It had been two years since we had moved in and I started teaching Naruto about both chakra, its history, how to access it and control exercises. I also taught him the Kage Bunshin ( Shadow Clone ), not only to speed up his training significantly but because I always associated it with him. He could now perform a Kawarimi ( Body Replacement ) with just two seals instead of the usual five, I also urged him to study up on the Henge ( Transformation ) and figure out a way to make it his own, since his Oiroke no Jutsu ( Sexy Jutsu ) in canon was both faster, required less seals and also a better transformation than the normal Henge.

More importantly, I taught him my own style of Taijutsu, consisting of both grappling and throwing in the form of Judo and striking, in the form of Kyokushin Karate, arguably a very brutal Martial Art because of the harsh training required, but I figured it would teach him both self-discipline and useful techniques. I also hinted how he could use shadow clones in combination with his attacks and he already had a style reminiscent of later canon Naruto.

The most progress for me was that I discovered, while meditating, that the Rinnegan gravitational techniques were not a Kekkei Genkai ( Bloodline Limit ), and that I could feel everything around me and control them telekinetically, up to a point. I could now lift around three medium-sized rocks while meditating and my pull-push techniques were pretty pathetic, but I already had enormous success in enhancing my combat manoeuvres. It was due to this that I had finally started to see some development in my lightsaber form training. I found that I preferred training in forms IV and V, Ataru and Shien/Djem So respectively. Ataru was also called the aggression form and it was great for single opponent duels, using a combination of fast strikes, acrobatics and was also quite unpredictable. It was great for single opponents but also quite aggressive and practically useless against ranged attacks and multiple opponents, and for that reason I was also practising form V. This form had two names, because it was split into two somewhat different styles, Shien and Djem So. Shien was originally developed for defending against Blaster Bolts and returning them to their point of origin, so I could safely use it against kunai and shuriken, I started training with upwards of 100 clones all projecting at me and I could return around a third of the fire thrown at me and safely avoid or deflect the rest, very rarely getting glanced by some. I attributed this to my Jedi training, since I could basically sense the ripples in the chakra around me when a projectile was nearing me, it amounted to a sixth sense of some sort. Djem So was developed for lightsaber combat, so I could easily adapt it to kenjutsu, it focused on waiting for an opponents blow and then immediately countering and either returning it or exploiting an opponent's weakness, I already knew all the sequences and I was sparring with either one very pumped up clone or multiple weaker ones, since this style could be safely used against multiple opponents. I frequently used a reverse grip when fighting in Shien and Djem So, and a regular grip when using Ataru. I had promised Naruto I would get him started in kenjutsu and tomorrow was his first day and I was really looking forward to how he would do. He already had a decent grip on the Force and he was already practising the five different meditations daily, like myself.

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"So what am I going to learn, will I be able to overpower everybody and slash stuff up?!" he practically screamed at me while bouncing in anticipation, I merely shrugged.

"Do not see a duel as a choice between winning and losing. Every duel can have many, many outcomes. When you concentrate solely on winning—in duels as in everything else—you sully your victory. Winning becomes worse than losing. It is better to lose than to win sorely. And it is always better to end a duel peacefully than to win or lose." I practically quoted Rekpa De, a Jedi Master that taught young apprentices in lightsaber combat.

"I see... so I must have self-discipline and also look at the bigger implications of my actions, you know, nii-chan, you don't always have to talk in riddles..." I merely smiled for a moment and then straightened my features out, eyebrows relaxing and eyes sharpening to a point.

"Well... you remember what I have thought you so far about the Force and the Code? And also my multiple lessons on how to behave and what is acceptable for a shinobi?" he caught on to my serious tone and expression and only nodded once in acceptance.

"What I am going to be teaching you must not be shared with ANYONE and you shall not brag about it in any way, shape or form, the same can be said about the Code and the Force. I will not make you promise this, but until you do, I have nothing to teach you."

"I promise, nii-chan, you can always trust my promises." he said, the determination burning in his vibrant blue eyes.

"Very well. What I am and what I have been trying to teach you all these years, ever since we could talk, is how to be a Jedi."

"What's a Jedi? It sounds funny and I have never heard of that word before..." his eyes narrowing and mouth tilting diagonally, eyebrows scrunched up in thought.

"The Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the world. We study, serve and use the energy of the Force. The force is our ally, and a powerful one it is. Training to become a Jedi is not an easy challenge, and even if you succeed, it's a hard life. You are not allowed to bend to your emotions and your actions should be in service of others and not yourself, most importantly, though, you always have to bend to the will of the Force, only acting against it if the people you care about are in danger, for compassion is the strength of the Jedi." he was nodding intently at my every word and absorbing any and all hidden meanings scattered throughout, I had prepared him for this moment his whole life and preparing myself all the same.

"This is a manual, of sorts. It is written by myself and it contains both the history of the Jedi Order, rules and other important knowledge for a Jedi, I have also included all seven of the lightsaber forms, although I am only proficient in the first five. Study this and keep it in pristine condition. I will go to procure appropriate clothes today, in the mean time, read up." I said, while handing him a leather-bound copy with the symbol of the republic stamped on it, I had already written it exactly how I remembered it and had ten copies of it prepared.

"Only one question... what's a lightsaber?" Naruto asked, nothing other than curiosity shown on his features.

"It is the weapon of the Jedi Knight, an elegant weapon for a more civilised age. I do not know if we will ever be able to make one, but those forms should be sufficient for kenjutsu, they are perfect combat forms." I explained, truthfully. I was preparing to make the necessary parts but there was one that was, to my knowledge, never obtained in this universe – the crystal, the heart of the lightsaber.

"I will, however, leave you with one final precept, think about it before you proceed with those forms. Remember, a Jedi fights only as a last resort. If you are forced to draw your lightsaber, you have already forfeited much of your advantage. A Jedi trusts the Force and at first seeks other ways to resolve problems: patience, logic, tolerance, attentive listening, negotiation, persuasion, calming techniques. But there are times when a Jedi must fight." I quoted a Jedi Grand Master, namely Luke Skywalker, in his later years. Knowledge is power, as they say.

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I gently pushed open the door of 'The Sharpened Kunai', one of the most reliable and trusted outfitters of shinobi weapons and apparel, with which I had placed an order several weeks prior. The Third recommended the shop to me and said that the owner was the supplier of Hiraishin Kunai for my father, so I figured he wouldn't charge me three times the price because I was the container of Kurama. I entered the shop and every wall was filled with various weapons and shinobi clothing, some storage scrolls and other various items. I navigated the shop and reached what I had been searching for, the clerk's desk. What stood before me was a forty-something aged man, with brown hair that had grey streaks in it at the sides and steel grey eyes, I silently noticed how he seemed to be in great physical shape under his blacksmith's leather apron and the dark marks on his fingers from smelting and forging metal. When he identified who I was, his expression softened slightly in regret and he cleared his throat.

"You must be Uzumaki-san. You've arrived right on time, your highly specific order of three sets of each outfit are ready and also your shinobigatana." I had ordered three sets of Jedi outfits for me and three for my brother, both of them were ceremonial Jedi robes, as opposed to the standard Jedi apparel and so looked vastly different and were more appropriate for use in the shinobi world, they were more compact, the top didn't extend past the belt except for a sash that went around the left leg. They also had a hood so they could be used without the larger, bulky Jedi robes. Mine were white and had dark brown, almost burgundy coloured strips of material that went around the waist, hands and formed the sash around the left leg. Naruto's were also white but the strips were a faded, light orange. Our boots were both black and quite form fitting. ( Author's Note: just google ceremonial Jedi robes if you don't understand how they look. ) I had also ordered a shinobigatana, a type of straight-edged katana, also known as a ninjatou. It had a relatively thin and light blade, all black with the obvious pattern of Damascus ( Author's Note: Also, hard to explain, I suggest seeing a photo if you don't know how it looks ) steel, it seemed that better blacksmiths could pattern-weld in the Narutoverse as well and that fact combined with the obvious quality of steel that surpassed the real world by miles resulted in a very light, sharp but strong blade that retained its edge perfectly, the fact that it was chakra-conductive was just an added bonus. The sword had no guard and its grip was weighed somewhat and made of a type of ebony, its balance resembled that of a lightsaber and that's why I had it commissioned. The scabbard was matte black and had a sharpening and straightening seal on it so the edge never dulled. I was happy with the result and the man had been truthful enough to warrant my next step.

"Thank you, Mr. -?"

"Masamune, Gorō Masamune." The fact that he shared his name with the most famous Japanese blacksmith in 'real' life history didn't surprise me as much as it seemed, what did however was the sudden appearance of a six or seven year old girl with brown haired buns and the same steel grey eyes as her father. This was Tenten's father, of course.

"Daddy, who is this boy? I've never seen him around the village before and we don't normally allow children unsupervised in here." she said while huffing and crossing her arms over her chest, I found it much cuter than I should have.

"Ten-chan, this here is Menma Uzumaki. He is a client and I expect you to treat him with respect, I do believe that this isn't the last time he will come here, because my expertise is unmatched in the village!" he said with a booming laugh while patting the back of his daughter.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Tenten-san, but I was hoping to discuss something private with Masamune-san, if you would allow it." I bowed both in greeting and submission.

"Certainly, Uzumaki-san, right this way, I'll lead you to my *cough* 'office'." He said while gesturing me to follow and leading me to what seemed to be the forge. He closed the door and set up a few basic privacy seals.

"Thank you for the order. I would like to place an order on something... more difficult to manufacture, and a rather innovative field in the elemental nations." I explained and his curiosity was visibly burning on his features.

"Lord Hokage warned me that you were an extremely smart young man and the fact that you designed your own blade so minutely is certainly impressive, but do you really think that I haven't seen whatever it is you wish to show me?" he asked with a straight face, he either knew exactly what I was talking about or he was arrogance embodied. I slipped into my back pouch and pulled out several designs, each depicting a piece of a lightsaber, most of which could be easily constructed – it had a Hashirama Wood grip, for its lightweight but resistant frame, the pommel was slightly weighed and continued the lines of the rest of the weapon, the metal pieces it was made of were all chakra conductive and were detailed with pale-gold filigree, it had an emitter, a focusing lens and all the other features of a lightsaber, but no crystal as that was much harder to produce. The blacksmith looked over the plans and was apparently deep in thought, not as surprised as I expected him to be.

"You have seen a similar design before?" I asked tentatively.

"In a way. Not quite as advanced as this. Using a chakra battery, a focusing lens and those other implements is absolutely brilliant... But there is a missing piece here that was present in the original design..." now here I was expecting the blacksmith to be in a loss of words... when it was me who was speechless.

"May I ask... where have you seen something like this before?" my lips now slightly open, my face slightly too close to the man's own and my hands gently trembling in anticipation.

"A long time ago, my father constructed a weapon similar to this, for the second Hokage. It was called the Raijin no Ken ( Sword of the Thunder God )." The stolen sword that man... Aoi used to fight a young Sasuke and Naruto in canon! How did I never think of that?! It's practically a lightning-based primitive lightsaber!

"Although, this weapon that you have designed – it makes the Raijin no Ken look like an antique in comparison... The energy is not wasted and the way in which is constructed transforms the chakra into pure light, therefore increasing its cutting power and making it virtually indestructible by usual means."

"Is there a way you can make it, according to my specifications?" I asked, hopeful that I could finally have a lightsaber, the perfect weapon for a Jedi.

"Yes... although I will have to use pattern-welded steel like in your blade to maintain the strength and prevent warping. Although there is a missing piece, that I have no knowledge of – I do know that it focused the user's chakra into pure energy... I believe it was a crystal of sorts." he explained and I now looked exactly like my brother, bouncing about in excitement.

"Also, there will be issues in constructing it and bonding the pieces together, it won't be an easy task." Of course it wasn't an easy task, it was a rite of passage for Jedi to procure their own crystal from the caves of Illum and then construct their own lightsaber with only the use of the Force, the metal HAD to be chakra conductive for that reason alone and the process took upwards of a few days to complete, that's why only Jedi and Sith managed to use lightsabers, civilians couldn't construct them, couldn't attune their own crystals and couldn't wield them without the guidance of the force, powerful weapon as it may be, a blaster was far simpler to use, you just point and shoot.

"Thank you, Masamune-san, for everything. I know a way of constructing and bonding the pieces... now there is one piece left, I don't imagine it would be an easy task to fulfil. It is possible I will present you with a second order for similar parts, when my brother grows proficient enough in his studies. On a more personal matter, I know about your history with my late parents, and I would also like to thank you on behalf of them, your work has a great presence in our home." I bowed deeply in gratitude, the man deserved to know that me and Naruto also knew what he knew. Wow, what a tongue-twister.

"So the old man told you, eh? I'm not surprised, you seem like a responsible kid, you remind me a lot of your old man. It's a terrible thing what happened – leaving two children like you alone. I tried not to get involved in your lives because I had no real reason to do so unless I knew your parents..." he said regretfully.

"There is no reason to apologise, Masamune-san. What happened is now in the past and we should not cling to it, there is still time to make up for our mistakes." I said with a smile, my respect for the man was growing steadily with every word that came out of his mouth.

"You're right. I want you to know that if you ever need equipment or any kind of help, you are always welcome under my roof. If you want to, you can train with my daughter as well, she will be quite the weapon mistress when she's older, I'm sure, she's already worked out some weapon seals that are very useful."

"Much obliged, Masamune-san, although I will have to respectfully decline the offer for now. I believe that there is still time for us to develop our skills in our own ways and then contribute to each other's training... Consider it cementing our identity." I said with wisdom that far exceeded my years, studying every word that Yoda said or wrote really changed you, for the better. I guess those are the benefits that come with 900 years of experience, 800+ of which he was a Jedi Master...

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Naruto and I were both dressed in our new attires and I was already happy with the choice, not as bulky as normal Jedi apparel, but very comfortable and allowed even more range of motion, also better suited to the warm climate of the fire nation, the material was surprisingly light for how it looked, it also allowed the concealment of MANY weapons, perfect for both shinobi and Jedi alike.

"Why don't I get a cool sword?" Naruto said, eyeing my new weapon hungrily.

"You are not responsible enough to warrant the use of one and training with one might hurt you more than your targets. Call it self-preservation, if you will. One more thing, as long as we are training, I expect you to address me as 'Master', while I will address you as 'Padawan'."

"Yes, Master, but aren't I an initiate? That's what the first step is in the manual you gave me..."

"No, you are past the level of initiate, I have been training you all your life. We are both Padawan. Usually, I would have to be trained under the tutelage of a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master, but there are none at this moment in time, therefore if I pass the five trials I will be considered a Jedi Knight. You are still my apprentice and Padawan, though, so you better get to work. What are your thoughts on the seven forms, my young Padawan?" I was now grinning, I always wanted to say that! I should start speaking like Yoda when I'm teaching, I'm pretty sure he knew how to speak properly, but the way in which he turned sentences backwards actually makes them more respectful and easier to understand... Think about that, I will.

"I have read about them and I will have to learn Form I, Shii-Cho, obviously – it's the basis for all other forms... I have tons of stamina and I should learn how to be patient, so Form III, Soresu, would be nice... it's focused on defending using efficient movement and blocking all paths of attack, it also works well against multiple opponents, I would be great at that! Also... I was thinking of Form II, Makashi, it sounds really amazing, it's focused on duelling other lightsaber users and it's elegant and precise, with lots of stabbing motions and exact strikes, while my personality wouldn't be good for it, I would learn many things by mastering it! You always say how I have to be more patient, gracious and less brash – this would be a perfect opportunity!" Naruto said with his trademark foxy grin, I was proud that he decided on forms that would actually teach him more than combat.

"Very well, Padawan, I expect you to study the forms in private, I will help you with any shortcomings and after you have learned the basic moves, you can show me and I will correct you. You can spar with your clones or with myself. Once you have mastered the basics, and make no mistake, it will not be an easy task, I will work with you one on one to develop your own style. Do not skip on your meditations or your training with the Force, its importance is great in itself and in your combat training. I expect you to gain an intermediate proficiency in both until you enter the academy, when we will introduce elemental ninjutsu and other disciplines. On another note, have you been getting some urges lately?"

"What do you mean, ni-Master, what kind of urges?"

"Oh I don't know, like 'decorating' the Hokage Mountain or other such... inappropriate... pranks? Mostly in order to gain the attention of the villagers..." I explained, I really didn't want Naruto to become the prankster of doom, it would have been fine if it had been something he enjoyed in canon but it was to get attention and I wouldn't have any of that.

"I was thinking of ways to get the attention of the villagers... but that would have just been stupid, ne? I was thinking of becoming a great shinobi like dad was and becoming Hokage! That would be a great way to garner the attention of the village!" he said exuberantly and I just smiled.

"Remember, when a Jedi behaves badly in public, an observer might think, 'If this Jedi is a representative of the whole Order, then plainly no Jedi is worth respect.' On meeting a second Jedi, who behaves better than the first, that same person might think, 'Does this say that half the Jedi are good, and half bad?' On meeting a third Jedi, who behaves as well as the second, the person thinks, 'Was the first Jedi an exception, then?' In this way, only by the good behaviour of several Jedi can the public be certain that the poor behaviour of one Jedi was unusual. Thus, it takes many Jedi to undo the mistakes of one."

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"You called for me, Lord Hokage?" I asked in a dignified way, when you were summoned by the Hokage, you acted like it.

"At ease, Menma-kun, would you like some tea?" he asked, motioning me to sit down and his assistant to bring refreshments.

"That would be lovely, jiji." I used the affectionate term that Naruto devised for the old man, he was kind of like a grandfather to us so it wasn't disrespectful in any way.

"The reason that I have called you here relates to shinobi matters. I believe you are ready to go to the Academy but I wouldn't dare split you and your brother apart so soon, and I wouldn't want you to skip on your Academy experience either... so I have come to a conclusion."

"I see... what is to happen to me?"

"Menma-kun, you needn't think that you have no say in these matters, it is YOUR decision to make, after all. I was thinking of setting up an apprenticeship with you, to induct you in ANBU once you complete your training. Doing this would greatly upset the council due to... unrelated matters -"

"Jiji, I know about the fox, you don't have to hide things from me." I said warmly, trying to convey the fact that I'm not upset to the man.

"I see... why am I not surprised? I will assume that Naruto-kun doesn't know as of yet." I nodded "Very well, the council doesn't see you as human beings and they would want you used as weapons for the village, especially Danzou-san... therefore, the true state of things shall not be revealed."

"I see... so I will undergo an apprenticeship and I will attend the Academy at the same time, but I would actually be an ANBU in disguise the entire time... I would be under your direct orders so the council wouldn't know about the training... expertly planned if I may say so. What about after graduation, I refuse to accept that a member of a three-man cell would be discarded for my sake...

"No, nothing like that, your apprenticeship would be merely transferred to the Jounin sensei assigned to your brother's team and you would only participate in missions C-rank or higher. Think of it as insurance of sorts, there are many bright Genin in your generation."

"I am well aware of that, and I agree with this plan. Thank you, jiji, for believing in my ability enough to warrant such unorthodox treatment." I bowed deeply once again, humility was part of the Jedi way after all.

"Your teacher will be a Tokubetsu Jounin, waiting for you at Training Ground 44. You are expected to be there in twenty minutes, good luck, Naruto-kun."

"Thank you, jiji, I will not disappoint you." I bowed a final time and headed towards TG44. Will it be Ebisu, he was a special jounin... or... wait, isn't TG44? The Forest of Death.