This is my longest chapter so far, and the first chapter I've ever written that exceeds 10,000 words in length. I don't usually like to write such long chapters, but I had to tie up a lot of different threads before moving on. Don't get used to such big chapters though. I still am going to try and keep them between 4-8 thousand words.

The response to the last chapter was really incredible. Thank you to everyone who left a review. Your support helps keep this story going.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Naruto.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chapter 13

Naruto woke up slowly, which was somewhat unusual for him. Since joining Team 7 he had become accustomed to sleeping lightly and rousing himself quickly. That habit had only been reinforced by his training at the Jedi Temple in the last few months. Now, however, he was slowly drifting up towards consciousness, as though rising through a morass.

As more bits of his brain began reporting for duty, Naruto became aware of the fact that he was lying on a comfortable, if somewhat firm mattress, with a warm blanket covering him. Given that his last recollection was of sitting propped against a stack of crates on a hard floor, he gathered he had been moved.

Groaning softly, he opened his eyes. As his vision came into focus, he saw the familiar arching ceilings of the Temple.

'That makes sense', he supposed. His nose twitched as he smelled the distinctive odor of disinfectant. 'I must be in the Halls of Healing. Poodoo.'

Before he could rally his scattered neurons and begin planning an escape from the infirmary, a familiar face loomed into view. Jiraiya looked down at him, smiling warmly.

"Good to see you awake kid," he said, carefully hiding the relief in his voice. "You certainly took your time. Did you have a nice nap?"

"How long was I out?" Naruto asked in return.

"All afternoon," Jiraiya said. "It's nearly sunset now. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Naruto said, waving off his godfather's concern. "A little hungry. Where's Ahsoka and the others? Are they okay?"

"Those women you two freed are being processed by the Jedi and local authorities," Jiraiya said, knowing that if he didn't answer Naruto's question he would just try and sneak away to find out himself. "There are apparently a few aid groups that help women in their position. They'll be fine. As for Ahsoka-"

"I'm just fine," came Ahsoka's familiar, and somewhat annoyed, voice. Naruto glanced over to see her in a bed next to his, her arms crossed defiantly.

"Seriously," she said, "I'm not injured. Why do I need to stay in bed?"

"Because the Healer said so, and I've long since learned not to disobey a doctor," Jiraiya said with an air that told Naruto he was not hearing the first iteration of this conversation. "Master Nema said that both of you need to stay overnight for monitoring and bed rest. Deal with it."

Naruto and Ahsoka let out identical groans of exasperation when they heard they would have to stay overnight. Jiraiya merely rolled his eyes at their antics. He knew that Naruto hated having to stay in hospitals, and it seemed that Ahsoka had a similar aversion to medical care. Occasionally the two of them were so alike it was scary. He had been glad that Naruto had found friends so quickly in the Temple, but did he have to befriend someone so similar to himself? One Naruto was handful enough, as much as he cared for the boy.

Even so, he had to admit that Ahsoka was growing on him. Jiraiya had only met her a few times, but she struck him as being smart, fearless, and determined, all qualities he prized. The fact that she had apparently not only survived her recent ordeal, but actually saved Naruto's life, and then played a key role in rescuing a bunch of slaves, spoke volumes about both her skills and her character. Of course, she was also cocky, headstrong, disrespectful, and frequently disobedient, but in that, Jiraiya reasoned, she was still only a kid. It wasn't like Naruto was much better, though he was certainly improving rapidly.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud growling sound coming from Naruto's stomach. Glancing over at his godson, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just a little hungry, huh?" he said sarcastically.

"Okay, fine, I'm starving," Naruto replied, before gaining a conniving light in his eyes. "Do you think you could go and get me some food from the mess?"

"Nice try kid," Jiraiya laughed. "But I'm not letting either of you out of my sight until Master Nema says you can leave. I'll get a droid to bring food."

"Aww, come on Jiraiya-sensei," Ahsoka whined, having cottoned onto Naruto's plan. "Why can't you just go get it yourself? It'll be faster that way."

"Because I know you two," Jiraiya said, fixing them both with a hard stare. "The minute I walk out that door, you and Naruto will start trying to escape. Master Nema told me to keep an eye on you two, and that's what I intend to do. So live with it."

Neither of them even tried to protest their innocence. Instead they just rolled their eyes and settled back into their beds with a huff. Jiraiya, satisfied that he had gotten his point across, moved to a comm panel on a nearby wall. He signaled for a service droid to bring food for both of them, making sure to factor in just how much Naruto could eat when he was hungry. This resulted in the droid thinking it was bringing food for twelve, but Jiraiya ignored it.

A few minutes later, the droid arrived, pulling a cart piled with food.

"Finally," Naruto exclaimed. "I was about ready to start eating the blanket."

Ahsoka merely stared blankly at the huge amount of food.

"That looks like enough to feed three Wookies," she said. "How are we supposed to eat all of that?"

Her question was answered a few moments later when Naruto began devouring the food with a speed and efficiency that would have shamed a pack of Nexu. Much to her bafflement and irritation, he somehow managed to do so while still wearing his mask. Shaking her head at the weirdness that was Naruto, Ahsoka turned to her own plate and eagerly tucked in.

It took a while, but eventually even Naruto's seemingly bottomless stomach was filled. He lay back down with a contented sigh, having resigned himself to staying in the infirmary overnight. Jiraiya, noticing his godson's apparent relaxation, moved to clear away the plates stacked around him.

"Listen kid," he said after he was done, "I'm tired. You're tired. Master Nema is still around here somewhere. I'd rather not stay up all night making sure you and Ahsoka stay here. If I go take a nap, do you promise not to leave? It's not like you have anything better to do than spend the night here."

Naruto mulled it over for a bit before shrugging his shoulders.

"Fine," he said. "I promise I won't try to escape. You can go to sleep."

Jiraiya stared at him for a few seconds before nodding gratefully. He trusted Naruto to keep a promise, so he went over to one of the beds and laid down. With the speed of an experienced soldier, he fell asleep in less than a minute.

Naruto sighed and stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes. Suddenly, seemingly without warning, he shot an arm out to one side. He grabbed a small orange hand that had been sneakily creeping towards his face, intending to pull down his mask.

"Come on Ahsoka, that was just weak," he said. "Did you really think that would work?"

"I thought you were asleep," she grumbled. "I will see what's under there one of these days. And don't you say I've already seen what's under your mask. You know what I mean."

Naruto laughed at that, before squeezing her hand gently. He propped himself up on his pillows so he could look at her properly.

"Are you really okay?" he asked her, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "You didn't get hurt?"

For a moment, Ahsoka's normal look of cocky defiance softened into a genuine smile. She squeezed his hand back.

"I'm fine," she said. "Really. You-you saved my life. Thank you."

Naruto eye-smiled at that, though her next words cut him off.

"Although, I'm sure I would have found a way to get out of that," she said, her brash confidence returning. "And if you ever try to swoop in to rescue me like some damsel in distress again, I'll kick your butt from here to Nar Shadda and back, got it?"

Naruto just rolled his eyes and waved her statement off. She snorted at that, before going back to her own bed, exhaustion once again rearing its head. Naruto was already asleep by the time she laid down. As she began to drift off herself, she had one last, horrible thought. They were going to have to report to the Council the next day, weren't they?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Thank you for your report, Master Unduli," Mace Windu said. "We have no further questions for you or Jiraiya. You may both go. Tell Naruto and Ahsoka to wait until we call them in."

"Yes, master," Luminara said as both she and Jiraiya bowed their heads respectfully. They had spent the past hour recounting their version of the events of the previous day, from the arrival of the messenger toad, to when they both arrived back at the Temple. The Council had been especially interested in Naruto's use of the Force to create the wall between the Black Sun mercenaries and the slaves. Apparently they had felt the splash of his exertion in the Force all the way in the Temple.

Luminara had reported her own perception of Naruto's Force usage to the Council, including its odd contradiction of being both fueled by emotions and also firmly rooted in the Light. She herself was not certain how to interpret such a phenomenon, but she hoped the Council did not censure the boy for it. As she had told them, regardless of how it was inspired, she was unshakably convinced that Naruto had used the Light side of the Force and not the Dark.

She had mentioned her various discussions with Jiraiya, but she had kept the details of them to herself. She was not yet sure how to feel about his views, but they were difficult to ignore. Something about his beliefs resonated with her, and she wanted to meditate on it before bringing it before the Council. Thankfully, Jiraiya had also chosen to leave out the particulars of what he had discussed with her. Judging by the thoughtful feel of Plo Koon's signature, however, she was not the only person present who had had an interesting conversation with the white haired man.

Jiraiya had, in truth, said very little during their report. He had explained the nature of a messenger toad to those Masters who were confused on the matter, and described how he had dealt with the slavers still in the building when they had arrived. His description of the Gamaguchi Shibari technique he had used had stirred up some comment, but no real condemnation. Most of the Masters were more interested in how the technique worked than they were upset at his use of it to kill the slavers. They had chosen their path, and Jiraiya had killed them out of simple necessity rather than any anger or hate.

Sadly, as he had explained before, the toad techniques required a contract with the mysterious beings, and that required the use of chakra. So far, no Jedi had yet managed to channel the Force through their bodies to produce chakra for more than a second or two. The Council, on Plo Koon's recommendation, was going to begin deliberations on establishing an actual class for Jiraiya to teach select Jedi how to use chakra based techniques.

As they walked out into the hall, Luminara nodded at the group waiting outside. Naruto and Ahsoka were sitting on one of the benches that lined the hall for people to wait on while the Council deliberated. Across from them sat Padawan Secura. She had been assigned by the Council to watch over the two younglings and ensure they didn't find any more trouble before the Council could see them.

"Are they ready for us?" Naruto asked eagerly, impatient for this to be over. "We've been waiting for hours."

Aayla smacked him lightly on the head for his attitude, which he took without even flinching. He had survived "love taps" from Tsunade after mouthing off before; a gentle rap didn't even come close to phasing him.

"Be patient brat," Jiraiya said, sighing at Naruto's attitude. "They'll call you when they're ready. Until then, wait here. And try not to get into any more trouble than you're already in."

He turned to leave when he was interrupted by Naruto's indignant voice.

"Hey, where are you going?" he said, clearly irritated at being left to face the Council (and his boredom) alone.

"I am going to go work out and study," Jiraiya said, "because I am not the one in trouble. You, on the other hand, are in trouble, so you are going to stay here."

Both Naruto and Ahsoka pouted at that, much to Aayla's amusement. As Jiraiya and Luminara walked away, she smiled and patted them both on the head.

"Cheer up you two. If I'm going to have to babysit you two, the least you can do is not look like it's a death sentence," she said teasingly. She often was like this, dropping her serious Jedi front when around the two mischief makers. Naruto had introduced her to Ahsoka shortly after they had first met, and she had quickly struck up a friendship with the younger girl.

"I still don't get why we need a babysitter, Aayla," Ahsoka said, unable to keep a hint of sulking from her voice. Kid or not, she was not happy to be treated as such.

"The Council decided you needed minding because you two somehow managed to turn a bit of innocent exploration into a death defying trek through one of the most dangerous places in the galaxy, and capped it off by getting in a fight with a gang of slavers and making enemies of Black Sun," Aayla replied cheekily, lightly flicking Ahsoka's nose. "They chose me because I once spent nearly a month in a relatively small ship with Naruto, and I managed to resist the urge to strangle him in his sleep. They probably figured that I'm as immune to his…Naruto-ness…as anyone they could find."

Ahsoka giggled at that while Naruto shot both of them a glare. They both pointedly ignored him, enjoying watching him twitch with irritation. Eventually he decided to preserve what dignity he could and let it go with a huff.

"I should never have introduced you two," he said glumly. "You always gang up on me."

Before either girl could prepare an appropriately witty remark, a tone chimed from a hidden speaker in the wall. The Council was ready for them.

"Well, good luck you two," Aayla said. "I'd go with you, but…I don't want to."

Neither Naruto nor Ahsoka acknowledged her, though, as they both hurried through the door into the Council chambers. It seemed the prospect of actually facing the group of Masters had reminded them that they were, in fact, in trouble. Neither of them wanted to make their situation worse by keeping the Council waiting.

They hurried in and stood in the center of the round room, trying not to look nervous. Neither of them had ever stood before the Council alone before. The fact that they didn't have a Knight or a Master escorting them was a good thing, as it meant the Council wasn't holding a formal disciplinary hearing. It did not serve to give them more confidence, however.

"Before we begin, good to see you unharmed, it is," Yoda said, his kind voice and soothing presence helping ease their nerves. "Terrible it would have been, if lost to the undercity you were."

"Indeed," Ki-Adi Mundi said. "However, that raises the question of how you ended up down there in the first place. Please tell us what led to you finding yourselves all the way on level 1."

"Well, it started when I was reading about the history of the Temple in the archives," Naruto said. He went on to describe his discovery of the old structures and tunnels, and his plan to explore them with Ahsoka. He omitted the birthday surprise he had planned for her, knowing that certainly would not go over well with many of the stuffier masters. He suspected they knew he was leaving something out, but none of them called him on it, so he moved on. It was as he was telling them how they had encountered Tora that a question occurred to him.

"Where is Tora, masters?" he asked. "Is he okay?"

"The Loth-cat had no identichip, and no one has reported a missing pet matching his description," Master Bilaba said, smiling slightly at Naruto's concern for the animal. "We surrendered him to a shelter the Order works with in cases such as this. He will be fine, young one. Please continue your report."

Naruto nodded, relieved that Tora had been taken care of, though also somewhat sad he would not see the Loth-cat again. He had just managed to make friends with the feline after all. Still, he had more important things to focus on at the moment, so he resumed his story.

Several of the masters were skeptical of his description of Gamahiro's size, but Ahsoka backed him up on it. He decided not to mention her being sick after the ride, not wanting to embarrass her in front of the Council. That would make her mad at him, and that could be bad for his health. Ahsoka wasn't violent like Sakura had been, at least not usually, but she also wasn't shy about letting you know if she was upset.

It was when he reached the part where they had been attacked by the monsters that Ahsoka asked her first question.

"Masters, do you know what those zombie-like things were?" she asked. "I've never seen or heard of anything like them."

"They were the Cthon," Plo Koon answered. "The descendants of ancient criminals banished to the lower levels tens of thousands of years ago. Over time, the pollution and diseases down there have mutated them into the sad creatures you encountered."

"So, they were sentient?" Ahsoka said, a little horrified. She had killed several of the Cthon, thinking them nothing more than wild beasts at the time.

"No, young one, not really," Plo replied gently, sensing her fear and revulsion. "They are little more than vicious animals now, and were a threat to you besides. You should feel no guilt for having slain them."

Several of the other masters nodded at this, and her worry began to subside. All of a sudden, she felt a warm hand squeeze her shoulder. Looking over, she saw Naruto had reached out to comfort her, heedless of the disapproving looks half the Council was sending him. The last of her fear fled before his reassuring presence, and she gave him a grateful smile. He returned it with his eyes before focusing back on the masters, ignoring the stern frowns that many of them now bore. If they wanted to stop him from comforting someone in need, his best friend no less, then they were going to need a lot more than stern looks.

Yoda, who did not bear the judgmental look of several of his fellow Masters, waved for Naruto to continue, preventing any words from Tiin or Rancisis on proper comportment and lack of attachment. He didn't necessarily fully disagree with what he sensed they wanted to say, but neither did he agree with how harsh and inflexible either of them would be on the matter. It was a subject he suspected would come up in the debate after the two younglings had finished reporting.

As he listened to their story, Yoda was impressed by how well the two of them seemed to have worked together. He knew that Naruto had had a great deal of prior training in teamwork, but it seemed to come naturally to him as well.

He was also very pleased to hear that young Skywalker had apparently taken the boy under his wing and tutored him in mechanics. Skywalker was a true prodigy in that field, or at least so Yoda had been told. The ancient Grandmaster had little skill with electronics himself, and was far more often the cause of their needing repair rather than the one repairing them. Nevertheless, it was heartening to hear that Skywalker and Naruto were getting along. He had not wanted resentment to build between the two.

In truth, though, Yoda was less worried about young Skywalker's emotional stability than he had ever been. Since the boy's mother had been rescued and brought to Coruscant, much of his inner turmoil had eased. He was still as cocky and impulsive as ever, but it was no longer accompanied by such overwhelming fear and anger. They were still there, it was true, but manageable now.

Everything went smoothly until Naruto reached the point where the thugs had initially attacked them. When he began describing how he and Ahsoka had first escaped the slavers on the landing platform, his voice faltered somewhat. As he went on to describe how he had killed the two gangsters who had blocked their escape route, a swell of guilt rose in his Force presence.

"You seem distressed by something, young Naruto," Yarael Poof noted. "What is troubling you?"

"It's just that, well, I hate killing people master," Naruto said miserably. "The Jedi teach to never kill in anger, and Jiraiya-sensei taught me the same thing, but when I killed them, I was angry."

"But when you killed them, did you do it because you were angry?" Mace asked calmly. "Or were you just angry at them at the same time as having to kill them?"

"Huh?" Naruto said, confused at the difference. Mace sighed and tried again.

"I have killed many beings," he said evenly, "and I was angry at quite a few of them. But I didn't kill them because I was angry. I killed them because at that moment, it was the best option I had. So, tell me, did you kill them because you were angry at them?"

Naruto's face scrunched up in thought as he remembered back to the incident in question. He recalled seeing the two block the alley, thinking it was their only path. As he walked back through his thought process in that moment, he came to a conclusion.

"No, master," he said eventually. "I didn't kill them out of anger. I did it because I had no other choice. But I was still angry. I thought Jedi weren't supposed to feel anger."

"Eventually you may reach the point of true serenity, where you do not feel anger or fear," Mace said. "However, until then, as you live the life of a Jedi, you will see things that would make any moral being angry. There is no crime in righteous outrage. The most important thing is to never act out of emotion, but to remain calm and centered."

Naruto nodded a little hesitantly at that. He understood not letting negative emotions like fear, anger, or hate fuel you. That was how he had almost lost control to the Kyuubi after all. But he wasn't so sure about ignoring happiness, friendship, and love. Those positive emotions had helped him save Ahsoka, after all, and he hadn't felt Dark doing that. They couldn't be all bad if they could help him keep people safe.

Mace sensed Naruto's uncertainty, but he did not comment on it. There would be plenty of time to drill the Jedi way into his head. Now was the time for hearing this report and deciding what to do with the two adventurous children before him. Teaching Naruto the importance of the Code would come later.

As he described his plan to save the slaves from their captors, Master Rancisis spoke up.

"What made you decide to take such a risk?" he asked sternly. "It was foolhardy of you to attempt such a thing. You placed your life, Ahsoka's life, and the lives of all those slaves in danger."

"There were people in trouble," Naruto answered, glaring a bit at the Thisspasian master. "What was I supposed to do, just leave them?"

"You should never have been in that position in the first place," Master Tiin said.

"If Ahsoka and I hadn't been down there, those people would have never been rescued!" Naruto said, his voice rising. "The Republic wasn't going to help them, it didn't even know they existed. I will never abandon people who need my help."

The conviction he put into the last sentence threw Master Tiin a bit. He had expected an arrogant response about how Naruto figured the gangsters were no match for him. Hearing a declaration of compassion was unexpected, though not entirely unwelcome.

"No one here believes you should have left those women to their fate," Adi Gallia said. "We are merely concerned that you acted without thinking, and took on an unnecessary risk."

Before Naruto could object, Yoda spoke up.

"No longer relevant, such debate is," he said. "Reckless it may have been, but motivated by compassion, your plan was. A good thing you two did, but take care in the future. Not always there to save you, others will be."

That seemed to satisfy, or at least mollify, both Naruto and the rest of the Council. Glancing at Mace, Yoda decided it was time to wrap this portion of the meeting up. They had heard all that they needed, and both he and Mace had already agreed on what actions to take. With a subtle twitch of his ears, he signaled Mace to proceed.

"Given what we heard here, the Council will not be punishing either of you for your actions in the undercity," Mace said, gaining looks of relief from both Naruto and Ahsoka. Those looks vanished at his next words, though. "Your blatant disregard for both curfew in sneaking out and exploring out of bounds, however, is another matter. Master Leem had been notified of your transgressions, and I'm sure she has prepared suitable disciplinary measures by now. You will both report to her in the crèche as soon as you leave here. I suggest you do not get lost on the way."

His not so subtle dig was lost on the two, as they both looked appropriately glum at the prospect of their immediate futures. Mace nodded to himself at that. He had known Master Leem many years, and she knew exactly how to assign punishments that left you both thoroughly miserable and also forced you to reflect on your misdeeds, if only out of boredom. These two would be in for it the next few days, he had no doubt.

As soon as Master Yoda dismissed them, Ahsoka and Naruto hurried out the door. They rushed past Aayla with barely a word, determined to get to the crèche before Master Leem decided they were late and started adding punishments to what they both knew was likely an already long list. As they were walking down the hall at the base of the Council spire, Ahsoka received something of a surprise.

She nearly bumped heads with Naruto, who was hanging upside down from the ceiling. This was not in itself too unusual, as Naruto frequently took advantage of his ability to stick to near any surface in blatant defiance of gravity. What surprised her was that Naruto had been, and still was, behind her the whole time. Whipping her head around, she confirmed that there were, in fact, two of them.

"What's with the clone?" she whispered, worried he was going to get them both in more trouble.

"I had him go get something for me," Naruto said, taking a package from his upside down clone, who promptly dispelled. "Since I wasn't able to give it to you properly yesterday, here you go. Happy Birthday."

He held the package out to Ahsoka. She took it and saw that it was a bag full of candied Ronto jerky, her favorite treat. Her grin just about split her face in half, and she gave Naruto a tight hug.

"Thank you," she said. "I'd forgotten you had mentioned that before. You're the best, even if you do get me into trouble all the time."

Naruto eye-smiled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. There wasn't a whole lot he could say to that, given the events of the previous day.

"Now come on," Ahsoka said, turning to hurry down the hall. "We have to hide this before we get to Master Leem. Let's go!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Meanwhile, back in the Council chambers, a debate was ongoing. The subject of the debate, predictably enough, was the two younglings who had just scampered off to face their just desserts.

"Those two are far too attached to one another," Master Tiin warned. "The boy in particular. He is too ruled by his emotions."

"Perhaps," Even Piell said, speaking up for the first time that day. "But you cannot argue with their results. Surviving a trip to level 1 is impressive enough for two younglings, but busting up a slaving ring on top of that? That is truly remarkable work. I look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the future."

"You don't mean to say you support their actions?" Oppo Rancisis asked. "If I recall, you opposed Naruto being admitted in the first place. What about this incident could have changed your mind?"

"What can I say, I appreciate effort and results," Piell replied. "The boy may be emotional, but his heart is clearly in the right place. It was brave of them to do what they did, foolish or not."

"What about the boy's use of the Force then?" Tiin said, temporarily conceding the point on Naruto's decision to rescue the slaves. In truth, he was more or less satisfied that Naruto had made that choice for the right reasons, if not with the appropriate amount of caution. "We all felt it, even here. He used his emotions, his passion, to fuel his power. That is the very core of the Dark side."

Several masters shook their heads in disagreement, and Yaddle actually snorted at that.

"The Dark side, you say?" she asked rhetorically. "The Dark side was it, that we felt, hmm? Not what I felt, that was. The Light, young Naruto used, yes. Felt that clearly, we all did."

"But Master Yaddle, surely you must see that he drew on his emotions," Tiin protested. "Such…passion…is the essence of the Dark."

"Hrrrmm, disagree, I do," Yaddle replied, drawing some curious looks from her fellows. "If true that was, then tainted Naruto's power would have felt. Pure it was. Anger, fear, and selfishness most of all, the Dark side are they. Felt those in him, I did not. Compassion, friendship, a desire to protect others, fueled by these his actions were. Too wedded to the letter of the Code are you, if deny the evidence of your senses you will."

Master Tiin lapsed into a thoughtful silence at that, a contemplative frown on his face. He did not want to admit it, as it went against everything he understood about the Jedi Code, but Yaddle was right in this case. While he had indeed felt strong emotions fueling Naruto's use of the Force, he had not felt any accompanying Darkness. The Force signature lacked the burning cold, the slimy taint, and the oppressive weight that typified the Dark side. Much as Luminara had reported earlier, it had instead shone in the Light in a way Tiin had never seen before.

"I agree with Master Yaddle," Yarael Poof said. "Indeed, were it not for Master Windu's prior claim, I would take the boy as a Padawan myself. As it is, I suspect you will have all manner of…fun…to look forward to in the future, Master Windu."

His last sentence was laced with not so subtle humor, and had Mace fixing him with a deadpan stare. Internally, Mace had to concede the point, sarcastic though it may have been. He was definitely in for one hell of a ride with Naruto as a Padawan, he could feel it.

Indeed, in some ways he was looking forward to it. Mace was, at heart, a straightforward man. He always sought to do what was right, regardless of the personal consequences. He could appreciate seeing the same traits in Naruto, and he looked forward to working with someone who shared his moral convictions. That being said, based on the boy's current record, that work would come with a certain dose of insanity that seemed to follow Naruto like a puppy. That part, he was decidedly not looking forward to. A part of him was quietly thankful he kept his head shaved. Otherwise, Naruto was no doubt going to turn his hair gray.

"That does raise one question," Eeth Koth said. "With respect, Master Windu, as Master of the Order, do you truly have the time to devote to training a Padawan?"

"That is something I have been considering myself over the last few months," Mace said, quietly grateful for the change of subject. "I believe it would be best if I stepped down from my position as Master of the Order once Naruto is ready for me to take him as a Padawan."

There was some surprise at this, but not much. While Yoda's position as Grandmaster was usually hands off, and left him with just enough time to take apprentices from time to time, the same could not be said for Mace's job. The Master of the Order ran the Order day to day, deciding policy, arranging missions, and generally making sure the Jedi Order as a whole kept functioning. It was a full time commitment and then some, and there was a reason Mace had not taken a Padawan since being elected to the post.

"I believe we should hold a vote now, to determine my replacement," Mace continued. "It would be best if I were able to help them become accustomed to the position before stepping down."

There was general agreement on that point, and the process of electing a new Master of the Order began. Initially Yoda was put forward as the obvious candidate, but he refused. He had held the post before, and felt that a new voice was best in this case. He was already Grandmaster, and did not wish to bind the Order too much to his singular vision if he could avoid it.

In the end, after several more hours of debate, Yarael Poof was elected to replace Mace when he stepped down. Yarael had nearly been elected to the post before, but had lost to Mace, as he was considered somewhat eccentric and unconventional by the Council's standards. Yaddle privately looked forward to seeing what changes he might bring to the Order, especially with Naruto and Jiraiya bringing changes of their own.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next day

Anakin was walking past one of the Temple's training rooms when he felt something odd through the Force. It was as though someone was repeatedly stretching out their presence before shutting it down almost completely. Normally he would have dismissed this as some master practicing some obscure meditation technique or the like, but the Force signature was definitely not that of a master, despite its power. It was sloppy, wild and untrained, tinged throughout with boredom and a hint of frustration. Moreover, it was familiar to him.

Peeking his head through the door, Anakin's suspicions were confirmed. Sitting on one side of the room was Naruto, surrounded by cleaning equipment and a half dozen training sabers. As Anakin watched, he saw the cause of the odd feeling in the Force. Naruto closed his eyes, concentrated, and suddenly his Force signature bloomed into life, far beyond what Anakin had felt from him in the past. From across the room, a training saber wobbled on its rack, rose into the air, and zoomed through air towards Naruto's outstretched hand. It then missed his hand entirely and smacked into his face.

"Ouch! Dammit," Naruto swore, clutching his bruised forehead.

"Well that's new," Anakin said, making Naruto jerk around in shock. "So you finally managed to touch the Force without meditating. When did you figure out how to do that? And what are you doing here?"

Naruto got over his shock at Anakin somehow sneaking up on him quickly, and tried to cover it with a mask of cool indifference. It wasn't working, but Anakin took pity and decided not to tease him about it. Not when there were other things to tease him for, at least.

"I managed it a few days ago," Naruto said. "Didn't you hear what happened to Ahsoka and I the other day?"

"No, Obi-Wan and I just got back from a mission," Anakin said. "I haven't even finished unpacking yet. What happened?"

Naruto gave him the full story of what had happened two days prior, from his initial plan to surprise Ahsoka all the way to him finally tapping into the Force without having to meditate. By the end of his story, Anakin was shaking his head, a wry look on his face.

"Only you, Naruto," he said. "Wow, that even tops most of the stunts I pulled back when I was your age. You're going to have to introduce me to this Ahsoka one of these days. If she can manage to fly something you fixed up, then I definitely want to race her one of these days."

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome," Naruto said, before his brain processed he had been insulted. "Hey! What's wrong with the stuff I fix? It worked, didn't it?"

Anakin just shot him a look he had picked up from Obi-Wan, raised eyebrow and all. It said "think about what you just said for a minute, and then get back to me. I'll wait here until you realize I'm right." Obi-Wan had some very expressive looks, and Anakin had copied more than a few of them. He had certainly seen this one often enough.

Naruto stared back defiantly for all of about ten seconds before he glanced away, an embarrassed flush poking over the edges of his mask.

"Okay, fine, maybe it wasn't my best ever repair work," Naruto admitted, before looking up slyly. "But you're the one who taught me, so doesn't that make it your fault more than anything. A student is only as good as his teacher after all."

"Wha- you little-" Anakin spluttered furiously, unsure of how the conversation had been so quickly turned against him.

"I suppose I'll just need more lessons," Naruto said. "Maybe even flying lessons?"

"…We'll see," Anakin said, before quickly changing the subject. "I suppose this is supposed to be your punishment, huh? Where's your partner in crime?"

"Ahsoka got sent to clean all the training sabers in the other half of the Temple," Naruto said. "Apparently Master Leem didn't trust us not to get into more trouble if left alone together."

Privately, Anakin thought that was a wise decision by Master Leem. Naruto already attracted trouble and weirdness like a star attracted planets. From what he had heard of Ahsoka, putting both of them in a room with 100 lightsabers, training or not, might just end with the Temple being blown up.

"So what's with you using the Force like that every thirty seconds?" he asked, referring to the periodic pulses that had led him here in the first place.

"I'm practicing," Naruto answered. "I finally figured out how to touch the Force normally, but I'm not very good at it yet."

"Yeah, I could tell," Anakin teased, gesturing to the darkening bruise that adorned Naruto's forehead where the saber hilt had struck him. "Want some tips?"

Naruto just about put a crick in his neck, he looked up so fast.

"Really?" he asked, clearly shocked at the offer. "That would be awesome. Thanks Anakin."

Anakin smiled and took a seat next to his younger brother figure. Internally however, he winced a little. For all that he had tried to do for him, Naruto was still far too surprised when someone offered him help or praise. 'Not that I'm all that much better,' Anakin thought ruefully, before pushing that thought down. He had better things to do than try and focus on his own flaws.

For the next thirty minutes, Anakin walked Naruto through some basic exercises to help him control his use of the Force. Being that they had both come to Jedi training far later in life than most, Anakin was uniquely qualified to help Naruto make it past some of the hurdles he was facing. They didn't make too much progress, as it was by no means a quick thing to learn, but Naruto was showing definite improvement. He wasn't wasting quite so much energy each time he used the Force, and he was able to maintain his grip on it marginally longer.

After half an hour, though, Anakin glanced at his chrono. He suppressed a groan as he saw the time, knowing that Obi-Wan would probably be looking for him by now. Sighing, he stood up and clapped Naruto on the shoulder.

"Sorry, but I've got to get going," he said apologetically. "You're doing good, just keep up practicing, okay?"

"Okay," Naruto said, not bothering to hide his disappointment that Anakin, who he saw as something of an older brother figure, was leaving. As he reached the door, Anakin turned around and looked at him again.

"Naruto, thank you for freeing those slaves," he said, his voice serious. "I-I really don't like slavery, and it's awesome that you and Ahsoka did that."

"It's no problem," Naruto said, eye-smiling. "Slavery is just…evil. I couldn't have left those women there, and neither could Ahsoka."

Anakin hesitated a little before responding.

"Naruto, you heard that my mother was freed a few months ago, right?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. Anakin had told him himself after all. It had been all he could talk about for over a week.

"Well, sometimes I sneak out to see her," Anakin said. "We usually have lunch together somewhere. The next time I do, do you want to come? I think you'd really like her. Think of it as my way of thanking you for what you did for those people."

What Anakin didn't say was that he thought it would be good for Naruto to meet Shmi. He honestly viewed the younger boy as something of a little brother figure, and he knew Naruto had never had a mother figure in his life. He thought it might help him to have one, at least somewhat, and as far as Anakin was concerned, there was no better mom in the entire universe than Shmi Skywalker.

"Wha-really?" Naruto asked, stunned by the offer. "I'd like that. When do we leave? Tonight?"

"Woah, woah, woah," Anakin said, raising his hands to slow Naruto down. "Let's not get you in too much trouble too quickly. We'll give it a week or two, then I'll tell you when, okay?"

"Okay," Naruto replied, nodding so fast his head was a blur.

Anakin smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm. It only served as confirmation to him that Naruto needed this, needed a family. Anakin would never, ever understand the Jedi position on attachment, no matter how often he got lectured on it. Confident that he was doing the right thing, he walked out the door, hoping to hurry back to his quarters before Obi-Wan started to look for him.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was too late on that account. Directly across the hall from him was Obi-Wan, leaning against the wall with a knowing look on his face. Anakin froze for a second, before his mind kicked into high gear. This was hardly the first, or even the twentieth time he had had to come up with on the spot excuses for his Master.

"Master, there you are," he said. "I was just about to come looking for you. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, the usual," Obi-Wan replied. "Looking for my errant Padawan, and finding him plotting to break the rules with a youngling."

"…ah," Anakin said awkwardly. He hadn't expected that Obi-Wan had listened in on their conversation. "You see Master, I was just-"

"That was a very kind thing you did, Anakin, making that offer," Obi-Wan said, cutting his Padawan off before he could dig himself deeper. Anakin just gaped at him for a few seconds, seemingly rendered speechless.

"Wait, what!" he finally managed to choke out, his brain still trying to process what was happening. "I was expecting some long lecture on how attachment is forbidden and how I need to meditate on this for a week to learn my lesson."

"And a few months ago, that is what you would have received," Obi-Wan said.

"So what's changed since then?" Anakin asked cautiously, still not quite believing that he wasn't going to get some epic lecture. Rather than answer his question directly, though, Obi-Wan chose to respond with a question of his own.

"Do you remember the day your mother was brought back to Coruscant?" he asked.

Anakin snorted at that. Of course he remembered that day. It stood out as probably the happiest day he'd had since first coming to the Temple.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Flashback

It was just four days after Anakin had first met Naruto that he received word that his mother had been retrieved safely from Tatooine and was nearly at Coruscant. Somehow Yoda had been persuaded to allow him to greet her when she arrived, something Anakin was intensely grateful for. He knew that it was unlikely he would be allowed to visit her very often, if at all, but any time he got to spend with his mother was a precious gift. Thus he found himself standing on a quiet landing platform with Obi-Wan by his side.

"I'm surprised the Council didn't send another master to make sure I didn't get 'too emotionally invested,'" Anakin said, though for once there was no real bitterness to his voice. He was in far too good a mood for that.

"Oh, several of them wanted to," Obi-Wan said casually. "I convinced them that I was all the supervision you needed."

Anakin looked at his master questioningly.

"I trust you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, sending a wave of reassurance down their bond. That simple statement, and the feelings attached to it, meant the world to Anakin in that moment. Before he could muster up a response beyond simple feelings of gratitude, the shadow of a ship drew his attention. It seemed his mother had finally arrived.

When the ramp opened, the first thing he saw was his fellow Padawan Aayla Secura and her master Quinlan Vos. He hadn't known that they were the ones assigned to retrieve his mother, but he supposed it made sense. From what he knew, Quinlan specialized in tracking, investigation, and infiltration. It made sense that he and Aayla would be assigned to find and rescue his mother from a Hutt controlled planet like Tatooine.

He was broken from his musings when he saw who was coming down the ramp behind them. It may have been over six years, but he instantly recognized his mother. In an instant he was a nine year old boy again, and he had crossed the deck and was crushing her in a hug before she even had a chance to say anything.

"I missed you mom," he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. He dimly noticed that Aayla and Master Vos had gone over to banter with Obi-Wan, probably to give him privacy.

"I missed you too, Ani," she said, her own voice trembling a little. "Look how much you've grown. You're a giant."

Pulling back from their hug, Anakin noticed that she was correct. He now stood more than half a head taller than her. It was odd for him, looking down at his mother. For a moment he felt guilty again, guilty for leaving her for all those years, a slave on that scorched dust ball of a planet.

"I'm sorry I left you, mom," he said. "I shouldn't have left you back there. I should have come for you years ago."

"Hush now," she said, cupping his cheek with her hand. "You have nothing to apologize for. You had to follow your own path, and that is all I've ever wanted for you. Seeing you freed was the happiest I have ever been, so don't you go feeling guilty for it. Okay?"

Anakin smiled shakily as he felt the cold ball of guilt and self-hate he had carried for six years melt away, to be replaced by a soothing warmth. It felt like the weight of a star had suddenly been lifted off of his shoulders.

"Okay mom," he said.

"Good," she said firmly. "Now, why don't you introduce me to your friend over there, or have you forgotten all those manners I taught you?"

Anakin let out a snort of laughter upon hearing his mom's tone. Stars, he had even missed her scoldings. Still, he supposed she was right, he was making something of a spectacle of himself. So, still grinning like an idiot, he turned and led his mother over to his Master to introduce them. As he did, he heard the sound of metallic footsteps coming down the ramp. He glanced over his shoulder to see a protocol droid walking out of the ship. It was clad in dull, bronze colored body panels, with glowing yellow eyes.

"Oh my heavens, Master Ani, it is you," it said. "I knew I would see you again one day."

"C3PO?" Anakin said, shocked to see the droid he had built so long ago. He hadn't thought about C3PO in years. "You finished him?"

"Of course," his mother said. "He's been incredibly helpful, and he was your gift to me. How could I not?"

Anakin couldn't help the broad grin that broke over his face. Finally, his family was back together.

End flashback

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Snapping himself out of his memories, Anakin refocused on his master. He sensed Obi-Wan was waiting for an answer to his question, obvious though it may have been.

"Of course I remember that, master," he said, trying to keep his tone respectful.

"Yes, well, ever since that day, I have noticed much of your inner turmoil has quieted," Obi-Wan said. "Even though you were, and are, so obviously attached to your mother, it hasn't unbalanced you. Quite the opposite, in fact. As you talked with her, I could sense you finding your center more completely than ever before."

"Oookaay," Anakin said slowly, still not quite sure where his master was going with this. Sensing his Padawan's confusion, Obi-Wan sighed.

"What I am trying to say, Anakin, is that over the last few months, I have come to realize that you are probably never going to be a conventional Jedi," he said. "You started your training far later than most, so I suppose it was foolish of me to expect you to conform to a typical Jedi standard in all respects. Your bond with your mother, and now with Naruto, is clearly a source of strength for you, rather than a weakness."

"So, you're okay with all of this?" Anakin asked, scarcely willing to believe what he was hearing.

"Well, I can't say I'm thrilled with you roping a youngling into your rule breaking ways, but from what I've heard, Naruto is already something of a lost cause in that respect," Obi-Wan said ruefully. "But, I am hardly going to deny you something that clearly helps you find the balance that has eluded you."

"Thank you, master," Anakin said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Your welcome, Padawan," Obi-Wan responded, before continuing on. "I'm proud of you. Befriending Naruto and offering him the help that I should have offered you all those years ago is a mark of both wisdom and maturity. In truth, I owe you an apology for failing to recognize what you needed for so long. I can only hope that you forgive me."

This once again rendered Anakin speechless. First Yoda, now Obi-Wan was apologizing to him. Who was next, Master Windu? Gardulla? Unable to articulate a response, Anakin simply sent his feelings through the bond to his master. Gratitude, forgiveness, his own apologies for how much of a brat he had been, and above all, a desire to move forward with their newfound understanding.

Obi-Wan smiled when he felt what Anakin was sending him. Walking forward, he crossed over to his young Padawan and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's go," he said. "We still have much to do today, especially if you're going to be spending your time plotting nefariously with younglings."

"Plotting? Me?" Anakin said with exaggerated innocence. "Why master, I don't know what you're talking about."

Laughing softly, the two of them walked back to their quarters. As they walked, Anakin mused that he had never felt quite so content in the Temple as he did now. Somehow, knowing that his master trusted him to do the right thing, even if it was against the Code, was nearly as comforting to him as knowing his mother was safe. When he entered their quarters and went to his room to unpack his gear, it felt, for the first time, like he was home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Thank you for informing me of this, Master Jedi," Supreme Chancellor Palpatine said, a weary smile on his voice. "I do hope the two younglings are safe and sound after such a misadventure."

"They are," said Eeth Koth. He had been selected to inform the Chancellor of the incident that had occurred in the undercity. While normally the Jedi Order kept such matters in house, the discovery of a slaving ring with connections to Black Sun directly below the Senate district was something the Chancellor needed to be kept apprised of.

"Well, thank goodness for that, at least. And thank goodness that they managed to rescue those poor women. I look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the years to come," Palpatine said. "Please, keep me updated on your investigations into this matter. Such barbaric practices must not be allowed to take root in the heart of the Republic."

Master Koth bowed his head at that, assenting easily. He personally felt it was a good thing for the Chancellor to be aware of such things as this. It kept him grounded in the realities of the galaxy, rather than just the niceties of the Senate. They traded pleasantries briefly, before Eeth excused himself and left the spacious office.

Once the Jedi Master had left his office, Palpatine sat down at his desk, signaling his secretaries that he was not to be disturbed. He waited several minutes, until he felt the Jedi leave the building and board a speeder back to the Temple. As soon as he sensed his departure, Sidious's face twisted into an angry grimace.

'So, that all but confirms what I suspected,' he thought to himself. 'That disturbance in the Force the other day was indeed this Naruto boy. Such power! But too firmly rooted in the Light to be of use, Force blast it.'

Sidious had felt the flare of power when Naruto had tapped into the Force two days ago, even sitting in his office. The power had been so strong with the Light side it had actually caused him mild pain, even at that far of a remove. He had instantly suspected the boy. The Force signature matched what he had thought was Naruto's, gathered via matching his own sensing through the Force to his spies' reports of when Naruto meditated. It had been exceedingly difficult to install spy programs in the Temple cleaning droids, and they would not last long, but he had gleaned enough to build a rough profile of the two newcomers to the Jedi. Both could prove troublesome to the Plan given time.

Jiraiya, Sidious knew, was the more immediate threat. Though he would need to meet the man to be certain, he suspected Jiraiya was far more talented and dangerous than he normally let on. Worse, he had been an expert at espionage and counter-espionage back in his homeland. Sidious knew he had time, while Jiraiya grew accustomed to the new technology and culture he was in, but he wasn't about to get comfortable. He estimated no more than three years before Jiraiya had a working intelligence network, if he was indeed as skilled as Sidious suspected him of being.

Still, he was hardly an insurmountable threat. Even now, Sidious was working on hiding any trace of his true identity even more thoroughly than before. He had also directed Tyrannus to remove any trace of a connection between him and the clone army even now being grown on Kamino. He was not willing to have Jango Fett killed just yet, but there were alternatives to such drastic action. It had required extremely delicate use of the Force, but Jango now believed he had been hired anonymously to be the clone template. He had never been aware of the true purpose of his 'sons', but now there was no chance of him letting something slip. He was also, Sidious mused, still available for use as a tool in the future.

Naruto, unlike Jiraiya, was a much more difficult quantity to account for. He was powerful, Sidious had felt that much for certain. Perhaps even as powerful as Skywalker, though given the differences in their age it was hard to tell yet. He and his godfather both had demonstrated abilities in the Force that Sidious had never seen before. Even now he was running experiments of replicating some of their unique abilities, though he had not had much luck yet.

Power alone, however, was not what made the boy a potential threat. Indeed, Sidious had often toyed with the idea of turning Naruto in the future, perhaps as a backup for Anakin. Each time he felt the boy's Force signature, though, he discarded the idea. The boy was far too firmly rooted in the Light. Sidious had no real knowledge of Naruto as a person, and so had no hooks he could sink into him, no levers he could play on.

'What's more, I can't even try to gain such knowledge yet without arousing suspicion. With Anakin, I had the excuse of being grateful for his actions on Naboo, but my relationship with him has also drawn the attention of the damned Council. Trying to meet Naruto, whom Palpatine has no reason to be interested in, would only incite suspicion. No, best to just have the boy killed at the first opportunity, before he becomes a true danger to the Plan.'

He would have to wait a while, Sidious thought, before making such a move. Best for the boy to be a Padawan with some experience before having him eliminated. Too early, and his death would seem suspicious, an outlier that would be investigated no matter the circumstances. Jedi younglings, and even junior Padawans, rarely died. They were too well protected, too insulated for such a loss to be anything but suspicious. Better for him to already have a dangerous mission or two under his belt, so the idea of him being at risk was more easily accepted. It would also give Sidious a chance to gauge the boy's power and skill level, so he knew what manner of force to send against him.

'Perhaps a test is in order, when he becomes a Padawan,' Sidious mused, running through the suitable resources he had for such a thing. 'I am interested in studying the boy's unique powers after all, and that fool Omega has been trying to attract my attention. Yes, perhaps he may be of use to me in this. I won't reveal myself to the bumbling idiot, but I can certainly attract his attention. He has proven capable of frustrating the Jedi in the past, and it would be a pity to waste such talents.'

Sidious smiled thinly at that. Already a plan was forming in his mind. He would have to find a suitable place for Omega to do his work, one that he could control. He would also need a patsy for Omega to work under, some person or organization that could take the fall if Omega were somehow captured. When the answers came to him, he almost laughed. It was perfect, and would serve to strengthen his power base as Palpatine, along with establishing the perfect cover for the Uzumaki boy's eventual death.

'But all of that is a small nuisance compared to what has happened with Skywalker,' Sidious raged, his teeth grinding in anger. When the so-called 'Chosen One' had come to him, nearly four months ago, and told him of Yoda's decision about his mother, it had taken every ounce of Sidious's self-control to not howl in anger. Skywalker's guilt over leaving his mother, and his resentment towards the Jedi for not rescuing her, had been the keys to his plan to turn the boy. Now those things were mere memories. Most of the turmoil, the anger and fear that he had built up in Skywalker's mind, had melted away in an instant.

What was worse, Palpatine had been forced to act pleased, overjoyed even, that his young friend was to be reunited with his mother. After all, Palpatine was supposed to be Anakin's friend and mentor, someone who would celebrate such a happy occasion. He'd even had to admit that perhaps the Jedi weren't as backwards and dogmatic as he had been telling Anakin they were. The words had nearly stuck in his throat.

'Still, perhaps it is not a complete disaster,' Sidious thought, his ever busy mind whirling away. 'There are, after all, many ways to turn a Jedi, especially one as emotional as Skywalker. He may no longer have that resentment, but his attachments to both his mother and that fool Kenobi have no doubt strengthened.'

His hands unclenched as Sidious began to formulate a new plan. It was not perfect, not yet, but he was nothing if not adaptable.

'Yes, that can be turned to my advantage,' he mused. 'Attachments to others are such a weakness, after all; and love is so easily turned to loss, and pain. That pain will drive him towards the Dark. But I will need to be patient. The Veil is not yet fully repaired, and the Jedi may receive warning if I act too hastily. But I will act, and Skywalker will be mine. One way, or another, I will turn him.'

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

I can't believe it took me this long to actually write the reunion between Shmi and Anakin. I just never found a good place to put it in any of the previous chapters, hence why I was forced to use a flashback. I promise, I will avoid flashbacks as much as I can. I find them to be overused, clumsy, and jarring to the reader. If I do use one, it's a fair bet that I either wrote myself into a corner with the timeline, or else I ran out of ideas on how to include a specific event.

As always, please leave a review with any comments, questions, or random diatribes you feel the need to get off your chest.