Title: Wishes Are Free

Author: Cheza-chan

Rating: R

Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru, SakuOC

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto—oh, 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: Oh. Um, the italicized area that comes further down below, where Kaoru is being subjected to some harsh Genjutsu, it's what actually took place when the two boys were killed; he's just reliving it, along with them. Wanted to clear that up. :;cheeky grin;:

Is that the only thing I have to clear up? Sorry about any typos or grammatical errors that may be?


Chapter Twenty-Three – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

An assembly was called the next day for the Genins alone. May stood on the stage platform, Iruka at her side, and addressed the children as calmly as possible, discussing the growing situation at hand.

Iruka was staring out over the sea of heads, looking for anything out of the ordinary. His brown eyes widened, but he relaxed when the pink head of hair turned out to be another child. He sighed, hugging the clipboard to his chest, and spotted his "son" and Kaoru. His second child stood with a jabbering Miyako yards away. Iruka lowered his head with a sigh and squeezed his eyes shut as if in great pain.

"Is your father okay?" Kaoru mumbled, blinking his one eye.

"Kakashi-sensei probably did something," Naruto snorted. "Didn't you hear them in the other room last night?"

Kaoru snorted, then cleared his throat, smirking at the other's naivety. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing. "I'm sure he's all right," he said with a lilt of laughter to his voice.

Naruto glared at him, then pushed the arm away and dropped his own to his sides. Both boys blinked as soft fingers slid against the palm of their hands.

"Konnichiwa," a shy voice said. Shikyo smiled as she squeezed their hands lightly, and stepped forward. She then shifted her grip until she was properly holding their hands.

Kaoru gasped as the scenery changed, then stepped back, shaking his head. He was just in the Academy, so why was he… here? His eye widened at the sight before him. His deceased teammates seemed to be enjoying free time together.

Aoi blushed as he struggled to hold the large Fuuma Shuriken, and with both hands. Rei shook his head, snorting softly, and took back his weapon. He snapped it shut with a simple twist of his hand, and tucked it into the band around his waist.

Kaoru pressed trembling fingers together. "Kai…" he whimpered. "Kai!"

Shikyo grunted, lips pressing together tightly as she maintained a hold on the special Genjutsu. She would make him endure the pain of losing, not only his first love, but also his best friends as many times as possible in the time she was allowed.

"Rei's strong," Aoi sighed, pouting. "Me? I'm useless." The lavender-haired boy sank into the soft grass with a deep sigh.

"If you're useless, how come you're a ninja?" Rei scoffed, dropping to his knees before the smaller boy.

Kaoru covered his ears, but that didn't block out the sounds; it only made them louder.

Aoi smiled innocently and closed his eyes, leaning forward. The fiery-haired Genin smirked and leaned down to meet him and kiss the pouting lips that were eager for his own.

"No!" Kaoru ripped the hitai-ate from his eye, but a second orange orb blinked. "No…" he whimpered.

Aoi giggled and pushed the other Genin away to roll them both over onto the grass so he was on top. He sat up, hands balanced on Rei's shoulder. His navy blue eyes widened and Rei's smirk fell as he wondered why his koibito's expressing had changed so suddenly. "Rei," Aoi said in a shuddering gasp, his arm reaching behind him. "Rei, take it out…"

Rei held the smaller frame carefully and turned Aoi, only to see a kunai embedded in the boy's back. He reached up and pulled it out in one swift motion. The body in his arms jerked slightly and a spurt of blood decorated the grass with a bright crimson.

"He won't die," an echoing voice laughed from the trees. "At least, not yet."

Kaoru looked up as ebony-clad figures began landing on the branches surrounding them.

Rei stood with the shuddering Aoi wrapped protectively in his arms; he considered this boy a teammate, a friend, and so much more.

"How sweet."

"They're so cute together."

The voices taunted and teased them.

"Haven't you heard—you sleep together, you die together!"

The onslaught began and Kaoru had no choice; his knees gave out and he sank unceremoniously to the ground, unable to tear his eyes away from the merciless slaughter of his friends.

Naruto was having a struggle all his own, as were Takai and Oyasa—Sakura tortured them.

On the roof of the building, Ishikura provided the illusion that convinced everyone things were still the same inside. What he hadn't counted on was being found so soon.

The twin Jounins stood on either side of him with matching scowls. "I don't think you should be here," Ruka sighed. "And making a lazy person such as myself come all the way up here to stop you, you've also made me mad."

The cloaked figure scoffed and canceled the jutsu.

Iruka blinked at the feeling the washed over him and glanced at May; she was experiencing the same feeling. Both adults looked out at the children and spotted the two that didn't belong. Sakura and Shikyo canceled the mental assaults on the boys and quickly took their leave.

All four Genins targeted were reduced to their knees, Kaoru's anguished screams and sobs tearing through the crowd.

May and Iruka jumped down from the platform and ran to the boy. As gentle as she seemed, the Hitsu taught their children to be ruthless if necessary, and Shikyo had displayed that ruthlessness.

Naruto stood shakily, reaching out to steady himself. A hand took his and he looked up to find a concerned Sasuke. Seeing the brunet caused his suddenly fragile state of mind to become more unstanble. "No!" the blonde screamed, pushing him away. He jostled his way through the other Genins and to the front door.

"Go after him," May ordered the Chuunin as she took the sobbing boy into her arms. She looked at Sasuke. "You, too."

Sasuke headed for the door while Iruka disappeared from where he stood. The Uchiha skidded to a halt at the sounds of fighting once he'd gotten outside, and stared up at the roof of the building.

Iruka stood perched on the roof of Kan'you; he'd ended up at the restaurant after being unable to find or even sense Naruto, which shouldn't be too much of a problem since the boy's chakra seemed to be going awry. He turned as Kakashi landed behind him. "Have you seen Naruto?" the brunet asked a little breathlessly.

The Jounin shook his head. "I've been a little busy trying to put some odd ends together. What I found out was that neither Shikyo or Sakura were really kidnapped."

"Wha…?" Iruka gave the other man his complete attention. "What do you mean?"

"Both girls had a traumatic even take place in their lives," the Copy Ninja replied, reaching out unconsciously to brush stray strands of brown hair behind Iruka's ear. "Shikyo lost her little brother, and Sakura was forced to grow out of her girlish fantasies and dreams after finding out Sasuke had chosen… Naruto."

"They went willingly, then?" the brunet mumbled.

"Naruto," Kakashi repeated softly, eye staring beyond the young man.

Iruka spun around to see the blonde kyuubi he'd been chasing standing there.

Naruto's fists were tightly clenched at his sides and his body trembled. He refused to believe he was the reason Sakura was on the verge of becoming a missing-nin. It was still happening; the nightmare Shikyo had produced for him was still going on: everything was his fault. He had witnessed the deaths of so many, even of people he'd just met and of those that were around him his entire life.

Iruka stepped forward as teardrops darkened the dirt below the boy, but the scarecrow gripped his arm as the kyuubi's red chakra flared, signs of blue barely visible in it; it looked like a flame. "Please, Naruto—"

"Naruto!"

The blonde tore his glaring lupine eyes from the men and toward the ebony-haired boy running up to them.

"Naruto, stop this!" Sasuke yelled.

"Don't you care!" the kyuubi snarled. "Don't you care that she's gone!"

The Uchiha grabbed Naruto's shoulder, grimacing as the boy's sharp and lengthened nails dug into his arm. Kakashi's arm continued to still the Chuunin from making any movement towards the boys; he suspected they needed this moment more than anyone else.

"You don't care. You never did. You wouldn't even let me explain what happened between Kaoru and Shikyo, but was so quick to judge. Now Shikyo's gone, and so is Sakura-chan." Naruto smirked, eyes wild and wide. "You never liked Sakura-chan."

"That's not true…" Sasuke gasped, grabbing the wrist of the hand that continued to make his blood stain the dirt. "That's not true…"

"You don't even like me."

"That's not true!" the ebony-haired boy cried.

The kyuubi ripped his hand free of the touch, staring at his blooded fingers with a crazed grin. He glanced at the trio one last time then leapt off in the direction of the woodland area.

Kakashi waited several moments before removing a scroll from one of the makimono pouches on his vest; he waited to give Naruto a head start so the village wouldn't be involved in any way. Walking forward, the man drew his thumb across the stunned Sasuke's arm and gathered blood. Smearing it along the length of the scroll, and then rolling it back up, he disappeared.

Iruka touched Sasuke head lightly and the boy's body gave a slight jump as he came back to reality. "Let's get you patched up," the young man sighed, leading him along the empty road. After the first incident, May had requested that her villagers stay inside unless leaving was absolutely necessary.


Ishikura peeled the remains of his mask from his face, wiping away the blood. The two girls were knelt before him and with their heads bowered. He cursed softly, but was pleased with himself at having sent the siblings back to their supervisor in a condition similar to his own. "For someone so lazy…" the man grunted as he ripped the remaining shuriken and kunai from his body. "He sure is well-versed in ninja ways."

"Keisha Ruka," Shikyo murmured.

"I don't give a damn…" Ishikura scoffed, running his gloved fingers through his short hair. "Hurry and decide on your third so we can get this over with."

Sakura's fist tightened where it was against the soft earth. "Naruto."

Shikyo's head snapped up, her covered eyes wide and turned in the direction of the other girl.

"I'm sure you all felt it," the pink-haired girl continued. "You probably can't recall them—stories of a nine-tailed fox demon that took lives in the Hidden Leaf Village?"

Ishikura raised a knee, folding his other leg under him where he sat on a boulder. "Continue," he drawled.

"The Yokudaime gave his life to save his village, sealing that demon in the body of a child."

A smirk flitted into place on the man's face and Sakura smiled. "Go get him," he ordered.

"Hai!"

Both girls disappeared. They hadn't quite made it back into town when Shikyo stopped them. "Naruto," she said softly, lowering her chakra. Sakura lowered her chakra as well and they both stood silently on one branch to witness the struggle between demon fox and scarecrow.

§§§

Kakashi dropped onto the soil about half a mile from all housing structures and shoved the scroll into the earth. "Doton; Tsuiga no Jutsu!" The characters flowed from it into the ground and the Jounin rose once again to continue tracking Naruto by himself. When he did find him, half of his nin-dogs were gone.

The blonde kyuubi spun to face the man and jumped back, crossing his arms in front of him. Kakashi easily avoided the sets of shuriken and kunai, but knew the boy was much smarter and stronger now. His dark eye widened as his arms became locked out at his sides and turned his head to see Bunshin clones restraining him.

Naruto ripped through another summoned dog as he ran forward to inflict direct harm to his Konoha team leader. The demon chakra seeping through him told him to stop. He looked around sharply, taking several steps back.

The Kakashi being held captive disappeared into smoke, as did the blonde's clones.

Naruto raised his hands together once again.

Kakashi sighed deeply from his hidden spot in a tree and concluded that this would be a tougher retrieval than he'd expected. He raised his hitai-ate to use his Sharigan orb as the mass of Naruto clones attacked.

With the few nin-dogs he had on his side, Kakashi overpowered the rage-filled boy and took off with him; neither of them left without their share of injuries, some great and some small.

"Getting Naruto's out of the quest now," Sakura sighed.

"Not… necessarily." Shikyo smiled as she stared at her partner, seeing her clearer than ever from behind the hitai-ate. She shook her head as she sensed Sakura's confusion. "You really don't like Naruto-kun, do you?"

Sakura shrugged then crossed her arms. "What's your plan?"

"Come on." Shikyo leaped away from the branch onto another and continued back into town with Sakura following. The pair landed on the roof of the few traditional houses in the village, and the young Hitsu went in first, removing her headband along the way. Miyako looked up from her book, eyes widening. They slid shut after she was rendered unconscious. Sakura entered the house next, and their plan was underway.

§§§

"Is this who you want?" Atsuko questioned the girls, staring skeptically at the child Ishikura held captive.

Kaoru grunted softly as he struggled to free himself.

"He's not," Sakura replied, head bowed. "But it's a step closer to getting that nine-tailed fox demon."

"What dem—" The boy yelled into the gloved hand covering his mouth. He still couldn't believe he had been so easily capture; it was only because seeing Shikyo alive had caused the rational side of him to shut down.

"What demon?" Sakura finished softly for him. "There's a demon in your village." 'There's a demon in us all,' she told herself. "His name," the girl continued. "Uzumaki Naruto."

'Naruto?!' Kaoru shook his head vehemently. 'His last name is Umino, not Uzumaki!' His orange eye widened and he stared, unblinking, at the smirking man seated before him. Ishikura stepped forward and Kaoru's muffled screams became more consistent.


Sasuke stared at his bandaged arm with a faraway gaze. This was really happening. Sakura was really gone. Naruto hated him. He clenched his hand into a fist, trying not to wince at the sudden jolt of pain. The question of "why Sakura" haunted him; it was either himself or Naruto that was the target.

Sasuke lowered his arm to the bed and decided that he would make himself listen to and make up with Naruto, even if they other boy didn't want to have him around. With Sakura now on the enemy's side, having conflict was another minus—a big one. The brunet looked up as the door downstairs opened, but didn't move. It was Kakashi returning with Naruto, so the blonde wouldn't be available for any type of discussion.

Kakashi took the boy up to Iruka's room where the young man was waiting with supplies, and placed him gently on the bed.

The Chuunin looked at the bleeding man, concerned. "Kakashi… you're hurt."

Kakashi looked down at himself, knowing that half the blood darkening his Shuuha uniform didn't belong to him. "Shinobi get hurt," he muttered detachedly. "It's a part of life."

'Kakashi…'

"How's Sasuke?"

"I doubt he wants to see anybody," Iruka mumbled, peeling the tattered shirt from Naruto's body. He worked in silence to treat all wounds in hopes of speeding along the kyuubi's healing powers, but was curious as to why the boy hadn't woken under his ministrations.

Kakashi watched on, blood splattered across his face and hitai-ate headband. His eye narrowed. It was the largest of his dogs that held the boy long enough for him to incapacitate him.

Iruka sprayed the large bite mark running from the top of the boy's shoulder to his side and Naruto hissed, clutching the lower part of his arm. The man smiled weakly, grateful for the pained reaction.

"Sakura… chan!"

Kakashi stiffened. Another reason he was detained in his retrieval was because of slight interference. He'd noticed a team of two ninjas keeping watch over their fight, but had no time to give chase. The Jounin flexed his arm where Naruto had managed to get a kunai lodged right in the junction of his elbow and winced.

"I'll get to you in a moment," Iruka told him calmly. He latched the bandages covering Naruto's left shoulder and chest and stood with a sigh. "Come on downstairs, unless you'd rather use Naruto's room." Naruto was occupying his bed.

"Naruto's." Going downstairs seemed like a task at the moment. Taking the bandages handed to him, Kakashi followed the Chuunin across the hall, sparing a glance at the Uchiha's door.

"Can you take off your top?" Iruka murmured, standing beside the bed where Kakashi had seated himself.

"And if I say no?"

"I'll let your wounds fester and watch you fall ill and die," the dolphin stated in a deadpan voice.

Kakashi stared incredulously at the back of the dark head then used his good arm to take off his vest, muttering about mental defects and whatnot.

Iruka cut the remaining sleeve from the older man's left arm and stared at the wound with a grimace. The gash had been an inch to two inches in length, and if the arm was moved outward, you could look directly into the split skin. He reached for the disinfectant and sprayed the arm.

Kakashi hissed, cursing softly, and strained to keep his body rigid as his arm burned.

Iruka picked up a moist cloth and placed it on the wound, bending the Jounin's arm back onto it. He smiled sheepishly and slid off the fingerless glove. He placed a kiss to the back of Kakashi's hand, then pulled the arm back out toward him. Removing the cloth, he began a complete and thorough cleaning.

Treated, bandaged, and still shirtless, the silver-haired shinobi was stretched out along the unsignhtly green sofa, headband pulled down over both eyes; seems like he ended up downstairs after all. The ANBU tattoo on his useless left arm had also been wrapped to keep it hidden.

Iruka entered the den with a tray that held two cups and a plate of steaming food. He set it on the table and stood to leave when an arm wrapped around his waist and dragged him unceremoniously into the Jounin's lap. He smiled sheepishly, blushing.

"You're something else," Kakashi sighed. "To still be able to blush after all that's already happened."

"That's because…"

"Because?" The scarecrow pushed up his hitai-ate with a smirk. He reached up to pull the younger man's head down, their faces inches apart.

With the hand still behind his head, locking it in place, Iruka could barely avoid looking into the mismatched orbs. He reached up and covered the transplanted Sharingan, feeling uneasy, and slowly closed the gap between them. They pulled apart, sitting up sharply at the sounds of crashing from above.

"Naruto," the brunet gasped, freeing himself and standing. He rushed through the dining room and hall and up the stairs to his room.

The blonde was on his knees, a hand to his bandaged chest. He coughed and blood splattered across the floor. "Sakura… ra… chan…"

Iruka's eyes widened and he darted into the room, leaping over the bed to land in the open window frame. He scanned the rooftops opposite and adjacent him then turned his head to look upward. A kunai became lodged between his wide eyes, but the body turned into a pillow and fell.

The shinobi jumped down to retrieve her weapon and spun out of the way, landing in a crouched position to stare at the line of shuriken that stopped about a foot away from her.

Iruka looked down from his rooftop.

Her head swiveled toward the opening door and a cold and sinister smirk—modeled after Atsuko's—tugged at soft lips at the sight of the bandaged Copy-nin. Eyes hidden under the blank headband, Sakura mouthed a statement to both men then disappeared.

Iruka climbed back into his open window to find Sasuke supporting the crying blonde.

Naruto raised red-rimmed blue eyes to his favorite teacher. "Where is she… Iruka-sensei?" he asked hoarsely.

"She left. Did she attack you, Naruto?"

He shook his head, then winced, grabbing his side. "I fell… from the bed."

Iruka glared at the floor, Sakura's moving lips still playing before his eyes: "Do you still feel safe?" was her message. "Sasuke, take him backto his room."

Naruto, at the mention of Sasuke's name, finally realized it was the Uchiha holding him. He pushed him away and stumbled a bit.

"Baka!" Sasuke snapped, grabbed the blonde's arm carefully.

"You're the idiot," the kyuubi retorted, eyes blazing. He pulled his arm away, straightening himself to full height, and walked out of the man's bedroom, his Konoha teammate following.

Kakashi, after making his way back upstairs, stood aside to let them pass. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it. At the moment, he intended to do some serious talking with the younger man.

Sasuke slammed the opposite door shut. "Naruto. Will you listen to me?"

"Why?" the blonde scoffed as he eased himself onto his bed. "You don't listen to me."

"That's what I'm trying to do, dobe."

Naruto bristled at the last word, staring up at the brunet through golden bangs. He sighed and scooted over to offer Sasuke a share of his bed. The Uchiha smirked and sat, stretching his legs out. "Promise not to lose it?" Naruto muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Hurry up before I change my mind." "Tch. I'm just going to get it over with. I kissed Shikyo during the Water Festival. I guess we were both just caught up in the moment. We had a talk afterward, and she understood. Now… she's gone." Naruto lowered his head to stare at his bandages. "I kissed Hotaru the day before the festival itself," he mumbled. He figured Sasuke didn't need to know that he, along with the other boy, had both enjoyed the accidental kiss.

Sasuke remained silent and still, save for the trembling of his tightly clenched fists. He calmed himself, for he'd promised Naruto he wasn't going to lose his cool. The ebony-haired boy swung his legs over the side of the bed and Naruto sat up, his blue eyes wide.

"Sasuke."

"I'm going to get a pillow from my room." The brunet turned to face the other with a smirk. "I need to stay with you to keep your lips under close surveillance. They belong only to me."

Naruto grinned, and flopped back onto his pillows as Sasuke left. He was glad the air was cleared between them, and now there was one less thing for anyone to worry about. With a sigh, Naruto idly wondered how Kaoru was coping with everything that was happening. The blonde grinned as he resolved to visit his friend tomorrow.

"You better be thinking about me, dobe." Sasuke threw his pillow at the blonde's face, ridding it of its goofy grin.

"Maybe I was thinking about ramen," Naruto yelled, kicking the pillow off the bed. He looked up to blow a raspberry when the force from the second pillow thrown propelled him back into the headboard. "Itai! Sasuke, that hurt, you jerk. I'm injured!"

"Pick up my pillow," Sasuke ordered, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Naruto threw the other one onto the floor with a smirk and sprawled himself out across the bed. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as he stood there and silently counted from fifty down to zero.

Things were back to normal between them after all.