A/N: Hey Everyone! Sorry for the late update, I'm on vacation again haha *gets rocks thrown at her*. But I still really wanted to get this chapter out. Thank you so much everyone who reviewed! I loved it all and you just don't know how much it motivates me to continue! It's because of you guys that I try to get my chapters out so fast so please don't stop reading! I do apologize for any mistakes; I try to check over the chapter a million times before I post it and sometimes don't always catch them all. On towards the story though!

Disclaimer: Don't Own

Chapter 3

A New Path

...

Naruto watched in fascination as Sasuke drew the long blade out. His heart began pounding in anticipation at the upcoming fight. He hadn't practice with the sword in ages but just wielding it was enough. The power that surged through his veins was indescribable as he stepped closer to the raven. The lord was probably more skilled and well trained than him but it didn't matter, Naruto would never back down from a match.

Instantly, he took the first swing and aimed it high at Sasuke. The man held his ground and easily blocked the attack, thrusting the blonde back a few paces with his own blow. Following up with the block, Sasuke tried for a side attack but it was easily diverted with Naruto's blade. He clearly underestimated the blonde as both swords continued to clash loudly together. The other man's posture was perfect and his footing was well balanced. Clearly, Naruto knew what he was doing. This was no time to admire his form though as the other lunged again. Not quick enough to block, Sasuke suffered a cut as Naruto's blade easily slid passed his defense, tip grazing the upper part of his arm. The raven averted the sword to the side with his own and slid back to avoid another attack. The blonde smirked in triumph at being able to cut the nobleman. Sasuke's left hand eagerly flew up to cover the spot. It was true that the idiot's blade was dull but somehow, it still managed to cut through flesh. Sasuke huffed in annoyance as blood began soaking into his sleeve. Now his favorite shirt was practically ruined.

"You fight like a dairy farmer Sasuke, are you sure you're a nobleman?" Naruto teased, effortlessly flipping his sword in hand.

"Hn, how appropriate then since you fight like a cow," Sasuke rebutted, carelessly taking off his torn jacket. He watched in satisfaction at the anger flaring across the man's face. Any moment now and the other would be flying over to chop his head off. He was too carless to think that Naruto would be rusty from lack of practice but like a true prince, he was a natural. Sasuke would have to fight serious now if he wanted Naruto to ever spill the truth. As he'd predicted, the blonde sloppily ran forward for another blow. This time however, in his midst of rage, Naruto was more prone to mistakes. His strike would be powerful with fury but his balance would be lost. Sasuke ducked swiftly, barely avoiding the swing that was aimed for his head. Using the position to his advantage, the raven rapidly swept the prince off his feet with a low spin kick.

Naruto's back hit the dirt with a solid thud and before he could recuperate, the tip of Sasuke's sword was already at his throat. He looked up in defeat at Sasuke's form and carefully moved the tip away.

"Alright bastard, you win." the blonde complied. The raven held out his hand to help him up and unwillingly, Naruto took the offered help. He dusted his back and grabbed his forgotten sheath near the well. In a timely manner, Naruto quickly inserted it back in the casing and handed it to Sasuke.

"Here, take my sword and head to the forest right outside the gates. There's a small clearing about five minutes in, wait for me there." Naruto explained, grabbing the bucket of water. He completely forgot about breakfast too and was more than positive that it was probably already over. The blonde turned to Sasuke and saw the bit of hesitation in his face before he walked off towards the gates, grabbing his abandoned jacket as well.

Naruto sighed in contemplation, and set off towards the kitchen. Not only would he have to deal with Sakura first, he would have to suffer Sasuke later on as well. The punishment never ceased.

...

Sasuke followed Naruto's orders exactly and like the blonde had said, there was an open clearing a few minutes in. It wasn't big to be exact, just a small circular area that had been cleared off and was surrounded by trees. He strode languidly towards a huge oak and slumped against it tiredly. Using his dirty jacket as a pillow, Sasuke wedged it between himself and the tree to make it a bit more comfortable.

The sun shone down mercifully on his form while the wind speed blew gently alongside. It was actually quite calm and relaxing. The blood around his wound had begun to dry and crust; making the loose fabric stick uneasily to the area. Regardless though, Sasuke stilled his body and enjoyed the tranquility of the area. He wasn't positive that the blonde was going to come but, seeing that he still had the other's sword, he had to hope for the best.

Sasuke yawned out tiredly, the activities of the day weighing heavily down on him. With the sun's warmth seeping into his skin and caressing his body, Sasuke easily succumbed to sleep.

...

When Naruto finally made it into the forest an hour later, after getting an ear full from Sakura, he made sure to let Sasuke feel his wrath of making him late for breakfast. To his surprise though, when he saw the slumbering man under the tree, he just couldn't bring himself to do anything. The sight of Sasuke sleeping was endearing and quite a fascination. Naruto couldn't bring himself to wake up the sleeping dragon and so he found a spot opposite the man and sat. Leaning himself against the bark, Naruto waited for the raven to stir awake.

It wasn't only but a few minutes later did he begin to notice Sasuke moving. The man inched his body up the trunk a little before slowly lifting tired eye lids. He sluggishly scanned the surroundings, scolding himself for falling asleep when his gaze fell on a smiling idiot.

"Moron, why didn't you wake me up?" Sasuke scowled out at the chuckling blonde. He stood up and stretched his muscles from the quick nap. Grabbing the discarded swords, and his jacket, Sasuke made his way over to the prince. He plopped down next to the guy and handed him the ruby sword.

"Sorry, didn't want to wake the sleeping dragon," Naruto responded back sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He took his sword back with gratitude before leaning up against the tree.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?" Naruto asked, trying to find the most comfortable position.

"I need you to return with me," Sasuke stated, not wanting to waste time beating around the bush. "Like I mentioned earlier, Lavonia is weakening by the day and there needs to be a new king to lead."

Naruto sighed out in frustration, knowing well that Sasuke was going to ask him that. He was hoping it wouldn't be true but there was no way out of it.

"How did you know?" Naruto asked, suddenly finding a piece of grass very interesting. His gaze was averted to the ground and he refused to look at the raven. "How did you figure out that I was the prince?"

Sasuke chuckled a bit at the question. "I don't know, maybe the part where your name was the same as the prince?" He said sarcastically. "Only the people of Gaia would be so unsighted, it's a no brainer why you chose to seek refuge here."

Naruto glared at the offending man, wanting to shove dirt into his mouth. "Shut up bastard, no one's ever asked but you. Besides this town's so small that we don't even hear of outer news…I didn't even know my parents were dead."

There was an eerie silence that commenced after the confession. Naruto was deeply upset about that fact and looked to the sky for comfort. He would never be able to forgive himself, because of his childish mistakes, he would never be able to face his parents again…nor would he be able to apologize.

"I'm truly sorry about the lost Naruto," Sasuke said, trying to be as comforting as possible. "But you have to put that in your past and keep moving forward."

Naruto nodded solemnly, agreeing completely with the man even though he wasn't voicing it. "I'll go with you."

"Now Naruto let's be rational- wait, you're going?" Sasuke asked in shock. It was so hard to convince the blonde before and now he was just so willing to go.

"Yes. It's time I made things right." Naruto began. "It's a shame that I won't be able to ask my parents for forgiveness but I know my father would be proud to see me take the throne."

Sasuke was still in astonishment at Naruto's decision. At first he had wanted to stab the blonde because of his idiocy but now, it was as if he was standing in a new light. Finally, the man was beginning to take responsibility for his own actions.

"So, there's no backing out. Once you say that you're going, I'm going to force you on your word." Sasuke clarified. He didn't want Naruto to run away on him, again.

"I understand," Naruto replied back sternly. "But really…how did you come to the conclusion that I was the prince even before my name?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and thought about his answer. Why was the moron so bent on that question? "Well…there are plenty of portraits that portray your looks back in Lavonia. These people are blind not to see the great deal of resemblance between you and the prince. The only major difference is the scars. Besides that, the court informed me of your brash behavior and hatred of royals so I tested it out."

Naruto scoffed in disbelief, the court was so full of it. "You know, I take it back. You're not a dairy farmer, you're a creepy stalker."

Sasuke had the decency to flush red at the name and turned a bit to hide it. "I'm not a stalker. I was simply put on a mission to find you."

"So, what's in it for you then?" Naruto questioned.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb Sasuke, there's got to be something in it for you. I don't know any guy that would search the world just to find another guy for no reason." Naruto explained. "Are they paying you?"

Sasuke scoffed at the accusations and looked straight into Naruto's cerulean orbs. "I don't need money idiot, and for the record, I'm not some puppet they control. I have my own benefits in this situation, I won't lie but you'll find out in time."

Naruto chose to leave it at that, Sasuke was a man of mystery and it would be best to leave I that way.

"Well, I'll leave it to you to explain to Sakura why I have to leave so suddenly and to never return at that," Naruto said, standing to his full height. "We can leave first thing in the morning."

Sasuke nodded and stood as well, both walking back to the gate in unison. Naruto bid farewell to Sasuke and walked inside. That afternoon, he made sure to spend plenty of times with the kids. Even though he hated the work at times, he had gotten so used to life at the orphanage it was tough to let it go. He had worked so hard to become this whole new person and live a new life, but in the end…he could never escape what was in his blood. Even if Naruto had run to the end of the world, he was the Prince of Lavonia.

...

Naruto awoke the next morning, feeling a bit glum and nervous for the journey ahead. As much as he'd miss Lavonia, the blonde wasn't sure if he could return home yet.

"Home," Naruto spoke out quietly, tasting the word on his tongue. He hadn't said that word in while…the orphanage was a home but at the same time…it wasn't his home. It was just a place to stay for the time being.

The blonde made sure to wake up extra early in order to pack the little things he had. Grabbing the few shirts and pants in the drawers, Naruto easily stuffed them into the same oversized bag he used so long ago.

Sasuke had agreed to come up with an explanation to Sakura so he had to hurry before the woman woke up. It wouldn't be a pretty sight when she had to find another person to help around the place. That was the sole purpose of Sasuke breaking the news to her. Naruto chuckled at the thought, hoping the raven would get the chance to experience the crazed woman's wrath.

He could barely make out the sun beginning to rise over the horizon and sped up his packing. After gathering all the necessary things, Naruto silently made his way out of the room and shut the door quietly behind. He felt an odd sensation run through his spine, the reality of leaving not really taking its full effect yet. He had been there for six years and somehow, it only felt as if he arrived yesterday. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto strode through the hallway and slipped out the door. When he came upon the gates, there was no one to great him.

"Hm, I wonder where the bastard is." Naruto thought aloud, adjusting his bag a little. "You'd think he'd camped outside, seeing how eager he was to get me back."

"You know moron, it's hard to disprove that you're not an idiot if you keep standing there and talking to yourself." Sasuke said from behind.

Naruto turned to see the other, still wearing the same torn jacket from the other day. It seemed as if his under shirt was different but the guy wasn't carrying anything at all.

"Oi, where's your things?" Naruto asked, nodding his head to indicate the lack of luggage.

"I don't like lugging things around," Sasuke answered, walking pass the blonde outside the gates. "Come on, let's go."

"Che," The blonde scoffed, following after the man nonchalantly. "So used to people carrying them for you huh?"

"Hn. You would know that feeling better than anyone else Prince." Sasuke jeered back with a smirk.

Naruto aimed a playful glare at the other but Sasuke didn't see. It actually wasn't that bad anymore. He had come to terms that their relationship development wouldn't get passed the snarky remarks or the name calling. Honestly though, he could live with that.

"Hey," Naruto started, running up to catch the raven haired man. When they were finally side by side, walking in sync, Sasuke turned to look at the blonde as if to say what?

"What did you tell Sakura anyway? I don't see any bruises or complaining so what happened?" Naruto asked, clearly intrigued. Sasuke had been there earlier than he thought and to top it off, the transition went way too smooth. He had imagined them both leaving only by outrunning a giant pink blob…chasing after them with a butcher knife no less.

"It was simple. I just told her you were the Prince of Lavonia and I came to take you home." Sasuke replied as easy as that.

Naruto's mouth dropped and his body froze completely for a second. The raven didn't seem to notice and continued to walk ahead. When the blonde finally snapped back into reality, he jogged up to the fast paced man.

"Wait! That's not possible, she undoubtedly laughed it off in disbelief," Naruto said, more of a reassurance for himself than Sasuke.

"She did and while she was laughing, I left," Sasuke answered ignoring the way Naruto was clenching his fists.

"What! Then, you didn't give her an explanation! She probably thinks I'm still there!" Naruto bellowed out in horror.

"Most likely, yes." Sasuke agreed with a small smile on his face. He turned to the side to see the blonde idiot panicking, eyes dilated from fear on whether Sakura would ever come find him. It was such a hilarious sight to watch. Too bad the blonde didn't know it was lie. Sasuke had clearly spoken to Sakura that morning, much to his displeasure. He simply stated that he wanted to recruit Naruto to another orphanage to help raise the children. The pink haired woman was a bit hesitant at first but with a little bit of persuasion, she gave in. He cringed at the flashback of him whispering in a low seductive voice and lightly brushing at her hair. It was undeniably necessary, no matter how scarring the memory was. It had to be done to get what he wanted and anything an Uchiha wants, an Uchiha gets.

...

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please Review and follow! Until Next time!