Memories Arc

Chapter 2

Dossier: The War Hero

~I~

The endless forests of Fire Country were truly a sight to behold, even when passing them by at over 500 kilometers per hour.

Shepard eyed the garden world from the cockpit as Miranda manned the helm, keeping them as close to the tree line as possible to avoid radar detection. He remembered looking at historical photographs in his old history textbooks. Pictures of how earth used to look before major human industrialization began. Enormous forests with trees that touched the sky used to be a common sight in earth's history. But now those trees were traded for tall man-made towers that rose to the heavens themselves. This world looked almost untouched by man, so wild and untamed. There were no signs of human development or resource mining; everything was completely under the control of Mother Nature for as far as the eye could see. A raw beauty you rarely found on a homeworld.*

The door behind the pair hissed open allowing Jacob to pop his head into the cockpit. "Commander, we have a problem. EDI just sent us the thermal scan of the mansion. We think it's under Shadow Broker control."

Shepard turned away from the forest to the Cerberus operative. "What are their numbers? Can we take them out with onboard weaponry?"

"Negative, Commander. This ship is built for stealth and speed, not combat. And even if we could, I wouldn't suggest it."

"Why not?"

"If our scans are accurate, there are sixteen heat signatures, but one isn't behaving like the others. It's been isolated to one spot. I'm guessing that's our target."

"So he's been captured. And here I was hoping this would be simple."

Miranda scowled, tightening her grip on the controls. "It still can be. We just have to forget about recruiting him."

"What do you mean, Miranda?" Jacob asked.

"It's too risky to attempt a rescue, we should focus on destroying the base."

"Then we'll be responsible. The Illusive Man himself wants him on the team."

"His recruitment is secondary, our survival and eliminating the agents are our priority. We have hundreds of potential recruits, I'm sure one of them will make a worthy replacement."

"But we-"

"Enough, both of you!" Shepard cut them off, "In case you've forgotten, neither of you are in charge of this mission, I am. And I didn't fly halfway across the galaxy to blow our War Hero sky high."

Miranda turned, eying her superior with a look of concern. "Shepard, these are five-to-one odds against a squad of the Shadow Broker's top agents, all heavily armed. Are you suggesting it's worth it for one little kid?"

"Will you always run from unfavorable odds, Miranda?"

"I didn't spend two years bringing you back just for you to go suicidal." She shot back.

"This whole damn mission is suicide, but that hasn't stopped me before." He countered, fixing her with a cool stare. "If we're serious about taking the fight to the Collectors, I need the best men and women in the galaxy for my team. I won't abandon the top recruits for a runner-up out of convenience. No matter the obstacles, we will build this team, and we're building it my way."

Shepard shifted out of his seat, lacing his hands behind his back as he stared at his squad, "Now what about you? Are you fit to serve on my team? If odds like these are too much for you, then don't waste my time. I don't need anyone who isn't ready to give it their all. If that's more than you can give me, then stand aside and I'll find someone who can."

Jacob was the first to respond, "I'm with you, Commander. No doubt." He answered strongly and without hesitation. That was expected, Jacob was easy to read. Not what he'd expected from Cerberus, and one of the main reasons he was giving The Illusive Man this chance.

Shepard gave Jacob a satisfied nod before turning to Miranda, who was still staring at him icily. Miranda wasn't shy with her disagreement with the Commander's philosophy. But that way of thinking was the very reason she'd invested two years of her life in Project Lazarus. To be left on the wayside after his completion was unacceptable, a poisonous thought. With a brief sigh she resigned herself, "Understood. Just give the order, Commander."

Shepard felt little relief at their resolution. He wouldn't be able to talk the Shadow Broker agents into kindly forgetting this planet existed and never coming back. He shifted his gaze back towards the forest to clear his head. "Good to hear. Now gear up, it's time to show these bastards we mean business."

~II~

Two hours later Shepard found himself rushing through the thick forest on his way to the mansion. He'd had Miranda drop him off two kilometers out of their scanning range so that he could approach on foot and allow his two squad mates to get into position. He couldn't make his final approach until Miranda jammed their scanners, and then he'd have limited time to make contact with their recruit. It all came down to timing, and his window was as narrow as a quarian suit seal.

He kept his pace fast and quiet and it wasn't long before he caught sight of the mansion: an enormous gray structure over four stories tall settled nicely in a large clearing. It was too far off the beaten path to be anything but conspicuous. Moving to the edge of the clearing while taking cover behind and aged oak, he placed his finger next to his ear and opened a comm channel. "Miranda, Jacob, I'm in position."

"We found a small clearing not far from the mansion to land. We're prepared to disrupt scanners whenever you give the order, Commander." Miranda replied choppily. There must be something disrupting their frequency.

"Do it, then take cover outside the clearing and wait for my orders. If anyone decides to investigate too close to your position, take care of them quietly. I'm heading in to collect our target."

"Confirmed, Commander. Standing by."

Shepard cut the channel with Miranda and peeked around the corner. There were two guards stationed at the front of the mansion, probably the sentries. Which meant that the bulk of their forces were inside the house. Peeking a little higher his eyes settled on the third floor window of the west wing. According to EDI's scans, the person inside that room was most likely the War Hero.

Thinking fast, Shepard took note of the extensive vine growth covering the side of the building. He was never the most acrobatic member of the Alliance, but a little climb was well within his abilities. He leaped into the clearing and sprinted towards the side of the building before the sentries could spot him. Not wasting any time he grabbed hold of the vines and began to climb. Luckily the vines were ancient and thick, plenty strong enough to hold his weight plus the weight of all his equipment. Dirt and dust fell as they were pulled taut. It stung is eyes, but he blinked them clear and kept moving.

As quietly as he could he continued his way up, passing the second floor before approaching the third floor window. Just as he was about to reach the ledge, the window shutters burst open with uncharacteristic quiet and a hand lashed out, grabbing the back of his armor and yanking him up and into the building. The second Shepard felt a hand on him he was reaching for his pistol, and as soon as he was brought through the window he had his gun pointed straight at the man's face. His grinning, giddy face.

"Geez, Shepard. You're heavier than you look!" The blonde chuckled as he released his grip on the Commander, now safely inside the room. His shining blue eyes found the pistol pointed right between his eyes. "Hey, whoa! Let's be friendly, I was trying to help!"

Shepard's gaze softened as he recognized the blonde from his dossier. Wild blonde hair, sky-blue eyes, those were familiar. A childish grin that just promised mischief was not. Still, there was no mistaking it. "Naruto Uzumaki, the War Hero?" He spoke calmly as he lowered his weapon.

Naruto ignored Shepard's question, instead focusing on the weapon until it was safely at Shepard's side before answering, "That's me, but how do you know my name?"

"You first." Shepard replied.

"First thing they asked me after they took away my weapons. Showed me your picture and asked 'Where's Shepard? Do you know Shepard?' and all that. Didn't know what the hell they were talking about. Next thing I knew they threw me in here and locked me inside. I've overheard them talking the past few days. It seemed like they were expecting you and you definitely weren't their friend, so I stuck around waiting for you to arrive." The blonde finished, then shot an accusing stare at the former Spectre. "Now why don't you tell me why my team is dead? Who are these guys and what do I have to do with this?"

Shepard paused before speaking, feeling off-put by how rapidly the man's mood had changed. "It's a complicated situation, and I don't have time for the full story."

"Then give me the abridged version. Start with old four-eyes in that fancy armor."

"Four-eyes? You must mean a batarian." Naruto raised a confused eyebrow at Shepard's explanation, silently asking him to elaborate. "An alien species with a nasty reputation. At least to Alliance types like myself."

Naruto chucked at the man as if he'd violated some unknown social norm, "Aliens? Is that the best you could come up with? You should've called it a bloodline limit, much more believable."

It was Shepard's turn to be confused, "Bloodline limit?"

"You're kidding, right?" Sensing the Commander's ignorance on the subject, the blonde waved his hand. He had no time to waste explaining. "Never mind. So you're telling me that there's an entire race of those things out there? Up there? You know what I mean."

"Not just batarians. Asari, turians, krogan, quarians, the galaxy is filled with all sorts of life."

Naruto walked over to the window and leaned on the sill, staring out into the sky with a contemplative look. Taking a minute to let the idea of a whole galaxy of life sink in a bit, the blond lifted his bright blue eyes to the starry sky as a smile played on his lips.

He remembered staring up at the stars in the sky as a boy and wondering what was hidden there, what possibilities there were to explore so far out of sight. After the war when the world was united, it felt so much closer than ever before.

"The whole galaxy…that's pretty hard to believe."

Shepard gave a small grunt to confirm as he turned to join him. "I suppose, but you seem to be taking it pretty well."

"Please." Naruto chuckled like a parent humoring a child, "Look what I've been dealing with. I always thought there must be something up there, we couldn't be alone. I'm not saying I'll believe you, but I'll go with it for now. More fun that way. There'll be time for proof later." Naruto crossed his arms in front of himself as he gave the Commander a small smile. "Just be straight with me, alright? My gut's got a good feeling about you, and it usually gets me results."

"Well then this won't be an exception." Shepard nodded, thinking this man was pretty easy to read as well. "Do you want to know why these agents are targeting you?"

"Something to do with you." He replied matter-of-factly.

"Unfortunately." Shepard stated, ignoring the blonde's confusion as he continued, "This planet is hidden from the rest of the galaxy, but humans from my home planet, Earth, have joined galactic society and have colonized dozens of alien worlds. But for two years, entire colonies of humans have been disappearing. They're being abducted, and no one is lifting a finger to stop it. The Galactic Council, the Alliance, protector of humanity, they aren't doing what they need to do to protect those people. But I will. I'm building a team to stop them, and they got word that I was coming to recruit you."

Most of this went right over Naruto's head, and he made no attempt to hide it. It was like learning the earth was actually a square, impossible to take in all at once. "It doesn't sound like a simple assignment. How do you plan to stop them?" He said, motioning for the Commander to continue.

"Working with a group called Cerberus. Their reputation is worse than the batarians, but they're the only ones willing take the disappearances seriously. I've found out a race called the Collectors are behind the abductions, but I can't stop them alone. I'm building a team of the best specialists in the galaxy to stop them."

"Right, you said that." The ANBU captain said. He couldn't sit still, his entire body demanded motion. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so alive!

He got up and began pacing the room, "So you want me? This doesn't sound like something I'm likely to come back from if I sign up."

"I'm taking on an entire species, and the odds aren't great. That's why I need the best. Nothing less will do."

Naruto eyed the Commander tentatively. "I may not always be the brightest star in the sky, but even I know that's beyond every kind of crazy." He said before his lips curled into a slight grin, "But it's been a while since I've done anything worthwhile, something really worth fighting for. If all of this is true, I won't turn my back on all those people."

Naruto stopped his pacing and made his way over to the Commander, "Show me this is real, and I'll help you fight the Collectors and whatever else stands in our way. I'll do whatever it takes!"

The ANBU captain extended his hand, which the Commander reached out to clasp. With a single shake they affirmed their allegiance. Naruto was now a part of the team.

"Good to have you on board, Uzumaki. Now let's finish up here and get back to our ship."

"Hold up." Naruto began, signaling to the door behind him. "Those batarians...no, that's not right. Whatever they are, those bastards killed my squad and left me as bait to lure you in. What are we going to do about them?"

"Already taken care of." Shepard stated as he reached behind his back, releasing a few clips before pulling out a small round tube, no larger than an average Shinobi scroll. "You know about bombs?"

Shrugging, he replied, "I've tinkered. They make a big boom, right?" He asked, spreading his arms for a bit of emphasis.

"I guess that's all you need to know." Shepard said as he placed the bomb underneath a nearby chair. "If we plant this in the center of the mansion, the explosion should be enough to destroy any trace of this place."

Naruto eyed the little device in slight disbelief, unable to believe anything so tiny could level an entire building like this. The thing was barely the size of his arm. Then again he thought, he was going along with the story of alien life and galactic civilization. Was this really a stretch compared to all that?

"Good enough for me. I know the perfect place, the central chamber. It's just one floor down."

"The door's barricaded, how do you plan on getting through?"

Naruto shook his head. "That isn't the problem. I could break that door down in a second, but it won't be quiet. I don't know how they did it, there was this loud bang and something hit them, faster than the eye could see. In an instant! Even my father couldn't kill someone that quickly. I don't want to bring them down on us all at once."

"I'll explain what that was later." Shepard said and brought his hand to his chin in a thinking pose, taking a minute to gather his thoughts before speaking. "So if we can distract the guards, you can break through the barricade?"

"Yeah, do you have anything in mind?"

"I brought two of my crew along. They're just outside the clearing preparing a small ambush. They should keep their attention long enough for us to plant the bomb and escape."

"Ah," Naruto stated, slightly humbled by the Commander. "How long do we have?"

Shepard brought up his omni-tool, which promptly startled the blonde as the orange device flashed to life on the man's arm. "They'll open fire in three minutes."

Naruto blinked as Shepard deactivated his omni-tool, signing. All of these surprises were starting to give him a headache. "I'll get ready."

Shepard stared at the young Captain as he dropped to the floor, sat cross-legged and joined his fists, closing his eyes. The blonde ceased all excess movements, looking more like an ornamental doll than a warrior. "Uh…what are you doing?"

"Preparing, now stop bothering me." The blonde said much too calmly for how he'd been acting before.

"Ah, okay." Shepard affirmed as he stepped back, still eying the blonde at his choice of preparation.

He was familiar with the concept of meditation before a battle. Several of the marines he'd served with had used it to calm their nerves and keep their minds clear and focused before a fight. Personally, he'd never found much value in the practice. He preferred letting his mind focus on the coming task, letting the adrenaline build up in his body to keep him prepared to react at a moment's notice.

But the blonde's form wasn't like anything he'd ever seen. There was no deep breathing, no easing of tension. It was as if the blonde's body had stopped functioning. He didn't flinch, he hardly breathed; it was almost as if he'd been turned to stone.

The Commander turned a few seconds later as a pair of mass accelerator rifles echoed throughout the clearing, joined shortly after by half a dozen more. Shepard reached to his side and pulled out his predator. "Uzumaki, you ready?"

In an instant the blonde's eyes snapped open, revealing yellow toad-like eyes. "Leave it to me." He announced as he stood. He walked up to the wall and placed his ear against the wood beside the barricaded door. After focusing for a moment he nodded, before doing the same at the other side of the door. "There were two guards, but there's only one now. Guess your distraction really worked." He said, turning to the Commander. He felt his body tense at the confused stare the Commander was giving him, before giving an understanding smirk. "The eyes?"

Shepard nodded, crossing his arms as he fixed the blonde with an accusing glare. "I'll take this as payback for all the surprises I've been giving you. Now explain."

Naruto pointed at his eyes, "Whenever my eyes are like this, I've entered sage mode. When in sage mode, I've gathered chakra from the environment around me to enhance my own."

"Uh-huh…" Shepard eyed the young man with some amusement, not even trying to fake understanding what all this meant. "I'll get the details later. Just tell me what you can do."

"Why don't I show you?" The blonde said with a wicked grin, before cocking his fist and ramming it through the wall. He grabbed the Shadow Broker Agent by the back of his armor and dragged the body through the wall, splintering it as he slammed the agent into the floor. Before the agent could recover Naruto swept the agent up by the throat. He lifted him off the ground and held him dangling in the air. He reared his arm once more and delivered a punch so powerful that it sent the agent clear across the room and into the wall. There was a loud snap as the agent splintered the wood before falling limp to the floor.

Naruto clapped his hands free of dirt as the Commander stared at the agent, then at hole in the wall. This kind of destruction would make a krogan green with envy. "Not bad. Remind me never to challenge you to an arm wrestling contest."

"I wouldn't want to be responsible for the damages anyway." Naruto shot back before gesturing to the hole, "Come on, let's hurry."

"Agreed."

~III~

Shepard stared in disgust at the sight before him. He'd heard stories of the terrors committed by agents of the Shadow Broker, all told in hushed whispers as if someone just outside of earshot was the broker himself. Stories of entire family lines vanishing into the nether without a trace, or of men taken in the darkest hour of night only to return a week later a broken shell, devoid of any will to live. But not once had he seen firsthand the brutality of these faceless soldiers. Now he stood before it all, and those stories had become hard fact. Bodies clearly executed in cold blood, tossed into piles at their convenience and left to rot. Shepard felt like throwing up as the smell of death lingered heavily in the air. It was a massacre, inhuman and unjust.

Shepard turned to his newest recruit who was kneeling next to three fallen Shinobi with black cloaks, each now arranged as well as their broken bodies allowed, their eyes closed and their hands folded across their chests clutching their headbands. He was silent while taking in their features for the last time. The blonde's pleasant mood had all but vanished when he caught sight of his team. Without a word the young Captain had left Shepard to set his men to rest. Shepard watched the blonde in silence, unsure if the contribution of an outsider would be welcomed. So instead the Commander chose to set the bomb in the center of the room and leave the ANBU Captain to his ritual.

"Tiger, Rabbit, Mouse. I hope the Pure World is as great as they say."

After a minute of silence the ANBU Captain stood over his men, his head still downcast.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this. No one was supposed to die." Naruto lamented as he walked over to his discarded mask and sword.

"It happens to everyone, even the best of us." Shepard said as he finished punching in the activation code. His task finished, he stood to face the mourning Shinobi.

"Not like this. I should have known something was wrong the second Tiger and I both sensed nothing, and they were right in front of us! I should have called the retreat. At least three of us would be alive then."

"This team was sent here to handle us specifically. And you couldn't have known what you were up against."

"You're right, I couldn't." Naruto breathed, feeling his body tense with his words. "In sage mode I can sense chakra. Tiger could too. Everything that breathes needs chakra. It's in the air, the ground, the plants, and the people. But it isn't in you, or any of those armored agents." Naruto took a breath as he began to pace around the room, unable to stay still.

"You can't cloak chakra, not completely." Shepard watched as the young man continued to ramble, trying to make sense of everything. "I'm guessing you have no idea what I'm talking about." Shepard shook his head, confirming Naruto's fears. "I thought so. Now I see, you really are aliens, aren't you. You don't use chakra. You don't generate it, and you don't need it to live. I knew it was strange, but I put my team in danger anyways, and they paid the price. So it doesn't matter that I couldn't have known, the fact that I didn't meant I made a risky decision, and those consequences are on me."

Naruto looked like he was about to go to his comrades again, but Shepard quickly put a hand on the young man's shoulder, stopping him. "I know how you're feeling. You never get over losing your soldiers, but it's your duty to protect those you still have left."

"I know." Naruto breathed harshly, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I've been Captain for fifteen months. We've done more for our village than my people will ever know, but they will be remembered as heroes, just like all fallen Konoha shinobi," He said, before adding "not just by me."

He touched the smallest of the three, a skinny man with a long face, and said, "Rule 25 of the Shinobi Code of Conduct: A ninja must never show their emotions, nor let them compromise their actions." He paraphrased as a sad smile slowly spread across his face against his will. "I always sucked at that one."

The two snapped out of their stupor as a trio of high caliber mass accelerator shots echoed through the mansion, causing each of the two men to instinctively reach for a weapon. "Those were Mantis shots." Shepard judged from the sound of the shots as his avenger unfolded in his grip.

Naruto's eyed went wide like exploding stars. "I know that noise," he said, reliving the moment when those sounds last echoed through these halls.

"Commander! Shepard, come in!"

Shepard lowered his rifle and brought his hand to his ear, activating his comm device. "Miranda, we heard snipers on the rooftop. Are you alright?"

"Negative, they got Jacob. He's unconscious, needs medical attention."

Shepard closed his eyes as he held back a curse. "Roger that. Can you get him to the shuttle?"

"Not likely. We're behind a tree near the clearing, and those snipers will tear us apart if we leave. The remaining guards are regrouping to flush us out. You need to take care of those snipers before we can get you out of there."

"Copy that. Stay there and don't get yourselves killed! I'll take out those snipers, wait for my signal."

"Understood, Commander. Miranda out."

Naruto watched as Shepard finished relaying instructions to his team, feeling his adrenaline begin to rush at the thought of finally paying the killers back with interest. He let the thought come, and watched it go. He knew where that road led, he'd seen too many friends disappear on its winding path and he promised he would never follow it himself.

The Commander cut communications before giving the blonde his attention. "Those snipers up top have my squad pinned down. We're going after them. You ready?"

"Always." Naruto followed Shepard as he ran out of the room.

~IV~

Shepard and Naruto crouched quietly made their way up the ladder leading to the roof. After opening the latch the pair quickly leaped up and crouched behind a crate near the edge of the roof. Shepard motioned for Naruto to keep his head down as he looked over their cover. On the other edge of the roof were the three snipers, each kneeling with their rifles pointed downrange at the clearing. They were hungry for the slightest hint of a Cerberus uniform. Raining down additional fire on his squad mates was a pair of Shadow Broker Troopers, each armed with a vindicator.

Glancing beside him, he sized up his newest companion. While the blonde showed incredible strength with his sage mode he'd only be able to use it if he got in close, but his lack of a kinetic barrier meant that a single shot could prove fatal.

"Nothing's ever easy…"

Naruto watched as Shepard took another glance over cover. "Got anything in mind?"

"Not just anything." Shepard stated as he reached pulled out a pair of frag grenades. He doubted it'd take care of all of them, but with luck it would even the playing field. "Just stay down and don't draw attention."

Naruto frowned. "You want me to hide while you fight them all alone?" Naruto asked, as if Shepard should know that just wasn't going to happen.

"You don't have shields. It's too risky to put you out there."

Naruto scoffed, "Maybe, but all I've gotta do is keep them from pointing at me and they can't hurt me, right?"

"You're not taking that chance. Stand down and let me take them out from here." Shepard ordered.

Naruto turned to the edge and smirked. "I've got a better idea. Wait here and cover my back when I make my move." He finished, and before Shepard could stop him the blonde broke from cover and jumped over the side of the roof.

"Damn it!" Shepard cursed to himself as he eyed his grenades before placing them back on his armor's belt.

When Shepard had read his title as War Hero on the dossier, he'd been expecting an elite soldier, someone he could rely on to follow his orders and get the job done. In reality this one was hot-headed and seemed set in his own way. Now it looked like he'd get himself killed before they were even off-planet! If he did then all their rescue efforts were all in vain, and Jacob had been shot for nothing.

"Shepard, ground forces are preparing to push. We can't stay here much longer." Miranda announced.

Shepard kept his voice low as he responded. "Hang in there, we're right on top of them. You'll be clear to move in a minute."

"I don't know if we have a minute, Shepard. Jacob's lost a lot of blood. You need to hurry."

Shepard paused as he reassessed the situation. The snipers were still looking for a shot, and Uzumaki hadn't made his move yet. If something didn't happen soon he'd be forced to take action alone. "Don't do anything risky! I'll take care-"

Shepard cut himself off as he watched the blonde fly up from behind the other end of the roof. He landed crouched behind the sniper with his ANBU sword drawn. The ANBU Captain plunged the sword into the surprised agent before he'd even turned around. It shouldn't have worked, but Shepard saw something coating the blade, the very air congealing into a fine edge along the metal enhanced the blade's sharpness to a microscopic edge that carved through armor and flesh in one practiced stroke.

Shepard watched as the remaining four agents on the roof turned their attention to the blonde and saw their chance. "You're clear, go!" Shepard ordered Miranda as he watched one of the troopers recover his bearings and raise his rifle. Shepard leaned over the crate and opened fire on the unaware soldier. A few squeezes of the trigger was all it took to take him down.

Naruto quickly withdrew his short blade and focused in on the next sniper, who was already lining him up in his sights. Naruto reached for a pair of shuriken and threw them at the agent's rifle, knocking it and its shot off course. Naruto charged the sniper, snatching the rifle out of his hands and bashing him in the face with it, before winding up and smashing it across his head like a club. His enhanced strength bent the rifle and bent the agent's neck to an unlivable angle.

With two snipers dealt with, he focused on the third, too late it seemed. The last sniper already had his shot lined up and pulled the trigger. The round zoomed through the air faster than even Naruto's well trained eyes could see, passing right through his chest. His eyes flashed with revelation at his own mortality as the force of the blow sent the blonde flying back, and for a second the sniper thought he'd delivered the fatal blow.

Until the body burst into smoke.

The sniper paused, forgetting to reload his rifle as he stared. The smoke cleared quickly and the body was gone. Shifting his gaze from side to side he found no evidence that the blonde had even existed but for the corpses. Then he heard it, a rippling energy quickly growing louder behind him. As he turned he found himself face to face with the same blonde he'd just shot. He could see the light shining in his eyes. The blonde raised his palm containing a blue sphere spiraling with chakra and slammed it into his chest.

"Rasengan!"

The raging chakra reaved right through his shields and warped through the protective plating before sending the sniper spinning across the rooftops, finally stopping as he hit the crates which scattered on impact. His body slumped into the piles of rations bursting out of the damaged containers. It did not move again.

Shepard finished tearing down the shields of the last trooper before firing a well-aimed burst at his head, dropping the last of their opposition.

Naruto stared at the three corpses, three lives he'd just taken. They'd seemed unstoppable before, gods who could reach out and kill you at will. But they bled and died just like his people did. Their mortality helped set his mind at ease.

Shepard ran to the edge of the roof, only to pull back when the remaining agents began shooting up at him. "Well, that got their attention." He said lamely, quickly running back to the hatch they'd entered through and moving a crate over it, barricading the only way up. At least with all the focus on getting to them, Miranda would be clear. He opened up his comm channel. "Miranda, hostiles on the roof are neutralized, and all remaining ground forces are focused on us. Bring the shuttle to the roof for evac."

"Roger Commander, we're almost there. Jacob needs emergency first aid, but I'll be with you as soon as he's stabilized."

"Understood, keeping him alive is priority, we'll handle ourselves until then. Shepard out." Shepard cut the channel, before making his way over to his new recruit. "What the hell was that?"

Naruto looked extremely satisfied with himself. "You have a word for ass-kicking where you're from?" he asked cockily.

Shepard shook his head, while that had been on his mind that isn't the answer he wanted. "Not that, you disobeyed my orders. I told you to stay in cover and not get shot."

Naruto's grin faltered. "Well technically it wasn't me, it was my shadow clone."

Shepard scowled slightly, getting frustrated. "I'll ask you one more time: why did you disobey my orders?" he said in a tone that just dared Naruto to dodge the question again.

Naruto faltered under the Commander's intense stare, before shooting back, "I was thinking on my feet, you didn't know what I can do. I think that's a quality to be admired in a soldier."

"It is, but I don't want to hear that as an excuse to ignore my command. I don't need a maverick, I need a functioning team. Just one soldier going rogue could jeopardize my entire squad." He paused, "You're a Captain, you should know how important unity is to a good team."

Naruto felt like he'd been blasted by Shepard's words. He collected himself and recalled his past two years in ANBU, and his time as a Captain. He knew Shepard was right. "Yeah, I know." He admitted, both to Shepard and to himself.

"I needed to know that I could, more than anything." He added as an afterthought. "I've always been hot-headed and quick to act. I've toned down a bit since joining the ANBU, but not enough to change who I am."

"Even if I could, I'm not just going to change that. Adapting to whatever is thrown at me is what's kept me alive all these years. Hell, if I hadn't disobeyed the Raikage's orders to stay out of the war, I wouldn't be your 'War Hero.' But I can see how important this mission is, and I will follow you and do everything I can to see it through. If nothing else, I'll promise you that." Naruto said firmly to the Commander.

Shepard eyed the blonde warily. "Are you certain? I'm not sure I'll be able to hold you to it."

Naruto shot the Commander a hard look, full of determination. "I gave you my word Shepard, that's something I won't break for anyone."

Shepard sized up the young man. He was still easy to read, even easier than Jacob. This didn't feel like a lie. He didn't think the man could about this, "I'll hold you to it. You ready to move?"

Naruto glanced out to the forest illuminated in the moonlight. Without word he made his way over to the edge of the roof and stared out into the starry sky. The same sky he'd stared at as a child, wishing for a brighter future. The same sky, he now realized, that would be his new home. "Ready as I'll ever be." He lamented.

"You sure about leaving? I don't think you'll be coming back." Shepard reminded him. It was a lot to ask, heavier than any burden either of them had carried in the past. But if Naruto wasn't up for the mission, it'd be in both their best interests to keep him off the team.

"Shepard, it's been seven years since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. The world was united us against a common enemy. There were no villages or bad blood, there were only shinobi. I thought it was the beginning of something new, a true peace among nations. But it didn't last. Those allegiances fell apart, and now we're back to the way it was before the war, just a bunch of warrior states stuck in the past. I couldn't change that." He explained, "But with this mission, even if I don't come back, maybe I can make a difference before the end."

Shepard slowly approached the young man until he was at his side, silently offering his understanding. The man was young and brash, reckless even, but he made it clear his heart was in the right place. Shepard just hoped he wouldn't lose it over their journey.

On his last journey to fight Saren, it seemed like everything foul lurking in the Attican Traverse made it their sole purpose to see him dead. And with their next mission taking place in the Terminus Systems, he was sure his new team would be getting plenty of exercise.

"This forest goes on forever." Naruto started, bringing the Commander out of his thoughts. He pointed straight ahead into the mountains far beyond, "Fifty kilometers to those mountains. Another hundred until you reach the Village Hidden in the Leaves, my home. And for all that distance, this forest never ends. It just goes on and on and on…" Naruto trailed off, his mind bringing back some of his best memories from the forest.

"I know everything about this forest. I know the creeks, the valleys, the lakes and the mountains. I know where the rarest flowers are, and where to find the juiciest fruits and berries." He reminisced with a small smile on his face. He'd been in familiar territory so long, it was going to be strange, to be surrounded by the unknown.

"But they don't need me anymore. I'm ready for a new adventure."

Far away from the clearing the two heard the rumble of twin eezo engines as the shuttle came to life. The shuttle rose from the forest and rocketed over to the two, stopping in the center of the roof before slowly lowering itself down.

"Believe me now?" Shepard asked with a small smirk.

"Getting there…" Naruto dumbly responded as he stumbled over to the strange craft in a trance.

He raised a hand and daintily ran a finger down the cool metal, tracing the black and yellow logo painted onto the side. "A real spaceship..." He muttered in wonder, the same wonder that drew mankind to the stars over two centuries ago. The stars didn't seem so far now. He looked up and felt like all he had to do was reach out and he'd feel the warmth of the galaxy beyond.

"Whoa!" he leaped back with his hands up as the door suddenly slid open. A tall woman in a white and black skin-tight suit walked out. She was wearing the same symbol as the vessel.

"Commander, sorry to keep you waiting."

"Glad you could join us. Naruto, this is Miranda Lawson, part of my crew."

Naruto snapped out of his stupor and turned to the Cerberus Operative, very carefully controlling his gaze to keep it from wandering. "Uh, nice to meet you." He said lamely, scratching the back of his head.

"Good to see you're still alive. Now come on, we need to get Jacob back to the Normandy." She said as she stepped back into the shuttle, heading for the controls.

Shepard turned when he heard a thud coming from behind. He turned to see the crate he'd moved shake slightly as the Agents tried to force their way up. Turning to Naruto, he motioned for the blonde to get onto the shuttle. The blonde nodded, hopping aboard without a word of protest with Shepard following at his heels.

The crew was seated and ready to go, Miranda fired up the engines and proceeded with liftoff. Naruto had to grab onto a nearby pole as the shuttle began roaring through the sky at breakneck speeds. After taking a moment to let the blonde get used to the momentum, Shepard pulled out the detonator to the bomb and turned to his new recruit. Looking at the device and then back at Shepard, the blonde sharpened his gaze, giving the Commander a curt nod. Shepard followed by flicking the cover of the detonator and pressed the button.

The two turned to look out the side of the shuttle as the bomb went off, blowing apart the mansion and leveling a good section of the forest. The blast rose high above the trees, sending flaming debris raining down onto the forest canopy setting some alight. The flames slowly became smaller and smaller as the shuttle began to rise higher into the atmosphere, until the fire, the forest, and eventually even the planet itself was nothing more than a speck against the stars in the sky.

Codex Entries

-New Homeworld Research Log: Dr. Nzeogwu, Dated October 21st 2172

The dominant population on this world may be similar to our own, but based on the samples we've collected the flora and fauna all share remarkable similarities with our own biosphere. Frogs, snakes, birds are all so like the ones from home, if you discount the heightened intelligence. There is a seemingly unbreakable harmony among the various forms of life. But everything is so spread apart. We have had no trouble finding secluded areas far away from potential witnesses to collect a plethora of samples. But what I find fascinating is the planet itself.

What fascinates me is how this world has undergone its own industrial revolution without causing lasting harm to its ecosystem. We believe that two hundred years from now, even if they increased their output of harmful emissions tenfold, the planet would suffer no harmful consequence. They will not be forced to overcome the steep challenges we faced in the middle of the 21st century. Natural resources are available in abundance, and there is a record-breaking quantity of metal and precious minerals in the earth for a planet of this size. And the element zero deposits! We could mine for half a century and not make a dent in its reserves. It is a miracle world, the dream every surveyor across the galaxy. If only the Illusive Man would allow us to survey and harvest it properly, Cerberus would never be wanting for resources.

A/N

Hey everyone, I'm flattered by all the feedback on the first chapter and I feel I should answer some of the more frequently asked ones here.

First, I want to explain that ninjas will not be overpowered juggernauts capable of taking down a reaper mano a mano. In this universe, ninjas have superhuman speed and reflexes, but ultimately they're still human and bound by human limitations and the laws of physics. Otherwise Naruto would one-shot everything in the story, and that'd be fun for about a chapter (which I wrote, NINJAS IN SPACE!). I want ninjas to be on scale with everything else, and they have to be for this to work. A crossover where one side is overpowered never works in the long term. That's why Naruto and his men weren't able to dodge those mass accelerator sniper rounds. Ninjas can't dodge something moving at a fraction of FTL speeds, that'd just be too much. I hope this helps you understand. To summarize, yes, ninjas have been nerfed from their godlike status for the story, but it's been done to serve the plot, which is what matters. I feel I can make this work, and I hope you all enjoy it.

If you have any feedback or constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it. Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!