Chapter 5
Naruto along with Garrus and Shepard sat in the shuttle heading for Horizon, Naruto could see that Shepard was nervous Garrus knew why as he was somewhat nervous himself. They were both nervous because Ashley Williams was down here somewhere and the Collectors were making there move on the planet and were already down doing whatever they do to the colonists. Shepard looked towards Naruto and gave him a small smile before the shuttle landed on the ground.
"Alright we are here to make sure these bastards never do anything like this again." Shepard said and the two with her nodded. "Mordin, are you sure your countermeasure will be enough?" She spoke into her radio.
"Not sure. Maybe. Maybe not, need field tests. Cannot be completely sure until you come back, if you come back. Hope it works." Mordin's voice came back.
"Did he just say it might not work?" Garrus asked.
"No... he said it might work there is a difference." Shepard replied with a nervous laugh. Naruto and Garrus sweat dropped. "So who's going out first?" She said and Garrus and Naruto looked at each other then back at her and grinned. The door opened and Shepard was kicked out of the shuttle.
"Does it work Shepard?" Garrus asked from inside the safety confines of the shuttle.
"Jerks." She thought as she stood up. "yeah. it work's. Now, lets go and save this colony." Naruto and Garrus jumped out of the shuttle and pulled out there respective weapons, Garrus with an assault rifle and Naruto one of his pistols. Shepard took the lead and led them around a corner of a few buildings before an area came into view that looked like a picnic area with what looked like giant bug like creatures with floating pods that looked like cocoons.
"Open fire!" Shepard ordered and the collector looked up and dropped what they were doing and shot at the group. They took cover and returned fire and they were easily dealt with.
"The hell happened here?" Naruto asked. "It looks as if they were here one minute and gone the next."
"I've got a bad feeling about this, Kid."
"Join the club, Fox."
"It's the same as it was back on Freedom's Progress." Shepard replied. "Be on your guard there could be more." After she finished talking there was a buzzing sound and more collectors came down from the sky with what looked like wings and they opened fire while they were in the air making the three man team separate in all directions.
Three went after Garrus and just as he jumped over a small wall a round of bullets unloaded into the cover.
"That was close." He rose from where he was crouched and opened fire on the collectors taking two of them out. He crouched down again and reloaded and glanced around the corner to see the Collector out of cover he took his chance and rose and fired a volley of rounds and the Collectors fell dead.
Shepard was in the same predicament but her collectors were smarter, while one was shooting another would be getting ready so that when the first finished he could instantly start while the third was getting closer. Shepard noticed that a small mirror had been smashed in the room that she was in and quickly picked up a piece and used it to glance around the corner, to her shock the Collector that was moving forward was just three feet away. She had to finish him off quickly. The Collector rounded the corner of the room and was met with the fist of Shepard to the face he reeled back and was shot at point blank range in the gut. Shepard pulled out her assault rifle and ran out with her shields at maximum power. She fired a volley making the collectors take cover and she took cover herself. She stood up again and fired another few rounds killing another Collector.
"Two down one to go." She sighed as she reloaded again. There was more rounds being shot towards her and when it finished and she was sure that the Collector was reloading she rushed forwards and once she got near him pistol whipped the Collector in the face making it collapse and fall backwards. Shepard stood over the downed Collector and raised her gun to his face. "Die." And she fired a round killing the collector. As she looked around she could hear the laughing of Naruto.
Naruto had three on his trail as well. He had hid behind a crate for all of two seconds before he shot the weapons out of the Collectors hands and dropped his own. He cracked his knuckles and made a gesturing motion with his hands as he fell into a fighting stance. The three rushed him all at once, the Collectors never had a way of hand to hand fighting but they thought that they could overpower the blonde with sheer numbers they were not expecting him to be so good. The first that came in Naruto's range received three well balanced punches to the face one came up from behind him and received a backwards kick to the chest sending it stumbling backwards. The third was in the air and came down him with a leg outstretched. Naruto rolled out of the way and the collector that he had punched managed to roll out of the way to and the collector in the air fell to the ground hitting nothing.
The first Collector ran at Naruto again and managed to land a punched which made Naruto laugh. Naruto unleashed everything that he had on the Collector in punches and kicks the collector was sent back into crates which toppled down on him. The second Collector that was kicked ran at Naruto again only to get grabbed by it's neck and it was snapped with a quick flick of Naruto's wrist. The Third collector started to back up and Naruto could just smile evilly at it.
"Tag Out, Naruto. Let me have this one."
"Go for it, Kurama."
The collector's wings came out and it tried to fly away but was unable to get very far from the roof of one of the buildings as Naruto had gone down on all fours and jumped from building to building and managed to get higher then the Collector and punched it down to the ground. Naruto came soaring out of the sky after the collector his eyes red and slitted. He landed on the Collector which made a large crater around them and threw punches into his face over and over smashing the collectors head into the ground with each punch, he grabbed both of the collectors arms and folded them in front and managed to bring both out of there sockets as he pulled them further across each other.
"Naruto that's enough!" Shepard called out to the blonde. The blonde looked over his shoulder at Shepard and she had to gasp, his eyes had turned red and were slitted, his whisker marks were more defined and feral looking and his canines had grown in length. His eyes went back to there normal blue and his facial features went back to normal.
"Sorry Commander, I'll tell you about it later." Naruto said as he stood up and walked out of the crater he was in and picked up his pistol that he had thrown to the ground.
"As long as your all right Naruto." Shepard smiled at him. She didn't want to be like the villagers and fear him, he was on her team, she had accepted his help he was not going to be treated like when he was back in his village. Also she felt something else other then friendship for the blonde and had since she had first really got to know him and she didn't want to drive him away.
"Commander we should move up." Garrus said from behind her looking around the now destroyed picnic area. "Damn Naruto you know how to pack a punch." Garrus smiled at the blonde.
"I learned from the best. That reminds me Shepard do you think I could talk with you once we get back to the Normandy?" Naruto asked. Shepard looked at him and gave him a smile and nodded her head.
"Let's move out." They nodded and fell in behind Shepard. They rounded several buildings and went through a couple before they found dragon's teeth.
"What are these things?" Naruto asked.
"Dragon's teeth that means there are husks around stay on your guard." Garrus told him. He nodded his head and raised his pistol up. There was a loud screeching sound before a blue like humanoid creature came around the corner.
"Is that one?" Naruto asked and Shepard nodded her head in agreement. "Oi Garrus throw me a thermal clip would ya. I'm out." Garrus nodded and tossed Naruto a thermal clip which went straight over his head.
The husk ran at Naruto and it started to freak him out how he ran. Naruto stepped back a few steps before realizing he had a weapon in his hand. He pulled the trigger and nothing happened and remembered the thermal clip he asked from Garrus. He went to reach for his other pistol but the husk was to close so he settled on throwing the pistol at the head of the husk which made it rear it's head back, when it looked back at Naruto it got a punch to the face which sent it flying.
"FUCK what the hell is that thing made out of metal! I think I broke a bone in my hand!" Naruto yelled at the two who just laughed at him. "Garrus I swear to god that was the worst throw, ever. Of all time."
"Not my fault... someone put the sun in my eyes..." Garrus argued.
"These husks are different from the ones on Eden Prime. More advanced."
"Didn't the geth get the Dragon Teeth from Sovereign, that means the illusive man was right the Reapers are behind this." Garrus said.
"Let's keep moving we need to find where the other colonists are we need to save as many as we can." Shepard replied and they continued on. They fought large numbers of collectors and more husks. They found a large door that must lead them to where an underground bunker must be and Garrus was able to unlock the door with his omni tool while Naruto and Shepard held of some more collectors, when the doors slid open they rushed in and the doors slid shut. Shepard and Naruto looked around the room while Garrus made sure the door was locked. There was a light noise of someone's feet shuffling and they both raised there weapons and pointed at where the sound had originated from.
"We know your there come out." Shepard ordered and a man came out.
"I'm unarmed I'm just a mechanic." He replied.
"Who are you?" Shepard asked.
"My name is Delan. i'm just a mechanic... well was a mechanic before these things came and took everyone. They all got taken. It's all the alliance's fault if they hadn't sent that soldier here to set up those guns we would have been fine."
"You have guns here? Why not use them on the ship?"
"They haven't been operational. Never could get the targeting systems to work right." Delan responded.
"We have to get those guns online it may be our only shot Commander," Garrus noted, to which,Shepard nodded and headed for the other door. They ran out the door and were bombarded with even more enemies and less cover it was hectic for a while especially the giant looking husks that could disable your shields but they made it through. There were doors on the other side which lead to the star port to which they needed to go. Garrus noted that there were no more colonists frozen and quickly unlocked the star port door, there were two more large husks that they took down and they headed for the transmitter and EDI talked to them over the radio.
"Shepard please connect me to the guns." EDI said and Shepard did what the AI asked. "The guns need time to charge hold off the enemies so that there are no interruptions."
"Anything else?" Shepard asked.
"There is a wave of enemies coming towards you, you should prepare."
"Thanks, Mom. You heard the computer take cover." Naruto and Garrus nodded and both took out there sniper rifles. The collectors came wave after wave and attacked at full force but the three man squad dealt with everything that they could throw at them. The last collector fell dead and Naruto yawned.
"Man this is getting boring." He said. There was a loud boom sound as something hit where Naruto had been currently standing and just a few meters away from that came down a huge machine looking creature.
"NARUTO!" Shepard screamed as she had watched as the explosion had engulfed him. "You bastard!" She yelled but was in shock as she saw a mop of blonde hair on top of the creature.
"I have to give it to em Shepard that was a close one." He smirked. There were more explosions as the machine fired off more missiles blowing up everything around it. "Guess I should take this monstrosity down." Naruto said to himself. He summoned a clone but even before he could start on the rasengan he was thrown off of the machine and into a concrete wall. "That fucking hurt." He grunted.
"Naruto get up you lazy ass bastard we need to take that thing down!" Garrus shouted at him with a grin on his face.
"yeah alright let's do this shit," he then thought, "Ready, Kurama?"
"You know it."
"What's the plan?" Garrus asked.
"Well you see that big ass thing that is trying to kill us?" Naruto asked sarcastically as he wiped some blood from his lip. "I'm going to kill it with this." He finished as he held up the lead pipe.
"But that's blunt." Garrus told him.
"No shit that's why you should just watch." His body turned a golden yellow and had several markings all over. He started channeling wind chakra into the pipe, and slashed downward, cutting straight through a concrete block.
"I see your point. I'll cover you along with Shepard." Naruto nodded and jumped over the cover and once again ran at the machine. He jumped up again and when the machine reared back to swing at him again he jumped onto the leg and cut it off leaving it with three legs. The machine stumbled before it could balance itself on three legs, Naruto jumped up again and as he came down he had to dodge his squad's bullets as they were firing at the machine he let loose with a large ball of a black and red chakra. "Biijudama!" The machine exploded just as he landed and he grinned.
"Awesome I'm like a fucking Jedi." Naruto laughed as he dropped the lead pipe.
"You let him watch Star Wars?" Shepard asked.
"Every male needs to have seen Star Wars at least once." Garrus told her and Shepard just shook her head. The guns continued firing at the collector ship until it lifted off, they all had to brace themselves as the force from the thrusters almost blew them off there feet.
"No no no! Half the colonies in there!" Delan yelled as he came out from his hiding spot. "You have to save them!"
"Look at the size of that thing, now look at my pistol and back to the ship and back to the pistol who the fuck wants to chance that even I'm not that stupid." Naruto told him.
"You sure?" Garrus asked and received a Charlie Horse. "Fuck that hurt." He said as he rubbed the spot where he was hit.
"Commander we should probably get the results from EDI." Garrus started.
"yeah Shepard let the computer do the work for once." Naruto continued.
"Commander Shepard, I've heard of you you were there at the citadel during the invasion." Delan said.
"Commander Jane Shepard, hero of the citadel, savior of the council, you should be in awe Delan your in the presence of a god." Came a familiar female voice. Ashley walked out from around a corner in her Phoenix armor which was pink and white.
"Out of all the good people we lost, you had to get left behind. I'm sick of the Alliance you all can go to hell."
"Nice Guy." Naruto grinned. "So you must be the Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams I've heard so much about?" Ashley raised an eyebrow to the blonde.
"Who is this guy?" Ashley thought. "yeah what's it to you Blondie?"
"Good one Ash." Garrus laughed as he wrote something down in a small book. "That will come in handy later on." Garrus smirked before the book was snatched away from him and read through it all quickly.
"What the hell Garrus! All this is on me you back Stabbing Ass monkey!" Naruto yelled at the Turian.
"That's for when you left me to deal with Shepard on my own!" Garrus yelled back.
"It was your idea to cut her pants so her ass stood out I just cut where you told me too!" Naruto yelled back.
"What!" Ashley yelled. "Shepard they can't be serious?" Ashley looked to Shepard and could see she was trying to contain her anger. "Oh my god, they are serious!" She continued to yell.
"Yeah they're serious I have yet to get them back for that little prank or any of the other ones that they have pulled on me, it was hard when Naruto was doing it but both of them its like hell on the Normandy." She sighed. Shepard walked over to Ashley leaving the arguing Turian and Blonde alone and hugged her friend.
"Where have you been Shepard?" Ash asked as she pulled back from the hug.
"Mostly on an operating table. Cerberus patched me back together." Ashley took a step back.
"Your with Cerberus now?" Shepard shook her head.
"I'm not with Cerberus Ash, they are the only one's doing anything about the Reapers as soon as we don't need their funding for our operations, we're taking them out. If anything those bastards are dead to me after what the did to Admiral Kahoku."
"Why would you turn your back on the alliance? On your friends?"
"The Alliance turned there back on me Ash, I was out for two years I didn't even know that I was with Cerberus until a couple of weeks ago. I could use a soldier like you back on the Normandy to help keep Cerberus off my back."
"yeah Ash come with us we could always use an extra hand when we end up taking Cerberus down with us." Garrus said coming over from the argument with Naruto.
"I don't know who these Cerberus people are but i'm thinking that if we all team up we could infiltrate the Cerberus head quarters, plant a few hundred maybe a thousand charges, depending on how psychotic were feeling that day, and blow it sky high." Naruto said as he came up behind her and placed his arm around her shoulder making her blush. "So what do ya say, we can even team up on Shepard." He whispered into her ear loud enough for Shepard to here.
"If anything she is on my side!" Shepard yelled at him.
"I can't just turn my back on the alliance." Ashley said.
"Well what if I say that I need your help on a mission. after all I'm still a spectre, and since Anderson is a council member, and has some pull in the Alliance we might be able to help you out with that." Shepard smiled.
"Alright, but i'm returning to the Alliance as soon as the collectors are dealt with."
"Orders are orders." Naruto sighed. "I hate orders."
"Naruto call Joker on the radio." Shepard ordered.
"Garrus call Joker on the Radio." Naruto ordered with a sigh.
"Shepard call Joker on the Radio." Garrus ordered with a grin.
"Well looks like the chain of command is nothing important on the Normandy now is it Commander?" Ashley laughed.
"Joker we need a pick up." Shepard grumbled over the radio.
"Are you alright Commander?" Joker asked.
"Of course, I am so happy I wanna fucking puke." She continued to grumble Naruto and Garrus just laughed at her. The shuttle arrived and they all boarded and headed back to the Normandy.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley and Shepard along with Garrus and Naruto were in the briefing room aboard the Normandy when Miranda and Jacob walked into the room. The room fell silent as they walked in. Ashley was glaring at the two while Shepard was trying her best to keep them apart as far as possible.
"We have our new dossiers Commander?" Miranda asked.
"yeah the illusive man just sent them over, were going to get Tali." Garrus smiled at that.
"It's like were getting our old team back Commander." He smirked.
"Who's Tali?" Naruto asked making everyone in the room look towards the blonde that was sitting on the ground with his back up against the wall with his eyes closed still in his armor unlike the rest who had already changed into there clothing.
"A Quarian." Shepard replied.
"Oh you mean those guys in the full body suits?" Shepard nodded her head as he looked at her with one eye opened. "How do they live like that, I would be trying to get my immune system back up."
"I think that it's hard for them to do Naruto." Garrus told him as he sat down next to him with a deck of cards and shuffling them. "Up for a game?"
"Maybe Later, Garrus. That mission took it out of me. Breaking a few bones does that to you." He smiled as he walked out of the room much to every ones shock.
"I hear you served with the alliance Gunnery Chief." Jacob said.
"I still serve the Alliance." She replied harshly. "Don't even think about coming near me, my position on this ship or even think about crossing my path or I will beat the crap out of you."
"Miss Williams, you should be very grateful that your even on this ship." Miranda said. "I mean with what your grandfather did in the first contact war..." She trailed off. Shepard winced at that. Ashley smiled at Miranda and walked forward. Garrus stood up and tried to reach for her arms but it was too late, she had punched Miranda right in the face sending her straight to the floor, blood coming out of her nose and lip, she straddled her waist and continued punching the Cerberus officers face. Jacob and Garrus both had to pull her off while she tried to struggle out of there grip. "Fucking bitch!" Miranda cursed.
"Miranda stand down! You deserved worse then that!" Shepard yelled at her. "Both of you are not to come near each other unless there are others near or if I request it! If it is only Jack you are to both walk away as she would probably join the fight." Shepard finished. "Now I have to go see Naruto about something he wants to talk to me about, back to your stations and if I so much as hear that you glanced in the others directions im kicking you both out the airlock with no helmets and see how you like it!" She yelled as she walked out the room with Garrus and followed by Ashley who went up to see Joker for some reminiscence. Garrus and Shepard headed for the elevator and once inside and the doors closed Garrus broke down in laughter and Shepard chuckled. "God that was good, a pity that I had to scold Ash to but it had to be done."
"What do you think Naruto wants to talk to you about?" Garrus asked.
"I have no idea." She replied and he nodded. The doors to the elevator opened Garrus went back to his station and Shepard went to the starboard observation deck. She opened the door and found that it was dark the window was open and she could hear the slight sound of Naruto snoring. She walked over to where Naruto was asleep on the couch and lifted his arm up and crawled in next to him and sighed. It felt good to be in someone's arms again for her it had been too long. His arm wrapped around her and pulled her tight against him and she smiled as she fell asleep.
Naruto awoke to see Shepard in his arms and he immediately thought. "I didn't do it!" He could see that she had made her way down here after the briefing and probably wanted to speak with him and decided to climb into his arms. "What am I going to do, I made a promise to go back to Konoha but I think I have strong feelings for Shepard What the hell is going on here!" Shepard began to stir and turned to face him and opened her eyes.
"Morning Naruto." She said sleepily.
"Morning Jane, how was your sleep?" He asked with a shit eating grin. Shepard opened her eyes wide in shock as she realized at where she was and who's arms were wrapped around her.
"Naruto...I can explain." She started.
"No need to, it's alr-" He was cut off as the door opened wide and Garrus walked in. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the two on the couch.
"Ill come back later then." He smirked as he left.
"Damn straight you will! And knock next time!" Naruto yelled after him. "Shepard not that i'm complaining or anything but why did you come down here last night?"
"I was going to see what you wanted to talk with me about, seeing as we are back on the Normandy and all. When I came down here you were asleep on the couch so I decided that I would tell you first thing when you woke up." She said as she stood up from his embrace.
"Right I was going to ask you if I could return home for a few days."
"May I ask what for?" She asked a little shocked that he wanted to go back to the village.
"Four years ago, my teacher and godfather died. Every year I go back to the village and pay my respects on the day of his death." Shepard looked at him and could see that he didn't want to miss it.
"Naruto, I told you once, at the little party that we were at before we left, that if you needed anything from me, I would do anything in my power to help you get it done. After we pick up Tali we will head straight back to your planet. It will be like temporary leave for the whole crew for a few days before we start up again. I think we have all earned it." She smiled at him and was shocked when he embraced her again in a hug this time.
"Thank you." Was all he said and she could only smile.
XXXXXXXXXX
Naruto was walking down around engineering deck as Shepard had taken Ashley and Garrus down to get Tali. He had been talking with Zaeed for the last hour or so discussing war stories. They both had plenty to share with each other and Zaeed was shocked that he was only twenty one and started at twelve. He went to go see Grunt about a spar but all the Krogan said was that he was busy and should come back later. He had spoken with Gabby and Ken about the engine and decided that it was too complicated for him and bid them fare well. That was what led him to go down further as he had heard cursing from below and decided to check it out.
"Who the fuck are you!" Jack ordered.
"You kiss you Mother with that mouth?" Naruto smirked. Jack went to punch him but he dodged it. "Let me guess your Jack, the psycho that we keep down here to turn away pirates and nosy neighbors." She swung at him again and her fist connected with a steel beam.
"Fuck!" She yelled.
"You're not my type."
"Like I give a fuck, why don't you go back up stars and suck up to the Cerberus Cheerleader and who ever else the fuck is up there." She finished as she rubbed her fist.
"Why would I want to go up there when there is such pleasant company down here?" He asked sarcastically.
"What the fuck do you want?"
"Who said I wanted anything I heard cursing from the upper level and came down to check it out only to be trying not to be hit by a psychopath." He smirked at her again. "Aren't you cold seriously that is not a lot of clothing at all?" He asked.
"Fuck off would you I don't need some stupid brat coming down here and telling me what to do!" She growled.
"For one I don't give the orders Shepard does and I don't like orders so why would I give something I don't want to someone who I can't even give them to hmm?"
"Huh? Stop fucking with my head you damn brat!" She yelled and threw a chair at him only for him to duck under it.
"Maybe I should come down here more often I could get dodging practice in quite easily." He smirked only for Jack to pull out her Pistol. "All right im going im going no need to get all 'lets shoot the guy who's pissing me off'." He smiled as he walked up the star way. "Ill be back later." BANG There was the sound of a gun being shot and then a bullet hitting metal and he sweat dropped. "That could have gone better."
"No shit Sherlock."
Naruto headed for the elevator and went to the command deck and went to talk to Joker who once again was fighting with EDI. He sighed as he sat down next to Joker's leather chair and looked out the window into space.
"What brings you up here to my humble abode?" Joker asked.
"Trying to be shot by Jack isn't the best of things to do." He smirked.
"She is nuttier than a payday bar. What does the Commander pick everyone out of the same store or something?" He joked.
"Nah she probably goes down to every planet and hangs up signs saying 'Crazy people wanted for suicide mission please call this number.'" Naruto laughed.
"Naruto." Miranda's voice came over the radio.
"yeah what's up?" Naruto asked.
"Would you mind coming down to my office I would like to speak with you about something." Miranda asked.
"yeah sure i'm on my way." Naruto stood up and headed back to the elevator with a sigh he was getting sick and tired of walking around this cramped ship over and over again and the elevator moved so god damn slow! He made his way into Miranda's office and sat down in one of the chairs that were quite comfortable. "What's up?" He asked. Her face had already been healed by Dr Chakwas.
"How are you adjusting to the ship?" Miranda asked
"Is this like a check up or something?" He asked and she nodded. "I guess im doing fine, I could use a bed tho, sleeping on those couches leaves me with a saw back sometimes."
"And your relationship with the crew members?"
"Pretty well, Jack shot at me just over twenty minutes ago but I kind of asked for that." He smirked. "Other then that I get along well with everyone pretty much."
"Any injuries that you have sustained recently?" He shook his head. "Now what should we do about this bed situation?" She asked.
"Well you have a double." He grinned and she just smiled back at him.
"I'm not Sharing, Naruto." She said, "But, I could put in a requisition order for you."
"Thanks, Miranda."