Two Scarred Souls Heal Each Other
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. They belong to their respective authors and publishing/media companies.
Warning: Yaoi/Slash. Harry/Ibiki. Please don't read if its not your cup of tea.
Author's Notes: I am very sorry to disappoint several of my readers but the Interrogation is not being written into the story. It is mentioned and discussed so often that I didn't want to have to continuously repeat it. Sorry! I hope you still enjoy this chapter though. Once this story is completed I may add it as a side story or oneshot.
Warning - this is a long chapter. A loooong chapter. It refused to be compacted or rushed.
Please keep voting for Hermione's pairing. The winner will definitely be her love interest!
A big Thank You to all my wonderful reviewers: your little words of encouragement and appreciation are a major source of motivation! The swift updates are all because of you guys!
Props to my partners in crime: latte2 and Manriq203. We attack the world at dawn, chicas. Be ready!
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Chapter 2: Welcome home!
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Konoha, Fire Country
Harry walked out of the detainment room on unsteady legs, feeling unbalanced and disturbed. The tumultuous movements of his magic underneath his skin were definitely not helping him in regaining his inner tranquility. Lamentably, the interview played havoc on his mind and ran roughshod over his emotions. Harry found it difficult to answer all the man's questions truthfully without revealing any of the siblings' closely guarded secrets. Mr. Morino's subtle maneuvering to uncover the facets of their 'bloodline' made him extremely nervous, almost to the point of paranoia. He could not fathom how they even found out about their magic! 'Bloodline? They're classifying it as a bloodline?' Harry questioned to himself. He was very worried about the effects this bloodline label would have on their stay in Konoha. The wizard was determined to sit down and discuss his interrogation and that issue with Hermione, as soon as they were in a secured setting.
'Maybe she can even help me figure out why my magic is acting wonky?' he thought anxiously. Harry was feeling slightly distressed over the sensations that his magic projected during the interview. He was used to his magic feeling strongly protective, angry, or even sad, especially with the war and the subsequent events that occurred afterwards. However, he had never felt his magic act…..cuddly, for a lack of a better word. And it was definitely cuddly towards Mr. Morino! A faint tinge of mortification over his magic's actions in the room still lingered in his blood. It was reflected in the light blush that adorned his cheeks as he wobbled closer to Hermione, who he saw just up ahead.
Hermione was sitting on a wooden bench that lined the wall at the end of the hallway. She appeared to be having an affable conversation with a male shinobi. The man wore a green vest on top of a long sleeved blue shirt with matching blue pants. His brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and he had a gentle but expressive look on his face, which was lightly crossed by a scar that ran sideways over his nose. He gestured animatedly with one hand as he conversed with Hermione. Perched on the bench's arm, Hedwig moved her head up and down, side to side, as she followed the man's hand with her amber gaze. It was a silent game in which only she knew the rules to. Noticing the actions of his snowy owl, Harry moved quicker in desperation to prevent an incident like the one that occurred in front of Konoha's city gates.
"Hermione!" he cried out and announced his presence. He gained the attention of his sister, the shinobi and, more importantly, his unpredictable white owl who hooted a soft greeting before flying to his shoulder and resuming her customary spot. Harry petted her gently as he walked closer to the duo that stood up as he drawled near.
"Hi Harry!" Hermione greeted before nodding her head towards the unidentified shinobi. "This is Iruka. He was explaining the different levels of missions that civilians can request from the shinobi. What do you think about requesting a D mission from the Mission Room? A genin team will guide us around Konoha, help us buy supplies, show us a real estate office, and even help us clean up our new house once we buy it!" she exclaimed.
"What is a genin team?" questioned her confused brother, head tilted to the side which was mimicked perfectly by Hedwig a second later.
"Uhmm….If I may?" Iruka intervened, staring at the man and owl before looking briefly at Hermione. After an acquiescing nod from her, he turned back to explain genin teams to a confused wizard. "Genin teams are triads of three young students who successfully completed their studies at the Shinobi Academy. They work and train under the mentorship of a Jounin sensei until they take and pass the Chunin exams. As genins, they are eligible to take missions ranging from D rank to A. The difference in ranking is due to the possible dangers a genin can encounter while completing the mission. Lower alphabetic rank equates lower danger levels."
A look of understanding crossed Harry's face. This was perfect. A way to safely explore Konoha, locate everything quickly and a chance to question natives all rolled into one. He nodded his head at Hermione and together they followed Iruka to the Mission Room to request the assistance of a genin team.
The siblings waited patiently inside the Mission Room for their genin team to arrive. The Mission Room was a large room which mostly consisted of a large wooden reception table that almost spanned the length of a wall. The usage of wood paneling continued in the room which matched the wooden floors perfectly. Two chunins were efficiently working at the desk; quickly organizing mission scrolls and filing them in the room located though a doorway behind the desk. Iruka had helped them complete their mission request forms and assured them that a genin team would be available soon.
After a few minutes had passed, a slim woman of average height walked through the door. She had bright red eyes and was uniquely dressed in a revealing short red and white stripped top paired with black shorts. Following her into the room were three widely different youths. One was a tall and stoic male adolescent dressed in a long green jacket who was an extreme contrast in comparison to the feral-looking energetic male teen with a white puppy sitting on his head underneath a furred hood of a gray parka. Lastly, there was a young female teenager who nervously pointed her two index fingers together, while she awkwardly waited, clothed in an overly large beige jacket over black Capri pants.
The red eyed woman walked over and introduced herself to the witch and wizard. "Hi. My name is Kurenai and I am the Jounin sensei for Team Eight. This is Kiba, Shino, and Hinata, my genins" she said as she gestured to the teenagers who waved or nodded as their names were called out. A bark sounded from the pup on the newly identified Kiba's head. "And Akamaru, too". she corrected.
"Hello. My name is Hermione. This is my brother Harry and his owl, Hedwig. Pleased to meet you." Hermione responded. Harry nodded briefly as Hedwig greeted the shinobi with a hoot.
"Cool. You're the dude with the pretty owl!" Kiba shouted as he bounced over to get a closer look at Hedwig.
"Hoot" regaled the fore mentioned owl as she stood up straighter, always willing to meet her fans. The poor young boy had a dog on his head. A dog. Poor, poor boy. The fleas must be dreadful!
"Wow! I can see why everybody is talking about her." stated Kiba. Apparently, his attention on another animal distressed Akamaru because the pup started to whine and paw his partner's head.
"Ah, Akamaru. Don't worry boy. She's not as awesome as you are!" he said lovingly to his nin-dog.
'Uh oh.' thought a witch and wizard.
Hedwig's amber eyes took on a menacing gleam as she looked upon that horrid little boy, whom she promptly demoted from fan to hooligan. Did he just considered a dog better than her? Her!
"Ah." stammered Harry nervously. He had a feeling Hedwig was up to her usual antics. "Well, let us be on our way, shall we!" Quickly he grabbed Hermione's hand and began pulling her earnestly through the door. "Plenty of things to do, supplies to buy, and people to meet. It wouldn't do to dawdle, now would it?" he called out over his shoulder as he rushed to the exit of the Hokage's Tower.
Large amber eyes peered backwards to stare intently at Team 8 who hurriedly followed them out the building. Hedwig's plans may have been delayed by her wizard, but she could be patient. Oh yes, she could! Her Harry's rude uncle learned that lesson the hard way. Lock her up in a cage, indeed. That brand new shiny car of his got the Hedwig Special, with a bit of assistance from her fellow feathery friends. Rude Uncle never saw it coming. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.
She'll get that flea boy and his little dog too!
Harry collapsed facedown onto his bed in the double bed hotel room that the siblings had rented for the night. It was a modest hotel that was highly recommended by Kurenai who assured them it was popular with most of the merchants due to its affordable rates and excellent services. The bed was certainly soft with its plush blue comforter and goose downy pillows. Overall, an excellent bed which was fantastic because he was almost tired enough to be bone weary. According to the clock on the bedside table, it was only 8 o'clock at night though Harry would adamantly claim it was far later. Traveling from one country to another tends to knock one's inner clock a skewed.
Hermione bustled around the hotel room as she laid out their earlier purchases in an orderly manner in preparation to place them in their appropriate trunks. Today was certainly a day of discovery. The bookstores offered a wide range of subjects, though she avoided the orange books after Kurenai delicately informed her that they were "inappropriate and disgusting novels that barely qualified as literature, and should never be present before the innocent eyes of children." as she kept an eagle eye on the location of her genins. Embarrassed, Hermione decided to focus on the books with information on shinobi, chakra, and summon animals. She was still interested in discovering how summon animals related to Hedwig. However, she was most surprised by a few books which discussed a rare discipline called Fuujin – The Art of Sealing. It looked remarkably similar to Runes. The young witch couldn't wait to compare and contrast the two subjects.
She organized her books in the library trunk before turning her attention to the numerous bags of kimonos that Harry bought in a shopping blitzkrieg. It was very humorous that he referred to the kimonos as Konoha robes. It completely puzzled the shop keepers and kept Kiba baffled when he continuously tried to correct Harry. Hermione was still stunned that he bought so many since he never seemed fashionably inclined while in the Wizarding World. 'Of course its hard to be stylish in cumbersome black robes, all day and every day.' she thought. 'Huh. Now it makes sense. Years of Hogwarts' uniforms and clothes from the House of Dursley would leave anybody desperately wanting to try something new. Plus, he looks gorgeous in kimonos so it's a win-win situation all around.' Without a doubt, Harry was a stylish picture in traditional Japanese attire. Kurenai and ,shockingly, Hinata had a delightful time dressing him up like a grown up doll.
Her inner thoughts were disrupted when she heard a plaintive cry of "Hermione!" that was slightly muffled due to be spoken through a pillow. Rising from beside Harry's personal trunk, she strolled over and laid down beside the wizard on his bed. Staring at the ceiling and its thick wooden beams, she calmly waited for her brother to tell her about what was bothering him. She could sense he had something weighing on his mind all day long. Understandably, she was faintly shocked when the first thing he said was completely flabbergasting.
"My magic is acting cuddly." revealed Harry, with his head barely turned sideways on his pillow.
"Excuse me? Your magic is what?" asked his sister, not really comprehending the conversation.
Sighing heavily, the wizard sat up from his comfortable position. Sitting cross legged with his head propped on one hand, he looked directly at his best friend and stated seriously "My magic is acting cuddly."
"Okay. Describe this cuddly and why it's a problem?" She blinked her eyes twice as her mind scanned for any relevant information regarding symptoms for magical core irregularities.
"During the interrogation with Ibiki Morino, which went horribly by the way, it acted like it purred and wanted to cuddly with the bloody man!"
Hermione's mind temporarily went blank with the words 'purred' and 'cuddly' until it jumpstarted with a sudden realization, "What do you mean the interrogation went horribly? What went wrong?" she demanded.
"Everything! Well not everything." he denied. "It started fine. He asked the usual questions in the beginning. You know. What is your name? What are your intentions in Konoha? And blah blah blah. It was the questions regarding our supposed 'bloodline' that tripped me up. And my wonky magic. And my interrogator. Other than that, nothing to horrible."
Bloodline? Magic?Wait….."The interrogator?" She quickly sat up and grabbed one of her brother's hands. "Did he do something? Did he do something to you?" she asked frantically as her other hand reached for her wand, ready to deliver vengeance if needed.
"What? NO! He was…..and that walk..…plus his voice was….Urgh! Wonky! Cuddly magic! Focus, Hermione!" he spluttered before jumping up to pace in the room, desperately trying to hide a blush. Predictably, he failed. Pale British complexion betrayed him every time.
Hermione quickly noticed the blush that he tried to hide. Tilting her head sideways, she tapped a finger on her lips as an ideal formed in her mind: a delicious, delightful, and oh so fabulous ideal. Slowly, a devilish smirk grew on her lips. "Harry," she singed, "do you have a crush?" When Harry's blush went super nova, she burst into delighted giggles. Finally! After all these years, he was finally attracted to somebody. Mwa ha ha!
Harry quickly spun around after hearing Hermione's unbelievable question. "Are you serious? What are you? Like five?! Really a crush, Hermione? As if! Sure he may be darkly handsome….And those two scars on his face make me want to kiss them… Or his voice turns me into a puddle of goo. And maybe, just maybe, that my magic liking him made me curious and now I want to know everything about him! That does not make it a crush!" he shouted triumphantly, one arm raised in the air, pointing upwards in a victory pose. Upon seeing the incredulous and hysterical look on Hermione's face, he mentally reviewed everything he just shouted. "Why did I just say all of that out loud?" he mumbled, honestly bewildered by his recent behavior.
Hermione could not bear the pressure any longer. She burst into hysterical peals of laughter, tearing rolling down her face, and a sharp pain in her side. The witch was extremely relieved that the 'cuddly' magic issue was a simple crush and took it as a sign that moving to Konoha was a fantastic new start for them. Even a pillow smacking her squarely in her face didn't abate her relieved hysteria. Of course, she retaliated with a pillow lob of her own. It quickly escalated into a full out brawl with goose downy as the weapon of choice.
Hedwig fluttered from the window still to the safety of the top of the room's tall armoire. Her golden eyes watched the joyful actions of the brother and sister. It was good to see them enjoying themselves so freely after such a long time. But as feathers erupted from damaged pillows, she barked in protest of the waste of perfectly good feathers. Humans.
Harry and Hermione examined the large house that the realtor was showing them. Early in the morning, they went to the offices of Konoha Real Estate to succor a home for them. Apparently, the goblins had influence all around the world and the hidden ninja continent weren't an exception. With their new Platinum accounts at the Financial Institute of Fire Country and branch accounts at the Bank of Konoha, the Potter-Black found themselves as highly valued customers to the realtors. It took a pointed and blunt discussion before the realtor acquiesced to their demands to see a property with large grounds rather than a grandiose townhouse or a gaudy city mansion.
The realtor explained the house used to belong to an affluent family that moved to the Capital more than a decade ago. Recently, the father passed away and the children decided to sell the old family compound rather than keep it. Despite its state of disrepair and neglect, both siblings could see the potential. Plus, magic meant home improvement wouldn't pose a problem.
It was a large manor, complete with two floors, a basement, and an attic. Its ground floor consisted of the typical plethora of rooms such as the kitchen, dining, living, study, family, and sun room. Hermione liked its simple entrance hall and the overall size of each room. 'A few expansion charms here and there would do nicely' she decided. As one of the cooks in the family (Dobby being the other), Harry knew the kitchen and pantry were going to need a complete renovation. The spacious backyard could easily support a garden and greenhouse while maintaining enough room for relaxing and cookouts.
Traveling up the sturdy staircase, they took a quick perusal of the upstairs five bedrooms and three bathrooms. They were surprised to find two master suites,similar to the ones in Grimmauld House. After a quick conference, Harry forced Hermione to take the larger master suite due to fact she could convert its adjourning sitting room into a personal study/library room. He much preferred the smaller master suite due to its view of the backyard and its balcony that Hedwig could easily enter and exit from.
Realizing their argument over the master suites meant they were going to purchase the house, they went back downstairs to haggle the purchase price with the realtor. The ending price came out to a fee of roughly 35,000 gallons which they considered to be a bargain for the compound of the large manor, three surrounding small buildings, and over 5 acres of property. The fact it was conveniently enclosed by brick walls with sturdy gates was a delightful surprise. Apparently, people in Konoha typically use brick walls as fences to signify private property so ninjas wouldn't mistakenly use their lands as training grounds. Minutes later, they watched the realtor leave happily with the signed paperwork and authorization for the money transfer. Hermione and Harry rolled up their sleeves and pulled out their wands to do some serious casting of spells and charms.
Harry subtly flicked his wand and cased a proximity and security ward. After verifying nobody was nearby or spying on them, Hermione and Harry worked in tandem to set up the first layer of wards: proximity ward, notice-me-not ward, harmful intent repelling ward, pest control wards, and identifying ward. Pausing to regain their breaths, Hermione reached into her pocket to remove a two-way compact mirror. She handed Harry her trunks to be resized and enlarged while she opened communications in her mirror. Minutes later, just as the last trunk regained its original size, a large group arrived in the living room with a loud popping sound.
Standing in the dusty room was a group of sneering goblins, a dozen house elves, one bouncing Dobby, and a cantankerous half-kneazle named Crookshank. The house elves were there to assist in cleaning and fixing the house while the goblins arrived to help ward and magically renovate the property. Few people realized that goblins were master architectures and builders. Their expertise was available for the right price, of course. Harry nodded politely to the goblins and knelt down on one knee to greet an ecstatic Dobby.
"Hi Dobby! Was the trip okay?" he asked the beaming house-elf who was happily hugging his knee.
"Oh yes, Harry Potter sir. Dobby is fine. He is readies to works!" squeaked the house elf while his fellow houses elves squealed in agreement to his sentiments and crowded closer, eagerly waiting for instructions.
Seeing the mob forming around the wizard, Hermione cleared her throat and rapidly began issuing orders. Quickly, she directed three elves upstairs to clean, dust, and repair the bedrooms and bathrooms. Two elves were sent outside to wrestle order to the wild vegetation, plot a spot for the garden, and clear an area for the greenhouse. Another two elves a piece to clean, dust, and repair the attic and basement. Lastly, the remaining three will help paint the walls and varnish the wooden floors as rooms became presentable. With the dozen house elves dispatched to complete their assignments, the witch turned her attention of a despondent Dobby.
"Well, Dobby. Let us go to the kitchen, shall we. The whole thing needs to be renovated." she announced to the newly energized house elf.
They departed the room with Crookshank stalking behind them, and left Harry to the company of the goblins. After greeting and introducing each member of the party, the goblins and wizard descended down a concealed staircase into the basement.
"Okay, Griphook. How do you want to proceed with this?" he queried, gesturing vaguely at the packages the goblins were carrying. Four of the goblins held large square cuts of obsidian to use as the cornerstones for the property's wards. Griphook, himself, held a carefully wrapped, perfectly circular, enormous moonstone that would be the wards' hearthstone. Carefully unwrapping the moonstone, he laid it gently on a conjured pedestal that Harry created mere seconds earlier. Runes were carved all over the moonstone's surface. Each rune corresponded to the runes on the obsidian stones and would ensure the wards were fully powered and maintained optimal strength.
Harry poured a vial of combined blood (Harry's and Hermione's) onto the moonstone and concentrated on maintaining a steady stream of magic to be woven into and around the ward stones. The goblins moved into a five point star shape to begin the process of ensuring the best possible wards for the home of the Potter-Black siblings. With their status as friends to the Goblin Nation, the goblins would not fail in this endeavor. With ease and expertise born from years of experience, they quickly powered the ward stones and magically connected the stones with the house and property. The four obsidian cornerstones and hearthstone were buried into their correct spaces and the wards flared into life. With the magic donated from Harry, the wards would eventually gain semi-sentience over time. All in all, it was a very strong and impressive array of wards so the wizard and goblins were very pleased.
Later that night, the Potter-Blacks were slumped tiredly onto the couches in the living room. It was an exhausting day, but they were pleased with the fruits of their labor. The entire manor gleamed with life and renewal. The wooden floors were sanded and varnished with a glossy sealant. The walls were freshly painted, mostly in earthy and neutral tones. Several walls were removed to give the house a more open floor plan. Only the study, library, and sun room maintained their privacy with separately enclosed spaces. Plush rugs and runners were placed everywhere, grounding the furniture and providing softness to bare/socked feet. Previously purchased furniture and decorations were placed throughout the house along with several antiques and items from the Potter Vault. When he saw the myriad of items his ancestors had stored in the Family Vault, Harry declared he came from a long line of hoarders.
Earlier, they were indecisive about how to best utilize the attic and basement. They eventually decided to use the basement as a magical library, a potions lab, and a large training facility. Thus the basement needed stronger wards that prevented spell damage or explosions while maintaining a silencing spell and ventilation ward. An alert system to signify injuries or accidents was pierced together quickly by the goblins. All old, antique, obsure, and magical tomes were placed in the basement library's countless shelves and then a specialized fidelius charm was cast to prevent anybody from discovering the secret room of books. Hermione volunteered to later organize the potion lab and their entire stock of potions and ingredients. Currently the attic was only partially converted. A small owlery was built for visiting owls and Hedwig when she wanted some alone time. In addition, Dobby's living quarters were customized in a section of the top floor. Dobby cried tears of delight as his quarters were built. The remainder of the attic will be used as storage space unless needed in the future.
As the brother and sister climbed wearily to their feet to retire for the evening, they noticed the absence of their familiars. Harry tapped into the wards to locate their wayward pets and was surprised when it revealed they were outside. Walking to the back entrance that led to the private backyard, they quickly spotted their familiars. In a tree that bordered their newly created pond, Hedwig dozed on a branch while Crookshank was sleeping at the base of the tree. The carnage of their gluttonous feast littered the ground and gave evidence to their gleeful annihilation of their shared prey.
After banishing the remains, Harry turned to Hermione. "I think putting fish in the pond was a bad idea." he declared.
Given the sheer amount of fish remnants they just banished, his sister had to agree.
While the Potter-Black Manor was being renovated, Ibiki was presenting his final report of the siblings to Lady Tsunade (Konoha's Hokage) and the Council. It was a full inquiry due to the Potter-Blacks' economic status and potential bloodline status in Konoha. The head of the Torture and Interrogation Division had assembled a comprehensive report based upon their interviews, activities, and statements gathered from shinobi who had contact with them. He was leery to using the information from a genin named Kiba, due to his ludicrous declarations that the owl, Hedwig, was out to get him. Ridiculous
He calmly stood in front of Lady Hokage while she and the rest of the council read his report. He knew a barrage of questions was about to be leveled his way. Predictably, the first to start the furor was the greedy civilians of the council.
"It says here that the siblings have Platinum accounts at the Financial Institute. Exactly how much money does this mean?" asked a merchant, mentally salivating and plotting how to get his hands on that fortune. He had a son who was of marriageable age.
'Pig' Ibiki thought before he responded. "Exact amount is unknown at this time. However, only accounts easily over a million can be given Platinum distinctions."
He noticed the looks of distaste the shinobi clan heads directed towards their civilian counterparts. Easily understandable since the majority of the clans qualified for Platinum status too.
"Disregarding their wealth, what are their plans while they live in Konoha?" inquired Homura, as he pushed his glasses up. Homura was a senior councilman and a political advisor to the Hokage.
"Not definitive at this time. Hermione Potter-Black mentioned the possibilities of opening a business during her interview. However, her brother, Hadrian, discussed no plans beyond buying and renovating a house" replied Ibiki.
"Did you encounter anything unusual when interviewing the siblings?" questioned Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara Clan. In addition, he was the Head Strategist and Commander of the Jounin shinobi.
Ibiki's indecisiveness before answering the question was only noticed by the Nara head, the Hokage, and Danzo, another senior councilman.
"No sir. Both siblings represent no threat to the safety and citizens of the village. Their unique chakra-ish abilities may prove valuable over time. Not surprisingly they did not display any unusual abilities when present before Chunin Iruka Umino or genin Team 8 which consisted of Jounin Kurenai and genins Shino, Hinata, and Kiba. However, Genin Kiba is adamant that the owl companion has extreme negative feelings for him and made repeated references to a 'scat' attack." Ibiki felt awkward reporting the perceived intentions of an owl, but any hostility and possible threat had to be reported.
Kiba's mother, Tsume Inuzuka, howled in laughter when she heard that last statement. The soft chuckles from her nin-dog partner, Kuromaru, accompanied his mistress's sounds of amusement. The young pup was going to be horrifically teased when they returned home after this meeting. Her daughter, Hana, would be delighted to hear about this news along with the rest of the clan. Scared of an owl. Priceless!
The rampant amusement of the Inuzuka pair worked to defuse the slight tension that was building in the room. Realizing the rest of the meeting would only involve the Potter-Black's fortune and she had much better things to do than indulging the gossip of the useless civilian council members, Tsunade dismissed the Council and gestured for Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka (leader of the Yamanaka Clan and previous Head of the Torture and Interrogation Department), and Ibiki to follow her into the Hokage's Office. The rest of the council left the room with Tsume in the lead as she cackled and sprinted out the door.
After sitting comfortably behind her desk, Tsunade leaned forward and regarded Ibiki with a stern expression. "Spill." she commanded.
Shikaku and Inoichi gave their full attention to Ibiki as well. Nobody gave any notice to Shizune, the Hokage's apprentice and personal assistant, as she entered the room with tea and Tonton, the Hokage's pet pig, trotting behind her.
"Regarding what, Lady Tsunade?" Ibiki fervently hoped to delay the inevitable.
"What was the unusual occurrence that happened during your interrogation with Hadrian Potter-Black that you couldn't reveal to the full council?" she demanded.
"It is a personal matter and has no significance on the meeting." he replied stiffly.
'Personal matters?' was the thought that everybody in the room had. A light of unholy curiosity began to burn in Tsunade's and Inoichi's eyes. In the hidden language of shinobi personal matters translated into personal feelings and emotions. What kind of personal feelings could Ibiki have for Potter-Black? After all, they only met for a few minutes? …..Ah ha!
A sly expression graced Tsunade's face as she regarded Ibiki intently. "Well, the lack of information on their bloodline is worrisome. I want you to personally observe the siblings and compile your findings. You are not spying, per say, so detailed reports are definitely not needed. Just get to know them better." she finished with a regal wave of one of her hands. This should be wonderfully entertaining! She couldn't wait to meet the man that piqued Ibiki's attention.
Ibiki was feeling rather conflicted. He did want to know more about Hadrian but certainly not by the orders of his Hokage. But her orders meant he could get closer to the man without being unduly hassled by certain people …like Anko. He shuddered to think what her reaction would be to his supposedly 'interest' in another person. Horrifying thought.
Banishing those thoughts to a small dark corner in his mind, he nodded in affirmation to the Hokage and stalked out the room.
After Ibiki left, Shikaku turned back to the Hokage. "Turning into a matchmaker now?" he drolly questioned. Witnessing the laughter of his hokage and answering amusement from his best friend regarding the love life of Inoichi's previous apprentice, the Nara clan head sighed heavily.
"Troublesome."
Thank you for reading my story. Please review!
Posted: 01/26/13. Chapter 3/10. Currently - 5,511 words.
AN2: Bonzai! Another update. It took three days to write this chapter. Luckily this story is basically writing itself, I'm just along for the ride!
More Konoha shinobi was introduced and the alliance of pets in forming. A lot of descriptions were added into the mix so my apologizes to those of you who are familiar with the World of Naruto. I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyways.
Once again, critiques and constructive criticism is warmly welcomed. Be honest! I hope to be a published author one day so I sincerely appreciate anything and everything that will help me in this endeavor.