Naruto opened the door to the Hokage's office.

There were already several people inside.

Sai. Sakura. Shikamaru and Hinata.

"You're here." Kakashi greeted him. "We can get started."

He fell in line beside his fellow shinobi.

"I've gathered you here to investigate some occurrences in the Land of Whirlpools." Kakashi began.

"The land of whirlpools?" Naruto echoed. "Does such a place exist?"

"Ah." Kakashi answered. "The shinobi village of Uzushiogakure has been destroyed for a while. However there have been some disappearances in that area and I want you to look into it.This team will be lead by Shikamaru and each of you were chosen because of the skills required for this mission.

The hokage looked specifically at the blonde-haired youth.

"Naruto."

"Hmm?"

"What do you know about the Land of Whirlpools?" he asked.

"Wellll ...uhm..Uhhh.." his face scrunched as he struggled to come up with an answer. It did sound familiar to him. Uzushiogakure. Uzushiogakure. He turned the word over in his head.

He had never much been one for studying.

Shikamaru sighed as he watched his friend struggle.

"The Land of Whirlpools is located on an island off of the coast of the Land of Fire.The people who lived there formed a close friendship and shared an alliance with Konoha.However other nations feared the people of the village and banded together to destroy them. Those who managed to survive fled to other villages." He looked at him pointedly. "This clan was extremely skilled in Fūinjutsu. " He paused before he spoke again "The Uzumaki clan"

Naruto's eyes instantly became enlarged.

"Uzumaki?" The word resonated with him. "That's it!" he exclaimed "I remember. When I was battling Kurama I met my mother."

Sakura and the others looked at him. He'd never told them that before.

"She did say something about being a land that was destroyed. She said that's where Kurama's first Jinchuriki came from."

Kakshi nodded "That's right." Kakashi confirmed. "That Jinchuriki was married to Lord First, The grandfather of the Fifth Hokage."

Naruto's eyes filled with a kind of wonder.

"So you mean Granny Tsunade is a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan?"

"Right." Kakashi confirmed. "Though the land was abandoned many years ago, you've also met other descendants from the Uzumaki Clan before"

"I have?" 

"Karin  and Nagato." 

Naruto gasped.

There was still so much he didn't know.He then thought of his sibling disciple Nagato and Sasuke's former team member, Karin. He wondered if they knew any of this.

As though a lightbulb went off in his head, he gasped again. Thinking about them, he realized that both Nagato and Karin had red hair---just like his mother.

His mother.

Something in Naruto stirred.

Much of his formative years were spent alone. No idea of his mother. No idea of his father. Everyone treated him like an outcast, always glaring with hateful eyes.He'd suffered alone, unseen until Iruka sensei had acknowledged him. That was the turning point for him. His very first bond.

After he left the academy he became a part of Team 7 and they became a family of sorts to him--Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi sensei.

He had come a long way since then. He had met alot of people and formed many bonds even in the village. 

Thanks to his father he'd gotten to meet his mother briefly but it hadn't been enough.In those precious moments he had gotten to see her, hold her, hear her tell him she loved him.

He knew she'd come to the village from another place but he had no idea where.

"Naruto!"  voice broke through his thoughts.

"Hm?" he brought himself back to the present. "Sorry Kakashi sensei" 

Sakura watched him from where she stood. She wondered what he was feeling. 

"Your mission is to uncover what's happening there. This is an S-rank mission."

"Right!" Naruto gave out in his usual excitable way.

"I'm counting on you." Kakashi offered to the team finally before dismissing them.

Once on the other side of the door Shikamaru turned to his team.

"Alright. If we fly, it should take us 3 days to get to the Land of Whirlpools." Shikamaru told his team. "Sai, to conserve your chakra, we will take 3 birds. Naruto, you go with Hinata. Sakura, you go with Sai and I'll fly alone."

"Understood." Sai replied to the Captain's instructions.

Sakura couldn't deny she felt a twinge of jealousy. Hinata would be riding with Naruto for the next three days.As quickly as the feeling came she stamped it out. Isn't this what she wanted? For Naruto to be with Hinata? A woman worthy of him. Besides, this was not the time for her emotions to be running amok, ahead of a mission. Especially a mission that could turn out to be something so important for him.

They were going back to a village that had traces of his heritage. He who had struggled alone for so long.

He wasn't alone now. 

They all cheered for him.

They all walked beside him.

They were all ready for catch him if he ever stumbled, just as he had always done for all of them.

That's right--he was no longer alone. He had all of them.

He had her.

They walked out into the sunlight.

He was wearing that determined expression she had seen so many times over the years they'd been together.

Sai retrieved his scroll and drew three large birds that immediately sprang forth when he commanded them to.

Naruto and Shikamaru each catapulted on to their respective birds.

A blush rose in Hinata's cheek when Naruto extended his hand for her to climb on. She placed her hand in his and climbed up.

Sakura quickly looked away lest her green eyes betray her.She quickly manoeuvred and joined Sai before the birds took flight.