"Blah": Talking

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

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

'Blah' Harry talking to Naruto

Welcome back!

Looking back, I'm a little disappointed at the lack of participation in determining Kakashi's Hogwarts House in the comments. But I won't hold that against anyone if they missed it or simply neglected to list their opinion. With that said-wand to my head, I think I would stick with Kakashi being Sorted into Gryffindor. But he would definitely be a Hatstall as I think the Sorting Hat would have trouble placing him and would be determined based on what he'd prefer. Gryffindor Tower probably has better lighting than the Slytherin common room for reading Make-Out Paradise.

With that out of the way, it's time to address something about future chapters of this book: After having time to think it over and not getting much of a response except for a handful of very helpful people, I have decided the majority of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc will be limited to Naruto's perspective for the most part. I'll only switch to different characters if there are any significant changes from the source material. Although Shikamaru, Kiba, and Rock Lee will likely have their scenes where the Suna Siblings arrive to save them adapted into this fic. I will also open the fifth book with a very different opening: an extended flashback to Sasuke's childhood, highlighting his relationships with his family and team, especially with Sakura and Naruto as a main focus. All of which will end with Sasuke's point of view in the last part of his fight with Naruto.

I was inspired by the first chapter of Half-Blood Prince for this change, serving as a recap of the series so far while giving Sasuke and Sakura more depth to their relationship as well as how he truly feels about Naruto. I do ship them (Sasuke and Sakura) but the original manga made their ship a tad bit questionable, given how Sasuke had much stronger chemistry with Naruto from the start.

Azeroth44: Just poking in to add this; I DO hold the lack of participation at the end of the previous chapter!

K: AZ! Take it easy! I thought we were done with the over-the-top performances and rampages!

AZ44: … I'M NOT! *proceeds to draw multiple Eldritch, supernatural, mystical, and magically assisted heavy artillery to the depths of the internet* Let's hear some opinions on that Sorting Hat list! I have diplomatic immunity, d**ks! I can have anyone LEGALLY assassinated!

K: Don't mind him, he used to watch The Simpsons too much as a child.

AZ44: WHAT WAS THAT?!

K: ENJOY THE CHAPTER, FOLKS! I'LL DRAW HIS FIRE! REMEMBER ME!

AZ44: GET BACK HERE!

Reviews are welcome and wanted!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Harry Potter and Wizarding World belongs to JK Rowling

Chapter 25: Lee's Anguish and Sasuke's Grievance

Over the following week and a half, Naruto managed to sneak out of his home while Iruka and Anko were asleep.

Every morning, before dawn, he forced himself to get up and use his invisibility cloak (along with a Disillusionment and Silencing Charm) before he Apparated into a random alley. He then made his way to the secret meadow as soon as he was sure no one investigated the noise he'd made or if someone was following him.

The meadow where he graduated was a bit barren from the winter despite the magic he'd poured into the place. It looked more like it used to with fewer leaves in the trees, although it did retain an unnatural warmth and the grass was also unnaturally green courtesy of the magic he'd poured into the place. With that said, it seemed spring was rapidly approaching as Naruto spotted the trees outside the area slowly growing buds in their branches.

Once he took off the cloak and removed the charms, Naruto Disapparated again and revisited the towns he and Jiraiya visited on their mission. He used ninjutsu to conceal his identity and used whatever money he could to buy large quantities of the basic elements of food. He bought rice, flour, salt, sugar, cooking oil, vegetables, pork, and beef for extremely low prices. He sent shadow clones to scout the lowest priced goods at every store in every town and hamlet to bring back enough food to feed rations to a small army.

Naruto never felt more like Merlin when he stored the food rations into his enchanted rucksack or discreetly used a Confundus Charm to barter his way to buying more food for less money. He felt a bit guilty using his magic like he did, but it didn't feel as bad to him as using an Unforgivable Curse or outright stealing. He made sure to pay regardless and wrote down a note for himself to make sure he returned to pay in full as soon as he could afford it.

Harry teased him about that, telling him Hermione would be proud of him for doing so, making him blush.

Naruto would return to Konoha as soon as he could in a sharp rush-once he'd hidden in the closest alleyway of every town he and his shadow clones revisited. After using magic to evenly divide the supplies in his enchanted rucksack, he dropped care packages to as many houses as he could. The boy placed a stamp on each package, featuring a simple figure representing the Sandaime or the current Hokage Candidate Tsunade.

He wanted to help the village however he could, discreetly with his magic. But he wanted to make it clear to everyone that Danzo played absolutely no role in helping feed the starving villagers, shinobi, and their families.

More than a few times several people spotted him dropping off the food. But Naruto quickly hid his face with the hood of his normal cloak or disappeared when he realized he'd been seen. He was worried people might not accept the packages if they knew he was behind the charity.

Little did Naruto know that nearly everyone who saw and realized he was behind the mysterious food packages gladly accepted them. Only the most hateful and stubborn villagers refused to accept the food… before discreetly taking them anyway after making a scene or kicking a fuss in front of their neighbors.

On top of that, the people of Konoha had been talking and whenever Naruto was brought up, more people had more positive things to say about him than they ever had before.

"I heard he defended the village from the Suna jinchuuriki!"

"Him? That kid? The one with the-"

"Yes! The same! The Uzumaki kid!"

"No way! For real?!"

"Nonsense!"

"I heard it was Sasuke Uchiha this whole time!"

"Yeah! The new council members said so!"

"Oh, wake up already! We all know they're full of it!"

"It wasn't the Uchiha boy! Obviously! It was his teammate, the Uzumaki boy!"

"That's right!"

"It's also thanks to Naruto and Jiraiya-sama that Lady Tsunade has returned!"

"Danzo's out of the picture thanks to them!"

"I heard they fought Orochimaru!"

"Is it true Kabuto Yakushi is dead?!"

"The traitor?! He's dead?! Hallelujah!"

"Such good news! We can all relax for a while!"

"Can't believe that the Uzumaki boy has been helping us through all this…"

"Him of all people…"

Naruto heard their murmurs and gossip, pausing as he listened while his face remained unreadable. Once he snapped out of it, he made his way back home with a lighter heart and a bit more pep in his step. Although if someone were to ask him why he seemed to be in such a good mood, he'd brush it off as he listened to and sang along with one of his new favorite songs from the Walkman he got from Jiraiya.

"Day-o me say day-o! Daylight come and me wan go home! Day, me say day, me say day, me say day-o!" he hummed a bit as he unlocked the apartment door the old fashioned way with his key and sang his own lyrics, "Daylight go and we just got home!"

He opened the door without a care in the world as the bright morning sun filled him with glee.

"I'm home!" he called out in a sing-song voice and he instantly regretted it as Naruto stopped in his tracks.

He saw Iruka and Anko were awake and still in their pajamas as they froze in the middle of their early morning routines. The chunin was reading a borrowed newspaper on the couch while the kunoichi was about to get started on preparing a very small but simple breakfast on the stove, dividing the few ingredients they had into three servings.

The genin completely forgot he was supposed to sneak back into his bedroom before they realized he had even left.

The chunin frowned and a vein throbbed on his temple. He thought Naruto had listened to him when he strictly ordered him to not go out on any more 'late night escapades' as he called them. Iruka simply didn't want Naruto to risk getting exposed to any of the ROOT soldiers or Danzo's loyalists who had been making sporadic appearances outside their apartment and within the neighborhood. The chunin set his newspaper aside as he eyed the genin, pointing a finger at him.

"Have you been sneaking out past curfew?!" he demanded sternly.

Naruto felt his face turning red, having been caught red handed but then he relaxed and shrugged confidently.

With Anko in the room, and given what a bad liar he knew he was, the boy sarcastically replied, "Actually, I magically teleported myself outside the village perimeter, revisited every single village and hamlet Ero-Sennin and I stayed in-except for Tanzaku Quarters-and bought a bunch of food for really low prices to help in my role in actually helping the village's recovery!"

Iruka looked like he could have an aneurism as his right eye twitched comically while Anko burst out laughing.

"Yeah right! Oh, if only that were true!" she laughed, before becoming a bit stern and cross to support her boyfriend, "Seriously though, you shouldn't be sneaking out of the apartment no matter what your reasoning!"

The chunin gave her an appreciative look and Anko winked at him before she asked as she returned to the kitchen, "Where did you run off to so early in the morning anyway?"

Naruto's eyes twinkled mischievously as she returned to the kitchen for a moment. He then flinched at the deadly look Iruka fired at him warningly. The boy nervously rubbed the back of his neck apologetically before he reached back for his rucksack, careful to choose the normal flap, pulling out a large loaf of freshly baked bread.

"I didn't want anyone to give me any funny looks if they saw me carrying around this stuff," he said, pulling out eggs, pork belly, vanilla, mochi, matcha, and sugar before placing them on the kitchen counter.

Anko and Iruka's eyes instantly lit up hungrily, not having had access to so much food in several months.

Naruto took advantage of the distraction to attempt at lying convincingly, "Ero-Sennin, erm, he had a few items I forgot to take with me when we got back! It's mostly food, but I hope you're not too mad at me for sneaking out… I just… really wanted to surprise you guys with some breakfast!"

Iruka had to clean the drool nearly leaking out his mouth before he quickly composed himself then forced himself to look stern but accepting as he firmly nodded.

"I'll let you off with a firm warning this time, Naruto" he said, before raising his finger, "Just this once!"

Anko nodded along with him in supportive agreement, "Yes, just this one time."

Then all three of their stomachs growled loudly, almost animalistically before they all burst out laughing.

It was the first meal the small family shared in months which they thoroughly enjoyed. Naruto couldn't stop smiling while Iruka and Anko looked like they were in heaven as they enjoyed perfectly scrambled eggs on toast with crispy bacon, followed by a simple but delightful vanilla custard pudding with matcha sprinkled on top as a treat.

Naruto could have sworn he could see the ghostly figure of Harry sitting across the table from him. It must have been a playful trick of the mind on his part as he silently took a bite of pudding and winked back at the older wizard slyly.

'Nice cover back there,' he complimented, 'Using the truth sometimes makes for a convincing lie.'

Naruto would have nodded as he coolly replied, 'I learned from the best!'

After their stomachs were satisfyingly full, Naruto, Iruka, and Anko enjoyed a soothing cup of tea together. The kunoichi took a shine to English tea over green tea, much like her boyfriend, as her hands wrapped tightly around her cup. Unsurprisingly, Anko tended to add a concerning amount of sugar to her cup, which always brought a look of pure and simple joy to her face with every sip and sigh.

Naruto found it amusing before he decided to catch up on current events unrelated to Danzo for a change. He had to know what his friends had been up to in the months he'd been away.

"Is it true Shikamaru became a chunin?" he asked, "Was it because of his match against that Temari girl from Suna during the Chunin Exams?"

Iruka smiled proudly, as Shikamaru was one of his students once too, "Yes! I was surprised to hear it but I heard his match warranted his promotion."

"Myself and the other proctors helped in deciding," chimed in Anko, "He showed and proved himself that he has what it takes to be a chunin!"

Naruto smiled warmly, feeling happy for his friend but his smile faded slightly as he realized he himself would have to take the exams all over again.

"Even if you lose-or forfeit the final match in Shikamaru's case-if you're deemed qualified, you can be promoted to chunin," Iruka explained, "Shikamaru fought using his brain, Anko told me they rated that highly when she and the other proctors and Tokubetsu jounin discussed his performance."

Naruto wanted to say something but immediately quashed it as he was genuinely happy for his friend. But Anko spoke up again as she let out a sigh before she looked to the genin with sympathy.

"There was a discussion to have you promoted too, sweetie, but, erm," she frowned resentfully, "The former Hokage Candidate shot it down vehemently. In fact, he downright forbade it."

Iruka frowned bitterly as well. Naruto's eye twitched slightly in anger and resentment toward that vile old man but he forced himself to brush it off.

The kunoichi took a swig of her tea as if it were hard liquor and sighed again as she looked more understanding and supportive, "Sorry, cub, it would have been pretty awesome getting promoted after setting the whole arena on fire like you did," she then perked up as she tried to lighten the mood and encourage her boyfriend's ward, "But you'll just have to make your next go at the Chunin Exams even more spectacular and epic when it comes to the final matches!"

"I'll try not to disappoint," he smirked back, his face then relaxed as he turned to his guardian, "Was anyone else made a chunin?"

Iruka shook his head, "Only Shikamaru got promoted."

Naruto shrugged in response then he sighed, somewhat relieved he wasn't the only one of his generation who was still a genin. But as happy as he was for Shikamaru, he didn't know how to feel now that his friend outranked him in an official capacity. He realized Shikamaru could technically boss him around if he felt compelled to do so and wouldn't be surprised if he used his new authority to 'keep him in line'.

'At least it wasn't Kiba who got promoted,' the older wizard pointed out.

The younger boy resisted the urge to shiver as he thought back, 'Don't even joke about that!'

'You don't think he could make chunin before you?' Harry teasingly asked.

The blonde genin shook his head, resisting a chuckle, 'His body wouldn't be able to support the weight of his head if that happened,' thought Naruto as he tried not to snicker like a crazy person, 'Still, I hope he doesn't beat me to making it to chunin next time. I'd never hear the end of it from that arrogant toerag if he got promoted before me.'

Naruto learned a few more things about his other friends which amused him and in some cases made him feel concerned.

He learned nearly everyone had fully recovered from the Chunin Exams and the Konoha Crush:

Neji and Tenten had been training together mostly, as Gai only occasionally mentored them or took them out on missions. The usually overenthusiastic jounin had spent most of his time visiting Rock Lee in the hospital, which wasn't surprising given their unique bond and the genin's condition.

Team's 8 and 10 seemed to be the only rookie genin teams to stay whole and regularly go on missions and train together. Kiba and Akamaru got into a bit of trouble with the civilian Konoha Council when they were caught utilizing 'marking their territory' in their training. They almost got charged with indecent exposure until every shinobi clan leader stepped up to intervene alongside nearly the entire Inuzuka clan.

Naruto was pleased that the civilians couldn't get Kiba into any unnecessary trouble. But he found it unnerving that they were so determined to flex their power over the very people protecting them.

But those thoughts were quickly pushed aside when he heard that Hinata had made a full recovery and Naruto's heart skipped a beat when he heard her name. He had also learned from Anko herself that she was close friends with Kurenai who led Team 8. The kunoichi told Naruto that Hinata had shown a great deal of improvement in her performance on missions in the last few months although she seemed distracted lately.

Naruto didn't understand why but Anko gave him a funny look when she mentioned that while Iruka coughed awkwardly and the genin heard Harry snickering in the back of his mind.

But more concerningly, when Naruto reluctantly asked about his own team and how they were doing, both his guardians looked nervous.

"Well, uh," the chunin rubbed the back of his neck, "Sakura has been mostly on her own after Kakashi was sent to the hospital. She's been spending most of her time helping Ino with her clan's flower shop from what we've heard. But Sasuke… he erm…"

Naruto cautiously probed further, growing concerned, "Did… something happen?"

Anko sighed and simply said it outright, sounding annoyed, "He's been placed under house arrest ever since he learned his brother Itachi had returned. It happened a few days after you called us on the phone."

"What?!" the genin began shouting, "What happened?! House arrest?! Does that mean he's been arrested?! Why?! What's he done?! Is he okay?!"

Naruto wanted to get louder and demand why no one told him anything sooner. But Harry nudged him hard in the ribs, reminding him that there were other things he had to worry about at the time. So the boy's reaction was somewhat subdued, which probably saved his guardians a headache.

Iruka still sighed at Anko's bluntness and Naruto's reaction, but more so over the situation revolving around the lone Uchiha. He calmed the boy down, quickly raising and lowering his hands, before reiterating that Kakashi's fight with Itachi had occurred before he and Kisame made it to Pleasure Avenue. But what surprised Naruto more was what Sasuke had done shortly after barging his way into Kakashi's apartment.

"Sasuke sprinted out of the village the second he learned Itachi had returned and was after you. No one could stop him or catch up to him for miles. He was being pursued by jounin and ANBU all the way to Pleasure Avenue before Gai-sensei caught him. They had to drag Sasuke all the way back to Konoha."

Naruto listened intently and was shocked. For a moment, he was touched to learn that his teammate had gone to such lengths to help him. But his feelings soured as he wondered what Sasuke was more concerned about at the time: his friend and teammate's safety or seeking revenge on his older brother.

"Shinobi are not permitted to leave the village like he did, even before Danzo took over. We can't come and go as we please like Jiraiya-sama can-seeing as he's one of the Sannin," the chunin informed, "Sasuke put up a fight trying to break free of Gai's grip until he was brought back. In fact, he-" he paused as he glanced at his girlfriend.

Anko looked off to the side uncomfortably as she reached back for the mark on her neck reflexively. Her index finger tracing the seal containing the curse mark as she seemed to stare off at something countless miles away.

Iruka frowned and winced slightly, deciding not to inform his ward of every detail all at once. He would tell him more once things settled back down as close as they could get to normal.

The chunin simply said, "He caused quite a scene and he had to be detained for a while."

Naruto was shocked again, unable to bring himself to say anything.

"Eventually he was incarcerated in his clan's estate by the Torture and Interrogation Force. Sasuke didn't have to go to prison, thankfully," the chunin continued cautiously, "Danzo was… odd about disciplining Sasuke. He clearly wanted to punish him for what he did but didn't seem terribly committed to doing so as harshly as he would have had it been anyone else in Sasuke's position."

Iruka scratched his head, still trying to make sense out of the logic of an old, idiotic madman.

"It was one of the few times Danzo and his supporters didn't see things eye to eye; his supporters were demanding Sasuke be released and remain unpunished. But Danzo kept insisting he deserved a form of punishment," he tried explaining, "They barely compromised by placing him under house arrest," he frowned bitterly, "The civilians on the new Konoha Council briefly pitched a fit when Danzo ordered that Sasuke have several temporary chakra-disrupting seals placed on him, to prevent him from trying to take off all over again."

Naruto only vaguely knew about what happened to shinobi who broke the laws of their lands. Most were often executed as most prisons usually only held the equivalent of Muggle prisoners within their walls; such as bandits, thieves, and murderers among other dangerous and despicable individuals. But that's not to say shinobi prisons didn't exist at all; the few that existed made sure their prisoners had special seals placed on them to stop them from escaping or fighting the guards or fellow inmates.

The thought of Sasuke being caged up like one of those criminals caused a shiver to run down Naruto's spine. He also thought about dementors and turned a shade paler remembering his recent experience with them. The boy then remembered Azkaban and his stomach sank at the thought of being locked up in such a horrible place. He was immensely grateful that his teammate would never be subjected to a torment like that for what he considered to be a minor crime. But his gratefulness and chilling thoughts were brushed aside in anger over how stupid Sasuke was for taking off like he did.

Naruto didn't know what he could or should do in light of that news. So he turned to the chunin, but the young man swiftly held up his hand before he could say anything.

"Ah! I'm going to stop you right there, Sasuke has already been released from his house arrest. He served his sentence, although he's been strangely quiet and barely anyone has seen him around the village outside his clan's estate," he warned his charge before suggesting, "You should see him again sometime soon, alongside Sakura and Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, about to act offended that his guardian would think he'd do anything so drastic. But he closed his mouth and shrugged in acceptance, as he likely would have snuck into the Uchiha estate like he had once before. He also wanted to say something about not wanting to see Kakashi but he was looking forward to seeing Sakura again as he missed her. On the other hand, Naruto was still quite concerned about Sasuke. He couldn't imagine being cooped up in his house for months on end (alone with his thoughts) would have done Sasuke any good.

The only silver lining he could think of about his teammate was that at least he hadn't been locked up in Azkaban.

"Okay," he finally said in acceptance, which caused Iruka and Anko to both breathe a sigh of relief.

But then the boy spoke up again as he glanced at the calendar, squinting to see it better, then he blinked, "I'll talk to baa-chan about him later today," he noticed his guardians' eyes widen before narrowing sharply, thinking he was still determined to disobey them but the boy quickly reiterated, "I have to see her today! For my… follow up check-up, for my…erm…"

He almost reached for the place on his chest where Orochimaru had stabbed him. He stopped himself as his fingers trembled slightly before he hastily sat on his hand.

"I really do have to see her," he explained with a shrug, "Otherwise she'll pitch a fit worse than any civilian council wannabe…"

The couple relaxed again but Anko's eyes and face tensed up for a split second.

She had been informed about the battle outside Tanzaku Quarters. She was disturbed and quietly enraged that her former mentor nearly killed Naruto. A few nights earlier, while he waited for the couple to go to bed, Naruto overheard Anko expressing to Iruka that she wished she would have ripped Orochimaru to pieces for what he did to him.

Her face quickly relaxed as Naruto spoke up again, giving his guardians a knowing look with a slight smile, "I'll… try my best to not do anything stupid."

Anko gave him a quizzical look, "Coming from past experience, I think that's easier said than done."

"Hmmm," the chunin gave him a warning look before he allowed himself to smile too as he playfully but confidently ruffled the boy's thick blonde hair, "I'm sure you'll be fine… for the most part," he added as he knew the looming danger of the former Hokage Candidate, so he firmly added, "Just don't go around town looking for trouble!"

Naruto smirked back at him as his words reminded him of a memory he witnessed in Harry's Pensieve and quoted the older wizard.

"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me," but then he added to the quote as he hadn't missed the fact that he and Harry couldn't seem to avoid trouble ever since they graduated, "Sometimes it feels like trouble goes out of its way to find me."

'Does sometimes feel like that, yeah,' said Harry as he sat back in a chair and reflected as well.

After breakfast tea, Naruto set out about the village on his own.

He had decided days earlier to not revisit his former apartment to drop off his stuff ever again. The boy was determined to never go back to that apartment ever again if he could help it. He and Harry figured it was time to close that chapter on their life for good. There were too many bad memories associated with that apartment building and he saw very little point in using it anymore.

The genin was also worried Danzo might have bugged or even boobytrapped the place in case he ever came back. It was of little consequence to him as he never considered that horrible, lonely flat to ever be his home.

Naruto was concerned as he had no idea where else he could store all of his magical plants and potions. Harry reassured him that his enchanted rucksack was sufficient enough at the moment. But he also mentioned that he should consider looking for another place to store his magic paraphernalia.

The boy shrugged optimistically, 'You know we could always use Extension and Atmospheric Charms on my closet back at home, make a staircase leading down into a lair like I got in my rucksack-only much bigger! Oh, or we could make it a ladder leading down to it from a trunk with a false bottom if we want to hide it a bit better!'

'I can imagine that might surprise Anko in case she stumbles upon it by accident?'

'What would she be looking around my room for? Let alone my closet?'

'Cleaning up your bedroom while you're on a mission? Searching for naughty magazines liberated from the library?'

'OI! I thought we were never going to speak of that again!'

'The look on your face when you saw what was in that book, it was so red, like you ate a whole box of Pepper Imps!'

'Shut up!'

The genin emerged from another alley, blending in with some of the villagers going about their business. He wasn't wearing his signature orange and blue outfit, preferring his more civilian-looking blue shirt, khakis, and navy jacket which matched the color of his headband. It made him feel a bit safer as he navigated the crowds, as barely anyone gave him a second glance without his signature color. But as he made his way across town, Naruto noticed nearly everyone looked so much livelier than when he first returned home over a week earlier.

While the villagers seemed to be able to go about their daily lives peacefully, Naruto somewhat envied them. He didn't wish they suffered as Iruka had described it to him, but the villagers didn't experience the visceral fear and anxiety that still plagued the genin whenever he wasn't at home or invisible.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts quickly and picked up his pace.

He didn't dare stop moving at the moment.

The young genin couldn't see them but he could sense someone was watching him; it wasn't someone noticing him in passing, but actively watching him, following him, spying on him. Harry felt it too as he used his special Revealing Charm and spotted a familiar and very unwelcome presence.

'That ANBU Captain Katsu is here,' he warned Naruto urgently, 'He's following us.'

'Trouble really does go out of its way to find me,' the boy tried not to react but he would have rolled his eyes if the action didn't possibly give away his awareness of the ANBU's presence, 'You don't think he'll try anything, do you?'

'It's very likely he will try to do something, he seems pretty determined and he is Danzo's biggest fan, apparently. Probably heard about that slight you made against him by now and he might want to get back at you for him,' Harry advised, 'Katsu might try to cause a scene or do something drastic or even violent. It is still a transitional period and some incidents can slip through the cracks if someone like him is savvy enough and there's no Sannin in sight to back you up.'

Naruto reassured them both as he smirked confidently, 'I'll lose him.'

'Be careful,' Harry warned back sternly, 'Don't use any magic that might draw too much attention.'

The young wizard allowed himself to smirk slightly as he thought, 'You know me.'

'That's what I'm afraid of,' he replied.

Naruto walked briskly through the crowds. He could sense the ANBU stalking him, but he needed to see for himself. So he 'accidentally' bumped into someone hard enough to briefly spin around. He hastily and passively apologized and caught sight of his pursuer-it was Captain Katsu and he was several yards behind him wearing a cloak to hide his demon mask and standard uniform.

The genin used his small size and speed to wade through the villagers quickly, causing Katsu some struggle. The man was forced to flicker, causing some villagers to gasp in surprise as he seemed to burst into smoke out of nowhere. But no matter what Naruto did or where he went, Katsu managed to stay on his tail.

They played this game for nearly an hour before Naruto got fed up. He was going to be late for his appointment with Tsunade if he didn't shake the ANBU off soon.

He turned a corner into a darker alleyway, peered back around, and took out his wand. He focused on his aim and the amount of magic he needed to make this spell work without causing too much of a scene.

He quietly and softly said, "Ventus!"

Katsu marched down the street but was instantly caught in a sudden strong gust of spiraling wind that nearly threw his hood off. The sudden gust seemed to grow in strength, nearly throwing him off his feet. He let out an annoyed grunt, grasping his hood and forcibly snapping it back down. Katsu didn't notice it when Naruto peered again and quickly used another spell.

He quietly whispered, "Oppugno!"

Katsu's cloak suddenly moved against the wind as if it had a mind of its own, swathing further down his face, blinding him as his hood snapped over the eyes of his unique demon mask. He let out an angry and muffled yell as it felt like his own cloak was attacking him.

The ANBU shouted and cursed, revealing his uniform as the crowds of passing citizens backed out of his way. They were amused to say the least as others openly mocked him when they recognized his mask.

Naruto snickered as it looked like Katsu simply got caught in an unfortunate gust of wind and made a fool of himself. He discreetly slipped his wand back into his sleeve and ventured down the alleyway.

Once out of sight, he Disapparated on the spot. When he reappeared with a sharp rush out of anyone's sight, he was on the other side of the village as he made his way towards the hospital.

But Naruto stopped and suddenly winced as his hand reached for the spot where Orochimaru had stabbed him.

He then tensed up a bit as he vividly remembered how it felt when it happened.

The boy tried to force it out of his mind as he vividly recalled every detail of the vile Sannin's ghostly white and twisted face. He could recall every pore, those weird purple markings around his eyes, and the piercing yellowness of his eyes. Naruto's hand hovered over his chest as he could have sworn he could still feel the impact of Orochimaru's foot from when he kicked him to the ground.

Disapparating as often as he had since he'd returned to Konoha in addition to the recent cat-and-mouse chase with Katsu caused Naruto enough strain to exacerbate his still-healing injury.

The boy needed a moment before continuing, resting against the closest wall as he tried not to think about the fight he barely survived. Harry reached out as Naruto realized he was barely breathing and seemed to snap out of it. The genin reminded himself of where he was as he tried to utilize Occlumency to channel out his worst thoughts.

But there were still two things on his mind which he couldn't deny or ignore:

Their troubles were far from over and Orochimaru was still alive.

He was still out there in the world, possibly plotting another way to kill him and Harry both in revenge. Sure, the Sannin was cursed, but he was still a threat. It would only be a matter of time (the genin feared) before the Sannin could learn how to work around said curse and get to him.

Naruto eventually forced himself to move forward and entered the hospital. He breezed through the lobby, determinedly doing his best not to think about the Sannin or his determined ANBU stalker.

"I better get moving, baa-chan has to go straight back to the Hokage's office once she's done with my check up," Naruto told himself and Harry aloud.

The older wizard nodded and reassured him, picking up on his distressing thoughts, 'Whatever happens next with Orochimaru, we face it together, Naruto.'

Naruto nodded in agreement, all while focusing on his appointment, hoping it wouldn't involve a lot of needles.

He climbed several sets of stairs, navigating through the corridors, avoiding busy nurses and beeping equipment until he made it to the wing where his exam would take place.

Along the way, he then heard a familiar voice, but flinched when he heard them shout out in pain.

'Was that Rock Lee?' he thought.

The genin quietly rushed to the source of the pained shout leading him to a hospital room with a door slightly ajar. Naruto quietly looked inside and saw it was indeed Rock Lee.

Based on the support crutch leaning against the bed across from the older genin, Lee appeared to have struggled to take the top half of his signature green jumpsuit off on his own. It explained the sudden shout of pain Naruto had heard earlier.

"It seems you've still been training despite your previous physician advising you against doing so," a familiar woman's voice chided.

Lee grunted in pain before it sounded like he was forcing a smile when he said, "F-Forgive me, ma'am, but I didn't wish for any of my muscles to atrophy!"

The older genin was sitting with his back facing the door as Naruto snuck in closer to get a better look and listen in. The older genin still had a few bruises and stitches here and there along his muscled back but he looked better than the last time Naruto saw him months ago.

Naruto spotted Might Gai standing behind Lee, probably looking over at his student worriedly. He then saw Tsunade kneeling down close to him as her hands gave off the familiar mystic glow of medical ninjutsu.

"You really should listen to your doctor's orders, young man," the younger genin heard as Tsunade seemed to briefly turn her attention to the jounin, "Sorry I couldn't see your student earlier, Gai. But I managed to slip in an appointment for him before a different follow-up appointment. Although I know my next patient won't mind waiting. He's a tough little boy."

The blonde genin was slightly annoyed by the dismissive comment and rolled his eyes, wishing he were late now.

"It's no problem, Lady Tsunade, sorry for the intrusion," he insisted, sounding desperate but humble as he replied, "Just-please, do whatever you can to fix my pupil!"

Tsunade concentrated as the light intensified before it suddenly vanished. There was a long pause before Gai spoke up again, sounding serious and nervous.

"So? How is he?" he asked.

Tsunade stood up and placed a hand on the older genin's shoulder, "I'm sorry to say this, but… you're not cut out to be a shinobi anymore, Lee."

The genin's breath caught in his throat as he tensed up and shivered at her touch. Naruto's shoulders fell while Gai let out a forced and awkward laugh.

"No need to joke around, Lady Hokage," he tried to forcibly guffaw.

Tsunade shook her head and said gravely, "I sensed numerous bone fragments lodged deep within his vital nerves. He's in no condition to perform any kind of mission as a shinobi."

Lee seemed to freeze in his chair, becoming as still as a statue. But Gai made a sudden move and pointed a finger accusingly at the Sannin as he struck a bombastic pose.

"AH HA! Lee! This woman is an imposter! She's using ninjutsu to pretend to be Lady Tsunade," he shouted, sounding heartbreakingly desperate in his aggressive accusation as he roared and demanded, "You wicked creature! WHO ARE YOU?!"

Tsunade gave Gai a look that quickly shut him up. Not aggressive or threatening, but annoyed, sad, and empathetic. The large muscular man stood up straight and lowered his arm as he felt embarrassed and visibly deflated. He then looked like someone had dunked a bucket of ice water on his head as Lee spoke up.

Naruto almost forgot he was there as he picked up on his voice, which sounded quieter than he'd ever heard him speak but he also sounded shaken as he struggled to get his words out, "D-Don't I have… any chance?"

Tsunade turned her head to look at him and replied, "I'm the only one who can perform the operation you need," she informed him and Naruto perked up quietly, "It's lengthy… and there's a big risk involved."

Gai swallowed, "Risk?"

Tsunade hesitated before she sternly informed Lee and Gai, "The odds of the operation being a success are fifty percent at best. You will die if I fail."

The jounin let out a quiet gasp while Lee froze like a statue again.

The Sannin further added, hoping it might soften the blow, "Even if it were a success, you'll be incapacitated for a long time."

Rock Lee's skin turned a whole shade paler and he started breathing heavier, sweating profusely as he seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack.

Naruto was crestfallen for his older friend and felt ashamed he'd eavesdropped, wishing he'd never listened in. He started to back up and leave them in peace but was quickly forced to use a Disillusionment Charm. Lee had suddenly gotten up with his crutch and made his limping exit without another word.

Lee probably wouldn't have seen Naruto even if he didn't use magic to turn invisible. The older genin looked completely dejected and depressed as he limped down the corridors aimlessly. The younger genin switched his attention back to the adults once Lee limped out of sight and Gai let out a depressed sigh.

"Lee…"

Tsunade spoke up after another pause, sounding remorseful but stern, "I'm painfully aware of how you must feel. But you deserve to know."

The jounin's face screwed up as he closed his eyes, trying to keep his emotions in check as he looked as if he were in pain, devastated, and utterly defeated as he slowly shook his head.

"If I knew it'd be like this, I wouldn't have let you examine him," he said bitterly.

Tsunade wasn't pained by his words outwardly, not taking her eyes off the jounin and simply replied, "Whatever his wish may be, it's better for him to give up being a shinobi… I hate to admit it, I heard you've trained him into a fine genin-" she stopped, realizing and seeing her words were only hurting Gai more, "He'll realize it sooner or later. But the longer it drags out, the harder it'll be on him."

Gai didn't say anything further and Tsunade quietly excused herself. Naruto hastily left before she walked out, heading towards the private examination room.

"Eavesdrop on my private appointments like that ever again, and I'll make you regret it," Tsunade growled sharply like an older sister scolding her younger brother as she pinched Naruto's ear during his physical exam, "Gai was too distracted to sense you but you can't fool me, kiddo. DO NOT repeat anything you overheard in that room again, understand?"

The boy had his shirt and jacket off as he winced painfully. But he didn't put up any whining or resistance as he took the small punishment in earnest. He was feeling too bad for Lee and Gai to be theatrical as the pain barely registered to him. He nodded numbly and Tsunade relented before running her hands over the now barely visible scar tissue where Orochimaru stabbed him with the shard of Kusanagi.

Neither of them had to worry about anyone overhearing them talking about magic when Naruto used protective enchantments on the room to ensure they could speak openly once they got started.

"It's not fair," he replied sadly, as the boy looked away from his injury determinedly as it finally started to fully disappear and the pain gradually faded, "He worked so hard despite everything he'd been through-Lee was born with that handicap-can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. If he… if he hadn't been paired up with Gaara in the preliminary matches-"

"There's no point in dwelling on it now," the kunoichi said abruptly but sadly as she had been brought up to speed about Gaara and the exact circumstances of the Chunin Exams by now, "There's nothing you could have done back then. You had no way of knowing how dangerous that boy was, let alone knowing he was another jinchuuriki until he told you himself. Chances are he probably would have killed you or one of your other friends had he been paired up with anyone else."

Naruto hung his head slightly in response.

"Still, I thought maybe I could help Lee," the genin quietly argued.

"You have helped him. Thanks to you, he has a chance of fully recovering," the Sannin quickly and firmly reminded him before calmly clarifying, "But there's zero guarantee that the operation would be a success. I know what I'm capable of, but like I said and what you overheard, it's fifty-fifty at best, and I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to luck."

Naruto sighed before he dryly chuckled, "If only we had some Liquid Luck…"

He noticed the Sannin's golden eyes shine with intrigue in response.

"But fat chance. That's an extremely tricky potion even for me to brew," he resisted shrugging as he knew Tsunade wasn't done healing him, "It makes Polyjuice Potion look easy in comparison."

The older kunoichi still looked intrigued as her inner gambling-spirit was stirred.

"Are you talking about a Lucky Potion or something?" she questioned, "That's a thing?!"

"Felix Felicis," the genin clarified as he smirked, knowing she would be very interested in such a potion and he couldn't resist flexing his magical knowledge while Harry could already imagine Naruto as a Hogwarts professor-despite his overconfidence, "And yes, it's a potion that can make the drinker temporarily lucky, causing nearly all their tasks to succeed-causing a normal day to become extraordinary," his smirk faltered as he admitted, "The only problem is that I don't think I have all the ingredients needed to make it and it's insanely difficult to brew, like I said. Not to mention drinking too much or too often can be deadly for a number of reasons."

"What ingredients would you need?" she asked curiously.

Naruto could tell she was more curious and concerned about possibly utilizing said potion to aid her patients, particularly Rock Lee. But he knew deep down Tsunade wouldn't say no to using Liquid Luck for gambling if she ever got the chance on her own time. The genin couldn't blame her in any regard as the concept of Liquid Luck was a highly seductive temptation.

"I know you're trying to help my friend and helping Gai-sensei too-thank you for that, but I don't think I can brew any Liquid Luck before Lee makes his decision," he answered honestly as he nonverbally summoned his field guide and turned to the recently reorganized 'Potions' section and read it over, "I could develop my own Ashwinders by leaving a magical fire burning for a while, harvesting their eggs so long as I can contain their flames and the heat, no problem. There's bound to be loads of squill bulbs and common rue somewhere here in the hospital. Probably in some supply cupboard or something. But I don't know if there are any Murtlaps along the closest shorelines, are there? At this time of year?" he questioned as Tsunade's inquisitive and puzzled look gave him the answers he needed, "I don't suppose you have any Occamy egg shells on hand either, do you?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Those are all magical animals, I assume?"

Naruto nodded, turning the pages to the 'Care of Magical Creatures' section and showed her the images of the beasts he mentioned.

"Murtlaps look a lot like rats with tentacle growths on their backs, kinda like a sea anemone, usually found around coastlines. Eating their growths can create resistances to curses and jinxes and help heal injuries once ground down into a liquid," turning the pages, Tsunade's eyes lit up at the enchanted illustration of a serpentine creature with the head of a bird as it flapped its wings and silently cawed, "Occamy eggshells are made of the purest and softest silver, which makes me think simply using some regular shaved silver as a replacement might work-but I seriously doubt it. Silver is an inorganic chemical, but Occamy eggshells are organic as they're literally birthed out of their bodies," he closed his field guide and rested his chin in his hand in thought, "Maybe I could consult with one of Anko's trusted snake summons if she knows any snakes who might know where I can find an Occamy and recycle the used eggshells in their nests if I can track them down. They're bound to know something about a bunch of choranaptyxic bird-like snakes flying around somewhere… assuming they weren't hunted to extinction."

Tsunade shook her head, feeling a slight headache from the expositional word vomit of magical lore.

"Right. I don't know," she replied before forcing Naruto to sit up and let her finish healing his injury, pondering over the situation regarding Lee, "But I might not need a potion to ensure my success in the operation, should Lee decide to go through with it. I can make my own preparations before performing any surgery. Although no matter what, the only person who gets to decide if he goes through with it will be him and no one else. If he chooses to go through with it, I'll accept it. Felix or not.

Naruto felt his stomach sink and reopened his field guide back to the 'Potions' section. He reviewed the ingredient list but then his spirits lowered further when he read aloud.

"Don't suppose you could convince Lee to think about it for six months?" he asked sarcastically before sighing at Tsunade's befuddled expression, "Takes at least that long to brew Liquid Luck."

She sighed through her nose in response.

Naruto frowned, "I should have remembered that part."

He then let out a frustrated but tired sigh himself as he remembered Lee's fight against Gaara.

"It's not fair," he said again quietly, "I just," he paused as he took a moment to figure out what exactly he wanted to say before lowering his head and sadly muttering, "I just don't want Lee to give up on his dream."

He looked down at the floor, looking pained for the older genin as he remembered the preliminary match.

"You should have seen him fighting Gaara. He should have won that fight-he was like a superhero. Lee's kicks and punches were like explosions and he could move so fast I couldn't even see him," he closed his eyes for a moment, "He was born without the ability to use his chakra like everyone else can. But despite all that, he had the most amazing match in the whole Chunin Exams. Lee fought harder than any of the rest of us," he then opened his eyes and looked back up at Tsunade as he looked more determined than desperate, "I can't just stand aside and let all his hard work go to waste when I know I can help him with my magic!"

Tsunade stopped healing him for a moment and raised her hand, much like how Iruka did to him that morning.

"Slow down and take it easy, Mr Hero," both Naruto and Harry's faces began burning up in embarrassment when she said that last part, "Just because you secretly have magic doesn't mean you have to fix every single problem you see," she said with a calm and reasonable voice, "Besides, you've done more than what most of the people of this village deserve and you have enough on your plate already. If you try to save everyone, you might wind up saving nobody in the end."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest but he quickly stopped as she couldn't deny her logic. Not to mention he also picked up on the 'playing hero' habit he shared with (or probably inherited from) Harry. He looked off to the side, clearly embarrassed, until Tsunade gently forced him to look up at her as she kindly smiled at him.

"It's truly wonderful that you want to help your friend and that you wish to do so much good with your magic, Naruto. You're on your way to becoming a good man like you promised," the praise caused Naruto to smile a little bit in return, but the Sannin's expression faltered as she shook her head, "But in regards to Lee… that's not up to you to decide. You can't talk him into delaying the surgery he needs until you could develop a potion that might give him a stronger chance of surviving or give me a stronger chance of ensuring his survival," she then said, "Delaying the inevitable might only cause him more pain in the end. You don't know if you can brew it yet and Lee cannot put his life on hold until you figure it out."

Naruto was starting to understand better now as he felt guilty for suggesting the delay. Tsunade gripped his shoulder gently as she helped reassure him.

"Whatever happens next, whether he chooses to get the surgery or not it's his choice-not yours. You already did enough for him by convincing me to come back and to see him. If it weren't for you, he'd be stuffing his face with useless herbal pills and breaking his body in a vain attempt at getting stronger," she strongly emphasized, "You've helped give him a choice that he must decide on his own."

Naruto closed his eyes and slowly nodded in acceptance.

"Okay," he replied slowly as he looked up at her and said, "I promise I won't say anything to him."

"That's for the best," she nodded, before inspecting Naruto's shoulder, "Trust in Lee's decision. Whatever it may be," she then smirked, "And you really underestimate my ability to heal when I'm focused and determined like the Gryffindor I am."

It took Naruto a while before he realized she'd completely healed his stab wound as he couldn't feel any more pain or tightness. He smiled back up at her before she checked his vitals one last time to wrap up their appointment.

Naruto eventually got fully dressed again before he made his way through the corridors of the hospital alone.

He was a bit reluctant to simply walk outside, suspecting Katsu might have tracked him down. The boy debated on simply Apparating directly into his bedroom or the alley nearby his home, as soon as he found a vacant hospital room. The genin also wondered if he could visit the Sandaime or at least ask Shizune about his condition if she was still in the building.

'I'd probably have better luck visiting Sasuke,' he thought.

He then stopped and facepalmed when he realized he forgot to ask Tsunade about Sasuke. But Naruto wouldn't need to ask her for anything as he relaxed his shoulders, sensing a familiar presence nearby. He turned his head and caught a familiar tint of black, white, and blue followed alongside a strong hint of pink and red as his teammates stumbled into the same corridor as him.

The genin smiled brightly at the sight of Sasuke and Sakura as both his teammates saw him before rapidly approaching him. Naruto opened his mouth and was about to greet them both. That is, until Sasuke suddenly grabbed him, violently slamming his back hard against the closest wall.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" he roared.

Sakura rushed behind him and shouted, "Sasuke-kun! Stop! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Naruto felt the back of his head slam painfully against the wall as he saw stars and let out a shout.

Sasuke's grip tightened, slamming his teammate against the wall again with greater force as he ignored Sakura's pleas to stop. The blonde genin looked into Sasuke's eyes and he was honestly frightened of the look he gave him. Naruto had never seen his teammate give him such a dark and resentful glare as the shadows accentuated his barely contained rage.

In spite of the sudden shock, pain, and fright, the blonde genin was barely able to quip through pained growls, "Hi, Sasuke! You been well?"

"DON'T," he slammed him against the wall again in response as Sakura shrieked and he thundered, "JOKE WITH ME!"

Sakura found her courage and rushed forward, trying desperately to pull her teammate off her friend, "Stop it, Sasuke-kun! You're hurting him!"

"Just when I get out of hospital," the younger genin murmured to himself mostly, "I might get thrown right back in… I haven't even left the hospital yet! That's got to be a new record for me!"

Sakura very nearly broke the Uchiha's fingers as she forcibly removed his hands off her teammate and she actually growled at him.

"GET-OFF-OF-HIM-"

Sasuke aggressively shoved Sakura back, loosening his grip on the younger genin as he shouted, "BACK OFF!"

Naruto snapped back to reality at the sudden violence aimed at his other teammate. He swiftly took the opportunity to slip out of Sasuke's grip, then he shoved the Uchiha back with his improved strength as he resisted the urge to draw his wand on him.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Sasuke?!" he shouted, "And don't you dare shove Sakura-chan like that again!"

Sasuke seethed as he snapped his head back at Naruto, giving him a crazed look. The younger genin froze for a moment as the look on the Uchiha's face and the furious way he breathed eerily reminded him of Orochimaru. But the Uchiha managed to compose himself enough, though he was no less aggressive and intense as soon as he opened his mouth.

"You disappeared four months ago without a trace! The next time anyone heard anything about you they said my brother Itachiwas after you," he growled angrily and hatefully as he nearly spat out his brother's name, "He fought Kakashi and put him in a coma! I didn't waste any time and ran straight for the city they said you were heading to with some old hermit or something! I want to know why that man of all people was after you of all the people in the world! Why was my brother pursuing you?!"

"It wasn't me he was after," the genin replied calmly as he could, choosing his words carefully, "It was something I have and I refused to give it to him and his partner."

Sasuke seemed to remain as close to calm as he could as he stopped shouting and seething. He seemed to be in a reflective state of mind as he muttered to himself.

"Naruto…"

Sakura's hands were shaking as she looked at the Uchiha worriedly. Naruto wished he were a proper Legilimens so that he could know what Sasuke was thinking as he seemed to get angrier by the second, sweat running down his face as he ground his teeth harder and harder.

He then muttered louder, "Is he after that power you displayed back in the Forest of Death? When you lost it and went wild fighting Orochimaru?"

The blonde genin swallowed and decided to answer honestly without telling his teammates too much of the truth, hoping it would at least calm his teammate down and generate sympathy for his plight.

"Yes," he answered quietly but solemnly, "Your brother is working for a shinobi crime thingy-like some kind of gang or syndicate, and I'm one of their targets. I don't know what they want to use me for yet, but it's not good. They tried to kill me."

Sakura let out a shocked gasp as she looked frightened for her friend.

"... Naruto," replied Sasuke as the younger genin noticed he'd had a haircut recently but his black hair was still long and shadowed his face menacingly, "Fight me. Right now."

Sakura was surprised, as was Naruto.

The younger genin at first seemed elated that his 'rival' actually wanted to fight him like he said during the Chunin Exams. It reminded him of the first time Sasuke had wanted to fight him nearly a year ago when their team was first formed. Naruto remembered his teammate wanted to test his own strength after he learned that the blonde genin had defeated Mizuki. But with that in mind, Naruto and Harry were afraid Sasuke would not take no for an answer and that his determination to avenge his clan had escalated into a very unhealthy obsession.

"Now really isn't a good time for that, Sasuke" he tried to firmly urge, "Listen, there is so much effing stuff going on, it'll make your head spin if I tried telling you everything all at once. We need to go someplace private and-"

Sasuke suddenly roared and his black eyes blazed crimson with his Sharingan, "SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!"

He charged towards Naruto like a murderous bull, throwing the first punch in a blind rage. Or at least he tried to as the genin ducked and weaved, letting Sasuke breeze past and over him. He then grabbed and locked his grip on Sasuke's arm. Naruto growled and yelled, using all his strength to swing his teammate's body around before throwing him down the hall.

Sakura gasped in shock and fright again as Sasuke rolled in a heap before barely catching himself, sliding on his feet until he stopped as he angrily glared at his teammate and Naruto glared back.

"NOT HAPPENING!" the blonde genin yelled before taking off down the closest corridor.

Sakura shouted Naruto's name to stop, followed by Sasuke as he took off after him.

The blonde genin wasn't expecting he would be pursued and presumably hunted down by his own teammate. He had no idea what Sasuke had been through in the last four months to make him snap like he did but he knew he had to get him to stop. Naruto doubted simply trying to talk him down would work now (fat load of good that did already) so he figured he'd get some distance before anyone got hurt.

'The roof,' he thought, 'I'll hide behind some laundry and Disapparate! They're always doing laundry up there!'

Harry agreed, figuring Sasuke needed to cool down and the only way to do that would be if Naruto removed himself from the situation.

Naruto ran as fast as he could, utilizing his chakra to speed down the halls for the closest roof access. He couldn't duck into a disused hospital room without risking Sasuke witnessing him Disapparating. The boy needed more cover and to cause as little commotion as possible before the Sandaime's ANBU guards investigated. He spotted a sign indicating roof access and sped off in that direction but he could hear Sasuke's aggressive footsteps following him, sounding louder and closer every passing second.

The genin dared to look back and panicked when he saw Sasuke nearly within arms reach. Naruto panicked and nearly crashed into a nurse wheeling an elderly patient out of their room. Using his improved skills, he barely avoided crashing into them as the nurse screamed, using his chakra to scale the walls and ceiling in a spiral motion.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU BOYS?!" the patient shouted.

Sasuke had been slowed down enough for Naruto to turn another corner towards the stairs at the end of the corridor. That's when he took out his wand spotting a caretaker's supply closet and cast a nonverbal spell on the paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. Naruto then burst through the metal door to the stairs and began ascending.

When the Uchiha sprinted across the caretaker's closet he was taken by surprise as a wall of supplies crashed into him, throwing him off his feet as he rolled and shouted.

Naruto jumped onto the closest handrail and he used another spell as he cried out, "Ascendio!"

His body propelled itself high into the air as if he were flying as he aimed his wand towards the highest handrail. Naruto found the sensation exhilarating as he zoomed past multiple floors, having never had the chance to use that charm until now. It saved him time as the genin spotted the roof access three floors up but gasped as he heard the metal door far below burst open.

He spotted a blur of Sasuke, followed by several rolls of toilet paper. Naruto cursed as he forced himself to get to the roof.

The genin soon burst through the door and cursed again. Nearly all the bed sheets usually brought out to dry on sunnier days had already been collected. Naruto had no cover for him to Disapparate and he was forced to pocket his wand. He then swiftly turned around at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps as the door burst open again and Sasuke confronted him.

"Enough," he growled menacingly, "Nowhere to run now, you loser!"

Naruto frowned at that word, deciding to confront his teammate, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

Sasuke ignored him.

"You'll always be a loser compared to me," he then angrily demanded, "If you want to prove me wrong, then why don't you fight me?!"

Sakura stumbled onto the scene but neither of her teammates looked up to acknowledge her as she watched them from the doorway.

"Stop it," he replied heatedly, though Naruto tried to remain calm as he attempted one last time to make his teammate see reason, "Sasuke, I have no idea what's been happening with you in the months I've been gone. I'm sorry you were placed under house arrest and I know you're angry. But fighting each other is the last thing we need right now! A lot of bad things have been going on that you, Sakura, and I need to talk about!"

The Uchiha looked utterly baffled and insulted as his face continued to twist into anger and frustration.

"What's your deal all of a sudden?!" growled Sasuke, as Naruto noticed he wore his clan's classic genin outfit again but without his white and blue arm warmers or the ones he wore during and after the Third Exam, "I thought you always wanted to fight me, always trying to be so clever, trying pathetically to get ahead of me or prove yourself or whatever! Why won't you fight me now?!"

Naruto replied angrily as he tried to keep his composure, "Now isn't the time, you bloody idiot! If you stop trying to attack me and stop shouting I can actually explain-"

The Uchiha unexpectedly let out a shout of pure, unadulterated anger and frustration before he went off on his teammate.

"You are so goddamn SELFISH! You disappear without a word-without a trace! You ABANDONED our team and didn't show your face for four months! No news! No letter! No note! NOTHING!"

He was seething before he pointed at Naruto accusingly

The blonde genin responded with a quiet look of surprise on his face. But then it slowly dissolved into a look of silent but cold and righteous fury with every word the Uchiha spouted.

"You went off on some idiotic adventure without even thinking about our team! Then the one time you can make up for it, you can't even bring yourself to put up a good fight?! You think you're so funny, witty, and clever with your fancy accent and your stupid perfect blue eyes, thinking you could ever be on the same level as me?! You pathetic loser-"

"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Sasuke immediately stopped and froze, as did Sakura as she let out a surprised gasp and shivered. There was a sharp snap, almost like a whip when Naruto put his foot down and a sudden gust of freezing wind breezed through.

"SELFISH?! SERIOUSLY?! You and Sakura-chan wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me! REMEMBER THE BELL TEST, SASUKE?! I didn't have to stop you from getting expelled so don't you dare lecture me! DON'T YOU DARE!"

Naruto's words and voice had an unnatural amount of weight and power to them. He could barely contain his magic as sparks emitted from the tip of his wand despite not even holding it. Sasuke and Sakura thought they saw sparks but were too distracted to acknowledge them. They could sense the power in their teammate's words but they were harshly reminded of what Naruto had risked and was willing to give up for them during the bell test. It caused the kunoichi to feel a pang a guilt but her dark-haired teammate was not as easily swayed as he stood and glared at the younger genin.

Sasuke's Sharingan eyes continued to blaze as he looked at Naruto warily as well. He had often ignored it or simply dismissed it as a coincidence, but recently the Uchiha began to wonder about his teammate; electric lights, fire, or even the weather seemed to react to Naruto whenever he was particularly angry or emotional. Not to mention the power he witnessed Naruto display when he faced off against Gaara. He couldn't ignore it this time as his teammate's voice had such frightening strength in it that killer intent wasn't capable of. He couldn't explain it but Sasuke stood transfixed as he couldn't help but feel… intimidated by his teammate. Naruto had never given him such an intense glare before as his striking blue eyes made him feel like he was being x-rayed.

"You want to talk about being selfish?" the younger boy dared Sasuke with a sharp edge to his voice, "You want to talk about abandoning our team? Disappearing without a trace? No word, no news, no note or letter? FINE! Let's talk about you and Kakashi-sensei, yeah?!" he emphasized sarcastically, wishing their team leader could hear him as the genin finally stopped bottling up his hurt feelings, "Let's have at it! Let's talk about you two selfish, too-cool-to-care, brooding, arrogant ARSEHOLES!"

Sasuke felt as if he'd been shoved back by some invisible force as Naruto grit his teeth and refused to hold back.

"YOU, Sasuke Uchiha, ABANDONED US FIRST without a second thought alongside our so-called sensei!" he shouted as he struggled to maintain a controlled composure, "We barely survived being attacked by Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, we fought our preliminary matches after all that anyway, and then you two just took off without even telling us?! Your TEAMMATES!"

The boy managed to calm down some but he was no less furious and he sounded more cold.

"Do you have any idea what I was planning before you took off?" he asked as Sasuke's eyebrows twitched at him, "I had to see Jiraiya of the Sannin to fix my chakra control after Orochimaru messed it up-yes, I met one of the other Sannin after the preliminary matches were over," both Sasuke and Sakura looked surprised, as their eyes widened in realization, "I managed to convince him to start training you and me alongside Kakashi-sensei! I wanted us both to be able to win our respective finals matches and to be able to fight each other later, fair and square! So there would be no hard feelings! I convinced one of the effing SANNIN to help us BOTH! He wanted nothing to do with either of us but I managed to convince him and he agreed to help!"

The genin almost lost control again but managed to reign in his emotions before he caused something to explode or erupt in fireworks.

"What did you do?" he challenged before swiftly cutting off his teammate before he could respond or retort, "Kakashi-sensei decided to play favorites, you saw an opportunity, and you went along with it! Sakura-chan and I both heard him when the whole stadium watched you using that new lightning jutsu! He said the reason he took you under his wing is because you're like him! Which makes you his favorite! Some teamwork, huh?!"

Sasuke clenched his jaw while Sakura stared at the Uchiha, looking hurt and expecting him to say something but he said nothing.

"Tell me, Sasuke Uchiha, if you're such a paragon of virtue, why didn't you stop and regroup with us alongside our sensei? So we could know what was happening, so we could decide-as a team-what we could do or how we were going to prepare for the finals?!"

Naruto sharply raised a hand to stop him.

"DON'T answer that, it was r-rhetoric! I'll tell you what you did; you took off with Kakashi-sensei, used your stupid Sharingan together to copy Lee's taijutsu, and then learned some amazing new lightning ninjutsu! Our beloved sensei made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to fight you fairly! I had no chance of beating you if the exams kept going!"

Sasuke smirked cruelly and chose to immaturely mock his teammate to further prove his point, "Aww, are you jealous you didn't get the spotlight all to yourself?"

He immediately stopped and was taken aback when Naruto snapped and screamed at him.

"I WANTED TO LEARN WHO MY FATHER WAS, YOU SELFISH PRICK!" there was so much raw anger and pain in Naruto's voice, it very likely damaged his vocal cords to scream like he did as he pointed at the slightly older genin, "YOU KNEW HOW DESPERATE I WAS TO BECOME A CHUNIN! I TOLD YOU AND TRUSTED YOU AND YOU WRECKED IT! YOU AND KAKASHI-SENSEI BOTH WRECKED IT! YOU'RE A SHITTY TEAMMATE AND A SHITTY FRIEND!"

Sasuke seemed to freeze in shock and remembrance while Sakura jumped at Naruto's sudden outburst before she gave him a pitying look.

"Even if the Chunin Exams were canceled and Danzo ruined all my chances of becoming a chunin, you were willing to take that away from me… for yourself," the blonde genin tried to force back tears he could feel had been welling up since he'd screamed at his teammate, "Just so that you could win-trying to beat everyone else, showing off how much stronger and better you are than everyone else… the oh-so-powerful and superior Sasuke of the Uchiha clan… Because you're so desperate to be the strongest ninja in the room and show off-you would have humiliated me in front of an international audience," he blinked and wiped away any tears that slipped through as he recalled the anger and jealousy he'd felt, "You got to show up late, flickering into the stadium in a cool flurry of leaves, sticking the finger to everyone who bothered showing up on time, showing off your cool new Chidori jutsu thing, good for you! But now I have to wait even longer before I can be allowed to know who my own father was..."

Sasuke seemed to show a sliver of remorse as he averted his gaze but Naruto wasn't done.

"That's why I left without a word. Jiraiya-sensei found me after you arseholes forgot my birthday," that made Sasuke blink while Sakura looked guilty again, "He told me the Professor was dying, but that I could help him and that's what I did," the boy paused for a moment as he wasn't sure when he started referring to the Sannin so formally, but he would be lying if he said he didn't do it out of spite for their masked team leader, "If I hadn't left, as far as I knew, the Hokage was the only one who could reveal the truth about my father to me. As far as I knew… if the Professor died, any record of my father even existing would be lost forever. I had to leave with him: helping Jiraiya-sensei convince Tsunade to come back to save him and kick Danzo out as the Hokage Candidate."

The older genin quashed whatever guilt he felt to glare back at his teammate and remarked, "You couldn't leave a note?"

Naruto snapped at him again as a few more tears managed to slip from his eyes.

"COULDN'T YOU HAVE?! I didn't owe you or our sensei any explanation after neither of you wankers bothered leaving me one," he fired back fiercely, "I know you didn't leave anything because I went to Kakashi-sensei's apartment and I snuck into your place when you disappeared-looking everywhere for you two!"

Sasuke blinked in surprise and then he shouted in outrage, "You went into my clan's estate?!"

"You left me no choice, Sasuke," the younger genin growled as he narrowed his eyes, "You disappeared without a word after the preliminaries. Kakashi-sensei's apartment was empty too, and again no note," he paused and swallowed before he said, "I thought he'd been killed and Orochimaru got to you."

Sasuke looked annoyed and resisted scoffing or rolling his eyes while Naruto balled his hands into fists.

"You led me to believe that something horrible had happened to you both until I learned about your secret training trip! I wasted an entire day I could have spent training looking for you two! And for what?! All so you could beat everyone else in the Chunin Exams and stroke your already massive ego?!" he shouted as his fists shook and his anger boiled over, "Did you know that I followed you both and saw you training together even after the Chunin Exams were over?! You never invited me to tag along even though I tried to do the same for you! You went out of your way to exclude me! Our sensei is supposed to teach all three of us! NOT JUST YOU! I heard what you two said about me as well; calling me an idiot after your sensei refused to teach me anything!"

The Uchiha was surprised again. He knew which instance Naruto was talking about but Sasuke had been so sure Kakashi had given Naruto the slip then. Neither of them had sensed him anywhere nearby when they started training that afternoon. Guilt seemed to etch itself across his face especially when the younger genin spoke up again.

"So tell me, Sasuke, who's the selfish one again?" the younger genin asked but his rival couldn't muster a justifiable response, to which Naruto angrily scoffed, "Figured as much... You know, I expected a lot better from you. The last of the Uchiha clan. You wouldn't expect he'd be such a pathetic twat, but there you are."

Those words and Naruto's drawling tone stuck a cord in Sasuke, but not in a constructive way. Whatever guilt he harbored evaporated before twisting into a long-building resentment. He had always wondered how Naruto was able to keep up with him or be so clever in a pinch. There were even times the younger genin was a better, more capable, resourceful, and stronger shinobi than himself and it infuriated him now more than ever.

He growled threateningly, "Don't you effing talk down to me, Naruto!"

"Or what?" the boy quietly challenged before stepping forward and loudly roared, "OR WHAT, Sasuke?!"

Sasuke and Sakura both flinched back from the unexpected pushback. But the Uchiha's expression grew sharp and a building rage was brewing hotly under his skin, looking ready to boil over and explode at any moment. But the blonde genin wasn't intimidated or apprehensive. Naruto had completely forgotten about talking things out with his teammate and wanted nothing more than to hurt him like Sasuke and Kakashi had hurt him.

On top of that, Naruto mustered his buried hatred of the Uchiha clan he'd been harboring for years. He hadn't forgotten what they'd done to him and he hadn't forgiven them either. He was almost amused by the look on Sasuke's face and he wanted to drag the Uchiha through the mud now that he had the strength and power to fight back. He wanted nothing more in the world at that moment than to have an excuse to punch his teammate in his perfect face as hard as he could.

"Oh, look at him now, there it is again," he taunted, practically salivating for his teammate's reaction as he fought the temptation to reach for and grab his face, "That half-blank, half-apocalyptic look," he felt a thrill seeing the Uchiha's right eyebrow twitch, "There's no stopping him now!"

He decided then and there to give in to his teammate's demands, to teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget.

"Okay, fine, if it's a fight you want, that's exactly what you'll get," the genin said finally, "But I will not go easy on you, Morgana."

Sasuke scoffed at the reference, "What are you smirking about? You think you're Merlin or something?"

"I just can't wait to kick your arse," he replied quietly as he slowly shook his head, "It's been a long time coming."

"You really think you'll beat me?" the Uchiha growled as he narrowed his eyes again, "Sounds like something a loser would say."

Naruto felt a vein on his temple throb at his teammate's arrogance and nearly lost his temper shouting, "You're not the one who defeated Kiba, Neji, Gaara, and Kabuto Yakushi, you effing honking jam rag arcane spunk bubble! I'm tellin' you, I'm gonna put you in the effin' ground too, I promise you!"

"Shut up and bring it already!" the older genin shouted.

His teammate paused to forcibly compose himself and size Sasuke up before he remarked, "I will. But put your headband on first," he then raised two fingers to his face, forming the Seal of Confrontation, "Then salute as I do, unless you'd prefer we bow to each other like in a proper duel. I can wait."

Sasuke arrogantly dismissed Naruto's words and coldly replied, "I don't need it."

"Just put it on," the younger genin quietly but angrily demanded.

The Uchiha pointed at his forehead with his thumb and raised his voice as he arrogantly fired back, "You won't be able to put a scratch on my forehead!"

"Oh yes I could and oh yes I will," promised Naruto calmly before he raised his voice as well, brandishing his headband, "But that's not the point. We fight as equals by saluting and wearing our headbands like proper shinobi. I couldn't bring myself to do it properly when we were in school, but I grew up," he then casually remarked, "Can you say the same for yourself?"

Sasuke furiously shouted back, "Who do you think you are?! You seriously think we're equals?!"

"Yes," the younger genin replied coldly, confidently but seriously as he wasn't referring to the shinobi arts, "I've always been as good as you, Sasuke, two halves of the same coin," he then more aggressively warned him, "You have no idea how powerful I really am!"

The Uchiha shouted, "You're pissing me off, Naruto!"

Naruto fired back at him with the same energy, knowing it would get a rise out of his teammate, "Only because you're such a weak arsehole, Sasuke!"

That set them both off and the two genin burst toward each other at remarkable speeds. Sakura tried to say something but she could only stand in the doorway and watch as her best friends and teammates finally traded blows.

To Be Continued…

Sorry to end it there, everyone! But I will finish the next chapter just as soon as I can! I promise it'll take less time than it took this chapter to get out!

I have to admit that writing Naruto calling out Sasuke here was pretty cathartic to me for this book. But I also wish Naruto had called him and Kakashi out in the source material around this time in the story. At least we got Kakashi eventually starting to make up for it with the Rasen-Shuriken training and later acknowledging his mishandling of their team. Although you can still be pissed off at Kakashi next chapter of this story and enjoy seeing Sasuke get bashed with enchanted cleaning supplies in this one.

Oh yeah, I got to credit this before I forget it: Naruto was singing the lyrics of Day-O by Harry Belafonte. My reasons for choosing that song were obviously influenced by having seen Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at the time of writing. I loved the original movie as a kid and I loved the animated series too. As for my thoughts on the long-overdue sequel, it was a lot of fun too-not as good as the original but a worthy sequel with a wacky climax and I enjoyed it! Now I got to somehow incorporate MacArthur Park in the next book. Harry probably would have heard that song during his time and it's a loaded reference as the original Dumbledore actor Richard Harris sang the original. But we'll see, I'll only do so if it feels right to me and is funny enough.

Anyway, I'll definitely get the next chapter done sooner rather than later as I've been anticipating this fight for a while.

Azeroth44: Seriously?! You're gonna end it there?

K: Well, yeah. But don't worry, like I said, I'll get to it sooner and make it as worthwhile as I can.

AZ44: Words alone aren't gonna cut it!

K: But I'm literally writing words down… ugh, nevermind. I'll get to it. Just don't do anything too… I dunno, Eldrich to delay me any further!

AZ44: Say what now? I was just on the phone with the Esoteric Order of Dagon *cheeky smiles*

K: Wait, does Innsmouth even have a working phone? And I'm not referring to the questionable early 2000s of the Shadow Over Innsmouth adaptation calling itself Dagon, no traditional Imboca greetings here-

AZ44: There's a Spanish old man right behind you.

K: What are you talking about-

Ezequiel from Dagon: ARGHHHHHHHH!

K: ARGHHHHHHHH!