Title: The path that leads to light.
Author: samurai-champloo
Genre: Drama, Romance, Bad!fic
Rating: R
Summary: A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.
Warnings: The story will eventually contain slash, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a male original character, and generally a lot of out-of-character-ness of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have only seen a few episodes, and read up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely AU maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether. Also, the fic is written in the style of the anime.
Author's notes: This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in italics. This chapter features an obligatory introduction of a New and Mysterious character, bad!humor slapstic comedy, and a death threat (ha! You didn't think it would all be fun and games, did ya?)
Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

Chapter 1: "Enter Mysterious Ninja!Boy - What? Gaara has a new head accessory?"

"Ugh"

Lee flinched as he tried to stand up. The blow was too strong and hit him right on his midline, and even breathing seemed difficult.

Gai-sensei i've dissapointed you...

He finally stood up and tried to look at his opponent. The guy looked so calm and composed, almost like a statue.

I will beat him with every last ounce of strength that i have left...!

Lee was ready to charge at the Sand boy yet once more, when a hand appeared out of nowhere blocking his body. He turned half expecting to find a teacher, but it was a boy who had impudently gotten in the way. He was wearing black clothes all over, gazes around his arms and legs, and a black turban on his head. His skin was unearthly pale, and his dark eyes were set on Gaara, their expression unreadable.

"I wish to fight with you" said the mysterious boy completely focused on Gaara, who had now a renewed interest on the happenings inside the dojo.

Lee was even angrier than before, this boy made it look as if he had already lost to the Sand genin, when the fight wasn't even over.

"Get out of the way, this guy is mine. I said i'll fight him, and i'll finnish the fight!" The boy turned and looked at Lee, an empty look on his face.

"You are too weak to fight him, and you are already tired". He said it as if he was simply stating a fact, and what made Lee even more frustrated was that he knew the boy was right.

"What are you talking about -"

"I'll fight you" Gaara suddenly exclaimed. Everybody turned to look at him; he was looking at the newcomer with a glint in his eyes that could have been translated as enthusiasm.

Lee turned to Gaara almost pleedingly, but he decided to let this go with as much dignity as he could master. He thought of his sensei, he thought of Sakura-chan watching, and he finally spoke:

"Alright, i will let it go, just this once, but it's not over between you and me Gaara." He retreated to a corner, too shameful to even join his teamates. Ten Ten and Shino looked sympathetically, but understood that Lee probably wanted to be left on his own for a while.

As the newcomer approached Gaara to commence the fight, Sakura watched wondering what kind of person would willingly go against Gaara after seeing what he did to Rock Lee. From his expression, Sakura guessed that Sasuke was thinking the same thing, whereas, Naruto had squinted his eyes probably thinking that the guy was a joke. Sakura looked closely as the mysterious boy moved to initiate his attack.

"What? He's using kunais?" Naruto wondered aloud, because this attack was obviously hopeless against Gaara.

But, as the boy threw the kunais, and they were quite a few, he shot up in the air himself, rolling like a wheel, and with his feet started hitting the kunais with amazing speed, so that they ended up going into different directions, like a mass of shooting stars. Gaara's sand barriers rose simultaneously in many different places in order to block the kunais, but the boy kept rolling anfd throwing them back at Gaara, his movements too fast to be seen, until they were both enveloped in a big cloud of dust, nobody being able to see what was happening. More kunais were thrown at lightning speed, but suddenly stopped, the boy nowhere to be seen.

Gaara halted his sand barriers in search of his attacker, and when the dust subsided, the audience was greeted with a very comic scene;

The boy was was tiptoing with one leg on Gaara's head, looking at him from above. Some people giggled nervously, the rest were stunned. Sasuke had, however, understood;

He threw the kunais so that he could divert the sand away from Gaara, not giving him enough time to think between the attacks...

The instant Gaara realized what had happened, two giant arms of sand raised to plummel the boy on top of his head, but he jumped before they could crach him, and the sand dissolved around his opponent. Gaara was getting impatient and blasted a wave of sand at the other ninja, who promptly dodged it as if he had wings on his feet, and landed a few meters away. He then took more kunais out of his pouch and this time threw them directly on Gaara at an incredible speed. The Sand shinobi had to create a semi-circle of sand to protect himself, and the boy lost no time; he bolted forward and used the sand as stepping, he escalated and with a sommersault, landed behind Gaara, his motions so fast that in the haze of the attack, nobody understood what was happening. As he landed, he covered Gaara's eyes with his hands,

"Boo."

Sand errupted from everywhere, it seemed to come out of the ground, rising to the ceiling, so sharply that it would slice anyone in its way. Gaara was very angry indeed. Hinata gasped half expecting the new boy to be dead after such an attack. Gaara had obviously more tricks in his pockets to unveil. But when the sand subsided, there was no blood, no body, no boy.

"Eep!" Naruto almost tripped over at his surprise. The boy had not dissappeared into thin air, but was rolled in a ball between Gaara's legs, and was slowly coming out. Everybody cringed thinking that the Sand genin would really kill him after that, but Gaara simply stared taken aback. The newcomer didn't rush off either, he just stood up facing Gaara, with the same unreadable expression.

He really is making fun of me. Gaara thought, but he didn't know what to make of this boy. His attacks were not special, certainly not intending to hurt, but he just couldn't get through to him.

Finally, the boy spoke, "I thought this was a training fight before the exam, what were you thinking making an attack like that? That was intended to kill!"

"So you can't handle it?" Gaara almost sneered.

"I hate to remind you, but your attack barely touched me", and with that the boy shot to the air, taking out three kunais; holding two in his hands and one with his teeth, and charged at Gaara again. Sand came out from everywhere, surrounding Gaara all around, but the other ninja was already inside his protective sphere, hitting him from behind, twice between the shoulderblades, and once in his right side. Again it was so fast, that the only thing that was seen was Gaara's stunned expression, as people slowly understood what had happened. The Sand genin could not react, his defeat sinking in, surprised at himself, even at that moment, when everything was over.

It doesn't hurt...

The boy moved from behind Gaara and stood in front of his opponent, when Gaara noticed something in his hands.

The kunais!

Realization sunk in. Gaara didn't feel pain because the boy had struck him with his hands, not the weapons.

"If i had hit you in those points with these, you wouldn't be alive right now. But i, unlike you, don't intend to kill. Not yet, at least". With that the boy turned to leave, an unmistakable dismissive look on his eyes.

"Wait." Gaara said. "The next time we meet, you'll wish you had killed me today, i promise you this". He tried to look as cool as ever, but he couldn't help the venom in his voice dripping onto every word he said.

The boy simply stared at him, and then turned to make his exit, leaving everybody in shock at what had actually perspired in the room. They realized that it wasn't even about genins showing off, or testing their abilities. It was about making enemies, for life.

The boy walked through the stunned group of students, and passed between Sakura and Sasuke, who tilted to make room. Sasuke was facing straight ahead, looking pensive, but as the ninja walked by, he rotated his left right eye to look at him, only to find the ninja looking right back as he was passing by. It was only for a second, but it gave Sasuke a very bad feeling.

Who is that guy...?

TBC