

"When my hand heals, I'll be back to work in no time."

"We both know I'm not talking about your injury," Danzo said simply. "By not becoming a citizen and opening a shop, you've left your business unusable for Konoha's gain."

Harry took a moment to admire how Danzo turned the conversation from owls to citizenship that he missed most of Danzo's next words. "What?"

"If there's a high rank foreign job that fits your unique skill set, Tsunade-hime can't give you that job. So Konoha loses the prestige and commission from what you could have earned."

Recalling the Hokage's job offer, Harry hid his confusion with a silent shrug and turned to one of the wall paintings. "It can't be helped."

"It took a lot of work to get that painting here. The owner, Matsuda, struggled with the gallery that held it."

"Let me guess," Harry turned to Danzo. "You helped him get it."

"It's a splendid piece that fits Konoha well." The 'Of course, I helped him' was all too clear. "The Guardian Trees."

"By Tokahu, right? " Harry said. "I know, Jiraiya put a pretty detailed description of the painting in his book."

"I see."

Harry blinked and sipped some more tea, hoping to ease the pressure behind his eyes.

After a relatively long silence, Danzo pushed his cup away and rose. "I must get back. Thank you for keeping me company for two hours."

Harry stayed seated. "Thanks for the tea."

"Stay as long as you like." Danzo said, "The quiet here is good for productive thinking."

Harry didn't watch Danzo leave. He didn't even analyze Danzo's parting words. He stayed only long enough to finish his cold tea and then lingered on the bridge outside to stare at the tiger statue and the black bird perched on it's head.

When he finally returned to his empty apartment, Harry grabbed a pan eager to cook for the first time in days. Ever since Jiraiya left three days ago, Izumo had banned Harry from cooking. Kotetsu and Naruto had enforced the ban to keep him rested and healing.

Thrilled that no one was around to stop him, Harry cast a few discreet spells and had a nice stir-fry sizzling by the time his apartment door opened. "My hand is fine," Harry said as footsteps entered the kitchen. "And I was hungry."

"Nii-san!" Naruto sighed in exasperation. "There's food in the fridge."

"I wanted a change." Harry glanced over his shoulder, took a long look at the blond and said, "Naruto's still training?"

"How do you keep doing that? There's no way to tell the difference between Boss and me unless you're using some secret technique!"

"It's not a technique. There's just something about your... eyes." Harry shrugged. "Is he coming in later?"

"I'll keep you company till he does." Clone-Naruto stared dejectedly at the food on the stove. "I wish I could eat with you."

"How's the training going?"

"It's awesome! Boss is totally motivated after Sakura-chan said that Kakashi-sensei's been training super hard."

"Don't overdo it." Harry shook the frying pan. "You might hurt yourself."

"Sakura-chan said the same thing. She worries even though she can heal anything."

Harry glanced to the side. "Don't worry her too much. Girls get weirder when they worry."

Clone-Naruto grinned but kept his eyes on the frying pan. "What does nee-san do when you worry her?"

"Hermione?" Harry felt a fond exasperation as he said, "She goes to the library to research even more than usual."

"Do you also read when you get worried?" Clone-Naruto motioned to the large book pile on the table. "The number of books grow every time I see it."

"There's many things I don't know about Konoha." Harry switched off the stove. He sighed when Clone-Naruto grabbed the spoon and pushed him towards the dining table. "Books are the easiest way for me to learn."

"You've read all these books?" Clone-Naruto placed an overflowing bowl in front of Harry.

"No, just random bits and pieces."

Clone-Naruto sat beside Harry and flipped through a book. "Clan properties outside the village of Konohagakure, but within the realm of Fire Country, are subject to ownership tax. Failure to pay these taxes for more than five years will result in property ownership reverting to..." He gagged dramatically. "How can you read this stuff?"

"Because I have to. They're not as bad as some of the books I've had to read for school! Those were a real... what's wrong?"

"It's just," Clone-Naruto bit his lip hesitantly. "Why don't you use your magic to find others like us? The other Uzumaki."

With Jiraiya's ominous words and his own doubts ringing in his mind, Harry asked, "What if there aren't any others?"

"You'll never know if you don't search. With your magic..."

"Magic can't do everything." Harry chided. Uncomfortable with the ensuing silence, Harry finished his food before he said, "When I started my trip, I didn't think about how I'd search for other Uzumaki. Other than the family name and red hair, I had nothing else to go on. And honestly, I didn't expect to find anyone."

Clone-Naruto's eyes softened in understanding. He slumped down further in his chair and stared at the framed photographs with a dejected sigh.

"But I did have a make-shift plan. If I thought someone was a relative, I'd use a simple potion that I'd read about to do a magical blood test."

Clone-Naruto turned back to him with wide hopeful eyes.

"Just mix a drop of my blood and another person's blood into a cup of the potion. If related, the mixture turns a different shade of blue depending on how closely related the blood is."

Clone-Naruto looked ready to burst with excitement.

"But when I re-read the instructions, I realized that I needed to use a fresh Venomous Tentacula leaf every time I wanted to do the test." Harry stood and dumped his empty bowl in the sink. "A magical plant ingredient that I don't have and can't get here."

"There's nothing else?" Clone-Naruto folded his arms on the table and put his head down.

"If Hermione finds anything I can use, you'll be the first to know." Harry grabbed a plate from the fridge and placed it on the table.

"That..." Clone-Naruto sniffed the air and raised his head. His eyes honed in on the plate. "That's the last piece of cake."

Harry scooped up a spoonful of the cake. "It is."

"You're eating it without me?"

"Technically, you are here." Harry shoved another spoonful of cake into his mouth. "It's not my fault you can't eat."

"But..." Clone-Naruto's eyes followed the disappearing cake. "You don't even like cherry cake."

Harry chewed on the last bit of cake extra slow.

Clone-Naruto glanced at the empty plate with mournful eyes.

The main door slammed open. "Nii-san?"

Harry stared at the grimacing clone. "In the kitchen."

Naruto rushed into the kitchen with hurried footsteps, glanced at Harry in relief and then glared at his clone. "You! Why are you just sitting here?"

Clone-Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Sorry, Boss. Nii-san was talking and I couldn't just leave."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So you were stealing time with nii-san."

"I was keeping nii-san company!"

"You were supposed to bring him to Ichiraku's for lunch," Naruto glared at Clone-Naruto. "I'm supposed to keep him company."

"You're here now. So you can just take him yourself."

Naruto pointed at the empty dishes. "He already ate his lunch, you stupid clone!"

"I couldn't let him starve."

"That's why he was supposed to eat lunch with me."

Naruto and Clone-Naruto glared at each other.

Harry covered his twitching lips but couldn't contain his uproarious laughter.

Both Narutos turned to him, their annoyance with each other morphing into acute embarrassment.

"Don't mind me," Harry huffed between chuckles.

Naruto turned to Clone-Naruto with a stern expression. "Just dispel already!"

Clone-Naruto stuck out his tongue, curled his fingers into a handsign and smiled at Harry, "Bye nii-san."

"Bye," Harry said as the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Stupid attention hogging clone." Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he waved the small puff of smoke away. He gasped and turned to Harry with a look of deep betrayal. "You ate the last piece of cake."

"Come on," Harry bit back his laughter. "We'll go get some ramen for now and buy a cake to take to the Nara's place later."

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. "Shikamaru's place?"

"They invited us for dinner," Harry said as they exited the apartment.

"That's today?" Naruto asked and then frowned. "Nara-san doesn't seem like a cake-person."

"He'll just have to deal with it," Harry said. "Any progress with the glove?"

"Loads." Naruto held up his gloved hand as they squeezed though the afternoon crowd and entered Ichiraku's stand. Somewhere between Naruto's second and eight bowl of ramen, the conversation shifted away from training. Sort of.

"No matter how cool the fight scenes look on the big theatre screen, there just something off about them. Right?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't know. I've never watched a movie in the theatre. Or anywhere, actually."

"Never?" Naruto turned to him with wide eyes, his chopsticks held aloft. "Then we should go watch something! I wonder which movie is playing now."

"We can't. We're having dinner at the Nara's, remember?"

"There's loads of time." Naruto emptied his bowl with a loud slurp, slapped some money onto the counter and pulled Harry out of the ramen stand with an excited grin. "It's been ages since I've watched a movie."

Harry hurried along, struggling to keep pace with Naruto, till they reached an unfamiliar building lined with numerous framed posters.

Naruto pointed to a poster. "That looks good!"

A menacing black silhouette surrounded a small figure on the poster. Dismissing the other colourful movie posters, Harry nodded as he finally caught his breath. Three hours later, stuffed with junk food and ears buzzing from the movie, they entered a pastry shop.

"If I were you, I'd run away," Harry said with a low voice and twirled an imaginary moustache as they waited for their order.

Naruto mimicked the movie hero's voice as he said, "If you were me, you'd be good looking."

They both burst into laughter, unable to stop even when the store owner stared at them.

Naruto grabbed their purchase. "We should definitely watch it again."

Harry pocketed his money pouch and agreed with another dialogue from the movie. By the time they entered the Nara estate and greeted Shikamaru, Harry's cheeks hurt from laughter.

Shikamaru took a long drag from his cigarette. "Are you two drunk?"

Naruto waved away the cigarette smoke with an admonishing glare. "Don't smoke around other people."

Leaving the two to bicker, Harry greeted Mrs. Nara and walked to the forested area of the estate. With each step through the dimly lit property, Harry recalled every worried thought that the movie had drowned out. "Something wrong with the deer, Nara-san?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Shikaku glanced up at him as he prodded the deer's foot and motioned for him to come closer. "What's made you so serious?"

Resisting the urge to fiddle with his sleeves, Harry said, "The Hokage offered me a job. In Suna."

Shikaku's hand twitched and smacked against the deer. "What?" He grimaced and patted the deer apologetically.

"A high paying job in Suna. When I said no, she told me to think about it and give her the final answer tonight." Harry hesitated. "I think... she wants me to take the job."

"That's ridiculous," Shikaku said. "She can't send you to Suna to work on her behalf."

"Because I'm not a citizen? Danzo mentioned that." Noting Shikaku's lack of surprise, Harry said, "You know that I met him today."

"Everyone knows you had tea with him at the Wandering Tiger." Shikaku asked, "He knew that she offered you a job in Suna?"

Harry mentally replayed his sparse conversation with Danzo. "He just said I'd never be sent on official jobs outside Fire Country. A general remark."

Eyebrows drawn together, Shikaku scoffed. "General remarks aren't Danzo's style."

"If his style is usually subtle, then today must have been an off day."

"By subtle, do you mean undetectable poison in your food?" Shikaku's expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe, you meant undetectable poison on your clothes?"

Startled by the shift in Shikaku's mood, Harry said, "He didn't put anything in my tea."

"How can you know for sure?"

"I know," Harry said firmly. "I'm not stupid Nara-san."

They stared at each other in silence.

"You check your drinks?" Shikaku asked, his voice unreadable. "You're a craftsman."

"I'm an Uzumaki." Harry retorted easily. He scratched the deer's head gently, searching for something to break the uneasy silence. "Nara-san, have you ever met an Uzumaki before Naruto?"

Shikaku searched Harry's face for a moment before he nodded.

"Naruto's mother, right? Jiraiya told him about her. Uzumaki Kushina." Harry fiddled with his sleeves. "Do you think anyone would have her photograph?"

Shikaku blinked, as though he hadn't expected Harry to say that. "I'll find out."

"And," Harry added, pressing his advantage, "did she live in the apartment that Naruto's staying in right now?"

Shikaku rubbed the scars over his eye thoughtfully. "No, she never lived in an apartment."

"She must have had her own place," Harry said. "Where did she live?"

"The area she lived in got destroyed years ago."

Harry knew that he was on the verge of something important but he didn't know what to say.

"Harii, I'm done," Shikaku said as he stood with his satchel.

Harry patted the deer one last time before pulling his fingers away.

The deer bumped it's head against Shikaku's hip and disappeared through the trees. "So, about Suna. Did Hokage-sama tell you what kind of job it was?"

"A high paying one," Harry said, unable to mask his irritation. "As if that's enough to make a decision."

"That's enough for most people. You're really not interested in taking the job?"

"Yes, but she..."

"Told you to think it over," Shikaku said.

"Doesn't that seem like she wants me to take the job?"

Shikaku glanced at him. "It does."

"But you and Danzo say that I can't actually take an official job in Suna," Harry reminded him. "So, what's going on?"

"Hokage-sama would never endanger the village," Shikaku's eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

"Endanger Konoha?"

"Political complications from sending a foreigner into Suna for a job. Who'll be held accountable if you do something and things like that." Shikaku waved his hand dismissively. "They can't ask us for compensation because you're not our citizen. They could, but the council would argue about it a lot."

Harry grimaced.

"But she wants you to take the job." Shikaku said, "If she's ready to bear the complications then she must have something planned. Something that would benefit our village if you succeed."

Not doubting Shikaku's reasoning, Harry sighed. "How can anything I do help Konoha?"

"Well, if you," Shikaku glanced at Harry. "Fix something important, maybe you'll lower the price of glass."

Sceptical about that explaination, Harry asked, "Have glass prices gone up?"

"High-grade Suna glass isn't cheap," Shikaku said. "And they invent some interesting lab equipment. Being our allies doesn't mean they give us discounts on glassware. They need to make money and we need to be cost-effective."

"But you're rich," Harry said, amused by the conversation.

"That's only because we're cost-effective."

"Are all ninja stingy and hide behind the excuse of smart money management?" Recalling the person who had brought a unique item to be fixed the previous day, Harry said, "Or maybe you're saving up to buy an authentic kaya shogi board from a certain someone that's visiting Konoha?"

Shikaku twitched. "How did you..."

"I'm allowed to have my secrets, right?"

Shikaku stared at him for a long moment, long enough to make Harry uncomfortable, and nodded solemnly.

Eager to change the subject Harry said, "How old is Danzo?"

"He's in his early seventies. Why?"

"Then, his hair can't be black naturally. It's either a wig or dye."

Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You've never thought about it?"

"I only think about useful things."

Harry grinned, more in satisfaction of distracting Shikaku than anything else. "You have a very dull mind, Nara-san."

"I have a very sane mind," Shikaku said as they entered the house.

Halfway through dinner, as Naruto chattered on about the movie they'd watched with Hedwig on his shoulder, Harry couldn't help but imagine a different dining table.

A larger table in a noisier dining room. One where Naruto regaled his story to a captivated audience filled with people from old photographs and numerous faceless people with vivid red hair. Even Ron and Hermione bickered beside him at the imaginary table while Akira haunted a corner and lamented everyone's terrible manners.

It was stupid, ridiculous and impossible.

Harry couldn't suppress the surge of longing he felt for that imaginary dining room.

A blur of white landed in front of him, blocking him from the rest of the table.

"Hedwig!" Harry huffed in exasperation as he collected himself. "Why are you attacking my food?"

In between gobbles, Hedwig bopped her wing against his cheek softly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. But don't eat my mushrooms."

Hedwig clicked her beak at him in agreement and attacked the rest of his food.

"At least try to leave something for me!"

Naruto snickered.

When Mrs. Nara offered tea after dessert, Harry declined. "I'm sorry, but I need to talk to the Hokage."

Shikaku nodded. "You'd better go. It's already pretty late."

Naruto glanced up from his cake in confusion but he stood to leave with Hedwig back on his shoulder. On the way to the Hokage Tower, after Harry had explained the job offer, Naruto said, "Obviously they'd ask you. You're really good at fixing stuff."

"You do know that I fix things with," Harry flexed his fingers, miming his magical skills.

Naruto shrugged. "So? You're good at it. You deserve to go show other people that you're awesome."

"I need to talk to the Hokage before I decide." After a quick glance at Naruto for reassurance, Harry knocked. When the door clicked shut behind him, Harry said, "Why doesn't Naruto have any property?"

Tsunade seemed unsurprised as she countered, "Why do you ask?"

Latching on to his wild guess, Harry said, "There is some Uzumaki property in Fire Country. Property that Naruto should own."

Tsunade didn't look away from him. "If there was any clan property, it belongs to the Daimyo now."

"And I'd need money to get them back?"

"The Daimyo gained control of those properties long before Naruto was born." Tsunade admitted after a long and tense silence. "Unlike other clans, there weren't enough Uzumaki left to earn and pay the taxes here. You'd need a lot of money."

"The Suna job," Harry said, wild thoughts churning in his head. "It'll give me enough money to..."

Tsunade interrupted him. "What you do with your money is none of my concern."

"But you..." Harry paused, filled with new suspicions. "Are you related to Naruto's father?"

Tsunade tilted her head. "What?"

"Uzumaki Kushina had red hair," Harry said. "The only way Naruto could be blond is through his father's side."

Tsunade stared at him, looking almost disappointed. "Kushina could have had blonde ancestors or relatives."

"That's not a no," Harry said.

"It's not a yes, either," Tsunade said simply. "There are many other blondes in the village."

"None of whom take any interest in Naruto's life."

"First you thought Jiraiya was related to Kushina. And now you're asking if I'm related to Naruto's father." Tsunade snorted and shook her head. "You're making us imaginary in-laws."

Harry just stared at her.

"While I dislike that buffoon a great deal," Tsunade shook her head with a soft smile. "We're not in-laws."

Though her words were sincere, Harry knew he was missing something.

"Are you willing to go to Suna?" Tsunade asked.

Harry stared at her."Why are you giving me this job, really?"

"Your skills can benefit Konoha."

"That's the only reason?" Harry asked.

Tsunade just stared at him with a wry smile.

"Fine," Harry said, "I'm sure I'll find some use for the money."

"I'll fix your arm. An injured worker won't impress anyone." Tsunade walked to the front of the table and examined Harry cast with a glowing green hand. "Looks like I don't have to heal much. You've got a good natural healing rate."

"What?" His arm tingled as the warm green energy enveloped it.

"Broken bones take four to six weeks to heal. But your broken arm is in the final stages of healing even though it's been less than three weeks." Tsunade slid a green lit finger along Harry's cast, cutting it open. "Not the fastest healing rate but definitely above average."

The door slammed open.

"Brat!" Tsunade yelled in irritation. "Don't just open the door when I'm in a meeting."

"You were taking too long and," Naruto entered with a napping Hedwig nestled in his arms and as the office door clicked shut. "Why'd you remove your cast?"

"He can't go work in Suna with an injured hand," Tsunade said.

Naruto grinned. "You're going! What convinced you to go?"

Glancing between Naruto's excited expression and Tsunade's assessing eyes, Harry just shrugged.

"Here," Tsunade grabbed something from her desk. "Your identification card, the one you get for being on my list."

"What kind of identification card doesn't use a photo?" Harry grabbed one end and cursed as something pricked his finger. The card blazed with blue light and the ordinary black text thickened into thick green calligraphy.

"Old fashioned seals work better than photographs sometimes." Tsunade healed her own cut finger. "You can use that card to make direct appointments with me."

Naruto piped up. "Civilians can't do that."

"That's what the card is for. When you come here to make an appointment, the secretary will test your blood against the seal. The seal will react violently to an imposter."

Not understanding why it mattered, Harry said, "That's nice?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes in exasperation. "This card allows you to work in Suna under my name."

"How?"

"I'm not going to teach you the seal's working or historical significance. It does it's job and hasn't failed yet." Tsunade glanced at the clock on the wall. "Now, I'm sure you have a lot of preparation to do for the trip tomorrow."

Naruto huffed, "If you had asked him earlier, there wouldn't be so much preparation to do tonight."

"Last minute plans don't give people a chance to make problems."

"What problems?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "You probably didn't ask him before because you drank too much and forgot, you old hag."

The wooden desk creaked under Tsunade's fingers. "What was that, brat?"

Naruto chuckled uneasily and grabbed Harry's sleeve. "We better go pack your things, nii-san." When they were finally back in the apartment, Naruto said, "You're lucky I've travelled to Suna before. Packing will be super easy. My clones will get everything you need."

After a quick message to Ron and Hermione, Harry pulled out a few potentially useful items from his storage scroll and turned to his backpack. With deft fingers, Harry unzipped every pocket and emptied it.

"What's that?" Naruto pointed.

"My school house badge." Harry picked his Gryffindor badge. "I used to prick my finger with it to open the storage seals."

Naruto took the badge from Harry and scrutinized it. "Is this a lion?"

Harry nodded and cleaned the inside of his bag with a Scourgify.

"I've seen Sai draw lions, but I didn't know what they actually looked like," Naruto said as he turned the badge over. "Does it mean something?"

"The lion? Strength, honour and courage. Gryffindor is the house of the brave," Harry said, unable to hide his house pride as he sorted through his things. "You can keep it if you want."

Naruto blinked. "What? No, I don't, I just... it's red."

"My house's colour theme was red."

"What would I do it with it, anyway?" Naruto huffed, eyes fixed on the badge.

"Wear it if you want to," Harry shrugged and then grinned. "Or just stare at it and remember how wonderful I looked with red hair."

Naruto rolled his eyes but shoved the badge in his pocket. "Your hair will be horrible after going though the desert. Actually, your whole body will be horrible."

Harry nodded as he packed a few of Naruto's camping supplies. "That's to be expected."

"You'll need a lot of endurance to get through it," Naruto said, worry seeping into his voice.

"No problem." Harry held up a glass vial filled with golden green liquid. "I won't have any problems with endurance because I'll be drinking this tomorrow morning."

Naruto squinted at the glass vial with confusion.

"It's the Girding Potion." Harry placed the vial in the bag's front pocket. "It'll increase my endurance for a few weeks."

"Did you use that to come here?"

"Never really needed it until now," Harry said as he continued sorting and packing. Startled by a groan, Harry asked, "What happened?"

"The clone that I sent out for medical supplies finally dispelled."

"He couldn't find anything?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly." Naruto sighed as someone knocked on the door. "I'll get that."

Sakura pushed her way in through the half-open door, carrying a large brown paper bag. "Suna, really?"

When Naruto didn't answer, Harry said, "I just got asked to go today."

"That explains shishou's mood." Sakura frowned and placed the brown bag in front of Harry. "Here's everything you need for the trip."

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Harry asked.

"Have you travelled through the desert before?"

Harry shook his head.

"Then you're taking the entire bag. The desert has many dangers for you. Dehydration, poison, illness, blindness, allergies...you've got to be completely prepared." She pulled a bottle of green powder and said, "First, you'll need to put this in your water when you're in the desert..." As she moved on to explaining about eye ointment, someone else knocked on the main door. "...you'll only need a drop if your light sensitivity starts to give you headaches," Sakura said and pulled out a small tube from the bag.

"Sakura-chan, aren't there instructions on the bottles?" Naruto asked as he let Sai in.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Will he have time to read instructions when he's dying?"

Naruto gulped.

"Anyway," Sakura turned back to Harry and pulled out a brown tub of cream. "This is for blisters. Suna's blister beetles are tiny but a serious pain."

"He won't need that," Sai interrupted. "I brought insect repellant."

"Those things aren't a hundred percent effective," Sakura said.

As the two argued about the effectiveness of insect repellant, Harry turned to Naruto.

"I sent the clone to Sakura-chan because she'd know what you needed. I didn't think she'd do this, or call Sai here." Naruto looked into the paper bag. "I didn't know you needed all this."

"Did you bring anything else?" Sakura said.

"Sunburn cream," Sai replied.

Harry looked at the both of them. "Thanks. Both of you. I don't think I could have gotten any of this so last minute."

Both visitors stayed and bombarded Harry with all sorts of information as he packed- desert conditions, survival tips and the route itself. They only stopped when someone knocked on the door an hour later.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi held up a long brown scarf as he entered the apartment. "Heard someone needed this?"

Naruto grabbed the scarf and dumped it on Harry's head with a pout. "You guys never give me stuff when I go on missions."

"That's because we go with you, idiot," Sakura grabbed the scarf and folded it into a neat square. "And I wouldn't have bothered Kakashi if someone hadn't lost their own desert scarf."

"I didn't lose my scarf!" Naruto said with a huff. "I just misplaced it."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "In the desert."

"Sakura-chan."

Sakura didn't spare him any sympathy. "I was there Naruto."

Harry stared at Kakashi and realized what was different about the man. "You're not a clone."

Kakashi titled his head and scratched his chin. "Oh, you know that I sent clones before?"

"Now I do," Harry said.

"When was the last time you ate, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura interrupted in an ominous tone as her eyes narrowed. "You haven't eaten, have you?"

"Of course I have," Kakashi waved her off.

"You better not be counting ration bars as actual food." The air around Sakura crackled with dangerous intent.

Everyone in the apartment - even Hedwig woke up- stared between the two of them cautiously.

"There's lots of food in the fridge," Harry said, unable to handle the tense atmosphere. "Help yourself. It's the least I can do for all this," Harry motioned to all the items they'd brought.

Sakura turned to him and smiled. "Perfect."

"That's not nece..."

Sakura stood and pulled the man into the kitchen.

"It's too bad Yamato-san is on a mission," Sai said, his eyes fixed on the kitchen entrance. "He missed out on our team bonding."

"What bonding?" Naruto muttered.

Between the late night visitors and his own worries, Harry only got a few scant hours of sleep. He probably would have stayed in bed if Naruto hadn't hauled him up, dragged him to breakfast and prodded him to the village gates.

With Hedwig perched on his shoulder, Harry stood beside Naruto and watched some older ninja inspect a caravan full of plants by the gates.

"You need to cover your head and mouth with the scarf," Naruto said. "It stops the sand from getting in your nose and mouth"

"And more importantly," Shikamaru said, "It stops you from losing water during daytime and keeps you warm at night."

"Shikamaru!" Naruto turned in surprise. "You're going to Suna? No fair, how did you get permission?"

Shikamaru adjusted his backpack. "My cousin got sick, so I'm taking his place."

Naruto grumbled. "That's so unfair."

"I'm just that unlucky," Shikamaru said. "I had to meet with the Hokage and everything."

"Lots of people seem to be going to Suna," Harry said, nodding to the small crowd by the gate as he touched his scroll.

"Konoha's finest goods and services are being sent to Suna as a sign of continuing goodwill between our countries. We did something similar when the Fifth Kazekage came into power."

Harry gripped his backpack straps. "This really is a diplomatic thing."

Shikamaru nodded nonchalantly. "It's not overtly so. Otherwise the Hokage would have given a speech."

"How are plants a measure of good-will, anyway?" Harry asked. "How will they survive the trip?"

"Medicinal plants," Shikamaru corrected. "Konoha's best gardener is coming along to ensure they survive. And we'll also stop at the oasis on the way to Suna."

Naruto grimaced. "But that will make the trip longer."

"Can't be helped." Shikamaru slouched. "This trip is going to be horrible."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "It's nice that we're giving Suna gifts. We'll be better friends now."

"It's better to keep someone in your debt." Shikamaru said, "This whole trip is politics at it's finest, you know. Subtle moves to keep everyone guessing."

"I always thought poison was the subtle side of politics," Harry said.

Shikamaru smirked sharply. "That's a different kind of subtle."

"How many kinds of subtle are there?" Naruto asked, sounding like he didn't actually want to know.

"There's a new kind every other day." Shikamaru moved to speak with an older woman who shared his sharp facial features and dark eyes.

With his papers checks and the front of the caravan passing through the gates, Harry turned to Naruto.

Naruto grabbed Harry in a one-armed hug. "Show everyone how awesome you are, nii-san."

Harry patted Naruto's bacl and pulled back. "Don't go too overboard with your training. And be nice to Izumo and Kotetsu when the come back."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'll try."

"And don't get in trouble."

"That's my line," Naruto said with a grin.

Hedwig interrupted with a hoot, waiting till Naruto gave her a proper goodbye pat before she took to the air.

"Oi, Harii," Shikamaru said, "Time to go. My aunt said that we're in the middle of the caravan line."

"I'll see you two later," Naruto said.

With a final wave to Naruto, Harry followed Shikamaru into the caravan line and out of the village gates.

The first day of travel with the caravan was silent apart from a few scattered conversations with Shikamaru during their breaks. When they set up camp at the border of Fire Country at the end of the day, Harry was just glad to catch up on the sleep he'd missed from the previous day.

On the second day, Harry caught his first glimpse and feel of the desert. Initially enthralled with the magnificent view of glittering sand in the rising sun's light, Harry quickly lost his wonder when a gust of wind blew coarse sand into his mouth. Ignoring Shikamaru's snickers, Harry hastily wrapped the scarf around his head.

The Girding Potion allowed Harry to keep pace in the heat without too much trouble. Of course, regular cooling spells didn't go unappreciated either.

Hedwig slept in a shaded caravan cart during the day and hunted all sorts of new prey at night.

Day three was so slow and monotonous that Harry spent a majority of the time going over all sorts of spells- the ones he knew, the ones he'd just read about and even the ones that Hermione had sent through the mirror.

Their fourth day of travel started late due to an issue with the plant cart. When they did start, the ninja pushed everyone to keep walking till they reached an oasis filled with dusty date palm trees and large sand-coloured tents around a dark pool of water.

"What I wouldn't give to be a Hyuuga right now." Shikamaru brushed sand off his vest as they sat in one of the large tents.

Harry pushed the scarf off his head and shook his hair, dislodging some of the sand that had settled there. "A Hyuuga?"

"They stay dirt free even when wearing white clothes."

Harry's clothing hadn't fared too well against the constant even with the spells on it. "How do they manage that?"

"Beats me." Shikamaru said and untied his ponytail with a grimace. "They'll never give their secrets either."

"If we stay in the desert and breathe in sand, will we die from sand drowning?" Harry said after the silence stretched on for too long.

Shikamaru glanced at Harry. "Drink some more water."

"I'm fine." None the less, Harry took a long sip from his canteen. "Is it possible to drown in sand?"

"Quicksand pits," Shikamaru said after a few minutes. "That's the only way you'd drown in sand outside of fighting a Suna ninja."

Harry woke up on their fifth day away from Konoha to Shikamaru's persistent tapping on his arm.

"Better get ready to head out. We might reach Suna today."

Within an hour of waking, they resumed their slow trip through the desert. The sudden onset of a storm delayed them by a whole day, so their pace doubled on day six to get back on schedule.

On day seven, Harry mentally rejoiced at seeing the high dark sand coloured wall in the distance.

The minute they reached the wall, multiple ninja clad with beige vests greeted them and asked for their papers.

The guard who took Harry's papers, silently looked through them for at least ten minutes with a growing frown.

"What's the hold up?" Shikamaru said as he came over, the metal badge of Konoha on his sleeve gleaming in the evening light.

"He isn't a Konoha citizen. And his birthplace," the guard emphasized with open displeasure, "doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of any recognized country."

Shikamaru pursed his lips. "He's been sent here by the Hokage."

"The Hokage isn't here to take personal responsibility over him if he..."

Shikamaru's aunt intervened. She pulled out a stack of official looking papers and a cylindrical object. About the size of a finger, one end of the cylinder had thin red engravings of the Nara's clan symbol.

Harry couldn't hear what she said but eventually the guard nodded and let Harry pass.

When he was a good distance away, Harry whispered, "Your entire family scares me now."

Shikamaru snorted as they followed the group past the thick rocky wall.

With beehive shaped buildings and villagers clad in loose-fitting outfits, Suna felt completely alien to Harry after his time in Konoha.

"At least we're staying at the Golden Cactus," Shikamaru said, as they walked towards one of the larger beehive buildings. "They have the best food."

"You never seemed like a picky eater."

"I'm not. But we have an all expense paid stay at the Golden Cactus. Chouji's going to regret mocking me." Shikamaru smirked in delight as they entered an opulent reception area.

"Where do I go after settling in?" Harry asked as he took his room key from the receptionist. He gave Hedwig a quick pat before she flew off in visible excitement.

Shikamaru pocketed his own room key. "We actually need to talk to the Suna council first. Until they're willing to give you a chance to do what the Hokage had planned, you're free."

"I thought there was an actual job here for me."

"The Hokage certainly thinks you do. Suna just has to agree to let you near the items."

"I'm going to be free for a long time, aren't I?" Harry said simply.

Shikamaru shrugged. "At least you can enjoy your free time."

Harry went up to his room with a handful of snacks as his dinner. Not having anything else to do, Harry flopped down onto the single bed and grabbed Jiraiya's book from his backpack. He read as much of the cramped handwriting as he could and sealed the journal in his scroll when he couldn't concentrate any more.

Deciding to wait for Hedwig outside his room, Harry climbed up onto the hotel's roof and stared off into the distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of white under the moonlight.

"A strange place to be at this time," A sombre male voice broke the stillness of the night.

Harry yelped, clutched at his chest and turned around in a startled panic. "Holy hell, when..."

"You seem to be searching for something." The person silently stepped into the lantern light's range. Almost Harry's height, the person's spiky hair and young pale face were the only distinguishable features in the dim light.

Harry calmed slightly. "My owl has gone off hunting."

The person tugged his voluminous white robes wrapped around his body and stopped beside Harry close to the railing. "And that worries you?"

"Not really." Harry said. "She's just as good as any desert creature. Probably better, actually."

The person looked out into the desert. "I don't understand."

"She's a snowy owl!"

"A snowy owl." He repeated and turned to Harry. "Hunting in the desert."

Harry nodded. "It's our first night here, so I want to make sure she can find me easily after her hunt."

"Is that your owl?" the stranger pointed.

Harry turned and squinted till he saw a speck of white in the distance. "That has to be her."

As she got closer, Hedwig screeched a greeting and landed on the railings in front of Harry with a long headless snake clutched in her claw.

"You already cut off it's head. Why didn't you just eat it before coming back?"

"Those scale markings. It's a saw-scaled viper," the stranger said in surprise. He leaned forward, the lantern's dim light showing black under-eye circles and dark hair, and stared intently at the dead snake.

"A poisonous snake?" Harry patted Hedwig's head with a grin. "No wonder you wanted to show it off."

"If she's adept at killing saw-scaled vipers, she has every right to show off," the other person said as he watched Hedwig with undisguised interest. "Especially since she's not a desert animal."

"There," Harry said. "You've impressed more than one person. So eat up already."

Hedwig tossed the snake up, opened her beak wide and caught the falling snake by the freshly cut end. With practised ease, she swallowed the snake down bit by bit.

"I never knew owl could eat snakes. Our small owls can only eat insects and the occasional lizard," the stranger said calmly, eyes fixed on Hedwig until she swallowed the last bit of the snake's tail. "If she doesn't eat the snake's head, maybe you can donate them to our hospital."

Harry turned to the side. "Hospital?"

"Viper bites are very common. The hospital could use the snake's head for anti-venom production."

Harry said, "Where in the hospital should we send it to?"

"Any of the hospital staff. They'll know what to do with it."

Harry bent down and said, "Hedwig, did you hear that? The snake's heads need to be given to someone in the hospital."

Finished with her meal, Hedwig glanced in the direction she had come from and hooted sceptically.

"No, you don't have to search for the one you just killed," Harry said in exasperation. "From the next one."

"She's a very smart owl."

Harry nodded, unable to hide his pride.

"You did a good job training her."

Harry snorted as Hedwig jumped up onto his shoulder. "I can't take any credit for her natural intelligence."

"Gaara-sama!" A loud voice yelled as frantic hurried footsteps headed towards them. A tall ninja stopped beside Harry's companion and bowed on one knee. "Temari-sama will be angry if she finds out that you went off on your own again."

"Then it's a good thing she won't find out," the person replied simply.

"Gaara-sama," The man sighed, "Please don't go off on your own."

"It took you too long to find me even though I stayed in the same place. You'll need to step up your training."

"Of course, Gaara-sama," the man bowed respectfully.

The person beside Harry, Gaara, stepped away from the wall. "Have Baki inform the hospital that a white owl will drop off a viper head occasionally."

The tall man nodded.

Gaara turned back to Harry. "It was a pleasure to meet you both."

"You too." Harry nodded.

"Enjoy your time in Suna."

Harry took the stranger's words to heart and woke up well past noon the next day. With a large lunch, Harry wandered around the village browsing any store that looked interesting.

Harry passed a small park where kids yelled loudly as they ran after a dusty ball. And after a few turns, he came upon an open canopy tent filled with tables. At each table, two people sat opposite each other as they played some sort of game board. Intrigued, Harry ventured forward.

"Looking to play a game?" An old man with with heavy lidded eyes and a turban asked and pointed to the empty seat opposite him.

"I don't know how to play anything but Shogi," Harry said, as he eyed the boards.

"Then Go is the next game you need to learn," the man said. "After teaching quite a few senile people, teaching you will be easy."

"Sounds good," Harry said and took a seat. "A nice vacation thing to do."

A woman brought two small glasses of red tea and placed them on the table.

It took a few practice games before Harry got a feel for the game. Aside from the awkward way of placing the stones and the very bitter red tea, Harry found himself enjoying the game because his opponent only ever spoke to correct a mistake or explain a rule.

As Harry contemplated his next move, the old man said, "Looks like our game will have to be cut short."

Shikamaru greeted Harry with a nod as he stopped by the table, his eyes tracing over the Go board.

Beside Shikamaru, the black-hooded person with lines of purple face-paint bowed. "Ebizo-jiisama, sorry for the intrusion."

"If you're here with that Nara, that means..." The old man stared at Harry, as though seeing him for the first time. "I see. They've agreed then, then?"

"Not completely, Ebizo-sama."

Ebizo sighed and drank the fresh tea from his glass. "I must be losing my touch."

"The Kazekage appreciated your help and support, none the less, Ebizo-sama."

"As did Konoha," Shikamaru said.

Ebizo waved his hand. "You better go get started before someone decides to change their senile mind."

Shikamaru glanced at Harry, "Ready to get to work?"

"They're letting me work on whatever top secret thing I need to fix?"

"In a way," Shikamaru said, his frustration plain to hear.

Harry frowned but stood and bowed to the elderly man. "Thank you for the game."

"I appreciated the company." Ebizo turned to the black-clothed man. "Do come by for a visit, Kankuro. I'm eager to catch up."

Kankuro nodded and bowed again. After a quick introduction, Kankuro led them though a confusing series of turns around the village before they entered a building with a small lobby.

Kankuro went past the receptionist -who examined Harry with sharp grey eyes before turning back to the book in her hands- and opened a seemingly random door. They climbed down a flight of stairs, went though a few more doors and long corridors before finally stopping in room that smelled like disinfectant.

A middle aged man with thick glasses and greying hair sat at one of the tables, scribbling into a large notebook.

"Daichi, have you prepared the paperwork?" Kankuro said as he walked towards a man's document covered desk.

"Kankuro-san, I think there's been some error in the request."

"What sort of error?"

"It says the Kazekage wants to grant a foreign civilian access into one of our labs." Daichi shook his head. "That's too ridiculous to be true."

Kankuro's shoulders tensed. "Did you prepare the paperwork?"

"I did. I added it to the council's delivery but surely it's a mistake." Daichi glanced at Harry and his eyes narrowed. With scepticism palpable in his voice, he said,"How can a teenage civilian possibly be of any use? Does the Kazekage truly know about this?"

"He has the skills for what we're proposing," Shikamaru said evenly.

"Since when has Konoha had any expertise in Suna's tools and techniques? This is probably just a ploy and the Kazekage just..."

"That's enough. If the Kazekage is willing to work with our allies, then you have no authority to question him." Kankuro moved forward. "It seems as if all the work here has taken it's toll on you."

Daichi flinched.

"I suggest you take an unpaid vacation."

Glancing at the others in the room, Daichi hunched in wary defeat. "Thank you for your consideration."

"That wasn't necessary," Shikamaru said when the door slammed.

"Maybe not in Konoha." Kankuro pulled a large stack of papers from the desk. "Grab a chair. I'll get the damn paperwork."

Harry watched in growing horror as Kankuro filled their table with two towering piles of paper from a box by the door.

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered. "The paperwork seems a bit drastic for skill testing."

Kankuro nodded grimly and grabbed the first paper from the top of the pile. "We'll need to make sure they haven't added something ridiculous. Like this memory seal if he fails..." He hastily scribbled on the paper and stamped it with a red seal before passing it to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru snorted. "On the first page?"

"It'll only get worse from here," Kankuro said, already moving on to the next page.

Shikamaru read through the paper before passing it to Harry and telling him where to sign after he'd read everything. Two hours later, Harry's head hurt from all the technical and legal jargon. He stopped reading, trusting Shikamaru's comments and explanations.

"That's the last one," Kankuro said after what felt like an eternity. "I'll send these through to the office and get some spare equipment."

Shikamaru read through the last paper with sharp eyes, nodded and passed it to Harry.

Harry signed the last paper in blind relief. "Now that that's over. What exactly am I fixing?"

Shikamaru looked apologetic. "As part of the testing, I can't tell you anything. They want to see if you can fix it without... well, you know."

Kankuro returned with a large brown sack and a large box that gave off a mouthwatering aroma.

Harry's stomach growled loudly.

Shikamaru smirked but cleared some space on the table for the food.

When they were done, Kankuro dug into the sack and pulled out a pair of thick brown gloves. "You'll need to wear these. We cleaned up everything but it's best to be safe with poisons."

"Poisons? This just keeps getting better," Harry said as he grabbed the heavy leather gloves.

Kankuro snorted. "At least you didn't have to gather the pieces and sort them into individual piles based on chakra signature. The genin just wouldn't stop complaining about it."

"You made the clean-up and retrieval a D-rank mission?" Shikamaru asked in surprise.

"C-rank educational mission." Kankuro shrugged. "Best way to teach the brats how to handle hazardous material and distinguish chakra signatures."

Shikamaru looked unconvinced.

"And to show them the scale of a real ninja battle." Kankuro smirked. "Their jounin instructors were thrilled when their brats stopped complaining about their training regimes."

"Like that will last for long," Shikamaru said.

Harry flexed his fingers within the gloves, noting that the thick material didn't hinder his movement much.

"Looks like you'll be able to work with them," Kankuro pulled out a thick clunky face mask. Large goggles sat atop a breath dispenser. "We diffused any gas containers we found. But, again, it's best to be safe."

Harry wanted to make sure he was understanding correctly. "Gas?"

"Poison gas." Shikamaru said.

"Poison gas," Harry repeated as he took the mask. "Of course. How could I forget the poison? No body suit?"

Kankuro shook his head. "You don't need one."

"Wouldn't poison gas penetrate my clothes and burn my skin or something."

Kankuro blinked in surprise but straightened with a serious expression. "You don't have to worry about blister agents. Look, the gloves and mask are just a precaution because your side asked for safety measures. I personally oversaw the poison cleanup. There's really nothing to worry about."

Harry nodded and took the mask.

"Okay, now that the paperwork is done and you've eaten, it's... wait, show me what you have in your pockets." Kankuro said.

After an encouraging look from Shikamaru, Harry brought out his mokeskin pouch, some random pieces of the twins' candy and other assorted junk.

With a cursory glance, Kankuro nodded and led them back into the twisting corridors, past some seal covered walls that glowed under Kankuro's fingers as they walked ahead. They stopped in front of a solid door that glowed briefly under Kankuro's fingers before swinging open with a screech.

Harry glanced at the tiny characters around the entrance. "Heartbeat detection?"

Shikamaru glanced at him before squinting at the characters.

Kankuro nodded and motioned for Harry to enter. "It allows only one person to enter and stay inside at a time. Guarantees the secrecy needed for working and experimenting."

Harry put on the gas mask.

Shikamaru adjusted the straps and gave him the all clear.

Harry entered the small room and headed to the table. "A pile of splinters?"

Shikamaru sigh was audible even though he was at the door. "They're really against this!"

Kankuro snorted. "What do you expect? They've got too much time on their hands to think up stuff like this."

Harry glanced back at them through the doorway. "So I just have to fix this?"

"Just try," Shikamaru said in a consoling voice.

"You've got the use of this room for two weeks while you try and fix that," Kankuro said. "Extra wood, carving tools and resin can be found in that black cabinet over there," Kankuro pointed. "If you'll need any other material, then you can tell me and I'll restock the lab accordingly in the next few days." Kankuro pointed to the large cupboard in the room. "Feel free to raid the snack cabinet. The bathroom is through there and there's a new futon in the drawer"

"Are you locking me in here?"

"I assumed that you'd want a place where you couldn't be disturbed." Kankuro blinked. "When I work on something, I tend to stay in here for days on end. So it's nice to have everything close at hand. But if you..."

"It's fine. Let's see how things turn out with this." Harry pointed to the stack of splinters and broken chunks of wood.

"When should we come by to check on you?" Shikamaru said.

"In the morning," Harry said. "Tomorrow morning. Oh Shikamaru, can you tell..."

"I'll tell your owl that you've gone to work," Shikamaru said, interrupting Harry. "She better not scratch me."

After a few more instructions, they closed the door and left Harry with his thoughts and the pile of splinters in the well equipped lab. Ignoring the splinters, Harry opened the snack cupboard as he scanned the area around him with a concentrated 'Homunus revelio'. When he found no signs of other humans close by, he increased the range of the spell.

The spells showed Shikamaru and Kankuro leave, while the receptionist stayed. Other than her, there was no one in the entire building.

Moving on to his next batch of scanning spells, Harry found nothing hidden away to spy on him. Even so, Harry cast a familiar series of privacy spells around room.

Opening a packet of roasted seaweed snacks, Harry removed his mask and bit the thin green crinkled rectangle. With a noisy crunch, Harry savoured the delicious salty flavour.

Two more packets later, Harry finally turned to the tall pile of splinters. Curious from all the secrecy, Harry pushed his magic out with a firm 'Reparo'. The splinters rose up into the air, twisted about and flew around colliding into other pieces. Within seconds, the splinters found where they were meant to go. Filling the cracks and smoothing out the surface, the spell ran it's course and left a perfectly fixed item.

Slightly incredulous at the amount of hassle he had gone through to fix such a creepy object, Harry removed his privacy spells and went back to the snack cabinet.

Harry woke up to an excited yell. He blearily opened his eyes, lifted his head off the table and glared at the intruder.

Kankuro stood at the doorway, his eyes wide and excited as he stared at the fixed object in front of Harry. "You fixed it! I can't believe you actually did it."

"Why are you so excited over this?" Harry said, eyeing the eerily human puppet he had fixed. "I mean, sure it looks very realistic, but I don't see what all the hype was about."

Shikamaru snorted.

"A bloodline limit that fixes things?" Kankuro said, "The world is full of mysterious things."

Shikamaru looked smug as he said, "Now that he has proved he can fix the puppets, are you willing to reconsider our offer?"

"The Kazekage will decide." Kankuro said as he eyed the puppet with an impatient look. "The council is going to be horrified." He turned to Harry, "Are you coming out or what?"

The moment Harry walked out of the room, Kankuro rushed in. As he poked and prodded the puppet, Harry turned to Shikamaru. "Offer?"

"Politics!"

"Am I being used as some sort of..." Harry paused, unwilling to voice his thoughts.

"Your skills are," Shikamaru said. "And if they agree to our terms, you'll be paid. A lot more."

"Do everyone think I'm a mercenary person?" Harry yawned and rubbed his sore neck.

Shikamaru frowned and turned to Kankuro who was still examining the puppet. "Oi, we need to drop him off at the hotel so that you can talk to the council."

With obvious reluctance, Kankuro exited the room. As he closed the door, he slid a bloody thumb across the wooden surface. "I can't just leave it unlocked now."

Harry ignored their conversation as they made their way to the Golden Cactus. He entered his room and fell onto his bed with content.

But in what felt like a matter of minutes, Shikamaru shook him awake. "I know the bed is very comfortable, but you've got work to do."

Harry burrowed deeper into the bed, hiding under his pillow.

"Harii, if you don't get up, I'll tell dad that you beat me at Shogi. Then he'll pester you to play every time."

"I'm not afraid of your dad," Harry sat up, ignoring Shikamaru's smirk. "But I am hungry."

After an almost lavish dinner, Shikamaru led Harry out into the village, through the lantern lit streets into a completely different building.

"You guys took your time." Kankuro led them through an unfamiliar series of corridors but stopped in front of a familiar wooden door. Harry paused right at the entryway. Every bit of free space had a pile of splinters.

"Twenty-three separate piles," Kankuro said lightly. "The ones that seemed easier to fix were already taken by our own researchers. And we haven't sorted the rest completely."

"Twenty-three is more than enough," Harry said.

"Maybe by the time you finish fixing these, we'll have the rest sorted," Kankuro said.

"You'll have them sorted by tomorrow?" At the startled silence behind him, Harry turned.

"You can fix all these by tomorrow?" Kankuro asked incredulously.

"If I don't sleep maybe I can get through most of these."

"I don't want inferior rushed work." Kankuro said.

"Anything I do would be an improvement over useless splinters."

Shikamaru snorted and straightened. "If he can fix all these puppets tonight, we'll definitely need to renegotiate our agreement. We didn't discuss the time he took to fix things."

Kankuro cursed. "Damn Naras. You never miss a chance to..."

"To give people headaches?" Shikamaru smirked wide. "You should be thankful that my dad isn't here."

Kankuro glared at Shikamaru. "If he can manage to fix all the puppets properly, then I suppose we'd have to look at the agreements again."

Harry cleared his throat, interrupting their staring contest.

Shikamaru collected himself. "Don't hold back, Harii. If you finish fixing everything tonight, we'll be back in Konoha by the end of the week."

"You can't just decide something like that," Kankuro said with an almost irritated exasperation.

Shikamaru shrugged.

"At least that tea thermos I made will be put to good use," Kankuro said with a slight huff.

With muted goodbyes, both ninja left Harry in the room filled with splinter piles. Taking a moment to set up his privacy spells, Harry turned and headed to the snack cabinet. Finishing a few packets of the seaweed snack, Harry picked a random pile and fixed it with a careful 'Reparo'. When he had fixed nine of the puppets, Harry took another snack break- some biscuits with the tea.

Feeling refreshed, Harry went back to the remaining piles. He broke the monotony of fixing by using a few cleaning charms on the puppets he'd already fixed.

Harry smiled in accomplishment as the last puppet repaired itself to it's original form. Feeling the urge to celebrate, Harry raided the snack cabinet for more snacks.

Like the previous night, he was woken up by Kankuro's voice. But instead of an excited yell, an annoyed groan filled the room.

"Don't look so damn smug, Nara. You're not the one who has to talk to council again about reopening negotiations."

You all right in there, Harii? Why are you on the floor?"

Harry sat up and stretched cautiously as he turned to the entrance. "The puppets were creeping me out." Harry motioned to one particular puppet. "Especially the one that looks like your dad."

Shikamaru's grin froze."Come out here, so that I can take a closer look."

"What's going on?" Harry muttered as Shikamaru entered the lab and stared at the puppet.

"That's most probably his relative," Kankuro said, his shoulders tense and his eyes.

Harry stilled. "Those are puppets."

"For you to fix them without even noticing, that man did an excellent job in making these. I suppose you've earned the right to know. These are human puppets," Kankuro said. "Real humans that were converted into puppets."

"Human bodies?" All the pride that Harry had felt at completing his job quickly turned into horror. "How is that even..."

"It's something we intend to find out." Kankuro said simply. "It's the reason we put so much effort into the recovery of such heavily damaged puppets."

Harry couldn't speak. His mind whirled with horror. He'd fixed twenty four dead bodies. Twenty four dead human bodies.

"Hey, hey, are you all right?" Kankuro asked. "Come on, just breathe, okay. Oi, Nara your friend's having a panic attack."

"Don't touch him! Give him some space..."

"I know." Kankuro's face moved away.

Harry looked up into Shikamaru's eyes and said, "They're human. I..."

"You just did your job," Shikamaru said.

A limp body crashed against the wall with a splat of red and a crack.

Stop.

A metallic scent filled the air and unforgiving fingers suffocated him.

Stop.

Sightless eyes looked up at him with...

STOP!

"...his trigger," Shikamaru said.

"When did people only have one trigger?" Kankuro said derisively. "I thought Konoha was years ahead with healing and medicine advancement."

"You're not helping." Shikamaru grit out with palpable annoyance, hovering close but not touching Harry.

"I'm fine," Harry said and gasped, wondering when he'd fallen to his knees. "I'm fine."

"Like hell you are," Kankuro said.

"Harii," Shikamaru held out his hand. "Has this every happened before?"

Harry shook his head.

"It must have," Kankuro tapped a few seals and locked the lab door. "I'm going to go update the council. Will you be okay taking him back?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"First time," Harry said when they were out in the sunlight. "Never fixed dead bodies before."

"Right. And it hasn't even been a month since the Temple," Shikamaru said as he led Harry.

Harry cringed. "I'm fine. I am."

"It's not healthy to ignore..."

Harry interrupted him. "Just like it's not healthy to smoke for a dead man?"

Shikamaru stiffened.

"Sorry. I didn't, it's just..." Harry slumped with a sigh.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said softly. "I know."

Harry curled his fingers in despair. "I hate this."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed.

"At least I didn't throw up." Harry said after a moment as they reached the hotel.

"Thank goodness for that," Shikamaru said. "The lab would have had to be sealed off due to contamination."

"Glad to know your priorities," Harry said with a snort. But he sobered quickly. "Was that puppet really your relative?"

Shikamaru nodded with a grim expression.

"Did you know?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I doubt anyone in my family will be expecting it either. Negotiations are going to become terrible. My aunt will definitely..."

Harry glanced at Shikamaru questioningly.

"She'll be ruthless. Even more than usual."

Harry wanted to say something about the puppets. Instead he said, "Don't tell Naruto about... he'll worry."

"You know you can't talk about your job here," Shikamaru said.

"I figured there was a reason for all that paperwork I signed."

"Are you going to be all right by yourself?" Shikamaru asked as they reached Harry's room.

Harry nodded and opened his door. "Go talk to your aunt."

Shikamaru looked reluctant to leave and only moved when Hedwig flapped onto Harry's shoulder.

Unable to stay in his room without being mentally overwhelmed, Harry hurried to the market and soon distracted himself with examining a very shiny yellow glass sculpture.

"We meet again."

Harry turned to the voice, recognizing the old man who'd taught him Go. "Good afternoon."

"Free from work already?"

Harry winced. "I've finished all that I could do."

"And no you're looking to buy a glass sculpture."

Harry shook his head. "It's a bit too shiny for my taste."

The old man, Ebizo, stared at the sculpture. "You might prefer something made from sandstone. Those aren't too gaudy to keep around."

Harry nodded. "I'll think about it."

"The world has really changed," Ebizo said with a sign. "That distinct accent of yours. I never thought I'd live to hear it in Suna."

Harry glanced at Ebizo in wary confusion.

"None of the superstitious Islanders strayed too far from the ocean."

"Superstitious Islanders?"

"But you did come here with Konoha, so I guess you can't be considered an Islander anymore." Ebizo stared at Harry critically. "Konoha always manages to reel people in."

Harry stared back at Ebizo, unfazed. "There's a man named Danzo in Konoha. Are you friends with him? You two seem similar."

"Friends with that meddlesome old fart? Similar?" Ebizo's calm exterior shattered. "Just because we were born on the same day in the same year, doesn't mean we're anything alike."

"You and Danzo share the same birth date?"

"I'm nothing like him."

"Of course," Harry agreed after a moment. "You don't colour your hair."

Ebizo sighed, face smoothing back into an apathetic expression. "There must be something in the Konoha air that affects the people there."

"It could be something in the water too," Harry said.

"That certainly would explain many things about Konoha's inhabitants."

Instead of leaving like Harry expected, Ebizo accompanied Harry to the hotel for a quiet lunch. They were halfway through their meal at the Golden cactus when Shikamaru arrived.

"They've agreed," Shikamaru said as he sat at the table. "We can leave for Konoha tonight."

Harry straightened in surprise. "Really? What..."

"You don't want to know. Really." Shikamaru sighed. "They're going to re-negotiate with the Hokage now."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Increased communication is always a good sign." Ebizo interrupted as he sipped on his water. "Though, it does lead to more headaches."

Shikamaru stared at the man sharply, as though just noticing who he was. "Right, anyway, you'll need to pack."

"Am I leaving as some sort of political statement?" Harry asked as he finished the last of his food.

"What do you think?" Shikamaru said as he ordered. "Everything is a statement."

"So basically... not so subtle politics?" Harry said cheekily.

Shikamaru snorted. "It's very unsubtle politics. Such a rare form of politics."

Ebizo shook his head. "Konoha."

Harry pushed away his empty plate.

Shikamaru said, "Why aren't you going and packing?"

"It's rude to just leave the table when you're not done," Harry said.

Shikamaru's eye twitched. "This isn't a formal occasion."

"So you still have a bit of the Island in you," Ebizo said. "Afraid you'll get cursed to die if you leave the table early?"

"I'm polite not superstitious," Harry retorted. "Besides that superstition only applies if there are thirteen peo... never mind, I'll go pack."

Ignoring their curious look, Harry went up to his room even though he didn't have much to pack. He hadn't bought anything new. Interrupted by a knock on his door, Harry found Kankuro standing on the other side with a familiar sack.

Kankuro held it open towards Harry. "You left these at the lab."

"The gloves and gas mask?"

"I'm sure you can find a use for them. You've earned them," Kankuro said.

"What? Really?"Harry stared at the man. "I thought you'd be more... bitter about me fixing everything."

"Bitter? You just saved us months, no, years of work." Kankuro said, "What's there to be bitter about?"

"The politics I stirred up."

Kankuro chuckled in open amusement. "I'll never understand how Konoha can keep surviving on being nice."

"Nice?" Harry repeated blankly.

"Better get back to your packing," Kankuro said as he turned away. "I'll meet you and Nara by the gate in an hour."

True to his word, Kankuro arrived at the gate one hour later accompanied by two people. A blonde woman with a large item on her back and someone clad in pristine white robes and a triangular green hat with a cloth veil that covered the back of his head.

"Oh, it's you," Harry took a moment to remember the person's name. "Gaara, right?"

The one with the black-rimmed eyes and dark hair, Gaara, nodded and glanced between him and Ebizo.

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Show some respect to the Kazekage."

Harry straightened self-consciously. "Kazekage? Where?"

Ebizo snorted.

Harry turned to him. "You're the Kazekage?"

Shikamaru twitched.

Kankuro seemed to choke on air.

The blonde woman sputtered with rage and reached for the item latched on her back while Ebizo turned away with a wheeze.

"Temari," Gaara said. "It's all right."

"But he..."

Harry took a moment to piece everything together- the woman's earlier words, Ebizo's mirth and Gaara's command. "You're the Kazekage?" Harry cringed at his incredulous tone.

Ebizo's wheezing grew to a worrying level as his shoulders shook. Everyone except Gaara stared at the old man in surprise.

"I'd like to thank you." Gaara's soft voice cut through the noise easily. "The hospital's been busy producing viper anti-venom."

Harry glanced at Hedwig, who hovered in the air above them, and said, "It was no trouble. Really."

"I'd also like to thank you for your own hard work."

Harry nodded politely, unsure of how reply.

"Enough already!" Kankuro said. "You two weren't supposed to come here in your formal wear. You've gone and made everything awkward."

"Watch you tongue, Kankuro!" Temari snarled. "Gaara came to say goodbye to an idiot like you even though he has better things to do."

Shikamaru pulled Harry away. "And that's our cue to leave."

"Hey!" Kankuro yelled as he ran after them. "Wait for me."