Lost and Found

by Gambito

Hadrian's family and friends help him escape to another world once they least the Unspeakables' plans for him and he ends up falling for not one, but two S-Class shinobi while wreaking havoc through the Elemental Nations.

2. Chapter 1 to 12

Chapter 1 First Encounter

Hadrian stood guard just outside their camp in his direwolf form, intently listening to both the sounds around him, and the sound of the ninjas sleeping in a tent nearby. Though he knew that one of the four wasn't truly sleeping as he'd seemingly mastered the art of resting while staying alert. Something Hadrian found completely contradictory, and yet he'd once made the mistake of trying to heal one of Kakashi's wounds while he slept since the man had refused medical attention for a 'mere scrape' as he'd called it, only to find himself landing painfully on his back as the ninja suddenly crouched over him before holding a kunai to his neck in warning.

It should have been a traumatizing experience, being so close to death yet again, and Hadrian did learn his lesson about making his presence known before he 'woke' the other man, but a part of him felt a rush at the idea that he wasn't in a world where he was counted as one of the most powerful people anymore.

Sure, his abilities had a lot of uses, but he sure as heck couldn't create clones of himself, walk up trees or on water, or even use the substitute jutsu, although Kakashi and his nin-dogs seemed intent on teaching him the basics of being a ninja even if they stated that his 'chakra coils' that they now noticed seemed to be wired in a completely different way, thus making it difficult.

A noise startled him from his thoughts and he looked to the side to find that Kakashi was stepping out of the tent and coming towards him.

Glancing up at the stars to get a reading of how much time had passed, Hadrian noticed that four hours had already passed and that it was time to change shifts, though he was reluctant to rest in the tent with the others.

As much as he cared for Naruto, that brat had the bad habit of fighting in his sleep.

He watched as Kakashi sank down next to him and he unconsciously moved closer for warmth. Their fire had been doused the moment daylight faded and even with his fur, he felt the nip in the air.

Kakashi threw a hand over him and Hadrian noted how cold the man's skin was, which didn't come as a surprise, given that he wore the usual jounen uniform, so he shifted his body to lay slightly behind the man before laying his head on the man's lap, almost curling around him completely and earning him an amused chuckle as the man started scratching behind his ears.

It wasn't the first time they'd done this, given that they usually split guard duty between the two of them since Naruto ran off looking for a fight at the slightest sounds, Sakura seemed to have an overactive imagination when it comes to seeing things move about in the dark forest around them, and Sasuke was usually too lazy to check out any potential threats that sounded out.

This left him and Kakashi, which suited Hadrian just fine, seeing as the man didn't see the use of constantly filling the air with unnecessary chatter, even if they did sometimes fall into deep discussions.

Hadrian allowed Kakashi's hand in his fur to lull him to sleep. Fully trusting the other man to wake him if need be.

He did not see the way the other man's expression softened as he watched him sleep, nor the way the man's expression became almost wistful as he reverently stroked his fur, nor did he see a blue eye with a hint of a whiskered cheek spying on them through the tent flap as its owner gave an amused smile before settling down to sleep once more.

And it was certain that none of them noticed the unknown dark figure crouching in the bushes a few meters away, though it slipped away as soon as Kakashi pushed his mask up to survey their surroundings with the Sharingan.

The following day dawned bright and early as they quickly packed up their things while Hadrian patrolled the area.

The sudden disappearance of all scents threw him off and he mentally frowned as he took in the vague traces of another ninja that had been in the area.

He didn't like it one bit, even if the ninja hadn't harmed them.

A small jip lured Kakashi over and the man seemed to be of the same opinion as they started taking watch in groups of two with Hedwig surveying the area from above whenever it became dark, but somehow the unknown ninja was able to evade even her keen eyes.

They were currently heading home after an escort mission so it didn't make sense for someone to be following them unless they had bad intentions, yet their suspicions proved wrong once they were about two days away from Konoha.

Hadrian picked up the familiar absence of scent that the ninja usually left behind and the trail led them to an old hollowed-out tree.

Inside the tree, Kakashi found a message that warned them that the Akatsuki were on the move to find the Jinchuuriki and that they would soon be sending agents to try and kidnap Naruto.

They already knew of the threat, so it wasn't a surprise, but none of them had expected someone close to the Akatsuki to warn them that they were on the move.

Hadrian let out a low whine at the troubled expression on Kakashi's face, as well as the one of pained anger on Susuke's as they read the coded note and the older man placed a hand on his head before bending down as if he was fixing the Konoha ninja band that rested around his neck in his animagus form.

As he did this, he leaned close to Hadrian's ear, "There is a Konoha deserter within the Akatsuki, but I very much doubt it is him as he slaughtered his entire family except for Sasuke. We need to gather more information though. Something about that night has always troubled me."

Hadrian gave a barely-there nod and they decided to continue their trek towards Konoha.

They had to give in the results of the mission and receive their payment after all, and no one would fault them for asking the Hokage one or two extra questions while they were there.

Chapter 2: I Smell a Rat

Hadrian never fully realized how often he tended to simply barge into the Hokage's office until he saw that the old man already had a steaming pot of tea and a few cups ready and that he seemed to be waiting just for them as he gazed out over the rooftops of Konoha before turning around with a small smile as they made their entrance.

True, almost none of the interruptions had occurred simply because Hadrian felt like it, but knowing that there was someone older than he was who was actually willing to listen rather than talk, and who even went so far as to being able to predict when such talks would be needed, was truly something foreign to him and it caused Hadrian to freeze in place for quite a few moments before Kakashi lightly nudged him forward.

Hadrian's cheeks went red with embarrassment as he realized that he had simply frozen just after entering the room, although a glance around revealed that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were more interested in quietly debating whether they would be able to teach Hadrian how to walk on water in a different way, which was something Hadrian wasn't very keen on trying again, and Kakashi simply gave him a knowing look when their gazes met before he motioned toward the chairs where the tea had been laid out.

Luckily they weren't able to see the blush since he was still in his Animagus form and he waited a few moments for it to subside before changing back into his human form while instinctively casting some spells for privacy in the room.

The lack of criticism was something he'd gotten somewhat used to within the time that he'd been in Konoha, as Naruto had been very quick to reveal that the civilians often criticized the ninja because they didn't understand the responsibility of what it meant to be one and the ninja themselves tended to gain a few quirks here as a way to cope with the ninja way of life.

In a way, the expectations reminded him of the Wizarding World, since the civilians expected the ninjas to protect their village without fail but unlike the Wizarding World, the ninjas weren't ostracized or criticized for every little thing they did because they knew their actions had consequences and even the villagers knew that there was always a chance that a stronger opponent would appear.

Hadrian was startled from his thoughts as Kakashi grabbed his hand to place the teacup in it, effectively breaking him from his thoughts and he realized that most of the people in the room were watching him with a thinly veiled worry.

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, it seems my thoughts seemed to have run away with me."

They watched him for a few seconds more before the Hokage nodded in understanding, "I take it that the escort mission went well?"

Kakashi nodded as he handed over the scroll that had been given to them after they safely managed to escort the family of a rich shipping magnate out of the country, with the added bonus of getting the magnate out as well due to one of the blackmailers making the mistake of trying to threaten one of the magnate's children in front of Naruto.

Even Hadrian had found it hard to keep calm at the time, but it had been the first time that he'd seen Naruto almost level a place in his anger.

Luckily it seemed that the bond between Naruto and Kurama had developed into a familiar bond and the fox was now able to appear in a miniaturized form whenever he wanted to, which was quite a lot seeing as the fox had become just as addicted to Ramen as Naruto was.

The thought had Hadrian mentally smiling. Luckily he had enough gold for them to be able to eat to their hearts' content.

Hadrian motioned to Naruto with a fond look on his face, "Thanks to Naruto and Kurama, we managed to go beyond what was required for the mission and we managed to escort both the magnate and his family out of the country."

The Hokage nodded his approval before he handed over their pay, but then his face became serious, "Did something else happen during the mission?"

Hadrian glanced toward Kakashi before the other man removed the note that they found regarding the Akatsuki, and the man's expression turned grave as he looked at Kakashi, "Nothing else happened?"

Kakashi shook his head, 'We don't know who it is for sure, but as you can imagine there is only one person that comes to mind and I had been wondering about the reliability of the information from that night for quite a while now."

He sent a meaningful look toward Sasuke as he said this and the Hokage turned to the teen, "Do you feel the same?"

Sasuke nodded after a few moments of hesitating, "After talking about it with Kakashi-sensei I realized that I never saw a weapon in Itachi's hands and he could have easily killed me as well. As strange as it may sound, now that I think about it, his expression had been one of grief-filled fury before it became blank and that was when he told me to become stronger and find him."

The Hokage sighed heavily, "While he did not have a weapon in his hands, there is no denying the fact that Itachi really killed the entire clan."

For a moment Sasuke looked like he wanted to deny his words, but then he fell silent for a moment before his eyes widened in horror, "The papers. I saw papers on my father's desk and at the time it seemed as if the entire clan was planning something…a coup?"

The Hokage nodded sadly, "Your brother was one of the best and he was loyal to Konoha. Your father approached him with the plans and he came to talk to me about it to try and find a way to stop it, but it was too late since your father refused to change his mind. In the end, to save your life and to preserve the name of the Uchiha clan so that you could one day build it up once again, your brother became a rogue ninja, and the information of that night was sealed to protect the only Uchiha left in Konoha."

HP/KH/IU

Itachi watched as team 7 made their way into Konoha and he pushed down the feeling of longing that echoed through him at the sight of the village he'd given everything for.

His gaze jumped from Kakashi to Sasuke and even Naruto, but for some reason he found his attention lingering on the wolfhound that accompanied them more often than not ever since he'd happened across the team as they were making their way back.

Something about it told him that it was more than just a normal summon from the interactions that the rest of the group often had with it and for the first time in a long time, Itachi felt curiosity spark through his veins.

Given that he was currently on a solo mission for the Akatsuki, which he'd already completed, he had some time to kill before he had to return and he fully intended to figure out why a normal wolfhound seemed to be able to catch and hold his interest.

Chapter 3: I See You

Hadrian knew the moment he picked up a tail that it wasn't one of the ninjas or even the villagers of Konoha, so he spent most of his days in his wolf form to try and mislead his stalker.

It seemed, however, as if they weren't really following him, but merely surveying him out of curiosity every now and again whenever he appeared in his wolf form as he gave them multiple chances to either show themselves, attack him, or even wolfnap him.

He'd even gone so far as to take a leisurely stroll outside of the village in first his human form and then his wolf form, which ended with him having to send a Patronus to Kakashi to inform him that five enemies had been knocked out just outside the village and that he needed someone to help get them back to the village since he couldn't just use Wingardium Leviosa.

Naturally, they had been there to try and kidnap him, if the pictures had been anything to go by, but the mysterious presence had taken care of them before he'd even been aware of the threat.

After that, it turned into a game of cat and mouse, although Hadrian was uncertain which one of them was which.

He soon became distracted though as the Chuunin exams began, which flooded the village with unknown individuals, and with his senses screaming danger, he had no other choice but to pick up extra patrols.

Kakashi pestered him a bit more once he noticed the extra workload that Hadrian had given himself and he tended to pass out in his dire wolf form more often than not, though Hedwig always seemed to sense when he was close to his limits and she played lookout whenever he found a spot to nap in his wolf form, "You can't go on like this, you weren't trained!"

Hadrian naturally put him on his arse after that, despite being as tired as he was, which only led to Kakashi talking him into taking shifts.

He only learned later that the reason why Kakashi was always conveniently available when he needed a break, was because Kakashi had talked the Hokage into giving him security detail instead of solo-missions.

Even Naruto started to lecture him about a week into his extra mission load and he tended to bring him Ramen in a takeout bowl whenever he missed lunch, which had Sasuke reluctantly following the hyperactive blonde since he had nothing better to do, "You aren't eating enough, Nii-san! Kakashi-sensei said I need to make sure you eat."

It wasn't hard for Hadrian to notice the protective way that Sasuke watched their surroundings whenever he was out and about with Naruto and as a pseudo-older brother to Naruto he found it hilarious that the blonde was totally oblivious as they were still quite young, even as a ninja.

Hadrian did notice that his stalker tended to appear more ever since Sasuke started visiting along with Naruto, and yet he never sensed any negative emotions so it gave him a good idea as to who his shadow could be.

A new threat presented itself when a sand-nin named Gaara appeared, and yet, even with the feeling of danger crawling over his skin, Hadrian somehow knew that the child behind it was like that for a reason.

Hadrian sensed the same wild energy in him as he'd come to sense from Naruto and he managed to lure Gaara to a secluded spot with the help of Naruto before freezing him in place.

He saw Gaara's eyes widen in fear, but he shook his head, "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to make sure that whatever is inside of you isn't harming you instead of helping."

Despite the fact that he was frozen in place, Gaara still managed to utter a word, "M-mother…"

That one word had Hadrian's eyes widening and his expression softening, "Let me see. I promise I won't do anything to harm you."

Gaara seemed to calm down after that, though he still seemed wary until Hadrian managed to subdue Shukaku and forced it to reach a compromise with Gaara unless he wanted someone else to try and control him.

Unknown to Gaara, Hadrian might have flashed his elder wand once or twice, which had the tailed beast shudder in fear before he agreed to work together with Gaara.

After that, Hadrian ended up taking the two boys home to his house in the Hatake Compound and it was a very protective brother and sister duo that showed up to knock on his door after that, only to be brought up short the moment they spotted Naruto and Gaara cuddling on the sofa after falling asleep mid-chat.

They visibly sagged in relief before turning to Hadrian with a serious expression on their faces before the sister spoke, "You did something we never imagined possible: You brought our baby brother back from the brink of insanity, so I will give you a warning in return. Something is wrong with the Kazekage. He isn't the father we knew. I think someone is planning an attack on Konoha."

Sasuke arrived not much later, not long after the duo left, and Hadrian could see that he wasn't very impressed with what he found until Hadrian called him to the side, "He's the same as Naruto. I think he received the same treatment in his village as well."

Even though it was clear that Sasuke still felt jealous of the two boys' proximity, his expression seemed to soften a little in understanding and Hadrian covertly enlarged the couch slightly, "Go on, you know how much Naruto likes sleepovers because he never had any before. I'll fetch a few blankets."

The young Uchiha nodded before he hesitantly took of his shoes and tiptoed to the couch as if he would wake them.

It wasn't long before he joined them in sleep and Hadrian gave a sad smile at the thought that Sasuke didn't even have someone to go home to, even in the compound, before he headed up to his room.

He struggled to fall asleep, depite how tired he felt, so he decided to go for a jog around the compound in his wolf form, only to draw up short as he noticed a man sitting on the low fence that surrounded the house.

A very handsome man, even with the obvious scars and signs of hardships that he'd endured, that had Hadrian's mind jumpin' to a very inappropriate place before he managed to reign it back in.

Hadrian knew that he was Sasuke's older brother the moment the man glanced at him, but he merely watched his reaction curiously for a moment before he turned his attention back to the living room, "Don't worry, I'm not here to harm any of them. Lately, it has just become harder and harder to stay away."

Hadrian merely stared at him to determine the truth of his words, and the man sighed, "I guess that is my queue to leave."

The man froze for a moment, as if battling with a decision until he sighed once again and removed a scroll from his pocket, which he then placed at his feet, "I know that no one in the village trusts me, with good reason, but could you please give this to my brother? I know interfering with the exams is bad, but I can't shake the feeling that something is going to happen."

Hadrian nodded and hesitantly stepped forward to pick up the scroll, only to be stopped by Itachi, "I should warn you though, the scroll is set to destroy itself if its intended recipient hasn't received it in two days' time."

Before Hadrian could look up to nod his understanding, the man had already disappeared.

Chapter 4: Someone To Watch Over Me…

After a full night's rest, Hadrian took the time to examine the scroll without opening it, and he only gave it to Susuke once he'd determined that it didn't carry any malicious intent.

Sasuke naturally had many questions concerning the scroll, but given that he trusted Naruto and Naruto trusted Hadrian, it didn't take much for him to start carrying the scroll wherever he went with the promise of not simply opening it unless he was in danger.

He became even more serious about keeping the scroll with him when Hadrian secretly revealed to him that it was from his brother before he told him about their little one-sided chat.

Apart from Itachi, Hadrian also noticed that a few others paid extra close attention to Sasuke and he covertly pointed them out to Kakashi as they tried to blend in with other groups of ninjas, which led them to a very concerning lead as they listened in on one of the conversations: Orochimaru.

It soon came to light that Orichimaru was trying to obtain Sasuke's body so that he could transfer himself to it and for the first time in a long time Hadrian felt something much darker than simple fury envelop him at the thought, which naturally led to Naruto sensing his fury and questioning him about it.

Hadrian knew that nothing good would come from keeping secrets from a group of ninjas, especially not ones that he'd come to trust (unless it was about him being the MoD, that was something he was still trying to keep under wraps until he knew how they would react), so the day before the practical exam he managed to gather everyone together at the compound under the pretense of having a small celebration for those from Konoha that had managed to pass the written exams.

Naturally, this meant that only the ones who needed to be on the lookout for danger were invited and Hadrian was a little surprised when some of the senseis even brought their teams that he hadn't had the chance to meet yet.

He greeted everyone as they entered, but one of the teens with white eyes had him freezing in place the moment they appeared and his eyes narrowed before he stalked over to the teen and his friends the moment they entered the room.

Everyone froze and Hadrian easily noticed that it was as if they expected him to send the teen home for one reason or another, instead, he slowly lifted his hand and lightly placed his finger on the metal plate that held the Hidden-Leaf symbol.

Those who knew him, immediately relaxed, knowing that he wouldn't harm the teen, but the fury in Hadrian's voice made them tense once more the moment he spoke, but for a much different reason, "Who in this village thinks themselves important enough to mark another as a slave?"

For a moment, no one answered, and the teen simply watched him with wide eyes as if he hadn't expected those to be the words he would hear.

One of the senseis stepped forward to try and explain, but Hadrian simply quieted him with a glare, "I did not ask about some old idiotic elders who think that their only use is trying to force the younger generations to follow in their mistakes, I am asking the name of the idiot that actually went through with this."

Silence enveloped the room once more and Hadrian's fury grew, though he was relieved to find that most of the younger generation had no idea what he was referring to.

He sighed in disappointment when no one was able to answer him and he quickly figured out that there had to be some kind of rule that stopped them from interfering with each other's clan rules.

Luckily, he had enough power to do whatever he wanted when it came to a situation like this. He REFUSED to accept slavery in any shape or form, even if it was simply a dormant seal, "I guess that, if no one wants to answer me, then I simply have to return the curse to the one who cast it."

The white-eyed teen's eyes widened in shock and awe, but just as Hadrian moved to place his palm against the headband, Kakashi laid a light hand upon his arm, "You don't have to do something so drastic. Hiashi may have placed the curse under the elders' orders, but he's been looking for a way to remove it ever since his twin brother, Neji's father, died. If you can truly remove it, you will receive nothing less than gratitude from him."

Hadrian froze before he turned to slightly face Kakashi in shock, "His own uncle...?"

He didn't dare to say any more than that, given his past with his own uncle, he knew just how cruel family could be to one another, it seemed as if this one didn't seem too bad however if Kakashi was speaking the truth of him wanting the curse seal gone.

He looked at the teen, "As much as I want to remove it from you right away, it would be better if I knew exactly what it was meant to do. Moving it to another person would have been much easier but given that your uncle seems to want it gone as well, I will be able to remove it completely if he tells me a bit more about it."

The teen nodded in a daze and one of his teammates, a guy wearing green, stepped forward to place a comforting hand on his shoulder and although he didn't look used to it, he didn't shrug it off.

Hadrian nodded at the other teen before he turned back to Kakashi with a determined expression on his face, "You are going to take me there after we conclude this meeting."

Kakashi immediately nodded before a sheepish expression crossed his face, "I will, but-eh, did you forget to mention to the Hokage that you can remove curse seals by any chance?"

Hadrian looked at him blankly for a moment before he asked a question in return, "Doesn't everyone?"

This almost had the entire room full of ninjas fall onto their backs in surprise, but they were able to stay standing due to their training as they found themselves looking at Hadrian a bit more closely.

Most of them had either heard about him or dealt with him, but they had all assumed him to be a normal civilian except for his potions.

Hadrian sensed a bit too late that he might have revealed something he shouldn't have, so he quickly cleared his throat in an attempt to get the meeting back on track, "Enough of that for now, this meeting is about the exams and some information that have come to light."

This immediately grabbed everyone's attention and the room was effectively silenced in anticipation of what Hadrian was about to reveal.

He glanced at Sasuke and Naruto, who both gave him a nod before continuing, "It's come to our attention that Orochimaru has resurfaced and is looking for a new body. We've also gained new intel that the Kazekage may have been killed and that it is possible an imposter now resides in his place. This could all be connected, or it could be various groups making use of the exams to try and create chaos within the village."

The ninjas around him looked grim at the news and Kurenai stepped forward with a serious expression on her face, "You think that they would attack during the event itself?"

Hadrian nodded, "I believe that is exactly what will happen, and it will be when Jonin won't be allowed to interfere unless they want the other villagers to claim foul play."

No one spoke for a moment before Kakashi turned to him, "If that is the case, can you think of a way that we would be able to assist?"

Hadrian nodded before he covertly glanced toward Sasuke with a grin without anyone except Kakashi noticing his gaze, "I do, but we will also require the help of a certain man who really loves secretly doting on his kid-brother."

Chapter 5: Known Secrets

Hadrian knew the moment he said that, that everyone except most of the youngest generation knew who he was talking about when he saw their expressions, but what he didn't expect was for no one to come forward to demand why he would even consider bringing a known traitor back to the village.

He carefully watched their reactions and realized something, "You knew...or at least...you figured it out..."

The instructors glanced at each other guiltily, though it was Asuma who stepped forward, "We didn't know for sure, but we had an idea since Itachi had risked his life for Konoha numerous times, it made no sense for him to turn his back on it so suddenly. He also loved his family, especially Sasuke, and we knew he wouldn't have done what he did without reason. Then there was also the fact that he hadn't attacked anyone else even though there had been ninja patrols close by that he easily could have handled with his amount of skill, yet he avoided them and took a longer path to leave the village or simply put those he encountered to sleep."

Kurenai nodded in agreement, "A true rogue ninja, depending on the circumstances surrounding their reasons for going rogue, would have at least done some damage to the village or the rest of its people to show their displeasure," she glanced toward Sasuke, "and I am sure that you didn't just stumble upon him either. Itachi was always able to blend in perfectly with the night, but I cannot think of a reason why he meant for you to be the one to catch a glimpse of him."

The rest murmured in agreement and Hadrian nodded as the facts kept piling up in his mind, but then he shook his head at himself before shelving the thoughts, he would ponder over them at a later stage, "Well, I expected more resistance to my idea, but this is good. Since the Hokage knows of the circumstances as well, I will inform him of our plans after I pay a visit to the Hyuga compound. Now, this Orochimaru, Kakashi told me that he got into trouble due to his experiments. What did he want to achieve?"

A pensive silence met him before Kakashi spoke, "Many things. If anything, he was a great asset to the village, but he started using 'unethical ingredients' in his experiments and that was something the village couldn't accept. His hunger for immortality is one of the things that brought about his defection from the village...and his hate for it."

Hadrian winced slightly, he knew all too well what lengths people would go to in order to achieve immortality, thanks to Voldemort.

Luckily, from what the twins and the rest of his friends informed him during their conversations through the mirrors, no new threats have appeared and Wizarding Britain has learned to take care of their own problems after the disappearance of The-Boy-Who-Lived, though Hadrian had been vindictive enough to inform the 'common folk' via a letter signed by his magic that he wouldn't be able to protect them from any threats anymore, given the actions of the Unspeakables.

He didn't tell them where he was and the twins destroyed that particular letter right after, but the twins informed him that the people had started to eye their 'leaders' with a lot more scrutiny than before and this led to a few startling truths as to why the Ministry was so against all Dark Wizards and magical creatures: They were afraid of their power.

Naturally, this allowed the public to see the threat too, but from Hadrian's point of view, which was that they were setting themselves up for destruction if they continued to try and suppress those around them out of fear.

Something suddenly occurred to Hadrian and he turned his attention to Kakashi once more, "What was his goal? Why does he seek immortality so much?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Who knows? If he had a reason, he didn't reveal it."

Hadrian had a sneaking suspicion as to what the reason could be, but he would need to confirm it for himself. Not that any reason would make up for the fact that Orochimaru had used human beings to experiment on, but hey, given his treatment at the Dursleys and then from the Wizarding world as a whole, it wouldn't be too strange to admit that he sometimes had trouble discerning whether something was morally right or not.

Hadrian noticed that his thoughts had taken a darker turn than usual so he glanced around before finally settling his gaze on Naruto, which caused his eyes to widen, before snapping it back to Kakashi, "Didn't you say that Orochimaru was a part of the Akatsuki? They are the ones going after the Jinchuuriki."

At that moment, he was sure that one of the senseis was about to have a heart attack, given that they didn't know that Naruto and his friends knew of the tailed beast hidden within Naruto yet, and Kurama, given the drama-king that he was, chose that moment to appear in front of Naruto in a puff of chakra.

For a moment, everyone was still, then Kurama let out a yawn that sounded more like a growl than anything else and Hadrian quickly used his magic to freeze the people in the room who were about to overreact before he raised a brow at the little fox, who quickly ducked his head sheepishly before he clambered behind Naruto's legs to hide.

With a sigh, Hadrian turned back to those he had frozen, "Alright, if you calm down and promise that you will listen to me before you go on a rampage, I will unfreeze you. Blink three times for yes."

Naturally, everyone wanted to know what was going on so they didn't even hesitate. Hadrian shook his head and released them, but he still watched them warily, "Yes, Naruto is the Jinchuuriki of the nine tails, you all know that, but what you don't know is that the tailed beasts aren't monsters. Yes, they are beings of immense chakra, but they also had someone they loved and wanted to protect. This one is called Kurama and I can tell you now that it wasn't his idea to attack the village. He was forced to do so by another."

The ones he'd frozen glanced at the fox skeptically, but they couldn't help but discard their view as they watched the fox standing on its hind legs in anticipation as Naruto held a bowl of ramen aloft with a grin. Apparently, he was making good use of the pack that Hadrian had given him.

Hadrian's expression became deadly serious as he turned his gaze back to the others, "The amount of pain they have gone through...just because of human greed...is immense. Yet, when left alone, they don't harm anyone."

Something in his gaze almost caused the ninjas to take a step back, but they stayed where they were through sheer will and Hadrian nodded, "If Orochimaru is after both Sasuke and Naruto, then it is safe to assume that he is after Gaara of the Sand as well, and I don't know about you, but even if they chose the ninja lifestyle I still think those that precede them should protect them when possible, to give them the chance to learn more and become better."

All of the senseis nodded at this and Hadrian sighed in relief, "So I was thinking that I could accompany team 7 during the exams so that I can keep an eye on everyone."

The senseis clearly wanted to question how he would be able to do that since none of them knew he was the wolf that usually joined team 7 anyway, but Hadrian had a feeling that he shouldn't reveal that part just yet.

No one denied his plan though, since he was clearly able to take care of himself if the way he froze them in place earlier was any indication.

Chapter 6: The Visit

After hashing out a few more of the details, Hadrian asked Kakashi to escort him to the Hyuga compound while the others made full use of the get-together to throw a full-fledged party, though he saw the way that Naruto and Kakashi seemed to communicate wordlessly just before they exited the house and couldn't help but wonder what that was about.

They walked in silence as Hadrian pondered over it, but just as he turned to Kakashi to ask him about it, he noticed that the ninja seemed to be looking at him with a strange longing expression on his face that made Hadrian pause, causing Kakashi to stop as well.

For a moment they simply stood there and it almost seemed as if Kakashi was about to say something, but then a raven suddenly squawked right above them, causing them to startle and Hadrian quickly moved to stop Kakashi before he tossed a shuriken at the bird.

Thinking of the man's usual unfazed appearance, Hadrian found it quite funny and he couldn't help but tease the man a bit.

"Killing an innocent creature wouldn't hide the fact that you actually just jumped in fright you know," Hadrian grinned at the other man mischievously, "unless you are about to do away with me next?"

Kakashi quickly shook his head in denial, "No! That isn't what I was..."

The bird squawked above them once more and Hadrian was almost certain that it was laughing, but he quickly discarded that thought since he hadn't met any ninjas, except for Naruto, who loved to play pranks, much less one that either owned or could change into a raven.

Kakashi glared at it in suspicion, but Hadrian simply smiled and grabbed the man's arm before heading toward the compound that Kakashi had pointed out earlier.

Someone must have sent word to the Hyuga compound because Hiashi was waiting for them at the door even though Hadrian could see that quite a few clan members seemed worried for some reason. Especially the elders at the back of the assembled group.

He glanced at Kakashi, who seemed to be watching the elders with narrowed eyes, causing some of them to shift uneasily while others simply lifted their noses in disdain, yet it was clear that none of them dared to speak since, for all intents and purposes, Hiashi was the head of the clan.

Hadrian stepped forward fearlessly and Hiashi nodded in greeting, "Welcome to the Hyuga compound, I am Hyuga Hiashi. One of my daughter's guards told me that you may be able to help me remove the curse seal from my nephew."

Hadrian bowed his head slightly, "Thank you, I am Hadrian Peverell, and I would have to find out a bit more about the curse in order to remove it, but yes, it is possible."

He took careful note of the murderous glares he received from some of the elders but paid no mind to it as they were led inside.

Only one of the elders followed them, and by the looks of it, the man was the eldest person around so Hadrian guessed that he probably held seniority over the rest.

One of the people who had apparently set the table motioned for Hadrian to sit across from the clan head and he did so, even though he saw the way Kakashi's eyes narrowed in suspicion as the clan member quickly exited the room.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on as they sat down and Hadrian took a sip of the tea, only to find that there was something off about it.

He saw the way the elder's lips seemed to want to curl into a grin for a split second but ignored it as he subtly checked Kakashi's tea for something out of place, finding nothing.

He placed the tea down and looked at Hiashi intending to confront him, only to be met with subtle signs that only etiquette kept the man from questioning him outright as if the man truly wanted the seal removed from his nephew, meaning he wasn't an accomplice in this.

Hadrian slowly sat back, picking the cup up again and toying with it in his hands, "Before we determine whether I can safely remove the curse from Neji, I think we first need to address the fact that you allow your elders to run rampant. Does the Hyuga clan often greet their guests with poisoned tea if they pose a threat?"

Chapter 7: Realization

Hiashi's eyes went wide with surprise and worry before he immediately turned to the elder next to him, "What have you done?!"

The fact that he didn't even think to hesitate before confronting the elder told Hadrian that it wasn't the first time the elders had interfered with Hiashi's plans and the way the elder simply watched him with passive eyes also revealed that he didn't regret his decision and that he would do it again.

Hiashi seemed to notice this as well and his fists clenched at his side as if he was fighting the urge to punch the elder, even though Kakashi told him that the Clan Head was usually very calm and impassive, "This time you've gone too far!"

Meanwhile, Kakashi had practically apparated to Hadrian's side in worry, but he subtly shook his head, willing the man to understand that he was fine before he turned back to where Hiashi was confronting the elder.

He didn't see the way Kakashi's tense body only relaxed slightly, nor the way the man's gaze promised pure torture for the ones responsible. The realization that, if Hadrian hadn't gone through everything he had in the past, there was a very large chance that he would have lost him, didn't sit well with him at all. Not when the silver-haired shinobi had just come to terms with how he felt a few days ago.

Instead, Hadrian watched as Hiashi made a seal that seemed to mostly immobilize the elder, but the older man simply watched him with calm eyes, "I did what I had to do to protect the clan's secrets. It's bad enough that you let Hinata out of the compound when she is supposed to stay hidden and protected."

Hiashi actually growled, "Where is the antidote?!"

The elder simply shook his head, "There isn't one. Not yet anyway. And even if there was, I would rather die than hand it over. He is too much of a threat to…"

Hadrian could see that Hiashi was about to lose his temper, "It's fine."

His words made the three men pause and turn to him as he took another sip of the tea before placing it down gently.

At this point, all three of the men were watching him as if he'd lost his mind, but Hadrian merely shrugged, "Getting bitten by a giant snake after battling it and actually surviving does have its perks. In comparison to that, something like this is useless."

He knew that Kakashi would immediately catch on to what snake he was talking about, but the only giant snake Hiashi and the elder knew were Orochimaru's summons, and given the threat the man held to the village, attempting to kill someone that might actually be able to help in the fight against him was somewhat equivalent to acting as his accomplice and bringing harm to the village they were meant to protect.

The elder's eyes widened as he realized what he'd done, and he hung his head as all color left his face, "You really fought the giant snake?"

Hadrian gave the man a confused look since he didn't yet know that Orochimaru's boss summons could easily rival the size of the basilisk he'd fought, "It was trying to eat me at the time so of course I fought it."

The door to the room opened and the rest of the elders walked in. Clearly revealing that they had listened in on the conversation. Their heads hung in shame as they lined up against the wall before kneeling, leaving Hadrian completely confused by their actions before they bowed low, clearly waiting for some kind of reaction from him.

He looked toward Kakashi for help and the man made a slicing motion across his neck, causing Hadrian's eyes to go wide and he quickly turned back to the elders, "I can't die via poison so I drank that willingly, it wouldn't help anyone if you were to lose your lives over it. I am quite a bit peeved at the way you think it's okay to have the Clan Head brand his own family and other clan members as slaves though, care to share what that is about?"

The eldest looked directly at him and for the first time Hadrian noted that there was a lot of pain hidden behind the gaze, "Only the main branch of the clan can use the Hakke Rokujūyon Shō, so they are usually protected, but since the Byakugan is so sought after as well and the clan cannot survive without having some of its members on active duty, the curse seal was developed so that the technique wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."

Hadrian finally understood why the elders were acting the way they were, he still didn't agree with their methods, but that did make a lot more sense than simply having a bunch of geezers making decisions just because they wanted to.

He nodded, "I understand why that would be a problem, and that you made those decisions because it was the only option that was open to you in the past, but many things have changed and from what I have seen, you are simply alienating yourselves from your clan through the decisions you make."

The elders looked to Hiashi, who nodded, "The rest of the clan view you as nothing more than has-beens who are now trying to prove their worth by still trying to control the younger generations by forcing them into unions they don't want and restrictions they don't need. In short, to them, you are nothing more than meddling old men with nothing better to do than to see the rest of the clan just as unhappy as you are."

Hadrian could see how much Hiashi's words stung, but seeing as they had just tried to poison him, and would have succeeded if he was anyone but who he was, he didn't hold much sympathy for them, even if he did understand.

He turned to Hiashi, "It seems you have a few things to sort out so I will return in a few days so that we can find a way to safely remove that seal,"

Hiashi nodded, a relieved look on his face revealing that he had been worried that Hadrian wouldn't help him remove Neji's seal anymore, "That would be best."

Hadrian stood and made his way toward the door, followed by Kakashi and Hiashi as they left the elders to stew in their guilt.

When they finally made it to the compound's gates, Hiashi bowed low, "Thank you for still being willing to help, and, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for what the elders did. I know I am also at fault for allowing them to do as they pleased for so long just because they had been there when I myself was a child. They will be punished for their actions against you."

Hadrian shrugged, "One can't do much to change the past," he noted how sad the man looked at this and wondered whether there was something in the past that the man would have given almost anything to change, so he continued, "but you can make up for it in the future. Don't allow yourself to become like those old geezers."

Hiashi nodded, "I won't, whether my daughters and nephew would accept it or not is a different story though."

Hadrian shrugged, "If you don't try, you will never know. Sometimes the only things holding you back are yourself and your fears."

Hiashi nodded, knowing that they had nothing more to say to each other at this time, and Hadrian and Kakashi stepped out of the compound after waving their goodbyes.

Both of them were mostly silent as they walked back towards the Hatake compound, but it wasn't an awkward silence, more like one of deep thought, at least, that was what Hadrian thought until he stepped into his home and turned around, expecting to bid Kakashi goodnight before getting some sleep, instead, he found Kakashi's arms caging him in and his hard body trapping him against the closest wall.

Hadrian's eyes went wide in surprise, even as his hands instinctively grabbed onto Kakashi's vest and the man laid his head on his shoulder, seemingly needing to ground himself for a few seconds before he growled in his ear, "Don't you dare do something like that ever again!"

Naturally, Hadrian's first reaction would have been deviance, but then he took in the tenseness in Kakashi's body and the way his breathing was slightly labored as if he was fighting to control himself, so he leaned his own head on the Jonin's shoulder instead, breathing in the familiar scent of him as he spoke, "Sorry, but I cannot promise that. If you didn't realize it by now, I can be quite impulsive sometimes."

This startled a choked laugh from the other man as his body slightly relaxed, "I guess I will just have to keep a closer eye on you then."

Hadrian was about to answer, but instead, Kakashi leaned back slightly to tilt his head up with a hand on his jaw before he captured his lips with his own, taking away his breath and any response he might have had in the process.

HP/KH/IU

Finding out via one of his ravens that he wasn't as hated as he'd thought he was, came as a very big surprise to Itachi as he surveyed the supposed party, only to discover it to be more of a secret meeting than a party, at least until the raven-haired man that he'd noticed around the Hatake compound declared that he was going to go see the head of the Hyuga clan.

Itachi knew that it would be dangerous to follow since the Hyuga would easily be able to determine that his crows weren't normal, but given that all of their attention seemed to be on the raven-haired man whom he believed they called Hadrian, he decided to chance it.

The man was an enigma, seeing as he'd never met a civilian that seemed so calm around shinobi and he found his interest peaked, even going so far as to mess with Kakashi a bit when he noticed the man's longing looks toward the other man as they stopped walking.

He couldn't determine exactly what happened within the Hyuga compound, but it was serious enough for the Clan Head to actually apologize and to state that the elders of the clan would be punished.

Itachi knew their usual methods so he could only determine that they had tried to poison the young man and it was obvious that they had failed.

Knowing that Kakashi didn't know any healing jutsu and that the clan elders likely didn't have an antidote to the poison, that only left the possibility that the young man had been the one to do something about it.

Itachi allowed himself a slight grin as ordered the raven to follow them home, thinking that they were going to speak about what had happened in the compound, only to be met with the sight of Kakashi trapping the younger man against the wall before kissing him senseless.

Chapter 8: Confessions and Kidnappings

The kiss almost felt like it was going to last forever and he was almost content to stay in Kakashi's arms, then Hadrian felt Kakashi's body stiffen as if he finally realized what he was doing and the man moved to pull away.

In any other instance, Hadrian might have felt hurt that someone would kiss him and then pull away, given his own past and the ever-present voice that kept trying to tell him that he wasn't good enough, but Kakashi had confided in him about what happened to his first team during one of their long nights of vigil when neither of them could sleep and it had explained a lot about the detached front that the man usually managed to portray.

That didn't mean that he was going to allow him to pull away from him though.

Hadrian lightly placed a hand over Kakashi's mouth to stop the next words from forming, "If you dare say anything even remotely meaning 'sorry', I will assume that you just did that to see if you could and I will recommend that you make yourself scarce before I do something I might regret."

It was almost funny how fast the man in front of him paused and Hadrian managed to keep his serious face for almost a minute before he sighed, determined to find out exactly what Kakashi wanted from him, "Look, I don't do casual flings. So if that is all that you were looking for then I would suggest-"

His words were cut off with another kiss that he groaned into before Kakashi pulled back slightly, "I did it because I wanted to be selfish for once by showing you how I felt after thinking, if only for a few moments, that I was going to lose you without having told you anything-"

He paused for a moment, his shoulders sagging slightly as he whispered the next words as if revealing a deep, dark secret, "-but I have many enemies that would jump at the chance to target you the moment they believe that you are important to me and that they can get back at me or corner me by threatening or harming you and I won't allow it. I know you can take better care of yourself than any civilian I know of, but that doesn't take away the fact that you are still a civilian."

Hadrian didn't know whether he should laugh, cry, or put Kakashi on his arse again, just to point out that he could fight against shinobi as well; sure, he knew he could take care of himself, but it felt good knowing that Kakashi cared enough to want to keep him away from any possible danger.

A moot point as far as he was concerned because he seemed to attract danger wherever he went. As he closed his eyes and threw his head back slightly in an effort to stop himself from simply telling Kakashi everything, his instincts warned him that they weren't alone anymore and he opened his eyes to find the raven from earlier watching them.

Suspicion told him that it wasn't a normal raven, given that it had followed them all the way from the Hyuga compound, but instinct told him that it wasn't a threat so he sent out a small sliver of his magic to try and figure out whose summon it was.

The magic didn't manage to reach its target though since his concentration was suddenly disrupted when Kakashi pushed him behind him, having sensed the way that Hadrian's body slightly tensed as he used his magic.

The kunai that appeared in his hands were held loosely, ready to either be thrown or gripped tighter to slice at the threat, but neither was needed as clouds seemed to disrupt the light of the moon, leaving the world around them dark for a mere moment before it passed and they found Itachi Uchiha in the raven's place.

Hadrian immediately relaxed his tense body as he took in the sight of the other man but he didn't allow his eyes to linger given the intimate moment that he and Kakashi had just shared.

That didn't mean that his thoughts cooperated though, since he'd had quite a few spicy dreams starring the two of them ever since the day he officially met Kakashi with Itachi joining in the day after the man had given him the letter for Sasuke.

Hadrian shook his head to clear his thought before he tried to step around the silver-haired ninja, but a warning growl made him pause and lift a brow in question as he glanced at the man at his side.

Before either of them had a chance to say anything, however, Hadrian heard a cough coming from Itachi's direction and he was momentarily distracted, which seemed to be all it would take for the other raven-haired man to send a massive amount of crows his way, obscuring his vision completely even as he heard Kakashi frantically calling out to him.

The next thing he knew he found himself within a twisted version of a mindscape and he fought back the urge to roll his eyes.

Itachi was obviously trying to scare whomever he brought into the place, but he clearly hadn't found himself nearly trapped within the mind of someone who had turned truly evil...not like Hadrian had.

Surprisingly enough, the man didn't suddenly start torturing him by stringing him up or impaling his body with huge spikes as Kakashi had explained when he described the techniques that Itachi used against his enemies in the past.

Instead, the man appeared before him and watched him with a blank expression, but years of learning how to read Severus' emotions had taught Hadrian a thing or two and he could clearly tell that the man was both amused and curious.

Hadrian glanced around once more, "You know, if you wanted to truly frighten or disorient someone you should try to make this place pitch-black at first. People tend to fear the unknown more than the threat they can see."

His words caused the man's lips to twitch slightly and he counted it as a win until a thought occurred to him and he narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion, "I'm sure you already know that your name has been cleared among some of the shinobi, so why would you-?"

Kakashi's enraged voice echoed through the mindscape and Itachi's lips twitched again.

For a moment Hadrian didn't know what was going on but then a stray thought had him freezing in realization before he regarded the other man a bit more closely, "Wait a minute...he knew some of your techniques so that must mean that you worked together at some point. Should I be worried that he is getting tortured for something that he did in the past or are you seriously just teasing him at the moment to see how long it would take for him to lose it completely?"

He didn't get to hear the answer to his question because a coughing fit suddenly wracked the other man's frame, causing him to lose control over the technique and Hadrian's eyes went wide with shock as the man's hand came away with blood.

Itachi muttered something that sounded like he was running out of time, but he'd barely finished the sentence before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and Hadrian quickly jumped forward to catch him as the illusion faded.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kakashi faltering in his attack and he called out to him, "We need to get him back to the compound, he seems to be seriously ill!"

HP/KH/IU

Itachi didn't know why he'd felt the need to mess with Kakashi after he'd caught the two of them kissing since he'd gotten over his little crush on his sensei ages ago and knew next to nothing about the man named Hadrian except that he seemed very keen on helping anyone he came across, but the technique had already been activated by the time he'd gathered his thoughts and he saw no sense in suddenly stopping it.

Kakashi had already been trapped in the jutsu once or twice so he left the man where he was as he made his way to where he'd trapped the civilian.

The same civilian who currently seemed to be glancing around the space with interest instead of fear and Itachi couldn't help but feel as if he was being judged in a way, much to his confusion and amusement.

The man didn't even seem fazed by the idea that Itachi could do anything to him within this space and he wouldn't be able to fight it.

Itachi started to wonder whether the man even knew the danger he was in, but that doubt was thrown out of the window when Hadrian actually commented on how he'd be able to affect his enemies more if he were to throw them into a place of darkness first.

He had to admit, the psychological torture of it would work quite well since people tended to imagine the things they fear the most in the dark.

He clearly heard Kakashi's enraged shout and tried to fight off a smile until Hadrian's next observation hit a bit closer to the truth than Itachi was comfortable with.

Still, he didn't get a chance to answer because his illness chose that moment to act up once more and he cursed to himself silently as he was reminded that he was running out of time.

Itachi's thoughts became blurry after that and he braced himself against the impact of hitting the ground as all his strength seemed to leave him, but found himself being caught by the civilian instead.

The last thing he saw was Kakashi's enraged expression shifting to one of concern as Hadrian shouted something...

...and then the world went dark.

Chapter 9: Healing

Kakashi felt a murderous fury that threatened to consume him the moment Itachi attacked them and he completely ignored the renewed ache of betrayal that echoed in his chest after he'd just gained some hope that the Itachi he'd teamed up with in the past had merely been hidden and not completely destroyed, even if he came across as a bit more jaded.

As they were separated, it soon became apparent that Itachi was merely using the technique to keep him busy and his imagination ran wild as images of what the Uchiha had done to their enemies in the past now overlapped with the present and he did everything he could to break free to stop the man from harming Hadrian.

He finally succeeded and immediately moved to attack Itachi to release Hadrian as well, but his steps faltered as he noticed blood on Itachi's hand as he removed it from his mouth before the Uchiha pitched forward and Hadrian caught him.

For a moment he didn't know what to do, thinking Hadrian had somehow managed to wound the other man, but instead the younger man turned to him with a frantic expression before all but ordering him to take Itachi to the Hatake compound.

Knowing that it wasn't just some ploy to get them to let their guard down, since Itachi was much too proud of his own abilities to hide behind such tactics, Kakashi immediately wanted to take the man to the hospital as per habit, but he knew that Hadrian probably had a better chance at healing whatever was wrong with Itachi so he made his way to the compound in almost record time after lifting the Uchiha into his arms.

He wasn't really surprised to find that Hadrian joined him mere moments later as the younger man had previously taught himself an alternate version of Shunshin to be able to keep up with them during missions.

Though it had taken quite a few weeks of training for him to master it.

He laid Itachi out on one of the guest beds in his home and, for the first time in a long time, took in the man that his former ANBU teammate had become.

He could see that he'd grown into a fine young man, but life had clearly been harder on him once he'd been forced to flee the village and it was a wonder that he'd managed to survive for so long.

Not that Kakashi believed that the man was weak without allies, quite the opposite in fact, but that didn't take a way from the fact that a Shonobi's life may be short in most instances, but a rogue Shinobi's life tended to be even shorter.

He didn't even fight it when Hadrian chased him from the room, instead he simply took another backward glance before he closed the door and retreated to the kitchen to make them some tea.

A part of him wondered whether he should take a leaf out of Tsunade's book, since he knew a drink would calm his thoughts, but the need to be fully alert just in case a situation arose, drowned out any and all such thoughts as he removed two cups from the cupboard.

HP/KH/IU

Hadrian immediately started pulling out potions the moment he heard Kakashi close the door and he raised a few silent wards even as he started running his wand up and down the older Uchiha's body to get a full diagnosis.

What he found sent ice running through his veins and he briefly wondered how the man was even still alive before he set his jaw in determination and started casting the neccesary healing spells in between spelling the contents of the potions straight into the man's stomach.

When one of the spells revealed that Itachi was almost blind, Hadrian decided to use the extra dose of the potion that the twins had made for him to fix his eye-sight, but the Elder Wand rebelled slightly when he made a move to summon it.

He looked down at the wand, knowing that it only reacted in such a way when it was trying to tell or teach him something.

He relaxed his hand, allowing the wand to guide it in movement and he was both surprised and puzzled when a miasma-like fog appeared around Itachi's eyes, revealing that the loss of sight seemed to be connected to the abilities of the Uchiha's eyes instead of the usual causes.

It was as if someone cursed the ability to ensure that it could only be used for a limited amount of time and he made a mental note to check whether Sasuke's eyes carried the same taint.

He was unsure whether he would be able to find a way to break the so-called curse, but he was determined to find a way, even if he had to ask his family to help him out.

A light groan startled him from his thoughts and his eyes widened when he noticed that Itachi seemed to have somewhat regained his consciousness.

For a moment they simply stared at each other before Hadrian held out a vial of dreamless sleep, "I know this might go against your instincts but I need you to drink this. You've placed your body under a lot of strain and I need to heal you before it gets even worse."

For a moment he believed that the other man would refuse, but to his surprise, the man shakily grabbed the vial and downed it, causing him to grimace at the taste a moment later.

This made Hadrian chuckle lightly, "Yeah, sorry about that. Wish I could make them taste better than smelly socks, but apparently medicine is meant to taste awful."

He received a hum of aknowledgement and looked down to ask the man some questions about his illness, but then he realized that Itachi had already lost consciousness once more and he came to the conclusion that Itachi had been pushing himself way past his limits for quite some time.

Hadrian ran a few more diagnostic spells over the Uchiha and was relieved to find that the worst of the illness' affects had been countered successfully, though there were still minor affects that he still needed to tend to.

Unfortunately one of the potions that he needed to use would work against two of the potions that were already in Itachi's system so he was forced to set that one aside for later.

He didn't quite know how much time had passed before he finally finished healing the last of the injuries that he was able to heal at that point, but he knew that there was still a few bones that he needed to rebreak and heal since he was sure that he wouldn't find the other man in a similar state anytime soon and, if left alone, the injuries would greatly affect his speed, strength, and coordination.

He wasn't happy to see that the man's body carried signs of torture as well, but Kakashi had once mentioned that special training was required for certain ranks within the Shinobi forces and Hadrian was sure that the man must have gone through it since he seemed to be the type to go as far as he possibly could...just like Kakashi now that he thought about it.

Thoughts of the silver-haired shinobi caused his mind to wander and for a moment Kakashi's earlier kiss overlapped with one of his more forbidden dreams where he'd found himself sandwiched between the two of them instead of finding himself with his back against the wall.

Hadrian froze as the image registered before he resolutely shook his head and locked away the image.

Nothing good would come from such thoughts, he was sure of it.

He glanced down at Itachi once more and ran another diagnostic spell over him, sighing in relief when he found that he'd managed to heal everything except for one or two symptoms that would be healed by the last potion, which would only be administered in a few hours time.

The other man seemed to be sleeping soundly, but having noticed before that shinobi tended to instinctively fight the dreamless sleep, he cast a ward around the bed to ensure that he would be alerted if the man woke before he came to check on him once more.

He then carefully lowered the rest of the wards around the room and wearily walked to the kitchen, only to pause as he rounded the corner to find Sasuke there, along with Naruto and Gaara, who greeted him politely.

He knew that Sakura probably went home for a bit, but that didn't explain Gaara's prescence at all.

He glanced toward Kakashi in question but the man seemed to be deep in thought, so he turned to Sasuke instead, but didn't really expect an answer as he'd already noticed the tenseness in his frame due to worrying about his brother, though it was obvious that he saw such emotion as a weakness that needed to be hidden since it was only revealed by the slightly haunted expression in his eyes and the tenseness in his body.

Hadrian didn't like seeing such an expression on the boy's face, but he knew that there was nothing he could do to change the things that Sasuke had endured up until this point.

The one thing he could do though, was to reassure him that his brother was going to be alright.

Chapter 10: Threat or Friend

As he waited for the water to boil, Kakashi couldn't help but glance back toward the room where Hadrian was almost certainly fighting to save Itachi.

He wasn't a stranger to illnesses, since being shinobi meant taking all sorts of missions, and some of them, especially the missions received as part of the ANBU, forced those involved into truly unique and eye-opening situations.

One mission he'd personally been in charge of required their team to extract one of their spies from the Villiage Hidden in the Clouds after it became clear that they were extremely ill.

Unfortunately, it had been too late and the man had died just as they made camp about two days away from Konoha, and his symptoms had been very similar to what he'd just noticed in Itachi.

He didn't expect the thought to cause a hollow ache in his chest since he'd believed that he had successfully blocked any thoughts or feelings he'd had for Itachi in the past immediately after his defection, instead, they seemed to appear with a renewed intensity that was on par with what he now felt for Hadrian after getting to know him.

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he glanced back toward the door, knowing that neither Hadrian nor Itachi would be walking through the door anytime soon, even if there was a chance that Hadrian would be able to save the Uchiha.

The silence of the house around him was suddenly deafening and not being able to do anything to help either of the men in the other room had his hands itching to do something.

A thought occurred to him as he grabbed the tea and he froze for a moment before lightly setting it down and making his way to the front door.

Taking a chance, he made his way to the house that he'd assigned to Sasuke within the compound and he almost expected to be met with darkness since the earlier meeting turned party would still be in full swing, instead he found Sasuke and Gaara trading blows in the garden as Naruto stood to one side while looking extremely confused about something and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and stepped forward, causing the trio to freeze in place before relaxing their stances as they recognized him.

However, before any of them had a chance to greet him, Kakashi immediately turned to Sasuke, "Your brother collapsed right after he appeared in the village earlier."

The youngest Uchiha froze even as his expression changed into one of pure horror and for a moment Kakashi felt regret, but there was no easy way to break such news and if Itachi didn't make it, he was sure that Sasuke would at least appreciate the chance to say goodbye.

The knot in his chest tightened at the thought and he unconsciously increased his speed as he raced back toward the house with the other three hot on his heels, though it was obvious that Gaara was a bit more hesitant on whether he would be welcome or not.

Naruto seemed to notice this and he fell back a bit to give the other teen a nudge, which seemed to do the trick.

Kakashi noticed the slight glare that Sasuke threw toward Gaara, but there seemed to be some confusion hidden behind it as well and Kakashi couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two of them as he remembered his thoughts from earlier.

As they reached the house, Kakashi motioned for them to follow him before leading them to the kitchen.

He saw Sasuke aiming to head toward the bedroom, but he placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him and shook his head when Sasuke turned toward him in question, "Calm yourself. We have yet to do the medic course so we would only get in the way. Hadrian will call us if need be."

He could see that the youngest Uchiha wanted to argue, but then he seemed to calm down and nodded in understanding.

After a while he made some tea for them and they settled down to wait, but the longer it took the more Kakashi found himself glancing toward the door as if expecting Hadrian to walk through it at any moment.

By the time seven hours had passed, Kakashi stood and placed his cup in the sink. He was just about to make his way to the room to check up on Hadrian when the door finally opened and an exhausted-looking Hadrian walked through it, only to pause when he noticed Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara.

Kakashi found his mind preoccupied as he caught a glance of Itachi before Hadrian closed the door and sighed in relief as he noticed that the man seemed to be looking a lot better than earlier.

His attention then turned back toward Hadrian as the raven-haired man closed the door and made his way to Sasuke, a worried frown crossed Kakashi's features before he turned around to make the man a cup of tea while also checking his cupboards to determine what to make for a late dinner since Hadrian practically looked like he was about to keel over.

HP/KH/IU

Hadrian motioned for Sasuke to sit back down as he neared him and he sank down into one of the unoccupied couches while forcing his eyes to stay open as the creeping exhaustion he'd felt as he left the room became more pronounced.

He glanced between the four people in the room before his gaze settled on Sasuke again, "Your brother is going to be alright. I still need to administer one or two more potions, but that will have to wait until the other potions have worked through his system."

A knock on the door made him pause and he looked toward Kakashi to see whether the man was expecting company, but he shook his head and the shinobi in the room instantly seemed to tense up.

Kakashi motioned for them to stay where they were as he moved to open the door, but then his form lost its tenseness and Hadrian determined that it must have been someone he knew even though he wasn't able to see who it was.

A few moments later he closed the door once more and turned toward Sasuke and Naruto, "It's a summons from the Hokage. We are being summoned for an urgent mission."

He turned to Hadrian, "He asked that you sit this one out since we would only be away for about a day. Given that the Anbu agent knew that we were all in one place, I am certain that the Hokage already knows about Itachi's presence here, as well as the fact that he is currently in your care."

Hadrian knew that he would have fought against the tremendous breach of privacy if he'd still been a part of the Wizarding World, but having stayed in Konoha for quite a while now, he simply nodded while silently thinking up ways to subtly pull the wool over the spying shinobis' eyes while still being able to use his magic whenever he needed to.

With that in mind he waved the trio off on their mission, though not before inspecting Naruto's potions pack once more and making him promise that he would whisper a specific word while holding the leather bracelet he'd made for him if he ever found that they were in way over their heads.

Naruto naturally rolled his eyes at that like any teen would, but Hadrian didn't comment on it when he saw that Naruto was blushing slightly as he reverently gripped the pack close to his chest before looking straight at Hadrian as he softly spoke, "Arigato, Nii-san."

A moment later they were gone and Hadrian turned to look around the room that suddenly felt very empty, only to be reminded that Gaara was still there as he caught sight of the teen standing awkwardly to the side.

He tiredly smiled at him, "Are you sleeping over or are your siblings expecting you back?"

Gaara shrugged, "They didn't say anything but I should probably go back since they will be wondering where I got to if they can't find me at Sasuke's place."

Hadrian nodded and waved him out before closing the door and standing in place for a moment to gather his thoughts.

He glanced toward the room where Itachi was still sleeping and decided to quietly check on the man before he took a nap on the couch.

A glance into the room revealed that the man was still exactly how he left him and he was about to close the door before something strange caught his eye.

He opened the door wider and came to stand next to the bed as he watched strange, black flames flickering over Itachi's eyelids without burning them.

Kakashi had mentioned Itachi's black flames previously, so it didn't really surprise him, but the fact that the flames seemed to be half-sentient as they tried to heal the Uchiha's eyes was something he hadn't expected at all.

A very dull thud suddenly echoed in the room and Hadrian froze as he glanced toward the ceiling where the sound had originated from.

In all the time that he'd lived in Konoha, he'd never heard even a slight footfall from the shinobi that regularly patrolled the village so he instinctively knew that there was an intruder on the roof of the house.

He slowly slid his wand from its holster and and followed the sound right to the window where he just about jumped when a shark-like man with blue skin seemed to drop down from nowhere with a huge grin on his face.

Instinct almost had him stun the man, but the man lifted his hands to show he was unarmed except for the sword that Hadrian could see peeking out over his shoulder.

Hadrian hesitantly took a step back while swiftly hiding his wand and readying his stance to use wandless magic if needed while he slowly moved the window up, only for the man to jump down and step in as if he hadn't just sneaked into a shinobi village that probably had his wanted posters up at their headquarters.

The man gave him a once-over before he turned toward Itachi and Hadrian raised his brow in realisation as he noticed the way the man's shoulders tensed before he spoke, "How is he?"

Hadrian frowned, "Better, now that he was able to get treated. Why are you here?"

The man turned toward him in surprise for a moment before he gave a slight sigh, "I know how much worse it's gotten, so I couldn't stay away when I tracked him back to Konoha. To be honest, I expected to find him in a holding cell or worse...imagine my surprise when I learned that he was under the care of one of the most wanted alchemists currently alive."

Hadrian grimaced at that description, "I'm not an alchemist or anything in that sense. I simply have plants that fulfill different uses."

Kisame shrugged, "Tell that to the many villages that are either trying to recruit or kidnap you at the moment. I saw Itachi's handiwork in quite a few areas around the village and it made me wonder why he would protect you."

Chapter 11: Protection

Hadrian quickly shook his head in denial at Kisame's words, "He was protecting Sasuke, not me. He doesn't even know me. There are many enemy shinobi either in or close to the village at the moment and we know that Orochimaru is after Sasuke so he was probably taking out any groups that looked like they didn't belong."

Kisame gave him a long look before muttering something under his breath and casting another glance at the Uchiha on the bed.

For some reason, whatever he saw made an evil grin appear on his face as he turned back toward Hadrian, "Well this makes it a lot easier for me then, since Itachi was able to get you alone and unguarded like this. The Akatsuki have need of your abilities and you can either come quietly, or we can do this the more painful way."

He took a step forward just as Hadrian tensed at his words and he was about to stun the other man while cursing his own stupidity of simply letting the man in because he'd heard that he was one of Itachi's friends, but before he could even move, a figure appeared between the two of them and Hadrian found himself being firmly pushed behind said figure just as Kisame held up his hands in surrender once more with the same large grin from earlier, "Just kidding. I was trying to prove a point."

It took a moment for Hadrian to realize that it was Itachi that had somehow woken up and gotten in between them and that he was currently holding a kunai, that he'd gotten from who knows where to Kisame's throat in warning.

The blade lowered slightly as Kisame's words registered and it took Hadrian a moment for the message to sink in that Kisame hadn't been serious about taking him to the Akatsuki.

That realization had Hadrian seeing red as he thought back on how he'd fought hours to save the man's life only to have Kisame jeopardize it in an effort to prove a point that he still didn't see.

Being exhausted also didn't help much since it caused him to act without thinking as his magic exploded outward, freezing the two men in place as he walked around Itachi and shoved Kisame slightly, causing him to almost topple over in his frozen state, "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?! If you wanted to prove something you could have done so without endangering his life again!"

The worried expression in Kisame's eyes immediately revealed that the man hadn't thought about that at all and Hadrian turned to Itachi to vent the rest of his frustration, only to realize that the man didn't even seem to be fully awake and he quickly released his magic before leading him back onto the bed where the man's dull gaze caught his for a moment before his eyes fell closed once more.

Silence dominated the room as he quickly ran wandless and wordless spells over the man after carefully removing the kunai from his hand, only to breathe a sigh of relief as he realized that the man's condition hadn't worsened and that it was time to administer the last of the potions.

He did so, making sure to keep a careful eye on the man to ensure that his body didn't reject it.

About ten minutes later he took a breath of relief and moved to turn around, only for his legs to give in and this caused him to miss the black fire that lightly enveloped the Uchiha's body for a moment.

Kisame quickly moved to catch him before placing him down on the other side of the large bed despite his protests. His voice sounded solemn as he broke the silence, "I'm sorry for doing that. The way everyone spoke made it seem like the people you helped got cured almost immediately. I didn't think that there would be a recovery time involved with something this severe and I also didn't think that using your bloodline limit would cause such exhaustion. He'd never been this fixated on anyone except his brother and it made me curious."

Hadrian looked closely at the man before sighing. For some reason he couldn't seem to stay angry with the idiot, especially when it was obvious that the man cared a great deal for his friend and teammate, even if he seemed quite delusional about the reason for Itachi's presence in Konoha, "The fewer people know, the better, but I guess in this case the rumors have made it seem like I can cure practically anything in an instance, which is very far from the truth."

Kisame nodded and then scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "I suppose you won't tell me how you were able to freeze us in place...though I'm thinking that it has something to do with your bloodline limit as well."

Hadrian froze since it wasn't an ability he'd wanted to reveal just yet even if it could be likened to something similar to what the Nara clan could do. His hand itched to grab his wand and obliviate the man since he was still an unknown factor, but he knew he struggled with that particular spell the most and there was a good chance that he'd end up wiping the man's mind entirely, so he decided to switch tactics instead.

He frowned at the man, "What are the chances of you staying quiet about what you saw?"

Kisame tilted his head slightly, "It's not as if I'm about to blab about it to the whole world..."

Hadrian felt a little bit of hope that he might be able to keep that particular skill a secret since it could be used to get him out of a tight spot if needed, but then he heard the rest of Kisame's words, "...buuut Itachi and I don't really keep secrets from one another so I would be lying if I were to say that I would stay completely quiet about it."

Hadrian sighed and closed his eyes in resignation, "I was afraid you would say something like that."

He understood and commended the man's loyalty to his friend, really, he did, but given that it could cast suspicion on him if the people found out he had more secrets and that it could possibly ruin the peaceful life he'd built for himself in Konoha if people started questioning his trustworthiness? Well, drastic times called for drastic measures.

He slowly opened his eyes and stood before taking an unsteady step toward the man, "I fully understand your loyalty, but I cannot allow you to do that."

He took a moment to stare at the man who suddenly seemed quite wary, "I know there are many forms and functions attributed to jutsu techniques, but my bloodline limit makes it difficult for me to learn them and as such I have only one or two techniques that I can protect myself with. If word got out about it…well…the people after me could find ways to incapacitate me completely then."

The man narrowed his eyes and Hadrian was surprised to see a gleam of worry in them…something that shouldn't be present on behalf of a stranger that the man just met, even if he believed that Itachi cared about Hadrian in some way.

If the past taught him anything though, it was that he should stop believing that people could keep secrets that didn't involve them and he clenched his fist, getting ready to fire a stunning spell only for an arm to wrap around his waist before he was yanked back into a rock-solid chest with a startled yelp.

A familiar voice spoke softly in his ear, "I already saw or heard most of it so there's no need to try and hide it."

Hadrian froze briefly before he glanced toward the bed to find it empty, "H-how? You're supposed to be resting!"

A light chuckle sounded, "The Uchiha's fire, especially the version I created, burns through anything meant to sedate or knock us out. My illness stopped it from working properly so I couldn't heal, that is, until you healed me and kickstarted it once more."

Hadrian suddenly found himself turned around and he couldn't help but stare at the man for a moment before he looked away as he realized he'd been caught if the smug grin on the Uchiha's face was any indication.

The man still didn't seem to be fully healed, but he looked a lot better than he did when Hadrian had first entered the room.

He didn't appreciate being manhandled though. Still, with Itachi being the one to do it, well, he quickly had to remind himself that he'd just kissed Kakashi. This other man frequently starred in his thoughts and fantasies, a few hours ago, and it kind of felt like he was cheating by thinking of another man so soon after Kakashi had made his feelings clear.

Worry about the Uchiha's health easily beat any other thought though and he quickly ordered the man to lie down while ignoring the whip sound that Kisame made as Itachi immediately complied since he was sure that the man was simply getting weirder by the minute.

The glare Itachi gave his friend told him that it seemed to be a part of a hidden code between the two of them though and he had to squash the urge to pry even though he couldn't make any sense of the silent conversation going on between the two while he examined Itachi.

What he did know, however, was that the end of the silent conversation involved a smug smile from Kisame paired with an expression from Itachi that couldn't be described as anything other than 'I AM DOOMED!'

The look made Hadrian wonder whether he should be evacuating the village or calling in the ANBU as he completely missed the pleased grin that Kisame sent his way as well as the nervous tic that Itachi exhibited as his hands moved to form a familiar jutsu without putting any chakra behind it as a way to calm himself down.

Chapter 12: Oblivious

PLEASE READ: I just realized that I didn't add in a tag to warn you guys of possible OOCness or instances where the characters might not act in a logical way as some people have commented saying that a character either would or wouldn't do something…there is a reason for that happening though since I tend to work long hours these days and I have developed a condition where I fall asleep if I sit still without keeping my hands and mind busy so when I type out a chapter I am sometimes literally typing it out on autopilot while using anything that pops up in my mind at that moment.

That being said, when I go back and reread previous chapters, like chapter 11, and I notice the instances where things don't all add up, like the way Harry decides to suddenly use his MoD powers for no reason at all, well, I tried to fix it and I apologize since it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I have edited the previous chapter a little so I hope it makes a bit more sense.

And now on to the chapter...

HP/KH/IU

Itachi and Kisame bid Hadrian goodnight as the young man left the room to catch some much-needed sleep after chatting with them until he almost fell asleep where he stood, and for a moment he was perfectly content to ignore his meddlesome friend in favor of trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened after seeing Kakashi kiss Hadrian.

As much as he wanted to feign ignorance toward the reason for his actions afterward, his friend had already made it clear through his teasing that he wasn't going to continue to allow Itachi to use his illness as an excuse not to follow up on what his chakra was telling him.

Not that many people outside of the clan knew that the Uchiha clan's chakra was sentient to some degree and that it was their chakra that tended to find their perfect match for them.

Naturally, the weaker one's chakra is the easier it is to simply ignore the match, but all Uchiha that enter the Academy are warned about the consequences thereof: such as the risk of losing control of one's chakra or, in some extreme cases, one's own chakra taking control for a while.

It was one of the reasons why he'd started avoiding Kakashi a few months before the incident with his clan and he thought he'd succeeded in stopping the connection before it was formed, despite his persistent crush on the man, but seeing Kakashi and Hadrian together tonight had shattered that belief.

His chakra pulsed eagerly in response to his thoughts and he sighed before glancing at Kisame, "It won't work…and even if it somehow did work out, just the fact that I wiped out my clan will ensure that all but the few that believed that there was more to the story will want to ensure that I am punished for what I did."

He glared at Kisame the moment he opened his mouth to offer an alternative, knowing him only too well, "I am NOT burdening them with this and I am NOT going to hide behind some kind of made-up sob story."

His words made Kisame swallow the words he'd wanted to speak and silence descended around them, causing the Uchiha to sigh, "Look, I will try not to fight against it if something does happen, but I honestly think they will be better off not knowing."

Kisame rolled his eyes before nodding his head reluctantly, "I guess that's the best I will get out of you for now…you better get some rest as well, you aren't fully recovered yet. I will keep watch until the others get back."

Itachi nodded, knowing his own body well enough to sense that it wasn't as recovered as he'd portrayed in front of Hadrian.

Sure, between the potions and his black fire, he was almost 70% better than the previous state he'd been in, but nothing beat the healing of actual sleep and rest.

He nodded as Kisame narrowed his eyes in warning one last time before he disappeared, leaving Itachi to inspect the small room for a moment before heading back to bed.

Falling asleep again was much harder than he expected it to be though, since his thoughts kept circling back to the two men that had attracted his chakra, and if he were to be perfectly honest with himself, his own interest as well.

He didn't know much about Hadrian, but the young man had unconsciously revealed that he had many tricks up his sleeve with the way he tended to react to elements of danger and Itachi couldn't wait to unravel those secrets one by one.

Kakashi had also grown quite a bit in both skill and experience and Itachi couldn't deny that he would love to challenge the man to see how strong he'd become since being listed as an S-rank in the bingo book didn't mean much outside the idea that you shouldn't be underestimated.

Meanwhile…as Itachi allowed his thoughts to lull him into a calm state and Hadrian found himself fast asleep, Kakashi and the rest of the group were fighting against one of the groups that were targeting Hadrian and it wasn't long before they noticed that the operation seemed to be much bigger than they could have imagined.