"Blah": Talking
'Blah': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura/Extreme shout
'Blah': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts
'Blah' Harry talking to Naruto
Surprise, witch!
I think I got my writing grove fully back after much recovery and I think I can start posting chapters a lot more frequently moving forward. I start by writing all the dialogue in a given chapter before filling in everything in between each line and fleshing out the given scene.
Azeroth44: About time, dude, I mean-I was there helping you out. So, I know it wasn't easy for you. I'm proud to say I helped out a bit.
K: By help out, are you referring to burning down villages and unleashing Lovecraftian horrors upon unsuspecting enemies-including several of my tormentors?
AZ44: Uh… yes?
K: … It was helpful! Thank you!
AZ44: Yay! My chaos proved useful!
With that said, let's tackle this hurtle and reunite Naruto with his chosen family already! Our golden magic boy needs like Hunter from The Owl House needs love and therapy! Huh, I didn't realize they're unintentionally a tiny bit similar now that I think about it, mainly the fact they're both blonde, a bit opportunistic, have magic powers, and the inevitable Danzo/Belos comparison.
Reviews are welcome and wanted!
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto
Harry Potter and Wizarding World belongs to JK Rowling
Chapter 23: The Return
Harry sighed as he sat down in the lounge of the mindscape. He smiled wryly as Naruto arrived, got up and the two of them simply stared at each other. Then they quickly closed the distance and hugged.
"I'm sorry," said Harry, "I should have gotten you out of there sooner. Forgot I could have grabbed Tsunade and Disapparated us out of there."
"I'm glad you didn't," the boy replied, "Otherwise, we would have left Ero-Sennin and Shizune at Orochimaru's mercy," he closed his eyes and sighed, "We had to fight him, or he would have killed them."
Harry remained quiet for a while as they sat down on the closest couch, "About the Killing Curse-"
"Save it. I know you were trying to protect me. You were desperate. I understand," the boy replied calmly and reasonably, "I was shocked and angry later, but I'm over it now," he shrugged, "Plus, I tried to torture him with the Cruciatus Curse on him, like, five seconds later. So, I don't have any right to judge you. Especially after everything you've done for me."
Harry offered the boy a smile before he looked off into the fireplace as the fire crackled, brooding. He rested his elbows on his legs leaning forward as he thought about the fight.
"But I wanted to kill him," he admitted bitterly, "I would have killed him, but he dodged it."
Naruto couldn't help but emphasize as he did wish Orochimaru were dead. But then something occurred to him the more he thought about it.
"How?" he asked, "It should have hit him, the Malaclaw Curse would have guaranteed he died."
Harry pondered over the matter, "There was a lot of power in that curse, like firing a rocket, but I shouldn't have missed."
"Is that a sign the Malaclaw Curse is breaking?" Naruto questioned fearfully, "He even got away from the other Sannin in the end. I thought the curse was permanent."
"It is permanent, unless some ancient magic were at play," the older wizard replied before he shrugged, "Maybe it was just fluke. It could have been his very last victory for all we know, but he didn't come out of that fight a winner. If anything, he lost more had he chosen not to get involved with us: he lost his second-in-command and personal doctor, lost all the soldiers he brought with him, and lost his legendary sword. He managed to dodge the Killing Curse and stabbed you, but he failed to kill you. I wouldn't call that good luck."
Naruto felt a bit better, but the idea that the Sannin didn't come out of the fight losing everything including his life didn't sit well him.
"Suppose you're right," he agreed and then pointed out, "But he's still out there and he will want revenge for everything I did. Especially after I killed-"
He stopped, remembering what he had done to Kabuto. He seemed to freeze up and his hands shook slightly. He could still see the flesh melting off his charred face and his bones crumbling to ash.
Naruto quickly shook his thoughts and memories of the event out of his head for now, which Harry took notice.
"Did you want to talk about it?" he asked.
Naruto vehemently shook his head, "No… not now," he then stood up, wanting to think about something else, "Maybe later, but we got to get back home first and soon. Before it's too late. We need to save the Professor."
Harry nodded, sharing his concern while he frowned.
The following morning, Tsunade checked Naruto's wounds, healing him up faster than he ever had before. The boy had introduced her to his supply of Wiggenweld Potion, which further accelerated his recovery.
"Looking good," she said, "You should be ready to go in about an hour."
Naruto smiled, pleased as his recovery meant they would be going later that day. The Sannin helped him onto his feet and while the boy got dressed. Looking past the open door to the bedroom, he saw Jiraiya and Shizune preparing for their journey while Tonton trotted along with the young kunoichi, sniffing and oinking at everything they packed.
Tsunade spoke up, "That Wiggenweld Potion of yours is healing your body a lot faster than I would have anticipated. It's capable of sterilizing and rapidly treating injuries. But it could be a double-edged sword if you rely on it for more serious injuries, Naruto."
The boy paused, his eyes losing focus for a moment before he replied, "Harry asked for some examples."
"If you broke an arm and didn't set it properly, for instance," she offered pointedly, "Taking that potion could reconnect the bones faster, but unevenly if the broken bone isn't set properly. Thus, increasing the chances of you breaking your arm again or worse."
Naruto shrugged and pouted, "I would just drink a bit of Skele-Gro or use a healing charm… if I could brew it."
"Sometimes old school medicine can prove to be a lot more effective in the long run," she teased him with a high, playful voice.
Naruto smiled, it was odd but strangely talking to and getting along with Tsunade sometimes. She acted more like a big sister to him despite the fact she was old enough to be his grandmother. And it was odd how quickly she took a shine to him, which prompted Harry to tease him about how he had a funny way of winning people's hearts.
He then remembered, "Oh! You still wanted me to share those potion recipes with you, right?"
"Yes, of course," she nodded, "I'm going to have to ask Shizune to help me brew some to see if waving a hand laced with chakra might replace the whole wand-waving step."
"It might," Naruto shrugged as he used to do that before he got his wand, "I never tried it without snapping my fingers, but it should work, theoretically, as chakra is still similar to magic."
Jiraiya entered the room, leaning against the doorway, as it seemed Tsunade completely healed his body, "We're almost packed and ready. But we need to discuss a few things."
"We can talk about at the tavern when we're done," Tsunade replied.
"No," the man frowned, "We don't want to risk anyone overhearing what we could discuss. Magic-wise," the kunoichi frowned slightly as she eyed her former teammate while the large man looked to his student gently but firmly, "I want to talk to the other guy… if you're willing, kid."
"Harry?" the boy asked before turning to his doctor, "Erm, sure, I can make shadow clones safely, right?"
Tsunade shrugged, "Give it a go. But I'm not patching you up if you hurt yourself."
He knew she was kidding and snickered a little before crossing his fingers, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
A single identical shadow clone appeared as Naruto winced slightly.
"Do you feel any pain?" she asked.
Naruto replied honestly, suspecting the kunoichi would know if he lied, "Not much, I feel fine."
"Good," nodded Jiraiya, "I need to talk to... Harry face to face, wanna seize him up a bit."
Naruto gave his mentor a firm look, "Be nice! You can trust him!"
"I am curious to meet this wizard friend of yours," the kunoichi shrugged as Shizune and Tonton snuck into the room.
"Same here," she added, "I wonder what he really looks like."
Naruto smirked, spotting an opportunity, "Harry says he's flattered."
'No, I didn't,' he replied.
The boy further added, turning to the younger kunoichi, "He says you're very pretty, Shizune, and admires your poison needle contraptions!"
The woman blushed deeply and let out a surprised shriek in response.
'Shut up! Stop putting words in my mouth! She's not even my type!'
Shizune fanned herself in mixture of embarrassment and flattery, "Oh!"
"I think he likes redheads, but he also dated this really pretty Scottish girl a bit older than him," the genin couldn't help dragging out his older brother's suffering, "She also had black hair-OWW!"
Naruto and his clone cupped their hands over their ears as they writhed in pain.
Shizune and the others jumped at the sudden motion and the younger kunoichi asked, "I take it you were just messing with him, right?"
The genin and his clone calmed down immediately but both their faces were red with pain before their color rapidly returned.
"Yes," he breathed, "He just scratched a chalkboard."
Tsunade couldn't hide the mischievous smirk rising in her face as she said, "I think I'm going to like this guy."
When the excitement died down, Naruto and his clone sat down on the couch in the sitting room facing the adults as they watched in anticipation.
"Are you ready to meet him?" he asked.
Jiraiya replied for all of them with a firm nod, "Yeah."
The shadow clone closed its eyes before its head slumped before quickly rising again. The clone then took out its own wand and began transfiguring its appearance. Its hair turned black and very untidy, transfigured an article of clothing into round glasses, even transfiguring its clothes into robes as his limbs elongated to the size of a young adult male.
When he opened his eyes, they were vividly green as he blinked. Shizune blushed while Tsunade and Jiraiya stared in awe. The larger Sannin narrowed his eyes slightly at the young man, as he could put a face to the man who helped raise Naruto.
He spoke up, his voice sounding youthful, experienced and polite, "Hello, I-"
Harry stopped as he ran his tongue over his teeth, feeling them as he widened his eyes.
"New teeth. That's weird. Now where was I?" he seemed lost in thought before his eyes brightened and faced the other adults, "Oh, that's right, hello, my name is Harry. You are Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the lovely Shizune."
He felt a bit confident being back in the real world again and reached out a hand to Shizune who took out of instinct. She was surprised when he actually kissed her hand in greeting making her blush furiously.
She mumbled, "Please…"
Harry laughed as he couldn't keep the act up another second.
"Naruto was putting words into my mouth earlier," he clarified, "I'm sure you're very lovely and I'm sorry he lied to you just to mess with me-which reminds me."
He balled his hand into a fist and struck Naruto's arm with a sharp snap.
"OWW! Stop it!" he whined.
Harry bickered, "Stop trying to-ship me with people!"
Jiraiya raised his eyebrows as his eyes widened at their interaction but could also see where Naruto got his accent from, "Looks like he's real."
"You had any doubts?" the older wizard heard him and said, "I thought Naruto already convinced you."
Naruto groaned, "This is what I had to deal with for," he stopped to think as he got a queasy feeling, "How long have we been away for?"
"Four months, I reckon," replied Jiraiya.
Naruto turned pale as he nearly got up off the couch, "It's been THAT long?! Then we got to get out of here!"
"Calm down," chided Harry as he used a spell to keep him seated, "We probably still have a bit of time left with everything we dumped into Sarutobi's IV."
Tsunade observed their interactions and murmured to her fellow shinobi, "Naruto wasn't kidding when he called this guy 'Nii-san'."
Jiraiya smiled fondly in nostalgia as he gently commented, "Reminds me of you and Nawaki a little bit."
Tsunade couldn't help but smile warmly but sadly in response.
Harry eventually turned to the Sannin and spoke up once he and Naruto stopped bickering, "Anyway, I assume you probably wanted to discuss what exactly we gave the old man before we left, right, Jiraiya."
The man was slightly annoyed by the wizard at how casually he spoke to him, and he smirked with a slightly overconfident scoff, "You can call me Jiraiya-sensei, and yes."
Harry stared at the man blankly, giving him a flat, irritated look as he realized the man probably hadn't taken in that he'd been present during all of his interactions with Naruto.
"You peep at unaware naked women in the bath and nearly cost Naruto his life on too many occasions for me to show you such respect," he bluntly stated, "I'm sorry, I won't, but thank you for your suggestion."
Tsunade snorted while Jiraiya's face started turning red, looking about ready to throw fists as he stomped over to him, "Now wait here! I-"
Harry sighed before flicking his wand and muttering, "Arresto Momentum!"
Jiraiya was raised into the air and floated weightlessly as he balked at the sensation, "WHAT THE HELL?!"
The wizard flicked his wand again and smirked as he muttered, "Flipendo!"
Jiraiya's heavy body started spinning as if he were doing somersaults, his feet refusing to touch the floor as he remained slow and weightless.
"STOP-DOING THAT!" he thundered.
Harry shrugged casually, "I usually discourage baiting non-magic folk, but would you prefer I blew you up with an Inflation Charm instead?"
Tsunade couldn't stop beaming as she laughed hysterically while Shizune looked absolutely terrified and shrieked again.
"Now I really like this guy," the Sannin cheered.
"First impressions are not often correct," said Harry as he completely ignored Jiraiya and pocketed his wand, "You're the only Sannin to prove that statement true. So, I think we're going to be good friends moving forward, Lady Tsunade," he smiled at the kunoichi.
"Just Tsunade," she said raising her hand at the younger man, figuring he couldn't be older than seventeen despite his eyes suggesting he was older than her to some degree.
The young man offered a bow of his head, "Thank you for helping save Naruto's life," he then acknowledged the younger kunoichi as well, "You too, Shizune. You both literally saved him from the brink of death. More than once."
Tsunade smiled and shook her head as she studied the young man and could see where Naruto got his accent from, "Strange, I never imagined I'd ever meet someone who actually-"
"Died?" he guessed accurately based on her accepting response, "Yeah, believe me, I can hardly believe it myself sometimes."
Naruto butted in, concerned they might be losing time, "Wasn't there something you needed to know, baa-chan?"
Tsunade blinked before sitting down in a chair as Harry sat back on the couch, "Yes! Exactly what did you feed the Sandaime at the hospital? Once I know, I might be able to figure out, roughly, how much time he might have left."
Harry conjured papers with a flourish of his wand filled with detailed notes and diagrams written in Naruto's handwriting and she was surprised the diagrams were moving on the parchment.
"Here's a detailed list of ingredients, concoctions and their respective recipes," he explained.
Tsunade read through them in silence, her amber eyes darting side to side as she read each page. Her eyes squinted slightly in questioning while quirking an eyebrow at some point.
"You concentrated dittany leafs? And what are Horklumps?" she questioned.
Naruto summoned his field guide and opened it to the Herbology section showing her a detailed diagram, "One of these."
Her eyes instantly widened.
"The mushrooms with the prickly barbs?!" she shouted, "They're parasites! They multiple under people's houses and outside of caves!"
Harry quickly spoke up to calm her down, "Not mushrooms, they're animals. Magical creatures, actually. Notice the tentacle-like extensions from the stem in the diagram? You have to extract them from the ground in a certain way and apply pressure to extract the juice from the flesh."
Tsunade quickly simmered down and she seemed curious as she studied the diagram more closely, "Do you have a sample?"
Harry nodded and raised his wand towards Naruto's rucksack as the boy opened it wide.
"Accio Horklump juice!" he cried before catching a small bottle filled with a red-purplish liquid, "Here's some Naruto extracted recently."
Tsunade took it and studied it carefully, opening the bottle to carefully sniff it which made her nose wrinkle slightly.
"Interesting," she said as she corked the bottle and swished its contents, "I never would have thought something so common and mundane…"
"Go ahead and test it," offered Harry before he awkwardly realized she probably couldn't do that like he could in the mindscape, "Erm, you can do that through ninjutsu, right? Or did you need some equipment from a lab or something?"
"I can analyze it just fine out here," she smiled before her hand wavered with chakra as she kept eying and swishing its contents, "It does have remarkable healing properties, but only if it were combined or infused with the essence of-"
"Dittany?" Harry suggested with a casual shrug.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she realized, "It would create a serum of remarkable healing properties that could promote rapid cellular regeneration," she blinked and looked back at the notes and cried out, "Holy crap! That's how you make Wiggenweld Potion!"
Harry smiled, "Along with several other ingredients, of course. Not to mention all the stirring."
"To prevent fever, high blood pressure, blood-thinning when exposed to body temperature, or blood clotting, all while retaining the properties they're naturally imbued with," the kunoichi said as she read off the other ingredients and the subsequent instructions and she had to sit back as she thought of all the lives she could have saved on the battlefield had Naruto been born a few generations early but she focused on the positive, "This could potentially save thousands of lives on the battlefield moving forward! Thousands!"
Harry smirked, "I see you would have done well in Potions class, Tsunade."
The kunoichi seemed flattered before looking through the rest of the notes.
"If you poured a successful infusion of these substances listed, you would have bought the Sandaime a lot of time," she smiled again before frowning as she took a pen and started doing math while writing down corresponding elements from the periodic table, "But it also depends… if it's been four months since he last received this treatment… We should get going as soon as possible."
Harry leaned forward as he conjured more notes, specifically about serpents and venom.
"There's another problem. We might need anti-venom of whatever snake bit him. We should probably request Anko Mitarashi as a consultant, if she wasn't contacted already. Seeing as she's the only person in Konoha who can summon snakes. Maybe she could help you with obtaining any anti-venom," he sat up deciding to casually acknowledge the large floating man still spinning in the air from his spells, "It was a snake that bit him, right, Jiraiya?"
The Sannin's face was turning green as he looked like he could throw up at any moment while shouting angrily.
"Yes! Now will you get me down, Potter! NOW! I'm gonna be sick!"
Tsunade failed to hide how amused she was at her teammate's expense, figuring he deserved it after what he shared with her.
"Okay, disgusting. Anyway," the young wizard sighed dismissively before aiming his wand, "Finite!"
Jiraiya shouted before face-planting and groaning miserably.
"When do we leave?" asked Naruto.
"We should leave soon," replied Harry, "And cut down on magic a bit."
Naruto agreed, "I'll try, especially when we get close to the village."
Harry turned to the other grownups as Jiraiya remained on the floor, resisting the urge to puke.
"I'll make sure he tones down on the magic and Apparating even after we get back," he then smirked, "I know how to keep him in line."
The genin shouted, "DO NOT use the chalkboard again! I can't stand that! I'd rather drink Polyjuice Potion again!"
Tsunade blinked at the mention of the potion and began wondering.
"Based on the name, I'm guessing that has something to do with 'many' something," she pondered aloud, earning the attention of the wizards, "Is that a potion that has multiple functions or effects?"
Both Harry and Naruto were impressed at how quickly she managed to piece that much together.
The genin turned to his brother and smirked, "Bet you three Galleons-no-two thousand ryō she would be in Ravenclaw."
"I'll take that bet, but I bet Gryffindor," he replied.
Tsunade was slightly annoyed by both boys who quickly sensed her anger when she spoke up and cracked her knuckles with a single flex, "Okay, setting aside the fact that you're betting on me, what do those names mean exactly?"
Naruto relaxed and even got excited as he started sharing more about the wizarding world, "I'll explain, you see Harry went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When students first arrive at the start of their first year, they get Sorted into houses…"
As Naruto explained the Sorting Ceremony and the qualities of the four houses, Shizune helped Jiraiya get back on his feet as his nausea seemed to be subsiding.
"Why the hell did he use magic on me for? And threatening to blow me up like I'm a balloon or something?" he grumbled and whined, "I thought we were past everything," he then eyed the wizard across the room as he admired Naruto's enthusiasm, briefly giving him a darker look, "Has he got a grudge against me?"
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't, Jiraiya-sama," the younger kunoichi suggested as she struggled to lift him, "Unless you did something really bad to Naruto which he undoubtedly witnessed through him."
Jiraiya shrugged before he could stop himself when he realized he said, "Well, I did throw the kid into a ravine to trigger the Kyuubi chakra once."
"Oh," the younger kunoichi frowned and dropped the large man in disgust, siding with Harry.
"OWW!"
Sometime later, the group departed from their hotel. But not before they spotted the remains of Naruto and Tsunade's previous scuffle outside the tavern.
It prompted the older kunoichi to stop Naruto and say, "Close your eyes."
The boy obeyed, hoping she wouldn't trick him or anything. But he was pleasantly surprised and opened his eyes to feel and see her kiss him on the forehead, somehow conjuring his headband through shinobi slight of hand, tying it around his head for him.
"You grow up to be a good man one day, alright?" she smiled, placing a hand on his chest where she felt the crystal necklace, 'And a great Hokage too…'
The boy smiled back as he interlocked his fingers on the back of his neck and blushed at the affection, "You got it!"
Tsunade smiled, feeling reassured as they exited Tanzaku Quarters.
As they walked along the road, it seemed winter was on unexpected last legs. The snow already started melting, exposing patches of green grass amidst enduring snow as trees already began sprouting new leafs.
Naruto was wary not to step into any mud puddles along the way while Harry sat back and watched from the mindscape. But the two of them came up with an idea, which the younger wizard immediately shared with the others.
"Hold on, how long will it take us to get back to Konoha?" the genin asked.
"It'll take us a few days at least," said Jiraiya, "But it could take longer if we get surprised by another surprise blizzard or something."
"Harry and I have an idea," the boy said as the others turned to him in their wintry apparel, "We could be outside the village in about five minutes if we're willing."
Tsunade screwed up her face, "How?"
"We could make a portkey, but it's a bit unpleasant, to be honest. Or we could Apparate and be there instantly," the grownups eyes widened before the genin clarified, "Harry says it's best we don't Apparate directly into the village. In fact, he suggests we arrive further from the farthest boundary outside the village in case Danzo increased the radius of the… erm, perimeter… defense… patrols. I almost flubbed that one."
Jiraiya crossed his arms, "Danzo would be insanely stupid to do that if he doesn't assign more patrol units, which would be hard considering how many people we lost during the Konoha Crush. Otherwise, enemy shinobi could easily slip in through the defenses."
Naruto's eyes lost focus as he listened to his older brother.
"Harry says he's convinced Danzo really is arrogant and stupid enough to overlook that," he said.
Tsunade grinned, "Okay, I love this guy now."
Jiraiya looked annoyed and jealous while Shizune let out another shriek of surprise.
"Wait, you can take us with you when you Disapparate?!"
The larger Sannin looked skeptical and asked, "Is that safe?"
"Yes, it's call Side-Along Apparition," the genin responded before admitting, "And no, it's not safe if I'm not careful," a thought occured to him and ne blushed as he turned to Jiraiya, "Which reminds me, I totally lied to you, Ero-Sennin. When I Apparated for the first time, you were there in person to see it. Back when you tried to get me to access the Kyuubi's chakra before the finals?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened and he gave the boy a silent gesture to not say anything more about it.
Naruto nodded, "I didn't summon any toads that spat me out and sent me right behind you. I accidentally Apparated behind you and knocked you out with a Stunning Spell... and... kicked you in the head... several times."
The Toad Sage frowned disapprovingly as the memories made more sense to him. Tsunade, on the other hand, looked delighted as she beamed.
"Anyway, remember that guy who lost his arm after I Disapparated a few days ago? I splinched his arm off, albeit accidentally. First time I splinched I lost some fingernails and later lost a whole chunk of my shoulder. If a witch or wizard isn't careful, they could easily lose a limb or even get bisected. Baa-chan should be able to replace or reattach any flesh or limbs we lose if anything goes wrong. But I'm pretty good at Apparating, three years before I should be able to do it."
The adults were not enthusiastic about the idea, especially when the genin mentioned missing limbs and bisecting. Jiraiya looked like he could puke again while Shizune was quietly terrified.
"Before you tell me to drop it, there's another way we could travel instantly without risking any of you splinching at all."
"How?" asked Jiraiya.
Naruto grinned and he unhooked his rucksack under his cloak and presented it to them, eager to surprise the adults again, "You can all fit in here!"
The adults looked at him blankly and Jiraiya was the first one to break the silence, "You're kidding me, right?"
"Watch this, Ero-Sennin," the boy grinned, imitating his mentor's boisterous attitude, "It's my turn now!"
He dropped the bag and performed his own rendition of one of Jiraiya's kabuki dances before he backflipped and slickly slipped into the rucksack, vanishing.
Jiraiya let out a small scream of surprise while the kunoichi stared in surprise. Naruto's hand emerged from the rucksack beckoning the adults imperiously. They stared as they processed the warped dimensions of the rucksack. Naruto's hand appeared again, impatiently beckoning them.
"Come on! Ladies first!"
The women cautiously approached the rucksack, Shizune volunteering first as she immediately found the ladder. She slipped inside the rucksack, followed by Tsunade as they were instantly mesmerized by the spacious inside of the seemingly ordinary beaded bag.
"How?" was all Tsunade could get out as she dropped down beside her apprentice.
"I'll explain once Ero-Sennin gets here," he said, looking up.
Jiraiya had a bit of trouble as he got stuck at his waistline, finding it hard to squeeze himself through as the rucksack bounce from his efforts.
"For the love of…" he growled in frustration, "Okay! I'll-lose-a-bit-of-weight! I'll cut down-the-booze! I'll go on an effing diet! Just-let-me-"
With a final aggressive jump Jiraiya suddenly disappeared through the rucksack, which snapped closed after him.
Jiraiya crashed down the ladder, snapping the rungs like toothpicks until he hit the ground with a tremendous thud. Naruto sighed before mending the ladder with a simple flourish of his wand.
The large Sannin looked a bit embarrassed, nodding in apology, before regaining his composure. He then looked around in awe of the spacious dimension, spotting the magical enclosures, blossoming magical plants, bouncing toadstools, squirming Horklumps, and the bustling automated potion stations.
"I knew something was off," he smiled, before looking down at the boy, "This is why you got so possessive of your bag back in Crater Town! I would have found this place if I took it, even if I were drunk! You are a sly little devil, kid! No way I would have missed this! I thought your bag made some weird noise earlier! Ha! I can't believe this! You carried all this stuff with you since you snuck out of the village?!"
"Undetectable Extension Charm," he explained before turning to the Sannin, showing the adults around, "It took me a while to extend the dimensions and create the necessary Atmospheric Charms to sustain the enclosures. I managed to clean the place up when we were in Pleasure Avenue, but I can always redecorate the place more when things are better," he danced to his desk and grabbed a book off the shelf, "The famous Magizoologist Newt Scamander made something similar to keep the beasts he rescued and studied safe when he first wrote this!"
Naruto threw them a thick black leather book accented with gold, decorated with golden elegant depictions of strange winged and four legged creatures. Jiraiya caught it and raised a curious eyebrow as he read the title and opened it to a detailed description of dragons.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, huh?" he mused.
Naruto beamed, grabbing his field guide, "It was my favorite textbook growing up! He was a brilliant wizard! I'm writing a book too, this wizard's field guide, but it's a working progress! I have potion recipes in here, as well as spells, creature dossiers, and magical plant descriptions-though I'm nowhere near as good as Mr. Scamander! It's a little all over the place but that can be fixed!"
Shizune carefully examined a potions station as a cauldron of Wiggenweld Potion stirred itself. Jiraiya kept a hold of the textbook as he studied one of the enclosures. Tsunade examined the dittany and various magical plants growing in potting tables and admiring the Wiggentree.
"You take this with you everywhere you go?" she asked, "I assume there are spells or enchantments or something you put on it so the bag's lighter on the outside?"
Naruto beamed, swinging from the tree and almost tripping over his winter cloak clumsily, "C-Correct! Points to Ravenclaw!"
"I'd prefer Gryffindor," she smirked back.
'Called it! You owe me two thousand ryō! Or three Galleons!'
'Oh, do shut up!'
"Well, I just lost a bet," the genin distracted himself as he leaned against his desk, "Anyway, I had to pack everything I had stored in my old apartment when I realized Danzo was coming after me. Harry and I will probably keep everything in here for now, unless we find another safe place for storing everything magical we collected or created. But wherever we put it we'll have to put a Fidelius Charm on it to keep it hidden and make me the Secret Keeper."
Naruto flicked his wand and summoned a long piece of parchment that flew out from the desk.
"Iruka-aniki didn't want me to keep some of the more… dangerous things back at home, his list of con-contra-contraband includes Mandrakes, Devil's Snare, Venomous Tentacula, Chinese Chomping Cabbages, anything that bites, bounces, flies, explodes, multiplies, or involves fire. Phoenixes are debatable, should I ever find and befriend another one."
The adults all looked a bit alarmed.
Naruto smacked the list in exasperation, "Even though I don't even have half of those plants, animals, or potions! Not that I can blame him, he really let me have it when I set the curtains on fire."
He looked up when he noticed the adults weren't saying anything, giving him wary looks.
The boy emphasized defensively, "By accident!"
Jiraiya couldn't help snorting in amusement.
"There are some potion stations over there that took me a while to construct. I had to design a spellcraft to transfigure scrap metal so I could make it. There are some enclosures for magical beasts in case I find more or have to rescue them. I could really use some of their hairs, claws, or horn shavings for potion ingredients, wand cores, or even compost. Oh, I wish I nabbed one of the thestrals while I still could, but they were part of a-AHHH! Don't go near that footlocker!"
Jiraiya stopped as he was eying the footlocker suspiciously and Naruto rushed over in a panic.
"There's a monster book trapped inside," the boy warned, "It bites!"
The Sannin's eyes widened, and he quickly shuffled away from it.
Tsunade then approached the boy as she kept looking around, "This is all… wow, this is really impressive, Naruto… and Harry."
'Finally, some recognition,' the older wizard smiled and joked, 'Maybe she has an interest in me.'
'You think she likes you?' the genin questioned and internally squirmed in disgust, 'Oh, that is just wrong-imagine-imagine if she kissed you! UGH!'
Harry looked and sounded offended, 'Naruto!'
The kunoichi let out an amazed laugh as she kept shaking her head in disbelief, like she couldn't fully take it all in, "This is a lot more than I would have expected from you knowing you're a wizard now!"
Jiraiya leaned against the ladder as he crossed his arms, maintaining his distance from everything else, "I'm afraid to know what else he has in store for us."
"I know, right?!" the older kunoichi smiled.
The large man emphasized, "No, I really am afraid. I don't want to know what it's like to get bitten by a book."
Tsunade looked visibly annoyed and fired back, "Then don't open the footlocker!"
"I wasn't gonna!" the Toad Sage said defensively as he sounded childish.
The kunoichi crossed her arms as she looked at her former teammate, "You were going to kick it, weren't you? To see if it would make a noise or move?" she pointed at him and asked, "Am I right?"
Jiraiya frowned deeply and refused to speak, lips twitching as a being throbbed on his temple, "Yes, but it wouldn't have opened it!"
'They bicker like an old married couple,' Harry commented.
Naruto tried not to snicker, 'Shut up! They'll think we're talking about them!'
He grinned mischievously, 'But we are!'
The boy spoke up before anyone noticed him trying not to laugh, "Actually, it would have opened it. I haven't refreshed the charms I placed on it in a while. It could break free if I jostled the outside of the rucksack too much or threw it hard enough."
Shizune looked frightened and nearly shouted, "Why do you even keep such a dangerous book like that around?"
"I meant to recreate another book about magical creatures, The Monster Book of Monsters," he explained, "It was a standard textbook for Care of Magical Creatures class taken in the third year."
Jiraiya looked befuddled, "Seriously? That's what they called?!"
Naruto shrugged in response.
"I might need it someday on a mission, use it as a diversion," he insisted, "I could sick it on some unsuspecting enemy, they'll think it's just a book and SNAP! They'll be completely surprised and totally distracted!"
Tsunade then asked, "Soooo, why haven't you used it yet?"
Naruto paused, composing himself better than his mentor had when on the spot before he blushed and quietly admitted, "… I keep forgetting I have it."
Naruto eventually emerged from his rucksack alone. He looked around to make sure no one was watching or hiding nearby before opening up his back wide.
"Okay, so the plan is to Apparate several miles outside the bridge we marked on the map, right?" he asked, shouting into his rucksack, "The same spot I traveled with my team to get to the Land of Waves?"
Jiraiya called back, "Correct! It should cut our time significantly! We'll be back in the village before noon!"
"Right! Everyone grab hold of something that isn't wriggling, attached to anything bubbling, or growing!"
Shizune shouted, "Apparating won't open up that footlocker, will it?!"
"Harry said it shouldn't and it hasn't after all the times we've Disapparated on this mission, now hold onto something," the boy shouted back.
Jiraiya added out of concern, "Are you sure you won't splinch?!"
"Positive, teach," the genin said confidently.
Naruto then got up, unfastened his cloak before throwing his rucksack over his shoulders. After fastening his cloak back on he looked around, spotting Tanzaku Quarters and the devastated fields in the distance one last time.
He then thought about the mission to the land of waves, remembering the wooden bridge he and his team crossed with Tazuna the previous year.
He then turned on the spot, twisting and vanishing with a loud snap and a sharp rush.
The adults in the rucksack only felt a sliver of what Apparition felt like. The interior of the rucksack and their bodies felt like they were being slightly squeezed or pressed. They could feel the pressure as the curtained walls warped slightly, almost as if the walls were closing in on them. But it only lasted a second as the sensation vanished and the rucksack returned to normal.
Shizune was clinging to the ladder while Tsunade had grabbed the Wiggentree.
"Did you feel that?" asked Jiraiya, "I wonder if Minato felt like that when he used the Flying Thunder God Technique…"
Tsunade loosened her grip on the tree as he looked up the ladder.
"I imagine it's similar. But a lot stronger if we were outside the bag, I wonder how someone as young as Naruto withstands it," she then growled furiously and shouted, "Jiraiya, will you get OFF of me?!"
The closest relatively safe thing to hang on to was his former partner. Jiraiya was holding his intimately close as he squeezed and whined childishly.
"But you're so strong and sturdy," then he stupidly added with a blush, "… and soft."
Naruto felt his feet hit the ground and spotted the bridge and familiar waterfall. Only the water seemed steely cold this time. He smiled at the familiar sight until he heard a concerned impact followed by a pained shout growing louder behind him.
The back of Naruto's cloak suddenly expanded like a balloon accompanied by a sharp ripping noise. The force threw Naruto off his feet as Jiraiya burst forth, flying out from the rucksack with a swollen cheek and a mouthful of blood.
"WAHHH!" the genin shouted before he saw he torn cloak, groaned, and repaired it quickly as he stood up, "What the hell was that?!
Jiraiya mumbled, "I deserved that."
The genin took off his rucksack, allowing the kunoichi to emerge looking pleased and gratified.
Tsunade bowed her head to the boy, "Sorry if his big butt threw you around, Naruto, but Jiraiya had it coming."
"What did he do now?" he asked looking thoroughly annoyed.
Tsunade didn't answer as she kicked Jiraiya in the belly, "You're lucky I didn't punch both your heads off! You are unbelievable sometimes, Jiraiya!"
"I'm okay, by the way!" Shizune added while Tonton oinked.
"I don't get it, he's only got one head," the genin thought aloud before he got it, "Ohhhhhh…"
The genin quickly pocketed his wand, collected his rucksack, and fastened his cloak while Tsunade and Shizune led the way.
"Thank you for the flight, Naruto," the older kunoichi said respectfully and joked, "I will be traveling this way again if need be."
Naruto appreciated the joke, but he asked to get it over with, "Did he squeeze your boob or something?"
"He wishes he did," she scoffed.
Shizune made sure to get closer to Naruto's level as she lectured him, "Always remember to respect a woman's boundaries, Naruto," Tonton oinked again as the kunoichi further emphasized, "Never forget that if you wish to be a good man."
"Understood," he replied.
The group traveled deeper into the forests towards Konoha. It felt warmer the deeper they went but also darker as the trees grew familiar and denser.
Jiraiya recovered quickly enough and led the way as he stopped being goofy and reckless. He never once so much as joked or smiled, keeping his eyes trained on the shadows. The kunoichi as well as they stood at either side of the genin.
Naruto and Harry would have used a Revealing Charm, but they dare not use any magic if they could help it.
The boy blinked when he heard a noise and Jiraiya stopped in his tracks. As did the two kunoichi as Tonton looked aggressive and Shizune drew her poisoned needles.
Jiraiya growled, "Stay close, Naruto."
They were suddenly surrounded by ANBU, as if they silently Apparated. A dozen of them were gathered in the trees while another dozen emerged from the trees. Most of them had the familiar red straps, ROOT, while only four of them were normal ANBU. The captain leading them wore a demon porcelain mask that resembled a forest troll set on fire as opposed to the standard animal masks. He was big and muscular, almost as large as Jiraiya but a few inches shorter. He seemed familiar to Naruto, like he'd seen him before several times and none of them were pleasant.
"What's your business here?" the captain demanded as he brandished his weapon, but his face was pointed at the genin, "You're trespassing."
Jiraiya smirked confidently.
"What? Are all of Konoha's allies interrogated long before they step foot inside the village these days?" he challenged, "We're miles away from the farthest boundary line. We're not even close enough for the Barrier Team to detect us."
Naruto and Harry blinked, 'Barrier Team?'
'Something tells me we have been extraordinarily lucky we haven't been caught yet or this Barrier Team could use some reform.'
"The boundary has been expanded for months," the demon ANBU gripped his weapon threateningly, "But only an outsider wouldn't know that."
"You know who we are," the large Sannin growled warningly as he grew annoyed at the demon soldier, "If you want to live or simply avoid a very long recovery in the hospital, I suggest you let us through."
Naruto leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Probably not a great time, but do you think one of your wild introductions might diffuse the tension?"
Jiraiya almost reached back to gently nudge Naruto to quiet down, when the demon ANBU snapped at the genin.
"SILENCE, FREAK!"
Both kunoichi and Tonton tensed up angrily while the Toad Sage stomped his boot.
Tsunade threatened the demon ANBU, "Talk to him like that again, I'll rip out your tongue, boy."
Naruto was surprised by the sudden escalation. But through the tension he started remembering where he had seen that ANBU before: the Administration Building, Bowtruckle Forest, the tower in the Forest of Death, Kikyo Castle, and he stood outside Sarutobi's hospital room.
"I recognize that voice," said Naruto as he narrowed his eyes, "You knocked me out when I found Dosu's body! You drop the bombshell on me about Hayate Gekko's murder too!"
The demon ANBU reached for his sword as he let out a wave of killer-intent. Naruto let out a gasp of shock and surprise, but the Sannin and Shizune stepped up like they promised, surrounding him. Then everyone in the forest except for the surrounded group froze as their knees buckled. Jiraiya had let out his own killer-intent and at his full capacity it was beyond overwhelming.
"Stop," his voice was calm but distorted, sounding murderous as Naruto was almost affected by it too.
Naruto used Occlumency to stave off the worse of Jiraiya's killer-intent, but it didn't seem necessary as he seemed to be able to direct it. Although Naruto had never been more scared of his mentor before as his voice, clothes, and the horns of his unique headband made him seem more demonic.
The genin felt protected regardless and he took advantage of the silence as he turned to the aggressive ANBU, "I don't know your face or your name, but you really don't like me, do you?"
The demon ANBU found the strength to look at the boy directly and coldly replied, "… You should have died at birth."
Jiraiya's killer-intent intensified-like another wave, and everyone buckled once more including the demon ANBU.
Naruto looked at the ANBU in anger and disgust, shaking his head, "Are you thick or something or do you have some serious anger issues? If I die, the Kyuubi doesn't die with me, it will get out eventually and finish what it started thirteen years ago," he then shrugged in good spirits, "We don't want that happening all over again, do we?"
The genin was surprised when the ANBU seemed to snap at his words and made a move to attack him.
Jiraiya would have destroyed the demon ANBU if Tsunade didn't beat him to them. But everyone stopped when another familiar voice thundered.
"ENOUGH! STAND DOWN!"
A shinobi appeared and it was someone Naruto recognized as Genma with his senbon needle. He came out of nowhere, threw a kunai at the demon ANBU, forcing him to deflect it and stop.
Genma had his hands in his pockets and his cheek bones seemed uncharacteristically pronounced, like he hadn't eaten in a week. But he looked downright murderous as he glared at the ANBU and several other Tokubetsu jounin emerged from the shadows.
"It's unwise to disrespect one of the Sannin," he said coolly but no less angrily, "Let alone two of them."
"They could be imposters," the ANBU spouted, and looked toward Naruto again, "Separate the boy from the others, he threatened-"
"Stand down. Katsu. Right now," completely disregarding using code names, not caring in the slightest about the man's identity, "He wasn't threatening anybody, and you know that. Now let them pass already," he growled again before quietly adding, "We're done with this twisted regime."
Katsu didn't take his eyes off Naruto as he slowly but aggressively sheathed his weapons and stepped back.
Genma then turned and made direct eye contact with Naruto, then he smirked.
"Hey, kid," he greeted coolly, "Good to see you're alive."
Naruto grinned back at him and nodded in greeting. Gemma walked ahead of Katsu, completely ignoring him as he addressed the Sannin, bowing his head respectfully.
"You'll be granted safe passage into the village, Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya-sama," when he looked up, he quirked an eyebrow, smirked and winked at the younger kunoichi, "Shizune, long time no see!"
The young kunoichi blushed and coughed in response as Tonton followed her closely.
Jiraiya stepped up and started leading the group as the ROOT ANBU were forced to let them pass and the sage confidently insisted, "An escort won't be necessary, Genma. Just go on ahead and announce our arrival to everyone in the village," he grinned brighter and said, "You know I love a good entrance!"
Katsu growled at Genma as they started walking, "Shimura-sama-"
"Get the hell out of here and stay out of their way before you get court marshaled. Katsu," the Tokubetsu jounin threatened him before looking through his demon mask and whispered, "Face it. Your favorite boss isn't in charge anymore."
The aggressive ANBU seemed to stew silently in his anger before he calmly and ominously replied, "… For now."
Naruto glared at the muscular man before looking at the other ROOT ANBU watching him like birds of prey as he motioned to the Sannin, "I'm with them!"
The group emerged from the forest on a tall hill as the sun came out. When they stepped into the light they stopped and instantly spotted the recognizable enormous walls surrounding the distant buildings and could see the stone faces of the Hokage.
Shizune breathed, "There it is! Konoha… we're home."
Naruto felt like he could cry as his face felt hot. His eyes turned glassy, and he sighed in relief, almost letting out a tired sob before he coughed to cover it up. The village looked intact from the distance without any major changes or an extremely ugly additional face carved next to Minato Namikaze's stone likeness. He'd had nightmares of the village being desecrated, left in ruins, or turned into Danzo's dark palace while he was gone all those months. Words could not describe how relieved he felt to see it hadn't changed.
He thought aloud, "I'm glad it's not as bad as I imagined."
Jiraiya asked him, "Were you expecting it to have turned into a giant metal fortress or something?"
"I was expecting dead trees, dark grey skies, and toxic smoke, at least," he answered honestly.
He looked up at Jiraiya as the Toad Sage shook his head.
"That would have happened eventually in about a year with him in charge," he replied, "Don't know how he would have killed the trees, but he would have figured out a way if he could," he shook his head again, "No, whatever damage Danzo caused in our absence probably can't be seen from this far away. Did you notice the non-ROOT ANBU and Genma? I fear the people haven't been eating or sleeping well in the last four months. Stick close."
Naruto frowned, fearing what his loved ones had been through while he was away the whole time.
Naruto and the group approached the towering western gate, spotting Izumo of Kotetsu. They didn't look good, similar to Genma as neither of them looked like they'd eaten in a week. The pair looked miserable, but their faces immediately lit up upon the arrival of the Sannin.
"About time you showed up," cheered Izumo.
Kotetsu beamed, "Village life hasn't been kind to everyone, but that's about to change!"
Naruto waved at them, and they returned the gesture with a quiet, grateful nod. The boy assumed they were relieved he had returned home safely after looking for him when he 'disappeared'.
"Jiraiya-sama and Naruto brought back Lady Tsunade," said Izumo, "That miserable bastard's tyranny is finally over."
Kotetsu replied as the group moved along, spotting a lot of people emerging from their homes and shops, "We can rest a bit easier soon…"
Naruto was surprised as the villagers and shinobi began emerging to get a look at the group as they marched towards the hospital. The people murmured and whispered loudly while others gasped in awe, shock, and disbelief. Naruto couldn't help noting everyone looked sadder and like Genma, Izumo, and Kotetsu they looked tired and underfed. It was darkly reminiscent to the state of the Land of Waves' citizens under Gatō's thumb. Whatever Danzo did in the last few months it caused a lot of Konoha citizens to go hungry for a while.
But their faces all lit up and before Naruto knew it, everyone in the village seemingly arrived, crowding and lining the streets towards the hospital. The citizens all started cheering and clapping their hands. Some people even started weeping in joy as they cheered on the Sannin, particularly Tsunade.
The genin beamed and blushed being a part of the group as everyone showered them with praise like a hero's welcome. Naruto knew they were cheering on Tsunade in particular but he couldn't help but feel like he was part of it. Mainly due to the fact he heard people cry out his name amidst the sea of deafening cheers. He could have sworn he heard a familiar voice amongst them or spotted a familiar face, but he quickly caught up with the Jiraiya as Tsunade started leading the way.
The group arrived at the hospital, but ROOT ANBU stood in their way, barring them from entering. But the soldiers were forced to move as Tsunade let off her own killer-intent forcing them to stand aside as if they were weakly fighting off a powerful mind control.
Tsunade and the others entered and quickly found their way to Sarutobi's private hospital room. Naruto recognized it immediately and followed closely while Shizune kept an eye out behind them.
Upon looking from a safe distance, Naruto gasped when he saw the Hokage.
It would seem the elixirs not only bought the Hokage more time, but it also restored Sarutobi's hair. His hair grew out becoming fuller as it reached his shoulders. His facial hair had thickened as well, growing a mustache blending into a thick white beard, resembling Merlin or Albus Dumbledore.
Despite the unexpected hair growth, Sarutobi didn't look good as his skin was sallow and wrinkled like a mummified corpse. He needed help breathing while he had multiple tubes attached to his body and his heart monitor beeped dangerously slow.
Tsunade sighed sadly, giving the old man a conflicted look; glad to be reunited after so long, heartbroken to see him in such a state, embittered or resentful over something from their past it seemed, but also acceptance as she approached the old man with wavering hands.
She pressed her hands against his forehead and chest. The heart monitor and breathing apparatus quickened their pace, growing stronger every second as Sarutobi's chest rose higher. Color and youth began returning to his face as his frail arms thickened with the muscle of returning strength. He breathed harder, sounding and looking stronger as his long white hair rejuvenated as well. The beeping heart monitor was stable and strong as Sarutobi's eyes slowly flickered awake.
He awakened from his coma at long last and the first thing he said in his restored voice was, "I forgot… the treacle tart," he turned his head slowly, "Tsunade? Is that you?"
Naruto's eyes turned glassy, tears threatening to run down his face in torrents as he choked back a sob. He was beyond relieved to see the old man awake and brought back to life. It took everything within him not to break down or cause a scene as he took a step back. Harry let himself smile a bit as he massaged Naruto's shoulders.
'We did it,' he said.
Their long mission was a resounding success.
"Rest easy, old man," said Tsunade as her eyes turned glassy as well, "I'll kick your ass once you're fully healed. You've been through the ringer and you're lucky to be alive right now. You shouldn't be so reckless all the time… But I get it."
"I… I cannot believe you came back," he said weakly, "I thought I'd never… see you again… I should have done more… I could have done better… I'm so sorry…"
"You can thank Naruto Uzumaki for convincing me," she smirked and whispered something into his ear, causing his eyes to widen and his heart to race on the monitor.
"Steady on," she scolded him, forcing him to lie down and whispered, "I promise you, he's safe."
Naruto wondered what she told him, worried Tsunade might have spilled the beans about his powers already. Not that he minded this time as he and Harry knew they had to tell him knowing what they know now about Kushina and the Uzumaki clan.
Sarutobi rested as his heartbeat slowed down slightly. Tsunade removed her hands from the old man and made her exit when another doctor quickly approached her.
"Lady Tsunade! The rumors are true! You've returned! But did you just barge in and tend to Hokage-sama?!"
The kunoichi nodded, "It should be fine. I'm no less the medical-nin I was twelve years ago. The Hokage is awake and stable. He needs bed rest for now, a proper steady diet, and exercise to bring him back to full strength. We also need to get a hold of Anko Mitarashi soon to develop an anti-venom and learn more about whatever poison I managed to burn out of the old man's bloodstream. There's no telling what else it could do or what problems might arise for Sarutobi later down the line," she then asked somewhat expectantly, "My office is still on the top floor, yeah?"
The doctor was at a loss for words, only managing to respond to the last question, "Y-Yes, I think so… it's my office now actually-but wait! Kakashi Hatake is also in a coma! He's been under ever since he fought Itachi Uchiha!"
Jiraiya looked surprised and Shizune gasped. Naruto and Harry were both surprised to hear that and became concerned as well. They didn't know what happened, whether the encounter happened before or after their own fight against Itachi and Kisame, but immediately spoke up.
"That's my sensei," he said urgently, "Baa-chan, can you help him too? He's been a dickhead, but I don't want anything bad happening to him either!"
Tsunade looked surprised and amused, "You're one of Kakashi's students? Suppose it only makes sense…"
"Only what makes sense?" Naruto asked curiously.
But Tsunade dismissed his questioning, "Nothing. I'll explain later," she then turned to the doctor and asked, "Where is he?"
Tsunade placed her wavering hands on Kakashi's forehead and began to heal him. Naruto didn't enter the room, concerned but he still didn't want to talk to Kakashi when he woke up. He hadn't forgotten what he'd said and done and was not willing to forgive and forget anytime soon.
The older kunoichi spoke up, "It'll take me a bit of time to heal him completely. Stick around in the lobby until I'm done here. Then we'll pay Homura and Koharu a visit and kick that miserable old war hawk out of the old man's office… or my new office, we'll see."
The doctor who led them to Kakashi's room looked relieved while Naruto saluted to the kunoichi, "Yes, ma'am!"
Naruto was about to follow Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tonton when he saw an older patient with a bowl haircut using crutches to get around and remembered a promise he secretly made for a friend.
"Oh, before I go, could you also look into helping my friend Rock Lee when you get the chance?" he asked the Sannin, "I almost forgot about him-he's Might Gai's student, Lee got his leg and arm crushed during the Chunin Exam preliminaries. The doctors said it was hopeless, but if anyone can fix him, it's got to be you."
Tsunade looked slightly irritated at the thought of more work.
But she shrugged in acceptance, "You're really pushing your luck, Naruto," she then smirked and winked at him, "But you get the Gryffindor-discount!"
The genin smiled back and followed the others into the lobby. They noticed everyone looked a lot more relieved than they had before arriving. Naruto looked around, concerned about ROOT soldiers or Captain Katsu watching him from the shadows. But he was more concerned about his friends and family than anything else.
Naruto spoke up and asked, "Do you think we could go straight to Iruka-aniki's place afterwards? I have to make sure he and Anko-nee are alright."
Jiraiya looked a bit awkward before he paused and looked into the lobby. His eyes widened for a moment before his face relaxed, a slight smile arose, causing Naruto to look up at what he was staring at.
He gasped when he saw Iruka and Anko down the hall. They had just arrived, looking like they'd run all the way from home. Tears welled in the boy's eyes instantly as he bit down on his lip. They both looked joyful and tearful as Naruto immediately burst forth and ran towards them without another word. They both closed the distance between each other with Naruto diving into Iruka's open arms as he instinctively cried out, "Dad!"
They all hugged each other close and cried together in unspeakable relief. The last few months had been the worst hell, never knowing if the other was truly safe or not. Anko and Iruka hugged Naruto at either side of him as they cradled him close, refusing to let go of him. Naruto did not protest as he felt an overwhelming sadness but also joy as he leaned into them both.
"You're okay," whispered Iruka as tears streamed down his face, "You're home, you're safe…"
Naruto cried, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Iruka managed to regain some of his authoritative composure and took a deep breath while Anko held the genin tight, "We're going home. And you are so grounded. FOREVER."
"Agreed," the boy replied with a sniff, once dreading the idea of being grounded but it sounded like paradise to him now, "Absolutely agreed."
Anko squeezed him tighter, letting herself laugh a little alongside the chunin, "We still love you, sweetie."
"I know," he nodded before the couple hugged him close again, "I love you guys, too."
They didn't speak another word to each other for the longest time as they sat on the floor and hugged each other. Occasionally, Naruto's parents kissed the top of his head as the boy let out another sob or two. But his cries turned to laughter when he simply sat alongside each other on the floor, their chosen family restored.
At least until a nurse urged them to sit in the waiting area.
Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tonton watched from a distance. The Sannin seemed slightly envious before he shook his head and smiled at the joy on Naruto's face. The kunoichi and Tonton both smiled and oinked respectively. She almost walked away to give them peace until she recognized Anko and remembered the danger still looming around them.
She approached them, wishing she didn't have to interrupt. But it seemed Jiraiya beat her to the punch as he also approached the scene, albeit cautiously as Anko shot him a nasty glare like a protective mother or a big sister.
'Why do I get the feeling Naruto told them it was my fault he left without a word?' he thought.
Tsunade was visibly annoyed while she continued to heal Kakashi. She was doing well enough, frustrated by the complicated damage the young man had sustained. But more so because Gai had invited himself into the room, Kakashi's most frequent visitor.
Kakashi eventually flickered his eye open and sighed miserably but he was also relieved. His memories started coming back to him as he tuned out Gai's tearful celebration over his recovery. He slumped back down to the bed as Tsunade restored strength into his atrophied muscles.
"Lady Tsunade…" he mumbled in surprise but also urgency.
She firmly pinned him down with a single finger which felt like an iron poker to him, "Relax Kakashi. You've been asleep for quite some time. Just relax."
"Naruto…" he mumbled, "Naruto Uzumaki…"
She questioned, "What about him?"
"Is he alive?" he asked quietly but desperately, "Naruto, is he still alive? Akatsuki are after him… Is my student… alive?"
Tsunade smiled, "I met him. He convinced me to come back. And yes, he's alive. He's home."
Kakashi stopped resisting as he laid down and let his muscles swell up back to a semblance of normalcy as he quietly prayed, "Thank gods... thank gods… Thank you…"
To Be Continued…
And that's another chapter finished within a week! I am BACK, BABY! Re-reading and polishing up the entire series really helped me get my grove back!
I'm sorry I made you guys wait nearly another year, but I think it was worth it to help me with getting back on track and I had a lot of fun writing this as well.
I know Jiraiya is getting a bit bashed sometimes in the last few chapters for comedy, but… okay, look, I want you guys to know I really do love Jiraiya. I don't want to bash him, but he does deserve some bashing. The reason I gave him a bit of a belly in this iteration, the short answer is: I used to think he was an Akimichi clan member many years ago, he's middle aged, and remember Into the Spider-Verse's Peter B. Parker?
I figured Jiraiya has had a poor diet ever since he lost all his students, especially Minato and Kushina. The man is depressed, and depression can cause weight problems. This chapter featured the last 'fat joke' I think I'll write about him. His experience with the rucksack was the wakeup call he needed to get into better shape. I hope no one found it offensive or anything.
And yes, at long last, Naruto is reunited with his chosen family! I honestly have grown to love Naruto, Iruka, and Anko as a family. Dark Signer (I hope they can review my chapters again sometime) suggested I ship Iruka with Anko or Ayame. I'm really glad I went with Anko in the end as her and Iruka essentially restore the family dynamic Naruto lost due to the selfish and delusional actions of Tobi (we know who he is). He has a headstrong and talkative mother (who share the same English dub voice actor at a time) and a more level-headed and kindhearted father. I liked to think Iruka embodied both Kushina and Minato sometimes, but I love the idea of him sharing the dynamic with Anko too. This reunion was long overdue, I hate that I didn't reach this point of the story a lot sooner. Naruto might have been away for several months, but it's been literal years for me and I'm so happy I got there.
I hope to keep this momentum going moving forward.
Please leave me a review, I would greatly appreciate it!