Second Chances
By: FlameXFullmetal
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. I do own the original characters.
A/N: Hello there! I am back once more! A long time between updates but unfortunately I have been sick for a good majority of this month and haven't had the energy to get up and update any of my stories. I am feeling better and thankfully am back to my creative norm! Anyway, if you have made it this far than you know the drill!
Marquis shax: I honestly haven't decided whether or not Jiraiya will be able to redeem himself yet. Hopefully I will be able to soon.
Lara5170: Technically, yes. Naruto and Gaara should have had to fight due to Haku's forfeit. However, it had already been announced that Gaara had received a pass and I wasn't ready to write a Gaara vs. Naruto fight yet. I also agree that it never made sense on how Sasuke and Sakura got together.
Nightshadegirl: Kumo originally didn't even send anyone to the exams but because of the time travel and rumors of team seven, Kumo got curious. If I do manage to put Choji and Karui together I wouldn't do so until I had a beta that could help smooth out Karui's personality. Unfortunately, I have little knowledge of Karui's personality and behavior outside of the anime and she was usually shown pissed off. So I would definitely need help with that and unfortunately, I have had no luck finding a beta for either of my Naruto stories.
Guest: I suppose when you put it that way then he would be more of a traitor and less of a nuke-nin as there was no one in Uzu to declare him as such. However, he could be listed as a nuke-nin from a different country that he managed to make enemies with. So, I suppose that it could go either way.
Queen of Darkness O.o: They are indeed. Unfortunately, I don't know who else to put them with and with their clan's line almost at an end it wouldn't be unexpected for them to be required to produce an heir. Especially with Temari being the oldest and as a result the clan heiress.
The King in White: Thank you! I am working to try and smooth out the roughness. I am glad that enjoy it.
"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
**********Training and a Return to Uzu*********
"Hokage-sama, I would like to request permission to leave the Hidden Leaf and return to Uzu to do my training for the next phase of the exam." Hiruzen took his eyes off of the paper he had been reading and looked at the blonde genin before him.
"Why can you not do your training in Konoha?"
"I was hoping to work with some experimental jutsu that I have been thinking about and to try and gain some control over the nine-tails' chakra. Neither of which, I believe, would be a very safe thing to do in the Hidden Leaf. It may actually cause alarm among the visiting shinobi if they sense bijuu chakra so close to the village." Naruto explained as if he was giving a mission report.
Hiruzen leaned back and looked at the boy before him. He still wasn't certain about his changes and he had been taking a lot of risks in letting him out of his sight as much as he already had. At the same time he had a very good point about the techniques he wanted to work on. However, was it safe to let him go outside of the village once more when his loyalties were still being questioned. Sighing he felt his eyes widen as he thought about a solution.
"There is a former student of mine in Konoha. If you can convince him to escort you then I will allow the trip. If you can't then I will deny it. You will have until this time tomorrow. He will be able to defuse the situation if you lose control of the nine-tails."
'I wonder if that would go as well as last time.' Naruto thought to himself knowing precisely what the Sandaime had in mind. At the same time he wasn't sure if he was ready to face the toad sannin yet. Jiraiya's death had been hard on him and yet it was quite apparent even before his death that Naruto realized just how little the sannin had trained him. When he started training with Bee that he realized just how far behind he was compared to the other jinchuriki, let alone his peers. After all, in a two and a half year span he had only polished his taijutsu, learned how to dispel genjutsu (even though he was still bad at it), gained some control over Kurama's chakra, and learned more about the sannin's writing style than he had hoped. In that same time, Sasuke and Sakura had learned how to hold their own against and even surpass their teachers.
While he loved the sannin like a grandfather, he had been given no choice but to accept that Jiraiya had placed him at a great disadvantage when he struggled to reach the level that he had needed during the fifth war. Especially when he tried to fight without the use of Senjutsu and Kurama's chakra. He was nothing more than a sitting duck at the time. They were the only things outside of the Rasengan and it's variations that made him even remotely dangerous at the time. In all honesty, in the small amount of time that he had spent with Bee on that turtle he had learned more than he had in almost all of his time as a ninja of Konoha. Sad really.
Naruto had been so lost in thought over the subject he had missed when he agreed to the proposal and left the Sandaime's office heading straight for the hot springs. After all, the best place to find Jiraiya would be where he could do his 'research'. That was another thing that pissed Naruto off about Jiraiya. Most of the time that they were "training", if they were anywhere near civilization, Jiraiya would be spying on women and not paying attention. It was almost as if his hormones were far more important than his godson. Before his thoughts could go any farther, Naruto was snapped back into reality to hear perverted giggling.
"Hey old man! You know that the kunoichi in there are going to kill you when they find out that you are spying on them and corrupting the youth of the village right?" Naruto called out loud enough for the hot springs to hear. Jiraiya paled and before he could escape he found himself being pelted by kunai of all thing! Just where did they hide those in their towels anyway?! Fleeing from the scene, desperately running for his life as the kunoichi followed, he looked back and Naruto could be seen laughing on the ground.
'I'll get even with that kid if it's the last thing that I do!' he vowed. His panic making him miss the fact that it had been his own godson that had given him away.
Naruto himself couldn't help but pale a little and stop laughing as the rest of the women finally left the hot springs fully dressed and apparently armed to the teeth. Among them was Karui, Samui and Anko wearing expressions that promised a very painful death. Naruto merely pointed in the direction that Jiraiya had headed after answering their questions on whether or not he knew who had been spying on them. 'I can't help but pity the man now...on second thought no I don't. He deserves it for spying on mom and dad on their wedding night. Besides, Hinata could have been in there!'
Naruto didn't see hide nor hair of Jiraiya for hours afterwards and it was only as he had decided to head back to Sasuke's for the evening that he caught a glimpse of the sannin. Jogging in his direction Naruto smirked as he realized that the man was pre-occupied with ogling yet another girl. As he got closer to the two he felt his old prankster side resurfacing and he transformed into a nondescript, easily forgettable kid and headed into sight.
"Oji-san, there you are! I have been looking all over for you ever since you left me at the park! Obaa-san's not gonna be happy to find out that you have been flirting again, either. I'm hungry and I wanna go home and I can't do that because you have the house keys!" Naruto whined. Jiraiya paled as the girl he had been flirting with got a disgusted look and then slapped him across the face storming away. Growling, Jiraiya turned to face the menace only to be met with the icy stare of his godson.
"We need to talk about some things, godfather" Naruto hissed out in a low tone making whatever color Jiraiya still have leave the man's face. Grabbing ahold of the man's arm before he could flee or protest, Naruto used the Shunshin to teleport them away from the area and onto an empty training ground. By the time that Jiraiya recovered from the unexpected trip, Naruto had already placed security seals around the area.
"Now then, shall we start?"
"Now hold on just a minute, kid.."
"You damn well know my name Jiraiya, after all mom and dad practically asked your permission to name me after the main character in your only decent book." Naruto countered making Jiraiya narrow his eyes.
"Who told you?"
"Does it matter? After all, it's not like you were going to. As a matter of fact no one ever tells me anything. Well, except for him. I have had one honest person in my life when it comes to my past and the circumstances surrounding the attack twelve years ago. Just one in a whole village of people."
"Who?"
"The Kyuubi, who else is going to tell the "fox brat" anything?" Naruto countered angrily. The old sannin flinched at the venomous tone that was directed at both him and the village.
"Jesus christ, the nine-tails! Why are you listening to that beast?!"
"Why shouldn't I? As I said and when you were apparently not listening because he is the only one that has ever been honest with me!" Naruto snapped. Turning and starting to pace Jiraiya let out a loud string of curses as he tried to come up with a solution.
"If you even suggest or try to tighten the seal any, so help me I will cut you out of my life completely. Now I have to ask you something. Are you or are you not going to at the very least accept your responsibility as my godfather and escort me to my chosen training field to train for the next round of the exams or not?"
"Where do you want to go?"
"I want to go back to Uzu. Unfortunately, the Sandaime won't let me go unless you are there because he still thinks that not only could I be a traitor, I can't control the nine-tails or defend myself. Since I want to work on more destructive techniques and controlling Kyuubi's chakra I don't want to do it here in Konoha if I can help it so I don't cause a panic. However, what I work on will not change regardless of where I am. The only question is whether or not you are going to let the other country's shinobi freak out when they sense the bijuu chakra."
"I see that would be difficult to work on in the village..." Jiraiya mumbled. "Why is your loyalty being questioned?"
"Because I stopped being the obedient little drone that jumps on command and I finally stopped hiding my true skill. So naturally, I have to be a spy or working for someone else right?"
"That's ridiculous!"
"That's the ninja world!" Naruto shouted causing the sannin to recoil as if he had been bitten by a snake. "If the person isn't showing unwavering loyalty to their kage then they are not to be trusted and become disposable. When a jinchuriki stops being the good little soldier that they are manufactured to be, we are given a death sentence when a more suitable and loyal vessel is found. Can you honestly say, without any doubt, that is not true?"
"Uzu, huh?" Jiraiya whispered. After a few moments of awkward silence he turned to look at his godson once more. "When do you want to leave?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. I have a few things I need to do before I can leave. One o'clock in the afternoon at, let's say, the west gate."
"Deal. I'll go let sensei know." Without a word Naruto dropped the privacy seals and disappeared returning to his intended destination. After staring at the spot that Naruto had just been in a few moments earlier Jiraiya shook his head and headed for the Hokage tower as fast as he could. He needed answers.
With Naruto...
Arriving at Sasuke's house, Naruto opened a closed window and stepped inside the living room. Closing the window once more he locked it and then dropped on Sasuke's couch. He barley registered the door opening and Sasuke taking his shoes off. He stirred only when Sasuke stopped in front of him.
"I take it that you ran into Jiraiya today. Did you at least get permission to go to Uzu to train?"
"Yeah but I have to spend the whole month with Jiraiya looking over my shoulder. I'll manage somehow but did you and Kakashi get anywhere with your plans for training this coming month?"
"Yeah. He said he would sneak me out of Konoha if he had to so we could work on my more destructive techniques."
"You should come to Uzu. There is more than enough space to avoid each other there."
"We might. How do you intend to get anything done with Jiraiya there?"
"I could use a sleep seal and a memory modifier if necessary. However, I think that there should be an Uzumaki only training ground that I could use to avoid him if necessary."
"I see. Do you know what Hinata intends to work on over the month?"
"I may have slipped a hint that the Byakugan isn't complete and that it can get stronger."
"Tricky."
"Yup." After a few more moments of silence Sasuke turned to the window and sighed.
"There are to many changes. We have no idea how the finals are going to go or when the attack will start anymore. With the changes that we have seen now, how much more has become impossible to predict and prevent?"
"I don't know. I have no idea how we didn't notice the change in the passing teams. Or the fact that Kumo had a team in the exams this time. Plus, I still have to get Karin settled and come to think of it I may take her to Uzu with me. I'm not sure if you know but during the war Karin was able to awaken the clan's chakra chains in order to get to you. I'm hoping that we can activate and learn how to control them together."
"Solid plan...I'm flattered that she would go so far for me. It's just a shame that I will never be able to return her feelings."
"Don't worry I will make sure that she never falls for your chakra." Naruto laughed. After a few moments of light hearted laughter the two bid each other goodnight and drifted into restless sleep.
Meanwhile with Jiraiya...
"Sensei, did you know that he was communicating with the nine-tails?"
"He's what?!" Hiruzen choked out almost swallowing his pipe.
"The kid knows everything about his parents, me being his godfather and god knows what else. He also said that he trusted Kyuubi more than he trusted the whole village because Kyuubi has been the only one that has been honest with him." Curing Hiruzen glanced over at the portraits on the wall of the former Hokage.
"How have things gotten this out of control?"
"That's what I want to know."
"We have to tighten the seal. That is our only choice Jiraiya."
"Out of the question at this point sensei. He has already made one threat should anyone attempt it. I don't know about you, but I prefer to not be cut out of my godson's life permanently."
"Some sacrifices have to be made Jiraiya. That seal needs to be tightened. We can not allow him to continue conversing with the nine-tails. It would be far to dangerous especially with his weird behavior lately. He's been invoking a lot of the Uzu-Konoha treaty lately and for the most part I have been unable to do anything but watch as he does as he pleases. I wouldn't be surprised if the nine-tails has talked him into leaving the Hidden Leaf. As it is, he has already expressed an interest in reviving Uzu."
"Uzushiogakure or the Uzumaki clan in specific sensei?" Jiraiya questioned then groaned. "You really messed up didn't you?"
"Please Jiraiya it's not like you were here to take care of him. So the fault is just as much yours."
"Don't play that game with me sensei! You know damn well why I wasn't here. Unless you know someone else that can run my spy network." As the standoff continued the two glared at one another in silence.
"I will be escorting Naruto to Uzu for the next month so he can train sensei. As he said it's the least that I can do as his godfather." Jiraiya said with a tone of finality. Turning and leaving the room the only that could be heard was the door closing. Hiruzen sunk in his chair feeling almost twenty years older. Glancing towards the portraits once more he sighed.
"What would you do sensei? Is it just me that has these problems or is it just worse than the other countries because the cause of the problems is an Uzumaki?"
The next day...
For Jiraiya and Naruto the afternoon seemed to come almost in an instant. It was almost in sync that they arrived at the gate together. Only Naruto wasn't alone. Beside him was a red haired girl with glasses that seemed almost nervous at being there.
"This is my cousin Karin. She will be joining us for this trip. She is neither a Konoha shinobi nor under Konoha's authority at all." Naruto said with finality making the sannin nod in silence. Not another word was spoken as the trio departed from the village. The trip was silent and it seemed as if they were strangers merely going in the same direction as opposed to a team. For Naruto, he was lost in thought praying that the scrolls he had left behind for the rookies would be enough for the coming invasion. Yes, they had regained their fourth and fifth war strength but at the same time with how many things had changed he wasn't sure if it would be enough.
Karin, herself was wondering what Uzu looked like and if there was anything there that could remove the bite marks on her arms. She absolutely detested the reminder of her time in Kusa and prayed that they wouldn't be permanent scars. Glancing to her side, she blushed slightly at her cousin. He had the warmest, most inviting chakra she had ever felt and it only seemed to grow in strength on a daily basis.
"Karin, be careful that you don't mistake an attraction to soothing chakra as an attraction to the person that has it. You will miss out on true love if you do that." Starting and then blushing at being caught she nodded in understanding.
As for Jiraiya, his mind was still lingering on the conversation that he had had the previous evening with his sensei. Was the Sandaime really as callous as to suggest that he lose his only chance to be in his godson's life over fear of an event that would be rightly justified? Sure he had ruined his relationship with his youngest son but that doesn't mean that everyone else had to ruin their relationships as well, right? He looked towards the horizon and sighed. It was going to be a long month.
***********T.B.C*********
A/N: Well that is the end of this chapter. I may brush over their training for the month but more than likely not I will be skipping it. I find merely reading a whole chapter about training to be tedious and boring. So most likely the next chapter will kick off the final round of the exams. Hopefully I will have found a beta reader by then to help with the fight scenes. Until next time! Ja ne!