A Jinchuuriki's Destiny

by AmusedLight

Summary:

Taken away from his home, used as a slave, he escapes only to be roaming in a galaxy far away from home, Naruto finds out his past, his heritage and vows to change it Naruto/Harem. crossovers included. Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Naruto or Star Wars.

Chapter 1: The Ripple

[Valley of the End]

The Valley of the End is the place where the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound meet. However, to the citizens of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leafs, it was a memorial. A memorial dedicated to the battle between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

Many years ago, an incredible battle took place there, where Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, clashed with the legendary Madara Uchiha. Madara, who had become disillusioned with the foundation of Konoha, used his Sharingan to take control of the Nine-Tailed Fox, using it as his weapon against the first Hokage. No longer believing that peace can be achieved with diplomacy and kindness, he decided that peace can only be achieved through domination and power.

The battle was fierce, and the battle was destructive. The land around them was torn apart, shredded into oblivion as the two titans fought. Hills and rivers were born and destroyed as the result of the final battle between the Uchiha and the Senju clan. The earth shook as the Kyuubi roared alongside with Madara. The sky screeched as fire, lightning, and earth rained from above and below.

Despite Madara Uchiha giving it his all, in the end, he had lost, slain by the man known as the First Hokage, but also as the man that was once his best friend. Hashirama, who mourned the loss of his friend, decided to create two large statues of himself and his friend, as a tribute to his friend.

However, history has a funny way of repeating itself. Or more accurately, history has a funny way of rhyming like a tragic poem.

This is the case of Sasuke Uchiha, the last member of the Uchiha clan, save for his elder brother, who had slain his own clan members, sparing only his baby brother. Consumed by hatred, Sasuke had vowed revenge against his sworn enemy, doing whatever it took to become strong enough to kill his brother. That is when Orochimaru the serpent slithered into the garden, promising Sasuke power if he switched allegiances. After a few days of hesitation, Sasuke accepted his offer, defecting to the Sound Village with the help of Orochimaru's elite servants.

However, his defection did not go unnoticed. Tsunade, the newest Hokage for the village, had sent a team to retrieve Sasuke. That team consisted of Shikamaru, a member of the Nara clan; Kiba, a member of the Inuzuka clan; Choji, a member of the Akimichi clan; Neji, a member of the Hyuga Clan; and finally, Naruto, the unknowing last member of the Uzumaki Clan.

Naruto was the most special member of them all, in more ways than one. For one, he was the carrier of the Nine-Tailed Fox, which had laid heavy destruction to Konoha a few years ago. Because of his fate as Konoha's jinchuuriki, he was seen as the demon itself, and was ostracized from society. This might have crushed the souls of lesser men, but Naruto used his bitter life as motivation to prove his worth to his village. Declaring his goal to become the Hokage, he worked hard to become stronger. Eventually, the boy did grow stronger, meeting incredible foes and allies alike, and even learning some powerful techniques along the way, which included the Shadow Clone technique and the Rasengan.

Naruto, the energetic boy full of spirit, had eventually made some friends along the way, including his rival, Sasuke. They didn't always get along, but they had eventually grown to respect each other, and at some point, they eventually developed what some would call an odd type of friendship.

That bond, however, is currently being tested now, as Sasuke and Naruto were now at the Valley of the End. They had been fighting for a few minutes, and at the moment, they were both evenly matched, both in skill and determination.

"Sasuke…" Naruto's appearance had changed as he was using the same energy he'd used fighting against Gaara. He now had claw like hands and his teeth had sharpened like a fox, with his blue eyes turning angry red. "I will take you back to the village even its the LAST thing I will do!" Naruto yelled, running towards him over the water and throwing a powerful punch at the cursed-seal form Uchiha, who was sent back into the stone wall with a loud CRASH! The Uchiha was sent flying back so hard that it crushed the mountain wall behind him, causing some dust and debris to fall on him.

No movement was seen in the crater for a good five minutes, giving Naruto little breathing time.

"Don't be foolish…" Sasuke finally spoke out from the crater he now stood in. He slowly walked out of the crater, now fully transformed into his cursed seal form. His skin turned dark-grey like his eyes, and his hair grew longer as they turned dark blue. Sprouting from his back were webbed-claw-shaped wings from his back, and a star-shaped mark appeared across the bridge of his nose.

Sasuke, now in his fully formed cursed form, shouted, "And why do you even care?! Like I said, you never had a family! You've always been alone! So don't try to stop me!"

This had hit a nerve for the young blonde. Naruto wished he had the words to convince him from turning away, but he knew that Sasuke had a point. He never grew up with a mother cooking for him, since he had to catch food and cook it himself. He never had a father to teach him anything until he finally got to the academy, where he began to learn how to read and write. Growing up alone with no one to look after him, he learned quickly how to survive on the streets after being kicked out of the orphanage until a few folks came into his life to help him out. Like the late Third Hokage, who he called Old Man, who gave him a home to sleep in, and Iruka, who helped him after school hours to learn how to read and write.

Then came others like Shikamaru and Choji, who didn't shun him away like the other kids, and frequently hung out with him. Then came the whole Team 7, the very same team that he hung out with. The very same group of people that he ate with, fought with, argued with, and had fun with. The very same team that made him feel like he was a part of a family..

Then there was Haku, the rogue shinobi who he met before the fight on the bridge, who taught him that true strength came from protecting those you love. Even though he turned out to be the enemy, in the end Naruto knew that they were never truly enemies, and that perhaps in another life, they could've been friends.

And then there was Gaara. Poor, lonely Gaara, who was a fellow jinchuuriki who had it even worse than him. Gaara, who everyone hated and shunned, including his own father. Poor Gaara, who had nobody to tell him that it was alright, and that the world hasn't abandoned him.

Then he came along-an outsider from a different village that he was attacking. He, who understood his pain better than anyone else, even though Gaara had a sister and a brother to grow up with. He was the one that healed Gaara's wound, and was the first time to that stopped to realize who he was, and what he was not. He was the first one to not call him a monster, but rather, a friend.

He had found people to care about, and thus, people to protect, and he was not going to let his loved one get lost in a mission for revenge that he may never walk away from. "Even if I don't know how you went through without your family, you still need to know," Naruto started channeling huge amounts of chakra into the palm of his hand. "That you've still got memories of them while I didn't And you still got people that care about you! And I'll be damned if I let you turn your back on them!"

It could've been just him, but for a split second, he thought he saw pain in Sasuke's eyes. For a fraction of a second, he thought that his eyes, which was full of anger and hatred, dim a little, as if remembering all the memories he shared with Naruto. Every good and bad moments that they shared, and even in the rare times that Sasuke would smile, which would always send Sakura into a cheer.

Then that moment was gone, sadness and regret being consumed by the black fires of rage and hatred.

"Enough! Let's end this!" Sasuke yelled as he summoned his next attack with the remaining chakra he had left in his body, running towards Naruto with the sound of a thousand chirping birds coming out from his hand that was filled with lightning.

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!" Naruto's hand was filled with his most powerful technique as he rushed towards his friend. His arm stretched forward, he summoned every bit of energy he had left in his bones. He would not let the one person he considered the closest as a brother to the despair of revenge…

"I'LL TAKE YOU BACK TO THE VILLAGE, NO MATTER WHAT!"

The two techniques combined with an overwhelming force, that it had an unintended reaction that soon not only was felt around the area, but also into places no one expected.

The two techniques clashed once again, making the air and the water ripple with pure power. The two boys screamed as they fought for dominance, not willing to lose their battle.

Naruto felt many things in that moment.

Fear. The fear of losing his friend, and fear of losing this battle.

Hatred. Hatred for everything that's happened to him, everything that he missed out on that Sasuke was taking for granted, even after everything he had lost and still had.

Sadness. Sadness for the fact that one of his only friends was going to leave him for power.

Anger. Anger at everything. At his shitty life. At the way Gaara was treated. At the way that Sasuke made Sakura cry. At the way that he made him cry. At the way that Sasuke was just going to throw everything away for revenge, even the people that still cared about him. Anger at the fact that Sasuke got everything from the start, while he lost everything at the beginning.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he felt his attack being pushed back. Something was changing. Something was different. Naruto's attack seemed to have been growing stronger, and it was pushing him back!

Little did the both of them know, that somewhere else in the vast universe, other people were also feeling this change. This surge of power, which Sasuke and Naruto was barely comprehending, was being felt on the other side of the galaxy.

27 BBY - [Coruscant; Jedi Temple]

Meanwhile, on a planet that was countless lightyears away from the planet that Naruto and Sasuke were on, there was a disturbance amongst a certain group of people.

On Coruscant, in the middle of the biggest city of the Grand Republic, was a temple, lived more than 10,000 Jedi, who were wielders of the Force that called this place their home, with Jedi Masters teaching their Padawans and younglings the ways of the Force in their daily lessons.

No, the disturbance didn't come from the fact that dozens of Star Systems just left the Republic, forming into what they called themselves "The Confederacy of Independent Systems." No, the disturbance had nothing to do with politics. Instead, it was the Force itself, or rather, something disturbing the once tranquil pond.

In that singular, simultaneous moment, every single Jedi froze in their steps. Some were bathing. Some were training. Some were reading. Some were teaching the younglings. Some were meditating. Regardless, every single one of them felt a shockwave in the Force, as if a large rock had suddenly been dropped into the pond, and they were the fish that was feeling the impact.

The younglings fell on their knees, unsure of how to deal with the wave of emotions that was overwhelming them. Fear. Anger. Hatred.

The Dark Side.

The knights and the padawans all stumbled on their feet, as if an earthquake had rocked the land, leaving them gasping for air.

Meanwhile up above, the Jedi Masters weren't doing much better. They all shuddered at the sudden wave of dark emotions. They all shivered at the feeling that most hadn't felt in many years, if ever.

The Dark Side.

"The Sith?"

Mace Windu closed his eyes to try figure out through the Force what that was; the strong surge of power was still present, and what he saw was terrifying:

A large, fox with nine tails snarling as it roared in what he assumed to be in rage. It's glowing, red eyes then looked at Windu, and he could look no longer.

One of the Masters, a small, Lannik male named Piell, put his hand over his head. "This presence…I've never felt anything like it before."

Another master, a Togruta female by the name of Shaak Ti, who wasn't normally the type to be easily rattled, found herself to be stunned by this anomaly.

"This isn't normal." She murmured. "It feels...so...different."

Yoda, on the other hand, was very calm, years of training keeping him focused and calm as everyone else was too busy chatting about what the new element could be.

"It must've been Dooku, no doubt about it."

"No, not even Dooku is that powerful." Plo Koon, a masked Kel Dor said, scratching his chin. "This is something far more powerful. Something far more...potent in the dark side of the force."

"Fear…"

All the other masters present in the room turned to the small, Grand Master, who spoke, his quiet voice instantly commanding their attention.

"Master?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Fear...hatred…" The small, green Jedi continued, before opening his eyes. "Anger...sadness." Yoda slowly listed. "The feelings of a boy. Pain, he is in. Terrible pain."

That honestly surprised many of the Jedi masters, their first assumption being that the source was coming from a Sith, but when Master Yoda named up the emotions, they began to wonder otherwise.

Windu snapped out of his shock quickly, silently noting that the last time the Grand Master felt something like this, it was with the future Padawan Skywalker, who, for some reason, was on Tatooine.

"Pinpoint the location we must." Yoda declared. "Of the source of the power, finding out we must."

"Somebody get to the communication center." Windu commanded. "We need to try and find out where this power is coming from."

"Not on regular map, this will be found." Yoda said, gained their attention again while standing up from his seat. He began to walk towards the exit. "The Jedi Archives, go we must."

"Why, Master?"

"Power like this, I'm familiar with." Yoda just kept walking as he thought back on it. "Felt this I never had, not since Padawan days of mine…"

This, again, stunned some of the other Jedi Masters. His Padawan days? That was almost over 600 years ago. Did the Grand Master know something the others didn't?

"Never felt this since…that terrible battle in Elementia."

…

[Jedi Archives]

In the midst of the Archives, many of the Jedi were still trying to cope with what they just felt through the force. Those who were more experienced quickly got a hold of themselves ,and were trying to help the younger ones who were struggling with the surge.

One of those who was helping out a young padawan was Jocasta Nu, who was comforting a young Togruta girl, who was covering her ears as she was tearing up.

"Be calm, young one." She whispered to her in a calm tone. "I'm here for you, nothing will happen."

"This anger, Master." The youngling shrieked, with tears falling down her cheeks. "Why is it so angry?" This was happening all over the temple, with Jedi Knights and Masters suddenly found themselves trying to help the Padawans and the younglings from going into panic attacks, as they weren't prepared for such an intense wave of the Dark Side. It grew so bad that even the medical bay had to send droids into the Archives to help out.

A few exceptions to that was one Anakin Skywalker, who just got back with Obi Wan Kenobi from a Senate meeting, and felt that powerful surge of the Dark Side just when they returned to the temple.

Stumbling, Padawan Anakin Skywalker had to take a moment to recover himself, alongside of Obi Wan. After a minute of meditation, Anakin was finally calm enough to finally analyze the situation in front of him. Anakin found himself dumbfounded by the amount of Jedi who were being helped by the others. "Master, have you seen something like this before?"

"No, Anakin." Obi Wan calmly answered that question while observing the scene, quite stunned by this as he wondered where that surge came from. Just then, he noticed Master Yoda and almost all of the Council Members following the Grand Master walking towards the Holocron Vault.

Walking up to them was Jocasta Nu, who was quietly asking the Grand Master, "Master Yoda, that power...the Padawans, they-"

"Please, Master Jocasta." Yoda said while continuing to walk towards the vault. "The vault in, I must."

"If you say so." Master Jocasta stepped aside as Yoda walked up to the Holocron Vault.

Yoda raised his hand, and unlocked the Vault with the Force. "Wait here, you must."

The other masters understood him, and watched the Grand Master walk inside the vault alone. The moment the eldest Jedi stepped inside, the vault closed right behind him.

…

If any normal civilian were to enter the Holocron Vault, the first thing they would notice would be the impressive amount of glowing, metal boxes, which contained priceless information that only the Jedi could access. If they stayed long enough, they would also notice how eerily quiet the tomb-like vault really is, with the only sounds they might hear would be their own breathing, or in this case, the sound of Yoda's cane tapping as he walked leisurely to his destination.

This is one of the many ways the Jedi are so different than the average person. This is also one of the many reasons to how different a Master is to a youngling. If Yoda concentrated hard enough, he would've been able to hear every single one of the Holocrons, each of them whispering their messages to the powerful force-wielder.

This would drive any normal person or even a youngling mad, which is why it's also a blessing that only Masters can automatically hear them, for only the Masters have a high enough skill to block out the endless chatter that would arise from the glowing, blue boxes.

'Found it, I have.' Yoda thought to himself as he raised his hand.

With a quiet hiss, one of the holocrons popped out of the wall. It gently floated towards Yoda's awaiting hands. He cradled the holocron with care, as if one would care for a hatching egg - or a thermal detonator.

"Long time has it been, holding this." Yoda stared at the holocron, which held the knowledge of ancient history that he was unfortunate to be a part of. Locked away in this holocron, he had hoped that he would never have to open it again. Sadly though, the force had just proven him wrong, and it would appear that he would have to return to that planet.

Turning around while holding the holocron, he made his way back towards the exit of the Vault and prepared himself for the reactions those who would find out that a secret was being held from them for almost over seven centuries.

…

In the Jedi Temple Communications Center, seats and spots were being taken as it was being filled with Jedi of all ranks, including some younglings, who had calmed down at this point, and was more curious than terrified at what could've caused "The Ripple", as some have already dubbed it.

Windu walked up to the holoprojector table. Turning on the map, all of the lights dimmed down, with the only source of light being the glowing, holographic map of the galaxy, which almost took up the whole room. Yoda walked up to the holoprojector, and placed the holocron on the floor just in front of it.

"What's the master doing?" One youngling whispered.

"I don't know, maybe it has something to do with that sudden surge we had felt."

All chatter stopped when Yoda sat in his meditative position as he began to concentrate into the Force. Everyone knew to remain silent as possible, else they accidentally interrupt the wise master while he was connecting to the Force.

The holocron began to slowly open, splitting itself into dozens of pieces. All of those pieces floated away from each other as a small, ball of light rose up from the holocron. The ball of light floated upwards towards the holoprojector, before it began to glow brighter, the small ball of light becoming a miniature sun, blinding anyone who didn't cover their eyes immediately.

"Ah, my eyes!"

"Too bright!"

"What the kriff?!"

The brightness only lasted for a brief moment before it dimmed down, allowing every Jedi in the room to see again. When they looked around, they noticed that the Galactic map was still there, and that Master Yoda was now standing on his feet again. At first everyone thought that nothing had happened, until a youngling noticed something.

"Look!" A small, Twi'lek youngling pointed upwards the map. "Over there!"

Everyone looked up, but didn't see what the Youngling meant until Anakin noticed where the young boy was pointing at. Right at the southern sectors of the Outer Rim, just underneath the Sujimis and the Samix sector, now laid another sector in place of the void that was previously there.

"No way." This got Anakin to speak out. "There! That's an-"

"Yes, young Skywalker. A secret sector, it is." Yoda replied to Anakin's outburst. "Kept in the dark, everyone were. Two more planets with life, there are. Called the Terran Sector, it is. The planets, Elementia and Earth."

This took everyone by surprise, with many of them, younglings included, being excited to find out about a new life somewhere around the Galaxy, while others were wondering why this was kept a secret by the Grand Master.

One of those Jedi was Oppo Rancisis, a Jedi Master who was a Thisspiasian male, and also one of their oldest members, wondered why Yoda has kept this all a secret. "Massster Yoda, what'sss the meaning of thisss? Keeping the exissstence of thisss inhabited sssector away from the ressst of the Galaxy?"

"I would like to know myself, Master." Ki-Adi-Mundi, a male, Cerean Jedi Master asked calmly.

"Different reasons, both planets have." Yoda said solemnly. "Both planets, extremely unaware, life beyond their planets they don't know. No knowledge of each other, they do not." Yoda's ears then drooped in weariness. "...Violent, both planets are."

"How violent do you mean by that, Master?" Master Luminara questioned, who was an Mirialan female Jedi who just got back from Kashyyyk with her padawan, Barriss Offee.

"Many wars experienced, Earth has." Yoda explained to them. "Many wars, more vicious they turn, more deadlier their weapons become, more life perished, it resulted. Not like any other planet they killed more." Yoda spared the details to the knowledge of Earth's history he knew, now that he had revealed it to the Jedi it would be only a matter of time that this will be knowledge to the intergalactic community.

"But Master Yoda, what about the planet Elementia?" Anakin asked. Yoda seemed to stiffen up at this, as if remembering a terrible memory. Slowly, he raised his hand at the holocron, and it glowed again. This time, instead of a miniature sun, a large hologram popped out of the holocron, almost as if they were watching the Holonet.

Explosions shook the earth as an unholy screech filled the air. Soldiers wearing Mandalorian armor flew away from the explosions as they fired at something in the distance.

Two men stood side to side as they panted, their white, traditional looking attire dirtied from battle. They looked like they were human, save for their abnormally pale skin, and their equally abnormal horns and eyes. One of them had strange, purple eyes, with rippling black lines in them, with a third, red eye in the center of his forehead, just above where his eyebrows should've been.

His brother, who looked a little younger due to the lack of wrinkles in his face, looked very identical to his twin, save for his eyes. Instead of the same third eye and the same two purple ones, his were milky eye. Despite this, even the younglings knew that he was not blind, and that he was perfectly capable of seeing the destruction around them.

"Brother," The milky-eyed one looked around at the destruction. Villages, mountains, forests, they were all destroyed in their battle between some terrible enemy. "I grow weary of this battle, and every day, I grow less confident that we can win."

"Faith in ourselves, we must have." A very young looking Yoda ran up to them from behind, his green lightsaber ignited. "Leave this planet, that woman must not."

Behind Yoda was what looked to be soldiers in white armor, as well as various other Jedi. Many were tending to their wounded, or comforting the dying, uttering prayers and other words of comfort.

CRUNCH.

Yoda turned around, and saw a Mandalorian fly down to greet the Jedi. Covered head to toe in Beskar armor, Yoda could feel the red and black armor's pride and history from where he stood.

"I see that you haven't lost hope yet." The man grinned from under his helmet. Behind him, more Mandalorians in similarly colored armor landed near him, all armed with blasters, rockets, and various other weapons.

"You know, it's funny." A man wearing a dark robe stepped up to the group, wiping away remnants of what looked like white flesh. "I never would've imagined that we'd find ourselves on this crossroad to our shared goal of defeating this madwoman, Jedi."

It was Darth Revan. Even from the holocron, everyone could feel his strong affinity to the Dark Side.

The sound of more igniting lightsabers erupted from behind him, and everyone realized that behind the Master of the dark side was more Sith. However, this time, they weren't here to destroy the Jedi. No, they were there to aid them in this shared quest to stop whomever this "madwoman" was.

"Agree with you, I do." Yoda said, sounding quite weary as he stared at the giant dust cloud miles away from them - or rather, the behemoth that was coming out of it.

The younglings, knights, and masters gasped in unison as they saw the giant beast step out of the cloud of dust.

This monster was LARGE. Larger than any ship they could imagine. No, this monster was easily the size of 10 ships combined. It's singular, red eye glowed in the dark night, glaring at the opposing army that dared to stand in its way. It's large, sharp teeth looked like the size of a small cruiser, and looked sharp enough to shred one to pieces. It's titanic, spiky head eclipsed the moon, which, much to the horror of the audience, looked quite shattered. Sprouting from its back resembled a large conch shell with many deadly spikes. To finish off its looming, powerful look, ten large tails that stretched for miles waved mockingly at them from behind its back, looking like it could decimate mountains with a single, lazy swing.

Emerged from the monster's head was a pale woman, who looked awfully like the two brothers. She had long, sweeping white hair that almost matched her skin, with two horns that protruded from her skull, giving her a rabbit-like look. Her two, milky eyes, which glared at her opponents, greatly resembled the ones belonging to one of the brother, but unlike that brother, she had a third eye that greatly resembled the other brother's third one. Much like her sons, she wore a high-collared kimono, with tomoes running down the center and the edges of her gown, finished off with intricate gold and purple lines.

"So that's Kaguya Ōtsutsuki." Raven said, watching the woman who was in control of the Ten-Tailed beast. "So she consumed the so-called 'Chakra fruit' that was touched by the Force…and now she wishes to leave this planet."

"Happen, we cannot allow." Yoda stated, giving a rather dark glare at the woman.

"I couldn't agree more." The leader of Mandalore growled as he pulled out what looked to be a lightsaber hilt. Activating the weapon, it made a high-pitched sound as the flat, black plasma blade ignited. This was the Darksaber, a prideful weapon created by the current Mand'alor, which was also the leader of this clan.

He turned to his warriors, raising his blade in the air. "For Mandalore!" He activated his jetpack as he flew into battle, with all of his followers charging as well with a roar, attacking the beast from the air.

By his command, Mandalorian, Republic, and Sith ships flew in, firing at the strange, plant like men on the ground, as well as the behemoth itself.

"Mandalorians..." Raven ignited his red lightsaber with a chuckle. "No wonder Kato's clan is one of the fiercest and most respected clans of the galaxy."

"Strong he is, no doubt. Reckless he is as well." Yoda smirked.

"Enough talk, we must end this before she's gained enough power to execute that insane plan of hers." Revan said, before turning to his followers. "Charge!"

A roar of determination sent a shockwave of the dark side through the battlefield, sending a boost of morale amongst the allies as the sith lords and apprentices charges against the monster and the plant-like minions.

Revan turned to the small Jedi and nodded, before sprinting towards the beast as well, leaving Yoda with the other remaining Jedi and soldiers, who were still good to fight.

"Commander." One of the Republic troopers with his helmet on walked up to the Jedi. "Are we going in?"

"Go now, we shall. Fight, we must."

"You heard him, men!" The Republic trooper turned to his men. "For the Republic!" He took charge as hundreds of remaining soldiers went on the attack as several other Jedi Masters and Knights followed them.

The Mandalorians, who were still flying in the air, fired their rockets at the beast's head, while also taking care to avoid the tails that was trying to swat them out of the sky. The unlucky ones were sent flying painfully into the dirt, while the luckier ones lived to fight for a few more minutes. The beast, meanwhile, had to protect its head, else its master would be blown to bits.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ten-tailed beast roared in pain and anger as its hands, which was protecting the rabbit-goddess, was burnt and blown to bits. Hissing, it began to cover itself with its tails as an effort to protect Kaguya.

Unfazed, the leader of the Mandos landed on one of the tails, slashing it with his Darksaber. Roaring, it moved to crush the pest that dared to stand on its tail.

"Absorb this." The leader said, shoving a thermal detonator into the wound, before dropping himself, flying away from the tails as it exploded, successfully severing a part of the tail while critically damaging another.

Meanwhile on the ground, the sith jumped upwards onto the beast's arms and using the force to boost his movement and anchor himself to the beast's skin, he ran on the Tailed Beast's body before jumping on its back, plunging their blades into the Ten-Tailed beast, hoping to bring damage to it.

It, however, only served to piss it off, slamming its fists to the ground, causing a small earthquake and making some of those Siths fall off the back of the beast or retreat from it. Some of those who fell down met their demise when the monster slammed his fist into a group of them. It tried to slam another group of Siths, but got the full power of electrocution against its head.

That came from Revan, who unleashed a wave of Force Lightning from his hand, shocking the beast and Kaguya with enough power to stun them both for the moment.

The beast quickly recovered from that shock, but those few seconds was all the allies needed, with the giant monstrosity taking a full blast of a few rockets into its face, one nearly hitting its eye.

That came from the Republic troops, who were firing everything they've got onto the monster, hoping it would take them down while the remaining Jedi used the force to try and levitate the wounded Mandalorians and even the Sith to safety and away from the beast.

It was clear though, that even with the bravery and cooperation of the three different groups, their numbers were dropping fast. They already lost a great of numbers of their own, and they were about to lose a lot more unless an effective action was taken against the beast.

Realizing this, Yoda ran up to where the two brothers Hagoromo and Hamura had landed after a rather nasty swipe from one of the creature's tails.

"Hagoromo, Hamura."

The two brothers turned around and saw the tiny Jedi Knight.

"Yoda-san, it's good to see you alive." Hamura smiled.

"With luck, I survived. Many did not, my master included." Yoda stated with sorrow. "Defeat this beast, how do we?"

"I am terribly sorry for your loss, Yoda-san." Hagoromo lowered his head in shame and respect. His moment of silence quickly ended as he turned back to his mother, who had just shot down a Republic ship, sending it crashing into a Sith's battleship. "There may be only one way to defeat our mother and end her reign of terror, and that would be by sealing her away. There is, however, an unfortunate catch."

"What is it?"

"Someone needs to knock her off her trance and distract her long enough for us to get close to her." Hamura said with a scoff "Only problem is that even if someone got close to her, she'll show no mercy and strike you down with her Byakugan and hit all your fatal points."

"We will both have to make physical contact with our mother in order to place our seal upon her. However, anybody who gets too close to her will undoubtedly be slain, so she'll have to be sufficiently distracted or stunned for us to make our move."

A nearby wounded Jedi overheard this, and asked, "By that you mean-"

"Whoever serves as the distraction will most likely never make it back alive." Hagoromo stated grimly. A dark silence then filled the air, save for the sounds of battle and the roars of the demonic creature.

Just then, two Mandalorians landed behind them, with one of them being wounded and the other helping the other to their feet.

"And will save the galaxy from grave danger…" The wounded Mandalorian warrior grunted, before slowly standing up by himself. "I'll do it."

He tried to stand on his own feet, but his injured leg couldn't support its owner, causing him to stumble. "I'll distract her."

"No you won't, Wren."

The two Mandalorians turned around to see their great leader land and walk up to them. "If someone's going to distract that woman, it'll be me." The wielder of the Darksaber pointed his thumb to himself.

"A-are you sure about this?" Hagoromo asked, not sure whether to be impressed or concerned for his choice.

"Very." Kato said grimly, staring at the wounded and the fallen. "I brought my people here to fight. I am their leader, and therefore, every victory, every loss, and every death falls on my hands. As leader of Mandalore, it is my duty to lead the way."

"No, Kato!" The wounded Mandalorian named Wren protested. "I won't let you die. Let me do it!"

"It is alright, brother." Kato placed his hand on the warrior's shoulder. "I know what I am doing, and I know the risk. However, if it means that I can give those two a chance to stop their mother's reign of terror, then so be it. Besides, you cannot sacrifice yourself. Your wife will be having your child soon."

"She can take care-"

"And leave the baby without a father?" Kato asked his friend, getting no answer in response. "Your child needs to be raised by a father who will give him love. Give them the experience you didn't have."

The leader of Clan Wren's hands clenched into fists as he looked down. Whether it was in reluctant acceptance or shame, he will never know.

Kato then turned to the other clan leader. "Kryze, I trust that you'll look after Mandalore in my place, should something happen to my clan."

"Of course, sir." Kryze nodded, promising his brother in arms, who he had fought alongside with in so many battles against Mandalore's enemies.

"Good." The leader of Mandalore smiled, before taking a deep breath. He turned towards Kaguya, who had just shot down a Mandalorian warrior, before activating his jetpack.

"Remember," He turned to face his people one last time. "This is the way."

Then he flew off, determined to fight one last battle.

"Farewell, brother." The leaders of Clan Wren and Kryze said, words that'll never reach their leader.

Like a shooting star in the sky, everyone stopped to gaze in wonder as a single man, a single warrior, charged bravely at the goddess. Like any others, Yoda watched as Kato set his jetpack to maximum speed, flying directly towards the body of the Ten-Tails.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" The leader of Clan Wren finally barked out. "Are you just gonna let him do all the work? Concentrate all fire on the abomination!"

Snapped out of their stupor, everyone roared in detemation as they doubled their efforts to stop the woman, this time, however, with the goal to defend the leader of Mandalore.

Kaguya, who was previously stunned at the man's bravery, immediately began to try to swat him out of the sky, only to be bombarded on all sides by blaster-fire, plasma cannons, and lightsabers as everyone gave it their all to give Kato an opening.

Kaguya, who had a stoic face all this time, was now in shock, throwing everything she had at the flying warrior in front of her.

"Fool. You shall not end me!" Kaguya roared as the veins around her eyes bulged out. "EIGHTY GODS VACUUM ATTACK!" She summoned a barrage of fists at the Mandalorian to try to take down this annoying pest.

Much to her shock, the Mandalorian, who was very skilled with a jetpack, effortlessly dodged her attacks, and was still growing much closer to her second by second. Taking out his darksaber, he ignited it, the high-pitched noise making her eyes widened even further.

"Open wide!" He roared as he fired his flamethrower from his wrist, forcing her to block her face with her arms. He then slashed downwards at the woman.

CRUNCH!

The small sound, which was somehow heard from across the raging battlefield, was enough to stop everyone in their tracks. When the smoke and fire cleared out, it showed Kato...with an arm pierced through his chest.

Kaguya, who had a triumphant smirk on her face despite the massive burns she just suffered from, had her arm through the Mandalorian's chest, piercing through his armor and his organs.

Coughing out blood, Kato dropped his Darksaber, the weapon deactivating as it fell out of his reach. Seeing this just widened Kaguya's impossibly wide grin even further.

"Your bravery is noted." Kaguya leaned in close to his helmet, which never attempted to look away from her. "However, did you really think a mere mortal like you can ever kill me?"

"Maybe not." The warrior coughed from under his helmet. "That's why that wasn't part of the plan."

The woman looked confused at this, until he pulled out a metal cylinder. Lifting his thumb off of the button, he tossed it upwards into her face.

BANG!

The explosion was loud, ear piercing, and blinding. The flash bang did its work as Kaguya howled in pain as all three of her eyes shut tight. Flinging the Mandalorian off of her arm, she covered her ears as she shrieked, curling up into a ball in agony.

"Now brother!"

The woman opened her eyes when she felt two persons by her sides. It was obvious that while she was still blinded, she knew exactly who the two people were, and weakly lifted her arms to try to stop them, but it was too late. The two sons planted their palms at her sides, a grim look on their face.

"SIX PATHS - CHIBAKU TENSEI!"

The minute the two brothers shouted those words, the Ten-Tailed beast was suddenly disconnected from her. Their mother's eyes widened in shock, fury, and then sadness as she began to float upwards.

Suddenly, the earth began to rise up from down below towards her. Rocks and large chunks of the earth flew up as they surrounded the woman, imprisoning her in the large sphere.

It was as if a 100 Jedi was using the Force to entomb the rabbit-goddess with the earth, creating a new moon.

Everyone, from the Sith, the Jedi, and the Mandalorians, all stared at the new moon being created to replace the broken one in the sky. After what seemed like forever, they all began to cheer.

The battle was over. The galaxy was safe-for now.

The recording ended, leaving everybody in the room astonished with what they had just witnessed as the young days of Grand Master Yoda when he was a Jedi knight. Many of the younger members of the Order began to murmur:

"Wow…"

"That monster...it felt just like-"

"Yeah, can't get those shivers from my back."

The Jedi Masters like Windu, Shaak Ti and Rancisis were wondering why the wisest member of the Jedi Order held such a shocking fact of history.

"Many Jedi, gone with the Force, they had that day." Yoda grimaced, not trying to think about the slaughter. "Padawans, Knights, Masters. All died, with few survived." He thought also of those troops, Mandalorians, and even a few of the Sith who were willing to help. "Many brave men and women, gone they now are. Hurts me, it still does."

Everyone could feel the pain coming from the eldest master, with many wishing to comfort him for his loss.

"What all of you felt, 'The Ripple', as you call it, is quite different than the Dark Side. Important to understand it, it is. Find it first, we must, else the creature may fall into the wrong hands."

"Hold on, Master." Anakin suddenly interrupted, causing a few of the younglings to gasp at his audacity. "You said that the Sith will be looking for it. Yet, you fought alongside some Sith Lords to fight it. Why would it be any different now?"

This made all of the Jedi to fall into a sea of murmurs again, loudly discussing Anakin's point.

Windu didn't look too pleased at Anakin's question.

"Skywalker…"

"Enough, Master Windu." Yoda said, calming the hardened Jedi Master down as he turned to the young Skywalker. "Reason for my concern, young Skywalker, is because the old Sith, Revan, Talon, and Bane, knew of the risks the Ten-Tailed possessed, they did, as well as its master, Kaguya. The new Sith, however, care not, or know not, of the risks involved."

"But why was Bane there? He died like three thousand years ago!" Anakin pointed out, knowing for a fact that Darth Bane was in the times of the Old Republic, long before Yoda was even born.

"Some things in the Force, even I yet to discover, I have." Yoda answered to him, gaining more confused reactions from the Jedi.

Obi Wan, who was beginning to understand the gravity of the situation, looked at the space between the Terran Sector and the Coruscant Sector.

"So you say this map leads us towards that ripple we just felt?"

"Yes." Yoda nodded grimly. "This map I held, for six hundred years I have."

Yoda waved his hand again, and the map shrank back into the holocron.

"Danger to the galaxy, there will be, should that woman ever return."

The idea of that creature storming towards the Jedi Temple made many in the room shiver in fear.

"What do you suggest we do with this, Master?"

"Bring this to the Senate, we must." Yoda said, stunning everyone in the room by his proposition. "Contact this planet, we must."

"But Master," Shaak Ti, who had been mostly silent up to this point, couldn't help but ask, "Why would you want to reveal the location to the public? Wouldn't this only double the risk of the Sith trying to get their hands on this beast?"

"Because, it split into nine, it has."

'Split into nine?' Everyone in the room thought. 'What does he mean by this?'

"After the creature's defeat, split the energy of the beast, Hagoromo did. Nine creatures, he created. All of them, own power and will, they have. The weakest having one tail, nine with the strongest."

"What creatures are we talking about?" Plo Koon asked. In response, Yoda waved his hand at the holocron again, and it was replaced with a simple image. The first image shown was a picture of a one-tailed tan colored animal, with dark blue markings all over its body.

"The first is the one-tailed racoon-dog, so I was told. Manipulate sand, it can. Shukaku, his name is."

"A sand creature." Obi Wan glanced at Anakin. "Well Anakin, if we need to fight it, perhaps your expertise can be useful for this one." This gained some laughs from some of the Jedi in response to his joke.

Anakin simply grunted in return, looking away with a slight look of irritation.

Yoda (with a slight grin on his face from the banter) waved his hand in a swiping motion, and the image shifted to the two-tailed beast. This one was radically darker than the one-tailed beast, with its fiery "fur" being dark blue and black in color. Its eyes were heterochromatic, with the right being yellow and the left being green.

This particular one caught the fascination of some of the younger Jedi, with some even finding it pretty.

"Her name, Matatabi, it is." Yoda said, gaining some cheerful comments from the female younglings.

"It's a her!"

"She's pretty!" They squealed, before getting hushed by the nearest Jedi Master.

Yoda couldn't help but chuckle. "Pretty she looks, yes. But do not be deceived, younglings. Ability to use fire, she has. Deadly, her claws are."

This got some of the girls to giggle as they looked at their male classmates, who often teased them about their "obsession" over their nails.

The next picture was that of a creature that looked a lot less pretty, but looked to be much more durable in battle. It looked to be an aquatic, three-tailed creature, as evident by its crustacean-like shell, and unlike its two-tailed sister, it looked much more fearsome with its rough, spiky shell and its glowing red eye.

"This is Isobu, the beast of the sea. Grumpy, it looks, but very kind, it actually is. Deep in the seas, it usually resides."

"Certainly not a creature to mess with, especially in the waters. Wouldn't you agree, Master Fisto?" Plo Koon asked to his Nautolan friend, Kit Fisto.

"Sure looks like a rough one alright." The other Jedi Master agreed. "I'm pretty sure even our lightsabers would have trouble with that kind of shell."

The image of the four-tailed beast then came up. This primate-looking creature had bright red fur, with elongated fangs protruding from its mouth and two long horns curving upwards like a crown. With its yellow eyes, which uncomfortably reminded some of the Sith, this one also looked to be a ferocious creature to meet in battle.

"A prideful creature, this one is." Yoda explained. "Son Gokū, it likes to be called."

"That's one big angry looking creature." Shaak Ti pointed out, looking at the expression of the Four-Tailed Monkey.

Yoda nodded, before moving on to the next image. This image showed the Five-Tailed beast, whose peculiar appearance made it difficult to decipher what animal it was based off of, with the only obvious details being its mostly white skin, five tails, four legs, and its long horns.

"Kokuō, his name is. Mixture of a horse and dolphin, told me he was."

"Dolphin and horse?" Anakin asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are those animals from the Terran Sector?"

"Let's just move on, please, Master." Obi Wan asked. The image quickly shifted to another hologram that showed a white, slimy, dripping blob monster that made some of the younglings cringe in disgust."

"EEEEWWW!" Some of them cried out.

"Saiken, this one is called." Yoda pointed out. "Six Tails, he is. Slug, his animal is. Gas and liquid attacks, his speciality is."

"I don't want to imagine what you're meaning by that." Piell crossed his arms, thinking about this particular tailed-beast. While it's true that this one didn't look like much-hell, it looks like a couple of lazy blaster shots would easily take out this thing-the idea of it using gas and liquids for its attacks made it seem more dangerous than its appearance suggests.

The next image was very underwhelming, to say the least, with the hologram showing what appeared to be a seven-tailed tiny beetle. Looking harmless and quite cute (to some), it looked like it posed less of a threat than the six-tailed slug.

"Chōmei, his name is. Cheerful, this one is."

"He doesn't look too bad." Anakin commented, to which Yoda shook his head.

"Many years ago, this was, when they were born. How much they have changed, is the question." Yoda said sagely.

"Gyūki, next is." Yoda resumed as he turned to the next hologram. This one looked to be a mix of an octopus and a sheep, with large eight-tails behind its back. Oddly enough, it's most notable feature was its pure, white eyes, with no irises whatsoever.

"Another aquatic beast, this one is. One of the strongest of the group, he is."

Rancisis, wishing to wrap this up, asked, "And whatsss the last Tailed Beast?"

Yoda nodded, before turning to the last image. The last one showed a picture of what was arguably the cutest one of them all. Sitting on the ground was the picture of what appeared to be an orange, baby fox with nine tails.

"AWWW!" Many of the younglings cried out.

Yoda couldn't help but smile at this.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox, this is." Yoda explained. "Kurama, his name is. Most powerful, it may be."

Yoda's face then turned grim, and everyone knew that bad news was coming.

"The 'Ripple', as you call it, came from Kurama." Yoda closed his eyes in distress. "Anger, I felt, coming from this old friend. Changed, my friend did. What has happened, is the question."

While the rest of the Jedi were still trying to cope with the fact that giant beasts of the Force were present on an undisclosed planet, Windu, Rancisis, Piell, and Obi Wan looked to one another and to the other Council members. It didn't take a genius to figure out just why Yoda kept this all a secret to everyone.

"No doubt that the Sith have felt it." Yoda stated. "Doom will arrive, if the Sith controls the beasts. Prevent this at all costs, we must."

The Grand Master then turned to the other Jedi present in the room. "Inform this to the public, we cannot do. Cause panic, it will. Work in discrete, we must. Protect the galaxy from grave danger, we must."

It was then that everyone, even the younglings, knew of the grave danger this rogue element can cause. They knew that this was no laughing matter, and that they must take this secret to the grave, if they must. It was unnecessary to say that this information could never leave the temple, save for the senate.

Windu was the first to speak after the thoughtful silence. "So you wish to bring this information about this sector and its dangerous history to the senate. That way we can have clearance to travel to this sector in hopes that they'll join the Republic, especially before the Separatists get to them first."

"Accurate, your statement is, Master Windu." Yoda nodded, closing the holocron as he pocketed the box. "Need to bring this to the senate now, we must. Master Windu and I shall debrief this to the Chancellor."

"For now, everyone needs to keep this information to yourself." Windu instructed everyone. "All who have not been informed yet will be informed, but again, I cannot stress just how dangerous this information can be if leaked to the public. That will be all."

At their dismissal, everyone in the room began to return to their activities before they felt The Ripple, leaving the Jedi Masters alone to think about how they will explain to the Senate about this news.

Yoda, however, was thinking about something much different.

Yoda was thinking about his time with the two brothers and the war against Kaguya, as well as their goodbyes as he had to leave. He remembered Hagoromo's last moments, and how he created the tailed beasts. He remembered their brief, yet joyous introduction, and how they were fascinated by the ships, as if they weren't a miracle of the force by themselves.

'Such innocence, those beasts had.' Yoda mused sadly. He then reflected on The Ripple, and even though it has been forever since he has first and last met the Nine-Tailed Fox, he could never forget their signatures in the force.

'Kurama...what has happened while I was gone? Were you trying to me something?'

[Elementia; Konoha Hospital (A Week Later)]

Tsunade took another swig from her saké bottle, letting out an audible sigh. Shizune, her loyal apprentice, was not too far behind her as they walked down the hospital hallway.

The staff members, both civilian and shinobi alike, saluted her as she walked by, but she barely acknowledged them, too busy worrying about a particular patient of hers.

It had not been a good week for the 5th Hokage, although to be fair, it hadn't been a good week for anyone in Konoha, especially not for the Shinobi teams involved with the latest incident.

It had been a week since Sasuke Uchiha had tried to defect to Orochimaru, with the help of his goons, The Sound Four. Initially, it was thought that he was kidnapped, and a team was set up by his former classmates to go and rescue him, but the mission quickly evolved into a retrieval one when it was discovered that Sasuke went with them willingly.

The Sound Four weren't Orochimaru's elites for nothing, as the Konoha team learned the hard way. That's why Tsunade called in the help of the Sand Village as reinforcements, which they were more than happy to accept, as an effort to help make up for the invasion that they participating in against them not too long ago.

Gaara and his siblings Temari and Kankuro were the only ones the Sand Village sent, but they proved to be enough, quickly helping out the injured Konoha teens.

However, even with the help of the Sand Village, the mission, while a success, still turned out to be rather disastrous.

"Shizune, status report."

"Oh! Um," Shizune grabbed a folder from her hands, and began reading off of it. "We've been monitoring their health for a good seven days, and we're clear to say that most of them are going for a good and steady recovery. Choji Akamichi has been out of critical condition after day two. Neji Hyuuga is already showing signs of progress, as he just woke up yesterday. Shikamaru Nara and Kiba Inuzuka were already discharged from the hospital, which just leaves us with the two remaining patients."

"What's his status?" Tsunade asked a little too quickly.

"Right." Shizune began reading it off. "After an operation going well, Sasuke Uchiha is-"

"I don't give a damn about him!" Tsunade snapped, making Shizune flinch in fear.

Tsunade stopped, and took a deep breathe. "I mean, how is his condition?"

Shizune knew exactly who she was talking about. "Oh, Naruto's…" She had a grim look, and sighed. "Still no change from his current status."

Tsunade stopped abruptly, and for a second, she thought that Tsunade was about to have another outburst, until she realized that they had made it to their destination.

Their destination was located in a special section of the hospital. This particular room was reserved for VIP patients, such as ones like the Hokage, or in this case, the village's jinchuriki.

Getting past the guards, who regarded the hokage with a respectful nod, they opened the door, and found a grim sight. A singular bed was in the room, with the unfortunate patient being surrounded by lots of machinery. The machines monitored the patient's blood levels, breathing patterns, and his heart beats. The said patient was covered in bandages, with tubes stuck into his throat for food, water, and air.

That patient was Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who would normally hop out of bed in the morning with a happy grin on his whiskered face. Naruto Uzumaki, who was full of energy and determination just a week ago, was now breathing through a mask tube, with his face covered in serious burns and bruises, which was thankfully covered in bandages.

Despite them being trained shinobi, despite them being experienced medics, it still broke their heart to see their little troublemaker in this critical state.

"He's still recovering from his wounds." Shizune began to explain. "Even with the Kyuubi healing him, his lungs are still in critical condition, due to the two Chidori attacks Sasuke inflicted on him."

The dark look on Tsunade's face almost discouraged her from continuing, but the hokage gave her a nod to continue.

"Upon arrival, we immediately operated on him for almost nine hours, compared to Sasuke's surgery, which only took three. He flatlined twice, but we were able to bring him back quickly, thank kami. But that's not the concerning part."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that.

"Naruto almost died twice so far, and that's not the concerning part?"

Shizune cleared her throat.

"Correction, that's the second most concerning part, aside from that. Anyways, what's concerning us is that according to our calculations, Naruto should've woken up by now. The problem is that he's still in a coma, which he shouldn't have been in in the first place."

"...Explain."

"Well, we know that it wasn't our drugs that did it. Believe me when I say that we thought about putting him into a medically induced coma, but we made good progress on him by the time that thought crossed our minds, and not to mention his incredible healing factor did 25% of the work for us, so we aborted that idea. We also know that it wasn't the Kyuubi's chakra either, since we scanned his brain cells for any chakra contamination."

"So what did cause his coma?" Tsunade asked, now more concerned than angry.

"Well, the thing is that we're not entirely sure. But, we suspect that it could be extreme mental fatigue - which, I suppose makes sense, due to everything he just went through."

"Mental fatigue? That's new."

"Like I said," Shizune scratched her head, obviously still baffled by their "explanation." "Not entirely sure. It's just a theory we're going by."

"When will he wake up?" Tsunade asked, not sure if she'll get a definite answer.

"Well, we believe that he should be awake within another week or so." Shizune said with a small smile. "Again, just going off of calculations, but you know Naruto. He'll surprise us the next day or something by getting up early in the morning!"

"That's good to know." Tsunade gave her a small smile, which felt like a victory for Shizune. That moment of smiles was abruptly ended when Tsunade asked her for Sasuke's condition.

"Well, he's certainly responsive and awake by now." Shizune said gingerly, knowing that just talking about the Uchiha could be enough to set her off. "He's been eating lately and been trying to walk, but aside from that, he's still avoiding any social interactions, and has been uncooperative so far with basic conversations."

"Sounds like him alright." Tsunade scoffed while staring at Naruto with a frown. "He's lucky the only thing I've done to him was have Kakashi seal off his chakra for his actions."

"Still, there are people asking for what happened precisely at the Valley of the End." Shizune mentioned. "People are wondering what could've happened to Naruto back there that caused him to fall into a coma, since Sasuke isn't speaking to anyone about it."

"Did he receive any visits? Letters?"

Shizune nodded with a smile. "Kakashi and Sakura makes it a habit to stop by at times, and recently, the other members of the Retrieval team are beginning to visit him as well. Shikamaru and Kiba have already visited him a few times, and so did their teams and masters. But that Hyuuga girl - Hinata, I think that's her name, - has especially been visiting everyday. We even got a get-well letter from the Sand Village support team. Then there's the Ichiraku family and his former instructor Iruka."

It warmed Tsunade's heart to see that there were many people who cared about the young boy's condition. It didn't help that she was one of the many people that was secretly hoping that he and that Hinata girl would get together, and would finally forget about the pink-haired girl. Her eyes then fell onto the necklace around Naruto's neck, and flinched, wondering if his condition was a sign of bad luck or a sign of good luck.

"Let's leave the gaki to rest. If he wakes up, I'll personally give him a bowl of ramen."

Shizune couldn't help but smile. "I think he'll like that, my lady."

Both women eventually turned to leave, leaving the boy alone to rest. With the lights left on, the only sound present in the room was the monitors and the beeps, proof that the young boy was still alive.

[Space - Approaching Elementia]

Unbeknownst to the Elemental Nations, the planet of Elementia was finally going to have visitors from outer space for the first time since many years ago.

A large, Consular-class Cruiser suddenly shot out of hyperspace, the large ship slowly approaching the blue and green planet below the spacecraft.

"We've reached our coordinates, sir." The pilot of the Republic Navy said to the head of security of this delegation, Gregar Typho, a captain of the Royal Naboo Security Forces and bodyguard of senator Amidala.

He was now responsible for the security of the diplomatic mission to this new world that was supposed to be filled with different nations-states.

"Okay, be ready to enter the surface. We're going to land." Typho ordered as the Jedi plus the Senators walked in the bridge.

"We're here." Anakin noted, staring at the beautiful planet up ahead.

"It reminds me of Naboo." Senator Padme Amidalla couldn't help but admire the planet, which had just the right amount of blue and green from outer space.

"Abundant in nature, the planet is." Yoda agreed. "Still is, glad to know."

"Well, let's just hope that the natives are friendly." C-3P0, Anakin's protocol droid, commented nervously. "From what I've heard from Master Yoda, the odds of them reacting negatively to our arrival are 80% to-"

"Relax, C-3P0." Anakin interrupted him. "It's not like we've come completely unprepared. Worst case scenario, we'll have to shoot and cut our way out of a fight if we have to. The venator will stay above us to reinforce our escape if we have to."

"I hope I don't have to remind you that this is a diplomatic mission." Obi Wan said, stroking his beard. "So please allow the Senator to do the talking."

"Yeah, yeah." Anakin waved him off, much to his annoyance.

Despite the light hearted banter, everyone, the Jedi included, were pretty tense. Unlike many other worlds out there, this one was a complete anomaly. If the other citizens of this planet had the same or similar powers to the Sage Hagoromo…

Then the potential war between them could end up in a bloodbath for both sides.

 

Chapter 2: After all these Years

AN from Lucius: About the Timeline, and Darker Story Tone.

The timeline won't be accurate, which should be obvious, due to Sabine being part of the story. While yes, we will attempt to not jumble up the timelines too much, we'll have to mix up a few things here and there.

I hope that answer's everyone's questions. That being said, this story will be significantly darker, and will have trigger warnings at times.

Anyways, enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

---

[The Prison of the Nine-Tails]

Officially known to a select few, inside of the boy named Naruto Uzumaki was a tailed beast. To be more exact, the Nine-Tailed Fox, aka "The Kyuubi", the same tailed beast that had attacked Konoha only a few years ago, was sealed inside of Naruto.

The Kyuubi, a creature made of chakra, whose size easily rivaled mountains, whose power can shatter the earth with a single cleave from its tail, was locked into the body and soul of a child. Locked behind the inescapable cage, the tailed beast could do nothing but sleep and observe the world through the boy's eyes. All because of the damned, late Fourth Hokage, who was known to many as "The Yellow Flash."

Since most of what its prison warden does was boring beyond comprehension, all the beast did was sleep for the most part. Right now, however, it was wide awake. That was because just a week ago, the blond brat had another interesting fight, where he needed his power to help him win. What was even more entertaining was the fact that he was fighting an Uchiha, or to be more exact, the last of its kind.

The Demon Fox smirked, reminiscing about the memory of the fight. Sure, he hated the annoying Uzumaki brat to hell, but he hated the Uchihas even more, and he took utmost pleasure in watching him beat the crap out of him, even if he didn't exactly walk away unscathed. Sure, the Uchiha brat wasn't killed, as he secretly hoped for, but he was still dragged back to the village in humiliation, and was no doubt going to be branded a traitor.

The Kyuubi frowned when his thoughts trailed from the defeated Uchiha to the Uzumaki brat that was containing him. He had to work extra hard to keep his ass alive, due to the two gaping holes in his chest. The worst part was that after his generous decision to keep the boy alive, he wasn't going to be thanked for it, which felt like another spit to the face he couldn't retaliate against.

Now he knew that the kid might be staying in this coma for another week or two, he found no reason to stay awake and just take another deep nap into his slumber.

But that wasn't what was occupying the fox's mind. No, it was the strange power that Naruto had just used moments before Sasuke Uchiha had been defeated.

It was...dark. Dark, potent, and powerful, it wasn't something that he had felt since...the day he was born. It was a power that was similar to theirs, and yet, it wasn't a power that they could use themselves.

Oddly enough, it gave him a sense of nostalgia that he knew was something he could never understand, given how he could remember everything from birth.

Before Kurama could think on it some more, something else caught his scent. He blinked, and he realized that something - or someone - had just entered this planet.

His eyes widened as he realized that he had felt and smelt this presence before. This scent, this aura, this power...he had felt it before. It was when they were born. It was when they saw the strange men retreat into the Heavens, sailing beyond the stars in their metal ships, with powers that rivaled theirs.

Kurama sensed a rainbow of auras, some darker than others, and some much brighter than the others. But only one of them stood out in particular. Yes, this aura...it was the one that he had met before.

"Yoda...my old friend. Have you returned after all these years?"

---

[Konoha - Konoha Hospital]

Jiraiya let out a sigh for what seemed like the millionth time that day. The old Toad Sage was sitting by Naruto's bed alongside another visitor, who was not human.

Small, old, and green, it was the eldest summoning toad, who was wearing a brown cape, had gray hair, and had noticeably thick eyebrows, which was also gray from old age. The old toad might not look like much, but he was the one that taught Jiraiya in his younger days as a Shinobi, which is why even Jiraiya held much respect for the old animal.

His name was Fukasaku, a resident of Mount Myōboku, as well as being one of their strongest warriors. Usually isolating himself from the human world, it certainly came as a surprise for Jiraiya when he actually came to visit him and the boy.

"So this is your new apprentice, eh, Jiraiya-boy?" The elderly green toad asked as he stared at the comatose blond on the bed. "He sure took quite a beating from that Uchiha kid you told me about."

"Yeah, I know." Jiraiya said plainly, still staring at Naruto's unresponsive body. According to Tsunade, the boy was possibly near Death's door, due to the damage he had sustained by the hand of the Uchiha traitor. It was only thanks to Shizune personally leading Naruto's surgery that the boy was still breathing - for now.

"You're angry, Jiraiya-boy." Fukasaku noticed the Toad Sage's grim expression. "I can see that."

"I'm a shinobi." Jiraiya sighed. "Death is part of our everyday life. We learn how to take lives, how to prevent others from taking them, and ultimately, how to deal with death, regardless of who it happens to. And yet, even after all these years, it still takes me by surprise when a close one is at the bastard's door. I walked into my village wanting to buy this brat a cup of ramen, only to find out that he nearly died to bring back a traitor, which, for some reason, seems to be more liked than this hero himself." He ended with a frown, angrily pointing to his injured student. It honestly took everything the old pervert had to not walk into the Uchiha's room and finish what Itachi started.

Fukasaku nodded solemnly, understanding the old man's sorrow very well, before turning back to Naruto. "This boy, you sure that he's ready to take his training to the next level when he wakes up?"

"Maybe not." Jiraiya grunted, standing up to walk over to the blond's side. "But ready or not, the minute he recovers from his injuries and wakes up, we'll leave this village to help him train to be ready for the Akatsuki. If my intel is correct, then this will be the right moment to do so."

"So how long do you plan on training this boy anyways?" The old toad asked, staring at the breathing machine that helps keep the boy alive.

"Two years." Jiraiya said with a determined look. "I want to train him non-stop for two years."

Whatever else he was going to say, he held his tongue, seeing the elder toad shake his head.

"Something wrong, Lord Fukasaku?"

"Jiraiya-boy." Fukasaku had a concerned look on his face. "We just found more bad news. There's something wrong with this boy's contract."

"Wait, what?"

"To put it simply...his contract's corroded." Fukasaku said carefully. "We don't know why, but somehow, his connection to us is just...disrupted. It's almost as if something evil just stepped in between our bond and poured acid all over it."

"Wait wait wait." Jiraya waved his hands around before speaking. "You're trying to tell me that Naruto's contract somehow got broken? How's that possible?"

"Not broken." Fukasaku corrected. "Just...corrupted. I don't know. All I know is that he can't summon us, and we can't summon him. The only thing we do know is that our bond can only allow us to know that he's alive, but that's it."

He turned his head back to Naruto's still form.

"Whatever it is, it's related to whatever happened at that valley."

"Come to think of it," Jiraiya snapped his fingers, remembering something that his friend had previously said. "Tsunade mentioned how Naruto somehow suffered from extreme mental fatigue, which may be the reason to why he's in a coma in the first place."

"Strange, but could be related." Fukasaku scratched his chin in thought. "Did the Uchiha boy say anything that'll help us solve this mystery?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Damn kid hasn't said a word ever since he got back here and got his chakra sealed off."

"He's the only one who might know what could've happened in that fight that caused Naruto-boy's current condition." Fukusaku pointed out. "It's imperative that we get some answers out of him sooner or later."

Just as Jiraiya was going to say something else, the door burst open, revealing a panting Shizune.

"Outside!" Shizune gasped, trying to take in some air. "Something large! Come quick!"

"What? Another invasion?!" Jiraiya asked, but Shizune just ran back outside. Taking out a kunai, he followed the young woman outside, hoping for an answer.

---

[Konoha Shopping District ; A Few Minutes Earlier]

Life in the Konoha Shopping District was never a dull one, with civilians and shinobi alike always crowding the district, looking to buy or sell something of value.

Amongst the crowds stood the members of Team 8, Team 10, Team Gai, and Sakura Haruno. With everyone now discharged from the hospital, everyone agreed to visit Naruto at least once a day.

One of them was carrying a get-well basket, which was stuffed with cards and letters and an unopened cup of beef ramen, which was cleverly hidden underneath some delicious looking fruits.

"Hiding that cup of ramen underneath the fruits." Ino smiled at her friend Hinata. "Good thinking. I'm pretty sure Naruto will appreciate it when he wakes up."

Hinata did her best to hide the growing blush on her face with the basket.

"I just thought that when he wakes up, he might want to eat something else than what the hospital offers." She tried not to stutter with some success, which she felt was a victory on her part.

Everyone else couldn't help but smile at Hinata's good nature, as well as her obvious crush on the blond goofball, and for the fact that out of every one of them, she visited his room everyday almost religiously.

"CRUNCH!"

The moment was ruined by the sound of someone chewing on something rather loudly. They all turned to the source of the noise, and deadpanned at the sight of Choji eating his bag of barbecue potato chips.

"Hmm, so tasty…" He moaned in delight.

Ino turned back to her teammate with a tick mark on her forehead.

"Damn it, Choji! The Hokage told you to not eat that crap for another week!"

Chouji pouted at his blonde teammate. "Oh come on, Ino."

"Chouji…"

"Man, what a drag. Let it go, Ino." This time it was Shikamaru spoke, the only member of the group who's a full fledged Chunin, as evident by his jacket. "It's not like we're trying to stop Naruto from eating healthy."

"I do have to agree with the Yamanaka for once." Neji joined the conversation. "I also agree that it might not be the best idea to bring unhealthy food to someone who hasn't even woken up from his coma yet."

"Come on Neji, give them a break." Tenten, the weapon specialist of Team Gai, waved her hands. "You know what Lady Tsunade has told us: He'll wake up the next week or so, so that's no problem. Besides, there's a mini fridge in there so we can just put the ramen cup in there for the time being."

Tenten was one of the many people who didn't pay much attention to the spirited blond, seeing him as just another arrogant teen who had big dreams, but with no skill to back it up. After seeing him beat Neji - NEJI, of all people - in the Chunin Exams, she finally saw the boy for all of his potential, and ever since then, especially after the Retrieval Mission, she had finally decided to stop taking him so lightly, and to start paying more attention to him.

"YOSH!" Lee cried out (which at this point, failed to surprise them anymore). "I have faith that Naruto's Flames of Youth will help him awaken him from his coma sooner or later! If not, I shall run around the village 500 times on my hands!"

This actually got some of them to burst into laughter, with even Neji smirking at his teammate's antics. After the Retrieval Mission, it would seem that they needed this usual dynamic to help keep their spirits up.

Sakura giggled at Lee's declaration.

"You do you, Lee."

This got everyone to laugh and grin even harder at Lee's positivity, with even Lee himself smiling at their reaction.

Well, all except for Kiba, who was unusually silent in his thoughts, which was not unnoticed by his teammate, Shino Aburame.

"You've been awfully quiet, Kiba." Shino mentioned, which shut up the group effectively. "Just speak out your mind if you need to."

"... I still can't believe that bastard Sasuke tried to turn traitor." Kiba finally blurted it out, causing the others to stop and turn around after hearing this. Kiba sucked in some air between his teeth, and seeing as how he finally said what needed to be said, he decided to continue.

"Look, I've been pissed off about some crap some of the civilians are saying." Kiba growled. "They've been spreading some nasty rumors, you know?"

"...Yeah, I hear you." Shikamaru began to unleash his inner thoughts as well. "Pretty messed up how people turn on you…"

While trying to lose himself in his own thoughts, he couldn't help but overhear some very foolish statements coming from some of the villagers, who obviously held unwarranted animosity towards the blond.

Don't get him wrong, he knew exactly why they hated the blond from birth. Shikamaru, who held a very high IQ level, was one of the few people who quickly deduced just why Naruto was so hated. He was also wise and smart enough to not talk about it, else he would be punished under the law of the late Third Hokage. His suspicions were only confirmed after the Chuunin Exam, when Naruto used that chakra in his match against Neji.

Admittedly, it did frighten Shikamaru quite a bit, but if Hinata could still love him, especially for who he was, then he trusted her judgement.

"Some of them," Kiba continued, his teeth grinding from frustration, "have the balls to deny that the bastard was going to defect to the Third Hokage's killer, while Naruto's still breathing through a tube because his lungs were destroyed from that same bastard."

This got many nods of agreement, especially from Neji and Choji, who weren't very happy at the way their critically injured comrade was treated.

The whole story hadn't come out yet, but the people were already beginning to cook up lies and theories, which quickly evolved into spread rumors. The most popular one happened to be where Sasuke was a victim of some sorts, with Naruto somehow being responsible for the "kidnapping."

"I must say, Kiba," Shino began to throw his word in, "this is the first time you've been very outspoken for Naruto, given how you both weren't very good acquaintances."

"Hey, I'll admit that Naruto and I might not be on good terms, but you know what? He convinced me otherwise."

Seeing the stunned reactions from the others, Kiba decided to elaborate.

"Sure, he beat me in the Chunin Exams, sure, he's still a goofball and a loud mouth, but he's someone you can at least trust when shit goes down."

Everyone who was a part of the Retrieval Mission wholeheartedly agreed. When it came down to it, he was capable of being serious, and he was capable of holding his own and helping out out his comrades. Arguably, this was what really earned him their respect, and this is why they finally accepted him as a valuable comrade of Konoha.

Sakura bit her lip. She couldn't bring herself to mention the conversation she remembered having with Sasuke before, on how he talked about why Naruto wasn't truly moping about having no parents, and why he was still being positive after she made a rather insensitive comment about wishing to not have parents. From what she knew, Naruto was the only one who was orphaned at a very young age without even knowing who his parents were.

Similarly, both Tenten and Lee lost their parents on the day of the Kyuubi attack, but Lee was taken under Gai's wing as his mentor - and later on, a father-like figure, - while Tenten was adopted by her godparents.

Then there was Sasuke, who lost his entire family right in front of him by his own brother while they were just in their Academy days. He never did accept anyone's offer to adopt him, choosing to remain alone in the Uchiha Compound, perhaps as a way to remember and honor them while he trained and lived there.

While he never did have another parent-like figure ever again, he was adored by the village, with everyone always smiling at him, trying to cheer him up, and thanking him (and thus, his late-family) for their services as Konoha's ex-police force. Hell, he was also often given special treatment in the Academy, offering special tutoring and such, to which he happily accepted, hoping to quickly grow stronger to avenge his family.

When you looked at the facts, Naruto's life was the polar opposite of Sasuke's, which was funny in a way, considering how both of them turned out.

Shikamaru, out of everyone in the group, knew these facts, and the more he thought about it, the more he was surprised that Naruto didn't just up and leave the village a long time ago. Getting the piss-poor treatment he did up to this day, any sane man or woman would've just given up on the village and would've left in the middle of the night in a very Sasuke-like style.

But Naruto didn't. Instead of leaving much like how Sasuke had done, he had chosen to stay, for one reason or another. Looking back, perhaps the small interactions he and Choji had with the blond helped him stay rooted here. The fact that the Third Hokage and Iruka themselves paid some attention to him, even giving him a home, probably helped him keep treason out of his mind.

Shikamaru then imaged an alternate universe, where much like Gaara, he was treated much worse, with even the Hokage shunning his own citizen. He imaged an alternate universe where even he and Choji bullied him and shunned him from the group. He shuddered when he thought about the Kyuubi attack that happened when he was very young, and wondered if a repeat of that might've happened had Naruto reached his breaking point all those years ago.

His thoughts were interrupted when a large shadow passed over them. Noting how dark it suddenly became, he knew that this was no mere cloud.

"Huh?" Shikamaru and the others looked up, and what they saw caused their eyes to widen and their jaw to drop.

---

[Konoha - Hokage Building]

"I want all civilians to be evacuated to the shelters." Tsunade was barking orders to various shinobi. "Tell the Genin and Chunin to aid in the evacuation. Meanwhile, I want all Jounin to spread the word to all the Clans all over the village to do the same!"

"Yes ma'am!" All the shinobi flickered away, leaving nothing but dust behind as evidence of their former presence, leaving behind one purple-haired ANBU agent, who was wearing a cat mask.

"You, go back to the hospital. Protect Naruto with your life if you have to."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." The ANBU agent nodded, before flickering away. Just as the ANBU disappeared,Jiraiya opened the door and walked in with Shizune.

"Tsunade." Jiraiya walked up her. "Have you seen what it-"

"Yes, Jiraiya, I have working eyes." She said, turning around to the window, staring through it with her old teammate and her apprentice. What they saw was something that they could have never imagined in a million years.

A large, metal structure was flying directly over the Hidden Leaf, momentarily almost eclipsing the sun with its large, metal body, with its looming shadow cast over the area underneath it..

Years of training and discipline helped keep Jiraiya calm as he began to think about their options, as well as how to decipher the situation.

"What do you think it is, Tsunade?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe it's a scouting party from the Land of Sky?" Jiraiya suggested, sending a shiver of fear down Tsunade's spine.

"I hope not." Tsunade whispered, clenching her fists tightly. She and her surviving friends remembered all too well the terror the Land of the Sky had imposed on the Elemental Nations. She remembered how the Sky shinobi had rained fire from above, and how she lost so many friends as they could do nothing but dodge and hide from their fury.

"Its huge…" Shizune whispered, hugging Tonton a little tighter than necessary.

"What's the plan, Tsunade? We need to act fast."

"Wait a moment, let me think." Tsunade gritted her teeth.

"Look!" Shizune cried out.

The two Sannin turned back and saw that the ship was going for the outskirts of the village, to the training fields outside the village.

"The training grounds…" Tsunade muttered, before ordering Jiraiya to prepare every active shinobi they had.

---

[Konoha - Third Training Ground]

The Third Training Ground, which was the field in where many generations of shinobi had trained, was peaceful today.

The river flowed without disturbance, the winds blew naturally, and the trees were free to grow without the threat of it being destroyed in the process of training.

Taking advantage of this rare time of peace, a few creatures began to come out from the forest, whether to get a change of atmosphere, to get a bigger room to stretch their limbs, or to simply look for food and resources outside of the dark forest they usually confided themselves in.

A bird flew out from the forest, looking for fallen twigs and small branches to use to make their nests, which was usually the aftermath of the battles of the elemental giants.

A squirrel poked its head out from a bush, looking left and right and above and below for any signs of danger, be it natural or unnatural. Seeing no sign of danger, the little critter darted from the safety of the forest, sniffing around for any fallen nuts, which usually happened after the giants had their battles, their inhuman powers tearing up the trees without care. Finding one, it seized the fallen acorn, checking it for any signs of mold.

It froze in its tracks when it noticed a large shadow forming over its body. Reluctantly abandoning its lucky find, it ran back into the forest, making loud squeaks in terror.

A large, metal ship landed on the spot where the rodent was just a few seconds ago. The doors for the Consular-Class Cruiser slid open, revealing a group of Naboo security guards and a small group of Jedi.

Most of the foreigners stopped to admire the nice scenery, enjoying the sight of the blue sky and the crisp, fresh air. Yoda, however, merely frowned, as if seeing something he did not like.

"Master Yoda, are you alright?" Obi Wan asked the elder master.

"Returned I have, after so long." Yoda responded sadly. "Quieter it has been, since that day. Remnants of war in the air, however, I can still feel."

"I will say," Anakin walked up to the two Jedi Masters. "For a so-called warrior planet, they really didn't seem to notice our ship until we just landed."

The young Skywalker was obviously not impressed with this backwater planet, with Obi Wan rolling his eyes at his arrogance.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, sir." Captain Typho looked around nervously. "I'm starting to think that they're just getting ready for a fight."

"Correct you are, Captain Typho." Yoda nodded, already sensing multiple lifeforms converging towards their location. "Fearful, these natives are. Be cautious, we must be."

"This is going to be extremely difficult if we're going to try and establish solid negotiations." This came from the senator of Alderaan, Bail Organa who joined in with Amidala on this diplomatic mission "What if they do see us as a hostile force?"

"Negotiations will be extremely difficult if the natives are much more hostile than we hope." The senator of Alderaan Bail Organa, said nervously.

He, alongside of every other senator of the Republic, have viewed Yoda's memory of the recently revealed planet of Elementia, and while it's obvious at this point that this Kaguya woman is still contained in the planet's moon, he was more worried about the fact that her son

Hagoromo had granted the people the power of "chakra." Throw in the fact that they were in countless wars before the rise of Kaguya, as well as Yoda's statement about feelings the "remnants of war," he couldn't help but wonder if the Naboo security guards would be able to keep them safe.

"I will have to agree with Senator Organa here, Master Anakin." C3P0 was the last one to exit the Consular Class Cruiser. "With what Master Yoda has told us, we might be dealing with a very dangerous group of people."

"Come on, C-3P0." Anakin replied smugly. "We have better skills and weapons. If they try anything, then we'll act in self defense, and we'll call it a night. Besides, with a Republic Cruiser flow above our heads, how much could they honestly do to us?"

Obi Wan walked up to his friend, and asked, "Anakin, for once can you think like a Jedi and not like a warrior?"

"Hey, what the-!" Anakin cried out.

"What is it, Anaki-" Obi Wan started, but he too quickly realized the new development.

He discovered that for some inexplicable reason, he was completely paralyzed! Furthermore, it would appear that he wasn't the only one, as evident by the Naboo guards and the senators struggling to move, only to be rooted firmly to their spot.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete." Shikamaru said with a smirk. He looked up towards what he assumed to be the possible invaders. "Who are you, and what are your intentions for this village?"

Just as he said these words, numerous Leaf shinobi jumped out of the woods, and the Republic troops and delegates was soon surrounded. Jumping behind Shikamaru was his sensei Asuma and Kakashi Hatake.

"Good work Shikamaru." Asuma complimented his student. "You've bound them without them even noticing it."

"Yeah, nicely done, kid. Let's wait until Lady Hokage arrives." Kakashi said. He gazed at the strange men and women (and whatever the hell the other guys were), who looked rather confused. He guessed that their confusion derived from the Nara kid's jutsu, as well as the language barrier, due to the fact that they spoke another language that they weren't familiar with.

Just then, one of the foreigners - a woman in fancy clothing - said something in anger, which gained their attention. He wasn't sure what she had just said, but he guessed it had something to do with Shikamaru.

…

"They use children as soldiers?" Senator Amidala yelled in disbelief. She had just looked at the person responsible for their paralysis, and was shocked when it turned out to be a young boy. "That's just horrible!"

"Now are you in the mood for your method?" Anakin couldn't help but jab at his master. "It might be helpful now."

"Of course with your planning, it's no surprise it always ends up like this." Obi Wan playfully shot back as he stared back at the warriors in front of them. As predicted, the natives of Elementia had long forgotten Galactic Basic, which Hagamoro had quickly learned using his "Rinnegan," as Yoda had explained. Hopefully, they can get C-3P0 to talk to them before a potential war breaks out.

"C-3P0." Obi Wan said to the droid.

"Oh dear!" The protocol droid exclaimed, sounding genuinely surprised. "I do believe that this is the very first time that you have ever spoken to me by my name in forever!"

Obi Wan chuckled at that.

"Yes, yes, that might be true. Anyways, could you please talk to these natives and tell them that we are here on a diplomatic mission?"

"Oh." C-3P0 seemed reluctant to do so, given the number of potential hostiles that were standing in front of them. "Are you certain that is what you want me to do?"

"Go, and take R2 with you." Padme said, trying to free herself from the mysterious grip. "They don't seem to see you as a threat, so you may be our only hope of diplomacy."

"As you wish, my lady." C-3PO nodded, before turning to his buddy. "Come, R2."

The small Astro-droid beeped rather grumpily for some reason as it started moving forwards with the silver droid towards the three shinobi, which left them feeling nervous and quite confused.

Asuma was visible stunned by the approaching metal beings.

"Wait, are those...machines?"

"What a drag…" Shikamaru sighed, although he was secretly interested in them. "Looks like it...but who knows?"

"I've seen a lot of things in my life," Kakashi said with a raised eyebrow, "but this takes the cake."

"Hello, my name is C-3PO, human cyborg relations," He introduced himself, before turning to his friend. "And this is my counterbot, R2-D2."

The shorter droid wiggled and beeped to greet them.

The three Shinobi turned to each other silently, confirming C-3P0's suspicions about their language barrier..

"Oh, I see you don't understand me. Perhaps my knowledge of your language is severely outdated. Well, I can translate over 6 million languages, and I am built to quickly learn and adapt to all forms of communication, so please just say a sentence, and I can roughly translate it to my master."

Contrary to the droid's belief, the three shinobi could understand him. After all, this...machine, was somehow speaking their language. They were, however, too gobsmacked to even utter a single word. 6 million languages? What exactly was this thing, a walking computer?

"Oh my, how can I get you to speak?" C-3P0 wondered out loud. He turned to the astromech to his right. "R2, any suggestions?"

R2 gave a series of beeps that sounded suspiciously like snickers as he rolled over towards the kneeling Shikamaru, stopping right in front of him.

"Huh?"

A part of R2's body then opened up, revealing what looked to be a small pipe. Before anyone could even blink, a jet of black oil was squirted into the Nara's face.

"Argh!" Shikamaru jumped back and grabs his face, stopping his jutsu.

"Oh no…" Obi Wan muttered, hoping to the Force that the mischievous droid's actions didn't just started a war.

"R2, that's not what I meant!" C-3PO said, worried to death about the potential consequences of his friend's actions. The protocol droid kicked the R2 unit's side. "Stupid astromech."

"Hey!" Shikamaru shouted at the droid, trying to get rid of the oil from his face. "What was that about?!"

"Oh my!" C-3PO exclaimed, raising his hands up. "So your language hasn't changed after all! You can understand me! "

"...Yes, we can." Kakashi confirmed. "Our...apologies for the late reply. As you can see, we're rather mind blown at the moment."

"Quite understandable. Nothing to be ashamed about." C-3P0 assured them. "Anyways, so now that communications are quite clear, I can finally deliver my message: We are not here intenting for war. Instead, we are here on the behalf of the galactic Republic in order to discuss talks, especially regarding the possibility of open trade, the construction of space ports, as well as a spot in the Republic Senate Chamber."

"Wait wait wait, a space port?" Asuma asked carefully. "You mean…you all come from space?"

"Well, not necessarily from space, but from our capital planet, Coruscant." C-3PO answered. "With the Senators from Naboo and Alderaan, as well as a few members of the Jedi Order, we've come on an official diplomatic mission in the name of the Republic to establish first contacts between your world and the galaxy."

This turned every shinobi pale what they heard from a short distance from the droid.

Kakashi and Asuma turned to look at each other, and realized just how much bigger the situation - and their world - had just gotten. They barely understood half of what was going on, but they did understand one key thing: These strange beings are from beyond the stars, and they were intelligent life, coming on board a vehicle with technology far superior to theirs, with perhaps even weapons far superior to theirs.

"We need to escort them to the Hokage immediately." Asuma quickly noted.

"Right." Kakashi nodded.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, didn't seem to give a damn about the whole situation, and was still trying to get the oil off his face.

"Aliens and machines from outer space." Shikamaru sighed, grimacing at his new jacket's ruined sleeve. "What a drag."

Meanwhile, Master Yoda thought it now was the best moment to explore around so he said to the Senators and Jedi "Go to the leader, you will. Explore I will the village." He said walking with his cane away towards the village on his own.

…

While the droids did their talking, the dark shadow that held everyone prisoner was suddenly cut off from their shadows, and the members of the Republic suddenly found themselves able to move.

"Shall we prepare for combat?" Typho asked.

Obi Wan quickly shook his head.

"I don't believe that'll be necessary." Obi Wan said, watching as their droid was finally communicating with the native soldiers.

The shinobi saw a bearded man approach them and he introduced himself with a slight bow of respect, with C-3P0 making sure to translate each party's words.

"Hello, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Jedi Order."

"Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi introduced himself, before pointing at his friend. "This is Asuma Sarutobi. Your machine said that you're here on a diplomatic mission?"

"Droid, actually. And yes, those are our intentions." Obi Wan nodded, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "Will you please take us to your leader, whoever he or she may be?"

"Our leader's name is Tsunade. Lady Tsunade." A voice appeared out of nowhere, making everybody jump in surprise.

A white haired man wearing sage-like clothing had just appeared out of nowhere. Despite his age, it was clear that he was a strong warrior, perhaps the strongest of the group, as evident by his tear-like red markings on his face, as well as the muscles that could be seen from underneath his clothing.

"The name's Jiraiya, and we'll escort you to her office." His eyes then gazed at the Naboo Senator, and suddenly his hard eyes turned into ones full of lust. "Together with this fine lady…"

Padme laughed rather awkwardly at the man.

"That's good to know." Padme smiled politely. "Please lead the way."

And with that, they all began to walk to the group, save for a few of the guards who stayed behind to guard their ship. Padme quickly regrouped with the Jedi with Senator Organa, following the Sannin and the other shinobi towards the village.

Anakin chose to cover the rear, where he was able to shoot glares at the white-haired man safely.

"That man's an open pervert." Anakin growled to his master. "He's been eyeballing Padme like a piece of meat for a while."

"I wouldn't be so worried if I were you." Obi Wan replied. "Senator Amidala knows how to deal with these kind of things. After all, she wasn't a former queen and the current senator for her looks, you know."

Obi Wan then raised his eyebrows at the Skywalker.

"Besides, why are you so invested into the senator's life?"

"I'm just concerned for the senator." Anakin said truthfully. "We don't know what kind of people we're dealing with. Who knows, their leader might be a ruthless woman."

"I suppose your concerns are valid, but do try to worry less, my friend." Obi Wan warned him. "Or else you may never become a Master."

"Yes, master." They all then walked in silence, save for the occasional light-hearted chatter amongst themselves to try to calm themselves down.

Despite their attempts to relieve their anxiety, they all couldn't help but be nervous at the meeting with the village leader. If a warrior, who hadn't even reached adulthood yet, was able to paralyze the entire group without warning, then just what could their village leader be capable of?

---

[The Hokage's Office]

THUD!

Everyone jumped a little when Tsunade Senju, the blonde-haired leader of the village, slammed down her now empty sake bottle. This honestly took the visitors by surprise, since they were expecting a very strict leader, with an equally harsh, hostile view on them for suddenly entering their village.

Tsunade looked up at the bodyguards, then Jedi, then the senators, who were sitting in front of her, before reaching down from under her desk. The human guards from Naboo tensed up, their fingers reaching for the trigger, until it turned out that she just pulled out another bottle of sake. Ripping open the cap, she downed it in front of everyone, getting sweatdrops from both the Republic and the shinobi.

Anakin whispered to his master, "I guess this is her way with coping with the fact that she's meeting people from outer space."

"Indeed it is, my friend." Obi Wan said, while trying to hold back a chuckle. "Granted, she is taking this rather well, I believe, all things considering."

Shizune cleared her throat, before she tried to step in.

"Lady Tsunade, please stop drinking." She pleaded. "This is not the way to make first contact with people from other world!"

CRUNCH!

The empty bottle shattered into a dozen pieces in her hands, making her assistant scurry away from her now-ticked off boss.

She cracked her knuckles after using a towel to wipe her hands dry, while observing the reactions form the delegation. Noticing that the two so-called sorcerers, who dressed similarly to the spiritual monks in the Fire Temple, didn't show too much of a reaction towards her. The armored men with strange weapons, for obvious reasons, but it was clear that they were tense and ready for combat if necessary. The machines somehow looked nervous as well, but if she had to be honest, they creeped her out. Especially the silver, humanoid one, with its glowing yellow eyes and it's blank, unchanging expression.

She shifted her focus onto the two senators, who were acting as the representatives for this "Galactic Republic" to act on their behalf to try to set up some negotiations. The guy on the right seemed to be slightly intimidated by the show she was giving, and was doing his best to not look uncomfortable.

The woman to his left - Padme, if she remembered correctly - didn't seem to be intimidated by her at all, but rather, she was glaring at her as if one would glare at a person they had a grudge against.

"You got something on your mind, lady?" Tsunade grunted. "If so, speak up."

C-3P0 quickly translated this to her, and that's when Padme stomped towards her desk. This caused some of the shinobi to move towards her, and some of her guards to raise their weapons, but Tsunade waved them both off.

"You use child soldiers." Padme said, slamming her hands on Tsunade's desk.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Padme stated, challenging the Sannin. "Forget the fact that you're intoxicated while we're here to discuss the future of your village. You seem to not be ashamed at the idea of sending a child into the frontline and potentially risking his life."

"Senator Amidala," Bail began, trying to stop this from escalating. "Maybe-"

"Look, missy," Tsunade shot back to the senator. "What you saw is reality out here - our reality. While your mother was still in some stuck up school or whatever, I was already saving lives on the battlefield when I wasn't even sixteen yet. This place isn't such a peaceful planet, which, by the looks of your white knights, you probably already suspected. This place isn't such a peaceful planet like wherever you came from. So unless you're trying to start something with me, I don't want to hear it."

The blonde was now leaning over her desk, her face just inches away from the brunette's, glaring directly into the former queen of Naboo, who wasn't easily intimidated.

"Well for your information, I have seen my own people getting killed. I fought alongside my people when my planet Naboo was invaded by the Trade Federation. I fought alongside them to take back my home, and we won. I volunteered with a relief group and helped to relocate the children who had to flee from the Federation, some which died without even been given the chance to live their full life."

Taking a second to allow herself to breathe, as well as to allow C-3P0 to do his work as fast as he could, she continued to glare at the female leader, before she continued.

"I may know what other planets do, such as this one, but that doesn't mean I won't speak my mind about it, Lady Hokage."

The entire time this exchange went out, the atmosphere grew impossible tense, wondering which lady would strike at each other first, possibility igniting a war that one side will lose.

After one full minute of ominous silence, Tsunade smirked, making a half smile at the senator.

"Well, you've guts, senator. That, I can respect. I can see it in your eyes from one soldier to another that every word you just said wasn't bullshit. Looks like you aren't the stuck-up princess I thought you were."

Padme sat back down. " I assume you've lost loved ones?"

"Yeah, I lost some people…" Tsunade laid back on her chair wearily, her eyes lost in thought. She was brought back to those terrible moments, where she watched her brother Nawaki and her lover Dan die in her arms, with all those years of training as a medic seemingly gone to waste in that moment.

"I'm sorry for your loss, madam." Padme said in a respectful tone.

"Don't sweat it." Tsunade sighed, and turned back to the delegation. "It's been a long time. All I can do is to just try not to think about it too much. But I understand your concern about the age of our shinobi going into battle. Unfortunately this is the way it's been going on for centuries, and it doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon."

"If I may join the conversation, I want to ask you a couple of vital questions." Obi Wan stepped in. "Before we came down here, we've done a planetary scan, and we've found more settlements like this village across the nation."

"You must be talking about the other shinobi villages." Jiraiya said, answering the Jedi's question. "There are numerous villages much like ours throughout the nation, which is divided into a few countries. Each country tends to have just one shinobi village."

Jiraiya pulled out a map from Tsunade's desk. Laying it out, he began to describe its contents.

"For example, our village Konohagakure (or just Leaf, for your sake) lies in the Land of Fire. As you can probably guess from the map, our village is one of the five great ones of the Elemental Nations, with the other four being Suna (Sand), Kiri (Mist), Kumo (Clouds), and Iwa (Rocks). The rest are smaller villages, like Taki (Waterfall), Kusa (Grass), Ame (Rain), and so forth."

Poor C-3P0 did his best to keep up. Anakin raised his eyebrows when C-3P0 noted to them the literal translations for the villages.

"Each village is named after what its known for." Jiraiya shrugged. "Kirigakure, or as your 'droid' translated as 'Village Hidden in the Mists,' is known to be always surrounded with a thick mist, due to its location being on an island surrounded by the sea. The mist is always so thick that if you tried to make it there on ship, you wouldn't see the rocks until the damned things sent your ships to the bottom of the sea."

Bail cleared his throat, effectively grabbing their attention.

"Is there any way to contact the other villages?"

"I wouldn't try it just yet." Tsunade shook her head. "Our village isn't exactly at ease with any of the other current villages right now, especially with the other four main powers."

Obi Wan grew more interested into the conversation. "Please explain just how bad the relations are."

"Well for one, Leaf and Rock haven't been in good contact with each other for almost over a decade after the Third Great Shinobi War."

"Third Great Shinobi War?"

"Everyone was involved." Someone said grimly. Everyone's eyes turned towards the new speaker, and found that it was the masked man named Kakashi. "The Rock and Leaf were fighting across the eastern lands of Grass, with many casualties on both sides in the process for months. The front was undecided until the battle of Kannabi Bridge, which turned the war in the Leaf's favor, but that was only one front. On the southwestern fronts, the Leaf was fighting against Mist, or also known at the time as 'Bloody Mist.' The casualty rates was almost like the one against Stone."

Kakashi's singular eye seemed to dim as he stared at the map.

"How many?" This time the one asking the next question was Typho, the Naboo captain who wore the blue armor. He had deduced that Kakashi was a survivor of that war. "How many comrades did you lose in that war?"

"...My best friend got killed at the Kannabi Bridge." Kakashi slowly answered. "My other friend died in a battle with the Hidden Mist. Lost my whole team in that war… "

Typho nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry to hear that. I really mean it."

"Much obliged."

"...Anyways," Jiraiya reluctantly cut in. "With the Rock Village, it's most likely that they won't talk to us, much less you guys. Hell, they'll probably try to shoot you down the moment they see you guys, using the natural terrain they surround themselves with. The Hidden Mist, on the other hand, is in complete chaos, last I heard."

"How so?"

"It's in the midst of a civil war." Jiraiya explained. "We don't know how it began but fighting broke off after a clan tried to rebel against the Mizukage, their village leader, causing him to turn a rampage against all the clans who either got slaughtered or forced to flee. We still don't know who's exactly on the winning side, whether it's the rebels or the Mizukage, so I would wait until speaking with them. Unlike us, they kill outsiders on sight."

"That's quite a way to send a message." Obi Wan said, stroking his beard. This would prove to be difficult in the future for sure. "What about the Hidden Cloud, or 'Kumo', as you would call it?"

"They've been keeping a very low key profile on their activities for the last ten years." Tsunade said, shaking her head from the alcohol's influence. "They keep to themselves, and are trying to stay out from everyone's problems after the Hyuga incident."

"Hyuga incident?"

"One of their Shinobi - the ambassador, actually, - tried to kidnap the heiress of the Hyuga clan, which ended in his death and one of the Hyuga members giving up his life to prevent a war." Tsunade answered. "The Hidden Cloud is what we believe to be the second most powerful shinobi village at the moment."

Bail Organa couldn't help but feel more uncomfortable about being on the same planet with these brutes. Their culture and their history of war was reminding him a little too much about Mandalore.

"And Suna?"

"Well...maybe not yet." Jiraiya slowly said. "Long story short, they were our allies until they teamed up with the Hidden Sound for an attempted invasion not that long ago. I mean, we won, and the Sand surrendered, but… "

Jiraiya's face turned grim.

"They… managed to take out the Third Hokage, as well as many of our own shinobi, before fleeing. But, since we all discovered that the Sand was tricked into the invasion by an...impersonator, the Sand is now asking for renegotiations."

Jiraiya looked at the map once more, before looking back at the senators.

"That's pretty much it for the big villages. The smaller ones are either neutral for the most part, or may be secretly allied with the Sound Village. Either way, it might not be a good idea to approach them for a while."

"Duly noted." Bail Organa nodded, knowing well just how fragile peace can be, and how there was a time and place to approach new life.

"Wait, something doesn't add up." Senator Amidala spoke up, just realizing an important missing detail. "You said that a while ago, the Third Hokage was killed, but if the woman in front of me is the Fifth Hokage, what happened to the Fourth?"

The air around them suddenly grew tense, and it was at that moment that Padme knew that she had just broken what seemed to be a taboo subject.

Finally, Jiraiya opened his mouth to answer.

"The Fourth Hokage died almost fourteen years ago, just months after he helped win the Third Great Shinobi War, and after being recently inaugurated as the Fourth Hokage."

He then pointed at a photo across the room. Everyone's eyes followed his finger, and looked at a portrait of a blonde, handsome man smiling at the audience.

"His name was Minato Namikaze, also nicknamed 'The Yellow Flash,' due to his ability to transport to almost teleport from one position to another in a blink of an eye."

Anakin's curiosity got the better of him as he asked, "How did he die?"

Again, the uncomfortable silence returned, and the security guards tensed up again, seeing the shinobi's fingers itch for their blades.

"...We're sorry, but that information cannot be revealed directly, due to the late Third Hokage's law that prohibits it." Shizune finally said, shivering at the tension in the room.

It didn't take a force user to notice the feelings of grief, regret, and sadness that filled the room. It also didn't take a force user like Obi Wan and Anakin to quickly realize that talking about the Fourth Hokage was a literal taboo subject.

"We're sorry for bringing it up." Obi Wan apologized on behalf of his partner, to which the Hokage nodded at him.

"Anyways," Organa decided to resume the original conversation before the situation grew more awkward. "Shall we discuss the future of your village and the Republic?"

The normal politics were resumed as the two Jedi sighed, as they had to watch and listen to it.

Anakin then began to wonder about something. "I wonder what Master Yoda is doing."

"For once my friend, you've outthought me."

---

Yūgao Uzuki sighed from behind her mask. The ANBU agent was tasked by the Hokage herself to guard the young boy she used to protect from harm years ago when Naruto was only a small child.

Together with Kakashi, they were one of the few to willingly stop anybody from harming the young boy from any harm while working in the shadows. Like the one-eyed shinobi, she was one of the very few to know about his heritage. After all, one of his parents used to be her sensei…

It pained her to see her sensei's son breathing out of a tube, in a coma where there was that scary chance that he may never wake up. Hearing that he had sustained potentially fatal wounds, her relief came from the news that Shizune was the one leading the operation. Knowing her medical expertise, as well as their mutual fondness for the boy, she knew he was in good hands.

She stroked Naruto's whiskered cheek with the back of her hand, and she smiled when his lips twitched into a smile. While she learned a while ago that it wasn't a sign of him waking up, it was at least comforting to know that he could still smile, and that he could still recognize her presence.

Watching the boy from his first day in the Academy to his success in the Suna/Oto invasion, Naruto had shown his loyalty and strength every chance he could, even when he had the worst given to him by the village's civilians, and even from some of its shinobi.

"Don't worry, Naruto, you've done your job." Yūgao whispered to the boy. "Your mother would be proud of you."

Just as she said those words, the door opened, making Yūgao turn towards the door to see who it was. Her hands immediately shot towards her sword, when two ANBU guards stepped inside.

"It's alright, they're...visitors." They both said a little too hesitantly. Narrowing her eyes, they traveled to the two strangers. Outfitted with brown and dark colored armor, they held strange, small items in their hands that she could only assume was their weapons.

"Who the hell are they?" She asked.

"My bodyguards, they are." An unfamiliar voice explained from underneath them. Her eyes traveled downward, and her eyebrow shot up at the sight of a small, child-sized green creature wearing what appeared to be monk robes.

"Yeah, I know." The ANBU guard nodded in agreement. "A bit much to take in. All would be explained later. Long story short, diplomatic mission, not from here, and they're friendly."

"Alright then… " Yūgao reluctantly moved her hands away from her weapon, making the guards relax. The short, green man(?) slowly walked towards the blond.

"What are your intentions with the boy?" Yūgao asked cooly.

"Just talk, I want to." The elderly being said. She raised her eyebrow at his strange manner of speech.

"He's in a coma, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Not him, I wish to talk to." He said, making her eyes widen. Before she could think about whether or not to execute him on the spot for knowing the forbidden secret, he placed his three-fingered hand on his stomach, and closed his eyes.

---

[The Prison]

Yoda opened his eyes, and found himself to be in what looked like a sewer system. Dark, dank, and ominously quiet, the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of water splashing as he moved around the large tunnels.

Before he knew it, Yoda had found a large cage in front of it, with the only lock being a large piece of paper on it, with some letters written with the native's language on it.

Yoda decided to walk closer to the gate. He thought about trying to enter the cage, but decided against it.

"WHO'S THERE?!" A loud roar echoed the hallway, which made Yoda step back in surprise.

Large footsteps shook the hallway as something large stepped up to the cage. Yoda looked up, and his jaw dropped at the sheer size of the being that stood in front of him. It was Kurama alright - but he had grown much bigger.

The Nine-Tailed Fox, who was once only the size of a small house, had grown to the size of mountains. The orange beast, who had once been able to look down at Yoda with ease, loomed over him. Had Yoda been any other person, he would've admittedly been afraid.

The large beast growled from above, the sound which would've frightened off an army of krayt dragons. Unable to see the intruder, the giant crouched down to take a better look at him.

His eyes widened upon recognizing the small man as he choked a little bit.

"Y-Yoda?"

"Kurama." Yoda grew a small smile on his face. "Grown you have."

"Yoda…"

CRASH!

Kurama slammed his hand against the ground, almost unbalancing Yoda from where he stood. The large fox growled at his old friend.

"You got a lot of nerve to come here after all these years!" Kurama roared at the Jedi Master with anger that shook the whole area. The water from underneath them ripples from the pure hate and power that radiated from the creature. Still, Yoda remained calm in the face of the beast.

"Angry you are, I can understand." Yoda said as he fearlessly made a step forward. "Assume your experience, bad it has been?"

"Bad? BAD?! It's only been bad after Hagoromo passed away!" Kurama hissed, slashing at the seal in anger. "Ever since his death, I've been hunted and hated by humans for the last six centuries! I wasn't able to see the others because we've been hunted by humans, who are after us for our power and want to use us as weapons! I have been sealed inside one human after another for the last hundred years, and now I'm stuck inside this annoying brat who's barely breathing because he's a reckless idiot!" Kurama shouted, unleashing his years of hatred and frustration at the old man. He huffed, glaring at his old friend, who simply stared back in sadness.

After a few minutes, his eyes finally dimmed down, hatred fading away from them for the moment.

"It's good to see you, Yoda. It's been too long since I've seen a familiar face…"

"That I agree on. But, forgot the lesson, you did."

"What are you on about, old man?" Kurama got off track. "And how are you even still alive? You must be-"

"Talk about age, I'd rather not." Yoda chuckled. "Makes me feel old, it does. But still, forgotten the lessons, you have."

Using the Force, Yoda banished the water away from beneath him, and sat down on the cold floor. The Kyuubi decided to have a seat as well, and noted that a ring of dry land remained around the green Force-user, despite the water's efforts to try to invade that area of dry space.

"Give this boy, a chance you should." Yoda looked up at Kurama. "Sign of ignorance, the prejudgment of someone is."

Yoda himself has faced a lifetime of bigoted comments, as well as many unpleasant encounters with some close minded people.

"Why should I?" Kurama narrowed his eyes at Yoda's suggestion. "The brat won't even speak to me unless he needs me, so why should I waste my time with him?"

"Both of you will need each other, when the time is right." Yoda stated rather bluntly. "Sense a dark future, I have."

"When will that happen?"

"Know, I do not. Trust in the Force, you should. Need each other, you both will."

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the little old man, but he could tell that he was telling the truth. He didn't know much about this "Force," nor about the powers that came with it, but what he did know was that at times, it helped warn the user about a future event that would happen.

"You still have trouble talking normally, old man,"

Yoda chuckled at this, which brought a small grin to his face.

"But, I'll take your word for it. Hagoromo trusted you, so I will too."

His eyes then glared at the seal that bound him to the boy.

"It's nice to know that you're still breathing, old man. The others would be very pleased to see you as well."

Yoda smiled at the Nine-Tailed Fox. "Chance in the future, there may be. Came, the Republic has, to establish ties with the village, it is doing right now."

Kurama raised an eyebrow at that.

"So after all these years, you guys finally decided to come back from your silly war to try to establish connections with these hairless monkeys? Hah, good luck with that. I've seen the people here fight so many wars that I learned to stop counting."

"Any word from the others?" Yoda asked, referring to the other Tailed Beasts. Kurama shook his head.

"Like I said, old man, they suffered the same faith as I have." Kurama knocked at the seal from behind his cage. "I did recently encounter that idiot Shukaku though. His container was a bit nuts, and he tried to attack the brat's village not that long ago. He pretty much got his ass kicked by my container, who only used a little bit of my chakra to defeat him at his full form."

Kurama roared in laughter. "I hate to admit it, but the brat started growing on me when he beat up Shukaku's ass!"

Yoda chuckled, delighted to see Kurama laugh. It reminded him of that innocent laugh that he had when he was just a small fox.

Curious, he then asked, "The name of the boy, what is?"

"Oh, the kid?" Kurama grunted. "His mother was actually my previous host, and her family was known to be the Seal Masters across the nation." Kurama chuckled. "And guess who's name is it."

Yoda listened as Kurama gave a brief history about the kid's mother, her family, and the kid himself. Yoda's ears drooped as he was stunned and saddened to know the fate of the kid's family, as well as his harsh life that he lived out in the village.

"Many hardships, life seems to have brought to him. Deserved it, he did not. Good heart, he seems to have, according to you." Yoda sighed.

"Yeah…" Kurama agreed. "The kid's annoying as hell and eats unhealthy, and there are times when I want to rip my ears out in frustration, but, as painful as it is to say this, the brat does remind me of Hagoromo at times. The boy's got determination, loyalty, strong willpower, and a strong convictions protect those who are precious to him."

The more he talked about Naruto, the more he realized that he kind of liked the kid after all.

"I see." Yoda nodded with a smile. He then glanced upwards, as if sensing something.

"Unfortunately, but go, I must. Speak to you again, I hope to do so soon."

"See you soon, old friend." Kurama gave a genuine smile for the first time in ages.

"Indeed, we will."

---

Opening his eyes, Yoda grunted after his mind exited the boy's seal. He frowned at what he learned about the tailed beasts, and how even after everything that has happened, it would appear that the natives have not learned their lesson after Kaguya.

That could, however, change, thanks to the boy named Naruto Uzumaki, who, despite all the hate and prejudice, had chosen to stay with the village, to try to protect those that he cared about. Perhaps with this boy's help, he can help bridge the gap between the tailed beasts and the natives. Perhaps with this boy's help, Kurama could learn to open up to others again, and be that small fox from many centuries ago.

"Unpredictable, this one is." Yoda said, before getting off the chair to leave the room. "Like his future, very unpredictable."

Just before he went out of earshot from Naruto's room, he noticed a group of teenagers approaching the boy's room. He could sense their worry for the boy, and their smiles from when the purple-haired woman assured them that everything was alright, and that they could visit the boy with their permission.

"Powerful Jedi, become you could. Looking forward to see your future, I am." Yoda said to no one, before putting his hood over his head, and walking away. "Your name, history has not forgotten. Traits of my old friend, you have."

Yoda knew that the moment they felt The Ripple, everything would change. He knew that with this planet now under the eyes of both the Jedi and the Sith, things will be forever changed. How, is the question. Unfortunately, only time will tell.

The Force itself was indeed mysterious in its ways.

Chapter 3: A Painful Departure

27 BBY [Konoha, 2 Months Later]

Two months.

That's how long it has been since the Retrieval Mission's success. That was also how long it has been since the people from the Galactic Republic has visited their planet since forever. In those short two months, a lot has changed for not just the Leaf Village, but also for the world they have now came to identify as "Elementia."

After a few tense moments, the Republic diplomats was successful in their mission to communicate with the natives, and to establish first contact peacefully. The Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire was enthusiastic to accept the terms of the deal the Republic had offered, and just like that, they became the first society of Elementia to have connections with the Galactic Republic, with the news going global around the world of this new development.

It didn't take long before the other Shinobi Villages were approached by the Republic. They either accepted their invitation to join the Republic, were still indecisive about the choice, or outright rejected their offer. Currently, more negotiations and meetings were happening between the other Kages and Feudal Lords, with the main issue being trade between the villages, potential job distributions, as well as old conflicts getting in the way of progress.

As for Konoha, however, the change was already growing visible, as evident by the upgrading Hokage Tower and the landing ports being built outside of the village.

The village's renovation was being observed from the Konoha Hospital window, where Shizune and Tsunade were watching the technological progress from above.

"Wow…" Shizune's hands trembled slightly as she did her best to not drop her folders. "I still can't believe this is happening…"

She turned to look at her teacher - and deadpanned when she saw the Hokage drinking again.

Tsunade was currently emptying a small container of sake that she carried around with her.

"Ahhh, that hits the spot."

"Lady Tsunade!"

"Don't be like that, Shizune." Tsunade grunted. "It's only a small drink."

"But still-"

"Let's not change the topic." Tsunade turned to walk with her apprentice. "How's the kid's recovery going?"

"Oh, Naruto? Oh, you know him: No matter what life throws at him, he bounces right back." Shizune smiled.

She glanced at the medical reports, and read, "He passed the examinations, and is currently doing some rehabilitation exercises for muscular regeneration and for his respiratory system. Of course, he'll still be out of commission for maybe a month or so to properly recover from his internal wounds, but aside from that, he's doing great!"

"That's good to know." Tsunade smiled as they arrived at Naruto's room. She knocked on the door, and after a few seconds of silence, they let themselves in.

Sitting on his bed was Naruto, who was staring out the window. Still wrapped up in bandages, it was hard to tell what Naruto was thinking as he gazed at the technological revolution going on just outside of them.

"Naruto."

The boy seemed a little startled as he finally turned around to greet his visitors.

"Oh hey Granny. Hey, Sis. Good to see you." Naruto said in an unusually calm way, before turning back to the window to stare at the construction.

Tsunade, who did not expect this strange behavior from her newly-adopted grandson, sobered up immediately. She turned to Shizune to whisper into her ear.

"Why is he so-"

"Different? Quieter? Down?" Shizune finished her question. "You're not the only one asking that, my Lady. Ever since Naruto was told of the damage inflicted on him, as well as Team 7's disbandment, he hasn't really been himself. Even the news about the Galactic Republic didn't seem to faze him too much."

"I see." Tsunade finally said wearily. Seeing Naruto looking and sounding so down did the same to her as well, finding his emotions to be surprisingly contagious at times. "When will his mental examination take place?"

"I asked Inoichi Yamanaka personally, and he said that he's open to check on Naruto this evening."

"Good, I want to know those reports at first hand."

"I can still hear you guys." Naruto broke their silent conversation without looking back. "So you don't have to talk behind my back."

An awkward silence filled the air as they realized what they just did. Tsunade finally cleared her throat, breaking the silence, before walking back up to the blond.

"How are you, kid?"

"I'm...doing fine." Naruto said slowly. "I just...didn't expect any of this to happen, honestly."

"Which one, the visitors from outer space, or Sasuke being the reason for Team 7's disbandment."

Naruto flinched at that last part, and Tsunade wondered if she had gone a little too far with her bluntness. Fortunately, Naruto seemed to recover quickly enough.

"Kinda both. Right now though, I think the aliens from outer space really takes the cake on the level of unexpected."

That made Tsunade smile a bit, hearing a little bit of the Naruto she knew and grew to love and care for.

"Well kiddo, you're taking it better than I did. I mean, I'll admit, the first thing I did when those guys came from the sky, I ended up emptying about four bottles of sake on the spot." Tsunade said with a smirk.

"Tsk, pretty much the same reaction when you played our savings away." Shizune muttered.

Tsunade turned to her apprentice with narrowed eyes. "What was that, Shizune?"

Gulping, Shizune stumbled backwards.

"I, um, I'll just leave you two alone." She said, before hastily leaving the two to themselves.

Once left alone, Naruto suddenly became more open to her. "Granny, I need you to answer me about something."

"About what, kid?" Tsunade asked, wondering what Naruto had on his mind. "You know, you're not usually like thi-"

"Is Team 7 really going to disband?" He asked his question to her while staring through the window.

"Listen Naruto, whatever you promised to-"

"Is our team going to disband?" Naruto turned to her with an empty stare, looking directly at her. "Just be honest with me. Yes or no?"

Tsunade sighed, deciding to finally be upfront about it. "Yes, by the looks of it, Team 7 will be broken up until further notice."

"So that's it. Team 7 is finished." Naruto said numbly, before turning back to the window. "And I heard that my shinobi career is over as well."

The Galactic Republic had recently instituted a policy that prohibited children from joining the military of one's nation or planet's state until they reach the age of seventeen, to which Tsunade had agreed on after some hesitation, meaning that all shinobi under that age would be put in non-active duty, or simply were put on small tasks that mostly involved working inside the village.

"It's not over, Naruto. You're just put out of active duty for at least until you turn seventeen, then you can go back to being assigned to missions outside the village."

"With who? If my team gets disbanded, me and Sakura will be floaters."

A floater was another word for genin team members who lost their comrades and were waiting in circulation for a re-assembling shinobi team, which could mean months or even years for the average shinobi.

"I guess it's finally time for some good news, kid." That voice came from the window. The two blondes looked outside, and saw that it was Jiraiya, who was sitting on top of a giant toad he had summoned.

"Pervy Sage?"

"I'm gonna ignore that for your health." Jiraiya said calmly. "Anyways, I came here to tell you that I've got a plan for us to leave this village so that we can focus on your training."

This news made Naruto's sore back stiffen in surprise.

"Huh, why?"

"Because of Akatsuki." Jiraiya said without hesitation. "I've been told by my informants that they put their operations on hold for now, and seemed to have completely disappeared." The Toad Sage said, turning to his apprentice. "I'm planning on leaving right after you've been discharged from the hospital, but not before I get a medical examination from Tsunade herself. Will you?"

Tsunade nodded. "Of course I will."

"But wait!" Naruto frantically waved his hands to get them both to pause. "W-what about Sakura?"

"She's going to become a medical ninja." Tsunade answered, making Naruto turn to her. "She's got potential. If she can pass the tests Shizune's giving her now, then I might consider taking her under my wing."

Tsunade had been initially hesitant to give the pinkette a chance, since she's been told all the horror stories about her being a typical, useless fangirl, who was, to be quite blunt, a burden to the shinobi ranks, and quite personally, a disgrace to all of the kunoichi who had to fight tooth and nail to get to where they are, as well as to try to banish that embarrassing stereotype. But when Sakura begged for a chance, admitting to her mistakes and expressing her desire to not become a burden to her future teammates, she decided to give the girl just one chance.

Satisfied, Jiraiya cleared his throat. "With this news about the Akatsuki, we got a chance to train you properly without any distractions, and prepare you for if and when they return."

Naruto's face hardened at the memory of his encounter with the two Akatsuki members. He remembered how even with the Kyuubi's chakra, he was rendered useless because of the shark man's sword, which apparently could eat chakra. He also remembered just how Itachi, the man that Sasuke had always talked about killing, just utterly destroyed his Uchiha friend. Sasuke, the prodigy of the Academy, the one who managed to puncture Gaara's sand shield with Kakashi's Chidori, was helpless against his elder brother, who humiliated him in front of Naruto and the shark man. He even did something to Sasuke's mind, which is probably what drove him to try to defect in the first place.

The young jinchuuriki turned back towards Tsunade. "When?"

"Tomorrow, if possible." Tsunade answered, folding her arms. "You've been having a steady recovery, but I still want you to take it easy, at least for another week or two. That's where I count on you, Jiraiya." She said with a clear warning.

Jiraiya only laughed at her as a response, and nodded. "Don't worry about us, Tsunade. He's going to be in good hands. When he comes back to the village, you won't even recognize him." Jiraiya promised to his friend and long time comrade with a smirk.

This got Tsunade to shake her head, before a small chuckle escaped her lips. Despite Jiraiya's foolishness, she knew that he was being serious this time, and that he would do anything to make sure Naruto didn't do something stupid.

"Alright then. We'll leave you alone for now, Naruto. Get as much rest as you can."

"Yeah kid, get some shuteye while you can. This will be your last night in the village." Jiraiya said, before hopping out the window and landing on the toad's head.

Naruto looked out of the window, and saw his perverted teacher leave on the toad, leaving the blonde knucklehead on his own. He looked back towards the sky, and saw that it was already getting dark, already seeing stars in the sky.

While he didn't show it, he was very excited to learn that there was life beyond their blue sky, and that there was a whole galaxy filled with planets, filled with diverse people and animals.

Deep in his heart, however, he was also slightly frightened at the news.

Why? Well, one minute, he was fighting his teammate after a long chase across the vast forests, and the next minute after he woke up, he heard and saw that his village had been visited by people from outer space, and now there are spaceports and other futuristic technology being built around their village. Fear was a rather appropriate response if you asked anybody, especially to a coma patient.

"If there are over billions of people born around the galaxy…" Naruto asked to himself, "Then why was I born here alone?" That particular question didn't come out of nowhere for Naruto. He had always wondered why it was him that had to take the burden of being the Kyuubi's container. He had always wondered why out of everybody in the world, he had to also lose his parents, who could've protected him from the glares and who could've helped him sleep at night in peace. He had always wondered who his family was, and if they were important enough to where he was chosen to live this rather sad life.

'Or maybe they just picked a random orphan to use to contain the Kyuubi.'

Naruto shook his head. He could've focus on those thoughts now. It just made him dizzy all of a sudden. Closing his eyes, he laid his head back onto his soft pillow.

He wondered if even with everything else that was going on, his life would change for the better.

---

[Raxus Secundus, Raxulon]

Raxulon was one of the many planets that was laid out in the Outer Rim. Forgotten and neglected by the corrupt Republic, it was one of the many planets that was a part of the new, growing faction that was now beginning to rival the Galactic Republic, with Raxulon in particular being the capital base and the political heart of the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), or as they were better known as the Separatist Alliance.

This alliance was being led by Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master who, like many others, was disgusted by the Republic's corruption and incompetence.

Unbeknownst to the Separatists, however, this wasn't the only reason why Count Dooku was their leader. While Dooku was indeed the leader of the Confederacy, he was secretly under the will of another entity. An entity, who was far stronger than Dooku, and had far more sinister plans for the Separatists than what they were aware of.

Speaking of the Fallen Jedi, he was currently walking through the dark hallway of the empty building, which was previously filled with senators from the Confederacy, who were discussing the latest news about the secret planets Elementia and Earth, which the Jedi were keeping from the Republic, as well as the current politics on the said planets. That was the same topic that he intended to talk about with his master, who had summoned him.

'Who knew that there was still so much about the Force that we had yet to learn about.' Dooku thought, trembling with slight fear and excitement when he thought back to "The Ripple", as the Jedi called it. 'Large beasts made from the Dark Side of the Force? How intriguing…'

Dooku then shook his head as he made it to his room. It wouldn't do good for him to be lost in his thoughts when his master was talking to him. He knew from experience that making his master angry was never a good idea. Taking the time to clear his mind, he locked his room to prevent any possibilities of unwanted guests, before he activated his holotransmitter.

A human-sized hologram popped up, and Dooku made sure to go on his knee to bow to Lord Sidious.

"Master…."

"Lord Tyranus." His master's voice rasped through the holotransmitter. "I'm eager to hear about the results of today's politics on Raxus."

"I am pleased to inform you that with the vast support of the full chamber, led by Senator Bonteri, a delegation will be prepared to leave for the two planets for a diplomatic mission." Dooku informed Lord Sidious. Due to the fact that both planets are located in the Outer Rim, the vote was unanimous to try to get the two planets to join the Confederacy - or at least, certain parts of the planet anyways, as both were currently divided into separate nations/countries. "I must say my master, this action may trigger a potential race of diplomacy with the Republic once they catch wind of this."

"That is of no concern of mine at the current moment." Sidious replied coolly. "What I am more interested in would be the disturbance in the Force I know you also felt a few months back."

"Are you referring to 'The Ripple', my Lord?" Dooku asked, not looking up just yet. "Of course I have felt it, but what of it?"

"I am eager to inform you that I have been told of the exact source of that power." Sidious's face stretched into a wicked grin from underneath his cloak. "To make matters much more pleasant, the host of this untapped power is currently in its weakest form. With the Jedi not present on the planet of Elementia, I want you to retrieve it for me."

It was obvious that the Sith Lord was very interested in this ancient child of the Dark Side, and wished to study it further to see if its creation can be replicated, as well as if it can be used for their own desires.

"How shall we go about this, my Lord?"

"It would be unwise to do this job yourself," Sidious said wisely, "for it will only catch the unwanted attention of the Jedi. So, I want you to use more...discreet methods to cover our trail."

"If that's the case, then I shall hire mercenaries to do the dirty work." Dooku nodded. "Their allegiance is only to those that pay them, and thus, a sufficient amount of credits will get the job done and keep their lips shut. It shall be done, my lord."

"Very good, Tyranus. I expect to see my target in our hands soon enough."

The holo transmission ended, which was followed by a few beeps. When Dooku pressed the button again, a list of data appeared in front of him, telling him the exact details of the planet, of the politics that was occuring, as well as the security detail for the planet.

Reading through the document, his eyes finally landed on the page that discussed the details of the target.

"Hmm, I see." Dooku nodded. After giving it some thought, he then pushed a few buttons, intending to contact a certain group of mercenaries, who, while not cheap, were qualified to get the job done...with one in particular who will be hired to lead the job.

---

[Kamino, Tipoca City]

Kamino is a planet known for its massive ocean. Of course, it wasn't always a planet without land. A long time ago, the planet of Kamino used to have lands and icebergs. However, time changes everything, and not always for the better. Climate change, which was brought on by natural occurrences and by pollution, had began to drown the land, eventually causing the natives to either flee...or adapt.

And adapt many did. The Kaminoans, who were the masters of science, refused to leave their planet, choosing instead to build cities that stood above the roaring ocean. One of these cities is called Tipoca City, where like the other cities, they would continue their path of science, eventually becoming masters of genetics and cloning.

Inside Tipoca City lived a mercenary, who made the wet city his home. This man was currently in his normal attire, which he normally wore underneath his armor.

The man's name was Jango Fett, and he was currently residing on Kamino to oversee a project that he agreed on with Tyranus for which he would be rewarded with a good amount of credits - as well as something else.

"Dad."

Jango looked to his left to see a young boy walk in. This young boy, who he regarded as his son, was actually his clone. An unaltered clone who, aside from his birth, grew up normally with no scientific modifications. Having the exact some curly, brown hair and having the exact same eyes as he once did, Boba Fett was certainly like his father.

"What is it, Boba?" Jango walked up to him, ruffling his hair. "Something on your mind?"

"It's almost lunchtime." Boba said. "You told me we'll be eating together for today. You promised."

Just before Jango could agree, his holotransmitter began to beep.

"Did I, huh? Alright, I was getting hungry anyways." Jango smirked, messing around with his son until he heard the beeping, and turned around to see the transmitter going off.

Boba, who was already by the door, turned his head around to see his dad walking over to the transmitter. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, son. Just need to answer this." He replied, and picked up the small device. "Go to the canteen, I'll catch up to you."

"Okay." Boba frowned slightly as he walked through the door, leaving Jango alone once the door closed. Sighing at how little attention he was giving to his son, he answered the transmission.

"Jango Fett."

"Tyranus, I wasn't expecting you to call. Was about to go and eat now if you didn't mind."

"Oh, I am not here to waste your time, my friend. I've contacted you because I need your extraordinary skills again to retrieve something. You heard of those new planets that were discovered?"

"You mean what they call Elementia and Earth? Yeah, I heard about them. What gives?"

"There's something on Elementia that I want you to retrieve." Tyranus/Dooku told him.

"What is it that you want me to retrieve from there?"

"That I've already told your partner. Who I know for a fact you've worked with before." Tyranus brought up. "A Clawdite bounty hunter who goes by the name Zam Wessel, if I'm not mistaken."

'Zam, of course she'd take the job.' Shaking his head, Jango replied, "That's her, yes."

"This mission is one that requires stealth." Tyranus explained. "These warriors are dangerous, fast, and not to be underestimated. That's why I hired her for her abilities so that she may have the best chance at infiltration. Her role is to make sure she retrieves the target with the help of a few other pirates I've employed."

"Let me guess," Jango could already tell where this was going. "You want me to be there in case things go horribly wrong."

"Yes, indeed." Tyranus nodded "You'll be there to help her if things don't go as planned. If you succeed, you will be rewarded handsomely. That I can assure you."

"How much?"

"5, like last time."

Jango fell into silence as he thought about taking the job. Work has been rather slow lately, especially when he was already swamped up with training the Clone Troopers. Plus, this was a good opportunity to check out the new planets, especially Elementia, due to his interest in them being "super soldiers." Plus, the pay was looking quite good; good enough where he might be able to retire from the business and focus on his other goals…

"Alright." Jango nodded. "I'll do it. I'll do the job."

"Splendid." Tyranus smiled. "Your friend is already on her way to Elementia. The target is inside of their hospital, which will be guarded heavily. Your friend will be disguised as a nurse there to make her final checks before the target will be discharged from the hospital. I suggest you move swiftly, since my sources say the target is planning to leave the village very soon."

"And you're afraid this will be the only chance to capture this target." Jango guessed. "Am I correct?"

"Yes, that's why we cannot risk him being seen by anyone." Tyranus explained. "Luckily, the Republic has already has sent fresh supplies for medical and transport, giving you and Zam the opportunity to smuggle the target out of the planet without alerting the authorities."

"If that's the case, I'll need to hire more muscle." Jango said, calculating his chances. "This ain't going to be an easy job, so I'll have to buy some favors."

"Are you sure?" Tyranus raised his eyebrow. "Failure cannot be an option."

"Pay a little extra, and I promise you that won't happen."

"... Very well then, the additional credits will be waiting for you when you succeed your mission. Tell me, who are going to hire?"

"The same ones you were probably thinking of hiring, should I have rejected the offer." Jango replied a little cheekily. "If I were you, I'd be very generous on that extra."

Dooku looked a little miffed at having his mind read, but just sighed.

"I will hear from you when the job is done."

The hologram shrank out of existence as the transmission ended. Jango let out a big sigh as he saw the data appear on his device. Pushing the button, he began to read it.

"Dad."

Jango looked towards the door, and quickly deactivated the device. He saw it was his son Boba, who was carrying two trays of food on it.

"I thought instead of sitting in a big empty canteen, why not just eat here?" Boba gave a warm smile at his father while bringing the food to the table.

Not being able to stop the smile on his face, Jango put the device down, and took the time to eat with his son and have some quality father/son time. After a few minutes of light chatter, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Boba, what would you say if you wanted to come and join me on a trip I gotta go now?"

"Oh, where to?"

"That new planet, Elementia."

"Really? With who?"

---

Later that night

[Konoha - Hospital]

The sun had already set over Konoha, and the last examination for Naruto was about to take place. If he was well enough, he would be discharged from the hospital, and would go with Jiraiya to train with him for a few years.

"Everything is ready for Mr. Uzumaki's mental examination, ma'am." A nurse informed Shizune. "Inoichi Yamanaka will be arriving in the next hour, and Lady Hokage is on her way right now."

The two of them was walking through the nearly empty hallway, with the nurse pushing a hovering cart full of supplies.

"...You know, I still can't wrap my head around this new technology." The nurse finally stated. "I mean, it wasn't that long ago that we were still using carts with wheels!"

The two medics chuckled at that. It was indeed a strange transition, with the new supplies being the least weirdest thing they've seen and touched by far.

They eventually made it to Naruto's room, and stopped when they saw the commotion that was going on in there.

"I told you, I was ordered to bring in these supplies for the boy." A nurse was arguing with the ANBU guard.

"I told you ma'am, we need to see the paperwork that verifies your claim." One of the ANBU guards stated plainly. "Otherwise, we cannot let you in."

"What is going on here?" Shizune stepped up to the nurse. The nurse turned to look at her with a small frown.

"Ah, thank goodness you're here! I've been trying to get these supplies in for the past five minutes, but these guys won't let me in!"

Shizune looked at the floating cart the nurse was holding on to, then looked at the one by her side. Both were identical in the numbers of supplies, as well as the supplies themselves.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"Oh! I'm June! June Saeki!" The nurse shook her hand. "I'm new here, and I'm so glad that I can work under you and Tsunade!"

To further prove her point, she fished out an ID card, which matched her photo perfectly.

"Well, it checks out." Shizune sighed. "Here, since it's your first time, I'm going to let this one go, alright? Just put it back in the Supply Room, and go to my office so that we can further discuss the error."

"Okay." The nurse looked downtrodden, obviously embarrassed at her mistake. "I'm sorry."

The nurse glumly pushed the cart away, her sighs seemingly echoing in the hallway.

"What an idiot." The nurse next to Shizune snorted. Shizune shot her a small glare, before she ordered her to take out the paperwork.

…

The door opened, and Naruto finally turned around.

"Oh hey Shizune." Naruto smiled, seeing his sister figure.

Shizune smiled at him. "Hello Naruto, how are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm hungry, that I can say." He said, giving her a sheepish grin while scratching the back of his head. "I really could use a cup of ramen right now."

Shizune and the nurse couldn't help but giggle about Naruto's comment, since he was being his usual self. The elderly nurse was one of the few medics who was actually fond of Naruto, since she was one of the few people that Hiruzen, the previous Hokage, had indulged her his secret, and was also his caretaker when he was an infant.

"You know the rules Naruto: No junk food for the next few days, especially stuff like ramen." Shizune waved a finger at him with a mock frown. "Try to eat more vegetables."

She then turned towards their cart, picking up an odd looking syringe. Naruto flinched at the sight of that.

"Sorry Naruto, we're going to need to do one last surgery before you're cleared to go." Shizune smiled, before grabbing Naruto's arm.

The other nurse frowned at that.

"Another surgery? I thought the boy was clear to leave tomorrow after the mental examination."

Shizune froze at that, the syringe inches away from his arm. Naruto tensed. Something was wrong.

SHLINK! ZAP!

Shizune suddenly stabbed the syringe into Naruto's arm, before she whipped her body around. With a flash of blue light, the elderly nurse fell over with her head hitting the wall, knocking her out unconscious.

"W-what's...going on?" Naruto's muffled voice, which was already beginning to die out, managed to say one last thing, before Naruto fell back. He struggled to stay awake, now knowing that something was wrong, but his eyelids were growing heavier.

And just like that, everything went dark.

…

Jango Fett scanned the hospital building across them from the rooftop. Thankfully for them, construction was still taking place there, and thus, there were only a few guards around the area for them to avoid.

He chewed his lip when he saw another round of those shinobi guards walk around the hospital. Despite their discipline, they were obviously still astounded by the new technology surrounding them, as evident by their heads turning occasionally to look at the new upgrades.

Shaking his head at them, he kneeled down and tapped his gloved finger on his helmet.

"Zam, do you hear me? Zam?"

"Damn it Jango, yes, I can hear you." Zam cursed. "Kriff, you could've blown my cover."

"Did you get the target?" Jango asked, uninterested for her complaints while looking at the hospital entrance. "Your team's gonna get noticed at some point, and we only have one distraction ready for you."."

"I know, don't have to tell me twice. I'm going as fast as I can." Zam said, before she let out a quiet hiss. "I need to be quiet now, see you outside."

And just like that, silence filled the air again, save for the footsteps that was headed towards Jango from the back.

"Pff, she's still got a lot to learn." The second best bounty hunter in the galaxy snorted.

This bounty hunter, unlike Jango, was not a human, but rather, a Duros. With breathing tubes installed to his face and a large hat on his bald, blue head, this bounty hunter rivaled Jango in terms of skill and ruthlessness.

The two of them weren't enemies per say, but they weren't friends either. Instead, their relationship has developed into more of a semi-friendly rivalry, where the two of them would compete for reputation, credits, and overall skill.

"Are you sure she can do the job without alerting the whole place?"

"Zam can handle herself." Jango replied, briefly glancing back at his hired partner before looking back at the hospital. "Besides, my employee hired her for her abilities. I didn't get a say about it."

"Hmm." Cad Bane mused as he took another look around their surroundings, this time paying attention to the primitive village itself. "You know, if the rumors about the natives are true, then I suppose it makes sense to why even you felt the need to hire a crew. These natives remind me an awful lot of your old stories you used to talk about, do they not?"

Cad Bane was one of the many that respected Jango for not just his skills, but for his heritage as a Mandalorian warrior. Only a few in the galaxy did not know about the tales of the Mandalorian warriors, and how the wars they've waged devastated the galaxy. While they lacked the connection to the Force the Jedi and the Sith held, they made up for that with technology, ingenuity, and their ruthlessness. While their numbers had thinned out, their reputation hasn't. Cad Bane was one of the lucky few who has ever met a warrior such as Jango, and has not only lived to tell the tale, but was also perhaps the only one who have heard stories from the said warrior as well.

"Mmhm." Jango then went silent for a minute, until-

"Look, they're coming out."

The hospital doors were pushed open, and a group of Weequay pirates, disguised as cargo workers, stepped out of the hospital, pushing a large medical pod out of the building. They were playing as a Republic transport crew, whose original role was to deliver the latest supplies and technology for the hospital. Normally, the sight of nonhumans would've attracted more attention, but at this point, the Republic has been in and out of the primitive village, which also meant introducing more races. Sure, the less human they looked, the more stares they got, but Jango could tell that the xenophobia was beginning to diminish.

"And here goes phase two of the plan." Jango muttered to his rival, watching as a female "human" followed the the weequays. "I just hope those pirates don't start any problems."

"You're telling me." Cad Bane glared at the entrance. "We've already spent too much time here. Let's just hope your lady friend didn't make a mistake."

…

Shizune nodded at a few nurses, who eyed the weequays and the blanketed pod with some confusion and suspicion. Luckily for them, this was enough to get the nurses off of their backs.

Feeling rather uncomfortable at the number of stares of suspicion, she silently ordered the team to hurry it up a little, which they wholeheartedly agreed with. They took a right turn towards the exit, but then got noticed by two shinobi, who just happened to stop by at the hospital.

"Was that Shizune?" Anko Mitarashi asked. "She looks a bit stressed."

"Maybe she's just worried for Naruto." Kakashi said, staring at the leaving group. "Let's just wait for her at her office."

"Right…" Anko hesitantly shrugged it off. While she knew that it was best to not interrupt Shizune on her medical business, especially when looking stressed like that, something didn't sit right with her. For one, it wasn't any of the nurses that was helping her move the pod, but rather, some weird, alien guys that was just there to help transport the supplies. Then there was the fact that she was moving a "medical pod" (which, by the way, really looked like a glass coffin if you asked her) at all, which, if she remembered correctly, wasn't part of her schedule.

CRASH!

Anko's thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi kicked down Shizune's door. She ran up to him, a kunai already in her hands.

"Shit." Kakashi cursed, staring inside of Shizune's office. Anko went to look, and froze at the sight of Shizune's body, tied up, gagged, and nearly nude, desperately trying to crawl out of her closet.

"That wasn't Shizune we just saw earlier, Kakashi." Anko gritted her teeth, before dashing out of the room.

"What's going on?" The nurse had just walked inside of the office, hearing the commotion. She gasped when she saw Shizune's battered form. "I-I don't understand-"

"Find Lady Hokage and warn her we've got an intruder." Kakashi ordered her. "The intruder took on Shizune's form, and just walked out of the hospital with a group of aliens and a medical pod. And put a lockdown on the hospital, now!" He ordered, before following Anko.

---

"Shizune" and her team were walking towards a landing pad, where a group of ships and the forest would cover their escape. Just outside of the landing pad, hiding at the edge of the forest, was a large, long speeder that had another speeder pod in the back for additional passengers, which was chained to the pilot pod with a singular plasma chain. This would be Zam and her group's getaway vehicle so that they could make it to the Slave I and the weequays' G9 Rigger-class light freighter, which they "borrowed" from the Republic transporters.

Since the landing pad was still under construction, the Republic couldn't give the village any large ships yet. That's why they had to use small freighters and such to deliver supplies and men. The training grounds, which was already full of small ships for delivering materials for construction, wasn't available for the Republic's latest supply deliver, so they had to land in the surrounding forest, where a small area was cleared for them.

That was the opening they needed. The minute the ship's doors were opened, the team ambushed both the shinobi and the Republic men.

The shinobi, despite being picked off by their sniper, still put up a deadly fight, managing to wipe out half of their men and injuring a few others, before Jango, Bane, and their sniper took care of the rest.

"Double-time it guys. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Shizune?" Someone said her name and the woman turned around to see a woman and two girls walking towards her. The one who was almost her age had black untamed hair, strange red colored eyes that looked like rings and she wore a strange outfit that resembled like bandages or something. The smaller girl was weirder, she had blue short hair and creepy looking eyes to her view and wore a coat while it wasn't even cold and the weirdest what she saw was the last girl who had almost flower like pinkish hair and emerald green looking eyes. Seriously what is it with this place with weird clothing and eye colors?

"Shizune?"

Every single one of them froze as someone called out for the imposter's name. They turned around and saw a full grown woman alongside of two teenage girls walking behind her. The woman, which looked about her age, had black, untamed hair, with strange red eyes that surprisingly suited her well. Her outfit seemed to consist of purely bandages, which did wonders to show off her nice figure.

Then there was the two girls, who were equally strange on their own. The one with the short, blue hair was wearing a rather thick jacket, despite the weather not being very cold. Their attention, however, rested mostly on her eyes, which was milky white. First glance, they thought she was blind, until they realized that she was staring directly at them, which was rather unusual.

Finally, there was the pink-haired girl. Aside from her unusual hair color, there wasn't anything remarkable about her, and overall, she seemed to be the least dangerous of them all.

"I didn't know you were scheduled to help these men move the supplies back to the ship." Kurenai commented, glancing at the blanketed pod.

"W-well, you know the Republic," "Shizune" chuckled nervously. "Them and their additions to our village really works us to the bone."

"But weren't you given some time off after Naruto's exam?" Kurenai asked.

Each group was growing progressively tense. Kurenai and the other two girls couldn't help but notice just how tense the workers and Shizune looked, almost as if they stumbled onto something they should've have.

Hinata, no longer feeling shy around the foreigners, glared as she activated her Byakugan. She glanced at Shizune, and her eyes widened.

"Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata took out her kunai. "That's not Shizune!"

That's when all hell broke loose.

…

"Shit, they've been compromised!" Jango muttered. "Bane!"

"Way ahead of you." The Duro bounty hunter smirked as he pushed a button on his gauntlet.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The village fell into chaos as buildings and trees suddenly exploded. The dense forest began to rapidly catch on fire as the bombs did their job on creating as much fire as possible.

"Time to help out our crew." Jango said, before he activated his jetpack.

Cad Bane smirked, glancing once at the chaos they had just caused.

"This is where the fun begins." He cackled, before he activated his rocket-boots.

…

"Come on, Sakura, you can do this." The pink kunoichi's forehead began to glisten in sweat as she concentrated. Her palms began to glow green, and the blaster-burn on Hinata's shoulder began to heal.

The minute Hinata loudly declared that "Shizune" was an imposter, one of workers pulled out a blaster, and fired at Kurenai. She dodged it, but Hinata ended up taking the bolt to the shoulder. Sakura quickly dragged her out of the line of fire behind some metal boxes while Kurenai covered their retreat, throwing kunai and senbon at them.

However, "Shizune" ended up throwing down a couple of bombs. One of them exploded, causing their ears to ring from the explosion while also destroying a good part of the landing port. The other was a smoke grenade, albeit one that also caused them to cough and caused their eyes to burn.

Hinata groaned as he rubbed her eyes, the smoke grenade making her eyes burn. Despite this, however, she kept her Byakugan on, determined to remain the eyes of the group.

She noticed that just a few meters into the forest were two odd looking vehicles. She knew that they were vehicles, because she similar ones being introduced to the village by the Republic. She also knew that it was their vehicle, due to it always floating off the ground, and how it had a powerful source of energy to always be running.

But that's not what got her attention. No, her attention was on the pod they were so adamant on stealing. For one, it was a living, breathing being that was stuck in the pod. Two, that being was a human, and had chakra.

'No.' Hinata froze as she just realized who the person in the pod was.

"That's-"

"HINATA!"

She felt someone grab her by her stomach, before she went up in the air.

She looked up, and saw that it was Kurenai, who was also carrying Sakura in her other arm as she leapt to safety.

"Hit it!"

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more detonators were thrown in the area that the kunoichi were just in. Kurenai, who saw this coming, took her fellow kunoichi out of there in time. Twisting in midair, she managed to dodge a couple of blaster shots and some shrapnel.

As they fell back down to the ground, they managed to see the final moments before the criminals got away on their vehicle.

Inside of those speeders sat the person who impersonated as Shizune. Still in the medic's clothing, they cringed at the sight of "Shizune's" face melting, until it turned into one that resembled a humanoid lizard. She glanced at them with a smirk, before the speeder took off.

Kurenai bit her lip, and they landed on the ruined spaceport.

"What the hell just happened?" Sakura breathed, the shock finally coming to an end. Despite this, she trembled as the adrenaline still flowed through her veins, the effects of the unexpected battle still rattling her.

Kurenai put down the two younger kunoichi and checked on them. "Sakura, are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, sensei." Sakura stuttered at first, before swallowing it in. "I'm alright."

"Move it!"

They snapped out of the conversation as Konoha shinobi entered the ruined landing port. Some of them stood around the kunoichi, checking in on them and asking them questions while the others continued into the forest, no doubt chasing the criminals they had just barely survived against.

One of the shinobi that stood above them was Anko, who tugged on Kurenai's shoulder. "Come on, Kurenai, we gotta move, now!"

"What abou-"

"The real Shizune's fine. The nurses are tending to her." Anko informed her. "But we gotta chase the intruders, now!" Anko then left them, chasing after the foreign criminals.

"Right! The genjutsu user nodded, before she looked up at Kakashi. "I'll leave them to you."

The one-eyed shinobi nodded, and then the Genjutsu Mistress disappeared. He looked back down at the two girls below him, and took out some water for the Hyuga, whose eyes and throat were still burning from the smoke.

"Sakura."

"Kakashi-sensei, what's going on?"

"No time to explain." Kakashi helped the two up, giving Hinata his water. "Get Hinata inside now, that's an order! The ANBU here will escort you two." He said, before running after the criminals..

Picking her up, Sakura began bringing Hinata inside the hospital. "Come on, Hinata. Let's get you inside."

Coughing a few more times, Hinata was finally able to let out a whisper.

"Sakura."

"Hm?" Sakura turned to her. "What is it, Hinata?"

"I need to tell you something." Hinata rasped. "What I saw in that pod..."

"The medical pod? What about it?"

---

The speeder hummed loudly as the weequay that was driving it put it to full speed. While he didn't look like it, he was an expert driver, and drove the speeder through the trees with precision, not once even scratching their vehicle on a rock or a tree.

"Poodoo!" Zam cursed as she saw the shinobi running after them in inhuman speed. She pulled out her blaster, but nearly fell over as the pirate made a sudden turn.

"Hey, slow down!" Zam yelled at the driver. "We don't want to crash!"

"If I went any slower, those backwater bastards are gonna git us!" The Weequay spat back. He glanced back at the people that was chasing then, and shivered at their black robes and masks, which showed no emotion at all, and helped them blend in the shadows.

THUNK!

Something just hit the inside of the speeder. They looked, and their eyes widened at the sight of a small knife sticking out of the pod's metal shell.

THUNK! THUNK! SHLINK! SHLINK! SHLINK!

"URK!" The second they discovered the first knife, a hail of metal followed it. The 4 weequays were fortunate enough to either dodge it completely, or have it hit them in the shoulders/arms. One of them, however, wasn't so fortunate, and fell over, revealing a kunai knife buried in the back of his head.

"Oh shit!" Zam cried out. "Brace for impact!"

The speeder, which was now without a driver, collided into a tree. The metal pods flew in the air, twisting helplessly, before it crashed onto the ground, with its passengers falling painfully onto the dirt.

"We got them!" The ANBU cried out. "Stay right where you-ACK!"

The masked man that was talking fell over as he clutched at his throat.

"What the-?" The other ANBU members managed to say, before they were gunned them by blaster fire.

A roar echoed the air as two men flew down from below, firing their blasters at the cloaked men. The survivors had to retreat behind the trees, waiting for the right moment to retaliate.

"Jango!"

"Go!" Jango yelled at them. "You've got the package. Get to the ships! We'll cover you!"

Zam nodded, before she and the surviving weequays took off.

"NO!" An ANBU member ran across the battlefield, intending to stop them from taking the pod.

FWOOM!

"AHHH!" The minute he ran out of the cover, Cad Bane was already onto him, firing his flamethrower at the man.

POOF!

Cad Bane stopped the moment he saw the black silhouette disappear from the sea of flames. The minute his flamethrower stopped, he realized that he had just charred a log.

POW! POW!

Cad Bane looked to his right, and saw that Jango had shot a kunai midair that was meant for the blue mercenary's jugular. He had also blasted the ANBU that threw the knife, with the body now falling back to the ground.

"Expect the unexpected." Jango warned him, before he fired a few more shots to keep them at bay.

"We need to move." Bane just growled, frustrated that Jango saved his life...again. Without looking, he shot an ANBU member that tried to sneak up from behind him.

"Agreed." Jango nodded, throwing some more bombs at the trees.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The unlucky shinobi members, both ANBU and others alike, were caught in the explosion, shrapnel of wood and dirt piercing their bodies. The luckier ones managed to see the bombs in time, getting out of the way.

…

Her ears rang endlessly as the world seemed to explode around her.

Blaster shots, explosions, shouting, shrapnel raining from the air, it barely registered to her as she tried to open her eyes.

Someone was shouting at someone. Were they shouting to her? The ANBU agent didn't know.

She tried to get up, and fell down with a muffled yell. Her leg was on fire, needles twisting into her nerves as she put too much weight into her left leg.

Broken. Her leg was broken. Or maybe just injured. She didn't want to know.

CLUNK. CLUNK. CLUNK.

She heard something land near her slowly, as if time slowed down as someone dropped their pen. Her eyes, which was partially exposed from behind her broken mask, looked at the source of the noise.

It was that same, shiny metal ball with glowing, red lights. It had landed near her, and it was beginning to beep.

'Shit.' Her drowsy mind managed to think. 'Ah well, I lived a good life.'

The fallen ANBU shinobi closed her eyes as she accepted her fate.

And suddenly, she felt warm. Opening her eyes, she realized that she was in the arms of another shinobi.

BOOM!

The explosion, which was still muffled like everything else, erupted in the background, and she could briefly see the small ball of fire and shrapnel erupt from behind her savior.

"-ou alright?"

She blinked, and suddenly, her hearing was beginning to return. After a few seconds, she realized that her savior, Asuma Sarutobi, was trying to speak to her.

"Y-yeah." She croaked, her throat now dry. "Never been better."

The ANBU heard some rapid footsteps from behind the chainsmoker.

"You guys took your time." Asuma grunted. "What's the status of the village? Do we have any backup?"

"The fires are spreading out of control, so the Hokage has ordered half of all units to evacuate the civilians and to help put out the fire." Gai noted. "The other half is trying to catch these slimy criminals."

He looked at the direction of the mercenaries, only to see that they have used what can be assumed to be their last smoke grenades throughout the forest. He cursed when he saw black smoke intermingling with the white ones, indicating that they also chose to light the surrounding vegetation on fire.

"Kakashi, can you round up all of the injured into one area? You can use your genjutsu to help shield them from harm, if needed."

"Right." The masked shinobi nodded, before he began to gather the wounded.

Asuma then looked at the rest of his team.

"Time's ticking, people. We need to capture the criminals, but our top priority is rescuing Naruto. Let's move!"

"Right!"

---

"Just a little bit further!" Zam yelled, throwing over her shoulder the last smoke grenade she had on her. "Just gotta make it to the cliff, then our ride can pick us up!"

The weequays, who looked morally and physically battered, seemed reenergized when they realized just how close they were to escaping, as well as finishing the job.

"Those sons of bitches will pay for killing J'han and the others!" One of them growled, his grip on his blaster growing tighter.

"Another time." Zam assured him. "In the meantime, we gotta get the hell out of here."

"Yeah, we can't afford to-GAH!" One of the weequays was suddenly snatched up by something thin, yet something large. "Get it off! Get it off!"

Before they could do or say anything, he was suddenly pulled away into the bushes, blaster fire flying everywhere.

"No time! Keep going!" Zam shouted, albeit reluctantly. The other weequays looked hesitant, but agreed nonetheless.

POW!

A single blaster shot came from in front of them, and suddenly, the weequay's cries were silenced. Preparing their blasters, they stopped their trigger fingers when they saw it was Cad Bane, who merely scowled at them in challenge.

"If he squeals, we could be done for." He growled. "Come on, don't end up like him!"

The weequays all glared at his back, but said and did nothing, choosing to continue to run with their package, occasionally firing back to fend off their pursuers.

Jango sighed at this, shaking his head.

POW! POW!

He aimed his pistol upwards, and another dead shinobi fell from the sky.

Just then, his helmet-visor began to flash a signal.

"We're almost there, guys!" Jango assured them. "My ship's close. Come on!"

They let out a small, half-hearted cheer at that, which grew louder as they finally stepped out of the dense forest. Stumbling, they nearly stopped themselves from accidentally tossing themselves over the cliff and into the river below.

"Wow." Zam whistled, staring at the cliffs they were standing on. They realized that the cliff they were standing on, as well as the one on the other side, was carved to resemble two warriors. That, on top of the natural beauty the place had to offer, rivaled Naboo on its natural beauty.

The others were either glaring into the forest, or joining Zam on admiring the scenery.

But not Jango. No, Jango was staring at one of the weequays amongst them, who was nervously looking at the forest.

"Jango?" Zam asked, noticing his odd behavior.

ZAP!

The weequay shrieked as he fell over, being hit by one of Jango's stun bolts.

"Fett?" One of the weequays growled. "What the hell are you-?"

"Just as I thought." The Mandalorian muttered, staring at the body.

POOF!

The fallen "weequay" suddenly exploded into a small cloud, revealing one of the ANBU guards, who was holding a blaster. Jango snorted, before walking over to the unconscious body.

"This is why we Mandos have been able to go toe-to-toe with the Jedi for so many years." He grunted, kicking the blaster towards the weequays while holding the shinobi up by his armpits. "We adapt, we grow, we change, we upgrade. This," He tapped on his helmet. "Is how I figured out he was an imposter. This guy's image was flickering, since my helmet detected an unusual frequency of energy off of him. Granted, all of these guys seem to have it, but this guy's presence was so close and powerful, my helmet started freaking out."

He then held up the shinobi, pointing his blaster right up to his temple.

"I know you guys are out there. If you guys try anything stupid, you'll lose another one of your men."

Silence filled the air for the moment, and Zam wondered if their pursuers backed off.

Then, a few figures stepping out of the forest. It was the bandaged woman again, but now with a purple-haired lady in a fishnet outfit and a trench coat, a bearded, scruffy looking man, and a man with a bowl haircut and some really thick looking eyebrows.

"Okay, okay, just don't kill him." The bearded man said. "I know that things are looking bad, but please, maybe we can work something out."

"We already have what we came for." Jango's voice was surprisingly soft and non hostile. "I'm sorry for all of this, but this is just a job. It's nothing personal."

Asuma narrowed his eyes at the armored warrior.

"I'm going to assume that you won't be answering much questions about your 'job,'" The Sarutobi said, "but can you at least tell us what the client wants from Naruto?"

"Naruto?" Kurenai asked, before her eyebrows shot up. "Wait, Asuma, you're telling me that Naruto's in the pod?!"

"Yeah, he is." Asuma nodded. "Sakura managed to tell me that Hinata saw Naruto inside that pod when she used her Byakugan."

Anko and Kurenai tensed up at this. On top of everything else these criminals had done, kidnapping a fellow shinobi was now added to the list.

"Is that what the target's called?" Jango said, glancing at the pod momentarily. "If that's the case, then I now have a name to call him when I deliver him."

The Mandalorian then squinted in thought.

'Come to think of it, I'm not sure why out of all the data, his name wasn't included. That actually made the job a little harder.'

"You know, as one warrior to another, I'm rather impressed. Your men actually gave me a rather hard time during this entire mission. Reminds me of when I fought the Jedi. Except unlike them, you guys are much faster, slightly less predictable, and much more ruthless."

Anko cracked her knuckles. "Wait until I begin with you when I bring you in for interrogation. Then I show you how ruthless I can be."

"Temping," Jango chuckled, liking this woman's attitude, "But I'm afraid that'll have to wait for another time. Still got a job to finish."

"Yeah, not gonna happen, buddy." Asuma pulled out his trench knives, which made the others tighten their trigger fingers. "We don't abandon our fellow comrades. That's not our way."

Jango's eyes scanned the other shinobis's eyes, and noted the determination in their eyes, despite the grim situation.

"I see…" Despite the situation, Jango smiled under his helmet. It would seem like these people were more like his old family than he thought.

He looked down to his wrist gauntlet and saw that its light was flickering. "You guys might want to back off at this point." Jango warned.

"Like Hell we are!" Anko growled, taking a step forward.

"Anko!"

But the Snake-Mistress of Konoha wouldn't listen. Yelling, she prepared to charge at the kidnappers, ready to buy them the necessary distraction they needed to try to save both the hostage and the boy.

VOOM!

The loud, sudden roar made everyone freeze in their tracks.

"About time." Jango muttered. Appearing from behind the cliff was the Slave I, Jango's newest ship ever since his old one Jaster's Legacy was destroyed, ironically by a ship of the same model as his current one. Even without looking, he knew that Boba and his temporary guardian was watching over them.

*PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!*

Jango's ship rained fire onto the shinobi alongside of the bounty hunters, forcing them to retreat in to the forest. Despite this, they chose to not take a chance, and resumed firing into the trees, making sure that they kept a far enough distance.

BOOM!

One of the blasts nearly blew Anko into bits as she flew forwards. She painfully collided with a tree, knocking her out once she hit the floor.

The ship began to lower itself as its doors opened.

"Let's go." Cad Bane ordered. "Into the ship!"

Zam and the weequays were the first to enter the ship, while Cad Bane and Jango made sure to cover them, as the shinobi have returned, desperate to retrieve their comrade. However, with the ship and the blaster fire keeping them at bay, as well as the hostage Jango was still securing, they was not much they could do.

"Let's go, Jango!"

"Right!" The Mandalorian nodded at Zam. Shoving the hostage away from him, he activated his jetpack to fly himself backwards into his ship. Just before the doors closed, however, he saw Asuma's jacket, which was one that some of the shinobi of the village shared. For the first time ever, he truly looked at the green jacket - or rather, the symbol on his sleeves. It was a symbol that he knew. It was a symbol once mentioned by his old comrades, before they fell to the Jedi.

It was a whirlpool. A blood, red whirlpool.

Zam ran up and yanked his arm. "Come on, Jango! Move your ass!"

Snapped out of his thoughts, he retreated into his ship, leaving behind a few devastated Konoha shinobi, who could do nothing but stare helplessly at the floating ship in the sky.

---

[On top of the Hokage Building]

"I want all shinobi to be alerted that the village has been attacked." Tsunade, whose hands were gripping the metal fences tightly. "Contact the Republic at once. Finish rounding up the survivors, and make sure all the wounded gets medical attention."

She then turned to the remaining ANBU members.

"I want the Inuzuka Clan and the Aburame Clan to send a scout team for more potential intruders, as well as to sniff out any more bombs or other possible traps in the area. If you find any of them, I want them in Ibiki's hands alive!"

"Yes, ma'am!" They saluted, before they disappeared."

"As for the rest of you," Tsunade turned to the rest of the active shinobi. "I want you all to double all guards, double everything! Make sure nothing like this happens again!"

"Yes ma'am!" The ANBU commander answered, before he swiftly disappeared, leaving behind the head nurse of the Konoha hospital.

"Status report."

"My lady," The elder nurse bowed. "We've brought in all the wounded to the hospital, but we're running out of room, so we created a temporary field hospital to clear room for the recently wounded who were brought in."

"Shizune?" Tsunade asked about her apprentice.

"She has already recovered from the experience, and is already on her feet helping the others."

"Good…" Tsunade said, staring blankly at her village. "You're dismissed."

"Yes ma'am." The elder nurse bowed, before swiftly leaving the building, leaving the Hokage on her own.

Tsunade closed her eyes as she tried to not let tears pool out of them. After being told about the situation, she was beginning to wonder if things would've been better off if the Republic never found them. Sure, perhaps it was inevitable, since they "felt" the Kyuubi's chakra.

...No, it didn't matter now. She just lost Naruto, one of her only family members she had left, and she wasn't sure who was to blame.

With the Republic arrival, the mighty ship sailing into the new world bringing new people, also came the vermin with it. She had already heard rumors about bounty hunters, smugglers, and all other types of scum already setting into the new world, and she suddenly began to wonder just how often that kind of thing happened.

With an angry roar, she ripped out the metal railings, throwing them onto the floor of the Hokage Tower roof. She then collapsed onto her knees as she began to punch the floor, bursting into tears as she tried to hold back audible sobs.

Tsunade, who was now drowning in her grief, did not notice Jiraiya entering the roof. Watching her cry made him clench his fist.

'Kami damn it.' He looked away from the blonde, afraid that she would be able to smell his guilt. 'I was too late.'

He had heard all about what had just happened. Criminals - or were they mercenaries? - had come from space, and had kidnapped Naruto. Why? He had no idea, but he would be damned if he did nothing to try to find his godson.

It would seem like ages before he finally had the courage to step out. Walking up to his old teammate, he expected her to punch him, to wail on him about him being too late.

Tsunade finally noticed him walking up to her, and stood up. A dark look spread across her face as she walked up to him, her fists clenched.

'Whatever happens, I deserve it.' He thought bitterly, closing his eyes in resignation.

Imagine his surprise when she enveloped him with a hug. Tsunade, who he had thought would've punched him across the village, had hugged him instead, sobbing into his shoulder at the loss of another family member.

Closing his eyes, he decided to hug her back, knowing full well that she needed this. And honestly, he did too.

"As long as we can still feel his bond with us, he is still alive."

Jiraiya sighed and looked up, to the sky and hoping what Fukasaku said was true, that as long Naruto's name remained on the contract, he'd be still alive.

Jiraiya sighed as he looked up into the sky, hoping that what Fukasaku said was true.

'Hold on, kid, we're coming for you. I promised your father and mother that I'll look after you, even if its the last thing I do.'

---

[On board the Slave I]

Jango's ship had already left the orbit of Elementia, and inside of it were the remaining mercenaries.

The remaining weequays and Zam were grabbing a bite or a drink, a little shaken up at how the job almost went completely sideways, even with the help of Jango and Cad Bane.

Cad Bane on the other hand was staring at the unopened pod with the target in what was worth his credits "Hey, Zam."

Cad Bane was not amongst them, instead just chewing on a toothpick while staring at the unopened pod.

"Hey, Zam."

Zam stopped drinking as she looked at the duros. "What?"

"The soldier we snatched up is still alive, right? We need him breathing to get our money."

Zam huffed at the silent accusation. "No you blue prick, I just sedated him."

She glanced at the floating pod with a smirk.

"I injected him with enough anaesthetics to knock out any healthy adult for a good week or so. Even for an active duty superpowered soldier like him, he shouldn't get up for a while. Why, wanna check if he's still alive?"

"...No." Cad Bane grunted, turning to walk away. "Just wanted to check if you were worth your salt." He then walked to have a chat with Jango.

…

Jango was sitting in the cockpit alongside his son. Punching in the coordinates for their meeting point, he sent his ship into hyperspace. With that being done, he then laid back in his chair, now lost in thought.

'That whirlpool...where have I seen it before?' Jango wondered, doing his best to try to remember where he could've seen or heard about the symbol.

"Dad?"

Jango turned to his son, who looked at him with slight concern.

"Are you okay?"

He just nodded at his son, before the sound of someone walking up to him grabbed his attention.

"Hey." A pale woman wrapped her arms around Jango's neck. "Impressive work out there."

"Aurra." Jango greeted, not even bothering to turn his head at the woman. "Thanks for watching over Boba and the ship."

"I better get some decent credits out of all this." Aurra purred into his ear. "I missed out on all the fun babysitting your son."

"Don't lie, I know you managed to clip one of the shinobis while we were boarding the ship." Jango smirked at her, to which she just shrugged.

"Save the romance for later." Another voice echoed the cockpit. Cad Bane walked in, glaring at the two other bounty hunters. "Let's just focus on getting to our destination."

"Right." Jango sighed, before leaning over to the controls. They fell out of hyperspace, and Jango had to make another calculation to get to their destination since the first jump was to help cover their tracks.

Within seconds, the ship disappeared from view, leaping into hyperspace once more.

And here it begins people! Naruto abducted, Konoha attacked and Jango appeared! Ain't gonna lie to ya'll that this took a long time to update now I was excited to hear that next month the new season Clone Wars is going to be released.

I'll be working on some of the other stories, one of whom is been growing good lately (this one too of course, love that this reboot happened) Anyway, hope all of you have a good night. Oh, please leave reviews!

Peace!

Chapter 4: Ölüm - The Red Grave

[?]

Danzo Shimura, to be blunt, was not what you would call a "good person." He himself admitted to that many times when he woke up, staring at himself in the mirror with the "prizes" he collected over the years.

Still, one never achieved great things by being a pacifist. One never achieved great things without kicking up some dust and cracking a few eggs. One never achieved great things without making some sacrifices.

'Everything I do is for the sake of the village.' That happened to be Danzo's motto, as well as the justification for everything he has done. From starting wars in an effort to destroy the rivaling villages, to kidnapping children to build up his ROOT army, he has done many things that, from time to time, would make Danzo feel slightly guilty.

'Besides,' He walked up to the large holotransceiver in the middle of the room. 'There's no turning back.'

He pushed a few buttons, and waited for the message to come through. After almost a minute of waiting, a large hologram sprouted from the machine.

"I assume that the plan was a success." The old, cloaked man spoke to Danzo.

"You would be correct, Lord Sidious." Danzo nodded. "I do hope that you would fulfill your end of the bargain once you get what you need from the boy. I have taken many risks to help make this day happen."

"Of course I will, Danzo." The Lord of the Sith nodded in return. "We would both benefit from this project of ours. I learn more about the secrets of chakra, and you would get your army of Uzumaki clones, as well as the boy himself, reconditioned to your liking."

"And I would continue to search for any more force-sensitives on this planet." Danzo finished.

"Precisely." Sidious smiled, showing his yellow teeth. "I'm glad we are on the same page. Now, if you excuse me, I must get going."

And with that, the holotransmission ended, leaving Danzo alone in the intelligence room with his ROOT guards. After a minute of silence, he turned and left the room.

---

[Mos Eisley, Tatooine]

If one talked about planets outside of the reach of the Republic, Tatooine is often the first planet that comes to mind.

Once a planet full of oceans and rainforests, it is now a husk of its former self, the planet now being known for being a hot, barren wasteland, as well as the poverty and corruption that goes on there.

It's also known for Jabba the Hutt being the tyrannical ruler of the planet, with his influence and power being so great that even the Republic does nothing about his open presence there.

Mos Eisley was one of the few cities that existed in the wasteland, especially one that had a few spaceports. It was a city full of scumbags in many forms. Bounty hunters, smugglers, fugitives, slave traders, they all roamed free in this city, with murder and sometimes even rape being very common in the city.

Overall, much like the planet itself, it was pretty much a lawless land.

Inside of Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, Jango and his team were busy killing time by getting some food and drinks while waiting for Dooku's goons to arrive with their money. It was easy to say that some of them were already under the alcohol's influence.

This was scene by the four remaining weequays, who were clearly drunk out of their minds. They were sitting on the other side of the bar, due to some Twi'lek dancers giving them some sultry looks and poses. They were already trying to suck them dry of their credits, which was witnessed by Jango, Boba, Aurra Sing, and Cad Bane.

Zam volunteered to stay behind at the ship to guard it. After all, you can't ever be too careful in Tatooine.

"Morons." Cad Bane glared at the weequays, disgusted at their behavior. "At this rate, we'll have to drag them back to the ship alongside our credits."

"My my, Bane," Aurra chuckled at the duros. "Since when were you concerned about the wellbeings of others?"

"I'm not." Cad Bane growled at her. "I just don't want them attracting more attention to us than we already have." He eyed some of the patrons, who immediately looked away from them. "The last thing I want is that idiot Greedo to notice us if he's here."

"Seriously?" Jango turned to him. "Out of all the bounty hunters in this galaxy, you're concerned about Greedo?"

"He's a slippery bastard." Cad Bane growled as he did not like the Rodian very much. "Always a pain in our asses."

Boba turned to his dad. "What does he mean, dad?"

Aurra just laughed, tapping on Boba's head. "Nothing for you to worry about, Boba. Just drink your milk and be a good boy." She teased the boy while drinking her glass.

Boba glared at her lightly, before feeling someone tap on his shoulder. He looked up at his dad, and saw her nod at her.

"You'll learn soon, Boba. I promise you that."

Boba smiled at his father and nodded back at him. "Right."

Just then, a small beeping sound erupted from their table. They all checked their communication devices, and found that it came from Aurra.

Answering her com, she received a quick transmission that ended swiftly.

"So?

"They've arrived."

"Where?" Cad Bane asked, eager to finish this job.

"They just send me the coordinates," Aurra replied, putting her device back into her pocket. "It's not that far from here."

"Where?" Jango was the next to ask.

"The Center Port, the big one that never finished construction." That wasn't far from their current location, just a few blocks down the road.

"Okay, we'll go there." Jango said turning to his son. "Boba."

"Yeah, dad?"

"...Stay close to me." Jango finally said, making Boba's eyes widen. "Keep aware of your surroundings, and always be ready for your blaster."

"O-okay" Boba nearly squealed with joy, which made Aurra roll her eyes in the background, although a small smile could've help make her way into her lips. They all got up, and walked to the exit, with Jango walking over to collect the drunken weequays.

"We're going." Jango told them sternly. "Get your act together."

The pirates groaned and grumbled, but didn't argue with him, reluctantly pulling themselves away from the twi'leks. Making sure to throw their money, they staggered towards the exit.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the group, they did indeed attract some unwanted attention. A group of people glare at the group as they left, as they had some unfinished business with some of them…

…

They returned to the Slave I, where Zam was patiently waiting for them. After retrieving the pod, they walked back to the meeting point.

To their relief, they managed to get there without any issues, save for the weequays stumbling and babbling, to which they had to remind them to shut up.

Eventually making it to their destination, they began to split into small groups, scattering themselves around the meeting point in case it was a trap.

Jango and Bane were together, scanning the area for either potential enemies or their clients.

"So Jango," Cad Bane tipped his hat. "You got something you wanna talk about?"."

"...You can always tell when I got things on my mind, Bane." Jango sighed, not denying it whatsoever.

"You talking about the moment when we found out the target was actually a kid?" Bane guessed.

Jango didn't say anything for a while, before he continued. "I still can't believe that all that trouble was just for a kid."

"A soldier, to be correct." Bane stated. "If you read the information about that planet, you would know that the use of children in their military is the norm in their culture." Bane scoffed. "Just be happy that we didn't run into one of those brats."

Jango then turned to the blue-skinned bounty hunter. "Would you really shoot one of those kids if you had to?"

Cad Bane turned towards him, with a blank look on his face. "Would you?"

The two men fell into silence, suddenly unable to answer each others questions for a moment.

"...I'm just doing this to get paid, Jango." Cad Bane finally said, before taking a few steps away from him. "I do whatever I need to do to get my credits." He then squinted at him. "But what's it with you? You don't care about the boy, do you?"

"...Not exactly." Jango finally said. "It's more about that village."

"What about it?" Bane snorted. "Since when were you worried about making enemies? It's just an occupational hazard."

"No, not that." Jango waved him off. "I was talking about the whirlpool patch on their shoulders and backs."

"So?"

Jango was about to go further on the topic, when they were interrupted by the sound of engines. Looking up, they saw a small ship that was growing closer to them.

"About time they've showed up." Bane muttered, before walking towards the incoming shuttle with the pod, leaving Jango on his own as the ship began to descend upon them..

The Sheathipede shuttle took a moment to land as it turned around, before its landing claws came out, connecting to the ground.

The doors slid open, revealing a group of B1 battle droids. Two of them stepped out, their blasters in their metal hands, and six more soon followed, with two of them carrying two metal bags of credits.

The last one to follow them were two Neimoidians in their traditional clothing. Green skinned and red-eyed, the two of them cowered at the gazes of the bounty hunters, which made Cad Bane scoff.

Clearing his throat, one of the Neimoidians stepped up to the Mandalorian.

"You must be the one who goes by Jango Fett." He extended his hand, to which Jango reluctantly took. "I've been informed that you are the one I should meet."

"You got the credits for us?" Jango simply asked.

"Of course, just as your employer has promised." The Neimoidian clicked his fingers. The two droids opened the suitcases and revealed a very impressive amount of credit chips.

"As promised, here are your credits." The Neimoidian said. "Now. The child."

"...We got him." Jango roughly answered as the weequay mercenaries started escorting the pod to the middle of the area.

"Show it to me."

Jango turned to one of the weequay and nodded. One push of a button, and the pod opened up, revealing a still unconscious and bandaged Naruto, who was still sedated from Zam's drug.

"Excellent." The Neimoidian hummed as he inspected the boy. "I see you've proven your job well done, bounty hunters."

"The pay." Cad Bane reminded them, who was growing rather impatient.

"Of course." He clicked his fingers again, and the droids moved forward, nervously placing the suitcases in front of the bounty hunters for Aurra to pick up, before walking back.

"Lord Tyranus will be more than pleased by your performance." The Neimoidian complemented as the weequay pushed the pod to the droids, who closed it promptly. "He hopes that you can be of great service to him again."

"If he needs me to invade another planet with no information about its culture or military to kidnap a kid again, tell him I said no." Jango grunted as he turned around, walking towards the exit with the others.

The Neimoidian took no notice of the last comment, and turned to the yellow-patterned battle droid. "Bring the specimen into the ship."

"Roger, Roger." The droid replied before ordering his troops. "You heard him, move the subject Naruto Uzumaki into the ship."

A pair of legs stopped moving. Jango froze in place as he heard the last name.

Cad Bane turned around to notice his rival wasn't moving. "What's the matter, Jango?"

The Mandalorian's helmet slowly turned back towards the ship, staring at the young boy that he had helped send to his doom.

"Jango," Aurra called him out. "Come on, we've got our credits."

Jango just continued walking towards the ship, his hand dangerously close to his blasters.

"Dad?"

The Mandalorian said nothing as he gazed towards the seperatists, upon hearing that name the droid mentioned, he turns around and began walking towards the ship, despite being called out.

"Jango, where are you-"

"Greetings, my friends!"

Everyone froze as they looked up at the balcony, seeing a group of armed men standing on the other side of the port. Their blasters and rocket launchers were aimed at them, causing everyone to tense up.

"Zygerrians," Jango growled as his blasters were aimed at them. "What do those scumbags want?"

"We want no trouble with you bounty hunters or you Separatists." The leader of the group declared. "Well, not exactly true with the first one. You see, those...drunken fools," He glared at the weequays, who were shakingly aiming their blasters at them. "Have crossed with us in the past, stealing our shipments of spice. All we want is those idiots, and everyone can go on their merry way."

One of the drunken weequay spat at them. "Screw you, you slaving bastards! Go back to your bitch queen and tell her to suck it!"

"What did you just say?!" The zygerrians growled in anger.

The drunken weequay pulled out a blaster at them. "Eat this!"

PEW!

The guy next to the Zygerrian speaker got shot through the chest, shocking everyone.

And that's when all hell broke loose...again.

BOOM!

The droids and the Neimodians screamed as they were flown forward, their ship blown up by a rocket launcher, courtesy of the Zygerrians.

POW! POW! POW! PEW! PEW! PEW!

Within seconds, the entire landing platform became a battlefield, with missiles and blaster bolts flying like mad.

One of the weequays took a bolt to the shoulder, causing him to fall down behind the metal box he was hiding behind. The crap talker, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky, as he got hit by blaster fire first in the gut, chest, and then the head, which ended his life. The other two weequay managed to take cover behind the pillars, and now sobering up a little, their aim grew much better as they grew more determined to survive this battle...

"Damn bastards took out N'agel!" One of the weequay behind the pillar roared, before cursing at them. "Catch this, you Zyg bastards!" He got out from his cover and started firing at the slavers at the balcony who were forced to take cover.

"Where the kriff are the others?!" One of the weequays hissed, clutching his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Cad Bane and the others were just standing by the sidelines, not trying to get involved in this firefight, but the firefight made their only exit unreachable. Plus, if they tried to escape via flying, they would become an easy target, especially if they had to carry someone out of there.

Zam took cover beside Aurra behind a box and commented, "Looks like we're stuck here. Any suggestions?" A blaster shot flew past her, nearly hitting her.

"Well, this isn't our problem, so I say we let them take care of each other." Aurra just shrugged, while keeping her fingers on his blasters. "Why get into someone else's business when it's clearly none of ours?"

Cad Bane, who was ducking behind a cargo box with Boba, noticed that someone wasn't there with them. "Anyone seen Jango?"

FWOOM!

The familiar sound of a jetpack going off made Boba look out from his hiding spot.

"Look! He's fighting!" The other three bounty hunters turned to look at what Boba meant, and were equally surprised and at awe at what they were seeing.

Jango was flying in the air, dodging blaster fire from the Zygerrians as he was firing back at them, causing the group to scatter.

"Its Jango Fett! Somebody kill him!" One of the slavers warned.

Landing on the ground, he began to dodge and hide from the bullets. His helmet warning him of a threat from above, he looked up and saw a zygerrian aiming a rifle at him. Smirking, he fired a single bolt at his would-be sniper, and he fell from the rooftop, dead before he hit the ground.

'One down, three more to go.' Jango thought, his helmet scanning the three surviving zygerrians.

His eyes widened as he detected one of them holding a rocket launcher, which was aimed directly at him.

"Dodge this!" The zygerrian roared, before he pulled the trigger.

'Kriff!' Jango thought as he pushed a button on his gauntlet.

FWOOM! FWOOM! BOOM!

The second the zygerrian launched his rocket, Jango did the same, firing his missile from his jetpack. The two missiles collided with each other, creating an explosion that sent people and debris flying in opposite directions.

…

The wounded weequay panted as he could nothing but continue to hide like a coward. He watched as his two remaining friends were struggling against the Zygs. He wished he could help them, but his shooting arm was injured, and it hurt like hell to even move it.

One of his friends, which was too far to help, shouted, "Shahan! You alright?!"

Shahan hissed as he shifted his body. "I'm fine! Had better days!"

"Hold on, we're getting you out of here!"

The zygerrian with the rocket launcher took notice of the shouting, and grinned, turning his weapon toward the pillars the two weequays were hiding behind. He had one last rocket, and he figured that he'd use it on getting revenge for the loss of the spice shipment.

Shahan took another peak and saw the zyg with the heavy artillery. "Guys, get out of there!"

FWOOSH!

Time seemed to slow down for the weequay as the zygerrian fired his weapon, the missile flying towards the pillar. The two weequays screamed as they tried to move out of the way, but it was too late.

BOOM!

The pillar exploded, sending a wave of fire and debris flying everywhere. Shahan covered his ears as the explosion nearly deafened him. Slowly opening his eyes, he coughed as he saw the wreckage.

Shaking, his eyes finally fell on the remains of his friends, whose expressions of horror was still etched into his face.

Horror turned to rage as Shahan began to see red.

"You bastards!" Shahan roared, grabbing his blaster with his other arm, and aimed at the zygerrians...

PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!

Unfortunately, Shahan never shot with his left arm, and thus, his shots never hit their target. Still, that didn't stop him as he continued to fire at the zygerrians in rage.

"You filthy pirating scum! Do you know who you were stealing from?!" The zygerrians roared at him from behind their pillars.

"I don't know, and frankly, I don't give a damn!" The last weequay of the group shouted back. "The name's Shahan Alama, and I'm gonna kill you all! Come and get me!"

"Why you!-"

PEW!

A blaster shot flew out of nowhere, hitting one of the zygerrians in the face. Slumping over, everyone turned to look at the shooter, revealing it to be the Mandalorian bounty hunter, who was behind the destroyed shuttle.

POW! POW! POW! POW!

Two more zygerrians, who came to reinforce them, fell from the rooftop, with a blaster burn on their chests. Falling with a loud CRUNCH!, they continued to groan, to which Jango shot their heads to end their life.

CLUNK. CLUNK. CLUNK.

Jango turned towards the source of the noise, and his eyes widened at the metal, beeping ball of death.

KA-BOOM!

Jango was sent flying by the explosion. He landed on his jetpack quite painfully, and it sparked from the damage. One of the zygerrians had thrown a thermal detonator, which would've killed him, had it not for his reflexes and his armor.

'Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell.' Jango groaned. He was pretty sure that his durasteel armor didn't completely protect him, and he was pretty sure that the blast had broken a few bones and scorched his skin.

"You know, Mr. Fett," The leader of the group walked up to his fallen body. "I've never had the pleasure of killing a Mandalorian. Now, not only can I proudly say that I've slain one of your kind, but I can even keep your armor as the trophy."

Jango tried to move, but his body felt weak, and his armor suddenly felt a million times heavier. He struggled to get up, but he failed to even lift his head, his armor now becoming his undoing.

The zygerrian smirked, kicking away the Mandalorian's blasters, before he turned back to the pod.

"I wonder what's so special about that pod anyways that was worth your interference and all this trouble." The zygerrian pondered out loud. "I noticed that you could've left with your friends a long time ago, but instead, you chose to stay here. Is it loyalty to your pirate friends...or is it the human in the pod?"

Jango cursed under his breath. His eyes darted to the pod, which was being taken by the surviving zygerrians.

"Well, the fun ends here." The zygerrian smirked, aiming his blaster at the human's neck.

"Hey boss, check this out!" One of his men said. They made to back behind the pillars when something of interest came up.

"What is it?" He growled, wanting to end this bounty hunter's life.

"It says this boy is from...Elementia." The Zygerrian read it out loud, catching the leader's attention.

"Elementia?" His growl turned into smile of interest. "I've heard that those humans are supposed to be super strong." The zygerrian turned back towards the Mandalorian. "Looks like this trip wasn't a complete waste after all."

Jango wished he could do anything. Strangle the bastard. Slit his throat. Shove a thermal detonator into his mouth. But his body was still too hurt to even move his arm, and even if he could, he would never be fast enough to take him on properly.

"Take it back to the ship, now." He ordered his men. "He'll make a fine addition to the spice mines." They nodded, before they quickly took off, leaving the Zygerrian alone with the injured Mandalorian.

"If you dare put a hand on the boy-"

"Pssh, don't pretend to care about the boy, Mr. Fett." The zygerrian snorted. "If you did, he wouldn't be in this situation now, would he? Besides, think of it as a fair compensation for the spice those idiots stole."

And with that, he raised his blaster again.

PEW!

The zygerrian's grin stayed on his face, before he fell over, a smoking hole coming out of his head. Cad Bane and the rest of his crew stepped out of the shadows, with the duros holding a smoking blaster.

"We're even now, Jango." Bane simply said. "Now, why don't you go help out your father, boy?"

Cad Bane's sentence was barely uttered before Boba took off for his father.

"Dad, are you alright?" He asked, worried to death. His father groaned as he struggled to get up. Seeing this, Boba gingerly helped his father to his feet.

"No, son, I'm not alright." He winced, slowly holstering his blasters after Boba picked them up for him.

Noting how Jango was clutching at his ribs, Boba immediately commed Zam to prepare a bacta bath. Unbeknownst to him, however, this wasn't the reason why Jango said he wasn't alright.

'What have I done?' Jango thought wearily, staring at the spot where the pod used to be. '

Jaster, I hope you can forgive me…"

---

A plummet of black smoke was visible in the air, coming out of one of the ports. This, alongside of the firefight that had occurred not that long ago, attracted some attention, since it was rather hard to not notice. Despite this, the people wisely chose to avoid the area for a while, nor were they foolish enough to dig their noses into it.

A few minutes after the firefight had ended, a YV-865 Aurore-class freighter just took off.

Inside of the freighter was a team of zygerrians, which included the survivors of the fight they had with the bounty hunters.

The leader, who was the zygerrian with a purple convor bird on his shoulder, scowled at the survivors, then at the pod.

"Can someone explain just what the kriff happened back there?"

"We took care of those bastards that stole our spice. You know, the guys we told you about from the cantina?" One of them explained. "Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a business transaction with the Separatists, and things got violent. They were with a team, and they gave us a hard time, even killing your second-in-command."

"Regrettable." D'Nar frowned. "But at least we sent a message to that slimeball, Hondo."

His eyes then traveled back to the pod. "That being said, what's with the pod there?"

"Right, about that..." He replied, pointing at the stolen pod. "Open it up!"

The zygerrian's partner opened up the pod, and carelessly shoved the blond boy out of it.

"We've found this boy being given to the Separatists. Seeing as how those those bastards died from the fight, they won't be missing this after all. It's one of those 'supers' from that new planet, Elementia." He explained, with D'Nar's expression changing from anger to one of interest.

"I see. Good work." He nodded at his men, before examining the boy for himself. He inspected the boy, and seeing as how he was in good health, he let out a grin. His eyes then traveled to his stomach, which was now exposed from the fall. Pushing aside the thin, hospital gown, he stared at the strange tattoo that was on the boy's navel."

"Does the data say anything about these strange markings?"

"Um," His men immediately began to recheck the data. "No, sir. It mentions nothing about it."

"I see." D'Nar's expression grew into a smirk. "No matter. He'll make a perfect addition to my collection."

"Sir?"

"I've decided to keep it." D'Nar chuckled. "He'll be useful in what he's going to do for me now. Put it inside with the rest."

One of them grabbed Naruto by the shirt, and started dragging him further inside the ship like a ragdoll.

It was then that the ship disappeared from view, entering hyperspace. By that time, Jango would have entered his ship, taking a dip into a bacta tank, while Boba did his best to try to find the zygerrian's ship.

However, by the time they even discovered where they had parked their ship, it would be far too late.

…

CRASH!

Naruto's body was roughly thrown into a large cage. Still unconscious, the boy's neck was now outfitted with a collar.

"Sleep all you want, boy. Once you wake up you'll be working hard like the rest of them." D'Nar sneered to the still sedated boy, before going towards the cockpit, laughing all the way to himself.

The cage next to Naruto's was very silent, with the large, purple man inside of it having overheard everything. His green eyes moved to his new roommate, and sighed when he took a good look at the boy.

"Karabast."

---

[Inside the Seal]

Kurama, who had witnessed everything that was happening so far, frowned at how everything turned out.

"So this is where the Force led him." Kurama muttered to himself. "Interesting. While I can't see into the future like that old fart can, even I can tell that this will lead to something interesting."

Could he have done more to help? Sure. While he couldn't do much unless the boy was in life-threatening danger, was wounded, or if Naruto himself was accessing his chakra, he could've still tried to purge the drug out of his system. Remembering Yoda's words, however, he chose not to, wanting to see where this would go.

Besides, this was a pretty good way to give the finger to not only that damned Uchiha asshole that used him that many years ago, but also to Konoha itself.

"We'll see how you grow, Uzumaki. I do want to know whether this place will make you, or break you. In the meantime, let's start getting rid of this stupid drug."

And with that, the sewer shook as a pulse of his chakra was sent throughout the boy's body.

---

*GASP!*

Naruto's eyes shot open, and he sat right up.

CLUNK!

"Ow…" Naruto hissed, rubbing his head. He banged his head on something, which hurt like hell.

Blinking, his eyes widened as he realized that something was wrong. For one, he wasn't in the hospital anymore. Two, he was in a cage, with a collar around his neck.

'Okay, the last thing I remember was Shizune...no, that wasn't Shizune. Whoever that was, she attacked the nurse with something, and injected something into me...Oh crap.'

"Looks like you're finally figuring it out, kid." A deep voice came from his left.

"H-huh?!" Startled, Naruto began to look around, searching for the source of the voice. "Who said that?"

"Quiet, kid. You don't wanna yell in this situation. Also, I'm right next to you."

Squinting, his eyes began to adjust in the dimly lit building...or wherever they were. Blinking, he began to realize that he was talking to a large, hairy creature, with strange, green eyes, who smelled kinda bad.

"Woah, are you a summoning creature?" Naruto asked. The said creature blinked, before raising an eyebrow.

"Umm, kid, I have no idea what that is, but no. I'm a Lasat, and the name is Garazeb. Garazeb Orrelios."

"Uhm…" Naruto just dumbly responded, still processing the fact that an ape-like creature was speaking to him normally like a human.

"Nevermind." The lasat rolled his eyes at the kid, and then looked at the direction of the cockpit. "I heard we're going to be working in the spice mines on Kessel, so we'll be stuck together. You can call me Zeb. What's your name?"

"My name? Its Naruto." He told the ape-like creature. "Wait a minute. Kessel Mines? What's that, and what are we going to do there?"

Zeb looked at the kid with a raised eyebrow. "Never heard of Kessel? Which planet did you grow up in, kid?"

"Elementia." Naruto answered after a second. "My - or, I guess our - planet just made contact with the Republic or something. They're the ones that gave it that name."

"Huh, so you're from that newly discovered planet. Explains a lot." Zeb noted to himself. "I'm going to be blunt, kid, we're going to be forced to mine spice for these bastards as slaves."

"A-as slaves?!" Naruto shouted, grabbing at his collar. "I-I can't be! I've got so much to do! I-"

ZAPPPPP!

"AAAH!" Naruto screamed as his collar released an enormous amount of electricity into his body. He fell over, his hands twitching at his sides as he tried to recover from the electrocution.

"Be silent, boy!" One of the zygerrian slavers yelled at Naruto.

Naruto's glare never wavered as he stared at the zygerrian in the eyes. "Screw...you."

ZAPPPPP!

Naruto screeched in pain as the collar him again. Hearing his screams put a smile to the zygerrian..

After a few more seconds, he let go of the button, allowing Naruto to breathe again. "I've learned much about your people, child."

The blond boy, who was still somehow conscious, slowly turned his head towards his tormentor.

"It's magnificent, really. Your people's culture." The furry man said while petting his bird. "I was already planning on going to your planet myself, but you...you just happened to fall right onto my lap. I will be fully invested in the plans I have for you, child. It won't be long before you'll be bowing to me."

Grunting in immense pain, Naruto bit his teeth while staring at him as he was being looked down upon by this man.

"I don't care what you do, you weird cat. But I will not bow down to anybody!"

Growling at his persistent attitude, he lifted his small remote, and pushed the button.

ZAPPPP!

"URK!" Another wave of electricity spread throughout his body again, the collar's power trying to force him into submission. Seeing no progress, D'Nar decided to raise the power.

"You will soon learn your place, slave." D'Nar told him with a sickening grin. "You might have the blood of a warrior, but like every one, you'll be broken, and I'll make you submit to your betters." And with that, he finally let go of the button.

Naruto, who was still on his knees, finally fell over. D'Nar leaned in a little, and when he discovered that he was still breathing, he left, satisfied with the results.

Meanwhile, Zeb just looked at him with sadness, tugging at his own collar.

---

[Jedi Temple]

Yoda sat alone in the Jedi Council Chamber. Frowning, he began to reflect at the recent developments that was occuring on the two planets of Earth and Elementia.

The result was predictable. Many of the independent countries on Earth have either decided to join the Republic or the Separatists. The reason for this divide was due to some of the political problems they already had. Most of the strongest, independent countries have chosen to join the Republic, while the others either joined the Separatists or wished to remain neutral.

Elementia held nearly the exact some results. Konoha was the first to join the Republic, followed by Suna, which had recently re-negotiated their ties with its former ally, and was also in the process of negotiating with the Republic.

Meanwhile, Iwa and Kumo had decided to join the CIS within moments after they were given the offer, due to their poor relationship with the Leaf Village. Kiri, meanwhile, was still in the midst of its own political war, with both the Republic and the CIS hesitant to enter.

Then there was the other, much smaller villages, like Kusa, Taki, and the others. Most, if not all of them, were forced to pick one side or the other, due to their neighboring villages, or the other allies they had, save for Amegakure, who closed themselves off from the rest of the world.

This pretty much reflected the current situation of the galaxy, with it being split into three factions (with the third being the Neutral Systems.) To make matters worse, the Force didn't seem to be with them at the moment, with more and more visions becoming unclear or blurred.

The doors slid open, and Mace Windu entered the room. "Master Yoda."

"Master Windu." The small, green Jedi nodded to him.

"I need to speak with you." The master said to him. "It's important."

"Hm, speak with me here, you can." Yoda nodded, choosing to stay in his seat.

"It's about the other Jedi. They're asking questions about the Memory Holocron you showed us."

"Go on." Yoda said.

"As you may know by now, many of the padawans, knights, and even masters, have been researching in the archives about this. They've discovered that the Sith like Darth Bane have lived in a different era than yours, with Bane in particular belonging in the era of the Old Republic, which was almost three millennia ago."

"Questions everybody has, I assume." Yoda closed his eyes in thought. "Answer, I do have. Unpleasant, they are, however."

Mace raised his eyebrow at this, before narrowing them, already beginning to guess the answer.

Yoda dug into his robes, pulling out the Memory Holocron.

"Forbidden knowledge, the Dark Side offers." Yoda said, staring at his holocron. "Immortality, some might say, it can offer. Raising the dead, it can also do."

"Raising the dead?" Mace Windu's eyes widened. "You're not saying-"

"Dead, those Sith were." Yoda nodded grimly. "Called them from the grave, that Kaguya woman has."

Before the conversation could continue, the doors suddenly opened.

"MASTERS!"

They turned towards the doors and saw that it was Padawan Skywalker who just ran in, much to the dismay of Mace Windu.

"Skywalker, don't you see that we're in a conversation?" Master Windu sternly glared at the Padawan. "You better have a reason for barging in like this."

Anakin took a moment to breathe before rising up. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Masters. But I came here telling you urgent news coming from the Hidden Leaf Village."

Yoda turned towards the padawan with immediate focus.

"It's been attacked by bounty hunters." Anakin informed them. "Their village leader has requested the presence of Master Yoda."

Mace Windu turned to the Grand Master, who was now getting up from his seat.

"Go now, I must. Join me, if you wish." Yoda offered to his fellow master. "Skywalker, pass this news to your master Obi Wan, you must."

"I will master," Anakin said watching the Master Yoda leave the two jedi behind to walk on his own.

"I will, Master Yoda." Anakin bowed, watching the two masters leave. After watching them disappear, he ran to inform the others of this unfortunate news.

---

[Inside the Seal]

SPLASH!

Kurama watched as Naruto's body fell from the dark ceiling. Landing in the water, Naruto's groaned as he began to recover from the torture he had just endured from those beast-men.

Meanwhile for Kurama, he was in his meditation position and had his hands clapped against each other with his eyes closed and the energy spiralling out of him.

Staring at the boy's fallen form, Kurama let out a sigh.

"It's nothing personal, kid. Even if you asked me to, I'm not gonna help you. Not until you prove me worthy of my help. I don't know if this is part of the Force or not, but unless you can grow stronger from this, I'm not going to step in - much."

Kurama snorted, a gust of air disturbing the water below him.

"I've already done enough by giving you the ability to read, speak, and understand Basic." Kurama continued, uncaring whether or not the boy was listening to him. "From here on out, you're on your own."

A pulse of his chakra shot out like a fast wave, and Naruto's body stopped twitching, relaxing as his body began to recover from the electrocution much faster.

Just then, Kurama looked up, hearing the voices of the zygerrians growing louder.

"If you thought that your life has been Hell so far, then it's time that you learn the true meaning of suffering." Kurama grunted. "I'm counting on you to not die. I'm counting on you to survive, to grow, to adapt, and to strike, when the time is right. What you do from there, be it for good or for bad, will be up to you."

The voices of the slavers grow louder and angrier, and Kurama knew that he didn't have much more time left to speak his thoughts.

"You probably don't remember all those years of suffering, especially that night, especially since the Third Hokage made sure to seal away the memories, but you probably will soon." Kurama grimly stated. "Living in the slums, taking your first life, and especially that night when those bastards were close to taking your life? That's the night where the villagers really learned to make sure to keep their hands off of you. But the damage was done, and it'll probably be redone soon."

Naruto's body began to fade away as he was being brought to consciousness.

"Time to get up, boy. Time for you to prove your worth as a warrior. As a child of the Uzumakis. As a descendant of Mandalore."

---

Naruto gasped as he woke back up. Scrambling to his knees (while being careful to not bump his head again), he glanced back at the cage where the other guy was in.

"Zeb?"

The cage was empty.

"Zeb? Where are yo-ACK!" Naruto didn't get to finish his sentence as a hand roughly grabbed his collar. Choking, Naruto struggled to breathe, barely acknowledging the fact that he was being dragged away to kami-knows-where.

Just as Naruto thought that he was going to black out again, he was roughly thrown forward, and the air - as stale and dirty as it was, - mercifully returned to his lungs.

CLINCH. CLICK.

Naruto blinked, and he realized that one of those hairy bastards put one what he assumed to be the future version (or should he say modern version now?) of handcuffs.

"Don't worry about your hair friend, slave." D'Nar walked up with him with a chuckle, his hands behind his back in an authoritative manner. "You'll be joining him in the mines soon enough. Just like him, you'll soon learn your place."

Naruto shot him a glare, which matched D'Nar's fierce one. Not caring once again about the collar around his neck, Naruto leaned his head back.

*PTOO!*

D'Nar blinked, and he realized that the human boy had just spit on his shoes.

Letting out a roar of rage, he kicked Naruto's face, before stomping on it. Much to his frustration, the boy refused to scream or cry out, which only served to further anger him.

"You whiskered freak! I will make sure to make your life a living nightmare! Perhaps your family would like to join you? Wouldn't talk back as much, would you?!"

Hearing this, Naruto simply let out a small chuckle.

"Heh, my family's dead, asshole. Why don't you just kill me so that I can join them?"

D'Nar's sharp teeth gritted together as his fingers twitched at the blaster at his side.

…

Kessel was a planet in the edges of the galaxy. All but ignored by the Republic, the criminals of the underworld took advantage of their willful negligence, and used slave labor to harvest spice and other resources from the planet.

Perhaps at one point it was a beautiful planet, but whatever beauty it may once held was forever tainted by the cruelty of people, with the planet itself suffering from the dark vices of the sentients. Dirty smoke often filled the skies, with the air being barely breathable enough for both the slavers and the slaves.

Speaking of, the new slaves were being transported to the planet, with the slaves being shamefully pushed and prodded towards their new masters and their new workplace. Overlooking this process was the Pyke Syndicates, who watched the newcomers carefully. Despite the Zygerrian Empire constantly doing business with them, it was the Pykes that truly dominated this planet.

"YEAARGH!"

Everyone, both the slaves and their slavers, froze as they heard the loud scream. Turning their heads simultaneously, they watched a young blond, human boy fly out of a freighter, being thrown by an angered D'Nar.

D'Nar let out a loud growl as he walked up towards the fallen new slave, who was coughing and wheezing, trying to get back on his feet. Not giving him the chance to do so, he proceeding to kick him in the ribs again, making an example out of him in front of the other slaves.

After five more minutes of continuous beating, D'Nar finally stopped, now out of breath, but still looking just as angry as ever, watching Naruto cough out blood. Although admittedly impressed by the boy's endurance, he knew that if he went any further, he would kill the boy, which would've been counterproductive. Leaving the boy to the Pyke Syndicates, he walked over to the other Pykes to have a discussion with them.

"Get him up." One of the Pyke Sentinels ordered the slaves, and the brave volunteers eventually walked forward to do so.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

"Huh?" Naruto's eyes finally fluttered open, his vision blurry and red. "Who said that?"

"Me, you numbskull." Naruto looked to his right, and saw it was the Lasat Zeb. "You've must've really pissed off the bastard to make him really give it to you.."

"I just spat on the guy's shoes, nothing else." Naruto weakly chuckled, grinning him a bloody grin. He winced, feeling his split lip scream in agony. "So what, are you saying I shouldn't have done it?"

Zeb gave him a weak, sad smile. "Probably not, although I gotta give it you to ya: You got a bigger set than I do, and I'm a Lasat."

"Well, I never liked giving respect to those that don't deserve it." Naruto gingerly shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, I think I've been through much worse, believe it."

Despite his weakened and beaten form, Naruto's attitude remained as strong as ever, which somehow made Zeb feel a lot better.

"Slaves!"

All chatter ceased immediately as all eyes were on D'Nar. Naruto realized that he finally made it to the other slaves, who immediately looked away from him. Naruto slowly lifted his head, looking at D'Nar, who was standing on a podium with the other Pykes.

"I'm only saying this once, so you better listen up. You will all be living here as my personal labor force. As part of my collection, you'll be working on this section of the mine, which my empire happens to own. You will all be digging for my spices. Work hard and listen to your superiors, and I may go easy on you. May."

This got many frowns from the slaves, but none dared to speak up, choosing to look down at the ground instead of meeting the zygerrian's eyes. The minute they did so, they noticed that the mine D'Nar was talking about was much different than the others. This one was a large, deep hole, looking much one the sinkhole cities of Utapau.

"Welcome to Ölüm, also known as 'The Red Grave.' This will be your home from now on, so better get used to it."

D'Nar's laughter echoed throughout the deep mines, sending shivers down the spines of the other slaves.

Chapter 5: The Plans

[Amegakure; ?]

It has been three weeks since the sudden attack occurred on Konoha. Only a few casualties were reported, with many more being lightly injured. The real damage was mostly done to the village itself, with many buildings and trees either burnt down or blown up.

Officially, it was reported to the world as a random attack by a group of thugs from outer space. One, which they successfully fended off with no major loss.

However, a certain group of people knew better. Those group of individuals knew the truth, and were coming together to hold a meeting about it.

…

As implied by the name, Amegakure was a village that was always raining. On the days when the rain would come pouring extra hard, it was quite useful for shinobi, since the rain would help mask their presence.

In this case, it would help the two individuals, who were wearing dark cloaks with red clouds on them, intrude the village. They were currently walking through an alleyway, doing their best to avoid detection.

The two cloaked men peeked at a homeless man to their left from under their straw hats, who was currently trying to stay warm and dry under a makeshift tent. Trying to keep the fire alive in a small pot, the dirty, homeless man looked up at them. Seeing the cloaked men, he nodded at them, his false look of misery and fear turning into one of determination and duty. The two men nodded back, before they continued down the alleyway.

They made a few turns, and found the entrance to a large sewer tunnel. Checking to see if they were being followed, they entered the entrance to their secret, underground base.

"Man, it's been such a crazy few months, wouldn't you agree, Sasori?" Deidara finally said. The cloaked hunchback, who was now revealed as Sasori of the Red Sand, a missing-nin from Sunagakure, just nodded. "I do wonder why our boss decided to summon us all together in person. I mean, we got these rings for a reason, you know?"

Sasori just rolled his eyes. "I'm sure the leader has a good reason for such an order, Deidara. One attempt to take over a village because they're fools."

Sasori was referring to the fact that Pain, their mysterious, orange haired leader, had decided to overthrow Hanzo to take over the village. He had rallied most of the people with him, which was the first step to his plan for taking over as the village's leader.

Due to the civil war they were undergoing, the village had closed itself off from the rest of the world, which, according to their sources, was now being called "Elementia." Part of the reason to why the people had decided to rebel against Hanzo was because of the declining economy the village was suffering from. Hanzo, being the paranoid man he was, refused to open up to the other nations and villages. This, aside from the fact that it was always gloomy and wet, made the people more miserable and poor, and thus, more hungry. On top of that, Hanzo refused to let the people in or out, which again, contributed to the poor lifestyle the people had to undergo.

The final straw would be the Galactic Republic's presence on their planet. Offering food, superior technology, and other supplies to anyone who decided to join them, the people had hoped that their leader would accept their offer. Much to their displeasure, he flat out rejected their offer, and thus, sending the village into further despair.

Then came along Pain, the strange-eyed man who seemed to have the powers of the gods. He seemed to swoop down from the heavens, offering them food, warmth, and hope of a better future. And just like that, almost half of the village joined him in the war against Hanzo, the Paranoid Tyrant.

"You know, thinking about how the civil war got started reminds me of something. I think your old village joined the Republic, right?" Deidara added. "Meanwhile, the old geezer in my old village took the other way, joining the Confederacy or whatever. I guess it goes to show that petty rivalry extends beyond the stars, huh?"

"That we can agree on."

The two of them stopped in their tracks as they finally made it to the secret underground room. Regarding the two rebel guards, they pushed open the large doors, and stepped inside.

"Looks like we've arrived." Deidara said, looking up at the large statue in front of them. Despite seeing it before in a different location, it never failed to amaze him.

That statue was the Gedō Mazō, or also known as the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. It stood taller like any other monumental or religious statue that could be seen across the Shinobi lands.

The statue was sticking its hands out of the earth, its hands spread out in a prayer, giving the demonic being a sense of ancient, godly power.

Deidara shook his head, and shifted his focus to the other apparitions of the rest of the Akatsuki members, who were standing on the fingers of the large statue.

"You've made it." The green eyed, masked figure said. Despite how dimly lit the room was, he could still see the scratched out Takigakure symbol on his forehead. "Good. Now that you're here, it will only be a matter of time before the leader comes in."

"Kakuzu." Deidara called the member out with a smile. "How are you doing, my man? Don't you have any accounting to do or something?" Kakuzu was infamous for two things: His freaky immortality, and his greed for money. Deidara always liked to poke at his lust for money, which was always fun to do.

"Don't talk to me about counting money, Deidara. Ever since the Republic rolled in, they're now using a different form of currency, which is annoying to learn, and equally annoying to convert to." Kazuku growled at him. "Besides, I haven't been able to make any money at all. Not since we had to stay low for the past few months to take part in this civil war. And what doesn't help my mood is my idiot, zealous freak of a partner and his stupid, religious rants!"

"Ey, fuck you!" Hidan shouted at his partner. "You can speak easily, I have convictions! How can I honor Jashin if I cannot spill blood!" "You have it easy, man! I have convictions! Faith! How can I honor my god jashin if I can't spill any blood?!"

"Like I care about your stupid convictions, Hidan."

"How dare you-"

"Can you both just shut up?" Sasori sighed, being the mediator for once. "Nobody has been doing anything then except for gathering information now. I think we can all agree that we're all unable to do our favorite activities, so enough with the pointless banter."

"Sasori's right, you know." Deidara agreed with a chuckle. "Besides, it's not like it hasn't been a complete bore these past few months. I mean, who knew that politics can be so interesting, especially these days."

Just before someone else can say anything else, two more holographic images appeared on the statue's fingers. These two were quickly recognized, with the large sword and a particular set of red eyes making it easy to deduce their identities.

"Well, look what the cat brought in." Deidara said, upon recognizing the two other members. "Itachi, Kisame. Its been awhile since we heard from you guys."

"Hey yourself, Deidara. Sasori. Guys." Kisame smirked under his robe. "I've been missing these kind of conversations."

"That's a lie, and you know it." Kakuzu said to the rogue Mist shinobi. "Got any word from the situation in Kirigakure?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather disclose it when the leader is here." Kisame turned to his partner. "On the other hand, Itachi and I found some interesting news about Konoha. Something about their Jinchuuriki."

"Oh, that village, huh?" Deidara chuckled. "I heard it took a beating from some bounty hunters from outer space. Pretty embarrassing for them, huh? Deidara taunted at Itachi.

Much to his slight disappointment, Itachi didn't even blink at his jab.

"Like what my partner said, I'll wait until our leader arrives before disclosing details."

"You won't have to wait long."

The rough voice came from the ground, and Deidara and Sasori watched as a plant-like man began to sprout from the ground. The man, much like the rest of them, wore the same cloak as the rest of them, and like the rest of them, this member was different from the rest of them, with the difference lying in the fact that he was plant-like (much like how Kisame was part shark), and with the fact that the right half of him was pure black.

"Zetsu." Sasori nodded at the plant-man, who nodded back at him.

"They're here."

Moments after he said that, Sasori and Deidara heard footsteps behind them. Turning around, they found themselves staring directly into the strange, rippled eyes their leader held, as well as the blue-haired woman's amber ones.

"I've arrived." Pain said, announcing his entrance. "I see everyone is present. Let us not waste any more time. If you have any important intel, speak now. Itachi? Kisame?"

Usually it was Itachi who gave the intel, but Kisame, who was bored out of his mind, decided to do the talking for once.

"I'm guessing that everyone knows of the attack that happened at the Hidden Leaf Village, right? Well, we just managed to figure out that it wasn't a random attack by criminals. No, they had a specific target in mind to capture. And captured one of them, they did."

"Who was the target?" Konan asked in place of her friend and leader.

"Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails."

This news came as an unpleasant shock to the group, particularly towards Pain, who narrowed his eyes at the two.

"...Is this true, Itachi?" Pain slowly asked. "If so, any idea on who's responsible, and why?"

"It's as you he said, Pain-sama." Itachi nodded. "According to our intel, Naruto Uzumaki was the target these criminals were after. Mercenaries, excuse me. For what purpose, even they did not know. The only notable fact is that they were of varying sentient species, they are quite infamous in the galaxy, and that they seemed more concerned about leaving with their target than confronting the shinobi."

"Well that's just fucking great!" Hidan shouted. "You're telling me that this little bastard is now somewhere around this big, fucking galaxy!?"

"Shut up, Hidan." Kakuzu snapped. "Your complaining won't get us anywhere."

"Well excuse me, Kakuzu-"

"Silence!" Pain snapped, which stopped the bickering. "This is no time for this sort of nonsense!"

He then fell into silence as he began to process this new information. With the capture of one of the jinchuuriki, especially the one with the nine-tailed fox, their plans were ruined. It didn't matter how many they captured now. So long as one of them - ONE of them - was out of the picture, they couldn't continue on with their plans.

"While this setback is regrettable, this changes nothing of our plan yet." Pain finally continued. "We must search for the jinchuuriki in the stars. We'll scour every planet if we must. However, our access to the lands beyond the stars will not happen unless we claim Amegakure for ourselves. Once we overthrow the Paranoid Tyrant, not only will we possess the political immunity for our arrests, but we will also be able to negotiate the foreign governments for space travel. This is where every single one of you will come in."

"With all due respect," Itachi began to ask. "How can we be of any help? The majority of us are infamous missing-nin. If anything, our very presence unnerves the rebel soldiers in this hideout. I can tell that their trust and faith in this organization is wavering."

"And that is why all of you will do your best to correct that." Pain simply replied. "This will be your chance to become saviors instead of mindless killers. With your heroic acts to fight against the mighty tyrant, your name will be cleared enough where the future leader of the village will grant you immunity."

"I see." Itachi nodded. "Then we shall do our best to support the troops and the people."

"Same here." Kisame grinned. "Man, this is gonna so fun. This almost makes me forget about my village's news."

"What about your village, Kisame?" Konan couldn't help but ask.

"Well, there's whispers of the civil war coming to a close in Kiri." Kisame announced to the group. "The word on the street is that Mei Terumī's forces are finally making a breakthrough, penetrating the Mizukage's defenses thanks to both the Republic and the Separatists' forces."

"Wait a minute, both of them?" Konan raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that the two were on poor terms with each other. Unless…"

"You guessed it." Kisame nodded, his grin never leaving. "They're having a free trial on who can offer the best deal, which includes supplies, men, you name it. Oh, and get this: Since the Republic couldn't actually help them with the fighting, due to the lack of troops, all they could do is send in some humanitarian support in between the fighting, which is basic stuff like food and medicine. The Separatists, meanwhile, sent those - what do you call them? Droids? Yeah, droids. They sent a lot of them to help with the war, and not to mention the same thing the Republic offered, but in bigger quantities. If the rumors are true, Mei's gonna join the Confederacy, which is funny, considering how the Separatists are being called the bad guys and the traitors by the Republic."

"Interesting." Pain nodded in thought. "Thank you, Kisame. This intel may actually prove valuable to our cause, should we ever have to pick a side when we overthrow Hanzo."

"Happy to help." Kisame just shrugged, before he finally finished, allowing Deidara to jump in.

"So Kiri's about to join the big C." Deida chuckled. "That's good to know, since my village also joined that side. According to Sasori, Kumo is on its way to join them as well, which means that so far, three of the five major villages have joined the Separatists."

Pain turned to the the puppeteer master. "Sasori, what's the news coming from Suna?"

"Suna has renegotiated their treaty with Konoha after their failed invasion. My spies have notified me that they are almost done completing their treaty with the Republic as well, and are now on their way to receiving the gifts and technology they had to offer. Furthermore, it would appear that their jinchuuriki has now taken over as the next Kazekage."

"So that's three major villages against two." Konan rounded up, before moving on to the next question. "What about the smaller villages?"

"My village has already announced it would join the Republic." Kakuzu, said gaining everyone's attention. "The village leader stated that out of respect for the late Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, he will remain an ally to Konoha, and thus, an ally for the Republic."

"Urgh!" Hidan hissed. "My village doesn't exist anymore. Turned into a fucking hotspring resort. No shame-"

"Shut up, Hidan!" Kakuzu snapped at his whining, before turning back to the leader.

"What else on the villages, Kakuzu?

"Kusa has decided to remain neutral in this political clash. No surprise really, considering how their skills in diplomacy far outranks its neighbors, like Iwa and Konoha. They did, however, offer to be the middle ground so that they can act as the mediator, should any potential conflicts arise in the future."

This was actually good news for the group, since Amegakure shares a border with them in the north. "Hoshigakure has also decided to join the Republic, which, given their friendly relations with Konoha, is no surprise. Meanwhile, the other independent countries like Nami and Haru have quickly declared neutrality, but decided to continue their equal trade for both sides the same."

"And Oto?"

"Pff." Deidara rolled his eyes. "Like you could call that a proper village. It's more like Orochimaru's side project..."

Ignoring his comments, Kakuzu answered Pain's question. "Orochimaru hasn't answered either's calls, and it's most likely that he wants to keep it that way. For the other non-shinobi villages, I have no information about it."

"Good work, Kakuzu. We'll keep that in mind." Pain said, before turning to the plant-man. "Zetsu, I want you to continue to gather information about the other countries. Keep an eye out on the main villages as well, and notify us of any significant events."

"Will do, leader."

Pain's eyes turned back to the others. "Our plans have changed, everyone. We will focus all our efforts on taking control over Amegakure. Our top priority now is to win the support of the people, and to eliminate all of Hanzo and his loyal subjects. I want every single person even remotely associated to the tyrant to be eliminated. Is that understood?."

"Yes, Pain-sama." They all nodded, determined to not fail their god-like leader.

"Itachi." Pain called out for the Uchiha, which made the room grow quiet. "You will work with Zetsu to find out who the kidnappers are. I want to know why he was kidnapped, and where he could be now."

"It will be done, Pain-sama." Itachi nodded.

"Good." Pain nodded in satisfaction. "You're all dismissed. Make sure that every single one of you gets here soon."

They all nodded, before the projections disappeared, leaving behind the Akatsuki members who were present in the area. They were all left in silence, save for the howlings winds and the loud thunder that rocked the skies.

---

[Konoha, Hokage building]

Tsunade sat in silence as all of the members of the Jedi Council, (save for Yoda, who had personally arrived to the planet,) were being broadcasted in front of Tsunade's desk, giving their reports in a somber tone. A protocol droid stood by her, waiting to do its duty.

"Unfortunately, our efforts to track down the bounty hunters and the boy are being slowed down. We are being bombarded with diplomatic missions to try to convince the other systems to not defect to the Confederacy. On top of that, the bounty hunters have done a great job on covering their tracks, making it that much harder for us to find him."

It was Plo Koon, the strange, masked Jedi who delivered the unfortunate news. Judging by the way he was looking down and the tone of his voice, it was clear that he was ashamed of this lack of progress.

"Is that all you can say?" Tsunade slowly said, her voice trembling as she struggled to contain her rage.

Ki-Adi-Mundi nodded grimly. "What makes matters worse, my Lady, is that we are finding ourselves unable to find him through the Force. It must be the work of the Sith, using the Dark Side to mask his presence."

"Bullshit!" Tsunade slammed her hand onto her desk, the wood cracking from her fury. "My men were able to extract some names from the dead mercenaries in the forest. What about the names of the bounty hunters we gave you?! Cad Bane? Jango Fett? Aurra Sing? Zam Wesell? How are you people so incapable of finding criminals with high profiles like these?!"

"Ma'am," Master Windu quickly stepped in, trying to become the mediator to deescalate the situation. "I know this looks bad, but we assure you that we are doing everything in our power to retrieve the boy."

"Right." Tsunade clenched her teeth, her desk groaning and cracking from under her fingers, which was noticed by Yoda. "I can tell, by the way that you're sitting in your comfortable chairs."

"Ma'am-"

"NO! Enough of this! Enough 'meditating' and 'using the Force' to look for my godson! You all need to get up, and search every goddamn planet if you have to! Kami damn the fact that I can't fly your stupid ships yet, otherwise I would do this myself!"

The Hokage's outburst made them flinch. This type of reaction to them wasn't exactly new, and they understood her anger completely. They could only hope that they could do their best to keep her satisfied, since failures like these was part of the reason to why some planets reconsidered their place in the Republic, or even worse, deciding to join the Confederacy. The planet was already divided enough was it was, with the entire planet being cut into two political camps, similar to how Earth currently is.

"Angry you are, we can understand." Yoda spoke to her with an apologetic tone. "Continue this conversation, we shall do later."

"Agreed." Windu said, nodding to his master. "We'll speak to you later, my Lady."

The transmission then shut off, just as the door opened, and in walked in her long-time friend, Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, what now?" Tsunade sighed, and Jiraiya flinched at how much older she suddenly sounded. She slumped back into her seat, the metal chair creaking and groaning from the sudden shift of her weight. "I've got enough on my head now with all of this-"

"Do you remember that offer the Republic and the Feudal Lords gave me?" Jiraiya interrupted, which made her look up at him. "I said no."

"No?" Tsunade questioned. "Then who are they going to pick to be our senator? And what are you going to do instead?"

"I'm going to leave Elementia to travel across the galaxy." Jiraiya stated, surprising both of them. "I'm taking all of my funds, and I'm going to search every kami-forsaken planet for our godson. I'm going to establish my intelligence across the systems, and I'm going to make sure that I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"And as for your first question, well, our Feudal Lord picked Gaara as the senator for the Republic side of Elementia."

"That kid?" Tsunade raised her eyebrow. "Awfully young, wouldn't you say?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Old enough to kill, old enough to be a senator. Besides, I rejected the offer, and you're too busy being the Hokage, and we don't really have that many strong allies to be the Republican senator of our planet." "

He paused to drink some water, before he continued.

"By the way, in case you were wondering, Mei Terumī, the newest Kage for Kiri, just became the senator for the Separatist part of Elementia, while Mifune became the neutral senator. Can't blame Mei if you ask me, since the Republic wasn't much help during the conflict. While the Republic sent minimal supplies, the Separatists sent an army of those droids to help with not just the war, but with reconstruction as well."

Tsunade rolled her eyes back with a sigh, groaning as she slumped into her chair. All this politics, old and new, was wearing her down, and she really needed a break from all the bullshit that was going on.

Yoda, seeing as how the woman needed to be left alone for a minute, turned towards Jiraiya. "Leave, when will you?"

"I'm heading out tomorrow." Jiraiya said, his eyes hardened with determination. "My godson's out there somewhere, and he's been all alone for too long. Thanks to the senators and even some of the Jedi, I learned about space travel, and how to keep undercover."

"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Tsunade asked her friend. "I can give you a team to help you on your way."

"Thanks Tsunade, but no, I can't risk getting too much attention. I'll need to keep a low profile, especially since we have no idea what the Akatsuki's up to."

"A wise move, that would be." Yoda nodded in agreement. "Many steps ahead of them, we must be. Capture Hagamoro's children, they must not."

A few months ago, the topic of the missing-nin group was brought up when Yoda showed Tsunade and Jiraiya in private his Memory Holocron. The minute they realized that Yoda actually had a good relationship with the bijuu, they decided that it was important to discuss the issues with the Akatsuki. They had no idea exactly why they wanted the jinchuuriki, with only theories and rumors to base their assumptions with, but the minute they realized the origin of the bijuu, it suddenly made sense to why they wanted to collect all 9 jinchuurikis.

Their brief conversation was cute short by the knocking on the door.

"Come in." The door slowly swung open, revealing the elder nurse, who quickly recovered from the stun bolt.

"Lady Tsunade." The nurse bowed. "Lady Shizune asked me to inform you that Kakashi Hatake and the other shinobi are waking up.."

Sighing from relief, Tsunade stood up, a small smile greeting the nurse. "Thank you for the update. You may now return to your station."

"Yes, my lady." The nurse bowed again, before closing the door behind her. After that, Tsunade moved to grab her coat.

"It's time to speak with Kakashi," She says being halfway done "Any information he has we'll need to know if we want to find Naruto."

"I'll head out soon, then." Jiraiya said. He and Tsunade gave each other a quick hug, before they broke apart. He placed something onto her hand, and she realized that it was a small, metal disk; his personal holopad.

"Be careful, Jiraiya. Please promise me that." Tsunade asked, her lips tightly pressed together as she held back tears, afraid to show her fear of possibly losing another loved one.

"I promise, Tsunade," Jiraiya nodded, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to die until I bring our godson back home."

It was a simple promise. A promise that both of them knew that he could fail at. They knew very well that he might search for the rest of his life, and he may never even hear about their godson. Still, it was enough for Tsunade to finally let go of her friend.

Jiraiya gave her one last smile, before he bowed his head.

POOF!

A puff of smoke erupted from the spot where the white-haired man once stood. It cleared away within seconds, leaving nothing behind, but a hint of used chakra, which only Yoda was able to detect.

"Body Flicker Technique." Tsunade explained to Yoda. "We use some of our chakra to move quickly from one place to another."

"I see." Yoda nodded, the technique reminding him of Force Speed. Noticing that Tsunade was walking away (no doubt that it was to attend to the recent patients), he decided to join her for the walk.

"Strange, Master Jiraiya is." Yoda commented.

"Hmm?" Tsunade turned to the small Jedi. "What do you mean?"

"Hatred and despair, often felt in distressed families. Sense this in Master Jiraiya, I could not." Yoda explained, being slightly surprised by the Sannin's unusually calm emotions.

Tsunade chuckled at this, her small laughter lacking in humor or life.

"Believe me, that's just his way of coping with loss." Tsunade sighed. "Over the years, we lost a lot of loved ones. Friends, families, potential apprentices. All of them died from the wars this country has been through, with many of them not even making it to twenty. Hell, Jiraiya rescued three orphans from the battlefield, and trained them to the best he could. Then one day, he finds out that they were all killed by the same enemy that we barely survived from. If I need to be honest with you, there's times when he drank a lot more than I did."

Yoda's ears drooped as he heard Jiraiya's tragic tale. As shortened as it was, the feelings of loss and sorrow was not minimized, with Yoda not needing to use the Force to feel the pain coming from the story.

It was then that Yoda wondered if the man's perverted actions was merely a way for him to cope with his loss.

"Strength of a Jedi, he clearly shows. But restraint, not as much."

"Pff, you don't have to be a monk to figure him out." Tsunade remarked with a chuckle walking passed the Jedi. "Come on, old man. Let's head to the infirmary."

…

[Konoha - Hospital]

Shizune was fumbling with a large, rectangular device in her hands. The protocol droid following her had explained to her about the functions of her new datapad. Despite how bulky it was, and despite how confusing as hell it was, it was admittedly a huge step up from the usual large folders and papers. For one, it made gathering and storing data that much more faster and safer, especially since the datapad was highly water resistant, and clumsy drops would do nothing to damage the device. Hell, putting your foot through the gadget would only destroy the machine itself, but not the data, with the data being safely stored in multiple chips around the machine.

Despite the comedic show that Shizune was putting on, those that were close to her would know that her bashful grin was hiding a far more tragic expression. The minute she was fully healed, she had heard the terrible news that had befallen the village. The minute she heard that Naruto Uzumaki, the blond, goofy boy that she was beginning to see as a little brother, was kidnapped, she bursted into tears, feeling partially responsible for the entire mess.

She was a proud kunoichi of Konoha, a strong woman who was taught by Tsunade Senju herself about the art of medicine, and yet, she was ambushed so easily by the group of men and women, with the last thing she saw was the skinwalker taking her form and her clothes.

When she woke up, her body felt weak, with her limbs bound together by some rope. It was honestly a miracle that she managed to get the door opened, with her needing to constantly slam her body and head to break the closet door down. It was also a miracle that someone had found her, which lead to them going after the intruders.

Bound, bruised, and nearly nude, knowing that she had finally alerted the village, she allowed herself to pass out, hoping with all her might that nothing would happen to the village, and that the intruders will be apprehended swiftly. Imagine her shame when she awoke to find out that not only a few shinobi had perished, but multiple buildings were demolished, with many more being on fire. To make matters worse, they had successfully kidnapped Naruto, with the strange, shapeshifting being using her form to make it happen.

'No.' Shizune shook her head. 'I can't focus on my failure now. I need to help my patients.' Stopping for a moment to put on an assuring smile, she opened the door.

Shizune's face contorted as she took a minute to adjust to the sharp smell that stabbed into her brain.

"Ugh, I guess the cleaning droids were here recently." Shizune muttered.

While she was no stranger to the smell of blood, death, and sterilized rooms and hallways, this new chemical the Republic introduced was far stronger than the ones they used to clean the hallways. She had to take a moment to remind herself that this chemical, despite how harsh it smelled, was safe to use, as evident by the fact that this sterilizing fluid was used by many laboratories across the galaxy.

Shaking her head, she continued to walk down the clean hallway, which was bustling with visitors being desperate to visit their patients. This included one of the young genins, who was hurt in an explosion caused by one of the bounty hunters. Shizune decided to walk a little faster, afraid that the parents would come out of the room any minute, and unleash their grief onto her.

"Shizune."

The woman stiffened, before turning around to see her master arrive.

"Lady Tsunade, Master Yoda." Shizune bowed at them, grateful to see them again.

"Kakashi. Where is he?" Tsunade said roughly.

"R-right." Shizune cleared her throat. "He was just discharged from his bacta bath, my lady. I told him to take it easy for a while, but he insisted on talking with you."

"Important, this must be." Yoda noted. "Hurry, we should."

"Knowing Hatake, whatever he needs to say is important." Tsunade nodded. "Let's not make him wait."

…

[Hatake's Room]

Kakashi Hatake was lying on his bed, his uncovered eye staring blankly at the white ceiling. The birds chirped happily in the background, ignorant or uncaring of the chaos that had been plaguing the village for some time.

Absent-mindedly, his hand slowly brushed over his stomach, where it was heavily damaged from the ship's cannon-fire. The mercenaries, despite having no chakra, still proved to be a dangerous foes, as proven by their willingness to go all out to fulfill their mission. Kakashi was unfortunately enough to not get away from the ship fast enough, being the most reluctant to leave the area despite the rain of blaster-bolts threatening to blast them to pieces.

His stubbornness had costed him, with one of the cannon-bolts exploding just meters from him. His eardrums had ruptured, and his stomach was burnt and shredded as he flew backwards like a ragdoll. According to the medical droids and the doctors, he was close to death's door, but it was thanks to Tsunade herself that he lived to fight another day.

Still, he was forced to be submerged in the bacta tank, which greatly accelerated his healing.

If Kakashi was honest, though, a part of him wanted to die. He had failed to save his comrade, once again, and now Naruto, his student, and the son of the two people he looked up to, was gone, kidnapped by a group of thugs to kami-knows-where.

Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, with his visitors quietly entering his room. He relaxed as he realized it was Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, and the remaining members of Team 7, Sakura Haruno and - surprisingly, Sasuke Uchiha. The said Uchiha was in handcuffs, his seal still restricting his chakra, with Anko Mitarashi keeping a close eye on him.

"Kakashi…"

He stared at his visitors for a moment so he could see them clearly, before staring back at the ceiling. He seemed dead to the world, wallowing in his failures, unable to see his friends and colleagues around him.

Sakura ended up being the first one to approach her sensei's side, gently touching his hand to try to comfort him.

"Kakashi-Sensei…"

"Sakura." Her old teacher slowly nodded at her, before his head slowly moved towards the others. "Asuma. Kurenai. Gai."

"Save your strength, Kakashi." Asuma held up his hand to stop him from getting up. "You shouldn't even be talking right now. You need to be resting."

"What happened?" Kakashi grunted, slowly rising like a zombie. He groaned as his bones and muscles screamed in protest, but he ignored them. "What happened after I blacked out?"

"We were dragged back by the rest of the ANBU." Kurenai said, her hand clutching at her arm. "We were treated for our wounds, and whoever was well enough had to help out the civilians. All things considering, some of us got it easy. I mean, Yūgao's still in her bed."

"Is she going to make it?"

"...She'll be fine." Asuma said after a minute-too-long hesitation. "I mean, the cannon-fire took out her leg, but fortunately, the medical droids were able to give her a prosthetic. She'll be fine after some rest...and therapy."

"Damn it." Kakashi's singular eye shut in sorrow, his heart broken after hearing about her devastating wounds. "And the others? What about them?"

This time, it was Gai's turn to deliver the news.

"Most of them are fine." He said. "Some didn't make it, but others...will be fine after some time. Thankfully, it's mostly just severe blaster burns, but nothing that Tsunade's personal healers can't fix."

Despite hearing about her team's loss, Kakashi finally allowed himself to relax a little, choosing this time to try to focus on the brighter side. Still, his fists clenched as he began to imagine Yūgao's expression at hearing the loss of her team members - men and women alike that fought alongside her for almost over a decade.

Anko closed her eyes, finding herself for once, unable to watch someone in pain. "It's no use, Kakashi. What's done is done."

"But still, those mercenaries who attacked our village are still at large."

"We took out some of them." Asuma quickly informed him. "Inoichi was able to salvage some intel from the dead mercenaries, which include the names of the others."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Who are they?"

"Don't even think about it, Kakashi." Anko warned him. "You just avoided dying like three times this week, so don't think about getting revenge now."

But Kakashi wouldn't listen, and struggled to get up. "Damn it, just tell me their names."

The door slid open.

"Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura pleaded. "Please, think about-"

"You heard her, Hatake. Stay down."

Everyone turned towards the door to see Lady Tsunade and Master Yoda enter the room, their presence causing them to fall into silence.

She walked in and saw that he was halfway out of his bed. "You better get back in your bed, Hatake. I won't say it again."

Kakashi glared at her in slight defiance, before he sighed, allowing his body to slump back into bed. The small, green Jedi walked up to the middle of the room to face the bed.

"I've been told that you wanted to speak to me." Tsunade said to the patient. "So speak."

"When can I get out?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at his question. "I will say about a week. Why?"

"To find Naruto, of course." Kakashi replied a little too calmly. "I need to find him."

"Kakashi, you need to wait." Asuma tried to reason with him. "We don't even know where to begin, since he could literally be anywhere in the galaxy-"

Kakashi's eye narrowed into a glare as he stared at the bearded shinobi, and suddenly, the room grew colder.

"Are you telling me to give up, Asuma?" He growled.

That's when Kurenai decided to jump in to Asuma's defense. "No, Kakashi. He's just saying that we can't just jump into this without a plan. Like he said, we have no idea where Naruto even is, and we need to gain intel first before we jump into action."

"And what? You expect me to do nothing but just lay here and sleep like nothing's happening? I need to be out there, looking for him, before kami-knows what they're going to do to him!"

That's when Gai decided to jump in as well. "I know that you want to find Naruto, but like what everyone's saying, you need to rest. Your body is barely well enough for you to even run right now. And besides, the Uzumaki boy will be fine. You know how he i-"

"Your student Lee's fine now, isn't he?" Kakashi shot back. "He had most of his body crushed, but he's well enough to run laps."

"Don't change the subject, Kakashi." Gai held his ground.

"You're right." Kakashi muttered. "We're only talking about the legacy of the-"

"Kakashi, not here." Kurenai said, stopping him. "Don't mention that in front of the genin."

Meanwhile, while the older shinobi was bickering amongst themselves, Sasuke's face was growing more shadowed by his hair, his hands clenching as he continued to hear them mention the blond's name.

"Enough already!" Tsunade barked out. "We have no reason to argue amongst ourselves about Naruto. Actions are already being taken."

"Then why are we kept out of it?!"

Everyone stopped as they turned to face Sasuke.

Anko narrowed her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Hey kid, keep your mouth shut, or else-"

"It's been three weeks already." The Uchiha ignored her words. "Why is it that nobody has been doing anything by now? Damn the fact that we don't know where they are, we at least have the names of these intruders!"

"Like you're one to talk, kid." Asuma glared at the kid. "Couple months ago, you tried to turn to Orochimaru, which led to your fellow teammates to be critically injured by his goons." Although Asuma didn't like to show it, he held bitter feelings for the Uchiha, who was partially responsible for Choji having to go through intensive care.

"Never mind that for now." Sasuke glared back at him. "I just want to know what are you guys going to do about Naruto, now? That's all I wanna know!"

"And why do you care, brat?" Anko got in his face. "For all I know, you just want to finish the job."

"Why would I kill someone who I consider my FRIEND!?"

This sudden outburst caught everyone off guard, who knew the Uchiha as the lone wolf ever since his clan's massacre. Yoda raised his eyebrow at this.

"Back at the valley, I was just about to cross the border without a second thought." Sasuke admitted. "The only thing I cared about was gaining the power I needed to kill my brother. In that moment, I was sure that nothing else mattered. Unless we fought."

Sasuke looked down as he clenched his hands, being brought back to that moment in the valley.

"We were evenly matched, with neither of us winning or losing the fight. I told him that I was going to kill him to make my eyes stronger. But even then, he refused to back down, telling me that he would bring me back here, no matter what."

The room was in complete silence as even Anko was unable to speak a word. Sasuke, for the first time in two months, began to speak about what had happened. Not wanting to resort to torture, since Sasuke appeared to just be in shock, Inoichi had tried to use his family's techniques to pry into his mind, but the cursed seal made him abort the process, due to the first thing he saw was Orochimaru's twisted form. For the past two months, they couldn't get him to utter a single word about what had happened...until now.

"He refused to give up on me." Sasuke continued. "No matter how many times I hurt him, no matter how many times I knocked him down, he kept on getting up again. Even after I ran my Chidori through him again, he just kept getting back up..."

The Uchiha then fell into silence as his eyes grew hazy, falling back into that moment. His head began to slump downwards, until Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Sasuke, what did Naruto do or say to you that changed your mind?"

The raven-haired teen scoffed to himself. "He reminded me that I had everything he doesn't. That I was lucky to had parents that loved me, and that there were others in this village that cared about me." Much to their surprise, he let out a sad chuckle. "The loser always did know how to speak to people."

This, once again, made the room fall into stunned silence as the usually stoic and now traitorous Uchiha was showing signs of guilt, making even the skeptical start to wonder if he truly had changed for the better.

"I was stupid." Sasuke admitted to the group. "I was so focused on what I lost that I forgot about what I still had. Naruto literally had to beat that reminder into me before I realized it."

"Blinded, you were."

Everyone's attention was now pulled towards Yoda, who had spoken for the first time in those few minutes.

"Blinded by hatred, you were. Common it is, among victims. It is." Yoda said, joining the conversation. "Losing family, painful it always is. Controlling your emotions, difficult it is."

Not being able to fully process the thought of being spoken to by an alien for the first time, he could only say, "Yeah, I guess so."

Sasuke frowned as he was brought back into his memories. Out of nowhere, he began to shudder.

"Disturbed, you are." Yoda pointed out. "Why, might I ask?"

"...There was something else that happened." Sasuke recalled. "Right when we clashed for the last time, I-I think I felt Naruto's emotions."

"Felt his emotions, you say?" Yoda raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. At that moment, I...I just felt everything Naruto felt. His anger. His sadness. His hatred. And everything else."

Sasuke then looked at his right hand, which had healed up quite nicely. Still, it would twitch from time to time; a reminder of the damage done to it.

"But then there's more. In that moment when I felt his emotions, I think mine came out too. Just everything that I've bottled up and everything that I've already been feeling just came out of me. And...I think my Chidori got stronger in that moment."

Already armed with the knowledge of the technique, Yoda stroked his chin, before he turned to the Hokage. "Lady Tsunade, a blood sample of this entire village, may I have?"

This earned him an odd look from the blonde. "What for, if I may ask?"

"Test something, I must do." Yoda answered, taking a quick glance at the Uchiha. "More mysteries, this planet has to offer."

"...Yeah, sure. I can arrange that."

This made them all stare at their leader, puzzled at why she would grant the stranger such a suspicious request.

"This keeps getting weirder and weirder." Sakura said, her words voicing the thoughts of the rest of them.

---

[Kamino]

Boba chewed his lip as he put down his father's blasters. Grabbing a wet towel to wipe his hands, he examined the disassembled weapon, before nodding in dull satisfaction.

Despite the job being well done, he still felt nervous, due to his father still being inside the bacta tank.

Entering the living room was Cad Bane, who was looking as miffed as ever, as he was just done talking to the owner of their temporary homes.

"Tall, pale pricks." The duros grumbled, sitting across the young human. "Trying to pick us for everything we have with their damn rent."

"Hey, Bane." Boba replied to him respectfully. "Having problems with the Kaminoans?"

"I don't trust them for a bit, Boba." The bounty hunter's eyes gazed around the room, searching for any visible cameras. "I'm curious, child. How do you stay so calm in a place like this?"

"By helping around usually, or cleaning my dad's weapons." Boba said, using a towel to clean his father's other blaster. "There Isn't much to do here on Kamino, honestly."

"You tell me, kid."

The door then slid open, getting the two to turn towards it. In walked in Aurra, who was helping Jango limp towards them. In contrast to Aurra, Jango was in his casual outfit.

"Dad." Boba quickly walked up to him as the Mandalorian was set onto the couch bed.

"Easy Boba, he still needs rest." Aurra warned him. "Here, lay down."

"Thanks…" Jango grunted, before turning to his son. "Boba."

"Yes, Dad?"

"I'll be fine." Jango smiled at him. "Nothing some bacta can't fix."

Jango realized that Boba's frown was still on his face, so he continued. "Here, can you go get us something to eat?"

"Sure."

Jango turned to Sing. "Can you follow Boba? You can go get something for yourself as well."

"What, I'm your maid girl now?" Aurra smirked, before tapping on Boba's head. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's go give the big boys some privacy."

The two quickly exited the room, leaving Jango and Bane on their own.

"I'm curious, Jango," Bane spat out the toothpick he was chewing on. "When are you going to tell the others about your past? Especially your kid, Boba?"

"Later." The human bounty hunter sighed. Grabbing the box of pills from the nightstand, he popped them into his mouth, swallowing them dry. "For now, though, there's a few things I need to talk about."

"You're still thinking about that kid? Get over it." Bane snorted, leaving over on his chair. "We've got our credits, and our employer was generous enough to understand the situation. So what's the issue?"

Jango didn't answer, his eyes narrowing as he was lost in thought. Without warning, he hopped out of his bed, and walked towards the table to where Bane was sitting, where his helmet rested. Glancing at the t-visor, which seemed to be staring at him, he placed his hand over the silver helmet. His knuckles whitened as he began to grip onto it furiously.

"Bane."

The duros looked at him, his nonexistent eyebrow now raised.

"I need you to do me a favor."

…

Walking back to their new room, Aurra and Boba ran across Zam, who was also getting some food.

"I'm still surprised, honestly." Zam said, opening the door for them. "From being chased by those ninja-like warriors, to escaping a firefight between the slavers and the pirates, to being stuck on this planet for weeks. Not exactly what I thought would happen from taking that job."

"That's just the life of a bounty hunter." Aurra chuckled. "It's full of the unexpected. You'll get used to it."

"They're gone again." Boba nearly shouted, their conversation coming to a halt. They took a look around their room, and it was indeed empty.

"Huh, where'd they go?" Zam's eyes scanned the room for the two male bounty hunters. Looking around, the room was indeed empty, save for them and Boba, who was walking up the table. He picked up something, which turned out to be a piece of paper..

Aurra took a look in the storage room, and saw that it was empty too. "Jango's gear is gone, and by the looks of it, his weapons too."

Dear Boba, Jango's son read. Sorry that Bane and I had to leave. I just needed to check on something. I promise that I'll be back soon. Aurra and Zam will stay with you. From, your dad.

The two female bounty hunters expected him to be frustrated, but Boba just sighed, before grabbing a seat.

Funny enough, Zam appeared to be more frustrated with their sudden disappearance than Boba was. "Bastards."

Aurra just chuckled. "Well, you know how they are. All work, no play. Now, come on. We can have fun without them."

---

[Slave I]

The Slave I was already leaving Kamino's orbit, with its pilot currently preparing for the jump to hyperspace. Sitting next to the said pilot was Bane, who, while annoyed at the sudden trip, was also curious to where this was going.

"You sure you're good enough to fly?" The blue bounty hunter asked. "I'd rather not go on this sudden field trip to who-knows-where, only to die because you can't dodge an asteroid in time."

"I'm fine." Jango answered while punching in the coordinates. "The painkillers are doing their jobs, so I can use my arms just fine."

"I'm not the one that likes asking a lot of questions, but are you sure it's a good idea to go back to that planet?"

"There's a place described only in the ancient legends of our people that I had forgotten about." Jango said. "If that place does exist on that planet, then some of the answers I'm looking for should be there."

"If you say so." Cad Bane sighed.

"I know so, Bane." Jango nodded to himself. "I know so." He then punched in the last of the buttons, and the hyperdrive began to start up.

'I swear, I'll make it up to you, Jareel. You and everyone else.'

The ship jumped into hyperspace, blasting them back to the planet Elementia.

---

[Kessel - Ölüm]

It was another summer day on Kessel. Not a cloud was in sight, with both the slaves and the slavers alike being roasted under the merciless sun. As usual, without the Republic breathing down the necks of the Pykes and the Zygerrians, both criminal factions were free to operate their spie mining.

Despite the heat, however, the slavers themselves weren't complaining very much. After all, they were inside of their luxurious offices/homes, with clean, filtered air filling their lungs, and with the slaves fanning them to keep them cool.

The slaves, however, were not so fortunate.

TWACK!

A large, curved, thin blade pierced a large boulder. The cracks spread like wildfire, before it disintegrated, causing a cloud of red dust to cover the hole of the tunnel they were digging.

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

A human man stumbled through the dust cloud. Under layers of dirt and red dust was fairly brown skin, with the man sprouting course, oily hair. His face was mostly covered with a small green and white cloth, which helped filter the dangerous clouds and fumes that filled the small tunnel.

"Ya Ibn el Sharmouta!" The man cursed in Arabic. "Could've warned me this boulder would just fall apart." He coughed a couple of times more while leaning his hand against the wall.

Patting the guy's back was another human, whose skin, despite the dust and their miserable state, seemed to glow in comparison to the Arabian.

"Take it easy Tarik, you'll drop dead if you keep this up." He pulled out his small canteen of water - one of the little luxuries those slavers allowed them to have.

Tarik took a moment to move out of the tunnel, gasping for fresher air, before accepting the canteen.

"Thanks, Adrik."

"My pleasure."

They heard light footsteps approaching them, and they relaxed, seeing how it was Naruto.

Naruto Uzumaki, whose eyes were once full of life and hope, was now reduced to a squinted glare, his eyes now narrow and always on guard. The dulled, blue orbs glanced at the two men, and they softened for a moment, before he walked into their tunnel, holding a flashlight with fresh new batteries.

They offered him some of their water, and after the teen took a moment to wipe his dusty hands on his tattered shirt (which he pilfered from a dead slave), he accepted the water.

"We close yet?" He grunted. They shrugged, and then the boy glanced at the tunnel, before sighing with relief.

"Good. Found it." He muttered to himself, glad to know that those harsh days of back-breaking work had finally paid off. "Guys, we found it!"

Tarik took his flashlight, and aimed it at the dark. A small smile was brought onto their faces as the beam of light revealed the mineshaft they were looking for.

"You sure this is the one?" Tarik asked cautiously.

"Well, I don't see the lights being on." Naruto snarked.

"Still, I want to be sure." Tarik said, pulling out a glow stick and breaking it, before throwing it as far as he could. The rediscovered mineshaft was filled with green light as the stick flew through into the collapsed shaft.

"Pretty sure that's it." Naruto grinned.

"Finally." Adrik groaned with relief, wiping the sweat off his forehead, before he turned to leave with his friend. Naruto stared into the dimly-lit darkness for a moment, before he turned around, picking up their forgotten pickaxe to join them.

If they were lucky, maybe today's food would have less mold and dust on it than usual.

…

(Mess Hall)

The Mess Hall was a large, yet cramped area for where the slaves go to eat. This one in particular was one of the three that existed in the mines, with the fourth one being destroyed long ago by a mining accident.

The tables, which were rusty and ancient, sat tightly packed together in an effort to conserve some space. They were currently filled with people of all races and species, which included Naruto and his two friends who just sat down to eat their food - or what they can afford to call it in their situation.

Adrik poked at the sludge in his tray with his spoon, frowning when he found something hard. Scooping it up, it looked to be a claw of an animal. "What the hell is this?"

"I think it's a part of a bird." A random Rodian slave answered helpfully. "Just try to imagine it's something else."

Shaking his head, Adrik grabbed it with his hands, and nibbled on the fleshy parts of it. Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Tarik was making a small prayer, his hands left open as he was reciting verses of the scripture from his religious text. Tarik was a religious Urzik Muslim, who would often recite quotes from his holy book, or would just pray in his prison cell while the others slept.

"Ameen." Tarik concluded his prayer, before closing the book, putting it away. He finally grabbed his fork to eat, when he took a look at his blond friend. "Hey Naruto, you alright?"

Naruto was blankly staring at his tray with an empty gaze, slowly eating his meal while taking slow, careful sips of his water. He seemed deaf to the world, not having said even a single word to any of them ever since they started eating.

"Naruto." Adrik snapped his fingers twice in front of the blond. "The Imam asked you something."

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" Tarik said to the Russian. "I just read the Quran often when I'm free."

"Yo, Tarik." A random man walked past Naruto, tapping Tarik on the back. "The third drill's out of commission again. It overheated itself, and now the cooler's busted. Mind repairing it?"

Tarik, who was assigned as one of the drill operators of the lower levels, also happened to be a good mechanic, who was tasked to help with mechanical repairs. This earned him plenty of respect from both the slaves and the slavers, since they got to save money and equipment.

"Sure. I'll have to ask permission first. Our crew is busy working on that mineshaft that broke down a few weeks ago."

"The Supervisor already gave you permission. Add to note, he also wants you to cut your breaks to avoid any more problems with those Zygs."

The man then left, leaving a frustrated Tarik behind.

"Fuck me..." Tarik pinched his nose and let out a groan. "Fucking taking away my fucking break? I swear that the damn Supervisor's testing me."

"Eh, don't worry about it. They'll give you shit no matter what happens, so just finish your food, and then get back to work." Adrik shrugged, before going back to his meal.

"Hey."

Naruto looked up from his meal, and internally groaned as he saw a familiar pair of slender legs. His eyes being wise enough to not linger in that area, he looked up to see the familiar dull color of beskar armor.

SLAM!

They flinched as she slammed her tray in the middle of the two, gaining them a lot of attention.

Naruto tried to look up at the girl, only to feel something being dumped onto his head. He licked at the wet sludge that ran down his face, and realized that it was his food.

This got some whistles and gasps from the other slaves, whose attention was now turned towards the two's confrontation, which, while not news, was certainly the drama that everyone was interested in.

Naruto just sighed, being quite used to her behavior at this point, and just looked up at her. "Sabine…"

The black haired girl just glared at him, before grabbing his cup, pouring its contents all over his head to finish the job, completely soaking his already-dirtied shirt, alongside his hair and face. She then threw the cup onto his lap, before grabbing her tray, stomping away.

"Hey! What's your problem?!" Adrik stood up, yelling at her as she continued to walk away. "I'm speaking to you, сука!"

"Leave it, Adrik." Naruto said to the Russian, waving it off while removing his shirt to try to dry it. "Just ignore her, I'm already used to it."

Tarik shook his head. "I don't get it. What have you done to piss her off?"

Rolling his eyes Naruto answered, "Apparently when I told her my last name, it got her pretty angry. She slapped me, called me a poser, then walked away."

"What? Just Uzumaki? Your family got beef with hers or something?"

"That I don't know." Naruto said, shaking his head. "I don't even know who my parents were. I have been an orphan since the day I was born." Naruto's face tightened into a scowl as he twisted his shirt one final time, wringing out any remaining water in it.

"Sorry to hear that, my friend." Tarik bowed his head in sympathy. Knowing full well the horrors and struggles of a soldier, he had his fair share of meeting those without parents, whose lives were lost on the battlefield, be it a fellow warrior or an innocent bystander.

"Well, life is a journey of hardship, my friends." Adrik said to them. "From that you'll become stronger, and I can assure you that with that patience of yours, you'll become what's worth of you."

"Thanks, Adrik." Naruto shook his hand. "I appreciate that."

"I gotta go now." Tarik said, pushing his tray in front of Naruto "Here, take mine, you'll need it."

"Hey man, I-"

"Just take it, brother. A life worth living is a life with giving. " Tarik said with a smile, patting the blonde's shoulder. "I'll be fine, you just make sure to have something in your stomach. I'll see you later."

Leaving the table for his next assignment, Naruto and Adrik were left by themselves to try and finish eating their food.

It would be ten more minutes before they would be close to finishing their meal.

"Ain't wasting this for sure." Naruto stated, pouring the remaining water into his own flask.

"Smart kid." Recognizing that voice, Naruto turned around to see Zeb standing there.

"Zeb," Naruto stood up, slapping hands with the lasat. "You just finished your shift?"

"Sure did, kid." The lasat said. He frowned when he finally noticed the mess on Naruto. "What happened?"

"Sabine Wren." He shrugged, nodding to where she was sitting with the other female slaves.

"Her again?" Zeb asked, shaking his head. "You know, that brat's got a problem with you, but I just don't know why."

TRIIIIIING!

A loud, ear-piercing alarm rang, signalling the end of Naruto's break. "Well, gotta get back to work. See you later, Zeb." Naruto said, patting the Lasat on his back before picking up his tray and walking towards the exit.

"See ya, kid." Zeb said as he walked over to the others to take his break.

…

Walking outside of the mess hall, Naruto entered an outdoor corridor, which bordered the edges of the mine. Sticking his head out, he looked up to see the top of the sinkhole, watching the transport ships coming in and out, no doubt dropping off and collecting slaves and spice for their twisted business.

Naruto clenched his hands as he thought about the many slaves that perished daily. He flinched as he watched countless bodies fall down into the bottom of the sinkhole. Those were the slaves that died from dehydration, malnutrition, or from various accidents, but their slavers weren't very concerned, since there was a lot more from where they came from.

He shook his head. He couldn't think about them now. For now, the only thing the Leaf Shinobi could do was to try to survive.

---

[Coruscant - Jedi Temple]

Master Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and Mace Windu sat in the Council chamber, talking to the holographic image of Grand Master Yoda. He had just contacted them, telling them about his sudden decision to test some of the Elementian children's blood for Midichlorians.

"Master Yoda, are you sure that the results of those two are correct?" Master Plo Koon pleaded for clarification.

"Incorrect, the test never is." Master Yoda replied. "Hyuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, force sensitive, they both are. High midichlorian count, they both possess."

"But this can't be." Shaak Ti was flabbergasted at the results, staring at it again. "Their midichlorian count rivals yours, Master Yoda. This can't be a coincidence!"

Master Windu, who was silent up until now, decided to finally speak his thoughts. "What would you suggest, Master Yoda?"

"Bring them to the Temple, we must." Yoda said without hesitating. "Train them in the way of the Force, we will. Too dangerous to leave them alone, it is."

"What about the council?" Plo Koon brought up. "These two children are even older than Anakin was when we took him in. Surely the rest of us will reject them."

"Special training, receive they will. Necessary, it will be." Yoda answered, looking at the Togruta Jedi. "Master Shaak Ti, teach the Hyuga girl, you will. Shy she is, but strong and determined, she also is."

Master Shaak Ti bowed to the grand master. "I will be pleased to do so, Master."

"Who will teach the boy then?" Plo Koon asked. "Finding the right master for this boy will be crucial if we are to stop his darkness from spreading."

Yoda and Windu took one look at each other, and instantly knew who would be the best one suited for this task.

This did not go unnoticed by Plo Koon, as he asked, "Who do you have in mind, Master?"

"Who do you have in mind, Master?"

"Someone who we both know, Master Plo." Mace Windu said solemnly.

---

[Ölüm]

The sun was growing lower for the spice planet, which meant the end of another day of mining for the slaves. They were being escorted back to their cells, which many were more than happy to hurry back. Not only were they done with the work and the abuse, but the metal beds were limited, which meant that the unlucky ones had to sleep under the beds or on the floors, which wasn't very comfortable (even though the beds themselves weren't that much better.)

TCHK!

A small ball of light was ignited as one of the slaves lit their lighter. Pulling out a cigarette, which was smuggled inside by one of the newest slaves, he lit the tip, before beginning to smoke it. The said smoker was a young man with the same skin tone as Tarik, but hailed from a different country.

Slowly sucking in the cigarette before slowly breathing it out through his mouth, he continued his story.

"So like I was saying, I used to work in the oil refinery with my father in Ra's Lanuf as a transporter, but when the civil war came along, we all got caught in the crossfire. Most fled the town, mostly towards Egypt or if lucky, Tunisia. Many died in the firefights and the bombardments, and the others went missing, like my father and three of my uncles."

He paused for a moment to take another smoke, before he continued. "After the war ended, I went back into my town to try to find some work. Couldn't find any, since the refinery was blown to hell, so I hooked up with some oil smugglers, who did business from Egypt to Algeria to even Sudan."

The current speaker was Ibrahim Rida, a new slave that was native to Libya. He was forced to work as a driver for the spice transport wagons, which collected all of the harvest spice, before being brought up to the load up point. Despite the situation, however, he was crafty enough to smuggle a few things inside of the mines, which instantly gained some respect and some favors from his fellow slaves.

Handing over the cigarette to Adrik, he began to wrap up his story. "I was doing this from 2012 to like 2014. Made a good fortune of bringing oil to the black market."

"How'd you manage to cross those borders? I thought they closed them down when the war began." Tarik asked his fellow Arab while sitting on the bunk bed with Adrik, who would hand him the smoke once he was done with it.

"Oh that? Psh, that was easy. Just wait till it's dark, then the guard's will be easier to avoid. Besides, even if they catch you, just throw them a small bribe, and they'll usually look the other way, since they're not very interested in stopping fuel tanks if they get something out of it." Ibrahim shrugged. "The fact that they usually got their own kids to feed helps, so I make sure to give them a thousand diran each. Shit, sometimes if I was generous enough, I'd make it two."

Tarik just shook his head, before blowing out his smoke. He then passed it down to his other cellmates, who, at first glance, sort of looked like them in terms of skin color, but was actually Mexican, who, alongside Ibrahim, was brought in just last week. An experienced miner, he went by Jimmy Reygadas.

Speaking of Jimmy, it was him who asked the next question. "Okay, so how'd you end up here, amigo?"

Ibrahim frowned when he was brought back to that unpleasant memory. "The smuggling crew of mine got greedy, and eventually turned to slave trade." He closed his eyes as he shook his head. "I declined, of course, and stuck to just smuggling oil for a few more years until those Salafist bastards took over Ra's Lanuf, and I was left with nothing as I fled from home again. I didn't want to run for too long though, so I ended up joining a local militia that was with the government. We soon went back to Ra's and kicked those bastards out of my town. Damage was done, though, since my whole neighborhood was pretty much abandoned, with only a few left, who managed to hide from those assholes. Ra's Lanuf was a ghost town for a good few months."

Ibrahim paused as he was brought back to that moment. Slaughtering those bastards was satisfying, but it was a bitter victory once the last bullet had been fired. The town, which was once full of life with the sound and presence of street vendors, kids, and numerous small shops. The silence was honestly a lot more unsettling than the sound of gunfire if you asked him.

"After that, the militia I was with turned to Sirte, where we heard about a slave auction that was about to go off. Turned out it was a trap, and we were ambushed. And what do you know, part of them included my old smuggling crew. They thought that it was a good way to pay me back by selling me off into the auction, and you can guess the rest." Ibrahim ended with a glare, staring into his lighter, which he flicked on and off an random. "Should've killed them before when I had the chance…"

"Should've killed them there when I had the chance…"

The other men fell into silence to give respect to the man. Eventually, it was Jimmy's turn to share his story.

"I come from Minés Villa, which was a mining town just south of Cananea. I worked in the illegal mines with the other villages up in the mountains. Wasn't anything else to do but to try and make money, and it was either the mines, or go try to find work somewhere else. Anyways, I worked in the mines since I was eleven, so I got pretty much used to the dust in my lungs."

"Jesus, man."

"I get that, but really, I got good at it." Jimmy smirked. "I know how to set up a basic mineshaft. Lights, ventilation, air conditioning, transport, you name it. Then I turned 18, and the government came in and shut down all the mines, leaving everyone who worked in the mines without any sort of income, and the town quickly became deserted."

"Wow, that sucks."

"Yeah, pretty much." Jimmy said, taking another drag. "So me and my familia moved to Nuevo Laredo, where my abuelo lived, who was working as a cop back then. " He tapped his finger on the smoke, and watched the ashes fall onto his lap, before taking another puff. "Mi Familia, my people, and the rest of the community are hard working people. Good men, too. The only thing they feared was God Almighty himself and nothing else." Jimmy said, crossing his heart.

He then glanced at Tarik, who just shrugged in return. A bit relieved at the absence of religious conflict, he continued.

"Mi abuelo and mi tío were cops, working hard for the family and to keep the streets clean. But then out of nowhere, my grandfather and my father got sacked by the police commissioner. No explanation, no warning, just told them to leave, before taking their badge and their gun."

Jimmy's face grew darker as his fingers squeezed the cigarette.

"It didn't make sense to me until that Friday night. A couple of cruisers just rolled up in front of my house, and with no warning, just shot the whole house up with everyone in it."

Jimmy's fingers curled around the dying cigarette, crushing it with his hands. It burnt his skin, but the man didn't seem to care.

"Nobody in that house survived that day. I was the one lucky one - or I guess unlucky, if you can say so. I was arriving home on my bike when I saw it all happen. Right in front of me, my mama, papa, my uncle, my three sisters and brothers were just killed like animals in front of me. Murdered by the people that we thought were friends."

"They were corrupt, weren't they?" Naruto, who was the quietest of the group so far, finally spoke up from his bed, staring at the darkening ceiling.

"Si." Jimmy nodded grimly. "The commissioner, the lieutenants, even the fucking highway patrols, they were all paid by Los Zetas to kill my family just to tell everybody that they ruled Nuevo Laredo. They were former cops, turned rogue after they got training from those pinche Gringos across the border. Fucking Americans created a big mess like how they did in Libya, eh, Ibrahim?"

The Libyan just nodded. "Yeah…typical."

"Anyways," Jimmy sighed, dropping the remains of the cigarette, "my family was killed because my stubborn old grandpa refused to stay quiet about the corruption that was poisoning our city. The final straw was when he found out the mayor was meeting with drug traffickers. He tried to tell everyone, but those bastards got to mi familia first…" Jimmy shook his head, rubbing his eyes as he buried his face into his hands.

"You alright, Jimmy?"

"Sorry, but when I keep thinking about it..." His fist hardened into a fist, his knuckles whitening from rage. "I just feel like going on a rampage, matando a cada bastardo que mató a mis seres queridos."

"Ey, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." Adrik cut in.

"I know." Jimmy sighed, reaching for something under his shirt, which turned out to be a silver cross necklace with Jesus on it.

"I just feel like I've been weak on my response to all of this." He said, clutching onto his cross. "I'm not comfortable with talking anymore…"

Adrik nodded. "I understand, my friend. Life can be cruel."

They then fell into a tense-filled silence, hearing nothing but the snores and the whimpers of the other slaves.

"You know what," Naruto suddenly said, "when I hear all your stories, a part of me feels jealous."

"What do you mean?" Ibrahim wondered.

"I've never had parents since the day I was born." Naruto said solemnly. "They died when I was born to protect the village I lived in. I never had a mom to pick me up from school, and to prepare me dinner. I never had a dad to teach me anything, or to just hang out with."

Naruto's frown turned into a glare as he began to recall all the bad memories he had with his village.

"I'm not kidding when I say that from the day I was born, it just seemed like everyone and everything hated me. Everybody hated me for something I wasn't, blaming me for the attack on my village, and for getting the previous leader killed. It never made sense, and to this day, it still kind of doesn't. If it wasn't for the leader of my village, I think I would've gone mad years ago."

Naruto's blue eyes then softened when he thought about the people in his life that made him smile.

"There were only a handful of people in my life that helped me stay positive. Funny enough, one of them was technically an enemy. I was on a mission with my team to protect a bridge-builder from a group of assassins. One of them was Haku, who I met after falling asleep outside. I didn't know that he was my enemy at the time, and looking back, he could've killed me on the spot. Instead, we had a nice chat together, and he even taught me that the greatest source of strength comes from protecting those you love."

"That's pretty deep, amigo." Jimmy nodded. "What happened to him."

The sudden silence that ensued said it all, and he winced at that.

"Oh."

"Yeah. I guess that's just life…"

TING!

Everyone turned to the cell door to see a Pyke guard slamming his stick against the door.

"Lights off, up to bed." The Pyke guard said, walking passed their door. The moment the guard left the lights above the five youngmen turned off, leaving the only light in the darkness to be the red burning cigarette.

"Alright," Ibrahim took another stroke before exhaling "Let's sleep, bastards." he dropped the smoke and put it out before everyone started moving to their bunk beds. Trying to get as much sleep that they could for the next day.

Laying on the down bed underneath Naruto was Jimmy who decided not to sleep underneath Ibrahim's smelly ass from the food he's been eating in the kitchen with his connection. Hoping that Naruto would be less of a nuisance.

"Sleep well, Amigo." He said to Naruto crossing his arms while closing his eyes. Leaving Naruto to keep staring at the ceiling without a inch of sleep in him. Instead he reached down to his jacket he managed to scavenge from another deceased slave and pulled out from under it his pedant, he stared at it knowing he was lucky that the slavers didn't confiscate it as he hid it for as long as he could being it the only reminder of his home. Gripping it into his hands he made a promise to himself in his mind, one of the things the old man 3rd Hokage told him.

'I will not give up, I will not.'

---

[Elementia - Uzushiogakure]

Uzushiogakure.

It was once an island full of life. An island full of civilians and shinobi, who kept to themselves as they practiced the art of sealing.

They were the Uzumaki clan, an infamous clan of powerful warriors, with skills in sealing that was unrivaled.

But that was in the past. The once glorious village was now in ruins, destroyed by enemies who never took credit for their successful annihilation of the clan, leaving nothing behind but still running whirlpools, corpses, and broken, empty buildings.

CRACKLE! CRUMBLE.

Jango and Cad Bane were currently walking through the ruins, having flown to this island from all the way from Kamino on the Slave I. Cad Bane was brought along on this field trip, and while the ruins did serve to somewhat fascinate him, especially after hearing all the legends from the Mandalorian walking next to him, he was still irritated from the flight.

"Unbelievable…" The helmed warrior breathed as he made sure to take in the sights before him. No Mandalorian had ever set foot upon this place again, seeing as how they never needed to, and because they never received the call to. Plus, there was the constant wars that was fought that included their participation, many of them ending up to be civil wars. On top of that, his people before him we're forced to swear to never return to this cursed planet unless their brethren summoned them. However, after so many years of silence, it was clear now why they never even got a call back to make sure that they were okay.

"Hey, Fett." Cad Bane grunted, flicking away his toothpick. "You mind telling me the purpose of this depressing field trip? This place gives me the spooks."

He had just walked past a corpse, which still had its forehead protector and armor on. It looked to be in many different pieces, indicating that this poor fellow was blown to bits.

"I told you, I'm here to look for something." Jango answered, his heart feeling heavy from seeing the abandoned corpse of the Uzumaki. "Some...possible artifacts that they left behind that I can possibly use, as well as that boy, when we save him."

"If we save him." The duros grunted. "What destroyed this place, by the way?"

"No one knows." Jango admitted. "All we know is that this island was set ablaze, destroying nearly everything here." He kept his vizor running, scanning to try to find anything.

"Great." The duros sighed, looking around the ruins again nervously. He nearly jumped when he realized that the Mandalorian had stopped walking. Looking in front of him, he realized that they were standing in front of a wall, with ancient writings and carvings on them. Bane realized that Jango was touching the spiral, which had a hole in the eye.

"I wonder…" Jango dug around in his pocket, and pulled out a clear crystal. Before Bane could ask, Jango stuck the crystal into the hole, and they both discovered that it was a perfect fit.

"A key?"

Just then, the wall began to glow bright blue as the carvings and the text began to emit the same light. It started from the center of the whirlpool, before quickly spreading to the rest of the wall.

Jango yelped as the blue light and text suddenly crawled onto his arm. Letting go of the crystal, he staggered backward as he tried to swat the glowing text off of him, but just as quickly as it latched onto him, it suddenly disappeared.

Before either of them could start any questions, Bane pointed back to the wall.

"I think you opened a door, Jango." He noted. Looking back at the wall, it would seem like he did indeed open some sort of gateway, as the glowing spiral drawing began to suddenly unravel itself, the hole in the middle growing bigger, until it grew big enough for a man to walk through.

The minute the whirlpool stopped expanding, the giant hole stopped glowing, allowing them to look back at it with ease. Even with Jango's visor, he found the light to be quite blinding.

"..."

"..."

"...Well, here goes." Jango muttered, before he took a brave step forward. Stepping towards the hole, he hesitantly stuck his hand forward, and found that it went through the hole. Astonished, he quickly pulled it back, and found that his hand was back in the light, and not submerged in the dark hole.

"..." Saying nothing else, the Mandalorian took a deep breath, before he stepped inside the portal.

The darkness seemed to swallow him whole as he completely passed through the opening. Shrugging, Cad Bane quickly followed suit.

The minute he completely entered the hole, the whirlpool portal closed shut behind them.

Chapter 6: The Call of the Dark Side

[Kessel - Ölüm]

The roar of a ship's engines screeched across the land as it flew through the air. Flying over the landscapes of the mining planet towards its destination, the Sheathipede transport shuttle only began to slow down once it flew over the mining hole that was named Ölüm. It's landing gears opening up like a large, metal insect, it slowly hovered down onto one of the few landing pads the mining hole had, with two members of the Pykes Syndicate and Darts D'Nar himself awaiting the ship.

Once the shuttle settled down, it's doors slid open, and out walked the Prime Minister of Zygerria Atai Molec himself.

"Prime Minister Molec." D'Nar welcomed him. "It's an honor to be privileged with your presence, my lord."

"Darts D'Nar." Molec regarded while looking around. "I've been sent by the queen herself to bring a clear message to all of her subjects who have operations like yours on Kessel. I suggest we talk about this in private."

"Of course." D'Nar nodded in respect. "Let us go to my office. From there, you can see the whole operation for yourself."

D'Nar then snapped his fingers, and a Pyke member quickly walked forward to give them their air masks.

"Another mining accident, I presume?" Molec frowned, putting on the mask.

"Unfortunately." D'Nar sighed. "As profitable as this mine is, it isn't without it's own set of problems. This mine is ancient, with many of its walls weakened from constant harvest. Despite the new reinforcements my slaves have built, it was only a matter of time before another mine collapsed."

"Any casualties?"

"A few, unfortunately. We lost a few slaves, as well as two of fellow zygerrians, and even a couple of Pyke members. Such a tragedy."

"Quite."

…

The two Zygerrians sat in a high room, surrounded by soundproof windows where they could see the whole mining operation down below, from the very top to the very bottom. D'Nar ordered a nearby slave to pour two glasses of wine for the both of them as he explained the extent of his operation.

"As you can see, I have over 50,000 slaves working non-stop, 24/7 on the job, finding, gathering, and transporting spice to the upper levels, where the processing teams will extract the Kessoline from the Kessel Stones so we can sell the minerals for narcotics as spice." D'Nar stopped for a moment to down his glass, before he continued. "That alone makes a good fortune, but really, it's the coaxium that's the real money maker."

This was something that got Molec to raise eyebrows. "Coaxium? That's a rare hyperfuel. Pretty dangerous too."

"But also very lucrative." D'Nar smiled. "I've just discovered a large amount of that fuel is buried right beneath us. The minute this was discovered, I have prioritized its mining and doubled the workload for all of my slaves." D'Nar said, not being able to contain his chuckle. He was now standing above a fortune that would last almost a lifetime of profits he could now accumulate, with an unending flow of slaves that were being brought in every day.

Molec nodded, becoming quite impressed with the zygerrian's work.

"I see that you've made some admirable progress, which puts the other slavers to shame with your successes." The Prime Minister said, looking back down at the area below them. He watched as a large group of slaves were beginning to line up. "D'Nar, why are those slaves not being put to work?"

"Oh, you mean those from the Terran Sector? They are merely refilling their canteens before they go back to work." D'Nar answered. "This particular group has earned their little reward, since unlike the other slaves like the wookies and the others from the Outer Rim, these slaves have been making much more progress in my mine than all the others."

It wasn't very uncommon knowledge that humans were rather a popular race to enslave. Not only do they tend to last longer in a vast majority of climates, such as the sweltering one in Kessel, but they also tended to rival in physical beauty at times with the Twi'leks. It also helped that with all the human-supremacy attitude that was spread across the galaxy, it was admittedly rather satisfying to put them in their places.

It honestly seemed like his birthday when the Zygerrian Empire heard about the planet Earth, a lush planet full of humans. When the Separatists began to forge alliances in that planet, it allowed the Zygerrians to use the Separatist connections to sneak onto the planet to smuggle some of the humans out for their personal use. It was surprisingly easy, due to the fact that this planet had "third world countries", which the United Nations put less attention and care into, and thus, made it significantly easier to capture and ship future slaves.

The two zygerrians stared down at the line up as one particular blond was about to have his turn at the front of the line.

---

[ Outside of the Cafeteria Entrance ]

There was a large line waiting outside of an entrance to the inside of the mine, which lead to the cafeteria. Instead of only waiting for food, however, these slaves were also waiting for their second refill for their canteens, which was pretty rare. The slavers called it their reward for their hard work, but the people knew better. They all knew that the slavers acknowledged that if they wanted the slaves to harvest more spice and the coaxium, they'll have to give them more food and water, otherwise, the slaves will die at a much more faster rate, and replenishing their numbers is always too troublesome, hence why the slavers made some effort on keeping them alive.

In that line was Jimmy, who was talking to Tarik and Adrik about the new mine that they had extended with some other slaves, making some serious progress by applying more support beams that minimized the chances of the mine collapsing again. It was thanks to the Mexican's experience working in the mines that they thought of this, and after getting permission from their slavers, they were able to build the support beams.

"Man, we're lucky that you knew your shit, Jimmy. If you didn't explain to that fucking Zyg about the need for the support beams, more of us would probably die from another goddamn collapse." Tarik said to the Mexican with a handshake. "I owe you one, man."

"Don't thank me, amigo. Thank the Lord." Jimmy pulled out his cross necklace. "If it wasn't for his grace, then the whole ceiling would have collapsed."

"You trying to convert me, Jimmy?"

"Well, if I have a chance-"

"Man, even on a different planet, you Christians and Muslims are still at it, huh?" Adrik teased them.

"Well, a man's gotta find a way to pass the time."

That voice belonged to a very large man, who was covered head to toe in tattoos. His arms, legs, shoulders, and even the back of his head decorated by art, the only part of his body left untouched was his bald head and forehead.

"Joseph." Jimmy walked up to him in shock as he extended his hand to him. "Good to see you're still breathing, amigo. I heard you were working down in the underground with the Wookies." Joseph Iberra was a fellow Mexican who grew up in the same school as Jimmy, but unlike Jimmy, who went to try and make an honest living, Joseph was someone who had a dirty history of smuggling dope across the US border, which ended when he got into trouble with his last shipment. Before he knew it, he was sold off as a slave, and ended up in Kessel.

"I was…" Joseph shook his head as he gained some worried expressions from the others. "...I'm the only one left alive. Kessoline gas came out from the wall, and all hell broke loose." Everyone winced when he mentioned the Kessoline leak. Much like dioxis, if you breathed it in, you were a dead man within seconds.

"So you mean-"

"I just finished dragging their bodies to their final resting place if you know what I mean." Joseph said grimly, sounding very weary. "Wasn't a pleasant task to do."

"Ain't it ever." Jimmy put a hand on his countryman's shoulder. "Get in line, we're about to get our canteens filled." He pulled his friend in the line before anyone could say anything else.

Meanwhile, up in front of the line, Naruto was just about to take his turn. He was waiting for Zeb to finally fill his canteen, waiting patiently for his turn.

"Never thought in my entire life that being in front of a water can would be the best day of my life." Zeb said, half-smiling as he closed the tap of the water, before taking a sip from his canteen. "Ohh, that's good."

"If you don't mind, big guy, there's a line." Naruto reminded him, jerking his thumb at the growing line behind them.

"Hehehehe, right." Zeb closed his canteen and walked out. "Your turn, kid. Make every drop count." And just like that, after what seemed like forever, Naruto was in front of the line. After taking a moment to enjoy the reward of his patience, he stepped up to the water tank, and turned on the faucet.

While the water splashed and bubbled into his nearly empty canteen, Naruto found himself staring at the small, muddy puddle that sat near his feet. He could've been losing his mind, but he suddenly saw a younger version of himself smiling, with him being around Sakura, who was high-spirited as usual. Kakashi-sensei was giving his eye smile while holding his nasty book, while Sasuke was giving his usual gloomy look.

The water began to hiss, and Naruto realized that it was almost full. Quickly shutting it up, he was about to recap his canteen, when someone roughly stepped in front of him, splashing the water all over his already dirty pants. He looked up, and saw that it was Sabine.

Getting into his face, she snarled, "So I heard you and the Earthlings got yourselves a special favor for rebuilding a whole mineshaft."

Naruto just sighed. This girl was obviously trying to provoke him, and at this point, he was quite used to this behavior, even though he never understood what was the cause of their bad relationship.

"Well, got anything to say, kid?"

"No." Naruto answered while trying to close his canteen. "I'm just trying to get some water after some backbreaking work. So if you'd excuse me-"

"Like hell I will!" She slapped the water canteen from his hand, and he watched in horror as it fell onto the dirty ground, most of its contents splashing all over their feet and the ground. Everyone gasped and jeered at the sight of the two of them fighting again. Someone in the background yelled at them to just kiss and make up, but both of them didn't hear it.

Sabine took it a step further and grabbed the canteen, before spilling the remaining water right in front of him. "Here, try and enjoy it now, filthy imposter."

His expression blank, he bent down to his knee to try to touch the spilled water with his hand, ignoring the shoutings from his friends, who were demanding to know what was going on.

"You know what, Wren?"

"What?"

"This!" Naruto suddenly scooped up some of the water, and threw it onto her face. Caught off guard, she stumbled back as she tried to wipe away the sludge. Stumbling, she tripped over a large cable, making her fall onto the ground.

"Consider that a fucking warning." Naruto warned her with a glare. "I normally don't hit women unless I have to."

"Coward!" Sabine shouted as she kicked his leg, sweeping him off his feet as he fell onto his rear as well. This gave her the chance to jump right onto him, and began to punch him right in the face. "I'm not some girl you think you can just slap around!"

Months of pent up aggression and stress went into blow after blow, her small fists slamming into every inch of his body that she could hit. One of her hits landed onto his mouth, and when she retracted her hand, his lips were bleeding, much to her satisfaction.

Her grin quickly faded as he suddenly grabbed her fist midair, and quickly twisted it slightly, causing a sharp, intense pain to erupt from her wrist.

"AARGH!"

Seizing the moment, Naruto punched her in the face, before flipping her off of him. Before she could have time to react, he quickly crawled on top of her as he grabbed her neck, squeezing it hard.

Sabine gagged as she struggled to get him off of her, slammed her fists into his arms to make him release her, only for her to stop when she looked into the boy's eyes.

They were cold. Just dark and cold like it was Death itself standing right in front of her. Was he really about to kill her in front of everyone just like that? It was then that she felt fear. Fear of dying. Fear of dying before she got a chance to even say goodbye to her family. The world began to turn black as she was running out of air-

ZAPPP!

Suddenly, Sabine realized that she could breathe again. Coughing, she blinked the spots out of her eyes as she tried to process what just happened. Looking up, she realized that Naruto had collapsed, with a Pykes guard standing over him, an electrostaff in his hands.

"Stand back!" The other Pykes guards ordered, driving them away with their own electrostaff and whips. "Stand back, slaves!"

Someone grabbed Sabine's hair, and she cried out in pain as she was pulled up, forcing her to stand on her feet as one of the Pykes roughly forced her up. She could see the two other Pykes stomping on Naruto repeatedly to the point where he started to spit blood out of his mouth.

"Starting fights, aren't ya!?" The leading Pykes sneered as he stopped the beating. "Well, let's see how you like that now. No water for you for a week!" He turned around to Sabine, and pointed at her. "And you. Don't think you'll get away with it. The both of you will be placed in the Cleaning Unit…"

Both of them now forced onto the ground on their stomachs, Sabine could only thank herself for this mess she got herself into. Now she was put a week without water AND been given that task for a week. She wondered what the kid was thinking, especially when she saw him just staring into the ground like he didn't seem to care. That, or he had a concussion.

"Back to work, all of you!"

…

D'Nar couldn't help but chuckle at the sight below him. "And yet, that Elementia boy failed to finish off the Mandalorian. How disappointing."

Molec was curious to know what he meant. "You let your slaves fight against each other? Why not simply teach them a lesson?"

"Oh, I do." D'Nar shrugged, ordering his slave to pour himself another glass of wine. "I'll let them work in the Cleaning Unit, although…" D'Nar let out a harsh laugh. "I heard that they call it 'The Grave Unit.' Rather fitting, admittedly, since for the most part, they are disposing of the dead bodies of the slaves at the bottom of the mine."

"Gruesome." Molec chuckled, before taking a sip of his wine.

Placing his empty glass down, he let out a small burp, before he continued. "Do you think you'll have enough workers for a small project?"

D'Nar listened while pouring another glass for Molec "What kind of small project? If you didn't notice, I've already got my hands full at the moment."

"It won't take much for you and you'll get handsomely paid." Molec got up from his seat, and began to walk around, staring at the slaves below. "There are certain...individuals who are in need of a certain area where they could test their ideas in the dark if you can say…"

"So someone wants to use my slaves for experiments." D'Nar quickly deduced. "I suppose I can be generous. I am a man of science, after all. Still, it won't be for free."

"You'll be compensated, that I assure you." Molec told him "I just need to know if you're willing to contribute some space, slaves and equipment to these fine gentlemen." Molec said remembering the conversations he made with these individuals, who wanted to keep this as secretive as possible. Should their plans ever be exposed to the Republic or even the Separatist government, they would face a lifetime in prison, assuming they weren't given the death penalty..

"Let's bring up a toast to this opportunity then." D'Nar said raising his glass to Molec's level. "To progress."

The glasses touched each other.

"To progress."

---

[ Ölüm, Level 50; the bottom of the sinkhole ]

The Grave Unit was a job that nobody wanted. Granted, no one wished to do any of the work here, but this job was one of the worst ones a slave could do. Tasked with the job of disposing garbage, which included the bodies of the deceased slaves, it always left the unfortunate slave feeling depressed after they were done.

A body of a deceased Togrutan male was carelessly thrown onto a large, metal wagon, which looked ancient. Naruto flinched as he saw countless bodies under the Togrutan. Some were fresh, and some have been down here much longer than the others, with the stench being a dead giveaway. Even with the tied cloth around their mouths, the stench was still unbearable. Gagging, he shook his head, and tried not to think about it too much.

Letting out a painful sigh, he let out a groan as he tossed another body into the conveyor belt, which led to the incinerator. Turning back to the wagon, he flinched as he saw one of the bodies staring at him. A Wookie, whose head was split open, probably due to being beaten to death, had its eyes still open, which, despite the lack of life in them, was still staring into his soul. Shivering at the sight, he lifted his hand towards his face, closing them gently.

"Sorry…"

"Ruto!" Naruto turned around to see a man wearing an improvised gas mask over his head. Dressed in filthy clothes taken from the corpses, the man was huge, easily overtowering both Naruto and Sabine.

This man was named Levi Laskov, although many just called him "Bomber", due to only a handful of them actually knowing his name. Not many knew who he was or where he came from. The only thing everyone knew, however, was that he was the unfortunate one who was stuck working here for the rest of his life.

"Hey, Bomber." Naruto waved at him, before wincing. The Russian giant did not fail to notice this.

"Them Zygs mess you up?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "She responsible for it?"

He jerked his thumb at her, who was currently loading another body onto the belt. Naruto nodded, and Bomber snorted.

"Lovebirds. Alright, time to get to work."

Before Naruto could argue against that, a loud buzz rang through the air. They looked up, and saw more bodies falling from the sky. Some of them landed on the large, metal wagons, and some of them fell onto the floor with a nasty crunch.

"...The next batch?" Naruto asked stupidly. Bomber just nodded. No more words being needed, they both got back to work.

The three of them continued to toss the bodies onto the conveyor belt in grim silence. Bomber made sure to count the fallen, while Naruto and Sabine made sure to keep the fire going and to help Bomber load the bodies.

"Okay." Bomber finally spoke, immediately grabbing their attention. "We're done for this area. Time to move on to the next one."

"Right." Naruto and Sabine sighed in unison. They looked at each other for a moment, before they quickly looked away.

…

Ten grueling hours have passed now, and yet somehow, Naruto was the only one that wasn't showing any major signs of exhaustion as he laid down another body onto the conveyor belt.

That, however, didn't mean that he was enjoying the work.

Naruto grunted as he massaged his shoulders, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "This goddamn heat. Can't fucking get used to it."

The operator just pulled on his filter mask, before turning to Naruto. "Then you better be thankful that we're almost done for the night. I'll handle the rest here, so can you do one more run? We'll be done then for today."

Naruto nearly cried from relief. They've been working for almost twelve hours straight, with only a half-hour break in between. "Yeah, sure, no problem."

"Good kid." Bomber nodded. He noticed that one of the carts was already gone. "I guess the girl already took off. Go help her so that you'll be back upstairs sooner."

"Right." Naruto said, turning around. "See you in a bit, old man."

…

You would expect that the bottom of the pit would be a small area, but Naruto and Sabine learned the hard way that it was just as large as any other level.

Naruto winced as he took another step forward. He realized just how much his feet and his body hurt from the whole labor, which somehow seemed much more difficult than mining for spice or fuel.

'On top of that, it's fucking creepy.' He thought, glancing at the empty, filthy area around him. While seeing dead slaves wasn't exactly a new experience, there was at least plenty of other company around him that was alive, be it one of the slavers or another fellow slave. In here, however, you were mostly alone, save for the others that you could share your misery with.

*Sniff!* *Sniff!*

Naruto froze, his tired muscles suddenly clenching up as he thought he had heard something. His minimal training kicking in, he began to silently walk towards the source of the noise.

His ears now focusing on the source of the noise, his eyes widened when he realized what the noise was.

Someone was crying, and it sounded like a girl, judging from the breathing and the restrained sobs. He walked over to where it was coming from, and saw that it was Sabine. Sitting against the metal cart, her head was buried in her legs as the woman was breaking down.

Naruto, who was feeling pretty awkward, cleared his throat. Sabine's head shot back up, hitting her head onto the metal crate. Hissing in a foreign language he couldn't understand (but somehow, it sounded familiar), he had to hold back a chuckle as she tried to glare daggers at him.

"I guess you just needed a break." Naruto said, walking past her. He began to load up the bodies onto the metal crate. "The work sucks, I know, so I get it if you need to take a break."

"What's wrong with you?!"

Naruto turns his head towards her. "Excuse me?"

Tears leaked out of her eyes as she hastily tried to wipe them away. "We're in here just throwing bodies in these ovens to burn like garbage after they've been worked to death, and we're just dragging them around like they don't matter!" Now standing up, she kicked the cart in frustration.

The young man stood there awkwardly as the Mandalorian girl kicked out her frustrations, before sinking back onto her butt. Whatever fire she had was gone, replaced by just sadness.

"I'm stuck here with you, surrounded by stacks of dead people with no way out of here…" She sniffed. "I miss my family… "

Sabine couldn't hold it in anymore as she began to cry into her legs. "I'm going to die down here, with my body joining the others into that furnace, with the last memory I have of my family is of that fight…"

Naruto bit his lip as he watched the tough, rowdy Sabine - the girl that always tried to start problems with him, - began to finally break down, just like how he and many of them did at some point.

"I'm going to die." The coughing began to replace the sniffing. "I'm - *cough* - I'm - *cough* - going to die in this hole."

The coughing sounded serious as she kept on going for a good minute. Naruto realized that she probably needed water, since the last time they drank was when they had that fight in the afternoon.

CLUNK.

Sabine looked up, her eyes now bloodshot, and saw his canteen next to her. "Wha-?"

"Take a break." Naruto told her as he placed the last body into the cart. "We're done after this load, so let me handle it."

He began to push the cart into the dark tunnel.

"Wait!"

Naruto turned around back to Sabine and she was about to ask a question.

"Why are you giving me this?" She demanded, shaking the nearly empty canteen in her hand. "I didn't ask for your help!"

"Because you're in distress."

"I'm not a helpless girl." Sabine growled. "A Mandalorian survives and adapts, and we certainly don't ask for any handovers-"

"Then why the hell are you in here then?!" Naruto snapped as he stopped pushing the cart, turning around to give the girl an irritated glare. "Because let me tell you. Your stupid pride about being a Mandalorian and not taking handovers ain't getting you nowhere. And frankly I'm starting to think you Mandalorians are more talk then doing it." Naruto was getting enough from this nonsense about this 'Mandalorian pride' from what he was hearing and now it came to this point where even a helpful gesture was seen as an insult.

"And yet, here we are." Naruto cut her off. "I don't know much about your people, but from what I heard, we both come from a heritage of warriors. Didn't really do us much good now, huh? The point here is that everybody needs somebody, and right now, you need me, just like how I need you and Bomber to help us clean up this cesspool, and try to survive another day."

And with that, he turned back to shove the cart of bodies down the tunnel, stomping all the way.

Sabine just stared at his shrinking figure, her eyes narrowing at his declaration of his past. Her fingers curled into a fist as she slowly followed him.

…

Naruto's blank eyes stared as the last body was pulled into the flames, joining the rest of the fallen slaves to their disgraceful grave. He slowly looked away as he let out a sigh.

"Ruto."

Hearing his nickname, Naruto turned his head to see that it was Bomber, who removed his large mask. "I see you've finished your last batch. Where's the girl?"

"Sabine." Naruto sighed at the mention of the Mandalorian girl. "She's waiting at the elevator. After she helped deliver the last batch, she told me she'd wait at the elevator for me. "

"I see." Bomber grunted as he reached for the controls below the conveyor belt. Pushing the big red button, the machine slowed to a stop, as its job was finally done for the day. "You can go now. I'm just going to double check the machines in case I need to do some repairs for it again."

"Need some help?"

"Nyet," Bomber declined the offer "You did enough for tonight. Go and try to get some sleep. You'll need it, and try and forget about this night."

"Not sure if I can." Naruto replied grimly, refusing to look at the flames again. "This isn't something we do from where I'm from. My village only burnt the bodies of our enemies, not… innocent people. Whoever thought of doing this is a monster."

"You're telling me, my friend." Bomber chuckled without humor. "Bit of irony that those Zygs gave me this job. My ancestors would weep in shame if they saw what I was forced to do."

"What?

"Nothing, I'm just mumbling to myself." Bomber said, waving him off. "Just go now, I will see you tomorrow. Make sure to get plenty of food and water in your belly." The giant said as he walked to the back of the incinerator.

"Night, Bomber." Naruto waved him off as he turned around and walked towards the mining elevators. If he wasn't so down and tired, he would've let out a small cheer at the fact that his shift was finally over.

…

Sabine was standing by the mining elevators, waiting for Naruto to arrive so they could finally go back to their cells so they could try to sleep this horrible night off.

"Sabine." She turned around, and without saying a word, she clicked on the mining elevator's door for it to open. The two humans walked inside, and Naruto wished that the elevator, which was large enough to fit about a dozen people, had chairs or something to sit on.

Waiting for Sabine to go first, he pushed on the level he needed to go, and they silently waited for the elevator to take them to their designated area. The elevator groaned as it strained to move it's large body and its two passengers up. The machine was ancient, with constant maintenance the only reason why it hasn't given out yet.

SLAM!

Naruto nearly fell over as the elevator shook. Getting his balance back, he realized that they weren't moving anymore. He turned towards the controls, only to see Sabine yanking out a few wires out of place.

"Sabine, what are you doing?"

"Creating an opportunity." She said coldly. Stepping away from the disabled controls, she cracked her knuckles as she rolled her neck. "You and I never finished that fight properly. It's time that we finally settle this."

"Oh, Kami." Naruto groaned. This wasn't over? "Literally woman, what is your problem?"

SHINK!

His eyes widened as Sabine pulled out a handmade shank from her pocket. It was nowhere near as dangerous and sharp as a kunai, but it looked like it would still do a lot of damage if she overpowered him.

"You're the problem." She snarled. "You walk around sullying the name, 'Uzumaki.' As if you, a random nobody, could be from a clan of ancient Mandalorian warriors. If you really were from that clan, then where's your armor? They let me keep mine for some reason, but I heard nothing about your armor. So tell me, why shouldn't I stick this where it doesn't shine as punishment for sullying that name?"

Tired, trapped, and honestly fed up with this girl, Naruto just sighed as he got into a fighting stance.

"You know what? Fine. I can tell that you're stubborn like me, and that even if I somehow got out of this, you won't stop until you finally get your rematch." He slowly walked up to her as she walked up to him. "Just to let you know, I tried to be nice to you. But now? One of us is going down."

Sabine responded by charging with a yell, going for the first blow by trying to cut him in the chest. Naruto dodged her slash and grabbed her arm, twisting it to force her onto her knee. The shank fell onto the cold, metal floor with a loud CLANG!

But Sabine wasn't done yet. Reacting quickly, she kicked his leg with her other foot, which got him good. He let go of her arm, and she used this chance to grab the shank, before driving it into his shoulder.

"Fuck!" Naruto roared as he backhanded her away. Gritting his teeth, he hissed as he ripped it out of him, before tossing it into the side.

CRUNCH!

Naruto saw stars as Sabine kicked him in the face. He flew back a few feet, and it didn't take a doctor to know that she fucking broke his nose.

"Come on!" She roared at him. "Are you a real Uzumaki? Or did you just pick up that name because you needed to feel important?"

"..."

Sabine stopped when he froze. She waited for him to strike back, so that she could counter him again, but something was wrong. He wasn't moving.

...Come to think of it, she wasn't moving either. She tried to move her legs, her arms, even her head. She. Couldn't. MOVE!

What was this? Some kind of trick? Was she poisoned? Drugged? Or-

Her eyes widened as her brown orbs met yellow. Glowing, sick yellow eyes, which seemed to stare into her soul, met her terrified brown ones.

SLAM!

Sabine saw stars as something hit her head. Groaning, she blinked the stars away as she quickly tried to figure out what had just happened.

Something was on her back. Something hard and cold.

...No, nothing was on her back. She was on something. She was stuck to the wall!

Turning her head back towards the boy, her heart was struck with fear once again as his eyes stared hatefully into her soul. Her eyes traveling towards his outstretched hand, it suddenly hit her: He was a Force wielder! Which must mean-

Her thoughts were cut off as her body slowly left the wall. Despite the dark magic that was going on, however, she was still staring into those yellow, rage-filled orbs.

SLAM!

Naruto thrusted his fist forward, and Sabine flew back onto the wall. She groaned in pain as she saw stars from the impact.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Saying nothing at all, the boy began to use the Force to repeatedly throw Sabine back and forth into the wall behind her. Each impact was more painful, with each throw being stronger than the previous ones.

It hurt. Everything hurt as Sabine began to lose consciousness. She was sure that she was going to die there. She was going to die by the boy that she antagonized endlessly, and she would die, knowing that she was wrong, and that this boy was a true Uzumaki.

It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense really. How she got there, how he survived the bombardment, why his hair was the color of the sun, why she was going to die without even saying sorry to her family.

"P-Please."

It was just a whisper. A small, faint, weak, whisper, but Naruto somehow heard it, and stopped his assault, her body dangling weakly like a marionette in the air. Blood dripped from her face and mouth as she coughed, expelling a faint, red mist.

"Please." Using every little strength she had left, she slowly looked up at him. It hurt. It hurt to be reduced to this mess - to be begging for her life pathetically after everything she had done to try to hurt him. "Let me go."

Suddenly Naruto's eyes turned hollow as a sudden past memory came through his mind.

Hinata was laid on her back with blood coming out of her mouth after being horrible beaten by her cousin Neji in the Chunin Exams.

"P-Please."

"Hinata?" Naruto muttered as his eyes turned to normal.

"W-Who's Hinata?"

CRACK!

The ground around them suddenly began to shake as the elevator groaned, it's support systems finally failing after all these years. Naruto's eyes widened as Sabine fell back onto the ground, barely alive.

"Sabine!" Naruto shouted as he ran up to her, now fully realizing what he had done. Putting his body above her, he closed his eyes as he tried to summon the Kyuubi's chakra.

CRUNCH! CRASH!

The elevator's final support system broke as he fell back down, bringing an avalanche of rocks, dirt, and spice with it.

The last thing Naruto remembered was a loud, final crash, and everything went black.

---

People ran as they tried to flee the continued collapse. People ran as they tried to help the others.

The elevator crash was heard by everyone, both the slaves and the slavers alike. Without even asking for permission, they already left their beds to check out the damage, as well as to search for survivors.

"Out of my way, now!" Tarik was one of technicians who rushed through the ground to figure out what had just happened. He jumped over the rails to look down into it.

"What the kriff just happened?" D'Nar, who was coming down with his guards on his hovercraft, roared at the slaves.

"From the looks of it, the support beams must've finally given out." Tarik explained to the zygerrian. "It looks like it took everything down around it, from loose rocks, spice, and anything else that was within 10 meters of the elevator shaft."

Jimmy was the next to check the mine. He examined the damage top and down, and shook his head. "That must've been twenty levels up before it went down. No one can survive that."

"I don't care about survivors. I want that elevator working again!" D'Nar spat at them. "No one leaves, and no one eats until this place is cleaned up! Understood?!"

That earned the zygerrian a lot of glares from the slaves, which he returned, challenging them to do something about it. It was a tense minute before the slaves eventually looked away, grumbling as they began to get to work.

"One day I will do this to him." One of the slaves said, gliding his finger over his neck.

"Let's not waste our time here." Adrik shouted, gaining everyone's attention "We'll need headlights, cables, shovels, carts, pickaxes, and anything else you can find. The faster we finish this shit, the sooner we can go back to sleep."

Everyone was just standing there like a herd of sheep, until Jimmy came up and stirred it up.

"What are y'all waiting for, a tap on the back? Vamos!" He barked at them, and the crowd scattered as they started looking for some equipment for the task that was waiting ahead for them.

---

Naruto's entire body felt like hell, especially his shoulder. Blinking, he realized he couldn't see. Panic began to take over his mind as he began to hyperventilate.

"Oi, gaki! Calm the hell down!" The Kyuubi's voice suddenly boomed in his head.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto asked out loud.

"Yeah, it's me. You're welcome." The chakra monster grunted. "Long story short, you used the Dark Side to kick that Wren girl's ass, and you ended up bringing down the entire elevator and everything else within several meters radius. You both survived, thanks to my chakra, but not only is she dying from her wounds you inflicted on her, but you're also stuck under all the rubble."

"What?" Wincing, he slowly managed to push off the large slab of rock off his back. His body felt like he got hit by a spaceship, but he did his best to ignore the pain. Digging around his pockets, he pulled out a small, cool plastic tube. Breaking it in half, the glow stick began to do its job, illuminating the small pocket of space they were trapped in. He frowned, seeing that they were indeed trapped inside the remains of the elevator and the countless number of rubble.

"Great." Naruto held his head back, feeling a huge headache coming on. "Just fucking great."

"That's not all." Kyuubi reminded him. "Look to your left."

The blond turned his head to the left and saw that next to him laid the body of the girl that he almost killed.

"Oh shit! Sabine!" Naruto carefully crawled towards her, and gingerly rolled her over. This caused her to moan in pain, which made his hand jerk away from her.

She looked terrible. She was bleeding from her head, which he was sure was cracked, and she was barely breathing. Each inhale and exhale made her whimper in pain, and he realized just how badly he ended up hurting her.

"Ah...Fuck!" Naruto cursed to himself, feeling helpless. 'Kyuubi, please help me!'

"...There might be one way you can help her." The Nine-Tailed Fox finally said.

"Anything!" He nearly screamed.

"Alright. You'll have to listen to me very carefully. Tell me, how much do you know about the Force?"

"...The what?"

…

Naruto gulped as he took another deep breath.

He had just returned from his meeting with the Kyuubi, with the fox telling him to retreat to his mindscape so that they'll have more time for the fox to describe everything to him. Seeing as how they had plenty of time, he decided to get some questions answered, like why he was quiet all this time.

Naruto got pissed when he said that he wanted him to taste true suffering to help build his spirit, but he had to admit that the whole experience did help him grow up a bit.

"Remember, brat," The Kyuubi's voice echoed in his mind. "You need to let the Force flow through you. Keep your mind at peace so that you can heal the ones you love."i

Naruto said nothing as he closed his heads, placing his hands on Sabine's head. He could feel her suffering. He could feel her pain. Her sadness. Her fear.

"I'll help you just once, alright, brat?" The Kyuubi said. "After that, you're on your own."

Naruto nodded as he began to meditate.

"It's okay." He spoke to her through the Force. "It's going to be okay."

Naruto stayed like that for a minute as he sat there on his knees, doing his best to use the Force. For one terrifying moment, nothing happened.

Then, he felt it. He felt a wave of calmness and light coursing through his veins. Instead of feeling powerful, however, he felt calm. He was at peace.

Sabine moaned, and he opened his eyes. Much to his delight and relief, he saw the blood receding back into her body. Bones clicked and cracked as they were being gently mended back together. Bruises faded and swellings went down. Sabine's whimpers of pain turned into sighs of delight.

Naruto slowly lifted his hands, and listened for her breathing. Her breathing returned to normal, which made him smile.

Closing his eyes, he laid his head onto her chest as he fell asleep.

…

POKE. POKE. POKE.

Naruto grunted, before his hands shot up. It grabbed something thin, but soft.

"Ow! Naruto!"

He blinked, and he realized that Sabine was the one that was poking his cheek.

"Sorry." He grunted, letting go of her wrist. She rubbed her wrist, wincing at how hard he had grabbed it.

The two of them then fell into silence for a while, unable to say anything to each other, or even meet each other's gazes.

"..."

"..."

"...I'm sorry!/I'm sorry!"

The two of them simultaneously turned towards each other, and quickly shot out their apologies. When they noticed that they had both said their apologies in simultaneous haste, they looked away, embarrassed.

"I uhm, I'm sorry for being an ass to you all this time." Sabine finally managed to say. "I...I thought you weren't a true Uzumaki, and that pissed me off."

This made the blond raise his eyebrow.

"Um, wait a minute. What exactly do you mean by "true Uzumaki?"

Hearing this, the Mandalorian looked back into his eyes. "You really don't know, don't you?"

"No, I don't." Naruto's shoulder slumped, his eyes drooping to her knees. "I've been an orphan my entire life, with my parents killed minutes after I was born. Everyone in my life either refused to talk about my parents, acted like they didn't know, or claimed that they were nobodies. Hell, some of them even said that my mom was a whore, and my dad was a good-for-nothing drunk."

"Well, they're wrong." Sabine said quickly, her hands clenching on her knees. "If I'm correct about where you came from, you belonged to an ancient race of Mandalorians, who stayed behind on your planet to keep an eye out on an ancient monster that once lived there. At least, that's how the stories go."

This certainly got his attention, with his gloomy expression turning into one of desperate, childish interest.

"I don't know how much of the stories are true," Sabine continued, "But the one thing every clan can agree on is that at one point, the Uzumaki's became one of the strongest clans on Mandalore, my...our, homeplanet. They fought in the wars against the Jedi and the Sith, with them winning more battles than losing. Then at some point, they teamed up with the two factions to defeat a common enemy, which is why they fought and stayed on Elementia."

Naruto looked at her for a moment with a strange expression on his face.

"...So wait, why are you convinced again that I'm an Uzumaki?" He asked her. "It's not just because I kicked your ass, right?"

Sabine's eyebrow twitched at that, before she cleared her throat.

"No, it's because of how you beat me that I became convinced that you were a Mandalorian by blood. You see, one of the reasons why the Uzumakis were one of the strongest clans was due to their ability to use the Force. The minute you used it on me, I knew that you weren't just some yellow-haired idiot that decided to steal the name."

Now it was his turn to grow a bit ticked, although he did his best to not show or express it.

"...Can you tell me more about our culture?" He asked softly. Sabine gave him a small, sad smile at that.

"I would, but maybe after we get out of here." She offered. "I mean, we are running low on oxygen, so the less we talk, the longer we'll survive."

"Oh...right."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, staring into each other's eyes.

"...You have pretty eyes, dattebayo."

"Eh?"

---

"So, what do you think brought down this old piece of junk?" Joseph asked.

"Who knows, amigo?" Jimmy just shrugged. "It looked like every part of this thing was ancient. I guess it was only a matter of time before it gave out."

They were at the lowest level of the mine with many others. Thankfully, the elevator wasn't the only way up and down these levels, which meant that more help was on the way.

"Well, this thing ain't gonna clean itself." Jimmy sighed. "C'mon, break over."

"Right."

The two of them resumed picking up large rocks and debris, sweating profusely. It was a humid night, and their clothes were already sticking to their bodies. They were back to work for only a minute, and they were already panting like dogs.

"Be very careful."

The two of them jumped at the sudden, gruff voice behind them.

"Jesus, Bomber. Don't fucking scare us like that." Jimmy groaned, clutching at his heart.

"Sorry." He breathed in and out after running up the stairs without a break, before he cleared his throat. "I hope I'm wrong, but I think 'Ruto and Peach is stuck under there. We need to be extra careful cleaning up this mess."

The two of them blinked, before they fully realized who he was referring to. Turning towards their colleagues, they began to spread the news of potential survivors in the crash. Bomber, meanwhile, stared at the pile of rubble with a grim look.

"Stay alive, kid. You're a survivor."

Almost as if responding to his words, the rubble suddenly began to tremble. Everyone's eyes widened at this, and they began to scramble for cover.

But not Bomber. He just stood there, prepared to help his friend out if needed. His feet began to move forward, when they froze in their steps. For a moment, he could've sworn that the rubble was levitating.

It stopped when the rubble began to further collapse on itself. A large, metal beam fell on top of the growing pile, and the trembling stopped.

Bomber just stood there, gobsmacked at what he just saw.

---

"Fuck, Naruto! Stop!" Sabine hissed.

Naruto, whose face was scrunched up from effort, finally let his arms drop, and the trembling stopped.

He had just tried to use the Force to lift the rubble off of them. Much to their displeasure, however, it only just made things worse, as the rubble collapsed on itself the minute he finally began to successfully lift the mess off of them.

Fortunately, it at least gave them some fresh air to breathe in, but now the space had been reduced, leaving them very close to each other.

Nose to nose, the two teens could do nothing but sigh in displeasure as their situation had just turned from bad to uncomfortably worse.

"Well," Naruto grunted. "What now?"

"...Your breath kinda smells." Sabine complained.

"So does yours, dattebayo." He deadpanned.

The two of them just stared at each other. Without warning, they closed their eyes as their heads leaned into each other.

…

After what seemed like an eternity, the two finally parted. Panting, they stared at each other in wonder, stars in their eyes.

"Wow." Naruto breathed.

"Wow." She agreed, a small smile curling up her lips, before she sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"...I don't think we're going to make it." Sabine admitted, staring at the rubbed around them. "I never thought my life would end like this. I thought I'd die on the battlefield or something, not like this."

"Same here, actually." Naruto grunted. "Being a shinobi ain't a pretty career either, let me tell you that."

The statement wasn't meant to be comedic, but somehow, it made the Mandalorian girl giggle. "Well, I guess we're more alike than we thought."

"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto chuckled. He began to cough, forcing him to turn away from the girl.

*COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!*

Hearing his coughs grow eerily louder, she looked over his shoulder, and paled at the sight of blood splattering onto the ground.

"Naruto?! Hey, hey!" Sabine patted her palm onto his cheek. "You okay?"

"My-*COUGH!*-body hurts." He groaned. "Some shit...fell on me."

Gulping, she slowly lifted the back of his shirt, and paled at the sight of his terribly bruised back. If what he said was true, then his back might've sustained more damage than she thought.

"Shit, shit shit." Sabine muttered, her eyes darting around, unsure of what to do.

"It's fine, Sabine." Naruto groaned. "Should be fine…"

"Should be fine?! Are you crazy? You might be dying right now!"

"Just the life of a shinobi." He grunted, spitting out some saliva and blood. "The moment I signed up to become one, I knew what I was getting into. It's just a part of our lives. You get used to it."

"Stop talking." She whispered, tearing off a part of his shirt to wipe away the blood from his mouth. "Just...hold on, okay?"

"I don't have much to lose, which just makes this much easier." He sighed, his eyelids growing heavier. "I got no parents. Not many friends. Had to raise myself. Sucks that I never get to find out what they were like."

His hand rested on his stomach, exactly where his mark was. Despite him being a jinchuuriki, even he knew that there was only so much they can do, especially with how much the seal allowed them to do so. Still, even now, he could tell that Kyuubi was doing his best to keep his container alive, although at the moment, it was too slow of a job.

"Stop." Sabine whispered, her eyes shadowed by her hair and the dying light.

"You know, I meant it, dattebayo. You're...a good looking girl. Once you get past that stubborn nature of yours, you're not pretty bad yourself. Took me too long to stop looking at Sakura. Damn, I was an idiot. Falling for a stupid fangirl."

"Fangirls, huh?" Despite looming over Naruto's slowly dying body, even she couldn't resist a small chuckle. Back on Mandalore, she remembered how most of the girls in her class acted like good-for-nothing fangirls over the old ways, without even having any proper respect for their ancient culture. Most of them couldn't fight to save their lives, and mostly consisted of gossiping bullies that were more bark than bite. "So, any decent female shinobis back at home?"

"I can name a few." Naruto grinned painfully. "There was Ino, who was fangirl, but was actually kinda pretty good. There's Tenten, who really liked weapons. Then there's Hinata…"

His words began to trail off at the mention of the Hyuuga's name, which didn't fail to catch Sabine's attention.

"What about her?"

"...She was shy." He finally managed to say. "Sweetest thing to probably come out of my village. Was always nice to everyone, even me. Was a bit of a crybaby too, now that I think about it."

He stopped, and Sabine feared the worst, until she heard him slowly swallowing, wetting his throat.

"We…*hah*...graduated the same year. Turned out...she had a fucking crush on me. Me, of all people. She was so innocent, but so determined. So determined to not be a weakling. She's...strong." Naruto's eyes began to close as he was losing the battle to keep them open.

"Hey, HEY!" Sabine shook his shoulders. "Stay awake!"

"You know what?...You remind me of her a bit." Naruto smiled at her. "I mean...you're not very girly...but you both got the same, cool determination. Got...same smile too."

"You damn charmer." Sabine let out a dry chuckle as she brushed his hair out of his face. "Stay alive, and I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"I'll...take you up on that." He grinned, before he closed his eyes, the darkness finally taking him.

"Blondie? Hey, hey, HEY! Naruto, stay awake, buddy! C'mon, STAY AWAKE! NARUTO!"

---

SCREECH!

A large sheet of metal was slowly lifted from the pile. A few rocks began to tumble, but Bomber and the rest of the team moved to quickly stop them, in fear of the small avalanche accidently crushing the potential survivor.

After what seemed like an hour, they had finally spotted the two teens under the rubble. Bomber looked like he was about to poke fun at the two teens cuddling, when he paled at the sight of blood covering their bodies.

"Over here!" Bomber roared. "Survivors! Get the stretchers! Naruto is wounded!"

The two teens were carefully lifted out of there by the Russian giant. Gently placing them on the makeshift stretchers, he watched as they were being taken away to their crude medical center.

Sabine, who had just woken up, wearily reached out to Naruto, just as he was lifted away.

---

[A Few Miles Away From Ölüm]

Today was another beautiful morning for D'Nar. Stepping outside to enjoy the fresh air of Kessel's forests, his ears were filled with the sounds of loud construction.

While to many it was a perfect way to ruin a morning, for the zygerrian, it was the perfect way to start one. Sipping his tea, he sighed in delight as he watched the slaves below him work endlessly.

A new laboratory was being built on the edge of the forest, concealed by a large mansion that was also being built for D'Nar.

While normally he would not go behind the queen, he would make an exception in this case. Despite his loyalty to the queen, he admitted to himself that she can be rather short-sighted at times, and was, if he must be honest, a spoiled bitch that can't think outside of her world.

When the humans from Earth contacted them, they were admittedly a little concerned, worried that their illegal actions were discovered. Much to their relief, instead of the government, it was an organization that wanted to strike a deal with them. All they wanted was a place to run their illegal experiments, as well as some test subjects to do the said experiments on.

When the queen asked them what they had to offer, they promised them not just drugs, but also an army of biologically-enhanced slaves.

The queen, for a moment, seemed interested in the idea of using science to accelerate the process of obedience, but then decided to reject their offer, saying that Zygerria already had a powerful military as it is, and that their methods were adequate. Besides, she didn't want to risk getting the attention of the Republic, which would inevitably result in their army of Jedi bringing their glorious empire to ruin again.

Fortunately for D'Nar, the Prime Minister shared similar views with him, seeing huge promises in this research, and the two of them talked to this mysterious organization again in secret, and here they were.

"Sir, they've arrived." A Pyke member walked up to him.

"Let them in." He commanded.

The doors swung open as a group of men in hazmat suits walked in, carrying weapons and dragging in containers filled with supplies and force-knows-what with them. The filters on their faces made sure to not give away any part of their features, making them anonymous to the world. The one that stood out from the crowd was a young man in an expensive suit, who walked in with a confident grin. A large, black briefcase was in his right hand, which the zygerrian assumed and hoped was the money that was promised to him.

"You must be the professor, I assume?"

"Our sincere apologies, but no, I am his assistant." The human representative spoke, pulling something out from his suit. Kneeling to the ground, he placed the object onto the ground, and a holographic image of a professor appeared. His face and name tag was blurred out, with the rest of his body remaining clear as day.

"Who are you?" D'Nar demanded, his face turning into a scowl.

"Mr. D'Nar, for my own safety I had taken the necessity of sending my best man on the job to come to our facility and help oversee the construction of it." The professor's voice was scrambled, giving it a harsher, deeper tone.

D'Nar wasn't having this. "So you send a lackey here instead-"

"Don't come to quick judgement like that, Mr. D'Nar." The professor chided. "You out of all people must understand that individuals like myself cannot risk to be seen near planets like these. We on Earth are not that free of going around as you have that privilege, especially with my country's decision to join the Republic and my employer's alliances being on the opposite side."

"Well, can't fault one on being careful" D'Nar grudgingly acknowledged.

"We are all well versed in the art of politics, which has helped us get out of jams at times, but it is admittedly not my forte." The scrambled voice nodded. "I am a man of science, willing to do whatever it takes to unlock the secrets this universe has to offer.. For that, I will have to thank you and your Prime Minister for granting me this opportunity."

"I'm glad to hear that, but so you know-" D'Nar smugly remarked, "My services come with a cost."

"Of course." The professor replied, turning to his assistant. "Give him the credits."

The bald man nodded, before he lifted his briefcase. Opening it in front of the slaver, his mouth nearly salivated at the hundreds of thousands of golden credits.

"Should our partnership continue well, we will deliver your weekly payments." The professor stated, seeing the greed in the zygerrian's eyes. The said zygerrian was barely listening, chuckling as he grabbed a handful of credits, feeling them with his hand. He was so entranced by the credits that he didn't seem to notice a few slaves walking by with some cargo boxes.

One of those slaves, an old man who was here his entire life, looked at the partnership going on. He shook his head, before he resumed pushing the materials.

Chapter 7: Tensions Rising

[ Ölüm - Infirmary ]

The infirmary, much like the cafeteria, was one of the few locations inside of Ölüm that was primarily run by the slaves only. Similar to the cafeteria, the slavers from before found it necessary enough to grant to the slaves to slow down the mortality rate. Seeing it as a decent investment, they gave them the space, the permission to construct, and the materials and supplies, before they let them do the rest. To this day, the infirmary is one of the oldest sections of the mines that still existed to this day.

Mildly sterile and rather cramped, the infirmary was about the size of a classroom, with a part of it being used as an ER room with half working equipment, with storage cabinets bordering the room with a limited amount of medicines and bandages, which was only supplied by the slavers every once in a blue moon. The beds were ancient, with the covers and blankets being worn down from frequent washing and age.

Laying in one of those beds was Sabine, who was in a discolored hospital gown, and was under an equally disfigured blanket, who was staring at the ceiling for almost an hour. Coming back into consciousness an hour ago, she had just received the news that she had miraculously survived and healed from what was basically a vegetable state. Her skull still had hairline fractures, which had been treated by the nurse, Bellatrix.

The said nurse told her that she was free to go the next day, since the tiny fractures was basically healed at this point. Her blond friend (or was he her boyfriend at this point?), though, wasn't so lucky, and she informed her that he was going to be staying for at most a week, in which she was going to be working tirelessly on fixing him up. How she was going to do that in a week, she had no idea, considering how they had just run out of bacta a month ago.

That being said, he currently looked like shit, being nearly covered head to toe in bandages, and wasn't currently conscious at this point. If she didn't know any better, he looked almost comatose.

"Sabine Wren."

Hearing her name, she turned and looked at one of the few nurses in the mine. A pretty, young woman with dark brown hair in a ponytail, her name was Idel Laskov, and was a "resident" of this lovely mine for a year and a half. Due to her past history of being a medic in her country's army, she was saved from the terrible life of spice harvesting by being thrown in here, fixing up any wounded slaves, and occasionally the slavers as well. Her brother, who was unfortunate enough to be thrown in the mineshaft, was thought to be killed, mainly because she never got the chance to find out what had happened to him.

"Idel." Sabine smiled at her. "How you guys doing?"

The woman just gave her a sad smile. "Not too well, I'm afraid. Some of us had to be transferred somewhere, and we hadn't received any new supplies as of late. We were lucky that only Naruto here got injured this month.

"I'm...sorry to hear that." Sabine grabbing the nurse's hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Your role is not in here, Mandalorian." The other nurse said. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the dimly lit room, with her silver eyes piercing into her soul. "It is up there, where your heritage awaits."

"...Um, okaaay?" Sabine could only say. The Dathomirian lady was always a cryptic one from the start. Most stayed away from her, due to her heritage as a Nightsister witch, but she wasn't so bad when you got to know her. "In Basic, Bella?"

She just smiled at her, before she turned back to her blond patient. Cracking her neck, she picked up a bowl of water, before she began to wave it over the boy. The water began to glow green from her magic, and the boy began to groan, twitching as the glowing mist began to suddenly encircle him.

Sabine bit her lip as she watched Naruto groan in pain. If she didn't know about this woman, she would've thought that he was being cursed, when in reality, this was how she healed everyone.

It went on like this for a while, her healing ritual going non stop as she spoke her haunting chant. Finally, she put down the bowl, and the green glow had stopped, the magic water turning back into regular ones.

She let out a weary sigh as she sat down in her chair.

"I only learned the basics before I was taken." She tiredly explained to Sabine, who was the only new one in the medical room. "On top of that, the waters from my home planet don't even compare to the normal drinking water you get here. That's why I can never save those in life threatening injuries."

She placed her hand over the blond's head, and his groans had stopped as he fell into a peaceful slumber.

"Thank the Force that this boy has an incredible healing factor. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here right now."

Sabine lightly scrunched her eyebrows together in thought as she was brought back to their fight in the elevator, and how badly it ended for her. She began to wonder if she should tell them about the possibility of Naruto being a Jedi.

"Incredible healing factor?" Idel hummed in thought. "This boy is just full of surprises, isn't he?"

"Luckily, D'Nar was 'kind' enough to give him as much time as needed to recover." The bald woman stated. "Speaking of which, that Zygerrian's been in a good mood lately. I wonder why, though…"

"Like I'm interested on why that bastard's smiling." Idel snorted. "The day you see me smile is the day he never gets up."

Bellatrix smirked at that comment. "The feeling's mutual, friend. Until then, we'll just have to hold on. In the meantime, can you help me change his bandages?"

"Right." Idel and Bellatrix moved quickly but carefully on removing his blankets, nightgown, then his bandages. Slowly peeling off the bandages, which was now soaked in sweat and blood, it revealed a disturbing amount of scars, with what looked like two, large puncture wounds through his body.

"My God, I still can't get used to this." Idel shook her head. "How he got these scars are beyond me."

Sabine was staring at Naruto as they undressed him. While she was stunned and repulsed by his scars, she was more interested at how well built his muscles were. Her cheeks reddened a little as she realized what she was doing.

"While the Mandalorians are a race of warriors, even they don't typically send their children out to die on the battlefield." Bellatrix said, gliding her hand over the boy's forehead. "From what little I've heard, the warriors from Elementia have no qualms about throwing their children to die for their foolish ideals. I suppose he was no different."

"That's just horrible."

"For you."

Bellatrix's hand began to glide lower and lower, until it halted over his stomach. Her eyes slowly closed as she let in a deep breath.

"Well, do they all have amazing healing factors like his?" Idel sighed, walking to the sink. "Anyways, if he wakes up anytime soon, tell him that he's free to go in about two or three days or so."

This brought a small smile onto Sabine's face. She had been planning on trying to thank him for saving her, especially everything she had done and tried to do. She, however, needed some time to prepare, and she needed to ask for some tips from a friend.

Bellatrix let out a small frown as her fingers twitched over his seal.

---

[ Ölüm - Loading Docks (A Day Later) ]

A pair of arms quickly wrapped themselves around Sabine as she stepped out of the staircase.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Sabine. You had us all worried." The green Twi'lek said, stroking her friend's head with her green hand. Within days of meeting each other, Hera quickly became like the bigger sister she never had.

"Thanks for your concern, Hera." Sabine hugged her back, before quickly breaking off, looking around them. "I'm doing alright, but I just need to take it easy for the next few days."

"Then you're in luck, amiga, cause Joseph decided to take your next two shifts." Jimmy walked past them, giving a nod at the Mandalorian. "Thanks to that guy, you'll be working on the docks for the next two weeks instead. Much better than digging up those spice if you ask me."

"I need to thank him for that." Sabine noted, looking around for the man.

"Nah, don't mention it. He's been doing that lately ever since that Kessoline incident. I heard that he's been acting a bit different lately, and started praying more now these last few weeks." Jimmy noted, scratching his head. "Tarik thinks he's been going through a religious experience of some sorts…"

Jimmy couldn't help but have a small crack of smile on his face. "I can actually see Joseph becoming a priest, with that hat on and robes."

"Yeah, I can see that too." Tarik joined the conversation, literally walking into the conversation while pushing a bunch of magnetically floating boxes. "But if he wants to do that, that's cool. Need more guys like him."

"What? Ain't you afraid of competition or something like that?" Adrik asked the Urzik man. "I know you're leading sermons down to some others down the night shifts."

Tarik laughed at their comments and replied back with a question "Man, where do you think I grew up with?"

"Urzkistan, where else?"

"Texas, my man." This got him a few shocked looks from the other humans around him. "Yeah, you heard me. Born and raised in the Lone Star State. Cowboy hats, barbecue, guns and shit. My kinda state."

"You're an American?" Adrik couldn't help but ask, looking up and down at the man.

"Yeah, my momma immigrated there in 95' just when she gave birth to me in Houston. Funny enough, my ma made me go to a Catholic school with a lot of Mexicans, not wanting to let me go to an Islamic school because she wanted me to become full American after some bastard pulled out her headscarf in public." He still remembered that dreadful incident, where he and his mother were just buying groceries. The irony was that his mother was rather open minded, and wouldn't wear a hijab most of the time, save for on Fridays, which this incident happened on.

"Wow, dude who did that must've been a dick."

"Actually, it was a woman, some religious nutter who thought the front of an energy drink was a sign of the Devil or some stuff like that." He rolled his eyes, before continuing. "I grew up speaking multiple languages. I can speak English, Arabic, German, and even Spanish, but I warn ya, it's broken like a McDonald's ice cream machine."

BANG!

Everyone jumped as a noise explosion echoed in the mining hole. Turning to look at the source of the noise, they realized that it was just a new tunnel being dug, with one of them using a controlled explosive to get started.

"Another tunnel? That's like, what, the fourth in two weeks?" Adrik noted. The spice mine has been undergoing a lot of surprising construction, from the rebuilding of the elevator to the growing number of new tunnels that seemingly led to nowhere. They tried to ask D'Nar about the new project, but he surprisingly refused to answer them, telling them that it was just a personal project. Any more questioning led to whipping and punishments, so everyone stopped asking.

"Yeah man. Pretty weird." Jimmy agreed. "Those tunnels don't have a lot of spice left in them, so why the hell does he want us digging there?"."

"Something's definitely up.." A random dock worker suggested. "Maybe they're making more rooms for us?"

Jimmy shook his head at that. "Then why haven't the supervisors told us about it yet? Normally the Pykes or the Zygs would let us know exactly what we're building so that we don't screw up . Also, I never seen those new dudes before. Covered head-to-toe, so I don't even know if they're humans."

Ibrahim then threw in his idea. "I heard rumours about a new mine being constructed not that far away. Maybe they want to connect some tunnels to our mine."

"Maybe." Jimmy shrugged. "Not sure why they're all hushed-lips about it, though."

…

While the rest of the men were having their light chatter, Hera and Sabine were having a private conversation of their own.

"Hera, I need to ask you about something."

"Uh, sure, what is it?"

A strange look on her face, Sabine looked around for a moment, before she pulled her friend away from the others. "I...want to thank and apologize to Naruto in a special way, but, uhm…"

Hera blinked, before she let out a silent gasp. The twi'lek had to hold back a loud, excited squeal as she figured out what she was asking. "You want to make it special, don't you?"

The Mandalorian teen rubbed her arm as she looked down at the ground. "I don't know how to…"

"Yeah, that's pretty obvious." Hera giggled, teasing the girl a bit. "I know someone in the kitchens who can smuggle in some protection for you, and maybe if you'd like-"

"That would be enough, really." Sabine said, trying not to blush at all. "Jeez."

Hera just chuckled as she put her arm around Sabine. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just do as I say."

---

D'Nar's face was scrunched up into a frown as he read through the holographic files he had just been given by the scientist standing in front of him.

"I must say, you're asking for a lot out of me." D'Nar finally said. "Tunnel networks, surveillance cameras, a large number of bacta tanks…" The entire list of equipment would've cost him a fortune if he was paying for all of it. Truth to be told, the only reason why he was concerned was due to the amount of manpower the entire project will take. Not to mention that he himself wasn't very sure of what the purpose of this entire operation was."

"If there's any problems, you should know that the Umbrella organisation is more than willing to lend a hand in any financial, physical, or even legal help if needed."

"No, there's no problems." D'Nar shook his head. "I'll just need to bring in more slaves to build all of this before your deadline. It would take a while to have all of this equipment up and running."

"That I can understand, and so will the board. It's just a needed ratification if we're able to keep this operation going. Especially now that the first trial subjects have begun."

This piqued the Zygerrian's curiosity. "You know, I've always wanted to know what kind of experiments you humans are running. The only thing I know about your group is that it's very well known, and yet, you appear to be running a much more darker operation than what's commonly allowed."

"We are a multinational, soon to be galactic corporation that's here for the people's benefits, Mr. D'Nar." The scientist said, pulling up another holograph. "We aim to further progress the people's potential, unlocking the secrets that lies within our very own selves."

D'Nar's words halted in his throat as he watched a holographic screen of a recording. A naked human was lying on the table, with scientists and machines surrounding it. One of them held up a syringe, injecting it into the body.

"Observe, Mr. D'Nar." The man spoke, excitement in his voice. "Observe the small portion of power that God has kept away from us."

D'Nar glared at the footage, unsure of what to expect, when the body began to twitch. The human began to growl like a rabid animal, foam pouring out of his mouth. His veins bulged from his body as he struggled to leave the table, with only the restraint belts holding it back.

"What is this?"

"Keep watching."

The camera zoomed in closer to the man, who let out a monstrous roar, blood and saliva dripping from its mouth. His head darted around, it's milky, white eyes searching for something to kill.

"You...You're trying to bring back the dead?" D'Nar asked, stunned from what he had just witnessed.

The man said nothing, motioning the Zygerrian to continue watching. His eyes turning back to the screen, he watched as the man - or creature, whatever this thing was now, - continued screaming, before it suddenly fell backwards. A vitals monitor somewhere began to emit a continuous, ear piercing noise, indicating that the organism's vitals had flatlined. The body twitched once more, before it stopped moving completely. Blood began to pour out of its ears and eyes and mouth, and the scientists around the test subject groaned in disappointment.

"What...was that?" D'Nar managed to ask, a trickle of sweat running down his hairy body.

"That, my friend, was progress." The scientist nodded, a look of twisted glee flashing in his eyes. "We've been on the brink of achieving something far greater than even what the Republic has accomplished so far. All we need is enough time and more test subjects."

"More test subjects?"

"More details shall be given to you in the future." The scientist merely stated. "Until then, let us continue to work together on this journey of progress. Good day, sir." The scientist gave one last nod, before the hologram shrank out.

D'Nar continued to stand there, staring at the spot where the hologram once was. Finally sitting down, he poured himself a glass of wine, hastily downing his drink.

"Earthlings." D'Nar said after putting his cup down. "Such a whole different breed of humans." Closing his eyes, he rubbed his head as he tried to comprehend what little he was allowed to see. Out of everything he's learned and done in the past 50 years, nothing was quite like what he had just seen, and honestly...it made him shiver.

'What did I get myself into?'

"Did you summon me, sir?" One of his trusted men, a Sentinel Pyke, had just entered the room, breaking the Zygerrian out of his thoughts.

"Ah, Zykol." D'Nar turned to the Sentinel. "I called you in earlier. Listen carefully, I need you to do something for me. I know you're going on a break soon, but I need you to dig up some information about the Umbrella Corporation."

"What kind of information?"

"Dig up on anything incriminating that's related to this corporation. Anything that we can use to get one over their heads; lawsuits, investigations, you name it. I want to know what I'm dealing with here."

"Where do you suggest I shall start?" Thinking for a moment, the Zygerrian then got an idea.

"Try traveling to the planet Earth. Go there on official business, and try to see if you can dig up on anything in the underworld. As backwards as they are, they're not too different than Coruscant."

"Will do, my lord." Zykol bowed, before turning around and leaving the room. Alone once again, he turned around and stared at the evening sky.

"Have I made a mistake by bringing these Earthlings in here?"

---

[ Docks - (Night) ]

The dock workers were busy pushing the last few carts into the last freighter. People were shuffling in and out of the mine as the day-shift slaves were slowly being replaced by their night-shift counterparts.

"That's the last one." One of the dock workers said once the job was done. "I'll tell the freight crew; you go and wait outside with the rest."

"Sure." Sabine nodded, walking out of the cargo area to join the others. Suddenly, Sabine felt someone grabbing her shoulder, and was pulled right under the wing of the ship.

"Hey, what the-" She turned around to see her Twi'lek friend. "Oh, Hera."

She held her finger to her mouth to keep her voice down, before she pulled out a small paper bag. "Here's what you asked for." Sabine accepted the bag and took a look inside of it. She then puffed out a big sigh of relief from her chest.

"Okay, go. Before someone sees us." Hera said, pushing her friend to the group of dock workers. Quickly shoving the package down her shirt, she shuffled towards the elevator, hoping to be the lucky ones that didn't have to take the stairs.

Hera smiled at the young girl as she walked back out, a night-shift worker walking towards her.

'They're going to be such a great couple.' She smiled, holding her hand out. The night-shift worker quickly dropped a note onto her hand, walking by her like nothing had happened, leaving her to quickly put the note inside of her chest. Not even glancing back at the other worker, she walked back to her post.

---

[ Ölüm - Infirmary ]

"Good work today, Idel." Bellatrix smiled at the other nurse. "You can go rest now. I'll wrap things up here."

"Thanks." The Russian-Israeli nodded, before she left the room. The Nightsister looked back at Naruto, who was now awake. He remained lying on his bed while the Nightsister kept on doing her magic healing on him.

"So you said that you're a Force-sensitive too?"

"Indeed I am." The pale woman smiled. "I'm from the planet Dathomir, where many more of my sisters live. It is there that we can perform incredible feats with our magic."

"What can you do?" He asked curiously. "I'm only just starting to get used to having Force powers, and…" His look of childish curiosity turned into one full of somber regret, remembering what he had almost done to Sabine. Despite her starting the deadly confrontation, he still held regret for nearly killing her.

A small chuckle escaped the mouth of the Nightsister. "I'm sorry, but that is a secret. It's prohibited to talk about my people's powers to any outsiders. Surely, you'll understand that."

"Yeah, I do." Naruto nodded to her. "Makes sense, since I wouldn't tell much about my abilities to anyone else." He told as little information to those who asked about it and he gave them a little bit of harmless information.

Despite him understanding, however, he was visibly disappointed. Seeing this, the Nightsister gave him a reassuring smile.

"But...maybe in the future when we escape, perhaps Mother Talzin would make an exception." Her voice suddenly sounded rather hypnotic, which made him blink. "After all, you would be a very formidable enemy, should you fall to the Dark Side, especially with that ancient beast that lies within your belly."

"But I'm not trying to make enemies." He protested, before his eyes widened. "And wait a minute, how do you know about the Kyuubi?"

"Is that his name?" She murmured, her hands tracing the outline of the seal over his stomach. "Interesting. It would appear that he is more than a savage beast than what many would think."

Her dreamy look vanished, being replaced by the one of weariness.

"In times of conflict, making enemies is inevitable." She stated grimly. "The only thing you can do is make the right friends to help you survive."

"Yeah." Naruto sighed, suddenly feeling more drained than ever. "Thanks for healing me, dattebayo."

Bellatrix just smiled as she gave him a small bow. "Just doing my job, child. Have a good night."

The pale nurse then left the room, switching off the main lights, leaving the blond shinobi alone in the dark with his thoughts.

'I wonder if Kyuubi knows more about the Nightsisters.' His fingers trailed over his seal, the touch causing him to shiver. 'He does seem to know a bit about the Force. Maybe I can do that healing magic that Bellatrix-san did to me.'

A thousand more questions began to crowd his mind, making him shake his head. Closing his eyes, he began to meditate to fall asleep.

Just as he was about to enter the world of slumber, the door opened, making his eyes shoot wide open. His fingers already on his crafted knife, he relaxed when he recognized the feminine form entering the room.

(Yes, Lemon time, people. You've been busy a lot on this. So enjoy.)

"Sabine?" He whispered at the girl. "What are you doing here so late? You're not hurt, are you?"

Much to his surprise, the brash, tomboy gulped, fidgeting as she struggled to do or say anything. Finally making up her mind, she turned on the lights only partially so that it was dimly lit, and he was better able to see her nervous expression.

CLICK.

He blinked, and he realized that she had just locked the door, sending some red flags across his head. He braced himself for her to attack him again, when he paused.

Her hands behind her back in front of the closed door, she was biting her lip as she stared at the floor, somehow being unable to meet his eyes. Further studying her face, he realized that her cheeks was red.

"Uhhh, Sabine?" His heart began to pound a bit faster as she walked up to him. There was something about the way she was walking that made him feel a bit...hot. Maybe it was her unusual shy expression, which he thought was cute. Or maybe it was her legs, and how her thighs seemed to sway noticeably as she was walking towards him.

Before he could say anything else, she crawled onto his bed, and was on her hands and knees above him.

His breath leapt out of his throat as she made this daring move. The two teens were blushing as they were staring at each other, their noses almost touching. It reminded them of when they were trapped underneath the elevator rubble.

"Uhm, Sabine, what-" His words were cut short the moment Sabine planted her lips against his. Catching him totally off guard, she quickly took full control of his mouth. He didn't resist, simply unsure of how to react to this turn of events.

Feeling uncomfortable at staring at each other, they closed their eyes as they melted into each other. His tongue began to wrestle with her's as her body slowly fell onto him.

Her chest pushed against his weakened body. His breath tensed up at the soft sensation; she wasn't wearing her armor. Blushing, his eyes shot open as she began to grind on his body. She moaned sensually, and that was all his body could take.

"You're getting hard." She whispered into his ear, before biting it lightly. He hissed in pleasure, and she grinned, feeling his manhood growing even bigger.

Naruto couldn't think. How could he, in this situation? There was a pretty girl who was grinding herself onto him, and was making out with him like he was in one of Jiraiya's Icha Icha books.

Naruto might've been dense as a rock when it came to girls, but even he knew that he was the luckiest son of a bitch at the moment.

His mind snapping out of the haze, he took a moment to enjoy her scent. She smelled and tasted like...strawberries, or a sweet peach. Looks like she was preparing for this moment.

A fire lit up in his eyes as he realized that she was doing all the work. A smirk stretching from his lips, his hands moved from her lower back to her plump rear. She let out a muffled squeak of surprise as his hands began to fondle her ass.

"Baby got back~" He murmured teasingly, making her blush even harder.

"S-Shut up." She muttered as she nearly tore open his hospital gown. She sobered up a little when she saw all the scars on his chest, including the ones she inflicted on him.

Feeling her stop, he stopped to see what was the hold up. Noticing her look of guilt quickly dampening the mood, he took one hand off of her rear, and placed it on her cheek.

"Hey, it's okay. It's behind us." He reassured her. "Besides, we're even now, remember? I forgive you already, dattebayo."

"Still," She murmured softly, her eyes still full of guilt, "I need to apologize to you. S-So, do...do you want me?"

He stared at the Mandalorian girl in disbelief. Despite him seeing her vulnerable side once before, it still came as a shock for him when she asked whether or not he wanted her. Smiling at the bashful girl, he gently lifted himself up, and kissed her. No lustful passion was behind this liplock - just a gentle, reassuring one that told her that he truly had no more hard feelings towards her, especially after realizing just how far she was willing to go to apologize.

It wasn't a rough, passionate kiss, but it was enough to make Sabine relax, making her moan under his lips. Whatever confidence she lost she regained twice fold when she felt his cock come back to life.

"I-I want to try something." Sabine said meekly. Judging by the way she was definitely unable to meet his eyes, he assumed that it would be something embarrassing.

And fun.

Swallowing his saliva, he just nodded at her, a hint of nervousness but curious excitement in his eyes. Taking a deep breath to encourage herself, she slowly got off of him, and motioned for him to sit at the edge of the bed. Curious, he just did as she ordered, and watched as she got on her knees.

'Wait, is she-?' Was all he was able to think, before she lifted off his hospital gown, revealing his erect cock. She stared at it in wonder, still trying to comprehend that it was her first time seeing a man's sex. Leaning her head forward, a strong smell had entered her nose, and she couldn't help but give his cock a few sniffs.

'Ah crap.' Naruto began to sweat. 'Do I smell bad? Maybe I should've hit the showers real quick before we did this? What if-!'

His eyes nearly bulged out as she suddenly took his cock, and rammed it into her mouth. Surprised by how large it was, she was evidently unprepared as it hit the back of her throat. Quickly pulling it out of her mouth, she began coughing endlessly.

"A-Are you okay?" His anxiety came back at full force, and his hands were hovering in the air stupidly, unsure of what he could do to help her out.

"Y-Yeah." Sabine chuckled as she continued coughing. "Just...got a bit ahead of myself."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before they both lightly chuckled at the unintentional joke. Finally feeling ready again, Sabine tucked her hair behind her ear, before took his head into her mouth again. Learning from her mistake, she went slowly, taking in his mass one millimeter at a time.

This meant that she ended up tasting every inch of him, inhaling his scent and taste.

'Huh, not bad.' Sabine's heart pounded as she began to bob her head back and forth. 'It's kinda sweet and salty. ...Fuck, I think I like it.'

Her body felt hot as she was rewarded with his moans of pleasure. Feeling empowered at pleasing him in such a lewd way, she began to go harder and faster, her lips stretching out a little the faster and harder she went.

SLURP. SLURP. SLURP. SLURP.

Despite her best attempt at being quiet, the sound of her devouring his cock echoed in the room. Both Naruto and Sabine were afraid and aroused at the idea of someone overhearing them.

'Fuck, why is this turning me on so much?' Sabine wondered. Her right hand was inside of her skintight pants, touching her burning crotch in an effort to satisfy its arousal. In the heat of the moment, she decided to try taking his dick even deeper, nearly slamming her head into his crotch. His cock finally found itself in her throat again, and this time, she was able to keep it there.

Feeling a little proud of herself, she took a moment to enjoy the weird, suffocating, and yet pleasurable sensation of his cock filling up her throat. For someone who was still so young, he turned out to be surprisingly hung when erect, and a part of her felt proud at being able to claim this dick before anyone else.

"S-Something's coming!" Naruto hissed, trying to hold back his orgasm. "I-I'm gonna-"

'CUM!' Sabine finished for him, plunging her fingers into her snatch. Her eyes widened as she felt his cock bulge a little, before filling her mouth with his hot, gooey cum.

Panicking, she managed to quickly yank his cock out of her throat before she could choke on his essence. Her mouth already full of his jizz, she wasn't prepared for him to shoot out a couple more strands of his semen onto her face.

"*GULP*, *GULP*, Fuck, Naruto, you didn't tell me - *cough* - you had this much ammo." Sabine said with a sly grin after she recovered.

"...Sorry?" Naruto sheepishly apologized, unsure of what to say or do now. He was mostly staring at Sabine's cute face, which was now stained with his cum. Noticing where his eyes were, Sabine scooped up his cum off of her face, staring at her gooey fingers. Looking at him in the eyes, she slowly and deliberately stuck it in her mouth, giving it a long, sensual licks and sucks.

"Mmm, Naruto~ I didn't know you were so daring, marking me as yours like that." She purred. "I guess you have some balls after all."

She looked back down at his crotch, and did a double take at how it was still erect.

"...Well then." She licked her lips at the sight of his messy cock standing up in the air like a rifle. She stood up, before she slowly and teasingly began to shed her clothes. Naruto stared at her, enchanted by the sultry dance she was attempting as she lost her clothes. Entranced by her intense eyes, he barely noticed as she crawled under his covers. Still on top of him, she began to grind him again, only this time his wet, naked cock was grinding against her moist, pussy lips.

"Fuck." She growled, her hips growing faster by the second. "I'm just grinding you, but this feels so fucking good."

"Same." He grunted, his breaths turning into pants as she jerked him off with her thighs. Sabine hissed in pleasure as he breathed onto her nipples, which was very close to his face.

Naruto swallowed hard as he stared at the two, growing melons that was swinging back and forth.

'Should I?' He thought to himself, suddenly getting a weird idea. Unbeknownst to him, Sabine had some kinky thoughts herself.

'Fuck, I...wanna go further.' Sabine stared at the boy below her lovingly, biting her lip as her anxiety and tension began to grow in her tummy. 'But...is it going to hurt?'

The two of them blinked as they realized that they were just staring at each other. Stopping for a moment to shake their heads, a look of determination filled their eyes.

'Alright, I'm going to do it!' They both thought. Before she could change her mind, she thrusted her hips forward one more time, before slamming them down, just as Naruto snapped his head forward, his mouth enveloping one of her nipples.

"FUCK!" Sabine shouted in surprise as her eyes widened. Not only did she not expect him to be that bold, but the sudden intrusion shot a spike of pain and pleasure up her body. Realizing that she had just shouted, she covered her mouth with both of her hands.

"Are you okay, Sabine?" Naruto whispered/groaned, his cock feeling like they were being squeezed by a wet, soft vice. Despite his concern for Sabine, he couldn't help but enjoy the unique feeling of them graduating from their virginity. This was nothing like masturbating, which he could only do sparingly. Unlike his hands, her vagina was tight, warm, and wet. Even though he was forcing her tight babymaker to loosen up, he could tell that for a while, she's going to be very tight.

"Y-Yeah." She gritted her teeth, hissing in pain as her eyes was squeezed shut. Some moisture began to crowd in her eyes as they threatened to turn into tears. "N-No biggie."

Grunting, she lifted her hips upwards, before slowly lowering them, creating a whole, new wave of pleasure for the two of them.

For Naruto, it felt like his cock was back in her mouth again, except this time, her teeth wasn't scraping his skin. Instead, it was all flesh. One large, soft, wet, squishy mouth that was greedily trying to take his entire penis.

For Sabine, once the sharp pain went away, she felt like she could fly. Every movement, every scrap of flesh to flesh sent waves of pleasure up her body, threatening to make her cum with each wave of euphoria.

And that's when somebody knocked on the door.

"Naruto? You alright?"

The two of them froze. It was Idel! She must've heard her muffled shout, and came running.

Thinking quickly, the Mandalorian girl told Naruto to lay on his side, before she did the same, reluctantly taking his cock out of her. They threw the blanket on top of themselves, just as they heard the door unlock.

They heard Idel walk inside, pausing after a couple of steps.

Shit. Were they caught?

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Her gentle voice seemed as loud as a hurricane in the tiny room.

"...Yeah." He finally answered back, making Sabine look back at him with the look that said, "Are you crazy?" "Just...had a nightmare. I'll be fine."

"Oh, okay then." She responded back. An awkward pause lingered in the air, and judging by the way she was shuffling, Idel could feel it too. "I'll just...unpack the supplies into the storage locker."

They then heard her move dangerously close to their bed. Thank the Force that they had cubicle curtains, cause if not, she definitely would've saw them.

Sabine squirmed uncomfortably, starting to feel a little hot, due to how close they were. Naruto's eyes wandered downwards as he felt her naked butt accidently grinding on his still wet dick. He grew hard again at the sight and sensation of his manhood being sandwiched between those large cheeks, and before he knew it, he was adjusting his body.

"Naruto, what are yo-MMF!" Sabine had to cover her mouth again as he slowly slid his cock back into her ruined pussy.

"W-What the kriff are you doing?" She hissed at him, blushing as she tried so hard not to moan in pleasure, since Idel was just on the other side of the curtain, putting away the new medical supplies.

Naruto's grin widened as he slowly began to rock his hips back and forth, making Sabine moan into her hands again. She whimpered as he took over as the dominant one, fucking her without her having any way to get out.

And fuck, it was hot. Sabine wouldn't admit it, but somehow, the thought of getting caught by Idel excited her, making her even tighter.

Still, that didn't mean that she was going to submit that easily. With a smirk matching her man's, she began to thrust her hips back at him.

The look of cocky defiance in her eyes encouraged him to go faster, and not wanting to lose to him, she went faster too.

They were hot, wet, and sweaty, but they refused to take off the covers. They also refused to stop, as a silent contest had ensued, where no one would leave until they came.

You think you'll make me cum? Sabine gave him a challenging look, with a smirk that barely hid her look of pleasure. In response, he leaned his head forward, catching her lips with his. Their hot breaths intermingled with each others as they began to swap saliva, satisfying their thirst.

"Mmm." Sabine moaned, her eyes dazed and unfocused as the two warriors were lost in a world of pleasure. Muffled moans and sighs filled the bed as they grinded against one another, wishing for this moment to last an eternity.

Finally, the moment came when their fun had to end. No words were exchanged, but they both somehow knew that their climax was coming.

'I love you.' They both thought together as they came. Despite where they were, despite the collars around their necks, they were content.

Satisfied, they both fell asleep, just as the nurse left.

(Ending lemon)

---

(The next day)

Sitting on the examination bed, Naruto was buttoning up his shirt whilst waiting for Bellatrix and Idel's return. He had gotten up early since the Zygs were calling in all the slaves in the infirmary to be called working again.

He was now a bit focused on trying to fix the last button of his shirt that Sabine had accidentally ripped open last night. Not that he didn't enjoy it, but it was a bit irritating to deal with at the moment.

"Naruto." He looked up to see Bellatrix enter the room with her report.

"Guards are waiting for you outside." She informed him. "You've been assigned back to your post in the underground." The Nightsister said with a frown. She tried to convince the supervisor to place Naruto on a less problematic post so he could work without any implications for his healing back. As expected, he just told her to get him out of the room, before he gives the blond a reason to stay there a bit longer. Bellatrix scowled, but said nothing else, before heading back to the infirmary.

"Yeah, figured. Those slavers always had it out for me." Naruto sighed, finally fixing up the button.

Bellatrix then pulled out from under her coat a small brown bag. "Some painkillers, just in case. Plus a new water bottle."

"I'll take the water." Naruto said, grabbing the bag and shoving it under his shirt and into his pants. "I'll keep the painkillers for someone else. I personally don't need them."

"Alright then, just try to take it easy on your back; it needs more resting."

"Yeah, tell the Zygs that." Naruto said with a huff. "But don't worry, I'll watch out with myself." He stood up and cracked his neck before walking past the Nightsister. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You're welcome." She said as Naruto opened the door and closing the door behind him. A small, goofy giggle escaped her lips as she stared at his bed.

…

The minute Naruto closed the door behind it, a wide, uncontrolled grin spread across his face as he held back a loud whoop. It took him everything to not smile like a clown as he talked to Bellatrix, remembering the fond memory he made last night on the same bed he was sitting on.

"The hell you smiling about?" One of the Pyke Sentinels asked. The blond just shrugged at him with an innocent look, which made them roll their eyes, but said nothing more of it. They lead him back to his post underground, and they walked passed back the now completed elevator.

Sabine just finished bringing out some empty crates with the others, she took a brief break to see Naruto being escorted by the Sentinels to the elevators to be most likely brought back to the underground.

There were a group of fellow slaves working to push boxes in and out of the elevator, with one of them in particular catching his eye. Leaning on the cool, metal wall to take a break, Sabine wiped away from sweat from her forehead. She let out a sigh of relief, before she opened her eyes.

The moment the two made eye contact, the blond winked at her, giving her a small cocky smirk that made the Mandalorian blush. She turned away quickly so that she wouldn't give him the

satisfaction of watching her flushed expression, but judging by Hera's equally irritating smirk, she failed to do the job.

Once the Sentinels were gone, Hera just patted her on the shoulder, her grin never leaving her face.

…

"By Allah, brother, welcome back!" Ibrahim shouted while hugging the former shinobi high up in the air with such joy that he couldn't contain anymore. Joined by an equally happy Adrik, who slapped his big hand on Naruto's back, many of the underground workers were happy to see for once one of their own to be alive than being one of the dead.

"Glad you're still with us, Ruto." Adrik said with a smile "Bomber and Jimmy send their regards to you, saying they've kept their hopes for you."

"Thanks Adrik." He slapped hands with the Russian. "It's always good to hear it from you, man." He saw that Tarik and Jimmy came walking up towards him to greet him.

"Good to see you still breathing, brother." Tarik gave him a friendly hug with a pat on the back.

"Yeah, thanks for that, Tarik." Naruto tapped the Urzuki-American on the back, before turning to the Mexican. "Jimmy."

"Carnal, I got some news for you." They shook hands while the man explained. "I managed to convince one of the operators with some smokes to switch his round with yours, so you can take it easy to work upstairs with Hera for a week. You know, to keep yourself from breaking down."

"Hey, I appreciate it." Naruto thanked the experienced miner with a fist bump. "Can I ask what's with all the construction going upstairs?"

Tarik shook his head. "We don't know, man. It's been going on for months apparently, but now these last few weeks construction seems to be close to the mine. All the supervisors are silent about it."

"Could it be that they are just expanding production? It wouldn't be the first time." Naruto suggested. "Those Zygs would certainly do that."

"What are you all waiting for?" One of the regular slaves noticed them. "Get to work before you'll get in trouble."

"Right, let's get to work, people." Adrik clapped his hands. This prompted the group to split up and return to their work, with Naruto following Tarik and Ibrahim to their mineshaft.

"Another day in this hellhole." Ibrahim groaned while putting his goggles on. "I would kill for a decent meal, I swear."

"Yeah, I can agree with that."

"You said it, Texas. You said it." Ibrahim nodded as they both got back to their work. Meanwhile, Naruto was left to his own thoughts, thinking about last night. As funny it may sound, he was not complaining about today for working back in this shit hole.

…

It was an exceptionally hot day on Kessel, reason was because an heatwave had been coming over the planet for two days, and to make it worse, it was an hell, in the last twenty four hours many of the non-human sentients died of dehydration because they were in the lower levels.

It was an exceptionally hot day on Kessel.

A heat wave had been raging throughout the planet for two days, and to make it worse, Hell was not spared from the unforgiving weather.

In the last twenty-four hours, almost 200 slaves in total died from a heatstroke or from dehydration. Most of them were beings like wookies, who were unfortunate enough to have been born with so much hair in a place that didn't care. None of them were amongst those Naruto knew personally, but it was still a horrifying scene to watch the bodies rain from above, thrown away like yesterday's garbage.

Right now, Naruto was transferred to the docks, where he now was busy loading up crates of Coaxium fuel into the freighter that was waiting for its loads. With the help of the first person he had met on the planet, he was almost done with the last crate.

"Dooone!" Naruto cried out as he wiped the sweat from his head. His shirt was gone, discarded aside a long time ago, only wearing his pants and shoes. He quickly looked towards Zeb the Lasat, who wasn't doing well, due to his fur. Drenched in his own sweat and panting like a dog, he didn't look like he was doing very well.

"Zeb…"

"I'm alright, kid." The Lasat croaked, holding unto himself as he tried to hide the fact his knees were about to give in. "Just need...to rest."

"Hey, HEY!" Naruto pulled out his water and opened his cantine and gave it to him. "Drink!"

Not refusing for a minute, he quickly downed the cantine, spraying some onto his face and eyes to cool down and regain consciousness.

The minute the canteen was emptied, Zeb fell over. Naruto grunted as he caught him. Other slaves quickly ran up to them, the others either offering their water or helping the blond get him out of there.

"Easy, big fella." Naruto said, patting the Lasat on the back. "We've finished that shipment, take a few moments to rest, alright?"

"Will do…" Zeb groaned as he fought to stay conscious. The other slaves moved to quickly drag him out of the unforgiving sun, just as another familiar face walked into the scene.

Hera looked behind her for a moment with slight worry, before turning back towards Naruto.

"I hate to give you more work, but a new shipment of Coaxium is about to be brought up here, and I need some more hands to help me do the job."

"Will do." Naruto sighed.

"Hey, a new batch of slaves has arrived." One of the slaves cried out. This made everyone pause in their steps, turning towards the small army of Pyke Sentinels and Zygerrian supervisors who were approaching an incoming cargo ship. It's landing gear set in place, the doors opened, allowing the "cargo" to let itself out.

"BWAAAH!"

The slaves flinched as the shrill sound came from the arm of an elderly Twi'lek, who was holding his two-year old toddler. He was amongst the first of many slaves to have been forced out of the ship, with an elderly pair of humans following immediately behind the father.

"Are those-why are kids here?"

"Don't tell me they are letting the elderly work here? They won't last a week."

"What a new low." The other slaves shook their heads with disgust as many of the new victims were either too old or too young, with some of them even carrying children. It wasn't a new sight, but it was never pleasant to see, especially in larger numbers.

"This is unusual." Hera murmured, scratching at her lekku. Naruto had to agree; it didn't make sense why the slavers would willingly buy children and elderly. They were the first ones to usually die, and in the long run, they were just more trouble than they were worth, for one reason or another.

"NO!"

Naruto's head turned towards a fight that had just ensued. A mother was cradling her young child, shielding it from the sentinels as they tried to pry them apart. The father was already pinned down to the ground, with one of the Zygerrians electrocuting him mercilessly.

"FUCKING BASTARDS!"

A flash of red, before one of the Pykes flew backwards with a pained cry. A redheaded woman had stepped in the fight, and was currently trying to take down the other slavers.

"Stop her!" The Zygerrian roared as he stopped shocking the human male.

"GO FUCK YOURSELVES, SHITHEADS!" That voice came from a redhead who was already a hothead and picked up a fight with over half a dozen guards, with her kicking some of the guards close to the family and not being polite by hitting them in the groin if she could. Not being able to believe what he heard, that voice was way to familiar to him.

"GO FUCK YOURSELVES, SHITHEADS!" The redhead roared as she knocked out another Pyke guard, smashing the control for her collar before he could push it.

"No way…" Naruto's eyes widened when he got a good look at her.

ZZZZZPT!

"ARGH!" The girl collapsed as her collar activated. One of the nearby Pykes finally managed to push the button. The minute he lifted his thumb off of the controller, the others began to kick and punch her.

"Enough!" The Zygerrian guard from before walked up to them, prompting the Pykes to back off from her. Bending over, he checked on the unconscious human, and noticed that she was unconscious, foaming a little at the mouth. He glanced at the guards, who were grunting in pain as they gingerly rubbed at their bruises.

"Little disobedient bitch!" He roared, kicking the young woman in the head. "You just earned yourself a lesson in the detention cells, girl!"

Naruto and the others just watched them drag her away, a scary amount of blood beginning to trail from her head, as if a demented god began to paint the canvas red. They headed towards the elevator, which made the crowd part aways, not willing to be in their way.

A grim silence filled the air as the slaves stood in horror, mortified at what had just happened. Then, it happened.

BANG!

"DAD!"

Naruto and the others spun around at the sound of the blaster fire. Their eyes widened as the father fell backwards, a smoking hole on his chest. One of the Pyke Sentinels had shot the father, while another one was pinning down the child onto the ground. The mother screamed in horror as she ran over to her fallen husband's side, trying to wake him up.

But it was too late.

The Pyke that had just murdered the husband now pointed the blaster onto the mother. "Stand up, woman."

"Ephraim…" A tear fell onto the dead man's face as she stroked his beared chin. "I'm sorry."

Her other hand was reaching down her late husband's chest pocket.

"I said get up!"

SLNK!

The mother had whipped out a blunt knife from the pocket, and sank it deep into the Pyke's neck. This made everyone gasp at her brave action of defiance.

The Pyke stumbled backwards, dropping his blaster as he clawed at his throat. He tried to call for help, but all that came out was wet, sick gurgles as he began to bleed out.

POW! POW! POW!

The woman stumbled backwards as a flurry of blaster bolts slammed into her body. She staggered backwards, before falling over, dead before she hit the ground.

"MOM!" The little boy cried out. The Pyke, too stunned at the sudden death of his comrade, didn't stop the boy from running towards his dead parents. The whole area fell into silence at the sudden deaths that had just occurred, with both sides unsure of what to do or say for the moment.

SMACK!

The boy let out a cry as D'Nar, who had suddenly ran into the scene, had punched the little boy, sending him flying towards the edge of the mine.

"Perhaps I've been too kind on you slaves." He spat out the last word. "It's time I set a proper example on what happens if you disobey me and upset the peace!"

Grabbing the two dead bodies, he stomped over to the edge, where the boy sat there in terror. Grinning, he flung the bodies over the edge.

"Go join your parents in Hell." He grinned, before kicking the boy off the edge. The boy screamed, his arms reached out in a fruitless attempt to grab the Zygerrian's hands, which was mockingly stretched out, before quickly pulled back. The Zygerrian laughed, his hideous laugh overwhelming the dying cries of the boy as he fell to his doom.

At this, Naruto tried to run towards the edge, but one of the Pykes activated his collar, making him fall flat on his face.

"Back to work!" The Pykes shouted, firing blaster bolts into the air. The slaves quickly scattered, not willing to be the next into their grave.

The slavers were about to leave, when they noticed two slaves still standing there. It was the Lasat Zeb and the Elementian Naruto. Zeb, who was trying to help Naruto with his broken nose, glared together with his friend at the slavers, who just glared back as they raised their blasters at them.

"Didn't you hear us, slaves? Get back to work!"

The duo continued their menacing glare, before they reluctantly turned around, leaving the area to return to the mines.

"You alright, kid?" Zeb asked the human boy next to him.

"No, Zeb, I'm not." Naruto answered. "No I'm not. Those bastards need to pay for what they're doing."

"Feeling's mutual, kid." Zeb grunted, rubbing his collar. "Feeling's mutual."

A lightbulb suddenly went out in the staircase, making Zeb jump. His hair began to rise up as he felt something dark in their with them.

Walking down the staircase, they paused when they saw Sabine leaning on the wall. The minute she saw Naruto, she walked over to him, slowly grabbing his hand to try to comfort him.

And just like that, the dark presence left, and Zeb let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He shuddered, the cold, suffocating feeling never leaving his body. He had no idea what it was, and frankly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"Let's go." Sabine murmured into Naruto's ear, before kissing his cheek. He just nodded, before they continued on their way. Stepping through the door-less doorway, he was greeted with the sight of the newly arrived slaves, who were already being rounded up and escorted to their stations, not knowing what lied ahead for their future.

What got his attention was the glimpse of a young Twi'lek girl, who was sitting on her father's shoulder. She was staring directly at Naruto, and the minute he caught her eye, she waved at him.

All he could do was wave back as he watched them being taken away. His breathing becoming heavier, his fists began to clench. The lights began to flicker as a light tremor shook the room.

'Dios mío.' Joseph Ibarra shivered. He stared at Naruto, whose eyes were glowing yellow from hate. Crossing himself, he muttered the words, "El justo se alegrará cuando vea la venganza, se lavará los pies en la sangre de los impíos."

Sabine, confused at the message, asked, "What does that mean?"

Joseph's face was grim as he translated:

"The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked."

Chapter 8: The Calm

The bodies rained from the sky again, a cruel joke from the gods above. Bomber should've been used to the twisted miracle at this point, but every time a body crashed into the ground, the hardened man felt shivers down his spine.

Bomber's face of stone concealed one of terror and despair, a reflection of the expressions etched onto the faces of the corpses before they met their demise. He was lucky that he was wearing his mask so he doesn't have to deal with the awful stench of death in the air.

Punching a few buttons, the cremator roared to life. He turned around to the conveyor belt, where he stacked a pile of corpses that were waiting to be sent to their fiery grave. His shirt was off, but he was already beginning to sweat - the fire didn't help with the already sweltering weather.

Fanning himself with his shirt, he began walking up the conveyor belt to turn it on.

"...Help…"

The man froze in his tracks, his fingers hovering above the button. His head looking around, he began to wonder if the heat was finally getting to his brain. Shrugging, he pushed the button, and watched the belt move the bodies towards the hungry furnace.

"Somebody...help me.."

Okay, now Bomber was sure that he heard a voice. Looking around, he began to walk towards the general direction of the voice.

"Who's there?"

"Help." It was a low, raspy moan, but Bomber's eyes widened to the max. "Please, help."

"Hold on kid, I'm coming!" Bomber yelled, his body moving into a full sprint as he ran towards the sound. "Just keep talking, I'm on my way!"

Leaping over piles of bodies, he began to climb over the hills of corpses.

"Please, my mom…" That sounded close, just over another hill of bodies. Making a turn around the pile of corpses, he saw a boy weakly kneeling over a body that wore orange clothing. Getting closer, he saw that he was staring at the body of a woman, who looked to be on death's doorstep.

"Chyort..." Bomber cursed, realizing what he was looking at. The child turned around, staring at the large man with tears and despair in his eyes. He began wailing, begging for the giant's help to save his mother. Bomber could do nothing but bite his lip under his mask, knowing that it was too late for her.

"Ezra." The mother touched the boy's hand, making him turn back to her. Despite the grievous injuries she sustained, from the blaster bolt to the deadly fall that was cushioned from all the bodies, it was a miracle that she still had the strength to give her boy a trembling smile.

"M-Mom?"

"Ezra...dear." She coughed, spitting out some blood. "It's...it's going to be okay."

Her son just nodded, weeping silently as he refused to let go of her cold hands.

"Just...promise me something, my baby boy."

Ezra nodded, his lips trembling as he choked up on his words. He leaned in close so that she could say her final words to him.

…

Bomber was no stranger to death, but it didn't make it hurt any less to watch one grieve. Every single one of the poor boy's sobs cut another piece of his soul away as the child begged for his mother to come back.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Mira Bridger had passed away, with the large man being unable to watch another person die in this shit hole.

"What a cruel world." The Undertaker of the Mines sighed. "What a cruel world."

---

(Level 1 - Assemble Area)

Like the other slaves before them, it took some time to bring all of the new slaves into one area, being forced to line up in rows, who were waiting for their turn to be inspected and registered, before being shoved towards their new home.

They were all miserable, hungry, and thirsty, but watching the whips and blasters in the slavers hands made them do nothing but patiently wait for their turn.

"Next." A Pyke called out, typing something in his holopad. A black human woman with a boy in her hand stepped forward. "State your names and place of birth."

"Zadia and Marcel Boodhoo." The dark skinned Earthling said, glaring at the Pyke. "Born in Lethem, Guyana."

Nodding, the alien slaver wrote their names down, before he pushed a button. A small slip of paper with printed text slowly came out of his holopad, which he gave to the new slaves. "Follow the person with this number." He ordered as they walked past them. "Next."

This time a blue male Twi'lek walked up front. "My name is Borruli, born in Roancu, Ryloth."

"Next!"

"Yusuf, Shoury. From Alexander, Egypt"

"Next!"

"Ravraa Zyr, from the Togrutan Colonies."

"Next!"

A Miralian woman stepped forward. "Hano Molina, from Mirial."

"Next!"

A graying, old human man in a black coat stepped forwards with his cane. "My name is Ismael Zagorski."

It went on and on for a while, with many different people of all races, species, and sexes being escorted, registered, and sent to work for the rest of their lives.

"Next." The register next to him had three wookies that were trying to explain their name to the bench worker, who was trying to write their names down with the help of a protocol droid.

"Tell them they'll be escorted with the rest of the wookies to the lower levels." The register told him as he worked further with an Earthling man in front of him. "State your name and place of birth."

The human man in front of him was large, his skin as dark and brown as the fertile soil found on Earth. He introduced himself with his deep, thick accent. "My name is Mugabo. I am from the Congo."

"Family name?"

"...Just Mugabo…" The man responded. This got the register to turn up and look at him suspiciously.

"What, no family name? Relatives?"

"Just...Mugabo…" The African man said to the Pyke. "I have no family, sir."

The register just shrugged, before he filled in the rest. Ripping out the paper, he threw it at the man. "Get in line with the others. You'll be shown your new home. Next!" The man nodded, before he walked past the registration booth. Meanwhile from afar, the old slaves watched the newcomers come in.

Hera looked down, scowling at Pykes and the Zygerrians. "I still don't get it - why would they willingly bring in children and the elderly? They don't tend to last very long in this kind of environment."

Zeb scoffed. "Maybe it's their way of getting their kicks. Bastards always were sick enough to see people suffer."

"I would be surprised if to think those Zygs even have hearts."

Sabine looked back at Naruto, and saw he still had a small cloth against his nose that was definitely broken. "You okay?"

The blood was drying up, which meant that the bleeding stopped. Still, it didn't mean that the pain did. "Yeah, just a bit broken, but it'll heal."

"You sure you don't want to get it checked out?" Zeb asked him.

"I just got back from the hospital, no need to go back just yet." Naruto said. That, and his nose was beginning to heal on its own, thanks to Kurama finally deciding to help, saying that he "earned his help at this point," whatever that meant. Either way, he couldn't just go back into the comfort of the infirmary when there's more people being shipped here like cargo.

The memory of that small family's massacre suddenly came back to him, making his eyes darken in hatred.

Almost as if she could feel his hatred, Sabine quickly embraced him, kissing him on the cheek. "Don't blame yourself, Naruto. There wasn't much you could've done about it."

Zeb looked down at the hole to where the mother and son fell to their doom. "At least they took a Zyg with them…"

"Sabine! Naruto!" Someone called out for them. The two turned their heads around to see it was Ibrahim.

"Ibrahim, what is it?"

"Supervisor wants you two to clean up the detention cells." He informed them. "Told me to pass it on to you guys. The mop and water's ready."

"Detention cells?" Sabine raised her eyebrow. "That's on the lower levels, shouldn't the guys down there do that?"

"Supervisor said it was another punishment for you guys fighting, I dunno." Ibrahim shrugged. "Good luck cleaning it, by the way. Heard it wasn't cleaned for weeks."

Sabine sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Great. Good to know that."

…

SPLUNG!

The sound of the wet mop dropping into the floor echoed the detention hallway as Naruto continued cleaning the floor with some water and soap. Sabine was doing one of the cells so Naruto was on his own doing the two mile long hallway that was covered in spats of dried up blood, urine, and other disgusting waste that splattered the floor and walls. Judging by the lack of toilets, it was obvious what had happened.

Sighing, Naruto silently thanked the fact that his nose was broken, since it warped his sense of smell to mostly blood, which actually worked in his favor at this point.

The same could not be said for Sabine, however.

"URGH!"

Naruto turned around to see Sabine quickly walking out of the cell, gagging as she fought the desire to throw up from the smell of pure human waste.

Coughing, she quickly staggered over to cleaner air as Naruto walked up to her. He patted her on the back to try to help her as he tried to fan away the toxic smell. "You doing alright, Sabine? You want me to take over?"

"No." She stood back up, and took a deep breath. "I can handle this. Just...need a minute to brace myself for the smell…"

If she had to be honest, if she ever got the chance, she would do everything in her power to blow this section of the mine first, if only to try to get some feeling of cleanliness again.

Not being able to hold it back anymore, Naruto found himself chuckling at her. "You know what? There is a plus side to this."

"What the kriff could be the-oh." Sabine began to snap, slightly peeved at their situation until she realized what he meant. A smile quickly spread across her face as she felt her hips getting hugged by Naruto's arms. "Good point."

She slowly turned around so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. Closing their eyes, they stayed like that for a moment, slow dancing in the dark, dirty hallway.

"You know, I gotta give it to you. Even when we're in a fucked up place like this, you still somehow make me feel much better." Sabine murmured, kissing the tip of his nose.

"Just doing my best." He smiled, his heart fluttering as his forehead touched hers. He didn't know why, but after that one night in the infirmary, he felt a connection to Sabine that he couldn't quite explain. Was it because of the Force? Was it just because they gave their virginities to each other? Or was it because they finally settled their differences, and got to see each other as the warriors they were? He couldn't figure it out, but he didn't want to think about it. "You know, I still can't believe that we went from nearly killing each other to doing it in the infirmary."

"Don't remind me of that." Sabine pouted. She was still embarrassed by that moment, since she didn't expect Idel to suddenly walk into the room like that. She also wasn't expecting him to keep fucking her, which nearly got them caught red handed. The worst part, however, was that it turned out Idel knew they were having sex, and that became the new gossip amonst their little female clique. "I swear, you're a closet perv."

"Heh, guilty." He chuckled, thinking about Pervy Sage. His hands began to travel down her back, prompting her to do the same with a smirk.

"Come here." She pressed her lips against his, and they locked their lips into a kiss again.

They both lost themselves into their little world, away from the hell they were stuck in, freeing themselves into the moment. Until-

"Did you hear that?" Naruto suddenly pulled away from her, much to her disappointment.

"Hear what?" Sabine asked. While still dazed from their makeout session, she quickly snapped herself out of it, already prepared to fight or run if needed.

Naruto looked around and frowned. "Maybe it came from one of the cells."

*SNIFF*, *SNIFF*

"That sounded like sniffling." Sabine noted, her muscles relaxing. "But I thought these cells were empty." The sounds grew more apparent the closer they got to the source of the noise, especially for Sabine.

"It's from a girl…"

Naruto's feet suddenly moved faster on his own as he walked down the hallway, listening to the silent sound and figuring out where it was coming from. He then stopped by one of the doors and saw it was the only one closed. He started opening the door as the lights of the hallway descended into the room and he recoiled in horror.

Laid on the concrete floor was the redheaded girl he recognized from earlier. Tayuya...if he remembered correctly, looked...terrible, to say the least. Her arms and legs were so badly bruised, he suspected that it would hurt just to move them. Strands of her hair were scattered across the floor as if they were ripped out of her head. The small piece of fabric that was left of her clothes barely covered her lower body, which didn't stop the pool of red and white fluids that was oozing out of her.

Naruto, still standing there like Medusa's victim, barely reacted as Sabine entered the room seconds later. She too froze at the size, gasping in horror.

That gasp finally got the redhead to snap out of it. Her eyes widened as she scrambled away from them, and the duo could see the sheer terror in her blood shot eyes. Naruto was stunned to see his former adversary like this, and it honestly broke his heart to see her like the others.

Sabine took one step forward, and regretted it immediately.

"Stay away...STAY AWAY!" Tayuya screamed as she moved her body against the wall, covering her head with her bloody hands as she went from staring at them to looking away from them.

Sabine flinched by the sheer pain and terror this poor young woman was showing, her small, beaten trembling form looking quite pitiful in comparison to the strong, firey spirited she once showed.

Her eyes widened as Naruto took a step forward. "Naruto, wait."

At the mention of his name, for a moment it looked like the old redhead he knew was coming back. Then Tayuya went back into a hysterical mess as she continued to panic, her breathing out of control and coughing blood in between.

"Stay away...Stay away...Stay away!" Her eyes widened to impossible lengths as she saw the young blond taking off his shirt. Thinking that he wanted payback for her part of the Uchiha-brat's capture, she trembled as she closed her eyes, preparing to feel dirty again.

Instead, she felt something soft being gently laid on top of her bruised shoulders. Hesitating, she slowly looked up to see Naruto's weary eyes. His top was gone, and she realized that he had given her his shirt.

"Keep it." Naruto said without emotion. He stood back up, then walked away. Sabine looked at Tayuya, then at Naruto, before she left as well.

Sabine was almost out of the room when she froze. Turning her head back towards the broken woman, she slowly turned around, gingerly walking back to the girl on the floor.

Meanwhile, Tayuya was in a state of shock. She thought that the blond would've tried raping her too, or at least would've tried to kill her in revenge. Instead, he gave her his shirt, gently wrapping it around her naked body to try to comfort her.

Tayuya barely noticed Sabine until she was sitting right next to her, her hand gently touching hers.

"It's okay…" Sabine spoke to Tayuya in a soothing tone, doing her best to not trigger her again. "I'm here for you, okay?"

The girl still trembled, but she slowly began to move towards Sabine's shoulder, hesitating as if testing the water. After what seemed like an eternity, Tayuya's head finally made its way to her shoulder as she continued to stare blankly at the floor.

It was then that she heard Naruto walk back into the cell with a bucket and a towel. Slowly approaching them, he knelt down to their level, slowly showing them the new, clean rag.

"We need to clean those wounds before we can tend them." He dipped the small towel into the bucket of water, before slowly wringing it out. "...If you're ready, just stand still while I clean it up."

Naruto's hand froze, trembling as he became unsure of whether or not he could proceed. Working up his nerve, he slowly pressed the towel against her bruised skin. Letting out a breath of relief, he slowly began to clean her up as he tried to ignore the whimpers of pain coming from the girl every time he passed over a bruise.

"Okay, you're doing great…" Sabine kept on talking to the girl, her hand never leaving hers. "We'll get you some help soon, and something for you to wear."

"Why not kill me?"

"Huh?"

"You know I'm talking to you….bastard." Tayuya slowly looked up at the blond with an empty glare. "We're...enemies...from different villages….My comrades, almost killed all of yours…"

Sabine looked between the two, and quickly figured out she must be from his planet.

Naruto said nothing as he motioned Sabine to turn Tayuya over. She did so with some difficulty, considering how Tayuya was glaring at Naruto suspiciously. His face remained grim as he refreshed the towel with some new, warm water.

"...We're not shinobi anymore." Naruto finally said, pausing as he put his rag down. "Right now, we're just survivors."

His tone stunned the Sound-nin, as she hadn't expected his voice to sound so defeated. In the short time that they had briefly interacted, he came off as his hyperactive idiot that would've been the first one to die had it not been for his annoying teammates.

The blond saying nothing else, Naruto kept on helping Sabine on comforting and cleaning her up. He paused when he noticed how some of her wounds were looking quite eerie, needing more serious help…

'Kurama, mind helping out with her wounds?'

'Kit, I'm literally born from the Dark Side. I couldn't heal that Mandalorian brat back then; that was all you. And this time, it'll still be all you.' Kurama responded. '...I do hope you still know how to use Force Healing.'

Ignoring that last jab, he turned back to Sabine. "Can you hold her still for a moment?"

A look of realization went through her mind as she nodded. She continued to whisper soothing words into her ear as she continued to hold her hand. Naruto then placed his hand over Tayuya's head, and closed his eyes.

In...out. In...out.

Peace. Tranquility. Comfort. Order. Calm. Relief. Healing.

Darkness. Pain. Suffering.

Naruto's concentration was suddenly thrown off as a bombardment of negative emotions began to overwhelm him.

A young boy crying out for his mother and father. Tayuya, screaming as they forced themselves onto her, jeering at her as they tore chunks of her hair out, slapping and kicking her.

A slave fell over dead asthefuckingPykesshothim, ,discardedlikethetrashweallare.

Stay away. STAY AWAY. STAY AWAY YOU DEMON BRAT!-

"KIT!"

Naruto blinked, and he realized that his hand was empty. Tayuya was whimpering in the other side of the room, barely rasping out words as she held her hands up to her head.

"What the kriff happened, Naruto?" Sabine asked him. Naruto just stared at his hand, and for a second, he thought it looked gray and shrivelled.

"I...I don't know." Naruto said helplessly, tears pooling from his eyes.

'Naruto, you were consumed by the Dark Side.' Kurama explained slowly. 'It feeds off of death and suffering, and considering that you're in a cesspool of both, I'm surprised that it actually took this long for the Dark Side to finally get to you.'

'Shit…' Naruto groaned as he sat onto the filthy floor. 'Does that mean I can't Force Heal anymore?'

'No, brat.' Kurama sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. 'That just means that you need to confront your issues head on. Whatever suffering you're feeling, figure out which one's yours, separate yours from the others, and confront your issues head on. That, or go nuts from all the suffering you're going through. Your choice.'

Prick… Naruto thought, even though he knew he was right. Closing his eyes, he began to slowly breathe in and out, trying to settle the storm that had erupted in his mind.

In...out...in-

A young boy crying out for his mother and father.

...It's okay. It's okay. It's not happening to me.

Tayuya, screaming as they forced themselves onto her, jeering at her as they tore chunks of her hair out, slapping and kicking her.

It's okay. Stay...stay in the moment.

Why don't you do anything about them? How many could you save if you went rogue?

...I'm here, I'm here, I'm here.

All of their deaths are on you. All because you, for once, decided to stick with the plan. How do you feel about that?

...Terrible. I feel terrible.

…

You're right. I could've saved them. I could've stopped that poor kid from losing his parents. From becoming like me. But, I know why they had to die. They had to die so that the plan could work. I'm not ready to lead to the rebellion yet. I'm not strong enough. But...I promise I'll avenge them. I'll make sure that their deaths, their suffering, their sacrifice, would mean something in this cruel world.

…

...It's okay. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm here. I'm here...to heal Tayuya. I'm here so that I can help her.

…  …

...I don't know what you are. I don't know if you're something that's alive. If you want to punish me, do it. But please, let me help her first.

.  . .

...I'm here. I'm here.

Naruto opened his eyes, and found himself standing over Tayuya. He discovered that she had stopped whimpering, and, much to his relief, her wounds were fading. Every broken bone began to mend itself. Every bruise shrank until it faded from sight. Her breathing became easy, her ragged breaths turning into small sighs of relief.

Taking his hand away from her head, he let out a small smile, before he fell on his rear.

---

(Later that night)

Naruto stared at the stone walls, barely illuminated by the torches outside of his cell. Despite the loud snoring his bunk mates were making, Naruto found himself deep in his thoughts, recalling his experience with both the light side and the dark side of the Force.

Thinking about the two sides made his head hurt, so he decided to turn his thoughts onto Tayuya.

Hopefully, she was getting the rest and treatment she needed by Idel and Bellatrix, who agreed to keep her existence a secret for now. Both he and Sabine mutually agreed to not talk about her, hoping that the Zygs would assume her to be dead, joining the ever growing pile down below, waiting to be burned away.

"..."

Naruto took a deep breath, before he raised his hand at the ground. Concentrating on the rocks on the ground, he pictured them in his mind, clear as day, and he began to picture his intent, focusing his calm determination and will.

The small rocks trembled, before they slowly began to rise. The gravel began to float in the air, and Naruto had to keep himself from whooping in joy and childish wonder.

Taking another deep breath, he willed them to come to him, and it did just that. It fell back towards the ground a few times, almost hitting the ground more times than he would care to admit, but before he knew it, the gravel was floating just a foot away from him, hovering like miniature moons in front of him.

His face full of wonder slowly melted away as they formed into one full of determination. Turning into a scowl, he began to focus on his pain - on the pain of everyone who was condemned to this hell. Rage, pain, suffering coursed through his mind, body, and soul, as he clenched his hand into a fist.

Crunch.

The gravel imploded on itself, crushed by an invisible force, reducing it into mere sand and dust. Naruto stared at the remains of the gravel for a moment, before he relaxed his fist. The dust fell onto the floor, making a soft noise as it returned to where it came from. Laying his head back onto his hard bed, he let out a small, weary sigh, the feelings of the dark side fading away.

It was exhausting to use the dark side. Sure, it was one hell of a rush, and it felt good to use it, but once he was done, all he felt was...emptiness. Bitter, drained emptiness.

Still, the power he felt while using it to crush that puny rock-

Naruto shook his head. It didn't take a genius to figure out that getting addicted to using the dark side was bad, and that he should keep it under control, else it would control him.

Still, though, the powers the dark side offers is pretty tempting. He heard stories from Sabine about just some of the things both the Jedi and the Sith were capable of, and how the Mandalorians had to learn how to adapt in order to be able to take them down.

Impressed at the stories, he found himself disappointed at the modern Jedi, since Sabine said that they were basically the watered down version of their former selves, with only a handful of the Jedi being worthy enough to be compared to the Jedi of the Old Republic.

After hearing about how weak they are, a part of him was considering choosing the dark side primarily instead of the light, choosing the path of the Sith to be able to rain death on his enemies, and to everyone that wronged them.

His thoughts were interrupted when he realized that Tarik was shifting endlessly nearby. Even without his connection to the Force, he could feel the man's distress as he groaned and whimpered in his sleep.

Sitting up from his bed, Naruto looked around at his cellmates. He gave up on the idea of sleeping in this hellhole; it was too hot, too humid, and too noisy. He tried taking off his shirt, which only helped to dampen his bed even quicker. Plus, the events of today still haunted him, particularly with his encounter of the dark side.

Meanwhile, the others somehow seem to be sleeping well. Maybe it was due to most of them coming from a naturally warm climate, with two of them from the Middle East and another being from Mexico. Except for the only Russian, who didn't seem to care about it anyways.

Russians were sure a strange kind of people, that's what he could say for sure.

*Groan*

His thoughts were snapped back to the present as he heard Tarik groan again. Naruto wondered if he was the only one aware of his nightmares, This has been happening for weeks, and nobody seemed to bring it up.

Naruto looked at the man's writhing form, before looking at his hands. Saying nothing, he slowly got up, walking towards the man. Kneeling down, he slowly placed his hand over his sweating forehead.

'Its okay...Tarik….Just breathe…' He spoke through his mind, hoping to help his friend through the Force. 'It's okay...just let me help.'

WAAAHHHH!

A young boy was seen wailing over the dead body of a woman, who laid in a pool of her own blood after being shot in the back of the head by another woman, who waited for her outside the local Walmart while everyone surrounded them, paralyzed by horror at this woman's murder. Two bystanders took the gun from the woman, and pinned her down as she screeched like a banshee.

"TERRORISTS! INFILTRATORS! MURDERERS!" The woman screeched as two police officers finally made it to the scene. "THAT WAS FOR NEW YORK! NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGET!"

"Ma'am you're under arrest, don't resist."

"DON'T ARREST ME! ARREST THESE TERRORISTS! THEY DESERVE IT, THEY DESERVE IT!" She was pulled up and brought to the police car as the Sheriff approached the young Tarik, who was still weeping over his dead mother.

The Sheriff knelt down to the young boy, and tried to calm him down. "Look at me, kid. Just don't look."

The only thing the young boy could do was stare at his mother, whose head was leaking blood and brain matter from her headscarf while the paramedics tried to check on her.

Naruto opened his eyes after seeing that awful memory, gasping as he stumbled backwards.

Tears falling like raindrops, he turned back to Tarik and saw the Urzik man sweating even harder as his whimpers grew even worse.

'Kit what the hell are you doing?'

"Stay out of this, Kurama.' Naruto spoke back in his mind. 'I'm trying to help Tarik out, he's hurting.'

'He's having a nightmare about his dead mother, nothing else.' The Fox snorted 'Besides, why do you care? It's his problem he's got to deal with. Stay out of it and don't try to be a hero like you did for that Sound bitch.'

'First of all, you're the one who told me to learn how to use the Force, with minimal help from you, you overgrown furball.'

'Watch it, boy.'

'Second, her name is Tayuya, not Sound bitch. I already told you, we're not shinobi anymore. Only survivors, and we gotta stick together. And lastly, I'm not going to abandon my friends if I can help them. So either back off or help me out, because I'm not gonna quit.' Naruto snapped back at the Kyuubi fearlessly.

'Urgh, you little fucking brat. You always gotta do shit like this, huh? Fuck, it's too early for this shit,' The Fox grumbled. 'Fine, focus on the guy's mind again, I'll help you out.'

'Oh, and I thought you couldn't help out.'

"I can't, you little shit. However, like Force Healing, I can help you out with this problem. However, you're not gonna like it."

'First of all, fuck you. You know, maybe i'm growing to dislike you more for being an asshole then being a Tailed Demon.'

'Then we're making progress, kit.'

'Second, why am I not going to like it?'

"...Cause you'll be using the Dark Side to do it."

…

Ooo-kay, here we go. Naruto sighed, trying to calm himself down. The minute the Kyuubi was done explaining the (theoretical) technique to him, he was feeling more nervous than ever.

"Kit, just because we're using the Dark Side to heal him it doesn't mean that you have to be a nervous wreck to do it."

'I know, shut the hell up.' Naruto snapped back, before he began to meditate, trying to calm his mind down.

'In...out…In...out...in...out…in...out'

...It's okay, Tarik. I'm here - just let me in.

And suddenly, he was back in the grocery store, standing next to a young, weeping Tarik.

"TERRORISTS! INFILTRATORS! MURDERERS!" The woman screeched as two police officers finally made it to the scene. "THAT WAS FOR NEW YORK! NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGET!"

'...Forgive me, Tarik. But please hold on a bit longer.'

And with that, Naruto raised his arms, his outstretched hand slowly clenching into a fist as the bright, sunny day suddenly turned into night, the full moon glowing crimson.

"TERRORISTS! TERRORISTS! TERRORISTS! TERRORISTS!"

An army of the murderer suddenly appeared around Tarik, screaming and shouting the same words that she spat before she was shoved into the car. Only this time, there was no car. There was no police, no more bystanders to try to help. Just a lonely, helpless Tarik being crushed by the overwhelming hate and despair he felt that day.

"NEW YORK! NEW YORK! NEW YORK! NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGET!"

Naruto took a deep breath, before he aimed his hands at the screeching woman. Her mouth opened to spit another round of verbal torment at the poor boy, but nothing came out. The women began to gag as something began to choke them.

Terrified, the women clawed at their throats as they began floating in the air. And suddenly, there was just one woman - one, cowardly woman who robbed an innocent boy of his mother.

She could say no words, but her eyes were pleading for mercy - for the sweet, breath of air that everyone took for granted, until it was their turn to die.

"You're pathetic, you stupid, bitch." Naruto growled, his eyes glowing yellow as his fists clenched even tighter. "How dare you rob a boy of his mother. You're a mother too - how could you do such a thing?"

When he would look back to this moment, he realized that he wasn't sure just how he knew this murderer was a mother. Maybe the Force told him, who knows?

Whether or not the woman heard him, it didn't matter. Naruto's wrist jerked, and the lady's neck twisted with a loud CRUNCH!

Just like that, after so many years of tormenting him, Tarik's worst nightmare was finally defeated.

Throwing away the body with a lazy flick of the wrist, he looked down and saw that the boy was looking around, confused at the sudden change of scenery. He then looked at the tall, blond boy standing a few feet away from him, the cool, now-pale moonlight illuminating his form.

Despite the dark aura the boy - no, man?, possessed, despite his demonic, yellow eyes, he felt strangely comforted at the man.

"It's okay, Tarik. It's okay, now." Naruto smiled reassuringly. His glowing eyes dimmed back to its regular blue. "The bad lady's gone, now. She won't bother you ever again?"

"B-but, she always comes back!" Tarik stammered, his eyes on the verge of tears again. "W-will you be there again?"

"No," Naruto confessed, "but it'll be okay, kid. You're stronger than you think. No one can undo what happened, no matter how hard we try. Trust me, kid, don't blame yourself for what happened. She made her choice, and life keeps moving forward. It's time for you to move on."

"But...Mom…"

"I know, Tarik. It sucks not having a mom anymore, I get it. But being stuck in the past won't change the fact that it still happened. All you can do is get up, get stronger, and move on. All I did for you was make this easier - it's up to you to get up and get stronger. The next time she appears, you stand up, and you tell her that she has no right to be in your head. Next time she shows her ugly face again, put your foot through it and tell her to piss off!"

Tarik giggled at that, his form finally relaxing.

"...Okay." It was a simple word, but Naruto knew that he had done his job - at least for now.

"...Go in peace, Tarik." He said, closing his eyes as he swiped his hands. The scenery around them began to change, the night turning to day and the setting warping to a better time.

A young Tarik was seen standing in front of the gates of the local elementary school, where he was visibly nervous toddler wearing the same soccer t-shirt of his favourite team with a backpack on his back.

"Something wrong, Tarik?"

The boy turned to his mother, an Arab woman who had long brown hair that was put in a braid. She had the beautiful smile that could speak for itself as a kind and helpful person. Emigrating to the US in 95' just when he was born, her name was Fatima Karim, a Urzik national who fled like many of her fellow countrymen from the war in Urzikstan, and finally managed to get refugee status to the United States.

"I'm scared, mama," the young Tarik said, clutching to his mother's pants that she wore for her work as a teacher. "What if they don't like me?"

His mother went down to her little son, and held his shoulders as she gave him her assuring smile, like she was going to lecture him again, something she was prone to do.

"Listen, I know things haven't been easy for us ever since 'what happened' in New York." It was almost a year since the Twin Towers came down, ever since then, anyone from a Muslim background or anything related to being Arabic began to feel like a curse for those people. "but don't let that think you're less than anyone else, and do not be afraid to befriend other people."

"But you know what happened at uncle Hamza's shop that was burned down? Or the neighbor next door Raja who got her headscarf ripped off by that meanie, or how we found a pig's head on the front of the mosque?" He brought up incidents that he witnessed himself happen to other people. "Did we do something bad?"

Little Tarik then asked, "Is it wrong being a Muslim?"

The mother's face turned grim as her son reminded her of those incidents, incidents that she never wanted to let her son see. Putting back her reassuring smile, she answered her son's question by pulling something out of her pocket.

It was a small pin with the American flag on it. "Did you remember the story I told you? About how a nice lady at the airport gave me this pin as a welcome gesture?"

Young Tarik nodded.

"That's the point, Tarik. Here." She pinned the little flag on the boy's shirt, straightening it out. "I want you to wear it."

"Why?" Tarik asked, looking down on his shirt. "It's just a pin."

She points her finger at the pinent and said, "That, my little angel, is part of your identity. You're an American. An American with Urzik roots."

"What's so special about being an American, mama?" Tarik asked, confused. "We don't do the same things like the other neighbors. Or even go to the same Mosque."

The mother chuckled at her little son's confusion. "No, no, my boy. An American is not being from a certain religion, or having a skin color, or coming from one background. We live in a country that is made up of people like us; people coming from different parts of the world and living next to other people. Like Mr. Singh, who came from India, or the shop owner Mr. Cho, who is from South Korea, or like that nice old mister Schmetzel who comes from Israel."

"But why do we still get angry looks from people?" Tarik still didn't understand his mother. "It feels like we aren't welcome here…"

"That's because they're afraid, my child." She told him. "Don't worry, one day they'll see you for who you are." she closed the button of her boy's jacket that he wore over his soccer shirt. "One day, you will prove yourself that while you are an Urzik man, you are as just American as they are. Because you ARE an American. Got it?"

The young Tarik scrunched up his eyebrows as he looked at the pin. "I think so."

RIIIIIIING!

The school bell went off, and one of the teachers came out, saying, "Everybody come inside!"

Fatima turned to her son and kissed him on the forehead. "Go and make a lot of friends, my little lion."

"Okay, mama." he kissed her on the cheek and ran for his class. "Love you mama!"

"Love you too!"

…

Naruto's eyes opened as Tarik's memory finally ended. Slumping down onto the dirty ground, he took a minute to take in some deep breaths to settle his mind and heart. After finishing his break, he looked back up.

Tarik was sleeping soundly, with no more nightmares haunting the poor man. He was no longer shaking, and his breathing was calm and even. A tear ran down his eye, but this time, it was from a sweet memory.

A weary smile made its way onto the blond shinobi's face as he crawled back to his bed.

"Sleep well, Tarik...You deserve it." Naruto began to close his eyes as he tried to get some rest.

'You keep mingling into others' affairs, brat…' Kurama spoke through the boy's head. 'One day that's gonna be a huge mistake.'

'Oh, quit your complaining. I bet you'd like that anyways, seeing as how you're gonna finally get out of my body that way.'.'

'Yeah, but I'd still rather you didn't eat it just yet. You-...you're becoming less of a nuisance right now.' Kurama grumbled, his loud but gentle tone vibrating in his head. 'So do us a favor and try not to die yet.'

A chuckle escaped through Naruto's mouth as he nodded. 'Sure, I'll try. Good night.'

'...Good night, kid.'

The two ended their conversation with a mutual and unusual non-hostile tone that almost sounded friendly-like. And with that, he closed his eyes.

---

The next day was a day like any other. The sun was blazing on their backs, the tunnels were hard to breath in, another slave died on his feet, and Naruto was forced to dig for some more spice.

Come on, what the hell's with the guards these days? Naruto glared as he smashed the pickaxe into the cave walls. He glanced at the other slaves around him, his eyes falling onto one of the men with a large towel around his head. His nose was bandaged up behind his cloth mask, due to a fight that had occured a while back, making him sound funny every time he talked.

Ibrahim, any second now… He muttered internally. He was sweating from the anticipation, which was not helping with his anxiety.

BOOM!

An explosion caught everyone's attention, including the Sentinel Pyke that was watching over them. Apparently a drilling machine had overheated, exploding loudly as large chunks of broken bits flew everywhere.

"The Hell?" The Sentinel muttered as he ran towards the source of the explosion. That was the distraction Naruto needed as he walked up to the toweled slave. The slave smiled from underneath his mask, before ripping it off alongside his towel.

"Go, we'll cover you."

Naruto nodded in thanks as he put on the towel and the mask, before giving him his clothing. The switch, which had been done and practiced so many times, had been quick, and Naruto was already running down the tunnels towards his destination.

…

Walking down the dark tunnels, Naruto couldn't help but admire the Earthlings' ingenuity as he stared at the crudely made candles and lights. They took what little they were given/found, and created an entire system of lighting that only they knew how to use.

For all their high tech that the Zyggerians and the Pykes used to enslave them, they sure had no clue on how to work with basic technology such as this.

Naruto came to a sudden stop near some rubble. Taking the time to knock on a couple of them, he found the rock he was looking for and gently pushed it out of the way. For one to look at it, it would seem like he was trying to cause another cave-in, but this rock rolled away with minimal effort, revealing a hidden tunnel. It led to a very old mine shaft that he and Tarik discovered with Adrik, which served as just one of many of their secret headquarters for the rebellion.

Crawling into the secret lair, he couldn't help but look back on where it all started.

---

Few months ago

"Next!" One of the cooks threw a pile of white goop onto Naruto's tray. He looked at the goop with some unease, unsure of what the hell this was supposed to be.

"Got a problem, kid?"

Naruto looked up at the cook, the light in his eyes extinguished like the lives of his previous cell mates, who had died from exhaustion and from blaster fire after they were unable to move any further, collapsing from a heatstroke.

Furthermore, some of his other former cellmates got into a fight over a piece of bread after a Zygerrian threw one in there for fun. The slaves scrambled for it, fighting and biting at each other for the chance to fill in their empty stomachs. After watching in amusement for a few minutes, they finally stepped in to "keep the peace," which ended with most of them getting electrocuted to death to set an example.

"No, it's fine." Naruto sighed before he left, the other slaves behind him becoming impatient at him just standing around. Sitting down, he was about to take a bite of the nasty sludge when someone pulled on his sleeve.

Turning around, he blushed a little when he looked at a green Twi'lek, a race he learned that was filled with beautiful humanoids with tentacle-like appendages that was apparently very commonly picked to become slaves.

"Follow me," the Twi-lek simply said as she turned around, walking to another table. Raising his eyebrows, he decided to go along with it to avoid any immediate hostilities. Going through the many rows of slaves eating their meals in peace, he noticed that some were eying him with caution or envy.

The green beauty eventually sat down on an empty seat, which was evidently hers from the beginning, judging by the lack of suspicious looks from the other slaves.

"Sit," she said without looking at him, immediately getting back to her meal. "Eat while we're talking - it'll attract less attention from the guards should they happen to walk in here.

Taking her advice, he quickly sat down next to her as he dug right in. His face twitched at how disgustingly plain it tasted, despite having tasted this particular slop a few times already.

It was a full minute before the woman finally spoke to him.

"So you're the new kid from Elementia, right?" the Twi'lek asked, a welcoming smile on her face. "The name's Hera Syndulla, but you can just call me Hera."

"U-Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto quickly corrected himself. During his time here so far, he picked up on the fact that not many people here introduced their last names first, which was a cultural habit he had to break in order to avoid unnecessary confusion. "And yeah, you're right. How'd you know?"

"Word travels fast here, kid," this time it was a dark-skinned human man that spoke, grabbing Naruto's attention. "After three people get beaten to death for a loaf of bread and the only survivor of the cell being you, you tend to stand out like a sore thumb."

Naruto turned to the darked skinned man. "Who are you?"

"Name's Tarik Karim, kid." He introduced himself as he turned to the others. "The ruskie next to me is Adrik Yahontov. We wanted to talk to you about your apparent background."

Naruto observed the two men and noticed the "Ruskie" wasn't even paying attention, and was busy eating his food while the guy named Tarik was still waiting for an answer from him.

"My background?" Naruto asked with suspicion. "What about it?"

"You're from Elementia, right?" Hera asked bluntly.

"...Yes."

"Then you must be one of those so called 'Shinobi' warriors." Adrik guessed as he turned his head to the blond kid. "The ones who can walk up to walls and disguise themselves like chameleons."

"I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Listen, kid. There's no need for any hostility in here," Hera spoke, coming in between. "We know you're from that planet, and we need to know what your intentions are."

"My intentions?"

"Stop with this bullshit act boy, and answer the damn question." Adrik grunted.

Naruto was not having it and wanted to leave, but then he noticed that he was being stared at from multiple directions and that alarmed him that he was caught in the middle, so he kept his calm and sat down.

Hera decided to calm the tension down and reached for Naruto's shoulder, and said, "We don't want to hurt you, but there's a lot at stake. So hear us out."

"...Okay." Naruto reluctantly lowered his guard, and asked Tarik, "Then why all the fuss if I gotta ask."

"Because you weren't the last person of Elementia to be brought here," Adrik responded to him with the story. "Some idiot started running up the wall and tried to escape, but before he could reach the top, his collar electrocuted him and the Zygs kept shooting at his body for the following day as target practice."

"That kinda sucks."

"Not only that," Tarik spoke without raising his voice, "they also randomly picked fifty slaves and killed them, leaving their hanging bodies on the entrances of the cells as a reminder…" That memory still haunted him like it happened yesterday. One of the main reasons was because one of those victims was a person he knew was among the first to be hanged...alive.

Hera took it over from there. "That's why we need to know if you're planning on escaping. We cannot afford for any more people to die…"

Carefully, Naruto responded, "Well, I got news for you."

He reached for his shirt and pulled it up to show some red patterned tattoo on his chest.

"I don't know how, but they sealed off my chakra - the source of our powers," Naruto explained to them grimly. "Meaning they've already got someone from my planet to work here for cases like me. So for the meanwhile, my abilities are useless." He put his shirt down in contemplative silence; he didn't know who it was that put the seal on him, but there were two facts that comforted him: he could still somehow talk to AND interact with the damned Fox, and secondly, he still felt his chakra flow. Maybe it was due to his connection to the Fox, but either way, he had no way of accessing his chakra - for now. "So what is it that you called me in here for, besides for accusing me of something I can't even do."

Tarik took a moment to first look at Adrik, who nodded to him, before then he turned towards Hera. "Go on."

She turned back to the kid. "We're planning on something big, and we need good people with experience in anything that can be helpful here."

It took a moment for Naruto to realize by what she meant. Putting his spoon down, he turned towards the Twi'lek and looked her right in the eyes.

"You're talking about a breakout, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes we are." Tarik nodded. "We heard that you shinobi are hardened warriors, you think you can be useful to us?"

Naruto nodded. "What do you need?"

"You know how to make bombs?" Adrik asked. "Like flammables or smoke or anything like that?"

Luckily for the struggling rebellion, this prankster actually close attention to when the academy taught them on how to make traps and explosives, especially ones that didn't require chakra.

"When can I get started?

---

Naruto put down a few empty bottles onto the ground as he laid down various materials, like the alcohol that came from the kitchen detail, who managed to smuggle it into the underground, and some pieces of cloth that would later be dipped into the incendiary substance.

"Okay, these are the last ones." Naruto grabbed an empty bottle and a small can of alcohol, and began pouring the substance into the bottle, before he then went on to put the small piece of cloth on the side of the bottle with some tape so it could be stored for later with the other small devices that were already prepared.

Hearing footsteps approaching him, he looked up to see that it was Sabine, who came in with a box of materials.

" I see you're busy."

"I've just finished the last bottle," Naruto put all the molotovs into a box, before passing it to another slave. "That's my part for today. What about you?"

"Adrik told me to build more of those roller bombs." she put the box down and tried to find the right word. "I think those Earthlings called them 'Pipe bombs?'"

Naruto cleaned his hands. "That's it alright, those Earthlings sure know how to create lots of scary weapons." Naruto heard that Ibrahim was busy helping build what he remembered was called 'Napalm explosives' that are being kept in various levels on Ölüm.

She placed the box on the ground. "Mind helping me out here? Could use the help."

"No problem." Naruto knelt down to help her place the parts on the ground for her to set apart. "Come on, I wanna get this done before supper begins."

"You tell me," she said, recoiling at the bad stench of alcohol. "I really don't like that smell, but it sure beats the kitchen food, honestly."

"Funny, Bomber even said he even drinks this stuff," Naruto said with a snicker. "He said it was a thing his grandfather made him do back in his country as part of a tradition."

"Really." Sabine chuckled, pulling some parts together. "I'll need to visit that place once we're out of here."

The two continued their work for the remainder of the time as they, like anybody else in the secret mine, were busy with the preparations for the big event that was to come very soon. But if you could feel the emotions in the air, it was not those of happiness, but rather bitterness, fear, and some even a deep desire for revenge.

Revenge, for the daily humiliations, exhaustion, and death for those who survive every day to see the next day. Hoping one day they can repay back the favor, with blood...

---

[?]

As the night had fallen yet again over Kessel, two men in hazmat suits were seen walking out of a newly built white facility. They walked over to the entrance of the newly built tunnel that connected the Ölüm mine with the new lab.

"The latest experiment has been a success." The first man said as they both walked through the decontamination chamber. "If we continue with these new subjects, Doctor Vindi will be very happy with our continuing progress. This project must succeed."

"The revival and weaponization of a deadly plague. The Blue Shadow Virus, absolutely magnificent." his colleague spoke in a sense of pride. "Have the men in Area 3 madeany progress with their project?"

"You mean about the T-Virus?" The 1st man said. "Possibly; I heard that they brought their batch to Area 6, but they'll need new test subjects...just like us, to be honest." the two scientistswalked up to the Sentinels standing guard at the tunnel entrance.

The two Sentinel Pykes saw the two scientists walk up to them, and one of them asked, "What is it that you need, gentlemen?"

"We'll need a group of test subjects. The last ones have just been used, and we need some new ones for continuing experimentation."

One of the sentinels looked at the two men with suspicion. "On whose orders?" In response, one of the scientists pulled out a holopad.

"From the Umbrella Corporation, who is paying your funds at this moment, Mr. Pykes." the scientist stated. "A request to transfer about fifty new slaves to be brought in here."

The Pykes guard accepted the written order, but still had one more question. "Okay, but what is this facility called? I'm new here."

"Sector 12 - The Red Paw."

---

(Next Morning)

Naruto laid on his bunk bed, staring at the red ceiling as he tried to get some sleep. Sleeping below him was Joseph, who was now sleeping with a cross in his hand. Naruto noted how much more religious the man was becoming, even giving small sermons to those who asked in between labor and in lunch breaks.

Laying on the other bunk beds were Tarik on the bottom and Adrik taking top. Naruto smiled when he saw Tarik cough a few times, but aside from that, was sleeping just fine. Adrik, on the other hand, was not sleeping, but was instead writing something in a small notebook, which he later learned was a log about the amount of weaponry that was being made and stockpiled.

He quickly finished up, and put the small notebook in an open spot in the wall, before he slid a brick into it. It was just one of many many hiding spots he and Jimmy made.

Speaking of Jimmy, the Mexican digger was seen rolling up somel cigarette papers. Officially, they were to smoke spices and tobacco, which the slavers didn't really mind too much so long as it didn't interfere with their work (and even encouraged it to try to create dependence), but in actuality, in those small papers were written messages that would later be given to other slaves from different cell blocks. He had already written about fifty 'kites' with each having different messages and instructions for every level of this God-forsaken place.

Ibrahim, meanwhile, was seen actually smoking one of his cigarettes, which was made from smuggled tobacco "How did you learn to write so small?"

"Done," Jimmy finished his last roll, and put them inside his pocket. "I did some time in a US Jail in Arizona; got to learn how to make them before getting deported back South."

"Ah, what did you get caught for?"

"I was caught with no visa, that's all." Jimmy answered, sealing the kites up. "Gringos thought I was a gang member or something, deported me back across the border. Not a nice experience for me….Also, I was drinking and crashed my truck right into a deputy's car."

"Ah," Ibrahim chuckled. "Now that makes sense…"

Suddenly the lights turned on, followed by a loud shouting. Learning from experience about the consequences of not getting up, everyone who was asleep shot straight up immediately.

"The hell?!"

"Is it day already?"

"Motherfucker-!" The doors opened, causing Ibrahim to put out his smoke and Jimmy to hide the message kites.

One of the Zygerrian slavers yelled out in the hallway, "Everyone in this row, out, now!"

Naruto jumped off his bunk bed and rubbed his eyes, before following suit with the others in the flow of slaves getting out of their cells. Glancing at the dark sky, he and the rest couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

…

Everyone was now standing on the ground level, with the vast majority of the slaves talking to one another nervously. The fact that some of them - Naruto included - was a crucial part of the rebellion got them sweating hard.

It took a lot out of Naruto to not try to run, with the blond having to meditate to settle his fears.

I can't afford to get lost in the dark side now, Naruto thought to himself. If we panic, then the entire thing is definitely over.

Still, Naruto couldn't shake off the feeling that something terrible was going to happen soon. Shaking his head, he decided to try to distract himself by taking to his friends. Even talking about bad new was better than letting anxiety chew at his nerves.

"How bad…" Tarik started to ask Naruto.

"I only briefly spoke to Bellatrix when we brought her here. But she was in a pretty bad shape after Sabine and I found her." Naruto told them with a frown. "...So what now?"

"We'll need to keep this a secret." Tarik stated. "We'll have to bring her to the secret caves if we want to keep her safe. Plus, she needs all the medical and mental help we can give."

"But Idel and Bellatrix aren't allowed to leave the infirmary," Adrik reminded him of the fact the medical personnel were restricted in movement. "So letting them come in is impossible."

"Sabine can help her," Naruto suggested. "She's got some medical experience, so she can help. Plus, she's the only other person that can be close to her without being frightened by her presence."

"Yes, and we can let some of the supplies for her be smuggled through our usual routes. That's for you to do, Ibrahim."

"No problem." The Libyan nodded while chewing on a stick. "But we gotta think how we need to close ranks when it comes to incidents like this against the other women. Try and cover them from such actions."

"That's where we'll talk to Hera once we see her." Adrik told them, since she'll know what to do already.

"Formation!"

The loud shout from the Zygerrian slaver got all the slaves to run into formation, with the disorganized crowd turning into rows of people within seconds. It was normal protocol if they wanted to make an example, or if they wanted to do a mass killing. But then came the slavers. D'Nar was seen walking up front with a few of his Pykes Sentinels, but they also were accompanied by a few men in white robes that looked like scientists - people they've never seen before.

"My slaves from the Terran sector!" D'Nar spoke in glee at his personal collection. "I came here, to congratulate you all!" This earned him some uncomfortable/anxious looks, which he visibly relished. "Because of your hard work, my mines have shown excellent profit and investment!"

If one looked between the lines, they would realize that he was referring to the fact that the human race was surprisingly more durable on this planet, with the other species tending to die out much faster due to their biology. This led to D'Nar needing to replace slaves a lot less over the past few months.

"As a reward, I will allow you to take a break from all this spice mining by allowing you to be chosen as participants of a new project!"

Naruto's glare turned into a look of confusion and uncertain fear. What the hell could he be planning now?

"I like to introduce you to these gentlemen of science!" D'Nar pointed to the men in white lab coats. "These men are from the Umbrella Corporation, a well known organisation for those Earthlings from the Western Atmosphere."

"Umbrella Corporation? What the hell are these guys doing here? I heard they're supposed to be pharma-guys…"

More whispers like that began to spread like wildfire. Evidently, these guys are pretty well known back in Earth, making Naruto wonder just how much pull they have.

"Silence!" D'Nar barked as his men moved towards them with the scientists. "They'll handpick the finest of you lot for the upcoming task of supporting them in their findings."

Soon after he said that, the scientists wasted no time checking and picking various people they thought were good for whatever twisted project they had in mind, and were forced to wait in a separate area as another group.

"Her too," One of the two scientists said, picking an African woman who was pushed forward by a Sentinel.

Naruto began to sweat. They were picking subjects rather quickly, and he was dangerously close to being next.

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

Suddenly Tarik's coughing started to rile up. The man fell onto his knees as he began gasping for air, holding his chest.

"Tarik, get up!" Adrik hissed/yelled, but it was too late. The second scientist turned his head towards the source of the coughs, and quickly walked up to him, brushing past Adrik.

"We'll take him too. Might as well put him to some use before he kicks it." The scientist pointed at Tarik, prompting the Sentinel grab him by the arm to drag him away.

Adrik was about to intervene when-

"Wait!"

The scientist and Sentinel turned around to see one of the bigger slaves walk up to them, making the Sentinels raise their blasters in warning. The large man raised his hands, and Naruto instantly recognized him as Bomber

"Let me take his place. He's obviously not well." Bomber said, looking down at both the Sentinel and the scientists. This caused the Pykes to walk up to him, pointing their guns and staffs at him in a threatening manner.

"Get back in line before I-" The Pyke got cut off by the hand of the scientist, who took a good look at the operator of the burning unit, and thought about it.

"Sure. Go over there." the scientist ordered. "Forget the other one."

The sentinel holding Tarik dropped him carelessly, telling him to get back in line as they escorted Bomber towards the other group. The Urzik man was being helped up by Adrik, who looked at him in concern "What the fuck man, you sick?"

"The...coughing...sorry." Tarik looked down and saw that droplets of blood were on his hand. "I need to….go back to Idel…*Cough!*"

"ATTENTION!"

They all turned back forwards as D'Nar was on the word again. He eyed his remaining slaves, frowning at how many he was going to lose, before turning back to the group of chosen "participants". All the slaves watched as the chosen slaves were all put in formation, with Bomber being at the front.

"Psst, Naruto."

Naruto tried turning to the person next to him, but felt something shoved right into his pocket, and the mystery man told him, "Bomber gave me this, told me to pass it to you. Told me you'd understand."

Naruto looked over at his large friend in concern, and saw how the large Russian was looking at his direction, nodding to him to tell him that he was going to be alright.

As they began walking right towards the new, white tunnel, these chosen participants grew worried as they looked at the sunlight for the last time, not knowing if they'll ever see it again

That's for today, folks, hope you all like it. Leave reviews if you like.

Good day!

Chapter 9: The Spark

[Kirigakure]

Kirigakure, also known as the Village Hidden in the Mist, is a Shinobi village that is part of the five big powers of Elementia. This village, nicknamed "The Village of the Bloody Mist", was currently going through something that they hadn't experienced for many years:

Peace.

For the first time since ages, true peace had finally made its way to the lonely, yet brutal village. The people were finally able to rebuild, as the village had now had finally ended its long and bloody civil war that had destabilized the region for so many years, with numerous atrocities that had been committed across the Land of Water and its population by rogue ninja, bandits, and deranged bloodline lynch mobs that would fill the streets with the bodies of their victims. But now that was over, all thanks to the rebels and the new Mizukage.

She was now seen walking through the village's market that not only had been rebuilt, but also had gone through some new technological changes thanks to their new allies and visitors.

The market was filled with people and these strange, new beings called "droids", many who were selling food to equipment native and nonnative to this planet, which was dubbed "Elementia" by the apparent Republic that ran this galaxy alongside the Confederacy. Although initially skeptical of these beings from the stars, with some of them not even being human beings, they quickly proved their worth when they supplied their rebellion with not just food and supplies, but with more weapons and droids to aid them in not only fighting but also reconstruction.

Mei smiled from her recollection, walking up to a fruit vendor who was selling both the native fruits of this land and a new variety of fruits that came from other planets.

"Excuse me, sir."

The vendor looked up towards the voice. His eyes widened at the unexpected visitor, and he quickly bowed his head down. "Lady Mizukage. It's an honor to see you."

Standing right in front of him stood Mei Terumi, the 5th Mizukage, a slim, beautiful woman who had unique green eyes that were a match for her ankle-length, auburn hair that was styled into a herringbone pattern at the back. Despite her beautiful, gentle look, she was one of the strongest Shinobi from the Hidden Mist, who led the rebellion into the village and ended the madness that brought the civil war to the village and the Water country, defeating her enemies swiftly with anyone who stood right in front of her, unifying many parts of the Kiri Shinobi under her in restoring the peace and status of the Hidden Mist.

Besides being a good military leader, a fighter, and a unifier, the Mizukage was also showing signs of being a natural in politics. Using only her words, she managed to convince the defected shinobi and clans to return to the village, promising them that the war and bloodshed were over, and that their criminal status would be erased. Thanks to her new friend, who was currently walking with her, she also began to get along with some of the other members of the Confederacy, which she found to be very helpful in keeping her village's ruined economy up.

"I'd like two of those - I believe they call Fuji apples - for me and my friend." Mei turned to the person standing next to her. "If you'd like to have one, Senator Bonteri?"

"Oh, please, call me Mina," said the Senator of Olderon, Mina Bonteri, a representative of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the same organization that supported Mei's rebellion with military and humanitarian goods. "Yes, I'd like to have one, please."

"Two Fuji apples coming right up." The vendor pulled out two of the freshest fruits he got from his stand, and handed it over to the two ladies. "It's in the house, ma'am, so please enjoy."

Mina, who was flattered at the generosity, insisted, "Oh please, mister-" she pulled out a few credits but was met with a shaking head.

"No ma'am, I mean it." The vendor respectfully declined her offer of coins. "If it weren't for you, this war wouldn't be over. My son and daughter wouldn't be alive today. So please, accept these as a sign of my gratitude."

The Onderonian was slightly taken aback by the elderly man's words of gratitude and decided to accept his token of gratitude with the Mizukage. "Have a good day, mister."

"You both have a good day, ladies. And thank you for bringing peace!" The elderly vendor was heard saying before the two women descended into the crowd.

…

Bonteri took a bite of her Fuji apple, savoring its crisp, sweet taste, before turning to her colleague. "I see that your village is very happy with the newfound peace that you have established."

"Oh indeed," Mei let out a small smile, "They're just glad the civil war is finally over, and that no one in the academy has to worry about killing each other. Of course, there are some of those who wish to go back to the old ways…"

This mostly came from the old timers who survived the civil war, who stated that "not all of our old ways were terrible," which, of course, included the bloody initiation and the bloodline eliminations. She was glad that she removed those old fossils from their positions; it was because of their neglect in handling the former Mizukage's actions that so many of her friends and comrades perished in the Bloody Mist's horrible past, including one of her closest friends, who was confirmed to have died in the Land of the Waves.

She was talking about her old friend, Zabuza. A comrade she knew from her days in the academy, she got through the same brutal graduation ritual like her friend, which she still remembered the time like it was just last week. Living through the dark days of the Village of the Bloody Mist, she had fought desperately, drenched in the blood of her former classmates, becoming the last one standing, just like Zabuza, who, on the other hand, was from a previous class, with the little boy having killed over a hundred off his classmates...before he was eligible for graduation, earning himself the nickname, "Demon of the Hidden Mist."

After their separate graduations from the academy, Mei and Zabuza both rose in the ranks as certified and deadly Shinobi going on high-risk missions and earning themselves respect and a fearful reputation among their fellow Shinobi. She herself got the rank of Jounin with her two kekkei genkai abilities, which were rare to have, while Zabuza, on the other hand, gained a reputation of being an efficient assassin, who joined the ANBU Black Ops and then becoming one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of Kiri blade-wielding Shinobi that consisted of the best swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Meaning they were the strongest the village could offer after the Mizukage.

Unfortunately, when the civil war broke out, Mei herself wasn't even in the country when it occurred when the fighting and atrocities began to take place, but when she heard about the attempted coup d'etat Zabuza committed, she began to band up her rebellion in hopes to put an end to the carnage, even trying to find Zabuza and asking him to help her in her rebellion.

Unfortunately, she arrived too late, finding out that Zabuza had been killed long before she could reach him. She learned that he died in the Land of Waves fighting against a team from Konoha, perishing alongside a boy who he took as an apprentice named Haku. It was hard for her to accept that Zabuza, one of the toughest warriors she had ever met, was dead, even when she stood over his grave, staring at his large blade, which acted as his tombstone.

"Mei, are you alright?"

Quickly snapping out of her thoughts, the Mizukage turned to her colleague. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening…"

Mina recognized that look on her face. "Thinking about someone?"

"Just a friend...someone who I lost…"

"Due to the civil war?" Mina asked cautiously, looking around and staring at the flourishing market. "I'm...sorry to hear that."

"...He would've been proud," Mei continued softly. "He would've loved to see this place; a world where kids don't have to worry about killing each other just to graduate. A place where for a few small minutes, kids could be kids. He...he would've loved to see this…"

"He sounds like a good man."

"He was." The redhead nodded. "Even if the world didn't believe it, deep down, he was a good man who just wanted a place where kids could live in peace."

"..."

"..."

The two women just stared at the ocean, which, for once, was cleared from the fog that constantly blanketed their world, with their guards, both mechanical and human, just standing there awkwardly.

…

"The view is quite beautiful."

The two leaders had concluded the tour around the village and were now back at Mei's new office.

"It is." Mei agreed. Despite having seen the same bay for many years, it had never looked and sounded so peaceful. Instead of the screams of the dying, or the monstrous roar of the ocean, or even the crunching of ships, doomed to remain at the bottom of their ocean, it was now filled with the sounds of laughter, with children playing in the sand and water, with some of them hopefully never knowing the gruesome atrocities that had occurred in their home. On top of that, it seemed as if the gods above were happy at their hard-earned peace, with the mist having been lifted at least for now, allowing the beautiful sunshine to illuminate the once dark and gloomy sky.

"It's hard to believe that a place like this was filled with such a violent past. One that I hadn't seen in a long time." As an experienced politician and diplomat, Mina had visited many planets of different environments, experienced many things, but this was rather new to her. To think that there were still planets who lived with such violence, in such a war-like culture. Racking her brain for any similar cultures, the only ones that came to mind were the Mandalorians and the Kaleesh. "It seems like a beautiful city."

"...I know what you mean," Mei replied as she looked out her window, her thoughts the same as her friend. "A village-like the Hidden Mist deserves better than it had endured."

Mina let out a small, supportive chuckle, "Well, I'm just glad that we were able to help you with your first steps to peace."

"I just hope that I made the right decision," Mei said with a sigh, as it was a frustrating week for her, "because I feel like this will not be the end of it."

"Don't think back on it," Bonteri reassured her, "That's just the scare tactics that they usually do. Believe me, the Republican Senate bureaucrats are known for doing that. Especially now with their new Chancellor." She was referring to the newly elected Chancellor Palpatine, the former senator of her former protégé's planet, who was now the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and one of the core reasons for the current discourse of the Separatist Movement.

Mina frowned at the thought of the elderly Chancellor. There was something about the man that greatly unsettled her, despite his kind demeanor. She remembered the day that she once shook his hand in a meeting. His hand, despite it being warm just like anyone else's, gave her the chills the minute their skins touched, and it took everything she had to not recoil in front of everyone.

"So, shall we speak about the trade deals the CIS has offered to us?" Mei asked, wanting to try to change the subject, "You said that the Confederacy is willing to further aid us with building up our economy for exchange of some raw materials?"

Mina took a seat in front of Mei. "Yes, you told us that the Land of Water is home to a large quantity of resources, correct?"

"Metal and fish is what this country's main exports are," Mei responded as it was mostly sold to shipyards, blacksmiths, or food markets "Is that what you're interested in?"

"Yes, resources like that are what we're looking for to trade. In exchange for that, we offer to give your village and this country whatever you'll need."

Mei was already prepared for this question since she had a file of requests and needs from the village, as well as her checking out the village's conditions itself.

"Well, many of our farmers in the countryside will need some equipment to not only plant and harvest our crops but to help repair the land itself. Your generous food rations are very helpful, but I know that they will not be a permanent fix. On top of that, I believe that more of your battle droids will be needed to help compensate for our massive loss in manpower. Despite us winning our war, we still need to keep up basic security, since bandits, rogue nations, and the other villages could still be a problem."

Bonteri nodded to all of that. "I see no issues with it. Once I return to the Parliament, I will bring this forward, alongside the other trade agreements and negotiations from the other CIS-village members of Elementia. I will warn you, though, that there will most likely be some hesitations against some parts of your needs, due to our limited resources and from general politics. But I believe that your requests should go through without much trouble."

"How so? Who are the other involved parties?" Mei asked. She knew that the Hidden Mist wasn't the only village that aligned itself with the Confederacy, but aside from that, she had no further knowledge about Elementia's galactic alliances.

"Well, it's too soon to tell about the smaller villages, but I can talk about the other big four," Bonteri spoke, trying to recall the negotiations. "The Hidden Cloud village, for example, wasn't clear enough on what they specifically wanted, while the Hidden Rock spoke about wanting to expand their military might by trying to negotiate for more droids on their grounds, so they could be placed on the borders, something we are currently opposed to."

Even though Kumo had quickly aligned themselves with the Confederacy, the CIS wasn't very sure what to think about the village, especially since communication had been difficult since then. Kumo told them that they needed more time to think, but that was months ago, and on top of that, the CIS lost contact with the droids they sent them, which only created more distrust. On top of that, the basis of their strained partnership only seemed to have been born from Konoha's decision to join the Republic, which didn't exactly leave them with any clue to what they could want or offer.

Then there was Iwa, who was the complete opposite. While Kumo hinted at what they wanted with the droids, Iwa was more blunt about it. The Hidden Rock, who was still bitter about the previous war, wanted not just more droids, but multiple droid factories and the Geonosian scientists to produce more droids. However, because they lived in the mountains, they were rich with metallic resources, which was why the Trade Federation, despite the fact that they were probably going to use the droids for a preemptive strike on their neighbors, had pushed to include them into the CIS.

"What doesn't help is that Iwa and Kumo don't appear to like each other very well, which makes negotiations even more difficult. Your village cannot act as a meditator for the two of them, since your village was evidently a huge part of the previous war if I'm correct."

Mei sighed at this. She was no fortune-teller, but even she knew that this would be a problem at some point. "Unfortunately, that's the way it is now. I guess you can say that this situation is like the galaxy now if I'm right."

"As much it hurts me to admit it, you're not far off from the truth," Bonteri said, looking through the window as she shook her head. "Times are changing now, and it's not looking good, especially with our silent war for the domination of systems getting rough." The two factions were struggling to gain allies, and while the CIS was gaining lots of support, the Republic was too, and hostilities were beginning to escalate.

The doors suddenly opened as a B1 battle droid stepped towards Bonteri. ["Ma'am, we've just gotten a transmission from Count Dooku, saying you're needed back on Raxus for an immediate session of Parliament."]

Mina let out a small sigh as she reluctantly stood from her seat, "I guess duty calls me back home. Sorry I can't stay much longer."

"It's okay, we at least got some key issues cleared out."

"Oh!" Mina clapped her hands. "I almost forgot something. I've arranged a gift for you as a token of respect for joining the Confederacy."

"Please, it's not needed."

"Nonsense. You'll love it." She turned around and clapped her hands. "Come in."

The doors swung open again, and this time, a different looking droid stepped inside. This one was much larger than the B1 battle droids, and yet, it didn't look very fit for battle. Large and cumbersome with its thick upper body, it looked much more rectangular. Its head held glowing, white eyes that took the form of two upside-down trapezoids.

The top of its geometric head was a small cover akin to a hat, which looked like a way to block out the sunlight, albeit ineffectively.

Unlike the tan color the B1 battle droids usually were painted with, this droid had a much more variety in colors. Its "hat" and head was painted red and blue and silver, with the rest of its metallic body following the same three colors.

She noticed how the color red was mainly painted on its head, and she couldn't help but touch her hair.

"What kind of droid is this?" Mei asked.

"This is one of the brand-new droids the Geonosians have invented. It's a T-Series Tactical Droid, a droid built not for battle, but to help you come up with countless strategies for battle."

["Hello, ma'am."] The droid's emotionless, robotic voice buzzed through its voice processor. ["I am a T-Series Tactical Droid, unit 054. It is nice to meet you. I hope I can be of great service to you in the name of the Confederacy."]

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, there was an area where most decent locals would not go, but where the newest visitors of the galaxy gladly went to not be bothered by the law.

This was the Kiri Red-Light District, the seediest, dirtiest, poorest part of the village that has similar districts in every village on Elementia, but unlike the other major villages, this one was already being a popular hotspot for the worst parts of the galaxy: smugglers, assassins, and of course, bounty hunters.

This was also where two known individuals were seen walking down the street towards a small, but popular bar that was known to have back rooms for certain customers who wished to "not be disturbed."

"Are you sure they're here?" Cad Bane growled, walking behind Jango who was wearing a cloak, concealing his infamous armor. Jango was also pushing a cart with a small, metal crate full of items he brought back from the Uzumaki island. "I doubt anyone reasonable would travel this far from Tatooine to come and listen to your offer. Including me."

"That I know, but I'm paying you to help keep trouble off my back," Jango said, ignoring the curious and greedy stares the box in front of him was getting as he walked further until he found that bar he heard about. "Now stop complaining and help me find this bar."

"You know if we didn't know each other for this long, I would've shot you in the back already."

"Sure…" Jango made a dry unusual shrug before he stopped right in front of what he was looking for: a bar named The Tipsy Mist.

"Here it is," Bane walked past the Mandalorian, "Let's get inside and find the bastards." The Duros entered the bar, with Jango following suit.

Once the two entered inside, they were met with a dimly lit room, with an obvious smell of toxic, illegal substances in the air. The two could see people at tables smoking and some snorting whatever they had into their bodies while being accompanied by the local working girls in their revealing clothing.

Two of those local girls noticed the two bounty hunters and walked over to them in a seductive way with sly smiles with the first one trying her luck with the Duros. "Hey baby, do you wanna have a good time?"

"Get off me, woman," Bane glared at the woman, "I don't have time for the likes of you." He pushed her hand off his shoulder and walked forward as the first girl fumed in anger and walked away.

Jango on the other hand looked at the other woman, who stood there quietly. "Look, ma'am, no harsh feelings, but we are looking for some people we're supposed to meet up here. A bald-headed woman with an antenna sticking out of her head."

"Oh! That woman, she's in the backroom with some of the other guests waiting for you," she led him through the bar, expertly dodging shoulders and groping hands. "She told us you and your friend would arrive. Please keep your head down and follow me."

"Thanks, ma'am." He followed her to the back of the bar with Bane, who followed right after him, while gaining a few stares from the locals who weren't used to seeing a nonhuman coming here to a place like this, to which Bane just ignored them and continued onwards.

Opening the door for the two patrons, the working girl said to them, "They're at the end of the hallway, left door." The two walked past her with the working girl looking at them before closing the door behind them.

Walking down the dank hallway, Jango was able to see that the other rooms were occupied with some of the patrons, busy with the girls they had hired for their pleasures. Years of experience and professionalism taught him to block out the moans and screams as he continued to his room.

Finally, making it to their room, he knocked on it roughly in a certain sequence. A second passed by, before it slid open, allowing the two of them in. Stepping inside, they were greeted by the sight of familiar faces.

Castas, the Klatooinian bounty hunter with the literal big mouth, was seen drinking from a bottle of sake he ordered, and he looked like he was barely standing on his two feet as he was facing off a bounty hunter the two did not recognize. The said bounty hunter was a female Zabrak, who, while a few inches shorter than the Klatooinian, did not look intimidated at all, and instead glared at him like he said something that set her off.

"Care to repeat that, you pathetic drunk?" the Zabrak said to Castas in front of everyone, including Aurra who sat near the table with a drink in her hand and her legs over the table, accompanied by Zam and young Boba who was watching this scene unfold. Sitting near them was a careful individual with a canine-like beast laying next to him observing the scene for himself.

"Go make yourself useful, you stupid tramp, and go find yourself a bed and-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as he got a kick into the face that made the blabbering bounty hunter stumble back and hit his head against the wall, knocking him out of consciousness.

"Castas, you loudmouthed idiot," Aurra sighed, shaking her head before taking a sip from her drink.

Zam shook her head. "I don't even know why we even let him in here, even though I guess it's better than Greedo."

"Everyone," Jango announced his entry and gained everyone's attention.

"Well look who it is, our missing knight in shining armor." Aurra chuckled, standing up and walking over to them. "So you came after all. Good, because no offense, but don't make it a habit to make me a babysitter for him. That ain't my job."

"Dad." Boba walked over to his father, "Why are we over here anyway?"

He ruffled Boba's hair as Jango answered, "I've been going through some of my old roots, and had to be alone for a while. Thanks anyway for looking after him."

"Your old roots you say?" Aurra chuckled at this, "In a place like this? Spare me, Jango. What does a primitive place like this have that is remotely close to your Mandalorian past?"

"You'd be surprised," Bane said, dropping in as he was with Jango for the last few days on that island not that far away from here. "The things we saw were something you wouldn't believe even if you saw it with your own eyes."

Jango then noticed two unknown faces. "Who are these two if I may ask?"

The female Zabrak didn't look intimidated by Jango's appearance, despite him being a legend. "The name's Sugi." She pointed at the Kyuzo male in the corner. "That's Embo, and lying beside him is his Anooba partner."

"Embo...I've heard that name before…" Bane said, looking at the Kyuzo bounty hunter; a good one he heard. Someone who possibly could be an equal to Aurra as a sniper, but also a ruthless close-ranged fighter who would kill his bounties in the most brutal way possible. Gotta give him respect for a reputation like that.

"Okay," Zam said, not wanting the conversation to take a different turn, "let's stick to the subject, what have you two been doing lately?"

"We've been exploring a former village that was abandoned for a long time, the ruins of the former Village hidden in the Whirlpool, a place that's not that far away from here." He answered her question, gaining some weird looks from his fellow bounty hunters and even a weirder look from his son.

"Ruins? What were you doing at some old ruins, dad?"

"Because, Boba, your father found out his old comrade's extended family were villagers of that place," Bane answered his question while tipping his hat. "And to top that, there might be an extended family member alive who we 'accidentally' met not that long ago."

"Wait, what?" Aurra turned sharply towards the Mandalorian. "Jango, what is he talking about?"

Jango took a deep breath as he shed his cloak. Staring at everyone through his helmet, they could feel his glare through his visor, and the room quickly fell into silence.

"Listen, before I explain everything, let me make this clear: this information will NOT leave this room, understand? If I hear so much as a whisper about this in the streets, I will find which one of you is responsible, and I will hunt you down myself, friend or not."

The bounty hunters tensed up as his words hit their souls. They knew that Jango was not the type to kid around, so when the Mandalorian promised something, he would go to the ends of the galaxy to get it done.

"Got it?" the Mandalorian asked once. Everyone quickly nodded, with even Bane nodding as a way to promise his silence.

Satisfied, the Mandalorian finally sat down at the table, pulling up the remaining seat, and reached for his crate. "In those ruins, we collected some artifacts, including this." He placed a piece of debris he took with him on the table.

The people around the table looked at the small debris, and what they saw got their eyebrows to raise up.

"A whirlpool symbol." Zam nearly snorted, "Are you messing with us, Jango?"

"The whirlpool is a symbol of a local clan that previously existed on the island, which Bane and I have explored for the last few days. The ruins indicate that this village was long in existence, with what we could easily say from some of the earliest gravestones tracing it back to almost over six hundred years back."

"Since when are you an archaeologist?" Aurra began to chuckle but stopped when she noticed Jango just staring at her.

"It appears to be that this village was home to a group of people that are not natives to this world, and were relatives of my old mentor."

"Excuse me?"

Bane scoffed at this response, "It was a Mandalorian village, you numbskulls. That's what he's trying to say."

"How's that possible?" Zam asked in disbelief, "This planet has only been discovered less than a year ago."

"Officially, the Republic 'discovered' the existence of this planet about a year ago." Jango nodded. "Unofficially, I think this clan was one of the first settlers to live amongst these people. Makes a bit of sense once you think back on it."

"What do you mean, dad?" Boba asked.

Jango took a moment to think back on a story he heard in his younger days. "There was once a man during the days of the Old Republic. He was a charismatic warrior who held a dark lightsaber, who unified many of the Mandalorian clans under him. When the time came for the three factions to unite, he led all of Mandalore against the common enemy. He gave his life to give the others a chance to seal away the great evil that threatened our galaxy, with his clan choosing to stay behind on the planet to watch over the terrible beast, knowing that one day, someone would be foolish enough to reawaken it."

"Mandalorians, Jedi, and Sith working together?" Aurra shook her head hearing this, "You're really believing this?"

"Trust me, I thought it was just a myth myself, but I then began digging deeper into this 'myth,' and found out it wasn't one."

"So the story is true?"

"Not only that, I made a discovery that's been on my mind ever since." Jango began running his fingers on the whirlpool, his eyes absorbed into its unique pattern. "My mentor, Jaster Mereel, told me about his clan's history and I found out he's actually a descendant of the same people who were in that battle centuries ago."

This revelation got the bounty hunters' curiosity to spike, and this time it was the female Zabrak Sugi who asked the next question.

"What was the name of the clan that previously lived there? Like you said. They lived there in honor of their fallen clan leader."

"They named the village around here is called Uzushiogakure, meaning Village Hidden in the Whirlpool, after their clan, the Uzumakis," Jango said nothing after that, with the gears turning in the heads of everyone who took part in the Elementia kidnapping mission.

It was Zam who was brave enough to speak up, whose human form paled white as she spoke.

"Wait... that's the name of the boy…"

Jango just nodded as he opened the floating crate, pulling out several objects covered in blankets. Once the crate was empty, he pulled off the blankets from the objects, and there laid a whole set of Mandalorian armor, painted red and black, the colors of the once renowned Uzumaki clan.

"Woah…" Sugi said with a whistle at the whole set, "Look at that. Is this what you found on those islands?"

"Yes...that and much more…" Jango said. This had been what he could take with him. Which was small in comparison to what he found on that island.

Aurra took notice of the helmet and began to examine it. For such an old artifact, it looked in pretty good condition, with no rust or even damage seen on the Beskar armor, not even on the tinted visors. Aurra couldn't help but wonder what sort of technology was used to preserve such a magnificent piece of history.

"So Jango, we just learned that we accidentally threw a fellow Mandalorian into Hell," Aurra said grimly, "but I'm guessing that's not the only thing you're here to talk about, right?"

Looking up to everyone who was listening to him, the last True Mandalorian nodded, before he spoke again.

"I've got a job for you guys."

---

[Jedi Council room]

The Jedi High Council was in full session, with all its members summoned to the room as they had just heard out the intel briefings of Jiraiya's spy that might have found the location of the boy. In the middle of the room stood two holograms whom they were communicating with.

Standing there was Jiraiya, and next to him stood a stern and very angry Tsunade who was not happy to hear the news. They had just been told that Jiraiya had some important information in the search of Naruto Uzumaki.

"Are you certain he's where you think he is, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked, holding her hands in a clinging fist as she heard where her godson was.,

"My spy in there just confirmed it," The toad sage responded. "Naruto is on Kessel, forced as a slave to mine spice from the underground."

BAM!

The holographic figure of Tsunade was seen smashing her hand into the ground, possibly cracking the floor beneath her as her anger seemed to boil over.

No one from the Jedi Council looked to be so much as unsurprised by this reaction. They understood her and decided to let her blow off some steam.

Windu turned to the male Sannin spy-master, "Are you sure that this intel is valid? We need to know that it's 100% true before we make any moves."

"He was found in the medical facility transporting equipment and bodies. Naruto's name and photo was on that list. He must be in one of those mines." That confirmation left the members of the Jedi Council talking.

Shaak Ti was the first to speak up as she listened to every detail carefully.

"We'll need to handle the situation fast. Who knows how much longer that child can hold out in there?"

"That's not going to be easy," Master Fisto said, ticking his chin before asking the Shinobi, "Do you know which mine young Naruto is in?"

"I don't know precisely," Jiraiya said as he sighed in frustration, "The problem is that my spy will not be able to leave the mine."

"How so?" Windu asked.

"My spy entered as a slave, with a random background. Disguised as a resident of Coruscant, nothing interesting. I lost contact with him before he could directly tell me which mine he was in, but he did tell me that it was run by a Zygerrian slave owner named Darts D'Nar."

That name caused a few murmurs to travel through the room, as some of the Jedi masters recognized that name, much to Tsunade's dismay.

"Who's this Darts you're talking about? And why is everyone so concerned about his name?"

"Darts D'Nar is a well known vicious man, to put it kindly." This was coming from the Jedi Master Eeth Koth, an Iridonian Zabrak who had some knowledge of the slaver. "From my understanding he's a rather powerful slave trader who's rumored to have a disgusting hobby of kidnapping or buying certain people for his collection."

Windu narrowed his eyes, "And by collection, you mean...?"

Koth didn't want to finish that sentence and just gave a nod in response, confirming many others his meaning of 'collection'.

"Action to be taken, it must." Yoda said what needed to be said, "Plan you have to locate, you have, Master Jiraiya?"

"I do," Jiraiya nodded, "but for that I'll need a team of shinobi to come with me." He turned towards the Hokage. "Tsunade, I'll send you the coordinates of my current location. I'll count on you to send me a team of trackers if you can."

"Like you have to ask. I'll send you more than that." Tsunade already knew who she would send.

Jiraiya nodded, before explaining to the Jedi, "I've got a location where D'Nar is supposed to be for the next few days. It's the perfect chance to finally locate and rescue Naruto."

"Know this, Master Jiraiya." Yoda spoke again, "Prepared, we should be, for anything is possible…"

"I've already lost several students of mine, Master Yoda." Jiraiya replied grimly to the elder, "I'm not going to lose another one."

"Join you, I shall," Yoda said, volunteering himself in front of the others, "Strong in the Force, the young one is. Must be found before the Sith does."

Jiraiya was stunned by this proposition, but accepted it. "Thank you. I'm glad you would join us."

As this was being settled, Tsunade had a stern look on her face, as she was now holding on to perhaps the last bit of hope for the young goofball she grew to love as a son. So she knew they'd need to act fast before it was too late.

'Hold on, brat. Hold on. We're coming.'

---

[Ölüm - Infirmary]

*COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!*

Tarik gasped as his body was racked with nasty coughs, his head jerking back and forth as his body used what little energy it had left to torture itself.

"You have pneumonia," Idel broke the news to him in a somber tone. "That's all I can say for now, and the only thing I can prescribe for you is this." She pulled out a small object from her pocket, and handed it over to the Urzik.

Tarik accepted the device and recognized it. "An inhaler? Forgive my ignorance, but isn't that for asthmatic people?"

"Yes… but right now it's the only thing I could offer for your lungs, as getting you a nebulizer is basically impossible." Idel said bitterly. She had tried to keep him here for another day to further monitor him, but she was being denied permission to give any other treatment.

"Besides...that's my inhaler." Her hands reached over his and closed them over the device. "You need it more than me, so just make take it and use it every time you feel like coughing….okay?"

"I will…" he paused for some reason and looked at her. "And thanks, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Don't flatter yourself." She tried to not make direct eye contact with him as she excused herself. "I've got to go back to work, excuse me." Idel walked to the back of the infirmary, leaving the Urzik man alone for him to leave.

Putting the inhaler away, he walked out of the infirmary, suddenly feeling much better than before.

…

(Underground tunnels)

The elevator stopped at its final destination as the gates rose up slowly but painfully, the sound of the rusty doors being raised up torture for the naked ear.

Escorted by a Pyke, he threw the man out of the elevator shaft with a kick in the back, shoving Tarik onto the floor.

"Get to work, slave." The Pyke ordered as he closed the elevator right in front of him. By the time the elevator began to go back up, Tarik was already on his feet as Adrik and Hera approached him.

"Tarik," Hera said as she went over to him, with Adrik helping him up, "You alright? You don't seem well…"

"No…pneumonia." Tarik said weakly as he let out a hard cough. "I got it pretty bad, should've expected to be honest - *cough!* Got this from Idel." He pulled out his inhaler and showed it to them, "That's with I am working with now."

"Well, at least you were diagnosed early." Adrik said, helping him walk by crossing his arm over his back so he could carry him. "Still, it could be worse, so we're not going to take any chances. Got it, Tarik?"

"Okay...Okay…" Tarik coughed one more time to clear his throat, before he used his inhaler, "I'll keep myself in check. Hera, I'll leave some of the tasks to you, until I'm back on my own feet again."

Hera, who was already taking on a major role in the underground resistance, nodded to this responsibility being given to her. "Of course, just try and be careful, okay? There's no need for you to be worked to death by these bastards."

"They'd like that, wouldn't they?" A chuckle escaped from Tarik's mouth as he gained a few smirks from the others, the small moment unfortunately had to be interrupted when a random slave ran to them.

"Tarik, you need to come, now." he said to the others, "Actually, all of you need to come."

"What is it?" Adrik asked, uneased by the tone in his voice.

"It's Levi."

...

A crowd was gathered around something, and judging by the ocean of faces of horror, shock, and disgust, whatever they were surrounding couldn't have been good.

"Let us through," Adrik spoke as he pushed through the crowd, making a path for Tarik and Hera to walk through. Finally, getting to the front row, where the other leaders of the underground resistance were, he looked down in utter shock.

Levi Laskov (or "Bomber" to those close to him), was laid on the table, and looked like he was struggling to stay alive. His naked torso, which was littered with scars and open wounds, weakly raised up and down as his respiratory system struggled to keep working. His veins were disgustingly visible, bulging out of the skin as the muscles squirmed and moved like giant worms under his tissue. One look at him, and many of them wondered if it would be kind to kill him instead of letting him live a second longer.

A heavy gasp escaped through the man's breathing tube mask, followed by a series of coughs that grew worse with each wheeze. The limbs trembled as the man looked like he was trying to say something.

"Take it easy, Levi," Sabine said softly while holding the mask over the man's head to try and calm him down. "Save your strength, you're gonna need it."

"What is this?" Adrik finally managed to ask. "Can somebody explain to me what hell happened to him?"

"We brought him back with us," one of the slaves explained. They recognized him as one of the few who were selected by the scientists. "He was like that when the scientists forced us to go back there to collect the bodies. We found him in this state."

Adrik suddenly noticed that there were only three of these handpicked slaves here, including the poor man on the table, and asked, "Where are the rest of you guys? Fifty of us got picked, right?"

"We're all that's left," a man replied.

The speaker was a bald and skinny man with an armband around his arm. He was one of the few who was selected to be seen coming back.

"The rest are either dead or still being experimented on as far we know about it," he continued, much to the horror of the others. "Possibly both."

"Experimented?"

"Yes, we were sent to be experimented on like rats," the second survivor spoke up. "I thought the spice mines were bad, but the things they did there...it made me want to go right back..." He looked at the barely breathing Levi, flinching at his coughs. "He's the only one that made it out alive out of that white hell. Nobody else was seen coming out, but we could still hear their screaming when we left."

"Then why are you standing here?"

"We're the body crew." The third slave answered that question as he showed an armband around his arm he and the two others wore that had the skull on it. "They forced us to pick up the bodies after they were done with them…" The man could not speak further before he suddenly began vomiting whatever was left in his stomach into a nearby bucket on the floor, causing some surrounding crowd to back off to give him space.

This caused an ocean of murmurs and angry mutters. They've already heard what had happened, but watching one of their own being visibly traumatized from just trying to tell the story again made them even angrier.

Hera quickly walked up and pointed at some of them.. "You three, with me. You're going to explain everything you saw to us."

She then turned to Adrik. "Meeting, now."

"Wait, what about Levi?" Adrik said, pointing at the barely conscious man. "He can't even stand up straight."

"You guys go," Sabine said as she stood by Levi with the inhaler. "I can handle this."

Adrik nodded and turned around. "Everyone, disperse now," he ordered.

The crowd knew better than to stay and disobey, and the group swiftly left the underground room, save for a few who had to stay behind.

Tarik was the last to be seen walking out of there, save for a certain blond.

"Naruto, you too."

The young blonde hesitantly looked back and forth. "I-" Someone grabbed his hand weakly, and he turned to see Levi, who looked like he was on death's door, and yet, used the last of his strength to raise his head one last time.

"Go…" Levi muttered those words out of his mouth briefly, "Go now…," was the last thing Naruto heard the man say as Sabine put the inhaler back over his mouth.

"I'll take care of him," she nodded at the shinobi. "We'll meet you at the third HQ room. You know where it is, right?"

Naruto nodded, turning around and walking away with Tarik, leaving the few who were left to take care of the ill man and to discuss the current developments.

"Joseph, can you help me bring Levi to the secret med room?"

"Of course, let me get his legs," Joseph nodded as he and two others began raising Levi up from the table. Quickly putting him on a makeshift stretcher, they brought him away to the secret tunnel that wasn't far away from here. Within no time at all, he'd been laid to rest with something warm to lay on and a makeshift blanket.

That was the least they could do for their poor comrade, whose groans and whimpers of pain were torture to his friends' ears.

---

[Ölüm - Resistance 3rd Underground HQ]

Unbeknownst to the rest of the resistance, the leaders had their own secret HQs, where it would be a place for them to talk in private amongst themselves. This is due to the idea that there might be spies within their ranks, and only the leaders, who were the most trusted ones amongst the resistance, were allowed in.

The 3rd Underground HQ was one of the oldest and most well-kept secrets amongst the slaves, with this particular room even being one of the first secret rooms the slaves from before dug in what little spare time they had in hopes that one day, it could be used to help bring about their freedom.

Currently, the leaders were talking about the lab, and what to do now that their ranks were rapidly being eaten up by the greedily facility dubbed "Sector 12."

It horrified the leaders, who could only sit there in disgust to the details they had been told - in extra detail, this time.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"This is not good, this is really not good."

Sitting on a chair, Tarik was seen deep in his thoughts as he just heard the numbers of the people who were sent to these facilities. 25 were picked out in total, mostly humans and some sentients of different varieties, yet, out of those, only 4 came back alive, including the three body crew members and Levi who was in a very bad shape. Around 8 bodies of deceased slaves were brought to the mine and had already been put into the crematory, with some of them coming out with only a limb or two, as if they were tortured with frostbite signs, burn patterns, on their bodies and one of them even showing the same signs as Levi, but instead was already dead on the spot.

What was going on in those facilities? And what was Sector 12 built for?

"You're excused to go now," Hera said to the three men who told them everything. "Go to the kitchen and get something to eat, you'll need it."

The three nodded and left the room, leaving the members of the underground resistance who now needed to discuss these topics with a clear vision on how to deal with them.

Hera was the first to speak, "Okay, we now know that the Zygerrians and these scientists have facilities of labs now just a foot walk away from here, but we don't know what's going on inside there."

"Its obvious, lets not play stupid here;" Adrik began with everyone turning towards him as he spoke, "They're using it as a site for experimentation. That would make sense with an organization like the Umbrella Corporation if you ask me."

"How so?" Hera asked the Russian. "What's with this Umbrella Corporation anyway?"

"They're a multinational corporation that is well known on planet Earth," Tarik explained. "They were well known for their pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and chemicals. Originally a British-based company, it has spread across Earth but mainly operates in the US and in Africa. They're also known for its tourism and other major businesses. That's their public cover anyway."

"Public cover?" Naruto asked the Urzik man.

"That means they're into very illegal activities, kid, and not small-time." Adrik answered sternly for his friend. "For a long time, it's been suspected that this corporation was involved in illegal building of biological weapons for militaries across the world, and also were involved in a conspiracy to accumulate deadly viruses that are illegal to collect. That is at least what my country's intelligence agencies know." He closed his eyes, taking a sip of water from his canteen.

Tarik nodded. "Yes, that's pretty much it about the Umbrella Corporation: a shady and very powerful organization."

"Well, it would fit right into other big corporations I heard of," Hera said, thinking back on a few like the Trade Federation and the Techno Union. "But now we need to focus on what to do now."

"What do you mean?"

"About the plan," Hera brought up the big question. "Will it go through, or do we postpone it further?"

To this, murmurs began to travel around the room, but they soon died down, not daring to come between the conversation between the main leaders whom they were focused on. Tarik looked around and noticed the many stares he was getting from the other members, all knowing that it was Tarik who was who had the last word of it.

"We aren't ready yet. We need some time to-"

"Need some time? We don't have time anymore!" one of the other leaders protested. "We need to act now before it's too late!" A Yellow Twi'lek resistance member of his level then went a bridge too far, "You, on the other hand are on death's door, but I-"

"HEY!" Adrik jumped up shouting at the male Twi'lek member, clearly angered by the poor choice of words of the rowdy Twi'lek slave, but before he could act, the Russian second-in-command clapped his hands "Sit down and let him speak."

"Thanks, Adrik," Tarik replied gratefully before he continued. "I understand that many of you are unsettled by the stories coming from those laboratories right now, but the matter of fact is that we need to keep our focus. We cannot afford to make irrational decisions now."

"And why shouldn't we just start now?" the same Twi'lek slave argued, getting some nods. "We've got the weaponry, we know the guards' posts, got their schedules and everything. What's holding us back?"

"The Control Room."

Hearing this, all heads turned to the green Twi'lek Hera.

"In order to make the riot work, we need to be able to deactivate the electric collars around our necks." Hera explained, getting some nodding heads as she continued. "We can't do that now because the one who worked up there in the control room was one of the people sent to that facility."

"Which means what?" the male Twi'lek resistance member asked stubbornly, getting some weird looks from Adrik and Tarik briefly before Hera continued.

"Without somebody inside the control room, we won't have access to the other levels, let alone make sure that these collars on our necks won't be a problem." Hera pointed to her own collar for emphasis. "Besides, it's also the only room where they can communicate for larger reinforcements."

"It doesn't matter if we take control of the other two targets," Tarik explained to the other resistance leaders. "So long as that control room remains active and under enemy control, our chances of getting out of this hellhole are close to zero."

"Then why not just send someone as a replacement?" the Twi'lek male demanded, getting some annoyed and frustrated glances. He had only been in these meetings for a few weeks since the previous member passed away, and he already was a nuisance they hoped they didn't have to deal with.

Adrik inwardly groaned, but calmly responded, "We've already tried to get a replacement there, but they refused to bring any more slaves up there, even for cleaning. This leads me to believing that they are suspicious of our activities." This was everyone's fear coming true. After months and months of planning, there was a sudden obstacle that was not easy to solve. To make matters worse, it would seem like they were running out of time to replan their escape.

"So, what should we do now?"

Every member of the meeting looked to one another, hoping for someone to have an answer. This delicate situation was something an easy solution could not help with.

"We wait." Naruto suddenly suggested, gaining everyone's attention to what he had to say, which was unusual because he was usually the quietest and youngest member of this meeting.

"Oh please," the Twi'lek rolled his eyes, not taking him seriously, "Just sit there and be silent, boy. Let the adults talk-"

"Shut it, Marrok." Hera shut the male Twi'lek down with a harsh tone, before turning to the kid. "Naruto, what do you mean?"

"I say, we wait and try to gather more intel," Naruto continued with his suggestion. "Wait for the right moment and see when we have a window on the control room. Until then, we need to wait and don't do anything that will attract the attention of the guards."

"Even though our people are getting thinned out by those barbaric experiments?" one of the other leaders pointed out. Everyone's eyes returned onto the blond, waiting to hear and see his response.

Taking a moment to figure out what he was going to say, Naruto gave his response.

"We've got over 50,000 people here in Ölüm, and most of them are being worked to death. We've been planning for almost half a year for this, and it's not just our own lives on the line, but also the many who joined up and volunteered to help us even at the high risk of being executed." By this, he was talking about Sabine, Jimmy, Zeb, Joseph, Bellatrix, Idel... Levi, and so many others he couldn't even name.

He couldn't risk losing them all. "If we blindly go through with the plan now with this new obstacle, everybody involved will be dead, and everything we've worked for up to this point will be for nothing. This place will keep running, and many more people will perish in these mines. So we need to have patience and wait for the right moment." Naruto ended his explanation to the other resistance members, who listened to him closely.

"The kid's right;" Adrik agreed with Naruto and turned to everyone. "We simply can't risk it, at least for now. I say we wait and see what will come next."

Hera nodded. "I agree too. We'll wait. Meanwhile, try and keep the people on your levels calm, and tell them to stay sharp, alright?" She talked directly to the others who nodded to her.

"Yes, ma'am."

"This meeting is adjourned," Tarik had the last word. "We'll tell you when the next one will take place. In the meantime, try to watch out for each other. Even in Hell, we must keep our compassion. Now go, it's time to work."

Soon all the resistance members had descended back to their working stations, except for the three, which included Adrik, Tarik, and Hera.

*COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!*

Tarik's coughing came out of nowhere as he nearly collapsed to the ground, but got caught by Hera and Adrik, who held him up by his arms.

"Easy, Imam, easy." Adrik helped him out towards a nearby rock to sit on. "That cough of yours is getting worse. It can't be normal."

"Of course it ain't normal, it's Pneumonia." Tarik ended his coughing and gasped. "I'll be alright, I just...need to rest for a bit…" His coughing then returned as he held a cloth to his mouth.

This did not bring Hera any confidence, and she handed her canteen over to him. "Here, there's still some left in it."

Tarik accepted the canteen and began to drink from it, with small streams trickling from the sides of his lips, before lifting the container away from his face, letting out a loud gasp. "Ah, that's good. Thank you."

"No problem," she smiled at her friend, before noticing someone had already left. "Where's Naruto?"

"I don't know, he left quickly." Tarik said, remembering how the kid was awfully quiet today. "Maybe he's getting to his shift."

"Nyet, today he's supposed to work in the day shift, that's just two hours from now." Adrik said, having memorized the work shifts. "He's most likely going back to see Levi."

"Levi…" Tarik looked down in shame as he thought about the man who was fighting so desperately for his life. After all, he was supposed to be the one going to that facility instead.

"Tarik?"

"If it wasn't for him, I would've been dead." Tarik said as he looked up to the two, "but now, it will only be a matter of time before the news gets out about the experiments."

"You think we can still postpone it?" Hera asked him, and Tarik just shook his head.

"Not likely, not for very long." Tarik was now sure that they were out of time. "We might have to vote on it in the next meeting."

"But we don't have a man inside the control room," Adrik reminded them. "With that still being an obstacle, we won't have a chance."

"... I guess for now, all we can do is hope for a miracle," Tarik said bitterly. Just then, a rodian walked in, and gave the signal that it was almost time for their shift. Nodding at him, he quickly turned back to his friends. "Before we go, there's one more thing I'd like to discuss."

Adrik raised his eyebrow. "About what?"

---

*GASP!*

Levi let out another choked gasp as he clawed at his throat. Sabine, Jimmy, and Joseph's teeth were chattering as they fought the urge to cry and lash out at one another, tugging at their hair or biting their lips until it bled. Despite their near hysteria, they managed to try to give the dying man some water.

"Remember to keep some water for yourself," Jimmy warned his friend. "You won't get another full canteen for at least three days, you know that."

"I cannot afford to be greedy in a time like this, my brother," Joseph responded as he kept giving Levi his remaining water he had, "The Lord demands me to serve those who can't help themselves anymore."

Jimmy, for once spoke in his native tongue. "En serio hombre, tú también necesitas sobrevivir."

(Seriously man, you need to survive too.)

"Incluso si muero, mi conciencia no estará limpia si no ayudo a los necesitados." Joseph replied to his friend, declining the advice as he continued his duties.

(Even if I die, my conscience won't be clean if I fail to help the needy.)

"You know what, I give up." Jimmy groaned, switching back to English after failing to change his friend's mind, whose devotion to his god remaining stubborn even in the darkest moments like these.

Sabine shook her head at the two, and couldn't help but smile at their conversation. She didn't mind them speaking in their own language, but it did remind her of the times she and a bounty hunter friend of hers had with similar conversations, before they split on bad terms.

"Hey."

The three turned around, and saw Naruto holding a few items.

"Got these from Ibrahim," he grunted, pulling out some towels, more canteens of water, and some painkillers made from spice and other chemicals.

"Just what we needed." Joseph thanked the blonde as he put the towel underneath Levi's head, and used the others to dry up the man's sweaty body to wash him. "Tell Ibrahim that we owe him one."

"Well, it was also a Canadian who helped bring in the meds; some new guy I heard came by the other week."

"A Canuck? My God. Who aren't they enslaving from Earth?" Jimmy shook his head while washing Levi's face. "Bastards even go after our dear Canadian friends, who just mind their own business."

Meanwhile, Naruto was staring at the barely responding Levi. He only knew him for less than a year, and yet, Naruto was close to this large man, who was one of the few that took him seriously as a capable young man instead of a helpless, stupid kid, helping him get through the bad days of the mines. Bomber had shown him so much kindness - kindness that he knew he could never pay back. Instead, all he could do was watch him slowly die, with even his force healing doing nothing but prolonging the inevitable.

"Sabine, can we talk?"

Looking over to Naruto who caught her attention, Sabine noticed the look in his eyes, seeing that same expression he had when that family died, or when that girl Tayuya was found in her state.

"Sure…" She stood up as they both walked away. As the two youngsters were seen going off, Jimmy and Joseph quickly glanced at their backs and made small talk.

"Do you think the plan will go through?" Jimmy asked as he could figure out that the underground resistance leaders were talking about this revelation "The rumors will spread around the underground mines like wildfire. It's only going to be a matter of time now."

Joseph dipped the towel into the water can, and began washing Levi's forehead slowly as the man's eyes twitched multiple times. Joseph paused as he let out a sigh.

"Whatever happens next...will be a decisive moment in history," Joseph said to his friend. "God be with us."

---

Standing by the entrance of the underground mines, Naruto leaned against the red wall as he stared to the ground, waiting as Sabine walked up to him.

"You wanted to talk about something?" Sabine asked, holding her bicep as she bit her lip in worry.

Naruto took a deep breath to settle his nerves. "...It's very likely that we're going through with the plan soon."

Sabine's eyes widened a little, but aside from that, there was no indication of her being surprised.

"When?"

"I don't know, but soon, very soon. Most likely within the next few days." Naruto said, having a feeling that postponing it might no longer be a possibility, especially with the rumors of the facilities and its victims spreading around Ölüm, meaning that containing the calm would be way too difficult if they wanted the uprising to go as planned. If one person made a mistake, it would all come apart.

"So...we're pushed towards the endgame..."

"Yeah…."

"What do you think the chances will be? For our victory?"

"... Low…" Naruto answered bitterly. "... Very low…"

Before he could sink into the pit of despair, Naruto felt Sabine gently grabbing his hands, before he was pulled into her armored chest. She began stroking his hair, and he began to do the same for her.

His fears, his anxieties, his worries began to melt away from Sabine's touch and smell. Out of everyone else within his group of friends, Sabine was the one he felt the most comfortable with to show his true face under his mask - and he knew that she felt the same towards him.

"It's going to be alright," Sabine murmured as she stroked his hair, her words music to his ears. "I mean, you're probably the biggest moron I've ever met … but you're also the sweetest guy anyone can ask for, you know? If this goes wrong and we all die or worse, I'm just glad that I spent these last moments with you."

The two of them then went silent, absorbing each other's warmth as they felt their worries fade away. They couldn't even care to respond to the other slaves as they walked by, who were either congratulating or teasing them. Either way, somehow, watching the two stand there in each other's arms in bliss made them happier, and it seemed to revitalize their spirits and bodies.

---

(Control Room)

The Control Room was a metal, circular projection that stood out the most from the giant mine. Sticking out of the red ground, it loomed over the many levels, reminding those slaving away at the bottom of their place, with its shadow even reaching the very bottom.

Sitting on his chair, D'Nar was reading the report about the Umbrella corporation's background, to which he was reminded of the likes of the Trade Federation and the Techno Union - organizations that often claimed to be clean and humane, and yet, reeked of corruption (not that he was one to talk.)

Its origins, according to his intelligence, began from three university students who shared a deep and committed interest into "Eugenic" science that was growing in the '60s according to the Earthling's time calendar.

D'Nar read the report with a chill running up his spine. The rest of the intelligence was about the numerous accusations that this company was investigated for on Earth, which all were fitting to what was taking place just the area next to him.

"I expected some filth from these people, but this is quite surprising," D'Nar said as he leaned back into his chair. Putting down the reports, he let out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. The more he learned about this organization, the more he was beginning to wonder if he made a mistake cooperating with them. Sure, what they promised was tempting, but was the potential fallout worth it? D'Nar was an arrogant man, but even he knew that playing god could lead to catastrophic results. The Blue Shadow Virus was a key example of how destructive nature alone could be, so the idea of nature being tampered within the hands of a man was justifiably a terrifying one.

These Earthlings... were different, very different indeed. They weren't like the humans living in the Core Rim, where they viewed non-humans as inferior. Although they weren't unified and their technology was rather primitive, they were still very vicious people and had fought many brutal wars amongst themselves. On top of that, they apparently weren't above experimenting and slaying each other for power.

"I've made a deal with dangerous people."

The Zygerrian snapped out of his thoughts as a Sentinel Pyke walked through the doorway.

"You needed me, sir?"

D'Nar turned to the voice and saw who it was. "Ah, Zykol. Good that you came." He stood up from his chair. "I've got to personally thank you for the time you put into gathering this information for me."

"It was nothing, sir." The Pyke accepted his boss's gratitude with a quick bow, before continuing. "Although it was quite difficult to obtain some of this information, especially the ones containing government investigations." D'Nar nodded at this in approval. He understood the great lengths this pyke had to go through to obtain these files since the earthlings knew just how to keep secrets. Fortunately, money could buy anything, which included information, and thankfully, Zykol was one of the few he trusted with his personal funds.

"Even so, I'm actually proud of you for giving me all of this," D'Nar smiled, walking past his trusted man. "Still, I do have one question about the...unusual format of the documents you have given me." He pointed at the table, where the pile of paper documents quietly sat.

"Why is it that you've given me all this information on primitive material like paper?" He asked the Pyke. "Don't get me wrong, you haven't disappointed me, but this question is one out of curiosity."

"Well, apparently the Earthlings still use this type of material." Zykol paused shortly before continuing. "It's rare I know, but my time there on Earth was rather fascinating, for the planet that is filled with billions of humans, they act and fight like animals, especially when you read their history."

"So I've heard. Rather a bunch of interesting humans, aren't they?" D'Nar was particularly interested in the violent history of the planet Earth, which was a planet full of civilized life that was somehow also so divided. "An interesting place, especially if you want to find cheap labor, but that's a conversation for another day, maybe after the party."

"Party, sir?" The Pyke questioned.

"Yes, I've been invited by the Royal Yaruba Family to attend one of their expensive gatherings," D'Nar told his friend as he poured two empty glasses of wine. "It's just a formality party for all who do business on Kessel. It's not an event I like, but sometimes new owners are invited too, and I cannot possibly ignore opportunities to expand the business."

"Forgive me for asking, sir, but how long will you attend this party?

"Not long, perhaps a few hours if I'm bored. It depends, really," D'Nar answered his agent, before turning around to the Sentinel Pyke with the two glasses in hand. "That's why I'll put you in charge for the time I am gone." He gave the second glass to his best guard as they stood next to the windows, watching the mining operation.

Zykol nodded while accepting the glass of wine. "It would be an honor of mine, sir," he said as he looked outside the glass view with his employer. "Although, not to be rude, but I highly doubt this is the only reason you summoned me."

D'Nar smirked at his colleague's words while staring outside at his operation. "Very observant you are, but yes, there's also another matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Just then the elevators reached their levels, and the Earthling slaves began coming out in droves to begin their shifts, while the non-humans slaves were going towards the elevators.

"You heard of the rumors that have been playing around, about the slaves organizing of some sort?" D'Nar asked the Sentinel. "Well, apparently they have been planning an uprising."

Zykol looked stunned at this coming from the Zygerrian. "Are you sure those aren't just rumors?"

"At first, I myself was suspicious of this, but my mind has changed with concrete evidence….and of course, a valid witness," D'Nar smirked, and on cue, the door behind him opened, and in walked two guards escorting a slave.

It was the male Twi'lek member of the resistance, Marrok.

D'Nar chuckled as he turned to the slave in front of him, who was bowing his head to the floor. "Ah, Marrok, so you've got something to offer me that can clear my conscience about this supposed 'rebellion?'"

"Yes, master, I have information that you need to hear." The slave bowed lower to the ground, with his full body to his master's boots. "The plans, tunnels, weaponry, smuggle routes, I can give you all of that."

"Ah, a good obedient slave that knows its place." D'Nar laughed at the thought of one of their own betraying the rest. Typical of a Twi'lek honestly, they were a submissive species that were the victims of slavery.

Always was, always will be.

"I heard also that for this information, you wanted to serve somewhere else, yes?"

"Yes, master. Please. I'd like to work somewhere else, whatever it is, anything better than in the mines," Marrok begged him. "I'll even give you the names of the leaders." D'Nar laughed at what he was hearing, and, for once, was glad he wouldn't have to beat the information out.

"Good, good. I needed a servant up here anyway, so consider yourself lucky." D'Nar turned to the Pyke. "I'll trust you to put an end to this pathetic rebellion while I am gone?"

"Of course, sir. It will be done." Zykol nodded as he noticed something out of the window. "Hmm, look at that…"

D'Nar turned around and saw at one of the entrances, two young slaves in each other's arms, and were seen openly embracing and kissing each other.

"Well, well, well, would you look at that." D'Nar chuckled as he stared at the couple, a sinister plot developing in his mind at the sight of the teens. "Apparently, there are those who still need to be reminded of the rules of forbidden relations between slaves."

Zykol spotted the two, and suggested, "Should I punish them here now, sir?"

"No, no, let them enjoy it, for now," D'Nar declined that suggestion, coming up with his own. "Instead, why not let Vatik take care of it? It's his speciality in cases like these anyway."

"...Yes, sir." Zykol slowly nodded at his boss's wishes. Vatik was the supervisor of Ölüm lower-levels and the third-highest ranked in this mine right behind Zykol himself. While Zykol was professional in his work as an overseer on keeping the slaves working, Vatik was a sadist who enjoyed tormenting people in any way that fulfilled his satisfying needs. It was demonstrated once with one of the newly imported slaves who he had personally dealt with.

He still couldn't get that image of that fat Zygerrian over the body of that redhead girl…

"Well, that's all then," D'Nar said, turning around while emptying his glass, before turning back towards the Twi'lek slave. "Now you will tell me every name of the people who are involved in this plot."

The slave nodded and began a list of those names. With every person he named for the next half hour, the more lives he endangered for his selfishness.

And slowly, without the resistance knowing, hope truly began to diminish.

---

[Next day, Landing platforms]

Naruto grunted as he pushed another crate full of spice into a freighter that had been waiting on the platform for hours for a large pickup. Pushing the last few crates in the cargo load, Naruto finally let himself sigh in relief, before walking off the loading dock right towards the platform. Spotting his friends, he walked up to them, who were waiting for the next ship to land.

"Hey, guys." Naruto frowned as he noticed some of his friends were missing. "Any of you guys seen Hera?" They all shook their heads, "No? What about Adrik? Tarik?"

"No, kid. We haven't seen any of them." Zeb shrugged, looking just as confused as the blond. "Not since last night, at least."

"Oh no…" Naruto began to sweat even faster as a million thoughts began to race through his mind. "They didn't return from their shift last night, and neither did Jimmy, Ibrahim, nor Joseph. You think…?"

"-They got grabbed?" Someone brought the idea up, and Naruto bit his lip so hard, he began to taste iron. "What if they found out about the plan, and are rounding everyone up?"

"Maybe not. Naruto's on that council," Zeb pointed out. "If the plan was foiled, they would've already nabbed the kid."

"New freighter, dock 3"

The loudspeaker crackled to life, and they looked up to see that above them was a new freighter, which was getting ready to pick up or deliver.

"Well, enough talking. Everyone split up and get to work!" Zeb ordered as he grabbed a crate, pushing it away with two more in front.

The group quickly scattered back to their posts. If Naruto's theory was correct, then the last thing they needed right now was to paint a bigger target on themselves by slacking off even for a second.

With that in mind, Naruto began pushing a row of four spice crates to the freighter that had just landed on the platform, with the cargo gate already open and with others pushing in crates already.

Right as Naruto reached the ramp of the freighter, he suddenly was joined by someone who started to help him push the crates up to the cargo bay.

"Ah, thanks for the-" Naruto took a look at this guy and saw who it was. "Hey I remember you, you're one of the new arrivals, Mugabo, right?"

"No time, I came here with a message from Hera," the African said in his broken English/Basic as best as he could. "Listen, secret tunnel in Level 3 got raided by guards last night."

Naruto felt his heart stop at that news. Freezing midstep, he jerked his head violently towards the messenger.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked the man. "Don't bullshit me!"

"I saw it…" Mugabo said grimly. "I live on that floor, I saw the guards burst in with weapons, and forced everybody out their cells, shoving them on the floors while they continued to search." As he spoke, they continued to push their crates after a Pyke barked at them to continue.

"And?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"They found nothing, it was empty," Mugabo finished. "Guards were pissed, searched for hours but found nothing. Someone gave up location, which means-"

"Someone betrayed us." Naruto gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his crate. "I guess that means the leaders got investigated..."

"Didn't get all. Only matter of time before they'll get to you," Mugabo warned him. "Hera sent me to warn you. Leave now before the guards get you-"

"YOU THERE! COME OVER HERE!"

The two nearly jumped out of their skins when a group of Pyke guards and a Zygerrian overseer suddenly marched into the freighter, weapons in hand.

"Are you deaf?!" the Zygerrian yelled impatiently. "COME OVER HERE!"

Naruto gulped, before he gave them a quick nod, moving swiftly to move towards them while doing his best to not appear too nervous. "What is it...master? I am busy with delivering shipments.

"You're coming with us," the Zygerrian just told him. "You're being summoned for interrogation to the Control Room."

"But-"

BONK!

Naruto saw stars as he fell painfully onto the ground, tasting spice and blood. He was sure that his head was bleeding, but he couldn't tell.

"Take him to the Control Room," was the last thing Naruto heard before darkness took over his vision.

As the Pykes dragged the blond teen away, the human man who tried to warn him could only stand there helplessly, watching as one of their last hopes began to disappear from his eyes.

"Shit…"

---

[Control Room]

"We got one, boss!"

Naruto grunted in pain as he was thrown onto his face again, remaining conscious this time. He grit his teeth as he tried to get back up, a stabbing pain blinding his vision for a minute. Blinking light and stars out of his eyes, he looked around to figure out where he was. His eyes widened as he remembered where they were taking him.

It was what he expected: a room filled with guards staring at the holographic screens with glowing letters he could barely read. The room was surrounded by windows as it was centered in the middle of the mine with a view of the whole mining operation.

This was the heart of Ölüm's security center - the most vital part of the spice mine.

"Move it, brat!" The Pyke behind him shoved his staff into Naruto's back, causing him to fall forwards again. "Here, boss. We found him."

"Look up, kid."

Holding back the urge to glare at him, Naruto slowly lifted his head, and blankly stared at the Pyke that was standing in front of him. Unsure what he wanted, he kept himself quiet.

"Okay kid, let me get straight to the point," Zykol said in a strict tone, but not one of arrogance like most of them had, "Lord D'Nar has left me in charge for the next few hours, and I've been given information about an uprising being conspired."

Naruto just stared at the Pyke sentient with a neutral expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't start that nonsense with us, boy," the chubby Zygerrian who got him on the platform angrily responded. "We found the secret underground headquarters just a few hours ago, and we know you slaves are planning something."

"Stay out of this, Vatik," Zykol snapped at the Zygerrian overseer. The 2nd-in-command wasn't pleased with working with Vatik at all. Sure, he can admit that the Zygerrian got results, but sometimes his extreme and brutal methods made things worse. On top of that, Zykol couldn't help but be repulsed at his ways. Perhaps it was his "soft heart" that his peers sometimes mocked him for, but even he had standards.

"Are you sure you didn't just find an old, abandoned mine?" Naruto said, trying hard not to let out a grin. "I mean, this mine is pretty old, so who knows?"

"Why you little-"

"Stop it, Vatik!" Zykol commanded his subordinate. "Don't make me repeat it again."

The Zygerrian stepped back again with a displeased grunt, leaving Zykol to his interrogation.

"Listen kid, I'm going to give you one last chance, so don't make things harder for yourself, and just tell us the whereabouts of the other leaders." ."

"Like I said," Naruto glared at the Pyke, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Just then, a different guard, a fellow Pyke, walked up to Zykol. "Sir, we may have found the second hideout of the resistance leaders."

"Are you sure about it?"

"Our informant has verified it," the guard nodded with confidence. "I've assembled a team to get them."

"Okay, I'll come too." Zykol said. Interrogation could wait - for now, he'll deal with this puny rebellion himself, which would certainly help keep him in good graces with the higher ups. "Vatik, stay here and watch over him. The rest of you, with me."

"Hey, I am not going to babysit this little brat," Vatik protested, not wanting to miss out on the action, but the Pyke just snapped at him.

"That's an order, Vatik. Stay here and watch over the kid. This will be dealt with quickly."

Gritting his teeth, Vatik eventually replied, "Fine, just be quick." Not bothering to reply, Zykol left the room swiftly with his men, leaving Vatik alone with Naruto and the operators.

...

Zykol and his fellow Pykes were waiting for the elevators to reach their level. For some reason, the elevator was running extra slow today, which meant that they had to wait a bit longer than usual. This meant that for a good minute or so, they had to stand there in the heat in pure boredom.

Zykol sighed as he looked around them, almost wishing for something to happen. His eyes then fell onto the Pyke next to him.

"Vash, you've been rather quiet for some time. Is something the matter?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm just wondering why you decided to leave that blond Elementian with Vatik. I mean, you and I both know that he acts on his own interests, so chances are, that boy's going to be dead by the time we come back."

"Normally, I'd agree with you, but even that thickheaded Zygerrian knows better than to kill a major suspect. Besides, I hate getting my hands dirty anyways, so maybe he'll punch out some answers."

Their conversation was cut short when the elevator doors finally slid open. They cautiously waddled into the elevator, not trusting the slaves to have rebuilt it well enough all of a sudden.

"Even so, what he is doing lately is only going to pour more fuel on the fire." Vash continued. "Kriff, we still haven't been able to find that girl he dragged into the detention cells."

"Don't remind me of that."Zykol's nose scrunched up in disgust when he remembered that particular moment. It was disgusting, and perhaps barbaric even for them, but more importantly, he feared that it was going too far in a sense where the slaves might revolt. Sometimes too much punishment was bad, and could backfire once the slaves realized that they greatly outnumbered them, and if they decided that surviving was no longer a priority. Zykol liked to think that the way they did things was good enough, and while tiresome at times, it kept the fear level balanced to where they wouldn't dare organizing together to fight back.

Ah well, trying to get him kicked out would be a task for another day.

"So Zykol, how big do you think this rebellion is anyways?"

"I dunno, maybe like three or five levels worth?" Zykol shrugged. "According to our informant, the current leaders are Hera Syndulla, Tarik Karim, and Adrik Yahontov, with second-in-command leaders being Naruto Uzumaki and Sabine Wren."

"The Mandalorian girl?" Vash turned to his friend sharply. "Are you sure about that?"

"Like I said, our informant confirmed it," Zykol grunted as he rechecked the names on his tablet. "Why? Something wrong?"

"If I'm not mistaken, I think I just saw one of Vatik's men drag her towards the Control Room about 30 minutes ago."

"FARKLED!" Zykol cursed out loud as he turned to his friend. "And you just decided to tell me about this now?!"

Just then the elevator came to a sudden stop, and the doors slid open.

"Hey, how should I have known that those two were fucking?" Vash huffed as he walked out of the elevator. "Hell, last I've heard of them, they were trying to kill each other in the cafeteria."

"Unbelievable," Zykol muttered, before pushing the elevator buttons. "You go with the others and finish the job. I'll go back upstairs and stop that maniac. I'm counting on you, Vash."

Like hell he'd let Vatik do something like that again. Who knows what else could happen if they went too far again?

Vash nodded at him as the elevator doors slid shut. He watched the elevator return back up, before he turned towards his men.

"Alright, listen up you guys. He left me in charge of this operation while he does his thing. Let's get this over with, so no wasting time. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" the Pykes barked out in unison.

And with that, they marched towards the cafeteria, determined to crush this rebellion before it could have a chance to even begin.

---

[Control Room]

WHACK!

The Control Room operators tried their best to ignore the slave being tossed around by the Zygerrian, although the Pykes couldn't help but flinch time to time from what their imaginations offered to them.

Naruto's head jerked violently to the left as he got punched in the face by Vatik, busting his lip badly. Blood slowly poured out of his wounds delivered from the brute Zygerrian.

*Hah*, *Hah*, Hah*, *Hah*

Naruto coughed, spitting out a mixture of saliva and blood to add to the ever-growing pool of his life water forming beneath him. His eyes were beginning to swell up, making it even harder to see. Everything hurt, and it was getting harder to think.

On top of that, his hands and feet were cuffed to each other, making his already painful position more uncomfortable. He wasn't even able to wipe the blood off of his face, which was honestly the worst part about the whole experience.

*Crack*, *Crack!*

Vatik cracked his knuckles as he sneered at the beaten boy at his feet.

"I'll give you this, you little shit. You're hard to break."

Naruto could only let out a pathetic gurgle, before he spat out some more blood at Vatik's feet.

"Pfff, my granny could punch harder than you, so suck it you hairy asshole." Despite how painful it was to do so, Naruto managed to give him a shit-eating grin.

Vatik responded by slamming his foot against the blond's neck, making him gasp for air as he pressed him against the cold, metal floor.

"You're really getting on my nerves, you worthless human trash!" Vatik growled dangerously. "I'll teach you how to respect your betters!"

"Psh, I ain't scared of you. Dying's just part of the job for us, and honestly, it sounds a lot better than sharing the same room as your stinky ass. Do your worst."

Much to his surprise, Vatik's frustrated expression turned into one of glee.

"Oh don't worry, brat. I won't kill you…" He stepped off of the blond's neck, and walked over to a large, metal box. It was larger than the average spice crate, and judging by the way he was grinning, whatever was inside couldn't have been good. "However, I'm going to do something...worse, to you."

He pushed a button on the box, and it opened with a hiss. Reaching inside, he pulled out a very familiar slave-

Sabine! Naruto thought with horror. Looking rather beat up herself, one of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, with dried blood caking her face. Her other eye struggled to open itself. The moment her beautiful, brown eye met his blue, bloodshot ones, it widened in horror.

"You know, you really shouldn't have sucked each other's faces in public. You never know who might be watching," the Zygerrian sneered devilishly. "Thanks to your girlfriend here, I found your only weakness."

Vatik then pulled Sabine's face up to his as he grinned at the fallen boy. "So, are you willing to talk now that I have your precious mate?"

"MmmmMmmpphhff!" Sabine tried to scream something through the gag, making Vatik cackle in glee.

"Leave her out of this!" Naruto roared, his eyes glowing with rage. "She has nothing to do with this!" He tried to stand up, but fell onto his knees, dizzy from his injuries and blood loss.

"Wrong answer! I guess you don't love her as much as I thought!" He shoved the girl onto the communication projector table, slamming his greasy lips against her neck and face.

Naruto could only watch in horror as Sabine's eyes began to water. Despite her muffled pleas, the Zygerrian rubbed his large body all over her petite figure, his hair, lips, saliva, and hands fondling the struggling girl.

'No, no, no, NO!' Naruto's mind raced with the same words as a dark surge of power began to course through his body, the rush, the power, it came slower than usual, as if something was holding it back with what fading strength it had. "STOP IT!"

"Too late for that, kid. It's time you learn the consequences of disobedience," Vatik grinned, his sharp teeth failing to hold back his excited purrs as he stroked Sabine's derrière. Sabine was screaming now, her cries loud enough to be heard even with her gag.

RIIIIIIIIP!

Sabine's tears flowed even harder as the Zygerrian tore open her pants, exposing her bottom. Her screams grew even louder as she fought even harder, but in her weakened state, there was nothing she could do against the beast on top of her.

"Hmm, that's a nice ass." A cruel laugh escaped the monster's mouth. "I've heard that Mandalorian women are women of high culture - let's see how it really is!" As Vatik was about to unleash his sinful lust, the doors opened, revealing a panting Zykol who made it just in time.

"VATIK!" He ran over to Vatik, pulling him off of Sabine. "I TOLD YOU TO NOT ACT IN YOUR OWN INTERESTS! It's acts like these that pushes them to rebellion!"

Vatik's wicked face turned sour as he saw who it was that was ruining his fun.

"Zykol…"

He let go of Sabine, letting her fall onto the floor. She just laid there quietly, her sobs muffled by her gag as she trembled like a leaf.

"You always come at the wrong time, huh?" He glared at the Pyke, his fists clenching. "Don't you have a job with those rebel slaves?"

"I would be crushing the puny rebellion by now with my men, if not for your insolent actions! Besides, what good will stopping that rebellion be if you ignite the birth of another bigger one with your hedonism?! It's bad enough that you raped that redheaded Elementian, but we lost her now, and who knows if that's what triggered the said rebellion in the first place!"

Naruto's body twitched while the two slavers were arguing.

"Enough of your idiotic paranoia," Vatik growled, getting into the Pyke's face. "They're just slaves; they can't do anything while we hold the blaster! If they try, we'll kill them, simple as that!"

"Too much fear and pain will inevitably lead to rebellion, be it big or small. With every time wasted subduing or killing the merchandise, it'll be more expensive to replace them! Besides, what if you put my people in danger because of a rage-fueled riot?!"

"You know what? I don't give a damn!" Vatik roared in Zykol's face. "I'll teach them obedience however I want to! They're just slaves! They can't do anything unless I say so. I can do whatever I want with them, and THERE'S NOTHING ANYBODY CAN DO ABO-!"

*GUUUKK!*

The air suddenly grew stiff as their words stopped dead in their throats. Whatever Vatik was going to say next, nobody would ever know. His look of unrestrained rage shifted from one to confusion, to terror as he began to reach for his neck.

What...is going...on? I can't - Zykol! The Zygerrian looked at the Pyke, and found that he too seemed to be frozen, being strangled by an invisible force walking amongst them. His eyes widened as he saw Zykol being slowly dragged up into the air, as if being dragged into the sky with a rope by the gods!

Looking around them, even the operators were frozen, being squeezed to death by some unholy force. They were choking, gagging as they tried to do anything. Take in air. Call for help. Push the buttons. Anything! But like Zykol and himself, no matter how hard they struggled, they couldn't move a muscle!

CRUNCH! SHATTER!

His eye twitching, he saw the control panels - the one thing that could stop all of the slaves in their tracks if they so wished - get crushed, sparks, metal, and wires ejecting from the machines.

And suddenly, he learned the true meaning of fear.

…

If not for the situation at hand, Sabine would've found the situation to be humorous. Unlike the monsters that surrounded them, she knew exactly what was going on the moment it happened.

Despite the fact that she has witnessed this once, and despite the fact that this time, she was not on the receiving end of the invisible grip, she still couldn't help but feel a little terrified and amazed at the situation at hand.

"N-Naruto-"

"... Sabine, get out, now." Naruto murmured at her.

Ah, there it was. Despite his eyes glowing golden, just like that time at the elevator, instead of hatred, they were full of concern and sorrow - regret for not being able to save what was left of her innocence in time. It struck fear into her, and yet, at the same time, it was oddly comforting.

"Go." It was a simple word, but it was more than enough to snap her out of his hypnotizing gaze. Nodding quickly, she got up, and quickly passed by the paralyzed slavers. She had work to do.

…

Vatik gulped as the blond slave slowly turned his head towards him. His golden, slitted eyes glared at him with hate and power, and it was then that he knew that it wasn't the same boy that he was torturing earlier.

Somehow letting out an audible gulp of fear, he noticed that his vision was blacking out. And yet, somehow, he was still able to think. He was still able to notice his eyes, his hands, and with everything else that went on-

"A...Jedi?" he managed to breathe out, before he went limp.

In response, Naruto let out a roar as he clenched his clawed hands into fists, crushing everything in the room.

---

ROOAAAARRRR!

Everyone, from the slavers to the slaves, and even the few droids that walked around the mining hole, all froze at the sound of some ungodly roar echoing the area. Every organic being was paralyzed as fear invaded their hearts and souls, with the younger ones even crying on the spot.

CRASH! CRASH! SHATTER! CRUNCH!

The ones in the upper levels of Olum looked up, their eyes widening as they saw the mighty Control Room suddenly being crushed like a tin can at the bottom of the ocean, its durable glass being shattered with ease.

Everything went silent for a moment.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Chapter 10: The Ölüm Uprising: Part 1

Ölüm - Kitchen

THWACK!

A large, broken meat cleaver slammed down onto the cutting board, severing the head of a Hitaka fish, which smelled one too many days old.

Such a loud noise would ordinarily startle any man, but when one works in the kitchen in Ölüm, the slaves quickly learn to tune it out, else they would drown in an ocean of tired labor and foul smells, with almost fifty other slaves working tirelessly to try to provide a mockery of a meal to their fellow brothers and sisters.

Despite how many volunteers there were, there weren't as many ingredients to truly justify their numbers. What little they were given were mostly food scraps, or were just trash - expired or soon-to-be expired food that the rich didn't want. Insects were often found crawling in the food, which they learned was a blessing, since more insects meant more ingredients and nutrition - assuming they weren't poisonous.

Despite the fact that they had first access to the food, the chefs were amongst the group of slaves that followed a strict set of rules. To be more precise, they followed four rules in particular:

1: Do not eat the prepared meals unless it's our lunchtime.

2: Do not eat more than the others. Everyone eats the same food, same amount.

3: [REDACTED]

4: Avoid speaking of Rule #3, especially in front of nonchefs. May our silence serve us all, and may the gods forgive us.

THWACK!

Nathan Kenichi Nilsson, a human slave who came from Earth (specifically from Canada), wrinkled his nose as a piece of the clearly spoiled Hitaka fish splattered on his nose. Resisting the urge to gag at the terrible stench, he quickly wiped off the food as he continued working.

Six months. That's how long he's been in this god-forsaken mine, with the last two being in this equally hellish kitchen.

Thwack….thwack….

Because of how close she was to him, Nathan was able to hear the sound of slow chopping from his right. Working right next to him was a red headed woman, who looked barely alive.

He learned that the girl's name was Tayuya, who was still in a state of shock, due to her brutal...punishment, as they liked to call it. She was transferred here in secret by the rebellion as a way to keep her safe and fed in secret. Despite her being patched up pretty well, he could still see her scars, both physical and emotional.

Despite everyone knowing what happened to her, she was still working too slowly.

One of the other cooks slowly walked over to her, and cleared his throat.

"Tayuya, I don't mean to rush you, but you need to work faster. You're behind your quota."

"..." Tayuya's hands stopped moving, her knife stuck into the rotting fish as she stared down at her cutting board.

"... Look, if you can't work, then just-"

"-Let me handle this first, then I'll do her part," Nathan spoke up, immediately taking the guy's attention away from Tayuya. "I'm almost finished, I can handle her quota."

"...It'll cost you your break," the cook warned him, as cooks could only have a small break for a short time.

"... I'll be fine for today, it's no problem," Nathan finally said, with the cook raising his eyebrow. "Just let her stay here, okay? I'll look after her. D'accord?"

"Boy, think about it-"

"I thought about it. End of the point." Nathan interrupted his colleague. "Now lemme take care of this." He said nothing else as he stared him down, leading him to let out a sigh.

"Okay, fine," the cook shrugged, before walking away. Nathan just stood there for a minute, before he sighed. He quickly turned back to his work, and continued to cut and bone his fish.

While Tayuya hadn't moved during the entire argument, her knuckles were growing pale white, her fingernails digging into her palm from clenching her hands into fists.

"Is everything alright?"

Tayuya blinked, and she realized that she tasted metal. She held back a swear as she gingerly licked her bit lip. Quickly wiping her eyes, she resumed her choppy work.

"You didn't have to do that-"

"Don't talk, and keep chopping," Nathan said, continuing to hack more fish without moving his head. "Just keep close to me, and I'll help you with your work."

Tayuya flinched, before she nodded, resuming her work as Nathan had just decapitated his last fish, shoving the discarded part next to him. After finishing off the last fish, he pushed it into a bucket, before pushing the bucket to the next table for cleaning. That was a job for someone else at the sinks, where the mostly clean water was reserved for both food and dishes.

"Here's the pot," Nathan placed the bucket next to the washer. "Try to be quick with it, supper's in twenty minutes." The washer nodded as he dropped the pot into the sink. He opened the faucet and let the water pour out as he began cleaning the bad fish.

The fish washer was a tall, lightly-brown skinned man who had his hair spiked up on the top with shaved sides, a small stubble beard sprouting from his chin, and was of average build, nothing too abnormal at first sight.

"Jesus, Maroi, didn't you hear me? We need the fish cleaned up fast, so no daydreaming."

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it." The man was Maroi, a Shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Clouds who was on an undercover infiltration mission on behalf of his boss, Jiraiya of the Sannin. Having only used his real name, he forged a false backstory in order to remain incognito while he was searching for his target for the past few weeks:

Naruto Uzumaki.

…

Ibrahim Rida walked past the sinks as he carried a large bag of clothes. Darting his head back and forth, he entered the food locker room, and closed the door right behind him.

Kneeling down to the ground, he pulled out a knife from under his sock, and began removing some of the heavy metal plates from the floor, revealing a hidden tunnel.

"Coast is clear," Ibrahim called out, and the first one to come crawling out was Adrik, who cracked his back first after spending too much time in one same position.

"Cyka," Adrik cussed as he groaned, stretching his arms before turning back to the tunnel to help Hera out. "Couldn't Jimmy have dug the tunnel a bit wider?"

"Be glad they weren't discovered in the first place," Hera grunted, although she didn't sound too happy about the tunnel either. She slowly climbed out, coughing from the dust, before she patted herself off. "You can thank him later for his services personally." The Twi'lek turned right around and offered her hand down the tunnel.

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

"Grab my hand, Tarik, I'll pull you up," Hera said as she grabbed his arm, pulling him up and out with some difficulty.

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

"Help him!" Hera nearly shouted to the others. Tarik had apparently gotten worse during the past couple days, and he looked one push away from death.

"I can do it on my ow-*Cough!* own *Cough!*" Tarik tried to protest, but his failing lungs made him kneel over as he coughed out blood. "Just give me a moment."

Pulling out his inhaler, Tarik desperately sucked in the drug, which sounded dangerously low by how it squeaked pitifully. Once his lungs stopped throwing a fit, he was able to look up at his comrades.

"Is everything ready?"

Ibrahim let out a pained expression, and wasn't able to say a word. Adrik decided to be the messenger, and stepped in to talk for him.

SLAM!

Just then, the door slammed open behind them, making them jump. Turning around, they began to relax when it turned out to be just Jimmy, but what little relief they felt quickly disappeared at their friend's look of distress.

"We got a fucking problem," Jimmy breathed. "Somebody ratted us out."

"What?" Ibrahim's eyes widened at the news. This however, was no surprise to the three leaders.

"It's Marrok, isn't it?" Tarik frowned. "Is that what you were going to say?"

"R-Right," Jimmy quickly nodded his head. "How did you know?"

"We knew all along," Adrik explained as he put on his kitchen uniform. If it wasn't for his height, he would've blended with ease. "Asking too many questions in a short time, not the greatest idea to do. Tends to make you look like a krysa."

"Krysa?"

"It means 'rat'," Adrik clarified as he repeated the word. "You know, someone who cares for himself. Something we'll need to handle. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Si." Jimmy nodded, as he knew what happened to rats. "You want me to handle it now?"

"No." Adrik shook his head as Tarik was being helped by his Libyan counterpart, who wasn't listening. "I want him alive. You'll bring him to us, and he will explain himself for his traitorous actions. So find out where he is and bring him to us before we start the plan."

"But what if the plan fails?"

"Then he'll suffer just like us," the Russian scowled. "Now go, before someone sees you."

"Right." Jimmy nodded as he quickly left the storage room. Hera bit her lip as she thought about the events that quickly unfolded before them.

"Adrik, are you sure we can afford to hunt Marrok down?" Hera asked the human man. "The Zygerrians are bound to be on us at any moment, and we're not even sure if he is the rat."

Ibrahim just finished helping Tarik, who was using his inhaler again, and said, "I'll be in the kitchen. Don't take too long." He walked past the two, and closed the door behind him.

Tarik stood up to join his friend, and just before he left the room, he glanced at his two advisors/fellow planners, who were arguing again. They were the complete opposite when it comes to things like planning, strategies, and even morals, to a certain degree. Normally, he didn't mind hearing the heated debate, but time was running short.

"Wrap it up you two, we need to get moving," Tarik rasped, before he quickly left, leaving the two of them in there.

"We cannot act like an lynch mob, Adrik," Hera frowned. "We don't have time for revenge, especially with the Pykes trying to weed us out.

"Maybe so, but that rat can't hide forever. He must face justice for selling us out, I'll be damned to waste months of planning down to the gutter because of this slime."

"And so what, we're going to sink to their level?" Hera snapped back, before she took a deep breath. "Besides, like I said, we don't have time to hunt for a single man when we need to prepare for the fight of our lives. And anyways, I have...another plan in mind for him."

"That being?"

"I want Marrok to stay alive and be given a chance to speak for himself," Hera explained. "I don't want him to just be killed without even confirming whether it was him or not."

He opened his mouth to say something in return, but then the doors swung open, and the duo quickly turned around to see a blaster pointed at them.

"Well well well, conspiring, are we?" Vash grinned. "Out, now, with your hands up."

…

Once the two walked out of the kitchen with their hands above their heads, they noticed that the one busy and noisy kitchen was now dead silent. Everyone in the room all had their hands on the back of their heads as they were being watched by dozens of Pykes and Zygerrians, being patted down head to toe..

"Move it." Vash ordered them as he escorted them to the middle of the room, where a big empty space was left open. Here the two saw Tarik, Jimmy, and Ibrahim forced on their knees, making them stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the slaves, who were standing. Meaning they found the leaders of the plan.

"It took us long enough to find you," Vash said as he forced the two on their knees next to the others. "On your knees, the both of you. Including you, big guy." The Pyke was talking to the Russian, who was standing like an angry statue. This caused the guards to turn their attention to the lone rebel.

"Aren't you listening to your betters, boy?" One of the shorter Zygerrian slavers snarled into his face, sending spit flying onto him. "He said get down on your knees."

Tarik and the others wondered what Adrik was doing. Seeing the Russian being disobedient wasn't an abnormal thing, but he was now attracting unnecessary attention.

"Get on your knees." The Zygerrian grew impatient at Adrik's intentions. "NOW!"

"Make me, you svolotsch," Adrik spat back. "Because I just finished crawling out of a tunnel, and I'll need to stretch my legs."

The Zygerrian smirked at this. "Is that a confession, you Slavic mongrel?" Any half-decent slaver knew to keep morale low, which included studying their culture and language. The Zygerrians were a master of this, and after enslaving humans from the new planet, they got to work on studying up the diverse culture and language, especially what made them tick.

"If you can't figure it out yourself, then I'd consider using that word 'mongrel' for yourself. Seeing you're short, your wife must be disappointed."

ZAPPP!

The collar on Adrik's neck electrocuted Adrik, who immediately went onto his knee as he fought the urge to scream.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you." The slaver kicked Adrik's ribs painfully, making him groan. "I'll make sure your death is slow and painful, trust that."

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

Just then, Tarik collapsed onto the ground, holding his sides as his cough started to grow out of control, which didn't help with the tense atmosphere..

"Looks like we've got a dying one here," another Zygerrian chuckled as he approached the sick man. He kicked him right in the head, turning his body over to face the ceiling.

"Tarik!" Ibrahim roared, but before he could do anything, his face was pushed to the ground. "Leave him alone, he's sick!" This only brought a slick smile on the short Zygerrian.

"Oh, is he?" He stepped closer to get a better look at the wheezing man. "I know you, you're the guy who collapsed in the pickup from a few days ago. How lucky you are."

Turning his head around, Tarik tried to get back on his knees, but suddenly felt a heavy weight pressed on his back, forcing him back into the ground. He felt something constricting his neck, and turning his eyes, he saw that the Zygerrian had him in a chokehold.

"Let me help you out with your breathing problem." The Zygerrian laughed as he began putting pressure on the man's neck, trying to cut the air from his lungs permanently. "Any of you pieces of shits try to help, I'll just break his neck."

The leaders could do nothing but watch as another one of their friends was being slowly murdered, with them knowing that they would be next.

Just then, Vash walked back to the center with two of his men, prompting the others to stand at attention. "That's enough. We've got what we came for."

"Come on, Vash, let us have some fun." It always gave the Zygerrians a sick rush to torment those beneath them, and they hadn't gotten any decent action in a while. "This one's dying anyways, might as well have one last fun with it."

"I said that's enough," Vash growled. "That's an order."

"Fine," the zygerrian huffed as he let go of Tarik. The feeble man fell onto his hands and knees, gasping for air as he struggled to stay conscious.

BLING! CLANG!

A bowl had just fallen into the sink, making everyone jump, and all eyes went towards one of the cooks. Or more specifically, to the person behind one of the cooks.

It was Tayuya, who was trembling like a leaf as she tried her best to disappear into nothing. Her loud, frantic breaths sounded like gunfire in the silent room, raising the anxiety in the air as the slaves grew tense by the second.

"I can't believe it." His grin was toothy and sharp, with his eyes glittering with excitement. "That's the girl we've been looking for!"

Tayuya's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as the memories came back, remembering who this man was. He was there, he was one of those men who violated her!

Then a hand grabbed her hair, painfully yanking her forward. This snapped Tayuya out of it.

"No...NO!" Tayuya screamed as she was pulled back into a headlock. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She kicked, screamed, and scratched at the zygerrian, but he just laughed as he effortlessly dragged her into the middle of the room.

"Vatik's going to be happy to know you're still alive. He was barely done with you and the boys, and I want another round with you." He gleefully turned to his friends as he threw her down onto the floor. "It's a good day, isn't it, boys?"

"YEAH!" The other Zygerrians cheered in unison. Capturing the leaders of the resistance AND capturing an escaped slave? They would certainly get a huge raise after this! The shorter zygerrian pulled out a death stick as he raised a toast.

He shouted in celebration. "TO ÖLÜM!"

"TO ÖLÜM!"

BOOM!

The kitchen wobbled unsteadily as something exploded from above. The dim lights around them began to flicker, until the power suddenly shorted out, leaving the room in darkness.

"What's with the lights? Turn them back on!"

"I can't see!"

After a minute of confusion in the dark, the lights slowly flickered back on. Gone was the tense atmosphere the slavers had generated, replaced by mutual confusion for both sides.

"Sir, what happened?" One of the Sentinels asked Vash. "Why did the lights go out?"

Saying nothing at all, Vash slowly reached for his comms, turning it on as he held it to his ear.

"Vash to Control Room, come in, over."

*Crackle* *Crackle* *Crackle*

No response. The comm was buzzing with static, as if no one was available.

"Control Room, do you copy?"

*Crackle* *Crackle* *Crackle*

Still getting no response, the Sentinel Pyke shifted through his comm channel, switching to one of the outposts. "This is Vash speaking, can anyone respond?"

"Help! *Crackle* We- *Crackle* need help! *Crackle*" One of the outposts responded frantically.

"What's going on up there? Get me through with the Control Room-"

"Its- *crackle* gone!"

The Pyke's eyes widened, unsure of what he had just heard. "Excuse me? Can you repeat that?"

"ITS GONE!" The voice from the comm wailed. "-Control Room exploded! Slaves are rebelling! We need immediate backup! NOW-"

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

The outpost was suddenly cut off, and a chill ran down Vash's spine. It was just as what Zykol had feared; an uprising was taking place, and to make matters worse, it seems that the Control Room had somehow been destroyed. Vash nervously looked around, and realized that the surrounding slaves did not know of the situation that was unfolding. He also realized for the first time just how outnumbered they were, 50 to 3, with many blunt and sharp objects surrounding them as well.

He had to think fast, otherwise one little slip up could-

"You worthless slut!"

His attention was turned back as he realized that the shorter Zygerrian was wrestling the red headed Elementian girl, trying to have fun with her. Vash looked around frantically, and heaved a sigh of relief to see that the slaves were too scared to try to stand up for her.

Good. Maybe he could still take control of the situation-

Wait.

One of the slaves was staring intently at the zygerrian who was trying to rape Tayuya. Nathan...was that the human's name? Yes, he was staring hatefully at him, and Vash's hand was slowly inching towards his blaster.

Vash's eyes then darted back to the red head as she screamed and bit at the zygerrian's hand, which did nothing but further excite him.

"She's still a wild one, boys!" The shorter Zygerrian hooted in glee. "Mind if I teach her a lesson first before we'll bring her back for round two?" He asked the others, who were grinning and laughing in excitement.

"Just leave some action for us!" the others from Vatik's group laughed collectively, finding themselves wanting another round of fun with Tayuya as well.

"Sit still, bitch!" the Zygerrian grinned, his hands gripping her top.

SLASH!

…

All chatter and laughter stopped as the sharp sound echoed throughout the room.

Feeling the Zygerrian freeze over her, Tayuya slowly opened her eyes.

The Zygerrian was still standing over her, but his sadistic smile was gone, replaced with a mixture of confusion and horror as he stared at the meat cleaver that dug its way into his neck.

"Y-You!"

"Yes, me." Nathan said, with hatred burning in his eyes as he grabbed his knife, ripping it out. "BUT THIS IS FOR US!"

SLLLCHK! GUSH!

The minute the blade was ripped out of his neck, the Zygerrian began to bleed profusely, showering the floor with puddles of blood. He gurgled as he struggled to stop the bleeding with his large hands, his eyes crying out for help.

"Stop right there!" One of the Zygerrians shouted, before pulling out a remote and slamming his thumb onto the button.

*Click!* *Click!* *Click*

"What the-" The Zygerrian muttered, before ordering to the others, "Use your remotes!" The others tried to shock Nathan, but to their confusion and horror, his collar refused to activate.

"They're not working!" One of the Pykes cried out.

Thinking quickly, Vash reached for his blaster, but just as his fingers grazed the dedlanite weapon, he fell onto the ground as he saw stars. A cooking pot had been smashed over his head, courtesy of a cook who was faster than the Pyke. The cook's breaths were hard and short, repressed rage swelling up in his chest as he yelled, "KILL THEM ALL!"

And just like that, the kitchen erupted into chaos as blaster fire, pots, and knives flew across the room. A few slaves fell dead or injured onto the floor, but that was all the slavers managed to accomplish as the superior number of slaves rained down onto them, clawing, hitting, stabbing into them, their ferocious rage akin to hungry beasts.

"DIE!" Adrik roared as he kicked two Zygerrians into a table, where they were swarmed by a dozen angry slaves, who got to work on hacking them to pieces, before one of them was dragged away to Force-knows-where.

The other was pinned against the wall, held down by the hatred of a dozen men, with one of them shoving a knife in and out of the Zygerrian's gut as he cried out in pain.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" One of the cooks frequently screamed with such fury in his voice as blood of the Zygerrian's gut began to splatter onto the cooks' clothing. "BLEED THE FUCKING ZYG DRY!"

This act of violence continued, with Zygerrian blood splattering the red walls and floor, until they could no longer keep him pinned, letting him drop disgracefully onto the floor. Somehow, he still had the strength to try to crawl away, but they were quick to pin him down.

"Stand back!" A Mirialan slave said, before grabbing a pot of boiling water. Marching up to the Zygerrian, the two slaves quickly got out of the way as he dumped its contents onto the beast-man's face.

"NO-AGGHH!" He cried in agony as he covered his face with his hands, writhing on the floor in agony like a fish on dry land. His flesh and hair began to melt and tear away, with bubbles sprouting from his tough hide as some parts of his face began to tear off. "MY EYES!"

"MY EYES!"

"You get what you fucking deserve!" the Mirialan female snarled as she slammed the pot down, taking out a small shiv. With an angry roar, they pounced on the blinded Zygerrian, intent on tearing him to pieces.

…

Back with the ringleaders of the rebellion, they were finding themselves to be struggling against their foes. Adrik was currently fighting a Pyke, and was winning, with the Russian currently slamming the Pyke's skull onto the ground.

Tarik, however, wasn't having the same luck, and was wrestling a Zygerrian for his blaster in an effort to stop him from shooting Hera, who herself was fending off some guards with Ibrahim and Jimmy.

"Let go of me!" the Pyke demanded as he tried to throw off the human man, who, despite looking like he was on Death's door, still had a surprising amount of strength left in him as he was starting to win the struggle.

"Arrrgh!"

The guard let out a yowl as Tarik smashed the Pyke's knee. This stunned him long enough for Tarik to knock him over, and he quickly moved to seize his blaster.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

The struggle abruptly ended as the two bodies fell onto the ground. After one terrifying second, one of them rose up.

…

"Not bad for a Slav now, huh?" Adrik spat on the slaver's lifeless body. "Cyka Blyat."

He had won the wrestling match against the Pyke, managing to snap his neck with a satisfying pop.

"Tarik's been hit!"

Snapping out of his victory-induced daze, he saw that Tarik was on the floor. Thank god that he somehow killed the Zygerrian with his own blaster, although it seemed like he didn't come out unscathed.

"Tarik!"

"I'm fine, the son of a bitch shot me in the shoulder, nothing serious," Tarik groaned as he gingerly touched his shoulder. "All of you alright? Anyone wounded?"

Ibrahim shook his head. "No."

"I'm fine." Jimmy seconded as he grabbed the late Pyke's blaster, handing it over to Adrik. "Here, you're a better shot than I am. Spetsnaz."

"Whatever," Adrik shrugged, taking the weapon. The former Russian special forces member was one of the few with military experience who would take the lead on this uprising. "That wound looks bad, Tarik. Maybe you-"

"No way," Tarik rejected, before getting up on his feet. "We have to act quickly, before this gets further out of hand-"

"EVERYBODY!"

The center of attention was turned to the instigator of the revolt, and saw that standing on the ovens, holding the blood-covered cleaver in his hands, was the silent Canadian man named Nathan who began:

"GET THE PIGS! AND DRAG THEM WITH US!"

His words reinvigorated the surrounding slaves, who quickly moved to pull the surviving slavers up, forcing them to walk in front of them as their meat-shields, holding knives or their own weapons at them.

Within seconds, the now bloody kitchen had been emptied, save for the leaders of the slave rebellion.

"Ibrahim, Adrik, go with them, now." Tarik ordered them. "Go, before they get themselves killed."

"But-" Ibrahim stuttered, before getting a blaster shoved in his hands by the Russian who scavenged the weapons from the dead guards, handing one over to Hera.

"We'll lead them to the armory, where we can be more sufficiently armed," Adrik stated as he inspected his blaster. "You can count on us to handle the job."

"Good, go, now!"

"Follow me, boy." Adrik said, tapping Ibrahim's shoulder to follow him. "Let's deal with these bastards!" He shouted with much anger in his body as he exited the kitchen with the Libyan right behind him. Hera was about to join them, until Tarik stopped her.

"Hera, I need you to do something else." Tarik ordered. "Go to the infirmary. That's where you're needed."

Hera frowned at this, until he quickly continued.

"We need you to protect our only two medical experts that we have," Tarik nodded, handing her the Zygerrian blaster. "Also, try to locate Sabine and Naruto. They got taken away, and I'm worried about what happened to them. Can you do that?"

She shot back a determined glare as she nodded.

"Good, now go," Tarik ordered. "May the Force be with you."

"You too," Hera nodded back, before turning to Jimmy. "You, look after Tarik. I need to get going."

"Right."

Hera then left, running off towards the other side of the kitchen, where the other exit was, leaving the Mexican miner with Tayuya and Tarik.

"Jimmy, for you, I need you to do me a favor…"

Jimmy listened as the remaining cooks in the background began to leave the kitchen and do whatever they could to help the riot, all while one simply stood there, frozen with what she'd just experienced.

Hearing the conversation from just a short distance, Tayuya could pretty much guess what they were planning.

---

Ölüm - Hallways

Sabine was struggling to walk on her own, still injured from the interrogation she suffered through from the Zygerrian. With the adrenaline now gone, the pain and trauma came rushing back like a river, slowing her movements.

It didn't help that the explosion had rattled her brain. Despite being blasted away with the Force, the explosion still got to her, severely shocking her system, and making her lose her hearing for a while. It also didn't help with her injuries, and walking was becoming a bit of a challenge.

Leaning just her head against the metal walls, she tried to keep herself conscious.

"Come on Sabine. Don't...give in yet," she pleaded/demanded to herself as she tried to not fall asleep. She refused to give up - she's a Mandalorian for crying out loud!

No way she would die this way.

"Close the gates!"

Sabine's head shot back up as she heard some voices coming from the end of the hallway. Taking another few steps forwards, she peeked around the corner, and saw two groups of Pykes meeting each other at the middle of the three-way junction. They seemed frantic as they quickly discussed their plans.

"Everyone to their positions! Seal the gates and arm yourselves!"

"What's going on?"

"The slaves are revolting, that's what's happening!" One of the Pykes shouted, pointing his drawn blaster behind him. "They've started in the kitchen where Vash and his men were."

"Damn it! Where are Zykol and Vatik?"

"They were supposed to be there," the guard wheezed. "I last saw them with that same group."

"You mean they're dead?!"

"I don't know!"

"Everyone, shut the hell up!" one of the Pykes, obviously the leader, finally took the initiative, and began ordering his squad. "We need to act quickly. Get as many men as you can get, and seal off all possible exits, and secure the armories!"

"What about reinforcements? We're basically cut off!"

"Send a runner to the Royal palace! We cannot allow these slaves to escape at all cost!"

"Here they come!" Another Pyke yelled as he came running past them. "They've reached the mid-levels!"

The group of guards immediately started running, stopping only to seal the gates behind them, just as a group of slaves appeared through one of the hallways. They began to bash through the old modelled gate open with their mining equipment they brought with them.

"Fucking Bastards closed the gate!"

One of the humans kicked it, before he held up a blood covered sledgehammer, slamming it into the gate multiple times. While some dents were being made into it, the slaves were greatly dissatisfied.

"It's no use! Those gates are made of steel!"

"Let us through! We got one of your bastards right here!" The mob made room as the human dragging a bleeding Pyke by the neck came into view. The guard began to plead for his life, as he was now at the mercy of the revolting slaves.

"P-P-Please I did-"

"Shut up and open that gate, now!" It was one of the cooks who was pointing the knife to the Pyke's throat. "If you don't open that gate right now, I will slit your throat open right here!"

The Pyke did not hesitate, and crawled right towards the panels and placed his hand on it for the scanner to read his data. A bright light went off when the Pyke's hand touched the scanner, and for a moment, the gate began rising up to open.

Then the panel exploded, and electricity sparkled out the scanner, causing the others to jump back.

"The fuck?" One of the slaves shouted, observing the smoking control panel. "It's fried up!"

The one holding the knife slammed the bleeding Sentinel to the ground, shoving his knife dangerously close to the artery. "What did you do!?

"I-I-I didn't do anything. They must've shot the control panels on the other side of the gate."

"He's right."

The mob turned towards Adrik and Ibrahim, who just caught up with them.

"They're closing all the exits to the upper levels. At this point they're not taking any chances, even if it means letting their own die." The mob looked at the Pyke guard, who looked to be on Death's door anyways, judging from how pale he was turning and from the number of stab wounds.

"Then how the hell are we opening this damn thing?" One of the slaves demanded.

"Ask them." The slaves turned, and parted ways for two large beasts as they made their way to the gate. Their overflowing body hair covered in filth, water, and blood, they grabbed the lower part of the metal door, and began pushing it up slowly.

"Damn, when did the Wookies get here?" one of the Twi'lek slaves asked in surprise. "They must've been running their way up here if they got here this fast."

"Well, what can I say? They've got a big score to settle for their fallen friends," Adrik stated as he held his blaster ready. "Get ready, everyone. The armory's just above us. Once you reach it, everyone grab a blaster and whatever else you can carry. We'll need to give it all we got. Understood?"

As if to answer his question, the Wookies let out a mighty roar as they forced the door up, even as blaster fire began whizzing by them.

Unfortunately, one of the Wookies got shot twice in the chest, before falling dead to the ground. Instead of striking fear into the other Wookie, however, all this did was make him cry out in rage, pushing him into berserker mode as he yanked the blaster from Ibarhim's hands.

"Hey, what the-"

"RAWRGWAWGGR!" the Wookie howled as he began shooting at the group of Sentinel Pykes, moving forwards and taking the lead as he began hitting his targets.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

Within seconds, the number of Pykes quickly began to fall as the Wookie kept firing at them with deadly speed and precision, single-handedly pushing them back himself. This made the other slaves pause to look in awe.

"By the Force," one of the Zabraks said in shock. "I heard the Wookies were fearsome warriors, but I never thought I'd see one in action."

"I know, even when against the odds, they still fight."

PEW!

One blaster shot flew past them, startling them out of their stupor as Adrik shouted, "What are you all waiting for? Let's move!"

Snapping out of it, they let out a battle cry as they charged with the wookie.

"Get to the armory! Take out as many of those fuckers as you can!" Adrik roared as he exchanged blasterfire with the Pykes, while Ibrahim kept dragging the wounded prisoner they had with them.

"Ibrahim!"

"Yes, Adrik!"

"Where's that Canadian and the rest of the cooks?" Adrik shouted as he hit one Pyke in the chest. "They were just in front of us! Where the hell did they go?"

"They must've split up!" the Libyan shouted back while keeping his head down. "Everything's a mess already! For far as I know, we're not the only ones trying to get to the armory!"

"Doesn't matter now, we'll link up with them if we see them! FORWARD!" Adrik ordered as the group pushed towards the fight. Despite them suffering a few casualties on their own, they were determined to push through. They knew that they weren't going to get another chance like this, so they were hellbent on giving this rebellion everything they got, even if it meant giving their lives.

---

Unbeknownst to the rest of the slaves, Sabine was still limping from behind, witnessing the ordeal from the sidelines. Despite being severely weakened, she was still determined to join the fight.

"I need...to help…" she said to herself, slamming her fist against the wall. "Need...to get to...the infirmary."

She began to redouble her efforts to patch herself up. She couldn't just keep sitting by while her friends were dying for a chance of freedom. She needed to fight too! But more importantly…

"You better hold on, Uzumaki," Sabine growled, hoping that somehow somewhere, he would hear her. "You've done enough for me already - it's time for me to have your back too!"

---

(Meanwhile)

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

On the same level where the main entrance of the Control Room was located, a group of almost two dozen Pykes and a handful of Zygerrians had arrived at the broken down gate, which led to the most important part of the mining hole..

Some of the Pykes were trying to open the gate with their bare hands or with mining tools as they tried to get inside the room.

"Come on! Faster!" One of the Zygerrians holding his blaster ordered as he was one of the officers from the mid-levels who saw the explosion go off two levels above ground zero as he had taken command of a few men to try and look for survivors.

"We're trying! This gate is just too heavy!" One of the Pykes yelled. "We need more men!"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we're in the middle of a revolt!" The Zygerrian angrily responded at the complaining overseer. "We've lost total control of the lower levels and have no contact with the team in the kitchen. It's only a matter of time before they'll reach the armory. Now GET BACK TO WORK!"

The Zygerrian pointed his blaster angrily at the Pykes, making them grumble as they tried to get pry open the jammed door. He shook his head, not understanding just how this went all wrong.

The only reason why they weren't in their ships hightailing it out of there is because of how their superiors would react to this embarrassment. Best case scenario, they would be heavily demoted to sanitation duty alongside some slaves on another backwater planet. Worst case scenario, they would either be executed for their failure, or would even become slaves themselves. Either way, they needed to try to retake control of the situation, instead of running back to Zygerria, where they would undoubtedly suffer a worse fate than death.

A loud roar and the sound of repeated blaster fire shook the Zygerrian out of his thoughts. Glancing once more at the hallway, he holstered his blaster as he quickly moved to help. "Hurry, men! We need to get to the room. If there's any chance that even one of those computers survived, we can call for reinforcements!"

"What about the lab that's just a few miles away from here?" one of the Zygerrians guarding the hallway suggested. "They're not that far away from here."

"I would, but those damned Earthlings prioritized construction on their lab and on D'Nar's mansion. Besides, I tried to get a hold of them earlier, but they weren't answering."

Just then, one of the Pykes who was working on the doors grunted, "But what if nothing survived inside-?"

"There must be! One piece of communication, even if it's just a hologram device, we can try to call anyone, from the other mines, D'Nar or even the Royal Palace, we must hold Ölüm!"

The Pyke guards grumbled, but continued pulling on the steel gate with all their strength, making slow progress, as evident by the fact that the metal door was beginning to bend inwards. If they kept it up, they could crawl underneath to inspect what remained of the room.

"We're nearly there!"

FWOOSH!

Without warning, the blast door suddenly flew open, being violently blasted off by some powerful force. This sent the Pykes and the Zygerrians flying, the leader included.

"Ah, shit!" the leading Zygerrian growled as he held his head, seeing stars. He began to cough as the smoke from the Control Room began invading the hallways, with no more door to hold them back.

Smelling, then looking at the sheer amount of smoke the room was emitting, what little hope they had died out, knowing that there was nothing they could use.

But that wasn't what was on his mind now. His eyes widened as something - no, someone, just stepped out of the smoke. He blinked, and he recognized the boy was the blond Elementian, who happened to be a leader of the revolt.

Naruto Uzumaki, covered in ash and shadows, staggered out of the room. He was silent as a phantom, with each staggering footstep failing to make a sound. His eyes weren't visible, being covered by his greasy hair, leaving them to the imagination.

"It's one of the conspirators!" The leader roared as he pointed his blaster at the slave, with the others following suit, soon all the weapons were turned against the lone Uzumaki who was just standing there with his head turned down.

"Get on your fucking hands and knees like a good slave, or else!"

The boy didn't respond. One part of the Zygerrian Commander felt unsettled by this, but he pushed down his feelings as he took out his electro-whip.

"Alright, you've asked for this!" With a nasty snarl, he activated it, and lashed it twice close to the boy's position. This failed to make him flinch, and anger began to fill his heart.

"You worthless scum!" The Zygerrian shouted as he lashed at the young man again. "I SAID DOWN!"

TSSH!

The boy's hand suddenly snatched the plasma whip with his bare hands. The boy should've gone down in pain from holding such a hot material, but much to their surprise, he didn't even let out a wince.

"The Kriff?!" the slaver was stunned by this reaction, having never seen it before. His astonished expression quickly turning back to one of fury, he yanked back the whip.

The Zygerrian winced as he felt the whip refusing to move. It felt like he had just tied the whip to a tree, and had pulled the whip expecting to win.

It was then that the boy raised his head, and the slavers and guards took a step back, their now terrified eyes meeting his.

His eyes were ones of an animal - an angry, bloodthirsty animal that was staring down at his prey. His eyes were golden, which seemed to glow in the dimly lit hallway.

"What the hell?" one of the Pykes breathed. "What is he?"

"I don't care! Just kill the brat!"

Naruto's glare turned darker as he took a deep breath. The hallways began to be filled with screams and blaster fire, followed by a mighty roar belonging to a monster. Blood and smoke began filling the air, with the walls beginning to crack.

---

Now, that's for the first part of the Ölüm Uprising, I hope this is good for you guys, seeing you've been excited into this finally starting. Given when I post this it was 5 in the morning where I live, so I hope this is good enough for you guys.

I will write on the second part as fast as I can. Still it needs some time, plus, I need to update some of my other content. Like I mentioned before.

Also, give some thanks to my friend Lucius Walker, I seem to think not much credit is given to him, even though he's the guy who mainly helps me out with this story and writing skills.

No, really, this guy helped me out this much, I think I am lucky crossing him.

Anyway, if you have any questions, you can always PM me. It will take a while since I live in Europe. But I do answer the questions. Stay safe out there, especially to everyone down in Texas.

Peace!

Chapter 11: The Ölüm Uprising: Part 2

Book of Revelation 6:7

And when he had opened the fourth seal,

I heard the voice of the fourth beast say,

- Come and See

---

Ölüm - Surveillance Room

The situation that was being witnessed by the surveillance team in the mid-levels could only be described as total anarchy, as they saw that they were quickly losing the lower levels.

Cut off from the outside world, the guards scattered all over the area could do nothing as the rising numbers of the rebelling slaves were causing them to go into panic mode, firing their blasters desperately, before they either fled, or were consumed by the angry crowd.

"Status report," the leading Zygerrian demanded. "What's the situation down in the lower levels?"

A Pyke reported, "We've lost contact with the teams from level 45 to level 50. I've yet to get any response from them."

"What about the salvage team that went to the Control room?"

"Got nothing back from them yet," The Pyke responded while going through everything. "Last call was over ten minutes ago when they arrived there. Nothing else."

"We've got over two hundred slaves entering the cell blocks in the center levels," another Pyke added. "They're about to enter cell block 40-B; they're going to free them any moment now."

"Large concentration of slaves are nearing the armory on level 35."

"Level 35? Impossible! They've moved this quickly?!" One of the surveillance watchers wondered, before ordering guards around through his mic. "Get to the mid-levels, secure level 30 - 31 and 32. Let no slave get past your defenses!"

"Any sign of Zykol?" the Zygerrian demanded.

"Negative, sir."

"Kriff!" The slaver cursed. "What about the Earthlings in sector 12, have they been warned?"

"We've tried to contact them, sir, but they haven't responded," the same pyke said with a frown. "Either they're ignoring our calls, or they're cut off as well."

The Zygerrian growled at this, resisting the urge to shoot the Pyke, before he took a deep breath. He looked back at the many screens, with about half of them suddenly winking out of life, indicating that the slaves were smart enough to destroy them to conceal their movement.

Then one of the Pykes saw something in the footage and called out, "I've got eyes on the Main Armory on level 25!"

The Zygerrian walked up to him and asked, "Is it secured?"

Watching through the only working security footage, the situation looked drastic.

"Fighting's going on in the hallway. The guards are holding it, but not for long."

---

Main Armory: Hallway

Blaster-fire, smoke and chaos. That was what currently occupied the main hallway that separated the rebelling slaves, who were at the moment heavily outgunned and stuck, and the gate doors that led to the weapons cache, which was being protected by the remaining Pykes who were still alive to fend off the insurrectionists.

Shooting from the corner of the red hallway, Adrik tried his hardest to aim and shoot at the guards, trying to avoid hitting the bodies of the fallen slaves and the ones caught in the middle of this fire blaze. One of them was a Wookie who was trapped between, with it taking cover in the only open door that was in the middle of the hallway that separated the two opposing sides.

PEW!

Adrik dodged a blaster shot and went back to cover next to Ibrahim, who held his own blaster, and peeked at the Pyke Sentinel who had his sights on the Wookie.

His opportunity quickly came, as the Sentinel got out from his cover, forcing Ibrahim to make his move.

PEW!

"UGH!" The blaster bolt struck the Pyke in the chest, dropping the guard quickly as Ibrahim got back to cover next to Adrik as more blaster shots rained upon them in retaliation.

"We're sitting ducks here!" Adrik shouted, as he knew they've hit a major roadblock. To make matters worse, the growing pile of bodies in the hallway were mostly theirs... "The longer we stay here, the more men we lose!"

PAW!

One blaster shot nearly hit Adrik's head, hitting the side of the corner wall where he was hiding behind.

"Earthling scum!"

"Die, you Zyg Devil!" One human slave shouted as he charged right in, getting killed instantly with multiple bolts hitting him right on, ending his suicidal act in a sheer moment. Yet another slave fell to an early death in front of the others. One of the Twi'lek males who happened to be there flinched at the sight of this, and began muttering his doubts.

"We shouldn't have done this. This was a mistake. Why did we think we could win? We should just surrender-"

"Cut that crap, you fucking tail-head!" One of the Earthlings said, having a blaster himself. "If you want to be their good little slave, go ahead, but I won't!"

"W-Why you want to throw your life away?"

"Because I'd rather die than serve these hairy fucks," the Earthling spat back to the Twi'lek, disgusted at their cowardice. "Now stand up and grow a pair, or else get the hell out of my way!"

"Enough shouting, more shooting!" Adrik ordered as he and Ibrahim both got out of their cover and fired multiple shots at the guards, forcing them into cover for a short period of time, before being returned to the favor with superior fire.

Meanwhile, fighting hard on the other side, despite being vastly outnumbered, the Sentinel Pykes were holding their ground, even after hearing that the situation was growing out of control.

"We've got these slaves!"

"Don't jinx it, idiot!" one of the more levelheaded Pykes shouted as he kept firing at the covering slaves. "Word is we've lost total control of the lower levels, and that violence has broken out just two levels above us!"

"What! We're cut off!?"

"Not for the moment, just keep these scum from the weapons cat-"

PEW!

"UGH!" the leader uttered as he felt a bolt go right through his stomach. The Pykes looked back, and saw that enemy reinforcements had arrived, including one tall Lasat who was a good shot, and had the backing of a few armed slaves.

"You won't believe just how happy I am to see your ugly mugs for once," the Lasat Zeb grinned savagely. "It's time for some well deserved payback!"

"Kriff, they've got back-GAH!" a Pyke was cut off as a blaster bolt struck him in the gut.

"RAWGAAARGH!" the Wookie now made his move, running straight for them with righteous fury. Picking up a dead Pyke in one hand, he used his corpse as a shield, while firing wildly with his blaster with his other hand.

PEW!

"AGH!"

PEW!

"AH!"

"KEEP THAT WOOKIE BACK!" The numbers of the Pykes were dropping fast as they were making their retreat into the armory. "IN THE ARMORY, NOW! NOW!"

The Wookie, who was high on anger and pain, barreled forwards, slaughtering more guards than he would realize. His rampage was halted when a downed Zygerrian, who had been playing possum, managed to jump on him from behind, wrapping his whip around his neck.

The struggle didn't last very long, as the Wookie bent over, throwing the Zygerrian onto his head just in time to use his body to shield him from blaster bolts. This got them to cease fire, and they could only watch in horror as the Wookie began to bash the Zygerrian into the floor, until-

SNAP!

"KILL IT! KILL IT!" the few surviving Pykes standing near the entrance of the armory aimed at the rampaging beast, who in return let out a mighty roar.

"RAWGH!"

"Chewie, look out!"

Despite their warnings, the Wookie wasn't done yet. Now using the dead Zygerrian's body as a shield, he continued to charge towards the open entrance to the weapons cache.

"Close the door, close the door!" the three surviving Pykes ran inside the armory. "CLOSE THE KRIFFING DOOR!"

"RAWGHARGGH!"

The Wookie threw the dead body at the open door, knocking down all three of them.

Seeing the remaining guards taken down, the slaves roared in unison as they charged the armory. One of the guards groaned as he turned his head, spotting the Wookie looming over him.

"Bastard!"

PEW!

"RAWGH!" the Wookie howled as he took a blaster bolt to the shoulder. However, this pain seemed to only fuel his rage, and he simply shot the guard back in return.

PEW!

The Wookie was hit by the other Pyke's blasters, and this time he dropped to the floor, just as Adrik entered the armory.

"Kriff-"

PEW!

The other guard took a bolt to the face, falling back down and not getting back up.

The last guard gulped as he found himself quickly outnumbered. Trembling, he dropped his blaster as he put his hands up.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I surrender!" The Pyke quickly pleaded. "I don't have a weapon-"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Don't shoot!-"

"Shut up!" Ibrahim shouted back, aiming the blaster to his head.

"I, I said don't shoot-GRK!" the last Pyke fell to the floor like a pile of bricks as Zeb gave him a loud punch to the head.

"Nice one, Zeb."

"Man, that felt good," Zeb grinned, before he remembered the injured Wookie on the floor. "Help me get Chewie back up, will you?"

As the two helped the Wookie sit up on some crates, the other slaves started pouring into the armory.

"Easy, easy, big guy," Ibrahim said softly, trying hard not to gag from the combined smell of the dirty Lasat and the Wookie. "Crying out loud, man. No offense, but you two stink!"

The Wookie weakly growled at the human, before stroking his large hand over the Libyan, rubbing his head like a pet.

"Rawgh…"

"Heh, at least you're fine," Ibrahim smiled, before carefully beginning to tend to his wounds, using what little spare pieces of cloth he had on him as makeshift bandages.

"Break open the locks!"

BANG! BANG! CRASH!

The weapons boxes were forced open by the slaves, with the boxes quickly becoming empty as everyone scrambled for a gun.

"Remember, one gun per person!" Adrik barked out sternly. "Carry them out of here and distribute them evenly. Anything you can find, pistols, carbines, rifles. I want all of it out!"

"Zeb! I found something! Can you help me break that lock?" somebody from Zeb's shift shouted.

Zeb looked back to the Libyan who was tending the Wookie. "You sure you can handle this?"

"Sure, I can handle it," Ibrahim assured him. "Go, now. You're more needed elsewhere."

"Zeb!"

The Lasat ran across the emptying room to help the group that was currently trying to pry open a storage room. A few of them made way for Zeb as he got to work on opening the doors. With the help of his vastly superior strength and with the help of the others, the doors were finally forced open, the metal bent at where Zeb's fingers were. Taking a step back, some of them teared up at what they saw.

To the Zygerrians and the Pykes, this room was either a room full of junk, or a collection of interesting artifacts. To the slaves, however, this was a room full of treasure. This storage closet had all of their belongings that the slavers had no shame in stealing from them. Ranging from unique weapons to even clothes, the slaves wasted no time on taking back what was theirs, being more than happy to help each other find what belonged to them.

The large storage room quickly became full of commotion, but Zeb just walked through almost mindlessly. Despite being there, he couldn't believe that they had made it this far. For months, he had dreamed about taking revenge on the monsters that stripped him of his pride and freedom, and now here he was, standing amongst his fellow brothers and sisters, on the edge of victory and freedom.

"Zeb!"

Zeb turned around, and his green eyes widened at the weapon Mugabo was offering to him.

"I think this belongs to you," the human man smiled. Speechless, the Lasat gratefully accepted the weapon. He ran his large, hairy hands over it, savoring the familiar feel of it against his skin and fur.

"My, oh my. Glad to have you back." Zeb smiled, his fingers hugging his weapon like they were long-lost brothers.

"Never seen a weapon like that before," Mugabo commented. "What is it?"

"It's an AB-75 bo-rifle, a weapon that's a huge part of our culture," Zeb said while inspecting his weapon. "Only the Lasan High Honor Guard are given the exclusive right to use it."

"I guess you're glad you got it back."

"That I am," Zeb agreed full-heartedly as he slung the rifle around his back. He began to help the others sort out their stolen belongings, eventually picking up something he suspected was from Earth. "Something that belongs to you?"

Mugabo quickly nodded as he happily took back what was his. Checking it for any damage, he used the worn strap to wear it around his neck like a cumbersome necklace. "Yes, thank you, friend. Did you get everything you needed?"

"Everything and more," Zeb smiled, before a commotion grabbed his attention. With the help of the others, everyone got their possessions back, and were now preparing for battle. Unfortunately, as predicted, there was a shortage of blasters and detonators, leaving many defenseless.

Still, they had no choice but to push forward.

"Everybody out, now!" Adrik ordered, now armed with a Zygerrian blaster. "We need to keep moving up! Go, go, go!"

Before he left with the others, he stopped to look at Zeb. "I'm off now, see you at the top!"

"Will do!" Zeb said, grabbing a box as he began running. "Come on, kid, follow me."

"I'm right behind you," Mugabo said, being one of the many unfortunate slaves who didn't have a weapon. The two were about to leave the armory, but a group of people came running in.

"Step aside, we got the prisoners!" one of the rebels shouted as they dragged in four slavers they caught, including the wounded Pyke from earlier. The other three were two Pykes and the one blood-covered Zygerrian that tried to rape Tayuya again, who somehow survived his bloody ordeal with the Canadian in the kitchen.

"On the floor, hands on your fucking heads!" one of the slaves shouted as he kicked them down.

The slavers that lacked the strength to do so themselves were forced onto the floor on their belly, whatever fight left in them being beaten out of them long ago. Instead of fighting back, they used what little strength they had to place their hands above their heads.

The four slaves had their guns trained onto the four slavers, making them observe the now empty armory as a reminder of their crumbling paradise. This sparked the flame of rage in one of them.

"You won't get away with this," one of the slavers spat out a glob of saliva and blood onto the floor. "Your puny rebellion will fail, so enjoy this moment, you insolent slaves."

"Shut it, you hairy fuck," one of the slaves hissed, before spitting on the Zygerrian. "Open your mouth again, and I swear to God, I'll kill you."

"Pff, you don't have the balls, you filthy earthling."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"What? You earthlings got short-memory or something? Typical backward apes."

"Who you're calling an ape, you hairy piece of shit!" The human was losing his nerve, his finger tightening dangerously on the trigger. "I double dare you to call me that again!"

"Primitive human ape-"

TWHACK!

The human roared as he slammed the butt of his gun onto the Zygerrian's head, knocking him out instantly as he kissed the dirty floor, not responding anymore.

The said human was Adrik, who was one of the last ones left in the empty armory, who spat at the Zygerrian, before turning to the other slaves.

"That was fun, but you guys need to go. No need to have all of you here."

"Who's going to guard these pricks?" one of the slaves asked, before they noticed Adrik pulling out a blaster, giving it to the Wookie just as Zeb and Mugabo appeared at the entrance.

"Hey, big guy, mind watching these fucks for a while?" Adrik asked, before turning to Zeb. "What did you say his name was?"

"Chewbacca," Zeb replied, "But you can call him 'Chewie' for short."

"Right." Adrik turned back to the Wookie warrior. "Chewbacca, simple task: one of those fuckers move, you got full authority to fuck em up in any imaginable way, but keep them alive for the moment if you can. Good?"

"BWRAWHL!" Chewbacca roared, nodding his head.

"Good, I'm counting on you." Adrik turned back to the others. "What are you all standing around for? Move it!"

---

Medical Ward

CRASH!

Glass shattered from the infirmary door as chaos broke out in the hallway. Guards and slaves were fighting like crazy, be it with whips, stones, blasters, or anything else they could get their hands on, leaving piles of bodies and ruins everywhere.

Two Pykes were seen running through the hallway, with one of them keeping his blaster pistol aimed behind him, firing multiple times at the revolting slaves, before disappearing from the onlookers' sight.

Those onlookers behind the glass windows were the two nurses Idel and Bellatrix.

"What's going on?" Idel asked. "Bella, do you know anything about this?"

"Don't ask stupid questions, girl," Bellatrix said, walking away from the entrance. "It's an uprising."

"W-What?"

The Dathomir woman opened up a cabinet and searched through it. "The Control Room just blew to pieces, so this is the perfect chance to make our escape."

Idel looked horrified. "I did not expect this to happen soon."

"Now is not the time for fear," Bellatrix warned, throwing on a blue gown. "Get these on; this room will be full of patients soon, so we'll have to prepare ourselves. I'll prepare the beds, you get the morphine, bandages, spices, anything we have left."

"Right," Idel nodded, running for the background while slipping on the gown. The Nightsister turned to get the beds ready.

CRASH!

Bellatrix turned around, her hand already at her leather satchel at her side. One of the guards had just burst through the door, and was in bad shape. The Pyke and the Nightsister stared at each other for a minute in surprise, before they got over their shock.

"You, get over here!" the Pyke ordered, aiming his blaster at her. "NOW!" Bellatrix just stood there in silence as another guard limped inside, with this one being without a weapon. Unlike his partner, he was panicking, darting his head back and forth between his partner and the mob of slaves who were converging into the infirmary.

"Push in, boys!"

"We'll get you slavin' bastards!"

"STAND BACK!" the armed Pyke shouted at them while aiming his blaster back and forth from the Dathomirian nurse to the mob that was pushing its way into the infirmary. "I repeat, stand back!"

"We're done, man." the unarmed guard said to his friend in defeat. "They're going to lynch us."

"Shut up!" The guard yelled back while aiming now at him too. "I'm not going to die like this! Not here!"

Just then, Idel just ran back from the backroom holding a box full of supplies. She froze in her tracks when she saw the two Pykes.

"You, stop!"

"Idel, get down!"

PEW!

The blaster shot nearly hit the nurse as she dove down behind some beds.

"Get down!"

Bellatrix hit the floor as a flaming object flew through the broken door - an incendiary Molotov cocktail, - and watched as it hit the unarmed pyke. Within seconds, the guard was engulfed in flames, making him fall to the floor.

"AAAHHHHHH IT BUUURNSS!" the slaver wailed as he began rolling on the floor, with Idel being frozen in shock at how the situation had quickly escalated.

It was then that the mob finally made it inside the infirmary, using makeshift shields to ensure that the pyke didn't get a clear shot. The leader of this mob was Nathan, who was still holding his bloody meat cleaver, and a Pykan blaster.

"Drop your weapon, and maybe we'll let you live!" he snarled at the Pyke, who was trembling.

"S-stay back! O-or I'll shoot-"

WHOOOSH!

In the split second that the guard was distracted by his burning friend, Bellatrix had plunged her hand into her satchel, taking a fistful of spice. Opening her hand, she blew hard into it, the spice glowing green as he flew at the guard. The guard screamed as he was consumed by the cloud, firing off a few wild shots, none of them hitting his targets.

When the glowing cloud disappeared, the Pyke was left standing there motionlessly. He was still alive and still conscious, but his eyes were blank, and his body was relaxed.

"Are you alright?" one of the slaves asked, while staring at the guard in suspicion.

"We're alright, thanks," Bellatrix nodded, brushing her hands off of spice. She recognized these slaves as the ones from the kitchen, judging by their aprons and makeshift chef hats, both of which were now caked in dirt and blood.

"c'est ne pas problem, sorry we did not arrive earlier. We had to fight our way through the hallways," Nathan explained apologetically. Bellatrix raised her eyebrows at what the slaves just brought into the infirmary.

They were carrying makeshift pikes, which had the severed heads of both Pykes and Zygerrians - a brutal trophy of their conquest for freedom.

Nathan realized what the two nurses were fixated on, and told the slaves to put the pikes outside.

"Well don't just stand there you guys! Bring in the wounded! If you want to fight, go wait outside in case any more of those bastards show their ugly mugs. Allez, allez, allez!" Nathan shouted at them.

The armed men quickly moved into action, carefully taking their trophies outside and making room for others to leave and enter, with others helping the wounded get inside.

"My apologies for them," Nathan said sheepishly to the mortified nurses, "but you must understand - now it has begun, all of our repressed emotions are coming out. Including revenge."

"Let's not get hung up on those bastards for now. Help us bring in these people," Idel gestured to the others. "Everybody listen up! If you can stand, help us out! If you can't, take a rest, but save the beds for the wounded! Let's go, go, go!"

Within no time, the beds were quickly filled with the badly wounded. Despite their lack of resources, the two nurses did their best to try to save the lives of their patients.

It was overwhelming, hearing the cries and screams of the sick, wounded, and dying, but nonetheless, the two of them stood tall and strong, as they gave instructions loud and clear while trying to save lives while handling the hard pressure that was given to them.

"If you have working hands and aren't doing anything, please come to me to help. Anyone with minor injuries, wait your turn! You, try to see if we can find any more spare clothing to use for bandages. C'mon, chop chop!"

Nathan hummed as he nodded. "Wow, they're good at their job, aren't they? She just survived being attacked a minute ago, and she's already bouncing back, taking charge of her station."

"And you! Go take out your friend's body!" Bellatrix ordered her enchanted slave. "We need space. Come on!"

The Pyke grunted as he shuffled away to do his bidding.

"Bellatrix! Idel!"

The Dathomir turned around, and smiled when she saw the green skinned Twi'lek.

"Hera! Thank the Force you're alive!" they stopped to give each other a brief hug, before they parted. "I hope you're doing alright."

"I'm fine, thanks," Hera replied, before she finally saw the state of the situation. "How bad is it?"

"You can see for yourself, but right now I need every pair of hands I can get," Idel was heard shouting in the room as she held a syringe in her hands. "Bella, I need you, now!"

"I'm sorry, Hera, but I can't talk right now, wait a moment." Bellatrix said, before going to Idel to assist her. In the midst of this chaos, two more individuals entered the room and gave their own reactions.

"Mon Dieu..."

"Karabast."

The last one made Hera turn around, and she brightened up like a lightbulb.

"Zeb!" the two of them gave each other a hug, letting out a laugh of relief and joy of seeing each other again. She noticed how he got his weapon back, which made her happier.

"Hera, you have no idea how happy I am to see you alive."

"I could say the same for you!" Hera grinned, before asking, "Where were you? I couldn't find you anywhere."

"We just raided the armory down below with Adrik and the others. It was a heavy fight down there." Zeb said as he pulled out a blaster pistol, offering it to her. "For you."

"Thanks." Hera gladly accepted the blaster, putting it in the back of her pants. "You come across anyone else?"

"Yeah, there's Chewie. He's in the armory right now, guarding some hostages. We got in the damn place thanks to him and his now dead friend," Zeb told her grimly while handing her some thermal detonators. "He's banged up kinda bad, so we're letting him relax."

"Is it bad?"

"It takes more than just a few blaster bolts to kill a Wookie, Hera. You know that."

Someone had just entered the infirmary, causing the two to pause their conversation. The new patient was limping, and looked to have struggled to have gotten this far. She crashed right into Nathan, who caught her before she could fall to the ground.

"Hey, isn't that-"

"Hera! Zeb!" Nathan shouted at them to get their attention. "It's Sabine!"

The two rushed to help the Mandalorian girl out, who looked like she was beaten black and blue, and had all the energy sucked out of her.

"Hold on, I'm coming, give me a moment!" Bellatrix was heard yelling.

"Sabine! Thank goodness you're alive!" Hera cried out, embracing her friend, before quickly realizing that she was injured. She held back her relief to carefully help her onto a chair.

"T-Thanks, but I'm doing alright," Sabine said, forcing a smile on her face while wincing.

Zeb did not buy it. "You look pretty bumped up, sure you alright?"

"I'm fine, I really am, I just-Agh!" Sabine seethed from the pain in her leg as Bellatrix came up with some makeshift painkillers on hand. "I just need to patch myself up now. I got to go back up."

"Sabine, no. You're in no shape to keep going," Hera told her sternly. "You need to stay here and get yourself fixed up."

"I need to go back," Sabine repeated. "Just...put a cast on my leg or something, and I'll be fine."

"Sabine, I'll repeat myself one more time, and that's it," Hera warned her. "You can't-"

"NARUTO'S STILL UP THERE!" Sabine shouted, causing everyone to flinch. "He made the Control Room blow up! He's still up there! I need to find him!"

This definitely got everyone's full attention. Nobody had known exactly what caused the explosion, and some were even wondering what happened to the infamous blond.

"Sabine, are you sure?" Nathan asked.

"Yes!" Sabine gritted her teeth. Her leg was really starting to hurt, and the spice medicine Bella gave her wasn't working.

"Take it easy, Sabine."

"I am," Sabine snapped. "It's just this stupid leg!" She tried to get up, despite Bellatrix's protests, only to fall back down onto her butt, blinding pain erupting like lava.

Despite Sabine's act of foolish stubbornness, Bella couldn't help but smile at her determination to try to help her friend and lover. Even without the gossip, she could still see her feelings of love trying to overcome reason and self-preservation.

GHCK!

Bella's eyes widened as she felt something tremble in the Force. She felt an enormous amount of power surge through the air again.

Just like when the Control Room exploded...

"Sabine, you're too injured to get back into battle," Zeb held her down onto her chair. "Let us take care of him."

"No, Zeb!" Sabine yelled at him. "I can't just sit around with my thumb up my ass while Naruto needs help!"

"Hold her still." Bellatrix suddenly said.

"Huh?" Sabine felt her pant leg being pulled up, and saw Bella's hands over it. "Hey, what are you-"

"Quiet, girl," the Dathomirian girl hushed her as she began concentrating. Before she could ask her what she was doing, her eyes widened as Bella's hands began to glow green, small wisps of green energy streaming from her fingers.

"What's she doing?" the other Earthling besides Nathan asked. "Looks like magic."

"That's not magic, my friend. It's the Force," Hera said, quickly realizing what abilities this woman had. Of course she could use the Force, she's a witch from Dathomir. Of course, the type of Force abilities they used was considered "magic," but that wasn't the point.

Sitting there, Sabine couldn't help but stare in awe as her leg began to heal, the bruises and cuts fading away until they were nothing more than an unpleasant memory.

"My leg, the pain's going away."

"Impossible," the Earthling said in denial. "That's not possible."

Nathan had to disagree. "Non, as you can see, it is."

The green streams of energy died out, and Bellatrix stepped back as she sat on her stool, feeling quite drained. The Mandalorian gingerly put some weight onto her leg, and found that she was able to stand on it.

"The pain… it's gone!"

"Holy shit."

"Karabast, indeed," Zeb said, still in disbelief at what he just witnessed. Sabine walked around some more, and was pleasantly surprised to not feel any more pain.

"Bella, I can't thank you enough-"

"Don't," Bellatrix said, closing her eyes. "Find Naruto. He's going to be in trouble."

Sabine snapped to attention, no longer celebrating her healed leg.

"Right, anyone got a blaster for me? Gimme something to work with."

Zeb smirked as he dropped a bag. "Lucky for you, I found your stuff in the armory. Go nuts." Sabine looked into the bag, hugged Zeb, and got to work.

The green Twi'lek felt a tug on her shoulder, and saw it was Bella, who pulled her hand towards her, handing something to her.

"Take this. The boy's most likely very injured by now." It was a package of bandages and other first aid material, including a vial of glowing green water that read, "Drink Me."

"Make sure to bring him with you the higher up you go, since bringing the wounded back down at this point would be a waste of precious time."

"Right," Hera nodded.

"Ah, now this is more like it."

Everyone turned to look at Sabine, who had just replaced her torn clothes. She just finished putting on her armor, including her helmet. Covered with her custom paint job, the Mandalorian girl was now complete, save for her gun holsters, which were empty.

"Looks like my babies are still in good shape," Sabine smiled, before slipping on a pair of black gloves. "Do you have my guns?"

Zeb only chuckled as he handed over her double WESTAR-35 blaster pistols. Spinning them around her fingers, she put them back into their holsters as she turned to the others.

"Let's get going."

"On me, my team will back you up," Nathan said as he walked out first through the door with a few of his men, giving Hera now the moment to check on her two friends.

"Are you two sure you want to join us?" Hera asked them.

Zeb nodded. "Of course."

Hera turned to Sabine, who she knew was one of the youngest slaves and one of the first volunteers of the plot. "What about you, honey?"

"Hera, after all that has happened, I can't sit this out," Sabine said through her helmet, and patted her on the shoulder. "I need this."

"Alright. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."

"Right." The two moved to join Nathan's group, while Hera stayed behind for the time being. She looked around, and saw that the African Earthling Mugabo was seen helping the wounded slaves.

"Mugabo?"

"Idel needs extra hands, so I will help," the man explained to Hera. "I am not a fighter, I will help here, trying to save lives."

Hera nodded in approval as she left for the door, nearly bumping into another comrade that Mugabo recognized.

"Maroi, help me with the wounded, can you?"

The shinobi spy, who was in the middle of all this chaos trying to find his target, found himself trapped with many wounded slaves who were in dire need of help.

"... What can I do?" Maroi offered reluctantly, and was given a box of bandages to be distributed to anyone who needed it.

---

Upper levels

While the situation on the lower and mid-levels was deteriorating, the upper levels were having...different problems.

A group of well armed Zygerrians were running for their lives, being a part of the group that tried to get inside the Control Room. They were yelling as something was chasing them.

"Monster! Monster! RUN!"

"Run, RUN!" one of them yelled, firing two shots behind him in panic. "It's getting closer!"

"Kriff! KRIFF!" the last Zygerrian yelped as he tripped over nothing, falling face first onto the spice-littered ground. Before he could get up, he was suddenly dragged back. He clawed at everything and anything, but nothing stopped him as he was dragged out of view.

"HELP ME!

But none of them stopped for him, in fear of being next. They turned their heads back forward as they tried to block out the sound of his screams, before they suddenly went silent.

Opening the gate in front of them, they kept running until they came across a group of Pyke Sentinel guards, who were all armed.

"What's going on in here?" the leader of the group demanded from the rookie Zygerrians. "We've got a riot going on! There's no time to mess around, we need to get to the Control Room to try to call for reinforcements!"

"That's where we just came fro-UGRK!"

The two Zygerrians, including the one that was talking, suddenly clawed at their throats, dropping their blasters. Everyone watched in horror as they were slowly lifted into the air by an invisible, malevolent force.

"Run..." was their last words, before they were slammed right into the wall behind the Pykes.

CRACK!

SNAP!

The sickening sound of their broken necks echoed throughout the area as their bodies slumped lifelessly onto the ground.

This snapped the Pykes out of their stupor, and raised their blasters down the hallway.

"Show yourself, NOW!"

After what seemed like an eternity, they heard heavy footsteps coming their way. They gulped as they saw a shadow stretching out from around the corner.

Walking out of that corner was the Elementian Naruto, his eyes filled with glowing yellow rage that pierced into their souls. Their teeth chattering, they watched as he slowly walked towards them.

"OPEN FIRE!

The Pykes began shooting at the boy, dozens of blaster bolts raining onto him.

Naruto didn't die. He didn't dodge. Instead of doing either, all he did was raise his hand, and the plasma bolts just flew around him, never once hitting their intended target.

"What? That's impossible, that should've hit him!"

"Keep firing!"

The bolts either missed Naruto or were deflected by the silent killer, who didn't even flinch when a blaster shot flew past right through his hair.

"Just die already!"

Naruto then raised his other hand, and the first Pyke got slammed right into the ceiling, before being flung to the ground.

The Pyke let out a pitiful groan, and he suddenly flew back up. His head slammed so hard against the ceiling that his head punched through the metal, killing him and leaving his body to swing.

"Keep your distance, keep your distance!" the leader shrieked at his men.

The Pykes continued to fire at Naruto as the boy kept his pace, his eyes never leaving theirs.

It was then that Naruto clenched his fists.

The metal wall behind them groaned as something began to tug on it. Two metal sheets ripped off of the wall, slamming against the three Pykes who didn't dodge in time, killing them instantly. Those two metal sheets then moved in front of Naruto, serving as his shield as he pressed forward.

"Sir, we need to get out of here, this thing's going to kill us all!"

Apparently, that was a poor choice of word for the boy.

"We-AHHH!" the Pyke who said that suddenly got pulled, flying past his colleagues and towards Naruto's waiting grasp.

The guard let out a gag as his neck was seized by Naruto's fingers. The blond demon glared at the terrified Pyke in the eyes, before he choke-slammed him, crushing his windpipe with a loud-

CRUNCH!

The Pykes took a step back as Naruto looked back up at them, his Stoic expression of muffled hatred now replaced with a bloodthirsty smile.

"Fall back, fall back to the upper levels now!"

The remaining Pykes did as they were told, and they began running towards the end of the hallway, getting away from the threat that was impossible to kill.

"Move it, move it!" The leader turned to his men and told them, having his back turned against Naruto.

Which was not a smart move that he did, with one of the metal sheets that was floating, started to rotate, it began spinning faster and faster, its sharp points and dented metal would be deadly by a light touch.

And by then it flew right towards the other end of the hallway, going straight for the leader of the Pykes' group who began to turn back around.

Only to be met with his death…

SLASH!

---

Sector 12 - The Red Paw

THUD!

A Rodian's head fell down from one of the operating tables in one of the many facilities of the recently built Umbrella laboratory.

What remained on the operating table was the rest of the body, with her chest and stomach cut open, her internal organs exposed to the elements as they observed the body's reaction to their latest experiment.

"Well, there goes the head," the first surgeon said while holding a bloody scalpel, turning to his colleagues. "Any responses from the rest of the body?"

The second surgeon poked at the body with his gloved finger, and pulled it back immediately when it began to move. Even without its brain, it was still moving, albeit sluggishly, its feet and organs still slowly moving around.

"Subject 8's body is showing movement without brain function. We got new results!" the second surgeon told the others, before turning to the third man present in the room. "Make sure to write this down."

The third doctor immediately began typing into his tablet, with the holographic screen at the end of the room showing the documentation.

[Test Subject Rodian 8 has been injected with the T-Virus, version 234. Subject's body has shown movement long after decapitation.]

"Now that our project has shown progress, we cannot stop now. We'll need more live specimens to continue our experiment, since the Rodian was the last one from its cell," the first surgeon explained. "You, finalize and deliver the report to the central station, and tell them we'll need a new batch of live specimens. Five humans, five non-humans, and, if we're lucky, a small child, preferably human. We'll need to study the effects of the virus on a younger specimen.

"What age?"

"Somewhere between the ages of 12 through 16, but at this point, younger is fine," the second surgeon clarified. "And this time, please bring a healthier subject. The last one was already sick and was malnourished for us to get any reliable data."

The third doctor nodded. "Understandable, I'll make work out of it right now." The doctor finished their report as he exited the operation room, leaving the two surgeons to their own with the dissected body, which was still moving sluggishly.

"Well, let's see just how functional this body is, shall we?"

…

The doctor hummed as he finished up his team's report, his finger rapidly tapping the screen without ever touching the delete key. He raised his head to peer into the windows as he observed the other experiments going on by the other teams.

In this room, the Umbrella scientists were in winter clothing, standing in a room that was almost -50 degrees Fahrenheit. The test subject was only given a jacket and a pair of shorts, who was trembling and shivering like a madman.

Despite the obvious and natural reaction the test subject was giving, the scientists looked disappointed at the result. Clearly, this version of the T-Virus didn't shield the infected from the cold too well. Deciding to move onto the next phase of their experiment anyways, they began hitting her arms with a stick, which was holding onto a blanket-wrapped infant.

The woman screamed inaudibly from behind the window, screaming in pain and begging for an end to this undeserved tormenting.

Shaking his head, he turned his head to the right to peer into the other room.

This room was large and empty, looking like a large, public shower room. Ten test subjects, five human, five non-humans, stood in the middle. All were naked, and were shifting and looking around nervously.

"Next batch is ready for testing."

The doctor turned to his right to see one of his colleagues right next to him. He was holding a tablet just like him, and had a comm in his ear.

"I'm ready, start it."

On command, the empty room began releasing blue mist through the open tubes from the ceiling. This horrified the naked captives, who began running around or trying to open the only entrance to this death trap. Some already gave in to despair, and crawled to a corner to cry, while the more defiant ones began banging on the door with whatever strength they had left in their frail bodies.

The coughing started after they ended up inhaling the blue mist. Their skins were developing dark spots, and some of them went on all fours, their lungs overworked from all the coughing and wheezing.

One of the humans ran up to the window, slamming his body against it. He banged on it weakly as the scientists observed his body with curiosity, his blue skin and bloodshot eyes making them take notes with lightning speed.

The man's fists stopped pounding on the window as his mouth expanded. He violently puked all over the window, making the scientists flinch a little from disgust.

"The upgraded Blue Shadow Virus symptoms are showing their final results," the unfazed scientist said into his tablet. "Time of death will be counted now."

The man fell onto his knees, with his hand sliding down the window.

"First reaction appears from the skin, where dark-blue blotches appear after minutes from infection via inhalation. Coughing and wheezing follows after, with the dark spots quickly spreading throughout the body. Subjects' eyes turns bloodshot, before vomiting."

The man's hand finally left the window, collapsing completely onto the floor amongst the others.

One by one, the test subjects fell onto the floor, some twitching or shivering, before they all stopped moving.

"Test subjects have lost consciousness on average of 30 minutes, both human and non-human," the scientist reported. "Currently waiting to see the time of death."

The only entrance to the room slid open as a group of men in hazmat suits walked in, armed with tablets, medical equipment, and guns. They quickly began to set up their equipment, before checking on each of the ten test subjects.

It seemed like forever before the first sound of a flatline echoed in the room. It didn't take long before the other test subjects flatlined as well, creating a high-pitched noise that was shut off with a single flick of a switch.

"Test subjects have died one hour after initial exposure to the virus. Experiment: successful."

The doctor from the other group decided he had enough, and walked out towards the exit for some fresh air.

---

Walking outside the facility, the doctor couldn't help but take in the sights and the fresh, natural air of the forest of Kessel. The clean, filtered air the laboratory offered was nice, but it couldn't compare to the natural, crisp air forests could give.

The peaceful, majestic sight almost helped him forget about the sins he and his colleagues were committing in the name of science. What little of his consciousness was crying out for him he shoved back into the corners of his mind. There was no going back now, with only progress awaiting them.

All these men who work here were intelligent, successful scientists, professionals and incredible minded people from all parts of the Earth, all banded together to be a part of the organization that hired them for their specific knowledge of the scientific field.

The doctor himself was a neurosurgeon who worked in Chicago, until he got fired for sexual allegations - a crime he didn't do. After that, no other company would hire him, until Umbrella recognized his worth. Of course, he would later find out the darker fields of science they really practiced, but by then, he was too neck deep to pull out.

Shaking his head, he stopped reminiscing about the past, and made a call via his handheld holoprojector.

A miniature hologram of the male Faust scientist Nuvo Vindi appeared on his communicator, who was hired by Umbrella to assist them in other projects.

"Ah, my Earthling colleague. What is it?"

"Doctor Vindi, I am here to report to you that the next results of the Vivisection Unit will be sent to you in a few moments," the doctor informed him while preparing the report to be sent over to the lead-scientist.

"Good, that's excellent to hear. Anything about the other experiments?"

"The other scientists are still busy with their final subjects. I've got to ask the slavers from the mining facility next to us for a new group of slaves, we're starting to running low."

"Ah, more fortunate souls for science, I understand. And what about the Blue Shadow Virus, how much progress has been made?"

"I will say that I personally saw the results, they'll be shortly given to you by another colleague of mine."

"And the T-Virus?"

"Its reports are prepared, doctor."

"Then at last, what about the BT-Virus?" Vindi asked about the newest experimentation. "How's progress going? Your bosses have been asking about it."

"The first samples are now ready. We're just waiting for approval from the higher-ups."

"I will consult with them as soon as I can. You just keep on working, you're doing excellent work."

Vindi's hologram shrank out of existence, leaving the doctor alone by himself. He sighed, rolling his neck as he headed back in. Returning to the computer lab, he plugged in his tablet into one of the desktop computers.

He was watching the data being transferred onto the mainframe when it happened.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The doctor jumped as the shrill alarm blared out throughout the facility, with the red emergency lights lighting up. The second he recovered from the surprise, he immediately began contacting one of the guards through his wristwatch communicator.

"Security, what's going on right there?"

No response.

"Security?"

"The Ölüm Spice Mine has been compromised."

The doctor froze at the foreign voice. He didn't recognize who this was, and the fact that the hologram projector suddenly turned on to reveal a cloaked man certainly didn't help with his already shot nerves.

"Who are you, and how did you get this frequency?"

"That's none of your concerns at this current moment. Right now you should know that the slaves are rebelling in the Ölüm mines, and they are rapidly gaining ground."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

SLAM!

One of the Pyke Sentinels had rushed into the room, gasping for air as he rapidly began telling the news to the doctor. Within the panicked blubbering, he learned that there was indeed a rebellion going on with the slaves.

"I believe your question's been answered, Dr. Manfred," the mysterious man smiled, showing his yellow, crooked teeth. "I would suggest you evacuate the facility now, and make sure to leave nothing behind."

"You still haven't answered my question," the doctor demanded. "Who are you?"

The cloaked person just smiled.

"I'm simply an investor, making sure my investment can be of some use to me in the future."

Before Dr. Manfred could ask further, the hologram shrunk away, leaving him alone in a glowing red room with the nervous Pyke.

"What should we do-"

"Shut up, let me handle it." the doctor snapped, before pressing a few buttons. He then pressed on the red alert button that was for emergencies only.

"This is a level 1 emergency. The site has been compromised, enact evacuation procedures."

---

"This is a level 1 emergency. The site has been compromised, enact evacuation procedures."

The alarm was blaring throughout Sector 12, with the mechanical warning calmly repeating itself as the staff members scrambled about.

A cart filled with computer parts was being moved by a scientist, who was still in his hazard suit. Wasting no time to stop, he pushed his cargo into one of the two large YV-865 Aurore-class freighters.

The box was a treasure chest full of data; a compilation of documented results, video and photographic recordings, and everything that Umbrella needed for progress.

"Move it, people, move it! We don't have much time."

The men who were leading the evacuation were members of the Umbrella Corporation's own armed security wing, the Umbrella Security Service. They were one of the organization's main paramilitary units whose job was to guard and protect all facilities and interests of the company. Like the scientists, these people came from very different backgrounds, with around half of them being from not-so-good ones. Nonetheless, these men were trained for loyalty, with their common goal being to get their assets out of the planet.

Wearing their body armor and black clothing, they mostly are recognizable by their intimidating black gas mask with red lenses, armed with their personal arsenal of weaponry that were called "slug throwers" by this galaxy's standards. They were keeping an eye on the main entrances that connected the mine with the testing facility.

SLAM!

One of the barrels that was supposed to be brought inside the freighter dropped to the floor.

"Are you stupid, or what!?" one of the scientists yelled at a Pyke. "One leak, and we're all gonna get blown to hell! Is that how you want to die?!"

"Why didn't you tell us about it earlier!-"

"ENOUGH!" One of the USS men marched up to them, prodding at both of them with an unarmed stun baton. "Get that cleaned up, and move out! We're leaving in five minutes!"

The last group of people just left the building. It was a group of six hazard-suited men, who were carefully pushing a large, metallic sealed crate, with the biohazard warning label on it. The head of security looks irked at how long it took for them to exit the building.

"What's inside those crates?"

"Our work and our pay. Either help us out or shut up, this needs to be loaded into the cargo hold."

"What's in it?"

"BSV and TB-Viruses. Now come on!"

A few guards helped the scientists load the crates into the freighter's cargo hold, putting it into a large cooler cell to keep the samples and research cold.

"Is everything loaded up?"

"Yes, now we just need to take care of the buildings and-"

POW!

A blaster shot came out of nowhere and struck the Umbrella guard next to the doctor and head of security. Everyone sprung into action, with the security team looking at where it came from. It was the rebelling slaves, who had already made it to the laboratory.

"Over there, at the ships! Shoot them-"

POW! POW! POW! POW!

"UGH!" One of the armed slaves was gunned down by a Pyke. This triggered a firefight between the Umbrella scientists and the slaves, who all took cover behind rocks, their ship, crates, and whatever else they could find.

"They've already reached the laboratory!"

The remaining Pykes quickly became overwhelmed, meeting their end by dozens of blaster fire. This granted them an opening towards the docked freighters.

"Get those ships!"

BRRRRRT!

The sound of multiple gunfire came from the freighter ships as the Umbrella Security forces fired back with their MP5 submachine guns, killing anything that was in their sights.

Even the head of security pulled out his SIGpro SP2009 handgun and fired back at the slaves, before shouting, "Let's get out of here!"

The freighters then began to pull off from the landing platforms. Even as their shuttle doors began to close down, bullets and blaster bolts were still being exchanged, before the last ship took off.

It was then that Tarik had just arrived onto the scene with his men, witnessing the last of the ships leaving the platform.

"Hold your fire, now!" Tarik ordered, his arm in an improvised brace. Seeing how they weren't stopping, he shouted a little louder.

"HOLD YOUR GODDAMN FIRE!"

The gunshots slowed to a stop, seeing as how the ships were out of range now anyways.

"It's useless, don't waste your time on it."

"What now?"

Looking around, the Urzik-American looked at the large laboratory. He sniffed the air, and his face crinkled in disgust.

"Do I smell gasoline?"

"Boss!" one of the slaves shouted as he ran up to him, nearly tripping on a tube. "We found the remaining slaves in this facility!"

"Where are they?"

His answer made the rest widen their eyes in horror.

---

PEW! PEW!

BANG! BANG!

ZIP! PING!

The last remaining Pykes were quickly gunned down by Sabine and Zeb. With them was Nathan's group, who have been on a warpath to help their friends search for Naruto.

"There they are, shoot them!" Just then, two Pykes appeared from the corner, and began firing at Sabine.

Sabine didn't bother to take cover as she aimed for them, despite her taking a bolt to her shoulder and one to her head. Thankfully, Mandalorian-iron was extremely durable, and it simply bounced off of her harmlessly.

BANG! BANG!

The two Pykes fell lifelessly as Sabine hit them with deadly precision. She stared at their lifeless bodies coldly as smoke smoldered over their wounds.

Zeb then walked up next to her, noticing how she was gripping her blasters tightly.

"Sabine, you alright?"

"..." She said nothing as she continued to glare at the dead bodies through her visor.

Then she finally let out a sigh, her shoulders relaxing.

"I'm fine, Zeb," Sabine answered hesitantly. "I'm just...stressed out."

"Can't blame you for that," Zeb patted her on the back. "Just don't try getting yourself killed, okay? You're no good to any of us dead."

"I will, thanks Zeb."

Nathan and Hera entered the scene, and saw what the commotion was.

"Whoever did that, good shot," Nathan spat on the one of the dead Pykes. "Two fewer bastards to worry about. I'm moving up. Allez!" He walked up ahead with his men, while the other three stood behind. Zeb was the first to raise his thoughts.

"Tell me if I'm wrong, but those Earthlings surely have a way of being brutal to these bastards, don't they?"

"No Zeb, you're not wrong," Hera seconded. "They are certainly more brutal than any of the other humans I've come across."

"How so? I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

"That's because you're not on their bad side, Sabine." Zeb cleared it as he remembered. "I heard they were extremely brutal in the kitchen."

"WE FOUND SOMETHING!"

The three began running towards Nathan's voice, and saw that he was standing there at the end of the hallway, staring at something dumbfoundedly. Once they got there, they too stood there in amazement.

The hallway in front of them was littered with dead bodies, broken parts of the walls, and scattered weapons. Zygerrians and Pykes alike lay everywhere lifelessly, with one body even hanging from the ceiling. A disturbing sight to lay one's eyes on, if not for the fact that they were their sworn enemy.

"Jesus Christ, what happened here?" one of the slaves muttered out in disbelief.

It was Nathan who was the first to step forwards and looked around and started checking on the bodies and noticed something odd about them.

"There's no blood," Nathan observed. "No exit wounds either, so they could've been killed by blasters."

"Look here," Zeb said, checking one of the Pykes's throats. "Their necks are disfigured, as if they were snapped."

"Yuck, that's not okay."

Sabine was silent, she began puzzling inside her mind what happened here…

"Look there, a trail." One of the slaves pointed at droplets on the floor that went past the bodies of the deceased slavers. It was there when Nathan checked it and concluded.

"Whoever killed these guys is in bad shape."

"He's probably losing a lot of blood if that trail ends up all the way there-"

"-OUT OF MY WAY!"

Sabine rushed herself past Nathan and Zeb and ran through the hallway on her own, causing some confusion among the others before they tried to catch up to her.

...

Sabine dashed through the hallway, frantically searching for the boy she loved. Every time she saw a fallen body, her heart would stop, praying that Naruto wasn't one of the fallen.

"Please, please, please, please, PLEASE!"

The blood trail went from droplets to small puddles, until she turned a corner and was met with whom she sought for.

Naruto laid against a wall, looking to be in a very bad shape. His upper body was covered in blood, and he was covered in burn scars, most which she assumed was from the Control Room explosion.

For one horrifying moment, she thought that she was too late, until she heard him cough, struggling to get some air into his lungs. She ran up to him, and he looked up at her with a weary smile.

"S-Sabine…"

The Mandalorian girl sank to her knees and crawled over to him, already removing her helmet to look at him in the eyes.

"Naruto…" She trailed her fingers around his blood covered cheek and over his blood-soaked hair. He could feel her hand tremble in fear.

"Don't...worry. I'm...alright," Naruto breathed, stopping her fingers before they could reach his head wounds. Her eyes looked down, flinching at the many wounds he sustained. No part of his clothing was left untouched, with every inch of his being either wounded or covered in blood.

"Is the Control Room destroyed?" Naruto asked her as he kept himself conscious. "Is it?"

Sabine nodded. "Yes it is." She smiled a beautiful smile while footsteps grew closer to them. "You did good, the others are doing their part. So don't worry about us."

It was then when Zeb, Hera, Nathan, and the other slaves finally arrived and saw Naruto's state, causing some gasps and horrified expressions.

Naruto felt his eyes getting heavier until he felt a hand touch his shoulder and saw it was Hera kneeling next to him and helping him by cleaning the blood of his face.

"Hera, I-"

"Don't speak, kid. Just sit and take it easy." Hera told him as she kept cleaning him up before giving further orders. "Zeb, Sabine, get going, you're needed upstairs."

"I'm not leaving." Sabine protested. "I'm staying here with Naruto."

"Go, Sabine."

She turned back to him as Hera began bandaging his head. "Go… they'll need you to clear the platform."

"You sure?"

Naruto nodded. "I'm damn sure." He smiled at her, and gave her a weak poke on the cheek. "I'll catch up with you guys."

"You heard him, let's go," Zeb said to her as he tried to get her to move. "Come on, Sabine."

"Wait a moment," Sabine said, before she leaned over, planting her lips fully against his, kissing him in front of everybody, getting some reactions from the others.

"Young love, even here you can find it."

"They'll be together for a long time."

"Alright, enough love chatting, we got to move!" Nathan said, kneeling down and patting Sabine on the shoulder. "Je suis désolé, but we got a fight to finish off, so come on."

"Right." Sabine stood up and put her helmet back on and turned one more time to Naruto and told him something before she left.

"I better see you up there later when we're walking out of here alive, hun."

Naruto smirked at her and said. "I will, you just do your part."

She nodded as they all began going through the hallway, with her and Zeb already moving forwards, the hallway was filled with other slaves who each began to give a few passing words to Naruto.

"Thanks, kid."

"Good work, boy."

"Couldn't do it without your doing, son."

"Ease up for a bit, we'll handle this."

The lines of compliments Naruto was receiving didn't fully process through his mind yet, but he felt a little better as his face was half covered in bandages by the green skinned Twi'lek.

"Kit, you don't know how much you messed yourself up." Kurama began saying in his head. "I'll try to fix you up as much as I can. Just don't move again, alright?"

"I don't know what you did, but you're one lucky guy," Hera muttered while patching him up. "Don't move on your own, alright?"

"Sure, okay." Naruto groaned. Normally, he'd be just as stubborn as Sabine about helping, but he was too tired to do anything at the moment. Gripping his hands, he knew he at least did his part.

---

The uprising was reaching new levels of viciousness.

From an upper level, a group of slaves watched how the others had managed to cut off and surround a group of four Pykes into a corner, who were armed only with a few shields and a blaster pistol, trying to keep the angry mob of a dozen slaves away from them.

They were trapped, and it was going to rain fire from above as the slaves standing a level above them pulled out some Molotov cocktails and lit them up.

It was then that one of the guards looked up and spotted the flammable objects.

"Look out!"

It was too late. The firebombs rained from above, with some of them missing their targets. The ones that didn't shattered around and above the guards, making them scream and run around like headless chickens as flames consumed their bodies. Even then they weren't spared from the others, as a few brave/angered souls began beating or stabbing them, taking advantage of the distraction.

Such chaos could be seen everywhere, with the slaves quickly gaining ground with every small victory.

Just then, Adrik and Ibrahim's team were seen running pu the staircases to the last upper floor where the landing platforms were.

"We're almost there, people! Remember, secure the ships and clear the area!" Adrik shouted to his men.

"I cannot believe it, we might even make it!"

"Don't jinx it just yet, boy. Those slavin' bastards have done nothing but running from us," Ibrahim replied to the others. "Whatever you do, stay low and hit 'em hard. Show them bastards no mercy!"

"Right!"

They then reached the final door, where there were already some slaves trying to break their way through a sealed door that already was damaged. It was then that another slave with some thermal detonators came forward.

"Get back, everyone!" the human shouted. "This is gonna blow!"

They immediately ran for cover as the man planted the bombs, and before they knew it, he joined them on the other side of the hallway. His hands over his ears, he roared:

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

BOOOM!

The metal door exploded, and chunks of rocks rained down onto their heads. Nonetheless, they let out a roar as they charged forwards.

"LET'S GO!"

Adrik saw the hordes of slaves running forwards, most of whom who just joined in and weren't armed except for a few shields and self-made armor.

"Stop, you're-"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

BOOM!

A series of blaster fire and explosions halted the rushing slaves, who quickly ducked for cover or ran back. Adrik and Ibrahim as they realized that the worst had just happened.

"Adrik?"

"Yes, Rida?"

The Libyan was one with fear as he turned towards his friend. "You think they just blew up-"

"I'm afraid so. Looks like they're not taking chances," Adrik growled in anger. "But I'm afraid we have more problems."

"Like what?"

"LETS GO GET THE BASTARDS!" one of the slaves shouted as he stood up first, and ran right for the open entrance, being followed by the other slaves who joined him in their frontal assault.

"Wait! Stop!"

"That's what I feared, they're going for an all out assault!" Adrik said, before standing up and yelling out. In his mother tongue.

"VPERYOD!"

---

Öüm - Landing Platforms

The first wave of badly armed slaves who were running for their dear lives to the platforms in hope to find some ships were the first ones to realize what they came across and found out the worst case scenario;

All the freighter ships that were here were destroyed on purpose; they were trapped on the planet.

It was then that they heard some harrowing words coming from above.

"Fire at will!"

They looked up and saw hundreds of red blaster bolts being fired directly at them from the upper balcony and the sole AA gun that were aiming for them, cutting down the slaves without any mercy as many of them died directly on the spot, with the few who reacted just on time by taking cover behind anything that stood near them.

Behind empty crates, machinery, and even the wreckage of the destroyed freighters, the slaves took cover as they were met with a rain of red fire that was aiming for them. They were getting shot at especially by the lone anti-aircraft gun that was slowly picking at its targets.

---

Inside the AA gun, some of the only remaining Zygerrian slavers that were left on Ölûm were operating the weapon to stamp down the rebellion. One particular Zygerrian was more than happy to man the gun.

"Die, die you scum!" Vatik roared as he aimed and shot at anything that moved on the platform. He looked like a demon from Hell, with half his face burnt in the Control Room explosion, he thirsted for the blood of every slave in this god-forsaken mine.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET YOU FILTHY SLAVES!"

One blaster bolt hit a wing where a dozen slaves were hiding behind, killing everyone in the impact.

"Got any contact with the outside world!?" Vatik demanded from his men.

"No sir!"

"Try harder!" he snapped at them. "We're not letting these scum walk out of here alive. Not over my dead body!"

---

Supported by a few tower cannons and a few heavy blaster guns, the AA gun wasn't the only one firing on the pinned down slaves who were on the landing platform, with the other slavers having blaster weaponry themselves.

It was then that a group of five slaves got targeted by the AA gun.

"Get out of there!"

BOOM!

The slaves either didn't react fast enough or didn't hear them when they got vaporized in the explosion. With only screams being heard by the other slaves caught by the impact. Those who were still standing knew they were caught in a bloodbath.

"Attack!" one brave slave yelled. The moment he got out of his cover, he got blasted instantly in the chest, his attempt of bravery died out as soon as it started.

KABOOM!

Everyone jumped as the nearest tower cannon exploded into flames and molten metal. The slaves turned, and realized that it was the Earthling Adrik, who was holding a makeshift bazooka. He and Rida's armed men had just arrived to back everyone up.

"Open fire!" Adrik roared as he switched to his blaster, firing at the men who stood in their way of freedom. He took cover behind the wreckage of a freighter with Ibrahim and a few of his men, who were also armed with rocket launchers that were looted from the armory.

Within seconds, the tides of the battle had been turned, with the slaves now pushing forward instead of cowering back.

"Fire!"

Multiple rockets were launched from different positions on the landing platform, all were aimed mostly at the sentry and towers, which quickly fell.

That left only the AA gun as the primary threat.

"That fucking AA gun is killing us, we need to destroy it!"

"I'm out of rockets!"

They watched as the AA gun aimed for a wrecked freighter that a group of Earthlings were hiding behind. Whoever was manning the gun was now trying to take out one group at a time, starting with this one.

"Fire at that AA gun!" Adrik ordered the man next to him, who was carrying an E-60R Rocket Launcher.

"Fire!"

The rocket successfully flew out of the launcher, but the operator of the AA-gun spotted the missile, and shot it down before it could reach its target.

"Look out!"

BOOM!

The AA-gun fired at the man carrying the launcher, sending him flying through the air like a ragdoll. Him and his now ruined launcher fell onto the ground, the look of shock and horror still etched onto whatever was left of his face.

Ibrahim cursed. "Son of a dog! Those bastards are playing dirty!"

"Don't need to tell me that!" Adrik yelled, firing his blaster three times at the enemy. "We're trapped now, got any ideas?"

"Allow us!"

The Earthlings turned around to see another group of armed slaves arriving to the fight. This time it was the cooks who had arrived with Sabine, Zeb, and Nathan running up to them with their weapons.

"Glad to see you're all still breathing." Adrik said briefly. "But we're still stuck with that AA gun that's killing our men."

"We'll handle this," Zeb said, taking the last launcher. "You give me and Sabine covering fire, we'll get closer to the blasted thing and take it down."

"Think you can handle it?" Nathan asked them.

"Just give us a chance."

Adrik nodded at their determination, before yelling out, "Covering fire!"

Everyone began focusing fire on the AA gun, drawing the gun's attention. Sabine and Zeb wasted no time getting closer to the gun, moving as fast as they could without being seen.

Taking cover behind a broken wing, the two readied the rocket launcher with Zeb aiming for it.

"Come on, Sabine, faster!"

"I'm going as fast as I can," Sabine snapped back. It was then that she saw the man behind the gun through the blaster-proof glass, and she gritted her teeth.

---

"Rocket launcher down below!"

Vatik looked down at the two slaves below, and his teeth crackled as his eyes saw even more red.

"You're dead, Mandalorian whore!"

---

The double turret slowly began turning towards the last rocket launcher, making some frantically fire at the turret even faster. Sabine and Zeb stood strong, however, unwavering as Sabine yelled:

"FIRE!"

Zeb pulled the trigger, and the last rocket blasted off, hitting the turret head on.

BOOOM!

A giant explosion of fire and spice dust covered the upper part of the turret.

"Is it down?"

Much to their horror, this turret turned out to be a lot more resilient than the others. That, or this last rocket was a runt. The turbolaser, while heavily damaged, was still standing and operational, with only the left cannon being damaged beyond use. The other one, however, looked ready to fire.

"Karrabast!" Zeb cursed as time seemed to slow down. He could hear the voices behind them, yelling at them to move, but even as his powerful legs moved, he knew they weren't going to make it.

"Get out, get out!"

"Move out of the way!"

"Run!"

Sabine, who already knew that she wasn't going to make it, decided to go down fighting. She continued to fire at the turret, despite knowing how fruitless it was.

I guess this is it, she smiled bitterly from underneath her helmet. I'm sorry, everyone.

But just before the cannon fired at her, the entire tower suddenly jerked to the side as something barreled right into it.

---

Inside the turret, the slavers who took shelter in there began to panic as their sanctuary began rocking back and forth.

"What the kriff is this?" Vatik demanded. "That was no rocket!"

"Sir, surveillance footage shows something's slamming into the turret below us!"

"What?"

"Pressure is building up on the centrifuges! We're going down!"

---

When the dust finally settled, Sabine blinked, before checking her sights again.

A large, deformed creature was pushing against the mighty turret, roaring as it used its bulging, moving muscles to push it down. It looked human, if not a grotesque, mutated version of one, with its hairless body and its bulging, bloodshot veins being any indication of what it once was.

The monster roared as it slammed its fists against the bottom of the turret, with dents and cracks quickly spreading across the walls.

The large turret let out a mighty groan as it began to fold over, sparks of electricity and fluids leaking from its cracks. The monster let out another roar as it slammed its shoulders against it once more, and then the turret began to fall.

"It's gonna fall, get outta the way!" Zeb yelled as he ran like Hell.

---

"The turret's tipping over!" one of the Pykes shouted. "Abandon post!"

"KRIFF!" Vatik cursed as he hopped off his seat. Shoving aside the others, he made a break for the exit.

---

Sabine and Zeb quickly got away from the smoking turret. One whiff of the air told them that there was a dangerous amount of fuel leaking, which always meant bad news. The Mandalorian girl turned back towards the turret, looking for their unexpected savior.

"Sabine!"

Her eyes widened as she finally got a good look at the monster's face. Her heart sank as she finally realized who saved them.

Levi, despite the amount of strain his new, painful body must be giving him, gave her a warm smile.

"...Good work."

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The AA gun turret, the last line of defense of the Ölüm mine, finally collapsed, before blowing to bits, sending shrapnel and fire everywhere.

It was a horrible sound that shook the mine. But to the slaves, it was the sound of victory.

---

Few hours later

Level 50 - bottom of the sinkhole

Back in the bottom of the mine, the machinery was finally put to a stop. The conveyor belt, the incinerator, and even the lights were put out, as there was no use of it anymore.

The one shutting them out was the last person left in the mine, a small human whose hair was poorly shaved off, and wore the clothing taken from the dead. His once youthful face was now filthy, full of wrinkles and bags under his eyes. His eyes were hollow, and yet, a spark of emotion was resurrected.

The entire time he was watching from below, sitting on the mountain of corpses and trash. He heard the sounds of blaster fire and death, but no one had fallen to the bottom, save for an occasional unfortunate soul or a Pyke or a Zygerrian.

Then, a loud explosion echoed all the way down to the bottom, before there was silence, followed by cheering. That could only mean one thing:

It was over.

Instead of celebrating or crying, he just grabbed a bag of clothing he prepared ahead of time, and slowly began making his way up to the upper levels.

Just before he went up the elevator, he grabbed a large canister of fuel he extracted from the incinerator. Dropping the bag and the canister, he pushed the button, and the elevator began going up.

---

*Click!*

That was the sound of a digital camera being used by none other than Mugabo, who had his old camera in his hand that he had been given to by his father back when he was a child. Being always fascinated with photography, he wanted to follow the footsteps of his father's journalistic career.

Right now, he was following his dreams by taking pictures of the aftermath of the Ölüm Uprising, with its success that has cost a lot of lives. The Rwandan stood over a group of corpses that were bare and the bones of slaves who may have already died of exhaustion or starvation, a death he had seen way too often. He then turned around to two men who were busy helping a dying man up from the ground but got spotted by one of them.

"Why are you taking pictures of us?" the slave reacted quite angry to the Rwandan. "What's wrong with you-"

"Leave it." His friend said, not wanting to waste time, and told Mugabo, "Go on and take pictures, see what savagery these animals did to us."

"... Will do, will do." Mugabo promised them as he turned around and continued to walk around and took more pictures.

*Click!*

One of the entrances where the ten slowest slaves were hung by their necks.

*Click!*

A group of surviving slaves who were seen leaving the tunnels.

*Click!*

Of a group of armed slaves who were seen praying over the dead body of two covered young people.

*Click!*

A young woman who looked directly into the camera with tears, and was close to death's doorstep, her bones being dangerously visible.

*Click!*

The last picture he took was from a person trying to help up another person, who looked dangerously skinny, with his ribs being visible and his arms frail and thin. A frightening look was on the guy's face as he watched in the camera with a painful expression of shock.

That last picture was hard for Mugabo to take, but he did take it.

*Click!*

"Mugabo!"

The African turned around, and saw it was Zeb who was looking for him. "Do you still have enough room for some pictures?"

He nodded. "Yes, why?"

"We need to take pictures of what we've found in Sector 12." Zeb told him grimly. "It's bad."

"How bad?"

"Come see for yourself."

---

Sector 12 - The Red Paw

It's been a few hours ever since the Uprising ended, and yet, the nightmare didn't seem to be over for those who have seen what had been happening inside the laboratories the scientists left in a hurry.

Tarik and the recently arrived Hera and Adrik were staring at the only building that was lit on fire. None of their comrades were responsible for this fire, since they had just arrived there.

Inside were the charred remains of the dead slaves, who were locked inside the building. Their burnt corpses were being dragged out by volunteers, placed down to the other dead slaves that were shot to death next to a wall.

What was strange was that those slaves weren't shot by blasters. They were slain with slugthrowers instead, judging by the small, yet fatal open wounds on their heads/chest.

"I don't understand this…" Hera was beyond words. "Why do all of this?"

"I guess a place evil like Ölüm just breeds more evil…" Tarik said bleakly. The green Twi'lek turned to him.

"Are you sure you didn't find any survivors?"

The Texan shook his head. "They tried to cover up their tracks. Thankfully, one managed to survive by staying in the cold room."

He pointed at the entrance of the big facility, where Joseph was seen comforting and trying to talk to an armless woman. She was in a wheelchair, with her severed arms lying on her lap. Despite them being separated from her body, her arms were still cradling a small bundle of blankets that she refused to part from.

"What's in her arms?" Hera asked, the cruel question no one wanted to answer.

"... Something else we found next to her," Adrik finally said. He refused to say any thing else.

"Where's Mugabo with the camera?"

"Over there."

Coming out walking the facility was the Rwandan with Zeb walking next to him. He gave the camera to the Lassat, before he suddenly spilled his guts out on the floor.

"Guess he saw it all." Adrik noted grimly, before bringing back the big topic. "Okay, enough time wasted, how many are still in the mines?"

"Not many, only a few hundred, plus the wounded that are waiting to be moved." Hera informed them. "Bellatrix and Idel are waiting for us."

"What about Naruto? I heard he survived the explosion." Tarik asked. "Where is he?"

"He's with Levi." Hera's heart sunk by saying it. "Comforting him with Sabine."

---

Ölüm - Entrance

Most of the former-slaves had already left the spice mines, fleeing into the deep forest with whatever they could take with them that would aid them with their survival. This left a rather small group of a thousand former-slaves remaining at the liberated mine. Some of those slaves didn't stay by choice, due to them being too injured to go anywhere. The injured were being moved with a confiscated repulsor cart for faster and easier transport.

On one of those carts laid a dying Levi Laskov, who seemed to be partially transforming back to his human self. His sagging, torn, and burnt skin was still pale white, and his breathing was weak and ragged.

Surrounding the dying hero were Sabine, Bellatrix, his sister Idel, and Naruto, whose face was covered in bandages. They all chose to stay by his side, comforting him as he laid there dying.

"I'm...not going to make it…" Levi breathed out. "Am I?"

His words fell onto deaf ears, with no one willing to answer his question. Idel in particular was struggling to not burst into sobs, biting her lip so hard she drew blood. It was a cruel fate, for her to just discover that her brother was alive, only for him to be taken away from her.

"It's...okay. I have...no regrets," Levi gave them a weak smile. "At least we're...free. That's...what matters…"

"S-Shut up, you moron," Idel said bitterly as tears escaped her eyes.

"There's no shame in crying, sis. No need to hold back."

"How can you be so calm? You're DYING?!" she shrieked, blood and tears pooling down her face. Whatever else she wanted to say died in her throat as she kept holding back strangled sobs. His relaxed composure now frowning, he struggled to lift his gigantic hand, gently placing it over hers, which now looked so small and fragile.

"Because I'm not foolish like I was back then, sister. You know that." He gave her a warm smile in between dry coughs.

Unable to take it anymore, Idel stood up. "I-I need to look after the others."

She quickly walked away, leaving behind a trail of tears. Bellatrix moved to try to stop her.

"Idel, wait-"

"Leave her be," Levi coughed. "Just...be there for her."

Bellatrix nodded, and gave chase to the Israeli woman, leaving the dying man with the two youngsters.

"Levi, your sister is-"

"I know my sister, Sabine. She's...not good with emotions," Levi calmly replied. "Just...promise me that she gets through all this, alright? Can you make sure she goes back home to Earth. Can you...promise me?"

Sabine just nodded, unable to say anything, else she would burst into tears as well.

"Good, good…" Levi then turned to Naruto, who stared back at him mournfully through his uncovered right eye.

"Naruto…" he reached out his large hand to Naruto, who took it with both hands. "You're one tough kid, you know that? One of a kind."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, man. I appreciate it."

"You've got one helluva future ahead of you, kid. You're a natural leader, you know that? Can you...can you promise me that you'll lead our people? And...can you promise me that you'll take care of your lover?"

Sabine's lips twitched into a sad smile. She used to be teased by Levi in the past about her relationship, since he was one of the first ones to figure it out by himself.

"I guess you know about us, huh?" Naruto chuckled. "Were we that obvious?"

"It wasn't hard, you know that? You two...were always at each other's throats, then one day, you just made up." Levi let out a hoarse laugh. "You two don't know how alike you are. I think...you were destined to be with each other."

Naruto and Sabine's hands intertwined as they looked at each other in the eyes, smiling sadly at this.

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

The tender moment was cut short when Levi began coughing violently, spraying blood all over his bare chest.

"Shit...I guess my time's shorter than I thought," he groaned, before he turned back to his blond friend. "Naruto?"

"Yeah, Levi?"

"I-I need you...to promise me one more thing," the dying man said with all the energy he had left.

"What is it?"

"Don't...don't let your anger take hold of you…" Levi managed to breathe out. "I...don't know how your power works, but...if it's anything like what I think it is...don't...don't let your anger control you. Anger...Anger's a strong tool...just-just make sure you stay as its master."

Naruto nodded solemnly. It's true that the Dark Side was powerful, but...it was also addicting. And a part of him was scared to use it again. Sure, those Zygerrians were straight up bastards, but what if Sabine got in the way…?

"Of course, Levi. I'll...I'll be sure to stay in control."

"Good...man. Good...man."

Levi closed his eyes with a sigh, and his large hands went limp. Naruto closed his eyes as he bowed his head, still holding onto Levi's hand.

Sabine, meanwhile, was not as reluctant to shed her tears, with two, wet trails of sadness standing out from her dusty face, before she wiped it away.

Naruto said nothing as he pulled a blanket over the man's mutated body. Once he was done covering his friend, he uttered a phrase Levi once taught him.

"Shalom Haver - Goodbye, friend."

Standing back up, Naruto saw that the others were coming towards them.

"Sabine, mind taking the body with you? I'll inform the others."

Sabine nodded slowly, pushing the repulsor cart mindlessly while Naruto talked over to Tarik, Adrik, Zeb, Hera, and the others. They all looked at the cart, and their faces went grim.

"Don't tell me-"

"Yeah...he's gone…" Naruto answered blankly. Hera gave him a hug to try to ease his pain.

"At least he's not suffering anymore," Tarik said numbly. "We'll give him a proper funeral once we're off the site."

"You sure we have time for that?" Adrik asked. "Don't take this the wrong way, but we don't know when they'll send more men after us. On top of that, he's not the only dead one."

"That's why we'll do it deep in the woods," Tarik added. "...If that's okay with you."

"...Da, no problem." Adrik sighed. He wanted so badly to just retreat into the forest now, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't help give their friends some proper respect.

Just then, one of their men ran up to them, who was panting like a dog.

"Boss, I've got a message for you." This grabbed all of their attention, who didn't like the tone of the messenger's voice.

"It's from Jimmy; he gathered all our prisoners onto the 1st landing platform."

This earned a mixture of reactions. Some of their eyes widened. Some of their eyes narrowed into a glare. And the others...looked downright murderous.

"How many?" Tarik demanded.

"A few dozen - some Pyke guards, a couple of Zygerrian slavers, and even a few collaborators - including the rat."

"Marrok?" Ibrahim asked.

"Him, and two others," the former slave confirmed. "Nathan and the big Wookie are there too. They're waiting for you to come decide their fates…"

The Texan did not hesitate and answered. "Let's go."

"NOOO!"

They all turned to see Idel crying over the body of her deceased brother. Sabine and Bellatrix were already by her side, trying to support her, while Joseph was seen praying for the man.

"Hera, please go help them out," Tarik said, pointing to Idel. "Afterwards, I need you and Zeb to lead the remaining people into the woods."

"Alright," Hera nodded, walking past the others. "Zeb, you're with me. You too, Naruto-"

"I'm going with Tarik," Naruto interrupted as he looked up to Hera. "I'll stay with them, if it's good with you."

The glances that were exchanged in between the group of freed slaves somehow turned into a curious standoff, with everyone wondering what the reaction would be. Eventually, Zeb broke the short lived silence by asking, "Are you sure, kid?"

"I need this." Naruto answered shortly. "I need to see this."

"...Okay, I get it," Hera agreed, and turned to the others. "We'll see you guys in the forest, don't take too long."

"We won't. Now let's go deal with this," Tarik said, beginning to walk back to the mine. "On me…"

The group split into two, with one group going to the convoy, while the others heading back to the mine. This was witnessed by the soon-to-be leaving convoy of slaves.

One of those slaves was the spy Maroi, who could only watch as he saw the group of armed men walk back to the mine.

"We're leaving," someone yelled, before blowing into a stolen flute.

*WHEEEET!*

---

Ölüm - Landing Platform

Underneath the wing of a destroyed Freighter ship, a crowd of armed, former-slaves, of whom the majority were Earthlings, was assembling with whatever equipment they could find, as they now were busy watching the captives of their successful uprising that has left these prisoners at their mercy.

Among those armed rebels was the short, young man who finally made his way up to the top level with his container that he had taken with him. He slowly made his way through the crowd to see what was happening.

*WHEEEET!*

The whistle caught everyone's attention, including the prisoners who were forced to sit on the ground. They were the former overseers of Ölüm, including the Zygerrian slaver Vatik, who had yet again miraculously survived his wounds, but was now out of luck, now a prisoner to those who he had tormented. Sitting beside him was a silent Vash and the unfazed Zykol, who both said nothing.

They both were badly beaten by the slaves, especially Zykol, whose eyes were swollen and covered in cuts from the explosion he survived. Compared to the short Zygerrian, however, he was the perfect picture of health. The "Little Bastard" (as the former slaves mockingly dubbed) somehow survived all the stab and slash wounds, although whatever luck he might've had before was now out as he was being judged by those he tried to trample on. His once sadistic smile was now gone, replaced with humiliation and fear.

Then there was Marrok - the traitor that sold out his friends. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't beaten half to death, but that didn't help the man feel any better, who was sweating out whatever fluids his body had left by now, paralyzed under the hundred eyes of hatred from the armed freed slaves.

He knew his time was over - he was just wondering what they were waiting for.

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

This made the yellow Twi'lek flinch.

"Move! Out of the way!" Jimmy and Chewbacca made their way through the armed crowd with a scavenged weapon they found in the Umbrella weapons cache: a M249 B light machine gun that Chewie was currently holding.

"Aim for their stomach, Chewie, give them a slow death."

Then in a matter of seconds, the other slaves started preparing for the ultimate by aiming their blasters or even Earth weapons on the prisoners - some even started pulling up their knives or pikes and pointed at them.

"Wait!"

Running in and stopping the anger-fueled mob was Nathan, holding his blood-covered meat cleaver as he began shouting at them.

"Are you all crazy?! You want to just kill them?" Nathan yelled with his blade scaring some of the captives with his openly called threats. "They don't deserve that, they should die slowly!"

It was then that Marrok stood up. "Kill-Kill them! They-They're the slavers! They-They forced us to give you guys up!" he stammered, pointing at himself and the two other traitors: a fellow Twi'lek and Zabrak. "They put us up to it-"

"Sit down!" Nathan threatened them with his knife. "SIT DOWN!"

The three of them fell onto their rears, with Marrok continuing to babble about his innocence.

"They made us do it! Please spare us! Please understand!"

His pleas fell onto deaf ears, and even infuriated the others, who were disgusted by their cowardice and treachery.

"You cowards! You're worse than these slavers!" the green Mirialan woman spat at them, pointing her makeshift pike at them. "At least we knew what to expect from these scum-suckers! You're fucking cowards! Fucking backstabbing assholes!"

It was then when the woman finally stopped yelling that Tarik, Adrik, Ibrahim, and Naruto finally made their way through the mob. Tarik and Adrik stood in the front, while Naruto and Ibrahim stood behind, each standing next to the gun Chewie had aimed at their prisoners.

For a moment, there was nothing but tense, solemn silence. Everyone stood still, waiting for someone to say something. It was Adrik that finally spoke...

"Highest rank, now."

The prisoners realized that the demand was for them, but none of them spoke or stood up...until Marrok decided to do so.

"Z-Zykol Vlon. H-He's second in command of D'Nar. He was in charge of the arrest operation."

"Shut up, Marrok."

"But-"

"Shut up and sit back down." Zykol calmly ordered the informant, and stood up, stumbling a little from the loss of blood. Vash helped him get up, and, not being able to see the insurrectionists, he didn't even bother to raise his head up as he asked, "As you can see, I am unable to see who is who, so can I know who's standing in front of me?"

Adrik and Tarik exchanged glances, before Adrik answered, "Adrik Yahontov and Tarik Karim, with our two lieutenants, Ibrahim Rida and Naruto Uzumaki."

That last name got Vatik to raise his head up, realizing that the boy was standing there behind the leaders. He was the one with half his face covered in bloody bandages, with his one visible eye just staring at him in blank indifference. No words were given as the leaders continued to speak.

"I see, you're the leaders we were supposed to round up," Zykol said in a defeated tone. "I was supposed to be there with Vash on the orders of D'Nar who knew about it."

"How did you know? Did you have any other leads to our plan?"

"No, not until your former brother Marrok and those two others spilled the beans," Zykol admitted. "He told us everything, including every single location of the secret tunnels, although we were too late by the time we got there."

"I knew we had a rat problem, but I didn't think it'd be you," Adrik glared at the three squealers, with Marrok in particular beginning to sweat buckets.

"Where's D'Nar?" Tarik demanded. "Clearly, he left you in charge, but nobody reported seeing him. Where is he?"

"As if we're going to tell you, you worthless scum," Vatik spat out. "You can all-"

"Shut it, Vatik!" Zykol sneered at him into silence. "No one told you to speak."

"You-"

CLICK!

The sound of Chewbacca setting his light machine gun to fully automatic shut everybody up in an instant. This was followed by a woman, who was pointing a Kalashnikov rifle at them. If Vatik paid further attention to her face, he would've noticed that she was one of his recent victims.

"I'd shut my mouth if I were you, punk," Adrik snarled at them. "All of us here would love to kill you, and it's up to you whether or not you get to live, or you get to die slowly."

Zykol let out an audible gulp as he did his best to not panic. His eyes went to their guns, and decided to make light conversation. "I heard about your weapons from Earth. Quite rare around here if you ask me, although we know those guns as slugthrowers."

"Then you'd know just how much it hurts to get shot by one of these," Adrik stated emotionless to the overseer. "Unlike a blaster shot, it won't just leave you with a little burn. Instead, these rounds will tear through your muscle and bones, and by the time it gets infected, you'll wish it was just a blaster burn." This got some of the prisoners to try to shrink their heads into their bodies in fear. "Now, if you don't want to start digging out pus and broken bones for a little hunk of metal, I suggest you start being the rat by telling us where's D'Nar?"

Zykol let out a defeated sigh. "He's at the Yagura Royal Palace. He's probably stuffing his face at a feast with the royal family."

While the prisoners were being interrogated, a short, young man with a jerry can full of fuel made his way past the others, who joined the leaders that stood in front of the slavers as he continued to watch.

"Are you sure?"

"There's nowhere else to go on this blasted planet," Zykol confirmed, before sitting back down onto his rear. Vatik, however, was not so calm and collected.

"Spineless bastard," Vatik spoke in protest that was followed by insults against him. "A typical Pyke, coward, sellout!"

"You…"

Everyone stopped when the boy began trembling, his hands curling into fists as tears pooled down his face.

"You're the one...who ordered their deaths... It was you...It was you…"

Everyone turned towards the little boy. Most didn't recognize him, but Naruto had an uncomfortable feeling that he's seen this one before.

"Hey, are you-"

"Fuck off, kid, like I give shit who your parents were," Vatik said, spitting as far as he could, before he turned to the others with no fear in his eyes as he continued. "As a matter of fact, I don't care for what happens now. Go on, filthy humans."

"Why all the hate?" Tarik asked suddenly. "We've never even met your people before, and yet, you seem to hate us anyways. Why's that?"

"You really want to know?" Vatik growled. "It's because you lot think you're so special, spreading your kind everywhere, thinking you're so high and mighty. Well guess what? You're not the only one who can take what they want. And unlike you hairless freaks, we're not so weak and fragile."

"Vatik, shut up-"

"Listen," Adrik said out loud to the others to hear. "Listen carefully."

The Zygerrian took it as his cue and continued on with his rant.

"Out of all the humans I've ever seen, you Earthlings are by far the lowest of the low your race has to offer. Your lot were so pathetic that you've barely mastered space travel, and yet, you have the audacity to feel like you're king of this universe? I promise you, even if you survive this wretched planet, my people will make you hairless primates understand your place as lower class filth."

This earned him a thousand glares. Much to his surprise, they didn't start yelling or screeching or spitting like the monkeys they were.

"Wait!" Marrok, the traitor, stood right back up and began to speak. "He's the one who said all of this, not us! We're not Zygerrians, WE'RE NOT ZYGERRIANS!"

The Twi'lek dropped to his knees. "We're not Zygerrians! We're not Zygerrians! Please have mercy! Forgive us! We're not Zygerrians! We're not Zygerrians!" Marrok's despairing pleas were falling on deaf ears as Nathan walked next to him and stopped right next to Adrik.

"Not Zygerrians, not Zygerrians!" the Canadian shouted angrily, before turning back to the Twi'lek. "Have you forgotten what these dogs did?!"

"They're degenerates! They should be killed!" Marrok pointed at the slavers but directed the attention back to himself with the other two informants. "But we're not Zygerrian! We're not, we're not, we're not…"

"Then what are you, you filthy snake?!"

"They made us do it! They made us do it! We're not Zygerrians! we're not Zygerrians!, we're not Zygerrians!" Adrik's eyes turned to where the boy stood with the jerry can for the moment and made eye contact with him, nodding at his wordless message. This made Naruto raise an eyebrow.

"Death to the slaving bastards! Make them pay!" Marrok made his final pleas. "Kill them, KILL THEM!" he ended with the begging tone he was giving them, pushing out as many tears as he could.

Adrik's cold look made him lose whatever hope he had left.

"You'll pay the same way as them, sooner or later." His eyes turned back to where the orphan stood, and the signal was given.

THUD!

The dirt-covered orphan slammed down his jerry can, its contents sloshing around inside, making Marrok and the others flinch and look at each other with fearful looks.

It was then that chaos broke out.

"Give it to me!" They quickly turned on each other, with the Little Bastard and Vash trying to grab the jerry can from the informants who just simply pushed them away, with Vash forced to fight against one of the informants while Marrok quickly began to open up the fuel can.

"Get off me!"

"Him first! Him first!"

"I'm one of you, please!" one of the collaborators attempted, before being thrown back by one of the Pykes into fighting while Zykol was caught in between the struggle of another two former overseers fighting. Screaming, yelling, crying, fighting and shouting, it became an amusing show for the former slaves.

"Please!"

"Stop!"

Marrok was frantically pouring and spraying everyone with the liquid fuel, especially Vatik, who stood up and tried to lean against the wall. He coughed as some fuel splashed against his face.

The former slaves just stood back and watched the show with either disgust at how low they showed themselves to be after acting superior, but for most part, they just glared in silence at their former torturers.

It was then that Marrok finally emptied the gas can. Throwing it aside, he frantically turned around, demanding for a match.

"Make way!" Everyone turned to look at someone running through the crowd. The crowd quickly gave him space, the man was carrying a burning torch in his hand!

It was then that someone finally snapped.

"ENOUGH!"

Someone from within the crowd began firing her Kalashnikov rifle, unleashing her anger onto the slavers.

POWPOWPOWPOWPOW!

Then two other men with similar AKs began firing into the prisoners, joining in the slaughter using only slugthrowers. Dozens quickly joined the execution, being more than happy to unleash their months of rage onto the men kneeling before them.

"RAWGH!" Chewbacca roared as he joined in, holding the feel, sound, and smell of his LMG as it effortlessly cut down their prisoners.

POW! POWPOWPOW! POW! POW! POW!

The gunfire and muzzle flashes seemed to go on forever, until everyone simultaneously stopped, if only because they ran out of ammo and because the barrels were smoking dangerously from overuse. The screams and pleads finally died down, much to their desire of revenge that was not fulfilled.

Laying before them was a group of corpses. Most were dead, while the less fortunate were still dying, with moans and gasps of pain beginning to replace the deafening sound of vengeance.

By some miracle, Marrok was able to slowly move his head back up, desperately holding onto the thread of life-

BANG!

Everyone looked and saw that it was Tarik who fired the last shot, with his SIG P226's barrel smoking. A quick shot to the traitorous Twi'lek's head ended his miserable existence, with some of his fellow Twi'leks giving him brief glances of sympathy.

"We're done here," Tarik said grimly, holstering his pistol. "We've wasted enough time. Everyone to the woods!"

"You heard him - move out!"

Slowly, all the armed men and women slowly began leaving the scene and made their way off towards the exit, leaving the bodies for the flies to feast on.

They ignored the ones who stood still, still watching the corpses in shock or anger. One of them was the one man who was holding the burning torch, who was unsatisfied at their undeserved swift deaths. Spitting at their corpses, he dropped the torch onto the wet ground, extinguishing the flames that represented his hatred.

The hatred for this place.

---

Ölüm was a death factory, littered with the dead, the dying, and the walking corpses.

There were those who starved to death.

There were those who were beaten to death.

Worked to death.

It didn't matter how they died, and neither did the flies.

Ölüm might've been a hole full of resources, but to the people, it was nothing but a red graveyard. All Ölüm had for them was a mountain of corpses of those who didn't make it out alive.

Ölüm was a death factory.

That was the thought shared by all, especially by Naruto Uzumaki. He was one of the few that remained to watch the corpss getting swarmed by the many bugs that were attracting to it. He noticed that there was a small child who stayed behind, looking down at something.

"You alright?" Naruto called out, slowly approaching him. The closer he got, the more he began to recognize the child. This one was the child that was thrown off the platform with his mother and father!

Walking to his side, he saw that the boy was staring at a portrait of D'Nar, the slaver who took everything away from the two of them. Naruto raised an eyebrow as the boy pulled out a blaster pistol from his oversized jacket.

PEW!

A smoking hole appeared onto the painting, and the wound began to grow wet from the muddy water.

"Hey, you two, move it!"

Naruto turned to give them a look of warning.

"We'll catch up with you, just give us a minute," Naruto said as he turned back to the solemn boy, whose face was now warped into anger the longer he stared into the painting's eyes.

PEW!

He fired again into the portrait.

PEW!

Again, Naruto just watched how the boy kept on pulling the trigger, with his face becoming more filled with rage.

PEW!

The fingers tightened around the blaster and fired once again.

PEW!

It was then that he realized that he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. The blond let out a weary sigh.

PEW!

"Kid…"

PEW!

"Kid, listen-"

PEW!

"Listen, kid-"

PEW!

"Listen to me-"

"UGH-"

PEW!

The kid gritted his teeth.

"You got to stop now, this won't bring-"

PEW!

Naruto reached his arm out.

"Kid-"

PEW!

"LISTEN TO ME!" Naruto snapped. "WHAT YOU'RE DOING DOES NOT HELP!"

The kid said nothing, but he stopped pulling the trigger. Letting go of the gun, he fell onto his knees as Naruto knelt beside him, the two of them staring at D'Nar's ruined painting. The boy slowly turned around to look at the older boy in the eyes, which was full of sadness and fatigue.

"Your parents are gone, kid. No matter how angry you get, they'll never come back," Naruto told the boy. "But they wouldn't have wanted you to give in to this hate. No, use that energy to get stronger. To make sure that this doesn't happen again to other little girls and boys out there. Can you promise your parents that?"

The kid said nothing, but his eyes began to water as his lips began to quiver.

"It's over…"

The boy fell into Naruto's chest, hugging his body as he began to sob. The little boy broke down as he finally allowed himself to cry once again.

(Mozart - Lacrimosa)

Naruto said nothing as he looked around him, watching his remaining brothers and sisters move out of this hellhole. He slowly looked up at the sky as he allowed a tear to leave his own eye as he allowed him to feel happy and sad.

Happy how he survived. Happy how they finally won their freedom. Happy how most of his friends survived.

Sad, because only half of Ölüm's slaves had survived the uprising.

---

The Kessel Forest

The survivors of Ölüm moved as fast as they could through the deep, lush forest. Despite the fact that their time was limited, they were all guilty of slowing down a little to enjoy the greenery and the crisp, fresh air. Nonetheless, they all kept on marching deeper and deeper into the vast green land in search of the others.

In the back was the African Mugabo, who looked back a few times until he saw somebody run to catch up.

It was Naruto, who was carrying a sleeping boy on his back.

No words were exchanged as Naruto finally caught up, who just wordlessly blended in with the others and kept on walking with the group into the forest. Despite their hard-earned victory, they all knew that they had no time to celebrate. For now, they had just one objective: Survive.

Survive the unknown that lies in these forests. Survive from what meager supplies they had left. Survive, until they made it to their objective in time.

They weren't certain what the future had in store for them. But one thing was certain: Their time in Ölüm was over.

---

That was it for this chapter, you guys don't know how much time this took to make. I hope you all liked it, and I see you next time.

Good day...

Chapter 12: A Burning Insurgency

Alright everyone, here's the 12th chapter. Hope you all like it.  Shout out to LuciusWalker, my co-writer who helped me.

---

(Elementia - Landing Platform)

Outside the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a large Consular-class cruiser was waiting on one of the newly built landing platforms that were recently constructed. With this ship having come across the galaxy straight out of Coruscant, this ship awaited the people for an important mission.

Standing on the opened ramp door was Grand Master Yoda, who waited patiently as he watched the rescue team that was organized by the Sannin Jiraiya say their goodbyes, as not everyone was permitted to join, and only a few were given the chance to be part of this crucial mission.

Down below, Jiraiya stood there and watched from the sidelines. The people he was looking for were those with tracking abilities, and it didn't take long for him to receive a list of volunteers.

Those ready to come with the Sannin were Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyūga, all three who were chosen for their excellent teamwork and tracking skills. Followed by the class's only Chunin was Shikamaru Nara, who, despite usually being a slacker, had volunteered first to rescue the teammate who made the whole retrieval mission a success.

Kakashi Hatake was the second to volunteer, serving as their backup and as their secondary leader.

"Please be careful, you three," Kurenai said, hugging her students one last time. "This is your first mission to the outer-world, so watch out for what's out there."

"Ow, watch the arm, sensei! Don't worry, Kurenai-Sensei. We'll be alright." Kiba grinned as he winced, rubbing his aching arm. "Akamaru and I will find Naruto back in no time. Ain't that right, boy?"

"Bark!" Akamaru replied, who was cheerfully laying on his master's head.

Kiba smirked. "Yeah."

"Don't be overconfident, you pup!"

The sound of that voice made both the boy and pup yelp as they turned to see his mother and sister approach them with their own pack of companions.

"Don't get cocky out there just because you got a presentation on what's out there, you hear me?" Tsume Inuzuka, Matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan and mother of Kiba, said to her son. "I did not raise my pup to be a fool!"

"No! No, Mom, sorry." Kiba backed down and made a half-assed excuse. "I was just saying-"

"Just don't, little brother," Hana sighed. "It's not like she doesn't have a point. Every one of our normal missions here can go sideways, but at least we're familiar with how things work here. That's why you especially need to stay alert at all times for this mission."

"I'd listen to your family if I were you, Kiba," Shino agreed.

"Ugh, not you too, Shino," Kiba groaned.

"We're not here for sightseeing, Kiba," Shino reminded him. "Not only is it our first time off planet, but it's to rescue our kidnapped comrade."

"Yeah...right," Kiba grunted as he looked down, feeling ashamed again as he remembered how it happened, and how he wasn't able to be of any help.

Tsume eased her stern attitude as she saw his posture slump downwards. "Pup, don't blame yourself for what happened. It was a surprise attack, and we all let our guards down. Besides, sulking about the past isn't going to change it."

"I know, I know," Kiba sighed as he looked up at the orange sky, thinking about his past interactions with the blond. "I just feel really stupid now that I think about it. You know, back then how I treated him like crap."

"It's not just you, Kiba. We're all guilty of such a crime," Shino added. "We shunned him due to his constant failures and his mischievous ways, but we should've known to look underneath the underneath."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's obvious if we look a bit closely. Naruto had been dealt a bad hand from the very beginning: no parents, living all alone, and being shunned by the village," Shino stated the obvious. "And yet, despite his academic failures, he persisted on becoming a Shinobi, choosing to get back up every time he failed the test. Besides, not once did he ever show signs of running away or growing hostile to others. Instead, time after time again, he has shown nothing but loyalty to the village."

"How so?"

"If you haven't figured it out yet, Kiba, allow me to rewind the clock," Shino said, pushing up his sunglasses. "Naruto's been serving our village before he even received his headband, such as the time he found the intel about our village's security detail with Iruka-sensei. Then there's the day he received the headband, which he did so by making Shadow Clones to fight Mizuki-sensei after he betrayed us. And if we're talking after he received his headband, it would be when he fought off Gaara while we were under attack during the Chunin Exams."

Kiba realized that he had a point. Time and time again, Naruto has worked hard to help keep their home safe, despite the fact that he got little to no thanks in return. The canine-tamer couldn't help but feel another twinge of guilt at this realization.

"If I had to put my trust into someone to watch my back, Naruto would be amongst the few at the top of my list," Shino declared. "He might be a loudmouth at times, but he's a loyal one- somebody you can rely on as a comrade and as a friend. And that's enough reason for me to try my hardest to bring him back home.

Hearing Shino's admiration towards the Uzumaki brought a smile to the Genjutsu Matriarch's face, as well as the two Inuzuka women, who were no strangers to the young boy.

"You know, both of us know someone else who can agree on that statement. Like Hinata."

The bug-user turned to the small group that surrounded the bluenette Hyuga, who looked more determined than anyone else to succeed in this rescue mission. Tenten, Neji, Lee, and Gai-sensei were talking to her, wishing her luck and boosting her confidence. Tenten in particular was being extra supportive and comforting, as she had always done every time she came to visit the Hyuga compound to train with Neji and to also hang out with Hinata.

"You're going to find him, alright?" Tenten said as she embraced Hinata into a tight hug. "Just be careful out there, you never know what you're going to expect."

Hinata took these words to heart as she gave her goodbyes to her fellow kunoichi, before she turned to her cousin. He had a stoic expression on his face as usual, but there was a hint of kindness and compassion in his eyes. Of course there was some resistance about the heir of the clan going to space, but Lord Hiashi's final words prevailed. After all, this was no different than a mission, and if both the Republic and the Hokage approved of this mission, there wasn't much else they could say.

"Neji-"

"I have faith that you'll succeed in this mission, Lady Hinata," Neji expressed, before adding, "I wish you good luck."

"YOSH!" Gai spoke at the same time. "Bringing back Naruto is the most youthful act to do! Your Flames of Youth have reached levels when you volunteered as one of the first. Good luck, Lady Hinata!"

"Yes!" Lee joined in. "His Flames of Youth are not easily extinguished!"

Hinata managed to give the two a small assuring smile - something she'd been forcing herself to do the past few days. It was natural for her to be nervous, after all, since for one, it was going to be her first mission in outer space, something which none of them ever expected to be possible in their lifetime. Second, she might be finding the boy she liked in either bad shape or worse.

That second thought was clearly haunting her like a phantom, judging by the dark circles around her eyes.

"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed, as he was not a huge fan of these emotional gatherings before every mission. "Can't we just skip this and get on with it already?"

*YANK!*

Those words did not land well with a woman who happened to be standing near him. She pulled on his ear painfully, making him wince as he regretted his words. This woman was Yoshino Nara, Shikamaru's mother and whom he greatly respected and feared very much.

"What did you just say?" she demanded, clearly ticked off by her son's rudeness. "You wanted to just go off into Kami-knows-where without even properly saying bye to your mother? I did not raise a rude son, you hear me?"

Ino just facepalmed, while Choji just ate his chips.

"What a drag…." Shikamaru muttered.

"Just do what you mother tells you, kid." Another man stood alongside Yoshino, having the same pineapple haircut as his son. Shikamaru's father Shikaku Nara was present as well, who also wanted to watch his son embark on their historic mission to the place amongst the stars. He understood his son's pain very well, but he was not dumb enough to cross paths against his wife.

Once his ear was liberated, Shikamaru then got confronted by Ino who slapped him over his head.

"What was that for?"

"For being such a lame-ass," Ino huffed, crossing her arms. "You volunteered for this job in the first place, so you don't have the luxury to complain."

As much as he would like to say something back, the Nara knew what she said was true. Ever since the word was given of Naruto being confirmed alive and on a different planet, he took no hesitation to volunteer for it, as he felt it was his obligation to bring back the comrade who helped make his first mission as a Chunin a success.

Plus, as much as an energetic, moronic pain in the ass he was, he was still a colleague, a Hidden Leaf Shinobi, and a beloved friend. A friend that, when looking back, he had not given much appreciation for, especially for all the work he put in for the village.

Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag."

"Son." It was just one word, but it made Shikamaru stiffen up his body, his relaxed, slouched posture suddenly straightening itself out. He knew that when his father switched to this tone of voice, it was time to properly listen. "As much as I hate to tell you this, I-we feel that it needs to be done. Just...be prepared."

Shikamaru looked at his old man. "Prepared for what?"

"You know what I mean…" Shikaku replied somberly. "Be prepared for the possibility that Naruto might be in a horrible state or worse, judging from where he is located."

This gained the veteran shinobi some uncomfortable looks. Nobody wanted to mention the taboo topic, but Asuma thought it was best to rip off the bandage soon so that the impact could at least be softened.

"Whatever you see out there, don't blame yourself for what you'll find, Shikamaru."

The young Nara winced at this. His father's words hit close to home, since it was no secret that he blamed himself for his team's injuries during the rescue mission.

"Tracking team!"

Everyone turned to look at Kakashi in mild shock. It was often very rare for the albino to raise his voice, especially in such a serious tone. The masked man didn't even have his infamous book out, and he was actually on time today. The man's singular eye was narrowed into a glare as he wanted to make sure to make this wrong right.

"We're leaving now," Kakashi stated. "Get your gear and enter the ship." He walked up the stairs right towards the ship, bypassing the three onlookers who were watching from a distance from the crowd.

Those three were Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune, who was holding onto Tonton. The two ladies took time to see off the Toad Summoner to his mission, with the Hokage giving him some short words.

"Find him, Jiraiya." Tsunade told him. "Find him, and bring him home. I can't-"

"I'll bring him back, don't you doubt it," Jiraiya cut her off with an unusual stern voice, before adding, "You just keep things running here. And watch out, with these new alliances the other villages are making, we'll need to be more cautious now."

"Lord Jiraiya!"

The Toad Sage took his gear and started walking for the ship, leaving the Hokage and her assistant to themselves.

"Be cautious. Does he mean about Kumo and Iwa joining the-"

"Yes, Shizune, he's talking about that." Tsunade cut her off. "With now three major villages working with those Confederates, we'll need to make sure our village is on high alert." All this information she was given by Jiraiya was just recently, and no doubt this would raise the stakes. But that was just politics.

"You think they'll find Naruto?" Shizune asked nervously.

"They better…" Tsunade mumbled. "They better."

It was then that the cruiser ship began taking off in front of the many onlookers who still were fascinated by this mode of transportation.

.

They left for their mission: to find and rescue Naruto Uzumaki.

…

(Meanwhile, in the hospital)

A single ANBU guard stood outside the room, keeping an eye out on Sasuke Uchiha, who was still being detained. The guard made sure that he did nothing to Sakura, the only former classmate who hasn't casted him out yet.

The said pink-haired girl watched with Sasuke through the window as the massive cruiser ship took off. Having been briefed about the mission earlier today, she still decided to visit her former teammate from Team 7.

"Sasuke."

The raven-haired boy, who still laid on his bed, turned his head towards the pinkette.

"They're leaving," she spoke quietly. "They're finally going to rescue Naruto."

Sasuke did not respond at first, but a small smile made its way onto his lips.

"Good, good."

---

(Kessel Orbit)

Hovering above the orbit of the spice mining planet was the Slave I, which was hovering over the planet for almost a few hours, since the occupants of the ship were waiting for someone.

Waiting was what Jango was doing now, waiting and hoping that those who he asked for help would come to this part of the galaxy that many bounty hunters he knew would professionally avoid.

The job? Find and free the boy who was the descendant of his former mentor's clan. Having explained the history of the Uzumaki Clan and its notoriety in Mandalorian History, he saw it as an obligation to reverse his wrongdoings of putting the life of one of the last survivors of an infamous clan at risk in this hellhole.

For the first time in ages, Jango now had a meaningful goal to fulfill.

"Jango."

"What is it, Zam?"

"Nothing, really," she said, sitting down next to him quietly, since Boba was napping behind them. He was silent throughout the entire journey, and he had just recently fallen asleep.

"You came all the way from the cargo bay, so there's something on your mind," Jango noted. "Speak up."

Zam made a silent groan as she spoke. "Fine, you wanna hear it? How long are we going to stay up here? It's been almost three hours ever since we've arrived at this stupid planet."

Before Jango could answer, two ships suddenly jumped out of hyperspace. One of them was a Rogue-Class Porax-38 starfighter, which was followed by a SS-54 assault ship that entered second.

"What the-"

"Well that's just perfect timing," Jango stated as he started making contact with the first ship, the Xanadu Blood that only had room for one bounty hunter who used it rarely.

"Bane, you hear me?"

"I hear you, Jango. You bastard." That was Cad Bane speaking in his usual tone. "Don't even start about me coming late, I got other things I had to handle."

"I don't mind. You're getting paid anyhow," Jango replied before contacting the other ship. "Sugi?"

"This is the Halo, Sugi standing by," The female Zabrak responded. "With Embo and Aurra here. Sorry we're late."

"Only you three?" Jango asked, doing the math. "What about the Klatooinian bounty hunter?"

Aurra was the one responding with laughter. "Don't bother about that coward, Jango. Castas is someone with a lot of talk, but no backbone."

"So it's just the six of us. I can work with those odds," Bane interjected with his usual cynicism. "I hope you know where to start searching for the brat, Jango, 'cause this planet is filled with these spice mines."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Bane on this, Jango," Aurra joined in. "Any idea where to start? Because Kessel is a big planet, and don't forget who runs things around here."

"You're talking about the Royal Kessel Family, right?" Sugi said, being one of those bounty hunters who was fairly new to the line of work, but was all too familiar with this disgusting trade.

"Yes, they're the ones that have supreme authority here, ruling with an iron fist and with great influence," Jango nodded while pressing a few buttons. "All the major crime syndicates own some land here, including the Zygerrians. Don't worry, I know how to find the kid."

The last part in particular grabbed their attention, with Bane eventually speaking his thoughts.

"Hmm, something tells me that you've already found a lead. Mind enlightening us?"

"I've done some research on the Zygerrians we fought back on Tatooine. Turns out they weren't there by coincidence," Jango began to explain. "They were making a stop to buy some slaves from the local markets, and the one thing that stood out was that they managed to buy a male Lasat while they were there."

"How does that tell you where the kid is?"

"Lasats are fearsome warriors who mostly keep to themselves, so a single one would be very expensive," Jango replied to them. "I had a talk about one with the slave trader in that market just yesterday on Tatooine."

"I can guess you guys had convinced him to tell you who bought the Lasat?"

"Yup," Zam smirked, popping the "p." "Didn't take much to make him squeal, and it turns out he was stupid enough to keep a log of his clients."

"The one who bought the Lasat was a Zygerrian slaver who happens to own the largest spice mine on the planet, Darts D'Nar."

"Darts, you say?" Aurra was heard chuckling over that name. "My oh my, Hondo would love hearing this, he's still got a debt to settle with those slavers after what happened to his guys in Mos Eisley."

"That's for those two to settle. Right now, we've got a different business." Jango then reactivated his ship, with the Slave I's engines roaring to life. "Follow me, I got the coordinates to the exact spice mine. Best case scenario, we can pose as buyers."

The three ships began descending downwards to Kessel, following the Mandalorian's lead.

---

(Ölüm)

"What the kriff?"

The first thing they noticed before they even landed their ships was the smoke. They landed on the planet with their guns ready in case a fight was breaking out, but it looked like they were too late.

The mine was abandoned, save for the birds that began feasting on the carrion of the dead slaves and their butchered oppressors. The air was rich with the scent of blood, spice, and smoke, and Jango was glad that he had just replaced the filters in his helmet.

Aurra was the first to walk closer to the scene, resting her hands on her hip as she watched the burning mine with a smug grin.

"Looks like the Zygerrians whipped their slaves one too many times," she laughed as she kicked aside a dead Pyke. "Gotta say, though, didn't expect this, but I'm not complaining."

*Sniff!* *Sniff!* *Sniff!*

The Anooba began sniffing the air as it picked up a strong scent that it started to follow, making Embo turn to the other bounty hunters.

"?" Embo warned them in his native tongue.

"Basic, please." Zam asked, being unable to understand him. "I don't speak Kyuzon."

"He's saying that Marrok (his Anooga's name) smells something strong," Sugi translated for Embo. "He's telling us it's close by."

"Let's check it out, then," Jango stated as they started following the four legged companion who began walking down the former mine.

…

The less paranoid of the group began putting away their blasters, seeing how everything in this god-forsaken mine was dead and rotting. Following the Anooga, the deeper they got, the more evidence of carnage they discovered.

Besides, evidence suggested that they didn't take prisoners, since a group of smelling, decomposing bodies of both Zygerrians and their former colleagues were placed into one particular spot underneath the broken wing of their fallen ships back up at the top.

Still frozen in the same, kneeling positions, their bodies had already begun to be consumed by the local flies that buzzed loudly as it devoured their rotting flesh.

"Wow…" Sugi was the first one to break the silence as they continued staring at the bodies.

"You got that right," Zam agreed, stopping briefly to spit at the ground. "Never seen a rotting corpse like that up close. So much vermin…"

The others did a better job of not being visibly affected by the carnage, either being used to such violence or having a stronger stomach.

Boba was doing a surprisingly good job at holding it in, turning away from the scene and just silently following his father.

Bane just stared at the battlefield with no emotion on his face, simply observing his surroundings as he left with the others. Unsurprisingly, Aurra held an amused look.

"Heh, looks like they finally got what they deserved," Aurra said with a wicked smile. "Well, time to do some digging."

"Aurra!"

"What?" the bald woman asked as she began patting the bodies down, swatting away the scattering flies. "We've got to start somewhere to gather intel, so why not from the dead?"

The flying bugs flew directly into the other two females, who began sputtering as they tried to shield their faces.

"Yeah, but not like that!"

"YUCK!"

Embo shielded his companion from the flies using his hat/shield, quietly shooing them away until they dispersed. Aurra managed to find a few ID cards, with one in particular making her snort.

"Say, Sugi, what's Embo's pet called again?"

"Uhm, Marrok, I think," Sugi answered as she swatted away some flies that got stuck on her horns. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. This Twi'lek apparently shared the same name," Aurra shrugged as she grabbed the dead slave's neck. "They got his code imprinted onto his neck. How charming."

She dropped the Twi'lek back onto the ground, his face splashing the pool of mud and spilled fuel.

"Looks like they've already looted the bodies," Zam pointed out, noticing how many of the bodies were stripped of most of their clothing, even their shoes.

"Can't blame them." Aurra shrugged, continuously looking around for more clues.

"Huh, well look who we have here./ What are you doing here besides them?"

---

Boba grunted as he held back another urge to vomit. Everywhere he looked there was someone rotting, with the smell being worse than the sight. It was a miracle that he managed to keep his stomach from turning up at this point.

Boba held his hand to his mouth as he stared at a dead Zygerrian, whose head was bashed in by a rock. Written on the nearby wall with his blood were these words:

Crush the slavers' will as we have crushed their skulls, because in Ölüm, we've tasted our oppressor's their souls!

"Boba."

The young boy turned his head around to see his father walking up to him, who also noticed the message written on the wall.

"I'm sorry, son," Jango said, kneeling down to his son's level. "Sorry you had to see this."

"It's okay," Boba answered after taking a deep breath. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

The bounty hunter nodded to his son. "Yes, what is it?"

"You said that the guy we're looking for is part Mandalorian, right?" Boba began. "That's why we're looking for him?"

"He's a descendant of one of the great Mandalorian Clans in our history, a legacy of one of our greatest allies. Why do you ask?"

"...Nothing, I just want to prepare myself for when I meet him," Boba said in response. "I want to know what kind of person he is."

"Jango! Boba!"

Running up to them, Aurra showed an ID card to the Mandalorian bounty hunter. "You won't believe who was among the dead."

Jango took a look at the card and read it.

"Vatik D'Nar."

"Yep, Darts D'Nar's cousin." Aurra told him. "Meaning this is one of his mines."

"And you're sure he was among those corpses?"

"His face was a bit bashed in, but it's him," Bane confirmed. "Are you sure you want to continue looking for the boy? If he even thinks you're a part of this, he's going to be out for blood."

"Bane's got a point, Jango. Are you that one kid's worth all this trouble?" Zam asked. "It's just a-"

"We-"

"We're going to find him, end of story." Boba suddenly spoke up. "If my dad says we're doing it, we're doing it."

The bounty hunters looked at the young boy, before they turned back to his father, who nodded.

"Boba's right. We've come this far, and I'm not going to back out at this point," Jango said, walking past them. "If you want to leave, that's fine. Just know that this is important to me, and if you pull out now, you won't get your cut."

The three bounty hunters looked at each other, knowing fully well that he wasn't going to back out at this point.

"Jango, we found something on the radar. Follow these coordinates."

The group began making their way back up once they heard Sugi's voice over the comms, wondering what it was.

…

SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF!

The Anooba Marrok was sniffing around as he and the other two were standing in the middle of a road, where a large part of graves were made. There was also a foot trail that looked like it was slowly disappearing with the mud.

It was then that the others had arrived and saw Embo and Sugi standing by something that was blocking their view.

"What you got?" Bane asked.

"See for yourself," Sugi said, nodding to Embo as they both stepped aside. Cad Bane marched towards what they were looking at, and he squinted at the sight of an old, graying man facing a grave. None of them were the religious type, but they all knew that he was chanting some sort of prayer for the fallen. A slugthrower rifle laid right next to him as he continued praying.

"Who's this, a survivor?" Bane asked them. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know, honestly," Sugi shrugged, turning her head back to the human man. "Also, it's pretty obvious that he's praying. I'm not familiar with this ritual, though, but I don't think he noticed us yet."

"Allahu Akbar…"

The old man said silently as he raised his body upwards, before going back down onto his knees.

"Allahu Akbar…"

"How long has he been doing this?" Bane asked with his arms crossed. "I don't like to wait."

"Don't know, we've just arrived here." Sugi said, giving the Duros an eye glare. "Just be patient."

The old man raised his head back up, and held his right wise finger up and turned his head to both sides.

"Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh….assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh."

"Whoever he is, the old man's probably got information we need to know," Aurra told them. "I hope this guy can speak Basic, otherwise this is going to get confusing."

"I can understand you, ma'am."

The bounty hunters turned their heads to the praying man, who stood back up and turned towards them.

"For what you call Basic, on my planet it is called English," the old man said in his thick Arabic accent as he nodded at them. "My name's Yasser, what can I do for you?"

The bounty hunters took a moment before Sugi reached her hand out first.

"Yasser, my name's Sugi," she said, before introducing the others. "These are Embo, Zam, Aurra, Cad Bane, Jango and his son, Boba-"

"Enough with the introductions," Cad Bane interrupted, growling at the old man. "What are you doing here?"

Yasser didn't answer as he reached for his rifle.

Aurra was about to reach for her gun, but got stopped by Jango. The old man slung the Kalashnikov rifle over his arm and walked past them.

"Follow me, I'll show you." He continued to walk to his destination, and the bounty hunters followed the old man, who seemed to not be affected by the amount of corpses he was passing by.

"Old man, what happened here?" Sugi asked first. The obvious dumb question was asked, yet the old man politely answered.

"An uprising happened here. A bloody one. Half of the bodies you see here on the upper floors are those who died in the fighting or were shot down by the guards."

"And down below?"

"Those who died of starvation, exhaustion, and just couldn't make it upwards." Yasser answered somberly. "Even when the mine was liberated, people still kept on dying."

The numerous corpses around them spoke for itself. The ones without blaster wounds often looked malnourished, slender to the bone, or looked as sick as a dog.

"If this half died, what happened to the other one?" Aurra asked.

"They all fled to the forest with everything else they could salvage from this place," Yasser answered. "Food, water, equipment, weapons, explosives, medical supplies. Everything's gone, except for the bodies."

"Then why didn't you leave?" Bane asked. "What made you decide to stay here?"

Yasser stopped, just as the others followed, as they noticed that they stood right in front of freshly made grave sites.

He pointed out. "For this. Those two graves."

The two poorly made gravestones read two names

Emir Halim

Ahmed Halim

Sugi asked. "Are those-"

"My son and grandson' their graves." Yasser answered, before kneeling down and kissing the names on the stones twice. "They both were murdered in the last stages of the uprising."

The atmosphere grew even grimmer upon hearing this, making the others feel a tad bit uncomfortable.

"My sincere apologies about earlier, sir." Aurra said to the man, surprising the others. "We didn't know."

"All is forgiven, you weren't aware of it." Yasser said, turning back to the bounty hunters. "Now, I can guess you all came here for a reason, am I correct?"

Jango went on straight away. "We're looking for someone."

"Who precisely?" Yasser asked. "Your chances are that this person is either dead here, or is somewhere in the forest with the others."

"At least let me tell you his name." Jango began. "Kid has blond hair, blue eyes, and name's Naruto-"

"Jango, chances are that Uzumaki kid might be dead." Zam began, being the skeptic here. "Let's-"

"Uzumaki, you say?" Yasser said to the Mandalorian. "You mean Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes, that's him." Jango commented. "You know what happened to him? He isn't dead, is he?"

"No, no, on the contrary, he's alive." Yasser confirmed to him. "He was wounded from the fight, that I know, but he walked out here alive with the other leaders of the uprising."

"What do you mean, other leaders?" Sugi suggested. "Was he part of the whole uprising?"

"Apparently, he blew up the whole control room, igniting the whole fight." Yasser pointed at the general direction of where the mud trail led. "They went that way."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Sugi suggested by turning to her partner. "Embo, Marrok?"

Embo nodded and turned to his mammal companion, who began following the trial, sniffing and tracking down tracks of their intended target.

SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF!

…

*WOOF!*

"Marrok's got something!"

The Annooka then began going down the trail, following the scent of their target.

---

Kessel Forest

The Kessel Forest was the only thing left that was beautiful on the god-forsaken planet. If one were to venture deep within the jungle, they would find uncountable amounts of trees, with their million roots extending around the area like veins.

The air rich with clean oxygen, it was undoubtedly a beautiful sight to be seen.

"TIMBER!"

A man's voice pierced the peaceful silence as a tree began to fall to the ground.

BANG!

The tree didn't take long before it made contact with the ground. Within seconds, it was surrounded by a few dozen men with self-made hatchets and pickaxes.

"Alright, let's get to work!" Nathan ordered his men. "Chop it up and take it back to camp."

The group quickly did as they were told, chopping up and hacking off parts of the tree they had just brought down, leaving nothing behind.

"Back to camp!"

The loggers walked their way back to camp, grunting and sweating from the weight of their bounty. The ones that weren't carrying pieces of wood were covering their backs, armed with rifles both blasters and slugthrowers.

…

After a long walk, Nathan and his logging crew were close by to the camp.

"Halt!"

Coming from behind the trees was a young Zabrak male, who was holding his blaster at them.

"Calm down, it's just us," Nathan replied, pointing back at his crew.

The zabrak stood down. "Alright, move on." He watched as they walked past him. "My watch is almost over, tell them to send someone else."

"Will do." Nathan waved the guard off as they went on down the footpath.

…

"Nathan's group returned!"

Everyone turned towards the entrance of their camp to greet Nathan and his logging crew. Nathan and his crew waved back as they admired the amount of progress made on their camp.

Their camp, which appeared to be more of a small village, was filled with a few wooden huts and tents made of logs and branches. There were numerous dug out shelters, creating tunnels that led to who-knew-where all over the jungle. Some were used to shelter their numbers, while others were used to stash their supplies, such as food, water, and weapons.

Outside of those shelters, some of the children were seen playing, with the armed guards keeping an eye out for them. Those that weren't keeping an eye out for their own were readying their weapons or were cleaning. Many of these volunteers were mothers of some of their children, who wanted to do more than simply watch fearfully for their kin.

"Nathan, you've arrived. Good." Ibrahim came out of one of the many tents, having just gotten out of a short meeting. "We've got space in the back, let's go."

"Lead the way," the Canadian smiled as he and the others followed the Libyan towards the open space. As they did so, they happened to walk by an open makeshift field hospital.

In that field hospital laid Naruto on a blanket, his left eye covered in bandages like the rest of his forehead, his left arm, and his chest. Miraculously, he seemed to be getting better already, but he was still in no shape to fight just yet he was able to move his arm and was told he'll be able to remove those bandages around that part at least.

The blond looked to his left, where he saw another patient laying there, sleeping peacefully as his head was being tended by Idel, who changed his bandages. This one looked like he was struck on the head with a whip, and this wound didn't cauterize fast enough.

The two were just one of many patients, with the mixture of the injured, sick, and the dying being jam packed like rotting sardines in a wooden can, all who were unable to move. The worst cases were simply left to die, or were simply put down.

"He's gone."

Naruto slowly turned to the left to see Idel closing another one of their fallen's eyes. He assumed that he died from his internal wounds, which they were too powerless to treat in their condition.

"Take him away, we need the space."

Two volunteers quickly pulled the body up by the sheet underneath, using the makeshift stretcher to quickly dump the body towards a nearby grave site the others dug up.

"It's the sixth person in three days, kid. Are you really that numb to seeing death like that?"

Naruto said nothing as he just looked around, looking for those that were still alive and well, whatever that meant.

He saw Tayuya sitting by herself next to a weapon dugout. She brandished the same rifle she used on the slavers. Having gained herself quite a reputation, she was both respected and feared by her fellow kind. Only a select few would come near her, let alone speak in her presence.

He saw a small tent that was settled for those that were less wounded. The unofficial Catholic priest Joseph Ibarra tended and helped those who had been scarred in body and mind, providing his kindness in words and deeds and prayer. It didn't take him long to start his own small, but close congregation, consisting of both humans and nonhumans.

He turned to the sound of laughter (honey to their ears) to see the large Wookie Chewbacca working with the weaponry alongside Jimmy, who was seen explaining Earth's weaponry. Their smiles and laughter was enough to spread to his lips, which began to curl up involuntarily.

That magical moment ended when he shifted his sights to the other parts of the camp.

He saw Rida, who was back at work crafting coffins for the dead to lay to rest. Truth be told, it wasn't an important task, and only served to burn precious resources and energy, but nobody had the heart to stop them. Mugabo and another were helping him, gently putting the bodies in the coffin before closing it shut.

The graveyard, which had once been a small, beautiful grass field, was now filled with dozens of holes, with half already being filled up with dirt. His heart died a little more when he saw the pile of a hundred men awaiting their turn nearby, which included Levi.

He needed a break.

---

"Hey."

Naruto's head turned upwards, and was greeted to the sight of Sabine's lovely face. Her smile summoned his own, and suddenly, he didn't feel as terrible as she planted a kiss on his lips.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Doing better?"

A smile crossed his face. "Now that you are here, yeah."

"Charmer," Sabine chuckled as she began stroking his hair. "But seriously, are you feeling better now? I've been worried about you."

Giving her a pained smile, he shrugged. "My back hurts like hell, but nothing serious."

"You want me to give you a massage? I've got soft hands, you know?" Sabine grinned, her hands already exploring his upper body.

Her gloved fingers trailing over his bandages, Naruto recoiled at the touch, and her hands shot away quickly, afraid of accidentally reopening his wounds. It was easy to forget that despite his carefree attitude and his charming smile, he took the heaviest blow for all of them. Without him, they wouldn't be here in this humid forest, free at last.

"Are you offering to be my personal nurse?" Naruto grinned, making her chuckle lightly at that idea. "'Cause I'm totally open to that idea-"

"In your dreams, loverboy," Sabine scoffed, failing miserably to hide a blush.

"Am I interrupting your little moment?"

The two whipped their heads towards the intruder. Zeb just stood there, his arms crossed while his large jaws did its best to hold back a grin.

"Because your little act is getting a lot of eyeballing while you're doing it," Zeb told them. "Let me tell you that."

"Just wanna let you know that you're getting quite an audience," Zeb told them. He waved behind him, and they realized that a lot of people were indeed staring at them. Some immediately turned their heads away, resuming their work while pretending to not have seen anything. Others were just giving them smirks or looks of encouragement.

"Haha, funny," Sabine huffed, stepping away from Naruto, before asking, "Seriously, though, what is it?"

"It's Hera." Zeb's face lost all its mirth as his scowl returned. "She called in a meeting, now."

---

Their headquarters was a large tent/cabin. Highly fortified with wooden walls, there was no room for anyone to peek inside, making them safe from potential snipers. Inside the headquarters was a large makeshift table. Hera and Tarik - the ones who summoned the meeting - sat alongside the other lieutenants and camp leaders.

"Alright, everyone. It's been a few weeks since the breakout, and, to be blunt, we're running out of time."

This caused everyone to murmur nervously, although nobody tried to deny it.

"Well, at least he's honest," Kurama huffed in amusement.

"We're running low on supplies. Food, water, medicine, you name it," Hera continued for Tarik. "We've got about one week left of supplies if we ration it, and that's if things go well."

"So what are you proposing we do?" Ibrahim asked. "It's like you said: we're running out of time, and those search parties aren't helping."

"That's why we decided that we need to fight," Adrik stated, his face full of somber determination. "We decided that since we're running out of time and resources, we need to go on the offensive now."

"N-Now?" a few of them exclaimed. "But that's suicide!"

"Not if we do this right," Adrik said as he turned towards the table. There was a crudely drawn map made of leaves, clothing, and whatever pieces of paper they were able to find. Their scouts risked their necks to have this made, making this perhaps one of the most valuable objects they had. "Our camp is positioned right here, with the other camps not that far away from us."

He then pointed to a position on the other side of the map.

"Over here is the Yaruba Royal Palace of Kessel. Obviously, this is where the royal family lives, and it's not that far away. On foot, we can get there in a half a day if we walk, and we have the advantage of the lush greenery to keep us hidden."

"Wait, are you suggesting we attack the palace today?" Jimmy asked, mortified.

"Exactly," Adrik replied without a beat. "We've been planning this assault for a while, and right now, we're running out of time."

A debate storm erupted, with questions being flung from all sides. Some were even exclaiming that the plan was doomed, and that they needed more time, while others argued for the assault.

"Quiet!"

It was Tarik who called for order. Everyone stopped yelling at once to look at him, with some rushing to his side as he clutched at his chest.

Tarik let out a few nasty coughs, before he continued weakly.

"I- I understand all of you may have doubts and concerns about this plan. Believe me, I do too. But these past few days have pushed us into a corner." Tarik took a moment to gratefully accept a canteen of water. Wiping his lips with his sleeve, he continued. "We're running out of supplies, and the search parties are closing in. We need to strike now while we still have some semblance of the element of surprise. If we wait any longer, they'll either turn to drastic measures to flush us out, or they'll simply abandon this planet."

"Wait, so you're saying that they're all still here?" one of them asked skeptically. "Shouldn't they have left by now?"

"Our scouts are reporting an abundance of ships at the palace," Hera answered the man's question. "Their theory is that they're doing some last minute evacuations and trading before they leave. This is why we need to strike now while the durasteel's still hot."

This seemed to sway some of the skeptics, who were beginning to understand the full urgency of the situation. Sure, it didn't take away the risks, but the benefits were well worth it.

"If it makes you feel better, we can at least go out with a bang, giving them one last payback even if it means we die earlier than planned," Tarik added with a smirk.

"Pure revenge isn't the goal, but yeah, that too," Adrik nodded. "By the looks of it, the palace has enough ships to bring us all out of here with some room to spare. Again, this may be our only shot of escape, so whatever we do now, we decide now."

"Decide?"

"We're voting for this. Urgent or not, this is still a democracy. So, what will it be?" Tarik asked the group. "This is potentially a suicide mission, but if we fail to act now, we could be slowly hunted down or left marooned on this planet. So again, what will it be?"

Silence fell upon the group. They murmured and whispered amongst themselves, but they were all hesitant on making the final decision that would decide their fates.

"Did the other camps already discuss this?"

Everyone turned their gazes to the newcomers. It was Naruto, who stood in the doorway with the help of Sabine and Zeb by his side.

"Are the other camps notified about this plan?" Naruto asked again. "And if so, what was their reply?"

Adrik glanced at Tarik and Hera, who both nodded at him.

"They were all hesitant, but agreed to join us for this final assault. They're waiting to see which one of us will come and which one of us will stay behind."

"If they've already decided to attack," Ibrahim noted, blowing out some smoke as he twiddled his cigarette, "then it's more of a reason to join in. They'll need all the manpower we can offer."

Less than five hundred volunteers. Most were ill-equipped, many still untrained, and all they had was hope and vague intel of the fortress they were about to attack.

They were in the endgame, and they were still in deep shit.

"Boss!" A guard barreled through the door, panting. "We got a situation!"

"Zygerrians?" Tarik tensed.

"No, something else," the Zabrak guard said. "We got unexpected company."

"Like what?"

"Bounty Hunters."

---

Chaos reigned as the once peaceful camp was sent into a pandemonium. People ran in all directions. Some scrambled for the underground shelters. Mothers ran with their children and went into their housings. And some armed themselves as they went to their battle stations.

A large Anooba had made its way to the camp, sniffed around, before it howled into the air. They aimed their weapons, but before they could shoot, it bowed low at them in submission, making them hesitate to fire.

Unsure what to do, many of the volunteers speculated their options and thoughts.

"The hell is this thing?" one of the volunteers demanded, holding his blaster. "How did it get here?"

"It's an Anooba, but why is it here? Last I checked, they're not native to this planet!"

"Should I shoot it?"

"No. Let's await further instructions until we do so."

"Get the others out!"

Rida, Zeb, and Sabine were the first to leave the HQ, pulling out their blasters as they inspected their surroundings. Naruto left next with the other leaders. Hera walked out, spotted the animal, and cursed.

"Kriff, it's an Anooba," the green Twi'lek hissed, recognizing the animal. "It means he must be here."

"Who?" Adrik asks, pulling his pistol at the beast. "Who, Hera?"

"A famous bounty hunter, Embo. He has an Anooba like that one," Hera explained to him. "The fact that it's not traveling with a pack means that it came here solo for a reason."

The Anooba growled as he slowly backed away. The group who had their weapons trained on it cautiously moved closer. Tayuya stared it down from the front, while Chewbacca moved to try to ambush it from behind.

"Your move, mutt," Tayuya growled back, her finger coiled around the trigger like a snake ready to strike. .

PSSSSSHT!

"What's that sound?"

Before anybody could move, something landed right in the middle of the standoff. Landing from the air was Jango Fett, his blaster pistols in his hands, with one aimed directly at Tayuya's head.

"I wouldn't do that," Jango warned her. "Embo really likes his partner, and so do I."

"And what if I do?" Tayuya spat back.

"You die."

*Click*

Jango didn't even flinch as a blaster was cocked to fire. His eyes moved to the left to see a familiar face aiming a blaster at his neck.

"Your move, Mandalorian." Naruto Uzumaki glared.

Chapter 13: A Unlikely Target

Tense.

That was the accurate term to describe the middle of the camp. The self-liberated slaves of Ölüm found themselves being tracked by bounty hunters, and a simple command or action could trigger an early battle, alerting the Zygerrians of their position.

The air was silent, the atmosphere still and spine-chilling as guns trembled in boney hands. Jango, meanwhile, looked to be quite unfazed, even though a blaster was aimed for his neck - a deadly Achilles heel he'll have to correct if he ever got the chance later.

His eyes were onto a girl in Mandalorian armor. He studied the painted patterns, and recognized the clan tribe she was from. Of course, he'll have to confirm it later once the situation has settled.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Jango finally spoke. "That's you, right?"

A flinch betrayed his bandaged expression. Not taking his eyes off the bounty hunter, he asked Sabine, "Mind giving me some info about this guy?"

Sabine finally managed to completely study his armor, and her eyes widened.

"That's Jango Fett, hun," Sabine scowled, glaring daggers at the mercenary. "He's one of the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunters, perhaps the best."

"I'm guessing there's more."

"He's also a veteran of the Mandalorian Civil Wars," Sabine told him, having mentioned the history of her people to him whenever they had time. "Believe me, he's someone you don't want to pick a fight with."

"Your family sure knows a lot about that, right...Wren?"

"Don't dare say my family's name, bastard!"

"Or what, Wren?" Jango spat back. "You're lucky that your Death Watch-loving family's not here. I've got a lot of scores to settle for what they did to my people - as well as his."

Everyone's hearts pounded as the bloodlust in the air grew to the extreme. The weaker willed found themselves struggling to keep their firearms in the air, suddenly feeling several pounds heavier than they were.

"Wait, what?" Naruto looked at Sabine. "What is he talking about?"

"Let me guess - she failed to mention how her family originally fought with yours, before they decided to switch sides?"

Sabine's pistols trembled at this as Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"...No, she didn't…" he muttered.

"Naruto, I-"

"Save it," Jango cut in. "I'm not here for the rest of you lowlifes. No, I'm here for him."

"Wha-"

*CLICK*

Jango's right hand moved away from Naruto, pointing directly at Tayuya, who was still aiming her rifle at his head.

"If there's one thing I gotta agree with this metal asshole, it's that we should just cut the damn chatter," Tayuya gritted her teeth.

"Your back's still wide open to Marrok," Jango calmly reminded her. "One wrong move, and you'll be dead."

"Guess I'm taking you with me, then."

Without warning, she pulled out a thermal detonator from her pocket, activating it with a single flick of her thumb. Many of them gasped or backed away, with even the Anooba recognizing the deadly weapon in her hand.

"Is that a-"

"Jango!"

Nearly everyone jumped as another man landed in the middle of the standoff. This time it was a Duros man in a leather trench coat and a large hat, his pistols already out to join the standoff.

To make matters worse, reinforcements swiftly arrived, with a large, odd-looking ship with large cannons suddenly appearing into view. More of Jango's crew jumped out of cover, aiming their own firearms at the insurgents.

"Drop it, little lady," Cad Bane scowled at the redhead.

"Oh, I'll drop it alright," Tayuya gave him a mad grin. Her thumb inched dangerously closer to a certain button. "I'll drop it once you kill me, trust that!"

Bane glared at her. "Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a promise, bitch."

Sugi, Zam, and Embo also had their blasters drawn out. Aurra, meanwhile, took a sniping position as the Slave I adjusted itself to allow her to take aim.

"Someone keep an eye on that ship!"

"ROAAAR!" Chewbacca growled, a missile launcher already prepared to fire at the ship should things go south, backed up by a firing squad of his own.

Everyone was as still as a statue, with even the ship's quiet engines only serving to fuel the tension even further.

Imagination can be a powerful thing, especially in a moment of unity. At that very moment, everyone suddenly saw themselves standing in the middle of a dry grassfield. The sun was blazing, the rain hadn't greeted the ground in ages, and someone just released multiple crates of flour, and all it took was one idiot to light a death stick to send them all to kingdom come.

"There's gotta be a name for this situation," Zeb muttered, his rifle still aimed at the bounty hunters.

"They call it a Mexican Standoff," Jimmy snickered, somehow finding humor in this scenario.

"In here, they call it a Mandalorian Standoff," Jango added dryly.

Silence then befell the area, with everyone daring one another to do something.

"We're not here to fight, kill, or capture you," Jango finally said, looking directly at Naruto. "Believe it or not, I'm here as a friend."

"Yeah, right," Sabine snorted, earning a sharp glance from Jango.

"Was I speaking to you?"

"Now that you are-"

"Sabine!" Naruto snapped. "Let me handle this."

Sabine flinched at his glare, and she quickly backed down. Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned back to the Mandalorian Bounty Hunter.

"First, we lower our weapons," Naruto offered. "Then we'll talk."

Jango nodded his head. "Right."

"On three, lower your weapons!" Naruto shouted to the rest of the camp.

"That goes for you too!" Jango warned his group.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

In one swift, simultaneous moment, they all lowered their weapons, even Aurra and the Slave I, whose cannons retracted.

Tayuya and Cad Bane, however, stubbornly refused to put down their weapons, their deadly tools of war still aimed at each other.

"Bane, lower it now," Jango ordered.

"Tayuya, you too"

The two kept their glares as they finally lowered their weapons. Bane holstered his blasters while Tayuya deactivated the grenade.

Everyone suddenly found themselves able to breathe, loud sighs and gasps of air filling the heavy air.

Despite his proposal of peace, Naruto still stared at the Mandalorian in suspicion - something he couldn't blame, considering how he was the reason he was in this mess.

"Perhaps it's for the best if we discuss this in private," Jango offered. "There's many...personal things that need to be discussed."

The blond agreed, jerking his head towards the makeshift HQ.

…

The walk towards their cabin/HQ was somehow even more tense than the standoff they just had. Jango casually headed for their meeting area as if nothing was happening, while the others were resisting the urge to go for their blasters.

The bounty hunter named Zam joined Jango by his side, and before they knew it, the HQ was crowded again, this time with unexpected company.

*Cough!* * Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

"...Is he okay?" Sugi the Zabrak finally asked.

"Pneumonia, ma'am." Yasser was the one who spoke up. "His lungs are suffering from a disease. That's all I can say."

"And you think it's wise to let a sick man be in charge?" Bane frowned, stepping away from Tarik. "I don't know how you people managed to free yourselves from that Hell hole."

Many of the freed slaves scowled at this, their fingers itching for the trigger.

"Bane…"

"I can speak for myself, but yes, Yasser is right," Tarik wheezed, raising his hand up to assure the others he took no offense to this. "But I advise you to not judge a person by their appearance. You never know what their background entails."

"Enlighten me," the Duros breathed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wooden wall.

"Sure. To begin with Yasser as an example," Tarik pointed to the old man standing guard. "while he is certainly old, would you believe that he fought in seven armed conflicts in his lifetime?"

That made the bounty hunters turn their heads at him, with even Aurra chuckling a little at this trivia.

"Well aren't you full of surprises?"

"I only did what I had to do," Yasser grunted.

"There are others like him here, too." Tarik pointed out to several people. "Like Ibrahim, who, despite his age, has fought against terrorists in his hometown. Or Idel, who's ex-IDF, a military branch to put it simply. Then there are many stories to tell about our cleaver carrying introvert, Nathan."

TCHK!

All heads turned towards Ibrahim, who uncaringly lit up a cigarette with his lighter. Despite his seemingly-relaxed demeanor, his hands were near his blaster pistol tucked into his pants, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

Even Nathan, the brown-headed tombstone, simply tapped his bloodied cleaver on his shoulder, his silent stare saying more than enough to those that would try them.

Jango said or did nothing, but his colleagues knew that under that helmet, he was observing the room and its occupants, testing out their threat levels and capabilities. After another minute of tense silence, he returned his focus back to Naruto, but not before he decided to speak with Tarik.

"What about you?" Jango asked him. "What background do you have that qualifies you as a leader?"

The question caused many eyes to be aimed towards Tarik, who replied without hesitation

"I've seen death from a very young age and accepted it as a part of life - something many in their younger years dare to think about," Tarik answered quietly. "I can guess you're from the same flock as mine, right? You Mandalorians aren't known to have peaceful lives."

Jango, seeing how his eyes are quite like his, just nodded.

"So, let's get to the point. From what I've collected, you're after one of my lieutenants named Naruto Uzumaki, correct?"

"Correct." Jango replied, turning back to him. "Kid, we've come all the way here to get you."

Naruto's eyebrow frowned. "For what?"

"To get you out of this damned place, brat," Bane huffed. "Come on, grab your things and head to the ship. The sooner we leave, the bett-"

"I'm not going."

His swift response left the others in the room quite stunned, even amongst the other survivors.

"Um, can you repeat that, kid?" Zam finally asked. "Did you just say that you're not coming with us?"

"You heard me correctly. I'm not going anywhere," Naruto repeated, turning back to Jango and Bane. "First reason: Did you really expect me to just go with strangers who I barely know about?"

Aurra let out a small groan of frustration.

"So Jango, are we gonna force the kid to come with us or not?" she asked. "I'm getting a little bored of this."

"We're not taking him by force," Jango shook his head. "Nobody's shooting anybody."

"And yet you paid us to come all the way here to collect this one kid who you apparently owe a debt to," Bane grunted.

"He's got a point there," Aurra agreed. "You paid us to do this job, so one way or the other, he's coming with us-"

"Please."

Boba stepped forward towards Naruto, who looked at him with mild curiosity.

"Can you tell us why you don't want to leave? We're not here to hurt you, and my dad is here to apologize for what he put you through. So why do you want to stay?"

Naruto stared at the boy that was much younger than him, who did what the rest of the adults around him wouldn't do. Finally, he spoke up.

"Look around you kid, what do you see?"

Boba did what was asked of him and looked around, seeing a sea of heads and bodies who watched from a distance.

They were a combination of beings of many races, men, women, children, humans of all colors, species of different shapes, sizes, and ages. And yet, they all had the same thing in common.

"People?"

"Yes, people. My people. Who, like me, went through hell to set ourselves free when the world refused to help us."

He waved his hand around at his people, who gave him nods of acknowledgement.

"We suffered together, ate together, survived together, died together. If I'm getting out of here, I want to at least leave knowing that they can do the same too. That's why I'm staying to seize the castle and their ships. After that, you may do whatever you want with me."

Silence then filled the air as Naruto sat back, waiting for their response.

"...Let's say we help you," Jango finally said, much to the other's surprise. "Would you be against us keeping half the loot?"

"That's fine," Naruto nodded. "All we want is some money and ships to get off this hellrock. After that, I'll come with you, no questions asked."

"This isn't what we signed up for," Bane growled. "Besides, we're no freedom fighters. We're-"

"Mercenaries, I know," Naruto nodded. "Then how about this? We offer you all a job on making sure that we take the castle and all of its ships and loot. Your reward would be half of all the spices, treasures, and whatever else they're stuffed their pockets with. If it helps, we'll take all the credit for the incursion, and nobody will have to know that you lot were involved."

Naruto then stuck his hand out to Jango.

"So? Do we have a deal?"

Jango fell silent. Then, for the first time in ages, he let out a genuine chuckle.

"I like you, kid. Alright, I'm in."

Bare flesh met crush gauntlets as they shook hands. And so, an very-unplanned temporarily alliance was formed.

"Did we really just agree to work together with the Cad Bane and Jango Fett?"

"I think so, yeah," Sabine replied, shaking her head. "Unbelievable."

Tarik then approached the two handshaking warriors and made a quick announcement to the rest of the group.

"As much as I'd hate to interrupt this moment, we've got only a few hours before night falls, and thus, a few hours until they all take off," Tarik reminded them. "So prepare yourselves. We leave in half an hour."

"You heard the man, back to your duties!" Adrik ordered around. "No time to lose!"

The crowd started to disperse, with all of them going back to what they were doing earlier, while some were grabbing their gear, preparing themselves for the endgame to their freedom.

The only ones who weren't moving were Jango and Naruto, who still were standing there looking each other in the eyes.

"I need to discuss a few things regarding our history, although given how we're pressed for time, I guess I'll give you the rundown while we gear up for war."

"That's fine," Naruto replied. "Lead the way."

---

Coruscant - Jedi Temple

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi walked through the temple's vast, empty hallways. It was quieter than usual, with the other fellow Jedi either sleeping or meditating during these late hours.

The Jedi looked wearier than usual, since he had just gotten out of a crucial meeting in the Jedi Council Chamber. Evidently, Grand Master Yoda had just informed the other masters about his departure from Elementia with a team that was specialized in tracking down their targets.

The search of Konoha's Jinchuuriki may be finally coming to an end, much to everyone's relief. The capture of the blond boy tarnished the Republic's name and credibility, especially since their partnership had just been born when the kidnapping occurred. The Hokage held them personally responsible for the failure of locating the boy, and Yoda himself worked tirelessly in the front to search for the potential Jedi.

This, however, wasn't the only subject that was discussed within the Council. The divide within the galaxy continued to spread, with even parts of the planets beginning to divide from the inside.

Elementia was the best example, where three of the five big villages that ruled the continents had allied themselves with the Confederacy, with the Hidden Mist having just made its statement last night to the representatives of the Republic, one of which was the Senator of Naboo Padmé Amidala, who could do nothing but accept her diplomatic defeat.

The village had repeated the Republic's failures towards them, reiterating their failure for being unable to provide military support during their struggle against their tyrannical leader. The CIS had seized the Republic's lack of formal military by eagerly providing their battle droids to help them win the war. Cheap, easy to produce and repair, the village happily accepted their gift which came in the form of a single Lucrehulk-hulk class battleship filled with battle droids for both aerial, naval, and ground combat. The village's fight to end the dictator came to a swift end, using the new technology to swiftly crush the genocide inducer, and the rest was history.

Ignoring the Iwa and Kumo village and their reasons for joining the CIS, the situation on the planet Earth was far more delicate. Multiple countries were stalling their decisions as long as they could, undoubtedly equally unsure about which side to pick.

It was honestly too much politics for the Jedi Master, who just wanted to make his way back to his own quarters where he will sleep the night off.

Just before he could do so, he spotted a person staring through one of the temple's many windows that gave them a great view of the planet of Coruscant.

"Anakin."

His padawan Anakin Skywalker turned his head to see his master approach him.

"Master."

Obi Wan frowned at the bags under his eyes. It had gotten worse, he noticed.

"Unable to sleep my padawan?" Obi Wan frowned, his arms in his sleeves. "Being out of your room and wandering around isn't helping, you know."

"It's nothing like that, master."

"Then what is it?" Obi Wan asked, concerned. "If there is something that's bothering you, please tell me."

Hearing that from his own master, Anakin squinted his eyes in for a moment, before he finally told him what was on his mind.

"Remember the night I abruptly left the Jedi Temple a few years ago?"

Obi Wan frowned as he remembered what he was referring to. He remembered when he went AWOL without warning, returning to his home world of Tatooine.

…

Having just arrived through hyperspace, Obi Wan's Delta-7 Interceptor starfighter had just arrived at the Outer Rim's desert planet of Tatooine.

His astromech R4 let out a series of beeps to his master.

"I know, R4, I know. This is entirely random. But this is Anakin we're speaking of," Obi Wan replied, pressing the button to contact the Jedi Temple. Holographic figures of Master Windu and Grand Master Yoda appeared on the screen.

"Masters, I've tracked my padawan down to Tatooine. I'll be landing now to search for his direct location."

"We still do not know why exactly your padawan decided to go off without notifying anyone." Windu spoke. "Do you think it has to do something about his recent restless nights we've been hearing of?"

Skywalker's restlessness was reported to the council, prompting them to assign Kenobi the task to keep watch over him. He had been getting less and less sleep for a few months now, raising some concerns for Obi Wan.

"I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I've got a strong feeling that it is related," the Jedi Master responded. "I'll contact you at once when I've found him."

"Find answers you must, Master Obi Wan. The Force disturbed in Skywalker, it is," Yoda repeated, before the transmission ended, leaving Obi Wan to detach his ship from the Hyperspace transport ring to make his way towards the desert planet.

"What are you doing, Padawan?

…

Following the last coordinates of Anakin's ship, Obi Wan tracked his ship to a desolate place far off Mos Eisley that looked like one of those moisture farms. It was there that he spotted another Interceptor ship just like his.

"Found you," Obi Wan muttered, suddenly feeling like a bounty hunter. "Let's find out why you're here."

His ship landed noisily next to Anakin's, scattering a cloud of sand throughout the area. His arrival did not come unnoticed.

He saw a protocol droid covered in rusty gray parts waddling out of the farm, walking leisurely towards the Jedi Master's ship.

"R4, stay here and watch the ship," Obi Wan told the droid while getting out. "I'll warn you if there's something."

R4 made a series of bleeps in response, acknowledging his master's orders.

Having finally exited the ship, Obi Wan walked towards the moisture farm, being halted by the protocol droid.

"Good day to you Jedi Master Kenobi," the rusty droid bowed. "I am C-3PO, human/cyborg relations-"

"Excuse me, but I need to go-" Obi Wan froze as he heard the droid mention his name. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Oh, from Master Anakin, of course. He informed me of your inevitable arrival so I took the duty to come and welcome your arrival."

"Is Anakin here right now?"

"Oh, he certainly is. He's inside with the Lars family and his mother who they just bought."

"Wait, bought?" This made Obi Wan frown at the news.

"The Lars family has purchased Miss Shimi Skywalker from Master Watto just a few weeks ago."

Well this certainly explained Anakin's restless behavior as of late.

"Can you please escort me inside?" Obi Wan asked.

...

The protocol droid introduced Obi Wan to a human man and woman - the farmers who owned this land.

"Master Owen, Miss Beru, this is Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi," C-3PO introduced the three people to one another. "Master Obi Wan, they are Owen Lars and Beru Whitesun. They're both now legally Master Anakin's stepfamily."

"A pleasure to meet you." Obi Wan extended his hand.

"Yeah, you too." Owen shook his hand. "My step brother told me you would come by. Sorry if he's in any trouble. We heard you Jedi are the kind of folks who don't deal with family much."

Obi Wan had to hold back the urge to frown a little, being more than familiar with how negatively the Jedi were viewed in the galaxy.

"I promise you that Anakin isn't in trouble. We were just concerned about his sudden departure. He could've at least informed us before his trip."

"Really, even for stuff like this? A family matter?"

"Owen, please, that's enough." Beru tried to stop her beloved boyfriend from asking sensitive questions. "The Jedi might find those questions uncomfortable."

"No, it's alright, ma'am." Obi Wan said, wanting to answer the moisture farmer's question. "I understand how it may seem from your perspective, but this is how we Jedi keep our personal emotions out at best."

Owen seemed to accept this response, letting out a defeated sigh.

"If you say so. But I still think it's wrong. I mean, you can't just break a bond between a mother and her child. That's just me personally speaking."

"And you have every right to say what must be said." Obi Wan bowed his head.

"A civilized disagreement in the Outer Rims? Now I've seen everything."

Obi Wan turned to see a bearded man approach him, who extended his hand to greet the Jedi Master.

"Cliegg Lars," the man introduced himself. "You must be my stepson's Jedi Master, right?"

Obi Wan nodded and accepted his hand. "Yes, I am."

"Please forgive him for whatever troubles he might have caused you folks." Cliegg let out a sad smile. "He's concerned about his mother's health. Can't say I blame him."

"Of course." Obi Wan nodded. "May I see my Padawan?"

"Oh, certainly, of course."

...

"Here, mom." Anakin gently wiped his mother's forehead with a cool rag. "I hope you'll get better soon."

Shmi could only let out a weak chuckle. "Oh Ani, don't act like that. It's just a little fever, that's all."

"Still, I can't just let you get sick," Anakin repeated grimly. "Now that you're free and you have a family-"

"Who are your family too, Ani," Shmi repeated a little sternly, cupping her hand over her son's face. "The Lars family takes good care of you. You don't have to worry about me, honey."

Her hand trailed over her son's, who gratefully accepted it, holding onto it as if she would disappear forever if he let go.

"I missed you, Mom…" Anakin bowed his head into his mother's lap, much like how he would always do as a child. "I'm just so glad to know you're doing okay…"

Shmi, unable to keep herself from tearing up in joy, ruffled her hand through her son's hair as those old, precious moments were coming back to her.

"You've grown up, my son…" Shmi told him, pride overflowing in her voice. "My little Jedi…"

As the mother and son held each other in their warm embrace, Cliegg Lars and Obi Wan could only watch them in silence, a small smile etched into their normally stone-cold faces.

---

"You were under a lot of scrutiny for that little stunt by the council."

"I haven't forgotten, master," Anakin nodded slowly, remembering just how unpleasant the council's judgement over him was. "Master Windu certainly had a few words for it. Still, I don't regret it because…"

Obi Wan frowned as his student suddenly began trailing off. "Because what?"

"I…I kept having these visions about some kind of animal, and it somehow connected me to my mother." Anakin frowned as he began to recall the disturbing imagery. "This creature was strong with the Force too. I could've sworn that it looked at me just before I kept on waking up."

"An animal, you say?" Obi Wan asked. "What kind of animal?"

"For a while I was unsure myself," Anakin stated. "But then I recognized it as the same creature Master Yoda described. The Ten-Tailed beast."

"Are you saying that you had visions of this Ten-Tailed Beast, Anakin?"

"That…and that of a rabbit woman."

This sent chills down the spine of the Jedi Master. It would seem that the Force was warning them of this creature far before the discovery of Elementia, and of all the people to grant this warning to, it just happened to be his padawan.

"I only wish to speak of this with Master Yoda," Anakin finally continued. "He knows about this better than anyone else, master."

"On that we both agree," Obi Wan stated. "For now, let us get some rest. It's been quite a day."

The two Jedi briefly bowed to each other before they retreated to their quarters. They needed to relay this information to the council about this.

---

Kessel: Partisan Camp

The sun was falling, and another ship had just left the planet. Everybody was scrambling like ants, preparing for the last minute assault before their window of opportunity flew away like the ships.

A large crate was placed in the middle of the camp, which was swiftly opened with a touch of a button.

"What's in it, Zeb?" one of the partisans asked.

"A nice present, courtesy of Jango Fett," Zeb smirked, pulling off the metal lid, revealing it to be a load of thermal detonators. "Give two for each fighter."

It didn't take long for the crate to have been empty, with the raiders now more deadlier than ever. Every able fighter, every gun, every ounce of will was being assembled as the turning point of their lives were inching closer. Some were excited, some were fueled by rage, and others were trembling to the core.

Click!

Sabine Wren was not one of these men, who said nothing as she checked and prepared her twin blasters before holstering them. She took a look at Ibrahim and Nathan, who were also preparing for war.

Click-Clack!

"Jimmy and Hera are already with the second group," Ibrahim said as he put down his Kalashnikov rifle. "They're with some of those bounty hunters."

"Third group - us - is going last," Nathan said as he held his cleaver over the fire. "Soon, the soil will be watered by the blood of our oppressors, just like they watered this planet with our tears."

"Never took you for a poet," Sabine chuckled. "Are Canadians known for that?"

Ibrahim just chuckled at this. "While Canadians are known for their more peaceful and friendly nature, in war they've rivaled the Americans…"

"Speaking of Americans." Nathan put his cleaver away and pointed. "Look over there."

The three turned around to be blessed to witness something only a few individuals would be able to claim to ever watch.

Alongside each other, two different men of two different faiths were making a special prayer right before they'd go to battle.

Tarik's group were seen on their knees, bowing and praying in Arabian tongue. The old man Yasser, who himself was an observant follower, was right behind Tarik who led the procession.

Interestingly enough, some of the non-human faces could be found within the two groups, converts who sought to find meaning and salvation from their tragedy as well.

A similar ritual was conducted right next to them, with Joseph leading his people in their prayers done in both Latin and Basic. While their prayers were mixed together in a confusing cocktail of noises, none sought to overtake one another, simply recognizing and coexisting with one another.

"I'm honestly surprised that this has gone as long as it has," Nathan noted. "In a galaxy full of many strange ideologies, sciences, and people, Christianity and Islam would probably be scoffed at in a heartbeat. I don't get it, honestly."

"Faith is just more than that, my friend."

The onlookers turned to see Bellatrix the Nightsister nurse walk up to them.

"Faith is the drive they need to stay together in a time of crisis. A group of people who band together for hope and purpose, in order to keep their spirits up when all seems lost. In a way, it's no different than what we all are doing right now."

The two needed a minute for it to sink in, but Sabine nodded at this right away.

"Also, it's a way for them to get over the fear of death or whatever's after that," she threw in her two credits. "If it helps their chances on the battlefield, then I say go for it."

Her bittersweet smile turned quite sour as she thought about Idel a few miles away, who was praying in Hebrew over her fallen brother Levi.

"I guess it also gives us the strength needed to move on during and after this mess too…"

---

1st Group - Uzumaki Squad

The 1st Group (or the "Uzumaki Squad", as dubbed by the blond himself) were the closest to the Royal Palace, having been the first to leave. Adrenaline and nerves were high as they worked hard to avoid having their hearts beat out of their chests.

Having stopped a few clicks away from the target, the group began splitting into smaller groups as previously planned in order to divide and conquer.

"The armor's a bit heavy," Naruto complained as he continued walking with the rest of his subgroup. After bidding his subgroups good luck, himself, Jango, Mugabo, Maori, Sugi, and thr others moved to infiltrate the South of the palace. Before they could go execute their mission, Jango stopped him to give him some ancient Uzumaki armor that looked a lot similar to his. Although he was a little hesitant on wearing it (since it could compromise his natural speed and stealth), Jango promised him that Mandalorian armor could protect him from blaster bolts, slugthrower shots, and even something called lightsabers. When asked what it was, he described it as a superhot sword that could cut through most things, including metal.

"Get used to it, kid," Jango replied flatly. "Besides, it's your heritage. You have more right to it than myself or Boba, and it'll help keep you safe."

He grumbled a little at this, but said nothing as he gently stroked the ancient metal that coated his being. It could've been just his imagination, but for a moment he thought he could smell blood, sweat, and tears as he felt the many hands of his ancestors touch him, bidding him luck and wishing him victory.

He shook his head at this. Maybe all the spice dust had gone to his head. He decided to pay attention to something else, like the bounty huntress Sugi, who was having a conversation with the Rwandan man.

"So you survived a genocide by your own people?"

"Yes. This took place back in '94," Mugabo reminisced. "I'm what you would call a Tutsi, with my neighbors being called the Hutus. I was a minority despised by some of my neighbors who were listening to that damned radio calling for my people's death."

He paused to take a drink of water from his canteen, licking his dry lips.

"The day it all began, I was lucky enough to play dead when I was hit in the head. Had to play dead for a long time. Long enough for me to know what my relatives smelled like when their bodies turned rotten."

Sugi just nodded at this as she continued listening to his story.

Conversely, Maroi had no interest in sharing his life story for the moment, opting to watch and listen to their leader Naruto who spoke with his kidnappers.

Drawing a map in the sand with a stick, Naruto and Jango went over the plan.

"Boba and Aurra will be the air support. Between Boba's piloting skills and Aurra's deadly aim, they can come in hot if things go very south."

"We'll slip in from the front just like what Tarik told us to do," Naruto reviewed. "Hera and Adrik will strike from the back to cause confusion while we'll be attacking the communication tower, security posts, and securing the landing platforms with all the ships on it."

"Or what's going to be left of them," Cad Bane added. "The moment shots are fired, they're going to turn their slimy behinds and fly away, radioing for help while doing so."

"That's why we're going to be doing all three at once," Jango threw in. "We've divided our forces precisely for this reason. And in case any of them slip by, Aurra and Boba will take care of them before a single ship prematurely leaves this planet."

"That'll leave your ship rather exposed, you know," Bane said, his toothpick nodding up and down in his lips. "Even if it's not shot down, everyone will know it was you."

Jango said nothing at this, with the Mandalorian simply staring up at the palace behind his helm.

"Jango, you aren't planning to-" Sugi's eyes widened

"People won't buy that a bunch of slaves managed to single-handedly take down their former owners twice, especially with the fortifications they have. Chances are that someone will go snooping around for more details, and there's a chance that you all will be discovered in the process. If, however, I proudly and unashamedly claim that I, a former slave, decided to have a moment of morality by helping out fellow slaves, then all eyes will be on me."

"But-"

"I told you guys earlier, my time as a mere bounty hunter is over. I've found a new purpose now, and that is to continue Jaster's legacy and work. My reputation is nothing but a small price to pay to resurrect the True Mandalorians if that's what it takes to get it done."

"Won't that make you a lot of enemies?" Mugabo asked curiously. "Sure, you're a bounty hunter, but I'm sure that this crosses a line."

"He's right about that," Bane warned him. "Once word comes out of your direct involvement in toppling the spice trade, the bounty on your head will be so high that you'll never be able to show your face anywhere in public and private."

Everyone held their breath at the implication of his words. Sugi bit her lip, as she was one of the many bounty hunters who genuinely respected Jango.

"Jango, please reconsider -"

"I know the consequences of my choice, Bane. I wasn't born yesterday," Jango replied. "I'll say it again, the Uzumaki's my top priority now."

"What about your son Boba, is he not your top priority?"

"...If everything goes right, he'll be fine too," Jango finally responded. "My mind's already settled."

"But-"

"Fine." Bane stood up, cracking his neck. Everyone took a step back as they blinked at his acceptance.

"I know you, Jango, and I know that no matter what we say, you won't back down," Bane sighed. "Just a heads up, once the price on your head goes up, I'll be coming to collect the prize one day."

"...I invite you to try," Jango said simply, turning his head slightly to stare at the Duros through his visors. The two of the most dangerous bounty hunters stared at each other for a moment, two partners who'll become enemies in the future using their temporary moment of truce to look each other in the eye without having to worry about the ends of each other's blasters.

"Lieutenant." The moment was shattered when one of the other armed volunteers ran up to them. "It's time."

Mugabo checked his watch with a nervous chuckle. "Time flies when we're discussing our attack."

"Let's move," Naruto said simply, pulling out his own blaster and turning to Mugabo and the volunteer. "Tell everyone we're moving in now."

This reignited the fire that quickly consumed the fear and tension that were in the air, with the group's eyes turning narrow with determination. Steeling their nerves for the final time, they all said nothing more as they marched through the forest.

---

The thick, Kessel forest was silent, save for the muffled crunching of leaves and twigs and the sound of a Kalashnikov rifle being reloaded over and over again. Shrunken, Zygerrian heads dangled on his hips, occasionally banging against one another.

Sugi chose to pay attention to the other trophies the other fighters wore, from stolen watches, jewelry, and more body parts like shrunken heads, fingers, or ears littered around their bodies.

Sugi was no amateur, having been more than used to violence like this, but she still wished Embo was here to make this easier. Perhaps she should've gone with him in the 2nd Group instead of letting her inner fangirl lead her towards the Mandalorian.

Up in the front, Maroi observed Naruto, Jango, and Cad Bane as they led the group. Naruto was seen staring at the clear, orange atmosphere, where the uncountable amount of stars were seen filling the sky.

"Never took you for a stargazer," Jango remarked.

"Well, once you realize that there is a lot more out there in space, it really makes you wonder just how large it is."

"Once we close this chapter of our lives, I'll let you sit in Boba's seat if you want a tour of the great beyond," Jango offered. Naruto smiled a little at this, having something to look forward to after all of this mess.

"That sounds great." Naruto's eyes never stopped looking at the infinite beyond just above them. "Heh, funny. Looking back, I always used to look up at the night sky. It helped take my mind off of other things as I imagined what else could be out there. You know, I actually had a talk about that with the old man"

"You did?" Jango asked. "Is your father still alive?"

"...No. The old man was the leader of the village I lived in." Naruto's words trailed off as he recalled the conversation he had with him in one particular lonely night. He frowned as he realized just how many fond and disappointing memories he had of the 3rd Hokage, particularly ones where he refused to tell him who his parents were. "...He died before he could ever tell me who my parents were."

"...You never knew your parents?" Jango was taken aback at this.

"No, no I didn't." Naruto just shook his head. "I was always told that I was a no-good orphan from no-good parents, and that I should've been grateful that the village kept me around like the other nobody orphans."

Hearing this, Jango couldn't hold back the glare that twisted his battle-worn face. It just didn't make any sense. From what the stories had told him, they should've been great allies with the village, helping them grow and develop from the sidelines while choosing to take none of the credit, preferring to live quietly in peace while they continued their work. Hell, their very symbol was eternally engraved into their forehead protectors and onto their jackets. So why was the kid so mistreated and disregarded?

"Tell me…" Naruto's voice fell into an uncharacteristic low whisper as his face finally lowered back in front. "Is what Sabine said true about my lineage? That I'm a descendant to a clan of warriors?"

"Not just any clan, Naruto, but a great one," Jango replied to him. "The Uzumakis were a group of great warriors to ever exist in Mandalorian history. Honorable, fearless, and honest people, they were the founders of the True Mandalorians, who sought to tame our senseless violence to try to unify us. They never turned their backs to those they saw as friends, comrades, and family. The day that their clan fell was the day that the galaxy grew colder and darker."

Hearing this brought a smile to the blond's face. He sniffed as he felt his eyes water a little.

"Then…I'll promise to do the same!" Naruto's conviction spread through his group like wildfire. "I swear on my life that I'll help my friends and family get out of this damned place if it's the last thing I'll do!"

This gained him many smiles from the group as they felt their determination grow tenfold from his promise. Their footsteps grew more energized and their grips on their weapons tightened as they silently vowed to help their young leader escape alive to fulfill whatever destiny awaited him.

This included a small boy in the middle who was seen carrying many weapons and equipment on him, acting as a mule instead of being a direct warrior for this fateful assault. While disappointed that he didn't get to directly help in their suicidal cause, he understood just how important his role was and was determined to do his part.

Still, though, if the opportunity ever arose, he wouldn't mind getting his hands dirty for some revenge.

---

That's if for this chapter.

Believe me, next one's going to be big.

Please leave a review, follow and support this story.

Peace!

Chapter 14: Assault on Yaruba Palace

Kessel

 

Deep within the unspoiled jungle side of Kessel, where miles and miles of long green and unexplored masses were the norm, the presence of civilization was even within this uninhabited wildlife.

 

The Royal Castle of Kessel, or also better known as the Yaruba Palace, was the main retreat for the rulers of the Yaruba Family, that ruled this planet and its resources for perhaps almost centuries with an undisputed power over the Spice mines, running it as an monopoly.

 

With a large palace, its conservatory building next to it, an large tower that served as both an private landing port and communication tower with the outside world, and numerous of guard towers that were kept running.

 

But within the tower, a pleasuring event was taking place that was exclusive to the most lucrative business people of the Spice trade, and others.

D’Nar frowned as he found a crack in his wine glass. 

 

His nerves have been on the fritz for the past few days, and the fact that his spice mine has gone silent for a while certainly didn’t help. 

 

He was no fool - something definitely was going on here. 

 

The guards have been put into overtime, and they were jittering about as if they had overdosed on a caffeine stimulant. There were also more ships arriving and leaving at a much more rapid pace, which he suspected was not a good thing in this case. 

 

He tried to ask some questions, of course, both to the slaves and the officials, but either they really didn’t know or they clammed up real quick. 

 

Strangely enough, the humans from the Earth planet were the only ones that didn’t seem concerned. 

 

He chalked it up to ignorance at first, but he saw just how quickly they were beginning to wrap up their science projects. He asked them about it, but they just smiled and told him to “leave while he could.” 

 

He couldn’t, of course, since his property was a few dozen miles away from here, but nobody would allow him to return there. Not especially after yesterday, where the palace underwent a silent lockdown. 

 

While the guests, patrons, and workers grumbled about the lockdown, nobody really seemed to care too much about it, going about their usual business or vacationing as usual, but D’Nar knew for a fact that something terrible had happened. 

 

“Lord D’Nar.” A servant approached him with wine and bowed her head. “Do you wish for your glass to be re-filled?”

“Yes,” D’Nar responded by extending his cup out for the servant to refill the half-empty glass. The servant left as fast as she came, leaving the Zygerrian slave master on his own.

He took another sip, trying to enjoy his drink, but even that small enjoyment failed to settle his nerves. His eyes stared endlessly through the large windows, observing the massive jungle that seemed to stare back at him. 

 

The jungle….

 

“D’Nar?”

 

He turned his head to his left and saw that he was approached by a Twi’lek, who, for once, wasn’t a servant/slave or one of his private girls. 

 

It was Kinash Lock, a red-skinned Twi’lek who was the majordomo of the Yaruba Royal Family, the chief steward of the monarch who, in other words, worked directly under and for the King. 

 

The Twi’lek himself held a glass of wine and gestured the slaver to follow him with his finger. Both walked to a more secluded part of the ballroom that was now full with guests.

 

A crowd was seen surrounding the dancing area, with various known slavers and business associates. Separatists like Neimoidians from the Trade Federation, Muunist bankers, and even Skakoan Techno Unionists were seen drinking and laughing with members of the Republic, a 

Kaminoan woman who was standing next to a Umbaran male who seemed to be enjoying himself talking to his ‘secessionist’ enemies.

 

But also among the guests were humans, and not just humans from the Core Worlds, but these were from the planet Earth. Among them were oligarchs with top government connections, high-class member socialites from long traditional families, and also secret envoys of some governments from Earth that were known for their Draconian human right abuses, and even highly regarded intellectuals and scientist with looked down upon views and research.

 

From Europe, to Asia, Africa, and even the Americas, the filthiest of the rich and powerful couldn't resist easy money by horrible means.

 

The Spice Trade really brought people together.

Yaruba Palace: King’s Study

 

“Allow me.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

His glass refilled, the Zygerrian slave owner gazed at the crimson fluid that seemed to grow heavier the more it filled his cup. This was no ordinary wine. This was an exclusive drink from the Royal Family’s personal winery made and stored beneath the palace. 

 

Its strong scent filling the room, the two nonhuman males were left to themselves while the guards waited just outside the door. The two said nothing as they gazed at the beautiful forest below them, their wines settling in their cups. D’Nar broke the ice by taking a sip. 

 

“Mmm, quite a lovely drink,” he noted. “I’ve heard that these are personally made - no servants included.” 

 

“Half-truth,” the Twi’lek shrugged. “It was like that for a while, but then we expanded our business, and we couldn't afford to get our hands dirty, so we initially paid others to do it. When that got too troublesome, we decided to cut corners.” 

 

“Hm, been there done that,” the Zygerrian shrugged as he took another sip. The strong smell was beginning to fade, although he wasn’t sure if it was truly gone or if he had just grown used to it. “Still, for something made by cutting corners, this is far superior than any cheap wine you can get in your local market. What’s your secret?” 

 

The Twi’lek gave him a small smile that unnerved him for some reason. 

 

“It is said that even a fool can feel and taste the hard work and sacrifice put into their foods and drinks.” He said nothing else afterwards and just took another sip. 

 

D’Nar stared down into his drink, and the smell seemed to have returned. He stood there dumbly, unsure whether or not he still desired the wine. 

 

Finally deciding that good wine shouldn't go to waste, he continued drinking it. 

 

The Twi’lek Kinash began straight away. “First, I’d like to know if you’ve been doing alright. I’ve seen you keeping yourself away from the crowd.”

 

“My apologies for that, just a lot has been on my mind lately,” D’Nar said. “Also, I’m still trying to get used to our new colleagues.”

 

“Ah, the Earthlings, I understand what you’re talking about,” Kinash nodded in agreement before a chuckle escaped his lips. “They’re certainly obnoxious, some even arrogant, but they’ve got a lot of money.”

 

“I’ve seen them bragging about it, but I doubt that sincerely. From my observation, even the lowest Muunist banker has more credits than those Earthlings.”

 

“Maybe, or you’re saying that because you don’t like competition,” Kinash smiled with a hint of smugness. “I can understand that with how your business is handled.” 

 

D’Nar turned his head upwards to the Twi’lek’s comment. “Excuse me?”

 

“You don’t keep in touch with your own operation, do you?” Kinash said before twirling a finger through his glass. “Well, I’ve brought you here because of the state of your spice mine, which, I might add, is now unresponsive.” 

D’Nar had to hold back the urge to tear off the arrogant Twi’lek’s lekkus off of his head. Kinash’s word was often law, since he had deep ties to the royal king, who held the final decision for who was allowed to do business on Kessel or not. Besides, the bitter truth was that the only reason why he held a great deal of land in this goldmine was because of Kinash himself, even if he did slap on a higher taxation rate for him. 

D’Nar suspected that the feelings were mutual, since every meeting the two of them had was cordial, but tense, the two of them forcing friendly smiles as they struggled to shake hands. If he disapproved of his views on the other races he never said so, but the heavy tax said everything for him. 

 

“Reports of our security forces have just arrived back, speaking about inactivity from your little mine. No communication, no shipments, nothing for the past few days,” Kinash pressed on. “Mind elaborating for us?” 

 

“My subordinates can handle things without me babysitting them 24/7,” D’Nar growled. “The explosions were most likely spice dust exploding, nothing new. If something happened, I would’ve been alerted by now. Besides, I’ll be returning to Ölüm tomorrow morning, and mark my words, it’ll be in better shape than when I left it.” 

Kinash just scoffed at this. He had his security forces inspect the mine days ago, only to find it abandoned and destroyed - a clear show of the Zygerrian’s incompetence. 

 

He only played along because this was exactly something he needed to disgrace the Zygerrian out of the king’s favor, and hopefully kick him out of the spice trade entirely. 

 

“I’ll take your words as the truth,” Kinashi replied with a small bow. “For the sake of our king, let us hope that business goes well.” 

“To Ölüm,” D’Nar raised his glass, and the Twi’lek repeated those words as he took a drink. 

 

A human slave - one loaned from an Earthling, stood there in silence as he stared at the two while keeping his head bowed.

  Yaruba Palace - Gardens

 

In the gardens of the grand palace stood a pair of elite human Kessel guards who wore mostly white armor. They patrolled the area with their spears lazily, his blasters dangling in their holsters. 

 

Working the night shift, they turned on their flashlights as they walked right past the end o the deep forest, which looked extra ominous tonight. 

 

Unbeknownst to the group, they were being watched by the unseen hundreds of armed men of Ölüm, who hid themselves behind the bushes, trees, and the various vegetation that gave them perfect cover and view of their place of interest. 

 

They clutched at their weapons tightly, their breaths unsteady as they struggled to keep quiet, adrenaline flowing through their veins as they were forced to wait for the signal. 

 

It was mainly the leaders such as Naruto and Jango that kept their cool, observing the Royal Palace as they waited for the perfect moment. Using their binoculars or range finders, they eyed every inch of the palace carefully as they absorbed all the information they needed for this plan to go well. 

 

“What do you see?” Cad Bane growled quietly. 

 

“Multiple towers occupied by guards and patrol units. All of them moving in single pairs,” Jango replied. “It’s nothing we can’t handle.” 

“So we’ll have to strike fast and quietly, especially before they can start calling for reinforcements,” Bane nodded slowly. “Got anything, kid?” 

 

Naruto frowned a little at this before he responded swiftly. 

 

“The port’s all decked out,” Naruto replied. “Must be a party inside. More than enough ships for all of us.” 

 

He wasn’t kidding about the party. Even from their distance, they could see lots of flashing lights and loud music blaring, with hundreds of figures presumably dancing in the ballroom. 

 

“I wonder what they’re so happy about?” Sugi snorted. “I’m guessing they’re celebrating a new partnership in the Spice Trade.” 

 

“Then it’s time to crash this party,” one of the partisans snorted. “Let’s see how uppity they feel when they have a blaster up their arse.” 

 

“Keep your cool, men.” Jango shook his head. “We need this to go as well as it can, so don’t give us away just yet.” 

 

His words didn’t seem to reach a certain group, as they continued to glare daggers at the palace. 

 

It was then that they heard someone running towards their position. They turned to see that it was one of their scouts who had just returned. 

 

“Adrik’s in position, sir,” the runner panted. “So is Tarik’s group.”

 

“Just as planned?” Jango asked. 

 

The runner nodded. “Adrik’s in position and Tarik’s got the last group of survivors notified and is on the move, with his teams having just arrived and are on the flanks,” the runner stated while pointing at the surrounding forest that encircled the palace. 

Jango scanned the pointed area, and confirmed for himself that the men were in perfect position, awaiting their orders to attack. 

 

“How many are ready?” 

 

“We’ve got perhaps over four hundred ready for the assault,” the runner estimated. 

 

“Wait, I thought we had five hundred,” Sugi pointed out. 

 

“Tarik’s last men are on their way. He needs a few to stay behind to evacuate the last camps,” the runner explained. “He told me that your group would have to initiate the attack without them.” 

 

This earned the Mandalorian bounty hunter a lot of eyes on him, who held the most leadership of this group next to Naruto. 

 

Jango went to his wrist and tapped his finger into the button and began to speak.

 

“Aurra. Can you hear me?”

 

“Yes Jango, we can hear you, loud and clear.” Aurra spoke through her mic. “We’re in the air.”

 

“We’re near the objective, armed and ready. On my signal, come in and take out that communication tower with the Slave I , alright?” 

 

“Sure. Out.” Their comms went quiet, prompting Jango to turn right to Naruto. 

 

“Are you ready, kid?”

 

Naruto looked around at first, seeing the numerous gazes of the others who were waiting for the signal, and he turned then back to the bounty hunter, giving him a firm nod. 

 

“Okay now for-”

 

FHEW! BANG!

Everyone jumped at the sudden noise, causing everyone to look up at the small, red star that had just erupted from one of the groups. It hovered in the air for a moment before it exploded, sending showers of sparks and balls of fire down into the forest. 

 

The guards shouted as they moved closer to the fence, checking the edges of the forest once more. 

 

Two of them used a pair of macrobinoculars to scope out the forest, and with the help with the flare’s light, spotted a group of partisans. 

 

“What the-”

 

BOOM!

 

Without a warning, the communication tower exploded into flames and shrapnel from an unexpected missile. This finally prompted the guards to raise the alarm. 

 

“Alert! Alert!” The first guard shouted over the comms. “Intruders! We’ve got intruder-” 

 

BANG! BANG!

 

Two laser bolts flew past the forest and hit the guards right in the chest. Their bodies fell over the railing silently. 

 

“CHARGE!” The moment of shock now over, there was no more time to waste. With a singular war cry, the Partisans threw away all hesitation as they charged into battle.

 

Two more rocket missiles flew from the forest, both heavily damaging the palace’s infrastructure. 

 

“What the hell happened?!” 

 

“Someone compromised the plan. Let’s move, now!” Cad Bane yelled, being the first to fly off. Jango quickly followed suit, but not before he turned to Naruto. 

 

“Commence the assault and cut out all exits - Nobody escapes!”

 

“Right!”

 

“Move!” Jango shouted before jetting off, joining Bane with the aerial assault. The champion of Mandalore turned to his men, raising his hand up in the air as he took a deep breath. 

 

“TO THE PALACE!” Naruto ordered, running up first out of the forest, charging the palace gardens.

 

A collective roar of approval rose like wildfire as hundreds of armed men and women rose from their hiding spots. Raising their weapons and fists into the air, they joined their leader behind him, firing at anything that stood between them and freedom. 

 

The guards that survived or stayed behind on the towers stood their ground, being the first to respond to the ambush. But they were quickly being slaughtered, be it from lucky shots or from the missiles, leaving only two standing, who were desperately returning blaster fire against the hundreds of fighters swarming out of the thick, green woods. 

 

They managed to take out a few fighters, but this only agitated them even more. Like killing drones from a hive of insects, this only sent them into an even more frenzied state, more determined to succeed if only to avenge their fallen. 

 

“That tower, take it out!!” 

 

“I’m on it!” Sugi shouted, running towards it with a few guys behind her. “Cover me!”

 

“You heard her! Covering fire!”

 

The remaining tower quickly became the singular target for blaster and gunfire. Many of the bullets missed, striking an inch too close to the last guards’ position, making them flinch or duck. 

 

“They’re hundreds of them out there!” The guard manning the blaster repeating gun, he tried to pick his targets to mow down. “They’re about to reach the-”

 

“I know! I know!” the gunner’s second spoke. “Just keep them off-!”

 

BOOM!

 

Another explosion caught everyone off guard, but it was the gunner, who briefly shielded his eyes, was the first to turn to the cause of that explosion and was stunned by what he saw.

 

“They’re attacking on the other side!”

 

“What?!”

 

“Look!” The gunner pointed out, and the second guard turned to see something horrifying.

 

It was true, on the other side of the palace, where the other explosion came from was now the burning tower of the Northside was in flames, with one guard even seen jumping out covered in the burning inferno, all while hundreds of unrecognized bandits were attacking also.

 

“What’s going on here-”

 

A figure then jumped out of nowhere and caught the two guards by surprise, as it got too close! - that figure turned out to be Maroi, holding nothing but a blade!

 

“Halt!” The gunner guard tried to go for his holster. “I said halt-”

 

“You halt!”

 

The two guards jerked their heads to the only entrance and saw Sugi standing there, with her blaster aimed at them.

 

The two guards then knew they were done and held their hands up, surrendering to the bounty hunter. 

 

But they were unlucky, as one other person ran out the same entrance with Sugi, and aimed his loaded blaster at them.

 

“Wait, WAIT!”

 

“We surrender-”

 

BANG! BANG!

 

The room was briefly consumed in blighting light as two thuds echoed the room. Sugi frowned a little, but said nothing. 

 

“Fuck them, they deserved it,” the human man spat, before manning the repeating blaster and readied it. “Go, I’ll provide cover!”

 

Maroi and Sugi nodded and then ran back downstairs, not noticing the smaller young man, Ezra having entered the tower, and went over to the man’s side with a pair of binoculars to try and help.

 

“Spot the enemy for me, kid!” the partisan said while preparing the tower gun. 

 

Ezra went on to look down below with his binoculars, watching the chaos ensue down below. 

The fighting continued on the ground as the guards were just getting reinforcements pouring out from the building. They, however, were already forced to take cover behind the pillars of the entrance.

 

They used the pillars as cover for themselves while more of the guards who were in the gardens were running towards them, having been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers.

 

The partisans, on the other hand, had little to no cover. With the plants and hedges already burnt away from the firefight and the benches blown to bits, they were forced to advance under heavy fire, and were beginning to get picked off one by one. 

 

This, however, did not help the Royal Guards, since this only encouraged the enemy to rain fire to compensate for their lack of cover, their never ending offense turning into their greatest defense. This, and their will to fight, is how they were gaining ground quickly. 

 

“They’re too many of them!” One of them yelled before he quickly took a shot at one-

 

BANG!

 

“Ugh!” One of the advancing partisans took a hit to the chest, dropping to his stomach just as behind him Naruto and the others were coming, firing back at the guards.

 

They themselves were forced to take cover behind some of the statues and garden infrastructure, with Naruto stopping behind one himself, just next to where the fallen partisan lay.

 

ZAP!

 

A blaster shot went past Naruto’s head, just by luck, as he then looked back and fired a few times back before he then grabbed for the shirt of the fallen comrades and dragged him to safety.

 

One guard noticed Naruto, whose bright, yellow head sticking out like a sore thumb. Raising his blaster, he took a deep breathe-

BANG!

 

The guard’s head jerked back as he took a blaster bolt to the head, killing him instantly. His colleagues looked up, searching for the sniper, only to find a few rockets screaming towards them! 

 

“Cover!”

 

The rockets bombarded the area behind the guards, blowing them away from the impact. This created an opening for the entrance to the palace. 

 

Jango landed right in front of the opening with Bane, cracking his neck. 

 

ZAP!

 

Bane quickly tapped a surviving guard in the head without looking. His body went limp, dropping the blaster he was weakly holding. 

 

“Like I said, no witnesses,” Bane growled. 

 

“Move in now! Inside the palace!” one Partisan shouted as he ran past the bounty hunters. “Clear the building, room by room!”

 

The palace was swarmed with angry men and women within seconds, the armed partisans rushing to be first to get a taste of blood. A couple even accidentally bumped into the bounty hunters. 

 

“Watch it,” Bane warned with venom, but if anyone heard him, he would never know. Gunfire quickly rang out in the hallway, which was his que to join them. 

 

Before joining him as well, Jango turned around and shouted, “Naruto! Move up!” 

 

Naruto looked up as he tried to help the wounded. Two others who stayed behind swooped in to drag them to a safer spot as Naruto grabbed a blaster pistol to enter the burning palace. 

Inside the once glamorous hallways, the Kessel Guards were seen running around back and forth. 

 

“Get to defensive positions! Check the doors!” one captain ordered around his men. “We’re not losing the Yaruba Palace to these criminals!”

 

“Who are these attackers?!” 

 

“I don’t know, but we need to hold them off until the reinforcements arrive!” the captain responded to one guard’s question. “What’s the report of the north wing?”

 

“They’re holding out! But we haven’t heard anything from the south-”

 

BOOOM!

 

A sudden explosion rattled the building, the chandeliers above swinging wildly as the guards looked around, unsure of what had just happened. 

 

“That explains the south wing,” one of them said, deactivating the safety on his blaster rifle. 

 

The captain was about to bark out another order until they heard the marching of a thousand footsteps. Coming out at the other end of the hallway were the assailants of their beautiful palace. 

 

“Guards!”

 

“Intruders!”

 

The two sides opened the fire the instant they met eye to eye. With blaster bolts going back and forth like a light show, the first deaths came to the ones who were too slow to get to cover. 

 

Shots kept getting exchanged as the casualties were already numbering upwards on both sides. The guards of the palace were holding up strong, and were beginning to go on the offensive to remove these rebels out of-

 

BANG! BANG!

 

Two golden bolts managed to strike two different guards, and whatever bravado the remainders held disappeared in an instant as they retreated back to cover. 

 

“Nice shot, Sabine!” 

 

The female Mandalorian had just arrived, her twin blasters smoking as they were pointed at the nearest guards. The sight of her armor made the protectors of the palace freeze up. 

 

“A Mandalorian?!”

 

“Take her out, quickly!”

All blasters went towards Sabine, but they were quickly forced to shrink back into cover as the other partisans continued to open fire. Regardless, Sabine managed to get herself to cover, ducking under a few blaster bolts. 

“Are you kriffing blind?! Shoot the Mando!”

 

BANG!

 

“Ugh!” A guard in front of the captain caught a blaster shot, taking the leader off guard as he watched where it came from.

 

Zeb had also just arrived, and had his own rifle, having just breached through with his own men who were laying down suppressing fire at the enemy guards.

 

“Zeb!” 

“Sabine, Hera told me to pass you these orders!” the Lasat leader shouted. “Go to the upper levels, reach and secure the landing pads!” 

 

“The whole plan’s screwed up!” Sabine responded, staying in cover. “What the hell happened!?”

 

“Don’t know, but we got new orders!”

 

*GROWL!*

 

BANG!

A rather powerful blaster bolt sent one of the guards flying backwards. His limp body slammed into the wall, before falling lifelessly onto the floor. 

Chewbecca’s bowcaster let out a small trail of smoke which he blew out. Tayuya stood next to him, firing off rounds with her AK rifle. 

 

“Nice shot, Chewie! You too, redhead!” 

 

“Call me that again and I’ll shove that grenade up your ass!” Tayuya snapped, before adding, “Now shut up and keep sending those bastards to hell!” 

 

“Yes, ma’am!”

More and more bodies fell, and it was clear whose side this battle was leaning towards. 

 

“Fall back! Fall back to the main hall!”

 

The palace guards were more than happy to retreat, covering fire for each other hastily as they did their best to dodge death. 

 

One of them tripped over a dead colleague. Stumbling, he managed to catch his balance and tried to keep running-

 

PANG! PANG! PANG! PANG! PANG!

 

A series of gunshots rang out, several holes erupting in the guard’s back. He fell back onto the floor, bleeding out. This time he didn’t get up. 

 

Tayuya glanced down at her latest kill in satisfaction, before she turned back to the group. 

 

“Move!” the redhead ordered, putting in a new clip as she moved up. “Don’t let them escape!”

 

“You heard her! Go!” one of the human partisans followed up.

 

“Blood!” the group cheered in unison as they charged forward. The hallway quickly grew empty, save for the littered dead and Zeb and Sabine. 

“What the hell’s going on, Zeb?” Sabine began as she turned to her friend. “We were supposed to wait for the signal, but nobody said anything about the flare being one.” 

“Don’t ask me. You know just as much as I do,” Zeb growled. “I’m just following orders Hera gave me when I bumped into her.” 

 

“Then what happened?”

 

“Somebody got trigger-happy. Don’t know who, but that’s not important now.” 

 

The chandeliers above trembled a little, but they disregarded it. It looks like their friends had made it upstairs too. 

 

“They’re going rough up there,” Sabine grinned, before turning back to her friend. “Tell me where to go, and you can do your thing.” 

 

“Just follow them down the hallway,” Zeb pointed. “They’ll be waiting for you.” 

 

“Thanks!” Sabine said before running past him down the hallway. “Watch out, and don’t get yourself killed!”

 

“I won’t!” Zeb responded before joining up with the other partisans into the fight against the retreating guards.

Outside 

 

The Slave I was seen making several circles around the Yaruba Palace, which was now on fire and in ruins. What was once a collection of structures, statues, and gardens now lay in ruins, looking like a proper warzone. 

 

Comms now gone silent, Aurra and Boba watched on in amazement at what seemed like a fantasy - the house of the most powerful spice trading family, was up in flames.

 

“Wow…” 

 

Aurra smirked at the look on Boba’s face, before turning back to the carnage below. Feeling left out of the action, she decided to try to get in contact with the others again. 

 

“Your father’s been quiet for a while,” Aurra thought out loud while pushing some buttons. “Let’s try to see what he’s up to.”

 

Boba nodded and began working on the communication responder, but instead of one connection, he accidentally tapped into the wider-

 

‘Secure the third floor! Don’t let those terrorists get in!’

 

‘What’s going on-’

 

‘Shoot them!’

 

Instead of getting into contact with Jango, both pilots now were hearing the live communication of the battle inside the Palace, with them now being into the comms of the Palace Security detail.

 

And it didn’t sound good….for them.

 

‘Fourth floor is secured, we’re sending backup down there to help you take out the intruders, over.’

 

‘Negative! Negative! Third floor has been breached, they’ve reached the staircases and are making their way towards you.’

 

‘Fifth floor here, evacuations of the dignitaries has stalled, there’s a group stuck on the west-wing, near the ballroom. over.’

 

‘I heard you, Fifth floor. But I can’t reach there. Intruders have entered the kitchen area, heavy fighting is happening. I can’t afford any more men up there. If they get the kitchen, they’ll have one way towards the ballroom.’ 

‘Sir, with all due respect. These aren’t just visitors, they’re VIP’s who are stuck, last readings have sighted them being almost surrounded on three sides. Immediate extraction is a priority!’

 

‘Second floor! Second floor! We’re being overrun, we need backup over!’

 

‘Copy that, second floor. Unfortunately, your position is lost. Try to get your men to the third floor.’

 

‘Heavy combat in the kitchen, they’ve reached the kitchen!’

Kitchen

 

The chaos had now fully ensued inside the Palace, with the planned groups having now gone into disarray, as the leaders were trying to re-organize their own people back.

But the reality is that everywhere, guards and partisans, scattered all around, were now fighting across the entire palace, room by room, floor by floor, and even by chance and sheer coincidence.

 

 *PEW!*

 

*PANG!*

 

*BANG!*

Anything that was left standing on the tables was either shot, blasted or thrown aside as it all laid on the floors, alongside the bodies of the deceased fighters who were close to engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

 

And they were really close.

 

“CHARGE!

 

“DON’T LET THEM THROUGH!”

 

The roars only made it  come to fruition, as like back on the mess hall of Ölüm, the close area forced the two sides to use their fists, knives or whatever they could get their hands on, to take each other out.

 

Punching, swinging, slamming, strangling, stabbing poking each other’s eyes out or even plunging objects into their enemy’s guts. Anything was used to try and gain even the smallest momentum over their opponent and to end their lives.

 

“Ahhhhhhh! Get off me!” One of the Partisans was seen struggling to keep a knife being slit across his neck by one of the guards, with it only being inches away.

 

“Die-”

 

SHANK!

 

“Ugh!” The guard moaned before he got grabbed by the mouth as it was Naruto who had just saved the partisan by just stabbing the guard in the back multiple times.

 

“T-Thanks-”

 

Naruto just moved past the partisan as he kept the cutting knife in his hand and kept on moving in the chaotic kitchen.  As Maroi was the only other one from his group who stuck with him through the fighting.

 

He saw how one guard was overwhelmed by three partisans, with the one with the knife seen repeatedly using a large knife to basically gut the man up as he was held against the floor with his arms pinned down.

 

“The gut, hit his gut!”

 

“No-Hmph!” The guard’s pleas were silenced as he could only watch as he was getting stabbed over and over again.

 

“I surrender-”

 

*Gunshot!*

 

Naruto then turned around to see then that two guards were seen with their hands up, the second one having just been executed in mid-sentence as the other was faced by another Partisan holding one of the Earthling pistols.

 

“Please, don-”

 

*Gunshot!*

 

The first guard also met his demise as he got shot through the head. Executed by the partisan who didn’t even flinch on what he was doing.

 

The madness was getting out of hand, as the blonde Shinobi had seen acts like this happen more often ever since the attack had begun-

 

“Kid, behind you!”

 

Naruto heard the warning but was too late whe-

 

WHAM!

 

He got knocked aside when Adrik, the Slavic second-in-command, was seen with an chopping knife, fighting against the retreating big guard, who already was bleeding from the neck and face by the cuts he had been given, some nearly slicing off his skin.

 

“No, P-Please-”

 

SLASH!

 

The guard wasn’t shown any mercy by the Slav, who just hit the arteries of his neck and made a clean chop in the shoulder.

 

Thud!

 

The guard dropped dead with his head barely hanging onto his neck.

 

“Do Svidaniya, piece of shit.” Adrik turned his head around to Naruto. “Hey kid, you alright?”

 

“I…Ugh…” Naruto laid flat on his back, even with the armor he wore, the wounds haven’t yet healed up yet as he still got bandages. “Fuck…it hurts.”

 

Adrik called out for help. “Maroi! 

 

Running up, Maroi had heard the call for help as the fighting continued, with it this time the blaster fire going off again, forcing everybody to duck down for cover as Naruto was laid against the small cover.

 

“Kid’s wounds are bothering again. Try and help him.” Adrik told him before getting his gun back and turning to the fight. “Wait here, kid.”

 

“But-”

 

“That’s an order!” Adrik barked at him before shooting twice and moving upwards. “Move it people!”

 

As the fight continued on by the Partisans, it was then that Naruto who was being helped with the Beskar armor being removed from his chest, revealing the bandages being close to shredded apart.

 

“Need to check on your wounds, so let me remove those bandages and I-”

 

“This is bullshit!” Naruto cursed, staring at the ground, the anger exploded. “I can’t even use my chakra, how can I be of help if I’m still walking around with that damn seal on me!”

 

It had been a silent frustration of Naruto for the past few weeks that he couldn’t hold back anymore. Even with Kurama trying to break the damn seal, it was still strong enough for it to minimize Naruto’s use of his chakra network. 

 

“I’m useless without my chakra.” Naruto muttered out. “I could’ve smashed those guys right now if it wasn’t for that damned seal!”

 

*TICK!*

 

A termal detonator was thrown and it was just around the corner as Maroi grabbed Naruto and laid him to the ground.

 

“TAKE COVER!”

 

BOOM!

 

The thing exploded just and it caught a few guys in the explosion, but Naruto and Maroi were luckily fast enough to have ducked for cover before being impacted by it.

 

With Maroi being ontop of Naruto, he took the opportunity to do something.

 

“Get off me, Maroi!”

 

“Hold on, kid.”

 

A hand suddenly felt on Naruto’s back, causing the blonde to be weirded out to what the partisan was doing.

 

“Just let me do this, kid. Release !”

 

!

Naruto/Kurama then both felt a huge release of weight coming from their shoulders, as they suddenly were now fully connected with the whole chakra network. 

 

‘Kid, that guy, he released the seal, that means-’

 

‘Has to be.’ Naruto noted as he slowly turned his head towards Maroi, who he then asked the question.

 

“You’re a Shinobi?”

 

“I-”

 

“ENEMY REINFORCEMENTS!” Someone shouted. As then more guards were seen entering the kitchen, in bit overwhelming numbers.

 

Naruto however grabbed the nearest knife he could snatch and could feel the flow of energy through his body properly again, and turned towards Maroi.

 

“Shall we?”

 

Maroi could see the long unleashed anger in Naruto’s eyes, and instead of speaking against it. He simply nodded.

 

“Good, because I’m done trying to learn how to use a blaster.” Naruto said as he did his hand signal that was his trademark.

 

“SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!”

Landing platform

“Move it, people, move it!” 

 

The invited dignitaries, senators, oligarchs and other high-level visitors that were just mere moments ago stuck inside a battle-ridden palace, now had gotten themselves through without a scratch.

 

Only a few meters away, covered by barriers, in a secret tunnel, dozens of ships were prepared for the evacuations of the guests, who were all forced to share the ships that would travel to a safer area of the planet, or even getting out of it.

 

Two of those, were highly known and influential senators of the Republic, one was Mee Deechi from Umbara while the other, wasn’t much of a senator who represented a planet or a sovereign state, but represented a entity.

 

“Senator Deechi, please enter the ship.” One of his guards pleaded as the senator followed up by his security detail.

 

He then noticed the human senator to stand there to watch palace being on fire.

 

“Senator, please, join me.” Deechi offered. “There’s no need for you to be be captured by these terrorists…”

 

“I believe we’re not dealing with the likes of terrorists, my Umbaran friend.”

 

The pale skinned male Umbaran looked confused until he saw the human turn  his head around and walked up to the ship and entered it with the security detail of his own who kept a secured perimeter.

 

They all wore the insignia of the Umbrella corporation, showing clearly they were this man’s security.

 

“Let’s go!”

 

The evacuations of the secured dignitaries began taking off, one by one as many were staring through the windows at the ravaging fighting that continued at the old Yaruba Palace as it was still being besieged on by all sides.

 

They didn’t know how lucky they were.

Palace

 

The flames were getting out of control, as it now got into some parts of the palace, where it became the third contender in this battle, and was gaining a momentum. It even interrupted a few fights as both the Partisans and the Royal Guards were seen ceasing their fights and trying to run to safety.

But even still, some were stubborn enough to fight in even the most unsuitable areas as it were a moment of life or death for them. With some being locked into hand-to-hand combat with the occasional knife being pulled out in an attempt to end one life’s quicker then the other.

 

“Look out-”

 

KICK!

 

A guard was slung across the hallway with a deadly kick to the chin, as the boot belonged to Naruto as he was running in free-range, having gotten out of the kitchen, without his Kevlar armor, and covered in sweat, he was on an justified rampage to taking out as many guards that stood in his way between where he stood and the target.

 

And there were a couple of guards in his way, and he only carried a knife - to which he was in the advantage!

 

“Out of my way!” Naruto shouted, dashing forwards - ready to get them.

 

“Kill him!” The front guard shouted while aiming. “Kill him!”

 

BANG!

 

One blaster shot went straight through Naruto’s chest, making the shooting guard think he got him.

 

“Yes!”

 

POOF!

 

Instead, it was one of his clones, much to the man’s horror. Meaning it was a fluke.

 

“Where-”

 

PLUNG!

That was the sound, of the vital organs of the guard, being stabbed in so deeply, that the sound could be heard as the organs shattered.

 

“Gasp!*

 

Naruto’s ears heard the gasp, but his eyes focused on the remaining guards who were frozen by fear, as he disappeared in speed - causing more panic.

 

“Take him down-” The guard tried to say before he got two kicks to the chest and felt his throat slashed right open, and thrown out of the window by Naruto, who then turned to the other and threw his knife-

 

“No!-”

 

SHINK!

 

The knife went deep into the man’s chest, even through the armor, as he then punched the off-focused guard multiple times in the head before slamming him away, fatally, going then for the next target.

 

“He’s too fast-” Another guard felt attacked from above by another Shadow clone of Naruto, as then two more popped up from out of nowhere - Causing total confusion for the guards, it caused a morale boost for the trapped partisans.

 

“Follow Naruto!”

 

“Hold them back!” The nearest guard yelled desperately. “Try take out the kid-”

 

BOOM!

 

The wall behind the guards exploded. With rubble flying everywhere, if the explosion didn’t take them out, the pieces of the wall might’ve done it, with the remainders trying to stand up and make a last stand.

 

“They’re attacking us from both sides-”

 

PANG! 

 

PANG!

They also soon were silenced as blaster bolts had come from that hole in the wall, with the ones coming through being the late party members - Tarik and Ibrahim, being also accompanied by Hera, having linked up.

 

Tarik quickly ordered around. “Forwards, men! The platform is not far from here!”

 

“Move it!” Ibrahim shouted.

 

The leftovers of the attack began following Tarik, with dozens filling the hallway in the one-way traffic, but it was Hera who walked up to the opposite side to come across Naruto.

 

“You doing alright, kid?”  She asked seeing the dirt and bruises on his head.

 

“I’m doing fine, really.” Naruto assured her and asked. “What about the others?”

 

*Rumble!*

The ceiling began to shake again, and this caused Hera and Naruto to hold their questions for later and move upwards, joining Tarik and the others.

 

“We’re almost there, we found a shortcut!” One of the partisans shouted running up front. “We need to hurry, now that we can!”

Ball Room

 

Whilst the fighting continued, the large room was left now unused for combat, as it was no use to it for now, as for the reason being that it was over.

 

A group of partisans had closed off the last exit with the others, and therefore had trapped the remaining dignitaries and their Royal Guards who were seen with their hands up and their blasters on the floor. The silence was real as no screaming or yelling was being heard from both sides, causing an very uneasy tenacious moment that caused the emotions to rise to a boiling point.

 

That only got worse than among those partisans, was Tayuya, as sh had been going off to the ballroom with some others of the group, as they were now on the few dozens, having their hostages forced into a corner with their weapons pointed against them.

 

“You wench!” One of the guests, a man in a Thawb robe, with an Keffiyeh was not having it and was yelling at the armed fighters, and especially against the woman. “Know your betters, you whore, I will-”

 

BANG!

 

…

 

The Thawb wearing man fell to the ground, on his knees as he clutches his hand against the gut, where he just was shot at point-blank range, gasping in pain as the man was experiencing.

 

The shot came from Tayuya’s Kalashnikov rifle, who hasn’t even a eye at her action, and continued to stare at the man in pain.

 

“He looks like an Royal prince or something...” One of the Arab fighters spoke. “Or he could be Qatari, or even a Saudi.”

 

“Why does that matter?” One of the Non-earth partisans asked. 

 

“Because they are rich assholes, oil giants, way too much fucking money than they deserve.” The Arab explained to them, having a clear dislike. “They may act like the most devout of our people, but are the more corrupt and disgusting people if you get to see what’s behind the curtains.”

 

“P-Please!” The gutted prince looked up and begged, yes, begged for his life. “We’re both Muslims-”

 

“Kol Khara, you filthy dog.” The Arab fighter shouted at the prince. Not done insulting him. “You keep that preaching bullshit for the imams who you’re paying as your mouthpieces.” 

 

“You filthy!-”

 

BANG!

 

The Thawb wearing man got shot again, this time through the leg by Tayuya for the second time, shutting the royal up as he was screaming in pain once again, but this time louder.

 

The actions caused the hostages to be in panic, given they saw one of their own being shot multiple times.

 

But that panic was soon to be responded - By Tayuya who went for the switch: Automatic.

 

“Enough of this.”

Landing Platform

“Prepare the ship!” One of the guards shouted orders around as the sounds of heavy fighting could be heard around them.

 

The landing platform was the last floor of the palace that was in full, or at least partly secure, as many of the armed guards had now regrouped and were making their last stand.

 

Their last stand as they were given their orders to keep the skies clear, so their ships could take off in their own evacuation efforts, yet, the first ships that were to be taking off were of two individuals-

 

“Get this thing airborne!” Kinash, the Twi’lek right-hand man of the Yaruba Monarch was seen entering his own ship with the escorting of his personal bodyguards, who brought him in a Sheathipede-Class Transport Shuttle that he bought from the Trade Federation.

 

“D’Nar!” The majordomo turned around for a quick moment and shouted. “I will hold you responsible for this!”

 

D’Nar, who watched from a distance, could only glare in response to the majordomo’s threats as he knew that when word would reach the Royal Family about this, there would be repercussions.

 

The shuttle began to take off as it was getting shot at from multiple directions from the ground, with the shield happening to withstand those hits before it took off.  

“Kriff it all…” The Zygerrian cursed to himself, walking over to his own ship. “Damn these slaves!”

 

BOOM!

 

A big explosion went off in the hallway, causing the slaver to turn his eyes on it.

 

They had arrived - and were already storming the platform.

 

“They’ve reached the platform!”

 

…

 

The group that reached first was that of Sabine, Zeb and the Wookie Chewbacca, with the bounty hunters Sugi and Embo right behind them, as they were being met with intense blaster fire, some of the first storming partisans were quickly to be hit by the dozens of shots, forcing the others to turn to cover.

 

“Well, they really don’t want us to take those ships.” Zeb commented first, holding himself covered behind one of the steel pillars. 

 

“Yep, from what I see, they’re trying to get out of here fast.” Sabine commented by what she was seeing through her helmet’s vizier. “But if we don’t get a foothold on that platform soon, they might even destroy them to block our only escape.”

 

“We’ll provide you cover fire.” Sugi suggested, gesturing to herself, Embo and Zam. “You guys move up and we’ll keep them busy.”

 

“Sounds like a solid plan-”

 

FWOOSH!

 

Two figures quickly passed by the partisans, catching the fighters off guard.

 

“What the-”

 

SPLASH! 

 

SLASH!

 

“Ugh!”

 

“Bwah!”

 

Two of the guards were unlucky enough to be in those figures’ path, as their blood splattered across their chests, having just sliced up in an brutally speed.

 

“Take that!” 

 

That voice alone was recognizable and it earned the first reaction.

“BRAAAAAH!” Chewbacca growled up.

 

“Bout time you arrived!”

 

Having taken up the front, both Naruto and Maroi, both Shinobi had just entered the last state of the fight, and were going through the guards with no holding back.

 

as Naruto was seen speeding and avoiding the blaster shots before violently and lethally taking the guards down with his bare hands, as the sound of chopping and cracking was vile enough for even Maroi to speak up.

 

“Hold on, kid! We-”

 

“Got no time!” Naruto dis-armed a guard before knocking him over the platform, arguing. “Let’s move!” 

 

PEW!

“Look out!”

A bolt explosion sent both Naruto and Maroi away a few meters backwards, having just been nearly hit.

Naruto groaned as he moved his head upwards, and saw what was happening, or yet worse, what was in front of him.

 

The Aurore-class freighter had just fired its twin medium cannons at the platform, as it was hovering above the platform and with its guns aimed ready-

 

PEW! 

 

PEW!

 

Two more blaster shots were fired, but this time it hit the sides of the freighter ship, that had its shields on, as the shots were coming from the Slave I, coming right on time to save the day.

 

And by the sight of that ship, the freighter took its leave, all in front of Naruto’s eyes that began to close down again, just as the shooting seemed to be calming down and feet steps behind him were getting closer.

 

Not knowing they had just taken Yaruba Palace.

Chapter 15: An Old Chapter ends, A New Starts

The Yaruba Palace was built off of the hands and backs of a thousand slaves. It took approximately one month for its completion, and has stood tall and proud for several generations. 

 

It only took less than a day for it to fall.

 

The garden outside used to be strictly maintained; each flower not out of place, each weed pulled and clipped, and every square inch of it scrubbed clean. Now, it was all burnt down, the beautiful statues and outdoor furniture now reduced to rubble and firewood. The once sweet fragrance of flowers was now replaced by gunpowder, metal, and smoke. 

 

The one beautiful palace was now a burnt shell of its former state. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago, a lavish party was held in the now ash-covered castle, its now bloodied and corpse-riddled halls once roamed by the rich and powerful. 

 

This was especially the case in the ballroom, where an unfazed Tayuya munched on whatever food and drinks somehow survived the carnage as she gazed down at the results of the much-needed justice that needed to be done. 

 

She scoffed, spitting out a seed at a nearby corpse which looked to be still begging for her life. Seeing the pitiful expression on her face made her clench her teeth, and she resorted to giving it a brutal kick to avoid wasting a bullet. 

 

She swore as her boots splashed on the ever-growing crimson puddle on the floor, nearly making her slip on the ocean of cocktail of blood and wine. 

 

“Boss.”

Whirling around, she was greeted by the sight of one of her many followers who were part of her group from the very beginning. Her group was carrying something large and heavy with them. 

 

“That the fuel?” she asked. “Where’d you get it?” 

 

“It’s fuel alright,” her second in command confirmed, holding up the jerry can. “Siphoned it from some of the empty scouting bikes.” 

Turning back to the corpses, she took a moment to appreciate their handiwork, knowing very well that they had made plenty of enemies somewhere in this vast galaxy. 

 

“Burn them all.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Do it.” Tayuya ordered as she walked out into the hallway.

Saying nothing in return, they quickly opened up the cans and started pouring out the liquid fuel. They knew that it wouldn’t completely destroy all traces of their presence, but it would still send a message - a message of revenge. 

 

And that revenge was just getting started.

Landing Platform

 

“Just sit still kid, you’ve done enough.”

 

Naruto was yet again being bandaged, although thankfully he needed less of it this time. Despite his near suicidal charge, he managed to (technically) single-handedly push back and crush the opposition, playing an essential role of securing the landing platform with all the ships that were still there. 

 

Despite this, they still suffered heavy casualties, with one good reminder being laid out in front of him. 

 

Maroi was one of the few people he could trust with his life, seeing as how he saved his multiple times. He had even gotten rid of the seal that locked his chakra, which ultimately helped them conquer the palace. 

 

Staring down at his body, he couldn’t help but be bombarded by guilt and questions. Clearly, Maori knew more than he let on, and clearly he was here for him, but whatever questions he had for him would now never be answered. 

 

“I’m sorry, Maroi.

 

Pulling a cover over the fallen Shinobi’s body. Naruto’s eyes lingered on the blaster burn over his chest - a lucky shot from a Pyke who was aiming for his head. Maroi was unlucky to have leapt in the way, taking the hit for him while his Kyuubi Cloak had fallen temporarily.  

 

His jaw clenched tightly, his canines digging into his lower lip as he struggled to choke down a scream.

 

“Stop blaming yourself, kid. There was nothing you could’ve done.”

 

I shouldn’t have rushed in like that, what the hell was I thinking?

 

“Time was of the essence. Would you have preferred to lose the ships, and thus, the whole point of the raid?” 

 

Yeah, but at what cost?

 

That’s an answer you got to see for yourself.

“There was nothing we could’ve done for him.”

 

Bellatrix’s voice yanked him back from his trance. She was currently speaking with Idel, who was burying her face into her hands. 

 

“He died upon impact.”

 

“...I know,” Idel let out a lifeless sigh. “Just another casualty…a life erased among us.”

 

“To the galaxy, perhaps,” Bellatrix let out. “But not to us.”

 

They heard someone step up to them, and they looked up to see a weary Naruto. 

 

“Take him away,” he said quietly, “and keep him covered.”

 

They just nodded before they got to work. Gently placing the covered Maroi onto a makeshift stretcher, before they proceeded to carry him away to place amongst the other fallen.

 

Many partisans stepped aside to allow them to walk through, bowing, nodding, saluting, or falling silent for their fallen friend. A couple of them even moved to help the two nurses. 

“Kid.”

A gloved hand touched Naruto’s shoulder. Turning his head around, he saw Jango’s black visors staring back at him, his weary face reflecting back at him. The shiny armor was covered in dust and spice. 

 

“You doing alright?”

Naruto just turned his head, staring blankly into the horizon. 

 

Jango stood there, staring at the boy uncomfortably. He was good at a lot of things, but breaking the awkward silence was not one of them. 

 

“Jango, come here.”

The bounty hunter let out a small sigh of relief as he turned around. Cad Bane and the other bounty hunters had landed their ships onto the platform, the Slave I included. 

 

He moved quickly towards them, and quickly noticed that Hera and Tarik were among them. He frowned a little upon seeing their expressions.

“What is it?” Jango asked bluntly. “I don’t like the looks on your faces, so spill.”

Hera and Tarik looked at each other, with Tarik giving her a quick nod. 

“We’ve got a problem,” Hera began. “There’s not enough ships for all of us, and they only have enough fuel for a one way trip to maybe two or three nearby systems.” 

“A little better than expected,” Jango motioned. “It’s a miracle that none of the ships were destroyed, so take comfort in that.” 

 

“That’s not the only bad news, Jango,” Cad Bane growled. “Aurra?” 

 

All eyes turned to Aurra, whose usual playful demeanor was locked into a stern frown alongside Boba. 

 

“A distress beacon was activated.”

 

Not a word was spoken as Boba pulled out a miniature comm device, pushing a button with his thumb.

“This is the Yaruba Palace. Unknown enemies have breached the palace. Requesting heavy backup- GAH!” 

 

The miniature hologram of the Zygerrian was gunned down by an unknown figure, cutting the recording off on the spot. Hera’s lekku twitched nervously. 

 

“That message was sent over an hour ago,” Cad Bane said. “That means we’ve got very little time left before more people show up, so we’re leaving with or without your new friends.” 

 

“That won’t be a problem.”

 

Both bounty hunters turned to look at Tarik, who released a deep sigh as he was doing something that he wasn’t supposed to do in his state of health.

 

TCHK!

 

He lightened up a cigarette, an odd scene coming from the coughing man himself, as he now had taken medicine that was looted from the palace, as he addressed the others.

 

“We’ve already predicted this possibility, so we’ve initiated Plan B. The women, children, elderly, and the wounded are to be prioritized on sending them off this planet. The rest of us will stay here and stand our ground.” 

 

The bounty hunters looked at the Earthling and the commanders with astonishment, as they seem to be having lost their mind at wanting to stay at this place.

 

“Are you out of your mind? Staying on Kessel is suicide.”

 

“There are still other Ölüm survivors out there, scattered around the forest who we need to brought in. Nor do they know what happened here.” Tarik told his reason. “We cannot abandon them, so we’ll go and try to find them.”

 

“That still leaves you here, on Kessel, sick man.” Zam argued with her greening skin. “You have a death wish or something?”

 

Tarik pointing to the Green Twi’lek commander.

 

“We’ve made our decisions already.”

 

Sugi asked. “Who will stay?”

 

“Myself and the rest of the lieutenants decided to stay. While Hera, Zeb and Sabine will be leaving, with everyone else who’s unable to fight.”

 

“Does that conclude Naruto?”

 

Tarik turned to the Mandalorian bounty hunter and saw he was still interested in the boy.

 

“He’s already gotten himself beat up badly. So there’s no use of endangering his life further in his state.” Tarik stated as he crossed his arms. “Besides, you kept your end of the deal - and there’s one thing I’ve learned about Naruto.”

 

“And that is?”

 

“He doesn’t break his promises, that’s not his nature.”

Meanwhile

“Everybody move up! We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes!”

 

A bit of a chaotic state was present on the landing platform as a crowd had emerged on it. As it had been almost an hour ever since the final orders were given:

 

Anybody who wasn’t able to fight was to be evacuated, while those who were, often without a choice, had to stay.

 

Naruto was one of those who wasn’t moving, as he instead was seen sitting at the entrance of the Slave I. Alone, as he was watching the ships slowly preparing to take off with whoever managed to get onboard.

 

“Move aside! Move aside! Wounded here!”

 

A path was being cleared as one of the ships that was being used, with it being a few partisans seen carrying a stretcher with a half burned fighter on it, being evacuated out. 

 

“Hey isn’t that Adrik?”

 

“Yeah, caught a grenade explosion in the kitchen.”

 

Adrik Yahontov, the Second-in-Command of the uprising, now was too wounded to be of any help to the rest of the fighters, as he now was being loaded into Hera’s ship with the help of Joseph and Jimmy with Zeb helping enter the poor bastard into the ship

 

“Has he awaken yet?”

 

“Nah, he’s been out cold for a few hours, for the better I guess”  Jimmy said loading the man up the entrance “Imagine if he woke up and found out?”

 

“Please don’t jinx it.”

 

Watching on, Naruto didn’t pay attention as a feminine hand laid rest on his shoulder.

 

“Naruto.”

 

Feeling that hand, Naruto didn’t move as he knew who it was.

 

“Sabine.”

 

The Wren girl without her helmet, went on to lay it down and embraced her arms around Naruto’s neck and laid her own on top of his head, not minding his blonde hair.

 

“You’ve been silent.”

 

“I don’t have much to say now….sorry.”

 

Only able to nod in silence, she then heard him out.

 

“All this time…he was the only other person from my home planet…” Naruto stated with no emotion at all. “And I didn’t even know until the very end…”

 

Seeing he was still effected by it, she kept her hand over his hair and tried to comfort him.

 

“He didn’t die in vain, Naruto. He gave his life up like the others, so they can escape.”

 

Both set of eyes happened to lay on a group of children, human and sentient from some ages,  were being escorted to a former spice freighter ship that was prioritized for them and the women and elderly.

 

One of those children, a young dark blue Rodian, either by coincidence or not, happened to spot Naruto and Sabine, with the child noticing Naruto’s bandages:

 

The child waved at them, much to their surprise, as he innocently waited for a reply from them.

 

Naruto’s mouth grew a small but honest smile as he just needed that, and smiled before waving back at the child, with Sabine also giving a small wave back.

 

The child then proceeded to follow the rest of the group. Ending the short but morale-boosting moment.

 

“Perhaps, we can honor their memories by keeping them safe.”

 

“We can, and we should.” Sabine agreed with him. “We will.”

 

A pair of boots then walked up behind them.

 

“Kid.”

 

Naruto’s half covered face turned around, and saw that it was Jango who walked up to him.

 

“Your friends want to say goodbye.”

(Half hour later)

 

*FWSSSSSH!*

 

With another freighter ship seen taking off, it was one of the last ships to have left the Yaruba Palace’s platform, the evacuations have gone through well, despite the hastiness and often chaotic conditions that they were in.

 

Almost over a thousand former slaves from Ölüm, mainly women and children and the wounded have managed to leave the spice planet hell - Even when it didn’t sound much, it was a goal worth taking for two reasons.

 

For one, they managed to now have some sort of lifeline with Hera and the other pilots now being able to help them bring weaponry, supplies or even evacuate more slaves from out of the planet.

 

But the second reason, perhaps the most valid one, was the message they’ve managed to send - that revenge was coming for them: one way or another.

 

Now on the platform, even when the time was short, over a hundred partisan fighters had assembled, while down below in and around the gardens, more were guarding and waiting for their orders to move.

 

Tarik was seen hugging Hera as they both tapped each other’s back, with now the Twi’lek been given the responsibility of bringing the ships to safety.

 

“We’re all counting on you Hera.” Tarik said breaking the hug. “Just get those folks safe first.”

 

“I will.” Hera assured him. “We’ll come back as soon as we can.”

 

“You better be, because we only got supplies for a few weeks, tops.” 

 

Other partisan members were seen giving out anything they found, from blaster rifles to food and water, with some even having taken the cloaks and shoes from the dead guards as they were very low on equipment.

 

But among the group of fighters, Tayuya looked less worried about the logistics issue as she has gotten herself a long brown coat, taken it of course, as she had already gotten what she wants.

 

If she had turned around, the redhead could’ve noticed the youngest of the partisans, who’s managed to lie low during the evacuations, seen carrying boxes of ammunition and supplies on his back.

 

She then happened to spot Nathan, the man who helped him, smiling, she walked over to his position.

 

Also standing among the fighters, were surprisingly the two bounty hunters Sugi and Embo, both now seen saying their goodbyes to Mugabo.

 

“Are you sure you want to stay here? You don’t even carry a gun.” Sugi asked the African.

 

The Rwandan man had made his decision and he stood by it, still holding the camera he valued.

 

“Someone has to got to stay here and make evidence.” Mugabo stated to them. “Even when its unlikely justice will ever be served. The actions of these men, cannot be forgotten or be erased.”

 

Embo then was heard saying something with his friend Marrok, the Anooba seen standing besides him.

 

“He’s saying you got a good heart, my friend. Just keep it from turning cold.”

 

“I won’t.”

 

Sugi shook Mugabo’s hand as they both then departed also from the group towards their ship. With these two bounty hunters haven been given a good impression by what they’ve seen.

 

Meanwhile, at the center of all this, it was Naruto who then was seen saying his goodbyes, being surrounded by his old cellmates/friends who were seeing him off.

 

“Stay safe, kid. I want to see you again after this is all over.” Ibrahim said chuckling to his younger friend. “Maybe I’ll see you and Sabine getting hitched.”

 

“Hey, come on I-”

 

“Don’t tease him, Ibrahim.” Yasser, the old man, said to the younger Libyan. “He’s still young, he can decide when he’ll make an honest woman out of the girl.”

 

“Thanks, old man-”

 

“But at least wait until you’re old enough to get married.” Yasser cut him off. “Because you’re too young to become a father already.”

 

Felt even more embarrassed, Naruto just rubbed the back of his head. As his ‘night’ with Sabine somehow got a bit of attraction. But luckily most just teased him for it.

 

“S-Sure-Ugh!” Naruto’s head got locked inside an hold. “Z-Zeb!”

 

“Don’t think you’ll be going without seeing me, kid.” Zeb chuckled as he ruffled a bit with Naruto’s hair. “Once we’re all off this planet, I’ll come and visit you, alright?”

 

“Good, that’s a promise.”

 

*GROWL!*

 

Then getting grabbed again, Naruto felt pressed against the chest of the fur of Chewbacca, who now was hugging Naruto. To which he could only do in return.

 

“I promise to see you soon too, Chewie,” Naruto smiled at the furball. “I don’t break my promise.”

 

In the back, the women were watching at the boys having themselves a moment. Hera, Sabine, Bellatrix and Idel were glad to see their morale wasn’t as low as it first was.

 

No words were spoken, as only glances were directed. With Idel’s own glances being seen directed at the leader of the whole thing, Tarik seen walking up to Naruto.

 

“Naruto.”

 

Turning around, the blonde faced. “Yes?”

 

“... Be safe out there, with the bounty hunter I mean.” The Arab man advised him as he extended his hand. “And good luck in finding out more about your family.”

 

Naruto smiled and shook the sicken-ridden, but strong and willing leader, with the respect that each one had given.

 

“Thank you, for everything.”

 

…

Then it happened.

 

The Slave I was seen departing the landing platform at the same time. As then it happened to be greeted by a small crowd of a dozen fighters giving their farewells.

 

It would be seen as one of the last ships leaving from the burning Yaruba Palace,  the flames that would be seen around the Galaxy.

Kessel Orbit

 

As the Slave I was making its way out of the planet. In the cockpit, Jango and his son Boba were  seen making the preparations to jump into Hyperspace. 

 

“Everything set, Boba?” Jango asked his son.

 

“Navigation computer is set and coordinates are accurate, dad.” The young Boba said pushing the final buttons. “Hyperdrive’s ready also. Waiting for you.”

 

Taking a moment to them to look around, the bounty hunter noticed that the area looked clear, with no ships in sight of any backup the palace had called in for.

 

“We’re going”

 

“Right.” Boba said hovering his finger over the final button. “To Elementia.”

 

“Wait, Jango.”

 

It then happened that the hijacked slave ship was flying over them, with the voice over the comms being the green Twi’lek Hera herself.

 

“Hera Syndulla. What is it?”

 

“Hun, there’s no need for the formalities, just call me Hera.” She warned him over the comms as she then proceeded. “I just wanted to say personally, thank you, for everything back there. It wouldn’t have been possible without you and your friends.’

 

“They’re not my friends, more like acquaintances in the business.” Jango cleared it. “Don’t mention it, they were just doing what they were paid for.”

 

“Even so, you have my gratitude, you, your son, and all the other bounty hunters. Even that guy Bane.”

 

A chuckle couldn’t help but be heard from under Jango’s helmet. “I’ll tell him that. Good luck with your little uprising.”

 

“Thank you, oh, and one thing.”

 

“Yes?” Jango asked. “What is it?”

 

“Tell the lovebirds to be careful.”

 

Jango made an unusual chuckle, even gaining a raised eyebrow from his son before he then responded.

 

“Will do. Good luck.” Jango then added. “And may the Force be with you.”

 

“And you.”

 

Hera’s ship then took off first into hyperspace, leaving then for Boba to do the same.

 

“Let’s go dad.”

 

Turning the switch, the Slave I then also left the orbit of Kessel, going into hyperspace and going towards its next destination.

 

Cargo haul 

 

Inside the cargo bay, things were silent for the moment, as it has been ever since the ship left the plant, even when  both Naruto and Sabine were currently hauled up in this area with time of their own.

 

What was Sabine doing? She was sitting on an empty freight box while observing what Naruto was doing: meditating.

 

Sitting in what assumed is how Jedi meditate, Naruto has his legs crossed, hands laid in the center and his eyes closed with a bowed head, having been in this position ever since the ship left the planet. 

 

For the Mandalorian young teenager, it was the first time seeing something like this, and it made an impression on her. Sabine dared not to say a word, thinking if she did so, she’d thought that it would break Naruto’s concentration.

 

“You two doing okay?”

 

Sabine’s head turned rightwards, seeing Jango coming to them, she held her guard up a bit, but also did not do anything to make herself look suspicious.

 

“... We’re doing fine.” Sabine responded, not even facing him as she went to grab from out of nowhere a rag and began cleaning her twin blasters. 

 

Jango could already guess what the young Wren was attempting to do, to which he could at least point out. She clearly was attempting to avoid any type of conversation with him, mainly due to their previous confrontation at the camp.

 

“Mind if I sit?” 

 

“This is your ship.” Sabine replied a bit harshly while focused on her guns. “Not like I got much of a choice…”

 

Jango sat on the crate next to her and then began to observe the meditating form of Naruto, seeing he looked like he wasn’t bothered by the noise.

 

“Look, Wren, let’s put aside the pettiness.” Jango began. “We need to talk.”

 

Sabine stopped for a moment with her rag, and she responded slowly, but hostile.

 

“About what?”

 

“You’re smart enough what I’m wanting to talk about.” Jango told her while turning his face towards the opposite side. “About him…”

 

Turning their sights to the meditating Naruto, the topic had finally started for the two Mandalorian warriors.

 

At first, the Wren girl wanted to just shut down this conversation at once. But for some reason, she just sighed and went along and allowed him.

 

“Let me guess….it's about Naruto’s clan, isn’t it?”

 

“You and I are currently sitting in the same room with a remnant of Mandalore’s infamous clans.” Jango wasted no time on it and went straight to the point. “This alone is what many warriors alone can picture through their imagination. Yet here we are sitting across of him like its nothing.”

 

“Yeah, I can get that.” Sabine admitted. Having even thought of the prospect of her own family finding out a descendant of the former House being alive. 

 

They’d be overwhelmed with reactions that they’d be sharing with all the Mandalorian people. The news of this gratitude would cause a shock wave across the galaxy

 

Jango turned his head towards the Wren girl. 

 

“Look, the kid seems to trust you, so that pretty much leaves me to think you’re reliable.”

 

“Well, I am. I’ve been with him ever since he’s been in the same spice mines like me.” Sabine mentioned nonchalantly. “We first didn’t start out good. I thought he was some bastard trying to feast of the name.”

 

“Understandable.” Jango responded. Honestly, he’d have the same response if he didn’t find out the crucial links between the boy and the place he grew up with. “But how did you two end to settle up your differences?”

 

This…is where things were getting a bit uncomfortable. As she then began to explain the story for a bit.

 

Naruto at the moment, was having a conversation of himself.

In the seal 

 

Opening his eyes up slowly, Naruto was in the same position as he was in the ship, as he now turned his eyes up and saw he was in front of the large sealed up gate that Kurama was stuck in from behind.

 

“Took you long enough.” Kurama stated, appearing from the shadows as he stepped closer to the closed cage as he lowered his head to his Jinchuuriki’s level. “Now what is it that you want to discuss? Because I don’t have all day, I’m taking a nap.

 

Naruto’s eyes raised in suspicion. “You do nothing else but taking a nap.”

 

“I’ve been up and watching the whole thing tonight. Seeing an slaver’s palace burn isn’t something I want to miss.” Kurama told him as he stretches his paws and body inside the cage like the fox he was. “It's been a while honestly, seeing palaces burn, slave armies getting some revenge. Boy, do I have stories for you to know.”

 

“Given you’ve lived for that long, it doesn’t surprise me.” Naruto admitted his belief to Kurama’s claims. “But I actually wanted to come here and discuss with you about something.”

 

“About what?”

 

“My powers - your power: Being a Jinchuuriki as a whole.” Naruto. “You told me once I was one of nine, and that they were across my home planet.”

 

Hearing this question, Kurama’s eyes opened up slightly more. As this was something he expected the kid to ask later when he was fully healed and safe.

 

“You also explained to me once that Chakra is basically a physical manifestation of the Force. That we are connected to it, yet have never developed it much or even tried to.”

 

“That I didn’t say. I said we, as the Tailed Beasts are connected to the Force, while it's the people of the Shinobi World who have Chakra which is a manifestation and less powerful version of it.” Kurama went on to correct Naruto’s assumptions. “But it is true that you are fully able to use the Force, mainly because of your mere but strong connected to the Uzumaki Clan, of which you aren’t the only one from your planet.”

 

“Hmmm? I’m not the only one…”

 

“You’re not the last Uzumaki to be alive, that’s what I’m saying. Kid.” Kurama confessed another revelation to the young Shinobi. “Believe it or not, but I know for a fact there are still a few walking around, with some I suspect being related to your mother, or being mere descendants themselves.”

 

“But why didn’t you tell me?” Naruto asked, understandably shocked by this news of family roaming around somewhere. “Why tell me now?”

 

“For one, you didn’t ask me, and number two is perhaps you had a bigger priority at the time like surviving that hellhole of a spice mine.” Kurama growled as he needed to remind the kid. “Besides, Its still a suspicion, so I cannot ratify if they are fully Uzumakis, or if they’re even alive now at this point. I once tried to sense some of them through the Force, and only a bare few were having that same energy like your mothers’...”

 

“And that was when?”

 

“Right before you got snatched up from your planet by your now rescuer friend named Jango.”

 

The time that happened was months ago, possible a half year or so. And with that time in the Shinobi World. The chances of finding them would be low, lower than previously thought.

 

Naruto sighs and scratches the back of his head before he then apologizes.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Kurama sighs as he responded. “No need to. It's understandable given the circumstances. We’ve only been able to talk about this right now. So it's only fair I at least will talk to you about the Jinchuuriki - but…”

 

When Kurama suddenly began to be silent, it caught Naruto’s curiosity.

 

“But what?”

 

“Well, I don’t know how this happened but once we have landed, I will explain. Now try and make sure for now your girlfriend doesn’t start a shootout with that Jango guy.”

 

Naruto questioned. “What? You expect them to go into a fight or something?”

 

“Given they’re Mandalorians, you and them aren’t that much different to one another.”

 

It took the blonde a moment to realize what the fox meant by with that, and he slightly frowned before responding.

 

“... I’ll take that as an complement.”

Meanwhile

Jango sat there in silence as Sabine just told him the whole story about what happened between Naruto and herself in the past few months.

 

“And that’s….how me and Naruto made amends…”

 

Once she finished, the Wren girl was glad to know she decided to put on her helmet, as she decided to leave out one particular moment that she genuinely hoped to not talk about.

 

The bounty hunter, was left (out of the lack of better terms) stunned by the fact the relationship the Uzumaki and Wren began went from that side of the spectrum of hating each other to that of having entered an mutual relationship that seem genuine.

 

And it got him to ask the question that had ended up in his mind the moment he figured out how far their relationship had gone to.

 

“Listen, I want you to answer the question I have.” Jango said, wanting confirmation. “I know its a private matter but it's important.”

 

“Uhm….okay…” Sabine hesitated and then followed. “What is it?...”

 

“Have you two become intimate?”

 

With even the most polite way to have asked that question, even Sabine knew what he exactly wanted to know. 

 

She sighed and responded. “Does it really matter?”

“Personally, I don’t care. You two are old enough to make your own decisions. Given the circumstances.” Jango started on that but then continued. “But the matter of fact is that this might cause unwanted attention to the two of you.”

 

“Like…”

 

“The fact your clan is with House Vizsla and you’re actively in a romantic relationship with a descendant of the Uzumakis.” Jango told her. “If this gets out, you’ll be in big trouble, let alone your family clan.”

 

A clear scoff then came out the Wren’s mouth as a reply, a clear statement for the Fett.

 

“Something wrong?”

 

“Sorry, as much I am a proud Mandalorian to the core, I don’t give much of a damn about politics.” Sabine stated with her arms crossed while looking down to the floor. “They’re just as the Republic, all care about status, territory and power….such a shame.”

 

Jango could clearly see by her body language that with what she said, might’ve caused her to be this.

 

“Ever since Duchess Satine came to power…I believe we’re forgetting who we are. Our culture and our history.” Sabine said as she expressed her own thoughts. “She’s so busy making this Pacifist dream of hers true around our home planet that even carrying a blaster is considered uncivilized. And don’t even get me started about Death Watch …”

 

Hearing Sabine say that name in spite, Jango could insinuate she wasn’t much happier about them neither.

 

“What about them?”

 

“They are worse, If I say.” Sabine held no words back. “Speaking about Mandalorian’s history in such an untrue way, and obviously skewered to House Vizsla’s way, that it made me turn my stomach…. I guess that’s why I decided to run away instead of joining them.”

 

Jango’s head was turned for a moment before that last point made him focus back, sparking his curiosity.

 

“Short story, me and another volunteer sneaked out one night and stole a ship.” Sabine said as she recounted. “We decided to do some bounty hunting to get some funds before a botched hunt occurred and…”

 

“You happened to end up here in Ölüm, correct?” Jango concluded as the story seem to fit but then asked. “What happened to the other volunteer?”

 

“I don’t know, perhaps she escaped or got killed. Maybe even a slave somewhere else.” Sabine suggested as she breathed out. “Anyway, that’s how I ended up there, in the woods, and now here…” 

 

She paused staring at the meditating Naruto who happened to be still in the position.

 

“And now, I’m only wondering one thing,” Sabine turned her head towards Jango. “Perhaps this thought had crossed your mind also.”

 

Jango asked. “And that is?”

 

“Do you think by any chance, the Force somehow was responsible for use to meet an actual descendant of Mandalore?” 

 

Jango, the man who was prepared for most scenarios he had gone through in his life, was thinking for the answer to this question.

 

“Honestly, I do not know how to answer that question.”

 

“Dad!” Boba’s voice was heard from the cockpit. “We’re nearly there, can you come?”

 

“I’m coming, son. Give me a minute.” Jango stood back up and turned to Sabine. “Want to come up?”

 

“Sure, why not.” Sabine said as she followed up and went along with the notorious bounty hunter. 

 

“We’re nearing Elementia.”

 

When Boba said that the two hurried up to climb up the stairs to reach the cockpit.

 

Elementia Orbit

 

Flying over the mostly green and blue planet of the Shinobi world, the Slave I was making flybys around the planet that was in rapid development.

 

As they now were flying over the side of where the night had already settled, the evidence could be seen of the uncountable amount of lights being visible from space, mainly from the mainland in and around the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

 

“Wow, they work fast.” Sabine noted at what she saw. “They already have started construction?” 

 

“Been like this for months.” Jango mentioned. Seen sitting in his pilot seat. “The Republic and the Separatists are putting money in these countries to win over favors. Building spaceports and infrastructure. In exchange for allegiance…. In case of the worst…”

 

“What do you mean?” Sabine asked, not have wanted to ask this, but had to.

 

Boba instead answered. “War maybe, espionage. Anything really.”

 

“Unfortunately, he’s right.”

 

The incoming voice was from Naruto, who entered the already crowded cockpit and just got out from his meditation. Seen still having the bandages on him without feeling the pain anymore.

 

“Good evening kid.” Jango said while focused on the ship’s steering. “Welcome back to your old home planet. Surely this is new for you to see.”

 

“Honestly, I’m not surprised after what I’ve seen this past year.” Naruto said watching the planet as he was slightly astonished. “... I however am surprised that they manage to do this so fast.”

 

“How so?”

 

Going back on memory lane, Naruto could only really bring up the old memory of back at the Land of Waves, how Tazuna the bridge builder and many others were struggling to keep the bridge up to connect to the mainland despite the pressure from Gato and his thugs.

 

Zabuza and Haku came to Naruto’s mind, those two who were the first Shinobi he came across and made an impact on him. A profound one.

 

“In this world, even the simplest of building like a bridge, could cost people’s lives.”

 

The vague answer alone made Jango and Boba wondering what he was talking about, while Sabine knew what he meant by.

 

Her hand went over to touch his bandaged one, and in response his own grabbed hers. With Sabine trying to comfort Naruto for his return.

 

A return back home an be quite scary, especially when you survived an ordeal like theirs.

Uzushiogakure

 

While the surrounding areas like the mainland and even the neighboring nations were being accompanied by the light, one part of the Elemental Nations was still left in the dark - and yet that was for the good.

 

Now seen walking down the path of debris that belonged to the old buildings of the former Shinobi Village, Naruto, Sabine, Boba and Jango were seen going through the area as the night luckily covered the ship that landed in a secluded area, hidden away.

 

As they walked, it was Jango who was leading them. While he knew the youngsters were staring at the many symbols and remnants of the buildings that were now leveled down decades ago.

 

Naruto himself was seen staring at the many symbols that were damaged but still imprinted on the walls. It fascinated him, of course. Yet it also was an depressing moment for him to realize.

 

Realize he might’ve had a extended family, but like his parents, they also perished without his knowledge. Knowledge that was kept away from him.

 

‘All of it was here while I carry that name around…’

 

“Hey, you alright?” Sabine asked. Being a little concerned by the look on his face. “Naruto?”

 

Turning back to her, Naruto gave his humble but honest smile to her.

 

“Just….taking it all in, that’s all.

 

“You really never knew your family?” Boba asked Naruto, curious. “How come?”

 

“I don’t know, honestly.” Naruto responded to the young Boba, while ruffling his hair. “But I can know now. Thanks to you and your old man.”

 

Boba was trying to escape the grasp of Naruto while Sabine was trying to withhold the giggle in her mouth, watching as if an older brother was teasing the younger one.

 

All while Jango couldn’t help but grow a smile on his own, one of a few.

 

…

 

“We’re here.”

 

Standing in front of the massive wall, with ancient writings and carvings on them and the large spiral whirlpool in the middle. It was the same wall that Jango had come across not that long ago. Only it was closed again, and even that wasn’t going to the last thing that will overwhelm these kids.

 

“Wow….” Sabine uttered at the sight. The carvings were almost like that of her Family household but older and different. “Unbelievable.” 

 

“Yes, I had that same impression. Quite fascinating.” Jango stated as he could understand the Wren girl. “Looks like the door is closed, figures.”

 

“Door, what door?” Boba was confused and looked around. “Dad, what are you talking about?”

 

“Uhm, yeah Jango, I see no door.” Sabine agreed with the kid. 

 

“Simple, there’s a door that’s only opened in one way…” Jango turned around. “Naruto.”

 

“Hmm?” Naruto reacted and asked. “What is it?”

 

“You wearing that crystal necklace still?”

 

Naruto was confused but then decided to pull it out, the necklace Granny Tsunade gave him, was luckily still intact and not stolen. With sheer luck as he kept it with him during the whole tormenting year.

 

“Go to that spiral Whirlpool over there.” Jango pointed out to it. “And you know wha

 

“Huh? Hold on.” Sabine stopped. “What-”

 

“Sabine, let him.” Jango interrupted her. “Let him…this is important.”

 

Naruto became silent as he approached the large, dark-colored spiral and saw the surrounding texts were in both his native language and that of Mandalorian that were carved in, and that alone gave away this might be an old site.

 

And as he pulled the crystal to head level, he spotted the small hole in the middle of the spiral, it pretty much gave away what he needed to do.

 

Yet his arms laid frozen like if he paralyzed by Shikamaru’s Shadow Possession technique, his body seemed to be having a mind of his own, but controlled by fear.

 

But his fear then went away, and his hand then pushed the crystal into the hole. 

 

A bright light then erupted across the room as the wall began to glow bright blue that nearly blinded everyone.

 

“Ah, my eyes!” Boba yelled covering them.

 

“What the kriff!” Sabine said covering her vizors. “My vizors!”

 

“Yeah, they don’t work at first, they’re bright alright.” Jango told her whole having held his hand over his own. 

 

Naruto however was just standing there and watched directly into the light, before it started to expand.

 

Like water streams being filled, they were slowly filling the room in a patron of light. All coming from the center of the whirlpool, before quickly spreading to the rest of the wall.

 

Then the light had covered all of the bodies, with Sabine and Boba noticing Jango being covered by it.

 

“Dad?”

 

“Oh, it is nothing.” Jango pulled out his own crystal as it was glowing. “It's the crystal’s power I believe.”

 

They all then turned to face Naruto, who wasn’t moving at all, but wasn’t showing any emotions either. 

 

And then-

 

“Look!” Boba pointed out. “Its opening.

 

Slowly the stone glowing spiral drawing began to open unravel, the hole in the middle growing bigger, opening up in the direction of the spiral itself as it turned into a hole that was large enough for it to be an open tunnel to walk into.

 

The moment the whirlpool stopped expanding, the giant hole was complete as the glowing stopped. 

 

“A door.” Sabine said. Utterly surprised by even her own words. “What is it?”

 

“These are the ancient ways of the Uzumakis…unheard and secrets that only a few now know of.”

 

Naruto said nothing as he walked up to the hole and started to walk through it without hesitation. Not hearing what the others were saying behind him, he was focused on wanting to know what was on the other end of this tunnel.

 

Because those lights, bright as the stars in the skies, might reveal old secrets in a new world. And after the entrance again was closed right behind the group, with the others following up behind, Naruto decided to go through what he needed to know.

 

Discover those Old Truths.

Chapter 16: Earth - a Human world

Alright, it having been a long time - plus the releasings of new Star Wars content coming soon. Here is the new chapter.

 

But first, me and Lucius Walker gotta thank the following people for their contribution:

 

UnitedOsprey1991

 

Bigtrunk

 

PLPanda

 

Kurogane7

 

Crnlonewolf3195

Timeskip

 

23BBY

 

One year. That’s how long it took for a story that nobody had even thought was possible to spread across numerous civilizations, burning a single phrase into the minds of everyone who heard it:

 

The Ölüm Rebellion

 

Ölüm was the infamous spice mine on Kessel—an ugly place on an ugly planet with an uglier reputation. Small uprisings weren’t new when it came to any nests of slavery, so interest in the event quickly subsided. But that interest renewed when more details were unveiled. 

 

Not only was it revealed that this slave uprising held numerous casualties for the slaves themselves, but the Yaruba Palace and the many rich patrons themselves were slaughtered mercilessly - a large blow to the spice trade. 

 

But that story didn’t end there. Not only did most of the survivors flee (before the Republic came to the rescue), but those who volunteered to stay behind managed, but they managed to return to the forests of Kessel after burning down the palace. They would continue their war against their former masters, holding out against them in guerilla warfare across the tropical half of the slave labor planet. 

Thus, this event was soon known as “The Partisan War”, where the Kessel Security forces alongside the Zygerrian slavers with the support of the Pyke Syndicate, fought against the remaining slaves that dubbed themselves the “Ölüm Partisans”.

 

Even though this war only lasted a mere three months, it resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of combatants in this short war, blisters of forest fires scarring the green surfaces of the planet. 

 

Even now the story of the Partisan War was being read, spoken or even researched all across the galaxy, as it now the curiosity had even entered the minds of some young people.

 

“Unbelievable.”

 

One of those young people was sitting in her office. She was the young and fairly inexperienced legislator from the Republic, a young blue skinned girl with golden eyes and purple hair. And yet, Riyo Chuchi was able to hold herself together as she gave her report. “And all that happened just in the span of three whole months.” 

 

Reading the whole article that was written by a Terran journalist covering the story in such detail that it was now universally spread to Coruscant. Doubly so now that pictures were taken there that showed the full scale of this war that had taken place.

 

“Senator Chuchi.”

 

Startled a bit, the young Pantoran’s focus turned from the holographic report to the open door where she was met with a visitor. Astonished eyes widened when she saw that her visitor was the former Queen of Naboo and its current senator herself Padmé Amidala, seen in her purple traditional robes and her hair in her usual style that kept her hair high and regal with metallic bands that kept it like that.

 

“Senator Amidala.” The young Pantoran stood up from her seat and bowed her head. “My apologies, I-”

 

“Please, spare the formalities.” Padmé politely asked kindly, “I came here to see how you’re doing. I trust you’re adjusting well?”

 

It was true that young Riyo had just been appointed as Pantora’s newest Senator just a few weeks ago after her predecessor, whom she worked closely with, was beaten by her in a snap election, barely having time to prepare herself for the job of representing her people. Something that was unusual for someone her age, but she was up and willing to fulfill her duties.

 

Perhaps that’s why Padmé decided to try and tutor the young girl through the whole life of being a senator. Sure she herself wasn’t as experienced as her previous mentors, but she was a former monarch and could perhaps lend a hand to the young and good-willed lady. 

 

She just hoped that the young Pantoran, much like her family, could handle the tasks of being a senator. Senators with strong wills like hers would be needed in times of hardship, such as the seemingly unending conflict that was the Separatist Crisis.

 

Riyo sighed as she replied. “Honestly, I wished that I came here at a less pressing moment.”

 

“You mean with the Republic and the Confederacy?” Padmé asked. Her answer was a negative nod.

 

“No, not that.” Riyo cleared her reason. “I mean the tensions between the Zygerrians and Terrans.”

 

That mentioning itself caused a heavy sigh to escape out of Padme’s mouth, as she quickly understood what she was talking about. 

 

The sound of the door opening up again caused the two females to turn around and see that the person seen walking in was none other than their friendly colleague and native from Alderaan, Bail Organa. 

 

“Senator Organa?”

 

“My apologies, Senator Amidala, but a special session has been called in by the Chancellor,” Organa urged the two female politicians, “All senators have been called to attend in the next hour.

 

“Why?” Chuchi asked right away. “What happened?”

 

Organa quickly glanced over to Padmé and gave him the confirmation.

 

The confirmation she did not want. As she sighed and nodded.

 

“Let’s go.” 

Jedi Temple

 

As time went by, so did the usual business of the Jedi in their homes, as they all tried to set their minds up in the usual activities that they were doing day-by-day. Wanting to seemingly isolate themselves from the numerous crises that were plaguing the Galaxy. 

 

But that willful ignorance wasn’t going to work for the members of the Jedi Council—every member now present in their seats had just been called in for an emergency meeting by both Master Windu and Grand Master Yoda. 

 

Yet they were also given the presence of both the Padawan Anakin Skywalker and his master Obi Wan Kenobi. 

 

“Good to see, everybody in here is,” Yoda announced, as he took his seat in the council, “Discuss important revelations we must.”

 

“Sounds pretty urgent if you ask me,” Ki Adi Mundi commented, “What’s it about, if I may ask?”

 

Windu went on to say. “We’ve recently managed to talk with the Senator from Konoha Jiraiya-”

 

Then a collective sound of groans could be heard. Surprisingly amongst the normally patient and calm Jedi Council members, but most of the grievances were from the female members who were way too familiar with the Senator’s ‘reputation.’

 

Windu sighed and rubbed his eyes, as he himself knew the mere mention of that name could raise some eyebrows and frowns as he had made himself already known to many of the Jedi Knights and Masters who got to meet him - often with mixed results. But it was Luminara who broke the tension.

 

“What has the senator from Konoha informed you about, Master Windu?” The green skinned Jedi furthered with a clear remark. “And I hope it has nothing to do with his recent publications.”

 

Shaak Ti closed her eyes. “Agreed.”

 

Anakin craned in to whisper to his master. “She’s talking about the senator’s romance novels, isn’t she?”

 

“She is,” Obi Wan confirmed but then hushed his padawan, “Now stay quiet.”

 

“Jiraiya’s perverted books, discuss them, we will not.” Yoda stated, earning a few sighs of relief from the gathering, “Information being given, of recent discovery.”

 

“A discovery of what precisely?” The Iktotchi Jedi Master Saesee Tiin asked skeptically. 

 

“The Ölüm Partisans,” Windu replied in a short answer. “We’ve just confirmed the identity and location of its leader.”

 

The mention of that group alone got all the Jedi in the room to raise their heads up and pay close attention. As it had been months of little to no updates on this group’s disappearance from Kessel.

 

Windu specifically even glanced over to some of those Jedi Masters who were personally involved into the search of this group, like Shaak Ti and Plo Koon and even Obi-Wan and his padawan Skywalker, who everyone knew had a particular interest for his own reasons.

 

“Before you all ask, I have to note that the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki was not amongst the identified members of this group, so the search for him is still ongoing.”  

 

“So what has Master Jiraiya discovered?” Plo Koon asked, “Surely it could be a lead to the young Naruto.”

 

“Fighting, they are.” Everybody turned back to Master Yoda who was speaking.

 

“Two commanders spotted, on Earth they are.” Yoda continued. “Formidable both are.” He turned towards the two standing Jedi. “Master Kenobi and Skywalker to be sent there, approach the commanders.”

 

The two Jedi understood what their role was going to be in here, as they’d been sent to multiple missions across the Galaxy for a variety of reasons. Some were diplomatic in nature, though they were more frequently sent for the search of these Ölüm Partisans as of late. As it has been the Jedi’s priority to try and locate Naruto Uzumaki, who has been confirmed to be alive and being amongst the initial members of this group. Many of these searches came out empty-handed as they kept themselves on the move.

 

But now, with Jiraiya’s confirmation, it meant another lead. 

 

“To Earth, you must.” Yoda cleared. “Talk with these two, you will.”

 

“We will do, Master.” Obi Wan responded and asked, “But where on Earth are they specifically?”

Earth 

The sun stood tall above all with clouds lightly grazing beneath its mighty gaze. A beautiful summer day within the region of the Caucasus.  

 

War, famine, plague this region was no stranger to such hardships. In particular Urzikstan the “Arab jewel within the Caucasus.” A nation built upon harsh wars and religious discourse, laid on the brinks of the Black Sea.  They’d been invaded by the vicious Turks in the south and the barbaric Russians from the north, their imperial agenda simply too powerful to overcome. 

 

From the Ottomans, to the Czars, to the Bolsheviks, to the Nazis, and finally the Russians again. This country had seen many wars - but it also had seen the will to fight back, resist and defy those that encroached upon their lands without ill intent, even willing to pay the ultimate price. 

 

And here yet again another war was being fought, a civil war, yet nothing was civil about it. As this conflict had multiple belligerent factions, with the Russians and the Western powers having a military presence in the region, and insurgent groups like the Urzikstan Liberation Force and Al-Qatala having kept their presence clear across the war-torn country.

 

Last year had exacted a terrifying toll on the Urzik people, a number of large-scale chemical attacks along with the siege on the US embassy. Not to mention the sheer brutality of retaliatory air strikes from the local Russian forces ignited by the loss of their foothold within the airport.

 

They could never have been more wrong. An agreement, a single piece of paper had allowed both Russian and US forces to withdraw, leaving the struggling security forces to deal with insurgents and militias

 

That in itself had become dangerous. The security forces could not hold their own, the government collapsing within weeks of the withdrawal, the foreign muscle which had kept its rotten heart beating giving out. Now only 2 controlled the misbegotten country, the extraordinarily fanatic and horrible Al-Qatala and the undermanned yet hopeful ULF.

 

And when the first news reports hit the airwaves about members of Al-Qatala being spotted in the suburbs of the capital, the chaos that ensued burned the land.

 

*Gunfire!*

 

Gunfire broke the morning peace, sending civilians - entire families running for cover, any luggage or items they could carry strapped to their backs as they rushed toward the airport

 

Cars were abandoned Haphazardly in the streets as men, women and children made a mad dash for safety as entire families left homes they’d lived in for years. Shopkeepers left their stalls and shops, leaving businesses that had known many customers lifeless. Of those who were left behind, some simply couldn’t, while those who refused to flee chose to die rather than become another refugee. They watched with cold uncertain eyes as their countrymen ran.

 

There was another watching, one who seemed alien to the struggle and strife seen within the people. She was not a native, not of the country nor planet—an infamous zabrak bounty hunter known only as Sugi watched as a large concentration of people neared the Al-Raab airfield. The uniformed men within the airport desperately tried to hold the growing crowd back even as they were woefully outnumbered.

 

*BANG!*

 

Her head snapped toward the large hills which surrounded the besieged city, on which an old military installation had been attacked and blown apart, reduced to ashes, with the smoke smoldering over the sky and being visible over the half-destroyed city.

 

“They’re mopping the whole area up! They’re only five miles away from the city!”

 

Sugi turned her head around again to see who it was and responded. “Ah, it's you. Name’s… Tayuya, correct?”

 

Tayuya was now quite different having changed from the years of fighting. Her once long ponytail had been cut short and the sandals she once wore had been replaced with heavy-duty combat boots. Although her love of guns hadn’t changed, the Kalashnikov which she had prized so much remained slung to her chest, the weapon which had saved her many times in Ölüm now had some words etched into its firm wooden stock. The radio which was attached to her chest seemed to buzz every so often.

 

“That’s me.” Tayuya said as she shook her head. “You were the bounty hunter that helped out at the palace, right?”

 

“Yeah, on Kessel.” Sugi remembered. “You were leading your own group - took out a lot of guards.”

 

“Yeah, a lot of people died that day.” Tayuya reminisced, with that look in her eyes as she talked to the bounty hunter. “A lot of good ones, but a lot of the bad ones too…”

 

Sugi could feel the unease in this girl, but she couldn’t blame her. Her actions against slavers were well-known with the group she’s attached to.

 

“Red leader, Red leader. This is Red 6 speaking, over.”

 

Coming from the radio on Tayuya’s shoulder, the redhead went on to respond back. “Yes, Red 6, Red Leader here. What is it?” She replied. “Any updates?”

 

“Just got word from Green leader - AQ is breaking off their attacks on the city, our main force is on the way towards the capital.”

 

“Already?” Tayuya asked, surprised at how sudden the news was, “We haven’t even got the time to secure the city, damn it!”

 

“Commander’s orders - gotta move.”

 

* VROOOM !*

 

Jumping aside, Tayuya and Sugi were watching what passed by.

 

A couple of motorcycles driving by, coming out of an empty small passage, with mainly those old ones that looked decades old and a few technical pickup trucks with machine guns, with some even armed with blaster cannons. 

 

Seeing where they were going, Tayuya took it as her cue to leave. 

 

“Looks like my boys, time to get back to work.” She turned to the bounty hunter. “You coming?”

 

Sugi shrugged as she answered. “Sure, you guys are paying me.” 

 

They both started walking through the streets as a few Black Hawks were seen making circles across the area. They hovered in the air, making rounds across the city as they spotted multiple trucks and vehicles going towards the Al-Raab airport; making these pilots nervous as they briefed this back to the guys on the ground.

 

Not knowing what was about to happen.

 

…

 

Inside Al-Raab airfield, the former Russian occupied military post that only a year ago was attacked and neutralized in a attack by the ULF, was now used by the US forces as an evacuation zone with the support of the Marine Corps - with specifically the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company being present at the site.

 

With support of the Air Force, they managed to have a no-fly zone across the capital city, as now the fighting across the country intensified to such new levels that weren’t seen since the days the Americans had set foot on this soil.

 

And because of that intensity in places like Rammaza were now fully silent when local US-trained Urzik forces had gone silent when Al-Qatala had started its offensive. Meaning the city most likely had fallen.

 

The city that Sgt Griggs had fought in - a seasoned Marine who fought in the country for decades. The African American was busy staring at the black smoke coming out of the city, seeing all that work going up in flames. Holding onto his M4A1 assault rifle, he clenched onto it as he watched.

 

Twenty years, all gone in a short period of time.

 

“Griggs.”

 

Turning around, the sergeant saw he was getting approached by his superior officers  - Colonel Norris and the CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell. Both were now in charge of ground operations of evacuating all US personnel out of Urzikstan with anybody else that had managed to enter the airfield.

 

He saluted them and addressed his commanding officer. “Sir.”

 

“At ease, sergeant.” The Colonel told him. “Status report. Got any?”

 

“No sir. Not at the moment.” 

 

“FALL BACK!”

 

The three Marines turned to the voice and saw multiple Marines who were trying to keep the already crowded area behind the fence at bay, as arms and hands were extended out as civilians were begging in their native language or even in broken English to be allowed inside, some holding passports or documents of various degrees that they brought along with them.

 

Amongst them were children rushing their position, many of whom were crying in the arms of their loved ones while also begging - a heartbreaking sight for the American troops who had held their guns ready.

 

“Tell them to stand back and be patient, man.” 

 

“I’m trying, bro. But they’re desperate.” One Marine said. “They don’t want to listen.”

 

“Well tell them to take a few steps back!”

 

The squad of Marines were soon joined by others as they managed to get the situation at this gate to some sort of control, allowing then the CIA station chief to mention.

 

“Hopefully your men can handle this, Griggs. Because there’s more to come.” Laswell warned without much filter before asking. “How many planes have already left, Colonel?”

 

“By now, I believe around twenty C-17’s have left in the past week since the withdrawal started at full capacity.”

 

Griggs whistled at that. “Jesus, how many?”

 

“The amount of civilians who managed to hop in? I’d say around ten thousand if I’m being honest,” Colonel Norris answered, evidently unhappy with those numbers, “I mean, those aren’t the same numbers as Kabul but…”

 

“Please, don’t…” Laswell interrupted, “With the situation going on now, I fear we might be in a similar situation, but this time without any allies.”

 

“Yeah, no allies,” Griggs scoffed at that, even eye rolling as he mentioned. “Not like we had those…”

 

Norris however didn’t like that and warned him. “Don’t start Sergeant.”

 

“I’m just saying, sir. We had a good ally - that was reliable with intel and combat experience and some trust from the local population,” Griggs argued, trying his best to stay calm, “But we screwed up when we put Karim and her ULF on the list, and look where we’re at now.”

 

Before the colonel could make a remark on that, Laswell stood in between to try and ease the tension. Even though Griggs was an experienced field soldier, he didn’t agree with command’s decisions that caused this mess.

 

Yet, before even she could say something-

 

Screaming started as chaos erupted again in the crowd, but this time they all started to run for the sidewalks as the forward Marine spotted the reason:

 

Coming up to the closed gate at a slow pace, an T-72 tank was seen driving towards the entrance with the cannon aimed up high.

 

“Tank incoming!”

 

Going in formation - the Marines quickly took their positions with those with M136 AT4 launcher readied and aimed for the incoming tank.

 

“Permission to open fire, sir!”

 

Laswell then happened to then spot something and shouted. “Hold it!”

 

Norris turned to her. “What are you doing?”

 

“Look!” She pointed. “At the front of the tank!”

 

On the old Soviet-era tank was something written, and it was with white paint, and read:

 

ULF

 

“The ULF, Farah’s militia?” Laswell was surprised by their appearance. “What are they doing here?”

 

“More importantly, how the hell did this tank get so close to the airport? I got men in the sky!” The Marine Colonel demanded as he grabbed his comms to try to get some answers.

 

Sgt Griggs, however, decided to move up closer as he walked past his men who were still aiming for the tank, even when some nervous glances were being given to him. He then happened to hear some talk going on through his open radio, as confusion was sounding clear.

 

‘All units be advised, multiple unidentified groups of armed combatants are seen reaching the Al-Raab Airport.’

 

‘This is Colonel Norris, inform me, pilot. Are there any other incidents you’re witnessing?’

 

‘Negative sir, no hostilities are being seen from my angle, on the contrary - I see cheers going on in multiple streets.’

 

‘Cheering? For AQ?’

 

‘No sir - these vehicles display green colors - suspected ULF forces entering the city with minimal resistance.’

 

This, however, confused the Marines even more, as intel earlier yesterday had entailed Al-Qatala was expected to be entering the city.”

 

“What’s going on here? Is our intel off or something?”

 

“Nah, something must’ve happened - AQ was on the move and now Karim’s people are strolling in here like nothing?”

 

“Maybe they beat those fanatic motherfuckers.”

 

“That can’t be, they’re outnumbered by AQ seven to one. No way they managed to break those odds-”

 

“Well we did, and we sent those fruitcakes running, how ‘bout that?”

 

A voice interrupting the Marines’ conversation turned out to be coming from behind the tank, as it was Tayuya who walked up to the fence gate with her rifle slung around her back as she was unfazed by the armed men pointing guns at her.

 

“Stop right there!” One of the younger Marines ordered. “Stop or I’ll shoot!”

 

“Oh please, as if I am scared of you, shithead.” Tayuya cussed him out as she asked. “Who’s in charge here?”

 

“That’d be me,” Griggs replied, stepping up, “These are my men. Sergeant Marcus Griggs, United States Marine Corps, 1st Force Reconnaissance Company.”

 

Tayuya inspected the black soldier and then nodded before turning to find more backup was arriving. Among them was a pickup truck filled with ULF soldiers and a couple of Tayuya’s Partisans, all of them armed with various types of firearms ranging from slug throwers to blasters.

 

“I’ll tell you who I am later.” Tayuya told Griggs as she stood aside. “I’m taking you to meet my bosses.”

 

“Your bosses?” Griggs asked, spotting two people walking up front.

 

The first one to come out was Farah Karim, the female leader of the ULF, but the second was equipped with tactical gear, Marine boots, traditional keffiyeh scarf across his neck and with a beard. Having been missing for a few years, he was presumed dead at this point, yet this American was alive and well in front of the Marine Corps he joined up with at a young age.

 

“It’s been a long time since you saw your comrades,” Farah said to her cousin, “You sure you can handle it, cousin?” 

 

“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” Tarik said, coughing lightly, “I just hope they’ll still recognize me.”

 

“Well time for the moment of truth,” she replied, tapping his shoulder. “Good luck.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Tarik came face to face with his fellow Marine and old acquaintance who was shocked by his appearance.

 

“Hey Griggs.”

 

“Tarik…. You’re alive?” Griggs asked beyond disbelief. “B-but you’re supposed to be-”

 

“Dead? Yeah, I get that a lot.” He smiled at him. “Mind if I come in and talk to your superiors?”

 

“About what?” Griggs asked.

 

*CLAP!*

 

With the T-72 Tank hatch opened up violently, revealing its commander to be Chewbacca himself, angrily roaring as it was clearly heard from him.

 

“The fuck is that?” One of the Marines asked in shock. “Looks like a Bigfoot.”

 

Chewbacca roared as he slammed his fist against the tank, obviously not liking this vehicle.

 

“I told you not to get inside that tank, Chewie.” Tayuya told him off. “Why did you get into that bucket?”

 

Roaring back against Tayuya, the atmosphere was slightly less hostile as Farah approached the gate and stood alongside Tarik as she greeted the black Marine.

 

“Griggs.”

 

“Farah, been a while,” Griggs said as he noticed. “You two know each other?” 

 

“Cousin from my father’s side,” Farah answered, “Mind if we come in? We need to talk.”

 

Laswell was seen then walking up and spotted Farah and Tarik, and asked again the question that Griggs did.

 

“About what, precisely?”

 

“Peace, of course.” Tarik answered. “This damn war has been going on for too long.” 

Coruscant - Senate building

In the Grand Convocation Chamber, the heart of the Grand Republic’s democracy, a special session was about to take place with most of its senators present, filling in their pods.

 

Coming in as one of the last, Padmé and Riyo arrived at the pod of Senator Bail Organa, who happened to have, through pure luck and coincidence, open space in his pod

 

“Senator Organa.”

 

The senator from Alderaan turned around. “Senator Amidala, what is it? The session’s about to start.”

 

“That’s just it, we can’t find any open ones with enough space,” Padmé explained, “Can we join you?”

 

“Sure, get in,” Bail offered, gesturing them in as he turned back around, “Chancellor Palpatine is about to begin.”

 

The two female senators moved quickly towards the pod as the session was just about to begin. 

 

The chime of the Assembly Bell filled the room as Senators and Delegates quickly moved to take their places. Murmurs filled the atmosphere as the senate wondered why they were being called to assembly outside the normal scheduled time. As Mas Amedda stood tall, the murmurs died down and the attention was drawn to the Chancellor's podium.

 

"This Special Session of the Galactic Senate shall now come to order. Chancellor Palpatine will now speak."

 

The former senator of Naboo and Amidala’s former mentor stood and addressed the assembly.

 

“Senators, I’ve called upon this session over the recent events taking place on the planet Earth in the Terran sector; a development connected to the growing Ölüm organization.”

 

The first reactions of murmurs and shouting could be heard on all levels of the senate, until one floating pod could be seen moving to the center. Palpatine went on, unperturbed. “The Senator from the Land of Fire, from Elementia of the Terran sector, will now take the floor to explain the situation.”

 

The Elementian delegation's pod had slowly lifted off and placidly shifted over to the center of the Senate's conference hall. All eyes locked on the large, white-haired figure standing in the middle as he tapped on his pad, compiling his notes. He gave a grim nod to himself before raising his head to meet the Senate's scrutinizing gaze.

 

A veteran of many wars, Jiraiya was many things; a novelist, a gentleman, an unrepentant pervert, and a firm believer in peace and unity through mutual understanding.

 

He was also a monster with few equals hailing from a planet where many people died young. He'd earned himself a great many enemies during his time as a soldier, not many of which had survived his wrath, and thankfully a great many allies as well. A spymaster with great reach and influence, he'd already made himself painfully aware that this Senate was filled with rich nepotistic fools who refused to step out of their carefully cultivated bubbles..

 

Truly, they were the greatest reflection of the Republic's health.

 

"Thank you, Chancellor Palpatine, for giving me this chance to speak," he bega, his deep voice booming throughout the halls, "As of five minutes ago, I have been informed by members of the Earth delegation that the Zygerrian Empire has sent an Ultimatum to the Earth's United Nations Council."

 

He tapped the pad and a holoprojector sprang to life, playing the recorded message. Atai Molec's visage sprang to life, his voice slightly distorted through the projector's QEC, but unmistakably his.

 

“Earthlings.

 

This is Atai Molec speaking as right hand, Prime Minister and Chief Advisor of her radiant majesty Queen Miraj Scintel, long may she reign.

 

Our information networks have received word that your people are harboring members of the Ölüm group amongst you. 

 

As you may know, Ölüm are a group of fanatical, dangerous and deadly individuals to the Zygerrian throne and therefore also a threat to our Queen. They have formed an organization that is responsible for Bombings within Zygerrian borders, leading to the loss of the lives of their betters. Escaping, Resisting and undermining the Zygerrians authorities who have every right to arrest them.

 

As of today, our Queen has given me permission to bring you an ultimatum. You will hand over the escaped criminals, and bring us the heads of Tarik ‘Imam’ Karim, and Tayuya the Red, or our military fleet will begin bombarding you. 

 

You will comply, or war will be the last option available.”

 

Once the recorded message ended, Jiraiya continued to then stare out with a clear glare to the whole of the senate.  But more directly to the small diplomatic mission that included the Zygerrian Ambassador that was sitting by themselves, having been on Coruscant for a few days to talk about the rising tensions. Even when Zygerria wasn’t a member of the Republic. "I would like to remind the Zygerrian delegation that Earth is one of Elementia's staunchest allies, and that we will not be taking these threats lightly."

 

Jiraiya looked the Zygerrian Ambassador dead in the eyes as he continued. "For centuries we've let the Zygerrians do as they pleased and only a scant few centuries ago did the Jedi put a full stop to their slaving operations. This very message is solid proof that they have not learned their lessons and would return to their barbaric ways the moment they smell any weakness."

 

Once more, Jiraiya tapped his pad and a wall of text sprang to life on the projectors of every senator present. "It is with deep regrets that I must propose a complete and utter ban on the Zygerrian Empire's trade. Let us quarantine their planet and patrol any and all hyperspace lane leading to their system until they can prove to us that they can do better. That they can be. Better."

 

“Objection!”

 

The first resistance came from the senator from the Trade Federation, Lott Dod, a Neimoidian male who was known to be a major obstacle in Republic’ legislation. A type of politician he’d recognize from his younger days - the type he was often tasked to protect or assassinate. And Dod is a preferable candidate for the latter, he thought to himself.

 

“Senator Dod of the Trade Federation,” Chancellor Palpatine addressed, “I understand you have a complaint with Senator Jiraiya’s proposal. Please enlighten us.”

 

The Neimoidian senator spared no words. “This is an outrage! The senator from Elementia wants us to mingle in the affairs of two non aligned planets? Especially when it involves terrorists who are known to have committed heinous crimes against the Zygerrian Monarchy?”

 

The protesting voice of the Trade Federation was joined by thousands of other voices in protests - mainly those close to Dod or other entities who were financially connected to the Federation.

 

This however did not deter Jiraiya who chose this moment to retort. "Isn't that a bit rich coming from the people who have been selling equipment to the Zygerrian monarchy? What was it again?” 

 

Jiraiya dramatically made a pondering motion as he tapped away on his pad. “Ah yes, seven hundred units of calming agents, hundreds of thousands of shock collars, sonic emitter rifles, shock staffs, tanks and even several units of war-droids." His dramatics faded away as he stared the Neimoidian senator down. “And let us not forget the stunt you pulled at Naboo a couple of years ago, so are you really in the position to start slinging accusations of heinous war crimes? Deactivate and scrap your battle droids and we might start taking your accusations seriously.”

 

The senate chamber exploded into a cacophony of yelling, hollering and roaring as various allies and enemies to the Trade Federation began accusing and defending each other. Mas Amedda slammed a button on his chair and a loud buzzing sound erupted over the crowd. 

 

"Order! I demand Order!" He roared, "Are we beasts or are we civilized beings!?"

 

As if chastised by an angry parent, silence reigned over the hall, before Chancellor Palpatine stood up. "Thank you, Councilor Amedda. Now, I understand that these are serious accusations Senator Jiraiya and I-."

 

The light on the pod to the Ishi Tib delegation sprang to light before he could finish. "Yes, Senator Saam? You may speak if you have any objections, but do try to keep things civil."

 

The Ishi Tib pod slowly hovered to the center of the hall, coming to a stop next to the Elementian and Neimoidian pod. "The Elementian Senator is basing his accusations on ancient records. These purchases were made with the Techno Union and Trade Federation long before the Zygerrian slave network was shut down by the Jedi council, and should not be used to accuse either our Neimoidian allies, or the Zygerrian monarchy."

 

Jiraiya frowned at their attempt to dogpile him. Classic strategy really. His frown became downright predatory when he pulled a slip of paper out from his robes and handed them to Chancellor Palpatine, who accepted it with raised eyebrows, putting the slip into his scanner and a small stream of data sprang to life on the holoprojector.

 

"Pardon me, Senator Saam, but to me, it seems like these irregular trades and purchases have been taking place over the last three months, not three centuries ago. Please note the dates underneath each purchase," he uncrossed his arms and pointed at a few particular patches of data, "Several of these weapons, and shock-baton models are only a decade or so old, not to mention highly restricted by the Republic. So coupled with the threats made to our allies, and the Trade Federation's backing, not to mention worrying behavior since the last few months, please do explain to me how this is not a sign of the Zygerrians planning a war of aggression."

 

This information however made the entirety of the Senate to be surprised by shock when the content of the document handed over to Chancellor Palpatine was made universal by the holoprojector.

 

By Bail Organa’s pod, the reactions of the three senators themselves were filled with shock, but to various degrees.

 

But it was Padmé who was shaking her head at these numbers, and the amount of tanks - the same ones that occupied Naboo a decade earlier, was bringing back old memories to her.

 

“Senator Organa, I-”

 

“Of course you will,” Bail said, knowing what she wanted to do, he pressed the button.

 

The pod started to float into the air as it started flying slowly up to the middle as it was prepared to make its statement in an attempt to prevent war as it was being recorded live across the Galaxy through recording droids.

Meanwhile

 

Kamino

 

The feed was being transmitted even to the outer rim planets where people were watching the special session taking place on massive holoprojectors that were being witnessed by species of all kinds.

 

Including a very young Boba Fett, sitting in a chair at home in the clone facility of Tipoca City, as his father was sitting next to him at the table, absentmindedly cleaning a piece of his jetpack's exhaust port while he was going through the last training results that the Kaminoans sent about the clones.

 

Jango happened to look at the holoprojector, seeing it was tuned to the special senatorial session on Coruscant, and spotted that Boba was watching the proceedings with a focus not often seen by children his age.

 

“What’re you watching, Boba?” Jango asked his son, not taking his eyes off the reports, “You don’t normally watch the Holonet news.”

 

“It's about Earth, dad,” Boba said excitedly as he closely kept watching. “They’re saying that war is coming to Earth.” 

 

“Earth, huh? That’s nothing new, Boba.” Jango grunted, putting away the exhaust piece and starting the cleaning on a different part. “So many conflicts on that planet, it's almost a normality for them. Earthlings are a warrior race, much as they'd prefer to ignore that fact—they're actually not that different from Mandalorians in that regard, just with less efficient weapons. They make up for it in ingenuity and spirit though."

 

“No dad, I mean war between planets,” Boba told his father, “They are saying that Zygerria is planning to invade Earth.”

 

…

 

Jango put down the reports on the table as he looked at the newscast as he watched on seeing that the Galactic Senate was in full debate with the headlines the press were setting up:

 

Ölüm vs Zygerria new front: Earth?

 

Ölüm response - Rather Death then Slavery

 

But he knew this news was still something that would worry anyone else. After some thought he made his decision; Jango then turned to his son as he asked him a question. 

 

“Boba, would you like to go with me on a short trip?” 

 

“Uhm, sure,” Boba hesitantly agreed. “But why?”

 

“To pay a visit to an old friend, of course,” Jango said, reaching for his greaves, “You remember Naruto, don’t you?”

 

Boba’s eyes widened as he stood up. “Oh yeah! I remember him. Are we going to visit him? When?”

 

“We’re going now,” Jango said, grabbing his gun belt, “Like now - so pack up get your raincoat.”

 Jedi Temple

 

The Council adjourned. Both Obi-wan and his padawan Anakin moved through the grand hallways, the brief which had explained the developments on the planet had greatly troubled them, particularly the Tatooine native, for he had seen slavery. He had seen gang wars, and knew that they were nothing to scoff at.

 

“Tsk.”

 

Hearing that, Obi Wan turned with a question. “Something on your mind, Anakin?” 

 

“No, not really….” Anakin replied to his master, before he however changed. “Actually, there is something, master. Something that has been bothering me.”

 

Obi Wan nodded. “Go ahead and do tell, my padawan. You know we can talk normally. So what is on your mind?”

 

The two Jedi stopped their small walk next to a window with a view of the endless Coruscant skyline, as Anakin began to speak his mind.

 

“It's the Earth situation, master,” Anakin began forwardly, “I don’t know how to say it - but this whole issue with the Zygerrians hits me personally.”

 

Obi-wan could already understand where Anakin was going. “Is it because of your past? Your former life as a slave on Tatooine?”

 

“My mother was sold on a Zygerrian slave market,” Anakin confessed, staring out the window wistfully, “She told me how the Zygerrian slavers treated her…how she…”

 

The clear sign of Anakin’s hands tightening up in fists was something that Kenobi spotted, and he knew that this topic was uneasy to deal with. So he decided to at least divert it to an easier topic.

 

“How is your mother by the way?” Obi Wan asked with an assuring smile, “Is she alright?”

 

Anakin’s face brightened with a small smile. He had contact with his mother and her extended family on Tatooine - even when it was strongly discouraged, let alone even against the Jedi Code, it was helpful to keep contact with them.

 

“My mother is doing alright, she still sends me messages often,” Anakin replied, turning to his master, “We also call when I can, only outside the Temple, of course.”

 

Obi Wan chuckled. “Is that the reason why you like taking walks nowadays?”

 

Both exchanged laughter for a short while before they proceeded to then walk again while talking more.

 

“I do, however, have to tell you something. Remember C-3PO?” 

 

“Yes, the droid you built when you were younger, what about it?” Obi Wan remembered. “Why? Is something the matter?”

 

“Oh no, nothing. But remember how I was two days gone with permission? Cliegg and Owen asked help for the harvest and wondered if C-3PO could return. So I did,” Anakin brought up. “Brought him back and changed the golden plates back to his old ones?”

 

“Changing his plates?” Obi Wan wondered. “Why put so much effort?”

 

“You don’t think it's a smart idea to allow a golden protocol droid to be brought to a place like Tatooine, do you?” Anakin argued with a smirk. “I trust the Lars family for sure, but if the Jawas spot him, he’s gone.”

 

Seeing the logic behind it made Obi Wan chuckle at it before proceeding to ask. “Well, perhaps Senator Amidala would be glad to hear that droid is being put to use.”

 

“Yeah, she thought the same way.”

 

The two then stopped in front of the large training room that had its doors closed, but the sound of clashing could be heard from the other side of the thick metallic gate.

 

The sound of lightsabers clashing against one another could be heard as they were intense.

 

“I guess those two are sparring again, 

*CLASH!*

 

*CLASH!*

 

*CLASH!*

Two dark colors crossed as they clashed into one another in a violent but common occurrence between the two parties.

 

The two students seen fighting were being observed by their designated trainers, both Jedi Masters of high caliber and able to train these two adequately. Jedi Masters Shaak Ti and Quinlan Vos, Sat and observed the results of their special apprentices, with Vos being seen having a small snack for himself until he then noticed the doors being opened with both Master Kenobi and his padawan entering.

 

And as usual, he smiled at their entrance and welcomed them. “Kenobi, Skywalker. How are you two doing?”

 

“Doing splendid, Vos, I see you’re doing fine, as usually.” Obi Wan said as he turned to the Togrutan Master. “Master Shaak Ti?”

 

She seemed to be more focused on whatever was happening in front of her then on the conversation. To which Anakin happened to then turn to the sparring match and commented.

 

“Master Shaak Ti’s focus is on something else.”

 

Both now in traditional Jedi clothing to their own liking, they still wore however different colors that separated them - but their power almost equalized one another, with the female purple wielder in gray and white garments that still showed her grown beauty - while the young man was seen wearing all dark colors from blue and black. 

 

Those seen fighting there were Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha, both were now in a sparring match where they exchanged hits against one another as they went on the offensive, defensive and even equally went against one another. Like Shinobi back in their homeworld.

 

The one fighting on the offensive however, to many surprise, was Hinata. The shy-warm girl from the Hidden Leaf had grown into a slightly different person when engaged in combat.

 

Sasuke however was still much the same - yet unlike Hinata, he stood out from the rest of the young Jedi, as he still was determined to fulfill his goals - but to do it differently without being consumed by blind revenge.

 

Both had changed over the time. For better or worse, both had taken Jedi training on Coruscant after they both were tested for high Midi-chlorian levels in their blood. So the Council and Hokage came to an agreement for both to be given special training by the Jedi to wield the Force that they both were capable of.

 

With a hard stomp to the ground, Hinata managed to catch Sasuke off guard and force him back with her unusually new willingness to go on the attack - something that Sasuke was still struggling to get used to. Even when he was forced to jump upwards and flip over her, Hinata turned right around to then strike one more time-

 

*CLASH!*

 

The two blades’ connected again as it was another draw when the timer finally stopped.

 

“Time’s up.” Shaak Ti said, ending the session as she stood up. “Now please bow to each other in respect and refresh yourselves.”

 

As it was supposed to go normally, after every sparring match a respectful bow was expected to happen, as Sasuke was the one who did it first by lowering his head.

 

However, as words were not even spoken, Hinata did the only thing she always did in the presence of Sasuke and turned around to leave, with a clear face of disapproval as she grabbed her coat and left the room through the other entrance. right in front of the Jedi.

 

“And here she goes again…”

 

As this was a normal occurrence, Sasuke sighed as he knew all too well why. He wordlessly lifted his head and grabbed his coat and without a complaint left the room through the third entrance that he went through.

 

“Looks like she’s still not letting it go,” Vos said with a disapproving sigh, “Shaak Ti, I thought-”

 

“I have. But she still won’t open up to talk about it,” Shaak Ti responded before the question was even asked, “Hinata’s a good learner with a strong connection to the Force, but her grudge against Sasuke is still strong and unbroken.”

 

Ever since the failed mission on Kessel to try and retrieve Naruto Uzumaki had ended, Hinata had been treating Sasuke Uchiha as a persona non grata for what she perceived is his fault for Naruto’s abduction

 

Many still held a grudge against Sasuke, but he was slowly getting everybody’s second chances as he now was mostly not in the village and mostly under the supervision of the Jedi with Hinata, the very person who was holding a grudge to the bone, meaning he won’t be having a time of any luxury.

 

“Even when the Uchiha boy is showing remorse? In his own way of course,” Obi-Wan asked, having seen the young man’s efforts of trying to reconcile with the Hyuuga, “Even when the road is hard for him, he’s trying to rebuild.”

 

Anakin commented. “She, however, doesn’t seem interested in rebuilding.”

 

Ob-Wan nodded before he began. “Anyway, we’ve got an assignment from the Council, Vos. Master Shaak Ti must’ve informed you about it?” 

 

Vos nodded. “I heard.” He crossed his arms. “We’re going to Earth, when?”

 

“When you are ready.”

 

Vos smiled. “Then let’s go.”

Senate Building

 

After the end of the special session, Jiraiya left feeling it was an hour wasted with how little was accomplished. After returning to his office, Jiraiya found himself busy with the most recent reports from his contacts. As he read the reports he started to see a number of disturbing patterns starting to form. 

 

He places the tablet down and turns to the window

 

"As always war and its costs are easily ignored by those with the luxury of not personally experiencing it themselves"

 

“Wise words, Senator Jiraiya.” 

 

Looking up, the novelist saw that he had visitors, including some of the few allies he had in the senate, including Alderaan’s Bail Organa alongside Padmé Amidala and Riyo Chuchi.

 

"Well now, this is a pleasant surprise. It's good to see you Senator Organa as you can see I was a little busy working on my latest novel, but I can spare the time to talk to a friend and the two beauties with him." Jiraiya said.

 

“My apologies for coming in unannounced.” Bail said beforehand as he continued. “I wanted to introduce you to Riyo Chuchi, the senator from Pantora.”

 

“It's a pleasure meeting you, Senator Jiraiya,” Chuchi bowed her head slightly. “I’ve always wanted to meet someone from the Terran sector.”

 

“The pleasure is all mine, milady,” Jiraiya smiled and returned the bow, “And as you can see, I’m indeed the first human from the Terran sector, as well as its unofficial senator for the whole sector.”

 

“Unofficial?” Chuchi sounded confused. “What do you mean the whole sector?”

 

Padmé chuckled as she clarified. “Senator Jiraiya here is currently the only legal representative in the senate, Senator Chuchi. The only one of the whole sector.”

 

“Is that so?” Chuchi asked, clearly surprised by that fact, “Care to explain?”

 

“Oh, for one, Suna still has yet to decide who they’ll send as a senator—something the other countries of my home planet are still discussing.” Jiraiya said, reclining in his chair, “However, the situation on Earth as a whole is a totally different story, seeing as they’re still universally trying to figure out what to do to keep the stability on their planet - the United Nations decided to remain neutral.”

 

“And by now, Senator Jiraiya is their main political connection to the Republic,” Senator Organa told the Pantoran young woman. “Mainly because he’s the most recognizable.”

 

“That I am…I just wish that could help now really.” Jiraiya sighed, “With what’s now going on.”

 

“That’s why we’re here, Senator,” Padmé stated as she walked up to the desk. “We want to assure you that many senators are supporting you.”

 

“If that’s so, how come many voted down the proposal?” Jiraiya asked her, “Senator Amidala?”

 

This however made things really awkward at the mention of the failed vote that was voted against by the corporations and their allies. 

 

Padmé could only sigh in defeat.

 

“Do not blame yourselves, fellow senators,” Jiraiya said to them lightheartedly as he frowned while adding. “The fact that these rich pricks are allowed to vote in the first place, is beyond my understanding; they couldn’t give a damn about anything beyond taking advantage of the war to line their pockets.”

 

The way he said it overwhelmed the three other senators.

 

“And so again, the Cycle of Hatred will continue,” Jiraiya huffed sadly, “Such a waste of life…”

 

It was then that Chuchi asked out of nowhere. “Did you fight in a war?”

 

Jiraiya’s answer however did not come out immediately, as he instead answered it in such a way that was understandable but yet short.

 

“On my planet - everyone is at war, no matter what generation.”

 

*WOOOSH!*

 

The door opened up, allowing entrance for Senator Mon Mothma, causing the other senators to wonder as to the reason for the worried look on her face.

 

“I’ve got some bad news to tell you all, so pardon me for barging in.” 

 

Bail raised his hand in a placating gesture. “What is it?”

 

“The Ambassador of Zygerria has called for another special session.”

Meanwhile

 

In the furthest corners of the Outer Rim, there was a planet that was mostly left untouched from the spaceports and advanced technology—in essence, a garden world. Its lush green forests and large rivers spread across the planet like veins, emphasizing the large rock canyons that were just beautiful to gawk at. So removed from society that its atmosphere was clean of any pollutants.

 

And if you reached the top of the mountains, the view of being above the clouds as you watched the sun was equally beautiful - whether it be sundown or sunrise, the views of this planet's ground-side were just extraordinary.

 

“Feast, villagers!”

 

And the inhabitants of this planet were just as wonderful, as of right now a large celebration was being held in the night as hundreds of villagers were present. All of them wore traditional clothing and were peace-loving people who respected the untouched nature of the land they held sacred.

 

They were however accompanied by a few visitors. Both Jango and Boba were sitting at their prepared spots with food and water, welcomed by the villagers as if they were neighbors. With Boba having already finished his meal, he was allowed to socialize with some of the villagers’ children who were eager to play with him.

 

“Want some more water, mister?” One of the men offered kindly.

 

Jango properly said. “Of course, thank you.” He held up his empty cup as the villager began pouring the drinks in. “May I ask you something?”

 

“Yeah, shoot.”

 

“What brought you here exactly? To this planet I mean.” Jango asked as he turned to his left where he was speaking to someone. “Because I did not expect you to get all the way out here. Kid.” 

 

Sitting next to him was a changed Naruto Uzumaki, with the physical change being more noticeable. As he grew his hair slightly more out and with him still wearing the black bandana around his head that covered the nasty scar he had been given on Kessel. From his movements, it was quite clear that he was recovering well since that incident.

 

As for what he wore was a mixture of the clothes he picked and a bit of what he adapted to from the villagers, especially the noticeable red traditional shawl that everyone wore in the village like them, he had it around his shoulders as he wore underneath it his usual attire.

 

He wore some traditional garments that were similar to the Jedi, yet he was dressed distinctly differently from them, as he wore a long brown coat over his clothes. As the planet was pretty hot at this time of year, he had to dress appropriately so as to avoid a heat stroke, the most prominent of which being a short-sleeved shirt and baggy pants tied around his legs. Given the atmosphere of the planet, the fabrics used were likely able to keep the body’s core temperature constant, allowing cool air in during hot weather, while retaining heat during cold seasons. He also wore a visor to prevent the sun from getting into his eyes, and his boots seemed to be made of durable material.

 

It was quite obvious from the gear he took with him that he’d been out of the village—nothing specifically for war, but perfect for a hunt. He had a bandolier of ammo slung across his shoulder, ostensibly for the strange-looking hunting rifle in his hand. On his belt, he had a large knife in the holster that looked to be well-made for both combat and daily chores.

 

“Well, for once I say it's a place far away from current events,” Naruto argued, taking a bite out of his food, “In exchange for work around the settlement from hunting to helping with the harvest, I get what I need to live here.”

 

Jango asked. “And what’s that?”

 

“A place to sleep, food and some places to train…” Naruto said as he took a bite from the fruit provided to him. “The locals here are generous, good people.”

 

“I can see,” Jango stated as he noticed some of the welcoming glances the boy was given earlier on. “But is that the only reason you are here?”

 

Looking up, Naruto nods his head towards a direction that Jango turned to see what it was.

 

The direction led to the podium where the village elder and his two grandchildren were seen sitting and eating while observing the festivities going on. At the forefront was a young woman with white facial markings along the bridge of her nose, and below her eyes. She wore a small bouquet of red flowers secured with blue ribbons attached to her ears that contrasted against cream-colored hair, and a horn headdress fitted around the back of her neck and over her shoulders. The fineries she wore were simple, consisting of a white one-piece dress with blue stripes running down the middle. 

 

She was joined by a girl around the same age, but dressed more simply—in addition to the red shawl typical of her people, she wore a black tank that bore her midriff, and black short-shorts with green trim along the hem and secured to her waist with an orange belt. Her hair was done up behind her head in a ponytail, and was more plain compared to the other girl, with a more energetic disposition.

 

The more proper girl turned to find Naruto looking down at them before quickly turning her attention back to the children she was playing with. If one were to pay attention for a brief second, they could see her turning a light shade of red before her skin turned back to its normal warm tan.

 

Naruto winced his eyes as he looked down back to his food, causing Jango to then question him. 

 

“You know that girl is looking at you, right?” 

 

“Her name’s Haru, and yes, I noticed. This has been happening for almost a year now.” Naruto replied calmly as he admitted. “Ever since I brought Asu’s body back.”

 

“Asu?”

 

“That’s the name of Haru’s fiancé.” Naruto sighed as he went on. “I knew Asu in Ölüm, he was abducted and sold into slavery by a some raiders who caught him. He worked alongside me in the digging unit often. He was a goodhearted, kind soul.”

 

“What happened?”

 

Naruto hesitated for a moment, as he held his cup with tingling that was visible on his fingers.

 

“He was beaten to death, by Zykol of all people,” Naruto began, clearly reluctant to recant this tale, “Zyg bastard denigrated him and taunted him for his non-resistance before smashing the guy’s skull in. All the while I was forced to watch with the others. He died after the first blow, but the bastard kept on going until his brains were pulped.”

 

“Kriff….” Jango cursed hearing that, shaking his head. “That’s brutal…”

 

“They don’t know.”

 

“Hmm?” Jango turned back around. “What do you mean?”

 

“Haru and Saku, those two girls down there, they don’t know,” Naruto added, “The cause of death, I never told them about it because the village elder told me they were close to him when they were childhood kids.”

 

A couple of kids were seen running past them, causing a small pause in their conversation before Naruto resumed. “I did, however, cover his body up before giving him to the village so they didn’t have to see the state of his body when I found it. He was, of course, given a proper burial, that was the least I thought I could do for him.”

 

“And as an unintended consequence, this girl…”

 

“I wanted to pay my respect and help them out, I didn’t mean to do anything like that,” Naruto added, dismissing the prospect, “Asu told me how he loved Haru, and how he planned on marrying her. When he was being laid down I could see she was heartbroken by his death.”

 

“I’m not accusing you of anything, kid.” Jango said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Just so you know.”

 

“Over time, we talked, mostly about Asu,” Naruto began, “Pretty soon, we were doing more things together; whenever we did the harvest, she would often join me on the hunt or looking for a spot for me to train. And then one day…”

 

As he trailed on, Jango was able to put the pieces together. “She confronted you, didn’t she?”

 

There was no answer from Naruto—the silence said more than enough. “How’d she take it?”

 

“Well to tell you the truth, going after a friend’s fiancé not that long after he died? It’d take a certain kind of scumbag to do such a thing,” Naruto explained, “And believe me, I really did feel like a dirtbag. So I tried to let her down gently…and wound up botching the job—she seemed to recover just fine though, but I still haven’t seen her courting anyone else.”

 

Again, a glance from the beautiful Haru was seen giving to Naruto, but this time it was more out of concern as she then was forced to turn back to focus.

 

Jango shook his head as he told Naruto. “Kid, I suggest you stop thinking you’re a scumbag because that’s the last thing anyone would think of you.”

 

“But-”

 

“No buts, you aren’t.” Jango finalized, slightly raising his voice up. “You’ve proven yourself in front of many people that you are the direct opposite of it, and clearly even now you are proving it.”

 

In the background, Boba was seen running to a group of villagers who were seen coming to the only radio in the village, causing his interest to spike.

 

“I just want her to have the best options available,” Naruto said to Jango, “Haru’s got a good heart-”

 

“And I believe that is why she’s looking at you, Naruto,” Jango argued, “Your compassion, your actions, and willingness to help and comfort these people, is perhaps the reason why she’s seeing you-”

 

Boba was then seen running through the feast as he’d just heard something on the radio.

 

“You got all the attributes of your ancestors,” Jango assured him. “And that alone with your self-reflection, is enough to convince me that you are not what you claim you are.”

 

Naruto took a moment before he smiled and responded. “Thanks, Jango. I appreciate that-”

 

“DAD!” 

 

The conversation was cut short when young Boba ran up to them, Jango voice a bit rash as he tried to calm him down. “Boba, can you not see I am-”

 

“But it’s important!” Boba began hastily, “Zygerria is attacking Earth!”

 

The news was heard by nearby villagers as gasps could be heard, but other villagers were seen spreading the word. 

 

It even reached the ear of the Village Elder and his granddaughters, with both the girls looking distraught. Haru was especially worried as she looked over to Naruto’s side. 

 

Meeting eye-to-eye, it was Naruto who could only close his eyes from the stare as he turned back to Jango.

 

“Guess we’ll be going to war.”

Chapter 17: The Zygerrian-Terran War

“The Zygerrian-Terran War”

 

That was what the Intergalactic community dubbed this war of aggression between the Zygerrian Slave Empire and the collective neutral Terran system called Earth, ending all possibilities of a peaceful, diplomatic solution the moment the first orbital strikes had hit their targets.

 

Their plan consisted of a surprising amount of military equipment purchased from the Trade Federation and its other allies, with a 25 million-strong military force being sent in to neutralize and occupy central and vital parts of the planet, and arrest members of the Ölüm organization - all in the span of three months. 

 

The only problem was - they failed. They believed that bombarding a relatively primitive planet and invading their lands with sheer numbers, firepower, and superior technology would’ve forced the entire population of Earth into submission. 

 

Instead of being engulfed in fear, they were consumed by a rage that exploded into one collective resistance across the globe in all sizes and forms. 

 

In the Texan city of Houston in Brazoria County, there lay a settlement just on the East of Angleton. A port city that was a well-known shipping hub that gave access to the Galveston Bay, it was a site of Urzik immigrants to the country that had built this small community up since the 1850s. It was also a target of the Zygerrians to try to cut off the supply routes through Houston. 

 

Much to their frustration, they were less than successful in their attempts to seize the puny city, as the 60,000 populated area showed nothing but resilience and fearless determination to keep them out of their home. Despite being armed with, at best, tanks, missiles, and fighter planes that couldn’t even leave the atmosphere, they’ve held their own for a remarkably long time. 

 

It didn’t matter how many times they rained fire from above, either at their pitiful versions of fighter ships or upon the land below them, they persisted like roaches, hiding underground to avoid the bombardment or continuously firing back until their shields finally gave out, earning them one or two of their fighter planes daily on average. 

 

In Hurriya…it was bloody, to say the least. 

 

Some countries preferred to simply kill the Zygerrians and be done with it. However, other communities, like those in Hurriya, who’ve been a thorn in the eyes with their continued resistance, the resilience that cost a lot of Zygerrian lives.

 

In response to that, they were brutally barraged from artillery and air bombardments, as the once lively port city was bombed to what would be reminiscing to their homeland’ post-civil war status. With homes left uninhabitable left and right, large buildings being shot up to pieces, and the harbor being filled with sunken merchant, fishing and military ships that had been demobilized since the first attacks ensued. 

 

Yet still, top command wanted this city to be secured, with now a convoy seen rolling through the ruined city. With this being the next attempt of the Zygerrians.

 

Leading was the Trade Federation AAT-1 assault tank that was leading the convoy of multiple other tanks, some STAP air speeders and even some stolen Humvee military trucks and civilian ones the Zygerrians were using, alongside a salvaged jeep that drove in the middle of the group.

 

In that jeep were both the captain and his second-in-command sitting while they were being driven by another Zygerrian who was driving behind an MTT that was carrying battle droids. As now more than half of their small force consisted of Zygerrian regulars, they were sent next into the meat grinder.

 

The Captain looked around and started to notice the grounds they were passing by, seeing one of those highway distance signs he read:

 

Houston - 55 miles

 

Hurriya - 5 miles

 

“Kriff...”

 

The convoy drove past the already-damaged sign, looking through the devastation wrought by the Zygs and their allies. 

 

The farmlands that were on the outskirts of the city were normally filled with produce like vegetables, or ranches that held large amounts of cattle; now the landowners, the workers, even the livestock were nowhere to be seen, many having been killed in the first days of the battle. Now instead its fields were filled with uprooted earth, crater shells and the rotting remains of animals.

 

But a modicum of hope could also be found in those fields as the wrecks of Zygerrian ships could be seen throughout the landscape, their still-smoldering remains scattered across the fields with wings seen tens of meters away from the crash site. As they were defeated by the Americans on both land and in the air.

 

Then came the heart-wrenching part: the bodies.

 

Many lifeless corpses were seen across those fields, many of them either fresh from last week’s attempted offensive, and decomposing bodies from the first wave over a few months ago. They were hard to miss, their bodies were stripped of equipment, weaponry and even communication devices that they begged help through. 

 

The only thing on them were their clothes, shot to pieces and laid there on the dirt ground in the way they died.

 

“Lieutenant.”

 

The Zygerrian lieutenant turned his eyes back to the captain, who was reading the paper map of the area they were in, and he was not at all pleased with the situation they found themselves in.

 

“Sire?”

 

“Order a halt.” The captain told his second-in-command. “Now.”

 

“Of course, sire.” The young Zygerrian complied as he ordered through the comms. “Halt!”

 

As ordered, a whole convoy of mixed armored, personnel and civilian vehicles came to a stop with the leading AAT tank on standby. The commander emerged from the hatch to then use his binoculars. 

 

Standing out in the middle of the road, surrounded by large swaps of farmland, with no air-support or even basic recon. They were in a very exposed area.

 

Adding insult to injury, many of the Zygerrian regulars were seen coming out of their vehicles, standing nearby the road as they were trying to stretch their legs but also didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings.

 

“You see anything?” The captain asked as he kept his eyes on the map. “Something caught your attention?”

 

The lieutenant looked beyond and just shook his head. “No, captain. Nothing.”

 

“That’s just it, we’re facing nothing.” The captain said in disgust as he looked around. “Nothing but waste, this damn planet, this damn country-”

 

*BANG!*

 

Blood splattered across the lieutenant’s face, making him panic as he thought he got hit and check himself, before turning to his captain whose head was seen falling down forwards.

 

“Shit!”

 

*BANG!*

 

Then suddenly the AAT commander got shot too, with his head dropping backwards and leaving his body hanging out of the tank.

 

“AMBUSH!”

 

BOOM!

 

The AAT tank then suddenly exploded, destroying the front vehicle on the spot. Causing panic amongst the Zygerrian regulars.

 

The Lieutenant however shouted to his radioman. “CALL IT IN! IT’S AN AMBUSH!”

 

“On it!” The radioman said as he grabbed the comms. “HQ-”

 

*BANG!*

 

The next bullet hit and shredded through the Zyg radioman’s throat with blood splashing out of it as he fell down.

 

“DAMN IT!” The lieutenant turned around and demanded. “TURN AROUND! TURN AROUND!”

 

Then a rocket was seen fired from a distance, and the projectile flew all the way towards the other end of the convoy-

*BOOM!*

 

One of the stolen pickup trucks exploded, catching several Zygerrian regulars in the blast.

 

*Whistle!*

 

A loud, piercing whistle sounded off, confusing the Zygerrian men who wasted no time in surrounding the convoy. The roar and appearance of hundreds of fighters resounded after the whistle as they rushed out of their hiding places.

 

Blaster fire and slugthrower fire erupted as both sides opened fire on each other. The lieutenant drew his blaster pistol his eyes darting around and his gun blasting anything and barked out orders:

 

“PROTECT THE CONVOY, IT MUST NOT FALL”

 

The shooting exchange started as one of the regulars was pulling someone out of the burning truck, trying to save him.

 

The ambushers proceeded to fire and maneuver towards them, with some getting dangerously close.

 

“Rush them!” One of the ambushers yelled. “Come on!”

 

“Hold it, boy!”

 

“Behind you!” The Zygerrian lieutenant called upon his troops. “Behind!”

 

A pair of Zygerrian regulars quickly turned around and proceeded to return fire - killing a few in the process. With the reckless fighter still rushing for the enemy without any cover.

 

“Die, bastards!”

 

One of the Zygerrians happened to throw a thermal detonator, landing directly in front of the rushing fighters.

 

“Grenade!”

 

*BOOM!*

 

The blast caught three of the attackers who were rushing, and send their bodies a few meters away. But that did not deter the others from continuing their attack on the convoy.

 

“There’s too many of them!-” The Zygerrian cut shot in the face before he could finish his sentence, another one of theirs getting killed at a fast pace. 

 

“WE WILL NOT SURRENDER!” The lieutenant shouted while shooting his blaster. “Kill them all!”

 

It just happened another rocket got fired, and flew over the ambushing forces, and was directly going for the truck that was behind the lieutenant.

 

“Look out!” 

 

The rocket hit the truck and its gas canisters it happened to carry-

 

*BOOOM!*

 

…

 

Five minutes later

 

With the smoldering remnants of the convoy giving away large black smoke, it pretty much gave away to everybody in a wide radius that yet another battle had occurred.

 

“Collect what you can!”

 

*THUMP!*

 

The sound of a body hitting the ground resounded through the air, bringing everyone’s attention to the body of a Zygerrian warrior kicking up dust. It was a sound that warranted a Post-Op after a successful ambush.

 

With members of the ambush group seen now stripping anything useful out of the column that wasn’t destroyed, like armor, weaponry, food or even some fuel that was being extracted. 

 

Like how one man in full cameo, with a cap and scarf to disguise his identity, was looking at the jeep that had the convoy’s captain still in it, moving the head away so he could check the vehicle correctly for valuables.

 

The blood coming out of the captain’s skull was starting to attract flies, and it caused the camouflaged man to wave the flies away from his face.

 

“Stupid fucking Zyg…” The man said through his face scarf as he noticed something on the corpse’ lap. 

 

“Wait…”

 

Grabbing it, it was a map he read and it caused his eyes to nearly widen in shock at the information he had just found, literally on someone’s lap. Almost insulting to this Army veteran who could not believe the amateurism of these people.

 

“No fucking way…” The vet turned around and started running. “Commander!”

 

As he ran through the destroyed column, the attackers were revealed to be a ragtag of willing fighters. From local Texans with cameo and body armor while wearing civilian clothing and Texan hats, to even a few Mexican volunteers who were formerly field workers of these farms. 

 

But also amongst those were the majority of fighters - Hurriya residents and members of the Ölüm Partisans, with the last seen carrying their blaster rifles and long range missile launchers that they carried whilst the rest were still using their slug-thrower rifles and rocket launchers. An obese Texan was seen fishing multiple scavenged blaster rifles out of a truck that wasn’t blown up, while three Mexican volunteers were seen emptying the gas out off the tanks of the trucks that were taken out. 

 

But the biggest prize was how a dozen Zygerrians were forced to sit down next to the road with their hands behind their heads, having surrendered after a pitched fight with police officers standing vigil over them.

 

“Commander!” The camouflaged vet asked around. “Where’s the commander?”

 

 “Up front.” One of the volunteers pointed out a bearded guy. “He’s talking to that captured CO. Why?”

 

“You’re not going to believe this…”

 

Up on the front, the AAT tank had its flames already extinguished, the bodies of the tank crew had been pulled out, with the tankers’ their corpses being nearly burned to every inch.

 

And they were laid right next to the now very silent Zygerrian lieutenant, who now was facing down to the street in defeat. Not wanting to look up, he was instead forced to endure the malodorous scent of burned skin of his own people, all the while the side of his face was covered in black dirt and burns, parts of his uniform damaged from the fight.

 

Exhausted, the Zygerrian lieutenant was sitting there on the ground, as he was being watched closely by the surrounding militia members who were eying him with nothing less than hatred.

 

“Lieutenant Tarno.”

 

Looking up through one eye, the Zygerrian found that he was confronted by the leader of the successful ambush, and the regional commander of the frontline, the man who had repelled many of the attacks on this small city. Tarik Karim - seen wearing tactical gear with the mixture of his traditional green-and-black patterned traditional Keffiyeh scarf around his neck. He faced off against the commander of the opposite front, whose forces were, by now, completely decimated. “Yes. That’s me.”

 

“Then you know who I am, right?” The bearded Urzik-American patiently asked. “And you know where you’re at…”

 

“I know where I am…” Lieutenant Tarno said, suddenly finding the concrete road more interesting, “And I know who you are, Commander Tarik ‘Imam’ Karim - leader of Ölüm.”

 

Tarik then happened to be joined by one of his field commanders, which happened to be one Mandalorian Jango Fett who walked up right behind him.

 

“Naruto, come here for a bit.”

 

On command, coming from the side of the destroyed tank was Naruto, another field commander despite his age, carrying in the same gear he came to this planet with three months ago. Multiple cuts could be seen in his clothes, but he also carried a blaster rifle slung over his neck, his headscarf covering his hair. 

 

Tarno looked at the young boy as he seemingly was staring back at him, right before he reached for something from behind- a flask of water that was unopened.

 

“Here.” Naruto threw it to him. “Catch.”

 

The half-burned Zygerrian caught it and nodded before he opened the flask and tried drinking from it, a refreshment for the captured commissioned officer. Once finished drinking, he began to ask.

 

“What are you going to do now?”

 

“Well you're our prisoner. You are going to be taken to a camp, your wounds would be looked at and you are going to have some basic rights.” Tarik started to say to the commanding officer of the destroyed column. “Mainly we have to treat you right. If you're lucky your interrogator might just ask about your plans and stuff. Otherwise, we keep you until we find a way to send you back to your army.”

 

The Zygerrian looked confused at that. “.... Just like that?”

 

“We're not savages like you'd believe, we have some rules to warfare.” Tarik responded, clearly to him while holding his hands into his body armor vest. “Though if the horror stories coming out of your side have any truth, I hope the interrogators still remember the Geneva convention.”

 

“Yet you decide to keep me alive, after all that has happened?” Tarno questioned with genuine surprise at this treatment. “Why?”

 

“Simple, we got laws, even in war.” 

 

“Sir, you might want to look at this.” The soldier with the map approached Tarik as he handed it over to him. “Found it on the captain’s body.”

 

Tarik accepted the map and inspected it, with Jango even taking a look at it. And the reactions of both adult men were pretty much self-spoken.

 

“And you just found it laying?” Jango asked the soldier who nodded, causing him to scoff. “Even when we’ve been attacking their men over and over. These Zygerrian officers…”

 

Naruto just watched as Tarik read the map and sees the Zygerrian Lieutenant being unresponsive, as he was being treated for his wounds by the militia’s medic who had come by.

 

‘These Zygerrian soldiers seem to be warn out, kid. Did you notice that? Even their equipment looks old, let alone they are using stolen trucks. So this cannot be the bulk of the army.’

 

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” Tarik quoted as he was about to fold the map. 

 

“Unless they’re fooling all of us.” 

 

The four men turned right back to Naruto who had said that, causing at least the unknown soldier to then ask.

 

“What do you mean, kid?”

 

Naruto began to insinuate. “What if they’re deceiving us? And only send these guys as cannon fodder?” He even went further to say. “I mean, how many times have we ambushed groups like these now? And it's been calm on this side of the country.”

 

It has been true that the last few weeks of fighting in Texas had reduced in its intensity, with the dubbed ‘Alamo Line’ of the South from El Paso to Hurriya having barely been changed, where the Zygerrians alongside their allies have been going for tit-for-tat combat across the battle zones. 

 

The Alamo Line had seen the most vicious fighting in the state of Texas, not seen since the Mexican-American War. with cities and towns having been captured or re-captured by the US Armed Forces and any of the local militias, National Guard or even forces like the Texas Rangers and Border Patrol. Pushing back the Zygerrians to their southern landing positions off the border regions that they still held firmly like Brownsville and Laredo.

 

Basically splitting the state in half, with everything north up the Alamo Line still free, while anything underneath that line was under control of the Zygerrian invaders.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, look at this!” The unknown soldier pointed out the map. “Look what the frontline maps is drawn at…isn’t that?”

 

Tarik also noticed and saw what the red line was that held multiple Zygerrian positions across Texas, from El Paso to their current location.

 

“The Interstate 10, they’re using the interstate 10 as the defense line!” Tarik nearly shouted at this.

 

Jango noted. “By the sound of it, this doesn’t sound good.”

 

“Not if you want your line to be mostly open.” Tarik said as he couldn’t believe this as he wrapped it up. “We’ve got to move, call everybody in, let's go!” 

 

“All men! Form up!” The soldier called out to his men. “We’re leaving, get your gear and follow!”

Raxulon

 

A long way from Earth, the Outer Rim world of Raxus Secundus was experiencing an unwanted and unpredicted crisis they now had on their hands. Precisely in the capital Raxulon.

 

The effects of the Zygerrian-Terran War were making themselves more apparent by the day. As just a session of the Separatist Parliament had ended; something even Dooku couldn’t manage to get any traction into.

 

Count Dooku himself was making his way towards his private quarters as he was in need to talk to his master. As he knew that he was awaiting the results of those behind-the-door sessions that were taking place. “Fools.” 

 

As the Sith had reached his quarters, the doors closed behind him. The lights dimmed upon arrival as a figure bathed in the blue light of the holoprojector appeared, the hood of a dark cloak covering the upper half of his face - his master, Darth Sidious.

 

“Master.” Dooku greeted with a bow. 

 

“Lord Tyranus, I presume you came here to inform me about the latest developments on the war?”

 

“Indeed, but with unfortunate news.”  Dooku began informing his master. “The efforts of calling a truce by senator Bonteri, have failed to come to fruition.”

 

“As expected, the Republic’s efforts have also been met with failure.” The shrouded Sith Lord sounded unsatisfied. “The war is a hindrance to our plans, my apprentice; the Zygerians have overstepped their bounds.”

 

“Then we are in agreement, milord,” Dooku said in return. “But it is unprecedented that the Terran resistance would be so formidable. Not with the weaponry they’re still using-”

 

“Do not underestimate those Terrans, not with the history they have. They’ve proven to be vicious in their past wars.” Sidious told him firmly, half-complementing them. “Even now, they have proven themselves a formidable adversary. We must resolve this conflict before both the Republic and the Confederacy are involved directly; the longer this war drags on, the margin for failure increases.”

 

It was true: over the few short months since contact was made, the amount of military hardware such as tanks, star fighters, missiles, even small arms were bought in bulk by Earth's sovereign governments.

 

But that wasn’t the biggest eye-opener in the Galactic community: that dubious honor went to the mass influx of foreign volunteers and mercenaries who entered the war from all corners of the Galaxy. Many participated in order to cash in on a payday, but the conflict had also drawn in many individuals of differing ideologies ranging from mercenaries coming out of hiding from the Outer Rim to some human volunteers from the Core Rim. The Zygerrian-Terran War was attracting people from every corner of the galaxy, and all because of a former empire attempting to enslave a planet that refused to kneel.

 

A naive, but powerful message - who would bow down to an invading enemy without a fight?

 

“Either way, I predict that the war will come to a close in a few months.” Lord Sidious spoke with a near wicked smile. “I have received word of an offensive being planned by the Zygerrians at this moment.”

 

Dooku looked up, curiosity in his eyes. “An offensive? From where?”

 

“I cannot say, but I warn you to make sure to distance your people from this war as much as possible. Because it will be something the Galaxy hasn’t witnessed in a long time.”

Earth

 

In the Texan countryside, the night had already arrived at the latest day of the invasion, the defenders having earned a small, but well-earned peace.

 

The wetlands of the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge were located just east of Angleton. It was a good spot for those who had been fighting in the countryside, where many people rallied, either to regroup or to plan coordinated attacks against the occupying Zygerrian forces.

 

Deep in that wetlands, a few visible camp fires were seen. Even when they were limited to only three small fires, dozens of these fighters closed up to warm themselves with some laughter to light up the mood. Some used the fire simply to warm themselves or their rations, but some simply preferred to have the visibility to field-strip and clean their weapons.

 

For Tarik, it was used to read the map of the deceased Zygerrian captain that was confiscated, looking alongside one of his CO’s, a fellow Ölüm Partisan veteran who recently joined. The Canadian former cook named Nathan.

 

“So they basically hold an entire defense line across this big highway that crosses the state?” 

 

“Pretty much, yes.” Tarik said pointing out. “As you can see, they’re stretched out, with having presence within cities and towns alongside Interstate 10.”

 

“Which are?”

 

“El Paso, Fabens, Fort Hancock, Sierra Blanca,” Tarik named them all, “Van Horn, Kent, Balmorhea, Fort Stockton, Ozona, Sonora, Junction to outside San Antonio.”

 

“Outside San Antonio?” One of the Texan Militia leaders asked. “Isn’t it fully captured?”

 

“The National Guard is holding out there, driving distance away. But I’m not finished.” Tarik continued. “Then from there they hold Seguin to Schulenburg. But they couldn’t capture Columbus, so the Zygs have driven southwards and captured Angleton, so…”

 

“They need to go through Hurriya.” Nathan figured it out as he noticed it. “They want to drive through the south into Houston.”

 

“It means they’re stretched thin.” One of the Mexican volunteers silently cheered. “This is golden.”

 

“Yeah, but so are we. We’re stretched out too.” Tarik reminded them with caution. “But the terrain favors the defenders, that is why we have a salient around San Antonio and we’re holding out still here.”

 

“So what now?” 

 

Tarik folded the map and laid out the plan. “We’ll leave early in the morning, we’ve got to debrief this info as soon as possible.” He puts the map into his shirt. “With luck we can perhaps start an offensive soon. So tell everyone to sleep now, they're gonna need it.”

 

“What about the prisoners?” Nathan brought up. “Any plans for them?”

 

“What about them?”

 

“Do we kill them or what?”

 

The question fell silent as it caught the four men around the fire off guard, with it being Tarik who responded.

 

“Listen here….”

A few meters away from the main camp where another campfire was seen, was only one Partisan, who happened to be tasked: guarding the prisoners.

 

The few Zygerrian prisoners of war were seen, either on their knees or laying on the dry ground, their hands tied behind their back, with their eyes blindfolded, as they all were connected to one another. No chances were taken for fear that these men would try to escape detention.

 

Naruto stood guard over them, having volunteered to be on the first watch, feeling that it would be for the best. He took a bite out of the bread he’d collected, quite hungry as he watched at these POWs with little to no care, having positioned a few of his Shadow Clones in the trees for overwatch, keeping a close eye on all of the prisoners.

 

‘So you decided to be the barrier.’

 

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

 

‘Don’t fool me, kid. You know those humans would want to have some alone time with these prisoners.’

 

Naruto stopped eating and then swallowed the food before he then responded internally.

 

‘I got orders.’

 

“Naruto.”

 

Hearing his name, Naruto turned and relaxed upon seeing Tarik and Nathan walking up to him.

 

“Hey guys.”

 

“Hey kid. Are you doing alright?” Tarik asked as he kneeled next to the youngster. “Your shift is over, Nathan here will take it over.”

 

Naruto nodded. “I appreciate that, but I don’t mind keeping an eye here.” He turned to Nathan and asked. “Are you okay with me staying here?”

 

“I don’t mind.” 

 

*SHINK!*

 

Nathan drew his cleaver and a sharpening stick as he sat near the campfire, honing the edge while glaring at the prisoners menacingly.

 

“I don’t mind watching these people at all…”

 

Seeing that caused Naruto to regard his commander Tarik. “What’ll happen to the prisoners?”

 

“They’ll be transferred to MP once we get back to Hurriya. Some are waiting.” Tarik informed him, reaching for a canteen full of water. “We’ll meet them there in the early morning. Also while debriefing the info we obtained.”

 

*SMACK!*

 

That was Nathan smacking his bare hand against his own neck, as he had a dead bug he just killed.

 

“Hopefully the brass get to use that info fast - because fuck me if I got to stay around in this place for another month.”

 

“Be glad we ain’t in Louisiana. The swamps there in the summer are worse.” Tarik reminded him before he turned to Naruto. “Listen, I need to know, have you heard anything from Tayuya? Or anyone for that matter?”

 

“No, sorry.” Naruto shook his head at that question. “I have had no contact with anyone else for almost a year.”

 

“It's true.” Nathan responded, putting his two cents in. “Except for Tayuya and that furball Chewbacca. I haven’t seen anyone from Ölüm.”

 

“So we’re all that’s left for the moment?” Tarik asked around. “Nobody heard anything from the others outside?”

 

Naruto and Nathan both shook heads, confirming the current state of what was most likely the case - where many if not most of the Ölüm veterans were not from Earth, had not responded to the call for help. This left perhaps only a fraction of the group that was known to be fighting.

 

“That means around a possible five hundred to a thousand active fighters across the world. If they aren’t killed already.” Nathan sighed at mentioning that. “If they all were fighting, of course. We’re spread thin across the planet.”

 

“You were caught off guard.”

 

The fourth voice to join in was in fact Jango, who appeared from the darkness after having finished a patrol alongside the wetlands as he joined the campfire. 

 

“Don’t go taking all the credit,” Jango said as he sat down on a branch. “The Zygerrians took everyone by surprise, but you Earthlings managed to surprise everyone in the Galaxy when you stood up to them; and with low-tier gear, to boot.”

 

“And yet barely any help of our own.” Nathan muttered as he kept working on his chopper. “We’ve gone through so much on that hellhole Kessel, yet only a handful showed up.”

 

Tarik turned to regard both Naruto and Jango, both of them among the first to come to Earth’s aid, even when it wasn’t asked. “Why did you two come here, anyway? You could’ve just stayed out of it.”

 

Jango responded. “Ask the kid, I just tagged along.” 

 

Tarik and Nathan turned their eyes to Naruto, no mind spared for the face-covered prisoners who were all sleeping. “Why?”

 

Naruto just didn’t give a thought about it and said. “I don’t abandon my friends - that’s all.”

 

“That’s it?” Nathan asked, baffled by that answer. “You came here for that?”

 

“I do not intend to break a promise I made to friends,” Naruto replied. “I’m an Uzumaki, and Uzumakis don’t break promises. So yeah, that’s it.”

 

…

 

Then a shared amount of laughter could be heard coming from Nathan and Tarik who were unable to hold it and smiled at the young blond.

 

“I’ll give you this, Naruto, you’re loyal.” Nathan complimented. “Dumb as hell, but just as loyal.” 

 

“Yeah, couldn’t have a better comrade.” Tarik agreed and pointed. “Tell you what, if Idel and I are getting married, I might consider you as my best man.”

 

Naruto shrugged as he scratched his head. “Man, thanks.”

 

“You’re going to get married, you say?” Jango asked with a chuckle. “And just a few months ago you ended a civil war. And who’s this Idel?”

 

“Our Jewish doctor and the thief of Tarik’s heart.” Nathan smiled at that. “They were planned on it for a few months, until Tarik had to go and help his folks in Urzikstan when the US started pulling out.” 

 

“Where is she now?” Naruto asked. “I mean Idel.”

 

“DC, working as a doctor in a refugee camp.” Tarik said, taking a swig from his canteen, “Last time I talked with her was when another camp was set up for about 100, 000 people, but this was just before another push by the Zygs, causing a massive influx of Virginians and Marylanders to flee there.” 

 

“The fighting up north’s still calm?”  Naruto asked. “I wonder how bad things are up there.”

Washington DC

 

In the US capital, the war itself was getting close, having already been hit multiple times either from the air or by missiles - but it was still not occupied, and far away from the frontline.

 

Yet the first refugees of internally displaced Americans who fled from the war, mainly Marylanders and Virginians who were forced to flee their homes after the Zygerrian invaders secured the coastal regions and caused millions to flee to the capital.

 

“Everyone! Stay calm!” One US National Guard officer spoke over the megaphone. “Stay in line and be patient!” 

 

Part of the massive effort of evacuating the hundreds of thousands of civilian refugees, convoys of hundreds of buses were prepared and ready to leave the city. As the US Armed Forces now had made a clear presence within the city and its metropolitan area.  The sick and elderly were the priority, but there were women and children crying as they said goodbyes to their husbands on what was the National Mall. Among them were members of the Galactic Republic who were observing these efforts of evacuation. Watching from the steps, one Riyo Chuchi was astonished.

 

“Where are they going?” 

 

“They’re being evacuated, of course.” Organa said, watching with his arms closed as he informed. “The President ordered an all-out evacuation and enacted the draft just a few hours ago.”

 

“The draft?” Riyo asked, realizing what that meant. “You mean…”

 

“Every male and female of age is going to be conscripted into military service,” confirmed Jiraiya, “Defenses around the city are being set up, and civilians being evacuated away through the corridors, using the highways.”

 

*FWOOOOOSH!*

 

The sound of jets flying in formation could be seen in the skies of DC. Senators could feel the wave as loud clapping and cheering from a populace that had regained hope.

 

Padme watched the jets performing their maneuvers. “What are those?” 

 

“F-16’s.”

 

The senators turned around to find that the speaker was a dark-skinned man wearing a dark gray BDU, and a harness with ammo pouches and a ballistic vest. Alongside an advanced helmet with goggles and standard military boots, he was armed with an FN SCAR-H slung around his shoulder.

 

Mesmerized by the precision and coordination of the pilots, Padme could not help but wonder how Anakin would have felt to be in those cockpits. “Where did they come from?”

 

“Philadelphia, Ma’am. They just finished cleaning up an enemy camp down Wharton, so they’ll be heading back to base after this drill,” The dark-skinned man approached and extended his hand. “Sgt Foley, First Battalion, 75th Rangers. You must be the Senators from the Republic.”

 

“Correct.” Jiraiya nodded and shook his head. “What is it that you came here for, Sergeant?” 

 

“To escort you, sir.” Foley spoke. “You’ve been summoned by my commanding officer.”

 

Organa turned to the others and suggested. “Let’s go, shall we?”

 

The other two female senators nodded in agreement. 

 

“Alright, let’s go then.” Foley then turned to his men. “Dunn, Ramirez, start the engines.” 

 

Jiraiya turned his head around and asked. “Master Kenobi, do you mind joining us?”

 

Foley turned also. “There’s room enough.”

 

Obi Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin, both walking away from the statue of Abraham Lincoln.

 

“Don’t mind us.” Obi Wan said politely to them. “We’ll just stay here. It’s not everyday you explore a nation’s history.”

 

“Yeah…” Anakin stated, as he stared at the statue.

 

“Let’s go then.”

 

The senators followed the Sgt as they proceeded. Laying the focus on the National Mall where a new convoy of trucks had just arrived.

 

And some problems were brewing.

…

 

“I say remove those masks!”

 

“Go fuck yourself, bitch!”

 

There in the middle of the National Mall, things really got worse, as a group of National Guard soldiers alongside some DC police officers were in a heated confrontation with a group of recent arrivals who appear to be volunteers with different types of weapons, which included blasters and even rocket launchers.

 

“Bint al kalb!”

 

“Speak English to me!” The National Guard soldier commanded, as he faced off the group of armed civilians. “I say again, I order you to remove those bags, those masks, and show ID, or I’m arresting you-”

 

“For what?!” One of the men responded, showing himself to be Ibrahim Rida, rather angered as he was seen wearing tactical gear with a keffiyeh scarf around him while carrying an AK. “Give me a specific reason! For what?”

 

“You’re not helping here, sir.” 

 

“Then stop stalling and let us get to Texas! Our commander is there!” One of the Ölüm fighters shouted in anger. Getting some approval from other members of the arrivals. 

 

“You’re not going anywhere!” One of the DC cops roared with authority as he confronted Ibrahim directly. “Tell your band of hoodlums to back off and comply!”

 

“Hoodlums? Really, you call us that!?” One of the balaclava-wearing Arab members of Ölüm demanded in anger and returned. “We came here to help our commander, and you dare call us nothing but criminals?”

 

“Listen, he didn’t mean that.” One of the calmer DC officers tried to say. “We just need to know who you are and verify why you are here.”

 

“We’re members of the Ölüm Partisans - we’re here on good terms.” Yasser inserted himself, the old man tried to calm things with the police. “Our commander is Tarik Karim, he’s in Hurriya, and we’ve just been told to assemble here.”

 

“Wait, you say Ölüm?”

 

“Yes, we are!”

 

“SILENCE!” Yasser shut the guy down before turning back to the officer. “Yes, and we were told to be here, that we need to go to Texas.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you-”

 

“Then give us someone who can help!”

 

The squabble continued between the two groups, but it was when one of the grunts of the National Guard happened to comment and say something about the appearance of the members.

 

“Do we really need the help of a bunch of god-damn raghead terrorists?”

 

“What did you say?” The Ölüm volunteer wearing the balaclava overheard it and confronted the commenting grunt. “I heard that! I dare you say that again!”

 

The nearby civilians were taking a step back as they were fearing for the worst, as some even within the crowd were seen pulling up their cellphones to record the debacle.

 

“Stand back-”

 

“Don’t tell me to stand back, punk!” Balaclava looked furious as he went on. “You dare call me a terrorist. I dare you look in the fucking mirror!”

 

“What, because I’m-”

 

“And before you say your ski mask, no you dumb fuck, because you’re an American!” Balaclava spat, pointing at his uniform and added in anger. “Tell me, how can I be the terrorist when you bastards kept bombing my homeland? You bastards have been destroying my home for years and I fought you with tooth and nail, HOW AM I THE TERRORIST!?”

 

“I said BACK OFF!” The grunt shouted into the man’s face and pushed him away. “NOW!”

 

“Fuck you!”

 

*PUNCH!*

 

The grunt was punch in the face by Balaclava, who then got bunched up by a few other soldiers who tried to arrest him, causing then the other Ölüm members to come to his defense as the squabble only turned for the worst - with pushing and shouting becoming louder and accusations being heard.

 

“WHAT IN FUCK'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE!”

 

The very crass voice shouted, freezing everyone in place. All eyes were quickly drawn to Marine Sgt Griggs, and his Ölüm counterpart Tayuya, with Chewbacca following closely behind.

 

“Break off, Now!” Tayuya ordered her men around as told her men off. “I’m not having this bullshit! Go back to camp and wait there until I say otherwise! NOW MOVE!”

 

“But-”

 

“You, wait till I get back.” Tayuya warned, not at all in the mood for Balaclava’s tirade, “Chewie, keep an eye on him.”

 

Chewie growled at the Ölüm volunteers, walking alongside Ibrahim to the designated spot.

 

“Officer, take your men back.” Sgt Griggs told the gathering of U.S. armed forces, “They’re under my supervision, and so they’re friendlies. So back off.”

 

“Sergeant, with all due respect, but one of them threw a punch-”

 

“Think this is a discussion, Private? Get a move on before I make you!” Griggs made it clear as he added. “And don’t think I’ve heard what you said about that man, we’re all in this fight, so there is no need for that kinda talk. Move it!”

 

The grunt saluted as he and his team moved on as Sgt Griggs then turned to the DC officers and Tayuya, who was still accompanied by Yasser.

 

“Let’s be adults here for a moment.”

 

“Irony of the fucking Century.”

 

…

 

Meanwhile, a few miles away, a row of medical tents were present that were set up close to Union Station as they were primarily made for the purpose to help the wounded.

 

They came from every active front: Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the wounded from the recently occupied Delaware. With all these wounded servicemen being brought to DC before then being sent for treatment to either as close as Pittsburgh for minor injuries, or if they were more serious than they’d be transferred to the Midwest, as far as either Columbus or Detroit.

 

One of those doctors who was busy making those decisions was Idel Laskov. An experienced doctor, and a survivor of Ölüm who had been in the shadows of the whole ordeal. She hoped to not attract any attention - she just wanted a normal life. Or to whatever normalcy she could get - but even that failed when the war started.

 

“Another patient.” One of the nurses brought in a barely conscious Marine who’s left leg was covered in bandages that had a red stain in it. “Shrapnel from an ammo depot explosion.”

 

“Lemme see.”

 

Idel proceeded to remove the bandages with help from the nurse and found that the damage was far worse than just shrapnel; she could see burns, along with a few fractures on his arms and legs. The only good news thus far was that the shrapnel had missed any serious vital organs.

 

“Columbus for you, soldier.” Idel said writing the report and putting it on the man’s chest. “I cannot do anything for you here now. War’s over for you.”

 

The marine groaned as the nurse nodded to her words and brought her outside, ready for evacuation. As already designated transport was ready for them on a daily basis.

 

As she was getting ready for the next patient, Idel happened to then overhear a few soldiers in the waiting room talk about the latest update on the war.

 

“So we're still holding in Philly, right?” One with a thick southern accent asked. “From how far?”

 

“They cleaned up Wharton State Forest, for now at least. But I also heard from my Lt. they held the Zygs back at Trenton, but for how long I cannot say.”

 

“Things don’t look good in Virginia, though.” One corporal of Hispanic origin, seen having bandages across his right eye stated. “Bastards took Norfolk and are trying to get to Williamsburg.” 

 

“Fuck that's just a straight shot up 95 to us.” Another soldier mentioned. “If they take Richmond, roads open.”

 

“You think they’ll try a Pincer movement?” One drafter recruit dared ask. “I mean, if they come from both Richmond and Baltimore, DC will be at risk of encirclement.”

 

Not wanting to hear this, Idel closed the shroud and went on to work on her expertise. Trying to save lives.

Earth Orbit

 

While the night had taken over the Western Hemisphere of Earth, lights dotted large swathes of the planet were still present wherever they were, day or night.

 

Orbiting Earth was a Providence-class Dreadnought, one that was bought by the Royal Military of Zygerria. As it was accompanied by half a dozen of Recusant-class light destroyers and Munificent-class star frigates. Its deck oversaw the Western Hemisphere with the leader of the whole invasion, Fleet Admiral Sirem Trantos, was watching parts of the planet left in the darkness as the reports behind him were being debriefed to him.

 

“Currently our forces in the African continent have fully occupied the capital of South Africa, and are making inroads, but resistance of the local populace is to be expected. So is Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and parts of the Central African nations.  Our attempts to tap into the resources of the Congo have proven to be fruitless…”

 

“So not much progress in that forsaken continent….”

 

“...No sir.” The officer debriefing him stated but added. “We have, however, managed to make viable progress in Asia, particularly in China. Multiple Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong, and even the island of Taiwan have proven to be very troublesome, though I imagine that continued orbital bombardment on the Chinese should be effective. But given China’s long history of fighting defensive wars, and how good they are at it…”

 

“Alright, as expected.” The admiral huffed in frustration, “What about the Indian front?”

 

“From there, we barely see any progress. Same here, heavier resistance, better coordination than expected. We didn’t think India, Pakistan and Bangladesh would band together given their recent history.” The officer told him with quiet astonishment. “And their combined effort managed to keep us out of the Indian coast, but we do have a presence in Karachi, and taken Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, but with the army having retreated to the countryside - but the island of Sri Lanka is still under occupation.”

 

“The so-called ‘Pacific’, what’s their status?”

 

“Except for Japan and Australia, who are still showing heavy resistance - most of the islands are kept under better control.” The officer stated. “...But resistance activity in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and New Zealand. Even the occupied Korean Peninsula is showing increased partisan activity.”

 

“And we’ve just scaled up our efforts to put down that type of resistance in the Middle East and the Caucasus…” The Admiral squinted his eyes with a shaking head in his hand. “What about Europe?”

 

The officer looked at him. “Do I even have to mention, admiral?”

 

“No foothold there?”

 

“Nothing’s changed since Sicily, sir.” The officer remarked. “Even when we cut through Turkey and have parts of Ukraine occupied - most of Europe’s armies are showing resistance even when we hit their critical infrastructure. Their Air Force is just equal to our star fighters.”

 

The Admiral looked out to the ship having arrived over the landmass that was Russia.

 

“What about the two main targets? Russia and the United States?”

 

“Russia, despite its lacking military, is shown to be fighting even with a bloodied nose. With large parts of the western part of the country and southern parts occupied - they refuse to give in. Even resorting to Scorched Earth tactics that leave their own citizens in a bad situation, and it seems that they are more than comfortable with hiding their civilians in Siberia for the duration. It should be more than obvious that they are not giving up…”

 

“And neither are the Americans…”

 

The person who said that just walked past was Prime Minister Atai Molec, the political head of  the Zygerrian Monarchy, having come on behalf of the Queen to oversee the progress of the war. And he was not showing any negative or even disappointed feelings; instead, he was impressed, smiling and to some level even admired this. Even when the casualties were in the tens of millions, if not a hundred at this point.

 

“As for the Americas, pretty much the same from the south to Mexico,” Molec stated as he admired the planet. “If it isn’t the Army fighting, then it is armed resistance - from the Amazon Rainforest to the mountains of Mexico. They all are putting up a fight for sure. It's admirable.”

 

“Admirable?” The officer however was less pleased on hearing this. “ Prime Minister, with all due respect. This invasion is a drain on our economy and man force. Daily men of ours dying in either direct combat or ambushes. These primitive savages are playing dirty and they are not showing to slow down for anything.”

 

“True, but such is the nature of war.” Molec stated, with a smug grin. “And everything is fair in this war…prepare the missiles.”

 

The mention of the missiles alone, caused an outraged Admiral Trantos to look at him as if he’d sprouted a second, fire-breathing head. “Sir, are you sure? This might cause an effect we cannot undo.”

 

“No need to worry,” Molec sneered, “This is all planned….now commence the next phase, and start the new offensive.”

 

…

 

As the ships started to make distance from Earth, it was the Providence-class Dreadnought that moved into position - much like how their initial orbital attacks on Earth had disabled any nuclear weapons the planet possessed, they now were preparing for a second orbital strike.

 

It didn’t take long for dozens of missiles to be launched from the flagship - with each of them speeding off to different directions for their designated targets. 

 

Once those rockets hit Earth, the entire Galaxy would wake in shock and awe.

 

Texas

In the middle of the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Naruto was seen meditating, instead of sleeping, having laid in a perfect position that got his comrades-in-arms to think he might be a monk of some sorts. Even when small animals like birds and lizards were seen coming towards him or even landing on his head, the presence of these animals alone didn’t seem to bother him.

 

The small spectating crowd from a distance kept watching at the young man, some even commenting.

 

“Well, you don’t see that every day.”

 

‘!’

 

Then Naruto’s eyes widened open, and he suddenly felt a little dizzy when he looked around as the animals that approached him began to scatter. 

 

‘.... Something happened…Kurama.’

 

‘I felt that too, kid…. It's like….millions of screams….dying.’

 

“Naruto, are you doing alright?” Tarik asked as he tried to approach him. “Maybe you-”

 

“COMMANDER!”

 

Running through the forest came the comms guy who was supposed to be in his position. 

 

“Soldier, why aren’t you-”

 

“Read this!” The volunteer gave a piece of paper with a trembling hand. “You won’t believe this….”

 

Grabbing the document, Tarik unfolded it and read it: his eyes widened in shock.

 

Jango then walked over and read it, and quickly understood why Tarik froze. He took the initiative and barked orders. “Alright everyone, change of plans! We’re leaving now! Go! Go! Go!”

 

The group immediately took off and grabbed their gear. For Jango to have to take initiative and give out orders, it had to be bad…instead of wasting time, they armed up and readied themselves to mount up.

 

But one man was too curious enough to ask. “What happened?”

 

“You do not want to know.” Tarik snapped out as he crumpled the document. “Let's go, people!” 

 

Naruto on the other hand was still in his meditation position, and inertly noted.

 

‘I think this war turned for the worst.’

Chapter 18: Flames of Resistance

Coruscant

 

Night

In Coruscant, the perceived ancestral home planet where the human species originated from. Where now over a trillion people from across the Galaxy now lived, and where even the air was different from where you lived.

 

The surface was populated by the ultra-wealthy, those who could afford to breathe fresh air. Just beneath that lay the infamous Coruscant Underground.

 

It was home to both the normal citizenry but also to those who were not natives, from criminal scum, to bounty hunters and mercenaries, none of whom had any fear of the authorities above. Even political dissidents from across the galaxy had found places down there to hide. It was also home for many of those who left their homes for reasons that weren’t disclosed for personal reasons.

 

Sabine, who found herself leaning against a bar counter, could readily count herself as all three.

 

Sitting in a bar by herself that was now mainly empty due to the hour of the day. It was a hotspot for people like her, those that took on jobs that the more 'civilized' folks would frown upon. Sabine had, of course, enjoyed wild success, right up until her career ended abruptly.

 

With her helmet off, the Wren girl had it laid on the counter next to her drink, it was an non–alcoholic drink of course, but she barely even laid a finger on that glass as she was staring at the holographic screen that was showing one of the many sports games that were live. 

 

“You sure you wanted the drink?” The bartender, an Ithorian asked as he was about to grab her untouched drink. “If you don’t need it, I can clean it up.”

 

“No, thanks, I’ll just wait until the ice melts.” Sabine said, holding her glass as she looked into it for a brief moment before turning back to the screen and asking. “Mind turning back to the 

HoloNet Network?”

 

“Sure, nothing’s on anyway.” The bartender said grabbing the remote and going through channels. “But honestly, why would you want to watch it, they only talk about the war.”

 

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been following it.”

 

The hologram screen turned from all the available sporting channels, to the live feed of the depressing sight that was the unending news cycle of pictures showing the War on Earth. With every HoloNet reporter seen talking; words passing by with the latest updates, and then the footage of destroyed homes and battlefields. With some headlines catching her attention reading:

 

‘Texas Front stabilized. US Forces recapture San Antonio.’

 

‘European, African and Asian bombardments continue, so is their defiance.’

 

‘Zygerrian supply lines shiver: another convoy attacked above Mexico.’

 

‘United in incompetence: Galactic Republic and CIS, unable to agree on aid.’

 

A chuckle escaped Sabine’s lips after reading that last part, not caring if this was an tone death attempt or somebody working for the network making some statement. This was undoubtedly a small truth. While the slaughter continues, the galaxy watches.

 

All striving for a better galaxy…while one planet is set ablaze.

 

It was then that a pair of legs was seen entering the bar and they were walking over to the counter, and the person happened to lean against it right next to Sabine’s side.

 

“Can I get a cold one? Same as her.” 

 

“Of course.” The bartender turned around and grabbed a glass and filled it. “Credits or-”

 

“Just credits, and I’ll pay for her drink too.”

 

Sabine didn’t even bother to turn away from the screen as she listened to the conversation, hearing even a few credits being dropped on the counter.

 

“Alright, that’s enough. I’ll be in the back.” The bartender said as he left the two customers for a short while.

 

As he left the two customers to be by themselves, it didn’t take long before the newly entered customer to try to start a conversation.

 

“You’re a hard girl to find, Sabine Wren.”

 

“Maybe you need to clean those vizers in your helmet, Bo-Katan Kryze.”

 

The person Sabine was talking to was another woman, who like her was seen in her blue-and-white Mandalorian armor that was were the colors of the Nite Owls, a group of which Sabine was all too familiar with as it was the one her mother was affiliated with….and had brought into.

 

The orange-haired young adult leaned against the counter and tried to speak to the daughter of her mentor, with kinder words…

 

“Everyone has been looking for you, Sabine…”

 

Touching her own hair that was dyed dark blue with light blue tips, Sabine took a moment before she replied in her casual tone.

 

“Well you found me now, here on Coruscant.” She said without looking up. “I’ve been wondering around lately, that’s all.”

 

….

 

“How did you find me?” Sabine asked right up. “I made sure to stay off the grid…”

 

“Ketsu Onyo.”

 

That ringed bells to Sabine’s ears, a name she hasn’t heard in years.

 

“We crossed paths and she told me this was one of the few spots you would come…” Bo-Katan said swirling her drink with her finger for a bit. “... We didn’t know if it was true, so we had someone to overlook this place. Or to be exact, two.”

 

“Who?- Huh!” 

 

Sabine was startled as she felt someone grab her from behind. Before she could react, she was picked up and hugged tightly yet somehow she was able to recognize the feelings of protection she got from the way she was hugged. With the way the back of her head squished against something soft, and the way her feet dangled off the ground, she was now certain that the person who hugged her was-

 

“Missed you way too much, Sabine!”

 

“Rahab?” Sabine turned her head upwards in surprise. “Is that you?”

 

Facing a woman with short but full brown hair that covered her eyes but didn’t hide the white tooth smile, she was a abnormally 7 feet tall but beautiful woman who the young Wren got to know as Rahab. 

“Well look at you, you’ve colored your hair again?” Rahab said curling her finger around Sabine’s dyed hair and made a sly remark. “And I can see your body changed to…hmmmm.”

 

Sabine couldn’t help but blush as she begged. “Please stop, and please put me down!”

 

“Alright, Rahab, enough.” A fourth voice said entering the bar. “Put her down.”

 

“Alright, alright.” Rahab chuckled as she released her grip. “But it's good to see you’re doing good, sis.”

“Yeah, it's good to see you too.” Sabine smiled at the large tomboy before she then turned towards the other woman in the room who just entered. “Koska.”

 

The lighter skinned woman with cross-braid hairstyle was Koska Reeves, another member of the Nite Owls and a loyal follower of Clan Kryze, who had been involved in Sabine’s training. 

 

“It's been a while, Sabine.” Koska smiled at her apprentice. 

 

Sabine smiled back. “… Yeah, it's been a while.”

 

As the reunion continued on with much-needed words that were going to be exchanged, something was happening on the holographic screen. Where the following title was shown.

 

DC

 

Earth

 

United States of America

 

Washington DC

 

Washington D.C, the capital of the United States of America. A city where the most powerful country of the planet Earth had nearly a million citizens living in it. But now it was a mere number. With the US capital having been now the center of the most intense fighting it had never seen.

 

Surrounded by three sides, the Zygerrians had launched a major offensive that had cut off the bulk of the US Armed Forces from the capital city with an overwhelming amount of ground artillery and air support that bombardment them with enemy ground forces being sent in right afterwards.

 

It was a bloody battle that the US garrisons had experienced, with the evacuations having ramped up alongside the defensive lines that were breaking down - with the extra pressure of both Richmond and Baltimore having been overrun, leaving an open road that basically allowed the invading forces to encircle the US Capital, forcing an unwanted order but necessary order: 

 

To retreat.

 

By this Zygerrians had tasted a long - wanted victory that pushed the Americans out of their own capital. Up to Pittsburgh and West Virginia, an morale boost they needed.

 

But that taste of victory soon turned into a horrible realization. They realized that despite the country's capital being captured, the country was no where close to being defeated, the military was far from beaten or throwing the towel in. The Zygerrians were beginning to realize if they wanted this country defeated they needed to think of something else…

 

DC, for all their efforts in taking it and hoping to have dealt a blow to US morale, had only resulted in another headache for the Zygerrian forces, as it had no undamaged buildings anymore that were touched by the war alongside its residents, many of those who stayed or were left behind, now were homeless with the basics of their town even being nonexistent. With power, food and even clean water having turned scarce.

 

Almost the entire city had been affected by the war to a different degree, except for few districts of the government, the embassies and the historical buildings that were mostly spared…for propaganda purposes that Zygerrian Slavers used to taunt their victory.

 

But there were also areas like the campus of George Washington University, and the Georgetown distract as a whole, that were now designated safe zone by both the CIS and Galactic Republic, housing over three hundred thousand.

 

It was primarily populated with local residents who couldn't be evacuated, with diaspora communities from outer-space and numerous of journalists. All of them were protected, both by shields, and diplomatically. As nobody from the warring parties was forbidden to enter on any intent.

 

Especially those who resided in the military fort Camp Miraj. The main Command Post where the current leadership of the Zygerrian Forces were stationed. Touching the Potomac River and nearby the National Mall, this was also a centralized position for the slavers to maintain control over the capital.

 

Having to build a base close to a river of course meant they had to bring in landing platforms and other materials against the environmental threat of flooding, this base was also with many barriers and high walls alongside anti-aircraft cannons and sensor sites, also a port that was being build at the moment for resupplying and transferring troops.

 

(No picture in FFN, but it is the Tidal Basin Stronghold of Division 2.)

 

Seen flying towards one of those ports was a Punworcca 116-class interstellar sloop, with its sails back into its compartment as it was being escorted by a pair of Zygerrian HH-87 Starhopper fighters that were accompanied by a group of Mark I Vulture Droid star fighters.

 

The same droids that were sold by the organization’s representative who was inside the sloop ship. With that representative being no one other than Count Dooku himself, seen staring at the largely damaged city. This sight was not something that Dooku particularly enjoyed. 

 

Not for the reasons that were humanitarian of some sorts. But because it was starting to grow the sentiments that could very well halt the very plan he and Master were fostering for in the future.

 

“Let’s hope diplomacy work for this occasion.” Dooku spoke to himself silently, just then when the comms started speaking.

 

‘Count Dooku, we have been expecting your arrival. You are cleared to land.’

 

Dooku heard that and his piloting droid responded in confirmation as the ship started to course itself towards the landing platform.

From the Waterfront, the sloop ship itself was spotted miles away by onlookers, specifically a pair of binoculars observing the fortified base. They stood on the abandoned wharf as they had a good look at the fort.

 

The spotter began. “I got eyes on the target. Multiple ships, three vultures, two hoppers and one lone ship.”

 

“Affirmative, can you ID it?”

 

“Negative, never seen it before, but it got an escort.” The spotter took the binoculars off and asked. “Should we call it off?”

 

…

 

“Hell no.” The officer next to the spotter shook his head as he also removed his binoculars and ordered. “Get those mortars in position.”

 

“In position!” The spotter ordered behind him silently. “Get those mortars in position.”

 

Then out of the darkness came men, Marines, carrying what appeared to be a long black tubes with a small tripod that came separately. Behind them, two marines carried ammo as they set it up on the ground. 

 

“Set them up.”

 

They adjusted the angle and charges needed for the mortars, placing them correctly in a fast pace, finishing in a mere minute.

 

“We’re ready, sir.”

 

“Target, West Potomac Park. several clicks. The base.” 

 

“Got the coordinates.”

 

*Click!*

 

“Remembered them.”

 

*Click!*

 

“Payback time…”

 

*Click!*

 

With the last of the M252 mortars having been readied up by the Marines, they now were being aimed at the fort in the park, with the ammo boxes having been already opened.

 

Grabbing out those 81 MM rounds, they were high explosives that only weight around 10lbs, they were good enough to cause enough damage on where they could land.

 

“On my signal…”

Camp Miraj

 

Once landed it didn’t take long for a escort of guards to be seen surrounding the Count as he walked through the fortified base as he was being brought to the people he intended to meet. 

 

While passing through the many barracks that were housing many of the Zygerrians, Dooku’s eyes could also spot a few other different species, most likely volunteers or mercenaries who didn’t come cheap.

 

Amongst the most common group he could see were the bug-like but strong Geonosians, many of whom were seen sleeping in their own reserved building while others were seen recalibration their unique blaster rifles. 

 

To the Count’s understanding, they were mainly used for air cover and assaults from the air, plus patrolling, as they were remarkable good fighters they however were forced to be living next to a group that only then a few meters away:

 

Weequay, the race that was mainly known for its large pirate groups that terrorized the travel lanes throughout the galaxy, they now were here seen drinking in their own barracks away their valuables they looted across wherever they went. As they were not of the same quality like their Geonosian counterparts, and were instead given the task of occupying and keeping ‘order’ of the surrounding area, often turning a blind eye to their despicable crimes.

 

And lastly was a group that Dooku himself was surprised to notice their presence: Mandalorians.

 

As they were easily identifiable by their armor, the warriors from Mandalore being in their own barracks while not paying attention to anyone else was nothing new. Neither was it for some of them of being mercenaries as he himself had hired one in particular for his plans…

 

Yet, he saw a few dozen of them, all in the same pattern with an very noticeable emblem painted on their armor that he recognized.

 

They were Death Watch.

 

“Count Dooku.”

 

The Serenno former Jedi turned his attention to the voice, and he was there approached an escort of the Zygerrian Royal Guard that were protecting the Prime Minister, Atai Molec. Who came on behalf of the Queen to inspect the state of the war.

 

“Prime Minister Molec.” Dooku bowed his head to him in a proper manner. “I honestly wish to have met you in better circumstances.”

 

“Ah, of course, Count.” Minister Molec stated as he smiled at him. “I’ve been warned by her Majesty about your reason for visiting here. And that they are solely diplomatic in a sense, correct?”

 

The Count did not hesitate and spoke. “Indeed, this war is troubling to see from across the Galaxy. The Confederacy especially is bothered by the duration of this conflict.”

 

“I see….” Molec agreed, with then a question of himself. “I assume this is about the weaponry that some of your planets provided to us…and not much for the same reasons of what your Parliament have been voicing?” 

 

…

 

“I won’t ignore the fact that the weapons purchases also contribute to my reason for being here.” Dooku went straight to the point. “This war needs to end.”

 

“Then allow me to show you what we have accomplished.” Molec said extending his hand. “I am eager to see what we’ve managed to do - my men already prepared our transportation.”

Dooku looked back to the entrance and to his astonishment, he indeed saw already several ground ships prepared, including a few types of speeders that were bought from the Separatists, including even a pair of Flitknot speeders, Geonosian ones to be exact.

 

“Very well then.” 

…

 

Once having entered one of those speeders, the Prime Minister Molec joined him as they were given the escort of a few dozen Zygerrians soldiers on speeders.

 

“Open the gates!” 

 

Slowly the main gates were sliding open as it allowed then the convoy of speeders to pass through and waste no time to drive forwards in formation, with the Count and Prime Minister up front with several Geonosian warriors up front, leading them.

 

“Are you certain it will be safe to travel outside this base?”

 

Molec only smiled and pointed his finger upwards - seeing already a squad of Death Watch flying over them with their jetpacks.

 

“There is no need to worry, Count. They will provide excellent security for us - I should know because I pay for their services. ” Molec stated with a laugh before he ordered. “Let’s go!”

 

The speeders drove out with the soldiers outside in the trenches and checkpoint seen stepping aside to allow the column to speed past.

 

Met with what was a whole row of complex-looking trenches seen outside the fort, Dooku saw also many abandoned and destroyed military equipment that ranged from parts of downed ships to burned down tanks and wheeled-trucks that were barely left in their previous forms.

 

“To Capitol Hill!”

 

The column made its pace and started flying speed eastwards, leaving the camp as its gates started to close with the low-ranked guards outside looking less worried now that their superiors had left.

 

Not knowing however they were being observed from a distance….

Meanwhile

 

Georgetown

“Everybody stay calm and get in line!” A uniformed police officer ordered with a megaphone into his hand, standing over an burned down car.

 

Overwatching an large line of nearly a thousand people seen waiting for food, with some more impatient than others and full bowls of prepared meals were seen floating above one another as they were being distributed by volunteers.

 

The food together with a bottle of water was the norm three times a day. For morning, noon and evening, enough for the over three hundred thousand refugees who have fled to this designated area where no bombs or gunfire could penetrate.

 

The blue ray shields that were provided by Naboo alone made the situation inside the zone safer as past missile and cannon fire had been stopped by it, with the additional security measures that were taken by the staff of the diplomats from both the CIS and the Galactic Republic who joined in the security alongside the remnants of the local police.

 

But often, there could be a troublemaker-

 

“Gimme the fucking food!”

 

“No!”

 

A fight broke out between a young man and an middle-aged mother who was seen struggling to keep the tray of food from being stolen by this young man, as the crowd was standing by and watching in fear, the woman was clearly seen losing her grip on the bread-

 

“Stop this!”

 

The young man suddenly started floating above, shocked by it so much he released the food and started freaking out.

 

“Hey, what the fuck-”

 

*SLAM!*

 

And then the youngster was facing the ground with his whole body, unable to move as he laid there while being approached by a person in a cloak.

 

“There’s a war going and you are trying to steal food?” The feminine voice was heard coming from under the cloak. “I will hold you down until the authorities arrive.”

 

“Fuck you, bitch!” The young troublemaker spat at her profanities. “She cut in line!” He got pulled up by a couple of cops who then took him away. “Fuck you all!”

 

Watching as the police were taking the culprit away, the order returned as the girl in the cloak approached the downed one and extended her hand, and helped the poor citizen upwards with her rationed food.

 

“T-Thank you.”

 

“No need to thank me.” The girl underneath the cloak nodded to her before she excused herself and walked past the woman who proceeded to return to walk. 

 

As she continued, she happened to them down her hood and reveal herself to be Hinata, walking through the busy crowds as she was making her way towards the kitchen hall, where she was expecting to meet someone.

 

…

 

In the campus grounds of Washington University it was filled with aid, boxes and volunteers who were emptying anything from medicine, food, water and any other essentials that were being prepared for the refugees.

 

“Looks like the new supplies have arrived.”

 

Also in those campus grounds stood Obi-Wan Kenobi with his padawan Anakin, who spoke his piece of mind.

 

“Yes, thanks to efforts of the Senators.”

 

As he said that, three women were seen coming out of the main campus building, with two of them being humans and one being a young Pantoran girl.  With the oldest of the three seen leading the group towards the Jedi.

 

“Master Jedi.” The oldest spoke with a bow. 

 

“Senator Bonteri, nice to see you in good health.” Obi-Wan replied to her and turned to the others. “As the same for you too, Senator Amidala, Senator Chuchi.”

 

“It is good to see you again, Obi-Wan.” Padme replied before turning with a wider smile to the other Jedi. “Anakin.”

 

“Senator Amidala.” the young Skywalker bowed his head forwards in a manner of respect and responded. “It is good to see you again, hopefully we aren’t wasting any more of your precious time.”

 

“Oh that is no problem.” Senator Bonteri said, the CIS senator from the Human world of Onderon said to make things clear. “Organa is currently working on getting new supplies brought in with the help of the University staff.”

 

“Your work as an organizer has been with great success, senator.” Obi-Wan told her with much respect intended. “Your actions alongside that of the other representatives have undoubtedly helped many.”

 

“Oh, there is no need for that kind of praise, Master Jedi. Leave that for the volunteers and locals.” Bonteri said as she turned to Republic colleagues. “But it is good to have worked with you again, Padme. You have shown to have matured very well in this line of work.”

 

“I learned from the best.” The Naboo senator only smiled back and bowed. “It's a real honor to work with you again, even in these circumstances.”

 

“Well, in normal circumstances this would be unacceptable.” Chuchi commented. “Senators from both the Republic and the Confederacy working together…”

 

It was true that from afar across the Galaxy, the news of Senators from both sides of the divided galactic communities had set aside their differences to open up the safe zone that now was housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people who were able to survive the war because of their efforts. 

 

Of course these senators were expecting a backlash as they could’ve just left the war-ridden planet by escort, but instead they stayed and continued to contribute to help bring some order to this mess.

 

“And you are not doing this for any kind of reward or recognition.” Anakin stated, voicing his own opinion on this. “You actually care…”

 

Padme smiled at this and replied. “I am glad to hear that.”

 

The small moment between the Jedi Padawan and the young senator was watched by the small group of witnesses, who at this point believe them to be good friends given they had history ever since Naboo.

 

Obi-Wan however grew over the years to have a suspicion that he clearly could see by now…

 

Then something happened - as men with cameras were seen running towards a direction that got the Jedi to be curious.

 

“Let’s see what is happening.”

 

…

And simply outside the shields in the full sight of the many civilians inside the zone, they were forced to watch the scene of speeder bikes.

 

They then took their speed off forwards as they left the view of the civilians behind the shield. Just then when Obi-Wan and Anakin made their way up front. Missing the convoy of bikes and tanks moving eastwards.

 

Anakin turned to one of the spectators. “Excuse me ma’am, but what just happened?”

 

“Those Zygerrians just passed by, with those bug-looking creatures and those flying knights.” The lady, one elderly one said. “They were going straight for the Capitol.”

 

“Anakin, look up!”

 

And the Padawan did as he and Obi-Wan watched as a couple of Mandalorian warriors were seen flying through the air as they trailed behind the convoy. 

 

“Mandalorian warriors. What are they doing here?”

 

“They are paid mercenaries.”

 

Obi-Wan turned to his right and was surprised to see it was Hinata who appeared next to him, and with the stern look on her face.

 

“Hinata?”

 

Saying nothing further, Hinata closes her eyes for the moment before then the veins around her eyes began to pop up.

 

“Byakugan.”

 

Activating her ability, the Hyuuga was focusing on the speeding convoy and she watched them go directly eastwards, confirming what was said.

 

“She’s right, Master Kenobi.” Hinata agreed. “I see the bikes going there in high speed, but I sensed something from that convoy…something powerful with the Force…”

 

Anakin happened to then turn towards his master and they both looked at one another with suspicious looks, as they also felt it.

 

Something, or rather someone was nearby that was strong with the Force.

And it was close by.

 

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Not far away, in the now abandoned zoo of DC, the aviary section where the birds were kept was filled with the green trees that allowed the animals to lay rest in.

 

But coming out of those green bushes were black rifles with sights, with their camouflaged gear, these men were wearing night goggles as they were in a team of four that were undoubtedly heavily armed and prepared. 

 

The first on up front stepped out forwards and scanned the area-

 

“Star…”

 

The word got then the group of four to then kneel into covering positions, as the leader then responded.

 

“Texas…”

 

The voice was that of Naruto, who came out of the bushes and revealed himself to the camouflage men, looking unfazed as the red dots were pointed to his chest. Wearing what looks like a different attire to that he came to this city with. Wearing now himself some light body armor, Naruto wore also some army pants with black boots alongside a leg bag that held some kunai knives, but that all was underneath the brown coat he still wore from Keelia, together with the red shawl from the villagers.

 

With his rifle slung around his shoulder, the headband wearing Naruto stared at the arrivals and proceeded to ask.

 

“Are you guys Delta Force?” 

 

“... We are.” The leading man held his hand out, making the men lower their rifles as the leader responded. “Name’s Sandman, Team Metal, the men behind me are Truck, Grinch and Frost.” 

 

“Okay then, then let’s go.” Naruto acknowledged them as he turned around and began leading. “Tell the rest in the bushes to catch up. It will be a while before we get there.”

 

As Naruto was leading the way indeed, the sound of more bushes being moved aside only then showed that indeed more men were coming out. All armed and having their eyes set on Naruto. 

 

‘I count twenty of these guys in total looking at you with suspicion, Naruto. All armed and dangerous’

 

‘Also very secretive, they give me ANBU vibes, but that doesn’t bother me much.’

 

‘Even when you know some of them had pointed their weapons at you for a brief moment? I sense these people are no jokers.’

 

‘Neither am I, but we have no times for jokes, we got a war to fight.’

 

“Hey kid.”

 

“Hmm?” Naruto turned his head around slightly. “Yes?”

 

“Don’t mind me asking but how old are you?” The dark skinned man holding an MP5, named Truck, asked. “You look very young, like you are a teen.”

 

“I might wanna add my own question to that list. Like how did you know there were more of us?” The man with the cap armed with an MK14 rifle, Grinch followed up with that question. “Care to answer that?”

 

“Keep the questions for later, we got a mission to focus on.” The leader Sandman told them while giving further orders. “Frost, go with the grunt up front.”

 

Frost nodded as the silent masked Delta paced up to Naruto and tapped him on the shoulder, both starting to run upwards towards the entrance.

Once they exited the aviary, Naruto turned right around once he noticed the area was clear, with nothing in close sight, he then pulls out something from his jacket as he threw it to Sandman.

 

“Here.”

 

Sandman caught it and saw it was an holographic comm. “This the linkup to your commander?”

 

“Yes, but only to the other commanders.” Naruto told him as he slung his rifle off his shoulder and readied it. “Told to give it to you for now. You are in contact now to the other commanding officers.”

 

“Alright, can we talk to them now?” Sandman asked as he puts it away. “Or are they still in radio silence?”

 

“Still in radio silence.”

 

The sound of a dozen clicks could be heard as the Delta Force team had their sights on a nearby bush, seeing that it was a couple of men coming out, this time it were Naruto’s men coming out, including Jango.

 

“Good to see our reinforcements have arrived.” Jango said as he approached Naruto and the Delta Force commander. “Name’s Jango, to keep it short, we got to move quick. Our window of opportunity has opened.”

 

“You mean-”

 

“Everyone’s in position. Except for us.” Another one of Naruto’s group said, this time it being Nathan the Canadian, who proceeded to speak. “Foley and Griggs have already moved into position along with Commander Karim.”

 

Sandman nodded to those names. “Alright, where we going to attack?”

 

“Camp Miraj, we’re attacking DC tonight.” Jango said as he handed over an ammo bundle to Naruto. “Here, kid. You’re going to need it.”

 

Taking that, Naruto already grabbed out of it a drum magazine that he stuck into his rifle, a slugthrower, that had a wooden stock and readied it, but for Grinch to recognize it.

 

“A Suomi KP/-31? How you got that Finnish beauty?” 

 

“Collector gave it, but that’s a story for another time.” Jango said as he signaled to everyone. “Let’s go.”

 

Now that Delta Force operators now had linked up with the Ölüm volunteers, they now started to move in a large group towards West Potomac park, in the cover of the night of course, through the dark alleyways and avoiding any patrol units of the enemy.

 

“Is the offensive planned to come tonight?” One American volunteer of Ölüm asked an masked operator. “We could really use some more help.”

 

“If you are asking questions, ask me.” Sandman responded to the volunteer. “And no worry, when we attack, they attack. We just got to cause as much confusion behind enemy lines as possible.”

 

“Works for me.” 

Washington University

 

Off the edges of the university, a lone guard was seen on duty, as he could only watch the city of where he was from was a depressing sight. Unable to do anything to break the time-

 

*Click!*

 

Hearing that got the guard to look to his right and see it was the sound of a camera going off, and it was that of an old one too, real antique.

 

The photographer and independent journalist Mugabo, who had been in Washington DC ever since the war started. He had documented the state of the city from the zone, truly doing the best as he could.

 

But before the guard could comment, he then happened to see something in front of him that was a surprise to him.

 

It started to rain, and not even a small amount as some clouds were hovering above the city, thunderous ones as then the droplets started to come down and pour into the streets.

“Metal Team, on me.”

 

The guard and Mugabo heard that and saw that coming up the dark street, some men were seen walking into groups, passing by them without even noticing that they were being seen. And these men were armed, focused and looked like they were wearing heavy military gear, and they were human.

 

These were Americans.

 

Mugabo took quickly a picture by what he saw, by being as silent as possible, he managed to make only a few pictures as they disappeared into the darkness and towards Potomac Park.

 

And then by coincidence passing by his lens was Naruto, who followed the group of Americans from behind alongside the other Ölüm Fighters who also disappeared into the darkness.

 

…

Up the Waterfront, the Marine Mortar Teams were waiting for the signal, and it didn’t take long for them anymore.

 

Their commanding officer heard then through the comms and gave them the okay.

 

“Fire.”

 

The first 81 MM rounds were then dropped into the mortars and the first shots could be heard-

 

SWOOP!

Capitol Hill

 

Walking through the hallways of the US Capitol building, Dooku was met with a lot of the infrastructure inside the legislative body of the country was left untouched with even the rich and valuable arts being left on the walls. 

 

As he made his way outside, Dooku saw the view of the National Mall, as the sight of itself was indeed a remarkable one, he however was then to be surprised what he would see next.

 

*BOOM!*

 

And there he witnessed the first explosions, and it was near Camp Miraj that the Count could see, and the sound of gunfire and blaster fire could be heard erupting - with a large fireball was seen coming out of the camp, reaching to the sky within the walls.

 

Molec then came up with a couple of his guards and saw what was happening, as he turned to his men and ordered them.

 

“Get out there and see what is going on.”

 

The guards nodded and went along with Molec then standing aside the Count who watched the fire growing bigger.

 

*BOOM!*

 

Then to the right, a large explosion occurred that was followed then by many others, and right there the smile on the Prime Minister had faltered. Dooku commented then with a hint, of both of irritation but then also of admiration.

 

“I’ll say these Americans don’t know when to quit.”

 

Chapter 19: The DC Pocket Part I

Washington DC

The capital city was once again the scene of another battle, with the sound of gunfire and explosions going off and waking up every living soul in the night.

 

And the cause of those explosions was coming from the Waterfront, where one more shell was being loaded into a prepared mortar by a couple of Marines who were hammering the position they were targeting: Camp Miraj.

 

“One more, one more!” 

 

The marine glided the mortar round into the hole as it then-

 

*FWOOOP!*

 

The shell fired upwards, flying towards its coordinated target, with the shell flying through the lower clouds, before it then began to fly downwards.

National Mall - Camp Miraj

While the camp itself was being bombed with mortar fire and explosions, the outside walls were dealing with the first assaults, with the Zygerrians in the makeshift trenches being caught off guard.

 

“Bombings!”

 

“How? HOW?!”

 

“Get to your positions-”

 

*BLAST!*

 

The last Zygerrian couldn’t finish his sentence because of a blaster shot killing him swiftly, right in front of the two horrified slavers who were quick to realize what was happening.

 

“We’re under attack-”

 

*BLAST!*

 

*BLAST!*

More blaster fire forced the Zygerrians to retreat just when a team of attackers was seen jumping into the trench that consisted of Naruto and two others; one was Jango who stuck by him, with the other being of those Delta Force operators codenamed Frost.

 

More gunfire erupted as Naruto ducked his head down while he led the way. He was carrying a Suomi M31 machine gun on him, reaching one corner as he turned to the others.

 

“Throw a detonator.”

 

The one who did was Frost, who pulled out a thermal detonator he was given by Jango, and proceeded to throw it into the trench in front of them, waiting for it to explode.

 

*BOOM!*

 

“Ugh!”

 

The sounds of yells & groans were enough for Naruto to run into the new corner and fire his Suomi machine gun into any enemy he spotted, rapid fire for any Zyg that came into his sight and dropping them quickly, not giving them any chance to run or even react.

 

One tried to even crawl out of the trench but got a blaster shot in the back by Jango before all three stopped at another corner that needed to be cleared.

 

“Frost,” Naruto asked. “Another one.”

 

Hearing that, the silent Delta operative activated another detonator and threw it, causing even more screaming and yelling to be heard before they heard another.

 

*BOOM!*

 

One body was even flung out of the trench, which Naruto ignored, as he rounded the corner and kept firing to neutralize the dazed or wounded defenders.

 

“Look out-”

 

Naruto quickly took out the encroaching Zyg by shooting him in the chest, a gush of blood coming out before dropping down. Naruto crouched back into cover as more explosions could be heard in the background.

 

“Cover me, I need to reload.”

 

Jango nodded and he stood up, firing his twin blasters at any nearby enemies, assisted by Frost firing his ACR 6.8 rifle. With both picking their targets and dropping them quickly with deadly precision.

 

The ones they were picking off were those coming out of the destroyed barracks who were even more confused by the bodies dropping in front of them, causing even more chaos and confusion across the camp.

 

*Click!*

 

The sound of the fresh drum mag being inserted into the machine gun was the cue for Naruto to then go on the move again.

 

“Retreat! Retrea-”

 

*POP!* 

 

In the trench in front of Naruto a body of a Zygerrian sentry fell, coming out of that corner were more Zygerrians who tried to escape before they got mowed down by bullets hitting their backs - coming out of that same corner was the other team, led by Tayuya and Yasser, with a few of his men behind them.

 

“Hey, shithead!” Tayuya greeted with a smile, loading her rifle while ducking into cover. “You still carry that thing?”

 

Naruto just ignored her as he checked the gun for a moment, then felt a tap on his back and turned to see it was Jango who then pointed behind himself - showing their reinforcements had arrived in the form of Sandman and his other Delta operatives.

 

“Good shooting, Frost.” Sandman complimented his man with a quick pat on the back before running up to Naruto and Jango’s position and speaking. “You guys did well. We saw everything from a distance.” 

 

“We’re trying,” Jango responded, still holding his blasters, asked. “Shall we storm the base now?” 

 

*BOOM!*

 

One loud explosion forced the advancing forces to duck for cover, with the explosion coming from the camp they were attacking, watching another barracks explode with more men seen running out of it some of them even seen running out of it while on fire. This only added more chaos that favored the attackers.

 

“Get out of there! To the docks!”

 

“Sir, they’re making a run for it.” Trunk said with his eyes down the sights. “Permission to engage in pursuit?”

 

“Affirmative, that was the last mortar round being fired from the Waterfront,” Sandman confirmed it, turning then to everyone. “This is the plan, my guys and I will take the left flank to the docks with the Uzumaki and Fett here. The rest of you will clear out the buildings and pursue through the right flank.”

 

“I can work with that,” Yasser said before turning to the redhead. “Tayuya, what about you?”

 

“I couldn’t give a fuck.” Tayuya said, having her own knife at the ready. “Waiting for you.”

 

Sandman nodded as he waited for an opening. “Let’s go, move it!”

 

And like that, the attacking force went through the open gate and took the fight to the enemy. With gunfire and blaster fire being exchanged, it did little to deter the assault force from entering the base camp. Fighting ensued soon inside the area itself.

 

All the while they were being watched from above by multiple flying objects - one being a US Recon drone that was providing support to them, while an unofficial object was also seen following the attacking force.

 

With this drone seen more focused on the blond boy himself fighting.

A few days later

 

Earth Orbit

With the blockade of Zygerrian warships still there, it wasn’t, however, the same as it used to be months ago when the war began. With now fewer ships seen patrolling or even orbiting the planet’s space.

 

The reason for it - the pressure on the Zygerrians was having its effect from both the Republic and the Confederacy, who were hitting the Zygerrians with threats of hard sanctions and blockades that the slaver species were not keen on challenging. 

 

With much of the heavy military equipment having been pulled out from the planet, the only large presence left was over the Western Hemisphere. With the main focus being held directly over Mexico, Canada and the United States.

 

That lack of pressure however was just enough for ships to now freely travel, with the first ships with relief help streaming in, but out of those ships were also those who went on their own way.

 

One ship had started to enter Earth’s orbit on its own, with the passengers on it having no second thoughts about entering this planet by themselves and entering the part of the world that was an active war zone.

 

…

 

Flying over the Atlantic, the unidentified ship was passing through the heavy clouds that made its appearance impossible to verify, but it wasn’t invisible enough.

 

*FWOOSH!*

 

The Ship shook as multiple fighter jets from the US Air Force came at it from several directions, with the intent to then surround the unidentified ship and contact it.

 

It was a squadron of F16s, being piloted be experienced pilots who were now ready for an engagement.

 

“Unidentified ship, you are about to enter US airspace in the middle of a conflict zone, identify yourself and state the nature of your intentions or we will use force.”

 

…

 

No response was given, causing the squadron leader to repeat himself.

 

“I repeat, identify yourself or you will be fired upon.”

 

…

Washington DC

 

In the last few days, the Capital city of the US had seen some very significant events that had been witnessed by those seen from up close to millions more via broadcasted news. With the latest developments being more noticeable:

 

DC was liberated from the inside by those who had been fighting inside of it. Not just blocks, but nearly the whole government district itself was now reclaimed from the Zygerrian occupation. The ‘DC Pocket’ has expanded from the Lincoln Monument to the White House, to the Potomac River, all the way to the Audi Field soccer stadium. 

 

Even now seen in front of the Lincoln Memorial sat Naruto, seen in the position of meditation, with his legs crossed and both the knuckles of his fists connected with his eyes closed he looked like he was in a moment of peace as his weapons were laid right in front of him. 

 

The living things around him sensed that peace, and were drawn to him. Several birds were seen flying, and even landing near him, or even on his head. They were utterly at ease with the calm and tranquility that his body gave off.

 

Even a small fox approached him, glancing at him before laying its head on his lap.

 

‘Hey kid, they’re at it again.’

 

‘If you’re talking about the small animals, I don’t mind. I’m used to it.’

 

‘Not them, but those men sitting in front of you.’

 

Slowly opening up his eyes, Naruto was seeing what his comrade was mentioning.

 

Watching him were his comrades from the team he was a part of, with some of them even having pulled out their cellphones to film him before they quickly put them away. While it was Jango and Boba who were waving at him.

 

“Finally stopped meditating, kid?” Jango asked while nodding to Boba. “Get some food, you’ve been meditating since the early morning.”

 

“Ah…okay,” Naruto muttered, getting handed a plate from Boba. “Thank you, Boba.”

 

“No problem, Naruto.” The boy Boba smiled as he mentioned. “I got this from the kitchen just a half an hour ago. Should still be good.”

 

Naruto just grabbed the utensils and began eating the food, not bothered that it was slightly cold as it was an improvement from the canned food they had been used to for the past couple of weeks. 

 

“Come sit with us, enjoy the view.”

 

Doing that, Naruto stood up and down the stairs to sit with the others of the group, that not only consisted of Jango and Boba but also Tayuya, Zeb and Chewbacca.

 

“You were meditating very well, kid,” Zeb said, seen cleaning his blaster rifle. “A few minutes later and one of these Earthlings would be filming you.”

 

“It's not every fucking day they fucking get to see us sitting like this,” Tayuya said leaning her head back to the steps, taking a few minutes of rest with her eyes closed. “Look at us? Aliens and humans fighting side-by-side, against other aliens who are getting fucked in the assess like unpaid prostitutes ready to stab the fuckers their eyes out.”

 

“Jesus Christ.” One of the volunteers said with a shivered spine. “No wonder they call you Tayuya the Red.”

 

“Fuck that.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Fuck that nickname.” Looking angered, Tayuya spared no words. “Ever since I’ve gotten on this damned planet, they’ve been trying to put one of those on me. Like Tayuya the Bloody, the Red, stain-boot, and all that I didn’t ask.”

 

“Come on, if you wanted, what nickname would you want?” Another volunteer, a local asked. “If given the choice.”

 

“Bane of Mongrels, I’d choose that,” Tayuya smirked with a chuckle. “Destroyer of all Zygs, bugs, and monsters.”

 

Some snickers and laughter could be heard from the side of her men. Her pack of fighters who liked her style of taking the battle against the Zygerrians. Seeing she had grown quite the following over the year even before the war. 

 

“Round up!”

 

The small group stood up, seeing that it was one of the Delta Force operatives who spoke. The one with the cap who went by the name ‘Grinch’ who was the perceived second-in-command of Metal Team’s Sandman, who had nothing else to say but:

 

“Get your gear, we’re on the move.”

 

…

 

Georgetown

 

Just at the edges of the safe zone of the University grounds were kids seen making their way to  a small makeshift playground where they hoped to play with other friends. It was located in Constitutional Hall, another block that recently was required into the Safe Zone with the fighting having decreased.  They now were, with the supervision of these new robots, going to this playground that oversaw the National Mall.

 

“Hey! Over there! Our boys!”

 

“Where?”

 

“They’re coming down the National Mall.”

Hearing someone shouting caused the kids to start running towards the edges of where the ray shield met its end, and there they saw a huge crowd of a few thousand people standing behind the shield and watched what who was passing by.

 

Making their way through the crowd, the few children who did were then able to see who was passing by through the streets across the barrier.

 

It was those of the Ölüm Volunteers who were walking through the streets, mixed in with members of various US soldiers, mainly Marines and masked members of the Delta Force. With even a few men of the 75th Rangers seen walking among them. 

 

Among them was Naruto seen walking through the street with Jango and Boba, with him wearing the red shawl around his face to try to conceal his identity, as it didn’t take long before a few photographers from the press were seen taking pictures from the distance as the hundreds of fighters walked through the street with people seen cheering for them.

 

With the rifle slung around his shoulder, it didn't help that with his height and how young he looked that some of the photographers and journalists were eyeing him in particular. With Jango not being as bothered and Boba not understanding what it was about.

 

“Dad.” Boba asked while walking next to him. “why are they staring at Naruto?”

 

“Because they’re not used to seeing someone like him fighting,” Jango answered his son’s question while not even giving a glance at them as he continued to walk. “In these parts of Earth, they do not believe young ones should fight.”

 

“Pfft, they wish.” One of the local volunteers sneered briefly, voicing. “These people want to believe that, but just go to Baltimore, and you see a whole different story.”

 

“That’s just life as it is. I’ve seen it enough.” One of the Rangers said, walking past them. “The world is more complicated than most of us want to admit to it.”

 

“... I guess life itself is just complicated…”

 

It was Naruto who said it as he was walking along the others with some looking at him when he said it.

 

“Life’s a struggle with whatever you’re given. Just that alone perhaps is why we’re trying to understand…”

 

The group continued to then walk through the streets, with the onlookers who were still restricted behind the shield, trying to talk to them, with some even seen throwing items at them.

 

“Hey!”

 

Reacting fast, Naruto catches a packet that was thrown at him, inside were fresh bandages, turning to the crowd that was cheering them on with flags of their country - with the thrower being a small child with a baseball cap who was happily yelling.

 

“Thank you! For helping us!”

 

That alone made Naruto smile at the boy, waving at him to say his thanks before he proceeded to walk with the others towards the rendezvous point.

 

As the group of armed fighters were seen going by the eyes of the safe zone people, it was at this point that a pair of white eyes with visible strung veins were staring at the back of the young blond. 

 

And he had a Konoha headband.

 

“It's him.”

Baltimore, Maryland

Nearly 40 miles up north from the capital, just outside the city of Baltimore, a few Humvees were seen parked, overseeing the port city itself, with those Humvees belonging to the US Army, as they also had emblems painted to the side of their vehicles of a flaming shield outline with a fanged skull emblazoned on it. The skull also has a bird skull cawing on its forehead. With something written in Latin on it.

 

 Numquam Damnati Quiescenti - The guilty never rest

 

This was the motto of the 33rd ‘Damned’ Infantry Battalion, home to units of the most battle-hardened soldiers who have been on the front lines since the beginning of the war. With an initial history of being deployed in Afghanistan before being redeployed to Urzikstan, these men had now experienced fighting the Zygerrians across the US, with the 33rd having just kicked the invaders out of Baltimore.

 

The success was attributed to the leadership of the 33rd’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John Konrad. A man who was considered a good officer that already had a reputation for his service, but also was known for his deep-rooted nature of finishing the job when given to him, and that is what he’s doing now with the full support of his men.

 

“Sir, we’re getting reports from the city.” One of Konrad’s men informed him. “Lieutenant Bradley just reported in that City Hall is secured, most of the fighting seems to have ended now.”

“Good to hear,” Konrad said watching the city from his jeep, hearing the reports as he continued to ask. “What about McPherson?”

 

“He’s still cleaning up the docks, sir.” The soldier reported. “Some of the Zygs tried to escape by boat, but the Blackhawks and the Little Birds were enough to hunt them down - overall the city is back into US hands.”

 

Hearing that got a simple nod from Konrad who then watched from afar as a large convoy was seen headed for the city.

 

“Casualty report?”

 

“We’ve got about a hundred wounded and thirty confirmed KIA.” The soldier said. “It is low numbers in comparison to when we were in Philadelphia, sir. But we’re dealing with a retreating enemy at the moment, not much of a fight here except for some holdouts and small skirmishes.”

 

“Alright, because we’re not done here. National Guard will keep the order in the city.” The leader of the 33rd said. “Tell the Major that Martial Law will be enacted in the city.”

 

“Yes sir.” The soldier responded before he then spotted something. “Sir…”

 

Coming up from the hill, a group of BARC speeder bikes were coming towards them at high speeds. Causing the men on the Humvees to ready their 50. Cal and aim at the approaching vehicles.

 

“Stand down, they’re friendlies,” Konrad said to his men.

 

The front speeder bike stopped right in front of the others revealed to be Nathan wearing camo, alongside Rida and Jimmy, with the last person being the one stepping off the bike with the only non-human who was the leader of the group, the green Twi’lek, seen wearing her usual gear.

 

“If it isn’t the flying ace Hera Syndulla herself,” Konrad said extending his hand to her with a smile of respect. “Good to see you, Captain.” 

 

“Good to see you too, Colonel.” Hera accepted his hand to shake it. “I’d like to introduce you to my second-in-command on the ground, battalion commander Adrik Yahontov.”

 

“Ah, the 2nd Ölüm Battalion commander. Good to meet you.” Konrad said turning to the man. “I heard you guys gave those Zygerrians a good beating up from Philadelphia.”

 

“Those Cykas were easy to handle when they are running and looting.” Adrik simply stated with no hesitation. “No problem.”

 

That statement alone made some of the 33rd look at the Russian and the other Ölüm members with suspicion. Who in return only chuckled at that for a moment.

 

“Colonel, you said you needed to meet us?” Hera however turned the conversation back to the original focus. “About new orders I assume?”

 

“Yes, we’re going south - It's time to take back DC.”

Richmond, Virginia

A large column of military vehicles was seen going up north after it had secured the Virginian city of Richmond, with Strykers and M1A2 Abrams driving up the I-95. These were mainly being used by the regrouped National Guard of DC and Virginia which were now assigned to move north to the capital city.

 

But the leading force of the 82nd Airborne was seen with their weapons and equipment with UH-60 Black hawks that were being prepared, all in plain view and far away from their usual base of operations in Fort Bragg, as they’ve now been assigned to an important mission that needed to be accomplished in a few critical hours.

 

“Pack it up, people. We move in six hours!” One of the 82nd NCOs yelled out to his men while walking around. “Those poor bastards in DC have waited for too long!”

 

While everyone was busy preparing themselves, a trio of Delta Force operatives was seen already standing by and waiting for their orders.

 

“When will we go, Walker?”

 

“Soon…”

DC - White House

In the Presidential White House that had seen its better days, the building was victim to being hit multiple times by rockets and small arms fire, yet it still stood there with barricades and a perimeter set up by the remaining National Guard units that were guarding it.

 

While that was seen from the outside, on the inside something was happening in the Situation Room which was filled with dozens of men of all diverse military uniforms and firearms that were somehow allowed inside. 

 

Among those were Naruto and Jango who were standing at the table, with him having come across Yasser who noticed him.

 

“Ah, Naruto.”

 

“Hey, Old Man Yasser.” 

 

“Still no manners, huh?” The old Arab man chuckled before he turned to Jango. “Mr Fett, where’s your son?”

 

“Boba’s down with the others, helping the wounded,” Jango responded. “So what’s this?”

 

“Quiet!”

 

The whole room became silent as then coming out of the backroom entrance, it was Tarik Karim who had entered in, dressed in what was standard US Army urban camo get-up with his green-black Shemagh around his neck. 

 

“God damn, T. Why the sudden gear up?”

 

“Guess who just got called back to active duty? That’s why. After they found out I was active on the frontline, High Command demanded I put on a decent uniform.”  Tarik said before pointing at the soldier who asked. “And it's now Captain Karim now, Corporal Dunn.”

 

“You are a Captain?” Tayuya asked, being seen at the other side of the table, smirking and standing with Chewbacca. “You never told us about it.”

 

“Let’s get to the point,” Tarik stated as he went off the way to then bring up the big news. “I can now say with confirmation that the DC Counteroffensive is on the way.”

 

This was enough to cause the silence to come into that room quicker before a pin could be dropped, as this was just what Tarik needed as he pointed out to the map.

 

“Let’s start with news from up north, from Baltimore,” Tarik said pointing out over to the city that was over thirty miles up north. “It can now be said that the city is taken by the 33rd, which is currently regrouping now and ready to strike the enemy positions at Columbia that are being bombed now by air support. With the first units having already probed that position, they’re only twenty miles away from DC. That leaves the Maryland Front nearly being finished as they’re now preparing to assault Laurel.” 

 

Then pointing downwards, Tarik then continued. 

 

“Meanwhile down in Virginia, the National Guard with the support of the 82nd Airborne has successfully taken back Richmond. With the Zygerrians there having abandoned all positions and retreated to Fredericksburg.”

 

“That means they’re being pushed back hard, huh?” The Ranger named Sgt Foley said as he could see where this was going. “They’re tightening the noose around those S.O.Bs for sure.”

 

“There’s more,” Tarik said, pointing his hand down westwards. “I’ve just gotten confirmed reports that the 101st and elements of the Marines 1st Recon have just broken through the lines in Leesburg on the west - they are right now close to Arlington, in Pimmit Hills.”

 

That last place that was mentioned caused one of the local National Guard members to realize.

 

“Pimmit Hills? That’s right across the Potomac River. You mean they’re this close to our position?”

 

“...I can only say that there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re close to DC’s border,” Tarik affirmed it but then warned with caution. “I however must say those might be the forward units only. With no air or artillery support possible at this moment. We’re still on our own.”

 

That alone got some frustrating groans out of the room, with the relief being so close yet too far away for now.

 

“Besides that, we’re being given new orders from High Command,” Tarik said before then telling them. “We’ve got orders to take back the last stronghold the Zygerrians hold in DC itself.”

 

Jango was then the one who figured it out. “We’re going for the building, aren’t we?”

 

…

 

Instead of answering directly, Tarik pulled out from underneath the table a brown cloth and laid it on the table before he removed the covering - showing that it was a flag.

 

A folded American flag that looked brand new, and this was enough for those men in uniform to figure out what they were supposed to do.

 

“You can all figure it out so I will spare you the patriotic speech for you guys because this is important,” Tarik said as he laid it all down. “We need to take the Capitol building before midnight. As I’ve just been told over the comms that the 101st is about to do a drop over DC in Blackhawks and Little Birds.” 

 

“Why don’t we wait then for them to arrive, it's the 101st Airborne.” One of the Arab volunteers asked the same one who wore the black mask. “We’re already battered from all the fighting.”

 

Then popping out of nowhere, a blue holographic map of the Capitol building appeared, with the whole structure visible with an additional few objects on the rooftops.

 

“As you can see there are SAM sites across the building, making it impossible for our reinforcements to even come close,” Tarik said by pointing out multiple sites, a total of four to be exact. “So that is why we need to engage the enemy now and plant this flag on top of the Capitol building, as this flag has a double meaning,”

 

Jango asked. “And that is?”

 

“For one, if that flies up above our capital city it will be enough to cause further confusion and chaos to the remaining Zygerrian forces who are being forced into a corner,” Tarik said before continuing. “And two, we are being given the opportunity to end this war before the ceasefire.”

 

“Ceasefire?” One Ranger asked, with his eyes narrowing. “What fucking ceasefire?”

 

“The ceasefire that’s being negotiated right now, gentlemen.” 

 

Entering the Situation Room was an unexpected party of several people, a trio of well-dressed and important-looking people that consisted of two humans and one blue-skinned sentient, With two more men in brown robes entering behind them, with strange cylinders hanging from their belts as they started to observe everyone in the room.

 

And those two caused Naruto to observe them in return, as he sensed something from them.

 

‘Kurama.’

 

‘Jedi, kid. A Master and his Padawan to be exact. I advise you to be careful with them. The fact they haven’t looked at you means they aren’t here for you.’

 

‘Maybe because I have been lying low these days.’

 

‘That might soon come to an end….’

 

‘Hmm? How so?’

 

‘I’ll tell you when this is over.’

 

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce you all to three Senators from the Galactic Republic.” Tarik started as he gave the introductions. “The first is Padmé Amidala, former Queen and Senator of Naboo, the blue-skinned lady next to her is Riyo Chuchi who is the senator of Pantora. And the last one is Bail Organa who represents Alderaan. These are the people who’ve been running the safe zones in DC.”

 

“Thank you, Captain Karim,” Padme said with a respectful bow to him before addressing the men and women inside the room. “It's my pleasure to meet all of you. Your actions have been seen from the sidelines of this city’s displaced population and the world. They are truly grateful to you all.”

 

“We’re just doing our jobs, ma’am.” Sgt Foley said, with his Rangers standing behind him, he just simply stated. “Not looking for glory or anything, just trying to do what we can.”

 

“You say it just like that, but your actions have been seen across the galaxy,” Chuchi said, taken a little back by their humbleness. “You’ve been fighting for weeks now against the Zygerrians even in dire circumstances.”

 

“Guess they will make a movie out of us.” One man commented. Causing others to agree in laughter and snickering, a little joke that made everyone tick the mood up.

 

This only caused Riyo Chuchi to be slightly embarrassed as she felt like she made a mistake.

 

“Don’t beat yourself up about it, ma’am,” Naruto said, not knowing she was only a little older than him, smiling at her. “We could use a laugh after everything we’ve gone through, thanks.”

 

This thankful gesture was enough to make a small smile appear on Riyo’s face as she bowed. “My pleasure.”

 

Anakin couldn’t help but comment to his master. “I see someone’s slightly embarrassed.”

 

“Padawan, keep it down,” Obi-Wan stated, only seeing the senator, but not the boy who was making her smile. “Even if it is true, it is not the time.”

Back at the table, Padme smiled as she then went back on the topic. “As you may or may not know, there are current negotiations taking place between the Zygerrians and the United States Government.”

 

“Yes, so what? They’ve been negotiating ever since this war began.” Tayuya mouthed out. “What has this got to do with anything?”

 

“With the corporation of the Senator from Onderon who is speaking with the Zygerrians, we have reached a breakthrough.” Senator Organa said. “A planetwide ceasefire will occur tomorrow afternoon, with both parties agreeing to it.”

 

…

 

“Now it makes fucking sense,” Tayuya stated, showing she was not happy. “Now that those Zygs are close to facing humiliation, they want peace?”

 

“It has been negotiated that tomorrow afternoon both sides will stand down and the invading forces will withdraw from Earth completely,” Padme told her. “Why? Is there a problem?”

 

“Yes there’s a fucking problem - I say FUCK that!” 

 

Tayuya’s protests were met with agreement from everyone, especially from the Ölüm fighters and even US servicemen who were not happy about it.

 

“They going to claim they won, fuck that.”

 

“After everything, those bastards have done?”

 

“Does this mean the counteroffensive will be called off?”

 

Naruto and Jango looked at each other, being among the few who weren’t saying anything out loud in anger, they both nodded to each other as they turned back to the senators and captain.

 

“SILENCE!” Tarik commanded, getting everyone to quieten down before turning back to the senators. “Who decided this?”

 

“The President and his cabinet, who pushed the hour agreement to the afternoon,” Senator Organa responded. “I wondered why it was that way until we found out about the counteroffensive and we came here to ask-”

 

“Us to halt the attacks? Go fuck yourself!” One rowdy Marine shouted. “Those bastards burned down my home!”

 

“SHUT IT, PRIVATE!” Tarik ordered the man to stand down before he then turned back to the senators. “I appreciate your desire for peace, but we’re not going to stop.”

 

“Captain, lives are at stake…” Padme tried to reason. “Just wait a few hours and all of this will be over.”

 

…

 

“Sorry but no, we’re not stopping this.” Tarik made it clear. “We’ve still got time to take back the Capitol building, and we will plant that flag on it.”

 

Then before anyone could talk further, a voice spoke over the radio.

 

‘All units, all units, unidentified vessel coming for the White House.’

 

…

In nearly no time, everyone with a rifle, pistol, blaster, or rocket launcher was seen coming out of the building pointing their weapons at the sky, ready to shoot the unidentified craft down if necessary.

 

Also coming out of the building were Naruto and Jango, with Jango already using his visor to scan the air for whatever ship was coming towards them. 

 

Tayuya then joined the duo with her rifle pointed at the sky. “And? What do you see?”

 

“Looks like friendlies….” Jango said hesitantly “Well it depends,” he finished.

 

Naruto then asked. “Who?”

 

But he was cut off by a few dozen people in Mandalorian armor who landed in the middle of the area, catching everyone in the garden off guard. before they could react within a split second, another few dozen had landed in a circle with their blasters out, with Naruto being caught in the middle.

 

One of them was in a colorful set of armor that was familiar to the Ölüm fighters, Which Naruto recognized on the spot going silent before Jango spoke.

 

“Naruto….” The colorful Mandalorian said,

 

“Well, how long has it been since you’ve spoken to her?” Jango asked. “Because it’s pretty clear she’s not happy.”

 

The Blond could only mutter one word.

 

“Shit….”

Chapter 20: The DC Pocket Part II

 

Contributors: reaperofinsanity, NorthSouthGorem, No Vigilance, and UnitedOsprey1991.

 

Normally I’d want to finish the Arc now, but it is going to be too big for just one chapter, so here’s the 2nd part.

 

My apologies, especially to LuciusWalker.

 

Enjoy.

 

Flashback

 

Keelia

Inside the village leader’s home, tensions were flaring up after what had just been heard over the news. 

*SLAM!*

 

“You can’t go!”

 

The angry reaction came from Saku who slammed her fist into a table, the sister of the silent bystander Haru, who was watching from a distance. The trio were inside the main building while most of the village slept.

 

Busy packing his things up, Naruto was preparing his bag with essentials like bandages, rationed food, blaster ammunition, and even a spare blaster he had with him. With him just now getting his clothes, he tried to ignore what was happening behind him.

 

“Kid, we’re ready.” Jango entered the home, by himself as he said this. “Ship’s warming up. Waiting for you. We can either leave tomorrow morning or now, it’s your call.”

 

“Naruto you cannot be serious about thinking of going there, do you?” Saku tried to talk him out of it. “It's a war out there, their war, not yours.”

 

“It is my war, that’s about it,” Naruto responded, putting a shirt inside the bag. “I have to go. I need to.”

 

“No, you will not!”

 

“SAKU!”

 

The sudden outburst that echoed across the room came from the usually calm and reserved Haru. Surprising those inside the room even Jango, but mainly Saku and Naruto whose expressions were visible.

 

“Saku, Mr. Fett,” Haru spoke in her polite voice. “Can you please leave me alone with Naruto for the moment?”

 

“Haru…”

 

“Please.”

 

…

 

“I will be waiting outside,” Jango said as he began to walk out the door and spoke to Saku. “Come, your sister asked.”

 

Hesitant at first, Saku saw the look on her sister’s face. A look she didn’t show too often, it was a serious look, as she stared at her younger sister.

 

“Saku, please.”

 

“... Okay.” Saku sighed as she took her cue to leave the room with a distressed look on her face as if she was on the verge of tearing up.  

 

Leaving them as the only two in the room. Haru approached the blond teenager. Only a few inches smaller than him, her orange flats were close to his rugged boots as she was now looking up into his eyes.

 

Sapphire blue met with a lighter shade of blue, more like that of the ocean in its calmest form. As if they showed the shallow tide to the deep sea, that's how blue they were.

 

Staring into his eyes, at first Haru said nothing, leaving only silence. 

 

“So you are going?”

 

Naruto’s eyes closed as he tried to turn away from her, but he felt her hand on his cheek as she guided his eyes back to her, showing that she wanted a response.

 

The proximity of the two being this close alone was something Naruto was not comfortable with, as he answered.

 

“I need to help my friends… I cannot abandon them.”

 

Hearing that answer made Haru turn around as she walked over to her bedroom, leaving Naruto alone for a moment.

 

Shaking his head, Naruto turned around and was about to grab his bag-

 

‘Don’t. Just wait.’

 

Kurama’s warning caused Naruto’s hand to stop as he heard Haru’s footsteps on the wooden floor. Walking through the door with something in her hand, covered in brown cloth that she held with both hands.

 

“Here…open it.”

 

Accepting it, Naruto glanced at her before focusing on the cloth. He began unwrapping it and inside, lay something he didn’t expect.

 

It was a blade, a combat knife to be exact. A 12-inch durasteel blade and handle with beskar-tipped knuckles, with a pattern imprinted on them that was handmade, and it looked like it was kept in excellent condition.

 

(Tyler555 aka reaperofinsanity says this is the fireball Damascus pattern. Thanks, T!)

 

Haru offered it and asked. “Please….try it.”

 

Naruto grabbed the handle of the weapon and picked it up, giving it a swing and seeing that it was in more than good condition.

 

‘Sharp as a Kunai, light as a Shuriken…not bad….and it even has Beskar Steel in it.’

Giving it one more swing, Naruto was left with a good impression.

 

“Haru, this blade…it has-”

 

“Yes…it was Asu’s blade…” Haru said to him. “... It has Beskar in it, it is Mandalorian… perhaps your people.”

 

Naruto turned his head back to Haru with an even more confused look.

 

“You’re a member of the Uzumaki Clan. A clan of Mandalorian warriors who visited my world when my grandfather was young.” Haru said as she approached him with the kind smile she was known for. “He told me and my sister about how they used to come here often, stopping by for trade before they went to fight off those who threatened their friends…”

 

“Haru I-”

 

Haru’s soft finger was pressed over Naruto’s lip, not allowing him to speak anymore as she wasn’t finished talking yet.

 

“I know it's no coincidence you are one, and I know you will go and fight. To help your friends who were also Asu’s. So please, I understand….but let me ask you one thing.”

 

“And that is?”

 

…

 

*Kiss!*

 

Without any resistance, Naruto stood there as his lips were met with Haru’s who had taken the initiative. Pressing hers against his as she went all in and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on the tips of her toes so she could reach the blond’s face.

 

And in return, Naruto just accepted it. He didn’t know how to react to this move, but captured by it, he then embraced the girl with his arms crossed around her hips, pulling her closer to him. A light moan escaped their mouths as the two closed their eyes to deepen into the passionate scene…

 

But before they could, it was over, when Haru ended the kiss, her face paint markings were ruined as tears fell from the eyes of the blonde girl who went on to ask.

 

“Just stay…for one more night…please.” 

 

…

 

*Click!*

 

Activating his com wrist, Naruto said one thing through it while staring at Haru.

 

“Jango, Naruto here….we’ll leave tomorrow morning…”

 

Ending that transmission without waiting for a response, Naruto’s hand was then grabbed by Haru who guided him slowly towards the bedroom. Dimming all the lights on the way to make the house dark.

 

With the last light about to be turned down, they entered the room for one last night on Keelia.

 

With the last switch. 

 

*Click!*

 

…

 

“Hey, son!” 

 

*Snap!* *Snap!* *Snap!* 

  

The sound of snapping fingers caused Naruto to open his eyelids, who was slowly waking up to the sight of three people in his face. The man snapping their fingers in front of his face was none other than the Army Ranger, Sergeant Foley.

“Get back to your senses, son. You got hit pretty bad.” Foley said turning his head to the other Ranger. “Dunn, pull him up.”

 

“On it, sarge,” Dunn said pulling up the blond and asking him. “Hey kid, are you okay?”

 

“H-Haru?”

 

“Uhm no. That’s Ramirez.” Dunn said pointing at the Hispanic Ranger. “He doesn’t look like a Haru, but okay.”

 

Ramirez, a man of few words, just shook his head as he helped Naruto stand up fully and patted him on the back as he stopped him from falling. As Naruto got his balance back. 

 

“W-Where’s Haru?-”

 

‘Kid, shut up.’

 

‘How so? What did I do wron-’

 

“Narutoooo…” A feminine voice began angrily.

 

Realizing quickly who it was by the sound of their voice, Naruto turned to see Sabine in her full-colored Mandalorian gear, walking up with her arm thrown back.

 

“Who is Haru?”

 

“S-Sabine?” Naruto realized who was standing in front of him, and by the looks of it she was not happy, he began to hold his hands up. “Wait, I can explain-”

 

*PUNCH!*

 

And with another right hook from the Wren girl, Naruto got knocked to the ground, knocking him out yet again with some yelling being heard as he fell unconscious.

 

“Wow, he got knocked the fuck out.”

Orbit Earth

 

Above the Western Hemisphere stood one active fleet of the invading Zygerrian army, or what there was left over from the last few weeks that was still intact. Several Munificent-class star frigates were seen hovering around one Lucrehulk-class battleship that was remaining alongside the DH-Omni Support Vessel that was close by being guarded by a few of the frigates.

 

But the main ship was one Providence-class destroyer that was spearheading the fleet. Seen as it was the only destroyer in the entire system, this was the flagship of the invasion fleet…or what was left over.

 

And it was no joke or even a hint of humor being said this was what was left of the invading fleet, with the sentiment being the least welcome inside the destroyer ship.

 

Inside the bridge of the flagship was the crew seen working without given a moment of rest with that being not allowed in the presence of Prime Minister Atai Molec himself on the deck, who was less than pleased to hear more of the results of the designated admiral who was debriefing him on the reports.

 

“With our latest evacuation mission having been completed. Another fourteen ships have successfully arrived back in Zygerria. Meaning we’ve brought another half a million men home, alive that is.” The admiral continued on with the pad he held and read out the information. “These were men mainly from the South East Asia campaign, from India to-” 

 

“Have you heard anything from our contacts on Earth?” Molec interrupted his admiral with no politeness in his voice, rather brutish. “I’ve yet to hear anything from them lately.”

 

The admiral was hesitant but then informed him. “Prime Minister, I’m sorry-”

 

“TELL ME!”

 

The shout was enough to cause everybody of the crew on the bridge to stop in silence and fear, with the Prime Minister’s anger exploding often, they still were scared of him. Seeing the admiral being confronted.

 

But before the admiral could answer the question one of Minister Molec’s personal guards appeared who had something to tell him.

 

“My lord, Count Dooku wishes to speak to you…alongside our Queen.”

 

…

 

“This war ends now.”

 

That was the sound of Count Dooku who was in the company of Queen Miraj Scintel, who both were in holographic form speaking to the Prime Minister and the newly appointed Admiral who was standing behind the elected official with sweat visible on his forehead.

 

The last week of defeats and evacuations have begun to put immense pressure on the Zygerrians who were being told to leave planet Earth now that even the arms suppliers from the Confederacy were saying to end the military excursion, putting a strain on relations and possibly isolating them across the galaxy from the few allies they had left, they were in a dire situation.

 

Queen Miraj even attempted to speak from her own palace. With there being no small rumor about Count Dooku barely escaping the fighting in the US capital, she tried to talk to him.

 

“Dear Count, I beg you to listen to reason. With the evacuations having been completed, my men under the watchful eye of Prime Minister Molec have made significant progress-”

 

“Progress I have yet to see for myself, that on the Zygerrian military side if I need to mention. I have however seen the full effect of the counteroffensive of the Americans in the Southern Front, which is more than undesirable to have witnessed.” 

 

The counteroffensive that was being mentioned was known as Operation Alamo, one of the biggest military operations of the US Armed Forces in the history of the country. Where nearly half a million men fought across the entirety of Texas and parts of New Mexico and Arizona which resulted in the expulsion of Zygerrian occupation in the southern reach of the US. 

 

Expulsion was the most polite term that the Count could have given it, but in reality, they were evaporated. Even with the Zygerrians having more men on the ground in Texas, they were still however outgunned and outmaneuvered by the locals in both the front and rear lines. With the remaining Zygerrian forces having been forced across the Mexican border where the US stopped its march.

 

“The resulting defeats you’ve suffered in the southern front alone have shown more reason for this ceasefire to be prioritized. Because I can say with full support that the Parliament’s representative of Miss Bonteri has brokered one with the Americans - the final ceasefire will be tomorrow.”

 

“NO!” Prime Minister Molec shouted, opposed to the idea. “We can still win this! We control the capital!”

 

“Do not dare to raise your voice against me… And you barely control the city. I’ve seen for myself firsthand how your forces were decimated by these Ölüm fighters who have proven themselves.”

 

“Bah! They were lucky that-”

 

“They have the backing of a professionalized army that provides air, ground, and naval support from all sides in the hundreds of thousands who are ready to start their counteroffensive. The same forces that have currently surrounded your men from all sides. If you continue your attempts to take the whole capital, you will be facing a military defeat that will only be the fault of you and your surviving commanders.” 

 

Hearing that caused the Queen to respond.

 

“So if we just keep our forces silent for a few hours, we might see victory?”

 

“Until the afternoon, you might. But it depends on the Americans - if they proceed to attack first, but whatever you do: make sure this war ends in a stalemate, not in an American decisive victory.”

 

“We’ll do so, Count.” The unnamed admiral nodded in agreement. “We can do this,”

 

“Good, because this war ends tomorrow.”

 

Dooku’s hologram deactivated leaving Queen Miraj to stand there before she also then cut communication. Ending the conversation. 

 

“I’ll prepare for the final evacuations of our troops in the area.” The admiral spoke as he turned around to one of his aides. “Prepare the ships for-”

 

“We attack.”

 

The admiral was shocked by what he just heard. “Excuse me?”

 

“We will attack the enemy positions in the capital.” Prime Minister Molec repeated himself. “I order you to use this ship for a frontal assault on the Ölüm positions in DC.” 

 

The admiral was not confident with what he was being told, but he could only follow orders.

 

“We will attack the enemy in the early morning.”

Night 

 

Washington DC

With the cover of the night, moving around the city was easier with the danger of skirmishes having decreased with the prospect of a ceasefire being close.

 

This allowed a group of people to travel through the city streets from the safe zone to try and reach the combat zone.

 

“Star!”

 

The group stopped walking and found themselves at a checkpoint that was guarded by several armed men.

 

“Star! Or we will fire on you!” 

 

“We’re war correspondents!” The leader of the group responded quickly before pulling out a card. “We are here to report to the frontline soldiers!”

 

“Are you out of your fucking mind?! We’re in the middle of a war zone!” The soldier in the front said to them. “Where do you even come from?”

 

“The safe zone and we were granted permission!” 

 

“...Fuck, no chances of sending you guys back - get over here!” The soldier at the checkpoint yelled as they ran over. “Make your way towards Whiskey Hotel!”

 

“Thank you. We’ll go through.” 

 

“Move it!”

 

The group of journalists made their way through the checkpoint with some of them looking very suspicious-

 

*BOOM!*

 

But those thoughts were set aside when an explosion occurred not even a mile away from them with one building set ablaze by it. 

 

The correspondents were seen running through the street, one however asked the other a direct question.

 

“What’s Whiskey Hotel?”

 

“It’s another name for the White House, That term hasn't been used in a long time though!” An older man with military experience said before he continued. “Let’s stop wasting time and keep moving.”

 

More explosions could be heard with the group picking up the pace and running towards the large white building.

 

*BOOM!*

 

…

That explosion was heard and felt even within the White House walls, with those on the lower levels being the most frightened.

 

In the lower levels lay the medical bay where wounded soldiers, civilians, and even captured and treated prisoners were being kept. Occupied by hundreds of people, this confined space was only big enough for a small team to work in.

 

Covered by white sheets and wearing green overalls, the doctors, nurses, and medical professionals who have taken their place within the White House were busy saving lives.

 

One of those surgeons was Idel, who was now working on a young teenager who was pulled out of a building that had been hit by Zygerrian artillery. The boy was the only survivor from the residential area that wasn’t even near any military installations.

 

“Even now those bastards are shelling civilian homes.” One of the nurses spoke while focusing on his job. “Boy here lived near a church.”

 

“Keep the complaints for later,” Idel told him as she ordered another nearby nurse. “Get upstairs and grab more Morphine.” 

 

“Right.” The nurse nodded as she left the surgery room to try and get more supplies, with the operation nearly finished.

 

“Let’s finish this.”

 

Walking through a door, the nurse was seen making her way through the hallways where she was met with dozens of displaced people who were resting on the floor or trying to figure out what to do. With her bypassing a few armed men.

 

Armed, sentient alien men like Chewbacca who was seen lugging around a few MG’s like it was nothing while a few of the local Army boys were following him with ammunition.

 

Walking past one makeshift barracks, where Naruto was laying on a mattress while holding his head.

…

 

“Ugh….” Naruto said as he was given an ice pack to ease the pain in his head. “Thanks, Sabine. I-”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Look, I- Hmm!”

 

Before Naruto got the chance to finish his sentence, Sabine’s lips were planted on his, holding his hand in her own gloved hands she did not allow him to move his head an inch.

 

He could feel the raw passion, coming from the slight pulse of energy from her hands, caressing his whiskered cheeks. Both of them were experiencing a convulsion in their muscles as her hands clutched passionately to Naruto’s face, taking him for herself.

 

They broke the kiss, and a line of saliva came out from both of their mouths. Sabine’s lips were filled with a sensuality that was beginning to turn her on like a fire being ignited, her face was blinded with an aroused need.

 

“Shut up…” Sabine said, suppressing her blush. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”

 

“And she isn’t kidding.”

 

It was when this caused both Sabine and Naruto to remind themselves to turn to the other people present in the room. Where Jango was seen standing with two of the three Nite Owls watching in amusement.

 

“My oh my, Sabine. You are going in like that?” The tall Rahab spoke in amusement while leaning down. “If you are going to turn it into a live show, then don’t stop.”

 

This caused Sabine and Naruto to turn red and separate their bodies from each other, causing even more laughter.

 

“Oh please, Rahab.” Giggling Koska suppressed herself from giggling as she went on to introduce herself. “Nice to meet you Naruto Uzumaki. My name’s Koska Reeves. I’m Sabine’s former teacher.”

 

“Oh, you must be Sabine’s tutor, Miss Reeves.” Naruto politely shook her hand with a gentle shake, even going further by kissing the back of her hand. “Su cuy'gar, bic cuyir an ijaat at urcir gar.”

 

(Mandalorian translation - Hello, it is an honor to meet you)

 

The gentlemanly behavior that Naruto was showing to them caught the three female Mandalorians off guard, especially Sabine who was especially shocked. But the fact he even took the time to speak Mandalorian was another notch to their surprise.

 

Koska smiled with a chuckle as she turned to Sabine. “Sabine, he’s a keeper.” She added with a sly smile. “A good fighter and a gentleman? You sure hit the jackpot.” 

 

A smirk would have been spotted on Jango’s face if he hadn’t had his helmet taken off, as he was partly responsible for at least teaching Naruto about some of the ethics and behavior of Mandalorian customs. He however didn’t expect him to use them on some of the members of the same group he’d fought against for decades.

 

Let alone a member of the current Royal Family. With Bo-Katan herself leaning against the door with her arms crossed and with her helmet in her hands, she quietly observed.

 

“I am just trying to be a friendly host to the friends of my girlfriend,” Naruto said rubbing the back of his head. “I got to thank Jango for that.” He gestured to him. “He’s been tutoring me about all that I need to know about Mandalorian culture right now.”

 

The Nite Owls turned to Jango Fett, who just stood there with his arms closed.

 

“I taught everything I could about the past of our people, the rest he learned by himself,” Jango stated. “If that is what you wanted to know, Bo-Katan Kryze.”

 

“No, but it is nice to know you’re teaching our customs so freely to strangers, Fett,” Bo-Katan said in return. “I expect little else from a killer-for-hire.”

 

The tension was already growing between the Mandalorian woman and the bounty hunter, with them closing the gap, it was quickly turning into a confrontation.

 

“Funny, speaking the language of your sister? Now that is not entirely fair given you and your band yourselves have no problem taking credits for jobs.” Jango told her in a fair warning. “So don’t start preaching to me like Duchess Satine. Princess .”

 

“Don’t dare bring up that name,” Bo-Katan warned him, having reached a limit. “I am not the one who is teaching our ways to some orphan whose only link is because of his name.”

 

“Watch your mouth, Kryze. You are in dangerous territory now…”

 

Then when things started getting more tense, Tayuya walked in, causing them to ease up.

 

“... We are in the middle of a war.”

 

“Shithead, Jango, you’re up for sentry duty. So pack your shit and get up front.” Tayuya said to him briefly before leaving.

 

“Alright, let’s go then,” Naruto said as he picked up his Suomi gun and a pack of ammo. “Three hours into No Man’s Land. Let’s go.”

 

“Right,” Jango said grabbing his gear. “I have to check on Boba before we go.”

 

“We can go by and check on him, no problem,” Naruto said as he grabbed his poncho coat and walked over towards the door, but stopped next to Bo-Katan and looked her right into the eyes.

 

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to help protect my friend's homes.” 

 

With that said, Naruto and Jango started leaving the room before Naruto stopped in his tracks.

 

“Oh, I forgot.” Naruto turned back around to Sabine. “Here.”

 

*Kiss!*

 

Without giving any thought to those around him, Naruto just fully kissed Sabine on the lips before he left her blushing as he smiled at her and walked out the door.

 

leaving the Nite Owls to themselves. With some impressions more daring than others.

 

“Sabine, you sly girl.” Rahab began first not holding back her words with a chuckle. “You two willing to do that in the open? Next thing you’re going to be making love under the sheets.”

 

“Don’t talk absurd, Rahab. Sabine’s not old enough for that kind of activity.” Bo-Katan told her friend off before turning to the youngest. “Isn’t that right?”

 

And there Sabine made the mistake of not covering up her cheeks which were growing red when that was mentioned.

 

“Sabine...you didn’t-”

 

“Uhmmm.”

 

“SHE DID!” Rahab shouted with her hands covering her mouth to suppress the laughter and her curiosity got the better of her. “You didn’t tell us you had done it, I hope he was good with you.” 

 

“RAHAB!” 

 

“Please, it's already embarrassing for Sabine as it is,” Koska said holding her hands up to calm the situation. Smiling while trying to calm things down. “It was probably just a quickie.”

 

“Ah, actually it wasn’t…?”

 

The three women turned to Sabine in confusion, and they could see she was somehow being more confident about it.

 

“Well, we did in secret…or tried to keep it secret.” Sabine began as she couldn’t help but smile at that memory as she recounted it while telling her friends. “We were in the Infirmary…where I approached him.”

Coruscant

 

Jedi Temple

Within the temple, another council meeting took place inside the chambers with only the presence of a few masters who were available at the time. Grand Master Yoda, Master Windu, and Shaak Ti were present at the transmission coming from the Terran Sector.

 

“So you say that even with the agreed-upon ceasefire being only a mere few hours away, heavy fighting is still going on outside the city?” 

 

Speaking through the holo-link were Obi-Wan with Anakin, with a different link Quinlan Vos who was currently in a different position than the other two Jedi.

 

“Yes, the Americans have made it clear that they are intending to fully recapture their capital city within the timeframe,” Vos spoke with his hood over his head as he was continuing on with loud sound in the background. “The loud banging you are hearing is their artillery batteries. They are trying to soften up the Zygerrian positions within the city.”

 

“Are there no efforts being made to halt the fighting even now?” Shaak Ti asked concerned about the situation.

 

“There are but they’re falling on deaf ears. Especially the commander of the main assault force. Colonel John Konrad.” Vos responded to her question. “He’s leading the assault from the north and is making progress even as we speak, and neither he nor his men are in any mood to halt their operations now that they can see the government district. And the same goes for the other field commanders with whom I have spoken.”

 

“That leads us to the subject of the city itself.” Master Plo Koon began as he turned his attention to the pair. “Master Kenobi, what can you and your Padawan tell us about the fighting within the city?”

 

“Unfortunately I can say that we have less welcoming news than that of Master Vos.” Obi-Wan began while addressing the others. “The stronghold inside Washington DC has expanded its hold under the command of Ölüm leader Tarik Karim, who’s now been folded back into the United States Military. And he shares the same sentiment as that of the other US commanders.”

 

Windu asked. “And the Ölüm Fighters themselves?” 

 

“They are less enthusiastic about this nearing ceasefire, Master.” It was Anakin who decided to speak now, as he was in no position to do so yet but continued regardless. “They have shown to be continuing with small skirmishes as well as back-and-forth shootouts with the Zygerrians.”

 

“So I’ve heard. The reports of these Ölüm Fighters engaging in combat with the Zygerrians are stunningly brutal.” Master Vos spoke of them now that they were mentioned. “Some of their leaders like Tayuya have been known to not take any prisoners. Causing some worries to be turned to them.”

 

“With all due respect, Master Vos, but given the background about these fighters-”  

 

“Padawan, you are done talking for now,” Obi-Wan told his apprentice. “But he is not wrong. The fighters of Ölüm given their past grievances with the Zygerrians, are less happy to know that this ceasefire might end up in a stalemate. That is why we are to believe something will happen very soon.”

 

Yoda was then asking the one important one that was on his mind.

 

“Strong the Force is on this planet, in the city, you are in, it is.” The Grand Master began. “You located him, Naruto Uzumaki, you have?”

 

…

 

“He is here, master. However, we did not have the chance to speak with him due to unexpected visitors.”

 

“Visitors, you say?”

 

“Mandalorians.”

Earth - United States

 

DC

 

No Man’s Land

Between the White House and Capitol building, there lay a large swath of lawn, easily large enough to accommodate a million people for auspicious events, such as inaugurations.

 

Now, however, those grounds lay desolate, shot up, dug up, or carved into winding trenches by either side. In the middle was No Man's Land, fit only for the dead and wreckage of vehicles.

 

Those trenches were filled with both the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 7th Division. Ever since the fighting had reached DC, they had joined the fray, suffering great casualties even as foreign volunteers joined their numbers.

 

Naruto was one of those volunteers, loading an E-Web Heavy Repeating Blaster from his sentry position, with him having the power generator already set up, the weapon was nearly ready for full use in case of an attack.

 

An attack that needed to come from the nearly mile-long space between the friendly trenches that separated them from their enemy. 

 

*Rawgh!”

 

Turning his head around, Naruto saw he had company and was glad to see it was the big Wookie himself who came in.

 

“Chewie, what are you doing here? It is not your shift.”

 

“BWRAWHL!” Chewbacca replied as he was seen dropping some provisions next to Naruto, some water, and ammunition. 

 

Seeing this got Naruto to nod. “Thank you, big guy.”

 

Chewie gave a few smaller roars before he proceeded to return to the first line as he happened to walk past Jango Fett who came up to him while lowering himself towards the sentry.

 

“Hey, kid, how’s it going here?” Jango said tapping Naruto’s back as he sat next to him and looked out the land. “Seen anything suspicious?”

 

“Nope, been working on the E-Web for now, it got overheated in the last attack,” Naruto said holding a part he was screwing back in with repair tools. “Besides, Mutani’s on the lookout.”

 

“Mutani?” Jango asked.

 

In the corner laid a figure that rose, cloaked from head to toe in rough, tan-colored robes and wrappings, except the head that turned towards Jango - showing it to be in its full traditional gear and with his cycle rifle and the well-known intimidating mask that got them to be known very well.

 

“A Tusken?”

 

“Urk! Urk!” The Tusken responded in his native language, turning to Naruto and started to show sign language to Naruto, trying to say something.

 

‘Tell your friend, I am no danger to him.’

 

Naruto responded by doing sign language back to his friend.

 

‘He will know, do not be afraid, Mutani.’

 

Nodding back in response, Mutani grabbed the binoculars next to him and went back on the watch, with his long-range cycler next to him. 

 

“Quite strange,” Jango eased up and sat. “A Tusken far off from Tatooine is highly unusual.” 

 

“He was in Ölüm,” Naruto said shortly, finishing the blaster as he explained. “Was brought there with his entire family and tribe right before I arrived….he was the only one left.”

 

*BLAST!*

 

Hearing that made Jango turn his head towards the Tusken. With Mutani having just fired a shot from his slugthrower cycler rifle, he was presumed to have just cut down another enemy.

 

“He’s been hunting Zygerrians ever since he arrived here,” Naruto said as he was shown to be unfazed by what just happened, connecting the power box to the E-Web blaster. “He got even here before we both came along. Having been a sharpshooter with Tayuya’s people. Mutani wants to finish this war on his terms before he’s done.”

 

“And his terms being?...”

 

Naruto held no words back on what his friend once told him.

 

“Take as many of these slavers to their early graves as possible.”

 

Jango could only sigh as he turned to the rest of the trench, where the frontline was mainly occupied by those foreign volunteers, including many of the Ölüm fighters. Among them were also local forces but the vast majority of those up in the first line of defense were from other worlds.

 

And it would be an understatement that their spirits were begging for an assault - for more blood to be spilled by their hands.

 

“Stop!”

 

In the night something was moving, as a small figure was seen hurling a bag with him towards the trench, causing some of the men inside to grab for their rifles and aim for the unknown person.

 

“I said stop-”

 

“Ny shootogawa! Ny shootogawa!”

 

(Translation - Don’t shoot, don’t shoot.)

 

“Hold your fire, damn it!” Naruto shouted to them, causing everyone to turn to him as he stood up and walked up to them. “I know who it is, it's Teeka.”

 

“Utini!”

 

Jumping into the trench with a brown cloak the only visible part of his body was a pair of yellow eyes, its name was Teeka.

 

“Teeka, you know it is dangerous out there.” Naruto walked over to him and nearly raised his hand to the Jawa. “Walking into that field? Are you out of your mind?”

 

The Jawa continued to then say numerous things to him and then pulled out some items from the sack with inside of it parts, scrap or any other valuable he managed to find. 

 

“I don’t care, you could’ve gotten killed.” Naruto reminded him while irritated. “Get out of here, before I make you.”

 

Teeka threw a fit at Naruto before he went on to grab his bag of valuables of his and walk down the trench with a few people seen teasing the small guy.

 

“Jawas, such thieving people,” Jango said shaking his head at it. “No doubt in my mind he stole parts from those downed ships across the city.”

 

“Yes, they are that…but they also have their uses,” Naruto said admitting as he had used the little man. “We know the enemy’s position just because he has the size of a child. So let him keep the scrap.”

 

…

 

A few hours later

 

National Mall

 

1 hour before the ceasefire

When noon came, people quietly hoped for a ceasefire.

 

A thick fog had covered the whole city, and nothing could fly through it due to the lack of long-range visibility.

 

"Go, go, go."

 

At that silent signal, the quiet was broken by the sounds of many boots as many soldiers advanced across No Man's Land.

 

They were a diverse mix of fighters, both foreign and native, like their enemies, all on the brink of exhaustion and low morale.

 

Slowly they advanced, squaring up for a final showdown.

 

…

The silence gave away a false impression of peace nearing within the next few hours, but not everybody was as convinced of this.

 

One of them was Naruto, seen walking down the trench with a cup of warm coffee he had gotten himself from the second trench behind them, as he’d had one already.

 

“Here, you could use it.”

 

“Thank you, kid,” Jango said as he accepted it and took a sip from it. “So, looks like we might see no fighting at all for now.”

 

“Yeah, perhaps it is for the better,” Naruto responded in agreement. “The sooner this is over, the better.” He then asked his mentor. “Have you seen Sabine or her friends?”

 

“They’re still in that White House for all I know,” Jango said. “Bo-Katan Kryze said she will not participate in a war she has no gains from.”

 

They continued walking through the trench, where the men were passing the time with conversation, food, and even a little laughter.

 

"I wouldn't blame her," said Naruto, taking a sip of his coffee. Honestly, he just wanted this to end.

Jango halted as well, and both of them craned their necks as new sounds reached their ears.

 

Roaring, shouting, battle cries - approaching from across No Man's Land.

 

Naruto was the first to react.

 

"ATTACK! ENEMIES APPROACHING!" he bellowed out to the men in the trenches while pulling out his whistle, "BATTLE STATIONS!"

 

The whistle's high-pitched scream cut across the relaxed atmosphere like a knife. Causing the whole trench to react quickly as the food was dropped and weapons were grabbed. 

 

From the horizon and appearing from the thick fog came hundreds of Zygerrians with weapons charging towards the trench, with some more daring than others.

 

“KRRRREEEERRRRRHHHH!!!”

 

*BLAST!*

 

The first shots that were fired came from the Tusken sharpshooter Mutani himself who now had a visual on the enemy, sparing no time in taking out the advancing Zygerrians who were now visible with his rifle, he dropped one to the ground before reloading for another shot.

 

Soon other rifles were coming out of the trenches as the order was being given.

 

“OPEN FIRE!” 

 

Soon every blaster and slugthrower rifle started bursting with gunfire being concentrated on the advancing Zygerrians who were coming in droves.

 

The gunner on the E-Web Repeating Blaster that was set up earlier was picking targets for it to shoot with unending gunfire cutting down many.

 

The bodies started to cover the land even more with the Zygerrians not stopping, some even having reached some cover that they then used to throw thermal detonators at the trenches.

 

“They’re at throwing range!” Yasser shouted while reloading his rifle. “Shoot them first before they get a chance!”

 

Jango fired his blasters at two Zygerrians who he took out quickly before they even could throw their grenades, even hitting another one that tried to run into the trench.

 

Naruto was also firing his Suomi machine gun at nearby enemies, unfortunately finding himself without his ammo bag as he only had two drum mags on him while blaster fire was going over his head left and right.

 

More and more Zygerrians and their hired mercenaries were seen coming from the fog as they kept running past their fallen comrades to keep the pressure on the defenders, some of whom just stepped over the corpses and even the wounded to try to reach the first line of defenses.

 

“There are too many of them!”

 

“Keep firing! If it comes to it then prepare for close combat!” One fighter shouted to the others. “Don’t give them an inch!”

 

Naruto who happened to be standing next to old man Yasser, was down to his last magazine as he was picking off targets as fast as he could, but bad luck came for him when his gun jammed.

 

“Damn it, not now!” Naruto ducked into cover as he went for his last magazine in his pouch. “I need a minute!”

 

He started to reload before a thermal detonator landed near him and Yasser causing both of them to panic.

 

‘Kid!’

 

‘What-’

 

“Naruto, get down-”

 

*BOOM!*

 

The explosion rocked that part of the trench and caused Jango to turn his head towards the impacted area when he quickly realized.

 

“dank farrik…”

White House

People were pouring out of the White House as the sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard from where they stood, with a crowd starting to form.

 

“Out of my way! Move!” 

 

Tarik was seen going through with a few of the other members of his staff as he could see the smoke appearing from the sky, and gunfire going off without any pause. He had his own binoculars out as he wanted to see for himself what was going on.

 

From a distance stood Obi-Wan, joined by his padawan Anakin. 

 

“Fighting has broken out.” 

 

“Yes, the Zygerrians started an assault on the first lines,” Anakin said, causing his master to look at him. “They’re trying to reach this building before the ceasefire begins,”

 

Obi-Wan responded. “But there’s only one hour left.” Looking back when he heard an explosion from afar. “Don’t tell me they are willing…”

 

“Zygerrian pride got hurt, so I am not surprised,” Anakin commented. “But this Naruto, master, isn’t he supposed to be there now?”

 

*FWOOP!*

 

The sound of thrusters going off made the two Jedi turn their heads up and see that the group of Mandalorian were flying towards the frontline, with blasters visible in their hands.

 

“By the looks of it, he is,” Obi-Wan said as he tapped his Padawan on the shoulder. “Now come on, we need to have a better look up front.”

 

“Going into a war zone, master?” Anakin asked while following him. “We’re not supposed to be fighting.”

 

“No, but we need to observe this from a better angle and see if the boy is still alive,” Obi-Wan said as he walked. “I feel the Force is going to have a strong presence in this battle.”

 

“So do I…”

 

Both Jedi left without anybody noticing their absence, except for a few delegates who saw them disappear into the chaos of the growing crowd.  

 

Including a few Shinobi who also quickly took their leave from the crowd.

I hope you all liked this chapter and leave some reviews for the fic.

 

Yes, I re-introduced an old character from my old fic. I got plans.

 

Anyhow, hope you all have a nice day.

 

Peace.

Chapter 21: The DC Pocket Part III

So here is the final chapter of the whole arc, my apologies again. 

Also, I got called woke by someone in one of my fics, which is quite funny, but of course, it was a guest review.

Beta: NorthSouthGorem, Potterheadfan7, and FallnHeratic

Enjoy.

Washington DC

Even from the borders of the city, the intensity of fighting could be heard in its full chaotic state. 

A thick mist was making it impossible for those present to see what was going on, let alone figure out what to do.

One giant ship descended from space: the Providence Class Destroyer, which carried the Zygerrian military command and was making its final move. The last hour of the war had come.

…

“We are flying over the city, sir.”

The crew was on full alert, on the bridge of Flagship Providence. The Admiral approached the Prime Minister, who was smirking as he watched the capital of the planet's most powerful country collapse.

While the Minister could already taste victory, the Admiral showed no signs of any such sentiment, approaching to give his debrief.

“My lord, I must bring you urgent news from the front.” 

“A magnificent sight, isn’t it, Admiral?” Molec said, chuckling while enjoying the sight. “See our enemies’ prized city crumble down.”

“My lord…”

“Under our feet,” Molec said, nearly starting a grin. “That is what these bastards deserve, be submitted right underneath-”

“Sir, the front is collapsing.”

The bad news turned the grin into a frown, and that turned into a question.

“Excuse me?”

“We’ve just gotten reports from the northern and southern flanks about breakthroughs that the Americans are making.” The admiral told his superior stoically. “In the north, the enemy has used artillery to strike the command center in Laurel with the commander having been killed. Forces are trying to quickly regroup in Bladensburg, but they are getting encircled at this moment.”

Molec clenched his fist angrily, expression darkening rapidly.

“The situation in the south is much worse with all contact with the commander in Fredericksburg having also been killed, communications are nonexistent at this point,” the admiral stated, “However our western flank is still holding, so I am urging you to begin evacuations now, while we have the air superiority-”

“We will not ,” The Zygerrian prime minister told him firmly. “Victory is close, we just need to press on to the White House.”

“My lord-”

“What is the status of the offensive?” Molec asked out to the men on deck, “Have the men at Capitol Hill started their attack?”

“Give us a moment, my lord. We’re looking into it,” one of the crewmates answered, “We’ve just been informed that the first assault teams have made contact with the first enemy lines.”

“Well hurry it up, I want results!” Molec yelled impatiently at the crew members. “I will not settle for a stalemate!”

The admiral however got in the prime minister’s face. “Sir, we have nearly sixty thousand men about to be trapped if we do not pull back. We are risking their lives - including your safety, the longer we stay here.”

“My safety? What do you mean?” Molec asked, turning to his commander. “Admiral?”

Before the admiral could even answer his question, one of his staff spoke.

“Sir! We’ve got a new report from the fighting in the capital city - the first line of defenses has been reached, but our forces are unable to reach the second line of defenses the enemy has laid.”

“What?” Molec demanded. “Why are they no longer advancing?!”

Meanwhile

“RAAAAAH!”

One Zygerrian was thrown against the muddy wall, finding himself overpowered by one of the Ölüm fighters before then being thrown to the dirty ground.

“No- No-!”

*SQUELCH!”*

The fighter did not listen to his pleas as he stabbed the Zygerrian right in the gut with his M4 rifle. All he heard was the alien’s cries of pain as he repeatedly plunged his bayonet into his stomach, over and over, until finally, he fell silent.

This was not an isolated incident, as now the whole first line was in a state of chaos. The Zygerrians had reached the trench and entered into brutal close-quarters combat, with no inch being given.

One Zygerrian was seen strangling a man into the ground, only to then be grabbed from behind and stabbed in the back multiple times. Another dead Zygerrian body was having its head smashed in
repeatedly by another human with a rock.

There was nothing but hate in those trenches that drove a man to kill another man. Every corpse stacked up on another was a testament to that.

“DIE!”

An American was knocked to the ground by a Zygerrian, who hit him in the back and was about to stomp the unconscious soldier in the head-

“RAWHGH!”

The Wookie growl of anger was heard before the Zygerrian found himself picked up and smashed into the mud by the one and only Chewbacca. He smashed the enemy down to the puddle and slammed into him until he drowned in the liquid earth that besmirched his face.

One Mirialan Ölüm fighter had just slit the throat of another Zygerrian regular he threw to the ground, as he went up to warn Chewbacca.

 “Chewie! Behind you!”

Chewbacca grabbed his crossbow blaster and fired at the incoming Zygs, who were running towards the trench to try and get in-

But one Zyg went flying backward as a bolt blasted through his head, while the other two zigzagged across the field to not get hit.

*BIAO!*

Another hit for Chewbacca as the second fell to the ground, but by this time, the last Zygerrian jumped up and right above Chewbacca.

*BLAM!*

 

A blaster shot ruined his chance before the Zygerrian regular could even enter the trench as the shot killed him in midair, with his body landing next to Chewbacca’s position.

“KRRRREEEERRRRRHHHH!”

Chewie reacted to the sound of the scream, which emanated from the ravaged, smoke-filled trench. The source of the sound was a volunteer, the Tusken Mutani, who was armed with a long rifle and his traditional warrior Gaffi Stick, which had been employed to penetrate the skulls of his adversaries, accompanied by the fresh blood seen dripping from it.

“GRAWHL!”

“ERRRRH!” Mutani threw the Wookie a bandolier of thermal detonators before he pointed out on the field. “ERH!”

As there came the second wave of Zygerrian regulars who were seen coming in the hundreds, running literally over the bodies of the first wave of Zygerrians who were killed before they even neared the position.

*PEW!*

Multiple shots came from behind the Tusken and Wookie that killed the nearest Zygs with deadly precision, as then landing right in between them was Jango with both his blasters out and firing with them at the charging enemy.

“dank farrik. They’re coming in with larger numbers.” Jango said, picking his targets and shooting them while giving orders. “You two focus on long-distance targets, I’ll worry about the short-range ones.”

Mutani gorked and Chewbacca growled as they both focused their sights on the enemy and started pulling triggers.

The blaster fire continued back and forth as the trenches at their side stabilized for now with multiple Ölüm fighters having joined up the defenses again and firing at the advancing enemy.

Every gun from that first line was back aimed at Zygerrian regulars, seen coming in droves as their comrades up front were getting hit left and right.

“Concentrate fire!”

“Keep up! Keep up!”

“Kill them all!”

It was then that Tayuya and her bunch showed up, reinforcing the line as she jumped right next to Jango and Chewie, she grabbed an ammo patch of a dead fighter and began firing her rifle. 

“What the fuck happened?”

 

“They got inside our trenches, but now they are out again,” Jango said, firing one more shot before ducking for cover with Tayuya.

“Yeah, I saw the bodies while running through, I must say that’s impressive,” Tayuya said with an uncontrolled chuckle. “Pretty sight, not going to lie.”

“You have issues, girl,” Jango commented. “Real issues.”

“I like seeing dead slavers, so what?” Tayuya said, getting out from her cover and firing. “So where’s shithead? I don’t see him.”

Chewbacca growled up to respond and pointed his crossbow toward the destroyed sentry site in front of the whole trench line, with smoke smoldering from it and the E-Web seen destroyed and lying around in a dozen pieces.

“Crap, we need to” 

*Get down!”

A massive laser shot flew right over the first trench, hitting a position right behind those who ducked their heads. 

*FWOOOSH!*

The sound of jetpack thrusters was the sign of the Nite Owls landing into the trenches, with their blaster pistols out, both Bo-Katan and Sabine who landed right next to Jango and Tayuya.

“Fancy seeing you here!” Tayuya said, turning to the Mandalorian women. “Are you just staying here or joining the fight?”

*Click*

With her blaster readied up, Sabine just looked straight at Tayuya’s face, with that being her response.

 

“Fine, do what you want to.”

 

“TANK!”

 

From the horizon, three AAT-1 assault tanks were seen coming their way towards them, with men following from behind with cover; the tanks wasted no time firing their cannons at the defensive lines.

 

“FIRE!”

 

Their response was the sound of a rocket being fired and hitting the tank on the right side, dead center, and destroying it with one single shot. 

 

It stopped the tanks there, alongside other forms of assaults, confusing both sides.

 

“Who fired that shot?”

 

Bo-Katan did a check and called it in her comms. “Rahab. Was it you guys?”

 

‘Nope, it was those guys behind us, who were seen running up to you. So watch your back.’

Now joining up the first trench were the US soldiers with reinforcements, among them being Tarik himself with his blaster out as he walked up to join Jango and Tayuya.

 

“Good to see you guys still breathing,” Tarik said, tapping on Jango’s arm and looking around. “Is this all that is left?” 

 

“Well, we were kinda taken by surprise, but we knocked them back,” Tayuya said before asking the question. “What’s going on? I thought you said we were going to attack.”

 

“We are.”

 

This made everyone turn to the captain.

 

“We are attacking now ,” Tarik said, pointing out. “We only have 45 minutes before the ceasefire, so we’re taking that capitol building with the time we’ve got left on our hands.”

 

“Are you fucking nuts?” Tayuya nearly cussed him out fully. “We can’t do that in that amount of time.”

 

“It is only a 2-mile run, and we got the initiative now.” Tarik looked at his watch to see what time it was and said. “In five minutes we are charging, people. We got artillery batteries and incoming air support, so keep your eyes on…”

 

Some movement was seen coming from the destroyed sentry position.

 

“The enemy…” Tarik asked. “Who is in that sentry?”

 

Mutani gorked a couple of times in response, getting confirmation from Jango.

 

“Naruto and Yasser were inside of it…” 

Sentry position

 

Inside the destroyed position, the impact of the thermal detonator that had blown the position to smithereens by the Zygerrians who overran the place or used it as cover for retreat.

 

Though underneath the destroyed structure was Naruto, covered from head to toe in dirt it made him nearly impossible to identify if it wasn’t for the blond hair. 

 

‘Naruto.’

 

Trying to breathe only made Naruto cough hard as he inhaled the black smoke around him that had come into his lungs. 

 

“Damn it…that was a close one,” Naruto said, holding his hand in front of his mouth. “Kurama.”

 

‘Naruto. Look behind you… Yasser.’

 

Hearing that made Naruto realize he wasn’t alone in that sentry position as he turned around and turned to where the old man lay….

 

Yasser, the old man who was perhaps the eldest fighter of the Ölüm volunteers, lying there with his clothes shredded by shreds and burns, along with his skin that was burned alongside the right side of his face that had taken most of the impact.

 

“Old man…”

 

“N-Naruto boy…thank goodness you are alive,” Yasser said with the grandpa-like smile he put up with all his strength. “I thought you wouldn’t wake up.”

 

“Wake up?”

 

‘Kid, you were knocked out for nearly fifteen minutes. The old man was trying to wake you up this whole time. Using all his strength he still had.’

 

Kurama’s words did little to mention the wounds that the old man had been given, with both his legs blown off and chest burned, with both his hands also not spared, it was a miracle he was still alive. 

 

‘He’s dying, kid. And the wounds do little to make it easy for him. Tend to him if you can in his last moments.’

 

Yasser began to cough.

 

“Old man.” Naruto sank to his knees and went through his pockets, pulled out some bandages he wrapped around his hand and he began putting pressure on the wounds with his handful. “Hold on, I-”

 

The old man extended his hand to grab Naruto’s. Precisely the one that was holding the bandages, preventing him from helping.

 

“I’m… I’m at my end….” Yasser spoke out as his breathing pattern was irregular he tried to speak slowly but kept his gentle smile on. “... No need to waste these bandages on me…”

 

“Don’t talk like that, old man,” Naruto told him while still putting the bandages on his gut, but the blood just kept coming out. “Damn it, we need to bring you to a doctor, Levi can help-”

 

Then the burned hand grabbed Naruto’s shoulder, causing him to stop his actions again and see the man smiling whilst staring at him.

 

“It's okay…you’re a good kid…stay that way….” Yasser said weakly. “.... My life is without regrets. I have lived as a warrior…and will end it like that…. Inshallah…”

 

…

 

Naruto did what he could and removed the bandages, by then grabbing both Yasser’s arms and supporting them to be laid on his chest, helping him in his final moment.

 

“I will join my son and grandson….thank you…”

 

The last words coming out of the senior’s mouth were final to Yasser Halim as he died in the presence of Naruto, with his body given up on all trembling, his life ended there.

 

“Rest in peace.” 

 

Naruto said as he made his final farewell to the old man.  Closing his eyelids to finalize it, he laid the man’s weapon next to him and properly placed his head for him later to be picked up.

 

*CLICK!*

 

*CLICK!*

 

*CLICK!*

 

Behind Naruto stood a duo of Zygerrian regulars alongside a Weequay mercenary, all of whom had crawled up into the sentry position and had their blasters pointed at his back.

 

“Do not move, scum!” The Weequay threatened, slowly walking up. “I will end you if you make the wrong move and turn you to corpse meat like your friend over there.”

 

Naruto just was there on his knees, not even a moment had passed since the old man had passed and already they were mocking him.

 

The two others went on to corner Naruto from both sides, with their blasters aimed at him, they happened to then recognize him.

 

“Wait, he’s one of the Ölüm Commanders!”

 

“Then shoot!”

 

*PEW!*

Three blaster shots at one would be fired, but what followed got all three men to be surprised at what they saw.

 

All three bolts of lasers stopped in midair, only an inch away from Naruto’s head and they hovered like they were frozen.

 

All by the power of Naruto’s hand that was the source of this mystery.

 

“You’re not insulting him.”

 

*SQUELCH!*

 

The three men screamed in pain as they fell to the ground with burned chests that were caused by the blaster shots being redirected to them, and killing them before they even hit the dirt ground.

 

All that happened by Naruto’s hands, tightened into a fist. He did not say much else, but instead reached his injured hand outwards for his poncho coat and removed it from himself. Placing it then over the body of the fallen Yasser whose face he covered up for now.

 

“OPEN FIRE!”

The AAT tanks had started firing their cannons, they had picked up their targets between the first-line trench positions they were trying to soften up with continued firing.

 

*BIAO!*

 

One shot got very close to hitting the trench as sand and dirt rained over the hiding warriors, with Jango and Sabine both unbothered by the continued pounding of the enemy tanks, they were more concerned about something else.

 

“Can you see him?”

 

Jango tried to focus his visors on the sentry position, trying to spot Naruto if he was still there but saw nothing.

 

“Sorry, kid. But I don’t see anything.”

 

“Damn it!” Sabine said growing impatient. “He’s probably wounded, we-”

 

“Stand down!” Tarik told her, ordering the Mandalorian girl. “You’re trying to get yourself killed?”

Tayuya held her head down, like everyone else who was hiding in cover as the blaster fire from the enemy tanks continued to shell their positions.

Bo-Katan moved up from her cover and took a closer look at the field, seeing that the tanks were moving slowly up toward them. But then something happened.

“Hey, they’ve stopped.”

The blaster fire stopped as did the tanks, with the infantry also seeming to have stopped firing their weapons, ending their advance for something that made those in the trenches wonder what it was that caused them to halt.

“Why did they stop?” Somebody asked. “They got the initiative, I don’t understand-”

“Look. Out there in the sentry.”

 

Whoever pointed out first got everyone in the trench to focus on what was the cause of the pause in the front, something they did not expect to happen in the middle of all this chaos.

 

In the middle of the field stood Naruto who now wore a long cloak that covered his whole body with no weapon visible in his hand nor around his back. He was walking up slowly to the enemy position.

 

“Naruto?”

Meanwhile

 

From a distance on the rooftop of a standing building, both Obi-Wan and Anakin were watching what was happening, and they then saw the whole ordeal happening.

 

But more than that, they could feel what was going to happen.

 

“Master.”

 

“I know, Anakin… I know.” Obi-Wan told his padawan as he continued to observe. “For now…we can only watch.”

Walking down the battlefield, those who were watching the blond from a distance were wondering what he was doing while those who didn’t recognize him were heard yelling from the trenches, telling him to go away or duck for cover.

 

But those sentiments were not shared by those he was approaching, as the commander of the AAT-1 that was observing him, ordered his crew to aim the main cannon.

 

“Blast him!”

*BIAO!*

 

One cannon shot was fired and it looked like it was going to hit Naruto right there - until Naruto raised his hand and deflected the shot away to his side.

 

“What?! That should’ve hit you!” The commander was stunned by what he saw and ordered his men. “Fire again!”

 

The AAT-1 tank’s cannon, still aimed at Naruto, fired another blast.

 

*BIAO!*

This time Naruto just held his hand up again, freezing the shot in midair before he decided what to do with it - and sent it back towards the tank.

 

The tank commander could only curse.

 

“Kriff-”

 

*BOOM!*

 

The top of the AAT-1 tank exploded with a direct hit that killed the whole crew in a single shot.

 

Naruto proceeded to then move forwards, not taking much of the reactions the Zygerrian regulars were giving by what they had just witnessed.

 

“H-He redirected the shot!”

 

“It's a Jedi! A Jedi!” 

 

“Kill him!”

 

*BANG!*

 

One Zygerrian regular got hit in the head by a direct shot, causing the already panicking slavers to panic even more.

 

“Charge!”

 

That shout of command alone caused all the men inside the trenches to start charging forwards as they were intending to join Naruto, even with the big distance that was between themselves and the cloak-wearing blond, they were coming in by the hundreds.

 

The Zygerrian regulars tried to shoot back but they started getting overwhelmed by the amount of blaster and gunfire, with many hitting the ground fast while those who weren’t started to break rank and run away.

 

The last AAT-1 tank was still however unfortunate enough to be overwhelmed. Tayuya was seen jumping on the tank with a few thermal detonators.

 

The hatch opened, and the tank commander tried to aim his blaster-

 

*BANG!*

 

The commander’s body slumped back down into the tank after getting shot by Tayuya, who activated one detonator with a smile.

 

“Cooking time!”

 

Throwing the explosive inside the hatch, Tayuya closed it while hearing the crew shout in panic as she jumped off the tank.

 

*BOOM!*

 

The tank erupted with it exploding from the inside with that being the last AAT-1 that was now left as scrap with her now continuing the charge with her men as she commanded them while chasing the fleeing Zygerrians.

 

“We got them on the run!” Tarik yelled as he readied her rifle. “Give them no moment to regroup, let’s go to the Capitol building!”

 

Running with all their strength, the remnants of the US forces began to advance alongside the foreign volunteers of Ölüm who were also going as fast as they could. By the hundreds, they were going after the enemy with a few stragglers, and they managed to catch up to and quickly dispose of them.

 

Naruto however did not move a inch anymore, instead, he just stood there and watched. With his mind being in a busy conversation.

 

‘You know you’ve just exposed yourself in front of everyone, right?’

 

‘That I am aware of.’

 

‘Jedi are watching us at this moment, I can feel them. But they aren’t the biggest problem that I’ve sensed.’

 

‘Yeah, I’ve sensed them too.’

 

Naruto’s face briefly turned back towards the rear, where the safe zone was. A feeling of more than just the Jedi being here to observe them from a distance.  

 

‘Shinobi.’

 

‘I can sense them, and they’re close. I can tell you that. So whatever you do I advise you to watch yourself.’

 

‘I can only try.’

 

*FWOOSH!*

With their jetpacks, the Nite Owls and Jango landed around Naruto with them intending to create a circle around him for protection. 

 

“Kid, are you doing alright?” Jango asked while firing his blaster at some faraway enemies. “We’ll cover you, don’t worry.”

 

“Jango, I appreciate your concern-”

 

*SLAP!*

Not expecting it, a harsh slap in the face was given by Sabine as she had caused those around her to be even taken aback by her action.

 

“You damned idiot, you could’ve gotten killed!” Sabine said while still wearing her helmet, but the mixture of anger and fear was clear in her voice. “You get shot at by tanks and infantry and then you walk out without even a blaster and use those Jedi mind tricks to scare them?!”

 

“Wait, Sabine-”

 

“No wait!”

Watching the berating of Sabine going off, Bo-Katan was quite amazed to see the normally carefree and rebellious Sabine acting just like her mother, a very eerie but similar interaction that she did not expect to see this quickly.

 

“You two do act like a married couple.” The woman chuckled underneath her helmet. “I can see why, Sabine.”

 

“Agh!”

 

Naruto went back down on his knees as he held his right arm, causing Sabine to stop berating him as she quickly removed the cloak around his right arm, to see he was badly hurt by the explosive ordinance.

 

“You’re hurt…” Sabine’s voice changed as she grabbed her med pack. “Stand still so I can patch it up.”

 

“It's nothing, just a scratch.” Naruto flinched in pain as his arm got grabbed. “I can still go and fight-”

 

“Naruto!”

 

The whole group turned around to see it was Tarik who was running up to them with a blaster in his hand while more of his American servicemen were joining in the advance while running past or around them to try to join the forward Ölüm fighters.

 

He walked up towards him and kneeled right next to him, seeing the wound he was being treated for was for his arm. 

 

Once he saw it, he shook his head and Tarik spoke. “You’re staying in the back, Naruto. War’s over for you,” Turning to Jango. “I can handle it from here, my men are going to the Capitol building, you can join us if you want.”

 

“RETREAT!”

 

Then around them, American troops were seen making a tactical withdrawal, their faces seen turning white for the lack of better terms, they looked like they saw something that outmatched them.

 

“Enemy ship!”

 

Whoever yelled it made everyone turn to the air, and it was the biggest understatement of the day as they saw it was no ordinary ship that was coming their way.

 

It was a Providence Class destroyer. 

Zygerrian flagship

 

On the bridge, the Providence destroyer was now in range of the city with full sight of the enemy positions down below them, with the admiral in the company of the prime minister, waiting for no further moments to order his men.

 

“I want the cannons ready for orbital attacks on the enemy. Crush whatever threat there is to our forces and provide covering fire.”

 

“Ignore that order. I want you to bombard the whole block with whatever firepower you got,” Molec stated with intent to overrule. “I want to see their city burn. Everything included!”

 

“My lord, our men are-”

 

“THAT IS AN ORDER!” Molec stated with growing impatience. “Do not make me repeat myself!”

 

*Boom!*

 

An explosion then rocked the bridge left and right, causing everyone to nearly lose balance for a moment for whoever wasn’t sitting down, and answers to be necessitated.

 

“What was that?!” Molec asked, getting back up from his seat. “I want answers!”

 

The Admiral walked up to one of his men and looked at the computer screens and saw what it was.

 

“Just as I feared - enemy ships,” The commanding officer of the ship stated. “They’ve started their assault and they’ve just hit one of our engines in the back.” 

 

“How many? And from where?”

 

…

The explosion happened as an F16 unleashed a Sidewinder into the Destroyer's flagship. The resulting damage caused the explosion, knocking it out of action. The fighter quickly rejoined the squad, the planes too fast for the turbo lasers. 

 

The USAF squadron, one of many that arrived over D.C. was the first to take it to the ships. Other squadrons, having arrived, were either attacking the ship itself or engaged in several dogfights. There were cheers over the radio when a fighter got their fifth kill, the first of many confirmed Aces for both the F16s and the F22s. They were fighting what was left of the Zygerrian Starhoppers and Vulture droids that had not been shot down before the fighting.

 

One such Starhopper was the latest victim as it was seen crashing down towards the Potomac River like a burning comet before it crashed into the water. The cause of that destruction was one pilot, a squadron leader who spoke over the comms.

 

“Good work on that. Now focus on that flagship, people. Its engines are hit. See if you can lay more hits on it.”

 

“Copy that.”

 

“By the looks of it, their shields are down, but that does not mean we can slack off. Our boys down there have taken a heavy beating. So let’s relieve them while we can.”

 

“F22’s ready to do the job, sir - we’re on our way.”

 

And as planned a couple of F22s were seen making their way towards the Providence destroyer, with the covering of a few F16s, they soon were facing the flagship.

 

“Engaging now.”

 

“Fox 2!”

 

The jet fighters unleashed their Sidewinders missiles at their intended targets before they quickly dispersed before the turbo cannons could even fire at them in response.

 

The missiles did their job and laid multiple hits on the flagship as they hit targets near the bridge or even flew over them and managed to do more damage.

National Mall

 

Down below on the battlefield, the sight of US jets entering the skies was just enough for morale to have been boosted up for the defenders down on earth to cheer for them as they continued the assault for the enemy lines.

 

One of whom was Zeb who was seen running with a group of volunteers, as he had just run from across town from his patrol stunt, he now was trying to reach the frontline by following the Rangers.

 

“Yeah! F16s and F22s!” Corporal Dunn shouted while running as he watched the dogfights happen above him. “Give ‘em hell, boys!”

 

“Focus, corporal!” Sgt Foley told him off while leading the group of men. “War’s not over yet, so keep your cheers for when it is. We are Oscar Mike!”

 

The Rangers began running through the streets with whoever they came across started to follow them, volunteers, Marines, and local garrison guys. Anyone with a gun and enough ammo started to rush for the frontline in the hope they were reaching it in time.

 

While hundreds of men were running towards the fight, they were being observed from a distance by those who were watching in the shadows who felt like now they could come out safely.

 

Coming out first was the grown-up Jōnin who was part of this secretive team, Hyuuga Neji himself. Seen in his wardrobe of a white kimono shirt with long, loose sleeves, matching pants, a navy gray apron tied around his waist, and black shinobi sandals. He saw the coast was clear.

 

“All’s clear,” Neji sounded off as he signaled. “Come out.”

 

Also coming out from the shadows was the rest of the team that consisted of both Tenten and Sakura Haruno, alongside the company of Kakashi Hatake who was the leader of this team.

 

“It's nearly over, the ceasefire is about to kick off in thirty minutes,” Kakashi said as he told his team. “We need to try and locate Naruto before something happens to him.”

 

The Shinobi saw more men running down the street, but not with weapons, instead, they were carrying the wounded. 

 

It was the medics who were busy evacuating the wounded, with some even seen carrying the blown-off limbs of those unfortunate to have gone through the experience.

Sakura watched and felt nervous seeing that, causing Tenten to try and calm her for a bit by tapping her shoulder.

 

“Hey don’t start worrying, he’s doing fine,” Tenten smiled. “It's Naruto.”

“Kakashi.”

 

Who called the name of the silver-haired Jōnin was seen running down the street with its four exhausted paws. That was the pug Pakkun.

 

“Pakkun,” Kakashi kneeled. “You found Naruto?”

 

Pakkun nodded. “I found the brat, he’s not far from here.”

 

“And?”

 

“Well.”

National Mall

 

“Agggh, damn it!”

 

Cursing out in pain was Naruto who had just finished being bandaged up his right arm by Sabine, who did it hastily as the presence of the destroyer Providence ship was making everyone nervous as it was flying over the battlefield.

 

While men around them were retreating to their first trenches, it was the Nite Owls and Jango who were standing there in their circle while providing cover for the young Mandalorian warrior tending to the blond fighter.

 

“Sabine, we need to hurry, hon,” Koska called out. “We can’t stay here.”

 

“Almost finished, just need to cut the bandages,” Sabine said, trying to cut it but letting out a frustrated complaint. “Damn these scissors!” 

 

“Sorry for my arm.” Naruto apologized, slightly dazed. “Looks like I’ve been banged up pretty good.”

 

‘Oh shut it, kid. I am doing the real patching up.’ Kurama stated rather annoyed. ‘I am nearly done.’

 

Running up to the group was then Tarik and a few of his men, having come from the frontal forces, he returned to see what the situation was of his friends.

 

“How’s the arm, Naruto?”

 

“I’m doing alright.” Naruto winced as Sabine finished up. “But shooting for me now is out of the question.”

 

“Good, because I am ordering a retreat,” Tarik said to them as explosions erupted behind them from the front. “You’re the only ones from Ölüm who are still here.”

 

“What? How so?” Sabine asked, confused. “What happened to the others?”

 

“Gone AWOL, that is what happened,” Tarik replied, looking irritated as she explained. “Tayuya took the lead along with the others and had already reached the Capitol building with the Delta operators. But now we need to bring you to safety, you’re in the open.”

 

“Help me get Naruto up, will you?” Sabine asked. “He’s still hurt pretty bad.”

 

“Let me help.” Tarik went on to help Naruto up.

 

Supported from both sides, Naruto’s arms were slung over the shoulders of both Sabine and Tarik who began to drag him towards the trenches, with the chaotic scene of other men retreating also, the Mandalorians were only slowly retreating to provide them with cover.

Up in the air, the combat was becoming more grim with the F16s and F22s seen in more intense dogfighting with the Vulture Droids that were remaining while the Providence flagship had taken a significant amount of damage by the lethal strikes it was taking from the missiles.

But it did little to bring the ship down but instead created more fires as it was slowly still flying forward, with its defenses even managing to force the jets to take greater distance for their safety.

A Humvee was seen driving up in front of the group, with a man seen coming out of the front seat. 

“Captain, we’re here to evacuate the wounded.” The soldier saluted. “Need help?”

Then one blaster shot out of nowhere was fired from above, and it was going right for the group.

“INCOMING!”

Everyone in the group ducked down for cover when-

*BIAO!*

The Humvee exploded as it was hit by the laser beam, with the impact forcing the group apart, with Jango and the group of Nite Owls having to jump out of the way to not get hit.

But the other three were hit by the impact and slung forwards, causing panic to happen.

“SABINE!” Rahab stood up and ran for them. “SABINE!”

“Kriff!” Jango got back up and joined the tall woman. 

Once everyone arrived at the impact zone, Jango and Rahab quickly spotted Sabine lying on the ground covered in dirt as she was facing down, causing the tall woman to take quick action.

“Sabine, Sabine, Sabine!” Rahab grabbed her and turned her around, putting her on her leg. “Come, come, let me remove your helmet.”

The smoldering remains of the Humvee that Jango spotted had been spread out across the field, leaving nothing of it left.

Coughing through, Sabine’s helmet was removed by Rahab, showing that Sabine was coughing more now she could breathe better. 

“Breathe, just breathe-”

Sabine did until she saw something that made her gasp in horror, causing her to hyperventilate.

Before someone could ask her, it was Jango who then spotted what she saw.

It was blood, and it was coming from a few dismembered parts of a leg.

 

“This isn’t good.”

“NOOO!” Sabine tried to get up but was stopped by Rahab and soon Jango. “Naruto!”

“Fuck!”

She did not expect a response, with Sabine then seeing that when the dust started to clear out, she heard more. 

“Tourniquet it!” 

And when it cleared out, there she saw Naruto, trying with his only working arm and his mouth to put a tourniquet around the blown-off left leg of Tarik who was missing it from just up the knee.

But then she fainted and lost consciousness, causing Jango and Rahab to catch her head.

“Easy, easy!”

“I know, woman!”

Naruto bit the cord as he tightened it around Tarik’s leg as much as he could, with painful grunts coming from the captain who was reacting more calmly than he should be.

“Arghhh, damn it all,” Tarik commented as he saw the extensive damage he was given to his leg. “Looks like my leg’s gone. How about you….kid?”

 

The haze and the smell of iron made it hard to concentrate as he struggled to tighten up the strap around his friend’s leg. Naruto’s left side of his face tingled and felt damp, but he had no time to pay attention to such a minor thing. 

 

He opened his mouth and his teeth let go of the cord, and he smiled. "Less than a minute." 

 

"Kid."

 

"What?" 

 

‘Your face, brat!’ Kurama berated. ‘You're bleeding!’

 

Naruto slowly reached towards the wet part of his face and gingerly touched it. He winced as a flash of burning pain fired through every nerve on his face, and he hissed like a snake.

 

Yet his reaction was still tame.

 

“Ah, crap,” Naruto said with irritation. “Not my proudest moment.”

 

*BIAO!*

 

The sound of that cannon firing caused Naruto to turn back towards the air, where he saw the flagship firing down to several positions. Still making its advances towards where he now stood.

 

He stood, as he now was up again and walking, leaving the impacted zone without anyone noticing as Bo-Katan and Koska were seen entering, not noticing they’d just bypassed him with a large amount of dust still surrounding them.

 

“Sabine!” Bo-Katan ran up to her as she saw the girl’s fatigued body. “Is she…”

 

“She’s fine, just exhausted,”

 

Just then Zeb arrived with the Rangers, who themselves spotted the state of their field commander and quickly took action.

 

“Captain!” Sgt Foley didn’t waste any time by then pulling his rifle away and helping his commander. “Dunn, tend to him. Ramirez, check on the girl.”

 

Zeb himself didn’t hesitate to move over to Sabine and pulled out a canteen of water to try and help her. 

 

“Here.”

 

“Thanks.” Koska accepted the water can and began pouring it over Sabine’s face. “Here, cool off.”

Sabine just coughed at the amount of water being poured over her, getting back to her conscious state. She gasped for air.

“Naruto!”

Everyone turned around to then look for where he was, only for then the hurting Tarik to state.

“Go find him.”

…

Walking out of the dust cloud, Naruto was still focused on staring at the air where the destroyer ship was. 

 

Standing there in the middle of it all, Naruto just ignored everything around him that was happening as he took a deep breath and prepared himself for something. 

“Let’s do this, Kurama.”

‘Right.’

---

Flagship

The situation on the bridge had deteriorated quicker than hoped, with the men on the computers trying everything they could to try and contain the damage.

“Try to get those shield generators working!”

“They are still recharging-”

“Try faster!”

“Defensive systems are overridden but they are keeping those jets away.”

“Concentrate fire!”

Molec himself was watching quietly in the stiff state he found himself in. With his hand over his mouth, he started to look nervous now, trying to hide it from everyone else as he didn’t want to be seen in this position.

The admiral however was showing signs of restraint but also confident, as now the shields were starting to work again and the attacks of the enemy aircraft were now unable to do any more damage to the ship.

“Just a half hour, and it's over.”

 

Then the ship began to suddenly rock back and forth violently, catching everyone on the bridge off guard as some even fell off their seats.

“What’s going on? Are we hit?!” The admiral called out. “Status report!”

“I don’t know, sir, it doesn’t look like we’re hit but…” One of the crew spoke until he noticed something. “We’re going off course.”

 

“Excuse me?” The admiral asked, confused. “What do you mean by that?”

“We've lost control, sir. The steering is off!”

“Activate the reserve engines and take manual coordination.” The admiral ordered.

“They’re already activated! Something’s forcing us into a different direction!”

“WHAT?!”

 

The Providence destroyer was seen tilting as it was making its course away from the fields as it was turning towards the Potomac River with it giving the impression it was withdrawing from the fight. 

 

The fighter pilots themselves who were flying from a clear distance were watching this unfold and were already coming to their conclusion.

 

“Looks like it wants to make a run for it.”

“With that damage, I doubt it will make it back into space.”

 

“It is going for the Potomac River, who’s got bets it will crash there?”

The F16s flew back in formation and began like the other squadrons to fly around the destroyer ship that was indeed turning towards the Potomac River.

“Pull! Damn it! PULL!!!”

The bridge of the ship was in chaos as now all control was lost, and the ship was making a collision course towards the river, where once they had gotten into, there was no way they could get the whole ship out.

With the whole crew either internally freaking out or just outspokenly panicking, the admiral himself was only able to watch as his ship was going down in defeat.

“The Prime Minister’s gone!”

The admiral could do nothing but just watch as he then happened to turn his head around and see Molec had indeed just left his seat.

The admiral could then do only the one thing he was prepared to do.

“Prepare for impact!”

*BOOOM!*

 

That was the last explosion that occurred in the last remaining engine that belonged to the Providence class destroyer, that sound was loud enough to overtake the sound of it making contact with the river and creating a giant splash-wave for everyone to see.

The sight alone of the flagship of the invading force being down into the river was the sole reason for the many cheers and roars of approval to be heard across the battlefield.

Victory it was, having been reached and finalized, it was made possible by many out there who did their part in making sure it was made that way.

Including Naruto who had done perhaps the most in a few hard minutes with his still working arm - as he was responsible for bringing that destroyer into the river by crashing it intentionally, even when it was a huge job.

Gasping for air, the blond sat back to the ground, still not bothered half his face was still covered in his blood, he had reached his limit. 

‘You did it. You did it,’ Kurama said to his host. ‘You’ve improved your strength in the Force, Naruto. 

“Yes…barely,” Naruto muttered while trying to just breathe and rest. “Damn it, that was heavier than I thought.”

‘Even when you are halfway at death’s door, you still use the Force at your maximum strength. That alone is a great accomplishment.’

Out of total exhaustion, Naruto sighed as he just sat there on the grass with the wounds on his body healing slowly, but the tingling on his face was not, but he didn’t seem to care much as he just was tired now.

Not caring for what was happening around him, or even the people who he could feel were running towards him, or what the consequences would be for him using the Force so strongly that by no doubt would detect him.

He just laid down on his back on the grass, closing his eyes as he decided to call it for today and sleep.

‘I’m done.’

But if Naruto stayed up longer, he would’ve noticed that a familiar girl in robes and white eyes was approaching him first before anyone else.

 

One of many reunions that were to be made.

Chapter 22: Victory comes at an Cost

Alright, the end of a Arc that I admit, many are not keen to liking it. But was essential into building up the plot.

I hope you all will like this chapter, leave a review.

Enjoy

---

Coruscant

Jedi Temple

The power that was just felt across the Galaxy, the power of the Force that had been felt only a few years ago by the same source, was Yoda was enough to get him out of his meditation as he was seen walking down the hallway with his cane.

Just like the Ripple, the amount of it was enough to warn any Jedi who turned towards the Grand Master and saw him going towards the Council Chamber.

"Master Yoda."

Hearing who it was, Yoda continued as Shaak Ti approached him in a hurry as she was also making her way towards the Council.

"Master, you recognize this, don't you?"

"I do." Yoda responded quickly, as he continued walking."The Dark Side it was, young Naruto used. More focused, this was."

"You are saying he embraced it?" Shaak Ti asked.

Yoda shook his head at that immediately and spoke.

"No, he did not. Stronger he is now, unable to answer I am. Pain he is in."

Shaak Ti was confused. "I don't understand."

"I do, neither."

The two Jedi Masters proceeded to walk into the Council Chamber where it was already mostly filled with all the other council members who had arrived priorly. The silence present in the room was enough for all to come to a fast conclusion of what was to be spoken about.

"Master Yoda," It was Windu who broke the silence. "You felt it too, I can only assume."

Yoda nodded as he wasted no time.

"Contact Master Kenobi, we must. As with Master Vos."

---

Earth

Washington D.C

On the initial night of the Armistice's implementation, the city's fighting had ceased in most areas. However, the chaos had not yet subsided, with the relief forces still positioned far away, leaving the city in a state of disarray.

*VROOM!*

That however did not deter a procession of vehicles that was seen making its way through the city, with the US flag flying up high to show they were friendly as they drove through the destroyed streets. That convoy mainly consisted of Humvees and even a few IVF Bradleys, but the one that was leading the armored column was an M1200 Knight Armored Vehicle. With each one of these having the emblem painted on them.

The convoy belonged to the 101st Airborne Division, with these men being tasked to enter the government districts first, alongside the few Delta Operatives accompanying them with escorting some people.

The Jedi Knight Aalya Secura was seated in the front, observing the mass destruction of the city. As a member of the relief force, she had only come with the essentials, nevertheless, seeing the devastation she might need to put it for more.

But then she saw the long rows of surrendering Zygerrian regulars, mercenaries seen with their hands over their heads while being escorted by the local American forces who were still yet to be relieved, with some of those soldiers seen having bandages over their heads.

"Don't worry about them."

The Twi'lek Jedi turned towards her right and saw that her driver was speaking. Captain Walker of the Delta Force was speaking, in the back seat were his two other teammates, she was allowed to travel with them to the liberated city.

"Those guys are Marines, they're hard to crack." The black Delta operative named Adams said while joking. "They might give up on reading a book, but those jarheads don't stop until they're ordered to."

"We're coming up to the Capitol building." The other guy named Lugo then checked his comms and told them. "Cap, the others have already arrived."

Walker nodded. "Okay."

The convoy didn't take long before it arrived at the first open field between the White House and the Capitol building where the National Mall lay, and the formerly dubbed 'No-Man's-Land' that was unrecognizable to the local population.

The trenches, the destroyed earth, the leftovers of tanks and trucks lost in combat, and the bodies.

The uncountable amount of bodies that were still there. Mainly those of the Zygerrians who were not picked up and left to just rot there.

Aayla could only watch as she hadn't seen something like this.

"So much death…"

Nothing else was said in the car by the other men, the silence remained until Captain Walker saw that they were nearing their destination.

"Here we are."

The convoy started to drive up the remaining plains that had been turned into mud and earth, with a few people waiting there.

…

Two hands shook each other the moment they could with firm grips.

The waiting party was the wounded Captain Tarik Karim and a few others, like Sergeant Griggs of the Marines who was standing by, the man shook Captain Walker's hand as it was a relief for the men of the D.C Pocket.

"Nice to see you are still breathing, Captain Tarik," Walker said to him with respect "You should know your country is very proud of your service."

"Thanks but you don't have to be formal with me." Tarik said, seen limping. "I am glad to see some reinforcements finally arrive."

"What's the situation, sir?" One of the 101st Paratroopers came up asking but then noticed the leg. "You got hit?"

"I got hit, yes." Tarik did not hesitate by then pulling up his pants and showing his improvised prosthetic leg. "But I don't think you can repair it."

The Delta operatives and the paratroopers were shocked to see what they just witnessed, and it was Lugo who was about to get his medical gear.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Tarik said rolling the sleeve back down and continuing. "My men however need rest, they're exhausted, both my uniformed troops and the volunteers. We're running out of supplies as well."

"That will be no problem." Aayla approached with the intent to inform the man what she knew. "My name is Aayla Secura, Jedi Knight. And I've brought food and medical supplies with me."

The convoy in front of the Capitol building was seen unloading the large crates of essentials, in front of the military commanders who were watching it.

"I see you did, for which I am grateful," Tarik stated before he then asked her. "But excuse me asking, you said you were a Jedi, correct?"

Aayla noted. "Yes, why?"

"Ah, Aayla, I see you've arrived."

Coming down the stairs of the building was Aayla's former Master, Quinlan Vos, with Master Kenobi with his own Padawan Skywalker following up right behind him, but they also were being escorted by several Marines who were keeping an eye on them.

"Master Vos, Master Kenobi, am I glad to see you..." Aayla happily expressed before she noticed the armed men and looked concerned, "But why the armed guards?..."

"Well you see, there's a bit of misunderstanding here," Vos tried to explain in his carefree-like meaner. "These gentlemen right here and I came to a disagreement-"

"Not much of a disagreement, Master Jedi," Tarik remarked clearly as he turned to them with his arms crossed. "You decided to go against my orders and enter the Capitol building without permission. That's trespassing."

That didn't help Vos as he felt a bit embarrassed, as he was the main reason for getting caught wandering around. This even earned him a frown from not only the other two male Jedi but also his former padawan who was shaking her head at him.

"Forgive my friend's actions, Captain, but we are in a bit of a hurry." Obi-Wan tried to be diplomatic. "We are looking for a young man who we know is among your volunteer forces."

"That still is not an excuse for you to be going around government buildings, Master Kenobi. The building is off-limits for wanderers." Tarik said while addressing him. "You may have been allowed to enter the White House previously, but that does not justify you going around any building you see fit."

"No offense, but isn't this a bit hypocritical?" Anakin countered by pointing out. "In the building, we just walked out numerous other non-uniformed soldiers of yours are roaming there freely as well."

Finding the logic in that, Tarik was forced to concede and sighed.

"Who are you looking for?"

---

Potomac River

Providence Destroyer

The Providence destroyer ship that had crashed into the Potomac River, had hundreds of men from among the Ölüm fighters filling the hallways with full hands and packed backpacks.

Literal rooms of treasure were found on that ship. Credits, gold, artifacts, weapons, antiques, collections, and anything worth a dime were seen getting emptied from the shells and cages that were filled with stolen loot that the Zygerrians took from the Terran planet.

"UTINNI!"

Out of one of those cages came the Jawa named Teeka who was pushing three cargo crates of parts that she managed to scavenge, trade, steal, or even rip off, all while getting some weird looks from the others.

"I don't get it." One of the Ölüm fighters spoke. "There is so much stuff in there to loot, yet this little bastard steals this?"

"Who cares, more stuff for us." Another Ölüm volunteer said as he was seen coming out from another room with a bag over his shoulder. "Now let's go, I got what I need. Let her take what she wants."

"Wait - Teeka's a her?"

The Jawa said something to them in her native tongue before passing by them, with the group then passing by the big Wookie Chewbacca himself, hauling several weapons over his shoulder.

"GRAWL!"

Chewbacca turned to one of the open rooms, waiting for someone.

Again he growled at the person he knew was in the room.

"Alright, alright, alright. Big carpet." Tayuya said coming out of the room, seen only carrying some things she held onto something that caught her interest. "Hey Chewie, I found these in those rooms." She held up a few bottles with pink liquid in them. "Are those aphrodisiacs?"

Chewie took a closer look and responded with a growl and a nod.

"Nice, now that can be useful." Tayuya was satisfied as she put them away. "Better keep this for later."

Chewbacca roared and then shook his head at her, disagreeing with whatever she was planning.

"Hey, don't you dare fucking judge me, alright?" Tayuya pointed her finger out at him. "I saw you pull someone's arms off."

Chewbacca responded with another growl.

"I don't care if it was a droid, that was still brutal," Tayuya stated. "And it isn't the worst than what I got planned-"

"Got what planned?"

The girl and the Wookie turned towards the hallway and saw that it was Jango Fett and Sabine Wren approaching them, both with their helmets off and clearly with empty hands as they were not participating in the looting.

"Oh, just a small prank on someone, of course," Tayuya said as she came up with something before she asked. "Say, what are you two doing here? If you are trying to get something valuable then you are starting late."

Jango shook his head at her and replied. "We're not interested in that. It's Beskar we're looking for."

Both the Wookie and redhead looked at each other in confusion when that was mentioned, and it wasn't that they didn't know what it was.

"What makes you think those Zygs have Beskar plates on this ship?"

"Koska just hacked the database of the ship, and happened to find that whoever owned this destroyer, somehow managed to get his hands on a shipment of Beskar steel," Sabine said, showing rather annoyed by the fact some slaver managed to get his hands on it. "We don't know how they got it but now it is back in Mandalorian ownership as soon as we find it."

"Okay, did you find out where the Beskar is?"

"No, didn't get the chance - Sandman and his Delta Force guys ordered everyone out," Sabine explained, giving their reason. "Frost and his team are there on the bridge. The US government wants all the information for itself, but we can keep the loot for now."

"Hoo-fucking-ray." Tayuya sarcastically threw her hand up. "Good for those guys." she grabbed her bags of belongings and rifle. "Let's go find your Beskar before Teeka does it."

Chewbacca agreed and so the group of four began walking down the hallway with them, going on the search for the precious Mandalorian steel that needed to be found before the Jawa got her hands on it.

While walking, they saw the surviving crew of the ship being held in one room. These Zygerrian crew members were being watched by the Delta Force members who had their disguises up, but also their weapons ready in case one of them tried something stupid.

Jango kept eying these guys and knew from seeing them in combat that they weren't keen on holding back, seeing their country being destroyed in front of them. These Delta operatives were no joke.

"I want to know where the Prime Minister is."

It just then happened the group passed by another room, one of the detention cells where Sandman, the leader of his unit of Delta Force, was seen interrogating the Admiral of the destroyer flagship.

The Zygerrian looked exhausted as he had buried his face into his arms as he tried to not answer the man's questions, but knowing he now was a POW of the highest rank, it would have bad ramifications for him back home.

"I'm tired…"

"Then just tell us."

A woman came out of the shadow, Kate Laswell was also present there, handing him a warm cup of coffee.

"Tell me everything you know, and I promise I will make it easy on you."

The admiral was contemplating the idea, until he agreed by nodding his head, finally submitting to their wishes.

Laswell then looked towards the door and saw they were being watched, nodding to Sandman to close the metal door, making this interrogation private.

"What was that all about?" Sabine asked, confused at what she just witnessed. "And who was that woman?"

Tayuya shrugged and just moved forward, causing the others to follow her as they decided not to stick around here any longer. Then they entered the main hallway where more of the Ölüm fighters were seen going for the exit.

"What's going on?" Tayuya asked stopping one fighter. "Hey buddy, what's the hurry?"

"The Army has arrived, that's what's up." The human volunteer responded, hurling up his loot. "We have to go before they close everything off."

That alone is enough explanation for the foreign volunteers to grab their bags and get out.

"Let us go back to the rendezvous point," Jango said as he proceeded to walk, "I need to go check on Boba."

"Is he still there?"

Jango sighed as he replied.

"He still there with Naruto….at Yasser's side."

---

Capitol Hill

In the Rotunda, a session was taking place, where it was that of a somber one, with silent eyes watching.

Naruto was one of them, seen sitting in a corner and observing the last rites being spoken for a fallen comrade.

In the middle of the big room were dozens of men who surrounded the covered-up body of Yasser Hamid, the old man who had died just before the ceasefire came into effect. With his body covered up in a white shroud, he was being given his last rites by one of the volunteers who was of the same faith as him.

"Oh God, Please forgive every living and dead being, Please forgive every sinner whenever they repent. The Sky, The Void of stars, This universe all of them belong to your creation. The distance between you and us mankind is equivalent to heaven and earth. Forgive Yasser Hamid for whatever sin he has committed throughout his life and grant him paradise and a peaceful sleep in the afterlife. Amen"

"Amen." The other prayers repeated those words as they held their hands out.

Some were visibly seen holding back tears at seeing their commander, friend, and a good guide, whose life has now come to an end that they could only do justice by remembering him.

And they weren't the only ones as besides the thirty men surrounding his shrouded body, nearly the same amount of people were seen standing on the sidelines also paying their respects by being there in silence, primarily off-duty US National Guard, Rangers, and Marines who stood there.

Naruto just sat there and watched. He looked like he could've had better days. It can be seen with the bags underneath his eyes, the dried mud in his hair and the wounds still fresh on the left side of his face, from his cheek to his temple was a nasty-looking scar, it wasn't an easy one to heal by itself, even for Naruto's healing ability.

He found out the shrapnel of the Humvee that exploded had hit him and partly remained on his face as a reminder, something that was different from his usual wounds. One that will be remembered.

'I am trying, but this is harder than I thought,' Kurama said internally while frustratingly working. 'Whatever that metal was, it's taking me longer to fix that face of yours. The rest I can fix overtime.'

Not hearing or just not responding, Naruto just kept quiet as he still observed.

'Kid.'

And he just kept watching.

'Kid.'

Like nothing else mattered…

"Naruto…"

That voice he responded to by turning his head belonged to that of a familiar one, one he had just reunited with.

Offering a warm cup of tea with her white-skinned hands, the purple cloak-wearing healer who was helping him, was the girl of his world herself.

"Hinata…"

With a pained look, Hinata watched the state of the blond boy who had changed over the years. While he had grown to be good-looking on the one hand that made her want to smile, the other side was that now she was looking at an exhausted version of the boy who usually did not hesitate to give a big goofy grin, that now was overcast with the hollow look on his face.

The wrinkles, the bags, even his eyes had changed - and it was heartbreaking for her.

"Why are you so sad?" Naruto tried putting up a smile, "Forgive me for not looking alright, but I am doing fine. I'm just tired."

"That I can see."

The voice that was heard belonged to another person entering the conversation, forcing both Hinata and Naruto to raise their heads to who it was - revealing it to be Kakashi Hatake, alongside his team.

"Hey, Kakashi-Sensei…"

"Naruto," Kakashi responded, neutral as he looked at him with his one eye. "It has been a while, it's been more than a year since we've seen you."

"Two years, exactly." Naruto corrected, grabbing the cup of tea and taking a sip from it despite it being hot, sighing. "Two long years…."

"Hinata, may I be alone with Naruto for a moment?"

"Of course, Kakash-sensei…" Hinata agreed as she stood up and briefly left the former teacher and student by themselves.

With a long-needed conversation about to start, Kakashi sat directly next to the tired blond, who didn't even take the energy to look him in the eye…

So he chose to start with a charm offensive, in the form of a unopened cup he pulled out from his pocket.

"Want some ramen?"

That made Naruto slowly turn to his sensei, and he looked at him with the same expression on his face that he had before.

"I-"

"Naruto, please," Kakashi offered with a plea. "eat, you need it."

It took him a moment, but Naruto accepted the cup and opened it. With no utensils in it, he then got one offered by Kakashi.

"... Thank you…" Naruto began using the chopsticks to eat a small amount of it. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Do not worry about it, it's fine," Kakashi stated with a curious question. "I however am surprised with your use of words, you have changed, Naruto."

"War does that. Sensei," Naruto said. "I am in big trouble, aren't I?"

"As in?"

"Desertion to begin with?" Naruto brought up out of nowhere, turning his head towards him, not hesitating at what he mentioned. "I know what's awaiting me back in the village, Kakashi-Sensei. So please do not play around with me, please."

The tone alone was enough for Kakashi to know that he couldn't just extend the full reason for him being here.

"I'm sorry Naruto - but yes, you are wanted - for Desertion and you are also accused of Treason."

Hearing that from an ear distance got some of those around them to look at them, as such an accusation was shocking to hear.

Naruto, however, didn't seem impressed at all, just raising his eyebrow as he responded.

"Honestly, expected worst-"

"EXPECTED WORSE!?"

The scream that could make an eardrum shatter, caused Naruto to flinch as he didn't need to be reminded who was capable of that as he turned to the person who was approaching him,

"Sakura…"

"How can you speak so mildly about this as if it was nothing, Naruto?!" Sakura said while pointing her finger directly into his face. "Do you know what has been even happening in the village while you were out messing around!?"

"Sakura, lower your voice," Kakashi warned her. "There is no need for that-"

"Can you scream louder, Sakura?" Naruto asked her irritated at her, "Maybe you can repeat that with your god-damn voice a bit higher."

Sakura glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"You don't get it? Well, let me explain," Naruto went on sarcastically. "If you are trying to make me deaf, put a thermal detonator next to me, so that will be more helpful-"

*PUNCH!*

Sakura punched Naruto right in the face and he fell to the ground, causing a scene for everyone there to see what the pinkette medic just did.

Naruto just got back up and turned to the floor where he saw the spilled ramen, not minding he was bleeding from his nose again.

"What a waste of good food…"

"You idiot-"

"Sakura, enough!" Tenten and Neji came out of nowhere and held her back from trying to 'discipline' Naruto even more. "Not the time, nor the place!"

"Hey! HEY! What is the meaning of this?" Sgt Foley was seen walking up with an angered expression. "Break up or I will make you break up!"

"I don't care! He needs to be given a good bash on the head!" Sakura didn't care as she was trying to break out from her comrades restraining her. "We have been searching for him for years, and all this time he's been fooling around and-"

"AND WHAT, BITCH?!"

*PUNCH!*

This time it was Sakura who got punched, right in the gut that made her mouth gasping for air in tremendous pain that she was forced to go on her knees, turning up to see who it was who hit her in the gut.

It was Sabine who had hit her she had removed her helmet, and she saw it all.

"Wanna go at it, screecher? I'm not finished yet!"

"Bitch!"

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

And like that the Rangers came and broke up the fight before it could even begin, with Ramirez and Dunn holding back an angry Sabine while Neji and Tenten were trying to restrain Sakura even further who tried to get up from her knees.

Kakashi was even forced to come in and try to break up the skirmish, much to his dismay of trying to keep a low profile, now he needed to explain it all to these military men what just happened.

Meanwhile, Naruto was just getting up by himself as he was yet again whipping off blood from his face, making a chuckle at the whole debacle as he watched.

"You're quite the bleeder, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I get that often, more than you think," Naruto spoke while searching for a napkin or a tissue to clean up the blood before he got one offered right in front of his face.

"Oh, thanks." Naruto accepted the tissue and began cleaning himself up. "Appreciate it.

A chuckle was the response, a female one, it was Aayla Secura of all people who stood behind him and offered it to him.

"My pleasure, young Uzumaki."

---

Prime Raxus

In the hallways of the Separatist Parliament, the news of the war in the Terran sector was greeted with relief by its representatives, but not by the one person who was walking through these empty halls by himself.

Count Dooku was that one person who was making his way toward his private quarters after having just sat through a session that ended in a setback that he could not prevent.

Setbacks that will not be to the liking of his master who he now had to contact. Like for the fact now with overwhelming votes from everyone except for a core few of Dooku's supporters, voted to suspend all diplomatic ties with the Zygerrian, after the true extent of their crimes in the Terran planet was exposed.

With tens of millions perished with hundreds of millions more left wounded, it did not make up for the now billions of people who were internally displaced across that planet when the Zygerrians used weapons that made vast swaps of the human-populated planet uninhabitable.

Those actions that even he could not predict, made Dooku now be forced to answer as he bowed down to his knee in front of the holoprojector, where within moments the cloaked body of his master, Darth Sidious, appeared in his presence.

"My Lord…. I am unable to bring you good news."

"That I am well aware of, Lord Tyranus. The same sentiment is present within the Senate." Sidious spoke in botheration of the whole affair this war had brought in. "This war and its participants have seriously disturbed the needed timing of what is to come."

"What is to be done with Zygerria?" Dooku asked his master. "I am facing dissatisfaction from both the parliamentarians of Miss Bonteri and Nute Gunray and his allies. They demand action."

"The Zygerrians will deserve what they have started, there is no doubt about that, but they are only a secondary concern of mine," Sidious noted. "No, my concerns are with this group of fighters…we need to act quickly."

"Master?"

Sidious smiled underneath.

"For once - the Republic and Separatist Alliance will agree on something."

---

Washington D.C

Georgetown

With the war finally having ended, one road with two lanes was busy, with on one side multiple military trucks with supplies seen rolling into the city center, whilst it was being swarmed by dozens of people who were trying to celebrate their troops retaking the city.

The festivities were encouraging for the young senator from Pantora, Riyo Chuchi, who was glad to see the war had finally ended, even when that resulted in many more sacrifices than it should have.

But her heart sank once she laid eyes on the other lane. A column of trucks sat with the bodies of fallen soldiers laid in the coffins that were draped in American flags, lined up alongside each other, and there was not a small number of them.

Among those trucks were bodies without flags over their bodies, showing them to be foreigners, meaning they were either part of the Ölum volunteers or people from other countries who had also given up their lives for this fight.

A sight that caused the locals to salute them, for they had witnessed these foreigners fight and die, and they were compelled to pay their respects to them.

Turning around, Riyo then was facing her fellow Senators and a few of the local military commanders, all of whom were reading the latest reports of what was to be done, with the senators being given instructions from Coruscant itself.

And what instructions they were being given were astonishing.

---

Raxus Prime

"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!" The slimy green figure of Viceroy Gunray shouted his anger out at the table where he sat. "This war was started by the Zygerrians and we are the ones who have to pay for it!?"

The table was being seated by all members of the Separatist Council, the governing body of the Confederacy that consisted of rich businessmen, corporate leaders, and politicians who held great power and influence over the Separatist cause, and every last member of this entity was angry.

Sitting on this council was the head of state himself, Count Dooku, who himself was not speaking as he watched the council members argue.

"I agree with Nute Gunray, these demands of reparations are unjustifiable," Wat Tambor as he read out Earth's demands from a data report. "100 Billion credits worth of damage to their planet, extradition of the military commanders, return of the stolen goods, total coverage of reconstruction, and the list continues."

The Viceroy started with the accusations, "I will not be paying the damages that those Zygerrians caused, Count. Nor will I be held responsible for their actions," Bringing up his previous experience in the courts, "Whatever was on the mind of Queen Miraj when she started the invasion, she can pay for her stupidity."

"Then let us have a vote on it, shall well?" San Hill, the Banking Clan representative raised the question, "Who here is in favor of financially covering the war debt of the Zygerrians?"

Out of the individuals who presented their opinions, only San Hill and Poggle of the Geonosians were in favor of the proposed action. Poggle had previously argued that it would be more advantageous to use the Zygerrians as financial targets to justify the fact that numerous individuals present at this table had provided military aid, including volunteers from Poggle's world.

But the credits were stronger than the facts on this one, with the majority voting no to help the Zygerrians.

"That is settled then, but now we need to discuss one more urgent subject," Dooku spoke up to the rest of the Council. "We now need to find a way to deal with the Ölüm group."

Before anyone could raise their opinion on the group that found no sympathy among these men, a holo report was pulled out from under the Count's cloak, placing it on the table for him to then activate it.

"This legislation will be all that is needed to have the Zygerrians compromise with our demands."

---

Back on Earth

Capitol Building

*Crack!*

Cracking her hand, Sabine was having her hand bandaged by now, with the help of Zeb and the very recently arrived Hera, who had come into a fight she just helped break up.

"You doing okay, Sabine?"

"Yeah, nothing to sweat about," Sabine said, seething over the stinging pain she was still feeling, "It hurts…"

"He-he," Zeb couldn't help but joke, "I don't think you can complain. Look."

Laying on a stretcher across the room was Sakura, who was still recovering from the gut punch that got her to be examined by the medic Dunn and even Tenten and Neji who had to keep her head up from falling.

"You did a number on her, Sabine." Hera told her friend, finishing the bandage, "You're lucky."

"I know, should've gone for her head."

Zeb couldn't help but laugh at that with Hera just shaking her head with a smirk, whilst turning to the middle of the room.

There Naruto was seen talking to the Jedi, while behind him was Jango Fett and his son Boba, with the Tusken Raider warrior Mutani. The Tatooine native, in particular, was staring at Anakin Skywalker, who for some reason was looking right back at him with his arms crossed.

"Gurk!-Gurk!" Mutani spoke to the Jedi Padawan in his tongue, but also used sign language to try and communicate with him, "Gork-Gurk!"

"I'm sorry, but I do not understand you," Anakin was confused by the sign language, "What are you trying to say?"

"I believe he trying to tell you that he knows you." Jango Fett said while holding his helmet, reading the hand signs, "Something about a pod race he said you won."

Blinking for a moment, Anakin was taking to the memory lane for a quick moment.

"I hope he wasn't one of those who was shooting."

Mutani continued with his hand signals to Jango, who then proceeded to translate his words.

"At the moment, I have to say I cannot come with you."

Boba however was focused on the other conversation that was taking place, that of his friend Naruto, who was speaking with the Jedi Masters and the Shinobi.

"Are you sure about this?" Quinlan Vos asked the young teen, "This is important, you know."

"An invitation to come to the Jedi Temple? Yeah, it sounds important," Naruto acknowledged but stood by his decision, "but as you can see, I have to help my comrades before I can leave."

"I admire your loyalty to your comrades, but you got problems of your own." Obi-Wan spoke, "Now that the ceasefire is in effect, you are now vulnerable to arrest for the charges Mr. Hatake stated earlier."

"The only reason why I'm accused of these charges is because I didn't report in after I escaped Kessel, which is obvious." Naruto responded to the Jedi, glaring at him, "And I know that the advisors and this Danzo person are the ones who put these charges on me, not Granny Tsunade."

"I agree with you, Naruto, but there is a problem there," Kakashi said, "Your association, however, isn't helping the case,"

Naruto asked. "What association?"

"I think one-eye is talking about me, shithead."

The focus turned to Tayuya and her small band of fighters, sitting on a table with her rifle, which happened to be aimed at the Jedi.

"It is clear to me your village hasn't forgotten about me,"

"No, of course, we wouldn't." Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her. "A subordinate of Orochimaru is not easily forgotten."

"Well at this point, he must've forgotten about me, and I forgot that snake freak," Tayuya replied to the Leaf Shinobi, "After my team got killed, I have no connection to him whatsoever."

Aayla Secura tried to ease the tensions. "There is no need for hostilities anymore."

"I believe that is already rising, Jedi." Jango said with his intention of standing by Naruto, "I will not allow young Uzumaki here to be brought into some trap."

"Rich coming from the person who kidnapped him from the village in the first place." Kakashi said glaring at Jango, coming out with a confrontation, "Do not think we've forgotten about what you did to our village, bounty hunter."

"You trying to start something, Hatake? Because I can smell the hypocrisy." Jango told him with a clear warning, "And do not start accusing me of doing mercenary work, since that is also part of the job volunteered, is it not?"

"Kidnapping Naruto-"

"Before I even knew who he was, there I will concede it was a mistake." Jango continued on with the full intention of finishing his point. "One that I reversed the moment I found out he was an Uzumaki and used every credit I could collect to get him and his friends out of Kessel."

*Click!*

That was the sound of Tayuya turning the safety off as she now aimed the barrel of her rifle at Kakashi, focusing on the Leaf Shinobi instead of the Jedi.

"And I very much doubt that I will be allowed to walk scot-free now that you found out I am still alive." Tayuya smiled and then turned smugly, "So, what is it going to be, Kakashi Hatake?"

Whether it was becoming a standoff or not was yet to be concluded, but then the Nite Owls entered in as it was Bo-Katan who was holding onto a piece of paper.

"Not to interrupt your politicking, but I got some bad news for everyone in here." Bo-Katan said without removing her helmet as she handed it over to Naruto, "Here kid, read it."

Naruto took the paper and began reading it, causing his demeanor to change for a bit like he was frustrated.

"Kuso… Great."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked him. "Naruto?"

"Looks like we're overstaying our welcome - we've got warrants."

---

Later

In a couple of hours the festivities had already ended within the US capital when the 'Damned' 33rd entered the city with the rest of the US Armed Forces having already secured the outskirts of the city, fully ending the Zygerria-Terran War in a victory for Earth in general.

A victory that was short-lived once the casualty rates across the globe were revealed - with hundreds of millions of lives lost, billions displaced, and large swaths of land deemed uninhabitable. The full scale of it all wouldn't be revealed until later, but those who knew? Couldn't even verbalize what they saw.

What was verbalized and even written was the armistice agreements, and the content of it that were negotiated by the backroom channels of the Republic and the Confederacy was more than enough for those two entities to be hated even more by the non-aligned nations, but the one agreement that they were more angered about, was nearly the last straw.

The immediate arrest of domestic members of the Ölüm fighters and immediate expulsion of the Foreign elements of the Ölüm fighters.

With the agreement having been signed by the governments of Earth, including the US, all senior commanders of this organization were to be arrested and trialed for crimes that the Zygerrians accused them of, including terrorism.

*Click!*

And agreed upon it was, with Tarik Karim, Adrik Yahontov, and other senior commanders of Ölüm getting handcuffed by members of the military police in full sight of the local garrisons who had just fought alongside them, with a few words being heard.

"This is bullshit. Look what we're doing."

"These guys helped us out and we repay them like this."

"This can't be happening."

Still in uniform, the cuffed Captain Tarik Karim was paraded up front by the MPs who were reluctant to escort him, something that the Texan man could see on them as he noticed the many grimacing faces on the troops he led for the past few weeks.

"Sarge, this isn't right." One of the Marines spoke out in protest to his superior. "We fought alongside these guys and now we are arresting them-"

"Shut it, corporal, nobody here likes it."

Once walked down the stairs, there waited the Damned 33rd's Colonel John Konrad with the rest of the Delta Force operatives who were ordered to transfer him to a secured location, but even these guys were less happy being tasked to do this.

"Sandman, Walker." Tarik addressed the men before turning to the highest rank, "Colonel."

"Captain Karim…so you know that I've got the best lawyer being prepared to defend your case. On my dime," John Konrad told him as if it was an assurance, "Just so you know we all appreciated your help, and we will stick by you. Every man, woman and citizen in this country will."

"And that we agree upon."

The Colonel and the former Captain turned towards the arriving senator Amidala and Riyo Chuchi who walked up. Causing some glares to be given by the other soldiers before the Naboo representative spoke.

"So you know, Mr. Karim, that we do not agree to this unjust agreement that the Senate has enforced on this armistice." Riyo voiced her opinion on it directly to the accused, "You are a patriot and such people like you do not deserve such a punishment."

Karim couldn't help but crack a smirk as he was confident. Turning then towards the other arrested commanders.

"Let's go."

---

Outskirts of D.C

In the hundreds, the Ölüm fighters were seen entering their ships, making their hasty exit off of the planet the moment they got news of the arrests being made.

Naruto was one of those who was seen entering Jango's Slave I, one of the last as he turned back one more time to watch the view of the city. He had already made his decisions, and now he was going to live with it without regret.

"Are you ready, kid?"

Naruto turned to Jango, who with Boba were waiting for him.

He nodded.

"Let's go."

Chapter 23: 22 BBY

22 BBY - Coruscant

 

A Naboo Royal Cruiser with an escort of N-1 Starfighters had just come out of hyperspace, arriving at the planet of Coruscant. 

 

The J-type Diplomatic Barge was on its intended mission of bringing the planet’s Senator to attend an important vote that the Galactic Senate was about to hold - with Naboo’s senator being one of the most vocal opponents of it and making her one of the most targeted politicians in the galaxy.

 

The ships entered Coruscant’s orbit. Today was a special day, when misty clouds appeared in the sky, causing them to pilot carefully. After what seemed to be an hour, the Naboo N-1 starfighters had successfully escorted the main ship to its landing pad, the end of a long, tiring journey. 

 

An escort of men waited for the silver ship, where they ignored the other starfighters joining in on the side.

 

Coming out of the first starfighters was one Gregar Typho, one of the highest-ranking officers in the Naboo Security Force. 

 

A familiar astromech had popped out from the ship with a female pilot, who was still wearing her helmet. 

 

“We made it.” Typho finally allowed himself to breathe as the female pilot approached him before turning to the cruiser. 

 

The ramp slid open, allowing the senator and her bodyguards to leave. 

 

“I guess I was wrong,” Typho said, turning his face to the other pilot. “There was no danger at all.”

*BOOM!*

 

A massive explosion engulfed the ship and its occupants, with the guards who had disembarked before the senator also being caught in the blast. Typho and the other pilot landed on their backs as they were blasted a few meters from the site.

 

Once the explosion was over, the female pilot saw the bodies scattered across the landing platform, she and Captain Typho quickly ran to the victims, with the female pilot going for the senator whose white dress was left with only burn patterns and blood.

 

“Cordé.”

 

Only she wasn’t the senator, with the female pilot removing her headgear and revealing to be Padme Amidala herself, now on her knees over her handmaiden companion who was now only moments away from death.

 

“My Lady…I’m so sorry….I failed you, senator…”

 

“No…”

 

That was the last thing Cordé the handmaiden could hear before she was gone, dying in front of the guilt-stricken Senator Amidala.

 

“My Lady,” Typho warned her while holding his blaster out for protection, “you’re still in danger here.”

 

Slowly standing back up, Padme’s eyes were still focused on the corpse of Cordé, the guilt began to eat her from the inside.

 

“I shouldn’t have come back.”

 

“This vote is very important,” Typho reasoned with her. “You did your duty, Cordé did hers. Now come.”

 

The eyepatched captain began to walk but saw the senator still not moving. “Senator Amidala, please.”

 

With much reluctance, Padme went along and exited the landing platform with the astromech following up from behind. They all did their best to ignore the first responders arriving at the scene of the crime. 

Later

 

The Galactic Senate

The Chancellor of the Galactic Republic was amongst the members of the Jedi Council in the political chamber. Much talk was about the latest development of a recent bill that was undergoing the democratic process. That bill was the Military Creation Act - a bill that, if voted on, would spur the Republic to prepare itself with an army for the Separatist Crisis they were facing. The bill already has its fair share of supporters and its opponents. Time was needed to finally decide - something they didn’t have much of. 

 

“I don’t know how long I can hold the vote, my friends,” Chancellor Palpatine addressed the numerous Jedi who were present in his office. “More and more star systems are joining the Separatists.”

 

“If they do break away…” 

 

“I will not let this Republic that stood for a thousand years be split in two,” Palpatine told them with commitment. “My negotiations will not fail.”

 

“If they do, you must realize there aren’t enough Jedi to protect the Republic,” Windu addressed the Chancellor. “We’re keepers of the peace, not soldiers.”

 

“Master Yoda.”

 

The small Grand Master of the Jedi turned from his fellow Jedi towards the Chancellor.

 

Palpatine spared no words asking, “Do you think it will really come to war?”

 

“Hmmm, the Dark Side clouds everything,” Yoda worded carefully, unable to provide a clear answer while looking through the Force. “Impossible to see, the future is.”

 

Then a holograph appeared on Chancellor Palpatine’s desk, showing it to be one of his underlings, a Rodian, speaking to him in his native tongue.

 

“My Excellency, the Loyalist Delegation has arrived.”

 

“Good, good to know.” Palpatine acknowledged, “Any news on Senator Jiraiya?”

 

“My apologies, your Excellency, he has not arrived, nor with the delegation - should I allow them in?”

 

Palpatine gave a short but frowning look at the holograph, almost irritated, but he nodded with a response.

 

“Send them in, and try contacting the senator please.” The holograph disappeared with one of the Jedi breaking his silence.

 

“Something on your mind, Chancellor Palpatine?” It was Master Plo Koon himself who first asked. “Does this have something to do with Senator Jiraiya’s absence?”

 

“Oh, nothing serious, Master Plo Koon. Just politics, that is all,” Palpatine gave a short response before standing up from behind his desk. “We will discuss this matter later.”

 

It was then that the Loyalist Delegation stepped in, among them being Senator Padme Amidala herself, albeit in different clothing and shaken up. 

 

“Terrible, your tragedy is,” Yoda spoke somberly. “A relief, seeing you well is.” 

 

Padme did not hesitate to ask: “Do you have any idea who’s behind this attack?”

 

“Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners on Naboo,” Windu stood to tell the senator but wasn’t finished. “However, we are waiting from our other sources for more information.”

 

“I think that Count Dooku is behind this.” 

 

“He is a political idealist,” Ki-Adi-Mundi said in calm protest, “not a murderer.” 

 

“You know my lady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi,” Windu added, not believing it. “He couldn’t assassinate anyone. It is not in his character.”

 

“I will have to disagree with you on that, Master Windu,” Padme politely disagreed. “With what he has allowed not even a year ago, I would not be surprised.”

 

The Jedi did not need to figure out what Senator Amidala was referring to, and it didn’t take long for one of them to respond, it was the Mirialan female Jedi Master Luminara Unduli.

 

“You are referring to the Zygerrian-Terran conflict, are you not?” 

 

“That I am, and the enemies he made himself, enemies like myself, I will say that the thought of an attempt on my life did not escape me,” Padme stated to the Jedi as she went further. “So no, I am not mistaken, Master Jedi. I firmly believe that Count Dooku is responsible for this attempted assassination.”

 

The other Jedi looked at one another in discomfort, finding no fallacy in her logic.

 

“Agreed upon, your assessment I am,” Yoda nodded slowly. “In grave danger, for certain, you are, senator.” 

 

“Master Jedi.” This time it was Chancellor Palpatine who spoke, standing near the window as he stared into the distance. “May I suggest the senator be placed under the protection of your graces?” 

 

Senator Bail Organa stood up. “You really think that’s a wise decision under these stressful times?” 

 

“Chancellor, if I may comment I do not feel-”

 

“-that the situation is that serious? Unfortunately, Miss Amidala, I’m afraid it is,” Palpatine interrupted his former apprentice before he continued. “I realize all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps it’ll put you more at ease if it’s someone you are familiar with…someone like an old friend like Master Kenobi.” 

 

The prospect of Senator Amidala being given a security detail by the Jedi Order was something the young Padme initially wanted to refuse, and hoped even they’d decline, but… 

 

“That’s possible,” Windu nodded to that suggestion. “He has just returned from a border dispute on Ansion.”

 

Padme then turned towards her former mentor, who, despite now being the Chancellor, was giving her a pleading look.

 

“Do it for me, M'Lady, please. The thought of losing you is unbearable.”

 

Hearing that, Padme sighed as she conceded to this extra security. 

 

“I will have Obi-Wan report to you immediately, M'Lady,” Windu assured her. 

 

“Thank you, Master Windu.” Padme thanked him, watching the Jedi slowly making their way out of the chamber, returning to the Temple as they were now allowing the Loyalist Delegation to speak with the Chancellor right before the next session of the Galactic Senate would take place.

 

The moment the Jedi left, it was then that Palpatine resumed sitting back behind his desk with the senators taking their seats right where the Jedi Masters sat previously. 

 

“Let us get to work, my friends, there is much to be discussed,” Palpatine spoke to his fellow politicians, then asked, “I believe we are missing someone: the young senator of Pantora.”

 

“Senator Riyo Chuchi had different priorities, Chancellor,” Senator Organa told him. “You should not be worried.”

 

“Of course I should not be worried, she’s proven herself in the Terran Sector,” Palpatine spoke in respect, but asked out of curiosity, “But what has happened that caused her to miss this vote?”

 

Padme was the one to respond in the name of her colleague and friend. 

 

“A situation she herself wants to fix by peaceful means.”

(Tatooine)

 

A long distance away from the borders of law and order, a freighter ship had just entered the orbit of the desert planet, with its intended end being a certain port city that was the most populated, and the de-facto capital of the planet that was firmly under the control of the Hutts:

 

Mos Espa.

 

…

 

Once the Botajef Freighter-Liner ship had landed outside the spaceport settlement, the passengers were seen in the hundreds making their way towards the entrance of the town on foot. Among the arrivals were individuals wearing dark-brown cloaks over their heads to conceal their identities, with neither of them not being the average traveler or criminal, nor even desperate refugees.

 

“Are you certain they are here, Lord Jiraiya?”

 

“That I am, Lady Chuchi.”

 

It was the two senators of the Galactic Republic, the young Riyo Chuchi of Pantora who was accompanying Jiraiya, who had initially wanted to come to Tatooine on his own but had to change plans.

 

“I do not want to doubt the credibility of your sources, but I cannot wonder but to ask why here of all places?”

 

“That’s precisely why they are here, my lady,” Jiraiya explained to her while making their way into the settlement. “It is outside the Republic’s jurisdiction, let alone the Separatists, and you will be given protection if you pay tribute to the Hutts on this planet even with a high bounty on your head.”

 

The two senators in disguise continued to walk through the large town with no attention being paid to them, to their luck as the usual life in this city kept on focusing on their own business, the duo was not attracting anybody’s attention-

 

“Look out!”

 

The two disguised senators stopped as a couple of speeders went past them, among them was one noticeable. 

 

A Gian heavy patrol speeder, a commonly used repulsorlift used by the Naboo Guard was seen bypassing them with a couple of armed men on it who wore disguises over their bodies and heads, some wearing masks, and also carrying slugthrower weaponry.

 

They went through the street, Jiraiya took a closer look and knew something he told his younger colleague.

 

“Yep, they are here. You saw those weapons?”

 

“Yeah, slugthrowers, weapons from Earth…” the Pantoran senator muttered, startled by their open presence. “Does this mean that he’s here?”

 

“Yes, and not just him alone.”

 

An unknown third voice interrupted the two-way conversation and they both turned around to see another person covered in a brown cloak. It was the Twi’lek Jedi Knight Aayla Secura.

 

“Jedi Master Secura,” Chuchi bowed her head lightly to the Knight in respect. “I am delighted to see you again.” 

 

Aayla smiled and returned the bow, “Likewise, Senator Chuchi, I am glad you are in good health.” She turned her gaze to the male senator, with her expression turning more serious. 

 

“Senator Jiraiya.” 

 

“Jedi Knight Secura,” Jiraiya greeted politely, having learned the hard way the last time he attempted to sleep with her. “I’m guessing you found his location.” 

 

“I did. Please follow me.” Aayla turned around and led the way through the busy Mos Espa market, blending into the crowd of unsuspecting locals. 

 

As they were making their way through, Jiraiya had long noticed that some eyes were watching them from a distance, and they weren’t the ones belonging to the local goons.

 

Like from a rooftop where a duo of men were seen standing there, observing the group of three, with one seen pulling out a communicative device, seemingly alarming someone.

 

Jiraiya turned his head back. “He knows we’re here?”

 

“Yes, his men already spotted me a few rotations ago,” Aayla responded to the white-haired Sannin’s question. She added, “They just observe, nothing serious.”

 

A smirk emerged on Jiraiya’s face, a small token of pride.

 

“Naruto’s spy network? I’m impressed. Rudimentary, but still impressive.”

 

…

 

It took the trio a while before they entered a large building, with Aayla leading them inside as she lowered the cloak from her head.

 

“We’re here.”

 

When they entered, it was a large cantina that was filled with perhaps hundreds of patrons who were kept busy with the numerous gambling tables, drinks, songs, dance, and other activities that satisfied the customers with the right amount of credits.

 

“Welcome to the Sanctuary.”

 

A Twi’lek woman in a white dress approached the three. Given that she was followed by a few guards, she looked to be the one in charge of this establishment. 

 

Jiraiya couldn’t help but smile at the Twi’lek, his face flush as he spoke.

 

“Well, helloooo~”

 

“Ah, Jedi Knight Secura, you returned,” the hostess smiled as she introduced herself to the two newcomers. “Beg me pardon, I am Madam Garsa Fwip – I am the owner of The Sanctuary.”

 

“A pleasure to meet you, madam,” Riyo Chuchi said politely, “My name is-”

 

“Oh please, Senator Chuchi, no need for introductions, I know who you are and your fellow senator Jiraiya,” Madam Garsa said, calming the young Pantoran. “And do not worry about anybody talking – believe me you are not the first member of the Galactic Senate to walk into my establishment.”

 

Jiraiya couldn’t help but look at a couple of Twi’lek girls walking past him, commenting without thinking.

 

“And she won’t be the last one neith-”

 

“Senator Jiraiya, focus,” Aayla told the perverted senator before she turned back to her fellow Twi’lek, whom she then asked with a stern tone. “We are here to talk to him, is he here?”

 

“Oh? You are here to talk to Naruto Uzumaki?”

 

Almost as if on cue, everyone in the cantina fell silent. The music stopped playing, laughter was snuffed out like a candle, and even the dice stopped moving. Jiraiya tensed, wondering if he’d have to fight his way out again. 

 

Garsa, on the other hand, merely let out a chuckle and made a small motion that reignited the atmosphere. 

 

“He is here, of course. He rented out some private quarters within my building to not be disturbed.”

 

“Is it possible that we can talk to him?” Chuchi asked. 

 

The way the Pantoran reacted made Garsa smile. “Of course, but…”

 

Aayla narrowed her eyes. “But what?”

 

“Such hostilities, those are not needed,” Garsa said with both her hands up in a gesture of peace, turning to the young senator and continuing to speak, “I wanted to say you can see him, but he is preoccupied.”

“Such hostilities are not needed,” Garsa said, her hands raised as a gesture of peace. “As I was saying, you can see him, but not right now. He is preoccupied at the moment.” 

 

“Preoccupied?”

 

…

 

It was a dark room, with only one rudimentary lightbulb seen hanging and flickering. It was one of those rooms in the Sanctuary where, if you paid enough credits, shady business deals could be executed. 

 

However, no business was being conducted today. In that room was a single cushion, where Naruto Uzumaki sat, quietly meditating. 

 

His blond hair, which had grown a bit, was covered by a big brown cloak that concealed all of his body. It did little to hide his face, where a scar remained as a remembrance of the war he fought in the Terran system. 

 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

 

In front of him was a holotransceiver, a familiar face of Ibarra Joseph erected in a glowing hologram. 

 

“Yes, it has been decided by a vote that you are the best choice as the Field Commander of the Ölüm Partisans.”

 

The young soldier grimaced at this. 

 

“You do know that I’m not even eighteen, right? Are you sure it’s the best decision to appoint me as the leader of an entire organization?” 

 

“Naruto, you have the credentials of a leader, all of it established in the previous war and other commanders agree on it, from Kessel to DC, nobody can say you haven’t earned it.”

 

“And Tarik agrees on it?”

 

“He is the one who suggested it.”

 

“...How is he doing?”

 

“You know he’s still fighting, only now a fight in the courts - with those charges put on him he’s unable to leave his hometown let alone his country.” 

 

“He still lives in his hometown Hurriya?”

 

“Since he’s garnered lots of support from his country, he’s allowed to move around within his hometown under strict conditions. It’s essentially temporary house arrest while waiting for his trial. It’s funny, really; those Republic and Separatist putas somehow managed to make this man a war hero nobody wants to give up.” 

 

It was true, that while many of the senior leadership and senior commanders of the Ölüm Partisans were being held in custody for several charges the Republic and Separatists put on them, ranging from anything from conspiracy to terrorism, none of them were extradited to these intergalactic courts.  The actions of the Ölüm volunteers were enough for any country that had a presence they would be protected in more ways than just one.

 

“Are you up to this? Willing to accept this position?”

 

Naruto took a moment and decided once he was convinced of the arguments, which did not take long as he could understand Tarik’s confidence in him. 

Naruto took a moment to think it over before he let out a sigh. 

 

“I accept.” 

 

“That’s good to hear. You’ll be working with Hera Syndulla then. She will contact you soon.”

 

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

 

The two stiffened as somebody knocked on the metal door. 

 

“You got visitors,” the guard outside the room grunted. “Want me to let them in?” 

 

“Just a minute!” Naruto turned back to the holographic form. “Thank you, Joseph. I need to go now.” 

 

“Of course, may the Force be with you.”

 

The transmission ended, leaving Naruto there by himself in the dark until he snapped his fingers, turning the lights on as he called out: “Let them in.”

 

The door opened, and the guard who stood in front of the entrance stepped aside, allowing the visitors to enter – with one familiar face earning a smile.

 

“Good to see you still breathing, brat.”

 

“Likewise,” Naruto remarked back. “And for once you come in with good company.”

 

“I always come in with good company–”

 

“Without paying them up front.” 

 

A stifled laugh threatened to escape the two blue-skinned women, with Senator Chuchi holding a hand over her mouth while Aayla giggled.

 

Jiraiya’s eyebrow twitched at that, but he returned the smile. “I’ll give you that one, brat. Good one.” 

 

Smiling, the blond stood up from his seat bowed respectfully to the three visitors, and then offered his hospitality.

 

“How about I treat you all for some lunch? I’m buying.”

Coruscant

 

•  

 

Jedi Temple

 

The Jedi Temple’s High Council was speaking amongst each other. Part of the great discussion was a holographic figure of one of their own who had just entered the meeting. 

 

“Master Quinlan Vos, are you sure about these developments?” Master Plo Koon asked. 

 

“I am completely convinced by my sources, Master Plo – these three names are the ones who have been brought up multiple times: Hera Syndulla, Tayuya, and Naruto Uzumaki.” The holographic image of Vos was weak, flickering and cutting in and out frequently, but the audio held firm. “Due to the trials of the current leadership on planet Earth, these three have been entrusted by several factions within Ölüm to continue building up infrastructure and bases of operations.”

 

This information came as no surprise to the Jedi Council, who continued to listen to the facts as they presumed with more to-be-answered questions.

 

“And this is agreed on, why?”  Master Shaak Ti asked. “What reasons do the senior commanders have to promote young Uzumaki to a new rank in leadership?”

 

“Well, that is hard to know because the main guy named Tarik Karim has just been given his conditions that included restricted contact outside his town. Given he is soon to face his trial. Like many others on Earth.” 

 

“Vos’s transmission nearly winked out of existence, but it went back to normal after a moment. 

 

“As for the promoted leadership, I can say the three appointed leaders are part of settling tensions down within the Ölüm Partisans, especially with the case of Tayuya who’s from the more hardliners.”

 

This latest revelation got even some of the Jedi Masters to look confused, looking at one another before someone asked the question.

 

Looks were exchanged among the council members, with concern being the main presence in the room, this development was the latest to add to their list of unknowns that needed to be known.

 

“Your former apprentice Aayla Secura has located Uzumaki on Tatooine. Do you know that, Master Vos?”

 

“That I know, and not from her I should add,” Vos responded to the council members. “My contacts in Mos Espa told me he was in Mos Espa with enough men to take over the entire settlement.”

 

“Location on the other two commanders, you know?” Yoda asked, “Contact them, we must.”

 

“As far as my sources can tell, they are constantly moving around the galaxy. Something about not leaving a trail behind, that’s all the information I have for now.”

 

“Thank you, Master Vos, you may continue your work,” Windu said to the man. “May the Force be with you.”

 

Vos’s holographic image disintegrated with the transmission ending, leaving the Jedi Masters to be left alone to think about what to do now. 

 

Before opinions could be voiced, the council turned to the Grand Master, who was in deep thought about these developments.

 

“Master?”

 

Yoda let out a groan as he spoke. “Darkness, I see. Hatred, I sense. Come here in secrecy, Uzumaki must.” 

 

And with that, Yoda wearily fell onto his knees. 

Tatooine

 

While music kept playing in the background a few Twi’lek girls were seen bringing trays of food and drinks across the floor, with one of the girls seen bringing a large order to a table at the far end of the Sanctuary, areas reserved for the VIP’s who paid an extra credit.

Here is where Naruto sat with the two senators alongside the Jedi Knight Aayla Secura. The cloaked senators were being served food and drinks as they were busy discussing topics. 

 

*Cough!* *Cough!* 

 

Before the drinks could be refilled, Chuchu briefly choked on her drink as she was given surprising news. 

 

“Excuse me…I might’ve heard it wrong,” the Pantoran senator wheezed as she asked again. “How many did you say?”

 

“Just less than ten thousand,” Naruto repeated casually while accepting his tray of food from the Twi’lek servant to whom he gave some credits. “That’s what this month’s numbers of recruits are, as far as I’m being told.” 

 

“Ten thousand members each month…that’s nearly a hundred thousand in a year.” 

 

“Around that figure, if I may add,” Naruto corrected and went further. “Besides, not all are active members at the moment. Many are put in reserve with that many volunteers coming to us after the war ended.” 

 

Those figures were surprising to hear to Aayla; those numbers were about many Jedi there were in the Order now. 

 

“It’s funny in a way,” Naruto began with a chuckle. “While the Republic is struggling to build up an army, the group they branded as terrorists is attracting thousands across the galaxy, either wanting or is supporting us directly or indirectly.” 

 

Jiraiya kept a calm look while observing his student. 

  

*Beep!-Beep!-Beep!* 

 

Aayla’s comms suddenly went off, and she saw that it was coming from the Jedi Temple. She stood up to excuse herself. “Pardon me, but me and Senator Chuchi need to go for a moment.” 

 

“Oh yes, please pardon our intrusion,” Riyo said, bowing to him as she followed the blue Twi’lek to go find a quiet place to communicate.

 

This left the two men, the Sannin and his former apprentice, alone at the table. It was Jiraiya who spoke first.

 

“You’ve grown, Naruto.”

 

Naruto stopped eating and put down his utensil. 

 

“That’s what war does to you, sensei,” Naruto replied slowly, but he then gave a genuine smile. “But I am glad to see you too, Pervy Sage.”

 

“Still with the nicknames, but I’ll let it pass for now,” Jiraiya said before he complimented. “By the way, you managed to work on your deception skills, excellent.”

 

“Deception as in?”

 

“Only one hundred thousand, which is true if you only count the main forces that are active across the galaxy,” the Toad Sage leaned up forward with his head. “But my sources say otherwise, so tell me between you and me – how many in reality?”

 

The atmosphere grew louder for a moment as someone in the gambling hall just made the jackpot. 

 

“...I say we might have slightly bigger numbers, around half a million – but not exactly all are trained,” Naruto admitted while giving the rough numbers. “One hundred thousand are trained and ready but we got perhaps around four hundred thousand volunteers, informants, supply people, anything you can name who are affiliated with Ölüm across the Galaxy.”

 

“That’s still a lot of people, Naruto.”

 

“Yeah, but it’s not enough, especially with an enemy as strong as the Zygerrian Empire,” Naruto said to his master. “Where we are outnumbered and outgunned, we try to outsmart them and keep our heads low.” 

 

“Even in a place like Tatooine? Where the slave markets are?”

 

“So long we pay credits to Jabba, the Hutts leave us alone,” Naruto told him as he further explained. “For every member of my group that resides on Tatooine, I pay a high amount of credit to the Hutts and we enjoy protection for the time being.”

 

“Even when Jabba himself is involved in the slave trade?” Jiraiya asked slowly. 

 

“...It’s not a pleasant deal, but we can’t afford to butt heads with the Hutt Clan for now,” Naruto replied with a sigh. 

 

“Who are the types of people who are among your ranks?...”

 

“...People who like to see the Zygerrians put back in their place,” Naruto said, not saying much as he only added to it. “Not a lot of people were happy with the truce last year, not when many lost their whole families to them…”

 

In short, many recruits resulted from the victories won by Ölüm, but also from the actions of the Zygerrians, who had destroyed large parts of the Terran planet, leaving many survivors with a desire for justice, the kind of justice that did not lie in the courts.

 

“Excuse me…”

 

The two turned to the two ladies who had suddenly returned in a hurry, both Aayla and Riyo were fixated on Naruto.

 

“Something wrong, ladies?”

 

“We are being called back to Coruscant. It’s an emergency,” Riyo told them, turning to the Jedi Knight. “And we also have an urgent message from  the Jedi Council.”

 

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he turned to Aayla.

 

“Naruto, the Council wishes to speak to you in person on Coruscant.”

 

“...When do we leave?”

 

 

Chapter 24: Hard & Soft Power

Flashback -  23 BBY (Keelia)

"HE HAS RETURNED!"

Overjoy took over the small village in the Keelia system. Out of all of them, the village elder's granddaughter Haru was the most joyous upon seeing the young blond, embracing Naruto by leaping into his arms right on the spot.

Naruto chuckled as he hugged her back. "Easy, Haru. I told you I'd come back."

The entire village was more than glad to see the blond Uzumaki returning relatively well and alive from the war he volunteered in. They were, however, wary of the company he brought alongside him.

"Everyone, allow me to introduce you to my friends," Naruto smiled at them and turned to his buddies. "Guys, these are Asu's people, remember?"

"So these are Asu's people, huh…" Tayuya smirked after examining the native people of Keelia. "Hope you don't mind if we crash here for a while, old man."

"Of course not, a friend of Naruto is a friend of ours," the village elder laughed before announcing, "We shall feast!"

Cheers filled the air as Naruto began to introduce the girl to someone dear to him.

"Haru, I would like for you to meet Sabine Wren."

The village girl was astonished to finally meet a Mandalorian warrior, much less one of her age and sex. Seeing that she was a capable fighter, she smiled and bowed her head towards her.

"Sabine, this is Haru, Asu's former bride and…someone who helped me through rough times."

Hearing that caused Haru to blush slightly but then the blush turned into that of embarrassment when it was spotted by Sabine, who then offered her a few kind words.

"Thank you for looking after him – let's eat first, shall we?"

…

The feast went into full swing, the villagers having prepared a large variety of food, drinks, and music as fast as they could for their esteemed guests.

Among those guests were Chewbacca and Mutani, the two that stood out the most from the rest of the fighters, the children sneaking peeks at them in interest. Chewie wasn't afraid to tease the younglings who laughed in return, and Mutani was having fun discussing the Tusken culture and even allowing a small girl to play with his Gaderffii Stick.

Tayuya and Hera were seen sharing drinks while Zeb was enjoying the food with some of the other fighters, whose hands were constantly full with plates of food.

Meanwhile, Naruto sat in the corner with his back against a tree, his belly full and his body exhausted. His arms crossed and his eyes closed, he was about to nap.

"So, you love him?"

The near-distance conversation was being held between Sabine and Haru, who sat side-by-side away from the party, allowing them to converse with some privacy.

Haru nodded to the female Mandalorian. "I can't deny that I've grown strong feelings for him, yes." She poured another round into Sabine's cup. "It was soon after my betrothed was buried…"

"You mean Asu?"

"Yes, him." Haru closed her eyes upon the mention of his name. Despite the sadness in her eyes, she smiled in peace and replied, "I know he'd want me to move on with my life, and I wish to do so…"

"Even when you know that Naruto and I have been…" Sabine trailed off as she struggled to find the right words for the situation. "...intimate."

Haru simply nodded, seemingly unbothered by the fact that the Mandalorian girl and the Uzumaki weren't virgins. Her cheeks flushed, glowing even through her white makeup.

"I just want to be close…"

Hearing this, Naruto remained where he was and pretended to not pay attention to their words, awaiting Sabine's response.

He didn't need to wait long, for that familiar mischievous smirk on her face stretched across her lips.

"Let's go somewhere private…"

…

(Lemon)

The festival was still going on, with few people choosing to return to their homes. However, in one such house, there was a different sort of party going on.

"~Ah!"

This was a party of three, one filled with love and passion.

A feminine hand grabbed for the bed sheet underneath. That hand belonged to Haru, who was struggling to keep her moans indoors. Sweat covering her face, it was safe to say that she was flustered.

"Ah…Ah…"

Behind her, a pair of lips reached Haru's ear.

"Ssssh, just breathe and enjoy~" Sabine whispered, smiling as Haru looked like she was about to reach her breaking point.

"*Hmmp!*"

Gasping, Haru looked back down between her legs, the source of her current struggle, where Naruto was seen latching onto her pussy with his mouth. He lay there, eating out Haru while holding onto her waist. Her clothes were gone, leaving behind the bindings that covered her well-sized breasts that he stared at in wonder. Sabine, meanwhile, was riding his dick, gasping and panting as his member resized her tight canal.

The blue-haired girl couldn't help but run her hands through the cream-colored hair of the inexperienced young woman, pecking her neck and moaning in satisfaction from her boyfriend's cock. Sabine herself was also nearly naked, save for her blaster belt and her boots.

"You need to relax, let it all go…"

"I…I can't…"

Naruto's mouth happened to then go deeper into Haru's crotch, automatically causing the girl's legs to react but Naruto kept going, licking her insides.

"N-Naruto!"

Haru came with a squeal, drenching Naruto's face with her juices. Naruto stopped and pulled off of her snatch to look at his lover.

"I-I'm sorry." Haru was embarrassed and tried to apologize, "I just couldn't, and I-"

"Fuck!"

Taken by surprise, Haru turned to see Sabine's head shoot back from the intensity of her orgasm, her sweat-glossed figure now also sticky from Naruto's baby-batter that just exploded inside her snatch, which was now leaking from all sides.

The view alone made the Keelia native's crotch and cheeks burn again. She always prepared her heart to be married and to have intercourse with a male, but then again, one is always prepared for war until they're actually in it. And besides, this was new territory! Watching and bearing near a fellow girl getting inseminated like that?

"Ah, damn it, Naruto," Sabine sounded like she was about to complain as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Couldn't have given me a war–HMMPH!"

This time, it was Haru who took the initiative. Her lips planted against those of Sabine, it took the warrior girl and the young man by surprise.

The kiss was intense as if a new passion had entered Haru. Her bust pressed up against Sabine's and she was battling it out with the Wren girl, not paying attention to her surroundings or even the young man who stopped eating her out to gaze at her in awe.

Then their mouths separated, a string of saliva connected's departed lips as they stared at one another, their minds still processing what they had just done.

"I…I…"

"...Well someone's a daring girl, aren't ya?" Sabine said with a smile. Her eyes, which were twinkling in amazement, looked down at the girl's binders. "Let's get rid of these."

Sabine's hands reached out to Haru's tanned back, her fingers loosening the white binders. They fell off easily, showing her toned, modest chest that must've been a B-Cup she hid well under that traditional garment.

"Just relax…"

Haru yelped when somebody grabbed her from behind. It was Naruto, who was holding her ass from behind while Sabine cornered her from the front, playing with her breasts.

"Look at me…Haru-chan…"

Turning her head around, the cream-haired girl matched eyes to the blond-haired boy she fell in love with.

"Lay down…"

Doing so without question, Haru laid her head on Sabine's lap. Staring, she saw Naruto's member close to the lower half of her body, close to entering her. She tried to brace herself–

"FUCK!"

Naruto was inside her now and she could feel it. Gritting her teeth, her nails were digging into his back, the pain lessening as she began to relax. This prompted Naruto to take action.

Slowly rocking back and forth, the pain turned into pleasure as their sexes kissed one another. Despite the throbbing pain that still lingered from losing her virginity, Haru was determined to do her part where she would satisfy the man she had fallen in love with.

Their pace quickened, their hips smashing and grinding each other with wet slops and juices mixing. It wouldn't be until a few minutes before they would finally reach their limits.

"Naruto…"

"Don't worry…me too…prepare to-"

"CUM!" / "CUM!"

---

Opening his eyes, Naruto's first view of Coruscant was the vast landscape filled with nothing but large towers and skies filled with vehicles going in all different directions.

The descriptions and photos didn't do this system any justice. It was indeed a forest of metal and machinery.

"I don't like it here."

"Why so?"

Jiraiya was the one who asked. He was accompanied by the Jedi Knight Aayla Secura who sat next to him. All three of them were in the Jedi shuttle bus that was taking them to the Jedi Temple.

"There's no nature here," Naruto frowned, almost as if he was getting motion sickness. "No green fields. No trees. No rivers. Not even a desert."

"You're probably the first person to prefer Tatooine over Coruscant," Jiraiya joked, even if he couldn't help but agree. The entire system was nearly devoid of life, and if not for the population of varying species, Jiraiya would've thought that this was a dead system.

The lone Jedi on the ship could understand their dislike for this planet's urban environment. The Force was significantly weaker here than, say, Naboo. Also, she enjoyed it whenever she got to explore different planets with their vast amounts of flora and fauna. She loved nature and exploring all life within it.

"I assume you wish to meditate in a place that's closer to nature?"

"Yeah. Why?" Naruto asked in return.

"There is an area in the Jedi Temple where most go to meditate," Aayla told him. "Perhaps you would like to go there to find some peace? I can bring you there."

This brought a smile to the blond's face. "It would be my pleasure."

Jiraiya looked in between the two and couldn't help but suppress a grin. The lucky brat got asked out on a date and doesn't even know it. Oh, Minato, he certainly got your charm.

His smile disappeared when she spotted multiple speeder bikes surrounding the shuttle bus, with two of the bikers eying them.

No, I'm not eyeing them. Eyeing at Naruto through their masks, bandanas, and helmets. Fixated on the blond, one of them raised a hand from over the holster of their blaster–

– to give him a wave.

Seeing this, Naruto gave them a nod before they went away, leaving as quickly as they came. This got the Jedi and the Senator to look at the blond.

"Friends of mine, word got out from Tatooine faster than I expected," Naruto explained before he took another look. "Looks like we're here."

Before any more questions could be asked, the Jedi Temple towered over their view, the small vehicle making its way to the central home of the Order.

---

Jedi Temple

The hallways of the Jedi Temple were silent, more so than usual, with all eyes falling on the new arrival that was walking among them.

That was to be expected, since Naruto, despite his brown cloak, stood out like a sore thumb. Disheveled and still reeking of blaster plasma and oil, the cloak did little to conceal the Mandalorian armor that looked as if stolen out of a museum.

Many of the younger ones were looking at him with amazement or curiosity while the padawans were merely staring at him. The Knights and the Masters were the ones giving him cautious glances. Something his partner definitely noticed.

"They're afraid of me…"

"Not surprising given they felt your strong use of the Force all those years ago."

"It's kind of weird, but these stares are really creeping me out."

"Is it the lack of cursing you out?"

"...Yeah, actually."

"Master Secura!"

The trio stopped and turned around to see a teenage girl who ran up to the Twi'lek knight. A Togrutan girl, she was close to Naruto's age and looked to be just as energetic as he once was. She bowed to her in respect, seemingly not noticing the stranger next to them.

"Ah, Padawan Tano, it's nice to see you," Aayla smiled at the young girl. "Have you finished your training?"

"Yup! It ended early too!" Ahsoka Tano chirped. "I know you just came back but is it possible for you to continue training with me today? Master Plo's not available because of the council."

"Oh, I'm sorry young Tano, but I'm going to be busy today with our guest."

"Who?"

"...Over here."

Ahsoka blinked as she finally noticed the elephant in the room. To be more precise, that elephant was both the pervert the female masters deposed and nowayisthat-?

Naruto Uzumaki gave his old trademark grin and gave her a quiet wave. "Sup?"

"You're the-"

"Yes, Ahsoka, it is him, but let's be welcoming now, yes?"

Aayla suddenly got an idea. "Tell you what, would you like to join us in the Garden? We'll be waiting there until the Jedi Council summons us."

Ahsoka was still in shock for another minute before she quickly nodded. "It'd be my honor."

The four of them proceeded to the gardens of the Jedi Temple, still under observation of those from the sidelines to those upon the balconies looking down on the infamous blond.

Among those watching were the Jedi Masters Plo Koon, Mace Windu, and Grand Master Yoda.

"It seems young Ahsoka has already made her acquaintance to young Uzumaki," Plo Koon commented.

"Shall we summon the rest of the council now?" Windu turned to the grand master.

"Hmm, wait an hour, we should," Yoda suggested whilst watching. "Observe his connection to the Force, I must find out."

"I don't think it can hurt," Plo Koon agreed, before turning to the dark-skinned Jedi. "What do you think, Master Windu?"

Windu frowned at the blond but slowly nodded.

"Fine, but I'm keeping watch."

---

Later

Jedi Temple - Meditation Garden

The Jedi Temple Garden was a part of nature you couldn't find anywhere else in Coruscant. Green and full of lively sights, it was also home to living beings that made the place feel like it was a different planet.

Stepping foot into the garden, Naruto couldn't help but feel amazed by what he observed, a sentiment shared by his sensei. Almost as if created by magic, this slice of wonderland on an urban planet looked to be a hidden, magical world untouched by people. Green lands that were well preserved, fertile soil that could sustain life, and a pond with clear, flowing water, Naruto couldn't help but think that this sacred area could help heal one's mind just by being in it.

"Wow," Naruto breathed, looking around in astonishment. "Certainly a sight for sore eyes."

"Not something you'd expect in a planet made of steel, right?" Jiraiya said to his pupil. "How about we both go meditate there for a while?"

"Sure, I can do that." Naruto then turned to the Twi'lek Jedi. "I hope you don't mind."

"No problem," Aayla smiled. "It'll take a while for the Council will be ready, so feel free."

…

(One Hour Later)

Aayla realized just how full the meditation garden was. Granted, it wasn't that uncommon for it to get packed at times, but never this packed.

A large number of Jedi and younglings were standing around observing something. No, someone.

They were focused on the pond where Jiraiya the Sannin and Naruto Uzumaki were meditating. The sight of the older senator meditating here wasn't anything new, but it was the blond that caught everyone's attention. Butterflies and birds from the nearby conservatory flocked to the young Uzumaki's side, being at ease with his presence. The idea that this young man once tapped into the dark side was unfathomable.

"Amazing."

"He's like Master Yoda."

"Don't say that."

"But it's true, look how peaceful he is."

"You think he's strong?"

"He's got to be."

"His whiskers look cute, like an animal."

Hearing the younglings talk got Aayla to chuckle as she walked through the curious crowd, approaching the pair who themselves were in their little conversation.

"Looks like you got yourself an audience," Jiraiya spoke, his eyes still closed. "I'm glad to see you've taken your training seriously – your impatience seems to have disappeared."

"Some time in the mines and trenches beats the brat out of anyone I guess," Naruto responded calmly, opening his eyes as he noticed the small birds on his shoulders. "Have to give it to you, this is nice."

"You mean meditating or you mean your connection to the Force?"

Naruto slowly turns his head to his master and replies. "Both, and in more ways than you realize, Pervy Sage."

Jiraiya finally opened his eyes as he shot him an irritated look. "How many times I got to tell you to not call me–"

"Senator Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki."

The two Konoha natives looked up to see it was Aayla. Giving them a quick bow, she said, "The Council is ready."

Slowly standing up, the two of them moved to join her when Naruto paused.

"Something wrong?" Jiraiya asked.

"...Just a bad feeling…" Naruto finally decided with a small shrug. He looked back at the garden, then down at the temple floor, before he continued walking after them.

---

Council Room

Standing in the middle of the council room of the Jedi Order, Naruto shuffled a little awkwardly beside his old mentor while Aayla stood at the closed door to observe the whole conversation. With the Jedi Masters finally having met the young blond firsthand, some were more impressed than others while some stared at him with a blank expression.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, young Uzumaki," a Jedi finally spoke, deciding to break the ice. "I am Jedi Master Plo Koon."

Naruto blinked as he stared at the nonhuman.

"You're a Kel Dor."

"I am indeed," Plo Koon confirmed with a nod. "You know about my species."

"I met a few of them. Hard on the eyes, but good people. Some of whom fought till the very end saving others," Naruto nodded solemnly, before he bowed his head. "It is an honor to meet you, Master Plo Koon."

"You're not at all what some of the public paints you as, young Uzumaki," another council member stated. It was the Togrutan female Shaak Ti who gave him a small smile. "I'm quite surprised that you mentored under Senator Jiraiya."

"Lemme guess – you found out about his writings, didn't you?"

"That, and more."

"Not surprised. Pervy Sage and his reputation gets around.'

"Oi, watch it, brat!"

"Hmhmhm~"

Everyone paused as Yoda gave an unashamed chuckle, causing some of the masters to look at him. While it wasn't unusual for the Grand Master to be laid-back enough to laugh at certain matters, he had been acting more unorthodox lately when the blond was mentioned.

"Interesting bond you two share. Both not so different from other Jedi, I notice," Yoda began to talk. "A Padawan and Master, the relationship you both have, hm?"

"Well, it's a bit more than just that. He's actually supposed to be my godfather from what I was told," Naruto added. "But we only met each other a month before the Chunin Exams, teaching me a thing or two…"

"And yet, you've managed to wield the power of the Tailed Beast, yes?" Windu asked abruptly. "From what Master Jiraiya's told us, you've used the Nine-Tailed creature's power multiple times."

"It's Kurama."

Everyone blinked at this, a stunned silence momentarily filling the air.

"Excuse me?"

"His name is Kurama," Naruto clarified. "He's kind of scary at first, but he's not so bad once you take the time to get to know him."

"I can say the same of you, brat."

"And to answer your question, yes, I did use his powers, with and without his approval, but lately I've been on better speaking terms with him," Naruto answered openly. "We've been smoothing things out."

"Smoothing things out?" The Jedi Master named Saesee Tiin asked. "How does one smooth things out with a creature of the Dark Side?"

Naruto kept his smile, but his eye twitched slightly at the careless insult thrown at one of his closest friends.

"Befriended Kurama you have, have you?"

Naruto's head turned back to the little green sentient man, whose power was the calm, tempered, maelstrom of power tamed and refined through years of meditation and practice.

"You can trust him, kid. That's all I can say for now."

"Yes, Kurama and I are acquainted," Naruto confirmed the Jedi's answer. "It did take a while for us to make peace with one another. We both hated each other at first, but over time we learned to coexist peacefully."

This caused a wave of murmurs and whispers as the Jedi talked and debated about this amongst one another. The likes of Ki-Adi-Mundi eyed him with a level of caution.

"Depending on the Dark Side is a dangerous path, young man. It will consume you and destroy everything you hold dear."

"No offense, old man, but there are things out there that seek to destroy my life, dark side or not," Naruto grunted back. "When your hands are tied, you take whatever power you can get to break free."

"You don't know what you are talking about–"

"Try burying your fellow slaves and comrades, then we'll preach about the lines we cross."

"Naruto–"

"No, sensei, no." Naruto shot back, before returning to the big-headed Jedi. "I don't know where you lot have been throughout the galaxy, but I'm gonna guess that you've never even seen a picture of a spice mine, have you?"

"I haven't, but I've heard all about it," Mundi responded coolly. "The conditions the prisoners were in, of course, are appalling–"

"Slaves. Not prisoners, slaves," Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Enough!"

Before things could escalate further, Mace Windu stepped in to become the voice of reason. The Haruun Kal native took a deep breath, carefully choosing his next words.

"Allow us to get to the point, young Uzumaki. I am not entirely convinced your usage of the Tailed Beast's power is safe both for you and the people around you. Frankly, I believe you could be a threat if you grow too reliant on its power."

"Dick, but at least he's a bit more reasonable so far."

"I can understand that," Naruto nodded.

Mace briefly looked at Yoda, who gave him a nod, and he turned back to the blond warrior.

"However, Master Yoda here says that he has spoken to this…Kurama, as well as the other Tailed Beasts, trusts them. I do not doubt his words, nor his experience with the Force. So allow me to ask you this one question."

"That being?"

"Have you ever been tempted by the Dark Side?"

The anticipated question now given, the room fell into silence as all ears were opened towards the source of the powerful surges of the Dark Side.

And yet, despite all eyes being on him, Naruto answered without even much of a second thought.

"I've used it, yes. Did I enjoy it? …Maybe to a certain degree. Have I used it recently? Yeah."

"When?"

"The last day of the Zygerrian-Terran War."

The Council once again murmured amongst themselves. While the end of that war was certainly the last time they felt this surge, it was another thing to have the man responsible for it confesses unashamedly.

"You admit to using the Dark Side," Plo Koon started. "The question is for what purpose did you tap into the Dark Side? Better yet, what made you use the Dark Side on multiple occasions?"

Naruto's grim look turned more somber as he was bombarded with memories. Jiraiya gently patted his pupil's shoulder, recognizing that thousand-yard stare anywhere.

"Take your time," he murmured. "It's okay."

Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, letting out a harsh cough. Sucking in a deep breath, he finally managed to look the Jedi Council members in the eyes again.

"I guess it all started when I fought with the girl I would soon call my girlfriend…"

---

Meanwhile

Skyscraper ledge - night

Her speeder parked on top of a skyscraper ledge, Zam Wesell walked to a corner concealed by shadows.

"I hit the ship, but they used a decoy."

Saying nothing at first, Jango Fett walked around the corner to reveal himself. His shining armor glistened in the sea of artificial lights, his expression remained hidden under his t-visor as he sighed.

"As expected, she's been tipped off."

"Tipped off? Are you sure? Come on, Jango, be reasonable. It must've been procedure," Zam scoffed before she continued. "So what now? Got another plan?"

Unsure, Jango took another look at the center of the Republic, where the target was residing in the Senate District, where the Senate Building and the Jedi Temple were also located.

"Jango?"

"We'll have to try something more subtle this time, Zam," Jango said, turning to her. "My client is getting impatient."

Fett then handed her a transparent tube about a foot long containing centipede-like Kouhuns.

"Take these. Be careful. They're very poisonous."

Zam attaches her veil across the bottom of her face. She turns to leave, but Fett calls her back.

"Zam, there can be no mistakes this time," Jango told her. "Once the job is done, meet me at these coordinates."

"Coordinates?"

Saying nothing else, Jango flew away on his jetpack, although not before Zam received a message on her gauntlet. Opening it, it gave the coordinates to a location called "The Outlander Club".

---

(The Jedi Temple)

A somber hour passed on by as the members of the Jedi High Council were seen making their way out of the chamber, with Naruto and Jiraiya leaving as the first pair with the voluntary escort of the Jedi Knight Aayla Secura.

"Forgive me but as the person who brought you to Coruscant, it would only make sense that I will continue to escort you across the planet as long as you wish," Aayla spoke politely as she followed them. "I hope that is no problem."

Naruto smiled at her, "Of course not, I appreciate it."

The blue Twi'lek smiled and asked, "So where do you wish to go now?"

"Yeah, now thinking about it, I could use a drink," Jiraiya said before he remembered something. "I know, shall we go visit Senator Amidala."

"The Senator of Naboo? I heard she recently arrived back on Coruscant," Aayla recalled. "But not under the best circumstances."

"If you mean an attempt on her life…"

"So, shall we?"

"Of course, I see no reason why not," Naruto replied. "Let's go now."

"Mind if I join in?"

The person who suggested joining in was someone the three turned around to - that person being Hinata Hyuuga herself.

In her white Jedi outfit, Hinata bowed her head to them and offered her service.

"If you allow me, of course."

"Of course, why not?" Naruto smiled and greeted back with a bow. "Nice to see you again, Hinata-chan."

It was an odd, yet heartwarming moment between the two that was swiftly broken as Aayla reminded them that they needed to keep moving.

The group began descending the stairs with the intent of making their way to the port. They were observed from a distance by Master Windu, Yoda, and Mundi alongside Plo Koon who were watching the blond specifically.

"The boy is hiding something from us," Mundi spoke first, closing his arms. "I sense deception in his presence."

"As a Shinobi, that is his expertise, Master Mundi," Plo Koon reminded him. "But if you are referring to his recent promotion that he didn't mention, then that is a point to be made."

"Promotion?" Mundi asked, "What promotion are you talking about?"

"The one inside the Ölüm paramilitary organization," Plo Koon answered to his fellow Jedi. "He as of recently is now the Field Commander of all current Ölüm Battalions across the galaxy, having authority over the captains and their cells."

"Field Commander, you say?" Windu pondered this.

The idea of that young man leading a large force of warriors was a frightening one, especially if he were to join the Dark Side.

"He's not their overall leader if it eases your thoughts. There are people above him he answers to, such as the Karim 'The Imam' Tarik, who is the actual leader of Ölüm," Plo Koon spoke. "He is under house arrest in his hometown on Earth awaiting trial."

"If the true leader's under house arrest, how does he take orders from him?" Mundi questioned.

"Apparently – and this is just a rumor," Plo Koon replied, "some governments, both on Earth and from the Galactic Senate, want this organization to continue functioning."

Yoda just listened as he watched the blond speaking to the Hyuga girl, who was giggling at his presence as the door closed behind them.

"How did you even acquire such information, Master Plo?" Mundi asked him. "This must be important."

Plo Koon shook his head. "This is on the HoloNet. Word has spread across the underground." He then picked at his mask as a thought came across his mind, "I can see him later on visiting the cells on Coruscant."

"Wish to follow him, Hmm?" Yoda asked, turning to his wise friend. "Master Plo?"

The decision was already made with several nods and left to the Grand Master for the final say.

"Discrete, you must be."

---

Later

Senate Apartment Complex

The night still young, the Senator of Naboo had her handmaidens and other staff prepare the living room for a small gathering that was now in full swing.

"Senator Amidala, it is nice seeing you again."

"Likewise, Commander Uzumaki."

The two shook hands, the warrior and the politician under the same roof. The spotlight was on the famous war hero, their faces somber yet somewhat hopeful.

"I wish our reunion was under better circumstances," Padme said to him with sincerity. "Given what just happened…"

"You mean the attempt on your life?" Naruto asked gently. "My condolences to your crew."

"Much appreciated."

From the sidelines stood the Jedi among the guests, watching and drinking while observing the host of the party and the guest of honor. Both Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan Anakin Skywalker stood guard to protect Padme's life.

Obi-Wan took notice of his padawan staring at the senator who was making small talk to the young blond, and he was particularly paying attention to her in her dress.

"Make sure your eyes don't fall off, padawan."

"I'm sorry, Master," Anakin responded, his face turning a little red upon being caught staring too much. "I am just concerned, that's all."

A small chuckle was exchanged between the two as Naruto made a remark that made the Naboo senator smile.

"Fascinating, isn't he?"

Anakin turned to his right to see who spoke and bowed his head, "Master Secura."

"Nice to see you again, young Skywalker," Aayla Secura replied and did so to his master. "Master Kenobi, also glad to have you back on Coruscant."

"Likewise, Aayla, likewise," Obi-Wan responded. "I assume you are the one who finally got young Uzumaki to come to the Jedi Temple, correct?"

"That I did, with hard convincing of course, with the help of…"

*SLAP!*

Speaking of the Devil, Jiraiya's face sported a red handmark as one of Amidala's handmaidens stormed off, throwing a certain orange book into the trash.

"Senator Jiraiya?"

"...Yes, he helped me track down Uzumaki," Aayla slowly replied. "But, of course, I also needed help diplomatically, so…"

They watched as the young senator Riyo Chuchi approached the blond with a small bow and a small plate of food she offered, looking a little nervous as Naruto thanked her and took a bite.

The small party would resume until late in the night.

…

Several hours later

Once the small party had concluded and the staff had cleaned up the apartment, the only people left were the handmaidens, the security staff, the Jedi Knights, and Naruto.

Naruto made use of his short time with familiar faces, holding a small reunion with Hinata. After Aayla and Hinata left, the two male Jedi who had just finished their mission on Ansion were now guarding the former Queen of Naboo.

"So you knew my mother?"

"Shmi? Yeah, I met her," Naruto smiled at Anakin. "I met her and her family on a farm when we were looking for water. Good people."

"They are, yes," Anakin agreed with him. "They're not very successful moist farmers, but they are good people. I just wish I could send more credits to them…"

Obi-Wan and Naruto fell silent as they looked at the padawan.

"She hasn't been doing well lately. My stepbrother tells me she's doing alright, but I can't help but admit that I'm growing worried."

"It's just what a good son does," Naruto smiled.

Anakin just nodded. "I often get these dreams about her…"

"Dreams pass in time," Obi-Wan spoke.

"I'd rather dream of Padme," Anakin admitted. "Just being around her again is…intoxicating, yet comforting."

"Mind your feelings, Anakin, they betray you," Obi-Wan advised his padawan once again. "You've committed to the Jedi Order–"

*Growl!*

Obi-Wan's lecture was cut short by Naruto's stomach, whose face turned red.

Naruto nervously laughed. "Sorry, but I need to go to the restroom."

"No problem, use the one in the hallway," Anakin pointed his thumb out, a small smirk on his part. "The staff uses them mostly, we'll wait."

"Thanks," Naruto said before he hastily made his way.

---

*FLUSH!*

Once finished with his business Naruto walked out of the stall and began to clean his hands with water, the toilet in the hall was quite a distance from the senator's apartment.

"Quite the feast, wasn't it?"

"If you mean the food and drinks, I wouldn't know," Naruto responded while washing his hands. "I barely touched anything from it."

"You lost your appetite? I wouldn't blame you. From what I saw, it looks more like decorations than any real food that I've seen. But let us focus on something else."

"Like what?"

"Like the girl who's sneaking up on you."

His eyes narrowing at the woman in the handmaiden's orange dress, he scolded himself for lowering his guard. If not for Kurama, she would've made it behind him completely undetected. Whoever this woman was, she was no amateur.

"Can I help you?"

The handmaiden said nothing as she quickly drew a dagger and charged at him.

"...Really?"

*CLASH!*

Her blade met his own, a kunai hidden under his gauntlet, he frowned upon having to struggle against her strength.

"Why do I have to break my promise again…"

His assailant raised an eyebrow at this–

*SMACK!*

Naruto gave the assassin a right hook across her face, making her stumble backward as he watched her fall back against the wall.

Her robe fell off, exposing to him a beautiful woman in her late 20s who wore a red sweater that hugged her feminine body alongside a gun holster. The woman had black hair and eyes that of a predator.

Naruto quickly drew out his blaster and pushed a button on his gauntlet, dialing the emergency number. His eyes never leaving the woman, he demanded:

"Speak."

"Heh, funny."

"What?

"I could've sworn you a gentleman considering how you acted around the senators," the woman grimaced, holding her bruised face.

"Yeah yeah, equal rights and all that," Naruto scoffed. "So let's get this over with. Who are you?"

*BAM BAM BAM!*

Just then, the bathroom door was heard being banged on as the guards tried their best to get inside.

"Mr. Uzumaki, we got your distress signal! Give us a minute!"

That was Senator Amidala's head of security Captain Typho speaking, with several more men heard approaching the sealed door, trying to pry it open.

"So you sealed the doors from the inside? Big deal. You're the cornered one now."

Saying nothing in response, the woman pulled out something out of nowhere and flung it to the ground.

*POOF!*

A large cloud of smoke and a flash of light, and Naruto stepped backward as he readied his knife, anticipating another assault from the cover of the smoke.

This woman is no Shinobi, but she's deadly.

"You can say that again."

…What do you mean?

"Look at your arm."

Naruto looked down and noticed that his right arm was bleeding. In that split second, she managed to cut him through a chink of the armor left exposed.

"Whoever she is, I think we might see her again."

The door then finally flung open, the smoke already clearing itself up as Captain Typho's men entered with their blasters ready to fire. Scanning the area, Typho himself made sure the blond was alright.

"Uzumaki, you're hurt…"

"It's fine, nothing deep," Naruto waved it off as he looked around. "I believe my assailant has escaped."

"We found one of Senator Amidala's handmaidens unconscious without her robes, so we suspected something," Captain Typho explained. "I have my men go through the building and search for this killer-"

"Here you are!" The two's conversation ended with Anakin Skywalker having found them, standing by the door. "Naruto, we need your help!"

"What happened?"

"An assassination attempt on Senator Amidala was prevented just moments ago, and Master Obi-Wan is holding onto the droid." Skywalker briefed. "Come on, we got to go!"

---

On the busy lanes of Coruscant, Obi-Wan struggled to hold onto the assassin droid that was fleeing the scene after it dumped venomous creatures that failed to kill the senator of Naboo.

As Kenobi hung on for dear life, he was thanking the Force that they weren't going into direct traffic, or else it would be over for him. Still, he was hoping that Anakin would come along soon to help him; he could already feel his fingers beginning to slip.

Unbeknownst to him, his rescue party was on the way. Both Anakin and Naruto already made their way to the garage where the speeders were, with Anakin hopping inside a yellow XJ-6 Airspeeder.

Naruto looked surprised, "An XJ-6?"

"Yeah, it's brand new," Anakin responded as he began reversing. "You know your speeders?"

"Yeah, but let's get to the point," Naruto hoped in the shotgun seat. "Go!"

The airspeeder took off fast, going for the last direction where Obi-Wan was last seen, with them not taking long to notice the man dandling for his life over the droid that was trying to shake him off.

"There he is!"

Anakin tried to get the airspeeder closer to the droid, but upcoming traffic would be an obstacle that forced him to dodge or take turns to not cause a collision–

*POW!*

A blaster bolt zipped out of nowhere, destroying the droid in a masterful shot. With the droid dead, Obi-Wan began to fall, with Anakin diving down maximum speed to try to catch his master–

"Good catch, Anakin!" Naruto complimented.

Thank the Force he was caught, landing perfectly next to Anakin. Since there were no backseats, Naruto had to scoot over in time to share in this cramped space.

"Thanks!"

"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan asked, then added, "And couldn't you get an airspeeder with more room?"

"Didn't have the time to grab one, Master Kenobi!" Naruto shouted, before pointing out: "That ship over there!"

A Koro-2 airspeeder was frantically dodging the incoming vehicles, zooming away from the scene of the crime.

"Hit the pedal!"

Anakin wasted no time doing so and took up a notch of speed, going after the assassin of the senator. Catching the person was now their top priority.

The Koro-2 took a nose-dive, with Anakin following suit. The speeders were forced to chase through the busy traffic before a large freighter ship suddenly stood in their way.

"Pull up, Anakin!"

"Pull up!"

Forced to take evasive action, it resulted in them widening their distance from the suspect's speeder.

"You know I don't like it when you do that," Obi-Wan told his padawan.

"Sorry, Master." Anakin again apologized. "I forgot you don't like flying."

"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide." Obi-Wan responded, barely avoiding a commuter's ship that they went by, "What would our unfortunate guest say?"

"Impressive piloting, Skywalker," Naruto smirked under his helmet. "Stay on his tail!"

"Don't indulge him," Obi-Wan advised. "Please."

At this point the chase continued with them entering the industrial district, with no traffic to halt them, Anakin could start gaining again on the assassin.

*PEW!* *PEW!* *PEW!*

The trio suddenly found themselves dodging a hail of blaster fire from their target. Before Naruto could have a chance to pull out his own blaster, the target then aimed at a power coupling before flying past it.

"Anakin! How many times have I told you–"

Their airspeeder flew through the now electrified field, shocking the three of them inside the yellow speeder for a few seconds.

"Motherfucker!" Naruto cried out. Shaking his head from the shock, he yelled out, "I take it back!"

Their painful ordeal was quickly over, Anakin was still on the target's tail, who then dove into a tunnel entrance. Anakin drove closer – only to bypass it, surprising the two of them.

"Where are you going? He went that way."

Anakin reasoned, "Master, if we keep this chase going any longer, that creep is gonna end up deep-fried, and personally I'd very much like to find out who he is and who he's working for. This is a shortcut…I think."

Naruto heard that and found himself looking at the tunnel entrance before they fully bypassed it, seeing the rationale in the padawan's words, this chase could only end one way, so he decided to do his part…

Pulling out a scroll from his sleeve, he was going to use some tech he hadn't used in a while.

Once they reached the other side of the tunnel, the busy intersection of traffic was enough for Zam to disappear into, something that the Jedi came to realize when they found themselves stuck in the middle, with them looking around for the vehicle.

Obi-Wan shook his head in disappointment. "Well, you've lost him."

"I'm deeply sorry, master." Anakin apologized.

Naruto, meanwhile, was scanning his surroundings when he spotted something below…

"That was some shortcut, Anakin," Obi-Wan began to tell his padawan of his mistakes, "He went completely the other way, once again you've proved–"

"Thanks for the ride!"

The two Jedi turned to see Naruto having jumped off the speeder, falling straight down in a nose dive. It was then that they noticed the assassin's speeder down below.

"Is he wearing–?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered. "Yes, he is."

---

Zam finally allowed herself to breathe. Those two Jedi were relentless, but she finally managed to shake them. Letting out a puff of air, she rested her head against her seat.

*THUMP!*

"What the–!" Zam looked up, and her eyes widened.

Nearly face-to-face was a Mandalorian helmet painted orange, black, and red. Beskar covering his body and a jetpack on his back, he was holding a blaster aimed to her head.

"Zam?" the Mandalorian sounded taken aback before he shook his head. "Stop!"

Zam did not stop. She stepped on the pedal, accelerating her vehicle to try to shake him off, but the Mandalorian warrior clung on stubbornly.

"Goddammit!"

*PEW!* *PEW!*

The Mandalorian warrior fired at the engines, causing them to plummet right to the ground.

Zam tried desperately to keep the speeder running, but the damage was too great, so she was forced to make an emergency landing right down into the Uscru Entertainment District.

The crowd below scattered, not failing to see the burning airspeeder threatening to crush them from above.

The Mandalorian leaped off the speeder just as it made an impact with the ground, activating his jetpack to stop his fall. He watched as Zam's speeder crashed through the walking path that was now fortunately void of citizens, leaving behind a trail of sparks and metal.

*CRASH!*

With a loud crash, the Koro-2 made its final stop against a metal wall, with Zam swiftly exiting her escape vehicle just as a crowd was starting to form around the crash site.

"Stop!" Naruto cried out.

Doing quite the opposite, Zam took off running and disappeared into the crowd.

"Ugh…" Naruto pulled down his rangefinder on his helmet and ran after her. Locating his target quickly, he punched a couple of buttons on his wrist to activate his jetpack, which launched him skyward in pursuit of the bounty hunter.

The rangefinder was a very valuable tool, able to lock onto any specific target within milliseconds, but even the computer was struggling to keep a lock on Zam as she pushed through the large plethora of aliens, droids, and the occasional rare group of upper-class tourists coming down these lower levels.

Among the crowd were a few cloaked figures in the corners watching everything that was unfolding.

…

The yellow airspeeder parked quickly onto the side, with both Jedi joining the chase. They didn't have to search too hard, since it was hard to miss the Mandalorian warrior flying through the air.

The three of them eventually reunited in front of the Outlander Club, one of the most popular establishments in this district.

"Skywalker. Kenobi."

"Narut-"

"Shhh, don't say my name," Naruto hushed them, putting a finger in front of his helmet. "I can't let people know I'm here."

"Ah, right, I forgot you're quite popular around these parts," Kenobi nodded, before looking inside the club. "Did he run inside?"

"She, and yes, she ran inside," Naruto confirmed, putting his blaster away and adjusting his cloak to cover his jetpack. "Bounty Hunter, Zam Wesell."

"Wesell?" Obi-Wan stroked his beard in thought. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"It doesn't matter, she's inside this nightclub," Anakin said while looking inside anxiously. "We need to go in."

"Patience. Use the Force, Anakin. Think." Obi-Wan told Anakin, reasoning, "She went in there to hide."

"And we'll go seek," Naruto confirmed. "I'll go inside first, you two try to not look suspicious."

Stepping inside first, the two Jedi followed suit after a few moments, although not before Kenobi muttered, "Says the one in Mandalorian armor…"

---

The Outlander Club

Inside one of the lower levels' most popular gambling establishments and nightclubs, the crowds were busy either watching their games being played on the big screens or they were drinking their losses away with whatever was offered at the bar.

As he walked in, Naruto ignored the many looks the people gave him as he walked and gently pushed by.

"Pretty sure you've been made, kid. That woman definitely knows where you are now."

'I know, but better me than the Jedi; those are the ones who need to stay out of plain sight.'

"And that woman isn't dumb enough to try and kill you unless she fell out with Fett," Kurama muttered, thinking it through. "If I were you, I'd just go and take a drink and mingle with the crowd."

'Good idea.'

Taking his friend's advice, Naruto proceeded to walk over to the bar, where the other patrons ignored his presence until he spoke up.

"One, please."

A few faces turned around to see him with his helmet still on, the bartender turned around and saw who asked.

A few faces turned to give him a look, with the bartender raising an eyebrow.

"What do you want?"

"Surprise me," he replied coolly. "I'm not a picky drinker."

"Give him what I had, mister."

Naruto turned, and was thanking the Force that the helmet covered his face. Standing next to him, leaning with one arm against the bar was a chalk-white/purple Twi'lek woman. Wearing a leather one-piece suit that covered only the most intimate areas while leaving much of the skin available, leather braces covered both arms, and a leather headpiece was used to hold her lekku in place.

"Eyes up, handsome."

"My apologies." Naruto nodded to her. "I am just not used to seeing this attire in the open."

"Ah, how cute, but that's my job as a singer, honey," the Twi'lek said with a smirk, giving him a flirty look as she looked closer. "My name is Lyn Me, what is yours?"

"Call me Kitsune."

---

As the conversation was taking place at the bar, Zam wasn't far off, and was among the crowd watching the Mandalorian. Her footsteps muffled by the partying, she slowly began approaching the bar.

With her hand on her holster, she switched her blaster's safety off…

---

Naruto quickly found himself enjoying Lyn Me's company, who was also enjoying his. Lyn Me in particular was quickly growing very fond of the Mandalorian, who was quickly living up to the noble, suave, warrior image.

Just then, they were interrupted by a humanoid alien with antennas growing from his head. Funny enough, he actually sort of looked like Anakin.

"You wanna buy some death-sticks?"

Giving the young man a look, Naruto waved his fingers at him as he said: "You don't want to sell me death sticks."

The dealer quickly repeated: "I don't want to sell you death-sticks," as he withdrew the said drug.

"You want to go home and rethink your life."

"I want to go home and rethink my life," the dealer repeated as he swiftly left to do just that.

Lyn Me raised an eyebrow as she looked between the retreating dealer, and then at the Mandalorian before she finally connected the dots.

"Wait a minute…"

Naruto turned back to the Twi'lek, his eyes widening, and he grabbed for his blaster–

*SHHHHHKT!* *SLASH!*

Falling down with a shrill scream, Zam found herself on the floor with her arm slashed off. Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and kicked her blaster away.

Naruto's hand moved away from his holster, his other arm moving away from Lyn Me, who was understandably rattled at the sudden act of violence.

"Oh my…"

"Naruto, mind helping me?"

Ignoring the round of gasps heard from his name, Naruto tossed down a few credits, gave the Twi'lek a nod, and then moved to help Zam out of the bar as Anakin came by to ease the crowd.

"Easy... official Jedi business. Go back to your drinks."

Leaving, everyone watched the Mandalorian walk out with two Jedi, with a particular Twi'lek being more than surprised to hear that infamous name…

---

Carrying the wounded Zam into a nearby alley, Anakin shut the door behind them as Naruto removed his helmet.

"Zam."

"Naruto…my arm…"

"Got it right here. We'll get it reattached as soon as you answer some questions, alright?"

"Keep the reunion for later, you two," Obi-Wan dropped her to the ground and stood beside her, asking, "Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?"

Zam grunted, "A senator from Naboo."

"You know it wasn't just some senator, Zam," Naruto told her, looking at her before demanding, "Who contracted the hit?"

Glaring at him, Zam just replied with venom. "It was just a job."

At this point, Anakin was growing impatient and stepped in to ask the questions. "Who hired you?! Tell us!"

Zam looked around, the pain from her arm and the look of three dangerous men making her crack.

"Tell us now!"

"It was a bounty hunter called–"

*ZIIIIP!*

Something flew through the air, flying into the bounty hunter's neck, showing the three of them as they quickly looked around for the source–

*PEW!*

And just then, a blaster bolt flew out of nowhere as well, hitting Zam in the middle of her forehead, killing her instantly with deadly precision.

"Sniper!"

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Naruto took a distance from the bounty hunter's body and turned to the rooftops.

While one figure was seen flying away in what looked like a jetpack, another was seen speeding away on a bike. Two assassins.

Turning back to the body, a wicked-shaped dart was what Obi-Wan was seen pulling out of the now Clawdite form of the late Zam.

"Poison dart…"

Anakin proceeded to then check on the blaster shot that was on her face and was surprised by its precision.

"Sniper…not a bad one either."

The Jedi were now left with more questions; questions that Naruto had a feeling he knew the answers to. His helmet already back on, he proceeded to look up in the sky.

"You know who they were."

Saying nothing in return, he let out a sigh as he knew it was time to pay some visits to some old friends.

---

Hope you guys liked it, and leave a comment/review at least.

Till next time.

Chapter 25: Coruscant Underground

Alright, here's chapter 26 people, and am I glad to see this come through. Enjoy it.

Shoutout to LuciusWalker for beta work on this doc

---

Jedi Temple

The morning after the assassination attempt on Senator Amidala was prevented and Zam Wessel ended up dead, security had been put on high alert. With only one assassin exposed, a few others were still in the open.

For this, the Jedi Council had assembled once again and summoned not only Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker but also the presence of Naruto Uzumaki who acted as additional help in this ordeal.

"Track down this bounty hunter you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda spoke to the Jedi master. "Two, there are."

"Yes, the autopsy report of this assassin states both the poison dart and the sniper blast came from two different directions," Windu added, having memorized the report. "If the poison did not kill her, the second shot certainly did."

"You think there was more to this?" Obi-Wan asked.

"That we cannot conclude for now. However, one of the snipers was seen fleeing on a speeder bike to the Coruscant Underground," Plo Koon reported, "meaning that he or she may still be here."

"This will be a dead trail if not handled quickly," Obi-Wan concluded. "Who shall go down there to track this person down?"

"I'll go."

The Council and duo of Jedi turned to Naruto. Who was not finished talking.

Crossing his arms, Naruto continued. "I have a feeling I know who it is, but I can only ask. Depends on if the person is willing to talk."

"If you know who the second shooter is, why not inform the Underground Police?" Ki Adi Mundi then suggested.

Naruto shook his head. "Because where that person is hiding is the last place the cops will go."

"Which is?"

"Level 1313."

The mention of that level got the Jedi Council murmuring amongst themselves. It was universally known that the lower the level of Coruscant, the more dangerous it was. Get low enough, and even Jedi were hesitant to poke their heads in there.

"I'll go down there with young Uzumaki," Plo Koon volunteered, causing some to give him some looks. "If we are going to confront this assassin, it may be a good idea for someone to tag along as backup."

"Team of two, yes. No more," Naruto agreed. "And we'll do it on my terms, Master Plo."

Plo Koon agreed. "Of course."

"As for the Bounty Hunter, Master Kenobi will still need to proceed to find him." Windu reminded, "We need answers."

"What about Senator Amidala?" Obi-Wan raised his concerns, "She will still need protecting."

"Handle that, your Padawan will," Yoda answered.

Anakin looked visibly startled at this important responsibility. Granted, he did his best to conceal this surprise and stood a little taller in attention.

"Anakin, escort the senator back to her home planet of Naboo," Windu instructed. "She'll be safer there. And don't use registered transport – travel as refugees."

"She'll need some convincing, pardon me," Naruto interjected. "This vote of mobilization isn't something she'll retreat for, even when in danger."

"Agreed, we are. Strong, Senator Amidala's willingness is," Yoda nodded in agreement with the blond. "Mind staying on Coruscant, will you? Discuss we need much."

Naruto reacted by bowing his head. "As you wish."

"This meeting is adjourned," Windu declared. "May the Force be with us."

…

Naruto Uzumaki walked through the hallways of the Jedi Temple with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, who were escorting him to the landing area where the ships were.

"I'll go meet a friend of mine," Obi-Wan spoke while staring at the poison dart he was holding. "Dex might know something about this."

Naruto looked at him in surprise. "Dex? As in Dex's Diner?"

"Yes, him," Obi-Wan answered, growing curious, "You know him?"

"Do I? He's a friend of mine. Helped many of my guys when they escaped slavery," Naruto replied. "Good guy, but the food? …Meh."

Obi-Wan took offense to that as he crossed his arms. "And what's wrong with his food, if I might ask?"

"Well…"

"Uzumaki!"

The three turned to see that Master Plo Koon was waiting with two prepared speeder bikes, where he would join him to the Underground.

"We'll talk about Dex's food some other time," Naruto waved off with a chuckle as he left the two to join the Jedi Master. "Be careful."

The Master and Padawan watched as the blond Uzumaki went along with Plo Koon and left the hangar, leaving as they were being eyed by not only the duo but also some of the mechanics and security staff who were eyeing the famous commander of the renowned militia group.

"I have a bad feeling, Anakin," Obi-Wan told his apprentice while stroking his beard. "A feeling I cannot explain…"

"Is it because he was acquainted with the assassin or that he questioned your friend's cooking skills?" Anakin asked, with a dry chuckle before he left. "I'll see you soon. I'm going to the Chancellor."

Obi-Wan gave a glance at his padawan before he shook his head, choosing to get to his transportation.

---

Coruscant Underground

Naruto drummed his fingers on his speeder bike. It certainly took a while to get to the lower levels of this overpopulated planet. It certainly didn't help that things looked quite duller as time went on, with the sunlight growing dimmer and the urban settings looking filthier. After what seemed like an eternity, they made it to their destination and slowed down onto the street.

Plo Koon parked his bike first, with the Mandalorian following suit.

"Welcome to Level 1313, Uzumaki."

"Welcome" wouldn't be the word Naruto would've used. This level was just one of many where the law ceased to exist, with this place becoming its separate world. Rundown buildings, burning open crates, and working girls scattered throughout the streets, the only light source came from the barely functioning streetlamps, most of which had been harvested by the locals. The stench and sanitation were also abysmal – the smell of rotten garbage and gas made Naruto crinkle his nose even through his helmet's filters.

Plo Koon turned to Naruto, and even with his helmet on, he saw no visible reaction to this dreary environment.

"You seem so unimpressed, young Uzumaki," Plo noted. "Why so, if I might ask?"

Naruto just glanced around before turning to the Kel Dor Jedi.

"You live in a shithole long enough, and it's all either the same or some are slightly better. Trust me when I say that this is preferable to that god-forsaken mine."

His voice grew choked, heavy with emotions as he chose not to speak of it anymore.

"My apologies for bringing up such unwanted memories, Uzumaki."

"Don't be. Those memories never go away. They'll stick with you no matter how far down the bottle you go," Naruto shook his head. "Still, I appreciate it."

Plo Koon nodded back but then stiffened.

Out of the shadowy corners, several armed men came out from all sides, armed with weapons varying from slugthrowers to blasters. They all wore masks or otherwise concealed their faces with rags and hoods.

The area grew deadly quiet as the locals had already scattered like flies.

One of the men raised a pistol, aimed at the Kel Dor's head. The Jedi's body and face twitched as he calmly asked, "Friends of yours?"

Naruto raised a hand, causing them to lower their arms, save for the one still aiming his weapon at the Jedi.

"He's with me. Stand down."

The man nodded as he holstered his gun. He gestured in a direction with his head before he and the others began to walk.

"Leave the speeder bikes here, the men will look after them," Naruto said as he got off the speeder, proceeding to follow the man. "We're going to meet with someone."

Plo Koon took the young man's advice and complied by getting out of his vehicle and joining the blond with the armed individuals only staring at the two visitors. They watched them enter the block.

As Naruto walked through the streets, he noticed the sheer number of eyes gazing at not just him, but at the Jedi at his side. The many stares and glares came from the windows, a few lookouts, the rooftops, and even from the shadows.

"We're walking into a lion's den, Naruto."

'I know. They're also Ölüm.'

"They're weary of your company, Naruto. I highly doubt that he's the one very welcome."

'I am honestly surprised she decided to set up base here.'

"Right underneath their noses. A bold strategy."

A masked individual stopped right in front of an open establishment, opening the door for the two visitors.

"She's in there."

Naruto glanced at Plo Koon and both nodded, both then entered the establishment as the man closed the door behind them. Unsurprisingly, the establishment happened to be a bar. A hive of the wretched and the villainous, it was full of customers who were all undoubtedly armed to the teeth – the only thing keeping the tense peace within the establishment.

"Follow me to the back room," their escort told them while leading. "She's waiting for you there."

Naruto and Plo Koon continued to walk through the bar, ignoring the many curious looks they'd gathered. This included one that belonged to a Kyuzo bounty hunter and his Anooba companion.

…

The backroom was heavy with smoke. The second the three walked in, the scent of spices, herbals, and even some of the more forbidden narcotics invaded their senses as the three made their way through the hallway.

"AH~"

Walking past a room, one of the Ölüm fights was getting a "surprise" from a Zabrak woman. The trio pretended not to notice – it was none of their business what people did in their free time, after all.

"She's here."

Opening a door, Naruto and Plo walked through and sat at a large round table. Heavy boots moved out of the way, revealing a familiar face under her cloak.

Naruto couldn't help but smile.

"Good to see you too, Tayuya."

---

Meanwhile

Several dozen levels above, another establishment – one more legitimate, was getting a visit from Obi-Wan, who just happened to enter the place before getting spotted by the droid waitress.

"Someone to see you, honey!" the WA-7 Waitress Droid named 'Flo' shouted out to the kitchen, "Jedi, by the looks of it."

In the kitchen, a large Besalisk cook turned around to see who it was and was surprised to see an old friend of his.

"Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan smiled at seeing his large friend and greeted him in turn.

"Hello, Dex."

"Take a seat, I'll be right with ya," Dex said, waving to his waitress droid to go back to work. He began walking over.

Obi-Wan went to take a seat and was able to find an empty spot next to one of the windows. Waiting for his friend to sit down, the Jedi did happen to glance outside the window, spotting something.

A group of men standing next to speeder bikes, mainly humans, all wearing disguises and in the dark corner of the street. The same people he had spotted while chasing the bounty hunter Zam guessed that they had been following him for a good while most likely since he left the Jedi Temple.

"Want a cup of Jawa juice?"

Obi-Wan heard the droid waitress ask and responded, "Oh yes, thank you."

He then turned back to the window. Only to see the group had disappeared.

"Hey! Old buddy!"

Turning back, Obi-Wan stood up and opened his arms for Dex to embrace him in a hug, which the large alien did while also pulling his pants back up with one of his lower arms.

"So my friend," Dex said while both went to sit down. "What can I do for ya?"

"You can tell me what this is," Obi-Wan said before putting the poison dart on the table between them, with Dex's eyes widening, clearly surprised.

"Wow, whattaya know…" Dex said while picking up the dart delicately between his large fingers and taking a closer look at it. "I ain't seen one of these since I was prospecting on Subterrel beyond the Outer Rim."

"Do you know where it came from?" Obi-Wan asked while being served two cups of Jawa Juice by the droid, whom he thanked. "Thank you,"

"This baby belongs to them cloners. What you got here is a Kamino Saberdart." Dex explained upon recognizing the dart that he placed back on the table.

"I wonder why it didn't show up in the analyses archive," Obi-Wan asked.

"It's these funny little cuts on the side that give it away…" Dex pointed out to the sides of the darts, scratched out. "Those analysis droids you've got over there only focus on symbols, you know. I think you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom."

"Well, Dex, if droids could think, we wouldn't be here, would we?" Obi-Wan joked with his friend before taking a closer look at the dart, "Kamino... doesn't sound familiar. Is it part of the Republic?"

"No, it's beyond the Outer Rim. I'd say about twelve parsecs outside the Rishi Maze, toward the south," Dex recalled from his memory, even joking, "It should be easy to find, even for those droids in your archive to find. Like those secret Shinobi and Terrans lately, that was a surprise to find out."

"Of which even us Jedi weren't fully aware, my dear friend."

"Oh I believe you, I don't doubt that," Dex said before getting back to the topic. "Those Kaminoans keep to themselves. They're cloners. Damned good ones, too."

Obi-Wan nodded and asked, "Cloners? Are they friendly?"

"It depends."

"On what, Dex?"

Dex grins, "On how good your manners are...and how big your pocketbook is…"

*Crack!*

Outside a loud sound could be heard that caused both the Jedi and bar owner to turn and see what it was, noticing a biker just getting thrown to the side by that same group that had been tailing Obi-Wan lately, seeing they were roughing up the man before dispersing when the first sign of authorities was present.

"Those Terran boys, a bit of a nuisance lately." Dex sighed at the sight. "I guess that is still preferable over those Shinobi I've been seen snooping around."

Obi-Wan turned to his friend and then decided to ask.

"Dex, I need to ask more."

"About what, my friend?"

"These Shinobi and Terrans – how much of a presence are they on Coruscant lately?"

Dex couldn't help but release a chuckle at that and responded.

"You Jedi are spending too much time in that temple of yours, aren't ya? Well, I'll explain."

---

Underground

A Jedi Master, two guerilla freedom fighters, and a guard were in the backroom of a bar, having a round of food and drinks.

Most of the food and drinks were left untouched, save by Plo Koon, who politely accepted the meal while quietly observing the silent, cold standoff between the two young warriors. One could cut the tension in the air with a vibroblade, and he couldn't help but wonder if his lightsaber was going to be needed soon.

Finally, Naruto cleared his throat.

"So, how's life going for–"

"Cut the crap, Whiskers. I know why you're here, so let's get to the fucking point," Tayuya snorted as she crossed her arms. "So be honest with me: Why are you here, and why'd you bring a Jedi?"

Plo-Koon tried, "Now hold on, let us–"

"Heard about that explosion of that escort a while back? That was Senator Amidala's entourage that got killed," Naruto responded coldly to his redheaded friend, giving her a cold glare. "And another attempt on her life was just avoided last night."

Tayuya scoffed at the blond. "And why are you coming to me for this?"

"Because you're the one who put a blaster shot into the assailant's head, that's why," Naruto responded, clearly accusing her of something. "And that assailant happened to be Zam. Remember her?"

"I know of Amidala and I knew Zam, yeah," Tayuya emphasized the latter. "She had it coming to her. Taking a hit like that's gonna put me or the other commanders in the spotlight."

"So you do know something," Naruto picked up.

"I knew? Bitch, please, everyone knew," Tayuya huffed. "Come on, shithead. Every two-bit criminal on Coruscant knew of the bounty; take out Senator Amidala before she could voice her opposition to the military bill so that you could be set for life."

"Yet only Zam took the contract," Naruto asked. "Why?"

"Fuck if I know," Tayuya shrugged. "I tried telling the bitch to not do it but she insisted. Maybe she was desperate for work, or maybe she wanted to make a name for herself. Either way, I liked that Amidala girl, so I made her keep her cute ass alive."

"By that, you mean-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the other one that popped one in Zam's head."

Naruto and Plo Koon blinked at her blunt honesty. Tayuya sat back in her chair and glared at the two, especially at Naruto.

"...So it was you that killed Zam," Naruto slowly said.

"If you're going to bitch about it, don't forget that we did try to warn her. We did so many times," Tayuya said as she held out four fingers. "Four times, to be exact. Three of them over holocall and once in person, but she still wanted those credits – and whatever else that Tyranus fuck was offering."

"Tyranus?" Plo-Koon butted in, asking, "Who is that?"

"Zam's contractor supposedly, from what I could dig up," Tayuya explained, before turning back to Naruto. "Days before the bombing, we tapped into Zam's comms and heard her speaking with this strange guy who wore a cloak over his head calling himself Lord Tyranus, having even offered double if she could bring back that senator's head."

Plo asked. "Any evidence to back it up?"

"Sure," Tayuya said, pulling up a comm pad, shoving it into the middle, pressing a button, and starting the recorded conversation.

["So that's the amount? Sounds kind of high if you ask me for a senator."]

["Is that a problem? If so, I can find someone else to do the deed."]

It was only an audio recording, but Naruto was able to recognize that it was indeed Zam who decided to accept the contract. The second voice, however, was unrecognizable.

Naruto didn't show it, but his heart sank when he realized that one of his mentors was involved in a conspiracy against the life of a senator and a decent one too. Legally, there wasn't much he could do now, especially now that a Jedi Master had heard this too first hand.

And it only got worse.

["No no, not backing out. Just gotta point out how out of the ordinary this job is. I can pull it off, no worries."]

["Splendid. I have also informed Jango Fett of this job. You will be rewarded a handsome amount of credit if Senator Amidala does not make it to the Senate alive. More so if you can bring me her head. And speaking of, the senator is due to arrive on Coruscant to voice her opposition. Good luck to you both."]

And that's where the transmission ended, leaving the room in deadly silence.

"I shall take this evidence to the Council," Plo Koon finally said as he took the recording device, placing it into his cloak. "I assure you, this will only be shared within a small circle."

The Kel Dor looked between the two youngsters, who were locked in a stare-off.

"Mr. Jedi."

"Yes?"

"Mind leaving us?" Tayuya asked quietly. "Shithead and I got some personal business we'd like to settle."

Plo Koon's eye narrowed at this request and turned to the blond young man, who nodded to him in confirmation.

"No need to worry, I'll be at the Jedi Temple once I'm done here," Naruto reassured him. "I'll see you there."

Hearing that, the Jedi nodded and stood up to take his leave as the room with the door opened up. Before he left through the door, he paused to look back at the duo once more, before shaking his head. Whatever business they had going on belonged to the two of them.

---

Meanwhile

An AA-9 Freighter-Liner traveled through hyperspace, its first stop being Naboo. The ship was being used to aid in the Refugee Relief Movement, where thousands of people have fled war, poverty, famine, or other disasters that caused them to flee their previous lives to start a new one.

In a line of people waiting for their grub, R2D2 was ahead of the line of immigrants and refugees, waiting for the kitchen staff with empty bowls for the mush.

"Hey, you! No droids!" the service droid told off the astromech. "Get out of here!"

R2 gave a negative sound back to the droid before leaving the line and going through the big room where refugees were seen either eating or sleeping, with him going past them to get to the small box where Anakin and Padme were eating with their disguises on.

"No go, R2?" Padme chuckled. "No worries, thank you anyways." She turned back to Anakin, who looked a little disappointed at the lack of food. "Must be quite difficult, having sworn your life to the Jedi. Not being able to visit or do the places or things you like."

"Or to be with the people that I love," Anakin let out a bittersweet smile. "Like my mother."

"...How is your mother?" Padme asked gently.

Anakin gave her a sad smile. "She's sick, and I don't know if she's going to get better anytime soon."

He looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back at the senator. "I try to talk to her whenever I have time, but I still can't help but worry for her."

"I see…" Padme sounded, then asked, "Is C-3PO still working there?"

"Yes, he is." This caused a small chuckle to escape from Anakin's lips. "I can hear him trying to talk to me every time I speak with my mother before Owen would drag him away to work back in the field."

The mention of the protocol droid caused them to let out a laugh. The three of them huddled together, content with each other's presence.

They were blissfully unaware of their cloaked follower, who quietly observed the Jedi and the senator, a blaster hanging from their belt.

---

Coruscant

In one of the many warehouses of the underworld, a pair of speeder bikes landed next to one. Tayuya and Naruto hopped off their bikes before they even fully shut off.

"Here it is."

"Oh wow…"

What was waiting for the blond was an Kom'rk-class Mandalorian fighter covered in black, orange, and red paint. One that looked brand new.

"Courtesy of the Nite Owls. Told me to give it to you," Tayuya said to him as she presented the ship looked after. "Treat her right, and she'll treat you good."

Naruto approached the ship and examined it, seeing it was indeed brand new with no rust or even blaster marks visible on it, but what was eye-catching to him was the mark that was painted for public display on the side of the ship:

The whirlpool symbol of the Uzumaki Clan.

'I like the colors, can't deny that.'

'Yeah…Funny you're the one who said it first.'

'What can I say – I've grown to like the orange and red.'

"If you're done daydreaming, I suggest we go visit one more place," Tayuya suggested to him with a shit-eating grin. "It's just around the block."

Naruto raised his eyebrow at this but agreed to follow the redhead. He noted how the man who locked and stood guard of the warehouse nodded at Tayuya as they left.

The walk didn't take long, as they only went around a couple of corners. They passed through open restaurants and bars. Some of the customers noticed the duo, and some waved at them. A few of the women even eyed the blond.

The two eventually walked down some stairs in an alleyway. Down there, they were greeted by a man sitting next to a metal door. Naruto recognized the hidden rifle as a slugthrower instead of your conventional blaster.

"Who goes there?"

"Me, who else?" Tayuya snorted to the guard. "Now open the door."

The guard nodded and pressed the button behind him, opening the door and allowing the two to enter.

Naruto took a glance back at the weapon's barrel, noting how it looked like a weapon he once used.

---

Driving through the Texan port town of Hurriya were a couple of trucks that belonged to the local National Guard units, as well as several volunteers who drove behind them on jeeps and commandeered speeder bikes. On them were armed men who were driving through the ravished settlement.

"We're here, everyone out!"

The first men jumping out of the trucks were the regular National Guard units with the volunteers and local militia, but also outsiders like Mutani the Tusken, followed by Naruto.

Out of all of the volunteers, those two stood out the most. Naruto held the look of a rugged warrior, with features some people jokingly described as "Aryan." Mutani, as usual, wore his traditional Tusken Raider outfit, along with his necklace which he refused to let anybody touch. Naruto was dressed in the same outfit he came with from Keelia.

"Uzumak, Mutani, follow us," one of the older Urzik American militia ordered. "Tarik is at city hall waiting for our arrival."

"Okay, but what about Jango?" Naruto asked, his large bag on his back and his blade still in his hands.

"Contact him when you can, but our Air Force is taking out anything not friendly. The enemy has advanced passed Bay City and are making their way here now."

Just then, the armed arrivals crossed paths with the thousands of refugees who've poured into the center of the town. Most of them were civilians who fled from their hometowns and were now either under the control of Zygerrian forces or were being fought over.

There were a few noticeable yellow buses that Naruto was told belonged to schools that once served to transport students to their places of education, reminding the young blond of his days in the academy.

"We're going to take a shortcut through the high school – we'll get to the city hall quicker that way."

Hearing that, the volunteers made their way there as they began going to the main entrance of the school which was mostly undamaged.

Upon entering the building the armed men were met with hundreds of people hiding or hanging around inside while waiting for their evacuation up north to the city called Houston. They were met with the stares of mainly teenagers and faculty members of the school, alongside the parents of the students who began shielding their children the moment they spotted the armed men enter.

"Excuse me, this is a school!" a blonde woman with glasses said, addressing the armed group's leader. "You cannot pass through here with weapons!"

The group stopped right in the middle of a hallway where Naruto and Mutani were standing just mere meters away from the students on the sidelines. Some spotted the blond and began to whisper.

"We need to go through the school to get to the city hall, ma'am," the militia's leader said calmly. "Now let us through and we'll leave the premises immediately."

As Naruto watched his temporary commander try to talk down the teacher, he couldn't help but overhear the whispers of the students and parents making comments about him specifically.

"Is that a child?"

"Why is he with these men?"

"He looks kinda hot."

Naruto let out a sigh, choosing to block out these remarks, they were just curious afterall–

"Hey, look at that freak."

Naruto sighed as a punk in a purple and white sports jacket spoke up. A large buffoon with tousled blond hair decided to step up to Mutani, accompanied by two friends of his who wore identical purple jackets. One of them was a blond with curls and the other a young man with ebony skin. They were "jocks" if he understood the term correctly, as Tarik once told him, athletes who were often arrogant popular kids that liked to pick on people.

Near them was a dark-skinned girl with silver-white hair wearing a purple and gold cheerleader outfit, with the top cut short to show off her midriff and the undersides of her breasts. Her purple lips and eyeliner matched her outfit.

Unlike the jocks, however, she kept her distance from the militia, trembling at the sight of their looming forms and guns.

"Brandon, maybe–"

"Check this out, Jessica," the blond buffoon smirked, trying to reach for the head coverings of Mutani. "Must be some kind of freak from out of space–"

But before he could grab Mutani's shrouds, a hand seized the jock's arm, causing Brandon to turn towards Naruto, who, despite being short than him, was holding his arm with a firm grip that surprised some around them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Naruto glared at him from under his hood. "Touching a Tusken's shroud is considered a death wish."

"Like I'll listen to you–"

*SLAM!*

"URK!" In a blur, the young man named Brandon found himself struggling to breathe as Naruto seized him by his neck, pushing him up against the lockers.

"Hey stop!"

"Stop!"

Naruto ignored the cries, gasps, and protests as he tightened his grip on Brandon's neck. Brandon let out pitiful gurgling noises as he tried to kick and punch his way to freedom, but his blows did nothing against Naruto's beskar armor.

"Stand down, Naruto!"

Everyone turned to see Tarik Karim enter the scene, wearing combat boots, camouflage trousers, and body armor. Jango, of all people, followed behind him.

"That's an order, kid. Now!"

Naruto turned towards his old commander, releasing the jock immediately. Naruto moved to salute his commander when–

"Fuck you!"

*CRACK!*

"AHHH, FUCK!"

Brandon had tried to sucker punch Naruto. The young warrior swiftly retaliated, Brandon dropped to his knees, holding his good arm in pain. His two jock friends swiftly moved to help him up.

"Brandon!"

"He broke it!"

"I twisted it, there's a difference," Naruto sighed. "Try that again, and I WILL break it for real, and the other arm too for good measure."

"Young man!" a teacher stomped up to Naruto and pointed her finger at him. "Give me your name and information. You're in big trouble!"

Naruto couldn't help but sneak a look at the teacher. A blonde with a large bust that hugged at her shirt with a skirt and black heels…

"Uzumaki Naruto, ma'am," Naruto replied to her in a cold tone. "And don't blame me, it was self-defense."

"Violence against students is never acceptable," the teacher sternly scolded. "What are the names of your parents? I'm sure they'll be very disappointed in you."

"They're dead."

This blunt, hollow answer earned him some gasps and stunned looks, including the teacher herself.

"They died saving my life before I could even walk. Now, if you excuse me, my commander needs me." Having enough of this, Naruto brushed past her without another thought, heading towards Tarik and Jango. "We're ready. Sorry for the wait."

"Jango told me just you and Mutani arrived here?"

"For now, I guess. Just the two of us." Naruto pointed his thumb to the Tusken comrade. "We're ready."

"You can still turn back, kid. This is war…"

"I'm not turning my back on my comrades," Naruto told him. "You know that, Tarik."

"...No use convincing you otherwise," Tarik sighed, handing over a weapon. "Here, use this."

Handed over a machine gun with a drum magazine, Naruto got also the ammo thrown at him that he caught in midair, getting already protests from those watching a kid being handed a rifle.

Loud bangs interrupted the conversation as Jango tapped into the coms and shouted, "Zygerrian air assault!"

The explosions rocked the school, earning them a round of screams. They seemed to be growing closer and closer, until–

*BANG!*

---

"Hey, wake up!"

Naruto's daydream was interrupted by Tayuya as they entered a large area filled with loud explosions coming from one particular part of it.

There was an improvised shooting range in this large, abandoned warehouse. Over a dozen people with a variation of firearms were seen being used on targets. There was also a small bar and trading hub where hundreds of people were congregating, many of whom Naruto recognized having one connection: They were survivors of Ölüm, many of them were humans, some Terrans, and even a few faces like Chewie and Zeb who were seen working on their weapons until they both spotted the blond at the entrance.

"Well look who it is!" Zeb laughed as he stood up and approached him while shouting, "Hey everyone! It's Naruto!"

Dozens of people quickly swarmed the blond in a circle, bombarding him with many greetings and welcomes.

"Hey, kid."

"Good to see you breathing, Naruto."

"You looking good."

Shaking hands and tapping fists, Naruto got a big hug from the Wookie who held him up high and showed his affection to his friend everyone laughed at the scene, knowing the two were good friends and it was a breathtaking scene to behold.

"Good to see you, kid," Zeb said shaking Naruto's shoulder roughly. "If Hera was here, she'd be hugging you on the spot."

"She isn't?" Naruto asked. "Where is she?"

"Visiting Tarik, of course," Zeb said while leading Naruto through the crowd, explaining, "She is seeing him and the other commanders who are still under house arrest."

As the two were making their way through the crowd. They got close to the shooting range where two individuals were having a little competition.

*TRTRTRTRTRTRTR!*

*PEW!* *PEW!* *PEW!* *PEW!*

Naruto turned to the shooting range, where he turned to see the sight of a modified Z-6 rotary cannon blaster and a pair of WESTAR-35 blaster pistols firing at their respective targets. Ah, looks like target practice was over.

The mentor/student duo spoke something to one another before the older woman let out a boisterous laugh.

"Getting better, Wren," Rahab clapped her student's back. She laid down her heavy weapon onto a nearby table, before removing her helmet, allowing her short, brown hair to flow freely. "Good to see you getting better, squirt."

Sabine followed Rahab's example, leaving her weapons onto the table before taking off her helmet, showing off her new hairstyle. Her hair was dyed in lighter, dark-blue with light blue tips, a quiet change from a year ago.

"Well, I need to do better if I ever want to surpass Bo-Katan."

"Sabine!"

Hearing her name, Sabine turned around to see that it was Naruto standing there, a warm smile on his face.

"Took you long enough to get here. I heard you paid a visit to the Jedi Temple."

"Well, yeah, they wanted to talk to me," Naruto replied sheepishly to his approaching girlfriend. "It was just a–"

*MWAH!*

The warehouse was filled with catcalls and whistles as Sabine leaped onto Naruto's arms, slamming her lips onto his.

"Heh, you go girl. Claim your man!" Rahab laughed while crossing her arms underneath her chest.

Sabine's lips finally broke apart from Naruto's as she gasped for breath. "You said something about the Jedi?"

"That can wait," Naruto growled as he recaptured her lips. This earned them another round of catcalls and whistles in the background.

---

"Naruto-kun…"

Hiding around the corner of an alleyway near the Ölüm hideout, a robed woman observed the warehouse quietly. Hinata turned away, having seen enough.

So downtrodden, she failed to notice that there was another person who had her eyes on the same target. It was another woman, older than the lavender-eyed girl, and was also familiar with the target of interest, having encountered him before.

"We'll be meeting again soon, Uzumaki…be sure of that."

The mysterious woman disappeared into the crowds of Coruscant's busy streets, her crimson outfit and black-heeled boots disappearing into the blend of diverse colors.

---

Thank you, leave a review/comment down below.

Good night!

Chapter 26: Unraveling Secrets and Preparing Armies.

Okay, it's been way too long since I updated this fic, hopefully, it will be out before the new year.  Yes, the New Year, I’m heavily busy trying to get my schedule working. 

 

Kinda a short chapter, I know, please don’t hate me for it I’ve been kinda busy but hopefully, I’ll be able to produce another chapter soon before the end of the year.

 

Please leave a review/comment down below once you’re done reading and follow/favorite the story if you’re new. Have a nice evening and stay tuned for more.

 

Let’s start the reading.

 

---

  [ 23 BBY - Keelia ]

 

In the village of Meevia, dozens of people, both visitors and natives, sat or stood under the night sky, hot meals in their hands as they all watched the podium. Some like Saku were trying hard not to cry as she sat in the front row, with Sabine Wren next to her and Mutani the Tusken. 

 

Standing on the podium was the village elder, who stood with a warm smile as Naruto stood in silence. Naruto’s armor was cleaned and repainted, and his helmet remained on his head, as his face and lips were a gift waiting to be opened by the receiver. 

 

Haru stepped onto the podium. Gone was her usual tribal attire, replaced by a beautiful dress. A shoulderless corset with a long flowing bell-shaped skirt with black and lace striping, a hooded cloak was draped over her shoulders, its hem just brushing the ground. The ensemble gave Haru an aura of serenity and purpose as she embarked on her journey. In her hair were two bright red flowers, which stood out amongst the light blonde color of her hair, and the paint on her face of traditional marriage with two blue sashes hanging from them. 

 

Words failed the young Mandalorian, something that the village elder noticed. 

 

“Starstruck, I take it?” Haru’s grandfather smiled. 

 

“Y-Yeah, old man. I mean–!” 

 

The elder just let out a quiet chuckle. “No need to apologize, young man. Just breathe, son. You’ll be fine.” 

 

As Haru walked up to the two men, her entire body fidgeted. Sure, she knew what he looked like under that helmet, but to think that she would actually be marrying him… 

 

Despite Haru’s silly grin growing out of control, she managed to keep her composure. “You look great…” she whispered. 

 

“You look wonderful too…Haru-chan.” 

 

Haru would later claim that she wiped away a tear so as not to ruin her makeup. Turning to her grandfather, she gave him a short nod. 

 

“Today, we will declare these two lovers as one, for Magina has chosen they shall forge their paths together as husband and wife, from here until the day they become one with the planet and Magina itself,” the grandfather spoke to the village as loud as he could. His expression remained dutiful, but it was evident that he was enjoying the moment himself too much at witnessing and permitting his granddaughter’s marriage. “If there is anybody who objects to the betrothed, please speak your mind or be silent forever.”

 

*Snort!*

 

The unexpected noise erupted from the front table, where Saku’s emotions finally became too much as she had to wipe her nose clean with her handkerchief. Her face burning red, she looked down, trying not to meet anybody’s stares. Small chuckles of good faith rang out around them. 

 

Naruto happened to see that Sabine was glancing at him with a smile, nodding to him in approval of this matter.

 

“Seeing as no one objects to this sacred union, let us start with the groom.” Haru’s grandfather turned to the Mandalorian. “What do you have to offer to my beloved granddaughter, young man?” 

 

“This…”

 

Pulling out a small box from one of his many small belt bags, he opened it, revealing a pair of thick, black chokers with crimson whirlpools etched onto the soft cloth. Attached to the choker was a beautiful, clear crystal.  

 

“My clan has gifted one another, both of blood and ones integrated through marriage, this kyber crystal, harvested straight from their island. Through these crystals, may it become a symbol of our union, marking us as belonging to one another.” 

 

Haru stared at the necklace, enchanted by the crystal. For a moment, she could’ve sworn that she could hear a mystical song whispering in her ear. 

 

“So…what do you think?” Naruto asked nervously. He wasn’t sure if she would like it or not, so he went as far as to make a matching one for himself in case it felt derogatory or something. 

 

Haru traced her fingers over the choker’s cloth before her finger touched the crystal. It might’ve been a trick of the light, but the crystal seemed to glow for a moment as her emotions began to overflow. Looking back up with tears in her eyes, her heart couldn’t contain itself any longer. 

 

"It's beautiful."

 

Putting on the choker around her neck, her hands slowly moved to remove Naruto’s helmet. She had seen it before, but now, she earned the privilege and trust of being able to remove his ancestral helmet. Her hands trembling a little, she finally saw his face again – a sight that never failed to take her breath away. Seeing his beautiful, ocean-blue eyes and messy, sunkissed hair once again, she was overwhelmed with joy. 

 

Handing the helmet over to her grandfather, her fingers moved to wrap her husband’s necklace around his neck as well. And with that, their union was finally complete. 

 

Unable to hold it in any longer, the village elder asked: "Uzumaki Naruto, do you take Haru as your wife?"

 

Naruto met Haru’s gaze with unwavering love and nodded fervently. 

 

"I do."

 

With a smile of approval, the grandfather turned to Haru. "And Haru, do you take Uzumaki Naruto as your husband?"

 

Tears streamed down Haru's cheeks as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her answer was resolute. 

 

"Yes, I do." 

 

“Then, by the power invested in me, and by the will of Magina, I pronounce you both husband and wife; You may kiss.”

 

Naruto gazed into Haru's eyes as they stood before their friends and loved ones. The warm breeze ruffled their hair, Naruto gently took Haru's hands in his own.

 

"I love you," he whispered.

 

"I love you too," Haru replied softly.

 

They leaned in, their lips meeting in a tender kiss. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. As they slowly parted, both were beaming with joy. Rose petals were being thrown at them by the children of the village, as their guests continued clapping and whistling in celebration. Naruto and Haru turned to face their friends, hands clasped tightly together as they were approached by Sabine and Mutani.

 

Mutani said something in his native tongue and slapped Naruto’s shoulder a few times, nodding his head it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was congratulating the young blond on his marriage. 

 

“Thank you, old friend.” Naruto politely said before turning to the girls, seeing that Sabine approached the newlywed - and also now fellow sister - to congratulate her with Haru’s blood sister Saku coming up to her and hugging her younger sibling with an uncontrollable amount of tears of joy coming out of her.

 

*BANG!*

 

Startled at the noise first, the crowd turned to the back where they saw some of the human Ölüm members who also attended the wedding, seen firing their slugthrowers weapons in a fashion of celebration, with some alternatively firing their blasters in the air while dancing.

 

Naruto smiled as he shook his head. “I’m so going to get them back for that.” 

[22 BBY]

 

On a landing platform of Coruscant, Naruto, and Obi-Wan Kenobi were seen standing near the Jedi's ship, a Delta-7 Starfighter with an astromech droid waiting inside of it. 

 

“So you’re married?” Obi-Wan asked as he stopped in his tracks and turned to the young blond. “I must say for a man in your profession, it kind is unusual to be committed to a woman at such a young age as yourself.” 

 

“I promised it to her,” Naruto looked at the Jedi and smiled. “The night before I left to volunteer to Terran when the war started, she asked me to promise her to marry her when I returned.”

 

“But aren’t you in a relationship with another Mandalorian?” Obi-Wan asked him. “I recall you being with one.”

 

“Sabine Wren, she’s my first…you know…”

 

“As in encounter?”

 

“Yeah….” Naruto replied, expecting a lecture but seeing he did not do so, “You’re not going to object to that?”

 

“Multiple relationships aren’t new to me, young Uzumaki. This galaxy is far too vast to have not seen it all,” Obi-Wan said with a small snort. “I’ve seen all sorts of relationships in the galaxy. Some are born out of profit, some are born out of selfishness and hatred, and some…some are born out of genuine love and devotion.” 

 

“Didn’t take you for a love guru,” Naruto raised an eyebrow. “I thought you Jedi weren’t meant to have relationships.” 

 

“Attachments, my young friend. That is what is normally discouraged, but even I find myself at odds with that rule,” Obi-Wan corrected while admitting to his own doubts and weaknesses. “I used to be close to a woman in my days as a Padawan.” 

“Seems rather unrealistic not to form any attachments at all,” Naruto hummed. “Besides, such attachments can become a great source of strength. They can become one of your greatest sources of devotion.” 

 

“There you would be at odds with the Council.”

 

“And what of it? To love someone who you care?” Naruto questioned the code, “If I was to love someone and be willing to protect her? Even with the risks, it shouldn’t be something to fear but to learn from it.”

 

“Speaking like a reformist, aren’t you?” Obi-Wan chuckled, “Perhaps one day we can talk philosophy once I am back, like war for instance.”

 

“For which is to come.” 

 

Obi-Wan stopped before seated himself in the starship, turning to the blond and asking him.

 

“Tell me, what do you think of this conflict that’s close to brewing out? Between the Republic and the Separatists?”

 

Naruto took a deep breath before crossing his arms, answering, “I am no fan of war, but I am not a pacifist either. I just believe we need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”

 

“Even when diplomacy is used to its fullest extent?”

 

“Even then, a weapon should always be at your side in case someone will drop the diplomacy.” Naruto responded to the question with honesty in his voice, “Especially in a galaxy this big, you cannot always assume some people have the best intentions.” 

 

Obi-Wan nodded and replied, “Then I hope your organization does have the best intentions at heart.”

 

“We have - to protect those we care for.” Naruto answered and said, “Good luck on your journey, Master Kenobi.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

The Jedi Master gracefully strode into his sleek Starfighter, the hum of its engines filling the hangar. With a brief pause for the droid to disembark from the platform, the ship gracefully ascended into the sky, its destination set for the vast expanse of space.

By then Naruto turned around and walked over to the speeder bike that he used to get over here, hopping onto it before he took off the platform, flying downwards to the surface level of Coruscant.

 

‘Where are we going now?’

 

‘To meet up with some others before we return to Tatooine, I’m taking Sabine with me.’

 

‘Alright, just don’t take too long, this place is too crowded for me.’

 

‘Agreed.’

As the blond Mandalorian descendant flew down to the meetup, he was oblivious to a ship tailing him from a fair distance, not knowing it was one from the Jedi Temple.

---

[1313]

 

In a sprawling neighborhood that served as a stronghold for the Ölüm organization, a communal dinner unfolded at its heart, drawing in the warmth and camaraderie of those gathered. This particular section of the Coruscant underground was a refuge, teeming with individuals who had fled the ravages of war and oppression.

 

Among the crowd were war refugees from Terran, as well as those who had narrowly escaped the clutches of slavery, all thanks to the tireless efforts of the Ölüm organization. Their numbers swelled into the tens of thousands, if not a few hundred, forming a close-knit community amidst the bustling, predominantly sentient population that characterized the deeper recesses of Coruscant. The air was thick with the scent of shared meals and the sounds of laughter, a poignant testament to their resilience and hope for a brighter future in a place they could finally call home.

 

“Want some coffee, young man?”

 

Naruto looked to his side and saw it was a young waitress asking her, so he responded, “No thanks, but got any tea perhaps?”

 

“Sure.” The waitress said smiling before walking off. 

 

Left alone for a while, Naruto stared out the window and saw the streets were as busy as ever, with the residents of this area trying to walk through the crowds, some stood out, like a group of armed men who were patrolling through the streets, with their faces covered up alongside their weaponry that laid under pieces of cloth, they were Ölüm members who regularly showed their presence in the neighborhoods, more so than the regular security forces who barely paid attention to these parts.

 

“Peaceful here, hmmm?” 

 

His thoughts were interrupted, Naruto turned to who it was and was surprised to see it was the small Grand Master Yoda who had approached him, surprising him even how the small Jedi could enter without even being sensed. 

 

Yoda gestured to the empty seat on the opposite side of the table, “May I?” 

 

“Of course.” Naruto nodded and pointed in politeness, “Sit.”  

 

With a graceful yet deliberate motion, the small green elder Jedi positioned himself across from the young former Shinobi, his wise eyes twinkling with curiosity and warmth. He seemed to embody the essence of a nurturing grandfather, settling comfortably into his seat, a faint smile playing on his lips. Just then, the waitress approached, balancing a tray filled with steaming cups and a teapot. The fragrant aroma of freshly brewed tea wafted through the air as she began to serve, the soft clinking of the porcelain punctuating the moment with an inviting charm.

 

“Here you go, enjoy.” The waitress said finishing the pouring in of the drink before leaving with a smile, “Enjoy.”

 

Naruto and Yoda nodded before they both began drinking from the teacups, there was no conversation happening between the two.

 

“Speak to you, I must, about your outburst in the council.” Yoda spoke while looking at Naruto, “Apologies I must, for my fellow Jedi.”

 

“There’s no need for that, Master Yoda,” Naruto said in return, both his hands grabbing the cup and shuffling with his arms, “It's understandable, not many people went through what I experienced.”

 

Yoda hummed and glanced at the blond, noticing him gazing into the teacup. He seemed deep in thought, prompting the Jedi to ask. 

 

“Troubled your mind is?”

 

Naruto's gaze flickered with a mix of uncertainty and frustration as he confronted the Jedi. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were all concerned about him, their eyes boring into him with worry. 

 

"You're worried about me, aren't you?" 

 

Yoda's expression remained stoic, but there was a hint of sadness in his wise eyes. "Strong with the Force you are," he stated, his voice heavy with weighty knowledge, "but the Dark Side has touched you before."

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine at the mention of his past actions. "My actions?" he repeated, his voice laced with confusion and shame.

"In war," Yoda confirmed his wrinkled face grave with concern, "I sensed its presence within you. The Dark Side...you have used it more than once to fight against the Zygerrians."

 

Naruto's shoulders slumped in defeat as he admitted, "Yes, I have." 

 

He rubbed at his temple, feeling uncomfortable at the reminder of that brutal conflict. Naruto began to admit…

 

 "It was more than I ever expected," 

 

---

[ Naboo]

 

Shortly after their discrete arrival on the planet, Senator Padme Amidala and her bodyguard Anakin Skywalker, were in a large room where they were in the company of Queen Jamillia, the person who took the constitutional throne after Padme’s term. She was seated on the throne, flanked by Sio Bibble, the governor of Naboo who was also there alongside a couple of their advisors. Also present in the room were the Handmaidans and the royal guards for security. 

 

The subject of this meeting was to be about the current state of the Republic, and it was fair to say they wished for better news to be given by their senator.

 

“If the Senate votes to create an army, I'm sure it's going to push us into a civil war.”

 

“It's unthinkable! There hasn't been a full-scale war since the formation of the Republic.” 

 

Hearing the governor speak like that, the white-makeup-wearing queen turned to her senator and asked, “Do you see any way, through negotiations, to bring the separatists back into the Republic?”

 

Padme shook her head, “Not if they feel threatened,” She brought up the possibilities, “My guess is they’ll turn to the Trade Federations or the Commerce Guilds for help.”

“It's outrageous,” Governor Bibble spoke yet again, “but after four trials in the supreme court, Nute Gunray is still the viceroy of the Trade Federation. I fear the Senate is powerless to resolve this crisis.”

 

The Queen looked at Padme, both unable to disagree with the governor’s statements, and it would be unfair to judge him harshly for his words. So the Queen turned to the senator in a defeated tone.

 

“We must keep our faith in the Republic.” The Queen said as she stood up from her seat, walking past it to then approach Padme with a few wise words. “The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it.”

 

“Let’s pray that day never comes.” 

 

"…In the meantime, we must consider your own safety." said the Queen to Senator Amidala as they all began departing the room. 

 

Bibble asked the young Skywalker, "What is your suggestion, Master Jedi?"

 

"Oh Anakin is not a Jedi yet; he's still a Padawan learner;” Padme interrupted Anakin before he could respond, “but I was thinking-"

 

"Hold on a minute," interjected Anakin with a frown of disapproval.

 

"Excuse me." retorted Padme sternly. Going back to respond to her queen and the governor, "I was thinking I would stay out in the Lake Country. There are some places out there that are very isolated.”

 

“Excuse me,” Anakin interjected again, his hands on his hips, “I’m in charge of security here, milady.” 

 

‘And this is my home. I know it very well... that is why we're here. I think it would be wise for you to take advantage of my knowledge in this instance.”

 

While the governor and the Queen exchanged silent glances, Anakin was embarrassed by her quick words and decided to concede.

 

“Sorry, Milady.”

 

“Perfect,” The Queen said before continuing to walk, “It's settled then.”

 

As the group strolled down the dimly lit hallway, unaware of the ominous presence just beyond their sight. Shrouded in an oversized cloak that concealed every discernible feature, a dark figure lingered in the shadows. With an air of stealth, this figure had been eavesdropping on every whispered secret exchanged within the room, absorbing the vital information about the senator's secret hideout.

 

Fulfilling his mission by following the Jedi and his target.

 

[Coruscant]

 

On one of the many landing platforms of the planet, Naruto was waiting outside a ship that was being prepared for takeoff, it was a ship of his comrades who decided to tag along with him as he watched the view of the populated planet.

 

“Commander, we’re ready.”

Standing there and hearing his name called out, Naruto turned around and began walking toward the ship, the Kom'rk-class Mandalorian fighter and transport ship given to him as a present by the Nite Owls as he was given the company by a few of Tayuya’s people who were assigned to him for protection given he’s a Field Commander.

 

One of whom saluted him, a young Terran Urzik, “Your ship is ready and we’re waiting for takeoff. Chewie is already in the cockpit.”

 

“Alright, let’s get going then.” Naruto said with a grin to the subordinate, “Ever been to a desert?”

 

“I practically lived near one, sir.”  The young man smiled as he followed, “So where are we going?”

 

“Tatooine, to meet up with my battalion.” 

 

Naruto's boots clanked against the metal walkway as he led his comrade through the narrow corridors of the ship. They passed crew members saluting or talking to each other as the blond finally arrived at the cockpit, where Naruto took a seat in the pilot's chair next to Chewie. 

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Roaring in return, Chewbacca did so and prepared for takeoff.

 

With a series of beeps and whirring sounds, the doors closed and the ship lifted off from the platform, weaving its way through the chaotic traffic of Coruscant. As they reached orbit, Naruto punched in coordinates on the control panel and the ship blasted off into hyperspace, leaving the planet behind.

…

 

Once they reached the orbit, the Mandalorian ship was in free range to prepare itself for a jump into hyperspace, to which Naruto gave his Wookie friend the go.

 

“Hit it.”

 

The ship’s engine roared as it jumped straight into hyperspace, leaving a void space before it then got occupied by another ship that had been tailing it from a distance.

 

A Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter to be exact, with purple and white it soon jumped into hyperspace also.

---

[Kamino]

 

In the spacious, yet sterile private quarters of Tipoca City, Jango Fett sat immersed in his datapad. The holographic display glowed with the latest news on the progress of the Clone Army's training. 

 

A sense of pride swelled within him as he read about the two hundred thousand clones that were now fully trained, with another million nearing completion. Reminding Jango of his own role in creating this mighty army for the Republic. He couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at being a part of such a monumental project. Of course, for a good payday, he was about to get for partaking in this job.

 

Also, something was bothering him ever since he returned to Kamino after the small job he had done on Coruscant, with Zam having been killed not by his hand but also that the fatal shot was made by someone he spotted, the Jedi and Naruto were there to witness him depart from the scene.

 

It bothered him of course given what was to come, he knew these clones of him were going to be used for war shortly, most likely closer than he expected it, and with the conflict brewing between the Separatists and the Republic brewing, the end of the Terran-Zygerrian War, but also this inevitable conflict that was going to happen that he knew was going to participate in.

 

Death Watch, the one group he wished to see perish for what they did to his people years ago but was unable to do anything against them on his own, thinking he was going to stay in the profession of being a Bounty Hunter for the rest of his life. 

 

Now, he had a chance.

 

“Dad.”

 

Yet he also had responsibilities, turning around to see his son walking in, he looked like he had something to say.

 

“What it is Boba?”

 

“I just saw Taun We walking down the hallway while I was running around,” Boba told him, looking bothered, “She was talking with a man in a long brown robe.”

 

Hearing the brown robe, caused Jango to immediately figure out who it was.

 

"Jedi..." Jango muttered.

 

"Dad?" Boba asked, fear creeping into his voice.

 

"Hide everything," Jango commanded, his expression tense and serious. "We'll be getting a visit from them."

Chapter 27: Diplomatic Dissolution

[23 BBY - Terran] 

   

Darkness, dust, and underneath the surface level. The hallways that were dimly lit by generators or even candles, were the underground tunnels - the tunnels of the besieged town of Hurriya.  

 

A large network of dozens of rooms where many people were residing to escape the continued bombarding of the Zygerrian air support and artillery, were made deep underneath the town with accommodations prepared by the locals who’ve lived here for generations and were now being put to use. It had sufficient oxygen, room, and essentials like electricity, food, water, and medicine but also safety for the thousands of trapped civilians who had taken refuge.  

 

*BOOM!*

  

That didn’t however deter the Zygerrians from continued attacks on the town by barraging the area above them in the hope of penetrating the tunnels, only however causing some sand from the ceiling to fall to the floor where the civilians reacted with fear and ducking for cover, managing to put the ultimate fear of being buried alive was the only success the invaders had. 

 

Well except for those who were used to the slavers’ aggression. Naruto wasn’t afraid, he instead was seen meditating in one of the recreational rooms where he was put on guard duty as the room was filled with people of his age some even older than him, young teenagers who were high school students and young aspiring students whose dreams were put on halt and instead now were covering underneath anything. Some openly crying and slowly panicking. 

 

‘Pathetic.’ 

 

 ‘No need to be harsh, Kurama. They don't know any better.’ 

 

´The civilians in the Shinobi villages are more prepared than these brats. Some are old enough to be Chunin.’ 

 

'May I remind you that you’ve been alive longer than me, so you should know that they are widely different.’ 

 

´Yes, but this is embarrassing to watch. How come those of the other parts of this world are more prepared for this than these spoiled brats?’  

 

´You answered your own question right there, Kurama. Different cultures, different habits.' 

 

´Yet they look at you as the outlier.’ 

 

'Better than what I used to be looked at.’ 

 

´Fair point.’

  

More explosions occurred above them with more dirt falling through the metal ceiling. This even got one of the teenagers to snap and walk to the door, having to cross paths with Naruto who stopped him immediately. The young man was wearing a red jacket and cap had brown hair and was a little bit overweight, Naruto had come across this kid before who was his age and was a bit of a bragger but wasn’t a bad person.  

 

“I need to get out.” The chubby teenager tried to go for the door but got stopped by a girl who was his sibling and friend in a blue zipper sweater with a camera around his neck.  

 

“Mike, calm down!” 

 

“Vicky, Josh, don't!” 

 

Naruto remembered their names, the the siblings Vicky and Mike and the photographer named Josh, three who regularly were seen with each other as friends, the two were holding the boy Goldmann back from doing something stupid while the childhood friend and presumingly girlfriend of Josh, Felicia was sitting on a couch with her two friends.

 

“Enough.”

 

His order fell on deaf ears with the brown chubby teenager trying to get through to his friends, Naruto decided to walk up and try something else.

 

“I can’t stay here anymore, I-”

 

*PUNCH!*

 

With a deep punch in the gut of the boy named Mike, he went down to the floor with his sister and friend holding him from the ground by his arms, Naruto walked back to the door as he got some angry shouts from the others.

 

“Hey, not cool!”

 

“That’s fucked up man!”

 

The angry shouts did nothing to Naruto as he sat on the chair near the room's only entrance, getting some angry looks as he crossed his arms and continued observing them.

 

“Why did you punch my brother?!” His sister was the loudest out of them all, holding him as she yelled, “He’s nearly-”

 

*BOOM!*

 

The explosion right above them caused all the teenagers to duck for cover as the blast could be felt in and around the walls, terrifying them as some huddled in groups and some whimpers could be heard.

 

Naruto on the other hand just looked up as he remained calm, but he turned back to the room full of peers who were in the near hundred, all clearly still scared and he knew they had to be calmed down.

 

“Don’t worry, we’re deep under surface level, those artillery strikes aren’t getting through the ground and thick inches of steel.” He gave them some advice, “Those Zygerrians aren’t getting us here. So calm down and try to keep yourselves busy.”

 

Just then the door opened and walking in came the Tuskan Mutani, Tarik, and another volunteer, getting the teenagers to see the leader of this town’s defense forces enter their room, they barraged him with questions immediately.

 

“Sir, when can we get out?”

 

“Where’s the Army?”

 

“Are we getting to safety soon?”

 

Tarik ignored the questions and turned to Naruto, “Kid, you’re up for a mission with Mutani, you up for it?”

 

Naruto stood up and asked, “Where precisely?”

 

“South of the town, we’ve lost contact with the defense line there, and we need someone to bring the reinforcements to the last positions where they were.” Tarik glances at the Tusken Raider, “You and Mutani will go there and relieve the force there if needed.”

 

Nodding to his orders, Naruto gave the salute, “Will do, sir.”

 

“Good, Ahmed here will take your place. Go.”

 

…

Walking through the hallways of the steel plates that kept the tunnel structure intact, Naruto and Mutani were leading a group of over fifty men through the large network that went through the entire town with them heading southwards. Among those men was an Ölüm veteran and beloved man who had entered the town just a few days after the blond Konoha boy.

 

“Glad to see you here with us, Old Man.” 

 

 

Old man Yasser's deep, rumbling laugh echoed through the dusty tunnel as he clapped Naruto on the back. The seasoned war veteran carried himself with a sense of pride and determination, despite his tired gray beard and rugged gear. He had joined a group of volunteers to make the treacherous journey from Mexico to the US, carrying a bolt action rifle and a heavy pack filled with RPG rockets and other ammunition. "I knew you'd show up here," he said with a knowing grin. 

 

Naruto gave his trademark grin, “You know me, I don't abandon my friends.” 

 

“Inshallah, you got a good heart, kid. But you should stay underground,” Yasser advised him as he tried to pursue the young fighter, “The Zygerrians will be ruthless.”

 

“No need to convince me, old man, because Tarik and the others tried.” Naruto responded while reaching the end of the tunnel, Naruto added, “Besides, we also can be ruthless against them….”

 

Opening a steel door that was at the tunnel’s end, Naruto squinted at the bright light of fire around him, the fire, adjusting to it, the fire came from the devastation in front of him. Crumbling buildings and debris-strewn streets stretched as far as he could see, paired with some smoke, the town of Hurriya and its outskirts continued to be victims of indiscriminate shelling. 

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Emerging from the dark tunnel were dozens of fighters led by Yasser. Among them were both local resident volunteers and members of Yasser's group who had arrived to help defend the town. All were armed with a variety of weapons, from rifles to turbo blasters and even rocket launchers. They strode swiftly towards the south.

 

As they went towards the positions they then entered the trench network that had multiple lines of defenses where they were quickly making their way towards the front, where they were met with the first line of defenders, which included the frontline commander.

 

Jango had his helmet off and watched through his binoculars with some men to his side and noticed the reinforcements had arrived, “You’re here, good.”

 

Naruto and Yasser took position next to the bounty hunter with Naruto replying, “And?”

 

“Look for yourself,” Jango said throwing the blond kid his binoculars. Allowing him to then see what had happened up in the large space that separated their position and the Zygerrians, and what he saw, startled the young former Shinobi.

 

On No-Man’s Land was a pile of an uncountable amount of bodies of Zygerrians laying across the former farming fields and streets, alongside their tanks and armored vehicles, some of the bodies were piled up on each other after their wave tactics failed causing some of the defenders to go out and putting themselves in incredible danger by removing the bodies from the piles so they would have better view of the enemy who were two clicks away from their lines.

“How many bodies are there?” Naruto asked while lowering the binoculars from his face, holding his hand over his nose, “Ugh, that smell…”

 

“At least a thousand or more than that, those slavers are keen on taking this town.” Jango informed them while turning to Yasser, “Did you bring the weaponry that we need?”

 

“It is being placed, but we’ll need time to install it.” Yasser said while preparing his own rifle, “But after this, I will try to do another run, Tayuya and the Wookie are already back on the way with a new shipment.”

 

*FLASH!*

 

Fired up in the air was a red flare that came out of the middle of the field, and once it exploded, it showed a terrific reality - another wave of attackers, and the flare came from a retreating defender.

 

“Alarm!” 

 

The trenches were filled with the sounds of blaster fire, as the men crouched for cover. The roars of the Zygerrian attackers echoed through the air, drowning out any communication.

 

Jango reached for his helmet and quickly put it back on, before peeking over the edge of the trench. He saw the slavers cutting down the men who were cleaning the paths or firing at them from behind as they ran. Panic and chaos filled the battlefield as he assessed the situation in front of him.

 

“Here they come!” Jango called out, pulling out his blasters, “On my command!”

Naruto took cover next to Jango and Mutani who was adjusting his rifle for long-range targets, as he aimed his drum magazine weapon at the approaching horde of Zygerrians who were coming in like a wild pack trying to get to the first trench, He wearing Beskar under his shirt, and he pulled out from his pants something he will be using most likely - The Duresteel blade from Asu.

 

‘You’ll be using it today, kid.’

 

‘I know.’

 

‘Remember your Shinobi Training - show them no weakness.’

 

The Zygerrians arrived at the line of fire, their expressions a mix of anticipation and determination. Jango's commanding voice echoed through the open space, clearly delivering orders that resonated with authority, as he awaited the nod of permission to proceed.

 

“OPEN FIRE!”

 

---

“GRAHWL!”

 

Naruto’s eyes shut wide when he felt his shoulder getting punched, he turned to see it was Chewie who woke him up, and he gestured to the front, letting him see they had exited hyperspace. 

 

“Oh, sorry Chewie….” Naruto said while holding his neck and then stretching his arms. “Just needed some sleep.” 

 

Chewbacca made some roars in return, nudging its giant furry arm against Naruto’s, for Naruto to understand him and chuckle. 

 

“Sure, I’ll buy you one.”  

 

… 

 

[Mos Espa]

 

Once their ship landed on the outskirts of the port city, Naruto and his security drove through the busy crowd into the center. Naruto was escorted with speed bikes by members of the local garrison who had been informed about his arrival. 

   

Espa had become a stronghold of the Ölüm Partisans and with them paying tribute to Jabba, they were allowed to on the planet and do whatever they pleased so long they wouldn’t interfere in the local business or interests of the Hutts. That included turning a blind eye to its main source of income.

 

The local slave trade, with it being one of those weird moments where former slave militants were bypassing in their patrol vehicles past civilians who were still property, the tension was always there but never erupted into something violent aside from some spat between armed militants and the owners who try to keep their slaves away from them. 

 

Their speeder glided to a graceful stop in front of the ornate entrance of The Sanctuary Bar. Naruto and Chewbacca emerged from the vehicle into a bustling scene, with people gathered around gambling tables or chatting at the bar.

"First drinks on me," Naruto announced with a wide smile as he led his furry friend and entourage towards the bar. "Just don't make it too expensive, my wallet's nearly dry."

"Allow me to spare you some credits, young man." A smooth voice cut through the clamor, causing Naruto to turn and see the elegant figure of Madam Garsa Fwip in her flowing dress. She rested a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder as she joined him at the bar, where the bartender was already pouring out drinks for their group.

 

“Madam Garsa.”

 

“Naruto, you’re quick to return to my fine establishment.” The Twi’lek woman said with a genuine smile, laying her hand underneath her chin, “I suppose your trip to Coruscant is already finished?”

 

“Well, let’s just say I don’t like the urban environment of that planet.” Naruto replied to her while grabbing himself a non-alcoholic drink as Chewbacca seated next to him, he continued, “I just wanted to get out of there fast, not gonna lie.”

 

“So you find the planet of Tatooine more appealing to Coruscant?” Madam Garsa spoke amusingly with a chuckle as she took a glass from the bartender, “I find that entertaining given that many would say the opposite.”

 

“Well, I like nature, even if it can be rough,” Naruto answered while taking a sip from his drink, resuming, “Even when the sand can get everywhere.”

 

The musical band inside the Sanctuary continued to entertain those inside the establishment, Naruto kept himself busy at the bar with Chewbacca who was keeping him accompanied but also watching out for him, some of the other patrons were also eyeing them ever since they entered the place, pirates, smugglers, bounty hunters and some slavers who knew about him and the exploits he and his comrades made throughout the years.

 

Of course, some of these people inside wanted to claim the price on the young blond’s head, it being a hefty one set by the Zygerrians, but they also knew he was paying tribute to Jabba, with them knowing better than to cross that line. But also among the customers were locals who saw him in a different light. 

 

Local merchants, travelers, moist farmers but also some Jawas, and especially slaves who were in their free time here, were in awe but also with fear looking at what he represented. 

“KRRRREEEERRRR!”

 

The loud, guttural scream pierced through the air, causing the entire bar to turn and face its source. All eyes landed on Naruto and Chewbacca, who were standing closest to the person responsible for the noise.

 

Naruto's face lit up with a smile as he recognized his old friend. “Mutani!”

 

Chewbacca roared, “Ggghhhhhhaaaaaaawwwwrrrrrr!”

 

The figure before them was none other than Mutani, the Tusken Raider. He shook hands with both the blond boy and the towering Wookie, seeing his comrades again made him put his rifle blaster to the side as he began to talk in hand signs with the blond.

 

Hand signs that got Naruto to be stunned by what he read.

 

“Mutani…are you sure?”

 

Nodding his head connivingly, Mutani confirmed it.

 

“Take us to them!”

---

[Coruscant]

 

Sitting in his grand office within the towering Senate building, Jiraiya was engrossed in a stack of paperwork that never ended. He had only just returned from his travels across the galaxy, and now he found himself trapped in this stifling room, fulfilling his duties as a representative of the Leaf Village to the Republic.

 

Day after day, he was subjected to endless committee hearings and grueling debates. Now, this bill proposes the creation of an Army for the Republic - a proposal he strongly opposed. As one of the legendary Sannins, he never imagined he would spend his days pushing papers and engaging in political battles. But amidst all the monotony and frustration, there was one silver lining - intelligence.

 

As much as he despised his new role as a politician, Jiraiya knew better than to abandon it now. The information he had access to through his position was too valuable to ignore. And despite the constant insults and ridicule he faced on the streets and even within the senate, he couldn't deny the power that came with being well-informed. Through his extensive spy network on Coruscant and beyond, he kept a close eye on intergalactic affairs, ensuring that his village remained at the center of it all. 

 

“Jiraiya, you brat!” 

 

He visibly winced when hearing that, having wished that his door was locked, coming in was his fellow senator but also a fellow Shinobi who had been appointed at the last minute by Suna. Jiraiya put up a forced but polite smile as he greeted her. 

 

“Welcome…”

 

Entering in was an old man. The wrinkles on her face were pretty much present to the fact. she wore a traditional Sunagakure outfit which consisted of a dark-colored, loose-fitting outfit with a poncho-like top. With her black eyes and greyed hair tied in a bun, she looked like a frail old woman but was more than just that. A former counselor, famed Pupeteer, and known for her Medical-Nin skills that could counter Tsunade, this was the former head of Suna’s Pupeteer’s Brigade named Chiyo.

 

“Keep the fake smiles for those fools in the Senate, boy.” Chiyo scoffed at him as she entered his office, her personality was also noted to be mischievous, brash, and unfriendly to those she didn’t like while tolerating the Sannin Jiraiya. “And for once I find you doing your duty? Don’t make me laugh.”

 

The smile turned into a scowl, allowing himself to be honest, “Okay old bat, what do you need?”

 

“Lady Chiyo!”

 

 Entering came the newly promoted Suna Jonin Temari who followed right into the room, wearing a short-sleeved, black kimono that reaches down to her legs, with slits along the side, and a more revealing neckline with a red sash tied around her waist, fingerless black gloves and her forehead protected on her head with her fan strapped to her back, she had finally found her village’s representative after having gone through the entire building to search for her.

 

“Temari dear, no need to exhaust yourself.” Chiyo turned around to her with a softer side, smiling, “You know where I would be going.”

 

“No, I did not, you told me you were going to get lunch, but instead I heard from some senators you weren’t there!” Temari yelled at the old woman angrily, a thickmark on her forehead. “I’m getting fed up by chasing you around like this!”

 

“You’re my bodyguard, dear, that’s part of the job.” Lady Chiyo reminded her with a chuckle of delight, “If you don’t like it, complain it to the Kazekage.”

 

“I DID! MULTIPLE TIMES!” Temari burst out in anger at the unfazed old lady, “I tried to get transferred back to Suna but the council refuses to budge, even overruling Gaara!”

 

“That is politics for you girly,” Chiyo said before turning back to her fellow senator and turning again grumpy, “Now Jiraiya, I heard your apprentice was on the planet not that long ago.”

 

“Apprentice?” Temari questioned before realizing who she meant, “Wait are you talking about Naruto?” 

 

Hearing the concern in her voice, Jiraiya put that aside and answered Chiyo. “He was here, yes. But left before I could talk to him again.” 

 

“Ah, so that’s why the senators were so anxious. Hehehe,” Chiyo chuckled at some of the conversations she heard from these politicians, “His presence caused many to think he was going to talk on the Senate Floor with your support. Given what he and his bunch represent nowadays.” 

 

A smirk arose on Jiraiya’s face when the mere mention was given as he leaned back on his chair, “I didn’t plan on the kid being an anti-slavery revolutionary of some kind, but I don't discourage it either.” 

 

“Easy to say when he is not facing your village’s courts for Desertion. Even for someone of his standing.” Lady Chiyo remarked and rubbed it in, “I doubt that even with that slug Tsunade’s support he will be allowed to re-enter his home village.”

 

Jiraiya leaned forward and glared at the elderly Suna woman, knowing she was trying to get a reaction out of him, given she wasn’t a total fan of Konoha because of the past wars, the Sannin knew she wouldn’t come here just to spit him.

 

“Why are you here, Chiyo?”

 

“This right here.” Chiyo pulled out some documents in her handwriting she handed them over to Jiraiya, “A report from one of the security committees. Because unlike you, I attend to them.”

 

“Okay old lady,” Jiraiya said as he began reading it, “You know you can use datapads, right?”

 

“I’m too old to learn about this technology,” Chiyo dismissed, “Just read it.”

 

Temari observed the two seasoned shinobi trade playful insults, a routine she had grown used to as a bodyguard. But her attention sharpened when they mentioned the blond responsible for her brother's recent change in demeanor from the murderer he was to the calm but protective brother Gaara turned into after being defeated by the Uzumaki kid.

 

As soon as they returned to the village after having aided in the success of the Retrieval mission that caused Sasuke Uchiha to be captured, she planned to personally thank him for his help once she had the chance. However, before she could do so, news of his kidnapping reached them. The following years were filled with rumors of his death, until one day, it was revealed that he was alive and fighting on different terms.

 

Learning about his heroic deeds and the lives he saved, Temari couldn't believe this was the same knuckleheaded brat she first met. He may have been an annoying goofball but had good intentions and a kind heart. These surprising revelations sparked a newfound interest in the Suna kunoichi towards him.

 

Now she saw the stern look on the Sannin’s face, and he turned the page down to look into Lady Chiyo’s eyes, looking disturbed but calm at what was in it.

 

“This was in the committee hearings? Are you sure?”

 

“That I am, brat, and this information was given by a few ‘informants’ that I call them, who have an interest in seeing your apprentice’s group being forced away.” Having paid close attention to the evidence being given, Lady Chiyo told him that she knew these other senators who accepted this were inside the pockets, but the intel was anything but fake. “Those cat people named Zygerrians or something they may be slavers but they got enough coin to try to turn a few minds in this rotten building.”

 

Confused, Temari looked between the two elderly people and silently asked.

 

“What’s inside of it…”

 

“Troop presence on Tatooine, Uzuamki’s troop movements by what it seems.” Lady Chiyo answered by what she could paraphrase from the reports, “Supposedly a garrison of those Ölüm Fighters are on that planet in and around the settlements of Mos Espa and Mos Eisley.”

 

Jiraiya’s eyes narrowed as he responded, “Funny, my sources tell me something different.”

 

“So do mine - that there is no simple garrison on Tatooine,” Lady Chiyo replied with a confident smirk of her own, “I know for a fact it is more than that, and that these Senators are oblivious to what the real number is.”

 

“Even so…what I read in here is more disturbing…” Jiraiya said and mentioned, “About ship movements towards Tatooine…”

 

The air in the room was thick with tension, creating an uneasy atmosphere. Lady Chiyo maintained a serene smile, her eyes glinting with a hint of mischief as she regarded the Konoha senator. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, curiosity etched across his face as he struggled to comprehend why this enigmatic woman was choosing to divulge such sensitive information to him. The contrast between her calm demeanor and the senator's growing unease heightened the suspense, leaving uncertainty in the air.

 

“Why?”

 

“Honestly, I’d love nothing more to see your apprentice and these slavers going to fight each other…but consider it that I first went through this with the Kazekage who wanted me to give it to you personally.” 

 

Temari was surprised, Lady Chiyo had been playing information to her brother without her. She must be fast in doing so.

 

Jiraiya looked at the older woman and nodded, “I’ll take this information and play it to my people on Tatooine.”

 

“You should, and it better be fast, young Jiraiya.” Lady Chiyo warned him, “Because War is coming soon.” She then turned to her bodyguard, “Temari.”

 

“Y-Yes!” 

 

“For you, there is something that needs to be done.”

 

---

[Tatooine]

 

With a small pack of speeder bikes going through the vast emptiness of the desert, the group was led by the Tusken Raider Mutani speeding on one of the machines being one of the few of his kind able to drive these things, but he was in a hurry.

 

Same with Naruto and Chewbacca and a few others who were following behind, they’ve been on the speed from Mos Espa and have nearly reached the other end of Mos Eisley, a distance far greater than it looked from the planet’s orbit, which caused them to travel this fast was of what the Tusken told them.

 

They continued and went on through the desert until they saw a smoldering amount of smoke in the air that came from a few giant rocks surrounding an area, with the blackness of that smoke very thick it only meant one thing. 

 

‘Prepare for the worst.’

 

…

 

Once approaching the scenery, those with hard stomachs faced a harsh reality.

Flames licked the sky as the Tusken encampment was left to its ending phase of being burned with only a few fires alive but nothing left untouched, black smoke billowing up into the pale desert air around them. The acrid stench of burning flesh mingled with the smoke as Sand People lay on the grounds in front of their burning tents and huts, whole families wasted in front of their homes, everything burned out that was not left for any survivors.

 

Gaffi sticks and slugthrowers were left next to the bodies that were littered in the sand, dark blood soaking into the ground, some of the warriors tried to defend their people but were cut down before even given the chance. Those who now were walking through the settlement were left both shocked and disturbed.

 

Naruto was one of them as he held his blaster in his hand, he followed his Tusken friend while others were going through the destroyed settlement in search of anyone who managed to stay alive.

 

“Mutani…is this your…”

 

“Ghurk…” The Tusken groaned before turning his head, shaking it, and reminding Naruto with a few hand signs, “Gherk…”

 

Regretting his words, Naruto retracted, “Sorry…your tribe died a long time ago…my apologies.”

 

Mutani waved his hand off as he pointed his slugthrower rifle at something on the ground that caught his interest. 

 

“Kreh.”

 

Hearing that caused the others to sprint over with Naruto first as he spotted what Mutani saw, was a body facing down on the ground, that of a Tusken with a Gaffi stick in his hands, laying above something that the weapon was stuck into.  

 

 Mutani began slowly removing the fallen Tusken to the side and revealed he had underneath the body of one of the culprits he managed to take out with the Gaffi stuck into the man’s chest. 

 

A human man to be exact. 

 

 Naruto kneeled down next to the man who wore a brown cloak that covered his entire body, removing it off the man wore all black gear, ammo pouches, and body armor, with his hood removed, the man’s goggles were already gone both his eyes having been left open.

 

“That Tusken must’ve taken him out in his last moments, look.” One of the Ölüm Fighters kneeled next to the fallen warrior, pointing out the holes and blood on his garments, “Those are gunshot wounds.” 

 

Naruto took a closer look at the dead human and removed his whole cloak to see the man was wearing entirely a black uniform, he began searching for whatever intel he could find on the deceased man, finding nothing of value at first, before he noticed something on the shoulder, a patch he ripped off and then took a closer look at it.

 

It was of a red and white octagonal, a logo that looked familiar to him.

 

“Where have I seen this before?”

 

“Sir?” One of the fighters spoke up, “What shall we do?”

 

“We need to gather the bodies. These people deserve a proper burial,” Naruto said, standing up and pocketing the emblem.

 

“Who could do something like this?” one of the fighters asked, shaking his head in disbelief at the horrific scene. “Women and children…”

 

“It looks like they were used for target practice by someone,” Naruto replied with disgust. “This was a targeted attack.”

 

“What do we do now?”

Naruto took out his comlink and dialed a number, while the concerned fighter asked, “Who are you calling?”

 

“An old comrade of ours. She deals in junk but has a knack for getting information,” Naruto explained as he waited for her to pick up on the other end. “We need all the information we can get about who could have done this.”

 

“Who is it?”

 

Then the comm went off and on the receiving end-

 

“M'um m'aloo.”

 

“Teeka, it's me. We need to talk.”

 

---

[Coruscant]

 

Back in the Jedi Temple, Grand Master Yoda was in the council room, alone as he awaited the arrival of two other Jedi who he had called for, It did not take long for the two to arrive as the door opened, entering in came both Mace Windu and Jedi Knight Aayla Secura.

 

“Master Yoda,” Windu greeted as he got straight to the point, “I brought Aayla Secura with me, as requested.”

 

“Good, needed she is, her report I read,” Yoda replied, looking at the former student of Master Vos, “Your mission a success it was.”

 

“I only did what the Council wished me to do.” Aayla bowed and replied, having been involved in this mission for a few months now, “I assume you have questions?”

 

“Questions, but also answers,” Yoda said as a datapad began to float up in the air by the use of the Force, it flew slowly towards the blue Twi’lek’s hands as she accepted it. “Newer reports arrived, from the Senate and Jiraiya…” While Aayla began reading the report, Mace Windu was informed about the latest call from Kamino.

 

“The bounty hunter known as Jango Fett has left Kamino while Master Kenobi tried to talk to him once more,” Windu informed the Grand Master, he frowned at this revelation, “He informed me that he took the pursuit after him once he entered the cloner planet’s orbit and jumped into hyperspace.”

 

Yoda hearing this stroked his chin, so he asked, “Where to Master Kenobi go?”

 

“I’m not sure, but its ship was last detected to be in the Outer Rim, close to the Naboo system.” Mace told him and brought up, “His padawan Skywalker is not that far away from him, so if anything is to happen, I believe we should inform him.”

 

“Inform him we will, Master Kenobi in danger is, we will. But not send him, we cannot.” Yoda replied after thinking it through for a moment, “Focused he must be protecting Senator Amidala, he must. Her safety is in question.”

 

“These reports….”

 

The two Jedi Masters turned to the Knight as she looked bewildered and this caused the bald dark-skinned Jedi’s curiosity to raise an eyebrow.

 

“What’s in it?”

 

Aayla turned her eyes to Master Yoda, her eyes almost looking like they were about to plead. “Master, please tell me…”

 

Yoda could only shake his head in response, making the worst assumption true.

 

“My apologies, but what is this about?” Windu asked as he was left out of the loop, “What is in those reports?”

 

“The Senate is about to put up a vote…to declare the Ölüm survivors as a terrorist organization.”

Chapter 28: Inquiries - From Heroes to Wanted Men

Alright, here it is.

 

Been going through some rough times but I am going good now, the chapter’s going to be relatively short given I am trying to work on other fics, plus the Quirky Tutor fic that I realized needs to be updated.

 

Enjoy and leave reviews if you like.

 

Let’s go.

 

---

[Coruscant]

 

The grand Senate chamber buzzed with tense energy as senators filed in, their colorful robes swishing as they took their seats. Murmurs and whispers filled the cavernous space, and an undercurrent of anxiety was palpable in the air.

 

Chancellor Palpatine sat on his seat with Chairman Mas Amedda, who began addressing the thousands of senators in the room, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Senators of the Republic, this emergency session will now be ordered."

 

The din slowly faded as all eyes turned to the Chancellor. His voice rang out, clear and authoritative: "We are gathered here today to address the evidence put forward by the Intelligence Oversight Committee, which has uncovered information regarding the acts and attempted acts on the planet Kessel against the Yaruba Royal Family.” Palpatine began with calm on the Senate floors, “Where dozens of unarmed men and women and numerous security personnel were massacred by members of the extremist militant group known as the Ölüm Partisans - we are here to discuss the deliberation of this evidence and to designate this organization as a terrorist group." 

 

The Senate's first reactions were loud murmurs, as this subject was thought to be put to rest. Instead, it received renewed attention due to the report that was brought in.

 

The topic discussed The Intelligence Oversight Committee’s findings that had uncovered the story about the Ölüm Uprising on the neutral planet of Kessel, that despite it being under the sphere of influence of the Hutts it had been more than just a simple slave uprising. It also found out about the Yaruba Palace, where dozens of bodies were discovered that belonged to people assumed missing. Rich, influential, powerful people, who were found to have been shot and burned. 

 

A few of them were linked to senators in this chamber, which caused some to feel panic.

 

“The Senator of the Trade Federation, Lott Dod is given the word.” Chairman Mas Amedda announced to the chamber. 

 

“I thank you, Chairman Amedda, and the Committee for bringing the truth to the Senate.” Lott Dod, the Neimodian, opportunistic, and infamous senator of a large economic powerhouse spoke in such conviction, “It has been proven that these insurgents who have been sanctified as heroes in the past, are to be held accountable for the actions they committed.” 

 

The hypocrisy could be felt strongly by those who knew better, having known the past actions of the Trade Federation, it was only by sheer luck that one senator from Naboo was not among them right now due to the assassination attempts on her life, or Lott wouldn’t have dared to speak without facing her reaction.

 

“The details of what the Committee had unveiled are disturbing, to say the least, the people they have massacred were unarmed, men and women of commerce, and above all innocent.” The Neimoidian senator of the Trade Federation spoke while addressing the Senate, “It is only just to now mark their leadership and their entire hierarchy with warrants for arrests and to put this organization down as fast as the law allows it to.” 

 

“Objection.”  Another pod, this time that of Jiraiya came forward to confront this, he was joined in his pod by one of the bodyguards, an ANBU Black Ops nin whose identity was concealed, he continued, “This is a senate hearing, not a judicial one.” 

 

“Senator Jiraiya, you have no say in this, to say the least of it.” Senator Dod responded with a satisfied grin, “We know one of the prime suspects in this massacre is a citizen of your country, so this is an obvious conflict of interest that you have.”   

 

“Funny speaking about Conflicts of Interest, senator.” 

 

Before Jiraiya could even respond he found himself joined by another pod, with it being Lady Chiyo who Temari accompanied. The old lady glared at the green-skinned senator and did not mince her words.

  

“If I may bring up some important information about the fact that this committee’s findings have most likely been tainted by the biases of the senator right now who is leading it.” Chiyo spoke into the microphone, “Biases that can be traced to his connection to some of the people killed in that heavy day of fighting.” 

 

 “A shameful accusation coming from you, Senator Chiyo.” Senator Dod spoke in defense as he pointed at the old Suna lady, denying on the spot, “The Trade Federation wishes for the Law to act!” 

 

“Like as in your Viceroy’s actions on Naboo nearly a decade ago?” Lady Chiyo brought up some recent history she had read, frowning, “Funny how big money like your people are speaking of the law while your actions on Naboo have shown what corruption can do to the courts.”  

 

“Slander!” 

 

“Order!” Mas Amedda spoke up, “Let's keep it civil.” 

 

“I agree,” the pod of the senator of Alderaan entered the scene. Bail Organa now spoke, “Squabbling is not needed now, but I do suggest that this committee be reviewed over potential biases and meddling, as this can implicate many innocent people.” 

 

“The innocent people in question were murdered-” 

 

“Those who were profiting, directly or indirectly, from the slave labor of escapees must be called out,” Bail Organa pointed out, recalling the findings. “If we punish all escaped slaves for the actions of a few, we risk undoing centuries of progress. Is this what the Republic stands for?” 

 

The senator from Alderaan’s words resonated strongly with those who had previously been silent on the matter, while some voiced their agreement loudly. Once again, the Senate found itself deeply divided.

 

A group of Jedi silently observed through the vacant pods as familiar senators delayed the session. Yoda and Windu appeared punctually, followed swiftly by Plo Koon and Shaak Ti. 

 

"Politics never ceases to amaze me." Plo Koon commented dryly, "But I am relieved that this stalemate has brought us here."

 

"Agreed," Windu added, arms folded across his chest. The committee's findings contradict those of Jiraiya and his team."

 

"Let us not forget our findings," Shaak Ti interjected, her gaze piercing through the senate members, "This is a clear act of corruption."

 

“Illegal Slavery is in the Republic, it is,” Yoda spoke and grunted in disapproval, “But present it is, unfortunately, donations from them in the senate, investigated they are, rarely.”

 

Plo Koon decided to ask, “I assume they will try to push these findings through nonetheless, but focus more on the leadership of the Ölüm organization. Go by the hierarchy.”

 

“That means the young Naruto will be a potential target?”

 

“It's not the question if he will be targeted, but how high much of a priority target he will be.” Plo Koon responded as he frowned on this, turning to the Togrutan Jedi, “Either he will be put on the same level as his senior commanders or he will be put in as a junior target.”

 

“Which will be unhelpful either way, given we’re then making enemies left and right.” Windu told the two fellow masters and gave his thoughts on this, “I told the Chancellor we are peacekeepers, not soldiers. Let alone can we not afford to hunt down people who faced cruelty and will be helped by those sympathetic to them.”

 

Yoda nodded at all these arguments made with a simple non-verbal nod, groaning as he turned to his fellow.  “Meditate, I shall on this. But also plan, we must.” 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Send a Jedi we must, to talk to young Uzumaki.” 

 

“We already have, Master Yoda.” Shaak Ti said, “She is already trailing his moves.”

 

“Perhaps an unofficial official message should be sent to Naruto Uzumaki,” Plo Koon suggested as he brought up, “Aayla Secura, she knows where he is?”

 

Yoda nods, “Agreed, send her, we must.”

 

“I believe she already has,” Windu informed them, “On her terms.”

 

---

[Tatooine]

At the southern extreme of the Jundland Wastes, an area named the Great Chott salt flat was home to a formidable community that lived here and made their living from the land—moisture farming, with numerous homesteads being only from speeder biker distance away from each other, one homestead had the presence of a large vehicle that was parked a few hundred meters away from the fields.

 

It was the Sandcrawler and it was both the workplace and home to many Jawas who were watching from a distance the interaction between their leader, who was approaching the man standing outside the property.

 

“M'um m’aloo!”

 

“Thank you for coming, Teeka.” Naruto smiled shaking the small Jawa’s hand, “I appreciate you coming over.”

 

Teeka nodded her head as she briefly turned around to her clan and said something in Jawaese for them to wait, to which they did as the blond and Jawa began entering the homestead.  

 

However, a few Jawas were observing the few droids working on the farmland, some even pointing at a rusty-plated protocol droid that was busy reading something.  

 

“Oh oh oh.  Utinni!”

 

“Oh my, leave me alone!” The droid told them off while making its way back to the homestead, “You scoundrels!” 

In the Homestead of the Moisture Farmers’ family known as the Lars, a young blonde woman was seen preparing drinks in the kitchen she made, larger than not only the previous four people who lived here with the droids but also the visitation of a few others. 

 

“-While the Senate of the Republic has put the inquiry on hold, the Separatist parliament and the Terran System have come close to their conclusions with their findings.”

 

Bringing the tray into the lounge, her fiance and her father-in-law were seen sitting right across Naruto, who was joined surprisingly by Hera Syndulla and the Terran Adrik Yahontov who had brought in a long-range communication device where they all were listening to the news that was being broadcasted about the current events.

 

“As heavy debates had continued for days and uninterrupted among many governments, most of the Terran governments, and also of the newly neighboring Shinobi planet governments, have concluded that while the Yaruba Palace had merit, however, the brought up solutions by the advocates by both the Kessel Royal Family and the ambassadors from Zygerria are not considered by the majority of those into consideration.

 

“What does this mean?” Owen Lars asked confused by this news, “Someone explain.”

 

“It means bad things will happen, really bad things.” Cliegg Lars responded to his son’s question, sitting next to him, he turned to his guests.

 

Naruto alongside Hera and Adrik paid close attention to the news that was being broadcasted by their friend and fellow Ölüm survivor, Mugabo, who had built up his own little but vastly popular news broadcast channel for many to hear as he was bringing the news to many across the galaxy, including the three anxious faces sitting right next to the transponder.

 

“While many governments are currently debating on what to do with these inquiries, they also face the possibility of public backlash given the sympathies the fighters have among the population and prominent politicians, as an example, the most prominent Separatist, Count Dooku, has stated her opposition to universally condemning every escaped slave out of the Ölüm uprising would set up a bad precedent - but that the leadership of the organization should be trialed and told them to turn themselves in for these accusations.”

"We're in deep trouble..." Adrik's voice was a mix of resignation and determination as he shook his head. "There's no going back now."

 

Hera's gaze shifted to her Terran friend, feeling a pang of guilt knowing he was also caught in this dire situation. As a senior commander, Adrik bore the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. But then she turned her attention to the youngest member of their group - Naruto, recently promoted to his position. 

 

Surprisingly, Naruto remained calm as he listened to Mugabo's grim words. His expression gave away nothing as if he had already accepted the worst possible outcome.

 

“But already at the moment, many Terran governments have agreed to an amnesty option for many low-rank fighters and those who simply participated in this uprising to escape Kessel,  those of higher rank will be pursued for said crimes that were brought up, with the following names having been up for upcoming indictments that are to be brought up: with first and foremost the American-Urzik former Marine, commander Tarik ‘The Imam’ Karim-”

 

“Fucking bullshit…” One of the Ölüm bodyguards cussed silently while hearing his name being named first, he turned to his friends who agreed.

 

“Second-in-command, Adrik Yahontov.”

 

Adrik just shook his head in silence and continued listening on.

 

“Ibrahim Rida of the North African faction and both Jimmy Reygadas and Joseph Ibarra of the Mexican Brigadas-”

 

“They’re perhaps the safest those three,” Hera commented, “They’ve gotten themselves much support in their territories.”

 

“More so than their governments, if I may add that.” Adrik said before listening further, “Hear.”

 

“Nathan Kenichi Nilsson, the Canadian Brigade commander who is still missing, and one of the key targets of the Yaruba Palace massacre, Tayuya the Red-”

 

 “Oh, she’s going to hate that nickname.” Naruto couldn’t help but joke, “I can see her ranting about it.”

 

This alleviated some tension in the room as some were laughing about it, even the farmers and Adrik-

 

“And lastly added in, is Konoha-born Uzumaki Naruto.”

 

The moment it was said no laughter was present in the room as it died out, all looked shocked at the com as Mugabo was continuing to speak.

 

“Those are the top names who are most likely to be targeted as high-profile cases, but underneath also many in the hundreds if not thousands of names are also facing charges by their places of birth, these eight men and the sole woman are the prime suspects who these governments will set charges up against, with the last two being controversial in general as they are both should fall under a juvenile justice system according to critics and their circumstances should be taken into account, it is already shown that there is little to no interest to take these facts into consideration - stay tuned for more news, I am Mugabo.”

Ending the news briefing, the room of the Lars family was silent after hearing this, with the only person who then entered the room to break the silence was the protocol droid C-3PO who was holding a tray of prepared drinks.

 

“Oh, am I interrupting something?”

 

Teeka raised her hand up.

...

Later

 

A few hours passed, and outside by himself was Naruto, who, in time to digest the news of earlier, decided to do the one thing that had helped him in the past to deal with the current situation he found himself in: meditating. 

 

On the sandy ground with all his equipment lying around him from his Mandalorian Beskar armor, the Shinobi tools, and long clothes, he was sitting there in his meditative position with his eyes closed.

 

 ‘You’re taking this news very calmly, kid. Given you’re officially a wanted man now.’

 

Naruto exhaled air through his mouth slowly and responded, “I was prepared to be honest.”

 

‘Explain, because having multiple governments, let alone planets, put up targets on your back is not a calming thought.’

 

‘As if I didn’t prepare for this. I am at peace.’ 

 

‘While you are, your friends aren’t.’ 

 

Only needing to open his eyes and turn his head around, his comrades were in full discussion while standing outside the homestead. Adrik and Hera were talking to Teeka and his entourage, which included Chewbacca. The news did not sit well with some of them. The shouting and clearly verbal disagreements were hard to ignore. 

 

Adrik had just broken the news and while some were saying they would stay like the Wookie, others especially the Terrans wanted to go home as they were being honest with their opinion given amnesty was on the table, but some of them also speculated this could be a trap if not the deal by their respective governments would last. All while Hera tried to calm things down.  

 

 In the end, the entourage seems to get into an agreement as Adrik decides to take the Terrans to their speeder bikes and return to the rest of the garrison to break the news, leaving without saying goodbye much to Naruto, who was left with only Chewbacca and Hera who stayed behind, both walking over to Naruto, with the green pilot Twi’lek seen trying to say something. 

 

“Sounded like a heavy discussion, Hera.” Naruto smiled at her while still sitting down on the sand, “Seeing Adrik go and all.” 

 

“Yeah, well, what do you expect of him? He’s a hothead when it comes to this…” Hera said, then tried to tell Naruto, “You need to try to contact your people.”  

 

“You know I am also named as a wanted person, so that is going to be impossible,” Naruto responded with a heavy sigh. The weight of his past and the consequences of his actions weighed heavily on his shoulders. “The moment I enter my village I will be tried for desertion. They won't listen to any excuses or explanations,” He explained to Hera, pain and resignation in his voice.

 

“But you’re still young, surely something can be arranged?” Hera asked with genuine concern for the blond boy. She desperately wanted to help him find a way out of this impossible situation.

“Maybe the Hokage can do something,” she suggested, grasping at any glimmer of hope.

 

“I doubt that,” Naruto shook his head, his expression somber as he watched the Jawa Teeka walking over towards the Sandcrawler, its engines rumbling to life. He knew there was no turning back now, and he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see his village again.

 

Chewbacca's deep, guttural growl caught the attention of the Twi'lek beside him. She turned to face Naruto, her brightly colored lekku twitching with curiosity.

 

"Oh, and Naruto...I don't know how to explain it," she began, her voice laced with hesitation, "but there has been another change of management."

 

Naruto raised an eyebrow in response. "You mean Adrik took over command of my garrison, hasn't he?" he asked with a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "I heard everything."

 

Hera's expression was puzzled as she studied Naruto's nonchalant demeanor. "You're not bothered by it?"

 

With a confident grin, Naruto replied, "Adrik's more experienced than me, so it makes sense - more so than me taking charge of over 10,000 men on a planet in the Outer Rim." He shifted his gaze towards the twin suns of Tatooine, their warm glow casting a golden light upon his face. "I am still just a teenager after all. But what will happen to me?"

 

"You'll be reassigned as a junior commander," Hera explained, her hand resting gently on Naruto's shoulder. "But you'll still have a say in whatever is going to be decided." Her eyes held a hint of concern as she added, "They want to keep you away from the worst that is yet to come."

 

“I’m not worried for what is to come…”

 

Just then a ship was seen flying, right toward them.

 

“Visitors?”

 

The silver-colored sleek J-type 327 Nubian starship descends through Tatooine's dusty atmosphere, its chrome hull glinting in the harsh sunlight of the twin suns. The pilot maneuvers the vessel with precision, aiming for a clear patch of sand near the moisture farm. As the ship approaches, its landing gear extends, and repulsor lifts engage to soften the touchdown.

 

“That’s a Naboo ship…” Hera recognized the ship, “What’s it doing here?”

 

Sand swirls around the starship as it settles into the barren landscape, its engines powering down with a diminishing whine. The vessel's ramp begins to lower, its hydraulics hissing as it touches the gritty surface. The stark contrast between the sleek, advanced starship and the humble dome-shaped structures of the Lars homestead emphasizes the technological disparity between worlds.

 

Curious eyes peer out from the farm, watching as the ship's occupants prepare to disembark. The air shimmers with heat, creating mirages on the horizon as the newcomers step onto Tatooine's unforgiving terrain.

 

Coming out was a trio, one was the small astromech droid in blue and white as it waited for the other two, with a woman in a stylish blue coat following the young man in a brown outfit and fitting cloak, looking like a-

 

“Is that…a Jedi?” Hera recognized the familiar cloak, and then she saw the woman underneath it. “And Senator Amidala?”

Hearing this, Naruto stood up and began walking toward them, with Chewbacca following closely behind. Hera joined them as they approached, and all three were equally surprised by the unexpected reunion.

 

“Naruto? Naruto Uzumaki?” Padme asked, clearly shocked. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question, ma’am,” Naruto replied with a respectful bow before turning to Anakin. “Nice to see you again, Skywalker. What brings you here?”

 

“My mother lives here…Shmi Skywalker,” Anakin answered cautiously, keeping an eye on their guests as he spoke. He resisted the urge to reach for his lightsaber and continued, “And what about you? Why are you here?”

 

“The Lars family are close friends of ours,” Hera responded calmly, sensing the Jedi's suspicion of their presence. “We have been listening to the Republic's discussions about an inquiry.”

 

"Inquiry?" Padme looked puzzled. "What inquiry are you referring to?"

 

… 

*SLAM!*

 

“This is outrageous!” Padme slammed her cup of drink to the table after she was told what had happened in the senate during her absence, a rare sight as she was frustrated but continued. “The findings of the inquiry about Kessel were supposed to be debated after the 

Military Creation bill, now I hear the Republic is planning on putting targets on the back of escaped slaves?”

 

In the room, Naruto and Hera were sitting right across from the senator, while Chewbacca was standing behind them. Anakin was sitting next to the Naboo woman. The Lars family was a spectator inside their own home, as they didn’t expect a Republic Senator to be among them. Owen and Beru were both paying attention before they noticed their father was gone, so they went on to look for him.

 

 “What’s done is done,” Hera sighed as she had to say it again, “The vote on the inquiry now luckily is postponed, but the actions in the palace will have repecaussions for many, so that is why many governments are ready to do amnesty for low ranking members-”

 

Naruto simply shrugged, his expression calm and unwavering. "There's nothing I can do about it, but it's okay."

 

"It is not okay!" Padme protested, her voice rising. "You're just a child."

 

Naruto's eyes darkened as he retorted, "I stopped being a child the moment I graduated from the academy. I have served my village as a Shinobi and now I am serving a different cause."

 

Padme couldn't help but ask, "A cause worth dying for?"

 

With determination shining in his eyes, Naruto nodded. "Helping my friends is always worth dying for. And I will never abandon them." The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, a reminder of the sacrifices that must be made for those we care about.

 

Hearing that caused a smile to come on Hera’s face, a saddened smile at that determination of her young friend, knowing fully well he meant those words, but she couldn’t help but feel sorrow about the fact he wasn’t mincing his words.

 

Padme closed her eyes temporarily as she couldn’t argue that, and could as the Twi’lek woman feel sorry for the young man’s predicament, as this was in her eyes personally, unjust to victims of everything she was fighting against.

 

*RAWHR!” 

 

Chewbacca slapped its hand on Naruto’s shoulder, getting the blond to smile at him. 

 

“Thanks, Chewie.”

 

“I find it foolish…but I respect that.”

 

Everyone in the room turned to Anakin when he said that, he had been silent throughout this whole time and he finally spoke his piece.

 

“Anakin?”

 

"I don't know if you were aware of this, but Master Obi-Wan and I watched you and your friends fighting on Terran," Anakin said, locking eyes with the blond in question. "Alongside other escaped slaves, if I remember correctly. You all had a choice to walk away from that fight, yet you decided to help those who escaped the same experience of slavery that you had endured...I respect you for that in more ways than I can express. I truly do."

 

A flicker of emotion passed across the blond's face at Anakin's words, gratitude mingled with surprise. In that moment, it was clear to everyone in the room just how much Anakin's words meant to them all.

 

“Well thanks!” 

 

Naruto give his trademark grin and stretched his fist out for a bump. Causing Anakin to give a raised eyebrow before he gave smirk and held out his own hand and bumped his fist.

 

“You’re a reckless guy, I give you that - guess we’re alike.”

 

Naruto chuckled as then the Lars family returned, with them having concerned looks on their faces, and the one on Cliegg Lars’ face was the most noticeable.

 

“Son, I don’t know how to say it to you - but something happened to your mother.”

Chapter 29: Bad Night in Tatooine

 

Okay everyone, AmusedLight here, and I am going to make an announcement.

 

Because of my current financial situation, I’ll now be commissioning for a reasonable price fan writing, for more information or if you want to be interested, contact me via PM, also I now have a ptr on at /Amused Light, where if you want I’ll be releasing a chapter on the site a week in advance before its free for everyone to see. And it won’t just be for this single story, it will be like for all my stories, big and small.

 

Now enjoy the story

---

[ Tatooine ]

 

While still inside the Homestead, Cliegg Lars began explaining what had happened based on what he had heard earlier. The news was unnerving. 

 

“It was just before dawn,” Cliegg Lars, Shmi Skywalker’s apparent liberator and husband, explained grimly. “They came out of nowhere, a hunting party of Tusken Raiders. Your mother had gone out early like she always did to pick mushrooms that grew on the vaporators. From the tracks, she was halfway home when they met her.” 

 

Naruto raised an eyebrow, prompting Cliegg to continue quickly. “It was your friend Mutani’s clan. Friendlies. Even trading partners sometimes. They offered to escort her home when…” 

 

“When what?” Anakin nearly snapped. Naruto put a hand on the Padawan’s shoulder. 

 

“Easy…” Naruto told him. Allowing Cliegg Lars to continue. 

 

“...They just came out of nowhere. Men in black armor. Armed with advanced slugthrowers. Nothing I’ve seen before. The night air was filled with gunshots, enough to light up the desert. Them poor Tuskens didn’t stand a chance. The ones they didn’t just kill in cold blood they captured. It happened so fucking fast. And when I finally got the balls to try to stop them…” 

 

Cliegg glanced down at his bloodied and bandaged legs; his body trembled so hard they feared his wheelchair would collapse. 

 

“...Where did they take her?” Anakin finally asked, anger and worry filling his voice. 

 

“...Your funeral if you want to avenge her. But if I had to take a guess, it’d be at the Tusken’s camp,” Cliegg answered bitterly. “I’m betting my credits that they wanted as many alive as possible. That’s probably the only reason why they left some alive. For what, though…I dunno.” 

 

  

Hearing this, Anakin appeared visibly uneasy. Padme placed a hand over him as they listened to Cliegg, who was trying to verbalize how to continue. 

 

“I always thought the Sand People were vicious creatures…but these men in black….they were seen beating the female Tusken and her child…I don’t know how to describe it, but they dragged their bodies into the back once they were done. And they sped off to look for their camp.” Cliegg said, “Thirty of our people tried to head out this morning, but only three came back…I believe something bad has happened. I don’t want to give up on her, but she’s been gone for nearly a day…and those men have shown no mercy…there’s little hope she lasted it with them.” 

 

Hearing this, Anakin stood up. In silence, his reaction was to look outside, which caused Owen Lars to ask. 

 

“Where are you going?”  

 

Anakin turned to his step-brother and answered, “To find my mother.”  

 

Cliegg just looked up at him and said, “Your mother is dead, son, accept it.”  

 

The people in the room couldn’t help but look sorry for Anakin, as this was the worst-case scenario by this point. And it was Naruto who then proceeded to ask. 

 

“Where was the camp the Tuskens set up?” 

  

Cliegg turned to him, “Why are you asking that?”  

 

“Because we’re going.” 

 ...

 

A few hours passed, and it was dawn at this point, with three speeder bikes set ready, the ones leaving were Naruto, Chewbacca, and Anakin, with Hera and Padme waiting outside, all three prepared their bikes and were ready to go.

  

“You do not have to do this,” Anakin said, finishing the bike with a wrench-like tool, “You don't. This is my mother-” 

 

“I don't have to, but my friend Mutani is perhaps in danger,” Naruto said, placing a bag over the backseat of the bike. Chewie, are you ready?” 

 

Responding with a growl, Chewie put his bow-blaster into the back and nodded before he sat on his speed bike.

 

Naruto was ready and observed intently as Anakin confidently strode to the Naboo senator. He positioned himself comfortably close to her, far beyond what would be considered appropriate for a Jedi interacting with a senator.

 

“You’re going to have to stay here. These are good people, Padme, you’ll be safe.” 

 

“Anakin…” Padme embraced him into her arms, and the Padawan did so in return. Showing the two were considerably close. 

  

Ending the hug, Anakin walked over to his speeder bike, which he joined as last as Naruto got then to his bike and hopped on. 

 

“I won't be long.” 

 

The three speeder bikes’ engines turned on and left into the desert. Leaving the two women as they watched on. 

 

“Do not worry,” Hera laid a hand on the Naboo woman’s shoulder, assuring, “They will be okay.” 

 

“I sure hope so.” Padme said, releasing a heavy sigh, “I hope…” 

 

… 

 

With night coming to the planet and the sky turning dark red, the three speeder bikes with Anakin up front, Chewbacca to the left, and Naruto to the right, dashed across the desert. 

 

While speeding, Naruto was close to Anakin and could see his face was incredibly focused but also angry. Given the situation involving his mother's life, he could understand. 

  

The anger, however, was troubling to sense from him… 

 

‘Keep an eye on him, kid.’ 

  

‘Will do.’  

 

…

 

The night was close to falling as the trio stopped outside a Jawa spot where multiple sand crawlers were stationed. Anakin was seen talking to one of the Jawas, who gave him directions before the little feller walked off. 

 

Now, they knew where to go. 

---

[Geonosis]

 

After carefully descending from his ship and landing on the rugged surface of Geonosis, Obi-Wan Kenobi navigated his way through a narrow, pillared corridor that echoed with the sound of his footsteps. Each step drew him closer to a large, open well, which appeared to be a vast vent shaft plunging deep into the planet's core. Peering over the edge, he was struck by the sight of an immense underground facility sprawled out below him, revealing the ominous purpose of his investigation.

 

What lay beneath was a sprawling droid factory, teeming with activity and focused on the relentless production of droids designed for warfare. Conveyor belts snaked through the facility, each one dedicated to different models of droids, from battle droids to specialized units. Geonosian workers, with their insect-like features and translucent wings, flitted about, busily assembling parts and overseeing the intricate machinery. The air was filled with the mechanical whirring of machinery and the fugitive sounds of industrious labor.

 

Continuing deeper into the facility, Obi-Wan entered a vast cavernous space adorned with immense, towering pillars that rose majestically towards vaulted ceilings. The architecture was reminiscent of a bizarre blend of Gaudi’s organic forms intertwined with Gothic elements, creating a fantastical yet foreboding atmosphere. Stalagmites jutted from the ground like ancient stone sentinels, adding to the eerie silence that enveloped the area, which was starkly devoid of life.

 

As he crossed the expansive square, his senses heightened. A muffled chatter drifted through the stillness, catching his attention and breaking the oppressive quiet. Obi-Wan paused, straining to listen.

 

Listening as he darts behind a pillar, he could see the Archduke of Geonosis, Poggle The Lesser, with Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Wat Tambor of the Techno Union, and there among them, Count Dooku.

 

“Now, we must persuade the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty.” 

 

Just then, Obi-Wan hid behind a pillar, eavesdropping on the conversation as they continued to speak, not knowing who else was among the group.

 

“Where I am from, Count, I will hear the deal out first before signing this treaty.” One grumpy man voiced his opinion, “I am not as easily convinced as my Kiri counterpart.”

 

Obi-Wan looked on in shock as he found himself levitating in the air. Before him stood an old man with a triangular beard and a mustache with angular corners, a prominent red nose, and thick eyebrows. The man's garments resembled those of a shinobi.

 

This man was Onoki, the Tsuchikage himself, who was floating beside the Count. The Separatist leader had invited him to help break the deadlock in the negotiations; however, his presence was not without consequences. 

 

“Why is he here, Count? This was not part of the deal!” The Neimoidian form of Nute Gunray, as ever a man with short but impolite words, complained of the presence of the old man, “This Jedi or whatever he is should not be among us!”

 

“Watch your mouth, red eyes; I’m not here for fun and giggles. I am trying to get a good deal out of this Separatist Alliance that works for my village and country.” The levitating form of Onoki stopped right in front of the Trade Federation viceroy, who was easily intimidated by a simple glare, crossing his arms, “And be lucky my entourage isn’t here because one of them already does not like your attitude before we even started.”

 

“You cannot speak to me like that!” Gunray pointed his finger out, “Show respect!”

 

“Respect has to be earned, not given, slimeball.” Onoki told it right into his face, smirking, “Perhaps grow a backbone before speaking to me, will you?”

 

“There’s no need for hostilities, gentlemen.” Dooku said, holding his hands out between the two and guiding them, “Proceed to follow.”

 

“What about the Senator from Naboo? Is she dead yet?” Nute asked, as this was part of the deal why he was here in the first place, “I'm not signing your treaty until I have her head on

my desk.”

 

“I am a man of my word, Viceroy,” Dooku assured him.

 

“With these new Battle Droids we've built for you, Viceroy, you'll have the finest army in the galaxy.” The voice of Wat Tambor spoke, and the Techno Union representative spoke confidently.

 

Once the party had walked through the corridor, Obi-Wan decided to follow them from a distance. He pursued them in the hope of learning more about their intentions.  Doing so, he happened to go through a flight of stairs before walking up them and then stopped at a narrow gothic archway. He looks down through it. 

 

The Separatists were in a conference room, with all of them sitting. Dooku was the center of attention, with Poggle the Lesser and his two aides sitting on the count’s left while the Tsuchikage sat on his right as he addressed them. Dozens more people were in this room—powerful people.

 

“As I explained to you earlier, I am quite convinced that 10,000 more systems will rally to our cause with your support, gentlemen,” Dooku told the news to those around the conference table.

 

“[What you are proposing could be construed as treason.]” One of the members spoke in his native tongue.

 

“The Techno Union army–” The voice communicator device of the Skakoan foreman of the Union disrupted before he puts the frequency right, “-is at your disposal, Count.”

One of the other representatives, a Muun named San Hill, voiced himself, “The Banking Clan will sign your treaty.”

 

“Good. Very good.” Dooku sounded pleased to know he was getting results, then turning to the Neimoidians, “Our friends from the Trade Federation have pledged their support, and when their battle droids are combined with yours, we shall have an army greater than any in the galaxy.”

 

“The Jedi will be overwhelmed - The Republic will agree to any demands we make.”

 

That was all Obi-Wan needed to hear. With his heart pounding like a war drum, he vanished into the shadows, moving swiftly and silently toward his ship, desperate to transmit the critical information back to Coruscant. 

 

Unbeknownst to him, another figure was already onto him, lurking in the darkness, tracking the Jedi.

 

---

[Tatooine]

 

The Tusken Raider settlement, weapons at the ready. As the trio crest the final stretch into the middle of the night on foot, a horrific sight unfolds. 

 

“What…what happened here?”

 

In the settlement, the bodies litter the ground, sprawled in unnatural positions. No signs of life remain. Sand-colored tents stand silent; their occupants are struck down where they stood. Children, warriors, and elders alike lay motionless, victims of an unnatural attack.

 

The silence, the deadly silence, was unnervingly present.

 

“...Let’s look for survivors.”

 

The trio approaches the camp cautiously; Naruto is the first to move forward, his ninja training evident in each calculated step. Chewbacca growls softly, his fur bristling as he scans for threats. Anakin's face hardened, he hadn’t seen something like this in proximity, nothing close to what he had anything seen before.

 

They spread out, surveying the carnage. Starting to look for survivors, but it's clear that whatever had come here and ravaged this camp, it was brutally effective.

 

Spotting one of the bodies hurled to the ground, a warrior holding onto his gaffi stick with a firm grip and his face dug into the sand, the Tusken had ropes tied to his wrists, and so did the others, all of whom were seen having the pattern.

 

‘Kurama?’

 

‘I noticed - they were all tied up but somehow managed to escape - I think whoever entered this camp had something planned for them.’

 

‘Still, I see no signs of violence, no shootings, no beatings…nothing.’

 

‘Look at the ground, there you find your answer.’

 

As told, Naruto looked down, and a few feet away from him laid canisters, empty canisters by the looks of it. And then he began to notice they were scattered throughout the village, almost one to two at every entrance of a hut.

 

Kneeling, Naruto grabbed one of the canisters and saw whatever was in it was empty by now, but a small minuscule amount of blue powder that he grinds in his gloves.

 

Then Naruto just realized, “This is-”

 

‘That’s poison, kid, back off!’

 

After dropping the canister, Naruto backed off a few feet, pulled a bandana from his pocket, and held it over his mouth, immediately calling out.

 

“Chewie! Skywalker! Cover your mouths!” Naruto shouted out, “There’s poison around here! Do not touch the canisters!”

 

Chewie ran over to him, growling a few times, he motioned to the canisters and asked what was wrong.

 

“Poison gas, here!” Naruto threw a rag to the Wookie, who caught it and pressed it over his mouth, “Whatever this is, it killed everyone in here. Let’s find Skywalker and get out of here.”

 

“aaahnruh uughghhhgh.” Pointing to the hut that had the entrance, Chewbacca kept on, 

 

“Grawl!”

 

“He’s over there?” Naruto asked, “Then let’s go.”

 

…

 

As Naruto and Chewbacca stepped into the dark, musty Tusken hut, the sight before them made their hearts ache.

 

Lying on a rough bed made of sticks and animal furs was Shmi Skywalker, her once radiant skin now marred with dark bruises that stretched across her arms and legs. Her wrists were swollen from the tight ropes that bound her, and she looked like a mere shadow of herself, barely holding onto life. Laying in his arms, Anakin Skywalker held onto his mother tightly, his entire body trembling as he took in the state she was in. The stench of sweat and fear hung heavy in the air, making it difficult for her to breathe. It was a heartbreaking scene.

Shmi took notice and slowly turned her weak head to the other two, asking her son.

 

“Ani…who are they?”

 

“They’re friends, mom. No worry…” Anakin told her, putting her at ease while he held his mother, trying to calm her, “You’re safe now-”

 

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

 

Shmi began to cough harshly, interrupting her son's chance to speak further. This sudden fit of coughing stirred a wave of concern in Anakin, who then noticed additional wounds that were of an unusual kind. 

 

Dark blue spots marred the skin on her legs, stark against her pallor, and there were blotches of blood pooling beneath the surface, refusing to flow properly. These ominous marks had spread from her legs to her armpits and even further down to her feet. It was as if they were silently creeping across her body, a sight that young Skywalker either failed to see or perhaps chose to ignore in his distress. By now, Shmi Skywalker had been poisoned by whatever substance lingered in those ominous canisters outside the modest Tusken hut.

 

And she was on the verge of death - if not minutes away from it. 

 

“My son…My grown-up son…” Shmi muttered, stroking her son's cheeks and praising him in her weak voice. “I’m so proud of you, Ani.”

 

The emotions overwhelmed Anakin as he responded, “I missed you.”

 

The sight was painful for the young blond to witness, seeing a son and mother’s moments like these, knowing exactly what was to happen next. 

 

“I love y…”

 

Anakin pleaded, “Stay with me, Mom. Everything…”

 

“I love…”

 

By then, a hand was laid underneath Shmi’s head, as Naruto had given some support, allowing her head to stay on the same level as her son's.

 

"I...love...you...Ani..."

 

With those final, heartfelt words, Shmi Skywalker exhaled her last breath, offering it as a farewell gift to her son. Her head gently reclined into Naruto's supportive hand, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed until it flickered out completely. Her suffering came to an end, and she slipped away quietly in the presence of her beloved son.

 

A profound silence enveloped Anakin, an echoing void that followed the shattering moment of witnessing his mother's departure. He stood motionless, grappling with the weight of loss, as Naruto observed him with quiet empathy before breaking the silence with softly spoken words.

 

"My condolences..."

 

Naruto's gaze shifted to Shmi's serene yet lifeless face, her eyes still open, staring into the infinite beyond. With a gentle touch, he closed her eyes, granting her the peace and dignity she deserved in eternal rest. He then respectfully laid her head on the small bed and stood up, watching Skywalker mourn for his mother.

 

“Chewie, let’s go outside.”

 

…

 

Sniffing, crying, and sobbing could be heard from outside the Tusken tent as both Naruto and Chewbacca were standing outside and waiting. Hearing the Jedi break the code by emotionally coping with the loss of his mother.

 

This, however, did little to both warrior Wookie and the young, experienced former Shinobi blonde, as they had unfortunately grown accustomed to this kind of moments of atrocities like this as they were still standing in the middle of one that they arrived into, with the bodies of the massacred Sand people still laying around.

 

Sighing as he looked up, Naruto held his chest armor and shook his head before going into an internal conversation.

 

‘What a mess.’

 

‘A son seeing his mother pass, that I am used to.’

 

‘Still, it feels so wrong…’

 

‘I advise you not to think about this too much - that breeds that anger inside of you that you’ve used before. That Jedi Skywalker will have to figure it out on his own for now.  Nothing you can do for him now, so leave him be - for now at least.’

 

‘Perhaps it is for the best…’

 

*THUD!*

 

Naruto felt a push on his shoulder and reacted to Chewie’s gesture, which was pointing towards the distant road, indicating that something was happening.

 

Something was coming to the destroyed settlement - and it was a lot of them.

 

“They’re back…” Naruto grabbed his belt and ordered, “Get to cover Chewie!” 

 

Groaning, Chewbacca did so and ran for a good place to hide with his blaster while Naruto ran over to the door of the tent Anakin was in, bashing his fist against the wall for warning.

 

“Skywalker, we got company! They’ve returned!” Naruto tried and got no response, “Skywalker!”

 

‘Get out of sight, brat!’

 

“Damn it!” Naruto cursed to himself as he ran for some cover to hide behind a couple of empty crates that were there. He watched as the unknown party arrived.

 

They arrived on speeders with dust covering the entire area, as boots hit the ground the moment they arrived, a squad fans out in a choreographed sweep, weapons at ready. The team, clothed in black gear, boots, helmets, balaclavas, and other equipment, began to move through the ruins of the Tusken settlement methodically.

 

“Check for survivors.”

 

 Orders were being given, and the black-clothed men began checking buildings and scanning for threats. The settlement lies in eerie silence, hyper-alert for any movement or sound that could signal danger.

 

Their team leader signals silently, directing half the death squad to investigate a partially collapsed structure while the others secure the perimeter. As they breached the building, shots could be heard fired as two of them walked out with discharged pistols.

 

“And?” One of the leaders asked his team, “What was it?”

 

“Some mutt and some family that were twitching, sir.” One of the killers responded to his commanding officer, “Just a bullet to finish the job.”

 

Witnessing this from a distance, Naruto watched as the death squad that he recognized by their clothing were looking for anything alive in this camp and noticed the same emblem he saw on their shoulders - a cross.

 

‘Kid, that’s the same group, that cross.’

 

Hearing the fox out, Naruto pulled out from his pocket the small item and compared it - identical - it was the same people whose bodies had been discovered in an ambush earlier the day he arrived on Tatooine.

 

*Crack!*

 

“Do not move!”

 

“Stand still!”

 

Caught off guard was a stupid thing for Naruto to do, as he turned his head around to see two of the death squad guys in black gear had sneaked up on him, aiming their rifles at him as they began to call it in the comms.

 

“Sir, we’ve got a live one, but he’s not an animal.”

 

“Terminate on a sigh-”

*CLICK!*

“What was that?” one of them barked, eyes scanning the surroundings with suspicion.

 

*BOOM!*

 

A deafening explosion shattered the night as one of the Tusken tents, where the main group stood, erupted into a fiery blaze. The shockwave caught several members of the death squad off guard, hurling them through the air. Some collided with nearby structures, while others were slammed flat onto the ground, where they lay motionless, either severely wounded or lifeless from the brutal impact.

 

“We’re being attacked!” another voice shouted, panic creeping into the words as realization dawned.

 

“KRRRREEEERRRRRHHHH!” From the midst of the smoldering ruins of the obliterated tent, Mutani the Tusken Raider emerged with a fierce war cry as he was filled with desired vengeance, he charged forward, brandishing his gaffi stick with deadly intent. With a swift, powerful swing, he brought it crashing down across the head of the nearest black-clad mercenary.

 

*SQUELCH!*

 

The gaffi stick met its mark with a sickening crunch, penetrating through the helmet and mask of the first mercenary. The figure crumpled to the ground, defeated, as Mutani swiftly hurled another thermal detonator. He vanished into the shadows before the remaining mercenaries could even begin to react, their cries of alarm still echoing in the air.

 

“It’s a Tusken! Kill it!” one of the mercs yelled, desperation lacing his voice as they scrambled to regroup and retaliate against the unseen, relentless foe.

 

*BIAO!*

 

A searing blaster shot ripped through the gut of the team leader of the shadowy mercenaries, snuffing out his life in an instant. Chaos erupted as Chewbacca unleashed a relentless barrage from his bowcaster, each shot finding its mark with deadly precision.

 

The first mercenary, rifle trained on Naruto, froze in disbelief. "What’s happening here?!"

 

"Forget questions!" barked the second man, swinging his weapon towards Naruto. "Take the kid out!"

 

*TSHWW!*

 

The eerie sound snapped their heads around-

 

*SLASH!*

 

*SLASH!*

 

In a blink, the first merc's arms were severed cleanly, his screams mingling with the sound of his limbs hitting the ground. His comrade crumpled beside him; his head cleaved from his body by the blazing lightsaber of an enraged Anakin Skywalker.

 

Anakin, the Padawan seething with fury, surveyed the battlefield. His gaze locked onto the armless mercenary desperately crawling away, directly in Naruto’s line of sight.

 

The bereaved Jedi, haunted by the loss of his mother, advanced with grim determination. The mercenary could do nothing but plead pitifully for his life.

 

"No! Please, no!"

 

*SLASH!*

---

[Coruscant]

 

Meanwhile, back in the Jedi Temple, inside the meditation room, Grand Master Yoda heard and saw some images plaguing his mind. Visions of events now happening somewhere in the galaxy were not good from what he was experiencing. 

 

‘Anakin! Anakin!’

 

Men are getting cut down by the dozen.

 

‘KRRRREEEERRRRRHHHH’

 

‘No!’

 

But it wasn’t over; the small, powerful Jedi saw more.

 

One armed man in black fell to the ground with a knife sticking into his neck, with the handle being gripped with anger…

 

Anger…

 

Just then, the doors opened, and Master Windu entered the room. He saw Yoda sitting there, so he took the meditation seat next to him.

 

Yoda's eyes fluttered open, revealing a troubled gaze that seemed to pierce the very essence of the Force. His expression was etched with concern as he looked at the dark-skinned Jedi Master, his ears slightly drooping under the weight of his thoughts.

Sensing the disturbance, Windu leaned in slightly, his voice steady yet filled with curiosity. "What is it?" he inquired, his brow furrowing in anticipation.

 

"Pain, suffering..." Yoda intoned his voice a low murmur as he lowered his head, each word a heavy burden. "Death, I feel." The grand master’s words hung in the air like an ominous cloud, casting a shadow over the tranquil room.

 

Windu's eyes flickered away from Yoda, reflecting the gravity of the revelation. Momentarily lost in contemplation, he turned his head, and the weight of what he had heard settled heavily on his shoulders.

 

"Something terrible has happened," Yoda continued, his voice tinged with a profound sadness as he attempted to weave his thoughts into coherence. "Young Skywalker is in pain... terrible pain." 

 

The words were a somber melody, echoing the deep connection between the Jedi and the unfolding darkness.

---

[Geonosis]

Shortly after their arrival, Jango Fett and his son found themselves undergoing some adjustments on the arid planet, having been forced to flee from Kamino following an unexpected visit from a Jedi dispatched from Coruscant. This surprise encounter was swiftly followed by a brief skirmish with the bounty hunter before their hasty departure. Jango had to deal with the persistent Jedi who had tracked him to this desolate world, confident now that he had effectively eliminated the threat. Seeking refuge, Jango found himself on a planet that was the burgeoning hub of a Separatist Army, comprised of various types of droids and heavily financed by several powerful corporations. Coincidentally, this was also where his employer roomed.

 

With young Boba safely tucked away in their private quarters, Jango walked through the dimly lit hallways, accompanied by Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatist movement. Dooku had arranged these accommodations, and he now wished to converse with Jango privately. The underground catacombs of the Geonosians echoed their footsteps as they walked.

 

"I am pleased to see you are in good health, Jango," Dooku remarked, his voice resonating softly through the subterranean passageways. "However, I must mention that my associate, Nute Gunray, is far from satisfied with the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Senator Amidala."

 

Jango nodded, keeping his eyes on the path in front of them. "I apologize for that, Count. It was an unexpected complication." 

 

"Unfortunate? I would call your colleague being captured by the Jedi anything but unfortunate," Dooku brought up, “Let alone then getting assassinated by your old comrades-in-arms from the Terran-Zygerrian War.”

 

Jango raised his head to the count and begged his pardon, “Excuse me?”

 

“I already know what happened on Coruscant, Fett, to where I do not blame you for the results,” Dooku responded with a chuckle, "I heard the moment your friend Zam exited that club in their territory in the lower levels, she would be an open target for those Ölüm Revolutionaries.”

 

“I must’ve heard you wrong, Count, but Revolutionaries?” Jango asked.

 

“Would you believe friends have become somewhat of a celebrity cause for many circles?” Dooku said to the bounty hunter, “Their stories alone on Kessel, Terran, that small town of Hurriya, it ended up getting everyone in that group to be popularized, which is understandable,” Dooku said, finding rationale in it, “It is not every day a group of slaves managed to escape and fight from planet to planet for their freedom in even the most unfair conditions.”

 

Jangi simply responded, “They were just trying to survive,”

“Surviving can bring out the best in people, as also their supporters,” Dooku replied, “but it can also bring in unintended enemies, and it's not only the Zygerrians whom they have made enemies with,” Dooku said as they entered a large chamber.

 

The room was filled with Geonosian leaders and Separatist representatives. Many of whom represented the core of the Separatist cause but also its main donors. Among them was Nute Gunray.

 

Giving him a cold glare as he entered the room, Jango made sure to make no bad impressions on people who could put a bounty on his head in a matter of moments, but he kept his expression neutral.

 

“Let us spare the introductions and get to the point,” Dooku took his seat at the head of the table and gestured for Jango to stand next to him. “You all might know who this man is and know he is a useful ally of us. After all, we had just finished discussing with the Banking Clan and the Techno Union; now we can discuss other essentials.”

 

“Ally? Don’t make me laugh, Count, he’s anything but one.” Nute Gunray spoke up, his tone accusing. “I know for a fact he helped those Terran scum destroy part of my leased fleet-”

 

“That, I might add, was under the supervision of the Zygerrians who started that war and lost it.” Jango corrected the Neimoidian oligarch with a warning, “If I were you, don’t underestimate those Terrans; they’ve got a history of fighting when the odds are against them.”

 

"We’re not here to discuss some history, bounty hunter, we’re here to make sure we can't afford any more mistakes like that," Poggle the Lesser said. "Our droid armies need to be ready for battle soon."

 

“For of which I have to ask - why am I here?” Jango asked the people in the room for some clarification.

 

“Well, we wish-”

 

“Excuse me, sir.” One of the B1 battle droids entered the room and approached the Geonosian leader, Poggle, “One of our scouts has spotted an unidentified ship that is not far away from our plants.”

 

A few clicks and other words, the Geonosian said. It took a moment for his words to be properly translated.

 

“[Do not waste my time with trespassers, you droid. Handle the situation by yourself.]”

 

“But sir, we found out he is trying to contact outwards to multiple planets.”

 

“[As in?]”

“First Coruscant and then Naboo, sir.” The droid informed his master, “Now the transmission is going to Tatooine of all places.”

 

The mention of that alone prompted reactions inside the room, with Nute Gunray being the first to stand up.

 

“It's the Republic - handle it!”

 

“Do not worry, it will be handled,”

 

The men inside the conference room turned to the now silent form of Onoki, who had been like this for a few hours now, having just spoken up. The 3rd Tsuchikage then gave a confident smirk.

 

“My entourage might be enough to handle that Jedi of yours.”

 

---

[Tatooine]

 

Back on the desert planet, it was the early morning when the sun finally came up once again-

 

*THUD!*

 

The full result of last night’s carnage was revealed with the whole Tusken settlement nearly burned down from the intense fighting, black ash and dried dark blood covered the surrounding grounds that were once filled with life and now only had a few people there doing the only respectable they could do: Bury the dead.

 

Under the scorching glare of Tatooine's twin suns, Naruto and Chewbacca toiled with grim determination. The oppressive heat was relentless, beating down upon them as they moved among the fallen, lifting bodies with care and arranging them in the massive grave. The grave itself had been dug by Naruto’s clones, who had vanished at his command—he wanted to ensure the burials were conducted with the dignity they deserved.

 

Row upon row of shrouded forms filled the grave, each one a silent witness to the brutality visited upon the Tusken tribe. Men, women, children, and even the domesticated animals that had shared their lives lay together, organized by family. It was a stark testament to the horror of what had transpired, a chilling reminder of the violence that had swept through their lives. 

 

Naruto landed softly on the sandy ground, his boots caked with dust and dirt. He cradled the last of the victims in his arms, wrapped tenderly in a bundle. With reverence, he placed the small body next to a family, knowing it was the youngest victim of the onslaught. The young Tusken, barely five years old by the looks of it, was now at rest.

 

As Naruto looked upon the deceased family, the somber scene weighed down his heart; he felt the sting of a wasted life.

 

“GRAWL!”

 

Naruto turned to face Chewie, who was holding out a large, furry hand to him. Without hesitation, Naruto reached out and took his friend's hand, allowing Chewie to pull him out of the hole and onto solid ground.

 

"Thank you, Chewie," Naruto said sincerely, feeling grateful for his friend's unwavering support.

 

Chewie let out a soft, rumbling growl, his warm breath mingling with the cool desert air. The pair then turned their gaze back to the grave, a palpable sense of solemnity hanging over them. They understood vigil would be temporary; patience was required as they awaited Mutani’s return.

 

Suddenly, a thunderous cry pierced the stillness.

 

“Kreh!” 

 

The sudden sound snapped them from their daydream, and their eyes widened as a herd of Banthas appeared, their massive forms moving rhythmically across the sand. At the forefront, Tusken warriors gracefully dismounted from the lead Bantha, their weathered faces hidden beneath traditional garments. Among them, Mutani stepped forward, his presence commanding as he approached the blond and the towering Wookie.

 

“Mutani…”

 

The Tusken looked over to the grave site and noticed the lineup of the bodies before looking back to the two who prepared it and nodded to them before patting both of them on their shoulders, making a few Basic sign language patterns to commute with Naruto, telling him he and his other Tuskens he found will take care of the bodies.

 

“Understood,” Naruto acknowledged and spoke his condolences, “May the Force be with you.”

 

Giving a graceful nod, Mutani jumped down to the grave as the others followed suit Naruto and Chewbacca walked back over to where their speeder bikes were parked and noticed the amount of Tusken Raiders that had arrived was in the dozens, if not nearly fifty by the looks of it.

 

The two then reached the

 

“KREEEEEEH!”

 

The angry cry got Naruto and Chewbacca to turn to where they could only guess where the cry came from, the place where the bodies of the deceased mercenaries were laid, ripe for the vengeful Tuskens to unleash their hate for the humans underneath their uniforms, with some kicking, hitting or even stabbing their gaffi sticks into the corpses of the those who murdered the entire village.

 

But what was seen among many of the dead mercenaries were the lightsaber cuts, through their chests, stomachs, and heads, and the headless, limbs torn off, and those with burn marks across their clothing - they had suffered painful deaths.

 

Shaking his head at this, Naruto sat on the speeder bike, joined by Chewbacca as they activated them.

 

“Back to the Lars Homestead, Chewie.”

 

Rushing away from the settlement, the former Shinobi and the Wookiee warrior sprinted across the planet to where Anakin had already arrived after leaving earlier to bring his mother home.

 

A funeral that needed to be attended to.

 

…

 

Once upon arriving at the Lars homestead, the atmosphere was that of depression as Anakin had already brought his deceased mother Shmi inside the household with the grave being prepared by both Owen and his fiance Beru, while Cliegg was with his wife..mourning on his own for now.

 

As Naruto descended the creaking wooden stairs, the ambiance around him shifted, filled with the faint echoes of hurried footsteps. Just as he reached the final step, he hears-

 

“Why did she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have!”

 

It sounded like Skywalker. Anakin must have been speaking to the senator, Padme, who had brought down a tray of food. So Naruto stopped his steps and proceeded to listen.

 

"Sometimes there are things that no one can fix.” Senator Amidala responded, trying to comfort the grieving Jedi, “You're not all-powerful, Ani—"

 

“Well, I should be!" Anakin snapped, even when Naruto could not see it. From the sound of it, he was having a hard time, sniffing in between. Someday, I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever!"

 

‘He’s not taking it well.’

 

‘Kurama?’

 

‘Naruto, the boy is not handling this well, so whatever you do - just listen and hear.’

 

“Anakin…” Padme was heard saying, making Naruto listen further, eavesdropping on the conversation.

 

“It's all Obi-Wan's fault! He's… He's jealous! HE'S HOLDING ME BACK!" Anakin yelled as something was heard being thrown, probably a tool, into one of the room's back. The sound of the young Padawan alone should’ve made it clear to anyone that he was in a clear state of distress, but this didn’t stop the young Naboo woman.

 

“What’s wrong, Ani?”

 

Then a pause could be heard, before Naruto could hear Anakin speak, about what happened last night.

 

“I… I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead. Every single one of them.”

 

Proceeding to listen, this was close to a confession to something that was witnessed by the blond.

 

“And not just men, but the wounded, and those who surrendered too…They’re like animals! And I slaughtered them like animals. I HATE THEM!”

 

And there it was. Anakin, consumed by a torrent of emotions, laid bare his soul before the senator. He spoke of his deep-seated desire for revenge, fueled by the anguish of his mother’s death. The weight of his pain pressed down on him, and he sank to the floor, tears glistening in his eyes, while the senator watched on with a mixture of sympathy and concern. The blond figure in the corner felt the heaviness of the moment, a silent witness to the unfolding drama.

 

Padmé, her heart aching for Anakin, tried to reach him with a gentle voice, “To be angry is to be human.” 

 

But Anakin, battling his inner turmoil, insisted, “I’m a Jedi. I know I’m better than this…” His voice trembled, a fragile façade of strength cracking under the pressure of his grief.

 

Realizing that his presence was only an intrusion in this moment of vulnerability, Naruto quietly turned away and climbed up the stairs.

---

Later that day.

 

A small group gathers in somber silence around a simple marker gravestone, the air heavy with grief. Anakin Skywalker stands at the forefront, motionless beside Padmé Amidala. His face is a mask of sorrow, eyes filled with unshed tears as he gazes down at the earth that covers his mother’s final resting place. Beside him, Cliegg Lars leans heavily on a weathered cane, supported lovingly by his son Owen and Owen's wife, Beru, who stand close by, providing silent strength.

 

Cliegg, his voice calm, addresses the grave, “I know wherever you are, it’s become a better place. You were the most loving partner a man could ever have.” He pauses, as memories flood his mind, before adding, “Goodbye, my darling wife. And thank you.”

 

As the moment transitions to Anakin, Padmé gently places a hand on his arm, her presence both comforting and grounding. He takes a deep breath and steps forward, kneeling on the soft, freshly turned earth, his heart heavy with the weight of his emotions. He places a trembling hand against the cool soil, fingers digging in as if he could somehow reach through to his mother, yearning for her embrace. The others stand back, heads bowed in deep respect, allowing Anakin his moment of solace.

 

With a voice choked with emotion, Anakin whispers, “I wasn’t strong enough to save you, Mom. I wasn’t strong enough.” His shoulders tremble slightly, the pain of loss etched across his features. He then rises to his feet, the vulnerability in his expression giving way to a fierce determination. “But I promise I won't fail again.” 

 

He looks up at the sky, his chest rising and falling, and with a heartfelt ache, he proclaims, “I miss you…so much.” The silence that follows wraps around them, a poignant reminder of the love that lingers even in the absence of those they hold dear.

 

Also standing among them was C-3PO and from a distance observing the funeral, the form of Naruto and Chewbacca, who watched as then the Wookie looked at Naruto and made a sad noise.

 

“Yeah…I know Chewie…” Naruto responded to his buddy’s words, sighing as he watched, “It's tragic really…”

 

“Oh, it certainly is, young man,” C-3PO spoke to the two bystanders, “But I believe you misheard the Wookie, he was saying he spots a little droid approaching us.”

 

“Little droid?”

 

‘Look behind you, kid.’

 

Suddenly, a series of beeps interrupted the moment. The little astromech droid, white with blue accents, rolled into the scene, catching the attention of everyone at the funeral.

 

"R2? What are you doing here?" Padmé asked, surprised.

 

R2-D2 continued to beep and whistle, and C-3PO quickly translated. 

 

"It seems he is carrying a message from Obi-Wan Kenobi," C-3PO announced. He then turned to the Jedi and asked, "Master Ani, does that name mean anything to you?"

Once inside Padmé's Nubian Starship, the senator and Jedi were preparing to watch a transmission when Naruto unexpectedly joined them. They then listened to the message that the astromech droid had managed to obtain. As soon as the hologram of Obi-Wan activated, the message began.

 

[“Anakin, my long-range transmitter has been knocked out. Retransmit this message to Coruscant.”]

 

Hearing this, Padme turned around and pressed a button, doing so as the transmission went on to Coruscant, with Obi-Wan continuing this message after a small pause.

 

[“I have tracked the bounty hunter and Ölüm member, Jango Fett, to the droid foundries on Geonosis. The Trade Federation is to take delivery of a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala.”]

 

[“The Commerce Guilds and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming– wait.”] 

 

Obi-Wan halted as he spotted something and pulled out his lightsaber, deflecting blaster shots on the hologram as he was pushed back, a Droideka was responsible as it overwhelmed Kenobi.

 

But then also something jumped through the hologram, a hooded figure that then held a kunai and ended the transmission by taking out the hologram projector.

The findings of Obi-Wan caused Anakin and Padme to look at one another before they then turned to Naruto who proceeded to stare back at them, this was a situation of awkward revelations, given an Ölüm member was behind the attempts on the senator in the same room as one of its commanders.

 

[“Anakin.”]

 

But before questions could be asked further, the holographic form of Windu entered, addressing Kenobi’s padawan immediately.

 

[“We will deal with Count Dooku. The most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the senator at all costs. That is your first priority.]

 

Upon hearing the orders, Anakin nodded solemnly, "Understood, Master." The holographic image of Master Windu flickered and vanished, leaving Padme with a look of deep concern etched on her face.

 

"They'll never get there in time to save him," she lamented, her voice tinged with urgency. "They have to come halfway across the galaxy." With determination, she moved swiftly to the starboard computer, her fingers dancing across the controls as she pulled up Obi-Wan's coordinates. "Look," she pointed out, her eyes lighting up with hope. "Geonosis is less than a parsec away."

 

Anakin's expression shifted to one of conflict as he followed her into the cockpit, his gaze briefly meeting Naruto's. "If he's still alive," he argued, his voice edged with doubt, just as Padme turned to him, her eyes wide with disbelief.

 

"Ani," she implored, her voice a mix of pleading and frustration. "Are you just going to sit here and let him die? He's your friend, your mentor—"

 

"He's like my father!" Anakin interjected passionately, the words spilling out in a rush. Yet he hesitated, the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. "But you heard Master Windu. He gave me strict orders to stay here."

 

"He gave you strict orders to protect me, and I'm going to help Obi-Wan." She turned decisively, her movements purposeful as she began preparing the ship for takeoff. "If you plan to protect me, you'll just have to come along," she declared, her tone leaving no room for argument.

 

‘She kinda got a point there,’

 

“Naruto, prepare for takeoff.” Padme says as Anakin to the co-pilot seat, “Tell your Wookie friend you’ll be leaving with us. Say it's an emergency.”

 

“Alright then, allow me,” Naruto said walking to the back of the cockpit, while the two droids were preparing themselves for the journey they found themselves having joined into.

 

“I'm not worried, R2.” C-3PO said while sitting down, admitting, “It's just I haven’t flown in a very long time.”

 

As the engines of the Nubian starship roared to life, it gracefully lifted off from the arid surface of Tatooine, leaving behind the dusty dunes of the desert planet. The crew focused on the coordinates that would guide them through the vastness of space toward Geonosis. With the stars beginning to twinkle in the twilight sky, the ship surged forward, embarking on a daring mission to rescue their allies from the clutches of danger.

Chapter 30: Emergency Powers

[Coruscant]

Inside the dimly lit office of Chancellor Palpatine, the atmosphere was charged with anxiety as senators and Jedi assembled for a critical meeting. Just moments earlier, they had listened intently to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s alarming report from Geonosis, which laid bare the shocking details of an impending conflict. The room fell silent, tension thick in the air, as the implications of his findings began to sink in.

 

The revelation that droid foundries were clandestinely constructing vast armies on Geonosis was staggering. The operation was orchestrated by Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation, whose name now echoed with dread among the gathered officials. It was Gunray who, driven by ambition and malice, had been implicated in the recent assassination attempts on Senator Padmé Amidala. His extensive infrastructure on the planet was not merely a product of local cooperation; it was firmly bolstered by the support of the Geonosians, a species known for their expertise in arena combat and large-scale manufacturing, with their leader, Poggle the Lasser, being sympathetic to the Separatist cause.

 

Moreover, the involvement of the former Jedi, Count Dooku, sent ripples of fear through the gathered assembly. Dooku, once a respected member of the Jedi Order, had openly allied himself with the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance, both influential factions with extensive resources. Their pledges of allegiance, alongside the commitment of their armies, marked a significant turning point in the conflict. Particularly alarming was that Dooku had been captured, raising questions about his next moves and the potential ramifications for the Jedi Council.

 

Amidst the murmurs of dismay and the wide-eyed expressions of disbelief among the senators and Jedi present, young Pantoran Senator Riyo Chuchi stood out. Her gaze was drawn to the more panicky and unprepared senators, delegates, ambassadors, officials, and members of the Order. She happened to find the person next to her giving a stern look. Jiraiya was having a calm, composed reaction as he stroked his chin.

 

“The Commerce Guilds are preparing for war.” Bail Organa worded out first, strolling back and forth with his arms crossed, the first to speak out of them, “There can be no doubt of that.”

 

“Count Dooku must’ve made a treaty with them,” Palpatine worded his thoughts into this, looking concerned as he mentioned, “Perhaps they also have gotten an agreement with the Ölüm commanders by the looks of it.”

 

“That I am not certain of, Chancellor, Jango Fett’s primary reasoning seems to be monetary, that of a bounty hunter by the looks of it.” Bail Organa disagreed with the last statement, but continued, “On the possibility of such a treaty - there can be no doubt about that.”

 

“[The debate is over.]” The Gran senator Ask Ask spoke in his native language, having already made up his mind about the early discoveries, “[Now we need that clone army.]”

 

With the earlier reports of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s findings on Kamino having just been disclosed by the Jedi present, both Windu and Yoda, who stood there, the Republic senator brought it up in the face of the fact that now a droid army was ready, 

 

However, Bail Organa turned to the senator and said, “Unfortunately, the debate is not over. The Senate will never approve the use of clones before the separatists attack.”

 

“Let alone, this might be morally questionable if you ask me,” Jiraiya whispered his opinion on the matter, happening to be Riyo Chuchi, who heard him.

 

“How so, senator?”

 

“An army of clones supposedly prepared and ready just for this? And by a Jedi Master named Sifo-Dyas, who has been dead for years, also leaving the Council oblivious.” Jiraiya told her what he had figured out, advising, “Whatever you do, kid, always question everyone and everything - a coincidence like this is too good to be true.”

 

While the young Pantoran politician took this advice to heart, the nearby Jedi Masters, including Master Windu, also recognized its importance and kept it in mind.

 

“This is a crisis,” Mas Amedda declared with urgency, his voice booming to seize the room’s full attention. “There is only one solution. The Senate must be persuaded to vote the Chancellor's emergency powers. Only then can we approve the creation of an army.”

 

Palpatine’s face grew shadowed with concern, and he leaned forward, feigning unease and doubt. Looking around at the gathered company, he let the silence linger momentarily before speaking. “But what senator would have the courage to propose such a radical amendment?”

 

“If only Senator Amidala were here,” Mas Amedda said, turning to the Chancellor. They faced a dilemma, but one Gungan found courage. 

 

Unfortunately, that courage could easily be misused.

 

---

 

[Geonosis]

 

Obi-Wan Kenobi was hung suspended in the glowing blue containment field, the energy pulsating rhythmically around him like a heartbeat. The harsh light of Geonosis bathed him in stark relief, casting long shadows in the dim cavernous chamber. He could hear the hum of machinery and the distant clatter of droids, their mechanical voices merging with the eerie stillness surrounding him. He had been caught, and not just simply, but on multiple sides, and was neutralized by droidekas and some unknown figures who quickly knocked him out. Having woken up, not long after he was confronted by Count Dooku, who told him some very unsettling things that he could not escape from his mind.

 

‘What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of the dark lord of the Sith?”

 

“The dark side of the Force has clouded their vision, my friend. Hundreds of senators are now under the influence of a Sith lord called Darth Sidious.”

 

That is what kept sticking in the mind of the Jedi Master as he initially refused these statements from the count to be truthful, as a simple trick to get him to join his master’s former teacher, as Dooku had even just asked him to join against the Sith, to which he declined. 

 

 It all felt very suspicious, and just as he rotated around with his back against the entrance door, he could hear it open, and Obi-Wan responded. 

  

“I should have known you would come here, bounty hunter.” 

 

 

Entering in wearing his Mandalorian armor, Jango Fett did so while carrying his helmet underneath his arm. And he looked at the captive Jedi with a neutral gaze before responding. 

  

“You only have yourself to blame for the situation you’ve gotten yourself into, Master Jedi. Geonosians are not known to be kind to trespassers.” Jango said while he observed the Jedi and added in from what he figured out, the natives called him further, “Let alone a suspected spy.” 

  

“And here I heard from Count Dooku the Geonosians don’t trust you bounty hunters,” Obi-Wan responded as he rotated in his captivity to the point he was facing Jango, and reminded him, “Let alone one attempting to take the life of a senator of the Republic Senate - contracted by Viceroy Gunray to be precise.”  

 

As both men faced each other, Obi-Wan fixed a watchful glare on Fett. The Beskar-clad mercenary merely returned a steady stare at the captured Jedi, whom he had attempted to shake off. Now, he had unintentionally created a situation that would have significant ramifications for the galaxy.

 

“You shouldn’t have come here, Kenobi.” Despite his stoic tone, Jango's words were tinged with a subtle hint of disappointment: “This is going to be chaotic, not an ideal situation for anybody.” 

 

“Like whom?” Obi-Wan responded dismissively, skeptical of the bounty hunter’s pretense of concern. “For your pockets?” 

“My son,” Jango replied with an evenness that suggested deeper matters of import were at play, “and more importantly for your Order, Naruto.” 

 

Hearing the name, Obi-Wan kept himself silent and looked at Jango Fett with suspicion. The unexpected mention of the name brought many thoughts crashing into him, and he remembered a few things while glaring at the bounty hunter.

 

“I thought I saw you enter here, bounty hunter.” A grumpy voice entered the conversation. 

 

Both the imprisoned Obi-Wan and Jango Fett faced the entrance that they did not hear going open and entering with his bodyguards, the Third was while walking on his own a small man with long gray hair flowed like wisps of smoke around his shoulders, framing a face etched with the weight of countless battles and the burden of leadership. Deep-set eyes glimmered with a fierce intensity, betraying a soul both ancient and wise, yet haunted by ghosts of the past.

 

By the looks of it, Jango could tell he was a seasoned warrior, but his attention soon shifted to the entourage that had helped him capture the Jedi. Their appearances were strikingly different from their leader's.

 

One member was a large, formidable man with piercing dark eyes and black hair spiking out from beneath a bandanna-style forehead protector. His prominent cheeks and plump nose lent him a perpetually jovial expression. He wore a red uniform beneath his flak jacket, complemented by a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck.

 

The other was a young woman, perhaps only slightly older than Naruto, with a confident smile. Her short black hair and unique pink eyes, accentuated by upward-curling eyelashes, made her stand out. She donned the standard Iwa shinobi attire: a red uniform with a missing right sleeve, a lapel over her right leg, the brown Iwagakure flak jacket, fishnet tights, and a skirt. She completed her look with regular shinobi sandals and a pair of black gloves.

 

“Well, well, well, if my old eyes aren't playing tricks on me,” remarked the Third Tsuchikage with a grin, gazing up at the floating, captive Jedi. “It's been too long, Kenobi.”

 

“It has indeed, Lord Onoki,” Obi-Wan replied, maintaining a calm yet wary demeanor as he looked at the Shinobi. “I almost forgot about your appearance. Thank you for refreshing my mind.”

 

“Always a pleasure, Jedi brat.”

 

“I take it you two are acquainted?” Jango inquired, glancing between the two men. “Care to fill me in?”

 

"The Tsuchikage and I have previously attempted to negotiate the relationship between his Shinobi Village and the Republic, but those talks ultimately went nowhere," Obi-Wan said, glancing at the diminutive figure before him. With his usual touch of sarcasm, he added, "It's a pleasure to be in the presence of the esteemed Third Tsuchikage." His voice dripped with irony as he continued, "What brings you here? It can't be just a friendly visit, is it?"

 

“With your infamous sarcasm? Oh please, brat,” Onoki smirked while looking at the imprisoned Jedi, “Even now with you in this situation, the tone alone makes me remember the tiresome hours of your wasteful efforts of talks of the Republic.”

 

“As if it were our part to be wasteful, Lord Onoki.” Obi-Wan responded and reminded him, “May I refresh your memories of how you made our delegation wait hours upon hours for your arrival?” 

 

“Then that is your problem to figure it out, not Gramps.” The black-haired shinobi girl smirked while crossing her arms, “That sounds like a clear message, you Republic weaklings aren’t welcome.”

 

The clear-cut, installing tone that the Kunoichi was making was enough for Jango to cause a smirk to pop up from the corner of his mouth for a short moment. Of course, he wasn’t interested in any politics in this room, he could appreciate the banter. 

 

“You’ve been following your grandfather’s footsteps, Lady Kurotsuchi.” Obi-Wan, however, did not like the tone and responded with a frown, “I do hope that by the time in your path to leadership for your village, you will pick up grace and such.”

 

Kurotsuchi crossed her arms, her eyes blazing with indignation as memories of that fateful day resurfaced like a storm cloud loomed over the village. 

 

“Oh, I learned one thing ever since your kind came to my village, Kenobi - as in you can eat Bantha fodder,” she spat, her voice laced with bitterness. The chill in her tone seemed to echo the tension in the air as she studied the Jedi's stoic demeanor. “That’s what I wished I could’ve said to you the moment you entered our village the first time, bastard.” The words tumbled out of her mouth like daggers, sharp and pointed, each syllable dripping with contempt.  Kurotsuchi stepped closer, punctuating her point with a fierce glare. “You Jedi play at being peacekeepers and such, but do you even understand the damage you've done with your mere presence?”

 

Kenobi held her gaze steadily, noting the intense disdain she had for him, which seemed more personal than he could comprehend. He attempted to remain diplomatic.

 

"I gather your anger toward me stems from your uncle and nephew's near kidnapping attempt-"

 

*CRACK!*

 

Kurotsuchi's boot slammed into the ground with such force that it fractured the earth beneath, causing a crack around them. Jango had to quickly regain his balance while the other Iwa nin stood solidly, observing as the kunoichi directed her fury at the Jedi.

"You're this close to having your neck snapped, Jedi," Kurotsuchi threatened, her eyes blazing with anger. "Unless you want me to execute you right now, I suggest you don’t speak about them.”

"Ease up, brat. There's no need for threats," Onoki remarked, taking a deliberate step closer while peering up at Obi-Wan with a shrewd gaze. "Not at this moment, anyway, because right now, he's quite useful to us."

 

Obi-Wan arched an inquisitive eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "In what way?"

 

"As bait," Onoki explained, a dry chuckle escaping his lips like a whispered secret. "We fully anticipate who will attempt to rescue you, and this situation presents a flawless chance to draw him out."

 

"Who exactly are you referring to?" Obi-Wan queried, a hint of suspicion lacing his tone.

 

"Uzumaki Naruto.” 

“ACHOO!”

 

Causing himself to be in the center of attention inside the Naboo ship, Naruto sneezed hard as it got both droids and the Senator and Jedi to be startled for a quick moment, gazing at the blond who sat among them. 

 

“Oh my, bless you, young man.” 3PO spoke first to the blond teenager, “By the sound of it, you must’ve contracted something.” 

 

“I’m fine,” Naruto responded. he took it out from underneath his hood and cleaned his nose. “Perhaps it was the sand, it can get everywhere.” 

 

“Tell me about it,” Anakin said in agreement while observing the nav computer and keeping the ship on course. He read, “We’re close to Geonosis, just half an hour before we arrive.”  

 

“Okay, I’m going back then.” Naruto said as he stood up and went to the back of the ship, “I’ll prepare myself for when we get there.”  

 

“The weather of Geonosis is not cold.” Padmé said while steering the ship, she asked, “What are you preparing for?”  

 

 “In case it gets worse,” Naruto said, the hatch door closed before any more questions could be asked. Leaving the senator, the Jedi, and the two droids to themselves.  

 

R2 began to make multiple beeps to the protocol droid, who understood every word of communication. 

 

“Oh, of course, R2, it was expected of him to put up all that armor in that bag.” C-3PO replied to him calmly, “It would be fully unwise to have dragged it along for no reason.” 

 

“Armor?” Padmé cocks her head to the droids, “What armor?” 

 

“The Beskar armor, my lady. The amount Mister Uzumaki had carried inside alongside some scrolls from the Ninja planet.”

 

---

 

*CLICK!*

 

As the final piece of armor clicked into place, a sense of readiness coursed through Naruto. He adjusted the cloak, letting it cascade down his back, its fabric heavy with a promise of concealment. The wind whispered against his armor, sending a shiver of anticipation through him.

 

He now wore the Mandalorian Beskar armor of his own - the red, black, and orange armor that was forged for him, with most of his armor in black, his shoulder, chest and knee armor mostly in black, he had orange and red lines painted on all of them, red to signify his clan color of the Uzumaki whirlpool and orange because it was his favorite color. 

 

The helmet was similar to that of Jango, instead, it had a red and orange lining on the sides and around the visor, with the rest being all black, and the weaponry he carries, like the Vambraces on his wrists, with each having built-in modifications for close encounters.

 

As he finishes up, Naruto sighs as he looks to the mirror in the changing room and examines himself, with this armor, the insignia of the Uzumaki whirlpool on his chest plate, having never thought he’d go from a Genin with no large knowledge of his family to an last descendant of a clan that fought numerous conflicts carrying that symbol.

 

Conflicts he would fight also, bearing everything that was now buried in his mind.

 

Flashback

In that open field in DC, the acrid smell of spent blaster fire hung in the air, with the fighting having ended hours ago. Bodies of Ölüm fighters lay organised after being collected across the destroyed fertile ground, their faces frozen in eternal repose. The battle had been devastating - a victory nonetheless, but a costly one.

 

Naruto knelt beside Yasser's body, the old man's weathered face peaceful despite the violent end he had met. The elderly Ölüm volunteer was in a white cloth, which he was to be buried in according to his religious beliefs. The oldest fighter among their ranks had given his life in a country he was a stranger to

 

"You’re going to be buried, old man, in your homeland, I promise you that," Naruto whispered, his voice thick with emotion. He spoke to the man whose face was at peace as he embraced it for eternity. "Thank you…”

 

The weight of loss pressed down on Naruto's shoulders as he gently brushed a stray lock of grey hair from Yasser's forehead. The man had often spoken of his village back home, of olive groves that stretched toward the horizon and children playing in dusty streets. Now he would return, but not as he had hoped.

 

"Sergeant." The voice came from behind him, respectful but firm.

 

Naruto didn't turn immediately, taking one more moment with the fallen warrior. Finally, he rose to his feet, joints protesting after kneeling for so long.

 

Sergeant Foley stood a few paces away, his Ranger uniform bearing the marks of recent combat. His face was etched with the same weariness they all shared, but his posture remained rigid with military discipline.

 

"We're ready to move him now," Foley said, gesturing toward a waiting transport vehicle. "Corporal Dunn and Ramirez will handle it with respect."

 

Naruto nodded, watching as the two Rangers approached. They moved with practiced precision but also a solemn reverence that transcended their military training. Dunn removed his helmet before carefully lifting the shrouded body by the shoulders while Ramirez took the feet.

 

"We've secured transport to his homeland," Foley continued, his voice lowered. "Full military escort"

 

Several other Rangers stood nearby, each offering a salute as Yasser's body passed. One young soldier with a fresh scar across his cheek whispered what sounded like a prayer.

 

"He saved many of us," the soldier said simply when he caught Naruto watching him. “You okay, son?”

 

"I'm just tired," Naruto replied, his voice barely audible over the distant thrum of helicopters. His eyes remained fixed on Yasser's body as it was loaded into the transport.

 

Foley stepped closer, placing a weathered hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Listen, you should leave now while you can," he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "There's going to be an arrest soon. Higher-ups are cracking down on all Ölüm volunteers."

 

Naruto's gaze snapped to Foley's face, searching for deception but finding only grim certainty.

 

"US forces are turning a blind eye for the next twelve hours," Foley continued. "After that..." He let the implication hang in the air between them.

 

"What about the others?" Naruto asked, glancing toward the remaining volunteers who were tending to their wounded or mourning their dead.

 

"Same deal for all of you. Word's spreading quietly." Foley checked his watch. "I never had this conversation with you, understood? But you fought alongside us when it mattered. Consider this payment of a debt."

 

The Rangers finished securing the transport, and Dunn approached, offering Naruto a small cloth bundle.

 

"Yasser's personal belongings," Dunn explained. "Thought his family might want them."

 

Naruto accepted the bundle, feeling the weight of the old man's few possessions – a worn prayer book, a tarnished pocket watch, and a small leather pouch containing soil from his homeland.

 

"Thank you," Naruto said, tucking the items carefully into his jacket.

 

In the distance, government vehicles were already arriving. Men in suits rather than uniforms, carrying clipboards instead of rifles.

 

"Clock's ticking," Foley murmured, stepping away and resuming his official posture. "Godspeed, Uzumaki."

 

Naruto stood alone in the field for a moment longer, the wind carrying away the last wisps of smoke from the battlefield. The decision before him was clear, yet heavy with the weight of all that had happened here.

 

He touched the cloth bundle in his pocket and made his choice.

 

“Good luck, son.”

 

Flashback ends

 

After recollecting that memory, Naruto opened his eyes and looked back at himself in the mirror, and then pulled out his WESTAR-35 blasters and holstered them away before he grabbed his helmet.

 

“Naruto! We’re arriving on Geonosis, prepare yourself for landing.”

 

Hearing that over the intercom, Naruto sat down somewhere and prepared himself as he awaited the landing, as the senato’s starship would enter the planet’s orbit soon.

 

“You know I can sense you, right, Sasuke?”

 

A slight rustling of fabric came from the nearby dressing room before the door slid open. Sasuke stepped out, his dark hair contrasting sharply with the light-colored Jedi robes he wore. His hand rested casually on the lightsaber at his belt.

 

"If you knew I was here, why didn't you say anything sooner?" Sasuke asked, his voice carrying that familiar coolness Naruto remembered from their childhood. “I’m surprised you’re giving a sober tone while talking to me.”

 

Naruto shrugged, adjusting his Mandalorian vambrace. "Figured you'd come out when you were ready. Besides, I've known about your recruitment into the Jedi Order for months."

 

Sasuke's eyebrow raised slightly. "How? The Council has been discreet about new initiations-”

 

"Hinata told me," Naruto replied, with him not facing the Uchiha Jedi, busy checking his Vambrace. "When I was on Coruscant, she and I got into a brief moment of talking. Did you think she wouldn't mention running into you at the Temple?"

 

The ship jolted slightly as it entered Geonosis' atmosphere, the hull creaking under the pressure change. Sasuke steadied himself against the wall, his expression unchanging despite the turbulence.

 

"So," Naruto continued, securing his helmet under his arm, "We’ll talk once we land on the planet, seeing you need to keep your presence unknown, it's the best for all of us.”

 

Seeing how Naruto has grown, Sasuke decided to go along and nods as he watches Naruto go off through the open door and leave the Uchiha in the dressing room.

 

---

 

[Coruscant]

As it was late in the night, walking through the halls of the Galactic Senate, Mace Windu went up to join Grand Master Yoda as both Jedi began observing the emergency session that was called in upon the revelations on Geonosis, with representative Jar Jar Binks having the word given by the Chairman, addressing now the entire senate.

 

“It’s-a clear desa separatists made a pact wesa desa Federation du trade…” Jar Jar Binks spoke to the senate as he was joined by one of Padmé’s security detail, Captain Gregar Typho, as the Gungan continued to address, “Senators, dellow felagates: In response to this direct threat to the Republic…mesa propose that the senate give immediate emergency powers to the supreme Chancellor.”

 

By this call, it was in a matter of mere seconds, joined by shouts of agreement and cheers from senators across the room. Surprisingly, even Jar Jar, who smiled seeing the support, was big among his peers who just moments ago would laugh at him.

 

“Palpatine! Palpatine!” 

 

The shouts of agreement were overwhelming, many and invoked any dissendents or even doubters who stood there in silence, among those who sat silent was Jiraiya himself who just crossed his arms and observed all of this.

 

“Order!” Mas Amedda, the Chairman, called out firmly. “We shall have order!” His authoritative voice demanded attention. Next to him, Palpatine stood up to address the thousands of senators waiting for his response, responding to a request for power that didn't even require a vote at this point.

 

“It is with great reluctance that I have agreed upon this calling…” Palpatine spoke somberly on this request, “I love democracy, I love the Republic. The power you give me, I will lay down when this crisis is abated.”

 

Briefly joined by clapping from the senators, Palpatine resumed, again with a few exceptions like Jiraiya, who stood out, among also Lady Chiyo who sat there by herself like the Sannin.

 

“And as my first act with this new authority…I will create a grand army of the Republic to counter the increasing threats of the separatists.”

Once the short but affirmative speech was concluded, the Jedi who were observing it were then making their conclusions, with Windu turning to the Grand Master.

 

“It is done.”

 

Yoda grunted in response, having witnessed the whole beginning, he said no word as Windu stood back up.

 

“I will take what Jedi we have left and go to Geonosis and help Obi-Wan.” 

 

“Visit I will the cloners on Kamino,” Yoda said what his plan was, “and see this army they have created for the Republic.”

As Mace Windu nodded in agreement, the atmosphere in the chamber shifted. The buzz of excitement thrummed like a distant storm, rippling through the assembled senators. Palpatine, with a practiced ease, turned back to address them once more. Palpatine raised his hand, silencing the renewed applause. His face, illuminated by the chamber's blue glow, appeared grave yet resolute.

 

"Furthermore," he continued, his voice carrying effortlessly through the vast rotunda, "based on the comprehensive evidence presented in the Kessel Committee reports, I hereby decree that the abolitionist group known as Ölüm shall be designated as a terrorist organization across all Republic territories."

 

A murmur rippled through the Senate chamber. Several representatives from the Outer Rim territories nodded in agreement, while others exchanged concerned glances.

 

"Their actions against legitimate business interests and Republic citizens can no longer be tolerated, despite their beliefs of being abolitionists; terrorism has no say in a democracy." Palpatine's voice hardened. "This designation will enable our security forces to act decisively against this threat."

 

Mace Windu's brow furrowed deeply. He leaned toward Yoda, keeping his voice low. Protesting on this.

 

"This is an overreach. The Ölüm have committed unspeakable acts, yes, but their cause—"

 

"Complicated, this matter is," Yoda interrupted, his ancient eyes narrowing. "Against slavery they stand, but violent their methods have become. Yet timing of this decree, suspicious it is."

 

"The Council advised against this specific action," Windu responded, his displeasure evident. "This will only inflame tensions in regions where the Ölüm have popular support, let alone this will make any effort of dismantling them through peaceful means be for nothing."

 

Below them, Jiraiya shifted in his seat, his expression darkening as he watched several senators from worlds with questionable labor practices applaud enthusiastically. Lady Chiyo remained motionless, though her eyes had narrowed to slits.

 

Palpatine spread his arms wide, his voice rising with practiced emotion. "Let it be known that the Republic stands firmly against all who would use violence to destabilize our great democracy. We shall have security. We shall have peace."

 

The chamber erupted in thunderous approval, drowning out any possibility of dissent. The die was cast—both for war and for a new, more stringent definition of who constituted an enemy of the Republic.

 

"Too easily they give away liberty," Yoda murmured, almost to himself. "Too eagerly they embrace fear."

 

Windu nodded grimly, already turning to leave. "We must move quickly. I sense darker currents at work here than mere politics."

 

---

[Geonosis]

Upon touching down on the rugged terrain of Geonosis, the ship's landing gear settled with a low thud against the rocky surface. Anakin and Padmé scanned the landscape, locating a discreet landing spot nestled between a cluster of jagged rocks, not far from the coordinates where they believed Obi-Wan last reported his position. 

 

As the engines hummed to a halt, a tense silence enveloped the cockpit. Anakin deftly shut down the controls while Padmé adjusted herself, her expression a mix of determination and concern. Just then, Naruto entered the cockpit, his dark cloak swirling around him like a shadow, effectively concealing his intricate armor beneath. He keenly observed the senator and the Jedi, noticing their readiness and resolve as they prepared to venture into the unknown dangers that awaited them on the planet's surface.

 

“You guys ready?” Naruto asked, his voice steady and confident, while he discreetly held his helmet beneath his cloak, concealing it from view. “Because I am.”

 

“Good, me too,” Padmé responded, rising gracefully from her seat. She reached for her elegant white cloak, draping it over her shoulders with practiced ease, the fabric settling smoothly over her form. A blaster, sleek and formidable, rested securely on her hip. “Let’s go.”

 

“Hey,” Anakin turned his head sharply towards her, concern etched across his features, “What are you doing?”

 

“To find Obi-Wan,” Padmé replied with a determined glint in her eyes, “Why?”

 

Anakin swiftly got up, crossing the short distance to her, “No! You're not!” His hand reached for her arm, gripping it with urgency.

 

“Let go of me!” Padmé retorted, her voice firm as she pulled her arm free from his grasp with a decisive yank.

 

“I’m not letting you go out there.” Anakin insisted, his tone edged, “It’s too dangerous.”

 

“What?!” Padmé exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief and defiance.

 

“It’s my job to protect you. I said it’s too dangerous.” Anakin declared, his words final and unwavering, “You’re not going, and that’s final!”

 

“Don’t you give me orders, Annie!” Padmé shot back, her voice a blend of authority and indignation. “I’m a Senator of the Galactic Republic. You have no authority to contain me, restrain me, or direct me! You remember your place, young man.” Her eyes bore into his, unyielding in their resolve. “Now you can come along and protect me, or stay here. It’s up to you.” With that, Padmé turned on her heel and strode out of the cockpit of the Naboo Starfighter, her cloak billowing behind her like a banner of defiance.

 

Left in the wake of her departure, the two young men stood in silence. Naruto, feeling the tension in the air, shifted uncomfortably. He watched as Anakin, his expression a mixture of frustration and determination, hurried after her with quick, decisive steps. Leaving the blond by himself and the two droids.

 

R2 made a series of beeps and said something only the protocol droid understood.

 

“Yes, it is, R2. Most confusing. One moment they're generating a pleasant mutual attraction, and the next, waves of violent hostility. Even though I'm programmed to understand them, I doubt if I ever shall.”

 

"That's because they're in love," Naruto said to the droid.

The protocol droid's head swiveled toward him with mechanical precision. "I beg your pardon, sir? Love? But they were just engaged in what humans call an 'argument.' My programming indicates that such hostility is contradictory to affection."

 

R2-D2 whistled a series of confused beeps.

 

"Yeah, well, that's exactly how you know," Naruto replied, finding himself explaining to a droid. "All that tension between them? The way they can't help but push each other's buttons? Classic signs."

 

"Most peculiar," C-3PO responded, his metallic voice somehow conveying genuine bewilderment. "My databanks contain extensive information on human courtship rituals, but such contradictory behavior seems most inefficient."

 

Wanting to answer, Naruto then wonders to himself why he was explaining human relationships to droids before he groans and walks off to the ramp, saying.

 

“Droids…”

Chapter 31: Bugs and intruders in the Foundry

Beta Reader: Sheer Cold

Well, I'm still on a roll writing fics, so I am keeping it short.

Enjoy.

---

[Tatooine]

 

On a regular rotation of the planet, the spaceport of Mos Espa would get ships of all sizes, from large freighters to smaller and faster vessels, and even the occasional scrap heap barely considered spaceworthy would land there. With such traffic, all sorts of business was done nearby, ships may only be here temporarily for refueling, dropping off cargo, or in case somebody needed to lay low on the planet that’s far away from any jurisdiction. 

 

Waiting in the middle of a crowd of recent arrivals and those ready to depart onto ships, Hera Syndulla and Chewbacca were both standing outside and waiting for one ship’s doors to open.

 

The newly arrived ship was an AA-9 Freighter-Liner, a freighter that was commonly used by the Refugee Relief Movement, which normally wouldn’t land on this planet. It was making a pit stop here, and as the shuttle doors opened, walking out came a crowd of people.

 

Among the disembarking passengers, a cloaked figure moved with deliberate caution, his face obscured beneath a deep hood. Chewbacca let out a low growl, alerting Hera to the man's presence.

 

"I see him," Hera whispered, her lekku twitching slightly. She warned the Wookie, "Remember, no names until we're clear."

 

The cloaked figure—Tarik Karim, though few would recognize him in this disguise—kept his head down as he navigated through the bustling crowd. Walking with a prosthetic leg and one piece of luggage in his one hand, he didn’t stand out much from the many refugees he had been with on the journey out of the Terran System, with an outgrown beard and dark hair a bit longer than previous. The young man in his thirties spotted the two sentient friends of his and smiled.

 

“Tarik Karim,” Hera approached the Urzik man with a smile, “Assalamu Alaikum.”

 

"Wa alaikum assalam," Tarik replied quietly, his voice hoarse from the journey. He glanced around nervously before stepping closer to embrace Hera in the traditional greeting, pressing his cheek briefly against hers on both sides. “Ah, it's good to be with friends again,”

 

“Good to see you, Tarik.”

 

Chewbacca growled and slapped the Urzik man’s shoulder as he took the luggage from the man’s hand. The trio walked further down the entrance of the spaceport, among the crowd who were dubious about the fact that a leader of a newly designated terrorist organisation was walking among them.

 

“I’m so sorry you have to go through this, being forced into exile…”

 

“No need to apologise, Hera,” Tarik spoke with a chuckle escaping from his mouth as he pulled a cigarette out from underneath his cloak and put it into his mouth, “I’ve been expecting this for a long time now.”

 

Hera looked confused, but kept on listening.

 

“Ever since they put me under house arrest back home, I knew the Republic would eventually pressure the US government to hand me over. Being labeled a war hero only protects you for so long when politics get involved."

 

Hera's lekku twitched with concern as she studied his surprisingly calm demeanor. "You don't seem bothered by it."

 

Tarik struck a match and lit his cigarette, taking a long drag before exhaling slowly. "Over ten years of military service teaches you to read the writing on the wall. The moment Chancellor Palpatine started making noise about 'accountability for extremist abolitionists,' I knew my time was running short. Better to leave on my terms than in Republic binders."

 

They moved through the crowded spaceport, Chewbacca's imposing presence clearing a path ahead of them. The Wookiee's keen senses remained alert for any signs of trouble, his bowcaster within easy reach.

 

"The Refugee Relief Movement was surprisingly accommodating," Tarik continued, flicking ash from his cigarette. "Seems they have their grievances with the Republic's immigration policies, which made for interesting conversation during the journey. That's nothing compared to what I had been hearing from local law enforcement.”

 

"Oh?" Hera's interest piqued. "What about the local law enforcement?"

 

Tarik's eyes darkened momentarily, a ghost of tension crossing his features before his casual demeanor returned. "Back in Hurriyah, many of the local and state cops knew me well enough after we fought alongside each other in the Zyggeria-Terran War, so that ended up with many of them being sympathetic to me and my folks, even some even looked the other way when it came to my... activism." 

 

He took another long drag, the smoke curling around his face like memories he couldn't quite shake. Despite having recovered from pneumonia, the man was still a regular smoker.

 

"There was a lot of sympathy I got, even when I was confined to my property, I felt like even my prison guards in their armored trucks and choppers didn’t want to be there, let alone deal with the thousands of protesters coming every week. Let alone the fanmail I got,” He glanced over his shoulder, a habit formed from years of vigilance. "When the Feds finally came for me with the team of Republic law enforcement and a Zygerrian ‘envoy’ that came on the grounds of arresting me on war crimes, I had about a three-hour head start. One of the attorneys tipped me off just when I was branded a terrorist and set to be extradited to Coruscant.”

 

Chewbacca growled softly, a sound that conveyed understanding.

 

"So when they came, they waited, and waited, and just when they decided to enter, I crossed the border into Mexico. That night, I got in touch with Father Iberra’s people, " Tarik continued, his voice lower now. "Spent the whole night moving throughout Mexico before I could arrange a proper exile, and now I am here, starting my journey into space once again.”

 

“Father Iberra?” Hera asked, her eyes showing curiosity, “Is he still alive?”

 

“Alive and fighting in Mexico, and he’s part of the reason why the federal government is scared shitless of me.” Tarik chuckled as he explained to the Twi’lek and the Wookie, “Joseph ‘Padre’ Iberra had started his fight against the cartels and whatever outside group like the Black Sun and Pykes who were trying to set up shop after the war. He and his followers started a campaign against them, and eventually the government found itself on the wrong side of the Father’s anger, so he started a campaign against them too.”

 

Exiting the spaceport, a few Naboo Flash Speeders were waiting for them, carrying armed Ölüm fighters in disguises. Hera, Chewbacca, and Tarik entered the middle one before they all took off in the convoy.

 

"The cartels underestimated him," Tarik said, flicking ash from his cigarette. "They thought he was just another priest with a big mouth. The Pykes figured they could muscle in on traditional smuggling routes while everyone was distracted by post-war reconstruction. Black Sun tried to join in, too, and take over." He shook his head with dark amusement. "They all learned the hard way that Padre Iberra wasn't just preaching from the pulpit."

 

Hera leaned forward slightly. "What exactly did he do?"

 

"Started with protecting his parish, then his town, then his entire region. Built a network of followers who knew the terrain better than any cartel sicario or government federale." Tarik's expression was reminiscent as he brought up the fight. "Every town, every road, factory, commune, wherever there were Ölüm sympathizers loyal to Iberra working for him. When I met him, he'd already seized control of three major border crossings. Not just the illegal smuggling tunnels—the legitimate ports of entry, too. Every truck, every cargo container, every person trying to cross gets their approval first."

 

Chewbacca rumbled a question.

 

"Exactly," Tarik nodded to the Wookiee as he stared down the road, sitting next to the drive. "Commerce ground to a halt. The government can't move goods north, the Americans can't get their imports south of the border, and the cartels can't smuggle so much as a gram of spice through their territory. He showed brute force against the cartels and their paid off cops, without caring if it was in the public, even leaving dead corrupt officials on the border town for us to see—but it is his war against drug trafficking that is causing the US government to be scared of him, and also me.”

 

“How so?” Hera asked.

 

"Addiction to drugs," Tarik said, watching the sandy homes of Mos Espa blur past the speeders. "Iberra gave them a taste of withdrawal. Suddenly, the pockets of American dealers were getting empty. Supply chains collapsed.”

 

The Ölüm driver chimed in while taking a turn and following the lead vehicle, “That must've got people antsy.”

 

“Antsy? It got major cities to go through major withdrawal, causing the economy to take a hit. DC was about to explode against Mexico, because signs of a recession were imminent.” Tarik said. "The American President’s White House tried to call Joseph," Tarik shook his head, "But he was not having any of it.”

 

The convoy of speeders ended up in a closed-off district where Ölüm fighters and sentries had the area secured. After they pulled to a stop, Hera, Tarik, and Chewbacca stepped out.

 

“The governments of both the U.S. and Mexico assumed that I was pulling the strings behind Iberra, but they failed to realize that the command is decentralized. Iberra was acting independently, with support from the local populace and other Ölüm veterans who had escaped to Mexico,” Tarik explained as Chewbacca handed over his luggage. They entered a large warehouse, with Hera walking beside him. “Now…let’s talk about our current chain of command here in space. Fill me in.”

 

“I’ll be honest with you, Tarik, it's been a bit of a mess,” Hera said while gesturing for the Urzik to sit down at a crate along a wooden table. After she joined him, Hera continued to explain, “With Ibrahim Rida, Jimmy Reygadas, and…Adrik Yahontov still on the Terran planet, leadership fell largely on me, Chewbacca, and Naruto…”

 

Hearing that, the Terran man looked between Hera and Chewbacca, taking a moment to realize how much pressure there was on the non-Terran leadership, especially in these dire circumstances. The understanding prompted him to press a question that's been on his mind for a while.

 

“Naruto’s been working hard, I heard?” Tarik asked about the young blond, “From what I’ve been told, he managed to keep things afloat.”

 

Hera nodded, “On his part, yes. With Mutani and some others, but it came at a heavy cost, Tarik.” She reminded him of his problems: “His Shinobi Village, the Republic, the Zygerrians, anywhere he goes, he’s got a price on his head now.”

 

“Include my government in it, too. We’ll be hunted for a while now,” Tarik said as he was served a drink by another Ölüm volunteer. Tarik chuckled to himself before mentioning.

 

“That boy certainly made a name for himself.”

 

Flashback

 

[23 BBY - Terran] 

 

“To the shelter!”

 

Panic erupted as people began running to the nearest shelters. One was located underneath a school, where the parents and children dove under desks as armed militias ran for the windows. Ducking for cover, the Zygerrian air assault caused the earth to rock underneath them, a momentary silence after each explosion quickly broken by screams and whimpers. 

 

Dust fell from the ceiling with each tremor, coating the huddled masses in a fine gray powder. The dim emergency lights flickered, casting long shadows across terrified faces. Children clutched their parents, eyes wide with fear, while teachers attempted to maintain some semblance of order despite their own trembling hands. The teenagers alone were unable to cope with this amount of stress.

 

"Everyone, stay calm," Tarik commanded, his voice steady despite the chaos. He positioned himself by the entrance, rifle at the ready. "The shelter's reinforced. We're safer down here than anywhere else."

 

Arriving at last, Naruto stopped at the middle of the stairs, kneeling while aiming his rifle at the door. The red sash around his neck was fluttering slightly with each labored breath. His blue eyes scanned the room briefly, taking in the civilians' reactions to his presence. Some parents pulled their children closer as they noticed the weapon in his hands, whispering warnings not to stare at the young soldier.

 

"They're looking at me, Tarik," Naruto muttered, adjusting the grip on his rifle.

 

"You're a kid with a gun. What do you expect?" Tarik glanced over his shoulder. “Just keep an eye on the door.”

 

Another explosion rocked the shelter, closer this time. The lights went out completely for three terrifying seconds before sputtering back to life. A young girl started sobbing uncontrollably, her cries echoing against the concrete walls.

 

"How long do these raids usually last?" Naruto asked, crouching down to minimize his profile as he moved closer to Tarik.

 

"Could be minutes. Could be hours." Tarik responded out of experience, some dust fell over his head, “It’s not the first time the Zygerrians have bombed our town, trying to put terror here, and it won't be the last.” 

 

“Well, they can try, but it doesn’t scare me, that’s for sure,” Naruto remarked, chuckling to Tarik to make some light out of the situation, “I could sleep with this to be honest.”

 

“You and everyone in this town, too, kid, hehehe,” A chuckle escaped Tarik’s mouth as he patted the blond kid, “Got some elderly folks who have bones of steel—”

 

“That’s enough.”

 

The woman who spoke up was the same one, a teacher who had earlier attempted to reprimand Naruto. Her blonde hair was pulled back, accentuating her poised demeanor. She wore a fitted white shirt that hugged her bust and a sleek black skirt that fell just above her knees. Black heels clicked softly on the floor as she moved, and her glasses perched neatly on her nose, giving her an air of sophistication. A pencil was tucked into her neatly tied-up hair, a testament to her readiness and dedication to her profession.

 

"Put down that rifle, young man. You're far too young to be wielding weapons," she commanded, her voice firm but edged with genuine concern. She stepped closer, her heels echoing in the momentary quiet between distant explosions.

 

Naruto scoffed, deliberately ignoring her as he maintained his position. His fingers tightened around the rifle, blue eyes narrowing with practiced focus on the shelter entrance.

 

"I said, put it down! This isn't a game," she insisted, now addressing Tarik. "What kind of person puts a weapon in a child's hands? He should be hiding with the other children, not—"

 

Tarik turned fully toward her, his eyes widening slightly as recognition dawned on his face. "Rachel? Rachel Harrison?"

 

The teacher faltered, her authoritative posture slipping as she studied his face. "Tarik? Tarik Karim? I... I cannot believe it.” She recalls, “I haven't seen you since college." The professional veneer cracked momentarily before her eyes hardened again, darting between him and Naruto. "Why do you have a child soldier?”

 

"It's not what you think," Tarik replied, keeping his voice low.

 

"Then what is it? Because from where I'm standing, you've armed a boy who can't be older than twelve!"

 

Another explosion, closer this time, sent tremors through the shelter. Dust rained from the ceiling, but neither Tarik nor Rachel broke their stare.

 

"He's not from here, Rachel," Tarik said quietly. "He’s a Shinobi."

 

"A what?"

 

"A ninja, a warrior from another planet, now a volunteer," Tarik glanced at Naruto, who had resumed his vigilant watch of the entrance. “Where he’s from, it is the norm; children his age have already seen more combat than most soldiers here."

 

Rachel's face contorted in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind? Another planet? That's—"

 

"The truth," Naruto interrupted, not bothering to look at her. "And I'm fifteen, not twelve. Turning sixteen, I think—”

 

*BOOM!*

 

The shelter trembled again with a collective gasp from those civilians, and only Tarik and Naruto stood firm, with Tarik holding a reassuring hand on his old childhood friend’s shoulder. Looking up to the ceiling and then back to Naruto, seeing that the boy was focused on the staircase.

 

In the disruption, Naruto took notice of the weapon he was holding, one with a wooden stock and drum magazine. On the side, he was writing in a different language than what he assumed these locals wrote. Confused and hoping for a minor distraction from the ongoing explosions, he asked in mid-bombardment.

 

"Tarik, what is this weapon I’m holding?" Naruto's voice remained steady despite the chaos erupting around them.

 

Tarik glanced down at the submachine gun in the kid’s hands, “That? It's a Suomi KP/-31, a Finnish submachine gun. That one was my father's prized possession." A faint smile crossed his lips even as dust rained from the ceiling. "He collected weapons from the Second World War. Said this one helped the Finns hold off the Russians during the Winter War."

 

Another explosion rocked the shelter, closer this time. The lights again flickered, plunging them momentarily into darkness before sputtering back to life. A child whimpered somewhere in the corner.

 

"Never thought I'd see it being used," Tarik muttered, as he then advised, “Try not to lose it, will you?”

 

"I won't," Naruto replied, testing the weight of the Suomi in his hands. It felt solid, reliable—different from kunai or shuriken, but he could adapt. He always did, in his way.

 

The sound of debris shifting above them drew his attention. Dust floated down in lazy spirals, illuminated by the faltering lights, falling also on top of Naruto’s head.

 

"They're getting closer," one wounded cop holding a pistol observed. He turned to Tarik, "How many are up there?"

 

"Hard to say.” Tarik's face hardened. “The Zygs are throwing everything they've got at us.”

 

A woman clutching a small child to her chest looked up at them, eyes wide with fear. "Are they going to come down here?"

 

Before Tarik could answer, the shelter door at the top of the staircase rattled violently. The explosions were about to collapse the ceiling over the shelter.

 

"Looks like we're about to find out," Naruto said, his voice dropping to a whisper as he moved up the stairs slowly. He positioned himself halfway up, and he raised his gun higher. The drum magazine felt heavy against his palm as he adjusted his grip.

 

“Why?”

 

Naruto's eyes fell to the source of the voice—a dark-skinned girl with silver-white hair, her purple cheerleading outfit stark against the dim stairwell. Her makeup was smudged, but her gaze was steady, unwavering as she looked up at him. It was the cheerleader from earlier, Jessica, and she stood with the other athletic students.

 

"Why fight?" she asked, her voice barely audible above the distant sounds of chaos echoing through the building.

 

Naruto's grip on the weapon loosened slightly, and a familiar warmth spread across his face—the same expression he'd worn countless times before, even in the darkest moments. "Tarik is my friend," he said simply, his voice carrying that unshakeable conviction that had always defined him. "I don't abandon my friends."

 

The girl's eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn't expected such a straightforward answer—

 

“[Tarik! Tarik! They’re attacking, over!]”

 

The comms went off, startling the nearby civilians who had only been hearing their murmuring and the muted thumps of nearby explosions. Urgently, Tarik demanded clarification, “Repeat that.”

 

“[Zygerrian gunships are dropping into the center and southern outskirts! We are engaging in street battles with them now!]”

 

“We’re on our way,” Tarik responded before he ended the comm and called out, “Naruto, let’s go!”

 

“Right!” Naruto responded, dashing up the stairs first.

 

Flashback ends

 

A few growls of approval were heard from Chewbacca after hearing the recalled memories of Tarik about Naruto’s heroism in the Zygerrian-Terran War. It was just one of many similar acts that the blond young adolescent had.

 

Tarik's weathered hands gestured as he spoke, his voice carrying the weight of those distant memories. "You should have seen their faces when he charged into that fight, over and over again. Kids barely out of middle school, huddled together, thinking they were going to die." He paused, glancing toward Hera, whose green eyes had grown distant. "But he would calm them down with his goofy grin and pranks to lighten the mood.”

 

Hera's smile deepened, though the sadness never left her eyes. "He sure went through a lot. From what I was told, he never had a normal childhood," she murmured, her lekku twitching slightly with the emotion she tried to suppress. 

 

"The high schoolers were especially shocked when he came back all covered in dirt or blood, most of it not his," Tarik continued. His scarred face hardened as he recalled, “Those kids didn't know how lucky they were when they found out his whole story. They only learned about it when his background was mentioned in the news.”

 

“The media were flocking to him like flies, I remember. They called him ‘Alien Child Soldier’ and titles like that,” Hera mentions as she sighed in slight annoyance at that, “Has been happening across the galaxy, or even on the other side of their globe.”

 

“Yeah, no need to mention that.” Tarik said as he thought about it, “Where’s that kid anyway?”

 

…

 

[Geonosis]

 

Holding his nose, Naruto made sure not to sneeze again as he followed both Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker through the steaming clouds. Finally, they reached a tunnel, one leading deep into the planet, and followed until they got into a hallway, a dark hallway that ended with a heavy, steel door.

 

In silence, the senator and the Jedi Padawan walked further with Naruto. He had his Mandalorian helmet off; he didn’t need the helmet’s visors or scanners to know they weren’t alone in the room.

 

‘Kid.’

 

‘I know, but they outnumber us, and we’re being followed.’

 

‘Ever since you landed on this planet, yes. But it's not those flying roaches I am worried about-’

 

‘Quite a bigoted statement coming from you, Kurama.’

 

‘Oh, you try to find one person across this planet who can stand the sight of these Geonosians without wanting to crush them. But that’s beside the point: what is following us is not Geonosian.’

 

‘Yes, I know. They're Shinobi.’

 

‘And it's not only one. So watch it.’

 

Taking a few slower steps, Naruto was still walking behind the senator and the Jedi. He held his hand over his blaster as he could hear something from the walls, like groaning and flickering, like bugs disturbed from their slumber.

 

“Wait…” Anakin said as he stopped, as did Padmé. As Naruto caught up, he already started moving to draw his blaster from its holster—

 

“UAHH!”

 

The walls erupted with piercing howls as dozens of Geonosians burst through hidden passages, pouring out into the confined space. Anakin's lightsaber ignited in a brilliant blue flash, the blade sweeping in a deadly arc that cleaved the first attacking Geonosian cleanly in half, its severed torso crashing to the floor in a spray of ichor.

 

Naruto quickly reacted by putting his Mando helmet on and taking aim with his blasters. Twin bolts of crimson energy lanced through the chaos to drop two more of the insectoid warriors before they could reach striking distance. 

 

"This way!" he shouted over the deafening chorus of alien shrieks, pushing Padmé toward the steel door as more Geonosians poured from the walls above.

 

As Anakin's blade carved through another wave of attackers, he briefly turned around to slice one Geonosian in half before entering as the last through the steel door. Slamming the door shut behind him, he ended up resting against the metal barrier for a moment before he could see what had been on the other side. 

 

It was a foundry, a gigantic industrial-scale droid foundry that was building droids in vast numbers. It looked as if it were ready to create an army, hundreds of conveyor belts and robot assembly arms at work, all operating nonstop.

 

Moments after the door closed, the foot path underneath them retracted, causing Padmé to fall—

 

“Padmé!” 

 

Falling, the senator landed on one of the conveyor belts and had to avoid the robotic arms as the belt continued to move. Anakin tried to help her, and he jumped right afterwards, but he had already started to get swarmed by flying Geonosian security.

 

Naruto, still hanging on the door, sighed through his mask as he readied himself to use his jetpack. Flying over the conveyor belts, he pulled out his blaster and began firing on some of the Geonosians who were coming right at him, avoiding their sonic blaster bolts.

 

The red bolts struck down three of the insectoid creatures as they buzzed around the industrial chaos below. Banking left to avoid a swarm of the winged guards, Naruto spotted one of the conveyor belts and angled his descent toward it.

 

His boots hit the moving platform with a metallic clang, and he immediately had to duck as a massive robotic arm swung overhead, sparks flying from its welding torch. The belt carried him deeper into the foundry as half-assembled battle droids rolled past on either side.

 

*FWOOSH!*

 

A sharp whistle cut through the air behind him. Naruto spun just in time to see a kunai darting toward his jetpack's fuel tank. He twisted desperately, but the blade found its mark, puncturing the casing with a hiss of escaping fuel.

 

"Damn!" he cursed, reaching back to fumble with the jetpack's release mechanism, as warning lights began flashing on his HUD. The pack came free just as—

 

*BOOM!*

 

It erupted in a ball of orange flame, the explosion singeing his cape as he hurled it away from the belt. Rolling over a bit on the belt, he tried getting up again, but some of the smoke had gotten into Naruto’s helmet, so he began coughing a bit.

 

Through the smoke and industrial haze, a familiar figure emerged on a parallel conveyor belt.

 

"Well, well, well," came a gruff voice from the left side of the belt system. "If it isn't the famous Uzumaki Naruto." Kitsuchi's massive frame landed heavily on the conveyor, his weight causing the metal to groan as he straightened to his full intimidating height. “We’ve been expecting you.”

 

From the right, Kurotsuchi touched down with considerably more grace, her dark eyes gleaming with recognition beneath her Iwagakure headband. "You can drop the act, Naruto. We know it's you under all that fancy armor."

 

Naruto's hand instinctively moved to his blaster as he rose to his feet, the belt continuing to carry him towards the two Stone Village shinobi. The foundry's machinery roared around them, drowning out the distant sounds of Anakin and Padmé's struggles deeper in the facility.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, his voice modulator giving his words a mechanical edge. "I'm just here to look after the senator and the padawan.”

 

Kurotsuchi smirked, performing a series of hand signs even as she balanced effortlessly on the moving belt. "Lava Style: Quicklime Jutsu!”

 

She expelled a stream of the caustic white substance from her mouth, the quicklime hissing as it cut through the air toward Naruto. He threw himself sideways, rolling off the edge of his conveyor belt just as the corrosive material splashed where he'd been standing, eating through the metal with a violent sizzle.

 

His armored form dropped onto the belt below, landing in a crouch between two partially assembled destroyer droids. Without missing a beat, he kicked off the platform and leaped to another moving conveyor, putting distance between himself and the deadly jutsu.

 

"Nice try," he called back from underneath his helmet, but he stood firm as he scoffed, "But you'll have to do better than that, dattebayo!"

 

Kitsuchi grunted and launched himself across the gap between belts, his massive fist aimed at Naruto's head. The former Konoha Nin ducked under the blow and responded with a lightning-fast uppercut that caught the giant under the chin, snapping his head back.

 

"Impossible," Kitsuchi muttered, shaking off the strike. "That armor should be restricting your movement."

 

Naruto just chuckled, settling into a fighting stance as Kurotsuchi bounded over to join them on the same belt. He blocked a kick from the kunoichi with his forearm, then spun to avoid another crushing blow from Kitsuchi. As Kurotsuchi tried to attack Naruto from behind, he moved freely despite his Beskar armor, quickly dodging between the two Iwa Nin’s rapid assault attempts.

 

The two Iwagakure ninja exchanged glances, both impressed despite their prejudices by the fluid way Naruto moved in the bulky armor, seamlessly transitioning between blocks and counterattacks as the conveyor belt carried them deeper into the foundry's mechanical heart. Interrupting the standoff, two more Geonosians appeared from out of nowhere and began firing their sonic blasters at the helmet-wearing blond.

 

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, raising his armored forearms to deflect the sonic blasts. The energy crackled against the metal plating, sending vibrations through his bones. The conveyor belt lurched beneath his feet as more Geonosians swarmed from the shadows of the foundry, their chittering voices echoing off the metallic walls.

 

Without hesitation, Naruto leaped from the moving belt, his armored form plummeting toward the molten depths below. The heat rose to meet him, distorting the air around his falling figure.

 

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kurotsuchi snarled, her dark eyes flashing with fury. She launched herself after him, her body cutting through the superheated air. "Damn bugs!”

 

Kitsuchi sighed and jumped right after his daughter, knowing her temper, she would get herself into a problem sooner or later.

 

…

 

“Shiiiit!” 

 

Naruto had fallen a great distance by the time he landed on a conveyor belt. Though he did his best to dissipate his momentum, he hit his knee hard, despite wearing protective padding. Grunting for a moment out of frustration, he stood back up, instinctively dodging the robotic arms around him. After adjusting his helmet, he presumed he was alone for the moment and decided to use his rangefinder to locate the others.

 

Looking through the visor's rangefinder, he spotted Skywalker battling a group of Geonosians with his lightsaber while simultaneously destroying multiple mechanical robots. Padmé was doing her best to avoid being crushed by the conveyor belt machines, and the Protocol droid was calmly wandering nearby, while the astromech droid flew around.

 

“Talk about going in blind…” Naruto groaned to himself, hoping to quickly return to the others. They were in dire need of somebody to help turn the tide, after what he had just observed. He just needed to figure out how they were going to get back together with all these flying guards around, mumbling, “What a mess.”

 

“Found ya!”

 

Naruto whirled around just as Kurotsuchi's feet connected with his helmet, the impact reverberating through his skull like a gong. His vision swam, stars exploding behind his visor as he staggered backward. The foundry spun around him, machines and molten metal blurring before he took a few steps back.

 

"Not so tough in that fancy armor, are you?" Kurotsuchi taunted, already following through with another kick aimed at his chest.

 

This time, despite his rattled senses, Naruto's hand shot out with trained precision, catching her ankle mid-strike. He tightened his grip, beskar-clad fingers digging into her shin.

 

"Nice try," he growled, the vocoder in his helmet giving his voice a mechanical edge. "But I don't fall for the same trick twice."

 

Kurotsuchi growled as she went on the assault she throwing hands at Naruto, who did his best to block every punch and kick she was throwing at him. Despite the industrial danger they were in while on the moving conveyor, it was an exhilarating duel.

 

*STAMP!*

The metal stamper behind them caused them to briefly pause so they wouldn’t be crushed, but the respite was brief, and once the heavy machine had cleared, they continued to battle. Like the two were in sync, they both switched to attempting grabs and grapples. At one moment, they had each locked onto the other, Kurotsuchi glaring at Naruto's helmet, and beneath the visor, Naruto was staring back just as strongly. The conveyor belt lurched beneath them as they grappled, carrying them toward another set of mechanical arms that sparked and hissed with each movement. Kurotsuchi twisted her body, using their combined momentum to toss Naruto sideways, but he held firm to her grip.

 

"You're persistent," she hissed through gritted teeth, sweat beading on her forehead from the foundry's heat. "But persistence won't save you here."

 

In one fluid motion, she released her hold and reached for the curved blade at her hip. The metal sang as it cleared its sheath, the edge gleaming orange in the molten light of the factory. Without hesitation, she brought it down in a vicious arc.

 

The blade struck his chestplate with a shower of sparks, the beskar holding against the steel. But Kurotsuchi was already adjusting, her eyes tracking the gaps in his armor with practiced precision. She reversed her grip and thrust upward, finding the joint where his shoulder met his torso.

 

"Gah!" Naruto's cry echoed through his vocoder as the blade bit deep into exposed flesh, crimson seeping through the gap in his protection. Pain lanced through his arm, but he forced himself to grab her wrist before she could twist the blade deeper.

 

"Damn it!" he snarled, but Kurotsuchi was already moving. She planted both feet against his chest and kicked with explosive force, sending him stumbling backward toward the edge of their conveyor.

 

His boots scraped against metal as he fought for balance, but the slick surface offered no purchase. The world tilted, and suddenly he was airborne again, falling through the industrial maze toward—

 

*CRASH!*

 

Naruto’s body planted against a metal wall as he landed back on his feet, but saw that the Iwa Kunoichi ran towards him with her blade.

 

Naruto raised his arm just as her blade came down—

 

*CLASH!*

 

The Beskar vambrace deflected the strike with a cascade of sparks. The force of the blow sent vibrations up his injured arm, but he gritted his teeth and pivoted on his heel. His elbow shot out, the counter-strike catching Kurotsuchi in the ribs and sending her stumbling sideways.

 

She recovered quickly, spinning the blade in her grip before lunging forward again. This time, Naruto was ready. He caught her wrist and twisted, using her momentum to slam her against the wall he'd just impacted. The metal rang like a bell under the force.

 

"You want to play with knives?" he growled, his free hand moving to his belt. The kunai hilt felt cold against his palm.

 

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon, but her grip on her blade never wavered. "Finally remembered your roots, Son of the Yellow Flash?”

 

“I don’t know who you’re talking about, but allow me to show you something," Naruto replied, bringing the Kunai up in a defensive stance. "Something better."

 

She feinted left, then struck right, her steel blade meeting the kunai as they both began exchanging metal in deadly steadiness and speed. The two managed to dodge each other’s attack, despite the building injuries, with the final—

 

*CLANK!*

 

Once again, they clashed fiercely, their faces mere inches apart, locked in a tense showdown that crackled with intensity. Glaring at each other, their breaths mingled in the air, each one filled with determination. Powering through his injuries, Naruto refused to back down, his resolve burning bright as he faced Kurotsuchi. 

 

Refusing to concede defeat, his blood-covered hand shot out—

 

!!!

 

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened as she felt an invisible force suddenly grip her body, her muscles locking in place against her will. 

 

"What—" she gasped, struggling against the unseen restraint that held her frozen.

 

Naruto's blue eyes seemed to shimmer with otherworldly energy as he raised his hand, fingers spread wide. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice carrying a strange resonance that seemed to vibrate through the very air around them. “But I am ending this fight!”

 

The kunoichi's shock was palpable as she realized this wasn't any jutsu she recognized. Her body tremors as she tries to move-

 

“Rah!” Naruto used the Force and pushed her away, far enough across the foundry that she couldn't return in time to stop him. In the distance, a resounding thunk rang out from the impact, and Kurotsuchi let out a cry of shocked pain that was too distant to be heard by the blond.

 

*CLINK!*

 

The sound of Naruto’s kunai dropping felt far louder to his tired mind. Collapsing to his knees, the Force energy dissipated from around him like smoke. The effort of using such power while wounded had drained him considerably, and dark spots danced at the edges of his vision. His left shoulder throbbed with each heartbeat, warm blood seeping through his fingers as he pressed them against the gash, unaided, it was almost gushing out of his body.

 

With his free hand, he reached up and disengaged the seals on his beskar helmet. The familiar hiss of the environmental systems shutting down filled his ears as he pulled it off, revealing sweat-matted blond hair and a face pale from blood loss. The hot air of the foundry hit his skin, a stark contrast to the regulated atmosphere within the Mandalorian armor.

 

"Dammit," he muttered, examining the wound as best he could. Kurotsuchi's blade had cut deeper than he'd initially thought, slicing through the gap in his armor plating with surgical precision. He needed to stop the bleeding before he lost consciousness.

 

Naruto tore a strip of fabric from his undersuit and fashioned a makeshift bandage, gritting his teeth as he pulled it tight around his shoulder. The pain was excruciating, but he'd endured worse…

 

"Damn it… I could use your help right now, Sas—"

 

"Don't move, Uzumaki."

 

Naruto felt a presence above him and noticed a katana blade poised to strike, held by Kitsuchi. The Iwa shinobi glared at him with intense eyes, ready to decapitate him, yet remained eerily composed.

 

"Move… and you're dead…."

 

*FWOOSH!*

 

The noise of a jetpack drew Naruto's attention upwards to see Jango Fett hovering, his WESTAR-34 blaster trained on the Iwa shinobi. Jango issued a warning as he kept his weapon aimed at Kitsuchi rather than the injured blond.

 

"Whatever you're planning, I advise against it," Jango said firmly. "He's under arrest by order of Count Dooku."

 

The metallic clank of rolling destroyer droids echoed throughout the foundry. Three droidekas unfurled from their wheel forms, energy shields humming to life as they surrounded Naruto in a triangle formation. Their twin blaster cannons tracked his every movement, ready to fire at the slightest provocation.

 

Kitsuchi's eyes narrowed, calculating his odds against both Jango and the droidekas. After a tense moment, he slowly withdrew his katana, taking two deliberate steps back to disengage. Turning around, he started jumping high towards the direction where his daughter was sent off, leaving Jango Fett to walk over to Naruto’s side and look at the blond in his eyes through his visor.

 

“Take him away!”

 

👍

Chapter 32: Petranaki Arena

Okay, here's the next chapter - something to end the weekend with, hopefully you all will enjoy it and I can sleep into Monday good.

Enjoy it as I have so too, shoutout to Sheer Cold and my boy Lucius Walker for helping make this project possible, send some support to him

Enjoy!

---

[Tatooine]

 

The sound of roaring engines filled the air as, to the sides of the road, civilians, merchants, and slaves watched in astonishment as a line of vehicles rumbled through the streets. Ignoring the stunned civilians as if they were nothing more than ants, the strange-looking vehicles left trails of dust behind with their tracks.

 

The locals scattered, pressing themselves against mud-brick walls as the convoy thundered past. Atop the lead BMP-2, a militant with a balaclava looked on defiantly, one hand gripping a support rail while the other cradled a modified S-5 rifle. His black headwrap fluttered violently in the wind. On top of the vehicles were also other militants; all of them were Ölüm and carried a variety of firearms.

 

"Move!" shouted one of the fighters. “Out of the way!”

 

A Rodian vendor overturned his fruit cart in his haste to escape, sending melon-like orbs rolling beneath the tracks. He watched helplessly as his produce was dispassionately crushed by the passing convoy: dozens of vehicles on wheels, tracks, and speeders, all of them carrying recently arrived Ölüm fighters.

 

In the marketplace ahead, merchants frantically packed up their wares. The once-bustling bazaar emptied within moments, as word of the approaching convoy spread like wildfire. A technical with a heavy repeating blaster welded to its bed skidded around a corner, the gunner swinging his weapon in wide, threatening arcs, and three modified landspeeders zoomed ahead of the main force, heralding more to come.

 

Waiting in the marketplace stood their commander, Tarik Karim, alongside Captain Hera Syndulla and Chewbacca. They were watching the amassing forces of the Ölüm, who had just been called in as an emergency procedure, following the recent announcements. All of this came after news that the terrorist designation had become final, and also the last report that they could have expected:

 

“Are you sure your intel is valid?” Hera asked, looking very uneasy as she turned to her friend. “From Coruscant? Raxus Prime?”

 

“Yes, unfortunately, as of now, we are on our own,” Tarik stated. He had a stern look at his men who started occupying the market, seeing more men entering the premises, before he continued, “With Palpatine given emergency powers, he’s just put a warrant on all our heads, and since Raxus Prime is doing the same, we are now stuck.”

 

“So we mobilize our ranks…”

 

“And with the findings of those Tusken massacres, it's only a matter of time before those responsible will also react,” Tarik said, shaking his head at the thought. “This planet’s going to be a war zone, whether we like it or not.”

 

“Oh dear…”

 

Chewbacca let out a low, rumbling growl that conveyed his understanding of their predicament better than words ever could. His massive hands flexed around his bowcaster as he surveyed the organized chaos unfolding around them.

 

"Twenty thousand fighters," Tarik continued, his voice cutting through the noise of engines and shouted orders. "We'll spread them across every settlement: Mos Eisley, Mos Espa, Bestine, even the smaller moisture farming communities. The desert will be our ally."

 

A dust-covered lieutenant jogged up to their position, his breathing heavy from exertion. "Commander, the weapon caches have been distributed to grid sectors seven through twelve.”

 

"Good. What about communications?"

 

"Encrypted channels established. There's continued movement of supplies, and we've established contact with some of the Tusken Raider tribes through Mutani.”

 

"Keep our men on high alert. I want eyes everywhere and our defense positions reinforced. And Lieutenant," Tarik ordered, his voice firm, "make sure our fighters understand: no provocations. We defend, we don't aggress...not yet."

 

The lieutenant nodded sharply before jogging back toward the convoy's rear guard.

 

Tarik turned to Hera, whose lekku twitched with evident concern. The Twi'lek captain's eyes scanned the perimeter, calculating risks with the precision of a seasoned rebel.

 

"The Hutts won't tolerate a full-scale conflict on their territory," she said quietly. "They've maintained control over Tatooine for centuries precisely by preventing anyone else from establishing a power base."

 

"Which is why we need to speak with Jabba," Tarik replied, adjusting his tactical vest. "Better to negotiate terms now than face his cartel as another enemy."

 

“Sir! Sir!” 

 

The three Ölüm officers shifted their attention toward the breathless runner, a human hailing from the Terran sector. He was puffing as though he had just completed a grueling marathon, his face flushed, and beads of sweat glistened on his brow as he fumbled to retrieve a folded message from his pocket. With urgency etched across his features, he handed the parchment to Tarik.

 

“From Geonosis, sir,” he panted, his voice quivering with anxiety. “Just an hour ago.”

 

Tarik carefully unfolded the letter, his heart pounding with a mixture of dread and anticipation. As his gaze swept across the ornate, inked words sprawled on the parchment, disbelief enveloped him; the contents were staggering, defying all reason and understanding.

 

“Hera! Dispatch a team to Geonosis without delay!” He turned urgently to the imposing figure of the Twi’lek at his side. “Chewbacca! Round up every Neimoidian and Geonosian merchant involved in slavery that you can find on this planet.”

 

Hera, her eyes widening in surprise, asked, “Tarik?”

 

“Geonosians have just arrested Naruto—and sentenced him to death.”

 

…

 

[Geonosis]

 

Inside one of the many catacombs, deprived of any light or privacy, numerous Geonosian warriors eyed one person in the room who stood apart. He was tied up and surrounded by guards making hostile sounds, beyond angry at the person who had slain one of their fellow Geonosians.

 

*PUNCH!*

 

They were, however, not given the privilege of handing out their version of justice against the captured Naruto Uzumaki, who lay there stripped of his beskar armor, weaponry, and even mask. Instead, he received another fierce fist across the face from a different captor: the Iwa shinobi Kitsuchi. The brutal hit sent a fresh spray of crimson across the dusty stone floor, and Naruto was unable to move, let alone defend himself, as Akatsuchi maintained his iron grip on the prisoner's arms from behind, ensuring he wouldn’t move or face away. Everybody in the room knew that the 3rd Tsuchikage’s son was far from finished.

 

"Still not talking?" Kitsuchi growled, his voice a low rumble. He flexed his bloodied knuckles, each movement a reminder of his brutality, a performance that promised violence if he didn't get what he wanted. "No worries, I’ll make you talk. The Tsuchikage demands answers about your infiltration, and he wants them now."

 

The beating had taken a visible toll on Naruto's once-boyish face, transforming it into a canvas of pain; his eyes were only partially open, swollen and bruised, while a fresh cut split his lip, blood mingling with dirt. Despite this, a fierce defiance burned in his bright blue eyes, which shone like shards of sapphire against the backdrop of darkening shadows surrounding him. Instead of yielding, he spat a mouthful of blood onto Kitsuchi's boots, the crimson splatter a symbol of his unwillingness to submit.

 

"I've got nothing to say to you or your rock-headed leader," he retorted, his voice steady despite the odds stacked against him.

 

Above them, the buzzing of Geonosian wings intensified, the insectoid warriors circling like a tempest in anticipation. Chirps and clicks filled the air, creating a cacophony that echoed off the damp stone walls of the catacombs, and their translucent wings shimmered in the scarce light that barely filtered through the darkness, illuminating the grim scene with an otherworldly glint. 

 

Grabbed by the jaw, Naruto was forced to face the Iwa nin Kitsuchi.

 

"You dare disrespect us after what you did to my daughter? Kurotsuchi still bears the scars of your attack. For that alone, I should break every bone in your body." Kitsuchi snarled, his grip tightening painfully on Naruto's jaw. His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he leaned closer, breath hot against Naruto's battered face. "The Tsuchikage wants information, but I want retribution."

 

Naruto's split lips curved into a bloody smile. "Your daughter came after me first. Not my fault that she couldn't finish what she started."

 

With a roar of rage, Kitsuchi drew back his fist, chakra visibly condensing around his knuckles in preparation for a blow that would shatter bone, prematurely ending the interrogation.

 

"Enough, Kitsuchi!"

 

The authoritative voice cut through the tension like a blade. The Iwa nin's fist halted mid-strike as both Count Dooku and Ōnoki entered the chamber, their footsteps echoing against the stone floor. The Geonosians immediately backed away, their buzzing quieting to a respectful hum.

 

Ōnoki floated forward, his diminutive stature belying the power that radiated from him. His eyes fixed on Naruto with calculating interest. It was, however, Count Dooku who spoke first.

 

"Naruto Uzumaki," Dooku said, his cultured voice carrying a note of genuine surprise as he studied the battered prisoner. "I must confess, I did not anticipate capturing a rogue shinobi alongside young Skywalker and Senator Amidala in our droid foundry. Your presence here raises…intriguing questions."

 

Naruto's swollen eyes shifted to the elegant Sith Lord, then to the floating Tsuchikage. Despite his injuries, he managed a defiant smirk. "Yeah, well, I didn't expect to run into Iwa nin either. Guess we're all full of surprises today."

 

Ōnoki's weathered face remained impassive as he drifted closer, his hands clasped behind his back. "Release him, Kitsuchi. Step back, Akatsuchi." When his son hesitated, the Tsuchikage's voice hardened, "Now."

 

Reluctantly, the two Iwa shinobi complied, though Kitsuchi's fists remained clenched at his sides. Naruto slumped forward slightly as Akatsuchi's grip released. Relieved of a bit of pressure but still with his hands tied, it was all he could do to get comfortable. Blood dripping from his face, he coughed a bit and spat some of the bloody saliva down on the floor.

 

“I see you’ve been going through quite the interrogation,” Dooku commented as he just observed the blond, remarking on the situation as blandly as one would the weather. “I have heard that Konoha and Iwa have had an extremely volatile history with one another, but to witness such past grievances firsthand is something else.”

 

“Sorry, but I’m not good at history…” Naruto groaned, his forehead pressed against the cold, hard ground, blood trickling down the side of his face. He winced at the pain radiating from his injuries and closed his eyes, rasping, “So forgive me for my ignorance…” 

 

Catching his breath, he let out a chuckle and added, "But I had no problem throwing your granddaughter around and breaking her arm." With a pained grin, Naruto lifted his head just enough to meet Ōnoki's gaze. Despite the blood coating his lips, there was still that familiar spark of defiance in his blue eyes.

 

Ōnoki's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Is that so?"

 

"Yeah, well..." Naruto's grin widened, though it looked more like a grimace. "She was all over me. What was I supposed to do?"

 

Kitsuchi took a sharp step forward, his face flushing with anger. "You little—"

 

"Ha!" Ōnoki's sudden bark of laughter cut through his son's outrage. The old Tsuchikage's stern expression cracked, revealing the hint of an amused smirk. "I suppose she was rather...enthusiastic in her approach, wasn't she?"

 

"Dad!" Kitsuchi sputtered, staring at his father in disbelief.

 

"What? The boy's not wrong," Ōnoki said with a dismissive wave. "Kurotsuchi has always been too eager to prove herself. If she got herself thrown around, that's her fault for underestimating her opponent."

 

Dooku stepped forward, his dark robes rustling softly in the chamber. "Fascinating as this family dynamic may be, we have more pressing matters to attend to." His pale eyes studied Naruto with calculated interest. "The Separatist Council has decided your fate, young shinobi."

 

“Ex-shinobi, Count.” Naruto lifted his head further, blood still dripping from his split lip. "Let me guess—you're gonna throw me a party?"

 

"In a manner of speaking," Dooku replied smoothly. "You are to be executed in the Geonosian arena, alongside Senator Amidala and the two Jedi—Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. A public spectacle to demonstrate the fate that awaits those who oppose the Confederacy."

 

The chamber fell silent except for the distant hum of machinery. Kitsuchi's anger seemed to momentarily deflate as he processed the implications, while Akatsuchi shifted uncomfortably.

 

Naruto was quiet for a long moment, then let out a tired chuckle. "Huh. Arena execution. That's...pretty creative, I'll give you that." He shrugged as much as his bound hands would allow. "At least I won't die bored."

 

Ōnoki's eyes narrowed slightly. "You seem remarkably unconcerned about your impending death, boy."

 

"Well, I did illegally sneak onto a planet, break into a droid factory, take out a couple of Geonosian guards, and fracture the arm of an Iwa kunoichi," Naruto recounted, summarizing the actions that had landed him as a captive in a Geonosian catacomb, surrounded by these people. Nevertheless, he grinned, "So yeah, I imagine you guys are planning to hang me in front of a crowd."

 

"It's more like being fed to wild, sentient beasts," Dooku corrected him, "and let me tell you, boy, it won't be pretty."

 

"Sounds fun," Naruto said with false bravado, though his jaw tightened slightly. "I've faced worse than—"

 

“WHERE IS HE?!”

 

The angry shout interrupted, and the catacomb chamber ground open with a grinding screech. All heads turned as a figure stumbled into the room, one arm bound in a makeshift sling fashioned from torn fabric. Kurotsuchi's dark eyes swept the chamber, taking in the assembled group with barely contained fury.

 

"Kurotsuchi!" Kitsuchi started forward. "Your arm—"

 

But before anyone could react further, the young kunoichi's good hand was already moving. With practiced precision, she moved to lay a beatdown on the restrained Naruto, who could only groan:

 

“Oh shit…”

 

…

 

Next Morning

 

Inside a gloomy tunnel with an opening right in front of them, Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker were both chained to an open carriage, with nearby guards performing last-minute tasks in preparation for their coming executions. The Geonosians were not paying attention to the two human prisoners.

 

From outside, they could hear the murmurs of thousands, if not tens of thousands of excited Geonosians. Anakin turned to the eerily silent senator, trying to offer some support.

 

“Don’t be afraid,” Anakin whispered.

 

Padmé turned to him, her expression one of genuine calm that seemed unsettling given the situation.

 

“I’m not afraid to die,” she replied, her voice thick but soft. A short pause followed as she continued to explain her eerie calm, “I’ve been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Then she said the words that momentarily broke the boy. Though they were as gentle as a feather, they hit him deeply.

 

“I love you.”

 

Overwhelmed, Anakin’s response was to reflect on the past few days—from Naboo to Tatooine to now facing their possible deaths. This was the last thing he expected.

 

“You love me?” he asked, repeating the confession. He looked down briefly before he reminded her, “I thought we decided not to fall in love.” He faced her in remembrance of those words, “That we would be forced to live a lie. That it would destroy our lives.”

 

“I think our lives are about to be destroyed anyway,” Padmé replied, washing those words away like they were only in the past… 

 

Looking into each other's eyes, instead of offering her his support, it was Padmé’s own words that helped him.

 

“I truly….”

 

She leaned closer…

 

“...Deeply love you…”

 

Anakin followed in example, closing himself to her mouth…

 

“...and before we die, I want you to know…”

 

Their faces moved close enough for their lips to meet in a soft and gentle kiss. It was a physical confession of each other’s feelings, finally marking the forbidden romance between a senator and a Jedi. In those few minutes right before their prepared executions, they shared a brief moment of bliss.

 

“Eeyah!”

 

The sweet moment was fleeting, interrupted by a crack of the driver’s whip. The cart jerked forward, pulled by the Geonosian creature, as it exited the tunnel. Just as the Jedi and the senator shared their final kiss, they were blinded by bright daylight.

 

Before them lay an arena filled with countless Geonosian spectators, all making their native clicking sounds and cheers. They looked down at the sandy arena where the guards were watching closely. It was a stark contrast—what was meant to be a tender farewell turned into the grim spectacle of a public execution.

 

Four tall stone pillars had been dragged to the center of the arena, and Obi-Wan had his hands chained against the structure as he watched the senator and his padawan pass by. With no opportunity or willingness to resist at this point, they were both forced out of the cart and joined him shortly. Padme was led to one of the pillars to the right, and he could see her fiddling with her belt, her hands reaching for something…while Anakin was brought to the pillar closest to his master, who looked to be waiting to scold him. How unfortunate to die, and the last thing he would hear is a dressing-down from his master. 

 

“I was beginning to wonder if you'd got my message.” 

 

“I retransmitted it just as you had requested, Master,” Anakin explained. As he stood by the pillar, his cuffs were connected to those of the pillar by the Geonosian guard. Waiting for the being to move on, he continued, “Then we decided to come and rescue you.”

 

Glancing briefly up to his arms still chained, Obi-Wan sarcastically stated, “Good job.”

 

After both Padmé and Anakin were finally tied up to the pillars alongside Obi-Wan, another round of cheers erupted from the crowd. Glancing about for the reason, the senator spotted something.

 

“Look!”

 

Three more Geonosian guards emerged from the tunnel's shadows, dragging between them an easily recognizable figure. The young man stumbled forward on visibly unsteady legs, and his distinctive clothes were torn and stained with dried blood. Even with a blindfold covering his eyes, there was no mistaking the wild blonde hair, now matted with dirt and crimson.

 

Padmé gasped at the sight, straining against her chains as she watched the guards force him toward the remaining pillar.

 

Anakin's eyes widened in recognition and restrained fury as he gasped, “Look at his arms…”

 

Naruto’s arms were a map of fresh cuts and bruises, some still seeping blood that had dried in dark streaks down his skin. His usually animated posture was replaced by the careful movements of someone fighting through pain. Despite his condition, when the guards left his blindfold on, he still showed his defiance through the smirk on his face.

 

"Hey guys," Naruto called out, managing a pained grin as he was shackled to the fourth pillar. Though he couldn't see, he had a feeling that he was being stared at by three individuals he knew well. Letting out a bit of a pained laugh, he joked, "Sorry, I'm late to the party. Had a bit of a disagreement with our hosts about their hospitality."

 

Obi-Wan studied the newcomer with concern. "I take it they didn’t like your manners?"

 

"You could say that," Naruto winced as the chains tightened around his wrists. "But I got at least some payback before I woke back up here.”

 

The crowd's clicking and cheering intensified, drowning out any further conversation, as massive gates began to creak open at the far end of the arena.

 

In the dignitary box overlooking the arena, Count Dooku observed the Archduke Poggle the Lesser, the public leader of the Geonosians. Following him were the Neimodian Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray and his colleague, Rune Haako. Lastly, there was a group of Iwa shinobi led by the floating figure of the 3rd Tsuchikage, accompanied by Akatsuchi, his son Kitsuchi, and his granddaughter Kurotsuchi, who still wore her cast.

 

[“Settle down. Settle down.”] 

 

Poggle spoke to his fellow Geonosians, earning their silence before he announced to the eagerly waiting public. 

 

[“Let the executions begin.”]

 

As the cheers of the crowd continued, the blindfolded Naruto was trying to get a better understanding of what was happening around him. Mentally reaching out, he called for the fox in his head.

 

‘Kurama.’

 

‘ Hearing you, kid, what do you need?’

 

‘First, try to heal me a bit.’

 

‘Already doing that the moment that crazy bitch was done hitting you, but it takes time. They put those damn chakra restraint seals on you.’ 

 

‘Must be bad seals because I’m still talking to you. Secondly, I need your help to sense what is coming at us, because I can’t see a damn thing.’

 

‘That’s what a blindfold is for, brat. But okay.’

 

At the other side of the arena, a gate lifted open, and a massive quadruped emerged. It had broad shoulders, an elongated face, and three deadly horns—one rising from its snout and the other two protruding forward from either side of its wide mouth. The creature stood as tall as a Wookiee, as wide as a human male is tall, and measured more than four meters in length. A line of picadors, riding large, bovine-like creatures with elongated snouts, prodded the beast forward into the arena with their long spears. It was a Reek, agitated and angry.

 

After the Reek had cleared the first gate, a second one rose. From the shadows, the most hideous creature of all rushed in. It looked like some kind of reptilian creature, but it moved spiderlike on four legs, each ending in huge, elongated claws. Other arms waved menacingly, similarly topped with claws that swished menacingly through the air. Its head, crested with a long and wavy horn, was more than two meters above the ground, and glanced about the arena hungrily. The Geonosian guards were poking their Picardo spears into the animal to keep it in line. This monstrous being was the Acklay, which seems to be the crowd’s favorite.

 

As if those weren't enough, a third gate was slowly lifted. Jumping wildly out from the hole, a large feline creature revealed itself. Its head was an extraordinary thing, half the size of its body, and with a fang-filled mouth that could open wide enough to bite a large human in half. A ridge of fur stood straight in a line from head to rump, ending right before its whipping, felinoid tail. The beast's dark eyes swept the arena with predatory intelligence, muscles rippling beneath its tawny coat as it prowled forward. The Nexu was hungry—

 

*SNAP!*

 

One of the Geonosian guards thrust his Picardo spear too close to the creature's flank, the sharp point drawing a thin line of blood across its hide. The feline's response was instantaneous and devastating. It spun with lightning speed, jaws snapping shut around the guard's thorax with a wet crunch. The Geonosian's wings buzzed frantically for a brief moment before falling still. The creature's powerful jaw muscles contracted, and with a sickening grinding sound, the guard’s body was dragged off for consumption. Trying to re-establish control, two other Geonosians jumped down, but they kept their distance from the predatory animal.

 

Anakin looked troubled, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

 

“By the looks of it, you’re the one with the Reek forced at you,” Naruto said while still blindfolded. He guessed, “From the direction the guards are leading it, they are about to send the Acklay to Obi-Wan, and that leaves the Nexu for the senator…though judging by the munching sound, it may leave her for last.”

 

“Then why is there something else coming out?”

 

Naruto's head tilted beneath the blindfold, his senses picking up new vibrations through the arena floor. 

 

"What do you mean, something else?"

 

A fourth gate groaned open, the sound different from the others—heavier, reinforced. The crowd's excited murmurs turned to gasps of surprise and appreciation. Even the Geonosian nobles in their viewing boxes rose from their seats, buzzing with anticipation.

 

"It's...some kind of serpent," Anakin whispered, tension straining his voice. "No, not a serpent. A dragon."

 

Several Geonosian handlers emerged first, their movements cautious, electrostaffs extended at full length. Between them, restrained by multiple energy tethers, came a sleek, scaled creature. Though juvenile, the young Krayt Dragon already measured nearly five meters from snout to tail. Its amber eyes scanned the arena with predatory intelligence far exceeding that of the other beasts.

 

"A Krayt Dragon?" Obi-Wan's voice held rare alarm. "Even a young one is beyond excessive."

 

The dragon's muscular body rippled with barely contained power, its clawed feet leaving deep gouges in the arena sand. One of the handlers moved too close, and the creature lunged with shocking speed, missing the Geonosian by centimeters before the energy tethers snapped taut, forcing an angry hiss from between rows of knife-like teeth. This barely contained monster was the fourth beast in the arena.

 

…

 

In the dignitary box, Kurotsuchi was unable to fully hold in her laughter as she watched the fourth monster being escorted to the blindfolded boy she wanted to see suffer. Sitting next to her, the 3rd Tsuchikage was irritated, and for the wrong reasons.

 

“Damn it, brat, I’m trying to focus.” 

 

Kurotsuchi leaned forward in her seat, her dark eyes gleaming with cruel anticipation. "Oh, come now, grandfather. This is the best part. Watch how he scrambles when he realizes what's stalking him."

 

The young Krayt Dragon's head swiveled toward Naruto's position, nostrils flaring as it caught his scent. Its forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air with predatory focus. The handlers began releasing the energy tethers one by one, their movements deliberate and practiced—too fast and the beast could go after a different target, too slow and one of them could be pulled along.

 

"Fascinating creatures, these Geonosians," Nute Gunray murmured to Count Dooku, his mechanical voice barely audible above the crowd's roar. "Such...creative approaches to suffering."

 

Dooku's pale eyes remained fixed on the arena floor. "Mind your tongue, Viceroy. Your people showed similar creativity with Queen Amidala's sentence, as I recall."

 

The Neimoidian's head-tails twitched in irritation, but he fell silent.

 

However, they hadn’t noticed that they were missing two more attendees…

…

 

Below, the Krayt Dragon took its first free step forward, powerful muscles coiling beneath its scaled hide. Sand scattered from its claws as it began a slow, stalking advance toward the blindfolded figure who remained motionless against the arena's pillar.

 

“So I got the Krayt Dragon, that sounds fun.” Naruto calmly spoke as he shuffled around a bit while he talked to the Jedi. 

 

“Fun, right…for them, at least,” lamented Obi-Wan, watching the frenzy mounting around him.

 

“What? “Anakin asked.

 

“Never mind,” Obi-Wan replied. “You ready for the fight?”

 

“The fight?” Anakin asked skeptically, looking up at his chained wrists, then back at the three monsters, which had been milling about, and only now seemed to take note that lunch had been served.

 

“You want to give the crowd its money’s worth, don’t you?” Obi-Wan asked. “You take the Reek on the right. I’ll take the creature on the left.”

 

“What about Padmé?” 

 

“Look for yourselves, Jedi.” 

 

The two turned to discover that their clever companion had already used a concealed wire to pick the lock on one of her shackles and had turned her body about, facing the post. She climbed right up the chain to the top of that post, then went to work on the other shackle.

 

“She seems to be on top of things,” Obi-Wan commented wryly.

 

Without any warning sound, the battle began with the Acklay striking first as it went for Obi-Wan, raising its deadly claw and trying to go for the kill. Obi-Wan managed to duck, narrowly missing the creature’s swing. Seemingly irritated by the Jedi’s reflexes, it tried hitting Obi-Wan again—

 

*CLING!*

 

It instead hit the pillar and broke the metal chain in half, freeing Obi-Wan from his bonds, but still leaving him with heavy shackles and a short length of chain on each arm. Once he was able to run free, he managed to dodge two more attempts from the Acklay that tried to hit him, drawing it away from the other pillars.

 

Agitated and angry, the Reek was the next to assault as it went full on for Anakin, charging in to crush him.

 

*BAM!*

 

But on time, Anakin reacted quickly by swinging up using his chain and jumping on top of the Reek as it smashed its skull against the pillar. As he landed on its back, he tried using his loop of chain around the horn of the unruly Reek to trap the beast to the stone, but—

 

*CLINK!*

 

Its brute strength ripped off the chain from the pillar, freeing Anakin from the pillar in the process, but tying their fates together as the chain still connected them. His actions earned more roars and excitement from the crowd watching, as the spectacle to them was far more interesting than the result, while silence was met from the dignitary box.

 

The Nexu, however, went full on at its target. The vicious creature didn’t stop, its claws tearing into the pole as it climbed. Then, with a sudden burst, it leapt up to the top and reared before Padmé.

 

Reacting quickly, Padmé swung the chain to hit the Nexu, forcing it briefly to back off before it leapt again. Despite Padmé’s attempts—

 

*SLASH!*

 

Its claw slashed through the senator’s back, shredding her clothes and causing her to cry out in pain as her back quickly became soaked with blood.

 

Hearing the noise caused the Nexu to briefly pause as it landed back on the ground, circling the pillar of the senator.

 

Snarling in anger, the Acklay grew increasingly frustrated as it tried to lay hit after hit on the dodging form of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Conversely, the Jedi was becoming more and more exhausted as he tried his best not to get penetrated by the vicious claws of the creature set loose on him, knowing that any mistake would likely be fatal and feeling each strike get closer and closer.

 

Anakin, on the other hand, was the luckiest of this predicament, as he was only being chased by Geonosians while he was trying to hold onto the Reek. Out of control and growing angrier by the moment, it dragged him through the dust as he was still bound to chains—

 

Despite her injury, Padmé reacted swiftly, delivering a powerful blow to the Nexu's face with her chain. The force of her strike sent the creature stumbling back off the pole. Seizing the moment, she leapt away, using the chain to spin herself around the pole. Tucking her legs in, she executed a double kick that sent the Nexu crashing to the ground. Without wasting a moment to admire her success, she quickly scrambled back up the pole, determined to free herself entirely.

 

From her vantage point at the top, she could see more of the arena, and what she happened to see caused her to yell.

 

“Naruto!”

 

Naruto’s situation was the most unexpected of the four, as the Kyuubi seemingly stood there despite the electricity coursing through its body. It stared at the blindfolded Naruto, who remained against his pillar in absolute silence.

 

*ROAR!*

 

The young Kray Dragon burst from its containment with a thunderous roar, its massive claws digging furrows in the arena sand as it charged toward the bound Naruto. The crowd fell silent, expecting to witness another brutal execution, but Naruto remained perfectly still against the stone post.

 

As the beast drew closer, its reptilian eyes locked onto the blindfolded figure, and something shifted in the air around them. 

 

*!*

 

Like a mental form of an earthquake, the Force rippled outward like stones cast into still water, and the dragon's fierce charge began to slow. Its snarls softened to curious growls as it approached within striking distance. It confused the spectators with its behaviour, their cheering fading to concerned muttering as they didn't understand what was going on.

 

Naruto tilted his head slightly, his breathing deep and measured despite the restraints cutting into his wrists. Through the fabric covering his eyes, he reached out with senses beyond sight, touching the creature's mind with gentle tendrils of energy. The dragon's massive head lowered, nostrils flaring as it caught his scent, confusion replacing bloodlust in its ancient gaze.

 

…

 

A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd as the Krayt Dragon, a creature known for its ferocity and unrelenting savagery, stood docile before the human prisoner. Count Dooku leaned forward in his viewing box, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

 

"What trickery is this?" Nute Gunray hissed, his amphibian features contorting with confusion.

 

  Ōnoki smiled at what he was seeing, “Impressive…very impressive.”

 

“Damn it, that stupid mutt!” Kurotsuchi looked pissed, “Just kill that blond already!”

 

“Silence, brat!” Ōnoki snapped at his granddaughter, paying close attention. “I want to see what this boy can do.”

 

…

 

Naruto's lips curved into a slight smile beneath his blindfold. The connection between him and the beast strengthened, a bridge of understanding forming through the invisible currents of the Force. Without words, he conveyed his intentions—not of dominance and submission, but of mutual respect.

 

The Krayt Dragon's chest rumbled with a sound unlike its earlier roars, almost like a purr emanating from deep within its armored chest. It circled Naruto once, its scaled body brushing against the pillar, before raising its massive head to meet the young shinobi's.

 

Naruto lowered his head in response, and the dragon pressed its snout against his forehead. In that moment, their consciousness intertwined—ancient reptilian instinct meeting human determination, both wrapped in the mysterious embrace of the Force.

 

‘Help me…’

 

‘Do…I…will’

 

*SLASH!*

 

With a violent yank, the chain was ripped off the pillar, freeing Naruto partly from his imprisonment. Taking a moment to loosen his strained arms, he stood side by side with the Krayt Dragon.

["Kill him!"] shouted Poggle the Lesser from the archducal box. ["What is wrong with the beast?"]

 

Several Geonosian guards took flight, their translucent wings buzzing angrily as they descended toward the arena floor, their Picardo spears glinting in the harsh sunlight. They circled above Naruto and the dragon, chittering nervously at the unexpected alliance.

 

The Krayt Dragon's head snapped upward, tracking their movement. Its jaws parted, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth before a stream of acidic poison erupted from its maw. The caustic liquid caught three guards mid-flight, their exoskeletons sizzling upon contact. Their screams echoed briefly before they dropped from the sky, bodies dissolving into smoking husks upon impact with the arena sand.

 

…

 

In the dignitary box, emotions flickered like candle flames in a draft.

 

Kurotsuchi's face twisted with revulsion, her lips curling as she exclaimed, “Yuck!”

 

Her father, Kitsuchi, shared her sentiment, his expression mirroring her disgust as he could do nothing but witness the acidic onslaught. Beside them, Akatsuchi's eyes were wide, his mouth slightly agape, frozen in shock at the brutal spectacle unfolding before him.

 

"Fascinating," Dooku murmured, his voice a low rumble as he thoughtfully stroked his beard. His eyes gleamed with a peculiar interest. "The beast protects him now."

 

Ōnoki's gaze sharpened, his mind racing as he watched with a calculating intensity. "The boy commands more than just chakra. This power...It's something different," he mused, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.

 

…

 

Naruto flexed his wrists, still partially restrained by the chains. With a quick motion, he brought his bound hands to his face and pulled the blindfold away. His blue eyes, now tinged with an otherworldly glow, surveyed the arena.

 

"Thanks, big guy," he whispered to the dragon, petting the skin of the reptilian being, “I owe you one.”  

 

“Naruto!”

 

As Naruto turned at the sound of his name, he caught sight of Anakin mounted on a Reek, flanked by Padmé and Obi-Wan. The scene around them was chaotic; he noticed that the Acklay was currently engaged with the Geonosians, while the threat posed by the Nexu had been effectively neutralized.

 

Anakin steered the Reek closer, his eyes wide with amazement. "How did you—that was incredible! I've never seen anyone calm a Krayt Dragon like that!"

 

"Most impressive," Obi-Wan called out, his voice carrying over the roar of the crowd. "Your connection to these creatures is quite remarkable, young Naruto."

 

Padmé, gripping tightly to Anakin's waist as the Reek lumbered forward, shouted over the din, "Could it breathe acid at the Geonosians? We could use the advantage!"

 

Naruto placed a protective hand on the dragon's scaled neck, feeling the steady thrum of its heartbeat beneath his palm. "She's been through enough," he replied, his voice firm despite the chaos erupting around them, "but she'll help us get out of here."

 

The Krayt Dragon lifted its massive head and released a bone-shaking roar that echoed throughout the arena. Several Geonosian guards stumbled backward, their weapons wavering as the ancient predator fixed them with its piercing gaze. 

 

"We need to move," Obi-Wan urged, “Now!”

 

“Wait!”

 

Before they could do anything, dozens of Droidekas arrived, quickly encircling the Jedi, the senator, the Krayt Dragon, the Reek, and Naruto. Seeing that they were all surrounded and outgunned, even with their accompanying creatures, Naruto muttered a single word:

 

“Shit.”

 

…

 

Kurotsuchi's fist slammed against the railing. "No! This is unacceptable!" She whirled toward her grandfather, eyes blazing. "We came here to finish what we started with the jinchūriki. I won't let this opportunity slip away!"

 

She leapt onto the ledge, chakra already molding between her palms, ready to launch herself into the arena below. 

 

“Patience, you brat!” Ōnoki scolded his granddaughter again.

 

"The Tsuchikage does not leave business unfinished! We—”

 

*TSHHHH!*

 

A flash of blue light erupted inches from her face, the humming energy blade stopping her mid-motion. Kurotsuchi froze, her eyes crossing slightly to focus on the lightsaber that had materialized before her.

 

"I wouldn't," came a cold, measured voice.

 

All eyes turned to see Sasuke Uchiha standing in the shadows of the box entrance, his eyes coldly eyed the big Akatsuchi as he was wearing a big cloak, he announced his intro.

 

Kitsuchi moved to defend his daughter—

 

*TSHHHH!*

 

—but halted as a purple blade ignited beneath his chin, casting violet shadows across his stunned face.

 

In response to the sound of now two lightsabers being turned on, Count Dooku turned around to face who else had managed to sneak up into the box. To no surprise, he was able to recognize the one person he so well expected.

 

“Master Windu, how pleasant of you to join us.”

 

And standing there with his lightsaber aimed at the Iwa Nin, the black Jedi just stared stoically but sternly at the former Jedi whom he considered in the past as a friend.

 

“This party's over.”

 

—

 

Sheer's Note: Enough is enough! I've had it with these motherf-cking Krayts in this motherf-cking planet!

 

Chapter 33: Arena Fight

 

Standing at the edge of one of the dark entrances to the Geonosian arena, with his armor concealed by a cloak and holding his helmet under his arm, Jango Fett witnessed the two Jedi, a senator, and even his pupil being sent to their deaths. The public execution was not going to plan, and the crowd of Geonosians was in uproar over more of their warriors dying instead of the condemned intruders they were promised. 

 

“Your little apprentice knows how to get a crowd riled up, doesn’t he, Jango?”

 

His eyes glanced over to the person behind him, but he did not respond at all. This non-reaction was enough to get a chuckle from behind as the person walked up.

 

“I must say, when I was starting my career as a paid merc, I wouldn’t think I’d be working with you, Fett.”

 

Jango simply replied, “Aurra Sing highly recommended you, so you better be worth my time, Fennec Shand.”

Stopping next to the Beskar-wearing Fett, this merc wore a distinctive multi-layered black suit with orange accenting stripes, accompanied by sturdy brown boots and an orange and black helmet. The orange accents were something she chose to stand out, as Fennec Shand was an upcoming assassin, mercenary, and bounty hunter who had attracted Aurra Sing’s interest. It was her way of being unique among the competition, especially as a female in the otherwise male-dominated field. 

 

Looking through her visor, the dark-eyed woman scanned the area and saw the damage for herself, impressed by what she spotted.

 

“Well, look at that. Is that a Krayt Dragon?”

 

Looking down, Naruto had somehow tamed the beast and was riding on its back. Despite the fact that it had just dissolved several Geonosians, the animal seemed to be calm around the blonde young man. The creature's scales glinted under the harsh Geonosian sun as Naruto guided it with surprising ease through the chaos of the arena.

 

"Yes," Jango confirmed, his voice betraying neither admiration nor concern. "The boy has...unusual abilities."

 

Fennec let out a low whistle, adjusting her rifle sights to track Naruto's movements. "Unusual is putting it mildly. Taming a Krayt Dragon on the fly? That's not in any bounty hunter manual I've read."

 

*CLANK!*

 

Holding onto Naruto’s equipment that Jango managed to steal back, he told Shand, “Remember what I told you: protect the kid and me while we’re making our way out of this arena.”

“And the senator and the Jedi?” Fennec asks, “What about them?”

 

*PSSSHEW!*

 

The hum of a lightsaber igniting was everything Fennec needed to hear. She spotted a hooded woman at the arena's entrance below, the purple blade casting eerie shadows across the woman's concealed face. As if responding to a silent signal, more Jedi emerged from their hiding places—behind stone columns, from shadowy alcoves, dropping from overhead arches. 

 

Blades of emerald, sapphire, amber, and violet blazed to life on every level of the Geonosian arena, their distinctive snap-hiss echoing against the ancient stone. The glow illuminated hundreds of determined faces, each Jedi's expression set with the same resolve: they had come to save their own.

 

“They’ve got enough help, as you can see for yourself,” Jango responded before he placed his helmet on his head and prepared his jetpack. “Make sure not to be spotted.”

 

*CLICK!*

 

The sound of her MK sniper rifle being readied was Fennec’s response as she aimed at her spot, already looking through her scope for targets.

 

“You don't need to tell me twice. It's not like I'll be killed by a flying bug.”

 

…

 

Back in the dignitary box, with Sasuke and Master Windu still holding their blades against the two Iwa-Nin, the tension was palpable. In the background, masses of fleeing Geonosians were flying away. Count Dooku, seemingly the only one standing there with a calm demeanor, spoke first, turning to the black haired young Jedi.

 

“Well, if it isn’t the last Uchiha, Sasuke, I presume?” Dooku questioned with interest. “I had heard that the Jedi Order had taken you into the temple. Fascinating to know you’ve got such great strength in the Force.”

 

Still holding his blade against Kurotsuchi’s neck, separated by mere inches, Sasuke just stared at the supposed ex-Jedi Master. According to his tutors, this was a dangerous and powerful individual who was not to be underestimated.

 

“It is a shame what happened to your clan, I mean it with no contempt,” Dooku mentions. “It must be a great burden on your shoulders knowing as the last of your clan, you bear many responsibilities.”

 

Sasuke just grunts as he eyes the Count, “Speaking like a nobleman, elegantly, but I can sense the obvious sarcasm.”

 

Ōnoki grew a smirk, “I honestly would be agreeing with you if it weren’t for the fact you’re holding my son and granddaughter as hostages.” The little grumpy old man turned to the Jedi Master, “I see you came here to save your Jedi friends. I must say, pretty admirable, but also very reckless.”

 

“Agreed,” Dooku said as he turned to the Jedi Master. “Brave but foolish, my old Jedi friend. You're impossibly outnumbered.”

 

In response, Windu just scoffs, “I don’t think so.”

 

“We'll see,” Dooku spoke as the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the dignitary box. The noise prompted both Sasuke and Windu to turn around to see what it was, but neither noticed the others in the box had stepped aside not to be in the line of fire.

 

Up the stairs came B2 Super Battle Droids, extending their wrist blasters and opening fire on the Jedi duo.

 

Avoiding blaster fire and deflecting away what couldn't be dodged, Windu ordered, “Padawan Uchiha!”

 

“I know, I know!” Sasuke deflected one bolt back, gritting his teeth. “Should have covered the door!”

 

The B2 droids continued their relentless assault, forcing both Jedi to retreat toward the edge of the dignitary box's balcony. Kurotsuchi and her companion broke free during the chaos, rolling away to rejoin their allies.

 

"Kitsuchi, now!" Ōnoki barked.

 

The burly Iwa shinobi's hands flew through a rapid sequence of seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

 

A massive sphere of orange flame erupted from Kitsuchi's mouth, roaring toward the two Jedi with devastating intensity. The heat was immediate and overwhelming.

 

"Move!" Windu shouted, grabbing Sasuke's shoulder.

 

Both Jedi leaped backward off the balcony just as the fireball engulfed the space where they'd been standing. Their dark cloaks caught fire instantly, the flames clinging to their clothing as they jumped off and landed on the ground. Quickly, they removed their cloaks and prepared for battle.

 

While the gates opened with Battle droids pouring into the arena, Geonosians were fleeing in all directions. Amid the chaotic scene, the Jedi went on the attack, deflecting blaster bolts at other droids or slicing them in a head-on assault. 

 

With blaster fire erupting from all sides and chaos fully enveloping the arena, Naruto rode the Krayt Dragon, navigating it to avoid getting hit and also any Jedi in its path, who'd be knocked out if they collided. Naruto was missing blaster shots by a hair—in a literal sense, as he could smell the acrid scent of burning—until a Geonosian who was manning an LR1K sonic cannon spotted him and fired—

 

*BLURGH!*

 

The sonic blast hit the Krayt Dragon and knocked Naruto off the beast, sending him falling to the ground. He landed hard on his back, and a Geonosian warrior flew over with a picardo spear, trying to take advantage of the opportunity to hit him—

 

*SLASH!*

 

The Geonosian never made it. A flash of blue light intercepted the attack, followed by the insectoid's head tumbling to the sand. Naruto blinked in surprise as a familiar figure landed beside him, lightsaber humming with energy.

 

"Still getting into trouble, loser?" Sasuke said, his face impassive despite the chaos around them. His black robes swirled as he deflected three blaster bolts in rapid succession. Seeing the blond was still restrained, he went for Naruto’s chains—

 

*SLASH!*

 

"Sasuke?!" Naruto scrambled to his feet, rubbing his wrists before removing the dust and sand clinging to his clothes. "I had it under control! And where the hell were you when I needed help?”

 

"You’re welcome!" Sasuke replied, covering Naruto as he deflected some blaster bolts back to some B1 droids. “Reach for my back pockets!”

 

Naruto heard this and quickly reached out, finding his pair of WESTAR-35 blasters. Flicking off their safeties, the hum indicating their readiness gave him a moment of comfort, so he instinctively replied, “Thanks!” He fired a few shots at a few droids, turning his back to Sasuke’s to cover one another. “Do you know where the rest of my gear is?”

 

*FWOOM!*

 

Just before Sasuke could answer the question, Jango landed right in front of Naruto, carrying his beskar gear. Handing it over to him, Jango gruffly said, "Kid, you're gonna need this." 

 

His armor was gleaming under the flashing emergency lights. "Put it on quickly. We've got more company coming."

 

Naruto grabbed the familiar weight of his beskar with reverence. "Thanks, Jango. I owe you one."

 

The Mandalorian gave a curt nod before spinning around and firing his wrist-mounted flamethrower at three approaching droids, melting them into slag. "Just don't die. That'd be a waste of good armor."

 

“And Sabine’s going to never forgive me for that!” Naruto said quickly, putting his gear on. “Cover me, will you!”

 

Sasuke's lightsaber whirled in a defensive pattern while Jango fired precise shots at approaching enemies. The Mandalorian suddenly turned to Sasuke, his helmet tilting suspiciously.

 

"You with the kid," Jango demanded, blasting a Geonosian without looking, "or were you the one hunting him?"

 

"Does it matter?" Sasuke replied coldly, force-pushing three battle droids into a wall.

 

"It might," Jango's voice was steel beneath his helmet.

 

"He's with me!" Naruto called out, strapping his jetpack securely to his back. "We're...old comrades."

 

Naruto fumbled with his chest plate only for a moment, securing the beskar with practiced movements despite the chaos. His fingers worked the clasps and seals, the familiar weight settling against his body like an old friend.

 

"Done!" Naruto announced, sliding his helmet over his head. The HUD flickered to life, targeting systems and environmental readings flashing across his vision. He felt whole again, the beskar an extension of himself.

 

With a defiant grin hidden behind his visor, Naruto drew both blasters and stepped forward to join the fight properly. "Now let's show these bugs what happens when you mess with Konoha!”

 

"Former Konoha nin!" Sasuke corrected, slicing through another droid.

 

"Whatever," Naruto replied, his jetpack igniting his jetpack for certainty. “Jango, with me!”

 

“On it, kid!” Jango said as they both began firing at anything that was moving around them that wasn’t human or sentient. The three split apart, now fully joining the battle. They needed to make sure to survive this all-out arena battle that escalated extremely quickly and well beyond their expectations.

 

…

 

Still riding the Reek amid the Jedi, Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker were thrown some lightsabers by a duo of Jedi. As both ignited their sabers, Anakin sliced the restraints from Obi-Wan off first, before doing Padmé’s, and then Obi-Wan handled his.

 

"Thanks," Obi-Wan said, gripping his saber with familiar ease. The weight of the weapon centered him amid the chaos.

 

Anakin kept his chain around the Reek. "We need to find Naruto," he said, now able to deflect blaster fire with practiced precision.

 

Padmé pointed across the arena. "There! He's back in his Mandalorian armor!”

 

She was pointing at the fastest figure amid the arena, who could be none other than their blond companion. Naruto was firing his blaster at anything that was moving without a lightsaber, even using his vambrace shield to deflect blaster bolts from a pair of B1 Battle droids. Getting up close, he knocked them across their heads, and continued to shoot as Jango was keeping up and covering the kid’s back.

 

Obi-Wan's expression remained neutral despite his surprise. "Interesting company he keeps.”

 

*BOOM!*

 

The blast of one of the Geonosian sonic cannons hit a group of Jedi, but also caught in the blast were the remnants of the stone pillars that were launched into the air. The rubble landed near the Reek, managing to knock the three passengers from it.

 

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan quickly got back on their feet to fight, but an unarmed Padmé tried to find a weapon. To her despair, none were nearby…

 

“Here, ma’am.”

 

Padmé looked up to see Jango Fett standing over her, extending a blaster in his gloved hand. She froze, eyes widening at the bounty hunter who had pursued her across the galaxy.

 

"Take it," he said, his voice modulated through his helmet. "I'm not interested in killing you anymore. Contract expired."

 

Padmé hesitated only a moment before snatching the weapon. The cold metal felt reassuring in her palm as she quickly checked the charge.

 

"Why?" she managed to ask, even as she fired at an approaching battle droid, its chassis exploding in a shower of sparks.

 

Jango's helmet tilted slightly. "Professional courtesy. Besides, the kid seems to respect you."

 

Without waiting for her response, he jetted back toward Naruto, who was carving through the droid ranks with ruthless efficiency. Padmé watched in astonishment as the bounty hunter fell into perfect synchronization with the armored blonde, the two moving as though they'd fought side by side for years.

 

She adjusted her grip on the blaster and fired three rapid shots, downing another droid that had been aiming for Anakin’s back. Spotting a Geonosian riding one of those animals, she quickly thought of a plan, firing at it—

 

* PANG !*

 

…

 

Mowing down a few more Battle Droids, two of the B2s to be exact, Naruto kneeled and fired at a few more to keep them at a distance. He noticed something was wrong with his gear, and he did a quick check of it through his vambrace.

 

“What is it, kid?” Jango stopped right in front of him, picking his targets and firing his WESTAR-34s at a few approaching droids. “You’re in the middle of a fight!”

 

“Something’s wrong with my jetpack, Jango, it needs to reboot,” Naruto grunted underneath his helmet, doing a re-check for a quick moment before giving up and standing back up. Firing his pistols yet again, he gave a bad report, “If your plan was for the both of us to fly out of here, we’re out of luck.”

 

Jango Fett just focused on covering the kid as Naruto followed. The two Mandalorian armor-wearing males were quickly picked out by some Battle Droids that tried encircling them, but were quickly dealt with enormous ease. With their beskar armor deflecting the enemy’s bolts and their skill with their blasters, the droids posed no challenge but for their incredible numbers. 

 

Far enough from the other hundreds of Jedi fighting in groups, two Jedi seemed to have broken off and were approaching the armored pair.

 

“Naruto Uzumaki.”

 

Naruto heard someone say his name and briefly turned around to see a familiar Kel-Dor slicing several B1 Battle Droids with ease. 

 

“Master Plo Koon.” Naruto closed the distance as he kept firing at several droids. Turning his back to the Jedi, not out of disrespect but so they could better cover all angles, the Master returned the gesture. Now with a moment to relax, Naruto admitted, “Am I glad to see you.”

 

“Likewise, only I wished it were under better circumstances,” Plo spoke, deflecting more blaster shots back at the attacking droids. “I must insist on telling you that you’re a wanted man now.”

 

“Define how wanted?” Naruto replies while shooting another B1 battle droid’s head off. “I’m already a wanted man by many.”

 

“Both the Republic and the Confederacy, young Uzumaki, that’s who I am referring to,” Plo Koon spoke. Slashing a B1 droid in half that ran up to him, he went on, “For once, they agreed: declaring you and your Ölüm comrades as enemies needing to be apprehended.”

 

"Well, aren't I special?" Naruto replied with a dry chuckle, firing two more shots that dropped a pair of B2s advancing on their position. "So what now? You here to arrest me while we're getting shot at?"

 

The Kel Dor Jedi Master deflected another volley of blaster fire, sending the bolts back into the droids that fired them. "No. Our priorities have shifted considerably in the last few minutes. Surviving this onslaught takes precedence."

 

Jango, who had been listening to their exchange while methodically picking off droids, glanced over his shoulder. "Hate to interrupt your reunion, but we've got Geonosians incoming from the South entrance."

 

Seeing the group of Geonosians flying down towards them, Naruto watched as some of them had already been shot out of the sky by Jango, who took them out with ease. When one crashed nearby, he finished it off by whipping his blaster pistol across the downed winged Geonosian’s head.

 

“That is settled for now, but could you lend us a hand?” Plo Koon asked, his voice calm despite the chaos around him as he deftly deflected blaster bolts with his lightsaber. The relentless onslaught of Separatist droids was overwhelming, and he knew that every moment counted. “With this sheer number of enemies, we could use all the help we can muster.”

 

Naruto’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the chaotic battle unfolding in the arena. Jedi knights and Padawans fought valiantly, yet it was evident they were outnumbered. The battlefield was a whirlwind of flashing lights and the sounds of clashing sabers mixed with the cries of the fallen. Plo’s words echoed in his mind, especially as he caught a glimpse of a fellow Jedi being struck down by a B2 battle droid and a pair of Droidekas. The droids had encircled three Jedi who did not see the Droidekas approaching them from behind.

 

“I’ll do what I can!” Naruto exclaimed, his voice resolute as he charged forward with unyielding energy. “I promise to help, Master Plo!” 

 

“Wait—Naruto, come back!” Jango Fett called after him, alarm flooding his voice as he sprinted to catch up. He pushed past Plo Koon, who, with a quick flick of his wrist, sliced a downed B1 droid in half before shifting his focus back to the fray.

 

As Naruto ran past the unsuspecting Battle Droids and Jedi fighting against each other, he readied his vambrace. Among the three Jedi, two of them wore black traditional clothing and were Mirailian, the older wielding a green saber and the younger one wielding blue, but it was the Jedi with a purple saber who was familiar to Naruto. 

 

The younger Mirailian with the headscarf, Barriss Offee, deflected many blaster shots from a B2 Battle Droid. With her quickness, she cut off both arms of the droid before slicing through its supposed head. In the same series of movements, she Force pushed it away before it could explode due to a malfunction.

 

“Don’t leave any openings, Barriss!” Luminara told her Padawan, slicing three heads of B1 battle droids in one swoop before deflecting more shots with her blade. “One shot can end you right here!”

 

"Yes, Master!" Barriss called back, her blade humming as she pivoted to engage another cluster of advancing droids. Her eyes quickly swept the battlefield, cataloguing threats and allies alike, when movement in her peripheral vision made her blood run cold.

 

"Hinata! Behind you!" Barriss shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos of battle as she spotted the two Droidekas rolling into position. 

 

Unlike the other Droidekas, their shield generators flickered to life as they transformed into battle position, twin blaster cannons already rotating toward the purple-blade wielder who remained focused on the Geonosian warriors before her.

 

The warning came just as Hinata's lightsaber completed its deadly arc through another opponent, violet energy crackling in the dusty air. Without hesitation, Barriss abandoned her current engagement, Force-leaping over a fallen droid chassis as she raced to intercept the destroyer droids' devastating assault.

 

The twin cannons erupted in rapid succession, crimson death streaking through the air. Barriss threw herself between the bolts and Hinata, her emerald blade spinning in desperate defensive patterns. She managed to deflect the first volley, sending scattered shots ricocheting harmlessly into the cavern walls, but the relentless barrage was overwhelming for a single defender.

 

"Barriss!" Hinata's voice carried a note of panic as she spun around, finally registering the threat.

 

A bolt slipped through Barriss's guard, searing past her lightsaber's protective arc and finding its mark. The young Padawan cried out as superheated plasma tore through her knee, the impact sending her crashing to the rocky ground. Her lightsaber deactivated as it tumbled from her grip, the cavern seeming to dim without its emerald glow.

 

"No!" Hinata's scream echoed off the stone walls as she watched her friend fall. The Hyuga's usual composure was completely shattered, her Byakugan blazing with desperate intensity as she rushed forward, heedless of the Droidekas' continued fire.

 

The destroyer droids pivoted their weapons toward this new target, their mechanical whirring filling the air with mechanical menace. But before they could unleash another devastating salvo, a figure in gleaming beskar armor dropped from above, landing with practiced silence behind the shielded machines.

 

Naruto's armored form cast a long shadow across the cavern floor. The Droidekas, programmed only to track frontal threats, continued their focus on Hinata, unaware of the Mandalorian warrior at their backs.

 

With practiced precision, Naruto raised both forearms, activating the specialized vambraces he'd modified specifically for shield-penetrating attacks. Twin whistling birds—microscopic beskar missiles—launched from his right gauntlet, followed by a thin filament whipcord from his left. The missiles phased through the energy shields as if they weren't there, their unique frequency calibration allowing them to bypass the barrier entirely.

 

The first Droideka's head module exploded in a shower of sparks and twisted metal before it could register the attack. The second swiveled frantically, its programming detecting the threat too late as Naruto's whipcord sliced through its shield and wrapped around its neck joint. With a sharp jerk of his arm, he sliced the droid's head almost completely from its chassis in one clean motion.

 

Both destroyer droids collapsed into smoking heaps, their shields flickering and dying as their power cores went offline.

 

"Barriss!"

 

Naruto raised his helmet and turned to the ground, where the Jedi had fallen with Hinata reaching for her and trying to help her. Seeing her friend was unconscious, Naruto wanted to help—

 

*BANG!*

 

A blaster shot flew right past his visor, and Naruto turned around to see the second Droideka he had disabled try to aim its cannon at his back before it had lumped back to the ground with a shot through its processor, ending it. All the while, Naruto remained unaware that he was specifically being covered by a sniper.

 

“Padawan! Help her!”

 

Naruto turned back to the situation and saw the Jedi Master Luminara covering the Padawans, while Hinata lay Barriss flat on the ground. The Hyuga girl set her blade aside and then used the palms of her hands over Barriss’ grievous knee wound.

 

Barriss gasped as warmth spread through her injured limb, the throbbing pain beginning to ebb away. A soft blue-white radiance emanated from Hinata's palms, pulsing gently like a heartbeat as it enveloped the torn flesh and damaged muscle beneath.

 

"How is she doing this?" Luminara called out between deflecting blaster bolts, her emerald lightsaber weaving protective arcs around their position. "I sense the Force flowing through her.”

 

"Trust in Hinata, Master Jedi," Naruto shouted through his helmet, making his presence known as he fired his blasters around, covering the Padawans. “She’s in good hands.”

 

Suddenly, Naruto sensed something, and so did Luminara.

 

‘Naruto!’

 

“On it!’

 

Two kunais, each armed with deadly explosive tags, sliced through the air with menacing speed. The fuses flickered ominously, and it was clear: an explosion was imminent, threatening to unleash chaos in an instant—

 

*BOOM!*

 

Smoke erupted from the explosion as the blast sent several droids away, and even a few Jedi were forced to take a few steps back from the unexpected blast. Luminara, who had that momentary warning to prepare, stood her ground and covered her eyes so as not to be blinded, and yelled out immediately after the blast.

 

“Padawans—”

 

The smoke cleared faster than Luminara could even finish her warning, revealing Naruto with his hands locked in against the Iwa nin Kitsuchi. The new arrival stood taller than him and had a kunai aimed for under his helmet, pressing with all the strength he had. Naruto, despite wearing Mandalorian armor that slowed him down, showed no sign of weakening his grip against the brute strength of the Iwa ninja.

 

"I must say, when you broke my daughter’s arm, I wanted nothing more than to squash your head against the ground, Konoha scum," Kitsuchi grunted, pressing down harder with his kunai. Sparks flew where the blade met Naruto's beskar gauntlet. "The famous Yellow Flash's boy, abandoned and left ignorant of his legacy."

 

Naruto's blue eyes blazed through his helmet's visor as he twisted his wrist, redirecting the kunai's trajectory away from his throat. "Don't pretend to know anything about my life, rock-head. Minato Namikaze, being my father, doesn't change who I am."

 

The surrounding Jedi watched in tense silence as the two warriors remained locked in their deadly stalemate. Luminara's hand hovered near her lightsaber hilt, ready to intervene—

 

“M-Master…”

 

As she slowly regained her senses, the muffled sounds around her began to sharpen, and she heard her apprentice Barriss grunting as she stirred back to consciousness nearby. Blinking through the haze, she felt a firm hand gripping her arm and realized it was Hinata, her fellow Jedi Healer. Together, they turned in unison, eyes widening in disbelief as they took in the scene. In front of them stood Naruto, his hair disheveled from the battle. The intricate burn patterns etched across his armor from the explosion he took the full impact from, leaving both women in awe of his actions. The weight of their close call sank in, merging relief.

 

“N-Narut—”

 

“Get going, Hinata, now!” Naruto said without turning away from the Iwa nin, desperately trying to hold him off. “I’ll keep him occupied!”

 

In one swift motion, Kitsuchi broke the deadlock and drove his massive fist forward like a battering ram. The blow connected with Naruto's chest plate with a thunderous crack, the impact reverberating through his beskar armor and driving the breath from his lungs. Naruto stumbled backward, gasping, but Kitsuchi wasn't finished.

 

The Iwa ninja's kunai flashed upward in a vicious arc, finding the gap beneath Naruto's helmet where the armor plates met. The blade kissed his throat, drawing a thin line of crimson that trickled down his neck. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but enough to send a clear message.

 

"Too slow, boy," Kitsuchi snarled, pulling back for another strike.

 

But Naruto's training kicked in. Ignoring the burning pain in his chest and the warm blood on his throat, he pivoted on his heel and drove his armored fist across Kitsuchi's scarred face. The satisfying crunch of cartilage filled the air as the larger man's head snapped to the side.

 

Before Kitsuchi could recover, Naruto followed up with a brutal knee strike to his groin. The Iwa ninja doubled over with a strangled grunt, his weathered face contorting in agony.

 

"Still think I'm too slow?" Naruto spat, blood speckling his helmet's interior as he raised his fists again.

 

…

 

Meanwhile, Jango found himself separated from Naruto as he had been stuck fighting multiple B2 Battle droids who seemed to be targeting him particularly. If it was because he just happened to be a non-Jedi or Dooku’s direct orders for him to betray him, who knows.

 

“[Jango, we got a problem.]” Fennec spoke over the comms, “[Your friend is being an heroic idiot.]”

 

Turning his face to where Naruto was, he indeed was fighting—not with a droid but with a Shinobi, which was the last thing he needed now.

 

“Great…”

 

*THUD!*

 

A heavy thud beside Jango made him turn. A male Vurk Jedi lay crumpled on the ground, his chest pierced with several kunai knives. Jango glanced up at the source—Count Dooku's private box—then back at the dead Jedi, who must’ve attempted to take out the Count but failed.

 

*BLAST!*

 

A shot struck Jango hard in his shoulder plate—an unfortunate deflected shot. He quickly turned his gaze to see the source: an angry-looking Mace Windu, who had taken notice of him and was running forward. 

 

Great. This was the one time he hadn’t killed a Jedi, and now he found himself in a precarious situation.

 

Raising his blaster at the Jedi, Jango was about to fire at him until—

 

*RAWWW!*

 

The reek slammed into him with full force. Blinded by dust and confusion, Jango couldn't react in time as the massive beast charged. The impact sent the bounty hunter tumbling across the arena floor, his armor scraping against stone, jetpack sparking with damage. He rolled desperately, each course a fresh jolt of pain, until finally he skidded free from beneath the creature's thundering hooves. 

 

Once out underneath the beast, Jango stood back up, injured but not out. He turned around and spotted the Reek about to make another run at him. In doing so, the beast managed to take out several B1 Battle droids in its way as Jango raised his blaster pistol.

 

*PEW!*

 

He shot the Reek straight in the head, jumping out of the way of the fallen body of the animal, but landing close enough for its final gasp to be heard as it died a quick death…

 

“[Nice shot, after being nearly pummeled by that brainless beast]”

 

“You could’ve stopped it.” Jango grunted in pain as he questioned, “I wonder if hiring you was such a good idea.”

 

“[I wasn’t about to mention your jetpack malfunctioning, but I feel like you better know it now given that Jedi is still going for you]”

 

Hearing the warning, Jango turned quickly around and spotted Mace Windu still going right at him. In a bad spot, with his jetpack malfunctioning and holding just one blaster, only luck would save him now. Frustrated but determined, he raised his blaster.

 

*CLASH!*

 

A blue lightsaber sparked against Mace Windu's purple blade, the energy weapons hissing and crackling as they locked together mere inches from Jango's helmet. The Mandalorian bounty hunter stumbled backward, his blaster still raised but feeling unnecessary now.

 

"What is the meaning of this?" Windu demanded through gritted teeth, his dark eyes boring into the young shinobi who had intercepted his strike. "Why do you protect this mercenary?"

 

Sasuke Uchiha held his ground, his stolen lightsaber steady against the Jedi Master's weapon. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the effort of blocking such a powerful warrior, but his Sharingan eyes remained focused and determined.

 

"Jango is with Naruto," Sasuke replied coolly, though his voice carried an edge of warning. "I won't allow you to harm him, Master."

 

"[Kid's got guts, I'll give him that,]" came the voice in Jango's helmet comm.

 

The unusual standoff between the Uchiha and Mace Windu cooled off as they lowered their blades.

 

“You’ll be responsible for him,” Windu ordered, turning around to deflect another blaster bolt. “We’ll discuss this later.”

 

Sasuke nodded curtly, deactivating his lightsaber as Windu leapt back into the fray against the surrounding battle droids. The young Uchiha turned to see Jango struggling to stay upright, his armor dented and scorched from the Reek's rampage.

 

"Can you move?" Sasuke asked, offering his shoulder for support.

 

Jango grimaced behind his helmet, accepting the help reluctantly. "Yeah, but not fast. That beast cracked something in my ribs." He accepted Sasuke’s hand and stood back up, holding his sides and grunting, “Damn beast…thanks.”

 

“Call it a favor,” Sasuke said as he helped the bounty hunter to move, “for what you did for Naruto…”

 

…

 

After a few moments of hand-to-hand fighting, what the Jedi were witnessing was more bloodshed than what they had seen from the rest of the day. The bloody trial on the ground was enough to disturb them, given how brutal it was.

 

Naruto’s blood, his chest plate covered in it, was enough to make the average medic think he must be dying with the amount that was visible pouring out. Naruto still stood tall as he locked his arms with the Iwa nin Kitsuchi, who had himself been given some significant blows, visible from a bleeding head wound.

 

“You’re a strong opponent, despite not using Chakra, you can hold your strength…”

 

“Who says I didn’t?”

 

*PLUNG!* *SCHLICK!*

 

Kitsuchi’s eyes widened a fraction in surprise when he heard that, but opened even further as he felt something puncture his back. Slowly, he turned his head to see the second adversary who had spoken up, and was shocked to see it was a clone of Naruto in his Mandalorian armor that had hit him from behind.

 

"You...shadow clone..." Kitsuchi gasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

 

The clone smirked behind its helmet, twisting the kunai deeper before dispersing into a cloud of smoke. The real Naruto maintained his grip, pressing his kunai against the Iwa nin's throat as Kitsuchi fell to his knees.

 

"Just because I've been away from my home planet doesn't mean I've forgotten who I am," Naruto whispered harshly, "or what I can do."

 

"The Yellow Flash's legacy...lives on. Your father would be proud." Kitsuchi coughed, more blood spattering onto the already crimson-stained ground. He looked up at him and dared him, “Now…do it already…end it!”

 

…

 

“No.”

 

“Wha—”

 

* WHACK !*

With a hit across the head, Naruto did the unthinkable for a Shinobi and knocked Kitsuchi unconscious. Doing this, he claimed victory over the Iwa nin in his own way.

 

“I’m not going to have the wrath of your kin after me for senseless death…not on my watch…” 

 

Naruto's legs gave out beneath him, his strength finally depleted after the short but grueling battle. He collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his brow onto the metal. The familiar burn of overexertion coursed through his muscles, but he managed a weary smile at the unconscious form of Kitsuchi.

 

The sudden silence that followed was almost deafening. The mechanical whirring and blaster fire that had been a constant backdrop to their fight simply...stopped. Naruto's head snapped up, confused, as the metallic clanking of Battle Droids powering down echoed across the battlefield.

 

"What the hell?" he muttered, struggling to focus his vision.

 

Soft footsteps approached from behind, though to his senses, one felt different somehow, more refined and controlled than he remembered. He turned his head to see Hinata approaching, her movements graceful and purposeful in unfamiliar robes, a lightsaber hanging at her side. Beside her walked another young woman he didn't recognize, also dressed in Jedi attire.

 

"Naruto-kun," Hinata's voice carried a new confidence as she knelt beside him, her pale eyes filled with concern, "are you injured?" 

 

“Yeah…but…” Naruto noticed something, “but why aren’t they shooting?”

 

…

 

With the fighting having ceased by Count Dooku’s orders, the hundreds of Jedi who entered this battle had simply dwindled to a mere few dozen, and most had been forced into a small cluster surrounded by battle droids that had encircled them.

 

Dooku turned to see the reaction of the Tsuchikage after that fight between his son and Uzumaki, and saw a stoic look that made it seem like it made no difference to him. His curiosity was momentarily piqued, but by the looks of both his bodyguard and the man’s granddaughter, who was absent from the dignitary box, that left him to turn back to focus on his old Order.

 

“Master Windu! You have fought gallantly.” 

 

To the center of the largest pocket of Jedi, Windu was joined by Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé. They were all keeping an eye on the droids while Windu swept his gaze to the former-Jedi turned separatist leader.

 

“Worthy of recognition in the archive of the Jedi Order.”

 

By then, whatever Jedi were left had been forced into the group. Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon were brought in as a pair, the lone Aayla Secura, Jango Fett was brought in by Sasuke, and lastly, Naruto Uzumaki was being helped by Hinata and Barriss as Master Luminara tried covering them.

 

“Now…it is finished,” Dooku sounded out. He gloated, giving a final offer, “Surrender, and your lives will be spared.”

 

Windu worded his response, “We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!”

 

“Then, I'm sorry, old friend,” Dooku spoke, sincerely but also mercilessly. “Jango Fett!”

 

The bounty hunter's helmet turned toward the Count, his stance rigid among the captured Jedi. Even through the T-visor, Dooku could sense the Mandalorian's attention focused entirely on him.

 

"You have served admirably in the past few years," Dooku continued, his voice carrying across the arena. "Your skills are...exceptional. I find myself in need of someone with your particular talents." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Join me willingly, and I will triple whatever fee you were promised.”

 

The arena fell silent save for the mechanical whirring of battle droids. Jango's helmet remained fixed on Dooku, but beneath the beskar steel, his jaw tightened. The offer was tempting—more wealth than he could spend in several lifetimes…

 

"I'm honored by the offer, Count," Jango's modulated voice finally responded, steady and unwavering, "but I must decline. I’ve sworn an oath that I cannot break.”

 

Hearing this, the Count nodded. “Then so be it.”

 

Suddenly, clicks were heard as the battle droids prepared themselves for yet more fighting. Their blasters aligned, aiming at the surrounded, outnumbered, and outmaneuvered group. The Jedi, senator, and two Mandalorians could do nothing but stand there in the middle of an unwinnable situation.

 

“I can walk.”

 

Stepping on his own again, Naruto walked past the few Jedi left, leaving many of them to look at him briefly with confusion, and the blood visible on him. He pulled out his blasters once more as he stopped by Jango’s side, asking him a simple question.

 

“You sure about this, Jango?”

 

Jango nodded. “I am.”

 

Accepting this, both raised their blaster pistols at the droids, inspiring the Jedi to also continue. Valiantly, they prepared for the showdown that would either leave all the droids in this arena dead, or all of them.

 

Unexpectedly, Padmé, exhausted, dirty, and bloody, raised her head to the sky above and shouted out to the group. 

 

“Look!”

 

All eyes turned up to see half a dozen gunships descending fast upon the arena. The unknown gunships carried men in white armor armed with blaster rifles, but beyond those, another ship entered view:

 

It was a Gauntlet starfighter, with several Mandalorians emerging from the ship, led by Sabine Wren:

 

“Unleash it, boys!” Using their jetpacks to gain advantageous angles, they fired missiles at the hordes of battle droids.

 

Attempting to return fire, the battle droids unleashed a hailstorm of laserfire back at the ships, only to be easily picked off by the rocket fire as the gunships made circles around the pocket.

 

Inside one of the gunships was Yoda, who stood alongside the troopers as they flew in. Before landing, he ordered, “Around the survivors, a perimeter create.”

 

The gunships opened fire and unleashed hell upon the enemy battle droids, taking out swaths of them and causing enough open space for the gunships to land for the troopers to disembark. The troopers started providing covering fire for the trapped group and were soon joined by the Mandalorian warriors, who added their firepower.

 

“In, now!”

 

The Jedi quickly took the chance to enter any of the nearby ships. Seeing many of the Jedi Masters entering one ship that was mostly filled, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé joined another gunship that had the least amount of people entering.

 

Entering Yoda’s gunship were Windu and some others, deflecting blaster shots as they witnessed something unexpected happen: Sasuke Uchiha brought the injured Jango into their ship, surprising even the other masters, except for Yoda, who simply paid no mind to it.

 

What he did watch was Naruto, who was among the last to leave, firing his blaster pistols at nearby battle droids. He jumped into one of the last gunships and shouted to the pilot.

 

“Everyone’s aboard, we’re leaving!”

 

The gunships all flew back upwards, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, as the surviving Jedi managed to escape. With nobody left within reach of whatever battle droids remained in the arena, Dooku turned around and exited with the other dignitaries.

 

Focused on the spot where his son was being helped by his granddaughter, Ōnoki stood by himself. The old man couldn’t help but smirk, even after all the trouble this situation had caused.

 

“You’re an interesting individual, even if you’re an Uzumaki, brat.” 

 

👍🏼

 

Chapter 34: The Battle of Geonosis

Finally, thanks to Sheer Cold, I am finishing up with the Attack of the Clones movie, and here is the 9K chapter. I also recently updated my other Star Wars fic, hopefully you all will give it a look - anyway, enjoy this chapter, leave a review if you want, and have a good evening.

Let's go!

---

In the Low Altitude Assault Transport ships, also known as LAAT gunships, the attitude was a mixture of shock, relief, and professional distance. These were the same ships that had just rescued those trapped inside the Geonosian arena, and inside, people were recouping their losses or seeing their wounded. Those who could helped others in need where possible, otherwise they kept quiet to themselves or in small groups. 

 

Among the wounded, Jango lay in the middle of the floor, surrounded by Jedi and the Clones who carried his DNA. He was being medically attended to by Sasuke Uchiha, who kneeled next to him and kept the man’s helmet on. Nearby, the Jedi Masters conversed, including Master Windu and Grand Master Yoda, who had both observed the man responsible for their ordeal back on Coruscant.

 

"How is his status, Padawan Uchiha?" Windu's voice cut through the hum of the gunship's engines. His tone carried authority but also an undercurrent of genuine concern for their prisoner's condition.

 

Sasuke's dark eyes remained focused on his patient as his hands moved with practiced precision, checking Jango's pulse and examining the damage beneath the Mandalorian armor. "He's been roughed up badly by the Reek, Master. Possibly fractured ribs, and I'm detecting signs of a concussion," the young Uchiha's voice was steady, clinical, "but overall, he’s not in life-threatening danger.”

 

The breathing form of the wounded Jango was conscious of his surroundings, but the pain he was feeling did not allow him to move. He was completely at the mercy of the Jedi who stood over him.

 

“Should we place him under arrest?” Ki-Adi Mindu finally voiced the unspoken debate among the Masters. “Jango Fett is named as a wanted person due to his work for the Ölüm group.”

 

“While I agree in spirit, we have another target to focus on,” the Nautolan Jedi Master Kit Fisto countered, as he turned to Master Yoda. “Count Dooku is the primary suspect now, and he is still on the planet.”

 

Windu turns to one of the clones. “Keep an eye on him, trooper,” he ordered. Despite knowing these clones originated from Jango, he could rely on their obedience. “Make sure he stays under medical observation.”

 

“Yes, sir,” the clone nodded, accepting the order.

 

Yoda looked down at the sight of the ships below him. The LAATs were ready to take off after being transported from the Acclamator-class assault ship. Clones were pouring out in formation, all prepared for battle.

 

“If Dooku escapes,” Yoda turned to the others, “rally more systems to his cause, he will.”

 

Nodding in agreement, Windu looked towards the other LAAT gunships, wondering what the other surviving Jedi were doing now that they had escaped the arena…

 

…

 

The transport was tense with the sound of multiple DC-15A blaster rifles aimed at Naruto. He, in return, aimed his WESTAR-35s back at the white-armored clones. The stand-off was particularly tense due to the extremely small amount of room that was inside the gunship, but the nearby Jedi were trying to intervene.

 

“Stand down, terrorist!” one of the clones ordered. “You’re under arrest!”

 

“Sorry, but no,” Naruto responded, keeping his aim at the clones. “I appreciate you rescuing me and the Jedi from that mess, but I’m not going to prison any time soon—”

 

"Enough," Shaak Ti's voice cut through the tension without needing to shout. She simply spoke calmly, "Lower your weapons. All of you."

 

The clones hesitated, their training warring with the Jedi Master's command. Naruto's grip on his WESTAR-35s remained steady, his eyes darting between the white helmets surrounding him.

 

"That's an order, troopers," Shaak Ti said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

 

Reluctantly, the clone soldiers lowered their blasters, though their postures remained rigid with suspicion. Naruto kept his pistols trained for a beat longer before slowly holstering them with a deliberate motion.

 

"Wise choice," Luminara commented, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the charged atmosphere.

 

Aayla Secura moved closer to Barriss, who winced as she adjusted her injured knee, as Hinata tried tending to her. Naruto saw that the Padawan was still seething in pain from the Droideka shot.

 

One of the clones reached for his back to raise his rifle, but Aayla stopped him. Naruto bent down to Barriss Offee’s level and showed her a bandage.

 

"Let me help," Naruto said softly, his hands hovering over her injured knee. "I've patched up worse in the field."

 

Barriss hesitated, her green complexion darkening slightly as she looked at the man in Mandalorian armor. "I...I can manage."

 

"With all due respect, Padawan," Naruto replied, already unwrapping the bandage with practiced efficiency, "that blaster burn needs proper treatment."

 

Hinata stepped back slightly, giving Naruto room to work. Barriss's breath hitched as his gloved fingers gently wrapped around her knee, and he even touched her thigh, smoothly helping her. After he finished wrapping up the bandage, he stood up. 

 

“There, that should do for now,” Naruto said. After a moment, he bowed his helmet to the mostly female group of Jedi, “My apologies for my presence. I will depart soon.”

 

Aayla Secura stepped forward, her blue hand extended in a peaceful gesture. "Before that happens," she said, her voice carrying a warmth that seemed to fill the cramped gunship, "let me thank you for your help in the arena. You could have left, but you didn’t.”

 

“It was nothing…Aayla.” Naruto accepted the blue Twi’leks’ hand and held it elegantly. As he held it, he grew a smirk underneath his helmet, gently saying, “Always there to help a friend.”

 

“You could have left, and yet you didn’t. Which does more than the eye shows,” Shaak Ti nodded in agreement, her red eyes studying the Mandalorian with newfound respect. "The Force guided you to us for a reason.”

 

“Despite that, I hate to break it to you, young man, but you are still a wanted man by the Republic,” Luminara broke the news. “Your association with the Ölüm organisation prompted a warrant for you to be apprehended by anyone with the opportunity.”

 

Hinata tried to speak, “But Master Luminara—”

 

“It's okay, Hinata-chan…” Naruto addressed the girl who he knew had a crush on him, before he looked to the traditionally-dressed Jedi Master. “As much as I understand your sentiment, I, however, have to remind you of one thing.”

 

Luminara gave a suspicious eye to the Mandalorian, “And that is?”

 

“To get politely in line, because your government is not the only one after my head.”

 

*PEW!*

 

Red blaster bolts rained down on the formation, missing the LAAT gunships as they quickly diverted. They were flying right into the battlefield as anti-air blasterfire was directed at them.

 

“For now, let’s focus on staying alive, shall we?” Naruto spoke as he held onto something for stability. Leaning out of the crew compartment door, he yelled at the pilot, “Try not to get us shot down!”

 

The Republic gunships flew right into the barrage of blasters, with most of the AA fire coming from the areas around the Techno Union Hardcell-class transport ships. Most of the LAAT gunships’ skilled pilots managed to completely avoid the fire.

 

“Pilot, aim for the fuel cells!”

 

The pilot responded, “Was planning on it, kid!”

 

Their LAAT fired its light air-to-air rockets from the wings, targeting an opposing gunship. Hitting their targets, they forced the Techno Union ships to drop down onto the battle droids on the ground, smashing them under the weight. Another LAAT had a similar success, forcing its target to crash with a fiery explosion.

 

‘Skywalker must’ve had the same idea.’

 

Once the gunships flew past that obstacle, they encountered the sight of many clone troopers, in the thousands, assembling on the ground. They were still a vast distance away from the droids defending many of the Command Sphere ships built by the Separatists, which were ready to be sent off into space for the war.

 

…

 

Meanwhile, inside the command center of the Separatist Alliance, surrounded by Geonosian staff and security, a holographic map showed the battle that was soon to begin. The separatist leaders were astonished to see what they were facing. Archduke Poggle the Lesser’s security was there to protect his associates, like the astonished Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray.

 

“The Jedi have amassed a huge army!”

 

“That doesn't seem possible,” Dooku denied, sounding perplexed. Looking at the state of the battle, he saw the enemy’s larger numbers. “How could the Jedi come up with an army so quickly?”

 

“We must send all available droids into battle,” Nute Gunray insisted to Dooku.

 

“There are too many,” Dooku replied calmly as he spotted one of the Geonosians running past him towards Poggle the Lesser in haste. The Archduke said something to his subordinate before he nodded and then addressed his fellow Separatists. 

 

[“Our communications have been jammed,”] Poggle announced, then added, [“and we also lost contact with a delegation on Tatooine.”]

 

Dooku raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is it?”

 

[“We are collecting information as we speak."]

 

…

 

Back on the battlefield, the immense firepower of the anti-air batteries on the ground was getting more precise in its targeting of the gunships. As Mace Windu and Yoda were observing the situation unfold, one LAAT nearby—

 

*KABOOM!*

 

They watched as the LAAT gunship took a direct hit, engulfing the ship in flames before it crashed from high altitude, taking the pilot and crew with it.

 

Windu turned to the cockpit and yelled, “Pilot, land in that assembly area!”

 

“Yes, sir,” the clone pilot responded.

 

The LAAT gunship started descending into an open area surrounded by clone troopers. The gunship hovered right above the ground, and Windu jumped out, with Ki-Adi-Mundi and Kit Fisto joining him. Moments later, they were approached by clone commanders. One yellow-stripped clone commander went directly to Windu.

 

“Sir, I have 5 special commando units, awaiting your orders, sir.”

 

Acknowledging this information, Windu turns around and calls out, “Uchiha.” 

 

Making his way through the crowd, Sasuke Uchiha joined the Jedi Master and responded, “Yes, master?”

 

"I'm assigning you to lead these commando units," Windu said, his face stern as ever. "Your skills will be valuable for the specialized operations they conduct."

 

Sasuke nodded, his dark eyes scanning the five commandos standing at attention nearby. Each clone wore distinctive armor with specialized modifications: heavier plating, enhanced sensor packages, and custom weaponry that set them apart from the regular troopers.

 

As the Uchiha approached the commandos, Windu turned his gaze back to the LAAT gunship. There, Yoda stood over the still body of Jango Fett as the gunship took off once more, heading toward the forward command center.

 

With more Jedi joining the battle and leading the clone army, the latest LAAT to land had Naruto stepping out first, with Hinata and Aayla Secura. The tension was still there surrounding the presence of the Mandalorian Uzumaki. The three were followed up by Shaak Ti and Luminara, and after they were all out, one of the clone commanders approached the Jedi.

 

“Ma’ams, we have units waiting for your orders into battle.” The clone commander noticed Naruto and held his hand over his holster. “Should we take this man in?”

 

“Not now, trooper, we have a battle to win.” Shaak Ti grabbed her lightsaber and turned to Hinata, “Padawan, you will tend to the wounded in the rear. Master Luminara and I will go ahead.”

 

“The Droids are starting their attack!” somebody shouted in the distance. 

 

Igniting her lightsaber, Aayla Secura went on ahead, as did Luminara. Shaak Ti was about to join, but she briefly turned to the Uzumaki instead.

 

"Naruto," she said, her voice cutting through the distant sounds of battle, "what you did in the arena...You saved lives today. Whatever your past, whatever brought you here, know that your actions spoke louder than any reputation." Her blue eyes met his briefly, a moment of understanding passing between them. "May the Force be with you."

 

Without another word, she turned and sprinted toward the front lines, her lightsaber casting an azure glow as she joined the advancing clone troopers. The sound of blaster fire intensified as the Republic forces engaged the separatist droids. Leaving Naruto standing there and watching the massive armies clash.

 

“N-Naruto?”

 

Turning around, Naruto’s visor caught Hinata bringing out Barriss Offee from the ship, helping the Mirialan Jedi to move. They both knelt to the ground, but Barriss was the one who called him.

 

"I...I wanted to thank you," Barriss said softly, her voice barely audible above the distant explosions. Her pale green skin was flushed with embarrassment as she kept her gaze downcast. "For saving me back there. And for..." She gestured weakly toward her bandaged knee, where he had tended to her wound.

 

Naruto approached them and knelt to their level, the twin visors of his Mandalorian helmet reflecting their faces. Despite the imposing appearance of his armor, his posture was gentle, non-threatening.

 

"No need to thank me," he said with a chuckle that carried warmth even through the helmet's vocoder. "I somehow always end up helping pretty girls like you and Hinata."

 

Both girls immediately flushed at his casual compliment. Hinata's hands flew to her cheeks, her pale eyes wide with surprise, while Barriss ducked her head even lower, her blue diamond tattoos darkening against her flushed skin.

 

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata stammered, steam practically rising from her face.

 

Barriss managed to peek up at him through her lashes. "I…I…”

 

“No need to say anything else.” He stood back up as he continued, “Let’s keep it between us…”

 

“Look out!”

 

The warning cry came from a clone trooper as he and many others jumped or ran out of the way of something moving towards them.

 

Naruto's head snapped up, his enhanced hearing picking up the thunderous approach of something big. Through the smoke and chaos of the battlefield, a young Krayt Dragon—easily the size of a reek—came barreling towards where he stood. Its scaled hide was gleaming bronze in the flickering light of blaster fire.

 

"What the—" Naruto started, but the creature was moving too fast. Instead of attacking, however, the dragon bounded up to him like an oversized pet, its serpentine neck stretching down to nuzzle against his armored chest with surprising gentleness.

 

"Easy there, big guy," Naruto laughed, reaching up instinctively to pat the dragon's snout. The creature made a rumbling sound that was almost like a purr, its intelligent eyes focusing on him with unmistakable affection.

 

"How is it...?" Barriss whispered in amazement, momentarily forgetting her embarrassment. "Krayt Dragons are supposed to be incredibly aggressive."

 

Before Naruto could respond, the dragon suddenly reared back and then charged forward again, this time scooping him up with its powerful neck. Naruto found himself clinging to the creature's scaled hide as it pivoted toward the heart of the battle.

 

"Naruto!" Hinata cried out, scrambling to her feet despite her worry.

 

"I'll be fine!" Naruto yelled. Barely holding onto the reptilian sentient, he called out, “Don’t worry-wow!”

 

The Krayt Dragon moved off at magnificent speed into the battlefield, surprising friend and foe as he rode the magnificent animal through the battlefield, as the Krayt Dragon dashed past a few Jedi.

 

Master Windu's eyes widened as the unlikely pair thundered past his position, his lightsaber momentarily forgotten in his grip. 

 

"Impossible," he muttered, watching the Mandalorian warrior guide the dragon seemingly instinctively.

 

Kit Fisto's perpetual grin grew even wider as he witnessed the spectacle, his head-tails swaying with amusement. 

 

"Now that's what I call creative tactics!" he called out cheerfully while deflecting a blaster bolt.

 

Plo Koon, ever the pragmatist, spoke through his breathing apparatus with measured calm, "Most unusual, but effective. The creature is clearing our path to the command post."

 

As Naruto rode on top of the Krayt Dragon, the first batch of Battle Droids tried to fire at it, but the scales of the beast deflected them as it smashed the droids into pieces with its brute force, rampaging against the mechanical army.

 

Naruto gripped the rough ridges between the dragon's massive scales, his knuckles white as the creature bucked and thrashed beneath him. The ground shook with each thunderous step, sending tremors through his bones. 

 

"Easy, easy!" he shouted over the din of crushing metal and grinding gears, though he doubted the ancient beast could hear him above its primal roars.

 

A squadron of Dwarf Spider Droids emerged from behind a rocky outcropping, their articulated legs skittering across the sand with mechanical precision. Ruby targeting lasers danced across the Krayt Dragon's hide as their blaster cannons charged with an ominous whine. But, before they could fire, the dragon's massive tail whipped around like a battering ram, catching two of the mechanical arachnids mid-stride and launching them into the canyon wall where they exploded in showers of sparks and twisted durasteel.

 

The remaining Dwarf Spider Droids opened fire, attacking with a concentrated barrage. Naruto pressed himself flat against the dragon's neck as the bolts sizzled overhead, some finding their mark but merely scorching the creature's armored plates. The Krayt Dragon bellowed in fury rather than pain, its thick hide having weathered far worse than these mechanical insects could muster.

 

“Damn it!” Naruto shouted underneath his helmet, “Easy, boy, easy!”

 

‘Riding a Krayt Dragon into battle, I must say—you keep surprising me, kid.’

 

The Krayt Dragon continued its rampage as the Clone Army was advancing behind it, and LAAT gunships were flying above with air superiority. 

 

…

 

Watching from the gunship, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé witnessed Naruto’s chaotic entrance into the battle, catching all three by surprise.

 

“Wait, isn’t it the same animal that the Geonosians tried to kill Naruto with?” Padmé asked. She looked on, in complete disbelief at what her eyes were taking in. “And now it's helping him?”

 

Anakin couldn’t help but crack a smile as he answered, “It is. And it's fascinating to watch.”

 

“I swear, you two share more than I can imagine,” Obi-Wan idly commented. He looked up and saw some of the CIS ships leaving and ordered, “Attack those Federation Starships, quickly!”

 

Though many rockets were fired from the LAATs, they had little effect upon impact. The starships were big enough to absorb the explosions, and they soon escaped to space.

 

…

 

Meanwhile, at a safer spot of the battlezone, Yoda’s LAAT gunship landed in front of a command center, where Clone Command was expecting him. The green Grand Master was standing next to the still unconscious body of Jango Fett, making sure he would be okay.

 

“Master Yoda,” the commander addressed, “all forward positions are advancing.”

 

“Very good,” Yoda said, stepping off the ship, “very good…”

 

As the small Jedi Master surveyed the tactical displays, the distinctive roar of familiar engines cut through the chaos of battle above. The clones immediately raised their blasters skyward as Slave I descended through the smoke and debris, its hull scarred from the arena conflict.

 

"Hold your fire!" Yoda commanded sharply, his gimer stick tapping against the ground. "Stand down, you will."

 

The clone commander's helmet turned toward the ancient Jedi. "Sir, that's the bounty hunter's ship."

 

"Know this, I do," Yoda replied, watching as the vessel touched down nearby. "Transport Jango Fett, it will. Focus on the droid army, we must. More pressing matters await us."

 

The boarding ramp of Slave I lowered with a mechanical hiss, and Yoda gestured for two clones to carry the unconscious Mandalorian towards the ship, walking out of the hull soon after it landed. A woman in black and a child running went on to get to the wounded Fett.

 

“End this war we must, before it starts.”

 

…

 

Back amid the battle, different variants of LAAT gunships were dropping off the Clone Army’s All Terrain Tactical Enforcer walker tanks, commonly known as AT-TEs. Once they touched the Geonosian surface, they immediately began opening fire.

 

Opposing them at rapid speed, IG-227 Hailfire tanks were coming through the droids who were making way for their hoop-like drive wheels that would’ve crushed them without notice. The Hailfire droids opened fire with their long-range missile launchers, unleashing on the landing AT-TEs without mercy.

 

One barrage of missiles was about to hit another squad of AT-TEs until the Krayt Dragon arrived in its path—

 

*BOOM!* 

 

The beast absorbed all of the missiles’ impact without even stopping for a moment, even with Naruto still on top of the Krayt Dragon. His Mandalorian Armor partly helped him to not get blown to pieces, but it was mainly the Krayt’s scales that saved him as the beast went on the assault on the Hailfire droids.

 

The massive creature's jaws clamped down on one of the Hailfire droids, metal shrieking in distress as it crumpled between razor-sharp teeth. Naruto gripped the ridges of armored plates along the Krayt's neck, his fingers finding purchase in the natural grooves as the beast swung its massive tail, sending another droid tumbling across the battlefield in a shower of sparks and twisted metal.

 

"That's it! Keep going!" Naruto shouted, though his voice was nearly lost in the cacophony of battle.

 

Clone troopers paused momentarily in their advance, some lowering their weapons in awe as the Krayt Dragon carved a destructive path through the Separatist lines. The beast's scales gleamed with reflected blaster fire, missiles exploding harmlessly against its hide as it charged forward with unstoppable momentum. 

 

One of the clones voiced a thought that was shared among many other clones and even Jedi:

 

“I’m glad he’s on our side.”

 

…

 

Back in the command center of the Separatist Alliance, the rapid advance of the Clones was met with unsatisfactory comments. 

 

“This is not looking good at all.”

 

“We must get the cores of our ships back into space!” one of Nute Gunray’s associates cried. Gunray nodded along as he considered the words and took off, leaving Dooku’s side. Now only he, Poggle the Lesser, and a handful of Geonosian staff would be left alone in the room.

 

[“We have to order a retreat, Count,”] Poggle spoke in his native tongue, slamming his hand. [“This is unsustainable.”] 

 

“My master will never allow the Republic to get away with this treachery,” Dooku commented to the Geonosian leader while walking around the table to approach.

 

[“I’m ordering most of my warriors to hide in the catacombs.”] Poggle the Lesser rushed over to a console and punched in a code, bringing up a holographic schematic of a plan. With a few keystrokes, he downloaded the schematic onto a cartridge.

 

[“The Jedi must not find our designs for the ultimate weapon,”] the Archduke insisted. [“If they have any idea of what we are planning to create, we are doomed.”]

 

Walking over to Dooku, the Archduke hands over the cartridge to the man.

 

“I will take the designs with me to Coruscant.” Dooku briefly turned the cartridge on, showing a red hologram of a planet-sized weapon. “They will be much safer there, with my master.” He turned the device off and then asked Poggle, “Any updates on the situation on Tatooine?”

 

[“Only that the hostages have been taken to Mos Eisley, where these Ölüm fighters are amassing their forces,”] Poggle commented on it from his latest updates. [“Already a battalion of my warriors is on their way with an army, but I fear this will be a fierce fight.”]

 

Dooku questioned, “How so?”

 

[“Their commander, Tarik ‘The Imam’ Karim, is confirmed to lead them there. Preparing defenses and so forth,”] Poggle replied with caution. [“If his reputation is true, then he will be a difficult opponent to deal with.”]

 

Dooku nodded, “I see, I will make sure that the Ölüm organisation will be dealt with.”

 

[“How?”]

 

“I’ll send someone who can deal with them as soon as I can contact him.”

 

…

 

The Krayt Dragon only stopped its rampage when every forward unit of the Separatists was destroyed. What was left was only the line of defense of the Droid Army defending the core ships. Despite heavy fire from the advancing clones and their heavy weaponry, the ships were successfully evacuating.

 

Naruto watched as blaster fire went past him, left and right, and looked up. He could see blue laserfire reaching and hitting the nearest Core ship, having been fired from several Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery-Turbolasers. They hit a weak point of the CIS core ship, as it began to fall to the ground. On impact, it exploded, causing a giant sand wave to rush towards the troops.

 

“Ah, crap.” 

 

The sand wave crashed into Naruto with the force of a tsunami, ripping him from his position and sending him tumbling across the battlefield. His Mandalorian helmet kept the worst of it from his eyes and lungs, but the impact jarred his bones as he rolled helplessly through the grit.

 

When he finally came to a stop, half-buried in a dune, Naruto groaned and tried pushing himself upright. His armor was caked with orange dust, and he could feel sand in places he didn't want to think about. Through his visor, now scratched and partially obscured.

 

“Hey.”

 

He was offered a hand, but with sand obstructing his view, he could barely see who it belonged to. Accepting it regardless, he was tugged to his feet, where he could see that the person who helped was another Mandalorian, Sabine Wren, who had finally found him.

 

Sabine chuckled, “Nice ride, but let’s get going, shall we?”

 

…

 

Once inside the Nite Owl’s Gauntlet Starfighter, they made their way through the sandstorm, having taken advantage of the chaos amid the battle to recuperate. With Bo-Katan and Rahab both in the pilot seats, the ship finally made its way out of the sandstorm while Naruto was being tended to by Sabine, who was cleaning the wounds on his face.

 

“So let me get this straight, you got captured after slicing some Geonosians, faced off with some Shinobi, and were forced to fight in an arena against a Krayt Dragon, tamed it, fought alongside Jedi, defeated another Shinobi, and then led the same Krayt Dragon into battle and destroyed some more droids?” Sabine wrapped up everything that she was just being told on short notice and chuckled underneath her helmet, “Honestly, wow.”

 

"When you put it like that, it sounds way more impressive than it was," Naruto said, wincing slightly as Sabine dabbed at a particularly deep scratch near his left whisker mark. "I mean, I had help. Lots of help. The Jedi did most of the heavy lifting, and the Krayt Dragon...well, she kind of did her own thing."

 

"Most of the heavy lifting?" Rahab called from the co-pilot's seat, her voice carrying clear amusement. "From what we saw on our scopes, you were the one riding that beast into the thick of it. That's not exactly what I'd call just playing support."

 

Bo-Katan glanced back from the pilot's seat, her tone dry but impressed. "The droid count alone was... significant. And that's before factoring in the Geonosian casualties."

 

"See? This is why you'd make prime Mandalorian husband material," Rahab said with a teasing lilt, turning in her seat to face them. "Modest about his victories, deadly in combat, good with animals...I might have a shot here."

 

Sabine's ministrations on Naruto's face paused abruptly. "Excuse me?" she said, her voice carrying a dangerous edge beneath its casual tone.

 

"Oh, come on," Rahab continued, either oblivious to or deliberately ignoring the sudden tension. "You can't blame a girl for noticing. Besides, Koska mentioned something about him being the last of his clan. That's practically a mandate to repopulate, isn't it?"

 

Bo-Katan's cheeks flushed slightly beneath her helmet, but she kept her focus determinedly on the ship's controls. "Rahab, perhaps this isn't the time—"

 

"I'm just saying what we're all thinking," Rahab shrugged, spinning back to face the viewport. "The Uzumaki line needs continuation. It's practically a cultural duty." She briefly turns to Naruto with a chuckle, “Say, kid, you like it with the helmet on?”

 

Naruto's face had turned all red when she said that, and he tried to say something—

 

“Focus, people, we've got two Geonosian ships in front of us, tailing a Republic gunship.” 

 

Right in front of them, two Nantex-class territorial defense starfighters of the Geonosians were firing at the lone LAAT Republic gunship. They couldn't believe their eyes, as the LAAT was itself chasing a speeder, and they were shocked to see it was Count Dooku aboard. They were all flying over a rock-filled area, and the Nantex ships were relentlessly firing on the LAAT gunship.

 

“Why aren’t they shooting that speeder down?” B-Katan asked while steering the ship after the Geonosians. “Rahab, prepare the heat-seeking missiles and the manual forward blasters.” 

 

“Got it!” Rahab focused on her task and pressed some buttons. She called back, “All will be ready in a minute.”

 

Just as the LAAT gunship was taking heavy fire, Dooku’s speeder ducked into the opening of a cave with a landing platform on it. From it, they could see a pair of Jedi jumping out, Kenobi and Skywalker, but as the other clones tried to join—

 

*BOOM!*

 

In their haste, the gunship’s pilot tried to escape during its brief stop, causing it to be caught dead by the Geonosian gunners who made direct hits. The only clone who managed to get out of the ship was shot dead on the platform.

 

“Shit!” Naruto stood up, grabbed Sabine’s jetpack, and said, “Take those fighters out, I’ll help Kenobi and Skywalker!”

 

“Hey, wait!” 

 

Just as the Gauntlet flew past the entrance where the Republic gunship had been shot down, Naruto used the jetpack to land on the platform. He ran into the cave entrance as the Nite Owls continued their chase against the Geonosians.

 

Without his helmet, Naruto would face the Count alongside the Jedi.

 

…

Mere moments after Dooku entered the cave, he was accompanied by an FA-4 pilot droid. Hidden in the cave was a secret launching platform, and the Count’s own heavily modified Punworcca 116-class interstellar sloop. The Count ordered the droid to prepare the ship for immediate takeoff, while he would handle his pursuers. 

 

As the droid departed for its task, running in with their lightsabers turned on, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker arrived. They spotted the Count as he turned around to face them, confident as he stood there, showing his blade still casually affixed to his belt.

 

“You're gonna pay for all the Jedi that you killed today, Dooku,” Anakin promised with his eyes set on the former Jedi.

 

Then, entering last, with his hand over his holster, Naruto joined in, to the surprise of everyone.

 

"Naruto?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice betraying his confusion as he glanced sideways at the blonde-haired young man.

 

Count Dooku's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Ah, young Uzumaki. How kind of you to join us.”

 

Anakin's grip tightened on his lightsaber, the green blade gripping as he focused on the Count.

 

“Intriguing, a Mandalorian and Jedi standing together, against me.” The Count stepped forward, his cape billowing behind him as the FA-4 droid continued its preparations at the ship. "I must admit, this will be a shame if none of you will survive this to then give a detailed report of this in the Archives. Especially one gifted with the Force like you, Uzumaki.”

 

“We move in together,” Obi-Wan explained as he stepped up. “You slowly on the—”

 

“No! I’m taking him now!” And Anakin pulled away and charged ahead.

 

“No, Anakin, no! No!”

 

Charging up ahead, the young Jedi came on, his green lightsaber ready to cut Dooku in half. The Count looked at him out of the corner of his eye, smiling as if truly amused, before the Count’s hand shot out toward the charging Jedi, sending forth a Force—

 

*KZZZZT!*

 

A burst of blue Force lightning shot out, completely unexpectedly, and caught the charging Skywalker Jedi in the chest. He cried in pain as he was sent off to the wall, knocking Anakin out of the fight before he even could make a proper move.

 

Seeing this, Naruto reached for his blasters—

 

*VOOM!*

 

But both his blasters were Force Pulled by Dooku, who had by this point ignited his lightsaber—

 

*SLASH!*

 

Slicing both Naruto’s blasters in one sweep in half and rendering them useless. Naruto was left unarmed, with only the barely conscious Anakin out of reach, leaving Obi-Wan as the only combatant against the Count. 

 

“Stand back, Naruto,” Obi-Wan ordered as he held his lightsaber at Dooku.

 

“As you see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours,” Dooku bragged as he and Kenobi were circling. Dooku gave a clear warning to his opponent, "Now...back down.” Dooku raised his hand once more—

 

*KZZZT!*

 

With the usage of his lightsaber, the full punch of Dooku’s lightning was blocked by Kenobi, and he stood there calm and ready to continue with the confrontation.

 

“I don't think so.”

 

Seeing this, Naruto knew his place and could do nothing but stand by to watch. Dooku prepared himself to further the confrontation between the two lightsaber-wielding men, both looking like they—

 

*CLASH!*

 

Going on the assault, Obi-Wan attempted his first row of controlled but fast barrage of attacks against the Count, who, in return, with equally calm precision, blocked and even countered the attacks of the Jedi Master. He even jumped up to avoid the low attack of Obi-Wan, using the opportunity to attempt another hit on the Jedi. Neither managing to land a solid blow on the other, both again made distance.

 

“Master Kenobi, you disappoint me,” Dooku taunted. “Yoda holds you in such high esteem.”

 

Dooku's goading ignited something in Obi-Wan, who launched into another flurry of precise attacks. His blue lightsaber hummed through the air, but Dooku's crimson blade moved with serpentine precision—deflecting left, parrying right, then rising just enough to redirect Obi-Wan's downward strike harmlessly away.

 

“Surely you can do better.”

 

Chest heaving, lungs burning, Obi-Wan was forced to fall back. He steadied himself and shifted his lightsaber from hand to hand, getting a better grip on it. Then he approached again fiercely, his blue lightsaber flashing all about. He kept a better measure of his cuts this time, though, reversing his angle often, turning a wide slash into a sudden thrust. He soon had Dooku backing, the red blade working furiously to keep Obi-Wan at bay. Obi-Wan pressed forward more forcefully, trying to take advantage of the changing momentum, but Dooku continued to fend off the strikes—

 

*CLASH!*

 

Both blades intertwined, but Obi-Wan had put himself in a bad position as he was too far forward. All the while, Dooku remained in perfect balance, ready for a counterstrike. 

 

*VZZ!*

 

“Argh!” Obi-Wan reacted in pain as Dooku’s blade struck his shoulder, but Dooku wasn’t done yet—

 

*VZZ!*

 

A hit landed on the leg, incapacitating Obi-Wan as he fell to the ground holding his burning wounds. Though he hadn't lost any limbs in the vicious counter, the pain was debilitating. As Dooku stood over Kenobi, he swung his blade around, ready for the kill.

 

Respecting his opponent enough to quickly put him out of his suffering, he swung his saber down—

 

*CLASH!*

 

Interrupting Dooku’s final blow before it could hit Kenobi, another saber stopped the crimson blade with a thunderous crash, sending vibrations through the air that made both combatants' blades rattle.

 

"That's enough, Count."

 

Dooku's eyes widened momentarily before narrowing down to the source of his blocked attempt to end the Jedi’s life; the material wasn’t shaped like that of ordinary lightsabers. This was old, Beskar-made, with the hilt more of a straight, rectangular shape and featuring a guard. The blade itself was shaped like a traditional sword of the old times, one that very few Jedi would see in their entire lives. Most obviously, its color was also way out of tradition, as its white light shone against Naruto's beskar armor. With deep shadows produced by its pure light, his face held a harsh glare against the Count, fuelled with determination.

 

"Fascinating," the Count murmured, studying the weapon. "A lightsaber as pale as moonlight. I believed the Darksaber to be unique among Mandalorian relics, yet here you stand with its... opposite."

 

With a swift motion, Naruto pushed forward, forcing Dooku to disengage and step back. The Mandalorian positioned himself between the Count and the wounded Jedi.

 

"The Uzumaki blade has been waiting for this moment," Naruto replied, his stance shifting into an unfamiliar form that seemed to blend Mandalorian combat techniques with something far more ancient. "Just as I have."

 

Anakin, who had started rushing toward them as soon as he recovered from being stunned, stopped short. His eyes darted between Obi-Wan's injured form and their unexpected defender. The white blade hummed with a distinct resonance unlike any lightsaber present—not the deep rumble of Dooku's crimson saber nor the steady vibration of Jedi weapons—it sang, almost alive.

 

Dooku's expression shifted from mild curiosity to genuine intrigue, his red blade lowering slightly as he regarded the ancient weapon with the reverence of a scholar. "The Uzumaki blade...I thought it mere legend. The chronicles spoke of Tarre Vizsla's contemporary, a Mandalorian Force-user whose weapon was forged as the light to balance the Darksaber's darkness."

 

"You know your history, Count," Naruto accepted, adjusting his grip on the white-bladed weapon. The beskar hilt seemed to respond to his touch, the blade's luminescence pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. "But knowing and experiencing are different things entirely."

 

Without warning, Dooku struck—a testing blow meant to gauge his new opponent's skill. The crimson blade met white in a cascade of sparks, but instead of the typical clash and rebound, the Uzumaki blade seemed to drink in the impact, its pale light brightening as it absorbed the kinetic energy. Naruto flowed with the strike, redirecting Dooku's momentum, spinning into a counterattack that forced the Count to retreat three steps.

 

“Anakin!”

 

Hearing this, Dooku reacted quickly, managing to spot Skywalker's surprise attack, somehow wielding two blades. His mind whirring with possibilities, he quickly recognized that Obi-Wan had thrown his blade to the Padawan.

 

The Count pivoted with fluid grace, redirecting his crimson blade to intercept Anakin's dual-wielded attack. Lightsabers crackled and hissed as three blades locked together, casting their wielders in an eerie mix of red, blue, green, and white.

"Predictable," Dooku taunted, his aristocratic features eerily illuminated by the multicolored glow. With a subtle twist of his wrist, he disengaged and executed a precise Makashi riposte that sent Anakin stumbling backward.

 

Naruto seized the opening, the white Uzumaki blade singing through the air as he launched into a flurry of attacks that defied conventional lightsaber forms. The beskar-forged edge sliced patterns that seemed to leave trails of moonlight in its wake, forcing Dooku to shift his full attention to this unexpected threat.

 

"Your technique is...unorthodox," Dooku observed between parries, his composure slipping momentarily as the white blade nearly grazed his shoulder. "Neither Jedi nor Sith, yet something...older."

 

Anakin recovered quickly, circling to Dooku's flank. The Count now found himself caught between opponents—the unpredictable Mandalorian with his ancient weapon before him, and the impetuous Padawan behind with a blade in each hand. His elegant Makashi form, designed for dueling, was being tested against multiple angles of attack, but Dooku wasn’t easy.

 

*SLASH!*

 

The hilt of Anakin’s green lightsaber was slashed in half, rendering it useless. Now, Anakin found himself on the defensive as Count Dooku executed his elegant strikes against him. With a sudden twist, Dooku launched Anakin’s blue lightsaber out of his grasp. Taking advantage of Anakin's surprise and imbalance, Dooku went on the offensive, forcing Anakin to stumble backward.

 

Anakin fought hard to regain his fighting posture, but Dooku was relentless, thrusting repeatedly and keeping the young Padawan on the retreat. Then, Dooku suddenly stopped his unrelenting assault. Almost instinctively, he kicked his leg into Naruto’s beskar chest, shoving him away before going back to Anakin. The boy, frustrated at the injuries his Master faced and the seeming ease with which he was being handled, roared with his attack, swinging his lightsaber with all his might—

 

*SLASH*

 

Dooku skillfully took advantage of the berserker strike and slashed out suddenly, intercepting not Anakin’s green blade, but the Padawan’s arm at the elbow. Half of Anakin’s arm flew to the side, his hand still gripping the lightsaber, but Dooku did not wait and Force Pushed Anakin away, sending him landing heavily against Obi-Wan. 

 

Having defeated two Jedi, with one’s limb gone, the Count turned back to Naruto, satisfaction briefly flickering across his aristocratic features. "Now for the anomaly in the Force."

 

Naruto rose to his feet, the white blade humming with ancient power. His beskar armor had absorbed most of the impact from Dooku's kick, but the force behind it had still heavily driven him back.

 

"You fight well for someone untrained in the Jedi arts," Dooku remarked, circling the blond warrior with predatory grace, "but you are outmatched."

 

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I’ve faced odds worse than that in the past.”

 

Dooku's response came not in words but in a sudden burst of crackling blue energy that erupted from his fingertips. Force lightning streaked across the chamber, colliding with Naruto's chest and sending him flying backward. The beskar armor conducted the energy rather than absorbing it, amplifying the pain as electricity coursed through his body.

 

Naruto slammed against the entrance doors with bone-jarring force, his white blade extinguishing as the ancient hilt clattered to the floor beside him. He struggled to rise, muscles spasming from the lightning's aftereffects, when the doors behind him slid open with a pneumatic hiss.

 

“Ugh…”

 

A small, green figure hobbled into the chamber, leaning on a gnarled walking stick. The newcomer's large ears twitched as ancient eyes surveyed the scene. It was Yoda, and he soon noticed the Count looking at him.

 

“Master Yoda,” Dooku breathed, deactivating his lightsaber in the presence of his former teacher.

 

“Count Dooku,” said Yoda, stopping his tracks at the edge of the room.

 

Groaning in pain, Naruto tried to stand up, but a pair of hands were touching his chest plates, with a glow erupting.

 

“Stand still…”

 

Naruto raised his head to see that he was yet again blessed by the presence of Hinata, who was helping him by using her abilities to ease the pain inflicted on him. With her help, he was able to see that Yoda was being attacked with objects thrown at him, though he easily threw them aside by using the Force, even preventing pieces of the ceiling from falling upon him. Against his former student, Yoda’s abilities of the Force were truly tested.

 

“Powerful you have become, Dooku,” Yoda admitted, grunting. Pushing aside more thrown debris, the old Grand Master added, “The dark side I sense in you.”

 

“I have become more powerful than any Jedi,” Dooku countered as he once again held his hand out, aimed at the Grand Master. Calling lightning against the one he once respected above all else, he shouted, “Even you, my old Master!”

 

The dangerous lightning poured forth from Dooku’s fingers, but Yoda caught it in his tiny hand, focusing it into his palm before directing it back. Dooku was forced to deflect it away to the ceiling, causing a small explosion and raining more debris over the combatants.

 

Attempting again, Dooku sent Dark Lightning against Yoda, who managed to capture the full brunt of it, even absorbing it into his hand and closing it into a fist. Yoda’s abilities in the Force were never in question, but were shown right there to be significant.

 

“Much to learn, you still have.”

 

There was no pause at all before Dooku responded, “It is obvious this contest can not be decided by our knowledge of the Force…” Igniting his blade once more, Dooku finished, “...but by our skills with a lightsaber.”

 

Dooku gave a crisp salute, preparing to battle. Even opposed, he couldn't help but continue to have great respect for the diminutive green Jedi. 

 

In return, Yoda reverently opened his coat and used the Force to draw out his lightsaber, its green blade humming to life once he ignited it. The whole world seemed to freeze with incredible tension as they both stood ready for battle.

 

Leaping forward first was Dooku, followed by Yoda. The time for words was over; now they were ready for battle.

 

As they landed just inches apart, Dooku unleashed a fierce attack unlike anything he had previously shown against Obi-Wan or Anakin, raining blows upon the experienced but elderly Master. Surprisingly, Yoda didn’t appear to move at all. He neither stepped back nor to the side; instead, his subtle dodges and precise parries allowed him to deflect Dooku’s slashes and stabs harmlessly away.

 

It went on and on for many moments, but eventually Dooku’s flurry began to slow, and the Count, recognizing the futility of this attempt to overwhelm, stepped back fast.

 

But not fast enough. 

 

With a sudden burst of sheer power, Master Yoda flew forward, his blade working so mightily that its residual glow outshone even that of both of Anakin’s lightsabers when he was at the peak of his dance. Dooku held strong, though, his red blade parrying brilliantly, each block backed by the power of the Force, or else Yoda’s strikes would have driven right through.

 

Just as he was about to launch a counter, though, Yoda was gone, leaping high and turning a somersault to land right behind Dooku, in perfect balance, striking hard.

 

Dooku reversed his grip and stabbed out behind him, intercepting the blow. He let go of his weapon altogether, tossing it just a bit, and spun about, catching it before it had even disengaged from Yoda’s blade. With a growl, Dooku reached more deeply into the Force, letting it flow through him as if his physical form was a mere conduit for its power. His tempo increased suddenly and dramatically, three steps forward, two back, perfectly balanced all the while. This was his fighting style, based on balance, on the back-and-forth charges, thrusts, and sudden retreats, but now he came at Yoda with a series of cunning stabs, angled left and right.

 

Never could he strike low, though, for as short as his stature was, Yoda never seemed to be on the ground. He was always leaping and spinning, flying all about, parrying each blow and offering cunning counters that had Dooku skipping backward desperately. Dooku stabbed up high, turning the angle of his lightsaber in anticipation that Yoda would dodge left. But Yoda, as if in complete anticipation of the movement, veered neither left nor right, but rather dropped to the ground.

 

The Count had already retracted the missed thrust and began a second stab, this time down low, but Yoda had anticipated that, too, and went right back up behind the stabbing blade. A sudden stab by Yoda had Dooku quick-stepping back even more off-balance, for the first time. But, instead of immediately pressing the advantage, Yoda flew away, jumping off the side of the sloop up and back. The angered Dooku pursued, thrusting hard for Yoda’s head. In his anger, when his stab missed yet again, he reverted to a slashing attack.

 

Yoda’s green blade caught the blow, holding the red lightsaber at bay, locking the two in a contest of strength, physical and of the Force.

 

“Fought well, you have, my old Padawan ,” Yoda told his old pupil in mid-fight.

 

“This is just the beginning!” Dooku declared as he reached into the Force, seizing one of the enormous metallic silos within the hangar, and letting it fall toward the wounded Obi-Wan and Anakin.

 

This forced Yoda to pause his fight and use the Force to prevent the silo from crushing the two Jedi. In doing so, he allowed Dooku to escape to his sloop, just as the ship's door closed and the engines roared to life.

 

Hinata witnessed the scene and noticed an arm raised; it was Naruto's arm, with his vambrace aimed at the sloop. 

 

“Please…”

 

*PEW!*

 

A small object was shot at the sloop, striking just above the engine as Dooku’s ship took off. Just as the roar of the ship's engines faded, the sound of blasterfire from outside grew above the background din. It sounded like multiple blasters and rifles were aiming at the escaping spacecraft, firing everything they could.

 

‘What did you shoot?’

 

‘A tracker beam…short distance.’

 

‘It will be destroyed.’

 

‘Hopefully, it will help with something…but I’ll keep it to myself now…’ Naruto grunted as he ended his mind conversation. He was helped up by Hinata, a far too common occurrence during such a short period. Looking for his saber, he grabbed it off the floor before he walked to the middle of the hangar. There, he saw Yoda trying to walk slowly towards the pair of Jedi, just as a group of Clone troopers arrived. Among the clones was Padmé, who hurried over to the wounded Anakin.

 

…

 

Coruscant

 

Dooku’s sloop managed to enter Coruscant’s orbit, making its way through the industrial heartland of the planet, far away from the major populated areas. As night arrived, the thick industrial fumes were the perfect cover to hide the Sep leader’s tracks.

 

Flying to what looked to be an abandoned tower, Dooku’s sloop flew right into it and landed in a hangar. Inside, an ominous figure in a black cloak was waiting for the Count, one whom Dooku had planned to meet upon arrival.

 

Once exiting his ship, Dooku greeted with a head bow, “The Force is with us, Master Sidious.”

 

“Welcome home, Lord Tyranus,” the cloaked Sith responded to his awaited apprentice. “You have done well.”

 

“I have good news for you, my lord,” Dooku informed him. “The war has begun.”

 

“Excellent. Everything is going as planned,” Sidious smiled. After a moment, the evil grin slipped as he sensed something his apprentice missed. “But perhaps, you should have kept your eye on that short-ranged beacon.”

 

Dooku's brow furrowed as he turned to the sloop and spotted a burned-out tracker beacon stuck near one of the engines. He walked over and plucked it off, examining the device with growing anger. "Uzumaki," he cursed, crushing the small device in his gloved hand.

 

Sidious remained unmoved, his face half-hidden in the shadows of his hood. "He and his Ölüm friends will be dealt with," he said calmly, his voice carrying an underlying threat that chilled the air between them.

 

"They are becoming more brazen," Dooku replied, letting the fragments of the tracker fall to the hangar floor. "This is the third time they've attempted to follow my movements."

 

"The Ölüm believe themselves to be participants in a game they barely understand," Sidious said, turning away from Dooku and walking toward the dimly lit corridor. "Come. We have much to discuss about the Republic's response to Geonosis."

 

The two Sith resumed walking out of the hangar.

 

…

 

In the Council Room of the Jedi Temple, after all the Jedi had been evacuated back, a very small and informal meeting was being held. Only one seat was occupied with Yoda, as both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu were looking out of the window as they talked amongst each other.

 

“Do you believe what Count Dooku said about Sidious controlling the Senate?” Obi-Wan questioned his fellow masters, having briefed them of his short imprisonment by the Count. He was conflicted by the whole situation. “It doesn't feel right.”

 

“Joined the dark side, Dooku has. Mmm,” Yoda spoke from his seat, skeptical at the revelations. “Lies, deceit...creating mistrust are his ways now.”

 

“Nevertheless, I feel we should keep a closer eye on the Senate,” Windu suggested, agreeing in spirit but having his own take on it. “Senator Jiraiya and I discussed this…It's his suggestion.”

 

“I agree,” Yoda spoke in agreement.

 

Once that was settled, Windu turned to Kenobi, “Where is your apprentice?”

 

“On his way to Naboo, escorting Senator Amidala home,” Obi-Wan spoke about how his padawan wanted to resume the mission. Looking out back at the orange sky, he continued, “I have to admit that without the clones, it would not have been a victory.”

 

“Victory?”

 

The two masters turned to Yoda, who couldn’t disagree more.

 

“Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory.” Yoda shook his head and concluded, “The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has.”

 

“Now we’re on the unfortunate topic of war, Jiraiya’s intel has now confirmed it.” Windu felt like now it was the time to mention, “On Tatooine, their commander Tarik Karim has ordered full mobilisation.”

 

Obi-Wan held his hand under his chin, “This means…”

 

“We now might be fighting Ölüm as well,” Windu confirmed. The words felt like a heavy weight as he turned to the Grand Master, “This might end badly for you, Master Yoda, once word gets out about you allowing Uzumaki, Jango, and those Mandalorians to go, especially with the information about Uzumaki’s abilities…this, the Jedi cannot ignore.”

 

“Agreed, Uzumaki’s abilities are growing stronger, they are.” Yoda spoke, “His path set, it is.”

 

…

 

Battalion upon battalion of Clone Troopers were marching in columns to the Acclamator-class assault ships that were preparing to be sent off.

 

To the naked eye of Coruscant, many were seeing the Clone Army enter into force, up into the orbit of the homes of billions of residents. Many different opinions were formed by the spectators, but only a few who had power were looking with interested eyes. Among that group were Chancellor Palpatine and some of his loyal followers.

 

From the same balcony, Jiraiya watched on, barely able to prevent his head from shaking in pure frustration. He knew that the conflict had no chance of ending at this point. 

 

…

 

Tatooine

 

A different mobilisation was happening on a far-end planet deep in the Outer Rim. There, Ölüm volunteers in the thousands were marching to many different types of ships, with many different destinations across the galaxy. By now, they knew that their planet was no longer safe. Supervising the mass movements was their commander, Tarik Karim, alongside Hera Syndulla and a still-recovering Jango Fett, who was filling in for Naruto.

 

“So this is it,” Hera spoke defeatedly as she watched many men, some of whom were fellow Ölüm survivors, leading their squadrons into formation. “War has now begun…and we’re scattering across the galaxy.”

 

"The scattered approach will work," Tarik said, his weathered face firm as he watched his men. "Small cells, hit-and-run tactics. The Republic, the Separatists, the Zygerrians, nobody will know where to look first."

 

Hera crossed her arms, her lekku twitching with concern. "I don’t know…”

 

"The main force will stay, around 10,000 men, to draw the enemy’s attention away,” Jango interjected, his voice carrying the confidence of a man who'd spent years evading the most persistent hunters in the galaxy. "Compartmentalization. Each cell operates independently, with different codes, different supply lines. Allowing them to grow." 

 

"Si vis pacem, para bellum."

 

Both Jango and Hera raised eyebrows at the Terran.

 

"If you want peace, prepare for war.” Tarik turned to the recovering Jango and asked, “Where is Naruto?”

 

“He’s busy…from the battle…” Jango turned to Tarik and mentioned, “Have you read his report? Of the tracker beacon, its last coordinates?”

 

“Yes, the Corusca sector, meaning the Interior if not somewhere up in the Core Worlds, which is odd,” Tarik responded quietly, intending to keep this intel in a small circle. “That is way too close to Coruscant…”

 

Hera asks, “What are you insinuating?”

 

“That something fishy is about this war, but we’ll need to dig a little deeper before we make conclusions.” 

 

…

 

Amid Mos Eisley, with most of Ölüm’s forces having left, Naruto and his brigade were preparing for the fight that was to come. The locals, having been forewarned, were frightened but were stoically preparing sandbags. Mos Eisley was to be their main supply route and evacuation site, while the area outside the settlements was to be the main battlefield.

 

Naruto stood there and watched as heavy weaponry was being moved back and forth. Some men were looking unprepared, like he had at one point, to be fair—

 

“Hey.”

 

Naruto felt a hand brush his, interrupting his musings. He looked over and noticed it was Sabine. She leaned against him, helping to comfort him as they both looked at the twin suns of Tatooine beginning their sunset. It felt like something that he’d need in the future. He would need a lot more to survive this war, he was sure of it.

 

The Force knew it, in its mysterious ways.

 

Chapter 35: Siege of Mos Espa

Alright, here’s another chapter - rather short, of finally the Clone Wars - well, it being now in the middle of the Clone Wars conflict - on a chronological basis, this will take place after the Battle of Muunilist of Star Wars 2003 but just before the Battle of Christophsis and so, having Anakin finally become a Jedi Knight. 

 

I will, in my AO3 version, have some pictures to try and make some things visual, of course, it's AI pics I tried, but hopefully on AO3, you guys will like it.

 

Hope you all will like the chapter, as I am going to have to take a little ‘break’ because on Tuesday I am going to start my course for a new job, and I won’t know what my schedule will be - but hopefully you guys will understand.

 

Let's go!

 

…

 

The Clone Wars, that was the name used throughout the entire Galaxy for the conflict that had engulfed the entirety of the Intergalactic community—with the Separatist Crisis having kicked off into a wider conflict as they were on one side with an almost infinite amount of battle droids, while on the other side was the Grand Army of the Republic consisting of clone troopers. The Republic was the first to strike on the planet of Geonosis, which was also the first of their victories. Unfortunately for them, that victory was three months ago, and importantly, it was a short and minor one, as most of the Separatist leadership were able to escape, including Count Dooku. What had started as just a “crisis”, the conflict had now reached all civilized corners of the Galaxy. 

 

Planets like Hypori, Muunilist, Mon Calamari, and Dantooine were the first planets to experience the same warfare that was kicked off on Geonosis. Following them, more and more planets and their communities swore allegiance to one side or the other, each being used for resources, such as weaponry, supplies, funding, or simply manpower.  

 

A planet recently added to the galactic community, which was on the edges of the Outer Rim, the planet of Elementia—now dubbed as Ninsu—was very divided among its most powerful countries. Their individualistic Shinobi Villages had taken sides with either Separatists or the Republic, yet as a whole, there was peace—an uneasy peace.

 

Because the planet Ninsu lay nowhere near an important hyperlane, nor did it have large resources, the Daimyos had agreed with the popular consensus that an all-out war was to be prevented, but that didn’t mean the Shinobi weren’t restricted.

 

The uneasy peace was, of course, a facade. Below the surface, invisible to all but the most perceptive of eyes, the Shinobi Villages were active in espionage, assassination, and intelligence gathering missions for their respective factions. The Republic and Separatist Alliance both knew the value of such covert operations in this war, and both sides were wary of the potential consequences should their enemies gain the upper hand in this shadowy conflict.

 

It was early morning in Konohagakure, better known as the Hidden Leaf Village, an ally of the Republic. The low rumble of repulsorlift transports and the bustle of the early risers filled the air as the city began to come to life. In her office, the 5th Hokage, Tsunade, was reading reports from her Shinobi.

 

Her sharp eyes scanned the detailed accounts: Team Gai had successfully infiltrated a Separatist communications hub on Hypori, disrupting enemy transmissions. Team 8 had returned from Dantooine, their mission to sabotage a covert weapons manufacturing facility a resounding success, though the report hinted at a growing Separatist presence alongside enemy Shinobi. Meanwhile, Team 10’s reconnaissance on Muunilist in the midst of the Clones fighting on the planet helped the ARC troopers to pinpoint weaknesses of the CIS’s remaining forces, who were being cleaned up now, and the Republic was close to a victory there.

 

Hearing a quiet signal, the Hokage put down her papers to focus on the arrival.

 

"Enter," Tsunade called, knowing exactly who it was.

 

Appearing out of nowhere, an ANBU Black Ops agent landed in the middle of the room, kneeling in front of the Hokage.

 

"Lady Hokage, we have urgent news coming out of Tatooine."

 

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him.

 

"It's about Naruto."

 

Hearing that, Tsunade leans forward and asks in a calm, but understandably curious tone, "Go on."

 

"We located him."

 

…

 

Coruscant

 

In the Senate building, Padmé Amidala, senator and secret wife of Anakin Skywalker, was in her office, feeling the heavy mood of defeat. She was faced with the undeniable reports that a galaxy-wide war had erupted, something that she had tried to prevent, and now had to accept that she had failed.

After the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic saw more planets defect to the Separatists, many of whom were friends and former allies of hers. Many left in frustration, disgust, and anger at the fact that not only did the Chancellor end all negotiations with the opposing group and even made it illegal to simply discuss the possibility of a truce or renewed negotiations, but also of another major controversy.

 

The Chancellor had ordered classification and outright blank generalisation of the entire Ölüm organisation as extremists and enacted warrants against all members for terrorism and murder. Despite finding evidence that many of the members were not involved in such crimes, everybody was facing the same harsh treatment as the leaders, meaning tens of thousands of Ölüm "extremists" were now open to being hunted down. It was something that even Count Dooku had restrained against, trying to focus only on the radical abolitionist movement. Even among her own ranks and backing in Naboo, there was a fair bit of debate about the fact that escaped slaves were given more scrutiny for being responsible for the deaths of members of the Kessel Royal Family, while the Zygerrians and their backers had gotten off mostly scot-free, even though they had worked tens of thousands of slaves to their early graves.

 

The pressure was mounting from all sides. Senator Orn Free Taa's, for instance, faced a larger backlash from his Twi'lek constituents who had flooded his offices on Coruscant. The rotund senator from Ryloth found himself in an impossible position; his people demanded justice for the Ölüm members who had fought against slavers, yet his political survival depended on supporting Palpatine's broad classification.

 

The door to Padmé’s office opened as her colleague and close friend, Senator Bail Organa from Alderaan, entered. Accompanying him was Riyo Chuchi, a young Pantoran, who was carrying an unusual item: a newspaper.

 

"Good afternoon, Padmé," Bail greeted with a solemn nod. His normally composed demeanor seemed strained today, the lines around his eyes deeper than usual.

 

"Senators," Padmé stood from behind her desk, gesturing to the seating area. "How are you both holding up during these troubled times?"

 

Riyo Chuchi's blue skin appeared paler than usual, her golden eyes filled with concern. "As well as can be expected, Senator Amidala."

 

"What can I help you with today?" Padmé asked, taking a seat across from them.

 

Bail exchanged a glance with Riyo before speaking. "News about Ölüm has broken out in ways we didn't anticipate. Senator Chuchi has something to show you."

 

Riyo carefully placed the newspaper on the table between them. "This arrived from the Terran planet this morning. Their news networks have picked up the story."

 

Padmé leaned forward, her eyes widening as she took in the front page. The bold headline declared: 

 

"ÖLÜM FIGHTERS STAND DEFIANT: TWO MONTHS UNDER SIEGE IN MOS ESPA."  

 

Below the dramatic headline was an image of dust-covered fighters behind makeshift barricades, aiming an unknown slugthrower machine gun. Accompanying the rest of the article were other pictures of Clone Troopers doing a patrol through a Mos Espa street and a destroyed improvised Ölüm tank with a B1 Battle Droid walking by.

"By the goddess," Padmé whispered, her fingers hovering over the image. "They're still holding out? After two months?"

 

"That, and just very recently we found out that around one hundred thousand people who live in Tatooine have been forced to take shelter ever since the fighting broke out on this planet," Bail Organa spoke as he paraphrased the article he had already read. Padmé kept reading in shock as he continued, "The fighting on the outskirts has had an unfortunate effect of emptying any settlements outside, like Anchorhead and Mos Espa." 

 

"One hundred thousand?" Padmé spoke in realisation. "That’s roughly half of the planet’s entire population. What are the Hutts doing? This is their backyard."

 

"We don’t know. Supposedly, Jabba is still inside his palace and is not happy at all, as now chaos has erupted across the planet," Senator Chuchi explained as she had read the reports. "Bestine, Mos Eisley, and every other large settlement have seen heavy street fighting with the Ölüm fighters under Commander Tarik Karim and his underlings. They have taken out many Separatist droids, their mercenaries, and other allies before Jedi General Plo Koon managed to enter the settlements…"

 

"Which also includes many Zygerrian and Geonosians," Bail Organa mentioned. Going on with more than just the confirmed facts in his report, he said, "Supposedly, the Hutts have lost total control of the planet. The fighting isn’t just among only the Republic, Separatists, and the Ölüm Fighters, but also smaller gangs, traffickers, and even mercenaries have begun carving up the planet into their own territories. The entire situation caused the Hutt Clan to sanction all Outer Rim routes as restricted."

 

"Oh dear…" Padmé murmured in astonishment as she went through a few more pictures. "Where is the fighting now, primarily?"

 

"Mos Espa, as mentioned in this news article from the Terrans," Riyo Chuchi explained. "While the Separatists surround the settlement from three sides, the Ölüm fighters still control large sections and routes out of the settlement, with the support of some locals. They are, however, being hit from the skies by the Separatists and are contesting for airspace."

 

"All while an army that is only a small fraction of the current Clone Army is holding off the Droid Army, which vastly outnumber them twenty to one. That’s not even including the Zygerrians and Geonosian volunteers. West Mos Espa is supposed to be the biggest stronghold of Ölüm, and a humanitarian crisis is growing."

 

While listening, Padmé studied another image—a group of different uniformed Ölüm militants standing with a Tusken Raider who had been gifted with a hunter’s rifle of his liking.

 

"These pictures…they’re bypassing the censors…" Padmé spoke in almost impressive admiration as she turned to the young Pantoran. "Who took these pictures?"

 

"An independent journalist named Mugabo, who has been on the frontline of this short but intense conflict. He’s been keeping up with the action, but the supposed casualty numbers are disturbingly high for a planet with a low population."

 

Padmé asks, "How many?"

 

…

"Thirty-five thousand casualties…"

 

The number seemingly echoed throughout the Jedi Council Room. The entire council had heard the report, though some were only through the holograms. The alarming number was in the record given by Master Plo Koon, who was also in a holographic form himself, speaking directly from Tatooine’s mostly secured town of Bestine.

 

Among those physically present in the room were Obi-Wan Kenobi, sitting among the Council members, and the newly ordained Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who looked very troubled by the fact that war had reached his ‘home’ planet.

 

"I’m sorry, Master Plo, but can you repeat it?" Master Saesee Tiin asked while leaning in closer, as if that could somehow change what was heard. "Are you certain of these numbers being true?"

 

"Of course, Master Fisto. I can confirm that at this moment, around thirty-five thousand sentient and human casualties have been counted, and I am counting wounded and dead together. I did not count the clone or droid casualties."

 

Eeth Koth pressed on to the specifics, "When you mean you count sentient and human casualties, what about the combatants?"

 

"The casualties that I managed to find are from the Clone Army. After having secured large populated parts of Tatooine, the 104th Battalion managed to count, as of now, thirty-five thousand confirmed dead and wounded across the planet, without having counted the number of separatist droid casualties because of the smoldering remains."

 

"Smoldering remains?" Obi-Wan questioned with a curious look. "I beg you pardon?"

 

"When the fleet attacked and forced out the Separatist blockade ships from Tatooine’s orbit, we managed to track dozens, if not a hundred, Trade Federation landing crafts’ locations across the planet. Most of them were tracked down and found destroyed either in the air or at their landing zones," Plo Koon informed the Council. "I presume this would be the work of Ölüm, who have been fighting in the areas around the settlements with the help of the Tusken tribes. Alongside harassing enemy Separatist convoys, many were seen bringing in all the loot they could bring back to their strongholds."

 

"Ölüm's involvement is concerning," Master Windu said, his holographic form flickering slightly as he leaned forward. "Their methods may have helped us in this instance, but we must be wary of their intentions."

 

Anakin shifted uncomfortably in his place. The mention of his home brought unwelcome memories surging back, memories he had worked hard to suppress. He felt Obi-Wan's gaze on him but kept his focus on Master Plo Koon's report.

 

"What of Jabba's position in this conflict?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi inquired. "Has the Hutt Cartel declared any official stance?"

 

Plo Koon's hologram nodded slowly. "Jabba’s current position remains unknown, though his enforcers have been actively protecting his interests. They've eliminated any droids approaching his territory, but I would like to request additional reinforcements if possible. My men fight bravely and accordingly, but they are low on morale and supplies. The real fight is currently happening in Mos Espa—Ölüm’s main stronghold."

 

"Familiar with the planet, Skywalker is. Send him in, we must," Yoda spoke up. The wizened master turned to the young Knight and addressed him directly, "Skywalker, Master Kenobi."

 

"Very well," Obi-Wan nodded and stood up. "My men are ready, and so are Anakin’s." Turning to his old padawan, Kenobi asks, "Shall we?"

 

"Of course, master." Anakin bowed in response.

 

…

 

Half a day later

 

Tatooine

 

The road from Mos Eisley to Mos Espa was treacherous to travel. A convoy of ten was traveling along this route, navigating the risks between the Jundland Wastes and the Great Mesra Plateau. Along the way, they encountered destroyed vehicles, downed aircraft, and the remains of droids scattered along the road. The convoy consisted of AT-TE tanks and some speeder bikes.

 

Among those sitting in a tank was Jedi Master Plo Koon, and next to him sat members of the 104th Clone Squad. Under his command, they had been given the nickname the "Wolfpack" squad, for their tenacity over the past two months of heavy fighting. 

 

Their commander's name was Wolffe, and he was reading reports while the other men, including Boost, Wildfire, and Umbra, alongside some other clones, were resting or cleaning up their blaster rifles. All of them, having put in a tremendous amount of hard work, were quite exhausted and low on morale, but despite this, they were putting in extra effort to not show it.

 

Plo Koon's keen eyes swept over his men, noting the tension in their shoulders and the way they avoided direct eye contact. The Force whispered of their weariness—not just physical, but something deeper that gnawed at their spirits.

 

"How are you holding up, my friends?" the Kel Dor Jedi asked, his voice gentle despite the mechanical filter of his breathing apparatus.

 

"We're fine, General," Wolffe replied without looking up from his datapad. "Ready for whatever comes next."

A chorus of agreement rippled through the cramped interior of the AT-TE. "Yes, sir," and "All good here, General," came the responses, but Plo Koon sensed the hollow ring beneath their words.

 

The Jedi Master leaned forward slightly, his clawed hands clasped together. "In all honesty, are you okay? There’s no need for this."

 

There was a tense pause for a moment, nobody wanting to be the first to break the thin veneer of their morale.

 

"We’re okay, sir, but just tired," one of the clones who looked dirtied in his armor spoke up. Boost put it plainly, "We’ve been on this planet for roughly a month, but we’ve been in a fight that we are…quite frankly ill prepared for, sir."

 

"Ill-prepared, as in how?" Plo Koon questioned.

 

This prompted Wildfire and Umbra to speak their pieces.

 

Wildfire set down his rifle and rubbed the dust from his visor. "It's those Ölüm Fighters, General. We've seen what they do when cornered, what they do against the clankers and those Zygerrians…"

 

Umbra nodded grimly. "They'd rather eat a blaster bolt than let themselves be captured alive. We've found too many with their own barrels in their mouths."

 

That last fact was something Plo Koon knew all too directly, given that he himself had seen the state that these Ölüm fighters had been found in when defeated. While most of them did evacuate to safety back to Mos Espa, those who weren’t able, who were cornered in pockets or decided to stay behind to cover their retreating comrades, were all found dead. Mostly, it was by combat wounds, but a grim number took their own lives in the most depressing sights a Jedi could come across.

 

"These aren't ordinary fighters, sir, they’re fighting with a fanatic belief to their dying breath…" Wildfire continued, his voice tight. "They fight like that when cornered. They aren’t going out easily, sir."

 

"Even when most of their fighting is focused on the Separatists and the Zygerrians?" Plo Koon looked for clarification. "From what I can tell, we are mostly spared from their scopes."

 

"Put simply, sir, we're just not equipped for this kind of warfare, sir." Umbra added, "We have seen how prepared they are; every building was booby-trapped. Every window could have a sniper; they use improvised explosives and vehicles. It's impressive if I may say so.”

Wolffe finally looked up from his datapad. "What they're trying to say, General, is that we came here expecting to fight droids. Instead, we're watching an entire population choose death over capture. It's..." He paused, searching for words. "It's affecting the men."

 

"I see…" Plo Koon understood the message and went on, "Anything else to add?"

 

"I mean…the population itself, like in Mos Eisley…they were surprisingly supportive of these Ölüm militants, sir," Boost spoke underneath his helmet. He mentioned a story, "When Sergeant Sinker and Corporal Comet were transporting some captured Ölüm fighters, they were being cheered on by the locals. Some of the braver ones even tried to throw rocks, but one of those fighters told the locals not to do that."

 

"Tell me, soldier, and you can give me an honest answer," Plo Koon leaned forward further and questioned the Clone Trooper known as Boost, "do you know the background of the Ölüm Fighters, and their reasons to show such resistance?"

 

Boost shifted uncomfortably, glancing at his brothers before answering, "From what intelligence briefed us, sir, they're former slaves. Most of them escaped from Zygerrian slavery."

 

"That's correct," Plo Koon said, his voice gentle despite the modulation of his antiox mask. "And what would you do, Boost, if someone tried to put chains on you again after you'd tasted freedom?"

 

The question hung in the air. Wolffe looked up sharply at his general.

 

"I'd fight to the death, sir," Boost finally answered, his voice quiet but firm. 

 

"As would I," Plo Koon agreed. "These people have endured horrors we can scarcely imagine. The Zygerrians don't merely enslave bodies—they break spirits. Those who survive and escape…their resistance isn't terrorism to them. It's survival." He spread his clawed hands. "Have you heard of the Slave Uprising on Kessel and the burning down of the Royal Palace?"

 

"Yes, sir, that’s why the Republic designated them as extremists for their actions."

 

"And have you read what the conditions were in that mine they were in?" Plo Koon further questioned, "The one named after them?"

 

Nodding again, Boost responded, "Yes, sir…Ölüm itself…it was hard to read."

 

"Up to fifty thousand slaves once housed there in the biggest spice mine of Kessel. After the uprising, less than half survived the ordeal, and many died later on from malnutrition or being murdered." Plo Koon spoke of their struggles, not mincing his words with his calm, elderly, wise tone to his men, "Even after their escape, they were forced to fight in the forests of Kessel to vast lands of Terran. They were fighting against the upholders of an institution that the Republic failed to crack down on: slavery." The Kel Dor Jedi went on with his lesson, "Do you know the first thing that the Ölüm Fighters did on Tatooine the moment fighting broke out?"

 

One of the other clones shook his head. "No, sir."

 

"They did the unexpected and bold move of emptying the slave markets of Tatooine by freeing them all. There were tens of thousands out that day," the Jedi Master spoke, studying the reaction of the clones, knowing that behind their helmets, amusement and surprise could be felt in the Force. "By either forcing their enslavers or buying their freedom, the Ölüm fighters did something on Tatooine that the Republic couldn’t do: abolishing slavery, even for a short amount of time."

 

The silence was palpable, and some of the men looked at one another briefly.

 

"Not only that, but they made efforts to protect, provide, and even escort many of the freed people to safety. Many went directly to our sections of the settlements, and thus they have earned the respect of the people on this planet and many others on the Outer Rim. Despite them having been pulled into a conflict, some have joined the ranks of Ölüm."

 

"Sir," one of the clones spoke up, his voice hesitant, "if what you're saying is true, then why are we fighting against them? Shouldn't the Republic be supporting their cause?"

 

Plo Koon's breathing apparatus made a soft mechanical sound as he inhaled deeply. "Politics, trooper. The Hutts have powerful allies in the Senate, and the spice trade generates substantial revenue. Many turn a blind eye to suffering when credits are involved."

 

"With all due respect, Master Jedi," another clone said, "it sounds like we're on the wrong side of this conflict."

 

"War is rarely as simple as right and wrong," Plo Koon replied, his voice gentle but firm. "The Ölüm have committed acts that the Republic cannot condone—bombings, assassinations, and sabotage. Their methods, however noble the cause, have led to innocent casualties."

 

"But branding them as terrorists..." a clone trooper began, “with what they’ve faced?”

 

"I disagree with that classification," Plo Koon admitted. "Their fight began as one for freedom, not terror. I can only hope that cooler heads will prevail.”

 

"My apologies, sir, but I need to interrupt." Commander Wolffe stood up, announcing, "We’re nearly at the outskirts of Mos Espa, so let’s prepare ourselves."

 

"Very well," Plo Koon joined his commander and stood up. He asked, "Any word from the fleet?"

 

"Reinforcements are arriving," Wolffe commented. "General Kenobi and General Skywalker are already preparing their arrival."

 

…

 

Mos Espa

 

In the spaceport settlement, the air itself was filled with smoke as the Siege of Mos Espa was close to entering its third month. With the most recent wave of regular artillery bombardment and aerial assault, parts of the large spaceport settlement had been set ablaze yet again, and the situation on the ground was more intense for this besieged place.

 

Even on the ground itself, it wasn’t the artillery or the air strikes that struck fear into the residents of Mos Espa, but the close-range battles happening between Separatists and Ölüm fighters, who were fiercely battling in the dense urban areas. Some of the streets, especially around the now-dubbed ‘West Mos Eisley’, an area tightly controlled by the Ölüm, had a small convoy coming through.

 

The convoy was of Ölüm fighters, all human, and all men. Some were Terran, some were new volunteers, and others were veterans of the Zygerria–Terran War. However, among the group, the only one who had actually escaped that mine in Kessel was shockingly the youngest of the group—Naruto.

 

While he still wore some parts of his Mandalorian Armor, the exception was his pants, though he was still wearing his kneepads. Strapped to his back, he carried a sniper rifle, the Czerka Arms-produced 6-2Aug2 hunting slugthrower rifle. As the fighters trooped by, he gazed at his comrades:

 

They all wore different sets of uncoordinated camo, vests, caps, and had a wide range of weaponry from blaster rifles to slugthrower automatics. They all were part of his unit who happened to have been brought out of Mos Eisley after the Republic managed to take full control of it, and they were being transferred back to Mos Espa to help secure the only spaceport on this planet. In his mind, it was only a matter of time before they would need to break the siege and escape.

 

"Son, you alright?"

 

Naruto's gaze fell upon the man sitting across from him. He appeared to be in his late fifties, sporting a trimmed beard and gray hair. The man hailed from Tarik's hometown, but descended from Urzikstan, or what remained of it after the devastating war that shattered his country. He wore a black cap and carried an automatic slugthrower rifle with an extended magazine. His attire consisted of an old police uniform.

 

Naruto nodded to the older man and responded, "Sure, Jasem. I’m alright."

While their transport landspeeder passed by a group of residents simply trying to walk by, they continued their conversation.

 

Jasem's weathered face creased into a knowing smile. "Good. You'll have time to rest properly once we reach Mos Eisley." He leaned back against the transport's metal wall, then called out to the other men in rapid Arabic:

 

"al-walad hunā yaḥtāj an ya’kul shay’an ʿindamā naṣil ilā al-qāʿidah"

 

["The boy here needs to eat something once we reach the base."]

 

Naruto caught most of it and replied in his halting Arabic, "I eat plenty, uncle. It's you old guys who move too slow."

 

The comment drew chuckles from the Urzik Zygerrian-Terran War veterans scattered throughout the transport. One of them, a scarred man with graying temples, shook his head and muttered something about smart-mouthed kids. Even Jasem's grin widened.

 

"You understand Arabic pretty well," Jasem said, switching back to Basic, "though you can still improve."

 

The transport lurched as it hit another bump in the road, sending a few loose pieces of equipment rattling across the floor. Through the small viewport, Naruto could see the twin suns beginning their descent toward the horizon. Night was coming close.

 

"Gunships!"

The conversation halted as the men reached for their weaponry and looked up. Naruto put his Mandalorian helmet back on his head and quickly scanned around before spotting three ships. In the distance, he could hear the sound of blaster fire going off, which meant an air-to-air battle was happening.

 

From what he could see, two LAAT gunships were chasing down a smoking enemy Zygerrian ship. One of the wings of the smoking gunship was burning brightly before it exploded. The two remaining gunships hovered over their road, seeing the convoy below them.

 

"Eyes on the ships."

 

Every barrel pointed to the sky as the LAATs were circling them, eyeing the convoy. After a tense stand-off, they flew away, leaving the convoy alone once more.

 

A collective exhale rippled through the Ölüm fighters as the Republic gunships disappeared beyond their sight, their engines fading to a distant hum. Several of the men kept their weapons trained skyward for another heartbeat before slowly lowering them.

 

"Should've taken them down while we had the chance," muttered one of them, his scarred face twisted with frustration as he shouldered his blaster rifle. "Two clean shots, that's all it would've taken."

 

"And bring half the Republic fleet down on our heads?" another fighter spat back, though his own grip remained white-knuckled on his weapon. "Use your brain."

 

…

What they didn’t know was that inside those LAAT gunships were the arriving reinforcements of the Republic. In one of them, watching the convoy with keen eyes were Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, alongside the commanding officers of Kenobi’s 212th Attack Battalion and Anakin’s 501st Legion, Commander Cody and the double pistol-wielding Captain Rex, respectively. They were all looking down at the besieged spaceport settlement of Mos Espa, studying the situation.

 

The sprawling settlement below was a patchwork of smoke plumes and destroyed homes, only revealed now that the fighting had calmed down. Though the Republic still had air dominance for now, the rest of the intel was not correct—the situation was much worse than expected. Anakin's jaw tightened as he watched a disturbingly low number of civilians going through the narrow streets between the adobe buildings.

 

"I see the situation really is different from a closer look," Obi-Wan observed, stroking his beard as he studied the tactical display. The familiar hum of the gunship's engines couldn't mask the distant sounds of battle drifting up from the settlement.

 

Cody shook his head, his voice carrying a note of disbelief. "Sir, the reconnaissance reports of the 104th indicated the Ölüm fighters are still active in the center and outskirts, holding the Separatists at a distance despite being surrounded on three sides. They're putting up more resistance than anticipated."

 

"Stubborn bunch," Rex muttered, his helmet's HUD scanning the defensive positions scattered throughout the marketplace. "They've fortified everything by the looks of it.”

 

"Commander Cody," Obi-Wan turned to his battalion’s commander, "any word on Master Plo’s forces?"

 

"They’re arriving, sir, but are in combat in the southeast of Mos Espa, trying to wedge into the Clankers’ positions. They’re saying they need to open a corridor for the civvies."

 

"We are already doing that, Master."

 

The sudden intrusion into their comms caught the two Jedi and Clone officers off guard, prompting Obi-Wan to grab his comms and respond.

 

"Excuse me, but to whom am I speaking?"

 

...

 

As the night started to fall, a bright yellow, unusually thin and curved lightsaber slashed through the remaining Battle droids and a few Zygerrians. Having now opened up a path in the Eastern entrance of Mos Espa, a young woman stood on a landing platform, staring at the settlement of Mos Espa.

 

The young woman in question was actually a young upcoming teenager, a Padawan in fact, who had been temporarily assigned to Master Plo Koon. Despite wearing a traditional style of clothing, white robes under a dark cloak, and blue cloth pants that looked more like a skirt to add to her traditional look, her unusual wear was accentuated by a pair of mechanical high heels and a mask that covered her lower face but revealed her blue eyes. She had her Padawan braid to the left side of her black hair, and had a ring on her hand.

"Master Kenobi, I am F," the now-identified F spoke calmly, "Padawan of Master Shad-Rah, at your service."

Chapter 36: Siege of Mos Espa Part II

First of all, thank you all for your long support for this fic, and I seem to have by now some praise or thanks for using images now.

 

Also, I am now using some characters from the artist BloodLust, who is the creator of the adult comics "Harem Studio," and if you are a fan of his work or want to dig in a little deeper, check out his work by typing in Harem Studio by BloodLust.

Shoutout to Sheer Cold, and let's go.

 

---

Mos Espa 

 

 

Within the central neighborhoods of the spaceport settlement, silence was prevalent as the streets were abandoned by the local population. The only visible indication of recent activity was the blaster marks and the partly damaged, if not fully destroyed, buildings with debris scattered everywhere, with the occasional body of a civilian or a combatant still present.  

 

Slowly moving down into one of those deserted streets was a lumbering tank, a Separatist tank to be exact. It was an AAT-1 that had seen better days, as it was riddled with bullet holes and blaster scorch marks across its paint. The tank was accompanied by several B1 and B2 Battle Droids who were going up front, while behind the tank were Zygerrian ‘mercenaries’ alongside some Geonosian Warriors who were walking or flying above the tank on the lookout. They were all eyeing every building they passed by. 

 

The convoy proceeded slowly, not knowing they had already been spotted from over a click away, through little holes made inside a building down the street. Two of those holes had barrels slightly poking through—snipers prepared to open fire. 

 

The first sniper was Mutani, the Tusken Raider Ölüm survivor, armed with a 6-2Aug2 slugthrower cycle rifle. Next to him was Naruto, armed with the same rifle, who carefully picked out a target. 

  

Inside the building with them was a team of Ölüm fighters, some more Tusken Raiders, and an older volunteer named Jasem from Terra who was watching through his binoculars and holding onto a detonator. 

 

"Wait…" 

 

Mutani adjusts his grip on his rifle… 

 

"Wait…" 

 

…

 

Inevitably, the hatch of the AAT-1 tank opened, and the head of the tank commander popped up, looking around like an amateur. Seeing the Geonosian exposed, Jasem sent a signal to the ambushers. 

 

"Fire!" 

 

*BANG!* 

 

The high-velocity slug from Mutani's rifle tore through the air, striking the Geonosian tank commander directly between his compound eyes. The insectoid's head snapped back violently, mandibles twitching in a final spasm before it slumped forward, half its body hanging limply from the hatch.

 

Chaos erupted instantly. The Zygerrian mercenaries scrambled for cover, their feline reflexes sending them diving behind debris as the remaining Geonosian warriors took to the air, chittering frantically and drawing their sonic blasters.

 

"Now, Jasem!" Naruto shouted, lining up his own shot on one of the airborne Geonosians.

 

The older Terran's weathered thumb pressed down firmly on the detonator. 

 

*Click!*

 

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *B-BOOM!*

 

A series of sequential explosions ripped through the street, perfectly timed charges that had been planted during the night. The Zygerrian troops, who had clustered behind a fallen wall, disappeared in a cloud of dust, shrapnel, and flame.

 

"Allahu Akbar!" screamed one of the Ölüm fighters, his voice carrying over the cacophony of destruction as he burst through a second-story door. The covered fighter aimed his blaster rifle and screamed, "Open fire!"

 

On cue, windows all along the street shattered outward as Ölüm resistance fighters revealed their positions. Blaster fire erupted from dozens of improvised firing positions, catching the battle droids in a devastating crossfire. B1 droids fell like discarded toys, their thin frames offering little resistance to the barrage.

 

From a second-story window, an Ölüm heavy weapons specialist unleashed a thunderous barrage from a salvaged 30-caliber machine gun—a relic from Terra, but devastatingly effective against the lightly-armored B2 super battle droids. The weapon's distinctive rat-tat-tat echoed between buildings as armor-piercing rounds tore through droid plating.

 

"The tank! Focus on the tank!" Jasem bellowed into his comlink.

 

The AAT-1, now without its commander, began rotating its turret wildly, the droid brain attempting to acquire targets among the multiple firing positions. Its main cannon fired blindly, demolishing an abandoned shop front but hitting nothing of value.

 

Mutani chambered another round, his movements practiced and precise despite the chaos. Through his scope, he could see the panic among the remaining forces trapped in the killzone they had so foolishly entered.

 

"KGERGH!"

 

Screaming its war cry, coming down the street, a Tusken Raider Ölüm fighter ran out carrying an RPG-7, aimed for the AAT-1 Tank from behind. The fighter pulled the trigger, directing the rocket to hit its weakest point.

 

*BOOM!*

 

…

 

The result of the ambush was the smoldering remains of the AAT-1 tank burning and a plume of black smoke wafting through the air as Ölüm Fighters and their Tusken allies were going through the bodies of the Zygerrian, Geonosian, and droids they just massacred at whole, stripping them of their weaponry and gear.

 

Walking among the dead was Naruto, who was with Mutani, seeing if anybody was alive. They weren't hopeful, as they were only coming across the usual results: bodies, carnage— 

 

*BANG!*

 

Naruto’s head quickly twisted to the sound of a gunshot, seeing one of the Terran men casually put lead into the head of a Geonosian’s body, killing it with a single shot to the head. The fighter had obscured his face with a mask, kneeled, and grabbed the sentient’s sonic blaster, all the while cursing at its twitching body.

 

"The only good bug is a dead bug," the fighter spat out as he stomped his boot against the Geonosian’s head. As he walked away, Naruto could hear him mutter, "Filthy looking roach." 

 

It was cruelty, unneeded but predictable cruelty, that the young Uzumaki was witnessing over and over again. He could do nothing but shake his head.  

 

‘This is just wrong.’ 

 

‘Sounds hypocritical, kid. You were killing those same bugs just a few weeks ago.’ 

 

‘Yes, I did, but then I left them alone. Playing with the dead just feels wrong, Kurama.’ 

 

‘I suppose that is a fair argument, but do not forget it, kid, we are at war, and war is not known for its rules.’ 

 

"Hey, you!" 

 

Naruto heard the call and saw that men were turning to Jasem, who had approached the stomping fighter and began berating him in his native tongue. This was Jasem’s usual job, fighting the enemy while doing his best to keep the men under control with threats or discipline.  

 

‘No, but some can be defined by war for their qualities.’ 

 

23 BBY 

  

Terra

 

As gunfire erupted across the southern Texan town of Hurriyah, the town’s center saw an influx of people who had been gathered around the school area where trucks were assembled. 

 

"In the trucks!" 

 

"Move it, people!" 

 

After weeks of fighting and continued bombing, those who were hiding in the underground shelters, hundreds of American citizens who were trapped in the Hurriyah pocket, were now given a chance to be evacuated. The women, children, families, and also large numbers of high school teenagers were being loaded into the back of military trucks commandeered by some American National Guardsmen and militiamen. The trucks had arrived from the north as US troops punched a line through to the town and established a temporary corridor for them to run convoys in and out of the ruined town.

 

Among them were cheerleaders in white, gold, and purple outfits. A blonde cheerleader named Sarah stumbled as she tried to climb into the truck bed. Her pom-poms were still clutched in one trembling hand despite everything that had happened the past week of heavy fighting, almost like a comfort blanket for the distressed youth. Before she could fall, a strong hand caught her elbow and steadied her.

 

"Easy there," Naruto said with that characteristic grin of his. His smile somehow managed to be reassuring, even with explosions echoing in the distance. "I've got you."

 

Sarah's cheeks flushed pink as she looked up into those impossibly blue eyes. "Th-thank you," she stammered.

 

Behind her, Keisha, another cheerleader, was having her own trouble with the high truck tailgate. Without missing a beat, Naruto was there to offer his linked hands as a boost.

 

"Up you go," he chirped, as if they weren't in the middle of a warzone.

 

Keisha felt her face grow warm as his hands briefly steadied her waist, helping her over the edge. "T-Thanks, s-stranger," she managed to say, remembering the strange way he'd appeared during the initial attack.

 

*BOOM!*

 

A shell landed a hundred meters away from the school, causing people to duck for cover, except for the likes of Naruto and the other militiamen. He looked at the truck and noticed that while he had helped in the last few hours evacuating people onto the trucks, a few people were missing. He studied the list of people he needed to check off.

 

 

• Jessica Butler

• Lisa Fuentes

• Felicia Summers

 

 

"Uzumaki!" someone shouted. "Headcount! That’s the last truck moving out of this place!" 

 

Naruto decided to do that and climbed up the truck’s tailgate with his boots. In the back of the truck, all the seats were filled by senior high school girls, mainly seniors and, by definition, older than him.  

 

Incidentally, they all turned their gazes to Naruto, who, with his rifle slung around his back, his eyes a bit wary from the lack of sleep, and his face partly covered in dirt, was a scary, yet attractive, surprise. They recognized Naruto as one of the ‘outworlders’ who was human and had been involved in the fighting ever since he arrived. And they saw him going through a list. 

 

He looked around and double-checked all the people inside the truck, but this had the unfortunate effect of Naruto looking straight at the girls’ eyes, making some blush while others were giving sultry smiles or winks at him, perhaps as a coping mechanism from the war.

 

Naruto noticed the glances from some of the senior girls and returned a quick, reassuring smile. Even in the midst of warfare, human nature found ways to express itself. He wasn't oblivious to their attention, but his mind was focused on the three missing names on his list.

 

"Has anyone seen Licia Summers, Lisa Fuentes, or Jessica Butler?" he asked, scanning the truck bed full of traumatized teenagers.

 

Their faces held hollow eyes. Some looked down, others just gazed through him as if he weren't there. The psychological toll of the past weeks had left many of them in varying states of shock. A few wrapped their arms tighter around themselves at the mention of the missing girls' names.

 

"They were...they were in the science building when it..." one girl started to say, before her voice cracked. She couldn't finish the sentence, her eyes welling with tears.

 

Naruto waited, but no further information came. Just silence punctuated by distant explosions and the occasional sob. The cheerleader he'd helped earlier, Sarah, was rocking slightly back and forth, her pom-poms still clutched to her chest like a talisman.

 

He slowly walked over to her, kneeled to her level, and calmly tried to get her to speak up.

 

"Miss?"

 

Sarah's eyes darted up to meet his, unfocused at first, then sharpening with recognition. She opened her mouth to speak when—

 

*BOOM!*

 

An explosion erupted right outside the truck, much closer than the previous ones, and the concussive force rocked the vehicle violently. Without hesitation, Naruto lunged forward, dragging Sarah to the floor as fragments of shrapnel tore through the canvas covering.

 

"Get down!" he shouted, covering her body with his own.

 

The girls screamed, ducking into whatever cover they could find. Metal fragments pinged against Naruto's Kevlar vest, one piece slicing across his back where the armor didn't cover. He gritted his teeth, feeling the hot sting but keeping the cheerleader girl protected beneath him.

 

Seconds stretched into an eternity before the ringing in their ears began to subside. Smoke drifted through the truck bed, carrying the acrid smell of explosives and burning rubber.

 

"Everyone okay?" Naruto called out, slowly rising to his knees.

 

The girls gradually sat back up, checking themselves and each other for injuries. Whimpers and hushed reassurances filled the space. Naruto turned his attention back to Sarah, who was still curled into a ball on the floor of the truck.

 

"Hey," he said softly, sitting her upright and back into her seat. "You're safe. I've got you."

 

Sarah's eyes widened as she looked at him. She whispered, her voice trembling:

 

"You're bleeding…"

 

Naruto felt something warm trickling down his face. He touched his forehead, and his fingers came away red. A piece of shrapnel must have caught him just past his head; talk about luck.

 

"It's nothing," he assured her, though the wound was bleeding profusely as head injuries tend to do.

 

One of the other girls called out. "He needs a medic!" Another girl, who'd identified herself earlier as having first aid training, moved toward him with a small pack. 

 

"Let me help—"

 

"Uzumaki!" The sharp command cut through the moment. "Get your ass out of here now! We're moving out!"

 

Naruto hesitated, looking at the frightened faces around him.

 

"NOW!" the voice barked again.

 

"Stay low," Naruto instructed the girls, giving Sarah's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You'll be okay."

 

He jumped down from the tailgate, blood still streaming down his face as the truck's engine roared to life. The last thing the girls saw was Naruto standing there, rifle ready, face streaked crimson, as the vehicle pulled away from the ruins of what had once been the school.

 

"Naruto!"

 

He approached a group of men who were not dressed like the average militia man or active service officer. These guys wore police hats, had beards, and were either Arabs or Arab-Americans. Their leader was former-Marine Major Jasem, head of the Hurriyah Police Department, but had been dubbed as the ‘Sheriff of Hurriyah’.

"You're bleeding, son," Major Jasem said in accented English, his weathered face showing concern as he approached Naruto. The man's police uniform was dusty and battle-worn, with a vest, bandoliers, and a simple cap with SWAT on it. On his vest lay a badge, tarnished but still visible.

 

Tarik Karim nodded toward Naruto's forehead. "That needs stitches, brother. You can't keep fighting with blood in your eyes."

 

"I'm fine," Naruto wiped at the wound with his sleeve, smearing more blood across his face. "Just a scratch."

 

Major Jasem shook his head, adjusting the rifle slung across his shoulder. "Scratch, he says. You stubborn brats are all the same—not to admit when you're hurt." He gestured to one of his officers, "Kawa, get the medical kit."

 

Before anyone could respond, the sharp crack of gunshots echoed from behind the police formation. Naruto instinctively reached for his weapon, but Major Jasem held up a hand.

 

"Easy."

 

Two of Jasem's officers emerged from the smoke, dragging a man between them. The captive's knees were dark with blood, his pants torn where bullets had found their mark. He whimpered with each step, unable to support his own weight. All of this was going on within sight of a crowd of militia fighters who were swarming the small area in the hundreds.

 

"What is this?" Jasem demanded while looking at the captive. "And why are his knees shot out?"

 

"Found him trying to signal a Zygerrian patrol," one of the officers reported while keeping his rifle’s barrel against the captive’s neck. "I swear it, he tried calling them and then tried to run once we caught him."

 

The mere accusation of collaboration was alone troubling, and murmurs spread across the crowd. Some threatening clicks rang out as angered militiamen racked their guns.

 

Major Jasem's expression hardened as he studied the wounded man. "So, you thought you could make some easy money, did you?" he asked in English, his voice dripping with contempt. "Selling out your own people to those slavers."

 

The collaborator looked up with pleading eyes. "Please, I have children to feed. They promised—"

 

"Your children?" Jasem snarled, standing over the writhing figure. "What about all the children you helped them capture? What about the families torn apart because of your greed?"

 

"Yeah, you filthy dog—"

 

"Shut up!" Major Jasem whirled around and struck the officer who had spoken across the face with the back of his hand. 

 

The sharp crack silenced the murmuring crowd instantly.

 

"Ayyu wāḥid minkum ayyuhā al-ḥuqamāʾ aṭlaqa an-nār ʿalā rukbatayh?" Jasem's voice demanded in his native tongue. "Ayyu wāḥid minkum?"

 

["Which one of you idiots shot his knees? Which one of you?"]

 

The officer who had been holding his rifle to the captive's neck shifted uncomfortably. "Major, I thought—"

 

"You thought what? That we're animals like them?" Jasem grabbed the man by his uniform collar and cursed him back into plain English. "Did I give you permission to cripple prisoners?"

 

"But he's a collaborator, a traitor! He—"

 

Jasem struck him again, harder this time, forcing the man backwards. After a moment, he looked down at the prisoner with anger, "Get this collaborator dog out of my face and get him medical treatment. Now!"

 

Two other officers immediately moved to lift the wounded man, who groaned as they hoisted him between them. Blood dripped steadily from his shattered kneecaps onto the dusty ground.

 

As they carried him away, Major Jasem turned to face the assembled crowd of militia fighters and his own men. His weathered face was stern, his eyes blazing with controlled fury.

 

"Ismaʿūnī jamīʿan," he began in his native tongue. After a moment, he switched back to English so he could be understood clearly across the gathered fighters. "I know you're angry. God knows I'm angry too. These Zygerrian bastards have taken everything from us—our homes, our families, our freedom." His voice rose, echoing off the damaged buildings around them. "They have desecrated our parents’ graves, burned our fields, and defiled our places of worship. They emptied schools, our parks, our restaurants, everything that helps our towns. They look at us Arabs and think we are nothing but uncivilized dogs, a backward people who know nothing of honor or justice!"

 

Angry murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some fighters raised their weapons in the air, and others spat on the ground in disgust.

 

Jasem raised his hand for silence. "But we are not Arabs alone; we are Urziks, and we will show these bastards what happens when they bring their war to our lands!" His jaw clenched as he surveyed the faces before him. "We will show them no mercy, just as they showed none to our families, our children, our elders."

 

He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing with deadly calm. "But hear me well: we are not animals like them. We will not give these Zygerrian dogs anything they can use to claim they are the victims. We fight with honor…even against the honorless."

 

Placing his right hand over his heart, Jasem's voice turned to steel. "I swear by Allah, by everything holy to our people, that we will make these invaders feel as though they have descended into the very fires of hell itself. We will show our countrymen up north just what we’ll be willing to do against these bastards."

 

Naruto watched as the fighters all agreed, many with their weapons raised up.

 

"If it means accepting Martyrdom, by Allah, we shall accept it," Tarik entered the conversation, holding his finger out. "By God, we shall not let these invaders pass by, am I understood!" 

 

"Understood!" The fighters roared in unison, their voices merging into a thunderous battle cry that reverberated through the streets of Hurriya.

 

Naruto's eyes observed the fervor in their faces—these weren't just soldiers, they were defenders of their homeland, each one carrying the weight of lost loved ones and broken promises. The teenager shifted uncomfortably, feeling out of place, yet stood there armed next to them.

 

Inside the passing buses, American civilians pressed their faces against windows, phones recording with trembling hands. Their expressions ranged from fear to fascination, some whispering urgently to companions while others sat frozen in stunned silence.

 

"Look at them," Tarik whispered to Jasem at the attention they got, "They never thought they'd see Arabs willing to die for their homeland."

 

Jasem's gaze tracked the convoy, calculating. "Let them watch. See what we’re willing to do."

 

A young fighter—barely eighteen—stepped forward, his AK-47 clutched with white knuckles. "Commander, they're filming us like we're animals in a zoo," he pointed out, his voice cracking with indignation.

 

"No," Tarik corrected firmly, placing a steadying hand on the boy's shoulder, "they're witnessing history."

 

The convoy slowed at a checkpoint ahead, Humvees forming a protective perimeter around the civilian buses. American soldiers in full combat gear scanned the gathering crowd nervously, hands tight on their weapons. Some of them, recognizing that any ally in this situation was a good thing, were giving nods or saluting at the Hurriya militants and police as the convoy drove on.

 

Naruto felt the tension crackling in the air like electricity before a storm. He caught the eye of a small child in one of the buses—a girl with pigtails clutching a stuffed animal, her face a mask of confusion and fear. For a moment, something twisted in his chest.

 

"Uzumaki!"

 

Naruto turned his dirt-covered face to Major Jasem and Tarik, who both approached Naruto as the crowd of fighters began to disperse back to their jobs. The two men wasted no time in questioning the paper in their hands.

 

"Have you finished with the evacuations?" Tarik asked him. "I noticed you were on that truck."

 

Naruto shook his head and mentioned, "No, I’m missing people. There are three girls, all eighteen years old, missing somewhere out there." Naruto showed the list and pointed out the names of the girls. "One is Felicia Summers, a white girl with dark hair; Lisa Fuentes, a blonde girl with green eyes; and there is this Jesicca…"

 

"Black girl? In a cheerleader's outfit? White hair and green eyes?" Jasem guessed. 

 

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that’s her. All three of them are missing." Naruto said, going through his bag and pulling out a folder. He opened it up to a page of pictures. "These are pictures taken by this guy named Josh, he’s a photographer by hobby and for the school yearbook. He took some of everyone—"

 

"Lemme see," Tarik said as the Shinobi youth and the two Urzik-Americans went through the photo album. They were looking at the pictures of happier times, already reminiscing about times before the war, and the pictures had names written underneath.

 

"This one? She’s blond—"

 

"Yeah, but she’s out, evacuated."

 

"And this?" 

 

"She’s not the right skin color, no…"

 

Naruto spotted the girls on a page, "Got them." He pulls out three pictures in one section. "These three are missing—"

 

"More!" 

 

Running up to them was the teacher, Rachel Harrison, a childhood friend of Tarik. She looked very troubled as she approached the men.

 

"More?" Naruto echoed, confusion evident in his voice as he looked up at the disheveled teacher.

 

Rachel nodded frantically, her usually neat blonde hair falling in wisps around her face. "More students are missing. Daisy McPherson and Lilian Marson." Her voice cracked slightly as she pointed at the photo album in Naruto's hands. "They should be in there somewhere."

 

Tarik placed a steadying hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Slow down. When did you last see them?"

 

"During the initial evacuation," Rachel replied, flipping through the pages of the album with trembling fingers. "They were supposed to be on the second transport, but when I did the headcount..." She trailed off, then jabbed her finger at a photo. "There! That's Daisy."

 

The three men leaned in to see a blonde girl with freckles scattered across her nose, wearing a neatly pressed white headband and a uniform, smiling.

"And here's Lilian," Rachel continued, turning to another page. A ginger-haired girl with her hair in twig-tails grinned back at them, smiling and showing her braces in her mouth, caught the light of the camera flash, freckles even more prominent than Daisy's.

 

But they also went through the other three pictures they pulled out. Lisa Fuentes, who was supposedly the oldest of the group, close to nineteen, was a blonde girl with a nose piercing; in her picture, she was recognisable. Felicia Summers was the girl in a blue dress, a red bow hair tie, and blue eyes, with a necklace and blue eyes. And lastly was Jessica Butler, a black girl with the school cheerleading outfit, very noticeable with her hair and green eyes.

 

Major Jasem's expression darkened. "So that's five teenagers unaccounted for in an active war zone, all of them girls."

 

"They couldn't have gone far," Naruto said, studying the faces in the photographs intently before tucking them into his pocket. "The first three were last seen in the science building of the school, but it got attacked by the Zygs. If they're still together, they might have found shelter."

 

Tarik ran a hand through his hair, exchanging a concerned glance with Rachel. "Or they could have been separated. We need to organize search parties immediately."

 

"I'll take the northern sector," Naruto volunteered, already adjusting his gear. "I can cover ground faster than most of your men."

 

Major Jasem nodded grimly. "I'll authorize the use of our remaining vehicles and coordinate with the command post. If they're still within our operational area, we'll find them."

 

Rachel clutched at Tarik's sleeve. "I'm coming too. They're my responsibility."

 

"It's too dangerous—" Tarik began.

 

"They'll respond to a familiar face," she insisted, her eyes flashing with determination, "and I know these girls. I might have some idea where they'd go if they were scared."

 

The sound of gunfire and explosions continued as the group pulled up the five pictures of the missing girls, all of whom needed to be found. Aside from Naruto, each group took photos of who they were looking for with their phones while Naruto kept the physical copies.

As Naruto looked at these five pictures, he could only prepare himself, mentally, for what he thought was inevitable.

 

‘Naruto, these girls were all inside the tunnels in the same room as you.’

 

‘No need to make me feel guilty, Kurama. I know what can happen if the Zygerrians get their hands on them.’

 

‘Then, if I were you, I’d quickly assemble a team…and prepare for the worst."

 

‘I already am.’

 

"Naruto."

 

The unexpected voice distracted him from his thoughts, and he looked over to see that he was being approached by some of his comrades: the old man Yasser, Mutani the Tusken Raider, Jango Fett and his son Boba, and some other volunteers.

 

"Jango."

 

"I've already heard about the five missing girls," Jango said, his helmet tucked under his arm. "Yasser and Mutani volunteered as soon as word spread."

 

The old man nodded gravely, while the Tusken Raider made a series of guttural sounds that Naruto had come to recognize as determination.

 

"We're ready when you are," Boba added, "The Slave I is ready to be used."

 

Naruto's gaze drifted back to the pictures, his jaw tightening. "I think the Zygerrians might have them."

 

The group fell silent. Jango's expression hardened as he studied Naruto's face. "Are you sure you want to consider that possibility? If they've been taken by slavers..."

 

He didn't need to finish the thought. Everyone present understood what happened to those captured by the Zygerrians.

 

Naruto met Jango's eyes and nodded once, resolute despite the heaviness settling in his chest.

 

"Then we'll need more firepower," Jango decided, his voice taking on the crisp tone of a man who'd led countless missions. "We’ll attack their stronghold in the docks, and hopefully we'll find something there."

 

Mutani growled something, gesturing with his gaderffii.

 

Naruto nodded, grateful for their immediate support. "We leave at dawn. I'll gather supplies and contact a few others who might help."

 

As the group dispersed to prepare, Kurama's voice echoed in Naruto's mind.

 

'You realize this could be a trap.'

 

'Doesn't matter,' Naruto replied internally. 'Those girls were under my protection in that shelter. I won't abandon them.'

 

Flashback ends

 

Unfortunately, that was one mission that Naruto was unable to succeed in. It ended up being a massive failure, as those girls, along with many hundreds of thousands of Terrans, if not millions, were kidnapped and sold into slavery by the Zygerrians, long gone by this point throughout the galaxy.

 

But that wouldn’t stop him or many of the Terran volunteers from stopping fighting these bastards of Zygerrians, not now at least.

 

…

 

From afar, on the outskirts of the secured landing platforms in the southeast of Mos Espa, the Republic troops could see a large, exploding flame reach the air, with the explosion coming from the center of Mos Espa’s densely populated neighborhoods. The Jedi and their Clone commanders could see the fierce fighting between the Ölüm and droids.

 

Standing there among the group was the Jedi Padawan F,  with her lightsaber on her hilt. Knight Skywalker was nearby, observing the fighting that was going on in the distance. Jedi Master Plo Koon and Obi-Wan Kenobi were the first to talk.

 

"This fighting is unlike anything I've seen since the Battle of Geonosis," Master Plo Koon remarked, his voice filtered through his breathing apparatus with a mechanical rasp. "The Ölüm fighters are using the urban terrain to great advantage."

 

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully, his eyes tracking the plumes of smoke rising from multiple sectors of the city. "Indeed. Their knowledge of these streets gives them a tactical edge that the Zygerrians weren't prepared for. But the civilian casualties..." He trailed off, his face grim. "I cannot imagine what they are going through."

 

Commander Wolffe stepped forward, helmet on his head, the Tatooine sunlight glinting on his helmet. "General, our scouts report the Ölüm have established barricades across all major thoroughfares in the central district. They're forcing the Zygerrians to fight block by block."

 

"Efficient, if brutal," Commander Cody added, studying the tactical display on his wrist comm. "The Zygerrians are losing three fighters for every Ölüm casualty. They didn't expect this level of resistance, let alone that some of the locals would fight alongside them after having been freed from the slave markets."

 

Anakin Skywalker's face hardened as another explosion rocked a distant quarter of the city. "They're fighting for their homes, their families. The Zygerrians thought they were raiding a vulnerable settlement, not walking into a hornet's nest."

 

“That just shows you that their commander, Tarik ‘The Imam’ Karim, is just on a different level.”

 

The Padawan shifted uncomfortably beside the masters, feeling the waves of violence ripple through the Force. Each death registered as a small flicker being extinguished, and the cumulative effect was becoming overwhelming.

 

"Masters," she ventured, "shouldn't we intervene? The Republic cannot stand by while civilians are caught in this crossfire."

 

Obi-Wan and Plo Koon exchanged a meaningful glance before Obi-Wan responded.

 

"The situation is...complicated, young one. The Senate has not authorized direct intervention in what they're classifying as a 'local dispute.' Our mandate extends only to the evacuation of Republic citizens and humanitarian aid."

 

"With respect, General, those people down there won't last long enough for political solutions," Commander Wolffe interjected, "let alone that negotiating with a Republic-designated terrorist group is off limits."

 

Before anyone could respond to Wolffe's assessment, their comms crackled to life. Captain Rex's voice came through, strained and punctuated by blaster fire.

 

"General Skywalker! We're pinned down in the central quarter, coordinates 42-87! Heavy Separatist droid presence backing Zygerrian slavers. They've got us surrounded on three sides!" The sound of an explosion briefly overwhelmed the transmission before Rex continued, "We've got civilians in the crossfire! Multiple wounded! Request immediate assistance!"

 

"On it, Rex. Wait for us." Anakin's hand immediately went to his lightsaber. "Senate authorization or not, I’m going in."

 

"Anakin," Obi-Wan cautioned, placing a hand on his former Padawan's shoulder. "We must be mindful of the quagmire that this battle is in. If we engage directly—"

 

"People are dying, Master. This is my former home ," Anakin cut him off, his eyes flashing. "Rex and his men are fighting for their lives, while we stand here debating politics."

 

Another explosion rocked the distant skyline, this one larger than before, emphasizing his plea.

 

Master Plo Koon stepped forward, his mask giving nothing away, but his voice resolute. "The Ölüm fighters may be designated as terrorists by the Republic, but the Separatist presence changes matters. We cannot allow Dooku's forces to gain a foothold here."

 

Commander Cody's comm beeped with an incoming tactical update. "Sir, we're getting reports of commando droids moving through the southwestern path. They're attempting to flank Captain Rex's position."

 

Obi-Wan sighed, releasing his reservations into the Force. "Very well. We'll split up. Anakin, take Padawan F and reinforce Rex. Commander Cody and I will secure the civilian evacuation corridors."

 

"I will take Commander Wolffe and intercept the droid reinforcements," Master Plo added, already signaling to his troops.

 

F felt a surge of anticipation as Anakin nodded to her. "Stay close to me. This is going to get messy."

 

"Yes, Master Skywalker," she replied, unclipping her lightsaber from her belt.

 

As they prepared to move out, a Republic gunship roared overhead, banking sharply to avoid anti-aircraft fire from somewhere in the city center.

 

"One more thing," Obi-Wan called as Anakin and his Padawan began sprinting toward their transport. "Remember, the Ölüm fighters are not our allies, but neither are they our enemies today. Exercise discretion."

 

"On it!"

 

…

 

The central quarter where Rex’s 501st Legion managed to get themselves to was the Mos Espa Marketplace, and it was the main area of a heavy battle going on between the 501st Legion and the Separatist mechanical column they just happened to bump into. They were taking pretty heavy—

 

"TAKE COVER!"

 

Rex dove behind a market stall as the rocket streaked overhead, exploding against a sandstone wall and showering the area with debris. The concussive blast rattled his helmet, but his training kicked in immediately.

 

"Brothers, spread out! Diamond formation!" he shouted into his comlink, his twin blasters already tracking the nearest squad of battle droids marching through the marketplace.

 

The clones responded with practiced efficiency, taking positions behind overturned vendor carts and crumbling walls. Blaster fire crisscrossed the marketplace, burning through the desert air and leaving scorched patterns across the sandstone buildings.

 

"Sir, we've got company on the rooftops!" called one trooper, gesturing upward with his rifle while firing a controlled burst at an approaching super battle droid.

 

Rex glanced up between shots, catching sight of the masked figures moving with purpose across the rooflines. Their dark clothing contrasted sharply against the bright Tatooine sky. Rex quickly spotted them firing blaster rifles, but also slugthrowers by the rapid gunfire.

 

"Ölüm fighters," Rex muttered, recognizing the distinctive masks and guerrilla tactics. "Keep your eyes on them, but focus on the clankers and slavers!"

 

Another explosion rocked the marketplace as one of the Ölüm fighters launched an RPG directly into the viewport of an approaching AAT-1 tank. The vehicle lurched sideways, smoke pouring from its burning interior before it crashed into a building, sending civilians scattering.

 

"Captain!" A clone named Appo's voice crackled through the comms. "They're hitting the Separatist forces, not us!"

 

Rex ducked as a Zygerrian slaver fired a scatter blast in his direction. He returned fire, dropping the slaver with two precise shots to the chest.

 

"I don't care who they're targeting," Rex replied, reloading his pistols with practiced efficiency. "This is still our operation. We need to secure that command post three blocks north. The Ölüm might be helping now, but we can't count on their allegiance."

 

The AT-TE behind them groaned, its damaged leg strut struggling to support its weight as the gunner continued to provide covering fire for the advancing clone troopers.

 

"Appo! Take the left flank! Heavy weapons, target those destroyer droids rolling in from the east market entrance!"

 

As Rex barked orders, he noticed one of the masked fighters on a nearby rooftop staring directly at him. Even through the mask, Rex could feel the intensity of the gaze. The fighter raised a closed fist, then pointed toward the northern sector before disappearing behind a water tower.

 

"Rex!"

 

Jumping out from above, both Anakin Skywalker and the Padawan named F came out using their lightsabers and began deflecting blaster shots left and right away from themselves and the clones. It was then that Anakin spoke.

 

"Status report!"

 

"We came across the enemy column, and they are caught in the middle, sir!" Rex shouted as he kept firing at the enemy droids, "The Zygerrians and the clankers are getting flanked by those Ölüm fighters!"

 

"We know! We saw it while we came in!" Anakin said while deflecting a few more blaster bolts. "Good shot!"

 

"Look!"

 

Pulling out from a corner of a side street and gunning for the trapped column of Separatist tanks, a truck from Terra was going on the offensive. In the back was an E-Web Heavy Repeating Blaster that was firing at the forward tanks of the Separatists who had been caught by surprise.

 

The improvised technical truck's E-Web unleashed a devastating barrage, its heavy bolts punching through the rear armor of two more AAT-1 tanks in rapid succession. The vehicles erupted in brilliant orange fireballs, sending chunks of twisted metal spinning through the air. Zygerrian slavers who had been using the tanks for cover were caught in the explosions, their anguished cries lost in the roar of burning fuel.

 

Rex lowered his blasters momentarily, watching in stunned silence as the Ölüm fighters coordinated their assault with surgical precision. "I'll be damned," he muttered.

 

"Their tactics are unorthodox but effective," F observed, deflecting a stray bolt while studying the guerrilla fighters' movements. "They're using the marketplace layout to create overlapping fields of fire."

 

Anakin grinned, his lightsaber humming as he carved through a volley of incoming fire. "Unorthodox is putting it mildly, Padawan."

 

Suddenly, another Ölüm fighter broke from cover, sprinting across the open plaza with an RPG-7 launcher slung across his shoulder. Battle droids immediately swiveled their weapons toward the exposed runner, but the fighter rolled behind a fountain just as their shots peppered the stone where he'd been standing.

 

"He's going for that building!" Appo called out, pointing toward a two-story structure where muzzle flashes indicated a Zygerrian stronghold.

 

The fighter popped up from behind the fountain, shouldered the RPG with practiced ease, and fired. The rocket streaked across the marketplace, punching through the building's main window before detonating inside. The entire structure seemed to expand for a moment before collapsing in on itself, silencing the Zygerrian weapons fire permanently.

 

"Outstanding shot!" Appo shouted over the comm, genuine admiration in his voice.

 

"Appo!"

 

"What? It's a clean shot!" Appo countered.

 

Then more explosions followed from the other side of the enemy Separatist column, which could only mean one thing.

 

"Looks like Master Plo and Master Kenobi have managed to flank them," Anakin said as he went on the assault. "Come on!" He ordered as a few clones joined him in the charge.

 

F, who stood there in the back, noticed the technical truck and the other Ölüm fighters began a careful retreat, as a few men on the rooftops aimed at them, like they were providing cover.

 

Among those on the roof were two men in Mandalorian Armor.

 

…

 

Naruto and Jango both stood on top of the rooftop and were observing how the men were indeed making an orderly retreat and witnessing the enemy Separatist convoy being assaulted from two sides by the Republic. They had not yet engaged with him or the other Ölüm fighters, at least while he was in communications with his superiors.

 

"Fox, this is Lion. What’s the status, over?"

 

"Enemy column is disabled, sir," Naruto responded through his wristcom. He continued to observe, "The Jedi and their Clone battalions are hammering the enemy from both sides."

 

"Have they made you?" Jasem spoke.

 

"They have, but are more occupied with the droids and Zygerrians than with our men," Jango spoke up as he was watching his clones fighting the droids in close combat. With a pleased smile, he remarked, "The Clones are keeping an eye on us but are not engaging."

 

"Good, we’re not going to fight the Republic now. The main escape route is almost ready." Tarik ordered, "Come back to the sanctuary."

 

"Copy that, I’m on my way." Naruto said through his helmet, before asking, "Tarik, if I may, any word on our extraction team? Sabine, Hera, and all?"

 

"They’re on their way. They just dropped off the last brigade of our people to a different planet. We’re on our own for now, but these boys in Mos Espa are the last to leave."

 

…

 

Meanwhile, up in the Northeast of Mos Espa’s outskirts, just on the edges of the Upper sprawl, the Separatists were amassing their forces. From their considerable distance, they were watching the meat and metal grinder that was the last column sent in, standing among several B1 and B2 Battledroids and some Commando Droids.

 

A figure's metal feet clanked against the dusty ground as he adjusted his position, his yellow reptilian eyes narrowing with calculation. General Grievous's cape billowed slightly in the desert wind as he watched the battle unfold through macrobinoculars.

 

"Status report," he demanded, his voice a mechanical rasp that sent the nearest B1 droid stepping back involuntarily.

 

"The Republic forces have engaged our forward units, General, and we are…getting destroyed," the tactical droid beside him reported. "Four Jedi are confirmed present with approximately two battalions of clone troopers."

 

Grievous's metal fingers crushed the edge of the macrobinoculars, his body straightening with anticipation. Four Jedi. His collection would grow today. After what happened on Hypori, he was eager to collect more.

 

"And the mercenaries?" he asked, referring to the Ölüm fighters they'd observed withdrawing from the conflict zone.

 

"They appear to be disengaging from the battle, sir. Our intelligence suggests they're evacuating their personnel."

 

Grievous let out a mechanical chuckle that sounded like gears grinding together. "Let them run. They are not our primary concern." He turned to the communications officer and ordered, "Contact Umbrella Team immediately."

 

"Yes, General."

 

Grievous paced impatiently, his mechanical limbs moving with predatory grace despite his hulking frame. When the hologram flickered to life, he leaned forward.

 

"Umbrella Team, prepare to deploy specialized artillery. Target coordinates to follow." His yellow eyes gleamed with malice. "The Jedi won't expect our...particular brand of hospitality."

 

"Understood, General. Artillery shells are loaded and ready."

 

"Fire," Grievous commanded, his voice filled with malevolent anticipation.

 

The artillery behind him roared to life. The distinctive thump-thump-thump of the specialized launchers sent vibrations through the desert floor. Grievous watched with satisfaction as the canisters arced high into the Tatooine sky, their trajectories perfectly calculated to maximize coverage.

 

"Excellent," he murmured, tracking their flight through his macrobinoculars.

 

The shells sailed over the battlefield, passing above the Republic positions and continuing toward their true target. Grievous's mechanical body tensed with anticipation as the first canister crashed through the roof of a building near the center of Mos Espa. Within seconds, the others followed, peppering the western districts with precise impacts.

 

Yellow gas began billowing from the impact sites, thick and viscous, clinging to buildings and flowing through streets like toxic rivers. The wind, light as it was, carried the deadly cloud further into the settlement, enveloping market squares and residential areas alike.

 

Through his enhanced vision, Grievous could see distant figures collapsing where they stood, others fleeing in panic, only to succumb as they ran. The yellow haze expanded, covering entire blocks of the city in its poisonous embrace.

 

A laugh erupted from Grievous's vocoder, starting as a low chuckle before building into a triumphant cackle that echoed across the command position. The B1 droids nearest to him shifted nervously, their programming sophisticated enough to recognize the sound of genuine malice.

 

"Perfect," Grievous said, lowering the macrobinoculars. "Now the Jedi face a true dilemma. Pursue us and abandon the civilians, or rush to their aid and let us escape." He turned to the tactical droid. "Either way, they lose."

 

The yellow cloud continued to spread through Mos Espa, its deadly work just beginning. Grievous watched with cold satisfaction, already calculating his next move. The Jedi would be distracted, divided, vulnerable—exactly as he had planned.

 

"This will be an interesting battle if I come across you too, Uzumaki, and get that lightsaber of yours!"

Chapter 37: Siege of Mos Espa Part III

Outskirt Mos Espa

 

Days passed, and the yellow clouds had settled into a permanent toxic haze over sections of Mos Espa. The chemical attacks had transformed the already war-torn neighborhoods into deathly quiet zones, but still, the city refused to fully surrender. For now, it had entered a tense pause of combat, silent except for a few pockets of close-quarter combat and the occasional pot shots, as Grievous’ forces had secured the Northern sectors.

 

From his command post, General Grievous surveyed the battlefield with growing frustration. He was watching his forces, alongside the Zygerrian troops, try to penetrate and secure the settlement, but fail with every assault. They were crashing head-on against the dug-in defensive positions of the fanatical fighters who were ready to face the Zygerrian and droid armies.

 

"Three days," he snarled, his mechanical voice grating against the desert quiet. "Three days of gas attacks, and still they resist."

 

A Zygerrian commander approached cautiously, his feline features set in a careful mask of neutrality. "General, the eastern quarter has fallen into the Republic's hands. It came at a heavy price of two brigades and three battalions of droids. The Ölüm fighters have retreated and established fortified positions throughout the streets leading to the central and western districts."

 

"Impossible!" Grievous slammed his metal fist against a tactical display, shattering the screen. "The Jedi I could expect, but these people have proven to be a real test to my patience!"

 

The tactical droid stepped forward, its emotionless voice providing cold analysis. "The Ölüm fighters appear to be receiving support, with their primary supply lines coming from their underground tunnels. Two of which we have discovered," the tactical droid spoke as this was a persistent problem throughout this campaign. "Their resistance is 78.3% more effective than our initial calculations predicted."

 

Grievous began pacing, his clawed feet leaving deep impressions in the sand. "They're just mercenaries. They should have broken by now."

 

"Sir," interrupted a B1 commander, "we're receiving a priority transmission from Count Dooku."

 

Grievous straightened immediately, his yellow eyes narrowing. "Put him through."

 

The holographic image of Count Dooku materialized before him, the aristocratic Sith Lord's expression severe, his hands clasped behind his back.

 

"General," Dooku began, his cultured voice carrying even through the static of the transmission, "I've received disturbing reports from Tatooine. Tell me, did you authorize the use of chemical weapons against a civilian population?"

 

Grievous stood defiant. "I deployed tactical deterrents to expedite our victory, my lord. The resistance was stronger than anticipated."

 

Dooku's expression darkened. "Chemical warfare was not part of your mandate, General. Such tactics draw unwanted attention from neutral systems. The political ramifications—"

 

"Politics?" Grievous interrupted, his mechanical voice rising. "I was tasked with securing Tatooine, not managing its public image. The Jedi are here in force, and this mercenary group they are trying to arrest is getting in my way!"

 

"The Separatist cause cannot afford to be associated with indiscriminate civilian casualties," Dooku cut in sharply. "Our narrative depends on appearing as the reasonable alternative to Republic corruption. You've compromised that narrative."

 

Grievous's metal fingers flexed with barely contained rage. "These methods are effective. The city will fall."

 

"It will fall, yes, with a death toll of civilians too high." Dooku's holographic form leaned forward slightly. "Our intelligence suggests the Republic is already preparing a humanitarian response. Alongside reinforcements." He paused, his gaze intensifying. "Cease the chemical attacks immediately. Find another way to achieve your objectives, General. One that doesn't involve mass deaths…"

 

The transmission ended abruptly, leaving Grievous staring at empty air, his mechanical body rigid with fury.

 

"Sir?" ventured the tactical droid after a moment of tense silence. "Your orders?"

 

Grievous turned slowly, his yellow eyes burning with malevolence. 

 

"Prepare the MagnaGuards. If I cannot gas them out..." his hand moved to the lightsabers hanging at his waist, "then I will cut them down myself."

 

…

 

Central Mos Espa

 

Indeed, fighting had continued in Mos Espa despite the treacherous tactics used in the past three days. With the defenders having gone into overdrive with ambushes, hit-and-runs, sniper attacks, and bombings, many of the Separatists’ armored units were left to burn.

An AAT-1 hover tank was left burning beyond recognition as it partially blocked one of the many alleyways inside the large spaceport settlement. The wreckage created separation between the Droid Army and its backers, and the Ölüm Fighters, who weren’t slowing down.

 

*POP!*

The thunder of gunfire rattled against the cracked walls of one of those buildings, inside of which two men were trying to fire back at their enemy.

 

 

One shifted into the corner’s shadow, pressing his precision rifle’s stock into his shoulder. His midnight-black uniform was reinforced with segmented armor plates that gleamed faintly in the shaft of light spilling through a bullet-scarred wall. The white-polished mask over his face was his only protection from whatever was left of the previous gas attacks.

Beside him was another man, a sergeant by the stripes on his shoulder, leaning back against the splintered doorframe, elbow braced on his knee. His camo-patterned vest sagged under the weight of extra power cells clipped at his belt. Through the cracked glass of the half-helmet, narrowed eyes watched two figures dart into view: seeing nothing but broken buildings and knowing among them were snipers and gunmen of the Ölüm fighters.

"Contact, eleven o'clock," the second whispered into his comm, finger hovering over his blaster's trigger. "Two hostiles moving between the cantina ruins."

 

The first adjusted his scope, tracking movement through the debris-strewn street below. The crosshairs settled on a figure in desert fatigues weaving between overturned speeder hulks. 

 

"I've got eyes on the Ölüm fighters. Permission to engage?"

 

Before the response crackled through their earpieces, the distinctive whine of jetpack engines cut through the air above them. Both soldiers tensed, swiveling their weapons up to the ceiling.

 

"That's not one of ours."

 

*BOOM!*

 

The room’s main entrance exploded inward with a deafening crash. Chunks of duracrete and twisted metal scattered across the floor as three figures burst through the smoke and dust. The lead figure's Mandalorian armor caught the filtered sunlight—unmistakably Jango Fett, his dual blasters already drawn—

 

*PEW!* *PEW!*

 

*PANG!* *PANG!* *PANG!*

 

*POP!*

 

Without being given a proper chance to respond, the two masked men in camo fatigues hit the floor with shots to the head and chest, their weapons dropping to the ground, and the sniper falling to the floor with a dull thud. Blood pooled beneath their bodies, seeping into the cracks of the weathered concrete.

 

"Clear," Naruto called out, the voice modulator in his Mandalorian helmet giving his words a metallic edge. He holstered one blaster and reached up to toggle his helmet's thermal imaging off. "Too easy."

 

Behind him, Jasem shuffled forward, his weathered face creased with suspicion. The old fighter's movements were deliberate, cautious—the habits of a man who'd survived too many ambushes to take anything at face value.

 

"Building secure," Jango's voice crackled through their comms. "Nobody else in the building."

 

Naruto nudged one of the fallen soldiers with his boot, turning the body enough to search for identification. "Check them for intel. Anything that might tell us who they're working for."

 

Jasem knelt beside the other corpse, his arthritic fingers working with surprising dexterity as he patted down pockets and equipment pouches. 

 

"Odd uniforms for Zygerrians," he muttered. "Too standardized. Too...professional."

 

"Mercenaries, maybe?" Naruto suggested, retrieving a data chip from an inside pocket. He slotted it into his gauntlet's reader. "Encrypted. We'll need to crack this later."

 

The old fighter didn't respond. His hands had frozen over the dead man's chest, where he'd pulled aside the torn fabric of the uniform. Beneath it, sewn directly into the tactical vest, was an emblem—an octagonal patch in blood-red.

 

"Naruto," Jasem's voice dropped to a whisper, "look at this."

 

The Uzumaki turned, the T-shaped visor of his helmet reflecting the emblem as he leaned in closer, spotting the emblem…

 

"Umbrella…"

 

"What are corporate people doing in a warzone like this?" Jasem wondered aloud. Shaking his head, he murmured, "This is beyond good."

 

He trailed off, glancing toward the windows where distant smoke columns rose above the street. Behind him, Naruto crouched down to pull at the edge of the tactical gas mask. 

 

"Let's see who else we're dealing with."

 

The fabric peeled away with a wet sound, revealing the face of an ordinary man—middle-aged, with otherwise unremarkable features now marred by the exit wound that had blown out the back of his skull. Gray matter clung to the inside of the mask, and Naruto grimaced beneath his helmet.

 

"Sorry, mister," he muttered, letting the mask drop. "Wrong place, wrong time."

 

Jasem was already moving toward the sniper by the window. "This one might tell us more." He reached down and worked his fingers under the edge of the second mask.

 

Naruto joined him as the older man pulled the covering free. What emerged made the Mandalorian take an involuntary step backward.

 

Red hair spilled across the concrete floor like spilled blood. A young woman's face, no older than twenty, stared up at the ceiling with vacant eyes. Her features, still soft with youth, were frozen in an expression of mild surprise, as if death had come too quickly for fear to register.

 

"Bismillah," Jasem whispered, his weathered hand hovering over her face. "She's just a girl."

 

Naruto's breath caught in his throat. He'd seen death before—had caused it more times than he cared to count—but something about this struck him differently. Perhaps it was the contrast between her deadly skill and her youth, or maybe it was simply the humanity revealed beneath the anonymous tactical gear.

 

Jasem lowered himself down and then closed her eyes before saying something.

 

"Allah Y Rahmou."

 

*BANG!* 

 

A gunshot erupted, directing Naruto and Jango Fett to look out of the window. Outside, they spotted a group of unarmed people, Mos Espa residents, walking down the street with their belongings.

 

"The Corridor is open."

 

…

 

 Meanwhile

 

Down the Southeast outskirts of Mos Espa, the Clone Troopers of the 212th, 501st, and the 104th were making slow but very steady progress. Nearby, AT-TE tanks and speeder bikes had managed to set up a corridor for civilians.

 

Commander Cody raised his macrobinoculars, scanning the stream of refugees making their way through the designated safe zone. Families clutched whatever belongings they could carry, children pressed close to their parents' sides as they hurried past the Clone positions.

 

"Keep those lanes clear," Cody called out to his men. "I want an overwatch on every rooftop and suppressing fire ready if any droids try to push through."

 

Captain Rex emerged from behind an overturned speeder, his blue-marked armor dusty from the morning's skirmishes. "Sir, we've got another group coming in from the north—looks like about thirty civilians, mostly human with a few Twi'leks."

 

"Any sign of Separatist pursuit?"

 

"Negative. The Ölüm fighters seem to be holding their attention in the central districts, aside from a few small incidents, but for now some silence." Rex paused, watching as a young Rodian child stumbled and was quickly helped up by one of Wolffe's troopers. "These people look terrified, Commander. Word of the gas attacks has spread."

 

Commander Wolffe approached, his scarred face grim beneath his modified helmet. "My boys just finished sweeping the area just on the edges of the central approach. Found three more families hiding in a collapsed building. They were too scared to come out until we proved we weren't Zygerrians."

 

"The trust will come," Cody replied, lowering his binoculars, "once they realize we're here to help, not enslave them."

 

A commotion near the processing station caught their attention. One of the 212th troopers was kneeling beside an elderly Twi'lek woman who had collapsed from exhaustion. Her lekku were pale with dehydration, and she clutched a small bundle to her chest.

 

"Medic!" the trooper called out.

 

One of the 501st's medics was already moving, his medical kit in hand. As he knelt beside the woman, she weakly pushed the bundle toward him. Inside was an infant, no more than a few months old, its small blue face wrinkled with hunger.

 

"She needs fluids immediately," he reported, "and the child needs formula. Our rations won't be enough."

 

Rex activated his comm. "General Skywalker, we need additional medical supplies at checkpoint seven. We've got civilians in worse shape than anticipated."

 

Anakin's voice crackled through the static. "Acknowledged, Captain. Supply drop incoming. How are the evacuation numbers looking?"

 

"Steady flow, sir. I estimate we've processed about four hundred so far, but there are still thousands in the city."

 

"Keep them moving. Intelligence suggests Grievous is planning something big. We need these people clear before—"

 

The transmission cut to static as a massive explosion echoed across the settlement. In the distance, a pillar of black smoke rose above the central districts where the fighting was the heaviest.

 

Commander Wolffe spat into the sand. "That didn't sound like conventional ordnance."

 

Cody was already coordinating with his officers. "Double the pace of evacuations. I want every available trooper on civilian escort duty. Something tells me our window is closing fast."

 

From the sidelines, watching, the Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Plo-Koon were observing in silence as the wave of refugees was pouring out of the western and central areas of Mos Espa, fleeing the still-active battle zones, as the fighting raged in the background.

 

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully as he watched a group of Jawas hurry past, their traditional robes torn and singed. "This is a lot more than we expected."

 

"Indeed," Plo Koon replied, his mechanical voice carrying a note of concern. "The question remains—how long will this ceasefire continue? The Separatists are eerily quiet after having unleashed that poison gas."

 

A Clone trooper approached and saluted. "Generals, we've just received word from the Ölüm fighters through a third party. They're reporting that they've been facilitating civilian evacuations from sectors we haven't reached yet."

 

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "The Ölüm fighters? I thought they were focused solely on combat operations."

 

"Apparently not, sir. According to their latest transmission, they've established their own safe corridors and are allowing non-combatants to flee the city through alternative routes."

 

"Good, very good." Plo Koon tilted his head, processing this information. "Where are those corridors?"

…

Underneath the battlegrounds of Mos Espa, the air was cool and dry beneath the sands of the spaceport settlement, a stark contrast to the blistering twin suns above. Carved deep into the bedrock, the tunnels stretched for miles, wide enough and reinforced with durasteel arches every ten meters. The walls bore the marks of careful engineering: smooth, sealed seams, embedded lighting strips, and ventilation shafts that hummed faintly with recycled air.

A slow procession moved through the main corridor. Civilians—families clutching bundles of belongings, elders leaning on makeshift canes, children with wide eyes—walked shoulder to shoulder with freed slaves. Groups of Twi’leks with faded lekku tattoos, humans with sun-scarred skin, and even a few Rodians and Jawas shuffled forward, guided by quiet urgency.

Armed sentinels in desert gear flanked the group, their rifles slung low but ready. Walking up front were Jasem, Jango Fett, and Naruto, guiding the group forward.

"Hopefully these tunnels will remain strong," Jasem said while taking the lead. He walked past the civilians, "Those boys Ibrahim and Jimmy managed to create this quite well, I will say that."

"They’ve been working on these for months now, surprised they managed to do that so efficiently."

"The Ölüm know their engineering," Jango replied, his helmet tilted slightly as he assessed the tunnel's integrity. "Built to withstand orbital bombardment. Smart."

Naruto studied the faces of passing refugees—fear mixed with fragile hope in their expressions. Children clung to their parents' legs, some too exhausted to cry. An elderly Twi'lek woman stumbled, and Naruto quickly steadied her with a gentle hand.

"Thank you, young one," she whispered, her lekku twitching with gratitude.

Naruto smiled as the elderly woman continued walking, and the blond young man kept on following the other armed men until they reached the end. The tunnel opened into a vast chamber ahead, voices echoing against stone walls. As they approached, the familiar glow of Garsa Fwip's Sanctuary cantina spilled into the passage—though now it resembled a makeshift command center more than a place of leisure.

The cantina buzzed with activity. Tables that once hosted card games now displayed tactical maps. Wounded fighters received treatment in corners where dancers once performed. The bar still served drinks, but mostly water and nutrient supplements to haggard refugees. Armed Ölüm fighters patrolled the perimeter, their faces grim beneath desert wraps. They carried a mix of weapons—salvaged blasters, cyclers, and slugthrowers, from handguns to snipers to machine guns. Their intensity made even Jango straighten slightly.

"Jasem!"

The elderly former cop turned his gaze to the man approaching them, walking on his prosthetic, along with the Tusken Mutani. The  Ölüm leader, Tarik Karim, addressed the three men whom he waited for to return, and running up to their side came Boba Fett.

"Dad!" 

"Boba," Jango said while he ruffled his son’s hair in return, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Boba replied, though his young face showed the strain of the ongoing battle. "Tarik's been keeping us busy down here coordinating supply runs."

Tarik Karim limped closer, his weathered face etched with concern. The Tusken beside him clicked softly in their native tongue, which Tarik acknowledged with a brief nod before turning his attention to the three arrivals.

"What's the situation?" Tarik asked without preamble, his prosthetic leg tapping against the stone floor. "We've been getting scattered reports through the comms, but I need to hear it from you directly."

Jasem wiped dust from his face, leaving streaks in the grime. "Our defenses around the center and western parts of Mos Espa are holding, but barely. Our forces are nearly down to their reserve ammo." He paused, meeting Tarik's intense gaze. "We've sent in the last of our reinforcements. After this, we're running on fumes. Once the enemy attacks again, we don’t know if they will hold out."

Tarik's jaw tightened. The weight of command sat heavily on his shoulders as he processed the grim update. Around them, the converted cantina continued its organized chaos—medics tending wounds, fighters checking weapons, civilians huddled in quiet groups.

"How long can we maintain those positions?" Tarik pressed.

Before Jasem could answer, the familiar sound of approaching footsteps echoed from one of the side tunnels. Garsa Fwip emerged; her usually pristine outfit could only be considered "practical" and was caked in dust, but her presence still commanded attention. She moved with the confidence of someone who had become an unexpected but staunch ally to the Ölüm cause.

"Tarik," she called out, her voice carrying easily across the chamber, "the current evacuations are going as planned. The last time I saw this many people moving through my cantina, they were dancing, not fleeing." She gestured toward a datapad in her hand. "Half of Mos Espa's population has successfully passed through the humanitarian corridors. The Republic forces are honoring our agreement."

Naruto, the youngest of the Ölüm leadership trio, stepped forward with a respectful bow. "We owe you our gratitude, Garsa. Without your negotiation skills, many more would be trapped in the crossfire."

Garsa's lips curled into a smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners despite the gravity of their situation. She reached out and patted Naruto's cheek affectionately.

"Such lovely manners from one so young," she teased, clapping her hands together once. "If only your elders could learn from you."

Jasem grunted, but there was a hint of amusement beneath his gruff exterior. Tarik merely nodded, his focus already shifting back to the tactical concerns at hand.

"The corridors won't remain open indefinitely," Tarik said, his voice low. "How much longer can we count on safe passage?"

"A full rotation, if we are lucky," Garsa replied, her tone shifting to match the seriousness of the question. "After that, the Republic claims they cannot guarantee safety from orbital strikes from either their own or the Separatist starfighters."

Jango, who had been quietly observing, placed a protective hand on Boba's shoulder. "We need to accelerate the evacuation, then. Prioritize children and the wounded."

Mutani made a series of clicks and gestures that Tarik translated for the others. "Mutani says their scouts report increased movement in the eastern sector. The enemy is regrouping for another push."

"They know we're weakening," Jasem muttered. "They'll hit us where we're thinnest."

The ground shook underneath them once as an explosion rocked just a distance away from the Sanctuary. Everyone inside flinched except for those armed men, but they soon made the decision.

"Alright, that pretty much tells us we need to move quickly," Tarik decided. He called it in, "Jasem, how many men do we have in Mos Espa?"

"There are still five thousand active men under your command across the place," Jasem said. In the back of his mind, he was reminded that the vast majority of the previously 10,000-strong Ölüm Garrison had already been evacuated out of Tatooine in the last two months of fighting, leaving just a third of the force behind in Mos Espa. 

"Many of the freed slaves joined up. They want to fight alongside us rather than evacuate."

"Absolutely not," Jasem said firmly. "These people have suffered enough. We didn't free them just to watch them die in another war."

Another Ölüm fighter stepped forward, his blue eyes reflecting the dim lighting of the cantina. "With respect, shouldn't that be their choice? Many of these people lost everything to the same systems we're fighting against."

"With the additional people from the thousand freed slaves from our home planet, that would put the number close to six."

Tarik nodded grimly, processing the numbers. "Six thousand against how many Republic and Separatist forces combined?"

"Conservative estimates put their combined strength at fifteen thousand, possibly more," Jango interjected, his voice filtered through his helmet's vocoder. "They have air superiority and heavy artillery. We're outgunned three to one."

Another tremor shook the underground chamber, causing dust to rain from the ceiling. Several refugees looked up nervously, clutching their belongings tighter.

"While you all will discuss how to break out from this siege, I have to, however, ask two of you to follow me," Garsa spoke, drawing attention back to her as she turned to the blond, "Naruto, Tarik, it's you I need."

Naruto raised the question, "Who?"

"A girl from the missing list, we found one."

…

Meanwhile

Walking through the now secured area of East Mos Espa, two pairs of boots clomped on the ground, one pair of sturdy brown boots and one pair of metal, high-heeled boots. The acrid smell of charred metal and melted plastoid hung heavy in the desert air. Anakin pulled his hood lower as they moved through what had once been the bustling heart of Tatooine's most notorious slave market. His mechanical hand clenched involuntarily at his side.

"Master," Padawan F's voice was barely above a whisper, her boots crunching on scattered debris. "The destruction around us...why are we here?"

Twisted remains of shock collars littered the ground like grotesque jewelry, their control circuits fused into unrecognizable lumps. The buildings that had once housed the trade of sentient lives were now blackened skeletal frames reaching toward the twin suns like accusatory fingers.

Anakin said nothing, his jaw tight as they approached an area familiar to him. Where Watto's junkyard had once sprawled in organized chaos for decades, only ash and warped metal remained. The blue Toydarian's distinctive laugh seemed to echo as a phantom memory in the silence.

"Someone was very thorough," F observed, kneeling to examine scorch marks that scarred the sandstone foundations. "This wasn't random violence, Master. This was...purposeful."

"It's Ölüm," Anakin replied, inspecting the damage that was left. "They were responsible for this." 

Underneath a hood and with the mask on her face, F’s expression was hard to read. Instead of a raised eyebrow, she could only vocalize her thoughts, "Excuse me?"

"The Ölüm partisans came here and destroyed everything that was connected to the slave trade." Anakin explained as he took notice of some of the other buildings that were left burned down, a voice inside of him struggled to approve of this violence, but he went on to say, "They brought terror on those who profit from it."

F tilted her head, scanning the destruction with new understanding. "Abolitionists? But...to this extent?"

"Freedom fighters to some, terrorists to others," Anakin said, his voice flat as he kicked aside a broken control module. "They believe the Republic's pace of change is too slow."

They turned down an alley where the walls still stood. Bold red symbols marked the sandstone – the stylized Ölüm insignia, looking like a broken chain formed into a blade. Beneath it, words in Huttese proclaimed: "NO MASTERS. NO MERCY."

F stepped carefully close to the wall and reached her hand out to the message, and she commented.

"You sound like you understand them."

Anakin's eyes darkened. "Understanding isn't approval, Padawan."

The wind shifted, bringing with it voices from around the corner. F noticed how the Jedi Knight tensed, his hand instinctively shifting toward his lightsaber before relaxing. Then explosions occurred as the two Jedi turned to the source, from the center of Mos Espa.

"What was that?" F questioned, her hand over her belt, reaching for her lightsaber. "I thought there was a ceasefire."

"No…" Anakin’s lightsaber ignited. "That’s not from our side."

…

Sanctuary

Walking down to the VIP room of the Sanctuary, both Tarik Karim and Naruto Uzumaki followed the Twi’lek host who was bringing them to a reserved area for a particular group of people:

The freed Terrans. 

Many Terrans were captured in the Zygerrian/Terran War by the Zygerrian invaders and brought back for work. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, were still unaccounted for, spread out across the galaxy’s slave markets. Only a very few fortunate souls had been freed by sheer chance. In the open rooms, many were trying to comfort others, help tend their wounds, or watch over their sleeping children who were clutching their parents’ clothes.

Naruto was troubled, but did not hesitate to ask, "How many did we save again?"

"Forty-seven souls," Tarik replied before the host could answer. "Ranging from a girl of barely fourteen to an elderly couple in their seventies."

"And that girl?" 

The three halted before a sealed door. Garsa Fwip's finger hovered over the entry panel for a moment before pressing it, as if preparing them for what lay beyond. With a hushed mechanical sigh, the door smoothly slid open.

Inside, the amber light cast long shadows across cushioned walls and low tables. In the far corner stood the young teenage girl, barely twenty, her blonde hair falling in unwashed strands around a face once beautiful. Her slender frame was turned away, one trembling hand in shackles, suspended mid-air like a broken marionette. When she turned, her movements were deliberate and painful. Her eyes—deep blue but dulled now—swept over them with hollow recognition. The dirty cropped top and torn jeans revealed what they were meant to hide: purple-black bruises and raw lacerations mapping a constellation of suffering across her pale skin. Her neck bore finger-shaped marks. Her shoulders slumped with the weight of unspoken horrors.

Naruto approached with measured steps, his expression grave. Tarik hung back, arms folded across his chest, his reverent silence a form of respect for her pain. 

"Lisa," Garsa whispered, the name itself seeming fragile in the quiet room. "They're here to help."

The girl named Lisa’ lips curved upward—not a smile but a reflex, a ghost of who she once was. She lowered herself carefully onto a cushion, wincing. The harsh light caught the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Kid," Tarik's voice was unnaturally soft, "you still got those pictures?"

Naruto withdrew a worn photo album from his chestplate. His fingers, usually so confident, now hesitated as he turned the pages.

"Here, Lisa Fuentes." Naruto pointed at the sketch picture, "That’s her."

Tarik looked at the picture and was stunned, "Holy shit…" He and Naruto looked at her.

"That’s no doubt Lisa Fuentes, an American," Tarik said, beyond shock at seeing the beaten and crying form of the girl in front of him and Naruto. He turned to Garsa, "Where did you find her?"

Garsa Fwip's lekku twitched slightly as she folded her hands together, her ornate rings catching the dim light of the sanctuary.

"She found me, actually," Garsa replied, her voice carrying the refined tone she typically reserved for her most valued patrons. "Or rather, she found this sanctuary by pure happenstance." Garsa moved closer to the girl, who flinched momentarily before relaxing as the Twi'lek's gentle hand rested on her shoulder. "According to what I've gathered from her, she escaped when her shock collar malfunctioned during transport. The Zygerrians had roughed her up…"

"The bastards…How many others?"

Garsa gave a saddened look. "That’s just it," she spoke while looking at the girl."She’s the only one who managed to escape."

Lisa just looked at them with that painful look as her eyes teared up. Hearing their voices, she looked away, her arms still trembling from the shackles around her wrists.

"She has been slowly making her way through the warzone. She’s seen things…"

Naruto, underneath his Mandalorian helmet, just stared at the girl before he walked over to her and pulled out his lightsaber, causing Garsa and Tarik to look at him in shock. Lisa let out a panicked whimper, and she tried to back away, her chains rattling against the floor.

"Easy," Naruto said, his voice modulator making his tone sound mechanical yet somehow gentle. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He ignited the lightsaber, the white blade humming to life. Lisa's eyes widened in terror, but before she could scream—

*SLASH!*

*SLASH!*

Naruto made two swift, precise cuts. The shackles fell away from her wrists with a metallic clang, leaving only thin red marks where they had dug into her skin. Lisa flinched violently, staring at her freed wrists in disbelief. 

Deactivating the lightsaber and returning it to his belt, Naruto spoke gently, "You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you anymore."

Her eyes, still wide with fear and confusion, darted between the three figures standing before her. Naruto could sense her uncertainty, her fear that this was some cruel trick.

Slowly, deliberately, he reached up and removed his Mandalorian helmet. The hiss of the seal breaking filled the quiet room as he lifted it away, revealing his face—his blue eyes meeting her own.

"N-Naruto?" Lisa whispered, recognition dawning in her exhausted eyes. Her voice was hoarse, barely audible.

A flicker of relief crossed her features before her eyes rolled back. She slumped forward, the toll of her ordeal finally overwhelming her as consciousness slipped away. Naruto caught her before she hit the floor.

"Easy, easy," Naruto chided, catching the girl's head before picking her up bridal style. Holding her against his chest, he turned to the others with a shocked expression.

"What do we do with her?" Naruto asked, concern evident in his voice as he adjusted his grip on Lisa's unconscious form.

"She’s the only American hostage we’ve managed to find, so we need to secure her." Tarik ran a hand through his hair, his expression grim. "We'll need to evacuate as soon as possible. The Zygerrians will be looking for her."

Garsa nodded in agreement, her lekku swaying gently with the movement. "I can arrange transport to—"

*BOOM!* *B-B-BOOM!*

The sanctuary shook violently as a series of explosions erupted outside, causing dust to rain down from the ceiling. The sound of blaster fire and screams pierced through the walls.

Before anyone could react, the door burst open. An Ölüm fighter staggered in, his weapon clutched tightly in his trembling hands.

"Commander!" he gasped, looking directly at Naruto. "Separatist forces are attacking the sanctuary! They've breached the perimeter!"

"How many?" Tarik demanded, already reaching for his blaster.

"Too many," the fighter replied, wincing as he pressed a hand against a wound on his side. "They brought tanks and droids. Dozens of B1s and B2s. They're pushing toward the defenses."

Naruto carefully laid Lisa down on a nearby cot. He turned to Garsa, his blue eyes hardening with determination.

"Take care of her," he said, his voice no longer gentle but commanding. "Keep her hidden."

Garsa nodded solemnly. "I will."

Naruto grabbed his helmet, sliding it back over his head with practiced ease. The familiar hiss of the seal locking into place was accompanied by the activation of his HUD, immediately displaying tactical information about the unfolding situation.

"Tarik," he called, his voice now filtered through the modulator, taking on that mechanical edge once more.

The man was already checking his weapons. "Right behind you."

Together they rushed out of the room, following the wounded fighter down the corridor. The sounds of battle grew louder with each step—the distinctive whine of blaster fire, the metallic clanking of battle droids, and the terrified screams of civilians caught in the crossfire.

Naruto's hand drifted to his lightsaber.

…

"They’ve breached the perimeter!"

Pushing through the barricade, an AAT-1 tank was firing its way through the Ölüm defenses, who were throwing everything they could back at the incoming armor. 

Behind the final line of sandbags, a group of Ölüm fighters was firing their rifles, blasters, and machine guns at the incoming tank, but the armor of the AAT-1 bounced off most of the shots.

The fighters scattered as the tank's main cannon swiveled toward their position, its barrel gleaming menacingly in the smoke-filled air. But among the chaos, one commander, Adrik Yahontov, whose unit was fighting, remained focused on the M40 recoilless rifle mounted between two reinforced sandbags.

"Load HEAT round!" he barked to his gunner, another man in a balaclava mask, who was already sliding the 90mm shell into the breech with practiced efficiency.

The AAT-1 lurched forward another ten meters, its treads crushing debris underfoot as it prepared to fire again. Adrik peered through the rifle's optical sight, calculating distance and angle while enemy fire whistled overhead.

"Range, two hundred meters!"

Adrik steadied his aim on the tank's vulnerable front glacis plate, just below the main gun. His finger was over the trigger.

"Fire!"

The M40 recoilless rifle boomed in the chaos as the HEAT round erupted from the barrel. The backblast kicked up a cloud of dust and debris behind their position, momentarily obscuring Adrik's vision. Three seconds stretched into eternity as the shell traced its deadly arc through the smoke-filled battlefield.

Impact. The round struck precisely where Adrik had aimed, punching through the AAT-1's armor with a thunderous crack. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, orange flames erupted from the breach point, followed by secondary explosions as ammunition cooked off inside the tank's hull.

"Direct hit!" shouted the gunner, his balaclava muffling his voice but unable to hide his excitement.

The AAT-1 ground to a halt, black smoke billowing from its hatches. The turret stopped its rotation, and the hatches popped open.

Three Zygerrian crew members scrambled out of the smoking hatches, their uniforms already smoldering. The first one made it halfway to the ground before the flames caught up with him, spreading across his back like hungry fingers. His screams pierced the battlefield din as he stumbled forward, arms flailing wildly.

"Sir, should we—" the gunner started to ask, lowering his weapon slightly.

"Let them cook," Adrik said coldly, keeping his rifle trained on the burning tank. His voice carried no emotion, just the flat certainty of a man who had seen too much war. "They wouldn't show us that mercy."

The second Zygerrian tried to roll in the dirt to extinguish the flames consuming his legs, but the fuel fire was too intense. The third never made it out at all—another explosion from within the hull sent a gout of superheated air, and by then, more men and droids from behind the tank tried to move forward.

"Shoot!"

From the nearby buildings, windows popped open with armed Ölüm fighters shooting from both sides of the street at the incoming Zygerrian and droid infantry, cutting down many with a variety of firepower. For a moment, it looked like this assault was about to end.

But then, several quick figures appeared from behind the failing infantry, Commando Droids with E-5 Blasters and vibroswords emerged from the dust clouds and went on the assault against the defensive positions of the Ölüm fighters.

The sleek metal assassins moved with inhuman precision, their photoreceptors scanning for targets as they vaulted over debris and scattered bodies. They quickly began shooting and killing Ölüm partisans, taking them out with single shots or by slashing their blades.

Adrik cursed and swung his heavy repeater toward the nearest droid, but it was already in motion, its chromium plating gleaming as it rolled behind a burned-out speeder.

"They're too fast!" shouted one Ölüm fighter from the third-floor window of the cantina, his blaster rifle barking repeatedly before he took a shot to the face, killing him.

Down in the gunner's nest beside the overturned cargo hauler, he never saw the vibrosword coming. The Commando Droid had approached from his blind spot, moving silently as death through the smoke and chaos. The humming blade punched through his chest plate with a wet crunch, and he toppled forward over his weapon.

"Jorik!" Adrik's roar of rage echoed off the surrounding buildings as he pivoted his rifle toward his friend's killer. The Commando tried to leap clear, but Adrik led his target perfectly. The sustained burst caught the droid mid-jump, tearing its torso apart in a shower of sparks and twisted metal.

"Bastards!" Adrik slung his rifle across the head of a BX-Commando droid that lunged at him, destroying it as he shot at anything nearby. "Keep them away from the Sanctuary!"

The chaotic fight continued, and out of the smoke appeared General Grievous himself, along with his MagnaGuards. They were already picking out targets for themselves that had not yet been spotted or taken out by the Commando Droids.

The MagnaGuards moved with deadly grace through the battlefield, their electrostaves crackling with blue energy as they singled out isolated Ölüm fighters. The first Guard cornered a young partisan behind a collapsed market stall, the fighter's blaster rifle clicking empty just as the electrostaff descended. Lightning coursed through his body, his agonized scream cutting through the din of battle before he collapsed, smoke rising from his charred chest.

Another Guard swept its staff in a wide arc, catching two fighters who had been trying to flank a Commando Droid. The electrical discharge sent them convulsing to the ground, their weapons clattering away as their muscles spasmed uncontrollably. The smell of burned flesh began to mix with the acrid smoke of blaster fire.

"Fall back to the secondary positions!" Adrik bellowed, but his voice was nearly drowned out by the mechanical whirring of General Grievous' approach.

Near the cantina's rear entrance, a lone Ölüm fighter found himself trapped between two advancing MagnaGuards, their red photoreceptors fixed on him like the eyes of predators. He raised his carbine with shaking hands, knowing it would do little against their cortosis-weave construction. The Guards raised their electrostaffs in unison, energy dancing between the prongs.

*FWOOSH!*

*FWOOSH!*

*BOOM!* 

*BOOM!*

The twin explosions came without warning. Both MagnaGuards erupted in showers of sparks and shrapnel, their upper torsos vaporized by precise rocket impacts. Through the dissipating smoke, two figures in gleaming Mandalorian armor stepped out, their jetpacks still venting exhaust from their rapid descent.

"Jango Fett," General Grievous hissed, his four mechanical arms reaching for his lightsabers, "and Uzumaki..."

Now that both Jango Fett and Naruto Uzumaki had arrived on the scene, the lone carbine rifle Ölüm fighter tried to stand up and retreat. Underneath his helmet, Naruto was staring at the cyborg monster that stood in front of him alongside his deadly minion droids. 

"You have been fighting, nasty, Grievous," Jango said coolly, his blaster trained on Grievous's chassis. "Time to correct that oversight."

"Bold words from dead men," Grievous growled, his mechanical voice grinding like metal on stone. Two lightsabers ignited with a sinister hiss, bathing the area in eerie blue and green light.

Naruto stepped forward, the T-shaped visor of his helmet gleaming. "You’re dead!"

"You first!" The General's reptilian eyes narrowed and commanded, "Separate them." The remaining MagnaGuards immediately sprang into action, electrostaves swinging out to lay a hit on Fett while Naruto went on to fire his own dual blasters at the cyborg.

But just as the fight was about to start, one Ölüm fighter on the roof holding an RPG got shot in the chest by a Commando Droid. They flinched, accidentally triggering the rocket to fly towards their direction—

"RPG!"

…

Back inside the Sanctuary, the civilians were all hiding for cover behind anything, from a table to stools to the counter. The Ölüm fighters who were also trapped inside aimed for the windows and doors now as a last stand. The fighting had pushed many of them inside the building.

Tarik was among them, holding a blaster, alongside Mutani, who was aiming his rifle. He really despised this plan, given the civilians were stuck in the middle of this, but now he needed to make sure they’d all survive this.

*BOOM!*

The front doors of the Sanctuary exploded, tossing several bodies of Ölüm fighters who had died fighting outside. Immediately, blasterfire erupted, and the first to enter were Commando Droids, whose appearance alone was enough to cause screaming., Some of the Ölüm fighters chose to attack them head-on from close range.

The metallic clang of bodies colliding echoed through the Sanctuary as the Ölüm fighters engaged the Commando Droids in desperate hand-to-hand combat. Tarik watched in horror as one of his comrades lunged at a droid with a vibroblade, only to have his throat slashed by the droid's own razor-sharp appendage.

"Keep the civilians back!" Tarik shouted, raising his blaster and taking careful aim. The targeting reticle settled on the lead Commando Droid's head. He squeezed the trigger, and a bolt of energy punched through the droid's cranial casing, sending sparks and shrapnel flying as it collapsed in a heap of twitching metal.

Mutani dropped to one knee beside him, his rifle reloaded, but the Tusken pulled out his Gaderffii stick and started swinging at the nearest droid, deciding to join in the close-quarter combat instead.

Tarik kept on firing at the droids that were trying to enter the room. As blaster bolts erupted left and right, bodies kept dropping alongside mechanical beings, and a few came close to hitting him—

*BOOM!*

Another explosion erupted, and something flew inside the door. It was Jango Fett, shooting several Commando Droids while on the way in.

The legendary Mandalorian landed with practiced precision, his dual WESTAR blaster pistols smoking from rapid fire. With fluid movements, Jango swept his weapons in a deadly arc, dropping three more Commando Droids before they could register his presence.

"Get down!" he barked at the nearest civilians, his modulated voice cutting through the chaos.

Tarik stared in disbelief. The infamous bounty hunter's armor gleamed under the Sanctuary's lights, scarred but unmistakable. Before he could process this unexpected alliance, Jango rolled behind a fallen column, narrowly avoiding a volley of blaster fire.

"They've got reinforcements coming!" Jango called out, his helmet scanning the battlefield. "Eyes on the doors!"

Mutani grunted in acknowledgment, his Gaderffii stick crushing the processor core of a droid that had gotten too close. The Tusken's fighting style was brutal but efficient, each swing calculated despite the apparent savagery.

Jango tossed a smoke bomb detonator toward the entrance, creating a momentary barrier of fire and debris. He methodically eliminated droids one by one, before it became silent for a moment, as only a few fighters were left inside. The sudden silence was tense, as if more were to come—

*KZZZT!*

Falling onto the Sanctuary’s floor were three Commando Droid heads, and behind them, entering the building was the man who threw them, Anakin Skywalker. Those inside quickly recognized the Jedi by his lightsaber.

"Skywalker…" Jango muttered.

"Jango Fett…" Anakin spoke, taking in the presence of the bounty hunter who was his enemy at one point. As he slowly walked to the center of the premises, he continued, "Last time we met, we were on opposing sides…"

"And we still are, technically…" Jango replied, keeping his blasters halfway pointed at the Jedi. "You here alone?"

"Not exactly."

…

*KZZZT!*

In the middle of the street somewhere in Mos Espa, having been separated from the rest, Naruto stood alone as he blocked an electrostaff against his white Uzumaki blade. He was faced against two MagnaGuards, while Grievous was watching the fight with his own two lightsabers.

The vibration from the clash traveled up Naruto's arm as he tried to push back against the droid's relentless pressure. Sweat beaded beneath his Mandalorian helmet, the HUD display flickering with targeting data as he tracked both opponents.

"Impressive, Mandalorian," Grievous rasped, his mechanical voice carrying across the dusty street. "Most would have fallen by now."

Naruto didn't waste breath responding. Instead, he pivoted sharply, allowing the first MagnaGuard's electrostaff to slide past him. With practiced precision, he brought his white lightsaber down in a diagonal slash, severing the droid's arm at the joint. Before it could adjust, Naruto completed his rotation, the glowing blade carving through the droid's midsection.

The bisected MagnaGuard collapsed in a shower of sparks, but Naruto had no time to celebrate. The second guard was already pressing the attack, its electrostaff humming with deadly energy as it jabbed toward his chest plate. Naruto deflected the strike upward and stepped inside the droid's guard. 

"Too predictable," he muttered, channeling the Force into his free hand. The energy swirled visibly for just a moment before he slammed his palm into the droid's chassis, the force of the impact sending it skidding backward.

Grievous's eyes narrowed with interest. "You fight...unusually for a Mandalorian."

*KZZT!*

The remaining Magna Guard got the full power of the Uzumaki blade thrust into its mechanical chest, before Naruto proceeded to slash the droid in half.

"But that makes it more intriguing!"

Grievous lunged forward with inhuman speed, his twin lightsabers spinning in a deadly arc. Naruto barely managed to bring his white blade up in time, the clash sending him stumbling backward. The cyborg general's mechanical limbs moved with terrifying precision, each strike calculated to exploit an opening.

"Your technique is...familiar," Grievous hissed, pressing his advantage. "Yet different. What manner of Jedi training did you receive, Mandalorian?"

Naruto ducked under a horizontal slash and rolled to the side, his armor scraping against the sandy street. "Who said anything about Jedi?" He came up in a crouch, energy building in his legs as he prepared to spring.

The general's laugh was like grinding metal. "Then how do you explain—"

*VWOOM!*

Grievous suddenly spun around, both lightsabers raised defensively behind him. His optical sensors had detected movement in his blind spot—a figure dropping from the rooftops above with lethal intent.

"Foolish," he growled, preparing to strike down this would-be assassin.

But instead of finding an easy target, his blades met the brilliant yellow glow of another lightsaber. The young Padawan F landed gracefully, her unique weapon holding both of Grievous's sabers at bay with surprising strength. Now dealing with two enemies at once, Grievous spotted the two uniquely colored and crafted lightsabers.

"Two unique lightsabers, hahaha!" Grievous spoke in admiration for the two weapons, "They would make a fine addition to my collection!"

Both Naruto and the Padawan jumped away from the cyborg Jedi killer, with Naruto and F acknowledging one another’s presence.

"F…"

"Uzumaki…good to see you’re still breathing…" F spoke through her mask. With a bit of levity, she mentioned, "I haven’t had the chance to thank you the other day…"

"No need for that, not right now at least," Naruto said underneath his helmet, the saber to his side. "Let's focus on this bastard who released that gas on this town."

F nodded curtly, raising her yellow lightsaber into a defensive stance. "Agreed."

Grievous's two arms suddenly split apart, revealing his truly horrific form as he ignited two additional lightsabers. The crimson and green blades hummed with malevolent energy as he began his signature spinning technique.

"You think two children can stand against General Grievous?" he snarled, mechanical feet scraping against the sand as he advanced. "Prepare to die!"

The cyborg launched himself forward with explosive force, all four sabers whirling in a deadly cyclone. Naruto and F scattered in opposite directions, forcing Grievous to choose his primary target. His optical sensors locked onto F's smaller frame—the easier prey.

F barely managed to parry the first strike, the impact sending vibrations through her entire body. She spun away from the second blade, using her agility to stay just ahead of the general's reach. But Grievous was relentless, his mechanical limbs never tiring as he pressed his assault.

"F!" Naruto shouted, circling to flank the general. He leaped high, bringing his white blade down in a powerful overhead strike aimed at Grievous's shoulder joint.

The cyborg twisted with inhuman flexibility, catching Naruto's saber with one of his own while continuing to assault F with the remaining three. Sparks flew as the blades locked, Naruto straining against the mechanical strength of his opponent.

"Your coordination is lacking," Grievous taunted, suddenly releasing the blade lock and causing Naruto to stumble forward. "You fight as individuals, not as one!"

F saw her opening as Grievous focused on Naruto's momentary imbalance. She darted in low, her yellow saber aimed at the general's exposed hip joint. But Grievous had anticipated this—it was a feint.

One of his massive mechanical hands shot out like a striking serpent, catching F around the throat and lifting her off the ground. Her lightsaber clattered to the sand as she clawed at the crushing grip.

"No!" Naruto roared, channeling the Force into his legs as he launched himself at the general.

Grievous's optical sensors gleamed with cruel satisfaction. With brutal efficiency, he slammed F's body into the ground with bone-crushing force. The young Padawan's mask cracked on impact, and she lay motionless in the dust.

White-hot rage flooded through Naruto as he saw F's still form. Time seemed to slow as he brought his lightsaber around in a vicious arc, all technique abandoned in favor of raw fury. The Uzumaki blade met flesh and metal, carving clean through Grievous's wrist.

The severed mechanical hand hit the ground with a metallic clang, still twitching with electrical impulses.

Grievous shrieked in pain and fury, stumbling backward as sparks flew from his damaged limb. "Impossible! You dare—"

"Not today, Grievous!" Naruto snarled, placing himself protectively between the general and F's unconscious form. His white lightsaber blazed with renewed intensity, fed by his protective instincts.

For the first time, uncertainty flickered in Grievous's optical sensors. This Mandalorian fought with a ferocity that reminded him of the most dangerous Jedi he had faced. And now, wounded and facing an opponent consumed by righteous fury, tactical wisdom overrode his pride.

Just then, a ship flew over them. It was Grievous’ ship, and he took the opportunity to escape, jumping up and entering it. From above, he stared down at the young Uzumaki.

"This is not over," he hissed, backing toward his waiting transport. "I will claim both your sabers soon enough!"

Naruto kept his lightsaber raised until the shuttle's engines roared to life, kicking up clouds of dust and debris. The craft lifted off with mechanical precision, carrying the cyborg general away into the star-speckled void above. Only when the ship became a distant speck did Naruto allow his weapon to deactivate, the white blade retracting with a soft hiss.

His shoulders sagged as the adrenaline began to fade, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion. The burns on his arm throbbed with each heartbeat, and he could feel warm blood trickling down from a gash on his forehead, but he worked through the pain—F needed him.

Dropping to his knees beside her still form, Naruto gently rolled her onto her back. Her breathing was shallow but steady, and he could see the rise and fall of her chest beneath her scorched robes.

The fight around them was dying out, as blaster and gunfire had mostly dimmed down. The Siege of Mos Espa had most likely ended.

…

The next few hours

West Mos Espa

With the fighting having largely ended by now, the Republic—with permission of the Hutts—had garrisoned the former Ölüm stronghold. They had even managed to take a number of prisoners, mostly wounded men who were too unstable to evacuate. Overall, around three hundred fighters were being taken care of by the Clones while their large weapons had been seized. Both amounts were surprising to the Jedi, especially for the Padawan named F.

"So many…"

Hundreds of weapons were on display, with the Clones of the 501st having collected most of the weaponry. There were RPGs, E-Webs, repeating heavy blasters, blaster rifles, sniper rifles, explosives of many kinds, and tons and tons of ammunition. Obi-Wan and Anakin both commented on the haul.

"This is just a small catch, Master."

"It is indeed, my former Padawan…"

Plo Koon walked over to the Padawan. Seeing that she was still holding onto her arm, he asked, "Are you doing okay, young Padawan?"

F gripped her arm tighter, but nodded.

"Yes, Master…"

…

Outside Mos Espa, the last transport ships drove through the settlement, evacuating the last Ölüm fighters. Six thousand Ölüm members and freed slaves were on the verge of leaving Tatooine, but standing out in the Mos Espa Circuit, Naruto observed their progress.

With Jasem and Adrik’s units having left the planet, Naruto watched their ships escape into orbit. He stood with the Tusken Mutani and Tarik, both watching the ships as the Republic Gunships began entering Mos Espa. The Republic had taken full control.

"Time's up," Tarik called out, his voice cutting through the desert wind. The distant hum of Republic engines grew louder with each passing second.

Mutani's breathing apparatus hissed as he turned toward the sleek Gauntlet fighter that waited behind a rocky outcropping. The starfighter's angular wings gleamed dully in Tatooine's twin suns, its engines already warming with a low, thrumming vibration.

Naruto felt the weight of departure settling on his shoulders. Three months on this desert world, three whole months of fighting alongside the Ölüm, and after all that it was ending with Republic forces sweeping through the streets.

"Mutani," he said, extending his hand toward the Tusken warrior. The gesture felt inadequate for everything they'd shared—battles fought and lives saved, but there was an unspoken understanding that had grown between the human and Sand Person.

The Tusken grasped his forearm in the traditional warrior's farewell, his grip firm through the wrappings. Behind his mask, Mutani spoke in his native tongue, the guttural words carrying more emotion than any Basic translation could convey.

"And you as well." Naruto smiled at his friend and shook his hand, parting with, "May the Force be with you."

The Tusken nodded and walked off as the other Tusken Raiders waited. The two departed as he walked to the Gauntlet Starfighter, entering it.

Inside were Rahab and Koska Reeves, along with Tarik and a few other Ölüm fighters, but Naruto sat next to the sleeping form of the freed slave Lisa Fuentes. Once settled, he called in through the ship's comms.

"Let’s go."

The Kom'rk-class fighter began to take off as the last ship of the Ölüm partisans ascended from Tatooine. With their departure, the fighting had officially ended on this planet…but the war was only just beginning.

A war full of surprises ahead.

 

FINISHED! FINALLY!

 

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