Chapter 52

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Wars.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Back from vacation; here is the next chapter.

Last time:

"Then in the end all our cousins died out." said Izanami sadly.

"So we thought." said the elder. "Recently her descendants have been appearing here and there though we do not know why or how. I had a vision that some of these distant cousins of ours will come here soon and you, my child, will be the first to meet them. They will bear the white eyes and their vision will far exceed even my own. They will wield unbelievable power. I believe that somehow, if we can reconcile with these descendants of the elder sister that the curse may be lifted from our people. That is why I sent for you today; to tell you what my visions told me. I can only pray that these cousins will forgive us for the actions of our ancestor."

The young priestess finally asked, "Reverend One, do we know the name of the elder sister so I may address our cousins properly?"

"Her name was Kaguya."

Planet Nardil

Naruto was livid. He and Hinata were going to take a short weekend away to celebrate their wedding when Lady Damasca called a meeting and the council pulled a fast one.

Flashback

"We've discussed things is detail with our soon-to-be allies of the Fireveil clan and have concluded that the ships that the Ninja Clan acquired are in excess of our needs. They are simply too large and expensive for our anti-piracy needs. We'll need you to find something more suitable." said an older council member pointing at the hologram of the PF-1600 class.

"The ships were designed by the Republic as fast patrol vessels with anti-piracy in mind counselor and were extremely successful." said Hinata with an edge in her voice. "We of the Ninja clan took a great deal of time, risk and expense acquiring these vessels for the alliance. The anti-piracy performance of the Misfire over Saphris was flawless. Surely you can see any ship less capable would have been unable to complete that mission."

The same counselor droned on unfazed by Hinata's arguments. "Nevertheless we want smaller and more economical ships. The Ninja Branch will need to-"

"The Ninja Branch has more than fulfilled its obligations to this cause." Naruto said in an iron tone. "I put my people at risk and the Ninja Clan has already paid for the necessary repairs to bring those ships up to fighting strength. We have asked other branches to contribute or supply an equal number of ships to help us and other than financial help from the Landsdale Branch we have received nothing other than demands from you for more ships. We have bent over backwards to get you what you want and now even that isn't good enough. Since the ships are all currently owned by the Ninja Branch they will remain in our service and you and your bean-counting purchasing commission can find your own ships counselor. This is the final decision of the Ninja Clan.

The elder council looked a bit panicked. The same counselor spoke up. "Be reasonable Lord Naruto! Lady Hinata, surely you can see-"

"My opinions mirror my husband's. We brought you five excellent ships on a silver platter and it isn't good enough." said Hinata with anger in her tone. "We've done more than everyone else combined to contribute to this cause and will do no more. This discussion is over as far as the Ninja Branch is concerned."

The arguments carried on for another hour but Naruto and Hinata didn't budge one bit. The elders wanted to put the five PF-1600s they'd acquired up for sale so they would have money to buy whatever they wanted but Naruto shot down that notion in an instant.

In the end Lady Damasca couldn't fault the Ninja Clan for their efforts and told them the fleet of five PFs were theirs to do with as they wished. (She had been thrilled with the five ships and couldn't believe the council didn't want them). In the meantime a set of requirements and a decision as to what exactly the Alliance did want for anti-piracy work was to be set up….

Flashback End

It had been an extremely hectic couple of weeks. The Ninja Clan was in the process of moving to the newly refurbished East Wing. Although it was wonderful to have the breathing room (there was easily room for 400 people), moving the 60 plus Ninja branch members and all of their belongings out of their cramped conditions was still a daunting task. Naruto was glad that he'd put Yugito in charge of it and she was doing an excellent job.

The Nara wedding went extremely well in spite of the fact Naruto had to perform the ceremony. He'd been terrified he'd mess it up. In the end even Shikamaru said it wasn't too troublesome. That was last week and Temari and Shikamaru would be returning from their honeymoon next week.

Naruto and Hinata's wedding was conducted by Tsunade and was a small affair with just the ninja branch members involved and few outsiders. Naruto saw how proud his Mom and Dad were and how happy Hanabi was for her sister. The real shocker was Hiashi was the one with the waterworks going full steam. Hinata was feeling a bit awkward when Hiashi kept talking about how proud he was of 'his baby daughter' as he wept. Sheena did her best to console her jiji along with Rahu.

Naruto and Hinata's plans for a short honeymoon were now shot thanks to the damn council. Naruto had to figure out what to do with the ships they had now. The Misfire, Scylla and Charybdis were currently 100% operational from Doc's reports. They were currently working on the Rainfire which would be done at the end of the month but the Hellfire need an entire new fire control system and the Coldfire's center engine needed replacement. That was going to be expensive….

So, our fearless Kage decided to go down in person and see how things were going with the ships. He currently had a couple of hundred clones down there following the directions of the Labor Force droids that were all working in concert on the Rainfire. Naruto arrived via body-flicker and the newly upgraded Jesse saw him arrive. "Hi Jesse! You look good as new. How are you?" asked Naruto in a more upbeat tone than he actually felt at the moment.

Jesse floated over and said, "I haven't felt this good in decades Lord Naruto! Are you looking for Doc? He's inside the Rainfire's cockpit installing some new gear. Things are going really well." said the droid motioning towards the Rainfire with his manipulator. "As you can see we're way ahead of schedule thanks to all of your clones. The hull exterior's fully repaired and we're painting her with a fresh coat of thermocoat." Naruto could see that three-fourths of the ship already was painted in the fresh dark gray coating.

"That's great." said Naruto. "I need to talk to all of you Labor Forcers together for a few minutes. There's been a slight change of plans."

Jesse said in a concerned tone. "I hope it's nothing bad. I'll radio the others and we can head inside the Rainfire and talk."

Soon Naruto was sitting with the six assembled Labor Force droids. Rex and Jesse had received upgrades and looked similar to Doc now. The others still needed to get worked on. Doc started the conversation. "What's up Naruto? You look worried."

Naruto shrugged. "It's been a really long day and I've been fighting with the Shamshir Council. The purchasing commission has decided the PF-1600's are too big and too expensive to operate and want to sell them."

"WHAAAT?!" Was the collective outcry from the droids. Naruto didn't know exactly how but the droids in front of him looked positively mutinous.

"Now wait a minute, let me finish." said Naruto holding his hands up to motion for quiet. Seeing he had their attention again Naruto explained, "As a result they won't be put into service with the Shamshir-Fireveil Alliance Fleet. However, I'll be damned before I let all of our hard work go to waste. The PF-1600s will be returned to service as ships specifically of the Ninja Branch so instead of fighting pirates you'll be helping teams of ninjas carry out missions. I'm really sorry guys."

There was a few moments of silence before Zeke said, "That's great! Instead of boring anti-piracy patrols we'll be able to have adventures with you ninjas like Doc described. This is so cool!"

Rex bobbed up and down happily in agreement. "Best of all we'll be working with people who treat us as friends. A lot of Ninja Branch members have come down to meet us and made us feel welcome. This isn't bad news at all."

All six of the droids agreed this was good news. Naruto was initially shocked but soon was happily visiting with the droids. After answering all of their questions he let the droids get back to work on the Rainfire.

Meanwhile….

Hinata was at the Uzumaki family's new quarters. She too was steamed about the whole business with the council from this morning but had calmed down. She was currently having lunch with her daughter Sheena and Terumi Mei. "I see you all have managed to get things arranged here nicely." said Mei looking over their new home.

"Yes, I haven't had a chance to start decorating but with Naruto's clones we've got a lot done." Hinata then smiled at her daughter. "Sheena-chan has a full sized room of her own now and we have a spare bedroom and an office as well. It's really nice."

"I like my place too." said Mei. "Everyone was practically living on top of one another in the old wing and now we can inhale without worrying out bumping into one another. Of course it was never meant to be anything but temporary."

"There's plenty of extra room for later too." chirped Sheena as she enjoyed her lunch.

"That's one of the reasons I came Lady Hinata." said Mei setting down her tea.

"What's that, Mei? I thought that you were here about Sheena-chan's training we talked about." asked Hinata.

Mei answered, "Well, that was one point. Thanks to Lady Kushina's seals we found out Sheena-chan is a wind type like her Father. Incidentally, Lord Minato and Lady Kushina have helped with the children's training a great deal."

"Grandmamma Kushina is awesome!" cheered Sheena.

"Yes she is." agreed Hinata smiling. "What was your other concern?"

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to both you and Lord Naruto about it but a lot has been going on lately." said Mei. "Now that we have room I wanted to see if it was possible to go to Alderaan and see if any of the ninjas that were with me on Ord Mantell made it there. It's been several months but if would could spare a ship I'm sure they would join us."

"Actually the lack of ships is no longer an issue. The five ships we recently retrieved for the Alliance are to remain in our hands permanently." said Hinata curtly. "I'm sure Naruto-kun could set up a mission to retrieve more of our people. That is why we started our clan after all. Since you were their leader I presume you would like to lead the mission?"

"I would be the best choice since they know and trust me. I would also like Team Samui involved since we were all part of the same group." said Mei.

Hinata nodded in agreement. "Excellent. I'll get with Naruto-kun and get a mission outlined. Weren't there forty or fifty ninja refugees?"

"There were forty if they all made it there to Alderaan." clarified Mei.

Sheena looked distressed. "Who would be our sensei though, Mei? You're the best teacher."

Hinata patted her daughter's head. "I'm sure your Grandmamma and Granddaddy wouldn't mind filling in for a little bit. Remember Iruka-sensei and Anko get married this next week so they offered to help anyway. Besides, you have Master Talonis to train you three into the ground if nothing else."

Sheena nodded and smiled at her Mother. They heard shuffling at the front door and Hinata activated her byakugan. "Looks like Naruto-kun's home and he's trying to figure out the new access codes again."

A moment later the door opened revealing Naruto looking triumphant at the infernal door lock that he battled on a daily basis. "Hah! I've defeated you foul beast. Know that this day Uzumaki Naruto has conquered you."

He caught a red blur that attacked him as the door opened. "Hi Daddy! I was going to get the door for you but you beat me to it."

Naruto scooped up his daughter and kissed her forehead. "No need, Sheena-chan! I'll get this security system figured out yet. I am the Kage after all so I don't get why security locks hate me so much." He turned and saw Terumi Mei sitting with Hinata at their dining table smiling at his antics. "Well, well! It seems my lovely wife has cooked up a big lunch and your sensei is here too. Are you in trouble Sheena-chan?" he asked teasingly.

Sheena spat out denials as Naruto described all of the 'terrible consequences' for Sheena. Hinata 'rescued' her daughter and kissed Naruto. The newlyweds lingered for a few moments until Mei coughed to get their attention. Naruto turned his attention to Mei and said, "Good afternoon Lady Mei; what brings you by?"

Mei and Hinata explained the situation with a mission to Alderaan and asked if it could be done. Naruto unsealed his mission tablet he always hauled around with him and started going over it. "The Scylla and Charybdis have finished their fitting out and I'll bet Jake and Rex would be more than happy to make the trip. I'll set up a meeting tomorrow since Hinata-chan and I didn't get a chance for our honeymoon vacation." he said sounding sour at the end of the sentence.

"Aren't you both going to Velusia for Lord Ameer's wedding?" asked Mei. "Maybe you could work in some vacation time then."

Hinata clapped once. "That's an excellent idea Mei! If you want to become a travel agent for our clan let me know. What do you think Naruto-kun?" she asked with excitement in her eyes.

"I think it would be a good excuse to have our honeymoon after all, Hinata-chan." said Naruto happily. "Thank you Mei."

"Just doing my part to keep our clan running smoothly." replied Mei with a grin.

A week later….

The Ninja Clan was very busy. The Scylla (with Rex, Mei and Team Samui) was accompanying the Charybdis (with the newly refitted Jake and Team Gai) to Alderaan in hopes of finding more of their people. After receiving a 'Good Luck' from Naruto they took off for a two to three week mission.

The clan as a group was still recovering from the wild night of debauchery otherwise known as Anko and Iruka's wedding earlier that week. The newlywed Umino couple was already off to Coruscant for their honeymoon.

Gaara and the newly returned Shikamaru were going to be in charge while Naruto was away at the treaty signing. They were to keep investigating where they could get the parts for the Coldfire and the Hellfire. The Rainfire would be finished in mere days and the Misfire was on standby so both would be available for missions.

Nardil was in a bit of an uproar seeing Lady Damasca and her husband Lord Torrent off. They had an armed yacht named the Waverider which Naruto and Hinata were accompanying them on. This was to be Naruto and Hinata's first meeting with Lord Torrent and they hoped to get along with him. Also accompanying them were Konohamaru and Hanabi which were invited specifically at Lord Ameer's request.

After kissing and hugging Sheena goodbye and getting her to promise to be good for Minato and Kushina the four ninjas went to board the Waverider. Within the hour the group was headed to Velusia to sign the Shamshir-Fireveil Alliance Treaty and to seal the deal with Ameer and Celia's wedding. The Waverider moved at a stately pace and they would arrive at Velusia in a few days. The trip would have been much faster in the Misfire (which Naruto offered) but the Shamshir Clan had to keep up appearances so they took the more luxurious yacht instead.

Damasca was sitting with her husband after she introduced the Ninjas to him. She soon left him with Naruto and Konohamaru while she went to visit with Lady Hinata and her sister Hanabi. The Grandmaster of the Shamshir Clan was a bit concerned that her husband wouldn't get along with the others. He was a weapons smith and artisan by trade and hated politics and anything to do with them with a passion. (The only members of the council he respected were Skaros and Ameer). When he and Damasca got married decades ago she was not the clan heiress and her brother was in line to be Grandmaster so they planned to quietly have their family and raise them away from the political realm. Unfortunately her brother died during the war and once it was over the council unanimously voted for her to become Grandmaster both because of her lineage and her outstanding service during the Great Hyperspace War.

This caused some problems for Torrent and Damasca as they had already several children and Torrent's dislike of politics was absolute. In the end they worked things out where her duties as Grandmaster didn't interfere with her private life and she and Torrent had remained happy and in love with each other over the years. However, once every decade or so there was some Shamshir Clan function that required Torrent's presence and it was always a battle to get him to cooperate and behave. It didn't make Damasca love the big, burly, stubborn man any less but sometimes it was taxing.

Fortunately Torrent was good friends with Ameer (they grew up together). He always felt Ameer's first wife was a waste of space (he even refused to attend the wedding). However, Torrent was very supportive of Ameer after his wife died and they became close again. Best of all, Torrent really liked Celia and approved of the woman wholeheartedly. He was more than happy to attend Ameer's wedding this time and as long as they could coax him through the Treaty Ceremony everything should be fine.

Damasca was showing Hinata and Hanabi around the ship showing them some of the family decorations and heirlooms when Damasca heard what she dreaded most: Torrent's voice yelling at a 'politician,' probably Naruto. The ladies headed back that way when things got worse and they heard a crash. Hinata activated her byakugan and said "Dammit, Naruto-kun!"

When they were just around the corner they heard Naruto's angry voice. "I don't care whose husband you are you grouchy son-of-a-bitch! You can call me what you want but you go calling my wife a crook and corrupt and there's hell to pay! Don't lump her in with that crooked council. If it was up to me I'd round them up and mount their heads on pikes for the bullshit they put us Ninjas through!"

The ladies got around the corner and saw Lord Torrent sitting on the floor rubbing his jaw. The table between them was demolished. Naruto was standing in a ready position but it was obvious he'd been hit from the bruised cheek he was sporting. Konohamaru wasn't sure what to do and it was obvious. Hinata went over and grabbed Naruto by the arm and dragged him away with a byakugan glare on her face despite the fact Naruto was swearing that 'The old man threw the first punch.' Hanabi let out a sigh and retrieved Konohamaru. "Come on Kono-kun, Lady Damasca can sort her husband out without us here."

Damasca came up to her husband and asked, "Well, what do have to say for yourself Torrent?" as the man spat out some blood from his mouth.

Torrent looked up at Damasca and smiled through his swollen lip. "Honey, I like that kid! He packs a hell of a punch." Damasca face faulted.

With Konohamaru and Hanabi….

They were sitting together on the bed in their room talking. Hanabi wasn't mad or anything but did want to know what happened….

Konohamaru ran a hand through his hair nervously. "….Anyway, Lord Torrent was going on and on about how the council were crooks and didn't pay attention to the clan's real needs. Naruto was nodding and agreeing with the guy to keep from starting an argument. Then Torrent started laying into Naruto-nii about being corrupt and so on. I could tell Naruto was getting pissed but he pretty much kept his cool and let the man have his rant. Then Torrent insulted Hinata-nee and Naruto told him to shut up right there and to apologize. That's when things got ugly and I backed away from the table. Naruto will take the abuse but he won't let anyone talk bad about Hinata."

Hanabi knew how protective Naruto was of family. "So what happened?"

"Well, Lord Torrent started taunting Naruto about Hinata and Naruto slammed down his glass and said if Torrent didn't apologize about Hinata he wouldn't be responsible for his actions." explained Konohamaru. "Torrent stood up and flipped the table but Naruto dodged it somehow. Then the old man punched Naruto in the face which didn't phase nii-san. Naruto really got pissed and hit Torrent in the jaw which knocked him on his ass. Then Naruto laid into him and told him off. It really was all Lord Torrent's fault. That's when you all arrived. I hope Hinata-nee isn't too hard on Naruto because he really doesn't deserve it."

Naruto and Hinata's room….

How had this happened? One minute Hinata was ready to give Naruto the scolding of a lifetime for hitting the Grandmaster's husband and the next thing she was laying on her back wearing nothing but her bra with Naruto's head between her legs driving her into a frenzy. 'Damn him! He's playing my body like an instrument and hitting all the wonderful places he knows I love.' "Nar-Naruto-kun!" she said between pants. "I-" she let out a gasp and a moan as she had what she knew was the first of many, many climaxes she would have tonight.

"You taste so good Hinata-hime…." he whispered huskily as he kissed his way up her body and started suckling her breasts through the fabric of her bra.

Hinata finally gave in and threw her bra off. "I-I'll punish you in the morning, Take your clothes of and give it to me!" she said lustfully. It wasn't fair but right now Hinata didn't care. She had a smile plastered on her face late into the hours of the night when she and Naruto finally ran out of steam and snuggled in each other's arms….

With Damasca and Torrent….

"You big dummy! The Ninja Clan are ruthless warriors. They are honor bound to a fault. I can't believe you at times!" ranted Damasca.

Torrent just smirked. "Well, I gotta say; the boy didn't budge an inch when I tried to deck him. He hits hard too. He's earned my respect. I'll apologize to him about what I said tomorrow. I grouped him and his wife together with those elder council flunkies and I was wrong on this one. He seems like a good kid."

Damasca sighed. It wasn't the first time Torrent decided to 'make friends' with a fist fight. She would formally apologize in the morning and hoped Lady Hinata hadn't punished her husband too badly since the whole situation was all Torrent's fault. The girl looked positively furious when she dragged Naruto away and had her eyes activated which even Damasca found a bit intimidating.

The next morning….

Hinata woke up in a good mood and was resting her head on Naruto's chest listening to him breathe gently. She was very comfortable and didn't feel like getting up. She needed to figure out a way to punish Naruto somehow but he made her so happy last night. She would question him about what happened though. Maybe she wouldn't have to punish him too badly. Still, Naruto had played dirty by driving her wild last night to keep her from being angry. She soon heard the communicator beeping and groaned. It was Lady Damasca so she just couldn't ignore it.

Hinata pulled herself out of Naruto's arms and answered on audio only. "This is Hinata, how may I help you this morning Lady Damasca?"

"I'd like to invite you and Lord Naruto to join Torrent and I for breakfast." said Damasca. "Torrent owes you both an apology for his actions. I hope you didn't punish Lord Naruto too badly because the fault lies entirely on my husband and I'm terribly sorry about this."

"What time?" asked Hinata.

"Meet us on the observation deck in an hour or so." answered the Grandmaster.

Hinata sighed. It looked like sleeping in was out of the question. "We'll be there." she answered as she signed off.

"Hinata-hime…?" asked Naruto groggily.

His wife leaned over and kissed him happily. "You were wonderful last night." she said smiling contentedly. "Lady Damasca called and said Lord Torrent was entirely to blame and invited us to breakfast to apologize for his actions."

Naruto looked at Hinata and saw she really wasn't angry anymore. "I'm sorry about things Hinata-chan. He insulted you and slugged me when I told him to take it back. I lost my temper."

She sighed. "It's alright Naruto-kun. We need to get up and get dressed. Breakfast is in an hour."

"Rats, I wanted to sleep in and cuddle for a while." grumped Naruto.

Hinata giggled. "I'll take a quick shower and then you can. If we shower together we won't make it to breakfast –or lunch."

Naruto kissed her passionately. "Alright my hime; I'll get up while you shower. We'll continue where we left off later."

Planet Nardil

Sakura woke up in Sasori's place again. The pair had a few too many drinks at Anko and Iruka's wedding and wound up sleeping together that night. Sakura had been spending her nights at Sasori's new place ever since. She was amazed. The pair was getting used to what each other liked and Sasori was a sweet and gentle lover. He treated her like a queen and she always slept like a baby in his arms. Part of her was shocked that things progressed that fast. Sasori was still very shy and she found that endearing. In her head she was entertaining ideas of getting married someday but hadn't brought it up.

She heard him moan softly as he snuggled closer to her in his sleep. "I love you Sakura…." he said in his unconscious state. Every time she heard him utter those words she felt joy inside. Sakura gently stroked his red hair as he slept. Life was good….

Alderaan space aboard the Scylla

Mei was talking with the Labor Force droid Rex. She found he was very friendly and outgoing. Even though this mission theoretically was going to be rather sedate he was quite excited to be involved. The news about the ships staying with the Ninja clan was actually rather welcome as it turned out. The droids really liked the ninjas because they treated them 'equally instead of like appliances' as Rex put it. The Scylla and Charybdis came out of hyperspace into Alderaan space. Within the hour the two ships were safely landed at Alderaan's primary spaceport at the outskirts of the planet's capital city Aldera.

Both teams went through immigration with no problems and had their 'Utility droids' Rex and Jake with them. They now had the issue of where to start. The ninja refugees could be in one area or spread out all over the place provided they were even there. So, being pragmatic as ever, Samui suggested they check the planetary directory computer for the highest ranking member that escaped: Darui. Mei would have assumed that her ninjas would have hidden themselves better but Samui assured her that Darui was simply too boring to have thought up an alias. Looking through the Alderaan directory computer they soon found what they were looking for; Darui's Black Lightning Bar in the lower levels of Crevasse City.

The group hopped on a public transport and headed towards Crevasse City posing as tourists. Tenten was reading aloud from the tourist guide with a map included about the place to the others. "Crevasse City was built in a canyon and was a big tourist attraction on Alderaan. According to this the city only receives about six hours of sunlight everyday so the majority of the time it is lit by artificial lighting. There are underground lakes, hot springs and beautiful crystal formations that are considered natural wonders. The best hotels on Alderaan are said to be here too."

"Sounds like a cool place to live." said Samui.

"Any other points of interest?" asked Neji.

"Well, there is The Crevasse City Collegium for Young Ladies. It seems to be a place where girls from high ranking families are trained to act properly in high society." answered Tenten.

Mei chuckled. "Well, any of us girls would be booted out before we made it through the entrance exams." The kunoichis all laughed (except Samui who gave a minimalist smile). The males were smart enough to stay quiet even if they silently agreed with Mei's assessment of typical kunoichi behavior.

Soon the party of seven ninjas and two droids were taking in the amazing sights of Crevasse City as they quietly made their way to the Black Lightning Bar. As they travelled deeper into the city the sunlight gradually disappeared and the artificial lighting took over. Tenten started reading again. "According to this the many colors of the lighting have meaning. White means death, Blue means happiness and green means love-"

"Green means love? How youthful!" exclaimed Lee.

"Anyway silver means prosperity and orange means danger." finished Tenten.

The Black Lightning Bar

In the back office, Darui was talking with a very odd kunoichi to say the least. He would normally have considered this strawberry blonde haired woman very attractive but this person acted….emotionless….to say the least. She introduced herself as Hitomi but he assumed it was an alias. Darui also figured there were zombies with more personality than this woman. She acted comely and alluring but her smile and the dead look in her pale blue eyes completely shattered the façade. She'd come in and set up an appointment yesterday and now the kunoichi was presenting her case.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" she asked pulling out a narco stick.

"Go ahead." said Darui. People smoked in his bar all the time.

Hitomi lit up and said in a friendly but semi-monotone voice, "Our leader knows of you by reputation from the bingo books Mister Darui. As we are an organization of ninjas we would be very interested in having you join us. It was a fluke we even stumbled across your name but with a business named Darui's Black Lightning Bar we knew exactly who you were -one of us. We could only assume that you wanted to be found. The fact you have the Storm Release bloodline and the Black Lightning jutsu makes you even more valuable to us as a possible member."

Darui asked lazily, "So who is your leader and what is the name of this organization that you represent?"

"That matter is classified for the protection of all involved." she replied in her friendly droid like tone.

"All right, fair enough." said Darui. "Suppose you tell me what's in it for me? I mean, I have a pretty good deal going here. It's peaceful and the money's good. Why would I want to join your group?" he asked in a sluggish tone.

"You would be in a group that is the future of all ninjas and is exclusively made up of ninjas." she explained. "We are gathering up our lost people under one banner. You would never want for money and you would enjoy a high rank in our organization. Your exemplary service in Kumo would assure that. Also, you and your future family would be completely provided for in all aspects including ninja training."

"What would your leader want in return for all this?" he asked curiously.

Hitomi smiled again. "You would be asked to serve our leader unquestionably and take an oath of loyalty to him as you would any Kage. Your reputation precedes you as an honorable man so that is all he asks."

Darui looked as though he was weighing the pros and cons. He was thinking otherwise. 'I doubt this woman came alone. The ninjas entrusted to me by Lady Mei could be in danger.' "So are there any other advantages? You're not giving me much to go on."

"I have been authorized to give you my body for your pleasure and I am trained for such things." she said without batting an eyelash. "I also am authorized to give you children in the future to carry on your bloodline."

The normally laid-back Darui even had to raise an eyebrow at that one. 'That was….unexpected' he thought. "You would do that just because your leader says so?"

"Yes." she said putting out her narco stick in the ashtray.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline." said Darui.

"That is a shame." she said in the same friendly tone as she let loose a spark of chakra.

"What ar-" Darui found he couldn't move except for his eyes which were filled with panic. Then he looked at the smoke emanating from the narco stick.

Following his line of vision she smiled emotionlessly again and said. "Yes, the narco stick. It was laced with a slow acting paralytic agent I activated with my chakra. Do not worry; it will do you no harm. I have the counter agent to neutralize it on me. Your future is assured though. Our leader will be glad for you to join us –and my body will always available to you. I have no bloodline traces at all so there is a very high chance our children will have the storm release. We've already captured your friend C and a retrieval squad is on its way to pick you up as well. Do not concern yourself if there are other ninjas. You are the only two we have interest in." She then kissed his forehead. "I will take care of you." she said staring into his dark eyes with her seemingly dead ones….

POSTSCRIPT:

Okay, a short chapter but that was a good stopping point. The "narco sticks" were originally "death sticks" like out of Star Wars: Episode II. But I found out they weren't invented until centuries later so I just came up with a name. Next chapter we will see about the treaty signing and covert actions on Alderaan. Blue out. 9/7/14