AN: Well, I did say anything could happen and guess what: A new story and a bout of inspiration for an update for this one! Here I am, ladies and gents, with Chapter 3. Hope you can forgive the delay, but I had my main stories to attend to. Hopefully this one's up to standard. Oh, fair warning here, things get a bit serious and set up events yet to come. Also, I know Dxun happened before Jaga's Cluster, but for the purpose of the story, I changed around the order of those two particular battles. After Dxun is finished, it's on to Malachor for Naruto!

Chapter 3: Training and the Dark

He was at peace. It was a strange feeling, being completely at peace, but it was not unpleasant. He was at peace and he could feel the entire ship around him; he could feel all of the souls aboard, he could feel the ebb and flow of their emotions and most importantly… he could feel the living Force as it flowed through them and the ship. As he sat cross-legged upon the metal floor of the bridge of the Vanguard, Naruto broke into a barely visible smile when he felt the entire bridge breathe a sigh of relief as he experimented by pushing his aura throughout the area. Tensed muscles relaxed, unvoiced worries disappeared and the overall atmosphere of the bridge shifted into an almost trance-like serenity.

"You're overdoing it, Padawan." The soft, angelic voice of his Master whispered to him as she sat beside him, meditating with him. "Don't want the entire bridge falling asleep on us."

"I apologize, Master Surik." Naruto quickly whispered an apology before reigning back in his aura to a more acceptable level. "Sometimes I forget my own strength."

"So long as you mind it." He could tell Meetra was smiling, despite his eyes being closed.

"Yes, Master." He returned the smile, knowing she could also feel it.

Everything went silent once again as Padawan and Master refocused upon their meditations in order to pass the time. It had been nearly eight months since Naruto and his group had been accepted into the fold by Revan and since then they all had begun their studies in one field or another. While Naruto was Meetra's foremost Padawan, Sakura had also been accepted as another of her Padawans. Revan had taken an interest in both Shikamaru and Ino had accepted them as his Padawans while Hinata went with Alek. Konohamaru, being the youngest, went into a cadet program and was still awaiting his call from either Revan, Alek or Meetra.

In the months that had passed, most had flourished under their respective Masters. Shikamaru, being the tactician that he was, found himself to be a gifted learner under Revan while Meetra had guided both Naruto and Sakura at the same time, teaching them both most of what she knew. Ino, while initially hesitant, proved to be the quickest study of them all. Hinata and Alek, however, seemed to not get along, as her pacifistic nature was a polar opposite of what the Mandalorian War had turned Alek into. He wished for her to be a warrior without peer while she wished to avoid fighting whenever necessary. For that reason, Alek had denied her the opportunity to construct her lightsaber, an opportunity that had been afforded to everyone else, save her… of course, that didn't stop the other Padawans from tutoring her anyway, in secret of course.

Idly, he felt Meetra shift beside him, but paid it no heed; she was still a Jedi General and she was still one of Revan's top commanders, so she undoubtedly had something important to see to. Minutes ticked by until he felt his Master approaching, then finally opened his eyes when he heard something being laid in front of him.

"Time for this again, Master?" He sighed as he eyes the small bundle in front of him.

"Of course." Meetra smirked. "You can construct it with your hands well enough, but I want to see you construct it using the Force."

Undaunted, Naruto reached out with the Force and willed the bundle to be untied, revealing the deconstructed components of his lightsaber. Though he untied the bundle well enough, he knew that this next task was far from trivial. He had to perfectly visualize his weapon in his head, he had to have every inch of it memorized from top to bottom and he had to have precise control over the Force for such intricate components to fit seamlessly together without physical contact. This was something he had attempted twice before yet failed both times… third time's the charm?

"There is no emotion…" Naruto began to recite the Jedi code aloud as he zoned back into his meditation, mentally picturing his weapon.

Slowly, each component began to levitate up from the bundle and slowly began orbiting around his form as he focused in on his task. The first few pieces clicked into place without incident, followed by the next few. Three minutes had passed and as Meetra watched, she could see her Padawan beginning to strain from such precise control over the Force. She would not interfere, however, as this was a test of both his control of the Force and his mental fortitude, as well as his memorization of his own lightsaber.

Another three minutes lapsed by and the lightsaber was nearly complete; all that was left was the most important task of setting the crystals in, securing them and reattaching the lens. Careful he was when setting the crystals, making sure that they both were in perfect alignment, and finally reattached the lens and finished construction.

"Only one way to test your work, Naruto." Meetra called out to him. "Activate it."

Standing with a few beads of sweat upon his brow from the concentration, Naruto let his weapon fall into his waiting right hand and immediately his thumb hesitated as it hovered over the ignitor. There really was only one way to check, and he knew it, so after recomposing himself, Naruto took in a breath and hit the ignitor with his thumb. Immediately, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber activating perfectly resonated throughout the bridge, raising a few heads from the bridge crew and enticing a relieved sigh from Naruto as he stared at the burnt orange blade in front of him.

"Excellently done, my Padawan." Meetra praised as she placed a hand upon his shoulder with a smile. "As you might have suspected, this was another test of your control over the Force and you passed with flying colors."

"Thank you, Master." Naruto returned the smile as he deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it upon the left side of his belt. "What now, more tests?"

"A Jedi is ever being tested, Naruto." She wisely counseled her young charge. "And I have every confidence in your continued success; both I and Revan have placed our faiths in you because we see something special inside you."

"Funny how Alek manages to not see it." He lightly scoffed.

"The war has made Alek..." Meetra paused to find the right word. "Jaded. He cares only to end the war as swiftly as possible, as do we all."

"What's to happen to myself and my friends after the war, though?" He asked. "We haven't exactly been approved of by the Council…"

"The Council would be foolish to not accept you all into the fold." She folded her arms under her breasts. "Each and every one of you are remarkably strong in the Force, even young Konohamaru. You have so much to give to the Order that it would be nothing short of insanity for the Council to reject you."

"The future is ever changing, Master." Naruto smirked at the opportunity presented. "Nobody knows what the Force has in store for us."

"Using my own teachings against me." Meetra's crooked grin belayed her light glare. "Both devious and resourceful of you, Naruto."

"I am your student after all, Master." He mock bowed at her, still smirking.

"General!" The communications officer spoke up from his terminal. "Message coming in from Commander Revan."

"Holo or audio?" Meetra asked, her face now stone cold as if a switch had been flipped.

"Holo this time, Ma'am." The comms officer answered.

"Project it, Lieutenant." She turned to face the sweeping viewport just as a glowing blue holographic image of Revan popped into view, albeit after a bit of static from the hyperspace interference.

"Meetra." Revan nodded to his top lieutenant and then inclined his head in an acknowledging gesture to her Padawan. "Naruto. How goes your training, my young friend?"

"Master Surik is an exemplary teacher, General." Naruto bowed his head respectfully to both his Master and his General. "Truly, I'm blessed and fortunate to have met her; she's expanded my horizons, taught me about the greater galaxy and most importantly shown me the ways and higher mysteries of the living Force."

"And you, Meetra?" Despite his mask, Meetra knew that Revan's gaze was now on her. "Do you share the reverence he has for you?"

"Naruto's the perfect student for me." Meetra nodded with a bright smile as she brushed a few stray strands of her hair out of her face. "He's like a sponge; whatever I show and teach him, he absorbs it in no time flat." She then paused for a sidelong glance at her blonde Padawan. "It also helps that he's a kinesthetic learner; cuts down on the lecture time and doubles our sparring time. It keeps me sharp while also allows me to more directly impart what I know to him."

"And what of Miss Haruno?" Revan asked.

"Sakura's more comfortable sitting down with a datapad than in the barracks training with Naruto and I, but she does join us every now and then to keep her skills with a saber just as sharp as her mind." Meetra explained as she settled into what seemed to be a thinking pose as she listed everything off. "While she dwarfs both Naruto and I in physical strength because of her previous training with her previous Master, I initially assumed she'd be a natural with a lightsaber."

"And that's turned out to not be the case?" Revan asked, seemingly curious.

"She's a medic, Revan. Plain and simple." Meetra's blue eyes met the T visor of her superior. "A medic and a deceptively quick thinker. While she's not at all lacking on the martial front, her real strength lies in her wits and her skill as a healer."

"So, she's destined for the Consular path." Revan surmised. "And Naruto here is destined to be a Guardian."

"What of Shikamaru and Ino, General?" Naruto asked on impulse. "What is your assessment of them?"

"Well…" It was Revan's turn to settle into a thinking pose. "Ino's also a medic, but she's more martial-minded. Her natural speed and flexibility are what make her so deadly with a blade and to top it off, her prowess with the Force is on equal grounds with her saber skills. To top it off, her family's technique allows her to enter a person's mind; take that ability and enhance it with the Force and we have an expert interrogator on our hands."

"And Shikamaru?" Meetra asked.

"Like Sakura, Shikamaru's greatest strength is his mind. His laziness has hindered his progress with a lightsaber, but he's at least passable with it for the time being. That being said, he's absorbed everything from all of the datapads I've put in front of him and his analytical abilities have won him every simulated war game I've put him through." He paused, as if he were debating whether or not to say something. "He might, might, be a latent practitioner of Battle Meditation."

"Bastila's the only other Jedi I've heard of with that kind of ability." Meetra's eyes widened at the implications. "Revan, if this turns out to be true…"

"I well know the implications here, Meetra." Revan raised a halting hand. "We'll find out soon enough, at Dxun."

"Dxun?' Naruto asked. "Onderon's largest moon and the Mandalorian's main base of operations?"

"You have been keeping up with your studies." Revan praised, smirking beneath his mask. "Yes, that's our next target in this damnable war and just so happens to be the reason behind my contacting you, Meetra."

"If this is about Dxun…" Meetra paused to turn to her comms officer. "Get someone to tell Sakura to get up here, ASAP."

"Yes, General." The comms officer saluted.

"While we wait…" Revan sighed once more. "Naruto, you should know that Hinata is not taking to Alek's teachings. At all."

"I'm aware, General." Naruto nodded. "She's a pacifist at heart. Combine her gentle nature with having to abandon our home system, she's well out of her element and she's afraid."

"That, and Alek isn't the most gentle or understanding of teachers." Meetra added with a bit of a scoff.

"If that's the case…" Again, Naruto could feel Revan's gaze on him… along with what he swore was a smile. "How did she build her lightsaber? Alek came to me one day with her confiscated lightsaber, saying that he didn't authorize her to build one nor did he intend to."

"I wonder…" Naruto put on an innocent face, though both he and Revan were on the same page regardless.

"Whoever helped her build it surely did make Alek blow a gasket." Revan continued, his voice now conveying a knowing sarcasm as he shrugged. "Almost as if the mere act of helping her would knowingly set him off. I know of no one who would so fiendishly compromise a bond as deep as Hinata and Alek's…"

"You two were born to be brothers…" Meetra sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "By the Force, there are two of you now…"

"Master!" Naruto dramatically admonished as his right hand shot up to his chest, over his heart. "Your words sting my very soul!"

"I resent this accusation, Meetra." Revan chuckled as he folded his arms over his chest. "Besides, Naruto would only be half of me, considering his height."

"You're only a few feet taller than me yourself!" Naruto glared at the blue hologram in front of him.

"You're annoying the General!" A voice broke the moment.

Immediately, Naruto jumped high into the air, dodging the fist that was aimed to his head in the process, then spun while mid-air and landed behind his ambusher with his still inactive saber in hand and a smirk splayed across his face.

"You'd have died there, Sakura-chan." He chided. "You'll get me next time, I'm sure."

"Good of you to join us, Sakura." Revan nodded his head upon her entrance.

She and Naruto were wearing the traditional garments of the Jedi, though Naruto's tabard was a brown color, his tunic was a dark orange color and his pants were of a similar color to his tabard, tucked into his hardened black boots and his robe was colored brick red.

Sakura's tabard was a deep red while her tunic was a more traditional brown color, her pants matched her tabard at a red color and were tucked neatly into a pair of brown boots while her robe was a deep brown. She had grown her pink hair out slightly, as it now reached just below the nape of her neck.

As she bowed, her robe fluttered slightly. "I apologize for holding you up, General."

"No need to apologize, Sakura." Revan waved her off as she rose from her bow. "Now that you're here, however…" He paused to turn off screen and nodded. Immediately after, two familiar faces phased into the holo-projector's view. "We can all be here for this."

"Ino, Shika!" Naruto greeted them with an excited smile and a wave. "How are things on your end?"

"Can't complain." Shikamaru shrugged. "Apparently, some big offensive's coming up and we need all hands on deck, so I'm here."

"I had to drag his lazy ass out of bed for this meeting." Ino scoffed as she folded her arms under her breasts.

Because of the nature of the hologram, neither Naruto nor Sakura could make out the colors of their attire, though it was apparent that they were both wearing the traditional Jedi garb.

"What of Alek and Hinata?" Meetra asked as her eyes flickered between Revan and his two Padawans. "Should they not be privy to this as well?"

"They already know the plan." Revan answered. "I conferred with them before hailing you three."

"So, what's the plan?" Naruto asked. "What do we have in store for Dxun?"

"Full-scale invasion." Shikamaru answered for his Master. "Blockade the system, surround both Onderon and Dxun, throw as many bodies as we can into the fray and hopefully either end this war or bring the Mandalorian infrastructure down around them in a burning heap, thereby shortening this war and preparing for a final battle."

"And what parts will we play in this?" Sakura spoke up.

"The main focus will be Dxun; Onderon is a secondary objective but still vital." Revan answered this time. "While I shall be directing both assaults from orbit, you, Meetra, shall be coordinating the assault on Dxun personally while Alek shall be overseeing the retaking of the Onderonian capital of Iziz from the Mandalorians."

"Isn't Mandalore himself supposed to be on Dxun?" Sakura asked. "What happens if he joins the battle?"

"Leave that to us." Meetra turned and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Should Mandalore himself show up, leave him to either Revan or myself; he's too much for any of you all to take on right now."

"Meetra speaks truly." Revan nodded sagely. "While I highly doubt Mandalore will rear his head, if the unthinkable happens and he joins his men on the field, stay away from him and let the senior Jedi handle it; no heroics from any of you, understand?"

"Yes, General!" Naruto and Sakura snapped into attention and voiced their compliance at the same time.

"Of course, Master." Ino nodded.

"I doubt I'd be on the surface to face him anyway." Shikamaru grumbled.

"Which brings us to the next part of the plan." Revan continued. "With the possible emergence of Shikamaru's Battle Meditation, he shall remain with me aboard my flagship not only to help me with planning out the engagements and battles, but to see if he can manifest his power. If he can, then the battle will go that much smoother and if he can't, then at least we can say we tried."

"And the rest of us Padawans?" Naruto spoke as he folded his arms into the sleeves of his robe. "What will our personal roles be?"

"Sakura." Revan turned to face the pinkette. "You're to remain back and help the medics while also taking relative command over the support groups; you are effectively a Jedi General like us, after all."

"Yes, sir." Sakura nodded, still standing at attention.

"Naruto, you're to remain beside your Master while she's on the front lines." Revan then turned to face the blonde. "Your skills with a saber will be invaluable at the forefront of the fighting, as well as your skills as one of your planet's 'Shinobi'."

"Yes, sir." Naruto echoed Sakura's compliance as he snapped back into attention.

"Understand, Naruto, that you have the most crucial job." Revan continued on. "While Sakura will be providing both you and your Master with medical support, you will be in the thick of it with your Master and your men. If anything should happen to Meetra…" A pall of deafening, heavy silence befell the group before Revan directed a piercing stare at Naruto through his mask, whereupon Naruto sensed it and actually flinched. "If anything should happen to your Master, all of the Jedi and Republic soldiers on the field will then look to you for leadership."

"M-Me…?" Naruto hesitated with a shudder.

"You'd take Meetra's place as my right hand, Naruto." Revan more calmly explained. "In the event of her death, you'd take effective command of the Dxun assault and would afterwards inherit her ship, her crew, her fleet and her entire command."

"But that's if anything should happen." Meetra quickly stepped in and placed her hands on both of Naruto's shoulders from behind. "You're ready for advancement anyway, Naruto. You're ready for your own command, and I'll see that you get one, but nothing will happen to me; I'll come out of Dxun alive, and so will both you and Sakura."

"… I at least know the severity of the fight we're getting ourselves into now." Naruto sighed heavily as his right hand went up and grabbed the hand that was upon his right shoulder, an action that did not go unnoticed by neither Revan, his Padawans nor Sakura. "If worse comes to worst, I'll do my best as Master's replacement, and if we should all survive, I'll still give my hypothetical new command the same dedication I'd give anything else."

"I can see that the future of the Jedi Order is in good hands." Revan nodded in respect at the boy's words. "We'll discuss the plans more in detail when you all regroup with us just outside of the system."

"Of course, Revan." Meetra nodded her consent, absently letting her Padawan's hand rest upon hers. "I'll see you then."

"Revan out."

Upon the blue hologram fading out, Meetra lingered upon her blonde student for a few more seconds before she forced herself to let go of him and slid her hand out from under his as she turned to her navigations officer.

"Change of course!" She called out to the bridge as a whole. "We're heading for Onderon; make the necessary recalculations and relay to the fleet of our new heading."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The navigations officer called out before everyone went to work.

"You two retire for now." She turned to her two Padawans. "It won't be long until we reach the staging area; it would be wise to get as much rest as you can."

Without complaint, both Naruto and Sakura began their march towards the turbolift. Though as soon as the doors closed and the descent began, they both turned to each other, worry written all over their faces.

"Can we do this?" Sakura asked. "It's gonna be our first actual battle and from what I can tell, it'll a massive one."

"And what happens if Master Surik does fall?" Naruto added. "Suddenly I'm the one taking her place at Revan and Alek's side! Me, barely eight months as a Padawan now suddenly leading a third of Revan's total forces as a full-fledged Jedi Knight and General!"

"General Revan and Master Surik both seem to have confidence in our abilities, though…" The pinkette sighed as she slumped back first against the wall of the turbolift and massaged her forehead. "And we have been training near nonstop for these eight months with nothing but ourselves to try our skills on…"

"Add to the fact that we've already survived one war and learned from it…" Naruto joined in on this albeit hopeful train of thought.

"We're Jedi now." Sakura affirmed with a nod. "We can do this."

"The Mandos won't know what hit them!" Naruto declared with a toothy smirk in his own attempt to hype up the situation.

"Besides, you and Master Surik both need to survive…" She trailed off knowingly. "I wanna see what happens…"

"What… happens?" Naruto questioned with a furrowed brow.

"I saw how you two held hands back there." Sakura smirked. "Something going on that you haven't told me about? Huh?"

Immediately Naruto's eyes widened in realization and a slight tint of pink dusted his cheeks. "Oh! No! Nothing like that's going on!" He held his hands up in a placating manner. "It'd be improper and it's against the Code!"

"The Code can go get hanged!" The pinkette managed a scoff through her giggles. "We're not officially Jedi, let me correct myself on that part."

"That will hopefully be changed after we win this war!" Naruto reaffirmed his confidence with balled fists.

The turbolift then stopped at the designated floor and the duo began their march once again towards their rooms in relatively comfortable silence.

"So, if there's nothing going on between you and Master Surik…" Sakura suddenly broke the silence as they neared their rooms. "I'm to assume you're still…" She stopped herself short.

"Single?" Naruto finished for her. "Indeed I am." He nodded.

"Oh!" She suddenly found herself blushing this time around. "Good!"

"Good?" Naruto parroted with a quizzical tilt of his head.

"Y-You'll find out what I mean after the battle!"

With that declaration, Sakura suddenly took off for her room, opened the door, then had it close and lock behind her with a rather loud thunk.

With a shrug, Naruto stepped into his room and also locked his door behind him as he began undressing on the way to his bed. Upon approach, he absently fell into its warm confines and let out an audible sigh as he adjusted himself and closed his eyes, now looking forward to some actual rest that didn't involve meditating in any way. Soon enough, his world went dark and he fell into a comfortable sleep. He'd need it.

(Dxun: Two days later)

Hell. The purest form of hell is what Naruto was witnessing. He was a blur of orange as he sped through the pouring rain, the underbrush of Dxun's jungle and the multitudes of Mandalorians who stood in his way as he cut each and every one of them down with his lightsaber in an attempt to clear a path for the contingent of soldiers under his command.

He was in charge of Meetra's forward scouts and so far after two days of nonstop fighting with no end in sight, he was not proud to admit that he was quickly becoming numb to it all. Behind him he could hear his Captain barking out orders and the scream of blaster rifle fire from both sides as his men were being fired on and were returning fire in kind. On instinct, Naruto reached out with his left hand and suspended a thrown Mando frag grenade midair, then sent it careening back into the face of who threw it with explosive effect.

Using the kicked up mud and water as a cover, he dove into the camp in front of him and brought his lightsaber across the chest of one female Neo-Crusader, Force Pushed another back first through a tree and cut down another two who dared challenge him to melee combat even before they drew their vibroswords. Behind him he could sense the commander of the camp levelling a repeating carbine and with a spinning flourish, Naruto turned and deflected the first volley as he charged and brought his lightsaber up and through the carbine, then horizontally through the man's helmet, ridding him of his head just as his contingent came running in and took up positions at the far end of the camp, returning fire and preventing a counterattack to retake the camp.

"Captain!" Naruto barked out over the noise of battle, occasionally blocking the stray blaster bolt. "Get communications set up and get our flyboys on the line!"

"Yes, sir!" The Captain loudly voiced as he motioned for the company radio man to fall in line.

As the comms were being set up, Naruto reached down and into one of the pouches on his belt and retrieved a thermal detonator. After pressing the activator, a loud beeping began emanating from the device, signaling its priming mode.

"HEADS DOWN!" He bellowed out as he threw the grenade into the opposing tree line. "Thermal det!"

Upon hearing their Jedi commander bellow out those words, the Republic solders wisely ducked before Naruto threw the sphere. The Mandalorians on the other side, upon seeing the grenade rolling before them, began scrambling away and those that weren't mowed down by blaster fire were instantly vaporized by the detonation.

"Comms up, General!" The Captain voiced.

"This is Jedi General Naruto Uzumaki with the Fifth Infantry Company under Jedi General Meetra Surik!" Naruto fought through the blaster fire and the beating rain to voice his requests. "Requesting immediate danger close firing solution on my coordinates! Repeat, danger close!"

"This is Lieutenant Carth Onasi!" Came a voice on the other end of the line. "I read you, General! Confirming danger close firing solution; better get yourself and your boys hunkered down for this one!"

"Heads down, boys!" Naruto yelled as he hunkered down into the corner of a durasteel barrier. "Flyboys overhead! We're gonna get buzzed!"

The familiar roar of the Republic's Aurek fighters sounded off overhead as an entire squadron flew past, then circled around and began a hailstorm of blaster fire upon the tree line and surrounding area, with only one of the five being shot down by anti-air fire.

"I owe ya one, Carth!" Naruto called out into the comms device. "Meet me in Iziz for a drink once we take this damned system!"

"I'll hold you to that offer, General!" Carth's voice returned. "Good luck! Lieutenant Onasi out!"

"Master!" Naruto yelled back into the comms unit after dialing in her number. "We've secured another camp! Orders?!"

"Keep pushing!" Meetra's voice boomed out of the unit. "Request extra reinforcements to hold that camp and keep pushing up! We need to secure an actual foothold before we can call in our big guns!"

"Roger that, Master! I'll report back at the next camp we take! Naruto out!"

Just as he was about to hang up the line, another call came in and he picked it up.

"Boss!" It was Konohamaru and he sounded panicked. "Boss, the camp you just left from is about to be overrun!"

"Can the troops hold it in time for me to get there?!" Naruto screamed into the unit.

"There's a lot of them!" Konohamaru returned. "You keep pushing, I'll hold them here!"

"You're not a Jedi like I am, Konohamaru!" Naruto argued, his voice conveying authority on this matter. "Fall back and wait for me; I'm on my way!"

"I may not be a Jedi, but I'm still a Shinobi!"

"Konohamaru!"

The line was now dead.

"KONOHAMARU!" Naruto all but screamed.

When he didn't get a reply for that second time, he immediately dropped the comms unit and began a headlong Force dash through the trees and brush, lightsaber still in hand and ignited, for what felt like an eternity before he came upon the camp he and his company had just left from to find dead Republic and Mandalorian soldiers alike… along with Konohamaru who was currently pinned to the ground by a vibrosword through his right shoulder being towered over by a Mandalorian Neo-Crusader wearing crimson red armor.

"So, you're the Jedi who's been pushing our lines for the past couple of days." The man's voice came out of the augmenter of his helmet. "And what? Is this your student or something?" He drew his blaster pistol and aimed it at Konohamaru's head. "Kid didn't put up much of a fight; I thought Jedi were supposed to be invincible?"

"Let. Him. Go." Naruto growled out as he pointed his orange lightsaber at the offending Mandalorian.

"B-Boss…" Konohamaru gasped out as the Mandalorian planted a boot upon his chest.

"No, that's what you have to do, Jedi." The Mandalorian rebutted as he casually pulled the trigger.

As the blaster bolt burned its way through Konohamaru's head, all Naruto could do was stand there, shocked into inaction as his blue eyed widened and bore into the now lifeless orbs that were his little brothers' own.

Rage. Blinding, intense, primal rage filled every fiber of his being. It was as if something was reaching out to him and heeding his call for power. He didn't know what it was and he didn't care. All he wanted was to kill.

With near blinding speed, Naruto flashed in front of the Mandalorian just as he dropped his pistol and yanked the vibrosword out of Konohamaru's corpse in an effort to parry the incoming lightsaber strike. What he wasn't expecting was the Force Push that came instead of the lightsaber, which hurled him backwards and pinned him back first against a ferrocrete structure and suspended him there as the force from the push continued to squish him further and further into the structure. Through his helmet, he could make out the eyes of the Jedi he was now about to be killed by.

He saw the fires of hatred burning within those cold blue eyes, he could feel a dark aura surrounding this blonde Jedi… and he could also feel his right arm as he moved it inch by inch towards his secondary hold out plaster upon his right hip. With the last ounce of strength he could muster, he pushed back against the unseen force, drew his holdout blaster and fired off a couple of shots at the Jedi in front of him.

Abandoning his offensive in favor of deflecting the two shots, Naruto then found himself diving for cover as the Mandalorian had simultaneously unhooked a thermal detonator from his belt and had it roll down the slightly sloped ferrocrete surface he was pressed against to Naruto's feet. Just after the detonation, Naruto rose back to his full height snarling as he brandished his saber at the retreating form of the Mandalorian who had killed Konohamaru.

"My name is Canderous Ordo, Jedi!" Canderous identified himself. "Remember my name when my people conquer your army and your petty Republic!"

As he glared holes into the back of the form of the retreating Canderous, he could feel his anger subsiding, giving way for the next emotion on the block. As he approached the corpse of his little brother, he dropped his lightsaber, which deactivated once out of his grip and he fell to his knees before Konohamaru. With a shaky hand, he closed the boy's eyes and offered up a prayer to his Gods, thankful that it was still pouring down rain, as his tears couldn't be distinguished.

Unbeknownst to him, Meetra was currently crying also. Something had happened to her Padawan. She felt anger, she felt a darkness encroaching upon him and then she felt extreme sadness to the point where their Force bond was conveying the full intensity of what he was feeling. Something had happened and she wasn't there for him, nor could she be there for him because of the current push she was making against the Mandalorian lines. Through their bond, she could vaguely make out a scream… his scream. A scream that tore her heart in two, yet she continued to push on because she had to… not because it was her duty, but because if she didn't, then they'd never see each other again, because the Mandalorians would win.

His pain fueled her desire to end the Battle of Dxun as quickly as possible. His pain was calling out to her, begging for her to alleviate it… and she couldn't. All she could do was continue on fighting.

For both their sakes.

AN: Konohamaru's dead, Naruto's had his first taste of both real war and the Dark Side, there's a powerful Force bond between he and Meetra , Canderous is at the top of his shit list and Dxun is about to enter full swing. I wonder how Naruto's gonna react to the cataclysm that is Malachor… well, I already know, but you guys will just have to wonder until I get around to releasing that chapter!

Now, pairings. As stated before, Meetra's definitely in. I'm still on the fence about adding a second girl or making this a full harem, though. On one hand, I want to keep it strictly Naruto x Meetra, but as always, there's another side of me that's telling me to add just one more girl. Cases have already been made for just Meetra, and then for Visas, Mission and even Mira to my surprise, as I hadn't even considered her. If you guys think of any other girls who might work, give me reasons for or against. Oh, and the possibility of Bastila being an option is always there if we feel like hanging Revan out to dry.

This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!