::20::

"I think maybe you are jumping to conclusions." Said Hermione nervously as she twiddled a piece of brown hair between her fingers.

"Extreme conclusions." Ron added, but he said it without malice or exasperation; in fact he seemed more nervous than Hermione and his eyes kept flicking between all those present in the tent.

After Naruto's startling revelation about what he had heard at the Lovegood house, everyone was alert and awake with Naruto ready to jump back to Konoha if he could.

"I'm not." Said Naruto angrily, his hands clenching into fists. "I know what I heard!"

Harry creased his eyebrows from where he sat on the floor as Naruto stood towering before him. He turned toward Sai. "What do you think?" He asked, nudging the dark haired ninja who had thus remained silent.

Sai glanced up, calmly appraising Naruto. "I think Naruto could be right."

He held his hands up before anyone, especially Naruto, could anything more. "Let's think about this." He said. "We know You Know Who has gained a substantial amount of man power from Orochimaru, not to mention Sakura. But what is Orochimaru getting in return? We know he isn't the type of man to enter into something without getting anything in return. And what does Orochimaru want most?"

Sai looked at Naruto. "Konoha's downfall." Said Naruto through gritted teeth.

"And wizard assistance would give him a huge advantage," Sai concluded, "As most ninja have never encountered one. The element of surprise and a few well-placed killing curses could leave Konoha on its knees. "

Hermione sighed, looking defeated. "So what do we do?"

"We need to get to Konoha right away!" Said Naruto. "That's what we need to do!" He began to pace the tent anxiously, as if that would magically transport him back to Konoha.

"Listen," Said Naruto after a few seconds of silence. "No one knows about this plan except us! If we do nothing, this could be worse than the first time than Orochimaru attacked. Half the village destroyed and the Sandaime dead!"

"We have no way of getting back to Konoha." Said Sai, although he was staring at the ground, as if he were trying to piece something together.

Naruto stopped suddenly. "Kakashi!" He yelled, startling Ron who thought the one-eyed shinobi had magically appeared in the tent. "Before we left, Kakashi was able to travel between here and Konoha whenever he wanted! He can bring us back!"

"But…" Said Hermione furrowing her eyebrows. "We haven't seen Professor…I mean…Kakashi since the wedding…"

"Yeah…" Said Naruto, "I didn't really check in with him because…" He glanced at Harry sheepishly. "Well I know you wanted to keep our location a secret."

"That doesn't explain why he didn't check in with us." Said Sai.

"Maybe he can't." Said Hermione, sitting straight as if she just realized something. "The magical barriers that protect us, maybe they are keeping Kakashi out too!" She looked around at Harry, Ron and Naruto, her eyes wide.

"You're right!" Naruto screeched. He quickly bent down to rummage through his pack before finding the summoning scroll. "If Sai and I go outside the barriers, we can contact Kakashi and he can take –"

"Wait!" Said Hermione, panicked. She looked at Naruto desperately as Naruto stared at her, mouth open from being cut off mid-sentence. "Don't you see the dangers of that?"

Hermione looked at Harry and Ron, eyebrow raised as if they would understand her concern. When all four boys stared back at her blankly, Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "If anything, recent events have proved how dangerous it is to move beyond the barriers, especially without disguises. What if that red-headed girl or another ninja comes back?"

"That's true." Said Harry, grimacing. "I've been practicing my jutsu, but I don't think I'm quite up to par."

"Furthermore," Hermione continued, "What if we need to move while you're still in Konoha? How can we guarantee you'll find us again under the barriers?"

"I've got it!" Said Harry excitedly. He stood up, turning to Naruto. "Hermione's right. That's why we should go with you."

"What?" Naruto gaped as Hermione turned to Harry, her expression alarmed.

"You've gone completely mental!" Laughed Ron although his voice was starting to squeak. "We can't just get in the middle of a bloody ninja war!"

"Think about it!" Harry cried. "Sai just said that the ninja will be at a huge disadvantage because of wizarding presence! Who better than to at least help them than us?"

"Harry…" Said Hermione, her voice wary. "What you are proposing is extremely dangerous…"

"They've been with us very step of the way, risking their lives." Harry said angrily. "This is the least we can do."

Harry turned to Naruto, fierce determination and loyalty shining in his green eyes and Naruto could only stare back at him, for once at a loss for words.

"We would forever be in your debt." Said Sai, speaking when Naruto couldn't.

"Well?" Harry demanded, looking at Ron and Hermione.

Ron looked at Hermione before staring up at Harry. "We weren't lying when we said we would stick with through every step of this journey. I may have had a lapse…" He said sheepishly, "But I'm not going to bail on you again, mate."

Harry grinned as Hermione stood up. "Well," She said nervously, "I guess some packing would be in order."

Kakashi was barely in his apartment for a second when he felt the summoning seal he always kept in his pocket burning like a calling card. When he appeared in the darkened forest just after midnight to find a determined Naruto followed Hermione, Harry and Ron with their wands at the ready, he groaned.

"Let me guess." He said, holding up a hand before Naruto utter the words that were just waiting to burst out. "Somehow you found out about the invasion…and you want me to bring all of you back."

He watched as Naruto deflated like a balloon before puffing back up again. "You know?!" Naruto screeched. He ignored Hermione's gesture to keep it down as she looked warily about the forest.

"Yes." Kakashi sighed, "I was inside the Malfoy Manor." He watched as Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses and he shared a look with both Hermione and Ron. "I should have known you'd find out somehow."

"It's a knack of ours." Harry muttered quietly.

Kakashi heard Harry's remark and turned his attention toward the dark haired teen. "I have to say it's been a while, Harry. I'm glad to see that you're ok. That you're all ok." He said, glancing around at Ron and Hermione.

Harry sheepishly ducked his head. "Thanks Prof- I mean, Kakashi."

"I trust your mission…whatever it is, is going well?" Kakashi asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Harry exchanged sheepish looks with both Ron and Hermione, but before he could answer, Naruto heatedly spoke up. "We can discuss that later." He snapped. "Aren't you going to tell us why you didn't tell us about the invasion?!" Naruto cried.

"We already established Kakashi-san had no way of contacting us." Sai said.

"Sai's right." Said Kakashi, his voice becoming stern. "And even if I could, I wouldn't have told you anyway."

"What?!" Naruto screeched, his blue eyes growing wide as his hands clenched into fists. "How could you? You need me!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Need you?"

Naruto let out a growl, but refrained from hitting his former teacher. "Kakashi-sensei, you bastard, I –"

"Naruto." Kakashi said, sharply cutting off the boy's tirade. "The fate of Konoha isn't going to be determined by your presence. You are needed here, with Harry, not only to protect him, but to help find Sakura."

Harry bristled at the sound of his name, but had no other indication of what was being said about him. Hermione looked distinctly nervous about the growing argument between Naruto and Kakashi, as if she shouldn't have agreed to such a ridiculous idea in the first place.

Naruto looked away angrily, his clenched fists trembling slightly. Sai glanced down at Naruto's hands before solemnly turning back to Kakashi. He wet his lips, as if preparing for something.

"Kakashi-san, if I may." Said Sai bowing his head. "Although dangerous, I think Konoha could benefit from our knowledge of the wizarding world." He said, indicating his head toward Harry and the others.

"So I've heard." Said Kakashi wryly.

Chaos erupted in Kakashi's apartment as soon as the returning ninja and three wizards poofed into existence. There was a crash and a groan as someone fell to the floor in the darkness while Ron yelled out "Naruto, you dumb git, watch where you are landing!"

Harry himself ended up tripping over something and stumbled into something that was definitely not a chair and was most definitely alive while someone with a familiar voice that definitely had no business being there shouted out, "Well if it isn't ickle Ronnie-kins! I'm not Naruto, you prat!"

"Fred?" Said Ron in disbelief. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

It took another second more of stumbling and shouting before Kakashi finally made his way to the switch and flipped the lights on, illuminating the room. "Sorry." Kakashi said sheepishly as everyone adjusted to the light. "I don't think my apartment was made to house this many people."

And many people there were for Harry soon found that they weren't the only wizards who had insisted on helping out their shinobi friends. Harry had stumbled into Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was sitting with a bemused expression on his face next to a shocked Remus Lupin. Ron was hanging onto his brother Fred while George stood nearby, a grin on his face. Arthur Weasley was standing near Kakashi by the light switch, his expression just as shocked as Lupin's.

Meanwhile, Naruto who was completely sprawled on the floor sat up groaning and Sai took his guiding hand off Hermione's shoulder before pulling Naruto to his feet.

"What…?" Harry began incredulously before he was enveloped in a hug by Mr. Weasley who yelled "Harry m'boy!"

Mr. Weasley pulled away, his shocked expression slowly melting into joy. "Thank goodness you're ok! You don't know how you've had us all worried. If only Molly were here to see you ok…"

"Gee thanks, Dad." Ron complained as he pulled himself away from Fred. "Your own son is only right here…"

Mr. Weasley gave Harry a smile as he slapped him on the shoulder before hugging his youngest son. "Yes Ron, well, Bill told us he had seen you over Christmas. Your mum is quite miffed that you didn't come back to the Burrow…"

"What are you all doing here?" Harry finally asked before shooting Kakashi an irritated glare.

The elder shinobi shrugged as Lupin quietly spoke up. "The same thing as you, I suspect. Paying a debt." He couldn't quite look Harry in the eye, as if he were still ashamed of what happened the last time they saw each other.

Harry wanted to say something to Lupin, but he didn't know what so he ended up gaping like a fish before Fred cut him off. "We stumbled upon good ol' Kakashi and Kingsley having a delightful little conversation…"

"And naturally we had to join in." Finished George, grinning.

Kakashi didn't respond, instead looking tired and a bit worse for wear than he had been a few minutes ago. "Yes well…it's probably best I speak with Tsunade-sama about this matter…Kingsley, if you wouldn't mind?"

The dark skinned man nodded and stood up, joining Kakashi by the door. Before Harry could fully process his own thought, he spoke up. "I want to come too."

"Harry!" Said Hermione.

"Yeah, come on, I'll take you." Said Naruto stepping up, grabbing Harry's arm. "No worries, Hermione." Naruto gave Hermione a cheerful salute before he disappeared with Harry in a pop of smoke with Kakashi and Kingsley following suit.

Harry had to admit that now that he was here, he was curious as to what Konoha looked like, but it seemed he would only be fated to see the insides of buildings tonight. He and Naruto appeared in a large room with a large window only seconds later. They stood before a cluttered desk where a woman appeared to be sleeping, her hand clutched around a bottle.

Harry was about to ask if they should perhaps wake her when Naruto bellowed "Tsunade-baa-chan!"

"Naruto…" Harry heard Kakashi mutter behind them.

The woman jumped awake, dropping the bottle she had been holding which was mercifully empty. She swore, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Naruto?" She grumbled.

Then her eyes popped open and she took in the blond shinobi before her. "Naruto! What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded.

"Let me explain, Tsunade-sama." Said Kakashi, finally edging his way to Tsunade's desk.

"Kakashi…" Tsunade sighed. She could tell she wasn't going to like whatever Kakashi was going to tell her.

As Kakashi quickly explained his foray into the Malfoy Manor and the information he had gleaned from the Oto nin there, Tsunade's expression turned dour and she looked back at the fallen sake bottle as if she could will it to refill itself. Even Naruto's expression turned somber. He added to Kakashi's story by telling Tsunade about what he had overheard at the Lovegood home and about the Bingo Book they had found in Delores Umbridge's office.

"Konoha could not be more unprepared."Tsunade lamented when Kakashi and Naruto finished explaining.

"What?" Naruto asked, his expression alarmed. "Why?"

"I sent Team 8 out on a mission only yesterday to the Land of Rice. Chouji and Ino are still in the hospital with injuries, Jiraiya is gone and Kurenai is in no position to be fighting anything." Tsunade summarized. "Not to mention half of the Niju Shotai is still out scouring the Land of Fire for Akatsuki."

Kakashi grimaced. He had been in the wizarding world so much in the past few months that he hadn't realized how much Konoha seemed to be scraping by.

"I guess it's good then that we brought reinforcements." Said Naruto, although his voice lacked the usual mirth.

Tsunade turned her attention to the two wizards for the first time that night. "This is Harry Potter and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They've come to aid Konoha along with a few other wizards." Kakashi explained, a hand on Kingsley's shoulder.

Tsunade took in the appearance of the two wizards before standing. "I am Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage." She said, bowing her head. "On behalf of Konoha I thank you for your aid."

"Harry Potter." She said, finally turning her amber eyes on the dark haired teen. "I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Harry was startled by Tsunade. She wasn't anything like what Harry expected although he had seen her picture in the Bingo Book. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Harry mimicked Tsunade's actions moments before and hastily bowed his head. "Er, you too."

Kingsley made a much better impression as he smoothly bowed as he introduced himself and then shook Tsunade's hand. Tsunade seemed much more taken with Kingsley, but Harry realized it wouldn't have been the first time he didn't live up to expectations.

"Fascinating…" Said Mr. Weasley as he flipped the lights on and off in Kakashi's apartment. "I have to ask Kakashi how this mechanical lighting works…"

"Dad." Ron groaned. "You're going to break it."

"It can't be broken, Ronald." Said Mr. Weasley, giving the switch another flick. They were surrounded by darkness until the light flicked on once more. "It's a feat of ingenuity."

"Yeah, Dad." Ron sighed. "Because Muggle things can't be broken…" He said, recalling a certain car that had gotten them into a significant amount of trouble.

"Actually, Mr. Weasley," Said Hermione speaking up from her place next to the bed. "Lighting like this is standard in all Muggle homes and it would appear that this is true of ninja dwellings as well."

"Fantastic." Mr. Weasley, "But I wonder if all ninja dwellings are this…efficient in size?" He said, frowning as he glanced around the apartment.

"If by size efficient you mean small as heck…" Ron muttered.

"Ron!" Hermione quietly chastised.

"What?" Ron complained. "It's true."

And it was true. Kakashi's apartment was barely large enough to fit all of them comfortably…even with Kingsley, Harry and Kakashi gone. There was a small, tidy kitchenette in which a small table and chairs was crammed to the side. Across from the kitchenette was a bed, dresser and bookcase and a small door that led to the bathroom. While Harry might have been used to living in a cupboard, the other wizards were certainly used to more accommodating spaces.

Fred and George let out a giggle from where they were lounging on Kakashi's bed, a purple book between them. Ron narrowed his eyes. "What are you reading?" He asked.

"Seems our dear friend Kakashi has a bit of a fetish." Said George with a grin, a mischievous look in his eyes.

Ron looked a bit dumbfounded, but Hermione seemed to recall something about what was said about the types of books Kakashi read and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I didn't know Kakashi was on medication." Said Lupin, poking at an assortment of different colored pills that were arranged in small capsules on Kakashi's dresser. "Have any of you ever seen him take these?"

Hermione opened her mouth to explain that the pills weren't medication, but that they were likely the 'soldier pills' she had seen Naruto and Sai consume on occasion but then shut her mouth.

She hoped Harry was faring alright, wherever he was.

When the first of the Jounins appeared, Harry subconsciously began backing himself away from Tsunade's desk, not out of fear, but out of intimidation. These ninja weren't like Naruto or Sai; they looked older and hardened by years of hardship. A beast of a man appeared with long auburn hair and weird markings on his cheeks and Harry thought for sure he wouldn't see another ninja as scary as that. But then a feral looking woman with facial tattoos and a dog as big as a horse appeared and Harry revised his opinion.

Kakashi was discussing some details with Kingsley and Tsuande, but Harry still felt out of place until he felt Naruto nudge him in the ribs.

"No worries." The blond shinobi said with a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I've known these people my whole life. We're all friends here."

"You don't suppose that dog could eat me whole, do you?" Harry asked, nodding his head toward Kuromaru.

Naruto laughed.

"Minna-san." Said Tsunade as she stood up from her desk. "I have grave news to inform you of." Her voice was full of authority as she spoke. None of the Jounin shinobi moved; their faces remained impassive. "It appears we have a battle to prepare for."

A quiet murmur ripped through the crowd.

"As you know, Haruno Sakura disappeared from the village some months ago. We had reason to believe that she had been taken by Orochimaru. However I received intel some time ago that Orochimaru had taken her and fled to England, a country that resides in another dimension. There he has aligned himself with a Dark wizard named-"

At this, Kakashi quickly grabbed Tsunade's arm, cutting her off.

"His name is cursed." Kakashi quickly explained. "Saying it here out loud may have unwanted consequences. We can refer to him as You Know Who for all intent and purposes."

The Jounin exchanged confused looks for they certainly did not know who You Know Who was, but they didn't make an attempt to voice this.

"What matters is that Orochimaru intends to use his new alliance against us by leading an invasion not only with Otogakure ninja, but also a contingency of wizards of which we have no experience against." Said Tsunade grimly.

The silence was palpable in the room and if Harry wasn't mistaken, it looked as if a lot of the ninja were wondering if they heard Tsunade correctly.

Finally, one ninja with long blonde hair raised his hand. "Tsunade-sama," Inoichi called out. "Did you say wizards…as in men who can perform magic and wear tall pointy hats? The fairy tales we often tell our children about when they are young?"

"That is quite correct." Said Kakashi. "Although, they are not fairy tales and they don't all wear tall pointy hats."

Harry had to crack a smile.

"Maybe a demonstration is in order?" Tsunade said, turning toward Kakashi and Kingsley.

"This is Kingsley Shacklebolt." Said Kakashi, gesturing toward the dark skinned wizard. "He is an extremely accomplished wizard and a good friend. He has come here to help us."

Kingsley stepped up and nodded his head toward the Jounin. "You wished for a demonstration." He said, pulling his wand out of his robes. "I hope this will suffice. Locomotor Wibbly!"

Kingsley pointed his wand at Kakashi's legs and issued the spell, causing the grey-haired Jounin to collapse on his bottom. A few of the Jounin who knew Kakashi well snickered while others gasped. Kingsley helped Kakashi up…only for Kakashi to collapse again.

"Jelly Legs Curse." Kingsley explained. "It renders an opponent unable to properly use their legs." He waved his wand, relieving Kakashi of the effects of the curse before helping him up.

"Also great as a practical joke." Kakashi said as he stood up.

But none of the Jounin laughed or even cracked a smile at Kakashi's joke. Most seemed to be deep in thought. Finally it was Nara Shikaku who spoke up, voicing the group's concerns. "How to we defend against something that we can't see…that we can't control?"

"You can't."

The words were out of Harry's mouth before he could fully process what he was saying. When all eyes turned to Harry, he suddenly felt embarrassed but willed himself to speak.

"Fighting against experienced wizards…especially Death Eaters who are trained in the Dark Arts is going to be rough…and maybe even scary." Harry said, recalling the battle at the Department of Mysteries only two years prior. "But that's why Kingsley and the rest of my friends and I are here. Vol- I mean You Know Who already took over the Ministry, he already killed my parents. He wants the rest of the world, but I won't let him have it and I won't let him take Konoha too."

Naruto was grinning by the time Harry finished talking and after casting a quick look around at the Jounins, he could see that they were staring at Harry with new found respect. Harry let out a breath and looked at Kingsley who gave him an approving nod and a smile.

"So," Said Tsunade, a fierce look in her amber eyes, "Let's get started."

After Harry's speech, Tsunade decided that it would be best for everyone to grab a few hours of sleep while the sky was still dark before meeting at the training grounds to begin preparations. Naruto offered to lend his apartment to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George for the night so that Kakashi could at least give what little space he had to Remus, Kingsley and Mr. Weasley. Fred and George had protested at this, likely thinking that they could somehow get a peek under Kakashi's mask while he slept, but Kakashi would have none of that.

After the night's events and the events earlier at the Lovegood house, the wizards and the shinobi immediately fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. When sunrise came a few hours later, everyone complained but at least they felt more energized than before.

Tsunade immediately ordered the evacuation of all civilians and Genin, although to avoid setting off the suspicions of any Oto nin or wizards who may have been watching the village, they were moved into one of Konoha's underground compounds with a Fidelius Charm placed on the entrance for extra precaution.

After some initial pleading, Harry agreed to aid Kingsley in a dueling crash course for the ninja with groups that would rotate out. In the meantime, Naruto was escorting Hermione around the village so she could add extra fortifications and barriers to the buildings.

The sun was almost to the middle of the sky when Hermione and Naruto took a break in front of the Hokage memorial.

"Is that Tsunade's face on there?" She asked suddenly.

Naruto looked over and grinned. "Yeah, that's the Hokage Memorial. All the faces of the Hokages of Konoha are on there."

Then Naruto pointed to one. "See that one there? That's the Sandaime Hokage….he was killed by Orochimaru during his first invasion five years ago." He said sadly.

Hermione opened her mouth to comfort him, but Naruto spoke up again. "And that one there, that's the Yondaime Hokage. He died while sealing the Kyuubi into me. He did it to protect his village and for that, he'll always be my hero."

Hermione glanced at Naruto, a small smile on her face.

Sai had retreated from Naruto and the other wizards the previous night after Naruto and Kakashi had returned, despite Naruto's claims that he would allow him to stay for the night at his apartment. He liked the quiet and peaceful sanctuary of his own apartment, although if he were allowing himself to be honest, it was…strange to be by himself after months of constant companionship.

He had been flipping through his sketchbook when there was a knock at the door. It was already halfway filled with drawings – paintings done in ink from his time at 12 Grimmauld Place, rough graphite sketches of the landscapes when they had been travelling across the English countryside and finally portraiture sketches of the wizards, many of which had been done last night.

As Sai stood up to answer the door, Danzo burst through.

"What were you thinking? Bringing those…those people back with you!"

Sai quickly bent to the floor, bowing, making sure to position his body in such a way that his sketchbook was hidden from view.

"They could turn and betray us!" Danzo snarled.

Sai knew in his head that this was impossible. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew that Harry and his friends would never do that. "It's not in their nature." He replied.

Danzo looked down speechless as his subordinate. "Their nature…!" He sputtered. "What is the Ne code of conduct?" He barked.

Sai stood up, his head still bowed. "In Ne, you have no name, you have no feelings, you have no past, you have no future. All you have is your mission. That which supports the great tree of Konoha unseen with in the ground…" Said Sai in a perfect clear voice, without any hitch of emotion.

"Good, and you better remember that…nature, what would you know of nature?" Snarled Danzo.

"Nothing." Said Sai raising his head.

Danzo looked at him and then nodded his head. "I'll forgive you for this minor insubordination. Don't disappoint me again." He warned before quickly stomping through the door in which he came.

Sai calmly closed the door, wondering at the small prick of irritation he felt. He looked down at his sketchbook where he had managed to get a good sketch of Fred and George huddled over Kakashi's illustrated copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

What was that name Naruto always called Danzo? Oh yeah, Houtai Omo.

Ron, Fred and George had been placed in charge of making sure all civilians, Genin and anyone unable to fight were escorted into the underground compounds.

At the sight of one Academy student crying, Fred had rummaged around in his pockets and found a Screaming Yo-Yo. He presented it to the boy, whose tears immediately stopped as he shrieked with delight to show his friends.

"That was really nice of you…considering you never give me anything for free." Said Ron as he stood by Fred.

"Well, I always did have a way with kids." Said Fred with a cheeky grin. "And what better way to share the gift of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes with the world?"

"Whaddya mean I have to go?! I'm a Genin! A ninja! It's my duty to stay and fight!"

Ron and Fred turned to see a boy with spiky brown hair, much like Naruto's although noticeably younger. He seemed to be arguing with two other ninja.

"Konohamaru," Kotetsu sighed. "You're not leaving; you're just going into hiding. We're just taking special precautions since we don't want any of the Genin getting hurt."

"You act like I'm a little kid!" Konohamaru yelled. "I'm not! I'm the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage!"

"Now is your chance to shine, Ronnie-kins." Said Fred with a teasing smile as he nudged Ron toward Konohamaru.

Ron hesitantly approached. He didn't have any cool items so he pulled his wand out of his pocket instead. "Hey…" Said Ron, with what he hoped was an encouraging smile when he reached Konohamaru. "Everything is going to be fine. Want to see a trick?" He asked, holding up his wand hopefully.

Konohamaru raised an eyebrow at Ron before spitting at the ground near his feet. "Who do you think I am, a goddamn baby?" He asked before stomping off.

"Bloody ninja." Ron muttered as Fred laughed in the background.

Harry was currently puzzling over a man in what appeared to be green spandex and orange leg warmers. He also had the strangest bowl haircut Harry had ever seen. People often said that wizards were strange dressers but Harry was convinced this guy had them beat.

"Most of the wizards will be Snatchers," Kingsley was explaining to the group of ninja before them. "Wizards who are overeager to get into You Know Who's good graces. And as such, they won't be nearly as accomplished as a Death Eater. You should use your speed and strength to your advantage."

It was already past noon and this was the third group that Harry and Kingsley began training that day. Protected by an assortment of invisibility barriers, they worked with training the ninja on how to dodge spells, cast both verbally and non-verbally.

A girl with two brown buns stepped up in front of Harry, ready to take her turn. But before he even raised his wand, the girl threw up a scroll and before he knew it, a bunch of shuriken were flying at him.

"Protego!" Harry yelled, just in the nick of time as the shuriken hit the barrier and fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Did I do well Harry-sensei?" The girl asked smiling.

Harry straightened his glasses. "Yeah...attacking them before they attack you works too..."

This was more dangerous than the D.A meetings.

When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, rendering Konoha in darkness, Tsunade dismissed the wizards from their work, thanking them profusely for all their help and urging them to get a good night's rest in preparation for tomorrow.

When Naruto, Harry, Ron and Hermione retired back to Naruto's apartment, Naruto was the first to pass out, followed soon by Harry.

"What do you think will happen tomorrow?" Ron asked softly in the darkness from where he was sleeping on the floor.

Hermione's eyes opened. She hadn't known that Ron was still awake…not that she had been sleeping much herself. "We'll win…I suppose." She said quietly. She didn't know that – not truly – but she said it anyway for Ron's sake.

"Will we?" Ron asked. He paused as Naruto gave out a loud snore. "I always…I always thought that it would be the Killing Curse to get me in the end, you know, if You Know Who ever caught up to us. I never thought that it would be a knife to the throat." He said quietly.

Hermione trembled a bit at hearing Ron's words and she clenched her hands together tightly underneath her blanket. But he was right. This was different from everything that had done thus far. They were fighting with real ninja who fought to maim…who fought to kill.

"We'll watch each other's backs, as we've always have." Said Hermione softly.

"Yeah." Said Ron, thoughtfully. "And well…Harry's always been good at this stuff."

"Yes…" Said Hermione uncertainly. "Yes…"

The sun was low on the horizon; the sky still dark. Konoha was as silent and as dead as a grave, but no one paid much attention to this considering the early hour.

Fenrir Greyback stood in his tattered robes, a smile on his scarred face. He would have preferred for this attack to take place at night during a full moon, but alas, he was only one cog in the machine and not everything could go his way.

The men behind him were growing anxious. They had their wands out as they stood far in the cover of trees. They were talking softly amongst each other, but Fenrir knew that they were as anxious as he was. He glanced over at the white haired youth, standing not too far from him. As if he could feel his gaze, the boy glanced his way and he could see distrust and uncertainty on his face before he masked it with a smile, showing off rows of pointy teeth. Fenrir grinned back, bearing his sharp incisors before he gave a nod of his head. The boy's smile faded, but he too gave a nod of his head.

Fenrir held his hand up and red sparks emitted from his wand. He heard dozens of audible pops from behind him.

A few seconds later, the screaming started. Music to his ears.

Rowle Apparated into the bedroom with a soft pop; the screaming outside muffled by the walls. He could not suppress his smile as he walked softly toward the lone bed that was in the room.

He raised his wand.

The Dark Lord would praise him for this. When he had been told that he would be the one to assassinate the Hokage of Konoha, he knew this would be his chance at redemption especially after the embarrassing debacle on Tottingham Court Road. He knew that Fenrir Greyback had been disappointed after the Dark Lord picked him to do the job; Greyback had been practically salivating after seeing the Hokage's picture in the Bingo Book. But Rowle knew the Dark Lord's reasoning. Fenrir was a mere pawn…he was no Death Eater.

Rowle flicked his wand and the covers on the bed were discarded into a corner of the bedroom. But the person in the bed was certainly not the blond haired Hokage.

"Ava-…Ey! Who the bloody hell are you?" Rowle demanded.

Kakashi scratched his head and sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry." He said. "Who exactly are you looking for?"

"The Hokage!" Rowle shouted, clearly flustered. "Where the hell is she?" He looked enraged for a moment, but then shook his head. "No matter, you're in the book too." He raised his wand toward Kakashi once more before Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Bewildered, Rowle only spun halfway around before he was hit with a red stunning spell in the face. He collapsed to the floor as Kakashi reappeared. He knelt down next to the Rowle and gave him a prod with his finger. Rowle didn't stir although he was still clearly alive.

Kakashi nodded his head, satisfied and looked toward the corner of the room and gave a thumbs up. "You think you can do those magical ropes? It'd be a shame if he got loose."

There was a shimmer and suddenly, Harry Potter emerged from the corner of the room, Invisibility Cloak in hand. "I think I can manage that."

Suigetsu knew that something was wrong, when the two guards at the main entrance gate each disappeared in a puff of smoke, despite the screams that could still be heard. He was suspicious enough already, wondering why Orochimaru had placed him in charge of all the Otogakure troops for the Konoha invasion when Kabuto or Sasuke were both available for the daunting task.

A wizard, breathless and sweaty, Apparated back in their midst and Fenrir was on him in an instant.

"What's going on?" Fenrir growled, grabbing the wizard by the robes.

The wizard shook his head. "I don't know! I…I just barely escaped. The old ninja I was supposed to kill wasn't there…some other ninja was there and he was holding this!" With shaking fingers, the wizard brought up what appeared to be a yo-yo. He flicked it downward where it let out a deafening, but familiar scream.

Fenrir stared at it for a minute, eyes wide before he ripped the yo-yo from the wizards fingers and chucked it into the forest with a howl.

"Charge the village!" Fenrir yelled.

And that's when they heard the real screaming. Only it wasn't screaming…it was a battle cry.

And it was coming from behind them.

Glossary:

Minna-san- Everyone
Houtai Omo- Bandage Face

Bingo Book

Undesirable #11

Nymphadora 'Tonks' Tonks

Status: Half-blood, Auror, Known member of the Order of the Phoenix

Family: Andromeda Tonks (mother) – Pureblood (Undesirable #30), Ted Tonks (father) – Muggle-born (Undesirable #31)

Security Status: TRACKED. Pregnant and confined to her mother's house.