Alright, time for chapter two. It's a bit shorter than the first, but next one will be longer. Also, just imagine that the rest of the matches for the prelims went as canon in terms of wins and losses.
Once again, a big thanks to Ninja Bat Master for letting me take this up. And now, on with the show.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Wars
"Master?" Dooku opened his eyes from his meditation to see the boy he had been tasked to train. He stood before him, his lightsaber in hand, going through the motions of Juyo.
"Is something troubling you?" asked Dooku, once more closing his eyes.
"Yes Master Dooku" replied Naruto. "I was just wondering…why are you drilling me in all of the lightsaber forms, when I've already decided to stick with Soresu?" Dooku just sighed, before opening his eyes and standing up. Walking up to Naruto, the boy stopped and deactivated his lightsaber as Dooku put his hand on his shoulder and motioned for him to walk with him.
"Do you find something wrong with this action?" he asked calmly. The boy seemed puzzled. He knew this question was coming.
"Well, no. It just confuses me that you are having me try to learn and memorize all lightsaber forms, instead of working right now on fully mastering the form I've chosen" replied Naruto as he and the old Sith Lord walked through the corridors of his mindscape.
"Naruto" said Dooku. "I asked the same exact question of my master long ago. Back when I was still a Padawan under Jedi Master Yoda." Naruto nodded solemnly. He had heard all three speak of Master Yoda many a time. How he was the oldest and wisest of all the Jedi Knights. Naruto thought the way even Dooku spoke of him made him seem as though he were the Sandaime Hokage.
"And what did he tell you?" asked Naruto. Dooku smirked and took out one of his two sabers to examine it.
"He told me" began Dooku, "That all lightsaber wielders use one form or another, but there is rarely any Jedi or Sith that doesn't use a formal style." Naruto took in all the information before nodding for him to continue.
"No matter what style you use, someone else will use either the same style, or a different style. Soresu is the ultimate defensive style, and I applaud you for attempting such a feat as to master it. They say a true master of Soresu is invincible" said Dooku, continuing with his lecture. "But there will come a time where it will become ineffective against an opponent. And in that case, you have another style to use. Possibly one that is an effective counter to your opponent."
Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. He got it now. "Ok, so what you're saying is that while you do want to master a particular style, it is better to know them all. To be ready for any scenario" he said, excited. It finally had made sense. Dooku smirked. The boy had finally understood.
"Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it" said Dooku, beginning to walk faster, leaving Naruto behind before he disappeared to some other part of the Mindscape.
Naruto opened his now yellow eyes, Katana in hand as he went through the motions for Makashi. Those words stuck with him throughout the rest of his training. And there were many, many years of training done within his mind. As he went through the movements, his mind flashed through memories of the training. Obi-wan, or Ben, as he had opted to be called, had taught him everything he knew about Form III. Naruto had once asked him why he was called Ben, and had found that the man had used his name to create an alias with which to hide with during the reign of the empire. Turning Obi-wan into Old Ben. It was a name, he explained that he would use with the son of Anakin Skywalker. According to him, he still lived, out in the greater galaxy.
Naruto remembered with a slash of his blade that he made a silent vow, to one day see the greater galaxy. Most of what he learned from that, he learned from Ahsoka. The Togruta girl was his favorite teacher. Now, he thought, she was the only one left. Both Dooku and Ben had left the day before. But Ahsoka had stayed.
If Naruto could spend the day just thinking of Ahsoka, he would. During his training, she and he had developed a bond so great that they didn't even have a word to describe it. Until one day, a few decades into his training, that he had found a word. He had gone up to her and told her he loved her. She was silent at first, but after a moment, she jumped into a hug with the blonde boy, before the two kissed passionately for the first time. After that, they were practically inseparable.
What he wanted to do was find a way to bring her back to the world of the living. She could manifest as a force spirit, he could be with her in the Mindscape, but he couldn't truly touch her, nor she him. That was their goal now. Something beyond even what the Sith had tried to do. They weren't trying to just find a secret to immortality; they were trying to bring a girl back from the dead.
Currently, Naruto was alone at the normal training field for team seven. He was working on his technique for the chuunin exam finals a month away. He had wanted to work on Ninja techniques, having spent so long working on mastery of the Force and saber training. But Kakashi had taken Sasuke away to train for the month. Not bad for him, as it turned out, as he figured he'd have to deal with the questions if he went with Kakashi. Questions he didn't want to have to deal with.
Naruto sheathed his sword. He called it quits on the morning's training. He was being watched. "You know" he called out. "That it's impolite to spy on people." From out of the bushes, three people emerged. One was Sakura. Naruto shot her a stern look. He knew what she wanted, even after telling her he wouldn't tell her anything. Of course the gossip girl would be nosy. The other two were Tenten and Neji, both from team nine.
"So" said Naruto. "Sakura came to find out what's new about me, Neji obviously came to scope out his opponent, but I have no idea why you are here Tenten." Sakura shivered. He was still talking in that eerily calm voice, which gave away nothing of what he was thinking.
"I was wondering if…well…um…" She was cut off by her teammate, who was scowling.
"She was trying to learn your kenjutsu style." Tenten shot him a dirty look, as though he had just pointed out her hand in the cookie jar.
"Really" said Naruto, deep in thought. "Tenten, would you come here, I want to show you something." All three were in shock, Sakura in particular.
"Um, yeah, sure" said the weapons mistress, walking up to him.
"OK, now hold still, very still, and open your mind" he said, closing his eyes as though in meditation. Closing her eyes as well, she didn't see him hold out his hand, breaking into her mind easily while she allowed herself to open up. Searching, he focused on every memory she had gathered of him since she had begun to watch him, and in essence, removed them. All that she saw would be a blur of unrecognizable memory.
Tenten became woozy suddenly, losing her balance and falling to the ground. Within a moment, Neji was at him, two fingers pointed at his forehead. "What did you do to her?" he demanded more than asked.
"You have feelings for her, how nice" said Naruto, his yellow-eyes staring into Neji's Byakugan, as though he could see inside the boy's soul. "I merely wiped away all of her memories of my training. She'll remember seeing it, but it will all be hazy. I can't let her taking my techniques. I'm sure you understand."
Among all his abilities in the Force, Naruto prided his abilities with the mind the most. To him, they were a way of fixing the handicap that came with his inability to perform even simple Genjutsu. But while Naruto was grateful for that, he wasn't foolish enough to not at least try to learn the Ninja Arts. Taking Dooku's lesson to heart in everything, he realized that in a world where people could control wind and breathe fire, the Force would not always be enough. One of the key tenets that both Ben and Dooku drilled in his head was that Knowledge was power. And if he was truly to be the next Avatar of the Force, he would need to become the most powerful being imaginable.
In realizing this, he began learning all that he could about Chakra, and found that in essence, Chakra and the Force were very similar. Both were powerful energies that could bring strength, power, but also it could make one wise enough to know when to use it and when not to. Like the Force, there were other sides. There was a sort of tangibility to Chakra that gave off a specific feeling. He had noticed that when he had fought Orochimaru, the man's Chakra was truly corrupted, compared to, say, the Third Hokage.
But by recognizing the similarities, he also realized the one, essential difference between the two. While both were essential for life to exist, the Force was an external energy that bound all life together, while Chakra was a singular energy, specific to the life-form that produced it. In this great truth, he realized one important thing. Everything had a balance, an opposite. There was the Light and the Dark, the Jedi and the Sith, but things went deeper than that. The Force itself had its opposite in Chakra. The two energies were intertwined forever. Thus, to become the Avatar of the Force, the ultimate balance bringer, he needed to master Chakra as well.
"Now then, I wasn't spying on you, Neji, the least you could do is show me the same courtesy" said Naruto, turning, before he walked away. Neji simply nodded, before picking up Tenten and left as well, leaving Sakura in a daze.
Naruto began walking around the village, unable to concentrate after the incident. Eventually, he found himself at the hot springs, and decided to take a dip. Alone in the men's hot spring, he removed his clothing, revealing his mechanical limbs. He was thankful that they and the seals were waterproof.
Dropping down into the water, he relaxed and closed his eyes. As he was calming, he entered his mindscape, finding Ahsoka waiting for him, as usual. Unless she manifested as a Force ghost, there wasn't many places she could go and be with him. Hence Naruto's mission to find a way to restore her to life.
"Well, that was an interesting morning" said Naruto, embracing the Togruta girl.
"I'll say" she replied, before planting her lips on his.
"What did I do to deserve you?" asked Naruto.
"You had your limbs cut off and your body burned all over" she replied, making Naruto shoot her a deadpan look.
"Yes, I know that part" he said, chuckling, before kissing her again. "But, considering who brought us together, I'd say it truly was the will of the Force."
"Maybe" she said slyly, moving away, swaying her hips sexily, causing him to stare. She knew what he liked. He would be the first to admit that he was a pervert, but only with his alien girlfriend and lover. Ahsoka could also be very perverted when she wanted to be, but she was always a wild one to begin with. That was why she was assigned to be Skywalker's apprentice. One reason was to teach him higher responsibility; the other was to rein her in a bit. The Jedi council knew that Obi-wan had worked wonders with Anakin, and perhaps Anakin could continue the cycle and work with a student using those teachings.
"One day soon I'll have you back in the real world. Then we can truly hold one another" said Naruto.
"Oh?" said Ahsoka. "And what makes you think it will happen that soon. We don't even know if it's possible." She looked depressed as she said those words. Naruto knew this was a sore spot with the girl. She had been worried about if it were possible or not, even with Kyuubi assuring them it could be done, but Naruto would need to find the right jutsu to do so.
"I have seen it in my dreams" replied Naruto. "I've been having visions, and I have seen myself and you outside, while I haven't aged much in them. This leads me to believe that we're closer to the answer than ever." He walked over to the girl, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"I hope you're right" replied Ahsoka. "Because I want to be with you out there, where we can age, where we can touch for real, where we can really be together."
"I want that too. But I'm more than content just being with you, regardless of whether it's in here or out there" replied Naruto, leaning in and kissing the Togruta girl on her exposed neck, making her moan in pleasure.
"Come on Naruto" she said. "Don't start something now. We can save it for later. You never know when something will happen outside that requires your attention." Naruto made a whining sound, eliciting a giggle from Ahsoka.
"Fiiiiiine" he said. "But you owe me" he finished. She nodded.
"Go on Lord Vader" she said. "I'll be here when you get back." This time Naruto nodded before fading from the mindscape.
Back outside, he realized how right Ahsoka had been. He was no longer alone, but the other person wasn't in the water, nor was he paying Naruto any mind. The Force Avatar could see the man peeking through a hole in the fence, giggling perversely while scribbling down something in a small notebook. Naruto wasn't one to be hypocritical, but he just didn't like perverts. Smirking, he closed his eyes and focused, calling out to the Force.
The old man looking through the fence was too distracted to notice anything, not until it was far too late. Without warning, the fence between the men's side and the woman's side began to rise, as Naruto, still focusing, also threw on his pants and left, not wanting to be around when things got crazy. As he exited the hot springs, he heard a shout of "Pervert!" causing him to chuckle, before the old man from the hot springs literally fell from the sky, looking as though he had been in a battle and lost…badly.
"That's what you get for peeping" said Naruto, as the man stood and dusted himself off, looking curiously at Naruto, or particularly his arms as the boy threw on his shirt and gloves.
"Mechanical prosthetics, that's new" said the old man. Naruto took this moment to get a good look at the man. All in all, the man was huge. Easily as big, if not bigger, than Darth Vader. He wore some sort of odd clothing, and had white hair that extended far down his back. He wore a large scroll on his back, and had a headband forehead protector with the kanji for "oil" written on it. Also, extending from his eyes were two red streaks that traveled down his face.
"And if I'm not mistaken, I saw some intricate seals on those babies" he continued. "But never anything like I've seen. And being a Fuinjutsu master, I've seen some pretty advanced seals." Naruto was instantly at attention. A master at sealing could probably teach him plenty about the Ninja arts, or just chakra in general.
"Yeah" said Naruto, trying to sound polite. "They allow me to feel as though the arms were my own, and mimic chakra pathways in the body to allow me to use jutsu. My legs are similar." Pulling up his pant legs, he allowed the man to get a glimpse of the droid limbs, before hiding them once again.
"Really" said the old man. "Say kid, maybe if you let me see those seals, I could teach you a thing or two of what I know."
"Well, first, could I have your name?" asked Naruto. The old man's eyes lit up and he jumped back, before striking a ridiculous pose.
"I am the legendary Jiraiya! One of the Sannin, the legendary three shinobi, Fuinjutsu master, and author of the world famous ICHA ICHA SERIES!" he shouted. Coughing, Naruto pointed behind Jiraiya. The man looked to see the entire female population at the hot springs glaring daggers at the mention of the book series.
"Yeah, it's time to go" said Jiraiya meekly, before running like hell, Naruto merely sighing and beginning to follow at a leisurely pace. He eventually caught up to the Sannin, down by the very bridge team seven would meet up at during meetings.
"Alright kid" he said. "I told you my name, now you tell me yours."
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki" the man nodded sagely, as though he had already known that. "However, as of recently, I have taken up the name Vader, and will be addressed as such." Jiraiya shivered. There was something about the name that made him edgy. Maybe it was the way it was said, maybe it was the blonde's eyes, which were a sickly yellow color, he noted.
"Well, Vader…That is quite a name. Does it mean anything?" asked Jiraiya.
"Nothing that you would understand" replied Naruto, brushing off the man's questions. Jiraiya nodded. If the boy wanted to keep secrets, he was perfectly entitled.
"Well, I see. Now then, why don't you show me those mechanical wonders" said Jiraiya as Naruto pulled out his arms and legs from his black robe, which he had put on while following the old man. Jiraiya seemed almost hypnotized by them. Naruto focused deeply, and managed to read the man's thoughts, or at least get a gist.
"This sealing work is incredible" thought Jiraiya. "No way this kid did this, regardless of his old man's abilities with them." Naruto was shocked, but didn't show it. This man knew his father somehow, and if he wanted to find out anything, he would have to play along. "Not Sarutobi-sensei either, or even Orochimaru. Definitely not Orochimaru. The man always was a slob when it came to sealing."
"You're telling me" said Naruto under his breath, but Jiraiya heard him and froze. He realized that the boy in front of him had been reading his thoughts. Before Naruto could get any more, Jiraiya focused to set up some mental barriers. Something most Jonin learned after dealing with the Yaminaka clan.
"Something wrong?" asked Naruto, sensing Jiraiya's apprehension. Jiraiya looked the boy in the eyes and became even more unnerved by them. They seemed to glow that yellow color brightly.
"No, nothing. Just some interesting seal work. But what bugs me isn't the seals." Naruto looked up at Jiraiya, confused as he could no longer read the man's thoughts to tell what he was thinking. "What I'm wondering, Vader, is why you even need these arms. What happened?"
"I was attacked" said Naruto simply, only getting a hard look from Jiraiya.
"By what?" asked the old man.
"A white snake." Jiraiya's eyes widened. The boy couldn't mean what he thought.
"Tell me, did this "white snake"…have a name?" he asked.
"He didn't give one" replied Naruto. "But I'll never forget him. The way he moved…the way he spoke…He wasn't human. He opened his mouth; a snake came out and gave him a sword…" As Naruto trailed off, Jiraiya once more became lost in his own thoughts, though he was careful to hide them from Vader.
"Just as I thought. It was Orochimaru. To survive having his arms and legs cut off by the Kusanagi… For once, I'm glad that Fox was put in him" he thought. "I need to get down to see Sarutobi-sensei. He has some explaining to do."
"So kid" he said. "You have anything in particular you're trying to learn?" What he heard next shocked him and made him narrow his eyes slightly.
"Is there a way to bring a dead person back to life?" Naruto gazed at Jiraiya intently, but the man's gaze kept shifting. Naruto knew it, he was on to something. Jiraiya knew something, but refused to tell him. Perhaps if he stuck with him, he might find out the secret.
"There is, but I don't know it" he said finally. "There is a jutsu that can bring the dead back to life, but only one man knows it. It was his creation."
"And who is this person that would know?" asked Naruto.
"Your "White Snake." Now Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"So if I'm to learn it, I need to take the technique from him" said Naruto.
"Kid, you lost your arms and legs at the hands of this man, and now you want to face him again?" said Jiraiya. "You've got guts kid, I'll give you that. Come on." Jiraiya stood up and motioned for Naruto, Vader, to follow.
"Where are we going?" asked Naruto.
"I have something I need to do" he said. "And it involves you now, so come on kid." Naruto merely shrugged and followed. The entered the heart of the village, walking down the twists and turns of the roads, until Naruto finally noticed where they were heading. Hokage Tower.
They entered the tower, before heading straight to the Hokage's office, finding the Hokage doing battle with the scourge of Kages everywhere. Paperwork.
"Hey, Sensei!" Sarutobi looked up from the devil's work to see his student Jiraiya, the only one he still had any form of relationship with, standing in his doorway, Naruto, or Vader as he was called now, following closely.
"Jiraiya? It's been a long time my old student" said Sarutobi, standing up. "What brings you back to the village this early?"
"That is specifically between you and I, so we'll discuss that later. For now, I have something else I want to discuss with you" said Jiraiya.
"And what is that?" asked Sarutobi, thoroughly confused.
"I want Vader to be made my apprentice." Two pairs of eyes widened at that statement, though Sarutobi's didn't widen nearly as much as Naruto's, knowing several reasons why he'd make Naruto his apprentice.
"Ahh, yes, fine, it's done" said Sarutobi. "Vader, you are dismissed until your sensei comes to get you." Naruto merely nodded, before turning and leaving. "Now Jiraiya, tell me everything."
"No sensei, tell me everything. What happened to Minato's kid? Who did those seals on his arms and legs, cause it sure as hell wasn't you, and lastly…I think he wants to bring his parents back to life. So much he may go to Orochimaru to do so" said Jiraiya, only getting a smirk from Sarutobi.
"Sit down, and I'll tell you what I know" replied the old man, motioning toward the seat in front of his desk.
After leaving the two to talk, Naruto went over to Ichiraku ramen to order some noodles. Ordering five bowls of pork ramen, Naruto noticed a man sit down next to him and order a bowl of mizo ramen. Normally this wouldn't interest him, but this man seemed to exude a power. The Force swirled around the man in an incredibly interesting way.
"So" said the man, making conversation. "You're a ninja."
"Uh, yeah" said Naruto. "Otherwise I wouldn't be wearing this forehead protector." The man just chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose you wouldn't. " Naruto turned to look at the man, and found him to be no more than average looking, a mustache and beard combination, and long brown hair that flowed down to just below his shoulder blades. He wore simple robes, not unlike what Naruto remembered Obi-wan wearing, but unlike his master, this man did not have a lightsaber or any form of technology on him.
"You're an interesting person. Perhaps we'll meet again" he said. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a huge handful of money, before giving it to the owner of the Ramen stand. "This will pay for mine, and a few of the boy's as well." With that, he got up and made to walk away.
"Do I get to learn the name of the man who paid for my meal?" asked Naruto.
The man turned and said, "My name…is Qui-gon Jinn." With that, he walked away, turned the corner and moved out of sight.
"Qui-gon" thought Naruto. Why is that name so familiar?"
Chapter end.
Ok, shorter than the last chapter, but oh well. I hope you enjoyed it. Also, as for the purpose of adding Qui-gon to the story, I'll just say he won't be the only one added, but he will be the only one for now. If you wonder why I added him, you'll have to read the next chapter.
Peace to all my Fans
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