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Chapter 5

Rebirth


(Two Weeks Later- Colony of Kholo, Orion System)

Naruto sat in silence at his table in the mess hall alongside other members of the new Noble Team.

There were grim expressions on everyone's faces as today was their day of reckoning, the meal in front of them remaining untouched despite the fact that it could be their last in this life.

He looked around the broader hall and saw everyone of the 270 Spartans present with similar expressions and untouched meals.

Captain Nono and their instructors had spent the last two weeks post their training exercise to prepare all of them for what was to come both mentally and physically.

However the glaring question remained- would it be enough?

"Ruto, you think some of us will make it?"

He looked into Gaara's eyes upon the question and found his usually calm friend looked uncertain. Similar question was present in entire Noble Team's eyes as they stared at him.

Ever since their last training mission where he had brought every member of Delta company back home alive, he found himself being treated as its leader by its members. Even the Spartans from Alpha and Bravo company had been impressed by the feat he had pulled off against the odds and looked upto him.

Gaara's question had not gone unheard from members of nearly every Spartan company in the hall, courtesy of their razor sharp hearing and acute vision.

Naruto could feel all of their eyes boring into him the same as Noble Team which only made him clench his fist harder.

"We survived through three years of hell together. Some of us didn't make it or gave up, but we haven't forgotten any of our lost. Humanity is counting on all of us as it's last hope against extinction, this final step will help us get strong enough to become just that" he answered carefully,

Getting up from his seat, he looked at all the Spartan trainees around him and committed their names and faces to his memory knowing he would never be seeing quite a few ever again.

"Many of us may not make it from this final mission of survival. None of us can deny that hard fact, the only thing I personally can promise if I survive myself- that we will make it count" promised Naruto sincerely,

"We will never forget"

As one, the 270 Spartans stood up from their seats with grim determination and a solemn promise burning in their eyes as they offered a firm salute to everyone of their fellow cadets knowing this was goodbye.


Sasuke walked through the grey and bland corridors of their base in search of the person he wanted to speak to before his operation. He couldn't afford to be late and hurried along until he found the person he was looking for in the Virtual Training Center.

Thanks to Pakura's inquisitive nature and hacking abilities, he had just learned the daunting mission that was about to befall his closest friend.

And it worried him greatly.

He found Ruto-141 sitting in a corner watching the Battle of Freedom on the holoscreen, witnessing the suicidal charge of the 7th Battalion of Shock Troopers led by Lieutenant Colonel Minato Namikaze couldn't help but remind Sasuke that today they were going to do something similar.

As he walked towards his friend who considered Minato Namikaze a hero like most of humanity, Sasuke couldn't help but see how similar Ruto was in appearance to that hero. The same eyes and hair color even down to its style, and the way Ruto fought bore a haunting resemblance to Humanity's greatest hero.

But they all knew from Ruto that he was an orphan like most Spartans, picked up from the streets of Earth to be enlisted by ONI. Yet still, Sasuke had a suspicious feeling that was not the truth, but kept his mouth shut for his and everyone's else safety.

Thinking of the day he first met the blonde all those years ago made him smile a little.


(Three Years Ago)

Sasuke ran through the volcanic mountain region of Kholo at top speed in a desperate effort to escape the sea of lava coming after him at an alarming pace. Around him dozens of other Spartans were doing the same thing.

They had to reach their finish line which was atleast ten miles away in the next hour or be left behind, and it was a long walk back to base which he doubted was survivable without any food or water and with the menacing volcanoes of Kholo spewing lava and ash all around them.

To make matters worse, their sadistic instructors had told them there were limited seats available on the aircrafts that would escort them back to base and the last one to arrive would also be left behind.

It was why everyone of the Spartan cadets were working individually and concerned with their own survival.

He gritted his teeth in frustration upon seeing another cadet known as Ruto-141 was in the lead atleast half a kilometer away. The blonde's speed and stamina was higher than the others and it reflected in the way he left them all in the dirt.

Sasuke's attention was diverted by a loud explosion and when he looked to the extreme right, he found the nearest volcano had erupted furiously bringing down large rocks and specs of lava down upon the two unfortunate Spartans nearest to it.

He cringed upon seeing a young blonde girl cry out in agony as she was hit by one of the crashing rocks making her tumble down gracefully, while the red headed boy yelled out in pain when drops of lava hit some portions of his body setting his clothes on fire.

"Shit, Samui's down! Gaara's on fire!" cried out Pakura-156 in alarm,

"Leave them! This is a survival exercise, we'll be left behind otherwise!" replied Neji-199 coldly,

Darui-183 and Tayuya-57 and few others nearby only gave bitter nods as they carried on ahead leaving a perplexed Pakura and Sasuke behind. They looked at each other worriedly and then at the erupting volcano trying to arrive at their own decision.

But one was made for them by someone else entirely.

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise when a blonde blur passed by him at great speed heading straight towards the trapped Samui first.

"It's Ruto-141! Let's go help ourselves!" said Pakura with determination,

Sasuke was stunned by the speed of his fellow Spartan but was most shocked by his decision to abandon his leading position in the charge to help out two trapped stragglers.

He raced after Pakura regardless after seeing Ruto's decision and was even more surprised when that one act had inspired many others who had raced on ahead to turn back themselves to help their wounded.

Ruto in the meanwhile had nearly reached Samui when a series of explosions happened sending a rain of rocks falling down towards the two Spartans.

"Wind Style: Shockwave!"

Ruto unleashed a burst of deadly ninjutsu strike that decapitated the rocks into minor fragments that rained down around him harmlessly as he knelt down to dislodge the large boulder beneath which Samui was pinned.

Pakura had already reached Gaara and had doused him with a water style minor attack that doused the flames he was engulfed in previously. Sasuke in the meanwhile had joined Ruto as they both tried to lift the heavy boulder even as the hot rock seared their unprotected palms mercilessly.

Looking down, he saw Samui had passed out from the pain and was bleeding out which only made him look at Ruto quickly.

Another explosion made Sasuke wince and wonder if he was going to meet his end in this mad rescue act.

"We need to get out of here, 141" he warned,

"Not without everyone else. I am not leaving them behind!" countered Ruto, even as he put more effort into freeing Samui from the trap.

"Shit! Then let's hurry" replied Sasuke reluctantly,

They were both surprised when they were joined by Pakura, Gaara and several others whose combined help made them finally roll off the boulder thereby freeing Samui.

Pakura quickly started working on stopping the wounded girl's bleeding with the little medical ninjutsu she had learned, while another Spartan looked over Gaara's burns.

"Thanks for coming back for us" said Gaara earnestly with a pained smile, earning a faint smile from Pakura and grim nods from Ruto and Sasuke.

"We'll all make it together. Let's move" answered Ruto confidently,

Pakura had stopped Samui's bleeding in a few tense moments and Sasuke helped her in carrying the unconscious girl while two others helped Gaara. Seeing everyone was ready made Ruto give the final nod as he led the charge.


"Figured he'd be here"

Sasuke was brought out of reminiscing the past when he saw Samui had arrived and was standing beside him casually. The ice cold blonde was never one for many words, but had not forgotten what Ruto or the others had done for her that day.

She would never admit it outloud but Sasuke knew she considered Ruto a friend- the same as the rest of Noble Team.

"Pakura told you?" he asked knowingly, making her nod slowly.

"They say the Nine Tails is the strongest and most violent among all the Tailed Beasts. I wanted to check if Ruto was mentally prepared enough to face the sealing process" stated Samui seriously,

Sasuke sighed on being reminded of that worrying revelation and looked at his friend. All these years, they had watched each other's backs and he was worried for his closest friend's life.

He had been a big part of why Sasuke had survived their grueling training.

Ruto had given him hope, the same as many others and to know he was heading into a suicide mission made the sole Uchiha of the Spartan program clench his fist.

"Why him?" he asked bitterly,

"Something to do with Ruto's blood and genetics strong enough to hold the Nine Tails. I am worried for Gaara as well, the One Tail they plan to seal in him is said to be the craziest of all the beasts" said Samui hesitantly,

Sasuke clenched his fists even more tighter and bit back a frustrated sigh at the fact that two members of Noble Team had been chosen to be the Jinchuuriki for the most dangerous tailed beasts.

The rest of the seven Biju were also being distributed among other suitable contenders from Alpha and Bravo company of Spartans.

The Spartan candidates not strong enough to hold the Biju's themselves like Sasuke and Samui would also be at risk for Captain Nono was going to infuse the tailed beast's chakra into their bodies to enhance their powers.

"None of us are dying anywhere else but on the battlefield in a sea of Otsutsuki blood" he replied stubbornly, the faces of his slain parents and elder brother making his heart yearn for the vengeance that burned deep inside of him.

Samui of all people understood his feelings and nodded resolutely, for while Sasuke's parents had been killed in action and his elder brother was missing in action, Samui on the otherhand had lost her family completely.

Thinking of her past made Sasuke respect her iron clad determination even after all she had lost- first when her colony world of Dune fell to the Otsutsuki taking her father's life in the process and making Samui alongside her little brother refugees alongside their widowed mother.

The family had fled to another colony world with the Terran Federation's forces only for it to also come under attack.

Samui's mother had died on the world making her and Atsui orphans, but the most painful blow had come when Atsui had also perished when the colony they had been evacuated to next by the Terran Federation was also attacked and destroyed.

His own story had not been free of tragedy with his father- Fugaku Uchiha, a Captain of the 10th Shock Troopers Battalion being killed in action first followed by his mother- Staff Sergeant Mikoto Uchiha of the 23rd Marine Division falling in another conflict trying to save humanity's dwindling colonies.

But the most painful blow was the loss of his prodigal elder brother- Lieutenant Itachi Uchiha, who had been a part of the 2nd Shock Troopers Battalion who had went out to save another colony under attack only for his squad to go missing in the conflict and never heard from again.

A part of Sasuke's heart hoped his brother was still alive out there unlike Samui's slain family, but the shinobi within him was trained to not believe in such false hopes.

It was why both him and Samui were determined to protect the new family they had made among the Spartans, with Ruto being an important member of that.

As they walked towards Ruto in unison, they saw the boy's eyes were fixed on the final footage watching Minato Namikaze fight a doomed battle against several dozen Otsutsuki in single combat.

The feed came to an when the badly wounded hero vanquished his enemies to finally detonate the nuclear warheads surrounded by a handful of his surviving men from the 7th Shock Troops Battalion.

"You okay, Ruto?" asked Sasuke calmly, earning a nod from his blonde friend.

"You'll need to be at your best to survive the sealing process. Is that why you were watching the Battle of Freedom?" asked Samui curiously,

"A little. They did what had to be done against all odds, I wanted some of that determination and hope myself to do what I volunteered for" answered Naruto honestly,

"Good. For I'll piss over your grave if you get killed by a stupid fox of all people" teased Sasuke, making Ruto chuckle and Samui to give a faint smirk of her own.

"That would be a shitty way to go" she added,

Naruto smiled back at them both, some of the tension earlier present in his eyes melting away which pleased Sasuke greatly. When the blonde got back on his feet, there was a renewed determination to succeed in his eyes.

"Thank you, Sasuke and Samui. I needed that" he whispered gratefully,

The three of them looked at the omni-tool on Ruto's wrist as it beeped with a notification. Realization dawned upon the trio as they read the message on it.

"Guess I'll see you on the other side. Survive, that's an order" said Ruto seriously,

"Roger that, Noble-1" replied Sasuke confidently, making Samui nod as well.


Naruto walked through the grey tinted corridor leading towards the operation room solemnly. Dressed in nothing but a white hospital gown made him feel extremely vulnerable as he was always dressed in BDU's or armor.

His thoughts wandering towards the fateful day when their superiors had told them of the augmentations and sealing process every Spartan would be undergoing.


(Two Weeks Earlier)

Naruto sat in the training command center alongside 270 other Spartans in strict silence as they all waited for Captain Nono to begin her briefing.

Earlier in the day, she had commended him for his unconventional plan that had seen all Delta company Spartans surviving the exercise and also made him "Company Commander".

Noble Team was also officially made into a squad of its own with Naruto being given the callsign of Noble-1 marking his rise to leadership within his own peers.

He had expected her to encourage him to continue the stellar performance in future exercises, but was concerned when she only wished him good luck for what was to come.

Sitting in this vast room made him wonder if he would finally learn why Captain Nono had looked so troubled earlier.

"Spartans, all of you have done extremely well these past three years. Each of you has survived whatever we have thrown at you and have proved your mettle. Today in comparison to most Terran forces, you are already superior shinobi and can do more than all of them on the battlefield. But against the Otsutsuki themselves and few of their special slave species, you will need to be more powerful which is why High Command has decided to bestow upon you unique powers" began Captain Nono seriously,

They were all intrigued when on the holoscreen several pictures materialized, that feeling soon turned into dread when they saw the forms of the monstrous beasts.

"These are Tailed beasts that once plagued the ancient Earth. They are massive forms of chakra given sentience by the Sage of Six Paths himself- the man who gave humanity the gift of chakra. These tailed beasts are fragments of the original Ten Tails which was a chakra tree planted by one of the Otstsuki who came to our planet to prepare it for harvesting by its clan later on. That Otsutsuki was Kaguya, the mother of the Sage Six Paths himself and for reasons lost to history- she consumed the chakra fruit developed by the tree she planted instead of preserving it for her clan.

The godly power she gained destroyed her sanity and she had to eventually be destroyed by her own sons- the Sage being one of them. The God Tree in the form of Ten Tails also fought to regain its stolen power, but was defeated by the Sage and his brother- they divided its power into Nine Tailed beasts as the Ten Tails was a force of nature that was impossible to control forever.

Over time, these tailed beasts were used by mankind against their will in various wars until a pact was made by our ancestors with them to avoid further bloodshed. The Tailed beasts would remain isolated and not be used or take part in humanity's affairs, and would only be called to fight alongside us if the Otsutsuki clan arrived to destroy us all" explained Captain Nono in great detail,

Naruto glanced at Sasuke and Gaara to see both his friends were as stunned as him upon learning the ancient history for the first time.

"Now that the enemy has arrived, neither humanity or the tailed beasts will be spared by them. It is why they have agreed to join us in this war. Alone, these beasts are tremendous forces of destruction on the battlefield. But they also are wild creatures who often run amok in battle and are easier prey for an experienced enemy like the Otsutsuki to capture or kill. This is why High Command has decided to get them sealed into our finest and most refined warriors"

A deathly silence enveloped every Spartan as reality of the situation dawned at them. Many glanced at the monstrous tailed beasts nervously and imagined having such a monster be sealed inside of them.

"Why us?" asked Neji seriously, earning a nod from the Captain.

"We have the sealing technology to host the Biju's among select Spartans. With the right training and guidance, both human and beast's power can be combined to create a super-soldier that alone can win on any battlefield. Nine Spartans will be selected based on their suitability to survive the sealing process as the host of these beasts, with the rest also receiving fragments of the tailed beast chakra to enhance their powers. With such powers, each of you will be able to single handedly take on the Otsutsuski themselves which most of our armed forces can't today" answered Nono truthfully,

She then showed them a next set of images which were of a unique set of armor and weapons that none of them had ever seen before.

"This is the Hachiman Chakra Powered Assault Armor System, the first of its kind. It takes its name after the God of War itself. This system is designed with the same titanium alloy that is reserved for our starships. It is not a normal suit of armor, but instead a biomechanical system that allows its user complete control over its functioning. It can protect its owner from most forms of ground weapons, even small ship armaments. The user's strength and speed is enhanced nearly five fold and its chakra shielding will be powered by the Biju's energy or the beast itself implanted into your bodies. A neural interlace will help you better synchronize your attacks with the tailed beast or its chakra fragments embedded into you. The cost of each armor system is nearly that of making two starships, it also has healing gel and a reserve of medical chakra that gets dispersed in the event of injury, even energy serum and a host of cocktails to enhance Spartan Time as and when required.

The armor weighs nearly 1000 pounds and would kill any normal human being if they tried to use it, which is why you will require the tailed beast's power to use it to the maximum. The other weapons you see on the screen are a host of chakra assault rifles, sub-machine guns, rocket launchers, and many more. Combined with the Biju chakra flowing through your veins which most of these weapons will utilize- it will make you a force to be reckoned with and a Demon for our enemies on the battlefield" explained Nono honestly,

Sergeant Danzo stepped forward and looked straight at Neji which made the Hyuga sit more straighter.

"We have trained and enhanced your minds and bodies all these years for this final enhancement. The augmentations you have received so far make you Spartans the only one suitable enough for this task. The question is are you brave enough to do everything in your power for mankind's survival?" asked Danzo sternly,

"What are the chances of us surviving these sealing and augmentations, sir?" asked Tayuya bluntly,

"Worst case scenario we expect less than 60 percent of you will survive the operation"

Naruto couldn't hide his shock alongside nearly everyone else upon hearing that. He looked at the comrades around him, children he had grown up with these past few years and the closest thing he had to a family.

The possibility of losing nearly more than half of them instantly and that too not on a battlefield, but in an operation theatre was not something that sat right with him.

"What's the best case scenario?" he asked earnestly, drawing hopeful looks from many other Spartans.

Captain Nono nodded at him in appreciation before giving the answer that everyone wanted to hear.

"We perform the augmentations and sealing of an actual tailed beast on a volunteer first, the learnings from that process will help us reduce the risk the other candidates shall face. It goes without saying, the chances of that volunteer surviving the process are extremely low" answered Nono truthfully,

"In other words, it's a suicide mission. Any of you brave enough to take it cadets?" asked Danzo sternly,

"I'll do it"

Noble Team alongside every other Spartan in the training center were surprised upon hearing Naruto's confirmation and watched in shock as he stood up from his seat with determination in his eyes.

A part of Sasuke's heart was not surprised over his friend's decision for Ruto had always been the one willing to explore the unknown for the rest of them. He was a fine soldier who was always there for everyone of his comrades, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

"You sure about this, Ruto-141?" asked Sergeant Danzo frankly, earning a firm nod from the blonde.

"I'll make it, sir. Count on it"

Samui looked at the boy whose unwavering determination earned him an even higher respect among the remaining Spartans, many of whom were relieved Ruto was willing to do this suicide mission so they could have a higher chance at survival. She glanced at Neji and saw the cold hearted Hyuga was even more humbled upon seeing the act of their squad leader.

"Very well, Noble-1. We hope your courage and sacrifice will help save as many lives as possible"


Remembering the faces of his comrades and the hopes they had placed upon him gave Naruto the strength he needed as he neared the end of the corridor.

He didn't have any family and grew up as an orphan on the streets of Earth before being picked up by ONI, the Spartan comrades he had were the closest thing he had to a family of his own.

He had to survive whatever hell awaited him and bring as many of them out of this daunting procedure.

As the final doors opened, he found himself entering into a gigantic cave and waiting for him on the other side were a large team of scientists and sealing experts led by Captain Nono herself.

"You ready for this, 141?" asked Captain Nono gently,

"Yes, Captain" he replied dutifully,

"Please take off your clothes then. We should get started"

Naruto obeyed the order and removed the gown covering his modesty without hesitation after having gone through similar experimentations in the past. He walked forward and lied down upon the surgical table as Captain Nono placed a hand upon his shoulder reassuringly.

"There will be a lot of pain, Ruto. You will not remain conscious through the procedure, but it is vital you fight to survive as hard as possible. Latch on to any memory that gives you strength and do not succumb to too much negative emotions that the tailed beast will bring upon being sealed inside of you. At all costs, you must use your mental strength to survive against the beast until we complete the procedure" warned Captain Nono,

He nodded while trying to fight off the nervousness within his heart.

"Administer the sedative"


Captain Nono watched Naruto lose consciousness upon being given the sedative as the first team of medical professionals stepped forward and readied their equipment. The entire procedure would be taking atleast two days if the subject survived that long and would have multiple teams working around the clock under her supervision.

The subject's head had already been shaved clean for the first part of the operation as a team of neurosurgeons arrived at his side. The lead surgeon made a small cut in the skull, exposing the brain. The older doctor and his team then started a long and sensitive procedure to rearrange the capillaries in the occipital lobe of the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain. This redistribution of blood vessels boosted the flow of blood beneath the rods and cones of the subject's retina. After nearly three hours, the surgery was complete and the piece of the subject's skull that was removed in order to access the occipital lobe was repaired and the subject's head was bandaged.

Nono breathed a sigh of relief but also knew the easiest part of the operation was done and the real test of Ruto's will to survive was only beginning.

After a half an hour break, she led a team of surgeons personally to work on the subject's thyroid gland next. She made an incision to the left thyroid gland large enough for a platinum pellet to be implanted next by the other surgeons; once it was done, her team closed the incision she had made.

She held her breath in anxiety as the growth hormones were released and progressively started working its way through the subject's body, stimulating the growth of skeletal and muscle tissue even further.

Simultaneously, muscular enhancement injections were administered throughout the subject's body to aid the previous procedure. Nono watched the subject's body begin to alter as a result of the procedures and for his soul crushing screams to begin.

Naruto's heartbeat increased to dangerous levels as he started screaming hysterically in excruciating pain as the veins within his body were being burned alive in the flames of Amaterasu itself. Nono had to step in quickly when one of the veins tore out of his body and her team quickly worked to mitigate the damage.

"Hang on, 141"


Pain.

It was all Naruto could feel in every fiber of his being as his world was transformed into a raging inferno that refused to die down and was hell bent upon reducing him to ashes.

His veins felt on fire, his blood was boiling, his bones were crushing and expanding at the same time making him cry out in agony.

His heart threatened to burst into millions of pieces from the sheer strain he was feeling.

Desperation and unbearable agony made him thrash and for several hands to hold him in a steel like grip which made his screams even more painful.

For a few fleeting moments, he saw glimpses of a young blonde man and a redhead woman dressed in military uniforms.

They were staring at him in horror and sadness making him weep for the first time in years.

He saw glimpses of his friends from Noble Team and his other Spartan comrades staring at him in that training center with hope and worry. Their nervous faces made him remember the three years of hell they went through together, and the fact that all of them would be going through the agony he was in.


(40 Hours Later)

Captain Nono heaved an exhausted sigh as an assistant wiped the sweat from her forehead with a surgical cloth. Her eyes focused upon the boy who had endured pain she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy for nearly two days.

Several times he had flatlined and nearly died upon the surgical table, but just when the medical team was about to give up he would come back fighting.

She wondered about the resolve this child must have within him to survive what most humans being couldn't.

Ruto-141 was the first candidate to not just undergo but actually survive the augmentation procedure, a miracle Nono had rarely seen in her vast career given the challenges.

It was why she hoped he could now survive the sealing of the most dangerous tailed beast inside of him.


Naruto was trapped in a never ending darkness that surrounded him from all sides.

His world was full of pain with his body screaming from the numerous wounds it had suffered, at this point death would have been merciful but for some reason he was still lingering on in this strange place.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that until the first stream of light reached his vision.

Gathering what strength was left in his body, he willed his eyes to open only to see a small red dot appearing in the far of direction.

Slowly but surely, the red dot started transforming into something larger. His eyes widened in shock upon witnessing it growing into a tsunami wave of malicious energy whose sheer power he could feel even from this distance.

It was brimming with anger, a keen desire for violence and blood.

His blood.

This energy he could only attribute to a corrupted form of chakra whose owner soon manifested itself in the form of a massive fox with nine large talls and furious eyes that glared down at his form.

The beast looked at him as if he was an insect not worthy of its attention and deserving to be crushed.

It roared at him angrily and sent a wave of its corrupted chakra straight towards him.

Despite the excruciating pain in his body, Naruto refused to die like an insect and summoned the last of his strength to gingerly get back on his feet.

Was this the tailed beast that his superiors were trying to implant in him?

They had warned him that in case his will to survive and win was weaker than the beast, then it would take over and crush him completely.

Seeing his resolve to get back on his feet despite his wounds made the beast pause momentarily and look at him with the closest thing to curiosity.

No words were exchanged but the giant fox was actually surprised when Naruto willed himself to manifest a chakra sword in his right hand. With equal ferocity, he glared back at the giant beast.

"What's your name, runt?"

If he was shocked by the giant fox actually speaking in a language he understood, Naruto didn't show it and glared straight into its eyes.

"Ruto-141"

"What kind of stupid name is that?" asked the Nine Tails with a growl,

"My name. And you must be the Nine Tailed Fox" said Naruto seriously, even as he gripped his sword more tightly.

The beast narrowed its eyes and smashed its mighty tails in the sea of chakra surrounding it creating monstrous waves that surged straight towards Naruto. It was further amused when the boy ran straight towards it instead of running away.

"Earth Style: Rising Boulder"

The Nine Tailed Fox was surprised for the first time when a giant formation of rock rose higher than his wave of chakra, and on top of it was the runt. Even as the chakra wave crashed against the hardened rock, the boy had already jumped off it.

Angered, the beast sent four of its tails surging forward to smash the pesky runt and was surprised even more when the boy disappeared.

He found his opponent had moved to another one of his tails making the beast growl angrily and bring it down to smash the boy, only for him to disappear again and remerge on another tail.

He's fast.

No matter how hard it tried to grab the boy, the blonde menace continued hopping from tail to tail in an effort to close the distance with the giant fox. The child was braver than it had expected as never once did the Fox feel a shred of fear in the runt's determined blue eyes.

In anger and desperation, the fox unleashed a monstrous wave of chakra from its mouth to disintegrate its opponent.

In response, the boy had created several kunai in his left hand and sent it high above. At the last moment, he substituted himself with one of the Kunai's thereby missing the chakra bomb from shredding him apart.

Contrary to expectations, this human had been mentally prepared by his superiors to face off against a tailed beast in their mindscape upon sealing. But it was one thing to be prepared and quite another to face a tailed beast in single combat.

"Die already, runt!" roared the Nine Tailed Fox angrily, as it swatted away the series of kunai's the boy had thrown at him with one of its tails.

A searing pain passed through its body and its eyes widened when the tail protecting his face had a small portion of it sliced apart by the chakra sword of the boy who was heading straight towards the Fox.

The Fox roared furiously unleashing wild wind torrents that sent the boy sailing away, but not before the Spartan had stabbed a kunai laced with ninja wire across the beast's neck.

If only there was some monstrous chains he could immobilize the beast through!

Naruto was stunned when a chakra chain emerged from his left arm and wrapped itself around one of the Fox's legs in an iron like grip.

Could his inner mindscape allow him to materialize anything he wished for in this domain for the battle?

The giant fox was equally stunned and was looking at him with a little more hostility.

"The Uzumaki bloodline...I see why they chose you as my host"

The beast yanked the chain brutally making Naruto sail straight towards one of its other paws, ready to be crushed. He willed the release of the chain from his left arm and dodged the crushing blow at the last moment. An idea forming in his mind.

Rushing through another few attempts of stomping, he emerged behind the beast's rear and jumped high.

With his left arm he shot another chakra chain that punctured straight through the Fox's asshole making it howl in agony, while from his right arm he shot forward another chakra chain that wrapped itself around the Fox's hind legs.

He crashed back to the ground and pulled with all his might making the beast lose its balance and fall backwards in a thunderous crash.

Before he could follow up with another attack, his vision grew hazy and he wobbled shakily unable to find his balance as the last of his strength faded.

The beast glared at him angrily as it struggled to get back on its feet which only made the chakra chains lodged into its ass and legs wrap more firmly.

Naruto collapsed to his knees and cursed his own weakness as his consciousness started to fade away.

Before he fell back into oblivion, he saw several large gate size objects dropping from the dark sky and straight upon the beast making it howl even more angrily.


Captain Nono breathed a sigh of relief as the sealing process finally came to an end as she glanced at the finished Eight Trigrams Seal upon Naruto's reddish tinted belly.

Glancing at the four badly wounded sealing masters lying nearby made her realize just how close they had come to failure.

Admiral Orochimaru had warned her that while the tailed beasts had agreed to be sealed into select Spartan candidates, they would reject the host if the candidate was deemed weak or not having a strong will of its own. The most notorious among them was the Nine Tailed Fox and it was a miracle its sealing was completed at all.

It would not have been possible had Ruto-141 not fought it with what little energy and determination that was left inside him, the boy could not defeat the beast but had bought enough time for Nono and her team to seal the monster.

She could only hope the rest of the candidates had an easier process to go through based upon the learnings of this entire operation.


(Four Months Later)

Captain Nono stood in her control room and solemnly stared at the holoscreen in front of her depicting the result of their entire operation. She lowered her gaze in sorrow and guilt eliciting a response from the man beside her.

"Augmentations and the Sealing process was always a vital but dangerous stage" said Sergeant Danzo without hesitation,

"How many, Sergeant?" she asked regretfully,

"95 deceased, 13 incapacitated permanently and 12 brain dead. Nearly 45 percent of the candidates" reported Danzo calmly,

"Children, Sergeant Danzo. 45 percent of the children" retorted Nono sadly, and clenched her fist shut to fight off the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks upon seeing the faces of all the nearly 13 year old's whom she had killed in this pursuit.

Of the 270 Spartans that had survived training and went into this operation, only 150 now remained alive.

The force once divided across three companies in the form of Alpha, Bravo and Delta were now reduced to the strength of just one company despite Ruto-141's decision to volunteer first and the best efforts of Nono's team. Majority of the casualties had taken place during the sealing process of the tailed beasts and their corrupted chakra, a heavy price paid for that feat in her opinion despite the results.

She could only wonder how the remaining Spartan survivors would bear the devastating loss.


Sasuke still found it hard to get used to the changes his body had undergone over the past four months. Despite barely turning 13 a week ago like many others, he stood more than 6 feet tall and with a muscular frame that would put many prime wrestlers or shinobi to shame.

After surviving the hell which was augmentation and sealing of fragments of tailed beast chakra inside his body, he had to undergo weeks of therapy and rehabilitation to learn how to use his new body.

The same was the case with those of his comrades who had survived that hell, as all the 150 remaining Spartans now dressed in their ceremonial military uniform stood in the hangar bay of Battlecruiser- Dauntless.

Each of them stood at attention and faced Sergeant Danzo Shimura who stood in front of them in similar uniform but with many more medals on his chest.

Behind him were the 95 pods containing the bodies of their fallen comrades, ready to be cremated in the local Sun- Savitr.

"Self sacrifice is the way of a shinobi" began Danzo sternly,

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder about the comrades he had grew up and fought alongside now lying cold in those escape pods. His gaze drifted towards the now 6 foot 5 tall Ruto-141 who was standing beside him stoically.

But his eyes relayed something else as in them Sasuke saw nothing but pain and guilt for being unable to save so many.

Glancing around, he was once again reminded that even Noble Team had not come out of this unscathed.

His eyes landed upon the pod containing the body of Tayuya-57 who had succumbed during the augmentation process leaving Noble Team with just seven surviving members, a miracle considering many other squads across the once three different companies had been killed entirely in the process.

"These shinobi paid the ultimate price bringing us one step closer towards victory. We shall remember our fallen, honors- attention!" ordered Danzo,

As one the remaining Spartans saluted their fallen as Sasuke finally saw a lone tear fall from Ruto's eyes.

"We commit the bodies of our fallen to the Sun in the hopes of them remerging from its flames once again in a new life to give humanity strength!"

Upon those words, the ship launched all the pods containing the bodies of the Spartan fallen into space even as the rest of the class continued saluting.

As the engines within the pods kicked in, Sasuke saw the vessels heading straight towards Savitr's scorching inferno.

Looking around, he saw the deaths affected each of his comrades differently.

Even beyond death, the core loyalties and friendship developed over the past few years of blood and sweat was hard to forget.

Gaara and Darui looked somber, while Neji and Samui were holding themselves well.

Pakura on the otherhand looked devastated upon losing one of her closest friends among many other dear comrades.

When the ceremony came to an end, he found Ruto furiously marching towards Sergeant Danzo who was overseeing the departure of the incapacitated and brain dead Spartan candidates. Sensing trouble, Sasuke ran after Ruto to stop him from doing something he would regret.

"Where are you taking our comrades?" asked Ruto sternly, his new height easily towering over Danzo not that it made the veteran instructor flinch even for a second.

"They can't fight anymore, the Navy will take care of them. For those of them who make any recovery, we will find roles that do not put them on the battlefield" answered Danzo frankly, as Sasuke arrived by their side hurriedly.

Sasuke saw the way in which Ruto clenched his fist bitterly as he stared at the retreating form of their wounded being escorted by support personnel. For a Spartan who never left any of his comrades behind, this decision was extremely difficult for Ruto to accept.

The helplessness was evident in his next question to the Sergeant.

"I am Company Commander, sir. Members of my squad, my company, my class died or worse- is there anything I could have done more to stop that?" asked Ruto sadly,

Sasuke was surprised when the ever cold Sergeant Danzo finally placed a firm hand upon Ruto's shoulder and looked at them both meaningfully.

"You did all you could, son. What your class went through- the fact that so many of you survived is a testament to your strength and sacrifice" answered Danzo truthfully,

"Was this worth it, sir?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask solemnly,

"The mission is all that matters, Ruto-141 and Sasuke-297. Saving humanity from extinction against the Otsutsuki would require many more such sacrifices. This was a painful blow, but one that would eventually help us get one step closer to victory. The sacrifice of your comrades has given you the strength to truly face our enemies on equal footing" explained Danzo,

The Sergeant walked away to carry on with his duties afterwards leaving Ruto and Sasuke to ponder over those fateful words.

They saw Darui, Gaara, Neji and Samui standing around the empty space where Tayuya's pod had once been, all of them trying to console Pakura who was weeping.

It made them both walk back towards Noble Team to share in their grief over their lost comrade.

The gravity of what loss truly was had dawned upon them even before entering the war.

"Tayuya was my friend, a sister in all but blood" said Pakura sadly,

"She was our sister" added Gaara compassionately,

Sasuke fought back the lump developing in his throat over those words as he remembered the potty mouthed fighter of their team who could outswear even the Otsutsuki themselves with her colorful language.

All the training, augmentations and strength they each possessed had made them all feel untouchable, invulnerable and immortal.

This reality was a sobering reminder of their own mortality.

"Tayuya would want us to avenge her the only way we can" said Neji gently,

"In a sea of our enemies blood" agreed Darui with a firm nod,

Sasuke saw the rest of the team now glancing towards Ruto and him who were designated as Noble-1 and Noble-2, the highest ranking members of their squad by their superiors basis their performance and leadership skills.

"We will be getting deployed to the frontlines in a few weeks once the last of our adjustments and training is completed" answered Ruto calmly,

"Really? An actual fight against the enemy?" asked Samui curiously, earning a nod from Sasuke.

"High Command wants to see us in action first in preparation for a major operation later is what we have been told so far" explained Sasuke,

"Knowing Tayuya she would swear profusely to the high heaves for missing it" joked Pakura weakly,

"She's right here"

They all looked towards Ruto upon hearing him say that and saw him holding Tayuya's dogtags in his arm close to his chest. His eyes looking towards the vast space leading towards the system's sun where Tayuya's pod was ultimately heading.

"As long as a single Noble is alive, she will never be forgotten. Through us, she will seek the vengeance against our enemies. All of us will make sure of that" promised Ruto fiercely,

One by one, he saw the same determination arrive in the rest of Noble Team's eyes as they all stood together watching their comrade's last farewell in the far distance.

Soon, they would enter the flames of war in the memory of all they had lost.


Author's Notes: End of chapter.

Hope you guys liked it.

Sorry for the delayed update as writing this chapter took some thinking.

In terms of upgrades, this story's version of Spartans are a class higher than its halo counterparts. While they have undergone most of Halo's augmentations, they also have Biju chakra flowing through their body and an actual Biju's inside some of them (I have revealed the identity of two Jinchuuriki this chapter, remaining seven we will learn throughout the story).

It's because of the above reasons, the casualties suffered are also higher here as compared to Halo with Noble Team also losing one of their own in the process. A painful loss but one they will make the enemies pay dearly for.

I'm having real fun developing the characters gradually and am quite excited as they take their first step into the war from next chapter.

In case any of you were curious, Tayuya's designation was Noble-8.

Let me know your thoughts, Review please?

Until Next Time,

Blackwolf501