Chapter 5 - A Wish Fufilled

The angry people of the Land of Herbs closed in. Their weapons were familiar to Ekyt. He had trained with most of them. In his old arts, such as his Karate, he was told that they were designed as gardening tools, but the clever people used them in self defense against the oppressive government and it’s minions. Obviously, these people knew martial arts. So fighting through them would be a struggle.
Sakura didn’t really want to hurt these people. They had been without a leader, had suffered a disaster, and were, she would have bet, more confused than angry. To them, the three that had been their saviors would have made them the most powerful country in the world. But Sakura, Lee, and Ekyt had sworn allegiance to Konoha. They wouldn’t leave, not even for such lucrative positions. They all stuck by their word, a rarity in this day and time. One sentence that all three had repeated once again surfaced on their lips.
“I will not let my teammates die.”
Sakura, the leader of the mission, stepped forward toward the people.
“Listen to me, all of you! You need to help yourselves! The three of us…we have loyalty to our own land. Just as none of you would leave your homes…none of us would leave ours.” As Sakura finished saying that, Sasuke crossed her mind. She stopped dead, in the middle of her speech. Her train of thought had stopped at ‘ours’, as now all she could think about was Sasuke leaving. She felt Lee pulling her back. Ekyt stepped up to where she was.
“All of you are capable people. There is a leader among you, I’m sure of that. You won’t have to worry about scum like Koori, and you can always count on our village for help. But make no mistake- if you threaten us again, there WILL be problems. BIG problems. So, drop your pitchforks and use your brains. Who would make a good leader…” Wait…the Koubakage’s last wish…of course! “I have had the honor of meeting your Koubakage (gasps from the crowd), and even dueling him. He mentioned that his last wish was that a relative of his would take up the title of ‘Koubakage’. I promised him I would do my best to make it come true. So, I urge the parents of this girl (Kora) to come forward...”


Sakura shook her head, trying to shake herself out of this. She already knew she wasn’t in love with Sasuke anymore, but his leaving still haunted her. If she wasn’t busy, the way he had hit her before he left haunted her. Naruto’s promise to bring Sasuke back…that also occurred to her. She was vaguely thankful that Lee had gotten her away from the crowd, and that the nerve-prone Ekyt had somehow found the internal fortitude to step up and tell these people what they needed to hear.
“Sakura-sensei, please calm down. Your mind has been weakened by the genjutsu. Please, rest for now. Ekyt-san has the crowd under control.”
Sakura nodded vaguely at Lee’s words.


A man and a woman stepped forward. Both were wearing tired faces, as though they hadn’t eaten for slept in days. The man was short and stocky, mostly muscle, just a little bit of fat on him. The woman was tall, with perfect posture and seemingly-military attitude. But one look at her face and you instantly thought ‘motherly’.
“I’m Kora’s mother, Karai,” the woman said quietly.
“I’m her father, Fujitsu,” the man told them, his tone quiet.
“One of you should take over the Koubakage title. Do either of you possess any Ninjutsu powers?” Ekyt asked in his dark whisper.
“I do,” Karai admitted.
“So do I!” came an all too familiar voice.

Ekyt whipped around. Koori was glaring at him. The crowd backed up as Koori advanced. Ekyt hadn’t forgotten what he had done to Sakura, and to that little girl. It burned him up. If this guy took a swipe at him, they would never find his remains. One gloved hand crunched into a fist, while the other pointed a single finger (no, not the middle one) at Koori.
“You aren’t welcome. I know what you did. Murdering the Koubakage out of jealously. A jealousy that has only served to turn you into a bitter, pathetic old man. If you’re looking for a fight, why don’t you try me on for size again? Because all that has just been achieved, in such a short time…I’m not going to let you ruin it. Now, either back up, or step up.”
Koori glared at Ekyt. It was obvious to Ekyt what he was doing, Ekyt could already sense his chakra.
“Release,” Ekyt said dully. Then he repeated the word. “Trying to hide a genjutsu within a genjutsu…that won’t work on me. Not least of all because I know how much damage I did to your mind. I left your sanity hanging on by a thread…don’t make me sever that thread. I’ll regret it, but regret can vanish after a while, if you know how the mind works…sanity is gone forever, no matter what.”

Koori stepped forward to challenge Ekyt, but was stopped by Kirai.
“I can’t let you attack my Land. I’ve assumed the title of the Second Koubakage. And I won’t have you ruining it. If it means executing you…I’ll do it. DON’T force me to make that decision. You WILL regret it.” ‘Motherly’ suddenly took a back seat to business, and she glared at the old man, her now-icy blue eyes staring the old villain down.
The crowd cheered as Kirai stared Koori down, eventually succeeding in making him leave. When they all turned back to the Konoha group, they found they were gone. Kirai smiled and silently thanked the three.



“Feels great, doing a good deed!” Sakura declared, stretching a little bit. All three were tired and sore from combat. But they had done their job, and done it well.
“It does! Nothing feels better! I cannot wait to tell Guy-sensei how well we did!” Lee, of course, didn’t act tired in the least. He was so excited at the prospect of telling his sensei how well he had done that he was practically running.
Sakura shot a glance at Ekyt. He was the only one who hadn’t spoken up. She knew that it wasn’t because of the mission, it had been a success, and he had gone out of his way to do good deeds. Something- or somethings- were harping at him. Part of Sakura wanted to ask what was wrong, but she held her tongue. She had already offered him a place to vent. Whether he used it or not was up to him. It was a personal thing, and Sakura didn’t want to pry. Well, actually, she DID, she desperately wanted to know what was on the guy’s mind, but she had more respect for him than that.
“We should stop and rest. The journey is two days, and we should let ourselves heal. The power of that genjutsu might still be affecting our judgment.”
Ekyt had piped up suddenly. He realized how much he sounded like Ibikki at this point. They were both considerably jaded, and with good reason.
“You’re right. A hot spring town would really hit the spot!” Sakura added.
“It would! The water is great resistance training!” Lee replied, giving his input.
“There should be one, about ten miles out of our way. But for the rest we’d get, it would be worthwhile,” Ekyt chimed in. “Especially if we got attacked again. We’ll need ourselves at full strength, or as close to it as possible.”
One look at the three, and you would be inclined to agree. All three of them had tattered and bloodstained clothes. And once they got out of the Land of Herbs area, the weather warmed significantly. Ekyt’s trench coat would become especially cumbersome and annoying, not to mention the boots they were wearing would become impractical. So it was unanimous: They were headed for a hot spring town.


Sakura hummed merrily, stripping out of her sweat and blood soaked clothes. She marched into the hot spring, practically diving into the perfect water. The steam rose off her skin and off the water’s surface. Sakura gave a long, contented sigh as she let herself sink deeper into the water. She could practically feel her cuts healing, her bruises fading, and her mind clearing. There was no doubt- Sakura had matured into a beautiful girl. Without Sasuke around, she had thrown herself into training, and had bettered herself. She would have been the catch of the boys among the Leaf Village, but most wouldn’t consider bothering her, because she had always been so intent on Sasuke. But, now, in truth, she would have dated someone. She just didn’t know who. She didn’t judge based solely on looks anymore. A lot of the guys she had considered judged her by her looks only, and she didn’t want some superficial relationship.
But I don’t want to be alone either… she thought, somewhat despairingly. She was still young, there was plenty of time for her to find someone, she knew that. But was she being too picky?


“Hurry Ekyt-san, the water is perfect!” Lee called, already swimming laps, pissing off the only other occupant in the process. That person soon left, grumbling about ‘damn kids and their sugar-highs’.
Ekyt was never comfortable being naked, not in the day and age where you should always have a weapon. But, for hot springs, he could make an exception. It was one of the few times he let himself relax. He knew that he needed to rest right now, if only to keep his sanity. Other than that, he wouldn’t have just sat and done nothing. There was always a jutsu to perfect, or a girl to dream about.
Girl? shoot. That was part of his problem. The perfect girl for him was on the other side of a stupid fence. Lee knew how Ekyt felt about Sakura, but knew enough not to grill at this particular moment. Silently, they both let their bodies start the healing process. Lee eventually spoke up, trepidation in his voice.
“Ekyt-san?”
“Hm?” Ekyt grunted his reply.
“You know why I train…but why do YOU train, if you do not mind my asking?”
Ekyt paused for a second, but his response was worth the short wait. “I train for the few people I care about. And because I want to fix what’s wrong with the world.”
Lee nodded, hoping his question had made Ekyt think. Was there more to work for?
“Hey, Lee?”
“Yes Ekyt-san?”
“I don’t know how to tell Sakura how I feel about her…I mean, after she shoots me down, she’ll either feel guilty, or she’ll go all Linda (more on her later) on my @$$ and make my life hell. Either way, it’s lose/lose.”
Lee shook his head. “No. You are not considering the likely option that she will like you back.”
“I DID consider it. It’s not likely to happen, not in this life time. She’s only got eyes for Sasuke, every guy knows that.”
“It has been a long time. I am certain her love for that traitorous deserter has diminished. You will never know until you tell her. You are beating yourself up over it. Does not Sakura deserve an answer? She has noticed that something is wrong. She has asked me, and I told her that I could not say. But you worry her Ekyt-san.”
“She’ll worry less if she doesn’t have the guilt of turning me down,” Ekyt replied. Lee dropped it, knowing his friend was stubborn. They were both content to just soak in the water for a while. Eventually, their discussion dissipated like the steam.


Sakura dried herself off, then pulled on a robe. She liked this inn already. The towels were warm, the robes were comfy, and the beds were big and had just the right mix of firmness and plushness to make it perfect! The rooms were huge, each containing a bathroom, a sitting area, a bedroom, and a deck. Normally, the inn rooms had a futon, maybe a bathroom, but this place was the luxury type, especially at the bargain price! It was so relieving, to just be able to relax. She had just gotten into her pajamas when there was a knock at the door.


Ekyt got out of the water and immediately dried himself off. He threw on his clothes- this time his ANBU gear, since the climate was warmer. He always felt weird wearing the sleeveless ANBU armor, and a tattoo on his rangy body seemed weird. Thank God the think only showed up with the gear, some weird jutsu to keep agents from being detected. Ekyt suddenly forgot that. Something felt wrong to him. Was it something Lee had said? Maybe Lee had made a good point…Ekyt didn’t want Sakura to worry. If he was the cause, he needed to clear it up, for her peace of mind. Ekyt lived with enough destructive, poisonous thoughts by himself, he didn’t need his friends suffering because he didn’t have the guts to talk to a girl. So he summoned up his courage and went to Sakura’s room. But as he was walking by the front desk, he felt something was wrong…really wrong, and it wasn’t him. He sped to Sakura’s room, because he was sure she was involved.


Sakura was laying in bed, passed out. But in her dream, she was answering the door. When she opened it, Naruto stumbled in.
“S-Sakura…H-help…” As she tried to catch him, Naruto disintegrated into ash. His eyes, however, were still open, and they stared accusingly at Sakura. It’s all your fault! the eyes were saying. Somehow, Sakura could HEAR the eyes.
“No…Naruto, what happened? I don’t even know!” But Sakura’s shouts were of to no avail. The eyes continued their accusing stare. Their stare only stopped when they were crunched under the tabi boot of a familiar figure.
“S-Sasuke!” Sakura hardly dared to breathe. Was this real? Could it be?
Sasuke sneered at her. “Still weak, Sakura? Hmph. It doesn’t matter. Orochimaru will take over soon enough. It’s a shame you and your little friends can’t do anything about it…I was hoping for a challenge from you losers.”


Ekyt heard a yelp from inside Sakura’s room. Praying she was decent, he rammed the door with his shoulder. It buckled and splintered under his momentum, and he was carried by his own inertia into the room. He saw her trapped in what was, undoubtedly, a genjutsu. Her mind couldn’t take too much more. It hadn’t had a chance to recover from the brutal two she had to endure two days ago. Ekyt knew of only one way to see what was REALLY going on. He made a series of handsigns, then let himself enter Sakura’s subconscious. He carefully made sure to let his body slide down the wall, so he didn’t hurt anything while entering her body. This jutsu was forbidden, Ibikki had told him so, except where following one’s nindo was concerned. Since Ekyt’s dictated that he didn’t let people die needlessly, he decided it was appropriate.


Sakura backed up as Sasuke drew his sword. He crushed both of Naruto’s eyeballs. They squirted a jelly-like substance all over Sakura. Sakura slipped on it and fell down, her back to the wall. Her breather became deeper and deeper as Sasuke drew closer and closer. Snakes, which appeared from nowhere, bound Sakura to the wall. Sasuke was now right in front of Sakura.
“Aren’t you lucky? Not everyone will get to die by my hand. But maybe I’ll give you one last wish…the kiss you always wanted.” Sasuke leaned forward to supply it. Sakura couldn’t move. She found she wanted no part of the kiss. She wanted no part of Sasuke. But it didn’t look like she had a choice.

Ekyt saw this happening. He zipped over and rammed Sasuke with his shoulder.
“Striking Shadow Snakes!” he called out. His four snakes burst from his wrist. They grabbed Sakura and pulled her free. He had the snakes set Sakura down on the other side of the bed.
“Sakura, listen! This is genjutsu! You’ve got to end it! You’ve got to- oof!”
Sasuke barreled into Ekyt, striking him twenty times in a matter of three seconds using the speed he had copied from Lee. Ekyt crashed into the wall, denting the plaster. Sakura was too shocked to form the “Release” sign. Ekyt vaulted back into the room, using a body replacement jutsu just before Sasuke’s sword would have diced him up. Instead, from behind, Ekyt jammed two kunai home in Sasuke’s hands. That stopped him from attack with jutsus. All he could do now was kick.
“You can do it, Sakura!” Ekyt urged her. A miraculously healed Sasuke grabbed Ekyt and threw him hard into the wall. The genin lay there, unmoving. Sasuke moved toward Sakura one more time. But he was halted. Ekyt was kneeling in front of Sakura, to get the angle he needed. The senbon he had thrown pierced Sasuke’s neck, while he jammed a kunai into Sasuke’s heart.
“You’ve got to end the genjutsu, Sakura. It’s the only way out of this. This is an elaborate nightmare, nothing else. But you have to break it. In real life, your mind can’t take much more of the strain this genjutsu puts on you.”
This all felt so real to Sakura. But Ekyt’s voice was calm and soothing. He’s right. You’ve got to escape before your mind collapses. Come on, release! Sakura forced her hands into the ‘release’ sign, then said it aloud.


Sakura woke up, leaping harshly to her knees on her bed. She looked around the room, finding the door splintered and an unconscious Ekyt laying against the wall. Blood was spilling from his mouth. Sakura had read about this genjutsu. Any injuries endured by the person entering the subconscious became real. That was one reason it was forbidden. Fearing the worse, Sakura, despite her own shaking, got down on the floor and felt Ekyt’s pulse. It was stable. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.
That genjutsu was the most real I’ve ever felt. Even while I KNEW it was fake, it FELT so real, that if Ekyt hadn’t showed up to tell me to fight it, I would have believed it was reality…It was different from that genjutsu in the forest…more real, and even more powerful. Whoever used it knows me, because Sasuke talked about ‘loving’ me. Sasuke…was it…one of those dreams? The kind that I used to have before he left? Sakura pushed those thoughts aside. Instead, she picked Ekyt’s unconscious form up and laid it on the far side of the bed. She propped up his head to relieve the pressure on it. She had read that using a genjutsu as powerful as he just had took a great deal of chakra, and put a huge strain on your brain.
I wonder how he feels? He told me about being alone…what did that mean?
At that point, Ekyt stirred. He didn’t even utter a sound of pain. He must have known it was coming, because he didn’t panic at all. He tried to use the Chakra Scalpel to make sure there weren’t any serious internal injuries. But his chakra had been sapped, but good.
“Damn it…” he muttered, trying again.
“Are you alright, Ekyt?” Sakura asked kindly.
“I will be. Just got to get my chakra together and…O, crap, I’m sorry, I’ll come back!” Ekyt said, looking away quickly.
Sakura made a sound of surprise, then giggled. “It’s alright, they’re pajamas, not…whatever you thought you saw. Come on, let me take a look at you. If you’re too hurt to use that jutsu, then you’ll have to let me do it. While I’m working, you can tell me what just happened.”
Ekyt nodded and removed his ANBU armor. Sakura had to cut the shirt open, she needed a clear access path to his insides. She did so, wondering why she was blushing. She again prompted Ekyt to talk.
Ekyt, who had been thinking about his own blushing, was relieved that he could forget about that for a while and tell her what happened.
“Whoever it was knows you pretty well. It isn’t Sasuke, that wasn’t his chakra. It would have to be someone with an intimate knowledge of forbidden jutsus. That leaves Orochimaru. But, anyway, what happened. I used a genjutsu of my own, to let my subconscious get in yours. It’s kind of like Ino’s Mind/Body Transfer Jutsu, except that the target, you in this case, is still in control of it’s body, it just has more then one inhabitant. I used the jutsu because your mind could have collapsed under the stress. That genjutsu was powerful, and it was targeted at you. It reminds me of something Sarutobi-sama told me. He said that there are three Shinobi who are going to be the next “Legendary Three”. Unless I’ve missed my guess, it’s you, Naruto, and Sakura. You’ve all been trained by the Legendary Three. Someone doesn’t want you to become as powerful as Lady Tsunade.”
Sakura finished up, thankful to find no serious injuries. His ribs would hurt for a little while, but nothing major. Ekyt sat up and thanked Sakura. He was still blushing. Sakura found this amusing, until she remembered she was also blushing. So Ekyt bowed from the room and went to get Lee. It was time to get home. Whoever had attacked them would try again, and it would be harder to hit a moving target.

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