Mastering the Elements - Chapter - 65

After the birth of Nawaki, the Pottaru household felt warmer than ever, but Harry remained alert to the subtle shifts in its atmosphere. While joy and celebration filled the estate, Harry couldn’t ignore the quiet glances Naruto sometimes cast toward the cradle, or the way he smiled just a little too widely when others played with Nawaki. Naruto never voiced his feelings—he never asked for attention, never complained—but Harry knew the signs. He had lived too many lifetimes to miss them.

Naruto had always been content with simple things—training sessions, praise from his mentors, a shared meal. But that didn’t mean he didn’t long for something deeper. Harry knew this because he saw it in the boy’s eyes, the same look he once wore when he stood alone at the edge of the King Cross station, watching others gather around their families.

One evening, as the lanterns in the estate flickered with soft chakra-infused light and Mikoto rocked Nawaki to sleep, Harry approached Naruto outside the courtyard. The boy was practicing, alone as usual, throwing kunai at a distant target pinned to an ancient tree.

"Naruto," Harry called softly, hands behind his back.

Naruto turned with a sheepish grin. “Did I wake the baby?”

Harry smiled. “No, Nawaki’s out cold. You’ve got good form, by the way.”

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve been working on my accuracy. I still miss one in five throws.”

“Then it’s time to take your training somewhere new.”

Naruto blinked. “Huh?”

Harry stepped closer, crouching to meet him eye to eye. “How would you like to come with me? Just you and me. A trip outside the Fire Country. We'll train, explore, and you’ll get that one-on-one you’ve been asking for since Itachi got his.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Seriously?! Just us? Really?!”

Harry nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting. “Really. Pack light. We leave at dawn.”

Naruto tackled Harry in a hug so sudden that it nearly knocked him over. “You’re the best, Dad!”

“I know,” Harry chuckled, ruffling Naruto’s hair. “Now go tell the others before they try to hide in your bag.”


By the next morning, the entire household was abuzz with mixed emotions. Naruto was bouncing around the estate, dressed in his best black and orange gear, his forehead protector gleaming in the sun. Meanwhile, Hinata stood at the gate with a pout so strong it could melt stone.

“You could have asked my father,” she whispered, glancing at Naruto with disappointment. “I would’ve gone.”

Midori crossed her arms beside her. “My dad said Harry’s going to dangerous places. If I were a boy, maybe I could go.”

Naruto looked back at his friends and gave them a sympathetic grin. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring back cool stories. Maybe a weapon or two.”

“You better!” Midori snapped.

“I’ll miss you,” Hinata added quietly.

Harry stepped beside them, his cloak fluttering. “Don’t worry, girls. When we return, I’ll arrange something special for both of you too. But this time—it’s just Naruto and me.”

Mikoto walked forward with baby Nawaki in her arms. She kissed Harry’s cheek and smiled. “Keep him safe. Both of you.”

“I always do,” Harry said gently. “And take care of Tsunade and the little one.”

The Third Hokage himself had arrived just minutes earlier, still puffing on his pipe. “Harry, must you really leave the country? With Naruto?”

Harry gave him a polite bow. “Yes, Hokage-sama. I’ve protected this land more than anyone realizes. I’ll continue doing so… even if it means I must sometimes leave.”

“You know how valuable Naruto is,” Hiruzen said, a trace of worry in his eyes.

“I also know what he means to me,” Harry replied. “This is something I promised him long ago.”


The two of them departed before sunrise, walking through the forest trails beyond Konoha’s protective walls. With a quick activation of Harry’s sealing tattoo, they teleported miles away—out of Fire Country and into the lush, mist-veiled forests bordering the Land of Rivers.

Naruto was stunned. “Whoa… That was like a reverse summoning!”

Harry grinned. “Close. You’ll learn it one day.”

They moved through the terrain quietly, Harry pointing out wildlife, herbs, old ruins of forgotten shinobi strongholds. Naruto drank it all in like a sponge.

“Dad, when you were my age… did you already know you’d become powerful?” Naruto asked while skipping across river stones.

Harry smiled wistfully. “No. When I was your age, I thought the world was too big for someone like me to matter. But sometimes… the world chooses people who don’t believe they belong. It did the same with you.”

Naruto looked down at the water. “Do you think… I can really be as strong as you someday?”

Harry stopped walking. “No,” he said, and Naruto’s heart sank—until Harry added, “I think you’ll be even stronger. Because unlike me, you’re not doing it alone.”

Naruto smiled, eyes stinging a little from the wind—or maybe something else.


They reached a training ground Harry had once used long ago—a hidden waterfall deep inside a gorge, surrounded by chakra-infused stone. Naruto stared in awe.

“This place… feels powerful.”

“It is,” Harry replied, dropping his pack. “This is where I first fought off a missing nin gang. I left it intact so one day, I can use it later.”

Naruto’s fists clenched in excitement. “Let’s go!”

And thus began three days of intense training. Naruto worked through dozens of scenarios—shadow clone coordination, reaction time against sound-based genjutsu, kunai deflection, and mastering the second stage of the Flying Thunder God. Harry even taught him an advanced sealing method to tag multiple targets without touching them directly.

Each night, they camped beneath the stars. Naruto asked questions about Harry’s adventures, about the various battles Harry participated.

Harry answered what he could. “One day, Naruto, you’ll walk paths even I haven’t. And you’ll need to choose your truths.”



The training had been hard—Naruto's arms ached from kunai drills, his legs sore from sprinting uphill trails, and his chakra nearly depleted from Flying Thunder God simulations. But none of that dulled the light in his eyes as he tugged at Harry’s sleeve the next morning.

“Dad, can we explore a little before we go back?” Naruto asked, adjusting his forehead protector. “I know we could just whoosh—teleport—but I kinda want to walk. I wanna see everything.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, amused. “After all that training, you still have the energy to walk?”

“I mean, yeah,” Naruto grinned. “Teleporting is cool and all, but it’s like… I miss stuff. The rivers, the birds, even the weird bugs.”

Harry gave a soft chuckle and nodded. “Alright. Fair enough. But how about a little upgrade? Walking’s good—flying is better.”

Naruto blinked. “Flying?”

Harry took a step back, forming hand signs with graceful speed. “Summoning Jutsu!”

In a burst of smoke, the ground trembled and wind swept through the gorge as a massive eagle emerged from the haze. Its wings stretched wide—feathers sharp as blades, its golden eyes intelligent and calm. The eagle bowed its head slightly to Harry, then looked at Naruto.

Naruto’s jaw nearly hit the ground. “Wha—?! You can summon that?!”

Harry smiled. “Meet Alarion, one of my oldest creation. I found him deep in the Forest of Death. I expiriment on him, gave him intelligence and abilities.”

The eagle’s voice boomed in Naruto’s mind, transmitted through chakra. “So this is the boy you’ve been raising.”

Naruto gasped. “He… he talks in my head!”

Harry nodded. “Alarion prefers it that way.”

Naruto ran to the eagle, touching its powerful talons. “This is so much cooler than a toad! I mean, I like Gamakichi and all, but—man, I really picked the wrong contract!”

Harry crouched beside him. “Toads are powerful in their own way, Naruto. Jiraiya’s toads have something special—Sage abilities. When the time comes, Mount Myōboku will teach you Sage Mode. That will make you truly unstoppable.”

Naruto paused, the awe still in his eyes, but a new respect dawning there. “You really think I’ll be able to do that?”

“I know you will.”

With that, Harry leapt up onto the eagle’s back, and with a grin, Naruto followed.


Soaring above the canopy, the world stretched wide and endless beneath them. Trees like tiny matchsticks, rivers shimmering like threads of silver, and villages scattered like forgotten toys. The air was cold and clean, rushing against their faces. Naruto spread his arms out like wings and laughed into the wind.

“This is amazing!” he shouted. “I can see everything! Is that a waterfall?!”

Harry nodded, holding onto a leather strap fastened to Alarion’s neck. “That’s the Waterfall of Truth. Beautiful and sacred. Only few shinobi ever go there.”

“I feel like a bird,” Naruto said, closing his eyes for a moment, just enjoying the ride.

Below them, a herd of deer galloped across a glade. A hawk soared past, crying out as if in salute to Alarion. Naruto’s smile widened.

“I’m gonna tell everyone about this,” he said. “Well, maybe not Hinata. She might cry that she didn’t come.”

“She’ll get her turn,” Harry assured him.

They glided in silence for a few minutes. Naruto looked down at the shadows of clouds rippling over the forests. Then, his voice softened.

“Dad… when do you think I’ll be strong enough to use the Nine-Tails’ power?”

Harry looked over at him, the wind gently tugging at their cloaks. “You’ve come far already. You’ve mastered sealing, you’ve understood the Flying Thunder God. But the fox… he’s different. He’s not a technique or a jutsu. He’s alive. And angry. When the time comes—after you graduate—we’ll begin. Together.”

Naruto nodded. “I don’t want to hurt anyone… not again.”

“You won’t,” Harry said. “Because you’ll learn to listen, to reason. And one day, the nine tails might listen back.”

Naruto went quiet, letting the idea sink in. Below, the world passed slowly by—a testament to everything they had yet to protect.


As they drew closer to the Land of Fire's borders, Harry gestured for Alarion to descend near a quiet ridge. There, a solitary hilltop overlooked a lake so still it mirrored the clouds perfectly.

They dismounted, Naruto immediately collapsing onto the soft grass, stretching out like a cat.

“Man, I could live up here,” he mumbled. “So peaceful.”

Harry sat beside him. “You know, the first time I came to this world, I didn’t think I’d ever have something like this. A moment. A family. You, Mikoto, Tsunade, Itachi… and now Nawaki.”

Naruto turned to him. “Do you ever think about going back? Wherever you came from?”

“I don’t have a ‘home’ in the way you think. I go where my boss wills it. But here… this place changed me. You changed me.”

Naruto looked down at the lake. “Well, I’m glad you stayed.”

Harry smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “And I’ll stay until my mission here is done. But no matter what, I will always make time—for you.”

Naruto blinked, then nodded, voice cracking with emotion. “Thanks, Dad. I… I really needed to hear that.”


By dusk, they rode the eagle one last time—this time, slower, gliding beneath a sunset that painted the clouds in gold and blood-red streaks. The trees below cast long shadows, stretching toward the Pottaru Estate.

As the estate came into view, Naruto leaned forward, eager. “I’m gonna tell Nawaki everything. Even if he can’t understand me yet.”

Harry chuckled. “He’ll listen. Trust me.”

They landed silently in the back garden, the moon already rising. Mikoto was the first to greet them, with Nawaki nestled in her arms. Itachi stood nearby with Tsunade, both of them smiling.

Naruto hopped down and ran to Nawaki. “Hey, little guy! Did you miss me?”

Nawaki blinked—and gave him a gummy smile.

Harry stood beside Mikoto, gazing at his strange, wonderful family.

He wasn’t the Master of Death anymore.

He was the guardian of life.