Second Chances

By: FlameXFullmetal

Disclaimer: Does anyone know where I can find a pot of gold so that I can make an offer for rights to Naruto? No? Damn, I guess I won't own it anytime soon.

A/N: Hey there! Another chapter in less than a week! I'm on a roll. A few housekeeping things that need to be done. I asked that people keep their reviews appropriate both in language and content. However, immediately I got TWO reviews telling me to kill myself. Seeing as I can't seem to get the point across by asking nicely, I have decided that all guest reviews will have to be screened. If that doesn't cut back on the problems I may have to find a way to disable them. I hate to do it but it is getting ridiculous.

I went back and did some clean up in the last chapters. Mostly grammar and spelling correction. I had someone tell me that the first chapter confused them with locations and who was talking so hopefully, I cleared that up. On to the story!

"hello" people (bijuu in human form) speaking

'hello' people (bijuu in human form) thinking/coded hand signals

"HELLO" bijuu (full demon form)/summoning/deity yelling

"hello" bijuu (full demon form)/summoning/deity talking

'hello' bijuu (full demon form)/summoning/deity thinking

hello jutsu

*************Uzushiogakure********************

As the irate Iwa nin wove his seals, the Konoha team looked on impassively. Through their training with Kakashi and former knowledge of Iwa's jutsu (in the time traveler's case), they knew exactly which jutsu he was doing. This jutsu was best dodged after it was cast. That way it couldn't be re-aimed. As soon as the last seal was woven and the chakra surged the four shinobi jumped away to the side and then swiftly moved into a practiced formation for encounters like these. Hinata swiftly withdrew a handful of Senbon and, after coating them with a fine layer of chakra, sent them at the shinobi. Every last one of them struck their target, multiple tenketsu in the arms and legs. Hachi cursed as he felt the feeling rapidly leaving the affected limbs and glared at the heiress. Last he had known the Hyuga were taijutsu users and their juken was not a ranged ability.

Unfortunately, the man had no time to be spacing as he had no choice but to fall to the side to avoid a kunai strike from Kakashi and moved right onto Sasuke's sword. There had been no epic battle, no showboating. Just pure result oriented combat. Removing his sword from the jonin-wannabe, Sasuke swiftly removed his head and sealed it into a scroll. Cleaning his sword he looked up and shrugged at the jonin.

"What? He ran right onto it!" He defended making all of them laugh.

"I see that you are making impressive progress on your ranged juken attacks, Hinata." Kakashi praised. The girl blushed as they went about moving the bandit corpses to a pile and one Katon jutsu later they were burning to ash. Almost as if they were one the group turned and headed into the tent where the girls were being kept hostage. Overall they looked alright but even Naruto could tell that something was wrong.

"Genjutsu maybe?" He suggested kneeling next to one of them. Nodding Kakashi used the release and almost had a heart attack as the startled girl threw herself away from him shrieking in fear.

"Woah! It's alright we are not going to hurt you." Sasuke quickly stated trying to keep his voice even. With all of the attacks that the time traveler had been through the sudden movement had momentarily put his instincts on high alert. The girl looked up at them and then spun to look at the other two just as Hinata released their genjutsu as well.

"We are Konoha ninja and we were sent to deal with the bandits and safely return you home. Will you trust us enough to lead you back to the village?" Kakashi asked the three girls in a low but even voice. After looking at each other they slowly nodded and Hinata helped them to their feet. She knew that they probably would not trust any of the boys at the moment considering what they had probably been through already. The group made a silent trip back to the village as Naruto left some clones behind to raid what the bandits had. He was secretly hoping that the bandits had some jutsu scrolls or weapons that they could use to build a decent armory with.

As soon as they came in view of the gates the girls ran ahead hoping to get back to a setting that they were familiar with, their home. As Kakashi reported the success of the mission the three genin stood by the gate waiting. For the most part, Sasuke and Naruto were waiting for Hinata's breakdown as the knowledge that she had ended someone's life hit her. They knew that it would be emotionally draining for the gentle girl but also knew that she was better getting the experience sooner rather than later. It was just as the silver-haired jonin was heading back to the group that Hinata darted off into the bushes and began to vomit. Naruto shrugged at Sasuke and left to console his future wife.

"It just hit her," Sasuke said plainly at the jonin's inquisitive gaze. It took nearly ten minutes of consoling before Naruto and Hinata rejoined the group. Hinata was looking rather pale and rattled while Naruto merely looked sympathetic. He had definitely had his share of comforting the girl when she was ill (having a pregnant wife with severe morning sickness would give someone a lot of experience wouldn't it?). After Kakashi confirmed that the three were ready to leave they headed off for their next mission.

"I'm surprised that you and Naruto are taking this so well. Well more surprised with Naruto than with you Sasuke." Kakashi admitted several minutes later. They were moving through the trees at an impressive rate. Much faster than a jonin with three new genin would be expected to move.

"Well in all fairness I did see my family slaughtered before me. The only difference is that I was doing the killing and not spectating from inside a genjutsu." Sasuke retorted.

"The Hokage never told you? This wasn't my first kill. Mizuki tried to kill me after a failed attempt at framing me for the theft of the forbidden scroll. I killed him by accident." Naruto half admitted. He knew that the man hadn't really failed. Naruto had merely reversed who was framed.

"No that was never mentioned to me," Kakashi admitted.

"Weird. So where are we going now?"

"I managed to get permission after quite a long argument with the Sandaime to take you to Uzu," Kakashi explained to the genin. Naruto felt his legs lock slightly and he stopped moving.

"Uzu?" He questioned quietly. He had intended to go back but he had never imagined that the Sandaime would allow him to return so early.

"Hai."

"Kakashi-sensei, what is in Uzu?" Hinata queried feeling like she was the only one that was in the dark.

"Uzushiogakure was the birthplace and home village of the Uzumaki clan. Not only were they the founding clan of the village but they were also the ruling family of the nation. Uzu no Kuni was one of the strongest shinobi villages at one time. Unfortunately, while they had the skill to back up their claim as strongest they didn't have the numbers. They were massacred around the time of the end of the second war." Kakashi explained to the heiress. Hinata found her eyes widening in shock.

"Naruto's mother was the only known survivor of the village. That was only so because she was already in Konoha at the time of the village's destruction." Kakashi continued. Naruto was quiet and trying to will his body to move again. For some reason, the thought that he was heading to his mother's birthplace was making him very nervous. Sasuke glanced over and saw the blonde struggling with his own demons and sighed. He had thought that he would be the one struggling.

"Am I right in assuming that you have known about this for a while Naruto?" Kakashi finally asked. Numbly the blonde shook his head in consent. "How long have you known your mother's identity?" He asked with genuine curiosity. He had been under the impression that the Sandaime had destroyed anything that the public could get their hands on that would link Naruto and Kushina together.

"Years." Was the stoic reply. Kakashi nodded.

"Have you told anyone?"

"Sasuke." The one-word responses were starting to concern the team as Naruto seemed to become despondent. Suddenly he looked up eyes filled with near murderous rage.

"What is the Sandaime getting out of this?! I refuse to go anywhere near Uzu if he thinks that he is getting clan secrets or something else from my clan! It's bad enough that he let them die!" Naruto snapped causing all three to recoil at the venom that was now present in his tone. The wording threw Kakashi off as he had no idea what Naruto was talking about.

"Naruto? What do you mean that the Sandaime 'let them die'?" The jonin asked cautiously.

"Well do you remember any Konoha nins dying the day that Uzu was destroyed? Were there any reported deaths that day? No there weren't. The death records of every shinobi in the village are publicly accessible for lineage research. Not one person died the day Uzu was destroyed. Yet the Sandaime insists that the red spiral worn by all chunin and jonin are in remembrance of an ally that couldn't be saved. He never even tried!" Naruto growled. He was dangerously close to losing control of the nine-tails' chakra and he was having a difficult time calming himself. Sasuke reached over and pulled the blonde into his arms and began to rub his back. There had been many times that he had lost his cool in the future and every time Sasuke and Hinata had been the only ones that could calm him. He made a mental note to teach Hinata how when they got back to Konoha.

"I see. Well, he did want scrolls but if we don't find any then he can't have them. Besides they are clan scrolls so he would have to get your consent to access them." Kakashi reasoned making the blonde start laughing. He had forgotten about that bump in the road for the Sandaime's plans!

"Sorry about that Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said his anger subsiding. Kakashi made a note to question him when they got to Uzu. Hopefully, the boy would open up then. He had never intended to give the Sandaime any of the Uzumaki clan scrolls anyway. He had tried to reason that the scrolls would be used to strengthen the village but Kakashi believed that the village had no right to the knowledge of a dead clan. The way he saw it they should let sleeping dogs lay. Who knows what kind of danger they would be in if they awoke that dog. Nodding the team headed off once again. The trip would be a long one.

Several days later...

Three days of travel and the team finally reached a small port on the coast of Hi no Kuni. Turning to his students Kakashi couldn't help but smile. Despite the initial anger at hearing that the Sandaime had wanted to pilfer the Uzumaki clan secrets, Naruto seemed relatively calm and somewhat excited.

"We will rest in an inn for the night and from there we will get a boat to take us to Uzu. I will work on securing the transportation so I want you three to rest. If you want to explore do so, but try not to cause a scene okay?" Kakashi informed the three genin who looked relieved at the thought of a bed and shower. As they separated Kakashi began the arduous task of finding transportation. Many of the people who owned ships were unwilling to go anywhere near the whirlpools of Uzu even after they were told that they would have safe passage. Many believed the island to be cursed by the Uzumaki for the betrayal that they had endured by Konoha and Kakashi being a Konoha nin wasn't helping. It appeared as if the ports that had worked with Uzu in the past had not forgotten the vow that Naruto had said was broken.

Naruto, on the other hand, had showered quickly and then changed into some more comfortable clothes for the purpose of sightseeing. Calling out to his team that he was going out he didn't wait for a reply and left the inn enthusiastic over what he might find. He couldn't help but notice the somewhat nasty looks that he got as he walked down the streets. It didn't take long to realize that the looks were directed towards his headband. 'Looks like some people remember the way that the Sandaime betrayed the Uzumaki. Good to know that it isn't just me.' He mused to himself. It was then that he noticed a small shop off to his right that sold some rather beautiful handcrafted jewelry. Stepping into the shop he felt the atmosphere change rapidly and inwardly smirked. 'Didn't know I was back in Konoha.'

"Shinobi-san is there anything that I can help you with?" A shopkeeper asked and Naruto couldn't help but notice the sarcastic honorific that he had been given.

"I was hoping to find something for someone that I want to ask out on a date. She is pretty important to me and well I have no idea what to buy her as a gift." Naruto confessed.

"I see. Well, most of the time you want something that reflects her personality or is connected to something that she likes. Or something that is symbolic for the two of you." He said in reply. He had been rather irked at the gall of the hidden leaf to claim the spiral and paint it red after they had betrayed the Uzumaki. He hadn't been that old but he did remember the smoke rising from the island and the sailors waiting anxiously for a force from Konoha to Uzu that never came. One of his best friends had been an Uzumaki and he had never forgiven them. Now there was one in his store. He was trying to put biasedness aside and be professional but the more he looked at the headband the more he wanted to scream.

"Hmmm…She likes flower pressing. She is very gentle and we both like foxes." Naruto replied after a moment. "I suppose she could remind you of a graceful raven the way that she moves." He added as an afterthought.

"Well, I think that you might find what you are looking for over in the case." He said directing the blonde to the indicated case.

"Thanks!" Naruto chirped and hopped over to take a look. Despite having married Hinata in the future they had been in the middle of a war so buying gifts had never been something that he had done. He was too focused on trying to keep his friends alive. Hinata never seemed to mind as long as he came home safely.

"So how long are you and your team staying?" The shopkeeper asked trying to keep his voice neutral. He wanted to know how long the village would have to suffer their presence.

"Just until the morning or however long it takes to get someone to take us out to my mother's homeland," Naruto replied honestly. His response, however, had piqued the interest of everyone who heard it.

"Your mother's homeland?"

"Yeah. My mom was born in Uzu and I am finally getting to see it for the first time. That is if someone would take us." He replied still looking at the display. He knew that he was taking a very dangerous gamble but he had to risk it. Just by the looks that he had gotten on his way through the village, he knew that Kakashi would have no luck finding someone.

"That is not very funny! How dare you spew such a filthy lie like that?!" One irate customer yelled taking a step forward.

"My mother was Uzumaki Kushina. She left the village when she was approximately eight years old and went to Konoha on the request of her great aunt. She died twelve years ago on the same night that I was born thanks to the Kyuubi attack." 'Sorry, Kurama.' "I am Uzumaki Naruto." He said turning finally making everyone in the shop stare in shock. There had been rumors that Kushina had indeed been pregnant. Could the boy be telling the truth?

"All Uzumaki are red-haired." The same customer sputtered in indignation.

"My father's genes won out in that regard. I got my father's hair color." Naruto countered.

"Prove it." The shopkeeper suddenly demanded.

"How? I don't have genetics test to show. Even if one existed I wouldn't be allowed to keep it thanks to the Sandaime." He asked honestly.

"One of my friends was an Uzumaki and he left some of his possessions here in case he needed them later. Mostly clothes. However, the scroll he sealed them in has a blood seal on it. Only an Uzumaki can open it. If you can open it I will take you across myself." He challenged.

"Fine bring the scroll," Naruto replied not backing down like everyone had thought he would at the thought of proving his genetics. Not even a minute later the scroll was laid down on the counter and Naruto walked over slowly. Biting his thumb he smeared the blood on the scroll and undid the seal. No one moved and no one dared breathe. There was an Uzumaki right in front of them!

"When do you want to go and how many are coming with you?" He asked quietly. Naruto beamed as his gamble paid off.

"How about nine tomorrow morning? Also, three others."

******************T.B.C***********************

A/N: I was hoping to get them on Uzu before ending the chapter but as I am trying to keep the chapters between 10-15 pages since that seems to be an acceptable length for everyone I called it quits at 11 pages. Anyway, they arrive at Uzu in the next chapter. I don't usually do this but I will admit that when I typed that Naruto left his clones behind, I had to edit the sentence during my review because I had written that Naruto had left his clothes behind. Oops. Anyone until next time! Ja ne!