A New Order : Growth
A/N : Well, I'm pleased to announce a new chapter. Enjoy...
Naruto awoke quickly, stretching and sighing happily. He could definitely get used to waking up in the big, soft bed everyday. The first thought to strike him was that his bladder was going to explode, closely followed by the fact that his stomach seemed to be trying to it itself, and was coming dangerously close to succeeding.
He eyed the bathroom door and forced his body to climb out of the bed. As he stood, he had to brace himself against the wall to stop from falling as the blood rushed to his head. His knuckles cracked at the pressure, and the sensation started to return to his limbs from being motionless for so long.
When he was confident in his ability to stand upright without biting the stone floor, he shuffled to the bathroom. He passed the mirror without sparing it a glance, instead focusing his priorities. Getting a shower, and relieving himself before something embarrassing happened.
As he stood in the shower with hot water running down his neck and shoulders, his thoughts turned to the past. The last thing he remembered was finding clothes with Kyle, lying down on a table that was cold as hell, and then… nothing. He rinsed the last of the shampoo from his hair and shook his head, slinging water droplets everywhere. With notable reluctance, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the towel on his way past.
He barely noticed the mirror out of the corner of his eye as he toweled himself off, but it was enough for him to notice something odd. The guy staring back at him looked a lot like him, but was no where near identical. His fingers stroked his face, taking in his new features. He couldn't help but notice that he wasn't as shocked as he probably should have been.
The most noticeable change was obviously, his hair which had grown out. While before it was just shaggy, now it reached down to his lower neck at the back, and to below his eyes at the front. The color had changed dramatically as well, from its natural golden blond to a dazzling combination of the same yellow, dark reds, and streaks of blacks.
While his eyes had remained largely the same, they now seemed to have brightened to the point of emitting a gentle but powerful light from how crisp the color had become. Something else seemed off, and it was a moment before he realized that it was his whisker marks. Those clefts that had served as a constant reminder of his curse where… gone. He smiled, happier than he could have thought possible. He didn't have to live with it any more! He didn't have to see them in the mirror everyday. They were gone! A feeling of serenity washed over him, a sense of... completion. He had been wandering through life incomplete. Alive, but not who he was meant to become. Now though, now he was. The onslaught of emotion that coursed through him made him laugh out loud, disturbing the comfortable silence.
"I can't believe it! Whoa… what's wrong with my voice?"
Instead of his usual, high-pitched voice, it had softened and deepened. Not dramatically, but now it was much easier on the ears. In fact, it was pretty awesome.
"Hey, how's it going? I'm Naruto…"
His grin softened and he nodded to himself before pushing off of the counter he had been leaning over. His grin came back full force as he realized what that meant. He straightened himself out and laughed again when his eyes disappeared over the top of the mirror.
"Where's that Droid that called me short now, huh?"
His stomach rumbled mightily, reminding him that he was starving. He slipped on a pair of jeans, an undershirt, and his new boots before leaving his room to search for some food. It felt like he hadn't eaten in a week!
- Cafeteria "Chow Hall" -
Naruto was sitting in a wide cafeteria when the two Force masters found him. The room was huge, easily seating five hundred people comfortably with a row of buffet style counters on the west side. Currently they were empty, but when needed they would be laden with food of every kind. There were eighty five round tables spread out around the interior of the seating area, each with six simple chairs surrounding them. Directly in the middle of the large room, sat the young once blond boy with several empty plates lying to his right, as well as one before him laden with ham, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and a large glass of orange juice, all of which he was digging into ravenously. He looked like he hadn't eaten in months, though by how he was treated in the past few years that probably wasn't too far from the truth, after all, he had never been fed this well since... well, before his transition anyway.
The two men walked up to the boy and when he finally noticed them, took the seats offered. The pair watched as the full plate before them was absolutely devastated in a manner of minutes before the boy sighed happily and dropped the plate on the stack next to him.
"Man that's some really good food. So, good morning you two, why don't you have a seat and grab some breakfast. Chef back there is definitely good at what he does."
From the back of the counter area was a loud beeping sound and a short Droid on treads wheeled in and placed another plate, laden with food, in front of the boy who laughed in delight.
"He loves to be complimented too. Here, grab you some. I think I'm slowing down anyway."
He offered, pushing the plate to the two older guys. Kyle looked at Bane, who shook his head, then shrugged and took a bite out of a slice of bacon from the fresh plate. He chewed for a moment before frowning, which didn't go unnoticed by Naruto.
"What's wrong? Is it okay?" He reached over and bit into another piece. "They taste fine to me..." Kyle shook his head, still frowning.
"No, it's fine. Delicious actually which is the problem." Naruto frowned.
"I don't get it..."
"Whenever the Droid made us food it was never this... good. It was okay, but that was it. This... this is brilliant. It's never cooked this well for me or Bane before."
There was a series of loud, angry beeps from the kitchen and when it stopped Naruto laughed, almost chocking on his bacon, having to wash it down with the glass of orange juice that Bane handed him. When he could breath again, he turned to Katarn.
"He, says that is because you guys are, how did he put it? Arrogant, ungrateful, rude, belittling, Meatbags who don't deserve his best. He says that when you guys start to appreciate him more then he will actually try."
There was a short pause, followed by more beeps and Naruto's eyes widened.
"I'm not telling them that! Are you insane!" The outburst made Kyle frown.
"Tell us what?" Naruto looked down and muttered something to quiet to hear. "What? I can't hear you."
"Chef said that you should... take a page out of my book."
Bane, who had taken a piece of toast and was eating it quietly, spluttered and blew shrapnel all over the table and the food. Meanwhile, Kyle started yelling loudly.
"Your Book! What the hell did you do that was so great?" Naruto shrugged casually.
"One of the -50's brought me here when I said I was hungry and Chef brought out a plate of food. I haven't really eaten anything other than Icharaku ramen since no one would sell me any food that was actually good to eat, so when I ate his breakfast I told him that it was the second best food I had ever had. He was quiet for a second then grabbed the plate from in front of me and took off back into the kitchen. I had thought I had offended him, so I was about to go apologize when he came back out with another plate, but this time everything looked... better. When I tried some it was delicious, but I'm still loyal to Ichiraku's and told Chef that it tied for first place and thanked him. Ever since then every plate of food he has brought out has been better than the last."
Naruto took a drink of orange juice and finished the glass when Chef came out with another. Naruto thanked him and the Droid beeped happily before taking up the empty plates and returning to the kitchen.
"Truthfully, I'm not even hungry anymore. It's just so good and I haven't eaten this well in my entire life. Ramen is good, but this is just so much more... filling."
Naruto sighed contentedly and leaned back in his chair.
"Hey Chef! Thanks for the food man, I'm stuffed. That was delicious, you don't mind cooking for me again sometime do you? I have a feeling I found a new place to eat other than ramen."
From the back was a loud beeping, but this time it was more of an exited chatter.
"Thanks man, I appreciate it." Naruto put his feet up on the table and his hands behind his head. "So, you mind telling me exactly what is going on? I woke up this morning and not only am I freaking huge, which I love by the way. But I can think clearer then I ever could, I feel like I could lift the Hokage monument and I can understand what these Droids are saying. I don't even know what a Droid is! So while I am loving the changes, I have no idea what is going on. So please, enlighten me."
The two older men looked on at the young blond in complete shock. This boy was completely different than a week ago and not only physically. He seemed to be more mature, calmer. He still had that energetic aura, but he was more in control of himself. His eyes shone with understanding, happiness, and wisdom beyond his years, but not a single ounce of remorse or regret. Most of all however, he seemed to radiate an aura that hadn't been seen since the time of Revan, Bane's idol. It had the peace and compassion that the greatest Jedi's alive were said to emit and yet the power and confidence of that of the mightiest of Sith Lords, as though challenging everyone to prove themselves before him. The Force Masters felt themselves being stunned despite their reluctance by the sheer potential coming from the boy. Realizing that he was still waiting for an answer, Kyle spoke.
"Okay, let's start with your new physical build. You probably remember just before we put you into the coma that you were surrounded by medical Droids and equipment. When you were comatose the Droids took literally hundreds of needles and buried them into your entire body except for your feet, hands, and your... well uh, yeah. Anyway, they then focused small jolts of electricity into the needles which stimulated your natural nerve impulses, causing your muscles to spasm and contract. This tore the muscles and forced them to heal and rebuild themselves at incredibly fast rates. This was basically the equivalent of you working on a strict workout regimen for a couple of months. What we hadn't expected however, was your natural regenerative capabilities. Because of that, the effects had doubled the result causing it to be the equivalent of about a year. Also, this completely ceased the normal rate of muscle atrophy that would usually have occurred. Normal muscles constantly degrade over time, decreasing in there limits and this is called atrophy. Normally atrophy can be prevented by exercises your muscles and keeping them at peak efficiency. Yours however, don't do this at all, meaning once you have them, they are there for good, though I do suggest that you constantly work at them. After all, it never hurts to be sure."
"That explains about my new looks, but what about my senses? It's like I can see better than I ever could and everything smells really strong. Also, what's with everything being colder than it was before? I tried to take a shower this morning and it was about half an hour before I finally got the water hot enough. Maybe you guys should get that fixed..."
The two men glanced at each other questioningly.
"What are you talking about? The water is fine, a little to hot for me in fact."
"Really?" Naruto asked, frowning. Bane nodded slowly then asked a question.
"Without looking at the thermometer, how warm do you think it is in here?"
Naruto closed his eyes for a second before he reopened them.
"I don't know, maybe high 50's or low 60's... why?" Bane just nodded.
"I thought so. Apparently another side effect of what happened, his internal body temperature has risen to some degree. How much I'm not sure, but more things will feel cool and less warm from now on. Though I have to ask, if it felt that cold to you, why didn't you say anything to one of us?"
Naruto just shrugged. "I love the cold, I always have. I guess since I was outside so much I just got used to it, so now I just feel more comfortable when the temperature is less than 80 degrees really. Though now everything feels colder, I can definitely enjoy that even more."
The two men shook their heads ruefully at how much the poor boy before them had had to suffer at the hands of ignorance and hatred, though they both swore silently that that ended today and that by the time they were done training him, he would never be treated like that again and would be able to defend himself easily should anyone try.
"Anyway," Naruto said. "What was this other change you guys were talking about? It sounds big..." Bane sighed and felt the beginning of a headache coming start.
"This... is where it gets confusing. As you are aware, you are the container of the Demon Lord Kyuubi no Kitsune correct?" Naruto nodded. "Wrong."
Naruto frowned as he examined Bane, looking for any signs of deceit. His confusion was understandable, but he just couldn't sense that Bane was lying to him. Now that he thought about it actually, he felt cleaner than ever before. As though the shower he had taken cleaned him on the inside, as well as the outside. Maybe... maybe he was right?
"What are you talking about?"
"The seal on your stomach was designed so that in times of great danger or stress, you would be able to draw upon the power of the demon to help you. It was also meant to drain his life force until you had absorbed it all and the Kyuubi was no more. Finally, it was made so that if you were killed, the demon would also be consumed and would die with you. Upon the night of your 'death' however, an unforeseen effect of the seal came into place. Kyle and myself noticed the vast amount of the Kyuubi's life force residing within you, but the demon itself is... gone. Before your transition the seal was still fulfilling its purpose and purifying the Kyuubi's energies slowly enough for your body to adapt and begin producing its own, as well as draining his. When we put you into the coma, the seal misinterpreted it as you being near death so it pumped you full of the Kyuubi's force in an attempt to revive you, causing you to absorb well over half of it and adopting some of the Kyuubi's features to your body. Such as your heightened senses, change in hair colour, weight, height, whisker marks, and your permanently risen body temperature by what we guess is about ten degrees, which in itself is amazing. With a temperature that high, medically speaking you should by all rights be brain dead. When the Kyuubi was accepted by your body, it was physically incapable of holding such a massive source of raw power as it was. To counter this it used some of it to speed up your growth process to the point of you aging a few years in only a week. As of right now, physically you are about sixteen to seventeen years old. Naturally we were... concerned about this so we ran a few diagnostic checks while you were still out of it. As of right now, your body has completely stopped aging. Rather then aging from the point you are at naturally, it has apparently given itself a break until chronologically you are the same age as you are physically. Understand?"
His reply was a blank stare from the boy before he shook his head.
"Tough. Basically you are sixteen now and you will stay that way until you would actually be sixteen. As a final touch, it seems your personality has changed fundamentally and every barrier you subconsciously placed to protect yourself has been shattered."
"So what does that mean?"
"When you were a young child you had huge potential. Through the years though, you were held under contempt and ignored for the most part, unless you did something wrong. It seems that subconsciously you realized that whenever you succeeded in something it would only anger everyone around you. To protect yourself from this your mind set up barriers around itself to prevent you from arousing that anger. Whenever you would train eventually you would reach one of those barriers and you would stop improving. Now that you have changed so much your mind has deemed you strong enough to be able to protect yourself from those around you. All of your potential that you were afraid to show has been unlocked and you are ready to stop holding back for fear of being hated and isolating yourself even more than you are now."
Bane sat forward, bringing Naruto's focus to himself and away from his partner.
"Our question for you is this, what do you plan to do now? Whatever your choice, we will train you to the very peak of our abilities to ensure the survival of our separate races. Whatever goals you set yourself afterward, we are sure you will succeed. You have more power and sheer potential than anyone else in history has ever had, this world or any other. Whatever path you choose will alter the rest of your life, so what will you do?"
Kyle stepped forward to stand before the reclined boy.
"Will you walk the path of the Jedi, as I did, to protect the people and bring hope to the darkness?"
"Or will you accept the power of the Sith, taking power beyond your wildest dream and destroying whoever stands in your way?"
"This is a choice that you alone must make, and no one can make it for you. We have seen glimpses of your future and either way you shall rise to greatness. So Uzumaki Naruto..."
"What do you choose?"
Both of them spoke at the same time, their voices coming together to create a strange echoing tone that seemed to radiate with power and destiny. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, thinking harder that he had ever done in his life. He thought about what he knew about the two factions that he had been told before he had gone into his coma. The strengths and weaknesses of both, He pondered the path of the Jedi and protecting everyone in the village, both those who had treated him like a human, and the others. Walking that path would mean putting up with a life of hatred and disgust for something he had no control over and they could never understand. In his mind, that was unacceptable and unforgivable. Those people out there in the village, they didn't deserve his protection. His love. No, he would not walk that path. His thoughts turned to that of the Dark Side and becoming a Sith, having the power and will to wreak vengeance upon those who would dare to lash out against an innocent, defenseless child in anger, physically or otherwise. Just as he was about to voice his opinion however, a group of faces bombarded his mind's eye; old man Sarutobi, Iruka, Teuchi and Ayame. If the price of that power and vengeance was those he loved, then that was even less of an option then that of the Jedi. So what was his choice? Then it hit him, his choice, his path was clear. His mind returned to not but a few hours ago and the emotion he had felt when he was in the bathroom. His will solidified and he sat straight with a fire burning in his eyes once again.
"The Jedi were bound by their teachings and afraid of their own power, convinced that any sign of emotion or fault would lead to darkness and so they stagnated, never growing, changing or improving and thus weakening themselves through pointless tradition and petty fears."
Kyle cocked an eyebrow and nodded. He wanted to speak up in the Jedi's defense, but being unable to, for every word the boy spoke was the truth. His people had been scared of what the Dark Side promised. He had been scared of it. When he was a Master in the old days, he stood amongst the most adamant regarding anything relating to the threat of the Dark Side of the Force. He refocused when the boy, no, when the young man continued.
"The Sith however were obsessed with power to the point of madness. Through constant hatred and betrayal and fear, they blinded themselves to true power. By refusing to offer their trust or their hearts or their love, they never held anyone as precious enough to protect with their last breath. Through protecting those we hold precious to us, we gain strength that is otherwise unattainable. They were pathetic in their hatred, greed, and jealousy."
This time Bane bowed his head in shame, shocked that this boy no older than thirteen had realized a truth that he in his countless years had tried to teach countless apprentices. In fact, that was the very reason why the great Dark Lord Revan had turned from the Dark Side at the peak of his power. All his life he had naught but worshiped the Dark Lord as one of the strongest Sith in history, but not long before his disappearance, he turned on the Sith code and instead, ventured out upon his own. No one had been able to learn why he made the decision he did, but all that was needed to be known was that he did.
Naruto was unsure of where the words were coming from. He spoke them yes, and he knew they were all true, he just didn't know why he spoke them. He wasn't planning it out in his head, instead just allowing himself to speak, as though he was just a conduit for something more powerful than himself. Was this what the Force was like?
"Both sides believed themselves to be right and that the other were nothing but fools, yet they were both deluded and therefore were bound by their own teachings. Jedi thought the Dark Side was evil and the Sith thought the Light Side was weak and pathetic. From the knowledge you have given me, I have come to an understanding of the Force that few ever have, Revan being one of them. There is no Light or Dark Side of the Force, it just is. The Force bind everything to everything. How would this be possible if it was one or the other? It is impossible. I will learn the power of both and yet follow neither path. I will become a plague unto my enemies and a beacon of hope for my friends. I will rule as a Champion of hope and peace, yet a Bastion of emotion and power. I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I will follow the path of Revan before me and become a true Grey Master. That, is my choice."
Kyle and Bane both nodded their approval of the young boy's decision with a smile gracing their lips. All their fears and worry regarding the boy's path had been misplaced. His own uncorrupted nature would lead him down the path that would bring about a new age for everywhere he touched. Of this they were sure.
"We had figured as much, however the path you have chosen is the hardest of any you could have chosen and is one that few have ever truly walked and most have fallen to one side or the other. We will train and guide you along the path, but it is solely your responsibility to remain balanced and true to yourself. Remember, one's path can always change, for better... or for worse." Bane warned sagely as the boy nodded solemnly.
Kyle spoke up in his usual exuberant tone, breaking the serious mood that had fallen and making Bane shake his head in annoyance.
"Well then young... uh..." He turned to Bane sheepishly, looking for help. "What is he exactly? Padawan, Acolyte, Apprentice..." Bane just shrugged disinterested. If the boy only had one teacher, then the choice would be obvious, but as far as the pair knew, this had never happened before in the history of the galaxy.
"Ah, whatever. We'll figure it out later on. From this moment on your official training begins. Therefore you will refer to us as Master Katarn and Master Bane respectively, or just Master. Now technically your too old to begin the standard Jedi training, but since we're breaking every rule in the book anyway I really doubt that matters much. In the mornings you will meet me in the sparring grounds and I will train your body physically and instruct you in the ways of melee combat. You're still far too young to train with blasters, according to Master Bane." He sent the Sith Lord a dirty glare, but the man just shrugged it off.
"I don't care how much potential he has. Until he actually proves himself to be ready, I'm not going to let him run around with a charged blaster. I've been shot by a kid before and I'm not about to let it happen again just to ease your trigger happy tendencies. Don't ask." He added vehemently when he caught the sparkle in his partners eye.
"Whatever, anyway in the afternoons after lunch Bane will train you to use the force offensively and I will teach you to use it defensively."
"Now while you were in your coma Kyle and I used a special machine to insert a predetermined amount of knowledge up to a moderate level. This covers everything from medical techniques and human anatomy to politics and persuasive speaking. From history and science to explosives and demolition." Bane saw the look on the boy's face and quickly used the Force to deaden his hearing before the explosion of exuberance.
"I KNOW HOW TO BLOW STUFF UP! THAT'S AWESOME!"
"Kyle, are you sure that this was a good idea? I'm still not entirely convinced that he is mature enough to handle that kind of... ordinance." He turned to his partner and saw a look of staggered fear and confusion in his eyes.
"WHAAAT! I CAN'T HEAR YOU MAN!"
Bane just shook his head and waited for the Jedi weapons expert's hearing to return while Naruto continued his... victory dance? After about thirty seconds of happy chanting coming from the direction of the energetic ex-blond, Kyle's hearing finally returned enough to have a suitable conversation.
"I told you he would love it, do I know this kid or what?" Kyle remarked to Bane and he barely heard the Sith mutter quietly in a sing-song voice.
"We're going to di-e..." Kyle grinned and waited for the boy to snap out of his apparent mind-funk.
"Wait, if I already have the knowledge of it, why can't I remember it?"
Kyle was once again surprised at how fast the boy had caught onto the flaw of the technique.
"That's because it and all the rest of the new information is hidden safely in the subconscious behind Force constructed barriers to prevent it from overloading your mental system with too much at once. The human brain was never meant to absorb and retain as much information as we pumped into you at such a fast rate in so little time." Naruto frowned, confused and a little irritated.
"If I can't use it, then what good is it to me?"
"Shut up already and let me explain dammit. While you sleep your brain can bypass the barriers and siphon the information through at a steady enough pace so that it can handle it. It started once you sunk into a normal REM state and will be finished hopefully by the end of this week."
Judging by the look on the boy's face, he was anything but impressed.
"What the hell! Am I even going to be able to sleep?"
"Relax, it all happens subconsciously so you don't have to worry about it. All you have to do is sleep." Naruto nodded but continued to frown. "What's wrong? I thought you would be excited."
"I am, it's just... it feels like I'm... cheating almost. Everyone else has to work hard for their knowledge and I'm just having it given to me overnight with no work at all. It doesn't really feel right."
Kyle laughed and Bane nodded, smiling gently.
"Well, I can honestly say that you never cease to surprise me kid. Okay first of all, you aren't getting the knowledge of everything about everything, just a pretty solid understanding of it so that you can learn more easily enough at your own pace. Second, you have had to teach yourself practically everything you know other than what Iruka and your Hokage helped you with. Even your instructors at the academy tried to sabotage you. Ever wonder why you couldn't pass the tests? It was because that traitor would place an illusion over you during the exam that would make the questions seem harder than they actually were. But if you still feel bad for everything being given to you, then I'll make sure to drive you into the ground with your physical training to make up for it."
Naruto nodded happily, looking at his situation from his new perspective. After all, this was merely what was owed to him for the lack of a formal education.
"Excellent, when the academy starts up again and teams are assigned, I'm going to kick ass!"
Kyle chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm and shook his head happily.
"Alright, calm down. After all, this is where your training begins." Naruto instantly sat up in his chair and looked at the pair of men expectantly.
"Cool, so what are we doing first Master Katarn?"
"First of all, we are going to test you to see what your limits are. I will test you in your physical combat skills and then Bane will begin to explain the basics of the Force and what you can do with it. Sound good?"
"Yes Master!"
The boy leaped up out of his chair and walked over to the wide entrance to the cafeteria before yelling over his shoulder in the direction of the kitchen.
"Later Chef!" When he heard the beeping reply, he left the room and began to walk down the hallway before sticking his head back through the door. "Uhhhh... where are we going?"
The two men laughed, albeit Bane a bit reluctantly, and left down the same hallway, leading the boy towards the sparring arena.
- Training Area Alpha : "The Ring" -
Naruto stood in the middle of a large square ring elevated above the ground about three feet in a place his two Masters called 'The Ring'. The floor was a white canvas type material that was a little springy to the step, letting him bounce slightly. Surrounding the ring were two ropes that stretched taut and reached all the way around the outside. He reached over and pulled on one, and to his surprise it was tighter than it looked, though it had a little give to it. At the corners were posts a bit shorter than he was with buckles attaching the ropes to them.
Outside the ring was a wooden table, long enough to seat two people with two small screens in the center in order to grant extra views from whatever was going on inside the ring. Both Bane and Kyle were seated at the table, but only Bane was sitting in a chair and had a headset on while Kyle was just stretched out on top of it. After a moments conversation, Kyle walked over to the ring and slipped in between the two ropes, stretching them wide enough to fit through.
"Okay kid, listen up." Naruto frowned at his nickname, but didn't say anything. "I'm going to test your hand-to-hand skills, or what you guys call 'Taijutsu'. You're just going to come at me with all you have and I will defend myself with the occasional counter-attack thrown in for good measure. Bane will be the judge and he will decide when the match is over. Now if you can land a single blow on me, the match is over but I doubt that is going to happen. Alternately, the match ends when you are no longer able to fight, stand, remain conscious, whatever." Naruto winced at the last one, but determination set in his eyes, causing Kyle to smile. "Okay, so lets get this going."
A door in the right side of the room opened, startling the young boy, though Kyle just watched on happily. Out of the shadows a humanoid Droid walked out and approached the ring before climbing in like Kyle had done before. It walked to the center of the ring and a small microphone on a long wire dropped down from the ceiling into the Droids waiting hand. It looked over to the announcers table and Bane nodded before flipping a switch and all hell broke loose.
The walls of the room suddenly disappeared and in their place stood rows and rows of bleachers, all filled with transparent blue... people? The massive crowd varied from male to female, fat to skinny and many of them held various signs with words of praise on them. The one thing that they all had in common... they were all screaming loudly enough to be inaudible. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and Kyle spun around to stare at Bane with an excited look in his eye.
"Sweet! I thought you hated the audience function?" Kyle yelled over the screaming crowd. Bane just shrugged nonchalantly.
"Only when I fight, besides. I figured Naruto might fight better when he was being watched. He seems like that kind of person and I know that you love it."
Kyle just grinned even wider and turned back to Naruto, who had recuperated from his shock.
"What the hell is going on here! Who are all these people? Where did they come from?"
"Chill, they aren't real. They're called holograms and they just symbolize and act like real people. They are going to be our audience for the fight, so make sure to do your best."
His explanation was cut off when the Droid in the middle of the ring started talking, his voice magnified by the microphone.
"Lllladddiiiiieeeessss and Gentlemannnnn... put your hands together for today's fighters." It pointed towards the corner Kyle was standing in by the blue column. "In the Blue corner, weighing in at 227lbs, Kyle 'Kick-ass' Katarn!"
Here half the stadium crowd roared out in approval, shouting his name and whistling loudly while the other half jeered just as loudly. Of course, their frenzy was aided with Kyle's showboating, walking around the ring confidently, flexing his muscles and posing for the crowd. When they finally quieted down, the Droid continued.
"And in the Red corner, weighing in at 172lbs, Uzumaki Naruto!"
Here Naruto just lowered his head a little, trying not to hear the cold reception that always happened whenever he was before a large group of people, but their reaction was the complete opposite from what he was expecting. He had expected jeers, whispers, curses, or outright ignorance, but instead they were... cheering. The boy looked up at the crowd disbelievingly. After a few seconds he remembered that here, he could make a new start. No one knew his reputation and what he jailed, or at least, what he used to jail. So what if they were holograms? They were cheering for him, their purpose was to watch him do his best, and that was what he was going to do.
He looked down at himself and flexed his arms and legs, still getting used to the major upgrade he had recently undergone and looking forward to seeing what he could do now. He looked back up at Bane with determination set in his gut and apparently his Master could sense it, because he smiled gently.
"Alright kid, let's go. Make sure to give it your all, and put on a good show."
Naruto nodded and twisted his neck, causing it to pop in several places before he hunched over into a defensive position. The Droid looked at the two of them before speaking back into his microphone.
"Are both contestants ready?" The pair grunted. "Okay, I want a good clean fight. Now let's get ready to ruuuummmbllllle!"
Off to the right a bell rung twice and Naruto took that to be the sign to begin. Going with his usual strategy, he charged straight forward powerfully and swung his right fist, hoping to catch Kyle in the face. Kyle merely moved his head to the side and dodged it easily, throwing the boy off balance. With his arm outstretched and his body off center, it was easy for Kyle to bring his knee up and nail the boy dead in the stomach, throwing him across the arena. The blond got to his feet, gasping for breath and surprised at how hard the hit was, considering it seemed that the older man had barely tried. Kyle just grinned at him and stood unmoving.
"If that is all you have, then I think we may have been mistaken in taking you as our apprentice."
Naruto growled in anger and rushed toward the man again, swinging his leg to trip him up. Kyle just sighed and jumped straight up, dodging his kick and bringing his knee down to counter-attack. Naruto saw it coming and barely rolled out of the way in time. He leaped up and evaded to the opposite side of the ring, trying to catch his breath and think of a strategy. Kyle just stood there like before and sighed heavily.
"Honestly, I thought you would be a better challenge then this. Are we just wasting our time with you?"
Naruto felt his anger rear up again and was about to charge when he realized something.
'Every time I get to far for him to attack, he starts taunting me and making me mad. Iruka-sensei always said never let your opponent manipulate your emotions in the middle of a fight because you stop thinking clearly and you'll play right into his hands. If I can ignore whatever insults he throws at me, maybe I can wipe that smug grin off of his face.'
The blond boy smiled happily at the thought and charged toward his opponent again, this time hoping to catch him off guard. He swung his right fist in a feint, trying to distract Kyle from his left foot, which he swung out to kick him in the knee. Kyle however saw through the feint and ducked the punch while blocking with his hand, holding Naruto's leg. With an evil grin, Kyle threw him across the ring, causing him to slam into one of the ropes and bounce back into the middle of the ring. Seeing him on the ground for the moment, Kyle took the opportunity to put on a little bit of a show. He ran over to one of the corner poles and climbed up on it, steadying himself with his strong legs while waving his hands to the crowd. The supporting half started chanting while Naruto's supporters yelled at him to get up.
Naruto lay still, winded at the hard fall, and opened his eyes slowly at the sound of a loud chanting.
"Turnbuckle! Turnbuckle!"
He frowned inwardly. What did that mean? He looked up to see Kyle flying through the air towards him on his side with one leg bent at the knee outstretched to crush him. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen and he forced himself to roll to the side, despite how out of breath he was.
Kyle hit the ground next to him and felt the wind rush out of his lungs. He hadn't expected the boy to dodge his knee drop. Seeing the condition the boy was in, Kyle decided to end it quickly. He lifted the boy by his shirt and threw him over the ropes casually, wincing casually as he hit one of the walls.
'Ooh, that's gotta hurt!'
The Droid clad in black and white strode to the center of the ring and lifted one of Kyle's hands above his head, giving him the victory.
"And the winner by Ring Out and Technical Knockout! Kyle 'Kick-ass' Katarn!"
Naturally, the crowd went nuts. One particular hologram of a female going as far as to flash him as a reward for his victory.
"Well that's a new one. I love this sim!"
With half the crowd practically screaming at the effortless victory Kyle wrought, Bane saw it as the end of the fight. Besides, Naruto had hit the wall pretty hard and didn't look so good. Getting up from the announcer table, he walked over to the boy on the ground to make sure he was okay. By the time he got there though, Naruto was already sitting up with his back rested against the wall and breathing heavily.
"Are you okay, Apprentice?"
"Yes Master Bane, I'm okay. I've taken worse than this before." Bane nodded as Kyle walked over to the pair.
"Not bad for a first time, but by the end of the week you will be a lot better. Now do you know why you lost?"
Naruto just looked up at him with an incredulous expression.
"Because your faster, stronger, and better trained then me with far more combat experience?"
Kyle frowned and Bane was trying to hide a chuckle with a soft cough.
"Well yeah, but it's also because you don't have any certain style. All you do is fight like a brawler, swinging kicks and punches wildly. Normally this style is completely pointless and never works against trained opponents. However, I just happen to know a certain fighting style that was lost centuries ago. Its name is Krav Maga and it was used by a country called Israel's special forces long ago. Unlike most martial arts styles, this has nothing to do with Kata's or dance like patterns whatsoever. The entire point of Krav Maga is to do as much damage as fast as possible without taking any critical damage from your enemy. This is a style meant to be fatal and will either deal massive damage or cripple a person for the rest of their natural life. You will be the only person in over a thousand years to use this style, which will give you a distinct advantage as no one will have ever seen it before."
Naruto smiled again as he thought about the possibilities surrounding such a style before his smile turned into an outright grin. Bane drew his attention by standing upright.
"Okay now listen up. Your physical test is complete and despite Kyle's taunting, I see potential in you, so make sure to push yourself and we will help you become the best you can be. Meanwhile go hit the showers and meet me in the meditation chamber and I will test you on your Force compatibility."
"Yes Master!"
Naruto took off running through the hall and disappeared leaving the two men behind.
"So what do you think?" Kyle just sighed in response and rubbed the hand he had used to stop the blonde's kick.
"His sheer strength is remarkable. I think he broke my forearm when I blocked that kick of his. Once he actually has a style under his belt instead of just brawling, he will be a force to be reckoned with."
Bane nodded in response and left quietly, heading toward the meditation chamber before Naruto could get there before him. Despite their vast differences, the thoughts of both men were the same.
'Judging by his aura, this should be interesting.'
- Training Area Epsilon "The Pitt" : Two days after awakening -
"I can't do it!"
"You can do it! Push dammit!"
Naruto let out an agonized shout as he used all the upper-body strength he could muster to press the metal weight upward. Kyle stood over him, supporting him with his shouts while keeping a careful eye on the weights just in case Naruto's grip on it slipped and it crushed him. Training accidents happened after all.
"C'mon! Almost there!"
The young man let out one last grunting roar before pushing the bar high enough for it to slip over the thick supports, bringing it to a rest. The weight of the bar and attached steel made the frame of the bench reverberate with a loud clang, though it held strong. Well over one hundred and fifty pounds of steel found its resting place slowly, finally ceasing in its motions.
"Twenty, alright! I did it! I can't believe it!"
Kyle handed his apprentice a white towel, already soaked with sweat, and a bottle of warm water. They had been in the exercise room everyday before lunch since he had woken up. There they would press Naruto's bounds in endurance on the bicycle machine and treadmill, and his strength on the various machines. After a joke from Naruto that soon he would be stronger than Kyle was, the Jedi had taken to working out at the same time, giving the blond some competition, though he was still severely outclassed.
"Excellent job bro. Take a quick break, then we can hit the pool."
"Ah, alright, just let me catch my breath 'kay?"
"What? Winded already?"
"Oh shut up!"
Kyle dodged the nasty towel that was thrown at him, laughing happily.
- Chamber of Solace : Six days later -
A solitary figure sat in the obsidian tomb he had named the 'Chamber of Solace'. Arranged in a perfect circle roughly fifty foot in diameter, the tall walls were the same blackened stone as the rest of the building's interior. Scattered randomly around the room lay various crates, wreckage, stone pillars, deactivated Droids and other useless junk scraps. The chamber was completely silent if not for the slow breathing of the cloaked figure.
The man sat with his back braced against one of the seven pillars that formed an enclosed circle, facing inward. His eyes were closed and he almost seemed to be asleep. He wore a long black robe that covered his entire body and concealed any trace of skin and his face was likewise hidden by the dark hood and was thrown into shadow revealing only his mouth.
After a couple of minutes of sitting still, the man stood, using the pillar to support him. When he stood at his full height his head reached 5'5'' adding to his already ample build. He walked over to the center of the inner ring and sat once more, this time in a basic meditation stance, cross-legged with his arms draped over his knees and his hands relaxed, knuckles facing downward. For a short time nothing happened, but to one trained in the use of the Force it was possible to feel an immense build-up of pressure in the room. All of the air in the room began to gravitate toward the seated figure, stopping just short of touching his robes and began to rotate around his body in a sharply defined dome.
Slow at first, the air began to quicken its pace until it became a spiraling maelstrom, assaulting his clothes and whipping his cloak into a frenzy as it was battered about by the currents. Soon the winds reached a crescendo and smaller pieces of scrap metal around the room began to twitch violently. They rose into the air and flew at high speeds toward the seated figure, seemingly intent on splitting his skull in two. Just as the air had done, they stopped inches from injuring him and instead began to circle him.
Once the metal shards speed up to a crescendo, the man rose his right hand to shoulder level and used the Force to grasp an individual shard and brought it to a halt. Funneling all the power he had built up, the shade focused all of the energy into the air surrounding the metal before flicking his wrist in the direction of a CIS issue Super Battle Droid, sending the shard hurtling toward the metal behemoth. Despite he thick layers of armor, the piece punched clean through the shell and buried itself deep into the wall behind it.
The man admired his handiwork before he was distracted by a hissing sound the filled the room, originating off to his left. He turned to watch and a pair of hidden doors opened in the wall, revealing another black clad figure who was clapping slowly.
"Very well done my Apprentice. You are young, and yet still so powerful."
The first figure sank to one knee with his right fist pushed into the ground before him and his head bowed.
"Thank you, my Master."
The bowed man removed his hood, showing the strong face and multi-colored hair of Naruto. He grinned at the compliment and once again resolved to push himself harder, happy with the results he had obtained so far.
"However you still have much to learn. Anyone over your Chuunin rank could have easily avoided your attack and killed you before you had time to recover. Remember, there is always more to learn and ways to improve, so don't get overconfident. It could easily get you killed. You are powerful my Apprentice, but you are not perfect."
The remark killed Naruto's jubilation and his face fell slightly before Bane continued.
"But still, you did master Force Push, Pull, and Cocoon in one day, which is unheard of for one as young as yourself. You should be proud."
Bane approached the boy and put an arm on his shoulder, beckoning him from his kneeling state.
"I sense great things in you Naruto. If you continue to push yourself at the rate you have been, you may very well be granted the title of Sith Lord sooner than I or Kyle had ever expected."
Naruto smiled again but this time it was more subdued. The boy had grown over the last week. Not only was he faster, stronger, and smarter than before, he had also matured greatly. Instead of an unrestrained ball of energy he was like a tightly coiled spring. Under control, but still brimming with energy and ready to strike out at any time. He had also dropped the mask of idiocy and was excelling in everything he pushed himself in. Every morning he and Kyle would train hard in "The Pitt", making himself physically stronger and becoming more proficient in Krav Maga, which Kyle derived great pleasure 'teaching' to Naruto, though he thought it was only because it gave him an excuse to beat the hell out of him.
Outside of combat prowess, he was now highly skilled in demolitions, philosophy both new and old, persuasion, mind games and manipulation, and war strategies from all across history. In his physical training he had shown a complete inability to use martial weapons, especially those with an extended blade. More than once he had hurt himself badly with the sharpened blades, resulting in him spending half an hour in the medical lab, soaking the wound in Bacta before he was healthy enough to continue. Eventually his two masters had decided to call off his weapon training until they found a weapon he showed some form of finesse in. Naruto had passionately wanted to train in the use of the lightsaber, but not only did his home planet seem incapable of producing the crystals necessary to focus the beam, thus rendering the weapon useless, he simply sucked so much that neither of the older men felt it was wise to continue. Despite being unable to use the weapon symbolic of his fore-bearers, he threw himself into his training in Krav Maga, showing he had an affinity for the street-fighting like movements the style employed. When Kyle had learned of this, his eyes had lit up with excitement and he had hurried away, saying that he had an idea and left it at that. Every evening he would part company and not be seen until the morning, where he appeared weary, but highly excited. Whenever he was asked he would only reply that it was a surprise and they would see at the end of the week.
Due partially to the extended amount of times he spent in meditation focusing on his spiritual connection with the Force, he had gained a level of insight and deeper understanding of himself and the people around him. No longer was he obsessed with becoming Hokage in order to force the arrogant villagers to acknowledge and respect him, realizing that no matter what he did they would never see him for who he truly was rather than the Demon he had once housed. Instead his main goal was to serve the Third Hokage to his dying breath for the kindness he had shown him. Of course it was inevitable that eventually the old man would retire or pass away so when that day came he would either serve the next Hokage if he respected them enough, or he would leave the Konohagakure and start his own village. Either way, he would revive his clan and rebirth the old ways of the Force. With some moderate changes of course.
But that was far in the future, for now Naruto was excited about many things that would come at the end of the week. For one he would be assigned a team and finally become a true ninja, though he refused to follow their code or use most of their techniques, he would show his new changes and power and make the village come to terms with the fact that there was another source of power that far surpassed the common. Bane had frowned at Naruto's claims that he 'Couldn't wait to show that emo bastard his new abilities'. Kyle however had laughed and encouraged him to, 'Knock that punk off his high horse'.
One thing had been troubling him however, the other Genin hopefuls. He wasn't sure what to do about them. Over time he had come to appreciate some level of companionship with a few of them, and honestly he was more confused than ever before in his life. Anger, hatred, rage, ignorance, sadness, all of these he could deal with but camaraderie was a completely foreign idea to him. Perhaps he should ask for advice? Surely there was someone that would give him some help figuring this out. The Force was powerful, but even it had its limitations.
A/N : The formatting system on is starting to irritate me. Anyway, our hero(?) has set off on his path and is gaining power at an impressive rate. But will he stay on his chosen path, or will he fall prey to the more sadistic powers the Dark Side promises? Stick around to find out. Also, I am allowing myself to be persuaded in one cirumstance, the main pairing. Send in your recommendation on which GIRL (No yaoi or group scenes) Naruto sould be paired with, and a couple of good reasons why and I will take it into consideration. Remember though, I already have a pairing in mind, so you will have to be pretty convincing to change it.
Stay Frosty
- Nikolai