Naruto wasn't able to sleep much that night. Though his birthday had been long and hard, filled to the brim with the war, plain exhaustion was not enough to knock him out completely.

Tossing and turning for hours on end, outside forces only disturbing him when the building shook from the battle that continued to wage. He was in a soundproof room, shared with another ten Jedi who were in dire need of rest.

"Hinata..." Naruto mumbled, flipping over for the thousandth time that night. Fiery visions exploded in his head. Unbearable heat washed over him, causing the Padawan to break out into a sweat. Hardened voices of soldiers were screaming orders, so he took two pillows and sandwiched his head between them. It would not drown out the voices of all the dying men's screams.

Orochimaru popped into existence, glaring hatefully at the blond Uzumaki. His legs glinted in the firelight as he clanked forward, approaching Naruto with lethal intentions. As he struck, Naruto let out a small cry.

Everything stopped. Time stood still. Naruto now found himself on Drongar, identified by its rich atmosphere. Taking deep breaths, Naruto was able to still his heart. He looked around, noting that he was in some endless, lush green field of Bota. The many colors that peppered the valley gave Naruto a sense of well being.

"Hello, Naru." The voice snapped Naruto's attention, causing him to twist around to see the girl who was giving him so much grief.

"Hey, Hina..." He gave her a long look. Gone were her black combat clothes. She now stood before him in a modest white dress, streaming down her body in a silky flow. She stood barefoot before him, a loving smile on her face. But as he looked into those once pure lavender eyes, he noted the looming dark clouds still drifted behind the lenses. A soft breeze caressed Hinata's features, fluttering the dress in soft waves.

"What's the matter?" She stood no farther than a foot from him, yet Naruto felt she was light-years away.

"Everything!" Naruto was surprised at his small explosion, and he turned away from the Hyuuga in shame, hanging his head. He suddenly felt arms wrap around his abdomen, a body pressed closely to his from behind. He felt the girl rest her head on his back. He realized then that he was a head taller than she was.

"Tell me about it." It was not a statement. It was a request. Naruto took a deep breath.

"I've lied to my Master for you. You are now on the side I must fight. You are determined not to come back to the Light Side. The battle has now been brought to the last hidden Jedi Temple and the CIS show no signs of retreating. I feel like this war is becoming more and more senseless. It's pointless. I can't even remember my reasons for fighting..." He felt as if he was on the verge of tears. The universe was crashing around him. What had been daylight only seconds before turned into night. He observed the stars, which seemed to form constellations that continuously interchanged.

"My dear Naru, what have the Jedi taught you?" She unclasped her hands for a moment and brought her right palm to rest in the middle of his chest, above his heart. "Do not bottle in your worries. Cast them out. Let the Force guide you back into peace."

"Who are you to lecture me on Jedi teachings?" Naruto grumbled, but he knew she was right.

"Though I disagree with the Code, the teachings are useful." She unwrapped her hands from around Naruto, and gently coaxed him into turning around. Naruto stared into that wonderful face, with the lips he longed to touch.

"You're not even real. You're just my projection of the actual Hinata." Naruto stated this, but did not wish to believe it. He wanted to actually be there. He wanted Hinata and himself alone together on a quiet planet like Drongar.

"Naruto, reality is merely an allusion in and of itself. How can one know what a true reality is? Is it what you feel?" She poked him in the chest, and he felt it. "Is it what you hear?" He could hear her voice. "Maybe it's what you see?" She stood before him as plain as the day that had disappeared in only a few seconds. "Perhaps its what you taste..." She leaned forward, standing on her toes. Wrapping her arms gently around his neck, she gave him a sweet kiss. A few seconds later, she pulled back. She was proving a very good point. "Reality is what you make it. And who's to say I'm not real? Perhaps you're the fake one."

This threw Naruto off guard. "Me, an illusion? As if!" He gave her a smirk, and she smiled in kind. But it didn't take long for a deep frown to take its place upon his face. "Why are you helping the Separatists, Hinata? They are evil. Nothing good can come from their winning the war."

"If you still think I'm fake, then you know I'll give you an answer you could come up with yourself. So tell me, do you truly believe me to be a figment of your imagination?" She gave him a pouty look. Naruto thought about it long, and he thought about it hard. This is how he wanted to see Hinata. But, then again, what was with her eyes? They were still clouded with the Dark Side. Perhaps it was just his mind trying to fool him into thinking she was real. Perhaps it was to give more reality to this whole charade.

"If you are a mere figment, you're the most beautiful figment in the galaxy;" Naruto said it softly, embracing the girl with a soft hug. He wanted so much to never wake up. She giggled, responding to his show of affection accordingly.

"Hinata, why don't we just quit? We can get somewhere far away, hide on some deserted planet... Just get away from it all, you and I." Naruto closed his eyes as he rested his face against the top of Hinata's head, which was snuggled against his chest.

"Naruto, now that I've proven to be a powerful weapon, the CIS would never let me go. They would hunt me down, kill you, and then force me to win the war for them."

"And that is the side you are on. You would want to work with such demons?"

"You know as well as I do that the Republic would do the same. If you were a vital point in the war, one of their only chances of victory, they would never let you go either."

"It's not fair!" She laughed a little at this.

"Naruto, I have to go now."

"What, why?" He watched her release herself from him and take a few steps away. She seemed to be growing transparent. "Wait!"

She gave him a small, sad smile. "Yes?"

"We only talked about me. What do you want?" He watched her for a moment, as she faded away. It had started at her feet and began working its way up.

"What have I always wanted?" It was now moving up her chest. "I will change the universe. I will make it a better place for everyone. The cult actions of the Jedi must be stopped. Only then can we be safely together."

"So everything you do is because of me? Hinata, there has to be something better than rebellion to solve our problem!" She looked at him a moment, only a neck and a head with the barest outline of a body.

"It's only rebellion if I lose. I intend to make this a revolution." And then she was gone.

Waking with a start, Naruto gasped as he felt cold. He was drenched in an icy sweat, his nightclothes clinging to his body. Reflecting on his dreams, he noticed he could remember every last detail. And the ending seemed most surprising to him. Had his mind really come to a conclusion that that was what she was doing? Or was it really her, somehow?"

Yoda looked at the young Sith before him, whom was completely unconscious. His red hair fell from his head in spikes, his dark clothing gone. They had stripped him down to his underwear, removed his boots, and dismantled his lightsaber.

"A symbol of love, the marking on his head is. Why, I must ask? A deep hatred I sense..." Yoda inhaled, grabbing the Force and pulling it around himself like a multi-layered blanket.

"Master Yoda, before Jiraiya left he had requested the boy be transferred to Coruscant for a hearing." One of the Clone troopers on guard stated, standing rigid and unmoving at the cell's side. Yoda nodded.

"Yes, fair treatment of prisoners, the Republic law offers. But, a time of war, this is." Yoda laid two hands on the gnarled knob of his cane then rested his head upon them. "A most difficult situation, hm?" Yoda had come as quick as he could when he found out a Sith with great power had been captured. He thought it might have been Hinata, which Yoda had been tracking in the Force extensively. She was a peculiar case; her Force flow seemed to diverge at times. She had attributes of both a Light Side user as well as a master of the Dark Side. He also came to enact on a new order that the Republic senate had passed that very day.

"Saddens me, it does. Of youth, a waste this will be." Yoda nodded to the guards, then turned away from the cell. He had come to see Hinata, to try and bring her back, but it seemed it had not been the will of the Force for her to be here in a cell. As he walked away, a great pain came over him, but he soldiered on. It was war, after all.

As Yoda reached the sliding doors, he heard the sizzling of the prison cell's barrier being deactivated. As he stepped across the threshold into the metallic corridor of the starship, he heard rounds of blasters go off. Then the doors shut and there was only silence and a pain in his heart.

"I think I see some floating shit." Though it was Orochimaru's idea, he deeply despised himself for ever mentioning going into the sewers. Now he couldn't stop himself from complaining. "And at the far end of the tunnel looks like... another drop. Fuck." They had already climbed or jumped down three levels of sewage, each time getting splattered with even more bile waste.

Having no choice, they plunged into the darkness. As they hit the bottom, Orochimaru noted that it was waist-deep in waste. Orochimaru was thankful for the waterproof armor and the vented helmet of the Shock Troopers.

"Sir," a Captain Shock Trooper said. "Through infrared, I can see the top. I believe this to be our mark, sir. Crosschecking with the blueprints now." A few seconds passed. "Yes, we are right below the temple."

"So let's place thermal detonators and get the hell out of here." Orochimaru said. A few coughs came from the soldiers around him. "What?"

"Sir, these are the main foundations for the whole sewer system. Should we take these out, it is likely that miles of tunnels in all directions will collapse as well."

"So?"

"All of our men and ships currently attacking the Temple will be crushed to death. The sheer amount of losses would cripple the CIS."

"Then we'll call a full retreat."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sir. The Jedi would get suspicious and search the temple and lower vectors for any traps. Frankly, we were lucky to not be discovered on the way here. It's also possible that they have placed frequency sensors that could detect our equipment."

"And why wasn't I told all of this before we began our trek into this hellhole?" Orochimaru glared at the Captain, even though he knew the helmet covered all of his facial features.

"Sir, we thought you knew. We thought you had a brilliant plan to overcome these obstacles."

"Well, I don't! So what do you suggest we do, Captain?" Orochimaru snarled.

"I propose an invasion from below. Now that we have navigated our way here safely, we can go back and bring a larger attack force down. We'll climb to the top, find our way in, either by force or luck. We'll have the element of surprise, and take them from the inside out."

"Sounds like dirty work. Even with a surprise attack, the Jedi and the Clones are formidable warriors. Also, we'd only be able to get a certain amount of soldiers in at a time, leaving the first few waves vulnerable until help arrived." Orochimaru stared angrily up at the top of the labyrinth of stone, switching his own helmet to infrared vision.

"You are correct, sir. But under the current circumstances, it may be our only ticket in." Orochimaru nodded, then looked around at his men. Pein had stayed up top to direct the ground battle.

"Then we'll wait a few days and prepare. If things look grim, we'll return."

"Roger, roger." Orochimaru cringed as the present Shock Troopers all said it in unison. It reminded him of the stupid droids he had to deal with up until this battle.

"Don't ever say that again."

"Roger, roger."

Orochimaru growled.

Naruto met up with Anakin in the Temple's Council chambers. Many other Jedi were present as well, standing around as the esteemed Council members sat in their personal floating chairs. The room was circular, the normally large windows blockaded by segments of durasteel that were inches thick. Artificial light illuminated the room from above.

"We're going to reserve Jedi strength until it is needed," spoke one council member. "Should they breach our defenses, we will take the offensive and drive them out. Until then, we are going to dig in our heels and wait the attack out with as little Jedi involvement as possible."

Someone coughed. Out of the crowd stepped a large man with flowing olive-green robes and a wart-riddled nose. Jiraiya the Toad Sage Jedi. "We should be helping our Troopers, not hiding like cowards. I am not going to begin to tell you how to run the defense of your Temple, though my place on the High Council gives me the right to do so. But I intend to be on the front lines very soon. Should any of you wish to accompany, I would most appreciate it." Jiraiya then noticed his apprentice, and gave him a blank expression. Naruto seemed to understand that Master Jiraiya was not about to order Naruto to go with him. It was his choice.

"It would be an honor to fight alongside you, Master Jiraiya." Anakin stepped forward, giving the Toad Sage a small bow. Jiraiya nodded in acknowledgment. Soon enough, many other Jedi stepped forward as well. Naruto was among them.

"Very well, Master Jiraiya." The head of the council said. "You can take a squad of Jedi out into the field and do as you wish."

Jiraiya nodded, looking at the twenty Jedi who decided to join him. Many of them Naruto had fought alongside on Corellia. "Get a set of full Jedi armor. I expect everyone ready in fifteen minutes."

Hinata woke slowly, taking her time to open her eyes. She did not want to wake from the dream she had been having. She was glad she could remember it with complete accuracy. Sitting up in the standard military bed, she glanced around the small, bare room. It seemed the stiff bed was the only piece of furniture. She noted that all her injuries were gone.

She dressed into a new set of her Sith armor, designed for withstanding glancing blows from a lightsaber. She clipped her trusty utility belt that she had carried with her through the years around her slim waist. She wasn't surprised to find only two lightsabers there.

She made her way to the bridge, where Kyuubi sat like a king at the top level in his large chair that overlooked the entire room. She came to stand beside him, not bothering to hide her contempt for the man. "You rescued me," she said flatly.

"We have more planets that need conquering. We can't let you go just yet." Kyuubi said it indifferently.

Hinata fingered at her original lightsaber hilt. She wanted so much to slice the man's head off. She hated him with all her being. Yet, he was Naruto's father. Even worse, he was her Master. She still cringed a little at the thought.

"You did well back on Corellia, my apprentice. We are now one planet closer to Coruscant. As soon as we take that planet, it will all be over. But, that may be many years away. It all depends on you..." He eyed her curiously. Hinata glanced down at the beast of a man. His crimson, furry ears twitched. He was helmet-less at the moment, for the first time in Hinata's presence. She could see a long, dark red mane flowing onto his broad shoulders.

"I will serve the Sith faithfully." And she would. Until she saw her chance to take the universe into her own hands. Kyuubi nodded at her words, then cast his gaze upon the large viewport directly ahead. Hinata looked out as well. A tunnel of swirling blue light stretched as far as her keen eyes could see.

Commander Jax was having a good day. The losses of his battalion were minimal, and their kill count was a personal record. The Shock Troopers had valor, he could admit to that. Their cunning attacks and impromptu defenses were formidable. But, with hundreds of yards of mines, pitfalls, and laser wire it was a near impossible task to get to the Temple. The temple lay in the middle of miles of military buildings and ground turrets. From above, it looked like a small city that bordered a larger city; the capital city of Naboo that was not more than five miles from the outskirts of the Temple's base. And with all the traps, the surviving troops were easy to pick off.

The initial attack had been rough. Thousands of Troopers accompanied by small teams of Sith had rushed headlong in, firing wildly. The CIS took heavy losses as they rushed into the traps the Clones had set only hours before. But their momentum allowed them to reach the walls of the military base, and many clones had died keeping them from entering. Eventually, the situation was once more under control.

Now, Commander Jax was playing a game he rather liked. He called it 'Smash the Living Crap out of the Enemy.' He didn't share this little bit of information with anyone else; knowing the name wouldn't catch. With artillery and sniper rifles firing nonstop, Jax had been fairly certain the Shock Troopers would pack up soon before the first night was over. Now that it was the next day, Jax realized that the enemy was digging themselves in for a long battle. He didn't like that at all.

"All right, men. The Darkies want a fight. They want to prove their superiority over a few clones. What do we have to say to that?" Jax stared expectantly at his soldiers, who replied with booming laughter. Jax joined them. "We'll keep back and let them get rid of all the mines. Then we'll watch as the hidden laser wire slices their legs from beneath them. We'll laugh when they fall into the twenty-foot deep pits, into the waiting spikes. Then, when they're up close and personal, we'll laugh in their face as we show them what real soldiers are!" His warriors responded with loud cries and roaring "hoorahs".

"Commander Jax." A strong voice came from behind the Commander's back, so he turned.

"Ah, General Jiraiya. In what way may we be of service, sir?"

"I need you to tell me about the battle. Where the Shock Troopers' main base is presumably located would be a good start."

The Commander then noticed that another twenty or so Jedi flanked the General. Jax nodded then began giving an extensive report on what he had observed so far. The main concentration of troops was dead ahead, just out of artillery and sniper range. It seemed to be where they had set up their command center. Jiraiya nodded every so often as Jax briefed the General on all that he knew.

"Anything else, sir?"

Jiraiya shook his head, then stared out in the direction of the enemy's camp. The white armor that all the Jedi before Jax wore resembled his own. But their sets covered less, and were slightly smaller. It allowed for more mobility, which Jedi needed to perform at their greatest potential during battle.

"All right, spread out. We'll take guard duty. Should anyone see anything unusual, immediately report it through via comlink." Jiraiya said, and the rest of the Jedi nodded and dispersed. All except Naruto. Jiraiya nodded in a direction, signaling the Padawan to walk with him.

"Master Jiraiya, I have failed you." It was a simple statement, but Jiraiya knew how hard it is to admit a mistake.

Jiraiya looked down at his student. "You have done what I have been teaching you. You acted on pure instinct, letting the Force guide your movements. Don't let your mind get in the way of your connection with the Force." They walked in silence for a few moments, observing the constantly moving troops.

"Master, I know you can read me like a book. Tell me, what do you think of my recent actions?" Naruto looked up at his teacher with an earnest expression.

Jiraiya sighed deeply, slowing his pace a bit. "I am on your side, Naruto. I have fought against the Council about the Code since the moment I joined. But, every time I am overruled. I have seen what love can do. It can tear down whole planets. It can build civilizations. It has the power to turn the darkest hearts pure, and vice versa. I will not tell you what to do with your emotions; no one can. I can only advise you. Follow the Code, Naruto, and you will become a powerful Jedi. Free yourself of attachments and you could become the Grand Master one day. Of course, that is a life of such hardship and pain that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, let alone my Padawan." Jiraiya paused for a moment. He then stopped and turned towards his student. He looked him up and down, then shook his head with great remorse.

"The Senate has passed a new order. All Sith are to be killed on sight." Judging by Naruto's shocked and pained expression, Jiraiya knew the boy wasn't about to kill Hinata. Jiraiya leaned down to whisper in his pupil's ear. "If I were you, son, I would make sure you were the only Jedi that saw Hinata from now on." With that, Jiraiya walked away leaving Naruto standing there with an empty look.

Sasuke stared at Sakura for a moment. Her hair was short, only shoulder length, except for the tight Padawan tail that trailed behind her right ear and down her back. Her light red, almost pink, tunic fit her womanly curves perfectly. The smile she wore on her face at just seeing him was enough to plaster a smile on Sasuke's own face. That is, until he remembered why he had sought her out.

"Sakura, the Council has discovered the new weapon's origin. They've determined that, until the Sith responsible is destroyed, the blackness on Corellia will only continue to grow until it consumes the planet. And they know who the Sith is..." He stepped closer to her, held up his hand to caress her cheek. She took his hand into her own and gave it a loving squeeze.

"That's wonderful. We'll be that much closer to winning the war." Sakura offered a nervous smile, seemingly aware of Sasuke's glum expression.

"It's Hinata." Sasuke watched as any happy emotion drained from Sakura's face. She stepped away with a pained expression clouding her normally vibrant, happy eyes.

"No! It can't be. Hinata could never cause so much suffering..." Sakura shook her head firmly.

"I've been given a mission to track her down... and destroy her." Sasuke examined Sakura's reaction closely. First, she looked up with horror in her eyes. Then she exploded.

"No, you can't! She's still a good person, I just know it! We can save her, Sasuke. You and I can go out and convince her to come back..." Sasuke cut her off.

"No. I'm to leave tomorrow, to head back into the Core Worlds, and wait on the next planet in the line of CIS attack. If I can get rid of her, the CIS will lose one of their biggest advantages in the war. Then we can end it before any more planets are captured, before many more lives are lost. It's best for the Republic, best for the-" Sakura was glaring at him, and Sasuke was beginning to feel uneasy.

"We can't do that to her. Can you not remember our days on Ilum? She was one of us! We grew up with her. You can't just forget about all that." Sakura folded her arms and gave the Uchiha a look.

"She's a Sith now, Sakura. She isn't one of us anymore." Sasuke looked into the Haruno's stubborn green eyes and sighed. He reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away.

"Sasuke, she loves Naruto. He can bring her back to our side!" Sakura now had a look of pleading on her face.

Sasuke turned from the girl and shook his head. "I've got my orders, and I will fulfill them to the best of my ability."

"Then why did they pick you? Why not a more experienced Jedi?" Sakura screamed, her fists clenched at her sides.

Sasuke waited a long moment, deciding whether to answer truthfully or not. He then walked to the hatchway of the room, which sensed him and opened with a soft hiss. "They believe she will not kill someone she once knew. And out of everyone on Ilum, I was least close to her. It seems like the perfect balance to me." He then left without another word.

Sakura let out a bloodcurdling scream. Things were not going right in her world.

Hinata stared at the ugly man before her. He had a flat nose, jagged teeth, and one of his ears was missing. His arms looked strong, but he had a large belly. He was clothed in what appeared to be some kind of black hide, but in the darkness Hinata could not see much. In his hand he held a frayed loop of rope. "Get over here, ya runt." The man squealed, his pig-like voice catching Hinata off guard. She heard a small whimper as he savagely yanked on his end of the rope.

From out of the shadows, a girl came sprawling to the ground. The man grunted and yanked on the leash again, forcing the small form to stand. The moonlight caught her scared, pure white eyes. They left Hinata breathless, but she showed no outer sign of her surprise or elation. She had thought she'd never see a Hyuuga again in her life.

Hinata looked the girl up and down, then shook her head slowly. "You're asking how much for... this?" She waved her hand in the younger Hyuuga's direction, almost in a way that suggested the girl to be worthless.

"She's one of the very last of her kind." The man's voice came. He grunted and pulled on the leash once more, forcing the girl to fall against his barely covered gut. He ran a gritty hand through her unkempt hair and gave Hinata a disgusting smile. "Still a virgin, too. That's a rare find."

Hinata suddenly felt complete and utter hatred for this man. He was a slave trader, based on Coruscant. But, due to increased security, he had to move his 'services' to the Outer Rim. When Hinata had been sent on a mission three days after her encounter with Naruto on Corellia to Tatooine to secure the treaties with Jabba the Hutt, she had caught word of a Hyuuga circulating in the Slave Market. Now that she had found the poor girl, she would do anything to protect one of her own.

Hinata removed a lightsaber from her belt. The man instantly recognized the weapon and his eyes grew wide.

"No fee, young lass! Here, she's all yours!" He gave the girl a violent shove and began backing away slowly. Hinata gently caught the whimpering girl as she fell against her body.

"It's okay now. I'll protect you." Hinata whispered, then glared up at the man whom was steadily putting space between himself and the Hinata. Feeling such strong hatred for this vile man, she knew she would not be satisfied until he no longer existed. "Close your eyes." She whispered again, a gentle kindness lacing her voice. The girl looked up at her and only nodded, doing as she was told.

For extra measure, the dark alley began to get even darker. Hinata glanced down at her lightsaber as it extended to its full length with a crackle. It was its normal lavender color, but began flickering. Letting her hatred out of herself, he lightsaber's usual thrum of activity ceased and the whole blade was matte-black. She waived it a bit, noting its new silence.

Creeping forward, sensing her prey's fear, Hinata let the rest of her motions out. Complete darkness ensued.

I think this is the only chapter to not have a lightsaber fight in it, besides the Prologue. I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.

Thanks for reading, and if you still like it, feel free to click the green button below. And, as always, if you have questions, feel free to ask.