Merry Christmas and good night.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Two Paths, One Dream

Summary: Dreams are a common thing, but one fathers dream changes two siblings life. Met Naruto, ANBU/next Hokage and Sakura, villageless and uncontrollable ninja.

Chapter 1: His Dreams

Naruto watched with saddened blue eyes as his younger sister gently placed the last smooth stone around the freshly made grave, signaling that their father's funeral was over. Blinking tears from his eyes, he hunched his shoulders and shivered, but refused to break the deafening silence that, if broken, would prove that this was not just some horrible nightmare that his overactive imagination had made up in his sleep. It was his sister who finally smashed his hopes by letting a strangled sob escape her rosy lips. He wanted to rush to her, hug her, help her, but he couldn't. He could not lie to her, and even if he could, his body was preventing him from moving. His mind began to search desperately for the right thing to say, but his thoughts were racing to fast for him to grasp even one of them. It was almost as if time had come to a stand still. He felt his lips open with out him telling them to and then talk words that he had not told them to say.

"It was his last wish, his dream. I will do my best to make it come true… I have to."

The eight year old blond watched in sadness and fear as his seven year old sister rose to her feet, her long, loose pink hair swaying in the light breeze. She slowly turned to face him, her long bangs falling to cover her tear stained face. He shivered again as he looked into her dark emerald eyes, disliking, but understanding, the look of grief in them. As she gazed at him, he felt a strange feeling, almost as though as she was gazing at him, she was also gazing into his very soul. As she spoke, her cold, decisive voice told of her adamant choice.

"I second that."

There was silence again as they both attempted to decide how they would turn their fathers dream in reality. After a moment of thought, the soft spoken, unique haired girl questioned.

"Naruto…?"

Naruto turned eager eyes on her and nodded, showing she had his full and undivided attention.

"You go to Leaf. I will…continue in our father's path."

Naruto's eyes flooded with relief, even if a part of his heart was aching at the thought of not being with his sister. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura's eyes that glimmer slightly in eagerness were enough to make him happy again. "It's not necessary. You know I don't like being tied down, and I know you hate not having a place to call home. It'll work out good for both of us, Naruto-kun. I'll become the deadliest ninja without a village and you'll go to Leaf and become an ANBU member there and eventually the Hokage, just like in father's dreams for our future."

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and asked tensely, "We'll see each other again, right?"

Sakura blinked at him in surprise showing she had not considered that before. "I don't see why we couldn't. I'll always know where you are training at so I can come and see you."

Naruto grinned and nodded happily, but his happiness was soon shattered when he remembered why they were going to separate. Glancing at the pile of upturned dirt surrounded by smooth stones, he gave Sakura a meaningful glance before grasping her hand and running toward there camp. They would have to get all their things together before they could leave this god forsaken forest that had caused the death of their father.

As they sped through the thickly forested land, Sakura matched his pace stride for stride. Ever since they had been little, they had had the ability to mimic-no, read each others actions and thoughts, giving them the ability to basically mirror each other when they fought, moved, or simply talked. There father had found this extraordinary and had put it to good use, having them learn ways to use a double attack to turn the odds in a fight to their advantage.

When they reached their camp, it took very little time to get all the gear packed up and head out. It seemed as though they had been traveling forever and they were well adapted to it by now. Plus, with a missing-nin for a father, they had quickly learned the importance of speed and stealth, which they both coincidently excelled at. Well, Sakura did. Naruto had a slight problem with the stealth because he liked to shout a lot and make insults, but he was fast, very fast.

They made good time getting out of the area that their father had been slaughtered by some unknown force that was most certainly not human and even better time getting themselves into the Fire Country. As they approached the hidden village, Sakura said that it might be best if they depart each others company before they got to close in case they attempted to make her stay. Naruto grudgingly agreed.

They hugged for a long time, both reluctant to release the other, but as the time wore on, they both slowly pushed themselves away from each other and attempted to engrave the others features into their mind. Sakura finally gently whispered, "Good bye, Naruto-kun. I will see you soon brother."

"I'll miss you, Sakura-chan." Naruto whispered for once in his life, but then broke it when he playfully stuck his tongue out at her. Sakura nodded and gripped his hand for a second before quickly sprinting off in the opposite direction he was heading. Naruto copied her actions shortly after.

The plot is set, their reasons revealed. Their futures will lead in totally different directions, each contradicting the others.

One is brought up to be a proper ninja, loyal with rules and guidelines that must be followed to graduate to the next level of skill. He is forced to work with others and learn the meaning of working together to reach a common goal. He is known for his speed and loud moth, and also his amazing amount of chakra and the inability to fully control it. He is one of the best in his age group, known for being the boy with out a clan or bloodline to back him up, an orphan. He is expected to gain power and skill, to get better. He is also a jounin, soon to be ANBU, and a potential candid for the position as 6th Hokage. He has fulfilled the goal he had been trying to reach, his fathers dream. His name, Naruto Uzumaki.

The other is wild, uncontrollable, vicious, no set plan for the future. She is deadly with no fighting style that can be copied because it is simply uncontrollable and not even thought about. It is nothing more than sheer instinct and the bloodlust to decapitate her opponent. She was brought up by the wilderness and other rouge ninja's that decided they would spend some time teaching the quick learning girl the art of killing, retrieving information, and any other skill they considered themselves good at. She could pick things up faster than most and it was this talent that kept her alive, and she knew it. As she grew older, her reputation grew and she was soon known for her assassination skills and strange roaming habits. She went to where ever her fancy took her, making it impossible to track her. Many villages tried to recruit her, but all failed. Her travels lead her all over the country, allowing her to gather all sorts of different techniques. As to the present, she was undefeated and had accomplished every mission she had taken on successfully. She was wanted by every village, the ultimate weapon, the deadliest ninja without a village. She had accomplished her goal, her fathers dream. Her name, Sakura Haruno.

And so we will continue our story nine years in the future. Both of the siblings have done what they set out to do. The loyal, village breed Naruto is 17 while the rugged, 'hell if I care' Sakura is 16. Want to see their reunion? I do!

Hope you liked it! This is just the prologue, but I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP, but no guarantees with the holidays and all. Hope you like it!