Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.

Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), some moderate Dumbledore bashing (he's more manipulative than evil but mostly just stubborn), and who knows what else.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.

Chapter 7: Intrusions from the Past

It would be two months before Satoshi allowed Inoichi to view his memories of the tragic mission; two months in which the soon to be ten year old suffered through endless nightmares, constantly tried to scrub non-existent blood from his body and hands with scalding hot water, and had little to no appetite as anything he ate usually came right back up during or after his nightmares. The only thing that stopped Satoshi from withdrawing completely during that time, or rather, the only two people keeping Satoshi from locking himself in his mind were Naruto and Shino (his promise not allowing him to pull away from them).

At the end of the first month, Shibi finally coaxed the details of what had happened out of his tormented son and spent several hours reassuring his son that he was not an evil monster because he'd taken the lives of others to protect himself and his teammates. It wasn't just the fact that he'd killed for the first time that disturbed Satoshi though; it was the fact that he had used the wild energy inside of him to not just kill Gari but to utterly and completely destroy his soul.

In his desperation during that second battle, Satoshi had screamed those terrible two words that had stolen his mother from him and his magic had responded in an instant and the moment the green light had touched Gari the man had fallen over dead without a single mark on him. Satoshi's magic had linked him to the other man for a brief moment and in the instant Gari died, Satoshi had felt his magic rip the man's soul from his body and literally shred it into millions of pieces.

On top of that horror, the dark magic associated with the Killing Curse had left its mark on Satoshi; that darkness killing off nearly all of his Kikaichu in a single instant due to the corruption inherent in dark magic. The oily taint it had left on both his soul and his magic had the nine year old purging his stomach each time he thought about it or felt the pollution that clung to that wild energy inside of him.

Shibi, upon learning that his son believed his soul had been tainted not by the killing (though that bothered him too) but by the method in which he'd killed, sent Satoshi to the monks at the Fire Temple. Satoshi would spend an entire month at the temple undergoing numerous purification rituals in order to cleanse his soul and ultimately his magic of the poison that had infected him. While there, Satoshi spent much of his time in prayer and meditation when he wasn't going through the cleansing rituals. When the stain had finally been cleansed from his soul and he no longer felt the oily taint clinging to his magical core, Satoshi thanked the monks for their help and returned to the village where he finished the cleansing process by allowing Inoichi to view his memories of that terrible mission.

Not long after he returned home from the shrine, he returned to the Forest of Death once more to rebuild his swarm with his father. There'd been a brief moment when he'd feared that the wild bugs would reject him because of how many Kikaichu he'd lost or gotten killed over the years but his worries were unfounded as the wild insects flocked to him droves; much as they always had.

When Satoshi asked his father why they weren't afraid of him, Shibi reminded his son that a Kikaichu's lifespan was short and bonding to a host nearly tripled their life expectancy and saved them from many predators. Shibi then assured Satoshi that he wasn't the first Aburame to lose large numbers of Kikaichu unexpectedly in battle or through a simple mistake. He also reminded Satoshi that any signs of intelligence that the destruction bugs displayed could be directly attributed their host; alone in the wild, they were simply mindless bugs drawn to the scent of chakra.

Swarm well on its way to recovering, Satoshi awkwardly fell back into the routine he'd been following prior to the disastrous mission minus the parts where he'd train and take missions with his teammates. Since he was not currently assigned to a team and not taking missions, Satoshi had more free time to spend with his little brother and Naruto who had quickly wormed his way into Satoshi's heart; and the two boys loved every minute Satoshi spent with them.

A week after Satoshi returned from the Fire Temple, while his son was struggling to regain a sense of normalcy, Shibi was meeting with the Hokage, Inoichi, Aoba, Kakashi (who was there at Shibi's request when he learned the meeting was regarding his son), and Nara Shikaku (Sarutobi's Chief Strategist).

"I would like your opinions on placing Satoshi-kun on a new team," Sarutobi stated bluntly as he dropped a pile of shinobi files on the table. "These are the files of the individuals currently not assigned to a team, please sort through them and give me your suggestions on which pair you think would be best able to integrate themselves into a team dynamic with the child."

"No," Shibi stated without even picking up a single folder. "Throwing him back into yet another new team now would only create problems and while he won't complain or refuse; he'll not accept them. His first team was torn apart nearly three years ago after Kushina died. His second team began breaking apart shortly after Satoshi's stat results were leaked and the end results of that mess saw his two teammates permanently crippled and my son suffering through a near crippling emotional breakdown."

"I see… and what do the rest of you recommend?"

"Physically, Satoshi-kun has recovered from his injuries but emotionally he's still trying to come to terms with his first kills. The month he spent with the monks went a long ways towards helping him find peace but he'll most likely continue having nightmares for another month or two, if not longer," Inoichi ventured when no one else jumped in with their recommendations. "Placing him on another team right now could potentially see him attempting to repress his emotions even more than he already does which would inevitably lead to complete mental breakdown or a violent outburst. He is a strong and resilient child but he is still a child and pushing him too far would only see him breaking."

"I have to agree with Inoichi and Shibi; putting him on a new team is the worst thing you could do. Satoshi-kun never exactly warmed up to his teammates after Team Twelve was formed," Aoba added with a sigh. "Don't get me wrong, he worked with them and they were a good, strong team but he was emotionally closed off from both Toshiro-kun and Nanami-chan and only tolerated me at best. Within the last six months something had spurred Nanami into trying to step forward as the leader of the team while Satoshi is a natural leader who is not afraid to use his intelligence though he is lacking self-confidence and experience."

"Nanami, either because she started resenting Satoshi for some reason or because she was being pressured by her clan, began disregarding Satoshi's ideas and suggestions. At the same time, Toshiro started growing bitter because he'd failed where a kunoichi and a mere child passed but because he'd had a longstanding crush on Nanami-chan, he'd take her side even against his better judgment since he hoped to impress her. I had hoped the three of them would work out their differences and the only reason I didn't step in to settle the dispute for them was because I didn't want to generate more resentment by appearing to pick favorites."

"Quite frankly, they were the wrong team to send alone on that mission because they were a tracking and scouting team; not an offensive capture and retrieve team. Team Four might have been versatile enough to handle that mission but Team Twelve was never equipped to handle the situation they found themselves in and their lack of cohesiveness only made matters worse."

Silence fell over the small gathering as they digested everything that had been said so far along with everything that had not been said; each one of them reviewing what they knew of the almost ten year old Chuunin. After a few minutes, Kakashi broke the silence to offer his opinion, "If you insist on placing Satoshi-kun on a team, put him back with Izumo and Kotetsu; otherwise there is no point in bothering."

"Shikaku?" Sarutobi inquired with a heavy sigh.

"These four gentlemen know the child best," Shikaku pointed out. "To ignore their honest advice would be sheer folly and only lead to another troublesome situation later down the road."

"So what would you suggest I do with the child if I don't place him on a team?"

"Allow him to float between teams for the moment, filling in for sick or injured shinobi," Shikaku answered without hesitation. "He plays the supporting roll well enough that he can walk into almost any team and fill a temporary position without generating any resentment on either party. Since he will be a temporary teammate, there will be no power struggles and Satoshi-kun won't feel any unnecessary pressure. Either that or throw him to the wolves early by sending him to AnBu, Torture and Interrogation, or the Cipher Division."

"Or you could just ask him what he wants," Kakashi drawled while Shibi glared at Shikaku for even suggesting sending Satoshi to join the AnBu or the T and I Department (the Cipher Division tame in comparison to the other two).

"Very well," Sarutobi replied as he picked up his pipe and brought it up to his mouth. "I will place him on the substitution roster for the time being. Aoba, since you are currently without a team to train I will place your name back down on the Jounin mission roster. Shibi, relax, it was just a suggestion; I have no intention of inducting your son into the AnBu forces until he is at least twelve and only if he is willing."

"Kindly remember that you are speaking of my oldest son and the current heir to the Aburame Clan," Shibi intoned in a warning tone as he switched his glare from Shikaku to the Sandaime.

"You made him your heir?" Sarutobi queried in surprise.

"He may not have been born of my blood but he is my son and he has been raised as an Aburame regardless of who his biological parents were. Shino-kun was born out of the love I shared with my wife; not because I thought Satoshi was unworthy to lead the clan and had my beloved Mayumi lived, we would have had two or three more children aside from my sons. My father, who you'll recall was the former clan head, fully supported my decision to name Satoshi as my heir the moment his first swarm emerged."

"Just remember that he is also one of my shinobi," the Hokage calmly stated once he got over the slight shock of an adopted child being named clan heir (something that had never happened in the past except in cases where the adopted child was the orphaned child of another clan member).

The meeting ended shortly after that with Shibi feeling disgruntled and out of sorts over everything that had been said. For a brief moment he wished he could go back in time and change his mind about training Satoshi as a shinobi before he snorted and sighed; he knew that even if he could go back in time, he'd not change one decision he'd made regarding his oldest son.

When the twenty-five (almost twenty-six) year old finally reached his home, he opened the door silently and paused as he heard a pair of shrill giggles and screams of laughter ring out. Two seconds later, his youngest son and a tiny blonde went tearing passed him with his eldest in hot pursuit. One look at Satoshi's face had the man choking on his laughter as someone had drawn several crooked whiskers on the soon to be ten year old's cheeks and a pair of squiggly looking antennae above his glasses in bright blue ink.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you two!" Satoshi called out in a raised voice which from any other person would have been their normal speaking voice; it was the loudest Satoshi had spoken in nearly three years (not counting his two vigils).

"New look, little bug?" Shibi asked when the trio passed by him a second time as he stepped all the into the house and closed the door.

"Tousan!" Satoshi almost whined which only made Shibi's grin grow wider beneath the rim of his jacket.

"Well, have fun with the two insects; try not to squish them when you catch them."

At that moment both toddlers wrapped their arms around Shibi's knees and he glanced down to see that they had drawn the same exact markings on each others faces as well; Shino had traced right over the whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks. Both younger boys were also covered in Kikaichu; the dark bodied bugs (both black and dark blue) stood out sharply in contrast against Naruto's yellow hair. Twin puffs of smoke suddenly filled the room and a pair of dragonflies the size of adult poodles swept down and snagged the three year olds (or nearly three years old in Naruto's case) and carried them off to where Satoshi was waiting with his arms crossed.

Curious as to what his oldest was going to do, Shibi leaned against the wall to watch. He didn't have long to wait as Satoshi collected both boys from the dragonflies, tucked one under each arm, and thanked the oversized flying insects before dismissing them. The two toddlers squealed and wriggled but Satoshi held them firmly as he turned and carried them off towards the bathroom and two wails of protest rang out when the eldest of the trio declared it to be bath time.

Following the trio, Shibi listened to the two younger boys begging for mercy before they pulled out the big guns and used the dreaded Fukigen no Jutsu as they called Satoshi 'niisan' in stereo. Satoshi actually stumbled and nearly dropped both boys in shock and the toddlers took advantage of his shock as they twisted around to hang from the taller boy's neck and hugged him while begging him not to wash their faces yet. Shibi would later snag a few pictures of the three boys, their faces still decorated, as they sat on the couch curled up together while Satoshi read a story to them.

The older Aburame suspected that his oldest son had been caught completely off guard by Kushina's son calling him brother for the first time. Remembering how close his son had been to the vivacious kunoichi, Shibi knew having that connection to her son meant the world to Satoshi. Naruto would end up staying the rest of the weekend with the family; Satoshi loath to send his newly claimed youngest brother home. Shibi was happy to note that over the past nine months the little blonde bundle of energy had filled out quite a bit thanks to the proper care he was now receiving and that his presence (combined with Shino's) had helped to thaw his oldest son's guilt riddled and grief frozen heart.

Monday morning found Satoshi standing before the Hokage once more as he was informed of his new status as a substitute shinobi; meaning he'd be assigned to fill in on teams that were a man down. The stoic child took the news fairly well as he was assigned his first temporary posting just two minutes later to the team of his old friend Toriichi Kumade (who had been promoted to Jounin two years earlier) and they were given an escort mission to Tea Country.

Over the course of the two week long mission, Satoshi shocked his old friend with the stark changes in his personality (the older teen had not really seen the younger boy except in passing during the past five years). Satoshi, for his part, had been surprised to find his old friend wearing a cloth face mask, similar to the one Kakashi always wore, to cover the bottom half of his face. The other two Chuunin on the team hadn't known Satoshi at all previously and found his emotionless demeanor slightly off putting because they couldn't tell what he was thinking behind his dark glasses and high collar.

They encountered more than one group of bandits and thugs over the course of the mission and efficiently dispatched them while protecting their clients. Satoshi only froze up once during the first battle as he had a flash back to the disastrous mission that had crippled his former teammates (until the pain of getting skewered by a stray kunai snapped his attention back to his surroundings). Kumade confronted him about the incident later but Satoshi simply shook his head and murmured out an assurance that it wouldn't happen again.

The sixteen year old frowned but didn't push the younger boy since they still had a mission to complete. Satoshi felt a little guilty about blowing his old friend off but not enough for him to actually say anything; the young Chuunin had no desire to share the shame and guilt he still felt over the way that mission had ended. If Kumade had known about the nightmares that Satoshi still suffered from on a near nightly basis, the Jounin might have pressed Satoshi further. As it was, Satoshi managed to keep his nightmares hidden from his temporary teammates by sleeping behind a low level barrier layered with a weak genjutsu.

They returned just seven days before Satoshi's tenth birthday and Satoshi was sent right back out with another team to transport a sensitive document to the Daimyou of Fire Country. It was a fairly quick and easy mission but there were politics involved simply due to the fact that it was the Daimyou to whom they were making the delivery. After the short dog and pony show, where he felt himself being scrutinized by the entire court, they escaped back to Konoha and slipped through the gates near eight in the evening on the thirtieth.

Satoshi was happy to be given the next two days off after the two back to back missions and swung by the orphanage on the way home to pick up Naruto only to be told that the little blonde wasn't available for the night. Slightly depressed over not being able to see his honorary little brother, Satoshi headed home where he was blindsided by a surprise birthday party that his father had arranged. The handful of friends that he'd made through the years, the various shinobi he'd trained with over the past two years, and little Naruto were all there.

The only people noticeably absent were the various Hyuuga that Satoshi had worked with or made friends with over the years. That wasn't really surprising though, considering the Hyuuga had been up in arms about Nanami's crippling injuries that had effectively ended her ninja career and quite a few members of the Hyuuga clan blamed the ten year old for her condition. A similar rift had occurred between the Inuzuka and the Aburame Clans as well due to Toshiro's lost leg and the death of the teen's ninken.

Despite the missing faces, Satoshi had a pleasant evening (though only a few of them could tell just how pleased he was behind his jacket and glasses).

Satoshi's next mission assignment was as part of the nightly guard patrols that roamed the streets for the next week due to the fact that there were currently no teams short handed. Satoshi didn't mind, since it meant that he could spend the days with his little brothers to make up for the weeks he'd been absent. Under normal circumstances, Satoshi would have been considered too young to patrol the streets at night. However, because there was a delegation of shinobi visiting from Kumo to sign a new peace treaty with Konoha, the Hokage had wanted extra shinobi out patrolling to prevent any mishaps from occurring over the duration of the delegation's stay.

The ink hadn't quite finished drying on the newly signed treaty when the Jounin leading the delegation attempted to kidnap Hyuuga Hinata; the daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi (current Head of the Hyuuga Clan) and the young heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. As luck would have it, Satoshi happened to be patrolling the street right outside of the huge Hyuuga Estate when the Kumo Jounin dropped down over the wall carrying a tied and gagged Hinata slung over his shoulder. The ten year old's swarm (which had been spread out in a half mile wide surveillance net around Satoshi as he patrolled) had given him fair warning before the Kumo Jounin made his appearance and therefore Satoshi was ready and waiting.

Six scorpions the size of cocker spaniels attacked the man with their pinchers before he knew what was happening while a solid black dragonfly about twice the size of the scorpions dove down out of the shadows and stole Hinata out of the man's arms; leaving Satoshi free to attack without the risk of the little girl being hurt. There was a short battle between the two before Satoshi used his Konkurito no Jutsu to mire the man in the middle of the street when he turned the ground beneath them both into wet cement (once his scorpions were clear).

A weak fire jutsu combined with a small burst of magic and chakra hardened the street the moment the man's weight had sunk him to his ankles and captured one of the man's hands when he'd dropped down to escape from the fire. Seeing that he was securely trapped, Satoshi sent his Kikaichu to drain the man of eighty percent of his chakra at the same time as an alarm sounded from within the Hyuuga compound.

Satoshi had just reclaimed the terrified and crying Hinata from his dragon fly, dismissed the flying insect, and untied the toddler as Hiashi came barreling out of the estate in a towering rage. The sight of the short ten year old cradling and attempting to comfort his distressed daughter while standing over the trapped Jounin and surrounded by the menacing scorpions drew the twenty-nine year old clan head up short. Hiashi's first thought had been to kill the man who'd dared touch his daughter; however, Satoshi gently but firmly pushing the frightened toddler into his arms distracted him long enough for a squad of AnBu Jounin to arrive to take the captured shinobi into custody for questioning.

The ten year old had then bowed politely to the Hyuuga Head and merely continued on his way to finish his patrol with the large scorpions scuttling along in his wake; all six of them loudly demanding (and later receiving) a reward for their part in the capture (as did the dragonfly).

The fall out from that incident had far reaching effects on both Kumo and Konoha. The Kumo Jounin (who'd been acting on his own in order to steal the Byakugan to replace the eye he'd lost to a Hyuuga years earlier) was publicly executed and Kumo ended up agreeing to a couple of compromises the Raikage had originally rejected. The only reason the treaty wasn't revoked outright over the incident was because the man had been acting entirely on his own.

The fact that it was Satoshi that rescued the young heiress also saw the rift that had formed between the Hyuuga and the Aburame over Nanami's injuries being repaired. It helped that little Hinata was quite taken with her new 'aniki' who had saved her from the 'big bad man' and somehow the little heiress ended up joining Shino and Naruto on their play dates along with her older cousin Hyuuga Neji.

On the sixth of August, Satoshi was sent out of the village once more with two teams in order to patrol the northern borders of Fire Country where it butted up against Yu no Kuni due to rumors of unrest filtering out of Yugakure no Sato. After twelve days spent parked in the same tree monitoring the same ten mile stretch of border with the help of his Kikaichu, Satoshi was more than happy to see their replacements turn up just before dawn on the twentieth. Satoshi calmly handed the Jounin a scroll filled with a copy of the detailed report he'd written of everything that had occurred in the immediate area (a whole lot of nothing).

He then gathered his Kikaichu and headed back to the base camp twenty miles out from the border to report to the Jounin in charge of patrols before starting home. It took the ten year old just over two days to make his way back to Konoha alongside the two teams that had shared the recent patrol with him. They reached the Hokage Tower just a few minutes after sunset and spent another hour and a half giving a verbal report of the state of the border (peaceful and quiet).

When he was dismissed, Satoshi made his way slowly back to the Aburame Compound as he silently made plans to spend time with his brother and the other children during the week he'd been given off to rest. He'd just about reached the gate that marked the entrance to the Compound when his Kikaichu became agitated; the portion of his swarm tied to his magic had picked up an unfamiliar presence that had the same wild energy that Satoshi had inside of him.

Crouching down, Satoshi created two shadow clones and sent one to investigate while he sent the second one to find the nearest AnBu Guard on patrol (which happened to be Inu). A single Kikaichu was dispatched at the same time to alert his father; the small bug making an effective messenger that was far less noticeable than a clone. Five minutes later, a flurry of red lights lit up the night and Satoshi tensed as he felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up in protest as the intruder's magic left the heavy scent of ozone on the wind.

Shortly after the last of the light faded away the clone he'd sent to hunt down the intruder dispersed and Satoshi frowned at the collection of memories he received from the clone of a rather tough-looking man with very short wiry, gray hair who was wearing what looked like some kind of blood red dress or robes. The thin stick the man used to produce the bursts of red light tickled at the old memories Satoshi had of his life from before his birth parents had died and the ten year old felt a knot of trepidation form in his belly. About that time Kakashi appeared beside him in a swirl of smoke just seconds after his second clone dispersed; the seventeen year old wearing his AnBu uniform and mask.

"Status report," Kakashi ordered softly as he crouched down beside Satoshi.

"One man; middle aged, average height, short gray hair, wearing a red robe, and no apparent village affiliation," Satoshi promptly replied before he paused a moment as he checked the man's location with his Kikaichu. "He is currently thirty meters to the north and slowly working his way in our direction."

"And the light show?"

"His work… produced with the stick he carries when he immediately attacked the clone I sent to investigate his presence shortly after my swarm had detected his presence. Otousan arrived two minutes before you did and he is currently monitoring the intruder's progress from the branches of the tree beside the gate leading into the Aburame Compound."

"Here's what we're going to do," Kakashi stated after a few seconds of tense thinking. "I'm going to position myself to the north of the man's current position and on my signal we're going to herd him towards the wall where Shibi-san is waiting. I'll keep him occupied while you and your father drain his chakra to neutralize him."

"Hai, Inu-san," Satoshi replied, using Kakashi's AnBu designation since the teen was wearing his mask, as he created a single Mushi Bunshin and sent the insect clone to pass along the plan to his father before it would break itself down to allow the Kikaichu forming the clone to become part of the trap.

Kakashi nodded sharply once before he vanished in another swirl of smoke and Satoshi quickly ran through a series of hand seals, nicked his right thumb on his eye tooth, and slammed his right palm down on the ground in front of him. As the seals of the summoning jutsu flashed across the ground, two scorpions that were slightly larger than a fully grown St. Bernard appeared in a burst of smoke.

"What do you want, gaichuu?" the dark blue scorpion demanded crankily as he snapped his pinchers.

"I need your help to capture an intruder," Satoshi answered softly. "I'll provide you each with two pounds of chocolate covered ants and two pounds of roasted crickets after we're finished if you will help me."

"Deal," the yellow and brown scorpion agreed without hesitation, the giant arachnid drooling at the prospect of the offered delicacies.

"The man is wearing a bright red robes and he is fairly antsy and quick to attack; we're to drive him towards the wall where otousan will be waiting with his Kikaichu. Watch out for Inu-san, he'll be driving the man from the north and will probably have one or more of his ninken to help." A shrill whistle split the night at that moment and Satoshi pulled out half a dozen senbon as he rose up into a half crouch and began working his way forward while tossing over his shoulder, "That's our signal to move out."

Both scorpions darted passed Satoshi on their segmented legs; their pinchers snapping menacingly and their tails curled high over their bodies. From the north, the ten year old could hear the growls and barks of at least four ninken working with the gray haired Jounin. The pair of summoned arachnids reached the intruder first and once more colored lights lit up the night, these ones ranging in color from white to yellow to red. Quick on their feet, the scorpions dodged most of the blasts thrown at them while the ones they couldn't avoid were deflected by their heavily armored pinchers.

Satoshi was there seconds later, launching a steady stream of senbon at the man's feet and legs from the trees growing around the compound with the help of a couple of Mushi Bunshin in order to herd him in the direction they wanted him to go. Kakashi and his dogs had formed a small half circle in order to drive the man from the north and west, making certain the man couldn't escape into the village and like Satoshi were herding the man with thrown weapons and small explosions. Beneath the ground, thousands of burrowing Kikaichu were making their way towards where Shibi was standing ready with his bugs in preparation to swarm the man the moment he was where they wanted him.

Everything was going according to plan when the scowling man suddenly fired an acid green light towards Kakashi and time slowed down as fear coiled in Satoshi's belly as he recognized both the light and the words the man had spoken.

Pure rage filled the ten year old at the same time and he gave a wordless cry of fury that pierced the night as he Shunshined directly into the path of the killing green jutsu and threw up a wall of concrete to protect his brother in all but blood. The wall exploded violently the moment the green light struck it, bits of rock and cement shooting in every direction; leaving the three humans that were standing on ground level littered with cuts and bruises while the summoned dogs and arachnids vanished in bursts of smoke. The man stood at the ready, both of his eyes focused intently on Satoshi and his brow furrowed as if he was confused.

Running through a series of hand seals faster than the eye could follow, Satoshi hissed out a sharp, "Mizu no Muchi," and the moisture in the air quickly condensed into a long whip of water. The ten year old then dropped the ankle weights he wore with a sharp burst of chakra and the sound of them hitting the ground echoed through the street like a pair of firecrackers going off. Satoshi then leaned forward and slightly to the left as his green eyes blazed in fury behind his dark lenses.

"You have exactly five seconds in which to drop your weapon and surrender," Satoshi declared coldly in a voice that cut through the night like a knife as he let out a short burst of killing intent.

"Merlin's sweaty ass crack; I don't have time for this shit," the man groused in English to the shock of both Satoshi and Kakashi; though neither shinobi allowed their emotions to show on their faces. "I only have another twenty minutes before I'm supposed to check in with Fudge and I still haven't found the miserable brat."

"I repeat, you have exactly five seconds to drop your weapon and surrender or I am going to gut you where you stand for your attempted murder of my brother," Satoshi repeated in English since he wasn't certain if the man had understood Japanese or not.

"Keep your pants on runt, I'm here on official business and I'll be gone as soon as I get what I came for."

"Time is running out and you are trying my patience."

"You're nothing but a snot nosed brat; what are you going to do, call your mummy to scold me?"

"It's your funeral," Satoshi retorted in Japanese as he exploded into action.

Without the ankle weights holding him down, Satoshi fairly flew over the surface of the street; a black and red blur that was near impossible to follow. The whip in his hand cracked and snapped rhythmically as he lashed out at the man that had attempted to kill Kakashi in front of him. The man continuously spun back and forth as he tried to follow Satoshi's movements; the stick in his hand spouting bursts of different colored lights that never even came close to hitting the ten year old (including a few more of the green ones that Satoshi blocked with concrete slabs).

Within the first five minutes, the man was bleeding from several thin cuts and had red welts crisscrossing his hands, face, back, and chest from where the thin rope of chakra charged water had struck him; the water whip had easily cut through the fabric of his clothes. Satoshi began herding the man in the direction of his father once more at that point, knowing Kakashi and his father both would want to interrogate the man to find out how he'd snuck into Konoha and why he was lurking about the compound.

When the man was standing over his buried Kikaichu, Satoshi came to a stop right in front of the man and formed a single seal as he trapped the man in a genjutsu that made the man think Satoshi had just drawn his sword and sliced him open from groin to sternum. The man cried out hoarsely and clutched at his belly and Satoshi quickly wrapped his water whip around the man's torso and arms and tied it off as close to ten thousand Kikaichu converged on him from beneath the ground and the trees above. The ten year old felt no remorse as the man screamed out a second time, his mind making him experience Satoshi meticulously slicing him open every few seconds.

"That's enough, little bug," Shibi declared as he dropped down from the wall to land at Satoshi's side. "Cancel the genjutsu and go home to watch over your brother while Inu and I take him to Inoichi."

"He has no chakra, tousan; just an endless well of wild energy," Satoshi stated as he held the genjutsu a minute longer before complying with his father's order. "Kai." The ten year old then vanished in a swirl of bugs and reappeared at Kakashi's side, promptly hugged the teen tightly with an edge of desperation before he gathered up his weights and Shunshined home to watch over his brother.

Satoshi nearly vomited as he reappeared in the middle of his living room, the memory of the sickly green light heading straight for Kakashi and the putrid taint of the foul magic that fueled the jutsu making his stomach cramp and churn. He dropped to his knees, his weights clanking heavily on the wooden floors as he wrapped his arms around his stomach and pressed his face to the floor. The pattering of little footsteps dashing across the floor was the only warning the ten year old had before his little brother crashed into him and knocked him onto his side.

"Niisan! Missed you!"

"I missed you too, little tick," Satoshi replied softly as he gathered his brother in his arms and buried his nose in his brothers hair.

"I not little! I gonna be bigger'n you!" Shino protested indignantly.

"Maybe… but you'll always be my baby brother."

"Toshi-nii," Shino whined with a slight pout.

Satoshi laughed softly and allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up in the slightest of smiles; his brother's antics helping to dispel the lingering knot of dread that had formed in his stomach earlier. The two of them would spend the next three hours making and eating a small snack, taking a warm bath (so Satoshi could wash and treat his injuries from the fight), playing games, and reading stories. Near nine-thirty, Satoshi tucked his sleepy brother into bed, kissed his brow, and left several hundred Kikaichu to watch over the three year old while he returned to the living room to wait for his father to return.

He ended up dozing on the couch as the rather fast paced battle combined with his recent trip back from the border had tired him out. Shibi woke him up shortly after midnight and Satoshi yawned tiredly as he blinked up at his father and the four Jounin that were standing behind him; the ten year old easily recognizing Inoichi, Kakashi, and Tenzou but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen the scarred teen that was standing beside his pseudo brother.

"I know you're tired, little bug; but I need you to allow Inoichi to view your memory of the earlier battle along with the memory of the night your biological parents died so that he can confirm that the jutsu used in both cases were one and the same," Shibi instructed as he stepped back now that Satoshi was awake.

Satoshi nodded and sat up, his eyes immediately seeking out the long haired Jounin. Inoichi stepped forward and placed his hand on Satoshi's head with his other hand forming half a tiger seal and a moment later, Satoshi was standing inside his mindscape with the Jounin. The old ruined nursery that had appeared the first few times Inoichi appeared in his mind had long since vanished beneath a lush jungle filled with millions of brightly colored exotic flowers and insects; visual confirmation that Satoshi had completely embraced his new life and family.

"I'm ready when you are, Satoshi-kun," Inoichi announced as he glanced at the mental avatar that was an exact copy of the real Satoshi; right down to the hitai-ate tied round the ten year old's lower left thigh but minus the fresh cuts and bruises from his earlier battle (from where the shattered cement had struck the ten year old when his wall exploded).

Satoshi nodded and the world around them dissolved and reformed to show Satoshi making his way home after he had finished giving his report to the Hokage. They watched the entire incident unfold in silence as the Satoshi from the memory stopped the moment he learned of the intruder, sent off his clones, and gained the memories of the first dispelled clone. Inoichi would then pay special attention to the man's method of performing jutsu and his words as he watched the short but intense battle unfold.

When the memory finished playing, the two of them stood once more in the lush jungle before the world shifted a second time as Satoshi played out the old memory of the night his birth parents had been murdered as requested by his father. The moment the second memory ended, Inoichi left ten year old's mind.

"Arigatou, Satoshi-kun," Inoichi murmured as he dropped his hand from Satoshi's head. The man then turned to look at Shibi as he added, "There is no doubt; the man you caught used the same method of attack. There is also no mistaking the sickly green light of that killing jutsu."

"I was afraid of that," Shibi muttered as he scowled at the floor, his Kikaichu buzzing angrily.

"What's going on, tousan?"

Shibi didn't answer at first as his scowl deepened and Satoshi knew his father was seriously considering not answering the question. That knowledge had the Chuunin's eyebrows disappearing beneath the bandana tied around his forehead before they drew back down and furrowed together as he frowned. It was only on very rare occasions that his father would not answer his questions and that was usually because it involved some village secret or it was classified information that was job related. That his father might leave Satoshi in the dark about what had been learned from the prisoner meant that things were far more serious than he'd suspected and the knot of dread from earlier returned two-fold.

"Satoshi, musuko; sometimes it is hard to think of you as anything other than that timid little bug I found hiding in the holly almost eight years ago," Shibi finally began as he wearily sat down in the chair across from Satoshi. "You are a shinobi, have been a Chuunin for two years now, and you have proved time and time again that you can protect yourself and others. As much as I wish to protect you, I realize that leaving you in the dark this time would only make matters worse and leave you open to an attack."

"Tousan…?"

"That man was here for one reason and one reason alone; he was hunting you. He has, in fact, been hunting for you for almost eight years along with at least another two dozen individuals. Apparently, they had been unable to find any clues as to where you had disappeared to and believed you to be dead right up until the day you were injured during your first Chuunin Exams."

Satoshi sucked in a sharp breath and pressed a hand to his chest over his scars; his mind automatically pulling forward the memory of that terrible day. His father paused for a moment and studied him closely before he continued explaining.

"Apparently, they have some method of tracking or monitoring you but it also has limits. During the Tournament portion of your second attempt at the Chuunin Exams a year and a half later, they again took notice of you during your match with the Kiri Genin. Those two incidents confirmed that you were alive but they still had no idea where to begin looking for you until just over three months after the Exams; when you began learning how to change the nature of your chakra but it would still take time for them to pinpoint your location."

The ten year old went completely still, even his Kikaichu froze in place as he realized exactly what his father was telling him; whoever was hunting him could track that other energy inside of him. Energy that he could not always control when his emotions spiked out of control.

"They found me when… the day I… when I killed Gari," Satoshi stated as he started breathing again almost two minutes later. "Because I used… I led them right to me."

"Hai; they'd been getting a little closer each time," Shibi agreed with a single nod. "The fact that you've been jumping all over the country these past couple of months only stalled them. Until the night you saved the Hyuuga heiress they could not pinpoint your location down; only you left before they could catch you and then you spent two long weeks on border patrol using only your swarm to avoid drawing attention to yourself."

"And so he… or is it they? …he or they stayed in Konoha hoping that I would return at some point."

"Correct, little bug."

"How did he know where I lived? For that matter, how do they know who I am? If they have been looking for me for so long, they could not have known that you adopted me or they would have been here sooner…"

"The man we caught only knew you by your birth name and he had a rather accurate description of you including the odd jagged scar that you hide beneath your bandana. Apparently, this man and the others that are looking for you knew your biological parents by sight as least. As for how he knew to find you here; apparently your Kekkei Genkai leaves behind a noticeable residue…"

"And because I've lived here for eight years there was a large enough concentration of it that it would have been obvious that I either lived here, trained here, or visited this location frequently," Satoshi finished matter-of-factly when his father trailed off. "What exactly is it that they want with me?"

Shibi sighed wearily as he reached up with one hand at rubbed at his eyes from beneath his dark glasses; a sure sign that he was frustrated, worried, and exhausted. After a few minutes, he dropped his hand and continued in a much softer voice that was tight with tension and more than a hint of anger, "They wish to return you to your former guardians and train you to properly use your Kekkei Genkai according the man we captured. They are under the impression that you were kidnapped out of your home and are in need of rescuing."

"T…tousan?" Satoshi inquired in a voice that wavered slightly; the equivalent of what would amount to desperate pleading and abject fear in any normal child not trained in the shinobi arts.

"Easy, little bug; I will not send you away nor will I allow them to take you from me."

Satoshi slumped back against the couch with an audible sigh of relief as a small smile (that was more than a little tremulous) crossed his face for several seconds when he'd heard the steel and venom that had entered his father's voice during the second half of his declaration. Just as quickly, the flash of emotion was gone as Satoshi tilted his head to one side and contemplated what he had learned and wondered if there had been anything else his father had yet to tell him.

His eyes flicked to the three teens in the room and he wondered why they were there (aside from Kakashi, who most likely came to make certain Satoshi was alright) until he realized there was only one logical reason for all three Jounin to be there. Satoshi slowly sat back up at that point and focused his attention on the three teens for a full minute before he turned to his father expectantly and arched a single eyebrow.

"Satoshi-kun, you already know Kakashi and Tenzou, of course, and the final young man with us is Morino Ibiki. Ibiki, this is my son; Aburame Satoshi," Shibi introduced when he noted his son's pointed looks and Satoshi easily recognized Ibiki's name and face as he finally recalled that the teen had been promoted to Chuunin the same time as Kotetsu, Izumo, and Anko.

"As I'm certain you've already deduced, Ibiki, Kakashi, and Tenzou have been temporarily assigned as your guards for the foreseeable future; until such time as the threat of kidnapping has been neutralized. The Sandaime has already made arrangements for the four of you to be placed in a temporary squad together so as not to draw attention to the fact that you are being guarded. You will be allowed to continue taking missions and train as usual but you must be accompanied by at least one of your three guards at all times. All three of them, along with Inoichi and the Sandaime, have also been briefed in regards to the truth about the origin of your Kekkei Genkai."

"How long?" Satoshi asked as he filed away the information of who knew that his Kekkei Genkai was an alternate form of energy and not the Concrete Release.

"At least a few months but possibly longer; it really depends on whether or not they send additional people to try and take you. I would like you to focus on increasing your chakra reserves in your training; I would feel better knowing that you had the stamina to fight an extended battle should they somehow manage to catch you alone or take out your guard."

"Wakatta," Satoshi agreed without hesitation. "Will you have time to take me back to the Forest before the end of the week so that I can attempt to expand my swarm once more?"

"If I can not find the time to take you sometime in the next two days, your new teammates are more than qualified to escort you onto Training Ground Forty-Four."

Satoshi nodded in acceptance (he'd expected just such a response) even as his mind continued running through possibly scenarios of what could happen if he was forced to face yet another kidnapper. He tensed up the moment he began considering how much time he spent with Shino, Naruto, Hinata, and Neji and the mere possibility that one of them could be caught in the middle of an attack like the one that had happened earlier that evening.

"Who is going to watch over the children?" Satoshi asked in a voice that clearly stated the answer had better be names and not empty platitudes that the children were not at risk. Satoshi wasn't stupid, he knew that if those after him were desperate enough, they would attempt to use one of the four children that he frequently spent time with to get to him (or they could just be caught in the crossfire during a fight). He would not allow it.

"You're little Hyuuga friends are well protected since Hiashi-san recently upgraded the barriers surrounding the Hyuuga Estate and both children have been assigned a permanent guard from within the clan. We will be doing the same here around the Compound along with warning the rest of the clan and increasing the number of wild Kikaichu living about the Compound. Shino-kun rarely leaves the compound with anyone but the two of us, so that means he should be fairly well watched over as well."

"And Naruto?"

"He already has an AnBu escort simply because of who he is…" Inoichi began.

"Of those guarding him only a small handful of them even bother to watch him when they are on duty and of those that do, two of them have been reassigned as my guard," Satoshi interrupted in his usual monotone, his unseen eyes flashing dangerously behind his sunglasses. "That leaves two, maybe three, AnBu that are willing to actually protect Ruto-kun while the rest refuse to step in when civilians and shinobi alike threaten the child and on occasion actually sit and watch civilians attack him."

"I will speak to the Hokage and see what I can arrange," Shibi declared and Satoshi nodded just once. "Do you know the AnBu names of those that can be trusted to protect him?"

"Hai; Inu, Neko, Tori, Panda, and Uma," Satoshi rattled off without hesitation, purposefully naming both Kakashi's and Tenzou's AnBu code names as well (Inu and Panda respectfully). "Tori is the only one I am uncertain of."

"Alright, little bug; why don't you go get some sleep."

Satoshi nodded, rose to his feet, and headed towards the back of the house only to pause before he reached the hall as he glanced over his shoulder at the three teens that had basically been assigned as his babysitters for an indeterminate amount of time. Spinning on his heel so he could face them fully, he tilted his head to one side as he considered them for another minute before flicking his eyes to his father who appeared not to have noticed he was still in the room (though he didn't for one second doubt that his father was intimately aware of his exact location). He then frowned, just the slightest bit, as he dropped his eyes to the floor until he came to a decision.

"May I leave a small number of my Kikaichu with each of you? Since it appears we'll be spending an untold amount of time together, it would be the easiest way for me to always know where you are and so that you will know immediately if something is wrong; since the Kikaichu will become agitated if something were to happen to me."

"You've already tagged me with a dozen or so, gaki," Kakashi drawled as his visible eye crinkled in a smile.

"I told you before that I don't mind," Tenzou reminded the ten year old.

"I will allow it as well; will you allow us to tag you with a locator seal so that we might find you with or without the bugs?" Ibiki agreed and asked in return as he calmly studied Satoshi.

"So long as you allow me to either help design the seal or at least allow me to look it over before it is placed."

"I will have a copy of the seal with me when I return in the morning."

Satoshi nodded before he retreated and disappeared into his brother's room, fully intending to curl up beside his brother so he could watch over the three year old while he slept. As he drifted off to sleep, he absently noted his Kikaichu picking up Kakashi's chakra signature as the seventeen year old slipped into the room to watch over him while he slept. A soft sigh left his lips as he realized just how literal his father had been when he said he was to be accompanied by at least one of his guards at all times.

There had only been a small handful of times through the years when Satoshi really thought his life sucked since being adopted by Shibi; now was one of them.

Translations: Japanese to English

Arigatou – Thank you
Aniki – another way of saying big/older brother
Fukigen no Jutsu – The U Ranked and highly dreaded Pout Technique used by children everywhere
Gaichuu – pesky bug, a pest
Inu – hound/dog
Kai – release
Konkurito no Jutsu – Concrete release technique
Mizu no Muchi – Whip of Water
Musuko – son (my son)
Neko – Cat
Oniisan/niisan – brother (older)
Otousan/tousan – father
Panda – Panda (Who'd a thought! Don't know why I didn't expect it though. I blame my blondeness… lol)
Tori – Bird
Uma – horse
Wakatta – understood/I understand
Yu no Kuni – Hot Springs Country
Yugakure (Yu) no Sato – Hidden Hot Springs Village

AN: And so now we see the negative aspect of Satoshi learning to use his magic; he's drawn the attention of the wizarding world and they are intruding on his life. We also see the negative effects of the AK; and my reason for the killing curse to destroy the soul is to make the use of the spell far more damning than in canon. In this story, using the AK won't be a spell that any light or gray wizard will throw about willy-nilly. There is a reason, after all, why that spell inspires fear if it kills painlessly (like it is supposed to in canon). And no, Satoshi won't be throwing wandless AK's around right and left. In fact, he will never again use that spell.

I will also address a few reviews that expressed concern about how Harry/Satoshi pulled off the wandless AK in the first place. First of all, he's been taught to drawn upon his magic in the same way that he draws upon his chakra (which is mostly through hand seals though he also uses pure willpower at times too). Second of all, as shown here in this chapter, Satoshi still retains his earlier memories (he does have a photographic memory in this story) and he clearly heard Voldemort use the spell. Third, Satoshi was desperate when he was facing Gari and his desperation fueled a bit of accidental magic that added the extra umph he needed to successfully use the spell.

In the words of Crouch Jr. in the guise of Moody; Satoshi desired Gari's death badly enough that his magic complied when he uttered the words Avada Kedavra.

His use of the dark magic had negative repercussions as well; the taint that latched onto his magic and soul and the loss of nearly his entire swarm. That won't be something he ever forgets. Which is why he will never again use the AK to deal with any opponent no matter how tight of a corner he's been backed into. The only benefit he gained from using the AK was that he now recognizes the feel of tainted magic; which will be important in later chapters.

Now that I've said my piece regarding the AK, the next thing I wanted to address is the current poll results. First up, some people seem to think that Sakura was meant to be a love interest of Satoshi... well she's not. None of the Rookie Twelve will be a love interest; they are all just a little too young. The only reason she was included in the poll was because I was waffling between having her play a very minor roll (where she's only mentioned in passing once or twice) or if I will let her have a roll where her character is actually developed (though her roll still won't be any where near as large as it was in canon).

And those who voted for Itachi or Kakashi are out of luck as well as I already stated that this story will not have a slash pairing for Satoshi or any of the other main characters. I am also not going to do a harem. I don't write harems. Nor do I write threesomes. Sorry. Not happening here.

Anyway, for those who are curious here's the current tally for the poll votes:

Satoshi/Fu - 176
Satoshi/Temari - 115
Sakura Sidelined - 68
Sakura Un-fan-girl-ized - 158
Doesn't Matter - 51
Unimportant - 116

That does not include the review votes which I am still filtering out and tallying up. And yes, I will include the review votes in the final tally once I've closed the poll - I just don't want to lose track of them and have to start counting all over for a second time (which is why I've been doing a lot of copy pasting in order to keep track of them). I'd like to take the time right now to thank everyone who has participated so far. ~ Jenn