Hello all Storm here with another story idea! This story idea is actually from "The Sith'ari", and I say idea rather than challenge because it isn't listed on their page as a challenge. Now this along with "Shinobi of Duel Academy" were both request by "The Sith'ari" for me to do as their Birthday was yesterday, with both stories being my gift to them. So, without further ado.
I own nothing
Among the known galaxy, there were many feared and respected individuals, most noticeably among the individuals were the stories of legendary Jedi Knights and Master. Along with the many fearsome Sith Lords, all of whom have long since passed, now only living on in stories and their own Holocrons.
But within the galaxy, there were another group of fearsome warriors, their culture was battle, war was their pride and honor, they were the Mandalorians.
Mandalorians were not bound to a single species or gender, instead being a group of clan-based people of many different species, all bound together by a common culture. The leader of the Mandalorians was known as the Mand'alor, or simply Mandalore in Galaxy Basic.
In the past, the Mandalorians were known to side with the Sith, most noticeably the Sith Lord, Exar Kun. But would not hesitate to side with the Jedi Order, if such an alliance was mutually beneficial. Though in recent years, the Mandalorians have moved past their obsessively war-like and conqueror ways, most of whom now having become bounty hunters and mercenaries, selling their skills to various individuals and factions in the galaxy, as long as the price was right.
But among the many bounty hunters, there were none more well-known and dangerous than Jango Fett.
Born to a family of farmers, Fett grew up alongside his older sister, Arla, on the world of Concord Dawn. An agricultural planet in the Mandalore sector, known for being long associated with the Mandalorians. Fett's father served as a Journeyman Protector, a civilian lawman on Concord Dawn, having taken over the role when the former Protector, Jaster Mereel, was exiled and joined the True Mandalorians.
It was during Jango's childhood that the civil war between the True Mandalorians, led by the Mand'alor, Jaster Mereel, and the splinter faction, Death Watch, led by Tor Vizsla, began.
When the war began spilling onto Concord Dawn, Jango's father gave refuge to Jaster and his allies. Death Watch eventually caught up to the True Mandalorians on the homestead and captured Jango, using him in an attempt to draw out Jaster and his men.
The attack ended with Jango's parents and older sister being killed, while his home was burned down by Death Watch. Though Jango had been able to locate the True Mandalorians and help them escape, before being consumed by the flames, escaping to a nearby town to prepare to ambush Death Watch.
Jango had personally planted an explosive charge beneath Death Watch's armored tank, destroying it. He'd then proceeded to fight the Death Watch soldier who killed his parents, sure it might have gotten him cut by a vibroblade, but he was able to grab a blaster and shoot the bastard straight in the face, then shooting them again, just to be sure they were dead.
After the battle, Jango had been taken in by Jaster, the young boy having proven himself in the eyes of the Mand'alor and raised him as his own son.
Over the years, Jango trained and fought alongside the True Mandalorians and his adoptive father. But it was during the Battle of Korda Six, the first time Jango was given command of a squad, that he once again lost a father.
Employed by the Korda Defense Force, the Mandalorians were to recover a team of rookie security personnel pinned down under fire by a group of local hostiles, supposedly poorly armed and with no formal army. Placed in charge of the group, humorously referred to as "Jango's Grunts", Jango and his team were in charge of providing cover fire and ensuring that the extraction point remained clear of danger. However, the intelligence reports turned out to be inaccurate and the claims of "minimal resistance" turned out to be a much heavier force.
Jaster had called for a retreat, but his second-in-command, Montross, had refused, ending up injured by a grenade strike. Jango had used the ill-guided attack to move onto the original objective, but when he arrived, it turned out to be a Death Watch Ambush. Jango fought against the Death Watch soldiers, while Jaster and Montross fought Tor, himself.
Though Montross showed further cowardness by abandoning the injured Jaster to die, having long since grown tired of following Jaster's orders. Jango had rushed to the man who raised him like a father, but it was too late, with the Mand'alor passing away in his arms.
Jango had then carried Jaster's body back to the landing zone, with Montross claiming they were both killed. But when the other Mandalorians saw Jango returning with Jaster's body, he tried convincing them Jaster would have wanted him, Montross, to lead them. But Jango ended that plan when he revealed Montross left their leader to die, the other Mandalorians aiming their blasters at Montross, saying they'd only follow Jango.
After that Montross was allowed to leave in exile, something Jango would later regret, not killing him then and there, while Jango was named the new Mand'alor.
Afterwards, Jango lead the True Mandalorians just as Jaster did before him, that is until the disastrous Battle of Galidraan.
Jango and his Mandalorians were hired to put down an insurrection on the planet Galidraan. When the fighting was over and the rebels were defeated, Fett ordered his men to return to their camp, while he met with Galidraan's governor to collect their payment. In addition to their pay, Fett demanded the whereabouts of Tor Vizsla, whom the Governor of Galidraan was not only harboring, but funding in his attempts to rebuild the Death Watch. Vizsla revealed himself there in the governor's castle and attacked Fett with a small cadre of Death Watch soldiers, forcing Fett to flee the building through a large window. Unfortunately, Vizsla and the governor had already put a plot into motion, claiming that Mandalorians were murdering "political activists", along with women and children, with Vizsla's own forces providing the body count of innocents, and begging the Jedi Council to step in and put a stop to them.
As the Jedi ships began to land, Jango desperately tried to warn his second-in-command, Myles, and the other Mandalorians to evacuate the camp. But his helmet's comlink had been damaged in his escape from Vizsla and they only received Fett's warning when he arrived seconds before the Jedi team. Led by Jedi Master, Dooku, and his Padawan, Komari Vosa, the Jedi took the governor at his word and demanded the Mandalorians surrender on suspected murder charges, with Vosa adding that should they resist, they'd be killed. Innocent and indignant, Fett ordered his troops to open fire, specifically on Vosa, whom he called a "loudmouth". When their blasters were reflected by the Jedi's lightsabers, Fett ordered the use of projectiles and provision of cover via jetpacks. Even utilizing a jetpack, however, Myles was killed by one of the Jedi, while Fett could only watch.
It was after this that Jango's next actions would be what made him both famous and infamous for the rest of his life and career. With no weapons, using only his hands, feet, and armored body, Jango fought off and killed twenty Jedi, including the one responsible for Myles death. But even with his efforts and refusal to give up, the outcome remained the same. Jango's True Mandalorians had been wiped out by Death Watch's machinations, while Jango had been the only survivor and subdued by the remaining Jedi, before being given to the custody of the governor of Galidraan, where he was stripped of his weapons and armor, and sold into slavery.
Jango spent years aboard a spice transport ship, until the day came, he could gain his freedom when pirates attacked. Though his slave masters promised him freedom if he helped in the battle, Jango had already gotten free of his restraints and, with a stolen blaster pistol, killed the slavers and fought his way off the ship. Once he was free, Jango made his way to Galidraan to take back his weapons and armor, finding it restored and repainted by the governor as a trophy. Jango then offered the governor a choice, his life or the location of Death Watch, he chose the latter.
Though Jango made sure to pay him back for his betrayal, that cost him his comrades.
Afterwards, Jango intercepted the Death Rattle, Tor's personal starship, intent to kill the Death Watch leader. The resulting battle took them through the entire ship, an escape pod, and all the way down to the surface of Corellia, before falling into a river. Tor managed to stab Jango with a poisoned blade, but then made the mistake of taunting the Mand'alor. Using the blade his gauntlet, Jango stabbed Vizsla in the abdomen and carved him open, attracting a pack of dire-cats who attacked and killed Tors, while sparing Jango thanks to the poison.
With the death of Tor Vizsla and the remaining few Death Watch members fleeing to the far reaches of the galaxy, the Mandalorian Civil War had come to an end, but at a substantial cost to Fett. Without a war to fight or his trusted comrades to fight beside, Fett grew distant from the rest of his people and he resigned as Mand'alor. Instead, using his combat skills, weaponry, and mercenary experience, to turn to the solitary life of a bounty hunter.
Many years have passed since then, with Jango having established himself as one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy and living by his own code, which he deemed honorable by his own standards. His skills and reputation grew to the point, where even planetary governments hired him. He always kept himself and his equipment in top condition, also.
Currently, Jango was on the planet Chalcedon in the Mid Rim in the Tashtor Sector. Chalcedon being a hub for galactic slave trade, having no indigenous lifeforms, only a way station and two colonies.
He had been hired by some senator to rescue his daughter, who had been kidnapped by pirates and held for a ransom of three million credits. The senator hired Jango to rescue her, paying him a million credits up front and another million for when his daughter is returned.
Jango had tracked the pirates down to Chalcedon, telling him they had no intention of returning the girl until they had gotten paid.
He managed to locate the pirates hiding out in a series of caverns. First Jango located their ship, snuck aboard and killed anyone still on board, before disabling it so it couldn't be flown or used to call for help. He then systematically took out the pirates patrolling the caves, remaining on guard since it was going far too easy for his liking.
Soon, he arrived at the central cavern and after checking his surroundings moved to an area filled with a couple cages, containing a few dozen people of various species.
"Which of you is Mon Mothma?" Jango questioned, remembering the girls name.
"He-here." A fourteen-year-old girl said from one of the cages, with Jango checking her over to make sure it's the right girl.
Auburn hair, pale blue-green eyes, light skin, and the right age. Jango also brought up the picture the Senator had provided and nodded, confirming she's his target.
"Your father sent me to get you." Stated Jango, blasting the cage door open, doing the same with the other cages as well.
While he didn't have to free the others, if there's one thing Jango hated, it was slavers from his own time in slavery.
"Look out!"
Jango didn't hesitate, before he spun around and blasted a pirate that tried sneaking up behind him, or he would have had he not seen the pirate be sent flying back into the wall, a snapping sound showing he broke his neck on impact.
'But just to be sure.' Jango thought, while shooting them through the head.
"Who did that?" Jango questioned, knowing that whoever shouted the warning, also sent the pirate flying back.
Jango can recognize when someone used the Force, given his past experience with Jedi and Dark Jedi, as well as the tales he heard about the Sith.
A boy, much younger than his target, possibly around four or five, stepped forward. The boy had spiky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, three unique whisker marks on his cheeks, and wearing ragged clothing. Though what had Jango's attention was the fire in the boy's eyes, one that made Jango smirk, recognizing a fighter when he saw one.
"Thanks." Jango said.
While his Durasteel armor would have protected him from a killing blow, it likely would have stunned him, since it wasn't the same quality as the Beskar armor that Mandalorians usually use.
"Mon Mothma, let's go. You too, kid." Jango said to the blonde kid, who looked surprised for a moment, before following him, along with the Senator's daughter.
The kid intrigued Jango, since he can use the Force at such a young age and given in his experience with Jedi and other Force-Sensitives, someone needed training to use the Force. Perhaps it was a fluke, maybe the kid was strong enough to use it subconsciously, or maybe he self-taught himself how to use it. Whatever it was, Jango was intrigued.
"The rest of you, you can use the ship to get off planet and go wherever you want." Said Jango, not offering them any further help, beyond freeing them.
He still had a job to complete.
*Later*
Jango piloted the Slave I through space, the blonde kid sitting in the co-pilots seat, while Mon Mothma was resting.
"What's your name?" Jango asked, after a few moments of silence.
"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Introduced the now named Naruto.
"Jango Fett. What world are you from?" Questioned the bounty hunter, wanting to figure out what he can about this kid.
"I…I don't know, I didn't even know there were other planets or aliens." Naruto answered.
'Okay, that rules out the chance of returning him to his planet if he's from an unknown world.' Jango thought.
"Any family?"
"No, not that I know of." Naruto replied.
"What about the Force? How'd you use it without training?" Jango asked, with Naruto tilting his head in confusion.
"The…Force? You mean what I did before? I don't know, I've just always been able to do things like that." Naruto said, while looking down, since that was probably why everyone hated him, for the things he could do.
Jango was deep in thought as he processed the information. He's from a planet that doesn't know about the rest of the galaxy, he doesn't know about the Force, but can use it, and he has no family.
Thinking about it, Jango's mind drifted back to his old friend, Rozatta, whom he called Roz, and the final wish she asked of him before her death.
Find something to live for, something to live for besides money.
'Maybe…' Jango thought, looking at Naruto.
The kid was young, strong in the Force, and likely had plenty of potential. He'd make a great apprentice to carry on Jaster's legacy and revive the True Mandalorians.
'And maybe, something else.' Thought Jango.
Given his preference to work alone and live alone, he never had much interaction with women, and it was likely he'd never have children. Jango personally didn't believe in the Jedi's saying of the Force guiding people's actions; but perhaps, he was meant to meet this kid and it wasn't just a coincidence that he'd find him along with his target.
"Well, if you want, I could train you to fight, become a bounty hunter." Jango offered, with Naruto looking at him surprise.
"R-really?" Asked Naruto, while Jango nodded.
"Yeah. Given you don't know what planet you're from and the galaxy is a dangerous place for those that don't know it. I could teach you how navigate it and be able to take care of yourself." Jango said.
"What about…the Force? Could you teach me how to use that?" Asked Naruto.
"No, I can't use it or really learned about it. But I'm sure there are plenty of jobs I can take to worlds connected to the Jedi or the Sith. Maybe a few clients who collect artifacts from those religions, along with other Force-based religions and cultures, while being willing to offer some of those as payment." Jango said, knowing there plenty of people in the galaxy who collect strange stuff.
"Then…yeah I'd like to learn more about the galaxy and how to fight, Jango." Naruto said, excited at being able to learn to fight and how to use the Force.
"Okay, I just need to return Mon Mothma and collect the rest of my payment. And here's your first lesson, A bounty hunter must always be ready to go anywhere and face any danger…" Jango began telling Naruto.
Unknown to the two, along with several beings in the galaxy, this one action will send large waves throughout the known and unknown regions of the Galaxy. As now, a new legend was in the making.
So, what did you think, good. Yep Naruto has gone to a galaxy far, far away and met the best bounty hunter in the galaxy and one of the strongest Mandalorian warriors, Jango Fett! Not only that but Naruto has access to the Force and now with him becoming Jango's student, and the latter's plan to take jobs to Jedi and Sith home worlds, he'll also become one of the most dangerous bounty hunters in the galaxy. Also I'll be using the Legends version of Jango along with other characters, and for those that don't know Jango did kill twenty Jedi with his bare hands, that actually happened! So, review if you liked go away if you didn't.
Storm out
Hello all Storm here with a new chapter! Here we'll be having a timeskip to show how long it's been since Jango has taken in Naruto along with learning of what he's been teaching Naruto. Though this chapter is pretty short, it also helps set up later events of the story. So, without further ado.
I own nothing
Two and a half years have passed since Jango had taken the mission to rescue Mon Mothma, having saved the girl, along with meeting his future apprentice and adopted son, Naruto U. Fett.
Since then, Jango has begun training Naruto in everything he knew; from fighting to piloting to using anything and everything he can get his hands on as a weapon. Naruto proved to be a prodigy when it came to fighting, being able to anticipate when he's being attacked or when danger is close, which Jango figured was the Force warning him. Not only that, but he had the drive of a hard worker, never stopping until he had mastered any given task. And even then, he still kept training to be better, which was good as it'd mean he'd never let his skills get rusty or become lazy in thinking he couldn't be beaten.
Jango has seen arrogance and laziness be the death of many beings, having killed/captured quite a few of those types of people as well.
Of course with how young Naruto was, Jango had to take the training slowly, less he run the risk of crippling Naruto's growth in the long run.
Jango has also managed to still take a few bounty missions to Jedi and Sith homeworlds, managing to collect a few Holocrons from past Jedi Masters and Sith Lords for Naruto to study and learn from. Not to mention collecting several, after calling in several favors and debts owed to him.
Currently, both Jango and Naruto were on the planet Kamino, home to the Kaminoans, a race of tall, elegant beings who were regarded as a mysterious species that tended to keep to themselves.
Jango was wearing a new set of Mandalorian armor, resembling the dark green/grey and red armor he wore during the battle of Galidraan. The True Mandalorian symbol was on the shoulder pads with a Mandalorian cape hanging behind it as well. Though what really made the armor different, was the fact that it was made out of Beskar, instead of Durasteel.
Thinking of how he was able to get a set of Beskar armor always gave Jango a headache, given who he had to deal with to get it.
*Flashback*
'How long has it been since I was last here?' Jango wondered as he gazed out his ship to the homeworld of the Mandalorians, Mandalore.
Three weeks have passed since he returned Mon Mothma to her home planet and got the rest of his payment, along with taking in Naruto as his apprentice and now his adopted son. But while Jango could train Naruto to be an efficient bounty hunter, he could not train him how to use the Force, which lead to them traveling to Mandalore.
Personally, if it was up to Jango, he'd rather never set foot on Mandalore again. Not only because of how he grew apart from his people after dealing with Tor Vizsla, but now Mandalore was under the control of the New Mandalorians. But with how the Mandalorians have a history of fighting and being allied with both the Jedi and the Sith, this is the best place to stock up on Jedi and Sith knowledge and artifacts, at least until Jango can start taking missions that allowed him to do so himself.
Punching in the landing codes, Jango landed in the capital city, Sundari, while knowing things will be tense.
Exiting the Slave I with Naruto following him, Jango didn't even blink when he saw not only Duchess Satine Kryze and several other members of the ruling body of Mandalore, including Prime Minister Almec. Though Jango shook his head when he didn't see a single guard or droid, he didn't even see any weapons on their person. If he wanted, he could kill them all faster than they could blink.
"Duchess Satine, I'm honored you came to greet me personally." Jango said, with no one missing the sarcastic undertone.
"Jango Fett, any who would try to uphold Mandalore's discarded warrior traditions are forbidden from stepping foot on Mandalore, including you." Satine said tersely to the former Mand'alor.
"Then I guess it's a good thing the current government doesn't consider me Mandalorian anymore, Duchess." Jango retorted with some bite in his tone.
He may have grown distant from his people and willingly given up being Mand'alor, but that didn't mean he enjoyed being discredited and seen as just a bounty hunter.
"You were never Mandalorian! You were nothing but a common bounty hunter fueled by your own greed!" Almec said, while glaring at Jango, having never had a good opinion of the man, even when he was the Mand'alor.
"Thank you for agreeing with me. I'm just a bounty hunter, meaning there's no issue with me being on the planet." Replied Jango sarcastically, while smirking at turning Almec's own words against him, with the said man scowling, realizing he just backed himself into a corner.
Jango then turned back Satine.
"We aren't friends, never have and never will be. But you forget, the True Mandalorians were the ones who kept Death Watch off your back, when we could have let them wipe you out. And even after we were destroyed on Galidraan and I hunted down and killed Tor Vizsla, you still discredited us as only simple mercenaries. So, unless you've tossed aside your pride and honor, along with your warrior heritage, you'll repay the debt I'm owed. Given I was the one who killed Vizsla, which lead to Death Watch's collapse." Jango said, since if it wasn't for him, these pacifists would either be dead or living under Tor Vizsla's boot.
Jango and Satine stared each other down for several moments, before Satine finally relented.
"What do you want?" Satine asked, much to the protest of Almec.
"Duchess Kryze, you can't possibly be considering giving this bounty hunter anything?!" Almec said, only for Satine to silence him with a look.
"Enough Almec. Jango Fett is right, if it wasn't for his actions, loathe as I am to condone them, he insured Death Watch would not threaten Mandalore again. If nothing else, we owe him a debt for insuring Mandalore could become what it is now." Satine said, before turning back to Jango and motioning for him to say what he wanted.
Nodding, Jango put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"This is Naruto, my adopted son and student. While I can train him just fine, he's also Force-Sensitive, which I can't help with. I would like access to all the Jedi and Sith artifacts that Mandalore has collected over the millennia as Spoils of War. I'd also request several pounds of Beskar to make some new armor, both for myself and for Naruto when he's older." Jango said.
"These are…reasonable enough. I shall grant these requests, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to where the artifacts are kept." Satine said, wanting to get this done quickly, while not liking the idea of Jango Fett raising a Force-Sensitive child to be like him.
"Let's go Naruto." Jango said, just as eager to get this done with.
Nodding, Naruto followed his adoptive father. Though as they walked, Naruto caught sight of a girl, a few years older than him, with red hair, following the Duchess.
Sensing eyes on her, the girl looked at Naruto, showing her light green eyes.
'Who is she?' Naruto wondered as the girl looked up at Jango for a moment, before looking away.
*End Flashback*
Jango had been grateful that they had complied with his requests, as he had been able to gather a number of Holocrons and other artifacts from both the Jedi and Sith, even being lucky enough that one such Holocron belonged to Exar Kun himself. Unfortunately, they were forbidden from taking Tarre Vizsla's Holocron, given how it was sacred to all Mandalorians.
Pushing those thoughts aside for the moment, Jango turned his attention back to a glass tank, where floating in the middle of the liquid was his youngest son and Naruto's little brother, Boba Fett.
It had been after he was assigned to either capture or kill the now late former Jedi, Komari Vosa, that he met Count Dooku, or as he now called himself, Darth Tyranus. Dooku himself had personally killed Komari, while Jango had taken some satisfaction in defeating her and then watching her be killed by her former master, given how she was the one who set off the Battle of Galidraan with her big mouth.
It was there that Jango was given the offer to become the template for the Clone Army of the Republic, something which the Sith will use to destroy the Jedi from the inside. Jango was more than happy to do this, as he still held a grudge against the Jedi.
But in addition to his payment, Jango had the stipulation of being given an unaltered clone as a son. While he may have adopted Naruto, he figured it'd never hurt to have another son to pass his legacy onto. Plus, Naruto might like the idea of having a younger brother.
'Naruto U. Fett and Boba Fett. They're going to do big things in the future.' Jango thought, giving one last look at Boba before turning to Naruto.
"Let's go, it's time for your first real mission." Jango said, making Naruto look up at him with wide eyes, before nodding with a serious expression.
"Where are we going and what's the mission?" Naruto asked.
"Dantooine. Some pirates have taken up residency there, we've been hired to take care of them. There's also the ruins of a secret Jedi Training Enclave, so we're also going to see if there's anything worth scavenging there, that you could use." Jango explained, with Naruto nodding, while containing his excitement at going on a mission with his father and the chance to get anything new learn about the Force.
*Coruscant*
"Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Council is assigning both you and your Padawan to travel to Dantooine, where some pirates have taken up residency near a former Jedi Training Enclave. Your mission to deal with the pirates and search for any Jedi artifacts to bring back to the temple." Said Jedi Master Mace Windu, with Obi-Wan nodding in confirmation.
"We'll depart within the hour, Masters. Let's go Anakin." Obi-Wan said to his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, who nodded.
"Yes Master." Said Anakin, following his Master out of the Council Chambers.
So, what did you think, good. Yep Naruto has started his training both under Jango and learning to use the Force from both Jedi and Sith Holocrons, of which Jango as gotten on missions and calling in the debt owed to him by the New Mandalorians, along with getting Beskar to create armor for himself and Naruto. Next we see Jango is still the template for the Clone Army and still asked for an unaltered Clone as his youngest son (I'm not leaving Boba out) and now he's taking Naruto on his first real mission. But we also see Obi-Wan and Anakin are on their way to Dantooine as well, leading to confrontation between Bounty Hunters and Jedi. So, review if you liked go away if you didn't.
Storm out
Hello all Storm here with a new chapter! Here we'll be seeing Naruto and Jango arriving on Dantooine to confront the pirates only to be interrupted by the arrival of Obi-Wan and Anakin. So, without further ado.
I own nothing
Above the planet of Dantooine, the Slave I came out of hyperspace, with Naruto and Jango looking down at the planet, where the pirates have set up base.
One the way there, Jango had taken the time to look through all the reports of where the pirates were spotted and luckily enough it seems they have set up their hideout near, or even inside, the Jedi Enclave. This gives them a chance to kill two birds with one stone, they can take out the pirates and search the Enclave afterwards without having to travel to two different locations.
Piloting the Slave I down to the planet's surface, Jango looked at his adopted son.
"Last chance, do you want to wait on the ship, and I'll deal with the pirates." Jango said, having given Naruto the chance to remain on Kamino and again to remain on the ship, he's giving him one more chance to back out if he wasn't ready.
"I'm ready, to prove myself as a Bounty Hunter and a Mandalorian, even if I'm not one by birth." Said Naruto, while sporting a look of determination on his face.
This made Jango smirk under his helmet and pat Naruto on the back, while knowing his adopted son was ready for this. Plus, it helped that Jango already had Naruto blooded, he made sure to always bring a target back to Kamino alive for Naruto to kill, usually one of the grunts or those whose bounties were worth more dead than alive. It was to help him get used to the idea and action of killing, and so he wouldn't freeze up after making his first kill.
It was the first kill Naruto made that was the hardest, always the first.
*Flashback*
Jango sat beside Naruto after storing away the body of target he had just killed. He hadn't said anything after putting a blaster bolt through the man's head, but Jango could see his hands were still shaking.
"Does it, ever get easier?" Naruto asked after several moments of silence, Jango looking at him before looking forward deep in thought.
"…I wouldn't know, being a Mandalorian, I've seen plenty of death, while having killed dozens, possibly hundreds. Even before I joined the True Mandalorians, I knew how to kill if I needed to. For others, I'm not sure if gets easier." Jango said.
"Did you ever enjoy it?" Naruto asked, with Jango looking at him cautiously, before shaking his head.
"No, I never enjoyed it, anyone I ever killed it was always business." Jango said.
Were there people he enjoyed killing? Yes, there were several people he enjoyed killing. Was it the act of killing itself? No. For Jango whenever he enjoyed killing someone, it wasn't the act itself, but what killing them meant for him.
For the Death Watch members that attacked his home, it was avenging his family. The Jedi on Galidraan, because they attacked first and wiped out his allies and comrades. Vizsla, that was payback for everything he's done.
So, it wasn't the act of killing that Jango enjoyed, but what they meant for him. Now if he kills anyone, it's because he's hired to and it's only business.
"Did you enjoy killing that man?" Jango asked, as he would have a lot of work to do to make sure Naruto didn't become some lunatic who enjoyed killing, especially with his connection to the Force.
Though he was relieved when Naruto shook his head.
"No, I didn't like it. But I understand that sometimes killing is necessary, but I don't think I'll ever enjoy it." Naruto replied, with Jango patting him on the shoulder.
"Then you're better than most of the beings in the galaxy." Jango stated.
*End Flashback*
Jango had been surprised at Naruto's mature response and ability to not shut down after his first kill. Though he guessed that it made sense with all the Jedi and Sith Holocrons that he learned from, since it allowed Naruto to form his own opinion on certain matters. But Jango would prefer that over Naruto thinking too much like a Jedi or a Sith.
Add in Jango's own lessons on being a Bounty Hunter and a Mandalorian, along with keeping him up to date on events happening in the galaxy, Naruto has developed a more mature mindset for someone his age.
Pushing those thoughts aside and focusing back on the mission on hand. While Jango was wearing his new Beskar armor, Naruto was wearing Durasteel armor, since Jango figured it'd be better to wait until he's older to make him Beskar armor. Given they have a limited amount.
Naruto also wore a cloak over his armor, with both the cloak and armor being similar to attire worn by the Jedi Master Ven Zallow, with the cloak being black and the armor being red with an under bodysuit that was also black with silver highlights.
Soon they arrived at the Enclave, which was hidden deep in the mountains of Dantooine, far away from any civilization. Hiding on a ridge that overlooks the Enclave, Jango had his helmet zoom in to see how many pirates there were, finding at least a dozen outside, possibly more inside or hiding.
"Okay, I see at least a dozen; we'll take out those alone to keep the element of surprise. After that, we'll reveal ourselves and take the rest of them by surprise. With the ones we take out, it should lower their numbers to where the rest won't be much of a challenge." Jango said, with Naruto nodding.
Moving down the mountain while remaining hidden, Naruto and Jango split up and began systematically taking out the pirates, while hiding the bodies so as to not raise any alarms.
Even when the remaining pirates started getting suspicious and calling out to their allies, things still went pretty well. That is until two Jedi on speeder bikes showed up and alerted the pirates, making them call for a retreat to regroup.
Cursing the Jedi's arrival, Jango signaled to Naruto to jump out and simply take out as many pirates as they can, before they can escape. They were able to take out a few more, but the rest still managed to escape.
"Jedi, always showing up at the worst possible times." Jango stated as he looked at the two new arrivals, with him guessing the older one was likely a Jedi Knight and the other was his Padawan
Though Jango also recognized the older one as Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had taken part in the Battle of Naboo against the Trade Federation.
"Why are you here Bounty Hunter?" Obi-Wan questioned, willing to see if this could be ended peacefully, but ready to draw his Lightsaber, if it came to that.
"Well, we were hired to deal with the pirates, which we were doing until you two showed up ruining everything. Now they're aware and will be more alert and prepared. And after that we planned to see if anything of value was still here." Jango said, not mentioning Naruto's Force sensitivity as that would just invite all kinds of trouble.
"This Enclave belongs to the Jedi Order, as does any relics that remain. I ask that you both drop your weapons and leave us to our mission." Obi-Wan said, with Jango shaking his head at his words.
"We're Mandalorians, weapons are part of our religion." Jango said, while aiming his blasters and shooting at Obi-Wan, with the Jedi Knight quickly drawing his Lightsaber and deflecting them.
Anakin was about to help his master, but immediately jumped back when Naruto shot at him as well.
"Don't ever turn your back on your opponent, it might cost you your life." Naruto said, as Anakin activated his own Lightsaber.
Jango tossed a grenade at Obi-Wan, who quickly threw it into the air with the Force. Looking, he saw Jango holstering his blasters.
"Are you giving up?" Obi-Wan asked, only to be shocked when Jango pulled out a Lightsaber of his own, with him activating it, showing the glowing red blade.
"No, I just figured a change of weapons would help end this quicker." Jango said.
Naruto wasn't the only one who took advantage of the Holocrons' knowledge. Though granted, they had to write down the information as Jango couldn't activate the Holocrons himself. He mixed the Seven Lightsaber Forms with some Mandalorian Sword Styles, while mixing Mandalorian fighting tactics with Form Six Niman as a substitute for the Force, since he can't use it.
As for the Lightsaber, Jango had originally taken it off a Dark Jedi that he encountered while on a job. He planned to give it to Naruto, but to Jango's shock and pride, he declined. Saying that he would eventually make his own, or earn his own Lightsaber, rather than just be given one.
Obi-Wan quickly snapped out of his shock as Jango attacked him, with Obi-Wan having some difficultly as he was used to fighting those who use the Traditional Lightsaber Forms, while Jango's was very different in comparison.
Meanwhile, Naruto continued shooting at Anakin, who was having similar difficulties given he hasn't practiced with a Lightsaber for long, let alone in a real combat situation.
"Come on Jedi, is that all you can do, just deflect. And here I was hoping for a challenge." Naruto said mockingly, with Anakin glaring at the younger boy.
"At least I'm using a weapon that requires skill and practice. Something you clearly lack." Retorted Anakin, only to be forced to jump over a large container that was suddenly thrown at him.
Looking at Naruto, Anakin was shocked to see him levitating several objects around him.
"You wanted skills, how's this." Naruto said, while a smirking at the Padawan.
Anakin was forced to jump and dodge as Naruto flung several objects at him, while slicing through a few with his Lightsaber. Finally, Anakin sighed in relief at jumping over the last one, only to cry out in pain when Naruto shot a blast of Force Lightning at him, not strong enough to cause great pain, but enough to stun Anakin.
"How's that, a Bounty Hunter being better at using the Force than a Jedi. How shameful." Said Naruto tauntingly.
"I'm going to make you regret that brat!" Anakin said, as this kid knew how to get under his skin, as one thing Anakin hated was someone insulting his abilities, whether it was racing, mechanics, or his Jedi training.
"Bring it, Jedi." Retorted Naruto with a smirk adorned on his face.
However, before they could continue fighting, they, along with Jango and Obi-Wan, were stopped when they saw the pirates had returned along with their apparent leader.
"My, my, look at this, two Jedi and two Bounty Hunters interfering in our business." The man said, whom Jango recognized as Garth Ezzar, another Dark Jedi with a decent bounty on his head.
"While I'd enjoy watching you kill each other, your interference has cost me quite a good bit of helping hands, so I'm just going to blow you all to pieces." Garth said, pulling out a detonator and activating several charges that the pirates had placed to destroy the Enclave, once they were done here.
Jango cursed when he saw the explosives go off and went to run towards Naruto, but before he could reach him, the ground split open underneath them, revealing underground caverns.
'Damn!' Jango mentally cursed, while activating his jetpack to slow his decent into the tunnels.
Now he'd have to find his way out, though he had faith that Naruto would survive and find a way out, as well.
*Later*
Anakin groaned as he woke up, while his entire body felt sore from falling into the cavern. Sitting up, Anakin immediately stiffened when he saw Naruto sitting by a fire and reached for his Lightsaber, only to find it missing.
"Looking for this." Said Naruto, while holding up Anakin's Lightsaber, making the Padawan curse at losing his weapon.
One of the first lessons that Obi-Wan taught him, was never lose his Lightsaber, and he loses it on his first mission from the Jedi Council.
Looking around, Anakin frowned at seeing how far underground they were, and yet he only felt sore when he should have worse injuries. Looking at Naruto, the Padawan saw he didn't look injured either.
"Why aren't we injured?" Anakin asked.
"I was able to keep myself conscious and used my pain from the fall, then turned it into anger, which I in turn used to perform some Force Healing techniques on us." Naruto answered, figuring he had a better chance of escaping with Anakin, than on his own.
"That sounds like a Dark Side technique." Said Anakin, now on edge that he knew how to use the Dark Side.
"I won't lie, I've studied from both Jedi and Sith Holocrons, along with ancient texts and tomes from both of the orders. But I wasn't raised under either orders' religious beliefs or practices. To me, the Light and Dark sides of the Force aren't inherently good or evil, it's only the intent of the wielder in using the Force." Naruto said, while Anakin was surprised that he has Holocrons of both the Jedi and the Sith.
"Well, would you consider giving them to the Jedi Order?" Anakin asked, since he's sure they'd appreciate the knowledge the Holocrons contain.
"No, I need them to continue my training in the Force. Besides, if I gave them to the Jedi, they'd either lock them up in some vault, gathering dust until a Master finally decides to look at them. Or destroy them, in the case of the Sith Holocrons." Naruto replied, refusing to let the Holocrons go to waste, or be destroyed and losing the knowledge they contain.
"Those artifacts are dangerous, if they fall into the wrong hands. At least with the Jedi, they'd be safe, since we're are the keepers of peace in the galaxy." Stated Anakin, only for Naruto to scoff at his words.
"Peace? really?! No, the Jedi are just a bunch of hypocrites. They claim to desire peace, and yet they performed a Sith Holocaust at the end of the Great Hyperspace War. Where the Jedi wiped out the Sith Empire, despite it being crippled and no longer a threat; regardless if those they killed were Sith Lords or Civilians! Or what about when they wiped out the True Mandalorians, who only fought to protect their people and comrades?! No, the Jedi aren't "keepers of peace", they're just a bunch of hypocrites, who don't even serve the Will of the Force, anymore. Instead, twisting it into the will of a corrupt government. That's not even counting their own bigotry towards other Force based Religions, including ones that follow the Light Side as well. Because they're arrogant enough to believe that they're the true Champions of the Light Side. With these Religions being assimilated them into the Jedi Order, whether through peace or force. Yeah, what a real peaceful Order." Naruto retorted, as Anakin looked shaken at hearing this, and couldn't even say that Naruto was lying, because he could sense it in the Force that he was telling the truth.
"How do you know all this?" Anakin asked.
"My fathers a Bounty Hunter, and before that, he was the leader of the True Mandalorians. He was able to learn a lot about the galaxy through the Galactic Underworld, and other sources. Plus, him and his associates don't see the Jedi and Republic through the rose-tinted glasses that the rest of the galaxy does. At least, those that weren't horribly wronged by those allied two factions, in some way. And he made sure I was kept up to date on events in the galaxy, both public and covered up ones." Naruto answered.
This silences Anakin for a moment, not sure what to say in response.
"Well, even if that's true, maybe I can change the Jedi Order into something better." Anakin said, wanting to become a powerful Jedi so he could one day return to Tatooine and get rid of slavery on the planet, as well as see his mother again.
"Perhaps you can, but I'm not holding my breath. You have just as much potential to become the typical arrogant and hypocritical Jedi. Or perhaps, you'll go down the path of a Dark Jedi, or even a Sith, once you realize the corruption in the Order, and it shatters you. We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we." Naruto said, before going to a corner and lying down, with his back against the wall.
"You have first watch, just in case my father or your master finds us. Or if the pirates come looking, to see if we survived." Said Naruto, before going to sleep, while leaving Anakin alone to his thoughts.
Anakin briefly considered getting his Lightsaber back but dismissed the thought. While he can tell that Naruto's asleep, he doubts that he let his guard down. Besides, at the moment, Anakin was more preoccupied with his thoughts of what Naruto told him, than his worry about getting his Lightsaber back.
So, what did you think, good. Yep Naruto has already made several kills, with Jango bringing some of his targets or grunts to Kamino for Naruto to execute and get used to killing. We also see Jango has acquired his own Lightsaber as well and mixed the traditional Lightsaber Forms with Mandalorian Sword Styles and fighting tactics, making him even more dangerous. We also see Naruto is very powerful in the Force and even begun learning Force Lightning, though not on the same level as say Sidious. Though both fights were interrupted when the pirates returned with their leader, Garth Ezzar being a character from Legends, and now all four are trapped in underground tunnels with Naruto and Anakin being stuck together. Finally Naruto lays out the hard truths of the Jedi and the Republic to Anakin, with the Chosen One now having to think on what he's just learned. So, review if you liked go away if you didn't.
Storm out