Chrestomanci, Lupin, Derk and Harry stepped through the gate into dense, blue fog. Soon Lupin and Derk made their way in the other direction, toward someplace called Alagaesia.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as they slowly made their way through the fog.

"To a world where ninjas are the main fighting force.

We are hiring out two exceptional ninjas, and another competent one."

Harry felt that was one of those many questions that answered one thing and brought up a whole universe of other things.

"What are their names?" he asked, simply as a way to start asking the questions swirling around his head.

"Naruto is the main character, he's about 13, 14. He has bright yellow hair, and often is clumsy and doesn't pay attention, so people think that he's really dumb.

"Saske is Naruto's best friend and greatest rival. He's popular with the ladies because he has dark hair, and doesn't talk very much. Saske doesn't particularly like anyone, and is more interested in killing his brother who killed his entire family.

"Sakura is a female ninja and infatuated with Saske.

She began a rivalry with her best friend, Ino, because they both like Saske."

"That doesn't tell me very much about Naruto. There\ must be more to him if he is the main character,"

Harry said, annoyed that Chrestomanci wasn't being completely thorough. Chrestomanci frowned, turning to Harry.

"You're more observant than most people your age," he said. "And you're right. Every main character, or characters, has a distinguishing mark. Sometimes it is physical, as with your scar." Harry stiffened, but

Chrestomanci continued.

"More often it is mental. You can always tell if someone is the most important person in their world if you are looking for them, because usually they are the best fighters, or the best leaders, or the smartest person. Now Naruto, his mark is much more physical.

"Once a great fox demon threatened Naruto's village, and the strongest person in his village, called the Hokage, trapped the demon in Naruto, dying in the attempt. He was very young at the time, and grew up without parents, with the villagers directing barely contained hostility at him because of who he is.

Because of this, he grew a great indifference to other people. Finally he was accepted when he finished his training and became a first level ninja. After a while, someone taught him on how to use the fox demon's power, and now he is one of the most powerful ninjas."

"So they accepted him even though he housed the village enemy inside him?" asked Harry, impressed with the villagers open mindedness.

"You don't understand. Naruto is not the enemy of his village simply because everyone thinks him such. He is the savior of his village, though everyone sees him as the demon. The only reason he is accepted because no child of his generation knows what he possesses," Chrestomanci said sadly.

Harry suddenly understood. Everyone that they were going to recruit had lives as hard, or harder, than him. It made him feel slightly comforted, that someone knew what it was like to have everyone know you because of your reputation, and judge you before they know, whether it be for good or evil.

"We are arriving in his world at a difficult time. His village was just attacked. The village's Hokage was killed, and he had to travel to find the next one,"

Chrestomanci said, as they suddenly arrived on a dirt road leading to a large wall with equally big gates wide open. Chrestomanci waved a hand, and Harry found himself in green robes tied with a pale blue sash.

Chrestomanci was wearing a red robe with a golden sash.

In answer to Harry's questioning look, he explained,

"If we are not to attract too much attention to ourselves, then we must blend in."

They walked through the gates, and Harry was struck with the number of differences between this world and his own. For one, there were all the outfits. People were dressed in every color of every different shade, with stylish bandages, stitches, tattoos, and piercings. There were many layered buildings, with cloth hangings pronounced in a language that Harry could not discern.

But the great difference that Harry saw, from both the

Muggle world and the wizarding, was that everyone he saw looked as though they were ready to fight, and fight in a way that was completely alien to him.

Weapons bristled from every place imaginable, and the very air seemed to be filled with a power radiating from every individual.

Harry focused on this, fascinated. He had never been able to sense magic before, and the experience fascinated him so much that he almost lost

Chrestomanci in the crowds.

Finally Chrestomanci and Harry started climbing up the stairs next to a small tower. They walked through a long hallway, and arrived at a large office. Sitting behind a desk sat a woman with long blonde hair, pink lips, and a small blue jewel on her forehead. She looked up from the scroll she was reading, interlaced her fingers, and set her chin on them.

"Who are you?" she asked hostilely. Chrestomanci raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me that the Third Hokage never told you, or at least left a letter," he said, exasperated.

The lady's eyes glittered with malice. "It would help if I knew what to look for."

"Oh, sorry, my name is Chrestomanci." Her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, Chrestomanci-sama," she said respectively.

"I understand, …" he asked for her name.

"Fifth Hokage, Tsunade."

"I understand, Tsunade-sama. This is Harry-san." Harry inclined his head. "We are here for Naruto-san, Saske-san, and Sakura-chan."

"Will you also need Kakashi?"

"No, I think the genin will be quite enough,"

Chrestomanci answered. Tsunade nodded, and a man that seemed to appear out of thin air kneeled before her.

"Fetch genin team 7." The man nodded, and vanished again.

"Of course," Tsunade continued. "There is a matter of payment."

Chrestomanci looked pained.

"Is that anyway to treat the friend of your former sensei?" he asked. Tsunade shrugged.

"I have a business to run." Chrestomanci nodded, resigned. Then Tsunade became serious.

"You are aware of Naruto."

"Of course. We'll be taking him off-world, so it will be easier for him to control it."

"Off-world? What for?" Chrestomanci jerked his head at Harry.

"War on his world."

If this news upset Tsunade, she hid it well. In fact she seemed delighted.

"War. That's a class B, A mission. I'm sure you know what that's worth."

Chrestomanci sighed, as the door opened, and three kids walked in. They were exactly like Chrestomanci had described them.

"Who are you?!" demanded the one in the middle, whom

Harry assumed was Naruto, as he pointed at Harry.

"Harry Potter," Harry said startled, still not used to the fact that people did not recognize him on sight.

"Naruto!" Tsunade yelled. "This is your next assignment, Harry-san and Chrestomanci-sama," she indicated each of them in turn. "You are to follow them and take their orders without question."

Naruto looked mutinous, but the dark-haired (Saske) nodded, and the girl (Sakura) looked curious. They turned to leave.

On the way out Tsunade added, "We'll discuss your payment later."

As they walked towards the gate out of the village Naruto asked, "What kind of name is Harry?" Sakura looked angrily at Naruto, but Harry just said,

"Where I come from Harry is a very common name."

"Humph, weird."

"Naruto, you're such an idiot," Sakura said.

"Here we are," Chrestomanci announced, breaking up the impending argument.

"What is here?" Naruto asked.

"Where we're going is a long way from here, so I'm using a transport spell." Naruto and Sakura looked confused, but Saske asked,

"Spell? Don't you mean jutsu?"

"No, where we come from, magic is done very differently." Suddenly a dark hole appeared right in front of them.

"Well, coming?" Chrestomanci asked to the genin as Harry climbed past him into the hole. Surprisingly, Naruto followed Harry confidently. As Saske and Sakura hesitated, Naruto called,

"What Saske? You scared?" Saske scowled and leapt into the hole, Sakura following nervously behind.

---------- k, all done! all edited n ready 2 b posted 4 ur delight!

• These are honorifics, for those of you who don't know. San is equal to Mr., Mrs., miss. Sama is used to convey great respect.

Genin is the lowest level of ninja in Naruto's world

A, B, C, and D levels of missions are ranked according to difficulty, A being the most difficult

Kages are the leaders of ninja villages. In Hidden

Leaf, Naruto's village, the leader is Hokage.

For Naruto fans, this chapter is set right after Frog

Hermit (I can't spell his real name) and him get back with the Fifth Hokage.

As always review and let myself or brown dog know if you have any questions. (Scratch that. It will not help you to address any magna questions to brown dog, as she has not read any magna. A crime I know…)

Technically, my sister owns all the magna of Naruto, and my other sister owns all the anime, so I do not own it.