~Chapter 1:The Wish~
The sky above Konoha was dimming,lights were going off. Darkness filled the near-empty streets,vacant except for the usual nightly wanderers. It was getting late,about 12:00. Almost everyone was asleep,or at least in their houses by now. Few people traveled the streets,most of which were ninja on patrol.
One house looked as if the inhabitant was asleep,but no,he was fully awake. Naruto Uzumaki lay in his bed,wide awake. He was remembering an event,not too long ago.
The image was still bold in his mind,he stood in the Land of Iron,with Kakashi and Yamato standing behind him. Sakura Haruno standing in front of him,with her own group of ninja behind her. Naruto remembered what she said,how she confessed her love for him. But before the conversation went too far,he realized that not all was as it seemed. This confession was not completely true,how much of it really was? If any? Or...perhaps,he was wrong. Maybe it was all true? Could she have honestly meant that she loved Naruto,and that she couldn't care less about Sasuke anymore? No...of course not. Sakura,why did you do that? Why did you have to go and make things like this? I was content with things the way they were. Not happy,nowhere near happy,but I was fine. Things were better then,at least. Naruto thought.
His eyes wondered to the window,gazing past the glass into the starlit sky. He could make out a shooting star in the distance. I wish... But...what did he wish? Was there any one thing he could pick? I wish,things could be like they used to be,even if only for a day. Sakura,Kakashi-sensei,and even...even you,Sasuke. Yeah...like that is gonna come true. Things will never be like they used to,I know it's true. He thought,still staring at the passing star. Then it was dark,and then...he slept.
The next morning,the sun was shining bright,everything was perfect a great day! Naruto awoke to a knock on the door,and opened it,still sleepy. "Who is it...?",he asked.
"Hey,hurry up!! Sensei told me to come and get you!! We're going on a mission,now get a move on. I don't wanna miss breakfast with Sasuke!!",Sakura half-screamed at him like she was some kind of drill-sargent.
"Yeah,yeah. It's always Sasuke with-",Naruto stopped. "Sakura...why are you wearing those clothes?",he asked,noticing the old skirt-like garb the kunoichi used to wear,before his return to the village. "And...wait...Sasuke?"
Then he was smacked hard across the face,and sent flying into the refrigerator. Sakura had that old look of anger on her face. "YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY CLOTHES?!!",she screamed loudly.
Naruto looked up,and shook off the pain in his left cheek. "No,no,of course not Sakura. It's just...you haven't worn those in forever...",he said.
"What?! Your crazy,it's my usual outfit for when we're on duty. And off duty too I suppose.",she said.
Not sure what was going on,Naruto went to his closet to get his clothes. Wait...his orange and black jacket was missing. He had no problem with wearing his old jacket,but it wouldn't fit him. Wait...he was...shorter? He tried on the jacket,and it fit perfectly,except the sleeves were a little long so he rolled them back. His black headband was gone...his old one from Iruka-sensei was there?! WHAT IS GOING ON?! Naruto wondered. Wait...no,could this mean my wish...my wish came...true?! That means I get a whole day,with Sasuke,Sakura,and Kakashi-sensei like the good-old days!! Hehe!!
Naruto had no clue how his wish worked,but didn't care at all. It came true,and that was the best thing he could ask for!!
~Chapter 2:The Knuckle-head's Maturity ~
Naruto was running top speed to the mission reception,Sakura keeping up barely behind him. "Naruto,slow down!! I can't keep up! I know I said to hurry,but Sasuke's not gonna take that long! And besides,like any boy would wanna date me when I'm all sweaty and out of breath!!",she called to him.
Naruto blushed as he spoke,saying,"Well actually Sakura...I would be happy to date you,even like that..." Then he jumped,and covered his face with his hands yelling,"Don't hit me!!"
Sakura sighed,and said,"I won't hit you. It was a compliment,so...",she paused and looked a little awkward,"...thanks I guess."
"Oh...um,well...you're welcome.",Naruto responded,looking a little freaked out.
When they arrived Sasuke and Kakashi were waiting. "Alright you three,today I decided that instead of a mission,we'll be doing something else."
Naruto was hardly paying attention,his eyes were on Sasuke. It was him,the same old Sasuke who he had been best friends with,who had left the village and not yet return. I don't believe this,it's so awesome to get to see him again like this,he thought.
"What are you staring at,loser?",Sasuke asked with a disgruntled look on his face.
"Oh,um...nothing",Naruto replied,looking at Kakashi instead.
"Right well...now that we're done with that...",he began. "Today we'll be doing a team exercise,to be precise the same one you did when you first made Genin. The bell test. This time,however,there is one bell and you must snatch it for the team. Understood?",he explained.
The three nodded,and in no time they were at the training field. They were all raring to go,showing excitement in proving their growth to their sensei. "Alright,you ready Kakashi-sensei. I won't hold back,and everything I've got is gonna be more than you'll expect!",Naruto called.
"Humph,same little loser. Always running his mouth,and talking big.",Sasuke said cooly,as Sakura watched dreamily.
"Sasuke,I'm not about to get mad and yell,we have a bigger objective,let's focus on it instead.",Naruto said back maturely.
Sakura,Sasuke,and Kakashi all looked at him with surprise. Oh,of course. They aren't used to my,newer,more mature,self. But,I'm not gonna act like I used to. Maybe I'll surprise them so much,that they'll all gain respect for me!! Naruto thought happily.
Naruto...acting mature? Where the heck did that come from? I'm so not used to that. It's weird...I feel something for Naruto that's different from before...is it...respect? Sakura asked herself.
Wow,whaddya know? Naruto is showing some maturity for once. They really are growing up,someday soon they'll be adults,and maybe even surpass me. Kakashi thought cheerfully.
What's up with Naruto? It's not like him to say something cool. Usually he gets all flustered and punches at me,followed be a big punch to his face from Sakura. While Kakashi sits over there trying to settle them down...this is different. Sasuke thought.
Naruto laughed,and said,"Hey sensei...maybe you shouldn't drop your guard." Just then,a Shadow Clone popped out and grabbed Kakashi from behind. Naruto,the original,jumped and hit Kakashi hard across the face. This resulted in even more shocked looks from Sakura and Sasuke,and even Kakashi. "I'm not some little kid anymore,I've matured. Both in personality,and in fighting style!! So don't drop your guard for even a second,sensei,or I'll blow you away!!",he shouted.
"He's different,but only a little. It's still him,it's still Naruto. I don't know how,but he is more mature. And also...he's right,you underestimate us sensei...",Sakura began.
"...And you're in for a world of hurt.",Sasuke finished.
Kakashi laughed cheerfully,then threw the clone from his back and jumped back onto a tree. "You three are absolutely right,if I drop my guard,I will lose this.",he said,proud of his students. "Now come on...let's get..." Kakashi placed his left hand on his headband,and lifted it to reveal his Sharingan eye. "...Serious!!",he shouted as a cue to come at him,with no holding back.
~Chapter 3:The Strategy~
All three charged head-on,attacking Kakashi with everything they had. Sasuke had just ignited his Sharingan,and Naruto used the Shadow Clone jutsu to produce ten clones.
The clones all surrounded Kakashi,and attacked one right after another. Kakashi was doing well at parrying them off,but the last two scored direct hits from behind. Then,Naruto himself,jumped forward and kicked Kakashi hard in the chest,who then exploded into a cloud of smoke to reveal a log where he had been. "Substitution...",Naruto muttered.
Sasuke wheeled around quickly,and tossed three shuriken to counter the kunai Kakashi had thrown from behind. "You'll have to do better than that to get me with mere kunai,Kakashi.",Sasuke said arrogantly as Sakura watched wide-eyed.
"Oh really?",Kakashi said,as he appeared right behind Sasuke using the Body Flicker. His right arm wrapped around Sasuke's neck,and he threw him to the ground,finishing with a kick to Sasuke's gut.
Naruto took a chance to jump at Kakashi,who caught Naruto's punch,and sent him to the ground as well.
Then Sakura,from Kakashi's blind spot,hit him hard from behind. "Did you forget about me?",she asked with a smile.
Naruto and Sasuke got back to their feet,and looked ready to attack. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!!",Naruto shouted,making four shadow clones. They all surrounded Kakashi,and one jumped and punched at his face,Kakashi ducked and delivered a powerful punch to the clone's stomach,then the other three kicked him upward yelling,"Na-Ru-To!!" As Kakashi flew into the air,Naruto jumped after him and kicked him hard from above,back down to the ground below. "Uzumaki Barrage!!",he finished.
Then,as Kakashi was recovering,Sasuke kicked his chin upward,sending Kakashi into the air yet again. He kicked Kakashi's left side with a kick,and swung his right arm around to hit his right side. Then a punch to the chin sent Kakashi downwards again. "And now the end-move!!",Sasuke shouted as he fell toward Kakashi. Then,as he delivered a powerful kick to Kakashi's chest he shouted,"Lion's Barrage!!"
Kakashi managed to recover quickly,and jumped backwards. "Well,I guess I underestimated you all,even with the warning. In that case..." Kakashi formed hand seals quickly and fluently,and then shouted,"Water Style:Giant Vortex Jutsu!!"
The river behind Kakashi began to swirl up violently,and then shot itself at Naruto,Sasuke,and Sakura. The three had no ability to avoid the attack,and were swept up in the violent currents.
When the three stood again,it was soaked and bruised. "Wow,who would've thought that water could hurt that much!",Naruto said,as he shook his hair to get it drier.
Before they had much chance to counter-attack,Kakashi was airborne. He fell towards them and quickly performed hand seals again,this time shouting,"Wind Style:Devastation!!" A huge burst of raging winds flew at the group of Genin,and blew them back onto the ground with excessive force.
Standing again,Sakura shouted to the group,"Let's try to retreat,so we can formulate a battle strategy!"
Sasuke and Naruto both nodded. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!!",Naruto shouted,and one-hundred or more clones appeared to keep Kakashi busy.
I can't get around these clones,I'll have to fight them off,Kakashi thought as the clones ran towards him fiercely.
Later on,the sun had gone down,it was about ten p.m. The stars were covering the sky,and the crescent moon was shining bright above the trees. Team 7,excluding Kakashi,were all standing in a small clearing. "Alright,now that we've gone through about ten different strategies,each of which seemed flawless,we need a new one.",Sasuke said.
"I have an idea!!",Naruto exclaimed excitedly.
"Let's hear it,I hope it's good.",Sakura said.
"Alright...",Naruto went on explaining this idea of his,one he thought could help them defeat Kakashi for sure.
"It's not a bad plan,sure it's not a great one,but we don't have many options anyway. We'll have to go with Naruto's idea then.",Sasuke said in conclusion.
So the group decided to begin phase one:attracting Kakashi to their location.
Kakashi was moving through the forest,looking around for the three Genin. "Where could those three have wondered off to? Well,I hope they come up with a useful strategy or they'll never beat me.",Kakashi said to himself. To be honest though,I'm pretty worn out. They might catch me off-guard with almost any decent plan now. Then again,I am still one of the most elite ninja in the village so who knows? He thought.
Then there was a shout from not too far away,"GET YOUR HANDS OFF THERE YOU PERVY DOOFUS!!" It was Sakura's voice!! No doubt Naruto did something to anger her... Kakashi thought,as he felt the embarrassment of his students really giving themselves away like that.
Kakashi headed there immediately,Sasuke would be smart enough to get the other two to move. When he arrived,Sakura looked extremely angry,Naruto was laying against a tree,badly bruised,and Sasuke looked completely annoyed. "Fire Style:Fireball Jutsu!!",Kakashi yelled,firing a large ball of flames from his mouth to the clearing. The flames took up the whole clearing,and there was no doubt in Kakashi's mind that all three were hit.
When it was all cleared up,the three lay motionless. "Looks like I win.",Kakashi said. "Wait...!!" He just noticed it,the chakra patterns... "Clones?!" Sakura and Sasuke were covered in smoke,and revealed two more Narutos all three disappeared,and then...
"Rasengan!!" "Chidori!!",both Naruto and Sasuke yelled simultaneously. Before Kakashi could move,he was hit hard from behind by Sakura,who sent Kakashi directly at Naruto and Sasuke. Both attacks hit head on,and Kakashi was sent into a tree behind,with a bell laying on the ground. "Correction sensei..." Naruto,Sasuke,and Sakura looked confident,and happy. "We win!",Naruto finished.
~Chapter 4:Wishes and Promises~
When they got back to the village,Naruto realized how close the day was to ending. His wish would fade,and he'd be back in his home,in the real world. Well,it really was fun. But I guess I knew it would end,he thought. He looked at Sakura and Sasuke,both were completely unaware that none of this was real.
Kakashi walked with them,Sasuke had already left. Then their sensei turned and said,"You two really have grown a lot. I'm very proud. Honestly,you two showed more ability than I even expected from Sasuke. Now,I will be heading home." He waved goodbye,and disappeared into smoke.
"Well see you tomorrow Naruto.",Sakura said,giving him a smile.
"Yeah...um..tomorrow.",he replied sadly.
Naruto turned around and began walking towards his home,to go to sleep and awake in the reality,where Sasuke was a wanted criminal,where Sakura's relationship with Naruto kept getting to him more and more.
"Naruto...wait.",Sakura called after him,and grabbed his arm. "You were really amazing today. Sensei is right,you have grown. And also..." She looked embarrassed,but managed to spit out. "I'm...sorry about being mean to you. I know it really hurts you more than you show,so I'm sorry."
Then he acted without though,and kissed her. What does it matter anyway? It's not like I'll ever see this Sakura again,he thought as he held her tightly,and pressed his lips against hers. Finally,he pulled away and said,"Sorry,you can hit me now." He knew it was coming.
Sakura lifted her arm,but didn't hit him,she pulled him closer and whispered in his ear,"I don't want to hit you. I just want to...",and she kissed him again.
No! This isn't right!! This will just make things worse when I wake up,and it's al gone!! He thought,but he didn't pull away. He wanted to enjoy it,before he had to go back to the world where every thought of Sakura and Sasuke made him hurt.
The next morning,he opened his eyes,to see his room. When he got from his bed,he opened his closet. It was there,his black and orange jacket. The wish is over... Naruto thought dejectedly. "Then... I can't keep reliving the old days!! I've got to keep moving toward the future,and make it even better than those days!! Sasuke,I will bring you back!! And Sakura,I'll make sure that you are happy like before!!" He smiled to himself,knowing that he had to do it.
~End~