Paths of Divergence

Lost and Found

Chapter 41
-Lost

     A cold darkness envelops the boy. In front of him he can only see a crumbled road for a few meters in front of him. Though it leads to seemingly nowhere he begins to follow it. He walks along the broken path, no end in sight and unsure of where it's taking him. In this void he feels absolutely nothing. No happiness, no sadness, no hot nor cold. Even his thoughts run blank.

     A street lamp turns on above his head. He looks up, raising his hand to his eyes to block the bright light. However he notices something out of the corner of his eye. He looks down to see a distant memory playing out in front of him.

      He sees his young self, staring emptily at the dead bodies of his parents. The effigies remain still, solidified in place like statues carved from stone. He stares emptily at the scene for a few moments before he hears a voice.

     "Mommy...? Daddy...?" the young him says.

     The voice echoes throughout the void, ringing in his ears before fading away into silence. The street lamp shuts off as the figures disappear. The boy blinks a couple times before continuing along the trail. As he walks,the crumbled path comes up from the abyss, appearing in front of him as a sort of guide.

    Another streetlamp turns on above him, illuminating yet another scene. This time he watches as his younger self stands in the Hokage's office facing Hiruzen. The effigy of the 3rd Hokage looks down at the young boy, pipe in mouth while the boy looks up at Hiruzen hopefully.

    "From here on out you're a full fledged member of the ANBU," Hiruzen says.

    Like before the words echo across the void before fading away into a crashing silence. The street lamp flickers before it too fades to black. More of the path continues to arise in front of him, presumably leading to another scene. As he expects, another street lamp flashes on.

   He notices himself standing in a puddle of water. The boy shifts his foot as tiny ripples extend out. His eyes follow the ripples before settling on the scene. He watches as his younger self clutches Sasuke's collar, his arm raised above his hand. A rush of static tickles his skin as he watches the scene. The confrontation at the final valley.

   "Is this what you want?! You want me to kill you and become like Itachi?!" the younger version screams.

     The words disappear as quick as they came. A tinge of sadness tugs at the strings of his heart. At first his senses were gone in this endless void, but now...

   He presses further on with more determination, hopefully searching for an end to the journey. He quickens his pace as the path still arises from out of nowhere. Another street lamp flickers on. He watches as his present self stands at the head of a table, village elders gazing upon him.

   "We are appointing you as a captain from this day forward," Tsunade says.

      He gazes intently at the scene before it disappears from his sight entirely. The crumbled path again continues on and on, stretching forth unknowingly.

The next scene - him and Sakura's first meaningful connection. They sit upon the edge of the Hokage stone face mountain, gazing upon the village lights. Sakura clutches on to his arm, resting her head against his shoulder.

"The view... it's so nice up here," she says.

   Another street lamp and another scene. This time, a confrontation with Lord Hikoge of the Hyuga clan. The boy watches as his effigy stands defensively in front of Nitatchi, protecting his friend from the wrath of the Hyuga's curse seal.