Redemption
Naruto crossover Harry Potter
I've twisted a few things in both Naruto and Harry Potter to suit the story. I hope you all enjoy.
Just in case some readers are unfamiliar with the Naruto world, here are a few terms that might come in useful.
shinobi - ninja
Taijitsu -physical fighting
Genjutsu - illusions and spells
Ninjutsu - stealth skills
Chapter 1: Redemption
In the country of Fire there was a village that some called Leaf and that the villagers themselves called Konohagakure – the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Konohagakure was an impressive village with sturdy buildings three or four levels tall and some estates that were the homes of the more prominent families were surrounded by vast walls. Those estates comprised of multiple houses, training facilities, and several acres of land. The streets were paved and on the exterior of all the buildings pipes and electrical wires could be seen going this way and that - a disarray of modern convenience. The village itself was located deep in an ancient forest that stretched out for many hundreds of miles in all directions. It was from the forest that the village had gotten its name as it was fairly hidden in that forest.
One evening, all of the village – all men, women, and children – gathered together in the massive town square in front of the home of the village leader – the Hokage. It was a momentous time and the crowd, five hundred strong, waited with baited breath, staring up at the stairway that led up to a wide landing just outside the Hokage’s home. The silence was eerie considering the size of the crowd. Even the small children seemed to feel the tension in the air and kept silent and still.
After a time, that tension was nearly vibrating in the air when the Hokage’s door opened and out filed several people. The first out were a boy and a girl who stood to one side with a masked man. Next came two guards in the anbu uniform of black clothes and white masks who stood on either side of the next person to out, a boy, not yet thirteen-years-old.
The crowd exploded, all that tension bursting out at the sight of that boy. There were screams and yelling, foul words and threats. Hate. So much hate thrown at that boy, as if he were a devil come to Earth. He stood there, pale and unmoving, and ignored it all as he stood stiff at attention with his face lowered.
The last to walk onto the landing brought instant silence to the crowd. They stared at her, waiting.
The Hokage of Konohagakure, Tsunade, a legendary shinobi of awesome power, stood tall and proud above the crowed. Her long fair hair hung around her shoulders. Any outsider who had never heard of her might have thought her a pretty woman, but no one who had ever seen her would stop their description of her at that. No, she was powerful and intelligent with a penchant for drinking and gamboling. She was far stronger than she looked and was renowned for her healing skills. So Tsunade stood on the landing outside her home and took a long moment to consider the crowed before her. She had expected them. Of course they would come. Everyone would want to hear her judgment of the boy, Uchiha Sasuke, who had betrayed his village by running away to serve a known criminal and had only been returned to them hours previously.
Tsunade turned from the villagers and faced Sasuke, still standing between the anbu guards. The best of the best, the anbu were the most highly skilled shinobi and were tasked with the most dangerous jobs. That included guarding criminals, such as the boy barely half their size. It made sense – Sasuke was VERY dangerous.
Reluctantly, after the silence had dragged on for far too long, Sasuke looked up and faced the Hokage. Let the people say what they would of him, he was no coward and would face up to what he’d done. Of course it was to be a public affair. That was the only reason that they stood in front of the crowd rather than the more usual private trials.
The Hokage said, in a voice loud and clear enough to be heard by everyone in the crowd, "I have questioned the prisoner.” She paused a moment. “I know what has happened and why. I am prepared to give my verdict. Cell 7,” she gestured briefly to where the boy, the girl, and the masked man stood. “Bravely went out and returned the missing-nin, Uchiha Sasuke, to us. They have begged leniency and wish to have their cellmate returned to them.” There was a chorus of jeering from the people. The Hokage frowned and they all went quiet, again. She turned to Sasuke. “Uchiha Sasuke, last heir to the Uchiha clan, you are guilty of treason against Konohagakure. Your decision to follow Orochimaru, a known missing-nin, the infamous traitor sannin, was a decision based on nothing more than your petty desire for revenge. You did not think about the welfare of the village. You didn't think about the lives of your fellow shinobi. You didn't think about the pain you would cause your own cell. You have proven yourself untrustworthy. Can you defend yourself?"
"I have no defense." Sasuke would not beg. Not when he knew he was in the wrong. His cellmates stood just to the side and he could see them watching him, hopeful and ready to fight. The boy was Naruto with bright blonde hair and his mouth pulled into a thin, unhappy line and his hands were fists at his sides. The girl was Sakura and her hair was pink. She shifted from side-to-side with unease. They were the same age as Sasuke and they had all been classmates before they’d been assigned to be a cell. Behind them, Kakashi-sensei, the adult in command of Cell 7, stood as silent as the grave. Kakashi-sensei’s mask that covered all of his face except one eye hid whatever he was feeling, but that one visible eye narrowed unhappily. Even with all them in his corner, Sasuke would not beg. He had done what he had done and no excuse would change that.
The Hokage put a hand on one hip and scowled at Sasuke. "The loss of your clan at the hands of your brother was a blow to our village. That you would follow him in his way of betrayal puts a damning light on your family."
Sasuke looked up and met her eyes. He stayed silent. She could, and should, kill him. She was more than capable of it. He wouldn't fight. He deserved it.
The Hokage shook her head and spoke more softly, just loudly enough for the people on the landing to hear. "You are an asset to this village, Uchiha. I'm afraid I can't give up on you just yet." She took a deep breath and turned to face the assembled village. "I have decided. Uchiha-san will be allowed to stay. He will not be persecuted. His punishment is in my hands and I will deal with him. You are all dismissed."
Her words didn't go over well. The crowd was angry. They began shouting and waving their fists in the air.
The Hokage stared at the angry crowd until they grew still and silent. When she spoke, her voice was an angry whisper. "Do you defy me?"
No one dared answer. No one was fool enough to try their hand against the village’s legendary warrior.
"Then you will accept my judgment. It is you who elected me Hokage. The Uchiha bloodline is too precious to be lost for a," she glanced at Sasuke meaningfully. "Bad decision that will not be repeated. You are dismissed!"
This time, the crowd obeyed and before long the gathering was gone and only the members of Cell 7 and Tsunade remained. "That wasn't wise," Sasuke told the Hokage. "You can't trust me."
"I don't. But your blood IS too valuable to lose. Killing you would be a waste." Her eyes were hard. "So, this is what you’re going to do. You are going to behave yourself and be a very good little soldier for Konohagakure and you will redeem yourself to the point where I can trust you. You’ll do this because if I ever have even the faintest idea that you're loyalties waver a second time, I will have you executed. You will be listed as a missing-nin and I'll have the anbu searching the world for you and if - IF - you manage to elude them," she leaned over him menacingly. "I'll kill you myself and I will make you hurt before I end you." She turned sharply and strode away.
Sasuke watched her walk away, then lowered his face. He would never earn back the trust he'd once enjoyed. The betrayal was too great.
"Sasuke? Hey, Sasuke." Sakura put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on."
Slowly, Sasuke looked up and met her eyes.
Sakura smiled at him. "You look terrible. You should take a bath and get some of the dirt and sweat off."
Naruto tapped his foot impatiently and shouted that he was hungry. "Come on. Come on! It's been hours since I've eaten and you look like a skeleton, stupid! It's time to eat."
‘It can’t be that easy,’ Sasuke thought, feeling rather dumb. ‘Just act like nothing happened?’
He felt cold all over and somehow lost. He WAS lost. He had been lost since the very moment when he’d made the choice to leave his friends to stand at Orochimaru’s side. How he regretted that choice! He would always regret it and never forget how terrible it had been to be under Orochimaru’s power. He’d wished to leave Orochimaru almost instantly, but the lure of the power he’d hoped to gain had been too much in the beginning and, in the end, Orochimaru had done so much damage that Sasuke was too weak to leave on his own. If it weren’t for his cell and how they’d arrived and carried Sasuke away to the safety of Konohagakure, Sasuke had no doubt that Orochimaru would have broken him beyond repair. Perhaps, he had. Perhaps Sasuke couldn’t be fixed any longer.
Kakashi-sensei moved forward and crossed his arms over his chest. "Time to prove the strength of the Uchiha clan. Start walking."
"I'm tired," Sasuke said, dully. "I'm so tired."
"Walk."
And Sasuke walked. With Sakura and Naruto on either side of him and Kakashi-sensei behind them, Sasuke walked down the stairway leading away from the Hokage’s home and to the street below. Rain started to fall. Sasuke was aware of every drop that hit him, the feel of the cold rain between his toes. He was aware of the people watching, the whispers and glares as he passed by.
"Just walk," Naruto told Sasuke, softly. "They'll stare and whisper. They'll yell at you and they'll try to hurt you. Keep walking. Keep your head up."
If there was one person who knew how to survive the distain of the villagers, it was Naruto who’d endured it his whole life. "I can do this. You don't have to walk with me." Because Sasuke knew that his cell's reputation was damaged by his crime. They would suffer for what Sasuke had done, especially if they chose to show him public support.
"Ah," Kakashi-sensei slapped a hand onto Sasuke's shoulder. "But we have to see that you make it home safely. The Uchiha reputation will protect you from an outright attack, but… why take chances?"
"Home?" Sasuke didn't want to go back to the Uchiha Compound. After his family had been killed, he’d been allowed to live in an apartment far from the Uchiha Compound, but he knew that privilege was likely gone. His previous landlord was unlikely to want him back no matter how much money was offered. But to go back to the Compound… no. Anywhere but there. He'd see them all, again. He'd see the spirits of his family. His grandmother's pleading eyes and his mother's demand that he avenge them. They would know. They'd know he'd failed in the most miserable way. He'd become just as much of a monster as Itachi.
Sasuke shuddered and tried to pull away from Kakashi-sensei's hand. "No. I won't go back." His eyes flew up and, in the distance through the pouring rain, he saw the high walls of the Uchiha Compound near the center of the village. The tall stone walls and narrow windows. The old, gnarled apple tree just barely peeking over the top of the massive wall. Itachi had once climbed that old apple tree to pick an apple for Sasuke and it was that same tree under which Sasuke had seen Itachi kiss his sweetheart for the first time. Itachi had taught Sasuke his first taijutsu in the shade of that tree. "I won't! Please… not there." He would rather go back to the holding room, the prison beneath the Hokage's home, with the rats and the bugs and barred door. Nothing but a bucket to relieve himself and nothing to look at but his shackled feet and his manacled hands.
"You will." Kakashi's voice, like his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, was hard as steel. It made Sasuke stop struggling at once and walk.
It seemed that they walked forever until Naruto gave Sasuke's arm a squeeze. "We're here. Home."
Home, Sasuke saw when he raised his eyes to look, was not the Uchiha Compound. Instead, he had been brought to a very small house like any other ordinary home in Konohagakure. It had a good sized front yard and a fresh coat of white paint. The front door was open and a recognizable figure stood there, surrounded by light from the inside. He stepped out into the rain and smiled down at Sasuke. "Welcome home, Sasuke-kun. I'm glad you've come back safely. I spoke with Kakashi earlier and we agreed that if you were released it would be best for you to have some supervision for a while rather than be left on your own. So you'll be staying with me."
How could anyone stand up to Iruka-sensei's smile? It made Sasuke want to burst into tears with guilt at what he’d done. Instead, Sasuke pulled carefully away from Naruto and Sakura to bow respectfully. "Thank you, sir."
Iruka-sensei shook his head. “Enough of that. Let’s not all stand out here in the rain. You'll catch your death's out there." Iruka-sensei made a welcoming gesture. "All of you come inside and get yourselves warm. I have hot soup and tea. Sakura-kun, you stay, too. Your parents wouldn't thank me for letting you walk home in weather like this."
Sasuke stepped back, away from Iruka-sensei. "I don't want to be a bother, sir."
"Stay where you are,” Iruka-sensei said. “It's all been decided. We have plenty of room. Right, Naruto?"
"Right!" Naruto took hold of Sasuke's arm and tugged at him. "Come on. Get in. I'm soaking!"
Sakura politely refused Iruka-sensei's offer. She was expected home and it wasn't a far walk. She would be by in the morning to visit. Kakashi-sensei also bowed and turned around. He had things to take care of. He, too, would visit later.
Hesitantly, Sasuke allowed himself to be led into Iruka-sensei's home. Almost at once, Naruto hurried into another room. Left alone with Iruka-sensei, Sasuke took a moment to look around. It was a small home, but warm and clean. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all in a single open room. In the living room, there was a woven rug on the wooden floor and paintings of different landscapes on the walls along with a sofa and few chairs gathered around a low table. The dining room was nothing more than a small square table with four chairs. The kitchen was modest; just a stove and oven, a sink and some cabinets. There was a small refrigerator in the corner and a door to the left of the stove. There was the smell of food and smoke from the stove.
It wasn't the first time Sasuke had been in Iruka-sensei's home. The first time had been long ago. He'd been there before - a time he didn't want to remember. A time when he could only smell blood…a time when his brother's soft words echoed in his mind. After Itachi’s betrayal, Iruka-sensei had welcomed Sasuke into his home until a better arrangement was found. Iruka-sensei's home was the same as Sasuke remembered it. The man didn't change much. It had been more than two years since… that time.
“Thank you, sir,” Sasuke said to Iruka-sensei, sincerely. “It’s been a long time since I was here. I won’t be a burden this time.”
“You were never a burden.”
“I was a mess. I couldn’t stop crying.”
“You were a hurt, grieving child. If you hadn’t been a mess, I would have been worried.”
“I thought…” Sasuke hesitated, unsure if he should say anything. “I thought I was a burden to you. People kept coming by and disturbing you just to see me or talk about me. I thought if I was gone they’d leave you alone so I wanted to leave.”
Iruka-sensei wrinkled his nose, as if he smelled something bad. “Yes, well, I had words with our previous Hokage about the wisdom of letting little children live all by themselves. Not that it did any good. Apparently, I’m just a teacher and clearly don’t know what’s best for children. You and Naruto living alone without anyone to look after you… what a foolish notion. And as I said, you were never a burden. Those people should have had better manners than to come around troubling a traumatized child. You are no more a burden than Naruto is.”
Sasuke suddenly wished that the Hokage had listened to Iruka-sensei. He had a sneaking suspicion that things would have turned out very differently if he’d had Iruka-sensei as his guardian for the past two years.
"I'm sorry." Iruka-sensei's eyebrows drew together when he looked at Sasuke. "Whatever you had to go through with Orochimaru, I'm sorry. I'm glad it's over and you're home."
It wasn't over. He was still marked by the curse, three black marks on the side of his neck, and Orochimaru was still on the loose. "Sir, I'm serious. You don't have to trouble yourself for me. I've survived alone this long. I'll manage on my own."
Iruka-sensei shook his head. "Naruto's in the bedroom. I only have two, I'm afraid. You'll have to share with Naruto."
"Share?"
"Yes, share. It’s not big, but you’ll have a safe, warm place to sleep. I’m sorry to say it’s all I can offer you. Are you hungry? As I said, I have food and a hot drink for you."
"No, sir. I want to wash." He’d felt dirty for such a long time.
"I understand." Iruka-sensei looked sad. "You're too skinny, though. You've lost a lot of your muscle."
Had he? Sasuke hadn't noticed. He'd thought that it was Naruto who'd grown. "I'll eat if you want me to."
"No. If you're not hungry right now, that's understandable. But in the morning, you'll have breakfast with us. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Naruto come into the room through the door next to the stove with all his usual energy. He took Sasuke's arm and gave him an encouraging pull. "This way. You can bunk up with me. Iruka told you, didn’t he? He gave me a great room; you’ll like it here. This is the best place to live!" Before pulling Sasuke away, Naruto paused to hug Iruka-sensei. It seemed strange. Sasuke wouldn't have done it. He didn't even like touching other people. Naruto did it so easily, though.
Great the bedroom might have been, but not big. Compared to what Sasuke had been used to at the Uchiha Compound, the bedroom was little more than a closet. There was a little bed and a striped rug on the floor. There was a wooden dresser under the window and a bushy potted plant on the dresser.
"This is…yours?" Sasuke didn't move from the doorway. It didn't look like he thought Naruto's room would look. It was impeccably clean. The floor was swept. There were no dirty clothes thrown on the floor. The bed was neatly made.
Naruto seemed to understand and he laughed, giving Sasuke a poke in the back. "Go on. Get in. Yeah, it's mine. Don't look at me like that. Iruka gave it to me. I'm not about to make it a mess." He kicked off his boots then sat on the bed and stretched out his legs. "Sit. I don't let just anyone in here, you know."
Sasuke sat next to Naruto on the bed. "I thought you had an apartment."
"I did. The old Hokage gave it to me since no one would take me in. It's better here. We'll have to get you a bed. Iruka will make you do chores, but it's not bad. You'll like it here."
"I think the villagers will kill me."
Naruto's easy smile vanished and he scowled at his lap. "You did some awful things."
"I know."
"Come on. I'll show you where you can shower. You smell like a wet dog."
To be continued…
Author’s Note:
I’m very pleased to announce that I am posting an original novel, The Paper Treasure, on Patreon. My name on that site is Mehitable Hatch. There are already a couple of chapters available and I intend to post one chapter a week until The Paper Treasure is finished.
Summary of The Paper Treasure:
In 1665, in the city of Port Royal, Elmore Finch found himself neck-deep in trouble when a broken spyglass put his family in grave danger from a killer who valued it more than life. After a friend, an unrepentant pirate, is accused of murder Elmore goes hunting for the true killer in order to save his friend from swinging on the hangman's noose. During that hunt, Elmore uncovers the secret of the broken spyglass.