AN: I don't own Naruto or Star Wars. Just the ideas and a few OC's that allow me to have fun with this story.

Travelling to the Chommell sector was almost peaceful and quiet, after all hyperspace a rather quiet place. For those who could find something to do in their spare time, it was much less so.

An'ya Kuro knew of many things that could be done while traveling through hyperspace. She'd been able to concoct several different methods during her training of Jon Antilles, and as such was always ready with several simple items that she could move between areas so as to keep her students occupied. There were so many different possibilities for her to use after all, and with what she'd seen of Naruto, she'd need to bring things he wouldn't expect.

"Yeowch!" She could hear his cry of pain but ignored it silently as she looked over the information she had for their mission.

There was something going on that the security of the planet had been unable to locate as of yet, but had seemed relatively harmless up until someone had been killed. Then things had escalated quite a bit, though there was still no progress made in favor of their security forces. Not wanting to risk it, they'd requested assistance from the Jedi, though it wasn't all that urgent that anyone would take it right away under normal circumstances. Under those same circumstances whatever was going on would go unchecked and possibly disastrous.

"I can't even – ow! Stop that!"

She wasn't that sort of person though. While looking for a possible mission to start Naruto on, she'd felt something about this mission was necessary for the two of them, and deemed it necessary to take care of as soon as possible. There were a few others they'd attempt to take afterwards, depending on time, but it was more than likely they'd be forced to return to the Temple first and foremost to report in when all she really wanted and needed was to continue following the guidance of the Force to continue educating Naruto.

"I will end you!"

Of course, it couldn't just be that simple either. Someone was doing something on the planet, and if they had gone to the extent that they were willing to kill to hide it, even if only one person, that was still too much as it was. Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, she considered meditation instead, needing to delve a bit into the Force to assist her in finding out what to look for.

"You evil metal beasts, I'll break you to pieces!"

Deciding she'd finally had enough of his shouting, she turned in her chair and headed to the main area, making sure to keep just out of the main area to prevent the floating training sphere's from targeting her.

Naruto had only gone through space travel once before; when she'd brought him to Coruscant. As such, he'd been unprepared for the cabin fever effect to take hold of him, and had been getting rather stir crazy. In terms of time between Coruscant and the Chommell System, it wasn't all that long, but to make certain he was kept with something to keep his mind on, she'd offered to begin training now. He, naively, agreed straightaway.

Now, two days later, she finally decided he'd had enough. Though mainly it was due to the fact he was getting quite frustrated with how poorly he was able to dodge the orbiting devices, remembering all too well that they hurt. Seeing him look at her, he shakily gave her a thumbs up.

"And what have we learned from this experience Naruto?" Kuro asked, watching his eyes snap between each of the devices.

"Never forget your lightsaber…even if all you have is a training saber…" Naruto said, yelping once more as he was shot in the back of his knee by one that had gotten behind him.

Kuro nodded sharply, waving her hand to the droids to stop them. "Very good. Remember Naruto, a Jedi's lightsaber is more than just some blaster or other weapon. It's an extension of yourself, a part of you that you much take care of in the same way you must take care of yourself."

"But…what about the Force? Isn't that…like the Force?" Naruto asked, remaining in a defensive stance.

"In a way, yes. But the Force is to flow through you, and you guided by it. A lightsaber is given purpose by your actions, and as such is given purpose by the Force through you." Kuro knelt next to him, waiting patiently for Naruto to follow suit.

Naruto didn't catch on straight away, or perhaps was simply remaining obstinate. It wasn't the best trait for a Jedi, but then she didn't raise conventional Jedi. "Yeah, I remember something like that being taught during our training with the battlemaster. I still don't get it, but…eh, I'll figure it out."

"And if you don't, you will learn. The hard way if need be." Kuro said sharply, motioning to Naruto to show her his wounds. Slowly, he removed his shirt so that she could see the blaster marks underneath. Some of them were actually looking rather dark, likely from having been shot in the same spot multiple times. So he had holes in his defense. That was good to know. The others though, "Are you practiced in the art of Force Healing Naruto?"

"Huh?" Naruto glanced down at his injuries, noting that some of them had already vanished. "Uh, yeah little, but I'm not really any at it."

"…curious." She muttered softly, placing her hand on one of the larger marks. Closing her eyes, she channeled the Force into him and began working to repair the bruises so that he wouldn't be hindered by them. The smaller ones could stay as a silent reminded for him to learn to dodge next time.

Finishing up, she glanced to the cockpit and motioned Naruto to follow. Opening communication channels, she found her eyes darting across the world before her before determining where they needed to go. "Tower, this is the Dark Woman of the Jedi, requesting access to land."

There was a brief silence from the tower before they signaled back. "Roger that, the hanger has a spot prepared for you. Please send in your verification codes."

Quickly entering the codes into the panel, she hummed softly as she heard Naruto enter behind her.

"Whoa!" Naruto bounded up to the front, eyes wide as he took in the planet. "Is that where we're going?!"

"Yes Naruto. Welcome to Naboo."

Naruto took in the sight with silent awe. He'd never seen his home world from space, having been preoccupied with hiding from GH-7. While Coruscant was quite the sight to behold, each world had its own view, and personality, making the approach to each a different and unique experience. Naboo could be considered closer to what his homeworld looked like from space regardless, so if needed he could always use this as a reference point.

Hearing the buzz of the com signaling she'd been approved, she moved in to land. Naruto quickly hopped up on the seat next to her, strapping in and taking it all in. Seven years had passed since the last time he'd had this sight as well, and he relished it with the enthusiasm of an adrenaline junkie. Seeing the heat of the atmosphere as she flew down to the planet waiting below, feeling the subtle shakes as their descent drew them into the planets gravity; all of it made his emotions roll off in excited waves as he strained against his restraints to take it all in.

It took only minutes before they landed on the planet, but even as they landed Naruto was moving to see it all. The hanger bay was wide as it was tall, meant for even larger ships than their own to land and enter if they so choose. The nature of Naboo was to use only their own resources and create things that were unique to the universe around them rather than become industrialized much like many other planets had. As such, the archway that lead in, the walls around them, and many of the ships from Naboo were sights to behold and gave much for Naruto to see as he squirmed in place.

"How can he still have so much energy?" Kuro thought, watching as Naruto not only was capable of moving around fairly freely despite his injuries, but was even able to strain his neck to see over the console to see the few guardsmen who were approaching the ship. "Even after two days of training, he's still up and ready to go. Then again…he's more than likely using the Force to even keep him upright at the moment."

Reaching out through the Force, she sighed as she confirmed that her suspicions were correct; the Force was flowing through him, helping keep him with the energy he'd normally have otherwise, as well as keep him from thinking on his other needs. Which begged the question; how much did she need to put him through to make him fall to his limit?

Deciding that'd be an exercise for later, she moved to the doors with Naruto at her heels. Opening the ramp, she gave a slight bow to the men as she approached. They in turn gave small bows back. "Thank you for the assistance master Jedi. We know it's a longshot, but –"

"We were need here, and thus we came." Kuro said quickly, getting the man to stop sheepishly before she continued. "How has progress been on the subject?"

"Not that good. We've sent several landspeeders to the area where he was killed, but there's no sign of what killed him or of any disturbance besides what killed him. If anything it looks like he was killed at random rather than attacked for any purpose." The man pulled out a data card, quickly handing it over to her. "Regardless, we don't feel that's the case, and would appreciate any assistance you can provide us with."

Kuro hummed softly, plugging the chip into a projector. Her eyes reviewed the information quickly, noting the paths to the area, and noted one that stood out for being the most direct route. "Can you take me there? My padawan and I will resume matters at the site and see if we can bring up anything."

Glancing down to the young boy next to her, the man seemed hesitant to reply, but nodded nonetheless. "Of course. Please, this way."

x-=-x

"So, it's true that the Jedi take young children on their missions then?"

Kuro nodded, eyes in front as she continued to review the information over and over. She felt nothing from the Force, but keeping the information in mind for later purposes would allow her to access it so that losing it would be of no issue. "Only those that were assigned or asked to take a padawan learner. Naruto is mine, though he's still much to learn."

The young man nodded, glancing back quickly to where Naruto was. No longer needing to keep up his energy for the time being, he'd allowed himself to fall asleep in the back of the speeder. "…he's just a kid. You'd never imagine he'd one day grow up and become a Jedi like yourself."

"True, but then you never expected to join the Guard when you were at his age did you?"

"Well, it was part of our mandatory service. At that point in time, I wasn't cut out for the Legislative services, and…well I found myself more at ease thinking I was making some sort of difference in the world." The man said sheepishly, sounding rather embarrassed by his confession.

"…you'd likely get along with Naruto, if he still holds the same ideals that he held when I met him so long ago." Kuro said softly. Looking up from the display, she switched it off and focused on the landscapes changed. "Stop here."

"But we're almost there." The young man slowed the speeder to a halt, which awoke the sleepy Naruto in the back. "Why are we stopping?"

Kuro didn't bother asking, instead exiting the speeder and began looking around. Something about the area didn't feel right. It felt colder than the rest of the areas they'd gone through. More uncomfortable.

Naruto, rolled out of the speeder, still extraordinarily sleepy as he tried calling on the Force to help him focus. It didn't help that his stomach was growling heatedly for food as he stumbled behind her. "Master? What is it?"

"…I don't know." She replied honestly, eyes still searching through the trees for some sign of life or disturbance.

"Oh…okay." Naruto yawned widely, walking over to one of the nearby perlote trees. Stumbling around it, he hummed as he tried to get awake enough to assist with the investigation.

Stepping deftly into the swampy area, Kuro reached out to another tree and pressed her hand against it. Through the Force, she was able to connect with the tree, and soon with others in the area. Focusing further, she attempted to go as deeply into the swamp as the Force allowed her, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Feeling multiple presences around the area, she frowned took note of them, but determined that they were harmless.

After a few minutes, she finally found something of note. "Naruto, follow me."

Naruto's head snapped around to her, hand coming up in a salute almost instinctively. "Yes Master Kuro!" Struggling after her through some muck he'd gotten stuck in, he bounded after her. Coming up to a tree that she seemed to have a particular interest in, Naruto blinked in confusion. "What is it?"

"Here." She said, kneeling next to the base of the tree. Brushing her hand across the roots, she found that there was a burn mark against the base, and a hasty attempt to brush up the area near where she was kneeling.

"…did someone lay down here?" Naruto asked curiously, seeing the indentation as well.

"No, but someone was likely shot here."

"But, why?"

Kuro's face was grim as she considered what that meant. While it was clear why they'd have done it, the reason beneath that was obscure to her. The fact that the man had been shot near the tree meant that he'd likely had a pursuer, someone who wanted to ensure that he was unable to report back what he'd seen.

Naruto hummed softly, his limited experience and knowledge not bringing up anything. From his vantage point though, he did notice something she didn't.

In the distance, a group of droids with some sort of heavy equipment were floating across the muck of the swamp towards a destination unknown. With them was some sort of orb droid, the droid twitching and swiveling as it followed every so often. Curious, Naruto sloshed over to see if he could catch up and follow them. Before he could even get close to where they had been, he feel over as he tripped over a root and landed face first in the mud.

Coughing and sputtering, he shook his head and winced. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up to see if he could still see the droids, but whatever it was he'd seen were long gone by this point.

"…that was weird." Naruto muttered. Thinking it over, it might've been a vision of some sort, but why the Force would show him something so weird and off putting to him was lost on him. Then again, he still had a burning distaste for droids after all the bad encounters he'd had.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" Kuro asked, watching his fall with some curiosity. She'd been caught up in her thoughts that she'd only caught a glimpse of what passed by. Recalling that she'd felt the presences before, she figured that it was likely just them, and ignored it.

"Um…no? I don't…think so." Crossing his arms, Naruto shook his head to try and get some of the mud off his face and out of his hair. "Ugh, the swamp smells funky."

"There will be far worse places for us to go later. For now, focus on what we are doing here and now."

Naruto nodded sheepishly. "Yes master."

Running her hand through the grass once more, she closed her eyes. The Force said nothing to her regarding this spot, or the person who'd been killed here. Whatever happened here was being blocked by a feeling of uncertainty, fear, and frustration.

Slowly opening her eyes, she determined that nothing more could be learned from remaining in this area. Moving back to the speeder, she motioned for the young man to continue as she hopped in. Naruto scrambled after her, silently thankful that the man had enough consideration to remember him and wait until he'd joined them before taking off.

"Did you find something?" The man asked, eyes focused forwards as he concentrated on the road.

"…perhaps. However, I require more evidence to prove my theory before jumping to any such conclusions." Clicking her tongue, she shook her head. "The Force is…uncertain. Something is here, of this I am certain, but who or what I don't know. Most curious of all, is that whatever the reason, if I'm right then that means that I'll have to determine the why, and the next area should give me a clue."

"Ah." The man seemed satisfied with that answer, and a bit more relaxed about it as well. "That's really quite something, to be able to find that hidden away so quickly. I…it was just some tree in the forest, but you found it without any troubles."

"All thinks are possible through the Force." She replied, getting a slight perking up from Naruto.

"All things…" Naruto muttered, nodding to himself.

It wasn't something he'd heard all that often, but the words still said a lot to Naruto. The Force was a very expansive thing, and seemed to never stop being a mystery to him. But if that were true, perhaps he could even one day understand the very nature of the Force. After all, if the Force was willing, it was like Kuro said; all things were possible for him.

Pulling into the clearing, Kuro had to avoid sighing heavily. To her, it was clearly a set up. The area alone was lighted quite perfectly through the trees, laying on the one area where the man had been lain. It was likely not intended that way, but as she once more leapt from the speeder, she found herself wondering how much the Guard had actually looked into this incident.

Then again, they'd called the Jedi on the matter, so it was possible something here had gotten them stuck.

As Naruto began attempting to get out, she held up her hand. "Stay in the speeder Naruto. I shouldn't be long, and you require rest."

"But-but master Kuro!" Naruto tried to protest but was cut off by a flat look. Grumbling about how it was unfair, Naruto sat back and lay down. "Okay, fine…"

Satisfied by his response, she returned to looking at the scene. It didn't make sense. The clearing wide, and the pass was narrow with a lack of much foliage, which meant it was likely a commercial path at one point in the past. From the look of the path, it had likely even been cleared recently for speeders and the like to traverse from city to city without anything hindering them. Yet in this spot there was a particularly large break in the trees which allowed for the sun to pour in unhindered by the leaves to illuminate the area to anyone passing through.

So why had someone taken the time to remove a body from its better position in the forest to move it here?

Inspecting it further, she hummed as she continued to look through the clearing. Sensing Naruto had gone to sleep, she shook her head. Perhaps she'd been tougher than she'd first realized if he'd passed out after that much exertion. Though he had put up a very good fight for being weaponless for two days.

Clearing her mind to refocus on her work, something occurred to her. "If he were moved, where are the footprints?"

"I'm sorry?" The young man asked, blinking at the strange question.

"I am quite convinced that the man's body was moved from its position in the forest here, so where are the footprints of our mysterious assailant? Or perhaps even, where are the marks to show how this man arrived in this clearing in the first place?"

The man looked around the area, trying to understand what she was looking at. Seeing only the gentle indentations that had been left by the people who'd found him, he found himself at a loss as well. "Perhaps he followed the road and the person caught him on the road?"

Kuro considered that. It was a long shot, but then it wasn't impossible either. Which meant she'd have to travel further up the road to find where he'd broken off to enter the swamp.

Sensing that his presence was more of a burden than a help, the man took a step back. "If you'd like, I can return to the port and come back when you need. I don't wish to be a burden to your work master…um."

"You may call me the Dark Woman." She replied smoothly, ignoring his nervousness and wariness. It was common for many people who were first meeting with the Jedi, though she was somewhat more imposing of a figure at times. "And I don't mind. I have my comlink with me, so when I'm ready I'll message you for assistance with my return. Although I likely will return on foot regardless; there are many things here which I feel I need to check before I return to the city."

The man nodded, bowing again to her. "Thank you Dark Woman. Don't worry, I'll come as soon as you need me."

Hearing the speeder making its way back to the city, she was happy to have her focus fully on the subject at hand. With no distractions, she knew that the case would likely be more easy to smooth out. Whatever it was that had been sought out, she'd find it and bring it to the light.

Still, she couldn't help but feel she'd forgotten something.

x-=-x

The hallway was musty, damp from condensation that hung in the air. Slight drops of water fell into small pools below from the pipes that ran throughout the hallways. With weary eyes, he looked around in an attempt to get a bearing on where he was.

Moving slowly, he felt himself looking to the wall curiously. Various symbols, like the etchings of a civilization long since passed were broken into the stones on the wall, each one with a different form to them as he travelled the hallway. Coming to an entryway, he paused, looking from the entryway down the hallway further. While he could still see the markings traveling down further still, he had the distinct impression that even if he went further down, he'd end up back here later.

Moving through the hallway, the markings grew less faded and more distinct, each one with a stronger and clearer image for him to see. And with each one he saw, a pit of trepidation grew within him. Finding another pathway, he froze in place as a wave of heated air passed across his face. Turning slowly, he stared down the new hallway.

Before he could make his way towards it, the hallway was flooded by the heated air, overwhelming him and throwing him backwards. He would later remark that he should've realized something was off, as he never struck the wall he'd just seen behind him.

"Wake up. It's dangerous to sleep here. Wake up!"

x-=-x

"Hey, wake up."

Naruto's breath was slow, not as easily awakened as the first time due to having a bit more time to sleep than before. A man stood over him, staring down at the young padawan silently as he reached towards him. Gripping his shoulder, he paused as he glanced over his shoulder to the doors on the other side of the landspeeder's parking garage.

"Panaka, I apologize, I didn't hear you come in." The man said, saluting his superior. Receiving a salute in return, he sighed. "If I'd have known you were coming, I'd have acted to alert you sooner."

"What seems to be the fuss here then Zel?" Panaka asked, catching a glimpse of the sleeping Naruto. Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head with a sigh. "Let me guess, some kid trying to skip class?"

"As far as I can tell. I wasn't able to bring him up in the records, and he seems to be completely out of it." The man sighed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe he heard about the debate in the Legislative class and tried to skip out on it? I've heard that's not normally something that occurs, but it's certainly a possibility."

"Maybe." Panaka hummed in though, knowing that he couldn't just allow the young man to remain here. "Well then, would you mind taking him back to his class?"

"Of course sir, that'd be no problem." The man reached in and picked up Naruto, easing him onto his shoulder. Turning around, he paused as he glanced to Panaka. "Is there anything else you need me to do sir?"

"No Zel, that should be fine." Panaka said, moving towards the speeders.

"…sir." Panaka paused when the man called out to him, glancing back curiously. "The Jedi we requested, she took a speeder and went out earlier. Did you want to speak with her about the case, or know where she went?"

"A Jedi actually came?" Panaka appeared surprised, and hummed softly as he thought about it. The request hadn't been something that had gone through King Veruna, as it was something that the Guard themselves had needed. Still, the fact that a Jedi had taken their isolated incident was something of a relief to him. "If they're out doing their work, I'll wait until they message back or return. We've all been briefed on what occurred, and I trust that she was given all the information required for her to begin her investigation."

"That's what I was told." The man said with a shrug. "I honestly don't know if I believe all that hooky nonsense about them being able to see things that other people can't see. It sounds like primitive mysticism to me."

"Trust me, there's a lot more to it than you'd think." Panaka replied, chuckling softly. "We can debate on whether it's mysticism or not later. You have a job to do, and I need to go finish up with my rounds so that I'm ready for their return."

"Of course sir." The man saluted, carrying Naruto away. Once out of sight of Panaka, his face turned sour. Looking down at Naruto, he shook his head. "Man, I've heard of people skipping debates, but I've never heard of someone actually willing to go into the speeder area to hide away. And then to fall asleep for that matter!"

Muttering to himself, he silently gave a nod to those around him, moving towards the nearest classroom he knew of. It was surprising how close to the room the boy had gone, and though it made sense in a way, he shook his head at how silly it seemed to him regardless.

Opening the door, he paused as he saw the instructor glance up to him. "I apologize for the intrusion. I found a boy sleeping in the speeder area, and figured he was from one of the other classes. I can't get a read on his name, but I was hoping I could leave him here at least until we can determine which class he's supposed to be in."

"That is…unprecedented." The instructor said after a moment. "Have you checked the system for his name?"

"I have, and it says he's registered here, but it doesn't say which room or his name. The system reported a glitch in the system a few months ago, and it's likely that his was one of the various records that were damaged. It hasn't shown up unless it was searched for, which means it's likely whatever class he's in wouldn't have known about it till now." The man shrugged helplessly with his hand, trying to think of the words he was looking for. "I understand if it's a bother, I just need a place for him to remain under supervision so I can look for his actual classroom."

The instructor hummed softly thinking over his choice. Pointing to an open seat off to the side, they motioned for him to move him over to it. "Very well, but please do find which classroom he belongs in. He looks a bit old to be working with those here, but when he comes too we'll be happy to accommodate his presence. Right class?"

"Of course." The class said softly, each of them looking to Naruto curiously. None of them had ever seen the boy, but then he was also older than them all. Despite likely being someone in one of the upper classes, none of them had any real issue with his presence there.

Leaving Naruto resting on the desk carefully, the man gave an appreciative nod as he backed away from Naruto. "Thank you for your assistance. Hopefully I'll be able to return and update you on his position as well as have him moved to where he belongs."

"We thank you for that." Turning back to the holopad, they began speaking again. "So, as we were saying, should the Republic pass the treaty to allow major corporations to settle here –"

Zel moved out of the room swiftly, not wishing to hear the discussion further. He always hated politics; they made him scowl at how blind everyone seemed to be of the various opportunities that were presented, but needed to wait until everyone could agree to just jump through the hoops to get to their destination.

Still, while things hadn't ended up as planned, things would still go smoothly. Brushing his blond hair from his face, he slowly smirked as he continued on his way towards the internal communications area. After all, he still had work to do.

AN: This was a fun little chapter to write, and like I said, should hopefully begin building into the Naruto who'll be part of the action in the Star Wars universe. First though, he's got to learn to remember his lightsaber, and even build one at some point. But all good things in time I suppose.

Q&A

Guest: This story will remain Rated T, however it's likely that the next part of the story will be rated M. That being said, I still need to get to the next storyline - not mission or anything like that, but a larger timeskip deserving of a break it - unless you readers want me to keep the story completely self-contained in this one part rather than breaking it up. If enough people want it to stay under the From Darkness banner, then I'd be happy to do that. Otherwise, the next bit will be upped in rating due to the nature of some missions Naruto will take.

Overall, this was fun, I hope all of you who celebrated had a Merry Christmas, and I'll see you all on the next chapter of From Darkness.