Steve: And here we are with the last chapter of the update!
Hinata: We'll find out about Kagero-san here, right?
Steve: Yup! And we'll see the return of someone who has been missing for a long time to Konoha.
Yui: Who is it?
Steve: She's an OC that was mentioned in a previous chapter, but she will be... different. And we will also find out about what Harry went through to get the injuries he got. Well, Hinata? Pen-pen? If you would?
Pen-Pen: (Wark Wa WAAK arrk waark)
Hinata: Translation is "The author doesn't own Harry Potter or Naruto". He just owns this story, the plot and his insane plot-bunnies.
Why me?Shinigami/Demon/Inner-Sakura
'Who?' Thoughts
-YO!- Animal speech
00000000000000000 Chapter start
Still glaring at the monstrosity that was at one point Fuuma Arashi, Naruto growls before clinching his fist. "Tell me... do you know where Uchiha Sasuke is...?" Arashi just grins as he cocks his head tot eh side with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.
"My... I take it that you're Naruto... Why should I tell you? It's unlikely that you would even believe me anyway..." Naruto just snorts as he gets into a stance.
"Damn right I wouldn't... especially if you told me that he was dead again. But doesn't mean that I wouldn't get some sort of clue from it..." Sakura just whispers his name as she comforts the still shocked and distraught Sasame. "I know that he's alive and also... I have a promise to keep. And I'm the kind of guy who keeps his promises!" Arashi just chuckles as if it all was a great source of amusement for him... which it was.
"Ah! But to do that, then you must first get past me... and if I was still the weakling that I once was then I likely would have told you everything you wanted to know." Hearing Sasame call out his name once more, Arashi laughs. "Arashi is dead you fool. What you see before you is nothing more than a collection of ninja cadaver puppets. Nothing more than a lump of unfeeling flesh..." Jigumo's face moans as the flesh around twists and swells as it forms a partial body extending from Arashi's shoulder complete with two arms, one of which is larger than the other. Seeing this, Sasame gives another shriek of horror as Naruto's expression hardens as Arashi laughs.
'Damn... I hate situations like this... Something like this would be more up nii-san's alley then my own since it's like that "Resident Evil" game he likes to play...' He then sighs under his breath. 'But... it's not like I can't deal with something like this after all...' He then looks out of the corner of his eye at Sakura. "Sakura-chan, listen closely... I'm going to attack and I want you to watch Sasame and protect her. He might try to use her relationship with Arashi against her and I can't have that." Sakura just nods as Sasame struggles a bit.
"Bu... But you can't fight him Naruto! You can't really mean that!" Naruto just narrows his eyes as he keeps watch on the laughing Arashi.
"Of course I am Sasame-chan. Right now, we're all in danger and I can't have you get hurt." Sasame's eyes widen at this as they tear up with his next words. "And also... I have to show you so that you can understand that this is no longer your sweet and kind cousin that you knew. Not anymore..." Having gotten tired of waiting, Arashi points at Naruto.
"Go! Jigumo! Attack him!" With a moan, Jigumo's "Body" extends as it shoots towards Naruto. Naruto doesn't wait for him to arrive as he rushes towards him only to jump moments before Jigumo's large fist strikes where he just was. Jigumo isn't finished though as he twists causing Arashi to land on the ground before shooting back at where Naruto is in the air. Sasame just shakes her head as tears leak from the corners of her eyes.
"No! Stop this please! I beg of you!" She continues to try and struggle out of Sakura's embrace until Sakura sadly shakes her head, her eyes filled with sadness.
"I'm sorry Sasame... But this is for your own good... please forgive me." Sasame doesn't have time to wonder as Sakura's fist buries itself in her gut, knocking the breath from her lungs and causing her to lose consciousness. Watching this from behind a pillar, Gamakichi waves her over.
"Over here doll! It's safe here!"Glaring at the small toad a little for being called a "Doll", Sakura nonetheless carries Sasame over to where Gamakichi is before turning back to the battle. Meanwhile, Naruto is leaping from pillar to pillar in an attempt to keep ahead of Jigumo. After a little bit of this, Jigumo opens his mouth and shoots a bunch of spiders streaming silk at Naruto in an attempt to capture him. The attack manages to do what it aimed for, and Naruto becomes wrapped up in a cocoon and falls to the ground. Eyes widening, Sakura rushes towards Naruto while ignoring Gamakichi's shouts to stop.
"Naruto!" She nearly reaches him when she has to stop and shield her face from debris as Arashi lands in front of her. Arashi then laughs as Kamikiri's mouth lets out a groan.
"Kamikiri! Kill him now!" Now it the flesh around Kamikiri's face turn to morph as it turns into a psudobody for him. A moment later he shoots towards the wrapped up Naruto as his scissor weapon pops out before it cuts him in half! Sakura just screams his name as she sees this.
"NARUTO! NO!" Arashi just looks over his shoulder at her with a massive insane grin on his face as Sakura growls in anger at him, her eyes becoming violet. "Teme...!" Arashi's grin just widens as Kamikiri shoots forwards, his weapon pointed at Sakura.
"Now it's your turn girly!" Seeing this, Sakura's eyes widen as she reaches back for her sword, all the while knowing that she won't make it in time. At that moment she hears Naruto's voice shout from above her.
"Damnit! Sakura-chan!" He then lands in front of her and takes the blow for her, the weapon seemingly piercing into his back. Unnoticed by everyone except for Sakura is the fact that there's no blood on the ground. Arashi just scoffs at him before smirking.
"Hmm... Amazing, that was actually a close one... I got careless and let down my guard." He then tuts as if Naruto was nothing more than a naughty child. "You had just one chance to finish me in a sneak attack and guess what you did...? You screwed it up..." He then snorts in amusement. "And for what? Just to save a piece of dead weight..." Sakura's eyes widen in shock before they narrow and she starts to growl. Before she can say anything, Naruto's voice cuts through the haze.
"Don't let him get to you Sakura-chan... You are far from being dead weight..." Naruto then looks behind him at Arashi. "And if you think that this is enough to stop me... THINK AGAIN!" And with that, he whips around, dislodging the blade as he does so. He then kicks it away from him before bring his hands up into a familiar shape. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" In a puff of ninja smoke, four other Naruto come into existence in front of the real one as his eyes narrow in determination. "Let's see the three of you... take on the five of me!" The shadow clones charge at the transformed Arashi as he rushes towards them. In a flash, Arashi finds himself in a fight as the four Kage Bushin work at him in a team. As one attacks, another covers them. Soon, he finds himself being overwhelmed as the real one leaps into the air before tucking himself into a ball and beginning to spin. Seeing this, and unable to do anything, Arashi orders Kamikiri.
"Kamikiri! Strike now!" Kamikiri's blade shoots out of him, at first taking out the bushin attacking him. It then flies through the air like a boomerang towards the real one. Seeing this, Naruto just barely whips out a knife to block it. Despite this, he still slams into a nearby pillar, cracking it as the blade cuts completely through another. Kamikiri then catches it as it returns to him and then uses it to devastating effect against the remaining bushin. Upon seeing that Naruto's hurt, Sakura runs over to check on his injuries.
"Naruto? Are you alright?" Running through the handsigns for a scanning jutsu, she runs it along his body and frowns. 'One arm is broken, thankfully in a clean
break... and his back is cracked... Hopefully, this will give him a helping hand...' She begins to go through the handsigns necessary for a healing jutsu when Naruto gives her a shaky grin.
"Sakura-chan... don't worry. Like I keep telling you, it's only a flesh wound..." It's at this point that Arashi turns back to them before speaking in a mocking tone.
"'Sakura-chan... don't worry. like I keep telling you, it's only a flesh wound...'" Arashi then holds his stomach as he begins to laugh, while both Naruto and Sakura get back up. Naruto then glares at him while holding his arm as it heals.
"Just keep laughing and I hope that you enjoy it asshole! Because you won't be laughing for long!" Arashi then stops before grinning at the two.
"You know what? You're right... I won't be laughing for long because this farce is nearly over!" He then looks at the two other faces as his grin widens. Kamikiri! Jigumo! Fuse your chakra with mine now! Give it all to me!" He then becomes covered in an aura made of chakra as both Naruto and Sakura watch in shock. Naruto just gulps as he feels the hairs on his neck perk up.
'What the hell? His chakra... it's at Kakashi-sensei's level and rising! How the hell is he generating it?' Arashi just continues chanting as he calls out the Handsigns to his jutsu.
"... Inu, Saru, tatsu..." Meanwhile Sasame begins to stir from where she's laying against the pillar. As she notices what he's doing, her eyes widen in fear.
"What? No... How can Arashi know that...?" Hearing her, Gamakichi looks over at her with a confused expression before asking what's wrong. She just gulps as she holds onto the pillar for support. "It's a Kinjutsu known only to the Clan heads of the Fuuma clan!" Gamakichi just gulps at this.
'Oh... this does NOT sound good...' He then turns his attention back on Sasame. "Er... a Kinjutsu? Why... is it forbidden...?" Sasame just shakes her head, but before she can answer, Arashi completes the jutsu as a small orb of rainbow chakra forms in his hands.
"Fuuma Hijutsu! Art of the Mandela!" He then shoves his hands in the direction of the two Konoha ninja causing the orb to become a spray heading towards them. Thinking quickly, Naruto rapidly shoves Sakura out of the way while forming a skin-tight magical barrier around himself moments before the attack hits him. He gets knocked quite a distance as the attack forms a prism around him. He pushes against the sides to no avail as Arashi chuckles. "This is it... this is the end!" He then begins to bring his hands closer together causing the prism to slowly collapse causing Naruto to cry out for a moment before the magical barrier reacts and pushes back. Arashi doesn't notice this at first as he begins to explain. "As the chakra cage shrinks, the person inside is slowly crushed smaller and smaller... until they're no larger than a pebble. Farther more... there's no way into break free from it once you're caught... as long as I keep up the pressure." Arashi then just frowns as he notices Naruto's barrier pushing back before scowling. "No matter... It won't last... You can't protect yourself forever." He continues to try and crush Naruto as his barrier fights against the jutsu's. Naruto's barrier begins to slowly glow as it strains against the pressure being put on it as Sakura grits her teeth.
'Damnit... I can't attack the barrier otherwise I might kill Naruto... But I have to try!' She then whips out her sword and brings it down on the jutsu, sparks flying from it as Naruto pushes against it from the inside and Sakura from the outside until it repels Sakura a few feet. Shaking her head, she brings up her blade to try again when she hears running feet and turns to see Sasame rushing at Arashi.
"No! Stop this Arashi! Stop this right now please!" She then leaps into the air and brings a kunai down and stabs it just beside Jigumo's face causing him to yell with agony as chakra shoots from his eyes and mouth before he slumps. At that time, Sakura brings up her sword and points it at the barrier as she focuses chakra into it and making it glow.
'Okay... time to try that trick I learnt while he's distracted.' She then seems to disappear as she reappears with her blade's point stabbing into the barrier as she calls out the attack's name. "STINGER!" Cracks begin to form where she hit as the sword slowly forces it's way in until in a flash of light the barrier shatters, the sword just barely missing Naruto as it absorbs the chakra. Arashi just stares in shock at Sasame as his mind tries to come to terms with what just happened.
"Sasame...?" His face then twists into an expression of anger as he notices that the flesh around where Jigumo is seems to be melting. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID!" Sakura just looks on with saddened eyes as she tends to Naruto, who's exhausted from trying to maintain his magical barrier against the force of Arashi's jutsu.
"Sasame..." Sasame just lets a few tears escape from her eyes as she battles herself as she tries to find the strength to carry on against one of her precious people. She then sees Naruto almost slumped on the floor and this gives her the strength to continue.
"Arashi... please... stop this... Come back to me..." She then gulps a bit. "I know that this isn't the real you, that you're still somewhere in there!" She then yelps a little as one of Arashi's arms grabs her while the flesh continues to melt as he growls at her.
"And I already told you Sasame! I already told you, you fool! The Arashi that you once knew is dead! DEAD!" Sasame just cringes at this as down below her, the chakra stops flowing from Jigumo's face and Arashi gasps as his body seizes up. This isn't all that happens as his eyes turn back from the pure white as the iris and the pupil once more becomes visible. He continues to gasp as his massive arm slowly sets Sasame back down onto her own feet. Once she's let go, she brings her hand up to her chest and clinches it.
"I knew it... I knew that you were still in there Arashi... You came back..." Arashi just takes a small, laboured gasp before answering.
"Sasame... I'm sorry..." He then gulps as he finds himself fighting against himself to speak. "All I wanted... was the power to once more... bring the Fuuma clan into the sun... where it belongs..." Sasame just nods as her eyes once more fill with tears, but this time they're happy ones as understanding shines from them.
"Yes! I know that's what you wanted Arashi! I understand!" She then nods. "But it's all over now... you can come home to the village and we can be a family again." She then notices that he's shaking his head and he's about to say something when Harry's voice echoes from behind them.
"But it's just not that simple, is it Arashi? This... jutsu that's been done carries a heavy price right?" Sasame whips around to see Harry standing there with a sadness deep in his eyes only for Arashi to chuckle sadly.
"Interesting... But your sadly right I'm afraid." He then hangs his head and sighs. "Never again will I come to the village Sasame... Look at me... I'm a monster." Sasame just shakes her head in denial.
"No! That's not true Arashi! It's not! Please!" Arashi just chuckles some.
"Sasame... If you could only feel this agony... you would understand that I have to end this... Please... I'm begging you... put me out of my misery... ARGH!" He yells in pain as Kamikiri's eyes light up with the blue light of chakra. He then hangs his head for a moment before he begins his creepy laugh again. "What am I saying! You tried to kill me and for that you must PAY!" He then moves towards her as she does nothing.
"Please Arashi! Stop this madness!" Arashi just laughs as Kamikiri's blade once more comes out of his arm as he brings it up.
"AND NOW YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS WITH YOUR LIFE!" He then brings his blade down at her... Only for Sakura to deflect it into the ground using her sword. Naruto then appears and knocks him back a few steps with a kick to the head. He then looks over his shoulder at Sasame and nods.
"You okay Sasame-chan?" Unable to say anything for the moment, she just nods. Seeing this, Naruto turns back towards Arashi and prepares to attack when Sakura walks up to him and gently pushes him to the side. Naruto just blinks at this in confusion. "Sakura-chan?" She just stops in front of him before impaling her sword into the ground as she shakes her head.
"You're still recovering from that attack of his Naruto. Besides..." She now glares at Arashi. "It's my turn to kick some ass for once." Arashi just snorts as he shakes his head before speaking to her in a babying manner.
"Oh Sakura-chan..." He then grins. "Watch it, or you'll be going first..." He then brings his hands up once more into the same position he had them for his jutsu. Sakura just gives him a snort right back in amusement as she hangs her head.
"Death... isn't something to fear. Harry, Naruto, and Sasame taught me that. If I die, then I die. I am not afraid of such things..." She then looks up, her violet eyes seeming to glow with determination and amusement. "But then... the same thing can't be said for you? Now can it?" Arashi blinks at this as he brings his pincer blade towards Sakura. "There are worse things out there then dying..." Sakura's mind flashes back to Wave. "MUCH worse things out there. Like living a life that helps no one. I am not afraid to die. I am not afraid to give my life if it would save someone who is important to me!" It's at this point that Naruto speaks up.
"Whoa! Hold up for a moment there!" He then gives her a glare. "No matter what Sakura-chan, you are not going to die here! We have faced things much worse than this and come through it alive. This WILL not stop us." Arashi just gives him a sneer before point his blade at him.
"Oh please! And what exactly do you think that you could possibly do about it? Look at you! You're practically dead on your feet!" Naruto grimaces as he remembers that he's been drained of chakra from a seal in that pit. Not to mention the amount of magic he expended protecting himself from Arashi's Mandela no jutsu. Arashi then blinks as he hears something behind him and turns in time to get hit by Harry's fist. He then tries to grab him, only for Sasame to try and hold him still. She continues to try, even with him knocking her away. He's about to attack her when they both hear a sound and look up to see Sakura coming down with her sword pointing directly at the ground. Soon after, they notice a glowing point of energy gathering at the tip. Harry just gulps and pales before rushing away to get some distance as Naruto barely has enough time to roll behind a pillar. Seeing this, Arashi is about to move when Sasame leaps onto his back moments before Sakura slams into the ground, calling out her attack.
"TIME FOR A LITTLE PAYBACK ASSHOLE! HARUNO HIJUTSU! FINAL IMPACT!" Her sword pierces the ground before all the chakra it's gathered up and that she concentrated into it explodes outwards in a massive explosion. Sakura is protected by the sword, but the room isn't so lucky as it destroys several pillars and tears Kamikiri's body from Arashi's. Freed for the moment once more, Arashi rolls and takes the brunt of the damage for Sasame, several pieces of stone shrapnel imbedding themselves into his back. He then gently smiles at her as she mouths his name. Unable to speak above the noise surround them as time seems to slow, Sasame nonetheless understands what he's saying.
"I'm so sorry Sasame... I never meant to cause you so much suffering..." They slowly twist in the air as the shockwave continues to carry them as Sasame replies.
"No... No, I'm not the one who suffered Arashi... You were the one who truly suffered..." She begins to sob as he holds her. "Isn't there... anything that I can do? Anything at all?" Arashi just softly smiles.
"But you have done something Sasame... It's thanks to you, I am myself again..." The shockwave finally dies revealing Sakura kneeling in a crater as she looks around herself in awed disbelief.
'What the... how did this happen? This... never happened in training...' She then starts as she sees a freaked Naruto peek from behind the stump of a pillar, shaken from what he just witnessed.
"Remind me... to never... piss you off... that badly..." From where he is with swirly eyes and several pieces of debris, Harry nods.
"Sure... if you do the same... for... me..." A piece of the roof breaks free above Sakura and starts to fall towards her when it's knocked aside by a large toad with two swords strapped to its back causing Harry to roll his eyes. "About time you showed up Ero-Sennin." He just shrugs.
"Sorry, but I got held up." He then smirks as he glances at the woman laying unconscious behind him. "But you guys weren't the only ones who were held up..." Naruto just says that it's pretty typical causing Jiraiya's expression to sour some before he shrugs and looks down at them with a grin. "Whatever. Come on you two, shake a leg." He then notices that other parts of the roof are starting to crack causing him to frown. "Come on, this place isn't going to last much longer at this rate. Hearing something, he turns and gasps as he sees Arashi appearing out of the dust cloud with Sasame in his arms. And then he blinks and catches her after Arashi tossed her at him. Sakura just looks at her, guilt welling up in her chest.
"Is... is she alright? She's not hurt is she?" Jiraiya shakes his head in the negative.
"Nah... she just fainted. She's likely exhausted, the poor thing." Naruto then hears his name being called by Arashi causing him to look over at him.
"Naruto... now I can tell you the truth about the mission that Orochimaru sent us on..." Naruto perks up at this and gulps before motioning him on. "He wanted to make sure that no one could possibly take Sasuke back to Konohagakure, no matter what." Naruto just chuckles.
"So that means that he's still alive. I knew it." Arashi nods at this.
"Yes, that's right. He is still alive." He then sighs as he shakes his head. "At the moment, Sasuke is the strongest body he has at the moment to inhabit. But unfortunately for him, that can't happen for three years yet. So he has to keep him safe and hidden until then." It's at this point that Sasame awakens and looks over at him.
"Arashi... aren't you coming with... us...?" He just shakes his head as for a moment the dust around his feet swirls away revealing both Jigumo and Kamikiri trying to merge with him again as he sadly smiles.
"I can't. I'm just a cadaver puppet like these two now. I can't leave this place since it's where I belong now... And if I try... I'll die anyways thanks to the jutsu I used." Sasame just yells his name as Arashi nods at Jiraiya, who nods back before looking away. Harry just looks at him before jumping off the toad and into the cloud of dust. He then looks over at Jiraiya.
"Get them out of here Ero-Sennin. I can get out easily myself." He then looks at Arashi and nods. "I'll try my best to do something." He then gives Jiraiya a stare. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" Jiraiya nods and a moment later the toad leaps up towards the surface as Sasame screams Arashi's name. Arashi then looks at Harry and smiles at the chunin's next words. "Don't worry... your passing will be painless. You deserve that much, not being... eaten by those things again." He just nods at this before looking up.
"Sasame... thank you... for everything..." There's two green flashes visible in the dust as the rest of the roof caves in, the rest of the base soon following. Jiraiya's toad lands on a nearby bluff as they watch this occur. Sasame just collapses as tears pour from her eyes.
"Arashi... no..." Seeing this, Naruto wraps her into a hug as she bawls into his shoulder. In response, he tightens the hug as they watch the dust cloud reach into the sky. A few moments later, Sasame looks up at him and sniffs. "I'm... sorry." Naruto just raises an eyebrow at this.
"You're sorry? Whatever for Sasame-chan?" She just looks at him disbelief.
"What for? Why... your nii-san is dead..." Naruto just shakes his head for a moment and is about to say something when the ground just behind them buckles as a massive creature bursts from the ground. It almost looks like an earthworm, but is covered in what appears to be armour fashioned from animal bones. Sasame's eyes widen at the sight of it. "Wha... WHAT IS THAT THING!" Naruto just chuckles before answering.
"It's a Minhocao." She's about to say something when it's previously unseen mouth opens and Harry steps out carrying Arashi's body in his arms. He then gently sets him onto the ground as Sasame rushes over. Slowing down, she falls to her knees as she grabs him and holds his body to her tears drip down her cheeks as he looks up at her and gently wipes the tears away from her eyes. he then coughs.
"Sasame... Don't... cry for me... I'm finally... free..." And with that, he jerks and shudders before becoming still. Sasame's tears come quicker now as she hugs his slowly cooling body to her
"Arashi..." She then looks up at Harry's saddened face, seeing the regret there. "Why... why did he have to die...?" Harry just sighs.
"I... saw some notes in a lab that my summon found... It wasn't pretty." He then grimaces as he runs his hand through his hair. "That teme Orochimaru used him to test a new Kinjutsu. The idea of it was simple... by combining two or more shinobi, you could create one who was more powerful. Unfortunately... one of the side effects was unrestrained cell growth, something like cancer." Harry the turns towards the dust plume. "Inside the complex, there were apparently seal arrays to stop this. But if he ever left the complex..." He then turns his eyes to the ground. "If he ever left, he would die a painful death in a matter of minutes as the cellular growth would devour his body." Sasame just nods and asks if it was painful, to which Harry shakes his head. "It was as painless as possible. I placed a numbing spell so he wouldn't feel it and so that he could say goodbye. There was nothing I could do to save him." She nods as Naruto comes up and places a hand on her shoulder. Reaching up, Sasame grips it before squeezing. She's about to say something else when a female, and familiar, voice speaks up.
"Please don't hate him Sasame... It was for the best and now Arashi won't have to suffer anymore." Her head whips up and she sees an exhausted Kagero leaning against a nearby tree. Kagero gives her a smile at seeing the surprised look on her face before looking at Arashi's body in sadness. "He was already dead when you saw him... that was why I didn't want you to find him... I'm sorry that you had to see what you did." Sasame just nods before asking the question on everyone's mind.
"But... what are you doing here Kagero-Shishou? I saw your dead body..." Her eyes then widen as she looks at Harry. "You... You somehow revived Kagero-Shishou! Didn't you! Can you..." She trails off as her face falls as Harry shakes his head.
"Sorry Sasame... but despite appearances, Arashi has actually been dead for some time. And reviving him wouldn't do any good since the side-effects from the experiment would just occur all over again... And this time no amount of numbing charms would help." Sasame slowly nods, knowing that this might be just for the best. She then looks up at Harry with a shaky smile.
"At least... I have his body to bury... So thanks for that, I guess..." Harry just nods at this, the self-loathing visible in his eyes and expression. Jiraiya then walks up with a curious expression on his face.
"You found some notes of Orochimaru's? What else did you find?" Harry slowly takes a breath before letting it out in a sigh.
"Nothing I really want to remember..." Harry's expression sours as he begins to explain what he found...
0000000000000000 Flashback 00000000000000000000000000
Closing the journal in his hands, Harry grimaces as he shudders. 'To do something like this to a person... is there no humanity left in that beast.' He then sighs and shakes his head. "Poor Sasame... Looks like she won't be able to return with Arashi after all..." He then hears a sound and finds Gef standing there. "Yo! Got everything ready?" The Mongoose nods before motioning for Harry to follow him.
"Of course I did Gov'nor." He then appears on Harry's shoulder. "Well? Aren't we going Gov'nor?" Harry just nods and in a moment is back in the lab before the tubes. Several of them have a small glowing scratch on the bottom and Harry, upon seeing this, looks at his summon with a raised eyebrow. Gef just smirks before pointing at them. "I made those scratches to show which ones are still sane." He then frowns. "Among the adults... there's only one of them." Looking at the tube in question, Harry frowns at the sight of the woman inside. The first thing that's noticeable is the fact that she has a black, furry, wolf-like head in place of a human one. Where her hair would be is a long mane extending to her shoulder blades while her hands have claws in place of nails. Same with her feet, though the bottoms of them seems to be padded. The rest of has no noticeable body fat, only lean muscle showing on her body as well as a light dusting of fur as can be seen since she's nude. Finally, there's the fact that she's about six and a half feet tall (imagine a female version of the creature from the movie "Dog Soldiers"). Bending down, Harry takes a close look at the inscription on the bottom of the tank.
"Hmm... Experiment number #1645... 'Inu Soldier'." Harry blinks at this before a familiar chuckle rings through the area. Whipping around, he's faced with a familiar red head that's clutching a remote. He then narrows his eyes and growls at her. "Karin..." She just smirks as she shakes her head.
"You really shouldn't have come here baka. But..." She now begins to smirk in a evil manner. "At least now I can give these creatures a proper test and see exactly where they are. And I'm sure that Orochimaru-sama would be pleased with any combat data you could supply." She then presses the button and a hissing sound goes through the area as Harry swears. A moment later, liquid begins to gush from the tanks as the inhabitants begin to awaken. Harry's about to take off after her when he hears a smashing sound behind him and just barely dodges the claws that nearly take off his head. Rolling, he then gets back up in time to see Karin disappear into a door that slams shut a moment later with the sound of a lock turning. "That fucking bitch got away! Damnit!" He then turns and watches as the woman he was looking at shatters the rest of the glass before stepping out. Seeing Harry, she softly snarls before stopping as she takes a sniff. Her eyes widen some before a puzzled look comes over her muzzle as she narrows her eyes.
"-Why do you smell of Kushina-chan...?-" Seeing Harry's wide eyes she takes another sniff before shaking her head. "-Wait a moment... it's similar to Kushina-chan's smell... but not the same? But it is familiar...-" Harry just takes a breath before sighing.
'Thank Merlin that she's still sane...' He then looks around and notices that the other (insane) adults are breaking free while the children just look around in confusion and disorientation. 'Hmm...' He then looks back at her while trying to hold back a blush at her nakedness. "Look, Kushina is none other than my Oba-chan..." The woman starts at that before shaking her head.
"-She's... your Oba-chan...! But... She was the last of the Uzumaki!-" Harry just nods and watches as the other subjects break out.
"That was true... But can we talk about this at some later point? Because I REALLY don't want to get killed by these other experiments..." He then glances back before jerking his head at the children. "Not to mention that we have to get them out of here as soon as possible." Seeing the children, she nods.
"-Agreed. But as soon as we do, I want answers.-" Harry nods before creating several Kage Bushin who grab various objects before mumbling. The objects then glow slightly. The She-wolf raises an eyebrow as she watches the Kage Bushin grab the each of the children and then disappear. "-Well now... that's definitely different...-" She then cracks her head to the side before giving a feral grin as she watches the various experiments head towards them before settling into a stance like that of the Inuzuka clan. "-Time to go wild...-" Harry just nods before they both charge at the experiments.
00000000000 Flashback End 000000000000000000
Jiraiya and the others stare at him with wide eyes as Harry looks towards a nearby tree. "You can come out now Hikari-san... everything's alright." They all watch as the woman that Harry described leaps out of the tree and lands. But unlike in the story, she has a cloak on her hiding her body from view. The name suddenly hits him and Jiraiya whips around at Harry.
"You said that her name was Hikari?" Harry just slowly nods while giving him a confused look. The Gama Sannin, on the other hand, just finds himself with a dry mouth. "Her clan name... it isn't... Genshirin... is it?" Harry just nods causing Jiraiya to curse making him blink and ask what's the matter to which Jiraiya sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. "Genshirin Hikari was... or, rather, is actually one of Kushina's best friends." Harry and Naruto start at that as he continues, making them even more shocked. "Kushina and her, as well as likely Lily, knew each other from when they were very young and she was one of the few survivors of Whirlpool to make it to Konoha along with Kushina." He then chuckles. "Her clan, the Genshirin were feared for their hunting prowess. They were able to track just about anyone they had ever met and were feared because of that. When her and Kushina arrived in Konoha they were placed on the same Genin team along with Higarashi Dustin... yes, that girl Tenten's Otou-san." He then frowns as he looks back at Hikari, who's leaning against a tree. "But... she disappeared soon after becoming an ANBU. She disappeared on a scouting mission and was assumed to have been killed by Iwa-nin... guess that Orochimaru made her 'Disappear'..." Hikari just nods before growling as Harry translates for her.
"-That teme somehow found out where I was and attacked me... but it wasn't until my old partner, an Inuzuka, attacked that I was overwhelmed. I don't remember much after that... just a lot of pain and screaming...-" She then scrunches her brows together. "-I don't know how much time passed, but eventually I woke up and looked like... this.-" She then motions at herself. "-After that... Well, I tried my best to take care of any of the young ones that I could, but I didn't always succeed in that...-" She then sighs, but is surprised when Naruto walks up and gives her a hug.
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to make it all better. Somehow. Dattebayo!" Hikari seems to smirk at this as she shakes her head. He then turns to see Harry dismiss his summon before sealing Arashi's body into a scroll. He then hands said scroll over to Sasame, who holds it tightly to her. Walking over, Naruto gives her another hug, into which she relaxes. He then looks around them. "So... I hate to ask this, but when are we heading out?" Jiraiya just looks at the sky and sighs.
We should likely get a move on soon if we want to make any headway before nightfall." He then glances around with narrowed eyes. "I do not want to be moving through these woods after dark." He then looks at the gathered ninja. "We need to locate a place where we can rest up and recover from our injuries... ALL of US that is." Naruto and Harry nod as they walk over and scoop up the two most injured of the party, Sasame being picked up by Naruto and Kagero being picked up by Harry. The two girls blush as they are carried into the trees bridal style. As they're running through the trees, Kagero looks up at Harry with a quizzical expression.
'What is this feeling I'm getting? I feel... safe?' She then closes her eyes and relaxes as she smells a scent like that of the air after a storm has passed through. Soon after, she realizes that the smell is coming from Harry. She then opens her eyes and looks up at Harry's. 'They're so green... so full of life... what is this feeling...? And why... why did he save me?' A moment later, she whispers her question again and Harry raises an eyebrow as he looks down with a grin.
"Simple Kagero-chan, I could see that the only reason you sided with Orochi-teme was that you loved your family and wanted what was best for them. And while I dislike how you went about it and with who, I can't fault you for that. So... I decided that you shouldn't have to die." Still puzzled, Kagero soon lays back and lays her head against Harry's chest before being lulled to sleep by the sound of Harry's heart beat and his scent. The others watch this with smiles on their faces. Later that night, Naruto's sitting on a log watching his surroundings when he smiles.
"Hello Sasame-chan, come to lend a hand with watch?" Having been caught, Sasame blushes before walking over to where Naruto's sitting. She then sits down next to him. After a few moments, Naruto turns to her with an amused look in his eyes. "My... what a stimulating conversation this is..." She gives him a small glare that causes him to grin before he gives her a questioning look. "So what do you want to talk about Sasame-chan?" She just sighs before looking at Naruto.
"Why is your nii-san avoiding me? Is he mad at me for something?" Naruto just shakes his head and sighs.
"Actually... he thinks that you're the one mad at HIM." Seeing her puzzled look, he shakes his head. "He thinks that you hate him because of what happened with Arashi." Sasame visibly saddens at this before shaking her head.
"But that's being a baka! I... don't hate him because of that!" She then looks at the ground and scuffs her toes in the dirt. "I know that in the end, that there was no other choice. I won't say that I'm not angry that he wasn't able to revive Arashi like he did Kagero-Shishou. But..." Now here she looks up with shinning eyes. "I don't hate him. And at least now I can bury him. No more laying awake at night wondering what happened. At least now... I know that he's resting in peace." She then yawns cutely and leans against Naruto's shoulder, her expression getting sleepy as her exhaustion is once more catching up with her. And soon after she falls asleep on Naruto's shoulders as she begins to dream...
0000000000000000000 Later
A few days later finds the group outside Club Lay Down with the Fuuma clan in front of them. Hanzaki begins to speak for the rest of the clan. "The loss of Arashi is but a portion of the terrible price that had to be paid. But thanks to you, the Fuuma clan is finally free of Orochimaru." Harry just smiles and shakes his head, Hikari standing beside him with her hood drawn up around her head, hiding her face.
"And you're also free now to rebuild the Fuuma clan anew in the way that it SHOULD be. Not in the way that Orochimaru stated." Sasame nods from where she's standing beside of Kagero. She then nods at Naruto, the two of them having had several talks over the past few days.
"I know. And thanks to Naruto, I know how to start." Sasame then lays her hand over her heart. "With this. With this life I now have thanks to Arashi's help." She then bows a little at them. "Thank you... for everything that you have done to help us. We are within your debt." Harry then nods at Hanzaki.
"Hanzaki. I want you to promise me something." He nods a little to show that he's listening. "I'm giving the position of clan head back to you. All I ask in return is for you to take care of your clan, especially Sasame, Kagero, and Kotohime. Do not punish then for what happened. And make your clan great once more." He then smiles. "And if you ever need any help, don't hesitate to contact me. You know how." Hanzaki nods before bowing.
"I will do as you asked Harry-sama. Have no fear of that." He then straightens. "And I hope that you have a safe and fruitful journey. All of you." The group just nods and soon disappears down the road. A little while later, Sasame and Kagero retreat to their shared room where Kagero raises an eyebrow.
"Sasame... What is so important that you had to show me?" Sasame just smiles and shakes her head.
"Kagero-Shishou, remember how Harry gave Hanzaki a way to contact him?" Kagero nods and Sasame's smile grows as she reaches under her mattress. "He wasn't the only one to get something." She then pulls out a small purple velvet bag. Cocking her head to the side, Kagero asks what it is. Sasame's just shrugs. "I'm actually not quite sure, but Naruto told me that all we had to do was place a letter into it and it'll somehow summon the letter to the bag owned by the person we sent it to. So me and Naruto can send letters back and forth." She then smirks. "And you can send some to Harry as well." Kagero lightly blushes at this before coughing and clearing her throat as she looks away.
"That is... interesting and useful..." She then looks back at Sasame. "But does Hanzaki know that we have this?" Sasame just nods.
"Yeah, he does. Harry and Naruto let him know and he said that he doesn't mind as long as we don't reveal any clan secrets." Kagero looks down at the bag and slightly blushes as she thinks about what she should write for her first letter.
0000000000 Epilogue
Walking up to the door in front of her, Sakura takes a deep breath before knocking. A moment later, Tsunade's voice drifts through. "Enter." Sakura then opens the door and steps in as she closes it behind her. She waits a few moments as Tsunade looks over some paperwork. "Yes? What is it Sakura?" Swallowing, Sakura takes a calming breath.
"Tsunade-sama? I know that you have been giving me tips as to both your strength technique as well as Medical ninjutsu. But I have decided..." Sakura then bows deeply. "I wish to become your apprentice in the medical arts." Tsunade's head comes up as she leans forwards and lays her chin on her hands.
"Really now? That's quite an interesting proposition. Why exactly do you want to become my apprentice? Is it to impress someone?" Knowing that she has one chance, Sakura shakes her head.
"I would be lying if I said that I didn't hope to impress Naruto." Seeing Tsunade open her mouth, Sakura holds up her hand. "Please let me finish Tsunade-sama." Tsunade nods for her to continue, which after a moment she does. "But it's more than that. I want to be able to help my precious people if needed. I want to make sure that people don't have to suffer the loss of loved ones." She then clinches her fist as an image of Naruto after the Retrieval mission flashes across her mind. "I no longer want to be useless." Tsunade's silent for a for a few minutes as she considers the girl in front of her before slowly smiling and nodding.
"Very well then. I won't be going easy on you Sakura... But if you're sure..." Sakura just looks at her in the eye with flames visible in her emerald orbs. Seeing this, Tsunade smirks. 'Seems that your girlfriend has the Will of Fire gaki.' Stand up and looks out the window. "Very well. As of this moment Haruno Sakura, you are my apprentice. I will make it so that you become an accomplished Medic-nin in your own right. So that one day you can pass on your skills to the generation after yours." She then turns around and meets Sakura's stare evenly. "Report here tomorrow as of o'six hundred hours. Your training shall begin then. Dismissed!" Bowing, Sakura thanks her before leaving. Chuckling, Tsunade sits back down and takes a bottle of sake from a drawer. "I got the feeling that you shall be a legend in your own time Sakura... and maybe even after. Let's see what you got, shall we?" She then pops the bottle open and takes a sip before turning back to her paperwork before her eyes bug out. "WHAT THE HELL! HOW THE HELL DID IT TRIPLE! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Outside her office on the windowsill, Jiraiya shakes his head.
"Good luck with all that paperwork hime... why do you think that I never took the job?" He then leaps away with a chuckle.
0000000000000000000 Uzumaki-Potter Compound 00000000000000000000000000
Walking down the hallway, Kushina finally comes to a stop outside of a unused room. She then turns when she hears something and looks back to see Mikoto, Tsume, and Kuromaru walking towards her. She simply blinks. "What are you three doing here?" Mikoto just holds up a note as does Tsume.
"We got a note from Naruto-kun to come here as soon as possible. Don't know why he wanted us all here at the same time..." Kushina just blinks as she looks at her own note.
"Yeah, I don't know why either." Seeing the incredulous looks, Kushina gives then a small glare. "He may be my son, but even I have trouble understanding him sometimes." She's about to say more when she hears the door open and turns to it. Standing there is Naruto, who motions them all in. Once in, Kushina gives her son "The Look" that every mother seems to know. "Now… would you please explain to me exactly why you got us up this late at night?" She then blinks before giving Naruto a raised eyebrow. "And why I'm hearing growling coming from that room?" Naruto just sighs before he shakes his head.
"It's better if you see for yourself instead of having me explain to you."He then once more gestures them into the room and they walk in. They're about to ask the same question as Kushina when they stop as a werewolf-like creature walks out from where it was hiding behind a door. Seeing that Naruto isn't panicking, Kushina takes a breath.
"Um… Sochi? What… is that?" She points a shaky finger at the creature as one part of her shinobi mind notes that it appears to be a female, if it's figure under the cloak it's wearing is anything to go by. She then blinks as it gives a whine and hangs it's head. She's about to say something when Kuromaru's jaw drops as Tsume goes into a state of shock. He then shakes his head and answers back. After a few moments the two are having a conversation. Finally nodding, he turns to Naruto.
"You DO know who this is, right?" Naruto just nods causing Kuromaru to sigh. "And let me guess, you need me and Tsume here to translate?"Naruto shakes his head with a small smile.
"Nah. I need you here Kuromaru, because she needs someone to teach her how to speak like a human again. And you're the only dog I know that taught themselves how to do just that. And Tsume? Well… wherever you go, so does she." Kuromaru grins at this.
"It's nice to be actually needed."He then hears a gasp and looks to see Tsume moving away from Kushina's ear. He then takes a step back as Kushina walks forwards with tears in her eyes.
"Is it really you… Hikari-chan…" The wolf woman nods and Kushina grabs hold of her and pulls her into a tight embrace as she starts to sob. Eventually, the whole story is told. Which, of course, causes the expected reaction in Kushina. "I AM GOING TO KILL THAT FUCKING TEME OROCHIMARU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" She then starts to curse and mutter threats as Mikoto walks up to Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, I'm confused by something…" He motions her to continue. "If there were children there… what happened to them?" Naruto just smiles at this.
"They're currently at a hidden location in Wave Country Mikoto-chan. Tsunade-baa-chan is going to go there in a few days via Portkey and have a look at them to see what she can do for them. Some can be helped… and the ones who can't will get adopted by people in Wave. Tsunami-chan has already made sure of that." Mikoto just smiles before going over and giving Hikari a hug along with Tsume. Eventually Naruto leaves the room as Mikoto and Kushina use Tsume and Kuromaru as translators so they can catch up with Hikari.
0000000000000000 The End
Steve: And there we go! The final chapter of this update!
Yui: Very nicely done!
Steve: Thank you.
Hinata: Um… Steve-san? You said that you were going to do something…
Steve: Right you are Hinata! Recently Toranika asked for a list of the harems as they are. So I decided to post them. And here they are:
Naruto
Kyuubi
Hinata
Hanabi
Sakura/Inner-Sakura (I count them as one person)
Momo
Tsume
Kin
Tayuya
Anko
Tsunami
Shizune
Koyuki
Sasame
Harry
Hedwig
Row
Sal
Ayame
Hana
Haku
Hermione
Myrtle
Bella
Cissy
Kagero
Yugao
Steve: Now as you can see, they are almost equal in number. Harry has only two more and one will appear in the next chapter. After that? None until Shippodan. And even then there's only one until he goes back to Hogwarts. Naruto will have a few more, though some, like Koyuki, will be more off to the side since they have responsibilities elsewhere.
Pen-pen: Wark wa war waar ar wark? (What do you mean by that?)
Steve: Well you can't expect a ruler of a country to leave and take up residence in Konoha, can you? It basically is like this: he can have a child with, say, Koyuki. But he won't be her husband. More along the lines of a consort than anything else due to political issues : i.e. Since he's the citizen as well as a member of the military of a foreign nation, it wouldn't be a good idea of giving him a position of power.
Yui: Makes sense.
Steve: That's one thing that bothers me about when people like Koyuki and Haruna or Mei are used as pairings. It just doesn't make much sense for them to marry Naruto and stay in Konoha while maintaining ruler ship over their respective areas, they would have to give up any power they had and step down. And Naruto wouldn't leave Konoha and his dream to move to his wife's country. The only real way that something would work is of he can summon them, or himself, to each other's places of residence. Or, in my case, use Apparition and Portkeys. And even then, he can't actually marry them because a conflict of interest would arise.
Hinata: I guess that it's a good thing that Harry-kun won't have worry about stuff like that, right?
Steve: Actually, Harry will also get a princess of his own at a later date. And she's already been introduced. And, yes, both her and Harry will have children, but not be technically married due to politics.
Pen-pen: Wa wark warkk… (My head hurts…)
Steve: Politics, especially of the feudal variety, will do that to a guy. Anyways, that's all we got this time! I'll see you guys with a new update in a little while! See ya!
Bestiary:
Name: Minhocao
Rank: XXXX
Type: Elemental Spirit (Earth/Water)
Info: The Minhocao is a creatre from South American Mythology and is sometimes descibed as a massive earthworm with bony armour/scarly skin on it with two tentacles on it's head. In some stories it's described as a real creature, and in others as something more like a spirit. This is based on the spirit version. It is blamed for many things like sinkholes, and housed and roads collapsing into the earth. It is also said to live in nearby rivers and sometimes drags livestock under the water. It also apperently creates trenches as well.
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