WARNING: What the hell's wrong with Fanfiction? I can't even access this,... am I the only one who had the error yesterday? I couldn't even access my login page,... Anyway, if you have read this chapter already, skip it, I just reposted it.

Redemption

Summary: After losing everyone, Harry knew that he was no longer needed and now wants to rest. What he didn't expect was for him to be transported into another world. HP/Naruto crossover.

…R…

A windy breeze brushed past the city of Konoha with its citizens just continuing their daily lives. It was a sight of stillness and normality, but the same couldn't be said in the Shindeiru compound.

The guards, helpers, members and even the animals that resided in the compound were unusually quiet. They didn't dare make a sound in fear of being the center of attention.

In the main house of the compound, a room was currently occupied by a man and a child. The man looked like around his early thirties, with his midnight black hair that flowed just past his shoulders, stormy grey eyes that can seemingly pierce right through your soul, a muscular yet slim body that seemingly held a lot of restrained strength and a strict face that could also be gentle at times.

The boy kept his head down as he did not want to see the disappointment that filled in his father's eyes whilst the man pinned down his son with his gaze.

The man stared hard at his son for a moment before he sighed.

"Why?"

The boy flinched at the tone of disappointment filled through his father's voice.

"Why did you do that?" repeated Saieki, tone becoming hard. "Didn't you know that what you had done is such a reckless thing to do?"

"O-Otou-sama-"

"You should not have done that." interrupted Saieki, tone rising as a slight of his temper escaped from his control. "Did you not know how worried the people were with your sudden disappearance? Did you not care about the guards who were frantically searching for you, thinking that you have been abducted? Did you not care about other people's feelings, by just recklessly going out there with neither the consent nor the approval of your elders! Doing all of those things just to satisfy your own needs!"

Yuki kept silent, he grasped his knees and closed his eyes tightly.

"Aren't you ashamed of your actions." grunted Saeki, coldly. "I gave you all the things that you needed and yet this is the way you repay me."

"Otou-"

"Silence!" ordered Saieki, breathing hard, trying to contain his emotions back in check. He immediately regretted his earlier outburst as he saw the pained look in his son's face.

A tense silence had passed as the tension grew even thicker in the air.

"You may go."

Without saying another word, Yuki bowed respectively to his father before silently trekking out of the room.

As the door slowly slid shut, Saieki felt the emotions he was desperately keeping get loose. He felt guilty for what he did, especially the unforgivable words that he unfairly said to his son. He did not mean to snap like that but he just couldn't control himself with all the worry, anger and fear that he had experienced the moment he heard that his son was missing.

He knew what his son was experiencing at this stage of his life for he too had been a victim of the tight hold the clan had given him when he was around Yuki's age.

True, he disliked those particular events in his life.

It was suffocating, especially when he had shown signs that made him worthy of the clan's attention. Eventually, it had gotten worse when he had been made one of the Shindeiru clan's potential heirs. Unlike the other clans in Konoha, this clan valued the strong above anything else, only the most powerful and respectable member of the Shindeiru had the privilege to lead their clan to greatness, so to speak.

There was always someone following him, like the personal handmaids that was always there if need be, or the guards that was around every corner everywhere he turned. The same goes with the amount of free time he was restricted to, that is if you could call 'meditating in order to hone his chakra' free time.

Hell, they even expected him to understand difficult and inane subjects, like politics, philosophy, science, and the inner workings of chakra especially its three main divisions – Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu – not to mention that he was only five years old at that time.

Yes.

Saieki knew that Yuki felt pressured.

The child was practically infamous in the Village of Konoha.

The people particularly loved to call him Godsent. All the attention that Yuki got had its own advantages and disadvantages. The good side was that he was very well known, there were people who were always there for him if faced in danger and, as much as he hated it, it was also a boost to the Shindeiru Clan's image and popularity.

Although, it was disgusting that the other members of the clan were using his son's image to the people for their own selfish benefits.

However, the bad side was the fact that he was also very well known, leading to several abduction and/or assassination attempts from various individuals whom were envious of the child's power, status and popularity.

It didn't help that Yuki was his child.

His protégé.

His weakness.

Or so, his enemies would like to believe.

Even now, Saieki couldn't forget that cold winter night years ago.

When he almost failed to protect his son from the malicious intent of his enemies.

Alas, it came as a harsh surprise that it was Yuki who delivered judgment to those people.

Saieki couldn't even fathom what happened inside those chambers that led to the severe disfigurement of those full grown and battle worn shinobi.

Saieki sighed tiredly, lightly shaking his head to disrupt those thoughts of his.

It wouldn't do to dwell on the past.

He turned to the situation at hand.

Yuki was most likely suffocating under all of the attention that he kept on getting now, that was probably why he acted so rashly as to go outside the compound with no guard whatsoever. Saieki knew all of that and he honestly understood the situation but he couldn't get over the fact that anything could have happened to Yuki in those hours when he remained unprotected.

That was why he felt so angry and worried until he could no longer control himself as he suddenly lashed out to his son.

Sighing tiredly, he dazed off as he remembered the seemingly one-sided conversation that they had earlier. He really shouldn't have taken his anger out to his son out like that. However, the child also needed to realize that what he did was wrong.

He sighed for the umpteenth time.

This Parenting business wasn't really going well for him.

He was getting too old for this.

"Was it the right thing to do?" Saieki asked, all the while gazing ahead at the empty space in front of him. "Am I too hard on him?"

A man silently stepped out of the shadows behind him, not the least bit surprised that Saieki knew that he was there all along.

"You did the right thing," The man said, placing a comforting hand at Saieki's shoulder. "At least, just give him some time and space, enough for him to think about his actions, and I think you may need it as well." The man added as he saw the weary look that Saieki wore on his face.

"I hope you're right." said Saieki, relaxing at the comforting presence that his companion seemed to grace him.

Saieki turned his head to the side to look at the warm brown eyes gazing at him.

"I hope you're right." repeated Saieki, smiling tiredly.

…R…

Yuki went to the garden hoping to catch a breeze to help calm his nerves. He stared serenely at the pond that was full of beautiful lilies, with the occasional fish leaping in the surface.

His hand gently grazed a young plant that was located beside the pond, and watched as stems of said plant grew and encircled his hand, its newly sprouted leaves tickling him a little.

Plants had always seemed to calm him down.

For some reason, he appeared to have a talent in controlling the elements that he possessed, and yes, elements.

It was deemed nearly impossible for an individual or even for a member of the clan, per say, to possess more than one element. Only the ones who had enough power could possibly contain more than one element, just like his father, Shindeiru Saieki.

His mood turned sour as he thought of his father. Yuki gently let the plant go; it wouldn't do to hurt the little thing.

His mind relayed what happened earlier that day that eventually placed him in this situation. He had sneaked out of the compound for awhile to taste just a bit of freedom when he stumbled upon a group beating a kid no older than himself.

He could still remember the rage he felt when he saw them beating that boy in sadistic humor. It literally sent him over the edge. Two years worth of training to have a calm mind and behavior were dashed off.

He also clearly remembered the feeling that he had experienced when he blasted the group away from the boy.

..

That power.

..

Yuki stared at his hand, curiosity burning inside his chest.

When he had used that power, the strangest of emotions had dwelled upon him.

He felt exhilaration.

He felt despair.

He felt ecstasy.

He felt rage.

But most of all.

He felt Freedom.

It was like he was able to find what he was missing in his life.

The void that filled his existence was extinguished the moment he felt that strange yet familiar force.

..

Familiar?

..

Yuki thought, puzzled.

This was all so confusing that he recognized the impending ache in his head.

As far as he knew, this was the first time that he was able to use this… Force.

Heck, he didn't even know what to call it.

The clan had placed him in training ever since the day he could remember, and for that he could now manipulate a portion of his charka at will, even going as far as to come close into mastering a few techniques like walking up and down trees and rivers in part of his training on chakra control.

During his trainings in the past, with the guidance of his mentors, he had come to familiarize himself with the feeling, texture, and taste of his chakra.

His chakra was akin to a deep vast ocean.

Gentle and calm at times, vengeful and ruthless at another.

It took him awhile, but he managed to get a hold of the sense of his chakra.

However, this force was another thing entirely.

Never did he felt a power so raw.

A power so wild.

But this force.

This feeling.

It was.

Chaotic.

Still lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice a set of amber eyes watching him.

…R…

A man stepped out of the shadows, the moon casting enough light to illuminate his face.

He had a pair of warm amber eyes, a soft brown colored hair that fell down his waist, a slim lithe body and a gentle kind face.

The man slowly walked to Yuki.

"Kaoru-sensei." Said Yuki, startled at seeing the man.

"Yuki-kun." nodded Kaoru, smiling gently.

Nakajiwa Kaoru was one of Yuki's mentors who specialized in Genjutsu and water techniques. He may have a kind and gentle face in the exterior but when you pissed him off, his kind smile may just turn into a sadistic one, though not everyone knows that, only the ones closest to him knew that this smiling face of his was just a facade to hide his emotions. Despite his lithe body and soft features, he was feared by whoever crossed his path. After all, he was not the clan leader's consultant, strategist and second-in-command for nothing.

He lost his parents in a war when he was only seven years old; he was orphaned from then on and was always wondering around the streets with nowhere to live and nothing to eat. Fortunately, the clan leader of the Shindeiru clan at that time, Saieki's father, found him at that state. He took Kaoru in, not caring in the least about what the other members of the clan would say; he just couldn't leave a child rotting at the side.

True to his word, the clan council protested that only a Shindeiru was allowed to live in the compound and not just some kind of commoner. The clan leader persisted, even though he had only a few people who were on his side, that didn't mean that he would give up.

While this conflict happened, Kaoru lived in the main house for the time being. In a short amount of time, the servants and some of the clan members who had met him, warmed up to the child who had a cheerful and kind air around him. That was also the time when he met Saieki.

…R…

Saieki had escaped from the guards that night with the help of his most precious Kage Bunshin technique. He was just stealthily running through the hall when he noticed a light coming from a guest room, in what he believed to be empty because rarely did the Shindeiru have guests, if not at all.

Curiosity got to him, so he approached the room and slowly opened the door. What he saw shocked him beyond all imaginations, for he saw a girl just as old as him with the saddest face that he had ever seen in his whole (short) life.

It was an odd sight for Saieki, the amount of grief that he saw on the other kid's face really rooted him on the spot.

The child just continued to stare at the night sky from where he was sitting by the window. The moonlight casting an eminent glow to the child's face, the girl was completely oblivious to the other presence inside the room.

Saieki just continued to stare at the child as he carefully studied her features. Unconsciously, he moved forward to the child, not knowing that he was about to come in contact to the bed post, hard.

BAM!

Saieki saw red, he cursed the bed to oblivion, giving it death threats and even also going as far as to threatening to set the bed on fire, all the while clutching his injured leg. Not knowing that his object of attention turned to him, sweat dropping at the other kid who continued to harass the innocent little bed.

"Eh! What do you think you are! I'm going to ruin your stuffings and burn you to cris-" Saieki yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at the diabolic object.

"Um,… hello?" Kaoru cut him off, sweat drop still there.

"Huh?" Saieki turned to him, finger still pointing accusingly at the bed. Staring dumbly and absolutely not knowing what to do, he said the most intelligent thing that came to his mind. "Hi."

Not being able to control it anymore, the young Kaoru giggled uncontrollably. While Saieki, senses came to his mind, blushed profusely, snapping his hand to his side and just scratched the back of his head while laughing in embarrassment.

Later on, Saieki almost had a heart attack when Kaoru turned out to be a boy.

And from then on, they became the best of friends.

Or at least, that was what Saieki had announced to the entirety of the clan, much to the mortification and quiet embarrassment of Kaoru.

That action of the clan's supposed Prince was probably the turning point in letting the Orphan live in the compound.

…R…

After the continuous debate of the clan elders, they finally agreed to let Kaoru stay. They taught him how to become a proper shinobi alongside Saieki, much to the glee of both children.

Not wanting to be a burden to the clan that took him in, Kaoru tried his best to be one of the elite Shinobi that the clan would be proud of. Least to say, he exceeded their less than stellar expectations, not only did he became an elite but he also surpassed them all when it came to the mastery of techniques in the art of Genjutsu, Ninjutsu and Taijutsu.

Well, almost all of them.

Shindeiru Saieki was entirely on a league of his own.

"Kaoru-sensei?" Yuki said, interrupting his thoughts.

Kaoru blinked, his mind coming back to earth. He shook his head as he gathered his thoughts.

"Ah, gomen," Kaoru said, smiling apologetically at the boy in front of him. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Just thinking." Yuki said, turning away from him.

"Yuki-kun." He said, concern filling through his voice. "Is something the matter?"

For a moment, Kaoru watched as Yuki's face scrunched up as the boy attempted to struggle with whatever he was dealing with.

"I mean, i-it's just!" Yuki said, struggling not to burst out.

"It's fine Yuki," Kaoru said, gently. "Tell me."

"I-I,… it's! Ah!" Yuki stuttered, tone rising. "It's not fair!"

After a moment of silence, in which Yuki kept on struggling to keep his emotions in check, Kaoru decided to speak out.

"What is not fair, Yuki?"

Kaoru decided to push the child for a bit. No matter what the clan would say about

"Otou-sama." Yuki burst out, his voice cracking. "It's not fair that I can't get out of this compound. It's not fair that I can't get to do what other children do. I even saw them go out of thi-this compound o-once in awhile! While I can't! I can't! Why won't they let me! I do whatever they want me to do! I study and train every single hour of the day! WHY!"

Kaoru let the child gather himself first before talking.

"Yuki-kun, your father only wanted what's the best for you" he gently said. "He only wanted to protect you."

"I-I know that, but," he stumbled through his words. "He didn't have to be so unfair! I know that what I did was not right, but I just couldn't help it! What does he know about being locked up in your own home?!"

"He knows, Yuki," Kaoru said, a sad smile gracing his face. "He very well knew how it felt; after all, he experienced the same thing when he was just a child just as you."

"What?" Yuki asked, shocked. "Really?"

"Hai, Yuki-kun." Replied Kaoru, as he placed his hand atop the boy's head.

"Then if he knows how it is," he said, searching for words. "Then why did he do that? Why did he lash out to me? Why is he so mad at me?"

"Yuki," Kaoru smiled softly, gently caressing the boy's hair. "He's not mad at you; he only did that because he thought that he lost you. You are very precious to him, Yuki. He did not want to lose you."

"Oh," the child whispered, before turning to face his mentor and friend again. "Sensei, I,… I'm sorry."

"What?" Kaoru asked, confused.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, bowing his head to hide his reddening face. "I mean, I'm sorry for being so rude to you, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Yuki-kun," Kaoru smiled, cupping the boys head and raising it to meet his gaze. "It's fine, you can come to me whenever you like."

Yuki just bowed his head, not wanting the other to see that state he was in now.

Kaoru chuckled, as he gathered the quiet boy in his arms.

…R…

"Is he alright?" Saieki asked for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

"He's fine, Saieki-kun," Kaoru sighed, taking a sip of tea. "He's sleeping by now."

"Kaoru."

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For everything."

Kaoru looked at him for a moment then chuckled as he caught Saieki staring at him, while Saieki just continued to gaze at him seriously.

..

Really.

That man.

..

Kaoru thought, fondly shaking his head.

"Don't mention it," Kaoru smiled, before taking another sip. "Why don't you go see him?"

Saieki, who was just drinking through his own tea, choke on it.

"What?" he gasped.

"Go see him," Kaoru chuckled. "After all, if you are so worried about him then go see him."

"But, what if he doesn't want to talk to me?" he said, nervously. "And as you said yourself, he's sleeping now right?"

"And when did that ever stopped you?" Kaoru asked, teasingly. "Don't tell me that our little clan leader is going soft on the knees?"

"Am not!" he huffed, cheeks definitely hot.

"Then prove it." Kaoru said, smiled mischievously and also giving him the Look, complete with that creepy – evil – aura surrounding him.

"Fine." He said, and inwardly shuddered as Kaoru gave him that look.

I mean, who will be mad enough to come across Nakajiwa Kaoru, who was, by the way, the most sadistic person he had ever met, especially when one receives the Look, in which no one came out unscathed.

"But, just not tonight," Saieki continued, tiredly running his hands on his face. "I don't want disrupt his rest, Kami knows how much he needs it."

"And Kami also knows how much you need it." Kaoru replied, smiling all the while. "Go to sleep Saieki."

"Eh? Why should I?" Saieki stubbornly said.

"You don't want to rest?" Kaoru's smile suddenly turned sadistic. "You do want to rest, right?"

"Ha-hai," chibi Saieki whimpered, shrinking from where he was sitting. "I'll rest!"

"Good." Kaoru replied, smiling triumphantly.

…R…

Flickers of light engulfed the room as a ball of fire soared by, hitting yet another target that exploded into splinters upon contact. Yuki panted, as a bead of sweat ran down his face.

He faced the other target beside the former and, once again, concentrated in conjuring another fire ball. He watched as a flick of fire appeared in the palm of his hand. By urging it to appear, he managed to raise the power in the fire, which resulted into him having a ball of fire that expanded to the tip of his fingers.

He aimed for the target and also calculated the distance. With all in set, he willed the fire towards the target and observed as the fire divided itself into multiple parts before hitting the target, which had exploded into tiny splinters, and also managed to scorch the area surrounding it.

Yuki heaved a deep breath before exhaling it. That really was tough; he was practicing his elemental skills since early in the morning, just like his routine every day.

He remembered the first time that he ever saw a member of his clan wielding an element that they specialized in. To say that Yuki was enthralled would be a gross understatement. He was fascinated as he saw the beauty of the elements for the first time in his life, the gentle flow of the water as it soared to the air in mesmerizing loops, the fierceness of the wind as it sliced and destroyed huge boulders of rocks into smithereens, the deadly strength of the earth as gigantic stalagmites bursted from the ground, and the utter wildness of fire as the blazing inferno scorched anything in its path.

Yuki remembered being quite envious as he saw the others practicing the elements that they specialized in. He had asked his mentors if they could teach him how to do that, but they always seemed to brush him off, or divert the conversation entirely.

Though that didn't mean the he would give up. If there was something that he had ever inherited from his father, his stubbornness certainly took the front line. From then on, Yuki took it upon himself to learn how to conjure and control the elements to the best that he could, his determination unwavering to the countless failed attempts that he did.

Curious enough, when he first displayed his proficiency in regards to his control of the elements, the clan members, his father included, had gazed at him with this odd look in their eyes. It was like they couldn't believe that he could do that.

..

I mean, why not?

I'm my father's son after all, a Shindeiru.

And everyone knows it's in their blood to be proficient in this kind of stuff.

..

Yuki thought, distractedly, as he let another ball of fire let loose from his hand. However, this time he didn't throw it to the target; he just let it hover in front of him as it continued to flicker.

..

Grown-ups sure are weird.

..

The ball of fire continued to float in front of him as he gazed at it, Yuki raised his hand and grabbed it, not surprised in the least that the small inferno didn't burn him, just tickled him a little. He passed his hand right through it yet it somehow still managed to maintain its shape.

Suddenly, he slashed his hand and watched in wondrous fascination as the fire split into two, going in different directions. He then swayed his hand, urging the flames to take on the shape of different small creatures.

In the next couple of moments, he just sat there on the floor and delightfully watched as the various miniature fire-borne animals chased each other in the air in front of him, leaving flickers of flame in its wake.

Eventually, as he gazed off into the space before him, his mind had succumbed again into the recent developments of his life these past couple of days.

Lately, he had been experiencing short outbursts of power every time his emotions reached their limit. He was usually a very calm and collective person, but since that particular incident in the park, his power, chakra, or whatever it was, had been on edge. When he tried to summon that somewhat foreign presence again, he did succeed but it was with great difficulty. The power was just so wild that he can't even control it; he was somewhat surprised that he had been able to heal that kid, Naruto, in the first place.

The power was just like a light bulb, it was always switching on and off, no matter what he did. He did not inform anyone of this discovery yet, he just felt that it was not the right time.

Speaking of which… Naruto… he just can't seem to get the other out of his mind, and frankly, he was getting kind of annoyed. It's not like he dislikes him or anything, it's just… it was kind of… distracting? He didn't know why, but every time he thought of the blond, he always loses his concentration. He gets this weird feeling at the pit of his stomach.

The first few days were definitely the worst as the blonde boy invaded his mind. At first he thought he was just hungry, but when he did ate, that funny sensation was still there! After that, he just diverted his attention to keep on training, but sad to say, it was still distracting him. It reached to the point where he messed up a basic level jutsu.

Can you believe it? He messed up! He heard that one of his mentors was still recuperating from their state of shock.

Alright, maybe that was an exaggeration.

But still.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. After being subjected to a very concerned, yet still sadistic, Nakajiwa Kaoru, he simply said that it was nothing and they shouldn't be concerned about it. He didn't tell anyone of this strange feeling that was building inside of him because he deemed this as a challenge that was presented to him to solve on his own.

Although it was hard to decipher The Thing, as he dubbed it, his motivation to win this challenge just seemed to heighten up. And now, with nothing more to do, he went to the place where he will most likely find the answer to this particular problem of his: The Library.

Sadly, after reading countless of books, he didn't even find a simple single answer to this developing problem. After all these years of calling The Library, his one and only home, it still hurt that it failed him, to the point where it did not even gave an answer to him just one bit.

Now, that he had ran out of options, he just opted to let this thing linger in him for awhile, After all, he could always observe it before jumping to any conclusions.

"Yuki."

He nearly jumped out of his skin. He gasped for breath, all the while holding his rapidly beating heart.

"O-Otou-san!" he managed to get out, despite the fact that he was still shaken by the sudden appearance.

..

Kami-sama!

He didn't even notice that someone's here!

..

He thought, bewildered. This Naruto business sure was a bad thing.

"Are you alright?" Saieki said, worried.

"I'm quite fine" he said, finally calming down. "Don't worry."

"Oh." Saieki replied. "Alright."

-insert awkward silence-

"…"

"…"

"…A-ah,.. Yuki.."

"Ye-!,.. I mean,.. Yes?"

"I,.. ahh,.. umm,… n-nice weather!,.. ahaha…" -chuckles nervously-

"…Y-yeah?,…" -sweat drop-

"…"

"…"

"So!... what are you doing?,.." Saieki said, looking around nervously, avoiding eye contact with his son.

"Ah!,.. ahh, I'm training,.." he gushed out, looking at the targets and the scorched areas.

"O-oh,.." Saieki said, feeling stupid as, indeed, he looked at the surroundings.

"…" "…"

"I-I'm sorry!" "G-gomen!"

"Eh? No! I was at fault!" "Huh? Don't! I shouldn't have done that"

"B-but-!" "B-but-!"

They looked at each other, face heating up from embarrassment.

"Y-you go first." Saieki said, clearing his throat.

"I..." Yuki said, stumbling through his words. He heaved a sigh, before looking up in determination. "I want to apologize! I mean, I'm very sorry for doing those things. I knew from the start that it was rash for me to do that, but I still continued on even knowing of the consequences!"

"Yuki."

"But I just can't help it, I'm so tired of being kept here all the time." he said in a strained voice.

"…"

"I will accept whatever punishment there is to justify my actions." he said, bowing his head.

He tensed as two hands suddenly grabbed the sides of his face; he prepared himself for whatever's coming next. But it did not come, well, at least not the one he expected. He felt the hands guide his face to meet his father's.

"I would like to apologize to you too, Yuki." Saieki said, breaking down his mask. "I perfectly understand what you're going through now, but I ignored it."

"I thought that you can handle the pressure, but I guess I was wrong." Saieki continued, kneeling down to the floor to face Yuki's level. "To that, I deeply apologize. I have not been a good father to you at all, I'm very sorry."

"Otou-san" Yuki whispered, voice cracking.

"I promise to you now," Saieki said, looking intently at his son. "I promise to you that I will do my best to be a great father to you, Yuki. Will you please forgive me?"

"Tou-san!" he tackled his father to the ground, all the while hugging him tightly.

At that moment, Saieki held no care for the world. He didn't care if somebody entered the room and saw the clan leader with his child in a pile of heap down the floor, and he also didn't care if this will break the perfect, cold, and strict façade that he built for all these years. For now, he only cared about one thing, and that was to be with his son.

So, without further ado, he did the only thing that seemed to fit perfectly for the situation. He hugged even tighter.

…R…

"Are you serious?" asked a rather shocked Sandaime, obviously confused at the turn of events.

"Hai." Saieki answered. "I thought it over already, and it seemed to be only reasonable that he should go."

"But, why?" asked Sandaime, eyebrows furrowed.

"I-I want to make up to him." Saieki stumbled, though he quickly secured his façade at full force again. "And besides, that way, we may be able to train him more efficiently."

"Ahh,… I see." chuckled Sandaime, recovering from his shell shocked appearance as he heard The Shindeiru Saieki stutter.

..

That kid really did wonders.

..

Sandaime thought, amusedly.

"Well, if you really are sure about this, then we need to undergo preparations immediately." said Sandaime, smiling gently. "After all, it will start soon enough."

"Hai." Replied Saieki.

…R…

As most people already knew, Konoha was a very peaceful place. Well, as peaceful as ninjas running through the roofs while frightening innocent passer-bys, women continuously gossiping without so much as gasping for breath and children run amok like the little hellions themselves.

While this very 'peaceful' daily routine was going around the village, this certainly didn't deter the gossipers in sharing the newest hot topic that they had in their hands. Especially, as it turns out that their topic of the day was none other than Shindeiru Yuki himself. The other citizens were used to the gossipers already and mainly chose to ignore them but when they heard what they're talking about; they can't help but be intrigued.

Unsurprisingly, almost everyone inside the walls of Konoha heard the news already within the time of approximately two hours, fifteen minutes and thirty one seconds. Although, it did beat the record time of three hours and thirty minutes point zero two seconds concerning the Hokage keeping a complete collection of Icha Icha Paradise Ultra Platinum Edition third drawer, right-hand corner of his desk courtesy of his most beloved student.

It couldn't be helped since it seemed the 'Godsent' of Konoha was more of an interesting fish than the old man himself.

…R…

The Hokage sighed as he watched from the windows of his office just how the people were talking rapidly to one group to another. Even the most dim-witted person could guess that they already knew that their 'Godsent' was going to attend the Academy. How they found out before he can tell this little bit of information to anyone, he would never know. The gossipers just seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere, thankfully, they only use this particular skill when they find the topic interesting enough to reach their standards.

The Hokage shuddered as he thought about it, he still didn't forget the one about him keeping Icha Icha series stored somewhere, again, how they ever found that out, he would never know. He surreptitiously cast a look around him as a precaution.

Maybe he should induct those gossip mongers into his Shinobi ranks, Intel Division; they would be a force to be reckoned with. No doubt about that.

A sudden knock was heard at the door, effectively disrupting his thoughts.

"Come in." Sandaime said, turning around to face the person who entered.

A smile made its way to the old man's face as he saw his guest.

"Sensei." The figure bowed respectfully greeting the Hokage.

"Ah, there's no need to be so formal," Sarutobi chuckled, as he returned to his seat and gestured the person in front of him to do the same. "Tea?" he offered.

"Yes, thank you sensei." The person smiled, as he graciously accepted the cup of tea.

"So, what brings you here," Sarutobi said, getting to the point. "I guess that you coming here wasn't just to visit an old man like me, right?" he added, a smile tugging at the side of his mouth.

The figure chuckled.

"What makes you think that? Am I not allowed to visit an old man like you when I didn't see them for a very long time already?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm quite sure that I saw you just a week ago, seeing that I personally gave that assignment to you." Sarutobi countered, clearly enjoying their playful banter, it was nice to have a rest for a little while.

"I'm touched, Sensei," The figure smirked, raising an elegant eyebrow. "I didn't know that you missed me so much that you time my absence so discreetly."

"Oh, no," Sarutobi countered, eyes lighting quite mischievously despite his age. "I just time your grateful presence to be gone for awhile as it brought peace to my already troubled soul by far."

"I am truly grateful for your unwavering desire for me sensei, I truly am." the figure chuckled a little, which was quite an achievement for the person's quiet nature.

The Hokage let a laugh escape his lips, as he collected himself together again. The person in front of him really knew how to lighten his mood.

"Well, as I like to continue these wonderful conversations that we're having," the figure said, straightening up and all signs of humor disappeared as their face reverted back to its usual calm and collected rule. "However, I'm afraid to cut it short and go to some important business."

"Go on," Sarutobi nodded, waving to the figure to continue.

"As you already know, Sand and Cloud were not exactly in the best of terms, and honestly speaking, it will be just a matter of time for a dispute or even a war to break out."

Sandaime nodded seriously, even though the two countries were neutral to Konoha, there was no doubt that the village will be dragged into the battle as they were allied to both countries.

"But that's not all," the person continued. "There seemed to be a looming threat on the way, a new village had appeared."

"A new village?" Sarutobi frowned.

"Yes, though I still didn't get enough information about them, it seems to me that the Shinobi there were basically made up of exiles or missing-nins."

"That could prove to be troublesome in the future." Sarutobi said, placing his hand in front of him. "Do you know what the village was called?"

"Actually, I do," the figure said, leaning forward slightly.

"So, what is it? We could at least find some sort of information of the skills of the Shinobi there by the name of the village, even if it's not actually reliable." Sandaime asked, seriously.

"I agree sensei," The figure nodded. "The village is called Otogakure."

"Oto?" Sandaime frowned, thinking it over. "I can't help but get the feeling that this village will be getting us into trouble more often than not."

"I think so too, and I heard that their Shinobi were quite formidable, not to mention their leader."

"Do you know who their leader is?" Sandaime directed.

"Unfortunately, I don't," the figure shook its head regretfully, "Their security was too tight that I can't go up snooping around for very long."

"I see." Sandaime sighed, a little disappointed.

"Don't worry about it too much sensei," the figure said, quietly. "I am quite sure that Otogakure will take more time to be able to function considering that it's still new and when the time comes, I'm sure that we will have enough information at hand if needed. Besides, Konohagakure is a force to be reckoned with and no Hidden Village in their right mind would dare siege our home without due repercussions."

"I hope you're right." Sandaime chuckled, as he rubbed a hand tiredly to his face. "I'm glad that you're always here when I need you."

"Don't worry about it Sarutobi-sensei." The figure said, as he went around the table and patted the back of the old man comfortingly. "I'll always be here to protect you and the whole village if need be, I promise."

"Thank you," Sandaime said, leaning back on his seat and smiling gratefully at the person beside him. "I don't know what I'll ever do without you here by my side, Orochimaru-kun."

…R…

Everyone knew that every year, children who wanted to attend the academy were very excited, especially on the very first day since they were looking forward to having new friends and playmates. Now, while this was true, they also expected for Yuki to feel the same way. The parents of the children, whom were set to attend the Academy this fall, were grooming their children as best as they could. They also instructed them to be friendly and to act on their best behavior when they were around the aforementioned boy, in hopes that they would gain his favor.

While all of this was happening, Yuki was garbed in a white turtleneck jacket outlined with silver stripes that run along the surface stylishly and white cargo shorts with few strategic pockets along the way, the outfit was completed by the customary blue strapped sandals.

Yuki along with his father and mentor, Saieki and Kaoru, were heading to the Academy riding a carriage. Contrary to popular belief, the five year old boy was a little nervous, oh heck who was he kidding? He was nervous as hell!

Even though he had been outside once, he couldn't stay still in his seat as he excitedly gazed out of the window to see the scenery. He couldn't help but notice that the people outside was looking at them as they passed by, some of them even followed the carriage, that just accomplished to double his nervousness, it was just plain creepy.

As they neared the Academy, he saw a gigantic and formidable building that outshined the neighboring houses. He guessed that this was it; this was where he would stay for the remainder of the school hours.

"-ki"

"Yuki."

He was brought out of his thoughts when somebody nudged him. He looked up and stared at his father's amused face.

"Are you alright? I've been calling you for some time now." teased Saieki, eyebrows raised slightly.

But Yuki could see the worried glint in his father's eyes.

"Ah! Gomen, Otou-san," apologized Yuki, a little startled. "I'm just thinking for a bit."

A chuckle brought them out of their reverie and both Saieki and Yuki looked at the source.

"You worry too much Saieki," said Kaoru, patting Saieki on the shoulder before smiling gently to Yuki. "Yuki you should be really nervous on you first day, huh?"

"Hai." Said Yuki, feeling hot in the face.

He still had no idea how Kaoru-sensei was able to read him so easily like an open book, even his own father couldn't do that. He was trained to hide his emotions behind a mask if it was ever needed. But, truthfully, Kaoru-sensei was like a parental figure to him just like the way he saw his father. Although, it was a bit more different because even if the older man was a… well, man, he saw him as a mother that he never had, what with the way Kaoru-sensei fussed around him all the time.

Though he would never say that out loud, in fear of Kaoru-sensei's retribution.

The rest of the ride was set on a comfortable silence where they were able to relax their minds and forget about their problems for just a moment. But, alas, all good things came to an end, well, for Yuki anyway, because they had finally stopped and were now at the front gates of the Academy.

"Well, were here."

…R…

A figure stood perched on one of the high buildings that were near enough to the Academy but not too close to be detected.

One would say that the figure itself was formidable just by looking at it. The man's ink-black hair was tied behind his back, an Anbu mask obscured his features, yet it didn't hide his unnatural pale skin. Hidden behind the mask were his yellow eyes not unlike a snake itself.

A reverberating dark chuckle escaped the man's ghostly pale lips as he stared down at his prey, whom happened to be the very five year old boy that had just stepped out of the carriage along with his family at that very moment.

..

A/N: First of all, reviewers were asking about the pairings. About that, I'm still undecided, but as I have said to the reviewers who asked, so far Redemption is a no pairing fic. However, if ever I decided to put a pairing in this fic then there will be a Sakura/Male Character in it.

Yeah, for the original readers of Redemption, I changed the original pairings because it made no sense, I didn't even know what I was thinking when I decided on those pairings. I think that's why I hit a block in this fic, coz the pairings messed the story for me. So I hope you guys will try this new version of Redemption, and still like it even though the pairings changed. Sorry for the inconvenience.

As you have guessed, I'm a Sakura lover. I don't care what you guys might say about her, but I really like her character.

I also don't like Bashing of any kind, I may criticize characters, but I won't bash them. If you want to know of my personal definition of Bashing then view my Profile. I put it there for you guys.

As you guys may have noticed, this fic is not entirely a Serious fic. That's because I normally don't like Serious fics, they suck out all the fun in a story. However, there are a few notable exceptions; I definitely loved Death of Today. So yeah, I'm going for a semi-Serious slash Humor fic. :)

And no, if any of you were confused, Yuki still didn't know that he's adopted. Remember guys, the Shindeiru bloodline is a BLOODLINE. Yet, Yuki was just plain adopted, as far as I know there's no Blood Adoption in the Shinobi world (unlike in the Wizarding world)… Just a hint for the upcoming chapters. Your first guess doesn't count.

I know, this chapter is mainly dedicated to my two OCs, but I really did want to introduce them first before continuing on in the story. Don't worry; the Naruto gang would be in the next chapter,… well, at least their chibi-fied versions. ;)

Come at me Grammar-nazis! Tell me if I misspelled something or a paragraph doesn't seem right, I tried my best to fix this chapter, so if I missed something then please tell me. The help would be greatly appreciated.

MERRY CHRISTMASS!~

P.S.: Feedback would be great, so that I'll know if what to improve or whatnot.

Many thanks to the following wonderful individuals:

Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros, RandomAsRainbows, Aire5, puretsubasa, frytrix,Cherri101, serialkeller, FlameingWings, TheLaughingMan1, Red Crow, williamsangel88, exaigon, Guest#1, Silvermane1, rmiser1994, shadowlynx, darkfoxy28, ToshimiOkami, jfitzgerald, and Slytherson.