A New Order : Initiation
Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto, Star Wars, or any obscure references to other owned or written material, either official or those of fandom. They are all property of associated parties.
A/N - To compensate for last week's chapter being late, I have decided to post this one a day early. Enjoy...
Outside Naruto's bedroom a small group of five HK-50 Droidfs stood, quietly engaged in a heated discussion upon the imminent suicide of one of their comrades.
"Someone needs to wake the Master."
"Yes, it is time for him to prepare for his 'task' with the meatbags."
"Correct, one of us needs to stir him or he will be both late and displeased."
"True, but who will it be?"
The small group turned to face the only one not to have spoken. After a second the Droid's eyes lit up and it shook its head violently.
"No no no! I'm not going in there! There has to be another way to wake him up."
His mechanic voice had an almost pleading tone to it and its desperation was apparent.
"I suppose we may be able to rouse him with audible signals of ample volume..."
The group all thought about it for a second then nodded. The one closest to the door pushed it open slowly, hoping not to get a throwing knife through the processing unit like a few of his more unfortunate brethren.
"Master?" It prompted halfheartedly. No response. "Maaaaaster?" Still no response.
"MASTER!" As quickly as it could, it slammed the door shut and waited for the rush of anger that accompanied the boy waking up. After a tense moment of absolute silence, the Droid turned back to its comrades.
"The Master is obviously very tired. Are you sure we should rouse him?"
"Correct. The Master gave us specific orders to awaken him at seven, it is now four minutes past. Now move, I will do it, cowards."
The brave Droid pushed past the others and pushed the door open wide.
"Good Morning Mas-!"
It was cut off by a powerful Force Push that slammed him into the stone wall adjacent from the now wide open door. The other four Droids stared at their fallen brother for a moment, processors whirring madly before their attention returned to the blond figure that stood in the doorway.
"You guys are five minutes late, but thanks anyway. Now have the cook make some biscuits, gravy, and coffee-black and loaded. I want to feel my blood burn."
"Yes Master!"
Two took off running while the others extricated their dazed brother from his place in the wall before they too left down the hallway. The last thing Naruto heard before they turned down the hallway was the injured unit ordering an attack on Coruscant, whatever that was. Naruto gave a sigh and turned back to his room, going to his closest and looking for a clean set of clothes that would be suitable for combat. After a moment's deliberation, he had decided on a pair of black cargo pants that were loose enough to provide plenty of dexterity, as sleevless black undershirt that would keep him cool during stress, and his usual pair of combat boots. As an afterthought he grabbed his jacket that was hanging on his door. He could always take it off if he got too hot, and he the feel of the leather had grown on him.
By the time his breakfast was prepared he had gotten dressed, cleaned up, and sat down next to Bane who was already up and drinking his own cup of coffee while reading a book of some kind.
"Morning, Master Bane."
The cafeteria was silent as various cleaning Droids performed their duty and delicious smells started wafting in from the kitchen. Naruto had just sat down when Chef came rolling out from the cafeteria's swinging doors laden with food.
"Thanks Chef, looks great!"
The Droid beeped happily before going back to the kitchen to do whatever it was he did when he wasn't cooking. Naruto took a sip at the coffee before him and sighed in ecstasy as the jolt of caffeine-induced energy shot through him. It took him about seven minutes to finish the stack of food before him and when he did Kyle had finally woken up and sat down at the table.
"You're up early, what's going on?" Kyle asked while eying Naruto's coffee dangerously.
"Don't even think about it Master, Chef has more in the kitchen. Anyway, I've got my own Genin exams this morning, so I need to be there by 'eight." He made quotations marks in the air with his fingers.
"You do know its already half past seven right? You're gonna' be late." Chef rolled out with a cup of coffee for Kyle who took to it ravenously.
"No more than Hatake. That guy is even worse than you are when it comes to punctuality."
Kyle took a hard sip of the coffee and Naruto laughed when a spasm ran through him, making coffee come out of his mouth.
"HOLY Crap! What the hell is in this? Feels like I just got shot up with an adrenal."
Naruto smiled and took another sip of his fresh one, sighing contentedly.
"I know, great isn't it?"
Kyle shrugged and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin before taking another mouthful of coffee, nodding appreciatively.
"It isn't bad, I'll give you that. Dammit, why is your food always so much better than mine?"
Naruto's sarcastic reply was cut off by the sound of beeping coming from the kitchen. After deciphering the message, he started to laugh before translating it for Kyle who was frowning.
"Chef says its because you suck, but if you were to be a little more appreciative, your quality would jump."
Bane chuckled behind his book and Kyle muttered something about disrespectful apprentices and bitchy Droids before taking another sip of coffee.
"Like I was saying before I was interrupted." He shot a dirty glance at the kitchen, causing Naruto to grin. "I really doubt that your 'sensei' could be worse than me. No one is that bad."
"He showed up three hours late to his own team meeting."
"Dude, that's awesome! Maybe I should take him out for a couple of rounds some time."
Naruto checked his watch then stood up, popping his back.
"I'm going to go ahead and leave on the off chance that he shows up on time. I doubt it, but you never know. Later guys."
The two older men nodded to him and went back to their own things. Bane reading his book and Kyle shouting at Chef for some good food.
- Konohagakure Shinobi Grounds : Training Area 32 -
Sakura and Sasuke sat alone in an empty training field a little after nine. Both their sensei and third odd teammate were still missing an hour after the time they were supposed to meet. Sasuke was quickly losing his temper, not only at their squads apparent lack of interest but also at Sakura's constant affections. At least if he was alone he could have a moment of peace, maybe even try to figure out what had happened to Naruto.
It didn't make any sense, no matter how he looked at it. Something had happened to the blond to change him so exponentially. No one grows by about a foot and gains that much mass over two weeks naturally. Plus there was that exercise he had done yesterday while they had been waiting. Now that he actually thought about it, he hadn't sensed any Chakra being emitted from the boy yet he was still able to make the kunai levitate. After the trio had parted ways, Sasuke had attempted to do the exercise himself in order to prove that... well... that he could. His only result was a gash on his hand where he had cut himself on the razor sharp kunai when it fell into his palm.
"What about Sunday? We could go to a movie!"
The broody avenger sighed lowly again and turned his back to her. It was bad enough waiting for the rest of their team, but he had to do it with one of his most fanatic fan-girls.
Sakura sighed sadly as Sasuke gave her the cold shoulder...again. Honestly sometimes she wondered why she bothered chasing him as much as she did. The words Naruto had spoken to her had hit her hard, and she was still thinking them over. Was she really that misguided? That was another troublesome thought bothering her. What had happened to the hyperactive knucklehead she knew? He showed up yesterday like something out of a romance novel. Plus the way he walked, the way he talked, he was no longer the ball of barely contained energy from before. Instead he seemed to have been replaced by someone... better.
His blond hair had grown out and was long and gorgeous, thick with streaks of black reaching down to his shoulder blades. He had grown physically as well, standing at least a good ten inches higher than he had just before the Genin exams. His shoulders were wider, his muscles more pronounced, and he had a confident aura around him that made her feel...safe? A blush burned her face as she pictured him standing in the doorway yesterday. His long, thick legs covered in the blue denim, chest stretching the black shirt tight and those dog tags on his neck and between his chiseled pecs. As much as she hated to admit it, he looked almost as good as Sasuke now...almost.
Sasuke heard a weird sound and turned to see Sakura banging her head against a tree, muttering something softly. He just shook his head and tried to ignore her valiantly, praying that something would happen to break the atmosphere that had finally fallen. Apparently someone heard his silent prayer as a odd sound reverberated through the forest, a high-pitched humming accompanied by various whooping.
As the sounds grew louder Sasuke drew out a kunai to defend against a possible enemy. His wait was short and within two minutes, whatever was making the sound came into view. The... thing, was big, about ten feet long and brown. The front end stretched out on two bar-like parallel protrusions and ended in a strange 'L' shape with a pair of barrels sticking outward. The body was made of metal like the rest of it, with a seat near the back. Two handles emitted from the sides and angled upward, used for steering. What really drew his attention and the weirdest thing about it was the fact that it was hovering about two feet off the ground.
"Sup guys? What do you think of my new ride?"
Both Sasuke and Sakura looked up from the strange thing to see Naruto riding on top of it with legs straddled over either side and his hands on the handles.. He was wearing a different outfit than the one from yesterday. No denim, only an undershirt, but he had kept the jacket and boots. No surprise there, really.
The shaggy blond laughed at his teammates faces before swinging a leg over the opposite side and sliding off the machine, allowing a smooth dismount and leaving the machine to hover with a quiet hum. He leaned against the closest tree and crossed his arms, waiting for the response to come.
"Dobe... what the hell is that?"
"This my friend, is a state of the art L-42Z speeder bike, commonly used by scout troops of the Jedi Society. I found this baby in supply room and fixed her up enough to be reusable. With a little help from a friend of mine, I got it working beautifully."
"Well yeah... but what is it?"
Naruto sighed quietly and smiled at the ignorance of everyone he would soon have to tell. Once he really started showing what he had at his disposal, he would need to explain how EVERYTHING worked. Over and over again. It was going to get so old, it wouldn't even be funny.
"This is a machine used a long, long time ago. It's main purpose was to transport one or two people long distances faster than possible on foot. Fast enough to clear ground, and small and quiet enough not to be easily noticeable. It is armed with small weapons for minor encounters with hostile forces and capable of reaching speeds impossible for any living organism to achieve naturally. Reasonably priced at the sticker price of eighteen thousand credits, or nine thousand if you can find one used."
The two Genin stared at Naruto for a second before Sasuke eyed the bike hungrily.
"Why were you yelling so loudly when you were riding it?"
"When I said 'faster than any living organism can achieve naturally', I meant it. This thing is a blast to ride, and you couldn't imagine how fast it will go." He walked back to it and patted one of the stabilizing bars lovingly. A thought struck him and he eyed Sasuke evilly. "Why, do you want to have a try or can't you handle it?"
Naturally Sasuke bristled at the remark and walked forward to meet the challenge. His inevitable wreck and/or demise was postponed by the timely arrival of their new sensei.
"Yo..."
"You're Late!"
The three males winced at the volume of Sakura's shout, but Kakashi just rubbed his neck and his eyes curved upwards, showing a smile casually.
"You see, on my way here, I noticed a really weird fat guy was following me around, so I had to run all around town in order to lose him before I could get here."
Naruto snickered and held out his palm to Kakashi who looked at it is surprise for a second before slapping him a high-five. Naturally this only served to irritate Sakura further and Kakashi decided to get on with the test before the bulging vein in her forehead burst and he had to carry her to the hospital. He pulled two bells from his hip pouch and smiled at his prospective students.
"Okay, all you have to do is get a bell from me and you pass. Whoever doesn't is sent back to the academy for remedial training, simple as that. For a little bit extra motivation, whoever doesn't get a bell will be tied to a training stump and watch as the other two eat lunch."
He pulled out a pair of lunch-boxes with warm, delicious looking food in them. Sasuke and Sakura looked at the food and their stomachs complained loudly, causing a blush from Sakura. At their hungry expressions aimed at the food, Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly, as he had forgotten the instructor's advise not to eat breakfast. Oh well, he was sure he could handle whatever the cyclops had planned.
"It's as simple as that. Oh yeah!" He pulled out an egg timer and spun it a couple of times. "You have until noon to get them."
"But sensei, you only have two bells. Shouldn't you have three?"
"As I said, whoever doesn't get a bell doesn't pass. Only two of you may pass, the third is screwed."
Naruto felt a hint of deceit coming from the man echo through the Force. He was either lying or not telling the whole truth and what purpose could he possibly have for lying to his inferiors? His thought process was thrown off when the man instigated the test.
"Go!"
Naruto's teammates parted ways as quickly as possible and disappeared into the tree line on either side of the clearing. Naruto didn't bother. What was the point of hiding from someone so completely ahead of them? It would require no effort on his part to find them so it was just a waste of valuable time and energy. Regardless, Kakashi was the first opponent that surpassed him who couldn't use the Force that he was able to combat, so he was eager to get started.
Almost casually Naruto reached to his hip and flipped open his shuriken pouch on his waist. He took a handful and held them out.
Seeing Naruto pull out his weapons, Kakashi pulled out a book from the pouch on his back, causing Naruto to smile and extend his arms with a couple of shuriken resting in each palm, facing upward casually.
"Are you ready Kakashi-san?"
He saw an eyebrow raise on the cyclops' face and took it as a signal to begin. He funneled the Force into a concussive blast of air that he directed towards the shuriken, sending them flying towards Kakashi faster than he could have thrown them. Kakashi drew a single kunai and blocked the weapons easily, though surprised at the power behind them and the gauges they left in his knife.
While he was distracted, Naruto charged towards the Jonin, preparing himself for the use of Krav Maga. While normally he would hesitate on using the destructive style against an ally, he had no illusion that he might seriously hurt Kakashi during his spar, and he wasn't about to limit himself in any way.
He hadn't even cleared a quarter of the distance between them before Kakashi noticed his approach, and settled into a defensive stance. When the boy reached his elder, he turned to his side to protect his vitals as Kyle had taught him, and threw a powerful punch at Kakashi's ribs.
The cyclops didn't bat an eyelash as he deflected the blow with his free hand, never turning from his book. Naruto continued, unfazed and used his momentum to attack with his other arm, turning into the punch to put all of his strength into the blow. Kakashi blocked the attack by catching the boy's fist in his long fingers.
"So hasty."
The boy used his free hand to wrap around the man's wrist and lash out with his boot to kick at his opponent's knee. Kakashi stepped backwards easily, using the motion to toss Naruto aside. As he hit the ground hard, the boy sat upwards, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. A feral grin crossed his features, and his eyes burned with determination. This was going to be good.
Sasuke watched as again and again Kakashi batted away Naruto's attacks all the while still reading his book. He was following the cyclop's movements carefully and studying the patterns in his motions. Suddenly the man seemed to stumble slightly from a hard kick to the ribs, which was barely deflected by a forearm. Seeing his chance, Sasuke leapt forward, making handsigns for a technique he had learned only a few weeks prior. He was ten feet away from the man when he ended the sequence on the 'Tora' symbol and he drew a large breath of air into his lungs, using his fingers to direct the flow of Chakra toward his target.
Kakashi was actually having fun sparring with Naruto. The style the boy was using was something he had never seen before, hell, he had never even heard of it before, and he was friends with Maito Gai. He definitely needed to speak with his... friend?, about the boy's style. Maybe he knew of it but had simply never thought to mention it.
No, what surprised him most was Naruto's skill. He had assumed that after a week at most of serious training in an organized style, Naruto would barely be able to hold the stance correctly, let alone utilize it effectively. He had been proven wrong since the first block and only more so since. As he rolled to the side to avoid an overhead elbow strike, he saw Sasuke behind Naruto finishing a sequence of seals that he recognized immediately.
"Naruto, look out!" He shouted, but feared it was too late. Naruto turned to see the last Uchiha exhale a large ball of flame directly towards him, and he threw up his arms in defense.
Sasuke watched as his fireball seared straight towards his teammate in astonishment. He hadn't meant to hit him! Inside his mind he was screaming for the blond to move, but at that range, it was impossible to miss.
As he predicted, the inferno slammed directly into Naruto, who only threw up his hands in a pointless attempt to defend himself. As it made contact, the flames exploded violently and the wave of heat staggered both him and Kakashi, who was too stunned to react. Sasuke turned to the Jounin in shock, unable to process what he had just done. Instead of shouting or glaring at him for killing a teammate however, Kakashi was staring at the spot where Naruto had stood. Sasuke turned to look as well, only to see Naruto standing unharmed behind a half-dome shield of glowing blue light. All around the outside of the dome was blackened dirt and the remnants of dead grass, but everything within the barrier was completely unharmed.
As soon as he had heard Kakashi yell, Naruto had turned to see Sasuke in the air behind him, blowing hard. He wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen, but the look in Kakashi's eye stated that it definitely wasn't beneficial to his health. Mentally chanting a thank you to Kyle for showing him a particular defensive technique, he channeled the Force through his hands before him into a shield construct.
His efforts weren't in vain as the fireball hit the wall of hardened air and rolled off of each side, flaring violently but still the shield held strong. When the onslaught of flames died, he lowered the shield and looked over his shoulder at Kakashi and Sasuke. He sighed softly in relief and rolled his shoulders before reaching into his jean's pocket.
Kakashi threw off the surprise at Naruto being unharmed and deduced that he must have used the 'Force' to protect himself against Sasuke's technique. He forced himself back into a defensive position as Naruto started digging in his pocket before pulling out a pair of ear buds. The man frowned as he turned a page. What was he planning?
Naruto tunneled the wire through his shirt so it wasn't hanging free and fixed one bud in his right ear, hesitating before plugging in the second. The instant the hammering drums and guitar filled his head, he turned to Sasuke and grinned.
"Hey Sasuke..." The boy turned to him, confusion still plastered on his face.
"What Dobe?" A feral grin crossed Naruto's face.
"Stay out of my way."
With that he fixed the other one in place and stepped into a basic, steady stance of Krav Maga. As the rush of music hit him, he used a prick of the Force to anchor the buds to him, and motioned for Kakashi to come at him while Sasuke glared at him with almost murderous intent in his eyes.
Kakashi watched as the blond slid into another stance he had never seen before. His right foot was behind his left, about shoulders width apart with his elbows tucked into his side, protecting his vital points with his arms. He prepared to move forward just as the lyrics kicked in and almost as if on cue, Kakashi sprang forward.
Kakashi cleared more ground in his sprint than Naruto and he swung a punch at the boy's skull. Naruto met the blow skillfully with his left and diverted it with a backhand while returning the favor to the Jounin's solar plexus. The man blocked it with his free hand effortlessly and kicked at Naruto's stomach, forcing the boy to back up a step to avoid it. Pressing the offense, Kakashi dropped to the ground and hook kicked at Naruto's leg. Naruto barely had time to hop over it before stepping forward into a stomp, trying to crack the outstretched knee. His attack was stopped when the man caught his ankle and threw him over his shoulder casually yet again.
Sasuke watched as his blond teammate hit the ground hard and gasped as the breath rushed out of his lungs. A dark smirk appeared before it was wiped clean. It was good to see the Dobe put back down where he deserved to be, on the ground at his feet. He took the distraction the boy provided and charged at Kakashi, kunai in hand. As he reached the silver-haired man, he lunged with the blade and jammed it into his right side, directly where the kidney was. He was shocked for a second at how easy it was until his victim's body dispersed in a poof of smoke and in its place was a thick log with a kunai jammed into it.
Sasuke leapt away from the log a second before a couple of shuriken dug into it, throwing splinters everywhere. He stood for a moment, searching for the man desperately with his kunai ready to defend instantly. He heard footsteps behind him and he whirled around, kunai outstretched only to find Naruto approaching him, ear buds still locked in their place. The odd thought occurred to him that they should have fallen out when he had hit the dirt.
"He is strong. Different from my Masters, but still powerful. He can do things they can't and they can do things he can't, so they are pretty close. Nonetheless, he is still better than we are. I will need your help if we are to beat him."
Sasuke glared at him as he hooked his thumbs in his jeans.
"I don't need your help fool, I can take him alone. Now as I believe, you said, 'Stay out of my way!'"
Naruto shook his head at the arrogance.
"You're an idiot. He's a Jounin. We're barely Genin! There is no way we will be able to take him on alone. I only charged him to find out how serious he is going to take us. Right now he things we're a joke and we can use that to our advantage. If we team up and play on it right, we just might be able to keep him off guard long enough to get the bells off him."
For a moment Naruto had hope as intelligence flashed in Sasuke's eyes. Unfortunately, his bullheadedness won out and his eyes clouded again, a scowl covering his face.
"Shut up Dobe. I will do this myself. Now get away from me."
The Uchiha darted off into the tree line in pursuit of the Jounin, leaving Naruto alone in the now quiet training area. Naruto sighed and dropped to his knees slowly. For a couple of moments, he just let the lyrics of the song run through his mind, calming him despite the pulsating rhythm and music. Despite the lyrics being in a different language, he was able to use the Force in a passive manner, translating the thoughts behind the words.. As the words flowed through his mind, he automatically translated them into something he could somewhat understand. While the finer details might have escaped him, he could still understand the ideas behind the words, and for now it was enough.
When the song ended and he felt he had calmed himself enough to focus, he released his grip on the Force and dislodged the headphones from their place, returning them to his pocket, then closed his eyes. Judging by the situation they were in, there had to be something more to the test that just grabbing a pair of bells and allowing one of them to fail. It just didn't make any sense and went against everything their lessons in the Academy had stood for. He took a deep breath and opened his mind to the Force, seeking the guidance in what he should do. He ran over the facts in his mind, trying to configure the jigsaw puzzle into a solution.
I. He was up against a superior opponent, hardly a surprise.
II. He had two 'teammates' who were meant to aid him, though one was useless and the other blinded by arrogance and swimming in the dark side.
III. He was in unknown territory against an almost just as unknown but obviously powerful opponent with a time limit in which he had to get two guarded bells from said superior opponent.
IV. Unless he got some more time and help, he was screwed.
'Dammit, if only I had some teammates that didn't suck. Hey, wait a second."
He pulled a small metal communicator from one of his pockets and flipped it open, it sparked to life with static instantly and he hit a button on it's side.
"HK-47, do you copy?"
After a short pause, a clear reply came through.
"Confirmation: Greetings Master, I was not expecting you. Query: Aren't you supposed to be in the middle of a training exam right now?"
"Yes I am, in fact that is why I am calling. I need you to send a couple of Droids for backup."
"Acknowledgment: Of course Master. Shall I send some HK-50's to assist you?"
"Negative, send the Guardians."
"Acknowledgment: As you wish Master, I shall have a pair sent out immediately. They should arrive within twelve minutes. Statement: I don't know what you are fighting, but these two have been positively itching for a good slaughter."
"There will be no blood today I'm afraid, but someday my friend."
Naruto deactivated the communicator and slid it back into his pocket. He stood and checked the surrounding area for anyone else, failing to sense anyone. He probed outwards with the Force and barely caught the feeling of a female's signature. Sighing, he made his way to where she was hiding, hoping to convince her to help him out, though it was more a courtesy than anything. He was confident that his Droids would be more than able to handle Kakashi.
Sakura was sitting in a tree a short distance from a clearing where Sasuke was valiantly attempting to get the bells from Kakashi and failing miserably. Sasuke would throw punch after punch while Kakashi would dodge them easily or even bat them aside like they more more a nuisance than a threat. Every time Sasuke would attack, he would lose his temper at the casual display of disinterest the Jounin was showing. By this point, he was in a blind rage and was losing focus on the entire point of the test, instead intent on causing Kakashi as much bodily harm as he could.
Just as Sakura was about to yell out some encouragement, she felt a hand clamp over her mouth
"Shh. Don't scream, its me."
Sakura felt the hand let go and she spun to glare at Naruto, who was crouched down on a branch behind her, sitting on his calves with his hands on his knees. His attention was focused on the fight between the other two.
"Naruto, what's wrong with you? You scared the hell out of me!"
"Keep it down will you? Besides, you should have been paying more attention to your surroundings rather that Sasuke-kun." He put a heavy emphasis on the suffix before turning back to the fight. "Why aren't you helping him out anyway? He's getting stomped."
"Shut up you idiot, Sasuke is doing fine!"
Naruto shook his head and sighed at the level of her infatuation, as well as her volume. In his pocket the communicator beeped softly, indicating an incoming message from the Sith Base. He pulled it out and hit the button.
"What is it HK?"
"Statement: Master, the Magnaguards are nearing your position on STAP's and they should arrive in five minutes or so."
"Excellent, have them report to me the moment they arrive and keep me posted on any developments."
"Acknowledgment: As you wish Master."
Naruto slid the device back into his pocket and turned to Sakura, ignoring the blatant confusion on her face.
"I have a surprise on the way that will help us out. In the meantime we need to get Sasuke away from Kakashi to make a plan."
Judging by the look of outrage on Sakura's face he couldn't rely on her help either, and unfortunately he wasn't disappointed.
"Shut up baka, me and Sasuke-kun don't need any help. Especially from you, so go away and leave us alone!"
Naruto watched as she ran through the trees away from him. Apparently it would all come down to him and his backup to get the bells. Lucky he had a back up plan or he might have failed... nah!"
Naruto was pacing impatiently when he heard the shrill buzzing of the vehicles he was waiting for. He turned excitedly to as two brown vehicles broke from the tree line. Like his speeder bike, they were a brown metal and hovered above the ground a couple of feet, but that was where the similarities ended. The bottom of them tapered down to a rounded point but the tip was flat and a wide disc. Two handles emitted from the top sides and a small platform big enough for one person to stand on protruded from the back. The tip of two barrels were visible from the lightly armored front and the sunlight that found its way through the forest's canopy glittered off of it.
As the machines pulled up to him and came to a stop, Naruto whistled appreciatively as a pair of Droids dismounted and stood at attention before him. They stood an easy seven feet tall, towering over his grown form more than a foot. He looked up and a shiver of approval ran through him. Their faces were covered by a metal mockery of a face and a tattered cloak. From the shadows, a gas mask-like object was visible where their mouths should have been, as well as a pair of glowing red eyes. The cloaks appeared to have been present in many battles, having rips and tears in them that hadn't been repaired afterward, and covered their internal components from the elements. Their eyes glowed an evil crimson as they stared straight forward awaiting orders. Their thick, strong legs ended in bird like talons that dug into the dirt leaving deep gouges in the earth. Their left hands hung straight down and in their right was a shock staff the signature weapon of that particular series of Droids.
Their main purpose was to guard a powerful cybernetic organism who led the Droid Confederate army, who went by the name of General Grievous. As such a high ranking commander, he was often a target of assassination, forcing the Droid guards to fight Jedi. After installing specific programming himself, Grievous gave them a second purpose... to kill Jedi.
Naruto looked at the the pair and smiled, allowing an extended canine to slip between his teeth.
"Droids, what are your designations?"
The Droid on the left stepped forward and dropped to one knee, saluting with his staff across his chest and bowing his head.
"Due to our prowess on the field of battle, we have been honored with not a serial number, but names. I am Alpha, my comrade is Omega. We are the beginning and end of the fight. We have waited far too long to serve, and our day of triumph is finally at hand. We shall not fail you, sire."
Naruto nodded and the Droid stood back up and stepped back, level with his partner and staring straight ahead again.
"Sire, what is our mission?"
The Droid's voice was raspy and cold, betraying its inorganic origin.
"You and Omega are to take down a target that I will assign you. I want him to submit by any means possible, short of permanently crippling him or his death. When he is unable to fight any more, you will bring him to me and place him at my feet. Do not kill him, I want him alive. He is a powerful warrior, and if he is allowed any quarter, I have no doubt that he will destroy you."
The large, glowing red orb in the center of their chests brightened at the thought of a strong enemy and it was obvious they were anxious to begin.
"Should your performance impress me, I believe I may have further use for you both in the future if you are interested. Now go, and return victorious."
Naruto gave them all the information he had on Kakashi and the duo saluted with their staffs once more before bounding away on foot after their prey. Naruto watched them disappear between the trees, leaping from trunk to trunk with acrobatics seemingly impossible to their inorganic structure. They would be on the ground running straight one moment, then leap up and to the side, hitting a tree trunk and making the whole tree rock. Immediately afterward they would leap again, contorting in the air with amazing choreography as they looked around before reaching out and grabbing a jutting branch, propelling themselves forward with a swing in a twisted imitation of an ape's method. Naruto watched their bizarre performance before rushing after them, though he found it impossible to meet their long and tireless strides.
Kakashi turned the page of his book casually, ignoring the outraged shouts of the boy beside him, sunk to his neck in the dirt beside him. His fight with Sasuke had been nothing short of a joke and ended with the Jounin trapping him with the Earth Style: Inner Decapitation technique. Admittedly, the Uchiha had put up an impressive fight, but the skill gap between them was simply too advanced to be overcome that simply.
Halfway through his page, his ears perked at an odd sound. A combination of a well-oiled machine, bark being crushed, and rushing air that sent a cold feeling down his spine. He glanced to his side at the tree line where the sound was coming from, and barely happened to catch a glimpse of what he could only assume were Droids before they burst out, brandishing some kind of electrified staff, arcing blue electricity dancing at the tips and promising discomfort to whoever was unfortunate enough to be hit by one. One rushed him, kicking up plumes of dirt behind it as it charged, while the other had caught a high branch with excellent timing and leapt into the air, the glowing staff held over its head as it tried to hit Kakashi from above.
Kakashi rolled to the left, dodging the potentially fatal blow and the Droid hit the ground hard, the staff head burning the grass around it to cinders and throwing a massive cloud of dust up into the air. Kakashi got to his feet, shocked at the intensity of the impact. The cloud of dirt rose a good couple of feet into the air and impeded his view enough for him to be unable to see the killing machine within it.
As he watched, a silhouette became visible and he drew a breath when the Droid walked out of the cloud unharmed. The way its cloak blew out behind it from the gusty breeze cut an imposing figure and he couldn't help but but take an involuntary step backwards. Out of nowhere his instincts screamed at him to move and he back flipped through the air barely dodging the staff of the second Droid. It was only through his years as a Shinobi that saved him from being possibly crippled from the attack, though it wasn't enough to save the lock of hair as it was seared from his head. The second he landed, he threw a couple of kunai at the Droids. The blades hit their bodies and simply bounced off with the sound of metal striking metal. The first Droid cocked its head at the feeble attack then looked at his comrade and nodded. They charged at him directly, staffs before them one aiming high and the other low. Kakashi armed himself again and leapt between the two staffs, coming dangerously close to the arcs of electricity dancing over the spearheads. He hit the Droid on the left with his kunai, but they simply slid off without even leaving a scratch. He rolled on the ground away from the Droids and the second he had regained his bearings, he was forming handseals.
"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"
He expelled the pent up breath, igniting the air with his Chakra and creating a massive fireball over ten feet across. The Droids were unable to react in time as the wave of flames rushed over them.
When the flames from the resulting explosion dissipated, Kakashi could see the twisted forms of the Droids. He couldn't help but feel a rush of pride in defeating them. He walked over to one of them and nudged it with his foot to make sure it was dead. When it failed to respond, he grinned.
"They aren't all that tough."
He turned and walked away with a swagger in his step. His victorious march was cutoff when again, he heard the sound of shrieking metal and he turned slowly. The corpse of the Droid had reanimated and was contorting like something out of a nightmare. Arms and legs would pop back into place with a disconcerting snap. The machine stood up slowly in time with its comrade, both heads facing the opposite direction. The first stared at him, still for a moment before its head spun around slowly, coming to its proper position.
"O-kay... That can't be good..."
The pair stared disconcertingly for a moment or two before charging at him again, screaming out with disembodied inhuman voices.
Naruto watched his mechanical warriors battle with Kakashi, they were faring better than he could have hoped to and with each strike, they came closer and closer to hitting their mark. The greatest ability the Magnaguard series had over any other Droid was their inherent ability to learn. They could combat an enemy and in time, they would learn their movements and come to predict their enemies actions or reactions. Every time Kakashi would dodge an attack, that same motion would be less effective the next time he used it, and judging by the way things were going, the Jounin didn't have much time left before his imminent defeat. Naruto smiled to himself and prepared to make his move. His timing would have to be impeccable for his plan to work.
Sakura watched with an open mouth as Kakashi fought the two... things. She had never seen anything like them before and honestly, they scared her. The way they moved, let alone their look, reminded her of a large ventriloquist dummy without strings. She almost cheered when Kakashi hit them with the fireball and she had to cover her mouth to silence a scream when they climbed back to their feet as though nothing had happened, despite their twisted and contorted forms. The way they had twisted back into shape, healing themselves. She suppressed a shudder and forced herself to watch the battle, though the way the two monstrosities were coming closer and closer to landing a blow on Kakashi was starting to worry her. Unless he found a way to take them out soon, they were going to hit him with one of their vicious weapons.
Sasuke watched the fight raging around him while fighting to push down the fear that was gripping him. It wasn't that he was scared of the two things, far from it. What worried him was the fact that any one of the three fighting might step on him without realizing it, which was a distinct possibility given the ferocity of their combat. He winced involuntarily as a clawed, metal foot crushed the grass and dirt beside him, sending tremors rocking through his body.
Kakashi was breathing hard and he leapt back to put some distance between him and the Droids trying valiantly to rip him apart. He had been debating on whether or not to reveal his not-so-secret weapon. On one hand, he really needed the boost that would follow as well as being able to predict their movements since they were becomingly worryingly accurate as time passed. On the other, if anyone were to find out that he had been forced to use the Sharingan against a group of Genin on their first test, freaky-monster-things or not, his reputation would be shot to hell and he would become a laughing stock. Although one thing was certain, he was going to have some words with Naruto when all was said and done either way.
Time passed and Kakashi was getting desperate. The two Droids would take any amount of damage he could dish out, and they would simply shake it off. Fire techniques would roll off of them, water wouldn't even slow them down and they were moving too fast for Earth techniques to hit them. Despite his vast arsenal, he didn't know a Wind technique that could help him in his situation, so that left one last element.
He targeted the Droid he had somehow managed to score a hit on earlier on, causing it to move slower than its counterpart, though still not showing any signs of exhaustion. The trio had been fighting for almost half an hour and he was running alarmingly low on Chakra, so his next move was a gamble he couldn't afford to lose.
The masked Jounin rolled to his side to dodge an overhead staff swing and used the brief window of opportunity to knock the offending Droid back with a solid kick to the chest. With the space provided, he spun to face the other and slid his forehead protector up to uncover his left eye, revealing a fully matured, three-tomoed Sharingan. His world slowed down to nearly a crawl as his foreign eye picked up every minute detail around him. The beat of a hummingbird's wing as it avoided the frantic combat, the flowers and grass dancing under the light breeze, the pollen on the underside of a bee passing by, nothing escaped his notice.
He held his right forearm before him with the palm facing him and knuckles down, bracing it with his left hand. Aided by years of practice and experience, he forced a steady stream of lightning-aligned Chakra into his outstretched hand, forming a blade of crackling lightning around his fingers. When it was mostly formed, he charged at the Droid, who was at the moment staring at him with its head cocked in confusion.
"CHIDORI!"
The cyclops yelled the technique's name at the exact moment the blade coating his fingers slid through the metal connecting the Droid's head and shoulders, sending the head and a gush of black fluid flying skyward. The hot liquid splashed against his chest, staining his skin black and burning him from the intense heat. Kakashi's Sharingan noticed the way the head glinted from the sunlight before hitting the dirt. The red eyes flashed for a moment, before dimming slowly and dying out.
After the clean decapitation Kakashi put the fallen opponent out of his mind and focused on the remaining one. He expected some kind of reaction from the Droid from the execution of its comrade, but it simply stared at him with those scarlet eyes silently. Suddenly it charged at him, swinging its staff at his head wildly.
Kakashi's eyes widened and he barely dodged the strike. For some reason, his eye wasn't making its usual predictions on the Droid's movements. True everything still seemed slower as always, but he couldn't trace the movements it was going to make. Nonetheless, he now sensed a technique that was effective against them, so he stood a chance.
He side stepped to dodge the swipe and kicked at its leg, trying to cripple it to buy the required time to charge his Chidori before his Chakra ran dry. The Droid blocked with its staff and dropped to the ground and span like a top, holding the staff outstretched. Kakashi stomped down hard, trapping the staff between the ground and his foot tightly.
Just as he started charging his attack, his instincts screamed at him and he pulled a back-flip as he had before. The coming attack however seemed to foresee the maneuver and the tip of the shock-staff barely clipped his calf. The weapon sparked to life sharply and Kakashi bit back a cry as the pain made his calf clench involuntarily. He barely had time to realize that he was falling through the air before his world exploded in agony and his vision grew dim.
Naruto smiled with glee as Kakashi fought the two Magnaguards. They were all three performing magnificently. He hadn't really expected the Jounin to do this well at all. Using the old ranking system he would be placed highly. Anything less than Jedi Knight would be an insult, as he was fighting enemies that were made to conquer specific enemies far more advanced than he. The blond was shaken from his thoughts when Kakashi uncovered his left eye and revealed a Sharingan. He had no idea that the man had the prized Dojutsu, especially as it was obvious that he wasn't of Uchiha descent. It would certainly explain why he was to be the last loyal Uchiha's tutor at least. He was the only one in the village who could train him in the use of his Kekkai Genkai, when it awakened of course.
The Jounin charged some kind of lightning technique that managed to cut through the metal supporting of who he assumed was Omega's neck easily causing the body to collapse under the shock to the system. Naruto was about to worry when he noticed that the lustrous orb in the center of the chest hadn't gone out like the one's in the head's eye sockets. He grinned at the deceit, pleased with the abilities and planning skill of the two Droids. Oh yes, he had plans for them in the future.
As Kakashi fought the 'survivor', the headless Droid stood and readied its staff for the right opportunity to end the fight once and for all. It's chance came when Kakashi pinned it's partner's staff to the ground and prepared to decapitate it in the same manner as the first. His finishing technique was prevented when the headless Droid swung it's staff like a bat directly at Kakashi's waist. Naruto was just about to signal a retreat when Kakashi back-flipped to avoid the swing.
Naruto instantly saw what had happened. Earlier on in the fight, Kakashi had evaded the exact same attack in the exact same manner. The Droids had memorized it in every detail, including angles and trajectories, and used that to it's advantage. They forced Kakashi to dodge like that again, but altered the path of the swing just enough for the dodge to become ineffective. This time, the staff clipped his leg and made him lose control of the jump. The second Droid stood straight and used the movement and the counterbalance of the staff to throw a massive amount of momentum into a devastating roundhouse kick. It's metal, clawed foot caught Kakashi directly in the ribs and sent him hurtling into a tree where he slid painfully down the trunk to sit at the base. Naruto winced at the contact, but smiled anyway.
Magnaguard – Success!
He stepped out of the treeline to stand next to the training posts, clapping slowly. The two Magnaguards walked over to Kakashi and stood, one on each side. They grabbed one arm each and pulled him onto his knees, then dragged him to Naruto and supported him. Naruto looked down at the man before him, waiting for him to regain consciousness.
Kakashi came to slowly, confused and disoriented. Why was everything spinning? And why did his head hurt? His memory returned in a rush and he became aware of his compromised position. He struggled against the clawed hands weakly before he noticed the thickset black boots on the ground before him. His eyes followed the legs up to see Naruto's face grinning at him.
"Good Morning Hatake-san! I guess your rank in the Bingo book is well earned. After all, you fought pretty well against opponents never seen before on the entire continent! Anyway, I hope you won't mind if I take these?"
He knelt down and simply took the bells from his hip casually while his guards held him immobile. Once he had them, he stood back up and nodded to the two Droids. They released his arms and Kakashi stood up, wincing and watching them wearily. His main attention though was pointed at Naruto, and it was obvious he was furious, even without being able to see most of his face.
"Do you mind explaining to me why you thought it was a good idea to bring two of your... what-evers, to a test meant only for you and your teammates?"
"They are tools to be utilized. A Shinobi is expected and encouraged to use anything and everything at their disposal for the good of the mission. Would you prevent an Inuzuka from or Aburame from using their animal companions? Or a Hyuga or Uchiha from using their Dojutsu?" Here he made sure to glance at Sasuke noticeably. "Or perhaps a puppet user using their puppets would be considered unacceptable? These Droids are my companions, they are my birthright, they are my tools, and I will use them as I see fit. If that is for the good of Konoha, why do we have a problem?"
Kakashi thought it over for a moment, then shrugged with a smile.
"Point taken. But this test was meant for you guys exclusively." He turned to look off into the woods. "Hey Sakura, you can go ahead and come out now!"
After a brief pause, Sakura came out of the tree line fuming and moaning about her effort being wasted. Kakashi just kept grinning and waited for her to join them before continuing, making sure Sasuke heard them at the same again.
"Well Naruto, despite your unorthodox methods, you still managed to get not just one, but both bells so you pass. Sakura and Sasuke, you fail... miserably."
Naruto saw the tears in Sakura's eyes and the rage in Sasuke's and a thought occurred to him. Why would he do this? True he had got the bells and earned the right to be trained by Kakashi, however other than Taijutsu there was nothing he could really get from the man. The damn fox had ruined any chance of him ever truly being a Shinobi. The other two however, could use this training to become valuable assets to Konoha under Hatake's training. The least he could do was give the pair the chance to improve. If they couldn't handle it, then that's their problem.
"Actually Hatake-san..."
Naruto tossed the bells at the the other two. Despite her surprise, Sakura managed to catch hers, but since Saske was still buried up to the neck in the ground, his bounced off his head and landed right in front of him. Sasuke glared at him from his place and struggled even harder to get loose.
"They pass. I have no need of your training. It won't help me anyway, I have no use for your techniques."
The blond turned and walked away from the trio, heading to his bike. He snapped his fingers once and the two Magnaguards fell in step behind him on each side, Omega carrying his head tucked tight under his right arm.
"Naruto, wait. Are you really going to give up your chance to be a Shinobi, just to give it to these two?"
Naruto felt there was more to the situation, but the way the Jounin phrased it intrigued him, so he figured he would just go with it and figure it out from there. He didn't even stop walking as he swung a leg over the bike as his guards mounted the STAP's.
"Yeah..."
Kakashi looked at him gravely for a moment before grinning happily, his eye matching the look.
"Then you all pass!"
Despite the reactions of the other two, Kakashi never took his eyes from the boy and barely caught the nod, as well as him muttering something he could have sworn sounded like 'I knew it...'. Oh yes, he was going to keep an eye on that boy. His thoughts were broken by the other two Genin in the clearing.
"Sensei, what do you mean?"
"This test was one I designed to find out whether or not a team can function together as a single unis and act as a team should. The only one of you that showed capability of that was Naruto when he offered to work together with you both. Even after your actions, he was willing to sacrifice his career to give you two the chance to improve. Now while Konoha has a general rule against 'playing the hero', sometimes just that is necessary to ensure the survival of the team, completion of the mission, and the good of the village."
Naruto had to suppress a chuckle. The very thought of doing anything for the good of the village was damn near laughable.
Kakashi meanwhile, turned back to Naruto, but by he only caught the site of him revving the engine on the speeder bike and disappearing into the forest. He would have to catch up with him later on if he wanted to talk. He sighed and looked back at Sakura.
"We will meet up tomorrow for our first mission. Meet me at the bridge at seven sharp. Oh, and I don't really know what Naruto is capable of, but if you want any chance of catching up to him, you will have to crack down. Both of you."
He shot the both of them a final smile before disappearing in a swirl of leaves, leaving Sasuke still buried up to his neck and Sakura alone to help him out of the hole. Though it did give her the opportunity to hit Sasuke up for another date(s).
Kakashi landed next to a Shinobi clad in darkness with a white porcelain mask attached to their face. The shilver-haired cyclops winced as his knee shuddred from the damage it had caught from Naruto's punishment. Damn, that kid could hit hard!
"So Sempai, you finally allowed a team to pass huh?"
"Please, I didn't allow them to do anything. They earned it. Well, Naruto did at least. The other two got lucky. Besides, you were watching the whole thing, weren't you?"
The ANBU didn't say anything, only nodded in confirmation.
"Would you mind explaining to me why?"
"Hokage-sama felt it would be best if there was another side of perspective for your report on the boy's progress. We want to know anything he is capable of after his disappearance."
"Alright, fair enough. I have a favor to ask though..."
"Yes, Sempai?"
"Other than the Hokage, any chance we could keep this just between us?"
The ANBU laughed quietly, breaking the emotionless exterior all of the shadow unit were fabled for.
"Not if you gave me all of your porn."
With that he disappeared instantly, only leaving behind a pile of leaves. Kakashi looked up into the wide, blue sky for a moment before shaking his head, laughing quietly.
"Damn it."
A/N - Well here it is, a hopefully unique twist on the Genin bell exam. I have no doubt that I am going to lose a lot of readers because of Kakashi getting his butt kicked, but I liked how it came out regardless. Remember, the only reason they managed to beat him was because they were something noone had ever seen before, and it survived what should have been a kill-shot, making him stop paying attention to it. If he had been on top of his game, Kakashi probably would have won.
Well, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.
Stay Frosty...
- Nikolai