Hello! How are you all doing! Good I hope! I have here is the 10 chapter of the Untold Prophecy! I know it has been months since this story was updated, but there were other things that needed attention. With that said, I this story will be updated from here on out with the others. I know some of you are not pleased with some things but do know that you will love the paths this story will take. I hope you enjoy this chapter, bye!
Two Years Later, 22 BBY
Naruto Uzumaki was known for being energetic and having a happy-go-lucky type of attitude. However, the blond had changed over the past couple of years. He'd become a good deal colder, not too willing to mingle with his fellow Jedi, other than those he already knew. He had become uninterested in many things and had become more subdued. Naruto seemed to have finally learned the ways of the Jedi by becoming emotionally detached, but to some this was a concern.
"He's at it again. I see." Master Plo Koon spoke as he stroked his mask, watching his old Padawan duel once again with Siri. His movements ruthless and faster than thought, the luminous whirl of his blade was almost blinding to Siri, who was having a hard time at keeping up with his mad, relentless assault.
"Hmmm, strong he is, but sense something wrong, I do…" Master Yoda said as Plo Koon nodded. Naruto's change of attitude was quite concerning to the two, more so to Plo Koon, who saw Naruto as a son he never had.
"I need to go faster…once I'm able to overwhelm her defenses with raw speed, then I can practice on getting my technique up to par." Naruto thought as he quickly brought his saber down for a strike, or rather five, before quickly ducked down to avoid Siri's own saber. Using that opportunity, he kicked Siri in the leg, causing her to fall, but not before she used the Force to regain her balance and kicked him away with her other leg.
"Wow, calm down will ya?" Siri questioned as Naruto simple stood up, saber in hand as he dusted away some dirt as he deactivated his saber, his mind was somewhere else right now. Siri frowned as she deactivated her saber, watching him leave. She gritted her teeth as she followed him. "Why is he becoming such an ass?"
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" She questioned as she caught up to him. Naruto grunted as he kept on walking.
"Nothing's wrong with me." Naruto answered as Siri rolled her eyes, that was a lie.
"Really? Because what I saw back there was not the Naruto I have known. While fast and strong, your strikes were sloppy. Something is definitely wrong." Siri stated as she walked besides him as the two walked through the hallways. Naruto rolled his eyes as he suddenly stopped and looked back at her.
"I'm fine, Siri. Just a little tired, is all." Naruto answered as he turned to corner, leaving standing in the hall, a redness on her furled brow as she brought her hands up to her heart.
"You're not fine…Why did you start lying to me?" She whispered. Something was wrong with him, and she would find out, one way or another.
With Master Yoda and Plo Koon
"Uncertain, his future is." Yoda stated as Plo Koon sighed.
"I was under the impression that it was always uncertain." Plo Koon countered as Yoda hummed. The fox creature within his seal was a mysterious creature, that was seemingly powerful in the dark side. What little bit of its power Naruto had used in the past sent shivers down Master Yoda's spine.
"Responsible, the fox might be." Yoda suggested, stating that the Kyuubi might be the reason behind Naruto's sudden change in attitude. Plo Koon hummed as he wondered if that was the case.
"The beast does give off hate, more hate than that of a Sith." Plo Koon responded. When Naruto had used the fox's power in the past, Jedi more attuned to the Force had been able to feel its hate throughout the galaxy, yet surprisingly, they didn't feel any foul or evil element within the fox as well.
"But?" Master Yoda questioned Plo Koon, who frowned a bit.
"The fox is a being made up of Chakra. Like the Force, it is alive, but also like the Force, it is a construct of an energy. I could not feel the Darkness, one that would be associated with the Dark Side, within the Kyuubi, only hate. As such, I believe that the Kyuubi isn't necessarily a being of evil, but anger. The dark side utilizes anger but anger itself isn't the dark side." Plo Koon answered as Yoda hummed. It was a sound argument, but if that was the case, then why had Naruto's attitude changed so drastically?
"Hmmm, meditate on this, I feel I must." Yoda said as Plo Koon nodded, watching the Grand Master hobble off to his quarters, leaving Plo Koon to his own devices.
With Naruto
Naruto sighed as he entered his room, which was spartan other than a few pictures. Walking into it, he felt a familiar tug at his mind. Wasting little time, he sat down in the center and closed his eyes as he began to do some breathing exercises, and the world around him suddenly grew cold, damp, and dark.
"What do you want, fox?" Naruto spoke to the large fox that appeared before him in his sewer-like mindscape.
"You have been harmed…" He heard someone whisper in a chilling voice. It was a soothing voice, but at the same time it sounded deadly.
"No... I'm perfectly fine." Naruto grumbled as the voice chuckled, causing Naruto to frown.
"Oh, but you're not. There is so much…anger in you…" The voice spoke as Naruto's frown grew.
"Shut up, Kurama." Naruto grit the last word through his teeth, this time causing the voice to growl back at hearing his name. Naruto's surroundings began to change as he opened his eyes, finding himself in a room…her room. In it, he could see himself and her, arguing.
"What do you mean, Padme? Breaking up?" Naruto questioned as she frowned.
"Naruto…we are two different people from two different worlds. You're a Jedi, attachments are forbidden within the Order. A-and I'm a Senator, it could harm both of us if were found out. Think of the political ramifications if the public were to know." She answered as Naruto frowned at her reasoning.
"This is about the Order? You already know how I feel about that rule and so what if the public were to know? Aren't we enough? I care about you too much to care about other stuff like that." Naruto questioned as he hugged the woman, who in turn pushed him away.
"No Naruto, it just... it can't work. My terms as a senator are limited. Eventually my income will disappear, and we'll have nothing to live on. And if the Jedi will expel you from the Order, then your dream will be just that, a dream." She spoke, turning around. Naruto's hands formed into a fist as he turned and began to leave.
"So be it…Senator…" Naruto spoke as he left in anger and tears.
"I'm over that, you stupid fox…" Naruto spoke as he watched the whole event play out, like it was a movie. However, the voice chuckled at his response.
"Oh really? Then why does your heartache at the mere mention of her? Why is there still anger? Resentment? Your spars with that sister of yours have grown laughable. Just when I thought you might be a capable fighter." The voice questioned as Naruto narrowed his eyes, now he knew what this was.
"You cannot lure me like you have lured so many." Naruto stated as the voice continued to chuckle.
"I do not need to lure you, Naruto, you will come to me, willingly. If you continue on this path, you will fall to the Dark Side, and it will be all the easier for me to break free." The voice whispered before Naruto's eyes shot open, finding himself back in his room. He sighed as he stood up and began to head out to clear his mind.
"Bah, why do you even miss that wench?" He heard a voice in his head as he sighed once more.
"She was my first love…" Naruto thought as the voice in his head scoffed.
"First love? She betrayed you if you didn't notice. Besides, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. Literally. You could find some nice Quarren girl and-" The voice in his head stated as Naruto cut him off in annoyance.
"Enough. Why are you even talking to me? Shouldn't you be sleeping? Or telling me how you're going to escape and go on a rampage against everyone?" Naruto questioned the voice in his head. Why was the fox getting so…chatty these days?
"You are my container, and I will not have container become a lovesick fool. Before that woman, you were a powerful warrior! People feared you!" The fox answered as Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Only Bounty Hunters." Naruto reasoned as he kept walking aimlessly around the temple, like he had no purpose or destination.
"Be that as it maybe, you're still a powerful warrior. And now? Now you almost lose to your sister! You have grown weak, weaker than even those foolish shinobi back home. You keep lying to yourself saying that you're just trying to speed up your technique, but we both know that isn't the reason you lost today." The fox said with a chuckle as Naruto frowned. Home…he had never considered his homeworld as a home. The temple had been more of a home to him then that village. The Jedi were more of a family to him then the people back him, and that was saying a lot given that Jedi's rarely, if at all, form attachments.
"Whatever. I'm not about to fall to pieces or anything over that damn woman" Naruto stated as he kept on walking. Maybe he should visit Master Yoda for some missions?
"Master Uzumaki, the council has summoned you." Naruto was broken out of his thoughts as he turned to face a Temple Guard, who simple turned around and began to leave once the message was delivered. Naruto nodded to the retreating guard as he began to head to the council chambers, wondering what exactly the council had summoned him for.
A Few Minutes Later
Naruto entered the chambers and quickly looked around, spotting the council members present, spotting his former Masters sitting in their chairs as well. In the center, was Kenobi, and his Padawan Skywalker. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he walked up to the middle and bowed slightly.
"I was told that the council summoned me?" Naruto questioned as Master Yoda nodded.
"Summoned you, we have." Yoda answered as Naruto stood in attention, hands behind his back as he switched into a more professional stance. Those Masters who had trained him frowned slightly at his behavior. A few years ago, they would have been pleased with his discipline, however, after they had understood him thought training him, they had realized that Naruto's strength derived from his emotions. An oddity considering that emotions lead to the Dark Side, yet Naruto seemed to be an exception to that. In-fact, it seemed to be the exact opposite for the blond. The more reclusive he became, the chances of him falling to the Dark Side increased. The blond thrived on emotions, taking them away would destroy him.
"Senator Amidala of Naboo was recently targeted in an attack, thankfully, only her bodyguards and her double were killed in the attack." Mace Windu began as a stinging sensation coursed through Naruto. He frowned and did his best to quash the brief moment of heartache. Another attack? A few other Senators had also been targeted, but now Padme? And why Padme of all people.
"Do we know who it is that's behind all of it?" Anakin questioned, hiding his worry for the Senator as Mace Windu shook his head.
"No, however, these attackers are getting bolder by the day. At first, they were discreet, but now they attack are becoming more open and violent." Kit Fisto answered as Plo Koon stroked his mask.
"Senator Amidala has led the opposition to the creation of an army to oppose the Separatist alliance." Plo Koon stated as Naruto frowned.
"Do you think Count Dooku is behind this attack?" Anakin questioned the council, while Kenobi sighed at Anakin's questioning.
"No, Dooku was once an esteemed Jedi. He mentored Kenobi's master, and killing in such underhanded way is not in his character. Not to mention why would he kill the most moderate senator of the bunch. If Padme dies, war won't follow much later." Naruto countered as the others nodded.
"Well spoken, Uzumaki, but unfortunately the Senator agrees that Count Dooku is the culprit. At this present moment, we cannot confirm these suspicions, however, it has come to our attention that the Senator would require more protection, the Order's protection." Mace stated as Anakin stepped forward.
"Then allow Master Obi-Wan and I to pursue her assassins while we also continue protect her." Anakin requested as Yoda hummed.
"No", Master Windu cut in. "You are to protect the senator from further attacks and nothing more." Mace seemed very adamant about Anakin not getting involved with the pursuit.
"Why?" Anakin's retort was unexpected and laced with venom, abruptly bringing the attention of the shocked Jedi Masters to him. "Protection is a job for local security, not Jedi. Why assign Jedi to protect her if not to find out who's trying to killer. Master Uzumaki was allowed to pursue them in the past. Eight years ago, when the Federation plotted another assassination attempt, if I remember correctly."
"Hmmm, a point you raise, Skywalker. Excessive, the protection of two Jedi may be. Nevertheless, Master Naruto has protected very valuable clients from far greater danger. I fear his skill, required may be, to protect young Senator Amidala, from these unknown threats." Yoda started, hinting to Naruto's past in dealing with these types of assignments. Naruto hearing this perked up, maybe this mission would allow him and Padme to reconnect.
"Agreed, Naruto would be more useful in finding the assassin. He has quite the record with the tracking down those who attempt the murder of Senators. I am sure you recall his actions on Pantora?" Master Rancisis stated in uncharacteristic confidence for the blond, as the others weighed their options. Naruto, on the other hand, seethed silently. Being reminded of Pantora reminded him of that bounty hunter. He'd met him only a couple of times since, but each encounter was a grating reminder of his biggest failure. He would defeat that bounty hunter, someday.
"Then Skywalker should continue as the Senator's bodyguard, with Master Kenobi's help. Naruto, you are to track the would-be killers." Shaak Ti proposed a Mace Windu nodded.
"Yes, with three well-trained Jedi, these assassins will be brought to justice swiftly." Mace Windu stated as the meeting was called to an end as Naruto bowed and turned to leave. Kenobi and Skywalker followed shortly after once Naruto had left. Naruto quickly made his way to his quarters and quickly grabbed whatever he needed and turned to leave. His mission had already begun.
A Few Days later
Naruto looked through the macrobinoculars as he spied on Padme's quarters from afar. He had set himself up in a nearby building in-order to have a vantage point on his targets. He knew that the only way to catch the killer would be in action. If his hunch was true, then the ones who wanted Padme would use a Bounty Hunter this time. He sighed as he set the macrobinoculars down and drank some water.
"Why did you end it?" Naruto whispered sadly. He had been deeply hurt by Padme's decision to end their relation. He had shared many things with her, some of his secrets as well. He only wished that he could rekindle that spark the two had. However, he had his concerns, mainly, Anakin Skywalker. He had started to believe that it was Skywalker who was the cause of his and Padme's breakup, but he had no proof, so it was just him blaming others. He shook his head as he turned his attention back to his mission.
"Who would want to kill Padme? Or any one of the moderates even?" Naruto questioned. The opposition to an army for the Republic was quite large as they thought that using violence against the Separatist Alliance would only push the Separatists to use violence themselves, escalating the situation to a full-blown war. He sighed, even though he understood politics, he found them utterly frustrating. Why couldn't just deal with the problem rather than beating around the bushes. His eyes widened as he turned his head slightly left as a blaster bolt shot past him. Quickly turning around, he activated his saber, looking up at his would-be-killer with narrowed eyes. His assailant was clad in a shiny silver armor that he had come to know quite well; Mandalorian.
Thinking quickly, Naruto used the Force and leaped into the air with great speed, fast enough to reach the level the Mandalorian was positioned. As soon as he landed, Naruto charged forward, his saber at the ready to attack, however, as he got close, the Mandalorian quickly side stepped at the last second, causing Naruto to miss his target, but Naruto himself quickly turned to face the Mandalorian, sending a brutal punch right into the abdomen. The armor plating cracked as the Mandalorian was sent flying back, but not before Naruto quickly used the Force and pulled the Mandalorian right back towards him, catching the Mandalorian by the neck with his hand. Naruto glared hard at the Mandalorian, who was gasping for air.
"Who hired you?" Naruto questioned as he loosened his grip a bit, but the Mandalorian refused to answer. Naruto growled as he walked to the end of the building and with his free hand he destroyed the jetpack that the Mandalorian warrior was equipped with.
"I said; who hired you?" Naruto questioned, hanging the Mandalorian off the edge of the building, who clawed at Naruto's hand, which only served to irate Naruto, who was already pretty mad. It seemed like he still cared for Padme and he would catch her those who wanted her dead.
"D-D…" The Mandalorian started as Naruto loosened his grip once more.
"Speak." Naruto stated as the Mandalorian took in some air before speaking again.
"D-Death W-Watch." The Mandalorian answered as Naruto frowned. Death Watch…he had never heard of an organization like that before. However, that was beside the point. He would find this organization and hunt them down.
"L-Let me go." The Mandalorian spoke as Naruto turned his attention back to the Mandalorian warrior, thinking over what he should do. A smirk formed on his face as his eyes for a brief moment flashed yellow.
"Let you go? Ok." Naruto answered as he let the Mandalorian fall down three stories onto a balcony below. Without even making sure the man had survived the fall, Naruto turned and began to head to his airspeeder he had parked nearby. He needed to get some information, and if Mandalorians bounty hunters were after him, he knew he had to go to the source. Down below, the silver-clad Mandalorian grunted in pain as he stood up and activated his holocommunicator.
"This is Jango Fett, Uzumaki's taken the bait, you're clear Zam." said the bounty hunter. He quickly cut the communication after hearing Zam's confirmation on the other end and began a new transmission to another figure. This time, it was audio only.
"Lord Tyranus, I've sent Uzumaki on his wild nerf chase and Zam is moving in for the kill now. The Senator is defenseless. This mission is all but complete." Jango said to his mysterious employer.
"Excellent work, Jango. Uzumaki will find his way to me, in time. With any luck, he'll play into our hands just as he did on Pantora." the man known only as Tyranus spoke with a deep voice. "I must thank you again for lending me that armor again, it was a most effective disguise. Observe the situation until the mission is complete, if there are any complications, be sure to kill that partner of yours. We can't afford to have any loose ends."
"Yes, sir. Oh, and that armor was no big deal. I like the kid. Let him keep it, will ya?" Jango requested of his enigmatic benefactor.
"I'll give it a thought. Tyranus out." And with that, the transmission cut, and Jango gave a smirk. That Mandalorian kid he found over half a decade ago had certainly become one hell of a bounty hunter under Jango's tutelage. He didn't even need much training. Even if the kid didn't speak a lick of basic.
With Padme, A Few Minutes Later
It had been a stressful few days for Padme, and even more stressful few years. After she had broken things off with Naruto, the guilt had eaten her from the inside. She had felt guilt about her actions, but she knew she couldn't undo what she had done, and this in-turn caused a rift between her and Anakin. However, now here was Anakin once again, assigned as her bodyguard after the attack on her.
"Are you ok?" Anakin questioned as he quickly looked out the shattered window. Just a few minutes ago, Padme was sleeping peacefully, while Anakin and Obi-Wan were talking outside. However, they had sensed something off and quickly rushed inside, with Anakin leaping in action and kill the odd worm like creatures near Padme on her bed, causing Padme to wake up startled, with Anakin sitting in her bed. She had quickly caught a glimpse of Obi-Wan jumping out of the window, grabbing onto something.
"Stay here, I'll go after Obi-Wan." Anakin said as he ran out to find the speeder and quickly went after Obi-Wan. The two were hot on the trail of the killer.
With Naruto, A Couple Days Later
Naruto's starfighter jumped out of hyperspace, Mandalore in his sights. Naruto smiled slightly, it had been years since he had been to Mandalore. The last time he was here, it was in a state of civil war, but now it was in a state of peace. His smile quickly receded as he guided the ship towards the capital of Mandalore.
"R7, got anything on the scanners?" Naruto questioned the astromech unit beeped, giving Naruto the answer. Naruto nodded at the answer, nothing. It seemed like everything was fine so far. He quickly gently landed the pilot on one of the landing pads. As he did so, security guards quickly approached his ship as he exited.
"Halt, state your business stranger." One of the guards questioned as Naruto bowed slightly, showing he had no intentions of fighting.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Jedi Knight of the Republic. I'm here on official business." Naruto spoke as the guards look to one another in surprise as one of them walked up, it was clear that he was the leader of the small squad.
"You're the Naruto Uzumaki?" He questioned as Naruto blinked and nodded. The guards cheered slightly, surprising Naruto even further.
"Uh…am I missing something?" Naruto questioned as the squad leader chuckled a bit.
"Sorry, but you're a bit of a hero here on Mandalore." He answered, once more surprising Naruto for the third time.
"What?" Naruto questioned the man.
"Your actions were quite well known during the civil war. Compared to the other Jedi, you made quite the impression on the people of Mandalore." One of the guards answered as Naruto chuckled nervously.
"Well, I wasn't that great…" Naruto whispered as the squad leader of the guard chuckled.
"Nonsense! You were just a child back then, and you showed the greatest of fighting spirit. Your actions spoke for themselves. I heard from a few veterans how a ten-year-old kid used to lead entire battalions to sabotage enemy fortifications, despite your mission being only to defend." The squad leader stated as Naruto chuckled, those veterans must have been pulling his leg. He'd been part of a few attacks, sure, but he never had more than as an escort to the Duchess or her family.
"I would like to clear up a few things about the past, but I'm here on official business. I need to speak with the Duchess quickly." Naruto said as the squad leader of the group nodded and directed him to a small speeder. Hoping on board, Naruto observed the city as he was lead to the palace where the Duchess was located.
"Last time I was here, this city was a warzone." Naruto commented as the guard nodded.
"Indeed, but thanks to the Duchess, we were able to restore order and rebuild in no time." The guard responded as Naruto hummed over that information.
"Well, she was quite the charismatic leader as far as I can remember." Naruto add as the guard nodded as the transport stopped at the royal palace, where the Duchess was located. As he did so, he noticed that there was much in terms of security, other than the guards, but they weren't all that well armed if there was a serious attack. Entering the palace building, he recognized someone from the past.
"Captain Mikehl Sunn...?" Naruto questioned as the man slightly bowed to the blond Jedi.
"It's Director Mikehl Sunn now. I'm the Duchess' new head of Public Safety." Sunn corrected him as Naruto's eyes blinked, by the Force how time flies.
"I guess you got promoted to a desk job." Naruto informed him as the man grunted and rolled his eyes, acting as if he hated the job.
"Follow me, the Duchess was informed of your arrival." Sunn stated as Naruto raised an eyebrow. Naruto silently began to follow the advisor to where the Duchess was located. Entering the chambers, Naruto spotted Satine, sitting in her chair at the far end of the room.
"Mater Naruto Uzumaki, Jedi Knight of the Republic." Sunn announced as Naruto bowed before he walked up to the frowning Satine.
"Duchess." Naruto greeted with a bow as Satine raised her right hand, silencing Naruto before he could go any further.
"What is the reason for the Jedi Order to send a Jedi to Mandalore? More specifically, why you?" She questioned with harsh vitriol as Naruto raised an eyebrow, he expected many different things, but not one of them was her being this hostile.
"Whoa, Satine. What's with the third degree? Have you forgotten how I helped you? Your people?" Naruto questioned, trying to find out why she was so angry.
"I am the Duchess of Mandalore and you will address me as such. Nonetheless, I have not forgotten what you did for Mandalore, but Mandalore is a neutral system. We want nothing to do with the squabbles between the Republic or the so-called Separatist Alliance." She answered, but he knew that there was something else other than maintaining Mandalore's neutrality.
"Oh, so that's what it is. No, Satine, I'm not here for the reasons you assume. No, I am here because the life of one Senator Padme Amidala is in danger, along with many of the opposition party." Naruto answered as Satine frowned, Padme was an old friend of her. Not only that, but Naboo and Mandalore had close business ties.
"And for what reason does your visit here help her?" Satine questioned, wondering why exactly he was here. Her initial thoughts were that he was here for Bo. He had caused enough damage to her younger sister. She had already left Mandalore a few years ago.
"I was instructed by the council to investigate and pursue her, I came under attack from an assassin, one who was no doubt targeting Senator Amidala. I confronted the assassin, who wore Mandalorian armor and used weapons of Mandalorian origin." Naruto answered as Satine narrowed her eyes.
"So, you believe that Mandalore, that I, would send out an assassin to kill a close friend of mine?" Satine questioned, how dare he accuse her of something like that! Naruto, however, sweat dropped at her jumping to assumptions with reckless abandon.
"N-No…I'm here because when I asked the Mandalorian who hired him, he gave me a name that I can't make sense of." Naruto stated, causing the Duchess to halt her anger as she raised an eyebrow. Maybe it wasn't the worst-case scenario she was thinking off.
"And the name?" She questioned, not knowing she was about to get a massive headache.
"Death Watch." Naruto answered as Satine's eyes widened. This was possible one of the worst-case scenarios she was thinking off.
"Are you sure?" She questioned him with seriousness as Naruto nodded, already learning the fact that Satine knew something.
"And judging from your reaction, you definitely know something." Naruto stated as Satine kept quite before she sighed. There was no point in avoiding the question. If Naruto was the same as he was all those years ago, he would see his task through to the end.
"Death Watch…they are an extremist organization that wants Mandalore to return to the old ways, they want Mandalore to embrace its warrior past. It's past of ceaseless war and violence." Satine answered as Naruto frowned at that.
"So, this is some sort of splinter group that formed after the civil war?" Naruto questioned, wondering if all that work he did all those years ago was a waste. Regardless, he had a task, one which he considered the most important one in his life right now.
"No, they aren't a splinter group. When the civil war ended, Mandalore was in a state of peace, but some didn't like it. They wanted me to sanction a military for Mandalore, along with a navy to go along with it. However, I denied their request, stating that it would only lead to violence in the future. Apparently, they took that as a sign that I want to erase the history of warrior's past, which I do not, but I will not rearm Mandalore." Satine stated. To remain true to Mandalore's neutrality and pacifistic ways, she would not allow the creation of an army or a navy.
"I see, and do you know where they are located?" Naruto questioned. If Satine knew this much, she at least might have some information regarding their movements.
"Sadly, I do not know much about their movements. However, Sunn can help you with that." Satine stated, motioning towards Sunn, who nodded with a determined look as he stepped forward.
"Our intelligence tracked some unregistered vessels entering and leaving the system. We lose them shortly after but judging from calculated hyperspace vectors and the orientation of the ships, we suspect that the point of destination is Concordia." Sunn answered as Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"How do you lose track of ships within your own system?" Naruto questioned as Sunn suppressed a growl.
"Mandalore doesn't have a Navy to properly enforce our own borders. Not only that, but it seems like some of the data is being erased from the records." Sunn answered as Naruto hummed.
"So, there's a spy in your midst, huh?" Naruto commented as he began to walk out.
"Where are you going?" Satine questioned as Naruto turned to look at her.
"Concordia, obviously. To find Death Watch. Also, I really suggest you invest in a Navy. I know you're a pacifist and all, and that's a noble aspiration, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be prepared to protect yourselves. Even Jedi carry a lightsaber, and sometimes to preserve peace you must be willing to fight." Naruto's words cut deep and Satine was broiling. How dare he, a Jedi, question her methods? Naruto left immediately after that, leaving her unable to formulate an angry response. Yet she was also brooding. The situation was growing quite dire, with nearly ten thousand systems having left the Republic, they posed a serious threat to galactic peace.
"If this situation with the Separatist Alliance continues to escalate, we might be facing all-out galactic war. We need to make sure our borders are safe from the likes of pirates and vagabonds. Or at least who be able to know who travels in and out of the system. Death Watch may seek outside help in overthrowing you, Duchess" Minister Mikehl Sunn wasted no time in exploiting the Duchess' mixed feelings. A stronger Navy would give him more power in the cabinet, which he could use to convince the Duchess to allow for an even bigger military. He had not fought for Mandalore to simply watch it go down in flames barely a decade later.
With Naruto
Naruto sighed as he entered his starfighter. His astromech beeped angrily.
"Yeah yeah, sorry for being late." Naruto said to the astromech unit as he slowly took the star fighter up and headed towards the Moon of Mandalore; Concordia. Concordia was once filled with rolling forests, however, excessive mining led to deforestation to supply the Mandalorian War machines in the past. However, under the Duchess decree, mining was forbidden on Concordia.
"That Mandalorians armor looked shiny…it was new armor. Expensive armor." Naruto thought over the little details. The mines of Concordia might not be as abandoned as people assumed. Gently landing his fighter, he began to head out into the forests of Concordia.
With the Council
"It seems that a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter by the name of Jango Fett was hired to kill the Senator." Mace Windu said as the council had gathered quickly after Kenobi had sent a message from a far-off system called Kamino. Actually, the most interesting thing was that the systems location and information was purged from the Jedi Archives, which was quite vast mind you.
"And where is Naruto in this?" Plo Koon questioned. For some reason, all communication with Naruto was been blocked, and as such they had no idea where he was.
"From what we know, Naruto's last report stated that he was on a lead to an organization that had sent an assassin to kill the Senator." Shaak Ti answered as Mace Windu narrowed his eyes.
"Did he state the name of this organization?" Windu questioned as Shaak Ti nodded.
"Naruto's report talked about an Mandalorian armor assassin, who only gave the name Death Watch." Shaak Ti stated before Windu raised an eyebrow, that was a…creative name.
"And what happened to the assassin?" Mundi questioned as Shaak Ti thought over her answer, conflicted on what she should say, but alas, she spoke the truth.
"He didn't say." She answered as much of the council looked at her, befuddled.
"Are you sure he didn't?" Plo Koon questioned. This was quite worrying as Naruto knew what the orders were; to bring in any suspects for questioning unless the situation went south. Naruto had subdued the suspect and just left him? It was concerning.
"We will talk about this to Uzumaki once he's back, but for now, we need to deal with our current situation." Windu spoke. Their current situation was quite unique. The Senator was sent back to her home planet of Naboo with Anakin as her guard undercover, Obi Wan had just discovered the assassin, bounty hunter or whatever on a far-off system called Kamino. Not only that, but an army of Clones was discovered by Kenobi, with the Kaminoans saying that the order for an army was put down by Master Sifo-Dyas on the behalf of the council. The only problem? The Order had never authorized such a deal to go through. And then there was Naruto, who's current location was unknown.
"Clouded by the Dark Side, the future is." Master Yoda spoke up as everyone turned to him. He had kept quiet for the most part, soaking in the information that was being thrown out, all of it disturbing him.
"Contact Obi-Wan, we must. To know his progress." Yoda advised. For now, they would get a hold of Obi-Wan and his progress regarding his mission. After that they would decide on what to do.
"I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi." Windu said as everyone looked at him with grim agreement. Yoda frowned at that. There was something off about the whole thing. Why did Sifo-Dyas put an order for a Clone Army? Why wasn't the council informed about this army earlier? On top of this, Sifo-Dyas' death itself was quite mysterious. If Obi-Wan's hunch was right, however. They would need this army now more than ever.
"Go to Kamino, I will." Yoda said as everyone nodded.
"Now then, how do we get ahold of Master Uzumaki? I fear that he might he heading into a trap." Mace Windu questioned. This whole thing reeked like a trap, and Naruto's foresight as of late was lacking. Obi-Wan was onto a solid lead, but Naruto? Naruto was after a name. Not only that, but not even a person, but an organization from the sounds of it. What did Death Watch have to achieve by targeting the Senator? The Separatists had more motives then this unknown organization, whose motives remained unknown.
"Naruto will turn up soon. Trap or not, he's not so easily bamboozled." Kit Fisto answered as many of those who trained Naruto nodded. The young man was strong with the Force and even his own energy source was quite powerful in its own ways. Seeing that the majority had faith in Naruto, the council had come to a session as preparations needed to be made.
Concordia
"Abandoned…yeah right, the Temple library is more abandoned then this." Naruto whispered as he walked through a supposedly abandoned mine, which looked more like a factory with all the weapons, and armor laying around. A while ago, he had stumbled upon a supposed abandoned mine, which had a few speeder bikes parked outside of it. Knowing that something wasn't right, Naruto ventured off into the mine and discovered it to be in very good condition, odd for a mine that was abandoned years ago.
"Something isn't right here…" Naruto frowned as he observed the armor, made from Mandalorian steel. Approaching some of the weapons, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at the thermal detonator, which was active…and primed.
"Oh sh -" Naruto didn't get to finish his curse as he was blown back by the explosive force of the detonator and slammed into one of the machines. He was lucky that he wasn't burned by the explosive weapon.
"So, you survived? Matters not, you die here Jedi!" He heard a voice, muffled by a helmet, before he began to hear the roar of jetpacks descending all around him. Relying on his force senses completely, Naruto ducked to avoid being decapitated. Thinking quickly, he kicked the offending Mandalorian right in the knee cap, causing the man to scream before Naruto activated his saber and slashed it along the man's chest, causing him to fall back, dead.
"You must be Death Watch." Naruto spoke as he stood up and got into his stance, looking around at the Mandalorian warriors before him and then to the one he had killed. He heard chuckling as he spotted one Mandalorian whose armor was of different coloring.
"Yes, we are Death Watch, however, that information will die with you." The obvious leader of the group stated as Naruto narrowed his eyes, his saber at the ready, while his free hand hovered over his blaster, it was time to put his skills with the blaster to use.
"Then come at me." Naruto stated as four Mandalorians charged at him and began to fire their blasters as Naruto deflected most of them back, but the Mandalorians were able to dodge them. Seeing that blasters weren't going to work, they got closer, close enough to engage in close quarters combat.
"You guys aren't very bright, are you?" Naruto said rather coldly as he leaned back to dodge a punch, before he quickly sidestepped to dodge a vibroblade. Quickly bringing the saber behind him, parallel to his body, he blocked an attack from behind. Seeing two Mandalorians before him, he quickly raised his blaster and fired at the two, killing them instantly. He wasted no time as he spun around another attacker and brought down his saber, striking at the Mandalorians jetpack, causing the said warrior to fly off and hitting the ceiling. He then turned his attention to the six other Mandalorians not yet incapacitated. Their leader gave a fierce scowl that went unseen underneath his helmet.
"For what purpose did you attack the Senator?" Naruto questioned. He needed answers, and a dead body can't give you answers. The Mandalorian chuckled as Naruto frowned. The man had just lost three of his warriors and he just chuckles?
"I don't know what you're talking about. We never attacked no senator" The Mandalorian answered as Naruto blinked. He had expected something like revenge, orders, or something along those lines. He didn't expect him to straight up deny it.
"Your lying." Naruto questioned the man, who froze for a second and brought his hand up to his helmet's side, a transmitter. The man nodded before he signaled to the others.
"Know this Jedi, Mandalore will rise again, and the Duchess will not be able to stop the resurrection of the true Mandalore!" The man yelled before he pressed a detonator, causing smoke to fill the whole underground facility. Naruto made a move to attack but saw that his saber had hit nothing. As the smoke subsided, he saw that he whole area empty.
"Damn!" He growled. They had gotten away! He would have looked around more in-order to pursue them, but he began to hear beeping sounds all over the facility. Looking up at the ceiling, he saw thermal detonators…lots and lots of thermal detonators. He quickly turned and ran, heading out of the facility as explosions rocked the whole underground mine. He crushed as saw the exit to the mine starting to collapse.
"Oh no, I am not dying to a cave in." Naruto whispered as he brought his right hand back as he neared the exit and just before he was a few feet from it he shot the hand towards the exit with was starting to cave in. This caused the rocks blocking the exit to be thrown out of the exit, clearing the path as Naruto shot out of the tunnel just before it all collapsed behind him. The instant he let up on his Force senses, he stumbled over a rock and tripped head over ass.
"Double damn…" Naruto groaned out as he righted himself and turned to look at the collapsed mine. Sighing, he decided that it was time to head back and report to the council since he had lost the lead on the Mandalorians warriors by alerting them. They would go further into hiding now that they knew that they were being pursued. Beginning the long trek back to his Delta-7 aethersprite, only to find the astromech unit beeping like crazy.
"What do you mean that the Order has tried to reach me five times?" Naruto questioned the astromech, who in turn just beeped. Naruto groaned as he boarded his fighter and brought up the communications systems.
"This is Jedi Knight Naruto Uzumaki, come in." Naruto spoke through his on-board communicator. No response. Frowning, he took notice that the systems had been sabotaged, prevent any sort of communications from being received, but also made to make sure it seemed like it was working on his side.
"And you just now noticed this?" Naruto questioned as the Astromech unit beeped a few more times as Naruto sighed. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the blasted Droid to fix part of the communications array, and a holorecording of one Mace Windu appeared before him, and he was less than pleased.
"Master Uzumaki, you are requested to return to the Temple. Your mission to pursue the Senator's assassins is put on indefinite hold. We need you back here. Immediately. Please respond." Master Windu ordered before the transmission was cut. Naruto blinked before his face furled into a look that was part disgust, part amazement.
"Oh, hey there Naruto. We tried to reach you five times. Are you okay?" Naruto mocked, briefly wondering if there was any concern for others in Mace Windu at all. Pressing a few buttons, he took the fighter up, heading back to the temple.
So? What yh think? Good? Bad? Leave a review! They always help me and my beta writer/reader to fix things, come up with ideas and more! Well, see you all next time! Bye!