Sith'ari

Freedom

It had been five days since the boy had mysteriously appeared in her tomb. She had continued to observe him every day since his arrival. The first day, the day he arrived, the boy spent his time trying to reactivate the device that sent him here, and though she did not know what the device was, she doubted it could be reactivated again anytime soon.

On the second day, the boy was forced to abandon the device and ventured out of the tomb to search for food and water. At the end of the day he came back empty-handed, but the fact that he ventured into the valley without being hunted by the Tuk'ata, the Sith Hounds, was surprising.

On the night of the second day, the boy searched her tomb for anything to drink or eat. He found small jugs of liquids in one of the rooms, her followers' tombs to be exact. The jugs were offers for the ceremony when buried. However, the liquid found inside the jugs was most likely not water in its original form. Nevertheless the boy drank from one of the jugs with great gluttony, not caring that he had desecrated her tomb. This was another thing she would keep in mind.

On the third day, he searched her tomb instead of venturing out. A smart yet foolish move; smart because he knew better than to risk being hunted by the Tuk'ata, but foolish since he dared to violate her tomb. But the boy, who was just 5, had survived on Korriban for three days and four nights. It was unusual, especially for a human…which was why she would let him off for now. The boy spent the whole day looting her tomb. He found a Shikkar; an Ancient Sith dagger. That was the only useful thing he found.

On the fourth day he ventured out again, but this time he came back with something big, a corpse of Tuk'ata. At first she was surprised to see the dead beast, but as she looked closer, she saw that the beast was slashed and bitten, meaning that it was killed by another creature. The Tuk'ata he had dragged was a fully grown adult, which was bigger than the average man, and he boy had managed to drag it all by himself, from wherever he had found it. The corpse was already dried under the sunlight, so the child didn't have to cook it.

And on this day, the fifth day, she thought the boy would have tried to reactivate the device again, because he had enough food and 'water' to survive for a week, at least. But instead he had gone out again, a most unusual thing to do. That is why on this day she used some of her power to break free from her tomb and trailed the boy outside.

xxxxx

She followed the boy after he left her tomb. It seemed she had given him too much credit about how he would able to avoid the Tuk'ata. The only reason the Tuk'ata had not yet noticed him was due to his small body size, which allowed him to hide in places where the Tuk'ata could not see him. Nevertheless, she was still curious as to why the boy had left the tomb when he had enough supplies.

Finally, her question was answered. He came to take another Tuk'ata corpse back to her tomb. A wise move since it would increase his supplies. The boy showed great levels of strength again as he began to drag the Tuk'ata back to her tomb. But on his way back, in a small narrowed part of the valley, he encountered something new.

xxxxx

Naruto was dragging his extra supply back to his base, yesterday he discovered two dead bodies of the creature that guard this place. His instinct told him that these creatures were not friendly, so he chose not to approach any of them. But with no food, he would be forced to hunt them sooner or later. When he discovered the bodies it helped him avoid an inevitable fight with these creatures, for a while at least. The dead bodies were also dried up by the heated sun, so he did not have to cook any of it. It still tasted unpleasant though.

But as he dragged the body through a small, narrowed valley, he heard a low growl coming from above. He looked up to see the source of the sound, but one of the creatures had already leapt. It wasn't as big as the other one, but it was imposing nevertheless.

The creature landed heavily onto Naruto and forced him to the ground. It stood on top of him, claws out and snarling, ready to bite. Naruto kicked wildly at it, squirming loose only because of his small size. The creature, thrown back by his frantic kicks, was able to maneuver and landed on its feet, but this still gave Naruto enough time to get back on his own feet. He quickly pulled out the dagger he had found at his base. It was small enough for a five year old to wield, although with great difficulty.

The dagger weighing down his hands, he stared at the beast, and it met his own eyes with a low growl. It began to stalk toward him again, intent on its prey, but Naruto danced sideways out of its reach.

xxxxx

She was satisfied by the scene. Finally the boy was forced to fight, and it would be an interesting show to watch. Perhaps a final test to see whether he was worthy or not. She also noticed that the Tuk'ata he was about to fight is a unique one.

While normal Tuk'ata had red eyes, this one had blue eyes; a strange mutation, though not entirely unheard of. From what she heard, the blue eyes Tuk'ata were easier to tame, but that did not make them any less dangerous. She observed the scene closer, but before the fight between the two could begin, a mighty roar was heard in the air.

xxxxx

Naruto was ready to face the creature, but before they could engage each other, the sound of a massive roar was heard. Both Naruto and the hound looked up to where the voice had come from. From behind, Naruto saw a giant beast rushing towards them.

It was similar to a gorilla with two arms extended to help it walk. It had a number of spikes growing from its back with a pair of flaps and tusk-like projections attached to their mouths. He did not know what it was, but what he knew was that it heading right toward him and the one he was trying to fend off.

Naruto looked at his opponent, who was already fleeing ahead of him. Without any hesitation, Naruto followed it.

xxxxx

She watched the scene with more tension now, because the apparition of the Terentatek meant that the boy was indeed force-sensitive, as the creature only hunted those with force-sensitive abilities. At that moment, she decided she would train the boy if he, obviously, survived this attack.

She was also surprised. Most Terentatek preferred to stay away from the Valley of The Dark Lord, yet there was one in front of her. The only logical explanation was that it hunted something, and her guess would be the boy. He must have a high level of Midi-chlorians to attract such a beast into the territory that was not its own.

She stopped thinking about the Terentatek and its intention, and focused back on the boy and the hound.

xxxxx

Naruto continued to run along the small valley. He knew that it would get narrower as he went deeper. Running in front of him was the creature he had intended to fight, which remind him that he had left behind the corpse he wanted to drag with him. He couldn't worry about that for now though, and would run for his life instead.

While the beast that was chasing them was indeed gargantuan, its size affected its speed, making it slow. Both he and the Hound gained more distance as they continued to run, but then the giant creature did something Naruto hadn't anticipated. It slammed its gigantic hands onto the valley wall.

The slam was so powerful that the whole right side of the valley shook, causing boulders to fall down upon Naruto and the hound. Naruto and the hound were forced to run in zigzag to avoid the falling boulders. The two were able to dodge most rocks that fell down and finally ran pass deeper into the territory which meant that the creature could not follow. Yet the boulders did not stop falling and they were forced to continue running.

Finally, they saw the exit of the valley. But from behind, Naruto could see that a massive rock was teetering over the enemy hound and was about to fall onto it. Naruto hesitated; should he save it? It was the right thing to do. On the other hand, it had intended to kill him, and letting it die would only save him the trouble; he might even get its corpse as a replacement for the one he lost.

I must not be like the ones who tormented me, he finally made up his mind. He increased his speed to catch up with the hound. When he finally in range, he tackled the hound out of the boulder's way; saving it from the falling rock.

When they were back on their feet, Naruto expected the hound to attack, but instead it only stared at him for a while before slowly walking away, tail tucked between its legs. Naruto watched the hound leave, and when it had left his sight he began to walk to his base.

'Great, I risk a lot coming out here for nothing' he thought with disappointment. Unknown to him, there was another who was disappointed as well.

xxxxx

She was not happy about what just happened. While the boy had survived, he chose to risk his life for an enemy; it was something that was very foolish. The boy had too much light side within him, but perhaps he could be lured into the dark. After all, the more lightside he had the deeper he would sink.

Tonight, he would fall to the darkside. She would see to it herself.

xxxxx

It was night time again. Naruto slept soundly in the same room. He used the hide of the Tuk'ata he found as a blanket, it was not the most comfortable blanket in the world but it would do.

As he slept a shadow slowly approach him. It slowly extended its hand and touched his forehead lightly.

xxxxx

She had arrived somewhere else, it was a sewer of some kind. When she touched the boy's head, she knew she would enter his mind, but she thought the mindscape created by a child would be less...grim. In here, she also felt the strange aura that the boy always let out, but in here it was much stronger and she could feel its source just ahead of her.

She began to move forward toward the source of power. As she went closer, the air around her was getting heavier. A good sign because it showed that whatever she was about to see was very powerful.

She finally arrived at what seemed to be a cage and behind the bars was whatever that sent out these auras.

"Who is this?" The voice called from behind the bar, it did not speak in Galaxy Basic; the main language in the galaxy. She saw an enormous form approach from behind the bars. A Canidae type of creature, with orange fur and nine-tails. She could feel the impressive power coming from this creature.

Oh, if only I had known that such a creature existed... the war with the Jedi would have been more…satisfied, she thought as she imagined what kind of power the creature in front of her possessed. The fox on the other hand was not very pleased with how this woman was looking at him.

"Those eyes... you are one of those who sought to use my power," Kurama said. He let out his murderous intention on the form of red chakra, trying to intimidate the woman, but instead the woman became even more fascinated by the creature. "Know your place, human, I could tear you apart in seconds," the fox warned.

She was fascinated by the creature, but even she knew that this creature was beyond her league, and when your enemy is out of your league you either wait for the moment to strike or manipulate them. "I am sorry great one, I was simply in awe by your immersive power," she said with a small bow.

The fox scoffed. "Who are you and what are you doing here? More importantly, how did you get in here in the first place?"

"Who am I and how did I get here is not important, great one. I'm only here to help."

"Help? What do you mean?"

"First, a name would be nice," she said slyly. The creature looked at her for a long moment before replying.

"My name is Kurama, the nine-tail fox," he answered.

"I see, and what are you exactly?" she asked.

"I am a creature of great power, I am the tailed beast, and the most powerful creation of the sage of six path."

"You know that those names mean nothing here, correct?" she asked Kurama.

"It's not the point, now tell me why you are here."

She nodded. "Did you notice that you and the boy are in…a different place?"

"Yes, I can see through the eyes of the boy when I want to. I can see that we are in some kind of valley and not at…'home'." Kurama said the word 'home' with dismay for some reason.

"Since you can see the event that happened today I will cut this short. The boy needs my help if he hopes to survive this place."

"From what I see, he was doing just fine on his own," Kurama said, but she shook her head.

"The beast that hunted him today was a Terentatek, it will hunt anything with unique power, and it will come back. In fact, more of them might be coming as we speak." Kurama was silent for a few second before finally speaking.

"I wanted to know something first," Kurama said, and she nodded in agreement. "Who are you?"

"I will reveal to you in due time," she growled lightly. "If you want my help, at least respect my privacy."

"…Fine, next question. Where are we? I don't mean in the Mindscape but where the boy and I are."

She smiled "You two are on planet Korriban, the homeworld of the Sith." Kurama blinked in confusion. "You have come from a pre-spaceflight world, haven't you?" Kurama was able to shake off his confusion and able to answer.

"I know what space is, it someplace that is beyond the sky, right?"

She nodded. "Good, at least you know the basic concept of space, but my time is growing short so I will have to explain another day. I can answer at least one more question." Kurama rubbed his chin, thinking of a last question to ask.

"How did the boy and I get here?" Kurama asked.

"That I do not know. The device that sent you and the boy are not original parts of my tomb, and I am not always awake, so I do not know who or what installed the device that sent you here. Now, can we begin?"

Kurama hesitated, and finally nodded.

"Good, now listen carefully. The only way the boy can survive on this planet is through my training, but I will not train him in this current state; he has too much lightside within him. I need knowledge about him in order to drag him down to the darkside so he could be a proper Sith." After she finished, she felt smugness radiate from the creature before her.

"Oh, so you just plan to use him, after all," he said with glee.

She raised an eyebrow. "You doesn't seem to be disturbed by this."

"Don't be mistaken, I only care about the boy's well-being because my life is tied to his…for now. But I still hate the boy; any chances of seeing him suffering without being hurt, I will take it. As for your question, I think I know just the thing you needed."

After hearing that, she smirked as well.

xxxxx

Naruto opened his eyes, he was now in the empty void of darkness. He looked, around trying to determine where he was or where the exit was. But then an image appeared right in front of him, out of nowhere, and began to move.

"So this is the boy." The scene show a room, full of important figures in Konoha along with an infant in the middle of the room.

"Yes, it is him." Naruto recognize the voice the Third Hokage.

"What shall we do with him?" one person asked.

"Well, the Fourth wanted us to raise him as a normal child," another said.

"Raise? Yes. Normal? No," someone else said.

"Indeed the fox is sealed within the boy, he is now an asset we must use to protect Konoha."

"You think of him as an object too much, Danzo," the Third said to Danzo.

"Your point? We Shinobi are just tools for protecting who we serve, and in this case it would be Konoha. The boy won't be different."

"Still, the Third made his point," one of the elders said. "If we treat the child badly, he may begin to think about revenge."

"If that time ever comes…we will kill him." Surprisingly, it was the Third who said that. "I can see the same heroic personality of his father within this boy; he will be willing to make necessary sacrifices if we raise him in the right way." He then looked at Danzo. "I understand your point my old friend, but to turn him purely into a weapon will only end in bad results for everyone, Konoha and the boy. Let us raise him as a normal Shinobi instead; he can be useful to us and we don't have to risk him turning against us."

"Very well, you made your point," Danzo said to the Third. The third slowly walked to the boy and remove the blanket that covered his face. Naruto immediately recognized his own face on the child, just a younger and chubbier one.

"I'm sorry child, but your fate was sealed the very moment you were born as a child of the Fourth Hokage," the Third said to the boy.

The scene faded away.

Naruto was absolutely confused. Why would the old man say he would kill him? He did not understand.

"I could answer that question for you," the voice of a woman called him from the shadows.

"What? Who are you?" he asked, startled that someone had made it here and he hadn't noticed.

"Who I am is not important, but you have questions, and I am here to answer them"

Naruto was silent for a while before speaking. "What were those images?"

"It's a memory of you when you were too young to remember," she said.

"What did those images mean?"

"You're being used, boy. You are being used by the very people who you thought were protecting you. They're just using you and when you out of your use, they will dispose of you."

Naruto's face fell. "No...that can't be...but the old man…"

"You saw what truly happened...and there is more."

Naruto looked up, his expression wary.

"Yes, there is more. Do you know who your parents were? Your father is the Hokage and your mother is the last of the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto eyes widened.

"They had left their legacy and heritages for you after they died, but you were denied all of it. Instead, all those people gave were lies and a harsh life." She could feel the anger boiling inside of him now, and she was pleased, though careful to keep it from her voice.

"They were trying to use you, manipulating you. When you outlived your usefulness they would throw you away." She could see fury rising in the eyes of the boy, and she hid her smile. "And who knows, maybe they're even responsible for your parent' deaths and your abuse."

Tears of anger and frustration rolled down his cheeks while he held himself back.

"And do you know the worst part? There is nothing you can do." That was the last straw.

"Oh yeah? I will kill them, I'll show you!" he screamed at her.

She smiled, delighted that the boy had finally broken. "You alone? Not possible, but..."

"But what?!"

"I can help you."

Naruto paused, then took a deep breath. "How?" he asked, a little less angry than before.

"I can teach you. I can teach you the art of the Force, become your master. I can give you the unlimited power, the power that will bring the truth to all the life in the galaxy…I can forge you into a Sith."

"What is Sith?" Naruto asked.

"It can be many things, a philosophy, an order of warrior and ruler, a species, and much more. But the Sith in this case is power, and I offer it to you, boy, a power to take revenge on those who wrong you, the power of greatness, the power that will break your bond for this pathetic life." She paused for a moment. "The question is, will you take it?"

Naruto didn't need to think twice, he was just told that his whole life was a lie and that he was being used. Now he had nothing left and like they said, 'always be afraid of a man with nothing left to lose.' He knelt before the shadow. "Yes...master."

Hearing that, she laughed in satisfaction. "It is time you know who I am."

The woman stepped out of the shadows. She had unnaturally white skin, in fact her skin was actually white, she had black ragged hair, and was dressed in a pale long dress with cloth fabric that wrapped her arm. She definitely was not human.

"I am XoXaan, I am the first of the dark lords, one of those who abandoned the Jedi to seek the darker path to the truth. The place you stayed in your wake is my tomb and my temple, and at its center, deep beneath the earth, I was hidden from those who sought me...until now. For so long, I have been waiting for someone like you, someone who had served the light only to find that it was empty and full of lies. You have proved that you are worthy to be my apprentice, and that is what you shall be. You will obey my every word and continue the way of the Sith, and then you shall have your revenge."

"Yes...Master XoXaan" Naruto replied, his young voice catching on the unusual name.

"Good, your training will begin immediately tomorrow," she said as her final words, and then left her new apprentice to rest. He would have a lot to do in many years to come.

xxxxx

A/N What? You thought that was Ventress? Please, as if she could become a Sith master. Also, unless you are a bit of a Star Wars nerd like I am, you may not know who XoXaan is. If that's the case please research on your own or wait till the next chapter. I always imagine XoXaan' personality to be similar to Flemeth from Dragon Age series; don't know why, I just feel like they are similar to each other.

Character profile:

Name: XoXaan

Species: Unknown.

Gender: Female

Sexual orientation: Straight

Age: Roughly, 6950 years old.

Homeworld: Unknown. Adopted: Korriban

Allegiance: Sith (Founder)

Profession: Sith Master/ Ghost

Birth date: Unknown.

Religion: Sith

Relationships: Naruto; current apprentice. Karness Muur; associate. Sorzus Syn; associate. Remulus Dreypa; associate. Ajunta Pall; associate.

Appearance: Black long hair. White skin. Blackish silver eyes. Unique: strange black make-up on her face.

Bio: One of the original Dark Jedi, XoXaan fought in the Hundred-years Darkness war, the war which subsequently created the modern Sith Order, as a commander of the Black Legion. As history said, she lost and was exiled with her fellow Dark Jedi. Eventually, she and her fellow exiles discovered the Sith species and the ones she found, due to Sith respect of strength, bowed to the exiles and accept them as their lords. Eventually, XoXaan lived out the rest of her life among the Sith. When she died, her soul moved into her holocron, which was buried in her tomb and waited for someone worthy to wake her and learn from her.