"Blah": Talking

"Blah": Demon speaking/Inner Sakura

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

'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto

Well, I couldn't hold it off for much longer, so here it is! We have reached the final chapter of Book 3! FINALLY! This chapter is going to be pretty short and I shall post the first chapter of Book 4, the Legendary Sannin, soon, tonight, or tomorrow! I'm so glad you guys have stuck around to the end of the book and I hope you enjoyed it from beginning to end! :D

Reviews are welcome and wanted!

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto,

Harry Potter in property of JK Rowling

Chapter 28: The Meadow

Iruka blinked once his feet hit solid ground. He fell to his knees and tried to remember how to breathe while at the same time tried to hold down the mass of food in his stomach that threaten to rise up his throat. Naruto stood beside him, unbothered from the sensation as he used it now. The blonde rookie bent down to see if his older brother was ok, to which he answered with his thumb raised and had him back off to leave him alone for a few seconds. Naruto looked over Iruka with caution, worried that Side-Along Apparition was too much for him to handle. The chunin soon stood back on his two feet and tried to relax as he held onto his stomach with one hand. He looked like he had lost some blood as he leaned on a tree and waited for the sensations to fade.

"That… wasn't nice," he said at last as the color in his face returned, "We're walking back home…"

Naruto told him, "You get used to it after a while. But I'm shocked that you didn't vomit the first time…"

"I dunno about that…" the chunin said as his face started to whiten, "I think I can taste that French toast we had for breakfast again…"

The blonde rookie rolled his eyes and whined, "Fine, we can walk back home, then…"

"Fine with me…" replied the chunin.

The two brothers had set out hours earlier from their home, Naruto was dressed in another hoodie lent from Iruka with blue trousers and a white shirt while the chunin was dressed in his usual chunin-level uniform. The two of them had set out to search for Hayate's sword. Naruto had lost it in the final battle with Gaara, so the two of them searched the forests and revisited what was left of the crushed battlefield. Iruka was amazed to speechlessness at the devastation caused while Naruto was more alarmed at the amount of sand left behind. Both of them tried their best to avoid it and never once stepped on it, fearful the sand would come to life and attack them as Naruto described. The two of them were also careful not to earn the attention of the ANBU that patrolled the forests, as their rounds increased tenfold. The two of them scouted the mountainous areas where Naruto saw the sword thrown but never one of them had much luck.

Naruto's arm had healed well, but it still hurt to use magic. He was still able to Apparate as he took Iruka back to their secret meadow to hide. The two of them had heard a team of ANBU not too far from their location and vanished before either of them could be seen.

When the two shinobi arrived to take a break from their search, Naruto blinked when he saw something shine bright from across the meadow. The rookie squint his eyes and sucked in an intense breath when he realized what it was.

"Iruka-aniki," he said, and then he shouted, "There it is!"

The chunin blinked and looked across the field of tall grass and flowers to see the blade embedded in the earth, like Excalibur, "Is that the sword?!"

"YES! WE FOUND IT!" the blonde child screamed.

Naruto ran towards the blade as Iruka remained behind and took a slow stroll after him, thanks to his stomach. The tan chunin smirked with satisfaction as he chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm.

"What are the odds?" he asked out loud.

The blonde-haired rookie drew the sword out of the earth and fell on his back as the silver blade shined and the hilt hit his chest. He clenched the handle of the familiar blade and swished it in the air a few times as he smiled. Naruto took the sword in his hand and felt the handle was something a heavy load in his hands now that he thought about it. It almost felt as if the handle were weighed down with rubies or precious stones. Or the weight could have been the result of the complete lack of exercise of his right arm, as he was right-handed. Naruto still took the sword and swung it around as he spun in circles until he fell over and tossed the weapon aside for now.

Iruka sat down with a loud thud as he rested beside his little brother and took in the sights.

"This sure is a nice meadow," the chunin looked over the trees and noticed the mountains were in view, "Check it out! I can see the eastern mountains from here."

The blonde rookie sat up and smiled as he boasted with energy left from his little dance, "I bet we could scale that mountain in five minutes flat."

"No chance," chuckled the chunin, "It would take us a few hours, at least."

Naruto slumped back down on his bottom as he sat back and said, "Not to mention the ANBU units. I bet there's a dozen of them there at the summit right now…"

For a little while, the two shinobi sat there and took in the fresh forest air, free of smoke, oil, or blood as their secret meadow remained undisturbed since their adventure to the white cliffs. It felt like it had been ages ago since then as memories of the beach, the smell of the ocean, and delicious food filled their minds and made their stomachs rumble as noon rolled in.

"Here," the tan chunin reached back into his bag and took out a small loaf of soft bread and tore it in half before he handed a share to his little brother, "It's not fresh blue crab or Ichiraku, but a little feast is still a feast."

"Ohhh," the rookie took his share of the bread and almost buried his nose into it as the simple, delightful smell filled his nostrils, "It's so fresh…"

Iruka smiled as took out some soft cheese from his rucksack and used a kunai to slather his first bite with. Naruto shared his new miniature canteen of water while he helped himself to some of the cheese. The two shinobi delighted in their meal and couldn't care less that it wasn't Ichiraku ramen. Konoha would soon be restored to a stable state with the same usual food resources and the markets would be reopened soon, but food resources were limited to basic foods, such as bread, cheese, milk, rice, vegetables, water, and whatever beef was available. So in the last week of the same food resources, Iruka and Naruto delighted in their little feast and chat.

The chunin asked, "How's the arm?"

"It's a bit numb," his little brother answered after he chewed down another mouthful of fresh bread, "Nii-san wanted to make it easier for me to handle the pain without that damn medicine. I can't feel it much, but at least I can still move it."

Iruka smirked when he asked and took another bite, "It must feel weird to be back on the same level of us mere mortals, huh?"

"Don't rub it in," smiled Naruto, and then he admitted as he rubbed his right arm and felt the bone where it had broken and healed back into alignment, unsure if he felt a depression where it had cracked or if it had been there from the start, "But it has been weird for me, not to use magic as often as I like."

He reached into his sleeve and drew out his wand. He waved it about, but then flinched when his magic caused his arm to be shot with a short but sharp pulse of pain. He then twirled the wooden instrument between his fingers and looked over at the older chunin.

He asked him, "How in the world will I ever survive if this ever breaks?"

"You survived the Chunin Exams," he reminded him, "You survived an invasion force of two militarized shinobi armies, and a kid under the control of a demonic raccoon from the desert, with that wand still intact. You shouldn't be worried about the future, with or without it. You're a survivor."

Naruto cracked a small smile at Iruka's reassurance but then his smile faded a little bit as he thought back to the battle and the funeral sadly, "Not all of us made it…"

Iruka started to frown and looked down at his boots as he rested his elbow on his knee. He did think back to all those comrades lost and felt a bit sad as he was reminded of the loss of their dear friend, the swordsman. But also sensed Naruto must have felt the same and looked over to him with a sad look.

"Look," he started, "Naruto, I think we should talk about-"

"I know," said the blonde rookie all of a sudden, "But don't be worried about me. Hayate is gone, but…"

{{Another Year Ends by Patrick Doyle}}

Naruto thought back to what Anko told him, before he felt the loss of his friend start to get to him again. But he braved it and looked above the trees as a flock of birds swarmed out of the forest and circled the area. The remembrance of Anko's words and her comfort reassured him, making him feel stronger as he continued.

"I'm not going to let his death be the ruin of me. He wouldn't want me, or anybody he cared about to mope around and mourn for his loss forever… I knew him well enough to now that."

Iruka watched Naruto, surprised at his words and started to smile a little bit while he also started to feel the loss of their trusted friend hurt less and less with each word.

"He trained me for the exams because he cared about me and wanted me to succeed… With that said, I'm not going to throw away everything he did for me and wallow in sadness while the rest of the world moves on without me."

Naruto looked over at the sword his master handed down to him and then he looked back at his older brother.

"If I continue to remember Hayate and never forget all that he meant to me… then he never will be dead to me… I'll still mourn him on occasion and I'll miss him a lot, but I won't sulk about it all the time and shut myself out because of it," he then thought back to one of Harry's memories from the Pensieve and remembered what Sirius Black told a much younger Harry before he made an escape on the back of Buckbeak, "Besides… Sometimes it feels like the ones we loved and lost never leave us at all, does it?"

"Yeah… Good answer, bud," the chunin nodded in genuine agreement, but then he said with a wide smirk, "You want some wine to go with that cheese?"

Naruto snorted and the tan chunin started to chuckle, unable to contain his more childish side. He started to chuckle louder and harder especially when Naruto punched his shoulder and almost fell onto his back on the bed of grass from a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"You arse!" the blonde rookie chuckled.

A while after that, the two of them calmed down and relaxed in their meadow. But as Naruto sat there, he couldn't help but wonder about his future. He couldn't help but wonder what could happen the next time something like the incident with Oto and Suna ever happened again. His own life wasn't his greatest concern as he was more worried for his loved ones. Naruto didn't want to have to lose someone else he cared about ever again as he leaned closer to his trusted mentor and friend.

"We're going to be ok, right?" he asked out loud.

Iruka rested his hand on Naruto's shoulder and drew him closer as he assured him, "Of course we will..."

Naruto smiled as he took his brother's word for it for now. He looked out ahead, across a small distance of tall grass and purple flowers and could have sworn that he must have went insane when he thought he saw Harry seated down on the grass in front of him. The older wizard bathed in the sun, in his new dark brown suit, with a shirt, tie, and a faux-suede overcoat. He appeared as more than an apparition but less solid if he were there in the flesh. Naruto stared at him and the wizard looked back at him with a soft smile on his face. The blonde rookie watched, as the sunbeams shot through him but continued to sit back and relax as if he were there with them. When he blinked, Naruto's oldest mentor had vanished out of thin air, still inside his head as he had been.

"What?" asked Iruka as he noticed his little brother stare out into the distance, and tried to see whatever it was he saw "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," the child answered with a calm voice, "You're right though… I think we'll be ok."

He smiled at his older brother before the two of them looked towards the skies and watched as the sun burst through the trees and took notice of the sudden downfall of brilliant emerald leafs. It was a sign that autumn was around the corner and all of the citizens of Konoha would need to bundle up soon before winter arrived as the rest of their wounded nation recovered.

Let it all out, Let it all out
Tsuyogaranakute iindane
Dareka ga kaitetta kabe no rakugaki no hana ga yureru

Jibunrashisa nante daremo wakaranaiyo
Nagai nagai michi no tochuu de nakushitari hirottari
Kyuu ni samishikunatte naichau hi mo arukedo

Namida mo itami mo hoshi ni kaeyou
Ashita wo terasu akari wo tomosou
Chiisaku mayottemo futari de tsukurou
Hoshikuzu wo tsuyoku hikaru eien wo sagasou

Let it all out, Let it all out
Tarinai koto darake dayone
Tarinakute iindane dakara kimi to deaetanda

"Tashika" ga nannanoka sorega shiritakute
Chiisana NAIFU wo kutsushita ni kakushiteta
Tsuyogatte tsuita uso no hou ga zutto itakatta

Hontou wa kowaiyo dakedo ikiteku
Egao no kimi wo kaze ga nadeteku
Chiisana te kazashite futari de tsukurou
Hoshikuzu wo tsuyoku hikaru eien wo sagasou

Tadashii koto ga machigattetara dousurebaii?
Kanashii koto ga tadashikattara ukeirerudake?
Nakushita to omotteta demo kimi ga shitteta
Kimi ga ite hontou ni yokatta

Namida mo itami mo hoshi ni kaeyou
Ashita wo terasu akari wo tomosou
Chiisana te kazashite futari de tsukurou
Hoshikuzu wo tsuyoku hikaru eien wo

Sayonara itsuka wa kurukamoshirenai
Kisetsu wa soredemo meguri megutteku
Chiisaku mayottemo aruiteku
Kimi to aruiteku soredake wa kawaranaideiyoune

Everybody's waitin'
Everybody's watchin'
Even when you're sleepin'
Keep your ey-eyes open

The tricky thing
Is yesterday we were just children
Playing soldiers
Just pretending
Dreaming dreams with happy endings
In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords
But now we've stepped into a cruel world
Where everybody stands and keeps score

Keep your eyes open

Everybody's waitin' for you to breakdown
Everybody's watchin' to see the fallout
Even when you're sleepin', sleepin'
Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes open

So here you are, two steps ahead and stayin' on guard
Every lesson forms a new scar
They never thought you'd make it this far
But turn around (turn around), oh they've surrounded you
It's a showdown (showdown) and nobody comes to save you now
But you've got somethin' they don't
Yeah you've got somethin' they don't
You've just gotta keep your eyes open

Everybody's waitin' for you to breakdown
Everybody's watchin' to see the fallout
Even when you're sleepin', sleepin'
Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes

Keep your feet ready
Heartbeat steady
Keep your eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark
Keep your eyes open

Everybody's waitin' for you to breakdown
Everybody's watchin' to see the fallout
Even when you're sleepin', sleepin'

Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes open
Keep your eye-eyes open

End of Book Three

Get ready for a little change of pace in Naruto Uzumaki and the Legendary Sannin! I think it's my favorite book in the series thus far because I've had a lot of fun planning it out and writing it so far! See you guys next time and thanks so much!

Song Used in End:

LET IT OUT by Miho Fukuhara (this is my favorite ending credit song from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and I chose it as another tribute to Naruto and how he was able to move forward after the disaster of the Chunin Exams and the death of his friend)

Eyes Open by Taylor Swift (I'm really not a big fan of Taylor Swift's music, but I do like this song, and I do enjoy the Hunger Games series, which the Chunin Exams remind me of, as well as Battle Royale. I chose this song as a tribute to the dangers and realizations Naruto and countless rookie shinobi before him experienced in the Chunin Exams, I also chose it to foreshadow the events of the next book in line, Naruto Uzumaki and the Legendary Sannin, be sure to tune in and check it out)