Naruto Uzumaki and the Legendary Sannin

by kvsyaoran

Book 4: Our favorite blonde wizard must set out on a dangerous mission that will take him far from Konoha with the aid of Jiraiya the Toad Sage, to find the healer that will save the life of the Sandaime. Along the way, Naruto and Harry will discover dark forces hot on their trail; from the likes of Orochimaru to the threat of new enemies and strange creatures on the horizon

21. The Nerve to Risk It All

"Blah": Talking

'Blah': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura/Extreme shout

'Blah': Naruto's thought/other people's thoughts

'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto

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Hello everyone, I am back after a ridiculously long time without updating.

I really am terribly sorry for my unexpected hiatus, but in the time since my previous chapter post, I have been through the ringer, to put it lightly: for starters, I was relentlessly harassed by a coworker from my college job, I tried to stand up for myself but was subsequently fired from said job with maximum prejudice (my harasser was the boss's spouse btw), my older brother joined the military against the wishes of our entire family (while he is very much alive, he was never quite the same after his first tour), I lost my precious family dog of eleven years due to cancer (I absolutely loved that dog, she was the cutest, funniest, fluffiest border collie in the world to me, she really was my best friend and losing her before her time utterly destroyed me), and worst of all... several very close family members of mine unexpectedly died, all in rapid and merciless succession.

All of that, along with many other issues plaguing me (particularly depression) forced me to prioritize my mental health above everything else. In that time, I had zero drive to write down anything no matter how hard I tried. I read some fanfiction here and there but I couldn't bring myself to write. I would stare at a monitor and I physically could not write anything down like I used to.

I wish I had posted something, anything to let you all know that I was taking a break or that I was still alive. Again, I am really really terribly sorry to all my friends, readers, and reviewers that I haven't posted anything at all in all this time. But I needed to heal.

Thankfully, I am in a much better headspace now. I got the help and support I needed, I have a... better job (it pays more), my physical and mental health are better than ever, and now I feel like I can return to writing again. I finally rediscovered my passion for writing as well and I am never letting go of that passion ever again.

So yeah! We're back, baby! ... And so is Azeroth44.

Azeroth44: You ungrateful kreten! You couldn't have mentioned me sooner, could ya?!

K: Oh, I could have! Hahahahahaha!

A44: ... I'm going to destroy your toilet.

K: He always says that, but he never does it.

Anyway, I should mention that during my absurdly long hiatus, my therapist recommended I map out where I want a story to go if I couldn't write it. And I did just that for this fanfic series and planned out where I wanted it to go and I got quite a few twists and turns in store that I feel I can finally bring to life after all this time.

All I can say right now is that this series is going to go in a very different direction than I originally planned and I'm very happy I decided to do so ;) The original plan was mapped out WAY too similarly to the original Harry Potter series which was going to involve hunting Horcruxes at some point but that terrible idea was scrapped. The Fantastic Beasts trilogy (from what I heard, the final two films seem to have been cancelled) heavily influenced my decision to make major changes. As well as the Cursed Child. But while I don't consider that story to be canon, certain plot beats (minus the botched time travel mechanics) I do consider to be canon, though I will not go into detail at this time.

With that said and without further delay, I present to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers the new chapter of Naruto Uzumaki and the Legendary Sannin!

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Reviews are welcome and wanted!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Harry Potter belongs to Wizarding World/JK Rowling

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Chapter 21: The Nerve to Risk It All

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Orochimaru glared at the smoldering remains of the best medical-nin he had ever known. His most trusted and loyal subordinate, reduced to a pile of ashes and brittle, blackened bones.

Kabuto was gone.

The bespectacled shinobi would never again heal his grievous wounds or aid him in his most delicate operations. Orochimaru was literally cursed with bad luck and had lost a truly rare and invaluable asset to his ambitions in the blink of an eye.

The Sannin shook with unspeakable rage as his cold, yellow eyes drifted toward the short blonde boy that was the source of all his misfortunes. His anger only intensified at the very sight of his bright yellow hair in the distance, turning his once freezing face hot with unadulterated rage.

"That… insufferable… rotten… brat," he seethed each word hotly through his teeth.

Jiraiya took a firm step as he glared back at his former rival, "You should focus on the opponent right in front of you, Orochimaru. You can't afford to let your eyes wander now that your backup's toast."

The tall Sannin couldn't help but crack a slight smirk at his choice of words. He honestly didn't mean to use such a bad pun, but he was pleased all the same. Besides, it was the perfect choice of words to redirect his former friend's rage back to him.

{{Knives and Shadows by Akira Senju}}

Or so he thought.

What happened next nearly caused Jiraiya to have a heart attack: Orochimaru suddenly lunged over the side of the massive snake at breakneck speed. The pale man moved so quickly, he may as well have Disapparated. He dove down in the direction of the oblivious blonde genin while he screamed, "HE KILLED THE BEST MEDIC I EVER HAD!"

Jiraiya reacted just as quickly and dove after Orochimaru with matching intensity.

The large Sannin also roared like a ferocious beast, "DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!"

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" the pale man hissed back with matching veracity.

Orochimaru turned around in midair to face his former comrade. His cheeks expanded like two fleshy balloons for a split second. Then his monstrously grotesque tongue burst out his mouth with the speed of a bullet. The elongated muscle shot out, swathed, and locked itself around Jiraiya's left ankle with a sharp snap. The large Sannin's eyes widened in surprise as the strength of the massive tongue violently swung him around before it thrust him down upon the earth with one swift, clean motion.

"SHIT!" was all he could shout before his body crashed into the frozen earth with the force of a bomb. Snow, dust and solid chunks of rock spewed out from where he crashed. Jiraiya instantly lost consciousness while Orochimaru's feet touched the ground with graceful ease. He then dashed after the lone genin.

Naruto felt his scar burn for less than a second before he spotted the rapidly approaching danger in the corner of his eye. Orochimaru moved with such speed and intensity he caused the very earth at his feet to explode as a maelstrom followed in his wake. The genin caught a shine of silver and held his breath as he turned on the spot. He let the compressing darkness whisk him away to safety, hands and knees hitting the cold, rocky earth as he quickly hid behind a boulder some distance away.

Once he gained his bearings, Naruto suddenly gasped in pain. He looked down his left arm and realized Orochimaru managed to graze him as blood ran down from a clean cut on his sleeve. The cut on his skin burned as he felt it heal rapidly, but he paid it no mind. Naruto pressed his back up against the surface of the rock, breathing unevenly as he tried to remain hidden. He listened carefully as the maelstrom suddenly stopped. He then held his breath when he heard the distinct, sharp sound of a blade slowly, sadistically scrapping against the surface of solid rock. Naruto strained his ears to listen carefully and picked up the faint, distant sound of rushed, savage breathing, followed by light sprinting footsteps and crunching snow.

Naruto gripped his wand and thought carefully what to do next. He couldn't think clearly at all. He then made a daring move as he emerged from behind the rock with his wand at the ready.

"Stupefy!" he shouted and a scarlet jet of light zoomed across the field.

Orochimaru moved too fast for the spell to hit him and dodged it with ease. Naruto didn't waste another second and disappeared with a sharp crack. He Apparated behind another boulder, this time much closer to the swamp and the immobilized giant serpents. Naruto cursed himself for forgetting his invisibility cloak; he could have traversed towards the swamp to find Jiraiya, as the cloak would have hidden him and his very visible breath from sight.

'Your footprints would have given you away if he couldn't already hear you,' Harry quickly advised him, 'Keep your distance, Naruto! Stay on your toes!'

The genin held his breath and listened carefully, despite his heart pounding in his ears. With extreme caution and desperation, he slowly peaked around the rock and saw dust lingering in the air. Naruto could have sworn he caught a hint of one of Jiraiya's large boots. But he didn't have time to investigate further when he caught a hint of black hair in the corner of his eye this time. Orochimaru sped after the boy again but the genin turned and his body twisted within a clear haze and vanished with another sharp crack and a tiny flash of light.

The second the genin vanished, Orochimaru's eyes widened as his ears caught another distinct crack in the distance. He quickly turned on the spot as well and appeared as a blur in the direction of another distant boulder. The blonde shinobi stepped out with his wand drawn and the Sannin smirked at the look of horrified surprise on the boy's face. Orochimaru spun like a wild shuriken and Naruto ducked down in reflex, barely managing to produce a Shield Charm. He heard the sharp sound of rapidly spinning metal as it whirled above him. The sword cut through the rock like butter but missed the genin by centimeters. Naruto dashed forward, hunched over, nearly falling over himself before he caught his footing and turned to face the Sannin. He almost launched a curse at the man instinctively, but stopped himself in time as he saw a wall of fallen snow and dirt billow out behind the elder ninja as he let out an unearthly roar. Naruto turned on the spot and Disapparated in time as he let Orochimaru unleash his fury on a series of boulders and giant rocks that stood in his path.

The Sannin was like an unstoppable juggernaut of pure rage and destruction, hell-bent on destroying the lone genin.

Naruto breathed through his nose (painful as it was cold) in frustration and fear. An idea popped in his head and he crossed his fingers. He had remembered a useful trick he had once used on Neji and put it to good use: the boy summoned half a dozen shadow clones, all of whom Disapparated, including himself. He and the clones hid themselves behind other rocks and boulders jutting out of the ground in random places. The clones tapped their kunai and wands against the surface of the rocks, to throw Orochimaru off, and it worked. The Sannin had stopped wrecking havoc as he stood in the middle of the cold field, seething.

"I will find you, boy… I will snuff you out, sooner or later," he heard the man say in a threateningly cold voice, "YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!"

Naruto did his best to remain calm and think carefully on what to do next. But he was shut out of his own thoughts as Orochimaru spoke to him again, this time taunting him.

"You fight for your precious Hokage with such devotion… Sarutobi-sensei would be so proud," the man's voice drawled with sickening sarcasm, "But such a shame he had to die such a slow and agonizing death."

The young wizard knew Orochimaru was trying to make him angry. The elder ninja was trying to provoke him out of hiding and make the hunt much easier. Naruto was at least smart enough to know what the more experienced ninja was trying to do. Though it did not make it any less frustrating to not give in and want to fire back. He wanted to say so many horrible things but none of them were clear, calm, or sensible enough for him to wisely decide as he shook and felt sick.

But in that moment, one single thought managed to make itself clear to him in his head: Naruto thought, maybe, he could use Orochimaru's little plan to his advantage. He could turn the tables on the Sannin and delay the bloodthirsty ninja with his own taunts. He tried to force himself to calm down and the plan practically formulated itself. All he had to do was distract and evade Orochimaru long enough for Jiraiya to wake up and come to his aid.

'That plan could work,' said Harry as he listened in on Naruto's thoughts, 'But you are playing a very dangerous game, Naruto. Keep as much distance as you can…'

Naruto took deep and steady breaths as he managed to will his body to stop shaking. He was still scared out of his mind having to face one of his worst fears alone. But he got enough of a grip on his nerves to keep on fighting. He even allowed himself to smirk once he realized he now had an opportunity to unleash everything he could think of upon Orochimaru. It was also a bonus for him that he could also defend his surrogate grandfather's honor.

With another calming breath, he forced himself to stick his courage to the sticking place. He regained some of his confidence as he readied himself to cut loose on the murderous Sannin.

"You know what's a real shame?" replied all of the shadow clones, smartly, including the original Naruto, "You didn't think I'd leave Konoha without paying him a visit in hospital."

There was a long pause as Naruto noticed the absence of snow crunching under Orochimaru's feet. He must have stopped where he stood, as the genin's words must have sunk in. With a response like that, Naruto liked to think he might have actually frightened the older ninja.

"What did you do?" he heard him ask over the wind.

Naruto retorted, "I bought him time," he elaborated rather coolly as his courage grew, "I snuck into his room and I smuggled healing potions into his tubes the day before I left the village," he paused to wait for a response, when the Sannin remained silent, he pressed on with a little more sass, "You know, those potions were so powerful it almost looked like they made him younger. And when we take Tsunade back to the village, it'll be like he never got sick at all," he was sorely tempted to look over the rock, just to see the look on the pale man's face as he smirked, "So don't you worry, Sarutobi-sensei is going to be just fine," he and the other clones then shouted, wishing rather than believing, "He's not as gone as you might think!"

The blonde boy breathed harshly through his nose as blood rushed to his face. For a moment, his courage and confidence faltered, perhaps it was from the shock of taking Kabuto's life only moments ago. But the actualization that Orochimaru was rabidly trying to kill him wasn't helping either. In his faltered state, he felt like he could throw up at any second. He started shaking again but did his best to shake it off and sling in another jab to buy time and build back his confidence.

"You failed, Orochimaru," he and his clones then forcibly shouted, "Y-YOU CAN'T WIN! IT'S OVER! YOU SHOULD JUST GIVE UP!"

Naruto and his clones took deep breaths in a combined effort to calm down. But all of them stopped as they heard a sinister chuckle through the freezing cold wind. The genin and his clones all felt their blood run just as cold as the icy wind on their skin.

"You would love for me to do that, wouldn't you, you little brat?" questioned the voice of the Sannin, "But I'm not leaving this place until I teach you a lesson," Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the Sannin's voice echo as it was clear that the man summoned his own shadow clones and they spoke in unison as well, "I will see you dead at my feet before I'm gone. I will not stop hunting you down until you are as dead as Nawaki," the genin and his clones froze up in fear as they all heard a set of feet crunching in the snow, slowly approaching each of them, as the Sannin and his clones continued to taunt and threaten him, "Ohhh… Ever heard of that name, boy? He was Tsunade's younger brother," Naruto and his clones all shivered as he remembered the story Shizune had told him, "You look so much like him now that I think about it… messy hair, eyes full of life and laughter… It's no wonder Tsunade backed out on our deal in your favor… He was also about the same age as you are now when he died…"

Naruto and his clones shared the same wide-eyed look of horror. His wand shook in his hands as it did with the other surrounding clones. He and the clones all flinched as one when the older man's voice cut through the howling, freezing wind.

"Poor little Nawaki," he drawled deliciously, "So tragic that he died so very young… Human life really is just so fragile," he said with a strong sense of bitterness and venom in his voice, "But what I wouldn't give now than to see you just as crushed, mangled, bloodless, and twisted as he was when I saw his corpse on the slab," the genin could practically hear the Sannin smile, "What a sight for eyes as sore as mine."

Naruto swallowed hard and tried to force himself to get angry and more courageous, "Jiraiya-sensei will stop you."

He didn't believe his own words. He wanted to, but he couldn't. Naruto looked over his shoulder to catch a glimpse. The genin couldn't see him, but he could sense his guardian was still unconscious and buried in the snow. Naruto and his clones pressed their backs harder against their hiding places as Orochimaru's feet crunched the snow.

"Will he, now?" he and his clones heard the Sannin challenge his weak, wishful statement, "I don't see him coming to your rescue, boy," Naruto closed his eyes as he and his clones shivered, barely able to hold their wands up, as it felt like he suddenly forgotten how to breathe, "It looks like you're completely alone."

Naruto felt a pressure on his right shoulder. He let out a silent gasp and turned around wildly with a kunai clenched in his left hand. Then he stopped and found he was able to breathe again. He felt the pressure was familiar, warm, and reassuring as it felt like a hand squeezing his shoulder. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and imagined Harry hunched alongside him in the cold; he could practically see his glasses, dressed in a suit with matching robes. But most important of all, he could imagine a brave, determined, reassuring look on his youthful face. The older wizard didn't have to say anything to his little brother as the genin found the strength to stand back up on his own. He could breathe softly and calmly, even as he heard the Sannin's feet crunching the snow closest to him.

"No… I'm not, Orochimaru," he replied as he heard the older shinobi approaching him, ignoring his clones, "I'm never alone… Never."

Naruto gripped his wand tightly and scowled as the Sannin peaked around the boulder. Orochimaru had a twisted, victorious smile on his face as he discovered the boy. The genin's shadow clones aimed their wands at all of the Orochimaru clones as the real Naruto forced his body to move. He ducked his head as the steel of Orochimaru's sword was buried in the rock. The genin turned on the spot and Disapparated as his shadow clones were all destroyed. He was relieved as the memories of the clones came back to him at once and realized the clones had taken the Orochimaru clones with them.

The genin was out in the open and soon saw Orochimaru speed out from behind the boulder. The Sannin ran towards him with incredible speed but Naruto stood his ground. Harry wasn't standing alongside him in a physical form, but he may as well have been. Naruto found the will to stand firm and held his wand at the ready. He felt a familiar fire burning in his chest as he took aim at the devastating blur speeding towards him. Red and gold sparks fired out of the end of his wand but he paid no attention to it. The genin gripped the kunai tightly in his left hand and he let out a growling battle cry.

Orochimaru had a devilish smile on his deathly pale face as he gripped his sword and lunged forward.

Naruto made a step forward as he aimed his wand. He could see the almost glowing eyes of the demon-like Sannin, but something else caught his eye, coming from the right. As he was about to charge after the Sannin with knife and wand in hand, something charged in front of him. He held his breath and froze as Tsunade came out of nowhere with a graceful lunge. The kunoichi had reeled her right arm back and struck Orochimaru in the face with a devastating right hook. The pale Sannin was completely caught off guard and went flying from the blow, spinning in the air until he landed over two hundred feet away and rolled in a violent heap.

"W-What?" the genin stammered, then he shouted, "What?!"

Naruto blinked as he stared at the back of the kunoichi in utter shock. The genin lowered his wand as he realized what she had done. He also noticed that she was no longer shaking and that she was gripping his invisibility cloak tightly in her other closed fist.

He then heard the kunoichi speak with so much strength and fire in her voice, "No more, Orochimaru…"

"You…" the genin looked up as he heard the pale Sannin struggling to pick himself up off the ground across the field.

The Sannin's bad luck reared its ugly head once again as he was clutching at his side with his free arm. His face was swollen from the blow and his robes were stained in blood. It looked like he had accidentally cut himself with his own sword when he hit the ground moments ago.

Naruto watched the two Sannin with baited breath as Tsunade took a firm step forward. The kunoichi stood between Naruto and Orochimaru. The genin took notice of the gesture and he was surprised once more: Tsunade was protecting him.

"Don't you dare lay even one finger on him," the kunoichi warned firmly before she roared with a genuinely terrifying ferocity and furious vengeance, "AND DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK ILL OF NAWAKI AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!"

Orochimaru was able to find his footing as he looked upon the sight of his former teammate defending the genin he sought to destroy, "You're… protecting the boy?"

The Sannin sounded surprised but also seemed genuinely hurt.

"You would have been the only one I would have spared, Tsunade," he breathed solemnly.

The pale Sannin seemed to shake off the devastating blow on his right side as he narrowed his sights on the genin. Naruto felt his scar burn for a second as he sensed Orochimaru's intent. The older shinobi took one step forward but the blonde kunoichi took a step as well, ready to defend the boy.

"STAY BACK!" she shouted without any trace of fear.

Orochimaru growled at the kunoichi in utter disgust and snarled at her, "That brat is going to die today, one way or another! Do you honestly believe I'll let him live after everything he's done?! What he could possibly do if he survives?!"

Tsunade refused to stand aside and assumed a defensive pose; ready to counter anything Orochimaru could throw at her to get to the genin.

The pale Sannin scoffed at the gesture as he tried to reason with his former teammate, "Leaving him alive will only bring forth the end of our world as we know it. There are people I know out there that will stop at nothing to harness the demon spirit sealed within him. It will only be a matter of time before they catch him and take it away."

Naruto winced slightly as he was reminded of the Akatsuki. But then he blinked in realization; could Orochimaru know exactly what the Akatsuki's plan for him was? If so, what else did he know?

Orochimaru's sinister chuckle seemed to break his train of thought; "Kukukukuku… I can only imagine what else they could do once they discover and harness his magic as well."

The scowl on Tsunade's face soured in disgust.

Orochimaru seemed to relish in response and so he continued, "Danzo was right to be afraid of witches and magic. It turns out he wasn't completely mad after all."

Naruto blinked again at the mention of Danzo and stared at Orochimaru as he left his mouth open in shock, "What?"

"If you let that boy live, those people I mentioned will harness his abilities… it would only make things so much worse for us all. If they fail to do that, then the reality we could face might be even worse for us all," the Sannin raised his arms for a slightly dramatic effect before his tone turned more threatening as he glared at his former teammate, "For once in your miserable life, Tsunade… stay the hell out of my way. Just stand aside."

Tsunade refused to budge and stood her ground, "I said stay back. You leave this boy alone… I'm protecting him no matter what."

Orochimaru glared at the kunoichi while Naruto couldn't help but stare at her in awe, "Baa-chan…"

The pale Sannin eyed Tsunade up and down, studying her countenance. His eyes widened ever so slightly as the woman's closed fists trembled almost unnoticeably, except for him. His yellow eyes narrowed at his former comrade as his taunting smile spread across his gaunt face.

"You're still trembling at the sight of blood," he took his free hand to touch his robes, then he swiped his arm across to splatter blood across the snow, like ink spilled upon fresh parchment, "Why would you, one of the legendary Sannin, risk everything to protect this brat?"

Tsunade's eyes turned wide at the sight of the blood. Her closed fists loosened and began to shake. It almost looked like she about to fall back into catatonic state. But the kunoichi steeled herself and looked past the blood to glare venomous daggers at her former comrade.

"I'm doing this," she growled with a fire in her voice, "to protect Konohagakure no Sato."

Orochimaru let out what sounded like a hiss as he scoffed, "You want to protect Konoha now?"

The kunoichi made an effort to look over her shoulder and locked eyes with Naruto. The genin stared at her, not able to put words together no matter how hard he tried. Tsunade gave him a small but surprisingly warm smile. Naruto couldn't help but feel warm and reassured from the silent gesture.

What she said next touched him even more.

"I can feel it… This little brat… he's going to do great things one day," her eyes began to shine, as if she were holding back tears, "I believe… someday, this meddlesome little magician could even become Hokage."

Naruto was stunned, as was Harry. Neither one of them imagined the Tsunade they met would have ever said that. The blonde genin couldn't help it as his face filled with color.

Orochimaru's voice cut through the icy wind as his cold laughter caught everyone's attention, "Nonsense, complete and utter nonsense," the pale Sannin smiled cruelly as he spat at the kunoichi, "The title of Hokage is a fool's game."

Tsunade turned to face him as Naruto couldn't help but notice her trembling slowly but surely stopped, "I used to think exactly the same… But from here on out," the kunoichi stood firm as she drove her fist into her palm, the wind seemed to die down in response, as she cracked her knuckles like a boxer, "I'm going to risk everything! I'm going to put my life on the line!"

Orochimaru's eyes twitched in annoyance as he gripped his sword with an audible metallic click. He didn't bother looking at the boy anymore and set his sights on Tsunade. He wanted to kill her first, purely out of disgust and spite for her words.

He growled at her with such intense hatred, "If your life is worth nothing more for the sake of this irksome brat, then I'll be happy to accommodate you!"

The Sannin marched forth and raised his sword to cut the woman down, but he never got the chance as a burst of red light caught his eye too late.

Naruto had cried, "EXPELLIARMUS!"

The elegant sword was wrenched out of Orochimaru's hand and flew far into the snowy hills and out of sight.

Orochimaru was shocked and turned his head toward the glaring genin as the tip of his wand was smoking slightly, "What the-"

Luck was not on the Sannin's side as Tsunade took the moment to charge. She drove her fist into Orochimaru's face and he was thrown clean off his feet. The force of the punch was so intense it nearly caused Naruto to fall over as he staggered. It fully stopped the wind around them as the pale Sannin was like a blur until his body plowed through a solid boulder. Orochimaru was like an unbreakable rag doll, which gave Naruto an idea as he felt an intense adrenaline rush.

In his haste, he raised his wand and aimed at the Sannin and shouted, "IMPEDIMENTA!"

There was a loud whoosh and a flash of light as Orochimaru froze in midair amidst floating rock fragments and droplets of blood.

"I GOT HIM! DUCK!" he shouted over his shoulder at the kunoichi.

Tsunade was not one to obey the commands of a genin. But her instincts kicked in and she ducked down low.

The Sannin was glad she did so as Naruto took his roughly carved wand and thrust his arm forward, "Carpe Retractum!"

A magical cord of light erupted from his wand and latched itself to Orochimaru. Naruto then began to swing his cords of light from his wand as if he were de-gnoming a garden. As a result, Orochimaru was flung into the air and swung around like a toy at the end of a lasso. The Sannin was plowed through the dirt and snow, bashed through rocks, which exploded on contact.

Tsunade watched in stunned silence before she got her own idea. She made sure to not disrupt the magical cords, ducking down and sliding across the snow. The kunoichi swiftly got in the path of the lasso and took aim. Naruto took notice and let the Sannin free, vanishing the cords, only for the man to be socked in the face once more.

Orochimaru went flying once again as Naruto and Tsunade shared a victorious grin on their faces. They almost looked like siblings with how broad and cheeky their smiles were. But those smiles soon faded, as Orochimaru seemed to regain some composure while in midair.

Naruto held his breath before he seethed in anger. He grasped his wand and growled at the Sannin as he nonverbally raised a Shield Charm. Just in time as Orochimaru launched several kunai and shuriken his way. The weapons bounced off the shield harmlessly, but the sight made Tsunade see red as she made her way to protect the boy.

"How is he still standing?" he genin growled as he gripped his wand.

Tsunade let out an animalistic growl, "WHY WON'T HE DIE?!"

Naruto took a step back as he readied his wand. But he stopped as he noticed an unusual shimmer around it. The end of his wand began to glow blue as he sensed a powerful surge of magic swelling within him.

With purpose, Naruto allowed the light to glow brighter and aimed at Orochimaru as he cried, "Descendo!"

The Sannin blinked as his entire body faintly glowed blue while he froze. But the next second he was thrown into the ground with a powerful thud and a loud crunch. Naruto raised his wand again and thrust it down three more times as the Sannin's body followed his intensely angry motions. Tsunade was caught off guard by that spell but quickly stood between Naruto the smoldering hole where Orochimaru was buried.

Rocks and earth shifted as, against all the odds, Orochimaru stood again. Naruto was just as horrified, as he was frustrated when the Sannin emerged from the earth like a zombie. He couldn't help but freeze up as the Sannin glared at him once again.

Naruto moaned, "No! I thought that would work!"

Orochimaru's body clicked, writhed, and contorted unnaturally for a moment. It was as if an unseen force possessed his body, or more likely he was forcibly healing himself. After a few more clicks and cracks, he let out a hiss and bolted forward. Tsunade matched his speed and charged after the pale man. The two engaged in combat, with Orochimaru doing his best to avoid meeting with Tsunade's unrelenting fists.

The genin staggered as he held his wand up, unsure how, when, or even if he should join the fight. He had to help Tsunade somehow or figure out a way to end the fight soon. He could miss or even hit Tsunade, which he couldn't risk. Not to mention, Jiraiya and Shizune were still down for the count.

Before he had a chance to make any decision, Harry's voice rang in his ears, 'Naruto, I think now might be the best time for us to try out that little idea we had.'

'You mean-'

Naruto imagined Harry nodding his head as he replied, 'Yes. Let's do it. Right now.'

The genin held his wand in his hand as he crossed his fingers and closed his eyes in concentration, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A single shadow clone appeared beside him with a pop and puff of white smoke. The shadow clone had its eyes closed as Naruto stood aside and faced it. The clone faltered slightly. Then it took a firm step and stood up straight. The clone slowly opened its eyes that now shone green instead of blue. The shadow clone then ran its hands through its blonde hair, which instantly turned black at its touch. The clone then took a deep breath as if it had been holding its breath. As it exhaled, the whisker marks on Naruto's face faded as he reached for the headband. The clone muttered a few incantations under its breath and the forehead protector instantly unraveled. It then twisted and transfigured into a pair of round glasses. The shadow clone put them on and blinked as everything came into focus.

'That's better," the clone said in a voice that sounded like a combination of Naruto and Harry's voices.

Naruto blinked as he stared at the shadow clone, "Harry?"

"Yeah, it's me," he smiled, his voice now sounding exactly like his magical companion, "I'm here! It'll take me a bit of time to get used to your body's normal speed and agility," he said as he tried to get a feel of the clone body he took control of, "It has been a few months since the last time I took control. I never actually had the time to test it then."

The genin was about to make a joke but was interrupted by the sound of a pained yell. Naruto and Harry turned to see Orochimaru get the upper hand and kicked Tsunade aside. She collapsed in a heap as the pale man set his sights on Naruto and the clone. Orochimaru blinked at the unfamiliar clone before he brushed it off and began to march after the boys.

Naruto took his wand in hand and a kunai in the other and said with less confidence than he wished, "Now's the time! Learn on your feet!"

Harry gripped the wand in his hand as red and gold sparks flickered out the tip, "Right! Let's do this!"

Orochimaru took some blood off his robes and weaved through a series of handsigns as he sprinted towards the wizards. Monstrous snakes with huge venomous fangs erupted out of the sleeves of his robes. But the two wizards were quick to summon Shield Charms as the fangs of the serpents bounced off the magical barriers. The venom from their fangs must have been acidic as the liquid hissed, melting the snow, and smoking upon hitting the ground. As soon as the shield vanished, the two wizards moved fast with their charm work.

Naruto cried, "Confundo!"

"Oppugno!" the clone at his side roared.

There were two distinct flashes as the snakes began attacking each other, biting and snapping at their necks. Orochimaru seethed at the scene before his eyes before he was forced to vanish the boa constrictors he summoned (at least the serpents resembled boa constrictors).

But the second Orochimaru could return to the fight, a blinding light struck him.

Harry's voice had cried out, "Flipendo!"

The Sannin was thrown off his feet again and his body was forcibly spun backwards in the air.

Orochimaru heard Naruto shout, "Accio!"

The charm was aimed at the Sannin's clothes and the man's body was violently pulled back towards the two wizards.

Harry made a swift movement with his wand and shouted, "Expulso!"

The bright white spell hit Orochimaru with greater force as he was thrown like a rag doll once more. But Orochimaru landed on his feet and slid back on the ground with force as he seethed.

The Sannin dashed towards the two boys with his remarkable speed. But then he stopped himself as the two held their wands at the ready. Naruto was a lot more confident now that Harry was with him in person. He aimed his wand steadily at the senior ninja and wouldn't hesitate to curse him. Orochimaru summoned a tantō and gripped it tight as he steadied himself. The older man took the moment to carefully observe his opponents. He took a particular interest in the dark-haired of the two. He knew shadow clones did not have a tendency of changing their physical appearance. Not unless they rebelled, but that was very unlikely. Orochimaru assumed some unknown magic was afoot as he fixed his gaze on the dark-haired one.

"Is that the best you got?" the older wizard challenged.

Orochimaru glared at the young man, taking note of his unfitting voice, "Who the hell are you?"

"Harry," he replied coolly as he taunted the Sannin to attack, "You don't remember me? We met once before," he used his free hand to point at his glasses, or rather, his distinctly different colored eyes as his whispered voice magically reached the Sannin over the wind, as if they were mere feet apart, "C'mon, Orochimaru… Catch up. You can do it. Figure it out."

It seemed to click inside the Sannin's head as his eyes widened, "Your eyes… I saw those same eyes in the brat… back in the Forest of Death. Back when he cursed-"

"-When I cursed you," he interrupted, "I'm the one who cursed you. Not him."

Orochimaru fixated on the dark-haired young man. Naruto took a second to glance at his magical brother. He couldn't tell what he was up to without asking him directly. But he had a good idea that the wizard was trying to shift the Sannin's rage towards himself.

"Naruto took credit for it earlier, but it was really me that did it," he shrugged before he let out a taunting chuckle, "I bet you can't even hold a cup of tea without dropping it."

The Sannin let out a hiss as he snarled at the wizard, "You… You bastard! You're the one that-"

Harry cut him off, hoping it would send the senior ninja in a blind rage again, "-I'm the one who taught Naruto everything he knows about magic."

Orochimaru replied coldly as he gripped the tantō, "Then your efforts were wasted on a talentless-"

The Sannin should have paid attention to both wizards, as there was another bright red flash, "ARGH!"

Orochimaru staggered back as Naruto had launched a powerful spell that struck his shoulder. It wasn't enough to knock him out or strike the far more experienced ninja down. But it did leave his robes and skin underneath scorched and smoking. Orochimaru glanced at the blonde genin as he still had his smoking wand aimed at him.

"No, he didn't," he growled, "Harry's an amazing teacher."

The Sannin heard a sound from the side and saw Tsunade make her return. Her hands glowed as her wounds healed in an instant. The kunoichi glared at him as she steadily marched back into the battlefield. Orochimaru looked between her and the two wizards as his mind raced for a plan.

"It's three against one. Two wizards and one very pissed off Sannin against a cursed has-been ninja," he heard Harry call out, "You have no more backup, Shizune and Jiraiya will be waking up any minute now. I think it would be a good time for you to surrender."

"Or we'll finish you off like I did to Kabuto," added Naruto as his face twisted with righteous anger as adrenaline continued to fuel him, "Your choice!"

Orochimaru hissed at the sorcerers. But as the wind picked up again (though neither wizard lowered their wands) the more seasoned ninja was able to finally calm down. He proved why he was once revered for his genius if he was able to formulate a plan in a matter of seconds. He defiantly gazed across the snowy field, setting his sights on Naruto.

"What is the point?" he dared ask, "Why do you do this for your Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki?"

The blonde genin blinked before he went back to glaring at the ninja, never once lowering his wand, "What do you mean 'why'?"

"You're on this mission to save the Sandaime Hokage. But why would you trust him? Why would you mourn him if he died? Why would you save his life when he is such a catastrophic failure?!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the Sannin as he raised his wand higher, aiming for his head.

"He's not as gone as you might think," Orochimaru mocked what the boy had said earlier, "Such blind, childish devotion to a foolish old man that does not love nor trust you! He doesn't care about you, Naruto Uzumaki! The title of Hokage really is a sick and twisted joke! He doesn't care about anyone!"

The blonde genin spoke up loud and clear as he replied, "His sons, grandson, aniki, literally every single person in the village, including me," the young man proved his devotion and loyalty as he shot back at the Sannin, "He almost died to protect all of us! From YOU! He couldn't save them all because you locked him away to fight solo! I know he cares! You're wrong about him!"

The Sannin sighed as he looked up at the clouds, then he sighed before he glanced back at the genin with a cruel smile, "You pitiful fool. Even if I were wrong, it's undeniable that his priorities are a complete mess; Sarutobi-sensei couldn't bring himself to kill me when he should have. Decades ago. If he truly loved his precious village and all of its ungrateful inhabitants, he would have struck me down when I gave him the chance to do so. No matter how much it pained him to kill his favorite student."

Naruto scoffed at the older ninja, "Shut up! You're crazy!"

"Am I?! The Sandaime Hokage could have saved the lives of all those precious comrades you seem to care so much about. But he spared my life after everything I had done all those years ago. I defected and he let me go, Naruto Uzumaki, if anyone is crazy it's him. He knew I would be back. If he didn't let me go the first time, I would not have orchestrated the invasion of your village last autumn and all those precious fallen comrades would still be alive now."

The genin frowned as he recalled what the old man had told him before the Chunin Exam finals, after Hayate was murdered, he shot back, "Even if that's true, it doesn't matter! The old man can't see the future but he did know you were coming back! You said it yourself! And he was ready to fight you! He was ready to die protecting everyone in the village!"

The older ninja didn't seem to listen to his rebuttal at all, "Only Jiraiya seemed to care about me back then. He tried to stop me all those years ago. He failed, obviously. That big buffoon had no chance of actually killing me," then the Sannin's cruel smile returned with a vengeance, "Funny, isn't it? The scapegoat student took action, but not the precious sensei that enabled me. You claim to admire or even love Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he will let you down, if he hasn't already."

Sparks shot out of the end of Naruto's wand as he shouted, "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Ooooh, but he did, didn't he?" the older man drawled out with a twisted smile, "I know about your upbringing, boy; the previous Hokage, lucky Yondaime, turned you into a jinchuuriki. Good old Sarutobi-sensei returned from retirement but he failed to make your life less miserable without your parents to protect you. He stood aside and watched as the citizens showed their gratitude for your sacrifice."

Naruto blinked and his eyes seemed shinier as he forced himself to growl, "He didn't mean for that to happen!"

"Sure, he didn't," the Sannin replied sarcastically, "Well, if he hasn't already let you down before… then he will do a whole lot worse for you in the future, I am certain of it," the older man relished as he toyed with the young boy's emotions, "I wonder, will he throw you into a cage with the Akatsuki hot on your nine tails?"

The boy shouted as the whites in his eyes turned pink, "He would NEVER do that!"

Orochimaru continued to drawl, "Or will he leave you to burn on the pyre, courtesy of Danzō Shimura, you hybrid freak?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" the genin roared as he shot two jets of red light at the unmoved Sannin.

Both of them missed, as Orochimaru didn't flinch.

"Not that you'll live long enough to see it happen. But I must ask you, Naruto Uzumaki," the Sannin goaded at the boy, "do you really think Sarutobi-sensei will mourn for you?"

Harry took a step forward to stand right beside Naruto, his wand drawn in a gesture of instinctual protectiveness. He glared at Orochimaru as his grip on his wand tightened. The Sannin smirked wildly at the pair of wizards. Then the tantō in his hand vanished as he dabbed his white fingers on the blood on his robes. Harry's eyes widened as the Sannin rapidly weaved through handsigns and knelt with his hands on the cold earth.

He raised his wand arm upwards with a sharp swish, "Protego!"

A shield erupted out of his wand like a translucent shimmer. There was a huge explosion of white smoke as the earth erupted in front of the pale man. The shield shattered from the force of the summoning. Harry grabbed Naruto and was about to Disapparate, but the Sannin was too quick. Huge serpents, larger than basilisks, emerged from the ground. The giant snakes charged through the ground like a herd of erumpent in heat. The force of the summoned creatures caused both wizards to be flown off their feet. Rocks and clouds of dirt ruptured around them as the two boys yelled.

But were soon cut off as their backs hit an unexpectedly warm, soft, and slimy surface. They both sank into, or were drawn into a mysterious, blue and white mass. They were briefly consumed with suffocating darkness before they promptly emerged from another opening.

Naruto and Harry blinked in confusion before they looked to see the slimy white and blue mass more clearly. Both of them thought it was a giant balloon but it was too warm, soft, and wet, so it had to be the flesh of a creature. Both wizards then saw Tsunade beside them with a hint of blood on her own fingers. Naruto looked up further, toward the place where he and Harry should have been and saw two fleshy antenna, the ends of which closely resembled eyeballs.

It soon occurred to both magical brethren that Tsunade had summoned a giant slug roughly the size of a very large house, "GET BACK!"

Naruto checked himself over briefly in a panic. He wasn't sure if the giant slug that saved them was anything like a Flesh-Eating Slug. The lack of pain or corrosion on his clothes and skin was enough to reassure him.

But his relief was short-lived as the giant slug was violently jostled.

Orochimaru's two huge serpents attacked the giant slug. Their wide mouths snapped and hissed at the fleshy mollusk. Harry expected the creature to start bleeding or fall apart from such fangs and ferocity. But something was off, as the giant slug didn't bleed at all. It simply reformed as if it were a particularly fleshy phantom or a ghost.

Naruto grabbed onto Harry as they were violently thrashed around and bounced on the back of the creature. Tsunade didn't seem to mind as her fierce eyes were trained on the serpents. Said creatures soon swathed their bodies around the length of the slug and began to squeeze hard.

Tsunade's eyes widened before she commanded, "Katsuyu! DOWSE THESE LOSERS!"

Katsuyu, the giant slug, seemed to swell up in the front before a huge eruption of yellow liquid was released. At the same time, Katsuyu was squeezed and strangled as its flesh pooled between the bodies of the snakes. The pressure became so intense, the giant slug exploded. But instead of becoming a disgusting mound of shredded flesh, Katsuyu had divided itself into a thousand or so smaller versions of itself.

Harry couldn't resist commenting while Naruto looked like he wanted to vomit, "That was so gross for some reason…"

The serpents coiled back to where their summoner stood. But were dowsed in what had to be acid that spewed out of the giant form of Katsuyu's mouth, to which Naruto added, "That's even worse!"

Naruto and Harry clung onto the back of one of the many smaller copies of Katsuyu. Theirs had to the size of a car as it (miraculously for a slug) hastily slithered away from the fight. The wizards looked back up at the fight to see the giant serpents bloodied, missing eyes, bones exposed as the flesh melted off their bones like hot wax.

The two wizards were horrified at the gruesome site before them and clung to each other tighter.

The serpents swiftly vanished in an explosion of white smoke. But the smoke danced around a lone figure as it dissipated. It almost looked as if the figure were being protected with an invisible bubble. Orochimaru dismissed the serpents he summoned without a second thought as he found and drew his sword from the earth.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the pale man as he looked back at them, "He seriously summoned those snakes just to recover his sword? He's despicable!"

The wizard and his blonde ward quickly found themselves back on the snowy ground as their Katsuyu merged with another and grew. Naruto drew his wand again with a frightened look as Orochimaru chased after him and Harry with his deathly speed.

The older wizard slid in front of Naruto and cried, "Protego!"

The Sannin's blade struck the magical shield, sinking in slightly, before it bounced off the translucent surface. The impact released a burst of raw energy that left everyone stunned for a half second. Orochimaru suddenly vanished as a blonde figure tackled him with matching speed followed by a terrifying roar. Tsunade engaged her former teammate in an intense fight where Orochimaru did everything he could to avoid a direct blow from her fists. Boulders and entire sections of earth and snow exploded from the force of her punches. Orochimaru went on the offensive so few times to cut down the kunoichi.

But luck was not on his side anymore.

The sly old man decided to change tactics in the middle of the battle; after he ducked under another one of Tsunade deadly haymakers, the Sannin took the chance to hurl a slew of shuriken and knives at Naruto with a wicked smile. Tsunade went wide-eyed and audibly gasped. But the genin was quick to react and nonverbally used a Shield Charm to deflect the attack.

Tsunade set her sights back on Orochimaru and let out another terrible roar. Her former teammate had a fearful look on his face before he continued to duck, dance, and weave out of her arm reach. Naruto wanted to help but Harry beat him to the punch as he suddenly Disapparated.

The older wizard did not hold back as he Apparated behind the Sannin and shouted, "BOMBARDA!"

A mighty explosion went off that caused both Sannin's ears to ring as Orochimaru barely backed up out of the way. His robes were singed from the dangerous charm but were the least of his concerns.

Tsunade was not going to let her ringing ears hold her back as she came down on Orochimaru from above. The pale Sannin slipped out from under her at the last second as Tsunade's fist struck the ground, forming a massive crater beneath her.

Harry wasn't anywhere close to being done as he Disapparated and Apparated again, but this time he made swift motion with his wand as he roared, "SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Shreds of Orochimaru's silky black hair and elegant robes fell to the ground in clumps. Blood spurted out of the nape of his neck and forearms as the Sannin crossed his arms to brace himself for attack. But the Sannin did not expect the curse to affect him in such a manner. He looked wide-eyed with shock, especially when he saw the droplets of his own blood in the air.

Tsunade ducked down in time, but she felt the heat from the curse that zoomed above her. She then took advantage of Orochimaru's shock and punched the man in the gut. The Sannin flew back with the wind knocked out of him. But before he could feel his back strike a boulder or the freezing earth, he heard the distinct sound of Apparating again.

Harry cried, "ARRESTO MOMENTUM!"

Orochimaru froze in midair with the shocked look still frozen on his face before he saw Harry appear before him once again.

The wizard shouted, "BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"

The Sannin seemingly vanished as the force of the charm destroyed a huge boulder more than fifty feet away.

Naruto couldn't help but watch in awe as Harry and Tsunade were relentless as they worked together in synchronicity. Orochimaru was able to avoid most of their blow and spells, but his skin and robes became more bruised, bloodied, and torn as the fight continued.

The genin had never seen Harry fight like this before.

'I've never seen him fight in the real world, now that I think about it,' he thought, 'Nii-san never had the opportunity until now…'

The shadow clone he took control of finally enabled him to show how much he had honed his magical skills over the years.

Naruto had witnessed Harry dueling as a student in the Pensieve countless times. But this was on a wholly different level; Harry was able to launch powerful spells and Disapparate on a whim as if he were a fully trained Auror. He moved with such fluidity and intensity as he kept Orochimaru at bay with the barrage of curses, hexes, and spells he launched.

The genin was barely able to make out the look on the older wizard's face: he was enraged, and the strength of his spells reflected that.

{{March of the Moving Dolls by Akira Senju}}

"Harry…" he breathed as he took a step forward but then, somehow, Harry was able to send him a message to Naruto through thought alone and aggressively urged, 'Keep back, little one!'

The older wizard didn't know what came over him:

He had seen Naruto's life put in peril more times than he cared to recall. A simple barrage of deadly projectiles seemed rather tame in comparison to many other close calls. But Harry couldn't do anything to protect his precious friend then, being confined to the boy's body. Now that he was (temporarily) free from said confinement, the sight of Orochimaru attacking his little brother, and having the opportunity to fight back, caused him to see red.

Cedric, Sirius, Hedwig, Dobby, Fred, Remus, Tonks, his parents, and many other lost loved ones flashed in his mind's eye. Being there, in-person, a single moment away from losing yet another loved one again. It was too much for him in that half-second before Naruto used the Shield Charm.

After the latest of several protection charms, Harry felt as if someone else took control of the shadow clone he possessed. He roared and practically screamed every incantation with such venom in his voice. He was so enraged, he couldn't hold back and lashed out mercilessly. But it seemed like he was able to have enough sense of self to work around Tsunade. He was careful enough to avoid hitting the kunoichi with any of his spells. With that in mind, the two of them continued to force Orochimaru into a corner.

But the sly Sannin was not out of surprises; Orochimaru brought his hands together in a blur and created a shadow clone so quickly it looked as if he had shed his skin to make it. In the next instant, one of the Sannin broke off from the battle, drew their recovered sword, and set their sights on Naruto. The other made a daring move and went after Tsunade, sword in hand.

Harry and Tsunade quickly figured out which of them was the clone and moved accordingly: the kunoichi launched herself at the clone and Harry Disapparated in pursuit of the real Orochimaru.

Tsunade destroyed the shadow clone, but she didn't come out unscathed. The shadow clone slashed her abdomen right before it exploded into white smoke. The kunoichi collapsed as her blood splattered across the snow. She worked hastily to heal her wound, but Orochimaru's clone had fulfilled its purpose.

The older wizard desperately Apparated before the Sannin with a grave and ominous glare on his face as he raised his wand, and with a particular wand movement he roared, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

An incredible jet of blinding green light and a deafening rush erupted from the oak wand and bolted toward Orochimaru. But the Sannin ducked and dove out of the way at the last second as the curse rushed above him. A boulder was struck instead and exploded upon contact. Orochimaru seemed to turn into smoke or perhaps became more snake-like as he literally slithered past Harry and after his ward almost too fast to see.

Naruto was frozen in shock.

He couldn't help but take pause when Orochimaru rushed after him once again. But what shocked him more was to see Harry, his Harry, use the Killing Curse, of all the Unforgivable Curses. The sight of that unmistakable green light shocked him to his core.

But he quickly snapped out of his frozen state when he heard the sword scrapping against the earth as Orochimaru zeroed in on him.

The blonde genin was probably influenced from the sound of the sword, but he pocketed his wand and reached into his rucksack until he gripped something very familiar to him.

Orochimaru raised his sword as a sharp rush as a distinct crack was heard.

A familiar voice cried, "Carpe Retractum!"

The Sannin was about to cut the genin in half down the middle, but he froze as orange magical cords latched onto the end his sword, holding him back and keeping him in place.

Naruto cast his rucksack aside and pulled out Hayate's sword. The blonde genin let out a battle cry as he slashed the silver blade across Orochimaru's chest. Blood spurted out as the Sannin let out an inhuman howl of pain. Naruto went wide-eyed and pale at the realization of what he had done. His earlier training with Hayate then kicked in and he retreated. He then Disapparated to gain more distance with the sword still in hand.

He then heard Harry shout, "Expulso!"

The Sannin was forced to drop his sword before he ducked under the spell and rushed back. Orochimaru had a crazed look in his eyes as he let out another horrible howl as he clenched the wound across his chest. Naruto was baffled and horrified at the display before he glanced down at the sword in his hands.

"Was this thing poisoned or something?" he breathed.

He then felt his scar twitch and looked up to see the Sannin reach out his hand. Harry looked down and his eyes widened as Orochimaru's sword hovered above the ground and flew back into his hand.

Harry then raised his wand and aimed at the Sannin, "Descendo!"

Orochimaru smirked before his body was forcibly slammed into the earth. But then he exploded into white smoke. Harry almost felt his heart stop as he quickly turned to Naruto.

The genin heard a rustle of snow and earth behind him. He turned around with a defensive stance as he raised his sword. Orochimaru burst out of the ground and swung his sword down on Naruto. Their blades clashed with a powerful metallic clang. The genin felt as if he were fighting to lift a weight of over ten thousand tons as Orochimaru pressed his now glowing sword down upon Hayate's secondhand blade. The genin remembered his basic training and let out a painful cry before he dove and rolled forward. He quickly got back on his feet, turned around, and raised his sword in defense as Orochimaru advanced on him. Their blades clashed one, two, three times. Naruto then took two strides back as Orochimaru struck a fourth time. The blade missed. Orochimaru attacked again. Naruto blocked. Another clang. The genin shifted to the side as the Sannin lunged forward to try and stab him. The genin then let out a feral shout and blindly swung his blade down with all his strength.

The blades clashed once more. There was another deafening clang. The Sannin's glowing blue blade released a blinding flash of light… but then the blade shattered into a thousand pieces.

Naruto and Orochimaru were both stunned and silent as the countless fragments of broken metal almost seemed to float in midair in a single moment. Orochimaru had a look of pure shock and horror on his face while he gripped the hilt of Kusanagi and all that remained of his powerful, legendary sword was a long, broken piece of metal jutting out.

Naruto was simply shocked at what had happened. He couldn't speak or even breathe as his mouth hung open.

He was able to blink as the fragments fell to the ground and he returned to reality. Naruto leapt backwards, swung his sword into a reverse grip, and reached for his wand. Orochimaru took a moment to look down at the remnant of his destroyed blade as he shook his head and mumbled inaudible nonsense to himself.

Naruto prepared himself but was perhaps, somewhat, emboldened by Harry's earlier attempt at the Killing Curse. He set his sword aside and set his sights on Orochimaru.

The blonde genin shouted, "Descendo!"

Orochimaru's body was forcibly thrust into the ground like the human rag doll he was. Naruto then hurled a Blasting Curse at the Sannin, then set him on fire with several other hexes and curses he could think of. He launched a barrage of other spells to pummel the senior ninja as much as he possibly could with his magic.

All the while, oblivious to subtle look of confidence on the old man's pale face. Harry didn't miss the subtly and hastily made his way to grab Naruto out of there and Disapparate.

The blonde genin raised his wand and shouted, "CRUCI-"

He never finished the incantation when he blinked and saw Orochimaru had turned into a rock.

When it hit the earth, Naruto felt a sudden, intense, unexpected pressure and all he could hear was a sharp ringing in his ears.

He couldn't blink but noticed a spurt of crimson in his sight.

Naruto slowly looked down at his feet to see a broken silver blade stuck in his chest. He couldn't breathe and immediately tasted blood as it instantly bubbled out of his mouth. He coughed and warm crimson sputtered everywhere like a broken fountain.

He saw Orochimaru with a wickedly triumph smile. Naruto's mind seemed to revert to a simpler mindset and all he could feel was upset. He couldn't feel the pain at first but it soon caught up to him all at once. It made breaking his arm several months earlier feel like nothing in comparison. The pain was so intense; he couldn't even allow himself to cry.

The Sannin's bloodstained arm pulled back as Naruto felt the man's foot kick his chest. His sight blurred and faded fast as his eyes rolled back. He couldn't feel the blow when his back hit the ground as all his strength vanished.

He sprawled on the snowy ground, motionless. Everything went dark.

The last thing he heard were several muffled roars of raw anguish and what almost sounded like several massive explosions.

Naruto felt like he was back on Harry's bed in the mindscape. He never felt so weak as it almost felt like he was evaporating. The boy sensed Harry's presence and saw him lie down next to him, like he did when he was little. Harry had never looked so pale and weak, he realized. The young man weakly grabbed his hands as tears flowed out of his eyes. His hands were glowing faintly. Harry must have been using his magic to heal the wound. But it was clear that it wouldn't be enough. He was too weak and becoming less and less solid every passing second, as if he were fading away.

Naruto could barely hear him as he mouthed, "No… No… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Naruto," over and over again, "I'm so sorry, little one…"

The blonde genin felt tears of his own flow from his eyes as he ignored the increasingly faint growls of the Kyuubi in the background. He sensed the red chakra of the beast but like him and Harry it was fading fast. Not even the beast could heal his wound this time.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore and let the darkness take him away. He slowly closed his eyes and he knew no more.

---

Darkness surrounded Naruto, completely encapsulating him. He didn't have the strength to open his eyes, unsure what to expect if this was truly the end.

He couldn't sense Harry beside him.

Naruto quietly despaired as he had hoped to at least be with him in the next life.

He felt, perhaps, he was truly alone despite what he experienced the last seven years of his life.

But then he heard a familiar, unwelcome growl in the distance. It was undeniably the Kyuubi. If this was the next life it was doubtful the demon fox would have been able to join him. He would rather be accompanied by a giant manticore if he had to be with a beast.

"Hang on..." pondered Naruto before he realized, "I'm not dead..."

The blonde genin felt a much warmer presence rapidly approach as a familiar hand took his, "We're alive, little one... Open your eyes..."

Naruto found his courage and felt himself rise. He sat upward but then he moved past the mindscape and willed himself back to consciousness. The genin slowly opened his eyes in the real world but all he could feel was pain as he gazed up at a beige ceiling.

He was back at the hotel, in a bed, whichever room it was he hardly cared but it was definitely past midday.

The boy tried to sit up but stopped when he felt a searing pain in his chest. He looked down and saw his chest was tightly wrapped in freshly changed white cloth. He remembered the broken sword in his chest and shivered. Naruto cautiously reached for the spot where he saw the blade penetrate him.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" another familiar voice gasped.

Naruto winced from the shout but also from the pain as the wound was still intensely tender. He tried to sit up again but heard a rush of footsteps approach him as Shizune gently tried to force him to lie back down.

The boy forced himself to remain seated as he moaned painfully, "What... happened?"

"He's awake!" Shizune called over her shoulder, before she replied gently, "A lot has happened, Naruto, but you need to lie down, you need to rest!"

Four sets of footsteps hastily and noisily approached. One of them much heavier than the other three. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Tonton stormed in. The tall Sannin looked worse for wear as his face was bruised and slightly swollen. White cloth was wrapped across his own chest as he stormed in with a slight limp. Tsunade looked immaculate as ever as she seemed to have healed all of her wounds. Tonton oinked happily before she hastily rushed over to the blonde wizard and sniffed his face and ears mercilessly. Naruto couldn't help but laugh even though it was painful. Shizune carefully removed the tiny pink pig as the boy sat back against his pillows.

"You're okay, kiddo," the boy heard Jiraiya as he looked up and could have sworn the older man had something in his eye.

Tsunade approached and gave Naruto a quick smile before he checked his forehead. The boy felt an unusually inviting warmth from her touch as her hand glowed. Suddenly, the pain from his chest wound vanished, as if he were never stabbed at all. But the area still felt tight and he knew better now than to touch it. She offered him a glass of water before he had the chance to ask for one and drank like no tomorrow.

"Don't even think about it, you little brat," she warned sternly,the term 'little brat' not coming across with hostility but sounded more like a term of endearment, "You might have a very helpful healing factor but you almost died three days ago. Take it slow."

Naruto blinked, coughed, and sputtered before the questions began to pour out faster than the water he near spat out, "It's been three days?! What happened?! Where's Orochimaru?! Where's my sword?! Where's my wand?!"

"You mean this thing?" asked Jiraiya as the man held up the wand in the middle, pinched between his thumb and index finger.

The Sannin smirked at his pupil before he gripped the wand in his hand as if he were about to use it.

Naruto paled at the gesture and quickly shook his hands and head, "Don't wave it around! It's a phoenix feather wand! I don't know if it might not work or it might fight back if you haven't won it's allegiance!"

Jiraiya looked stupidly perplexed as if the boy were a rambling toddler, "What? Like this?"

The Sannin gave the wand a little flourish (not taking the idea of wooden sticks being alive seriously despite everything he witnessed), and sure enough: there a flash of light, a sharp whistle, and a loud bang as Jiraiya looked as if he were bucked by a horse and crashed into the previous room, "WHARGH!"

Shizune had a frozen look of horrified shock on her face while Tsunade didn't look remotely surprised.

Naruto facepalmed before his wand flew back into his hand with a quick snap of his fingers.

"I... I think I broke another rib..." the group heard Jiraiya moan from the other room.

Tsunade sighed in exasperation, "Idiot, he hasn't changed one bit in fifteen years."

The blonde genin sighed as well and said, getting to the point he knew was coming, "I need answers…"

"So do we, Naruto," replied Tsunade, as she turned her attention to the boy, raising her pointer finger, "But let's hear your questions first-one at a time!"

Naruto wore a serious face, afraid to ask but he did so anyway, "Where's Orochimaru? Is he dead?"

Tsunade frowned as she looked towards the window, probably looking in the direction of the field where the battle took place.

"No," she answered bitterly, "He got away, that coward slipped through our fingers right when we had him."

Naruto's eyes widened as his skin turned pale. Noticing this, Shizune took over for her mentor.

"He would have died from the injuries he received alone. Especially when Jiraiya-sama and I came to right after you fell. But…" she hesitated, "Orochimaru… I've never seen anything like it. None of us have: but Orochimaru's body seemed to be breaking down from all the damage he received but what was underneath was like a fresh new layer to him. We suspect he's figured out a way to extend his life somehow. Which might explain how he was able to take such a brutal beating. It's too much to go into now but he managed to escape via reverse summoning."

The blonde genin visibly deflated into his pillows miserably, "No… after all that? He's still out there?"

Tsunade, sensing Naruto's concern, reassured him with an air of confidence in her voice as she turned toward him, "He won't be coming back. I promise you, Naruto. He wasn't expecting to fight Jiraiya and myself today. He knows it would be suicide if he tried to get to you through us again."

She winked at him, which Naruto couldn't help but appreciate while he also felt a tad awkward considering the venom the two of them once spat each other a few days ago, "Thanks, baa-chan... Where's my sword?"

"Right here," replied Shizune as she motioned to the sword leaning on the wall across the room.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, "Good," he then couldn't help but blurt out something that truly perplexed him, "I can't believe it actually broke his sword into a million pieces."

"You broke Kusanagi?" both Shizune and Tsunade turned to the boy with a surprised look on their faces. Jiraiya limped his way back into the room at this point and the revelation took him by surprise as well as he eyed the sword against the wall, "With that?! But that's impossible, your sword... it looks like an normal sword to me."

"That's what I thought," said Naruto, "I have no idea why it happened. I didn't use any magic on my sword. His sword-Kusanagi, it bounced off a Shield Charm I used before but that wouldn't have damaged it. Shield Charms of that level don't usually cause metal like that to shatter like it did. Maybe if the charm was a lot stronger like Protego Horribilis or Protego Diabolica, but I'm not that skilled with my Shield Charms. At least not yet. Protego Diabolica is like summoning these black flames that destroys everything around you, really powerful dark magic. Meanwhile Protego Horribilis is powerful enough to disintegrate opponents if they stumble into the shield, but it's more of a last minute protection designed to hold back entire armies," the adults in the room gave each other a very serious look as the genin rambled about charms and spells for another minute or two, "But my sword it-it's just a normal sword from-Oww!"

Naruto must have strained himself too much as he doubled over slightly from the pain of his chest wound. Tsunade sat down at the boy's bedside and tended to him with glowing green hands. Looking and acting more like a proper doctor than the drunk she was days earlier. She forced him to lay back down as she worked her metaphorical magic on him.

"Don't push yourself too hard," she scolded, "You'll be on the mend for another day or two to make sure you heal up completely. But when we get back to Konoha, I want to see you at the hospital as soon as possible. I want to make sure nothing else is out of place once I can work with some proper medical equipment."

The genin looked up at the kunoichi, surprised at what she said, "So… you're going back to the village with us? We're not enemies?"

"Far from it, brat, you won the bet," she smiled at him with a different but also familiar warmth, it reminded Naruto of Anko and he suddenly felt very homesick. Though the kunoichi was certainly helping to make him feel less so with such a dramatic change in her character. She was was so much nicer now. It was like a switch was flipped and he was meeting the real Tsunade everyone else knew. Though he would never forget his initial introduction to the kunoichi. He perked up when Tsunade continued, "Especially now that we know you have magical powers on top of that nasty beast you cage," the kunoichi looked down as she took a break from checking over the genin's wrappings and sounded nostalgic as she murmured, "Still, against all the odds and doubts we had, you had to inherit her gift as well. It makes sense but we all thought it skipped your generation."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, completely lost, "What?"

Jiraiya hastily made her way over to his former teammate and did his best to be discreet, though he might have been a bit concussed from the incident with the wand and failed miserably, "Tsunade, I don't know if he should know about that yet."

"Know about what?" the genin asked firmly.

Tsunade looked a little bit pleased with herself as she feigned exasperation, "Well, we have to tell him now," she then drawled in a teasing tone, "He's suspicious!"

"The boy's already got enough problems to deal with," Jiraiya interjected, "You want to pile on more crap for him to worry about?"

"It's not crap," the kunoichi stated firmly, "He has a unique gift that his late mother's clan, my clan have been cultivating for centuries! He has to know! Especially now that we know he's a lot more powerful and knowledgeable than she once was."

Naruto raised his eyebrow even higher as he replied, "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

Tsunade exchanged a look between Shizune and Jiraiya. The kunoichi nodded nervously while the bigger Sannin rolled his eyes and gave her a look that said, 'Well, if you have to' before he limped his way to the closest chair. The elder kunoichi soon turned her attention to the genin where she took a deep breath before she started.

"Jiraiya informed me that the Sandaime Hokage told you who your mother is, Kushina Uzumaki, is that true?" she asked.

Naruto nodded slowly, playing close attention, "Yeah."

"Aaaaaand Shizune told me she informed you that Kushina was one of my students, correct?" she shot a glance at the other kunoichi, who quickly turned away in embarrassment.

The genin nodded again, slowly like she did before, "Yes."

"But she never went into exact detail about what I taught her, didn't she?" she asked.

Naruto had to think carefully as he tried to remember exactly what Shizune told him a few nights ago, "I… I think so… You helped her control her... unique chakra, right?"

"Correct," she replied, "But her chakra was more than a little unique. You're so much more alike than you or I have known until now."

The genin heard Harry listening in on their conversation, when he heard him sounding deeply shocked, 'You have got to be kidding me...'

"What is it?" the genin accidentally responded to his older brother out loud.

Tsunade took another deep breath before she chose her next words carefully, "Naruto… I didn't teach her how to control a unique chakra. I taught her how to channel and control her powers. To put it simply… I taught your mother how to use her magic."

Naruto felt as if his body were suddenly dunked into a pool of freezing ice water as he tried to take in the kunoichi's words. His mind flashed back to all of the photos of his mother he had collected in the red leather album. He remembered every photograph he had enchanted to move, especially the one of his red-haired mother dancing with the image of the man he assumed to be his father. Sarutobi's words from their conversation in his office after his unconventional graduation echoed in his mind over and over again. Jiraiya's words about his mother during Kurisumasu also echoed in his mind. But loudest of all were his mother's words of warning to him as well as Orochimaru tauntingly mentioning Danzō Shimura's fear of magic and witches.

The only sentence he was able to get out was a stammering, "I-I-I'm not Muggle-born?!"

Tsunade reached out a hand on top of the genin's shaking hands to snap him out of his mental funk, offering him a kind, understanding, but sad look as she finally told him, "Your mother... Kushina Uzumaki… Naruto... she was a witch."

---

To Be Continued...

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Yup, the first major change I've been sitting on these past few years (though I admit I considered this twist as early back as the Scroll of Sealing) was the revelation that Kushina was a witch the entire time!

I was originally going to have the chapter end with Tsunade revealing that Kushina's "true nickname" wasn't the Red Hot Habanero (it was her public nickname). But amongst her closest friends they knew her by another nickname. One that her late husband gave her; the Scarlet Witch (I absolutely loved it in WandaVision, when Agatha name dropped Wanda's comic book alter ego) showing that Naruto's father was just as big a dork as his son. But I decided against it and used a line to better tie in with the original Harry Potter series. Paying homage to the most iconic, but often incorrectly quoted line, "Harry-yer a wizard". Tsunade will go into further detail about this revelation in the next chapter, which I know will be posted a lot sooner than it took this chapter to get out.

Oh, in case anyone thinks Naruto (age 13) is way too OP when he fights Orochimaru (age 50): under normal circumstances, he would not have been able to land more than a few spells on him. It's thanks to a combination of the bad luck curse, his unpredictability, the speed of Apparition, sticking to maintaining his distance while he was alone, and Orochimaru's lack of experience fighting against magic (apart from the fight in the Forest of Death) that Naruto was able to go toe to toe with him here. By the time of this chapter, Orochimaru's curse is at its absolute worst. And Naruto was able to use a special bit of magic he never knew he could use when he and Tsunade teamed up and he used a more powerful form of Descendo. Though the fact that Orochimaru still escaped and nearly killed Naruto should have Harry feeling very concerned about the longevity of the curse he used back in Book 3 right about now.

Speaking of Harry: yes, I had him try to use the Killing Curse on Orochimaru. He mainly used it because he was desperate to protect Naruto from such a dangerous ninja that was actively trying to kill him. But he was also using the Killing Curse as a preventative measure against the Sannin. Harry also wanted to remove one of Naruto's burdens since he knows he will have to deal with the Akatsuki and Danzō in the future. After re-watching the Death Battle (I don't always agree with their choice of winners (Obi-Wan Kenobi striking down Kakashi, Obito defeating Darth Vader, etc.) of Harry Potter vs Luke Skywalker (what a huge mismatch, they should have chosen another much more similar character like Percy Jackson, Natsu, or Asta [if only Fairy Tail and Black Clover were written back then] I knew Legends Luke would win in a heartbeat) several years ago, Wiz and Boomstick mentioned that Harry could use the Killing Curse and I certainly agree that he could use it if he was forced to. Especially given the fact that Harry had already used the other two Unforgivable Curses in the original series.

Oh! Before I forget about it, the reason why Naruto's wand violently rejected Jiraiya when he waved it: it's not because he's a Muggle, squib, or anything like that. Due to the fact that he's a ninja (a powerful one at that) and how similar chakra is to magic, a wand could recognize Jiraiya (and other ninja/kunoichi) as a potential wielder. But the reason it rejected him is because phoenix feather wands sometimes act of their own accord (like the spurt of golden flame in Deathly Hallows) and are the pickiest when it comes to their wielders. Obviously, Jiraiya didn't win its allegiance.

And wow! At long-freaking-last! I have finally finished the chapter that I've struggled to complete for the last six-freaking-years! I know that doesn't seem like much but to me this was a huge hurtle that I finally brought myself to conquer after so many unfortunate and emotionally draining events in my life. The date I officially finished writing this was July 27th 2023, and I will remember this day (it honestly feels like its been a decade since March 16th 2017 and I cannot wait to write about Naruto returning home and being reunited with his chosen family). But I decided to post this on July 31st because... well, it's Harry's birthday, duh! Plus, I still had to read it over and edit it over a dozen times now.

I know a lot of content and information has come out about the Wizarding World since 2017. But I have decided to postpone my exact thoughts on The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Secrets of Dumbledore, Hogwarts Legacy, etc. for another chapter.

Though if you're curious about my thoughts on the Wizarding World's creator, JK Rowling: I would prefer to avoid that. Or I would refer to Morgan of MovieFlame on YouTube and his other socials on the matter if you haven't already. I share similar thoughts and sentiments as him and I will leave it at that.

I would prefer to focus on celebrating the fact that I have finally finished this chapter, overcoming such a massive, depressing hurtle, and rediscovering my love of writing.

Please take care of yourselves out there and much love from the bottom of my heart, everyone!