I do not own Naruto and all that fun stuff. On with the show…
The sea, the sea, so calm, so serene, so destructive. Each passing wave beat upon the shore, slowly wearing away the rocks that nature had taken so much time to build. The water broke them down, bit by bit, so slowly that by the time they were gone, it was too late to even remember the rocks were there to begin with.
The sea was rushing in Sasuke's ears. As he stood on the beachside the roar of the ocean blocked out all other noises. He was deaf to the world around him. The sound of breathing from his teammates, the strange clicking that came from Madara's clothes as he moved, all were drowned by the sounds of the sea.
Within the silence Sasuke returned to his memories, memories he had locked away; the ones which would have weakened his hatred, his resolve. He remembered those happy times before the massacre, before pain, before hatred. He remembered his childhood with Itachi, how his elder brother had always made time for him, cared for him, even when the world asked otherwise. Those times when being his brother was the only thing that mattered.
What mattered now? Did anything even matter now?
The man who called himself Madara Uchiha had said that Itachi had been ordered to murder the clan. He had said that everything Sasuke had known about his brother, his family, himself was all a lie, an elaborate illusion to keep him from the truth.
What was the truth now?
Itachi's dying words and smile pulled themselves to the forefront of Sasuke's mind. He was dead now, his brother; Itachi was dead and Sasuke no longer had a purpose in living. He felt hollow, yet within that feeling of emptiness was a typhoon of emotion, whirling so fast Sasuke could hardly contain it. His goal in life was fulfilled, but everything felt so far from over.
Somewhere inside himself Sasuke knew that Madara was trying to take advantage of him, to capture him as a pawn to manipulate to his own ends. It was too convenient, for him to come as Itachi died, to tear down the laws of the world that Sasuke had always accepted as true. The words that had fallen from the masked man's covered lips all but told him to destroy Konoha. A part of him wished to do so. But Sasuke was never one to be used. If he worked with anyone beyond obligations, it was for his own benefit. What had he to gain from destroying the village, anyway? A momentary lapse in his own pains perhaps, nothing more.
Itachi had warned him against Madara, had he not? And if Madara was to be believed, and Itachi had done everything for Sasuke, then the warning was in his best interest as well. Madara's words and Sasuke's feelings coincided here. Itachi had always loved Sasuke, that much was true. Beyond that, things hurt too much to consider.
The sounds of the ocean came back into focus now as a pained sob escaped the youngest Uchiha. Salt spray splashed against his change of clothes. It caught up in his nose too and more sobs and sniffling followed. Tears of anguish and frustration ran down his face. Who was right? His brother, or the mysterious Uchiha who had appeared just in time for Sasuke to never be the last of his clan?
All instincts pointed to Itachi, but it went against everything Sasuke had known to be true. Yet Itachi had said that knowledge could be an illusion.
The ocean grew louder again. Another wave broke against the shore. Far above, a hawk screeched against the sunlight.
Sasuke opened his eyes and gazed at the water before him. His face stung with salt from the spray and his tears. The world was so much brighter when his eyes were opened.
He needed time, space. His world held no truths save one: Itachi had cared for him until the end.
Itachi had chosen Konoha over the clan. That had been his choice, to follow the orders of the council over the orders of his kin, and it had warped his and Sasuke's lives beyond repair. But they had lived. To destroy Konoha now, to prove the council right, it would make all Itachi's work for naught. It would mean all of their suffering, Itachi's and his own, was for nothing.
The hawk above him screeched again. Sasuke watched it as it flew into the sun a little to early for setting. It was probably going home.
Maybe it's tired, thought Sasuke, watching the bird's progress toward the horizon, I am…so tired.
The storm inside him was calming down, the winds of lies dissipating as all his thoughts and feelings fell into place. The aching hollowness was still there, but numbed by a new sense of reason.
He would fulfill Itachi's goal for him. Sasuke would return to Konoha as a hero for defeating the dreaded missing-nin. He would restore the honor of the Uchiha clan in the eyes of his home and in the eyes of the world. And while in Konoha, he would uncover which of his kinsmen was the liar. After all, Itachi had proven it was easiest to break a thing from the inside.
Course of action decided, Sasuke inhaled deeply, the salty sea air stinging his nose and throat.
"Team Hebi is dismissed," he said quietly.
"What was that now?" said Suigetsu from Sasuke's left, while Karin squawked incredulously.
"Team Hebi is dismissed," the dark haired boy repeated. "You are all free to go."
Sasuke turned past his stunned teammates and walked along the rocks to the sand lining the beach. He was headed back to solid ground. As he passed Madara, the masked man's single visible eye narrowed.
"Are you making the right decision?"
"I am making my own decision," came the clipped reply. Madara had gotten under his skin enough today, Sasuke wanted the man out of his life for now.
"Sasuke! Wait up!" Karin was running after him. Suigetsu stood behind her, scratching his head bemusedly. Juugo had also started towards his former team leader, a look of apprehension on his face.
"You can't leave without us!" the redhead girl shouted at Sasuke angrily. She made to grab his sleeve when Suigetsu called after her.
"Oi, Karin! What're you bothering him for? Didn't you say you were only with us 'cause our journey was on your way?"
She was being quite a pain, that Karin. Suigetsu could never quite figure out what was going on under that obnoxiously bright hair of hers. He was quite frankly pleased to be released from his duties. Following around Sasuke was all well and good where fighting was concerned, but the man couldn't hold a decent conversation to save his life. Suigetsu was looking forward to actually have fun on a mission.
He'd probably go off and become an assassin-for-hire. Or maybe he would return to Hidden Mist. There had been rumors of power changing hands, perhaps he would be accepted back. It would be nice to be around his own kind of people again.
Karin stopped and turned red, whether from fury or from blushing, no one knew.
"Well maybe I had a change of plans!"
"Liar!" the swordsman shouted. " You just want to get in-"
Karin had turned, sprinted toward the boy and gave him a swift hit to the face, preventing him from finishing his sentence.
Meanwhile, Juugo, in his quiet manner, had walked up beside Sasuke and said, "Can I go with you? It's not safe for me to be free."
Sasuke silently looked his tallest teammate up and down. He was only stable in the presence of a powerful ninja. He couldn't just leave Juugo alone. The man would go on a rampage and wreak havoc like no one had ever seen. And it would be all Sasuke's fault.
"The Hokage of Konoha is some kind of medic. Perhaps she can help you."
The other boy let out a breath he had not known he was holding. He would be under someone else's control. He would be stopped from hurting people he didn't want to hurt. And maybe, just maybe, he could be cured.
"Thank you," He murmured.
"Hm," Sasuke mumbled as he started walking again. All of his planning was of course running on the hope that he wouldn't be arrested or even executed for defecting. The Third Hokage would have let him back, but the Fifth, Sasuke hadn't been in the village long enough to know too much about her.
Suigetsu and Karin were fighting in the background, Suigetst's amorphous form straining to keep from touching the ocean.
"Hey, you crazy girl! You don't know what the salt water's gonna do to me!"
"I couldn't care less if it killed you! You need to keep your opinions to yourself!"
Sasuke sighed, it hadn't taken long for those two to go off on each other. He turned around to tell them to shut up and realized someone was missing. Madara was no longer present. The masked man apparently no longer had any interest in him once he had decided to follow his own will.
"Please stop, you two" Juugo said nervously. "Now is really not the time."
"Yeah, Karin," came Suigetsu's gurgling reply from the blob of himself that was on the rocks, "Now's not the time to be beating up an innocent swordsman simply for voicing your own sick, creepy thoughts."
Karin gave the Suigetsu-blob a kick, "The only creepy thing around here is you."
The girl then skipped neatly back to Sasuke and Juugo, caring little that she had just beaten her (now former) teammate to a literal pulp.
"So, Sasuke," she said, "Where are we going?"
"I am returning to Konoha," he replied. It was better to tell her outright. Saying it aloud made it feel more real anyway.
Karin's face fell. She couldn't follow him there. He was returning home, and his home was not hers.
"But what about Sound?" The redhead was grasping at straws to stay by his side.
"They don't need me." And I don't need them anymore.
Before Karin could say another word though, Suigetsu had pulled himself together.
"Hey, if you haven't changed your mind, I'm heading off," he called offhandedly. "Just remember, if we ever meet on the battlefield, you owe me a few favors, Sasuke."
The other boy simply waved a hand by way of acknowledgement. Karin though, running low on options, rounded on him.
"And where exactly are you going?"
Suigetsu shrugged, "Somewhere. Not here. Salt water makes me itch."
"Fine then. I'm going with you."
"Your precious Sasuke won't take you, so now I'm stuck with you? That's not fair!"
Karin put her hands on her hips, this was getting dangerous.
"You're going somewhere, I'm going somewhere, so we might as well go somewhere together."
Suigetsu scrunched his face in thought. If she promised not to hit him or make annoying comments, maybe things could be civil between them. What was with her, though? Couldn't she decide where to go on her own?
Her light eyes were boring into his own, and almost pleading look on her face. Maybe she was so used to being a follower that she didn't really remember how to make decisions for herself. Karin was different from him and Sasuke. She had obeyed orders where they had rebelled. The girl probably just needed some time to get her feet back on the ground. Time seemed to be something that Sasuke wasn't willing to give her, but he, Suigetsu, with no goal in sight, had all the time in the world.
"You have to promise not to hit me first."
"Fi-"
"Or say any weird things."
"Ok-"
"Or steal my water bottles."
"FINE THEN!" Karin shouted, "I'll be nice to you! Let's just go!"
She started on the few feet back to where she had left the former Mist-nin. She seemed close to tears. Suigetsu started walking along the beach opposite of the direction Sasuke and Juugo had started in.
Just when she was halfway to Suigetsu, Karin whirled around and raced back to Sasuke. She caught him in a bear hug around the shoulders. He tensed at the sudden contact. The girl was trying to hold back tears.
"I'd better see you again, so don't g-get yourself killed or anything like that."
"Hn."
And just as suddenly as she had embraced him, she let go and ran back to Suigetsu. With her back to the boy she liked, the tears spilled freely from her eyes.
"Sayonara!" Suigetsu called across the beach to the other boys' retreating backs. He got another wave from Sasuke and a soft "Goodbye." from Juugo. To the girl at his side he said, "You get weirder and weirder everyday, ya know that?"
Karin punched him in the face as a reply.
"I'll let you have one freebie then."
From the edge of the forest beyond the beach, Madara watched as Team Hebi parted ways. He would not force Sasuke to come to him, the boy would come on his own, eventually. His heart was steeped in hatred, whether he pretended otherwise or not. It would lead him back down the path of vengeance and right into Madara's waiting arms. All he had to do was wait.
When sand blended with soil again, Sasuke turned around one last time. He could barely see his former teammates, only able to discern them by their clashing hair colors. They would probably never see each other again, only hear passing rumors of former Team Hebi's exploits in the ninja world. Sasuke's last real connections to the past three years of his of his life were fading into the horizon. He subconsciously rubbed his neck where the curse seal had been.
"They'll be fine, you know," murmured Juugo, following the dark haired boy's gaze, "They have each other. They'll find somewhere to belong."
"Provided they make it there in one piece."
"They won't hurt each other too much. I think they secretly like each other. The birds tell me that they act like friends."
"Aa."
And then the two walked into the beginnings of a forest, with Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves as their destination.
Hi there, Starcube here. So yeah. Here's the first chapter of my new fic, The Path Less Traveled. It's an Alternate Universe from chapter 402 of the manga. This chapter was really fun to write, I sort of blasted it out in about two evening's worth of work (while also studying for a test. What.).
Beta-ed by the amazingsaucetakulous Alaenor-Skybird, as always.
I'd really like to hear what you think of the story, so please review. I do accept CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.
