A/N: Just so you what I'm doing here, I want to explain some things. 1: All I know about Naruto, I know from reading the manga, no fillers. And what I see of Naruto is that he doesn't hold a grudge, which in the original form of this story, he was holding a serious one. 2: As of Chapter 569-571 of the manga, Naruto has gained full control of Kurama's power, and became friends with the fox. That's why I'm changing some things about this fic. It just didn't seem like the Naruto I see in the manga.
Chapter 2
Miranda and Shepard were starting to get worried Jacob had returned the day before with there ship and had already started repairs but none of them had even heard a word from Naruto, they asked Tsunade about him but she just said that he was no where in sight not even in the apartment she loaned him just a ruined door. Sakura had asked both of them if they had seen him but they just shook there heads at the pinkette.
It was the day before they decided to leave the planet, Shepard had ordered Miranda to tell nothing of this to the Illusive Man and if she had heard that this got out she would kill her herself. Miranda agreed and destroyed the reports that she had been writing. Tsunade held a party that night and was shocked when Naruto had made an appearance in a new getup. He wore the top half of the original Akatsuki cloak (red and black) with a white shirt underneath, black shinobi pants with a pair of black boots his hair had grown out over the years and was more wild and reached to his shoulders. Sakura was in a blue dress with a large cut up the left side revealing her long smooth leg. Her hair was done up in a pony tail letting her bangs fall down the side of her face, Ino was in the same dress and hair style just her hair was longer and reached down to her waist.
Miranda and Jacob had went back up to the ship and got some dress wear and came back down. Miranda gave Shepard a dress she wouldn't usually look twice at in a store but reluctantly agreed to wear it. It stopped just above her knees and was strapless with a light red in color. Miranda wore a similar dress which was black and had straps. Jacob wore a formal suit along with most other males that were in the room. Naruto had just entered and scanned the room and saw Tsunade beckoning him over to a poker table. He grinned slightly and went over and took up a seat next to her.
"Where have you been?" Tsunade asked as the dealer handed out cards to the players.
"Well you know me I like to disappear every now and then. Plus you told me to get exercise so Neji's nerve thingy would wear off." He smirked back at her. The dealer finished handing out the cards and the betting began everyone folded apart from the two blondes. Tsunade the legendary sucker and Naruto the most unpredictable ninja. Everyone who was near came to watch the poker match and the stakes got higher and higher as more cards got turned over but none were letting anything show on there faces.
"Say Naruto how about we make this interesting hmm?" Tsunade asked with a evil smirk.
"Sure Lady Hokage." He smirked back. "What are your stakes?"
"If I win, you get to keep the pot and also you have to forgive Sakura." Naruto's grin disappeared and Tsunade thought she was about to win before his smirk came back to his old fox like one.
"She has no idea," Naruto thought.
"Still the devious prankster, Naruto," said the fox.
"Gotta have some fun, fox, and this is it," Naruto told his biiju, then turned to Tsunade, "Sure, if I win you get to keep the pot and you tell everyone my heritage." Naruto smirked evilly back making Tsunade falter.
"You know what they would do to you then Naruto. They wouldn't let you leave the village." Tsunade whispered to him.
"Then do it when I'm not here." He continued to smirk at her.
"Deal?"
"Deal."
"Please show your cards." The dealer said gesturing to Tsunade. She nodded and flipped her hand and showed she had a four of a kind and she grinned like an idiot the only time she ever got lucky and this bet was as good as hers now. She looked to Naruto but couldn't see through his poker face. "Sir your cards." Naruto nodded and flipped his cards, making Tsunade gasp. Straight flush.
"Looks like a win Lady Hokage." He smiled as he stood up and turned to come face to face with Sakura.
"Naruto!" Tsunade growled at him. "Where the hell did you learned to play poker!" She continued as she stood up and stood between Sakura and the blonde.
"What you think Pervy Sage only taught me some jutsu." He smiled.
"But he sucked at poker!" She yelled at the blonde.
"He only sucked when he played with you hoping he could coax you into a game of Strip Poker." Naruto laughed as Tsunade blushed. "So when I return home I hope I have heard about your little announcement Grandma."
He smirked as he made his way through the crowd to see Shepard grinning like an idiot at him. "Miss 'I don't know how to drive a shuttle' how may I help you this evening?" He grinned at the commander.
"You cheated." She smirked.
"Do you have any proof of this Miss Shepard?" He asked again not faltering at all.
"Oh no Mister Uzumaki I would never be able to prove something as sinister as this." She continued to grin as she lead him over to the bar arm in arm. She sat down on a stool and ordered a drink and he followed. "So why don't you want to apologize to Sakura?" Naruto gave her a slight smirk.
"I really don't want to get into it." Naruto replied as he took a drink of his beverage, "at least not here."
"If your going to be on my crew I have to know my team and I need to know what makes them tick, I might as well start with you." She smiled back to him.
"Well alright then. You know my name. I'm only twenty one, the last two years of my life I have been on the run from bounty hunters, and hunter nins." He started. "I was born an orphan, my mother died in child birth, and my father died in a jutsu." Shepard and Miranda had learned a lot about what jutsu were as they had passed a few training fields in there days here and Sakura had explained it to them. "So when I was four years old I was kicked out of the orphanage and had to defend myself for five years until I was nine when the previous Hokage bought me my own apartment, it wasn't much but it was home. I was then entered in at the ninja academy, I didn't pass until I was twelve years old. When I did finally pass I learned why the village hates me so much."
"Why is that?"
"I'm a jinchuriki." Shepard raised an eyebrow at him and he continued. "It means that I am a container for a demon." He said as he looked into his glass. "There are nine great demons in this land and there strength is determined by the number of how many tails they have, I have Kurama, the nine tails." Shepard's eyes went wide as she realized that the villages looked down on him even tho he probably has saved them dozens of times.
"So they hate you over something you can't control?" Naruto nodded.
"My father the fourth Hokage sealed Kurama in me when I was born when he was attacking the village." Naruto sighed again, "Funny thing is, Kurama was being controlled by the guy I defeated in the war, Tobi. Dad thought he was some ancient Uchiha who died decades ago."
"But if your father was a Hokage shouldn't you have been treated differently?"
"By rights yes, but they didn't know that's what Granny Tsunades little announcement is going to be." He gave a small chuckle. "As soon as I leave I won't be able to see there reactions as there is no possible way to determine weather or not we will survive the mission." He smiled while thinking about what there reactions would be. "When I graduated I was put on a team with Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke is the guy over there in the black suit and looks like he has a ducks ass on his head and Sakura is the pinkette who rushed in on your first meeting with the Hokage." He said turning around in his chair and pointing at each.
"I've meet Sakura. She let us know a few things about what chakra is and the use of it." She said with a small smile.
"When we first started out we were probably the worst team in team work and probably still are. Sakura was a fan-girl Sasuke was an Avenger with a stick so far up his ass he could probably sprout leaves out the top of his head if he really tried."
"And you?"
"I was head over heels for Sakura."
"I see."
"When Sasuke went rogue I was sent on the retrieval mission but after that day I always new that I would be second in Sakura's heart even if I was able to get her on one date or maybe start a relationship with her. Sasuke would always be her first where she would always be mine. So I stopped loving her the best I could."
"It was a hard decision I take it?" Naruto nodded.
"I guess I'll always have some sort of feelings for Sakura, but over the years, I guess they're just not as strong as they were back when I was a kid. During a battle against a really tough opponent, Pain, another girl, Hinata, who I had known as long as I had everyone else in my age group, told me she loved me. Hell of a thing to hear, right before she's slaughtered by the guy you're fighting. Thing is, I really don't have that strong of a feeling for her, either. Now, mind you, Nagato/Pain brought back everyone he killed during the invasion, so Hinata's alive. I just don't see her as she sees me. As for Sasuke and Sakura, I'll tell you later. It's a LOOOONG story."
"I've made some hard decisions to." Naruto looked to her. "Two years ago I had a very delicate situation between two of my crew members. I could only save one of them. I would have to leave one of them behind to die on Virmire."
"What happened?"
"I had just left Kaiden Alenko to arm the Nuke, and was going to get Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. When I got out of the elevator I saw a ship pass over head and go straight for Alenko. Ashley told me to go back for him but I went for her instead hoping that there would be time. There wasn't." She said as tears threatened to fall down her cheeks.
"He was important to you?" She nodded not trusting her voice.
"I thought that I would be able to be with him after the mission was completely over and start a life outside the military." She said as she finished of her drink. "But when life gives you lemons..."
"You say fuck the lemons I'm going home." Naruto chuckled.
"I was going to say you make lemonade, or a lemon meringue pie, your choice, but your way seems more sufficient." She smiled. She rose from her chair and offered Naruto a small smile. "Thanks for the talk Naruto, if you ever need anything before we hit the Omega 4 relay don't be hesitant I will always go out of my way for a friend."
"Thanks Jane." He replied with a small smile as she walked away.
"Anything else for you tonight sir?" The bartender asked.
"Another couple of these should be good." The bartender nodded and made the drinks and served them to him. Tsunade and Sakura had been talking for a while as they both watched Naruto take his drinks one at a time while he talked to the bartender and more drinks were put in front of him.
"Is he going to be OK Lady Tsunade?" Sakura asked.
"I'm not totally sure Sakura, he has faced down everything Tobi and Akatsuki could throw at him, and he has probably come face to face with the Nine tails on several occasions, so there's really no telling." Tsunade replied as she sat down at her table.
"Is it true that Jane and Miranda call his next mission a suicide mission?" She asked while still looking towards the blonde man. Tsunade nodded her head sadly. "Then why let him go?"
"Sakura you know as much as I do that if I didn't let him go on this mission he would find his own way. Plus I made him promise to me that he would come back alive." Sakura smiled at that.
"So he is still a man of honor then?" A voice came from behind them to reveal Kakashi in a suit still with his face mask on.
"Yes Kakashi he will still fulfill any promises that he makes." Tsunade replied with a smile.
"Kakashi sensei why not go talk with him?" Sakura asked.
"I could ask you the same Sakura." He sighed. "I was never really a teacher to Naruto. He learned more from Jiraiya, than he did from me. We were almost equals when he came back from his training trip. I taught him tree climbing and what his elemental chakra was he did the rest and still he is probably the most powerful person in the elemental nations."
"He doesn't hate us, though, Sensei," Sakura stated, "You know he has never been able to hold a grudge. When we met Sasuke for the first time, after he came back, he asked Sasuke how he could become Hokage, if he couldn't save one friend. Then you remember what happened when he saved both of us from Sasuke, before the war. That wasn't the acts of a man with a grudge. It was the actions of a man who hadn't given up hope for his friend."
"That brat," Tsunade thought, "He didn't tell me that during the game."
Ino looked over to the three from the other table and saw that Naruto was on his umpteenth drink and was all giddy. He was flirting with the female bartender who had taken over for the previous one after his shift had finished and she had a large blush covering her face as he made comments on how she looked. "What happened to you, Naruto? I never knew you to drink like that." Ino thought to herself as she watched the blonde.
"Ino are you alright?" Shikamaru asked from her side.
"yeah im fine Shikamaru I just need some air." Shikamaru nodded and followed the blonde outside as he needed a smoke.
Naruto was drunk not completely smashed but getting there, he had always loved that he could get drunk and not feel the after effects the next day because of the nine tails. He always heard the fox growling the next morning and always thought if he went to go see him there would be a large over sized bucket inside the cage as he watched the demon throw up. He chuckled at the thought and continued flirting until he got a tap on his shoulder. Naruto looked back over his shoulder and saw Sasuke standing there his suit had the Uchiha crest on the left side of the chest.
"Can I help you with something?" Naruto replied slightly sluggish.
"Naruto I think you have had enough." Sasuke replied as he gripped the blondes shoulder tighter. "Leave the bartender alone and go home for the night." The bartender looked to Sasuke with a frown on her face she was actually enjoying his company and he would even let her go when she had a customer to serve but she always made her way back to the blonde.
"He has a point, kid. Every time you start drinking, I pay for it in the morning," the fox slurred.
"Whoa," Naruto said with slurred speech, "Stereo. You both have a point, plus, I'm leaving in the morning. Having a hangover when going off world can't be good."
"We'll help you get home," Sasuke told the blonde, "What are friends for, right? Choji, a hand please?"
The heavyset Akimichi came over and helped Sasuke walk Naruto back home.
"I guess you're right," Tsunade said to Sakura, "He really doesn't hold a grudge."
XXXXXXXXXX
Shepard, Miranda and Jacob stood at the shuttle at the gate of the village waiting for there new team member. Tsunade along with Shizune, Sakura and Sasuke stood at the gates and were waiting for the blonde. It had been about an hour of waiting when Kakashi arrived.
"Yo."
"Your late!" Tsunade growled.
"Well you see I thought I left the oven on so I had to go back and make sure it was turned off didn't want to burn the house down." He said with an eye smile making the Leaf villagers sweat drop at his new excuse.
"We wouldn't want that now would we Kakashi, I mean if the house burns down then the village would be at risk am I right?" Naruto said as he appeared behind Kakashi back to back.
"Uh... yeah... exactly Naruto." Kakashi said not use to people agreeing with him.
"Well lets go." Naruto said with a smile as he stood with the three near the shuttle.
"Be careful Naruto." Kakashi said as he raised his hand in a departing gesture.
"yeah Naruto and remember your promise." Tsunade smiled at him as she hugged the younger blonde.
"Don't forget the announcement Granny Tsunade." Naruto replied as he watched the older blonde twitch in his arms.
"If I have to come find you like I did when you tried to escape the hospital I won't be happy." Shizune said as she hugged her surrogate brother.
"Trust me Shizune you won't have to." He said pulling back from the hug and smiling at her.
"Naruto..." Sakura started. "Please be safe out there, I won't be there to heal you up like previous times." She chuckled a little. "I mean, don't be reckless OK." She went to hug him and hesitated but her eyes opened wide when he hugged her and tears fell from her eyes.
"Ill try not to be Sakura." He whispered in her ear. She nodded and had to wipe her cheeks as they were stained with tears.
"Dobe." Sasuke started as he approached.
"Teme." Naruto replied as he stood there. "I guess ill see you around." He said as he offered his hand. Sasuke looked at him before smiling and braced his arm with Naruto's.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do out there, and try and make a good first impression would ya." He smiled. Naruto entered the shuttle after Jacob and sat down and watched as the door closed hiding the faces of the group outside.
"What's with the change of heart Naruto?" Shepard asked.
"A few long talks with old friends, and a lot of thought." Naruto replied.
(Flash back)
Naruto had left with Sasuke. After a few short hours rest, he was feeling a lot better, so he went where he usually did when he had something on his mind. He had just got to the top of the Hokage monument and sat down on the fourth's head.
"Yo Naruto." Kakashi's voice came from behind him.
"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto replied.
"You already forgave Sasuke and Sakura?" Kakashi said as he sat down behind him his back up against the blonde's.
"yeah," Naruto said, "Jiraiya always said he wanted to do something about all the hatred, and I can't follow his example, if I have that same hatred in my heart. I had to confront all of it when I started training to master Kurama's power."
"Your father was my sensei, Naruto. I still can't believe I didn't see it in you when I became yours. Jiraiya taught you well. Just promise me, whatever you choose to do, you'll at least survive this mission."
"You know I can't guarantee that, sensei. This mission is so unlike..." Naruto said as he stood up.
"I want you to promise me Naruto say the words." Kakashi said as he stood up and looked over the village.
"I promise you Kakashi that I will do all I can to survive this mission" He said as he dived off the edge of the Hokage monument. Kakashi went wide eyed and peered over the edge to see him land gracefully on his feet.
"Show off." Kakashi smiled as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
(Flash back end)
Shepard nodded and told Jacob to take off.
"You should hold on Naruto since this is your first time its going be to awkward." Shepard smiled at him. There was an agreement from Jacob and the shuttle jolted upwards and Naruto hit the floor from where he was sitting as he was forced down to the floor from his seat.
"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked.
"I told you to hang on." Shepard laughed at him. Naruto stood up and sat back in his seat and held onto the grip above his head with one hand and did the most stupidest thing, he looked out the window. They had already traveled over the tree line and were in the clouds and he started to panic even more when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Naruto, just take a deep breath." Shepard said reassuring him. The outside went black as they left the planet's atmosphere and headed for the Normandy. Naruto reluctantly looked out the window again and smiled he could see the stars.
"I was just thinking before you almost hit me what it would be like to fly among the stars." He smiled.
"Well Jacob bring us into the Normandy." Miranda said and they entered the docking bay and landed with another jolt.
"Does it always do that?" Naruto asked as he stood from the floor of the shuttle.
"Afraid so, you will get use to it."
"Or we could install seat belts." Shepard growled at her as she had the same thing happen to her when they first landed on Naruto's planet.
"Welcome back commander." A voice came over the radio.
"Who's that?" Naruto asked.
"That's the A I. It helps Joker run the ship." Shepard said as the shuttle door opened and she stepped out.
"I don't need this thing telling me how to do my job commander!"
"And that's Joker, I will take you up to meet him after we figure out where your place will be on the ship." Shepard told him.
"Commander I heard the conversation just before docking, I think it would be best if he was put into an observation room on the crew deck." EDI said over the the radio.
"Good thinking computer." Shepard smirked.
"My name is EDI not computer."
"yeah right that." Jokers laugh could be heard from the bridge. Miranda and Jacob headed for the elevator as Naruto looked around the hanger where they had landed.
"This is a ship?" He asked.
"yeah, our previous one got destroyed and I got spaced." Shepard said as she leaned up against the shuttle.
"Spaced?" Naruto asked her.
"yeah I actually died. When the ship blew up, one of the air hoses on the back of my helmet got cut and I floated to a planet below and got cut up pretty bad, Miranda and Jacobs boss patched me back together it took two years."
"Y-your a-a-a ghost!" Naruto yelled at her as he hid behind a crate of some sought.
"I'm not a ghost!" Shepard yelled at him as she threw her helmet at him which he caught. "I'm alive they brought me back to life."
"So your a zombie?"
"Yes im a zombie and want to eat your braiinsss." She said as she put her arms out in front of her and stiffened her legs as she walked towards him making him go pale. "No im not a zombie but the look on your face was priceless." She laughed.
"Jerk." He mumbled under his breath, making her chuckle. Of course, Shepard wasn't the only one laughing.
"I like her, Kid," Kurama stated, "She's got a great sense of humor."
"This is the engineering deck where Miranda and Jacob went before will let you change floors."
"I know what an elevator is." He argued.
"There are four decks on the ship this one being the lowest then the crew deck where the observation rooms are probably where you will be, the command deck and then my personal quarters. By no means are you to enter those quarters unless I invite you up." She winked at him.
"I got it." He replied as they both headed for the elevator. The doors opened on the crew deck and they both stepped out. "How many people are on this thing?" He asked as he took a glance through the opening between the elevator and the port observation room.
"Maybe thirty fifty." Shepard replied as they headed into the observation room there was a bar to the right side of the room while the left had shelves. In the center of the wall of the outside opposite there was a large glass window. Naruto walked up to it and peered out.
"So there is no air out there?" Shepard nodded. "How can something so beautiful be so deadly, but I guess you have to look under the underneath." He smiled as he remembered Kakashi's teachings.
"If your hungry ask the cook he is on this deck, ill try and head for the citadel as soon as possible for some better ingredients like he asked if you need anything just ask someone, I'm usually down here any ways but if I'm not head up to the command deck and talk to Joker if you would like."
"I think I'll stay in here for a little while and get set up." Shepard nodded and left Naruto to his own devices and used the elevator and headed to the command deck.
"Hello Commander you received a few emails while you were down on the planet, I would like to meet this Naruto he seems very pleasant." Kelly said as she saw Shepard smiling.
"I can't remember the last time someone made me laugh as much as he does." She smiled as she went to her computer and looked through her messages. One about a mercenary and another about a thief.
"I will have to talk to him, I was not given a dossier on him." She said smiling.
"Even if you were given a dossier what he does wouldn't even fit on a data pad. Which reminds me would you be able to teach him a few things about the galaxy which he might need to know?"
"Yes of course Commander I'll get some data pads down to him right away and try and transfer them to his language." Shepard nodded and went back to the elevator.
"Well alright then, I'm going to hit the sack for the night." Kelly nodded and went back to her own computer.
XXXXXXXXXX
Naruto had brought out his scroll with everything that he had sealed within it, konai, shuriken, and some explosive tags he had no idea what the hell he should bring as he knew nothing of what he was fighting or what would even hurt them. He didn't even know if the armor that Shepard said would allow him to use his chakra properly. He sighed as he sat down in front of the window that showed the endless space. He had been on the ship a whole hour and had unpacked all of his clothes and headed for the door when it opened and showed a woman around his age with sandy brown hair.
"Hi?" Naruto said as she blushed.
"Hi I'm Kelly Chambers, you can just call me Kelly." She said.
"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki, or Namikaze. Take your pick." He greeted.
"That's quite a name." She smiled at him.
"Thanks, can I help you with something?" He asked trying not to be rude.
"The commander asked me to bring you down a few data pads so you could learn a few things about how things work out in the galaxy."
"Awesome so what do I need to learn first?" He asked as he walked back into his room and sat down cross legged and she followed him and put the data pads down in front of them.
"First I need you to speak into this without the headset on so that the data pad can get a fix on your language and change the words so you can read it."
"Well alright then." He took the headset of as instructed and spoke a few words and the data pad beeped a few times before the words changed,
"Can your read that?" Kelly asked and Naruto nodded after putting his head set back on. "Alright I'll let you read those and I will come down later to hand some more to you." Naruto started reading and Kelly exited the room hoping that it would be a few hours before he finished reading the data pad as she had made a complete and utter embarrassment of herself. She heard what sounded like a puff sound from behind her but ignored it and went to the elevator.
The elevator doors opened behind her twenty minutes later and Naruto came out with the six data pads in his hands.
"Ah Kelly I'm done." He said while rubbing the back of his head.
"Already!" She almost yelled at him mostly because of the shock of him being right behind her.
"Well you see I have this technique that helps me learn things faster then others." He smiled. "So you might as well get me the rest of those data pads so I can finish them up." Kelly nodded and grabbed the data pads that she had set aside on her desk and handed them to him, they both entered the elevator and went back down to the crew deck and Naruto went back to where he had set up and Kelly went back to get the data pads that she had received. When she went back into Naruto's quarters she dropped all the data pads which made all the Naruto's in the room turn to look at her.
"Hey Kelly." They all said in unison. In Naruto's mind, the Fox couldn't stop laughing at the look on Kelly's face.
"Naru...to. The look...on her face. PRICELESS!" The Biiju said between fits of laughter, and trying to catch his breath.
"Naruto?"
"yeah I'm over here." Naruto said from the left side of the room.
"How are all of these you?"
"It's a technique people use on my world, some don't have the extent to use it like I do as this type is forbidden but I can use it without any risk, everything they learn I learn." He smiled as he helped pick up the data pads.
"Amazing." She said.
"Really? I just thought it as a good distraction in a fight." He smiled. She left him with the data pads and left him to his learning. Naruto finished all thirty two data pads an hour and a half later and when he found out about the other species in the galaxy he was slightly worried at how they would look and how they would react. He had seen some pretty bad stuff when he finished of Kabuto when he brought back the dead but these species would be heavily armed and would have back up. Unlike Kabuto. He searched through his clones memories as he looked out into the emptiness of space once more and came across the weapons and frowned the only weapons that would even cause damage was the explosive tags. He decided to keep the konai and shuriken any ways just in case. He didn't understand most of the stuff around the technology department and figured biotics were a lot like chakra. He layed down on one of the leather couches in the room and fell asleep wondering if it was day or night, he truly didn't know.