A New Order : History
Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto, Star Wars, or any obscure references to other owned or written material, either official or those of fandom. They are all property of associated parties.
A/N : Longer note at the end, but for now enjoy.
After the nostalgic meal and half an hour of wandering idly to clear his mind, Naruto finally arrived at the Hokage Tower. The massive structure stood in the center of the village standing tall and proud for everyone to see and inside was the iconic basis of all governmental and militaristic programs such as the councils and Ninja mission assignments.
Naruto stood before the front door admiring the sight for a moment before entering and making his way through the throngs of emissaries, ambassadors, and villagers dropping off mission request. After a process that took a little too long I his opinion, he finally reached the secretary's desk. As he approached, the woman sitting behind it greeted him automatically without looking up.
"Good afternoon, how may I help..." She trailed off when she saw the greatly altered Naruto standing before her. She didn't recognize him at first because of his cosmetic changes, but when she did she scowled.
"What do you want?" Naruto frowned back and returned the glare.
"I'm here to see the Hokage." He tried to keep his voice even and emotionless but his efforts were rewarded by a venomous sneer from the brunette secretary.
"The Hokage is busy right now. For the entire day in fact, so you might as well just... leave."
Naruto waved his right hand in front of her face once and spoke softly.
"You will let me in to see him." The secretary's eyes glazed over and she smiled sweetly.
"Sure thing, why don't I let you in to see him. I think he's expecting you actually."
"Thank you, have a nice day." Naruto said while heading over to the closed door. Just as he turned the handle he heard a quiet, "Your welcome! What a polite young man..." The blond Force user smiled.
'I love the Jedi Mind Trick.'
Inside the small and somewhat crowded room Sarutobi, Iruka, Kakashi, Kyle, and Bane were spaced out each conversing with one another, and obviously waiting on his arrival. The old Hokage sat behind his desk as usual and talking to Bane who was seated opposite him. Kakashi and Kyle were leaning against the east wall, discussing an orange book that the Cyclops held loosely in his left hand. Iruka meanwhile had stood up and was making his way over to the blond.
"Naruto! What the hell is wrong with you? You disappeared for two weeks and didn't even bother letting us know you were alive. I was worried sick, I thought you had... I thought you were dead." Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, a habit left over from his days masquerading as an idiot.
"Sorry Iruka-sensei, I wanted to tell everyone I was okay but Master Bane wouldn't let me. Honest!"
The scarred Chunin spun around and flared at both of the Force users in turn causing Kyle to hold up his hands in defense and point at Bane.
"Hey! I was all for letting the kid get a hold of you guys, blame him! He's the commie, not me."
Bane just sat back in his chair and looked back at him.
"As unfortunate as it was, it was necessary. Had you known he was alive you would have demanded he be put in a hospital where he could be monitored. This would have been detrimental to the boy's training. We barely had enough time to work with as it is, any we would have lost could have seriously harmed his development as he was...is... at a vital point in his training. I apologize for any and all grief you have suffered due to our actions, but I did what I must and I stand by my decision."
Iruka was far from appeased with the statement and made as much known. He sat down in his chair and crossed his arms, still glaring heatedly at the robed man.
"Oh? And what was so important about this 'Training' that you couldn't even get me a simple message that my favorite student was alive? Who the hell are you anyway?"
"Iruka! That's enough. I understand your displeasure but these men are guests to our village and shall be treated as such. You will get answers soon enough but for now just calm down else I will have you removed until the end of this meeting. Okay?"
Sarutobi watched the young man with a kind but stern look in his eye. When Iruka took a deep breath and nodded, the old man nodded in approval.
"Forgive me Hokage-sama. Naruto was, by far, my favorite student and his disappearance hit me rather hard." Bane nodded and a rare smile graced his usually emotionless visage.
"I understand. But as I said, his training was vital in this period. There have been many before him who lost themselves at the same point due to circumstances far less then what Naruto had been forced to endure, and I simply could not have allowed risk."
The Hokage smiled sadly as he pulled his wooden pipe out of a desk drawer.
"Yes, he always has been quite the lucky young man... in some ways at least. In others the opposite is just as if not more so, true." The statement made Kyle shake his head.
"No, you are mistaken. There is no luck, no coincidence, only the Force. This boy was destined for great things. That, I am sure we can all agree on."
Naruto just remained standing where he was and once again rubbed his neck sheepishly, embarrassed with all the attention being directed at him. Seeing his discomfort, the Hokage cleared his throat, bringing all eyes to him.
"Now, if you would all get comfortable I believe our two guests have much to explain."
The small group nodded and separated into various positions around the room, getting comfortable in their own fashions. Sarutobi settled deeper into his chair and took a drag on his now kindled pipe, releasing the oak-ish scent of the tobacco inside it. Bane remained in his seat but sat upright with his fingers twined together. Kyle was seated beside him much more casually. The Jedi's arms were crossed and he had leaned back as far as the chair could go without falling backwards, propping himself up on the desk with his heels. Iruka stayed where he was without moving, Kakashi leaned against the same wall, though a bit more comfortably, and Naruto took the only couch in the entire room which was placed parallel to the west wall with it's back against it. He draped himself over it out straight with one leg falling off at the knee and the other dangling off the arm rest opposite his head with his boot not quite touching the leather. The boy crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, amusing himself by trying to gleam information on the other people waiting downstairs in the lobby. He had already heard everything that was probably about to be asked and explained, so he might as well do something productive until something interesting came up.
"Okay, well why don't you tell us who you two are? I don't believe we spoke much the last time I met you and I don't recall ever meeting your friend here.."
"Wait, you already met with him?" Iruka asked, shock evident on his face.
"Yes Iruka, I met with him on the night of Naruto's 'Disappearance'. The man before you had entered my office, and proceeded to explain not only Naruto's whereabouts, but also a number of other rather important details, including why he was in the state he was, and what he planned to do to amend the situation. I must admit, I was rather unappeased with the explanation he brought, but he was kind enough to convince me otherwise." The old man answered. Iruka sent him a look of outrage.
"If you knew he was alive, why didn't you tell me?" He spun to send the same look at Bane, and Sarutobi sighed, taking another puff on his pipe.
"Because you would have reacted exactly as Bane had predicted. I understood the importance of his training, regardless of my personal opinions. I am however curious as to who you are and why Naruto's absence was so important."
Bane nodded.
"Of course. My Sith title is Bane, my real name is of no importance and honestly is no longer who I am, I abandoned my birth name long ago. I am, or more accurately was, a powerful leader of a great organization known as the Sith."
"What is the Sith?" Kakashi asked. "I've never heard of them before."
"I will get to that, but for now I will explain the most important information if you don't mind."
Kakashi just shrugged nonchalantly and went back to listening.
"I come from a place not of this... continent. I was born and raised on a place far from here, very long ago before I left due to reasons out of my control. Throughout my travels I signed up with a great army, awakened the beginnings of my power, and came into contact with various organizations all in relation with the True Sith before finally joining the Sith order that was located here, in this country. As I grew I became powerful and eventually I took my position as a Sith Lord. The Sith order had a great enemy known as the Jedi order of whom my companion was also a great leader."
At this point Kyle had soon become bored with Bane's background as he had heard it all before. He had decided to entertain himself by seeing how far back he could lean in his chair without tipping it over and falling on his ass. Just as he stretched himself out all the way he heard Bane mention Jedi and felt all eyes on him. He gave a half-hearted wave to the gathered Shinobi.
"Yo..."
Bane just sighed in annoyance at his companion's antics and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"As I was saying, both of these factions were based on the same thing, the Force."
Everyone in the room except for the three Force users looked on in confusion at that statement.
"What is the Force?" The old Hokage asked.
"The Force is an energy that flows through all living things in the universe. It binds us together and gives us life. Everything from the mightiest beast to the smallest of plants have it inside them."
"You mean Chakra?" Iruka asked.
Bane just shook his head and demonstrated by extending one hand and focusing the force to take hold of Sarutobi's pipe. With a light tug he pulled it from the old man and held it aloft, levitating a foot off of the desk. After a short moment Sarutobi reached out and grabbed it, trying to pull it from the air only to find it resisting. Frowning, he put a bit more effort into it and pulled it free from whatever was holding it up. Bane smiled a little bit before continuing.
"That is the Force. By knowing how to manipulate it, the impossible becomes possible and an almost limitless strength is released from within a person. By becoming in tune with the Force around them, a person can use it to heal perilous wounds by feeding it into the cells surrounding it, causing them to grow, mature, and duplicate many times their normal speed. They can use it to slow down or speed up bio-electric muscle synapses, causing a person to move faster or slower then normal. With enough practice, the Force can even be used to manipulate a persons mind to forget, remember, heal, or even obey their every command. This is restricted by a persons will power of course, but it is possible.
All powers that are known belong to a specific side of the Force according to their alignment. The Light side is that of peace and kindness. It revolves around passive abilities that can heal, defend, or boost the abilities of a Jedi or their allies.
The Dark side focuses on aggressive techniques to damage, detriment, or even kill their enemies. With it one can create bolts of energy that take the form of lightning to emerge from their fingertips and strike someone, they can pinch off certain veins or arteries to cease the proper flow of blood to areas of the body, leading to death or paralysis, or they can even drain the very life energy out of a person, leaving them an empty husk. A popular Dark side technique was to use the Force to lift someone up and crush their windpipe, effectively hanging them without a rope, and only with the power of their mind.
And finally, there is a group of powers known universally to both sides. These are both passive and passive aggressive techniques that debilitate foes so they are unable, unwilling, or uncaring of fighting. These include Push, Pull, Stun, and the Mind Trick."
The gathered group except for, once again the Force users, were completely shocked at what they head. The very idea of one person being able to kill without even moving was terrifying but what shocked them the most, was that there were three people in the room that held that power. Bane, Kyle, and...
Naruto had almost dozed off when he felt a disturbance, indicating that Bane had just demonstrated the power of the Force. After the short explanation of what exactly the Force could do there was a short silence, then he felt every pair of eyes directed to him. The blond decided to explain before things got out of hand.
"Before you jump to conclusions let me explain: I. No, I don't know most of the techniques that Master Bane just described, II. There are some of those that they have no intention of teaching me for a while now, and III. I would REALLY rather that this information didn't go spreading all across the village. I'm disliked well enough as it is for reasons we are all very well aware of. If any of the more... colorful villagers found out that I could, not that I can...yet, kill them with a single thought all hell would break loose."
"Of course, I assume you all agree with this. After all, Naruto makes a valid point."
Everyone in the room nodded at Sarutobi's statement.
"Though I do want to be able to tell people at my discretion. If I am to earn the trust of certain people, I need to give them some answers and I plan to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me Kami..."
Naruto's gaze was steady and unflinching as he defended his right. Sarutobi nodded his approval to the boy and looked back to Bane for him to continue with his story but Kakashi interrupted him.
"Hang on, if everyone has the Force, why haven't we heard of this before. Surely with that sort of power someone would have made the discovery by now.?"
"Oh but they have..." Bane answered, smiling darkly. "I believe that at least one person most people in this room are familiar with has been able to use it for at least a little while now. In fact, he was the one that caused quite the little disaster not too long ago. About thirteen years to be exact. What was his name again? It always slips my mind... I think it was... Orochimaru?"
The gathered group all gasped apart from Sarutobi. The old man's eyes darkened and a low growl escaped his throat.
'I knew letting him live was a mistake, but is he really capable of that much? And as for him releasing the Kyuubi, I had heard the rumors but...'
Seeing the shocked looks on their faces, Bane laughed darkly for a moment before setting them partially at ease.
"Don't worry. As of yet he doesn't know what he has found. All he knows is that at some point during his 'experimentation' he found a previously undiscovered source of energy. The Force it seems, is closely tied to your Chakra, which is a highly diluted and mutated descendant. Chakra is the body trying to replicate raw Force energy after being dormant for so long for reasons I will explain shortly. When the very first 'bloodlimits' were founded, the creator used that energy but rather poorly, combining it with elements from nature; fire, water, earth, wind, and lighting. Through this combination, Chakra was created for the first time. Since then humans have reverted from using the Force, to using Chakra instead. Because of this hybrid, it would seem that the majority of humans alive now are incapable of using Chakra."
"If most of us are incapable of using it, why is Naruto an exception?" Sarutobi asked.
"Ah-ha, I was wondering if someone was going to ask that. There seems to be a rather obvious reason why Naruto is able to use it while but none of you are. Think, what could that reason be?"
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he mad the connection and considered the implications.
"Of course! The Kyuubi. He contains the Kyuubi, that is the only thing I can think of that makes him different from us."
Sarutobi glanced over to the school teacher while Kakashi just shrugged.
"Precisely. Over countless centuries our two factions had fought one another for planetary dominance until both of our armies had suffered terrible loses. Our fatality rate was simply too high to continue these seeming endless clashes and our recruitment rate was far too low to sustain our numbers due to the rare circumstances needed in order to fully train soldiers to serve our factions. Eventually each side, Sith and Jedi, was near to the point of extinction though it seemed that the Jedi would emerge victorious. "
"You see, though the Sith would employ stronger teachings and techniques, it also rewarded a personal darkness which fed their powers, often causing those with foul dispositions to fight each other to contest for the throne of leadership. The common belief being that the weak were meant to serve the strong. Their teachings were based on powerful emotions; anger, hatred, and others. These teachings were misinterpreted by many however, leading them to believe that all the Sith stood for was evil. This led to many civil wars inside the Sith body causing it to crumble from within. The Sith order was favored by many criminal organizations due to their light restrictions and complete lack of caring for domination of the weak."
"The Jedi however, were of a much lighter disposition. They stressed an inner peace and caring for everyone and everything. They taught that they were meant to use the powers they were given to serve as peace keepers and bring harmony to the entire planet. Sadly, they also believed that because the Sith made such high use of their emotions in battle, that that was what caused them to fall to the Dark side. As a result, they taught that in order to fully serve the Light side you needed to put aside all emotion you may have and instead focus on an inner peace. Though they favored peace over conflict, they saw that it would be impossible to live alongside the Sith due to our destructive tendencies. Most of those of neither order would favor the Jedi because of the kindness and selflessness they would often show toward anyone who was in need of assistance or protection."
"Because of the lack of Force users on the planet, the Jedi began employing regular foot soldiers to bolster their army with the Jedi themselves serving as charismatic leaders, commanders, and medics. Seeing an inevitable defeat at the hands of being outnumbered, the Sith turned to recruiting also. By this time however, only the disreputable and the hated would even think of joining the Sith. Rather then accept such a drop in quality, the Sith decided that if they couldn't recruit an army, they would build one."
The gathered Shinobi were speechless as the ancient Sith Lord spun his tale, held silent in awe.
"Great factories then started manufacturing beings such as the one the Hokage has been informed of known as Droids. Droids are machines made to serve man in many different ways. Some were built as front-line infantry, others served as commanders, medics, scouts, body guards, mechanics, pilots, the sheer possibilities were endless. After countless more battles and skirmishes however, the Sith were once again brought to the edge of defeat and extinction with only one in every one hundred or so soldiers being organic. One fateful day it was brought to my attention that a section in my army that I was previously unaware of had finalized their goal. I'm not sure how, but somehow they had evaded my attention by working the most and their hardest when I was preoccupied with major battles. Their objective was to create a series of creatures powerful enough in the dark side of the Force that they could destroy cities effortlessly, yet still being under our control. They were to be known simply as... Bijuu."
Once again, the gathered Shinobi, including Naruto who hadn't learned of this, gasped quietly. The Nine Tailed-Beasts was a near taboo subject in their world. So much so, that no one had put any effort into finding out where they had come from or why they existed. It was said that they were made by the Shinigami in order to punish humanity whenever they went too far or meddled in something divine and despite it being just a rumor, most assumed it to be true.
"Originally there were meant to be ten, but just as the ninth one was completed we received news of a Jedi attack force, larger than any seen before, was marching on our capital city brushing aside all defenses and intent on wiping us out for completely. That day was when I had my biggest regret. I have only three things I truly regret in my life. The first is killing my father, the second giving up love for power, and my last and greatest was giving that order. My men and Droids were ordered to defend the city with their dying breaths. Success was not guaranteed but Failure was unacceptable. When most of our forces were almost completely routed I ordered a retreat to the main tower for a final defense. That was when I was told of the project Bijuu. They never told me that it wasn't finished. They never told me that we didn't have complete control. All they told me was that our greatest weapons were complete and with it, we could win the war that had been raging for over a thousand years. So I gave the order to release them on our enemies."
"I had never seen anything more terrifying, nor more beautiful in my life. Nine massive beasts, all fighting side by side. A huge dog guarding the back of an eight-armed serpent while a three-tailed turtle summoned great tidal waves from the decorative pools surrounding the memorial buildings and temples of our greatest Sith Lords to wash away the armored soldiers. Thousands of Jedi lives were lost that day. None turning to retreat until it was too late and a massive cat with two writhing tails had blocked their escape route with the standing bodies of their fallen comrades through the usage of dark Sith Magiks, before ordering them to charge the men they had fought and died alongside."
"When the last Jedi succumbed to the gnashing jaws of the beast's, we cheered. The day was ours! After generations upon generations of conflict we had finally won! There was no way the Jedi would be able to recover from a disaster of such magnitude. When the fighting was over, the nine beasts came before me and sunk low in submission, waiting their next orders. In my jubilation, I gave them a final order. 'Destroy them all!' I told them. I meant the last of the Jedi, the ones that no doubt had stayed behind. The council, and their honor guards. However, I made a mistake that haunts me today. When I said that, I never mentioned the Jedi specifically. They went on a rampage, slaughtering everything, Sith, Jedi, and civilian alike. Nothing anyone did would stop them, I gave them the order to halt, but they had been designed and bred to never stop until their mission was complete. Our greatest warriors went to fight them, but none returned."
"Eventually the decision was made to unleash our ultimate technique, one that had been around since the pinnacle of Sith greatness, the Thought Bomb. It was a technique made when victory seemed impossible and upon it's use, everything in it's blast range would just... cease to exist. It would create an almost black hole of life in the epicenter that would consume all Force energy in range, including that of the user. It was my apprentice who suggested its use and I was reluctant to agree. When it was unleashed, many innocent lives would be lost. What would victory mean when all the victors died soon after. It seemed however, that they would be consumed anyway and the least we could do was make sure our murderers died with us and my people's deaths were painless. The majority of our people were civilians after all, untainted by the Dark Side. Simple people that only wanted to live their lives in safe prosperity, relying on their Sith rulers to protect them. They didn't deserve such a horrible fate as these beasts brought, so I agreed."
"I was meant to be the one to detonate it, but my apprentice was faithful to the very end. As I was preparing for the ceremony, he entered my chambers."
- Flashback Day of Detonation : Sith Temple -
The room was a black marble and almost completely silent. Along one wall was a large bed with crimson and black sheets and two sleeping women laying on it peacefully, unaware of the demise that was soon to descend upon them. On the opposite wall was a wooden dresser with a full length mirror built into it along the top. Before it stood a tall man of obvious power, staring at his reflection sadly. His eyes were sunken into his face with bags, betraying the insomnia that had been plaguing him. His strong skin was almost like paper and his eyes were devoid of the confidence that shone naturally. His attention was focused to his left by a knocking coming from the chambers tall double-doors.
"Enter..." His voice was empty and quiet, though it echoed through the room and in it was an infinite sadness, filled with regret and mourning.
The door leading into the room was pushed open and in the doorway stood another man, slightly shorter then the first. The newcomer sank to one knee, right fist pressing into the cold marble at his feet in a show of fealty and respect.
"Master, the ceremony has been prepared, but I beg you, please. Let one of the others perform the ritual, any of us would gladly die for you. Let it be me if you wish, but please I beg of you, save yourself."
The master smiled and turned to his faithful servant before laying his hand on his shoulder kindly.
"Rise my apprentice, you need bow to me no more."
The man complied, showing a young mans face, barely of manhood with thick blond hair and shining blue eyes.
"Master Bane, the Council of Elders has spoken. Long after this day and when the land is finally capable of retaining human life, there will need to be someone capable of raising and training the new Sith Order. We cannot be allowed to die and the Council has agreed upon the one to live."
Bane looked into his apprentice's eyes and reached out with the Force, testing his mind. All he found however, was a thick wall that blocked his passage, but even through that impenetrable defense an infinite sadness was concealed. Unable to confirm his suspicions, Bane went with the most obvious reason to come to mind.
"So you were the one chosen hm? There is none I would rather been entrusted to perform such a duty. Make sure to raise them properly, the Sith was never meant to be based upon the vile evil that has encroached into our teachings. Remember, passion no matter the emotion, is what gives strength. The two greatest emotions to rely upon must be nurtured. Anger is but one, and naturally the easiest to obtain and feed, thus why it has become so common, but Love is that of true power. When you fight for the protection of someone far closer to you than even yourself, that is when your greatest strength will emerge. Remember this, and teach your successors as I have taught you."
The young man turned so his Master wouldn't see the tears.
"Of course Master. Even now many of us die for someone we care for far more than ourselves. Many will die and tomorrow this land will be a wasteland, but I have no doubt that they will be okay."
Bane smiled at himself, proud of his greatest student's words, regardless of the impossibility of survival. The Thought Bomb was simply far too effective at what it did, there would be no survivors. He had tried to teach all of his other students to understand the same lesson, but only the boy before him had found the true meaning behind his cryptic words. He was close enough to him that he could almost be considered a son, and honestly he would have it no other way that he would be the only one to survive with the help of the Tomb.
Deep in the earth below the great temple lay a chamber with a single specially made tomb. Its purpose was to hold a single person in stasis, and be sealed. The person in the chamber would survive the apocalypse itself and would remain in a deep sleep for as long as an outward timer was set. Once the time had counted down, it would end the 'Sleep' and revive whoever was inside the chamber, the same age, weight, everything, completely unchanged.
"However, I have one regret that I must perform before I can die."
At this Bane felt a cold chill run down his back. Die? That was impossible, he was meant to live and carry on the Sith Order. Could they have picked another? He was Bane's personal apprentice, the only one more capable of training the next generation would be... The Sith Lord turned to see the barrel end of a Bothan shrieker pointing directly at his chest. At that range, it would be impossible to miss.
"Forgive me..."
Before Bane could connect to the Force to fling the weapon away, the gun discharged a wave of solidified sonic energy which hit him dead center. The moment the projectile made contact, his head was filled with a harsh screaming that destroyed every thought he had. It was as though a thousand voices were all yelling out as loudly as they could directly into his ears. He swore in agony and clutched his ears in the futile attempt to make the voices stop. In that moment of weakness his mental shields had dropped and as soon as they had fallen, his apprentice dove into his head with the Force, hitting the necessary nerves to send him into a deep REM state. The last thing he heard as the shrieking ended and he lost consciousness were the final words of his apprentice.
"Forgive me my Lord, but it is necessary. I am to take your place wearing your robes and none will be the wiser. The only ones that know of our plan are myself and the Council. The decision was unanimous, you are to be the one to survive."
With that the Sith Lord blacked out, only to awaken after an eternity of planetary regrowth.
- End Flashback : Hokage's Office -
"When I finally awoke, thousands of years had passed and the area that had once been a tomb in the center of one of the largest cities on the planets surface had returned to its beginnings. All around me was a lush forest and the only building that had survived the ages was my personal temple. Even then, the only reason that had survived was because all around it was the most powerful energy and stealth shield ever built. Capable of surviving anything fired at it including EMP blasts, the only reason no one inside it survived was because no synthetic field can block the Force in its raw state. It's stealth and shielding systems were directly powered by the geothermal energy that ran abundant in the area around our main city. Not only was everything within the Temple preserved from outside interference, they were also safeguarded by the stealth systems built around it, hiding it and ensuring its safety.
Fortunately, only organic life had been destroyed in the wave of anti-energy, meaning the entire Droid staff had remained operational. In preparation for the coming end, the servants had deactivated them and left them ready to be reanimated at any time in a storage area where they would remain unharmed. Not long after that, our sensors indicated that the area had long since returned to its human occupied state and they had once again civilized to a point where the Sith Order could be brought back to life. I sent out Droids to find if the Jedi had happened to have anything such as ours, where anyone could have survived the Thought Bomb. After a while a single Droid returned with a man alongside him. This man was he who the Jedi had chosen to remain alive to rejuvenate the Jedi Order."
Once again all eyes fell on Kyle who had fallen asleep, as none of this was news to him. After a small Force Push that tipped his chair over, Kyle woke up.
"What! Where! Huh!" The Last Jedi once again felt all eyes on him and only assumed that the reason for his awakening was that Bane had almost done with his story, meaning he came back into it.
"Yo..." He said, once again with a half-hearted wave to all present.
"After a conversation about our purposes..."
"Yeah, that took ages!" Bane just ignored the Jedi Master.
"...We finally decided that rather then bring back both Orders, only to end in violence once again, this time we would combine our teachings in such a way that only one Order would live, and last for centuries."
At this point, Naruto perked up.
"Wait a minute, you mean you two had meant for me to become a Grey Master?"
The two nodded, though Kyle had the decency to look sheepish about it.
"Yeah, we meant to tell you but Bane thought it was a better idea for you to come to that decision yourself. I thought it was kinda sneaky myself, but there you go."
Bane glared at him in betrayal but gave it up. He always blamed him, so why should he expect anything different now?
"Nonetheless, you still came to your final decision alone without us, which means you are more likely to follow your own heart then our teachings. It is necessary for you to think this way, if you are to continue on our lines successfully. The Sith would follow their hearts, while the Jedi would follow their minds after all, and we see how well that went. Ruling with the heart and mind rather then just one or the other, that is what being a Grey Master means."
The blond boy frowned thoughtfully before nodding, a troubled look still apparent on his face.
"I suppose your right, but it still seems weird that you guys set it up for me to end up that way in the first place. Hey hang on, if you guys had been awake and joined up before I got there, how long have you been up?" Naruto added as an after thought. He already knew the truth of course, but it was necessary for him to ask the question to mislead the Hokage. The old man couldn't know the truth. It would bring along to many questions better left unasked. This falsification was necessary to ensure the success of their mission.
"It has been exactly a month and two weeks to the day since our awakening. Kyle was set to the exact same time as me, once again proving that there is no coincidence. This boy was meant to have us as tutors and as such he is destined to greatness. We were each believed to be the best of our respective Orders, I at Force techniques and the Dark Side, and Kyle at Physical prowess and the Light Side. Together we shall make him the strongest Force User since Marka Ragnos, the greatest of the Sith Lords."
"Yeah, its gonna be sweet!"
Everyone sent the Jedi a sweatdrop at his attitude, but Kyle only shrugged in indifference. Sarutobi took the moment to ask the next important question that needed to be answered.
"Very well, but how are you going to train him? He is now officially a Shinobi of Konohagakure and therefore prohibited from leaving the city limits unless on missions or with my own personal approval. Not that I wouldn't give him it right here and now, but the council would fight me tooth and nail."
Bane and Kyle looked at each other and nodded.
"We had already planned for that. We shall remain in our temple until he reaches Chunin rank and you can give him permission. In the meantime, we will give HK-47 a communicator device that will allow him to create a holographic image of Kyle or myself to train him. We will also give him a direct mental link to both of us so we can communicate with him as necessary."
"By doing this, we can train him in the use of the Force and physical combat, he can learn whatever skills he desires from your libraries and HK-47, and we can avoid detection from the more outspoken of Naruto's anti-supporters. When he reaches Chuunin rank he will be strong enough to protect himself and we can make ourselves known to the public."
"Very well," Sarutobi said. "Sounds like you two have really thought this through. I am assuming of course that there are things the two of you are leaving out?" The old man had to suppress a smile at the surprised look on the pair's faces. "There is a reason I am the leader of this Shinobi village. You don't live as long as I have through active service by being a fool. Anyway, due to the sensitive issue of your conditions, this is to be considered clan business and as such I am forbidden to interfere as long as your actions don't threaten the well being of my village or any civilian living within its walls. Now, if there is nothing else to be discussed, then you are free to leave. Kyle and Bane I want to stay behind but apart from that the rest of you are dismissed. I am sure Naruto has some things to attend to, no?"
Naruto caught the look thrown at him and smiled out of the corner of him mouth.
"Thanks old man, I appreciate it." The boy stood from the couch and walked over to the window. "See you later!" With that he turned his back to the group and allowed himself to fall straight back, hurtling toward the ground.
The gathered adults looked shocked apart from Bane and Kyle, who laughed.
"Always one for dramatic exits that boy. He is going to be fun to work with, I can tell."
"Now that we have some privacy, who are you, why are you here, and what are your plans for Naruto?"
After Naruto had left, Sarutobi's countenance changed and he eyed the two men before him warily. The only reason he was being as cardinal with them as he was with them was because not only had they fulfilled their promise, but also Naruto returned healthier and happier he had ever been before. Still, that didn't excuse them from the fact that they were still responsible for his surrogate grandson's disappearance and continued absence.
Bane regarded the aged man with a small smile. It was good to see that there was at least one person in the village that cared for the happiness and health of his apprentice. Kyle however, was quick to assure the Hokage.
"Trust me, everything we told you is true. There is more to it of course, but none of that concerns you for now. Bane and me are both lone survivors of a war that consumed not only this, but many other countries."
The Jedi was unsure of whether or not to tell the Hokage of their true origins, but the telepathic nudge from Bane told him to hold back. As loathe as he was to admit it, Bane had a better head for strategies then he would ever have. Where he had could plan weeks in advance with few enough errors, Bane could accurately predict major decisions for years to come. For now he had no choice but to follow his companions judgment.
"Very well, and what of Naruto? What did you do to him?"
Bane and Kyle traded a look and openly started laughing. Once the old man started to get irritated they forced themselves under control, though Bane had much less difficulty then Kyle.
"The change in fashion was entirely his own choice. Apparently he hated his previous style as vehemently as you or anyone else did. I admit though, Kyle had a small bit of influence on him, but mostly it was all him."
"That was not what I meant! He has grown at least half a foot taller and looks like he could bench-press an Akimichi for Kami's sake."
A look of understanding dawned on the pair and being the more scientifically minded of them, Kyle took it upon himself to explain. He set his chair straight and crossed his arms casually.
"When we first saw the boy, not only did we recognize the physical similarities between him and a previous apprentice of Bane's, we also noticed an abnormality residing within his body. At some point in his life the 'Kyuubi' as you called it, found a fault in the seals structure binding it to Naruto. By forcing minuscule amounts of Dark Force energy into the boy's circulatory system, it was slowly killing him with the seal's own initial programming."
Sarutobi's eyes widened at the news and he could hardly form words.
"How long would it have..."
"He would have died before the year's end. The strange thing though, is that judging directly by the amount of raw Dark Energy in his body, he should have succumbed to its toxic effects and died or been driven mad months ago. The fact that he is, was, walking without support is nothing short of miraculous."
The aging man closed his eyes and took a deep drag on his pipe. After steadying from the shock of coming so close to losing his surrogate grandson, he opened his eyes and nodded to the men before him. Taking it as a signal to continue, Kyle returned to his story.
"When we got the message from HK-47 about the boy being injured, we gave him the order to bring him to us. When he finally got to our temple, we gave him some medical treatment in combination with Force therapy, fighting the demon's power into submission. When he finally awoke, we had our first conversation covering most of what we have told you, as well as some things concerning the boy's future. After a most revealing conversation, we went over his training regimen which he took to rather ravenously. Eventually we came to a vital point. Given his condition the chances of him surviving the training were too low to risk losing him. To combat this and give him a chance, we did something rarely used in the good old days."
"And that was?..."
"We put him into a coma. After making sure he was where we needed him to be, we used micro-pulses of Force Energy to disrupt his nerve signals and 'trick' his brain into thinking he had suffered a severe trauma. The second his body had placed itself into a catatonic state we relieved the sensation but deadened the nerves that would wake him back up. Directly afterward we had surgical Droids hook him up to various machines to produce the necessary stimuli for him to be at an appropriate level for us to train him both physically and mentally. I will admit, his maturing physically was something I hadn't anticipated, but apparently the Beast had had more of an influence on him than I would have expected. Now normally this process would have taken only three days at most, but we decided to extend it to a full week as a gift for the live he has been forced to live, as well as about thirteen years worth of missed birthdays."
Sarutobi stared at him with a blank look on his face for a moment, so Kyle dumbed his explanation down a little bit.
"Some 'Professor' you are. We made him smart, strong and bad-ass in a week."
"Oh, okay, that makes...perfect sense."
"Hey, I'm just telling you what happened while he was gone. The second week we started him on some basic training, teaching him some fighting styles, weapons training, and enough of the Force to allow him to protect himself. However, no matter what we throw at him, he takes it and still tries to push himself outside of training. Hell, even when he thinks we aren't watching him he invents new methods of training with the Force that are far beyond the level he should be at. Never in my entire life have I seen someone with such a strong affinity for the Force as he has."
Bane nodded and decided to add to the statement.
"He can do in hours what took Kyle and myself days to use and understand. It's almost instinctual for him, as though he knew it all before and is simply remembering it, rather than learning it for the first time. All in all the boy has the potential to literally rule the world eventually if he wanted to, though he is pretty far from that right now."
Sarutobi found himself, once again, stunned but Kyle continued with a hand raised to regain his attention.
"There is one last thing that I find distressing. Naruto... he forms bonds of a magnitude reserved usually for only Master and Apprentice. What takes others years to attain, he can form in weeks. He almost has an aura around him that influences those around him, even Droids which in itself is physically and scientifically impossible. If it was anyone back in the days before the apocalypse, he would have been regarded as a prodigy by the Sith, or refused training for fear of becoming too powerful by the Jedi. In all honesty and taking everything, his will, his fortitude, his influence, his sheer power, into consideration, his sheer potential scares me. There has been two records of someone sharing these traits with him, one of whom rose to become one of the strongest Sith Lords in history, long before I came to be."
"He always has been one full of surprises, but as long as he hasn't changed too much mentally, you have nothing to fear from Naruto." Sarutobi said nodding and smiling happily to himself.
"Yes well, we have some rather important matters that must be discussed. One is his Shinobi career. As of one week ago, it is effectively over."
"What do you mean over? He's stronger than ever before, you just said so yourself!"
"He is, but in the process of his training it soon became apparent that he is completely incapable of using Chakra or Ninja techniques. As we said before, because Chakra is a mutation of the Force, someone who can use one is incapable of using the other. Naruto has come into direct, intimate contact with pure Force energy, it has completely destroyed his Chakra and replaced it with its undiluted ancestor. As a result, though he may advance through the Shinobi ranks normally if he so chooses, he will never again be capable of using Nin- or Gen-Jutsu."
"On the other hand," Bane spoke up. "He will be able to use techniques long lost to the world that are stronger and much less restrictive than your techniques. Plus any children he may have will acquire these traits. As such this could be considered a blood-limit. This in turn brings us to our second point..."
"Oh?" Sarutobi asked, still trying to work his head around the fact that Naruto had an acquired blood-limit, as well as the implications that went along with it.
"And what would that be?"
"We feel that because of this, he must be allowed to take his rightful role as a clan-leader of a new clan with all rights that goes along with the title. This includes a Clan home, a spot on the Shinobi council, privacy within his lands to protect Clan secrets, ability to adopt members at his will, and everything else. Because he is as of yet too young to be on the Council, he will have the right to appoint a representative until he comes of age."
The old man's eyes lit up halfway through the small speech and only got bigger from then on. By his conclusion he was grinning with excitement governing the possibilities of what it would mean. Finally he would have the means to repair some of the damage done by the past.
"Very well, but you understand that you and he will have to bring your case before both Civilian and Shinobi Councils. There you will be required to demonstrate what your clan has ans a Blood-limit, reveal any major weaknesses, and why you want to join Konohagakure. If it is the will of the Councils, then you will be inducted into the Clans of Konoha and granted all Clan rights, as well as guaranteed sanctuary for future generations, provided their loyalty to the Village."
The two Force users nodded to the old man and prepared to take their leave, but they were stopped by the Hokage as they stood.
"Before you go, is there anything else you want to tell me?"
The pair looked at each other for a moment, then shook their heads.
"Very well, take these passes in case you are stopped by any of my Shinobi. It wouldn't do for you to be unable to enter the Village to see Naruto after all."
Sarutobi handed them two small scrolls before dismissing them and turning his chair to survey his village beyond the window. After a few seconds he heard the door behind him close and he sighed loudly, biting the tail of his pipe's mouthpiece. Large things were on the horizon, he could feel it. Unfortunately, all he could do was hoped for the best, prepare for the worst, and trust Kyle Katarn and Bane to ensure Naruto's ability to weather whatever was to come.
A/N : Well there we are, yet another chapter down. I apologize for this chapter coming out a day late, but some rather unavoidable business came up that I had to tend to. After all, Sith happens. As for the chapter itself, I have no doubt that itmay garner a large bit of discussion, and yet again I extend my invitation. I am more than willing to discuss any and all quiestions or qualms you may have, and if you have any ideas that you think will go pretty well with this fic, let me know and I will see if I can't fit them in somewhere along the line. With full credit to the owner, of course.
As for the matter of the pairing. As of yet I haven't been entirely convinced to change my mind, though I have thought of some other ideas I may incorporate. We shall see.
Stay Frosty...
- Nikolai