Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…if I did then I wouldn't be broke like I am now.

Pathways
Chapter 3
A Ninja's Way

To an outsider, Otogakure would appear to be a peaceful enough place. Its inhabitants, mostly missing-nins from various other hidden villages, hardly ever traipsed along the streets. Fights among its occupants rarely happened and when they did, more often than not, it was due from inebriation…A few punches thrown here and there but nothing serious.

Another very noticeable attribute of Otogakure, aside from harboring many missing-nins, is that all of its inhabitants were ninjas. This was probably due to the fact that the village was only recently established and that having denizens short of being ninjas would only cause it to be vulnerable to other hidden villages more powerful and larger than it.

However, that was what outsiders – and other villages for that matter – were made to believe. Uchiha Sasuke, on the other hand, knew otherwise.

He knew Otogakure was anything but peaceful. For one thing, only those residing in the village knew that it was called Otogakure.

The reason behind the village's lack of hustle and bustle was that its residents were busy creating hustle and bustle elsewhere. Fights rarely happen because ninjas who call themselves Oto ninjas didn't care enough for each other to even bother starting a fight.

He also knew that as far as Otogakure's leader was concerned, only people who had the skills worthy of being called a ninja have any right to live inside his village…

To be a part of his own army of destruction.

Sasuke, as power hungry as he had become, wasn't blind to the truth. He knows all these things…and more.

He's aware that his body was being coveted and prepared by and for Orochimaru. Now, if he was any other person, he would immediately cut any ties with the Snake Sannin…

But he's not. He is after all, an avenger

In his case, it is just a matter of ignoring one's conscience and choosing to be blind to what's really going on in favor of an ultimate goal.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes to protect it from the glare of the setting sun and slowly stood up from his perch on the rooftop of Orochimaru's stronghold. The red hues from the orange ball of fire hurt his eyes but he welcomed it. It reminded him of his own Sharingan eyes…

The same as the eyes of the one who had betrayed him and his clan…the person he hated most of all.

Itachi…

For so long as Sasuke could remember, he had always been cast in the shadow of his brother…and now after so many years of being apart, he's still followed and haunted by that same dark phantom.

Slowly, Sasuke touched the side of his neck, where his cursed seal was. Yes…he chose to look at the world – his world – with rose tinted glasses all for the love of retribution. He betrayed his friends…his precious people for the sake of casting a shadow greater than that of his brother's.

He would walk the path towards his own self-ruin so that the ghosts screaming inside his mind would find peace…so that he could once again enjoy his beloved silence.

Willingly, he would allow Orochimaru to use him as a tool of destruction in order to fulfill his life's purpose.

However…he'd be damned if he let Orochimaru manipulate him before he had his revenge.

Everything was happening too soon than Sasuke would have liked. At the rate things were going, Orochimaru's mind will have already transferred in his body before he even got a chance to exact vengeance on his brother.

First there was the Hyuuga heiress and her bloodline ability which Orochimaru so seriously coveted. Without the possible means for Sasuke to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan, Orochimaru had developed this strange obsession with the Hyuuga clan's bloodline limit; the Byakugan Eye. Orochimaru wanted for Sasuke to obtain this particular bloodline limit so as to further enhance and compliment his Sharingan which was already in the Final Form.

The method as to acquire the Byakugan was simple enough. Orochimaru will have to use a variation of his immortality technique on a Byakugan wielder and Sasuke wherein he would transfer a part of the latter's mind into that of a chosen Hyuuga clan member. This will be done via blood synthesis; the mixing of the bloods of a Sharingan Eye wielder and a Byakugan Eye wielder.

This plan, however, as Sasuke later found out from Orochimaru, wasn't exactly foolproof. The Snake Sannin had explained about the mild side-effects of the blood synthesis but Sasuke still had his misgivings about the whole idea.

"The blood synthesis is a two-way process," Orochimaru had said in his usual creepy way of talking. Sasuke had understood what the term meant but wasn't too sure if he fully grasped the implication behind the word. Orochimaru went on to explain that through this, the blood of the Hyuuga will course through Sasuke's veins and in return, his own Uchiha blood will run through that of the Hyuuga's.

As conversations between him and Orochimaru usually went, a third party butted-in, in the form of the Snake Sannin's right-hand man, Kabuto. Apparently, according to the medic-nin, the implication of one such process would be a sort of 'power sharing'. Because the bond that will allow Sasuke's mind to access the Hyuuga's mind will be the mixing of blood between the two blood limit holders, it would be natural to assume that through the same process, the Hyuuga will also gain access to Sasuke's mind.

In short, Sasuke would be able to access the bloodline limit ability of the Byakugan wielder and in return the Byakugan wielder will also be able to access his bloodline limit, the Sharingan.

If anything, it sounded like a win-win deal to Sasuke.

Except for the fact that the Hyuuga will not exactly be benefiting from any of it all, as Kabuto further explained; the completion of the variation of Orochimaru's immortality jutsu will take time because the mixing of the Hyuuga blood to that of Sasuke wouldn't be that fast. Rest assured, once the Hyuuga blood and Uchiha blood in Sasuke finally become one…Once Sasuke has gained full understanding of the Byakugan via the Hyuuga's mind…

The Hyuuga will be…

Well…

Sasuke didn't really give a fig of care, however…

"I-I'm n-not w-weak…" it was so soft Sasuke barely heard it. When he did register what she said, he gave a small equally soft laugh.

She jerked and looked at him fiercely, her Byakugan automatically activating. "D-don't make f-fun of m-me!" she forcefully stuttered.

However…

For a moment, Sasuke thought he saw familiar electric blue eyes staring dubiously back at him but the illusion vanished as quickly as it came to be replaced by disbelieving milky white eyes. "Not at you. You remind me of someone…" he said.

"Who?" she asked.

It took him a while to answer and when he did, he was already out and closing her cell door. "The dead-least…" he said, "you remind me of the dead-last."

"Hmm…" Sasuke couldn't, for the life of him, explain why he had said that. The Hyuuga girl and that dobe had nothing in common at all. Perhaps he was just being too affected by what she had said when they had battled it out in the forest?

Sasuke pondered this and the events of five days ago came unbidden into his mind.

He spotted her just outside the borders of Fire country. She was leading a team of academy students on what he could guess as a sort of survival training.

Always being a no-nonsense person, Sasuke had not wasted any time on pleasantries and had immediately attacked the Hyuuga and her academy students. It only came as a mild surprise to him that for all the show she had put on appearing to be casual, she had actually noticed him hiding his presence all along and as such, had been ready for his attack.

Rising in her element as a sensei, she let the frightened students run while she distracted him by parrying all his attacks with her Juuken fighting style. That suited Sasuke just fine because he wasn't there for the kids anyway.

One kid, from Sasuke's brief observation earlier may have easily been the most boisterous of the lot, had had enough guts to throw a flash note in his direction in an attempt to help his sensei. The punk must have counted on the fact that his sensei wouldn't be affected because of her eye ability.

However, the attempt had been a complete waste of effort since his Sharingan eye saw the movement and he had caught the flash note before it activated. He had crumpled the note, deactivating it by exerting his chakra on it. Sasuke must applaud the kid, however, for thinking of such thing.

It's just sad that he had to kill the brat because the brat had made the mistake of underestimating him. No one underestimated Uchiha Sasuke.

He deftly made the seals for a Katon technique. The Hyuuga had sensed his intentions and had quickly jumped into his line of fire, blocking the stupid punk from his view. By then, it had been too late for him to stop his assault and had released a Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Dragon Fire Technique) directly on the Hyuuga.

There was a loud impact and a thick cloud of smoke. When the grey substance subsided, he was surprised to find the Hyuuga unscathed. She was surrounded by a barrier made from chakra which she emitted from the palms of her hands and she was moving her arms in a sweeping fashion just like in an exotic dance. Sasuke observed the chakra patterns using his Sharingan and concluded that the thick chakra she was weaving provided 360 degrees of protection for her body.

"Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou (Guardian Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand)!" she shouted without her usual stutter.

So that's what it's called. He still didn't know what this technique could do so Sasuke threw a kunai at it and saw the kunai burst into a million fragments. Technically speaking, the object didn't really explode. By way of closer examination, it only appeared to explode because it was cut into a million pieces when it connected with the chakra barrier. Sasuke had been able to observe this thanks to his eye ability.

"So your technique could cut through almost anything…I see," Sasuke smirked when she scowled at his emphasis. "But can it cut through this? Chidori (Thousand Birds)!" He shouted as he gathered chakra to his hand. Once it was complete, he charged at great speed at the Hyuuga and her irritating barrier.

Their chakra clashed in a deafening sound similar to a knife scratching a rusted metal surface. Being that close, Sasuke took note that, indeed, this technique of the Hyuuga was strong and she was able to strengthen it by expelling more chakra to her palms.

But…he also took note that he was at a great advantage because he was only utilizing the Chidori at par and already she was showing signs of weariness. He was sure that if he released the full power of the Chidori, he could finally break through her barrier.

"You're loosing, Hyuuga." Sasuke sneered. "Give up now!"

"N-no! I will never give up!" She shouted back. "I-I w-will…I will protect them!"

Sasuke had gritted his teeth while increasing the chakra he was expelling to his left hand. Stupid till the very end she was. He smirked, "I'm not after your precious students if that's what you're thinking."

Sasuke felt her barrier weaken for a second. "W-what do you mean?" Her face held a surprise expression.

"Exactly what you heard," he paused, "now, you can come out of this unharmed. This is your final chance to give up." He was giving her a chance to back out not because he didn't want to hurt her; it was because he didn't fancy carrying an unconscious girl back at Otogakure. That would be too much of a bother for him.

He could see her sweating hard due to her effort to keep up with him. "I-I don't k-know what you meant to s-say…b-but I don't g-get back on my w-words…Absolutely!" She smiled the smile that used to irritate Sasuke when he sees it on a certain someone. "That is my ninja way!"

Hmm…her ninja way…On hindsight, Sasuke didn't see any reason for him to be affected by these words. It's useless standing up to something that would endanger your person in the end.

Look where that got her.

He also didn't see why he would care...but he did.

And he hated himself for it.

"This is impossible…" Tsunade's eyes held a disbelieving look as she read the mission report the Anbu ninja presented her.

"Hokage-sama?" A worried Shizune asked from beside her, already trying to peer on what Tsunade was reading. Her eyes widened, "Is that…?"

Tsunade nodded. "It's the results of the investigation on Otogakure. "However, I'm finding myself hard-pressed to believe it."

"Why? What does it say?" Shizune gauged the expression on Tsunade's face and didn't like what she saw.

"It says that all traces of Orochimaru in Otogakure have disappeared."

"Well…isn't it expected of him to do so?" Shizune scratched her chin in a thoughtful manner. "I mean we are trying to find him…"

"Yes but, the whole of its ninja occupants? All gone?" Tsunade frowned. "I know Orochimaru is a heartless bastard but I highly doubt he'll kill-off his ninja army just for the heck of it. It says right here…Otogakure as it is now, looks nothing more than a ghost town."

Shizune frowned as well. "I find it hard to believe myself," she smiled weakly, "but look on the bright side; at least that's one-less enemy village to worry about."

"But now…we will have to agonize over where to find Orochimaru. He could, at this moment, be hiding at any village."

Shizune face faulted. "Hmm…you're right."

"And this also means we have to extend our search for Hyuuga Hinata." Tsunade gave a large sigh and closed her eyes wearily. "She could now be at any village…damn it all to hell! That would mean a larger delegation. I don't know where to get that many ninjas for this one mission!" That's true. And even if she did have that many ninjas, she can't just pull them off from their missions to assign them on a single task. Konohagakure would become poor if that.

Shizune cringed as Tsunade bashed her fist on her desk top with enough force that it split in half. That's the fifth one.

"If only all residents of Konoha are ninja geniuses then I wouldn't have a problem on work force now." Tsunade bemoaned.

Shizune's eyes lit up. That reminds me…"Hey! Didn't Neji come by here?"

The Godaime's forehead wrinkled in a frown. Obviously, she was remembering how the Hyuuga disrespected her. Shizune took this as her cue to continue. "You told me he assigned himself the mission of searching for Hinata-chan." Shizune raised her finger in the air, "Neji is a genius possessing the Byakugan and well…"

Tsunade perked up. "…He could see for miles around…" she continued for Shizune. Tsunade beamed, "Shizune, you are the genius!"

"Hehe…I am?" Shizune laughed, embarrassed to be praised by the Hokage. "I guess I am!"

Tsunade's eye glinted and she smiled craftily to herself. With Neji's meddling, she could afford to send only a few ninjas on Hinata's trail without the Hyuuga clan accusing her of neglecting her duty as Hokage to their clan. That Neji…

He isn't such a disrespectful boy after all.

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To be continued…

Author's Notes: Just so you know, I'm not a native speaker of the English language…which may explain a few inconsistencies on the grammar. And for these, I apologize in advance to those of you who may be offended by the mistakes.

Back on track! I am finding it very hard to piece the story up so that it will read smoothly. Finding loopholes after finishing with a chapter and then editing it again so that it will connect with the previous chapters is very mind numbing and frustrating as hell. So I need your help on this…if you find any loopholes or things that don't add-up, please tell me. Questions about the story also help me to look things in another perspective.

On another note, I'm not a nitpicky person when it comes to reviews. In fact, I'll take anything I can get…praises, comments, questions, and even flames when it comes right down to it. However, I am very very choosy on accepting flames. If you ever do flame me, please specify why you are doing it and not just typing anything you'd think will piss me off. Do it properly so that I am actually pissed off. Hahaha! As it were… what someone typed in the review was actually my favorite expression – yes I know I'm a screwed-up individual – and instead of getting a rise out of me…that someone actually made me laugh! Although I am curious as to what that person really meant because I really took it as a compliment…that is…until my sister pointed out that it was meant to be an insult. Haha! Well…better luck next time...you know who you are!

And finally, for the wonderful reviewers…Thanks so much!

Please review!