Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Author's Notes:
Yeah, again I should be working on other things but I had to run with this story. In this chapter, I put in some info for Naruto's Sharingan, some more story line of Gaara who will start having a larger part in the story soon. Also I have tried my hand at slight fluff as well. It'll get better in later chapters I hope. Well anyways, enjoy!

Chapter Two
Staying and Leaving

He had been in the hospital for three weeks now and he was getting a bit worried. How would he explain to them about his Sharingan? Not only were his eyes no longer a bright sky blue but he could not deactivate his Sharingan. With his chakra stores as high as they were even without Kyubi he had enough for it to be on at all times but there was going to be no way for him to be able to explain to them how he had the Uchiha's bloodline limit.

They gave him some privacy. It seemed the decent thing to do; there was a chance that even though his eyes should be healed by now that he wouldn't be able to see. When he was admitted to the hospital, there were barely any eyes left. They had been damaged so badly that it was barely recognisable. They did not even think they would be able to heal him; it had only been the intervention of Kyubi that had restored his eyes. Though it was miraculous that their healing jutsu were having such a fast effect (What idiots!), the doctors were still not sure if he would still be able to see.

He had sat in front of the mirror they put in his room for a few minutes now and he had to do something. Unwrapping the bandages slowly, he finally was able to open his eyes. After getting used to the light, he finally faced the mirror and was shocked at what he saw.

He was exactly like his six year old self, just like he remembered himself. His hair was short, blond and spiky, there were three prominent whisker marks on each cheek and the weirdest thing was that his eyes were blue.

'What the hell… how?'

'I was hoping this would happen'

'Kyubi, what are you talking about?' Ever since Naruto happened to coincidentally pass all the requirements for a demon fox's rite of passage ritual, Kyubi had grown a respect for the boy and was very helpful in making his host one of the strongest ninjas possible.

They were partway through the melding ritual which would make them inseparable so they would not be susceptible to the Akatsuki and also allow for Naruto to accept much more of Kyubi's power. It was just a waste that it was locked up in Naruto's mind.

'It seems that because your old eyes were not cleanly and surgically removed and replaced that my chakra immediately went to heal you fixing them to be as close to their original as always. It seems they have melded the physical looks of your old eyes with the internal workings of our new ones.'

'You mean…'

'Yes, try them out. You have to get used to activating them on your own.'

Staring at his eyes in his reflection he channelled more chakra to his eyes and the effects were instantaneous. His blue eyes became much darker and three comma marks could be seen around the rim of the iris. A joyous laugh escaped his mouth. Things just got a lot less complicated.

'I think that it has now been imprinted in your genetic signature. There is a chance your children could gain the Sharingan now.'

'Hey, if this is ingrained in my genetics now, do you think I might be able to unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan then?'

'I expect that will be a possibility. Be prepared, I sense people approaching this room.'

Turning off his stolen Sharingan, he looked to the door as the Sandaime and the doctors entered the room. He could notice some of the hurtful glares from a majority of the doctors but he didn't care at the moment. Things were perfect.

"So it seems that you are perfectly fine. Good, when you get let out after a check up, we can go shopping. We have to get ready for your first days at the academy, don't we? It's only a couple of days away" said the third Hokage, a smile gracing his features.

Things definitely were perfect.

A couple of months later…

Gaara of the Desert was stalking down the dusty road to his home. The crowd were giving him a wide birth. I had been six months since his first assassination and the death of his uncle. The monster, as he was known as, had become very violent at even the slightest of grievances. The crowd were smart to avoid trouble.

As he got into his apartment that he shared with his siblings ever since his uncle had tried to kill him, he quickly made his way to his room and closed the door bypassing his panic stricken brother and sister. They still haven't gotten used to living with Gaara.

Entering the room, Gaara went straight to the bed and pushed at the figure in his bed. The figure immediately woke up and punched him in the face. Gaara went into the wall bursting into a mist of sand.

The real Gaara got out of bed and went about making the sand reconstitute back into a gourd. "I really need to learn to sleep better. It's been four months and I still haven't gotten into a good sleep pattern. WHY AM I ALWAYS CURSED WITH INSOMNIA?"

"WHY AM I ALWAYS CURSED WITH INSOMNIA?" Temari and Kankurou stopped in their tracks and looked towards Gaara's room.

"So, maybe we should go out for dinner tonight" suggested Temari. Kankurou was already gone and there was even a Kankurou shaped cloud where he used to be. "Coward!"

Naruto just got back from a training trip in the mountains. Nobody knew he was gone. As far as everybody was concerned, he had been in the academy for the last five days. It was close to sunset and he was heading to the academy training fields where his clone would be putting up the pretence of trying to train his kunai skills well into the day.

He was rounding the corner when he caught a head of blue-black hair hiding out of view from the clone by a tree. Unfortunately for her, Naruto could see her quite clearly. Hiding behind a tree himself and looked on as Hinata gazed on at the hard working clone. Naruto could only smile; he was seeing it in action. She was falling in love with him; this was where all those feeling she had told him about before she died in his arms started. He was seeing it all happening from an external view and it brought a smile to his lips.

"O, isn't it cute? She's starting to develop those stalking tendencies. I promise you Hinata, from the exam, I'll tell you everything and I'll pay you back for all those times I failed to notice your loving stares." He spent the next twenty minutes watching lovingly at the girl watching lovingly the boy trying to dislodge a kunai that was heavily embedded into the tree. He never got the kunai out.

Over two years later…

"Now, you know what to do right?" asked Naruto.

"Of course; eat ramen, play pranks, do poorly in school and be as loudmouthed as I can" replied the clone while saluting.

"Now, I infused you with so much chakra you are actually sentient. You have higher chakra abilities compared to other clones and you can actually become hurt without disappearing. Remember, this doesn't make you immortal. Try staying as close to the old timeline as possible. You got that?"

"Yes Boss."

"Great, I'll see you in a few years, but I'll definitely be back by graduation okay" said Naruto as he left quietly into the night. He was old enough now for his body to handle the concluding part of the merging ritual. Once completed, he would have to try to train with Gaara who was also going through with the merger to get used to their new powers.

It would be three years before he returned back.

End Chapter Two

Author's Notes:
So there is a new chapter of 'Second Chances'. The next chapter will have Naruto's return and the beginning of the Wave Country Arc with some edited details. I also plan to make sure Zabuza and Haku live through this. It would also be helpful if you could suggest a suitable pairing for Gaara, it can be rediculous as you like because Gaara will start acting more strange (ie. Have emotions). Well hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll try to write soon.