Title: Wishes Are Free

Author: Cheza-chan

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto—oh, but I wish I did—but I own Kan'you, all the characters of the Hidden Wave Village. I own the Hidden Wave Village because I created it! I own the Hidden Wave Village's special jutsus, etc.

A/N: Ah! Noooo... I don't want to annoy anyone, but it seems I have. Sakura-chan is improving, ne! (punches the air) She doesn't want to be dependent on Naruto and Sasuke anymore, and Shuuha's Kenshiki Hizaku is the right guy to help her out. What happened to Sakura was that the practice was too extensive. No one had been aware of her low stamina. Simple explanation, ne?

(develops an Inner Cheza: Damn it! Write better... better!!) Also, crapapplered, if you want, you can send the fanart to my e-mail address... if you haven't done so already.

The last part of this chapter, starting with "Sasuke", is dedicated to Monica-chan! She's my most wonderfullest friend... my muse, my angel... (drones on and on)

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Chapter Eight - Blackmail Is For Bastards

Iruka stood from the bench he'd been sitting on—it allowed him to any and everyone leaving the Academy—and eyed the shinobi that strolled towards him. 'Sou na...!' He pinched the bridge of his scarred nose. In the entire two weeks they had been in the village, the young man had not realized Kakashi was in charge of a three-man team; he was always too busy with paperwork to take note of it and Kakashi had been "Kakashi" around him. "Weren't you supposed to stay at the house?" he muttered.

"I got bored," Kentan replied, scratching the back of his blonde head. In changing his appearance, he'd also shortened his stature to that of May's.

"Who's in your team?"

"Sasuke." The Jounin walked around Iruka, aware of the dark eyes following him, and sat, stretching with a faint poof as he transformed back. He yawned softly.

"Where is he?" the Chuunin asked.

"Hmm. Right there."

Iruka turned back around and hid his smile as Konoha's Team 7 limped in their direction, Naruto in the middle with a proud grin. His arms were wrapped around Sakura and Sasuke's shoulder, each sporting numerous bruises. Sakura's—surprisingly—were the worse.

"Iruka-sensei..." the blonde chuckled weakly after they'd reached the adults. "I have... two great... te–teams."

Kakashi smirked as his student all fell over thanks to Naruto's passing out. "I can only imagine what Tenko-sensei and Hizaku-sensei did to them," he commented.

"And you?" Iruka grunted as he picked up Sakura. Taking his "sons" would've been best, but he'd leave the task to the lazy Jounin.

"Me?" Kakashi slung both boys over his shoulders. "Ask Sasuke." He grinned behind his mask, glad that one morose night was behind them and that he could go back to teasing the other man.

The Chuunin leader sighed. His plans of taking the kids out for ramen were thwarted by their extensive workout that left them incapacitated. And also left him alone with a high level ninja who thought himself unstoppable when it came to retrieving information. With the children situated in the three rooms upstairs in Iruka's house, the two teachers sat downstairs in the living room, Iruka flipping through his itinerary for next week while Kakashi stretched out on the unsightly green couch, his favorite book in hand.

"It amazes me how long it takes you to read a simple book."

A silver eyebrow arched at the soft statement. "Pardon?"

Iruka looked up from his papers. "Isn't that the same book you had... crossing the bridge?" To say "coming from Konoha" would've defeated their whole mission because neither knew who was listening.

"And?" the scarecrow retorted.

"A normal person would've been finished much earlier than two days later."

"I'm not a normal person," Kakashi stated, a hint of his smile visible in his dark eye. "I'm a genius."

"Yes. You are." 'You're an idiot.' The Chuunin smiled, sure the other had guessed his thoughts.

The Jounin stared at the book in his hand then up at the brunet in the other chair, hoping his eye didn't give away the smirk tugging at his lips. "Would you like to give reading it a try?" he murmured.

A slow blush started across the tanned skin and Iruka scratched the bridge of his nose nervously. "No, thank you." He slid his hand around to the back of his head, laughing half-heartedly.

"Come on." Kakashi stood and walked around to the single chair the young teacher sat in, standing in back of it. He leaned forward, arms touching the brunet's as he positioned them around him, one hand holding the book open to a section near the beginning.

"Kakashi-sensei..." The dolphin turned his head only to have his blush deepen; the Jounin's chin was practically nestled atop his shoulder, the visible eye curved to prove his smile.

"Read."

"U... un." Turning back, Iruka took in the words and pictures with a profound uneasiness growing in the pit of his stomach. Kakashi turned the page after the weak grunt from his companion, informing him to move on. The younger man whimpered and the scarecrow suppressed a chuckle. "Kakashi-sensei..."

"It gets better."

'Oh, God...'

§§§

Naruto rolled over and pressed a hand to his head. 'Kakashi-sensei's practice was nothing like Tenko-sensei's. She becomes a different person during fights.' He released his breath slowly and cracked open an eye. 'This is... my room.' The blonde sat up with a pained groan and pulled the Shuuha head protector off, staring at it. A profile view of a wave's crest was imprinted on the metal that gave off a gleam from the light shining into his room.

He clenched his fist around it, frustrated at the lack of action. This was a possible A-rank mission and nothing was happening. 'Maybe they're thinking of attacking on first missions.' Naruto shrugged, yawning, and dropped the object onto his bed as he slid off. He crossed to the bedroom door and opened it, heading for the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"Naruto...?"

The kyuubi child turned, squinting to see and grinned at the pink-haired girl standing outside of Iruka's room.

"Where's Sasuke?"

Naruto pouted at her question, but jerked his thumb in the direction of the door to his right, then disappeared into the bathroom. Sakura fixed her hair with a bright smile and walked to the room she desired, knocking. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke scoffed and closed his eyes, arms already locked behind his head.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Sakura continued, palm pressed against the rough wood. She lowered her head and spoke some more. Naruto listened from the bathroom, leaning his back against the sink. "Sasuke-kun?"

The bedroom door opened and the girl stepped back, pulling her hand to her chest and smiling innocently. "I'm fine," the brunet murmured. "You?"

"Fine," she laughed, blushing.

Naruto locked the door slowly and stripped out of his torn blue shirt, tossing it on the floor. He turned on the shower moments before Sasuke knocked on the door.

"Tch. Dobe," the raven-haired boy spat.

"Can't you use Iruka-sensei's bathroom?" the pink-haired Genin asked with a sigh, leaning nonchalantly against the hall wall. "He's probably occupied talking 'mission' with Kakashi-sensei downstairs."

The younger of the two remaining Uchiha turned slowly, staring at her. "Downstairs... with Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hai."

Sakura blinked as Sasuke rushed by, then lowered her head in defeat. 'I can't keep his attention.'

Iruka fought back tears, fidgeting in his chair as Kakashi turned yet another page. 'If someone can take pity on me...'

"Iruka-sensei."

Kakashi leaned atop the firm chair back as his dolphin escaped to swim freen once again and sighed, "Ara, ara."

Sasuke stumbled after the Chuunin, trying to free his hand from the fierce grip the Academy teacher had it in. They stopped once safely in the kitchen, Iruka on his knees. "Thank you so much," he whimpered. "He's as crazy as I thought he was."

"Hn. Did he do something to you yet?"

Iruka shook his head, but his mind was elsewhere. "How can he read those... books?" The question was more for himself than the boy because all he needed now was Sasuke's presence to rid him of Kakashi's. The brown-haired Chuunin got to his feet slowly, running a hand idly over his ponytail. Was this a part of the other man's plan? Instead of himself, would Kakashi be trying to get closer? 'I'd rather not that not happen. If possible, I don't even want to grow too attached to having him around.'

"Iruka-sensei."

Blinking, he acknowledged the boy and what he was doing: setting a pot of coffee on. Iruka smiled. "Am I that easy to read?"

"Like a large-print picture book," Sasuke replied coolly.

"We're leaving."

Both looked towards the dining room to see the scarecrow helping his "daughter" as they headed back over. Iruka waved, then leaned against the counter once the door had closed, body relaxing. "Where's Naruto?" he asked.

"Shower."

"Sou..."

The ebony-haired young teen stared at the bubbling coffee, trying to rid his mind of what Naruto did. He knew he had knocked loud enough for the boy to hear, even over the shower's spray. Had Naruto purposely ignored him? It was one of few possibilities.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Hurried footsteps on the stairs made Sasuke straighten up.

"Iruka-sensei, let's go out for ramen!" The blonde rushed in to the kitchen with a refreshed grin, bruises already faded. He wore a black shirt under a dark mesh top and orange pants, the matching insignia-less orange jacket tied around his waist. "Wait! I promised Haka and Shikyo I'd meet them out there. Gomen."

"Uh, well..." Iruka blinked, looking from blonde to the silently raging brunet. "Why don't you take Sasuke?" A smile played at his lips. "You should both get to know the town."

"Oh..."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "It's all right, Iruka-sensei. I still have to clean off from Kentan-sensei's practice."

"You can, catch up...?" Naruto offered brokenly. "I'm not sure how long we're going to be there."

"A ramen shop? That's going to be a while," Iruka mumbled. "Go on ahead, Naruto."

"Hai!" The kyuubi-carrying child ran out, door slamming.

"What's going on?" the dolphin inquired softly after a few moments of listening to the water boil.

"I don't know," Sasuke snapped.

"Go shower and find out then."

"Iruka-sensei?" He stared up at the man curiously.

"I like to see Naruto happy. As wide as his grin was, he was far from happy." Sasuke lowered his eyes to the tiled kitchen floor as Iruka looked to the ceiling and added, "Go on. I won't tell."

The boy made a soft sound in the back of his throat—almost a grunt, but not quite—and headed back upstairs, leaving the dolphin to his own thoughts and his pot of coffee.

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Sakura set down her brush with a smile at her reflection then averted her gaze to the open window at the rushing figure. 'Sasuke-kun? Where's he going?' With a hard glare, she replaced the forehead protector she had just taken off and tied it tightly. "Kakashi-sensei!"

"It's 'otou-chan', Sakura."

'Whatever.' The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm going out," she informed the Jounin as she passed his open door.

"Hai, hai. Bring back something for your old man!"

Sakura scoffed and closed the door behind her, running in the general direction Sasuke had gone.

Kakashi sat up. Placing his novel to the side, he stared through the break in his curtains at the woods, then stood and searched the dresser and his clothes until he found a suitable amount of money. "Hatake Kakashi—Ninja Extraordinaire," he chuckled, heading down to the local shop.

§§§

Naruto's laughter ran through Kan'you—Hidden Wave Village's ramen shop—as he enjoyed time well spent with his new team. Even Haka loosened up a little; Shikyo remained shy, but was having a good enough time. "Ah!" He waved around his chopsticks, oblivious to the admonishing stares of the adults. "Shikyo... I meant to ask you... what was that attack you used during out first practice?"

Tucking charcoal-colored hair behind her ear, the girl blushed and leaned in to Naruto's ear, whispering. Haka waited, chewing on one of the long, thing breads provided to the table, and looked toward the door as the small bell jingled. She pulled out the half-eaten object to address the blonde. "Isn't that your brother?"

'He came.' Naruto offered Sasuke a wide grin as he stood, waving him over. The brunet made his way around occupied table and took the empty seat beside Haka, sitting across from Shikyo.

"Sasuke, Haka."

He nodded at the red-haired girl.

"And Shikyo."

The timid girl smiled politely.

"Onee-chan!" Naruto leaned back in his chair as he called for his waitress. "Another—"

"Actually—" The brunet was cut off.

"Make it two! Sasuke, did you want anything?"

The girls laughed; Sasuke should've known better. "No," he answered. "I'm fine."

"Great. We were just talking about... well, nothing much. How's your team?"

"Hn."

"A man of many, many words." Haka finished the basket and raised it. "More!"

Sasuke watched the blonde from the corner of his eye and saw what Iruka had years ago: a mask. Everyone wore a mask; it's left to the person who cares the most to see beyond that mask.

"Here you go."

Everyone looked up as the bowls were place on the table. "Itadakimasu!" Naruto laughed. Shikyo managed to steal a bread before Haka's claws sunk into the new basket, nibbling on it while she stared at the Uchiha male, who, in turn, felt both girls' curious gazes but made no comment. Instead, he pretended to admire the glass centerpiece.

It took all will power to keep from using Sharingan for the unexpected prickling sensation on the back of his neck. 'Something's going to go down soon.'

"Sasuke!"

Dark eyes widened and Naruto laughed, adding another expression to the growing archive. "Gomen," he snickered. "Haka was asking if we'd join them. She claims she won't tell us where we're going till we get there." Said girl smirked cheekily.

"Fine," the Uchiha agreed.

"Great. Pay for us and we'll be on our way."

"Nani?" Sasuke snapped.

"He can get mad," Haka drawled, pocketing the bread. "They're good," she hissed to the giggling Shikyo.

With money deposited by all four, they were on their way.

§§§

Naruto exhaled deeply then started laughing. Sasuke elbowed him in the side to remind most of the town was sleeping. "You worry too much. Haka just took us to a club—that her family owns! And we're only 14!" The blonde mumbled through the hand over his mouth, glaring at the other boy.

"What would people think about us rambunctious teenagers coming back from a night of 'fun'?" Sasuke muttered, squeezing Naruto's face in his grip. He smirked at the push to his chest and stepped back, taking the blonde's hand with him. Naruto turned his face so the kiss landed on his cheek. "Naruto?"

"I said what I said the other night... but how things are going, we might be moving too fast." He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, grinning.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes, releasing the boy's hand. He brushed by the blonde and continued down the dark street.

"Sasuke!" Naruto ran after the brunet, jumping on his back.

"Get off, dobe!"

"Too loud, Sasuke-kun."

Kakashi grinned beneath his mask as he followed the boys inconspicuously, taking pictures with his brand new camera right up until they both disappeared inside the house. He let the camera dangle from the strap around his neck, but picked it back up to snap the picture of another figure that appeared from the darkness. 'That's... Sakura. I didn't even sense her.' He smiled proudly. 'She can mask her chakra.'

The young girl stuck to the lit sections of the street as she made her way to the house and entered. The scarecrow captured the forlorn expression on her face with a sigh. 'She's been through so much. Young girls like her should be dating boys, not watching the boy she likes date other boys.'

Kakashi walked down the side of the house and into his open bedroom window, closing it behind him. There was a faint glimmer of something in the same woods he'd been watching earlier. He waited, eyes narrowed, then pulled the curtain across after a few moments of nothing happening.

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Sakura unenthusiastically joined her teammates in the wait for their teacher. She took a seat on the bench in the center of town—the one overseeing the Academy where Iruka had sat merely a mere three days before—and placed her hands in her lap.

Oyasa looked at her then at Takai, who shrugged, and walked over to sit beside her. "Sakura-chan?"

"Hmm?" She raised her head, a trembling smile trying to stay in place on her lips.

Oyasa placed an around her and her resolve broke. The pink-haired young girl wrapped her own arms around him, burying her face in his high-neck black shirt, crying. 'I've held this in too long! I don't care about the shinobi rules!' Takai took a seat on the other side of her, hands tucked in his pockets and eyes closed as he waited for the girl to vent.

When his mother and sister were laid to red, he cried for two days until his father drilled it into his head that ninjas had no use for tears or the petty emotions that caused them. 'Baka. You cried.' He freed one of his hands and placed it on the pink head consolingly. "Don't you think they should remove that rule from the book?"

"Hai, hai," Oyasa chuckled. "Few shinobi can abide by it."

Sakura laughed softly and reached up to take Takai's hand. "Arigatou," she sighed. "At least I know I can count on all of you."

"Anytime," Takai muttered. "Anytime."

"That means you too, Hizaku-sensei," Sakura said with a grin.

The man smiled and circled around to the other side of the benches. "You're getting better, Sakura," he commented.

"Un." The girl sat up, wiping a hand across her eyes, and exhaled deeply. "Can I work with Oyasa-kun and Takai today? The three of us against you, as a team should practice."

"If you think you're up to it," the Jounin murmured.

"I am." Sakura looked at the two boys and smiled a bright and honest smile. "We are." Hizaku nodded.

§§§

"Sasuke."

The ebony-haired boy scoffed and looked at his team leader with unbridled malice. Their practice had ended a few moments ago and Chigiri and Yoku had already taken off, leaving him.

Kentan grinned as Kakashi would have and tucked Icha Icha Paradise back into his pocket. "I have... a favor to ask of you," he murmured, pulling a small envelope from the same pocket. Sasuke's eyebrow rose questioningly. Kentan opened the envelope and slid out a glossy picture, holding it out to the boy.

Sasuke snatched it out of his hand, eyes wide. "This is..."

"Lovely, isn't it?" the light-haired Jounin chuckled. "Go ahead and rip it up. I've got copies upon copies upon copies, all waiting to be mailed off to... whomever I choose."

Sasuke growled and clenched his hand into a tight fist, image in the middle. "What... do you want?" he hissed through his teeth.

"Heh. Good boy."

The Uchiha tossed clothing to the floor in his reckless rush. The drawer wasn't his and neither was the dresser it resided in. The room itself seemed off-limits, yet Sasuke was in it, searching for items he had been blackmailed into taking. He snarled and slammed the drawer back into place, moving to the next one.

"Bring back a piece of every clothing Iruka has."

"Nani?!"

Kentan smiled. 'Iruka's hiding something and anything can tell a story' "I might even need a pillow or have you get something from under his bed."

Sasuke slammed his fist into a nearby tree with a yell, but his leader's smile merely widened.

Stuffed into a shoulder bag on the floor were several types of shirts and pants, but what he was missing remained elusive. Sasuke dropped onto one knee and wrenched the last drawer open. 'Finally.' With much more care than had been used on everything else, he reached into Iruka's underwear piles as if it were a pit of poisonous snakes. He shook his head and pulled his hand back. 'I knew it. That perverted bastard. He's probably going to throw them on his bed and roll around in it all.'

The brunet found a writing utensil on the floor and picked it up, using it to lift out a pair of white briefs and black boxers. He dumped underwear and calligraphy brush into the bag and closed it tightly. Sasuke grunted as he stood to leave, but something tightened in his stomach and he turned slowly to find his worse fears were confirmed: a wide-eyed Iruka stood in the doorway of the room, hands trembling with suppressed rage.

"Sasuke...? Wha... wha... what?"

The boy bit his lip. It would be easy to say "Kakashi", but...

"If you tell him I sent you..." Kentan smirked, thumbing through the photos. "I think the parents of your teammates and of the children at the school would be interested to know why brothers make out in the middle of a dark street."

Sasuke leveled the tree with a growl. 'A bastard through and through. I appreciate everything he's done, but...' He stared down at the remaining tree stump, wishing it were the man's grinning head as he stepped on it and watched it crack down the middle. 'A bastard and an eccentric genius

Sasuke opened his mouth, but only a grunt came out.

"What were... you doing?" Iruka asked in a deathly-soft voice, stepping towards the boy. Sasuke took a precautionary step back. Where were Naruto and his distractions when you needed him? Had the Chuunin known his thoughts, he wouldn't have cared; he wanted answers as to why the boy was in his room.

'Iruka-sensei.' Sasuke reached into the container on his thigh for three shuriken.

"Just tell me what you were doing, why my clothes are all over the floor, and what's in the bag," Iruka stated through clenched teeth. "It's that simple. Maybe you'll even get to see the light of day again."

Sasuke trembled. He somehow knew that if the man across from him got him in his grasp, daylight would be just a memory, but with the pictures of his and Naruto's growing relationship, he couldn't risk it. "I can't. The brunet threw the stars at the man then performed a Bunshin no jutsu.

Iruka caught all three shuriken in one hand, but cursed as the copies scattered. He flung the weapons into three that remained, watching them disappear with a scowl. It was too late to chase after the real Sasuke now and he didn't feel like jumping down into the street. "I know it was you... Hatake Kakashi... that was behind this."

The dolphin stormed to the window, throwing it open. "Kentan-sensei!" he screamed out into the streets. "I suggest you don't sleep tonight, because you might not wake up!" Iruka lowered his head, breathing heavily, and noticed the bewildered and accusing stares as people whispered and pointed in his direction. He grinned sheepishly, a large sweatdrop over his head.

§§§

"Domo, domo," Kentan chuckled as a sullen Sasuke handed him the bag. "Here you go." He, in turn, handed the boy the envelope.

"This is only one," the Uchiha muttered.

"Hai, hai. There was only one."

"Uso..."

"Eh? Nani?" The Jounin blinked at the boy.

"Uso te ba!" Sasuke screamed, chakra exploding.

"Ara, ara." Kentan strapped the bag over his chest and fell into a stance with a pleasant smile as the Sharingan-wielding boy charged him.

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A/N: Seeeeee! It's more Sakura-chan! Gomen, Isolde-sama— (dances around) But she's really really really really important! ...Maybe I should hold my tongue. Anyway, I brought this chapter out early because it was fermenting on the hard drive and... I lost my train of thought after doing Picture Perfect. I also upped the ages—making them 14—because... okay, 12-year-olds exchanging of bodily fluids doesn't sound quite pleasant -.-

Anooo... Also, I'm thinking of doing a Shika/Kiba fic. What do you, my readers, think? (wonders if this'll get 'em to review) Do you think I have it in me to work out their personalities...?