I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Inspired by "Never Cut Twice", written by shadowmaster62.

Naruto: Paths Less Traveled

Prologue

Sasuke was gone.

The thought passed through Naruto's mind, over and over, had done so ever since his recently failed mission to prevent the heir of the Uchiha clan from defecting to Orochimaru's banner. Never had any three words had such world-changing significance for the young genin of Konoha. They robbed him of sleep. They disrupted his training regimen. They called his hopes and dreams into question.

For as long as he could remember, Naruto had boasted of his wish to one day assume the position of Hokage. His desires were manifold, yet all would be fulfilled when he donned the robes which belonged to the single most important shinobi who belonged to the country of Fire. He would be acknowledged, respected, and he would finally have the strength to protect his precious people.

Only now he realized it would never happen.

Sasuke was gone.

As he trudged through the village, still under repair from Orochimaru's latest treachery, Naruto was bombarded with memories. The first day of training with Kakashi, where his teammates and he struggled to prove their worth to their new teacher. His first encounter with a mortal enemy on the way to Water Country. The tree climbing exercises, where he competed with Sasuke to see who would come out on top. The Chuunin survival test. The battle with Shukaku. The fight on the hospital roof. The Valley of The End.

What did all of his trials stand for, if he was unable to protect even one person? Nobody would acknowledge him now. Even as he passed other villagers, he could feel their glances. These days the people of Konoha treated him with a grudging tolerance, but their suspicions, their disgust and hatred for what he embodied, were always just under the surface. Even his friends were hesitant to rely on him.

They had been right to reserve such trust.

Sasuke was gone.

Following in the wake of his flashbacks came other images. His days at the academy. Lectures from Kakashi. The first Chuunin exam. He could hear the voices, even now, berating him for his lack of sense. He was too reckless, they said. When would he ever learn to see 'underneath the underneath', they asked. Did he really think his brazen nature and flashy techniques would always pull through, they wondered. Almost as long as they had despised him for his pranks and lackluster performance, they grumbled about his thoughtless nature.

He was thinking plenty now.

Sasuke was gone.

oooooo

Eventually Naruto found himself on top of the Hokage monument, looking out over the village as he had done so many times before. As he watched the crowds below, he sat, and pondered his life's choices. Why did he want to be Hokage? What was the point? These were questions he had never truly examined before. He had always claimed he wanted to protect people. He had trained long and hard to become stronger, but he was not the only one responsible for his current level. The Kyuubi had intervened, always when situations got desperate. Could he really claim success if he didn't gain power by himself? Was such power worthy of his way of the ninja?

And what had that power brought him? More pain. Those who had witnessed the Kyuubi's manifestations were terrified of what they signified. The common people hated him for what he might become. Shady organizations were hunting him, bent on claiming his power for their own ends. Even his friends approached him with caution. Was that how he wanted to live? Was that the sort of acknowledgement he wanted?

Naruto removed his forehead protector and studied his face in its reflection. The eyes were red again. His whiskers had grown larger, too. Ever since his last fight with Sasuke, the Kyuubi's characteristics were becoming easier to manifest every day. Sometimes they did so without him even being aware of it, such as now. He could call on the demon's power at any time. He supposed that was an improvement, of a sort. But nobody would trust a shinobi who used such power without reservation.

Unbidden, thoughts of Naruto's first real mission came back to him. He saw Zabuza on the bridge, moments after his subordinate Haku had sacrificed his own life so that his master might survive. He recalled Zabuza's last act of defiance, mowing through a horde of gangsters with nothing but a kunai stuck in his mouth after his arms had been rendered useless. He had dropped twenty men in that charge, including Gatou. It had been an affirmation of his way of the ninja. There had been tears in his eyes when he begged Kakashi to lay him next to Haku, not because of regret, but because he had lost something precious to him. Because he had been labeled a demon for the way he lived. He had died a hero.

Why had Zabuza been recognized only after he was gone? Naruto had been struck by the irony, months later, because he had realized he was also a person that lived without regret. Would he also have to die before he would be recognized? If that was the case, what worth did a life of service really possess?

Naruto recalled Zabuza's sword as well. The first time he'd seen it, it had been spinning through the air like a huge shuriken. Zabuza had wielded it like it weighed nothing, despite it being taller than he was. He even performed advanced ninjutsu with it. It was like his second companion, in a way. Naruto's instructors at the academy had taught him that large weapons were considered a crutch for most shinobi. Become too attached to one weapon, they said, and you risked your life twice over whenever you entered a situation where you might lose it. But Zabuza had done just that, without hesitation. He had even been disarmed at the end, and that hadn't stopped him either.

Long ago Naruto had decided he didn't care what anyone else thought of him. Maybe Zabuza hadn't, either. Perhaps he had taken that giant sword as a message to other shinobi. Naruto imagined Zabuza telling off his peers before he left his own village. Go ahead and follow the path that has been laid out for you by others. Be good little shinobi and do what you're told. For myself I take the road only I have chosen, and when we have all reached our end, we shall see who has lived, and who has merely survived.

In that moment, Naruto decided he wanted to live.

oooooo

He would have to leave the village. As much as it galled him to think about his recent failure, Sasuke's defection had nevertheless given Naruto a serious wake-up call. If he could not live up to his old dreams, he would just have to create new dreams. And right now none of his new dreams were going to be fulfilled if he stayed in Konoha for the rest of his life. His new path demanded freedom.

Naruto wasted no time getting back to his apartment, although it was dark by the time he moved from his perch on the monument. He was already tallying a list of the equipment he would need to take with him so that he wouldn't be completely helpless. Unfortunately, a rather large portion of his savings was stored away in the bank. Naruto was less than pleased with the thought of leaving behind a resource as all-important as cold cash, but it couldn't be helped. He could not give anyone a reason to suspect what he was up to. The same was true of much of the trappings in his home. Packing away anything that wasn't meant to go anywhere during missions would also be a big tip to someone observant. Kakashi was very observant.

As he turned the last corner before reaching his door, Naruto was still running the list through his head when he stopped short. Someone was there, clearly waiting. As they turned to face him, he caught a flash of pink hair in the moonlight, and realized that he had just met a serious obstacle.

"Sakura...?"

Sakura stared at him numbly for a few moments. If she noticed the absence of the 'chan' he usually appended to her name, she didn't give him any sign. Now that he looked more closely, Naruto could see that her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was lined with dry tracks. She'd been crying not long ago. Hardly surprising. "Naruto," she said quietly.

"Sakura," he said again. "Are you alright?"

Sakura shook her head slightly, then put on a false smile. "I'm fine, Naruto. I just wanted to see how you've been holding up since..." Her voice drifted off as fresh memories were dredged up once again. "Since your last mission," she finished.

Naruto swallowed heavily. If someone had asked him what could have changed his mind about leaving, Sakura would have been his immediate response. At least, until that morning at the gate. Had it really been a week already?

"I'm... alright. Just had a lot on my mind lately." That was close enough to the truth without revealing anything dangerous, at least, Naruto thought.

Sakura giggled slightly, though it sounded strained. "You know you shouldn't think too much, Naruto. You'll get a headache."

Naruto pouted. "Na na, I'm not as dumb as all that. Jeez, you're getting almost as bad as Sa-" He clamped up before he could finish saying that name, but the damage had already been done. Sakura's gaze shifted to the side, fresh tears welling up even as he tried to recover. "Eh, never mind, " he said, attempting to divert her thoughts. "Hey, how about some ramen? It's my treat, so you can't refuse!" He grinned widely for her benefit, even giving her the 'Nice Guy' pose.

Sakura looked back at him and smiled bravely. "Thanks, Naruto, but I've already eaten and I'm not hungry. You go ahead, I was just about to head home."

Naruto sighed quietly, but chose not to press. "Alright, then. Next time we'll definitely go, then!" Next time, he thought to himself. Right. "Er, actually, Sakura. Are you sure there wasn't something you needed?" Inwardly he cursed himself for several kinds of an idiot. What did he think he was doing, sticking his foot in his mouth like that? The last thing he needed was to get tangled up with Sakura right now!

Fortunately Sakura seemed be having similar thoughts, as she shook her head again. "No, Naruto, I'll be alright. Oh, but I did have something to tell you. I almost forgot," she added with slight embarrassment. "Kakashi-sensei asked me to find you. I think he has some more questions about... that mission." She looked down at her feet, not trusting herself to meet Naruto's gaze any longer.

Naruto nodded. "Okay, then. I guess I better get moving." He turned to head back down to the street before stopping for one last look. "Thanks, Sakura." Then he was gone.

oooooo

Damn damn damn damn DAMN IT! Naruto continued the litany in his head as he ran through the village, looking for his mentor. He had little doubt that Kakashi would notice something off if they spoke for too long. His entire plan depended on nobody having a reason to suspect what he was about to do. Even worse, Kakashi had apparently come up with more questions about that fateful day at the Valley of The End. Maybe he had anticipated Naruto's decision to leave? Would he have already alerted the ANBU and Tsunade? Naruto couldn't guess, and he was starting to feel anxious. If he had to search for his teacher much longer, his own worrying would drive him mad.

Just as Naruto turned another corner to try the next street, a figure dropped down ten meters in front of him, blocking his way. Coming to a halt, Naruto guessed that Kakashi had found him, instead. Par for the course, really. He should have figured.

"Yo, Naruto." Kakashi greeted him with his usual bored-sounding voice, but Naruto knew better than to underestimate him for it. "So you ran into Sakura, after all," he continued. "I'm a bit surprised, actually. You usually go straight to Ichiraku's if it's this late." Kakashi's single visible eye watched him closely as he spoke. Was he already looking for signs of betrayal?

Naruto decided to go with the obvious for as long as possible. "I was actually going that way after I dropped off my pack, so I guess you were both right. Did you want to join me? My treat, sensei!" Maybe he had laid that last part on a bit thick, but he had done it often enough to make it more or less convincing. Besides, ramen was starting to sound pretty good right now.

Kakashi looked at him for another second and shrugged. "Alright, Naruto. Lead the way."

Naruto turned around and started walking back the way he had traveled, as Kakashi fell into step beside him. They continued in silence all the way to the small ramen stand, where its warm glow bathed the otherwise dark street with light. Naruto's head was whirling as they approached. Could he trust himself not to let something slip over dinner? He could feel Kakashi's attention on him even now, though neither of them spoke and he didn't dare look up to meet that penetrating gaze. Just how much would his teacher figure out? Thankfully, his musings were cut off as they stepped through the short curtains and were greeted by Ichiraku, who wasted no time asking for their orders. Very soon they were seated at the bar, with two steaming bowls in front of them.

Naruto concentrated on his first batch of noodles, wanting to prolong the silence a little longer. Even if it was maddening, anything was better than trying to dodge his teacher's inquiries. Kakashi continued to watch him as he ate, his own bowl having been finished within minutes.

"Naruto." Evidently, he had decided it was time to get to business. Naruto looked over to find that eye staring at him again, and Kakashi continued. "Tell me about Sasuke."

Naruto stiffened on his seat. Was Kakashi already implying that he knew what was happening? Would he accuse Naruto of contemplating treason? Whatever it was, he couldn't assume anything. Not while there was still a chance to get out of this. Buy time. "Ano, sensei, what did you want to know?"

Kakashi continued to hold his gaze. "Sasuke didn't kill you before making his final escape. This is unusual, even if the two of you were teammates. Often when a ninja abandons his village, he tries to remove any obstacles that would stand in his way, to avoid complications." Naruto could only hope his face didn't betray him as Kakashi continued, "You and Sasuke had words, didn't you?"

It wasn't really a question. Naruto's rivalry with Sasuke was well known to everybody in the village. It was just one more reason for people to hate him. Not trusting himself to speak, Naruto looked down at his bowl and nodded.

Kakashi sighed softly. "Naruto... I know you probably blame yourself for what happened. However, Sasuke's leaving was not entirely unexpected. I spoke with him the day he ran away." Naruto sat up as he heard Kakashi's last statement. This wasn't something he'd been aware of. "I tried to convince him to give up his quest for revenge. That it would destroy him just as it destroyed his enemies. I... underestimated his determination." Kakashi sighed again, then fixed Naruto with his gaze once more. "Naruto. What things passed between you and Sasuke?"

This was relatively safe territory for Naruto. He wouldn't even need to lie. Funny, he thought to himself. I sound like I'm already a fugitive. "Sasuke told me... he told me I was his closest friend. He said that made me the person he had to kill, so he could get stronger."

Kakashi's eye closed as he sighed yet again. He suddenly looked very old. "The Mangekyou Sharingan... I should have known."

Naruto blinked, too confused now to worry about the direction of the conversation. "Ano, what's a Mangekyou Sharingan, sensei?"

Kakashi suddenly seemed to remember their surroundings. He glanced over at Ichiraku, who was cleaning pots just across the counter. Standing up, he left a few coins next to his bowl, enough to cover them both. "Let's go, Naruto."

Naruto also looked at Ichiraku and stood up as well. Evidently this wasn't a topic his teacher wanted to be made public. Together they left, this time with Kakashi leading to way. They eventually arrived at a park bench on the road to the main gates. Neither of them knew it, but it was the exact spot where Sakura had begged Sasuke not to leave her behind.

Apparently satisfied that they were out of anyone's earshot, Kakashi finally spoke. "The Mangekyou Sharingan was the Uchiha clan's most closely guarded secret. I've only heard rumors, but from what I've seen, there can be little doubt that some of them are true. It is a very dangerous ability, one with powers of perception so great that it rivals the Byakugan. It can be used to create some very powerful genjutsu effects, induce hypnosis, and even grant a limited form of mind control."

"All of these effects can be accomplished with the ordinary Sharingan, but the Mangekyou aspect takes them to an entirely different level. The psychic attack potential of a fully manifested Mangekyou is... terrifying."

Kakashi's voice was normal, but Naruto suddenly felt a strong chill run down his spine. He composed himself as Kakashi went on, "Apparently Itachi, the one who destroyed the clan, was only the second person ever to achieve that capability. I don't know all of the details, but according to my sources, there are very specific conditions that must be met before one gains the use of the Mangekyou aspect. From what Sasuke said to you, my guess is that it requires an extremely tragic event."

Kakashi looked down at Naruto, who had sat on the bench at some point. "He might have gained that aspect himself had he decided to kill you."

Naruto blinked at Kakashi, not knowing how to respond to that. After a minute, a question occurred to him. "But sensei, if he needed this Mangekyou to get even with his brother, why didn't he..." Naruto's voice trailed off.

"Ah," Kakashi said. "That's just what I've been wondering as well. Why didn't he kill you? You were unconscious when I found you, Naruto, and Sasuke was already out of range of my dogs. You were definitely within his power. For him to have suddenly changed his mind... it doesn't add up."

Naruto sat in silence, brooding over these latest revelations. Why would Sasuke suddenly give up when he finally had access to the power he had always wanted? Was Naruto not his friend after all? Riding in the wake of these thoughts came another. Did he also change his way of the ninja?

Naruto decided to take a risk. He needed some confirmation of his feelings, even if his interest gave him away. "Ne, sensei."

Kakashi looked down at him. "Eh, Naruto?"

Naruto almost swallowed, but knew Kakashi would be suspicious if he did. "Do you remember on our first mission, when we ran into Zabuza?"

Kakashi blinked at the sudden change of topic, but if he wondered what it meant, he didn't say so. "Yes, I remember."

Gathering his courage, Naruto pushed forward. "Did you know him very well?"

Kakashi looked up at the moon for a long moment before responding. "I'd had encounters with him before that day. But no, we were never familiar with each other. Mostly we knew each other by reputation."

Naruto stared at the ground, sighing softly. I guess I'm not going to learn anything unless I go to Water Country and find out myself.

Kakashi let him sit in silence for a few minutes before speaking again. "Naruto... I know it's hard to lose a friend, even if you don't know they're your friend until they're gone. You mustn't blame yourself for what happened. Sasuke doesn't know yet how painful revenge can be. He has shaped his entire life for one purpose, and in his own way, he'll never be at peace until he can see it through. You of all people should understand that."

Naruto felt a pressure on his head, and looked up to see Kakashi ruffling his hair. "Don't worry, Naruto. We'll get Sasuke back. It won't be much longer before Tsunade begins sending out the hunter teams."

Naruto nodded, and tried putting on a smile for his teacher. "I'd better work hard then, ne sensei? Granny Tsunade will definitely need my help to find Sasuke!" Inside, he felt like he was dying. Would he really be able to go through with his new path?

Luckily, Kakashi didn't question him any further. "Get some sleep, Naruto. Tomorrow's going to be a long day for everyone."

oooooo

On his way home, Naruto found he could no longer contain the tears in his eyes.

Yeah. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

So this is the first story I've written in a long time, and it's going to take a while to get back into swing. As mentioned above, the first few parts of this tale are heavily based on the premise that was set down by the fic called "Never Cut Twice", and I invite you to read it if you haven't taken the opportunity to do so already. This will actually be more of a divergence from that story, rather than a rewrite. I'm also aiming to make it a lot darker and more mature. As the plot develops, this story will have a life all its own. Reviews and questions always welcome.