Heaven & Earth

Round 8: Truth and Lies

Authors Note-

Hello! How the Bloody Hell Are Ya!

No seriously I hope you're doing well.

So here we are Chapter 8 or as I've been calling it in my head since the idea popped into my head In Which Shit Goes Completely Off The Fucking Rails. You can probably see why I didn't use that as the title.

So yeah as the name implies the train is leaving the station and for all intents and purposes Canon is about to take the literary equivalent of a flaming semi-truck to the face.

Also Krisb-17854 I am about to make your fucking day. Hopfully you know assuming I didn't somehow fuck the chapter. Great now I'm doubting myself, nope! No time for that!

Yep we're going off into uncharted waters here folks hang on to your pants and jacket. On the plus side this will give me a lot more freedom in terms of what I want to do. Because I won't be constrained by certain aspects of the usual Harry Potter story line.

In a way I suppose you could see the first 8 chapters as the prologue and everything after as the story proper and in which case 100 000 word prologue. Longest Prologue Ever! Well okay probably not but still its not an inconsiderable amount of time either to spend just setting up a story. Hell Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone told a whole story in 76 944 words and it filled in an entire year of content with few jumps in time.

Also in other news this story is now my longest ever yay Me!

Anyway here we go off into the great beyond. This is either gonna go really well or really poorly, wish me luck.

Dumdoc- Dude please either log in or get an account when you review so I don't have to add answers to the Authors Note please.

Now as for your question as detailed below-

Why do authors insist upon making wizards incapable of pronouncing words like contact and electricity? They can learn Latin and Greek for spells; but stumble over simple words?

First and foremost if what I have read is true then they actually don't learn Latin. Learning implies that they actually have command of the language or at the very least are in some way or another vaguely conversational in it and from what we've seen that is not true. They use a few Latin words for spells, and again if what I have read is true, it's also somewhat butchered Latin which is even more of a case against them actually having a command of the language.

Let alone being able to speak it fluently.

As for Greek there are exactly 2 spells in the entire series that use Greek and they are Anapeo along with Episkey. Both healing spells which makes sense considering that Greek was considered to be the language of physicians. But again 2 words does not indicate a mastery, or even vague competence, of a language. It implies basic knowledge at best and even that is kind of a stretch. Because in the books we never actually get any mention of them learning what the Spells actually mean in either Latin or Greek. Which could be said to imply that they do not cover that at all in Hogwarts. The meaning behind the words I mean. That said it is a stretch to assume that so I'm not banking on that being a fact.

The other reason can be traced to Arthur 'Motherfucking' Weasley.

I feel the need to clarify that it is this man's JOB to know about Muggle Society. It is his JOB something he is employed in because he is supposedly competent in understanding Muggle Society. And because he understands Muggle Society he should know what constitutes the Misuse of a Muggle Artifact. You know besides just Dark Magic and other associated bullshittery.

I want to establish this off the bat.

The reason for this is because as much as I love Arthur Weasley as a character the fact that the man is in charge of an office that works with Muggles, or at least Muggle Items, regularly and can not pronounce Electricity properly is mildly fucking terrifying. Because if this is a man employed for his competence in all matters Muggle HOW FREAKING BAD IS EVERYONE ELSE!?

Well at least in regards to Pure Blood Wizards.

That's my working for the mispronunciation at least I'm sure other people justify it differently.

Authors Note End-

Vernon Dursley felt a rather peculiar mix of emotions as he sat at his dining room table. There was a seething furious anger that rolled around in his gut begging for release. It wanted him to throw open the door to his neph- the boy's- room and beat him around the head for what he had done to Dudley. It would not see that release, he had done a lot of things for that child. All of them were things that would help him later in life. He was not about to screw it up now by beating him. That was a line Vernon Dersley had promised himself he would never cross.

Everything he had done had been in the best interests of the boy. Giving him and Dudley room to sort their own problems out among themselves gave the boy a chance to learn to fight his own battles. Something Vernon felt was imperative to learn at an early age. After all he did not rise to the respectable position he currently enjoyed by not fighting for what he wanted.

The labour the boy performed for Petunia while admittedly taxing. Taught him the value of hard work and self reliance. The cooking that the boy did taught him how to feed himself on the day he left Vernon's house and safety it provided. Which would be as soon as he came of age if Vernon had anything to say about it.

The boy would have been freeloading off of their kindness for far too long to stay past that. After all if the Government wanted to give free handouts to anyone who asked then the boy would be fine. He would need to learn how to make his own way in the world. Whether he was a dangerous freak or not was of no consequence in his opinion of that.

Vernon shook his head at the remembrance that such strange and occult things as magic actually existed. It was freakish and unnatural. From what his wife had told him in addition to being those things it was also highly dangerous. That was something Vernon was more than willing to believe.

Of course that said his first impression of this so called 'Magical World' had been far from a pleasant one. He could remember it clearly. Which was unfortunate because Vernon would dearly like nothing more than to forget it, and the irony was not lost on him that magic could more than likely make him do just that.

His wife had convinced him to meet her sister for the first time. Back then Petunia hadn't spoken of her family all too often. At the time he hadn't quite understood why. When he had discovered that her parents had died not long after they had met it did clear up a few of his questions, but he had not even known she had a sister until the will reading.

Which Lilly Potter, at that time Evans, had been unable to attend due to her boarding school conducting incredibly important tests. Vernon could understand that to a degree. After all education was the cornerstone of their nation. One could not get anywhere in life without it. It was why they had paid the extra money to send both Dudley and the boy to Saint Gregory's. Unfortunately Petunia had been far less understanding. Not entirely unreasonably of course. After all it was their parents will reading. Vernon was quite sure that his wife had never forgiven her sister for not attending the occassion.

When he had actually met Lilly Evans for the first time Vernon had been quite taken with her. She was a woman that had a good head on her shoulders. Not as pragmatic nor as practical as his lovely fiancee Petunia. But he could see the relation between them easily enough.

No Lily Evans was a good enough type in his book. His only real problems with the woman stemmed from the fact that her sort were killing good normal people. The fact they were getting away with it and the Magical Government, and hadn't that been a shock to learn about, barely even gave out slaps on the wrist at been somewhat enraging to say the least. Apparently Muggles, and that was a term he still took offense too, were simply not all that important in the eyes of the Ministry of Magic.

Which had not endeared him to the ruling body of the 'Magical World' as his soon to be sister in law had termed it. Then again considering that apparently there were people like that in Government it did explain why the country was going to the dogs he guessed.

What had made the experience more souring for him was the company that Lilly Evans had chosen to keep. James Potter was infuriating there was no two ways about it. His soon to be sister in law's boyfriend had spent the entire evening making snide remarks to him about Vernon's job and other topics that he felt were best not joked about.

Then he had made the, quite possible in his own humble opinion, observation that since their wizard school didn't teach any practical skills. Such as Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Second Language Studies, Sex Education, Information Technology, or even simple Geography that would be useful in the real world. That magical folk must live on some kind of welfare payout from the Government.

Admittedly he had been attempting to rile James Potter at that point. He wanted the man to tell him what he was actually taught in school. As well as find out what kind of jobs were available in the sectors available to him. Effectively he just wanted to know that the man could take care of his sister in law. Because no matter how Petunia tried to hide it she still cared for Lily even if only a little.

But James Potter had the sheer audacity to lie to his face about some hogwash called Gringotts. A ruddy bank of all things run by Goblins! Who would believe such lunacy? More outrageous still James Potter attempted to claim that he belonged to a very old family who had a fortune inside of the bank in solid gold.

Vernon knew right there and then that James Potter was a bad egg. He refused to tell him, or Lily for that matter, what kind of job opportunities awaited him and then lied about having a fortune in solid gold. Really? Solid Gold? Perhaps the man should have gone for a less obvious lie. Vernon had refused to stay a moment longer. Leaving the restaurant they were having dinner at with Petunia and informing her sister that they wanted nothing to do with her so long as she was with a lair like James Potter.

It was why they had declined to go to the wedding. If Lily Evans, or Lily Potter now he supposed. Wanted a bad egg like James Potter as her husband then she was not welcome around his family. They were hard working people he wouldn't have some mooch who claimed to have a fortune in solid gold of all things anywhere near his house or his family.

It would be social suicide. Not to mention the strain on his own income that would inevitably begin when James Potter dropped the rich act and needed someone to bail him out. Well that someone was not going to be Vernon Dursley no sir!

At one point he had harboured the hope that Lily Potter would come to her senses and leave the man. Maybe even make up with Petunia while she was at it. Family feuds were a horrible thing. He knew that from experience his brother, Micheal, and he hadn't spoken from age sixteen till the day his brother overdosed on heroin.

It was one of the few things in his life that Vernon Dursley held regret over.

Instead she had the man's children. Twins as a matter of fact! Jack and Harry, the latter of whom had not made a sound since Vernon had picked him up from Saint Grogory's. Shock the nurse assured him. They had not been there for the birth, and Petunia's sister hadn't even thought to inform them that she was in fact pregnant.

Then a year later she and her dead beat husband along with Jack Potter got themselves killed by a Magical Terrorist of all things. Vernon had been wary of magic before but after hearing that he had set aside more than a little time and had Petunia tell him all she knew. What he learned had not made him any less wary of the freakish and unnatural force that could well be at his neph- the boy's- fingertips one day.

The ability to control the minds of other, transform one thing into another, take the form of animals, change your appearance, kill with but a word in such a way that if you were hit by that particular spell your died without anyway of countering the effect. As well as potions that could cloud the mind and change someone fundamentally enthralling them completely. Granted there was spells with the same effect, but apparently you could fight them if you had enough will power. The potion method was more insidious in Vernon's opinion.

While he would never admit it out loud learning those facts had changed wary caution into fear. He was afraid of what would happen when the boy got his hands on that kind of power. After all Vernon most likely wouldn't have trusted himself with that kind of power. So why in God's name would he trust someone else with it!?

"Vernon?" His wife's voice broke through the haze inside of his head.

"Yes, Pet?" Vernon inquired raising his eyes from the now cold tea in front of him.

"The Hospital just called Dudley is going to be fine. But he does have two broken ribs and they want to keep him there overnight." Petunia told him. The rage inside Vernon's gut roared at the words. Two ribs! The boy had broken two of his son's ribs! With an almost detached calm he pushed it back down. Beating a child was not going to change what happened or make it any better.

"I see." He responded sipping the bitter drink. It fit his dark mood well right now. "The school has called for the boy's 'voluntarily withdrawal'. They believe it would be better if we took him out ourselves than making this into something bigger. Which would happen if they were forced to expel him. I filled out the paperwork while I was there collecting him and we dated it forward. Officially the boy's suspended for two weeks and then we withdrew him voluntarily as we felt that after this event we want him in a school that can properly control such a violent child." Vernon explained dispassionately before rubbing his eyes.

"Where did we go wrong Vernon?" Petunia asked sitting opposite him, and poured herself a mug of bitter tea.

"I don't know Pet." He admitted with a sigh rubbing his eyes again. "Everything we did was for the best. We taught him the value of hard work, how to clean and cook for himself when he leaves and even let him fight his own battles with Dudley." Vernon stated with a sip of tea. His mind carefully editing out the fact that he never once stepped into those fights if Harry was losing them. Only when Dudley was.

"It must just be what came from his parents." Vernon added making his wife nod.

"I guess so." She replied with a sigh. The only positive that Vernon could see about the entire situation was that the boy at least didn't use his freakish magic. From what the Doctors had told him when he went to check on Dudley before getting the boy home. All of the injuries had been caused by blunt impacts, the kind of things that happened when you hit something with a fist or a kick. At least they'd managed to teach the boy to rely on his own body rather than that freakish magic, and that had to be something.

"Pet." Vernon said reigniting their conversation.

"Yes, dear?" Petunia inquired.

"Pack a night bag for the two of us. We're going to stay with Dudley tonight." He said standing from the table and finishing his tea.

"What about him?" His wife asked with a brisk nod out into the hall.

"Mrs Figg can take him." Vernon responded while pulling on his coat.

"You want to put him near her after what he did!?" Petunia almost yelped as her husband held up a calming hand.

"I doubt that he could do anything against a fully grown woman. Besides its either that or we leave him here completely unsupervised." Vernon replied making his wife's mouth twist in distaste.

"I still don't like it." She stated making him nod.

"I don't either. But it is the lesser of two evils Pet. Besides the moment I was told how badly Dudley was hurt I took the next two weeks off work. We can take him somewhere nice when he gets out tomorrow, maybe I can call Bovey Castle in Devon and we can get two rooms there. I've been told it's wonderful for families." Vernon supplied making his wife pause, and like that he knew she liked the idea.

"But what would Arabella do with the boy while we're away? Would she even take him on such short notice?" Petunia replied all good points.

"She would if we told her we're seeing a specialist to help Dudley get back to full health faster." Vernon supplied he was not a particular fan of lying, but if it was for his family then it was fair game as far as he was concerned. "As for what she would do with him send him to that old man Yama-something or rather." The patriarch of the Dursley household stated making his wife fret once more.

"Are you sure sending him near that old man is a good idea?" She ventured uncertainly. "He may do something violent." Petunia voiced her concerns making Vernon chuckle and place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Pet everything will be fine." He assured her. "On the few occasions I've met him that old man seemed hard as nails. I would wager good money that if the boy gives him any grief he'll lay him out on his arse." Vernon had only met with Mr. Yama-something or rather once. When he had dropped the boy home one day. He needed to get groceries apparently and the store was past their house. From the little time he'd spent with the old man. Along with the fact the boy always came back exhausted from a hard days work Vernon was more than confident in his assessment.

"If-If you think it will work out Vernon." Petunia allowed after a moment. Making him pull her into a hug.

"Everything will be fine Pet." He assured her. "The time away will give us a chance to unwind and relax. Something we dearly need after everything that's happened today. Besides doing hard labour every day should help the boy be reminded of all the lessons we've strived to teach him over the years." Vernon stated making his wife nod into his chest.

"Okay then Vernon if you think it's for the best. You best let Mr. Yamamoto know what has happened and why the boy will be turning up tomorrow." She advised as he released her and smiled.

"I will Pet. Right after I drop him over at Arabella's I promise." Vernon said turning around. That was one battle over with at least. Thankfully his wife had not put up more than a token resistance. However he was unsure about how she would feel about his other idea. The injuries that Dudley had been dealt made it clear that the boy was a fighter, and a damned good one. Which meant his son would be in danger should they clash again, and it would happen of that Vernon was sure. Which meant Dudley needed to learn how to fight and not by scrapping about in the school yard with his friends either.

But really fight. Now the only real question was how he was going to sell the idea to his wife and what exactly should his son even learn? None of that foreign hogwash of that he was certain. Those Karate competitions Dudley had seen on the telly always seemed a little too tame to Vernon. After all in some they didn't even make contact! What kind of fighting was that!? No his son needed something good and practical. Perhaps Boxing? It was English and from his youth Vernon knew well how devastating a good right hook could be. He certainly didn't seem it anymore but he had been an under sixteens champion in his youth. The thought of Boxing and fighting once more brought his thoughts back to the boy.

Once they got back from their trip he would be making sure that he got a double serving of everything he usually did around the house. Vernon Dursley would make sure that the lessons he was trying to teach the boy were pounded into his head double time. Even more work around the house and outside would ensure he understood the value of hard work. Cleaning would take care of cleanliness and any other lessons he could think of would be pounded into the boy's head by any means necessary.

Vernon Dursley's train of though and complete conviction that his actions were correct and in service to his nephew just went to prove a single fact. No one truly ever believed their own actions to be evil.

XXX

Shigekuni Yamamoto sat across from his Disciple who looked ashamed of the actions he had been informed of. If he was to believe what Vernon Dursley had told him about the events of the previous day, and Yamamoto was less than inclined to do that. Harry had apparently attacked the five boys unprovoked and injured them quite significantly.

Enough that all five were in hospital as a matter of fact.

Unfortunately for Vernon Dursley he did not believe that story. Writing it off as complete and utter hogwash based on what he knew of the boy sitting before him. Oh Harry definitely hurt the boys of that

Yamamoto had no doubt, but he was not ready to believe that there were no other circumstances involved.

"So what happened?" The inquiry was blunt and very much to the point. Harry seemed to collapse into himself an action that Yamamoto had not seen in quite some time. The boy said nothing and the old man decided to approach his problem in a different way. "Alright did you or they start the fight?" He inquired his Disciple mumbled his response looking at the ground and Yamamoto felt his temper begin to fray.

"Speak up boy." He demanded as Harry kept his eyes firmly focused on the ground. Mumbling his answer once more, a gnarled hand slammed onto the table before him making Harry start. Green eyes looking up in fear as Yamamoto's visage turned thunderous. "I asked you a question boy! Look me in the eyes when you answer and tell me the truth! You are in no trouble yet. But with the Gods as my witness test my patience further and you will be." The old man finished dangerously before letting his posture relax.

"I will ask you again Harry." The old man said very deliberately using his students name. "Who started that fight?" Yamamoto inquired brown eyes boring into the top of his Disciple's head while Harry's green eyes were glued to the ground.

"Dudley did..." Harry muttered just loud enough to be heard.

"Oh is that all?" Yamamoto inquired slipping a mug of tea in front of his student. "Well if that is the case then it is fine. We shall begin today's lesson." The Grand Master stated making his Disciple look up in astonishment.

"Wha-" Harry attempted to get the words out but nothing came from his throat.

"Why do you seem so surprised?" Yamamoto inquired with a raised eyebrow. "I told you that you were not in trouble. I was more angered by your refusal to speak up and look me in the eye than whatever happened at your school today."

"B-But you told me not to fight!" Harry replied as moisture gathered in the corners of his eyes.

"Indeed I did." Yamamoto stated with a nod of his head. "However as you are still allowed to come here, and your Uncle of all people intruded upon my home last night to tell me what happened. That tells me that he has not managed to put two and two together and understand that your ability to fight off five boys at the same time comes directly from your interactions with me. The worst of what I had feared would happen in this case you being forbidden to train has not come to pass. As such now I am more interested in what happened rather than running any form of damage mitigation." The old man stated looking down at the boy before him. Who seemed rather flabbergasted at his statement.

"Y-You mean I-I'm not in trouble?" Harry asked eyes wide as brown looked down into green.

"Did you start the fight?" Yamamoto shot back with a smile.

"N-No." Harry replied beginning to get his emotions under control.

"Then no Harry. You are not in trouble." He stated the smile not leaving his face. "However I would like to understand exactly what happened. As such I need you to tell me everything step by step do you understand?" Yamamoto inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-Yes Shisho." Harry replied with a nod as Yamamoto gestured for him to continue talking. "I was having lunch in the ally I sometimes use to hide from Dudley. Then he and his gang came in and I tried to get away but they locked the door I usually use and threw rocks at me. But some of the rocks were really sand and it got in my eyes and and!" Harry's words came out in a rush his breathing speeding up as he neared hyperventilation.

"Breathe Harry take you time." Yamamoto advised eyes stern as his Disciple's breathing returned to normal. "Now you may continue."

"S-Sand got in my eyes and I couldn't see." Harry began again working hard to control his breathing. "Then Dudley's Gang started attacking me. Piers held my arm in place and one of the others grabbed me from behind while Dudley punched me." His Disciple stated rubbing his stomach. Yamamoto did not need to ask where he had been hit.

"And I just got so angry." Harry continued almost shivering at the memory. He had a good idea where this was going. "Something snapped and I just remember attacking Dudley and the others and then by the time I could think again they were all on the ground and Mr. Johnson was in front of me yelling. But I don't remember what happened after I hit Dudley the first time." Harry finished eyes falling back down to the floor.

"Well Harry that is quite the tale." Yamamoto stated softly as his eyes crinkled slightly. "As for why you do not remember anything after you hit your Cousin the first time that could simply be a case of your brain being confused and in shock after the adrenaline wore off. However I think there is also another likely cause." The Grand Master stated making his Disciple look at him closely Harry's green eyes no longer locked on the floor.

"I take it you remember what I told you of Sei (Silent) and Dou (Motion) Ki Flows." It wasn't really a question and as such Yamamoto continued on before Harry could confirm what he already knew to be true. "You said before that you got furious with your Cousin and the boys attacking you before you struck back. I believe that you more than likely just got your first taste of Dou (Motion) Ki Flow." The Grand Master stated bluntly.

"But you said I had Sei (Silent) Type Ki Flow." Harry replied dumbly making the old man chuckle.

"Yes you are certainly leaning that way however your Ki will still respond to your emotions. If you do not know how to hide them away inside of yourself then your emotions will stir up your inner power and you will begin using Dou (Motion) Ki Flow. Even if in its most rudimentary form. The fact that it was powered by your anger towards your Cousin. With whom you have many standing issues most likely made it more powerful than it usually would be as well. I would be willing to wager that combined with the shock of what you had done it may well have contributed to blocking out your memories of the fight." Yamamoto theorised out loud stroking his beard before dismissing the train of thought with a wave of his hand.

"It matters little truly. However Harry you seem somewhat distracted you have since you got here and not just by what happened at school yesterday. What is on your mind?" The old man inquired as the ten year olds green eyes flicked down to the floor once more.

"I hurt Dudley and his gang really badly." Harry said lowly eyes not moving from where they had settled. "They all had broken bones." He added in a small voice. Yamamoto said nothing instead sipping his tea. Harry would get to his question in time.

"But all the teachers kept telling me how bad it was that I was fighting and that I shouldn't have hurt them even though they attacked me." Yamamoto had to hold in a snort at that that. Call him old fashioned but if someone attacked you with the intent to harm then as far as he was concerned you were more than justified in harming them in return in the ensuing fight. One should never be willing to inflict harm without being ready for harm to also be inflicted upon them after all.

"But if it's really bad to hurt people then why..." He trailed off and Yamamoto felt like he would need to push the conversation along if he wanted to get to the heart of the matter when Harry opened his mouth. "Why did it feel good to win?" He asked green eyes flicking up and staring into brown he could easily see his Disciple was looking at him for the answer. Because Harry needed to know the reason why winning despite the grievous injuries he dealt his enemy felt good. Especially when everyone else had told him he should feel horrible for harming another human being.

"That sense of satisfaction is normal Harry." The old man stated bluntly. "When you are in a fight if you win then you will almost always feel a sense of accomplishment after. At a base level it is simple human nature. You won, you are alive and well your opponent lost and is no position to harm you. Feeling that does not make you a monster Harry, it makes you human." Yamamoto stated and he could see his Disciple's mind waver.

"But did I need to hurt them that much?" Harry asked his voice low. The old man couldn't help the smile that came to his face. His Disciple really was a good child. However his question was not as clear cut as it seemed.

"Perhaps you did not." He allowed after a moment. "Perhaps you could have found another way to defeat them without harming them at your current skill level. Taking that into account though it is also equally possible that you harmed them the least amount possible given your ability. In the end Harry no matter what fancy words you wish to dress it up in or metaphors you wish to use. At it core every martial art is about how to effective destroy your opponent." Yamamoto stated making Harry's gaze return to the ground once more. It had not been what his Disciple had wanted to hear but it was the truth, and in this case there really was no easy answer.

"Will I hurt everyone that much?" Harry's voice was low his eyes locked on the floor.

"No." Yamamoto's response was quick and blunt making his Disciple look up in surprise. "As you increase in skill and ability you will learn when and how to apply your techniques to defeat your enemy while causing them a bare minimum of damage if that is what you want. However there is also something else you need to realise Harry." Yamamoto stated his face grim. "But first I must pose a question. What is fight about?" The question was simple on the surface but he had no doubt that Harry would answer it the same way everyone else did, and thus get the wrong answer out of the gate.

"Uh..." His Disciple's eyes flicked around as if looking for the answer in the air. "You told me it can be about survival, honour, or glory, or dozens of other reasons." Harry tried making the old man nod. He was correct Harry had gotten it wrong.

"You are correct I did say those things. However I never said they were what fighting was about." Yamamoto corrected brown eyes boring into green. "I told you they were reasons to fight, and that is a very important difference Harry. In the end while there are an infinite number of reasons to fight in my personal opinion they are not what fighting is about. Fighting Harry, is about who is left standing in the end. Nothing else." He stated his stern visage not softening in the slightest.

"Just because you had a reason to fight does not mean that one will win the engagement." Yamamoto lectured his face stern. "Conversely just because one wins the fight does not make one righteous. Your reason to fight is important Harry, but all the conviction in the world means nothing if one does not have the power to carry it out. Which is why I believe that fighting is about who is left standing in the end and nothing else. Speaking of conviction however there is another conversation we need to have today." The old man stated with a grimace. With a flick of his wrist Yamamoto's wand was in his hand another flick accompanied by a muttered spell caused smoke to shoot from it's point and condense into a well defined shape.

It was a circle one half filled with smoke while the other was clear of it. The divide however was not a straight line. Instead curving so that one part was larger than the other and the tail connected to the larger part of the other half of the circle. However within the clear half there was a single dot of smoke while the smoke filled half had a single clear dot within.

"This symbol is known as a Taijitu sometimes incorrectly called a Yin-Yang. However we shall not be touching on its historical significance today nor common misunderstandings. It is simply here as a visual aid for what I wish to discuss." Yamamoto stated bluntly his wand slipping back up his sleeve with a flick. "In Yami there are two philosophies that are the most common doctrine followed and while finding Hardliners who believe that there way is the only way are few and far between they do exist. However they are not going to be the subject of our discussion today." The old man stroked his beard and considered his next words carefully.

"Those two competing philosophies are the Katsujinken and the Satsujinken. The Life Giving Fist and The Fist of Killing." Yamamoto stated as he took a sip of tea. "There ideas are fundamentally incompatible with each other, which is why you find so few Hardliners on both sides and most believe that a balance between the two is the best option for them. Those who followed the Katsujinken (The Life Giving Fist) believe that even though their arts are designed to efficiently destroy an opponent there is very little reason to permanently harm, or kill their enemies outside of wartime. Hardliners of this philosophy believe that all life is sacred and one should not seek to kill another even if they are in danger of being killed themselves." The old man finished pointing towards the side of the circle with almost no smoke in it.

"As for the Satsujinken (The Fist of Killing) they are of the opposite belief. They are of the opinion that as our arts were originally designed to kill that is the only way they should be used." Yamamoto said a slight grimace on his face. "Their objective when fighting is to destroy the opponent. They are uncaring of the damage they inflict upon them or of the possibility of death. Hardliners of the Satsujinken believe only in killing. They fight to kill every time and will do so regardless of who their opponent is so long as they are capable of fighting close to their level or have ignored the chance they were given to walk away." His finger pointed at the smoky side of the circle before a flick of his fingers banished it allowing the smoke to dissipate.

"However Harry as I said before most people are not Hardliners and end up somewhere in between the two. That too is something you must one day consider. On which side of the line will you fall but that day is still many years away." Yamamoto stated his face taking on a contemplative look once more.

"Something else you should keep in mind Harry." The old man said his gaze unwavering. "Is that for all of its meaning and the pretty words associated with it philosophy is worthless without tangible power to carry through on your beliefs. Just as power without proper guidance can be one of the most destructive forces in the world. Philosophy without power is nothing but dust on the wind." Yamamoto finished. He doubted Harry truly understood everything he was trying to covey but that was fine. They would have time to go over it in more detail later. Perhaps when his Disciple was less shell shocked over his actions.

None the less Yamamoto felt the boy had needed to hear this.

"However now we have spoken of the two conflicting philosophies within Yami and reasons to fight against what fighting is about there is something else we must speak of." The old man said changing the subject onto something that he was quite interested in. "May I ask Harry, what exactly is happening to your Cousin?" Yamamto inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm what do you mean Shisho?" Harry asked unsure of what exactly is was his Master wished to know.

"I mean what will happen to him as the instigator of this fight?" The old man said clarifying his point and making Harry look down at the floor again.

"Nothing Shisho. The teachers reckon that I attacked Dudley and his gang by taking them by surprise. Because I hurt all five of them and I shouldn't have been able to do that." Harry answered eyes not moving off of the floor. Something that was beginning to irritate Yamamoto.

"I see. So known bullies are found in an alley where they have clearly been throwing rocks at someone. With a locked door and your teachers do nothing. Injuries to the boys or not I am beginning to dislike you teachers." Yamamoto made his annoyance clear with the huff that moved his rather impressive moustache.

"They're not my teachers any more." Harry said lowly eyes on the ground.

"What was that boy?" The old man demanded looking down at his Disciple surprised.

"Th-" Harry began eyes still on the floor.

"Eyes up Harry!" Yamamoto snapped and his Disciple forced himself to look into his eyes. Brown and green locked as Harry spoke again.

"I said they're no longer my teachers Shisho." Harry stated making Yamamoto stroke his beard as a small voice he had been ignoring in the back of his head spoke up once more. This time he did not silence it as he considered the implications.

"Allow me to see if I understand this correctly." The old man said softly taking a sip of tea. "Your Cousin and his 'gang' attack you in an alley. Five to one which would be long odds for a child your age were you not a Ki user. After winning the fight against known bullies who had the intent to harm you, your school has decided to expel you. Am I correct?" Yamamoto asked his face somewhat incredulous.

"Yes Shisho." Harry replied making an admirable attempt at keeping his green eyes locked on Yamamoto's brown ones. To be fair he mostly succeeded in that endeavour. The old man considered what he had just been told and stroked his beard.

"Harry." Yamamoto said as he stood. "Know now that I am proud that you defended yourself and did so well enough to avoid any type of real harm. Both to yourself and your enemy." The old man praised with a small smile. "Also know that no matter what happens I will always be happy to train you." He added making Harry look somewhat worried.

"Do not be concerned." Yamamoto added placing a hand on the ten year olds head and ruffling his hair. "I will not stop training you nor will this affect my decision to take you as a Disciple. However your new lack of school, and thus education, does raise several important choices that both of us will need to make in the near future. For now you have the run of the house." The old man stated moving towards the hall.

"You may use any room on the ground floor and any appliance that you wish. If you go to the second floor know that my study and bedroom are not to be touched but the library is open to you. I must consider our next move carefully. Depending on what is chosen we could both see much upheaval in our future." He finished not catching the uncertain look on Harry's face as he slipped into the hallway proper and moved to the second floor.

XXX

Harry Potter was more than willing to admit he was apprehensive about today. The Dursleys had left him in the care of Mrs Figg while they went to see an expert about Dudley's ribs to help his Cousin get back on his feet faster. Harry was not looking forward to when they got back. After all who knew exactly what kind of tortures Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would put him through while they looked for a new school, but he knew it wasn't going to be good.

More than that however was the ominous note that his Master had left him with the day before. True to his world old man Yamamoto had given him the run of the house. Not that Harry had used it for much he'd spent an hour or so hitting the Mu Ren Zhuang (Wooden Man Post) but most of it had been spent thinking about what they had discussed.

Harry was more than willing to admit that he didn't fully understand any of it. Though he had understood that a reason to fight was different from what fighting was about. The rest would come in time he supposed. That was a lesson that old man Yamamoto had beaten into his head over the last two years. Not everything could be understood straight away sometimes you needed time to absorb what you were being told and reflect upon it before it could be fully understood.

His Master had cooped himself up in his study for most of the day only coming out at lunch and dinner. Both times he had looked contemplative barely even speaking when spoken too. Which was odd to say the least. It also made Harry more worried about what could be in store for him today after all whatever was distracting his Master was clearly part of it. The only reason he was as calm as he was, was due to the fact that he had been told outright that no matter what else happened they would keep training.

Harry's life had already chosen to go upside down he really didn't need things to get worse at this point. His knock on the the door was answered almost instantly with it swinging open. His Master stood eyes unreadable as he looked down.

"Living room." Was all Yamamoto said stepping back from the door and allowing Harry to enter. Much like the day he had opened the First Gate there was a tension about the house. It was thick and heavy almost like a physical weight pushing down on Harry's shoulders. His feet carried him forward without thinking into the living room. The only thing different about it was the rather thick file on the table before where Yamamoto usually sat.

"Sit, and I will prepare us some tea." The old man stated as Harry followed the direction. This was strange last time he'd known why the tension was there. This time it was a mystery and that did not make Harry feel better about it at all. His Master returned before he could give the train of thought any more consideration. Brining with him a pot of tea and two mugs which were placed before their respective owners.

"Now I am sure you are wondering what I meant when I said we may see much upheaval in our futures yesterday. It is a point we shall be addressing today at great length however first you need some background information to make the points I shall be explaining to you more easily understandable." Yamamoto stated and Harry watched as his Master flicked the file before him open and slid several photos towards him. The people within were dressed strangely with long dark robes and masks of silver. The fact they were moving did not bother him as it once would have. Wizard pictures had been something his Master had explained, and showed, to him long ago.

The next picture was similar to the first only this time the masked figures were joined by another. He was tall his head shaved clean of hair a pair of burning embers for eyes looking out at Harry from the paper. A madness fit to burn the world dancing inside of them. The final picture was similar to the first two however this time the figures, sans the bald man, were standing before a burning house.

"The figures in those pictures are known as Death Eaters." Yamamoto spoke his voice cold and hard. It was easy for Harry to tell that his Master held no love for those who called themselves such. "Exactly when they were formed I do not know. However their acts became public about twenty years ago in England. At first it was small things however their acts rapidly increased in both size and scale. Due to their acts fifteen years ago England, or at least the Magical side of England. Was embroiled in Civil War." Harry's eyes widened at the words. War? Here? War was something that happened to other countries and other people not something that happened on the shores of England. Yamamoto cared nothing for his students thoughts instead choosing to press on with his explanation.

"The Death Eaters were supporters of a type of ideology known commonly throughout the Moonlit World as Pure Blood Supremacy. It a philosophical and ideological platform that states that those with magical blood are inherently superior to those without. In addition to this the ideology also supposes that those without magic, or those with magic but born into families without it are no better than animals. Those with one parents who is magical and one who is not are tolerated but are considered second class citizens." His Master stated. Honestly Harry didn't understand most of it but he got the general idea. These people thought that if they were born with magic they were just better than everybody else.

"This is of course nonsense." The old man stated bluntly. "There had been absolutely no proof found by anyone in any country at any time that being descended from parents who were both magical in nature increased ones ability to control magic or the power inherent inside of them. Though it does increase the chances of the child being able to use magic at all. Thus it is what most of those who are Pure Blood Supremacists use as their platform to support their beliefs." Yamamoto continued with a stroke of his beard.

"The only real advantages in being born into a family magical family and raised by one. Is that those children will have an understanding of the Magical World lacking in those coming from families without magic. Who will need to catch up in understanding the culture and its idiosyncrasies. However I am getting off topic. The point is that the Death Eaters are a group that supports this ideological position of Pure Blood Supremacy and they caused a Civil War in Magical Britian around fifteen years ago." His Master stated as a gnarled finger pointed at the red eyed man.

"That is Voldemort. A self styled 'Lord'." Harry could practically feel the sarcasm dripping from the title as Yamamoto spoke it. "He was the driving force behind the Death Eaters actions and gave them a leader to rally behind. The fact he was not only powerful enough, but skilled enough to hold his own against Alubs Dumbledore is what gave them the courage to wage a large scale campaign." Yamamoto thought for a second and sipped his tea.

"Albus Dumbledore is considered by many to be the most gifted Wizard to be born in the last two hundred years and from everything I have found out about the man they are right. However he stands for the exact opposite of Pure Blood Supremacy. Believing instead that cooperation and integration of Muggle ideas and customs into the Magical World is essential if they are to survive. I think that Albus Dumbledore believes, as I do, that one day the Moonlit World will no longer be able to keep itself separate from the Dawning World. But that is a conversation for another time. For now just know that Dumbledore is both powerful and well positioned. Do you understand so far Harry?" His Master questioned brown eyes locked on green.

"Yes Shisho." He replied after a second. Some of it was a bit confusing but Harry felt like he was following well enough.

"Very well then. As I mentioned the Death Eaters placed Magical Britain into a state of Civil War. However this was not a war fought like in times of old where two armies met on the field of battle but rather it was made up of ambushes and guerrilla tactics." At Harry's confused looked Yamamoto chose to extrapolate on his answer. "Guerilla tactics Harry is used to refer to unconventional warfare. The use of things like sabotage, ambushes, hit and run tactics and the like. For all their power Death Eaters are not as numerous as Aurors and as such a standard war was beyond them. They made up for that by using terror and being constantly mobile." His Master stated with a grim look on his face.

"For the sake of some of the things we need to speak about later. We must explore exactly what those tactics were in greater detail." Yamamoto stated his eyes hardening further. "Firstly Harry there are a number of spells classified as Dark Magic. Which is another subject we shall explore at a later date. However in particular we shall speak of the Unforgivable Curses. They are three particularly vile pieces of magic that after the Death Eaters made them staples of their arsenal are now punishable by incarceration for life in Azkaban. A prison guarded by Dementors." Harry's face morphed into a look of horror at the news. After all just hearing about Dementors was not a pleasant act. Nor was the reading he had been required to do on the subject of those monsters. An entire prison guarded by them though that made him shiver. It would have to be hell on Earth there really was no other way to put it.

"In order the three Unforgivable Curses are Avada Kedavra the Killing Curse. Which will cause instant death if the target is struck by it and can not be blocked by any magical shield or conjured item. Instead it either has to be blocked by a naturally occurring object or dodged entirely. Cruciatus Curse also known as the Torture Curse. Imagine the pain you went through opening the Gate of Awakening. Then increase it several dozen fold until it is all you can think of and you have a general idea of what the curse is like. Death Eaters have driven people mad by keeping them under its influence for too long." Harry felt the blood drain from his face at the words. What kind of monster would even think of creating such a horrific curse?

"Finally there is Imperius Curse or the Curse of Control. As it's title implies it gives one complete control over another. They can make them do anything from dance to murder their own family in cold blood, or torture them into insanity. I have been told that last one was a popular choice among most Death Eaters." Yamamoto stated with a disgusted snort as Harry's face continued to pale.

"Now that you understand the Unforgivable Curses we can move on to the Death Eaters tactics themselves. The Imperius Curse played a large role in their campaign of Gurrilla Warfare. They used it to create loyal slaves placed in high value locations such as Government posts and Hospitals. Usually these people were used to funnel back information. However on occasion they were used as suicide attackers set like bombs to go off and kill as many people as possible around them before they were killed themselves. As the Death Eaters were not using their own people for these attacks their numbers barely dwindled when they were carried out." Yamamoto explained clinically his Master's voice almost sounding almost unnaturally detached.

"I'm sure you can see why that would be terrifying Harry. People like Healers, Government Officials and even loved ones. People you should be able to trust and rely on could turn on and kill you at a moments notice, or they could do worse. For example turning you into another slave to the Imperius Curse under the control of their own Master. Or having someone you loved more than life itself torture you and your children into insanity before taking their own life. Both were documented as happening with a fair amount of regularity." His Master stated as Harry felt sick to his stomach at the description.

"This tactic was made more effective by the fact that the Imperius Curse is quite difficult to pick up on. Someone under it's effects will appear to be no different to their usual selves unless ordered to act differently. Even with the help of a skilled Legilimens the curse can be almost impossible to pick up on when cast by a skilled practitioner. However that was but one weapon in the Death Eaters impressively large arsenal. Though granted it was also one of the most insidious and consistently used of the bunch." Yamamoto stated with a sip of his tea. Harry robotically copied his Master's actions but he did not truly taste the tea on his lips.

"There were other ways they inflicted terror and fear upon their victims. One of the more successful methods was the Taboo. It is a particularly difficult piece of magic that can only be used if one is both exceptionally skilled and has access to a ward scheme that covers the entire area they are attempting to enact the Taboo in. Unfortunately the Death Eaters had many allies in the Magical Government. As its leading body the Wizengamot is lead by seats that are usually inherited down family lines making many of its members very old Pure Blood houses, and to them the idea of Pure Blood Supremacy is a very attractive one." His Master explained with something Harry could not identify in his voice. Regardless of what it was however he was entirely sure that it was nothing positive.

"As such the Death Eaters gained access to the many Wards that cover Britain. After the many thousands of years that Wizards and Witches have called the British Isles home there are very few places where the Wards controlled by the Ministry of Magic do not reach. Mostly personal residences built in very out of the way places." The old man stated as Harry continued to listen wide eyed and pale.

"Using these Wards the Death Eaters were able to institute their Taboo over most of Britian. The Taboo was simple those who said the name of their leader, Voldemort. Would have Death Eaters immediately summoned to their location who would then proceed to kill everything present, and they would do so quickly if the person in question was lucky. Most were not." Yamamoto said his words blunt and to the point.

"This naturally increased the amount of fear the public held for Voldemort and by extension the organisation that he led. Couple that with raids that killed dozens of people and stopped the flow of commerce quite effectively and soon people began to run out of basic supplies that they needed to live which only increased tensions further." His Master explained as colour began to return to Harry's cheeks.

"This in turn caused them to get paranoid and lash out at those around them. Sowing even more distrust and terror between the people living in this country. This combined with the fact that many 'Dark Creatures' had joined hands with the Death Eaters and were also rampaging around the countryside did nothing to help morale. The end result of this Harry was that the Government was essentially crippled form the inside and out. The people could not trust each other for fear of betrayal and with infiltrators in place inside of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement most of the objectives and plans designed to help fight the Death Eaters came into their hands long before they were enacted and countermeasures were quickly developed." The old man stated his voice cold and hard.

"As a result of their well waged and carefully plained Guerilla Warfare campaign the Death Eaters were actually winning that Civil War. Until almost nine and a half years ago when their leader, Voldemort, went to kill a family of four. No one knows why merely that it happened. He killed the children's Grandparents who had been looking after the twin boys. Before attempting to kill the children as well. Because he was a monster far more than he was man. But something else happened something that has not been recorded happening in the history of the world. The Killing Curse of Advada Kedavra backfired killing the one known as Voldemort and turning the war back to a level semi playing field." Yamamoto explained as he poured Harry another cup of tea that his student drank robotically.

"However just because their leader was dead do not think that the Death Eaters just gave up. No they were still on the front foot and continued to wage their war against the Ministry of Magic in addition to Half Bloods, Muggleborns and Muggles. For the first four or so years after Voldemort's death his followers continued to wage a fairly successful campaign. They only began to be pushed back as their former allies began to desert them. First many of the 'Dark Creatures' had been kept in line through threats of violence that they were certain the Death Eaters could not deliver on now that their leader was gone." His Master stated with a stroke of his beard.

"Other lower ranking members of the organisation were caught and without Voldemort to inspire more to join with his Cult of Personality they had few new recruits. Seven years after Voldemort's defeat the Death Eaters were on their last legs. Their recruits had dried up, the less intelligent members were in Azkaban, and the more intelligent members that had been caught and had the money to bribe their way to freedom were no longer able to act overtly. This coupled with the new Aurors having just finished their training and still riding a morale high permanently crippled the Death Eaters who have never recovered." Yamamoto explained with a sip of tea.

"However to this day they do still exist. Though they are greatly diminished from what they once were the threat has not yet completely passed. Do you understand thus far Harry?" The old man inquired with the raise of a long eyebrow.

"Not all of it Shisho." Harry admitted with a shake of his head.

"That is fine." Yamamoto responded. "So long as you have a rough working understanding it will serve for the rest of our discussion."

"Yes Shisho." Harry answered with a nod of his head.

"Very well now you understand all of that we can move on to the more delicate matter. Harry do you remember how I said Voldemort was defeated by his own curse bouncing back at him?" He inquired eyes locked on Harry's own.

"Yes Shisho." His Disciple replied with a nod of his head.

"The name of the family that Voldemort attacked was the Potter's." Yamamoto stated as the room went completely silent. Before his Disciple could open his mouth the old man slid another item before him. This time it was a newspaper clipping a photo of a burned out house that had clearly been the site of a powerful explosion lay near the top of the page. The title of the article was easily readable, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Defeated! Attack on Potter's Destroys the Dark Lord! It proclaimed at the bottom left of the page, under the beginning of the article, was another picture. This one of two parents holding a pair of one year old baby boys next to a picture of men and women joyously celebrating in the streets.

"A-A-A." Harry couldn't form words his eyes were wide and his breath came in gasps. Yamamoto continued one regardless. This was only one of several life changing events and while he appreciated that they would need to take their time to properly explore all of them the fact of the matter was that time was something of a resource, and it was one they were running out of.

He had a plan and it was already in motion everything hinged on pinpoint timing and accuracy. Not only that but there was also the fact that this talk was still several hours from being over and helping his Disciple deal with his emotions was a job for the end of it. Well unless Harry looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown. Which was more than possible.

"From what I have managed to gather they are you parents." He stated bluntly, another page was added from the file. He had highlighted the relevant boxes it was a small section in an old copy of the Daily Prophet. One he had gone to quite extreme lengths to gather without revealing himself. The boxes in question were a pair of paid columns that congratulated James and Lily Potter on the birth of their children Jack and Harry.

"While I admit that most of my evidence is circumstantial it is also quite extensive. A small amount of information could be dismissed as a simple coincidence. However the amount here makes that a rather unlikely prospect." Yamamoto stated pulling several more pages from the file and replacing most of the ones already on the table.

They had been something of a pain to gather but he had managed to get his hands on an old Hogwarts year book with individual photos of Lily and James Potter. Who looked remarkably similar to his Disciple in addition to a few that celebrated James' actions in the British Civil War as an Auror as well as his wife contributions as both a combatant and healer.

"They're physical characteristics are so similar to yours that I would have serious doubts that they could be anything less than your parents." He informed his Disciple who was still breathing quickly while tears streamed down his face and he struggled to speak. This time Yamamoto chose to let it run its course. Small releases would likely help stop Harry breaking completely after all.

"Th-They're my..." His Disciple trailed off just looking at the pictures of the two from their Hogwarts year book. With quick, efficient, movements Yamamoto quietly picked up the other photographs and returned them to his file. With the sheer wonder that Harry was staring at the pictures with he had no doubt it was his Disciple's first time seeing their faces.

"Yes that is my belief." Yamamoto replied pulling another clipping of the Daily Prophet from the file on his left and placing it before Harry. "And this is one of the things I consider to be a rather damning piece of evidence that points towards that conclusion." He hadn't bothered keeping the title this time, or the article he had taken it from for that matter.

Instead all he kept was the picture. As in Yamamoto's opinion it was the only part of that particular page that really mattered. In it James Potter was holding a one year old with jet black hair and bright green eyes. A lightning bolt shaped scar in the middle of his forehead while next to him his wife held up another young child. Hair as black as midnight a scar ran from his right eye brow to his hair line a straight line up with a pair of lines jutting off one at the top and another a half centimetre down on a slight angle.

It had taken some work, and more than a few hours double checking his findings. But apparently Jack Potter's scar was in the same shape as a Norse Rune. Part of the system that made up the European counterpart to Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques). It apparently was called Ansuz and meant One of the Gods. On a counter point Yamamoto had gone out of his way to find out if a lightning bolt shaped Rune existed in the Norse language. As a matter of fact it did though granted it was usually drawn on more of a slant than Harry's possessed. It was called Sowilo and was a representation of the Sun itself. Which considering how despondent his Disciple had been when they had first met had something of a dark irony to it.

"B-Bu." Harry's voice still wasn't working properly Yamamoto noted dispassionately. But he could see the tell tale signs beginning to build. Confusion and shock were beginning to fade and anger was boiling up from the pit of Harry's stomach. Still it wouldn't boil over unless something pushed Harry over the edge. Which unfortunately he was going to do sooner or later. He would need to be ready to calm the boy when that happened.

"I will admit I believed at one point that I may have simply stumbled on a simple coincidence however this convinced me otherwise." He stated in a tone of finality. Another paper clipping was placed before Harry as Yamamoto cleared away the others. Minus the two of his parents in their year book photos that his Disciple kept throwing glances at.

The paper clipping was a smile one though it's title was mildly disturbing to say the least. Death Eaters Attack Potters, Killing Six Aurors and Wounding Lily Potter! It was a long headline and the picture of a ruined house did nothing but reinforce the fact that the article would not be a pleasant one. Fortunately Harry would not have to read through the whole thing as he did. Finding out three of those men had children of their own had done nothing but make his day worse. Which was exactly why he had highlighted the relevant passage. Well in addition to saving a bit of time.

Yamamoto did not even need to look to know what Harry would find there. It simply reported that Jack Potter, and his brother Harry, were attacked five days before their birthday of July thirty first. Allowing his Disciple to finish reading he placed two more articles before Harry. One detailing another attack almost ten days after the previous one killing two more Aurors and another attack after that where thankfully everyone had gotten out safely.

"A-A-A!" The reality that someone had apparently attempted to kill his family slammed into Harry like a freight train. Throwing water on his growing rage. Which was unfortunate because Yamamoto knew exactly what his Disciple was going to ask. Not that it was hard it could only really be one to two questions. It would either be 'what happened to them', or 'are they still alive'.

Without speaking he placed another article before his Disciple. It was the first one he had ever read concerning any of Harry's family. The paper itself was in pristine condition without a single mark marring its surface. Magic was such a useful tool. Admittedly it was also exceptionally dangerous should one misuse it, but then again what kind of tool was not dangerous when misused. His Disciple took a look at the page green eyes darting to the highlighted sections. His mother's name, his father's name, his brother's name, and finally the date.

Upon reading the date attached to the article Harry went still.

Yamamoto quietly gathered himself. Here it came. Emotions were volatile things at their core. They were the source of every joy one could find in life and every misery in creation. But an adult someone with years of life experience could channel their emotions or even lock them away to avoid having an outburst. They had spent years learning how to constructively channel every emotion or at least differ an emotional response when necessary and possible.

Children had neither that experience nor that control and as such when they were overwhelmed by an emotional response to a stimuli they walked down one of two roads. They either calmed up and retreated into their shell refusing to come out until they had calmed down. Or they lashed out violently at everything around them.

Harry may have been leaning towards Sei (Silent) Type Ki Flow but their was a world of difference between leaning towards something and being actively trained in it. Not only that but for all the training they had done in the end Harry Potter was still a ten year old child. One who had never known his parents and had often wondered what his life would be like if they were still alive. Now he knew that were alive and seemingly happy.

All without him.

Like any normal child, or any normal person really.

Harry Potter lashed out.

"ARRRRGGGHHHRHH!" The scream of rage was incoherent. There were no words involved but one could easily understand its meaning. The one screaming was in pain and wish to relieve their own pain by destroying everything around them.

Harry's hand crashed down onto the table. The emotional stress he was under augmenting his strength and sending his Ki surging through his body. Flaring the power outwards in the characteristic manner of Dou (Motion) Ki Flow. Harry's fist came down on the table three times in rapid succession, Yamamoto noticed his knuckles split after the second strike and begin to bleed, but Harry was too far gone to notice.

The boy flung his mug away sending the porcelain careening into the small television set he had purchased a year back. Smashing both the mug and the television's front glass panel into pieces. His Disciple stood in a rage pulling his foot back and striking the table with a hard kick and sending it through the rice paper door behind him. Only Yamamoto's inhuman reaction speed allowed him to gather the file and pictures before they were sent flying.

It was a good kick the old man noted absently as Harry flung a book that he had been reading the last time he was at the house through the glass cabinet in the kitchen. The cast iron kettle quickly followed going through the front of his oven with a token resistance.

Yamamoto was not worried for his kettle in the slightest. The old thing had survived far worse than merely breaking some glass.

Harry twisted his foot coming down in an axe kick to break the teapot on the table. There was a reason he had moved all of Setsuna's things last night. Yamamoto was more than aware that his Disciple would need to vent his frustrations and magic would be more than sufficient at fixing whatever Harry broke. Well except perhaps the television, but he did not want anything with actual sentimental value to be damaged in his Disciple's rampage.

Harry twisted and punched the wall behind him, the first hit was solid as was the second. Both left behind a mess of red from where the skin over his Disciple's knuckles had broken. Magic pulsed sending the dishes in his kitchen crashing to the floor. Harry appeared to not notice as his fist impacted the wall with a wet thud. Leaving still more crimson liquid, which meant it was time to stop this. Yamamoto did not mind if Harry broke everything in the house, they were merely things and thus completely replaceable. Well with the exception of the items safely sealed away, but those had sentimental value.

What was not replaceable was Harry himself and his Disciple's would continue doing more damage to himself until either he calmed down. Something that was not likely to happen any time soon, or he was stopped. On the plus side however even though his mind was in disarray and he was lashing out at everything around him Harry had not once targeted Yamamoto himself. The old man took it to mean either his Disciple no longer even registered he was in the room. Which was completely possible considering how utterly distraught Harry appeared to be. Or even in this state his Disciple did not see him as an enemy. Personally he liked to think of it as the second one it made him feel better about the whole thing.

The old man stood in a single flowing motion and crossed the distance between them faster than a man could blink. Harry's hand came back to punch the wall again. A distracted part of Yamamoto's brain noted that even now he was still punching correctly. Oh there was no doubt that Harry had at the very least bruised his knuckles in addition to splitting his skin. But the only reason the boy had yet to break his own wrist with a punch was the fact he was lining each and every one up correctly.

A gnarled hand reached out and stopped the next strike and with a nonchalance born of centuries of practise Yamamoto distabilised his Disciple's centre of balance with a slight tap of his foot before twisting his arm and flinging Harry away. It was by no means a powerful throw, in fact it was far more of a fancy trip than anything. But combining his hight advantage over his Disciple in addition to his experience, and quite literally inhuman strength. It became easy enough to turn a simple trip into a throw.

Harry flipped in mid air with the force of the attack. His body righting itself completely just as his bottom made contact with the cushion he had originally vacated. Brown eyes stared calmly into wild green that seemed to burn from within like a beast's. Harry moved throwing out a kick towards the damaged television set destroying it completely. Barely taking any notice of the glass that had lacerated his leg on the way through.

Yamamoto moved again his hands whipped out. One grabbing over Harry's arm and hooking under his left tricep while the other took a fistful of his shirt. A quick twist and a tug was all it took and Harry was airborne once more. This throw gave him more than a few options the first was debilitating and possibly lethal. As such it was immediately rejected. The second was painful but not lethal. It was considered and discarded. Yamamoto's right arm moved his elbow coming down to touch his ribcage. Righting Harry in mid air and allowing his Disciple to land on his feet.

Well Option Three it was.

The boy looked up at him green eyes wild. Emotions rushed through them faster than Yamamoto could keep track of them. Pain, betrayal, rage, sorrow, surprise, elation, fear, envy, and thousand others were reflected in Harry's eyes each appearing and disappearing too quickly for him to more than glimpse them. The old man went down to one knee, his brown eyes in line with Harry's own and Yamamoto's arms went forward wrapping around the child before him and drawing him into a hug.

Harry stiffened against him almost reflexively.

Shigekuni Yamamoto would be the first to admit that he was not a person who showed the most physical signs that he cared about others. The lone exception to that had been his wife and even then unless they were in private neither one of them had shown an over abundance of emotion towards the other. That was not to say that they had been incapable of doing so it was simply that in the way they were raised. Such outward displays of emotion were looked down on. Even now over two hundred years later. He still wasn't particularly good at showing he cared for others in a physical sense.

The closest he had gotten to doing anything positively physical towards Harry before this was ruffling the boy's hair on occasion. This was most definitely a significant step up from that. Harry shuddered twice in his arms an animalistic growl echoed from the boy's throat. Under most conditions he would have let Harry go. However that was not really an option right now. Because if he did let Harry go then there was a good chance the boy would go back to trying to destroy everything around him. Which would have been fine, so long as Harry was not harming himself in the process.

"UHGG" The sound from Harry's throat couldn't be called a word. But it was enough to make his point very clear. Especially since it was as he made that sound that his Disciple began to thrash around. For all the difference it made to his grip. Harry would have had better luck attempting to uproot an oak tree with his hands. Yamamoto held the boy a little longer as Harry's struggles began to subside and he pretended not to feel the the dampness on the front of his clothing.

"Are you settled now?" The question was not unkind as he released the boy in his arms. Harry's face was a mess. His nose was dripping and tears flowed from his eyes in a flood. He was not settled nor was he fine. But this could have been worse. The tea Harry had consumed had calming properties. If this was the result then Yamamoto did not wish to think on what kind of damage his Disciple would have done to himself without it.

"Sit." The old man prompted placing a cushion down before Harry and pulling his own towards them with a summoning charm. Wandless magic was not easy for him but moving something as light as a cushion was well within his abilities.

Harry did not argue and Yamamoto was not surprised by that. Once people began to come down from their emotion fuelled outbursts they tended to get quiet. Either they had used up so much energy they did not have the strength left to speak, or as was Harry's case they were too emotionally drained to do much more than listen.

"I found this during the course of my investigation." The old man stated, he did not place it before Harry instead choosing to read it out. From the blank look in his Disciple's eyes Yamamoto doubted Harry would be able to force himself to read it even if he passed it over.

"Death Eater Attack Kills Harry Potter And Five Aurors." He read off dispassionately turning the newspaper clipping over so that Harry could see the burnt out husk of a house left in the wake of the attack. "As the title implies you are listed as dead along with five Aurors who I believe did actually die." He had the documentation to back up that assumption as well. Not that paperwork couldn't be faked of course. Yamamoto was something of an old hand at that himself after all.

"According to the article four months after the death of Voldemort your family were being moved to a new safe house. As all of you were under constant threat from the Death Eaters. Somehow they learned of its location and your families transfer itinerary in advance and laid in wait to ambush. The result as you can see was five dead Aurors and a report of your death. One I do not believe as..." Yamamoto trailed off placing the clipping before Harry as he drew another out.

"According to several articles ran in half a dozen different publications Sirius Black. Known for being the Godfather of Harry James Potter." The use of his full name got Harry's attention well enough even as his eyes continued to leak tears every now and then. "Was documented leaving England by aeroplane along with, and I am quoting from eyewitness accounts apparently. A baby boy with black hair in toe." He finished placing all of the assorted pictures and clippings back into the file. This time drawing out several sketches and pictures he had taken himself.

"ddi...th...a...e.." Harry's voice was barely discernible as vacant green eyes were locked on the ground. As Yamamoto laid the sketches out before him one by one. He hadn't had the need to draw in quite some time but it was a necessary part of Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) as such he was not terrible at it. There were five sketches in total each one showing the Dursley house and picking a particular ward to focus on.

The pictures had been taken from a specialised camera something that he had needed to dip into his own funds to purchase. Apparently it was standard Curse Breaker equipment these days. It was simple enough to use. Insert the special film and take a picture of whatever was under a Ward and they would show up when the photograph was developed.

Of course all of the wards would have been intermingled and you would still need to pick them apart one at a time but it did mean that the Curse Breakers themselves did not have to constantly put themselves in danger to study the Wards they were trying to bypass. The fact all of the Wards intermingled on film was the exact reason he had taken his time to sketch each of them out so that he could explain each piece to Harry in detail if necessary. So that his Disciple would understand exactly how much time and effort had been placed into his Safe House.

However it also needed to be acknowledged that while Harry was indeed protected from outside threats it did leave him vulnerable to more localised ones. No protection was perfect after all. No matter what some people would claim. Still he couldn't help but wonder if there was another way. Perhaps even a better way his Disciple could have been protected. Though Yamamoto supposed it was a moot point to wonder. After all it was in the past and better options or not they needed to deal with what was in front of them before moving onto hypothetical scenarios.

"Did...they...want me?" Harry's voice was so low that even his superhuman ears could barely pick up the worlds. The old man looked down at the sheets before him taking in each sketch and photo. Then answered it was true that he could not be sure but given the evidence in question he believed his guess to be correct.

"Yes." The Grand Master answered his voice light as if trying not to startle the boy before him. A gnarled finger pointed at the first picture he had laid out. "This photo is of the Wards around the Dursley household." Yamamoto stated brown eyes looking into green. "Each one represents months of preparation and no little amount of time to fully create. This is not the kind of defensive system one places around someone who is unwanted." He said placing his first picture away and replacing it with a sketch.

"While I am not expert on the subject of Wards." Yamamoto stated pointing at the first sketch he had made. "I have the fortune to be associated with someone who is an expert on that particular branch of magic, and many others. In his opinion this first Ward is a Blood Ward. It is uses the connection of your blood and the blood of those related to you inside of the house to power the rest of the formation. It is an exceptionally powerful base to create further Wards as it does not rely on any ambient power in the atmosphere or on being consistently recharged. The only greater power supply for a Ward Scheme that either he or I could think of was by directly linking them to a lay line. Of which there are none in this area, or at least none close enough to draw any significant power from." He clarified with a stroke of his beard.

"The next is a Ward concerned with getting you away from danger." Yamamoto continued as Harry's eyes looked down at the page listlessly. "It is the second to last Ward. The last Ward being the Blood Wards I spoke of powering the array. It acts as a teleportation matrix." The old man caught the confused spark that flashed in Harry's dead green eyes prompting him to explain. "If the Ward is activated it will teleport whoever is inside of the house to a predetermined 'safe' location." Harry barely nodded as he took the information in.

"Now then this Ward." Yamamoto stated pointing at his third sketch. "Was created to defend the home. As were these other twelve." The old man added pushing a group of sketches forward. "From what we have been able to gather they increase in levels of lethality. The more a person attempts to forcibly enter the property the more dangerous the defence becomes and should all of them be overwhelmed then those inside will be teleported away to a safe location." The old man stroked his beard. Yamamoto's tea was long since finished and since his teapot had been unceremoniously destroyed he would not be having any more today it seemed.

"On top of those Wards is what is commonly known as a Notice-Me-Not Ward. Or to go by its more correct name a Perception Inhibiting Ward." He explained patiently as Harry looked on green eyes both aware and distant. "It makes it difficult for those without magical ability, or keyed to the Ward itself, to notice you. I imagine this was done under the assumption that should someone notice you and believe you were related to Jack Potter. All they would receive when they investigated was vague stories about who you were not any clear information. It would be a stalling tactic at best." Yamamoto admitted with a shrug.

"But it plays into the next Ward and it function." He stated pushing another sketch forward. "This Ward is designed to send a signal out if it is breached or one of the other Wards is activated. If my assumption is correct should this signal be sent out a response team would be deployed to deal with whatever problem was occurring. Should that be either pitched battle or a flaw in the scheme itself." That one was more guess work that either Kisuke or he liked to admit.

All they could really tell about the Ward was that it would send out a signal what would happen after that though was unknown. But their assumption did fit with the rest of the information as such Yamamoto did not feel particularly wrong about the explanation he gave his Disciple.

"The next two are simple enough to explain. The first is a Ward that will redirect any mail sent to you via Magical means. This is most likely a method of ensuring that someone can not simply find you by sending a letter. Which would defeat the entire purpose of hiding you away in the first place naturally. The final Ward is simple enough but also easily overcome by anyone because of it. Should someone near the Dursley's house intending to do you harm they would first experience a kind of extreme fear. However this Ward also has a particularly glaring hole in it. The Ward will only activate if the person intending to do you harm has the potential to use Magic on a concious level. Anyone else would be completely unaffected." Yamamoto said with a stroke of his beard as his eyes turned kind and a small smile graced his lips.

"This kind of protection Harry is not something that is given to a child who is unwanted. It represents the cumulation of months of research and effort on the part of whoever created it. This is the kind of defence one gives a treasure that they can not bare to lose but are forced to keep it away from them. It is my belief that your parents placed you with Vernon and Petunia because they felt it was their best option to keep you safe." He refused to say it was the best option over all because that could well just not be true. But Yamamoto did not know the situation when Harry was placed in the care of his biological Aunt or his Uncle by marriage. So perhaps it really was the best choice. In any case he would withhold judgement until he could properly interrogate his Disciple's parents.

Which would be happening sooner or later of that he would ensure.

But there were more important things to think about than something that far into the future. Because if Yamamoto got his way then Harry James Potter would not be meeting his biological mother, father, or brother for at least another five or so years. He had tried to be as neutral as possible about the matters they had discussed. Giving only answers he either knew to be correct or theories that had a significant amount of evidence to lend credence to them. Enough that he was content to say they were more than likely correct until he was presented with evidence to the contrary.

There was something Shigekuni Yamamoto wanted at the end of this conversation. He had toyed with the idea for years but had withheld from voicing it due to a number of factors. The most important of which had been Harry's education. Including his future education in the Magical Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However now that Harry was no longer enrolled at any educational institution the small voice that had been whispering at the back of his mind had finally gained some traction.

Brown eyes watched closely evaluating Harry's reaction to his presentation of the information gathered. It started slowly. His Disciple's breathing grew quicker and the green eyes that had been exhausted by his previous emotional outburst gained a light behind them once more. Rage making itself apparent by the dilation of his pupils and the shivers running across Harry's body.

"I..a..b...o..t..n" The boy's mouth moved and barely a sound came out. "I...wa...t..e.r..b..t...o..t..i..n" The words grew louder and Yamamoto could feel the growl reverberate in Harry's chest. "It was their best option!?" The words came out as a snarl that would be more at home on a wild animal than a human. "IT WAS THEIR BEST OPTION!?" This time it was a roar as Harry jumped back to his feet and his arms flew about wildly as he gestured.

"I SLEPT UNDER THE STAIRS FOR TEN YEARS!" Harry raged stomping a foot onto the ground and cracking the floorboard. His arm flicked forward a single finger extended pointing between the old man's eyes. "I DID ALL OF THE HOUSE WORK! BARELY GOT ENOUGH FOOD! DUDLEY MADE MY LIFE HELL! AND YOU'RE TELLING ME IT WAS THEIR BEST OPTION!?" Yamamoto calmly placed his hand on top of Harry's own an action that the boy almost attempted to throw off his hand as he forced the arm to lower.

"I did not say it was the best option." The Grand Master stated his eyes hard as Harry seemed to come back to himself and realise who exactly it was he had just been shouting at. The rage seemed to die before roaring back to life a second later. It seemed their were more than a few things in life his Disciple would not take lying down no matter who said them. Good he liked that kind of thing.

"I said 'they' as in your mother and father. Mostly likely felt it was their best option. It may not have been but without asking them in person it is difficult to know for certain." Yamamoto explained the rage in Harry's eyes did not die in the slightest.

"Don't see how it could have been worse." The ten year old spat acidicly his voice laced with sarcasm. The warmth in the old man's gaze vanished as if it had never existed to begin with.

"You could be dead." Yamamoto stated bluntly brown eyes cold and hard. His tone seemed to surprise his Disciple who looked shocked at the statement placed before him. "Did you not hear what I said before mentioning your parents!?" The old man demanded a gnarled finger jabbed at the file making a sharp slap as it pushed into the yellowed cardboard.

"Thirty seven Harry. That is how many people were confirmed dead protecting you and your family before they gave you up. That's not counting however many died after that. Just because you were gone does not mean those attacks stopped and more died because of exactly that. Thirty seven people whom's lives are now over. They had families, dreams, hopes and lovers. Now they are dead and have none of those things. They are dead so that you could continue to live." He stated his own brown eyes boring into his Disciple's green and it was Harry who looked away first.

Yamamoto would never deny that what happened to his Disciple was reprehensible by anyone's standards. But it did not change the fact that while Harry up to this point had lived a hard life it was not the worst on the face of the planet. Thirty seven people had died to keep his Disciple alive and he thanked ever last one of them that had made that sacrifice to protect the baby that would become his final Disciple.

He would not allow Harry to dishonour their sacrifice by being blasé about how his life could be worse. Those men and women had died for him to live. As far as Yamamoto was concerned Harry owed them a debt of gratitude. One that Harry would need to repay by not only living a long and fully life that they were not able to. But by never making light of what they had given up so that he may continue to exist in this world.

"Harry you have every right to be angry about what has happened to you." Yamamoto spoke gently lowering his voice and allowing his features to soften from the stone faced glare he had been giving his Disciple. "However you must never dishonour the sacrifice of those men and women who died so that you may live. Speaking sarcastically about how your life could be worse does exactly that. Had it been an actual question and not an emotionally charged derisive remark I would have allowed it to pass. An examination of that exact situation could well be warranted. But never again will you do those who have passed the indignity of mocking their sacrifice. Do you understand me?" His voice was low and dangerous the rage in Harry's green eyes vanished as shame replaced it.

"Yes Shisho." He replied tiredly making Yamamoto nod.

"So long as you understand." The old man stated making eye contract with his Disciple. As the rage drained from Harry's body and left him looking exhausted once more as he sunk down onto the cushion before him.

"Now the reason I explained all this too you is simple. Firstly you deserved to know it. I had always intended to speak with you about all of these subject before you got your Hogwarts invitation." Yamamoto stated stroking his beard. "It is also the reason we have spent so much time discussing various facets of the Ministry of Magic so that you will not be out of too out of place and overwhelmed when you enter that world. However in light of recent events a new path has opened up before you." The old man stated pulling out another picture from the file and unfolding it. A world map quickly making itself apparent before them with several locations circled.

England in red, Japan in black, Korea blue, Thailand red and China yellow. Cities on each country were also highlighted. Though England's cities remained conspicuously absent of this treatment. Several Kanji were written by each not that Harry could read them. The boy could speak Japanese quite fluently. Well so long as the conversation did not exceed a certain speed. But they had never gotten around to learning the island nations many forms of written language.

"As I said you were more than likely placed with your relatives in order to keep you safe." Yamamoto stated a single finger tapping the red circle around England. "Should you take me up on my offer then you shall not return to this place for many years." The old man said brown eyes devoid of emotion. He needed to be as neutral in this matter as possible. Harry's decision would already be affected by the revaluations that he had unearthed for the boy. Yamamoto did not wish to influence it more than he already had. Though admittedly Harry did need that information to make an informed decision.

"Harry what does Musha Shugyo mean?" The old man inquired a single hand stroking his beard in thought. The boy before him shook his head eyes darting to the ground. Yamamoto honestly wasn't sure if his Disciple did not know the correct translation or if Harry just could not be bothered thinking of it. Truthfully it did not matter. He did not mind explaining in the slightest. His Disciple already had a lot on his mind after all.

"Musha Shugyo translates in literal terms as Training in Warriorship. Though it is more often called a Warrior's Pilgrimage by most. In the days of the Samurai those who underwent it were known as Shugyosha. It is similar in nature to that of a Knight Errant or a Youxia in Chinese. For future reference Harry Youxia translates to English as Wandering Vigilante." Yamamoto advised tapping the yellow circle. If his Disciple took him up on the offer he would need to learn at least one form of spoken Chinese sooner or later. May as well start now.

"During this Warrior's Pilgrimage the Warrior in question travels the land honing their skills without the protection of their Clan, School or Family. Leaving them with only their wits, determination and hard won ability to survive. Though I speak of this you need not worry about it just yet. Those who embark on the Musha Shugyo under most circumstances only do so after they have taken part in a Convergence to test their skill in real battle." The old man stated as his hand drifted to the black circle that ran around his homeland. Harry just listened silently his emotions having drained him to the point all he could do was listen.

"However my reason for brining it up is important. Harry I wish to take you from England." The words were blunt and to the point. The jerk in his Disciple's body made Yamamoto well aware that Harry was listening very carefully to his words.

"However know that if we do this then you will not return here for a very long time. Do you understand?" He questioned as green eyes raised up to meet brown. The flame of rage behind them now a smouldering ember. The silence between them stretched for minutes. But Yamamoto would not continue without hearing his Disciple acknowledge exactly what would happen if he accepted.

"Yes Shisho." The answer was barely a whisper but he heard it well enough.

"Very well then. Should you take me up on my offer we shall leave England in the next few days." Yamamoto stated brown eyes locked on green. "I shall take you throughout the world and train you. I have already given you my word that I would teach you all I could. All this trip will accomplish is increasing the pace at which that happens. First we would go to Japan." He said a gnarled finger tapping the black circle lightly.

"I have friends there and when whoever is keeping an eye on you, and yes I am sure someone is. Works out you are gone it will not take long to determine who has taken you. Thankfully I am not without friends on my own in my homeland. Keeping you from being discovered would not be a difficult process. We are aided by the fact that one can not declare a dead person missing and I am reasonably certain that none of the people on this island will want your survival to be known. As even if it would aid in finding you it would also bring you to the remnants of the Death Eaters attention. Something they have already gone to great lengths to avoid." The old man said his lips were upturned but only a blind man would call it a smile.

"While we are hidden away I will accelerate your training. Something that will not be hard given the extra time and resources we shall have at our disposal. Your non-magical education shall also be addressed. I posses the necessary knowledge and skills to work as a non-magical educator as well as the qualifications. While I have never chosen to ply that trade before hopefully I will be up to the task though I am unsure in truth if I shall be." He reflected briefly before his hand moved once more. This time tapping the blue circle.

"Once our time in Japan is finished we shall move on to Korea. I have an old friend who lives in Damnyang by the name of Un-Wol who would house us for a time. Then onto Thailand were we shall stay in Phetchanbun with Sombat another friend of mine. When our time finishes there we shall move onto China and to many of the cities and towns that lie within." Yamamoto's finger tapped the yellow circle before he pulled back from the map.

"Harry," The old man said as green eyes returned to brown once more. "Know that none of the places we stay shall be home." Yamamoto advised softly. "We shall need to continue moving never staying in one place. The longest we shall spend in any given county is a year before we shall depart once more. You shall see much of the world. But I doubt that you will ever call any of the places we stay home. Though I assure you that you will always remember them fondly." Harry's mouth moved but no sound came out and Yamamoto stood looking down at his Disciple.

"I shall leave you now to think and contemplate the courses now before you. Shall you stay and hear out your parents reasons for leaving you. You would only need to wait another three and a half months after all." He stated making Harry start. "Or will you come take the road I have offered and see the world. Though I caution you Harry. Even if you take me up on my offer one day you will need to return and see them. It does one no kindness to allow such a wound to fester. Once more you have the run of the house. Please feel free to look through the file until your heart is content if that is your wish. I shall be in my study. Should you wish to speak more you shall find me there."

"Harry," Yamamoto added as he turned. "Know that no matter what you choose I shall always be proud to have taught you. Further more should you wish to stay I shall remain as well you need not worry about me leaving you in this place alone. However this offer is also somewhat sensitive and while I wish I could give you more time the sooner this plan is put into action the better. I shall require your answer when you arrive tomorrow morning. Think hard on this matter my Disciple. Once you make your choice it can not be unmade." The old man advised.

Honestly it was self evident to most but young people did so often tend to forget that once they made a meaningful choice rare was the occasion they could change it. Hopefully his Disciple understood that. After all despite his wish that Harry take him up on his offer Yamamoto was more concerned about the boy not regretting it later in life. While there were many children who had it far worse growing up. It did not change the fact that Harry James Potter had lived a hard life thus far. Softer than some perhaps but harder than many others. Where he could Yamamoto would like to lessen those hard spots. Well unless they would build character.

After all as the old proverb read.

A gem can not be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

XXX

Shigekuni Yamamoto sipped his tea quietly as he awaited the rising of the sun. The false dawn had already began to illuminate the sky not so long ago. But the world was not yet bathed under the glow of the morning sun. His eyes roved the training yard. It had been a long time since he had taken in a small boy and treated his wounds.

He could still remember the beginning. Back then he had no intentions of teaching anything past the basics. But Harry had grown on him. As he was quite sure the boy would do with any who spent enough time around him. Enough that he had ended up teaching the boy more and more skills. Almost before Yamamoto was even aware of it he'd began to think of taking Harry James Potter on as a true Disciple.

Revealing the truth of Ki and of the Moonlit World. A place where the Magical World of Harry's birth and the Underworld of Martial Arts were just small parts of the whole. When his student had taken him up on the offer to learn all he had to teach Yamamoto had been ecstatic. Though he had tried quite hard not to make that overly apparent. It would not do for Harry to get a big head after all.

He had been impressed with the boy's resolve upon opening the Gate of Awakening. Certainly Harry had almost fallen into the trap many others had and attempted to unlock the full power of the gate initially. But the boy had proved of admirable willpower and focus upon reasserting his control. If Harry cultivated that willpower and focus throughout the rest of his life, and if Yamamoto had a say in it he would.

Should that happen there was a very good chance the boy would be able to unlock the final gate. The Gate of Death and perform Iju Saisei (Transmigration Rebirth) to stand among the other Grand Masters one day. Though that was still a long way off and Yamamoto was quite certain that he would not live to see it. Still there was a certain peace to be found in knowing that the world and the people you cared about within it would continue to grow long after you were gone.

He would need to write down the secrets of the technique. Perhaps he should begin looking back into old cyphers and develop a new one. Though perhaps that would be unnecessary. He was certain that any of his still living former students would be more than happy to explain the technique and how to perform it. Writing it down just put the information in danger. It would be a stupid and emotional choice of wanting to guide his Disciple for the final trial. Writing a technique like that down was not a rational choice.

The technique that had to be used in conjunction with unlocking the Gate of Death was known by many names. All Grand Masters went through its use but all guarded that secret zealously. Each style had its own methods that when used in conjunction with their own style of Ki refinement gave the user the best chance of coming out alive. Writing down that kind of information could let others reverse engineer another styles Ki refinement techniques possibly making their own more potent in the process. That was something no one wanted to hand to the user of another style on a platter.

The old man rose in slow deliberate motions as the sun crested the sky and finished the last of his tea. The training yard had been transfigured back to green grass once more. It appeared much as it had when Harry first arrived. Devoid of even all of their training equipment. Now safely stored away ready for transport. Harry gave him his answer yesterday.

Yes.

Unsurprisingly.

For all his attempts at being a neutral party in imparting the information to his Disciple the fact of the matter was that Harry still felt what he had been told was an incredible betrayal by his parents. Not that Yamamoto could not see the point his Disciple had been trying to make in between all of the yelling. Still he felt it somewhat wrong to judge the elder Potter's without being able to question them and see their side of the argument. But that was a rational position from someone who was not particularly emotionally involved.

Yamamoto did not expect Harry to share his opinion on the matter. Not for another six or seven years at least when he had a chance to cool off and see the world. Maybe not even then but Yamamoto liked to think the boy he would be leaving his style too had a good enough head on his shoulders to hear his parents out one day even if Harry would likely never see them as his parents again.

A part of the old man supposed it did not matter really. Regardless of whatever justifications James and Lily Potter had for placing Harry with his relatives no one could change what had already happened. The past was unchangeable but the future was always malleable. There was something to be said for the phrase live for tomorrow. Yes the future had the potential to get worse but it held an equal opportunity to become better as well.

So long as you were willing to fight for it.

With measured steps the old man made his way through the house. The living room appeared the same as ever but it was missing several small items such as the clock and a few small photos. The kitchen still held almost all of its usual contents. Minus the kettle which Yamamoto would be taking with them. Much as he had supposed it had not been damaged in his Disciple's minor breakdown.

Not that he expected that to be the end of it. Such emotional upheaval was not something that could be dealt with in a single afternoon. While it was possible that none of Harry's future outbursts on the subject would not be quite as pronounced Yamamoto did not doubt that they would happen. Though it was equally likely that his Disciple would keep his distaste of the subject to minor jabs and refusal or great reluctance to lean anything regarding his parents. Time would tell which way Harry Potter would fall on the matter.

Moving up the stairs the old man opened the door to the library. Brown eyes swept empty shelves searching for anything missed. They found nothing. Well it was probably better that he had cleaned out the library. He never had managed to get it back just the way he liked it.

Damned thieves.

Sure footsteps found him looking into his study. Now simply a desk and chair with an empty book case. The only thing that stood out was the single travel case upon the table. He had packed the calligraphy yesterday along with the scrolls and books he had been studying. A weathered hand reached out and grasped the handle. Plucking the case from the table as if it weighed nothing, and to be fair with the Feather Light Charm it practically did.

The door to the study closed behind with with a click as he moved to the last room he needed to visit. The old man stepped into his bedroom eyes roving over the expanse in a last check. Even before he had decided to leave it had been a rather Spartan affair. He had no bed preferring the futon that he had grown up with as a young man. Discounting that there was merely a night stand that had housed a picture of himself and his wife from almost sixty years ago. The inside of the night stand had been enchanted to hold a dozen volumes of his wife's favourite books which were now safely in the Trunk sitting in the middle of the room.

The trunk had been a custom creation made many years ago. Several compartments, space expansion charms, Feather Light Charm, the works. Granted he had needed to learn how to recast them without destroying the whole thing after they ran out. Ten years after he had purchased it but that was the thing about magic. Unless it was anchored to something and had a constant power supply it would never last forever.

The rosewood was clearly well cared for its brass and leather fittings attached almost delicately to the wood. Inside was everything he cared to take with him. Including the training clothing he had purchased for Harry. His Disciple would not be able to bring his clothing with them naturally. As such they would need to acquire new clothes for the boy when they arrived.

It would be no problem.

Yamamoto had lived for a very long time. He was not short of financial capital in the slightest. He had done more than a little work for many different Organisations and Clans over the years he had been alive. It was how those who wished to be unaffiliated with them survived. Doing tasks on their behalf for either money or favours. That and smart investing was the secret to his financial security.

The old man plucked the trunk from the floor with one arm and walked out of the room. Closing the door softly behind him and descended the stairs. Yamamoto was unsure how long he had spent on his homes upper level but it had to at least be an hour. The sun was clearly in the sky now and even without his clock the old man was quite sure it was almost time for his Disciple to arrive.

Knock, Knock. The sound of knuckles wrapping against wood sounded and Yamamoto allowed a small smile to grace his face as he walked towards the front door and pulled it open. Standing before him, as expected, was Harry James Potter. Once more dressed in some truly awful second hand clothes by way of his Cousin unless Yamamoto was very much mistaken.

"Come in." His voice rumbled around in his chest. "Keep your shoes on this time and head to the living room." Brown eyes met green and there was no mistaking the turmoil deep inside of the boy he had chosen.

"Yes Shisho." Harry replied walking past him with a nod as Yamamoto closed the door not bothering to take in the last time he would see England in quite some time. His steps were silent as he followed his Disciple to the living room.

"Are you sure you wish to do this Harry? This is your last chance to rethink your position. Once the Portkey activates there will be no going back." The old man gave his Disciple a final chance to change the course he had set himself upon. The green eyed boy looked at the floor before turning back to his teacher. Determination shone within the emerald pools. Even though they still carried an ember of rage inside of them.

"I'm sure." Harry replied making Yamamoto nod. Then their course was set he reached inside of his pocket and drew out a small scroll. Just opening it would begin their journey and it would not be a short one. Either to Japan or over the next years. He heard his Disciple swallow as if trying to wet a parched throat.

"Shisho." Harry's voice was low almost silent. "How are we getting to Japan?" The question was only slightly louder. Yamamoto sat the cushion below him would see no more use after this. Harry mirrored the movement sitting across from the old man.

"This is called a Portkey Harry. I am quite sure I told you of them when you accepted yesterday." The old man stated getting a nod from the boy before him. "However they are also easily traceable and as such will shall not be heading directly to our destination. Instead this Portkey shall take us to Cardiff in Wales where we shall pick up another Portkey from a friend." Yamamoto stated watching Harry closely as the boy took the information in.

Not that the person they would be seeing was actually a friend of his. Rather they worked for Yoruichi. The Shihoin Clan of Ninja's spread a wide net. Europe was no exception to their reach though they were certainly much more powerful in Asia. Where they and the other Clans like them held much more sway. Honestly Yamamoto did not know what her subordinate was doing in Wales and in all likelihood he did not want to know.

Though the times had changed the reasons Ninja were employed had not. Espionage both corporate and otherwise, Sabotage again both corporate and otherwise, Infiltration, Guerrilla Warfare, and Assassination. Along with a myriad of other reasons most of which Yamamoto was sure he would not be pleased to learn about. As such he had not asked questions.

"Once we receive our new Portkey it shall take us out of the British Isles all together. Sending us to Ulaanbaatar the capital city of Mongolia. In case you have not guessed we will receive another Portkey when we arrive. Along with some fake documentation namely passports and papers that 'legally' declare me your guardian. After your Aunt and Uncle could no longer care for you and their own son due to an incident at school. You were placed in their care nine years ago after my great granddaughter, that is your mother, died. Your mother and fathers names were kept the same you need not worry about concocting a needlessly complex background." Yamamoto explained as Harry's eyes got slowly wider.

"Three hours after we receive it the Portkey will activate taking us to Taiwan were we shall board a flight to Narita International airport in Japan before we leave for Kyoto and then head to Nara the main city of Nara Prefecture where we shall meet with some of my old students who live on the outskirts of the city where we shall stay before we move on." Yamamoto informed Harry whom's eyes appeared to be almost ready to fall out of his head at the information.

"Why, why do we have to take so many Portkeys?" The boy inquired recovering slightly.

"Because they are easily traceable. Portkeys leave a residual trail that can be followed for up to two days before it finally runs out. Whoever comes looking for you will be able to follow that trail. But because we passed through so many major cities they will also need to take into account that we may have set a false trail and moved on through other means. Making them divide their forces to cover more ground. Also because they will follow as exclusively magical trail it is unlikely they will think to look for us when we begin to use more mundane methods of travel." Yamamoto explained patiently to the boy before him.

"But why the passports and the story about my..." Harry's face twisted in distaste. "Parents?" He muttered angrily. Oh yes there was definitely some anger there of that there was no doubt.

"Because Harry we need a reason for the two of us to be travelling together. A young boy and an old man who look nothing alike can not simply go through international customs without people asking questions. When those questions are asked there need to be good answers ready to be told." Yamamoto stated bluntly. The story had been slightly easier to concoct because James and Lily Potter were listed as dead according to the Government of Great Britain. It was why the Dursley's had custody of Harry in the first place.

It had taken the greasing of too many palms to make everything else go smoothly. At least if what he had been told was accurate. That expense however had come out of his own account. Yoruichi, and Kisuke for that matter, had already done enough to help him both monetarily and by giving both Harry and he a place to stay as far as Yamamoto was concerned.

"Do you understand?" The old man asked brown eyes looking into green.

"Yes Shisho." Harry replied before his face scrunched up in thought. "Does this mean I get to call you Yamamoto-Jiji?" The boy asked slyly making Yamamoto sigh. Somehow he should have known that question would come up. Gods only knew how exactly Harry had learned that particularly informal way of call one their Grandfather in his native tongue but he had.

"Only do so when we are not training." The grandfatherly old man replied with a good natured sigh. "If we are training I expect the same title as always am I understood?" Yamamoto inquired with an air of command.

"Yes Shisho." Harry answered instantly the sly look being replaced instantly by surprise. "I mean yes Yamamoto-jiji." The boy stated a sly grin working its way back onto his face. They were not technically training so he did have the right Yamamoto conceded.

"Very well, are you ready Harry?" The old man inquired and the smile on Harry's face disappeared like mist under the noonday sun.

"Yes Shisho." His Disciple answered seriously as Yamamoto reached out and grasped both the travel case and the trunk in his left hand.

"Very well then. Place you hand on my shoulder and do not let go for anything or else you could end up anywhere in the world." The old man warned seriously. Prompting Harry to get up and stand behind him the young man's grip almost vice like on his shoulder. Undoing the cord holding the scroll together Yamamoto unfurled the parchment allowing himself to see the crest inscribed upon its inside. It was a simple thing a ring of fire surrounded three kanji. The first for Fist, the second Sword, and finally Heaven.

Before he had killed them all. It was the crest of the Yamamoto Clan. His birth family and a group of men and women he had hated with a passion exceeded only by the love he felt for his late wife. It was somewhat fitting that Kisuke had chosen that particular crest for the scroll. All those he had taught before had their own Clans to go back to technically that meant that Harry being his final student would also inherit the leadership position of his now practically defunct Clan. Honestly if the boy wanted it after he was dead then Harry could have it. The Clan held no real power any longer nor anything else of significance it was dust on the wind.

"Home." Yamamoto spoke a single word and felt an uncomfortable yank near his navel as the world blurred into a spiralling series of colours.

His Disciple had made his choice and the world changed forever.

Round Eight- End

On Vernon Dursley- I felt the need to write this part just to clear something up. I'm hoping I conveyed it well enough in chapter but I would just like to be sure.

You Know Vernon Dursley is a horrible human being.

I Know Vernon Dursely is a horrible human being.

But do you really think that Vernon Dursley thinks Vernon Dursley is a horrible human being? The point I am trying to make is that most people even when committing acts they know to wrong either morally or legally will try to justify their reasons for committing those acts to themselves. In their minds they were doing the right thing or alternatively what they did was really nothing special to begin with and other people shouldn't worry about it.

In my experience people who do wrong either attempt justify it to themselves or dismiss it as no big deal because in there minds its not. Mostly because admitting that it was wrong would make them face up to the fact they have done horrible things and most people do not want to do that.

As such Vernon has conditioned himself to believe that everything he, and the other members of the Dursley family, have done too Harry was in fact for Harry. He does this by justifying their actions under the guise of teaching him lessons for later in life. In addition to the fact that Harry is in his own mind dangerous due to his ability to use Magic. A force that Vernon has learned nothing but bad things about from his wife and the one Wizard he has met left him with a bad impression.

So due to that he finds it easier to justify Harry's treatment to himself as making sure he doesn't turn out like his 'liar/con-artist' father. As well as teaching him important lessons that will be of use to him later in life and Vernon needs to justify his choices to himself because if he couldn't do that then he would have to live with the fact he was a child abuser.

Something Vernon is neither willing to own up to or confront.

In closing as I said earlier.

You Know Vernon Dursley is a horrible human being.

I Know Vernon Dursely is a horrible human being.

However Vernon Dursley does not know, or at least will not consciously acknowledge, that Vernon Dursley is a horrible human being.