Whew! Chapter 7! Last chapter was my longest yet, and I hope to make this one even longer. And maybe more enjoyable. Maybe. Now, I got quite a few people talking about how nice Naruto is, how he's "our good kindhearted Naruto". Well, that's not really true. I made this Naruto as much like a clone as I could, with references to the Republic Commando series. And from what I've seen, they're merciless when on a job, and not very understanding of dirt bags. So that's why Naruto helped Tomoyo. What you guys haven't seen is a clone commando when they mean business. I'm gonna give you guys a taste. Have fun!

Naruto sat in his ship, headed towards Alderaan. He had left Tomoyo at his headquarters before sending a message to Shikamaru about their 'guest'. It hadn't gone over very well.

Flashback, 5 hours prior

"What the hell is it, Naruto?!" Shikamaru yelled into his helmet. Naruto was on the other end of the line, taking off of their landing platform. "Can we talk?" Naruto asked.

He could almost hear Shikamaru pause in disbelief, "Are you *ugh* serious? I'm in the middle of something right now! Just die already you damn bug!"

"But this is important!" Naruto insisted. "We have a girl staying at headquarters." For a while, all Naruto could hear over the line was blaster fire and grenades. Then after five minutes of listening to combat, Naruto heard Shikamaru speak.

"Come again?"

Naruto coughed. "We, uh, we have a girl at headquarters."

Surprisingly, Shikamaru didn't yell at him for bringing a civvie into what was meant to be a secure headquarters. Instead, he wearily replied, "C'mon Naruto. It's only been two weeks and you've already brought a girl home?"

Naruto, with no hologram or person to turn to, stared forward with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

Again, Shikamaru was silent before chuckling. "Never mind, ner vod, never mind. So who's the girl?"

"Oh, just a waitress at my stakeout."

"Reason?"

"Let's just say that I might've done some things and now she needs protection."

"Understood. I'll try getting a hold of Sasuke and Neji and warn them not to kill her."

"Really? Just like that?" Naruto said, the shock obvious in his voice.

"OK fine, I won't tell them. We'll see what happens."

"Wait wait wait! That's not what I meant!"

"I know what you meant di'kut." On Felucia, Shikamaru could be seen shaking his head at his brother's idiocy.

"Oh, well uh, thanks." Naruto heaved out a sigh of relief, putting his feet up on the platform near the comm device. "So, what were you doing, anyway?"

(With Shikamaru)

He looked around him at the carnage. This job sure had a lot of collateral damage. "I got sent to Felucia to deal with an Acklay problem. Apparently, a Force adept Acklay was leading a pack against a town here. There were too many for the villagers to fight off by themselves, so they told me about them."

"Wait, what? Aren't Acklay's those giant bug thingies? You know, that thing that General Kenobi fought on Geonosis?"

"Yep, that's the one. Apparently, the not-so-little buggers were shipped here generations ago. And like all bugs, where there's one, there's bound to be more." Shikamaru said, kicking a severed Acklay head with his armored boot.

"OK, I understand all of that, but a Force adept? They're bugs man!" His brother said, the disbelief obvious in his voice.

Shikamaru chuckled, "Yeah, well, these guys apparently didn't get the memo. Force using Acklay's shoot lightning out of their mouths. Damn annoying too. What about you Naruto?"

Back with Naruto

"I'm arriving at Alderaan for an assassination type." He told the comm, right as his ship went out of hyperspace. "Apparently, a family down there has been selling 'protection' to my client. And he no longer wants nor requires their services."

"Ah, one of those types. Well, I have to let you go now; I gotta talk to the locals." Shikamaru responded, the line already starting to break off.

"Got it, sir. Don't forget to tell the others!" Naruto shouted into the static. "God I hope he heard that."

End flashback

Naruto looked at the peaceful planet. They were one of the few planets that wanted less than nothing to do with the war. The entire planet was peaceful, from its government to its citizens. Naruto had never heard of any gangs on or from the planet. Everyone there was supposed to be intellectual and artistic. It was actually the cultural center of the galaxy, much like Coruscant was the political center.

"Something's not right here." Naruto muttered to himself as he entered the atmosphere. "But a job's a job. Now, down to Alderaan I go."

Kakashi burst into the room, blue lightsaber activated and a squad of clones behind him. And there, in the center of the room, stood Akela and Hinata, the latter draped over his shoulder. And around the pair were dozens of clones and Republic guards on the floor, all dead. Akela smiled as he saw the Jedi. "Hello Jedi, I've been waiting for you."

Kakashi glared at the Sith. "I'll give you one chance to get back in your cell, Akela, before I get angry."

Akela only laughed, "Oh, a Jedi get angry? That's a bit of a contradiction, isn't it?" the smile fell from Akela's face as he continued, "Regardless, I don't think you realize your situation, Jedi. He spit out the name this time like a poison that had been in his mouth too long.

"And what's that, Sith?" Kakashi replied in kind.

"Well, I have your Padawan at my mercy and you, all you have in return is a couple of clones and in the off chance you actually beat me, a cozy jail cell. Thought that's unlikely, because if you fight at all like your apprentice then I'll have two hostages instead of one. Honestly, this is a win-win for me."

"You think you can follow through with that, Akela?" Kakashi said, stalling for the clone sniper to get a clear shot.

"Of course. But if you'd like to search my mind and see if I can, go ahead. I've already searched you. And the sniper." Akela ignited the red end of his staff, "On the other hand, if you'd like to let me pass to my shuttle, nobody else would have to die, and I wouldn't miss my planet."

Kakashi's eyes widened as he whispered, "You planned this, didn't you?"

The Sith smirked, "Took you long enough. Sith are master planners. Did you really think I wasn't prepared for this? God, you Jedi are so shortsighted."

"Sir, I have a shot, should I take it?" The sniper said to Kakashi from the other end of the hallway.

"Go on, Kakashi, answer the clone." Akela said smugly, shifting Hinata to a more comfortable position. Behind Kakashi, the clones looked nervously to one another, not sure what to do with the two powerhouses showing down in front of them. One of them, a soldier named (1)Corr, couldn't help but think, Without them, this war wouldn't have started. Without them, my brothers wouldn't be dying. Then of course, his training took over and rooted it from his mind, almost completely.

Corr later joined the 501st and later still, participated in Darth Vader's attack of the Jedi Temple.

Naruto rest on a hill, overlooking a speeder pass. On Alderaan, there were still roads that people traveled, the reason being the citizens valued how safe a road was, unlike the invisible sky lanes of Coruscant. Under Naruto's arm rested a sniper rifle, the standard of the republic and the only standard weapon the commandoes owned. And in his sites were two speeders, the front one packed with armed men, obviously hired guns, while the second contained the family.

Naruto aimed for the first car, and put an illegally modified clip into the rifle. This one would allow him to fire all of the clips energy in one shot, having the effect and recoil of an anti-vehicle rocket, with the precision and range of a sniper rifle. Pulling the trigger, the gun kicked into Naruto's shoulder, nearly breaking bone through the armor. But the real damage was what was sent through the barrel to the car. A large flash of blue laser rocketed through the barrel and sped to the speeder car filled with guards, blowing it to pieces on contact. The car behind it, the one filled with the family and two guards, crashed into the first, this one not exploding, but it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. And that's what Naruto wanted.

Standing, he cradled the sniper rifle in his arms as he walked down the hill. With his EE-3 carbine on his back, he prepared to finish his job. If he was lucky, they might actually put up a fight.

Nikana Riou slammed into the back of the seat in front of her. Her family had been driving to go off-planet when the speeder in front had suddenly exploded. One moment the girl had been laughing with her brothers, the next she was leaving an imprint on the seat in front of her. The two bodyguards in the front were the first to react, despite being the most damaged.

"Mr. Riou!" the driver shouted to Nikana's father, "Get your family out of here! We'll cover you, just head for the hills to the left!"

Mr. Riou nodded, quickly opening the left doors of the car and letting his family out. As the family hurried out, the two guards ducked behind the car, blasters firing at whoever was attacking them. As Nikana got out of the car, she saw the two guards drop, one after another. The entire family stalled for a moment before her father picked up one of their blasters and started firing.

"Run!" he yelled to the other four members of his family. They didn't hesitate. Whoever was after them was obviously very good. And so, the family of five ran, the father turning to fire at the assailant every few seconds. Nikana ran as fast she could, her two older brothers leading the way. So far, the mysterious assassin hadn't been firing at them, and for a dim moment, she thought he might not be after them. Until her oldest brother dropped dead as a blue blaster bolt struck him in the back of the head. She stopped and looked at the body, horrified. Then she looked back. There, calmly walking towards them with sniper rifle aimed, was an orange armored figure.

The whole demeanor of the man scared Nikana. He seemed deadly calm, like he'd done this thing a thousand times before, like it didn't bother him. And even as her father's bolts hit all around the man, he never flinched. It was as if he was a robot, just completing another mission.

Her entire family had stopped as the eldest son died. They stared at the body as the armored man walked closer. Soon, they heard his boots trudging through the grass. The family turned to see him standing there, watching the family as they grieved. Nikana's father was the first to speak. "You could've killed us all by now. Why wait? Or were you just after my son."

When the armored man spoke, it was just as Nikana thought it would sound. Dark, cold, unforgiving, "No, you all are my targets. I merely wished to give you a chance to mourn. And now I will give you a fighting chance. No one deserves to die in battle, let alone against an opponent who holds all the cards. I will give you ten seconds to try for the hill. Then you die. Go." The family didn't move. "Now!" this time they all ran, except for the father. He stayed behind, a determined look on his face. "You're not running?"

"No," the father replied, "You said nobody should die when the opponent holds all the cards."

"Correct."

"Then fight me." The father said, putting his hands up in a fighting stance. The bounty hunter threw the rifle to his right and did the same. "Fine then." With that, the father rushed at the bounty hunter, swinging his right fist, only for it to be caught in the left hand of the armored man. They stayed like that for three seconds before the father threw another punch, this time with his left hand. As it struck, soft flesh met hardened armor, and, as is the natural order of things, it hurt. A lot. As the father cringed in pain, the hunter took the opportunity, grabbing the man's left arm with his left hand, while driving his right fist up through the man's locked elbow, shattering it. Again, the man screamed in pain, but this time, instead of attacking him, the hunter just Spartan kicked him away.

The father, whipping out a vibroknife, turned it on and threw it, only for it to be caught by the hunter, an inch away from his chest plate. The hunter looked at the knife for a moment, studying it, before throwing it back at the man, piercing his chest and causing the father to scream in pain. The hunter walked up to him, tearing the vibroblade out as he squatted next to him. "So much for a fair fight, I suppose?"

"I'm just trying to save my family, you murderer." The man grunted before coughing out blood for a few seconds.

"I'm not a murderer, Mr. Riou." The bounty hunter said calmly, walking the short distance to his sniper rifle before walking back to the dying man. "I'm a bounty hunter on a job. Your family was just unlucky enough to be my target."

The father's eyes closed as he neared death, but he kept the strength to plea to the Mandalorian. "Please, just let my family live. My life should be enough for your employer. Please, I beg of you!"

The bounty started shaking his head before Mr. Riou had finished speaking. "We both know I can't do that. But I'll let one of them live long enough to give me some information."

The father coughed up more blood before he could ask the question that Naruto was sure on his mind. The man died a few seconds later, eyes wide open. Naruto closed the dead man's eye lids, before taking aim at the man's family. "Time to finish this."

Nikana ran as hard as she could, almost at the top of the hill. I'm going to make it! She thought to herself, only 10 meters from the top. At least, that's what she thought before she heard more gunfire from the hunter's rifle. Her mother had fallen behind and her brother had fallen back to help her. When she heard two shots, one after another, she could guess their fates. At that moment she reached the top of the hill. She felt a large surge of relief. Past this hill were multiple smaller hills, but they were large enough to hide her from the bounty hunter and his rifle for a while. If she was lucky, he might even give up.

All hope she had died as she felt the searing pain of a blaster bolt hit her in the back of her right leg. Screaming, she collapsed down on the hill, before rolling down the hill. The one thought on her mind was getting away, and so she crawled through the grass, her leg bleeding as she crawled. And she continued to crawl; each foot she got away from the hill was farther away from the assassin. But it didn't make sense to the young woman. Why would he kill the others, and just wound her? She was going to find out soon enough, judging by the footprints steadily going her way.

Naruto walked up behind the girl, rifle aimed at her back. He had to admit, he was just a little impressed by her. The girl had managed to crawl quite the distance, even after being shot in the leg. He also had to admit that she wasn't that bad looking. She wore tight fitting blue pants with a grey sleeveless cargo jacket covering a white t-shirt. From what he had seen, she looked more like a model than an ordinary girl, her brown hair looking near perfect, even after being attacked by Naruto. Remembering something Shikamaru had said about beautiful girls, though, he didn't think he'd get much out of her.

Turning her over with his foot, he pointed the rifle right between her eyes, before saying to her, "You're going to tell me what I want to know immediately, or I kill you, understand?" the girl nodded. "Good. Now tell me, what do you know of a man named Gocrre?"

The girl's eyes widened even more, "Is that the man who hired you?" Naruto fired right next to her head, causing the girl to yelp in fear. "Answer the question. Now."

The girl thought long and hard before nodding slightly. "Y-yeah. From what I've heard, he steals money from my father's business." She let the grief show on her face for a moment. "I mean, he used too."

"I take it your father hired guards to protect his business and his family?" Naruto asked the girl, already guessing where this was going.

"Y-yes."

"Figures. Well, goodbye Nikana." With that, Naruto aimed down the sights, fully intent on shooting the young woman in the forehead. That is, until his comm went off and the voice of Gocrre came through.

"Bring that one to me. Alive."

"That wasn't part of the deal." Naruto replied. Nikana looked quizzically at the hunter. "Who are you-?" Naruto fired another shot, again to the side of her head.

"And here I thought you'd be happy." Gocrre said, and Naruto could hear the smirk in his tone. "After all, that's one less person for you to kill."

"That may be, but that doesn't mean the alternative is any better. Plus you lied to me."

"I thought it'd be easier for you if you thought you were doing something good. Some bounty hunters do it because they're good at it, others because they like it. You struck me as the former. That is all." Gocrre's voice went from demeaning to demanding instantly. "Now get her to my locations immediately. You'll get 20,000 extra credits when the mission is completed. I've sent my position to your ship. Now hurry, hunter. I don't like to be kept waiting."

"Yes sir," Naruto said, gritting his teeth. Throwing the rifle away, he picked up Nikana and slung her over his shoulder. Then he pressed a button on his wrist, and awaited his ship.

On Coruscant, Gocrre sat in a chair, smirking in your stereotypical bad guy pose. Behind him stood four black and orange battle droids, vibroswords strapped to their backs. "Get ready my dear commandoes." Gocrre said to the droids, waving a hand behind him. "Let's give our little guests a big welcome."

(1)- Corr is indeed a clone trooper name. In fact, it was first introduced as a clone name in Karen Traviss' Republic Commando novel, Triple Zero. I merely like the name enough to go by it. From what I've read it's actually quite a common name. So please, don't consider me to be one of the people who have to put themselves into a story.

Well? What'd you think? I really gotta stop with the cliffhangers though. While they're super fun to make, I don't really think people who are reading this like them very much. Am I right?

You know, more than I care what you think of the story, I wanna know what you think of the way Naruto acts on a mission. As some of you might've figured out, I've decided to spread out what happens to Hinata over a few arcs. This is more of just, well, setting the stage. What will happen to Hinata, who is Akela's partner, and what the hell is gonna happen to Naruto as he meets the treacherous Mr. Gocrre?

Well, don't forget to review!