AN: I don't own Naruto or Star Wars.

This story was given as a challenge by Lawrence Helmbain, who had some interesting ideas. I was honestly intrigued, and although I've come up with a few twists and turns, I kept some of the base ideas that made the most sense to me. So here's a different take with Naruto; a Naruto raised in the bowels of the dark side.

This won't be a super overpowered Naruto, but he will be powerful, and he will be a threat in the universe. How? …well, how about we read the prologue, since that'll give a lot about how this will go down.

Secondary Disclaimer: I own the ideas that are mine, and any similarity to From Darkness is probably because I'm writing both of them. So yeah, onto the story!

A New Era

Defiance

Years before the Battle of Yavin, and universe was in a time

of great change. The fall of the Infinite Empire had created a schism of power

thanks to the efforts of those who had helped develop a virus that severed

the Rakata's connection to the Force.

Their powers in the dark side taken from them, they struggled in vain as

their technology was lost to them. Many Rakata sought diligently to find

some solution to their problem, searching the universe for something that

could bring back the power that had allowed them to rule the galaxy for

over 10,000 years.

One scientist, who still held just enough power to follow the faint whispers of

the dark side, followed his hyperdrive deep into wild space. With his Force

Hounds as his guide to this world rich in, he guided them to the small planet

hidden in space wherein he hoped to forge something that would be the

salvation for the Infinite Empire and the Rakata race. What he created,

was something else entirely…

Unknown Date: Unknown Planet

Standing in the clearing, the Rakatan stood with his eyes searching over the landscape as he grit his teeth. The area around him was covered in a large conglomeration of slaves and every force sensitive entity that they could muster on their ship. It had required several trips as their ship had been too large to land on the planet's surface, but he'd taken everyone off. Every living creature and with every resource he could grab before he'd left.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he turned in on himself. He was a striking figure of a strong Rakata despite the feeling of being crippled due to his limited connection to the Force. The center of his forehead rose upward, a peak of his physique with his eyes on either side of his head with small wrinkles from long nights where he'd forced himself to remain awake as he came up with this plan. His eyes slowly opened, gold eyes glaring at the landscape with a dark glare as he stepped into the light where his red stripped skin glowed in the light of the fading sun.

"My lord Kaxn."

Kaxn scowl softened as he turned to the Force Hound who knelt next to him. The creature was one of the many humans under his command, but had been bred and trained as the Rakata's personal trackers. They were the key way they found new worlds that were rich in the Force, and it was thanks to them that they found this planet. "Report."

"They are in position, but we can sense that there is…dissension in the ranks." The Hound said, bowing their head. "There are some that believe they will be capable of overthrowing you, and usurping your power on this planet. It…is secluded, and they feel that they will garner no retribution of the Infinite Empire should they turn on you now."

"It matters not." He whispered, drawing the dead blade in his hands as he looked over the group. There was indeed a large group of people who were beginning to fight amongst themselves, but from the look in his eyes, the dead far off gaze that held no contempt or malice, the Hound felt themselves pressing their head into the gravel of his feet.

He didn't care. He lost his hope, his purpose, and he simply didn't care about the desires of the slaves under him. In this moment, in this very second, his plan was already moving forwards.

Drawing the blade down his arm, he knelt down and placed his hand against the ground. Beneath him, dark ruins began glowing and spreading in an arc that encompassed the breakout of war.

"The blood of the forsaken, the blood of the lost, and the blood of an animal." Kaxn muttered, focusing on the little bit of the dark side he could touch as he tried to ensure that this ritual was properly summoned a salvation.

He hadn't thought much of it when he'd gone over the records of other species that the Rakata had discovered during their ever expanding rule. However, after looking over their notes, he realized that the species on the planet Korriban, the Sith, had utilized their connection to the Force to do something that the Rakata hadn't thought of during their reign; they had altered animals with the Force. These creatures, so called Sithspawn, were raised from their regular state to something more, something greater, something stronger, and something with more potential. And so he'd wondered; what if he used such a technique to create something that would hold the potential to cure their disease?

Only one way to find out.

And so he stared at the ground, runes and blood sinking into the ground as he silently prayed for a miracle. He wished and prayed that this would work, that there would be something salvageable from this.

As he watched, his eyes narrowed in worry. The screams of the dead and dying increased in tempo as the runes began drawing the bodies towards the center of the circle. As the bodies slammed into each other, their bodies became liquidated and malleable as they formed into one being. One solid structure of a being that would solve the issue of the Rakata.

Right as it took shape, it bellowed, making Kaxn balk in confusion. That was not the roar of a creature that would serve his will. It was that of a defiant creature with the will to live, to have control of its own life.

This wasn't possible. This couldn't be. His mind went over all the possibilities, looking for anything he'd missed. There couldn't possibly be anything he'd missed; he'd been meticulous, thorough, and while he didn't care for the slaves it was because their actions couldn't possibly change the outcome of the ritual.

"Lord Kaxn!"

Slowly, he turned to his Force Hound, staring blankly as he shuddered silently. "…no…it can't be." Seeing the creature beginning to approach, he sighed. "Leave now. I need this…I need to have this final moment alone."

Turning his head once more back to the fighting slaves as his Force Hound ran away, he watched as their fighting escalated, his carefully constructed seal finding itself more and more overwhelmed. However, it wasn't the beings that were overwhelming it, shifting the nature of the beast. No, it was something different, darker, and more unpredictable.

The blood of war.

With a feral screech, the creature stood over him, reaching out with something that looked like a white cocoon. Unable to fight it off, he screamed to the sky as it wrapped around him.

As he was dying, his eyes opened wide in shock as he felt something trickling into his body. Was this…could it possibly be the Force? No, it couldn't, this was a failure! And yet he couldn't deny the feeling of dark power washing over him, granting him the desire of his heart. With a slowly strangled laugh, he allowed his body to fade.

His soul though, lived on.

And in that moment, his eyes saw a vision of the future, something he hadn't been able to do in forever. In his vision, he saw a boy that could see him, a boy that would carry on his will and desires. He could see the boy standing over the ship he'd hidden in the mountains, hyperdrive fueled by the power of the dark side. Standing at the precipice of the galaxy, he watched as this child stood between the dark and the light, and threw all into chaos.

He now had something to focus on, something to care about. Silently, his soul laughed. He was more than happy. No, the Rakata weren't every simply happy. He was focused and he was greedy. Death was to easy, and he would wait for this child that would be the vessel for him to carry his will throughout the galaxy.

After all, there was more than enough time for the dead to wait, and plot for the future.

43 BBY: Unknown Planet

The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was considered one of the greatest villages of all time, filled with the most powerful of ninja, as well as the most dangerous yet morally straight of them.

"Get out of here you brat!"

However, as with all things, there were exceptions to those people.

One such victim to those people was a young child named Naruto. The boy stared up at his aggressors, eyes filled with silent resentment as he stumbled away from the man. With his back turned to the world around him, he could feel their eyes on him, feel their hate, and their enmity. Shoving his hand into the pockets of his vest, his head hung low as he walked through the city.

"Stupid guy." Naruto muttered, rubbing his cheek as he shook his head. "I'll show him…I'll show everyone."

There was darkness in his eyes as he stared down the street. He'd tried so hard to be a 'good boy' and just let things go. However, he'd begun to give up on that. No one respected him, everyone avoided him, and people would even remove anyone who could possibly be a friend to him. It was unfair, it wasn't right, and he wouldn't take it.

"I'll show them. I'll show everyone! They'll all learn to respect me, and then they'll see!" Naruto clenched his fists, silently wondering what he would possibly do to make them understand that he just wanted their respect.

Grumbling, he slipped into his favorite ramen stand to cool off. Placing his chin on the counter, he grumbled softly as he watched two of the only people he ever cared for work. The two of them were clearly busy, and while he wasn't in a good mood, he couldn't help but smile at them. Watching them go about their work, he silently wondered what life would be like when he got into the Ninja Academy and began his path as a ninja.

It took them several minutes before they turned around, in which time they only noticed him because someone else came into the establishment and called out to them. Naruto shrunk away upon realizing he wasn't alone, familiar faces of people who weren't kind to him and wouldn't allow him to stay for long should their attention turn to him. Slipping out, he dejectedly shoved his hands in his pockets, grumbling along with his stomach silently as he moved away.

Looking up towards the sky, he grit his teeth as he whined softly. It had been quite a bit of time since he'd been able to eat so he was hungry, he was getting tired, and he was getting tired of the treatment of the people who continually treated him like he was nothing more than some stupid kid. He was more than that, he was going to be the greatest! Then he was sure they'd respect him.

They'd have to…right?

Shaking his head, he found his feet leading him around the city in a pattern he didn't remember. It was halfway through one of the backstreets when he realized that he was in unfamiliar surroundings. Pausing, he looked around and bit his lip, shrinking in on himself in worry.

There was something wrong, something he couldn't see, but he could most definitely feel. There was the presence of something malevolent, dark, and…powerful. It was like a whisper on the wind, calling out to him, with a tone that was intoxication and drew him in, and so he slowly began following it. It drew him in, like a dark melody that had him on a hook and its master was reeling him in.

Turning a corner, he froze as he looked at the street in front of him. It was filled with people, filled with faces of people who he knew, who hated him, and who wanted nothing good for him. It felt like all their eyes fell on him as soon as he stepped out, eyes raised in confusion and malice. However, he didn't notice any of it. He didn't care, because of the thing that was standing within the middle of the street.

The person – no, the creature – that stood in the middle of the street was humming a low, dark melody. Its eyes were closed, and stuck out on either side of its head, its red striped skin transparent as the light of the fading day shown through it. An aura of red glowed around it, reaching out to all those around it and brushing against the people with some sort of energy Naruto could feel almost as much as he could see.

Then, with a slow and terrifying sensation, its eyes opened. Naruto felt its eyes fall on him, piercing gaze pulling the breath from him as its aura reached out towards him. Its mouth opened slowly, revealing razor sharp serrated teeth that curled into a smile. Standing up, the creature lifted its arm and pointed before slowly fading.

Naruto slowly let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he looked towards where the creature had been pointing. It was towards the mountain known as the Hokage Monument, a mountain with the four faces of their village leaders carved into it. Taking slow, deep breaths to steady himself after that…experience, he hesitantly began moving towards the mountain.

That smile…that energy…he couldn't help himself. He was just a young six year old boy, with endless curiosity and a desire to understand the world around him. This creature that no one could see, what was it? Where did it disappear to?

And why did he feel a growing need to follow it?

I-=-I

Naruto had never felt as tired as now, walking to the top of the mountain. The sensation he'd felt before was pulling him like he'd been placed on a leash, drawing him to this place. His eyes were distant, trying to focus on what he was feeling. It was like his whole body was breathing heavily, drowning in the sensation of power that begged him for breath as each 'breath' made his body feel as though he were on fire.

Pulling himself to the top, he fell to his knees and grit his teeth, eyes focusing quickly on a seemingly random spot in front of himself. It took a moment, but the creature soon began forming in front of him with that same sharp grin as it towered over him.

"So, you can see me." The creature said with a smirk, yellow eyes staring into his own azure eyes. "Good…very good. Just like I anticipated…so long ago."

Naruto flinched, hissing softly as the pain from his hike up as he glared at the creature. Shaking, he stood up on shaky legs and tried to glare at the creature. "Hey! What are you talking about you…weird fish thing?!"

"My name is Kaxn, slave. Do you sense my presence?" The creature said, raising a hand in front of him. Curling its fingers, it grinned as the power around it spiked. Slowly, the very earth around Naruto began rising up, orbiting him and shepherding him towards it. Despite Naruto's valiant effort to stay where he was, every time he tried to stay where he was, he ended up getting either struck or cut by one of the floating stones. "Do you know what this is? No? Well then…good."

Naruto flinched as he was forced to stand right in front of the creature, looking up at it as the floating stones began to spin faster and faster, a maelstrom of kinetic energy and power. The creature placed its hand on his head, eyes closing as he took a deep breath. "What-what are you –"

"I've waited millennia. I've waited eons…eons for this. Now I will be free!"

There was a rush of power and Naruto threw his head back and screamed. The creature began sinking into Naruto's body, laughing wildly. It was excited, impatient, and soon it would be free. It wouldn't wait any longer; his patience had finally worn thin, and it would have his freedom.

It's a shame that he wasn't more careful.

Time had made it impatient, and had it been more wary, it would have known two things. The first, was that no one, no one had as indomitable a will as Naruto. The second was something unprecedented, and something that he should have known, but because he had lost himself to his 'meditation' he'd missed out on.

"Why hello Rakata."

Its eyes opened, mouth now a silent scream as its body shook. Naruto's eyes had narrowed into a dark glare as his body physically shook. His eyes, normally a striking azure, had shifted to an animalistic red as he roared loudly in defiance.

He'd been looked down on. He'd been ignored. He'd been left on the streets with nothing. And now, some creature, some thing that called him 'slave'…was trying to take his free will? The one thing he had that he knew no one could ever truly take from him?

"No!" Naruto shouted. Reaching out, he was stunned when his hands grabbed hold of the creatures face. Dragging it down, his stared into its eyes, piercing red staring into terrified yellow eyes. "You will not take me. No…no."

His mouth opened and closed as it tried to form a coherent sentence. It had been alive for year upon years longer than the boy. He should have had the advantage of experience and knowledge, but he had held onto his belief in the Infinite Empire and the power of his people. However, in the face of a child, not even grown large enough to have gone through puberty, he wasn't powerful.

He was terrified.

He had acted too fast, thought that he could simply walk in and take what wasn't his, and now he was going to pay for it. The two of them screamed at one another, but unlike Naruto, he could sense the third presence growling at him as well. In that moment, he realized his folly; he wasn't fighting one mind, he was fighting two. And the second was filled with the dark side in a way that was even more powerful than any other dark side user he'd ever felt in his existence.

Then, to his shock, he felt the dark side spike from the boy. Eyes widening in confusion, the dark side grabbed ahold of his mind and began dragging his knowledge and memories into the boy. At first he thought he could struggle against it, certain that the boy wouldn't be able to overpower him. Regrettably, he'd forgotten that there was a second mind that now reached out and dragging his mind, knowledge, and very essence into the boy.

With a feral roar, he tried in vain to struggle once more, only to feel his soul snap away from the two of them weakly. With the last bit of strength, he glared at the boy and tried to harm him with the stones around him. To his shock, the stones fell around him, his power failing like when his body had been afflicted by the plague that had taken his Force powers away all those millennia ago. In his shock, he fell into the darkness, his mind and soul finally breaking.

As he vanished, Naruto blinked, the stones circling him slowly for a second before they fell to the ground. Then, he too hit the ground.

Floating in the air, Naruto's eyes opened slowly. The area around him was built of stone, and smelt humid. Feeling a droplet of water brush against his face, he flinched as he rolled over.

Still floating in the air, Naruto stared head of himself, eyes blank as his mind broke out in a splitting headache. His eyes were glossed over as he struggled in place, nothing around him that he could injure himself with to prevent the madness from sinking in.

"Calm yourself boy. Your fear is giving it strength. Relax…we're safe here."

"No…" Naruto muttered, shaking his head. "I'm…I'm not safe. Nowhere is safe."

"Here is. Inside your mind, no one can touch you." There was a pause, then a deep, booming laughter. "Well, no one but me."

"…me?" Naruto muttered, eyes slowly opening. Thankfully, childish curiosity overpowered fear for a brief instant as he turned to the source of the voice. Seeing the bright red eyes staring at him, he felt himself slowly being lowered to the ground. Landing on shaky legs, Naruto stared up. "Who is…who are you?"

The darkness split apart into a bright, jagged smile, larger than Naruto was tall. For a brief second, Naruto was worried that he'd lost his mind, except the shooting pain that ran through his head told him otherwise. "Patience boy, all good things in time."

"What…happened? What did Kaxn do?" Naruto hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he slowly leaned back.

"And how do you know his name is Kaxn?" The voice asked curiously, chuckling softly as it watched the boy struggle.

"…I don't…" Naruto's eyes slowly opened, red tendrils brushing against his face, helping his mind sort out the foreign information. "…what is all this?"

"It's his mind. The mind of that creature, the Rakatan."

"Oh. Okay." Were he older, such an influx of information could have broken him. As it was, despite his mind being overwhelmed by the influx of information, it felt…right. So when the name came up, it rolled off his tongue, the foreign word 'Rakatan' seeming to be held in high regard. However, that still left a question. "And…who are you?"

"Me? I am your savior, your liberator…and your brother, the nine tailed demon fox."

Naruto blinked. Raising a finger he paused, then dropped it again. "…my brother."

It wasn't a question. Staring up at those dark red eyes, Naruto could feel the power of the creature before him and he understood. Kaxn, the Rakata, had left him with a gift of knowledge, of power, and an understanding of the foreign feelings around him. He'd always felt that he could sense things like a seasoned ninja could, however the way his mind now revealed things to him, he knew it was more than that. It was the Force. And through his still budding connection to the Force, he could feel a similar connection held by the Fox as well. Different, and confusing to his young mind, but it was still there.

"Brother…yes, I can work with that." Naruto said softly, eyes darting around as his mind began picking up the pace. The red tendrils began doing the same, building barriers in Naruto's mind while helping him to learn at a rate that should've been impossible. It would likely take a few days to process it all, seeing how Kaxn had so many years to sit still and simply think, but those days would be spent going through it all and learning.

No longer would he be the boy who was turned away from by the village. No longer was he the boy alone. Now…he was more. He was a part of the Rakata in mind, the Infinite Empire in spirit, and a ninja at heart.

Naruto took a deep breath, staring at the ceiling with new, opened eyes. Then, he laughed. It was loud, manic, and couldn't be controlled. He laughed loud, long, and hard at the world around him. "Such fools! All this time…all this time and they've never…no. They can't see me for me, so how could they possibly see what this is?"

"So you can see it now too?" The fox asked, its head lowered and placed on its paws as it chuckled softly.

"Oh yes." Naruto said quickly, clenching and unclenching his hands. "That feeling when I saw him, Kaxn, it was like I was breathing, but…more. I know how to use it, but I also know I'm not ready for…that. Or for those techniques. But soon…soon enough I will be."

"And what will you do with them?" The fox grinned, the manic look on the boy's face slowly shifting to a more thoughtful one.

"…haven't thought that far yet." Naruto admitted with an overdramatic sigh. "Oh well, I guess that means we'll have to make things up as we go."

"So it does…or does it?"

Naruto slowly looked up at the fox, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Oh? Something you had in mind?"

The fox nodded, focusing the tendrils still connected to Naruto's mind to help move things around. While Naruto had received the mind of Kaxn, he hadn't been the only one. And unlike Naruto, the fox had more than enough capability to comprehend the information at a much quicker rate. So when images passed in front of Naruto's eyes, they were very specific, and very informative to the young boy's mind.

"…you think it'll work?" Naruto muttered, biting his lip in excitement. The idea was crazy, one might even call it manic, but it was something Naruto would more than happily put into practice should the opportunity arise. Slowly rubbing his hands together, Naruto took a deep breath. "…okay then, brother, or do you have another name I should call you?"

"…Kurama."

"Kurama then." Naruto's smirk turned feral, eyes red with the three whisker marks on his cheeks darkening. "How about we get started then?"

AN: This is a little bit shorter than my From Darkness chapters, but I wanted to get the first chapter out so I could at the very least begin this story, otherwise I'll never get around to posting it. That being said, there's a lot of things I'm gong to work with, varying from canon of Naruto and Star Wars (especially extended universe), to a couple of OC's. There will be a few that will hold positions where I need them, but overall, it's going to use canon Force techniques, and Canon characters as much as possible.

Also, unlike in From Darkness where Naruto's universe will be kept at a distance for the most part, this one will be...slightly different in that once the time comes there will be ninja running around and making life for Jedi and Sith quite interesting. There will have to be...some changes, but then, you'll see what, and hopefully they'll be both interesting and fun.

Thank you all for reading, and until next time, this has been A New Era.