Finding the Right Path

We will see how this chapter goes. I'll try to update on a semi-usual basis, but no guarantees.

No pairings for now, but that may change.

I do not own Naruto or any other aspect that reference people who could sue me...

Enjoy

Chapter 6

Menma didn't know where to look to begin with. He figured that the young Uchiha would be at his large estate, but when he got there, Sasuke was no-where to be found. He didn't want to waste time with searching the whole compound, so he decided to find Sakura first. The sun was close to setting and he still felt uneasy about the upcoming test.

Menma walked out of the Uchiha compound without looking back. He was about to jump on the roof when he caught a glimpse of Sasuke. He looked deep in thought whilst rubbing his hands. Menma could see some bruising on his knuckles and thought that Sasuke must have just finished training.

"Sasuke" Menma called out. He started to walk towards him.

"What do you want dobe?" Sasuke asked, causing a tick mark to appear on Menma's forehead. Before Menma could come up with a viable answer, Sakura came around the corner. She was panting slightly and it looked as if she ran there.

"Sasuke-Kun, Menma. It's good that the both of you are here. Do either of you know where we are to meet tonight and what time?" The question left Sasuke pondering and Menma shaking his head in the negative.

As one, they all thought to ask their Sensei, problem was, they needed did not know where he would be.

"So neither of you know where Sensei lives?" Sakura asked. Looking between Menma and Sasuke.

"We should check the old man, he'd probably know where we are to meet our sensei." Menma spoke, causing Sasuke and Sakura to look in his direction.

"Who is the old man?" Sasuke asked in a bored monotone.

"The Hokage." Menma replied, looking confused and as if Sasuke did not know the old man.

"Menma…" Sakura chimed in. "Don't call Hokage-sama the old man." She continued. "Show some respect." Menma was about to reply when Sasuke beat him to the punch.

"Let's just see if the Hokage can help us." He said before walking in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

XxX

Menma took the lead and had a huge smile on his face whilst walking through the tower and heading into the Hokage's office. Sasuke and Sakura were following Menma. They did not know why Menma was familiar with the Hokage, and it is something that stuck in their mind during the walk.

"Hey old man." Menma called, whilst bursting through the door.

Sakura looked shocked and her face went white then to pink in a matter of seconds. Sasuke smirked, but quickly hid it.

"Menma, don't be so informal..." Sakura snapped. "Sorry Hokage-sama". She continued, before bowing. The old Hokage chuckled and waved a hand, as if saying it was okay.

"Ah Menma-Kun… What could I do for you?" The Sandaime asked, whilst reaching for his pipe.

"We're looking for our sensei… We have our test today, but don't know where the test is supposed to be? That's why we came here to see if you would know?" Menma responded. Straight to the point, as per usual. The Hokage looked each 'Genin' in the face. He saw that Menma was relaxed with determination shining through his eyes. The young Uchiha pretended that he didn't care, but the Hokage saw a need there, a need and a want for something. Lastly, the aged Hokage looked at Sakura. She looked shy and bashful. Head going down slightly, trying to look away from the Hokage. He could see that she could become great, well the three of them had potential. They just needed to pass the test.

"There is one place that he frequents…" The Hokage stated, catching even Sakura's attention and gaze. He saw that there was hope in her eyes. "He is often seen at training ground 3. Make your way there, and you may find him." Menma wore a big grin as he replied.

"Thanks old man… I'll buy you ramen for the information." The Hokage was gobsmacked. His pipe almost feel from his mouth, as his mouth was open. This was the first time he was told that he was going to be getting Ramen. Especially coming from the twins. Before he could muster an answer, the three 'Genin' was gone.

XxX

The three Genin felt stupid for not checking the first place that they had met their sensei. It should have been plain and simple, but these things happen.

The sun was beginning to set as they arrived at training ground 3. The walk there was quiet and reflective. Each thinking about the day and what their sensei had said about the heroes of Konoha.

Menma felt it at the same time as Sasuke did. They both whirled around in a defensive stance. Sakura was slow to react, but joined her teammates after a second. In front of the three Shinobi in training stood a ninja. He was dressed in normal Jonin attire with a Hitia-ate with the Iwagakure symbol.

The Killer Intent rolling off the ninja was enough to make Sakura scared. She had never felt a presence such as this before. She was shaking and was ready to run and hide in fear. Sasuke was fairing slightly better than Sakura. Menma on the other hand looked semi calm. He smiled a huge grin whilst speaking, "So… what is a ninja of your calibre doing here?"

This question snapped the tension that was rising in Sakura. Her thoughts moved away from fear and into one of intrigue. Sasuke was still wary, but he was feeling slightly calmed by Menma's words. He knew that the Shinobi in front of them was strong and that if it came to it, he and Menma could defend themselves for a while. He was concerned that Sakura would get in the way.

The ninja laughed as he threw shuriken at the three Genin. Each jumped out of the trajectory, but when Sasuke looked up, he was confronted with a fist flying straight to his head. He got his arms up in the nick of time, minimising the impact of the blow. Sasuke slid back slightly whilst trying to recover. He looked up and saw that Menma sending a kick to the shinobi's head.

The shinobi ducked under the kick and was about to send Menma flying with an uppercut, before he felt the need to jump back. Sasuke saw that a kunai was going directly at the shinobi's body. The retreat of the Iwa shinobi gave Sasuke enough time to check who had thrown the kunai. He was slightly surprised when he saw another Menma standing in an outreached position, with his hand extended. The other Menma disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Before Sasuke could utter a word, the smoke cleared and he saw that Menma was going on the offensive. Sasuke looked for their last teammate, and saw her standing with tear filled eyes. Sakura was scared, she had no idea what was happening and did not know how to react.

Sasuke was bought out of his thoughts when he saw Menma flying towards him. It took him a split second, but Sasuke moved to the side and started hand signals in quick succession.

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Jutsu." Sasuke spoke as a huge ball of flame shot toward the Iwa nin. He thought that it had hit, but was surprised when he noticed that the nin was gone. He started looking around. "Left, Right, Up."

"Down." Came the voice of the Iwa nin. "Earth Release, Double Suicide Decapitation Jutsu." Before Sasuke knew what was happening, he found himself unable to move, with his body stuck in the ground. Sasuke looked up once more to see the Iwa nin emerge with a kunai in hand. Sasuke knew he was in serious trouble.

The kunai was on its descent to his throat when he heard Sakura scream. She was rooted to the spot and horrified. Sasuke looked at her, than looked around for Menma. He knew that Menma shouldn't be down this long. As if conjured by his thoughts, Menma was in front of Sasuke, fending the killing blow of the Iwa nin.

Another Menma was standing by Sakura, and a third pulled Sasuke free. Sasuke had no idea how he got free, but was thankful none the less. With that in mind, Sasuke closed his eyes. Opening it he saw the world slightly different.

Menma smiled whilst looking at Sasuke. He knew just how strong those eyes were. The Menma next to Sakura disappeared and she started throwing shuriken at the Iwa nin. The Iwa nin jumped back once more.

Sasuke was keeping a close eye on the Iwa nin, watching his every move. The Iwa nin looked as if he was going to attack Sasuke and Menma again. He sprinted at full speed at them, whilst pulling out some shuriken in his left hand, a kunai in his right. The shuriken he threw at Sasuke and Menma in an arching motion.

Four went straight for Menma and Sasuke whilst two went straight for Sakura. Sakura was expecting this, as it was exactly as Menma predicted. The shuriken went straight through Sakura and hit the tree behind her. This caught the Iwa nin by surprise as he was running straight at Sasuke and Menma.

Sasuke and Menma both threw their own shuriken to counteract the shuriken that the Iwa nin threw. At the same time, Menma ran straight at the Nin whilst Sasuke went through the same hand-signs as before.

The split second loss of concentration was all it took for the tables to turn. The Menma in front of the Iwa nin disappeared and a huge fireball was headed his way. The Iwa nin attempted to jump to the right, only to be forced to retreat as shuriken came flying towards him. He thought he was in the clear, until he felt a hit to his temple. That was the last thing he felt, before everything went dark.

Kakashi was smiling from the bushes. He saw that as team had worked together to take down a shinobi who was a class above them. He also got a better understanding on the strengths and weaknesses of each Genin. Sakura was, at best, a backup fighter. She had no confidence in wanting to get into the fray. She also needed some physical training.

Sasuke had unlocked his sharingan, but Kakashi saw that it was not fully developed. He also saw that Sasuke had all of one fire jutsu in his arsenal. He also saw that Sasuke had good control over his chakra network.

Kakashi was slightly surprised by Menma. He knew that the twins were good, but he didn't think that they would be that good. Menma was almost good enough to stick with the Iwa nin one on one.

With these thoughts to himself, he disappeared and reappeared in front of the team. "Congratulations on passing your test."

The three Genin were slightly surprised by Kakashi's sudden appearance, and even more so with the newfound revelation. Sakura screamed at the same time as Menma. Sasuke on the other hand just smirked.

"So…" Kakashi continued. "Why did you not kill the Iwa nin?"

Here, the Genin looked at each other, uncertain as to what should be said.

"He is an enemy trespassing in Konoha… Do you at least know what he was doing here?" Kakashi asked. Causing each Genin to wonder what was going on.

"But I thought this was a test?" Sakura asked whilst looking at Menma for confirmation.

Kakashi followed her gaze and looked expectantly at Menma. "I figured that it was a test… with a clone or something?" Menma explained.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke next. "I knew it wasn't a clone, but I too thought it a coincidental inconvenience when he appeared in the exact same place as we were meant to meet you." Sasuke explained.

"Yes it was a test." Kakashi assured the Genin. Much to their relieved faces. "However, he is still an enemy trespassing in Konoha. What should be done with him?" Here the Genin did not know what to say. They understood what Kakashi meant, or they thought they did. "I want you to kill him."

Each Genin had a different reaction. Sakura had a look of pure fear. She did not want to take a life and could not comprehend that her sensei wanted that of her. She knew that, theoretically, to be a shinobi, she had to kill others, but she thought that this would only happen when she was older, or a Chunin.

Menma had a slightly worried look. He didn't know if this was a part of the test or something entirely different. If only Naruto were here. He could give Menma an idea of what was going on here.

Sasuke had a blank stare. It was as if all emotion had drained from his face at the mention of killing the enemy. Kakashi was keeping his keen eye on them all, wandering what they will do.

"There are three of us, and only one enemy." Sasuke said. Causing Sakura and Menma to sigh in relief. They certainly believed that it was just a test after all.

At that, two more Kakashi's appeared in the area. Both had bodies flung over their shoulders. The clones dropped the bodies in front of Kakashi and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura lost all colour from her face. Her mouth was opened slightly and she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

Menma was almost on the same page as Sakura. He felt that this was wrong and that there should be another way that this could be handled. Sasuke lost a bit of his calm composure and Kakashi could see the concern in his eyes.

This is what Kakashi expected from fresh out of the Academy Genin. Gone was the false bravado of Menma. Gone was the foolish love struck fan girl in Sakura. Gone was the 'know it all' avenger in Sasuke. All that remained were uncertain, scared Genin.

Kakashi was about to speak again when Sasuke pulled out his kunai and started walking towards one of the Iwa nin. Menma jumped in front of Sasuke screaming. "What do you think you're doing? You don't kill a nin who is unconscious and cannot defend himself."

"What do you want, to kill a nin while he is conscious and able to feel the pain that he is in? To be a hero? Is that what you think being a shinobi means?" Sasuke asked. "This is no game, this is reality."

"I think Menma is right." Sakura spoke. Feeling scared, but willing to voice her opinion.

"We don't have to do this right sensei?" Menma asked looking in the direction of Kakashi. He was disappointed however, as he saw that Kakashi was no longer with them.

"The choice is up to us?" Sasuke said, taking another step forward.

Menma was about to speak again, before they heard Sakura scream. Sasuke and Menma looked over to see the Iwa nin they fought, holding a kunai to Sakura's neck. They were both at a loss for words. Their inaction had caused their teammate to be captured. They were about to negotiate, before they heard their sensei's voice. "It looks like I was wrong in passing the three of you. If Sakura dies, you all fail. Don't worry about going back to the academy, you'll have to give up on becoming a shinobi altogether."

As Kakashi was speaking, the Iwa nin was looking around for him, wondering where his voice was coming from. As Kakashi finished speaking, the Iwa nin looked back at Menma and Sasuke. At that time he dropped the Kunai as one was embedded into his skull.

Sakura tried to speak, but was at a loss for words. Looking at the outstretched arm, she couldn't believe who had saved her life. With tears streaming down his cheek, Menma had acted without a second thought. He saw that their opponent was distracted and remembered Naruto's words. "Take every advantage that you can get" now he understood what that meant.

Sakura plopped to her knees as Sasuke looked from the Iwa nin to Menma. At that moment, one of the other nin awoke and took a direct path straight for Sakura. Sakura looked up in time to see the nin drop dead in front of her. This time by the hand of Sasuke. Both her teammates had just saved her life and taken one to do so.

She was still scared, and with tears streaming down her face, she approached the other nin, pulled out her kunai, and stabbed him through the neck. She tried to close her eyes, but found it very difficult to do so. As the kunai pierced the flesh, the nin opened his eyes in shock and looked long and deeply into Sakura's own. She saw it, the fear, the pain, the confusion. She also saw the light fade from her eyes.

"Congratulations. You have all passed your test. You are now fully fledged shinobi." Kakashi spoke, appearing in front of the Genin. "Go home and rest tonight, for tomorrow, the real training starts." He said, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sakura walked away with her head down. She was going home, and possibly never returning. Sasuke looked at her, then at Menma. He was feeling relieved that he had become a full-fledged shinobi, as it was one more step towards avenging his family. But he still felt hollow. Menma walked away at the same time that Sakura did. Head was down while tears where threatening to fall once more.

Sasuke stood for a second more, looking in the direction of each of his teammates, before heading home. He would do some training, before going to bed.

Kakashi looked on in silence. He saw how each of his students had acted and now he had a better understanding of their psyche. He decided to have a shadow clone follow Sakura and Menma. But Sasuke he wanted to follow himself.