This is a reupload of a story with the same name. I took the other one down awhile ago, and edited this one to match the changes for Destiny 2. Namely the stuff dealing with Naruto's subclass (From Blade Dancer to Nightstalker), and some major changes to plot points after this chapter.

For the destiny lore heavy readers, I took a small amount of liberty with the universe. I hope you can forgive some continuity errors for the sake of a crossover.

'0935-VRD: "Reports from guardians in the field confirm a Vex presence near the north pole of Venus. Individual reports describe a massive excavation effort. High energy equipment, 'Cyclops' platforms guarding the perimeter, dozens of patrols… The works. They seem invested in protecting whatever lies beneath the surface. It is our recommendation to gather additional intelligence before deciding on a course of action."

*I need your help with this one, Cayde-6. Dispatch some of your Hunters for secondary fact checking. Reconnaissance has been unreliable in the past. I'm not sure ho- '

"?!"

The data pad was swiped from his hands. Naruto sighed while he leaned on the comfortable surface. He stood to face his assailant. A clatter momentarily drew his attention to the data pad skittering carelessly away on the table.

"Zavala would use me to replace that stick up his ass if he knew someone was looking through my intel. Something about 'operational security'…," Cayde's mouth actuated beneath the metallic hand that covered his eyes. He cocked his head at Naruto's blank expression and jabbed his finger into Naruto's shoulder, "You don't think I would dress your ass up in my clothes and tie you down for that lecture? Oh, 'believe it', friend."

Naruto couldn't help but snort. He wouldn't exactly call Cayde a friend, but he did speak with the Exo more than most of his fellow guardians. Since he had arrived at The Tower, Cayde had taken it upon himself to speak to his subordinate when he had the time. The blonde's self-imposed isolation quite clearly concerned Cayde.

It was easy for the former shinobi to see that Cayde was waiting for him to self-destruct. It was exceedingly rare for a guardian to remember the life they had before, whether it was a curse or a blessing nobody knew. However, they all agreed it influenced Naruto's psyche. Others had vocally shared the same concern, in whatever form they cared to take. Encouraging advice, an angry rebuttal, fearful whispers, it didn't matter. Naruto had heard it all.

Ironically, Cayde had the most tact out of everyone else. At least, he had the presence of mind to deflect the lurking subject with humor.

Naruto was solitary even amongst his fellow Hunters. When he was resurrected, Naruto had never asked how or why. To him, no answer would matter. He just felt left behind; like a decrepit relic that had no place in this strange world. Konoha, his friends, everything he had ever known was gone. A forgotten memory even before the golden age.

He had no desire to make new bonds with others; those that knew of his recollection treated him like a leper anyway. Wandering the wilds looking for anything linking him to his home was the only thing that kept him going. Still, he wasn't heartless or derelict in his duty. Naruto would turn others away kindly, and he would always come running if The City was in danger.

That tendency more than anything else, had kept his detractors from putting a bullet in his head.

"There he goes again…" Naruto's eyes were drawn back to Cayde's hand when he caught the murmur. Cayde snapped his fingers in Naruto's face. When Naruto gave Cayde his full attention, Cayde stepped back and spread his arms as if to say 'What?', "I know English is hard for you, Naruto, but you can't keep ignoring your old pal. It hurts my feelings. Though my exterior is solid badass killing machine, my heart is still squishy."

"Right, sorry. I was just keeping your station warm for you, Cayde," Naruto grabbed his Häkke auto-rifle, and made to leave. He was gently pushed back by a firm hand before he could step past.

"Hold on. I didn't say that I didn't have time for you. What were you lookin' at anyway?"

Cayde took a couple steps to grab the, now thoroughly scuffed, data pad. He scrolled through the open reports. Naruto could feel Cayde looking out of the corner of his 'eyes' while he took a quick glance at what was written.

Cayde was silent for a few moments. He set the pad down and spun on his heel, "I thought you were busy looking for family postcards. What's your interest in the Vex?"

"I always keep my ear to the ground. Is there anything wrong with staying informed?"

The two stared at each other. Neither face gave anything away. Not that it mattered, they both knew what the other was thinking. Like usual, Cayde broke the silence, and offered an excuse to avoid the subject.

"Go and stretch your legs a little. There is a Fallen scouting party sniffing around the old highway. Why don't you deal with it? I'll let Zavala and Ikora know that I took care of it," Cayde turned around and walked away. He left Naruto staring at his retreating back. There was no chance to refuse. Naruto caught one last thing being called over the Exo's shoulder.

"We'll talk when you get back. I will have something for you then."

Naruto frowned. He didn't like lying to Cayde. For all his faults and annoying attempts to bond with the blonde, Naruto genuinely respected and looked up to the senior guardian. They were both men of action.

The Ghost popping into thin air failed to startle Naruto. The dark grey exterior of the Ghost separated and rotated soundlessly around the red 'eye'. He knew it was just reminding him to head to the hangar to rearm. Naruto nodded without a word and it disappeared.

'I never stopped looking for you.'

Outside of the necessary communication during combat and other sorties, those were the only personal words it had shared. The two had never spoken with each other seriously after he had been awakened from his death and brought to The Tower.

He had always appreciated his Ghost's understanding. The construct of light never took offense to his reluctance to talk with it. It merely assisted him with his duty whenever it was required. The silent prod was all Naruto needed to start striding out of the command center.

It felt good to have a partner though. Naruto didn't need to admit it to himself or anyone else.

"Four of the small fry and one big asshole. Pretty standard."

Naruto was lying prone on a small rock outcropping. He was using his helmet's embedded optical sensors to monitor the aliens from a distance. Three cameras were arranged on the upper half of the solid grey helmet in a triangular formation. It was outdated, but Naruto was never tech savvy anyway.

Simple was better for him.

He had added his own distinctive touch to it as well. As a nod to both his old friend and home, he had painted a fox's snarling face over the sensors and the atmospheric breathing unit in the hardened faceplate.

The other equipment he had reflected his utilitarian attitude. The rocket launcher Naruto carried was ancient. It had been modified to take modern day payloads but it was little more than a faded olive steel tube with a forward grip and a trigger. Naruto had stripped the optic off it, to lower the weight and reduce the size, then replaced it with two steel posts for aiming the dumb-fire ammunition.

He loved it. There was almost no situation where the launcher wasn't useful. Blowing ships out of the sky, walking through walls, crushing skulls… It did it all. Naruto affectionally called it, 'One Step Ahead'.

Naruto's Häkke auto-rifle didn't even have sights. He was usually close enough to the enemy that he didn't need to aim in the first place and he had enough experience to fire instinctively in a pinch. Since Naruto wasn't a great shot, not according to Cayde's ridiculous standards, he would occasionally take advantage of the ammo capacity to suppress the enemy and close the distance.

This was when his 'primary' weapon would come out to play. A one-and-a-half-meter single edged blade made of hardened, non-reflective, metal alloy. If Naruto was a threat with a firearm, he was a predator when the blade was drawn.

Others used to talk behind his back over his obsession with the sword. That lasted until he showed them how effective it could be. Naruto refused to give up the habit, no matter how much other guardians argued it could be a potential liability in combat. He would honor what he had learned in his past life.

Their legacy.

That was what he was. Everywhere Naruto went, he carried the history, knowledge, and struggles of his forgotten people. His hooded cloak reflected that.

The rugged forest green cloak had been painstakingly embroidered by his own hand. Beneath the black kanji for 'Shinobi', he had sewn the symbol of every hidden village in three neat vertical rows. From the big five, to the most obscure, he hadn't missed one. He had made sure of that.

The cloak was his most prized possession. Whoever touched it without permission would die. Killing a fellow guardian over some fabric might seem extreme to some, but to Naruto the alternative was unforgivable.

The people he cherished wouldn't be forgotten ever again.

"I can't detect any other presence in the immediate area, Guardian. There are two patrols from The City several kilometers away," his Ghost informed him. Naruto gripped 'One Step Ahead' in acknowledgement.

The Fallen clambered across the rusted and overgrown vehicles. The 'Vandals' examined the perimeter of their formation while their Captain strode confidently in the center. Their red colors immediately identified them as members of the House of Devils.

Naruto knew how scouting parties like these operated. He had destroyed plenty of them. The 'Vandals' would flush the enemy out of cover with agile flanking maneuvers into the superior offensive capability of their captain. It was a sound strategy.

Unfortunately for the trespassers, Naruto both knew this and completely controlled the encounter. The most fundamental approach to take was an ambush, so that was the plan. Naruto kneeled and lifted his launcher onto his shoulder to get a comfortable sight picture.

First came overwhelming firepower.

Naruto depressed the trigger. Woosh! The rocket cleared the launcher with a loud ignition. The Fallen turned suddenly to face the new threat. It was too late. They were too close to escape.

The engine on the rocket delivered the explosive payload in under half-a-second. Naruto ditched the smoking launcher amid the detonation. It rolled off his shoulder into the dirt to be retrieved later.

Next came the finishing blow.

Naruto launched off the rock outcropping and started bounding across the ancient cars at inhuman speed. The rifle he carried remained firmly shouldered and pointed toward the smoking position. He was upon them in a few moments.

Six bullets cleared the muzzle at close to five kilometers a second. The rounds shredded the back of one recovering alien. Naruto twisted and executed another that crawled to escape. The bullet plowed through the skull into the pavement.

It was over.

The other two 'Vandals' were in pieces. Metal shrapnel had obliterated them. The Captain though…

It stared at the rifle leveled at its' face on Naruto's hip. The ragged sound let Naruto know that it was having difficulty breathing. It's entire right side was scorched, torn apart, and leaking ether. The Fallen Captain was no longer a threat. It only leaned against a metal door and waited.

Naruto slung his rifle and squatted down in front while it continued to stare. He took off his helmet and set it aside. They stared at each other. A moment of understanding and respect passed between them.

Neither blamed the other. Neither had any hate within them. The Fallen Captain accepted that he had been bested, Naruto could see that. He nodded and drew his blade to finish it quickly.

The fingers in his right hand twitched. Naruto didn't frown outwardly, but he was annoyed that the cybernetic arm needed to be recalibrated. He willed it to be steady.

Both of his hands gripped the handle in front of his chest plate. Naruto pointed the blade at the center of the Fallen Captain's chest. A shimmer of ancient power surrounded the edge. It formed into a howling sheath of wind.

The Captain shifted slightly. Naruto could only guess why. Fear of the end? Fascination? Anger? He would never know. The blade traveled forward in a clean practiced stroke. The sword extinguished whatever lay behind the alien gaze.

It was straight out of the academy textbook; a gift from his ancestors.

Naruto wandered over to a secluded corner in the hangar after returning. Whatever he didn't keep on his Jumpship or carry with him was laid out in his, as the exasperated Ms. Holliday referred to it, lair. She tried to throw him out for a few months, but he kept popping up wherever she wasn't looking.

She eventually gave up, save for the roll of her eyes every time she passed him when he was laid out in his hammock. He left her a gift in appreciation occasionally. Naruto had caused her quite a bit of trouble.

Naruto liked the noisy hangar. It was just the blonde Guardian and some quietly diligent machines for most days he spent at the Tower. People were too busy to talk to him and most others didn't know where to find him. Unfortunately, one of those who did was a candidate for the most obnoxious resident of the Tower.

He had just stripped his armor off and hung up his cloak to close his eyes for a few hours, when Cayde came strutting into his personal space. Naruto swung his legs out of the hammock. He put his boots on quickly and leaned on his knees to face him. Cayde looked offended.

"What the hell? What part of 'We'll talk when you get back' do you not get? You had me wandering around the Tower like your doe-eyed girlfriend until someone told me you were here."

"I got back a couple of hours ago. After I landed my Jumpship I had to turn in my report and talk to the armory, Cayde. Aren't you busy?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow. The level of responsibility Cayde had was astronomically higher than his own. Naruto thought he had been doing the Exo a favor by not bothering him. What was he so excited about anyway?

"Alright, whatever," Cayde waved the excuse away. Just as Naruto thought he had something he couldn't wait to share, "While you were out showing our neighbors the door, I was digging through some new reports for you. Found something you will definitely be interested in."

What he said next had Naruto speechless for a moment, "There is an old facility in Freehold on Mars that used to specialize in archaeology. If I was a betting man, which I probably am, I'd give it a visit," Cayde gave him a thumb up before dropping the hand, "…Seriously, please go check it out. I went through enough red tape to make your head spin."

"Cayde… Thank you… That means a lot," Naruto responded quietly. He smiled and sat up to give Cayde his complete focus. Cayde shook his head and chuckled for a moment.

"Stop. You're embarrassing me. It was mostly to get you out of my hair. I'll be blunt; you've been skulking around the Tower for a little too long and it's starting to piss people off," Cayde patted him on the shoulder. Naruto smiled wryly. It didn't feel too great to know some still had a problem with him, even if he understood why.

"What are the coordinates? I'll leave in the morning."

The soft metallic grinding immediately caused Naruto to sigh. Cayde was scratching his head. That was never a good sign. It was usually time to run the other way.

"There's a snag… The Cabal own the entire planet and have locked the approach vectors up tight since we have started conducting more operations against them. You aren't getting through. Period."

No. He immediately rejected the thought. That wasn't going to stop Naruto. The possibilities available to him meant too much.

It had taken years to scour a fraction of Earth; all that time with nothing to show for it. Naruto had barely considered the possibility that some trace of his past was lost on another planet. Now his mind raced. If he could find something on Mars, then Venus was a definite possibility. Maybe even the Moon, or Saturn, or among the Awoken!

The volatile mix of emotions lit a fire within him. His chest thundered and his blood sang. The desire to act was overpowering. Naruto was ready to kill. He stared Cayde down.

"Give. Me. The. Coordinates. I'll go anyway."

"Zavala won't authorize the launch, Naruto," Naruto stood up without a word and planted his feet in front of Cayde. The Exo across from him took a step back and held up his hands to tell Naruto to wait, "But! But! We are planning something to deal with the problem. Zavala is coordinating with the Guardians trapped on the surface in preparation. I can't tell you what it is exactly… Not yet, but it's big."

"So!" Naruto watched him reach behind his back and take out a beacon. Cayde slapped it onto the crate next to them and gestured to it, "If you make a visit to Phobos, plant this beacon on one of their resupply ships, snag an IFF tag, and get back in one piece…"

Naruto picked up the beacon and his rifle as an answer. He was strapping his forest green and grey armor on before Cayde finished. Naruto accepted the robotic hand that was offering his treasured cloak without fuss.

Cayde had just earned that privilege.

"I'll get you an express ticket onto the first strike team to shake hands with the Cabal," Cayde said with a grin. He leaned back to watch the blonde hair and blue eyes disappear under the animalistic visage. Naruto reached out with his own robotic fist. Cayde looked confused for a moment before hesitantly returning the gesture.

"You're trash, Cayde… But, you'll never be lower than that."

Cayde was stunned; it was easy to see. Naruto knew that he didn't get the significance of those words. Poor guy probably thought he was just insulted. He smirked under his helmet. Naruto nodded to the recovering Exo and started jogging to his Jumpship.

It was lightly armored and shaped like an arrowhead. He brushed the robotic maintenance crew away from the two low profile engines to do his pre-flight checks. The inspection brought him to the forward-facing cannon in the nose.

His Jumpship wasn't the best option for a dogfight. Other than the outdated cannon, he had four 'short'- he used the word lightly- range missiles fitted with replicated Golden-age guidance systems mounted onto the wings' hardpoints. When he flew the Jumpship, he relied on speed more than anything else.

Naruto trans-matted into the cockpit when he was satisfied. His Ghost materialized to assist with managing the onboard systems. Once the two received the launch clearance, courtesy of a smooth-talking Exo, they hit the throttle and blasted out of the atmosphere.

A blinking display woke Naruto up. His Ghost turned momentarily in response to the sudden movement. Eyelids blinked rapidly to banish the drowsiness. Naruto yawned and began the necessary protocol to drop out of warp.

Now that his body didn't need it, sleep was a useful habit to pass the time.

The breathtaking vastness of space appeared instantaneously. Naruto rolled to starboard. He wanted to be on the dark side of Phobos. The moon orbited dangerously close to the planet; a gun pointed at Mars in case the Cabal were ever forced to abandon the desolate sands.

He followed the 'safest' approach. It had been a long time since any Guardians had last been near Phobos. There was no way to know if it would work. His Ghost that floated over the controls was handling the second-to-second micro adjustments. Cabal long range radar was terrifying. If he was detected, it would be over before he could jump back to Earth.

Despite his typical lack of technical expertise, Naruto's physical traits made him a very accomplished pilot in the Vanguard. His eyes were trained to track fast moving objects, his hands were much swifter, more precise than an average guardian, and his nervous system processed information fast enough that even an A.I. would look twice.

It might also be attributed to the fact that he was both daring and suicidal enough to think way outside of the box when the situation demanded so. The House of Kings learned that after Naruto's first and last skirmish over the European Dead Zone.

He hadn't heard much from them since then. Naruto assumed he must have a bounty on his head by now.

However, it took thousands of flight hours to reach any level of infamy. Naruto had somewhat of a stunted growth when it came to understanding the intricacies of flight due to his background. He had to learn every system backwards and forwards to even get off the ground.

The proximity alarm blared while he skimmed the surface of Phobos. Naruto leaned forward to peer up through the cockpit into the darkness flecked with stars. The tiny pinpricks of light started to disappear in a moving silhouette. A Cabal carrier was a few kilometers above. It was flying off to, presumably, drop more troops on the surface.

"Does it see us?" Naruto asked calmly. He watched it go. His fingers remained steady over the throttle and stick. If he felt something was wrong, the Jumpship would be pushed to the limit. For now, he remained within the hole in the Cabal early warning sensors.

"No, Guardian. Energy signatures are remaining stable. The weapons are not receiving power. I will continue to monitor."

"Try to track its destination."

"Without powering up more of our sensors, we will lose it in the atmosphere of Mars," His Ghost informed him. Naruto sighed in response and it moved to do what it could to follow the order. A soft beam of light started adjusting the control panels, "Approaching Fleet Base Korus."

Naruto banked to land in the shadows; the dark color of his Jumpship would make it invisible. He could probably get closer, but it was better to play it safe. If what Cayde had implied was what Naruto thought it was, a lot was riding on a successful infiltration.

His hand reached under the seat to grab onto a small burnt orange gun with a black grip. It was a sidearm with a round revolving chamber that carried nine rounds; colloquially known by Guardians as a 'hand cannon'.

The hand cannon was the very first gun he had found in the wilds. Naruto wasn't very accurate with it, but he liked to hold onto the gun for emergencies and forward reconnaissance. It would be the backup to his sword while he was inside the base. Everything else would be left behind.

Though, Naruto knew he probably wouldn't need it since he couldn't kill anyone there in the first place. As soon as he did, the operation would be a failure. The Cabal were thorough and relentless. If they found a body, they would find the beacon and system intrusion as soon as he was gone.

His boots touched down on the surface. Fine grey dust stuck to the soles and coated his boots when it was kicked up as he walked. Naruto made his way over the crest of the crater his ship was hidden in.

The display in his helmet helped compensate for the sudden glare. Naruto saw why that Cabal carrier from earlier had been flying so low. He had managed to make his way to the side of the sprawling base where most of the landing pads were located.

The surface of Phobos sloped down from where he was perched. It continued for two kilometers until it reached the first line of defenses. This side of the Fleet Base didn't have too many large facilities, instead the Cabal had constructed several interconnected bunkers and trenches as a buffer for the open landing zone.

Dozens of dropships were flying above towards a large warship that hovered over the base. The larger carriers and resupply ships were sitting on landing pads with engines powered up. From where Naruto was, he could see at least a few battalions of Cabal troops that were loading ships with supplies, rearming armored vehicles and gunships, or constructing various objects.

Naruto weighed his options. He could see where he needed to go. The landing zone had little cover. Only the bunker complex would provide any concealment, but that was in between two open areas. The actual facilities would conceal his presence if he backtracked. However, he didn't know the layout and every minute he stayed raised the chance of detection.

He decided to take the risk and go for the quicker route. His patience had run low. Naruto wanted to finish up here and get back in time to 'catch his ride.' They were waiting on his success and he had no reason to disappoint.

Naruto called upon the light of the Traveler; it was as disquieting as it had ever been. Naruto didn't hide the fact that he resented the Traveler; a key factor of his infamy of among the vanguard. It might not be his intention, but Naruto realized that on some level that extended to his Ghost.

The Traveler had given him a second chance, and a future for his people, but in return it ripped his identity from him. It repurposed Naruto to fulfill its incomprehensible will. The agonizing emptiness he had discovered when he was awakened had only just started to fade years later.

Naruto had been forced to mold and adapt to the new source of power. His chakra was gone; no matter how he tried to replicate his old techniques, only a fraction of his potential had returned to him despite the excruciating effort. While he never gave up on attempting to bend the light into familiar shapes, Naruto realized early on that he had to learn innovative ways to fight. A Shinobi always prepared before it was too late.

He had found an affinity as a Nightstalker. It had become an extension of his skillset. The heavy emphasis on trapping the enemy gave Naruto a comforting nudge of nostalgia.

Naruto had mixed feelings about using the power, but he could not deny its capability. No one could.

The light of the Traveler enveloped him. To Naruto, it felt like two hands wrapped around his neck. A delicate reminder to never forget who kept him alive. It bent the starlight, leaving only a hazy silhouette. As soon as Naruto was satisfied with the camouflage, he bolted through the Cabal bunkers' kill zones. Small puffs of dust were the only sign anything was there.

Naruto closed in on an outlying lookout that was laid low to the ground. His breaths came fast, and loud in his helmet after he ran two kilometers at top speed. He slid in through the lookout's opening, and rolled silently to the left when his feet touched the floor. The back of his chest piece glued itself to a crate.

The audio within his helmet was maxed out. He strained to hear any sign of alarm. It was silent. His labored breathing was the only thing he could hear. Naruto decided to peak his head out to look towards the exit.

The deep trench revealed itself. It was covered by grey tarpaulins that provided shade and camouflaged the defenses from anything flying overhead. Naruto could see four Cabal legionaries within. The hulking creatures walked along their patrol routes with a surprising amount of focus. Their bulky armor and weaponry was carried without difficulty.

Naruto had thought that they might have been relaxed. The soldiers were nestled within one of the Cabal's major base of operations. The early warning systems would provide plenty of time to prepare in case of an assault. It would be no surprise if the attitude of the sentries slacked as a result.

Instead, they showed a level of discipline that was admirable, if not outright unmatched. There was no conversation. No deviation from standard protocol. Naruto could see that the Cabal made the forces of the City look like rank amateurs.

For Naruto's mission, this observation told him that a distraction or misdirection wouldn't work. They would report every disturbance and the base could go into lockdown. He couldn't touch anything until he got to the target.

Naruto kept his focus. He remained camouflaged while he ducked out of the soldiers' way and weaved between their patrol routes. As he made his way through the other bunkers and interconnecting trenches, Naruto made sure not to move through the light unless he absolutely had to. Too much light made his silhouette visible.

One hour later, he had made it the 100 meters to the edge of the landing zone. Naruto had underestimated the efficacy of their patrol routes. They were timed to perfection. It was difficult to avoid one soldier without exposing himself to another. He was annoyed, but he had a new-found respect for the Cabal.

It made him wonder why the Tower was planning to provoke them so much. What was on Mars that they wanted? Or was it simply to strike back?

"Guardian. A cargo transport will pass by in fifteen seconds," His Ghost's voice filtered through his helmet's speakers. Naruto moved closer to the vehicle lanes in response. He could hear the propulsion system on the vehicle as he stopped. The transport was nothing more than a flat surface with cargo on top, a Psion stood on the front to direct it.

When it passed his position, Naruto leaped. He landed silently, completely visible, on top of the transport. His body was splayed out in the prone position. Naruto buried his body into the metal to lower his profile as much as possible. He held his breath and hoped the Psion didn't notice. The reports had mentioned that their minds weren't to be trifled with.

Naruto recloaked when he could direct the Traveler's light once more. The transport continued uninterrupted until it pulled up the ramp into a resupply ship. Naruto remained still. The crates were unloaded automatically by the transport. Naruto focused on keeping himself invisible. Thirty minutes passed and Naruto listened to more transports load supplies onto the resupply ship. After they stopped coming near him, he jumped off the cargo shipments; confident that his back was covered.

"You think this is the best one to pick?" Naruto whispered to his ghost. The seal on the helmet should keep the sound from leaking out, but he didn't want to take any chances. His ghost answered promptly through the speakers.

"Recon data from the surface suggests that most of the Cabal's supplies are sent to supply the forces in and around Freehold, Guardian. I'm confident that this ship will be resupplying their ground forces."

Naruto hummed in acknowledgement, then trotted down the cargo bay towards the nose of the ship. The containers were lined up neatly. The Cabal crew inside with him couldn't catch a glimpse of him as he darted between the rows. Like most ships, a console linked to the internal systems was within the cargo bay towards the furthest bulkhead.

Naruto crouched in front of the console's panel. His eyes darted to the door not even four meters from his position. Naruto flexed his robotic prosthetic and speared the edge of the panel with his fingers pointed like a dagger. His Ghost popped into material existence completely aware of its' Guardians intention. It started a system intrusion before Naruto had finished making a wide enough opening for the beacon.

He hurried to brush away the wiring. Naruto reached into the pouch on his waist while his left hand held the panel open. His Ghost continued rotating its body as it processed the necessary information. The beacon was placed gently within the electronics, the green light blinked to signify that it had begun to transmit its' position.

Naruto grinned and placed the panel back. His Ghost fixed any inconsistencies. No one should know that anything had happened without a discerning eye. He spoke to his Ghost as it disappeared from vision.

"Cayde should be receiving by now. Did you get what we needed?"

"Yes, Guardian. I copied their IFF transponder signal and the ship's registry. We will have to hurry before they change codes," His Ghost responded. Naruto bounced on his toes. That made him anxious, Cayde and Zavala needed to be ready to move ahead with their plan immediately. He shook his head and started began to backtrack.

"Ok. Time to disappear."

Naruto recloaked and left the cargo bay via the ramp. He sprinted from cover to cover to reach the same bunker complexes he came through. There were no incidents. His presence was still undetected.

Naruto was excited and impatient after he finished the task. He decided to take an unnecessary risk to expedite his return from the moon. He watched the helmets of the Cabal Legionnaires bob up and down as they walked within the trenches. Once the timing was right, Naruto raced across the open ground and vaulted the trenches without interrupting his sprint. He jumped onto the last bunker in his way and leaped onto Phobos' surface.

He ran back up the slope towards his ship then slid down the crater. A large amount of dust followed him down, marking his presence with a small mound of material as it settled. Naruto trans-matted into his cockpit without slowing down. He powered up to leave.

"-ruto. Naruto, are you getting this?" The rest of Cayde's transmission came through slightly muted, "What the hell is wrong with this thing? Hey, you! Yeah, you. Come fix this for me."

"I read you, Cayde. You don't need to bother anyone," Naruto's fingers continued to flit over the controls. His ship raised from the shadows and started to egress back through the hole in the Cabal sensors.

"I'm not bothering any- No, it's fine, I said it's working. Shoo!" Naruto sighed. He felt sorry for whatever technician was with Cayde,"The Hunter Vanguard should be supplied with functioning equipment. I don't get any respect here. None. Not Zavala. Not Ikora. And especially not yo-"

Naruto keyed the mic to stop his rant. He waited a couple of seconds, "We have the IFF tag. Are you tracking the beacon?"

"Yeah, I'm looking at it right now. Once it reaches its' destination, we are launching. Get back here for the briefing. I'll make 'em wait." Cayde responded seriously. Naruto sent his thanks, then shut off the communication channel.

The former Shinobi immediately went underway for FTL once he was clear of the sensor range. He got out of the pilot's seat to move into the small onboard cargo compartment. There was a blanket already laid out in between his weapons and ammo. He wanted to sleep; there wasn't going to be much time for any in the future.

Naruto stood in a room with close to a hundred other Guardians. They were mostly Titans, but he could see a few of his own brethren and a couple Warlocks. Curiously, there was a Cryptarch as well. She was armored up head to toe, so Naruto rightly assumed that she would tag along, probably a specialist in enemy intelligence.

In fact, every Guardian there was armed and ready to go at a moment's notice. Most were murmuring quietly about what it could be about. He had gotten there late after Cayde sent him a message. Naruto had found a spot near the holographic display while he waited for the Vanguard leadership.

A few minutes passed before they walked into the room. Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala walked to the display and faced much of the Guardians arranged in a semi-circle formation. All eyes then turned to Cayde-6, who strolled up to Naruto without a care and threw an arm around his shoulder. Cayde gestured for them to start.

Commander Zavala began stoically, "It is time to claim a foothold on Mars. We will retake Freehold. These are the targets," the display powered up bathing the room in an orange light. It started with a complete view of Mars before zooming into a smaller section. A warship and three sites on the surface were highlighted.

Naruto straightened up unconsciously, he didn't have to look to know Cayde had a shit-eating grin. The rest of the room shifted as well. They looked between each other uncertainly. This was more than they expected.

Naruto whispered to Cayde while Zavala let it settle in, "How the hell did the Speaker allow this? The Cabal won't take this lying down. They will strike back. Hard."

"Zavala is facing a lot of pressure from the factions. They all want a piece of Freehold. Better get in there before they strip the place clean," Cayde said.

"Cayde…" Naruto turned to Zavala's voice. He looked like he was having a tough time speaking, "Will be leading the assault on the Cabal's heavy cruiser."

Oh, that was why. Naruto understood Zavala's hesitance and he now knew his own assignment. Cayde had thrown his weight behind Naruto to get him in the operation. Commander Zavala didn't like either of them, so it was obvious they would be kept together; much more manageable for the Awoken Titan.

"That's right! So besides Mopey, Beautiful, and I… I'm going to need a few volunteers," Cayde announced. Naruto and the female Cryptarch frowned. Every Titan in the room raised their hand in response. Naruto snorted.

Typical.

"You, you, not you, you, and… you! I needed a Warlock. Tons of useful stuff on that ship. Trust me, you'll love it," Cayde called them over to stand near him. Naruto whispered to Cayde again while they moved.

"How did you get Zavala to let you go? I thought you were stuck in the Tower."

"I just convinced him that I was the right man for the job. Nothing to it."

"…"

Naruto stared at Cayde. The carefree smile was answer enough. He turned his attention back to the matter at hand. Once it settled down, Zavala explained.

"We can't land forces planet side until we deal with the cruiser's point defenses. Cayde and his team will take those out before the other two teams jump into the system, disable the engines, and rip any useful intelligence from the cruiser. They will have a fifteen-minute window."

Someone spoke up, "Why fifteen?"

"Cabal quick response will be there by twenty. That gives us five minutes to land on the surface," Cayde answered. He then pointed to the map near the highlighted sites, "The strike teams already trapped on the ground will take out the planet side AA while I'm doing my job."

"Cayde is correct. The two other teams will be capturing the old orbital defense guns, here, and here. Power them up, and blow any ship out of the sky," Zavala indicated two of the three highlighted targets in order, "We have another strike team already on the ground ready to assassinate their commander, Valus Ta'aurc, in the chaos. By the time they finish, all groundside forces will regroup to destroy the fuel and supply depot inside Rubicon."

"Once this offensive is over, we will have broken their grip on Freehold. The wealth of knowledge inside will strengthen the City," Ikora chimed in with the final word. Naruto could feel the electric atmosphere. Every Guardian there was ready and willing to go to war. He was itching to move as well.

A remnant of his past was close at hand. He could sense it.

"How are we going to get inside that cruiser, Cayde?" Naruto asked the question the other five were wondering. Every once else in the room filed out to organize into the two other larger strike teams. The Exo smirked.

"Oh, I've got a key."

Naruto sighed. Something told Naruto that Cayde wasn't just talking about the IFF.

I am not a master of Destiny's lore/story by any definition. I'm still learning. Some inconsistencies are intentional, some are not. Feel free to correct me anyway in a review or a message.

My goal with this story is to make the universe of Destiny feel a little bit larger. Naruto isn't necessarily taking the place of our characters in the games, I want to shine a little more light on the little guys among the guardians, and create more stories around the main plot. However, I do want to do some cameo's like Valus Ta'aurc in this chapter. So, let me know if there is something you really want to see.