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

Warnings: AU for parts of both worlds (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), mild character bashing, mild to moderate violence (there are shinobi involved after all), and a few others that will be announced as they crop up.

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

Chapter 17: Oath Bound

Tuesday, October 02, 2001, Morning
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni

Hiruzen studied Namikaze Takeshi as the twenty-one year old man stepped into his office on the heels of AnBu Neko before his eyes slid to the often hyperactive blond that was practically glued to the man's side. Every single report he'd received from the AnBu guards assigned to shadow the Namikaze family consistently stated that all five members of the small family were a tight knit group but that the three youngest Namikaze males were exceptionally close. It was also said that Takeshi, who was clearly the head of the family despite him being slightly younger than Arata, was highly protective of both children.

The green eyed brunette had actually been called a mother bear with a tongue sharper than any blade on more than one occasion when the man had verbally lambasted any one foolish enough to insult the bewhiskered blond within range of the volatile man. Those that dared to sneer at the blond were treated to a mere glare that could easily topple mountains if the glare could be given physical form. The rest of the time the man was an affable individual that went out of his way to avoid conflicts and doted on his son and younger cousin.

He was also a rather perplexing puzzle that Hiruzen was having difficulty deciphering. That the man didn't really trust him enough to share anything beyond the basics didn't help Hiruzen get the answers he needed. Hiruzen set aside his ponderings on the mystery that was Namikaze Takeshi as the man in question stopped in front of his desk and greeted him, "Ohayou, Hokage-sama."

"Good morning, Takeshi-san, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen replied in kind. "I trust that you both know why you are here?"

"Hai, Neko-chan told us that you wanted to see us, dattebayo," Naruto answered as he rocked on his feet and grinned at him.

"I presume that you called us here to discuss your decision on whether or not the results of our recent assessments were adequate enough to merit our induction into the ranks of Konoha's shinobi force," Takeshi added after letting out a soft snort in response to Naruto's answer.

"Correct," Hiruzen agreed with a nod before he turned to address the younger boy. "Naruto, your test results showed a marked improvement across the board when compared to the test scores from your first two years at the Academy. I see no reason to send you back to the Academy when you already know the material; providing that you can demonstrate sufficient control over the three basic Academy jutsu for me right now."

Naruto's sapphire eyes lit up with excitement as he immediately traded places with a chair on the other side of the room before he cheekily switched back using Takeshi; causing the young man to let out a startled squawk. The kid then used a henge to make himself appear as Takeshi's double; completely accurate right down to the slightly annoyed scowl that the green-eyed man was wearing as he crossed the room to return to his earlier position. The blond then dropped the henge and bit his lip as his earlier excitement was replaced with a measure of worry.

"Do I have to do the regular Bunshin, jijii?" Naruto asked hesitantly after briefly glancing up at his cousin.

"The Bunshin is a graduation requirement," Hiruzen pointed out even as he felt his heart swell in response to the irreverent form of address the boy used since it let him know that Naruto stilled cared for him despite how angry he had been with him for withholding information from him.

"Naruto-kun has the same issues with the Academy level Bunshin that I do, Hokage-sama," Takeshi didn't hesitate to explain when Naruto's shoulders slumped in resignation.

Understanding filled the Sandaime as he considered a couple of potential ways to get around the Bunshin requirement before he recalled what Takeshi had told him the day the family arrived in the village about Naruto being able to perform the Kage Bunshin. Nodding to himself, Hiruzen suggested, "Why don't you show me what happens when you do the Bunshin no Jutsu so that I can note that you attempted the jutsu before you show me any alternate Bunshin forms you are capable of creating?"

Naruto's entire demeanor flipped around instantly and the tension in Takeshi's shoulders eased with the offered compromise and Hiruzen mentally patted himself on the back for avoiding a potential outburst from the overprotective young man. He then gave his full attention to Naruto as the blond formed the hand seals to create a pair of sickly looking clones that were pooled on the floor. The bewhiskered blond cringed over the deplorable state of the illusion clones before he glanced in Hiruzen's direction as if expecting to get yelled at for the failure.

"Yes, I recall Takeshi-san's regular Bunshin having a similar appearance the other day. Why don't you go ahead and dispel those and demonstrate an alternate variation of the Bunshin that you've learned."

Naruto sighed in relief before he quickly dispelled the two dying clones and created ten Kage Bunshin to take their place. Curious to see how durable the clones were, Hiruzen climbed to his feet and made his way around the desk to test the clones. He flicked a few noses, poked a few bellies, swept another off its feet, and jabbed the final one with the handle of his calligraphy brush. He was quite pleased to note that the ones he'd poked and flicked remained while the last two were dispelled.

"Well done, Naruto-kun; the clones were also far sturdier than I expected them to be for someone your age."

"Thanks, jijii."

Hiruzen made his way back to his seat, opened the top drawer of his desk, and pulled out a brand new hitai-ate and a shinobi registration packet that he set on the edge of his desk for Naruto to collect, "Congratulations, Genin; you've passed your graduation exam and earned your hitai-ate. You have until noon this Friday to complete your shinobi registration packet; if you do not have a recent photograph, you will need to see the photographer upstairs to have your picture taken before you turn in your packet."

"Yatta!"

"Good job, squirt," Takeshi murmured as he smiled at Naruto and ruffled his hair and though he appeared to be happy for Naruto, Hiruzen could see the pain and resignation in the man's green eyes and he knew that Takeshi hated the fact that the blond had just become a shinobi. Naruto appeared to be completely oblivious to his cousin's unhappy demeanor as the blond tackled the man around the waist and hugged him tightly before he beamed up at him when Takeshi readily hugged him in return.

"I hate to interrupt your celebration but I do need to wrap things up here as I have work to do," Hiruzen requested after allowing Naruto to bask in his cousin's affection for a few minutes. "Arigatou. After carefully reviewing the results of your physical evaluation, Takeshi-san; I have decided to approve your application to join the shinobi force." The Sandaime then dug into the top drawer of his desk again to grab another hitai-ate, registration packet, and a storage scroll that he set on the desk and slid in the direction of the man. "Allow me to be the first one to welcome you into the ranks of Konoha's shinobi force, Chuunin."

"The storage scroll I just gave you holds your new flack jacket, a standard shinobi field kit, and two vouchers each good for three sets of the standard shinobi uniform (one for you and one for Naruto) that you can redeem at any of the armories within Konoha. It is not mandatory that you wear the standard uniform except on certain occasions, a list of which has been provided for you in the rule book that can be found in your field kit. If you wish to obtain additional uniforms or need to replace a damaged uniform, you will need to purchase them yourself as uniform vouchers are only issued once every five years on the anniversary of your induction into the force."

"I have taken the liberty of scheduling you to take an academic assessment test tomorrow at the Academy; you will need to be in room two-eighty-three by eight o'clock. You will also have until noon this Friday to complete your shinobi registration packet and provide an up to date photo; the photographer upstairs is available from eight to four every day and since this is a slow time of year for him, you will not need to worry about making an appointment ahead of time. The two of you will then need to return to my office at one o'clock sharp this Friday to turn in your registration forms and swear your oaths before I can assign you to a team."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Takeshi murmured in a flat tone at the same time as Naruto excitedly replied, "Hai, Hokage-jijii!"

Hiruzen dismissed the pair at that point and tracked them with his eyes as they left the room; the blond bouncing excitedly as he tried to convince his cousin to take him to Ichiraku's to celebrate while the raven haired man wearily placed one foot in front of the other. Watching the young man, Hiruzen had the impression that he was watching a condemned man walk to his death instead of a newly inducted shinobi leaving his superior's office. When Takeshi glanced back to meet the his gaze, Hiruzen found himself looking into frozen emerald eyes filled with barely suppressed fury coupled with hopeless resignation.

As the door to his office swung shut and blocked the sight Takeshi's green gaze, Hiruzen wondered if he'd just made a mistake. A glance down at the evaluation summary sitting in the middle of his desk and knew that he'd really had no choice; not if he wanted to keep the two Jinchuuriki and the Namikaze family in Konoha.

Friday, October 05, 2001, Afternoon
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni

Contrary to the Sandaime Hokage's assumption that he was entirely clueless, Naruto was very much aware of his cousin's conflicted feelings. Over the past two plus years, Naruto had learned to accurately gauge Harry's moods with uncanny accuracy whether or not his green eyed cousin tried to downplay or hide his emotions. As such, he'd known that Harry had been growing steadily tenser from the moment they stepped through the portal and that each step closer to Konoha had shortened the fuse on Harry's explosive temper.

The ambush they'd been caught up in so close to their destination hadn't helped matters, though it had allowed the man to burn off some of his frustration. Their treatment upon arriving in Konoha, which while not exactly rough had been enough out of the norm (when compared to how most of the other new arrivals were treated), had ignited the fuse. The Sandaime's attempt to split them up without so much as a by-your-leave had then triggered a spectacular explosion that had been building for weeks.

Naruto suspected that it had been ages since someone had chewed out the old man Hokage so thoroughly and Naruto had felt a rush of affection for his cousin that day as Harry verbally lit into the man on Naruto's behalf.

The remainder of the first week been relatively uneventful and calm; bar the day Harry had had his skills tested. Naruto only wished his itoko had not chased him off just when things were getting interesting. He would have loved to have watched the two hour long ninjutsu match that Harry had fought against one of the Jounin. Naruto was certain that his cousin had been awesome; proof of that had come when Harry had been given the rank of Chuunin the day the Hokage had given them their hitai-ate. Naruto had been tickled pink; his cousin was so awesome he'd skipped right over Genin and gone straight to Chuunin.

Naruto had wanted to crow his cousin's accomplishments to the world but had refrained from doing so because he'd sensed Harry's unhappiness from the moment Sarutobi had passed Naruto a hitai-ate. Naruto knew that his cousin was proud of him for passing his assessment tests and for acing the surprise graduation exam with no warning but he also knew that his cousin was not pleased that Naruto had essentially become a child soldier at age eleven. What made the blond Jinchuuriki love his cousin even more was the fact that Harry had done his very best to repress his dissatisfaction and just be happy for Naruto's sake.

If not for the fact that Naruto was so in tune with Harry's moods (something Naruto was half convinced had to do with the fact that they both had half of the Kyuubi inside of them along with Harry's magic), he would have been fooled by Harry's act.

All of that ran through Naruto's mind in the blink of an eye as he stepped through the door leading into the Hokage's office on Harry's heels once more. Naruto stepped up beside his cousin as the green eyed man slowed to a stop just in front of the Hokage's desk. His cousin then bowed respectfully to the Sandaime before taking two steps forward to pass the man both of their shinobi registration packets. A heartbeat later, Harry was once again standing silently beside him.

Naruto's eyes cut to his cousin as he again took in the crisp navy blue shinobi uniform that Harry had put on just before they'd left the wagons. The green flack jacket that denoted his rank as a Chuunin peeked out from under the black dragon hide cloak that Harry had rarely taken off since they'd set foot in the Elemental Nations. His pants were tucked into the dragon hide boots that he'd refused to give up; Harry stubbornly refused to even consider wearing the standard shinobi sandals. And his hitai-ate had been secured around the middle of his left thigh after he'd claimed that the metal plate irritated the faint scar on his forehead.

By comparison, Naruto wore the standard navy blue pants and shinobi sandals, a dark orange t-shirt over a mesh armor undershirt, a sturdy but lightweight navy blue jacket (that was currently unzipped), and his hitai-ate proudly tied around his forehead. He also had a shuriken holder strapped to his right thigh and a utility pouch clipped to the back of his pants; unlike Harry who carried his shuriken, kunai, and other supplies in specially designed hand-sewn pockets secreted about his cloak. Naruto planned to ask his cousin if he'd help him add similar pockets to his new jacket so that he could carry extra kunai and supplies that would be easily overlooked on casual inspection.

Naruto's attention was drawn back to the Hokage when the man finished skimming through the registration forms and glanced up to address them, "Everything appears to be in order; you can expect your shinobi Identification Cards to be ready in five to seven days and you can pick them up from my secretary. You will be required to keep your ID Cards on you at all times once you receive them and in the event that your card is lost, stolen, or damaged, you are to report it immediately to your immediate supervisor so that the missing or damaged card can be deactivated and a new card issued."

"Wakarimasu," Harry murmured while Naruto just waited for the old man to get to the important stuff; like telling him who his teammates were.

"That brings us to the next item on the agenda; your shinobi oaths. Who will give their oath first?"

"I will, jijii," Naruto stated when he felt Harry tense minutely beside him as the Hokage rose from his seat and walked around the desk to stand before the pair of them.

"Very well, Naruto-kun. Please repeat after me; I, state your full name, do hereby pledge my life and loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato."

"I, Namikaze Naruto, do hereby pledge my life and loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato."

"As a loyal Shinobi of the Leaf; I, state your name again, swear to uphold the laws of Konohagakure no Sato and obey my Hokage for so long as I wear the Leaf in the service of Konohagakure no Sato."

"As a loyal Shinobi of the Leaf; I, Namikaze Naruto, swear to uphold the laws of Konohagakure no Sato and obey my Hokage for so long as I wear the Leaf in the service of Konohagakure no Sato," Naruto obediently parroted as he tried not to turn to stare at his cousin in concern when he felt the man twitch slightly.

"Genin Namikaze, in my capacity as the Sandaime Hokage; I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, do hereby accept your oath of loyalty and obedience in the name of Konohagakure no Sato and officially welcome you as a true Shinobi of the Leaf," the Hokage intoned as he reached out with his right hand to touch Naruto's left temple.

The old man then channeled the smallest thread of chakra that sent a small jolt through Naruto's head before it shifted to his hitai-ate in order to activate the hidden seals in the metal plate that would announce his status as a sworn shinobi to the rest of the shinobi. A precautionary measure that had been implanted one year after his disappearance in order to prevent spies from infiltrating the ranks as easily as they had before due to an inactive hitai-ate sticking out like a sore thumb amongst a sea of activated forehead protectors.

"I live to serve, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied as his father's ghost had instructed him earlier that morning.

"I, Namikaze Takeshi, do hereby pledge my life and loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato," Harry stated without prompting the moment that the Hokage turned to face the dark haired man and Naruto shivered slightly as he felt his cousin's magic rise in response to his words; a feeling he only recognized due to the fact that he'd been living with the older man for two years. "As a loyal Shinobi of the Leaf; I, Namikaze Takeshi, swear to uphold the reasonable laws of Konohagakure no Sato and obey my Hokage so long as his or her orders are for the betterment of Konohagakure no Sato and will not cause undue harm, whether intentional or not, to the Namikaze Family for so long as I draw breath while wearing the Leaf in the service of Konohagakure no Sato."

"Chuunin Namikaze, in my capacity as the Sandaime Hokage; I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, do hereby accept your oath of loyalty and obedience in the name of Konohagakure no Sato and officially welcome you as a true Shinobi of the Leaf," the Hokage declared after a slight hesitation (a small frown marring his brow in response to Harry altering the words of the oath) as he reached out with his right hand to touch Harry's left temple in order to activate Harry's hitai-ate.

"So mote it be," Harry incanted in English as he fisted his right hand, tapped his fist against his heart while he shifted his left arm across the small of his back, snapped his heels together, and straitened his shoulders. Naruto watched with wide eyes as an unseen wind fueled by Harry's magic suddenly whipped around him and tugged at his hair and cloak in response to his words before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Harry's emerald eyes burned brightly, the edges of his irises tinted gold, as he finished with, "I am yours to command, Hokage-sama."

"And can you tell me why you felt it necessary to alter the wording of the shinobi's traditional oath, Takeshi?"

"The original oath left far too much room for my oath to be abused, Hokage-sama," Harry replied as he dropped his arms and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I do not swear oaths lightly, Hokage-sama, for my word is far more binding than you could possibly imagine and the consequences that I will suffer should I break an oath that I have sworn would be crippling if they didn't outright kill me. Congratulations, Hokage-sama; you now hold the leash to a living weapon."

"Keshi-nii…?" Naruto worriedly murmured as he reached out to grab Harry's sleeve.

"Everything will be fine, Naruto; the changes that Minato helped me make to the oath will allow me enough wiggle room to breathe and that is all that matters," Harry replied gently as he glanced down to offer Naruto a small smile before pulling one hand free of his pockets so that he could comb his fingers through Naruto's hair. Naruto sighed softly as he leaned into the comforting touch and allowed himself to relax; he trusted Harry to be honest with him and if Harry said things would be fine then they would be fine.

"Can you please explain to me what you mean by that?" the Hokage inquired as he returned to his seat.

"My Kekkei Genkai allows me to make binding oaths that are virtually unbreakable and that is all that I am going to say on the matter. Please do not ask me for any more information regarding my Kekkei Genkai as I do not trust you enough to risk my family's health and safety by handing you information that could see my family dead or worse."

"I see," the Sandaime murmured in a tone that Naruto knew meant the old man would drop the subject for now but that he would be addressing it again at some point in the future. The Hokage then cleared his throat before he addressed Naruto in a solemn voice that made his heart clench in fear as the man stated, "Naruto, I'm afraid that I made a slight miscalculation when I attempted to place you on a team. Due to the timing of your graduation, there is a distinct lack of unassigned Genin with which to form a new team. After giving the matter a great deal of consideration, I decided that I would go ahead and assign you to a Jounin instructor anyway. I will assign an additional pair of Genin to your team in a couple of months from amongst the winter graduates."

"That's fine, jijii," Naruto breathed in sheer relief the moment the Hokage finished speaking; his fear of his hitai-ate being taken from him the moment the old man had said he had made a mistake had been unfounded.

"I'm glad you approve," the Hokage dryly countered though Naruto knew the old man was amused because the little wrinkles around his eyes were slightly more pronounced from the man's efforts not to grin. The Sandaime then grew serious once more as he turned his attention back to Harry, "I experienced a similar difficulty when I tried to choose your teammates, Takeshi-san; though it wasn't a lack of choices that was the problem. You're current skill levels are just far too imbalanced for me to insure that you are placed with individuals whose skills and abilities will compliment your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses."

"With that in mind, I have chosen instead to apprentice you to a Jounin who can devote his time and attention to helping you get the most out of your training. In eighteen months time, we can reevaluate your skill levels to determine whether or not you are ready to be placed in a Chuunin cell. That should also give you plenty of time to fill in the holes in your education, settle into your place here in the village, and become acquainted with your fellow shinobi."

"Wakarimasu, Hokage-sama," Harry murmured indifferently while Naruto scowled slightly as he felt his cousin had just been given the wrong end of the kunai and basically told that he wasn't good enough to be placed on a team.

"Do either of you have any questions? No…? Then let us introduce you to the two gentlemen that will be responsible for your continued growth and education as shinobi of Konoha as well as your immediate supervisors and commanding officers for the foreseeable future," the Hokage declared as he signaled to the two Jounin that must have been waiting just outside of the office; both men slipping in through the window instead of heading around to the door.

"Yo!" the masked Jounin with silver hair that had been part of the group testing Harry's skill at the end of the previous month offered with what Naruto thought might be a smile based on the way the man's one visible eye crinkled up.

"Konnichiwa," the other Jounin greeted with a smile as Naruto studied the unfamiliar man with open curiosity. The man had medium brown hair and dark eyes, wore the standard shinobi uniform with green flack jacket, and his hitai-ate was attached to a metal face plate type armor that was similar to what the Nidaime Hokage used to wear.

"I believe that you both know Hatake Kakashi, who has agreed to accept Naruto as his student," the Hokage announced a moment later as he gestured to the masked Jounin who gave the cousins a two fingered salute. "And with him is Jounin Yamato; who has agreed to mentor Takeshi for the next eighteen months. Gentlemen, please meet your new students; Namikaze Takeshi and Namikaze Naruto."

Naruto repressed the smirk he felt fighting to make itself known on his face; he knew exactly who Kakashi was thanks to all of the stories his father had told him over the past two years. Adopting an aggrieved air, Naruto complained, "Ah man, jijii, did you have to saddle me with a boring stick in the mud that does everything by the book, lacks a sense of humor, and has no appreciation for the fine art of pranking, dattebayo? I bet he hates ramen too."

The look of disbelief on Kakashi's masked face was priceless (despite the fact that it was hard to see) and Naruto could barely contain the giggles that were threatening to slip out. The fact that the Hokage was hiding his amusement beneath the shadows of his hat and Yamato was openly chuckling didn't help. What really made the small prank worthwhile though was the silent laughter shaking Harry's shoulders as Naruto knew that Harry knew that Naruto was aware that Kakashi had changed after the death of one of his teammates (Minato had told them that story more than once).

"I'm thinking laps… ten of them… yes, that sounds about right; ten laps on the top of the village wall," Kakashi deadpanned before he gave Naruto a humorless eye smile.

"See, no sense of humor, dattebayo!" Naruto wailed dramatically before he lost the fight against his amusement and burst into a flurry of giggles.

"I blame you for all of the headaches I just know are in my future, Hokage-sama," Kakashi huffed with suppressed amusement as he crossed his arms and pretended to glare at Naruto. "Alright, gaki; meet me at Training Ground Three in ten minutes so that I can evaluate your current skills."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto sighed as he reluctantly moved away from his cousin and headed towards the door.

"Go on, squirt; you can complain to me later tonight about just how unappreciative your sensei is when it comes to your uncanny ability to turn any situation into a stage for your next prank."

"You're the best itoko ever, Keshi-nii!" Naruto declared as he turned back to throw his arms around Harry's waist and hugged him tight before he dashed out the door in order to not get in trouble for being late.

Friday, October 05, 2001, Afternoon
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni

Yamato (aka AnBu Guard Panda, aka Mokuton no Tenzou) discreetly observed his apprentice as Kakashi slipped back out through the window and the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi (one Namikaze Naruto – and wasn't that just a sharp kick in the nads; the Yondaime had sealed the most powerful bijuu into his own son and the entire village had spat on Minato's living legacy) hug his cousin before darting out the door.

The man had dressed in a fresh-from-the-shelves shinobi uniform, a green flack jacket, a long black trench coat made from what almost looked like snakeskin, and sturdy black boots made from the same material as the coat. Strapped to his back, arms, and hips, the man wore no less than seven blades; a katana on his left hip, a broadsword on his right hip, a tanto at the small of his back, twin wakizashi blades crosswise across his back, and a pair of daggers strapped to his forearms. Lastly, the man wore his hitai-ate around the middle of his left thigh; an odd place to wear the symbol of his status as a shinobi.

Like Kakashi, Yamato had been one of the watchers assigned to shadow and observe the small family that had popped up from out of nowhere and claimed to be related to the Yondaime Hokage. Unlike Kakashi, Yamato had not been very close to Namikaze Minato and therefore had no emotional baggage to distract him from his job beyond his need to insure that the small family was not a threat to the village. Armed with what little information the Hokage and a handful of others had gathered during that first meeting with the family, Yamato had determined that the black haired, green eyed man potentially posed the greatest threat.

That was an assessment that all of the AnBu Guards assigned to watch over the family had agreed upon.

The twenty-ninth of September, the day that the Hokage had arranged to have Namikaze Takeshi's skills evaluated, had justified their assessment of his threat level when a number of them had witnessed the sheer level of destruction the man had wrought with a small handful of jutsu coupled with the sheer volume of chakra the man had thrown around like it was candy. It was also patently obvious that the man had only been half-trained; otherwise the damage would have been far worse. The damage the half-trained man had done to Training Ground Sixteen had been extensive. And Yamato knew exactly how bad it was because he had been the one responsible for repairing the field and growing new trees to replace those that had been destroyed.

When the Hokage had called Yamato to his office on the fourth, shortly after his shift of guard duty had ended, he had thought that he was just there to give the Sandaime an update on his observations. He was completely unprepared for Sarutobi to ask him if he'd be willing to take the green eyed man as an apprentice for the next eighteen months. He had questioned the Hokage's reasons for choosing him; Yamato believing that there were plenty of other Jounin that were more qualified to teach the man. The Hokage's answer had been to hand him the summary sheet from Namikaze's shinobi evaluation.

Yamato would learn why Sarutobi thought he was qualified to teach the other man when he finally reached the comment section at the very bottom of the summery.

Applicant: Namikaze Takeshi
Age: 21
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 170lbs
Kekkei Genkai: Unnamed
Description: Increased healing factor, ability to speak with/summon the spirits of the dead, potential ability to manipulate and combine multiple elements (examples include ice and lava), ?

Stats –

Stamina: 5.0
Speed: 2.5
Force: 2.0
Taijutsu: 2.0
Ninjutsu: 3.0
Genjutsu: 0.0
Fuuinjutsu: 2.5
Kenjutsu: 4.0
Shurikenjutsu: 2.5
Intelligence: 4.5

Total Ability: 28.0/32.5 incl. LP, 2.8 average/3.25 incl. LP
Latent Potential (LP): 4.5
Luck: 5.0

Chakra Rating: Kage level reserves, Genin level control

Skill Levels –
Physical Condition: Mid Genin
Weapons handling: High Chuunin/Low Jounin
Battlefield Strategy: High Jounin
Overall Ranking: Chuunin

Comments: Applicant is a Jinchuuriki (bijuu: unknown), displayed an uncommonly high level of situational awareness on the battlefield, doesn't appear to know when to quit (excessively stubborn), showed a potentially unhealthy disregard for personal safety, demonstrated the ability to think on his feet, and easily adapted his strategies in order to counter his opponent's tactics. Applicant has a wealth of untapped potential that could be lost if he is not properly trained.

Applicant also has serious trust issues with authority figures that could be a potential problem. Loyalty is to his family first and foremost and any attempts to manipulate his family in order to control him (most especially the children) will likely goad the applicant into attacking viciously. Any handler assigned to mentor the applicant is advised to proceed with caution when attempting to gain the applicant's trust and avoid withholding information or needlessly antagonizing the applicant's family if at all possible.

Recommendations: Sarutobi – I seriously suggest that you don't stuff this up by taking a heavy handed approach to Namikaze's training and work schedule. Right now the young man is a relatively blank slate with explosive power at his command and with the right approach, you could end up with an emotionally stable Jinchuuriki that has the potential to match Kushina and Mito-sama's control over his bijuu (only with less power since the Kyuubi is already accounted for).

At the same time, a single mistake could turn him into a bloodthirsty psychopath that is somewhere between four and seven times more powerful than the unstable child host that currently holds the Ichibi (as the one, two, three, and eight tailed demons are all accounted for). That leaves numbers four through seven as the potential passenger that our young friend is carrying. ~ Shikaku

Namikaze Takeshi was a Jinchuuriki.

As the only survivor of Orochimaru's failed attempts to integrate the cells of the Shodai Hokage into a living host and by some twist of fate he had also turned out to be the traitorous Sannin's only successful attempt at the experiment; Yamato was, perhaps, the only one qualified to train Namikaze Takeshi. As the forced inheritor of the Shodai's genetic material, Yamato had acquired the Shodai's vaunted Kekkei Genkai – the Mokuton. Alongside of the ability to manipulate plants (most notably trees) and transform his chakra into wood, Yamato had also inherited the Shodai's ability to subdue the bijuu.

Yamato was being asked to train Takeshi because he was the only one with the ability to stop the twenty-one year old if he should lose control and unleash the bijuu he carried. He could have theoretically taught Naruto for the same reasons and the only reason why he wasn't assigned to the younger Jinchuuriki was due to the fact that the kid was actually far less likely to snap at the moment. Well that and Sarutobi had long ago promised the training of the young Uzumaki (now Namikaze) over to Kakashi once he became a Genin.

Knowing that, any reservations that Yamato might have had about taking an apprentice that was only two years younger than him had vanished. He was honor bound to protect and serve the village and if training the young head of the new Namikaze family was what was required of him, then train him he would. The moment he had accepted, Sarutobi had assigned him a new code name (Yamato) and ordered him to show up on the ledge outside of the Hokage's office by no later than two o'clock that afternoon wearing standard shinobi gear so that he could be formally introduced to his new apprentice.

Pulling his attention back to the present, Yamato addressed his new apprentice, "I was fortunate enough to observe your physical evaluation last week and therefore won't need to drag you off for another assessment right now but I am interested in hearing an overview of your current training schedule. Do you have time right now to join me for a cup of tea and an order of dango?"

"So long as you don't mind if our chat takes place in a slightly less public locale than the dango stand, then I have plenty of time, Yamato-san… or I suppose I should say shishou, unless you'd prefer that I call you sensei?" Takeshi replied with an indifferent tone that morphed into confusion by the end of his sentence.

"Since we are rather close in age, you are welcome to address me as senpai or san; whichever you feel most comfortable with," Yamato replied after taking note how uncomfortable the younger man was in his uncertainty. "And it does not matter to me where we hold our discussion."

"That works for me; I have tack that needs to be cleaned and inspected for stress damage."

Yamato followed the younger and shorter man out through the door in a companionable if moderately tense silence.

Translations: Japanese to English

Jijii – grandfather/old man
Konnichiwa – hello, good afternoon
Ohayou/ohayou gozaimasu – good morning
Wakarimasu – I understand (formal – present tense)
Yatta – yeah/ I did it

AN: I had received quite a few reviews and PMs with complaints about the oath that Harry swore the first time I posted this chapter. At the time, I had not expected so many people to have a problem with the rather open ended oath I had Harry swear since it wasn't all that constricting. For those who were displeased with the way the scene played out; please keep in mind that Harry is still rather bitter about bringing Naruto back to Konoha and his feelings colored the moment he gave his oath. That the scene had been written in Naruto's PoV also meant that Harry's thoughts and feelings were not really explored (and that was intentional).

As for why he swore the oath in the first place (if he was so bitter)? That will be explained within the story in chapter nineteen and it will come up again sometime after chapter thirty… not certain of the exact chapter number. I think there is also a glimpse of Harry's feelings on the matter during the Wave Arc but I can't recall which chapter that fell in or how much detail was given in it. I just know it was mentioned. ~ Jenn

10-25-15: Minor edits made to chapter to fix spelling/grammar mistakes and added an author's note.