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 23: Reevaluation
Saturday, April 05, 2003, All Day
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni
Harry let his eyes run over the familiar faces of the Jounin panel that had conducted his initial physical assessment and fought the urge to squirm beneath the contemplative gazes that were being leveled at him. It had been eighteen months to the day since he'd given his oath to the Hokage and officially joined the shinobi forces and he was due to have his skills reevaluated to determine whether or not he'd improved over the past year and a half. In addition to the assessment panel, there were quite a few off duty shinobi that planned to watch him show off again scattered about the edges of the training ground; including Naruto and his two teammates.
"Are you ready, my youthful friend?" Gai inquired once the last member of the panel arrived (Kakashi running late, as usual).
"Hai," Harry replied as he focused his attention on the eccentric taijutsu master and shifted into a defensive stance.
Two seconds later, the Jounin was flying at Harry as their spar officially began. Unlike the first time that Harry had fought the Jounin, Harry wasn't caught off guard by the man's speed; the wizard had grown used to seeing shinobi move at superhuman speeds during the long months in the village. The other difference this time was that Harry had a far better grounding in taijutsu basics thanks to all of the training spars that Yamato had put him through. On top of that, he'd had the opportunity to spar with a number of different individuals that allowed him to gain a better grasp on how to use the Mizuken Ryuu against different styles to better effect.
His physical conditioning and stamina had also improved over the intervening months; which allowed Harry to last far longer against the stronger Jounin than he had the first time he'd faced the man. Harry even managed to get in a few hits this time whereas before he'd not managed to hit the man at all. After forty-eight minutes, Gai called an end to the match when Harry's form started growing slightly sloppy (a sign of his encroaching exhaustion). Harry still ended up with some pretty impressive bruises from the match but they didn't really bother him all that much since his pain tolerance (which had always been high) had only grown since he first became a shinobi.
For his shurikenjutsu assessment, Genma once again started by having Harry attempt to hit him with kunai and shuriken; though this time the man used a shadow clone to provide Harry with multiple targets. Harry hadn't spent as much time working with the throwing weapons but Yamato had given him tips to improve his accuracy; something that showed as Genma was forced to use the substitution jutsu a couple of times to escape injury. At the end of ten minutes, Genma and his clone turned the tables on Harry without warning and Harry once again was on the receiving end of a barrage of sharp and pointy objects.
Harry spent five minutes catching both kunai and shuriken before he started using the weapons he caught to deflect the unending flood of kunai, shuriken, and senbon. He even managed to dispel the man's clone rather than just remaining on the defensive; a reflection of how accustomed he'd become to fighting with live weapons in a spar during his training sessions. The ability to turn an opponent's weapons against them was a skill that could save his life in the future and something that Yamato had been quick to point out to him the first time the two of them had sparred using the throwing weapons during his training sessions.
At the end of the second ten minute period, Harry was grinning like a loon once more as he'd enjoyed the heated match just as much as he'd enjoyed it the first time around. He almost wished he'd had a chance to spar with Genma during the past eighteen months as the man was by far the most talented shinobi he'd come across when it came to shurikenjutsu. Harry received his first ten minute break at that point as the scattered weapons were gathered up from the field; Harry summoning his personal weapons using the recall runes he had stitched in his cloak pockets (which were tied directly to the runes he'd carved onto his weapons) while Genma was forced to gather his the old fashioned way.
His kenjutsu spar with Hayama only lasted a half an hour without any breaks and only focused on his skills using a tanto, a katana, and his dual wielding with both two wakizashi blades and with a traditional daisho. He also demonstrated the long range kenjutsu attacks that Yuugao had taught him. He was still no match for Hayama and he walked away from the spar with more than a few cuts and bruises where he hadn't blocked or dodged fast enough. He was at least content with the knowledge that his sword work had improved over the past seven or eight months. If he'd been allowed to use his broadsword during the spar he'd have done even better but the assessment panel already knew he could effectively use the western blade.
Shizune healed his injuries once the spar was over and then Harry took another ten minute break before he demonstrated the jutsu that he'd learned over the past eighteen months. Those included the doton jutsu that Yamato had taught him to clear the land of rocks, to till the land, and to level the land as well as the wind and water attacks that he'd been taught after the Jounin had tested his chakra affinities (which were strangely enough not exactly the same as his magical affinities which were wind and fire – wind being the only common element between the two energies).
At the end of the demonstration, Harry would face both Kakashi and Yamato in an all out ninjutsu spar. Unlike his first all out spar with Kakashi, Harry's memories of the war were not stirred. He also allowed himself to use far more magic in the two on one match than he had previously; a reflection of the fact that the wizard no longer mistrusted the entire village the same way he had when he first arrived. He still didn't demonstrate the full range of his magical skills but that was simply because there were far too many shinobi present and shinobi were some of the biggest gossips that Harry had ever met; and he'd known Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil – the gossip twins of Hogwarts.
Two hours later, the training ground was once again a huge mess and all three men were exhausted; Harry had pushed Yamato and Kakashi just as much as they'd pushed him. It wasn't that he'd gotten that much stronger (although he had grown during the past year and a half); it was that his physical stamina had improved, his chakra control had gotten better (even if it still wasn't perfect), and the experience he'd gained from sparring against different shinobi during his training had allowed him to develop a better fighting strategy.
The weekly appointments with Tsunade had also reduced a significant amount of the internal stress he'd been suffering from due to his body still adjusting to the crude expansion of his chakra coils and the sealing of the Kyuubi inside of him. Expending large amounts of chakra regularly had been a double-edged sword as while it helped reduce the amount of chakra in his coils it also placed stress on his coils (much like running hot water over a burn irritates the injured skin and nerves). Of course, if he had stopped using his chakra in order to allow his coils to heal, then he'd have only made the damage worse because of the constant influx of converted demon chakra steadily increasing his reserves.
Demonstration and assessment over, the crowd dispersed with those that had seen Harry's original assessment verbally commenting on the differences between both assessments to those that had not been present at the first one. Harry was told to be in the Hokage's office at nine sharp on Monday morning to hear the results of his reevaluation before he was ordered to help repair the clearing he'd helped destroy. Yamato and Kakashi both took a soldier pill to restore their chakra reserves while Harry sighed and started the repairs with his magic; the wizard not allowed to use chemical aides to bolster his depleted chakra reserves due to the risk of overloading his coils thanks to Kyuubi's presence.
It only took a half an hour for the three of them to restore the training ground with Kakashi and Yamato doing most of the work. Naruto, who'd stuck around alongside of his teammates, dragged Harry off to their shared flat the moment the clearing had been repaired. Harry was rather amused that all three children were currently correcting each other in regards to which skill of his had been the most awesome. Housei was adamant that Harry's kenjutsu skills were the best, while Midori insisted that Harry's ability to catch kunai and shuriken was better, and Naruto firmly argued that it was Harry's ninjutsu that had been awesome. Harry dryly reminded all three of them that all skills had their uses; even the boring ones.
Harry spent the rest of the weekend lazing about; a rarity for the wizard as there was no work for him to do on any of the Namikaze properties and he'd been given the time off from missions and training. Teddy greatly appreciated having his undivided attention for most of Sunday; the two of them alternating between playing, studying, and practicing magic (Harry seeking to help Teddy improve his control over his metamorphmagus abilities using the suggested exercises that Andromeda had outlined for him prior to her death).
Monday, April 07, 2003, Morning
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni
Hiruzen glanced down at the evaluation summary of Namikaze Takeshi's most recent assessment while he waited for the young man in question to arrive for their meeting.
Name: Namikaze Takeshi
Age: 22
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 170lbs
Kekkei Genkai: Unnamed (Alternative/Secondary Energy?)
Description: The full extent of the abilities of the still unnamed Kekkei Genkai are unknown but currently include; an increased healing factor, provides the user with an increase in stamina and endurance, speak with/summon the spirits of the dead, manipulate and combine any element regardless of the user's actual chakra affinities (examples include ice and lava), speak the language of serpents, physically alter their base form at will (this ability is specific to Takeshi's son), create or summon objects from thin air, and it purportedly prevents a user from breaking an oath.
Note: The unnamed Kekkei Genkai has been revealed to be a secondary energy source that is not related in any way to chakra. A few words that have been used to describe this ability are; versatility, unpredictability, sentience/intuitiveness, willpower, raw power, responsibility, belief/confidence, balance, healing/health, and death.
Stats – Current (Previous)
Stamina: 5.0 (5.0)
Speed: 3.0 (2.5)
Force: 2.5 (2.0)
Taijutsu: 2.5 (2.0)
Ninjutsu: 3.75 (3.0)
Genjutsu: 0.0 (0.0)
Fuuinjutsu: 2.5 (2.5 – Not retested)
Kenjutsu: 4.5 (4.0)
Shurikenjutsu: 3.25 (2.5)
Intelligence: 4.5 (4.5 – Not retested)
Total Ability: 31.5/36 incl. LP (28.0/32.5 incl. LP), 3.15 average/3.6 incl. LP (2.8 average/3.25 incl. LP)
Latent Potential (LP): 4.5 (4.5 – Unchanged)
Luck: 5.0/-5.0 (Namikaze's luck has shown a disturbing tendency to invert itself without warning. The exact reason for the inversion has remained unclear and the pattern that the inversions follow is currently unpredictable.)
Chakra Rating: Kage level reserves, low Chuunin level control
Skill Levels –
Physical Condition: Low to Mid Chuunin
Weapons handling: Low Jounin
Battlefield Strategy: High Jounin
Overall Ranking: High Chuunin
Comments: Namikaze is a Jinchuuriki (bijuu: Kyuubi), has maintained an uncommonly high level of situational awareness on the battlefield, still doesn't know when to quit (excessively stubborn), showed an improvement in regards to personal safety, retained the ability to think on his feet, and increased his ability to adapt his battlefield strategies in order to counter his opponent's tactics. He still has a wealth of untapped potential that could be brought out so long as he continues to receive proper training.
Namikaze has started to place his trust in authority figures (providing they are honest and straightforward with him). He has demonstrated a measure of loyalty to the village that did not exist previously though he is still loyal to his family first and foremost. He is also still highly protective of his family but the chances of him physically harming those that annoy him have decreased significantly.
It is my firm belief that Namikaze no longer poses any threat to the village and his behavior and change in attitude over the past eighteen months has indicated that the man is well on his way to considering Konoha his home. The lack of hostility from the civilians towards the two Namikaze children (particularly towards Naruto) has played a huge factor in Namikaze's change of attitude.
Recommendations: I recommend that Namikaze be placed on a proper four man squad in order to give him experience in working with other members of the shinobi force and to give him a chance to build additional bonds above those he formed over the past eighteen months. I believe that Namikaze will benefit from taking higher level missions (both inside and outside of the village) that will allow him to surpass his current limits and offer a greater chance of him reaching his full potential. The risks involved in allowing him to leave the village are little different than those that all shinobi face when they step outside of the walls on a mission; bar the chance of him crossing paths with one of Manito's old enemies.
Namikaze would also greatly benefit from some structured lessons in fuuinjutsu as he has shown a rare intuitiveness and inventiveness when it comes to the sealing arts. It has also been noted that the young man uses some highly unorthodox seal combinations on top of using a number of unfamiliar seals that potentially originated from Namikaze's land of birth and might be powered through his still unnamed Kekkei Genkai. Examples of Namikaze's seal work to date include; an extensive barrier over each of the Namikaze properties (that can block the interior from both the Byakugan and the Sharingan and alerts Namikaze to intruders), specialized shoes that allow one to traverse unstable ground (such as sand or snow) without the need to expend chakra or use a variation of the water walking exercise, and a chakra dampening field that can cloak a person's chakra reserves and render them mostly invisible to sensors and sensory jutsu.
Lastly, while Namikaze has shown marked improvement both mentally and emotionally since he first arrived, I highly recommend that his monthly meetings with Ibiki not be stopped at this point; the therapy sessions have proven to be highly beneficial in reducing the stress and tension that was noted during earlier evaluations. Reducing the number of meetings per year should not impact their usefulness providing that Namikaze attends a minimum of four sessions per year and schedules additional sessions upon completion of any high level mission with a high risk factor or in the event that a mission fails (for any reason). ~ Shikaku
Hiruzen was actually more than a little surprised that the man had improved as much as he had over the past eighteen months; if only because it was almost unheard of for someone of Takeshi's age to experience such notable growth over such a short time frame. That was especially true when one considered how late in life Takeshi began his shinobi training (at age nineteen – a full thirteen years after most potential shinobi begin their training). There were moments when Hiruzen wondered just how powerful the young head of the Namikaze family would be if he'd started his training around age six. He also wondered if there was any chance the man would allow his son to join the Academy when he turned six.
The Sandaime closed the file and set it to one side before he picked up the active shinobi roster to scan through the list of Chuunin level shinobi that were currently not assigned to a four man team. Most of those that fell in that category were unfortunately assigned to teach at the Academy, worked in the Cipher Division, or were currently assigned to the T and I Department. It would do Hiruzen no good to assign two village-bound shinobi to Yamato's team (the Sandaime had decided to keep Takeshi under the Mokuton user's supervision because they worked well together) since Yamato would shortly be taking Takeshi out of the village on missions.
There were actually only four potential teammates that had the skills necessary to join Yamato's team. Unfortunately, selecting which pair would be placed on the team was not an easy task since the four individuals in question were from two different teams that were short handed and splitting up the pairings would only create more problems. Then there was the fact that the first pair (Endo Hayase and Oota Oukei*) were both five years younger than Takeshi and the second pair (Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo) were consummate pranksters.
Hiruzen wasn't certain how Takeshi would react to having younger teammates (due to his distaste for what he saw as child soldiers) but he wasn't certain he wanted to place three known pranksters all on one team (that was just asking for trouble). After a slight hesitation, he made a decision on which pair he would assign to Yamato's team based upon skill alone (rather than on age or personality) and prayed that he wouldn't regret it later. Decision made, Hiruzen dropped the roster back on his desk, wrote a short note of explanation to the chosen pair (so they would be aware of what was going on), and sent one of his AnBu Guards with said letter to fetch the two individuals that he'd selected.
The smoke from the masked shinobi's exit hadn't quite dissipated before his current secretary knocked on the door to announce that Yamato and Namikaze Takeshi had arrived for their meeting. Hiruzen promptly asked the man to send the pair in and less than a minute later, Hiruzen found himself studying Takeshi as the man strode into his office on the heels of the Jounin that he'd assigned to train the Chuunin.
The young shinobi still exuded a presence that demanded attention and still moved with the natural grace of a stalking tiger though the man's tightly leashed power was no longer quite so easy to sense. Part of that was due to the intensive training that the Jounin Hiruzen had assigned to mind the man had put him through and part due to the man having far better control of his emotions. It helped that Takeshi's former rage over the injustices that Naruto suffered earlier in life had been calmed thanks to the worst of the offenders being weeded from the village long before the Namikaze family arrived and that very few people still directed their hate at the younger Jinchuuriki.
It was the relaxed contentedness that clung to the man like a second skin that soothed Hiruzen's earlier concerns about the man though. Over the course of the past eighteen months, Takeshi had shed the negativity and hostility he'd worn like a second skin the day he arrived. The effort that he (and several of his most loyal shinobi) had put into making the entire Namikaze family feel welcome had produced the exact results that Hiruzen had been looking for; Namikaze Takeshi and Namikaze Naruto (and by extension the rest of their small family) had come to consider Konoha home. That Takeshi and Naruto were both dedicated shinobi that were without a doubt loyal (to a certain degree) to the village (they had been watched closely over the past year and a half) was a bonus in the Sandaime's eyes.
Yes, taking a chance on Namikaze Takeshi had been one of the best decisions that Hiruzen had made in the past twelve years.
Hiruzen shelved his musings as the pair slowed to a stop in front of his desk and offered him a respectful bow before they both offered a polite, "Ohayou gozaimasu, Hokage-sama."
"Ohayou, gentlemen," Hiruzen returned before he focused on the sole Chuunin present. "I spent most of yesterday reviewing your file and comparing the results from your most recent assessment with the results of the assessment that you were given when you first arrived. I am pleased with the progress that you have made over the past eighteen months. The imbalances that were originally noted in your skills have mostly been corrected and those that remain are minor enough to work around so long as you continue to work as hard as you have been this past year and a half. Additional experience on a wider range of missions will also undoubtedly help reduce those imbalances further."
"Your physical health, specifically the condition of your chakra network has improved drastically and Tsunade's most recent report indicated that the amount of damage and stress the influx of demonic chakra inflicts upon your coils on a weekly basis has begun to taper off; a clear indication that your chakra network has nearly finished adapting to the bijuu's presence. Tsunade believes that the process will be complete sometime within the next twelve to eighteen months and that so long as you continue to regularly expend large amount of chakra on a daily basis and continue to see her once a week for the duration of that time, there is little risk of your coils shattering due to the stress."
"Ibiki's monthly reports on your mental and emotional health have indicated that the severity of your PTSD has been reduced to more manageable levels. I was also happy to learn that your anger management issues haven't been as much of an issue over the past six months and that your tendency to lash out verbally (or physically in rare cases) at those that annoy you has been drastically reduced. I'd like for you to continue visiting Ibiki on a monthly basis for the next eight months and if you continue to show marked improvements at the end of those eight months, then the number of times you will be required to meet with Ibiki will be reduced to between four and six per year rather than the current twelve."
"Do you have any questions about your results or comments that you wish to make, Takeshi?" Hiruzen inquired as he eyed the young man for signs of tension or displeasure (he would find none).
"Not at this time, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen nodded in response before he declared, "After careful consideration, Chuunin Namikaze Takeshi, I have decided to officially assign you to a four man squad. You will also be removed from the AnBu Watch List now that it has been determined that you are not a threat to the village; though you can expect to be monitored from time to time over the next two years." A knock at the door interrupted the meeting at that point and fifteen seconds later, the two individuals he'd selected to join Yamato's team entered the office.
"Perfect timing, gentlemen; I was just about to mention the two of you by name. Takeshi, please allow me to introduce you to your new teammates; Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo. Kotetsu, Izumo; I believe the two of you are familiar with Namikaze Takeshi. The three of you will be forming a new team under the leadership of Jounin Yamato. The four of you will have the next six to ten weeks in which to work on your teamwork before Team Yamato is cleared for missions outside of the village."
The Hokage almost smiled when he saw the surprise flit across Takeshi's face as the young man briefly glanced his way before returning his gaze to the two older Chuunin that had been assigned to his team. The twin smirks on Kotetsu and Izumo's faces didn't bode well for Hiruzen's sanity but it was a little late now to change his mind. He also didn't miss the doleful glare that Yamato had directed his way the moment the young Jounin had learned the identity of the two additional Chuunin that had been assigned to his team.
Hiruzen hoped that the former AnBu Guard would eventually forgive him for assigning the two pranksters to the team that Yamato had agreed to lead. Skill wise, the two men had been the only logical pair to place on the team since their abilities were ranked between high Chuunin and low Jounin while the other pair's skills had been between low and mid Chuunin. The older duo was also easygoing and outgoing enough to get along with most anyone; which increased the chances that Takeshi would not have any problems working with the pair.
"Are there any questions, gentlemen?" Hiruzen asked once it became obvious that the three Chuunin finished inspecting one another. "No…? Then the four of you are dismissed."
Hiruzen watched the four men file out of his office before he turned his attention to the paperwork that needed to be done to finalize the formation of the new team. Once he completed that, he pushed all thoughts of Namikaze Takeshi from his mind as he moved on to the next item on his agenda for the day.
Monday, April 07, 2003, Morning
Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni
Yamato was sorely tempted to use his control over wood to form sharp splinters on the Hokage's desk and chair in retaliation for assigning the two pranksters to his team. The only reason he didn't was the fact that Kotetsu and Izumo were actually a good match for Takeshi; so long as the duo didn't start a prank war with the younger Chuunin. Takeshi rarely ever pulled any pranks but when he did, he went to great lengths to let the person on the receiving end of the prank know that they'd irritated him. The only exception was when the man was pranking Naruto or his son (those pranks were always intended to be fun and amusing for the both the pranker and the prankee).
The moment the door to the Hokage's office closed behind the newly formed team, Yamato asked, "I already know that Takeshi cleared his schedule for the day but do either of you have previous commitments you need to take care of, or are you free to join us for the rest of the day?"
"We've nothing pressing that needs our attention," Izumo declared after holding a short, silent conversation with Kotetsu with naught but a glance.
"In that case, I'd like to spend the rest of the morning sparring in order to see where the two of you stand, skill wise, and to allow the three of you a chance to familiarize yourselves with one another's fighting styles. After that, we can sit down and discuss a training schedule for the next six weeks and set aside time for team missions."
"Sounds like fun," Kotetsu remarked with a slight smirk.
"Most definitely," Izumo agreed with an identical smirk.
"I hope you're both good at dodging and running; Yamato-san's idea of sparring requires a lot of legwork," Takeshi interjected absently as he tucked his hands in his pockets and began walking in the direction of the training ground that the two of them usually trained in.
"That's because you needed the practice to improve your speed," Yamato pointed out with a soft snort as he fell into step with him and the other two followed in their wake.
"Really? I thought it was because you were still mad over the prank that Naruto played on you."
Yamato snorted again, "You and I both know that you were the one that came up with that prank on top of helping the gaki pull it off by leading me right into it."
"Of course I helped my itoko; what kind of role model would I be if I didn't help and encourage Naruto to improve himself? Or worse, discouraged him from enjoying such a harmless hobby while improving his stealth capabilities and planning skills at the same time?" Takeshi demanded in a scandalous tone.
"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," Kotetsu drawled in a tone that made Yamato want to bash his head against the nearest tree.
"You took the words right out of my mouth, Tetsu-chan," Izumo eagerly agreed and Yamato began to seriously consider the length, sharpness, and number of the splinters he intended to grow on the seat of the Hokage's chair.
The group arrived at Training Ground Sixteen (the same clearing that Takeshi had claimed over a year ago) just a few minutes later and Yamato promptly set the other three to sparring in an all out melee in order to get an idea of Kotetsu and Izumo's skills as well as get a feel for how well the trio would work together. He didn't fail to notice that the two older Chuunin tended to gang up on Takeshi (out of habit since they'd been teammates for over ten years now) instead of fighting one another.
Yamato smirked when Takeshi took away that advantage from the pair when he created a dozen Kage Bunshin and had eight of them henge into copies of Kotetsu and Izumo to confuse the pranksters. Once the pair was separated and the two originals lost amongst the clones along with the original Takeshi, the fight turned into the free-for-all that it was meant to be and temporary alliances rose and fell with each strike. The Jounin called an end to the spar half an hour later and asked Takeshi to dispel his clones.
He nearly groaned when the smoke cleared to reveal Kotetsu and two Izumos standing in the clearing. The two Izumos immediately began arguing over who was the real Izumo while Kotetsu merely smirked. Yamato let them have five minutes to play around before he ordered the fake to drop his henge. He was more than a little surprised when the fake Izumo was revealed to be Kotetsu while the Kotetsu who'd been standing off to the side smirking had actually been Takeshi. All three of the Chuunin had cracked up over that and Yamato glowered at the trio as he began making plans to sneak into the Hokage's office to grow splinters… lots of splinters that would be strategically placed for optimal pain.
Up in the Hokage's office, the Hokage felt a wave of immense dread wash over him and he shivered beneath his hat as he briefly wondered just who he'd pissed off this time.
Translations: Japanese to English
Daisho – (meaning: large and small) a paired set of blades typically made up of a katana and a wakizashi
Tetsu-chan – cute and teasing nickname for Kotetsu
Techniques/Skills:
Mizuken Ryuu – Water Fist Style (taijutsu style used by Uzumaki Clan – created by author).
Notes:
Hayase & Oukei – are both canon characters that were introduced during the Chuunin Exam Arc (they were the two Chuunin plants in the written part of the exam), their last names, however, were random names that I pulled out of a hat.
Kotetsu & Izumo – yes, I know that these two are usually attached to the T & I Dept under Ibiki and in canon he worked with them during the Chuunin Exams but I'm using creative license to say they were only temporarily assigned those duties (alongside gate duty) due to the fact that their team was short handed. It was very hard to find canon characters that I could pair Harry up with that were the appropriate level and I am very fond of Kotetsu and Izumo. I could have used Hayase and Oukei but there isn't as much known about them and I didn't want to spend the extra time needed to develop their characters.
10-25-15: Minor edits made to chapter to fix spelling/grammar mistakes and removed unnecessary author's notes.