Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

Summary: They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well. Warnings: violence, cross-dressing, swearing, silliness.

A/N: I'm updating again, yep. Don't expect any updates for awhile, I have to make the chapters fit my writing style better -they're pretty rough. Also, I need to work on Gaining Closure... Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed, put this on alert or favorite. Enjoy, much love ~ depressedchildren

Key:

text is text

levi corpus a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

"Dialogue" the opposite language of the world they are in


Chapitre Neuf


Harry kept his head down as he was lead through the dead silent village. It was well past the witching hour, for the ANBU escorting them purposely waited to enter the village at that time. Naruto was curled against his chest, head tucked under Harry's chin, and he was shivering with fear. They had not been treated well during the journey, the bastard had the nerve to try and poison Naruto. If it wasn't for Harry's training as a child (younger child) the almost two-year-old would be dead.

Naruto's stomach was growling loudly, as was Harry's, hell they could have gone for flies and the muck Shima used to make until Jiraiya reminded her they were human.

Whenever Harry would falter in his step due to hunger or fatigue, there would be a kunai thrown at him, and if he ran too slowly the same would happen.

What was Harry supposed to do or say? He couldn't speak to Naruto without having a lethal weapon directed at the toddler. All he could do was rub Naruto's back soothingly, and hum softly into his hair.

They traveled along the rooftops as they moved toward the Hokage Mountain. Was he being brought before the Council so soon? He highly doubted those old coots would be too favorable towards him at such a late hour. However, a new fear woke within Harry at the sight of three ANBU standing in the night shadow the mountain cast.

One of the ANBU walked towards them, he wore a frog mask, and before Harry could comprehend what was going on, he had Naruto.

"Nii! Nii!" Naruto cried as he struggled fiercely in the ANBU's hold, only to make the man hold him tighter.

"Let him go! You're hurting him," as the raven haired boy stepped forward but was stopped when two ANBU operatives had him by the arms. He panicked, the frog ANBU was hurting Naruto. In Harry's panic he struggled against the ANBU holding him. His pack came loose and fell onto the rooftop. The world went black as the ANBU operative escorting Harry struck him at the back of his neck, thus ceasing further struggle from the wide-eyed boy.

Harry woke to a blood stained room — figures. They were going to torture him before they sent him before the Council. Harry closed his heavy green eyes and looked down at the floor, which was also swathed in dried blood. His father probably did that…Harry shook those thoughts away, his father was his, well, father, he shouldn't think like that. But still, the little voice at the back of his mind continued to feed him those vicious thoughts.

The door opened but Harry didn't bother to look up, it wasn't his father but it was a man. Deductive reasoning stated it was most likely Ibiki, since there were only two ninja in the T & I department that were licensed to torture defectors.

"I wasn't defecting," Harry whispered but he refused to look up from the floor. He was so worried about what they did to Naruto, "we lost track of time while training,"

"So much you let over a year slip by?" a deep voice growled.

Sighing softly, Harry looked up at his interrogator; Morino Ibiki, scars distorted his masculine features. "Shima-sama was the only one that left Mount Myōboku and she only left to get groceries. Jiraiya-sensei spent entire days working on his senjutsu and must have forgotten to write back to the village. I was busy training with Gambunta-sama's children" Ibiki interrupted him by moving to loom over the child. Ibiki's expression was blank, his mouth was drawn into a grim line. Harry took a steady breath while he remained completely still under the penetrating gaze.

"Then summon one of the toads and let me talk to it," Harry's face flushed red with embarrassment, but he forced himself to keep looking at the man rather than bow his head.

"I can't, I" Harry bit his lip while controlling his facial muscles to keep from furrowing his brow. How was he to explain his lack of contract without divulging too much information? "That's why we went there, Jiraiya-sensei wanted to know why I couldn't summon anything."

"Isn't that convenient," sneered the interrogator, his scarred lip pulled back on one side, consequently exposing a canine. Ibiki's comment caused Harry to bow his head while his face began to burn along with his chest. Shame; that was what B explained this emotion to Harry as. "So did you discover why you can't summon anything? Hmm?" Harry nodded shakily, he felt so small, so useless, "Well?"

"Because I don't have—" Harry was interrupted yet again, but dread filled him. His eyes widened slightly yet darkened while his breath caught in his throat.

"That will be enough Ibiki-san, I'll take over," the voice reverberated throughout the room, and despite the electronic scratch to it, the voice was just as cold as Harry's surroundings.

Harry looked up at Ibiki as the man began for the doors. In the interrogator's mind he could see the man being coerced into interrogating him, Ibiki had been defending Harry until he was forced into the room. Harry could see that Ibiki did believe him, but also that the man pitied him. Harry didn't want that, he didn't want pity.

Harry did his best to keep from trembling as the interrogator left the room and an ANBU operative entered. The ANBU operative's very presence chilled Harry. The man walked in a precise manner, as if knowing exactly how much energy to put in each muscle, yet he was also prepared to lash out at an opponent or avoid an attack. In a way, he was like a jungle cat, hiding its true power as it prowled in the dark places of the forest.

"Why didn't you write back to the village?"

"I didn't know that was a stipulation and we lost track of time," Harry replied as evenly as he could. He refused to look up at the man now standing in front of him, even going so far as to clench his eyes closed. The boy's heart was beating frantically in his chest, while every muscle in his body was tensed for an attack. The only identification of his inner turmoil was his clenched muscles, otherwise his face was a smooth emotionless mask.

Harry's heart skipped a beat when he felt a familiar presence pushing against his mind. His body jerked minutely, he did not want his mind tested so soon. Without much thought the boy opened his mouth to give a distraction.

"You knew I wouldn't be able to form a contract, didn't you?" Harry's chest was heaving, and his body was trembling, but at least the presence withdrew itself. The silence that followed his question was answer enough, but what else did that mean? "And the Bad Man, you knew he was in my head too!" the child accused, jerking his head up to glare at the now tense ANBU operative. He would have stood up if it wasn't for the chains connecting him to the chair.

"What do you mean?" the ANBU operative's words and tone took Harry aback. The usual dead tone held a hint of urgency and there was a stiffness to his voice. Harry's glare turned into a calculating stare as he peered at the eyeholes in the deer mask, he could read his father's genuine confusion in the dark eyes shining there.

"A part of his soul is trapped in me," Harry whispered. His shoulders slumped as he lowered his head. The boy's hair must have fallen out of its tie for the raven locks now fell like a curtain around his face. His hair had grown the past year since they didn't bother with cutting it.

"What am I?" Harry barely breathed the question. His hands were clenched at the arm rests they were respectively strapped to. If the slight tensing in his father's arm was anything to go by, then his father did know what he was. Either he was too afraid to tell Harry, or he didn't want his son to know what this made him. Perhaps it was both, either way his father would not be explaining what the fragment of a soul was or what it made him.

"A suspect defector," James stated after beat and with a touch of disappointment in his dead voice. Harry's green eyes narrowed at his father's distraction tactic. Now Harry was damn sure his father didn't believe that, and he didn't need to see into his mind to know it.

"We never knew I was to come home until an ANBU operative showed up to arrest or kill me," Harry slowly looked up as he spoke, but his father was trying to enter his mind. Begrudgingly the boy let his father into his mind and brought him straight to the mindscape, wherein more flowers and foliage were dispersed amongst the grassy clearing than James remembered the copse having prior to the training mission.

Harry stood in the center of the clearing with his arms crossed over his chest, above them played the year and so many months they stayed in the toad village. However, Harry kept the meeting with the Great Toad Sage short, leaving out the prophecy talk and him not being from this world. Something told Harry - perhaps it was just instinct - that should his father become aware of what Harry knew of his origins, the boy would likely forget everything from his stay with the toads. Not that it was possible to wipe a whole year of someone's life from their mind, right?

His father tried to follow the line of the proffered memory, but he was quickly denied access. As his father continued to push against his mind for more information, Harry narrowed his eyes and let his father through, directing him to another memory and trapping him in it.

"No! No! Take me, kill me, not my son!" the moment his father heard that voice he began force himself away from the memory path he had strayed down, but Harry wouldn't let him leave. The "tunnel" down which James had gone was now shut behind him. If James wanted to see the boy's memories of his training expedition, then so be it.

He could feel his father clawing at the exit of the memory in a desperate attempt to leave when he heard the Bad Man begin talking.

"Damn it Boy, let me out!" Harry kept his eyes closed tightly; his fists were clenched at his sides. He could feel his father try to withdraw from Harry's mind entirely, but the boy would not let that happen. Concentrating to the point his breath became labored, Harry contained his father within that one memory.

"You wanted to see my memories, so here they are. This one haunted me the majority of the last two years," Harry's voice came out surprisingly strong, even as he felt his father pound violently against the memory's wall.

His father screamed in outrage as that strange jutsu was muttered by the Bad Man, but he was silent when the evil man muttered it again. With the memory over, Harry opened the pathway up again. His eyes were dark and trembling as they awaited his father's return to his mindscape.

James was dragging his feet as he left the memory pathway. He was pale and his body shook from minute tremors. His wide, haunted eyes transformed into a glare as his son came into sight. James slowly straightened as he walked over to Harry, and once within range, he backhanded him. In comparison to the other assaults the boy had experienced, this was nothing.

James left his son's mind and struck him again, this hurting even less than mental slap. But it didn't stop at one slap, or two, or three. Before Harry could understand what was happening, he was being full out punched. One, two , three, by the fourth punch there was a sickening crunch as one of his father's fists broke Harry's nose. The next punch split Harry's lip fully, but the assault continued for a sixth, seventh, eighth punch.

James struck the boy with enough force to unbolt the chair from the floor, thus sending him crashing onto his side and smacking his head hard against the floor. Harry's unbound hair flared about him, and those that spilled onto his face were quickly soaked with blood. As Harry spat out the blood in his mouth, along with a few already loose baby-teeth, his father loomed over him. Harry could feel that James was restraining himself, forcing himself to not kick the boy in his anger - if the tensing of his father's right leg and the fact that the majority of his weight was on his left leg was any indication.

"I can make you a vegetable," James hissed as he knelt beside Harry and began pulling his son off the ground by the front of his shirt. His words were trembling with anger and his hidden brown eyes burned as they glared at the boy, "with a few well aimed attacks to you mind," Harry could feel the venom in his father's stare, he could feel his father's chakra lick at him violently, which caused the boy to wince. "So I would never, never, pull that trick on me again," his father's shouted word rang in Harry's throbbing head, "Am I clear, Son?" Harry could only lull his head forward slightly, even as his father's angry chakra continued to graze him with its burning energy.

His head was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground as his father got up and spun away on his heels, "You've grown soft and if the Council has pity on you, you will be joining ANBU," Harry felt as if ice was sliding down his back as his father left the interrogation room; left him alone on the cold and bloodied floor.

Harry, like his cousin, father and the Sandaime, never liked the Council. His dislike of them grew as he kneeled before them with two ANBU holding kunai to his neck and another two holding him in place with chains. He was held so that he made a "t" with his body while he was forced on his knees in respect and subservience toward the Council.

"Morino-san and ANBU operative Shika have both interrogated you and have found you to be telling the truth, yet you have no evidence to support your, or their, claims," that old bitch, the one that wanted Naruto drowned, crowed.

"Is Jiraiya-sensei here?" the boy asked softly, but speaking out of turn was met with a knick to his neck. At least the boy did not have to worry about controlling his facial expressions, his whole face was too swollen to scowl or glare. It still throbbed from the beating he took the night before, or more accurately, that early morning.

"Yes, Namikaze-kun" that was old man Sarutobi, and it took every ounce of Harry's self-control to keep from smiling, but then again, it was not like he could with his face as swollen and bruised as it was.

"His opinions will be biased, for all we know you were hiding your intentions from him," that was the old bastard, the one who wanted Naruto burned at a stake, Homura.

"But what of his summons?" Harry asked, despite the increase of pressure on his neck.

"Ah yes, let's hear what Jiraiya-san's summons say," Harry focused on the stinging from his cut to keep from smiling, lest anyone could discern the expression. It would not due in his situation to show relief or happiness over the Hokage defending him, not to mention it hurt just to blink.

"Yes, let Jiraiya-san bring his summons to the stands," to most of the Council's shock, that was Danzo, someone they had all assumed would be opposed to the child being set free. Then again, he did have a "special" affinity for children.

Jiraiya stepped forward slightly from the crowd of Special Jounin and ANBU operatives witnessing the trial. Biting his thumb the man had barely touched his seal when three puffs of smoke emerged from thin air.

"Shame on you, putting a little boy on stage like this!" Shima admonished the council, as she moved over to her honorary grandson and wrapped her arms around the child protectively, despite the tightening on kunai and chains alike. She began to fuss over the bruises littering Harry's face, she even began to spread a mud based poultice she had with her onto the hurts, before cursing every guard and Council member for the boy's state.

"Dear," Fukasaku came forward slightly, his tone was warning while he tried to make his wife back off from the seven-year-old.

"You three should have never left!" Shima wailed now that she was finished spreading the poultice and proceeded to hold Harry to her tighter than the two ANBU with the chains were holding him.

"Love," Fukasaku started again only to be silenced by the third toad in the room — the one Sarutobi and Jiraiya were staring at in complete shock.

"Fukasaku, you should know your wife will not let that boy go until she's gone over his injuries and fed him twice his weight in flies." If Harry could have, he would have scrunched his nose up but being broken that was impossible; however, then he realized who spoke.

Shima and Fukasaku turned around slowly to see none other but the Great Toad Sage smiling at them and the Council. "I see this boy becoming a very strong Konoha ANBU operative; one of your best," the very old toad smiled broader as he waited for the Council to come out of their shock.

"Why should we care what a senile toad says?" of course it was that old bitch who spoke, which caused the elder toads to shake their heads and narrow their large eyes.

"He is the oldest and wisest of our kind," Fukasaku began with pride saturating his words while his large eyes seemed to reflect the dim light in the room.

"He has also made many prophecies," Shima added, her head was in the air slightly, "So I would not be so quick to discredit what he says," Fukasaku managed to keep his face neutral at his wife's words, seeing as she often discredited the old toad's prophecies.

"I never knew you felt that way, Shima-san, I'll have to tell you more of my prophecies," Shima's superior expression stayed in place, though on the inside she was dreading the return home.

"So Namikaze-kun has been with you all at Mount Myōboku for nearly two years?"

"Oh my, had all that time really passed?" Shima looked genuinely surprised at the council member who spoke.

"Yes, yes," the Great Toad Sage answered, "We rarely have such young sprits in our woods, and it was so nice that we never wanted them to leave,"

Well the old bitch and bastard had nothing more to say, and Danzo seemed shocked himself.

"I'd like to get back to my chair now, I only tagged a long because you two would have gotten him killed from fretting over the boy," the Great Toad Sage began to hobble away before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Shima hugged Harry one more time before she and her husband also dispersed. The Council remained silent for a little while longer.

"Well then," it was the Sandaime's cheerful voice that broke the thick, bewildered silence. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at the still stunned Council, "We have him take the ANBU test then,"

"If he fails we execute him," Danzo added slowly, his mind finally comprehended what had just happened, "so there will be no repeat absences, and he will be on a probationary period if he succeeds."

It may seem counter intuitive to put a suspected defector into such a place of power within the village and with so much access, but Harry would be surrounded by high class shinobi to keep in him in line. In addition, he would be risking his life with every mission he took and it would be for the village. He would be on a team, for seldom did ANBU operatives work solo unless their skill set did not match other operatives and an already working team could not be broken up.

In a way, it was a punishment. ANBU was comprised of the most faithful ninja to their country. Their life for Konoha; is the unofficial motto. If he was suspected again of defecting, he would be killed instantaneously by his fellow operatives, and what better way to keep an eye on a possible traitor than to keep him close. Also, ANBU was the most difficult division to get into, one needed the skill and the Hokage's approval. Harry already had the approval but he was seven, a child who would likely not have the skills needed. The boy doubted even his father wanted him in ANBU, not matter how concerned with power he was.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine, but it had nothing to do with what Danzo said, and everything to do with a very tense ANBU operative at the back of the auditorium. Harry could feel the hate and killing intent wafting off the operative at the back, and all of it was directed right at the smirking, treasonous Councilman.

When the chains were let go and the kunai were retracted, Harry whipped his head around to see a blur of raven tresses and a porcelain deer mask leaving the back of the auditorium. Harry knew ninja weren't supposed to cry, but Harry's eyes were stinging anyways and a small smile made its way onto his swollen face. His father still cared about him, even if their last interaction said otherwise.

"Nii!" Harry sighed in relief at that very happy and healthy call. He had just been escorted outside and could see a waving blond on the shoulders of a very familiar Jōnin. Sighing in relief, Harry jogged over to his old friend.

"Yo," the silver haired teen waved lazily at the younger ninja, however his visible gray eye seemed to darken in the midday light, and narrow marginally.

"Yo," Harry smiled softly in return before he hugged his friend openly. Underneath his mask, Kakashi flushed at the sudden public contact and Naruto giggled on his shoulders. Namikaze-kun would never have acted that way before the training expedition, what exactly happened to make him so open with his affections. Though, Kakashi could not deny that he was happy.

"Kaka-nii, right?" Naruto asked loudly with his quick and inarticulate tongue. Harry had talked about his friend with the little blonde often. After all, he was Naruto's legal guardian. The boy pointed to a random ANBU on patrol, "take Kaka" Naruto explained, causing Harry to sigh in relief yet again. He assumed what Naruto was trying to articulate was that he was brought by the ANBU operatives before to Kakashi.

"I was afraid they were going to put him in an orphanage," Harry whispered into his friend's flak jacket.

"They were going to until the Hokage and I gave them hell, along with Gai," Harry's eyes grew wide in understanding. Gai was probably the tipping point, though how he brought himself into that mess, Harry would never know nor wanted to know, "but that was when they posted a warrant for your arrest, should you have shown up on the map again," Kakashi added solemnly.

"Sorry we never wrote. It didn't feel like any time passed, though looking at Naruto that sounds pretty silly," Harry laughed weakly, now that he had pulled away from their embrace.

"Nii, face?" Naruto was leaning over Kakashi's mop of silver hair to glare down at Harry's bruised and muddy face.

"I made one of the interrogators mad, and Shima-sama tried to fix it," Harry replied to the question. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, yet it still seemed to chide Harry for his dismissive manner.

"You mean you made your father mad," Harry winced slightly at his friend's harsh tone, but before he could speak he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"Are you implying something Hatake-san?" Kakashi's narrowed eye switched to the glasses wearing "Jōnin," but he kept his tongue in check.

"We should go and move you in," Kakashi was talking to Harry despite that his glaring eye was still directed at James.

"Son," James called as the boy began to move to put his friend's suggestion into action. Harry turned around half way, for he wondered what his father wanted, "You should consider training, the proctors will make your test as difficult as possible to ensure a defector," he held up his hand as a way of showing he did not share that opinion, and to stop their immediate rebuttals, "does not join their ranks again," the two younger ninja looked at each other briefly, while Naruto became silent at the scary man's words.

"Aren't you the head of the department?" Kakashi's face distorted into a scowl – not that anyone could see it.

"I am the head of the T & I forces, as well as a captain; therefor I have no sway over the tests. The best I can offer is that they let you take a test for the interrogation division," though he was answering Kakashi's question, James did not take his attention away from his son. "One of the proctors told me what would be the general test, and I can help you train for that," Harry looked over at his friend and honorary little brother.

"Son, I don't think…I can take losing you," the minute waver in his father's voice spoke volumes for Harry, and he nodded determinedly, though his smarting face reminded him to be careful.

"I'll move in after the test, just in case," Kakashi and James winced at that while Naruto just tilted his head to the side.

"Wha?" the twenty-one-month-old asked.

"Hopefully nothing, Naruto-kun," Harry stood up on his tiptoes to grab the toddler's foot and shake it fondly.

"Hai Nii!"

James placed his hand on his son's shoulder as a way to say it was time to go, and with a small smile he did so.

"How are your tracking skills," Harry nodded slightly to show they were decent, "Chakra sensing," a more confident nod, "speed?" another slight nod, "genjutsu?" the minute twitch below Harry's eye was enough of an answer for his father, "stealth?" another confident nod, "traps?" another certain nod, "throwing," James received a smirk, "knives?" another smirk, "psychological resistance?" at Harry's lack of reaction, James sighed.

"How often did you see the memory of your mother…?" James's fist was clenched slightly; he still could not say she was dead without pause.

"I saw it three times one day and at least once a month I'd be woken up by it," James nodded, and exhaled slowly as he thought how best to prepare his son for a life of killing.

"Did he show you anything else?" Harry had successfully blocked out the other memories he saw, but now they came to him full force. The father had not anticipated such a violent reaction from his son. Harry actually ducked away from him with his hands covering his head and his bruised eyes clenched tightly closed. The boy was shaking and pale. James deduced that his was subjected to memories from Voldemort's raids. That was a good way to ease him in then.

"Humans do many awful things: they hurt each other, they kill each other, they fight over each other, they steal from each other. We're a greedy race and we're hard to satisfy. Some of the people you go after have done terrible, terrible things. And if given the chance, they will do the same to you. You will also not be the only child fighting, you may have to kill other children," Harry tensed at his father's words, "You've heard the rumors about ROOT, yes?" Harry nodded shakily, still recovering from the barrage of painful memories, "there are other organizations that take in young children and turn them into weapons."

Harry just bowed his head, the words were sinking in and floating around inside his mind. James seemed satisfied for the moment, clearly his message was understood.

"Come, we need to test your skills,"

The following week was filled with tracking down his father throughout the village, as well as breaking into his own house without detection. In the middle of the night his father would try to attack him, thus leading to a spar where Harry was soundly beaten. However, his father then ordered him to take out all of his clones in the woods behind their house. That was when Harry succeeded. He would dispatch each clone with almost a bored ease. But the only hard part of the whole week was his father's insistence on him not revealing his emotions.

Every time Harry smiled or flinched, his mind was invaded and he would receive a shallow cut. If he cried out in shock from the mental pain, he would be cut again and so on. If a clone injured him or his father got him with his sword, and Harry voiced or expressed his pain in any manner, his father made another shallow cut on his mental image. But he seemed proud of Harry's capacities, even confident, if that light in his eyes was anything to go by.

He gave Harry a day off to recuperate before the test, and for that, Harry was grateful. At least he could have one final day with Kakashi and Naruto.

"Nii!" was shouted as soon as Kakashi opened the door. Not a moment later did Harry have a little blonde wrapped around his legs. The muscles in Harry's face began to twitch upwards in a smile but he quickly schooled his expression.

"Hello Naruto-kun," Harry whispered when the boy let go of him.

"One week with him and you sound as emotive as a corpse," Harry's eyes fluttered for a moment, as he tried to keep from wincing at his friend's words.

"Kakashi-san," the Jōnin's visible eye softened and he wrapped an arm around the smaller ninja.

"Ichi-ru's!" Naruto shrieked from between them. Harry turned to face his friend, his eyebrows were furrowed; there went all of his hard work on not showing emotion.

"I can't cook well," Kakashi stated slowly as he made a sheepish eye smile. "So we went out a lot and he fell in love with Ichikaru's ramen stand,"

"Naruto, how many times have you two eaten at Ichikaru's this week?" out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched his friend tense.

"Lots!" the toddler exclaimed, the tension in Kakashi's body left in one relieved exhale.

"Why don't we count it on our fingers? Each time you ate there we raise one finger," Naruto's face scrunched up in concentration before he nodded.

"Thursday did you go?" Naruto shook his head, "Friday?" Naruto nodded his head. "Did you go for breakfast, lunch, dinner?" Naruto only shook his head in affirmation for dinner. This process repeated itself though the whole week, but it was when Naruto started nodding for each meal that Harry cast his friend a deadpan look.

"Fifteen? That's more than half your meals spent there," Kakashi was laughing weakly while Naruto began bouncing up and down in excitement for Ichikaru's ramen. "Where's your kitchen," thankfully Naruto didn't realize what was happening until he was sat down at the table in Kakashi's apartment with food in front of him.

"No Ichi-ru's!?" he lamented.

"Too much of one thing is bad for you," Naruto looked at Harry with a betrayed expression adorning his face before he shifted his focus to his other "brother". Kakashi nodded to Harry's statement, thus causing Naruto to bawl.

"He's going to be just like Uzumaki-san," Kakashi sighed and dropped his head into one hand as the little boy exhausted himself and finally ate what Harry had cooked.

"Hey, where did you learn to cook?"

Harry pecked at his food as the thought of how to answer that question, "Jiraiya-sensei started but then he asked me to help Shima-sama make human food, so I guess from her?" Kakashi nodded slowly, assuming that Shima was a toad they lived with.

"You learned from a toad?" Kakashi eyed his food more suspiciously which caused Harry to give a slight smile though he normally would have laughed.

"More!" Kakashi's attention jerked away from his food to the nearly-two-year-old's clean plate. Harry openly smiled as he scooped more food onto the little blonde's plate and watched as Kakashi quickly took a bite. Soon his plate was clean too.

Even if the day ruined all of his hard work on becoming stoic, it was wonderful to be with two of his most precious people.

Harry was, by far, the smallest candidate. On most of the other ANBU hopefuls, he came to their waists. He also had the longest hair, something the boy was not at all worried about, though his father tried cutting it off several times while he slept and again this morning. Apparently he was afraid it would be used against him, but who had the time to cut their hair? Jiraiya never seemed to be concerned with someone using his long hair against him, besides, it made Harry's hair tame for a change and it rarely got in his eyes like it did when it was short.

Several of the candidates had called him a girl; perhaps that was why his father tried to cut his hair? It wasn't that long and he wore it in a low ponytail, which was hardly feminine. The proctor was motioning them to take their seats for the writing portion, which was the main reason why Harry kept dwelling on his hair. He really didn't want to take this test!

Unlike everyone else there, it was life or death for him, and despite the Great Toad Sage's words, he was worried. They were each in their own cubical; it was not a test they were meant to cheat on. Harry just hoped he knew the answers.

Harry left his cubical with his finished written test; he double checked his answers three times before leaving the small space. The proctor rushed forward and took the test documents from the boy and told him to sit by the window as they waited for the rest of the candidates to finish.

Laughter was bubbling up inside of Harry, why the hell had been so worried? He was the first one done, and he could have answered half those questions when he was five. Perhaps his father's training was effective? Harry knew how to kill people like he knew the back of his hand, granted he had never actually killed anyone…and he doubted he ever could. Most of the questions tested the candidates strategic planning in the format of an assassination.

The rest of the test was filled with essays on seal theory and jutsu theory, as well as hypothetical situations and a few complex projectile math problems. In addition, there were questions on the history of other nations and Konoha's relations with them, which he knew courtesy of Jinchuuriki-sama.

The proctor had already sent the test away while they waited for the rest of the applicants to finish. After a half hour, another person completed their test, a third candidate followed him after a few more minutes. Within the next fifteen minutes the rest of the ANBU hopefuls were lined up to be taken to the next part of the test.

Their written tests would be evaluated by the end of their testing. From there, the scores on all the tests would be calculated together, and depending on the score a hopeful joined the ranks – pending the Hokage's final say. Though, that was not the only way of becoming an ANBU. In the past, if one scored perfect marks on a specialized part of the test; he or she might be placed into that division of the ANBU department – again pending the Hokage's say – hence why his father requested the proctors to include an interrogation segment to Harry's exams.

With the written exam finished, the proctor gave each applicant a sealed scroll before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Biting his thumb, Harry smeared his blood onto the seal, thus breaking it. His eyes quickly translated the scroll; after all, codes were his second language. The scroll gave Harry the location for the next part of his test, as stated previously it was coded, but it was rather simple to break.

Rolling the scroll back up, Harry made his way to a window and proceeded to the designated building.

Harry was not going to lie; the place was sordid to say the least. In fact, the boy was cautious of touching anything lest he catch some horrific disease. The boy also approached the proctor cautiously, his kunai withdrawn.

"Candidate 3," the proctor addressed, the test administrator's words did not have the calming effect they were expected to bring.

"Collect all of Hokage-sama's smoking pipes, and bring them to ANBU headquarters. You have until two-hundred hours to complete your task."

Harry nodded in affirmation before quickly disappearing from the disease infested building. Of course he was given the most difficult task possible. Didn't the Hokage watch the proceedings? Harry cursed his luck as he made his way to the park the Hokage's wife spent most of her time at. He better learn more about his target, and who better from than his wife.

Harry watched the elderly woman closely, and his mind slipped into her mind despite his obscure vantage point. The child made his ways silently, yet quickly, through the corridors of her memories.

He had tried looking under everyday occurrences, but Harry learned nothing new about where the Kage put his pipes or his routines with them. He tired several other doors before an idea came to him. Some of Fukasaku's tendencies were a great frustration to Shima… Harry found the "door" that led to memories of irksome things in the elderly woman's life.

Sighing in relief, Harry found the jackpot. The old man went to bed with his night-time pipe, which was securely locked in his nightstand. But when he fell asleep it would be placed on the nightstand; that would be Harry's best opportunity to take it. Though the increase in ANBU guards would make his mission difficult, not to mention sneaking up on a Hokage was supposed to be very difficult.

Before entering this woman's mind, Harry figured his mission would be difficult due to the security around the Hokage, but now he had another reason to fear the success of this mission. The Hokage had a set of pipes for each month, holiday, ceremony, and diplomatic meeting. For example, during April the man had a set of cherry wood pipes to honor the falling cherry blossoms. Each set of pipes had a wake-up pipe, morning pipe, midday pipe, late afternoon pipe, dusk pipe, after-dinner pipe, and night-time pipe.

The majority of the old man's pipes were located in his house; however the ceremony and diplomacy pipes were somewhere else. Unfortunately, the wife was uncertain where they might be hiding. These pipes were locked up tighter than some of the scrolls in the kage Library. The fortunate part of all of this, was the fact that Hiruzen only checked his collection in the morning, and left the pipes in his current set in the nearest drawer.

Harry quickly did the math, and there was at least two hundred pipes to steal. Could that many pipes fit into a storage seal, but then storage seals emit a small about of chakra when used…

His father had a bag that defied logic. It was as if it didn't have a bottom. But where did he keep it?

"Son?" Harry tensed at his father's entrance; he must have just gotten off of work, which would mean Harry had at least an hour to get all of the pipes out of the Hokage's home vault before he came home.

"I need your bottomless bag," Harry rushed before he resumed his previous efforts. In his haste he did not notice his father's stiffened form.

"I have no such—" James cut himself off. The look his son was throwing him over his shoulder said Harry knew otherwise and did not have the time to argue.

"I have to collect Hokage-sama's pipes and storage scrolls leave chakra residue," James paled mentally, no ANBU candidate to date had passed that test, it was usually reserved for the highly able applicants. However, James knew not to take that as a compliment toward his teaching. James knew this test was an attempt to make sure the "defector" got his just rewards.

James pushed his son out of the way as he began to pry up the floorboard under his bed. From beneath the floorboard, he produced the bag Harry had been searching for. "Don't fail," Harry took the proffered sack and nodded stiffly before completing a series of Hiraishin to get to the Hokage's home.

Once in its vicinity, Harry suppressed his chakra and placed a cloaking jutsu on him, the initial flare of chakra would be passed off as a ninja moving nearby the building, but thankfully the jutsu did not have residue chakra. Harry moved slowly, so as not to distort the air around him where the patrolling guards could see. Linking minds with the closest one, he read their rotation schedule.

There would be a small gap between the guard's surveillance of the bathroom window. Though the window was small, it was still big enough for Harry to fit through. He just had to wait three minutes, and in those three minutes he would organize his plan of attack.

According to Lady Sarutobi's memories, the bathroom was down the hall and to the left of where the old man's pipe vault resided. From his pipe vault, it was the first right into the living room, where his wake-up and after-dinner pipe were stashed. He would wait for them to go to bed before retrieving those two from the living room.

Harry shot up from his crouched position and quickly made his way into the house. He moved softly and made sure his presence in the room would not leave any signs. Breathing deeply, Harry made his way towards the pipe vault room.

Harry stared at the vault in homage for several minutes, his mind was lost in the beauty of the many seals set in place. How was he supposed to disarm these without alerting the outside ANBU or leaving a chakra trail? The energy wrapping around the vault alone, was dazzling, impenetrable even.

Energy… what about his raw energy?! He had dispelled his father's impregnable barrier with that wild energy and it left no chakra residue, granted his father had used his wild energy too. What did Harry have to lose? His life was already on the line.

Focusing on that wild energy inside of him, Harry began to push it outwards toward the complex energies in front of him. He kept thinking of disabling the seals, making the energy dissipate. With his eyes closed, he continued focusing on the vault, and tried to lift the security measures from it.

The boy fell to his knees when he saw the energies disperse. He felt so faint, but there was so much natural energy around him. He wondered if he could bring it inwards again and restore his strength? Concentrating, Harry could feel the pulsating natural energy seep into his pores, and replenish that raw energy.

Opening his eyes, the boy noted, via the position of the sun, that the Hokage and his wife should be returning home soon. Getting to his feet, Harry made his way to the vault and quickly opened it after cracking the safe's combination, a rather sad preventative measure when looking at the other precautions.

Here was a little over half the collection. Each set was locked in a glass jewelry case. Pulling out the bag, Harry quickly, but gently, began putting the boxes into the sack.

"Hello dear, how was work?" Harry had just finished packing the last case into the bottomless bag, and was now softly locking the vault up, though he did not bother to replace the seals due to the chakra that would put out.

"Fine, fine" the heavy edge the old man's voice said otherwise, "The Council is still in an uproar about letting little Namikaze-kun take the ANBU exams. After all the trouble they went to, to send out the notices for his return to Konoha... They wanted him in special ops a year into the boy's training with Jiraiya-kun,"

Harry remained in the vault room, where he attached himself to a dark corner, so the air disturbance the cloaking jutsu made would be less visible. He could stay here until they went to bed, after all, the Hokage only went into this room in the mornings.

"Well, I hope that boy passes, he's too young to die and I doubt he knows what defecting even means," Hiruzen chuckled at his wife's comment. The sound of rustling fabric, followed by the distinct ding of flatware being set down at a table drifted to Harry through the air duct. In approximately an hour, the Hokage would be smoking his after dinner pipe in the living room. But for now he had to hear and smell the old couple partaking in dinner.

"You know, I never liked the boy's father," the wife commented randomly. "He used to be such a pleasant boy, though he got into more trouble than he was worth,"

"Yes…do you remember when he and Minato-kun made the market's supply of spinach disappear?" His wife's laugh was muted; Harry reasoned that it was stifled by a napkin.

"What about sudden shampoo shortage?"

"Or the Hokage mountain suddenly in color?" the couple stopped eating to laugh at their memories.

"Yes, they even had the courtesy to make your hair brown rather than have streaks of gray," Hiruzen's wife chuckled throughout the whole sentence.

"I always dreaded the summers when Shika would come to visit" the woman sighed softly at her husband's comment.

"I can't remember his real name anymore, but I remember what his parents' names were. Oh Dorea and Charlus were such wonderful people, but they were capable of very curious things," the wife whispered the last part.

"Hmm…" there was silence for the rest of the meal, with only an occasional comment about the wife's day. Before long, Harry could hear the Hokage move to the living room and the smell tobacco drifted through the house. This month's set of pipes was made out of holly.

Breathing slowly in anticipation, Harry heard the couple retreat for the night, thus making this his opportunity to get the two of the three remaining pipes from the house.

After repeating his actions with the vault seals to the drawer seals and stowing the two pipes in the bag, he began creeping his way to the bedroom. His already small stature helped him keep low to the ground as he hugged the wall and shadows.

Harry closed his eyes momentarily as he neared the desired room. He could see chakra weaved around the door. The system would alert the presumably sleeping Hokage and alert guards to his entry. Only the Hokage and his wife could open the door without suspicion.

Harry almost gasped as a brilliant idea came to him. The Hokage's wife was annoyed that her husband could never hear the nightly noises that often kept her awake. Also in her "annoying things" memory room, was the fact that her bladder had grown weaker over the years.

Redirecting his route, Harry snuck into the bathroom and turned the faucet slightly on, which allowed a slow but steady drip to fall from it. Smiling triumphantly, the boy made his way back into the hallway, where he then used minimal amounts of chakra to attach himself to the ceiling above the sliding door – the amount would feel like mice's energy level he supposed. It was only a matter of time until the Hokage's wife awoke.

Midnight approached quickly with the Hokage's wife slipping out of bed to relieve herself, and turn off that damn faucet her husband must have left on. Harry quickly swung his way into the room as the woman opened the door. From there he made his way along the ceiling toward the bed. He feared to move any closer, but chose to take this opportunity to discover where the other pipes lay hidden.

Making a beeline for hobbies, Harry navigated through the old man's memories until he came to where he put his pipes. The ceremony and diplomatic pipes were locked in a hidden safe behind a false panel in the office. These had codes as well as seals as their defense. Thankfully, he now knew the codes. In addition, he discovered that the remaining pipes of the day were all located in the same drawer of the Hokage's desk, also secured with seals.

It wouldn't be long now for him to be off death's row.

Soundlessly, Harry removed a hook attached to some wire from his tool pouch. Slowly, he lowered the hook until it caught to the bowl of the holly pipe. With a sure hand he began to reel the wire back up, but he nearly cried out when the pipe slipped off the hook. However, circulating his chakra into his feet, he was able to swing down and catch it before the pipe could hit the sleeping Hokage.

Harry's heart was pounding in his chest, and he refused to breathe for a long moment. However, when he turned to the side to look for an escape route, he noticed an ANBU operative looking at him. Shit. He needed out of there, and now!

The operative had a kunai out and was already reeling back his arm to throw it. As the kunai broke glass, Harry found the world slowing down around him as he moved to stand in front of the now stunned ANBU. From there he quickly continued to use the Hiraishin out of the surrounding area. He knew the man did not know who he was due to the cloaking, but Harry still cast a shadow and the air around him quivered from the illusion. Hopefully his father never told anyone he had been learning the Hiraishin.

Harry was halfway to the Hokage's office when the heard the ANBU alarms went off. He still had the pipe in hand and it was only a matter of time before they caught onto his mission.

Harry made it to the ledge of the Hokage's office with no conflict, but by closing his eyes, Harry could see energies moving toward him from behind. Screw it, he was already caught! Using the pipe in his hand, Harry broke the window to the office open, which alerted more guards.

Using the Hiraishin, he found himself at the desk and quickly dispersed the seals with his raw energy, while he simultaneously pulled in natural energy to replenish him. Grabbing the remaining four pipes he teleported himself to the hidden safe. In rushed movements he had the safe wide open and he was rapidly shoving case after case into the bottomless bag.

"I don't know who you think you are, but put my pipes back this instant!" Harry had just finished the packing when the energies showed up behind him. He was surrounded.

Trembling, Harry turned around in his cloaked form while also he removing a marked senbon from his weapons' pouch. The enraged Hokage had his hands up, and was ready to dispel Harry's illusion. Taking a deep breath, Harry threw the senbon above the guards' heads, right in front of the broken window.

He felt his illusion melting away just as he transported himself to the senbon's location, from there he used the Hiraishin no jutsu all the way to the ANBU headquarters, he prayed he marked well enough to have passed this portion of the test!

Harry's proctor stared in amazement as the panting brat removed case after case of smoking pipes. No one had ever completed this task before, granted his identity had been revealed and he had been caught in the act, but he still made it back with his prize. The boy even sent several shadow clones out to distract the ANBU guards while he showed his hard work to the test administrator.

"Very well, I will explain the situation to the Hokage, though I'm sure he will be displeased that there are glass shards in one of his pipes," Harry bowed his head in shame, his chest was still beating rapidly and burning from the adrenaline.

"Your next test will be finding Chūnin Mitarashi Anko," Harry nodded quickly, paling slightly due to the rumors he heard about the teenage girl, there was a reason she was one of the best torturers and was in line to become a Jōnin in a few more years "She must be brought back here, alive and unharmed, before sunrise,"

"Can I knock her out?"

"Is that harming her?" How the hell was he going to do this one, especially since the proctor was going to let ANBU operatives keep chasing him for "stealing" the Hokage's pipes? In the proctor's mind it was like a punishment for having his identity compromised.

He couldn't use any chakra, if he did, the ANBU would be all over him and Anko was likely to catch on. Thus, Harry suppressed his chakra as he made his slow way out of the ANBU headquarters. He needed a disguise, especially when considering that several ANBU were already heading his way. Looking around he spotted an alley with a dumpster. Perhaps someone threw out clothes?

Harry made his way over there and began searching through the refuse, until his gloved hands touched linen. Pulling the material loose from the garbage, Harry groaned in embarrassment. It would be a perfect disguise… He just hoped Kakashi never saw him, or he had a feeling this would be lorded over his head for many years to come.

Anko had to be woken up by the stupid ANBU tearing around the village. Apparently some punk stole all of the Hokage's pipes, to Anko, it sounded more like an ANBU hopeful was tasked with the impossible and succeeded. Wait…she was usually put in the category of impossible tasks to complete. There was always a human tracking and retrieval segment to the test…

Anko quickly got dressed and was looking around her room anxiously. No one has tried breaking in yet…but she felt antsy, and she felt like a sitting duck here. The fourteen-year-old quickly jumped out the window. Like hell she'd be an easy target.

As she walked the streets, she could see the ANBU still flitting around like headless chickens. Guess they hadn't found the culprit. Honestly, ever since she became a Chūnin, the ANBU hopefuls had been tasked to capture her and bring her to some specific location. So she typically made the unlucky bastard suffer.

She was perhaps a kilometer from the ANBU headquarters when she heard whimpering coming from an alleyway. Maybe there was a bleeding puppy or cat! Her stomach flipped in anticipation as she made her way into the dark alley. The whimpering stopped as soon as the tack of her footsteps resounded through the alley.

"NO!" a small, weak voice shrieked, and the whimpering resumed before it progressed into full on panicked crying. That sounded like a child…

The teenager moved into the alley with more caution…wasn't there a kid being tested for the ANBU division? She had heard some ANBU talking about a boy, the cousin of the Yondaime and a supposed defector, who was taking the ANBU exam. She had a kunai in her hand as she approached the wailing child. However, the weapon fell from her hand at the sight before her.

There was a little girl huddled against the alley wall, her body was covered with bruises and lacerations, her face slightly swollen with purple and yellowing bruises. Her ivory skin barely peeked through the sludge that covered her. Her little pink sundress was torn and looked as if it was taken from a trash can. The little girl's long silky black locks were tangled; some segments were even caked in dirt. What in the name of the Hokage had happened?

As Anko knelt beside the child, she noticed the girl tense and move closer to the nearest wall. "I'm not going to hurt you," though the girl was smudged with blood, Anko had no desire to taste it. "What happened?"

The little girl tried to move away from Anko, but only ended up brushing harshly against the alley wall and whimpering more due to the pain. Anko took the girl by her arms firmly, only causing her to flail and shriek, like a wild animal.

"Tell me what happened, then we can see if anyone can help,"

"You'll hurt me too!" the girl screamed, her vibrant green eyes were dark with fear of pain, and shimmered with an ingrained distrust.

"I used to get death threats because my teacher is now a missing-nin; so why don't you tell me what's wrong, I can probably empathize," Anko's gray eyes were serious for once and the child seemed to relax slightly.

"Mommy couldn't hide me," the little girl whispered brokenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have the eyes," the girl sobbed, and pressed herself against the wall. "T-they kicked me out,"

"What are you talking about?" something at the back of Anko's mind told her she already knew the answer, but she didn't want to believe it.

"They kicked me out of the compound," the little girl whispered defeated, her body was shaking with tears. Compound, eyes, it clicked.

"Did your family do this to you?" the teenager was gesturing to the wounds littering the girl's body. The girl only shook her head slowly and fear grew inside her once more, if the drawing in of her body was anything to go by.

"Did…did the villagers do this?" she knew there was still some prejudices directed toward the Uchihas after Madara tried a one-man coup d'état, but to take their aggression out on a disowned Uchiha girl… This intolerance could not stand to go unpunished.

"My name is Anko, why don't I take you to some people that can help, you just have to tell them what happened and who did this, okay?" Anko let go of the girl and held out her arms for the girl to take so she could carry her, if the girl let her.

"I-I'm Aikiko," the girl stuttered as she shakily reached out toward the teenager, Anko smiled softly as she wrapped the girl in her arms and carried her to the nearby ANBU headquarters. Because of her work in T&I she was familiar with the ANBU, and she often had to run errands at the headquarters. She knew she couldn't take the girl to the police corps because she was disowned and the ANBU headquarters would know what to do.

Anko violently hit against the intercom button leading into the headquarters – it was a nondescript building that appeared like any other office building. It had special seals on it to divert people's attention, and alert those within if anyone was attempting to enter it.

Anko was growling in frustration, which only led to the little girl to tensing in her arms. Were all the operatives out chasing the pipe thief? After the twelfth time she rung, she finally got a response

"What?! I'm waiting for an applicant to return from their current test," Aikiko whimpered into Anko's trench coat, her body was trembling in fear.

"Listen, ANBU-san! I have a little abused Uchiha child, abused by a civilian," there was a long pause.

"Then take it to the Police Corps, it's one of theirs, isn't it?"

"They disowned her for not having Sharingan eyes," Anko growled back which made the girl whimper all the more pathetically. There was yet another pause, "Are you really going to let this go? Civilians can't just attack kids like that, what if they started attacking a specific s-class secret brat? Before we know it, the brat's tenant will be released with the kid's death!"

"What does the girl look like?" came the angry response from the ANBU.

"Long black hair, pale skin, green eyes, and covered with dirt and bruises. Ya gonna let us up and file a report?!" Anko's free arm was flailing around in her agitation.

"Fifth floor," did Anko detect a hint of amusement in that bastard's voice? Was it so hard to believe she cared about children?

Grumbling the entire way, Anko kicked the door open to the specified floor. What was inside the room angered her even more than her conversation with the man. The bastard was laughing, and clutching his gut in laughter.

"Extra points for originality, applicant," the ANBU test examiner was still laughing, "And bringing the target here of her own free will,"

Anko turned her gaze slowly toward the flushed and no longer frightened girl. Anko quickly dropped the child in repulsion, only to see the "girl" land in a graceful crouch. The still chuckling proctor retrieved a large stack of files and shoved them into the stunned Chūnin's arms.

"Now that you're here, you need to rewrite all of these mission overviews you've submitted. Candidate three, your next objective is detailed inside that scroll,"

"Will you call the ANBU search off of me and give the Hokage his pipes back?" Harry asked softly as he shifted uncomfortably in the dirty dress to try and shake off Anko's death glare.

"When you complete your tests," with a sigh, the disguised boy broke open the seal and read through the inside directions. The green eyed boy just sighed as he moved toward a ratty knapsack resting beside a huge mound of jewelry boxes. Anko nearly kicked herself for only now noticing the pipe collection.

The boy left soon after, not using an ounce of chakra as he did so. "Which test is it now?" Anko asked conversationally in an attempt to hold off the mission reports for as long as possible.

"Ability to kill, and before you ask, interrogation is after that. Then his scores will be tabulated, but it already looks like he'll make it in. Now get started on your work, and no more talking," Anko just glowered at the man, and refused to get started but finally conceding. At least she was trusted enough to be told that much information, amazing what working for the interrogation department let her do.

Harry quickly found the first dummy. The dummies were infused with sensors that sent data back to the proctor on how effectively and efficiently he "killed" each dummy. There were also highly sensitive sensors set up around each dummy to ensure that only the most silent and lightest movements would ensure perfect marks.

With an unsettling ease, at least for the proctors, the dummies were decapitated and the scrolls inside, which indicated the next location, were removed without alerting any of the stealth sensors. And so it went on, until the child was lead to the T & I department for the final part of his test.

"Why are you wearing a dress?" green eyes shot open and the child sat up from his dozing state to look wide eyed at an unimpressed deer masked ANBU.

"Did they call off my search?" that was the only reason his father would be here and not out chasing after him; at least that was what Harry believed, for nothing else made sense.

"What did you do?" James drawled, as he pulled a chair up in front of his son who had been taking a nap at an interrogation table.

"I was caught getting the last pipe from the Hokage-sama's home, and then again at his office," Harry's head was bowed, his chest burned with the familiar heat of shame while his dirty and bruised cheeks flushed.

"Since they recognized your chakra you can't use it now," the father deduced with an understanding nod before "tsk"ing. "You have to be more careful, you can't head into things so brashly," like parents like offspring. James and Lily were put into Gryffindor for a reason, after all.

Sighing, James pulled out a handkerchief and wetted it with his canteen. He began to gingerly wipe away at the dirt on his son's face.

"I know, Father," Harry whispered, his finger was rubbing patterns into the table in front of him, while his father continued his gentle ministrations. It was so odd that he was being so kind.

"Why does that leave you in dress though?" his father asked after a pause. Of course James would get hung up on that fact, wouldn't he?

"I needed to bring Mitarashi Anko to the ANBU headquarters. So I pretended to be a disowned Uchiha that was beaten by a prejudiced civilian," Harry took a large breath after his explanation, before adding on, "and it's known amongst ANBU and those who work around them, that a young boy is applying for ANBU ranks."

"We need to cut your hair," Lily always wanted a girl, and like hell he'd let his son look like one. His hand with the handkerchief dropped at his son's deadpan expression.

"No,"

"Yes," James persisted, his voice still a monotone drone but for the slight edge added to it.

"Father," Harry's voice was equally dead and persistent.

"Son,"

"It's clearly come in handy," Harry had the determined light in his eyes; one that Lily often had burning, especially when it came to Severus. She was determined to stand up for him, and be his friend despite his distancing from her, but later she had a determination to stay mad at him for his mudblood comment. All of that was seen by the fire in her striking emerald eyes…a shade and fire that Harry unwittingly mimicked.

"You're mind's set, you're never going to cut your hair?" Harry nodded curtly, which caused his father to snort in amusement and shake his head slowly. "Your mother gave me that expression quite often," Harry felt his shoulders straighten at the comment, a small smile tugged at his face.

"You certainly have her temper, if I read the Operative Neko's memories correctly," Harry bowed his head as his smile grew, "Consider that your birthday present, as well as some new gear if you pass," Harry looked up at his father in surprise. It was his birthday?

"I hope I get to at least see you to your eleventh," James stated as he got up from his chair, a proctor entered the room with a petty thief behind him. "Hurt my…daughter, and you'll be eating through a straw for the rest of your life," James growled as he walked past the now cowering thief, unfortunately the examiner was instructing the boy and so neither one heard the exchange.

"Find out what he stole," the proctor whispered as a closing note, and moved to leave the room. He was curious how the boy was going to solve this; his father often just stared at the person until announcing what the suspect did.

The man sat down nervously in front of the roughed up girl, she looked really fragile. Harry, who could already see the man's thoughts, and inwardly cursed his father. "Hi, I'm Aikiko," Harry greeted in a small but cheerful voice, mimicking Naruto's tone when the boy met a stranger for the first time.

"Senji," the man looked down at the table, disbelief was starting to overcome his nervousness. They were letting a five-year-old interrogate him?! Were they desperate?

"I'm seven years old!" Harry exclaimed, now mimicking the children from his old neighborhood, "Does Senji-san have any children?" Harry asked with wide eyes, his mind was still connected with the man's, and so far he had not lied.

"Yes, I have two sons, both are in the academy," Senji paused, his eyes narrowed in an attempt to understand this kid and why the hell she was in here, "Are you planning to go to the academy?"

"No, Daddy's teaching me!" Harry exclaimed proudly, "the other kids don't really like me," Harry murmured sadly, and gingerly rubbed his painted and cut arms. He had found some purple and blue eye make-up in the alley, which helped to simulate the bruises on his arms, while he cut himself lightly with a kunai for the lacerations.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure your father is doing a good job," Senji smiled weakly, while he wondered when he would be let out.

"How old are Senji-san's sons?" Harry asked, his feigned happy mood slowly returned.

"Eight and ten," Senji began to move his gaze around the interrogation room in boredom.

"Kind of young. Are Senji-san's sons prodigies?" the man laughed loudly at the "girl's" comment before sobering.

"No, not by any means," the man had his head down, and he regarded the table in morbid amusement

"Then why are they in the academy?" Harry asked softly, his brow was furrowed up in Naruto's trademark "confused" expression, while he scratched his cheek lightly.

"They're hoping that when they become ninjas they'll make a lot of money," Senji admitted as he shook his head sadly, clearly he didn't believe they could make it. The man then looked at the girl across from him, she looked very confused, "Our business is failing and they think being ninjas will boost our family income," Harry nodded slowly, his brow still furrowed in confusion.

"Never mind, you clearly don't understand," Harry made a whine as the man began to stand up from the seat. He was clearly annoyed with this whole charade.

"Maybe Senji-san can tell me what his store is. I could convince Daddy to buy there?" that was enough to stop the man's movements and leave him laughing yet again. The man was leaning on one arm against the table while he gave the girl an incredulous look.

"Yes, I can see it!" the man laughed again. "A fierce little Kunoichi with a big bad ANBU father buying from our frilly girl's clothing emporium," the man just laughed louder, and leaned down back into his seat.

"Why? Maybe I'd like to wear a silk kimono?" Harry crossed his arms over his chest and puffed out his cheeks, another imitation from the children around his neighborhood. He knew he was getting close. The man had many memories of his wife pouring over kimono sewing patterns, but none were ever made…until recently.

"Well that's just it; our clients want fine muslin dresses or smooth silk from Suna. The best we could offer is a nice pink cotton yukata," Harry smiled softly; the lie was clear in his voice, and the memoires of his heist were sharp in his mind.

"So that's why you stole that shipment of Suna silk?" Senji's eyes widened marginally, "because you don't have those high end materials?"

"I never said that you little bitch!" roared Senji, slamming his fists on the table and looming over the little "girl".

"But your actions say otherwise," the man's attention turned to the ANBU proctor at the door. "Candidate 3, your scores have been calculated." Senji turned his head slowly to regard the stone faced child. ANBU candidate? The shock alone was enough to bring the man into unconsciousness. The proctor ignored the unconscious man and continued his speech, "and with your perfect marks on this interrogation segment, you have passed your ANBU exams – seeing how the Hokage has already picked you. Congratulations,"

Harry was left alone for a brief moment to collect his thoughts before his father came in. "Congratulations,"

"I'm not going to die…"

"At least not today," drawled James, inwardly relieved and rejoicing. "Would you rather I give you pink kimono for your birthday or a new set of knives?" there was a slight teasing edge to James's monotone, but Harry clearly had not caught it.

"Why would you buy me a kimono?" Harry's expression was two parts bewilderment and one part horror. To be honest, James would prefer that those parts were switched, but his attitude was probably the most confusing thing for the boy.

"Didn't you say you wanted one?" the father was now leading his tired son out of the interrogation room, one hand was steering him by the shoulder.

"No," Harry's voice was alarmed and confused, he began to shake his head wildly, "Why would I?" The eight-year-old jumped in shock when his father began laughing, loudly. His father was laughing?!

"I'm teasing you," his father explained with mirth still ringing in his voice.

"You're capable of that?" Harry was used to being teased by Jinchuuriki-sama, Cousin Minato, and Jiraiya-sensei, but now his father was teasing him?

"Yes, Son, I am," James shook his head in amusement before he forced himself to return to his stoic demeanor, "Let's get you breakfast before seeing about those knives," Harry nodded slowly, unable to stop staring at his father. Good things never lasted with him, and the boy was worried what tomorrow would bring.


A Suivre


A/N: again it will before I update. And yes, the pipe bit was supposed to be silly and show part of the Hokage's eccentricities. Also,James is a really weird character so if he seems OOC in this, he isn't, he's just that fucked up. Also, is it clear that ANBU is confidential, but obviously word gets around especially to Anko who has affiliations with the headquarters, I hope I reconciled that. Hope you enjoyed it ~ depressedchildren.