Naruto and the Goblet of Fire--Chapter 8
Title: Naruto and the Goblet of Fire
Author: Reidluver
Fandom: Harry Potter, Naruto
Pairing/Characters: (main) Kakashi, Naruto, Gaara, Harry, Ron, Hermione
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Timeline is before Shippuden, during 4th year at Hogwarts
Summary: Unwillingly brought into a strange world, trying to hide your secrets, being there during a tournament that hasn't been held in over a century, and oh, having the most powerful wizard seeking you for your power. Simple? I think not.
Chapter 8: Bitter Rivalries and Taijutsu?
"Next weekend is Hogsmeade," Hermione said at breakfast, in a futile attempt to spark some conversation between the two bickering wizards.
"What's a Hogsmeade?" Naruto asked, ripping off a piece of his pastry and then drowning it in pumpkin juice. He was quite intrigued by the wide variety of food this place offered, and surprisingly found it to be really good, even though there wasn't any ramen.
"A wizard village full of fun shops," Harry said.
"Like Diagon Alley?" Naruto asked. He really enjoyed the place Hagrid had taken them. It reminded him of the marketplace from his dimension but better. There were so many vibrant colors and the shops were full of interesting things the shinobi had never seen before. He was actually sad they had to leave so soon.
"Yeah, only not as big," Hermione said. "There are really great shops, like The Three Broomsticks, Zonko's Gift Shop, The Shrieking Shack . . . "
"You need a parent permission form to go though," Ron said offhandedly. Naruto's face fell.
"Oh," he said slowly. "Then I guess you guys will have to have fun without us."
Ron looked up, startled, and the tips of his ears flushed pink. "Y-You could have Kakashi sign a permission form for you! He's pretty much your guardian, and McGonagall really only wants a signature from your legal guardian," he said in a rush.
"Really? All right! Come on, Gaara," Naruto said as he grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Let's go find Kakashi-sensei right now!"
Gaara choked on his bagel and smacked Naruto's hand away. "He's eating breakfast at the moment," Gaara said once he was able to breathe again. "Wait until we're done. We've got until tomorrow." Naruto nodded sheepishly at the other genin's logic and sat back down to finish his meal.
Ron and Harry smirked then turned to each other like they would normally do, but once their eyes met they quickly looked away, smiles turning to scowls. Hermione sighed and rested her face in her hand, the other playing with her food. She had suddenly lost her appetite.
Once everyone was finished, Harry and Ron quickly left without saying a word to each other. Naruto ran towards Kakashi, while Gaara slowly got up then turned back around and looked at Hermione. He stood there awkwardly, as if he weren't sure how to proceed, then leaned forward.
"Don't worry, Hermione," he said, almost like a whisper. "My older sister and brother fight all the time, but they always get over it."
The girl appeared startled at his voice then looked up at him hopefully. "Really? Well, they've always fought before, but it was over little things. This one has deeper sides to it than any other fight they've had though." She paused and bit her lip. "Did your siblings ever have a fight this long?"
Gaara thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, but from what I've gathered from listening to Ron, it's more about his position in his family than it has to do with Harry. They'll get over it sooner or later."
Hermione gave a weak smile. "I guess so. It's just so frustrating, being the only girl of the group. I've got to keep them together all the time."
The young genin nodded. "So does my sister. She's the oldest of Kankurou and me. When our mother died. . . " Gaara froze. What in the hell was he doing? He never talked about personal issues with anyone before-not even his own siblings or Naruto! Was there something wrong with him? Was this dimension affecting him in some way?
"Gaara?"
He snapped his attention back to Hermione who wore a strange expression on her face. Gaara wasn't really sure what it was supposed to be, but he felt uncomfortable having it directed at him. She looked both . . . sad and happy at the same time. It wasn't an expression the shinobi wasn't used to seeing.
Hermione then seemed to grow hesitant at his silence, then she reached out and lightly touched his hand. Gaara flinched from the contact as if it had burned his skin. This seemed to make Hermione even more saddened, and Gaara realized he was failing horribly at trying to cheer her up.
"My sister Temari had to take over the duties of our mother and she was only five," Gaara said, finding himself rambling to stop Hermione from looking at him like that. "Kankurou was three, and I was just born. She was very strong, raising the two of us, even though we were a handful. You remind me of her, a little," Gaara said, ending softly. Hermione's eyes widened at the last comment.
"Your friends will be fine."
Hermione nodded slowly, then smiled and uttered a quiet thank you.
As Gaara quickly joined Kakashi and Naruto, he felt uneasy. He really wasn't one to give advice or try to cheer someone up like that. To be honest he didn't understand why he even bothered to do so in the first place. Though, he suppose he felt . . . normal here. No one knew what he was or what he had done and if felt . . . nice.
The moment they found out the truth about him though, he knew all the kindness would disappear. But there was no way for that happen, so there was no need to worry.
"Sure, I'll write you both a permission form, Naruto," Kakashi said, pulling Gaara back into the conversation. "I guess I'll be going as well. I've got to keep an eye on Harry."
"Thank you, sensei!" Naruto said. "Come on Gaara, we have to go to class!" The two genin said good-bye to the jounin before heading to Transfiguration.
"So, how're things going with Ron?" Naruto asked casually, his hands placed behind his head in their familiar spot. Gaara shrugged. "Yeah, same here." There was silence for a few moments. "They're acting just like me and Sasuke, sorta," Naruto said.
"And my siblings," Gaara added.
"Ah, well. They'll get over it soon," the blond said with a smile. Then his expression changed. "How do you think things are going back home? I remember seeing Sakura-chan right before we left Konoha hospital . . . What do you think happened?" The redhead shrugged again, becoming lost in his own thoughts about what his siblings were doing.
"How do you think our villages are taking it?" Gaara asked, a small hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Naruto snorted. "Probably jumping for joy, at least the elders are. They will see this as the perfect opportunity to finally be rid of me." Gaara had to agree.
By now they had just entered the Transfiguration classroom and a couple students were staring at them with rapt fascination, listening to their Japanese. The two shinobi were startled for a moment, then realized that apparently the other wizards found their dialect interesting.
"What, never heard a different language before?" Naruto huffed. They were looking at him as if he were some animal at a zoo.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "Meesetir Uzumaki eund Gaara, eetzthyme tue tai cure seetz."
"Eh?" What was she saying? After a few seconds it dawned on Naruto and Gaara. "The spell wore off!" Naruto said. He grabbed Gaara's sleeve. "We have to see Dumbledore-sama right now!"
Just as they were about to leave McGonagall shouted, "Shtope!" The two genin swung around to face her, able to get the idea of what she meant by her raised hand. She gestured to Naruto's Hitai-ate and then at her hand, signaling that they give it to her. The two shinobi quickly took them off and gave it to her, where she performed the same string of words Dumbledore did on their first day there.
"Now, I'm guessing your . . . sensei's has probably worn off as well? Is there a way to find him?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but he's already learned your language and doesn't need the spell." McGonagall was shocked for a moment, but oddly found herself not too surprised.
"Well then, it's time for you two to take your seats."
"Kakashi-senSEI!" Naruto yelled, after spotting the jounin in the Common Room after lunch. "Our translation spells wore off before Transfiguration, but Professor McGonagall fixed it for us! We-?"
The jounin waved them off, and then with a happy yet mischievous tone in his voice, said in an undertone, "While I was with Dumbledore-sama, he told me of an offer for all three of us that I know none of us could refuse . . . "
The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't help but notice that the shinobi appeared to be strangely giddy, with even Gaara slightly distracted. Harry knew that they had left after dinner yesterday to who-knows-where and they still weren't back when he finally went to sleep.
When he asked Naruto about it, he just grinned in his special way and said, "You'll see later on today!"
After lunch, they discovered the reason, or at least part of it. There was a notice that read:
Special Class For all Interested!
Kakashi Hatake and his students will be offering lessons for fighting techniques taught exclusively from their hometown. Anyone interested should report to the castle grounds at 4:00pm. These will be held every consecutive Thursday from this point on.
"Techniques from their hometown?" Hermione read in surprise. Harry starting grinning with an almost uncontrollable excitement.
"Do you think it means they will teach us how to do all that stuff they showed us earlier?" He began fantasizing about being able to clone himself like Naruto did, or be able to control the elements like Gaara.
Noticing his look Hermione sighed. "I'm admit their abilities are unbelievable, but the chances that we will be able to perform them are slim. From what they've said about their chakra, their bodies are structured so that they are able to expel that energy. We can only expel our energy through use of our wands or accidents. I seriously doubt-"
"Don't ruin it, Hermione," Harry sighed. "I just think it would be fun. You said so yourself that their abilities are unbelievable, so maybe they know a way we can do it, too!" Realizing nothing else she could say would convince him otherwise, Hermione simply gave up with a small sigh.
At the appointed time, Harry and Hermione found themselves joined by Neville as well as a fair number of people he knew on the grounds, some even from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. With a pang of anger and regret he spotted Ron a couple feet to his left, surrounded by his brothers and Lee Jordan.
The only thing missing were the teachers. He glanced at his watch. 4:03pm. Where were they? Everyone was gathered near a small podium that was undoubtedly for the purpose of teaching whatever the shinobi had in mind, but they were nowhere in sight.
Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and Kakashi appeared, much to the cries of surprise and wonder of many of the students. Then a billow of sand appeared to his right, and they stared in amazement as it transformed into Gaara, and he was wearing his outfit that he had when he first arrived. As he and the rest of the students eagerly awaited Naruto's entrance, a smirking Malfoy stepped up on the platform on Kakashi's left. Harry and those around him groaned, but then started choking on their own spit when Malfoy did something outrageous.
Malfoy had been standing there with his arms folded, his ever present smirk on his face, and then he held his hand over his mouth. He muttered something incoherent and there was a puff of smoke and. When he pulled his hand away he had the thickest lips anyone had ever seen before; they practically reached down to his chin! As everyone's eyes bulged and some even stopped breathing out of pure shock, Malfoy erupted in a similar puff of smoke like Kakashi and Naruto (in all his bright, orange glory) was standing in his place.
He smirked and took a small bow, which after a brief second of silence was met with explosive applause. Many burst into laughter with tears in their eyes at what they had just witnessed.
"That was better than the boggart Snape in your grandmother's outfit!" Seamus cheered, nudging Neville in the ribs playfully, who was bent over with laughter at the moment.
Naruto grinned happily. He didn't have any special transportation jutsus like Kakashi and Gaara, but he sure knew how to make an entrance.
Gaara and Kakashi just shook their heads slowly. Always keeps you on your toes, Kakashi thought wryly to himself. However, it was time to get started. He took a small step forward and motioned for silence.
"For all of you who came on the pretense of learning these jutsu that we call them," he began, gesturing to the three of them, "I'm sorry to say that you are gravely mistaken. They are secrets known to our village and we have sworn on our lives never to reveal them to outsiders. It seems it's also impossible for your bodies to manipulate your magic that way anyway."
"Told you," Hermione whispered.
"However, your headmaster Dumbledore-sama has given us the permission to hold a taijutsu class." When he was met with confused glances, he sighed and translated, "Taijutsu means hand-to-hand combat." As soon as he stopped talking everyone erupted in excited chatter, willing to overlook the fact that their earlier hopes were dashed.
"Don't you think that would be fun to learn, Harry?" Neville asked timidly since he, Harry, and Seamus had come out of curiosity like the rest of the students.
"Just make sure you don't go using this stuff on Malfoy," Hermione warned. Her mother tone had surfaced and she pointed a finger at Harry. "It will cause more problems than you can handle."
Harry grinned at the image. Malfoy was definitely a possibility, as well as Dudley. He smirked as he imagined his gigantic cousin trying to punch him as he easily blocked him with one slight flick of his wrist.
Kakashi held up his hand, motioning for silence again. Once his command had been carried out, he explained, "Naruto and Gaara will assist me. You will all need a partner, and must take care not to hurt anyone. You and your partner will alternate between attacking and defending. Just in case someone does get hurt, your school nurse is here on guard. Any questions?"
"What's the purpose in learning this?" a snide voice boomed, carrying across the castle grounds. "You're not even from around here, so how can you be certified to teach us?" Harry turned to the voice angrily, wondering why in the world his least favorite person was there. By the grim scowl on the Slytherin's face, Harry could tell the joke Naruto had played had not gone over well.
Kakashi folded his arms and gave a small chuckle, his shoulders moving up and down slightly. Naruto covered his mouth but was unable to contain his laughter so he fell over laughing, clutching his stomach and kicking his feet in the air. That blond brat didn't know who he was dealing with.
Before people could even goggle at Naruto's strange behavior, Kakashi had disappeared, only to reappear behind a startled Malfoy, holding a sharp kunai to his throat.
Once everyone had ceased shrieking at how fast the shinobi had moved, Kakashi turned his attention to the whimpering boy in front of him.
"So you can protect yourself from something like this, brat," he hissed, bringing the kunai closer to Draco's neck. Once he saw the boy understood him, Kakashi released him and returned to the podium as fast as he had left it.
After scanning the group of gaping students, he began, "To answer Draco's first question," he said, holding up a finger, "You all seem to rely too much on your wands in combat, which is part of the reason your headmaster allowed me to teach this class. What would happen if for some reason you lost possession of your wand in the middle of a battle? What would you do? How would you defend yourself? Where I come from, we focus all efforts on learning more than one way to attack and defend. Taijutsu is just one form of combat."
He held up a second finger, and although his face was concealed, many could tell he was grinning mischievously. "To answer his second question, I am more than qualified.
"By the age of 6, I knew over 100 ways to kill a man with my bare hands. By age 14, I became a member of the most powerful organization my village has, the ANBU, which translates into your language as the Assassination Tactics Special Military Force." He paused as realization sunk in.
"Yes, at an age when most of you kids were still sucking your thumbs, I was going on squad or solo assassination missions to protect my village from destruction." Many people gasped and stared up at the man before them in horror. Was he that good?
The copy ninja chuckled happily. Oh how he enjoyed frightening the younger children. "Now, to your training." He turned to Naruto and Gaara, each of who nodded in turn. "To ensure you that what you shall be learning is actually helpful, I will give you a demonstration of how you might be able to use the skills you learn here. Naruto and Gaara will come at me using only taijutsu," he said with a little emphasis, mainly glaring at Naruto who grinned sheepishly. Trust Naruto to let his competitive spirit get the best of him.
Everyone was dead silent as the three shinobi prepared themselves in a defensive position. They had moved from the podium to a large open space to everyone's right and got themselves situated. The only things that moved were the leaves that swayed in the wind. Suddenly Kakashi reached behind him for his weapons pouch. The crowd tensed, wondering what he'd do, while Naruto snorted.
Show off, he muttered to himself.
To everyone's surprise but Naruto's, Kakashi pulled out a small orange book with his left hand and began reading.
"Start."
He's reading a book? Hermione wondered skeptically. He can't be serious. There is no way a person can focus enough attention on reading and defend themself at the same time! The others shared her doubt.
Naruto and Gaara charged, while at the last second splitting off into different directions. Naruto suddenly appeared behind Kakashi and attempted a spinning kick while Kakashi just squatted down to avoid it, still reading.
Meanwhile Gaara came from the left, arm curled in a fist towards the crouching shinobi, who merely stuck out his right hand to catch it, not even looking up. Gaara used the hand Kakashi gripped as leverage, shifted his center of gravity and spun his right leg around to kick him in the face.
Kakashi gripped the fist tighter and then jumped into the air, performing a quick front flip with Gaara still in tow, and as soon as his feet touched ground, Kakashi swung Gaara into Naruto, who had been attempting to sneak up behind him.
Too surprised by what had happened, Naruto wasn't able to move out of the way, and with Gaara having spent too much energy concentrating on subduing the sand's will to break his fall so that he could fight normally, the two genin collided and crashed onto the ground in a big heap.
The students let out a breath they had all been holding. It all happened so fast they almost couldn't tell what happened! That guy had blocked all their attacks without so much as a glance!
Kakashi smiled and looked up from his book. "Over already? I must say you have improved more than the last time we fought Naruto, but not much. I also expected more from you, Gaara of the Desert," he taunted.
Naruto practically threw Gaara off him and stood up angrily, crossing his hands to make a "T."
"I'm going to make you stop reading your pervy book, sensei!" Naruto hollered.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Those who hadn't witnessed what happened in the dungeons gasped in shock and amazement as five clones of Naruto appeared besides him in small puffs of smoke.
The blond leaped into the air, his clones close behind him. "Let's see you defend six of me while reading!"
The jounin sighed. For some reason he was having a vague sense of déjà vu from the first time they engaged in combat. Would Naruto fall for the same trick? he wondered silently as he proceeded to pocket his favorite book. Also, didn't I say to only use taijutsu?
Sure enough Kakashi sensed the presence of another bunshin come behind him, and again, he allowed himself to be caught "by surprise."
In no time at all the other bunshin grasped his legs in a pitiful attempt to hold him down while Naruto came crashing down in front of him, but at the last second Naruto twisted in midair and flung numerous shuriken towards the tree where he knew his sensei was hiding.
Looks like he has improved, Kakashi thought proudly, easily jumping down from the tree out of harms way. However, as soon as he touched the ground, four Gaaras rose up out of the dirt, earth style, surrounding him.
Guess I should actually do some hand-to-hand combat now.
With that, Kakashi prepared himself and blocked, parried, and fended every kick, blow, or punch thrown his way by Gaara's clones. Soon Naruto joined the attacks with his shadow clones, and Kakashi admittedly found himself expending more energy and focus than he originally thought he would have.
However, after a couple minutes of intense fighting, he performed a quick seal as he rolled in midair and in an instant every sand or shadow clone had a clone of himself behind them, a kunai to their throat.
The shinobi slid on the ground, using his hand to support himself, and then stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes composedly. "That'll be enough for today," he said simply. Naruto and Gaara nodded, and soon all three dispelled their clones at once.
Kakashi brought his hand up to his chin and appeared thoughtful. "You guys did pretty well, better than I expected, even if you used ninjutsu when I wanted just taijutsu." (The two shinobi found themselves conveniently distracted by something in the trees) Then he faced the wizards as if nothing had ever happened. "If you work hard, you might be able to last a few seconds in a battle like this. Find a partner and make sure you are all a safe distance away from each other." He paused as everyone carried out his orders.
"Let's begin!"
As everyone walked up to the castle an hour later, many were talking nonstop about what they had witnessed and learned, with many first years practicing some of the moves as they walked, full of energy.
Harry, Hermione, Neville, Seamus, Ron, the twins, and Lee Jordan all stayed behind, eager to speak with the shinobi and congratulate them.
"That was bloody wicked!" Fred exclaimed once they were alone.
"Truly an art," George agreed. He brushed away a false tear.
"I'm coming every week!" Seamus said.
The shinobi smiled, though Gaara just looked slightly pleased. This continued as they made their way to the Great Hall for dinner and throughout the meal. Harry and Ron made sure they were on opposite sides of the shinobi of course.
Needless to say, the shinobi were the most popular people that night. They were bombarded with questions in the common room once dinner was adjourned. Gaara was slightly apprehensive at all the attention, not used to all the grins and pleasant comments being directed at him. As time wore on though he felt more comfortable, if not just due to the fact that people were staying up later, meaning that he had less time being all alone in the Common Room.
Naruto was soaking every compliment thrown his way, having never received much positive attention from his pranks before. There was Konohamaru and his friends, but that was about it.
As Kakashi observed the scene, trying to answer as many questions that were directed at him as kindly as he could, he couldn't be more pleased. Not only were Naruto and Gaara being treated like humans instead of monsters, he had hoped to send a message to whomever he was trailing in protection of Harry that he and his students were not to be reckoned with. He wanted the person to know that they would have to think twice before trying to get in the way of his mission, that they would get possession of Harry over his dead body.
The next morning was slightly less eventful, but Harry's spirits fell as soon as he glanced at the headline article Hermione was doing her best to hide from him.
The Fourth Triwizard Champion?: The Exclusive Interview with The Boy Who Lived
He groaned and realized that this was most likely the first of many uncomfortable and embarrassing situations to come.
I'll kill that woman.
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Author: Reidluver
Fandom: Harry Potter, Naruto
Pairing/Characters: (main) Kakashi, Naruto, Gaara, Harry, Ron, Hermione
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Timeline is before Shippuden, during 4th year at Hogwarts
Summary: Unwillingly brought into a strange world, trying to hide your secrets, being there during a tournament that hasn't been held in over a century, and oh, having the most powerful wizard seeking you for your power. Simple? I think not.
Chapter 8: Bitter Rivalries and Taijutsu?
"Next weekend is Hogsmeade," Hermione said at breakfast, in a futile attempt to spark some conversation between the two bickering wizards.
"What's a Hogsmeade?" Naruto asked, ripping off a piece of his pastry and then drowning it in pumpkin juice. He was quite intrigued by the wide variety of food this place offered, and surprisingly found it to be really good, even though there wasn't any ramen.
"A wizard village full of fun shops," Harry said.
"Like Diagon Alley?" Naruto asked. He really enjoyed the place Hagrid had taken them. It reminded him of the marketplace from his dimension but better. There were so many vibrant colors and the shops were full of interesting things the shinobi had never seen before. He was actually sad they had to leave so soon.
"Yeah, only not as big," Hermione said. "There are really great shops, like The Three Broomsticks, Zonko's Gift Shop, The Shrieking Shack . . . "
"You need a parent permission form to go though," Ron said offhandedly. Naruto's face fell.
"Oh," he said slowly. "Then I guess you guys will have to have fun without us."
Ron looked up, startled, and the tips of his ears flushed pink. "Y-You could have Kakashi sign a permission form for you! He's pretty much your guardian, and McGonagall really only wants a signature from your legal guardian," he said in a rush.
"Really? All right! Come on, Gaara," Naruto said as he grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Let's go find Kakashi-sensei right now!"
Gaara choked on his bagel and smacked Naruto's hand away. "He's eating breakfast at the moment," Gaara said once he was able to breathe again. "Wait until we're done. We've got until tomorrow." Naruto nodded sheepishly at the other genin's logic and sat back down to finish his meal.
Ron and Harry smirked then turned to each other like they would normally do, but once their eyes met they quickly looked away, smiles turning to scowls. Hermione sighed and rested her face in her hand, the other playing with her food. She had suddenly lost her appetite.
Once everyone was finished, Harry and Ron quickly left without saying a word to each other. Naruto ran towards Kakashi, while Gaara slowly got up then turned back around and looked at Hermione. He stood there awkwardly, as if he weren't sure how to proceed, then leaned forward.
"Don't worry, Hermione," he said, almost like a whisper. "My older sister and brother fight all the time, but they always get over it."
The girl appeared startled at his voice then looked up at him hopefully. "Really? Well, they've always fought before, but it was over little things. This one has deeper sides to it than any other fight they've had though." She paused and bit her lip. "Did your siblings ever have a fight this long?"
Gaara thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, but from what I've gathered from listening to Ron, it's more about his position in his family than it has to do with Harry. They'll get over it sooner or later."
Hermione gave a weak smile. "I guess so. It's just so frustrating, being the only girl of the group. I've got to keep them together all the time."
The young genin nodded. "So does my sister. She's the oldest of Kankurou and me. When our mother died. . . " Gaara froze. What in the hell was he doing? He never talked about personal issues with anyone before-not even his own siblings or Naruto! Was there something wrong with him? Was this dimension affecting him in some way?
"Gaara?"
He snapped his attention back to Hermione who wore a strange expression on her face. Gaara wasn't really sure what it was supposed to be, but he felt uncomfortable having it directed at him. She looked both . . . sad and happy at the same time. It wasn't an expression the shinobi wasn't used to seeing.
Hermione then seemed to grow hesitant at his silence, then she reached out and lightly touched his hand. Gaara flinched from the contact as if it had burned his skin. This seemed to make Hermione even more saddened, and Gaara realized he was failing horribly at trying to cheer her up.
"My sister Temari had to take over the duties of our mother and she was only five," Gaara said, finding himself rambling to stop Hermione from looking at him like that. "Kankurou was three, and I was just born. She was very strong, raising the two of us, even though we were a handful. You remind me of her, a little," Gaara said, ending softly. Hermione's eyes widened at the last comment.
"Your friends will be fine."
Hermione nodded slowly, then smiled and uttered a quiet thank you.
As Gaara quickly joined Kakashi and Naruto, he felt uneasy. He really wasn't one to give advice or try to cheer someone up like that. To be honest he didn't understand why he even bothered to do so in the first place. Though, he suppose he felt . . . normal here. No one knew what he was or what he had done and if felt . . . nice.
The moment they found out the truth about him though, he knew all the kindness would disappear. But there was no way for that happen, so there was no need to worry.
"Sure, I'll write you both a permission form, Naruto," Kakashi said, pulling Gaara back into the conversation. "I guess I'll be going as well. I've got to keep an eye on Harry."
"Thank you, sensei!" Naruto said. "Come on Gaara, we have to go to class!" The two genin said good-bye to the jounin before heading to Transfiguration.
"So, how're things going with Ron?" Naruto asked casually, his hands placed behind his head in their familiar spot. Gaara shrugged. "Yeah, same here." There was silence for a few moments. "They're acting just like me and Sasuke, sorta," Naruto said.
"And my siblings," Gaara added.
"Ah, well. They'll get over it soon," the blond said with a smile. Then his expression changed. "How do you think things are going back home? I remember seeing Sakura-chan right before we left Konoha hospital . . . What do you think happened?" The redhead shrugged again, becoming lost in his own thoughts about what his siblings were doing.
"How do you think our villages are taking it?" Gaara asked, a small hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Naruto snorted. "Probably jumping for joy, at least the elders are. They will see this as the perfect opportunity to finally be rid of me." Gaara had to agree.
By now they had just entered the Transfiguration classroom and a couple students were staring at them with rapt fascination, listening to their Japanese. The two shinobi were startled for a moment, then realized that apparently the other wizards found their dialect interesting.
"What, never heard a different language before?" Naruto huffed. They were looking at him as if he were some animal at a zoo.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "Meesetir Uzumaki eund Gaara, eetzthyme tue tai cure seetz."
"Eh?" What was she saying? After a few seconds it dawned on Naruto and Gaara. "The spell wore off!" Naruto said. He grabbed Gaara's sleeve. "We have to see Dumbledore-sama right now!"
Just as they were about to leave McGonagall shouted, "Shtope!" The two genin swung around to face her, able to get the idea of what she meant by her raised hand. She gestured to Naruto's Hitai-ate and then at her hand, signaling that they give it to her. The two shinobi quickly took them off and gave it to her, where she performed the same string of words Dumbledore did on their first day there.
"Now, I'm guessing your . . . sensei's has probably worn off as well? Is there a way to find him?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but he's already learned your language and doesn't need the spell." McGonagall was shocked for a moment, but oddly found herself not too surprised.
"Well then, it's time for you two to take your seats."
"Kakashi-senSEI!" Naruto yelled, after spotting the jounin in the Common Room after lunch. "Our translation spells wore off before Transfiguration, but Professor McGonagall fixed it for us! We-?"
The jounin waved them off, and then with a happy yet mischievous tone in his voice, said in an undertone, "While I was with Dumbledore-sama, he told me of an offer for all three of us that I know none of us could refuse . . . "
The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't help but notice that the shinobi appeared to be strangely giddy, with even Gaara slightly distracted. Harry knew that they had left after dinner yesterday to who-knows-where and they still weren't back when he finally went to sleep.
When he asked Naruto about it, he just grinned in his special way and said, "You'll see later on today!"
After lunch, they discovered the reason, or at least part of it. There was a notice that read:
Special Class For all Interested!
Kakashi Hatake and his students will be offering lessons for fighting techniques taught exclusively from their hometown. Anyone interested should report to the castle grounds at 4:00pm. These will be held every consecutive Thursday from this point on.
"Techniques from their hometown?" Hermione read in surprise. Harry starting grinning with an almost uncontrollable excitement.
"Do you think it means they will teach us how to do all that stuff they showed us earlier?" He began fantasizing about being able to clone himself like Naruto did, or be able to control the elements like Gaara.
Noticing his look Hermione sighed. "I'm admit their abilities are unbelievable, but the chances that we will be able to perform them are slim. From what they've said about their chakra, their bodies are structured so that they are able to expel that energy. We can only expel our energy through use of our wands or accidents. I seriously doubt-"
"Don't ruin it, Hermione," Harry sighed. "I just think it would be fun. You said so yourself that their abilities are unbelievable, so maybe they know a way we can do it, too!" Realizing nothing else she could say would convince him otherwise, Hermione simply gave up with a small sigh.
At the appointed time, Harry and Hermione found themselves joined by Neville as well as a fair number of people he knew on the grounds, some even from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. With a pang of anger and regret he spotted Ron a couple feet to his left, surrounded by his brothers and Lee Jordan.
The only thing missing were the teachers. He glanced at his watch. 4:03pm. Where were they? Everyone was gathered near a small podium that was undoubtedly for the purpose of teaching whatever the shinobi had in mind, but they were nowhere in sight.
Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and Kakashi appeared, much to the cries of surprise and wonder of many of the students. Then a billow of sand appeared to his right, and they stared in amazement as it transformed into Gaara, and he was wearing his outfit that he had when he first arrived. As he and the rest of the students eagerly awaited Naruto's entrance, a smirking Malfoy stepped up on the platform on Kakashi's left. Harry and those around him groaned, but then started choking on their own spit when Malfoy did something outrageous.
Malfoy had been standing there with his arms folded, his ever present smirk on his face, and then he held his hand over his mouth. He muttered something incoherent and there was a puff of smoke and. When he pulled his hand away he had the thickest lips anyone had ever seen before; they practically reached down to his chin! As everyone's eyes bulged and some even stopped breathing out of pure shock, Malfoy erupted in a similar puff of smoke like Kakashi and Naruto (in all his bright, orange glory) was standing in his place.
He smirked and took a small bow, which after a brief second of silence was met with explosive applause. Many burst into laughter with tears in their eyes at what they had just witnessed.
"That was better than the boggart Snape in your grandmother's outfit!" Seamus cheered, nudging Neville in the ribs playfully, who was bent over with laughter at the moment.
Naruto grinned happily. He didn't have any special transportation jutsus like Kakashi and Gaara, but he sure knew how to make an entrance.
Gaara and Kakashi just shook their heads slowly. Always keeps you on your toes, Kakashi thought wryly to himself. However, it was time to get started. He took a small step forward and motioned for silence.
"For all of you who came on the pretense of learning these jutsu that we call them," he began, gesturing to the three of them, "I'm sorry to say that you are gravely mistaken. They are secrets known to our village and we have sworn on our lives never to reveal them to outsiders. It seems it's also impossible for your bodies to manipulate your magic that way anyway."
"Told you," Hermione whispered.
"However, your headmaster Dumbledore-sama has given us the permission to hold a taijutsu class." When he was met with confused glances, he sighed and translated, "Taijutsu means hand-to-hand combat." As soon as he stopped talking everyone erupted in excited chatter, willing to overlook the fact that their earlier hopes were dashed.
"Don't you think that would be fun to learn, Harry?" Neville asked timidly since he, Harry, and Seamus had come out of curiosity like the rest of the students.
"Just make sure you don't go using this stuff on Malfoy," Hermione warned. Her mother tone had surfaced and she pointed a finger at Harry. "It will cause more problems than you can handle."
Harry grinned at the image. Malfoy was definitely a possibility, as well as Dudley. He smirked as he imagined his gigantic cousin trying to punch him as he easily blocked him with one slight flick of his wrist.
Kakashi held up his hand, motioning for silence again. Once his command had been carried out, he explained, "Naruto and Gaara will assist me. You will all need a partner, and must take care not to hurt anyone. You and your partner will alternate between attacking and defending. Just in case someone does get hurt, your school nurse is here on guard. Any questions?"
"What's the purpose in learning this?" a snide voice boomed, carrying across the castle grounds. "You're not even from around here, so how can you be certified to teach us?" Harry turned to the voice angrily, wondering why in the world his least favorite person was there. By the grim scowl on the Slytherin's face, Harry could tell the joke Naruto had played had not gone over well.
Kakashi folded his arms and gave a small chuckle, his shoulders moving up and down slightly. Naruto covered his mouth but was unable to contain his laughter so he fell over laughing, clutching his stomach and kicking his feet in the air. That blond brat didn't know who he was dealing with.
Before people could even goggle at Naruto's strange behavior, Kakashi had disappeared, only to reappear behind a startled Malfoy, holding a sharp kunai to his throat.
Once everyone had ceased shrieking at how fast the shinobi had moved, Kakashi turned his attention to the whimpering boy in front of him.
"So you can protect yourself from something like this, brat," he hissed, bringing the kunai closer to Draco's neck. Once he saw the boy understood him, Kakashi released him and returned to the podium as fast as he had left it.
After scanning the group of gaping students, he began, "To answer Draco's first question," he said, holding up a finger, "You all seem to rely too much on your wands in combat, which is part of the reason your headmaster allowed me to teach this class. What would happen if for some reason you lost possession of your wand in the middle of a battle? What would you do? How would you defend yourself? Where I come from, we focus all efforts on learning more than one way to attack and defend. Taijutsu is just one form of combat."
He held up a second finger, and although his face was concealed, many could tell he was grinning mischievously. "To answer his second question, I am more than qualified.
"By the age of 6, I knew over 100 ways to kill a man with my bare hands. By age 14, I became a member of the most powerful organization my village has, the ANBU, which translates into your language as the Assassination Tactics Special Military Force." He paused as realization sunk in.
"Yes, at an age when most of you kids were still sucking your thumbs, I was going on squad or solo assassination missions to protect my village from destruction." Many people gasped and stared up at the man before them in horror. Was he that good?
The copy ninja chuckled happily. Oh how he enjoyed frightening the younger children. "Now, to your training." He turned to Naruto and Gaara, each of who nodded in turn. "To ensure you that what you shall be learning is actually helpful, I will give you a demonstration of how you might be able to use the skills you learn here. Naruto and Gaara will come at me using only taijutsu," he said with a little emphasis, mainly glaring at Naruto who grinned sheepishly. Trust Naruto to let his competitive spirit get the best of him.
Everyone was dead silent as the three shinobi prepared themselves in a defensive position. They had moved from the podium to a large open space to everyone's right and got themselves situated. The only things that moved were the leaves that swayed in the wind. Suddenly Kakashi reached behind him for his weapons pouch. The crowd tensed, wondering what he'd do, while Naruto snorted.
Show off, he muttered to himself.
To everyone's surprise but Naruto's, Kakashi pulled out a small orange book with his left hand and began reading.
"Start."
He's reading a book? Hermione wondered skeptically. He can't be serious. There is no way a person can focus enough attention on reading and defend themself at the same time! The others shared her doubt.
Naruto and Gaara charged, while at the last second splitting off into different directions. Naruto suddenly appeared behind Kakashi and attempted a spinning kick while Kakashi just squatted down to avoid it, still reading.
Meanwhile Gaara came from the left, arm curled in a fist towards the crouching shinobi, who merely stuck out his right hand to catch it, not even looking up. Gaara used the hand Kakashi gripped as leverage, shifted his center of gravity and spun his right leg around to kick him in the face.
Kakashi gripped the fist tighter and then jumped into the air, performing a quick front flip with Gaara still in tow, and as soon as his feet touched ground, Kakashi swung Gaara into Naruto, who had been attempting to sneak up behind him.
Too surprised by what had happened, Naruto wasn't able to move out of the way, and with Gaara having spent too much energy concentrating on subduing the sand's will to break his fall so that he could fight normally, the two genin collided and crashed onto the ground in a big heap.
The students let out a breath they had all been holding. It all happened so fast they almost couldn't tell what happened! That guy had blocked all their attacks without so much as a glance!
Kakashi smiled and looked up from his book. "Over already? I must say you have improved more than the last time we fought Naruto, but not much. I also expected more from you, Gaara of the Desert," he taunted.
Naruto practically threw Gaara off him and stood up angrily, crossing his hands to make a "T."
"I'm going to make you stop reading your pervy book, sensei!" Naruto hollered.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Those who hadn't witnessed what happened in the dungeons gasped in shock and amazement as five clones of Naruto appeared besides him in small puffs of smoke.
The blond leaped into the air, his clones close behind him. "Let's see you defend six of me while reading!"
The jounin sighed. For some reason he was having a vague sense of déjà vu from the first time they engaged in combat. Would Naruto fall for the same trick? he wondered silently as he proceeded to pocket his favorite book. Also, didn't I say to only use taijutsu?
Sure enough Kakashi sensed the presence of another bunshin come behind him, and again, he allowed himself to be caught "by surprise."
In no time at all the other bunshin grasped his legs in a pitiful attempt to hold him down while Naruto came crashing down in front of him, but at the last second Naruto twisted in midair and flung numerous shuriken towards the tree where he knew his sensei was hiding.
Looks like he has improved, Kakashi thought proudly, easily jumping down from the tree out of harms way. However, as soon as he touched the ground, four Gaaras rose up out of the dirt, earth style, surrounding him.
Guess I should actually do some hand-to-hand combat now.
With that, Kakashi prepared himself and blocked, parried, and fended every kick, blow, or punch thrown his way by Gaara's clones. Soon Naruto joined the attacks with his shadow clones, and Kakashi admittedly found himself expending more energy and focus than he originally thought he would have.
However, after a couple minutes of intense fighting, he performed a quick seal as he rolled in midair and in an instant every sand or shadow clone had a clone of himself behind them, a kunai to their throat.
The shinobi slid on the ground, using his hand to support himself, and then stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes composedly. "That'll be enough for today," he said simply. Naruto and Gaara nodded, and soon all three dispelled their clones at once.
Kakashi brought his hand up to his chin and appeared thoughtful. "You guys did pretty well, better than I expected, even if you used ninjutsu when I wanted just taijutsu." (The two shinobi found themselves conveniently distracted by something in the trees) Then he faced the wizards as if nothing had ever happened. "If you work hard, you might be able to last a few seconds in a battle like this. Find a partner and make sure you are all a safe distance away from each other." He paused as everyone carried out his orders.
"Let's begin!"
As everyone walked up to the castle an hour later, many were talking nonstop about what they had witnessed and learned, with many first years practicing some of the moves as they walked, full of energy.
Harry, Hermione, Neville, Seamus, Ron, the twins, and Lee Jordan all stayed behind, eager to speak with the shinobi and congratulate them.
"That was bloody wicked!" Fred exclaimed once they were alone.
"Truly an art," George agreed. He brushed away a false tear.
"I'm coming every week!" Seamus said.
The shinobi smiled, though Gaara just looked slightly pleased. This continued as they made their way to the Great Hall for dinner and throughout the meal. Harry and Ron made sure they were on opposite sides of the shinobi of course.
Needless to say, the shinobi were the most popular people that night. They were bombarded with questions in the common room once dinner was adjourned. Gaara was slightly apprehensive at all the attention, not used to all the grins and pleasant comments being directed at him. As time wore on though he felt more comfortable, if not just due to the fact that people were staying up later, meaning that he had less time being all alone in the Common Room.
Naruto was soaking every compliment thrown his way, having never received much positive attention from his pranks before. There was Konohamaru and his friends, but that was about it.
As Kakashi observed the scene, trying to answer as many questions that were directed at him as kindly as he could, he couldn't be more pleased. Not only were Naruto and Gaara being treated like humans instead of monsters, he had hoped to send a message to whomever he was trailing in protection of Harry that he and his students were not to be reckoned with. He wanted the person to know that they would have to think twice before trying to get in the way of his mission, that they would get possession of Harry over his dead body.
The next morning was slightly less eventful, but Harry's spirits fell as soon as he glanced at the headline article Hermione was doing her best to hide from him.
The Fourth Triwizard Champion?: The Exclusive Interview with The Boy Who Lived
He groaned and realized that this was most likely the first of many uncomfortable and embarrassing situations to come.
I'll kill that woman.
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