I'm looking for decent Naruto fics in which he's the one who goes to Orochimaru instead of Sasuke, and the latter stays in Konoha (or apprentices to Jiraiya). An inversion of roles, so to speak.

I don't mind if the fic is not Naruto-centric as long as that's the main plot point, and it's, at least, readable.

Thanks in advance.

 

Naruto: Rogue Fox is a decent one from what I remember. It doesn't quite fit your description of Naruto joining Orochimaru, but he does defect in place of Sasuke, although it takes some time for these events to occur. It's of a good length too. Few if any of the usual hallmarks of 'woe is me' Naruto.

It has been a while since I've read it though.

 

There is one story where they "switched shoe's" literally. Naruto was born a Uchiha, and Sasuke, the clanless demon container. It was very interesting, but not at all what you're looking for...

But now I'm looking for it.

 

Wasn't it Walk Two Lifetimes?

 

Im not sure if this is your cup of tea, but it has the premise your asking for.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6504388/1/Blurred_Sound

 

Not quite what I was looking for, but thanks anyway. I find it strange that there is so little on this.

 

IIRC,

Spoiler

Scorpion's Disciple was going to go along these lines. Not Naruto apprenticing to Orochimaru, but Naruto leaving the village with Sasori, and the sequel would be about the Rookie Eleven trying to get him back.

It's abandoned, though.

 

The author actually posted a plot outline for the rest of the story as the last chapter. So we didn't get the story, but we found out what the plan was. Something.

 

Yeah, that's what I meant. It doesn't ever really delve into the themes the OP was looking for though, cuts off before we reach that part. I was pointing it out more as an example responding to the comment that there doesn't seem to be much of this theme.

 

Ah, fair nuff. And there really is a great deal of fics where Naruto leaves the village instead of Sasuke, it's just that the great majority of it is angst ridden utter shit.