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Sage Mode and Magic Chapter 21: DA Begins

Sirius was surprised at what just happened. "Naruto? What was that for?"
"Sorry Sirius," NaruClone told him, "but we think the letter was seen by Umbridge. So rather than meet you at Hogwarts, we decided that a Shadow Clone should meet you here instead."

"Very clever..." Sirius mused. "How are the secret Defense Against the Dark Arts meetings going?"

"... Dumbledore told you, didn't he?"

"Not directly. What were you guys thinking, holding the meeting at the Hog's Head? Even when the shop's closed, people can easily overhear you! Dumbledore sent a disguised Mundungus to listen from outside the shop, near a broken window."

"Did he tell Umbridge as well?" NaruClone asked, a little angry.

"No. But he did make what he called a good deal with a random witch after a lot of price haggling."

"... and that witch must have let Umbridge know what she overheard, or even was Umbridge!"

"Exactly," Sirius confirmed. "So you're going to tell Harry and his friends what happens here?"

"Of course!" NaruClone told him.

"Well, I have a message from Ron's mother, who is away on Order business. Can you memorize long passages?" NaruClone shook his head, remembering what happened in the Forest of Death. "Alright. Basically, she's commanding Ron not to do it, since he's already toeing the line for expulsion after what happened with the Ford Anglia. She also recommends to Harry and Hermione that they don't go through with it either. Got it?" NaruClone nodded, so Sirius continued. "I, however, think it's a wonderful idea. James would have loved sneaking behind the Ministry's back like that. And since You-Know-Who returned, you need to learn how to defend yourselves more than ever."

"Thanks!" NaruClone told him. "The three want to know if you can think of a place for more than 20 people to secretly meet for the Defense Club, and Hermione wants me to tell you to treat Kreacher better."

Sirius smoothly ignored the last part of the message. "How about the Shrieking Shack? The Marauders, myself included, used that place to meet with Lupin when he went Moony."

"Harry thought of that, but Hermione said it's too hard for twenty or more people to sneak across the grounds without teachers seeing."

"Yes... well..." Sirius stalled, looking a little sheepish, "there's also a large mirror on the fourth floor. There's a secret room behind it. Very large, easy to practice spells in."

"I'll tell them about that," NaruClone promised. "Finally, since we can no longer talk through the Floo or letters, Hermione wanted to know if there's another way for us to meet."

Sirius thought for a long time. He then went upstairs and returned with a small cracked mirror, one piece of which he handed to NaruClone. "Give this to Harry. It's a Two-Way Mirror. If he and I look into it at the same time, we'll see, and be able to talk to, each other. At any other time, it acts like a regular mirror."

"Really?" Naruto asked in amazement. He then noticed that the mirror was cracked into three pieces. "What happens if three people try to use it at once?"

"Then all three can talk to each other, but they can only talk to one person at a time, depending on how the user angled their mirror."

"Then can I have that piece?" NaruClone asked, pointing at the medium-sized piece. "I'm in Slytherin, and may not be able to make it to their meetings. So I may be able to participate in the meetings through Harry's Mirror, as well as talk to him."

"Of course!" Sirius exclaimed, handing him a second piece. Since NaruClone now had a package, he couldn't just dispel to tell Naruto what happened. So, with both pieces in hand, NaruClone grabbed the Floo Powder hanging near the fireplace and returned to the Slytherin Common Room, rather than the Gryffindor Tower Umbridge was likely watching. Naruto was at first confused as to why the Clone returned with two mirror shards, but a dispel later convinced him to give the smaller one to Harry during breakfast.

However, when he arrived at the Great Hall, Umbridge was staring at him rather than at Harry. Naruto realized that she was monitoring the Floo over all of Hogwarts rather than just the Gryffindor Common Room, and knew that the other end of Gryffindor's visit likely went to Slytherin as well. Since it wasn't safe there and then, Naruto decided to give the mirror to Harry mid class.

Charms that day was paired with the Gryffindors, and had no Umbridge Inspection. Professor Flitwick's class was very noisy, even without the cawing crows and croaking bullfrogs, so private talks were not easy at all to overhear. Naruto told them what Sirius and NaruClone talked about, discreetly handed Harry his small mirror piece, and explained how it worked. They told him that the secret room behind the mirror was now blocked off, so they couldn't practice there. To cover their chat, they'd take turns practicing the Slicencing Charm, then only talk facing that person, like they were giving him tips or giving her praise.

After hearing why Sirius was enthusiastic about the Club, Hermione wanted to quit. "No way Hermione!" Naruto tried to convince her. "This was your plan, not his. And while his reason may be wrong, that doesn't make yours any less right! We do need to know how to defend ourselves, whether or not Umbridge would take offense at it. Silencio." His spell, slightly overpowered, not only silenced his frog, but made it unable to go through the motions of croaking. Professor Flitwick saw, and gave him extra points. Ron and Harry, however, got extra homework.

That afternoon, Pa and Naruto were practicing entering and exiting Sage Mode quickly and without the use of his wand. Thanks to Sage Mode, Naruto was able to watch the reinstated Gryffindor Team's practice. It was pretty silly, since nobody practicing could see anything through all the rain and fading light. Naruto could even make out the Snitch, which was on the opposite side of the field than Harry! Something interesting happened when Harry was off the field. While he couldn't pinpoint it, Naruto felt a dark magic and slight amount of chakra appear briefly, very close to where Harry was. Pa, who was out of Sage Mode, missed it, but decided to tell Dumbledore what Naruto sensed later that night.

When the students trudged out into the slightly muddy field, they had an extra visitor. There, in her pink glory, was Umbridge herself. Having learned her lesson from the previous teachers, she patiently waited until the students started their jogging exercises before approaching Pa, clipboard in hand. "You are Professor Fukasaku?"

"Correct, Professor Umbridge," Pa replied, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Where are you from?" Umbridge prodded.

Pa knew the danger answering that question could be. However, he had to give an answer that was both satisfactory and wouldn't give away that his home wasn't in this dimension. "I live on what we call Mount Myobodu, but I don't know the name given to it by humans or wizards."

Umbridge wrote that down quickly. "How long have you been studying this... Chakra?" Since the Ministry was too embarrassed by what happened, the Trial's content, aside from the innocent ruling, never became public.

"Well over 400 years," Pa told her, "and I don't want to tell how far over!"

Umbridge wrote that down as well, but it took a little longer than usual. "How did you come to know about Dumbledore and Hogwarts?"

"When my pupil, Naruto-boy disappeared, I followed him," Pa told her, trying not to reveal Summoning.

"And what was Naruto doing?" Umbridge asked, trying to pry as much information as she could.

"Practicing Sage Mode. Some kind of silver sphere appeared around him and teleported him away. When I found him, he was already in Hogwarts."

"How many pupils have you taught chakra to?" Umbridge continued.

"I didn't teach chakra to any humans or younger toads. That was the duty of the other toads. However, I taught dozens of humans and toads about Sage Mode."

"And how many passed your class?"

"Not everybody could balance Mana like Naruto-boy can. However, five humans could safely enter Sage Mode, as well as quite a few of my toad pupils."

"I see," Umbridge wrote down. By this time, the students had done quite a few laps and started other exercises. Soon, they started sparring. "Why are you teaching them to fight like Muggles?" She asked.

"Because chakra is both a physical and mental energy," Pa replied. "In order to do better, you must train yourself, your reflexes, and your instincts. In fact, the first student to tap into their chakra reserves was Ron-boy, and he did it in the middle of his spar."

"But couldn't the students injure each other?"

"That is indeed a possibility Professor Umbridge," Pa told her. "But if the students are of equal ability, then they can block each other's strikes easily without injury. Also, until they learn to consciously tap into their chakra, it's best that they push their bodies to the limit, and force the chakra out. For a good example, look at Ron-boy." Ron was still head of the class. He was paired with Naruto, and was a little bruised. However, instead of tiring, Ron's strikes were about the same. "He has been sparring for about five minutes. His endurance is running low, but he is subconsciously tapping into a fraction of his chakra to keep it up. Over time, he'll learn to sense it and wield it. Once he does, then taijutsu training will be optional, and we'll move on the exercises like tree-walking and water-walking."

At the end of the class, Umbridge left, and Naruto cast the Chakra Creation Charm on those still there. By now, even Hermione had traces of a chakra network. To help out, Naruto made a mass of Shadow Clones to search the castle for a secret meeting room. When a group of three NaruClones found the picture of Barnabas the Barmy, they almost missed a door appear out of nowhere behind them. Two clones entered it, while the third dispelled to tell Naruto where the mystery room was. When Naruto understood the basics of the room, he went to tell his friends at dinner. However, a House-Elf named Dobby had just told Harry about it while he was alone in the library, and that he admired Hermione's hats - a fact Hermione was grateful for. So the first official meeting of the Defense Club was to be held the next night.

Said night, Harry and his two friends were getting ready to leave. However, he had to check the Marauder's Map first, to see if the path was clear. They first found Ms. Norris on the fourth floor, then both Filtch and Umbridge on the second. However, Naruto was still in his common room. But since the room was on the seventh floor and the path 100% free of prying eyes, they hurried along.

When they got there, Harry pulled out his piece of the mirror, making sure to angle it down towards Naruto's edge rather than up towards Sirius'. "Naruto?" he called softly.

"Sorry I couldn't make it," Naruto whispered, not looking into the mirror. "Malfoy's right next to the exit, and was watching me pointedly. I can't get out without him noticing. I may be late, if I arrive at all."

"We understand," Hermione told him quietly over Harry's shoulder. "Stay there until the coast is clear."

"Someone's coming by!" Naruto whispered, hastily shoving the mirror to what seemed to be behind his bed.

Soon after everyone arrived, Harry had them practice the Disarming Charm. Naruto would occasionally peek in from his mirror, but had nothing to add and couldn't practice with them. One time, close to when they had to stop, Naruto called in with a message. "Malfoy just exited the Common Room!" Sure enough, when Harry checked the map, Malfoy was taking a path that could eventually lead him to the seventh floor. Some of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were worried, since the path to their dormitories would lead them down towards the dangerous Prefect. However, the Marauder's Map Harry had showed them a secret passage they could quickly get to to go around Malfoy, and they set out. The Gryffindors, Harry included, closed down shop and returned to their beds.

The following meetings were also sans Naruto. The Slytherins were making rumors about Harry and the other houses about what was really the DA meetings, and were watching Naruto more closely than ever. Some Slytherins, like Adrian, defended Naruto, but even he didn't like the idea of 'secret plots by the other houses', so Naruto didn't tell him about the DA. When Hermione made the message Galleons, Naruto got one as well. However, he could also use his as a warning system; if the other DA members' coins became chilling cold for a few seconds, a Slytherin was leaving the Snake Den.

But Naruto knew he'd see Harry again soon. The first Quidditch match of the season was between Slytherin and Gryffindor. While Naruto and Adrian wanted to win fair and square, the others weren't quite such good sports. Draco, the ex-Seeker, was cross with Naruto and bugged him more than usual, hoping Naruto would retaliate with something bad enough to kick him off the team. Montague and Warrington tried to hex the Weasley twins, but the DA lessons paid off; they defended themselves and didn't retaliate. However, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, Alicia, was hit by a hex from Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper, and Katie Bell had a close call with Slytherin Beaters Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dummer.

Ron was getting very nervous about the game, so Naruto helped him with extra practices. Again, he'd use Shadow Clones to play the other two chasers, and sometimes added in a fake 'Bludger ball' he'd have to dodge before defending the hoops. However, Ron's mood and mentality plagued his playing abilities. All the other Slytherins knew this, and took advantage in the halls and classes with snide or even rude comments. Naruto tried to help Ron get over it, but most of it was shrugged off. Only one thing he said helped. "Ron, you're great, and the Slytherins know it!"

"Come off it," Ron denied. "They all say I'm a loser."

"Exactly!" Naruto told him. "They say those things because they know how good you are. If they thought you were horrible, would they put all this effort in to make you play worse?"

That made Ron pause, but only for a second. "You don't know what it's like, having everyone mock you. Even the Gryffindors like you, and you're a Slyvie!"

Those words made Naruto mad. "Trust me, I know what it takes to overcome peer pressure. Did you know I was the dead last of my class?"

"Must have been a great class if you were the worst," Ron tried to guess.

"Nope! Sakura was the middle of the class, and could barely do the basic three jutsu. I failed the basic Genin test three years in a row."

"Blimey!" Ron was surprised at that. "What did you have to do?"

"I failed at the Clone jutsu. I couldn't even make one that wasn't pale and weak."

"But that's your best jutsu!" Ron was shocked. Naruto, a boy who could be a one man army, had trouble producing a single clone?

"If you can overcome your peers like I did, you could be an unpassable Keeper!" Those words bolstered Ron's confidence, at least til dinner.

Description
Sage Mode and Magic Chapter 21: DA Begins

Sirius was surprised at what just happened. "Naruto? What was that for?"
"Sorry Sirius," NaruClone told him, "but we think the letter was seen by Umbridge. So rather than meet you at Hogwarts, we decided that a Shadow Clone should meet you here instead."

"Very clever..." Sirius mused. "How are the secret Defense Against the Dark Arts meetings going?"

"... Dumbledore told you, didn't he?"

"Not directly. What were you guys thinking, holding the meeting at the Hog's Head? Even when the shop's closed, people can easily overhear you! Dumbledore sent a disguised Mundungus to listen from outside the shop, near a broken window."

"Did he tell Umbridge as well?" NaruClone asked, a little angry.

"No. But he did make what he called a good deal with a random witch after a lot of price haggling."

"... and that witch must have let Umbridge know what she overheard, or even was Umbridge!"

"Exactly," Sirius confirmed. "So you're going to tell Harry and his friends what happens here?"

"Of course!" NaruClone told him.

"Well, I have a message from Ron's mother, who is away on Order business. Can you memorize long passages?" NaruClone shook his head, remembering what happened in the Forest of Death. "Alright. Basically, she's commanding Ron not to do it, since he's already toeing the line for expulsion after what happened with the Ford Anglia. She also recommends to Harry and Hermione that they don't go through with it either. Got it?" NaruClone nodded, so Sirius continued. "I, however, think it's a wonderful idea. James would have loved sneaking behind the Ministry's back like that. And since You-Know-Who returned, you need to learn how to defend yourselves more than ever."

"Thanks!" NaruClone told him. "The three want to know if you can think of a place for more than 20 people to secretly meet for the Defense Club, and Hermione wants me to tell you to treat Kreacher better."

Sirius smoothly ignored the last part of the message. "How about the Shrieking Shack? The Marauders, myself included, used that place to meet with Lupin when he went Moony."

"Harry thought of that, but Hermione said it's too hard for twenty or more people to sneak across the grounds without teachers seeing."

"Yes... well..." Sirius stalled, looking a little sheepish, "there's also a large mirror on the fourth floor. There's a secret room behind it. Very large, easy to practice spells in."

"I'll tell them about that," NaruClone promised. "Finally, since we can no longer talk through the Floo or letters, Hermione wanted to know if there's another way for us to meet."

Sirius thought for a long time. He then went upstairs and returned with a small cracked mirror, one piece of which he handed to NaruClone. "Give this to Harry. It's a Two-Way Mirror. If he and I look into it at the same time, we'll see, and be able to talk to, each other. At any other time, it acts like a regular mirror."

"Really?" Naruto asked in amazement. He then noticed that the mirror was cracked into three pieces. "What happens if three people try to use it at once?"

"Then all three can talk to each other, but they can only talk to one person at a time, depending on how the user angled their mirror."

"Then can I have that piece?" NaruClone asked, pointing at the medium-sized piece. "I'm in Slytherin, and may not be able to make it to their meetings. So I may be able to participate in the meetings through Harry's Mirror, as well as talk to him."

"Of course!" Sirius exclaimed, handing him a second piece. Since NaruClone now had a package, he couldn't just dispel to tell Naruto what happened. So, with both pieces in hand, NaruClone grabbed the Floo Powder hanging near the fireplace and returned to the Slytherin Common Room, rather than the Gryffindor Tower Umbridge was likely watching. Naruto was at first confused as to why the Clone returned with two mirror shards, but a dispel later convinced him to give the smaller one to Harry during breakfast.

However, when he arrived at the Great Hall, Umbridge was staring at him rather than at Harry. Naruto realized that she was monitoring the Floo over all of Hogwarts rather than just the Gryffindor Common Room, and knew that the other end of Gryffindor's visit likely went to Slytherin as well. Since it wasn't safe there and then, Naruto decided to give the mirror to Harry mid class.

Charms that day was paired with the Gryffindors, and had no Umbridge Inspection. Professor Flitwick's class was very noisy, even without the cawing crows and croaking bullfrogs, so private talks were not easy at all to overhear. Naruto told them what Sirius and NaruClone talked about, discreetly handed Harry his small mirror piece, and explained how it worked. They told him that the secret room behind the mirror was now blocked off, so they couldn't practice there. To cover their chat, they'd take turns practicing the Slicencing Charm, then only talk facing that person, like they were giving him tips or giving her praise.

After hearing why Sirius was enthusiastic about the Club, Hermione wanted to quit. "No way Hermione!" Naruto tried to convince her. "This was your plan, not his. And while his reason may be wrong, that doesn't make yours any less right! We do need to know how to defend ourselves, whether or not Umbridge would take offense at it. Silencio." His spell, slightly overpowered, not only silenced his frog, but made it unable to go through the motions of croaking. Professor Flitwick saw, and gave him extra points. Ron and Harry, however, got extra homework.

That afternoon, Pa and Naruto were practicing entering and exiting Sage Mode quickly and without the use of his wand. Thanks to Sage Mode, Naruto was able to watch the reinstated Gryffindor Team's practice. It was pretty silly, since nobody practicing could see anything through all the rain and fading light. Naruto could even make out the Snitch, which was on the opposite side of the field than Harry! Something interesting happened when Harry was off the field. While he couldn't pinpoint it, Naruto felt a dark magic and slight amount of chakra appear briefly, very close to where Harry was. Pa, who was out of Sage Mode, missed it, but decided to tell Dumbledore what Naruto sensed later that night.

When the students trudged out into the slightly muddy field, they had an extra visitor. There, in her pink glory, was Umbridge herself. Having learned her lesson from the previous teachers, she patiently waited until the students started their jogging exercises before approaching Pa, clipboard in hand. "You are Professor Fukasaku?"

"Correct, Professor Umbridge," Pa replied, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Where are you from?" Umbridge prodded.

Pa knew the danger answering that question could be. However, he had to give an answer that was both satisfactory and wouldn't give away that his home wasn't in this dimension. "I live on what we call Mount Myobodu, but I don't know the name given to it by humans or wizards."

Umbridge wrote that down quickly. "How long have you been studying this... Chakra?" Since the Ministry was too embarrassed by what happened, the Trial's content, aside from the innocent ruling, never became public.

"Well over 400 years," Pa told her, "and I don't want to tell how far over!"

Umbridge wrote that down as well, but it took a little longer than usual. "How did you come to know about Dumbledore and Hogwarts?"

"When my pupil, Naruto-boy disappeared, I followed him," Pa told her, trying not to reveal Summoning.

"And what was Naruto doing?" Umbridge asked, trying to pry as much information as she could.

"Practicing Sage Mode. Some kind of silver sphere appeared around him and teleported him away. When I found him, he was already in Hogwarts."

"How many pupils have you taught chakra to?" Umbridge continued.

"I didn't teach chakra to any humans or younger toads. That was the duty of the other toads. However, I taught dozens of humans and toads about Sage Mode."

"And how many passed your class?"

"Not everybody could balance Mana like Naruto-boy can. However, five humans could safely enter Sage Mode, as well as quite a few of my toad pupils."

"I see," Umbridge wrote down. By this time, the students had done quite a few laps and started other exercises. Soon, they started sparring. "Why are you teaching them to fight like Muggles?" She asked.

"Because chakra is both a physical and mental energy," Pa replied. "In order to do better, you must train yourself, your reflexes, and your instincts. In fact, the first student to tap into their chakra reserves was Ron-boy, and he did it in the middle of his spar."

"But couldn't the students injure each other?"

"That is indeed a possibility Professor Umbridge," Pa told her. "But if the students are of equal ability, then they can block each other's strikes easily without injury. Also, until they learn to consciously tap into their chakra, it's best that they push their bodies to the limit, and force the chakra out. For a good example, look at Ron-boy." Ron was still head of the class. He was paired with Naruto, and was a little bruised. However, instead of tiring, Ron's strikes were about the same. "He has been sparring for about five minutes. His endurance is running low, but he is subconsciously tapping into a fraction of his chakra to keep it up. Over time, he'll learn to sense it and wield it. Once he does, then taijutsu training will be optional, and we'll move on the exercises like tree-walking and water-walking."

At the end of the class, Umbridge left, and Naruto cast the Chakra Creation Charm on those still there. By now, even Hermione had traces of a chakra network. To help out, Naruto made a mass of Shadow Clones to search the castle for a secret meeting room. When a group of three NaruClones found the picture of Barnabas the Barmy, they almost missed a door appear out of nowhere behind them. Two clones entered it, while the third dispelled to tell Naruto where the mystery room was. When Naruto understood the basics of the room, he went to tell his friends at dinner. However, a House-Elf named Dobby had just told Harry about it while he was alone in the library, and that he admired Hermione's hats - a fact Hermione was grateful for. So the first official meeting of the Defense Club was to be held the next night.

Said night, Harry and his two friends were getting ready to leave. However, he had to check the Marauder's Map first, to see if the path was clear. They first found Ms. Norris on the fourth floor, then both Filtch and Umbridge on the second. However, Naruto was still in his common room. But since the room was on the seventh floor and the path 100% free of prying eyes, they hurried along.

When they got there, Harry pulled out his piece of the mirror, making sure to angle it down towards Naruto's edge rather than up towards Sirius'. "Naruto?" he called softly.

"Sorry I couldn't make it," Naruto whispered, not looking into the mirror. "Malfoy's right next to the exit, and was watching me pointedly. I can't get out without him noticing. I may be late, if I arrive at all."

"We understand," Hermione told him quietly over Harry's shoulder. "Stay there until the coast is clear."

"Someone's coming by!" Naruto whispered, hastily shoving the mirror to what seemed to be behind his bed.

Soon after everyone arrived, Harry had them practice the Disarming Charm. Naruto would occasionally peek in from his mirror, but had nothing to add and couldn't practice with them. One time, close to when they had to stop, Naruto called in with a message. "Malfoy just exited the Common Room!" Sure enough, when Harry checked the map, Malfoy was taking a path that could eventually lead him to the seventh floor. Some of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were worried, since the path to their dormitories would lead them down towards the dangerous Prefect. However, the Marauder's Map Harry had showed them a secret passage they could quickly get to to go around Malfoy, and they set out. The Gryffindors, Harry included, closed down shop and returned to their beds.

The following meetings were also sans Naruto. The Slytherins were making rumors about Harry and the other houses about what was really the DA meetings, and were watching Naruto more closely than ever. Some Slytherins, like Adrian, defended Naruto, but even he didn't like the idea of 'secret plots by the other houses', so Naruto didn't tell him about the DA. When Hermione made the message Galleons, Naruto got one as well. However, he could also use his as a warning system; if the other DA members' coins became chilling cold for a few seconds, a Slytherin was leaving the Snake Den.

But Naruto knew he'd see Harry again soon. The first Quidditch match of the season was between Slytherin and Gryffindor. While Naruto and Adrian wanted to win fair and square, the others weren't quite such good sports. Draco, the ex-Seeker, was cross with Naruto and bugged him more than usual, hoping Naruto would retaliate with something bad enough to kick him off the team. Montague and Warrington tried to hex the Weasley twins, but the DA lessons paid off; they defended themselves and didn't retaliate. However, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, Alicia, was hit by a hex from Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper, and Katie Bell had a close call with Slytherin Beaters Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dummer.

Ron was getting very nervous about the game, so Naruto helped him with extra practices. Again, he'd use Shadow Clones to play the other two chasers, and sometimes added in a fake 'Bludger ball' he'd have to dodge before defending the hoops. However, Ron's mood and mentality plagued his playing abilities. All the other Slytherins knew this, and took advantage in the halls and classes with snide or even rude comments. Naruto tried to help Ron get over it, but most of it was shrugged off. Only one thing he said helped. "Ron, you're great, and the Slytherins know it!"

"Come off it," Ron denied. "They all say I'm a loser."

"Exactly!" Naruto told him. "They say those things because they know how good you are. If they thought you were horrible, would they put all this effort in to make you play worse?"

That made Ron pause, but only for a second. "You don't know what it's like, having everyone mock you. Even the Gryffindors like you, and you're a Slyvie!"

Those words made Naruto mad. "Trust me, I know what it takes to overcome peer pressure. Did you know I was the dead last of my class?"

"Must have been a great class if you were the worst," Ron tried to guess.

"Nope! Sakura was the middle of the class, and could barely do the basic three jutsu. I failed the basic Genin test three years in a row."

"Blimey!" Ron was surprised at that. "What did you have to do?"

"I failed at the Clone jutsu. I couldn't even make one that wasn't pale and weak."

"But that's your best jutsu!" Ron was shocked. Naruto, a boy who could be a one man army, had trouble producing a single clone?

"If you can overcome your peers like I did, you could be an unpassable Keeper!" Those words bolstered Ron's confidence, at least til dinner.