Review Corner

crystalputri: Canon is very much being derailed, that's for sure. Who knows where this will take us? Canon is a roadmap that's being tossed out the window haha.

AlexNameless: I always thought that! I am convinced Teuchi is the only reason why Naruto was alive.

TheLazyWarrior: The encouragement and understanding means a lot. Thank you so much! It's nice to know I'm not alone with that. I'm trying to be a bit more confident!

TheMamaBear: Aw, thanks so much! That means a lot and Harry wants stuff to get DONE! I am glad you like this concept! I know it isn't the typical crossover haha. Thanks for your kind words!

APridefulSin: This made me feel a bit more confident in this story. Thanks so much! I am glad you enjoyed it and I hope you will continue to enjoy it! I hope you have a great week!

MadamKhaos: If Harry takes the rein of this story, canon is getting even more derailed than it is. Magic and chakra is an interesting combination haha. Does not help if Harry Potter has authority issues and would absolutely grab the kid and run. I have a plan for the Uchihas. It's… something lol. Thanks for enjoying!

Running on pure adrenaline and panic, Raidou rushed towards Naruto's apartment under the cover of darkness wearing his ANBU mask. Genma, with no words needed, followed him immediately adorning his own.

There was the bitter taste of failure in his mouth. He should've been there. He should be protecting Naruto from this place. He was a child in a village that hates him. He was alone, alone, alone. Naruto could be scared and lonely, and he wouldn't even know it. The kid always faced everything with a smile.

(Orphans. Hatred. Loneliness. Jealousy. Resentment. Place a child in similar circumstances and they could easily become a great hero or a terrifying monster. Voldemort did great things. Terrible things that almost tore the world apart, but great. Harry Potter did great things. Great, but his greatness only burned brightly, before being snuffed out too young. Dumbledore didn't know which path Harry would walk, so did the Professor carve it out himself or did he watch with only fear and faith? I don't know. Do you?)

Raidou stumbled with a wave of dizziness hitting him.

Who am I? Who am I? Who are you? Who are you?

As fast as the dizziness occurred, it vanished and only a head pounding headache remained. Raidou almost fell off the roof, but Gemma grabbed his arm.

"Are you okay?" Genma whispered quietly and Raidou froze momentarily, but shook his head. He was fine. Everything was fine.

(The knowing eyes of Dumbledore and Genma blurred together for a moment, before vanishing like a mirage)

"We have to hurry. Naruto… Naruto needs someone. You shouldn't have waited for me," Raidou muttered as he resumed dashing across the roofs, before landing in a tree outside of Naruto's apartment. It was very run-down in one of the shadiest districts. There were drunkards milling about. Disgustingly, one vomited while another unzipped their pants and faced the wall.

Genma stood behind the duo casually and gave a small smirk when they spun around. Before they could open their mouths, their eyes went hazy.

"We're not supposed to do that to civilians," Raidou said softly, but gave a small chuckle in amusement after landing next to him.

Genma shrugged. "I'm not an expert. It's a D-rank genjutsu, probably."

Key word being probably, but it's not like anyone would know anyways.

The two wordlessly decided that breaking into Naruto's apartment would not be the best first impression. Kid was training to be a shinobi, after all. Probably wouldn't be able to scratch them and would look rather cute in his attempts, but shinobi are already paranoid enough. They wouldn't want the kid to lose any sleep in the future.

They silently walked to Naruto's floor. It was very, very silent.

"No one lives in this building," Genma remarked casually, as if commenting on the weather. Underneath, there was a stirring of rising anger that was threatening to overflow.

"It wasn't always like that," Raidou sighed as he pulled out the bag of groceries for Naruto. Hopefully the kid would like the surprise. Genma also took out a scroll out of his flak jacket and pulled out the medic kit.

"When they learned they lived in the same building as Naruto, they all moved out. The landlord was furious. Hiruzen-sama had to give extra fundings to convince the landlord to let Naruto stay," Genma explained with a dark shadow crossing his eyes.

Raidou eyed the door before them. He could see faintly colored words written in the door.

Monster. Demon. Freak.

Only the bottom half of the door was scrubbed well. The words too tall for Naruto to reach were very legible.

Naruto probably tried scrubbing these insults away. The hatred started when he was only a baby. He was unable to understand the cruelness, but young enough that it was the only thing he knew. People were like sheep. When hatred and fear consumed them, it was hard to control.

The landlord could have replaced the door. It wasn't expensive to repaint it either. It was an easy D-rank mission for fresh genin, and the Sandaime would have been happy to cover the expenses under the guise of helping the younger generation to prevent Council interference.

The landlord didn't.

"I imagine he was," Raidou scoffed, before knocking the door. There was a pause and some faint shuffling inside.

"He's not going to open, is he?" Genma remarked and his shoulders sagged. He looked as old as the Hokage for a moment. His regrets were weighing him down, no doubt. It was a familiar look that Kakashi always tried to hide behind a book and a mysterious eye smile.

"No, he isn't," Raidou sighed. It made sense. No doubt, the only people who visited him were eager to tear him apart. If they were smart, they would only use their words. However, when driven by emotions, humans were hardly ever smart.

There was an unsaid reason why ROOT was created. Even in ANBU, where you try to rip away all emotion, it was never enough. ANBU operatives hesitated sometimes. It was never good enough for Danzou and the other Elders.

Raidou only knew whispers about it because Minato wanted it to be disbanded permanently. It was enough to shake up the young genius. If it was still around, Raidou could only imagine the nightmares inside.

(Harry Potter was too weak to protect everyone and had too much heart to kill. Yet, despite all the odds, because of everyone he loved, he was able to end the war. His mother's love protected him and Voldemort couldn't lay a finger on him. Snape's love, though Snape would never love Harry, protected him for the sake of his mother. If love could end a war, why do you need to rip away the heart? That isn't the only way. The love of a mother protected Naruto. Do you not realize it? You should tell them. You should do something. Wake up and do something)

There was a crack, before the door shattered. The wooden pieces littered the floor. Raidou walked over the remains of the door, crushing the phrase of freak beneath his heel.

"I thought we weren't supposed to break in," Genma said. Raidou didn't need to see Genma's eyes to know that it darted from the remains of the door to Raidou. His gaze felt heavy. Raidou tensed for a moment. "Would have been a lot cheaper if you just picked the lock." Genma patted Raidou in the shoulder, before waltzing into the apartment.

Raidou's mouth went dry. There was a pit of guilt in his gut, but his mouth would not move.

(Genma's back blurred with Sirius's reaching hand. Glimpses of his friends injured and hurt, fighting a battle they shouldn't have. If he spoke, would it make it worse?)

"Hiya. Nice to meet you," Genma casually quipped, before crouching down to Naruto's level. The tiny blond child was hiding in a corner.

He eyed them warily.

"Get out! I am going to be the next Hokage! I can take you!" Naruto loudly exclaimed, but the false bravado rang clear.

"I am a Konoha shinobi. We wouldn't hurt you," Genma calmly explained. Naruto's mistrust in his eyes did not falter.

The pit in Raidou's stomach grew. Konoha's shinobi were supposed to protect the Hokage and Konoha. They should be protecting the legacy of Minato and Kushina, who both died to protect Konoha. As soldiers, they were all so proud to follow Minato.

The same soldiers that looked up to the Yondaime are only viewed with distrust by his son. They had the same blue eyes and blond hair. They looked so similar.

What would Minato say if he saw this? What would Kushina say?

Fuck. If Kushina's spirit was indeed around, she would be burning with anger. If she had it her way, there may be no Konoha left standing.

Whenever he saw glimpses of Naruto, it was always from a distance. He looked so sad and lonely, but it was easy to push that aside under the guise of orders. Whenever Naruto visited the Sandaime, he was always smiling and happy. Cheerfully talking about taking the hat or how he is going to be the strongest shinobi ever, Naruto looked so full of life.

He should have done something sooner. If not for Minato's and Kushina's sake, he should've done it for Naruto.

Everyone who stood aside should have done something. The only one who tried was Mikoto, before she was pushed aside and warned to stay far away.

All the Clan Heads should've at least done something. They grew up with Kushina and Minato. They fought with all of them and viewed each other as comrades. Even if their marriage was a secret to the rest of Konoha, their friends knew. They were Clan Heads. They had much more power than soldiers like Genma and Raidou did.

They never turned away from Naruto. They never had the burning hatred and scorn some of their clansmen did. Yet, they stood back all the same. They never tried to guide their children to reach out to the lonely child.

On the surface, Raidou understood why. Politics were complicated. Konoha was recovering from a devastating loss. Many clans would never accept a "demon" on their lands or association to it. Danzou and the elders would not either. Too wary of a powerful weapon able to bring Konoha to its knees once more with one of the clans.

There was an answer, but the answer wasn't good enough.

(You are just as much at fault. Obsessed with looking underneath the underneath for your enemies, you turned a blind eye to your own village. You're blaming others when you should've stood up against something that was wrong. You failed to do that. You knew better, and failed Naruto)

Memories blurred together. Thoughts became murky that he felt like he was drowning.

Raidou closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

If there was something Harry and Raidou were good at, no matter the life, was cooking.

Raidou never thought about it much, besides Teuchi treating the kid and the Hokage forking the bill. Besides ramen, did Naruto even know how to cook for himself?

Harry Potter was forced to learn because of his Aunt. Even though he was starved as punishment, he knew to fend for himself.

Naruto never learned how to take care of himself. No one taught him and no one wanted him to learn.

With his mouth dry, Raidou held up his bag of groceries. "We're here to cook for you."

Naruto stared at both of them.

"You both look familiar… Oh! You look like those sneaky shinobi around Jiji or those shinobi who chase me! I play pranks on you guys all the time! Were you sent by the Old Man?" Though the mistrust was still in his eyes, Naruto had a bright and proud smirk.

Genma chuckled and ruffled the kid's hair fondly. The weight on Genma's shoulders lifted just a bit.

"Yeah, so I've heard. You're going to be a great shinobi someday," Genma said fondly.

Just like your parents always believed, Raidou quietly thought to himself as he started to unpack the groceries. Sadly, Naruto did not have the best quality of pots and pans, but he made do with what he had.

"Y-you really think so?" Naruto gaped for a moment, before giving a beaming smile. His distrust slowly faded away. "Of course I will! I am even taking the Graduation Exam early! Well, I technically enrolled early, but it still counts!"

"Is that so?" Genma said with playful skepticism in his voice. "I guess that means you study very hard then."

With those words, Naruto's smile slipped right off his face. He rubbed his head sheepishly and avoided looking at either of them.

"Who cares about studying! I'll pass the exams against all odds! Believe it!" Naruto proclaimed loudly. He didn't notice Raidou and Genma exchange looks of concern.

Genma noticed the papers lying nearby and picked them up. He read them silently and his hand crinkled the paper. Raidou felt Genma's chakra signature tighten in frustration and anger.

"Naruto, who graded these?" Genma asked gently to the kid. Raidou could sense the frustration threatening to boil over and tensed in preparation.

Naruto looked away. "My teacher… I have been told to get extra help during breaks and after-school, but I don't need them! I will pass and become the greatest Hokage ever!"

Naruto wasn't dumb. If he could run circles around chunin and some jounin, he had great potential to tear down walls and cause chaos.

He was avoiding looking at them. He didn't want to get help in school if he was struggling.

They were here to patch up Naruto, who was beaten up and refused treatment at the hospital.

Raidou put the pieces together and nearly dropped the spatula in horror.

"Deep down, you know that you deserve to be punished. Don't you, Mr Potter?

"As I told you Mr Potter, naughty children deserve to be punished."

"I want you to write 'I must not tell lies'."

"Naruto, do the teachers… say anything during these "tutoring sessions" that you haven't told anyone?" Raidou quietly asked.

Genma's neck nearly snapped as the other stared at Raidou in disbelief. That's when he knew he was right.

Raidou inhaled. His hands were trembling from anger and frustration.

He knew they failed Naruto, but bloody hell, how did it come to this? How low can they sink?

"Naruto, would you mind getting your textbooks? The Hokage asked us to help you review," Raidou lied.

Naruto finally looked at them and wrinkled his nose. "I don't even know where they are!" he loudly complained with a bit of a pout. "I already go to the Academy. Now I have to study more? At least teach me some cool jutsus!"

"The faster you find them, the faster you get a nice meal for your reward," Genma smoothly interrupted. Then in a softer voice, he helped up the medic kit. "We are also here to patch you up."

Naruto stared at both of them in disbelief. Raidou could see the war in his eyes. Distrust, hope, excitement, and loneliness all wrestling in his head. In the end, Naruto simply turned around and ran to his room.

Genma took the homework and crumbled it angrily.

"You didn't set it on fire?" Raidou hesitantly asked. He was a bit surprised.

Genma shook his head.

"We need evidence of the neglect and discrimination going on," Genma said bitterly. No doubt, his pent up anger and frustration would need a good spar. Was Kakashi back? Whenever those two sparred, they both were a lot less stressed afterwards.

Raidou stirred the seasoned vegetables in a moment of silence. He didn't want to ask, but knew he should.

"What's wrong with it?" Raidou asked. His mouth was moving, but he did not feel like he was in control.

"What isn't wrong with it would be a better question," Genma spat out angrily. It was rare to see his best friend lose his cool, but Genma always had a soft spot for children, especially Naruto. "It was marked up all over. He is being taught the wrong katas. He is being told the wrong scenarios in battle. He is even told to spell things wrong. There are even notes about how such a "dumb student should just drop out. Monsters don't need to go to the Academy to learn to kill!" Fuck it all!"

Genma threw the crumbled papers to the other side of the room, before sinking to the ground and putting his face in his hands.

"Is this the price of the peace we fought for? Does… Does the Hokage know?" Genma whispered softly.

"This wasn't in any of the reports," Raidou replied, but his hands were shaking. That wasn't what he wanted to say. Or was it?

(Stop defending him)

"But the Sandaime stationed ANBU all around Naruto. They… They must have known. A lot of them should have. This has been going on for a long time," Genma said in disbelief.

"The Sandaime only checks on Naruto occasionally. He runs an entire village. He hardly has the time to check up on Naruto every moment," Raidou pointed out. The Sandaime did make time for Naruto's visits, but that was already hard enough to squeeze into his schedule.

Genma stood up calmly, fiddling with a senbon in his hands. If Raidou could see Genma's eyes, he knew they would be filled with cold anger. "Are you defending him?"

With those words, Raidou wanted to collapse on the floor himself. He closed his eyes for a moment. It was silent, except for the rustling in Naruto's room.

"In the early days of Konoha, this level of sabotage would be considered treason. Konoha is first, and foremost, a village made by shinobi. By intentionally sabotaging the students, it hurts Konoha's own military strength. By the insistence of the Clan Heads back then, the sabotage of a Clan Heir's education is punishable by execution. If you're civilian-born, it is not enforced nearly as much as it should be or enforced at all. Kushina was once considered the Princess of Uzushio because she was from the main family.

"Due to being one of the -if not the- last Uzumaki, Naruto would be the Clan Heir. Not to mention the fact that if Naruto died, Konoha would lose the Kyuubi at best or his seal breaks and the Kyuubi destroys Konoha again at worst." Raidou inhaled sharply. His mouth was dry. He would have dropped the food several times, if it wasn't for the reflexes honed into his body. He set the food on a plate and finally looked up to see Genma shift back into a relaxed stance.

"So what are you trying to say from all that?" Genma asked. No doubt, if the mask wasn't on Genma's face, Genma would be fiddling with a senbon in his mouth, ready to flick it at him.

"I thought the Sandaime was protecting Naruto. He said we would be if we stayed away. We listened. For years, we weren't even allowed on Naruto's ANBU guard. Even then, only on rare occasions," Raidou murmured back, feeling a bit numb. Feeling a bit betrayed. They all stayed away, but it did not protect Minato's son in the ways it should have. "He said it would protect Naruto from Minato's enemies. He may be only one person, but he turned a blind eye to the cruelty to Naruto because he thought it kept Naruto safe. I knew it was wrong, but followed orders. I should've at least watched him more. Fuck, this all could have gotten Naruto killed in his first battle."

Genma sighed and looked away. "I am just as much responsible. I didn't know this was happening either. I shouldn't be angry at you, but I'm just so… frustrated. This wasn't supposed to happen. This isn't right. This isn't what I fought for and what Minato and Kushina died for!" Genma hissed, inhaling sharply.

Raidou heard Naruto before he sensed him as the young child burst into the kitchen. He was holding a few textbooks with a pout on his face.

Then, Naruto saw the food. He saw the cooked vegetables and grilled meat. It was a modest food spread in the time Raidou had. However, Naruto looked at it as if it was the greatest thing anyone had done for him.

There were even tears of disbelief in his eyes, before Naruto gave a bright smile at them.

Raidou could only stare helplessly as everything finally registered. It was as if Raidou was finally seeing clearly for the first time.

Naruto always had a bright smile against all odds. Despite his loneliness, his attitude could light up a room. There was a reason why the Hokage always looked a lot lighter after spending time with Naruto.

He was so bright, despite the bruises on his eyes and his arms. His smile seemed to glow, despite the cuts in his face and his hands. He seemed so happy, despite the hatred of the world against him.

Raidou could only helplessly watch and feel the weight of his failures even more.

(We can never save anyone we care about, can we? We're failures and all our mistakes hurt the very people we want to protect. What great "heroes" we must be)

~OoOo~

"Hiruzen is a fool. I could use him and turn him into the most effective weapon for Konoha. He has too much of a bleeding heart… Well, no matter. I may be able to change his mind. If not, there are other methods I can use. The jinchuuriki isn't the only weapon I can use. I actually need to-" the old man stopped for a moment. His guards, if they knew how to express emotions, would have exchanged looks of confusion.

The old man clutched his bandaged head for a moment. He looked puzzled. Then, he immediately spun around and walked away.

"I need to head to the orphanage immediately!" he barked and his guards quickly followed.

There was a moment of silence.

"He's gone, isn't he?" someone whispered.

"He is," another person replied.

"You can't prolong it forever. It's… it's okay. It is our duty. We have to do this."

"I said I would look out for you and protect you, and I will. I keep my promises. I have to." There was a sharp inhale.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Give me a second. Bloody hell, I wish they were here."

"They?"

"No, it's nothing… Like I said, this is going to be our little secret, okay?"

"O-okay…" the person shuffled away to give space.

The second person took a deep breath, clutching a stick tightly.

This chapter stressed me out so much because whenever I copy-and-pasted it, the word count was always different or it pasted code instead. Not to mention it kept glitching and crashing on me sigh. This is why it was delayed besides a bit of editing from AO3. I am really really really hoping that it's just the website being weird and nothing was lost in-between.

I was on vacation so that is the reason why the chapter is a bit late. This chapter was originally meant to be only 500 words for the main scene, but it kept going and going haha. It became a monster of its own. I hope you enjoyed though! i actually like how this chapter came out.

I don't have much to say, but I love you all! All your kind words and support mean more than I can express. Thank you!