"I am what you can become. Your potential. I am the strength that slumbers within you." he said in a low voice and I inspected him further, he looked almost entirely like me, the only difference were his eyes, lifeless husks of what mine were. They were a ghastly yellow outlined red that seeped like blood towards the pupils and they lacked compassion, curiosity, joy – they were evil.

"No." I answered his untold question.

"Why? Are you afraid of this power? Isn't this what YOU want? To protect your loved ones... yes... you aren't strong enough, but you can be!" he tempted and I was now fighting an inner battle. Yes, it was evil, but wasn't that selfish of me? If it meant protecting my friends, then, maybe it doesn't matter if I have lost my way or not...

'Snap out of it.' a deep voice echoed in every crevice of my consciousness.

'Kurama? I... I... you're right.'

"Your power is not what I need. You may look like me, but we're nothing alike." I told my evil self and he was clenching up in anger, his hands were balled into fists and his teeth were clenched.

"I hate you." he muttered faintly through gritting teeth and then vanished in a dark cloud of smoke.

"Thank you." I said out loud and then noticed the faint glow that had been fighting the darkness up until now, a faint blue. Step by step, I was closer to the source and then there it was – a small, but very bright, blue crystal, embedded halfway into the wall of the cave, it emitted a strange, yet calming hum. I reached out to it and gripped it and tried to pull out, but it wouldn't budge.

I sat down in a lotus position, closed my eyes and focused intently on the crystal – I could feel the Force resonating through it, it was like a lens for the rays of the sun, energy surrounding it in a wide radius. I tugged at it and I could feel it slide out of its socket, I repeated the motion again, and again but in small bursts, careful not to damage it.

Opening my eyes, I now face the blue crystal, now glowing even brighter than before, casting peculiar shapes on the walls of the cave. I had often read about this step and now it was time to put my knowledge into practice.

( '_')0*´¯`·.¸.·´¯`°Q('_' )

Three days had passed since I started attuning the crystal and the process was finally coming to fruition. All that was left was to construct it. Padawan were given a mantra to utter to themselves while on this step and I was now reciting it in my head.

'The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one.'

I could not see them, for my eyes were closed, but I was sensing all the components, binding them together when their alignment was correct. I gently adjusted fine details and then it was done.

The grip was Hashirama wood and the finishing made it slightly darker than usual. On it was golden filigree in spiralling shapes, similar to Uzumaki seals. The few metal parts that were visible – the pommel, the switches and the emitter part, were all black with barely visible grey patterning. 'An elegant weapon, for a more civilised age.'

I took a deep breath and lay my finger on the ignition plate – any mistake in my design, the construction or the alignment of the components and it was sure to fail, maybe even implode, taking me with it. I slid it gently up and a loud swoosh was heard, blue light emerging from the emitter in a straight, long line. I waved it around for a moment, feeling its weight and balance. Contrary to popular belief, the actual blade of the lightsaber resisted motion in a way... it was hard to describe but it felt similar to how an actual sword felt, but not exactly so.

Summoning up a Shadow Clone, it henged into an old Luke Skywalker and I handed him my lightsaber.

"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed." the clone spoke through the voice of the Jedi Grandmaster.

"Now step forward, Padawan Menma Uzumaki." I did as instructed and knelt. He lowered the lightsaber first to my left shoulder and then to my right and raised it swiftly from its position, severing the Padawan braid with it.

"By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Jedi, Knight of the Republic." he said and I rose.

( '_')0*´¯`·.¸.·´¯`°Q('_' )

Sakura was standing in a loose guard in front of Tazuna and I took that as my cue to survey the situation. Haku's icy dome was raised and I could hear the clanging of metal on metal inside, no matter how quick the boy was, not one of those projectiles would touch Naruto or Sasuke if they used their training properly, which led me to the next issue, Zabuza was being held down by ninken and Kakashi was preparing a Raikiri for the defenceless man. He tensed his muscles, prepared for a lunge and then disappeared, there was only one chance of stopping him now, I closed my eyes and concentrated all of my strength on the moving form of Kakashi, willing it to freeze, and so it did.

Kakashi was now unmoving in mid air, with his arm extended, lightning chirping its familiar tune, only a hairs width away from harming the form of the fake hunter-nin. I was now struggling to hold on to Kakashi, sweat sliding down my face and dripping on the wooden bridge.

"Stop, Kakashi-sensei."

"Menma? You are doing this... but how?!" he yelled, apparently not hearing a word that I had said.

"I said, stop." I repeated calmly and he tried to nod, struggling in the hold I had over him and then the lightning surrounding his right hand receded.

"Zabuza. You have been lied to, Gatou is on his way right now and he was never willing to uphold his end of the bargain." I warned the man and he grunted.

"And why should I trust you, brat?"

"I just saved your apprentice's life, I deserve this much." I explained and he scoffed.

"That is worth nothing to me, he is a tool, nothing more."

"Don't give me that!" I shouted at him and he flinched, his eyes glazing over with sadness for only a moment.

"I'll give you-" he started but was interrupted by the sound of loud, delayed clapping.

"Bravo. The mighty Demon of the Hidden Mist brought to his knees by a couple of brats and their handler."

"Gatou..." Zabuza murmured and was now clearly brimming with anger, the ninken releasing him after taking note of the situation "This is my fight now, don't interfere. That goes for you too, Haku." he said, lifting his Kubikiribocho from the ground.

"But... Zabuza-sama, I can help, I must help." Haku started but Zabuza raised a hand in a silencing motion.

"Enough. Even though I always said otherwise, this fight made me realise that you aren't just a tool to me, Haku. I got us in this mess and I will fix it. If I don't succeed... go with these shinobi – they are strong." he said sadly, with finality and charged at the unsuspecting mercenaries, slicing through them easily but getting hit by the occasional blow a few times, Gatou's screams echoed throughout the misty air and were subsequently silenced by the sound of a gory squelch and the thump of his head on the bridge.

The bridge was now filled with dead bodies, one of which was Zabuza, with a satisfied smile on his face, Haku was crying on his knees above the corpse and muttering all sorts of pleas and curses.

"Why? Why wasn't I strong enough? The only person that ever cared for me... is..." he began but was now sobbing audibly again, Naruto walked up to the distressed teen and put his hands around him and hugged him tightly, now acting as a sponge for the boy's tears.

( '_')0*´¯`·.¸.·´¯`°Q('_' )

We had conducted a small ceremony in Zabuza's memory, since his death was truly honourable, albeit a bit bloody... Haku was silent all throughout except the occasional sniffle and the others were respectfully silent. I had already promised to provide shelter and training for Haku, if he chose to honour his mentor's dying wishes and he accepted gratefully, since he had developed a good friendship with Naruto ever since they met in the forest. Inari was sobbing, just like in Canon, since Naruto had to leave and after a few comforting words from Naruto, he waved us good-bye with the rest of their village. We were now on our way back to Konoha, with an extra member in our midst.

"Hey Menma. Where were you gone for so long and what's with that weird flash light strapped to your hip? Also, why did you cut off that braid thing, I thought it was pretty cool..." Sakura asked in a flurry and I spared a glance at her before noticing two stares trying to burn holes through my head. Naruto and Sasuke were staring disbelievingly at me and were switching their gazes from my hip to behind my right ear.

"Nii-chan, does that mean-" Naruto started but then lunged at me and hugged me tightly, I was beginning to wonder if that was all that Naruto and I were ever going to do together – hug... Though Sasuke was now also looming above us with an amused smirk on his face.

"What? What does it mean?" Sakura who was now also standing next to our fallen forms asked while impatiently tapping her foot.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, I think now's the time to explain to your team what has been going on for so long!" Kakashi exclaimed in a rare bout of emotion.

"Not here, Kakashi-sensei. I give you my word – I will explain everything when we arrive home." I said and Kakashi nodded contently, with a slightly impatient Sakura doing the same, Haku on the other hand didn't seem to hear anything other than his own thoughts – he was in a sort of comatose state ever since Zabuza's death.

( '_')0*´¯`·.¸.·´¯`°Q('_' )

"Let me get this straight... you want to harbour a Kiri nuke-nin? In your own home? And you want him instated as a Konoha shinobi?" The Third asked while rubbing his temples and sighing "Have you gone completely insane, Menma-kun?"

"No, Hokage-sama. I have complete faith in Haku. He's been through a lot and granted, his record isn't a clean slate, but it's circumstantial at best, he's never even killed before and his status as nuke-nin is solely based on the Kiri Kekkei Genkai Purge." I reasoned and he sighed audibly once more.

"You drive a hard bargain, Menma-kun. Very well... I will allow Haku to remain here, but from now on, he is on probation. We'll give him a few weeks and if everything goes well I will consider recruitment as Genin. Dismissed." I bowed and took my leave, opening the doors to the Hokage's office and arriving in the hallway where the team was waiting with hitched breaths.

"How did it go?" surprisingly, Haku was the one to ask, it made sense, though, considering it was his future and all.

"You are allowed to stay with us in Konoha and if you behave well, you will be considered for recruitment as shinobi." I said and smiled and Haku seemed relieved and then ecstatically hugged Naruto, his newly formed best friend. The grin I was now sporting was broken by the heated glares of Kakashi and Sakura who were awaiting answers, I motioned them to follow and lead them to the Namikaze estate.

"Wow, these cherry trees are amazing! How are they blossoming at this time of year?" Sakura marvelled at the scenery, she seemed to fit in the scene quite well, what with her pink hair and all.

"Seals." Kakashi answered boringly, it wasn't inconceivable that this wasn't his first time here, he was dad's student after all.

"It's still beautiful, though, you don't have to be so mean about it." Sakura pouted at Kakashi's response.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan, I'm sure Kakashi-sensei reacted the same when he walked through here for the first time." Naruto comforted with a grin and Sakura gave him a meek smile.

"Ma, ma, Naruto-kun, what makes you think I have been here before?" Kakashi asked in his usual nonchalance.

"You were part of dad's team!" Naruto pointed accusingly, to which Sakura and Sasuke turned befuddled eyes.

"What do you mean, Naruto? I thought you were an orphan... how do you know which team Kakashi-sensei was on anyway?" Sakura asked and Sasuke merely agreed with a nod.

"Well... if we're going to tell you the whole story... I guess we can start with the beginning... even orphans have parents, you know..." Naruto said sadly.

"Did they leave you guys behind?" Sakura asked, now taking up the role of the compassionate mother, rubbing Naruto's back.

"No, they died... twelve years ago." Naruto answered quietly. I nudged Kakashi in his side and tilted my head to the side sharply, motioning for him to help out, he gave an apologetic look but then explained nonetheless.

"Uzumaki was their mother's family name. Their real family name is Namikaze, but the village was sworn to secrecy to protect their identities." Kakashi explained matter-of-factly.

"That name... seems familiar." the bookworm Sakura said while rubbing her chin and then turned a shock expression towards me and Naruto.

"You're... related to the Fourth?!" she screeched out.

"This is not widely known, but Minato Namikaze had two twin sons." Kakashi explained and now Sasuke was sharing Sakura's expression.

"That's not what you really wanted to tell us, though. Is it?" Kakashi asked once more "Like... explaining how you basically stopped me in mid air without touching me or casting any jutsus?" Kakashi turned an analytical eye towards me and my brother.

"I can help explain that." Sasuke offered and I nodded to him, he smiled reassuringly.

"We are practising something akin to a religion, but not quite. We study, serve and utilise the energy that surrounds and binds all things together – the Force." Sasuke explained sagely, I was beginning to think that I was either a very bad judge of character or that my presence had changed Sasuke's personality completely...

"The Force?" Kakashi repeated dumbly. Sakura, on the other hand, was listening intently and absorbing every word of her crush, her scholarly nature now playing a key role in the conversation at hand.

"I want to know more." she said simply. I exchanged a look between myself, Naruto and Sasuke and we all nodded at once, mildly communicating our feeling through the Force bond we had developed training and meditating together.

"Sakura, you do realise that if we allow you to study the Force... you are not allowed to divulge this information to anyone else, correct?" I asked slowly, emphasizing the words 'not' and 'anyone'. She took a moment to decide and then nodded excitedly.

"How do you know about this... Force you keep talking about?" Kakashi once again inquired and I decided to use an excuse that seemed logical for its connection.

"Kurama." I said simply and Kakashi now looked extremely suspicious.

"Who is this Kurama?" he asked with a wave of his hand.

"Kurama is a nine-tailed fox." I said in the same way as before. Kakashi's visible widened, while Sasuke and Sakura's jaws dropped.

"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you guys about that... Dad couldn't defeat Kurama, so he sealed him in us, the Yin part in Menma and the Yang in me, to be exact." Naruto explained with a sheepish smile.

"And you spoke with... Kurama?" Kakashi asked disbelievingly.

"Yes... the attack on the village wasn't his fault, to be honest... What's more, he is one of the Sage's sons, so he's got some really useful knowledge." I explained and Kakashi was warming up to my theory.

"What Sage?" Sakura asked in a drawn out tone, brimming with curiosity.

"The Sage of the Six Paths." I responded at the same time as Naruto and Kakashi and we all chuckled awkwardly at each other.

"Whose fault was the attack?" Kakashi resumed his interrogation.

"The only thing that Kurama told me was that it was someone with a mask, in black robes with red clouds on them, and he had the Eternal Mangekyō..." I omitted the use of 'Sharingan', careful not to panic Sasuke further, but he recognized the name.

"So... it was an Uchiha..." he said, boring holes through the ground.

"Sasuke, it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself or your clan for the actions of one man." I tried comforting him but he was now spilling tears of anger in silence.

"Don't! I've been having visions... of the past. I know about my clan and what they were planning to do... it's bad enough that my brother is considered a criminal in this village, don't you try apologising for the mistakes of the Uchiha!" he growled and I was shocked. That wasn't something that I expected hearing, I knew that Sasuke had a very strong connection to the Force... but to have seen the past, and such important events as well...

"Considered a criminal... what do you mean Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"It's nothing... forget I even mentioned it." he said and was now his usual calm and collected self, wiping his tears on the sleeve of his robes.

"What has been discussed here. Everything. Not a word leaves this place, do you understand?" Kakashi asked in a professional and intimidating tone.

"I need to go now... Hokage-sama will have to learn of this conversation." he said and disappeared in a leaf Shunshin.

And here I was, thinking that after I had three Padawan under my care I could just slack off and forget about recruitment for a while... Oh well... at least I didn't have to scream about the Flames of Youth at the top of my lungs to motivate them...