Before they reached the clearing, the man was calling out to them, flames in his hand. His handsome face was strangely remorseful. "I'm sorry, but you can't have her back." Instead of being angry, Shikamaru was heartened by the words. Sakura was still alive to get back.

Naruto jumped ahead of Kakashi and growled. "We'll take her back, you asshole. And everyone else too!"

Kakashi shrugged. "What he said. This won't end well for you. Show us where you've taken them." While he was speaking, Shikamaru could see chakra gathering in his right hand, chirping loudly.

The man had a pained look on his face. "No, I can't let you take her." He tilted forward slightly and in an instant he was in front of them, attacking both Naruto and Kakashi with a two handed katon jutsu. They evaded him relatively easily but it meant that Kakashi's chidori was less than complete when he used it against the man.

He made full contact with the man's torso, but instead of the blood and bone Shikamaru had been expecting, Kakashi's arm was completely engulfed in flames. The man had a fiery hole in his left side that was slowly knitting itself back together, smoke rising from the wound. Kakashi drew back, shaking out the fire and peeling off his blackened glove.

"Ugh, what the hell?" Kiba spoke for them all. Neji's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, obviously seeing something odd in their enemy's chakra.

Naruto decided to fill the clearing with a few dozen clones, all with the same singed blonde hair. The man took them all on, dispersing them with a wave of unbearably smoky flames and when unavoidable, allowed them to hit him and catch themselves on fire.

"His chakra is incredibly unstable." Neji muttered to Shikamaru. "Coupled with his ability to avoid physical attacks, Gentle Fist is going to be useless on him."

Shikamaru nodded to Kiba, signaling his idea. With a grin, Kiba joined the fray, yelling nonsense to Naruto. The two of them continued to batter at the man, Naruto creating more and more clones with an inexhaustible glee. Shikamaru was tired just looking at him. Slowly Kiba and Naruto's combined might were driving the man toward the edges of the clearing, where Kakashi had joined the rest of the team.

Shikamaru saw his chance. "Kagemane no jutsu!"

The man froze, confused when his body refused to obey his commands. Naruto's clones dispersed themselves while Kiba rolled his neck, grinning. "Nice, Shikamaru." He could see that the man was clearly struggling without much luck. Even fire leaves a shadow, after all.

Kakashi wasted no time questioning him. "Who are you? Where are the people you've abducted?" Neji and Kiba had retreated in opposite directions, keeping an eye out for the man's absent partner.

The man spoke through clenched teeth, "They are safe."

Calmly, Kakashi stared directly into the man's eyes. After only seconds, the man shuddered and screamed, a sound that sent cold chills down Shikamaru's spine. Despite this, his concentration did not waver. This man was the key to Sakura and he was content to let Kakashi dismantle him piece by piece if necessary.

He could see Naruto gritting his teeth on Kakashi's other side, but he didn't interrupt.

"I'll ask again," Kakashi said pleasantly. "Who are you? Where are the people you've abducted?"

The man panted, exhausted and shivering. After several minutes, he muttered lowly and Shikamaru strained to hear, but Naruto caught the words easily.

"You need her? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He growled again, sounding more feral by the moment, his chakra wavering violently. "I swear to god, if this is some sort of trafficking bullshit, I'm gonna-" Kakashi cut him off with a sharp hand motion as the man's eyes widened.

This time he spoke loudly. "No! No, we wouldn't hurt Sakura-san! We need her to help the children!"

They all considered his words for a moment. "What children?" Kakashi was still using his pleasantly vicious voice.

The man sighed. "My name is Takeshi. My children are sick and Sakura-san is a very talented medic."

Shikamaru couldn't help himself. "So you kidnapped an entire town to hold her hostage?"

Takeshi looked like he wanted to shrug. "It seemed like the expedient thing to do. No one was injured and my children are now receiving medical care."

"I imagine Sakura didn't see it that way," Shikamaru said, thinking of the dozens of downed trees and scarred forest land.

He could see a smile forming on the man's handsome face. "She came around to my way of thinking eventually."

Neji spoke from behind them. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just find a healer who wasn't already contracted to an entire town?"

Takeshi frowned, his eyes hardening. "Not just any healer would work. My children are … unusual."

Kiba muttered, still facing away from the general group. "If they're anything like you, that's putting it mildly."

Naruto was still vibrating with tension. "So take us to Sakura-chan. If she's safe, I don't care who she agrees to heal. Your kids don't deserve to die just because you're an asshole."

Kakashi sighed, but didn't argue with him.

"You won't hurt them?"

Naruto snorted. "Not unless one of your kids is named Orochimaru."

Takeshi stiffed as much as possible while still under Shikamaru's control and hissed. "That man is an abomination." It was said with so much venom that even Neji looked slightly stunned. "Orochimaru is the entire reason I am in this situation."

"Uh …" Naruto looked at Kakashi and Shikamaru questioningly. "What? Don't tell me he's after you too?"

Takeshi smiled bitterly. "Oh no, he didn't have time for me after he took what he needed."

Shikamaru could see that the pieces fell into place for Kakashi just as he realized it himself. "Ah. I see. His human experimentation really was far-reaching. I thought we had seen all of his subordinates by now."

"I was never his subordinate!" Takeshi's eyes were glittering in anger. "He used my partner's illness to get to my bloodline. I left as soon as I could get Hayato away from there." His mouth screwed up in anger. "Not soon enough, since he turned me into this monster."

Shikamaru tried to get Kakashi's attention, signaling that he was unable to hold the jutsu for much longer. With the barest shred of acknowledgement, Kakashi pressed Takeshi into agreeing to lead them to his hideout. "We're no fans of Orochimaru. He's a missing-nin from Konoha, you know. It's kind of our job to put him down if we find him. And," he stared at the man, who didn't seem impressed. "We won't harm your children."

Takeshi sighed. "Fine. Hopefully I've stalled you long enough to let Sakura-san heal them before you take her away."

Shikamaru snorted. "It's obvious you don't actually know Sakura. If she's not done healing them when we get there, we'll being waiting until she is satisfied with her work." He released the jutsu with slight hesitation, but when Takeshi didn't immediately spring an attack, the entire group relaxed.

He noticed. "What? I said I would bring you there."

Kakashi nodded mockingly. "And I always put my full trust in people who throw fireballs at me indiscriminately."

Takeshi laughed loudly, scaring away some nearby birds. "I guess you don't live as long as you do without being paranoid, old man."

Naruto snorted and Shikamaru could hear Kiba stifle a laugh from behind him as well. Kakashi's shoulders drooped. "I'm starting to think I should dye my hair."

This time it was Shikamaru's turn to laugh. "Just ask Sakura. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to help you."

Kakashi shuddered. "Let's just go fetch her first, yes?"

Takeshi led them to the mouth of a large cavern, dispelling several genjutsu on his way. Shikamaru was impressed the sheer volume of traps on the way to his home; it was clear he was a talented in more ways than just his katon jutsu. After the last fell away, the group was greeted by a large, dark haired man wearing loose robes. He stood by the entrance imposingly and they all tensed until he sighed and said, "Jig's up, huh?"

Takeshi had a sideways smile on his face as he walked toward him. "Yeah, Hayato. I'm sorry I couldn't hold them off longer."

Hayato touched his arm gently. "They're fine. Sakura-san has already got them on the mend."

Relief was painted all over Takeshi's face, but he said nothing. He waved them inside and the two men led them further into the homey interior, bumping shoulders silently. Naruto was staring at them intensely, a thoughtful frown on his face.

They strode through the makeshift corridors and Shikamaru vaguely wondered how the cave was even created, because it certainly wasn't nature. All thoughts of cave formations disappeared when he spotted familiar pink hair, bent over a makeshift sickbed. His traitorous heart was nearly beating out of his chest and he struggled to keep his mouth from splitting into a deliriously happy grin. Kakashi gave him that annoying knowing look again, one he could see clear through the man's mask and hitai-ate.

Naruto shouted, because he had no sense of decorum in what was clearly a medical setting. "Sakura-chan! We've come to rescue you!"

Alarmed, she looked in their direction, as did everyone in the general vicinity. Her patient, a dark-skinned boy with vivid blue hair, startled violently. She spoke to him in low tones and he settled as she straightened to stand, hands on her hips in a familiar scolding stance.

Sakura hissed at them, "Naruto! Keep your voice down! There are patients here who are trying to sleep."

He immediately wibbled at her, blue eyes wide and sad. "But Sakura-chan, we came all this way to save you and Hinata-chan and the others!" Shikamaru had finally noticed that there were other Konoha shinobi around them, all working with the children who had been placed on one side of the cavern or the townspeople, who were opposite them. He spotted Hinata in the very back, kneeling next to an elderly gentleman who was looking at her with a very fond expression. Next to him, Neji was paying no heed to Sakura and Naruto's argument, his eyes zeroing in on Hinata.

Sakura had just rolled her eyes at Naruto. "That's very nice of you all, thank you." She smiled softly at Kiba and Neji. "Hinata is fine, boys. Go see for yourself." She grabbed Neji's arm as Kiba went ahead to greet his teammate and stared him down sternly. "She did exceptionally well, both with the patients and the situation. Don't fuck it up, Hyuuga." She released him with a pleasant smile.

Neji confusedly continued on his way and Shikamaru could see Hinata's posture change as soon as she noticed his presence, becoming even stiffer and more proper the closer he was. Kiba saw this as well, but only sighed heavily and continued with his monologue of their adventure.

Naruto looked at Sakura, who was busy eying Neji critically. "What was that all about, Sakura-chan?"

Shikamaru answered for her. "Sakura has a new hobby and it's infecting all the people she knows."

Naruto was even more confused and Kakashi coughed to hide his laugh.

Sakura just stuck her tongue out at him and then grinned. "Whatever works, Shika-kun." She looked down at the little boy in the bed in front of her and smoothed the blanket over his thin shoulders. "I knew you'd get my message."

"It was nearly too subtle." Shikamaru was still resisting the urge to sweep her up and never let go, something she probably wouldn't appreciate while she was still with her patients. Days of anxiety over her safety were starting to catch up to him and the relief coursing through his veins made him feel weak. "We ended up running into your friend regardless." He nodded toward Takeshi who was smiling gently at a little girl of approximately six who seemed to be wearing more bandages than skin.

"Takeshi and Hayato are good men." She shrugged. "Good men who made bad choices. I can understand that."

Kakashi sounded slightly disapproving. "Sakura-chan, they kidnapped you."

"Kakashi-sensei, you know better than that. I allowed myself to be taken. Takeshi threatened the townspeople, yes, but he was desperate. Jinta was in especially bad condition." She smiled at the boy as he blinked his eyes open blearily and smiled back at her with no hesitation. "I've already made my peace with how it happened."

"So now what?"

Sakura shot a quick look at Takeshi and Hayato, who were still distracted by greeting their other children, seven all together. "I think we should take them all back to Konoha. I've been trying to get them to agree since I got here, but no dice."

Shikamaru thought that after knowing Sakura for years, he would stop being surprised by her. Clearly, he was wrong. "You have got to be kidding me, Sakura. Why would we even consider letting them into the village?"

She gave him a sour look. "Because all of these kids and Takeshi and Hayato are the result of Orochimaru's "failed" experiments, Shikamaru. Because Konoha owes everyone who has fallen into his hands once we let him go beyond our walls. Because they deserve better than a cave in the middle of the woods, if it's within my power to give it to them."

Kakashi broke in, speaking to her gently. "Is it, Sakura-chan? You don't have the authority to allow outsiders into our village."

She exchanged a look with Naruto, who simply nodded at her. "Tsunade-shishou will understand. She'll yell and throw things and maybe even punish me, but it will work out in the end."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "That old lady will strong-arm the Council into whatever she wants. She's done it before and this idea isn't even that weird."

"See? The hardest part will be convincing Takeshi that it's a good idea."

"What's a good idea?" They turned around, seeing that Takeshi's attention was now solely focused on them instead of the two toddlers climbing up on his lap and shoulders. He tried for an intimidating glare, but Shikamaru couldn't take him seriously when a blonde toddler poked at the tattoos on his face repeatedly.

Sakura gave him the same stern look she had thrown at Neji earlier. "You should come back to Konoha with us. Join the village."

"Absolutely not. We're fine here." Sakura pointedly looked at the cavern walls and the makeshift beds with a raised eyebrow. "We have everything we need." She looked at the borrowed medical supplies and then her chunin staff working between the townspeople and the children. "We don't need anyone's help!" Sakura just gestured to herself in silence.

"Takeshi." Hayato admonished him gently. "Maybe we should think about it."

"Why? So we can have an entire village to worry about attacking the kids? At least they can be protected here!"

Sakura jerked her head at Naruto, signaling something to him that Shikamaru couldn't interpret. "Look guys, Konoha's not perfect. I'm not gonna say that everything is going to be kitten farts and rainbows." Takeshi snorted and Hayato looked vaguely amused. "But there are a lot of good people there and we take care of our own."

"Right." Takeshi still looked skeptical. He pressed a kiss to the cheek of the same blonde toddler who was now valiantly fighting against sleep on his shoulder. Shikamaru was surprised by his actions; for such a prickly man, Takeshi was astonishingly open with his affection. "And what would we have to do to gain this so-called protection? I won't be anyone's prisoner again."

Naruto shrugged. "I can't speak for the old lady, but you'll probably be given the option of being active duty shinobi. I'm pretty sure they're gonna want to have one of the Yamanakas take a look at you, though."

Before they could ask, Sakura said, "He means that our mind specialists will have to ensure that your loyalty is not to anyone who would harm Konoha."

Hayato looked ill. "I don't like the idea of someone in my head, Sakura-san."

She smiled at him. "I understand, believe me." The three men shared a look, remembering her emotional battle with Ino during their first Chunin Exam. "But you have to weigh that against the potential gain for your children, Hayato. Are they worth it to you?"

He looked at Takeshi, who was soothingly rubbing the back of toddler who had finally succumbed to slumber and smiled. "You know they are."

Sakura clapped her hands together. "Good! It's settled. You'll come with us after Hayato moves the townspeople back home! Jinta is nearly back to perfect health, after all."

Takeshi's head shot up at her words and he hissed, "What? When did I agree to this? Hayato, you can't just-"

Shikamaru yawned and rubbed the back of his head, his anxiety finally starting to drain out of him the longer he could just see Sakura. "Man, just go with it. No one can resist the combined persuasive force of Sakura and Naruto."

The man grimaced and looked at the ceiling, muttering to himself. Kakashi squatted next to him, and smiled through his mask, patting his shoulder. "Welcome to the family."

note: obviously this story is not canon-compliant, what with sasuke being back in the village and no fourth shinobi war, but there was also no creepy orochimaru absorption either. he's still roaming the plains, wild and free.

also, i accidentally fell in love with my own original characters, oops. sorry not sorry for the lack of shikasaku cuddles, that will come very soon! and narusasu!