A new path

Different Road

The Valley of the End

Naruto and Sasuke stood, glaring killing intent across at each other from under the shadows of the great statues of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, bloodied, battered and bruised. They were both slumped over and exhausted, bearing wounds and injuries that would have rendered a normal shinobi unconscious or dead. However, their sheer will-power and determination kept them conscious, stretching their abilities and stamina to the limit.

The grand landmark they stood before, served as the grounds for their greatest and toughest battle yet, and from the conditions of the canyons around them, the statues, and from the states of two combatants themselves, the two Genin have really been giving it their all. With Naruto standing beside the First Hokage and Sasuke standing alongside Madara, they both looked as though they had just endured the worst kinds of torture.

Yet still, they remained, standing, glaring defiantly at one another, and bleeding all over the place.

Naruto had cut himself off from the Foxes' chakra and was now standing under his own power, a gaping hole in his chest from where Sasuke had hit him with his final chidori, and was quickly healing itself. Sasuke on the other hand, looked as though his stomach had just been hit by a mini vortex; the skin burned and torn away with muscle showing underneath, and was bleeding gallons. The Rasengan that had hit him just barely managed to get through, in Naruto's last ditch effort to take him down.

Both their final attacks had been devastating on the two young shinobi, and now, no longer using the chakra provided by the Cursed Seal Level 2 or the Foxes' One-Tailed Cloak, they stood as equals.

Sasuke hunched over and coughed out blood, staggering back a bit, with Naruto also retching on his own fluids. After heaving on air and all sorts of crap, they then looked back up at one another, resuming the staring contest.

At first, when they felt small, cold drops of water hit their faces, they just shrugged it off as spray from the waterfall beside them. However, those single drops of water soon transformed into a massive downpour, and began soaking them from head to toe. Disregarded by either of them, a dark storm pulled in overhead, and in its effort to cleanse the battlefield, began washing away their split blood.

As it started to rain, Sasuke's headband lost slack and fell from his forehead. It hit the ground with a loud clang and a large diagonal gash carved across it. The boy ignored it, and left it forgotten in the mud. Then he remembered some-thing.

Flash-back

"That damn demon brat has been getting on my nerves. I hope one day a ninja will kill him; wither it's one of ours or an enemy I don't care." said a drunk villager.

"Yeah, that Uzumaki bastard needs to die." Replied the other.

End flash-back

Sasuke, even though he was trying to kill Naruto, felt like Naruto was the only one who could feel his pain he had and could honestly say that Naruto was his best friend… and it hurt him to hear people he defended with all his might talk about him like this and revenge on his brother is what drove him to this point. 'Naruto didn't deserve this. He is a good guy just because he was given this burden that wasn't even his choice. He shouldn't be treated like this.' Sasuke thought.

"Hey Naruto! I want you to come with me to join Orochimaru! We can train together and destroy the village that has caused us so much pain." yelled Sasuke.

Naruto stared at Sasuke as if he had grown another head. "What are you talking about? Why should I join Orochimaru?"

"Naruto, you deserve more than what this village has given you. Come on. Join the Hidden sound village and we will become more powerful than any of the others in the Leaf village."

Naruto didn't know what to do. Sasuke was the first person his age to notice him and become a friend. On the other hand things where getting better in the Leaf for him. He was being beaten from both sides of the argument.

Naruto thought about it for awhile and even though he didn't want to admit it; Sasuke was right. The Leaf treated him like trash. He pushed himself to be the best shinobi he could be and look where he was; trying to take back the head student of his class while he was dead last. In his true; he grew stronger very quickly, but the village didn't know that they probably thought he would call on the fox so he could hold Sasuke there till they got other ninjas to come and bring back a exhausted Sasuke and a dead Naruto to just throw him in a gutter somewhere.

"I think you are right Sasuke. Shit; look at where being loyal to the leaf has gotten me and I'm sure that once I become useless; they will have me killed or banded so… yeah, I'll join you and Orochimaru and once our training is done we will come back and destroy the Leaf." said Naruto.

Sasuke nodded and dispelled his curse mark at the same time Naruto let the residue nine-tails chakra go back into his body. Both young shinobi looked at each other with new respect from on another. Sasuke respected Naruto for seeing the Leaf for what it was; a village that brought both him and Naruto bad memories. Naruto respected Sasuke for making him open his eyes and offering him a new life. And with that, they headed off to the Hidden Sound village.

Hidden Sound, present time

A Sound shinobi knocked on the door as Orochimaru put away the summoning scroll. "Come in." said Orochimaru.

The Sound shinobi walked in and bowed down on one knee and said, "Sir, the party that went for Sasuke Uchiha is back with some casualties and with a new member."

This made the snake Sannin eyes narrow he was only expecting one new arrival and he also expected to have no casualties from his best in the village. "Send them in." said Orochimaru with a commanding tone.

"Uh… the Uchiha said he needed to talk with you outside the compound Lord Orochimaru." said the now worried Sound shinobi. Orochimaru's patience was thinning and if he wasn't concerned that if the Sound Four were indeed dead and needed as much men as he needed he would have ended the idiot of a shinobi in front of him. But instead he had to settle with punching him in the gut.

"Take me to them you imbecile or the next thing in your gut will be my blade." said Orochimaru with malice.

"R-right." stuttered the Sound shinobi; getting to his feet while gasping for air. Orochimaru was jumping through the forest, following the shinobi were he was to meet Sasuke and what was left of the Sound Four. He couldn't help but go over the list of people that would leave the village, with the most likely being the pink haired 'whore' and the least being the blonde idiot of an apprentice Jiraiya had picked. 'He is to damn loyal to that village; even though they put him through hell. I would feel pity for him if he wasn't a complete Imbecile.' Thought Orochimaru to himself.

Little did he know that even he was going to be surprised who decided to join him and change the way everything was suppose to go.

Hour later

Orochimaru was looking down on the group in total shock. 'What the hell is that imbecile doing here? Shouldn't he be in the Leaf village yelling he wants to be Hokage.'

Naruto was looking determined on the outside but Naruto could tell he was panicking on the inside. True, Naruto always had courage to fight any odds, but that was for the people he held dear to him. But now he had no one dear to him to think of fighting for, but he had to keep a stern, determined look to make him-self look presentable.

Naruto stood there and looked Orochimaru in the eyes with no regret in his eyes; which perked Orochimaru's interest. It seemed like he really did come here of his own free will. 'Well, this should be interesting.' thought the snake sannin.

"So what brings you here to me boy?" asked Orochimaru.

Naruto gulped and took a step forward. "Orochimaru I…" he took a pause and a deep breath. "I left the Hidden Leaf and I need a new village to be loyal to so…" He left the rest out knowing Orochimaru would finish.

"Kukuku… so you left that pathetic sensei of yours huh? But what do I gain if I where too let you into my village boy?" Orochimaru asked in an amused tone.

"Well; first you get either two or non Orochimaru!" said Sasuke with a little anger.

This made the snake sannin growl and glare at the young Uchiha that was vital to his plans. "Oh… so that's how it is huh Sasuke?"

"He may be annoying but if he is willing to leave the Hidden Leaf and join you here at the Sound village, then that has to say something right." said Sasuke.

"How do I not know if he was sent as a spy?" Once Orochimaru made this statement Naruto did something Sasuke thought he would never do. He bowed on one knee in respect to Orochimaru.

"Lord Orochimaru; please, I don't have anywhere else to go. This is my last chance and I have renounced my loyalty to the Hokage and am willing to give it to you if you give me a chance and I promise to give you my all."

"How does this prove your loyalty to me boy? How many times have you pulled this off to accomplish a mission hm?"

"If I may… I can vouch for him Orochimaru. He has never bowed to anyone in his life and he has never spoken to someone with so much respect; not even the Hokage." said Sasuke.

This made Orochimaru grin. 'It seems that Kushina was right. But…'

"Very well; you may resign in my village. But you will be under surveillance. But you will carry out missions' until I can trust you. Understood boy?" stated Orochimaru.

Naruto couldn't believe it. Orochimaru let him into the Sound village. Just like that. He had expected to have to sale his soul or something along those lines; but no. All he had to do were a few missions. 'This should be easy right.' but he would soon be regretting thinking that.

Orocimaru smirked. All of this was going according to plan. Now he had Naruto where he wanted. "The first step in proving your self to me is to let me brand you with my curse mark." Orochimaru stated and Naruto looked shocked.

But he quickly calmed down. Naruto looked Orochimaru in the eyes showing courage that impressed Orochimaru himself. "Alright; if it's the only way; then give me the curse seal."

"Kukuku… very well then." Orochimaru stretched out his neck and bit into Naruto; thus beginning the process of the curse seal. Once Orochimaru drew away from his neck, Naruto began to get spasms of pain that made him yell in agony while dropping to his knees. On his neck appeared three triangles. Two faced towards Naruto's head and the one in the middle pointed downwards. Orochimaru smirked at what came next as Sasuke's eyes went wide in shock.

Naruto's hair grew until it was at his waist. Two bangs grew until they reached his waist as well. It then became a navy-blue color. A seal appeared around the curse mark. Then there was a bright light that came out from his shirt. Naruto's eyes flashed open and Sasuke gasped. Naruto had the sharingan. Then it all went black.

Underground

Naruto and Sasuke were shocked. An hour ago, after Naruto woke up, Orochimaru told them that Kushina, Naruto's mother, turned on his father, the Fourth Hokage, and killed him. But one tails worth of the foxes' chakra got sealed into Naruto. Orochimaru went on to say that Kushina sealed away Naruto's sharingan so the Uchiha's couldn't get their hands on him. Sasuke and Naruto were shocked once again when they were told that their mothers were sisters'. Making Naruto and Sasuke cousins'. It was also found out that Kushina had another kekkei genkai that allowed Naruto to create ant type of seal at will.

Both boys are currently alone. They had been talking about what have been told. Before they could go on, Kabuto walked in. "Lord Orochimaru wishes to see you now." He said and walked out. Naruto quickly threw on some clothes and left with Sasuke. If Kabuto had looked behind him to see if Sasuke and Naruto were following he would have noticed the smirk on their faces.

Three years later, Hidden Leaf

In the Hokage's office were Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Sakura, Yamato, and Sai. "You called Lady Tsunade?" asked Sakura.

Tsunade let out a sad sigh. "Orochimaru and Kabuto are dead." She stated. Everyone but Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya went rigid.

"I-is Sasuke d-dead?" Sakura stuttered.

"By the look of things, it was Sasuke who killed them." Tsunade explained. Everyone went slack-jawed upon hearing this. "Currently…" Tsunade continued, "He's on the move. You and Team Kurenai will head out in one hour. And stay safe!" She ordered.

"Roger!" The team headed out to get ready.

Sakura head one thought in mind. 'I will make you pay Sasuke for what you did to Naruto!'

Near Wave country

Naruto had his hair tied up. He wore a black T-shirt with white stripes in the middle of the sleeves. On his arms he wears black sleeves (which he presumably cut out from his shirt) with metal arm protectors over them. He also has leather straps around his back and chest. He also wares' pants similar to the ones Kakashi wears. Tied to his back is a

Sasuke wears a white long-sleeved shirt, similar in appearance to the lavender long-sleeved shirt worn by Kimimaro and was open at the torso, with a smaller version of the Uchiha crest on his collar. He wore dark blue pants with a blue cloth hanging from halfway up his stomach to his knees. He also wore a purple rope belt around his waist, tied in a bow, in which he carries his sword.

The third member of the team was Suigetsu. He has white hair with a light-blue tint to it, purple eyes, and wears a matching purple sleeveless shirt with grey pants. He wears a belt around his waist with water bottles attached to it, and another belt around his chest that holds his Kubikiribōchō.

We currently find our team sitting on some logs around a camp fire and discussing on what to do next. "Who else are you planning to get?" asked Naruto.

"Next is Karin. Then Jugo." Answered Sasuke.

"Good. That gives me time to get Fū." Stated Naruto.

"Who's Fū?" asked Suigetsu.

Naruto gave him a smile. "She's the jinchuriki for the seven-tails." At seeing his partners' confused looks, Naruto went on to explain. "Akatsuki is after the tailed-beast. If we get her to join us; we increase our chance of running into Itachi."

"Wait-a-minute." Sasuke spoke up. "You're not talking about the same girl who we helped out at Waterfall village and said that she had a reward waiting for you…right?"

"Sure am!" Naruto exclaimed. "I know for a fact that if I explain everything about the Akatsuki and what you're doing, she'll come along. And maybe I'll get a few others to join as well." Naruto got up and headed towards the Hidden Waterfall village. Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh as he and Suigetsu got and went off to go get Karin.

Unknown location, 2 days later

A girl with an orange clip in her short, spiky mint green hair that matched her eye color, which was also orange, is standing in the middle of a forest. Her ninja outfit consisted of a short sleeveless white midriff shirt with fishnet armor underneath, long white armlets, and fishnet shorts with a short white apron skirt over it. Her forehead protector was worn on her arm like Shikamaru's. She also carried a cylindrical object in red wrappings on her back.

"I've finally found you!" A voice spoke up from behind her. She turns to see a man walking up behind her and smiles. "I have a deal for you." The man stated.

I've set up some challenges for you. Check my profile if you want to give them a try.